Last week on Ruckus: OnlyFitness pulled out a narrow win over the Hard Way then later on stomped out QCW Women’s World champion Autumn Powers and “Night Sky” Diana Spare • Super Avión lost to QCW World Tag Team champion “Dark Mirror” Bennett Carpenter when the referee missed Avion’s leg under the bottom rope, frustrating the luchador • Katsuji Ootsuka pinned “These Hands” Roy Fade to win a five person elimination main event that also included the Immortals and “the Voice of Freedom” Drake Tremble
The show kicked off with a pretape from Earlier Today, where QCW Women's World Champion Autumn Powers was having a backstage photoshoot and Julius Duquesne III was waiting for it to wrap up before he could interview her.
Autumn was taking some poses looking fierce with the title when OnlyFitness came on the scene, none too pleased that they'd gotten cut out of Autumn's open challenge for the title last week. A little back and forth went down between the three of them before the fight was on, OnlyFitness using the 2 on 1 advantage to drop Autumn with Karyn Tisch-Warren screeching that she didn't deserve to be champion. Lolo Vuitton & Karyn were putting the boots to Autumn when suddenly "Night Sky" Diana Spare was on the scene to help Autumn in the fight. The four women fought and destroyed what was left of the set before Team Teal could get both sides separated.
OnlyFitness was shoved off closer to the locker room while JD3 was called over by Spare, who said she never liked the fitness Barbies and she damn sure liked them even less after they cost her her title shot last week. There's two of them, so if the champ is fine with it, they'll kick some OnlyFitness ass tonight and maybe make them go crying back to Instagram. Autumn had a wry grin on her face as she offered up a handshake before saying that she'd head the Commissioner's way and see if she couldn't make that happen for tonight.
Standard open rolled after that, followed by the pyrogasm and the sold out Arena welcoming you to another episode of Ruckus helmed by Steve Vandeblanche and S. Mark Starr. They hyped up a Jupiter Jones defense of the World TV title and the fatal four way elimination match that's main eventing tonight before saying that not only had Autumn Powers gotten the match she wanted, but that it would kick things off tonight…
| • OnlyFitness (w/Scott Warren-Tisch) d. QCW Women’s World Champion Autumn Powers & “Night Sky” Diana Spare • | Despite facing off for the title last week, Powers and Spare worked well together for most of the match. OnlyFitness got the upper hand on Spare and began to isolate her, then made their own luck when Scott Warren-Tisch tripped Autumn off the apron out of the referee's eyeline when Spare was trying to make a tag to save herself. Scott was bragging to a ringside cameraman about how smart he was when Autumn dropped him from behind and starting beating the piss out of him – and while she did that, OnlyFitness put the finishing touches on the fight, drilling Diana with Only Finished This and getting the win while Lolo kept Autumn at bay. ** ½
Clearly pleased over their victory, they gathered up Scott from the floor and flashed smiles and smirks over his head while the referee and Autumn checked on the discombobulated Spare. Starr made note of the fact that no matter how Autumn felt about them, OnlyFitness weren't going away and would probably earn one of them the title shot with continued wins.
TOTHEBACK~! where we see the three Game Changers sitting on a locker room benches each furiously scribbling on notepads. Tiki is gobbling handfuls of beef jerky and washing it down with coconut water Polynesian Physic Grog.
BECKETT: Careful, Tiki. You don’t want to be too full for your match with Super Avión.
AL: No such thing as too full for the Tiki God!
ASHLEY: That’s why we need to buy two turkeys for the Orphan Thanksgiving.
BECKETT: I know you were talking about inviting Justine, but…
ASHLEY: …I promise she won’t bring Dom. Plus, she made the most amazing cranberry sauce for the Forbidden Book Club dinner last year.
DEEP VOICE OFF CAMERA: Oh yeah, we remember that.
(the Game Changers look up from writing down guest lists and shopping lists to see the Hard Way standing over them)
AL: What are you doing here?
FIFITA: Couple things. Number one, we wanted to make sure you remembered to bring the belts with you for when we beat you tonight.
(BECKETT points at the belts in their gym bags, then returns to their jotting down notes)
BECKETT: Anything else?
GOODISH: Yeah. Anybody got any nut allergies? I was going to make Walnut Blondies for Thanksgiving…
ASHLEY: Oooh Yum!
BECKETT: Sounds divine. But double the recipe.
AL: It’s my cheat day. Here’s more of the grog you ordered.
FIFITA: Word. I’ll bring wine.
BECKETT: You can never have too much of that. Can’t wait to have you over to the new place…
(All five look up and see the camera)
BECKETT: I, uh, mean, HOW DARE! YOU CAN WIIIIINE OVER LOSING
FIFITA: CHEAT DAY?! MORE LIKE BEAT DAY BECAUSE WE
ASHLEY: YOU'RE GONNA BE MASHED LIKE MY BABUSHKA'S POTATOES YOU
GOODISH: OH, I’LL BE SERVING POTATOES!
AL: WE'RE GONNA SHOVE YOU IN THE AIR FRYER AND COOK YOU, YOU NO GOOD [whatever he said is getting bleeped³, made one censor run away crying and the other one just started drinking]
FOURTEEN SECONDS LATER
ASHLEY: horrified
BECKETT: aghast
FIFITA: definitely not laughing no sir SMOKE BOMB!
GOODISH: shaking his head & murmuring a series of NOs
AL: …too far?
EVERYONE ELSE: starts yelling at Al
GOODISH: …you don't say that kind of thing to a man who knows Cambodia first hand. Just – no.
BECKETT: No Internet for a week, Al.
(Fifita points and now is laughing again, this time at a chastened Al. the Hard Way exit stage left. A few beats pass, then Ashley cocks her head)
ASHLEY: Do you think I should see if Diana wants to come too?
AL: Tell her to bring those yams everyone always talks about..
BECKETT & ASHLEY: PHRASING!!!
(the Game Changers laugh)
AL: …you were joking about the no Internet thing, right?
BECKETT: We'll see, Al. We'll see.
AL: [BLEEEEEEEEEP]!
Back to the Arena, where the roof came off the dump as "Unscripted Violence" brought out the returning Mason "Razorblade" Savage to an S tier pop. The former double champion looked steely eyed as he made his return to the ring after the beating he took (and dished out) during Mischief Night's dog collar match main event. Savage stood on the buckles and allowed a slow nod to the crowd support before "Fly As Me" brought out "Dashing" Pierce Moore to ruin the feel good moment.
| • Mason “Razorblade” Savage d. “Dashing” Pierce Moore • | But the Quality Controllers would get another feel good moment a few moments after that when Razorblade got the victory. Moore was more than game to take it right to Savage and gave him a few moments of concern but the former World Champion regained the upper hand and never gave it back, ultimately culminating in his still deadly Soul Crusher earning the comeback win. **
Razorblade got his hand raised – and then the lights cut out.
There was a lot of noise in the darkness, and then some creepy…whistling?
Then the lights came on, and Razorblade was surrounded by the International Workrate Consortium.
The crowd and Savage barely had time to register the fact before all of them (except “the Wonderful” Rich Ward) began to put Savage into the mat. Even for a badass former World Champion, 4 on 1 is no way to win a fight. In short order, Savage was made to eat a Russian sickle from Pyotr Caviar and then a double team discus European uppercut/Mt. Everest German suplex combination from Jason the Terrible and Anton Stahl. All four men grabbed a limb before tossing Razorblade up and letting him splatter against the mat to the horrified and angry gasps of the crowd. Serge Batroc leaned against the ropes afterwards, then when Savage started stirring ran forward and dropped him with a PK. As Anton got the mic from Enya Face, the announce noted that Razorblade’s loner nature left him open to something like this four on one attack from the returning IWC. Stahl only had the microphone for a hot second before he passed it off to the leader Serge.
"The French Assassin" looked cooly at the crowd, almost bemused before he stuck out the mic overhead, causing even more boos from the crowd. Serge let them get their say in briefly before raising the microphone to his lips and sneering a "You're welcome!" before tossing the mic and smirking. Rammstein's "Engel" came on over the PA (the source of the creepy whistling) and the Consortium left the ring to the jeers of the crowd and the shock of the announce. As we went to commercials referees ran out to check on Razorblade, who was clearly hurting and pissed off as he tried to pull himself off the mat.
| • Jupiter Jones d. “Great American” Bobby Bash to retain the QCW World Televison championship 3️⃣ • | Bash came out of the gate hot with some power moves, and at one point we got a quick cutaway to the back to see Tremble and Holland rooting him on from the Red, White and True locker room ahead of Tremble's main event tonight. Bobby had probably his best outing in QCW to date but it wasn't to be; Jones took over when he countered Bash's delayed Jackhammer with a sloppy but effective crucifix driver (!) then started breaking down the big man in sections. It took a pair of Bolts From Olympus with a little over a minute left in the title time limit for the Triple Crown holder to wrap up the W. ** ½
Match replays started but ended up not finishing because we had to return to the ring where to the shock of no one ever, Bash was a sore loser who aligned himself with more of the same. He, Holland and Tremble triple teamed Jupiter and it looked like they were setting him up for a devastating combo move when the crowd started lighting up. The rest of Collipark (and Jane Doe!) came running out with steel chairs in hand to clear the ring. Tremble and Holland were able to slither out before taking any damage, but Bobby Bash took the chair that Jane Doe offered him then got it Bolt From Olympused into his temple to the roars of the Quality Controllers. Drake and Ted gathered up the loopy Bobby and started retreating to the back though not before they exchanged threats and snipes with the Family. Once they were gone "B.O.B." came back on over the PA and the Family took to the buckles while Benjamin Valentino alternately clapped for them in the middle of the ring or encouraged the faithful to make a little more noise.
TOTHEBACK~!, where JD3 welcomed the challengers for the Unified World Tag Team championships tonight, the Hard Way to a good pop. Goodish took the interview over, saying that there were no friends with gold on the line and that he was a little bit sorry that Ashley and Bennett would get whooped for Al's words, but they're beyond through with lying about who they are OR having tag title gold. They're hungry and reborn…now the only thing left to do is regain championship gold. He then semi sarcastically added that he hoped it wouldn't make Thanksgiving too awkward before leaving, and Fifita followed suit before a commercial break (including one from OnlyFitness where first time subscribers can get 50% off their first month in the next 48 hours by using the promo code AUTUMNISOVER).
| • “Tiki God” Al Buffett d. Super Avión • | More referee incompetence overshadowed another good TV match Avión was in. On last week's show his loss to Bennett Carpenter shouldn't have happened because the referee missed the luchadore getting his boot under the bottom rope during a pinfall; this week that same referee made the count after Buffett hit a delayed avalanche urange on Avión but missed the aerialist grabbing the bottom rope with his hands starting at 2 ½. To be fair the announce also missed this one until Avión flipped the eff out in the ring. ** ½
The Game Changers celebrated their way to the back but in the ring a livid Avión was in the ref's face, then slid out of the ring and went to the announce and badgered then into giving him a replay of the finish. When he saw it and it confirmed his suspicions he went Defcon, ripping off the facade and smashing the monitors before saying he didn't know why that pinche culero Holmes was screwing him over to protect his tag champs, but he was damn sure going to put a stop to it before stomping off to the back. Announce then pivoted and we saw Nazir el-Fadal with the World Title over his shoulder getting miced up for his interview which would be coming up after commercials.
The announce obviously wasn't thrilled about what was to come, but brought on Naz for a satellite interview. el-Fadal was quick to point out that the satellite interview was his idea, as the rabble didn't deserve to get him live in the Arena the same way poor Avión didn't deserve the treatment he's gotten the past couple weeks with the refs, but long before Elon was killing birds Scott Holmes was trying to kill the careers of anyone who wasn't one of his favorites, so Naz wasn't exactly shocked at seeing it.
Starr tried to ask a question but Naz talked over him, saying that he also wasn't exactly shocked that he would end up defending the World Title next week either, and went up a couple octaves in complaining that he didn't know who against!
Steve asked him about it and Naz did an angry bark of a laugh, saying that of course the only reason this was happening because he'd beaten everyone there was to beat and dropped Razorblade twice on his head in a month. Naz then said there'd be a 20 person battle royale next week with the person dumb enough to win it getting to face him for the 13 Pounds in next week's main event and once he got done with that it was onto Season's Beatings where he'd bowl through another opponent - whether it was 2020, 2022, hell, 2922, QCW belonged to Nazir el-Fadal and it always would.
That drew an unexpected response: laughter from Starr, which visibly pissed off The Champ. Starr allowed Naz was highly talented but that didn't make him bulletproof. Did he really think he could come out on top next week against somebody that he couldn't prepare for, in his own words?
Naz scoffed and rolled his eyes before saying that he was ending the interview. He wasn't the man to sit around listening to never was has beens who got gifted gold while he became the greatest superstar in QCW history - an elite wrestler who can make an impact and lay the smack down every Friday night and his resume's getting questioned by S. Mark Starr?
"Interview over, rabble, and until I crush another one of your disposable heroes in a week's time, it has been your pleasure." el-Fadal uncoupled his mic, hoisted up his gold and walked offset, leaving Steve to complain about what a jerk he was and Starr to note that Naz didn't answer his question. He had to know whoever wins the battle royale would be bringing the fight of their career to get the gold and end his and QCW's nightmare, so he would…well, probably would be rooting for the winner to shut Naz up once and for all.
| • the Game Changers [c] d. The Hard Way to retain the QCW Unified World Tag Team championships • | Probably the match of the night between the Unified champs and the former men's tag champs. Given what went down earlier, it didn't stun to see things being tight right from the start, with a handshake between Szabo and Fifita leading to a staredown before the wrestling got underway.
The opening chunk of the match went to the Hard Way, which caused Al Buffett to come out with a towel on his shoulder and still in gear to provide support for his stable mates. Al's coaching seemed to work; Szabo caught Goodish with a drop toe hold onto the middle rope and snapped off a short range cannonball to the back of the neck before tagging out to Bennett Carpenter. From there the Unified champs employed quick tags and quicker offense to wear down Goodish until he fought off a double team and landed a DDT/Flatliner combo before tagging out to Fifita. John was the domicile ablaze and pretty soon was lighting up the champs. The Hard Way took over the bout at this point and soon looked to seal the deal with the same move that'd gotten them championship gold before, but Ashley Szabo saved the day for the Changers by diving on the top rope as Fifita was flying off with his missile dropkick. He did an awkward flight off the buckles and landed in a heap short of Goodish's Electric Chair, which Bennett quickly countered into a victory roll that barely kept him down for 3. Run this back whenever you want, Holmes. *** ½
Goodish questioned the ref about it in real time at the Arena, but those of us watching the replays on the broadcast at home saw that while it was barely a three count, it was a true three count. The Hard Way looked almost sick in the ring when in a nice show of sportsmanship, the Game Changers extended their hands. After a couple tension filled moments, the Hard Way shook then raised the Unified World Tag Team champions' hands before making the long walk to the back.
As the Game Changers celebrated a night of wins on the turnbuckles before the fatal four way elimination main event, announce hyped up next week's Ruckus; it'll be called Black and Blue Friday and have limited commercial interruptions:
🌟 Jupiter Jones will make another defense of the World TV title as he tries to hit 10 🌟
🌟 Black and Blue Friday will kick off with a 20 person battle royale 🌟
🌟 Whoever wins the battle royale gets a shot at Nazir el-Fadal and the 13 Pounds of Gold in next week's main event 🌟
But before that main event happens, there's one to see tonight that also has contendership implications…
| | • the main event • | |
As Drake Tremble made his way to the ring, the announce said that they got word from the Commissioner's Office that these recent main event elimination matches on Ruckus were to determine a #1 contender for Season's Beatings. In two weeks after three more elimination matches we'd find out who that man would be.
Next out was Katsuji Ootsuka; as he made his way to the ring slapping a few fans' hands a picture in picture rolled of him winning the fighting five way last week by pinning longtime rival "These Hands" Roy Fade.
He and Tremble had just started circling each other when "Killed By Death" came on over the PA and the crowd roared to life over the arrival of the former tag champs the Immortals, and as they came out Starr noted that they were going to set the tenor of the match - if they stayed together, hard to imagine that Ootsuka or Tremble could fend them off, right?
| • Katsuji Ootsuka d. “The Voice of Freedom” Drake Tremble in a fatal four way elimination contendership match (also surviving: the Immortals) • |
For obvious reasons a Tremble/Ootsuka alliance never came true - in fact, this was the shortest one of the elimination matches in large part due to Tremble's ego. Drake spent the early part of the match trying to goad the Immortals into fighting Ootsuka for him, only to see Ootsuka try to strike the same deal with the former champs. The Immortals polled the crowd, who voted for Tremble to catch a beatdown.
Tremble tried to wheedle his way out of it, but soon found himself catching a 2 on 1 beatdown from Einherjar and The Revenant while Ootsuka looked on with a mix of joy and caution. The crowd got bloodthirsty and Tremble ended up eating not one but three Red Right Hand chokeslams before the Immortals put Tremble through Death's Door. They then slowly approached Ootsuka, who got his fists up – but then they gestured towards what was left of Tremble. Ootsuka looked at them warily and then slowly stepped up to the top rope before flying off with Magical Sky and the crowd counted the three count along with the referee while the Immortals smiled evilly in the background. Fun spectacle watching Tremble eat shit, but only a * match.
After the replays, Einherjar shoved the referee aside and then he and the Revenant raised up the Prince of Punishment's arms to the cheers of the Quality Controllers. As the credit box came up to wrap up the last Ruckus before next week's limited commercial interruption edition, Einherjar and the Revenant looked over Ootsuka's head and exchanged wry grins - grins Ootsuka noticed, and suddenly looked very concerned about. Catch you next week for Black and Blue Friday!
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