Post by fifthhorseman on Aug 10, 2020 22:12:24 GMT -5
CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING FROM FLORIDA
EPISODE 23
EPISODE 23
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 “Ravishing” Rick Rude holding his Florida Heavyweight championship belt in the air.
Cold open, apparently recorded earlier in the afternoon. One by one, the wrestlers were pulling into the arena parking lot. Rusev arrived as well, but before he could even get fully out of his car, he was jumped by four men, with clothing that covered every inch of their body, and their heads and faces fully covered as well. It was reminiscent of the infamous Four Horsemen attack on Dusty Rhodes in 1986, and perhaps it even inspired the savage quartet – because they also trapped the Bulgarian's right arm, and slammed the driver's door repeatedly on it before running away.
Lance Russell: “Fans, what you just saw on your television screens occurred a mere couple of hours ago. Unfortunately, we don't know much more than you do. That group, that gang of thugs, scattered after attacking Rusev, and while security is still looking into the situation... we have no idea who they are. Their identities, their motivation, where they came from... we just don't know. Stu?”
Stu Bennett: “We do know this. The medical team employed by CWF has not cleared Rusev to wrestle tonight. If that arm is only broken, then he should consider himself lucky. And to give the big brute his due, when I spoke with him just a little while ago, he still wanted to face Ryback tonight. But until his medical condition is completely diagnosed, he will not be in the ring, and in fact, he's en route to the local hospital now.”
Russell shook his head in disapproval, and added, “And on that note, let's go to the ring, where we've been told that Ryback has something to say."
The “Big Guy” was in a smug mood. “Looks like Rusev isn't gonna make it tonight, so your winner, by forfeit... is me!”
A few seconds passed, and true to his boast, the referee raised his hand. “And as long as I have a couple of minutes, let me just say this first: I had nothing to do with what happened to him out in the parking lot. You want an alibi? I was in Bobby Heenan's office when that all went down – just ask him. We were talking about the idea I had last week, when I heard about the 'pure rules' match.”
“It does sound kinda cool,” he continued, “and I'm gonna watch it... but look, some of us aren't pure wrestlers. Some of us – like me – are fighters. I use my fists to make my money, and I don't care how long it takes or how pretty it looks. So I asked Bobby if he'd consider another style of match. No DQ. No holds barred. Something that favored other guys in the locker room. And that Mr. Heenan, he's a smart, smart man. He agreed with me. So I'm issuing a challenge – any man back there, step on up, you and me, no holds barred... next week. If you have the guts.”
He sneered wickedly, dropped the microphone to the canvas, and left.
COMMERCIAL
Back to the broadcast table, where Russell said, “We're going to try to get back on course here throughout the night, folks, as we've learned that Bobby Heenan is putting the finishing touches on a stand-by match featuring a youngster trying to make his mark tonight, a newcomer to Florida named Kid Kash. But let's get to the ring for tonight's first contest!”
MIKE ROTUNDA (w/Dan Spivey) vs. BARRY WINDHAM:
vs.
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The two men certainly weren't strangers, and they warily shook hands to start the match. As promised the week before, Rotunda tried to show Windham up with his amateur skills, but “the Widowmaker” smoothly got out of every predicament. Windham wanted to make it more of a stand-up fight, but to his foe's credit, the Syracuse star was tough and willing to dish it out that way as well. They battled for over 15 minutes, but after a quick series of counters and reversals, the strong Texan pinned Rotunda with a crucifix.
But it wasn't over yet. The man who replaced Windham in the U.S. Express, Dan Spivey, charged in and nailed the winner with a devastating clothesline. He got on top and rained forearms down across Windham as well, and when Rotunda moved closer to the fray, Brian Pillman ran down the ramp to even the odds. The Varsity Club scampered away, while the two heroes acknowledged each other's help, knowing that they'd meet soon enough in the first stage of the gauntlet match for the "Loose Cannon's" Southern Heavyweight championship.
COMMERCIAL
A 30-second “coming soon” vignette aired for the “Alpha Male”, Monty Brown.
The BLOND BOMBERS (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. the PRIME TIME PLAYERS:
vs.
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Bennett noted that Young had a slight limp on his way to the ring. “If I spotted it, you can be sure that Patterson, Stevens, and Blassie are going to spot it, too. Makes you wonder if the PTP are wrestling too frequently, trying to prove themselves in a very crowded tag-team division.”
Russell nodded in agreement. “They did just take on the Florida Tag-Team champions, Haynes and Von Erich, a couple of weeks ago. But you of all people know these athletes, Stu – they're fighters through and through.”
The larger of the two Players, O'Neil, led off for his duo, and Stevens did for his. As the match progressed, and the tags became more frequent, it became glaringly obvious that Young came into the match with some sort of injury, and the Bombers targeted him like the clinical pros they were. It took them less than ten minutes to win, courtesy of a Patterson figure-four leglock.
After the match, Blassie spoke to the crowd. “Another week, another win for the Blond Bombers! Those two pencil-necked geeks were no match for my men, and for that matter, no team here in the CWF is! I don't care who has the tag-team titles – we want them! In fact, I want the Florida Heavyweight title and the Southern Heavyweight title, too. And you can take this to the bank - pretty soon, I'll be managing all of the champions in Florida!”
COMMERCIAL
Another VTR was shown, showcasing the striking and technical skills of one of the Pure Rules match combatants later in the night, Timothy Thatcher.
KID KASH vs. JERRY LAWLER:
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The ECW stalwart was in Florida looking for a full-time job, and if that mean going through “the King”, so be it. Lawler just wanted to get the ring time in, and whether it was Kash, George Hackenschmidt, or anyone in between, he was eager to put his gear on and do what he did best. Kash put up a good fight, but his opponent's unmatched experience and guile was too much to overcome; after a short and fiery comeback, Lawler connected with a piledriver for the win.
After the contest, Lawler asked for the microphone. “I'm counting down the days and the hours, David Von Erich. In just a couple of weeks, it's gonna be you and me, right here in this very ring! I figured the fastest way to the top, and the fastest way to get people's attention down here in Tampa, was to punch the biggest bully in the mouth... and Von Erich, the way I see it, you are the biggest bully, and you have the biggest mouth to boot! And let me tell you something else – if you bring any one of those Freebirds with you, I'll take care of them, too!”
COMMERCIAL
Nigel McGuinness was featured in yet another training montage video, with footage from his various Ring of Honor championship defenses interspliced with the action.
SEAN O'HAIRE (w/Leo Kruger) vs. RAZOR RAMON:
vs.
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Kruger chirped at Ramon from the outside, providing all the distraction that his leader, O'Haire, needed to gain an early advantage. He was one of the few men in CWF that could match power with the big Cuban, and he used his martial arts skills to hammer Ramon down. But he would not stay down for long, and Ramon fired up and clotheslined O'Haire out of the ring.
But “the Advocate” grabbed Ramon's leg and pulled him under the bottom rope, and the two titans brawled on the floor. O'Haire seemed to reconsider his position, and he tried to back away, but all that did was insure that the two men fought all the way up the ramp and onto the stage... which was probably his plan all along. Kruger hit Ramon with a running high knee, knocking him down, and Vansen and Lumis ran out and made it a four-on-one mugging. They put the boots to him for an uncomfortably long time, then pulled him up and carried him behind the curtain. However, when the camerman attempted to follow them a few moments later... Ramon, and all of the Devil's Advocates, were nowhere to be found.
COMMERCIAL
Bobby Heenan strolled out for the main event – a rare non-title match at that, but an important one. He sat down and rubbed his hands together, and nonchalantly said, “Hey, you guys have any idea where my last match just went? How the heck do you just lose five big, angry wrestlers?”
Russell, ever the straight man, got straight to the point. “Bobby, earlier tonight, Ryback addressed the audience, saying some pretty incredible things. Can you comment on or corroborate what he said?”
Heenan seemed offended. “Of course I can! First of all, when it comes to that attack on Rusev, let me say this – I'm not happy about it. I was promoting that match all week, and our fans were looking forward to it. I can tolerate a lot of things when they happen in my ring – but when a bunch of masked goons gang up on one of my wrestlers, in my city, then I have a big problem with that! And yes, I can state for the record that Mr. Ryback was with in my office when that occurred.”
“I agree, Bobby, and I hope that you find out who those punks were and deal with them accordingly,” Bennett said. “But before we get to our main event, can you elaborate on what Ryback said about his no holds barred challenge?”
The CWF owner and president grinned. “You bet I can, Stu. Never let it be said that I don't listen to my locker room. Ryback had a valid argument – I have a lot of big, mean, tough, remorseless warriors under contract who'd just as soon throw their own mother into the second deck than try to wrestle under certain rules and regulations. Hell, most of the guys I managed in the Heenan Family certainly fit that description, didn't they? So, next week, we're going to have a CWF 'No holds Barred' match. Wanna know the rules? Here they are: no deliberate low blows, a 20-count on the floor... oh yeah, that's it. You can only win by pin, submission, or knockout. So, how do you like them apples?”
“I guess the only question now is, who is going to challenge the behemoth known as Ryback under those conditions?” Russell asked. “I suppose we'll find out next week, if not sooner... but now, let's get to our main event!”
CWF PURE RULES EXHIBITION MATCH
NIGEL McGUINNESS vs. TIMOTHY THATCHER:
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NIGEL McGUINNESS vs. TIMOTHY THATCHER:
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There was no handshake at the beginning of this one; just because it was being contested under “pure rules”, didn't mean that the two weren't going to try to hurt each other. Thatcher and McGuinness were almost identical in the tale of the tape, and if intensity could be similarly measured, it too would be dead even. They knew the rules very well, and whenever one of them went for a pin, the other quickly scrambled out or bridged on his neck to avoid the dreaded one-count.
Thatcher was relentless, and fought as if he had something to prove – which, in a way, he did, being the man who brought the concept to Heenan. McGuinness also battled with a definite goal: to show the world why he was one of the most dominant champions in ROH history – World or Pure rules – and he waned to replicate that success in 2020. The two gladiators beat the hell out of each other with vicious (but legal) strikes to the body, grappled on the mat with nearly-endless combinations of holds and counters, and tied each other into agonizing submission holds... but neither man would quit.
The bout sapped their energy, and each man took advantage of the ten-count on the floor to catch their breath – but only sparingly, as they didn't want to give their foe that same break. As the minutes ticked off the clock, they threw everything they had at each other, and with about 30 seconds left on the 20-minute time limit, the Englishman locked Thatcher in a cravate, then body-scissored and rolled him over. The hold was painful, and both men's shoulders were dangerously close to the mat. Whenever Thatcher bridged, it actually strained his neck more; McGuinness tightened it every time he could, and the referee was alert for anything – but the decision was taken out of his hands by the timekeeper hitting the bell, signifying a grueling time-limit draw.
Both men were spent, and it took them several seconds to get up off the canvas. The result was disappointing, but no one could complain about the action they just saw. Even Heenan stood up, and he ended the show by grabbing the microphone and saying, “That was fantastic! Now... can you do it again at Bash at the Beach? Let me put it another way... you will do it again, and it will be at Bash at the Beach!”