GRPL+ Presents QCW Ruckus [s3e17 • March 29, 2024]

Quality Arena | Parts Unknown, FL

Aired live on GRPL+ | March 29, 2024

For the first time in a minute we got the usual open to Ruckus culminating in Autumn Powers holding up the Fifteen Pounds of Gold triumphantly over her head, but when it stopped rolling we went to Julius Duquesne III and Enya Face not in the Control Center but in the middle of the ring.  

Enya said it was another big night when it came to the Duquesne Classic, as the Gunn block would get decided and send somebody to the semifinals tonight.  As things currently stand, Ashok Banjerjee and the Witchfinder General are tied for the lead with 7 points each while “Dark Mirror” Beckett Carpenter was at 5 points on their heels but needed to beat Ashok tonight and get some help from the scoreless Roy Fade in his match against Witchfinder up next.

JD3 said that thanks to a Serge/Naz time limit draw on Unleashed, one semifinalist had already punched their ticket by winning the Berger block, so please welcome one half of tonight's main event against Naz - representing the Game Changers - Ashley “THEE Influencer” Szabo!

Muse’s “New Born” hit the speakers as Ashley and “”Tiki God” Al Buffett came out to a big pop, Al doing the “We’re not worthy!” bows in Ashley's direction (who is, though, really).  As they made their way to the ring to meet Enya and JD3, Steve Vandeblanche explained that with everyone else in her block having a loss and a time limit draw on their records that Serge, Naz and Luz Cruz were stuck at 2 points apiece while Ashley's two wins put her in the catbird seat with ten points.

Handshakes were exchanged all the way around, giving the Quality Controllers time to fire up “Ashley!” chants.  JD3 asked Ashley how it felt to be the first semifinalist in the Classic; ever the babyface, Ashley said it felt almost as good as the reception she got from the crowd.   After the Dollar Store pop died down,  she admitted to being a little intimidated when she saw the rest of her block but then her benching buddy Al reminded her that she didn't come to QCW to play the game…she was here to change the game.  

Now before she could focus on the semifinals she had one more thing to accomplish - beating Naz in the main event tonight so she could flex her undefeated record on her way to hoisting the Cup!  

Crowd popped for that and chanted for THEE Influencer, and she smiled and mouthed “three and o” to the camera.   Enya asked Ashley if she had any worries about facing a Naz with nothing to lose tonight in the main event and Ashley did a decent el-Fadal impersonation in response: “Don’t forget, I’m Ashley THEE Influencer – the Greatest Woman Alive.”. 

“New Born” came back over the PA as the Changers headed to the back, and while they did we pivoted to Steve and Carl Christensen at the announce table, who hyped up the two title matches to come on tonight's show: Savage Justice defending the Unified Tag belts against the International Players and Shelley LaVey defending the Crush championship against former Crush and Women's World champion Cindy Monet.  Between that and the beginning of the final cycle of Duquesne Classic matches tonight making up the card, where would you rather be on a Friday night than Parts Unknown?

With that out of the ring, Steve threw things to Duck Eko in the ring for the introductions to the opener and our first Classic fight of the night…

1. “These Hands” Roy Fade (w/the Culture) v. Witchfinder General in a Gunn block cycle 3 Duquesne Classic match

Smart move starting off with heel on heel violence, even though upon seeing their options the Controllers opted to either boo or chant “You both suck!” at both Fade and Witchfinder.  Fade was eliminated last week so he had something to prove here & managed to bully WG into the corner before going off with some body blows.  

Fade continued to control the early moments of the match until he went for a superplex and General shoved him off, sending These Hands crashing into the apron before hitting the floor.  

Witchfinder added to Fade’s list of woes by hitting a suplex on the floor that sent Roy’s legs into the steps.  WG added injury to injury by giving the former Golden Gloves winner a shinbreaker into the top step that had the crowd gasping.  If Fade hadn't been the one eating it, he might have garnered some sympathy.

Fade managed to crawl back into the ring and barely beat the count but a hobbled Fade was no match for a Witchfinder at roughly full power, who almost took sadistic glee in taking a few minutes to finish Roy off.  The end came after an elevated crucifix neckbreaker, Witchfinder letting a small grin creep over his face as the three count came down.

Witchfinder General d. Roy Fade in 10:09; Witchfinder now leads the Gunn block with 12 points while Fade went winless

After replays, Witchfinder took the mic from Duck Eko and cut his first promo since returning to QCW a few weeks ago.   WG lit into the heathens assembled in the Arena, saying that he had come back not only to purify QCW of the sin it was practically baptized in but to make all their false idols fall before him.  

He was the chosen leader of his movement, he would be the one to finally bring some dignity to the Duquesne Cup (crowd sure didn't like that), and that if Quality Championship Wrestling wouldn't accept deliverance then he and his followers would drive it to its knees and make us all REPENT. Surprise, surprise, the guy who's entrance music is “Should We Gather At the River?” has a terminal case of the holier-than-thous.  

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2.  Serge Batroc (w/Pyotr Caviar) v. “La Flor” Luz Cruz in a Berger block cycle 3 Duquesne Classic match

We came back from the break to another match in the Classic.

Unfortunately for both competitors, Ashley's winning the block meant this match was more for bragging rights than anything else.   A clearly miffed Serge wasted little time in gaining the upper hand before disdainfully throwing Luz out of the ring and pretending to yawn as the crowd booed.

That didn't last long as Luz slid back into the ring a couple of seconds later and surprised the French Assassin by taking him down in a ground and pound.  Batroc crawled for the corner before pulling himself up with the ropes only to get laid into with a series of open handed chops by Cruz.  Luz continued to put offense on Serge until she missed a spear and ended up flying between the ropes and hitting the floor.  Cruz took a little longer to get up and things only got worse when Pyotr gave her an overhead belly to belly suplex into the barricade.  The crowd booed Pyotr, who looked like he was about to slap Lolo when the referee intervened and kicked Pyotr out.  Serge came over in defense of his protege only for a furious La Flor to shove him into the ringpost.  Groggy, Batroc used the post to keep himself upright so Cruz grabbed him by the arms and pulled him right back into the post.

A slightly bloodied Serge crawled back in the ring at 8 only to get floored by a top rope Meteora from the former multiple time Crush champion.  Batroc managed to barely kick out of that but the rest of the match was more or less Luz showing up and showing out until she put Serge down for good with her triple jump moonsault.

Luz Cruz d. Serge Batroc at 12:55; Cruz finishes the block with 7 points and Batroc with 2 points

Luz celebrated the victory while the announce put her over, then said that Serge really hadn't been able to get any traction in his singles career after losing the Unified World Tag Team championships.  Not good times for the man who hoisted the Cup two years prior.

From there, Vandeblanche and Christensen gave an update on the Quality Arena arson case, saying that thanks to local police work they could divulge that the fire was not only done by malice by the tall, thin man in the black hat but that before it was contained the pattern of the fire was laid out in a cross.  They hoped to have more updates soon, then threw things to Duck Eko in the ring so he could make the introductions for the first title match of the night…

3. Shelley LaVey [c, w the Culture] v. Cindy Monet (w/Jane Doe) for the Crush championship

Well, Shelley and her boys got the jump on the first title match of the evening.  Literally - as Cindy and Jane were coming out, Shelley jumped Cindy from behind while Beauty and the Beast Mode picked up Jane Doe and carried her off to the back.  Shelley ran Cindy into the barricade multiple times before tossing her head first into the steps.  LaVey rolled into the ring and demanded the ref count out Monet, but the ref checked on Cindy to see if she wanted to still take the match.  Cindy nodded and slowly pulled herself up before slowly getting into the ring.   The referee checked on Cindy, who again insisted she was good to go.  

Shortly thereafter the bell rang, and it became clear in short order that Shelley’s plan had sadly worked to a T. The crowd booed throughout but it didn't stop Shelley from keeping Cindy under her thumb for what turned into a borderline showcase for the current champ over the former champ.  LaVey eventually brought an end to things with her usual 1-2 of a cutter to set up a Fallen Angel splash.  Poor Cindy needed help from the referee to get to the back after the fall was counted, not that Shelley gave a sweet rat’s ass.

Shelley LaVey d. Cindy Monet at 8:52 to retain the Crush championship 3️⃣

Shelley celebrated while the announce voiced their disgust with her shadiness heading towards a commercial break.

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When Ruckus returned, we were on set INTHEBACK~!, where Enya Face brought on her guest - the GRPL+ World TV champion, Omar Littlefield.   The crowd booed as Omar walked on with the belt over his shoulder as Enya complimented him on his run through the Duquesne Classic.  Omar gave a low chuckle and told her to be honest…he’d run through everyone in QCW, so why should the Duquesne be any different?  

Next week he'd wrap up his block by beating Pierce Moore into a powder, then a couple of weeks after that he'll win the tournament, and the only reason Autumn Powers still had her belt was because he was lying in wait for the perfect moment to cash in his title.   Soon he wouldn't only be the 2024 Duquesne Classic winner but the Unified World champion, and anyone fool enough to step in his way would get left with a scar they wouldn't recover from.

Omar started to walk off the set, but Enya had one more question: didn't he have unfinished business with Ashok Banjerjee after what happened at Golden Rule?  Littlefield stomped back onto the set and got in Enya’s face while eclipsing her and barking out a “DID YOU SAY SOMETHING?!’ Enya stammered out a no before quickly backing off the set as the Quality Controllers booed loudly.  Omar's response was a scoff, followed by “That's what I thought.” said through gritted teeth.

4. Savage Justice [c] v. the International Players for the Unified World Tag Team championships

In a reversal of the opening match from hour 1, this was an all babyface match for the tag straps.  The Players have strung together some recent wins and were granted a titles shot by the champs last week as a result.  

Unfortunately for them, they ended up on the wrong side of a borderline showcase put on by their opponents over the course of a couple segments.   Rookie Justice Davis proved that he was able to hang against veterans Lucius Patton and Benjamin Valentino while Razorblade, you know, is sitting on a Triple Crown.  

While the Players got in a couple of hope spots, the tide turned permanently in the favor of the champs when they drilled Valentino with a running double brainbuster.  Patton made the save on the subsequent pin but then got cleared from the ring, leaving Valentino to get isolated and eat the Verdict leading to the three count by Justice.  

Savage Justice d. the International Players at 14:08 to retain the Unified World Tag Team championships

The feel good moment was broken up by Velvet Revolver suddenly blasting over the PA to bring out Evan O'Neill and “Upper Class” Broderick Palmer II.   The Players looked on from the bottom of the ramp as the black hats camped out in front of the Qualitron and addressed the champs in the ring. 

Palmer II said that if there was one thing he couldn't stand as a Yalie, it was some boys club that ran on arbitrarily rules and excluded others.  All well and good if you were friends of the brutes in the ring but what about men like he and his friend Evanston who provided pro wrestling par excellence?  O’Neill piggybacked off of his partner, saying that part of the reason he hated QCW was the fact that it regularly entrusted major matches and titles to overrated brawlers like Savage and his Mini-Me.  Palmer added that they were a cut above the rest of the tag division and Justice Davis jumped in to say they weren't a cut above jack [bleep] (huge pop for the swear). 

JD pointed out they had to win a whole tournament just to get a shot at these belts, so if Tweedledee and Tweedledumbass wanted to rumble with the champs they better earn their shot.  Until that happened, Ambercrombie and Fitch could go polish their top hats while the champions would remain the champions.  “Unscripted Violence” came over the PA as Savage Justice hoisted up their titles while O’Neill and Palmer II fumed and glared daggers in their directions.  More Ruckus to come on the other side of some commercials.

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5. Ashok Banjerjee v. “Dark Mirror” Beckett Carpenter in a Gunn block cycle 3 Duquesne Classic match

Witchfinder General’s win to kick off the show eliminated Dark Mirror’s chances to win the Gunn block, but if Ashok could pull off a win against the former World TV and Unified World Tag  Team champ he would tie WG and force a rematch after their time limit draw on Unleashed last week.

Ever one to upset QCW’s apple cart, Carpenter wrestled the opening minutes of the bout as a roadblock for the newcomer to QCW.   Banjerjee was cut off from his usual high flying offense as Mirror cut him down on several occasions and kept him grounded, even picking his leg on a leapfrog attempt before transitioning into a crossface.

As Ashok struggled to get to the ropes, “Ready Or Not” started playing throughout the Arena.  Mirror kept the hold on but started scanning for Naz.  It seemed that everyone else was as well, but after a few seconds went by he was nowhere to be found and Banjerjee got a leg under the bottom rope to break up the submission.

Mirror went for a follow up but Ashok parked a back elbow in their mouth before following it up with another one to set up a beautiful satellite DDT that left them both on the canvas.  

Ashok battled back and started putting Mirror on their heels, including hanging Mirror out to dry between the ropes before flying off the top with a guillotine legdrop to spike them face first into the canvas (Banjerjee got a 2 ¾ off of that with many people in the crowd buying in that he’d pulled off the upset).

Two things happened in short order pretty quickly after that: a) “Shall We Gather At the River?” actually brought out Witchfinder General, who actually showed up although he stayed on the ramp and b) Duck announced there were five minutes left in the time limit, making this one of the longer Classic fights.

Both competitors found a third gear and threw the houses at each other, with Banjerjee slipping out of a Look Inward attempt to blast Mirror with a superkick and then an enzui version on the spun around Carpenter.  As there was under a minute to go, hr went for the Decolorizer Driver – but a desperate Carpenter swarmed him with a series of elbows to get him into place for their signature hammer and anvil shots.  Ashok resisted briefly before being locked down in Look Inward with about 10 seconds left.  By the time he eventually tapped out, it was a dozen seconds later, meaning…

Ashok Banjerjee and Beckett Carpenter fought to a 20 minute time limit draw; Banjerjee finished with 9 points, Carpenter 7. As a result, Witchfinder General has won the Gunn block and advances to the semifinals.

A spent Banjerjee and Carpenter were both down on the mat as WG raised his arms triumphantly after hearing Duck's announcement.  The crowd's loud booing led to Witchfinder yelling at them how he was the chosen before hitting a Jesus Christ pose with a self satisfied grin all over his face.  

After he headed to the back, Banjerjee and a more reluctant Carpenter bumped fists before taking their own trips to the locker room.  

What's  the next week of QCW programming look like? Let Steve and Carl tell you; that's what they're here for, after all…

UNLEASHED will feature both the Wonderful Ward Brothers vs. Evan O’Neill and “Upper Class “ Broderick Palmer II as well as Savage Justice vs. Team Batroc in a non-titles match. 

RUCKUS will have Shelley LaVey defending her Crush championship and the conclusion of the Duquesne Classic in the Jones and Powers brackets: Jupiter Jones vs. Tiki God, Pyotr Caviar vs. Razorblade, Lolo Vuitton vs. Karyn Tisch-Warren and in a World TV title defense Omar Littlefield vs. “Dashing” Pierce Moore.

But before next week's Duquesne action, we have one more fight in the Classic tonight…

6. Nazir el-Fadal v. Ashley “THEE Influencer” Szabo (w/”Tiki God” Al Buffett) in a Berger block cycle 3 Duquesne Classic match

The last match had Dark Mirror in the spoiler position of not being able to win their block but being able to put a marquee win up to bolster their prospects to get a shot at Autumn Powers and the Unified title; here their rival Naz, longtime hater of anything Game Changers got an opportunity for a similar result here (and you just know time running out on Carpenter left a sour taste in their mouth).

Ashley and Naz fought to a standstill for the first few minutes before THEE Influencer started flashing some Muay Thai kicks that had el-Fadal ducking between the ropes to get the referee to back her up.  That, of course, was all the opening Naz needed to thumb Ashley in the eye before dumping her on her head with a Saito suplex.

Naz whaled on Ashley with European uppercuts and when she mounted a brief rally he shut it down with a step up enzuigiri and the recoil sent her through the ropes to the outside.   The Quality Controllers booed lustily while Naz smirked and blew a few kisses.  el-Fadal slid out of the ring and used the steps to launch himself at THEE Influencer – only for Szabo to intercept him with a Codebreaker that changed the mood in the Arena for the better.   

While Naz managed to avoid getting counted out, once he was back in the ring Ashley was ready and waiting to unload on him.  Szabo took over the match and got off a couple of nearfalls as the time limit burned on and she kept Naz down until she had him in position to make him Smash That Subscribe Button but when she flew off for the avalanche fistdrop el-Fadal rolled out of the way and Ashley collided hard with the mat.  el-Fadal stalled Szabo before cinching her up in a cobra clutch.  The Game Changer struggled to try and get free before Naz launched her up and into a Lungblower.  

Ashley was down as was Naz, which meant it was a perfect moment for “This Town Ain't Big Enough For the Both of Us” to hit the airwaves and for Dark Mirror to reemerge on the scene,  chair in hand.  Steam was practically coming out of their ears as Naz’s head whipped towards the ramp at their approach.  Mirror had some things to say to Naz, Naz had some things to say to Mirror, and Ashley had a rewind rana to stop all that noise.  

With Carpenter pounding the mat in support, Szabo 's rewind rana tipped the tide in her favor and she kept the waves coming, ultimately blocking a Nazquil attempt with some familiar looking if slightly off kilter hammer and anvil elbows.   With Naz down, Szabo went up for the Smash That Subscribe Button and put it right in Naz's mug.  At the beginning of the night THEE Influencer said she was going 3-0; a three count made it official.

Ashley Szabo d. Nazir el-Fadal at 13:40; Szabo has 15 points and goes undefeated through the Berger block

Mirror and Ashley bumped fists in the ring before Ashley jumped up on a turnbuckle and fired up the faithful, the announce putting over Ashley's undefeated streak in the block and her being the second semifinalist.  Carpenter celebrating by rolling into the ring and hitting the fallen Naz in the back with the chair they brought, stopping Ashley's celebration.   But it would have stopped anyway since “Mota”  by the Offspring interrupted the scene going on in the ring.

Out walked Autumn Powers with the Fifteen Pounds of Gold, staying in front of the Qualitron and holding up her title with a small grin on her face.   Carpenter held their chair up high while Naz squirmed and held his back.  As the credits box came up, Steve divulged a very interesting piece of news just sent to him by Commissioner Holmes - next week's main event was just put down in ink:

Nazir el-Fadal…

…vs. Beckett Carpenter.

QCW Unleashed [s1e31 • Quality Arena]

 

• Duquesne Classic cycle 2 Karyn Tisch-Warren (w/International Lotus) d. Pyotr Caviar [w/Serge Batroc] (Powers)

• Duquesne Classic cycle 2  “Dashing” Pierce Moore d (w/the Culture) d. Jupiter Jones  [w/Collins] (Jones)

• Duquesne Classic cycle 2 Serge Batroc  (w/Pyotr Caviar) TLD Nazir el-Fadal (Berger)

• Duquesne Classic cycle 2 | the GRPL+ WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP Omar Littlefield [c] d.  “Tiki God” Al Buffett [w/Ashley “THEE Influencer” Szabo]  (Jones) ✨🔟✨

GRPL+ Presents QCW Ruckus [s3e16 • March 22, 2024]

Quality Arena | Parts Unknown, FL

Aired live on GRPL+ | March 22, 2024

Standard open to the show, but before we zoomed inside the Arena we went to the QCW Control Center where Julius Duquesne III and Enya Face were standing by to give us updated scores for the Duquesne Classic.  With 1 out of the 3 cycles down, here's how things are heading into tonight's slate:

In the Berger block, Ashley “THEE Influencer” Szabo has the lead with 5 points while Luz Cruz and Nazir el-Fadal are on her heels with 2 points each after their time limit draw on last week's Ruckus.

A similar situation is playing out in the Powers block with Razorblade out in front with 5 points and Pyotr Caviar and Lolo Vuitton tied at 2 following their time limit draw on Unleashed.

On the other side of the Classic, the Gunn block sees Dark Mirror in the lead with 5 with Ashok Banjerjee and the Witchfinder General at 2 each after their own time limit draw on Unleashed Wednesday.

And the Jones block has both “Tiki God” Al Buffett and the reigning GRPL+ World TV champion Omar Littlefield tied for first place at 5 after Al beat “Dashing” Pierce Moore to kick off the Classic last week and Omar dominated Jupiter Jones on Unleashed to keep his belt.

Tonight starts cycle 2 of the 2024 Duquesne Classic…and tonight starts right now.   

1. “Boundless” Ashok Banjerjee v. “These Hands” Roy Fade (w/the Culture) in a Gunn block cycle 2 Duquesne Classic match

Ruckus and Duquesne action began with the Ruckus debut of Ashok, the former multiple time Catch Hell champion.  After a time limit draw on Unleashed he came up against multiple time former World TV champion Fade, looking to gain some ground after losing last week's opener.

After an early feeling out period, Banjerjee got the upper hand by hitting Fade with three quick dropkicks in a row before clotheslining him out of the ring.  Ashok looked like he was going to dive outside of the ring but “Dashing” Pierce Moore stood in front of his recovering partner to block the attempt.

Moore checked on Fade and looked up just in time to see Ashok flying through the sky with a spinning plancha that wiped out both members of Beauty and the Beast Mode.  Ashok rolled Fade into the ring where Roy was complaining to the ref about Ashok’s offense - exactly the clever ruse Pierce needed to blindside Ashok and throw him into the steps.

The referee pivoted upon hearing it and the crowd ratted out the Baron of Beverly Hills leading to the rest of the Culture getting ejected from ringside.  A suddenly recovered Fade ran down the apron and blasted Banjerjee with a knee strike.  

Fade worked over Ashok for the next few minutes before the Quality Controllers rallied Ashok with chants and claps.  These Hands promised to shut up the crowd and lowered his kneepad but got blasted by a John Woo dropkick that sent him flying into the corner.  Banjerjee followed up with a tornado DDT where he ran up the ropes, and then proceeded to shut Roy down.  Ashok ran his playbook to near perfection and pinned the former Golden Gloves winner after his Decolorizer Driver, a brainbuster into his knee.

Ashok Banjerjee d. Roy Fade at 11:39; Banjerjee now has 7 points & the lead in the Gunn block; Fade has 0 and is eliminated from winning the Gunn block

Ashok celebrated his win while Roy took the Sad Hulk walk to the back.

We might as well have followed Roy TOTHEBACK~!, where the non teleporting Enya Face welcomed her guests at this time - Nazir el-Fadal & International Lotus.  The Quality Controllers booed as the trio walked on the set with Scott Warren-Tisch, a foursome that had the smugness of 40 people.  Enya asked the heels how they were feeling ahead of the main event tonight against Autumn Powers & Mean Season.

Sohla Patel said she felt like an untouchable goddess as she stroked the Women's World championship, causing Naz & Karyn Tisch-Warren to look at her like she had 15 fingers.  Sohla continued that her feelings of joy would-would turn into feelings of HATRED when the main event came.  Hatred!

Karyn stared at Sohla a bit longer before saying that contrary to popular belief this wasn't The Autumn Powers Show but Ruckus, and she hadn't forgotten Cold As Hell.  Tonight she’d get her revenge and she wouldn't be alone.

Naz stepped into the forefront at this point,  saying that like Karyn he was looking for revenge - first getting predictably screwed by Carpenter at Golden Rule and then the indignity of last week.  That was no way to treat the next Unified World champion, and tonight's main event would prove that without a crooked referee he was the true ruler of QCW.  He only hoped that his partners would floss their teeth with her scraps.  Naz let out a small chuckle before leaving the set and Lotus followed him out; Enya threw things to Duck back in the Arena for our next fight.

2. The International Players v. Team Batroc

As the Players came out, we got a QCW Rewind to Golden Rule where Lucius Patton pinned Serge Batroc to win a fatal four way tag and footage of the Players beating Ian Cook and Gerry Greene last week.  

The announce put out the idea that the winners would be in line for a shot at the Unified World Tag Team titles and the former champions fought like that early on.   Serge began to wrestle more and more of the match but the Players gained an advantage when they teamed up for a spiked Stun Gun that sent Serge reeling.  In a reverse of fortune from most Team Batroc matches it was the Players who isolated Serge, cut the ring in half and quickly tagged in and out to keep their advantage.  Pyotr Caviar was stuck on the outside looking in as the Players dominated the back ⅔rds of the match; in fact, when he tried to make a save on Serge”s behalf the Players took him down with a double flapjack that turned into a splash on his mentor.  A double clothesline sent Caviar up and out before the Players took down Serge with a catapult into a guillotine legdrop to notch another big win.

The International Players d. Team Batroc at 14:30

After replays, the Players were celebrating in the ring when “Unscripted Violence” hit the PA and brought out Savage Justice with their Unified World Tag Team championships.  The crowd gave them a good pop as they came on stage (QCW+ viewers saw them headed to the ring on the app while us normies sat through a block of ads).  Shortly after all four men were in the ring together, handshakes were being exchanged before dueling Sav age Just ice!/College Park! chants rang out in the Arena.  

Benjamin Valentino said it was nice to see them before asking what they were doing out here.  Justice Davis said that his partner had a Classic to win and he’d take another step towards doing so in a few minutes.  Justice looked like he was going to continue when Razorblade jokingly said this moment was for the old guard and he’d handle it from here.  Savage told them that just because he was aiming to put his name on the Cup didn't mean he and Justice didn't see all the wins the Players were racking up lately, including putting Serge and his Russian bear in their place just now.  So with the pleasantries out of the way, he and Justice were here to give them a golden opportunity - a shot at the Unified World Tag Team championships next week.  If they accepted, of course.

Valentino broke out in a wide grin while Lucius Patton said “Y’all ain't ready ..but we accept.”. The Quality Controllers popped big as all four men shook hands again to seal the deal.  The Players left the ring after that making Very Familiar Gestures around their waist and Justice headed to the back soon after they did, leaving Razorblade in the ring to stretch and get ready for his second opponent in the Classic: multiple time former Women's World champion Lolo Vuitton.

3. Mason “Razorblade” Savage v. Lolo Vuitton in a Powers block cycle 2 Duquesne Classic match

As the match started, the announce stressed that this was a must win for Lolo, who’d be out of Cup contention if she lost here.  Unfortunately for Lolo, early on she didn't have an answer for Savage's power advantage eand after eating a big tilt-a-whirl slam she rolled out of the ring to slow down his momentum for a few seconds.

The former World champion continued to show off the upper hand and seemingly had Vuitton ready for the Soul Crusher, but Lolo slipped out and trapped him in the turnbuckle before superkicking him in the face.  Seeing an opportunity , she went for the Bloody Shoe but got caught and powerbombed by Razorblade who tried to shake off the superkick before going back on the attack.  

Savage continued to press his advantage and even cut off a Lolo rally by absolutely planting her with a spinebuster.  Razorblade set Lolo atop the top rope and went for the Soul Crusher again but this time Lolo bounced his head off the turnbuckles a few times before hitting him with a sunset flip powerbomb.  

That was the move that turned the tide for Lolo as she mustered a furious rally to try and get a win.   Vuitton peppered him with hard forearm shots and even got a few 2 ½ counts but as Razorblade  managed to avoid the Bloody Shoe, she couldn't put him away.  In fact, both competitors were so clearly frustrated with not being able to put the other down that they were in a borderline hockey fight as the final few seconds ticked off the clock.

Mason Savage and Lolo Vuitton fought to a 20 minute time limit draw; Savage now has 7 points & the lead in the Powers block, Vuitton now has 4 points

After replays,Savage offered Lolo a handshake; after a few beats, Vuitton did the honorable thing and shook his hand.  Steve pointed out that while Lolo would need to win in cycle 3 and get some help, her chances were on life support instead of dead like These Hands’.

Back TOTHEBACK~! where Enya Face brought on another trio of guests: Mean Season and the Unified World champion, Autumn Powers.  Gaia Green, Winter Wonderland and The Champ got a big pop as they came on set and greeted Enya.  

Enya asked them what their mindset was ahead of the main event and Autumn said that the last time she saw Naz, she kneed him in the mouth - the time before that when she saw Naz, she kneed him in the mouth - and guess what was going to happen again in just a little while?  Her knee, his face.  He could run his mouth all he wanted because they all knew by now who would shut it and how.  

Gaia added that while Autumn made Naz just a little bit uglier, she and Winter would put International Lotus in their place.  They and Naz were perfect for each other, because Mean Season was going to beat all their conceited asses.  Autumn and Winter nodded before Enya said that there would be more Duquesne Classic action on the other side of this commercial break.  

4.  “La Flor” Luz Cruz v. Ashley “THEE Influencer” Szabo (w/”Tiki God” Al Buffett) in a Berger block cycle 2 Duquesne Classic match

Ashley and Luz slapped hands after the bell, then both of them tried Irish whips but couldn't get the other one into the ropes.  Things settled into more of a catch as catch can style before THEE Influencer surprised the former multiple time Crush champion with a double stomp to send her into the canvas.  Szabo began to put together a string of offense to keep her advantage and made Cruz kick out of a few nearfalls.  Ashley looked to try and put things away with a Codebreaker but Cruz turned it into a Stun Gun that sent Szabo reeling and out onto the apron.

Ashley used the ropes to pull herself up but Cruz got a running start down the apron  before executing a textbook huracanrana that sent Ashley down to the floor.  Luz dished it out as well as she took it, even getting three straight quick nearfalls after hitting a Meteora from the top rope.  Cruz used an around the world style setup to pull off a reverse rana then pulled Ashley into position to eat her signature triple jump moonsault – but as she came down Ashley not only thwarted it but turned it into a Codebreaker.  Ashley got to her feet first and when La Flor staggered up she drilled her with another Codebreaker before going up and connecting with her Smash That Subscribe Button avalanche fistdrop to secure another Classic W.  

Ashley Szabo d. Luz Cruz at 8:54; Szabo now has 10 points and the lead in the Berger block, Cruz has 2 and is eliminated from winning the Berger block

After replays, Ashley and Luz bumped knuckles before Luz took the Sad Fade walk to the back.  Steve put over Ashley's consecutive huge wins while Carl chuckled and said that it wouldn't be March without a Cinderella, but back when he laced up the boots Cinderellas weren't built like that.

As Ashley and Al headed up the ramp, JD3 met them at the top by the Qualitron and congratulated Ashley on her win and tournament success.  Szabo said that everything was coming up there for the Game Changers; on Unleashed her best workout buddy Al would end Omar's reign of terror and capture the World TV title, and she was super proud to have beaten someone on Luz’s level tonight.  But people were waking up to the fact that she wasn't just a regulation hottie muscle momma but on that level, too.  And with any luck and more hard work, either her or Al would be adding their name to the Cup when the Classic was all said and done.  

The Changers were in the middle of thanking JD3 when “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For the Both of Us” hit the PA and brought out Dark Mirror to their usual loud and slightly mixed reaction from the Quality Controllers.  Carpenter nodded at their former partners as they parted the QT9K04, while Buffett and Szabo were a bit more demonstrative with their affections (even off mic you could hear Ashley yelling for Carpenter to kick that religious weirdo's ass).  Carpenter tilted their head and the Changers ran over for a group hug that popped the Arena before Ashley and Al headed to the back.

Beckett got their game face back on before heading to the ring and bathed in the crowd's noise before their face screwed up upon hearing the opening chords of “Shall We Gather At the River?”. A song like that could only mean one thing - the man who returned to Make QCW Pure Again was heading to the ring to try and gain an upper hand in the Gunn block…

5. ”Dark Mirror” Beckett Carpenter v. Witchfinder General in a Gunn block cycle 2 Duquesne Classic match

Given both competitors’ backgrounds, it would come as little surprise that this would turn out to be the hardest hitting match of the night.   Carpenter was the first one to shade the rules a bit, leading to General using the referee pulling Mirror off of him to blindside them and drop them to the canvas.

General might have wrestled a more old school style but he used his long legs to wrap up Mirror in submission holds to sap their energy.  Later on in the fight, General put Mirror in a crossface chicken wing and it worked until Mirror got out of it by running towards a corner and driving his face into the top turnbuckle.   WG was in the process of recovering when Mirror blasted him with an enzui dropkick to the back of the head.  

Mirror followed that up with her old friend’s Smash That Subscribe Button, and while Witchfinder got out at 2 ½ the momentum had shifted.  Mirror spent the next couple of minutes peppering the General with blows only to literally get sent spinning through the air after a lariat from the Puritan found its mark.  General regained his bearings and hoisted Beckett up in a crucifix but Carpenter used their legs to push off of the turnbuckles behind them and drop on top of WG to send him face first to the canvas 

With General prone, Mirror seized the opportunity and battered Witchfinder with a tide of hammer and anvil elbows before putting their bigger opponent in their signature submission Look Inward.  It looked like General was going to tap out a couple of times but he braced his knuckles against the mat and managed to power out - sending Carpenter flying into the referee and leaving all three people in the ring down.

The crowd's buzzing turned to boos as Nazir el-Fadal suddenly ran down the ramp before sliding into the ring.  Carpenter had barely gotten to their feet before the One Man Jihad gave them a dose of Nazquil and rolled out of the ring, snickering as he sat against the stairs.  The referee and Witchfinder got up roughly around the same time, and General went for a cover…only for Beckett to pop the Arena by kicking out at 2 ⅞ths.

Witchfinder responded by getting them into an overhead crucifix position again before turning it into a sheer drop neckbreaker, and this time once he made the cover Mirror couldn't find a way to kick out.

Witchfinder General d. Beckett Carpenter in 11:28; Witchfinder General now has 7 points and is tied for the lead in the Gunn block, Carpenter has 5 points

Replays got cut off by going back to the ring, where Naz was stomping away at Mirror before getting in Witchfinder’s face about how he owed hin.  General looked shocked and offended and probably could’ve hit more octaves on the Karyn scale if a recovering Carpenter’s sneak attack on Naz hadn't sent him flying out of the ring after el-Fadal collided into him.

Carpenter began to stomp Naz out as a receipt only for Naz to give them a Flatliner into the middle turnbuckle.  el-Fadal rolled out and got a chair but when he got back in the ring a wall of Quality Force Security had formed a diagonal line between him and Dark Mirror.   Some security members attempted to help Beckett, but they shoved them away and swore at Naz that this wasn't over while Naz just swore at them, period.

While they tried to regain a semblance of order in the ring, Steve and Carl got the hype train going for all the action to come on next week's QCW TV.

Cycle 2 of the Duquesne Classic will conclude with these matches on Unleashed:  Pyotr Caviar vs. Karyn Tisch-Warren, “Dashing” Pierce Moore vs. Jupiter Jones, Serge Batroc vs. Nazir el-Fadal and the World TV title will be on the line as well when Omar Littlefield faces off with “Tiki God” Al Buffett.  

The third and final cycle of the Duquesne will begin on next week's RUCKUS but that's not all: Shelley LaVey will defend the Crush championship against former champion Cindy Monet and the Unified World Tag Team championships are on the line when the International Players take on the champions, Savage Justice.

The Duquesne matches will feature “These Hands” Roy Fade vs. Witchfinder General, Serge Batroc vs. Luz Cruz,  Ashok Banjerjee vs. Dark Mirror, and Ashley THEE Influencer against Nazir el-Fadal - the man already in the ring for the main event.

6.  Autumn Powers & Mean Season v. Nazir el-Fadal & International Lotus 

Match | Faces lead on points leading to the finish described below and Naz pinning Gaia

Autumn opted to start off for her side and demanded Naz start for his; el-Fadal made a meal out of being ready to face off…right before tagging in Karyn Tisch-Warren.  She and Karyn were at a stalemate for a couple of minutes before Autumn started to show why she's The Champ, countering backbreakers on her way to hitting a couple dropkicks and a pump knee strike that sent Karyn careening towards her corner.   Autumn demanded Karyn tag in Naz but she opted to tag in Sohla as the announce buzzed about the two champions going head to head.

Again, Powers took a couple minutes to figure out her opponent and started going on the offensive, but when she ran for the ropes el-Fadal pulled the top rope down to send her spilling out to the floor.  Naz jumped down to the floor to follow up but Mean Season sprinted around the corner to have Autumn's back.  International Lotus came riding to Naz's rescue, words were exchanged and soon there was a Pier 6 on the floor in front of the announce table.  It ended with Autumn sending Karyn into the barricade, Gaia sending Naz into the steps, and Winter sending the announcers fleeing by tossing Sohla over the table and almost into their laps.

The crowd popped as Autumn and Mean Season hit their old pose in the middle of the ring and continued to take the measure of International Lotus while Naz paced on the apron.  Winter tagged her partner Gaia and they teamed up for a top rope elbow drop version of the Demolition Decapitation right before a buzz started in the crowd and grew to a mixed reaction as Dark Mirror came marching back down the ramp on a mission.

Autumn's head turned, but it turned out Mirror ignored her side of the ring entirely, which meant they were coming after Naz.  el-Fadal did the smart thing and got on his horse, with Carpenter on his heels chasing him around the ring.  On his second pass, Naz grabbed Autumn and threw her in Carpenter’s path before rolling into the ring and laying out Gaia with a cheap shot.  He ran back to his corner while Karyn quickly crawled over and tagged him in.  Seeing Autumn and Mirror brawl on the floor, Naz pivoted to Green and planted her with Nazquil; Karyn and Sohla took out Winter to ensure that a three count later that there would be no joy in Mudv–uh, Parts Unknown on this Friday night.

Nazir el-Fadal & International Lotus d. Autumn Powers & Mean Season at 13:06

Enmity Part II

After replays, the heels were getting their hands raised by the referee when suddenly the Quality Controllers popped off; half a step ahead of the black hats, Autumn and Mirror snuck up behind the ladies of Lotus to lay them out before they sent them out of the ring.  

That left Naz in the ring with his two biggest rivals and the crowd (and Carl at the desk) chanting *Fight!”, but when they attacked Naz matadored his way away from them and they accidentally (?) wiped each other out.  With a Cheshirian grin, el-Fadal scooped up Carpenter and planted them with Nazquil.  A groggy Powers got to her feet only to be taken down by Nazquil as well before el-Fadal rolled out of the ring and snatched the Unified World title out of Ducks hands as a precursor to rolling into the ring with the Fifteen Pounds of Gold.

el-Fadal's sneer could be seen in the twelfth row as “Ready Or Not” hit the PA and he thrust the crown jewel of QCW into the air.   After letting the crowd boo for a bit Naz disdainfully threw the belt onto Autumn's recovering body and left the ring.  The credits box came up before the final scenes of Carpenter trying to use the ropes to pull themselves up, Autumn holding the belt close to her waist, and Naz smirking at them as he backed his way up the ramp.