Post by fifthhorseman on Apr 21, 2019 0:37:35 GMT -5
MLW FRIDAY NIGHT HEAT
EPISODE 27
EPISODE 27
60-second video montage recapping the events of last week’s show, followed by title graphics and explosive pyro.
Joey Styles: “Hello, and welcome to MLW Friday Night Heat! I’m Joey Styles, and for the next 90 minutes, I’ll be calling the action alongside my guest color commentator this week, Sir Oliver Humperdink! We’re coming to you live from the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida, and with four big contests in store for you, we’re going to get right to it – so let’s go down to the ring – take it away, Howard Finkel!”
MLW WORLD TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
LAX vs. PERFECTLY RAVISHING (c, w/JJ Dillon):
vs.
Nothing like starting out big. Despite both teams ostensibly serving as heels, the crowd was somewhat split; the Horsemen were hated by a lot of people, but Hennig and Rude were also begrudgingly respected for their skills. As was the Latin American Exchange, a near-perfect combination of aerial skill and punishing strength.
The first several minutes were fairly even. “Supermex” and the “Ravishing One” paired off often, as did Homicide and “Mr. Perfect”. This was LAX’s first shot at the MLW gold, and they were determined to take it, by any means necessary. However, the champions were equally eager to keep it, and they eventually cut Homicide off from his partner. The two lifelong friends from Minnesota put on a clinic, and despite the briefest flurry of offense from LAX, Hennig put his smaller foe away with the Perfectplex at 12:12.
After the match, Edge and Christian parted the curtain and grabbed a microphone from Styles. Edge: “We’re still waiting for a fair rematch against you two. No paid-off opponents, no gauntlet-style marathons, just the two of us and the two of you in the middle of that ring. We were the first MLW World Tag-Team champions… and if you have the guts to step in the ring with us again, we’ll be the first two-time MLW World Tag-Team champions.”
COMMERCIAL
A 60-second Hardy Boyz vignette was shown, and after it ended, Styles said to Humperdink, “Another sensational, world-class team is coming to Major League Wrestling, the preeminent territory for tag-team wrestling. Oliver, I’m sure you’d agree, the Hardy Boyz will shake things up in MLW.”
Humperdink: “I’m sure they will. And I wonder if they will need representation.”
Styles: “You did just align yourself with Pat Tanaka and Paul Diamond, the team known as Badd Company. Are you saying that you’re looking for other teams to manage?”
Humperdink: “Ha! I’m simply observing that there are several teams here in MLW that could benefit from the experience, the resources, and the connections that a man such as I could provide.”
BRADSHAW (w/Ron Simmons) vs. BOBBY EATON (w/Stan Lane):
vs.
vs.
The Midnight Express came to the ring first, and Eaton was eager to prove his mettle as a solo competitor in this rare (for him) televised singles bout. Bradshaw and Simmons followed; however, before the bell even rang, the two men shook hands and hugged, and then the man once known as Faarooq departed without looking back.
The fighters could not be more different; Eaton, the silky-smooth, rugged technician, versus Bradshaw, the near-300-pound, raw-boned brawler. While both of them were very familiar with rulebreaking, they seemed determined to wrestle a clean – but snug – match. The action seesawed back and forth for over ten minutes, and after “Beautiful Bobby” hit the Alabama Jam legdrop on the big Texan, it almost ended. Bradhsaw barely kicked out, and Lane jumped up on the ring apron, furious at the ref’s perceived slow count. While the official tried to settle him down, the former WWE champion lost his patience and took a shortcut, low-blowing Eaton, and then firing off the ropes with his clothesline from Hell. A few seconds later, the count was academic, and Bradshaw left as the victor.
Right before the scheduled break, Styles enthusiastically said, “Fans, I have breaking news – next week, right here on MLW Friday Night Heat, the Intercontinental Heavyweight championship will be on the line. The current titleholder, Jay Briscoe, will once again face Cactus Jack… but this will be a triple-threat match! Commissioner Chuck Norris has relented, and Batista is part of this match as well. But this is no ordinary triple threat. To wit: Jay Briscoe can win by pinning or submitting either of his foes. However, Cactus Jack can only win by pinning or submitting Batista, and Batista can only win by doing the same to Cactus Jack!”
COMMERCIAL
Styles set up the backstory for this one, reminding the audience that the Heroes of the Republic cheated their way to victory against the Road Warriors at Battlebowl, and that just a few weeks ago, the mighty Legion of Doom were beaten down in a six-on-two mugging by the Heroes, Leviathan, and the Authors of Pain. Since that embarrassing takedown, Hawk and Animal ran the AOP out of the territory, and enlisted the Widowmakers to take on the other two teams on their grudge list tonight.
The HEROES OF THE REPUBLIC and LEVIATHAN vs. the ROAD WARRIORS and the WIDOWMAKERS:
vs.
vs.
By the time the four teams got to the ring, the referee wondered if it could handle the 2,300 pounds of angry meat inside it. He warned them all ahead of time that he would not hesitate to end the match at the first sign of insubordination. The eight wrestlers really didn’t care.
It wasn’t pretty. It was brutal, and surprisingly fast-paced, with the action coming in fast bursts via quick tags. However, and to the crowd's dismay, it also wasn’t very long, either. Batista – by now, aware of his Intercontintental title shot next week – took a powder just a few minutes in, walking up the ramp and gesturing for his partner to follow. Vicious left as well, and though their four opponents still wanted a piece of them, they also wanted to exact a measure of revenge against the Russians – especially the sadistic LOD.
While the Road Warriors kept Rusev at bay, Windham hit Koloff with a devastating lariat – but he kicked out at two. Tagging in the “Eater of Worlds”, Wyatt followed that with Sister Abigail… and the “Russian Nightmare” barely avoided defeat by throwing his foot over the bottom rope at the last millisecond. Finally, after another exchange, Hawk flew from the top and clotheslined Koloff from Animal’s shoulders. There was no kicking out of that maneuver, and the contest came to a close at 8:33.
A graphic for the next MLW pay-per-view was shown on the screen:
COMMERCIAL
Call it bad timing, fate, or coincidence; the Addiction were backstage, filming promos for future house show appearances when the battered Heroes of the Republic wandered onto the scene. Daniels and Kaz yelled at them to get out of the shot, and made no attempt to disguise their glee over the beating the Russians took earlier. It didn’t take long for the two squads to start fighting, and officials scurried in to break it up.
MLW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
TED DiBIASE (c, w/Irwin R. Schyster and Keith Lee) vs. JAMES STORM (w/Chris Harris):
vs.
TED DiBIASE (c, w/Irwin R. Schyster and Keith Lee) vs. JAMES STORM (w/Chris Harris):
vs.
Highlights of Storm’s win the week before were shown while “the Cowboy” waited in the ring for his foe. The “Million Dollar Man” strode down the ramp with his Money Incorporated entourage, pointing to the belt around his waist and laughing. Main event ring intros from Finkel; Schyster, Lee, and Harris exited to the floor, and the bell rang.
DiBiase was the better scientific wrestler – indeed, very few men in the world were as talented – and deceptively strong, weighing in at 260 pounds. Storm, however, was a former World champ in his own right, and his agility and striking skills were constantly underrated. In fact, after absorbing a series of armdrags and slams from DiBiase, Storm battled back with punches, slams, and hiptosses of his own. Frustrated, the champion rolled outside to regroup, while in the opposite corner, “the Wildcat” applauded his partner.
The action resumed. The 15-minute mark flew by, and as if on cue, Roddy Piper sauntered halfway down the ramp. Styles was apprehensive, and he reminded the viewing audience that the “Hot Rod” had a MLW World title shot in his back pocket. But he was cut off by Schyster, who shooed the cameraman away, and after several seconds, Piper smirked and retreated. Meanwhile, Storm was taking it to DiBiase, and his Last Call superkick sent the heel flying through the ropes. Pausing to catch his breath, Storm followed him outside. He picked the champion up and propelled him under the bottom rope, but Lee ran him into the ringpost when the official turned his back to check on DiBiase.
But the second-generation star couldn’t keep Storm down. The two grapplers traded blows in the center of the ring, and the crowd was on its feet. They were exhausted but kept swinging, and after a series of pinning maneuvers, Storm locked a figure-four on DiBiase. Lee and IRS were frantic on one side, while Harris was cheering like a madman from the other… until he was attacked from behind by a man who slipped through the crowd.
It was Bradshaw. And yet... it was not Bradshaw.
It was JBL.
Storm broke the hold and jumped outside, shoving the “Wrestling God” away from his friend. He stared him down as he walked up the ringsteps, but DiBiase was waiting for him, hotshotting him across the top strand. He then pulled Storm inside with a cradle, grabbed the middle rope for leverage, and held his challenger down for the three-count, ending the match at 20:18. Lee tossed Storm back outside toward his partner, and with IRS looking on, grinning from ear to ear, DiBiase and Layfield shook hands. The four villains riased their hands as the telecast faded to black.