Instead of the usual open, we got a video package recapping Golden Rule, which focused mainly on stills interspersed with short, really short video clips of live action – the Forbidden Book Club striking their usual cackling pose on the buckles, this time with Agrippa & La Vey proudly holding up the Women’s World Tag Team Championships – Crusazdo del Oro & Los Caballeros getting their revenge on Los Luchadores Locos and unmasking the now former Gran Atomico – the College Park Family retaining the World Tag Team championships, much to the delight of Benjamin Valentino on the outside – Naz coming out in Scott Hall gear to the Fugees' "Ready Or Not" then eliminating both These Hands and The Fury to retain the World TV title – Lolo Vuitton pulling off a minor upset in the five pack challenge to capture the Women’s World Championship, standing on the top of the stairs and beating her chest while yelling “I told y’all I run this!” – Mayhem and Razorblade going tooth and nail for the Twelve Pounds of Gold, fighting each other to a standstill — Naz using his ninth and tenth pinfalls earlier in the evening to cash in the TV title and turn the main event into a triple threat – Mirror Mirror smashing a mirror over Naz while he had Mayhem in a cobra clutch – Razorblade crawling over for a cover – and a three count later, a mighty roar from the crowd – screaming, excited fans – “Here is your winner, #ANDNEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW–” – Razorblade, with a small grin on his face, leaning against the barricade, fans yelling and clapping him on the back as he holds up HIS QCW World Heavyweight Championship, “Razorblade” chants shaking the Cow Palace…
No usual open, since the crowd was already buzzing, and would get only louder upon Duck Eko’s announcement: “Please join me in welcoming the NEW—” The announcement got drowned out by the crowd roar, and you could barely hear “Unscripted Violence” over the pop as Mason Savage came out with the QCW World Heavyweight Championship over his shoulder. He was so busy slapping hands with fans he seemed to be startled by the gold pyro that went off behind him as he came to ringside, shaking hands with Duck and grabbing the mic. He couldn’t even speak for the first minute or so, Arena Quarantina rolling out a hearty “You deserve it!” chant for The New Champ.
Razorblade thanked the fans for that, and said it was weird that he was in a position where he had to give two speeches in the same month when he’d much rather be punching someone in the face, but with great championships come great responsibility. He remembered promising the fans that if he got the shot he would come through for them to pay them back for all the support they’ve given him over the past couple years, and was proud to stand in the middle of the ring World Champion. Their support is part of the reason why he’s standing here kicking off the Razorblade Era as he promised he would last week. And he’s not Naz — no one else can be that in love with the sound of their own voice – so he was making this quick. His era was going to define QCW, and define not only where the World Championship was, but where QCW was as a whole. Mayhem’s probably got a rematch coming, Naz is probably foaming at the mouth to get another shot, and there’s a whole laundry list of competitors who want to become the fourth World Champ in QCW history. But Mason Savage didn’t get to be the Razorblade by ducking competition, and he wasn’t about to start now. Everybody wanted a piece of him before he became the champ, and he didn’t expect that to change now. He was going to put the fight in fighting champion, and welcomed anyone and everyone to try, just try to take away this title from him. But if they wanted to fight for it…they better be ready to bleed for it. The evil grin on his face when he said “Good luck” suggested the opposite of that phrase, though the crowd roared as he tossed the mic to the side and held the belt up in the middle of the ring once again.
Announce put over Razorblade, Steve obviously moreso than Starr, and hyped up a couple of big matches tonight: Summer Rose immediately using her rematch clause to get a shot at Lolo tonight, and a street fight with Roy Fade going against Jim Jaspers. They also went over the confusing end to the main event at Golden Rule that saw Naz cash in the TV title. Apparently there’s been some contretemps between Naz, his lawyers, and Scott Holmes and QCW’s lawyers. Naz tried to argue that he hadn’t made 10 defenses, but he did get 10 successful decisions in his favor, so he was within his rights to cash in. That cash in vacated the TV title, and Razorblade pinning Mayhem further pushed the TV title into a weird limbo. While the situation is up in the air, the World Television Title is held up itself until a solution can be figured out. Naz has been already been legally rejected from being handed the TV title back, noted Starr with more than a hint of glee in his voice. They hope to have an update on the situation next week, but that’s then and this is now – this Ruckus has gone on too long without a fight–
| • The Hard Way d. The International Workrate Connection (Stahl/Windsor w/”the French Assassin” Serge Batroc • | Despite gaining leadership over the IWC a few weeks ago, most of the teaming they've done since has been without Serge in the ring. The Hard Way are TAFKA Chrysalis and Gothic Horror, former champs looking to reassert themselves and eventually regain the tag titles. Match was 55/45 in the favor of the white hats; the IWC was on the backfoot predominantly when Windsor was in the ring, though they were able to reassert control off of Serge distracting the ref followed by cutting off the ring and quick tags. It still wasn't enough to get the duke - the Hard Way coming in strong down the stretch, eventually putting away Windsor with a very familiar missile dropkick into electric chair combo to get their first win since their reemergence. ** ½
The Hard Way celebrated their way up the ramp as in the ring, Windsor apologized to Stahl and Batroc for taking the loss. Serge smiled and nodded, right up until the point where Anton clotheslined him down. Crowd booed as the now two man IWC left King Carny in a heap before leaving, Anton taking one last look back at the ring before being corralled by a smirking Serge and heading through the curtain.
Announce wondered what was going to be next for the IWC now that they were down to two people and that they were clearly being remade in Serge’s image.
They then threw to a lengthy video about a QCW star from generations ago: Julius Duquesne. Born in 1945, he quickly grew up to be a three sport athlete in high school. His grandson, Julius Duquesne III popped up a few times with either old footage, pictures, or stories about his gramps. Duquesne played briefly for the Vikings and the then Chicago Cardinals of the NFL, then the Dolphins of the AFL. When his mother fell ill, his football career ended, and he found his way to wrestling, something he could do to help moneywise without it taking all his time. He ended up in what was then QAAW and became tag team champions with “King” Berger. However, in 1967, his unit was called up, and in April 1968 he was killed in action. But he was a trailblazer, one of proto QCW’s first Black draws and champions, and his contributions will never be forgotten. The segment ended with Duquesne III holding up a picture of his granddad, followed by a black screen that briefly flashed the phrase What Was the Duquesne Classic? before fading to black.
| • “These Hands” Roy Fade d. “The Fury” Jim Jaspers in a street fight • | So this rivalry has been going off and on since the tail end of last year when the TV title was introduced; Fade briefly held the belt and Jim is trying to get his own singles opportunity at it – remember at the PPV, Naz pretty much ran them at each other until they were weak enough for him to pick off individually.
It looked like Roy was going to win it early and had Jaspers' set up for the Decision, but Jim clobbered him with a trash can shot as he came in to cut it off. Jaspers put the can over Fade's head and then rolled out of the ring to grab another trash can and beat on the first one with the second one. The match pivoted to being in Jim's favor, but Fade survived a few nearfalls. End came when Jaspers went for Fury Road, only to only kneelift a chair when Fade swung it from his knees and slammed it into Jim's knee. Fade worked over Jaspers' knee with the chair for the better part of a minute before hitting him with the Decision and getting the victory. ** Post match, Fade wiped some of the blood off his forehead and flung it down on the fallen Fury.
Back from the break, and with maroon and cream bunting around the ring, it meant that we were in the right mindset to enjoy A Collipark Celebration. THE Florida Tech & M Wildcat Marching Band played a live (absolutely banging) version of OutKast’s “B.O.B.” as out came the tag champs with Benjamin Valentino, crowd giving waves of applause as some more video footage played of them retaining the titles Sunday while they came down to the ring. Benjamin noted the celebration was a bit muted since Cindy & Jane couldn’t quite win the Women’s World Tag team belts and were recovering back at the Lair this week. But his squad – his boys – led by the managerial genius of a handsome brother too humble to be named, let's call him Benjamin Valentino – went in against last second opponents and still came back to the Arena the tag team champions of the world. After the crowd popped for that, Jupiter got the mic and said he was standing tall, standing proud, loving still being tag champion and knowing that there ain’t no party like a Collipark party ‘cause a Collipark party keeps going long after he’s gone to sleep. After the laughs died down, Lucius apologized to the fans, saying that he knew they looked fly, got all the balloons and confetti in the air, but this wasn’t just a celebration. What was left for the Family to do was to firmly imprint themselves as the best tag champs of the modern era of QCW. And they were already on their way, sure, but they wanted to speed up the process. So the next time y’all saw the Family tonight, they’d be in gear – and defending the World Tag Team belts in an open challenge. Shock gave way to cheers on that one, even the announce got caught off guard. Lucius said that no matter who came in against them, they weren’t going to leave with their belts, because the tag titles are property of the Family. Lu handed the mic back over to Duck, then he, Jupiter & Benjamin engaged in an intricate three-way dance of a handshake before the champs held up their belts and headed to the back, Wildcats playing them off.
| • Hell On Wheels d. The Angel Twins in a Consolation Cup match • | The win gets Hell On Wheels an opportunity at the tag titles next week. Block Solid was the MVP of the match, saving the bout on multiple occasions and tipping off the referee that the sisters were trying to pull twin magic behind their back. Solid took Sara out by snatching her and throwing her into the barricade, then helping with her end of the Penalty Elbows that secured the win. ** As they got their hands raised, the lights went out, blinked red twice, then reset. "Even without being here, the champs' presence is felt," noted Steve.
TOTHEBACK~!, where security was standing between Nazir el-Fadal and Mayhem both having it out in Scott Holmes’ office. Mayhem obviously blamed Naz for losing the World Title at Golden Rule, and Naz was pissed because Mayhem was the one who got beat despite the fact that the one who’d really gotten screwed out of the World Title last weekend was him, and he wasn’t even getting back his other property right away! Holmes could sigh and roll his eyes all he wanted, but the Superstar In Repose hadn’t gotten screwed out of both the biggest belts QCW had on offer less than six months apart. Mayhem called Naz a whiny bitch, Nazir told him to say it again with more than 4% of his chest behind it, and more fighting almost ensued before Holmes stood and yelled enough. He was the Commissioner so he’d settle this for them– Mayhem and a partner of his choice vs. Naz and a partner of his. Losing team captain doesn’t get a shot at the World Title so long as Razorblade is champ. For tonight, that’s the best he can do for them, unless one of them wants to back down to the other one right now. Naz said he didn’t back down from cheaters and extended his hand. Mayhem said he’d beaten Naz so many different times already that one more wouldn’t be any sweat off of him, and shook, both glaring as they shook hands. It was contentious, but they broke clean. Naz left, but not before warning Holmes that they still had unfinished business. Once he left, Mayhem said that once he won tonight, he was going to be right back in here figuring out the logistics of his rematch, and wouldn’t Scott rather promote Mayhem/Razorblade III than Naz/Razorblade III?
| • Lolo Vuitton [c] d. Summer Rose to retain the QCW WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP • | In the chaos of the five pack challenge, Vuitton went from knocking on the door to having her name on the lease; the question is for how long? Until Sunday night, Rose had been the longest reigning champ in QCW. But Vuitton's chutzpah has won over a section of the crowd, and not just for her rogueish charm and good looks. Both seemed amused by the dueling chants before they'd even locked up. Rose offered to shake hands and Lolo pulled the sucker pullback, then got Chris Rocked when Summer got jiggy with a slap to the face (parents, ask your kids). Vuitton rubbed her jaw and chuckled, then said "Now that's your ass." before snatching her up in a double leg and grounding and pounding.
Well, Lolo was right - partially. When she was in control, she was powering Summer all over the ring, at one point even doing pushups while having Rose in a headscissors. Rose had to kick out several times, then caught the new champion with a chop block that sent Vuitton screaming into the air literally. Steve questioned Rose's maneuver and wondered if the old Summer was trying to get the title back while Starr cackled at the idea that a soft manchild like Steve knew anything about a championship mentality - Summer proved she had it for months and was continuing to do so, just as Lolo did winning the title and defending it immediately. Summer started to go after the leg. Vuitton was able to palm face Rose away a couple of times but couldn't maintain her balance. Summer pressed her advantage as the match neared the 30 minute time limit and would manage to avoid a hobbled Bloody Shoe attempt to land the Come Up…only for Vuitton to fall between the top and the middle ropes to the floor.
Lights out.
Red.
Red.
Red.
Red.
Lights on.
And while Lolo was barely moving on the floor, Summer was completely laid out in the ring - the Club getting some more revenge for Crowley being a late scratch from the title match Sunday. The crowd booed, but it was a fait accompli: Vuitton limped in at eight and a half, then moved over to Rose and got an arm over her to win the match. Oh, the shade, children! Still, though, good stuff. ***
Post match, Starr nearly had a heart attack as the entire Club popped up from underneath each side of the ring and swarmed them both. The tag team champions were lining up for belt shots on both Rose and Vuitton when they got run off by the rest of Mean Season brandishing chairs. The Club ended up where they started on the outside of the ring; give you a guess what happened to the lights before we went to commercials.
Earlier in the show, the question was asked What Was the Duquesne Classic? This is the part of the show where we found out, from not only Julius Duqesne III but Scott Holmes and a bunch of old footage - the Duquesne Classic had its heyday in the seventies into the early eighties and was an annual one-night tournament where the winner received a Brand New Cadillac and a bit of cash. Prestigious winners included former QCW champion “Cowboy” Jack Powers, “Bigshot” Billy Bragaducci, Josef “the Albanian Cannonball” Lucaj, and most notably the 1976 edition that saw Duquesne’s former partner “King” Berger win the tournament then tearfully announce his retirement from the ring now that he’d “won one for ol’ Jules.”
Holmes and Duquesne III both talked about seeing the tapes back as kids, Duquesne III getting choked up talking about his godfather winning the ‘76 Classic. Holmes mentioned that the tournament hadn’t been able to be held for a long time due to intellectual property considerations, but given the past year QCW had had and the fact that the universe gave them an opening, he would be an absolute (he put his hand over his mouth) idiot to not bring back the Classic if he could–and in April, he would. Duquesne III, cheerier now even with a little more red in his eyes, said that QCW viewers would be seeing him again next week – when the brackets for the 2022 Duquesne Classic would be revealed! Super dope of QCW to bring back this part of their past, though for obvious reasons I would love them to bring back the discolicious QCW logo along with the Classic for those matches. Hell, get the announcers back in those bizarre Creamsicle looking suits! 1977 didn’t die, it just went underground.
"The following contest has been scheduled for one fall–"
("One fall!")
"--with a thirty minute time limit, and it is an open challenge for the QCW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS!"
OutKast on the PA and ATLiens on the jerseys worn by the tag team champions down to the ring, slapping a few hands on the way. They loosened up against the ropes after handing off the belts to the referee…only to be surprised by the next track on this week's playlist:
"This Town Ain't Big Enough For the Two of Us" by Siouxie and the Banshees, bringing out "Tiki God" Al Buffett and Mirror Mirror, who managed to kinda get revenge on a main event they weren't in and shut up Naz in one swing of the mirror Sunday night. With that behind them, they went and danced with who bring them to challenge for the belts. Starr was laughing at the notion that Mirror Mirror would be a champion in a place that he worked for, then proceeded to be forced to eat his words as the challengers matched up with the champions in a coin flip of a match that nearly went to a time limit draw.
It was nearly an instant classic, marred by one thing, well, man: Nazir el-Fadal. Livid over getting his cash in ruined, the former (?) TV Champion pulled Mirror off of the apron and ran them into the post. The camera pivoted to its right to see Nazir el-Fadal seething over Mirror, saying that since Mirror cost him his gold, he'd see to it that they didn't get a title in his QCW for the next seven years. With Al fighting from underneath the rest of the way, he soon ate a Bass Drop in the champs' retaining. ** ½ No sooner had Naz hissed "One more from a Triple Crown of failure." at Mirror then the presence of Jupiter Jones reminded him that he'd left the dog open and he hadn't fed the lock, narrowly keeping himself untouched for the main event.
| • The College Park Family d. “Tiki God” Al Buffett & Mirror Mirror to retain the QCW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS • |
Announce put over the big stuff for next week: Hell On Wheels gunning for the Women’s World Tag Team championships, Duquesne Classic Bracketology, and hopefully there would be an update on the TV title situation. But it was time for the main event that would help clear up the World Title situation, and the announce went over the stipulation anchoring the main event: charged with finding mystery partners, both Nazir el-Fadal and Mayhem shook hands that whomever's side loses between the two of them removed themselves from the World Championship scene while Razorblade's champion.
Nazir came out first to his usual array of boos and said that while he didn't have any friends in QCW, there were a very small handful of wrestlers he respected. He gestured to the entrance and out came Serge Batroc with Anton Stahl behind him. The leader of the IWC and Naz talked strategy before Mayhem came out to a loud, mixed reaction. He was pissed when Duck announced him as the former World Champion (either that or he was pissed off that the announcement popped the crowd). Mayhem was revving up a spiel about how no one on the roster was worthy of teaming up with him when he got interrupted by Oh Yeah, Party Animal arriving on the scene with his Rookie of the Year award in one hand and a White Claw in the other. Announce noted that it seemed like Mayhem sure wasn't looking to team with Party, of all people, and wondered how they would get along in the match.
The answer: they did. Barely, but they did. Mayhem seemed irked not only at Party's popularity, but his unpredictability (at one point Mayhem had fought off Serge and was looking for a tag, only to see his partner on the floor drinking Claw with some front row fans). Yet when he was in the match that same unpredictability served to stymie his opponents: at one point he fought his way out of the bad part of town with a bizarrely interlocked series of counters, when he finished the sequence the clothesline he landed on Naz made him DDT Serge. It seemed like Naz was going to put away Party with an Outsider's Edge, only for Mayhem to make the save. Things broke down into a Pier 4 from there with fighting between everyone in the match. Mayhem took advantage of the situation by sending Serge into Anton, then blind tagging himself in after Animal landed a sloppy rewind rana on Naz but couldn't follow up. Mayhem scrambled up to the top and landed No More Words, Serge coming in for the save a couple of seconds late. ***
| • Mayhem & Party Animal d. “The One Man Jihad” Nazir el-Fadal & “the French Assassin” Serge Batroc (w/Anton “Teknik” Stahl) Nazir now cannot challenge for the World Title as long as Razorblade is champion • |
Mostly a pop, as the former World Champion was the last man standing to end the evening – Mayhem made a very familiar gesture around his waist as the credit box came up and we went to black…but only for a moment.
Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. The Empire State building was being showed off while Alicia Keys sang Let’s hear it for New York, New York, New Yorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrkkkkkkkkkkk! Yankee Stadium, Radio City Music Hall, 30 Rock, Central Park, the city so nice they couldn’t just name it once, you’re familiar, yeah?
Another brief moment of blackness before we saw lasers, bright lights, three levels of seating…inside the Hammerstein Ballroom (!!!!110!!!!) where Razorblade walked out onto the stage, QCW World Championship over his shoulder.
“See you guys here on the 1st for Mayday Payday.”
Lasers having died down as he came out, he walked off the stage to wrap up the reveal. Back in the arena, the crowd was understandably losing their minds, some fans crying over the reveal that now that they’ve made it everywhere else, QCW escapes to New York for the next PPV. Even Steve & S. managed a handslap and fist bump over the news, before excitedly announcing tickets would go on sale tomorrow at noon EST for Mayday Payday. And since Golden Rule sold out, he or she who hesitates might end up having to go through scalpers. But come May 1st? QCW was going to take over the Big Apple.
No comments:
Post a Comment