Thanks for your comments Bookerbill, Pariah, tafkaga and Bri. Coming up next is a huge night of ECW action along with the complete first round match-ups for the eleventh annual PWI Invitational Cup Tournament. I hope you enjoy it...Hotstuff International Inc. presents Extreme CHIKARA Wrestling - Mississippi Coast Coliseum - Biloxi, MS (Card #1277)Quick Results:
1) Devastation Corporation (Max Smashmaster, Blaster McMassive & Flex Rumblecrunch) defeated blue World order (Stevie Richards, Blue Meanie & Super Nova)
(Flex Rumblecrunch pinned Stevie Richards – Jumping Knee Drop)
2) Chris Candido defeated Disco Inferno
(Pinfall – Running Neckbreaker)
3) F.I.S.T. (Icarus & Gran Akuma) defeated Steve Corino & Ricky Landell
(Gran Akuma pinned Ricky Landell – Back Senton)
4) LOW Tex-Arkana Television title: Don Leo Jonathan© defeated Tito Escondido (with Olivia) to retain the title
(Pinfall – Mormon Swing)
5) Ox Baker & DJ Hyde defeated The Sandman & Mikey Whipwreck
(DJ Hyde pinned The Sandman – Summoning Lariat)
6) PWI Invitational Cup Qualifying Match: Ed Lewis defeated Bob Orton Sr.
(Submission – Strangler’s Headlock)
7) PWI Invitational Cup Qualifying Match: Shane Douglas (with Francine) defeated Don Muraco (with Jimmy Hart)
(Pinfall – Snake Eyes - Belly to Belly Suplex)
8) Eddie Gilbert, Tommy Gilbert & Doug Gilbert defeated The Hobo, Tom Lawlor & Mance Warner
(Tommy Gilbert pinned The Hobo – Running Knee Lift)
Match Highlights:
A pair of wild trios matches bridged a big night of action in Biloxi opening with the bWo – blue World order – team of Stevie Richards, Blue Meanie & Super Nova taking on Sydney Bakabella’s Devastation Corporation (Max Smashmaster, Blaster McMassive & Flex Rumblecrunch). This natural team rivalry resulted in an explosive battle featuring a big number of near falls in the closing stretch. Devastation Corporation thought they had it won after a Sit-Out Chokeslam by McMassive, but Nova kicked out just before the three count. The Meanie came back for the bWo hitting the Meaniesault on Rumblecrunch, but he kicked out at two. A flying forearm by Richards nearly ended it but Bakabella interfered setting off a wild brawl. The Devastation Corporation took it a short time later when Bakabella assisted on a choke allowing Rumblecrunch to nail Richards with a Jumping Knee Drop for the pin.
It was not an impressive singles debut for Disco Inferno in ECW as he fell to Chris Candido in just a few moves. Disco made his ECW debut in a Battle Royal so here he was looking to impress one-on-one, but it came against a tough foe in Candido. After gaining the upper hand at the open, Disco attempted to impress with his dance moves but then he turned right into a Running Neckbreaker by Candido for the pin. The crowd erupted in cheers as the popular Candido one upped the oblivious Disco.
Tag team action was featured next as F.I.S.T. (Icarus & Gran Akuma) took on Steve Corino & Ricky Landell. Having recently made their debut in ECW, Corino, the “King of Old School”, and Landell were looking to pick up a big win. That nearly happened as they scored a number of near falls on F.I.S.T., the most pivotal being when Corino hit the Old School Expulsion on Akuma but Icarus broke up the pin just in time. F.I.S.T. also scored some close calls with Icarus hitting the Blu-Ray on Landell for a big near fall. A great bout ended when Icarus took out Landell with a western lariat setting up a Back Senton by Akuma for the pin.
Newly crowned LOW Tex-Arkana Television champion Don Leo Jonathan had a tough draw in his version one title defense as he took on the “Bad Dude” Tito Escondido, who was accompanied by his manager Olivia. She would play a key role in the match nearly resulting in a title switch. These two traded heavy blows from the start and when Jonathan gained control, he hit the Mormon Swing, a spinning backbreaker, but Olivia provided a distraction saving her man. Escondido bounced back strong hitting the Bad Dude Driver on “The Mormon Giant” for a big near fall. Escondido made a real strong challenge for the title but in the end, it was Jonathan executing a second Mormon Swing to score the pin.
A tag team grudge match was up next as The Sandman & Mikey Whipwreck took on Hotstuff International members Ox Baker & DJ Hyde. Baker, the “Master of the Heart Punch”, found himself on the defensive often against a quick tagging opposition. The Sandman nearly pinned Baker after delivering a DDT on top of a chair. The underdog Whipwreck, who scored a huge win over Eddie Gilbert on the last ECW card, made a great accounting of himself against both Baker and Hyde. It looked like victory was in reach for the popular pair of extreme stars before Hyde nailed The Sandman with a Summoning Lariat to score the pin. The finish came out of nowhere, but The Sandman would not let that rest as he quickly grabbed his Singapore Cane and went to town on both Baker and Hyde who bailed out of the ring. He then grabbed the mic and called out Hyde, the owner of Combat Zone Wrestling, saying that he “doesn’t even know the meaning of extreme” and challenged him to any kind of match he wants on the last ECW show of the year at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY (Card #1296). Hyde smiled and said he would think of something before The Sandman celebrated with a beer bash dousing Whipwreck with beer as well.
Up next were two qualifying round matches in the PWI Invitational Cup Tournament kicking off with two stars from Golden Age Wrestling, Ed “Strangler” Lewis and Bob Orton Sr., vying for a spot in the prestigious event. Lewis, a two-time LOW Tex-Arkana Television champion, looked incredibly determined in this one as he seemed to have a counter for everything that Orton tried. That frustrated Orton who bailed out of the ring only to return walking right into a Strangler’s Headlock by Lewis. He fought out of the old by getting to the ropes, but an alert Lewis quickly reapplied it and took Orton Sr. down in center ring. Orton Sr. was unable to escape this time and he tapped out giving Lewis a decisive submission victory. The victory means that Lewis has advanced to the first round of the eleventh annual tournament where he will face none other than Abdullah the Butcher at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI (Card #1297) during WrestleCade 13 weekend.
The final qualifying match in the PWI Invitational Cup Tournament was a battle of great ego and talent as PCW star “The Magnificent” Don Muraco, accompanied by his manager Jimmy Hart, took on ECW’s own “The Franchise” Shane Douglas who had Francine in his corner. The respective managers looked on, often in worry, as the two men engaged in a hard fought battle. Muraco dominated the early action before Douglas scored with rolling suplexes and a back suplex scoring a two count. That shook up Muraco, but he stormed back and had Douglas in trouble, particularly when they fought outside the ring. Things were looking bad for Douglas until both men went down from a double clothesline out of the corner. Douglas managed to recover first, and he quickly caught the larger Muraco with a Belly to Belly Suplex resulting in a snake eyes pin. Hart was enraged at ringside protesting to the referee about a fast count, but Douglas was declared the winner. That means that Douglas will go on to face ACW star “Wildfire” Tommy Rich in the opening round in Milwaukee during WrestleCade 13 weekend.
The main event was a big grudge trios match as The Hobo, “Filthy” Tom Lawlor & “Southern Psycho” Mance Warner took on “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert, Tommy Gilbert & “Dangerous” Doug Gilbert. The Gilbert Family made a “colorful” entrance to the ring for their first official match together since Tommy and Doug had their identities revealed as the masked T-D Machines by The Hobo and masked imposters Lawlor and Warner on the last ECW card. It was a bitter pill to swallow for Eddie, the ECW owner, as well as Tommy and Doug. The wounds were deep in this one with both sides engaging in a roughhouse battle. Eddie nearly won it when he hit The Hobo with a pair of brass knuckles, but he kicked out just before the three count. Gilbert, frustrated that he was unable to put The Hobo away, called out the referee and demanded that he be replaced by Bill Alfonso. Just as Alfonso ran down to ringside, he was taken out by Warner courtesy of a big Lariat. The crowd erupted in cheers as Alfonso was finally laid out. Mayhem erupted after that and amidst the chaos it was Tommy surprising The Hobo with a Running Knee Lift to score the pin. The Gilbert’s picked up a big win over their rivals but this war is indeed far from being over.
ECW Top 10 Rankings:
1) Shane Douglas
2) Eddie Gilbert
3) Ox Baker
4) Keith Lee
5) DJ Hyde
6) Juan Francisco de Coronado
7) The Sandman
8) Mikey Whipwreck
9) Tito Escondido
10) Chris Candido
* current champions not included in rankings
**********
LOW - 11th Annual PWI Invitational Cup Tournament - Opening Round - Bradley Center - Milwaukee, WI (Card #1297)
Angelo “King Kong” Mosca vs. “ The Cleaner” Kenny Omega
Big Van Vader vs. Masked Superstar
Pampero Firpo vs. “Superstar” Bill Dundee
Pepper Gomez vs. “Russian Lion” George Hackenschmidt
Curt Hennig vs. Randy “Macho Man” Savage
Gorgeous George vs. Magnum T.A.
Abdullah the Butcher vs. Ed “Strangler” Lewis
“Wildfire” Tommy Rich vs. “The Franchise” Shane Douglas
The Quarter Final and Semi-Final Rounds of the tournament take place at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago, IL (Card #1298) with the final round taking place at WrestleCade 13 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL (Card #1300).