Post by Leo on Apr 6, 2024 16:49:07 GMT -5
WCW AEW International Title Shot Tournament
Tubi special three aired March 22, 2024
Taped from the Center Stage Studios in Atlanta, Georgia
Commentary Team: Bruce Prichard, Randy Savage and Molly Holly
Ring Announcer: AC Jazz
Heels come out with Fyre and Tygress
Faces come out with Whisper and Spice
Referees: Tommy Young, Joey Marella and Charles Robinson
Bruce Prichard welcomes everyone to the program and recaps the first round of the tournament from the first two specials. Tonight will be the entire second round and the semifinals will be on an upcoming edition of Nitro. He previews tonight’s matches.
He then talks about the main event. A six person tag pitting Kamille Kaine and Strictly Business against Charlotte Flair and the Von Erichs. Footage is shown of Kamille interfering in Charlotte’s match at Destination Dallas III and then again last week, causing her to lose the WCW Women’s Title to Asuka.
We then go to the ring with Kamille Kaine and Strictly Business of Thom Latimer and Royce Isaacs. Latimer speaks.
“This is the first time I’ve spoken since coming to World Championship Wrestling. Why? Because I was told if I wanted a job, I needed to keep my mouth shut and my head down. Don’t rock the boat, don’t make waves. My wife, Kamille, had to beg for me and Royce to get contracts. Why? Because my ex-wife, Charlotte Flair, is the queen of WCW. Well, we’re tired of cowering in fear because of her. I won’t go into detail about our marriage, you can Google that, but just know everything she says is a lie and everything I say is the truth.”
Charlotte Flair comes out and gets in the ring and stares down Latimer without saying a word. Latimer tells Charlotte to hit him and then slaps his own face a couple times. She doesn’t budge, but Kamille steps up and slaps Charlotte. This draws out the Von Erichs of David and Kevin. The heels clear out of the ring and Latimer shouts about finishing this later.
COMMERCIAL
Brian Pillman vs. Chris Jericho
The match is fast paced and high flying. Jericho runs through the usual such as the Breakdown, the Codebreaker and the Backstabber and can’t put Pillman away. A frustrated Jericho starts cutting corners including a thumb to the eye and pulling the tights on a small package. Jericho works an abdominal stretch while using the top rope for leverage. Randy Savage, who has allied with Pillman against the Snake Pit, gets up from the commentary position and smacks Jericho’s hand off the top rope. Jericho lets go and turns to look at Savage. Jericho turns into a standing dropkick and goes to the floor. While jawing with Savage, Pillman gets a top con hilo. He rolls Jericho back into the ring and finishes with the Air Pillman. Pillman offers a hand to Jericho and he just kind of shakes it off and walks away, much like he did with Dusty Rhodes at Destination Dallas III.
Winner: Brian Pillman at 14:31
COMMERCIAL
Asuka is out before the next match holding the WCW Women’s Title. She’s still dressed in the beret, scarf and sunglasses like Rick Martel. Prichard calls her win an upset. “Asuka no upset. Asuka set. Asuka champion. Asuka arrogance.”
Tessa Blanchard then comes out. Charlotte Flair seems to have her hands full with Kamille Kaine right now. And Tessa Blanchard is the only other woman in WCW to hold that title Asuka has now multiple times and she wouldn’t mind having it again. Asuka laughs. “Asuka champion. Asuka arrogance.”
“The Model” Rick Martel vs. “The Man with the Hands of Stone” Ronnie Garvin
Blanchard stays at ringside and Asuka protests it. “Blanchard no manager.” Garvin dominates early with strikes, but Martel grounds him down with various holds and gets the Boston Crab. Garvin breaks by grabbing the ropes. Garvin comes back with several punches to the gut and a tilt-a-whirl slam. He does the Garvin Stomp and covers. Asuka puts Martel’s foot on the bottom rope and Blanchard backs her off. Martel ducks a clothesline and gets a flying crossbody for a two count. Snap suplex for a two count and Martel argues with the referee. Asuka goes to attack Garvin with the atomizer, but Blanchard stops her. Martel comes over to the ropes to tell the ladies to cool it…and then turns around into the Stonecutter.
Winner: Ronnie Garvin at 9:59
COMMERCIAL
Bruce Prichard talks about the altercation between Jake Roberts and Dusty Rhodes on the last Tubi special and footage is shown of Rhodes saving One Man Gang from getting bitten by Damian while tied up in the ropes. We then get pre-taped promos from each man.
Jake Roberts: “Dusty Rhodes, you stuck your nose where it didn’t belong. And you know what happens when you do that with a snake? It gets bitten off clean down to the bone, my man. One Man Gang means nothing to me and I know he’s nobody to you. I was just having a little fun, but you couldn’t have that, could you? Mr. World’s Champion thinks he’s a big man now. A belt does nothing but hold your pants up, my man. We all know you can talk the talk Rhodes, but I want to see if you can walk the walk.”
Dusty Rhodes: “Jake Roberts, baby, you ain’t nothing but a bully and the American Dream has been fighting bullies his whole life. You punch down, but Big Dust punches up, which is kind of hard to do with a snake slithering on the ground, daddy. Growing up in Texas, we used to see snakes all the time. Crawling through the dirt. Laying in wait. Picking up the scraps. Striking when you least expected. But, you know what my daddy told this son of a plumber, baby. When a snake slithers across your path, you stomp it in the head so it can’t hurt nobody no more.”
COMMERCIAL
“The Prizefighter” Kevin Owens vs. “National Treasure” Nick Aldis
Owens gets a buckle bomb, but Aldis moves on the rolling hip attack. Aldis brings Owens out of the corner with a bulldog. Snap power slam. He goes up top for the Macho Man elbow, but misses. Aldis shoves Owens out of the stunner into the ropes and taking a leaping forearm, that sends him sliding to the floor. Magnum TA comes out and watches proceedings. Magnum lost to Owen in the first round and wasn’t happy about it. Owens tells Magnum TA to go to the back and they jaw at each other. Then the bell sounds and Owens looks shocked. He lost by count out. Magnum has a look of “sorry about your damn luck.” Owens and Magnum brawl off and Aldis is like “a win is a win.”
Winner: Nick Aldis at 8:18
COMMERCIAL
“Stunning” Steve Austin vs. One Man Gang with “Number One” Paul Jones
Austin sends Fuller to the back at the start of the match and commentary wonders why. Austin is as fired up as he was last round, but against a big man like the Gang, that just gets him beat up. OMG with a side slam, but he misses the 747 Splash. Austin stomps a mudhole on the downed gang and gets his second rope elbow drop. He goes for the Stunner, but Gangs shoves him out of it as Jones gets on the apron. Austin turns to nail Jones with a back elbow and then comes back with a Thesz Press on Gang. Austin with the Rattlesnake Clutch, that he turns into a leg sweep and gets the win.
Winner Steve Austin at 12:32
Austin goes over to the commentary position. “I ain’t playing any damn more with anybody. Dusty Rhodes beat me at Destination Dallas III and now I can’t have another WCW World Title Shot while he’s champion. Well, boo-hoo, you ain’t going to see me crying and whining about. I'm focused now on getting that AEW International Title shot, because that’s my ticket out of this hell hole. When I take that belt off of Triple H, whom I’ve beaten more times than he can count, and granted he can’t count that high, that puts me on a long term loan to AEW. Hell, it might as well be permanent, because I’m not losing that title ever and coming back here. You know I’m Stone Cold, but I’ve also always been stunning.” Austin starts to walk away and comes back. “F*ck it, I’m just plain Stone Cold.”
COMMERCIAL
Charlotte Flair and the Von Erichs (David and Kevin) vs. Kamille Kaine and Strictly Business (Thom Latimer and Royce Isaacs)
Latimer wants to wrestle Flair and she’s cool with it, but David won’t allow it and takes on Latimer. The cocky Latimer is controlled by the calm and assured David. The tide turns when Kevin tags in against Isaacs and is caught on a crossbody for a fallaway slam. The heels beat down Kevin, including Kaine. Kamille shows her strength with a scoop Samoan Drop on Kevin and lines up the spear. As she flies, Kevin leaps over her and tags Charlotte. Flair is a house of fire, striking the guys on the apron. Gorilla press into a gutbuster and Natural Selection. The pin is broken up by Latimer and Isaacs. The Von Erichs come in and the match is thrown out at 10:50. David gets Isaacs up for the North Texas Stampede, but Kamille smacks him with a chair and the heels lay out the faces to stand tall at the fade.
AEW International Title Tournament Semi-Finals
Brian Pillman vs. Nick Aldis
Steve Austin vs. Ronnie Garvin