Post by Joe on Jul 27, 2023 23:11:33 GMT -5
UPW "Saturday Night STORM" Results: July 29th in Inglewood, CA
This show is live at the Kia Forum, and is being broadcast on the Paramount Network. Our commentary team is Kevin Kelly and Corey Graves. They put over the main event, which will be TMDK taking on Jay White, Chris Dijak, and a mystery partner, and then they are cut right off by "Cult of Personality"! The former UWA Universal Champion, CM Punk, is here!
CM Punk Has Arrived, and He Has a Challenger
Punk sits criss cross applesauce in the middle of the ring, and the fans are chanting his name.
Punk was interrupted there, and it's John Morrison!
Kevin Kelly and Corey Graves talk about that big match announcement. They also make mention that in honor of their partnership with the Paramount Network, tonight will feature a 20 Man Battle Royale to crown the first ever UPW Paramount Champion. We then we head back to the ring, where Mike Rome is standing in to introduce our first competitors of the evening.
British Strong Style vs. oVe
This was a non-title match, but Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate were firing on all cylinders. They took a hard loss to FTR at Extreme Heat, so they were looking to get right after that. They were in there with Chris Hero and Sami Callihan, who would try to slow things down, but that just wasn't happening. They delivered a Flying European Uppercut/Liger Bomb combination on Callihan to get the pinfall in under 5 minutes.
Winners: British Strong Style
Notable Moments and Observations
• After the match, Pete Dunne got on the mic and said that they are looking for some real competition for their Tag Team titles.
Jay White Has a New Partner In Crime
We go backstage, where "Switchblade" Jay White and Chris Dijak are standing in with Blake Howard. Jay White says that TMDK may have survived the main event of Extreme Heat, but he's brought in an equalizer and his name is "The American Psycho" Lance Archer! The massive Archer steps into the frame and he says he's going to enjoy ripping TMDK limb from limb.
Notable Moments and Observations
• Archer looks very menacing, but Dijak seemed a little out of place in this segment.
The Foundation vs. Legado del Fantasma
Jay Lethal gave "Swerve" a run for his money at Extreme Heat, but came up short in his bid for the X Division championship. Tonight, he teams with his partners Jonathan Gresham and Josh Woods to try to get his swagger back. Santos Escobar and company looked to spoil their plans, however. After about 6 minutes of action that saw frequent tagging, Gresham and Woods would use suplexes to send Escobar and Wilde out of the ring, allowing Lethal to hit the Lethal Injection on TJ Perkins to get the pinfall.
Winners: The Foundation
Shane Strickland and Ricochet Have a Run In Backstage
Backstage, Ricochet is warming up for his X Division title match with Shane "Swerve" Strickland tonight. Strickland comes up on Ricochet holding his title over his shoulder. Ricochet told Strickland it's nice of him to keep his title warm for him, but he's taking it tonight. Strickland laughs and says Ricochet is about to get bounced right out of UPW like the little bitch he is. Ricochet lunges with his fist up towards Strickland, and Strickland flinches backwards. Ricochet laughs and asks who the bitch is, and walks off past "Swerve". Strickland holds his title and looks on before we head back to the ring.
Bandido vs. Rush
Bandido has been having issues with Los Ingobernales, and now he was set to take on the leader of the group, the popular "El Toro Blanco". Rush and Bandido would have a very fun back and forth, but as it looked like Rush might win, out came VLNCE UNLTD. Rush and his brothers on the outside would get distracted. Rush would bend through the ropes and reach to grab Brody King, telling him to get the hell out of here, but Bandido would take advantage and deliver his 24 Plex to get the three count!
Winner: Bandido
Notable Moments and Observations
• Los Ingobernales are super pissed off about this outcome, while Bandido and VLNCE UNLTD are all very pleased with themselves.
CatchPoint Are Ready for The Battle Royale, and Lorcan Has a Challenge
We go backstage, where Blake Howard is standing in with CatchPoint. Timothy Thatcher and Drew Gulak talk about the big battle royale tonight for the Paramount Title and guarantee one of them is going to walk away with the gold. Blake Howard then turns his attention to Oney Lorcan, who had a war with Ilja Dragunov at Extreme Heat. Lorcan says he had Ilja beat in the middle of that ring when he locked on the Strangler, and he wants him again with a 30 minute time limit next time so he can finish the job.
The Undisputed Era vs. Josh Alexander & Tyson Kidd
Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish are accompanied by Roderick Strong as they take on the Pure Champion Josh Alexander and his Canadian compatriot Tyson Kidd. Alexander managed to beat Strong in an instant classic at Extreme Heat, but they were bound and determined not to let them get the win here tonight. Strong attempted to interfere on behalf of his team, which lead "Speedball" Mike Bailey to run out and start kicking the crap out of him to the delight of the crowd! Alexander would take advantage of the distraction and delivered a German Suplex to O'Reilly with a roll-up bridge to get the three count!
Winners: Josh Alexander & Tyson Kidd
Notable Moments and Observations
• Bailey gets in the ring and celebrates with Alexander and Kidd, as The Undisputed Era retreat with their tails between their legs.
TMDK Has Thoughts About Their Opponents Tonight
Blake Howard is backstage with TMDK. He welcomes Buddy Matthews back to UPW, and says he made quite the impression at Extreme Heat. Buddy says he knows Shane and Mikey could handle business on their own, but he'd been waiting a whole bloody month to get his hands on Jay White, and he took the opportunity right when that ponce got too cocky. Now he's got some great big bloke backin' him up, but big trees fall hard, and they make a hell of a racket when they get slammed in that ring. Shane goes on to say Jay White is sounding a little desperate, and that it doesn't matter who he brings in, they still aren't going to be better than the best damn team in the land, TMDK! Mikey then points out that Chris Dijak looked a little out of place now that Jay White has a new boyfriend, and says he doesn't even know what the hell he's still doing with that tosser. He said he'd give him a little free advice and tell him to ditch the psychos before they ditch him.
Notable Moments and Observations
• TMDK are playing a little mind games here. We will see if anything develops from it.
UPW Paramount Title
20 Man Battle Royale
I am not going to go through the whole twenty man list, but we did have some notable debuts here. Probably the biggest name debuting in this battle royale was Japanese stand out Shinsuke Nakamura, who got a nice pop. We also had Johnny Gargano, Ethan Page, and Luke Harper make their debuts. Page would end up teaming up to effective results with the returning Eddy Thorpe in this contest, and they would manage to eliminate a few individuals such as Konosuke Takeshita, Daniel Garcia, and Trent Beretta, but would get eliminated by Johnny Gargano while they were posing. Page and Gargano have a history, as Corey Graves pointed out, going back many years, and so Page would distract Gargano, allowing Timothy Thatcher to eliminate him! Gargano and Page would fight on the outside, leading security to come out and break it up. Gulak, Thatcher, Nakamura, and Zack Sabre Jr. were the last men in the tournament. Sabre and Thatcher just had a Submission Match at Extreme Heat that saw Thatcher go over, but tonight they would end up eliminating one another after a fight on the apron! After a fight that saw Nakamura land on his feet on the apron, Nakamura would manage to wobble Gulak with a high kick over the rope, and then yank the rope and send Gulak flipping over it and to the floor to win the match and become the inaugural champion!
Winner, and New UPW Paramount Champion: Shinsuke Nakamura
The Undisputed Era Refuse to Be Humiliated
We go backstage, and The Undisputed Era are livid! Roderick Strong said that they are done being humiliated, and they are ready to get revenge! Strong says that Mike Bailey should have learned his lesson when O'Reilly beat his ass at Extreme Heat, but now it seems like he wants some more! Strong says that's fine, because he'll have no problem breaking him in half and sending him to the retirement home! O'Reilly then says that Alexander took a cheap shot tonight and stole a win, but it's going to be an eye for an eye. O'Reilly says that tonight he stole a win, but now he's swears he's going to take Alexander's championship!
Notable Moments and Observations
• The Undisputed Era were on fire here, and they work best when they are pissed off and focused.
UPW X Division Title
Shane "Swerve" Strickland © vs. Ricochet
Strickland was very aggressive in this match, as he felt disrespected by Ricochet earlier. These two seemed almost evenly matched, with Ricochet having the slight edge in aerial ability, while Strickland is the slightly better striker. Unforunately, we wouldn't get a clean result here, as Cameron Grimes would make his way out to distract Ricochet, allowing Strickland to hit a Poisonrana, followed by the House Call kick to get the three count.
Winner, and Still UPW X Division Champion: Shane Strickland
Notable Moments and Observations
• After the match, Cameron Grimes came in and attacked Ricochet. Kevin Kelly points out that Ricochet had won a three-way dance a couple of weeks ago that caused Grimes to have a psychotic break.
• "Swerve" would actually slide back in and blast Grimes in the back of his head with his championship belt. Strickland could be heard saying that Grimes needs to stay the f*ck out of his business!
Jay Lethal Wants a Shot at the Paramount Title
Backstage, Jay Lethal is in the locker room with Jonathan Gresham and Josh Woods. He says that it felt good to get one in the win column tonight, but it's only relit the fire in him to get championship gold. He says he came close to winning the X Division championship at Extreme Heat, but after seeing that battle royale tonight, he knows what he needs to do. He said that Shinsuke Nakamura has a title, and he wants a shot at it next week!
TMDK vs. "Switchblade" Jay White, Chris Dijak, and Lance Archer
After some deliberation at the start, Chris Dijak starts off the match for his team against Shane Thorne. Dijak is looking good, and Thorne tags out to Mikey Nicholls. Nicholls manages to get Dijak down and then tags in the Premier Champion Buddy Matthews, and that's when "Switchblade" and Archer both hop down off the apron and then walk up the ramp. Matthews is busy beating on Dijak and doesn't immediately notice, but once he does, they just stop and look on as White and Archer flip them and the audience off and head to the back. Matthews goes to his corner and talks with his teammates, and they just decide to stop it. Referee Dan Engler calls for the bell.
No Contest
Notable Moments and Observations
• After the match, TMDK try to talk to Dijak, but Dijak is absolutely furious and begins fighting all three of them! There is a big scrum in the ring, which TMDK is getting the better of, and out runs security and officials to break this up.
• Dijak is yelling out like a madman, with Kevin Kelly proclaiming he has "snapped" on commentary, and the show ends with him screaming for them to let him go and TMDK watching on cautiously bewildered.
This show is live at the Kia Forum, and is being broadcast on the Paramount Network. Our commentary team is Kevin Kelly and Corey Graves. They put over the main event, which will be TMDK taking on Jay White, Chris Dijak, and a mystery partner, and then they are cut right off by "Cult of Personality"! The former UWA Universal Champion, CM Punk, is here!
CM Punk Has Arrived, and He Has a Challenger
Punk sits criss cross applesauce in the middle of the ring, and the fans are chanting his name.
CM Punk:
"Let me just start by saying thank you, it's an honor to be here. <pause for applause> I've been all over the world, and I've done more than most; hell, I'm one of the few men that can say they held the MUW World Heavyweight Championship... well, that's what we called it back then, anyway. And I've got to admit, that was pretty cool. That was a great time in my life. That was a time in my life where I could stand out here in front of you people and say with a straight face that I was 'The Best in the World'. <"Best in the World" chants begin and Punk gives it a minute>
"But you know, that feels like a life time ago now. That might as well be ancient history, but you know, history does have a way of repeating itself from time to time. So, I was thinking, maybe I'd show up here and see if I've still got one more run in me. I might be a little older, and I might have a few more gray hairs sprouting out of the sides of my head, but overall... damn it, I feel pretty good. And there's no better place to see if I've still got it than right here, in UPW, because this is the place where the action is happening. UPW has the best up and coming stars in the business, and some of the flat out best wrestlers in the world today, and if I can make it here... I can get to the top one more time. So everyone in the back, listen up and listen good: I'm putting you all on notice, and I'm going to put you all to sleep if you step in my way!"
"Let me just start by saying thank you, it's an honor to be here. <pause for applause> I've been all over the world, and I've done more than most; hell, I'm one of the few men that can say they held the MUW World Heavyweight Championship... well, that's what we called it back then, anyway. And I've got to admit, that was pretty cool. That was a great time in my life. That was a time in my life where I could stand out here in front of you people and say with a straight face that I was 'The Best in the World'. <"Best in the World" chants begin and Punk gives it a minute>
"But you know, that feels like a life time ago now. That might as well be ancient history, but you know, history does have a way of repeating itself from time to time. So, I was thinking, maybe I'd show up here and see if I've still got one more run in me. I might be a little older, and I might have a few more gray hairs sprouting out of the sides of my head, but overall... damn it, I feel pretty good. And there's no better place to see if I've still got it than right here, in UPW, because this is the place where the action is happening. UPW has the best up and coming stars in the business, and some of the flat out best wrestlers in the world today, and if I can make it here... I can get to the top one more time. So everyone in the back, listen up and listen good: I'm putting you all on notice, and I'm going to put you all to sleep if you step in my way!"
Punk was interrupted there, and it's John Morrison!
John Morrison:
"Punk, you are putting us all to sleep right now! <The fans boo Morrison> You hear that, Punk? This is my town, and they love me! <Morrison stops and smiles as the fans chant "Johnny Sucks!">
CM Punk:
"John, it sounds like the secret is out about how you got your job here..."
John Morrison:
"Punk, you can make all of the childish jokes you want, but the fact is, nobody wants you here. Just because you're buddies with Adam Pearce and Freddie Prinze is a mark doesn't mean you're worth a damn in 2023. I mean, look at you, and then look at me. You've always been able to talk your way up the ladder, but you're ass can't cash the checks anymore. You see, I've always taken special pleasure in kicking your ass, and if you're man enough, next week I'm going to do just that right there in that ring."
CM Punk:
"Well, ladies and gentlemen, what do you think? Should I kick John Morrison's ass next week or what? <Resounding cheers from the crowd>
"All right, John, that settles it. I guess I'm starting off playing the hits, because next week, I'm going to prove once and for all that CM Punk is better John Morrison; always has been, always will be!"
"Punk, you are putting us all to sleep right now! <The fans boo Morrison> You hear that, Punk? This is my town, and they love me! <Morrison stops and smiles as the fans chant "Johnny Sucks!">
CM Punk:
"John, it sounds like the secret is out about how you got your job here..."
John Morrison:
"Punk, you can make all of the childish jokes you want, but the fact is, nobody wants you here. Just because you're buddies with Adam Pearce and Freddie Prinze is a mark doesn't mean you're worth a damn in 2023. I mean, look at you, and then look at me. You've always been able to talk your way up the ladder, but you're ass can't cash the checks anymore. You see, I've always taken special pleasure in kicking your ass, and if you're man enough, next week I'm going to do just that right there in that ring."
CM Punk:
"Well, ladies and gentlemen, what do you think? Should I kick John Morrison's ass next week or what? <Resounding cheers from the crowd>
"All right, John, that settles it. I guess I'm starting off playing the hits, because next week, I'm going to prove once and for all that CM Punk is better John Morrison; always has been, always will be!"
Kevin Kelly and Corey Graves talk about that big match announcement. They also make mention that in honor of their partnership with the Paramount Network, tonight will feature a 20 Man Battle Royale to crown the first ever UPW Paramount Champion. We then we head back to the ring, where Mike Rome is standing in to introduce our first competitors of the evening.
British Strong Style vs. oVe
This was a non-title match, but Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate were firing on all cylinders. They took a hard loss to FTR at Extreme Heat, so they were looking to get right after that. They were in there with Chris Hero and Sami Callihan, who would try to slow things down, but that just wasn't happening. They delivered a Flying European Uppercut/Liger Bomb combination on Callihan to get the pinfall in under 5 minutes.
Winners: British Strong Style
Notable Moments and Observations
• After the match, Pete Dunne got on the mic and said that they are looking for some real competition for their Tag Team titles.
Jay White Has a New Partner In Crime
We go backstage, where "Switchblade" Jay White and Chris Dijak are standing in with Blake Howard. Jay White says that TMDK may have survived the main event of Extreme Heat, but he's brought in an equalizer and his name is "The American Psycho" Lance Archer! The massive Archer steps into the frame and he says he's going to enjoy ripping TMDK limb from limb.
Notable Moments and Observations
• Archer looks very menacing, but Dijak seemed a little out of place in this segment.
The Foundation vs. Legado del Fantasma
Jay Lethal gave "Swerve" a run for his money at Extreme Heat, but came up short in his bid for the X Division championship. Tonight, he teams with his partners Jonathan Gresham and Josh Woods to try to get his swagger back. Santos Escobar and company looked to spoil their plans, however. After about 6 minutes of action that saw frequent tagging, Gresham and Woods would use suplexes to send Escobar and Wilde out of the ring, allowing Lethal to hit the Lethal Injection on TJ Perkins to get the pinfall.
Winners: The Foundation
Shane Strickland and Ricochet Have a Run In Backstage
Backstage, Ricochet is warming up for his X Division title match with Shane "Swerve" Strickland tonight. Strickland comes up on Ricochet holding his title over his shoulder. Ricochet told Strickland it's nice of him to keep his title warm for him, but he's taking it tonight. Strickland laughs and says Ricochet is about to get bounced right out of UPW like the little bitch he is. Ricochet lunges with his fist up towards Strickland, and Strickland flinches backwards. Ricochet laughs and asks who the bitch is, and walks off past "Swerve". Strickland holds his title and looks on before we head back to the ring.
Bandido vs. Rush
Bandido has been having issues with Los Ingobernales, and now he was set to take on the leader of the group, the popular "El Toro Blanco". Rush and Bandido would have a very fun back and forth, but as it looked like Rush might win, out came VLNCE UNLTD. Rush and his brothers on the outside would get distracted. Rush would bend through the ropes and reach to grab Brody King, telling him to get the hell out of here, but Bandido would take advantage and deliver his 24 Plex to get the three count!
Winner: Bandido
Notable Moments and Observations
• Los Ingobernales are super pissed off about this outcome, while Bandido and VLNCE UNLTD are all very pleased with themselves.
CatchPoint Are Ready for The Battle Royale, and Lorcan Has a Challenge
We go backstage, where Blake Howard is standing in with CatchPoint. Timothy Thatcher and Drew Gulak talk about the big battle royale tonight for the Paramount Title and guarantee one of them is going to walk away with the gold. Blake Howard then turns his attention to Oney Lorcan, who had a war with Ilja Dragunov at Extreme Heat. Lorcan says he had Ilja beat in the middle of that ring when he locked on the Strangler, and he wants him again with a 30 minute time limit next time so he can finish the job.
The Undisputed Era vs. Josh Alexander & Tyson Kidd
Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish are accompanied by Roderick Strong as they take on the Pure Champion Josh Alexander and his Canadian compatriot Tyson Kidd. Alexander managed to beat Strong in an instant classic at Extreme Heat, but they were bound and determined not to let them get the win here tonight. Strong attempted to interfere on behalf of his team, which lead "Speedball" Mike Bailey to run out and start kicking the crap out of him to the delight of the crowd! Alexander would take advantage of the distraction and delivered a German Suplex to O'Reilly with a roll-up bridge to get the three count!
Winners: Josh Alexander & Tyson Kidd
Notable Moments and Observations
• Bailey gets in the ring and celebrates with Alexander and Kidd, as The Undisputed Era retreat with their tails between their legs.
TMDK Has Thoughts About Their Opponents Tonight
Blake Howard is backstage with TMDK. He welcomes Buddy Matthews back to UPW, and says he made quite the impression at Extreme Heat. Buddy says he knows Shane and Mikey could handle business on their own, but he'd been waiting a whole bloody month to get his hands on Jay White, and he took the opportunity right when that ponce got too cocky. Now he's got some great big bloke backin' him up, but big trees fall hard, and they make a hell of a racket when they get slammed in that ring. Shane goes on to say Jay White is sounding a little desperate, and that it doesn't matter who he brings in, they still aren't going to be better than the best damn team in the land, TMDK! Mikey then points out that Chris Dijak looked a little out of place now that Jay White has a new boyfriend, and says he doesn't even know what the hell he's still doing with that tosser. He said he'd give him a little free advice and tell him to ditch the psychos before they ditch him.
Notable Moments and Observations
• TMDK are playing a little mind games here. We will see if anything develops from it.
UPW Paramount Title
20 Man Battle Royale
I am not going to go through the whole twenty man list, but we did have some notable debuts here. Probably the biggest name debuting in this battle royale was Japanese stand out Shinsuke Nakamura, who got a nice pop. We also had Johnny Gargano, Ethan Page, and Luke Harper make their debuts. Page would end up teaming up to effective results with the returning Eddy Thorpe in this contest, and they would manage to eliminate a few individuals such as Konosuke Takeshita, Daniel Garcia, and Trent Beretta, but would get eliminated by Johnny Gargano while they were posing. Page and Gargano have a history, as Corey Graves pointed out, going back many years, and so Page would distract Gargano, allowing Timothy Thatcher to eliminate him! Gargano and Page would fight on the outside, leading security to come out and break it up. Gulak, Thatcher, Nakamura, and Zack Sabre Jr. were the last men in the tournament. Sabre and Thatcher just had a Submission Match at Extreme Heat that saw Thatcher go over, but tonight they would end up eliminating one another after a fight on the apron! After a fight that saw Nakamura land on his feet on the apron, Nakamura would manage to wobble Gulak with a high kick over the rope, and then yank the rope and send Gulak flipping over it and to the floor to win the match and become the inaugural champion!
Winner, and New UPW Paramount Champion: Shinsuke Nakamura
The Undisputed Era Refuse to Be Humiliated
We go backstage, and The Undisputed Era are livid! Roderick Strong said that they are done being humiliated, and they are ready to get revenge! Strong says that Mike Bailey should have learned his lesson when O'Reilly beat his ass at Extreme Heat, but now it seems like he wants some more! Strong says that's fine, because he'll have no problem breaking him in half and sending him to the retirement home! O'Reilly then says that Alexander took a cheap shot tonight and stole a win, but it's going to be an eye for an eye. O'Reilly says that tonight he stole a win, but now he's swears he's going to take Alexander's championship!
Notable Moments and Observations
• The Undisputed Era were on fire here, and they work best when they are pissed off and focused.
UPW X Division Title
Shane "Swerve" Strickland © vs. Ricochet
Strickland was very aggressive in this match, as he felt disrespected by Ricochet earlier. These two seemed almost evenly matched, with Ricochet having the slight edge in aerial ability, while Strickland is the slightly better striker. Unforunately, we wouldn't get a clean result here, as Cameron Grimes would make his way out to distract Ricochet, allowing Strickland to hit a Poisonrana, followed by the House Call kick to get the three count.
Winner, and Still UPW X Division Champion: Shane Strickland
Notable Moments and Observations
• After the match, Cameron Grimes came in and attacked Ricochet. Kevin Kelly points out that Ricochet had won a three-way dance a couple of weeks ago that caused Grimes to have a psychotic break.
• "Swerve" would actually slide back in and blast Grimes in the back of his head with his championship belt. Strickland could be heard saying that Grimes needs to stay the f*ck out of his business!
Jay Lethal Wants a Shot at the Paramount Title
Backstage, Jay Lethal is in the locker room with Jonathan Gresham and Josh Woods. He says that it felt good to get one in the win column tonight, but it's only relit the fire in him to get championship gold. He says he came close to winning the X Division championship at Extreme Heat, but after seeing that battle royale tonight, he knows what he needs to do. He said that Shinsuke Nakamura has a title, and he wants a shot at it next week!
TMDK vs. "Switchblade" Jay White, Chris Dijak, and Lance Archer
After some deliberation at the start, Chris Dijak starts off the match for his team against Shane Thorne. Dijak is looking good, and Thorne tags out to Mikey Nicholls. Nicholls manages to get Dijak down and then tags in the Premier Champion Buddy Matthews, and that's when "Switchblade" and Archer both hop down off the apron and then walk up the ramp. Matthews is busy beating on Dijak and doesn't immediately notice, but once he does, they just stop and look on as White and Archer flip them and the audience off and head to the back. Matthews goes to his corner and talks with his teammates, and they just decide to stop it. Referee Dan Engler calls for the bell.
No Contest
Notable Moments and Observations
• After the match, TMDK try to talk to Dijak, but Dijak is absolutely furious and begins fighting all three of them! There is a big scrum in the ring, which TMDK is getting the better of, and out runs security and officials to break this up.
• Dijak is yelling out like a madman, with Kevin Kelly proclaiming he has "snapped" on commentary, and the show ends with him screaming for them to let him go and TMDK watching on cautiously bewildered.