Part 1: The Clique

A. The much talked about "AGW Clique" was a group of wrestlers who, at various times, exercised an obscene amount of control over the AGW's front office. Although every wrestling organization has "cliques" backstage, and the AGW itself had several such groups of wrestlers, this particular "clique" distinguished itself by being very well-organized and connected. At various times, AGW owner Speed Racer allowed them to wield so much influence, one would almost think he was a member himself.

Q. Who made up the Clique?

A. While the Clique was never an "official" group, much of it's membership was well-known. At various times, Mark Paris, Unleaded, Joshua Gardner, Bill Goldberg, and Chocolate Thunder were all members, although there was always some dispute as to who actually belonged to the group at any given time. Speed Racer, while never claiming membership, was on very good terms with many of the members (Paris in particular) and often allowed the various members to get away with murder. Mark Payne and Mike E. Clark both thought they were members at various times, although nobody else did.

Q. What were the "Clique Eras"?

A. Although the Clique influenced the AGW in subtle ways from it's establishment in 1998 until the AGW's untimely death two years later, there were two periods of time when the Clique exercised a far more blatant control. The original Clique group controlled much of the AGW's booking during the summer of '98, while ostensibly feuding amongst themselves. Clique members were on both sides of the LoS/DX-CM feud, and that feud eventually dominated literally every aspect of the AGW for the entire summer. Clique string-pulling kept the spotlight on the members of the two stables, and essentially forced the rest of the roster into the background for several months. The second "Clique" era lasted from February to June '99, when Paris, Goldberg and the LPB operated as Speed Racer's "Corporate Clique". This also marked the first time the group publicly referred to itself as "The Clique." After the end of the second Clique Era, the group never wielded it's influence so blatantly, although the various members would often invoke the group's name publicly, both to suggest that they still had a huge amount of front office pull, and to annoy the hell out of their fellow wrestlers.

Q. Did they really screw Kid Nitro?

A. The general consensus is "yes." Going into the AGW vs. The World PPV, Kid Nitro had clearly established himself as the #1 contender to then-champion Unleaded's World Heavyweight Title. Thus, fans were understandably outraged when Nitro was passed over, and the coveted PPV title shot was handed to Mark Paris. Compounding the outrage was the fact that Paris had only recently come back from hiatus, and had not wrestled a single match since his return! Nitro loudly protested, and inexplicably found himself targeted by both the LoS and DX-CM, two groups that were supposed to be feuding with each other at the time. To this day, the title shot debacle is considered the worst of the Clique's various abuses of power.

Q. Did they really mug El Gato Loco in an arena parking lot?

A. Yes, and it is a matter of record with the proper authorities. Incensed by comments El Gato Loco made to Speed Racer after a house show, Mark Paris and Bill Goldberg caught the young Mexican in the parking lot, savagely beat him, and threw him in a dumpster. Rumor has it that his girlfriend was took some abuse, as well.

Strangely, El Gato Loco was never seen in the AGW again. 

Q. Did they really try to screw Monarch?

A. Chocolate Thunder would like to think so. By 2000, the Clique's influence had waned considerably (Paris' personal power in the front office was still a matter of some debate, however.) Paris and CDogg were the only active members at the time, and when CDogg began waging a backstage war against the fast-rising superstar Monarch (for reasons known only to himself), he essentially claimed to be acting on behalf of the Clique as a whole. If he expected support from Paris, he was disappointed. Paris apparently wasn't interested in going after Monarch when he stood to gain nothing from it, so he left CDogg to twist in the wind.

The moral of this story? Simple: never count on Mark Paris.

Part 2: The Stables

The Triple Threat: Never one to let a bad idea die, Paris' next attempt at forming a stable followed almost exactly the same formula as the first. This time Paris and Misery were joined by EEMWF rookies Fenris and "Madman" Jack Torrance. The group stole the Triple Threat name, hand sign, and catch phrase, and set out to make their fortune. While Paris and Fenris both had some minor success as part of the group, it wasn't meant to last, as it was quickly subsumed into the original...

Lords of the Summit (LoS): The first real "supergroup" that Paris was involved in, the LoS was formed in the EEMWF in late `97, when the Triple Threat and the Crusade joined forces. It is a little known secret that the members of the Asylum (later known as the Hardcore Pretty Boys) were going to join at it's inception, but backed out at the last minute. Therefore, the original LoS roster looked like this:

Mark Paris, Most Holy, Fenris, The Black Knight, "Madman" Jack Torrance. They were managed by Misery and Zoe Burgess.

With the exception of Jack Torrance and Misery, this was the roster of the LoS when they migrated to the AGW (although the Black Knight began wrestling under the name Dohc Anderson.) The group quickly added Most Holy's half-brother Isaac Baccitt, and Jenna Jameson joined as a valet. This roster stayed relatively stable, until April of 1998. During that time, Bacitt was kicked out, and Brad Steel, The Renegades (Nash Stevens and Scott Masters), and Kid Inferno were all recruited. The now severely oversized group fell apart at Lethal Lottery `98, and Paris attempted to rebuild. His "new and improved" LoS included himself, Fenris, Chocolate Thunder, Gryphon, Kain, and Hybrid. The group didn't last long, as Paris was arrested and incarcerated that June, leaving Gryph and CDogg to argue over the direction of the group. During this time, Gryphon actually set up at least one LoS franchise in a completely unrelated league.

In July, the dispute was finally settled. Paris returned, with newcomers Ash Tre, Johnny Blaze, Mike E. Clark, and Chastity and proceeded to rather violently liquidate the LoS roster. He once again teamed with Most Holy's faction (which now consisted of Isaac Bacitt and the Conveyors of Pain, Max Wagner and Dan Sexton), and this latest LoS group experienced possibly the greatest period of success in it's history, at one point holding the AGW World, TV, Cruiserweight, Tag Team, and Six-man tag titles simultaneously. (The fact that this was during the first "Clique Era" in the AGW is surely just an odd coincidence.) The group couldn't sustain it's success, however, despite the addition of CDogg (again) to it's ranks. By September, Paris was gone, and the rest of the stable was left to fight a pointless feud over the rights to the LoS name with Gryphon's LoS-G stable.

25:17: Paris' return to the AGW in October '98 spelled the end of the LoS/Los-G feud. Paris reteamed with Most Holy's group to demolish the LoS-G. Although it shared the same roster as the old LoS, Paris renamed the group 25:17 (a reference to Samuel L. Jackson's "Pulp Fiction" monologue) just to shut Gryphon's mouth. Sadly, it didn't work, as Gryph would continue to try and win the "rights" to the LoS name for some time to come. 25:17 enjoyed great success in both the AGW and the NEWF; in fact, it became one of the only stables to hold two organization's World Titles simultaneously. 25:17 endured until February of '99, when Paris and Speed Racer formed an unholy alliance known as...

The Corporate Clique: When Speed Racer named Mark Paris as his "Corporate Champion" in February '99, the shit literally hit the fan. Eschewing loyalty for firepower, and having Speed's deep pockets at his disposal, Paris literally bought himself the most dominant stable in the AGW's history. The Legendary Pretty Boys, Bill Goldberg, Erica Reid, Hybrid, Brad Steel, and Tregoran were all recruited over a period of weeks. Most Holy was offered membership, but refused to betray his fanbase by selling out. The Corporation's size dwindled, as the Corporate members of the Clique gradually removed Hybrid, Steel, and Tregoran. When the dust settled, Paris, the LPB, Goldberg, and Speed Racer essentially made up the "Corporate Clique", and they proceeded to launch a reign of terror over the AGW that lasted until Paris and Speed had their inevitable falling out. Rumors that "Enforcer" Kris Kanyon destroyed the group are just that, rumors. Although the group did fall apart mere weeks after he joined...

Part 3: Whatever Happened To....?

Chastity: No relation to the ex valet/porn star, Chastity was the stage name of Julia Cheney, a Las Vegas stripper whom Paris began dating in the summer of `98. She replaced Jenna Jameson as his valet, a position she held until Paris began seeing Rachel Morris later that year. Finding herself quite abruptly cut off, she returned to Nevada, where she currently appears five nights a week at the Hole in the Wall club.

Harm's Way: The largely unknown team of Lucas Ryder and O.G. 69, Harm's Way comprised the other 2/3 of Paris' very short lived KGB stable in the WPWA. Upon that league's untimely demise, the two traveled north, where they experienced some limited success in the Canadian CECW. Although somewhat notable for being the founding members of CECW's version of Degeneration X, and playing a minor role in the AGW/EEMWF/CECW interpromotional feud in early `98, the team (and the CECW) soon fizzled out. Today, Lucas Ryder is happily married and sells used cars. Sadly, O.G. 69 is no longer with us. Upon returning to his native Oakland in May of 1998, he was tragically murdered by his fellow gang bangers for having what was, without a doubt, the stupidest ring name in history.

Ash Tre: One of Paris' favored flunkies from summer `98 through the Corporate Era, Ash Tre, walking racial stereotype and general menace to society (as well as bottles of Olde English) is currently taking a one-to-three-year state-mandated hiatus from the ring. His presence is truly missed.

Johnny Blaze/Hellblazer: Once Ash Tre's tag team partner in Ashes 2 Ashes, Johnny Blaze was generally considered a washout from his first day in the AGW. After being summarily dismissed from the LoS in August `98, Blaze later changed his name to Hellblazer, and briefly served as a member of the Dark Church. Still unable to learn even the most rudimentary basics of the mat game, Blaze later traded in his tights for a suit and tie, becoming the official AGW ring announcer. When the AGW closed it's doors, Blaze retired to Tampa, Florida. Rumor has it he was recently dismissed from his job as chief fry cook at Bob's Burger World. We wish him well in his future endeavors.

Hollywood Fenris: The one-time AGW IC Champion and Hulk Hogan impersonator, Hollywood Fenris has returned to his roots, selling crank as a member of the Hell's Angels. When he's not pushing speed to the youth of America, Fenris works out religiously and bangs strippers on the side. We should all be so lucky.

Kid Inferno: The well-traveled Kid Inferno is still considered by many experts to be the worst wrestler of all time. Once marked as a rising star in the WHCW and IWO, the Kid quickly and consistently failed to live up to anybody's expectations. Recruited into the AGW during a time when Paris was literally handing out LoS memberships to any bum on the street, Kid Inferno once again managed to fall short of everyone's most meager expectations. Last seen in the AGW when he served as Paris' "body double" during the infamous Lethal Lottery World Title screwjob, the Kid was last seen period walking the streets of Detroit, holding a sign reading "Will Job For Food."

Ghetto Booty: The World's Only Genuine Wrestling Pimp is once again doing what he does best: pimpin' his hoes from dawn till dusk, and then again from dusk till dawn. We'd like to add that he be stackin' his Dead Presidents, as well. His fans can look for him on television soon; he'll be appearing on HBO's "Pimps Up, Hoes Down 2: The Macks Take Manhattan."

Part 4: Miscellaneous

A. More than you can possibly imagine. Paris' hatred for Nitro grew out of  the (perceived) mistreatment he suffered in the EEMWF. Although he had long since left the league, he still held a grudge against the established stars who, in his mind, had "held him down" as a rookie. When he had finally matured to the point where he was capable of challenging the "old guard", Nitro was the only available target, and became the focus of a solid year of frustration.

It should be pointed out that the Clique's "Disappearing Title Shot" trick in August '98 didn't do much to endear Paris to Nitro, either.

Q. Did Paris really hate Speed Racer?

A. It depends on which time, although if you're thinking of the rather ugly feud between the two in late '98, the answer is "no." That very public war of words, punctuated by the occasional sneak attack, was basically a smoke screen to distract the league while Paris and Speed purged the AGW of it's old stars and established their Corporation. Of course, that wasn't the only time Paris and Speed found themselves at each other's throats. At various times, Paris has:

- been stripped of the World Title.

- been indefinitely suspended.

- walked out with the World Title.

- publicly threatened to walk out with the World Title.

- accused Speed of carrying his luggage at the airport.

Given the nature of the two, it's hard to tell which incidents were real, and which were engineered by the pair, either to advance some greater goal or for their own personal amusement. While they've certainly had their problems over the years, they always seem to kiss and make up eventually.

Q. Did Paris really hate Most Holy?

A. It's doubtful. Paris and the Mostest go back several years, and while they've feuded various times in the past (often over the World Title) it seems as though they remain on good terms with each other outside of the ring.

Q. How many times has Paris changed his damned entrance music?

A. Several, and often for no apparent reason. During his career, Paris has used the following entrance themes at one time or another:

"Blood, Milk, and Sky" by White Zombie

"Supercharger Heaven" by White Zombie

"Jesus Christ Pose" by Soundgarden

"Pit of Snakes" by Gravediggaz

"Bustin' Back" by Do or Die

"The Power" by Snap

"Cult of Personality" by Living Colour

"The Great American Nightmare" by Rob Zombie and Howard Stern

"I Am The Bullgod" by Kid Rock

"Rock Superstar" by Cypress Hill

Since June 2000, Paris has used "Needles" by Handsome as his entrance music. Even when away from the ring for extended periods, there are rumors that he insists that the song be played at clubs when he enters.

Q. Does Paris really have a drug problem?

A. Not that he's admitted to, but...look at it this way: can dozens of eyewitness accounts, numerous police reports, and 13 trips to rehab all be wrong?

Q. Did Paris really have sex with Christina Aguilera?

A. She says "no." He says "yes." Who would you believe?