Post by fifthhorseman on Mar 7, 2020 0:24:49 GMT -5
CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING from FLORIDA
EPISODE 1
EPISODE 1
60-second video montage showcasing some of the greatest stars that competed in the classic CWF, as well as FCW and NXT. Fireworks and pyro explode from the stage and around all four corners of the ring, in front of a sold-out crowd at the Amelie Arena in Tampa Bay. When the house lights were up, a familiar man strolled down the ramp and entered the ring: the owner and president of CWF, Bobby “the Brain” Heenan.
Heenan: “Welcome... to Championship Wrestling from Florida! You all know who I am – I'm the reason you're all here tonight! After all, you all bought your tickets weeks ago – for a show that didn't even announce a card – and I still haven't! So that tells me that you needed me to get this territory back in action, and it also tells me that you know you need me here. So, from the bottom of my heart... you're welcome.”
“Let's get right to it. I want the MUW World Heavyweight championship, right here, in CWF. It's going to happen, because I've put together the best roster in the world. A stable of wrestlers – a family, if you will – eager to prove that they have what it takes to climb the mountain and take what they deserve. All of them, eager to prove themselves... to me. And I'm gonna make them work for it. Night in, night out, in the best matches that can be seen anywhere.
“And I'm not going to waste anyone's time setting up the pecking order down here, either. No long, drawn-out title tournaments. I have champions to crown, because people pay good money to see champions fight. So tonight, we're gonna crown the inaugural CWF Florida Tag-Team champions in a good old-fashioned battle royale... but with a twist. You see, whoever wins the battle royale will still have to win another fall against the last team that they eliminate. But the last team eliminated still has a chance to win the belts – all they do is take two straight falls from the battle royale winner! Only a genius could come up with a match like that... oh, right, that would be me.”
Heenan checked his Rolex. “I have work to do. Maverick, get in here and do your job. Russell, I'm paying you good money to be the voice of CWF, so don't screw it up! I'll be back to call the main event with you, just in case.”
“The Brain” passed the microphone to his ring announcer, Drake Maverick, with a condescending smile, and left the ring. He paused to sarcastically shake Lance Russell's hand at the broadcast table, and went back to his office.
BLITZKRIEG vs. RECKLESS YOUTH
vs.
The first-ever match in the relaunched CWF was a high-flying, high-action battle reminiscent of Nitro's landmark match between Brian Pillman and Jushin Liger. Blitzkrieg was an aerial wizard, dazzling the crowd with a variety of airborne manuevers, while Reckless Youth, also known as the “King of the Independents”, displayed brilliant technical prowess. The two instantly won over the crowd, and Youth won it at 9:05 with a simple crucifix pin. After the match, Maverick came in to interview the winner (borrowing from the UFC and BCCW).
Reckless Youth: “I'm staking my claim right now. If Bobby Heenan is looking for a champion to represent CWF, then he's looking at him. I plan on making Florida my home for a long, long time, and he can put in any type of match against any man down here. I just want to compete against the best in the world – guys like Blitzkrieg, for example – and when I do, I'll show you exactly what I can do.”
COMMERCIAL
Backstage, there was a short lineup of singles wrestlers waiting outside Heenan's office. The door opened, and Razor Ramon departed, the ever-confident smile on his face. “Yo,” he said to no one in particular, “I'm gonna be in the ring with one of you next week. Don't take it personal... but if you're in my way to the CWF Florida Heavyweight championship, then Razor Ramon is gonna carve... you... up.”
The man closest to Heenan's door, Terry Taylor, rolled his eyes, although he recognized the threat that the 287-pounder from Cuba presented. He entered the office, and was greeted with, “Rooster! It's great to be working with you again! It's been way too long, hasn't it?”
Taylor was immediately angry. “Don't you 'Rooster' me, Bobby. We both know that that was one of the stupidest gimmicks ever saddled on a guy, and it nearly ruined me. I've won more belts than I can count, so I'm here to tell you that whatever you think you can-”
Heenan: “Hey, who's in charge here? Look, sit down and shut the door. If you're here to talk business, I can talk business. We're both civilized human beings... right?”
Taylor closed the door behind him, and the scene switched to the broadcast table.
Russell: “Hello, wrestling fans – it's great to be back on the air in Tampa, Florida. It's gonna be a wild one tonight, and I'm told we have three more matches in store for you tonight, including, as Bobby Heenan mentioned earlier on, a battle royale, two out of three falls match to delcare the new CWF Florida Tag-Team champions. But let's get right back down to the ring, where Drake Maverick is standing by to introduce our next two competitors.
HADE VANSEN vs. KERRY VON ERICH:
vs.
vs.
The former NWA World champ from Denton, Texas, was well-known to the cheering Tampa crowd; Vansen, on the other hand, was one of the greatest “What if” stories of the 21st century. Nonetheless, the two men were surprisingly evenly matched, at least for the first few minutes. But Von Erich's raw power began to grind Vansen down, until an intriguing spectator walked down the ramp. He wore a dark robe, and when he got to one of the neutral corners, he shrugged away the hood – it was Kevin Sullivan.
Vansen escaped Von Erich and rolled outside, landing a few feet from the self-declared “Prince of Darkness”. He and Sullivan stared at each other for several seconds, and then the two men smiled, as if under some sort of mutual understanding. Then, they just walked back through the curtain, handing the Texan a countout victory.
Von Erich: “Well, it's not how I wanted to get my first win here in the CWF, but I guess I'll take it. I don't know what that was all about, but if the two of them got a problem with me, then maybe I'll ask my brother David to lend me a hand... I'm sure he wouldn't mind taking care of a couple of creeps like Sullivan and Vansen. Thank y'all for coming out tonight, I'll see you all again real soon.”
COMMERCIAL
A cameraman followed Sullivan and Vansen backstage, but couldn't get close enough to hear what they murmured back and forth. Finally, the two seemed to have enough, and they spun around to the camera. Their images flickered, the shot went blurry, and a few moments later, when it cleared... they were gone.
A video vignette was next, showcasing the teams participating in the main event later on. It was a who's who of talent, ranging from Hall of Fame caliber duos like the Fabulous Freebirds, to up-and-comers like the Fashion Police, to duos that had literally just teamed together days before, like Ron Bass and bobby Duncam, Jr.
LARRY CAMERON vs. RICHIE STEAMBOAT:
vs.
vs.
This was a standard power vs. speed matchup, pitting the former Stampede champion against the second-generation amateur star. Cameron was all muscle, utilizing tackles and slams, kicks and fists. But Steamboat battled from underneath, as fiery and resilient as his father, and he staggered the big man from Chicago. Gaining momentum, Steamboat dove off the top rope with a cross-bodyblock – but Cameron caught him, and seamlessly turned it into a powerslam. It knocked every ounce of air from the youngster's lungs, and Cameron got the pin at 12:19.
When Maverick came in for the post-match interview, “Lethal Larry” took the microphone and barked, “You might not have known me before this match started, but you all know my name now! Larry Cameron is the best athlete in this state, in this territory, and in this sport! I just needed the opportunity to prove it, and you can ask the punk I just whooped if there's anybody better than me. Heenan, when the time comes, you make sure that you remember my name, too!”
COMMERCIAL
Cameras were seemingly everywhere backstage, and they captured the final preparations of the various teams involved in the battle royale. Elsewhere, Art Barr and Louie Spicolli were griping about the fact that they were not among the chosen teams, and they wondered aloud what they'd have to do to get noticed. Back outside Heenan's office, Nigel McGuinness and Buddy Murphy were waiting impatiently, each eager to make their case heard.
Heenan emerged, and held up his hand. He carried the tag straps over his left shoulder and said, “Nope, not right now, it's time for the main event. And seeing how neither of you are in it, you're in my way.”
McGuinness: “I've been waiting out here all night, and-”
Murphy: “Ignore him, Mr. Heenan. He's full of himself, and-”
Heenan: “What part of 'you're in my way' did you understand? Look, neither of you might be too bright, but I know you're talented, alright? If you weren't, I wouldn't have signed you. So here's what I'm going to do. Next week, I'm scheduling six qualifying matches for the Florida Heavyweight title. I'm booking you guys in two of them. If either of you lose... you're gone – just like I wish you were gone now, OK? Now, move it!”
Back at the broadcast table, Russell was incredulous, and he waited for Heenan to arrive. A few seconds later, the CWF president sat down to a chorus of boos, and the Memphis legend pressed him further on what he said to Murphy and McGuinness.
Heenan: “Three weeks from tonight, the latest CWF Florida Heavyweight champion will be decided. Next week, we're going to figure out the six men competing in that match, and I'll tell you more about that one then. But here's a hint... the six matches are going to be fought under the 'Beat the Clock' rules. What do you think about that, Russell?”
Before he could answer, Maverick began to announce the final match of the night.
BATTLE ROYALE, TWO OUT OF THREE FALLS
CWF FLORIDA TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
2MB vs. the ASCENSION vs. the FABULOUS FREEBIRDS vs. the FASHION POLICE vs. MIKE GRAHAM and STEVE KEIRN vs. DON MURACO and BOB ORTON, Jr.
CWF FLORIDA TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
2MB vs. the ASCENSION vs. the FABULOUS FREEBIRDS vs. the FASHION POLICE vs. MIKE GRAHAM and STEVE KEIRN vs. DON MURACO and BOB ORTON, Jr.
vs the NATURAL BORN THRILLERS vs. the UPPERCLASSMEN vs. the WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS
Two by two, the teams filled the ring until it was loaded with 18 men. Maverick went over the rules once more time: when one member of the team was thrown over the top, both men were eliminated. When the last two teams were left standing, it would still be fought under battle royale rules until someone went over the top. Then, whoever won the battle royale would have to capture one of the next two decisions... but the losing squad would have to win two straight to become CWF Florida Tag-team champions.
Size is a natural advantage in a battle royale, and there was plenty of beef in the ring. Ron Bass, Sean O'Haire, and Don Muraco were launching their opponents over the top, but they were also the biggest targets, literally speaking. Six teams were taken out, a couple surprisingly so, but given the simplistic rules of the match, the best man – or men – didn't always win. After about ten minutes, the three remaining squads were Mike Graham and Steve Keirn, the Natural Born Thrillers, and the Freebirds. However, after Jindrak accidentally took out his own partner with a dropkick meant for Garvin, it left two of the most experienced teams in the territory in the ring... and after some more vicious brawling, Hayes propelled Graham over the top rope to seize the all-important “first fall”.
The crowd voiced their displeasure as the referee reset the four competitors, and the second fall got underway. It was a see-saw struggle between two very evenly-matched, and very familiar, teams. Graham and Keirn were a desperate pair, and it helped; Keirn nailed Garvin with an inverted DDT, and they tied things up at the (cumulative) time of 21:33.
Momentum was on the Floridians' side, and they stayed on the offense for the third and final fall. However, the Freebirds weren't going down without a fight, and they eventually turned it around. Back and forth it went, until the referee got sandwiched between Hayes and Graham in the corner, knocking the wind out of him. After that happened, all four men began brawling, firing fists at each other in the center of the ring.
As the referee recovered on the outside, Keirn and Garvin fought just a few feet away from him... and another man, his identity hidden by a hoodie and scarf, ran down to ringside, ducking down near the stairs out of view of the official. Hayes and Graham continued their fight, and as the ref slowly rolled underneath the bottom rope, the popular second-generation star hoisted Hayes up for a suplex, muscling him from the ring apron high overhead. However, the interloper pulled on Graham's ankle and he lost his balance, and the 255-pound Hayes crashed down onto his foe. While the Freebird cinched in the pin, the stranger kept Graham from using his lower body to kick out. The ref laid down the three-count at 28:44.
Graham and Keirn were beside themselves; the Fabulous Freebirds were exultant as Maverick handed them the championship gold. Heenan, from the broadcast table, seemed amused by the whole thing, and he said, “Well, that was an entertaining match, wasn't it!?”
Hayes took the microphone from Maverick and said, “Was there every any doubt who 'd win this match? Gorgeous Jimmy, Michael 'P.S.' Hayes – we're the best in the world, baby! And now, without further ado, it's time to introduce the third member of the team – because, daddy, everyone knows the Freebirds fly in threes – so get in here, mister!”
The intruder leaped over the top rope, hugged Garvin and Hayes, and pulled down the hood – revealing the face of Ray Gordy, son of Terry. The three men linked hands and raised them high, as the show faded to black.