Post by fifthhorseman on Jun 12, 2020 0:51:58 GMT -5
CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING FROM FLORIDA
EPISODE 14
EPISODE 14
A 60-second video montage showcasing the action that took place at Battle of the Belts began the show, ending with a still shot of CWF Florida Heavyweight champion Rick Rude standing tall in the ring after a successful title defense against Razor Ramon.
Lance Russell: “Hello, wrestling fans! I'm Lance Russell, and I'm joined tonight – and every night we're on the air – by the newest addition to the broadcast desk, Stu Bennett! Stu, welcome aboard!”
The big British brawler nodded to the camera. “It's great to be here in Tampa as the color voice of CWF. We have four great matches in store for you tonight, and a lot to discuss after what transpired at Battle of the Belts a couple of weeks ago. But first, it is my honor and privilege to introduce the reigning CWF Florida Heavyweight champion himself... 'Ravishing' Rick Rude!”
On cue, his music wailed, and Rude parted the curtain with his manager, Percy Pringle III, right behind him. He was tailored from head to toe, and the gold belt on his shoulder made the perfect fashion accessory. As usual, Rude insulted the crowd, and launched into a speech about the lack of competition, describing the ease with which he took care of his last opponent, Ramon. “So unless Bobby Heenan asks me to step into the ring tonight with some other jabroni, I'm going to sit back, relax, and see with my two eyes if there's any man back there that has the skill and the guts to face me. Because I'm pretty sure there isn't.”
He smirked at the crowd and left, along with Pringle, and as the announcers returned to their desk, a referee headed to the ring to get ready for the first match of the night.
LEX LUGER (w/Oliver Humperdink) vs. RICHIE STEAMBOAT:
vs.
vs.
Steamboat insisted on this bout, eager to exact revenge against the “Total Package” for interrupting his match at BotB against Blitzkrieg and attacked them both. The young star took it to Luger from the opening bell , but his speed didn't negate the overwhelming power advantage his foe had. Luger took control a short time after, and finished Steamboat with his patented torture rack at 5:40.
After the match, Humperdink wielded the ringside microphone. “The House of Humperdink is stronger than ever! Lex Luger! Uhaa Nation! Larry Cameron! Three alpha males; three of the most physically-imposing athletes walking the earth; three of the toughest, strongest, and hungriest wrestlers in the industry today – and they're all here in Florida with me!”
COMMERCIAL
Russell was standing on the stage, and introduced Sonny Siaki and Umaga Fatu – the Samoa Fight Club. They were proud of their victory at Battle of the Belts, and were eager to take on any team in the CWF. They might be one of the newest teams in Florida, they said, but it wouldn't take them long to prove that they were one of the best.
[By the way... here in the CWF, Umaga is not the savage he was in the WWE. His personality will be closer to the “real” Eddie Fatu, and I'm keeping the last name to humanize him a bit. However, he is still a 350-pound destructive force of nature, so I'm using Umaga as his first name.]
Suddenly, they were interrupted by the Ascension, and Kevin Suliivan, who said, “If you two really think you're so big and bad, why don't you try on Konnor and Viktor for size?”
The four wrestlers stared each other down for several seconds, none of them willing to concede anything, until Bennett stood up from the desk. “Excuse me, gentlemen, I have some... good news to share. One of the men that was scheduled to wrestle tonight failed to show, so Mr. Heenan just fired that fellow. However, that does leave a bit of time to kill, so 'the Brain' has instructed me to tell you all to go to the ring and settle it there - right now.”
The ASCENSION (w/Kevin Sullivan) vs. the SAMOA FIGHT CLUB:
vs.
vs.
The sinister team of Konnor and Viktor looked good for a couple of minutes, but the SFC were riding high after indirectly sending the Nasty Boys packing from CWF. Siaki looked better than ever, and Fatu wasn't called the “Samoan Bulldozer” for nothing. Sullivan did his best to disrupt the match through words and deeds, but he couldn't stop Fatu from nailing Viktor with the Samoan spike, and he pinned him at an even eight minutes.
But as soon as it was over, Sullivan slid in and attacked Siaki, while the other two tried to gang up on his partner. The “Army of Darkness” got a few licks in, but the Fight Club battled back and repelled the trio until officials ran down to the ring and separated the combatants.
COMMERCIAL
Russell informed the audience that the CWF Florida tag-team champions, Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin, were not in the arena tonight; like Rude, they were taking a “well-deserved” night off. The other Freebirds, David Von Erich and Ray Gordy, were also absent, similarly citing the “Yellow Rose's” hard-fought Texas bullrope match against his brother, Kerry.
A video then aired, shot sometime before Battle of the Belts was over. The Freebirds were sore, and bloodied, but celebrating in their locker room. Not for long, though – Kerry Von Erich crashed through the door, partially held back by Billy Jack Haynes. The “Modern Day Warrior” was furious, and went straight at Gordy, the man he blamed for his loss. He shouted, “Dave, I want a rematch!”
But David laughed him off. “Not a chance, kid. I beat you, knocked you out cold in the middle of the ring, and everyone in the world saw it. Hell, Dad raised my hand himself!”
Kerry: “I ain't done with you and the rest of you, not by a long shot. Gordy, you know what, you aren't even worth my time. So, David, if you don't fight me right now, I 'll fight any of those no-good Freebirds you've fallen in with.”
A quartet of officials finally arrived to make sure things didn't get worse, and Hayes piped up. “You want a piece of me? You want a piece of Jimmy Jam? No way, son, you don't get to dictate terms to the tag-team champions! Now, get out of our locker room!”
But the younger Von Erich was persistent – and desperate. “Listen here, Hayes! I had David beat until that punk Gordy DDTed me on a cowbell! And if I can't beat whatever one of you I get my hands on next time I get you in a ring – I'll quit.”
Haynes turned him around, and said, “Whoa, hold up there, Kerry. You've taken a lot of punishment tonight, you're tired, you're mad, you-”
“I know what I'm doing!” Kerry continued. “David, Michael, the rest of ya – I'll quit and leave CWF if you can beat me. How about this – you two put those belts up against me and Billy Jack. If we lose, you'll never see me again. But if I win, you two punks are looking at the next tag-team champs. You think you got what it takes me to run me outta town?”
Before Garvin or Hayes could decline, David stood up and said, “You're on! And trust me, you're gonna regret ever walkin' in here, kid. Now, get out!”
LEO KRUGER vs. RUSEV:
vs.
vs.
The South African game hunter waited on the ramp for Rusev, and as soon as the “Bulgarian Brute” emerged from the curtains, Kruger pounced. The two men fought all the way down the ramp, throwing each other into tables, chairs, and the railing before they even got in the ring – the referee was very lenient. Kruger was a powerful figure, and he got in several slams and punches, but Rusev soon turned the tide. The crowd cheered on everything he did, and after connecting with a Machka kick, he locked on the Accolade. Kruger had no choice, and tapped out at 9:03.
Rusev celebrated in the ring, and waved and nodded to the crowd – but suddenly, he did a double-take, and the camera focused on what caught the big man's attention. Seated just a few rows from ringside was another imposing figure – the behemoth named Ryback.
COMMERCIAL
A 30-second clip from Lucha Underground's Aztec Warfare IV aired, highlighting the MUW-sanctioned match for the Southern Heavyweight championship between Brian Pillman and LU's Johnny Mundo. It was insane, it was one of the most athletic contests any promotion had seen in 2020 – and when it was over, the “Loose Cannon” was still the champion.
As was his custom, CWF President and Owner Bobby Heenan sat down at the desk for the main event. He was angry and frustrated – he had covertly schemed to keep Pillman from defending the title for 30 days, and planned on stripping it from him for not doing so... but Pillman figured it out, and went behind his back to Antonio Cueto, who seized the opportunity to present an interpromotional all-star match at one of the biggest events of the year.
He wasn't mad at Russell, but “the Brain” had to vent. “If you were a better announcer, Lance, you'd still be out here by yourself. But let's face it – you're not getting any younger or handsomer, so I brought in Stu Bennett to lend you a helping hand.”
The legendary play-by-play man scowled, and started to question Heenan about what happened, but he cut him off quickly. “Are you trying to wind me up, Russell? Are you? I'm just gonna say it once – I've filed a grievance with the MUW board of directors, but I suspect those dummies aren't gonna do anything about it. So, in the meantime, there's no sense giving Brian Pillman the night off – after all, he's a fighting champion, right? And I have the perfect opponent for him. He's proven his worth, both recently and in the past. He's a former four-time CWF Southern champion. He's a former eight-time CWF Florida champion. He's a former NCAA wrestling champion, and a two-time NWA World Heavyweight champion. So, good luck, 'Flyin' Brian' – you're facing Jack Brisco. Right. Now.”
CWF SOUTHERN CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
JACK BRISCO vs. BRIAN PILLMAN (c):
vs.
JACK BRISCO vs. BRIAN PILLMAN (c):
vs.
Both men were fan favorites, but the crowd was split 60/40 for the “Loose Cannon”. The first couple of minutes were spent feeling each other out, with Brisco using his unmatched amateur skills to take Pillman down a few times; however, the champion was one of the quickest men on the roster, and he escaped every hold.
Heenan: “By the way, in the spirit of making whoever holds the Southern Heavyweight title a real fighting champion, I'd like to announce that next week, we're going to have a four-man tournament to find out who gets the next shot at that gold. Nigel McGuiness versus Dexter Lumis, and Terry Taylor versus Sean O'Haire. Pillman, God forbid, if you survive tonight and escape with your title... well, the hits keep coming, don't they!”
The match continued, and despite their best intentions, the action got grittier. Neither man was above bending a rule here or there, to be sure, and armdrags were gradually replaced by punches. Still, it never got out of control, and the referee kept the blatant aggressive rulebreaking to a minimum.
They flew by the 15-minute mark. Pillman gained momentum, and the pace picked up. Dropkicks, flying headscissors, and other high-impact aerial moves all hit their mark, but the rugged Oklahoman wouldn't stay down. Brisco battled back with a series of chops and suplexes, and after noticing a slight limp in his opponent, targeted Pillman's left knee. He kicked away at it, dragged the champ to the center of the ring, and applied his trademark figure-four leglock.
Pillman writhed in pain, but refused to quit. He rolled onto his stomach, reversing the pressure, but Brisco rolled him back. Raising his arm in the air, he struggled again, and fell back onto the canvas – in so much pain, he practically pinned himself. The referee counted – one, two... and then the bell rang. Heenan slammed his hand down on the desk, while the astute Russell made the call. “Fans, our time is up – Pillman retains the title, as TV time expired right before the referee could count three! Good night from Championship Wrestling in Florida!”