Post by fifthhorseman on May 7, 2018 1:17:13 GMT -5
FRIDAY NIGHT IMPACT
EPISODE 2
EPISODE 2
30 seconds of stills from Episode 1 as a cold open, then it’s lasers and pyro to kick off the show before the camera focuses on our host.
Lance Russell: "Good evening, wrestling fans! Welcome to Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, and Friday Night Impact! I’ll be your host tonight, and I’m joined again at the broadcast table by GIW President and Chief Imagination Officer, Jeff Jarrett. Tonight, we have four great matches in store, including two semi-final matches in our championship tournaments, so let’s not waste any more time – let’s get to the ring."
THE EXTREME VIOLENCE CONNECTION vs. the STREET PROFITS:
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Both of these squads were knocked out of tournament action weeks before, and were eager to put themselves back on Jarrett’s radar. The Profits utilized a very unorthodox offense early on to confuse and delay the XVC, but that advantage didn’t last very long. Tanaka eventually grounded Ford, and unleashed a variety of suplexes in before tagging in his former nemesis-turned-partner Awesome. The former ECW World champ showed no mercy, and after a pair of powerslams, finished the match in less than nine minutes with an Awesome Splash.
Backstage, a cameraman caught up to the Great Britons WALKING (!) towards them.
McGuinness (mumbling): “I don’t even understand why we’re doing this.”
Barrett (mumbling back): “Because for some reason, people think that it’s realistic to have a cameraman loitering around with nothing better to do. Act causal, we’re supposed to pretend he’s not even there.”
COMMERCIAL
EDGE vs. PAUL ORNDORFF vs. DAVEY BOY SMITH:
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A battle featuring two of the ultimate physiques in GIW… and the ultimate opportunist. The three men were cautious to begin, knowing the stakes, but it didn’t take long to heat up. Unfortunately for Edge, during the initial flurry of action, he was thrown over the top rope by his foes, and landed hard. He stayed outside for several seconds, but when he finally rolled back in, he was favoring his right leg.
Despite this, the match raged on. Smith utilized his supreme power, Orndorff his sheer viciousness, and Edge his guile. About 12 minutes in, the British Bulldog hoisted Orndorff over his shoulder, and got a running start for his patented powerslam… but Edge launched himself and nailed Smith with a spear. As “Mr. Wonderful” fell to the side, the Canadian scored the three-count on Smith.
The match continued, and Orndorff was relentless, focusing on the “Rated-R Superstar’s” right knee. He twisted and pounded on it, and then slapped on the figure-four in the middle of the ring. Edge refused to submit, and after several long moments, turned over and reversed it. Orndorff broke the hold, and as he got to his feet, Edge tried another spear… but his knee went out on him mid-charge. Not wasting the chance, the veteran picked up the former WWE champ and brought him back down with a crushing piledriver, and what some might consider an upset, got the win at 17:55. After the match, his partner Eli Drake came down to celebrate, and Christian sprinted to the ring immediately after to even the odds, and help his friend back to the dressing room.
COMMERCIAL
THE DYNAMIC 2UO vs. ?
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Aries and Hernandez were already in the ring, microphones in hand, and “A-Double” began. “We’re issuing an open challenge to any team in the back. You know, like cocky wrestlers do before they get their comeuppance to the delight of the fans… but let me tell you something, Las Vegas. That’s not in the cards tonight.”
Hernandez: “Not at all! You see, Mr. Aries and I truly are the Dynamic 2uo. And if anyone has the stones to walk down that ramp and into our ring, then they’ll discover for themselves who really runs the show here in GIW.”
Lance Russell, looking askew at Jeff Jarrett: “I suppose you knew THAT was coming, didn’t you?”
Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane absorbed the welcoming cheers as they sauntered to the ring. As their foes seethed inside, they jumped in and a pier-four brawl was underway. After tossing the 2uo outside, things finally settled into a see-saw technical bout. Both teams had several chances to win the bout, but they were very evenly matched. But when Hernandez missed a diving elbowdrop, the Express finished him off with the Rocket Launcher at 10:41.
After a 60-second video highlight package from last week’s episode was shown, Russell turned to Jarrett and said, “The card for GIW first pay-per-view is taking shape, and by that night’s end, we’ll have two sets of tag-team champions crowned, as well as our inaugural King of the Ring. Are you satisfied with the progress made by, and the attention on, Global Impact Wrestling?”
Jarrett: “I’m never satisfied, but you gotta admit, things are looking really good right now. Granted, we’ve had a bit of controversy around here, and though it’s a shame the Eliminators have left GIW, the Midnight Express are here and they’re here to stay. ‘Beautiful’ Bobby and ‘Sweet’ Stan make any promotion better.”
Russell: “Any other tricks up your sleeve, Mr. Jarrett?”
Jarrett: “Well, I’m hoping we’ll sign an internationally-renowned star very soon. Also, I’ve formally launched an investigation into whoever is assaulting GIW personnel. We’ll find out who is it sooner or later – mark my words, we don’t need an Outsider/NWO situation here… even if it did pop quite the rating back in the day.”
Russell: “We’ll be right back.
COMMERCIAL
CURT HENNIG / BRIAN PILLMAN vs. the USOS:
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The winner of this match would be moving on to face the U.S. Express for the GIW Intercontinental Tag-Team championship, and all four men had their game faces on. Pillman and Hennig were as cocky as ever, but the brothers across the ring from them were supremely confident as well. The first couple of minutes were controlled by “Mr. Perfect”, who schooled the Samoans with amateur wrestling, but a superkick by Jey got his attention.
The “Loose Cannon” tagged himself in and the pace immediately quickened. Dropkicks, armdrags, and various top-rope maneuvers were the norm, and the match became a sprint whenever Pillman was involved. It took a while, but the Usos finally grounded him, and unusually for them, kept the action on the mat.
All four combatants got a chance to shine on this night, and as the war raged past the 20 minute mark, the pace finally began to slow. They all ended up outside the ring, fists flying. Hennig was launched back into the ring, and Jimmy Uso slowly climbed to the top turnbuckle, preparing for a big splash. However, after throwing Jey headfirst into the steel steps at ringside, Pillman grabbed a chair and smashed his opponent in the back while the referee checked on his allegedly dizzy teammate. Uso landed hard, and the former AWA champ miraculously recovered in time to hit him with a Perfectplex. Three seconds later, it was all over, and Hennig and Pillman had their hands raised in victory.