Post by fifthhorseman on Feb 18, 2021 1:01:30 GMT -5
CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING FROM FLORIDA
EPISODE 45
EPISODE 45
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 Lex Luger holding a badly bloodied Barry Windham over his shoulders in a backbreaker.
Lance Russell quickly ran through the five-match card, and noted that the telecast would begin with a bang – with the reigning CWF king of the mountain, Jack Brisco, in action right now!
NON-TITLE MATCH
JACK BRISCO vs. STEVEN REGAL:
vs.
JACK BRISCO vs. STEVEN REGAL:
vs.
CWF president Bobby Heenan wasn't going to hand Regal a title shot, not given his loss the week before (albeit in a very competitive match) and Brisco's own upcoming championship match at Winterslam. However, the Florida Heavyweight champion wanted a match to get him ready for it, and going up against the British catch grappling specialist would certainly test his skills.
From a technical standpoint, it was one of the best CWF matches thus far in the year. Regal could do almost anything he wanted on the mat, while Brisco was a former NCAA national wrestling champion. Throughout the match, there was a definite sense of “anything you can do, I can do better”; however, in this case, Brisco was the man that could say it last, and after a series of intricate reversals, he transitioned from his spinning toe-hold into a three-quarter nelson pin for the victory.
When it ended, Heenan came out with a microphone in hand and said, “Just hang on a minute, Jack – you're gonna want to hear this. Last week, as you might remember, the show ended with Scott Hall and Triple H – those two pals, those old Kliq buddies – getting in each other's faces. Well, when the show went off the air, I thought to myself, how soon can I get them in a ring where I can at least control what they do to each other, but at the same time, remind them who the boss is around this place?”
Brisco shrugged, and told him to get on with it. Heenan continued. “So tonight's main event... is a ladder match. Hall vs. Triple H – and now this is the part that should concern you, champ. If Triple H wins, Scott Hall is going on a 30-day unpaid vacation – no Winterslam match, no nothing until spring. But if Scott Hall wins, he joins your match at Winterslam against Triple H – and it'll be a triple-threat!”
COMMERCIAL
BRIAN BLAIR vs. RAVEN:
vs.
vs.
Before the ring intros were made, a backstage camera observed Raven telling his Flock to stay in the back – he wanted them to “keep looking” for Jon Moxley, and he assured them he'd be back in just a couple of minutes.
The grungy grappler hit Blair with two stiff jabs to start the bout – and that's the only offense he got in. Moxley rolled out from under the ring, and vengefully jumped Raven from behind. Before Raven knew what hit him, he was barely conscious on the mat, courtesy of a Paradigm Shift DDT. Moxley held a finger up to his lips, and sneaked through the crowd and out of Amelie Arena.
To fill the unexpected time, a pre-taped interview was shown, “starring” the House of Humperdink. The rotund manager did the talking for the Stronghold, who were focused, intense, and ready for their Winterslam title match against the Funk brothers. Lex Luger spoke for himself afterwards, and he was boasting about his “string of wins” over Barry Windham. “I'm the most gifted athlete, and most dominant champion, Florida has ever seen! And tonight, as usual, I'll prove it!”
STAND-BY MATCH
SIMON DEAN vs. AUSTIN THEORY:
vs.
This was a very rare stand-by match, in that it that actually got onto television. Dean had just arrived from his home in nearby Clearwater, had his gear, and was ready to go. Theory was also ready to prove his worth, and he was aggressive from the get-go. It was his power and speed versus Dean's savvy and technical skills, and the former Nova threw moves at Theory he had never seen before. Yet the Georgia native stayed with him, and after he repelled Dean's attempt at a cutter, Theory nailed him with his own version of the cutter, the ATL.
COMMERCIAL
A VTR aired, and it “highlighted” the 2021 slump the New Day was in, made worse by the departure of a newly heel version of Big E Langston to Hollywood. At the end of the wrestling clips, Woods and Kingston vowed to bounce back stronger than ever; they know what they were missing, and they hoped that it wouldn't be long before they were back at 100%.
CWF TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
BRENT ALBRIGHT vs. LEX LUGER (c, w/Oliver Humperdink):
vs.
BRENT ALBRIGHT vs. LEX LUGER (c, w/Oliver Humperdink):
vs.
As the champion strode down the ramp, announcer Lance Russell told the audience that Barry Windham was not in the building, as he was not medically cleared due to the severe head laceration sustained at the hands of Luger last week. Thus, the “Total Package” was moving onto a new challenger, and Windham was at the back of the line.
Albright gave Luger some scares during the Pure Rules match, as the former NWA World titleholder was strong, both on his feet and on the mat. But Luger was riding a wave of confidence, and it only took him about seven minutes to hit a steel-plated-aided forearm smash to score the pin.
After the ring cleared, another champion met Okerlund on the stage – the CWF Southern Heavyweight titleholder, Drew McIntyre. The crowd went wild, and the popular Scot told them that like Brisco had earlier in the night, he went to Heenan and asked for a tune-up match for next week. And it was no coincidence that he asked for a specific opponent... Dan Spivey, the tag-team partner of the man he'd defend his gold against at Winterslam, Mike Awesome.
COMMERCIAL
Backstage, the Kings of Wrestling and Nigel McGuinness were in a locker room, all in tailored suits, all looking like the professional athletes that they were. Hero told the cameraman that from now on, “you can refer to all three of us as the Kings of Wrestling. We aren't wrestling tonight, so that's your loss. But when we are back in the ring, whether it's Nigel by himself, or Cesaro and myself as a team, make sure you set the PVR – because a lot of people say it, but we mean it – we're the best in the world.”
CHRISTIAN CAGE vs. PAC (w/Finn Balor):
vs.
vs.
The intense Englander charged Cage at the bell, and kept control early on. No one in Florida could match his combination of pound-for-pound power and agility, but despite numerous attempts, Christian didn't stay down. The multi-time former World champion fought back with his usual varied offense, mixing punches and kicks with more advanced moves, and they went over 15 minutes at a quick pace.
As Cage cinched PAC into Unprettier position, Paul Orndorff and Gary Hart walked out onto the stage. The Canadian dropped his foe, and wandered over to the facing ropes, where the two men jawed at each other. Suddenly, PAC waistlocked him and used an O'Connor roll to pin him – but at two, Cage reversed it with a second O'Connor roll, and he used his superior weight to keep him down just long enough for the three-count.
With half of NeXT Evolution behind him, and the angry “Mr. Wonderful” in front of him, he wisely jumped out of the ring, and copying Moxley, went through the crowd as the show went to
COMMERCIAL
A video showcasing the various matches at Winterslam was shown. When it ended, Heenan came out, walked all the way down the ramp, and handed the referee a symbolic brass ring for the ladder match. He looked positively giddy as he sat down at the broadcast table with Russell, and he hyped up both the Wintercard card and the two competitors in the night's main event.
LADDER MATCH
SCOTT HALL vs. TRIPLE H:
vs.
SCOTT HALL vs. TRIPLE H:
vs.
As if there wasn't enough reason for the two men to try to beat the hell out of each other, the added stakes and stipulation – just days before Winterslam – made it that much more intense. Big-match intros by Okerlund, and they both looked up at the brass ring hanging 15 feet above the ring.
It wasn't your typical ladder match; neither man was a high-flyer, so the aerial moves from the ladder, or anywhere else, were kept to a minimum. Instead, it was a fight, and the various ladders around ringside were used as weapons as much as they were for elevation. The only way to win was to grab the ring, so there really was no way to lose until that happened. Thus, “the Game” and the “Bad Guy” used everything at their disposal to incapacitate each other unless they were confident they could climb a ladder.
They brawled for nearly 20 minutes, in and around the ring. And it was while they were outside that the finishing sequence of moves occurred. As they fought over a ladder, Triple H sandwiched Hall's head between it and the ringpost, and it nearly knocked the big man from Miami out. He was down, and dazed, and the leader of NeXT Evolution slowly staggered up another ladder towards the ring. Just as Hall got back in the ring, Triple H seized the brass ring, winning the match and insuring that his Florida Heavyweight title contest would be fought one-on-one. The "Cerebral Assassin" stared down at Hall as the show went off the air, as the referee tried to hold Hall back and away from the ladder.