Yule Be Sorry is in the books; the tag team titles changed hands back to the College Park Family and tonight begins the tournament to crown the first ever QCW Television Champion, so let’s see those brackets (as the tournament will play out for the next few weeks before being decided in the finals at Cold As Hell):
| • Party Animal • Dom DeSade • |
| • Roy “These Hands’ Fade • ??? • |
| • Anton “Teknik” Stahl • “Tiki God” Al Buffet |
| • Mason “Razorblade” Savage • “the One Man Jihad” Nazir el-Fadal |
The announce didn’t know what the empty slot meant so far, but went over the matches tonight (Stahl/Buffet & Animal/DeSade) and enthused about the rematch between Razor & Naz, harkening back to the instant classic they had a few weeks ago on this show and their further contretemps at the PPV that may have allowed Mayhem to kind of sneak out the back door with a title retention.
Scott Holmes joined the broadcast at this point from his office to reveal that there would be a play-in for the final spot in the opener. Based on Mirror Mirror’s increased insubordination in the past month, they would have to run a gauntlet if they wanted the final spot. Should they lose, why, the person who beat them would be put into that spot instead…and Mirror would be fired.
There’s a hook into the commercial break for ya.
| • Mirror Mirror ds. Il Postino • | For a guy who’s never won, Postino was going hold for hold with Mirror in the early going, clearly disorienting the master of mind games. Sometimes he would do a move after they did and vice versa. After the last mirroring exchange (sorry), Mirror Cracked and a rollup put away the Postal Service (not them) enthusiast. Maybe someday the Postman will win. * 1/2
| • Mirror Mirror ds. S. Mark Starr • | Surprise!
Starr’s music hit, he disrobed into his tights and rolled into the ring – Mirror Cracked. And again. And again. And again. And again. And what the hell, one more. Look Inward. Thanks for playing, ex-champ. *
Mirror got on the mic to further bury him afterwards: "What's wrong, Mark? Are you upset that they didn't just give you the TV title too? Why don't you just go back behind the announce table and get #firestarr trending again?" Starr rolled out of the ring, bleeding a bit, when Nazir el-Fadal ran out and threw him into the steps. Mirror waved Naz on, but Naz shrugged and walked to the back. Turned out he wasn’t the third opponent up.
| • Mirror Mirror ds. Lolo Vuitton to be added to the QCW TV Title tournament • | Vuitton came out after Naz left, the final hurdle for Mirror to get over. Unlike their matches with the men, this one went some distance. Vuitton took advantage of a missed Mirror splash from the apron to the floor and worked over the ribs while she was in control of the match. Mirror staggered into a corner, and Vuitton looked to rev up the Bloody Shoe by going around the horn, but when she got within range, Mirror sidestepped and Cracked her before locking down Look Within. Lolo got to the ropes but was clearly gassed from the effort; a couple minutes later Mirror resecured their signature that got them the duke. ** ½
An exhausted Mirror got their hand raised, mostly to cheers, while a cut to Holmes in his office proved his face to be unreadable.
T H E I M M O R T A L S A R E C O M I N G
Q C W I S T H E I R S
A L L W I L L F A L L
S O O N
| • Toddzilla d. Caballero Verde • | The luchador in green went splut in about the time it’ll take you to read this. Still pissed about the loss Saturday night, Toddzilla made the ref count until 5 on the pinfall. SQUASH
A K2 Circuit Training commercial gave way to a promo, as Karyn Tisch-Warren promised that even in a new home, she would put that turd blossom in the ground and that it was only a matter of time before she was QCW’s Women’s Champion…
| •@smashleysmithofficial & Bella Bathory NC the Storybookers (Neverland/Rubyslipper)• | The Gram addict was on her phone on the way to the ring, as well as once the bell rang, as well as during the match, looking alternately weirded out and intrigued. Bathory ended up being the human pinball as the Storybookers got an advantage, SSO continuing to hold up a finger as Bella tried to get her involved and not taking ringside selfies or giggling at texts. Eventually, she walked out of the match entirely to an infuriated Bella, but the Storybookers whispered something to the ref, who after confirming with them, confirmed the no-contest. * ½
Bella was livid and ready to fight, but Dorothy - now the Red Queen after Saturday’s events - told Wendy to stand down. Whatever she said to Bella didn’t make her want to fight less, but the second through fifth things did. It seemed like Wendy wanted to say something at one point, but Dorothy fixed a look on her and that ended that. They headed to the back together, Wendy ahead of Bella, slightly ahead of Dorothy, listening. Absorbing. At one point, Dorothy pulled out her own phone and showed it to Bella, Wendy joining in. They were huddled up and gesticulating wildly, but why? We did not yet find out, and a queen does need a court…
Serge Batroc was having a photoshoot backstage at the Arena when the International Workrate Consortium approached him. He got set to fight but they said they were there to talk–talk about him joining them. He said non at first, but Stahl counteroffered that if he could beat all of them, they’d give him leadership. Lose, and they would give him a proper thrashing right into a hospital bed. Serge confirmed he would lead them if he beat them all, then offered a handshake. Anton looked surprised but took the handshake…which ended cordially. Serge left the photoshoot, but with one parting word to Stahl: don’t embarrass “us” out there. Stahl smiled even wider at that, Serge chuckled and left the frame for good. This flowed into the entrance of Stahl before the commercial break…
| • Anton “Teknik” Stahl ds. “Tiki God” Al Buffet in a first round TV title tournament match • | Stahl turned this into a wrestling match, something he knew Al wasn’t (probably) going to beat him at. Al couldn’t get consecutive minutes of momentum together - Stahl doing a lot of ducking between the ropes or rolling out of the ring to make his own breaks. Eventually it went in a chase around the ring (Martin Williams barely getting out of his cohort’s way at one point) then under, initiated by Stahl; when Buffet crawled out to the side where he’d hoped to catch up, Stahl double stomped his arm into the floor and Al howled at getting his appendage murked like that. Buffet fought gamely through the rest of the match but it was literally a Matter of Time before Stahl’s signature submission made Al use his good arm to tap out. Reminder: Stahl gets whoever survives Razorblade/Jihad II. Note to self: see if any other band has beaten me to Razorblade Jihad. **
All the participants of the Yule Be Sorry main event were all too banged up from the title match to get clearance tonight. Of note, Mayhem’s lone Tweet this week on Sunday afternoon:
#ANDSTILL
| • Party Animal ddq. Dom DeSade in a first round TV title tournament match • | Congratulations for Party Animal, the fans love you and you advanced! Now the bad news: DeSade, increasingly furious ever since the Forbidden Book Club Thanksgiving and having blown the #1 contendership advantage that the College Park Family gained and succeeded at, splattered Animal all over the place. DeSade hit a series of increasingly vicious tilt a whirl backbreakers and had Animal up for his Torture Rack. Animal managed to graze the top rope with their foot, and the ref had DeSade break the hold. DeSade did, and in short order reapplied it, the same thing happened again, and this time DeSade punched the ref out. That’s a no-no. * ½
Not content to ravage Animal’s back by further Racking him, he then military bench pressed him from the ring into the barricade. The medical team came out to check on Animal, who eventually got stretchered out but offered up a feeble claw on their way to the back. An injured PA now gets the winner of Fade/Mirror in the semis. **
| • Gran Atomico (w/Los Perros Locos) d. Cruzado del Oro • | All lucha libre in the semi main event, and more bad luck for Cruzado, who hasn’t been able to score his first QCW win yet. Here, he fell victim to the Numbers Game - you all have seen pro wrestling before, you know how this works: recipient of the interference distracts the ref, double team on the outside, easy pickings for Atomico to put on the finishing touches to win the match. ** Post match the whole faction stomped Cruzado out; no one came to his aid. Los Locos swore revenge against the College Park Family and said that they would be campeones once again.
Enya Face interviewed “the Island Flower” Luz Cruz. Sad as she was that Crush was over, she was happy to show her skills for the QCW audience and her boricuas back home – but of course, like the parasite she is, Karyn Tisch-Wheeler had to follow her here, and their rivalry probably isn’t going to end tonight - but it will end with her being named #1 contender and going for the gold. She concluded in Spanish and got bleeped a few times (!) before calming herself down and apologizing, then adding in English “I’m going to kick your ass, you little Tisch.”
| • “the First Lady of Fitness” Karyn Tisch-Warren (w/Scott Warren-Tisch) d. “The Island Flower” Luz Cruz to earn a shot at the Women’s Title at Cold As Hell • | Luz tried to offer a handshake after the bell rang - Karyn scoffed and slapped her - Luz double legged her down and went for the ground and pound.
Things settled down from there but were obviously contentious the whole two plus segments; this is a multi-year rivalry across several indies finally coming to QCW. Tisch-Warren got the advantage when she caught Cruz’s Asai moonsault and slammed her onto the steps, then followed it up with a ringpost bow and arrow. Tisch-Warren worked over the back for a few minutes but Cruz regained control hitting an armdrag counter to a tornado backbreaker. She hit a couple more but then winced and gritted after hitting a dropkick, so she then laid into KTW with a barrage of open-handed chops to the chest in the corner. Cruz tried to put together a decent run, but KTW cut her off with a Stun Gun -> leg capture backbreaker combo to set up her submission finish, the Circuit Breaker (an elevated Texas Cloverleaf with her knee in the back). Cruz made the ropes, then upkicked away a second attempt and went for a sunset flip; they traded pinning holds for the better part of a minute, then suddenly Karyn had her feet on the middle ropes, her husband had a towel over her legs to boot, and she had stolen the #1 contendership. Crowd didn’t like that one bit, nope. ***
Karyn bearhugged her hubby and spun him around a couple of times before throwing him down and making the international symbol for I Want The Belt around her waist.
The happy couple’s over-the-top celebration was cut off by the announce. They noted that Ruckus has sort of become the home of game-changing announcements for QCW, but this was probably the biggest one to date. Since tickets for Cold As Hell go on sale in 12 hours, what better time to make this announcement?
Overhead shots of the Great White North (!) were a hint, and “God’s Plan” playing when the shot went by and around the CN Tower was the anvil; Toronto, home to fine public libraries, interesting neighborhoods and beautiful architecture culminating in a trip to Scotiabank Arena. It was a couple short seasons ago home to the then champion TORONTO Raptors, and in that arena - on January 9th - QCW takes the shot, eh?
The “Holy shit!” and “Q Cee Dub” chants from the audience in the background took us off the air. See you on Christmas Eve!
Next: s1e11 Ruckus
No comments:
Post a Comment