Vengeance in Vancouver
Sunday, September 27, 2015
From the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia
Live Attendance: 17 428
Tonight’s Broadcast Features the Ringside Commentary Teams of
Ed Whalen and Vampiro (English)
Marc Blondin and René Goulet (Français)
With backstage interviews conducted by
Jeremy Borash and SoCal Val
***
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Petey Williams vs. Tyler Breeze
There is not much of a backstory to build to this match, which is our featured pre-event bonus match. Essentially, what happened is that a few weeks ago during a match between Rhino and Tyler Breeze, Petey Williams came down to help his friend Rhino when he was being attacked by Batista, but Breeze hit him with a Beauty Shot. Here, they have a solid match to get the crowd geared up for the big event. Williams dazzles with his high-flying maneuvers and Breeze shows a vicious side, preferring to rake eyes, pull hair and give Williams plenty of shots to the face with his closed fist. When Breese lands a Supermodel Kick, he thinks that he has the match won, but Williams kicks out of his pinfall attempt. Breeze loses his cool with the referee, which results in him getting a Russian legsweep and into the set up for the Canadian Destroyer, but Breeze counters with a back body drop and hits the Beauty Shot to score the pinfall victory.
Official Decision: Tyler Breeze wins by pinfall at 8:33
***
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Owen Hart vs. Christian Cage
The beginning of our main telecast features this premier matchup between the King of Harts and Captain Charisma – Owen Hart vs. Christian Cage! A rivalry between the Hart Family and the Centre of the Universe has begun. This match serves as evidence of that fact. Moreover, later on we will see Natalya Neidhart face Trish Stratus in a related contest. Hart is the fan favourite in this contest, while Cage is the disliked representative of the Centre of the Universe, otherwise known as Toronto. Vancouver is about as far away from Toronto as you can get in Canada. These fans definitely do not have any lost love for Cage. They battle back and forth until Cage finds an opportunity to fling Hart out of the ring so that Test can take some cheap shots at him, stomping away on him and ramming his back into the side of the ring apron. Cage takes control and dictates the pace of the match for several minutes until he hits Hart with a corner springboard plancha. After that high risk move pays off, he makes the mistake of trying to send Hart into the ring steps, only to have his whip attempt reversed. Hart quickly slides into the ring to avoid a potential attack from Test. After Cage comes back into the ring, Hart gives him a leg-feed enzuigiri kick that changes the complexion of the match. While Cage kicks out, Hart takes over on offense and rallies with some suplexes, a spinning heel kick and even a moonsault that nearly wins the match. Following up on that move, Hart applies a sharpshooter, Test tries to interfere, but the referee stops him. In so doing, he misses Cage tapping out. The referee tosses Test from ringside, but he sticks around to argue. Hart gives up the hold and deals with the distraction by running over and knocking Test off the ring apron with a flying forearm. When he turns his attention back to his actual opponent, Hart receives a spear and then the Unprettier. Cage wins the match, much to the chagrin of the crowd.
Official Decision: Christian Cage wins by pinfall at 14:08
***
Cuban Assassin & The Acadian Giant vs. Leo Burke & “Killer” Karl Krupp
This tag team match featuring four alumni from the original AGPW (1970s-1990s) has received a slow build, but the grudge match has finally arrived. Cuban Assassin and Leo Burke were already at odds going back to the end of April. They had a huge encounter at JOURNEY TO GREATNESS 2015. The Acadian Giant, formerly known as Kurrgan, and “Killer” Karl Krupp had been tag team partners for nearly two years before Krupp decided to dissolve their partnership in classic heel fashion – with a blindsided attack. Thus, the Acadian Giant was reborn. This match features plenty of hard hitting heavyweight action. Burke, who tips the scales at just over 230 lbs. is the lightest competitor in this match, but also the best technical wrestler of the bunch. He draws on his many years of experience to cut the Acadian Giant down to size with some running chop blocks and then keep him on the mat. Efforts to turn the 7-foot tall behemoth over for a Boston crab prove futile. Burke and Krupp work well together, making plenty of tags to double team the Acadian Giant while he is down. When Krupp finally decides to apply the Iron Claw, Kurrgan blocks and throws a Kurrgan Claw on him. It is short-lived, however, as Burke runs in to take a cheap shot at him. This draws Cuban Asassin in, but the referee blocks. An attempt to cheat behind the referee’s back backfires when Burke puts his brass knuckles on and takes a swing at the Giant, who breaks free from Krupp’s clutches, causing him to take the knockout blow! Then, the Acadian Giant chokeslams Burke and tags out. Cuban Assassin comes in and cleans house. He eventually knocks Burke out of the ring and gives Krupp a huge powerslam for a long 2-count. He sets up for the spear, but Burke grabs onto his foot just long enough for Krupp to run at him and hit him with an avalanche splash in the corner. Krupp gives him a swinging neckbreaker and pins, but Cuban Assassin kicks out. After an Irish whip to the opposite corner, Krupp charges in and gets a boot to the face. Cuban Assassin tags out and the Acadian Giant comes in. He clotheslines and bodyslams Krupp and gives Burke a giant boot to the face. The Acadian Giant serves up a big double chokeslam and then slaps the Kurrgan Claw onto Krupp, who writhes in pain and taps out without ten seconds of having the hold placed on him. Cuban Assassin and The Acadian Giant emerge victorious!
Official Decision: Cuban Assassin & The Acadian Giant win by submission at 9:34
***
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Natalya Neidhart vs. Trish Stratus
This is the second of two matches featuring key members of the burgeoning Hart Family vs. Centre of the Universe feud. The feud has taken on a west vs. east flavour to it, which has helped to put a damper on cheers for Trish Stratus. However, her face turn is probably only a matter of time. She uses her familiar heel tactics and doesn’t hesitate to remind the people of Vancouver that she is the “Big Event.” Natalya Neidhart is the embodied of western Canadian pride and she garners plenty of sympathy from the west coast crowd. Natalya gets the early advantage, keeping things slow and simple, as she works headlocks, armbars and hammerlocks on Trish. However, when she sets up for a back body drop, Trish counters with a hair-pull takedown and then takes control. She suplexes Natalya and starts working on her back, ramming her into the turnbuckles and stomping on her lower back. Trish eventually puts her in a Boston crab in an effort to make Natalya submit, but she manages to get to the ropes to force a rope break. When Trish gets Natalya caught up on the top rope and goes for a Stratusphere, Natalya holds onto the top rope to block it and then gives her a diving clothesline. A few moves later and Natalya goes for a Nattie-by-Nature clothesline, but Trish ducks it and then goes for a Chick Kick, but Natalya blocks it with her hands, trips up Trish and goes for the sharpshooter. Trish manages to kick Natalya away and, in so doing, knocking the official over. When they get up, Natalya nails Trish with the Nattie-by-Nature and pins her, but the referee is out. When Natalya goes to check on the referee, Trish rolls out of the ring and grabs a steel chair. She tries to bring it into the ring with her, but Natalya gets her hands on it and they fight for control of it. While this is happening, Gail Kim runs down to the ring and slides in. Nattie takes control of the chair, but Gail rips it out of her hands and threatens to hit her. The Toronto connection is mentioned on commentary. Trish points and trash talks Natalya as Gail raises the chair in the air, but then, she moves across the ring and nails Trish with it! The fans erupt in cheers. Gail leaves the ring and tells Natalya to finish it. She wakes the referee and then puts Trish in the sharpshooter. After having taken a bad chairshot, Trish is too weak to try to fight off the hold and submits.
Official Decision: Natalya Neidhart wins by submission at 15:17
***
Rhino vs. “The Animal” Batista w/ Sensational Sherri
This match is a battle between two animals: one of which is a Man-Beast and the other of which is the anointed King of the Animal Kingdom (as declared by the Sensational Queen Sherri). This is a heavyweight battle with extra bite. Hard-hitting, slobberknocking action and big power moves are the flavour of the day as they are fairly evenly matched in the early going. A ringside brawl rearranges some furniture. Back in the ring, the exchange of moves is evenly disturbed as Rhino scores with a big overhead belly-to-belly suplex and Batista plants Rhino into the mat with a running powerslam. At different points during the bout, they both execute some rather nasty spinebusters. When Rhino attempts a superplex, Batista blocks it and counters with a release front suplex off the top turnbuckle. He gets down and then goes for a hard running clothesline, but Rhino moves and then gives him release German suplex. He sets up for the GORE! However, Batista moves and Rhino runs right into the turnbuckles and slams the ring post with his shoulder. When he comes out of the corner, Batista boots him in the face and then drops him with a hard clothesline. After that, he gives Rhino the Batista Bomb and covers him for the win, cementing his claim to being the most feared animal AGPW.
Official Decision: “The Animal” Batista wins by pinfall at 8:56
***
No Countout Match for the
North American Tag Team Championship Titles
IMF: Ted DiBiase & Alberto El Patron vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. & Ultimo Dragon
Last month, at the AGPW SUMMER SHOWDOWN, “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and Alberto El Patron denied giving the fans what they wanted, which was to see them lose the North American Tag Team Championship Titles. Instead, when the going got tough, they walked out on their challengers and lost the match, but retained their titles on a technicality (the rule in which titles cannot change hands on countouts or disqualifications). To counteract the champions’ penchant for escaping the ring and walking out on the match when things don’t go as planned, Commissioner Billy Two Rivers announced that a no countout rule would be in effect during this match. That slight rule change comes into play relatively early in the contest as the challengers, Rey Mysterio Jr. and Ultimo Dragon begin to really overwhelm the champions with a flurry of fast offensive attacks and counters for everything that the champions throw their way. DiBiase and El Patron try to make an escape, but Mysterio and Ultimo Dragon catch up to them at the entrance set and deliver a pair of running dropkicks that send them slamming into parts of the set. Virgil tries to attack Mysterio, but Ultimo Dragon saves him with a Dragon Combo of shoot kicks ending in a jumping sole butt. However, that distraction is enough for DiBiase and El Patron to make a comeback and take over on offense, with DiBiase giving Ultimo Dragon a vertical suplex on the floor and El Patron brawling with Mysterio into the crowd. With the no countout stipulation in effect, we get some awesome highlight reel spots as Mysterio hops off of a section of the hockey boards to take El Patron down with a hurricanrana. Not long thereafter, Ultimo Dragon stands high above the Zamboni exit and takes out both champions and Virgil, as they are stomping away on Mysterio, with a moonsault! When the wrestlers end up back inside of the ring, Ultimo Dragon executes his jumping piledriver on DiBiase, but it doesn’t win the match, as El Patron nails him with a superkick. Still, Ultimo Dragon recovers first and tags out. Mysterio kicks DiBiase around the ring to keep him from his corner and then gets him set up on the ropes for the 619. El Patron makes a tag. Mysterio hits the move, but then he is superkicked and given a DDT on the ring apron! El Patron takes him back into the ring and puts him in a cross armbreaker. Ultimo Dragon is held up from making the save by Virgil and gives him a tornado DDT on the floor. When he finally slides into the ring, DiBiase is there to cut him off with a shot to the head with one of the tag title belts. With no chance to be saved, Mysterio eventually taps out. Score another win for the bad guys!
Official Decision: “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase & Alberto El Patron win by submission at 16:45
***
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No matter. The IMF are still one of the greatest homebrewed tag-team combinations in Mash-Up Wrestling history. Say hello to the bad guys! Cuz you won't ever see bad guys like this again.
), so seeing him matched up against one of the best contemporary Heels going today was perfect. I'm conjuring images of Hart/Bigelow from KotR 93 and Rusev/Ziggler from RAW 2015. The right guy won in the end too, with no harm done to the loser. The Hart Legend remains strongest where roots run the deepest.