Post by fifthhorseman on Dec 4, 2019 0:34:00 GMT -5
MLW TEAM CHALLENGE SERIES:
WAR GAMES
PRE-SHOW MATCH
The ACADIAN EXPRESS vs. LAX:
vs.
vs.
The final show in MLW history began with a couple of teams that were very different from one another. Santana and Ortiz pushed the pace whenever possible with slick double-team offense, while Burke and Petitpas were slower and more methodical. As experienced as the Express was, LAX was showing them moves that they had never seen before, and they were on the defensive for most of the match. However, the 265-pound Petitpas nailed Ortiz with a shining wizard at 10:25 to earn the win. After the match, the two teams shook hands in the center of the ring.
A two-minute montage of the greatest moments in MLW was shown, followed by pyro and fireworks in a sold-out Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Mauro Ranallo: “Hello, wrestling fans at home and around the world! Welcome to the MLW Team Challenge Series: War Games! I’m Mauro Ranallo, and before the night is through, before the various wrestlers on this great roster go their separate ways, before we write the final chapter in Major League Wrestling history here in Tampa, Florida… blood will be shed, bodies will be battered, and scores will be settled. As you can see, we have not one, not two, but four rings set up.”
The camera panned down to the field, where two rings were put together, War Games-style. Two other rings were also assembled near the middle of the field, but they were separated by about 50 feet.
“Later tonight, in our main event, four teams of five will battle in the biggest War Games of all time! But enough talk, it’s time for action – let’s get down to the ring where Howard Finkel is standing by!”
WAR GAMES / THE MATCH BEYOND
The ATTITUDE ERA (w/Marlena) vs. the HORSEMEN and the WAR MACHINE (w/JJ Dillon):
vs.
As the Horsemen and their fifth for this night, the War Machine (also known as the Big Bossman) made their way to the rings, a video played showing their rise to the top of MLW, their “firing” of Brian Pillman, and his return to the territory. The AE, with Marlena, followed, eager to inflict a beating on five of the most notorious figures in professional wrestling.
As usual, Arn Anderson led off for his squad; the “Loose Cannon” led from the front, jumping in the opposite cage. Five minutes of vicious brawling ensued, and then the all-important coin toss was won by (who else?) the Horsemen.
The next man in was the man who replaced Pillman in the Horsemen – Rick Rude. As is the case, the two-on-one advantage was huge, and they used every one of the 120 seconds they had.
Billy Gunn evened things up, and so it went.
Blanchard, then Theory.
The War Machine, followed by Bully Ray.
“Mr. Perfect” was the last man in for the Horsemen, and then after Jesse James came in – the Match Beyond was on. Submit or surrender.
By now, most of the combatants were busted open, and the the men who were in the enclosure the longest were suffering the most. But they were all living on adrenaline now, and the fight continued for another few minutes, until Pillman isolated Blanchard from the rest of his team. He borrowed a move from his old partner, Steve Austin, and locked the heel into a Texas Cloverleaf. With blood flowing from his forehead, Blanchard hung on for several seconds before tapping out in front of head referee Tommy Young.
It took a couple of minutes for everyone to leave the caged rings, but Pillman and the rest of the Attitude Era savored every moment of victory as they walked up the ramp. After the scene was cleared, another video was shown, featuring the formation of the brutal Wyatt Family, as well as their feud with the Diamond Exchange.
TEN-MAN ELIMINATION MATCH
The DIAMOND EXCHANGE and KEITH LEE vs. the WYATT FAMILY:
vs.
This bout was signed under typical “Survivor Series” rules. To fill out his team, DDP recruited “Limitless” Keith Lee – much to the chagrin of his opponents. There was a lot of beef around the ring, but when the bell rang, it began with two of the smaller men in the bout: Jay Briscoe and Tazz. But small didn’t mean weak, and they beat the hell out of each other.
Both teams worked as finely tuned machines, and the tags were frequent. Ranallo was kept on his toes calling the action, and one by one, the eliminations took place:
Dexter Lumis pinned Kanyon.
Bam Bam Bigelow pinned Lumis.
Tazz submitted Mark Briscoe.
Bigelow and Waylon Mercy were counted out on the floor.
Bray Wyatt pinned Tazz.
That left two men on each side: Page and Lee in one corner, Wyatt and Jay Briscoe in the other. Things settled down for a few minutes, as both duos sought to catch their breath and take command. However, the ROH stalwart from Sandy Fork – on instructions from his leader – went outside, grabbed a steel chair, and attacked DDP on the outside. He was immediately disqualified, but he didn’t stop there. He hit Lee several times as well before a swarm of MLW officials could force him from ringside.
The “Eater of Worlds” smiled, and he sauntered into the ring, cradled big Lee, and hit him with Sister Abigail. The three-count was academic, and that just left the two team leaders. “The People’s Champion” limped in, ready to fight, but Wyatt speared him. The assault was vicious, and he toyed with Page for a couple of minutes, even picking him up off the mat on half-hearted pin attempts. Finally, leaving his foe in the middle of the ring, he slowly turned to his corner… to retrieve his Fiend mask.
He pulled it off his turnbuckle, and stared lovingly at it before spinning around, his hands moving toward his face -
DIAMOND CUTTER!
With the last bit of strength left in his body, the former WCW World champ fell on top of Wyatt, and the referee counted to three. The crowd erupted, and Page rolled to his feet and held his arms high in the air.
Backstage, Jeremy Borash stood with the Gold Standard. The MLW Intercontinental champion, Dave Batista, stood in front of the other three, his usually calm demeanor replaced by irritation.
Batista: “This is garbage! How is it that I’m defending my title in a fatal four-way match – and on top of that, I don’t even know who I’m facing! Tell me, what the hell were you and Cornette thinking?”
Borash: “I admit, we were under a bit of a time constraint to get this booked… but we thought, what better way to go out than with the champ – you, Dave Batista – getting the spotlight all to himself, no teams, no partners, just doing it all by himself. No offense, of course, to the other gentlemen standing here.”
“The Animal” thought about that for a few moments, and nodded. “You’re right. I don’t care who’s in there with me. I’m the biggest, baddest, and most famous wrestler in Hollywood today. I got this.”
Funk and Douglas nodded in agreement, and Bockwinkel smiled. “Well said, champ!”
The quartet departed, and Borash smirked in amusement.
A video was shown, highlighting Batista’s dominant run in MLW, the formation of the Gold Standard, and the champion’s increasing reliance on his stablemates to retain that gold.
FATAL FOUR-WAY FOR THE MLW INTERCONTINENTAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
DAVE BATISTA (c) vs. ? vs. ? vs. ?
The champion was introduced first, and he arrogantly wondered if his scheduled opponents had even bothered to show up. He told Finkel to just declare him the winner, and as he turned back to his corner, laughing… he noticed that the three men were stepping down from the ring curtain, and slowly began circling the ring to man the other three corners.
Batista suddenly realized why they were in their ring garb.
DAVE BATISTA (c) vs. NICK BOCKWINKEL vs. SHANE DOUGLAS vs. TERRY FUNK:
vs. vs. vs.
Bockwinkel borrowed the microphone from Finkel and said, “Listen here, ‘champ’. This was supposed to be the most dominant faction in wrestling… but even we couldn’t stand being around you! And I say this, knowing full well, that even I’ve been accused of having a, shall we say, a healthy ego. You’re insufferable! And Mr. Douglas and Mr. Funk over there, well… there’s only so many Evolution stories that they want to hear, and neither of them hold Ric Flair in high regard. So… it looks like we’re all ready to go… how about you?”
Batista was shocked. He was also angry. He was also suddenly triple-teamed by his former friends, and they laid the boots to him, eager to neutralize the huge power advantage he had. The referee finally forced Bockwinkel and Funk out, signalled for the bell, and the match finally started. Douglas was relentless, and he looked at the other two men who all understood that it was every man for himself.
It was a 15-minute war, with the best of four different times and territories trading punches, holds, and verbal barbs. Batista had sufficiently recovered to where he was his usual self, while the other three were at their respective peaks. In the end, after Bockwinkel and “the Franchise” went sprawling over the top rope, the hardcore icon Funk rolled up Batista from behind to win the title… at least for the night.
Another video was shown, showcasing the various members of the four teams, most prominently, the MLW World Heavyweight champion, Roddy Piper; the former champion, Ted DiBiase; Bret Hart; and the MLW World Tag-Team champions, Edge and Christian.
When the video was done, the four rings were set up in a two-by-two square and the entire area was covered by a gigantic, roofed cage.
WAR GAMES / THE MATCH BEYOND
The CONGLOMERATE vs. the HART FOUNDATION vs. NORTH AMERICA’S MOST WANTED and SHANE HELMS vs. the REAL MAIN EVENT and DOMINIC DIJAKOVIC:
The CONGLOMERATE vs. the HART FOUNDATION vs. NORTH AMERICA’S MOST WANTED and SHANE HELMS vs. the REAL MAIN EVENT and DOMINIC DIJAKOVIC:
vs.
vs.
vs.
Five by five, the teams came down to the massive structure, each angling toward a specific side. NAMW had recruited a mutual friend, Shane Helms, for their squad, while the RME picked up the massive Dijakovic to complete their quintet. The rules for this one were slightly different, as no team would get a numbers advantage; at each interval, four new men would join the fight.
As Finkel recited the rules, one man from each team entered the War Games monolith: Terry Gordy, Owen Hart, Christian, and Bob Orton, Jr. Endurance would be a huge factor, and all four men could go for an hour if required. The bell rang, and the sold-out crowd went crazy. Hart matched up against “the Cowboy”, while “Bamm Bamm” charged straight at Christian.
Five minutes later, it was time for the next wave of combatants, and in this case, all four were the first grouping’s tag-team partners. Davey Boy Smith, Don Muraco, and Steve Williams instantly added power to the match, while Edge got the biggest pop of the match thus far.
The match was already taking its toll on several of its participants when the third wave of competitors charged in at the 10-minute mark. Paul Orndorff, Shane Helms, EC3, and Bret Hart went after the strongest-looking people standing, and blood was flowing freely from the skulls and faces of a few unfortunate foes… and it was just getting started.
Another five brutal minutes elapsed, and the World champion finally decided to enter the fray. Piper, JBL, Chris Harris, and Jim Neidhart came in, looking to help their friends and dish out punishment to their enemies in equal measure. Bodies were scattered across the four rings, and fatigue was definitely setting in, especially on the first group that entered the rings. Nonetheless, 20 men were in there now, looking to find just one man – that’s all it took – to weaken to the point to submission.
When the clock hit 20:00, the last four men – Tyson Kidd, James Storm, Donovan Dijakovic, and the “Million Dollar Man” entered the structure. The Match Beyond was on, and the referees inside the ring were careful not to get caught in any exchanges. That, however, was nearly impossible. The Miracle Violence Division was brawling with Edge and Christian. The Point One Percent were all over America’s Most Wanted, as if trying to prove that their Florida Tag-Team straps meant more than AMW’s I-C championships. Muraco and Orton were battling Owen and Davey. And so it went, second after brutal second.
However, it did ultimately have to end… and the man who finally gave up was the MLW World champ himself, Roddy Piper. After Kidd sent “Mr. Wonderful” pinwheeling into the steel mesh, Neidhart picked up Piper by the legs, and “the Hitman” launched himself at the immobile Scot, connecting with their patented Hart Attack. Not wasting a second, with blood streaming out of his nose, Hart turned Piper over into the Sharpshooter, and held it as the rest of the Hart Foundation closed ranks around him, protecting him from the rest of the Real Main Event, as well as the scary combination of Williams and Gordy. Piper had enough, screaming in agony as he acknowledged defeat.
The bell sounded, and Hart raised his hands to the heavens, congratulated by the Foundation for the toughest collective win they ever had. The teams slowly, painfully left the grim structure, five at a time - the RME left first, bitter about taking the loss, followed by a furious, embarrassed Conglomerate; Dibiase’s crew went into War Games as the Vegas favorite. NAMW was next, and the two championship teams carried their title belts over their shoulders as they left, waving and applauding back to the standing crowd. Finally, the Hart Foundation made their exit, limping as a group, as Ranallo signed off the air from the MLW booth for the final time.