Canada Day Carnage
Sunday, July 1, 2015
From TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario
Live Attendance: 25 375
“Oh… Canada” by Classified (of Halifax, Nova Scotia) Tonight’s Broadcast Features the Ringside Commentary Teams of
Ed Whalen and Vampiro (English)
Marc Blondin and René Goulet (Français)
With Interviews Conducted By
Jeremy Borash and SoCal Val
***
Canada Cup Tournament Rules & Format
32-men are sent to compete in a one day, four round tournament to crown the inaugural Canada Cup Champion. This is not a title that is to be defended on a weekly/monthly basis. It will be an annual tournament that carries the same kind of prestige as do the annual championship trophy tournaments that are commonly held in Japanese promotions (or like the old King of the Ring). The winner will earn the Canada Cup Champion and a guaranteed contract to compete in a title match for the International Heavyweight Championship any time in the next calendar year, which means that the expiry date for this contracted title shot is valid until June 30, 2016.
The way the tournament works is that the first two rounds will be 8-man tag team matches. Each four man team will be assembled via a random draw (note: I literally wrote names on slips of paper and drew them from a pencil case – I didn’t do it from a hat because I don’t own a hat; because I don’t wear hats). In round one, there will be four 8-man tag team matches. The winners of each match will advance to round two, which will have two 8-man tag team matches. The contestants from each team that qualifies for round three will no longer be competing as a unit. In the third round of the competition, both teams will now compete against each other in one of two fatal fourway matches. In other words, if Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Edge and Christian were a team, they would now compete in a fatal fourway match against one another – Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart vs. Edge vs. Christian. The winners of both fatal fourway matches would then go on to face one another in the fourth and final round in a one-on-one match where the winner is crowned the Canada Cup Champion and earns the guaranteed contract for a future title shot against the International Heavyweight Champion.
***
Round 1 Canada Cup Contest
Samoa Joe, Tyson Kidd, Owen Hart & Cesaro vs. Jacques Rougeau, Matt Sydal, Petey Williams & Killer Kowalski
In our first match of the afternoon, we witness the AGPW debut of Matt Sydal (ex-Evan Bourne). He ended up on the same team as Windsor, Ontario natives Petey Williams and Killer Kowalski. Despite hailing from the same hometown, Williams and Kowalski do not really get along. Samoa Joe, Tyson Kidd, Owen Hart and Cesaro prove to be the more cohesive of the two units. After an entertaining, high-octane match that sees everyone hit their finishing moves, the match ends when Cesaro nails Sydal nails with a diving European uppercut from the top rope after he got up from landing a Shooting Sydal Press on Hart. Cesaro then grabbed Sydal and gave him the Neutralizer and pinned him for the victory.
Official Decision: Samoa Joe, Tyson Kidd, Owen Hart & Cesaro win by pinfall at 8:48
***
Round 1 Canada Cup Contest
Raymond Rougeau, Steve Corino, Justin Gabriel & Dynamite Kid vs. Taz, Rhino, Chris Candido & Ultimo Dragon
Our second match of the evening features another AGPW debut, as Justin Gabriel appears in his first match after signing a contract with the company. Unfortunately for him, his team is no match for the collective might of Taz, Rhino, Chris Candido and Ultimo Dragon. They pick up the win when Ultimo Dragon gives Steve Corino his Dragon Combo of kicks, which is immediately followed by the GORE! GORE! GORE! from Rhino.
Official Decision: Taz, Rhino, Chris Candido & Ultimo Dragon win by pinfall at 6:57
***
Round 1 Canada Cup Contest
Lance Storm, Leo Burke, Davey Boy Smith & Edge vs. Cuban Assassin, Rusev, Tajiri & Ted DiBiase
Half way through this match, Leo Burke leaves his team high and dry. When it seemed like he was getting ready to use a brand new set of brass knuckles to help his team advance, Virgil pay him a hefty sum for the knuckles. Burke sold the knuckles and left with his money. The match ended when AGPW returnee Yoshihiro Tajiri gave Davey Boy Smith a Buzzsaw Kick and then tagged out to Rusev, who put him in the Accolade to earn the submission win.
Official Decision: Cuban Assassin, Rusev, Tajiri & Ted DiBiase win by submission at 8:09
***
Round 1 Canada Cup Contest
Rey Mysterio Jr., Christian Cage, Alberto El Patron & Tyler Breeze vs. Kurrgan, Dean Malenko, “Killer” Karl Krupp & Test
This contest was a pretty lopsided affair. Although Dean Malenko put up a good showing in the ring, the collective talent of the debuting Rey Mysterio Jr., Christian Cage, Alberto El Patron and Tyler Breeze was too must for the other side to handle. It did not help matters much when Test tried to give the other team the easy win by laying down for Cage. Malenko broke that up and ended up brawling with Test. Kurrgan fell victim to a barrage of insurmountable offense when he was struck by the 619 from Mysterio, followed by a Beauty Shot from Breeze, a frog splash from Cage and the cross armbreaker from El Patron. After the match, “Killer” Karl Krupp appeared to be helping Kurrgan get up, but then applied the Iron Claw to him.
Official Decision: Rey Mysterio Jr., Christian Cage, Alberto El Patron & Tyler Breeze win by submission at 5:53
***
Round 2 Canada Cup Contest
Samoa Joe, Tyson Kidd, Owen Hart & Cesaro vs. Taz, Rhino, Chris Candido & Ultimo Dragon
This is another hotly contested 8-man tag team match and it is filled with fan favourites. Everyone gets an opportunity to shine. Match highlights include: Owen Hart knocking Rhino out with a leg-feed enzuigiri before putting the Man-Beast in a Sharpshooter and nearly forcing him to tap; Taz and Samoa Joe beating each other’s chests red with stinging chops before trading gutwrench, German, overhead belly-to-belly and T-bone suplexes; Ultimo Dragon taking Kidd, Hart and Cesaro out with an Asai moonsault; Cesaro giving Ultimo Dragon twenty spins on the Cesaro Swing; Rhino giving a GORE! GORE! GORE! to Hart; Cesaro running from corner to corner to give running European uppercuts to Ultimo Dragon and Rhino up to the count of ten; and Candido executing the Blonde Bombshell on Kidd. The match finally ends when Cesaro goes to his own corner and climbs the turnbuckle. Samoa Joe makes the blind tag as Cesaro goes for a diving European uppercut on Candido. However, he moves and Cesaro decks Taz in the back of the head with it while he was stomping on a fallen Owen Hart. Cesaro shows no concern about hitting his long-time partner, who gets placed on the top turnbuckle by Samoa Joe and then lifted off of it and given the Muscle Buster. Joe pins Taz for the 3-count and the win.
Official Decision: Samoa Joe, Tyson Kidd, Owen Hart & Cesaro win by pinfall at 12:38
***
Round 2 Canada Cup Contest
Cuban Assassin, Rusev, Tajiri & Ted DiBiase vs. Rey Mysterio Jr., Christian Cage, Alberto El Patron & Tyler Breeze
Unlike the previous Round 2 contest, this match has its fair share of villains competing in it, include all three members of the International Ministry of Finance, at least one of whom will make it to Round 3 of the competition. Match highlights include: Tyler Breeze giving Cuban Assassin a plancha; Tajiri hitting Breeze with a suicide dive; Christian Cage taking them out with a diving crossbody; Rusev running into the fray and making everyone fall like dominos; and Rey Mysterio Jr. taking out the Assassin, Breeze, Tajiri, Rusev and Cage with a springboard diving splash. That left the North American Tag Team Champions, Ted DiBiase and Alberto El Patron, alone in the ring, hesitant to fight one another. They never came to blows, as Mysterio came into the ring, giving DiBiase a springboard hurricanrana. With DiBiase hung up in position for the 619, Mysterio ran to the far ropes only to be superkicked out of his boots by his partner, El Patron. After that, DiBiase slapped the Million Dollar Dream on Mysterio and nearly won the match before he was saved by Breeze. Later, the end of the match came when Breeze set Tajiri in his sights for a Beauty Shot, but ended up getting green mist spat in his face! Tajiri would then tag in Rusev, who would level Breeze with a jumping side kick and then force him to submit to the Accolade.
Official Decision: Cuban Assassin, Rusev, Tajiri & Ted DiBiase win by submission at 13:01
***
Round 3 Canada Cup Contest
Samoa Joe vs. Tyson Kidd vs. Owen Hart vs. Cesaro
Unlike the first two rounds of this contest, this match is a singles affair. All four men advanced to this point by acting as teammates in the prior rounds, but now they must compete against each other in hopes of being the wrestler who pins or submits one of his opponents to advance to the finals of the Canada Cup tournament. Considering the quality of the contestants in this match, what we get is nothing short of a five-star fatal fourway fantasy dream bout. Everyone gives it their all. There is no holding back, even between family members, as Tyson Kidd doesn’t hesitate to serve up multiple shoot kicks follow by a swinging neckbreaker to Owen Hart. Cesaro and Samoa Joe are also featured stiffing the hell out of each other – Joe with nasty chops and Cesaro with European uppercuts. Cesaro shows off his impressive strength by, at one point, catching Samoa Joe as he is jumping and then lifting him overhead and executing something similar to a northern lights suplex. Meanwhile, Owen Hart gives Kidd a leg-feed enzuigiri kick and then a moonsault, but fails to win when his pinfall is broken up by Cesaro, who gives him rolling gutwrench suplexes, but he can’t capitalize because Kidd executes a slingshot tornado DDT on him. Later, Hart puts Cesaro in the Sharpshooter, but ends up losing the match when Samoa Joe puts him in the Coquina Clutch and he submits before he could force a submission out of Cesaro.
Official Decision: Samoa Joe wins by pinfall at 13:50
***
Round 3 Canada Cup Contest
Cuban Assassin vs. Rusev vs. Tajiri vs. Ted DiBiase
Most of this match resembles a tornado tag team match. Right from the get go, Rusev and the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase team up to do damage to the Cuban Assassin and Tajiri. It doesn’t take long for Cuban Assassin and Tajiri to make a tentative agreement to work together against common foes. They get back into the match by helping each other out. They perform a few basic double-team maneuvers like a double hip toss on Rusev and a double vertical suplex on DiBiase. They get even more creative when Cuban Assassin gives DiBiase an abdominal stretch and Tajiri hits him with a reverse roundhouse kick. However, the IMF are nothing if not strong, and with Virgil and Prince Nana at ringside to help them regain control of the match, Rusev and DiBiase start to dismantle their opponents. One particular highlight saw DiBiase execute a diving back elbow drop on the Cuban Assassin at the same time that Rusev gave him an electric chair drop. A late match comeback and rally by Cuban Assassin and Tajiri would come up short. Although Tajiri managed to get DiBiase in the tarantula, that was happening at the same time that Rusev was forcing the Cuban Assassin to tap out to the Accolade, thus securing his spot in the finals against his Journey to Greatness 2015 opponent, Samoa Joe.
Official Decision: Rusev wins by submission at 10:46
***
Jazz & Ivelisse Vélez vs. Paige & Natalya Neidhart
This short tag team match was added to the card primarily as a way to give us a buffer between the round 3 Canada Cup matches and the finals. In this match, the two women claiming to be the baddest bitch team up against Paige and Natalya. Everyone gets an opportunity to get in some offense, but in the end, the baddest bitches win the match. Paige blocks a superkick from Ivelisse and then gives her a Ram-Paige. Just goes for the cover, but Jazz is the legal woman and she gives Paige a Jazz Stinger when she gets up from the invalid pin. Natalya attempts a Nattie by Nature clothesline, but Jazz ducks it and then gives her a Jazz Stinger. She covers Paige for the 3-count and the win.
Official Decision: Jazz & Ivelisse Vélez win by pinfall at 6:41
***
VS. 
Round 4: Canada Cup Finals
Samoa Joe vs. Rusev
Samoa Joe and Rusev meet in the finals of the Canada Cup tournament. The winner will be the inaugural Canada Cup Champion and earns a guaranteed title shot versus the International Heavyweight Champion. This guaranteed title shot may be used at any time before June 30, 2016. For that reason, Ed Whalen and new AGPW colour commentator, Vampiro, are joined by the International Heavyweight Champion, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, for the match. During the match, Hart is asked his opinion of both grapplers, and he speaks highly of Samoa Joe, although he notes that he has already successfully defended his title against him. He sees Rusev as a formidable challenger, but doesn’t think he has what it takes to beat the “Excellence of Execution,” to which Vampiro responds by noting that Hart failed to beat Rusev the one time they faced each other. Hart replies that Rusev also failed to beat him, so that doesn’t prove anything.
This is a rematch from two wrestlers who just squared off against one another at
Journey to Greatness 2015. In that match, Samoa Joe was awarded the victory by making Rusev go unconscious in the Coquina Clutch. Joe has air of confidence about him. Rusev shows no trepidation despite having lost to Samoa Joe just ten days ago. Prince Nana is a reassuring cheerleader. He believes strongly in his investment. The match opens up with Rusev waiting for Joe to come to him. He plays it conservatively, opting to defend and counter-attack, perhaps hoping that Joe will make a mistake that he can exploit. Following a slow start where Joe tries to get Rusev on the mat and he blocks and counters, Joe lands a hard shoot kick to Rusev’s calf muscle. He hits him again and again, dropping Rusev to a knee and then Joe hits him with a shoot kick across the chest. He goes for a one-legged dropkick, but Rusev blocks it with his forearms. Rusev grabs Joe in a waistlock, runs him into the ropes and tries to roll him up, but Joe clings to the ropes. He charges at Rusev for a clothesline, but Rusev ducks it. When Joe turns around, Rusev takes him off of his feet with a spinning heel kick. He pounces on Joe and works him over with a headlock. The pace slows back down as Rusev takes control with headlocks, elbow smashs and knife-edge chops, as well as giving him a nerve hold to the trapezius muscles.
Joe eventually battles his way to his feet, breaks the hold with some elbows to the abdomen and then executes a side belly-to-belly suplex. He goes for the first pin of the contest, but Rusev is quick to kick out. Joe stays on him with some pointed elbow drops to the sternum. Joe decides to cut off Rusev’s air with a headscissors. Rusev shows off some impressive strength by eventually battling to his feet, then lifting Joe off of the mat and giving a low-elevation variant of a powerbomb to break the hold. He pauses for a moment to shake out the cobwebs before pinning Joe, who kicks out with ease. Joe gets up and Rusev tries to whip him into the corner, but Joe reverses it. He charges at him and gets a foot to the face. Then, Rusev takes Joe down with a jumping bulldog. He pins. 1…2.. kick out. Rusev turns Joe over, stomps on his spine, but Joe quickly rolls over and trips up Rusev to block the Accolade and he gets the Bulgarian Brute into a STF submission hold. Rusev makes it to the ropes. Joe attacks him with some chops and then a knee to the midsection and a Russian legsweep. It looks like he’s going for a Boston crab, but Rusev blocks and kicks him away. Then, he rolls out to the floor. However, there is no escaping Joe, as he meets him outside with a suicide dive!
He continues to attack Rusev and whips him hard into the guardrail. Rusev tumbles over, then pushes the timekeeper away as he tries to get up in his seat, but he ends up eating a running big boot because of it. Joe rolls Rusev back into the ring and then goes for the pin, but Rusev kicks out at the count of two. Joe slows it down again by going back to a headlock while they are on the ground. As Rusev fights his way to his feet, Joe transitions it into a sleeperhold, but that fails to put Rusev away. He comes roaring back to life, breaks the hold, then runs to the ropes, but gets a Samoan drop. Joe pins. 1…2… kick out! Joe picks him up and whips into the corner. He follows in a running body splash. Then, he hits Rusev with some forearms and gives him a facewash before giving him a CCS Enzuigiri kick. Joe drags him out of the corner and goes for the cover, but Rusev reaches out and grabs the bottom rope. Rusev drags himself out to the floor for another breather. When he climbs onto the ring apron, Joe comes over and tries to bring him back into the ring with a suplex, but Rusev blocks and then hotshots him across the top rope. Rusev starts climbing the turnbuckle, but Joe takes his legs out from under him. He climbs up and appears poised to go for a superplex, but Rusev knocks Joe to the mat. When Joe gets back to his feet, Rusev nails him with a huge diving crossbody in a lateral press! 1…2… kick out! Next, Rusev nails Joe with a jumping side kick! He pins for two.
Rusev waits for Joe to get up and then sets him up for a swinging side slam, but Joe blocks with some back elbows, then pulls the arm while tripping him and clamps on a cross-face submission. It takes Rusev a while, but he turns enough to get his foot on the bottom rope to force a rope break. When Rusev gets up, Joe attacks him with alternating jabs to the body and head. Then, he goes for a whip, but Rusev reverses it and gives Joe a standing dropkick. When both men get up, Rusev runs at Joe and tackles him. He pounds away at him with a barrage of forearm shots to the head. Next, Rusev picks up Joe and gives him a vertical suplex. Then, he turns him over, stomps on his spine and tries to apply the Accolade. However, he struggles to get it locked in, as Joe fights with him. Joe eventually crawls behind Rusev when he gets for a jumping seated senton. Then, he gives Rusev a shoot kick to the spine and a diving one-legged dropkick to the side of the head. He pins. 1…2… shoulder up! Joe picks up Rusev and whips him into the corner. He goes in and gives him some forearm smashes and then lifts him onto the top turnbuckle. Could he be going for the Muscle Buster? Quite possibly, but Rusev rakes his eyes, kicks him away and then gives him a diving clothesline. Rusev waits for Joe to get up and then goes for another jumping side kick, but Joe leans back to avoid it. Then he tries to put Rusev in the Coquina Clutch, but he doesn’t get it locked in and Rusev fights free quick enough to counter with a side belly-to-belly suplex.
Both men are down to the count of nine. When they get up, they exchange blows. Joe is the first to block and scores a serious of jabs. He runs to the ropes, but Rusev steps forward and gives him a spinebuster. He quickly picks up Joe and executes the swinging side slam! Then, he stomps on Joe’s spine and locks in the Accolade! Joe fades out of consciousness and the referee stops the match, awarding it to Rusev!
Official Decision: Rusev wins by submission at 17:31
***
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