Post by fifthhorseman on Jan 23, 2021 17:16:47 GMT -5
CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING FROM FLORIDA
EPISODE 42
EPISODE 42
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 split-screen shot of new champions Drew McIntyre and Lex Luger.
The show started on the stage, with Gene Okerlund and the new Southern Heavyweight champion, Drew McIntyre. The crowd gave him a huge and deserving ovation, and the “Chosen One” delivered the standard good-guy speech, and said he was just waiting to find out who his first opponent would be.
He departed, and the team of Lance Russell and Mauro Ranallo ran down the card before sending it to Howard Finkel in the ring.
ERIC BUGENHAGEN and NICK NEMETH vs. the TAMPA TOWERS:
vs.
vs.
The captain of the Gulf Coast Varsity Club decided to fight fire with fire, so he brought the young powerlifter Bugenhagen with him. The Towers were still finding their way as a team, but even without an array of double-team moves, Spivey and Awesome were devastating enough on their own. Nemeth did most of the work on his team, but once the ECW stalwart caught Bugenhagen it was over soon after, courtesy of an Awesome Bomb.
After the match, the Towers loomed over Nemeth, but Rotunda and Williams ran down to put the odds back in their favor, and the 300-pounders walked away, shouting at the GCVC as the show went to
COMMERCIAL
A video package was shown, courtesy of Championship Wrestling from Hollywood. It was slick but simple, and it introduced the four “sister” titles that would soon be claimed in matches yet to be determined: in descending rank, the CWH California Heavyweight championship, the CWH California Tag-Team championship, the CWF West Coast Heavyweight championship, and the CWH Television title.
STAY OR GO
BRENT ALBRIGHT vs. PAUL ORNDORFF (w/Gary Hart):
vs.
BRENT ALBRIGHT vs. PAUL ORNDORFF (w/Gary Hart):
vs.
This match had “stay or go” stakes for the winner, and it just wasn't Albright's night. If anything, “Mr. Wonderful” was even more intense than usual, and goaded on by his new manager, he finished the former NWA World champion off in less than three minutes with a piledriver. “Mean Gene” entered the ring and asked Orndorff what his choice was, but Hart did the talking for him. “I didn't come to Florida just to visit some old friends and then go home a couple of weeks later – I'm here for the long haul, and so is Paul Orndorff! We're staying right here, and we're not leaving until the CWF Florida Heavyweight title is around his waist!”
Because it was such a short match, a video recap of last week's match between the Kings of Wrestling and Future Shock was shown. An interview with Cole and O'Reilly came after that, and after wondering why Nigel McGuinness attacked them in the aftermath and seemingly aligned himself with the KoW, they challenged the Brit to meet one of them next week.
COMMERCIAL
During the break, as a cameraman followed Orndorff and Hart to the locker room, the “Brandon Bull” was stopped by Christian Cage, who said, “If you're looking for tougher competition, well, I'm right here. And the way I see it, the best way to get some attention around here is when you walk up to the biggest bully in the yard and give him a poke. But I'd rather do that in the ring, where there's a reward to go along with the risk.”
He raised his index finger as if to literally poke Orndorff, but Hart stepped in between them. “You want a match? It's your funeral, punk – you're on. See you next week.” And the two heels left, but not before Orndorff “accidentally” went shoulder-to-shoulder with Cage on the way past.
STAY OR GO
TOM 'R.Y.' CARTER (w/Wade Barrett) vs. EC3:
vs.
TOM 'R.Y.' CARTER (w/Wade Barrett) vs. EC3:
vs.
The Nexus's technical savant talked into the camera on the way down, made it known that he, and by association his team, weren't going anywhere – all he had to do was win to make it official. EC3 was equally confident, and used his size and strength to his advantage early on. But Carter battled back, and grounded EC3 with a variety of leglocks. He taunted the former TNA champion, reminding him that he already ran Jerry Lawler out of Florida. That motivated EC3, and he battled back; after a series of near-falls, he nailed RY with the One-Percenter for the win.
He didn't get a chance to celebrate, though, as Barrett charged in and hit him with a massive Bull Hammer forearm. After Carter and Barrett angrily departed, EC3 used the ropes to get to his feet, and after telling Okerlund he was fine, he said, “Gene, when I came here, I had no direction. No purpose. No confidence. But 2021 is a new year, and it's time to take control of my narrative... and that narrative is going to take me to California.”
COMMERCIAL
Another backstage clip aired, in which Steven Regal introduced himself to Barrett and Tom Carter, and asked if he could speak to the two of them in private.
STAY OR GO
BUDDY MURPHY vs. PAC:
vs.
BUDDY MURPHY vs. PAC:
vs.
Two of the most intense wrestlers in the entire MUW Network put on a show. “The Juggernaut” was eager to prove Heenan wrong for cutting him in 2020, while the high-flyer of NeXT Generation just wanted to hurt someone. They went over 15 minutes, blending high-impact striking, aerial moves, and rugged mat science. PAC hit the Red Arrow on Murphy, but the Australian draped his ankle over the bottom rope to break the referee's count. Infuriated, PAC grabbed the official by the collar and flung him through the ropes – instant disqualification.
The “Man that Gravity Forgot” looked at Murphy with disdain and stomped away. Once the chaotic scene settled, Murphy acknowledged Okerlund but turned to the camera. “Heenan, you made a mistake last year when you fired me. A big mistake. I went away, won all the gold in IPW, and I guess that's when someone must have told you that I was good enough to bring back. Well, guess what. A win is a win, DQ or not. So this time, I'm leaving because I choose to. Hope you enjoyed the match, 'Brain', but I'm going to Hollywood!”
COMMERCIAL
A VTR was shown, sent in by the Flock. Raven did most of the talking, and he seemed to have one particular person in his sights – Jon Moxley.
Okerlund was back on the stage, and the new Television champion, Lex Luger, was escorted out by Sir Oliver Humperdink. His interview was the polar opposite of McIntyre's – he gloated about his win over Barry Windham, he said no CWF wrestler was good enough to talk the belt away from him, and after this one-week title transition period, the “Total Package” would be back on TV next week and regardless of whatever rules the match was fought under, he'd win... he would always win.
NON-TITLE MATCH
JACK BRISCO (c) vs. RYBACK:
vs.
JACK BRISCO (c) vs. RYBACK:
vs.
Unlike the earlier Nexus bout, Barrett didn't accompany his teammate to the ring; Ranallo theorized that he was barred from ringside after his earlier post-match chicanery. The “Big Guy” tried to stare Brisco down during Finkel's introductions, but the Florida champ was calm and collected. After the bell rang, it was a true contrast of obvious styles; Brisco was a far better pure wrestler, but Ryback outweighed him by over 50 pounds of muscle.
They went about 12 minutes, brain versus brawn. Brisco was a pitbull, and he relentlessly worked over Ryback's left leg. He finally cinched in a figure-four leglock in the middle of the ring, and with nowhere to go, the mighty Ryback was forced to tap out, much to the crowd's delight.
Right before going to break, Rick Rude walked out of Bobby Heenan's office, and he said, “See you out there, Bobby!”
COMMERCIAL
As Ranallo and Russell wondered who Brisco's next opponent would be, Heenan sat down at the broadcast table, eager as ever to see the main event, especially when any of his former clients were involved. They briefly talked about the various “stay or go” matches that took place thus far, and CWF President looked at each announcer and said with a not-so-innocent smile, “Hey, has Buddy Rogers told you which one of you are shipping out yet?”
STAY OR GO
BRAD ARMSTRONG and the NEW AGE OUTLAWS vs. the NEW DAY vs. RICK RUDE and the DESTRUCTION CREW (w/Percy Pringle III):
vs.
vs.
BRAD ARMSTRONG and the NEW AGE OUTLAWS vs. the NEW DAY vs. RICK RUDE and the DESTRUCTION CREW (w/Percy Pringle III):
vs.
vs.
There was a little bit of everything in this one: power, speed, and agility. This was also the last match of the night with “stay or go” stakes, and it was chaotic – but it was also a lot of fun. Gunn couldn't wait to square off with Rude, and the two alpha males were dead-even in the strength department. The other powerhouses – Enos, Bloom, and Langston – tried to outdo each other throughout the contest as well.
At the other end of the spectrum, Kingston and Armstrong showed everyone watching that they were two of the smoothest wrestlers on the planet, with moves and counters executed flawlessly. Because it was one fall to a finish, not an elimination match, the trios tried to limit their tags to their own corners, but inevitably there were cross-team tags, and that just infuriated each team.
They went almost 20 minutes, pushing up on the TV time limit. As you'd expect, it ended in a crazy nine-man brawl, with almost every participant hitting his finisher or another high-impact maneuver. However, the last man to hit his was the former CWF Florida champ, and he pinned Woods after a snap Rude Awakening.
It took a while for the ring to clear, and Pringle joined his men in the ring as Rude pointed up the ramp to Heenan and gave him a wink and a thumbs-up. “I told all of you... no one tells me what to do or where to go! 'Ravishing' Rick Rude, the Destruction Crew, my friend Percy Pringle... we control our own fate, dammit! You want to know who runs the sport of professional wrestling? Rick Rude, and the Pringle Family do!”
He looked at a smiling Heenan again and said, “And that's why... we... are leaving you fat, ugly, out-of-shape Tampa troglodytes and going to Hollywood. We've done everything we can do here, and let me tell you this: no man will ever have a title reign as ravishing as mine! And now, it's time for me to be the first CWH California Heavyweight champion, too! Hit my music!”
The show ended with a shot of Heenan – shocked, wide-eyed, and wondering what the hell just happened.