Post by fifthhorseman on Mar 19, 2020 14:53:14 GMT -5
CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING from FLORIDA
EPISODE 4
A 60-second video montage showcasing some of the greatest stars that competed in the classic CWF, as well as FCW and NXT, opens the telecast. The clip ended with a still shot of the new CWF Southern Heavyweight champion, Brian Pillman, standing triumphantly on a ladder with the belt in his hands.
Lance Russell: “Hello, everybody, and welcome to Championship Wrestling from Florida! My name is Lance Russell, and by the end of the night, we will have the first CWF Florida Heavyweight champion since the dawn of this millennium! But without further ado, I want to introduce another champion, the man who won the Southern Heavyweight title – just one week ago – 'Flyin' Brian Pillman!”
A few moments later, the champ emerged in street clothes, the belt casually – and proudly – draped over his left shoulder. He nodded at the legendary announcer, and began his monologue. “Thanks, Lance, and first, I gotta say – does this belt make me look good, or what?”
The crowd roared its approval, and Pillman continued. “Until someone wins the Florida championship tonight, I figure this makes me the top dog down here. And let's be honest – if I was in that match tonight, I'd win that one, too! But we all know that Bobby Heenan doesn't want me in that match, and I didn't even get a chance to qualify for it. In the meantime, though, I have this beautiful belt, and I'll defend it every chance I get. House shows, TV, pay-per-views... hell, I'll go defend my championship anywhere in the Network if me and that promoter come to the right deal! In fact -”
The “Loose Cannon” was interrupted by an unlikely pair, the West Texas Outlaws. Bobby Duncam, Jr. and Ron Bass came out ready to fight, and they both challenged Pillman to a match... but before he could respond, Mike Graham and Steve Keirn also wandered out, escalating the tensions further.
Graham: “I didn't know that the line-up started here, but me and Steve wouldn't mind a shot at the Southern title, either. Between the two of us, we've held a lot of singles gold right here in Tampa, and if we gotta wait our turn to get the Freebirds back in the ring with us, then either one of us wouldn't mind a shot at-”
Suddenly he was interrupted by the CWF owner himself, Bobby Heenan, who had heard enough. “I have an idea – why don't you let me run things? First of all, why don't you four” - and he pointed at the two teams - “get in the ring and settle it yourselves. Special ten-minute time limit, just to move things along a bit. Whoever wins it for their team, I'll give that man a shot at Pillman here.”
He paused and gave Pillman a look of disdain. “Lance has a match to call – your interview is over. Thanks for coming out, 'champ', but your time is up.”
Heenan quickly retreated to his office. But the high-flyer from Cincinnati sat down with Russell on color commentary, defying, in his own way, “the Brain's” orders.
MIKE GRAHAM and STEVE KEIRN vs. the WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS:
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The added incentive, along with the shorter time limit (Russell reminded the audience that non-title matches in CWF were usually 15 minutes), had all four athletes motivated. The Outlaws were a pair of 300-pound bulls, roughhousing their foes at every opportunity, but Keirn and Graham were used to being undersized. It had an old-school feel to it, and with just about a minute left, Keirn rolled Duncam up with a schoolboy, shocking the big Texan and the crowd, and he and Graham did the post-match interview on the outside.
Keirn: “Well, until me and Mike get a shot at Garvin and Hayes, this will do. Heenan, I hope you're a man of your word – and Brian, don't worry, I know you are. Let's do this, and soon.”
COMMERCIAL
LEO KRUGER vs. JIM POWERS:
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The South African mercenary made quick work of Powers; other than a brief flurry near the end, Kruger dominated the match, and he hit Powers with his Kruger's End (hangman facebuster) after just four minutes of action.
Kruger: “Too easy. Too easy! I want a challenge. The thrill is in the hunt, not the kill – but make no mistake, I enjoy that as well. So if Mr. Heenan and his people don't put fresh opponents in front of me, then I'll stalk them myself.”
He tromped off, past Russell and to the back, where a cameraman paused in front of the Natural Born Thrillers. Jindrak and O'Haire were commiserating over the fact that Sean missed his booking last week, but they were eager to get back in the ring as soon as possible. Jindrak: “You saw what those frat boys Nowinski and Riley said last week. Big talking punks when they know neither of us are around to shut them up face-to-face. I say we head down to Heenan's office right now and get a match signed.”
O'Haire smiled; he was always game for a fight. “Let's go. Trust me, I owe someone a beating, and soon.”
The two titans strolled down the hall and knocked on Heenan's door. Nothing happened, and a few seconds later, O'Haire knocked again. Another few seconds passed, and the door finally opened – but it wasn't the CWF president doing the opening. Percy Pringle III strutted past them, and he looked back into the office. “Always a pleasure doing business with a smart man like you, Bobby.”
The scene shifted back to ring announcer Drake Maverick, and he did what he does.
BOB ORTON, Jr. (w/Don Muraco) vs. RICHIE STEAMBOAT:
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Steamboat was accompanied to the ring by Jack Brisco, whom he saved a couple of weeks earlier; before the bell rang, though, the youngster insisted that Brisco return to the back, so he could prepare for the CWF Florida Heavyweight title scramble match. Reluctantly, he left... and Orton jumped Steamboat from behind. He was one of the best mechanics in the business, and the big Hawaiian on the outside didn't mind throwing cheap shots when he could as well. Despite all this, Steamboat would not stay down, and the very scientific bout went the full 15 minutes to a draw.
That didn't satisfy Muraco or Orton, though, and they put the boots to the prodigy. Luckily, not for long, as Terry Taylor ran down the ramp and took the heels on until Steamboat could get to his feet, and they repelled the heels from the ring.
COMMERCIAL
A cameraman caught up to Steamboat as a medic put a bandage over his left eye. Taylor was still with him, and he shouted, “Muraco and Orton! Two on one – yeah, you're really tough two-on-one. I have an idea – why don't you two cowards crawl into 'the Weasel's' office and sign a contract to fight me and Richie next week?”
Elsewhere in the backstage area, Louie Spicolli and Art Barr were discussing last week's match. It was an impromptu battle, one that they didn't prepare for – and it showed, as the Upperclassmen took the winner's purse. Spicolli: “We need a win, and soon. Heenan is barely booking us as it is, and when we do get a match, we come up short! We had them, and we let it get away.”
Barr: “Hang in there, kid. I'll admit it – it's been a tough stretch, and we gotta be better. We just need some mat time – you know, these rings aren't the same as the Triple-A rings down in Mexico. We dominated in AAA. We'll do the same thing here.”
Spicolli: “I wish Eddie was here.”
Barr: “Me too, he's my friend, and, oh yeah, he's also one of the best wrestlers in the world – but he's doing his thing down in LU. But... you know what, you've given me an idea...”
Back to the broadcast table, where Russell took over. “Fans, I've been told that Bobby Heenan has been a busy man these last several minutes. First of all, Brian Pillman will indeed be defending the CWF Southern Heavyweight championship next week against Steve Keirn. I've also be informed that next week, the Upperclassmen will take on the Natural Born Thrillers – under Texas Tornado rules, meaning all four men will be in the ring at the same time. Oh my! But let's get back down to the ring for an important one – this match will determine the next contender for Brian's title, and the winner of this one gets a shot at the Southern title just two weeks from now!
LARRY CAMERON vs. APOLLO CREWS:
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They were very familiar with each other; the week before, they battled tooth and nail in the championship four-way that Pillman ultimately won. Both men were supremely well-conditioned, and two of the strongest men, pound for pound, in the state. It was a see-saw battle that could have been a classic... until the interruption of the man called Sir Oliver Humperdink.
He waddled down the ramp and stood on the ring steps, shouting at both men. The referee was confused, but before he could eject the newcomer, Crews and Cameron stopped and walked over to the corner the colorfully-clad Humperdink stood in. The yelling stopped, and now the veteran manager was speaking in quiet tones that the cameraman couldn't pick up. After about 20 seconds, both wrestlers exited the ring – with Humperdink – and the match was declared a no-decision.
Russell: “Fans, I don't know what just happened, but perhaps our friend Drake Maverick can get to the bottom of it. I'm being told that we'll go to commercial now, so that we can present our main event – for the Florida Heavyweight championship – without any breaks. We'll be right back!”
COMMERCIAL
Cold “open” to a pre-taped shot of Bobby Heenan, alone in the ring, holding the territory's top title belt in his hands. “This is the CWF Florida Heavyweight championship. Some of the best wrestlers in history have carried this title -” and as he spoke, video of previous champions like Wahoo McDaniel, Dusty Rhodes, Superstar Billy Graham, Terry Funk, and others were shown while he continued the voiceover - “and tonight, we're going to continue that tradition of excellence here in Florida. Six men are going to enter this ring in just a couple of minutes, and by the end of the night, one man will have proven that he is the best of the best. A champion that we can all be proud of. The man that will carry Championship Wrestling from Florida into the next decade, and beyond. May the best man win.”
Dramatically, Heenan walked through the curtain and sat beside Russell. He seemed genuinely excited, and it surprised the normally even-keeled commentator. You better be ready to call this one, Russell. I need you at your best, because these highlights are gonna last forever!”
35-MINUTE SCRAMBLE MATCH
CWF FLORIDA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
JACK BRISCO vs. NIGEL McGUINESS vs. BUDDY MURPHY vs. RAZOR RAMON vs. DAVEY RICHARDS vs. DAVID VON ERICH:
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CWF FLORIDA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
JACK BRISCO vs. NIGEL McGUINESS vs. BUDDY MURPHY vs. RAZOR RAMON vs. DAVEY RICHARDS vs. DAVID VON ERICH:
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Ramon was the first person to enter the match, and the crowd was firmly behind the “Bad Guy”. Von Erich followed, and the audience booed him relentlessly... not that he cared. Maverick made the main event intros for the two as they went nose-to-nose in the middle of the ring.
The ring belonged to them for the next ten minutes, and the two big men each tried to claim the interim mantle. However, they were too evenly-matched, and all they did during the first time period was wear each other out.
A clock counted down the final ten seconds until the next wrestler joined the fray – and as soon as it hit zero, Davey Richards bolted down the ramp and slid two-thirds of the way into the ring. The “American Wolf” was as vicious as his moniker, and he went straight for Ramon. He and Von Erich briefly formed a team, but that didn't last very long, and it turned into a three-way melee. But before the next man could enter the contest, the first fall of the night finally took place; Von Erich surprised Ramon with an O'Connor roll, held the trunks for leverage, and was declared the interim champion at 14:30.
30 seconds later, McGuinness cautiously walked down the ramp. But before he could enter, another man, wearing simple jeans and a tank top, ran past him and went straight after David before security or the referee could stop him – it was his younger brother Kerry.
The “Texas Tornado” was unstoppable. He took David down to the mat and hammered him with lefts and rights before throwing him between the middle and top rope. Heenan screamed at security, but before they could stop him, Kerry hammered his brother with a discus punch that knocked him cold. Finally, CWF personnel pulled Kerry away, and McGuinness smartly headed straight for David. The crowd was still buzzing, and the Brit rolled a barely conscious Von Erich into the ring. But before he could follow, Richards hit him with a basement dropkick, his momentum taking him outside as well. Ramon shrugged his shoulders, and casually fell on the Texan, returning the pin at the 16-minute mark.
Ramon was in charge now, and he followed McGuinness and Richards outside. The three men brawled around ringside for a short while, until out of nowhere, Von Erich revived and hit all of them with a cross-bodyblock from the top turnbuckle. For the rest of the five-minute period, the four fought on the floor, and the big man from Cuba was still the interim titleholder.
The next man up was Murphy, and he charged down the ramp. He went after McGuinness, and they wound up in the ring while the others still battled outside. They put on an exhibition, but after McGuinness got tripped up by Richards, he was caught in Murphy's Law and pinned at 22:09 – so now the Australian was the champ.
But that wasn't it. All five were soon brawling in the ring, and Richards pinballed back and forth between Ramon and Von Erich. McGuinness hit both of them from behind with lariats, and it momentarily knocked them all down. In the confusion, Murphy small-packaged Richards for the three-count... and because he was the interim champ, he eliminated the furious “American Wolf” altogether.
As Richards departed, the countdown was on for the final entrant, and Brisco entered the fray. The NWA icon became the target, but his unmatched amateur background and sheer toughness kept everyone at bay.
With about five minutes left to go, Brisco got caught in Von Erich's dreaded iron claw. However, he bridged off the mat, caught David's wrist, and rolled him up with a single-arm chickenwing. Von Erich was in agony, and before anyone else could separate the two men, the big Texan tapped out – Brisco was now the interim champion. But the multi-time Florida champion didn't plan on simply running out the clock, and he went right back to work.
At the broadcast table, Heenan's commentary became subdued; he respected the Oklahoman's skills, but deep down, he wanted someone with a bit more flash. The seconds kept ticking by, and the other challengers got more and more desperate. They were all trading finishers on each other, but they were so exhausted, the moves weren't hit with maximum effect. But being the heaviest man in the ring paid off for Ramon, who, with about 90 seconds left to go, steamrolled Murphy with a cross-bodyblock, and “the Juggernaut” just couldn't get the 285-pounder off him.
Heenan was flustered at the commentary table. Brisco, he could at least tolerate; Ramon was a wild card. He had never held the equivalent of a single world championship before, and he certainly didn't seem like someone “the Brain” could control. It was bad enough that Pillman held his secondary title...
The final ten-minute time period, 35 minutes in all, expired. Razor Ramon outlasted the other four men left in the ring, and he dropped to his knees while the crowd gave them all – especially the “Bad Guy” - a standing ovation. But suddenly, Heenan stood up with a microphone and said, “That was one of the most incredible matches I've ever seen! However – however - as a treat for all of you here tonight and watching from home, it's time to reveal one final surprise – sudden death! This match will continue, and the next fall wins! So, timekeeper, get ready to ring that bell...
“...as soon as the final man in this match enters the ring.”
The five weary wrestlers were angry, and shocked when Percy Pringle III strutted through the curtains and shook Heenan's hand. A few seconds later, another man walked out, and shook both men's hands, before calmly walking down the ramp.
It was “Ravishing” Rick Rude.
There were an even number of men in the ring again, and they matched off in pairs. The bout resumed, and Rude was a machine. Strong, quick, and mentally sharp, he kept an eye on everything, knowing that the next pin or submission – regardless of who it was – would decide the fate of the championship. And with Pringle serving as a second pair of eyes at ringside, he was able to break up other near-falls as well. After about three minutes of tense activity, with various wrestlers winding up back outside on the mat, Rude and McGuinness were left in the ring. The former ROH World champ hit Rude with a crushing forearm, and then he bounded off the ropes to hit his patented Jawbreaker lariat. But Rude kicked the Englander in the stomach, and without wasting a second, he nailed him with the Rude Awakening.
Three seconds later, Brisco and Murphy both dove into the ring – but it was too late. Rick Rude pinned Nigel McGuinness to capture the final fall of the match. The referee raised his hand in victory, and he had hardly broken a sweat. Heenan walked down to the ring with the CWF Florida Heavyweight belt over his shoulder, and strapped it around his former client's waist. “The Brain” and Pringle stood on either side of the new champion, raising his hands in victory, as the show faded to black.