Post by fifthhorseman on Jun 17, 2017 1:09:37 GMT -5
CROCKETT CUP – FRIDAY, NIGHT 1
AT&T STADIUM – ARLINGTON. TEXAS
AT&T STADIUM – ARLINGTON. TEXAS
NOTE: This event takes place before PCW and NWA went defunct, but after Ultima Lucha.
DARK MATCH
TEN-MAN BATTLE ROYALE:
DARK MATCH
TEN-MAN BATTLE ROYALE:
D’LO BROWN, DALTON CASTLE (w/the Boys), EDDIE GILBERT (w/Missy Hyatt), the JUNKYARD DOG, TYSON KIDD,
KEITH LEE, BRUTUS MAGNUS, RUSEV (w/Lana), RICKY STEAMBOAT, and RODERICK STRONG
KEITH LEE, BRUTUS MAGNUS, RUSEV (w/Lana), RICKY STEAMBOAT, and RODERICK STRONG
As the wrestlers entered the ring, Mauro Ranallo explained that this was no ordinary battle royale. For starters, the last two men standing would automatically qualify for more action on Sunday, and a future shot at the UWF North American Heavyweight championship. Whoever won the battle royale would take a “one-fall” advantage into Sunday’s bout; his opponent, the last man eliminated, would have to win two falls on Sunday, whereas the battle royale winner would only have to beat his foe once.
The action was frenetic. The superheavyweights were picked on, as is usually the case, but they were also the ones inflicting the most individual damage. One by one, over the course of about ten minutes, bodies were flung over the top rope until there were just three men left: D’lo Brown, Rusev, and the Junkyard Dog. The two heels formed an alliance and attacked JYD together, pounding him to the canvas. But the Mid-South icon gamely fought back, and when he was whipped into the ropes by both men, he held onto the top strand. D’lo charged over to clothesline him, but the Junkyard Dog leaned back and threw him over instead. A second later, though, the “Bulgarian Brute” took advantage of his opponent’s lack of balance and launched him out as well.
Ranallo: Hello, wrestling fans, and welcome to the first night of action for this, the 2017 UWF Crockett Cup! We have nine outstanding matches in store for you tonight, and calling the action with me is the “Second City Savior” himself, CM Punk. The Crockett Cup begins now, and in addition to eight tournament matches, our main event is a match for the Mid-South Junior Heavyweight gold: the champion, Danny Hodge, defends his crown against Kenny Omega of the Authority. But let’s not delay any longer – Christy Hemme is in the ring!
TEAM DOINK vs. the TRIPLE THREAT:
vs.
The trios of Doinks, underneath the makeup, were Matt Borne, Steve Keirn, and Ray Apollo. The men that stood across the ring from them were much more recognizable. After surviving the first couple of minutes of great teamwork by Douglas, Guerrero, and Malenko, Team Doink briefly took over by using a series of illegal tags that the referee simply couldn’t spot. The advantage was short-lived, though, and “the Iceman” cleared the ring with stiff kicks and punches. Chavo worked over Apollo, and a few moments later, Douglas took him out with the Pittsburgh Plunge.
THE MOTOR CITY TIMESPLITTERS vs. the SKYSCRAPERS:
vs.
Three Davids vs. three Goliaths, the weight difference between the trios was well over 200 pounds. Not that that mattered to the Timesplitters, who used their unmatched quickness to infuriate the big men. Kushida, Sabin, and Shelley successfully evaded the Skyscrapers, and used hit-and-run on them for the first few minutes, but Sabin eventually got cornered and pummeled. After absorbing a beating, he made the hot tag to Shelley, who went after Spivey. It turned into a brawl, and it ended rather suddenly when Dijak, the legal man, connected with a chokeslam backbreaker. Three seconds later, the trio of titans were moving on in the Crockett Cup.
THE BLUE WORLD ORDER vs. THE MIGHTY DON’T KNEEL:
vs.
A clash of styles, to be sure. The hot Texas crowd was firmly behind the BWO, and they used the audience’s energy to take the early “lead”. But the advantage was short-lived, and TMDK trapped Nova in their corner and went to work. They never let him get back to his half of the ring, and in a surprisingly short bout – clocking in just over six minutes – Dunne hit the Bitter End on the “Innovator of Offense” to earn the victory for his squad.
TEAM UK vs. TEAM WORLD CLASS (w/Gary Hart):
vs.
This was a mishmash of typically singles UWF wrestlers. Hart led his group to the ring first, and with deliberate foresight, the longtime WCCW manager made sure that ring announcer Christy Hemme called them the World Class stable. Some pockets in the crowd cheered, but most remembered how Hart used to operate back in the day. The European team followed, to a more rousing ovation.
It was a see-saw battle that lasted about 16 minutes, a surprisingly long time, perhaps, for a pair of trios that didn’t regularly tag together. Just about every man hit his finisher, but as is often the case, never on the legal man. However, it came to a quick close when Galloway hit the Claymore kick on Tajiri, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, having been “screened” by Bigelow. The “Japanese Buzzsaw” never saw it coming. After the pin, the UK trio celebrated on the ramp, and Hart berated Tajiri in the middle of the ring. After taking one poke in the chest too many, he misted his manager – and was promptly attacked by Bigelow and Fernandez! They laid the boots to him until Galloway, Ospreay, and Gallagher cleared the ring.
As an intermission of sorts, a video montage of the 2014 Crockett Cup was shown, highlighting the action from across several MUW territories.
THE LUCHA DRAGONS vs. the MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (w/Jim Cornette):
vs.
Both trios had quickness and chemistry by the boatload, but the Express had the not-so-secret weapon in their corner. The teams set a furious pace to start the contest, but after one too many dropkicks found their mark, Cornette told his men to slow it down, and slow it down they did. After a well-placed thumb to Mistico’s eye, Condrey went to work on his foe with simple kneedrops and headlocks, and Eaton and Lane followed suit. But it didn’t last forever, and eventually all six men were in the squared circle in a chaotic scene. When the referee tried to separate Lane and Sin Cara, Cornette bashed Kallisto over the head with the tennis racket, and Eaton swooped in with a small package to steal the win.
THE MEAN STREET POSSE vs. TEAM EXTREME:
vs.
The crowd was hoping to see a beating, and Vam Dam, Sabu, and Dreamer were all happy to oblige. Their primary concern was making sure that they didn’t get disqualified or counted out, knowing that a million dollars and the Crockett Cup trophy were within their grasp. They brawled inside and outside the ring, and head official Tommy Young gave them just enough leeway to make sure the AT&T crowd got their money’s worth. It was never close, aside from the occasional Joey Abs flurry; it took about seven minutes, with Van Dam crushing Rodney with his Five-Star Frog Splash.
DECAY vs. EUROTRASH:
vs.
A couple of unique-looking trios, to be certain. Perhaps the most bizarre sequence of the entire match was Sabre Jr. and Crazzy Steve actually trading wrestling holds for two solid minutes, for it was the most scientific the match ever got. It was a fierce battle, with both teams trading the advantage throughout. However, about ten minutes in, the tide gradually turned in Eurotrash’s favor, and Scurll and End mercilessly double-teamed Kizarny, just avoiding the dreaded five-count. At the 13-minute mark, Sabre Jr. finished off “the Carnival Freak” with his patented European Clutch.
THE DUDLEY BOYS vs. the MEXICOOLS:
vs.
The Mexicools entered the ring first on their riding mowers. Bully Ray and D-Von were next, but they paused on the ramp. Bully had a microphone in hand, and he said, “Finally, finally, finally, we found the man that will turn the greatest tag-team of all-time into the greatest trio of all-time. It took a while, but by God, we got him. Hell, the way he wrestles, the way he fights – ask John Stossel – he’s practically the original Dudley! So without further ado, you beer-drinking, pick-up truck-crashing rednecks, allow me to make the best ring introduction of the night and tell you who our partner is… he is the one and only Doctor D, David Schultz!”
The burly brawler joined the Dudleyz on the ramp, smug as ever, and the three heels walked to the ring. D-Von started out for his team against a familiar ECW foe, Super Crazy. The two traded holds for a few seconds before tagging out to Bully Ray and Guerrera. The former TNA World champ took charge with a series of jabs and kicks before tagging in their newest partner, who wasted no time in laying on several punches to put his opponent down.
The next several minutes were mostly all Dudleyz, but the hot tag was made to Psicosis. He lashed out with multiple dropkicks on all three men, and evaded a charge by both Bully Ray and “Doctor D”, and they both tumbled over the top rope. While the fighting continued outside, the Mexicool bombarded D-Von with a variety of aerial moves, but couldn’t put the bigger man down. Finally, after a dstraction from Bully Ray, Schultz came in and hit a running bulldog on Psicosis; a few moments later, the referee was raising Schultz’s hand in victory, and the Dudleyz were moving on in the tournament.
Another video package was shown, highlighting the career achievements and a tale of the tape for Hodge vs. Omega.
MID-SOUTH JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
DANNY HODGE (c) vs. KENNY OMEGA (w/Triple H):
DANNY HODGE (c) vs. KENNY OMEGA (w/Triple H):
vs.
Ranallo informed the audience that, for this one night, “the Game” obtained a manager’s permit to stand ringside with his stablemate. A video highlight package featuring the offense of Hodge and Omega was shown, followed by the big-match intros by Hemme. Before the bell rang, head official Tommy Young told Triple H in no uncertain terms: one false move and he’d end the match. No warning, no sending him back – he’d simply disqualify “the Cleaner” and give the belt back to Hodge.
The two combatants set a cautious pace to start. Greco-Roman knucklelocks, dueling headlocks, shouldertackles, armdrags… whatever one man did, the other man matched. Both men had their working boots on for this one. After a few minutes, Hodge finally assumed control with a series of forearms, and he went to work on Omega’s neck with brutal, but clean, vices, sugar holds, and leg-scissors. Several times, the former IWGP star’s hand nearly fell to the canvas for a three-count, but he finally found a ring rope to break the hold, and scrambled outside to recover. His teammate bought him a few extra seconds, but heeding the ref’s warning, stayed close to Omega’s corner.
He returned to the ring and without warning, dove at Hodge’s legs in a last-ditch attempt to take him down… and it worked. The amateur standout fell awkwardly, not expecting the attack. Omega drove the point of his knee into Hodge’s right leg; now it was the challenger’s turn to pick on a weak spot. Methodically, he hammered the knee and hamstring, and despite Hodge’s legendary toughness, it was clear that he was in serious pain. So it went for several more minutes, and the brash member of the Authority didn’t hesitate to throw the champion outside to inflict even more damage. Young got to nine on his count more than once, but Omega was smart enough to break it.
With Triple H cheering him on, Omega went for a reverse Frankensteiner, but Hodge dropped and rolled with the maneuver, improbably turning it into an airplane spin. But he was only able to complete a handful of rotations before his knee buckled again, and then the two men were trading punches from their knees in the middle of the ring. Hodge, a former Golden Gloves champ, laid in wicked punches, and followed up with a full-nelson/camel clutch combination that made Omega see stars. The submission was locked in tight, and Omega began to see stars… and yet, he slowly powered out, helped by the fact that Hodge could not stay stable on the bad knee.
Both men were damaged goods, and Omega desperately tried to pin Hodge ten times. Every time, the champion kicked out, and then “the Cleaner” locked in a figure-four. The Oklahoman was in agony, and the Canadian screamed at him while Helmsley did the same from the corner. Young was inches from Hodge’s face, listening for a cry of defeat… but the king of the Junior Heavyweights would not give it to him. For two long minutes, he took the pain, and then he rolled it over. All of the pressure was now on Omega, and this time he screamed because he felt like his bones were breaking. Hodge sprawled on the canvas, as wide as he could, making it impossible for his opponent to reverse the hold again. Omega raised his hand high, trying to turn or kick his way out… but he was damned if he would give up, either. Young was right there, ready to make the call.
But there was no call to be made. 45 long, tough, career-shortening minutes after the match began, the bell rang again. The match was a time-limit draw.
Champion and challenger slowly staggered to their feet. Triple H entered the ring, aggressively, but as if reading the mind of the Authority’s leader, Dusty Rhodes walked down to the ring – a human insurance policy, if you will. The crowd also got to their feet, as Hodge was presented with the Mid-South Junior Heavyweight belt. Omega seethed, and left with his partner while “the American Dream” watched from the ring steps, allowing Hodge to soak in the applause of the crowd as the first night of the UWF Crockett Cup wrapped up.