Post by fifthhorseman on Feb 5, 2021 1:03:40 GMT -5
CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING FROM FLORIDA
EPISODE 43
EPISODE 43
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 Dory and Terry Funk holding up the CWF Florida Tag-Team belts.
“Mean Gene” was in the ring, and he introduced Jack Brisco. The Oklahoman was dressed in a suit, and brought his Florida championship with him. He said that he would be watching the battle royale later tonight up close, and whoever won, while a worthy opponent, was not going to defeat him as well.
BRAD ARMSTRONG vs. AUSTIN THEORY:
vs.
vs.
A standard veteran vs. youngster match, and with Armstrong leading the way, it was a very competitive opener. Theory was impressive in his CWF debut, and the powerful prodigy scored several near-falls. However, the second-generation star from Georgia let his superior technique do the talking for him, and he pinned Theory with a Russian legsweep.
COMMERCIAL
Backstage, all four members of NeXT Evolution were in their locker room, and one by one, they addressed the camera to say how good they were. Their leader, Triple H, was the last to speak, and right before he and Steven Regal got up for their match, he said, “Wade... sorry, mate. You just aren't NeXT Evolution material.”
The NEW AGE OUTLAWS vs. NeXT EVOLUTION:
vs.
This was not a DX reunion, far from it. At first, Gunn and James tried to wrestle their former ally in a friendly way, but Triple H made it crystal clear that was in his past – and he wasn't looking backwards. He was vicious in the ring, as was Regal, but it was nothing the former multi-time WWF tag champs hadn't experienced before. It was main event quality, going well over 15 minutes, and it ended when Regal forced the “Road Dogg” to submit to his self-named stretch while “the Game” held off Gunn.
COMMERCIAL
A VTR aired, sent in from Drew McIntyre, who was at a promotional appearance in Miami. “Obviously I'm not there tonight, so I won't see who the poor bastard is that gets to try me on for size at Winterslam. But hey, good luck to you all – and I'll see the rest of you next week.”
A brief recap of the Raven - Jon Moxley verbal feud was shown. Russell told the audience – live and watching from home – that one of the Devil's Advocates was going to answer Moxley's challenge, and that man was a familiar face.
JON MOXLEY vs. HADE VANSEN (w/Raven):
vs.
vs.
Russell mentioned that early in their respective careers, Vansen and Moxley were tag-team partners on the independent scene. You wouldn't know it in this match, as the two brawlers fought tooth and nail for ten minutes without pause. But Moxley was stronger, and fended out the devious Brit until he connected with the Paradigm Shift. However, he had no time to celebrate the victory. Raven hit him with a low blow from behind and nailed him with his own version of the DDT, the Evenflow. The two heels stood over Moxley for a few seconds, then left before he got to his feet.
COMMERCIAL
The NEW DAY vs. the STRONGHOLD (w/Sir Oliver Humperdink):
vs.
Kingston (and Woods) demanded a rematch, as their countout loss the week before was due to Big E's angry walk-out. Humperdink was glad to oblige – two straight wins over a team that held almost 20 tag belts between them would be huge. As the New Day made their way to the ring, an old-school picture-in-picture video aired, and the two of them guaranteed a win – and eventually, an ass-kicking for their former partner Langston.
The bout was a classic speed vs. power match-up, and Cameron and Brown flung their opponents around the ring early on. The New Day battled back, as resilient as ever, and they set Cameron up for their Daybreak finisher. But when Woods jumped off the top turnbuckle, Brown intercepted him with a wicked Pounce, and he pulled Kofi out of the ring. Cameron rolled over on Woods for the upset win.
COMMERCIAL
Right before the match started, Luger and Humperdink cornered a cameraman in the backstage area. The new TV champion was furious that he had to fight Barry Windham again. “I beat him for the belt fair and square, and I even gave him a rematch to prove it wasn't a fluke. He couldn't beat me, so as far as I'm concerned, it should be over! But apparently, Bobby Heenan wants me to prove that I'm the greatest CWF Television champion in history, so tonight, I'll finally put Barry out of his misery, and move onto the next so-called challenger!”
CWF TELEVISION TITLE MATCH
LEX LUGER (c, w/Sir Oliver Humperdink) vs. BARRY WINDHAM:
vs.
LEX LUGER (c, w/Sir Oliver Humperdink) vs. BARRY WINDHAM:
vs.
Despite Luger's protests, Heenan had them fight again, because it was good for business and because he wanted to see a decisive winner this time around. The spin of the TV dial came up challenger's choice, and Windham wanted a pure rules match. Luger wasn't impressed.
As usual, the champion was the stronger man in the fight, but Windham was able to take him off his feet to negate that power. He tried several pinning combinations throughout the match, but Luger was able to muscle out of all of them. When Luger was in control, he focused on the Texan's back, with slams and kicks and body-vices. With the clock ticking down, the “Total Package” locked a bearhug on Windham, but he got an arm free and applied a clawhold on the champ. Both men were in pain, but the bell rang – another 10-minute draw, another title defense for Luger.
COMMERCIAL
Russell: “Fans, by now you've heard about the first pay-per-view event promoted by Buddy Rogers and Championship Wrestling from Hollywood: CWH Really Fully Loaded. And just two weeks afterwards, CWF takes its turn at the front of the MUW stage, with CWF Winterslam! And our main event will likely determine what takes place on that very card!”
Before the battle royale participants came out, Heenan came out and sat down with the veteran announcer. “I heard what you said, Russell, and you're absolutely right. And for that matter, one of our earlier matches had such an impact on me, I'm booking it right now. At the end of the month, at Winterslam, the Funk brothers will defend the CWF Florida Tag-Team titles against a team who's been very impressive lately – the Stronghold!”
“But let's talk about the battle royale,” he continued. “Bodies are gonna flying all over the place. And when it gets down to the final three, whoever gets chucked out first will be named the top contender for Drew McIntyre's Southern Heavyweight title. If two people go out at the same time, I'll restart the match! Then the last two will go at it, and to win the right to face Jack Brisco at Winterslam for the most coveted prize in wrestling today, the CWF Florida Heavyweight championship – all you gotta do is throw the other guy over the top rope and to the floor! Am I 'the Brain', or am I 'the Brain'?”
Russell didn't reply.
A few seconds later, Brisco came out to the announce table as well, and sat down on the other side of Russell to watch the action.
TOP CONTENDER MATCH FOR THE CWF FLORIDA AND CWF SOUTHERN CHAMPIONSHIPS
BATTLE ROYALE:
BATTLE ROYALE:
The 20-man field was loaded, and it contained several wrestlers who battled earlier in the night as well. Nearly every one of them had championship experience, and regardless of whether he was a singles or a tag specialist, they all wanted a shot at either title – but especially Brisco's gold.
As Heenan predicted, it was a chaotic melee, and bodies were launched from the ring, one and two at a time. Certain pairs of wrestlers clashed – Christian Cage and Paul Orndorff, for example – and in all of those cases, they let their rivalries get the best of them. As battle royales go, it was a fairly typical one... so let's get to the final three.
Mike Awesome, Scott Hall, and Triple H each went to a corner to catch their breath, and the former Kliq members caught each other's attention. They closed in on the Tampa Tower, but the former ECW champ wasn't going to make it easy on them. Awesome's freakish combination of power and agility was tough to overcome, and at one point, he had the “Cerebral Assassin” on the ropes – literally. However, the equally big Hall got in to help, and with Triple H's help, they threw Awesome out.
Triple H wasted no time alienating all of his former friends on this night; as soon as Awesome's feet hit the floor, he kicked Hall in the gut, and dropped him with a Pedigree. The crowd jeered him as loudly as they had ever booed anybody at Amelie Arena, and when Triple H picked Hall off the canvas and threw him out a few seconds later for the win, a few pieces of garbage were thrown in the ring. The show ended with a long camera shot of Brisco and Triple H in the same frame, staring each other down.