Post by fifthhorseman on Jun 25, 2018 1:00:26 GMT -5
FRIDAY NIGHT IMPACT
EPISODE 5
30-second highlight reel of GIW action as a cold open, then it’s lasers and pyro to kick off the show before the camera focuses on our host.
Lance Russell: "Hello wrestling fans – this is Friday Night Impact. I’m Lance Russell, and I’m joined tonight at the broadcast table by the Dynamic 2uo, Austin Aries and Gino Hernandez. As usual, we have four great matches in store for you tonight, featuring the finest tag-team competitors on the planet. So without delay, let’s get to the ring.
CACTUS JACK/UMAGA vs. TEAM DE TABERNAK:
vs.
The young duo from Quebec was already in the ring, never a good sign. But before their opposition could come out, another man slowly walked out onto the ramp… Kevin Sullivan, in classic “Taskmaster” mode. The crowd was shocked into silence, and then he signaled for his team to follow him to the ring. They attacked before the bell rang, and it was a pure and brutal squash, lasting only a few minutes. Afterwards, Jack and Umaga continued the assault outside the ring, until the chair-wielding – and belt-wearing – duo of Edge and Christian ran down to separate the groups. Sullivan laughed and led his savages away, as the GIW World champs stared them down.
As things settled down, another Briscoe Brothers vignette was shown, demonstrating that Global Impact Wrestling was the go-to federation for tag-team wrestling.
COMMERCIAL
After highlights from last week’s Usos/Street Profits match, a pre-taped piece was shown. Earlier in the day, GIW President Jeff Jarrett welcomed the Usos, and GIW Intercontinental Tag-Team champions Terry Gordy and Barry Windham, into his office.
Jarrett: “Now let’s just make this official. Jimmy, Jey, after last week’s incredible match, you earned the right to be declared the number one contenders to the U.S. Express’s titles. And we don’t wait around in GIW, so after we get all of your names on the dotted line, we’re gonna have that match next week, right here on Friday Night Impact.”
All four men nodded.
Jarrett: “And look, we’re all professionals here. That’s why we’re doing this here, instead of in the ring. Put a table and chairs in a ring, and dollars to donuts, y’all just assume it’s a hardcore match and go to town. So let’s just get this done, and next week, you four can let it all hang out in the squared circle.
Warily, cautiously, suspiciously, the two teams… each picked up a pen and signed the contract. And that was that.
Russell: Great to see two teams do things in such a professional manner… something that some other teams I know could learn.”
Hernandez: “Are you talking to me?!”
Russell: “If the shoe fits, Gino…”
D-VON DUDLEY (w/Bully Ray) vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA (w/Hiroshi Tanahashi) vs. MASATO TANAKA (w/Mike Awesome):
vs. vs.
Before the bout got underway, Russell explained that last week’s backstage pull-apart brawl gave Jarrett the inspiration to put one half of each team in a match… and to both give each wrestler a tangible prize, and minimize the odds of outside interference, he guaranteed the winner a future shot at Paul Orndorff’s King of the Ring championship. Shenanigans from outside the ring would mean disqualification for that man’s teammate.
The first few minutes were fought with all of the brutality of a good old-fashioned ECW three-way dance, and it was every man for himself. The referee had his hands full calling it, and after about eight minutes, the first pin was scored when Nakamura hit D-Von with the bomaye, Tanaka threw the “King of Strong Style” outside, and then nailed Dudley with a sliding forearm smash.
Nakamura slid right back in and it was on again. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long – the Dudleyz only got about halfway up the ramp before they decided that, if D-Von couldn’t win, no one deserved to. They ran back down and threw the unsuspecting Tanahashi and Awesome into the ring barricade, then entered the ring and attacked the other two. Before long, it was a six-way brawl that brought GIW officials and security into the mix. They were all still being separated as the show went to
COMMERCIAL
Coming out of commercial, Russell introduced a pre-taped locker room interview he conducted earlier in the day with Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy, who called themselves WBKS. Murphy: “You know, Lance, about a year ago I realized that I was stuck in a real rut. I went – we went – from NXT champs to opening match scrubs. I decided that enough was enough, so I recommitted myself to my goals; I got leaner, stronger, faster, and meaner. Soon enough, ‘Wrestling’s Best Kept Secret’ was getting everybody’s attention.”
Blake: “And that lit a fire in me, too. Buddy set the tone, so I hit the weights – hard. Dropped about 15 pounds myself; I’m no cruiserweight, but this Texan can run rings around your ass now before I kick it. And knowing that Jeff Jarrett was all about giving guys like us opportunities, we made a few calls, decided to take in some house shows… so when the Destruction Crew made that open challenge, we jumped the rail to grab that brass ring.”
Murphy: “We’re WBKS. We’re here, and here to stay. Global Impact – watch out.”
BEST FRIENDS vs. the MIDNIGHT EXPRESS:
vs.
Taylor and Baretta feigned offering the Express pre-match hugs, and they settled on handshakes instead. The two fan-friendly teams settled into a wrestling clinic early, with the Friends trying to set a faster pace, while Eaton and Lane wanted a slower style that could enable them to cut the ring in half. All the while, the Dynamic 2uo couldn’t find a good word to say about either pair.
It was a very solid 12-minute contest that the more experienced Midnighters eventually won, with “Beautiful Bobby” hitting Taylor with an Alabama Jam legdrop. As the Express left the ringside area, Aries and Hernandez left their post at the broadcast table. The two teams confronted each other on the ramp, the bad blood between them evident, and “A-Double” threw a full bottle of water at Lane, just missing his head. However, officials got in between them, led by Jarrett, and after a lot of trash talk and a lecture from the GIW President, the 2uo and the Express went their separate ways.
COMMERCIAL
The Dynamic 2uo were no longer on commentary; Jarrett sat with Russell now, he was not happy, and he had the house mike in his hand. “Dammit, I’m trying to run an organization where winners win and losers lose. Look, I’m all for stipulation matches and pushing the envelope, but I hate this false finish, post-match, ‘the rules don’t apply to me’ bullcrap. So, Dudley Boyz, consider yourselves fined, and guess what – Shinsuke Nakamura and Masato Tanaka are both gonna get a crack at the King of the Ring title soon. Gino, Austin – you’re fined, too, but don’t y’all worry, I’ll get the four of you booked in a match soon enough. And as for Umaga and Cactus Jack – you’ve already made my list. Sullivan, get your boys in line, and as their manager, I guess I can send their fine to you. By the way, Jack – you’re wrestling Christian next week.”
“One more thing – Brian Pillman and Paul Orndorff. You can just stay in the back tonight. Too much nonsense tonight, and we all know you’re not above making your presence felt. I want a clean main event.”
ELI DRAKE vs. CURT HENNIG:
vs.
This was a very rare one-on-one GIW contest, and it involved two of the cockiest, most well-rounded athletes in the entire MUW Network. “Mr. Perfect” had the weight and experience edge, and used it to his advantage early. However, Drake was no slouch, and was very willing to bend every rule to fight back. He alternated between ground-and-pound and aerial attacks, but the “Defiant One” always targeted Hennig’s lower back, softening him up for the Gravy Train. The former IC champ rallied back, though, and it became more of a see-saw battle in its final five minutes, in a match that lasted 18:20. After attacking Drake’s back himself with kicks and slams, the AWA stalwart planted him with a Perfectplex. Drake skulked away, and “Perfect” stared him down, knowing that the Main Event Machine inevitably stood in their way for championship gold.
The show ended with a pair of graphics hyping next week's card: one-half of the GIW World Tag-Team champions, Christian, versus Cactus Jack - and GIW Intercontinental Tag-Team champions the U.S. Express versus the Usos!