Fame...

In a world where fame comes so cheaply to all manner of talentless no-hopers and airheaded bimbos that adorn reality television, or where over-payed and priced "superstar" athletes of the football field or soccer pitch do very little to justify their incredible salary and popularity... it may come as some surprise the length to which some people will still go to achieve fame.

When he first entered WWE as a fresh faced rookie almost straight off the boat from his native Australia, Assassin was seen by many as a man of integrity and youthful enthusiasm, willing to listen and learn on his way up the WWE ladder... unfortunately for WWE that man the young Assassin listened to was Randy Orton.

For Randy Orton knew that the WWE Universe was becoming a much more competitive place, having lost the WWE Championship two years in a row at WrestleMania and with the likes of Jeff Hardy, Suffering and Michael Shane all on his coattails, he knew he needed a trump card, an advantage in his dealing as he looked to regain the belt he still believed was his... and there came Legacy. Moulded in the image of Evolution, the group that made Orton himself famous, Orton took two young stars under his wing, ready to mould them and shape them into his own image.

And for Assassin? he got to leap the ladder three rungs at a time. Tired of waiting his turn and paying his dues, like so many of this generation... Assassin wanted it all and he wanted it now. He wanted to be a WWE Superstar, to have his name in the headlines, for HIS actions to be talked about around the water cooler tomorrow morning... and what better way than to attack, to beat down, the man the WWE Universe love most - Mick Foley.

For Mick Foley, the path to WrestleMania XXV could not be more different as he has already spelled out in his verbal altercations with the Australian. Foley wasn't the son of a WWE Champion like Assassin, he wasn't raised in a million dollar home or groomed for greatness, not pampered and wrapped in cotton wool as the future of an industry - Foley has to fight to get to WrestleMania.

Mick didn't have the chiseled physique or "the look", his style was unorthodox and when he was let go by WCW in the 1990s, very few would have predicted that Mrs Foley's Baby Boy MAYBE... just maybe, changed the industry of professional wrestling. For it was Mick Foley, or rather his Cactus Jack alter ego, that put ECW on the map and it was ECW that many say influenced Vince Russo and the WWF. While in ECW, Cactus tore a bloody hole through a roster, beating and bruising the like of the Sandman, Tommy Dreamer and his nemesis Terry Funk - C4, fire and chairs... a long way from Assassins FCW home comforts.

So when Assassin decided to taken it upon himself to throw Foley down a flight of stairs after a tag match with the Rock and Sock Connection it maybe little surprise that the lovable Mick Foley we'd come to know... soon faded away. Maybe a few more braincells were knocked loose on the way down or maybe Foley just wasn't going to stand for the upstart trying to make a name for himself, either way... the transformation from Mick Foley back into Cactus Jack had begun.

But if the WWE Universe thought Assassin was about to turn tail and go running back to the land down under or into his fathers arms, they were sadly mistaken for the Legacy member seemed oddly unimpressed by Cactus Jack, unintimidated despite the fearsome reputation of the Truth or Consequences native. Indeed, the outright mockery of Cactus by Assassin as he waddled to the ring in a fat suit and red plaid shirt showed nothing but utter contempt and disdain for the WWE Hall of Famer.... whether that arrogance will continue this Sunday at WrestleMania remains to be seen.

Make no mistake about it, this is Cactus Jack's match, on his terms, in his environment.

A Texas Deathmatch is amongst the most brutal and unforgiving in wrestling. Originating in Amarillo and innovated by that towns favorite sons Dory and Terry Funk, the very first one saw Dory Funk, Sr. battle "Iron" Mike DiBiase for four and a half hours. The match never saw a clear victor as the match had to be called because of the town’s curfew. The two men went to the hospital after the match and while it is unclear how many stitches Mike DiBiase received, it is known that Dory Funk, Sr. received around thirty-two of them.

Terry Funk kept the tradition alive and battled the legendary Harley Race in many Texas Death Matches. One match between the two lasted for just over two hours and both men went to the hospital after the match and the doctors told Terry that he had cracked vertebrae.

The rules for a Texas Death Match are simple. There are no disqualifications and pin falls count anywhere. After a pin fall, the person pinned has a ten count to get up or back to the ring. If he fails to do so, he loses the match. But it is far more than that, almost a psychological battle of will and strength, or two men who know there will be blood, broken bones and shortened careers.

..and into this environment walks Assassin, his first WrestleMania and the biggest match of his career. Some would call him a lamb to the slaughter, the next victim of a homicidal maniac who has promised to give him exactly what he wants  to make him famous. But can you count out Assassin? a man bred from WWE Champion stock, a man still with that drive, passion and will to succeed and be the best that drove him into this business and into the arms of Legacy flowing in his vains.

It will be a battle of New Generation versus a Legend, of two schools of wrestling, two differing paths that led to Houston - one of carnage, blood and broken bones, of brain cells on the floor of bingo halls.. the other of wrestling heritage, a life spent growing up in this business and of a potential future main eventing WrestleManias. It will be Cactus Jack vs. Assassin... and as JR would say, it certainly WON'T be for the faint hearted.