Post by fifthhorseman on Apr 11, 2018 22:25:48 GMT -5
We are back at the Lawlor Event Center, and GIW founder Jeff Jarrett is standing in the middle of the ring with announcer Lance Russell. This time, he has the GIW Intercontinental Tag-Team titles in each hand, proudly displaying them to the sold-out crowd.
Jarrett: Tonight, we begin the tournament to crown the first-ever GIW Intercontinental Tag-Team Champions – and if you think this bracket contains the “loser” teams in Global Impact Wrestling, boy, you are sadly mistaken. By luck of the draw, Curt Hennig and Brian Pillman are getting a first-round bye, as it seems like the Rock and Roll Express decided to leave before ever lacing up their boots here! So tonight, Reno, you’ll get three quarter-final matches and a whole lot more.
Both teams were working under PTOs (Professional Try-Out contracts), as “Double J” wanted to keep the format of his show intact with four tag-team matches. They were eager to impress as well, as working MUW independent dates wasn’t the most reliable way to pay the bills. The Scotsmen took the very early advantage, but the former AWA tag champs quickly turned the tide. They were smash-mouth and intense, and Enos and Bloom finished their foes off in a surprising 5:08 with the Shaker Heights Spike.
As on the previous night, tag-team partners were banned from ringside; Jarrett and the rest of the audience wanted to see clean, straight-up, one-on-one battles. And in this case, it was certainly a battle. Neither was a true fan favorite, but they know how to fight, and the crowd liked that. They pounded on each other from the opening bell, with vicious kicks, punches, clotheslines, and elbows. The referee could only contain so much, though, and the action spilled outside. Ignoring the count, Bully and “Mr. Wonderful” fought into the crowd and all the way back to the locker room, and the nine-minute match ended in a double-countout.
Multi-time ECW champs versus multi-time WWE champs, each representative of the best their former promotions had to offer. The brothers dazzled early with top-rope and over-the-top maneuvers, but Kronus shut it down with raw power and shocking agility. He and Saturn isolated Jimmy Uso midway through, but he battled back and tagged out to Jey. It quickly turned into a streetfight, ending with a double splash on Kronus for the win at 13:58.
This was fought under triple-threat rules, and once again, Jarrett was at ringside sitting alongside Lance Russell. Early on, Tanaka and Edge teamed up against the “World’s Strongest Man”, but he fought them off like an enraged bull. He used his mass to his advantage, splashing and swatting whoever got close enough to him. Then Tanaka and the “Rated-R Superstar” went to war, trading chops. The alliances constantly shifted over the course of the match, ending when a fatigued Henry only partially hit a shouldertackle on the ECW legend, launching himself off of the ring in the process. The ever-opportunistic Edge swooped in with a spear on Tanaka to finish the contest at 17:37.
Though these were two teams that were still building chemistry, they were all experienced tag grapplers, and it showed. Aries and Hernandez bent the rules at every opportunity, absorbing the jeers from the crowd and loving the hate. Windham and Gordy, two of the most naturally gifted performers in the entire MUW Network, utilized their size advantage whenever possible. It was a back-and-forth struggle, but the fast-paced bout ended at 12 minutes even with a Windham lariat on Aries.
The match began on the ground, and a series of intricate chain wrestling moves from both men drew appreciative cheers from the crowd. The pace quickened, and the intensity was ratcheted up, and conditioning became a key factor in the contest. A missed top-rope dropkick by Barreta, and the “Great Briton” began stretching his slightly smaller foe. But the former Dudebuster broke free, and hit several kicks… until a vicious Tower of London cutter finished him off at 10:41.
As McGuinness gloated in the ring, Jarrett put down his notepad and entered the squared circle. He reached out to shake the Brit’s hand, but McGuinness refused. Undaunted, Jarrett tried again. When the ROH alumnus declined again, this time with more forceful language, the Chief Imagination Officer of GIW hit him with the Stroke. Then, he calmly left the ring, picked up his notebook, and went backstage.
The NXT stalwarts extended their hands before the match started, and were floored by a Bulldog double-clothesline. Smith took charge quickly, employing his unearthly power game on Gargano. Eventually both men made way for their partners, and Ciampa and Hart went move for move. The next several minutes were technically brilliant, with several quick tags, and DiY started to take charge. Isolating the “King of Harts”, Ciampa and Gargano went to work on his lower body with a variety of strikes and submission moves. But he fought free to the big Bulldog, who wreaked his own havoc. It became a brawl, and in the chaos, Hart stuck Gargano in the eye with a deliberate thumb, and Smith quickly hit “Johnny Wrestling” with a massive powerslam as his partner held back Ciampa. Game over, night over, 22:12.
Jarrett: Tonight, we begin the tournament to crown the first-ever GIW Intercontinental Tag-Team Champions – and if you think this bracket contains the “loser” teams in Global Impact Wrestling, boy, you are sadly mistaken. By luck of the draw, Curt Hennig and Brian Pillman are getting a first-round bye, as it seems like the Rock and Roll Express decided to leave before ever lacing up their boots here! So tonight, Reno, you’ll get three quarter-final matches and a whole lot more.
The Destruction Crew vs. the Highlanders:
Both teams were working under PTOs (Professional Try-Out contracts), as “Double J” wanted to keep the format of his show intact with four tag-team matches. They were eager to impress as well, as working MUW independent dates wasn’t the most reliable way to pay the bills. The Scotsmen took the very early advantage, but the former AWA tag champs quickly turned the tide. They were smash-mouth and intense, and Enos and Bloom finished their foes off in a surprising 5:08 with the Shaker Heights Spike.
Bully Ray Dudley vs. Paul Orndorff:
As on the previous night, tag-team partners were banned from ringside; Jarrett and the rest of the audience wanted to see clean, straight-up, one-on-one battles. And in this case, it was certainly a battle. Neither was a true fan favorite, but they know how to fight, and the crowd liked that. They pounded on each other from the opening bell, with vicious kicks, punches, clotheslines, and elbows. The referee could only contain so much, though, and the action spilled outside. Ignoring the count, Bully and “Mr. Wonderful” fought into the crowd and all the way back to the locker room, and the nine-minute match ended in a double-countout.
GIW INTERCONTINENTAL TAG-TEAM QUARTER-FINAL MATCH:
The Eliminators vs. the Usos
The Eliminators vs. the Usos
Multi-time ECW champs versus multi-time WWE champs, each representative of the best their former promotions had to offer. The brothers dazzled early with top-rope and over-the-top maneuvers, but Kronus shut it down with raw power and shocking agility. He and Saturn isolated Jimmy Uso midway through, but he battled back and tagged out to Jey. It quickly turned into a streetfight, ending with a double splash on Kronus for the win at 13:58.
Edge vs. Mark Henry vs. Masato Tanaka:
This was fought under triple-threat rules, and once again, Jarrett was at ringside sitting alongside Lance Russell. Early on, Tanaka and Edge teamed up against the “World’s Strongest Man”, but he fought them off like an enraged bull. He used his mass to his advantage, splashing and swatting whoever got close enough to him. Then Tanaka and the “Rated-R Superstar” went to war, trading chops. The alliances constantly shifted over the course of the match, ending when a fatigued Henry only partially hit a shouldertackle on the ECW legend, launching himself off of the ring in the process. The ever-opportunistic Edge swooped in with a spear on Tanaka to finish the contest at 17:37.
GIW INTERCONTINENTAL TAG-TEAM QUARTER-FINAL MATCH:
Terry Gordy/Barry Windham vs. the Dynamic 2uo
Terry Gordy/Barry Windham vs. the Dynamic 2uo
Though these were two teams that were still building chemistry, they were all experienced tag grapplers, and it showed. Aries and Hernandez bent the rules at every opportunity, absorbing the jeers from the crowd and loving the hate. Windham and Gordy, two of the most naturally gifted performers in the entire MUW Network, utilized their size advantage whenever possible. It was a back-and-forth struggle, but the fast-paced bout ended at 12 minutes even with a Windham lariat on Aries.
Trent Barreta vs. Nigel McGuinness:
The match began on the ground, and a series of intricate chain wrestling moves from both men drew appreciative cheers from the crowd. The pace quickened, and the intensity was ratcheted up, and conditioning became a key factor in the contest. A missed top-rope dropkick by Barreta, and the “Great Briton” began stretching his slightly smaller foe. But the former Dudebuster broke free, and hit several kicks… until a vicious Tower of London cutter finished him off at 10:41.
As McGuinness gloated in the ring, Jarrett put down his notepad and entered the squared circle. He reached out to shake the Brit’s hand, but McGuinness refused. Undaunted, Jarrett tried again. When the ROH alumnus declined again, this time with more forceful language, the Chief Imagination Officer of GIW hit him with the Stroke. Then, he calmly left the ring, picked up his notebook, and went backstage.
GIW INTERCONTINENTAL TAG-TEAM QUARTER-FINAL MATCH:
Davey Boy Smith/Owen Hart vs. DiY
Davey Boy Smith/Owen Hart vs. DiY
The NXT stalwarts extended their hands before the match started, and were floored by a Bulldog double-clothesline. Smith took charge quickly, employing his unearthly power game on Gargano. Eventually both men made way for their partners, and Ciampa and Hart went move for move. The next several minutes were technically brilliant, with several quick tags, and DiY started to take charge. Isolating the “King of Harts”, Ciampa and Gargano went to work on his lower body with a variety of strikes and submission moves. But he fought free to the big Bulldog, who wreaked his own havoc. It became a brawl, and in the chaos, Hart stuck Gargano in the eye with a deliberate thumb, and Smith quickly hit “Johnny Wrestling” with a massive powerslam as his partner held back Ciampa. Game over, night over, 22:12.