Post by fifthhorseman on Mar 31, 2020 23:28:27 GMT -5
CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING from FLORIDA
EPISODE 6
EPISODE 6
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 a battered and weary Nigel McGuinness having his hand raised in victory, surrounded by the other challengers for the CWF Florida Heavyweight championship.
Drake Maverick was waiting in the ring, ready to announce the first match of the night – no long-winded monologue to start this show.
CWF SOUTHERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
BLITZKRIEG and BRIAN PILLMAN vs. the WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS:
vs.
As the teams loosened up, play-by-play legend Lance Russell explained why this match came about. A couple of weeks earlier, Larry Cameron and Uhaa Nation (don't call him Apollo Crews anymore) were supposed to fight to determine the top contender for Pillman's gold, but that match was declared a no-decision. Therefore, Bobby Heenan decided to make Pillman's life even more difficult – not only was he facing a pair of 300-pound roughnecks, but he could also lose the title without even getting pinned.
The “Loose Cannon” took it in stride, and recruited perhaps the only man in the CWF faster than he was. Blitzkrieg held up his end of the bargain early on, and he and Pillman dazzled them with their high-flying. The masked man got caught mid-way through, though, but lasted long enough to make the hot tag to the champion, who cleared house. He soared through the air, taking Duncam down with a springboard lariat at the ten-minute mark to earn the victory.
Maverick re-entered the ring, and Pillman took over. “What's next, Bobby? A handicap match? A battle royale? You can line someone up each and every week, but I'm gonna knock them all down! I'm here to stay, and I'm gonna keep this title for a long, long time. Go ahead, find someone else for me next week, I don't care. And Blitzkrieg – much obliged for the help tonight, you're a hell of a wrestler. If I can return the favor someday – maybe give you a shot at my belt, for starters – I will.”
The interview ended, and Russell took over. “Hello, wrestling fans, and welcome to Championship Wrestling from Florida! What a way to kick off the show tonight – and we have four great matches still to come, including main event action featuring the CWF Florida Heavyweight champion, Rick Rude, defending his prestigious title against Nigel McGuinness. We'll be right back, after this -”
COMMERCIAL
A profile vignette featuring 2MB aired. The video was equal parts ridiculousness (befitting the tag-team's seemingly carefree attitude) and athletic action (highlighting the talents of the four-time WWE tag champ Slater, and the amateur wrestling credentials and raw power of Bugenhagen).
SONNY SIAKI vs. TERRY TAYLOR:
vs.
The winner could call their shot; Heenan decreed that whoever won could have any non-title match they wanted. So they were both motivated, and went at each other hard from the opening bell. The Samoan was stronger, but Taylor was one of the best technical wrestlers in the world. It was the proverbial see-saw battle, and it nearly went to the full 15-minute time limit. However, Taylor hit Siaki with a flying double forearm smash, and pinned him at 14:27.
Taylor: “I bet that wasn't the result you wanted, Brain, but everyone here knows something that you never seemed to grasp – I'm one of the best darn wrestlers in the world! I have a lot of things going through my mind right now, and I'm not gonna rush picking a match... so I'll let you know what I want to do before I leave the arena tonight.”
As the interview ended, the scene shifted to a car parking inside the lower levels of the arena. The driver's door opened, and the crowd roared in approval as Eddie Guerrero, from Lucha Underground, winked at the cameraman.
COMMERCIAL
Guerrero settled in a locker room, where he was taping up with his partners for tonight, Louie Spicolli and Art Barr – reforming Los Gringos Locos for a one-time-only match against the Army of Darkness. The three luchadors were smiling, and for once, Barr and Spicolli seemed happy. Razor Ramon briefly entered the room, shook Guerrero's hand and wished him luck. However, as the “Bad Guy” left, he bumped into Buddy Murphy in the hallway. The Australian took offense, and said, “I almost dropped you with my finisher last week, big man – it should have been me wrestling in the main event tonight!”
Ramon: “Yeah, but it isn't, is it, chico? Tell you what, though – forget the tag-team partners, and let's go mano y mano next week. Just you and me. You in, or are you out?”
Murphy fearlessly stepped forward. “I'm in... chico.”
Back to the broadcast table. Russell was standing alongside Oliver Humperdink, and his two charges, Uhaa Nation and Larry Cameron. Unsurprisingly, the rotund manager did most of the talking. “You're looking at two of the most dominant athletes of the 21st century! As singles competitors? Unbeatable! As a tag-team? Unconquerable! Let me tell you something, Lance – my men are eager to move up the rankings and beat some people up – and not necessarily in that order! We're issuing an open challenge. If any man or team wants to face the House of Humperdink next week, well, Mr. Heenan's office is only about a hundred feet away. Go sign a contract – we'll take care of the rest, and you, in short order.”
The trio left, and Maverick did his thing.
SHANE THORNE vs. KERRY VON ERICH:
vs.
vs.
The “Modern Day Warrior” got a hero's welcome as he entered the ring, and as eager as he was to somehow get his hands on his brother David, he was just happy to be back in action. Thorne was a game opponent, and a great all-around athlete, but Von Erich was just too strong and explosive. After softening up Thorne with an iron claw, he hit him with a discus lariat to earn the victory in about seven minutes.
Von Erich: “It's great to be back in Florida! I don't have a lot of say, just this – David, I'm coming for you. Bobby Heenan can't keep us apart for too much longer – he knows what's good for business, and he knows that all of you want to see me beat the crap out of my brother! And after that, I want what everyone wants, and that's a shot at a title. I don't care if it's Brian Pillman, Rick Rude, Nigel McGuinness if he wins tonight, it doesn't matter – Kerry Von Erich is here to win some gold.”
The Texan strode up the ramp, but before he left, Heenan walked through the curtain and said something to Von Erich that no one else could hear. Then, the CWF president sat down beside Russell, and said, “Surprise! Let's throw the format out the window tonight – when we come back, Rick Rude will defend the CWF Florida Heavyweight championship – and trust me, you're gonna get a big kick out of it!”
COMMERCIAL
CWF FLORIDA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
NIGEL McGUINNESS vs. RICK RUDE (c, w/Percy Pringle III):
vs.
NIGEL McGUINNESS vs. RICK RUDE (c, w/Percy Pringle III):
vs.
The British challenger entered the ring first, eager to lock up with his foe. Pringle and Rude followed, and the champion took the microphone from Maverick and made his usual speech, insulting the audience and bragging about his “undefeated” record in the territory. He arrogantly took his robe off and stood in the corner, and then Maverick made an announcement that infuriated the crowd – but made Heenan smile from ear to ear.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is an arm wrestling match to determine the CWF Florida Heavyweight champion!”
The ring crew brought in an arm wrestling table, and the “Ravishing One” casually walked up to it and settled into position. McGuinness was seething, and he glared back at Heenan. The ROH stalwart was as good as any man in the world in a pure wrestling match... but this? Conversely, Rude was perfectly at home in this setting; he was a world-class competitor in this sport as well.
Russell admonished Heenan, and “the Weasel” replied. “When did I ever say that McGuinness was gonna just plain old wrestle Rick for the title? I said he'd get a championship shot, and he is! If he can't hang with the champ, then so be it!” He paused, and added, “Besides, just between you and me, I just didn't think that it'd be an exciting match. I'm trying to put together good TV, Russell, and this... this is it!”
The two men cinched up. On the referee's signal, they went at it, but it didn't last very long. Rude was just too strong and experienced, and he slammed McGuinness's left arm down in about ten seconds. The London native backed up from the table, shot Heenan another look of sheer hatred, then went back to the table and offered his right arm. Rude shrugged, and the referee set them back up. This time, though, McGuinness did not go down so easily, refusing out of sheer stubbornness.
This angered Rude, and he raked the challenger's eyes. It suddenly turned into a fight, and Pringle held the referee back as Rude rocked McGuinness with punches. However, Nigel battled back, threw the champion over the top rope, and then broke the arm-wrestling table into several pieces. Heenan was satisfied that Rude was still his champion, but he was also (begrudgingly) impressed by McGuinness's fire... and “the Brain” had dollar signs in his eyes. So he stood up with a microphone and said, “That's enough! You guys wanna fight next week? For real? For the title? You got it!”
COMMERCIAL
A split-screen shot of two locker rooms was shown – the Army of Darkness was in one, and Los Gringos Locos was in the other. Russell recapped the challenge that Kevin Sullivan made and Barr accepted. It wasn't for any title, but it was still important to both teams; they both needed a win.
Before the match began, Russell also broke some news. “Fans, I've just been informed that Bobby Heenan has, for once, stuck to his word. Next week, right here on Championship Wrestling from Florida, 'Ravishing' Rick Rude will defend the CWF Florida Heavyweight championship against the number one challenger, Nigel McGuinness – in a 30-minute Iron Man match!”
The ASCENSION and HADE VANSEN (w/Kevin Sullivan) vs. ART BARR, EDDIE GUERRERO, and LOUIE SPICOLLI:
vs.
vs.
Sullivan led his macabre minions to the ring first. The reunited AAA trio followed, and Guerrero's charismatic presence brought the crowd to its feet. He started the match against Vansen, and the two fought at a blistering pace that “Latino Heat” preferred.
As the bout went on, and the tags became more frequent, it was clear that the Ascension wanted to double-team as much as possible. It was also obvious that Barr and Guerrero had barely missed a beat since last teaming in Mexico, and Spicolli distracted the referee several times on their behalf. However, the grungy grappler got caught by Konnor and Viktor, and he was the face in peril for a long stretch of time.
While this occurred, a split-screen appeared, and Terry Taylor was walking out of the arena. "Bobby, I actually thought about asking for a match against you, but honestly, you're not worth the effort. So just give me the match I originally asked you for two weeks ago - me and Richie Steamboat, against Bob Orton and Don Muraco!"
Spicolli eventually evaded the Army's grasp and dove for a tag into his corner. Guerrero vaulted over the top rope and rained punches down on all of his opponents. It turned into a pier-six brawl, as these matches often do, and after a couple of more chaotic minutes, Barr and Guerrero hit stereo frog splashes from opposite corners on the Ascension. The ref slapped the canvas with both hands, and LGL won the battle at 15:38.
But Sullivan didn't let the celebration last for long. He slid into the ring, rallied his troops, and restarted the fight. They had the numbers advantage, and took out their frustrations on the trio for several moments – until big Mark Jindrak ran down to the ring. He still sported a black eye that his former partner, Sean O'Haire, gave him the week before, but he was in just the mood to return the favor on anyone.
The eight men battled all around ringside until CWF officials broke the melee apart, and the Army of Darkness slowly retreated up the ramp. The faces remained in the ring, shaking hands and trading hugs, and then Guerrero put his hand on Barr's shoulder and pointed at the 265-pounder who helped them out. He said, “Ese, I want to introduce you to a good friend of mine before I go back home – and I really,really think that you and Louie oughtta make him your amigo as well. This man here... is Marco Corleone.”