Post by fifthhorseman on Sept 29, 2019 20:34:26 GMT -5
MLW FRIDAY NIGHT HEAT
EPISODE 2.3
EPISODE 2.3
60-second video montage recapping the events of the premiere episode of FNH Season 2, followed by title graphics and explosive pyro from the ramp.
Styles: “Hello, wrestling fans, and welcome to Friday Night Heat! I’m Joey Styles, joined on commentary by the inimitable Mauro Ranallo, and tonight we have… well, we have no idea what’s going to happen tonight, do we?”
Ranallo: “I have nothing on my format sheet, either, Joey. We are a blank slate for the next 90 minutes, though I was told to be ready for an announcement of some sort to start things off. And – wait, it looks like-“
Suddenly, a spotlight over the darkened ring illuminated Howard Finkel, who stood in its middle. The house lights dimmed as well. “Ladies and gentlemen, at this time I would like to introduce the new Commissioner of Major League Wrestling… Toots Mondt.”
A burly, middle-aged man walked up the ring steps, shook Finkel’s hand and took the microphone. “I’m going to make this quick, because I believe in putting the action first. My name is Toots Mondt, and Mr. Steinbrenner hired me because he knows what I’m all about. Fast-paced, hard-hitting wrestling. Making sure that the best wrestlers in the world are in the best territory in the world – and that’s MLW. And insuring that there is a clear, long-term vision for the territory – and if you take a look at my resume, then you know that I am the best – the only – man suited to be MLW Commissioner. I run a tight ship, and if any man back in the locker room gets out of line, then he won’t be long for this promotion.”
“I’d like to introduce the two men that will be serving as my left and right hands here in MLW.” He paused for a moment, and Jim Cornette and Jeremy Borash entered the ring as well. “Mr. Cornette is the new head of the Championship Committee, and will be carefully monitoring a ranking system to insure that the best are taking on the best.”
“Mr. Borash is our Capologist and head of Creative Control. He’ll be in charge of putting together the best wrestling roster on the planet, as well as consulting with me and Jim on match stipulations, and the television product.”
“Before the night is through, we will be revealing some of the factions – the franchises – that will begin the second season of Friday Night Heat. How well they do will determine their tenure here in MLW, and the title shots they receive. They’ll be judged on their performance here in the USF Sun Dome every Friday, at live events, on the pay-per-views, and almost as importantly, by how much they entertain you and keep you watching. This is tough athletic competition… but this is also the entertainment business.”
“That’s all I have to say tonight. While I’ve been in here addressing you, tonight’s card has been delivered to our broadcast team. We’re going to take a commercial now, but don’t go away – because when we come back, the MLW World champion, Roddy Piper, is going to be wrestling in this very ring.”
COMMERCIAL
NON-TITLE MATCH
KEITH LEE vs. RODDY PIPER (c, w/Don Muraco):
vs.
vs.
The champion was seconded to the ring by the newest member of the Real Main Event, while “Limitless” waited in his corner. This was a typical small heel vs. big face battle, with Lee using his nearly 100-pund weight advantage against the “Hot Rod” to mash and bash. But Piper was very accustomed to fighting bigger opponents, and he used every trick in his book to keep Lee off him. A missed moonsault was the turning point in this one – Lee crashed hard to the mat, and Piper rolled him up (with a handful of tights) to steal the victory at 9:05.
After the match, the “Magnificent One” attacked Lee from behind, and he and Piper put the boots to Lee. Muraco hoisted Lee up for a tombstone piledriver, but before he could hit it, the RME was run off by a chair-wielding Donovan Dijkaovic. The lanky youngster extended his hand to Lee, who glared at him suspiciously for several seconds before accepting his help, and the two titans shook hands in the center of the ring.
Styles: “What a match to start things off this week, and before we break for commercial, here’s what else is coming up! The World’s Greatest Tag-Team, Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas, make their MLW debut against LAX! In a six-man grudge match, Bret and Owen Hart, and Davey Boy Smith, go up against Eddie Dennis, Danny Burch, and Sheamus! And in our main event, MLW World Tag-Team champions Edge and Christian take on Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson – and those titles are on the line!”
Ranallo: “Two of the all-time best going for the gold – I can’t want to call it!”
COMMERCIAL
Three separate graphics scrolled onto the videoboards, each lasting about 30 seconds, each featuring three of the established franchises in MLW:
The Real Main Event: Roddy Piper, Paul Orndorff, Bob Orton, Jr., and Don Muraco
The Diamond Exchange: Diamond Dallas Page, Kanyon, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Tazz
The Horsemen: Perfectly Ravishing (Curt Hennig and Rick Rude), Tully Blanchard, and Arn Anderson, managed by JJ Dillon
LAX (w/Konnan) vs. the WORLD’S GREATEST TAG TEAM:
vs.
vs.
Both teams received a warm ovation from the Tampa crowd, and they shook hands before the bout started – much to Konnan’s displeasure. In fact, throughout the match, the Latino legend constantly barked at his charges to be more aggressive and willing to break the rules. The 10-minute battle was a fast-paced highlight reel, and it ended when Benjamin hit Ortiz with a superkick while he was racked on Haas’s shoulders, followed by a spinning Olympic slam.
As soon as it ended, Konnan was in the ring and in his team’s faces. He yelled at them for losing, and gave each of them a hard slap. However, LAX didn’t back down, and they double-dropkicked him out of the ring before leaving on their own.
The WGTT left as well, and when they got to the top of the ramp, they were met by the MLW Florida Tag-Team champions, American Alpha. The men exchanged hugs and were given collegiate jackets, which they put on. The quartet then locked hands and raised their arms to the sky, signifying a new alliance.
COMMERCIAL
Three more franchise graphics were shown, and it was obvious that one of them was perfectly timed to be queued up after the previous match.
The Wyatt Family: Southern Comfort (Bray Wyatt and Waylon Mercy), Dexter Lumis, and the Briscoe Brothers
The Varsity Club: American Alpha (Chad Gable and Jason Jordan) and the World’s Greatest Tag-Team (Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas)
The Conglomerate: Ted DiBiase, the Miracle Violence Division (Steve Williams and Terry Gordy), and the Point One Percent (EC3 and JBL)
After the Conglomerate graphic ran, a pre-taped vignette with the powerful quintet was shown. DiBiase did all the talking, insistent that he would get a one-on-one rematch with Piper for the MLW World title. He boasted about the individual and collective skills of the Point One Percent, and bemoaned the fact that they were being overlooked by the championship committee. Finally, the “Million Dollar Man” hyped the Miracle Violence Division, guaranteeing that they would take care of any threats to the Conglomerate.
Ranallo set up one more video vignette, which was put together in ECWesque “Pulp Fiction” style, recapping the various attacks made by the trio of Brits against the Hart Foundation and TnT.
DANNY BURCH, EDDIE DENNIS, and SHEAMUS vs. BRET HART, OWEN HART, and DAVEY BOY SMITH (w/Jim Neidhart):
vs.
vs.
The Hart Foundation tromped down to the ring en masse, eager to battle the interlopers who had, for whatever reason, injected themselves into the Stampede alumni’s lives. Right before the match began, Styles reminded the audience that TnT were still owed a title shot against American Alpha (due to Dennis and Burch’s interference a couple of weeks earlier), and would get it as soon as possible.
This wasn’t a match, it was a pier-six brawl that lead official Tommy Young did his best to contain. Sheamus and Smith were the powerhouses that squared off against each other the most, while the Hart brothers showed unteachable chemistry against Burch and Dennis. It was brutal, intense, and ten of the most exciting minutes of action shown on FNH in quite some time; thus, it was a true shame when it was interrupted by a sinister, guttural voice from the broadcast table, a voice from the past…
…a voice belonging to the Dynamite Kid.
He commandeered Ranallo’s microphone, and he dragged Tyson Kidd – bloodied and barely conscious – behind him. “Remember me? I’m the Dynamite Kid! I came up with all of you – but when Owen and you, Davey, you got scared and went looking for help, who did you turn to? Was it me, your own kin? No, you brought in the Hart Foundation. Left me hanging in wrestling purgatory, you did. And then, you add insult to injury, when I hear that you’re helping train and guide this sod lying at my feet. You think he’s as good as me? You think any of you are?!”
Neidhart couldn’t stand to hear any more, so while the six men in the ring continued to stare each other down, “the Anvil” decided to confront the fired-up Brit. But in his angered hurry, he never noticed the Kid slip a pair of brass knuckles around his fist… and when he got in Dynamite’s face, he was dropped by a single, devastating shot to the skull.
Kid: “So if you’re wondering who orchestrated all this, well, it should be obvious by now. You can’t ignore me anymore, can you now? I’ll see you all later, rest assured I will.”
He dropped the microphone and bolted as the Harts and Smith ran up the ramp to check on the two fallen wrestlers. The three heels defiantly stood in the ring for a few more seconds, and then left through the crowd to avoid any more fighting. Young had no choice, and called for a no-contest.
COMMERCIAL
A camera crew was in the Foundation’s locker room, where the MLW medical staff attended to Kidd and Neidhart. Bret was in no mood to deal with the distraction, and he angrily cleared them out with no comment.
A trio of graphics illuminated the videoboards, featuring three more factions:
The Gold Standard: Dave Batista, Nick Bockwinkel, Terry Funk, and Shane Douglas
The Dynamite Kid, Sheamus, Danny Burch, and Eddie Dennis
Extremely Awesome: Edge, Christian, the Hardy Boyz, and Shane Helms
MLW WORLD TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
ARN ANDERSON and TULLY BLANCHARD (w/JJ Dillon) vs. EDGE and CHRISTIAN (c):
vs.
ARN ANDERSON and TULLY BLANCHARD (w/JJ Dillon) vs. EDGE and CHRISTIAN (c):
vs.
Styles: “Interesting that Jim Cornette put this match together – you might remember, Edge and Christian defeated Perfectly Ravishing several months ago at Heatwave to regain the titles. Since then, Rude and Hennig have gotten their rematch, and then some… but Tully and Arn have not gotten a chance to bring the gold back to the Horsemen. What if they’re successful? How would Perfectly Ravishing react?”
Ranallo: “I don’t think JJ Dillon cares in the least right now, but that’ll only be a problem if Blanchard and Anderson defeat arguably the most dominant team since this territory was founded. That said… if anyone can beat E&C, two those men can do it.”
Big-match intros by Finkel and it was showtime. Both teams were at the top of their game, and the momentum shifted back and forth several times throughout the contest. The Horsemen were ruthless, but as always, their tactics and double-teaming went either unseen or within the five-count. The two-time MLW champions were just as proficient, though, and they nearly ended the match several times as well.
It was still a see-saw battle at the 15-minute mark. Christian was the face in peril, and the Horsemen were slowly chipping away at the “Instant Classic”. Suddenly, a man effortlessly jumped the ringside barrier, avoided security, and grabbed Dillon by his suit collar. His sunglasses and hoodie obscured his identity, and he tossed the startled manager to the ground before “Double-A” could stop him. Dodging security a second time, the intruder was back into the crowd, and gone.
As this occurred, Christian dove across the ring and tagged in his partner. Anderson was outside, tending to Dillon; Blanchard was checking on them both. He turned around – and was hit by a devastating spear. It was a shockingly fast end to what had, up until that point, been a classic tag-team struggle. The “Ultimate Opportunist” had indeed picked his spot, and made the pin on Blanchard at 16:12. The telecast ended in chaotic fashion, with Edge and Christian standing tall in the ring, the Horsemen in bewildered disbelief on the floor, and Styles and Ranallo wondering who altered the outcome of that match.