Post by fifthhorseman on Apr 7, 2020 14:18:49 GMT -5
CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING from FLORIDA
EPISODE 7
EPISODE 7
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 Art Barr and Lucha Underground's Eddie Guerrero in mid-air, diving from opposite corners onto Konnor and Viktor.
Lance Russell: “Hello, wrestling fans, and welcome to Championship Wrestling from Florida! I'm Lance Russell, and we have five outstanding matches in store for you tonight. Both of our singles champions are in action tonight, and our main event is a 30-minute Iron Man match between Nigel McGuinness and the CWF Florida Heavyweight champion, Rick Rude! But it looks like our other championship match is ready to go, so let's get down to the ring where Drake Maverick is standing by!”
SUBMISSION MATCH FOR THE CWF SOUTHERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
BRIAN PILLMAN (c) vs. DAVEY RICHARDS:
vs.
BRIAN PILLMAN (c) vs. DAVEY RICHARDS:
vs.
The “American Wolf” and the “Loose Cannon” stared at each other from their corners, eager to lock up. Richards was motivated to win the title; Pillman was angry that Bobby Heenan put him in the opening opening match – again. It was an intense battle from bell to bell, befitting two of the most evenly matched wrestlers in CWF. The former ROH World champ tested Pillman like few before, locking him in a cloverleaf. But Pillman powered out and after trading a quick series of holds, Brian “borrowed” a maneuver from his old partner Steve Austin – he cinched in a Million Dollar Dream (cobra clutch), and wrapped his for up further with a body-scissors. On the verge of passing out, Richards tapped at 17:55.
The crowd stood on its feet, and as Richards skulked out of the ring, Pillman addressed Maverick and the audience. “Another week, another win for the 'Loose Cannon'. Hey, Bobby – you must be pretty proud of me! It doesn't matter who it is – Davey Richards, Davey Boy Smith, or Davy Crockett – you set 'em up, and I'll knock them down, until I get what I deserve: a shot at the Florida Heavyweight championship!”
COMMERCIAL
A Sean O'Haire video vignette played. He was in dark clothing, wearing a long trenchcoat, and he spoke with dark charisma into the camera. He wondered why people suppressed their innermost desires, when they could just do whatever they wanted to do and take what they wanted to take. “I was once like you... but then I decided that I didn't want to carry the weight of two men on one man's shoulders. Mark Jindrak... Marco Corleone... whoever you think you are these days. Good riddance to a bad partner. And don't get too comfortable, because I'm not done with you yet... but I'm not telling you anything that you don't already know.”
2MB vs. LARRY CAMERON and UHAA NATION (w/Oliver Humperdink):
vs.
Humperdink laughed at the team that dared to challenge his stable, but 2MB was tougher than their carefree appearance let on. Slater and Bugenhagen controlled things early, but just a couple of minutes in, the switch flipped. Cameron and Nation overwhelmed their foes with their raw strength and aggressiveness. They were too powerful for the self-styled rock stars, even the young powerlifter from Wisconsin. After wiping out Slater, the two men hit Bugenhagen with a double slingshot flapjack, and Nation made the pin at 6:47.
After the semi-squash, Humperdink took the mike. “What did I tell you? Their first tag-team match, and they made it look easy. Why? Because it was! Larry and Uhaa, they could fight my old friends the Freebirds right now and take those titles if they wanted to. They could fight any man in the locker room in a match, and win. In the ring, in the locker room, in a street fight, they don't care! This match was just a taste of what the house of Humperdink can do!”
As luck would have it, the CWF World tag champions had watched the match, and the three men – Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin, along with Ray Gordy – were in a locker room, eager to talk into the camera. Hayes, as usual, took the lead. “Big Daddy Dink! Glad you're back in Florida, brother, and I'll tell you what – if your guys win a few more matches, prove themselves down here in the hottest territory in pro wrestling – then we'll put our belts on the line! But till then, we're still waitin' for someone to step up to the plate and give us a challenge! 2MB, Keirn and Graham, whoever it is – don't matter to us.”
Garvin and Gordy nodded their approval, but before either man could add to “P.S.'s” boast, they were interrupted by Kerry Von Erich. “I don't have a partner, but I'm always ready to fight one of you guys. I'm not doing anything next week... one of you man enough to step in the ring with me?”
Surprisingly, it was the young Gordy that answered the call. “Hell yeah, I will. My dad's been beatin' you boys up for years – I figure it's my turn now!”
And then it went to
COMMERCIAL
RECKLESS YOUTH vs. “Wild” BILL IRWIN:
vs.
vs.
Not much of a match, but definitely a showcase for Reckless Youth. Earlier in the week, Irwin convinced Heenan into signing him to an open try-out contract, and “the Brain” decided to test him against one of his best. Youth dominated, with his usual combination of stiff strikes and groundwork, and he submitted the Texan with a cross-armbar in less than five minutes. But before Maverick could do the post-match interview, they were interrupted by Leo Kruger, who slid through the crowd and jumped the winner from behind. "King of the Independents - bah! Say hello to the King of the Jungle!"
CWF officials restored order, and Russell shifted the scene to a pre-taped, black and white vignette with Art Barr, Louie Spicolli, and Marco Corleone. The trio was in what looked like an abandoned gym or warehouse, poorly lit and maintained, running the ropes in a small ring. Then they began doing forward rolls, lock-ups and slams, and other basic moves. The video lasted for about 90 seconds, and at the end, the three men stopped and stared into the camera. A final graphic flared on the screen: Los Gringos Renacido.
Back to the broadcast table, where Russell recapped why the next match was taking place. (Go read the last couple of episodes, and you'll be all caught up!)
DON MURACO and BOB ORTON, Jr. vs. RICHIE STEAMBOAT and TERRY TAYLOR:
vs.
vs.
Taylor and Orton started the bout, two of the best technicians in the business. They traded holds and counters until the “Magnificent One” got antsy on the outside, and insisted on the tag. Taylor traded shots with him as well, and tagged in his young partner, and he dropkicked the big Hawaiian down, eager to get some revenge.
Eventually, the experience – and experience as a team – began to show, and pay off for the heels. Orton and Muraco isolated Taylor, and laid the proverbial boots to him for several minutes, until Steamboat took a long-overdue hot tag. He fired into both of his opponents, and a minute later, Taylor was back in the fight as well. All four men went at it, and in the confusion, Muraco hit the second-generation star with a low blow, giving his partner enough time and space to pin him with a small package. The ref never saw it, and Orton stole the win for his team at 10:32.
Taylor and Steamboat rolled out of the ring, and Muraco took the microphone from the diminutive ring announcer. “A good team will always beat a couple of good singles wrestlers – too bad I don't see any good singles wrestlers around here! Steamboat, you're not your old man – you have a lot to learn, and hanging around with those losers Terry Taylor and Jack Brisco, it sure looks like you're not learning a thing! Now me and Bob, we're proven commodities in this sport, and we're on our way to the penthouse and those CWF Florida Tag-Team titles.”
COMMERCIAL
As usual, Bobby Heenan made his grand entrance for the main event. He sat down beside Russell, who asked him if this would be a “real” match. “The Brain” seemed insulted, and replied, “Lance, I don't know what to say. If you weren't entertained by what happened last week, then you just aren't a fan of professional wrestling. And you have to admit, it certainly has lit a fire under both competitors tonight!”
The curtain parted, and the challenger, McGuinness, stopped in front of the broadcast table and pointed his finger right in Heenan's face. A few seconds left, the tall Brit left, and Heenan exhaled a sigh of relief. Rude and Pringle came out next, as champions do, and the Minnesota strongman posed for the crowd. Maverick waited until both parties entered the ring to make the big match intros.
30-MINUTE IRON MAN MATCH FOR THE CWF FLORIDA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
NIGEL McGUINNESS vs. RICK RUDE (c, w/Percy Pringle III):
vs.
NIGEL McGUINNESS vs. RICK RUDE (c, w/Percy Pringle III):
vs.
The two men fought at a deliberate pace to start out, cognizant of the half-hour they'd be wrestling. During a lull in the action, Heenan confirmed that Kerry Von Erich would indeed get a match next week against Ray Gordy. Meanwhile, in the ring, the action picked up, an evenly-fought battle that pitted the technical strong-style of McGuiness against the power and solid mat work of the champion, Rick Rude.
At the halfway mark in the match, the action spilled outside. While Rude distracted the referee, Pringle shoved the challenger into the ringpost face-first, stunning him. “Ravishing Rick” pounced on him, grabbing McGuinness's wrists from inside the ring, amd pulling him toward the ringpost a second time. The ROH mainstay went into the steel head-first again, and fell to the floor, barely conscious. The official admonished Rude, and began his count. A long ten seconds later, Rude was up 1-0.
Nigel slowly rolled back into the ring before he could be counted out a second time, and Rude was all over him. Punches and kicks, slams and suplexes, but the challenger didn't stay down. He fought back, slowly reversing the tide of offence as Pringle fumed. Trapping Rude in a double chickenwing, he lifted the champ up and dropped him backwards with a suplex. Both men's shoulders were on the mat, but a millisecond before the referee made a double pin count, the Londoner lifted his right shoulder up, and with about six minutes left, they were tied 1-1.
Rude was furious, and he attacked McGuinness before the 20-second “recovery period” was over. But the Brit battled back, and they traded punches in the center of the ring. The crowd was into it, Russell was calling it as only he could... and Heenan was doing a terrible job of being neutral on commentary. Regardless, whatever happened, happened.
The clock ticked down to the final minute, and again, Pringle was a factor. Rude was dazed and on one knee, and McGuinness positioned him for his jawbreaker lariat. However, when he hit the ropes, the sneaky manager pulled back on the top strand, affecting the clearance McGuinness had bouncing back. He snapped his forehead against the cable, bending his neck back painfully. He awkwardly bounced back off the ropes – and right into the grip of the Florida champion, who nailed him with a Rude Awakening. With just five seconds left in the match, Rude made the pin, taking it 2-1.
Rude and Pringle celebrated their hard-fought – and shady – win by standing over their foe. It was Rude's first true test, and he passed, albeit with help. He help the gold high overhead, and Heenan applauded at the broadcast table as the show faded to black.