Post by fifthhorseman on Feb 13, 2021 18:15:35 GMT -5
PRE-SHOW MATCH
The DESTRUCTION CREW (w/Percy Pringle III) vs. FUTURE SHOCK:
vs.
The DESTRUCTION CREW (w/Percy Pringle III) vs. FUTURE SHOCK:
vs.
Most of the fans at the Staples Center were in their seats when the two young teams squared off. Despite being outweighed by about 100 pounds, Cole and O'Reilly were the aggressors early on. The rugged Minnesotans took over, though, and slowed things down with simple but damaging offense. Ten minutes in, the Crew was on the verge of victory, but after Future Shock came back with a series of double-team moves, Cole hit the Last Shot on Bloom for the upset win.
CWH REALLY FULLY LOADED
Buddy Rogers was in the ring. He welcomed the crowd, praised the upcoming action, and reminded that future shows would take place at the Olympic Auditorium, where they would be crowning the inaugural CWH California Heavyweight champion in two short weeks. When he left, Howard Finkel took to the microphone to introduce the first of six matches that would help determine the championship matches over the next two weeks, and back at the broadcast table, Mauro Ranallo was already at peak Ranallo level.
FIRST ROUND QUALIFIER MATCH
EC3 vs. RICK RUDE (w/Percy Pringle III):
vs.
EC3 vs. RICK RUDE (w/Percy Pringle III):
vs.
The crowd was hot for this one right off the bat, jeering the former Florida champ as he was led to the ring by his manager. Both competitors were in superb physical condition, and it was a very rugged battle between the two. EC3 looked reborn in his CWH debut, and had Rude on the ropes several times during the contest. But the tide gradually turned in the “Ravishing One's” favor, and he wore down the TNA stalwart enough to hit the Rude Awakening for the win.
FIRST ROUND QUALIFIER MATCH
JEFF COBB vs. TIMOTHY THATCHER:
vs.
JEFF COBB vs. TIMOTHY THATCHER:
vs.
The Sacramento shooter was able to keep Cobb at bay with his catch-as-catch-can technique – but not forever. Cobb was overpowering, and the former amateur great suplexed Thatcher all over the ring with brutal force. Thatcher regrouped, and dominated the middle portion of the 15-minute contest, but Cobb was just too tough, reversing a belly-to-belly suplex attempt with his Tour of the Islands.
Before the next match began, a video aired highlighted the participants in the upcoming fatal four-way tag-team match – The Usos, the Dream Team, Mike Rotunda and Steve Williams, and the Blond Bombers.
FIRST ROUND QUALIFIER MATCH
DARBY ALLIN vs. NICK NEMETH (w/Eric Bugenhagen):
vs.
DARBY ALLIN vs. NICK NEMETH (w/Eric Bugenhagen):
vs.
Nemeth came out of the starting blocks fast for this one, eager – like everyone else on the card – to impress in his first CWH match. The former Kent State heavyweight took a “big man” approach (which he rarely had the opportunity to do), and tied Allin in knots. But the young enigma came back with his trademark daredevil offense, landing several near-falls. However, he never got the chance to hit his finisher, as Nemeth ran up the turnbuckles and brought Allin crashing down with a top-rope ZigZag.
FIRST ROUND QUALIFIER MATCH
WADE BARRETT (w/Tom “RY” Carter) vs. RUSEV:
vs.
WADE BARRETT (w/Tom “RY” Carter) vs. RUSEV:
vs.
Rusev and Barrett used to be allies – in the short-lived League of Nations – but the stakes of this match were too high to renew old friendships. The match quickly devolved into a fight, which suited the brute from Bulgaria perfectly. He was stronger than the lanky Brit, and used his strength to keep Barrett on the mat. However, the man formerly known as Reckless Youth was more than a passive observer; as Rusev tried to suplex Barrett from the apron back inside the ring, Carter yanked on his ankle and held on long enough for Barrett to steal the win.
Another video was shown, spotlighting some of the CWH wrestlers who weren't on the pay-per-view card: Brutus Beefcake, Ted DiBiase Jr., the Hart Dynasty, the East-West Connection, and Umaga.
FIRST ROUND QUALIFIER MATCH
MUHAMMAD HASSAN (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. BUDDY MURPHY:
vs.
MUHAMMAD HASSAN (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. BUDDY MURPHY:
vs.
Blassie took the microphone from Finkel and complained that Hassan was being treated unfairly – as the former CWF Southern Heavyweight champ, he shouldn't have to qualify for anything. Then he handed the mike to Hassan, who said, “I didn't think it was possible, but the 'fans' out here are even worse than the lowlifes in Florida! Everywhere I go, it's always the same, and you know what else is the same? Muhammad Hassan's greatness! It doesn't matter where I go, and it certainly doesn't matter who I face in the ring... and I'll prove it, starting tonight.”
The Australian bounced back and forth in his corner, and when the bell rang, he literally sprang into action. Murphy flew across the ring, nailing Hassan with a bicycle knee strike. He didn't hesitate, and lifted the Arab-American up only to bring him down hard with Murphy's Law. It was shocking, decisive, and over in less than 20 seconds; “the Juggernaut” was moving onto the next round of the CWH California Heavyweight championship tournament.
A live shot showed the owner of CWH, Bobby Heenan, in a luxury suite. He trusted his Executive President to put on a perfect show - and if he didn't, Heenan would do something about it - but judging from the wide smirk on his face, so far, so good.
FIRST ROUND QUALIFIER MATCH
BIG E LANGSTON vs. the ROCK
vs.
BIG E LANGSTON vs. the ROCK
vs.
20,000 people rose as one when the “Brahma Bull” walked through the curtain. He was focused on the prize at hand, but so was his opponent, the massive and decidedly meaner Big E. The two former football players wrestled a very physical match, as one would expect. Langston was the aggressor, and fought in a more heelish fashion that he had in years. They went almost 20 minutes, and it certainly raised Big E's credibility hanging with the former WWE World champion that long. However, the Rock slid out of a Big Ending attempt, whirled his foe around, and hit him with the Rock Bottom for the hard-fought win.
As the most electrifying man in sports entertainment saluted the crowd, Langston started to leave – but he spun around and hit the Rock with the Big Ending anyways. He gave the crowd a not-so-friendly salute as he walked up the ramp, while the recovered Rock put Langston on his to-do list after the California championship tourny was over.
After the crowd settled back down, a hastily-assembled video package was shown, and it featured the six men that would participate in the main event of the first Bobby Heenan-produced Championship Wrestling from Hollywood episode, the ladder match for the CWH West Coast Heavyweight title: Darby Allin, EC3, Muhammad Hassan, Big E Langston, Rusev, and Timothy Thatcher.
FATAL FOUR-WAY FOR THE CWH CALIFORNIA TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The BLOND BOMBERS (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. the DREAM TEAM vs. the USOS vs. the VARSITY CLUB:
vs.
vs.
vs.
The BLOND BOMBERS (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. the DREAM TEAM vs. the USOS vs. the VARSITY CLUB:
vs.
vs.
vs.
There was lot of star power in this match, representative of a variety of styles, and whoever won it would definitely deserve it. Three of the four teams were experienced, cohesive units, while the fourth – Rhodes and Graham – made up for that with individual star power.
Finkel explained the rules: the first team to score a pin or submission over any other team would win the match, and the belts. The referee had his hands full dealing with the eight athletes and Blassie, who was a constant complainer at ringside, but the “Classy One” was smart enough not to ejected from the scene. The Dream Team were the sentimental favorites, but the San Franciscan twins, Jimmy and Jey Uso, had plenty of support as well.
It was bell-to-bell action. As mentioned, every team brought something different to the table, and even when the action spilled out to the floor, each duo tried to make sure that they were the legal team – they didn't want to be bystanders. And as these matches tend to go, it devolved into a chaotic mess near the end. Everyone tried to get their finisher in, and some of them hit it – Williams, Rhodes, and Jey Uso – while others missed – but at least it was exciting. However, the last man to hit his finisher was the ultimate winner; after Jimmy Uso missed a top-rope splash, Stevens leaped off another turnbuckle and crushed him with the Bombs Away kneedrop at the 18-minute mark. The Blond Bombers' hands were triumphant, and Blassie grabbed the belts away from the ref and gave them to his team.
After the ring cleared, Rogers came back out and told the crowd that next week, the six winners of the earlier qualifying matches would be back in action in three “beat the clock” matches, and the brackets were shown on the video screens: Jeff Cobb vs. Rick Rude, Nick Nemeth vs. Buddy Murphy, and the Rock vs. Wade Barrett.
Finkel reappeared in the ring and introduced the MUW World champion. Samoa Joe entered the Auditorium like he owned it, and he stood on the floor, near a neutral corner, as both an interested observer and the official guest enforcer for the main event.
A tale of the tape was shown on the jumbotron, as well as the rules for the fight: five five-minute rounds, eight-ounce gloves worn by both athletes, no kicks below the waist, most anything else would go – pinfall, submission, TKO, or knockout. There was a ten-point scoring system, and three judges would make the call if it went all five rounds.
MIXED FIGHTING CHALLENGE MATCH
BROCK LESNAR (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. MIKE TYSON:
vs.
BROCK LESNAR (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. MIKE TYSON:
vs.
Despite the obvious height and weight disadvantage, Tyson still deserved the title of “baddest man on the planet”. The two met in the center of the ring, neither man giving an inch as the ref went through the instructions. They backed into their corners without a handshake or a fist-bump.
Lesnar dominated the first round. Once he got past the three-minute mark, the former NCAA grappler took Tyson to the mat, and he crashed elbows and knees into his smaller opponent. But Tyson absorbed it all, and when the bell rang, he bounced up to his feet with only a small mark underneath his left eye.
The tide turned in the second round. The former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world fended off Lesnar's attempts to take him down with quick jabs, and by keeping the action on a vertical plane, he was able to use his boxing expertise to back “the Beast” into the ropes. Tyson attacked the body with short punches, and when Lesnar dropped his hands, “Iron Mike” tried to go upstairs on him. It was an exhausting five minutes, but neither gladiator would back down, and they shoved each other several times. The intensity ratcheted up even more when Joe rolled into the ring and got in between them. Slowly – very slowly – Tyson and Lesnar backed into their corners, and Joe calmly exited the squared circle.
Round three. The first 30 seconds were a stand-off, and suddenly Lesnar surprised Tyson with a right jab that stunned him. Lesnar backed him into a corner and kept the pressure on, with huge lefts and rights that winded his foe. But Tyson eventually got out of it, checking his ribs as he got some distance between the two of them. Lesnar pursued him but with about 30 seconds left in the round it was Tyson with the surprise move, spearing the former WWE Universal champion and driving him down to the canvas. He went for the pin, but Lesnar rolled out at one; unfazed, Tyson kept hitting him until the bell rang.
When the fourth round began, Lesnar sprang out of the corner like a rocket. He speared a surprised Tyson back into the corner, where the boxer violently slammed the back of his head against the turnbuckle. Lesnar picked him up before he could catch his breath, and hit him with an F5.
And another one. And a third. Then, from the mat, he rained elbows down on Tyson for several seconds, and finally the referee jumped in to stop it. The “Beast Incarnate” was declared the winner by TKO at 1:21 of the fourth round. The crowd roared as he raised his huge arms in victory, but their attention was diverted when the Rock walked onto the ramp and applauded as well. A few seconds later, though, Rick Rude appeared on the opposite side of the stage, and he angrily pointed at both men. The PPV ended with a wide shot of the three of them staring each other down.