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[GCW] Monday Night Explosion - 12/6/04

Snabbit888Posted on 07/09/05 at 06:40:29

As we get ever closer to the Best of the Best, the intensity in GCW continues to go through the roof as we had another edition of Monday Night Explosion! Tonight from the sold out Colonial Center in Columbia, South Carolina, the home of the University of South Carolina, we would see tons of great action, including the three quarterfinals matches in the Best of the Best tournament to determine who is going to the pay-per-view! Also, Matt Hardy was eliminated from the Cruiserweight Title Gauntlet last week. Who would be the next to go this week as Jeff Hardy had to face both Teddy Hart and Petey Williams in a triple threat match! That, a rematch between Chris Hero and Eric Angle, and much much more!

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The night began with the World Heavyweight champion Kurt Angle and his henchman Steve "Who's Your Daddy?" Bradley coming out for an interview. Angle was all smiles as he stated that due to his loss to Bradley last week in the main event, Chris Jericho was no longer the number-one contender to the World Heavyweight Title. The crowd booed loudly as it was hard to believe that Jericho would lose his title shot over the circumstances but Angle assured us that "it's true." Angle said he was feeling so good that he wanted to add some more gold to his already extensive collection as he and Steve Bradley challenged Elix Skipper and Low-Ki to a World Tag Team Title match. What Angle and Bradley have done as a tag team to deserve a title shot eludes me, but it didn't stop them from making the arrogant challenge. Angle and Bradley would get their answers as GCW President Ryan Niemiller appeared on the VideoTron. Niemiller informed them that if Skipper and Low-Ki agreed to the match, he would sanction it for tonight right here in Columbia, South Carolina. Kurt Angle was thrilled over hearing this, knowing of the champs' desire to take on all comers, so he assumed a title match was in the bag. Angle's good mood would be severely dampened though when Niemiller let him know that Chris Jericho was STILL the number-one contender for the World Heavyweight Title because the weapon Jericho was disqualified for using was brought in the ring by Angle himself! Angle threw a temper tantrum in the ring, obviously disappointed that he hadn't wriggled out of his title defense on December 19th.

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Match #1
Chris Hero vs. Eric Angle
Our opening match of the night was a rematch of last week's first round contest in the Best of the Best tournament. Though the double countout does not end Eric Angle's undefeated streak, his match with Chris Hero seven days ago was the first time he has failed to be victorious in a contest. This fact seemed to light a fire under Angle this week, as he was a completely different man. Angle jumped Hero before the bell and never let up, tossing the youngster around the ring with a variety of amateur holds and suplexes. Angle officially picked up the victory with a legsweep, but the numerous times Hero was dumped on his head in such a short period of time is what really kept Angle's undefeated streak alive.

Eric Angle pinned Chris Hero after a legsweep in 0:02:31.
Rating: *** 1/4

It looks like Eric Angle has recouped from the brutal Last Man Standing match at Glory and is back to his winning ways.


Match #2
Top-Contender Gauntlet for the Cruiserweight Title
Jeff Hardy vs. Teddy Hart vs. Petey Williams
With Matt Hardy's elimination last week, Jeff Hardy was one step closer to earning a Cruiserweight Title shot, but he was also in a very tight spot. Though it was a triple threat match, the members of Team Canada weren't very subtle about their intentions to double team the Charismatic Enigma. Jeff Hardy's strategy for this match was simply to survive as there wasn't a whole lot else he could do with these odds. To Hardy's credit, he was taking everything Teddy Hart and Petey Williams could throw at him and refused to stay down for the three count. You could see the obvious frustration for Team Canada and every time that Jeff Hardy kicked out, the more they unraveled until the point where they were breaking up the other man's pin attempts. Eventually Hart and Williams got into a shoving match, which gave Jeff Hardy ample time to recover. Hardy nailed Hart with a dropkick in the back, knocking him head first into the skull of Petey Williams, sending the latter crashing to the floor. Hart turned back into a boot to the midsection from Hardy and his brother Matt's move, the Twist of Fate. Jeff Hardy knew his window of opportunity was narrow and quickly went to the top. One Swanton Bomb later and Teddy Hart was eliminated!

[Cruiserweight Title Top Contender Gauntlet]: Triangle Match:
Jeff Hardy defeated Teddy Hart and Petey Williams when J. Hardy pinned Teddy Hart with the Swanton Bomb in 0:08:22.
Rating: ****

Jeff Hardy beat the odds and eliminated Teddy Hart from the Cruiserweight Title Gauntlet. What that leaves us with is next week, Jeff Hardy and Petey Williams will wrestle in a one-on-one match, the winner moving on to face Paul London at Best of the Best for the Cruiserweight Title!

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Speaking of Paul London, we saw the Cruiserweight champion backstage walking down the hall. After a short walk, he comes to "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles. Styles seems unimpressed by London's presence, but allows him to speak. London told Styles that he was very impressed with him for beating him fair and square last night on High Voltage, and told Styles that if he wanted a Cruiserweight Title shot, all he had to do is name the time and place and it was his. Styles did all but laugh directly in London's face. Styles told London that the Cruiserweight Title is beneath him, and that if he wanted a piece of garbage like that, he could have it any time he wanted. He told London to just accept his loss because Styles had more important things to worry about, such as his North American Title shot against Monty Brown next week on Explosion. Styles left as London looked on at Styles with a less-than-pleased look on his face.

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Match #3
Best of the Best - Quarterfinals
"The Crippler" Chris Benoit vs. Sean O'Haire (w/ Daffney)
Our third match of the night was our first of three quarterfinal matches in the Best of the Best tournament, putting former World Heavyweight champion Chris Benoit against Sean O'Haire of the Prophecy. Benoit has tasted the World Heavyweight Title before and if he won Best of the Best, he'd have his shot to win the title back. O'Haire wasn't going to make it easy for him by any means. With the prospect of the mysterious "He" appearing at any time, O'Haire has picked up his game a lot and took it right to Benoit in this one. Benoit is a cagey veteran though and has taken down big men time and time again in the past. It's very rare when someone gets the better of Benoit based on a Benoit mistake, but that's what happened here. Benoit tried several times throughout the match to get O'Haire in the Crippler Crossface, but O'Haire was quick to escape. The last attempt Benoit made though resulted in O'Haire powering out of it and picking up the former World champion on his shoulders. The Prophecy soon came and in what has to be considered an upset, O'Haire has defeated Chris Benoit.

[Best of the Best - Quarterfinals]:
Sean O'Haire pinned Chris Benoit with the Prophecy in 0:08:30.
Rating: *** 3/4

Daffney squealed with delight as Sean O'Haire joined Brock Lesnar in the semi-finals of Best of the Best. Benoit received a nice amount of applause after the match, but you could tell he was very disappointed not to come out of this match with a victory. Benoit looks like he needs to retool his approach slightly to get back on track.


Match #4
Best of the Best - Quarterfinals
Randy Orton vs. Justin Credible
Before the second of three quarterfinal matches began, Justin Credible got on the mic and said that tonight he proves to the world that he has been overlooked for long enough and his time to shine is right now. Well, I bet he wishes someone would have told Randy Orton ahead of time. Credible came out quickly, jumping Orton before the bell, but it didn't take the self-professed "future legend" long to get the tide turned his way. Credible had one more flurry late in the match as he slid out of an R.K.O. attempt and countered with a Russian legsweep. Credible jumped to the top rope in hopes to hit that big move to put Orton out, but the 24-year old Orton had the presence of mind to counter with a big powerslam, driving the air out of Credible's lungs. This was enough to stun Credible and give Randy Orton the victory.

[Best of the Best - Quarterfinals]:
Randy Orton pinned Justin Credible after a powerslam in 0:05:22.
Rating: ****

With this victory, Orton has earned himself a spot in the semi-finals. Orton celebrated his win by playing to the fans, but this distraction was enough for BROCK LESNAR, Orton's semi-final opponent at Best of the Best, to get the jump on him. Lesnar nailed Orton from behind with a couple of huge forearms before taking him down with a vicious double power bomb. Lesnar finished the attack off by slamming Orton down with the F-5. Justin Credible was happy with what went down, and showed his appreciation to Lesnar with a pat on the back and a big handshake. Lesnar was not impressed, and gave Credible a big "you're welcome" by planting him with an F-5 as well. So much for Brock Lesnar having any friends. He definitely hasn't made friends with Randy Orton, the man who he will face in the semi-finals at Best of the Best on December 19th.

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When we came back from commercial, we were in the locker room area with the World Tag Team champions, Elix Skipper and Low-Ki, talking with the World's Greatest Tag Team. Now Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas have been attempting to get a shot at the titles for the past couple weeks, but here they were encouraging Skipper and Low-Ki to accept the match against World champion Kurt Angle and Steve Bradley for the main event. When Skipper asked why, Benjamin told him, "Just think about it. If you guys successfully defend your titles tonight against Steve Bradley and the World Heavyweight champion, imagine the pull you'll have. You'll both be in line for title shots at the singles championships. You don't get to be the best unless you wrestle the best." Skipper and Low-Ki were convinced, and agreed that they would accept the match! So tonight in our main event, Elix Skipper and Low-Ki defend the World Tag Team Titles against Steve Bradley and World Heavyweight champion Kurt Angle!

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Match #5
Television Title Match
"Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels (c) (w/ Daffney) vs. Booker T
Due to his performance in recent tag team matches despite adversity, Booker T was granted the opportunity to wrestle for the Television Title here tonight against current champion, Christopher Daniels. You could tell from the beginning that Daniels was a little paranoid that Rey Mysterio Jr. might show up as the Fallen Angel instructed Daffney to keep an extra close eye out for a Mysterio sighting. Daniels' distraction almost cost him several times early on, as the wily veteran Booker T knows how to take advantage if you're not 100% focused on him. Booker was definitely rolling, but that all changed when his "partner" Goldust came down to ringside and started yelling at Booker! Booker was confused and told Goldust to go away, but the Golden One would hear none of it. Goldust jumped on the apron and continued to reprimand Booker T. Booker got right back in Goldust's face, which allowed Daniels to come up from behind and shove Booker into Goldust. Goldust flew into the guardrail as Daniels rolled Booker up. A pull of the tights and 3 seconds later, and the Fallen Angel was still the Television champion.

Christopher Daniels pinned Booker T after a roll up in 0:04:36.
Rating: *** 1/4
(Christopher Daniels retained the GCW Television Title.)

As Booker T and Goldust argued like an old married couple on the outside (mostly on Goldust's part), Christopher Daniels and Daffney celebrated by doing some sort of prayer ritual in the ring. Daniels had his eyes closed in prayer, so he didn't see REY MYSTERIO JR. jumped out from the crowd and nail him in the back of the head with a dropkick. Mysterio unloaded on Daniels with a flurry of hard right hands. Daffney was screeching as she jumped on Mysterio's back in an effort to stop him, but Mysterio was in a blind rage and tossed Daffney over his shoulder to the mat. Mysterio hit a sitdown facebuster before catching eye of Daniels' signature cross, the same cross that Daniels tried to end Mysterio's career with at Glory. Mysterio grabbed the cross and stood over Daniels' fallen body. Rey lifted the cross high above his head as the crowd exploded into cheers. Mysterio hesitated for a few seconds before eventually throwing the cross to the side. I have never seen Rey Mysterio Jr. like this before, and he came very close to doing something he would have regretted. Daniels/Mysterio at Best of the Best is going to be brutal.

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Next up we had John Bradshaw Layfield come out with his ever loyal servant, Lamont. JBL was in a foul mood, upset over losing to North American champion Monty Brown last week in the Best of the Best tournament. I guess he was unable to capitalize on the momentum after his "great" victory over Shark Boy. Anyway, JBL was fired up, saying that he quite obviously kicked out seven days ago, stating, "I'm a wrestling GOD! Would a wrestling GOD be pinned with a small package?" JBL went out to say that he made a living out of beating up bigger men than Monty Brown, and challenged any big man to come out so that he could show the world that he really is the "greatest singles wrestler in history." JBL got his answer, and the look on Lamont's face said it all when the big man to answer was ABYSS! With Shaniqua out of commission, Abyss has decided to make some decisions of his own and we had ourselves an impromptu match!

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Match #6
John Bradshaw Layfield (w/ Lamont) vs. Abyss
JBL really needs to learn when to keep his mouth shut. Every time he opens that big yap of his, he ends up in a situation like this: getting the royal crap kicked out of him by someone like Abyss. As Abyss was tossing JBL around with straight forward brute strength, the fans began cheering him somewhat, and with every cheer he got, you could see a change in him. Abyss hasn't received any cheers since being brought in by Shaniqua, but you could tell he was enjoying the reaction he was getting. Those cheers would turn to boos though when SHANIQUA came down to the ring right after Abyss had hit the Black Hole Slam. There aren't many instances in which Shaniqua is happy, but she was particularly upset here, demanding that Abyss leave the match right now. She could be heard yelling, "I make your decisions, not you! You're mine!" Abyss hesitated for a bit, but after Shaniqua slapped him across the face, he did as he was told and left the ring, giving the unconscious Layfield the countout win.

John Bradshaw Layfield defeated Abyss by countout in 0:03:38.
Rating: *

The crowd booed heavily as Shaniqua berated Abys all the way to the back. When JBL finally came to, Lamont informed him that he had won, and JBL's eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning! He got up (almost falling back down, still shaky from the massive beating he had received) and celebrated like this was the greatest day in his life. JBL started yelling, "THAT'S TWO, BABY, THAT'S TWO!" over and over again, but he was so out of it, he was holding up three fingers to indicate this. This man is ridiculous.


Match #7
Best of the Best - Quarterfinals
"The Alpha Male" Monty Brown (North American champion) vs. "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels
Both Monty Brown and Shawn Michaels are a little worse for wear right now, but that didn't stop them from giving it all they had in their attempt to become the fourth and final man to be in the semi-finals of the tournament at Best of the Best. As the match began, we saw Sean O'Haire with the Prophecy watching the match from a monitor backstage, as he has the winner to look forward to at Best of the Best. Brown and Michaels were both in a lot of pain, but they reached down into the reserve tank and put on a fantastic match. HBK's recent back problems are no secret, and the Alpha Male wisely took advantage of it by hitting the Heartbreak Kid with several hard slams and backbreaker variations. Michaels is well known for his ability to "take a lickin' and keep on tickin'" and fought back with his speed and ring saavy. Shawn Michaels has been around the block more than once, and he knows how to compensate for an injury and still find a way to win. I'm not sure he wanted to win the way he did tonight though. Late in the match, Brown went for an avalanche on HBK, but the veteran moved and instead, Brown crushed the 150 pound Petey Pluck in the corner, taking him out of commission. Brown turned out of the corner as Michaels went for the Sweet Chin Music, but Brown ducked, hit the far ropes, and obliterated HBK with the Pounce! Brown made the cover, but with Pluck knocked out, there was no one to make the count. Brown got back to his feet only to be met in the head with a steel chair from the ever-opportunistic EDDIE GUERRERO! The huge Brown fell like an oak tree to the mat, knocked out cold. HBK slowly started to stir, having no idea what Eddie had done. HBK went to the top and hit his patented flying elbowdrop, and the groggy Petey Pluck made the slow three count.

[Best of the Best - Quarterfinals]:
Shawn Michaels pinned Monty Brown after a flying elbowdrop in 0:08:29.
Rating: ****

This might not have been the way that Shawn Michaels wanted to win, but never the less, he is the fourth and final man to qualify for the semi-finals at Best of the Best on Sunday, December 19th. We now know that it will be Shawn Michaels taking on Sean O'Haire in one semi-final, and Randy Orton meeting Brock Lesnar in the other. It should be a very exciting conclusion to this great tournament.

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After this match was over, Monty Brown grabbed the microphone before Eddie Guerrero was up the ramp. Brown said he was sick and tired of Eddie attacking him from behind and said that if he wants a fight, why doesn't he fight him at Best of the Best with the North American Title on the line? The ever-insane Latino Heat was quick to accept, because I think for him this is an opportunity to inflict more pain. This brought out ERIC ANGLE, and he was not at all pleased. Angle let everyone know that at Glory, it was Eric Angle who was the victor and that if anyone should be getting a shot at the North American Title, it was him. Monty Brown isn't one to back down from a challenge and said that if Angle wants to fight too, then he'll take on BOTH he and Eddie Guerrero! It has now been officially signed and at Best of the Best, Monty Brown will defend the North American Title against Eddie Guerrero and Eric Angle! What a match this should be!

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Match #8
MAIN EVENT
World Tag Team Title Match
"Primetime" Elix Skipper/Low-Ki (c) vs. Kurt Angle (World Heavyweight champion)/Steve "Who's Your Daddy?" Bradley
If there were any doubts about Elix Skipper and Low-Ki being fighting champions, they were put to rest as they accepted the challenge and defended against World Heavyweight champion Kurt Angle and his hitman, Steve Bradley in tonight's Explosion main event. It was still up in the air as to why Angle and Bradley suddenly had such interest in the World Tag Team Titles, but none the less, we were treated to one hell of a main event. Though Angle and Bradley haven't teamed up in tag matches that often in GCW, but these two go back a long ways and they work very well together. Still, no team is hotter right now than the World Tag Team champions, and they were not at all intimidated by the fact that they were wrestling the World Heavyweight champion. In fact, if you'll remember, it was Elix Skipper who almost upset Angle for the World Title back on November 15th.

This match seesawed back and forth for a good portion of it, both teams exchanging the upperhand on several occasions. Eventually Skipper got caught in the ring though and was receiving quite a beating. Things looked to be grim for the tag champs, but they showed how resourceful they are. Skipper was standing groggy in the middle of the ring and looked to be out of it when Bradley hit the ropes and charged at him. Skipper leapfrogged over Bradley, causing Bradley to run straight into a hard kick to the face from Low-Ki on the apron! Bradley stumbled back toward Skipper who caught him with a small package and the champions retained!

Low-Ki and Elix Skipper defeated Kurt Angle and Steve Bradley when Skipper pinned S. Bradley after a small package in 0:13:57.
Rating: *** 3/4
(Low-Ki and Elix Skipper retained the GCW World Tag Team Titles.)

Somehow, Elix Skipper and Low-Ki managed to prevail and hold onto the tag team titles one more time. This sat well with most everyone in attendance except for Kurt Angle and Steve Bradley, who assaulted the champions after the match was over. Angle and Bradley were putting the boots to Skipper and Low-Ki until THE WORLD'S GREATEST TAG TEAM ran in, chasing Angle and Bradley from the ring. Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas helped Elix Skipper and Low-Ki to their feet... only for Charlie Haas to grab Skipper and dump him on his head with a backdrop driver! Benjamin clocked Low-Ki with a big kick to the face and then hit him with the T-Bone Powerslam! What the hell was going on here? Haas locked Skipper in the Haas of Pain while Kurt Angle reentered the ring and put the Ankle Lock on Low-Ki. After a few moments, Columbia exploded when CHRIS JERICHO and RANDY ORTON ran down to the ring! Rather than stay and fight, Angle, Bradley, Benjamin, and Haas got out of Dodge having proved what they wanted to prove. This had been a setup the entire time! The show came to an end with the four men holding up their hands in victory while Jericho and Orton egged them back to the ring.

Things are really heating up as we approach the winter season, being only 13 days away from the next pay-per-view event, Best of the Best, coming to you live from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida! The card is shaping up to be a good one for sure.

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

Best of the Best Tournament - Semi-Finals - Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar

Best of the Best Tournament - Semi-Finals - "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels vs. Sean O'Haire

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

Television Title Match (If Daniels is disqualified, he loses the title) - Special Enforcer - Matt Morgan - "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels (c) vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.

More matches will be added, so be sure to join us next week for Monday Night Explosion! Already signed is Monty Brown defending the North American Title against AJ Styles, the finals of the Cruiserweight Title Gauntlet as Jeff Hardy takes on Petey Williams, and in a number-one contenders match, the World's Greatest Tag Team takes on the Basham Brothers!
91Posted on 07/09/05 at 15:29:56

Ahhh, Team Angle, of course. It all makes sense now. Looks like Angle has spiced the Sensationals again. And it's a fair shake that TWGTT could well be the next tag champs after this.

Well there goes my pick. OK, so Brown is out, so I'm going to have to adjust my pick, but call me when it's PPV time. O'Haires win was an upset of course, but then I called it, so  8) to me.

Whilst on O'Haire, "Him". Could be the man who helps O'Haire win the tournament, or Daniels retain his TV title (probably the latter). I'm guessing he's a mediocre viking fret though, if that makes any sense.

OK, Abyss could be on his way to a face turn, and I quite liked it as he was more getting the first load of cheers by default (taking on JBL - Satan himself could face JBL and get cheered...) and they grew from there. No clown Lamont this week unfortunately.

I guess Goldust was jealous of Booker doing singles stuff there. The only way to solve this dispute might be for Goldust to make a bigger commitment of sorts to Booker. Moving in, getting married, having kids, whatever.

I could well see Eric Angle taking it all at the PPV. If he doesn't, of course, his unbeaten run fizzles out a tad. Can't see Eddie winning it this time out, call me crazy, but we'll see.

Petey Williams will win that cruiserweight match for sure. OK, we did the obvious today and had Jeff Hardy get the token against-the-odds win to leave it with one Hardy against one Canadian, but his luck ends there methinks.
Critic of the DawnPosted on 07/17/05 at 03:22:44

Eric Angle over Chris Hero.  Nothing at all unpredictable about that.  It's a bit dissappointing to see someone with a several-months-long winning streak limited to curtain jerking.  Still, it looks like his position in the upper midcard is solidifying because he'll be competing for the North American Title.  I'm predicting a non-finish for that match just to give him more reason to be heelish - he'll take the NA Title eventually, but it'll be in a straight up singles match.

Hardy eliminates Teddy Hart.  Good I guess.  I'm not really a fan of any of the men in this match - Hart is an overrated asshat, Jeff Hardy seems like he's hopped up on goofballs 90% of the time that I see him, and Petey Williams generally doesn't impress me with anything aside from his brutal finisher.  So.  Obviously I'm not thrilled at the prospects of any of them winning the Cruiserweight Belt.  Williams will win the series, but London will defeat him since you're teasing a Cruiserweight Title Match against Styles.

O'Haire beats Benoit clean!  Wow.  That's pretty big right there!  It certainly gives Sean a nice bump up the card.  I can see him winning Best of the Best with some help from "him."

Orton over Credible.  Thank god.  I don't care for Credible.  Which is ironic, since he holds the Tag Team Titles with Ricky Reyes in LIW.  That's what happens when you run unbooked, I suppose.

Daniels beats Bookerman.  Not a real shock there either.  I don't see Daniels losing the belt until after "his" debut.  Nice build for the next chapter of Daniels v Misterio, however.

JBL countout win!  Woot!  Abyss needs to learn his place, because Shaniqua is back with her new boobies... er... I mean is medically cleared to return... and is ready to dish out some beatings and treatings!

HBK advances.  He won't win.  He can't win.  Wouldn't make any sense.  But Monty Brown just won a tournament.  He doesn't need to win another.

Great win by Ki and Skipper, and here comes WGTT!  And it looks like Kurt Angle is reforming The Sensationals into Team Angle once again!  Which is good.  Because you had a serious lack of main event stableage there for a while.

Eric "Critic of the Dawn"