Quality Arena | Parts Unknown, FL
Aired live on GRPL+ | May 3rd, 2024
Standard open to the show before we went inside Quality Arena for the last time before the Mayday Payday PPV on Sunday. Steve Vandeblanche and Carl Christensen welcomed us to the show and hyped a first ever triple threat tag match in tonight's main event with Autumn Powers and Mean Season against not only Dark Mirror and the Game Changers but Nazir el-Fadal and International Lotus as well.
Since the night is going to end with tag action, why not start it that way as well?
1. Ian Cook and Gerry Greene & A World of Pain v. the International Players & the Wonderful Ward Brothers
Opening eight man tag to mirror the one we got last week functioned as a showcase for the set of babyface tag team former champions, who got the Quality Controllers cheering early and often as they made their way through the match. The size difference didn't make too much of a difference and the Players got the win when a Benjamin Valentino missile dropkick flowed into Lucius Patton’s Bass Drop to finish off “Big Tosser” Ian Cook.
the International Players & the Wonderful Ward Brothers d. Ian Cook and Gerry Greene & A World of Pain at 8:58
The babyfaces all took to a turnbuckle to celebrate while the announce noted that both sets of former champions would almost certainly have an eye on the Unified World Tag Team championships match at Mayday Payday and might be angling to get next up no matter who won, then plugged the Justice Davis vs. Evan O'Neill match coming up later on.
After QCW Rewind showed off the double countout that ended the Shelley LaVey v. Luz Cruz Crush championship match last week the announce mentioned that Commissioner Holmes had decided that the non finish of that title fight led him to make a rematch official for Sunday night in San Francisco. They didn't show the brief video he posted on Quality Social but divulged the main takeaway - that the rematch would be a lumberjill match to keep things between the ropes and get a definite winner.
With that added to the docket for Sunday night’s action, Friday night's rolled on…
2. Mr. Teknik v. Prince Ootsuka
Returning from making a movie in his native Japan, Ootsuka was back in QCW and showed little to no ring rust in living up to his nickname: the Prince of Punishment. Ootsuka pulled Teknik up at 2 at one point, giving the dancing masked German an opening to make some noise and hit some offense. But QCW’s resident Prince dodged a Teknik shot and took him down with a cobra clutch suplex before floating over and locking on a body scissors while maintaining the hold. Teknik 's tap out quickly followed once he started cranking back on the submission.
Prince Ootsuka d. Mr. Teknik at 6:10
Afterwards, Ootsuka grabbed a mic and complained that Teknik smelled of hamburger meat; either him or this building or the quote-unquote people in it. For Florida to be the biggest joke in a country full of them said a lot about its standing in the world. But he wasn't worried about their standing in the world, he was worried about his standing in QCW and it not showing the proper reference befitting movie star royalty and literal royalty. If he had to suffer through idiots like Teknik in front of a bunch of Florida mega idiots, he would - but he would take the spotlight that he was owed, and all of QCW would bow before the Prince. Massive Attack brought his diatribe to a close as he scowled and left the ring, with the announce noting the new, more remorseless attitude of the former World TV champion before Ruckus hit its first commercial break on the evening.
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3. Justice Davis (w/Mason “Razorblade” Savage) v. Evan O'Neill (w/”Upper Class” Broderick Palmer II)
A few weeks ago A Cut Above earned the #1 contendership to the Unified World Tag Team championships; on last week's show some timely cheating helped rookie Palmer II upset Triple Crown winner Savage. The champs cleared the challengers from the ring in the post match brawl but that set things up for the mirror of last week's match with their partners facing off.
Last week saw how a rookie can beat a veteran; this match served as a mirror with a veteran using their savvy to get out ahead of a rookie. Cocky as he is, O’Neill’s been a champion pretty much everywhere he's gone. He showed off why here right out of the gate by having the referee check Justice for foreign weapons and then jumping his opponent while that was happening and used similar tactics to increase his lead in the opening stretch.
O’Neill's run of success came to a halt when he went for a missile dropkick and JD intercepted it before delivering a sit out powerbomb to get out of trouble. JD brought the fight for the next few minutes right until Evan hit a dragon whip kick that knocked Davis loopy for the rest of the fight. Evan dropped Justice with a facebuster from an Electric Chair position before securing the W with One Last Chance, his flying senton elbow drop.
Evan O'Neill d. Justice Davis at 10:44
For the second straight week the heels celebrated their way to the back and left the champs on the uneasy end of the spectrum, something pointed out by the announce. Remember, this Sunday it's A Cut Above vs. Savage Justice for the Unified Tag belts.
Steve and Carl continued to debate what could happen in that titles fight when “Shall We Gather At the River?” brought out Witchfinder General and Goody Gardner, with QCW Rewind showing us Ig de Catur giving him the brand new QCW National Championship as a reward for winning the Duquesne Classic this year. Goody toted the Cup while the belt was the only color on the otherwise white clad General. The crowd booed as she held up the Cup and he held up his title while golden pyro erupted on the stage and from the turnbuckles. General looked alarmed when it first erupted before his lip curled up in disgust.
Goody hectored Duck until he gave up the mic, then turned her rancor towards the crowd. They didn't stand up when they came out, an unbelievable level of disrespect for not only the Duquesne winner but the FIRST EVER National Champion of QCW. Despite their heathenry, if they could silence their pocket phones and themselves, they would be blessed with the evangel from the leader of the chosen and the General she was entrusted to serve.
This, of course, triggered more booing as Goody looked at WG with devotion and handed him the microphone. Witchfinder lifted it to his lips but what everybody heard was “New Born” by Muse. The fundamentalists whipped their heads towards the entryway where the Tron parted and the Game Changers stepped through it to a good pop from the crowd, business as usual for Ashley THEE Influencer and the Tiki God.
Al Buffett said that he wondered what side of his mouth Witchfinder would talk out of if he got to try and preach, since it seemed to him that last week Ashley was going to be the one who won the Cup if WG’s banshee hadn't jumped Al from behind when he was just minding his business. Witchfinder started to respond when Ashley talked over him, saying that she knew a little something about being a champion in part thanks to her biceps buddy right here. In fact, if the timing had been better, they wouldn't have had to listen to them at all.
But they had to make a stop at Commissioner Holmes’ office on the way to make sure this fake ass preacher and his…whatever she was had plenty of time Sunday night. They were going to no doubt spend Sunday morning on their knees but they’d spend Sunday night on their backs because the Game Changers were going to whip some righteous ass and shut them up - and once that happened, well…Ashley couldn't take the Cup off his hands…but she could take his title off his shoulder and put it on hers. Hashtag RIPYourTitleReign, Captain Asshole.
“New Born” came back on over the PA and the Controllers popped big as the Game Changers headed to the back while Witchfinder and Goody fumed in the ring. The announce hyped the intergender tag now added to the Mayday Payday card and a chyron popped up to confirm it:
The Game Changers vs. Witchfinder General and Goody Gardner goes down Sunday night from the Cow Palace, so you better move heaven and earth to catch it. And move if you wanna, since it's time for another commercial break. The last thing we saw before ads was another champion - Omar Littlefield - skulking the hallways with the World TV title wrapped around his head like a seven pound necklace. Omar defends his belt in a triple threat up next; maybe two challenges in Crusazdo del Oro and Super Avión can succeed where every one on one has failed?
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4. Omar Littlefield [c] v. Crusazdo del Oro and Super Avión in a triple threat match for the GRPL+ World TV title
Littlefield has dominated the competition since coming to QCW last fall; Crusazdo and Avión are former tag partners currently at each other's throats after Avión turned on Oro a few weeks ago blaming him for their lack of success as a team.
To no one's shock, Omar had his way with the luchadores early on and seemed to relish using them as his own personal shot puts while the announce put him over as the most dominant World TV champ in the history of the title. Littlefield was rolling and looked like he was going to win quickly when he hit Crusazdo del Oro with his Face Eraser and went for a pin only to have Avión break it up with a basement dropkick.
For saving the match, Avión got his ass whooped for the next couple of minutes and also ate a Face Eraser for his troubles, but Oro flew off the top with an impressive phoenix splash to break up that pinfall. Oro tried swarming Omar, who eventually batted him away. Before Littlefield could fully get up Avión came over and threw a slew of punches and kicks to try and get Omar down. Oro came over and for a couple of minutes he and Avión were a tag team again as they used their lucha libre to rattle Omar. But once they got Omar down, they went to opposite corners and flew off the top - Avión with a corkscrew moonsault and Oro with another beautiful phoenix splash.
Omar moved. And moved again.
And Avión and Oro both crashed and burned like they were trying to get sponsored by Boeing.
Things went from bad to worse when Omar bounced off the ropes multiple times before pouncing Oro into Avión and laid them both TF out with Oro sluicing out of the ring as a result. That left Avión alone in the ring, and Omar ate him up from there by landing two Vader Bombs and a Face Eraser to once again retain the belt. It's probably going to be his until he decides to cash it in, honestly.
Omar Littlefield d. Super Avión and Crusazdo del Oro at 11:27 to retain the GRPL+ World Television championship in a triple threat match 1️⃣4️⃣
But it wasn't “Fight Music” that hit the PA, but “Galang” and out spuh-rinted Ashok Banjerjee to pick up where things left off during last week's main event: brawling with Omar and making sure his right hands had some bonus Boundlessness behind them. Banjerjee got Omar down to a knee before springboarding off the middle rope - and Omar clotheslined him so hard that Ashok literally somersaulted through the air before landing on his face.
Littlefield let out a primal scream and used the ropes to build up his momentum before launching at Ashok with another Pounce but Ashok ducked it and Omar went spilling between the ropes before hitting the floor. Banjerjee used the ropes himself to launch a low tope that took Omar down and peppered him with more rights. Unfortunately, since we can't have nice things, Quality Force security came out to separate them while the Quality Controllers booed (and you probably did, too).
The “Let them fight!” chants died down as the Qualitron 9004 whirred to life and minority owner Ig de Catur popped up. He apologized for asking security to break things up but since both Omar and Ashok were out there he figured that it was a fine time to announce the results of the Quality Choice polling from the fans. And the result was a landslide, with the winner getting 55% of the vote.
Therefore when Littlefield/Banjerjee II happened Sunday night with the GRPL+ World TV title on the line…it would happen inside a 15 foot high steel cage!
The crowd erupted as Ig smiled at their reaction before blipping off the Tron, both Ashok and Omar seemed to be psyched over the news, and as a chyron came up the announce hyped up what could happen on Sunday with the underdog and former multiple time Catch Hell champion Ashok Banjerjee trying to wrest away the G+ World TV title away from the dominant land monster Omar Littlefield.
With that officially on the books for Sunday, Ruckus took its last commercial break.
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5. the Culture v. Luz Cruz and the Proper Villains
Death, taxes, and Beauty and the Beast Mode and the Proper Villains hating each other and fighting about it. Added to the mix after last week's double countout and ahead of their Crush championship rematch on Sunday were Luz Cruz and titleholder Shelley LaVey to make this an intergender trios match.
The Culture dominated the match early, with Beauty and the Beast Mode delivering tandem offense to the isolated Cruz while LaVey looked on from the apron and cackled. After Cruz had gotten whaled on, Shelley came in and slapped Cruz a few times before laughing in her face. This proved to be the turning point of the match - for the white hats - as Cruz blocked a fifth slap by spinning LaVey around before planting her with a rewind rana to hit a reset button on the fight.
As the announce mentioned that both women got fined $2,500 for dropping the referee of their title match last week, they managed to crawl past their opponent on Sunday and tagged out, but it was Richard Windsor who was the freshest in the match and showed it off. After getting buried with a flurry of European uppercuts, “Dashing” Pierce Moore thumbed “the Proper King” in the eye and raked his eyes across the top rope before bringing in “These Hands” Roy Fade. They set up for their finisher the Dashing Decision but Richard pushed Pierce off into Fade's running knee to leave Mode in disarray and Roy checking on his partner. Windsor tagged in his partner, who immediately tagged him back in. Jaspers took advantage of Fade’s concern and spiked him with Fury Road, sending him bouncing into the arms of a Windsor half and half suplex that got them the win.
Luz Cruz and the Proper Villains d. the Culture at 13:34
The Proper Villains celebrated on the turnbuckles while Luz talked smack to Shelley on the floor and said her belt would come back to her at Mayday Payday.
Before the main event, Steve and Carl gave us a look at what was to come on Sunday night from the Cow Palace at Mayday Payday.
Preshow matches will feature Jacques Krieger vs. “the Proper King” Richard Windsor as well as an eight man tag where the International Players and the Wonderful Ward Brothers will face Beauty and the Beast Mode and Team Batroc. And not for nothing but the main card is more loaded than a pirate on their birthday.
💰 After the way the Duquesne Classic ended and what happened earlier on, the Game Changers will take on QCW National Champion Witchfinder General and Goody Gardner in an intergender tag match 💰
💰 As announced earlier in the show, the Crush championship fight is now a lumberjill match in a rematch between champion Shelley LaVey and former four time champion Luz Cruz 💰
💰💰 It’ll be Omar Littlefield vs. Ashok Banjerjee II for the GRPL+ World Television championship and since the fans have made their Quality Choice it’ll happen inside of a steel cage 💰💰
💰💰 Lolo Vuitton will try to recapture the Women's World championship when she faces the titleholder from International Lotus, Sohla Patel 💰💰
💰💰💰 With the Unified World Tag Team championships on the line, cocky upstarts A Cut Above (Evan O'Neill and Broderick Palmer II) will try to take the gold from the champs Savage Justice (Razorblade and Justice Davis) 💰💰💰
💰💰💰 And the main event’s been brewing for months, maybe QCW’s entire modern era - in a triple threat match, Autumn Powers will defend the Unified World championship against “Dark Mirror” Beckett Carpenter and Nazir el-Fadal in a triple threat match. Will Mirror win the Triple Crown? Will Naz scheme his way to yet another championship? Or can Autumn find a way to prevail in her toughest title defense yet? 💰💰💰
Speaking of main events, triple threats, Naz, Mirror and Autumn…
6. “Dark Mirror” Beckett Carpenter & the Game Changers vs. Nazir el-Fadal & International Lotus vs. Autumn Powers & Mean Season
The last fight before Mayday Payday was this big nine person intergender tag announced by Commissioner Holmes on Quality Social at the beginning of the week. Huge implications for the PPV were on the line here with the main event, the intergender tag and the Women's World championship match all will feel the butterfly effect from this clash.
The match began, mildly surprisingly, with Naz and Lotus dropping off the apron and encouraging their opponents to go at each other. Mirror seemed to be game, and mics picked up they wanted to take on The Champ. Autumn pointed out the last time they went at each other one on one she was the one who got her hand raised. And that was all it took for the fight to be on. Both competitors threw hands for a spell (crowd seemed to be more pro Autumn than Mirror if just barely) that ended with Carpenter dodging some Powers offense and hitting the Cracked Mirror headbutt.
Mirror dropped Autumn with it but staggered back off the recoil and Naz blind tagged himself in to pick Autumn’s scraps. Eventually, Sohla Patel demanded to get a tag and we had some champion on champion violence for a spell. Autumn took the lead on Sohla and then dominated but Mirror leapt into the ring; while the ref got them out of the ring Karyn Tisch-Warren hit a Backstabber before going back out to the apron and getting a legal tag. KTW kept the pressure on until Naz demanded a tag so he could hit his Heat Check (a cobra clutch/Backstabber combination).
Mean Season broke up the pinfall attempt before it could come to completion and then ended up in a fight with International Lotus over making the save. While that happened, Carpenter dragged Autumn to their corner of the ring and tagged themselves in so they could give Naz the same Cracked Mirror that’d dropped Autumn earlier, and it dropped him too. Mirror stomped Naz out in their corner before tagging in Ashley “THEE Influencer” Szabo to a pop. Ashley gave the former World champion a world class beat down and when Naz tried to rally Szabo got a thumb in his eyes before dropping him with a Codebreaker. Ashley brought in “Tiki God” Al Buffett for some double teaming, as Al whipped Ashley into a huracanrana that sent Naz flying into Al’s waiting arm for an emphatic uranage.
While Mirror occasionally took shots at el-Fadal most of the next few minutes were the Al and Ashley Show as they continued to work over Naz. They looked like they were setting up for their tag finish Face Reality when “Shall We Gather At the River?” started playing over the PA again and brought Witchfinder General and Goody Gardner out onto the ramp to watch the proceedings with Cheshire cat grins. It was the sort of window Naz was hoping to open for a while, and he slipped out of Al’s press slam and scurried away.
But a wobbly One Man Jihad ended up not in his corner but Mean Season’s, allowing the fresh Winter Wonderland to tag herself in and throw herself into the fray while her teammates rooted her on. Winter went after Ashley and laid her out with some running axehandle smashes then International Lotus got in the ring to try and slow her down but Ashley avoided their clutches like smoke through a keyhole. At one point it seemed like Sohla had Winter’s arms pinned behind her back but when Karyn tried to attack Winter hit a backflip kick on KTW and landed behind Sohla, then shoved her into Karyn before hitting a combination bulldog and clothesline that took them both out of the frame.
Unfortunately for Winter this left her wide open to eat an enzui Meteora from Szabo, THEE Influencer went for the cover only to have it broken up by Autumn at 2 ½. Mirror and Autumn began brawling again right until they both got yanked out of the ring by International Lotus and started having to fight them to fend them off.
As if things weren't chaotic enough, that was when Cardi B hit the PA and brought out Lolo Vuitton. Lolo looked like she was making a beeline for the ring until Goody Gardner tripped her on the ramp. As the referee watched the outside brawls, el-Fadal snuck into the ring and swung Ashley into Gaia Green before laying out Szabo with the Heat Check. Scott Warren-Tisch saw Naz's machinations and as he pulled a limp Ashley towards his corner, instructed the ref to focus on the Jihad. The referee turned around and saw Naz tagging Ashley's limp body, but when he charged into the ring Winter caught him and dropped him with an Alabama slam.
Winter celebrated before sizing up Naz and stalking him, right as Lolo dropped Goody on the ramp and Witchfinder General got in her face about it. Wonderland went for the Nuclear Winter DDT but Naz short arm grapevined his way out of that and suddenly had her hooked up to drill her with Nazquil. With everyone else in the match fighting somebody else, the ref was able to make a somewhat surprising 3 count.
Nazir el-Fadal and International Lotus d. Autumn Powers and Mean Season and Beckett Carpenter and the Game Changers at 14:53
Naz getting his hand raised lasted for a brief moment before both Autumn and Mirror laid him out from behind and started checking their shoe sizes on his body; meanwhile, Lolo threw Goody into Witchfinder before making a beeline for Sohla, who tried to escape with Karyn only to be cut off by Mean Season. The Game Changers headed up the ramp to start hostilities with the religious weirdos while International Lotus brawled with Mean Season on the outside and Mirror and Autumn got in a hockey fight mid ring with Naz still down and holding onto his ribs.
As the credits box came up, other refs and Quality Force security started streaming from the back to break up the brawls, leaving Ruckus in a state of chaos as it went off the air less than 48 hours before Mayday Payday went down Sunday on PPV live from the Cow Palace.
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