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NAWF - Week 2 [Tag Title Tournament]

TecmoNickPosted on 04/11/04 at 01:58:31

Here's Week 2.  The team that ended up winning the tournament was not what I was expecting at all.  Good overall card, though.  Read on...



[Quarter Finals]
Adam Flash and Air Paris vs. M-Dogg 20 and Shelton Benjamin

[Shelton Benjamin enters the ring to make it two-on-one.
Shelton Benjamin executes a gutwrench suplex on Adam Flash.
Shelton Benjamin nails Adam Flash with a bodyslam.
M-Dogg 20 executes the Death From Above on Adam Flash.
Chad Patton counts: One, two, kickout.
M-Dogg 20 uses a dropkick on Adam Flash.]

Adam Flash and Air Paris defeated M-Dogg 20 and Shelton Benjamin when Paris pinned S. Benjamin after a flying forearm in 0:19:08.
Rating: *** 1/2

Great match to open the show.  Shelton and M-Dogg are a great team, very innovative.  Adam Flash and Air Paris are clearly the team to beat..


[Quarter-Finals]
Al Snow and Brian Pillman vs. Ric Flair and Arn Anderson
[Al Snow throws Ric Flair out of the ring.
Al Snow goes for Asai moonsault, but Ric Flair moves out of the way.
Al Snow is out cold.
Ric Flair reenters the ring.
Tim White counts:  1
Tim White counts:  2
Tim White counts:  3
Tim White counts:  4
Tim White counts:  5
Tim White counts:  6
Tim White counts:  7
Tim White counts:  8
Tim White counts:  9
Tim White counts: 10
Al Snow is counted out.
A wave of boos is going through the crowd.]

Ric Flair and Arn Anderson defeated Al Snow and Brian Pillman when R. Flair defeated Snow by countout in 0:05:24.
Rating: * 1/2

Interesting ending.  Snow goes for a moonsault to the outside, but Flair moves and Snow hits the floor hard.  Pillman tried to revive Snow, but he was out cold.  Flair and Anderson move on...


[Quarter Finals]
Edge and The Undertaker vs. Rick Rude and Madman Pondo

[Madman Pondo chops Edge.
The crowd is booing Madman Pondo.
Madman Pondo takes Edge down with a backbreaker.
Madman Pondo hits Edge with a power bomb.
Mike Sparks counts: One, two, KICKOUT.
Edge runs into the ropes.
Edge hits Madman Pondo with a kick.]

[Madman Pondo nails Edge with a power bomb.
Mike Sparks counts: One, two, thr... shoulder up.
Madman Pondo executes a power bomb on Edge.
Mike Sparks counts: One, two, three.
Madman Pondo is eliciting a sizable round of boos.]

Rick Rude and Madman Pondo defeated Edge and The Undertaker when Pondo pinned Edge after a power bomb in 0:15:25.
Rating: ***

I wanted to see Edge and Undertaker go far, but TNM wasn't having it.  The Undertaker didn't do to well, and Edge did all he could to keep them in it.  Pondo and Rude are a starange teaming but they both ar eon the same page.


[Quarter Finals]
Ken Shamrock and Val Venis vs. Mike Awesome and Spellbinder

[Mike Awesome hits Val Venis with a kick.
Mike Awesome gives the sign for the Awesome Bomb.
Mike Awesome places Val Venis on the turnbuckle.
Mike Awesome executes the Awesome Bomb on Val Venis.
Mike Awesome goes for the pin.
Jack Doan counts: One, two, Ken Shamrock makes the save.
Val Venis hits Mike Awesome.
Mike Awesome punches Val Venis.
Val Venis punches Mike Awesome.
Val Venis is getting a good reaction from the crowd.]

[Val Venis sets up Mike Awesome on the turnbuckle.
Val Venis uses a superplex on Mike Awesome.
Val Venis hits Mike Awesome with a bodyslam.
Val Venis executes the Money Shot on Mike Awesome.
Jack Doan counts: One, two, in the ropes...]

[Spellbinder hits Ken Shamrock with a kick.
Spellbinder nails Ken Shamrock with a flying cross body press.
Jack Doan counts: One, two, Val Venis makes the save.
Spellbinder executes the Spellbinder Slam on Ken Shamrock.
A wave of boos is going through the crowd.
Spellbinder goes for the pin.
Jack Doan counts: One, two, three.
A wave of boos is going through the crowd.]

Spellbinder and Mike Awesome defeated Ken Shamrock and Val Venis when Spellbinder pinned Shamrock with the Spellbinder Slam in 0:18:56.
Rating: *** 1/4

Val Venis and Shamrock worked real well together, but it wasn't enough.  Shamrock once again didn't look to good and Venis caried the team the best he could.  Mike Awesome is a beast out there.


[Semi-Finals]
Adam Flash and Air Paris vs. Ric Flair and Arn Anderson

[Air Paris takes Arn Anderson down with a spinning DDT.
A portion of the crowd is booing Air Paris.
Air Paris is going for the cover.
Tim White counts: One, kickout.
Air Paris complains about a slow count.
Air Paris works the crowd.
A portion of the crowd is booing Air Paris.
Edge and The Undertaker come to ringside.]

[Arn Anderson sends Adam Flash into the turnbuckle.
Arn Anderson whips Adam Flash into the ropes, but Adam Flash reverses it.
Edge pulls down the top rope.
Tim White threatens Adam Flash with disqualification.]

[Arn Anderson hits Adam Flash.
Arn Anderson punches Adam Flash.
Arn Anderson is met with a mixture of cheers and boos.
Arn Anderson executes the Gourdbuster on Adam Flash.
Tim White counts: One, two, Air Paris makes the save.
Adam Flash places Arn Anderson on the turnbuckle.
Adam Flash executes the Move of the Month on Arn Anderson.
Tim White counts: One, two, Ric Flair doesn't make it in time... three.
Adam Flash seemingly enjoys the boos.]

Adam Flash and Air Paris defeated Ric Flair and Arn Anderson when Flash pinned
Anderson with the Move of the Month in 0:08:10.
Rating: ** 1/4

What a crazy ending to this one.  Edge and Undertaker made their presence felt in this one, obviously not happy about losing to Flair and Anderson last week.  Flash and Paris are my favorite tag team and obviously they are doing something right if they can outsmart Flair and Double A.


[Semi-Finals]
Rick Rude and Madman Pondo vs. Mike Awesome and Spellbinder

[Madman Pondo takes Spellbinder down with a reverse neckbreaker.
Madman Pondo is getting a pissed look amidst all the boos.
Madman Pondo executes the Pumphandle Tombstone on Spellbinder.
Charles Robinson counts: One, two, three.
The crowd is wildly cheering Madman Pondo with only a few scattered boos audible.]

Rick Rude and Madman Pondo defeated Spellbinder and Mike Awesome when Pondo pinned Spellbinder with the Pumphandle Tombstone in 0:03:28.
Rating: ** 1/2

Another heel vs. heel match that I didn't really want to happen.  As you could see, the fans didn't know what to think about Rude and Pondo winning the match.  One minute they boo, one they cheer.  Madman Pondo is really dominating early on in the NAWF...


Shawn Michaels and Kendo Ka Shin vs. Vader and Sabu

[Sabu throws Shawn Michaels out of the ring.
Shawn Michaels hangs on to the top rope for dear life.
Shawn Michaels pulls himself back in.
Shawn Michaels uses an atomic drop on Sabu.
Shawn Michaels throws Sabu into the turnbuckle.
Sabu comes back and rocks Shawn Michaels with a kick to the midsection.
Sabu uses a roundhouse right on Shawn Michaels.
Sabu leaves the ring.
He returns with a chair.
Sabu runs into the ropes and springs off the chair.
Sabu executes a flying clothesline on Shawn Michaels.
Sabu is eliciting a sizable round of boos.]

[Kendo Ka Shin takes Sabu down with a German suplex.
Kendo Ka Shin sets up Sabu on the table.
Kendo Ka Shin executes a DDT through the table.
The table is broken in half.
The crowd is starting to get behind Kendo Ka Shin.]

Table Match:
Shawn Michaels and Kendo Ka Shin defeated Vader and Sabu when Ka Shin defeated Sabu by putting him through a table in 0:03:09.
Rating: ** 1/4

Quick match that saw a lot of brawling.  Michaels and Vader were beating the hell out of each other outside the ring while Kendo and Sabu put on a show in the ring.  Kendo got the win, but the war between these guys has just begun...


[Finals]
Adam Flash and Air Paris vs. Rick Rude and Madman Pondo

[Madman Pondo and Rick Rude hit Adam Flash with a double bodyslam.
Rick Rude leaves the ring.
Madman Pondo hits Adam Flash with a spinebuster bomb.
A portion of the crowd is cheering Madman Pondo.
Madman Pondo hits a short lariat on Adam Flash.
Mike Chioda counts: One, two, Air Paris makes the save.
Madman Pondo executes the Pumphandle Tombstone on Adam Flash.
Mike Chioda counts: One, two, Air Paris doesn't make it in time... three.
A portion of the crowd is booing Madman Pondo.]

Rick Rude and Madman Pondo defeated Adam Flash and Air Paris when Pondo pinned
Flash with the Pumphandle Tombstone in 0:01:43.
Rating: ** 1/4
(Rick Rude and Madman Pondo won the NAWF Tag Team Titles.)

Pure dominance.  Paris and Flash came out cocky and got beaten down.  Rude adds the charisma and Pondo brings the anger.  After watching them through this tournament I realized how good they really are together.  Too bad the finals were heel vs. heel, but these two teams have very different personalities and it should get good.


Overall, this card went well.  I wanted to see Taker and Edge do better, but they will begin fueding with Flair and Anderson to try and prove themselves.  I'll have a preview up for Week 3 soon.  Look for wrestelrs to begin getting some mic time and some character building in the near future...
Critic_of_the_DawnPosted on 04/11/04 at 05:34:48

Great card, and definately not what I would have expected to happen.  My favorites (Awesome & Spellbinder) got eliminated in the semis, which was surprising to me given the fact that TNM seems to really like Mike Awesome.

One of the problems I have with TNM Table matches is that they're almost always over within the first few minutes.  This makes me really hesitant to use them in important places, which is a shame.  I really do enjoy the concept of the match, but if my main eventers are only going to get 3 minutes, what's the point?

Eric "Critic of the Dawn"