Post by fifthhorseman on Jul 14, 2020 21:41:30 GMT -5
CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING FROM FLORIDA
EPISODE 19
EPISODE 19
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, ending with a still shot of Dusty Rhodes, Nick Nemeth, and Jack Brisco standing in the ring, in a triangle, staring each other down.
Lance Russell: “Welcome to Championship Wrestling from Florida! I'm Lance Russell, he's Stu Bennett, and tonight,we will determine the top contender for the CWF Florida Heavyweight championship. Earlier today, the three men participating in our beat-the-clock round-robin series took part in a number of coin tosses to determine the order of their matches. Jack Brisco, you get to sit this one out – let's get to the ring for our first match of the night!
NICK NEMETH (w/Niko Bogojevic, Mike Rotunda, and Dan Spivey) vs. DUSTY RHODES:
vs.
vs.
The entire Gulf Coast Varsity Club came out to support the heavyweight from Kent State, who had a stern test waiting for him. The former NWA World champ wanted to reclaim his territory, if you will, and the “American Dream” took charge from the get-go. It turned into a very competitive struggle as the minutes ticked by, but despite the support Nemeth got from his crew, he got caught in a very surprising backslide by Rhodes. The official time was 13:34, and bitter at the loss, he only slapped Rhodes on the back while the other three Club members reluctantly shook the winner's hand.
COMMERCIAL
Russell set up a video clip that cameras caught the week before: Rusev and Ryback brawling backstage after the elimination match, broken up only after a bunch of CWF wrestlers jumped in to separate the two titans. Officials shouted at them to grab their gear and leave for the night, or the fines they'd get would be a lot higher.
When the clip was over, the play-by-play man said, “After seeing this for himself, Bobby Heenan knew that there was only one thing he could do, and that was make this match. So next week, Ryback and Rusev, in that very ring... in a lumberjack match!”
JIMMY GARVIN (w/Michael Hayes) vs. BARRY WINDHAM:
vs.
vs.
Windham wanted a challenge in his debut match, and he was getting one, facing off against one of the former CWF Florida Tag-Team champions. Hayes was no innocent bystander, either, and when the lanky Texan looked as if he was going to finish it off early, “P.S” tagged him with a hard left jab that the referee missed. But that didn't slow Windham down for too long, and he ended it with a flying lariat that nearly decapitated Garvin – and knowing how the Freebirds operated, rolled out of the ring and got to the ramp before Hayes could do anything about it.
Another backstage segment, with Razor Ramon running into Sean O'Haire. The two men were almost mirror images of each other – about the same height, weight, build, even the same hair color – and both were brimming with confidence. To throw fuel on the potential fire, O'Haire had the Devil's Advocates with him, including his newest, Hade Vansen – the only man left in Tampa after the Army of Darkness's departure. Ramon, looking for a rebound win after his recent losses, challenged any of them to a match next week; the dark quartet huddled and agreed, but did not say who it would be.
COMMERCIAL
All four Freebirds were backstage, commiserating over the Garvin loss. They seemed to think that they weren't being respected anymore, and they rhetorically wondered if they had to do something drastic to get Bobby Heenan's attention again.
Elsewhere, a cameraman wanted to get Nemeth's thoughts on the upcoming beat-the-clock match, but the mutli-time IC champ waved him off and said, “Not right now, me and the team have to watch it,” and he shut his dressing room door.
JACK BRISCO vs. DUSTY RHODES:
vs.
vs.
Both men had plenty of championship experience, and head-to-head, Brisco had the historical advantage. However, the rugged Oklahoman also had a soft knee brace on, due to the beating his leg took in the elimination match the week earlier. Nonetheless, if he was injured, he didn't show it, and he took it to Rhodes, who had already worked close to 15 tough minutes. Each man went after the other man's legs, with elbowdrops, figure-four leglocks, spinning toe holds, and more. Both men were sore, but when Rhodes went for yet another figure-four, Brisco reached up, headlocked him, and cinched him into a small package. The former amateur great scored the pin at a time of 13:02 – putting him, for the moment, in the driver's seat.
COMMERCIAL
Four wrestlers were casually catching up in one of the locker rooms: Jimmy and Jey Uso, Sonny Siaki, and Umaga Fatu. The gist of the conversation was that they would always watch each other's backs, but the two teams were also both competing for the CWF Florida Tag-Team titles held by Billy Jack Haynes and Kerry Von Erich. They exchanged farewells, and the Samoa Fight Club wished the Usos good luck against the Varsity Club next week.
Russell also gave a quick medical update on Terry Funk, who was forced to leave the 12-man elimination match with an apparent knee injury; luckily, it was just a mild posterior cruciate ligament strain, and he'd only be out of action for a couple of weeks – if even that, knowing the wild Texan's pain threshold.
CWF SOUTHERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
UHAA NATION (w/Oliver Humperdink) vs. BRIAN PILLMAN:
UHAA NATION (w/Oliver Humperdink) vs. BRIAN PILLMAN:
vs.
On the way to the ring, Humperdink gloated about the beatdown his stable inflicted on “Superstar” Billy Graham the week before. Inside the ring, two of the most dynamic athletes in the entire MUW Network were eager to steal the show. Both were agile, both didn't mind going to the top rope – and Nation was one of the strongest men, pound for pound, in all of professional wrestling. They set a blistering pace for the first half of their match, despite Humperdink's cry for his man to slow it down. It eventually did settle down, and Nation used his power on the mat, with leg-scissors and various bodyvices. But the “Loose Cannon” was also a strong man, and after another flurry of moves, Pillman nailed his opponent with a springboard stunner.
COMMERCIAL
Videotaped segment with Rick Rude and his entourage of Percy Pringle and the Destruction Crew. They were all at Rude's St. Petersburg residence, and the champion let the world know that it didn't matter who came out of this round-robin as his next challenger, their fate was already determined – they were destined to lose.
Heenan came out to the broadcast table to the usual negative crowd response and said, “I gotta tell you, this round-robin was a hell of an idea. Oh yeah, I'm the guy who thought of it! Next week is already shaping up to be a fantastic show, and if – or should I say when – I make a couple more calls, you're gonna get an update on our next big pay-per-view, Bash at the Beach!"
JACK BRISCO vs. NICK NEMETH (w/Niko Bogojevic, Mike Rotunda, and Dan Spivey):
vs.
vs.
The two collegiate grapplers shook hands before the match began, and it was a very classic exhibition early on. Both men had healthy egos, and they clearly wanted to prove their amateur qualifications. Brisco briefly took charge, and Nemeth rolled out to get some advice from the Club.
The contest continued, and everyone had an eye on the clock. The match gradually became a fight, with fists and chops being exchanged. Brisco tried to ground it, while Nemeth – although comfortable wrestling there – wanted to stay upright, and use his vastly superior aerial skills. He utilized dropkicks and flying bodypresses, but nothing kept Brisco down.
The turning point came when Nemeth was back-bodydropped over the top rope to the floor, almost landing on the ramp. Bogojevic ran over to check on him, and the ref made sure he didn't “help” his ally too much – but by doing so, he missed Rotunda chop-block Brisco's leg, perhaps as retaliation for his loss two weeks before.
Nemeth rolled back in and targeted the leg at the Syracuse Orangeman's direction. He viciously attacked the knee, and after several twists and strikes, bent over to taunt Brisco. But his foe caught him in a small package, just like he did Rhodes. He got a two-count, but unseen by the referee yet again, Spivey pulled on Nemeth's ankle, giving him the leverage to reverse the hold, which he did just long enough to get the three-count.
Time of match: 12:59. Three seconds shorter than the Rhodes/Brisco match. All three competitors had earned a win over each other, but by the skin of his teeth, Nemeth was getting a shot at Rick Rude. The show ended with all four members of the GCVC in the ring, holding each other's arms in the air.