Post by fifthhorseman on Sept 16, 2020 23:21:18 GMT -5
CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING FROM FLORIDA
EPISODE 26
EPISODE 26
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 the reborn Nexus standing in the ring, surrounded by a host of fallen wrestlers.
Scene change to live footage, with a shot of two wrestling rings, positioned side-by-side and about 15 feet apart, in the sold-out Amelie Arena. After a few seconds, it was up to the broadcast table.
Lance Russell: “Hello wrestling fans! We have a tremendous show in store for you tonight, and we begin the action with a special ten-team gauntlet match to crown the inaugural CWF Southern Tag-Team champions. In fact, this is the only scheduled match of the night, although we do have three standby matches just in case. I'm Lance Russell, and I'm joined on color tonight by a former World champion, the one and only Nigel McGuinness.”
McGuinness: “It's my pleasure to be here, Lance. I'm honored to call the action with you, and call what should be an instant classic of a match just a few moments from now.”
Before that could happen, CWF President Bobby Heenan strutted out with the title belts over each shoulder, and he parked himself beside Russell. “As if you could have started without me! 'The Brain' is here, the belts are here... is Okerlund ready? Come on, let's not leave these people waiting!”
Down to the ring it went, and “Mean” Gene Okerlund explained the rules. The gauntlet would start with four teams, two in each ring, wrestling each other in a pair of standard tag-team matches. As soon as one team was eliminated – by any means – the fifth team would enter that match to replace the eliminated team. Whenever a team was knocked out, whatever ring it was, it would continue until the tenth and final team entered the gauntlet. After that, two more teams would be eliminated – one from each ring – to get down to the final two. The “survivors” of each ring would immediately square off in a standard match, and the winners would be the champions.
TEN-TEAM, DOUBLE RING GAUNTLET
CWF SOUTHERN TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
CWF SOUTHERN TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
The Usos and the East-West Connection were the first two teams to enter the fray, and they stepped into what was designated Ring A. Next to appear were the Blond Bombers with Freddie Blassie, who went to Ring B, and Heenan noted that all three duos had worn World tag-team gold before.
Several seconds elapsed before the curtain parted again, and it was the Prime time Players that emerged to a chorus of boos. In a strange show of solidarity, Patterson and Stevens left B and joined the Usos, Ventura, and Adonis in A, as if anticipating a gang attack. Sure enough, a few moments later, the rest of the Nexus appeared on the stage, and their leader had a microphone in hand.
“First of all, you can call me Wade Barrett. After all, that's the name most closely associated with the most dominant faction in wrestling history. And trust me, these men will follow me through the gates of Hell if I ask them to, and together, we'd unseat the devil himself from his station. However, tonight isn't that night – in fact, it looks as if we'd be walking into an ambush!”
Barrett paused to look at Heenan, who wore an exasperated look on his face. “Bobby, these work conditions don't seem very safe to me. A six-on-two advantage isn't very sporting, not one bit. So what we're all going to do... is leave. Get your rabble in order, and when we're sure that you do, we'll be back – but certainly not tonight. Do the right thing, Bobby – deep down, you know that you'll be printing money with the Nexus on your roster.”
And before anything could happen... they simply walked off.
Russell looked at Heenan, who was muttering into his headset. “Fans, it looks like we're going to take a quick commercial break right now, while... is that right? OK, Mr. Heenan is going to find another team to take the Prime Time Players' place – when we come back, the gauntlet will begin!”
COMMERCIAL
Wide shot on both rings, and the “fifth” team was ready to go. They were the recently-signed brothers, Brad Armstrong and the “Road Dogg” Jesse James, collectively known as the Georgia Outlaws.
The bell finally rang to begin the action, and after it settled into a rhythm, Russell said, “As soon as our replacement team gets their gear on, they'll be the next team up in the gauntlet, and my goodness, Bobby, how lucky are you to have these two men ready and willing to go. Dory and Terry Funk – truly a legendary team in our sport.”
Heenan: “Luck didn't get them on my roster, pal – my shrewd negotiating skills did. And it didn't take a lot of convincing to talk those crazy Texans into a fight!”
The announcers' heads were on swivels as they called the chaos in both rings. In Ring A, it was a contrast of styles, but the teamwork by both clubs was flawless; in B, the legendary Bombers were a wrestling clinic, but their foes were tough and resilient. Eventually, though, Armstrong found himself on the receiving end of Stevens' Bombs Away kneedrop, and they were eliminated.
Next up, another team making their CWF debut: the Bad Street Boys. They sprinted to B, where the Bombers jumped them – but Matthews and York not only fought back, but flung them from the ring. They weren't going to be pushovers.
A couple of minutes later, the first elimination in the other ring finally took place, when Jey crushed Adonis with a top-rope splash. However, the multi-time WWE champs didn't get a lot of time to celebrate their win – not with Oliver Humperdink leading the Stronghold to the ring. Nation and Cameron went right after the Usos, and the pace picked up in ring A. Pound for pound, they were the strongest – and perhaps most intimidating – group in the field.
The action continued on for a few more minutes in both rings, and the next elimination was an expected one. The Bad Street Boys put up a fight, but the guile and experience of the Bombers was too much to overcome, and Patterson forced York to submit to a Sharpshooter. Blassie congratulated his men, and the three were extremely confident of their chances as they waited for the next team to come out. Their joyful mood was short-lived, though, as finally, the Funk brothers entered the gauntlet.
COMMERCIAL
While the four territorial icons went at it, the intensely physical battle continued in A. The Stronghold was the fresher team, and their offense came in powerful bursts. They isolated Jimmy and used their superior strength to batter him, focusing on his spine with bearhugs, backbreakers, and slams. Cameron and Nation were relentless, and Jimmy was the face in peril for a long time, before finally hitting the hot tag to his brother. Jey fended off both of his opponents for as long as he could, but they caught him as well. He took a pounding from Nation until his sibling made the blind tag, and after a series of whip-ins and reversals, pinned Nation with a sunset flip. Furious, the Stronghold hit the Usos with matching powerslams before leaving.
The Funks and the Bombers continued their old-school battle, as the twins tried to catch their breath. There were only three teams left, and the Usos' worst fear came true when the eighth team stepped through the curtain – the Samoa Fight Club. Siaki and Fatu had their game faces on, but when they stepped through the ropes, they showed proper respect to the Usos, and gave them an extra few seconds to catch their breath.
But when the match started, Umaga lived up to his nickname. The “Samoan Bulldozer” ran through the team across from him, a unmatched combination of mass and quickness. He never threw a closed fist, and everything he did was legal – but everything he did hurt. Siaki kept the hits coming, and the SFC pushed the pace on their rapidly tiring foes.
Over in ring B, fatigue was starting to set in as well. While they were all willing to go an hour or more if they had to, the punches, kicks, and holds - along with the double-teaming – were wearing them all down. The Bombers went after Terry Funk, and for good reason, as he was sporting a couple of medical wraps around his left arm and his right leg due to injuries he sustained a week earlier. Stevens and Patterson were pitbulls, but the hardcore icon weathered the storm long enough to tag Dory in, who cleared house. The former NWA World champ took it to the Bombers, firing them both over the top rope, and the four men brawled on the outside.
Meanwhile in A, the Fight Club looked like they were in cruise control against their Samoan kin. The Usos were exhausted, and Siaki had Jey on the ropes – literally. But he failed to see the tag-out Jimmy made to his brother, and when he went for a bodyslam, Jey hooked his leg on the way down and cradled him for the shocking flash three-count. Obviously, he and Fatu were upset, but after their adrenaline began to come down, they all embraced in the ring, and wished the Usos good luck... which they would need against the next team, who were already jogging down the ramp: Mike Rotunda and Dan Spivey, representing the Gulf Coast Varsity Club.
COMMERCIAL
“Dangerous Dan” double-clotheslined both Usos to start things off, and he was eager to finish it off quickly. The twins were nearly spent, having being in the gauntlet from the very beginning, and now they were against their fourth team of the night. Yet they kicked out of every pin Spivey tried.
The Bombers and the Funks were still going at it; this was the longest single match of the gauntlet. Blassie was doing everything he could from the outside to motivate his men, and it looked like they were moving on after Patterson captured Dory in a sleeper. But the savvy Texan maneuvered him over to a corner, walked up and flipped over the first WWE Intercontinental champ – but Patterson escaped it at 2.9. Undaunted, Funk immediately went for his patented spinning toe hold, and he torqued his foe's right knee mercilessly. Stevens came in to save him, but Terry dove across the ring to hold him off – just long enough for his brother to make Patterson tap out.
That left just one team: the Destruction Crew, who were led to the ring by Percy Pringle III. Heenan had promised the loser of the Crew/Von Erich and Haynes match last month at the Bash an advantage going into the gauntlet, and this was it – the final spot. Enos and Bloom looked at the tired, wounded brothers in the ring, smugly self-assured. Pringle gave them a few words of encouragement, and in they went.
Only a minute after their arrival, the action in ring A was coming to a surprising end. The Usos had one last burst of energy in them, and they hit Rotunda and Spivey with a series of high-flying double-team moves. The referee was also getting tired, though, and he was unable to avoid getting sandwiched between Jey and Rotunda. Fortunately, he wasn't down long – but he missed Spivey nailing Jey with a wicked powerbomb. Every molecule of air was driven from his body, and the Syracuse Orangeman took full advantage, hoisting Uso up and throwing him back down with a double-underhook suplex. Three seconds later, it was over... and the Varsity Club was the last team standing in ring A.
The Usos left to a standing ovation, and they were passed on the ramp by the GCVC's leader, Nick Nemeth, who came down to congratulate and coach his team. The three men watched as the Funks and the Destruction Crew went at each other, brute power versus classic technique. The four men worked for another ten minutes – and worked hard – and it seemed to be over when Enos hoisted Terry up on his shoulders for the Wrecking Ball. But Funk ducked the subsequent top-rope clothesline from Bloom, and caught Enos in a victory roll. It was sudden, and Funk held on just long enough for the pin, as “Mean Mike” kicked out a millisecond after the ref's hand came down a third time.
They were furious, and Bloom and Enos viciously attacked the Texans for several seconds afterwards. They rammed each man into the steel ringpost shoulder-first, and a cadre of CWF officials ran down to usher them away. Away they went, and as the referee restored order, the Varsity Club left ring A and walked over to B, and Nemeth pulled up a chair on the floor.
COMMERCIAL
Rotunda and Dory were squaring off as the show came back from the break. As the bout went on, Nemeth often conferred with whoever was in the corner. Impossibly, it was as if the Funks found a second gear. They ignored the ache in their bones, and tried to forget that they already fought two other teams to get here, spanning at least half an hour in the process.
But the Varsity Club proved resilient as well. Spivey brawled his way out of any predicament, and refused to let either Funk ground him for too long. He tagged out to Rotunda, and the former multi-time World tag champion utilized his amateur acumen and underrated power to put the Club back on offence. Rotunda went after Terry's arm, noticeably missing the layers of tape it sported earlier on. The tags became more frequent, and the Club had the younger Funk on his heels.
However, he would not submit, and briefly rallied to apply the spinning toe hold on Rotunda. But the collegian reached up and pulled Funk into a small package for a two-count... and then Funk rolled backwards to do the same to his opponent. The referee's count was a lot closer to three this time, but Rotunda kicked out, and quickly applied a sitting figure-four armlock on Funk's bad arm. He writhed in agony, but refused to quit. “Captain Mike” kept the pressure on, using all of his weight to lay it in even harder, and the tough Texan wailed even more.
Finally, the pain was too much for him – but he didn't give up. He was caught in the middle of the ring, trapped on the canvas in agony... and he didn't realize both of his shoulders were on the mat. The ref made the three-count, and after over an hour of bell-to-bell action, the Varsity Club threw their arms in the air in victory.
The Funks limped away, proud of their effort and deservedly so. Nemeth, Spivey, and Rotunda followed a few moments later, and they were met on the stage by Heenan, who presented them with the Southern Tag-Team titles.
COMMERCIAL
BUDDY LANDEL vs. RICHIE STEAMBOAT:
vs.
vs.
The next match was joined in progress, as the show was set to end in a little less than ten minutes. Landel was a wily veteran making his CWF debut, and he was determined to teach the second-generation star a lesson. But Steamboat, who had been off TV for a few weeks, was equally determined to get back in the win column, and he caught the “Nature Boy” with a high crossbody for the win.
Landel was furious, and he sucker-punched Steamboat from behind as he celebrated. He put the boots to him, but scurried off when a man in the front row jumped the rail to ward him off – it was Ted DiBiase, Jr. He received a huge cheer once the crowd realized who he was, and he and Steamboat walked up the ramp together.
Okerlund was on the stage, and he introduced the current CWF Florida Tag-Team champions, Billy Jack Haynes and Kerry Von Erich. “Billy Jack, Kerry – we don't have much time, but before we go off the air, I just wanted to get your thoughts on the unprecedented ten-team gauntlet match that took place tonight.”
Before either of them could answer, they were interrupted by two of the Devil's Advocates, Leo Kruger and Dexter Lumis, who hadn't been seen for a long time. They boasted that if they were in the gauntlet, they'd be the Southern champions – but they were too good for it, and they wanted a shot at the Florida straps instead.
Von Erich accepted the challenge immediately. “We don't care when, and we don't care who it is. We'll take any team on – so yeah, you got it! How about next week?”
Lumis sneered, and Kruger smirked. The South African replied, “Next week then. You two against the Devil's Advocates.”
The two heels backed away, and Lumis handed a DVD to Russell at the broadcast table. “You should play this. We're done with the man you called Razor Ramon now. He belongs to us.”
And with those ominous words, the show ended.