Post by fifthhorseman on Jun 19, 2014 23:07:26 GMT -5
Joey Styles: Hello wrestling fans – we are live from the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, and this is the first night of the 2014 AWA Crockett Cup! My name is Joey Styles, and you are set to see eight, count ‘em, EIGHT first-round tag-team matches in the most prestigious tag-team tournament in the world! 16 of the 24 teams entered in the Crockett Cup will be in action tonight… 24 of the greatest teams in the business today, 24 of the most successful, most important, and legendary teams of all-time!
Josh Mathews: That’s right, Joey! Hi fans, and thanks for ordering this pay-per-view spectacular! My name is Josh Mathews, and in addition to the great tag-team matches tonight, you will also see the AWA Intercontinental champion Nigel McGuinness defend his championship in a two-out-of-three falls contest against his most persistent challenger, Scott Hall!
Joey Styles: Enough talk – hell, you paid good money for this! Let’s get to the ring, where the gorgeous Christy Hemme is ready to get this show started!
/ VS.
Badd Company (w/Kimberly Page) vs. the Young Bucks:
Before the match got started, the Bucks took the microphone from Hemme. They said they were tired of being outnumbered by other wrestlers’ managers and entourages in recent weeks, and it was about time they had someone watching their backs. A few seconds later, the massive Brodus Clay walked down to ringside, and the match was on. This was a very even contest between two mainstays of the AWA tag division, but the Bucks pushed the pace and kept Diamond in the ring for extended periods of time. However, he was able to make the tag to Tanaka, who extended the match further with chops and kicks, and nearly pinned Matt Jackson. But Nick broke it up, and after hitting “More Bang For Your Buck” on Tanaka, Matt made the long cover while Diamond was obstructed by Clay behind the referee’s back.
/ VS.
Adam Cole/Ethan Carter III (w/Vickie Guerrero) vs. the Eliminators:
Carter and Cole entered the ring first, confident, but more subdued in their vocalizing than normal. The Eliminators followed, making their debut in the AWA, and the crowd was on their side. Saturn and Kronus jumped their foes milliseconds after the bell rang, eager to make their mark and move on. The brawl spilled outside, and the referee appeared to be caught up in the excitement, for he let it go as if it was a mid-90s ECW match. To their credit, Cole and Carter did not go down without a fight… but eventually, they did go down. After breaking out of Cole’s figure-four leglock, Saturn made the tag to his partner while “the One” did the same. Kronus pounded on Carter, setting him up for “Total Elimination” about a minute later.
VS.
Ivan/Nikita Koloff vs. the Varsity Club:
This was a slower-paced match, with most of the heavy lifting done by Nikita Koloff and Jack Swagger. Though he was slightly bigger than his foe, Swagger was repeatedly outmuscled by the “Russian Nightmare” – fortunately for him, he was able to create some distance using his vastly superior amateur skills. Similarly, Rotunda did his best to avoid moves like Ivan’s headlocks and bearhugs. The crowd chanted “USA” throughout the contest, spurring the Varsity Club to several near-falls on the Koloffs, but the Soviets would not stay down. The match ended suddenly when Nikita hit the “Russian sickle” clothesline on Rotunda, and the ref made the three-count before the crowd could barely react to the brutal finisher.
VS.
The Dudebusters vs. the Stampeders:
Arguably the fastest-paced and most exciting tag match of the night, the four put on a clinic that nearly lasted all of the 15 minutes allotted to each first-round qualifying contest. Barreta and Croft employed a unique offense that had them bouncing off the ring ropes and flying from the corners at every opportunity. On the other side, Storm was equally at home above or on the mat, while Kidd lived up to his moniker as a workhorse, matching both of his opponents hold for hold. It was truly back and forth, with neither squad able to hold a sustained advantage for more than a couple of minutes. But the AGWP team had the advantage last, and Kidd finally forced Croft to submit to a perfectly executed sharpshooter.
/ VS.
Edge/Tully Blanchard (w/ JJ Dillon and Missy Hyatt) vs. Magnum T.A./Ricky Morton:
An intense battle between four well-matched foes. Because of the high stakes, Blanchard and Magnum mostly stayed within the rules when they locked horns; otherwise, they would have gladly fought out in the parking lot if necessary. Though Morton and Magnum controlled the first couple of minutes, the tide turned when Edge hit an early spear on the Rock and Roller. True to tradition, Morton took a beating for the next several minutes, but refused to submit despite the HoRsemen’s best efforts. He finally made the hot tag to Magnum, who cleared house. It soon turned into an old-school brawl, and while Magnum and Blanchard brawled their way to the back, Edge hit Morton with a second spear. Both men were legal, and the HoRsemen moved on in the tournament.
/ VS.
The BlueBloods (w/Layla El) vs. Cody/Dusty Rhodes:
The father-son duo from WCW entered first, followed by the pompous Barrett and Williams. They both wanted to play the matchup game: the “American Dream” almost always matched up against Barrett, and the two were quite content to throw the big punches and elbows at each other. Conversely, Williams and Cody Rhodes put on a purer wrestling show, although Cody tried to use more aerial maneuvers against the ground-grappling Brit. This match looked like it might go to a draw as it entered its 15th minute, but when Dusty wound up in the ring with a weary Williams, he hit the “bionic elbow” to score the victory, as his son held off “Bad News” across the ring.
VS.
Kurrgan/Karl Krupp vs. the Motor City Machine Guns:
Goliaths vs Davids. The squad from AGPW had a simple strategy: beat the living hell out of whatever Gun got in the ring with them. Sabin and Shelley preferred to hit and run, and utilized the five-count to hit double-team moves at every opportunity. They focussed on Krupp, and made tags so fast it looked like a handicap match. But the rugged German/Acadian forced Shelley back to his corner with a claw, and tagged in Kurrgan, who couldn’t wait to maul his much smaller opponent. And he did – relentlessly – but Shelley refused to quit. Dodging a charge into the corner, Shelley dove towards Sabin and made the tag. Kurrgan did likewise to Krupp, and after another flurry of offense, the Guns took Krupp out with stereo enzuigiris.
VS.
Legacy vs. Rick Martel/Barry Windham:
DiBiase and Smith were confident, but not overly cocky, as they entered the arena. Martel and Windham looked equally confident, smiling and high-fiving the fans as they circled the ring. Smith and Windham (also a second-generation wrestler) started the bout, and they tested each other’s strength and agility with knuckle-locks, shoulder-tackles, and armdrags. When Martel and DiBiase Jr. squared off afterwards, they were similarly, evenly matched. This might have been the best pure wrestling tag-team match on the card, for the time it was allotted. However, the experience advantage won out, despite the best efforts of Legacy, as Windham finished off DiBiase Jr. with a running lariat.
VS. /
AWA INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Scott Hall vs. Nigel McGuinness [C] (w/Layla El):
The big-match intros were made by Christy Hemme, as Styles and Mathews reminded the viewers that this was a two-out-of-three falls contest, with television time (approximately 40 minutes) remaining. McGuinness, as expected, wanted to wrestle at a fast pace, while it seemed as if Hall wanted to hit the proverbial big bomb early. That said, the champion was also quite content to stall at the beginning of the match, killing some clock without exerting himself, shortening the amount of time Hall would have to score two pins.
The Englander ducked out of the ring early, but Hall followed, chasing him around until McGuinness rolled back in. Unfortunately for him, the Brit crashed down on him with kicks and elbows, focussing on the upper back. Hall angrily got to his feet, and it turned into a streetfight. Hall overpowered his opponent, and nearly scored an early fall via the “Razor’s Edge”, but the Brit slipped out of it and clipped him to the ground. From there he used a multitude of vices, stretches, and other submission maneuvers, all employed with brutal precision. However, while weakening Hall, it did not fatigue him as McGuinness had hoped. Slowly, painfully, the “Bad Guy” fought back, throwing haymakers and whipping the champion from corner to corner. Blocking a desperation lariat, Hall cinched in a headlock and ran, hitting McGuinness with a textbook bulldog. Three or so seconds later, he was up 1-0.
After the 30-second “break”, the match resumed, with McGuinness still trying to shake out the cobwebs. He was dazed, and angry, and unwilling to simply roll over without a fight. He stalled, with Layla’s help, outside the ring – infuriating Hall, who sought to finish the match in a hurry. The champion soon regained his equilibrium, and went back to work on Hall’s back. This time, he used kicks and other high-impact moves, moves that bruised his challenger. But again, Hall rallied, and the match see-sawed back and forth. However, with about 13 minutes left in the show, McGuinness hit a hammerlocked kneeling facebuster on Hall, evening the score at one.
Hall was exhausted, and the 30 second period gave him little chance to catch his breath. Realizing this, the champion went on the attack immediately, with European uppercuts that drove Hall into the ropes. He kept there for nearly a minute, landing blow after blow while setting his large foe up for the “Tower of London”, his top-rope cutter. But before he could drop Hall for the count, the big man locked in a cobra clutch on McGuinness from the outside, and after several seconds, the two men fell awkwardly to the mat together. Breaking the hold, Hall staggered to his feet and dragged McGuinness up with him. He threw the champ over his back and – this time – connected with the Razor’s Edge. With his last bit of energy, Hall rolled across McGuinness as the referee counted to three. After months of pursuing the belt, Scott Hall was the new AWA Intercontinental champion.