Last Week On Ruckus: the Forbidden Book Club continued their dominance, retaining the Women’s World Tag Team titles over Hell On Wheels • Nazir el-Fadal beat “King Carny” Richard Windsor, who was the recipient of an unlikely post-match save from “the Fury” Jim Jaspers, the countrymen and longtime rivals shaking hands and turning a page • Mayhem tried to make the main event all about him even when he wasn’t in it; as a result he got to watch Razorblade win a tag match and then get mocked by the new champion’s partner for the evening, Party Animal, who Mayhem then had words with before exiting the ring…
Not the usual open. Black screen for a few seconds, then a voiceover with the words floating across in gold script to look like fancy handwriting -
“For nearly ten years…”
Cue the archival footage!
“...the Duquesne Classic was a night where QCW honored one of its legends.”
Julius, along with his partner “King” Berger, both men raising up what were the then QAAW Tag Team titles.
“One night…one tournament…”
Footage of winners from the tournament’s heyday in the seventies and early eighties holding up a trophy - former QCW Champion “Cowboy” Jack Powers, Josef “the Albanian Cannonball” Lusef, “Bigshot” Billy Bragaducci, and most notably Berger’s win in ‘76 followed by his tearful speech that turned out to be not just his celebrating his victory, but his retirement as a result of the victory.
“Was the night of the year where the best and brightest in the league threw hands…exchanged holds…and fought the combat arts not just for money, but for honor…for the pride of being named the winner of the Duquesne Classic…”
Retro footage of QAAW/QCW fans losing their minds, whether it was crying at King Berger’s words, being overjoyed at Powers’ win, dismayed at Bragaducci’s, or just flat out scared of Lusef.
“This year…”
A shot of the modern Arena Quarantina filled the screen, with modern fans.
“that pride…”
Many of whom have been known to chant Queue Cee Dub, bee tee dubs.
‘...is BACK.”
Rapid fire footage of the stock photos for every tournament competitor: Serge Batroc, Nazir el-Fadal, Mayhem, Mirror Mirror, Katsuji Ootsuka, Party Animal, Summer Rose and Ricardo VillaLobos.
“Once again, one night, eight competitors…”
Video highlights played: Mirror headbutting Naz, then Naz holding up the World Title, then Mayhem taunting Naz with the World Title – the then Gran Atomico mocking Mayhem from last year, Party Animal getting in Mayhem’s face and mocking him last week, the lengthy title reign of Rose, Serge sneering as he stomped out Richard Windsor, Ootsuka busting out the Midnight Sky last week to oohs and ahs…
“Three wins…one title shot.”
“Tonight…Ruckus presents….the RETURN of the DUQUESNE CLASSIC!”
Again, rapid footage of the competitors, but all standing next to the cup this year’s winner will get – all looking at us with various expressions (well, we can’t tell Mirror’s), all holding up an index finger and some alternating looking at the cup while they did so for emphasis.
Live to the Arena and an absolute baptism of pyro, our trusty hosts Steve Vandeblanche & S.Mark Starr, both wearing jackets with the old school teal and orange undercurrents though Starr opted for a more traditional black suit and Steve went full ‘70s announcer cream colored with his.
They stood in front of the announce to kick off the show, talking briefly about the Duquesne Classic while production put up the brackets on the screen for us - but also noting that between tournament matches there were going to be tag title implications for the non-tournament matches: a six team deep women’s Tag Team Turmoil would determine new #1 contenders to face the Forbidden Book Club at Mayday Payday, and the Immortals would face off against the College Park Family in a long-awaited match to try and get their own titles shot at MDPD. “Hopefully, they stick around if they win,” grumbled Starr, clearly unmoved by their promises last week. Steve then noted it was a night with limited commercial interruptions, and a Friday night – damn right QCW was going to fight, starting right now. “Take it away, Duckster!”
“The following contest is scheduled for one fall (ONE FALL!) with a 20 minute time limit, and it is a first round match in the Duquesne Classic Tournament!”
Crowd popped huge for the announcement, then kept the good spirits going, giving a pop for the former Women’s World Champion who would end up fighting a couple of men should they find a way to win the Duquesne – but their round one opponent wasn’t a man but a longtime rival in Mirror Mirror. Mirror got a mixed reaction coming out as you might expect; notable by his absence was Al. This match was chippy but never got into a down and dirty brawl; just hard hitting action for almost the entire time limit. Mirror hit a rope hang DDT on Summer after a chase around the ring and started working over Rose’s neck. The former champion fended off Mirror in spots, but soon found themselves Looking Inward - fortunately for Rose, this happened close to the ropes, allowing her to walk up them and sort of lessen the hold’s pressure. Mirror didn’t relinquish the hold but Summer got up on shaky legs, threw all of her adrenaline into a nasty lawn dart to the middle buckles, then hit the Come Up, but the dropkick sent Mirror Mirror into the referee. Summer went to revive the referee, thus allowing Nazir el-Fadal to run in out of nowhere and hit a Hamrin Valley Driver before running to the back. Rose didn’t see the interference, and in fact when she moved in on Mirror, Mirror hooked a small package for a brief 2, but when they disentangled, Summer hit another Come Up that got her the W to move on to the semis. **
Post match, Summer offered a handshake to Mirror, who deliberated it before taking it, whispering something to Summer before rolling out of the ring. Al met them on the rampway and they headed to the back; Rose gets the winner of the next match in the semifinals.
| • Summer Rose d. Mirror Mirror in a first round Duquesne Classic tournament match • |
Announce updated the bracket and said that not only was Naz still competing in the tournament, but that we would be hearing from him later in the show. From that, we went to a vignette.
Enter “King Carny” Richard Windsor. Enter “the Fury” Jim Jaspers. Both looking like potential new Bonds while sipping tea, or at the pub with like-minded Arsenal fans singing that they all follow the Arsenal over land and sea (and Leicester!). Interspersed were highlights of Jaspers hitting the Fury Road and Windsor giving Naz hell last week, before we saw Jaspers in an Arsenal jersey, and Windsor in a suit similar to the one he’d had on previously in the vignette. Robbie Williams’ “Mad Machine” kicked in as the two men looked at each other, nodded, then Jaspers smirked and went “Cheers.” to us at home before they hit the chyron:
THE Proper Villains
God Save QCW
Back from commercials, the tournament continued on. Ricardo VillaLobos wasn’t liked by the crowd, sure, but they saved their biggest vitriol for Mayhem, who took it as well as you’d expect. (To be fair, there were a bunch of Mayhem fans still loud in the Arena, but their voices didn’t have that much bass in them for the most part.) VillaLobos hung with Mayhem early on and dumped him to the floor, but the referee caught the rest of Los Luchadores Locos trying to interfere and sent them to the back. With things a straight up one on one match, Mayhem soon gained the upper hand and took particular glee in punishing Ricardo, having to be admonished by the referee several times about the count. The former World Champion emptied the tank of VillaLobos, polishing him off with No More Words and a lackadaisical cover to advance into the next round against Summer. ** ½ Mayhem looked at the fans and scoffed, before saying “One down, two to go!” after getting his hand raised.
| • Mayhem d. Ricardo VillaLobos in a first round Duquesne Classic tournament match • |
Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty - the Empire State Building from helicopter heights, going around it as Alicia Keys belts out Let’s hear it for New York, New York, New “Yorrrrrkkkkkkkkkkk….! Yankee Stadium! 30 Rock! Radio City Music Hall! Sound familiar? It should – we got another in the Empire State of Mind series, which started with the announcement of the PPV and also had some words from Razorblade last week.
This week's speaker, unfortunately for us, was Nazir el-Fadal. He spoke from the Arena, but in contrast to Razorblade last week he spoke from the ring, sitting on the top turnbuckle.
I know the type of [CURSED!] you're looking for. You want the big sweeping speech about the greatness of New York City, how pivotal it is QCW's doing a PPV from the Big Apple, and to you rabble I would like to say in terms that you can understand: congratulations, you played yourselves.
The actual greatest trick the Devil ever pulled is convincing people there's something special about New York City.
Oh, I suppose if you're a supermodel or celebrity chef, that's not the case. But all New York City is now is Based Vegas, right down to Mayor Uncle Ruckus. You think the professional wrestling industry eats people's dreams and spits out their corpses? New York City even makes Scott Holmes' gentle dictatorship look like an episode of Blue's Clues.
They call this Escape to New York, but it doesn't matter where I make my escape to when no organization can hold me down, no matter how hard they try - and I do confess being tried at these times.
But then I remember who the hell I am.
I remember it takes a conspiracy to keep me away from any championship, and even that success is tenuous…because once I win the Duquesne tonight, then I become #1 contender and New York City will be remembered as the B+ town where the realest QCW legend of all time regained his property.
You see…keep a secret between just us girls here?
I know a little something about winning tournaments.
MORE than a little something about being a true champion, and while I'm out here being frank, neither of the Great White Dopes that have tried to stand in my shoes since can even tie my laces.
So let's not hear it from New York, because there's literally a New York-entertainment-industrial complex that a good man from Hayt Corner would never deign to lower himself to.
Let's instead hear it for Nazir el-Fadal - the Greatest Man Alive.
The announce literally almost died.
"Sweet Christ."
"I know."
"...I mean…"
"I AM AWARE, STEVE. Ugh. Let's just do the next damn match."
Into the bottom half of the bracket now, to the match that during the week QCW fans had been the most split about in their thoughts of a winner: Party Animal, the beloved Rookie of the Year, was looking for their first World Title shot, but so was the sneering Frenchman leading the International Workrate Commission, Serge Batroc. And unlike Animal, Serge has had some championship experience in the tag ranks. But something about Party’s….unorthodox style gave Serge fits in the opening minutes, even causing him to bail from the ring before slamming his fists on the announce table and screaming. Anton Stahl had to come over and sort of talk him down from the ledge, while the referee admonished Stahl, who (actually correctly) said he wasn’t doing anything outside the letter of the law. Rejuvenated by the pep talk, Serge rolled in the ring and offered a handshake, then not only pulled it back but booted Party down. The crowd booed this as you might expect, but Batroc didn’t care – Serge focused his attacks with European uppercuts across the head and neck, at one point landing a vicious flurry of enzui Eurocuts to the back of Party’s neck. Weakened by the beating, Animal soon found himself falling victim to Serge’s signature Arc de Triomphe; Serge will now face Nazir el-Fadal or Katsuji Ootsuka (okay, sure) in the semifinals. ** ½ Anton and Serge were all smiles as they headed to the back to get ready, the crowd giving Party a decent ovation as he recovered.
| • “the French Assassin” Serge Batroc (w/Anton "Teknik" Stahl) d. Party Animal In a first round Duquesne Classic tournament match • |
Announce mentioned in the post match that given who was coming up next, it was perfect that they finally could say that the TV title situation seemed to be moving towards a resolution, one that was expected to be finalized within the first few business days of next week. The hope expressed by the office of Scott Holmes is that they'll be able to make a real announcement next week that—
Cue "Arcarsenal".
The former World Champion swaggered out as if he were facing someone in their second QCW match, which he was. Ootsuka didn’t look nervous but definitely got a much smaller reaction than el-Fadal. The match began with Naz getting a go-behind into the waistlock takedown, then did a couple of completely superfluous whirlybirds before paintbrushing the back of the rookie’s head a few times and giving him the spooky fingers to boos. As Naz began to take over the match, we got a very brief cutaway to the back, where the World Champion was watching on a monitor, eyes focused on the match. The first part, again, was dominated by Naz, and it seemed to be a fait accompli right up until he did the throat slash and set up the WMDDT a few minutes later – Ootsuka slipped out the back and tried an O’Connor roll, only for Naz to hold onto the ropes. When he charged Katsuji, however, the pureso star managed to backdrop him to the outside, buying himself some valuable time.
And cue “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us”?
Out strode Mirror Mirror, Naz looking over from where he was pulling himself up with the apron, shaking his head before pointing and cursing at Mirror, who shrugged. Mirror made the shoo! gesture at Naz, who sneered and rolled into the ring….and right into a basement rana driver…
…that set up Magical Sky.
Here’s a life lesson: you dress up like Razor Ramon, chico, and you just might find yourself upset by a newbie 1-2-3. ***
No, seriously.
| • Katsuji Ootsuka d. “The One Man Jihad” Nazir el-Fadal in a first round Duquesne Classic tournament match • |
There was a brief moment of silence after the count before the crowd erupted with a jet plane roar disguised as a pop, Mirror cackling on the rampway as a dazed Ootsuka looked surprised he was getting his hand raised while he was still on his knees. Mirror sauntered to the back while Steve excitedly wondered if we had just seen the biggest upset of QCW’s Quarantine Era; a choked up Starr called it the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen that didn’t have daddy issues, and Katsuji stood up to a big pop, holding his jaw while looking determined. That upset puts Ootsuka into the semis against Batroc, and the winner of that will face the winner of Rose/Mayhem in the finals.
Ootsuka got most of the way up the ramp before Naz even began to stir, pockets of the crowd chanting “You got beat!” at the Second Greatest Man Alive At Best. As much as Starr wanted to stay on this scene, there was a big non-tournament match to get to. But first, there was some videotape from some familiar faces, eh?
Let Us Take You Back To January, where the IWC shut up Jason Ward by wrapping a steel chair around his neck and putting him to the post.
Now let us take you to the Great White North, with Jason coming out of the hospital - fuming in a neck brace. “God’s Plan” began playing as we watched Jason rehab over the past few weeks, slowly getting more mobile, slowly refinding his way in the ring as his older brother Rich egged him on when he thought he needed it, cajoled him when he thought so, and slapped him once leading to a brief brawl. Brothers fight, you know. Still, they made up, fought together, started landing some familiar double teams on guys they were training with including the Dynamic Express. The Ward Brothers had been gone from QCW for too long – but that would all change next week on Ruckus when their return would be nothing short of Wonderful.
And if they were coming back next week, Jason & Rich would certainly have eyes on the next match; non-title, sure, but a win by the Revenant & Einherjar would vault them into a titles shot at Mayday Payday. If they dropped their first match to the champs here, could the Wards be next in line? These were questions that wouldn’t be answered until we were on the other side of a commercial break (including one for K2 Circuit Training, because of course there was).
Back from the break to close out the hour, the Immortals walked out to their frostiest reception in QCW yet, web rumors probably dropping their Q rating. The World Tag Team champions don't need worry about such things, obviously. Despite the reaction they received, when Einherjar started the match against Old Man Jones, he offered up a handshake that was recieved in kind.
Nearly bleeding into three segments and spilling over into the second hour, the erstwhile challengers and reigning champs put on a borderline instant classic, drawing a few Queue Cee Dub and This Is Awesome! chants as first Patton saved the match when Jones suffered from the same blitzkrieg of Einherjar's offense that took out Napalm Bob last week, then later after Jones finally felled the Revenant with the third straight Bolt From Olympus, Einherjar managed to dive in with a double stomp to make it a nearfall. No shenanigans, but the Immortals pulled out a win thanks to a timely blind tag from Einherjar - Patton was already having problems with the Rev, then got distracted when Einherjar baseball slid Jones off the apron. A stiff uraken from the Revenant was the appetizer, Death's Door was the main course, and now the still undefeated in tag action Immortals get dessert at Mayday Payday when they get a shot at the belts. ***
| • the Immortals d. College Park Family [c] (w/Benjamin Valentino) in a non-title match to earn a titles shot at Mayday Payday • |
Speaking of which - post-match, the Immortals side stepped the Family's fallen bodies and headed for the announce, causing Steve and Starr to flee the premises.
But the Immortals weren't there for them, they were there for the headphones, Einherjar stating that they merely intended to win the tag team championships and add them to the long, proud Immortals list of trophies earned. Yet even they had not only seen specious Interweb rumors being treated as reality, but Scott Holmes falling prey to them. They just proved who the worthiest champions were, and all tonight did was postpone the inevitable until the end of the month. After that, maybe the QCW World Tag Team titles would end up in Japan or wherever the Immortals felt like taking them. The reaction of the people never mattered a whit to them, and if they were to be disrespected maybe it was time QCW, from the great Jupiter Jones all the way down the roster learned that respecting your elders was immortal. Einherjar whipped off the headset and threw it down on the table, the Rev blocking a camera view with his massive red right hand on the way out.
HOUR TWO
Back from the break with the usual announce, who quickly recapped the first round of the Duquesne augmented by some replays, as well as the Immortals earning a tag title shot and threatening to leave QCW with the belts.
Duck informed us that semifinals in the Classic have thirty minute time limits, then made the announcements for the first semi featuring international flavor, Serge Batroc going against the suddenly wildly popular Katsuji Ootsuka. Two things were evident from the jump: Serge treated Ootsuka with more respect that Naz had brought into his first match, and that Katsuji could hang with Serge on the mat. As he did in the first round, Batroc forced a timeout and went to the floor to consult with Anton; the difference between rounds was that this time it got interrupted by Ootsuka who suddenly sprung into frame with a springboard Shooting Star PLANCHA, temporarily vacating every seat in the Arena and making Steve get bleeped out on commentary. He quickly apologized, but what jury would convict?
Not only was Katsuji a different style of fighter than Party, he had mastery over the sky and he exhibited it for the next few minutes, Serge narrowly avoiding getting pinned multiple times. Late in the bout, it looked like Serge had finally figured out the Ootsuka combination by powering up through the puroesu's basement rana driver, only for Ootsuka to spin around on Serge's shoulders and spike him to the mat with a crispy rewind rana. The crowd buzzed as he went to the top, only to start booing as Serge tried to use the ref as a shield while still being on the mat. This was just the opening a recovered Stahl needed to crotch Katsuji, and when he fell into the ring he stood on wobbly knees before finding himself Arc de Triomphed and out of the tournament. *** 1/2
| • “the French Assassin” Serge Batroc d. Katsuji Ootsuka in a Duquesne Classic tournament semifinal match • |
The IWC celebrated up the ramp, Anton hyping up Serge while Batroc waved a sarcastic goodbye at the newcomer. Still, that left Ootsuka in the ring to get a borderline standing O and "Katsuji!" chants; he bowed to the appropriate three sides of the ring and fans before treading lightly to the back.
More commercials, including one for a PPV on the first? Well, this is the first I'm hearing about this!
First…because it's on…you know, it's mighty impolite of you not to give your recapper a courtesy laugh. Just saying.
Announce played Short Attention Span Theater, video replaying the end of Batroc/Ootsuka while Starr pointed to this as fact that Serge taking it over was the best thing to ever happen to the IWC. Steve noted that Serge still had one match left, against the winner of this one.
Summer came out looking nervous for a few beats as she came out, before refocusing by the time she hit the ring and bathing in the pop. Honestly, at this point someone might as well yell our ABADOO! before "Wish" kicks in - I don't know what's funnier, the fact it's happening to Mayhem or the fact that it seems to surprise, dismay and disappoint him every time. Both Summer and the referee had to get Mayhem to start the match after the bell rang because he was being rattled by the increasingly usual “Let’s go Mayhem!/Mayhem sucks!” chantoff. The match went about 55/45 in the favor of the former World’s Champion, but he couldn’t (wouldn’t?) press his advantages, either flustered by the crowd or Rose’s inability to stay down for the three count. Starr was quick to brag on commentary that he’d warned against this when the brackets were released, but despite frequently cajoling the referee for quicker counts or admonishing the crowd for daring to boo him, Mayhem still got control down the stretch and hit a very good-looking run-up-the-ropes tornado DDT. That put Mayhem in position to put the match away, and he went up top before flying off with No More Words –
– right into the Come-Up.
Mayhem went down like he’d been shot, Summer flopped on top of him for the three count and got it, drawing a huge pop for the win in the process. *** ½
| • Summer Rose d. Mayhem in a Duquesne Classic tournament semifinal match • |
Mean Season ran down after the decision got made, helping Summer to her feet and whooping it up as she got her hand raised. Steve noted that he wouldn’t be surprised if everyone’s brackets were busted at this point, and reiterated that Summer was going to the finals of the Duquesne to face off for the #1 contendership; a cut to the back showed Razorblade watching the monitor and the Mean Season celebration moving up the rampway (Gaia & Winter are in the next match after all, and maybe first out). The Champ’s face was unreadable; the former champ’s wasn’t, and he had a full-blown temper tantrum – blaming the ref, ripping up the mat at ringside, complaining to Steve & S. Eventually some security guards and the rest of the referees had to start leading Mayhem to the back so that the semi-main could start…but, hell, what’s going to happen to him now that he’s taken a tough, clean loss like this and turfed Naz out of a title shot only to come up (oops) short in his own attempt?
As the crew tried to reset ringside, Duck went over the rules of Turmoil for the uninitiated: the teams drew numbers at random - the first two teams will start off the Turmoil - teams will be eliminated by pinfall, submission, countout or disqualification - turmoil continues until the sixth and final team has participated - the last surviving team wins and earns a shot at the FBC come MDPD.
Fall 1: It turned out that TTT started off with Science Fiction Double Feature trying to earn their way back to a rematch against the Sound of Thunder combo of Bettie Rokker & the Shieldmaiden Val Curry. Steve noted at this point that given the Club’s long list of enemies, no matter who came out of this with the win was going to be highly motivated to stop their reign. It went contentious but clean, and when the coin flip went the way of Cindy & Jane, Bettie & Val shook their hands post-match while looking disappointed. Science Fiction Double Feature eliminated the Sound of Thunder.
Fall 2: The next team out were the Crush emigres “the Island Flower” Luz Cruz & “Bollywood Diva” Sohla Patel; the longtime friends have struggled to find their footing both as a tag team and in singles efforts since their old employer folded, and it was really brought out to the surface against a cohesive unit in the College Park Family imprint. The end came when Jane simply walked away from a Cruz crossbody, which wiped out Patel in the process; Luz ate Your Standard Finisher and the Tightrope after Cindy tagged in to end the fall. SFDF exchanged an elaborate handshake after the pin while Cruz and Patel argued all the way to the back, at one point each shoving the other. Science Fiction Double Feature eliminated “the Island Flower” Luz Cruz & “Bollywood Diva” Sohla Patel.
Fall 3: And back out came Gaia and Winter to get us to the halfway point of the Turmoil; as they came out, a cut to the trainer’s room in the back showed Summer getting iced up while intently watching the monitor rooting for her squad. G&W may have good reason to feel that the Club’s why Summer’s no longer the Women’s World champion even if Lolo ended up taking advantage of it. They had the narrow edge over SF in being the fresher team, and they ended up on top here, Winter absolutely obliterating Cindy from the sky when she tried for the Tightrope with a spear before putting her down with Nuclear Winter to advance the Season. Mean Season eliminated Science Fiction Double Feature. There was a post-fall staredown, but eventually handshakes all around…
Fall 4: …right before the music of the Storybookers hit. SFDF made their way to the back off to the side of the ramp as Bella & Wendy came out. Death, taxes, and the Mean Season/Storybookers rivalry. This was as contentious as things got even though there was no outright cheating, just plenty of sniping and big forearms. Bella missed her frog splash, opening the door for a flying splash/top rope powerslam combo to put her away and advance Mean Season to the last part of Turmoil. Mean Season eliminated the Storybookers.
Fall 5: They ran headlong into another team looking for a tag titles rematch in Hell on Wheels, who lost their shot last week after winning the Consolation Cup the week prior. As the fresher woman, Gaia ran point for this part of the match and seemed to have Wheels on the backfoot due to her speed. Wendy came in for some big shots and as Summer cheered from the back, they used the same combination to down Block Solid that they had Bella – earning the three and the #1 contendership by posting three straight wins. Mean Season eliminated Hell On Wheels. ***
| • Mean Season (Green/Wonderland) d. Hell On Wheels, the Storybookers (Bella/Wendy), Science Fiction Double Feature, “the Island Flower” Luz Cruz & “Bollywood Diva” Sohla Patel and the Sound of Thunder in Tag Team Turmoil to earn a titles shot at Mayday Payday • |
As the exhausted Season got their hands raised to a pop, announce put over the effort it took for Mean Season to come out of Turmoil with the win, then the fact that the effort earned them a shot at the Forbidden Book Club come Mayday Payday for the Women's World Tag Team championships. That’s exactly when the lights went out - blinked red four times – and came back on to the Club in the ring –
…but only the Club in the ring. QCW’s resident witches were pissed off that they had missed their target, but Starr’s scream gave it away – Mean Season were standing on the announce table, both making A Very Familiar Gesture around their waists. The Club gave chase but couldn’t catch up, and Gaia and Winter, safe close to the back of the lower deck and surrounded by a welcoming crowd, pointed down at the Club and made the We Want The Belts gesture once again.
Steve noted what a big night it was for Mean Season so far, and they had a chance to put a cherry on the night’s sundae coming up in the main event. Come Hammerstein, someone was going to get their first World Title shot as the winner of the '22 Duquesne. So it was time to hear from the finalists.
TOTHEBACK~! where Julius Duquesne III was with Summer Rose, who got a good pop as she walked onto the interview. She's beaten Mirror Mirror, then beat the former champion Mayhem – now she was up against Serge Batroc in the finals. What was she thinking?
Summer said that this was the longest, most difficult night of her life. It was hard enough winning ONE match given how competitive QCW was and was getting. But - in case people weren't paying attention before tonight - Summer Rose is a winner. She proved it when she won the tournament to be the first Women's World Champion, she proved it when she beat a former World Champion to make the finals, and when she got done with Frenchie, no one was going to be saying "Viva la Serge"; they'd be chanting Summer like they have been for the past few months. And once it was her and Razorblade at Hammerstein…well, she hoped Mirror wouldn't have any hard feelings about her actions surpassing what her old rival said. "It's 2022 - it's time this place has the ovaries to have a woman World Champion."
TOELSEWHEREINTHEBACK~!, where Enya Face stood next to the International Workrate Commission, Serge and Anton standing shoulder to shoulder. Enya asked Serge what he felt about the tournament and what it was like to have to face off against a different style every round from Party to Katsuji and now Summer. Serge scoffed. Enya said that he had to be worried about facing Summer given her track record, and he rolled his eyes and scoffed again, then glared at Enya. Exasperated, Enya asked if he said anything to say - at which point Anton grabbed the mic and said in heavily accented English that the #1 contender in waiting would save his comments until after he would take the cup back to civilization in France. Anton walked off, leaving Serge to mockingly wipe sweat off of his abs before sneering "You're welcome" at Enya and heading to the ring.
Before the finals, the announce plugged next week's show, and since tonight was focused on singles action next week's Ruckus was going to be chock full of tag action:
As we saw earlier, we'll get the return of the Wonderful Ward Brothers. In addition, Tiki God and Mirror Mirror would go against Nazir el-Fadal and Roberto VillaLobos. In a big eight woman tag, not only would the Forbidden Book Club take on the fully reunited Mean Season but Women's World Champion Lolo Vuitton would serve as the special guest ref. And in maybe the biggest main event in Ruckus history, there would be an eight-man elimination match. On one side? The International Workrate Commission and the Immortals. Their opponents? Mayhem, the QCW World Tag Team champions the College Park Family and the QCW World Champion, Razorblade. The question now: would Serge be bringing the Duquesne Classic Cup with him into that eight-man? Or would the Ides of April prove to be Mean Season’s?
Out first was Serge backed by Anton. He looked calm and focused while Anton pumped him up as they came into the ring. Serge got patted down by the referee as Summer came out.
Lights out.
Four red throbs later, lights on to the Forbidden Book Club ganging up on Summer on the rampway. Summer got thrown into the LED boards underneath the Quarantron a couple beats before Gaia and Wendy came streaming from the back, a full seven-woman brawl on the rampway that had be broken up by the refs not working this match and Arena Security. Serge shrugged at Anton but was obviously not upset by this turn of events. For obvious reasons, the referee came to see if Summer could continue on; for obvious reasons, Summer wasn’t going to let some bangs and bruises stop her from trying to make history, and for obvious reason Mean Season stayed out with her this time, both to prevent another run-in by the Club and to try and nullify Anton’s shady ass.
Serge charged Summer right at the bell and dropped her with a running European uppercut, almost stealing the final ten seconds in. Starr praised him on commentary, pointing out Batroc was succeeding where Mayhem had failed by not letting the crowd rattle him and executing his gameplan. The gameplan was evident: use his power advantage to throw Summer around. And the gameplan was successful.
Well, successfulish.
Summer couldn’t string together more than 30 consecutive seconds of offense in the early going, but what she could do was keep kicking out. As the match got past the ten minute mark you could see the looks on Serge’s face go from bemusement to rising anger; here he was landing moves and suplexes, but Summer kept kicking out, including slapping him in the back of the head with one. This clearly got to Serge, who began laying in vicious boots to Rose's head and face. After taking a few, though, you could see Summer's face start to turn almost as if a FUCK This light came on over her head. Serge landed another couple kicks, Summer waved him on. Serge landed another kick and Summer spit on the mat and laughed. Serge landed an even stiffer looking kick only for Summer to get up and show him her Will Smith impersonation. The crowd roared as she got up, yelling "Let's go, asshole!"
And then something funny happened: Serge suddenly couldn't stop Summer.
Summer stunned him with a short range headbutt, then started serving up some chops. She backed him up in the corner, then chopped him down into a slump, then stomped him down to the canvas as Mean Season popped just like the Quaranteers. Summer gathered her breath afterwards, clutching at the side of her neck - and turned around into a Serge lariat that sent her spinning through the air.
But she kicked out.
Then she got up and chopped Serge in the neck.
Again.
Serge started pawing at her to get away, only to release he was too far away from the ropes and she had his wrist clutched.
Her eyes were gleaming.
Summer fired off another barrage of chops, this time all slamming into the neck. The Arena roared as Serge slumped over after the flurry, Rose dropping to her knees from the effort. Anton hopped up on the apron, but so did Mean Season, both pointedly telling Anton to get his ass back on the floor, which he eventually did.
From there it was a game of inches: it looked like Summer would end it with the Come Up, only for Serge to catch it and leverage it into a catapult to the post - Summer rebounded back into the waiting arms of the Arc de Triomphe - but she also got her shoulders off the mat at 2.9. Serge threw a low level merdefit over Summer somehow surviving, then went for it again.
And got victory rolled.
Serge kicked out COME UP! Summer didn't hit it as clean as she would have probably liked, but she got all of a second Come Up. It sent Serge into the buckles hard, and he bounced off right into a small package.
2.9.
Summer got to a knee before Serge as we went into the overrun (!), then sprung forward with the Come Up. But Serge caught this one, then converted it into a running buckle bomb…and he still had Summer by the legs when he delivered a second one. Rose went down in a heap to the crowd's dismay, Anton pounding the mat and pointing at Rose while Serge gathered up his energy, then hooked up Rose and drilled her with another Arc.
2.9., with a middle finger in the face after the kickout.
You could see Serge trying to keep his emotions in check, then failing when Summer - what was left of Summer - was rubbing the bird in his face. He yelled out something in French, then threw Summer into the ropes and tied her up in them.
An unsettling half a minute followed with Serge throwing barrages of European uppercuts for four counts until Summer's body went limp. The resultant Arc de Triomphe was more for message sending than anything else. *** ½
| • “the French Assassin” Serge Batroc (w/Anton “Teknik” Stahl) d. Summer Rose (w/Mean Season) to win the 2022 Duquesne Classic • |
Summer Rose hadn't gone quietly into that good night, but gone she had. Out came Scott Holmes and Julius Duquesne III with the Classic Cup (think of an ornate gold version of the cup Serena gets for winning Wimbledon). Mean Season gathered up Summer and made sure there was no post match attack coming, though the IWC were either too exuberant or too exhausted to try it. Mean Season took the long walk to the back while Duck took the mic and announced Serge as the winner of the Classic to an ovation of booing.
Scott congratulated Serge and put over the Cup, saying that as the years went on that more names would be added to it – then Anton took the microphone from the Commissioner and said that the first name on it would be Serge's. Viva la Serge, and long live the IWC. A mock interview followed where Anton would say something in a foreign language (ostensibly French) and Serge would respond in kind with Anton "translating". Serge was "saying" a lot, mostly focused on how happy he was having lost nearly 700 pounds of dead weight between Castle, Williams and Windsor.
It was at this point that Unscripted Violence hit the PA to the new biggest pop of the night, the Champ coming out in a Funk U shirt and ripped black jeans with the Twelve Pounds of Gold in hand, setting off some gold pyro of his own when he held it aloft. But Serge cut it off with some words of his own. Good thing Anton was there to translate. Everyone was so focused on Razorblade's climbing the mountain that they didn't realize Serge was right on his heels. And every time they'd fought before, Serge had kicked the ass of the so-called ass kicker. This time when he did it, though - this time when he did it, he wasn't just going to do it as leader of the IWC, but as leader of QCW.
Surprising everyone at this point, Serge grabbed the microphone and got in J3's face, before sneering the following: you're welcome.
Crowd reviled this, not that they could change things: Holmes and Duquesne III seethed in the background while Serge and Razorblade held up their respective trophies and smack talked each other from a distance. And that's Ruckus for this week - catch you next Friday!
