Bithlo Championship Wrestling

[mj]

Yet another solid show from Florida!!

MJ

[The Creek Rises]

Thanks, MJ!

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR SEVEN, CARD NO. 8

Bithlo Bash PPV – Bithloplex

Commissioner Chad came out and explained the setup of Bithlo Bash’s Battle Bowl – three separate Battle Bowl matches, with 10 wrestlers, randomly divided, in each one. Wrestlers get eliminated by being thrown over the top rope. The final two wrestlers in each of the matches advanced to the final, with the winner getting a shot at the world heavyweight title at the next PPV, and the runner-up getting a U.S. title shot. Along with BCW wrestlers, there were two wrestlers each from the AWA and FSW entered, along with four independent wrestlers. Also scheduled on the card were U.S., tag and world heavyweight title matches. With that, on to the first Battle Bowl!

First Battle Bowl participants: Terry Gordy and Jim Londos (independents); Don Leo Jonathan, Danny Hodge, Chris Hero, Rick Rude, Dustin Lee, Jushin Liger, Pepper Gomez, Animal (BCW)

(Eliminated/by whom)
Terry Gordy (charged Pepper Gomez in the corner, Gomez moved and helped topple Gordy to the outside)
Dustin Lee (by Jushin Liger, after a FISHERMAN’S BUSTER)
Pepper Gomez (by Animal, extracting a little more revenge for a recent loss)
Don Leo Jonathan (by Danny Hodge; the two were battling at the edge of the ropes, and Hodge’s hand strength finally pushed him over)
Rick Rude (by Animal, after a long battle)
Animal (by Jim Londos, after a headlock throw and with the help of Chris Hero)
Jushin Liger (by Chris Hero after a HERO’S WELCOME)
Chris Hero (by Danny Hodge and Jim Londos – they had been battling for a while, then noticed that Hero was across the ring, just watching and waiting, so they attacked Hero and threw him out)

Advancing to final: Danny Hodge and Jim Londos

Magnum TA d. Curt Hennig using his BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX to retain the U.S. heavyweight title. Hennig dominated much of the first part of the match, but couldn’t get his HENNIG PLEX on Magnum. They ended up outside the ring, where a risky Magnum TA dropkick sent Hennig into the post. That made the injured Hennig an easy finish for Magnum TA, allowing him to get revenge after Hennig’s attack on him at Wrestlethon the previous year. Afterward, officials helped Hennig to the back.

Second Battle Bowl participants: Rob James, Patriot III (FSW), D’Lo Brown (independent), Justin Credible, Diamond Dallas Page, Larry Sweeney, Ox Baker, Bruiser Brody, Chris Candido, Dupae Rupa (BCW)

(Eliminated/by whom)

Rob James (by Diamond Dallas Page – Patriot III was too late to make the save)
Patriot III (by Diamond Dallas Page after a long battle)
Larry Sweeney (by Ox Baker, after connecting on a HEART PUNCH)
Chris Candido (by Dupae Rupa, when Candido was trying to keep Justin Credible from being eliminated)
Dupae Rupa (by Justin Credible, when Tammy snuck in a Singapore cane to Credible and he whacked Rupa, then tossed him over the top rope before officials saw the cane, confiscated it and sent Tammy from ringside)
Ox Baker (by Diamond Dallas Page after a DIAMOND CUTTER)
Justin Credible (by Bruiser Brody)
D’Lo Brown (by Diamond Dallas Page)

Advancing to final: Diamond Dallas Page, Bruiser Brody

The Exiles regained the BCW world tag-team belts in an epic match, d. Mad Dog Vachon and Ivan Koloff (w/ Commander Lou Albano) when Mil Mascaras pinned Vachon after a CROSSBODY ATTACK. The match featured each wrestler having at least two pin attempts against him, along with action in and out of the ring and interference by Albano. Mascaras got momentum after a weary George Hackenschmidt was finally able to tag him in. Afterward, an angry Koloff took his chain and belted Mascaras , injuring him, before an exhausted Hackenschmidt was able to come to Mascaras’ aid.

Third Battle Bowl Participants: John Pesek (independent), Ilio DiPaolo, King Kong Bundy (AWA), Sam Hayne, Ricky Landell, Yukon Eric, Bobo Brazil, Hawk, Claudio Castagnoli, Ray Stevens (BCW)

(Eliminated/by whom)

King Kong Bundy (by Ricky Landell, with help from Claudio Castagnoli and Sam Hayne)
Yukon Eric (by Claudio Castagnoli, after he came to the aid of Sam Hayne)
Ray Stevens (by Bobo Brazil)
Hawk (by Sam Hayne, with help from Claudio Castagnoli)
Bobo Brazil (by Claudio Castagnoli, while Brazil was tangling with Ricky Landell)
Sam Hayne (by John Pesek – Claudio Castagnoli arrived too late for the save)
Claudio Castagnoli (by John Pesek – Ricky Landell arrived too late)
John Pesek (by Ricky Landell. after a missile dropkick)

Advancing to final: Ilio DiPaolo, Ricky Landell (Sir Oliver Humperdink had three of the final five wrestlers in the group, but only one advanced)

Jimmy Snuka retained his BCW world heavyweight title by d. Bryan Danielson and Rob Van Dam in a fantastic three-way match when he p. Van Dam after a SUPERFLY LEAP. Snuka had the most pin attempts (four) against him, but was able to catch Van Dam with a piledriver, then knocked Danielson out of the ring and hit his finisher on Van Dam. All three men, who had at least two pin attempts against them apiece, were exhausted following the long, tense bout.

Final Battle Bowl

(Eliminated/by whom)

Danny Hodge (by Bruiser Brody after a JUMPING KNEE DROP)
Jim Londos (by Diamond Dallas Page, after Page avoided going over via Londos’ AIRPLANE SPIN)
Ricky Landell (by Ilio DiPaolo)
Bruiser Brody (by Diamond Dallas Page after a DIAMOND CUTTER)
Ilio DiPaolo (by Diamond Dallas Page after a long, drawn-out battle where Page looked to be finished before rallying to toss DiPaolo out of the ring. The crowd cheered wildly at the result.)

The winner of Battle Bowl: Diamond Dallas Page. He will get a title shot at the next PPV.
Ilio DiPaolo will get a U.S. title shot.

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR SEVEN, CARD NO. 9

City Auditorium, Ocala

Rob Van Dam d. Larry Sweeney (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) by DQ when Sweeney hit Van Dam with a chair before RVD could hit the Van Daminator outside of the ring. Pre-match, Humperdink was at ringside and called out Van Dam so they could “talk.” Van Dam came to ringside to discuss the three-way match for the BCW world heavyweight title at the last card, but when Van Dam turned down yet another opportunity to join Humperdink’s “House,” Sweeney attacked him from behind, and Humperdink got the timekeeper at ringside to hit the bell, a ref showed up and a match was started. Van Dam was on defense for much of the match after the attack, but he did get in a FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH, only to see interference from Humperdink cost him a pin. Afterward, other members of the House of Humperdink came to ringside to land some shots on Van Dam, but officials were right behind them to break things up.

Ricky Landell of the House of Humperdink stayed at ringside, took a mic and started trashing Diamond Dallas Page’s Battle Bowl win at Bithlo Bash, saying that he got “lucky, and if that AWA “oaf” Ilio DiPaolo hadn’t “jumped him,” he would have beaten them both and claimed the BCW world title shot. His remarks brought out Pepper Gomez, Page’s tag-team partner, who said, “It’s time to put your wrestling abilities where your fat mouth is!”

Ricky Landell (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) d. Pepper Gomez when he connected on a FISHERMAN’S BUSTER. Gomez rolled through the first part of the match, but interference by Humperdink turned the tide for good. But as Landell began to celebrate by putting the boots to Gomez, Diamond Dallas Page came from the back to hit a DIAMOND CUTTER. Landell landed awkwardly and appeared to be injured, and Gomez and Page left the ring before the rest of the House of Humperdink could arrive.

Rick Rude (w/ Ida Mae) d. Danny Hodge when he hit a RUDE AWAKENING. Rude came to the ring first and started berating Ida Mae for not taking his robe off quickly enough. Hodge hurried to ringside to defend the honor of the lady, only to Rude to take advantage and get a cheap shot in on Hodge before the match began. He then finished Hodge off rather quickly, yelled at Ida Mae once again, then they left the ring together.

Commissioner Chad came out and called out George Hackenschmidt, one-half of the tag champs. The commissioner said he hadn’t decided yet what to do about the Night of Champions (three cards away), as it appeared that Hackenschmidt’s partner, Mil Mascaras, would not be returning from his injury in time for a title match. But in the meantime, he had arranged for Hackenschmidt to have a singles match against another tag-teamer who was “in hiatus” due to an injured partner: the Naptown Dragons’ Dustin Lee.

George Hackenschmidt, one-half of the BCW world tag-team champions, d. Dustin Lee (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) when Lee submitted to the RUSSIAN BEAR HUG. Hackenschmidt looked more comfortable than Lee did without a partner, and he finished off Lee in a short amount of time, despite the presence of Humperdink at ringside.

Bill Apter’s “Hot Seat” featured Diamond Dallas Page. Page said his victory at Bithlo Bash was due to long, hard work and a “finely honed sense of survival.” He said he was looking forward to facing Jimmy Snuka for the BCW world heavyweight belt at Tag-o-Rama, but was also thinking that maybe he should be facing Snuka at Night of Champions, four cards earlier (with commissioner approval). He said if he was the champion or was wrestling for the title at Tag-o-Rama, he would miss teaming with Pepper Gomez, who was a “stand-up guy.” Either way, he said he couldn’t wait to “prove all the doubters wrong about DDP!”

Commissioner Chad came out and called out Jushin Liger and Ox Baker. He said they made an interesting tag team, and with Tag-o-Rama coming up, he would like to see if they would qualifying team. That’s why he was giving them a matchup with S+S as a starting point.

Ox Baker and Jushin Liger d. S+S when Baker pinned George South after a neckbreaker. Baker and Liger started strong, but then seemed to lose momentum in the middle of the match, with Larry Sharpe getting a pin attempt on Liger before Liger managed to tag Baker back in, who closed the deal.

Don Leo Jonathan came out and said that since he held the record as the longest-reigning U.S. champ in BCW history, it was about time he got an opportunity to get his title back. He then called out Magnum TA, but instead Commissioner Chad came out and said that Ilio DiPaolo had the next U.S. title shot since he finished second at Bithlo Bash, and he was waiting to see when DiPaolo, a member of the AWA, was going to cash in his opportunity – perhaps at Night of Champions. But Magnum TA then came to ringside and said that he respected Jonathan, and if Jonathan wanted the shot, he’d give it to him – right then!

U.S. heavyweight champion Magnum TA d. Don Leo Jonathan when he caught the big man with a BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX. Jonathan seemed surprised by the tenacity of the current U.S. title-holder in the ring, and it cost him.

Sir Oliver Humperdink came out with the Kings of Wrestling, took a mic and stated that they had unfinished business with those “hardcore punks,” Credible and Candido, because they “cheated the Kings” out of a tag title shot. Out came Justin Credible and Chris Candido to meet the challenge.

Credible and Candido d. the Kings of Wrestling (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) by DQ when Chris Hero used Sir Oliver’s cane to attack Justin Credible outside the ring. Both sides were hostile from the get-go, and Credible just avoided getting pinned three times before the action spilled outside the ring. Officials separated the two sides before other members of the House of Humperdink could reach ringside.

Sir Oliver Humperdink stayed at ringside, grabbed the mic back and said, “Since things are going so splendidly, I’d like to call out our world heavyweight champion, Mr. Snuka.” When Snuka came out with the title belt, Humperdink said, “Now I know, Mr. Snuka, that you had quite the grueling match at Bithlo Bash, and I also know, Mr. Snuka, that you are a fighting champion. But it seems to me that Mr. Rupa did not get a fair shot the last time he faced you, thanks to that rather odd Mr. Albano. So, I’m thinking that we could rectify that problem, right now.” Snuka took the mic and simply said, “Let’s do it!”

BCW world heavyweight champion Jimmy Snuka d. Dupae Rupa (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) by DQ when Mad Dog Vachon came to the ring and leveled Snuka with a clothesline. Rupa was furious at another round of interference by a member of the Foreign Legion, which came after a visibly weary Snuka missed a SUPERFLY LEAP and was losing control of the match. Commander Lou Albano then showed up with a mic and said, “Sir Oliver, your time is about to come with the Foreign Legion. And Snuka? Not yet. Soon, but not yet.”

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR SEVEN, CARD NO. 10

Universal Studios

“Bloody” Harker Dirge (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink), in his return from injury, d. Larry Sharpe when he caught Sharpe with a cross-body block off the top turnbuckle and recorded the pin. Dirge looked to be a little rusty, but after he threw Sharpe to the outside of the ring, he gained control of the match and dominated from there.

Commander Lou Albano came to ringside, grabbed a mic and said, “Tonight, Snuka! I told you I’d let you know when it was time, and the time is now, at the end of this card. Don’t worry about bringing the belt. Just bring you. Your surprise will be waiting.”

Jushin Liger d. the “Belgian Brawler” Dupae Rupa (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) when he connected on a Liger Dive and got the pin. Liger made sure to get out of the ring afterward before other members of the House of Humperdink could hit ringside to exact some revenge.

U.S. heavyweight champion Magnum TA d. George South in a nontitle match when he hit a running forearm and registered the pin. Magnum looked strong during the tuneup match.

Ray Stevens (w/ Don Leo Jonathan) d. Bryan Danielson (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) in a great match when he pinned Danielson after a double underhook suplex. Each man had at least one pin attempt against the other, and Danielson avoided one pin due to the interference of Humperdink, but in the end Stevens’ veteran experience proved the difference.

Bill Apter’s “Hot Seat” featured Sam Hayne and “elegant” Eddie Fyne. Apter commented on Hayne’s “unique” appearance, and Fyne replied that it wasn’t the appearance of his client that people needed to worry about, but his ability in the ring. Apter noted that Hayne seemed to be a unique addition to the House of Humperdink, and Fyne answered that “It works for us … for now.” Ox Baker then came to the set and said, “I’m not impressed at all.” Baker and Hayne went face to face, and Hayne said, “Next card, big man, you’ll get your chance.”

Rob Van Dam d. Dustin Lee (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) in a long, fantastic back-and-forth match when Van Dam connected on his FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH and got the pin. Despite being mainly a tag specialist in BCW, Lee looked good in spots and held his own, getting two pin attempts on RVD before finally succumbing. Humperdink looked determined throughout the match to get some revenge on Van Dam for being spurned by him, but ended up frustrated with the results.

Commander Lou Albano came out with Ivan Koloff and Mad Dog Vachon and called out George Hackenschmidt, one-half of the BCW tag team champions. “Mascaras isn’t back yet, but you still have a duty to defend the belts, and we want our titles back – right now! And I’m guessing you have no one to help you, do you?” Hackenschmidt replied by entering the ring and appearing prepared to defend the belts by himself in a two-on-one match. Gary Michael Cappetta introduced the challengers for the title, then Hackenschmidt, only to be interrupted by a “Hold on!” as BCW icon Bobo Brazil came to ringside and stood in Hackenschmidt’s corner. Albano went crazy, saying, “No, no!” But Commissioner Chad came to ringside and yelled, “Ring the bell!”

George Hackenschmidt and Bobo Brazil d. Ivan Koloff and Mad Dog Vachon (w/ Commander Lou Albano) by DQ to retain the BCW world tag-team titles. The DQ came when Koloff attacked Brazil with a chain. Up to that point, the match had been fairly even, but frustration with Brazil’s appearance to aid Hackenschmidt ended up being the downfall of the Foreign Legion, who also tried to take it out on Brazil afterward until officials broke it up. Albano was heard yelling: “You’ll pay for this, Brazil. You’ll pay for your bad choice!”

Commissioner Chad came out and called Larry Sweeney to the ring. Sweeney and Sir Oliver Humperdink came to ringside. The commissioner said, “Mr. Sweeney, this is someone who finds you so ‘challenging,’ he wants to have a match with you. He’s a returning superstar. And I guess you could call him ‘angry.’” Johnny Valentine then came to the ring.

Johnny Valentine d. “Sweet ‘n’ Sour” Larry Sweeney (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) when he pinned him after a forearm hammer. Sweeney actually controlled the first part of the match and even had a pin attempt against Valentine later on, but for the most part, it was Valentine working out his frustration with his injury at the hands of the House of Humperdink, as he gave Sweeney a pretty good thrashing.

Commander Lou Albano came to ringside, took a mic and said, “This is what you’ve all been waiting for. I might have been rolled in that tag match, but no one will get rolled here. Come, Jimmy Snuka, meet your fate. Come meet … Andre the Giant!” Andre, who had been out with an injury, came to ringside, followed by Snuka, who was carrying both the BCW world championship belt and a concerned look on his face.

Andre the Giant (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. BCW world heavyweight champion Jimmy Snuka in a nontitle match when he pinned him after a turnbuckle squash. Snuka fought valiantly and even got a pin attempt against Andre, but it was for naught as Andre’s power overwhelmed him. Afterward, as Snuka was prone on the mat, Albano took the mic and said, “At Night of Champions, bring the belt, Snuka. Because it will be Andre’s when the night is over!”

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR SEVEN, CARD NO. 11

Eddie Graham Sports Stadium

Commissioner Chad came out and said he had planned for Sam Hayne and Ox Baker to clash on the card, but Baker and Jushin Liger had an opportunity to battle for a tag title shot at Night of Champions, so Hayne’s issue with Baker would have to wait. The commissioner began to go over the rest of the card, only to be interrupted by Johnny Valentine, who took a mic and said, “Excuse me, commissioner, but I’m calling out Jimmy Snuka. Snuka, you fought hard last card, put up a good effort, but you aren’t enough to take on Andre. That’s why I’m calling you out here, tonight – I believe I can beat Andre, and I know you can’t! So tonight I am going to take the belt from you to save BCW from Andre winning it.” He then left ringside as the commissioner and the fans looked on, stunned.

Dustin Lee (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) d. Larry Sharpe using his HARD DRIVE finisher. Lee, still seemingly finding his way in the absence of tag-team partner Scotty Vortekz, had some problems with Sharpe, but seemed to take the frustration out with a pretty intense finish.

Sir Oliver Humperdink stayed at ringside, saying he needed to get his tag teams some work ahead of the Tag-o-Rama PPV. So, he said, would anyone care to take the challenge of facing the Kings of Wrestling? The Oilmen came down to take the challenge.

The Kings of Wrestling (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) d. the Oilmen when Claudio Castagnoli got three RICOLA BOMBS on Yukon Eric, then came off the top turnbuckle with a cross-body block to get the pin on his woozy opponent. The Kings of Wrestling looked strong and mostly dominated the match.

Sir Oliver Humperdink, obviously feeling pretty strong about himself and his “House,” called out Rob Van Dam. “You’ve spurned us, Van Dam. Your mistake, one that you can pay for by coming to face ‘Bloody’ Harker Dirge and paying the price for your insolence!”

“Bloody” Harker Dirge d. Rob Van Dam by DQ when Van Dam used the Van Daminator on Dirge. Van Dam had a number of pin attempts against Dirge, but Humperdink’s interference and Dirge’s resilience prevailed until the end. Afterward, the Kings of Wrestling and Larry Sweeney came to ringside and put the boots to Van Dam, injuring him.

Don Leo Jonathan and Ray Stevens d. Justin Credible and Chris Candido (w/ Sunny) by Jonathan pinned Candido after a giant swing. Jonathan handled all the offense for the team, keeping Candido in the ring longer than he wanted to be in it, which led to the pin. It was a key result for two teams trying to jockey for position ahead of Tag-o-Rama.

Bill Apter’s “Hot Seat” featured the current BCW world tag-team champions, the Exiles – more specifically, George Hackenschmidt and temporary tag partner Bobo Brazil. Hackenschmidt said Mil Mascaras would be back in action soon, but not until after Night of Champions. Brazil said he was happy to fill in for now, and would be happy to relinquish the spot back to Mascaras once he returned. However, he admitted that there was a bit of additional pressure on him to continue the Exiles’ championship run. Brazil also said that he was not worried about any retaliation by the Foreign Legion. The two men finished by saying they would be closely watching the No. 1 contender’s match later on the card.

Rick Rude came out with Ida Mae trailing him, took the mic and said, “Diamond Dallas Page, you got lucky at Bithlo Bash – everyone knows it. I know it. You are not worthy of a world heavyweight title shot. Why don’t you come down to ringside so I can prove it!” Down came Page.

Rick Rude and Diamond Dallas Page battled to a double DQ when the two ended up brawling outside the ring. Rude dominated the first part of the match and even got a pin attempt, but Page rallied to the point that Rude went outside the ring and engaged in a brawl when Page followed. Larry Sweeney of the House of Humperdink then came to ringside and distracted Page long enough for Rude to hit a nasty clothesline on Page, causing him to hit the floor hard. He appeared to be injured, and officials helped him to the back.

U.S. heavyweight champion Magnum TA d. Mad Dog Vachon (w/ Commander Lou Albano) when he connected on his BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX finisher. The two were pretty evenly matched throughout, until Magnum finally got the key advantage. Afterward, as he went to get his belt at ringside, he saw Ivan Koloff, a former U.S. champion and member of the Foreign Legion, looking at it before he handed it back to Magnum and left ringside.

Commissioner Chad came out and called out Ox Baker and Jushin Liger. He said tonight would be their night – they were part of the No. 1 contender’s match. But he cautioned that it wouldn’t be easy, as their opponents were bent on revenge and were determined to get the tag belts – the one and only Road Warriors!

The Road Warriors (w/ Paul Ellering) d. Jushin Liger and Ox Baker when Liger fell victim to the DOOMSDAY DEVICE. Liger and Baker put on a great defense, but could not ultimately match the intensity of the Road Warriors, who seemed focused on getting the title shot at Night of Champions.

Commissioner Chad came out and said that despite the fact upcoming match was so close to Night of Champions, he was making it a best two-of-three falls, as the BCW world heavyweight title belt was on the line.

Johnny Valentine d. Jimmy Snuka 2-0 in a best-of-three falls match, but the final round ended in a DQ, which meant Snuka retained the BCW world heavyweight championship. In the first fall, Valentine got the pin after a huge chop to the chest as Snuka was coming off the ropes. The end followed a long back-and-forth match that saw both men get at least one pin attempt. In the second fall, Snuka took Valentine outside the ring, and before he could proceed, Mad Dog Vachon sprinted to ringside and ran Valentine into a ring post, causing a DQ for Snuka. Commander Lou Albano then came to ringside with a mic and said, “See, Snuka, you’re not going to escape your destiny, and that’s with Andre the Giant at Night of Champions. As for you, Valentine, don’t be too sad – you’ll get your chance once Andre has the championship!”

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR SEVEN, CARD NO. 12

Miami Arena (Night of Champions)

Commissioner Chad opened the card by welcoming the commissioners of the AWA and FSW. He said there would be nine championship matches on the card, three per fed, so it was time to get started!

Mike Quackenbush won the FSW TV title when he pinned Jigsaw following his QUACKENDRIVER III finisher. Jigsaw had the early advantage against his mentor and even hit his finisher, but Quackenbush held on, then rallied and won the belt.

AWA Great Lakes champion Nick Bockwinkel came to ringside, where he was met by AWA Commissioner William. The commissioner took the mic and said that Bockwinkel’s opponent had been a secret until that moment, to which Bockwinkel said, “It doesn’t matter – I can beat any scrub you send out here.” “Good,” the commissioner said, “because your opponent is former BCW world heavyweight champion Giant Baba!” Bockwinkel looked stunned as the pro-BCW crowd cheered and Baba headed to ringside.

AWA Great Lakes champion Nick Bockwinkel d. Giant Baba when Baba succumbed to Bockwinkel’s FIGURE FOUR LEGLOCK. Baba was on defense most of the time, but it took a while before Bockwinkel could get the victory. Afterward, Bockwinkel took the mic and bragged about how “no one” could beat him, including “washed-up members of BCW.”

Magnum TA came out with the U.S. title belt, took the mic and said, “I was given a list of a few opponents I could face tonight – all worthy contenders. However, in my mind, there’s only one guy I should be facing tonight – a guy who lost this title last year due to an injury and deserves another shot at it. Ivan Koloff – come out here!” Koloff came out looking confused, while Commander Lou Albano seemed ecstatic at the possibility of grabbing another title for the Foreign Legion.

Ivan Koloff (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. Magnum TA to become the new U.S. heavyweight champion when Magnum submitted to the RUSSIAN BEAR HUG. The match was pretty even until Koloff caught Magnum by surprise following unseen interference by Albano. Afterward, as Magnum was down on the mat and Koloff received the belt, Albano urged Koloff to “take him out” using his chain. Instead, Koloff pushed Albano away, helped Magnum up, then left ringside alone with the belt.

The North Star Express d. the Samoan Island Tribe to win the FSW tag-team titles when Darin Corbin pinned Alofa after a Shin City. The North Star Express had their challenges when Samu was in the ring, but they took advantage when Alofa tagged in.

The Ortons d. the Love Brothers to retain the AWA tag-team titles when Bob Orton Sr. gave his PILEDRIVER finisher to Hartford Love. The Love Brothers tried a lot of tricks during the match, but were unable to counter the power of the Ortons as their fierce rivalry continued.

Bobo Brazil and George Hackenschmidt d. the Road Warriors (w/ Paul Ellering) in an amazing match to retain the BCW world tag-team titles. The end came when Brazil nailed Animal with a big hammer punch after Hackenschmidt had Animal in his RUSSIAN BEAR HUG for a long time. There were 10 pin attempts between the two sides before the finish, and both had numerous chances to gain the victory. Afterward, Ellering yelled at Brazil, “We won’t forget this, Bobo!”

FSW heavyweight champion Drake Younger lost to Delirious by DQ when he attacked Delirious with a light tube. Younger had problems handling Delirious throughout the match and used the light tube to retain his title as fans booed his actions while cheering for the former BCW wrestler.

AWA heavyweight champion Don Muraco d. former champion Larry Zbyszko when he connected on his finisher, the HAWAIIAN HAMMER. Muraco controlled the match early, Zbyszko rallied, then they ended up outside the ring. That’s when Muraco regained control, pummeled Zbyszko, threw him back inside the ring and finished him off.

Andre the Giant (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. Jimmy Snuka 2-0 in a best-of-three-falls match to win the BCW world heavyweight championship. The first fall went for a long time, and Snuka actually got four pin attempts on Andre, including a SUPERFLY LEAP that just missed being a pin. However, Andre continued to pound the defending champion and finally connected on a BIG SPLASH to get the first pinfall. Snuka had little chance in the second fall, as a turnbuckle splash and a body slam gave Andre the championship. Albano handed the title to Andre, then took the mic as they stood over a fallen Snuka and said, “I told you! I told you! You might as well retire this belt, BCW, because no one is ever getting it off this giant!”

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR SEVEN, CARD NO. 13

Melbourne Auditorium

The Naptown Dragons (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) d. S+S when Scotty Vortekz, in his return from injury, pinned Larry Sharpe after a cyclone kick. Vortekz looked good in his return to action.

Curt Hennig, in his return from injury, d. Johnny Rodz using his HENNIG PLEX to get the victory. Hennig looked disgusted about who is opponent was and finished him quickly.

Commissioner Chad came out and said that once again he was going to have to put Sam Hayne on hold for Ox Baker, because he still had tag teams vying for a No. 1 seed at Tag-o-Rama, and Baker and Jushin Liger were set to face Ray Stevens and Don Leo Jonathan next.

Ray Stevens and Don Leo Jonathan d. Ox Baker and Jushin Liger when Liger was pinned by Stevens. Liger missed a leap onto Stevens near the turnbuckle and ended up outside the ring. Stevens took advantage to pummel Liger, then tossed him back into the ring and used his BOMBS AWAY finisher. Baker appeared to be ready to break up the pin, but was distracted by Sam Hayne’s appearance at ringside as Stevens got the victory.

“The Belgian Brawler” Dupae Rupa came out with Sir Oliver Humperdink and grabbled the mic. Rupa said, “I’m still angry that Albano didn’t find me ‘worthy’ of staying in the Foreign Legion. I feel used. So bring out your U.S. champion, ‘commander,’ so I can use and abuse him!”

U.S. heavyweight champion Ivan Koloff (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. Dupae Rupa (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) by DQ in a nontitle match when the two men ended up outside the ring and Koloff was attacked by other members of the House of Humperdink. Albano stood by and watched the beatdown for a while, then, when it looked like he was to be threatened, he waved to the back, and world heavyweight champion Andre the Giant and Mad Dog Vachon headed to ringside. As the House of Humperdink retreated, Albano took the mic and said, “That’s OK, Humperdink. Run wherever you need to. When the time is right, we’ll find you.”

Bill Apter’s “Hot Seat” featured Mad Dog Vachon. Apter said that Vachon had an interesting tag run during the year with both Andre the Giant and Ivan Koloff, but both men now sported singles belts. Did that mean that Vachon was out of Tag-o-Rama? Vachon smiled, then said, “Not at all. Stay tuned, Apter. Things are going to get very interesting soon.”

Justin Credible and Chris Candido d. the Kings of Wrestling (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) when Candido pinned Claudio Castagnoli afer a top-rope huracanrana. The move and the pin came so quickly, neither Humperdink nor Chris Hero had time to try to break up the pin. The House of Humperdink members appeared pretty steamed about the loss afterward.

The Road Warriors and Paul Ellering came to ringside and called out Bobo Brazil. “We’ve got a bone to pick with you, Bobo,” Hawk said. “You’ve been messing in our business, and we don’t like it, so we’re going to fix that, right now!” Brazil came to ringside, took a mic and said, “Three-on-one? That’s fair?” Before Hawk could respond, a yell of “Three-on-two” was heard as George Hackenschmidt joined Brazil at ringside. As the two sides looked ready to tangle, Commissioner Chad came out and said, “Whoa, boys. Let’s make it even, a little three-on-three action. How about … Mil Mascaras!” The crowd exploded as Mascaras returned from his injury and the BCW world tag-team champion Exiles were reunited.

The Road Warriors and Paul Ellering d. BCW world tag-team champions the Exiles and Bobo Brazil when Animal pinned George Hackenschmidt after a POWER SLAM. The match featured 16 pin attempts. Ellering rarely tagged in, so it was more of a three-on-two match, but the Road Warriors appeared determined to get revenge. One DOOMSDAY DEVICE attempt was broken up when everyone ended up in the ring. After the long match, the exhausted Road Warriors and Ellering left ringside without celebrating. Mascaras looked decently solid in his return.

Johnny Valentine d. Bryan Danielson (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) by DQ when Valentine was attacked by members of the House of Humperdink while he was outside the ring. Officials got there quickly before the House members could inflict much damage, but it was obvious that Valentine’s feud with Humperdink’s wrestlers had not cooled.

Commander Lou Albano came to ringside with BCW world heavyweight champion Andre the Giant, took the mic and said, “I was thinking that maybe Andre could face Diamond Dallas Page tonight, get it over with now so DDP wouldn’t have to embarrass himself at a major PPV. But then I found out that Page isn’t even here. Apparently this alleged heavyweight title contender got roughed up by Rick Rude and won’t be ready to wrestle until the PPV. That figures. So I thought that maybe my champion could get a little work in against Page’s tag-team partner. That is, if Pepper Gomez is man enough to face the Eighth Wonder of the World. What about it, Pepper? A match with Andre? Nontitle, of course.” The response was a determined-looking Gomez headed to ringside.

Pepper Gomez d. BCW world heavyweight champion Andre the Giant (w/ Commander Lou Albano) by DQ when Andre slammed him through a table at ringside. Gomez went outside the ring early in the match to catch a break, but Andre followed him and the DQ occurred. Albano grabbed a mic and said, “This, Page, is what you have to look forward to.”

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR SEVEN, CARD NO. 14

Bithloplex

S+S came to ringside, and Larry Sharpe took the mic. He said the Naptown Dragons “got lucky” at the last card, and S+S wanted a rematch. That brought Sir Oliver Humperdink and the Dragons to ringside.

The Naptown Dragons (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) d. S+S when Scotty Vortekz p. Larry Sharpe following a cross-body block off the turnbuckle. The Dragons pretty much dominated the matchup from the bell on. Afterward, Humperdink took the mic and said, “I guess we are just THAT lucky, S+S.”

“Bloody” Harker Dirge (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) d. Jushin Liger when he locked on his DIRT NAP. Liger seemed distracted throughout the match by the presence of Humperdink at ringside, even though Sir Oliver did not interfere during the match.

Commissioner Chad came out and called out the Road Warriors and Paul Ellering. He said that the Road Warriors had at times been “erratic, sporadic and spastic,” and there was no way they would be the second No. 1 seed at Tag-o-Rama. He said, “The truth is, if you want your third Tag-o-Rama title, or another shot at the BCW world tag-team titles, you are going to have to earn it, from beginning to end, and it starts with the Kings of Wrestling, another team that really needs to earn its stripes.”

The Road Warriors (w/ Paul Ellering) d. the Kings of Wrestling (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) when the Warriors executed their DOOMSDAY DEVICE on Claudio Castagnoli. Early on, Chris Hero dominated Hawk, until Hawk caught him coming off the ropes and gave him a piledriver. Hero managed to tag in Castagnoli, but the momentum had shifted permanently to the Road Warriors. Afterward, Hawk took the mic and said, “We’re more than happy to start at the bottom, because we are going to fight our way back to the top! There’s focus for ya, Commissioner!” He then dropped the mic and the Road Warriors left ringside.

U.S. heavyweight champion Ivan Koloff came out with Commander Lou Albano and said, “I need to get ready for this challenge by the AWA’s Ilio DiPaolo at Tag-o-Rama, so I’m calling out a formidable opponent – Johnny Valentine!” Valentine headed to ringside to face Koloff.

Johnny Valentine d. U.S. heavyweight champion Ivan Koloff (w/ Commander Lou Albano) in a long, solid nontitle match when he pinned Koloff after a forearm bludgeon. The two wrestlers went back and forth for quite a while, riding swings of momentum until Valentine caught Koloff and got the pin. Afterward, Koloff got up and shook Valentine’s hand, only to see Albano, at ringside, shake his head and walk to the back without him.

Bill Apter’s “Hot Seat” featured Bruiser Brody. Apter asked Brody what he thought about the new BCW world heavyweight champion, Andre the Giant. Brody said the “big man” was impressive, but he wasn’t afraid of the giant, since giants could “all be chopped down to size eventually.” That brought out Commander Lou Albano, who said, “OK, Brody, Andre has some business to attend to on this card, but very soon, he’ll have time for you – if you think you can be the one to fell a giant. I don’t think you are!” Brody got face-to-face with Albano and said, “Bring it on!”

Sam Hayne (w/ Eddie Fyne) d. Ox Baker by DQ when Baker got Hayne outside the ring and starting using all sorts of ringside implements against him. Earlier, Baker had hit the HEART PUNCH on Hayne, but didn’t get a full connection on it, and Hayne was able to kick out at 2 ¾. Afterward, officials had to break up the two, and Hayne looked the worse for wear!

BCW world tag-team champions the Exiles d. Justin Credible and Chris Candido (w/ Sunny) in a great match when George Hackenschmidt came off the ropes and caught Credible trying to do a sunset flip, rolling him into a pin. C+C looked really good and controlled much of the match against the tag champs, but one fluke moment led to their defeat. The two sides actually shook hands afterward.

Curt Hennig came out, took a mic and said: “At the Night of Champions, Ivan Koloff showed just how overrated Magnum TA is. Now, I want to run him out of this sport altogether! I’ve injured you once, Magnum – come down and I’ll finish the job this time!”

Curt Hennig d. Magnum TA after converting on a strong dropkick and getting the pin. Hennig was on fire throughout, while Magnum appeared to be uprepared to face him and paid the price. Hennig put the boots to Magnum afterward, yelling to the crowd, “He was never worthy of being the champ! He’s just a chump!” Officials eventually broke up Hennig’s post-match attack.

Commander Lou Albano came to ringside and called out Sir Oliver Humperdink, who came out with Larry Sweeney. Albano said that Sir Oliver had been an “irritant” for a while, especially with the Dupae Rupa issue. And since BCW world heavyweight champion Andre the Giant needed a “tuneup” before he destroyed “that punk Brody,” he wanted Humperdink to pick the best of his “youth movement” for a lesson. Humperdink said a number of his wrestlers had already seen action, and others were unavailable, then he shrugged his shoulders and added, “I guess it’s you, Larry.” Sweeney looked surprised, then climbed into the ring. Albano did not look overly happy about Humperdink’s selection.

BCW world heavyweight champion Andre the Giant (w/ Commander Lou Albano) annihilated Larry Sweeney (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) at the end of a dominating performance when he hit two BIG SPLASHES on Sweeney. After the first, Humperdink distracted the ref from making the count. As Albano yelled, “Are you crazy?” Andre hit another BIG SPLASH, and Humperdink pretty much let the ref make the count to save Sweeney’s life. Earlier in the match, Sweeney hit a low blow and a drop kick, but that was about it for his offense. Andre and Albano celebrated as officials checked on Sweeney.

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR SEVEN, CARD NO. 15

The Barn, Sanford

Sam Hayne (w/ “Elegant” Eddie Fyne”) d. Johnny Rodz using his DEVIL LOCK finisher. Hayne controlled the first part of the match, only to get cocky and subsequently see Rodz rally and get a pin attempt before he tossed Rodz outside the ring and then regained control of the action.

The Road Warriors versus the Oilmen ended in a double DQ when Danny Hodge entered the ring and tried to break up an impending DOOMSDAY DEVICE on Yukon Eric, prompting an unexpected brawl among the four men. Both teams seemed to be battling frustration: the Oilmen at not being one of the BCW teams in Tag-o-Rama, and the Road Warriors at not being a top seed despite winning the event twice.

Magnum TA d. “Bloody” Harker Dirge (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) when he pinned Dirge following his BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX finisher. Dirge controlled a lot of the match, but Magnum’s rally proved to be enough.

Commissioner Chad came out and said the next tag match would have high stakes, as the winner would be going to Tag-o-Rama, while the loser wouldn’t. He then called out the two teams — the Naptown Dragons versus Ox Baker and Jushin Liger!

Ox Baker and Jushin Liger d. the Naptown Dragons (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) by DQ to earn a spot in Tag-o-Rama. The DQ ending came when Ricky Landell, apparently back from injury, attacked Ox Baker while Baker was stalking Scotty Vortekz outside the ring. Landell tried to be sly about it, coming out of the crowd, but the referee spotted him and called for the DQ as Humperdink complained vociferously, to no avail. The match had been back-and-forth to that point, with neither team dominating the action.

Commissioner Chad was at ringside to congratulate Baker and Liger, then took the mic and, with Bill Apter’s “Hot Seat” beginning, said: “That should nail down the list of the six BCW teams at Tag-o-Rama. They are …” At that point he was interrupted by Commander Lou Albano and BCW world heavyweight champion Andre the Giant. “Hold on, Commish!” Albano said. “One of those teams better be Andre and Mad Dog Vachon, considering they were tag champs earlier this year!” Commissioner Chad shook his head, saying, “No, Andre already has a match at Tag-o-Rama – the heavyweight title clash against Diamond Dallas Page.” Albano said, “I thought you might say that, Commish, so I have this.” He handed Commissioner Chad a paper, then announced, “It’s an injunction, saying that Mad Dog and Andre can be a tag team at Tag-o-Rama, especially since DDP won’t come close to wearing out the Giant!” Commissioner Chad looked to be unhappy, and as Albano turned away in triumph, he reached toward Albano to grab his arm, saying, “I’ll have to fight this, Lou.” Apparently perceiving a threat, Andre picked up Commissioner Chad and held him high with one hand. “Want to rethink that, Commissioner?” Albano said. Commissioner Chad demanded to be put down, which led Albano to say, “Set the commissioner down, Andre.” Andre let go so the commissioner could land on the mat, but apparently did not realize how close to the ring ropes he was, and Commissioner Chad accidentally caught a rope with a leg and flipped over to the outside, going through a ringside table in the process. Albano and Andre quickly left the ring as officials went to check on the injured commissioner.

After the officials cleared the ring and carried Commissioner Chad to the back, the Kings of Wrestling strolled to ringside with a purpose. Chris Hero grabbed a mic and said, “I can’t believe that we are NOT on the list for Tag-o-Rama, and Candido and Credible are! Come out right now, you two losers, and we’ll beat that Tag-o-Rama spot right out of you!” Down to ringside came Chris Candido and Justin Credible.

The Kings of Wrestling (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) d. Chris Candido and Justin Credible by DQ when Credible, who was dominating the match, was DQ’d for belting Chris Hero with a Singapore cane. As chaos reigned following the referee’s decision, Credible took a nasty chair shot from Claudio Castagnoli, seriously injuring Credible. Humperdink took the mic as officials tended to Credible and said, “There’s no commissioner, so now we make our own rules. Welcome to the new age of BCW!”

In a nontitle match featuring BCW’s two No. 1 seeds for Tag-o-Rama, BCW tag-team champions the Exiles d. Don Leo Jonathan and Ray Stevens when Jonathan submitted to George Hackenschmidt’s RUSSIAN BEAR HUG. Jonathan weathered a number of pin attempts by the Exiles, but he and Stevens could not generate enough offense to upset the champs ahead of the PPV.

Johnny Valentine came out, grabbed a mic and said: “I might not have been the biggest fan of the commissioner, but what happened here tonight was wrong. I know that Andre has a match next with Bruiser Brody, and I hope Brody can take care of business. But in the meantime, someone has to answer for this, so Mad Dog Vachon, come down and face me!” Vachon headed to ringside, ignoring Commander Lou Albano’s pleas to ignore Valentine’s challenge.

Johnny Valentine d. Mad Dog Vachon (w/ Commander Lou Albano) when, after being bested by a feisty Vachon for most of the match, he connected on a nasty ATOMIC SKULLCRUSHER, injuring Vachon in the process. Afterward, he pointed to Albano and said, “Andre wants to be a tag champion at Tag-o-Rama? He’ll have to do it alone. This is what happens when things get out of hand. And tell Andre that if he survives DDP, I’ll be waiting for him!”

Bruiser Brody marched to ringside, grabbed a mic and said, “Andre, let’s do this. No title on the line. No DQ. No commissioner. Just you and me!” Andre the Giant, carrying the BCW world heavyweight championship, came to ringside, where Commander Lou Albano was waiting.

In a fantastic clash, BCW world heavyweight champion Andre the Giant (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. Bruiser Brody in a no-DQ match when Brody finally submitted to Andre’s bear hug. The match went back and forth, with Brody hitting a JUMPING KNEE DROP at one point and getting four pin attempts on the world champion. However, he couldn’t close the deal, although he did survive a BIG SPLASH. Afterward, Albano took the mic and said, “If he couldn’t stop Andre, do you think DDP can? Do you think any tag team can? Even if Andre has to go it alone, he’s gonna come home with a lot of gold after Tag-o-Rama. In fact, the Foreign Legion will have all the gold, and there’s nothing anyone in BCW can do about it!”