Post by fifthhorseman on Jun 30, 2017 15:57:41 GMT -5
CROCKETT CUP – SUNDAY, NIGHT 3
AT&T STADIUM – ARLINGTON, TEXAS
AT&T STADIUM – ARLINGTON, TEXAS
DARK MATCH
The JUNKYARD DOG vs. RUSEV (w/Lana and Eddie Gilbert):
The JUNKYARD DOG vs. RUSEV (w/Lana and Eddie Gilbert):
vs.
The leader of Hot Stuff International led Rusev to the ring, and after a brief motivational speech, he left. As he walked up the ramp, Gilbert was met by the Dog, who received a huge ovation. In this particular match, he might have more accurately been called the Underdog; because Rusev eliminated him from Friday night’s battle royale, he had to win two decisions tonight, compared to “the Brute’s” one.
It was the proverbial slobberknocker. A shot at Nick Bockwinkel’s UWF North American Heavyweight title was on the line, and they fought with ugly intensity. Both men weren’t built to go an hour, so a quick pin – or two – was key. The first several minutes were really nothing more than a long series of kicks, punches, and slams, and after Rusev whiffed on a middle-rope headbutt, the Dog scooped him up and powerslammed him back down for the all-important fall.
The stakes were higher now – sudden death. The two behemoths brawled on, but after a couple of minutes, the fatigue was beginning to show. While they tried to punch their way to victory, another representative from HSI strutted down the ramp… Jim Cornette, accompanied by big Keith Lee. When they got to ringside, the referee questioned them – all the time it took for Lana to slip Rusev a small chain that he wrapped around his fist. “The Tank” cracked him hard, twice, in the skull, and the Mid-South icon fell just as hard to the canvas. Rusev crouched down and licked in the Accolade, and a barely conscious JYD couldn’t muster the strength to fight his way out. In fact, he was out cold, and the referee called for the bell. As Lana stood by her triumphant hero’s side, Lee sauntered inside and tossed JYD out like yesterday’s trash.
Mauro Ranallo: Well, I’m sure we’ll learn about that development, but for now, Rusev has earned himself a guaranteed shot against the UWF North American champion, whoever that might be – for tonight, the third and final night of the UWF Crockett Cup, we’ll see the current king of the division, Nick Bockwinkel, defend that crown against “the American Dream”, Dusty Rhodes! The UWF Western States Heritage championship is also on the line in a fatal four-way match: Jake “the Snake” Roberts, Umaga, and “Dr. Death” Steve Willams all square off against Barry Windham. But most importantly, we will also see three rounds of Trios action to determine the winner of the 2017 Crockett Cup. I’m alongside Daniel Bryan, and we’re going to go to the ring right now, where Christy Hemme is standing by to start the quarter-final round!
The BULLET CLUB vs. the FABULOUS FREEBIRDS:
vs.
Two very different teams, but the skill sets were second to none. The match started at a quick pace, and thus the Bucks and Page had the advantage. They picked on Roberts first, isolating from the rest of his team. Matt and Nick hit him with whirlwind double-team maneuvers, and “the Hangman” constantly tried to finish him off. But “Buddy Jack” was as tough as any man in the UWF, and he dove into his corner after escaping their Bang For Your Buck finisher, and Hayes became the legal man. He went after all three men, and after DDTing the Bucks, he received a springboard lariat from Page. Luckily, “P.S.” fell towards Gordy, and “Bamm Bamm” did the rest, hitting his foe with a pair of massive shoulderblocks before finishing the young wrestler with a thunderous power bomb.
THE AUTHORITY vs. the NEW DAY:
vs.
As with the previous tournament match – and the ones that followed – highlights were shown of each trio’s win. The UWF champions brought their belts to the ring with them, taunting the crowd and the just-departed Freebirds with them. When the crew from BCCW made their theatrical entrance, they shocked the Authority by sliding into the ring and going right at them.
Kingston was the MVP of the first half of the match, and he controlled the much larger O’Haire. The tags were quick, and Woods and Big E continued to work over the “Devil’s Advocate”. Interference by Orton, though, helped him tag out to Saturn, who cleared house. The tide turned, and the Authority took over for the next several minutes. In all, it went just under 20 minutes, and it ended with a relatively clean pin, with Saturn snapping off a brutal Death Valley Driver on Woods.
The BRITISH BULLDOGS vs. the DUDLEY BOYZ:
vs.
These two teams were no strangers to each other, having battled around the UWF house show circuit – but this was the first time that the Dudleyz had a true third man. The Brits entered first, and when it came time for the heels to make their entrance, cameras backstage caught them pushing and getting pushed by the Freebirds. Officials quickly broke it up, as Ranallo theorized that the reason the Dudleyz took a payoff from Bobby Heenan months ago at Superblast was because “the Brain” wanted to send a message to the then-UWF champs.
Eventually the ECW icons got to the ring and the brawling continued. It was the most even contest of the round, and they kept up a brisk pace for the entire 16 minutes they fought. Dynamite and Bully Ray carried the action, and they beat the hell out of each other. Similarly, the Smiths, Schultz, and D-Von all had spotlight moments during the match. It ended, however, in almost anticlimactic fashion; after a series of moves took a number of the combatants over the top rope, the youngest Bulldog rolled up D-Von with a simple schoolboy, and he hung on just long enough to send the Dudleyz packing.
The HEENAN FAMILY (w/Bobby Heenan) vs. the LIONS DEN:
vs.
The men trained in the Calgary dungeon came into the match with the goal of isolating Blanchard and stretching him until he gave up. However, after a few minutes, “the Brain” figured it out and made sure than Vader carried the action for his trio; he decided that rather than save him as the cleanup hitter, he’d try to end the match early.
“The Mastadon” got a piece of all three of his opponents before separating Benoit from the pack. The two men fought ferociously, but the 200-pound weight advantage was impossible to overcome, and “the Crippler” found himself fighting from underneath for agonizingly long stretches of time. But he did tag out, and the Den took charge before all six men ended up going at it. It was chaos that referee Tommy Yuong did his best to control, but a Heenan tirade on the outside gave Anderson and Blanchard the opening they needed to hit Hart with a spike piledriver; Vader kept the other two men at bay while Young made the count.
FATAL FOUR-WAY MATCH
UWF WESTERN STATES HERITAGE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
JAKE ROBERTS vs. UMAGA (w/Armando Alejandro Estrada) vs. STEVE WILLIAMS vs. BARRY WINDHAM (c):
UWF WESTERN STATES HERITAGE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
JAKE ROBERTS vs. UMAGA (w/Armando Alejandro Estrada) vs. STEVE WILLIAMS vs. BARRY WINDHAM (c):
vs.
One by one, the challengers entered the ring, each man looking confident. Windham, not so much, knowing that he didn’t even have to get pinned to lose his title, but he put on his best face. With that in mind, he started the match against Williams; he planned on being in the ring as much as possible. However, despite a quick offensive flurry, the Oklahoman tossed him around with a series of armdrags and hip-tosses before pressing him several times overhead. He tossed him over the top rope, and Umaga tagged himself in.
Over 600 pounds of muscle crashed into each other, and the gave as good as they got. Neither man was able to overpower the other, though, and after a couple of minutes, they went outside to fight. They bounced each other off of tables and even the ringposts, and staggered back inside, where Roberts and Windham found them.
The champion and “the Snake” locked up. The second-generation stars traded holds and counters flawlessly, both men keen students of the game. The match finally seemed to settle into a rhythm, and over the next several minutes, all four were in and out of the ring. The pace was quick, and the official gave all of them plenty of leeway. 15 minutes, 20 minutes, and then 25 before the endgame. Windham hit a devastating lariat on Williams, but as he went for the pin, Umaga charged in just as “Dr. Death” kicked out. Windham wound up outside, and the two big men traded blows. The “Samoan Bulldozer” smashed Williams with a headbutt, dazing him, and as he prepared to launch a Samoan spike, Roberts whirled him around and DDTed him. But his victim got right back up – a little shaky, but otherwise uninjured. Roberts hit him with another DDT, and went for the pin. One, two…. and Williams grabbed Umaga’s leg, pulling him outside to keep the match from ending! Roberts got to his feet, frustrated – and didn’t see Windham spring off the ropes with another lariat. “The Snake’s” head bounced off the canvas, and the lanky Texan dropped over him immediately. Three seconds later, the match was finally over, and Windham limped up the ramp with his title over his shoulder.
As Ranallo and Bryan went over the semi-final matchups, they were interrupted by Michael Hayes and UWF Commissioner Bill Watts. The Freebird had a smile plastered on his face, and he slammed it down on the announce table. Then – in a very rare change of roles for him – Hayes let Watts explain what was going on.
Watts: The Freebirds are invoking their rematch clause for the UWF World Trios championship… tonight, in their semi-final match against the Authority. The championship committee reviewed their previous match contract, everything was in place – and as the brackets fell into place tonight, Michael Hayes went to the Committee after both teams moved on and pled his case. And let’s be honest, it’s something that I’m sure this crowd wants to see. So –“
Another interruption, this time by Orton, trailed by O’Haire and Saturn. The microphones didn’t pick up the angry conversation between he and Watts, but nothing was changing the Commissioner’s mind. Finally, “the Viper” jabbed a finger towards Hayes, and said a few sentences to him. By now, an overhead mike was in place, so it caught his response. “P.S.” said, “Fine by us, pal. Fine by us!” He cautiously approached the heel trio, picked up the contract, and wrote something else on it, followed by Orton, then Watts. After the wrestlers left, Ranallo and Bryan were speechless, while Watts made the announcement: not only were the UWF World Trios titles on the line, but the loser of the fall would have to leave the UWF!
LOSER LEAVES THE TRIO AND TERRITORY, UWF WORLD TRIOS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
THE AUTHORITY vs. the FABULOUS FREEBIRDS:
THE AUTHORITY vs. the FABULOUS FREEBIRDS:
vs.
Bryan: This is insane! Just imagine, the Crockett Cup and a million-dollar payday just became secondary in the outcome of this match!
It was true. Hemme made the big-match announcements, and the crowd was already on their feet. Gordy and Saturn started off cautiously, knowing that a win, as huge as it would be, would not even be the last match for them that night. Indeed, the first 15 minutes were fought at a slow, Southern-styled pace. There were several pinfall attempts, but it was dead even.
The tide turned when “Buddy Jack” was thrown into an exposed turnbuckle. He was cut deep, and the Authority went to work on the injury. O’Haire went to work on him with heavy fists, as did Saturn; Orton directed traffic, and occasionally tagged in to give his heavyweight teammates a break. The referee gave up asking Roberts if he wanted to quit, and he took a beating.
But as faces in peril often do, he dodged a Saturn dropkick and tagged out. Hayes came in like a whirlwind, punching and kicking whoever got in front of him. He brazenly set up the “Apex Predator” for a hangman DDT, but Orton squirmed free just in time. Undaunted, Hayes ran halfway across the ring, connecting with a running bulldog on Saturn, but “the Eliminator” kicked out at 2.9. The challengers continued on offense, and Gordy was eager to make the Authority pay. A big left hand opened up O’Haire, and he was bleeding almost as badly as Roberts. “Bamm Bamm” was on fire, and he delivered a piledriver that would have ended the match were it not for Orton’s interference.
They passed the 25-minute mark. They were all physically and emotional drained, but they fought on, literally for the survival of their respective trios. Triple H and Kenny Omega stood at the top of the ramp, watching on, “guarded” by various backstage officials. All six men were throwing everything in their arsenals at each other. As the clock ticked past 30 minutes, Hayes and Saturn exchanged haymakers in the ring, and then “P.S.” propelled his opponent into the ropes. As he anticipated for the back-bodydrop, he dropped his head and never saw the blind tag to Orton. In that fraction of a fatigued second, it cost him – Orton bolted in and hit a lethal RKO. O’Haire flew across the ring, cross-bodyblocking both Gordy and Roberts as the ref dropped down to make the count.
One, two, three.
The Authority was in the finals, and Michael Hayes was packing his bags.
THE BRITISH BULLDOGS vs. the HEENAN FAMILY (w/Bobby Heenan):
vs.
The second semi-final match didn’t have the extreme pressure of the one just before it, but it still meant a berth to the finals, the trophy, and a million dollars. Both trios were coming out of tough matches earlier in the night, but the adrenaline was flowing, and they were ready to go.
The Bulldogs were fearless, and they went after all three members of the Heenan group with equal abandon; Smith even slammed Vader early on to send the early message. But Anderson and Blanchard were viciously efficient, and after withstanding the first several minutes of the match, they isolated the Dynamite Kid and used their peerless double-teaming to keep the tough Brit down. Stomps, armbars, chinlocks… simple, but effective.
The Smiths roared in their corner, cheering the Kid on, and he finally muscled away and brought Davey Jr. in. He slammed both Blanchard and Anderson, and even took a swing at the man called Vader. Suplexing the smaller men at will, he finally locked “Double A” in a dragon sleeper, but the heel found the ropes, and all three members of that trio regrouped on the floor with their manager.
The LU stars tried to slow it down again, and it worked: by “rope-a-doping” Smith, they were able to wear him out, and now Vader took charge. The man-mountain hit him with heavy forearms and headbutts before squeezing him in a powerful bearhug. The referee constantly checked on the “Canadian Bulldog”, and it took him seemingly forever to box Vader’s ears and break free.
His father tagged in and attacked, and before long, it was chaos. Quick tags, several finishers, and Heenan’s loud mouth on the outside made it a nearly uncontrollable scene. The match ended in an even 16 minutes on a sequence that saw Vader smash Smith Jr. with a spinning backfist that nearly took his head off. Dynamite took flight from the corner at “the Mastadon”, nailing him with a dropkick that sent him into the opposite corner, where Anderson tagged himself in. As Vader charged back out toward the Kid. Smith staggered up and dodged him, but stepped right into “the Enforcer’s” patented spinebuster. While Blanchard held off the older Smith, Anderson pinned the younger to move onto the finals.
UWF NORTH AMERICAN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
NICK BOCKWINKEL (c) vs. DUSTY RHODES:
NICK BOCKWINKEL (c) vs. DUSTY RHODES:
vs.
The native Texan, and challenger, got one of the loudest ovations of the night. When Bockwinkel arrived in the ring, they stared each other down in the middle of the ring as Hemme made the introductions. These were two of, if not the two, most intelligent men in the industry; they were prepared for anything.
Neither competitor was in a hurry – cognizant of the 45-minute time limit, both men begrudgingly knew that they were in for a long night. The first ten minutes were old-school, and fought on the mat. Interestingly, both Rhodes and Bockwinkel seemed to be targeting the neck and upper back. Vices and stomps, elbows and stretches, the two icons punished each other. Eventually, the former AWA champ took control, and he continued to assault Rhodes’s neck, and at the 20-minute mark, he locked in a sleeper that had the “American Dream” literally on the ropes… and Bockwinkel pulled him out to the middle and locked it on again.
The NWA hero fought hard, and slowly worked it to a side-headlock and then he side-suplexed Bockwinkel. Rhodes was dazed, but out of sheer instinct, he stumbled to his feet and applied a figure-four, a move that simultaneously hurt the champion and allowed Rhodes to recover. But “the Smartest Man in the Room” pulled himself and tried to punch his way out of it. The challenger met him with big rights, still hanging onto the leglock, and the two exchanged about 20 fists before the hold was finally broken.
30 minutes came and went, and the two warriors battled on. Rhodes had the crowd on its feet when he hit several big jabs, followed by an elbow smash to Bockwinkel’s forehead. Flooring the champ, the big Texan leaped into the air and hit the big bionic elbow – but only got the two-count. Frustrated, he went for a second one, but the North American champion rolled out of the way, and fell to the mat outside.
Rhodes pursued him, and the two veterans slugged it out all the way around the ring. As they turned a corner, Bockwinkel scissored Rhodes’s ankles, tripping him head-first onto a set of ring steps. The challenger was cut open, big-time, and the champion pounced. He threw him back in the ring and hit a flash piledriver, but Rhodes kicked out. Furious, Bockwinkel took his foe’s back and locked on a sleeper, a move with which he defeated hundreds of men. For over a minute, “the American Dream” extended his fist high, but it slowly began to drop. The referee checked it, raising it once, twice – and a third and final time.
It wasn’t the cleanest victory, and Bockwinkel didn’t feel like staying in the ring to celebrate it. As soon as he was handed his title belt, he left, gloating, the gold thrown over his shoulder. A pair of medics ran down to check on Rhodes, and he slowly got to his feet, waving them off. Dejected, he received another ovation as he limped up the ramp, and he turned to acknowledge the sold-out AT&T crowd.
….which was a huge mistake.
Triple H jumped Rhodes from behind, taking advantage of the wounded star like a hyena. He spun him around, kicked him in the gut, and crushed him on the stage with a Pedigree. Then, without hesitation, he pulled him up and gave him a second one, just before Bill Watts and assorted UWF officials could stop him. The crowd was in a frenzy, and “the Game” was hauled off shouting, “I’m done waiting – no more middlemen or midcarders! Hart, I’m coming for you!”
Ranallo was stunned, and Bryan got up from the announce table as an extra layer of insurance should Triple H return. After the situation settled, a video package played, highlighting action from the Crockett Cup thus far.
THE AUTHORITY vs. the HEENAN FAMILY (w/Bobby Heenan):
vs.
As the heelish trios made their way to the ring, Ranallo informed the audience that Triple H was barred from the building, and was already scheduled for a disciplinary hearing; also, if his stablemate Kenny Omega got involved – or anyone from Lucha Underground – head official Tommy Young had the “authority” to do whatever he determined was right, including ending the match.
After the last big-match intro of the weekend, Anderson and Orton started it off for their respective squads. Bryan observed that the crowd really didn’t know who to cheer for, but it seemed that by default – thanks to the “King of Kings’s” attack minutes earlier on Texas’ favorite son – they were going to side with, of all teams, a trio managed by Bobby “the Brain” Heenan.
Regardless of sentimentality, though, this was a smart crowd that enjoyed UWF-style wrestling, and that’s what they got. Blanchard and Anderson, Saturn and Orton – they carried the load when it came to mat technique and sheer technical acumen. Vader and O’Haire were the powerhouses, and were rarely off their feet… until they fought each other. Although “the Mastodon” dished more than he received, O’Haire took Vader off his feet several times, and even hit him with a Seanton Bomb that nearly ended the match.
The match approached the 25-minute mark, and the Authority was starting to roll. They picked apart Anderson with quick tags, and “the Enforcer” was feeling the effects of three hard-fought matches. Saturn came in and threw Anderson up on his back, setting him up for a Death Valley Driver – and then suddenly, “Freebird” began to blare through AT&T Stadium. Michael Hayes and Buddy Roberts stood on the stage, soaking in the cheers of the crowd to the consternation of the Authority – and to a lesser degree, Heenan’s trio as well – and Tommy Young stood half-in, half-out of the ring imploring them to go away.
Thus, he never saw Terry Gordy jump over the ringside barrier, trip the “Apex Predator” from the apron, and slam his head into the steel steps.
Just as quickly, “Bamm Bamm” left the scene, and “Double A” squirmed out of the distracted Saturn’s grasp and crawled to his corner, tagging in Blanchard. He attacked Saturn and O’Haire, while a groggy Orton recovered on the floor. Momentum on his side, the longtime Horseman chopped and kicked Saturn, and hit him with a slingshot suplex that only got a two-count. Raking his foe’s eyes, “the Eliminator” dove to his corner, and tagged in Orton, who angrily slid into the ring. Regaining his strength, he jabbed Blanchard, flung him into the ropes, and snap-slammed him hard. Then he “Garvin stomped” him, while Heenan screamed from the outside. Finally, he dropped to the canvas and pounded the mat, signaling for the RKO.
But Big Van Vader would have none of it. He jumped the third-generation grappler from behind, and wailed on him with massive clotheslines. Backing him into a corner, he splashed him, and as he strode out to the middle of the ring to charge at his opponent again, Orton ran out and RKOed him! After that, it was bedlam, and all six men were in and out of the ring, tagging and ignoring tags to such an extent that Young was simply ready to count anything, as long as it was legal. Vader was on the floor, and Orton stood guard, groggily. Anderson and Blanchard set Saturn for a spike piledriver, but he powered out, and back-bodydropped “Double A” into the corner. From another corner, O’Haire flew through the air, another Seanton Bomb in mind… but he missed! Anderson got to his feet just in time to tie up his counterpart in the Authority, and Blanchard darted over to the fallen, battered O’Haire and cinched him up in a tight pin.
It took almost 30 minutes, and in fact, three long days, but Young made the count, and the Heenan Family’s hands were raised in victory. The Authority was furious, but the referee would be dissuaded. Heenan led his crew to the top of the ramp, where Watts, the trophy, and a large novelty check were waiting for them. The Family was exhausted, but ecstatic over winning, and the show ended with "the Brain" hanging onto the check, and the three grapplers holding the Crockett Cup high overhead.