XPW Remixed presents...
"BAPTIZED in BLOOD"Cut to ringside announce team for the evening: Gordon Solie & Matt Striker
XPW Remixed is revolutionary. XPW Remixed is a revolution. This ain't your daddy's wrestling. Somewhere between Frank Gotch's training mat and CZW's Cage of Death, lie a Demiplane of Dread. An Island of Terror all to itself that combines the raw, unadulterated bloodshed of the '70s with the frenetic pacing of Wrestling Society X to produce the most dynamic product to ever hit the Territory Wars. XPW Remixed. Tonight - the crown jewel in their thorn-studded crown - "Baptized in Blood". For the first time in Territory Wars HISTORY the "Tournament of Death" makes its grisly debut!!! 8 of the sickest, sadomasochistic Death Match warriors in Pro Wrestling history clash for the bloodstained trophy.... will we see a fatality here tonight LIVE on PPV??? Plus, XPW Television champion the MIZ takes on former champion Joey "Rockstar" KAOS in a ladder match - the tag titles and KotDM title are on the line - and history violently crashes into the future when XPW Remixed champion Bruno Sammartino takes on eternal arch nemesis "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers in a Best 2 out of 3 Falls CLASSIC!!! Also, with media attention swirling over the historic Primo Carnera/Big Show boxing match, we'll be hearing from Fantasy Wrestling correspondent Dave Meltzer throughout the show as he discusses the various pro wrestling/boxing crossovers of years past. All that and more as XPW Remixed presents "Baptized in Blood!" Join the revolution!!!WE ARE LIVE ON PPV!!!
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1) THE OLYMPIA versus BLACK ARMY REDUX (w/ Lizzy Borden) versus
The epic-level strains of "Olympus" by Raekwon open the show. In a magnificent light, laser and pyro show - the triumphant "Olympia" fight camp makes their official entrance. In an MMA-inspired entrance, they are escorted by baseball hat-clad cornermen wearing the Olympia logo on their shirts and carrying Olympia banners. "The Solid Man" William Muldoon leads the charge in his black and red wrestling trunks, followed by a cape-wearing Mil Mascaras and the borderline ethereal Hakushi. The ovation they receive from the Downtown Hollywood faithful is spectacular. Contrast that with the dark, Death Metal entrance of the Black Army to humongous boos. The Army (fronted by mouthpiece Kevin Sullivan) get a brief videotaped intro on the big screen wall, reiterating his mission to raise the Black Army to new heights. By the time the Army and their evil cavalcade of strippers and machete-wielding guards part the entrance curtain, the audience is electric with hatred. Exciting, brisk opening encounter far beyond the pace of a traditional WWE/WWF match. With 6 of the finest athletes in XPW involved, there are no rest holds in between tags. The Olympia fight camp fights with fluid and precision teamwork, while heat magnets Skandor Akbar, Lizzy Borden and Kevin Sullivan keep crowd emotions high. The seething man-monster Ezekiel Jackson waits on the apron for the tag, stomping his feet with angry impatience. In the end, a botched miscommunication error between Ezekiel Jackson and Kevin Sullivan leads to a flurry of spots. Hakushi hits a spectacular springboard Hurricanrana to a top-rope-posted Skandor Akbar, that hurls the evil Arab through a table on the arena floor! Immediate cut to Mil Mascaras who propels Ezekiel Jackson over the top rope with a pinpoint missile dropkick. Immediately in the matches climatic finish, Muldoon scoops up Kevin Sullivan with a reverse death-valley driver into an Anaconda Vice submission!!!! Sullivan tries to hold on, but he can't! The Prince of Darkness taps out to give Olympia the victory!
Winner: THE OLYMPIAPost match, Olympia get their little celebratory phase before powdering out for the segment-ending angle. Finally, the official dissolution of the Black Army as Akbar and Sullivan argue with Jackson (with Lizzy Borden slapping him across the face at one point), resulting in a major SNAP from the "Apocalypse of 2012". Ezekiel Jackson clears the ring in violent fashion, culminating in a wicked "Book of Ezekiel" standing rock-bottom/uranage to Kevin Sullivan through a wooden table! As Ezekiel Jackson poses and flexes like the monster he is, he is greeted by tremendous CHEERS! Ezekiel Jackson has officially turned face! ** CUT **
DAVE MELTZER: Jack Dempsey - During the 1920s, when Dempsey was the king of boxing and Ed “Strangler” Lewis was the king of wrestling, there were serious efforts to have them face off in a legitimate match. But after Dempsey did some training with wrestlers, he lost interest in the offers. On July 1, 1940, in Atlanta, a 45-year-old Dempsey, whose boxing career ended a dozen years earlier, destroyed a pro wrestler with no boxing background, Clarence “Cowboy” Luttrell, for two rounds under boxing rules in what videotape evidence seems to indicate was not a choreographed match, even though it was part of a pro wrestling show. Dempsey also did boxing matches with famous pro wrestlers Bill Longson and Wild Bull Curry on pro wrestling shows, which were likely more along the lines of traditional pro wrestling.____________________________________________________________
"BAPTIZED IN BLOOD"
Tournament of DEATH2) NECRO BUTCHER versus IAN ROTTEN versus
Ian Rotten is probably the LEAST polarizing guy in wrestling history. He’s hated. Plain and simple. Here, his pre-match mic work shows why. Ignorant, profane rant from Rotten lambasting the same paying audience who is serenading him with boos and foul chants. By the time XPW Remixed favorite Necro Butcher bursts through the black curtain wielding a baseball bat with tacks deeply embedded in it, the audience has been whipped into a frenzy by Rotten’s promo. Brutal, bloody brawl typical of these two familiar opponents (they’re battles in IWA-MS are legendary). The trick to the gimmicked baseball bats is twofold – one, they’re just hard rubber/plastic bats and NOT the hard wooden variety the Major League uses. So getting hit with it looks more dramatic than it is. That being said, the glass, tacks and barbed wire wrapped around the bats are NOT fake. And the gruesome effect they have as they tear and rip flesh, and stick into the wrestlers heads makes you realize this shit is REAL AS HELL. The two mad man gouge, slash and bludgeon each other into near-submission, and Necro Butcher finishes with an improvised Necro Bomb (tiger driver) off the top rope onto two erect folding chairs. Rotten crushes the chairs upon impact and a pool of blood quickly forms around his head as he’s pinned.
Winner: NECRO BUTCHERIan Rotten/Necro Butcher post match promo with the "Baptized in Blood" trophy behind them.
You couldn't help notice the large contingent of "BWO" signage and T-shirts, center ring camera side...____________________________________________________________
3) DOINK REBOURNE versus "SICK" NICK MONDO versus
"People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones".
Prov. You should not criticize other people for having the same faults that you yourself have. Yet here we have perhaps the most hypocritical force in XPW Remixed matched up against the Cannibal Cartel's chief aerial assassin in a house of glass match. Large panes of glass rest in every corner - the ropes are lined with dozens of light tubes - and large light tube log cabins are stacked around the ring. Before the match begins, ring announcer MSD once again warns all front row fans to beware of shattering debris. "Sick" Nick Mondo enters first and gets some cheers mixed in with the standard boos for the Cannibal Cartel. But the crowd venom directed towards Doink ReBourne is universal. Where the Necro Butcher/Ian Rotten match was an exercise in blunt brutality - the Mondo/Doink ReBourne match showcases more high wire danger. Various suplexes and creative throws through the glass, springboard light tube assaults and picture-perfect tope's are a staple of this bout. In the end, Doink ReBourne counters an "Assault Driver" attempt by Mondo into a sleeper hold neckbreaker. He then stuffs a light tube in Mondo's open mouth and gives him a devastating STUNNER, shattering the glass upon impact! Doink ReBourne buries Mondo under a series of light tube log cabins and then CRUSHES them both with a top rope Whoopee Cushion! The explosion of powdery glass fragments is tremendous, and Doink scores the pinfall victory with half the crowd counting along with the referee.
Winner: DOINK REBOURNEDoink ReBourne promises to bestow the "curse" of the costume upon some unsuspecting fan tonight, in the "Baptized in Blood" tournament finals...** CUT to brief promo from THE MESSIAH. Dark, shadowy backstage interlude where he vows to mark the "Baptized in Blood" tourney as the resurrection of ultra violence and the demise of Cult ReBourne. Messiah will have vengeance for all the pain, suffering and agony he suffered at the hands of the evil Clown and his minions... **____________________________________________________________
4) THE MESSIAH versus THUMBTACK JACK versus
Three pits surround the ring – one with syringes, another with glass and the final one is filled with thumbtacks. Cult ReBourne makes its eerie entrance beneath moody black-and-red lighting and smoke machines. The Heath Ledger-inspired Doink ReBourne has quickly gained a cult following in XPW Remixed for his unhinged promos and serial killer/cult leader antics. Here, Thumbtack Jack and Danny Havoc have a new look – rocking horrifying face paint and “Doink ReBourne” T-shirts. Doink himself doesn’t accompany them to ringside, as he’s still recovering from his last match. Finally, the MESSIAH gets his tremendous God’s Fury entrance complete with singular white spotlight, the Messiah symbol and clouds of marijuana smoke from the audience. The roof nearly comes off the building as he enters with slow, dramatic lighting ala Triple H. Thumbtack Jack rushes to attack Messiah when he gets on the ring apron, and we’re off. Hard-hitting, intense and very physical. In the matches high spot, Danny Havoc misses a top rope attempt at interference and Messiah catches him in mid-air with his elevated Diamond Cutter
right into the pit of glass, smashing it upon impact and taking out Danny Havoc for good. A few more teases into the pits, including Thumbtack Jack wielding twin syringes at one point, looking like a bloody doctor gone mad. Thumbtack Jack took a Death Valley Driver off the ring apron into the pit of syringes, but it still wasn’t the finish. In the end, the last remaining pit of thumbtacks was actually lit ablaze before Thumbtack Jack took the dramatic plunge through it in a fiery collision. MESSIAH quickly pinned his still-smoldering corpse for the victory. Messiah performs a bloody sign of the cross upon himself, offering thanks and praise for his brutal victory.
Winner: THE MESSIAH____________________________________________________________
5) ORIGINAL SHEIK versus SABU versus
Sabu enters first to a massive pop. His face is etched with grim determination and he does NOT point skyward to start the match. The ring ropes have been removed for this last Tournament of Death semi-finals match, and the visual of crisscrossing barbed wire strands running around it gives you the chills. House lights darken for the impending arrival of the Original Sheik, and The Grand Wizard appears on the video wall. He cuts a brief, brash promo. He’s BACK on the XPW Remixed scene, he’s splitting with this Gold Dust Trio Inc business partners and promising to move XPW to the East Coast permanently! Big boos from the downtown Hollywood crowd for that one. After sufficiently getting the crowed riled up, TGW reveals the motivations for the Sheik’s attack upon his own nephew – Sabu the Elephant Boy is a pale facsimile of the Original Sheik himself, born in his image. But here in XPW Remixed, the OG Sheik is still the King of the Jungle and father of the pride, keeping the herd in line and weeding out the weak. Guess which side of the fence Sabu the Elephant Boy falls on? We’ll find out tonight in the middle of that barbed wire death trap… Original Sheik suddenly slides into the ring from the darkness behind Sabu carrying a flaming torch and wearing a black turban! He blows a HUGE fireball into Sabu’s face to start the match. On the video screen, TGW chuckles smugly and blinks out of transmission. The focus is squarely upon the Original Sheik and Sabu. OG Sheik has immediate control and bloodies beats and lacerates his nephew Sabu in a vicious, violent spectacle. The whips into the barbed wire strands are fierce and unrestrained. Those viewers familiar with the Sabu/Funk barbed wire match from ‘90s ECW would even cringe watching this display. Sabu severs an arm tendon and the OG Sheik gashes his shoulder blade resulting in a long, dangerously deep laceration. In the matches dramatic finish, Sabu actually launches himself off the strands of barbed wire with a somersault plancha that catches the Sheik and impales them BOTH upon the barbed wire strands! The bloody tangle of wire and flesh quickly rips from the ring posts and both men tumble to the arena floor, a hopelessly trapped mess. It’s quickly apparent something has gone dreadfully wrong as both men struggle in the barbed wire death trap. Referees, XPW officials and paramedics rush the scene with wire cutters, stretchers and bandages. They are still cutting the two men loose when the segment abruptly ends and the PPV broadcast switches to a quick commercial spot for the Bruno Sammartino/”Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers main event.
Winner: NONE (no finish)** CUT **
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LOU THESZ (addressing his decision to train with B-Boy): If any young person, like a young male, decides that he likes a sport and gets into it and all of a sudden to his own surprise discovers that he has an aptitude for it, and then with the coaches that he had, all of a sudden they find their niche in life. That's a very difficult thing to do but a wonderful thing because, if you could earn your livelihood doing the thing you enjoyed doing most then, how sweet it is. It doesn't get any better than that. And I had the good fortune of getting into that situation. And with people like Tragos, Ed "Strangler" Lewis and Ray Steele, some of the biggies, people who really knew what they were doing out there, I just got hooked on the thing to the point that I just devoted my entire life to wrestling. That's all I did. I trained everyday, and a lot of the guys would go to the dances - I never learned to dance because I learned to wrestle. After training for four hours a day, I'd be so enervated that what I needed was food and rest, try to regenerate. Tragos and the top wrestlers, you know, they were not easy task masters, they pushed you to the wall to test to see if you had the intestinal fortitude to be good. Anyway it all worked out and I enjoyed it so much that I admire the young people that are in the amateurs and doing well. Of course amateur wrestling is a wonderful thing but right now I'm all about breeding the next generation of fantasy wrestlers. 6) B-BOY & LOU THESZ versus EDDIE GILBERT & "REAL DEAL" DAMIEN STEELE versus
Even in the world of fantasy wrestling, stranger things have never happened. The shooter Lou Thesz - thoroughbred purist and old school practitioner - teaming with the "New Age Punisher" B-Boy, a product of inner-city gang life and Hip Hop music. But the Shooters Club message is brilliantly clear: true grappling talent knows no boundaries. Both men enter together to the "Respect the Shooter" instrumental (G-Unit) - Thesz in his boxing-styled hooded robe and B-Boy with his bulletproof vest and gunman's mask. Both are ready for war. Their opponents for the night, Eddie Gilbert and the XPW Commissioner Damien Steele get elaborate, separate entrances. This match is a brilliant display of tag team chemistry at it's finest. Thesz provides the old-school twist while B-Boy exhibits new school flair. Gilbert and Steele are perfect in their role as snobbish, egotistical and entitled heels who blow their lids at the slightest provocation. In the end, after an exciting series of counters/reversals and double team moves, B-Boy captures Eddie Gilbert in a flying fujiwara armbar
at the same time Lou Thesz snares Damien Steele in a crippling STF!!! Gilbert and Steele can't tap out fast enough!!!
Winners (by submission):LOU THESZ & B-BOYMore obnoxious, obviously-placed signage. And is that XPW security working furiously to confiscate them?...DAVE MELTZER: “Jersey” Joe Walcott: While in his late 40s, long after his boxing career ended, Walcott participated in what were billed as former world heavyweight champion boxer vs. world heavyweight champion wrestler matches against Buddy Rogers and Lou Thesz. They were both scripted matches, with the wrestlers winning.____________________________________________________________
7) CRYME TYME versus THE SICILIANS (c)(Steel Cage Match for the XPW Remixed Tag Team titles) versus
Raw, unadulterated violence. Smash mouth brawling, high-impact strikes and gangland-style beat downs. By the time the steel cage comes into play, Cryme Tyme have stained The Sicilians white wife-beaters red with blood. This is sweet revenge and payback for Cryme Tyme, who finally have The Sicilians trapped in a cage and proceed to show how overmatched the XPW champions really are. Lou Albano bounces off the steel cage like a pinball, and Tony Altomare is crushed with a massive double superplex from the top of the cage wall. But by the time Cryme Tyme start to scale the walls towards victory, the inevitable La Coka Nostra run-in occurs. Lil Guido, Tony Mamaluke and Big Sal E Graziano race to ringside and prevent Cryme Tyme from climbing out. But THIS time, La Coka Nostra are rudely interrupted by the strains of "Natural Born Killaz" by Dr Dre & Ice Cube!!! IMMEDIATELY the roof blows off the building, as that song can only mean one thing...
Enter
NEW JACK!!!
New Jack takes out La Coka NostraSweet street justice continues to be meted out by Cryme Tyme, as their pants belts become unfurled and whipped across the scalded backs of The Sicilians like rawhide. Tony Altomare gets taken out with a spinning neckbreaker slam by JTG while young Lou Albano eats a running Timberland boot from Shad Gaspard that mashes his bloody, pompadour’d head into the cage. With the chaos and confusion (not to mention loud rap song playing in the background) around the cage – mixed with the intensity and bloody warfare transpiring inside the cage – it’s easy to miss the two clandestine figures slipping through the cracks in XPW security to breech the cage walls…
The two unidentified young Black males (wearing doo-rags, baggy pants, bandannas over their faces and T-shirts reading “FREE NICK GAGE”) hit the cage doors with bolt cutters. Within seconds, they’ve blasted past the fragile XPW Security crew and bumrushed the ring – bursting through the cage door like home invaders. The two unidentified assailants brutally assault Cryme Tyme with bolt cutters and a crowbar! The jig is up! The set-up is in! HUGE boos from the Downtown Hollywood crowd for the apparent screw job ending. With a bloody Tony Altomare and Lou Albano dragging their beaten carcasses off the canvas, the two hired guns emphatically take out Cryme Tyme. With big Shad Gaspard down, one of the men Pillmanizes his leg with a steel chair (trapping the knee within it), while the other assailant perches high atop the cage wall. He comes flying off the cage with a devastating double-foot stomp to the chair and knee! JTG tries to drag himself over for the save, but it’s too late. Gaspard is in inhuman pain and JTG is ripe for the double-team pickings. A few slingshots into the cage, bloody face-rubs and devastating twisting legdrop/Doomsday Device-type maneuver rubs JTG OUT. In the end, The Sicilians are overjoyed for their arrival and exit the cage to massive heat. Meanwhile, the two assailants remove their makeshift masks to reveal…
RUCKUS & SABIAN!!! Introducing
BLKOUT!!!! With the West Coast crowd spitting venom at the East Coast duo, BLKOut brazenly hoist a battered and bloodied JTG for the ceremonial lighting of Ruckus’ marijuana blunt. He blows a puff of smoke in JTG’s face, before the Cryme Tyme affiliate is buried by Sabian with a scorpion death drop onto a steel chair. Cryme Tyme are finished, the weary, bloody Sicilians are STILL tag team champions, and BLKOut welcome themselves to XPW Remixed by flipping off the angry mob around them, flashing East Coast gang signs and flaunting their blatant “FREE NICK GAGE” T-Shirts (with the “BLKOut” logo on the back)!!! Oh my, the crowd intensity is off the charts! BLKOut need armed security assistance just to leave the ring and arena!!! And with Gaspard still writhing in pain from a potentially permanently-destroyed knee, we may never get to see Cryme Tyme extract their revenge! The Sicilian way wins again!
Winner (and STILL XPW Tag Team champions): THE SICILIANS** Announce table interlude with Striker & Solie - update on "Baptized in Blood" tournament finals. Both Sabu and the Original Sheik will be UNABLE to compete. A replacement will be named later to complete the 4-way dance... **____________________________________________________________
8) "VICIOUS" VIC GRIMES versus JUN KASAI (c)(45-foot Scaffold Match for the "King of the Death Match" title) versus
"The Scaffold Match". The mere mention alone is enough to conjure a whirlwind of emotion. Good, bad, dangerous, impractical. Pro wrestling has run the gamut when it comes to scaffold matches. From the origins (Memphis 1971) to the divine (Road Warriors vs Midnight Express, Starrcade 1986) to the horrifying (PN News, WCW 1991). Scaffold matches hold a special place in pro wrestling lore. And with the high-as-a-kite "Vicious" Vic Grimes and high flying Jun Kasai looking to settle their blood feud once and for all - the scaffold match was the perfect solution. XPW has actually held it's share of Scaffold Matches in the past. Baptized in Blood 3 had a scaffold match. But perhaps XPW's most infamous contribution to the genre was the "Free Fall" main event match between New Jack and "Vicious" Vic Grimes (2001). In that match, Vic Grimes nearly killed himself when he missed the stack of tables and crashed down onto the ring ropes. Another inch in the wrong direction and he would've been Owen Hart (true story). Suffice to say, Vic Grimes is no stranger to this type of death-defying match. But this title fight starts on the entrance ramp and continues all throughout the arena, as every paying fan gets a chance to see these two madmen up close and personal. Good, stiff, hard hitting match with enough creative athletic spots from Jun Kasai (who uses whatever setting he's in to bound/bounce/strike from) to offset the brute physicality of the fatman Vic Grimes. The moves, speed, velocity and bumps Vic Grimes takes at his size is simply phenomenal. Live electricity comes into play at one point, as Kasai shocks Grimes with an electrical cord (complete with sparkling electrical charge and sound effect). With the audience suitably riled up from the traveling brawl, the two men finally make their way up opposite ends of the scaffold (where the King of the Death Match title hangs from the ceiling of the arena). Lots of nerve-wracking teases and near falls (literally) as Kasai and Grimes struggle mightily 45-feet high above the arena floor. In the matches climatic finish, Vic Grimes sparks a huge flaming torch to use as a weapon - only to be disarmed by the martial-arts mayhem of Jun Kasai. The burning torch rolls off the scaffold where it lands upon the dozens of erect tables in the ring (pre-soaked in lighter fluid from an earlier segment in the match) instantly setting them ABLAZE! So now Kasai and Grimes are clashing high above the arena, while plumes of smoke from the burning tables beneath them open up like the Gates of Hell themselves. Grimes counters a Kasai hurricanrana attempt into a running Powerbomb that propels the "Crazy Monkey" off the scaffold and through the burning tables for the dramatic finish! "HOLY SHIT!!!" and "XPW!" chants fill the arena. "Vicious" Vic Grimes pounds his chest and yells out in primal fury as he unsheathes the King of the Death Match championship and claims it as his own. The Cannibal Cartel only gets higher at "Baptized in Blood".
Winner (and NEW KotDM Champion): "VICIOUS" VIC GRIMESThe Cannibal Cartel continues its bloody rise to the top, as their leader Vic Grimes takes the King of the Death Match title tonight...** Announce table interlude with Solie & Striker - more breaking news regarding the Tournament of Death finals - New Jack was going to be named as a late replacement, but he couldn't be found following his mid-match assault on La Coka Nostra earlier in the evening. His parole officer was unavailable for comment either. Stay tuned as the search for the 4th man worthy of the "Baptized in Blood" finals continues... **____________________________________________________________
9) THE MIZ (w/ Alex Riley) versus ROCKSTAR KAOS (w/ Missy Hyatt)(Ladder Match for the XPW Television Championship) versus
*with*
Winner (and STILL XPW TV Champion): THE MIZSCOTT: This was a good way to give this PPV a guaranteed high-star match. We’re not really sure what kind of match Buddy Rogers/Bruno Sammartino or Vic Grimes/Jun Kasai would give us, so you know that if you give these two a ladder and a title at stake it leads to good things. We haven’t seen a ladder match all year; on top of the fact that the undercard was a little light so again putting these two together again was a smart thing to do. Rockstar KAOS was red hot as a face throughout 2001 and The Miz (2011) has been a perfect foil for him. The pace of this match was different than in most ladder matches we’re used to. Whereas past ladder matches were fact paced with one crazy spot after another, these two were deliberate in their approach. They were doing some grinding restholds and then a big spot. KAOS missed a moonsault onto a ladder, and then after a few minutes MIZ was hanging over the ring in midair holding the rings around the belt before KAOS threw a ladder at him and MIZ fell. Then they’d go around for a few minutes before working another spot. It just seemed like both men took a more deliberate approach than in past ladder matches. Eventually MIZ would climb the ladder, minutes after getting the edge of a ladder jabbed into his back, and grab the XPW Television Title, his 2nd title defense to this point. A great ladder match that was different than any before it, and actually this becomes the template for future ladder matches. It featured a slower pace, with more space between big spots than before. It is the match of the night and also in a perfect spot on the card as the crowd is hot. Grade: 4
JUSTIN: One of the best feuds of the early part of XPW Remixed is renewed here as these bitter rivals go at it in a ladder match for the XPW TV strap. The crowd was quite into Kaos here as he tries to capture the gold. The match was basic to start but picked up nicely after MIZ dropped Kaos with a nice Skull-Crushing Finale on the floor. They would bust out some stiff ladder shots, including a great Irish whip into it by MIZ. These two had great chemistry, so once the stiff shots started being doled out, things picked up. The match was well built and they eventually won the crowd. I think the length of the match hurt it a bit as it led to slow spots that affected its pacing. Instead of just being a long match, it felt like a shorter match stretched out to fill a set amount of time. Towards the end, Kaos hooked the Boston Crab on top of the ladder but that just set up a nasty fall from the top to the mat by Kaos. MIZ would recover and grab the belt to win the hard fought match. The match was solid and filled with stiff bumps. Grade: 5Winner (and STILL XPW TV Champion): The MIZ** CUT **
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** BREAKING NEWS!!! ** XPW Remixed has selected the fourth and final entrant into the "Baptized in Blood" Tournament of Death finals. He enters as an alternate for Sabu/Original Sheik who were unable to continue. The only man in California BRAVE enough to accept the challenge...Introducing:
"The Human Horror Film"
SUPREME!!!!
(XPW Original SUPREME don't give a FUCK)10) THE MESSIAH versus NECRO BUTCHER versus DOINK REBOURNE versus.... SUPREME!!!(Tournament of Death FINALS) versus
versus
versus
In a minor shock, former XPW Original (and former Death Match king) SUPREME makes an unannounced return to the scene of his greatest crimes. It’s a treat for the in-house audience because a lot of them are familiar with Supreme’s work from the early days of XPW. Plus – as a former King of the Death Match himself – he’s worth a minor rub (and being a local act, he was on hand and ready for the sudden call-up). Behind the scenes, I invoked Supreme under the “jobber guidelines” of the Territory Wars. He’s a single one-shot act to pop the crowd and add some unexpected flair to the live PPV broadcast. He opens the 4-Way in a flurry, clearing out Doink and massacring Necro Butcher (a reprisal of their main event battle from XPW Original’s “Cold Day In Hell” show from 2008). He gets a few of his most popular spots in (a somewhat-frog splash while clutching a steel chair to Doink) and gets a chance to yell out “WHAT’S MY MUTHAPHUCKKIN NAME???” (“Suuuupreeeeme!!!!” the crowd responds). But the curtain quickly falls on the “Human Horror Film” when the other three wrestlers combine to pitch Supreme off the top rope through a death trap of barbed wire/steel chairs/thumbtacks/and tables. Supreme earns one last “HOLY SHIT” chant before being carted out on a stretcher. Meanwhile, the fight continues.
In the matches second segment, MESSIAH is nearly killed by a top rope Whoopee Cushion from Doink (while Messiah is bundled in light tubes), leaving the ever-popular Necro Butcher to duel with the evil Doink ReBourne. The two have a brief, yet highly aggressive encounter, that’s won by Doink ReBourne after a cinder-block drop. They even did the dueling headbutts spot, the shoot-punches to the face bit and Doink ReBourne superplexed Necro Butcher off the top rope
to the arena floor with no padding or tables to break the fall. The whole segment is designed to put over Doink as a powerful, malicious force of evil. MESSIAH returns to the fray and lands a hair-raising swanton dive onto Necro Butcher (positioned on a table) from the arena balcony to eliminate the Butcher! Finally, the “Baptized in Blood” tourney comes down to the final two – MESSIAH versus Doink ReBourne. The match everybody wanted to see.
Months and months of anger, frustration, psychological warfare and torture come to a head as these two opposing forces clash in the middle of the blood-stained ring. Broken glass, bloody tables, dented steel chairs and thumbtacks litter the ring, making it look like a war zone. Meanwhile the unholy clash between Darkness and Light continues to rage. MESSIAH – who entered the match tonight wearing Altar Boy garb in a really magnetic, stunning walk out – has been stripped down to all black and both men are bloody messes. Doink takes the advantage and brutalizes the Messiah in a stark and stunning display. The madness and insanity is evident in his eyes, as he lashes the MESSIAH for 1,000 years of torment. The whole crux of the angle involves Bourne destroying the specter of “Doink” forever by forcing Messiah to embrace him. In this case, it means dramatically unsheathing the old school neon-colored clown get up in the matches ending segment. Doink ReBourne makes a spectacle of removing the briefcase from beneath the ring and opening it to reveal the costume. He has the frizzy green mop of hair and face-painted mask like a hunter would hoist a skinned scalp. But before he can stuff Messiah's bloody head in it, the crimson Son of Xtreme retaliates with unholy vengeance. With the bloodthirsty crowd urging him on, Messiah dominates and decimates Doink ReBourne in gruesome, horrifying fashion. To the dramatic moment of Doink ReBourne actually
begging off and showing the emotion that was lost the entire time. But this time, Messiah does not spare him - he slays him. Light tube-assisted "Godsmack" (spinning fireman carry into a stunner) seals the deal. In the matches ceremonial ending, Messiah holds aloft a bloody kendo stick and defiantly burns the offending Doink the Clown costume once and for all. "MESSIAH!" chants ring out long and loud for XPW's homebrewed Superstar who finally gets his big XPW Remixed moment by winning the "Baptized in Blood" tournament and vanquishing his Demons.
Winner: THE MESSIAH** CUT **
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DAVE MELTZER: Primo Carnera: A dubious heavyweight champion in 1933-34, long after his boxing career was over and he was left broke, turned to pro wrestling from 1946-63. In his early years, the 6-foot-6, 265-pounder was one of the biggest pro wrestling box office attractions in the country. While considered poor as a wrestling performer, he was a headliner almost his entire run.11) PRIMO CARNERA (w/ Toots Mondt) versus BIG SHOW (w/ TGW)(Boxing Match) versus
*with*
“In the eighth round after several furious exchanges, Primo doubled up his opponent with a powerful right uppercut. Big Show staged a small comeback in the ninth. Knowing that Carnera had taken the last three rounds, Big Show (w/ TGW yelling directions from ringside) realized that he had to make a showing now or the fight was lost for him. At the opening bell the Big Show energized the crowd as he charged toward his opponent and powered two lefts to Carnera’s body and fired a hard right to Primo’s head. Carnera responded with several jabs to Big Show’s mouth, but when he tried a left hook, Big Show slipped under it and buried his own left hook deep in the Italian’s gut. This shot hurt Primo, who fell into a clinch for the first time in the fight. After the referee separated the men Carnera went on the defensive for the remainder of the round and Big Show earned the ninth. In the tenth and final round Big Show was spent and Carnera knew it. Smelling blood he pursued Big Show around the ring trying to score the coup de grace. Briefly Big Show attempted to mix it up with Primo but that ended when Carnera landed a sweeping left hook to Big Show’s head that nearly dropped him. Again, Big Show kept his feet but he was in survival mode. Backpedaling, he led Primo around the ring in a defensive effort to avoid more punishment and to watch for an opening that could turn the fight in his favor. It never came. Primo finally caught up with him and landed several hard shots to the head punctuated by a stunning uppercut for the KO finish with minutes left in the final round. Carnera boxed exceptionally well and amazed the crowd with the speed and grace with which he moved around the ring."** Joseph S. Page (author of "Primo Carnera: The Life and Career of the Heavyweight Boxing Champion")DAVE MELTZER: The Big Show's one-sided loss to
Primo Carnera on Saturday night once again raises questions about the future of the boxing business. Was Saturday night the last night that a boxing event can capture the interest of the general public and become the center-stage event on the sports calendar? And is the rise of
XPW Remixed a threat to boxing? “If it’s the end of
Big Show, it’s the beginning of the superstardom of
Primo Carnera,” said
Channel 13 president
Toots Mondt, insisting boxing is alive and healthy. “In my eyes it’s just the passing of the baton, like when Marciano beat Louis and Holmes beat Ali.”
Mondt admits there will have to be some business tweaks made due to the state of the economy, such as lowering ticket prices to major events, and he foresees more major fights on
Channel 13 next year instead of pay-per-view. While there are plenty of big matches in
the Territory Wars, it’s been years since a crossover drawing card like
Carnera, or Mike Tyson before him, has been created. Someone like that may be a 16-year-old kid today hitting a speedbag in the gym,”
Mondt said. But which fighting sport will that kid decide to pursue? “When I got here in Las Vegas, there had to be 15 boxing gyms,” said
Ed "Strangler" Lewis, president of
XPW Remixed, who attended Saturday night’s card. “Now there are two. We own one and Bob Arum owns the other.” "
XPW Remixed doesn’t affect the popularity of boxing,” said Greenburg, President of HBO. “They are two entirely different sports. It would be like saying basketball affects the popularity of baseball.” But when it comes to the show itself, pacing and live-event production, the edge clearly goes to
XPW Remixed. “The presentation and general approach of
XPW Remixed is something that boxing can learn a great deal from,” Hatton told Sky Sports. “For instance, they have big screens around the arena with pre-fight interviews which really get the crowd involved. Why can’t we do that at boxing matches?” This didn’t go unnoticed by
Mondt. “Did you see the production?" There are more screens set up in the arena to give spectators a better view. Saturday’s
semi-main event was as exciting as the best UFC main event. Another positive on the
XPW Remixed end is that it has only have
four championships, and most fans know every champion, similar to boxing in a previous generation. Boxing destroyed the value of championships with so many titles that even the most ardent fans can’t keep them all straight.
Winner: PRIMO CARNERA** CUT **
____________________________________________________________
A timeless rematch a long time in the making...12) BRUNO SAMMARTINO (c) versus "NATURE BOY" BUDDY ROGERS("Best 2 out of 3 Falls Match" for the XPW Remixed Championship) versus
We've finally come full circle. What started with Spartacus and ended with Leviathan comes here to XPW Remixed. Everything old is new again. The style of air/ring/mat action provided by XPW Remixed is like absolutely no other. It is a seamless blend of catch-as-catch with pankration to advanced tumbling and xtreme stunt dummy. All fabulous and fantastic aspects of the fantasy universe we know as "professional wrestling". But all castles need a strong foundation, and what transpires in an XPW Remixed ring is the same thing that stained the sands of the gladiatorial arenas with blood. This is martial combat, only the strong survive. The dangerous, decades old style practiced by the pro wrestling hookers and shooters of the 1920s - 50s is alive and flourishing today. It's just called "MMA" now, and watching these two true-school PRICELESS acts (Bruno Sammartino & Nature Boy Buddy Rogers) compete today on the XPW Remixed stage reminds you of that fact. The physicality, wrestling exchanges, crowd volume and aggression reminds you of Comiskey Park 1961, ECW Arena 1996 or the American Airlines Center 2011 in Dallas when the Mavs beat the Lakers. Pro wrestling as an art/spectacle/entertainment/exhibition sparring match at it's finest.
Bruno Sammartino: 1 / Buddy Rogers: 0The ever devious and crafty "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers took over with an illegal clip of the knee on Bruno, and stretched it mercilessly in the early going. Even without his Diamond Dynasty cohorts at ringside (Rogers had instead made his grand entrance with about a dozen beautiful women by his side) he is callous, cocky and prone to arrogant showboating. Yet, Bruno Sammartino still wins the first fall by DQ when "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers absolutely REFUSES to break a ring post-assisted Figure-4 leglock. The announcers question Rogers' wisdom to get intentionally disqualified in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, until they see the seemingly permanent and debilitating damage it left on the champion Bruno Sammartino. Buddy Rogers is all smiles over his cunning achievement, and goes to work on the champion - a real "Rocky on the ropes" moment for Sammartino. "Nature Boy"s plan seems to be working as he earns the 2nd fall himself with a Figure-4 leglock in the center of the ring that left Sammartino's shoulders down for the 3-count. Buddy Rogers has just evened this epic match 1 fall apiece.
Bruno Sammartino: 1 / Buddy Rogers: 1In the matches last and climatic fall, Sammartino hulks up from the brink of annihilation to rebound on the Nature Boy who taunted, primped and preened just one time too often. With the crowd surging him on, Sammartino catches fire and bounces the Nature Boy all around the ring. Crushing suplexes, body slams and pulverizing back body drops abound until Buddy Rogers is literally begging off in the corner! Even his old "sucker the champ in and try to pin him with my feet on the ropes" trick doesn't work, as Bruno is just too riled up to be counted down! Finally, after an elaborate chain of counters and reversals, Bruno Sammartino traps Buddy Rogers in a mid-ring Cattle Mutilation for the dramatic tap-out!!! Bruno Sammartino has squeezed another submission from his arch-rival!!! Sammartino soaks up the adulation, leaving Buddy Rogers to writhe in pain on the mat! Sammartino has done it again!!!
Bruno Sammartino: 2 / Buddy Rogers: 1Winner (and STILL XPW Champion): BRUNO SAMMARTINOBut twas not to be. Just as the black-and-yellow confetti began to fall, a physically exhausted Bruno Sammartino was set upon by the Diamond Dynasty like a pack of wild dogs! Alex Riley, MIZ and Jack Swagger (all wearing their tailor-made finest) stomp Bruno Sammartino down. Riley whips Bruno into a wicked belt shot from MIZ that splits Sammartino's head open. Jack Swagger works on Sammartino's injured leg with a grapevine ankle lock! The bell is ringing furiously and XPW officials and referees are trying to pry the Dynasty off the XPW Champion. Just then, the set-up becomes readily apparent. Alex Riley presents a recuperated "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers with his "Money-in-the-Bank" briefcase from "Night of Champions!" With Sammartino struggling to his feet one last time, Rogers runs him over with the briefcase - denting and bloodying it. Rogers is cashing in his championship contract right now! Oh my! The ref has no choice but to call for the bell, and with his goon squad of well-dressed cronies cheering him on ringside, Rogers proceeds to systematically dismantle Bruno Sammartino - culminating with a Skull-Crushing Finale variation of his own onto the metal briefcase! Rogers goes for the slow dramatic count... 1 - 2 - 3!!!! A stunned, shocked silence washes over the Downtown Hollywood crowd. Buddy Rogers has done it! "Nature Boy" is the new XPW Remixed champion!!! His Diamond Dynasty cohorts join him in the ring for a raucous celebration, elevating Rogers onto their shoulders where he poses triumphantly with his new championship!!! The Diamond Dynasty reigns supreme! Championship confetti finally falls freely from the ceiling, along with dozens and dozens of balloons... but the deflated Hollywood audience has just had ALL their air let out...
Winner (and NEW XPW Champion): "NATURE BOY" BUDDY ROGERS!!!"Diamonds are Forever!!!"____________________________________________________________
RINGSIDE OUTROGORDON SOLIE: As far as modern day television play-by-play people, no...I certainly never did take anything from like,
Michael Cole or some of those guys who made fun of the business. I'll never forget, and this is a story I've told a million times. When I first was going to do the show,
MSD had done it and
Striker had done it and others had done it, so when it was my turn, I went to
Ed "Strangler" Lewis, because I had heard some of his comments about how different announcers had treated the business. So I went to him just to make sure I had things straight, and I asked him, "How do you want me to treat this program." And he said, "What do you mean?" And I said, "Well, how do you want me to treat the show? Do you want it sort of light hearted or how..?" He said, "Gordon, I want you to treat the program the same way you treat your paycheck. Very seriously..."
XPW Remixed has just undergone a serious changing of the landscape here tonight at "Baptized in Blood". Both the Cannibal Cartel and the Diamond Dynasty have risen to new heights, while the once-dominant Black Army has faltered for the final time. The Shooters Club and The Olympia continue to impress, while native son the MESSIAH has finally shed his demons. Fans, we have no idea what may be on the horizon of this great sport now, but one thing is certain - the tides of change continue to swirl throughout the fantasy wrestling universe. And XPW Remixed were the ones to generate that seismic shock. This is Gordon Solie and Matt Striker signing off. Good night and God Bless.CREDITS:SCOTT & JUSTIN: "Unforgiven 2004" review
LOU THESZ: Jeremy Hartley TWC Online interview
DAVE MELTZER: "Boxers in Wrestling a Rich Tradition", yahoo.com (2008) & "Boxing vs MMA: A Contrast of Styles"
GORDON SOLIE: Jeremy Hartley TWC Online interview
PRIMO CARNERA versus BIG SHOW recap: “Primo Carnera: The Life and Career of the Heavyweight Boxing Champion” Book by Joseph S. Page (copyright 2010)