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[GCW] Monday Night Explosion - 1/10/05

Snabbit888Posted on 08/31/05 at 02:47:37

Welcome to the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio for the hottest show in wrestling today, Monday Night Explosion! "Y2J" Chris Jericho has a huge opportunity this Thursday at the GCW special Gold Rush when he wrestles Kurt Angle for the World Heavyweight Title in a steel cage, but first he'd have to get through Angle's ultra violent righthand man, Steve "Who's Your Daddy?" Bradley! Also tonight, the World's Greatest Tag Team will defend the World Tag Team Titles against the Hardy Boyz, the Basham Brothers of JBL's Cabinet take on the dysfunctional Booker T and Goldust, Christopher Daniels defends his Television Title, and Rhyno takes on Sean O'Haire!

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We kicked off the show in a strange location as we were out in the parking lot. At first all we could see was a mass amount of security officers at the back entrance. We soon found out they were holding back a very angry BROCK LESNAR. Lesnar was trying desperately to get in the building, the security holding him back with all that they had. Lesnar said that he was going to come in the building and "break Kurt Angle's *BLEEP*-ing neck!" The had of security told Lesnar that if he didn't leave the premises now, he'd be leaving in a squad car. Lesnar finally relented, turning around and heading back toward his car... or so we thought. Lesnar walked until he was out of the sight of the security officers before picking up a stray pipe and heading toward the World Heavyweight champion's car. Lesnar arrived at Angle's car and wasted zero time in bashing out the driver's side window. Lesnar bashed in the windshield and smashed out the headlights before cracking the hood with a powerful strike. Lesnar threw the pipe down and got in his own car and sped away.

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Match #1
On Commentary: Cruiserweight champion Paul London
The Hurricane vs. "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles
Our opening contest of the evening pitted two of the men who will be involved in Cruiserweight Chaos 2 at Gold Rush this Thursday, The Hurricane and AJ Styles. To make this match even more intriguing, Cruiserweight champion Paul London was at ringside with Joey O'Donnell and Brian Wagner on commentary as he is set to face the winner of Cruiserweight Chaos at Winter Warfare. London has also had a barrage of problems with Styles in recent weeks, and that all came to a head in this match. After a few minutes of great action, a jumping clothesline by The Hurricane missed and inadvertently struck referee JD Sanders. The Hurricane, being the noble superhero he is, immediately checked on Sanders, which left his back wide open to an attack and an inverted DDT from the Phenomenal One. Seeing the ref was still out, Styles decided to send a message to Paul London and grabbed a chair from the floor. Before Styles could get back in the ring to make an example out of The Hurricane, London did the right thing by jumping off his headset and intervening, grabbing the chair away from Styles and clocking him with it! The crowd popped big time at the unexpected show of aggression from the Cruiserweight champion, who tossed Styles back into the ring. The Hurricane hit a big senton and a groggy JD Sanders made the three count, giving The Hurricane what has to be considered an upset victory.

The Hurricane pinned AJ Styles after a senton in 0:07:07.
Rating: ****

The Hurricane jumped out of the ring quickly and celebrated his big win with the fans as Paul London smiled on from ringside. When Styles came to, he yelled for revenge at London who was taunting Styles up the aisle. Styles might get his chance for revenge if he can win Crusierweight Chaos.

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Speaking of the cruiserweight situation, Justin Credible was at it once again, back in the office of GCW President Ryan Niemiller. Credible doesn't seem to want to let this thing die, asking Niemiller to let him be a part of Cruiserweight Chaos 2 at Gold Rush. Niemiller told Credible he understood his desire to get into the Cruiserweight Title hunt, but as of right now, a) the match was full, and b) Credible was still over the weight limit. Niemiller went on to say that he appreciates Credible's work ethic and passion to wrestle for the Cruiserweight Title, so he offered Credible a deal. If Credible can defeat Shark Boy later AND make weight, he will be granted a Cruiserweight Title shot against Paul London this Thursday at Gold Rush. Credible seemed excited about this, until he soaked in the reality of having to lose those couple pounds he's been unable to do thus far. Thus, instead of leaving the office, he began doing Hindu squats. Niemiller laughed before directing Matt Morgan to remove Credible, which he did by scooping him up on his shoulder and carrying him out.

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Match #2
World Tag Team Title Match
The World's Greatest Tag Team (c) vs. The Hardy Boyz (w/ Lita)
The World's Greatest Tag Team have a rough week ahead of them. They have the angry former World Tag Team champions Elix Skipper and Low-Ki ready for a rematch at Gold Rush, but that would all be dependent on whether or not they could get past one of the top tag teams of the past twenty years, the Hardy Boyz. The Hardyz earned this title shot last week after winning a four corners match, and planned to take advantage of this opportunity. Though Matt and Jeff have never even come close to embarrassing themselves since reuniting in GCW, they haven't quite had the success they anticipated, losing some close contests for the titles over the summer. This could have been the perfect chance to sneak the titles away, as with their huge match with Skipper and Low-Ki three days away, the WGTT's collective head was not where it needed to be.

In recent weeks, Jeff Hardy has shown that he is willing to take risks, even more so than before. Many times, it pays off for Jeff and the Hardyz. But when he crashes and burns, he does so hard. That was how this one went down, with the Hardyz dominating much of the early and middle portions of the match. Haas and Benjamin are normally very focused, but you could tell they (especially Haas) were rattled after dropping the fall to Skipper and Low-Ki last week. The Hardyz looked to be on their way to walking out of Cincinnati with their first World Tag Team Title reign after Matt hit the Twist of Fate on Haas. Jeff went to the top, but he caught Benjamin trying to sneak around on the floor, so instead of a Swanton Bomb on Haas, it was a corkscrew plancha on Benjamin. Though the crowd loved it, Matt and Lita were yelling for Jeff to hit the Swanton in the ring. Jeff finally got back up top, but by the time he did, Haas had time to recover and moved out of the way. You could almost literally see the oxygen leave Jeff's lungs as he crashed on the mat. Haas locked on the Haas of Pain, and despite the encouragement of Matt and Lita, Jeff had to tap out.

The World's Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin) defeated The Hardy Boyz (Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy) when C. Haas made J. Hardy submit to the Haas of Pain in 0:10:54.
Rating: *** 1/2
(The World's Greatest Tag Team retained the GCW World Tag Team Titles.)

Haas and Benjamin grabbed their titles without much delay, knowing that they escaped by the skin of their teeth tonight. Will they be so fortunate come Gold Rush though?

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Back to the office of President Niemiller where this time he is joined by Rey Mysterio Jr. Mysterio was very clear in what he wanted from Niemiller, and that was a shot at the Prophecy. Nobody has had more trouble with the Prophecy than Niemiller, so he was more than willing to oblige. Niemiller made a match for Gold Rush that will put Christopher Daniels and Sean O'Haire against Rey Mysterio Jr. and his partner, newcomer Rhyno. Mysterio gave a big smile until Niemiller informed him that to ensure the match went down at Gold Rush that Mysterio should take the night off and go home. Mysterio protested, but eventually relented and agreed to leave the building, knowing that he would have his shot to get his revenge against the Prophecy in three days.

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Match #3
Television Title Match
"Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels (c) (w/ Daffney) vs. "Italian Stallion" Chuck Palumbo
Speaking of the Prophecy, Christopher Daniels was in action next for a mandatory Television Title defense against the quirky Chuck Palumbo. What Palumbo has in being weird and goofy in the ring, unfortunately he lacks in ring savvy and intelligence. Palumbo had the big size advantage, but being the big Italian oaf that he is, Daniels didn't have a lot of trouble using his superior in-ring skills to pick Palumbo apart and make short order of the Stallion with the Last Rites.

Christopher Daniels pinned Chuck Palumbo with the Last Rites in 0:04:05.
Rating: ***
(Christopher Daniels retained the GCW Television Title.)

You may not like the way the Prophecy does business, but it's hard to argue that Daniels has been a great Television champion. With Rey Mysterio Jr. still on his heels, and with the emergence of Rhyno, his days could be numbered, however.


Match #4
Shark Boy vs. Justin Credible
Justin Credible could have a huge opportunity in front of him if two things happened: 1) he is able to shed the last couple of pounds to get to 215 pounds before Thursday and 2) defeated Shark Boy in this match. Credible tried to do both of those things in this match, as every time he'd have Shark Boy down, he'd do some Hindu squats or jumping jacks. What this led to was a lot of frustration for Credible, as Shark Boy would take those lapses in concentration to recover and catch Credible off guard. Credible had many close calls in this match, almost losing on several occasions when he wasn't paying attention. Credible was able to pull it out though as he ducked a Shark Boy clothesline and caught the boy from the sea in a backslide. Credible got the pin, but he needed to put his feet on the ropes to secure the victory.

Justin Credible pinned Shark Boy after a backslide in 0:06:00.
Rating: *** 1/4

Part one of two is now complete as Justin Credible picked up the win over Shark Boy, so we know that Credible will face Paul London this Thursday at Gold Rush. credible has three days now to get down to 225 pounds to make that match a Cruiserweight Title match. Credible went right back to the workout regiment, opting to go into a full sprint to get to the locker room.

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After coming back from a commercial, Joey O'Donnell was in the ring for an interview with "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels. The topic of conversation tonight as one would expect was Eddie Guerrero. HBK said he was disappointed with Eddie, noting that throughout 2004, he and Latino Heat can become very close friends, traveling together, teaming together, and having each other's back. Then when the Black Tiger began showing up, Eddie lost it, burning many bridges with both family and friends alike. HBK made sure to mention that he still wants to consider Guerrero a friend, and that's why he has to knock a whole lot of sense into him at Gold Rush. At this point, ERIC ANGLE came out with a microphone of his own. Angle ran down Michaels, telling him that why this tale of friendship was very "touching," nobody cared, especially not him, as it was Eric Angle who drove Eddie Guerrero insane. Angle went on to say that he would do it all again too, because now in three days he's going to be the North American champion while Eddie Guerrero is going to be busy beating up an "old man" in the Heartbreak Kid. HBK laughed before telling Angle that he might be an old man, but he can still beat a young "whippersnapper" like Eric Angle, right there and now. Eric Angle in his ever cocky way said it was on, prompting referee Antonio Santangelo to hit the ring and we had ourselves a match!

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Match #5
"The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels vs. Eric Angle
At this point it's not secret that Eric Angle has been perhaps the story of the year with his impressive undefeated streak, beating many of the top names in Global Championship Wrestling along the way. He has yet to fight Shawn Michaels before tonight though, and there's perhaps no one with more experience and ring savvy in GCW than the Heartbreak Kid. No one will deny that Shawn Michaels is not the same Shawn Michaels he was ten years ago. He has lost a step, and his body can't take the same punishment it could in his younger days. But the 2005 version of Shawn Michaels is much more cunning, mature, experienced, and intelligent. HBK knows how to wrestle smart and how to frustrate his opponent, two things he was doing extremely well against Eric Angle. Angle is overflowing with confidence, and it's hard for him not to with his impressive win/loss record, but quite frankly, Michaels was teaching him a lesson in humility and reality. Michaels showed great intensity in this one, hardly letting up on Angle for even a second. Angle would try to get some distance in between himself and the former North American champion, but HBK would have none of it. With his unstable state though, one couldn't help but feel it wasn't a matter of if but when Eddie Guerrero would interject himself into this match. Michaels was cruising and looked moments away from handing Angle his first loss after a flying elbowdrop and began tuning up the band. As Angle got to his feet, HBK looked to hit the Sweet Chin Music, but Guerrero grabbed his foot and tripped him up. Michaels turned his attention to Latino Heat for just one second, which was long enough for Eric Angle to recover and hit the deadly Angle Slam and keep his undefeated streak in tact by a very narrow margin.

Eric Angle pinned Shawn Michaels with the Angle Slam in 0:06:04.
Rating: *** 3/4

You know that Eddie Guerrero has really lost his mind because he had just helped the man he hates more than anyone else beat the last man who wants to call him a friend. Eddie slid into the ring and start laying into Michaels with hard right hands, but he was stopped when Eric Angle grabbed him from behind and nailed the Angle Slam! So much for gratitude, I suppose. I don't know how he keeps doing it, but once again, Eric Angle keeps his unbeaten streak alive. Will his luck hold up against Monty Brown at Gold Rush?

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Speaking on Monty Brown, the North American champion was with Mario Riviera backstage. Riveria asked Brown if he was at all worried about facing Eric Angle with the North American Title on the line at Gold Rush. Brown made sure to let us all know that he is the Alpha Male of GCW, and he doesn't sweat anybody in the ring, whether it be Eric Angle, Eddie Guerrero, or Godzilla. He's brought some stability to the North American Title and he's not about to lose it now, and Brown said that he WILL put an end to Angle's undefeated streak and that Angle will feel the Pounce... PERIOD. Right then, an enraged EDDIE GUERRERO ran in from the curtain and jumped Monty Brown from behind. Poor Mario Riviera was knocked over in the fray as Eddie and Monty exchanged punches before the GCW Official Brigade finally came in to break up this brawl. It's as if Guerrero is going as far out of his way as possible to alienate the entire roster. This could come back to bite him, starting this Thursday against Shawn Michaels.

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Match 6
On Commentary: John Bradshaw Layfield
Goldust/Booker T vs. The Basham Brothers (w/ Shaniqua, Lamont, & Abyss)
John Bradshaw Layfield wanted to have a front row seat for this next match as he wanted his first good look at the members of his Cabinet in action as the former champion Basham Brothers were taking on GCW's dysfunctional duo of Booker T and Goldust. Once again, Booker T and Goldust did everything but coexist. Booker T at least got in the match this time, a sign of progress perhaps? Not likely, as Booker wasn't in there very long, leaving Goldust to be destroyed by Shaniqua's top team. Booker didn't even remain at ringside this time, leaving Goldust all alone. With Goldust alone and the entire Cabinet at ringside, he was done for before he even had a chance. Doug Basham flattened Goldust with his impressive Jumping Tombstone Piledriver, allowing JBL to cockily spout off on commentary even more.

The Basham Brothers (Danny Basham and Doug Basham) defeated Booker T and Goldust when Doug Basham pinned Goldust with the Jumping Tombstone Piledriver in 0:06:53.
Rating: ***

The entire Cabinet got in the ring to celebrate. JBL had that huge goofy grin on his face as it looks like he has a winning team on his hands. And poor Lamont was being undressed by Shaniqua's eyes the entire time. Shaniqua would eat Lamont alive... let's hope we never have to witness that. But the fact remains that JBL may have punched his ticket to the top with this team.


Match #7
Rhyno vs. Sean O'Haire (w/ Daffney)
This next match would prove to be a hard-hitting affair as Sean O'Haire of the Prophecy was sent to take on the high octane newcomer, "The Manbeast" Rhyno. This match was precisely what we thought it would be, and that was a highly entertaining brawl. These two powerhouses took turns beating the crap out of each other, hitting the other with clubbing clothesline. Nothing pretty; just a good ol' fight. By the end of this one, both Rhyno and O'Haire had large welts starting to show on their bodies, showing exactly what kind of power these two have. Halfway through the match, Television champion Christopher Daniels came to the ring, which didn't bode well for Rhyno, especially with Rey Mysterio Jr. not being in the building. Daniels assured referee Petey Pluck that he was merely there to observe, but we all knew better than that as late in the match, Daniels nailed Rhyno in the back with the Television Title, causing Rhyno to stumble right into a big boot from O'Haire. O'Haire ascended the turnbuckles until he got to the top, albeit very slowly as he was bruised up from Rhyno's attacks earlier. nce O'Haire finally got positioned on top and jumped off from the Seanton Bomb, Rhyno was able to roll out of the way. The 280-pound O'Haire crashed hard on the mat, and as we all know, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Rhyno got his second wind and nailed the Gore out of nowhere, allowing him to get the huge win.

Rhyno pinned Sean O'Haire with the Gore in 0:12:08.
Rating: *** 1/4

Rhyno proved in this one that he's got what it takes to compete in GCW, defeating the red hot Sean O'Haire. As Rhyno celebrated his victory, Daniels tried to sneak up on him, but the Manbeast turned around in time and caught Daniels. Daniels begged off, but Rhyno would have none of it, squatting down and getting himself ready to nail the Gore, but just then, the lights when out and the red light we've seen over the past few weeks could be seen in the awhile. He was here once more, distracting Rhyno long enough for Daniels to hit him from behind with a low blow. This mysterious cloaked man came down to the ring, the red spotlight following him the entire way. With O'Haire back to his feet, Rhyno was in big trouble, especially with He motioning for O'Haire to get a table. O'Haire did what he was told without delay, setting up the table in the ring. O'Haire then put Rhyno in a standing headscissors, picked him up and with the help of Daniels, drove Rhyno through the table with a spike power bomb! Rhyno was out as the members of the Prophecy, all four strong, stood over Rhyno and put their arms out like a cross. We've since learned that Rhyno will be able to compete at Gold Rush, but he is not going to be 100%.

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We are just moments away from our main event, but first we head to the back where a noticeably nervous World Heavyweight champion Kurt Angle is standing by with his head enforcer, Steve Bradley. While Bradley says nothing, Angle gives him a passionate and fiery motivational speech. Angle told his right hand man that this was the most important match of his career coming up in just a few moments. Angle said it wasn't an option - Bradley HAD to put Chris Jericho out of commission tonight. Angle moaned and groaned about how the rest of GCW was out to get Team Angle because of their success, their domination, and their gold. Bradley started to fume more and more as Angle told him that GCW is trying to get the World Heavyweight Title away from Team Angle at all costs. If Bradley could put Jericho on the shelf tonight, it would show everybody that Team Angle lays down for nobody and that they won't be taken down with politics. Bradley was sufficiently fired up, picked up Mofo, slammed it hard against a locker and stormed out of the room toward the ring. Angle smiled until a few seconds later he saw RANDY ORTON's reflection in a mirror standing behind Angle! Angle spun around as Orton smiled cockily at him. Orton said that whether Angle likes it or not, his days as World champion are numbered, because if Jericho doesn't get that belt off of him at Gold Rush, Orton will be there waiting in the wings to take the strap in February at Beat Your Valentine. Orton smiled one more time at Angle before leaving the champion in a state that few have - speechless.

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Match #8
MAIN EVENT
"Y2J" Chris Jericho vs. Steve "Who's Your Daddy?" Bradley
You have to admire Chris Jericho's competitive spirit. This was a very dangerous match to sign on for a mere three days before his huge opportunity against Kurt Angle for the World Heavyweight Title in a steel cage match, taking on Angle's hired gun and a man who's sole responsibility was to injure Y2J, Steve Bradley. Without question, Bradley is one of the more feared men in Global Championship Wrestling these days. Not only is he extremely loyal to Kurt Angle, but he will do whatever it takes to make sure that Angle's objections are done (ask Chris Benoit and his cracked ribs about that). Bradley had similar intentions for Jericho. Jericho came out fast as we expected he would, trying to counter balance Bradley's meanstreak. Bradley got a desperation eye poke in to slow down Y2J's momentum, and really took control after a devastating clothesline.

Jericho played the face in peril for the next few minutes, keeping Bradley honest with brief flurries of offense, but Bradley continually cut him back down. Bradley also utilized several illegal moves - chokes, eye gouges, using the ropes for leverage - to punish the number-one-contender even further. A bad situation was getting worse for Jericho when one of his comebacks as cut short when he went for a flying forearm and instead hit referee Jimmy Appleseed. Jericho made the mistake of checking on the ref, which allowed Bradley to once again cut his momentum off with a low blow. With the referee out of it, Bradley's eyes lit up like a kid's on Christmas morning as he had an open season to do what he wanted, and of course he went straight for his favorite toy, Mofo, the black baseball bat. Bradley stalked his prey Jericho with the bat and raised it high in the air, but he didn't get a chance to cause any damage to Y2J as CHRIS BENOIT, taped ribs and all, was in the ring and nailed Bradley with a German suplex! Bradley dropped Mofo and was down on the mat, allowing Jericho to name him with the Lionsault and lock on the Walls of Jericho. A second referee in the form of JD Sanders ran down in order to call the submission, giving Jericho the duke!

Chris Jericho made Steve Bradley submit to the Walls of Jericho in 0:10:15.
Rating: **** 1/4

Chris Jericho survive Steve Bradley, but he certainly took his lumps. How much will he have left in the tank when he wrestles Kurt Angle for the World Heavyweight Title in a steel cage match this Thursday at Gold Rush? Bradley may not have won, but he did his job.

The next stop for GCW is the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Thursday, January 13th for Gold Rush! Though this is a free television event, the card is stacked from top to bottom! Look at what we have on tap for you!

World Heavyweight Title Steel Cage Match - Kurt Angle (c) vs. "Y2J" Chris Jericho

North American Title Match - "The Alpha Male" Monty Brown (c) vs. Eric Angle

World Tag Team Title Match - The World's Greatest Tag Team (c) vs. "Primetime" Elix Skipper/Low-Ki

If Credible can make weight, this will be a Cruiserweight Title Match - Paul London (Cruiserweight champion) vs. Justin Credible

"The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels vs. "Latino Heat" Eddie Guerrero

Rey Mysterio Jr./Rhyno vs. "Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels (Television champion)/Sean O'Haire

Cruiserweight Chaos - Winner receives Cruiserweight Title shot at 1/30/05 pay-per-view event, Winter Warfare
Participants: The Hurricane, AJ Styles, Shark Boy, Teddy Hart, Petey Williams, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, and the debut of Frankie Kazarian
VertigoPosted on 09/01/05 at 00:48:43

This was a fun read. I'm pretty muched hooked on GCW now. The hype for the Gold Rush PPV was done very well as I am looking forward to it. I'm most looking forward to the Angle/Y2J Cage match and HBK against Eddie Guerrero. This was the first GCW show I've read, so I was shocked when Eric Angle got a win over HBK. Eric Angle has a wild character in GCW, but I'm liking it.

Every time I read a card involving Shark Boy, he is always on the losing end. He's like the best TNM job guy out there.
Snabbit888Posted on 09/01/05 at 00:51:49

Hehe, thanks for the kind words.

Yes, Eric Angle's huge push is a GCW original for sure. :)

And yes, Shark Boy is a fantastic job boy.  Enertaining character, cult following, easy to let lose.  It's perfect.