Post by fifthhorseman on Dec 3, 2020 1:06:55 GMT -5
CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING FROM FLORIDA
EPISODE 37
EPISODE 37
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 Rick Rude and Jack Brisco going toe-to-toe in the ring at CWF Survivor Series.
Cold open with Gene Okerlund standing in the ring. “Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the new CWF Florida Tag-Team champions... Terry and Dory, Jr., the Funk brothers!”
The siblings from the Double-Cross Ranch jogged down the ramp to a hero's welcome. Their victory speech was fairly typical; they had held those titles before, back in the day, and they planned on holding them for a long, long time. They didn't know if the Devil's Advocates had a rematch clause, but they were pretty sure that if they did, “Starship Coyote” wouldn't be part of it, and that drew another loud cheer. Terry ended it with, “We're the best team in Florida, and these belts prove it. You wanna piece of the Funks? Try us on for size, and I'll bounce you outta the ring faster than I did those bums in 'Roadhouse'!”
They left and walked past the broadcast table, a perfect segue for the two announcers who sat there.
Lance Russell: “Greetings, and welcome to Championship Wrestling from Florida! I'm Lance Russell, and I'm joined as always on commentary by the incomparable Mauro Ranallo. We are just one week removed from CWF Survivor Series, and fans, if you missed it then, we implore you to find the replay. Bell-to-bell action, startling debuts, two title changes – it had it all!”
Ranallo: “I would suggest that if anything, that show established a new baseline of excellence and excitement for our fans, and the wrestlers have raised their game to yet another level ... and good luck to the rest of the MUW Network in keeping up. Looks like it's time to get down to the ring for our first match, though!”
WCW WORLD TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
The EAST-WEST CONNECTION (c) vs. TEKNO TEAM 2000:
vs.
The EAST-WEST CONNECTION (c) vs. TEKNO TEAM 2000:
vs.
If this was the level of competition against which Adonis and Ventura planned on defending their new titles, then they were going to be champions for a long time. Travis and Troy got a few moves in early on, but they never stood a chance against the veteran duo, and “the Body” made Troy submit to an over-the shoulder backbreaker in about four minutes.
After the match, Okerlund spoke to the champions. Adonis declared that the Funk brothers would never put their titles up against the Connection, because they were just a couple of gutless cowards from Texas. Ventura jumped in and added that he'd go talk to his “close, personal friend”, Bobby Heenan, to see if he could get it done – but in the meantime, he had an insider scoop about the WCW titles that Heenan would share with the rest of the world later tonight.
COMMERCIAL
After a recap of the Nexus's victory was shown on the video screen, a VTR played, sent in earlier in the week. It was Barrett and his crew, though noticeably absent were the Prime Time Players. The bare-knuckle brawler explained that after that pair's poor performances at Survivor Series – Young and O'Neil were the first two men eliminated on their side – it was time to cut some fat from the group. Now, they were a tightly-knit unit, and Barrett ended the VTR by saying, “There are a lot of stables and groups here in Florida that seem to think they're something special. Well, I've got some bad news for them.”
FINN BALOR and PAC (w/Triple H and Steven Regal) vs. the HART DYNASTY:
vs.
vs.
After the Survivor Series, the young Canadians practically begged CWF President Bobby Heenan for a rematch against the NeXT Evolution; they didn't care which two. They ended up squaring off against arguably the two most dynamic members of the new faction, and they were as merciless as they were a week prior. Kidd and Balor lit it up at the beginning with dazzling technical exchanges, but it was downhill soon after that. The Brits isolated Smith, Jr., and PAC finished him off with his Red Arrow.
Kidd checked on his partner, but when Regal distracted him, the “Cerebral Assassin” spun the young star around, kicked him in the gut, and dropped him with a Pedigree. The four members of NeXT Evolution raised their arms in the air, and left the Hart Dynasty lying in a heap before Okerlund could get a word from them.
COMMERCIAL
"Mean Gene" was back on the stage, and he introduced the man formerly known as Starship Coyote, and formerly known as Razor Ramon. The big man was in street clothes, and he admitted that the last several weeks were still a bit of a blur, but he knew that Sean O'Haire and the rest of the Devil's Advocates took advantage of the self-confidence he lost (and hid) after his defeat at CWF Battle of the Belts to Rick Rude. Now, he was back, and he vowed revenge on them all.
“And how should we refer to you now?” Okerlund asked.
“Well, you better not call me Starship Coyote anymore,” the former WWF Intercontinental champion said without humor. “But if I can quote myself... you know who I am."
"I'm Scott Hall.”
The crowd roared with approval, and the reborn Hall acknowledged them all, as he left the stage.
The BLOND BOMBERS (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. the SAMOA FIGHT CLUB:
vs.
vs.
Neither team made the Survivor Series card, so all four men had chips on their shoulders. Patterson and Stevens picked Siaki apart with precision double-teaming, being extremely careful not to let him get to his massive partner. And as it turned out, Umaga never did enter the ring legally – he was attacked by yet another team who missed the big show, the Destruction Crew. Enos and Bloom attacked the mighty Samoan from behind, wielding sledgehammers to take him out – then, they slid into the ring and went to work on Siaki. The Bombers were none too happy about taking the disqualification loss, but Blassie insisted they leave. The Crew hit Sonny with the Wrecking Ball (Doomsday Device), and after making sure that the SFC was not getting up, they walked back to the stage where they met their manager, Percy Pringle III... and their stablemate, “Ravishing” Rick Rude.
The former CWF Florida champion was angry. He had a microphone in his hand and the censors were on standby. He shouted at Russell and Ranallo, at the fans, at the referee who called his match, and he saved his worst for Jack Brisco. “I'm gonna get my rematch, you bastard, and until I do, me, and Mike Enos, and Wayne Bloom, we're gonna raise hell until I get you in the ring and take back my championship!”
COMMERCIAL
Backstage, in one of the larger locker rooms at Amelie Arena, several of the “face” wrestlers were talking and mingling in anticipation of Heenan's state of the union address. The Bad Street Boys were still shocked about Brian Pillman's firing, and while they wondered aloud where he'd wind up – if anywhere – a newcomer walked up to them and said, “Cheer up, guys. He's gonna land on his feet. Besides, if Bobby didn't like Brian, well, you can damn well bet he's not gonna like me.”
He gave them a crooked smile, and then Jon Moxley sauntered away.
CWF TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
RUSEV vs. BARRY WINDHAM (c):
vs.
RUSEV vs. BARRY WINDHAM (c):
vs.
The “Bulgarian Brute” earned a rematch based on his strong performance last month, and curiously, when the dial came up challenger's choice, Rusev chose a Pure Rules match again. Russell theorized that he wanted to prove that his earlier loss was a fluke. Like before, it was a see-saw battle between two athletes who respected each other. However, Windham was in peak form, and he pinned his foe after a devastating top-rope superplex.
After the match, Okerlund asked Windham what was next, and the lanky Texan said that until he got a title shot against Jack Brisco, he'd keep defending his TV strap every week against whoever stood across from him. “There's a lot of new wrestlers in the locker room these days, and I'm sure they all think they're tough guys. Well, they might be... but if they want to see what tough really is, they can get in the ring with me and find out what tough really is.”
COMMERCIAL
A 30-second clip – no video, just stills – of the match between the Gulf Coast Varsity Club and the collection of icons led by Christian Cage was shown, focusing on Spivey's DQ and the punch he hit his partner Rotunda with. But that alliance was officially over, and the winner of this match would get the titles, and pick a new partner to defend them with.
CWF SOUTHERN TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP BELTS ON A POLE MATCH
MIKE ROTUNDA vs. DAN SPIVEY:
vs.
MIKE ROTUNDA vs. DAN SPIVEY:
vs.
Nemeth and Bugenhagen walked their teammate to the ring, where a snarling Dan Spivey was waiting for them. However, the referee made them both return to the locker room; he wasn't in the mood for any interference or double-crosses, either of which seemed inevitable in a high-stakes contest like this.
The former Georgia Bulldog was pure brute force, using forearms and clotheslines to stun his opponent. But Rotunda wasn't a lightweight, and he battled back with a mixture of amateur moves and pro-style offense. Regardless of the goofy stipulation, it was a rock-solid, hard-hitting match, with very few attempts to actually retrieve the belts. They went about 14 minutes, and after the Syracuse standout hit Spivey with a Samoan drop on the floor, he had just enough time to get back in the ring, climb to the top turnbuckle, and unhook the titles. The Southern tag-team belts were staying with the Gulf Coast Varsity Club.
COMMERCIAL
Okerlund stood in the ring and introduced the brand new Florida Heavyweight champion, Jack Brisco. The classy Oklahoman got a standing ovation as he walked to the ring, and he was a sight for sore eyes to all the people that hated Rude. Like the Funks earlier on, Brisco delivered the standard “good guy” speech: he'd be a fighting champion, he'd defend it for the people, and he was proud to once again represent the great state of Florida as their champion.
He left to another round of applause, and after he left, a split-screen shot of what looked like the entire roster appeared on the videoboard. Bobby Heenan came out and headed straight to the ring, looking straight ahead.
“Well, well, well. Let me start by saying what everyone in the world knows is fact: Championship Wrestling from Florida, led by yours truly, is the greatest wrestling company in the world. I might not like each and every one of them individually, but the collection of talent on this roster is second to none. But I'll get back to them shortly.”
“Now, how do I know we're the best? Because ever since I joined the MUW Network less than one year ago, a bunch of other promotions have put themselves out of business trying to be as successful as CWF. And the ones that are left? Everyone else is trying to chip away at what I have. Take CCW, for example. It wasn't bad enough that they set up shop just next door in good ol' Alabama. Nosiree Bob, now those clowns, Fuller and Kaufman, are trying to run a few more states in the south-central U.S. If he thinks he can expand into Florida, though, well, they'll never know what hit them.”
“And what about WCW? They're trying to fill the territorial void left behind when the NWA folded their tent in the middle of the night. They're stretching out as well, because they think bigger is better. Here's a friendly word of advice, Nitro: know your limitations. One more thing, and this is directed at two specific men over there. Road Warriors, I know you have a rematch clause. Well, if you want those belts back, you have to wrestle the East-West Connection for them in my arena, in my backyard. And here's the clause I'm adding to the match: if you lose... if one of you gets pinned again... you're through as a team. So, Hawk, if you get pinned, you're going back to WCW... but Animal, you're staying here and working for me! And vice versa – Animal loses, Hawk stays!”
“I don't even know what to say about IPW, other than that their owner realized that his best bet was leaving the country and starting all over again in Japan! And if any of his wrestlers can hear me now, just remember this – he dropped all of his talent like a bad habit over here, and he had some of the best wrestlers in the world working for him. I'm just saying, you guys better have a back-up plan in place just in case he decides to do it again. Get real estate licenses, open gyms, but do something!”
“And finally, the WWE. Vince McMahon decided to get back in the game, so to speak, and he's likely settling in New York again. Sure seems to me like the East Coast is getting over-saturated with wrestling, wouldn't you say? And if you don't think he thinks I'm already his toughest competition, why do you think he launched things with a second-rate Survivor Series after I bought the trademark for it? But rest assured, he's not going to copy everything we do down here. In fact, I'll let you in on a little secret. When I found out what he had planned, I took my case to the MUW Board of Directors, and in a rare moment of fairness they realized that I was the wronged party here! So I let Vince keep the name, but he had to pay for it. And I got my compensation in the form of a monster. A former champion. A former Olympic athlete. That's right, I got Jeff Cobb in the deal, and all it cost me was a lousy trademark!”
“But enough about them, let's talk about me. I don't think it's a coincidence that all of these outside, opposing forces made their plays while I was busy putting together CWF's biggest show ever. They thought I was distracted. Let me assure you, I was not. There's a reason I'm called 'the Brain', you know; now that the real Survivor Series is over with, I can tell you what I did in secret, behind the scenes, while they foolishly and arrogantly laid all their cards on the table.”
“You see, when they zigged, I zagged. They want to fight over the Eastern seaboard and the Gulf Coast? Go right ahead! Make no mistake, you'll never get Florida. But I'm expanding west. All the way back to my hometown, Beverly Hills. I bought a second territory, and it's gonna be a goldmine.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, coming in 2021...”
The crowd gasped, and Heenan was on a roll. “Over the coming weeks, I'll be deciding who stays here in Florida, and who's going to California. And the man that will help me make those moves, is the man who will be representing me at Championship Wrestling from Hollywood... my Executive President, and a dear friend... the original 'Nature Boy' himself, Buddy Rogers!”
A second later, the split-screen image of the locker rooms disappeared, and the scene shifted to Rogers in a luxurious office. He looked like the proverbial million bucks, as usual, and he waved to Heenan. “The Brain” waved back, and said, “Looking good, Mr. Rogers! I'm sure you're taking care of business for me?”
Rogers smiled. “Of course I am. Mark my words, the only two companies people will be talking about next year will be Championship Wrestling from Florida, and Championship Wrestling from Hollywood. In fact, I just finalized that deal you were asking me about this morning. And wouldn't you know, he's right here in the office with me. Would you like to say hello?”
Heenan's face lit up like it was already Christmas. “You bet I would! Ahem... allow me to introduce the first free agent officially signed to CWH, the one, the only...”
The camera panned over to Heenan's newest acquisition, and that's how the show ended.