Join The Community
TNM Discord
@tnm7sim
tnm7sim
TNM 3:16 Forums
FORUM HOME > TNM Circuits > TNM Circuits
[GCW] Best of the Best - 12/19/04
| Snabbit888 | Posted on 08/03/05 at 09:43:37 Welcome everyone to the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida! Welcome to the final pay-per-view of 2004! Welcome to Best of the Best! Joey O'Donnell and Brian Wagner welcome us to the event and go over the card. All five titles are on the line, as well as the semi-finals and finals of the Best of the Best tournament. The events of tonight would help shape the upcoming year in Global Championship Wrestling, as there was a lot at stake. Enough stalling; let's get right to the action! Match #1 Best of the Best - Semi-Finals "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels vs. Sean O'Haire (w/ Daffney) What a great way to kick off the pay-per-view with our first of the semi-final matches as "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels took on the Prophecy's strongman, Sean O'Haire. In the early going, HBK looked incredibly crisp, showing no ill effects from his recent back trouble. HBK has a wealth of experience and he used it to overcome O'Haire's strength and aggressiveness. The frustration was clearly painted across O'Haire's face with every failed attempt at offense, with Michaels remaining one step ahead. O'Haire might not have the experience, but his raw power can equalize any situation, and that's what happened here as he caught HBK in a flying crossbody attempt and reversed it into a huge backbreaker. O'Haire would go on to work over Michael's back with his hard-hitting offense, Daffney shrieking with delight with every strike. After punishing HBK's back for several minutes, O'Haire was looking for the big move to finish him off, but he couldn't locate it. O'Haire would go for a huge Mafia kick, but Michaels ducked and came flying back with a flying forearm. HBK looked to be out of it, but as he has time and time again, he mustered the strength to kip up (doing so with a grimace though because of his back). HBK went to work with right hands and knife-edge chops, taking O'Haire to the mat. HBK went to the top rope looking to hit the flying elbowdrop, but he was distracted as Daffney jumped on the apron. As referee Antonio Santangelo attempted to put Daffney back on the floor, O'Haire had been bought enough time to get to his feet and nail Michaels with a low blow. HBK fell forward right onto O'Haire's shoulders, where the bigger man nailed the Prophecy in the center of the ring. However, Daffney's distraction backfired as Santangelo was slow to get to the count, allowing the ever resilient Michaels to kick out at two and a half. O'Haire was furious at this point, heading to the top rope which is something he doesn't do very often. HBK is tough, but he used the last bit of his strength kicking out of the Prophecy. O'Haire nailed a devastating somersault senton on HBK, which many of you may better know as the Seanton Bomb. Nobody is going to kick out of that, and O'Haire kicked off the night with a monumental upset. [Best of the Best - Semi-Finals]: Sean O'Haire pinned Shawn Michaels with the Seanton Bomb in 0:11:55. Rating: *** Daffney jumped around the ring shrieking and squealing as Sean O'Haire has found himself in the finals. Shawn Michaels remained on the mat for a couple of minutes before he was able to pull himself to his feet, albeit slowly. HBK received a nice round of applause as he refused help to the back. Match #2 Cruiserweight Title Match Paul London (c) vs. Petey Williams (w/ Dawn Marie) Petey Williams had to go through three grueling weeks of the Cruiserweight Title Gauntlet, defeating Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, and Teddy Hart en route to earning this title shot against highly impressive reigning Cruiserweight champion Paul London. London has been cruising as champion since August and shows no signs of slowing down, but Petey Williams could be his toughest challenge to date. Petey can do a little of everything, and do it very well. Not to mention that his flip piledriver, the Canadian Destroyer, is arguably the most devastating move in wrestling today. Though this was a fairly good match, the crowd had some trouble getting into it. It wasn't so much out of the wrestlers, but it was the strategy that Petey Williams was trying to use. London is very dangerous when he is able to fly, so Petey did everything in his power (using more than one distraction from Dawn Marie) to keep London grounded with mat wrestling. London would show Petey that his mat game is very under appreciated, staying on the mat just as effectively as the challenger. Both men went back and forth with chain wrestling and mat techniques, and in a hard fought contest, London was finally able to hit a swinging facebuster that was just enough to keep Williams down for three. Paul London pinned Petey Williams after a swinging facebuster in 0:10:04. Rating: *** 1/2 (Paul London retained the GCW Cruiserweight Title.) He had to work for it, but London continues to reign on top of the Cruiserweight division with his victory tonight. As referee JD Sanders was handing London his championship, AJ STYLES ran in from the crowd and nailed London from behind. Styles measured the champ with some hard kicks before dropping him with his impressive Asai moonsault into an inverted DDT. Styles hoisted London up and dropped him down hard with the Styles Clash before the GCW Official Brigade ran in to break it up. London was a little worse for wear, but he managed to leave under his own power, but by no means a happy champion. * * * * * [We see interview expert Mario Riviera standing backstage behind the curtain.] MR: I'm going to try to catch a word with AJ Styles about his... [On cue, "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles comes through the curtain.] MR: AJ! AJ! Would you like to comment on why you attacked Paul London? AJ: I don't need to explain anything to you or to Paul London! The only thing any of you need to know is that maybe Paul London will learn to stay out of my bus... AHHHHH! [Before Styles can finish, PAUL LONDON jumps him, nailing him with wild rights and lefts. Styles fights back and the fight is on! The GCW Official Brigade is quick to jump in and break this up. However, not once, but twice do London and Styles break free from the Brigade and go at it once more. Eventually, order is restored as these two are pulled apart, yelling challenges at each other the whole way.] * * * * * Match #3 Best of the Best - Semi-Finals Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar Our second of two semi-final matches was next and it was one of the most anticipated matches on the entire card as two men who twenty years from now could lay claim to being the best ever went at it with Randy Orton taking on Brock Lesnar. The early stages of this match went like most Brock Lesnar matches tend to go - with the Monster From Minnesota exerting himself with his absolute power and aggression. Lesnar got the advantage in several lockups, backing Orton into the corner and mockingly giving him a clean break. In other lockups, Lesnar simply tossed the self-proclaimed future legend to the canvas. In most of Lesnar's matches, this type of awesome power is enough to intimidate and by that point, Lesnar has already all but secured victory. Not many superstars are like Randy Orton though. Orton is too cocky (and some might even say too stupid) to be intimidated, and took the fight right back to Lesnar like few have in GCW to date. Orton held his own against Lesnar, but he knew that his best chance at winning would be to hit the R.K.O. Lesnar knew that too and had Orton well scouting, managing to narrowly escape Orton's attempts at his finishing move. Orton would go to attempt his jack-knife crossbody block, but Lesnar showed tremendous strength by catching the 245-pound Orton and threw him onto his shoulder for the F-5. Lesnar was able to hit his finisher, but Orton's foot caught referee Petey Pluck and knocked him to the mat. Lesnar was furious as there was no referee to make the count, but not nearly as furious as he would be as World Heavyweight champion KURT ANGLE was in the ring! As Lesnar got up, he was greeted by Angle nailing him in the head with the World Heavyweight Title! In a testament to Lesnar's toughness, he didn't go down until the second belt shot, but the damage was certainly done as blood trickled down his forehead. Angle got out of town as quickly as he had come, leaving Orton, Lesnar, and the referee all down. Eventually, Orton stirred first, and then Petey Pluck in time to see Orton nail Lesnar with the R.K.O. A slow three count signaled victory for Orton and the finals were set. [Best of the Best - Semi-Finals]: Randy Orton pinned Brock Lesnar with the R.K.O. in 0:10:44. Rating: *** 1/2 Randy Orton had pinned Brock Lesnar, but he's wasn't going to be happy when he found out the way in which he won. And why would Kurt Angle attack Lesnar like this in the first place? Is Angle so scared to meet Lesnar one-on-one that he would help his hated rival pick up a win over the Monster From Minnesota? Regardless, it looks like Angle has bought himself some more time so he doesn't have to face Lesnar, but what Angle should be focusing on is keeping his title after his match with Chris Jericho tonight. With Orton's controversial win though, we knew it would be Orton and Sean O'Haire meeting in the finals of Best of the Best for the right to face the World Heavyweight champion in February at Beat Your Valentine. Match #4 North American Title Triple Threat Match "The Alpha Male" Monty Brown (c) vs. "Latino Heat" Eddie Guerrero vs. Eric Angle Monty Brown was going to need to use all of his skills and mix that in with a little bit of luck if he hoped to walk out of 2004 with the North American Title still around his waist as he defended in his toughest test to date, a Triple Threat match against the likes of Eddie Guerrero and undefeated Eric Angle. Being a great competitor is one thing, but to have success in a Triple Threat match, a wrestler needs to have a sound strategy. Know when team up with one of your opponents, know when to turn on them, know when to bail out, know when to make your move. However, with as much as these three dislike each other, there was no teaming up to be had. In fact, at one point, Eddie offered to team up with Angle to work over Brown, but Angle simply nailed him with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex instead. As this match wore on, referee Jimmy Appleseed was letting a lot slide due to the importance of this match. As a result, the tactics being employed by all three men were becoming questionable by the end. Eric Angle had put Monty Brown down with the Angle Slam and Eddie Guerrero with a release German suplex, but both men narrowly escaped separate covers right before the three count. Angle was furious and let that Angle temper get the better of him, rolling to the outside and grabbing the chair of ring announcer William Buck. Appleseed was letting a lot go, but this wasn't something he was going to allow and cut Angle off before he could do any damage. As Appleseed and Angle argued, Guerrero rolled to the outside and grabbed the North American Title. Eddie went to hit Brown with it, but Brown ducked and floored Latino Heat with a clothesline. Brown picked up the belt and in an uncharacteristic (yet highly popular with the fans) move, clocked Eddie in the face with it. The Alpha Male tossed the belt out of the ring. Brown ran and nailed the Pounce on Angle who was standing on the apron, knocking him into the guardrail. Brown made the cover and in a hard fought match, was still the North American champion. Triangle Match: Monty Brown defeated Eddie Guerrero and Eric Angle when M. Brown pinned E. Guerrero after hitting him with the title belt in 0:14:59. Rating: **** 1/4 (Monty Brown retained the GCW North American Title.) The crowd roared with approval as Brown lifted the North American Title high into the air. When Eric Angle regained his bearings, he was throwing a complete fit. He was livid that he hadn't been beaten and yet he wasn't the new champion. I'm sure that we're not going to hear the end of this any time soon. Match #5 "The Crippler" Chris Benoit vs. Steve "Who's Your Daddy?" Bradley Though this match was added just this past week and didn't have a lot of back story to it, it had great potential. Chris Benoit is the former World Heavyweight champion, and Steve Bradley is no stranger to gold himself, having a run with the Television Title earlier this year. You know that Kurt Angle had to have told Bradley to punish Benoit for the Crippler stepping in as Chris Jericho's partner last Monday on Explosion, and if there is one thing Bradley knows how to do, it's punish opponents. Bradley jumped Benoit before the bell and had the upperhand for a surprising amount of this match. This wasn't Benoit's first rodeo though as the Rabid Wolverine has endured a lot of punishment in his lengthy career and has come back every time. Bradley looked to be desperate as the match wore on, grabbing Mofo, his trusty black baseball bat, from the corner of the ring. However, when he brought it in the ring, Benoit attacked first, getting behind Bradley and hitting him with the three rolling German suplexes. The Crippler made the cut throat motion, bringing the crowd to its feet in anticipation for the swandive headbutt. But what Benoit didn't know was that Bradley still had the baseball bat in hand, and when Benoit jumped, he went head first into the bat! Benoit was knocked silly, and this match was over. Chris Benoit defeated Steve Bradley by disqualification in 0:07:19. Rating: *** 3/4 Chris Benoit was out cold, but that didn't stop Bradley from continuing the onslaught, smashing Mofo into the Crippler's ribs several times before the GCW Official Brigade got down to break it up. Benoit was heavily favoring his ribs, and head trainer Barry Tarver told us after the show that he believes that one or two of Benoit's ribs may be cracked. Chris Benoit is the winner, but he certainly didn't look like the winner leaving this one. This came at a good time for the Crippler though as he will have the Christmas break to rest up. * * * * * [Mario Riviera is standing by with Eric Angle.] MR: Eric Angle, though your shoulders were not pinned to the mat tonight, you failed to capture the North American Title earlier against Eddie Guerrero and champion Monty Brown. EA: Do you think I don't know that? If I didn't know that, I would have a big shiny title belt over my shoulder right now! But I don't! It doesn't seem fair that I am still undefeated and yet I am not the North American champion. I have never been beaten, Mario! Never! MR: Never? EA: Never! MR: So you mean you have NEVER been... EA: Shut up, Mario. MR: Are you going to be asking for a rematch? EA: Didn't I just tell you to shut up? And of course I'll be asking for a rematch! I've beaten Monty Brown before; Monty Brown has never beaten me. And when it's all said and done, I will be the new North American champion! MR: Strong words from the undefeated Eric Angle. EA: Shut up. Idiot. [Riviera gives his "I'm offended" look before we cut back to the ring.] * * * * * Match #6 World Tag Team Title Match "Primetime" Elix Skipper/Low-Ki (c) vs. The World's Greatest Tag Team Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin got what they wanted - a crack at the World Tag Team Titles. Had they gone through all the proper channels, I'm sure that they would have received a title shot. As former two-time champions and arguably the tag team of 2004, they have the credentials to challenge for the titles on any night. However, Haas and Benjamin decided to fast forward the process and shock the world by joining up with their former mentor Kurt Angle to reform Team Angle, which was a dominant force in another promotion. So they got their title shot, but one thing they didn't factor in was how their stunning change in attitude was going to affect their opponents for the night, the tag team champions "Primetime" Elix Skipper and Low-Ki. The early portion of the match made it look as if the World's Greatest Tag Team was regretting the way in which they got this title shot as Skipper and Low-Ki were firing on all cylinders. No two men work together as well as Haas and Benjamin though, and after surviving the initial rush, they settled in and began to work over Low-Ki. Low-Ki tried to make a tag several times, but Haas and Benjamin used frequent tags and great ring placement to keep the martial arts expert in the ring. No matter what the WGTT tried though, they couldn't keep Ki's shoulders on the mat for the three. The WGTT are known for the ability to keep their composure, but they were hitting Low-Ki with some high impact stuff and Ki wouldn't stay down, eventually leading to Ki's comeback and tag to Skipper. Primetime was on fire, letting his adrenaline power him to having his way with both Haas and Benjamin. Skipper took Benjamin down with the New School and then turned to Haas, hitting him with the Play of the Day. Unfortunately for Skipper, Haas wasn't the legal man and he wasted valuable seconds with an errant cover. While Skipper was pleading his case with referee JD Sanders, he didn't see Benjamin fly off the top with a top-rope bulldog. Benjamin didn't hesitate to hit the T-Bone Powerslam and made the cover. Low-Ki jumped into the ring for the save, but Haas hooked his leg and tripped him up, allowing Benjamin to get the three and we had brand new World Tag Team champions! The World's Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin) defeated Elix Skipper and Low-Ki when S. Benjamin pinned Skipper with the T-Bone Powerslam in 0:10:42. Rating: *** 1/2 (The World's Greatest Tag Team won the GCW World Tag Team Titles.) The crowd unleashed a barrage of boos as Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin were handed the titles, marking the start of their third reign as World Tag Team champions. Haas and Benjamin got out of the ring before an angry Low-Ki got a crack at them. The World's Greatest Tag Team cement their status as the best team in wrestling today by taking the titles yet again, undoubtedly making Kurt Angle a happy man in the process. Match #7 No Disqualification Television Title Match Special Enforcer - Matt Morgan "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels (c) (w/ Daffney) vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. When this match was announced, everyone knew to expect a brutal battle. Rey Mysterio Jr. was pulled into the Prophecy's beef with GCW President Ryan Niemiller, and what resulted was Christopher Daniels taking Mysterio's Television Title and in the following months being on the receiving end of several beatings. The worst of these beatings involved Daniels' sick attempt to end Mysterio's career by jamming his cross into the high-flier's throat. Because of that attack, Mysterio has been on a rampage and thus requested this match be with no disqualification rules. It also had to be kept in mind that President Niemiller's bodyguard, the massive Matt Morgan, was put in place as the special enforcer, a move that has a lot of people questioning Niemiller's ability to be unbiased in these situations. The match kicked off with a bang, Mysterio not wasting anytime in nailing Daniels with a springboard leg lariat. Right off the bat we knew that Mysterio had a fire lit under him, a lot of pent up aggression fueling him. From the opening bell, Daniels couldn't find an escape as Mysterio was all over him. The Fallen Angel took a powder to the floor, but it turned out to be a mistake as the enigmatic Rey-Rey jumped on the TV champion with a somersault plancha. Mysterio used the no disqualification stipulations to their fullest, hitting Daniels with whatever he could find on the floor. Mysterio would even bust Daniels wide open with a vicious shot with the ring bell (although it gave a comical "BONG!" that echoed throughout the arena). As Daniels head was spilling with blood early on, it appeared as if this match wasn't going to last long. Mysterio tossed Daniels back in the ring after delivering more damage, but couldn't get back in the ring himself as Daffney grabbed a hold of his leg. Mysterio tried to shake Daffney off, but it gave Daniels enough time to recover and nail him with a dropkick, sending the masked challenger flying into the announce table. Mysterio was in a bad way having cracked his ribs hard on the table, and when the Fallen Angel regained his bearings, a sinister smile inched onto his face (eerily coupled with Daffney's scary shrieking laugh). Daniels went on the attack, hitting Mysterio with some high impact moves, but doing little in terms of using the no-DQ stips. That is, until he caught eye of his cross. After putting Mysterio down with the Angel's Wings, Daniels was handed the cross by Daffney. Daniels stood over Mysterio's prone body and said a prayer before lifting the cross high in the air, but he was stopped when Matt Morgan interjected, grabbing Daniels' hand before this heinous act could be committed. Daniels spun himself around only to be goozled by the mammoth Morgan, but Daffney came up from behind and hit Morgan with a low blow. I don't care how big you are, a low blow will crumple any man. Daniels gasped for air but then smiled when he realized Morgan was out of the picture. Daniels turned back to Mysterio and rose the cross above his head again, but Mysterio countered with a low blow of his own on the Fallen Angel! The crowd exploded as Mysterio made his comeback, eventually hitting the 6-1-9. Mysterio called for the West Coast Pop, but before he could, the lights in the arena went out except for a red light that shined by the entrance way. Standing in the entranceway was a figure in dark robes, his face shielded to hide his identity. This had to be the mysterious "He" that the Prophecy has eluded to for months now. Mysterio was distracted not knowing what he should do, but this distraction was enough for Daniels to recover. Daniels grabbed the cross and nailed Mysterio in the back of the head before hitting the Last Rites to get the win and retain the Television Title. No-Countout-No-DQ-Match with Special Referee Matt Morgan: Christopher Daniels pinned Rey Mysterio Jr. with the Last Rites in 0:07:31. Rating: **** 1/4 (Christopher Daniels retained the GCW Television Title.) Just as quickly as He had appeared, He was gone. The lights returned to normal, and Christopher Daniels and Daffney celebrated with the Television Title. Daniels looked as if he was going to attack Mysterio more, but he thought better of it when Matt Morgan was back up, so instead they retreated to the back. Rey Mysterio Jr. appeared to be okay, but he has to be disappointed with how things turned out tonight. And with the first appearance of "He," this is going to get uglier before all is said and done. * * * * * [We cut to a shot of space. All that can be seen is stars. A voiceover speaks.] VO: In the past, there were big stars... [Images of Bruno Sammartino, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, and Bret Hart flash across the screen.] VO: In the present, there are big stars... [Images of Brock Lesnar, Rey Mysterio Jr., Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, and World Heavyweight champion Kurt Angle flash across the screen.] VO: But in the future... there will be no bigger star than... [Slowly a picture of the man in question fades into the screen.] VO: FRANKIE KAZARIAN... the Future is here... [Slowly fade to black.] * * * * * Match #8 Best of the Best - Finals Randy Orton vs. Sean O'Haire Randy Orton and Sean O'Haire went through weeks of a grueling tournament, outlasting the other fourteen men to make it to this match with a shot at the World Heavyweight Title up for grabs. Orton defeated Steve Bradley, Justin Credible, and finally Brock Lesnar earlier this evening to advance, whereas O'Haire had to get through The Hurricane, Chris Benoit, and Shawn Michaels to make himself a surprise participant in this match. Both men were suffering from some wear and tear from earlier, but they had time to rest and put it all on the line for this one. It also needed to be noted that Daffney was not at ringside with Sean O'Haire as she usually would be due to the events of the previous match. Though Orton came out fast in this match, he suffered quite a beating from Brock Lesnar including the brutal F-5, and as a result, he didn't have the stamina that he usually has. O'Haire was developing a lot of momentum and used a similar strategy in what he did against Shawn Michaels, and that was to pinpoint his attack on the back. Orton may not have a world of experience, but for a competitor of his age, he is extremely ring savvy and would not lay down, fighting back constantly. However, O'Haire kept those outbursts minimal by cutting the self-proclaimed future legend down with a powerful lariat or boot to the head. O'Haire had Orton prone on the mat after a power bomb and went up top in an attempt to finish this one off, but he couldn't connect with the Seanton Bomb. Both men were down and Antonio Santangelo made it up to nine before they got to their feet. O'Haire went on the attack first, but Orton blocked it and rocked the bigger man with a right hand, then a left. Orton repeated this until he brought O'Haire down with a beautiful dropkick. Orton went up top and hit a jack-knife crossbody for a nearfall. Orton went for the R.K.O., but O'Haire shoved Orton into the ropes. Orton bounced back and was met with a boot to the midsection. O'Haire hoisted Orton on his shoulder for the Prophecy, but Orton countered by spinning out and in one fluid motion hit the R.K.O.! The American Airlines Arena roared with approval and counted along as Randy Orton secured the 1-2-3. [Best of the Best - Finals]: Randy Orton pinned Sean O'Haire with the R.K.O. in 0:13:26. Rating: **** Randy Orton was met with a standing ovation from the appreciative Miami crowd. He outlasted fifteen of the top superstars in Global Championship Wrestling to be named the Best of the Best. And with this victory, no matter who the champion is, Randy Orton will be meeting the World Heavyweight champion at Beat Your Valentine in February. * * * * * [We cut to backstage where there is a big commotion. The GCW Official Brigade is standing in a hallway trying to hold back an enraged Brock Lesnar, who is trying desperately to get past them.] BL: KURT ANGLE IS A DEAD MAN! GET OUT OF MY WAY, ASSHOLES! [The officials are trying to talk some sense into Lesnar but to no avail. Finally, GCW President Ryan Niemiller arrives.] RN: What the hell is going on here? BL: I AM GOING TO BREAK KURT ANGLE'S DAMN NECK! YOU HEAR ME, NIEMILLER!? RN: You will do no such thing, Brock! BL: JUST WATCH ME! RN: Brock, I know you're upset, but I can't have you running out there and ruining the main event for the final pay-per-view of 2004! BL: I DON'T CARE WHAT PAY-PER-VIEW IT IS! ANGLE... IS... MINE! RN: Brock, I'm warning you... BL: WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GONNA DO, NIEMILLER!? RN: Brock, you're going to go back to your locker room right now, get your things, and leave the arena. BL: THE HELL I AM! RN: And if you don't, you will not receive a World Heavyweight Title shot for all of 2005! Do I make myself clear? [Lesnar is silent and stoic.] RN: I said do I make myself clear, Brock? BL: ... He'll get his, Niemiller. Don't worry... he'll get his... [Lesnar slowly turns around and heads toward his locker room. Niemiller and the Official Brigade let out a collective sigh of relief.] RN: [To the Official Brigade] Make sure he leaves, will you? Thank you. [Cut to he ring.] * * * * * Match #9 MAIN EVENT World Heavyweight Title Match Kurt Angle (c) vs. "Y2J" Chris Jericho There was only one more match to decide, and it was the big one for the World Heavyweight Title. Reigning champion Kurt Angle defending against his former partner "Y2J" Chris Jericho. These two have exchanged decisions over each other the past month in tag team matches. Jericho made Angle submit a month ago at Glory with the Walls of Jericho while just this past Monday on Explosion, Angle got the better of Y2J with the Ankle Lock. These two are very evenly matched and we expected this to be one of the finest displays of mat wrestling you're ever going to see, and these two stars surely delivered. Angle knew how anxious Jericho was to try to capture the World Title, and he fueled that anxiousness by taking several powders to the floor to get Jericho out of his game. Jericho has played these games before though, and teamed with the Olympic gold medal winner for months, so he knows these tactics and didn't let them affect his game. After the feeling out process in the opening minutes, things took a turn for the worse for Jericho when he missed a shoulder charge in the corner and instead nailed his left shoulder against the ring post. Kurt Angle's vicious streak kicked in full blast as he showed no mercy in his attempts to damage Y2J's arm, his logic being that if Jericho can't use his arm, he won't be able to put on the Walls of Jericho. Angle used his submission repertoire to punish Jericho, but the fiesty Canadian refused to quit, taking all Angle had and seemingly asking for more. Jericho's heart was quite evident in this match, as he continually fought back and made Angle take his licks as well. Y2J effectively used his legs as weapons, hitting the champion with a variety of spin kicks, enzuigiris, and dropkicks. However it would be a missed missile dropkick that set up the finish of this match. Jericho crashed and burned and landed hard when he missed the missile dropkick, allowing Angle to hit the Angle Slam. Jericho showed his will to win though by barely getting his right shoulder up before the three. Angle was furious, and he has shown in the past that when he gets frustrated like this, he will take unnecessary risks, and he did so here by climbing to the top rope. Jericho mustered up enough energy to spring up and nailed Angle with a running enzuigiri, causing Angle to crotch himself on the top rope. Y2J was fired up and followed this with a huge superplex, but he hurt himself too and was unable to capitalize with a cover. He made it to his feet first though and hit the Lionsault, but before he could go for the cover, out came TEAM ANGLE - Charlie Haas, Shelton Benjamin, and Steve Bradley! The World Tag Team champions were up on the apron, but Jericho took care of Haas with a springboard dropkick. While Jericho was contending with Benjamin, Bradley was in an opposite corner taking off the turnbuckle pad! Y2J was able to knock Benjamin off the apron. Angle was back up and went for a clothesline, but Jericho ducked and hit a double underhook backbreaker. Jericho picked Angle up, but the World champion cut the momentum a tad by catching Jericho with a thumb to the eye. Angle attempted to whip Y2J into the exposed turnbuckle, but Jericho reversed it. Bradley saw his leader was in trouble of connecting with the exposed steel ring, so he leaned in the way and took the brunt of Angle's force, in turn knocking himself hard to the floor. Jericho charged in at Angle, but Angle sidestepped and directed Jericho shoulder first into the exposed turnbuckle. Y2J screamed with pain and clutched his already damaged shoulder. Angle pulled down the straps and locked on the Ankle Lock. Jericho held on as long as he could, but with one of his arms out of commission, he didn't have the strength to pull himself to the ropes and after a long holdout, had to tap out. Kurt Angle made Chris Jericho submit to the Ankle Lock in 0:26:17. Rating: ***** (Kurt Angle retained the GCW World Heavyweight Title.) Chris Jericho had been screwed out of a fair shake at the World Heavyweight Title! By the way things were going, had Team Angle not gotten involved, we might be looking at a new champion right now. Instead, Kurt Angle once again has found a way to escape with his title still in tow. We went off the air with Kurt Angle celebrating his victory with the rest of Team Angle. Global Championship Wrestling will be taking a couple week hiatus so that the wrestlers and staff can enjoy the holiday season. There will be no Explosion tomorrow night, but on December 27th, there will be a special Explosion as we will present the Year End Awards, as well as list the top five matches of 2004! We will return to our normal schedule after the new year, beginning on Janaury 3, 2005. From all of us at GCW, have a safe and happy holiday season! |
| colmatteus | Posted on 08/03/05 at 22:30:27 Time to comment for the first time on my faaay-vohr-ite forum circuit :-) Wow... I've gotta admit I didn't see that coming although with the back injury I probably should have. No He yet... interesting. London comes out on top and really should have. Almost feels like a let-down after Petey survived those weeks of the Gauntlet though. Good psychology commentary there though. Still hoping for Styles and London. ...well that was quick. Gotta love instant gratification! Can't wait to see were this one goes. I'm expecting nothing less than ****, of course. And I love that it continued even after it was broken up the first time. This has been an awesome build and I can't imagine where you'll take it from here. Angle you perfect cowardly bastard! As soon as he hit the ring, I figured Orton was done for... but there you go again Niemiller. *Shakes fist* Can't wait for these two to get a program going though... Great ending to the NA Title match. I kinda figured Angle would go over just because he's been so godly in GCW. But at least his streak remains intact so that he may continually remind me about it and rub it in my face first thing next year... Benoit's gotta go over here. I've had a rough time getting into Bradley's character, although he does a great job as the muscle of Team Angle. This is how it had to end, though. Benoit wins it but Bradley doesn't lose any heat. Great rating too. I think this may be the first time I've really started getting into his character. Way to go, Nubbs! PS - Why's the GCW Official Brigade always running so late. It's like they're not even paying attention! What do you pay these people for?! Hahaha! Oh tag, Eric! Love the perverse innuendo from Riviera. But here's to hoping the push comes to something for Angle when he gets his shot at Monty Brown. Huzzah! TWGTT wins it! When will tag teams learn to pay attention to the legal man? Not much to say other than I'm happy to see my favorite tag team get the belts again (even though I broke them up in NWA Unlimited!, but what can ya do?) And this is the one I was waiting for! Awesomely brutal match there, complete with one El Ka-BONG for effect. It's Him! Or is it He...? Blast it! Where'd He go? Ain't that always the way? Well, good to see Daniels retain. He's given a huge deal of credibility to the gold with his rein thus far... he has a knack for that. Sheesh, with this sort of build up I've gotta think that Kazarian is Him/He :-P Well, now that we've seen Him/He, I think we all know he's not doing a second appearance tonight (hmmm... Hulk Hogan?). And Orton DOES get the win there, love the reversal into the RKO. That's such a versatile move... ask DDP. Heh... heh... Beat Your Valentine. Uh oh... Brock mad! Brock smash! Brock... stoic? Whatever you say, Nubbs. Angle retains! Gold galore for Team Angle... STILL! Have to admit, I loved that spot where Bradley took the brunt of the exposed turnbuckle smash (EXPOSED STEEEL!) And then the straps came down and that's all she wrote, sister. Good use of psychology in terms of Jericho's arm being weakened. ***** too! This has to be your best to date. Kudos! In fact, have three kudos! |
| Snabbit888 | Posted on 08/03/05 at 22:53:44 Mmmm... Kudos are delicious. The GCW Official Brigade demanded a pinball machine and now that's all they do. Bastards. I am extremely happy with how Daniels' TV Title reign has went over. Originally, he was supposed to lose the title back to Mysterio in October... my how things change. :) I like new wrestlers getting video package hype. It lends a bit of crediblity to them. It doesn't guarantee Kazarian is main eventing, but he's not going to be lost in the shuffle either. Beat Your Valentine was an old inside joke between a friend and I. He used to mess around with TNM a lot and would come up with PPV names like that. Another memorable one was "Fourth of Jew-Lie." He was a weird dude. :) Thanks for the feedback. |
| twiceaspissed632 | Posted on 08/03/05 at 23:34:14 Great Overall Event... I think it may be the best you hav ever done. O'Haire over Michaels... shocking victory. I would think that Michaels would have the clear upperhand in this match... but I guess not. Props on the shocking ending. I myself, am a huge fan of Paul London so i am obviously happy with the outcome of this match. I like how you are pushing the London/Styles feud. Excited to see it! Two of my favorites in ur promotion... dream come true. With the unexcpected help of Kurt Angle, Orton wins the match! Very unexcpected outcome... I like it. Eric Angle... not a force to mess with in your league. I would think that he would win just to keep the undefeated streak going, but you found a way to keep it going and to make him crave the NA title that much more... great ending. This looked as if it would be a great match, I was waiting for this one. When Bradley ended the match with DQ, I was kinda mad. But I realized that this would only mean that I would see more of these two going at it... good match. Two of my fav tag teams ever facing off... great match. I was pulled into this one since the very beginning. I liked the ending, and by the sound of it, it sounds like you are going to continue the feud with Low-Ki and Skipper, my fav match on the card so far!!! This is by far, my favorite feud you have ever done. The buildup to this particular match was spectacular, and so was the match. I tseems as if Daniels always barely pulls out the victory, and this time it was because of his trusty cross. I hope this feud is far from over. I would think it would be impossible to follow up a match like that, but i was wrong. I am very glad to see this match have a clean ending, and now we know that Randy Orton is The Best of the Best. Chris Jericho is a personal favorite of mine, but the way he lost was hard to hate Angle. It was a clean match, I enjoyed every minute of it, and I cant wait to see what Angle's next step is as The World Champion. (Side Notes) You never really see it anymore, but I really enjoyed the hype up video for Frankie Kazarian. Few people do it, and the way you put it got me stoked to see him debut. (Final Thought) Awesome card. My personal favorite. I wasnt dissapointed with any matches, I loved how you left off some of the matches for future possible feuds, 10/10 my friend!!! |
| AllPowerfulGARTH | Posted on 08/03/05 at 23:49:16 Way to make all predictions wrong, Ryan...geez. Angle vs. Orton II -- the Rematch. I dug the first match between them so #2 ought to be good. A little surprised Lesnar lost and O'Haire got as far as he did, tho. |