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[GCW] Summer Sizzler - 8/15/04
| Snabbit888 | Posted on 10/20/04 at 07:12:36 CotD - 6/9 Murphy - 6/9 Tagon - 4/9 91 - 4/9 HugeRockStar - 3/9 ====== It's August 15th! It's the America West Arena! It's Phoenix, Arizona! And it's Summer Sizzler! The arena is packed all the way up to the rafters and they are pumped to see the best that Global Championship Wrestling has to offer! Nine big matches are featured on this card, headlined by Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit II in a Submission Match for the World Heavyweight Title! A lot of scores would be settled and a lot of new rivalries would be developed. The whole night kicked off with what proved to be an exciting contest as Rey Mysterio Jr. defended the Cruiserweight Title against Paul London! Match #1 Cruiserweight Title Match Rey Mysterio Jr. (c) vs. Paul London A handshake to start off this match, which is a rare occurrence any more in the cut throat world that is professional wrestling. This match started off with some great chain wrestling, with London working the mat in an American style and Mysterio using his lucha libre roots to counter. We knew that it was just a matter of time before these two took it to the skies, and when they did, the America West Arena came alive. This match was the perfect showcase of how important the GCW Cruiserweight Title is. Mysterio and London repeatedly sacrificed their own well being in hopes that they'd be able to hit the one big move that would put their opponent away. But tonight was truly Paul London's coming out party. Between his great chain wrestling, suicidal dives to the floor, and his refusal to stay down, London wowed his old fans and made quite a few new ones. London put his own body on the line so often in this match that a chant of "Please don't die!" broke out in the arena. it appeared as if London's throwing caution to the wind as much as he did took Rey Mysterio Jr. a little off-guard. Mysterio wrestled much of his early career in a similar fashion and I don't think he expected it from London. However, it looked as though London's risk-taking had finally caught up with him as he missed a somersault plancha attempt on the outside and he hit the floor hard. Mysterio got London back in the ring and hit the Drop of the Dime, but London managed to get his shoulder up somehow just in the knick of time. For the first time in the match, Mysterio was visibly frustrated, arguing the count with referee Petey Pluck. Mysterio pulled himself back together and went to the ring apron, setting up for the West Coast Pop. Mysterio springboarded off the ropes, but London had the presence of mind to hit his patented dropsault on Mysterio, sending the champion crashing hard to the mat. London could sense it as he climbed to the top turnbuckle, bringing the crowd to its feet. London made his jump and hit a perfect London Calling on Rey Mysterio Jr. The fans counted along with Petey Pluck and we had a new Cruiserweight champion! Paul London pinned Rey Mysterio Jr. with the London Calling in 0:10:57. Rating: **** (Paul London won the GCW Cruiserweight Title.) Paul London nearly jumped out of his boots with excitement as Petey Pluck handed him the GCW Cruiserweight Title. The Phoenix fans gave London a standing ovation in appreciation of his effort. Rey Mysterio Jr. confronted the new champion, obviously upset over losing the title, but in a great show of class, he shook London's hand and raised it as the crowd cheered on both men for their stellar performance. Congratulations to Paul London, the new Cruiserweight champion. * * * * * [GCW interview specialist Mario Riviera is standing by with Charlie Haas.] MR: I'm here with Charlie Haas. Charlie, in a few moments, you will be going one-on-one with your former tag team partner Shelton Benjamin. Many people feel that you are blowing this whole situation out of proportion. What are your thoughts on that? CH: Listen, Mario. I'm not a bad guy. I'm not some sneaky villain out to destroy Shelton Benjamin's life. No, I'm not a bad guy at all; I just have my priorities straight. When you decide to become a professional wrestler, you make a conscious choice knowing full well that in order to be the best, you can't worry about girls or love. You can only worry about winning. That's all I care about, winning. Shelton and I, we made a great tag team; we weren't called the World's Greatest Tag Team for nothing. We were damn good, but Shelton lost his focus. Shelton let Shaniqua trick him, and Shelton fell for it hook, line, and sinker. That's why the Basham Brothers are the World Tag Team champions and we're fighting in Phoenix! And Shaniqua, Bashams, don't think I'm done with you yet either. Whether I'm with Shelton Benjamin or not, I still have a score to settle with all of you, and that score will be settled, mark my words. MR: Thank you for your time, Charlie, and good luck in your match. CH: Thank you, Mario. [With that, Haas heads toward the ring.] MR: Joey, Brian, back to you at ringside! * * * * * Match #2 Shelton Benjamin vs. Charlie Haas This was the amateur style match we expected out of these two collegiate standouts, who along with Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar have the best amateur resume' in Global Championship Wrestling. We thought this match might have the potential to degenerate into more of a fight considering the emotion tied to it, but instead we got a game of "whatever you can do I can do better." Haas wanted to prove that he was the better man, and he wrestled accordingly. However, Benjamin looked as though he had finally turned the corner as truth be told, he hasn't looked good in the ring at all since he and Haas lost the World Tag Team Titles. Benjamin looked on top of his game though, as if he had finally heard enough out of Charlie Haas. The crowd wasn't sure who to root for in this match, as I think they were expecting a fight rather than this much mat wrestling. Regardless, Haas and Benjamin both worked the mat well, and we knew this one wasn't going to end with a big move; it was going to end with a great counter move, and that's exactly what happened. After a great chain wrestling sequence, Haas had Benjamin in a front facelock and tried to force him down to the mat, but Benjamin's quick thinking allowed him to counter it with a Northern Lights suplex. This caught Haas completely off guard as Benjamin was able to hold him down for the necessary three seconds. Shelton Benjamin pinned Charlie Haas after a Northern Lights suplex in 0:06:05. Rating: ** 3/4 Shelton Benjamin had won the battle of the World's Greatest Tag Team, but realistically, this one could have gone either way. Haas was obviously peeved about not winning the match, kicking the bottom rope. Shelton Benjamin was hoping that with this match over, the former World's Greatest Tag Team would be able to put this all behind them as he offered a handshake to Charlie Haas. Haas considered it, looking to the fans who were encouraging him to do it. However, Haas shrugged it off and left the ring, ushered to the back by the boos of the crowd. Benjamin may have won the match, but he didn't look too happy with the end result. Match #3 Elimination Tables Match "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles/"The Alpha Male" Monty Brown vs. Sean O'Haire/Steve "Who's Your Daddy?" Bradley (Television champion) (w/ Daffney) This match wasn't going to be only about winning. This match was going to see at least two men put through a table. The chance of someone suffering an injury in a match like this was great, but it didn't seem to bother any of the four competitors in this match. AJ Styles and Monty Brown aren't friends, and that's pretty obvious after seeing how they functioned as a team two weeks ago on Explosion. Sean O'Haire and new Television champion Steve Bradley aren't friends either, but they have one thing in common and that's their desire to hurt people. Well if they wanted to hurt people, this was a good chance for them to do so. Whereas the last match between Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas was a solid mat wrestling contest, this one was anything but. These four used the no disqualification rules to their advantage, and by the end of this one, the only man not bleeding was Monty Brown. For the first few minutes, none of these individuals made an effort to go for the tables, choosing rather to just beat on each other. The first time a table came into play, Brown had O'Haire set up for a power bomb, but as he went for it, Bradley wisely moved the table out of the way. Brown went after Bradley, but Bradley caught him with a low blow followed by a DDT. Bradley rolled Brown onto the table and climbed to the top rope. O'Haire was up and cut off AJ Styles with a clothesline before holding Brown down on the table. Bradley jumped off with a moonsault and put the Alpha Male through the table, eliminating him from the match. AJ Styles was in a lot of trouble now, as he was by himself against two maniacs like Bradley and O'Haire. Styles begged off as O'Haire and Bradley closed in on him. What O'Haire and Bradley didn't see though was that Styles had slipped a pair of brass knuckles on his hand when Brown had been eliminated. O'Haire made the first move, but Styles caught him between the eyes with the knux, dropping O'Haire like a tree. Styles tried to hit Bradley, but Bradley saw it, blocked the hit, and nailed Styles, causing the brass knuckles to fly to the outside. Bradley went to work on the Phenomenal One, and for a bit we had a one-on-one match. Bradley had the advantage though, and he went for the kill by tossing Styles to the floor and setting him up on the Spanish announce table. Bradley got up on the table with Styles and put him in a standing headscissors. Bradley was going for a piledriver, but Styles countered it in a way Bradley would be familiar with: a low blow. Styles lifted Bradley for a power bomb, but Bradley recovered enough to hit Styles with a couple of punches when he was up. Bradley tried to counter with an uncharacteristic huracanrana, but Styles showed great strength and held Bradley up, hitting him with the Styles Clash right through the table! Styles had evened the odds, and he did it just in time as well as Sean O'Haire was back up as he nailed Styles from behind on the floor. O'Haire threw Styles back in the ring where he hit him with the Prophecy, completely laying Styles out. If that wasn't bad enough for Styles, Steve Bradley was stirring, and he wasn't leaving ringside. As O'Haire continued to pound on Styles, the Baddest Mofo On The Show as he calls himself dragged a table out from under the ring and slid it into the ring. Styles had a brief attempt at a comeback, but the 2-on-1 odds were too great, and a double team power bomb gave Styles wood. Elimination Table No-Countout-No-DQ-Match: Sean O'Haire and Steve Bradley beat AJ Styles and Monty Brown 2 falls to 1: x S. Bradley beat M. Brown via putting him through a table in 0:08:44 x AJ Styles beat S. Bradley via putting him through a table in 0:12:00 x O'Haire beat AJ Styles via putting him through a table in 0:15:08 Survivors: Sean O'Haire Rating: *** 1/2 Sean O'Haire had won this match that can accurately be described as brutal. Bradley mounted Styles and fired him up with a series of right hands even though the match was over. Luckily for Styles, MONTY BROWN was back out and he was pumped up, hitting both Steve Bradley and Sean O'Haire with rights and lefts, sending them both from the ring. However, things were about to get bad for Monty Brown as all of the sudden BROCK LESNAR was making his way down to the ring. Much to Brown's credit, he didn't back down knowing he had to defend himself, but Lesnar hadn't gone through a table just a few minutes prior like he did. Arguably the two strongest men in GCW went at it trading rights, but Brock Lesnar got the better of the situation, hoisting the Alpha Male up and sending him crashing to the canvas with the F-5! Brock Lesnar had completely wiped Monty Brown out, but why? I'm convinced that with every passing moment that Brock Lesnar doesn't get a World Heavyweight Title shot, he becomes a bit crazier and scarier. * * * * * [As the carnage in the ring is being cleared, we cut backstage to where Lance Storm and Dawn Marie are chatting.] LS: Now are you sure you wouldn't feel safer staying back here tonight? Randy Orton has shown that there's no line he won't cross. DM: Lance, I appreciate your concern, but I can handle it. I've been in this business for a long time. I know there are dangers involved. I know I can get hurt, and I know scum like Randy Orton are going to harass me. It's part of the territory. My job as your manager is to be in your corner and watch your back. It's hard for me to watch your back from back here, isn't it? LS: Heh. Yeah, I see your point. DM: Don't you worry about me. You just worry about Randy Orton and winning the North American Title. LS: That's something I don't have to worry about. Randy Orton and the Sensationals have been a thorn in the collective side of GCW since the beginning. Well we'll see how smug they are when I bring the North American Title back to Calgary...... Alberta, Canada. [Cut to the ring for the next match.] * * * * * Match #4 Booker T vs. Goldust I have never seen Booker T this focused. Goldust has certainly gotten on the bad side of Booker, which is something I don't recommend for anybody. Booker T attacked Goldust before the bell rang, and for the first half of this match, Goldust couldn't even get out of his golden robe. Booker T was battering Goldust around the ring, knocking him from pillar to post with forearms and clothesline. Booker T hit the Golden One with an early spinebuster which led Goldust to roll out of the ring to take a powder. Booker T would have none of that as he followed his opponent to the floor. As JD Sanders issued the count, Booker slammed Goldust's head into the ring apron. Booker attempted to whip Goldust into the ring steps, but Goldust reversed it and Booker T hit shoulder first on the steel. This was the opportunity Goldust needed not so much to win the match but to survive Booker T's onslaught. Goldust tossed Booker back in the ring and went to work. As Goldust took control of this match, he became a little more playful, using very strange tactics like pinching Booker T on the ass and other such activities designed to throw Booker off his game. Goldust even set Booker T up for the Golden Globes Kick in the corner late, but he stopped because, as he said, he "needs those Golden Globes to be in perfect working order." Yikes. However, Goldust's antics here allowed Booker to recover, and when Goldust took Booker down out of the corner, Booker fired on him with forearms to the back before dropping him with the Book End. Booker came back to a vertical base via the Spinaroonie which got a huge pop. One giant Axe Kick later and Booker T was the winner. Booker T pinned Goldust with the Axe Kick in 0:07:49. Rating: *** 1/4 Booker T looked satisfied to put Goldust away and hopefully put this whole strange situation behind him. It looks like Goldust might have to find another object to direct his affection toward. * * * * * [Shaniqua is standing by backstage with the World Tag Team champions, the Basham Brothers. Mario Riviera walks into the frame.] MR: Shaniqua, the World Tag Team Titles will be on the line tonight as your men, the Basham Brothers, defend the title against the Hardy Boyz, Matt and Jeff. A few weeks ago, the Hardyz came within an eyelash of winning those World Tag Team Titles, defeating your men via countout. Are you at all worried that the Bashams' second reign as tag rteam champions could come to an end? S: Worried? Do I look worried, you little bitch? The Bashams are the best tag team in the world today, and being the World Tag Team champions proves it! I've said it before. The Hardy Boyz are old news. Four years ago, I might be worried. Now, not so much. Matt Hardy's got a bum arm, and Jeff Hardy? Jeff Hardy is a "free spirit." He'd much rather be making crappy artwork or playing with his stupid band than be in a wrestling ring. I would say he'd be gone in a month, but when the Bashams gets done with him, he'll be gone TONIGHT. MR: What about Charlie Haas' comments earlier, stating that he wasn't done with you or the Bashams yet. S: I could give a damn about Charlie Haas. He's nothing without Shelton Benjamin, and Shelton Benjamin is nothing without Charlie Haas. And because of me, you're never going to see those two team again! Charlie Haas is the last thing on my mind. MR: Now what about this surprise you've been speaking of? Will this surprise be a factor in tonight's match? S: If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it? MR: Well, no, but it's my job as a broadcast... S: It's your job to shut your stupid little mouth! I'm tired of you and everybody else questioning my motives, what I do! What I do is get results! People don't like my lifestyle? To hell with them! People don't like how I operate? Well I have the World Tag Team Titles under my control, so I think my way of operating is pretty damn good! Now do you have any more questions!? MR: Um... er... no... that's all... S: Then get out of my face... BITCH! [As if it was their cue, Doug and Danny Basham approach on Mario Rivera. Rivera wisely gets the hell out of there.] * * * * * * * * * * [We are in the locker room of the Hardy Boyz prior to their match.] MH: You ready, Jeff? [Jeff Hardy nods at Matt.] MH: I said, "Are you ready, Jeff!?" JH: Yes, I'm ready. MH: Good... just got to make sure. You haven't really been wrestling very often in a long time, so I need to make sure your head is in the game. JH: We've been over this, Matt. I told you when you called me in June, I wanted to give this one more go. I miss the rush, man. I miss that rush I get when I go out there and wrestle in front of thousands of fans. I'm back now, and that rush is back, so you don't have to worry about me. All you have to worry about is whether you want to wear your World Tag Team Title around your waist or over your shoulder! MH: That's what I'm talking about! Let's do this! [The Hardy Boyz head out of the locker room toward the ring, pumped up for their match.] * * * * * Match #5 World Tag Team Title Match The Basham Brothers (c) (w/ Shaniqua) vs. The Hardy Boyz Despite what Shaniqua said prior to the match, you could tell that the Basham Brothers were indeed worried about the Hardy Boyz. Matt and Jeff Hardy have held World Tag Team Titles on six occasions in the past, and their reputation proceeds them. The Bashams usually come out for their matches aggressively, not letting their opponents out of the box. In this contest, Doug and Danny Basham were back on their heels, letting the Hardyz call the shots. This is not the match that Shaniqua had wanted her men to wrestle. After Danny Basham was hit with the Poetry In Motion, Shaniqua had seen enough. Jeff Hardy went for a cover, but Shaniqua pulled referee Jimmy Appleseed out of the ring to break up the count. Appleseed reprimanded Shaniqua, but she didn't care as she waffled Appleseed with a massive clothesline. Shaniqua went over to William Buck's table and grabbed the World Tag Team Titles, handing one to Doug Basham and keeping the other for herself. Doug Basham jumped in the ring and smacked Matt Hardy off the apron with the title belt. Jeff Hardy dropkicked Doug Basham in the back, knocking him to the floor. But he turned around and was clocked between the eyes by Shaniqua with the other title belt. The Bashams and Shaniqua stomped away at Jeff Hardy until SHELTON BENJAMIN ran down to the ring to a huge pop. Benjamin ducked under Doug Basham's attempt to hit him with a World Tag Team Title and planted him with the Dragon Whip. Danny Basham came running at Benjamin, but Benjamin caught him with an exploder powerslam. The crowd came to its feet exploding with cheers as Benjamin turned his attention toward Shaniqua. Shaniqua begged for forgiveness, but Shelton Benjamin would have none of it. Shaniqua took a swing at Benjamin with the World Tag Team Title, but Benjamin blocked it and grabbed Shaniqua by the hair. Benjamin asked the crowd if he should hit Shaniqua, and 19,000 plus gave him a resounding yes. However, before Benjamin could do anything, a huge masked man nailed him from behind! This man was almost 7 feet tall and had to be 350 pounds. Benjamin tried to fight back, but his blows weren't even facing this mountain of a man. This huge man grabbed Benjamin and spun him around with a swinging sidewalk slam and smashed him on the mat. Matt Hardy was back up and he climbed to the top jumping at this beast with a flying cross body press, but he was caught and suffered the same fate. Eventually, we were all surprised to see CHARLIE HAAS run down to the ring, steel chair in hand. Haas cracked the big man in the back with the chair, which staggered him a bit. This masked giant turned around and Haas popped him between the eyes. This big man stumbled and fell through the ropes to the floor. He tried to get back in the ring, but Shaniqua held him back. Referee Jimmy Appleseed was back up, and he had no choice but to simply throw this one out. The Basham Brothers (Doug Basham and Danny Basham) and The Hardy Boyz (Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy) battled to a double disqualification in 0:04:46. Rating: *** (The Basham Brothers retained the GCW World Tag Team Titles.) We would find out later that this huge man goes by the name of Abyss, and is apparently the surprise that Shaniqua had been talking about. Shaniqua having Abyss under her control like this makes her that much more dangerous in GCW. The Hardy Boyz and Shelton Benjamin all made it back to their feet, and we were left with Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas staring at each other. Haas threw the chair down and started to leave the ring, but the Hardyz stopped him. Matt and Jeff encouraged Haas to go shake Benjamin's hand, but Haas was reluctant. The Hardyz got the America West Arena behind them, wanting Haas and Benjamin to shake hands. Finally Haas extended his hand to Benjamin, and Benjamin shook it. The crowd exploded in cheers as the World's Greatest Tag Team is back! A great moment here at Summer Sizzler. Match #6 "The Innovator of Violence" Tommy Dreamer vs. "The Anarchist" Doug Williams This match was a classic mismatch of styles: the hardcore smashmouth approach of Tommy Dreamer versus the more refined, technically sound, pure approach of Doug Williams. Doug Williams has vowed to eliminate hardcore wrestling from GCW, and a solid defeat of the Innovator of Violence would be a huge step in that direction. The early stages of this match involved Williams using his superior mat knowledge to get the better of Dreamer. Williams looked to have this one under control, but he got a little too cocky with an arrogant cover, and Dreamer capitalized. When Dreamer got control of the match, Williams reacted as if he was unsure of what to do. Dreamer was coming at him strong with nothing other than sheer brawling. Williams was back on his heels simply trying to survive the beating that Dreamer was giving him. Dreamer had Williams set up for the Dreamer DDT, but Dreamer was too close to the ropes and Williams wisely backdropped Dreamer to the floor. Dreamer recovered quickly though, grabbing Williams' leg and dragging him to the outside. The Anarchist's face would meet the cold steel of the ring steps before Dreamer put him back in the ring. Dreamer once again went for the Dreamer DDT, but Williams countered it with a low blow! Not a very technical wrestling hold there from the man claiming he's going to bring pure wrestling back to the United States. Williams quickly followed up with his rolling German suplex, the Chaos Theory, but midway through, Williams appeared to hurt his leg. However, the Anarchist was able to hold Dreamer's shoulders down for the 3 count. Doug Williams pinned Tommy Dreamer with the Chaos Theory in 0:07:02. Doug Williams tore his right ACL. He will be out for approximately 7 months. Rating: *** 1/4 Williams remained on the mat clutching his right leg. The medical staff came down to check on Doug Williams, who was later told he had torn his ACL. This is a tough break for Doug Williams. You don't have to like the man, but you never want to see anybody get hurt, especially this early in their GCW career. We wish Doug Williams a speedy recovery. Match #7 North American Title Match Randy Orton (c) vs. Lance Storm (w/ Dawn Marie) The North American Title was on the line in a rematch from last month as Randy Orton put the title on the line against Lance Storm. In the early going, Orton tried to get inside Storm's head by making disparaging remarks toward Dawn Marie, but Storm remained focused on the task at hand. Once Orton realized that the mind games weren't going to work, he knuckled down and wrestled a good match. You can say a lot of negative things about the Sensationals: they have a bad attitude, they're jerks, etc., but when it comes right down to it, they want to win. Many say that Orton is the future of this business, and he was looking to make the future now at Summer Sizzler. This was a great match, plain and simple. Orton used his cocky attitude and high impact offense to wear down Storm, while Storm used his plethora of knowledge he has learned through years of experience and his fluid in-ring style to frustrate the young third-generation superstar. Orton's strategy seemed to be working as he seemed to have a little more in the tank near the end of the match. Orton ducked under a desperation Lance Storm superkick and countered it with the R.K.O. That should have done it right there, but before Orton went for the cover, Dawn Marie jumped up on the apron. Orton's arrogance wouldn't allow him to just win the match, but rather Orton sauntered over to Marie, making all-around lewd gestures. Strangely enough, Dawn Marie seemed to like it. Orton smiled as he closed in on Marie, and Marie grabbed Orton's head and planted a huge kiss on him! The crowd couldn't believe what they were seeing as at first, they thought Dawn Marie had joined with Randy Orton. But we soon saw that it was nothing more than a distraction and a chance for Lance Storm recover from the R.K.O. After the kiss, Dawn Marie smiled and told Orton to look behind him. Orton slowly turned around and turned smack into a superkick! Storm locked on the Maple Leaf and wrenched back, and due to the suddenness of it, Orton was trapped and had no choice but to tap out! New North American champion! Lance Storm made Randy Orton submit to the Maple Leaf in 0:17:47. Rating: **** (Lance Storm won the GCW North American Title.) Lance Storm and Dawn Marie hugged as JD Sanders presented Storm with the North American Title. Marie has already paid huge dividends for Storm, leading him to his first championship in Global Championship Wrestling! Congratulations to the brand new North American champion. Match #8 "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels/"Latino Heat" Eddie Guerrero vs. "Y2J" Chris Jericho/Black Tiger This match wasn't just about a victory for either team. For Shawn Michaels and especially Eddie Guerrero, it was about getting that mask off of Black Tiger to find out his identity. Conversely for Chris Jericho and Black Tiger, it was about ensuring that the mask stayed on. Because of that, Jericho and Black Tiger wrestled a very defensive match. Jericho would remain in the ring for much of the match, only tagging in Black Tiger when the advantage for their team was clear. Every time Tiger would get in even the slightest bit of trouble, Chris Jericho would be tagged back into the ring, frustrating Guerrero and Michaels further. This was a good strategy by Jericho and Black Tiger to get under the skin of the Heartbreak Kid and Latino Heat, but a bad strategy for winning the match. During the match, Black Tiger's masked identity was protected, but as a result, Jericho took quite the beating. Jericho fought for as long as he could to stay in this match, and to his credit, he gave Eddie Guerrero and Shawn Michaels a run for their money. But in the end, HBK caught the Canadian King of Bling-Bling with the Sweet Chin Music. That was enough for Michaels to pick up the victory for his team. Eddie Guerrero and Shawn Michaels defeated Black Tiger and Chris Jericho when S. Michaels pinned Jericho with the Sweet Chin Music in 0:14:57. Rating: *** 3/4 After the bell rang, Black Tiger jumped off the apron and headed to the back. However, he only made it about halfway back when Eddie Guerrero nailed him from behind. Guerrero brought Black Tiger back and threw him into the ring. Black Tiger tried to get away again, but Michaels and Guerrero took turns hitting him with right hands, knocking him back and forth like a pinball. The Heartbreak Kid leveled Black Tiger with the Sweet Chin Music and then held Black Tiger for Eddie Guerrero as Latino Heat told the fans he was going to unmask him. As Eddie grabbed the mask, Chris Jericho was back in the ring as he blasted Shawn Michaels in the back hard with a steel chair! Michaels fell to the canvas allowing Black Tiger to slip out of the ring. Jericho and Black Tiger retreated to the back as Guerrero checked on Michaels. HBK was obviously in a lot of pain, but he was able to make it to the back under his own power. Black Tiger escaped with his mask tonight, but for how long will that last? * * * * * [The GCW World Heavyweight champion Kurt Angle is standing backstage. He has the title wrapped around his waist.] KA: I want everybody to take a look at me. What do I have that none of you do? Well, other than a gold medal, loads of natural ability, intensity, intelligence, integrity, and a charming personality. That's right. I have the World Heavyweight Title. What does that mean? It means I'm the best wrestler in the world. Last month at Chaos Reigns, I proved I was better than Booker T, that I was better than Brock Lesnar, and tonight I will prove once and for all that I am better than Chris Benoit, oh it's true. Benoit, what you need to realize is that I have your number tonight. You're going to go into this match on pure emotion. You have a lot going on in that Canadian head of yours. Well, as much as a Canadian can have going on in his head, anyway. You're thinking, "Oh, Kurt Angle gave me a concussion. Oww my head." The concussion is just the start of it, Benoit. Remember when I broke your poor wife's ankle, Chris? Of course you do, because you get to see her clunk around the house on crutches. I want you to think about that, Chris. If I did that to a poor defenseless woman, Chris, what do you think I'm going to do to you tonight? I'm not just going to make you tap, Benoit. I'm going to make you wish you were never born. Oh it's true... it's DAMN true. [Angle gives the camera one last intense look before heading toward the ring.] * * * * * Match #9 MAIN EVENT World Heavyweight Title Submission Match Kurt Angle (c) vs. "The Crippler" Chris Benoit This was the one we were all waiting for. Two men, one title, and somebody was going to have to tap out. Kurt Angle came in with the World Heavyweight Title, and Chris Benoit wanted it back. Benoit, as you all remember, suffered a concussion last Monday on Explosion at the hands of Angle, but in the early stages of this match, Benoit looked unaffected and was on the top of his game. Angle and Benoit started the match by doing some amateur wrestling. Now on paper, one would expect that Kurt Angle, the man who won an Olympic gold medal in amateur wrestling, would have the easy advantage here. But Benoit came out in this one pumped up, and he was consistently getting the better of the champion. Angle was so frustrated that he jumped out of the ring to take a breather. Benoit gave him no breather though as he came out after the champion, slamming him into the ringpost. Benoit threw Angle back in the ring, and from there, the fun began. What followed from here is what we've seen out of these two in the past, and that's a tremendous display of wrestling and submission technique. Each man picked a focal point to work on and wear down, hoping to weaken their opponent enough to get the submission later in the match. For Angle, he kept it simple and worked on Benoit's legs. Angle's bread and butter is of course the Ankle Lock, and he used a variety of different leg submissions to take out Benoit's vertical base. Benoit, on the other hand, worked over Angle's left arm. Benoit went with the strategy that if Angle had a bum arm, he wouldn't be able to securely put on the Ankle Lock and a major part of his offense would be eliminated. To both of their credits, the strategies worked. Benoit was very sluggish moving around at times as he was trying to keep blood circulating in his legs while Benoit was able to power out of a couple Ankle Lock attempts by Angle. As the match wore on, every submission hold became more vital, and the holds also came fewer and far between. Angle and Benoit resorted to some of their more high impact offense later in the match. I swear between the two of them, at least 12 German suplexes were thrown around. In the end, it looked like Benoit had the better of Angle as he had him locked in the Sharpshooter. The crowd was on its feet as Benoit was screaming for Angle to tap, but Angle showed a lot of resiliency by no tapping out. Angle also showed why he is the World Heavyweight champion by getting a hold of Benoit's leg and having the strength to pull Benoit down and reverse the Sharpshooter in the Ankle Lock! Benoit was writhing in pain, but he tried to crawl to the ropes only to have Angle pull him back to the center of the ring, drop on his back, and grab Benoit's leg with his legs. Benoit fought and fought to get out, but Angle had him trapped, and eventually the pain became so great that Benoit had no choice but to tap out. Submission Match: Kurt Angle made Chris Benoit submit to the Ankle Lock in 0:27:36. Rating: **** 1/4 (Kurt Angle retained the GCW World Heavyweight Title.) An absolutely fantastic match, and Kurt Angle is still the World Heavyweight champion. You have to hand it to him: you might not like his personality, but he is one of the best, and he proved it tonight with a clean submission victory over Chris Benoit. Also, Benoit has nothing to be ashamed about, as he laid it all on the line in this one. It honestly could have gone either way, but in the end, Angle was just the better man tonight. A great end to a great pay-per-view. |
| 91 | Posted on 10/20/04 at 19:42:56 DAMN! 7 months, that's just about the last thing you'd want to happen. Hmmm, I wonder if Williams was supposed to be the Black Tiger? Still, cool event. Abyss joining adds a new dimension, and reunited TWGTT - whether THAT lasts is another matter. And you've kept the intrigue concerning the Black Tiger going. And kudos for me calling Storm to win the title before the match was booked. 8) |
| Trance | Posted on 10/21/04 at 07:24:07 All in all, a very good card. Lance Storm taking the North American Title was no surprise.... but what did surprise me is that Kurt Angle not only made Chris Beniot submit, but did so fair-and-square (for once). |
| Snabbit888 | Posted on 10/21/04 at 08:10:00 91 - no, Doug Williams was not Black Tiger. I did have big plans for him though, but he's out until March now (but I'll probably keep him gone until Deadly Draw which is in April) but still, very shitty. I thought Abyss would be a good fit with Shaniqua as well. Trance - Kurt Angle needed that one big clean win to solidify him as a good champion. He'd been way too sneaky heelish. |
| Critic of the Dawn | Posted on 10/23/04 at 07:52:05 Hah! I am the Prediction King! Although, to be fair, I have a bit more insight into what you're planning than a lot of others. London pulls out a victory over Rey Rey in something that comes as a total non-surprise. London is so talented and so underrated by WWE that it's sad, and he's quite obviously the future of your Cruiserweight Division. I wouldn't mind seeing a Benoit-Angle style rivalry between these two guys. Benjamin goes over Haas. The underdog comes out on top. Classic wrestling storyline right there. I'm interested to see whether this feud continues or whether that's the end of it. Bradley and O'Haire come out on top in the Table match, but surprisingly Bradley is eliminated. More momentum for O'Haire as GCW's fast-rising monster, I suppose. Brock Lesnar better watch his back. ;) Booker over Goldust. I hope this feud isn't over. I've really enjoyed Goldust as the creepy stalker type, and Booker's reactions are priceless. I hope Goldy won't be discouraged by Bookie Wookums playing hard to get. I am officially a fan of Shaniqua in GCW. I feel dirty now after admitting that... BITCH! Abyss seems like a good fit with Shaniqua's crew. I won't even speculate about what position he plays in their nasty little games. And what's this? Was Haas trying to make the save? Maybe there's hope for WGTT yet... Glad the Hardyz lost, by the way. It's too soon for a title reign for them, plus they're big enough stars that they don't need the help. Williams predictably goes over Dreamer, but Dreamer gets the last laugh as Williams injures himself badly in the fight. The victory of pure wrestling over hardcore is a hollow one! Storm takes the North American Title. Nothing surprising there. Tiger and Jericho come up short, but Tiger escapes before Guerrero and Michaels can unmask him. Who is that strange masked man? Why, Ric Flair of course! Angle goes over Benoit clean in a hell of a match to retain the title. Good stuff here, and I agree that Angle needed a strong win. A victory over someone as dangerous as Benoit is sure to count for a lot. Great PPV. Looking forward to more cards. Eric "Critic of the Dawn" |