Intercontinental Championship Wrestling by ajcostello

[ajcostello]

New year, new fed. Right?

So, this new thing of mine will be more or less 'more of the same' from me. I'll be using a mixture of all the cards I own (LOW, Indies, & some CotG... B&W as well as color) and there will be a number of different divisions. There will be singles, there will be tags, there will be the ladies, and there might even be some cruiserweight stuff thrown in there, too.

Rules will be fairly simple and fairly normal for me: championships can only change hands on a pinfall or submission, but matches can end on disqualifications, count-outs, and even ref stoppage- excessive blood loss can cause a match to end: if someone's PIN reaches a 12 through Fatigue the match could conceivably end.

As always, the promotion will be run by the promoter: A.J. Costello and he'll be assisted by his commissioner... Tex Robertson.

Commentary will be covered by provided by "Mad" Mike Cantrell and Candy Carmichaels.

Backstage interviews will be conducted by Samantha "Sam" Cloutier.

Let's talk titles.

ICW will have a number of championships, and the usual rules will apply: most titles will have to be defended at least once every 30 days or be forfeited. And, of course, the whole deal with how championships change hands applies like it always does.

The titles:

I.C.W. World Heavyweight Championship

I.C.W. Tag Team Championships

I.C.W. American Championship

I.C.W. Television Championship (must be defended at least once every 7 days)

I.C.W. Women's Championship

I.C.W. Junior Heavyweight Championship

Intercontinental Championship Wrestling will be a touring promotion that will have a worldwide scope but will mostly tour in the United States and shows will happen on Mondays and Fridays (not that I'll only be posting on those days... those will be the dates of the shows).

I'm going to run some small tournaments to crown my initial champions very, very soon.

Thanks for checking in.

[ajcostello]

Four men from the roster of I.C.W. have been selected to take part in a small, one-night tournament to crown the first-ever I.C.W. World Heavyweight Champion.

Those four men are Mil Mascaras, "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, Diamond Dallas Page, and the Iron Sheik.

Mascaras and Rogers take us into the first match...

Mil Mascaras and "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers fought tooth and nail for quite some time without either man being able to get a clear, decisive advantage on his opponent until an Octopus hold by Mil leads to a CROSSBODY ATTACK for an attempt at a cover, but Rogers kicks out decisively at the count of two. He gets to his feet only to meet a second CROSSBODY ATTACK right away that only gets Mil another two count. Rogers staggers to his feet only to get hit with a third CROSSBODY ATTACK that he once again kicks out of, by the skin of his teeth this time around. Mascaras mounts the turnbuckles, looking to dive off with a crossbody to put Rogers away but he rolls through it and very nearly pins Mil instead! Before Mil can recover, he's locked in the FIGURE-FOUR GRAPEVINE and he soon has no choice but to submit, allowing the Nature Boy to move forward toward the prize.

The second match of the night will be DDP versus the Iron Sheik...

Diamond Dallas Page and the Iron Sheik square off next, with Page taking the upper hand early with a side slam and a discus clothesline before whipping the Iranian into the corner and climbing up to rain some punches down on him, but the Sheik is a crafty veteran who quickly turns the tables on Page with a reverse atomic drop! The Man from Tehran looks to capitalize on this change of fortunes with a well-timed belly-to-belly suplex but Page... somehow... blocks the move and counters it with a DIAMOND CUTTER! Page covers the Sheik and gets an easy three count, sending DDP onto the final match for the I.C.W. World Championship with "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers!

Before the final match to determine the champion, promoter A.J. Costello and Commissioner Tex Robertson come down to the ring to unveil the big, gold title belt for all to see.

Page and Rogers go after one another as soon as the bell rings and mix it up for a bit with neither man coming out on top in a fairly even contest until Rogers gets cocky and whips Page into the corner. He charges in somewhat recklessly only to get caught by surprise when DDP catches him with an elbow. Stunned, Rogers falls prey to a Russian Leg Sweep which results in a near fall. Rogers eats a pair of discus clotheslines before he falls prey to the Diamond Dream, ending the match!

Your winner and inaugural Intercontinental World Heavyweight Champion: Diamond Dallas Page!

After the final match, the winner is presented with the big championship belt and is personally congratulated by Costello and Robertson before he is given a chance to address the wrestling world:

DDP: "Well, I'm sure no one would have thought that I... a kid from Jersey... would end up being the man to win this thing but here I am! Here I stand, your I.C.W. World champion and I couldn't be prouder to represent this company to the wrestling fans around the world! We're going to take this to new heights and the whole world will Feel. The. BANG! Thank you all."

[ajcostello]

Four tag teams have been selected to compete for the I.C.W. Tag Team Championship. Those teams are The Road Warriors, The Flying Redheads, The Heavenly Bodies, and the Rock'n'Roll Express!

Animal and Bastien start things off for their respective teams. The match starts with Animal missing a dropkick before getting whipped into the ropes. Red plays hopscotch only to come back to eat a running back elbow by the big man, quickly followed by a blatant choke that has Bastien reeling. Animal toys with the smaller man, tossing him out of the ring only for him to helplessly crawl back into the ring and the waiting arms of the Road Warriors and a DOOMSDAY DEVICE! Lyons tries to get into the ring to break up the ensuing pin attempt but he's cut off. Bastien manages to kick out before the ref counts to three anyway, to the surprise of all involved. Going back on the offensive, Hawk nails Red with a running clothesline that sends Bastien scurrying for his own corner, looking to tag out, but he's caught by the trunks and dragged back into the ring for some more abuse... specifically, another DOOMSDAY DEVICE. Again, shocking everyone present, he manages to kick out well before the three. Animal pounces and locks in a Camel Clutch on the battered Bastien, but he gets to the ropes to get the hold broken and promptly rolls out of the ring, looking to put some space between himself and the Road Warriors. Despite the encouraging words of his partner, Bastien is too hurt to get back into the ring in time to avoid being counted out, giving the match to the Road Warriors.

The winners of match one: The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal)!

This brings us to the second match...

Morton and Prichard start things off. Morton looks to start things off with a monkey flip but Tom counters with a running back elbow that is also countered... seeing Prichard sent into the turnbuckles. Morton runs alongside him and makes him eat a clothesline as soon as he hits the 'buckles, then follows that with the DOUBLE DROPKICK! Gibson goes for the cover but Stan Lane runs in to make the save, only to get blocked by Morton. The ref gets to three and this one ends with Jim Cornette having a fit.

The winners of match two: The Rock'n'Roll Express (Morton & Gibson)!

During a short break, promoter A.J. Costello and Commissioner Tex Robertson enter the ring to unveil the newly-minted I.C.W. Tag Team championship belts.

This brings us to the final match of the night...

Hawk and Morton start things off with Hawk hitting a forearm pummel and a jumping fist drop on Ricky. Morton avoids the fist,m however, and turns things around with a slingshot stomp on the bigger man. Hawk looks like he wants to tag out but Morton and Gibson cut him off from getting away and hit a DOUBLE DROPKICK but Hawk manages to kick out fairly easily. The man from Chicago gets groggily to his feet only to be met with another DOUBLE DROPKICK and another pin attempt. Once again, Hawk manages to kick out and Morton and Gibson are STUNNED. Morton is back in with a top rope punch that sends Hawk looking to tag out yet again. He's stopped cold with a third DOUBLE DROPKICK. Gibson goes for the pin while Morton tries to hold Animal at bay. The ref gets enough time to hit the count of three and this match is over!

The winners and new I.C.W. Tag Team Champions: The Rock'n'Roll Express!

After the match, Costello and Robertson present the championship belts to Morton and Gibson with much applause from the fans in attendance.

Ricky and Robert ask for a microphone so that they might say a few words:

Morton: "This is quite an honor for us and we hope to live up to everyone's expectations in the future as we defend these gorgeous belts from anybody and everybody that feels like taking a shot at them!"

Gibson: "That's right, partner! We're going to be fighting champions. We don't plan on backing down from anybody! These belts are ours and we intend on keeping them that way, brother!"

[ajcostello]

Four men from the roster of I.C.W. were selected to take place in a short tournament for the American Championship: King Kong Bundy, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, "Boogie Woogie Man" Jimmy Valiant, and Rhino.


Rhino and Greg Valentine square up and things start off with a clothesline by Rhino. He follows that up by attempting to whip Valentine into the turnbuckles, only to have the Hammer reverse the move and send Rhino crashing into them instead. Rhino bounces off the padding and bounced back into the ring, laying Valentine flat with a bone-crushing lariat. Valentine hits the mat hard and Rhino covers him for a three count, ending the match almost before it had even begun.

Winner of the match is Rhino!

This brings us to our next match...

King Kong Bundy and "Boogie Woogie Man" Jimmy Valiant go head to head and exchange some offense with neither man getting an upper hand until Bundy catches Valiant with a body slam that he follows up with a bear hug. Valiant breaks the hold with a quick poke to the eyes and rolls out of the ring to catch a breather. Bundy follows him out of the ring and there's a short struggle before Valiant catches the charging Bundy and smashes him into announcers' table, drawing a warning from the referee but nothing else. Bundy is rolled back into the ring where he is laid low with a neck-breaker. Valiant follows through with a BOOGIE WOOGIE ELBOW and a cover... but only gets a two count. Valiant stays on the offensive with another neck-breaker and a cover, but once again only gets a two count from the referee. Bundy is reeling and gets caught with a sleeper and nearly succumbs until getting the hold broken up by reaching the ropes. Valiant takes Bundy down and once again hits the BOOGIE WOOGIE ELBOW and finally gets a three count, ending the match and allowing him to move on to face Rhino in the final match for the title.

The winner of the match is "Boogie Woogie Man" Jimmy Valiant!

Promoter A.J. Costello and Commissioner Tex Robertson come to the ring to unveil the newly-created I.C.W. American championship title belt to the crowd.

This brings up the final match...

Valiant looks to start the match with a quick poke to Rhino's eyes, but he's blocked and countered with a running power slam that sends Valiant scurrying out of the ring. Valiant takes a short break before grabbing Rhino by the leg and pulling him out of the ring and smashing him head first into the ring post. Dragging Rhino back into the ring, Valiant tosses Rhino out of the ring. Valiant chases him out and the two men get into a wild brawl! The big man from Detroit comes out ahead of Valiant in the brawl and rolls him back into the ring, quickly following up with a GORE! The match ends with a three count and a victory for Rhino.

Winner of the match and new I.C.W. American champion is Rhino!

After the match, Costello and Robertson present the title belt to Rhino to much applause before giving the new champion a moment to speak to the I.C.W. fans.

Rhino: "I'm the first EVER I.C.W. American Champion and I am going to beat anyone and EVERYONE who thinks that they can step up to try to take it from me! Every other wrestler in this company is welcome to give it a shot... but you're going to be beaten!"

[ajcostello]

Four men had been selected from the roster to compete for the I.C.W. TV title: Tully Blanchard, Exotic Adrian Street, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, and "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert.


Street and Gilbert lock up and Eddie goes into the ropes, only to rebound and catch Street off guard with a sunset flip for a quick pin attempt. He didn't even get a one from the referee (rolled 12) and immediately went on the offensive with a second rope elbow drop for another quick pin attempt. This time he gets a two count. Street then is on the receiving end of a HOT SHOT that ends the match!

Winner of the match is "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert!

This brings us to our next match...

Blanchard looks to start the match with a body slam on Piper but he's countered with a flurry of punches and a swinging neck-breaker. A knee lift puts Tully down for a moment that lasts long enough for Piper to go for a cover. Tully manages to escape just before the three. Piper locks on a figure four leglock but Tully gets the hold broken by grabbing the ropes. Another knee lift puts Blanchard down and causes him to roll out of the ring to catch his breath. Piper gets dragged out of the ring and ends up losing the following exchange. Back in the ring, Tully hits Piper with a foreign object and a piledriver. It's Tully's chance to go for a pin attempt but he only gets a two count for his trouble. Tully seems to patiently wait for Piper to recover enough to get to his feet when he then puts him back down with a SLINGSHOT SUPLEX that ends the match and allows Tully to move on.

The winner of the match is Tully Blanchard!

After the match, promoter A.J. Costello and Commissioner Tex Robertson come out to unveil the I.C.W. TV title.

We're then ready to continue with our final match...

Tully starts off strong with a knee smash and a top rope sledge that puts Gilbert down and allows Tully to get a three count and the win, almost before everyone had even realized that the match was underway.

Winner of the match and new I.C.W. TV Champion is Tully Blanchard!

After the (short) match, Tully is given his new title belt by our promoter and commissioner before being allowed to address everyone...

Blanchard: "I had absolutely no doubt that I was going to win it all tonight because I am the best man in this entire company and soon... soon... you are all going to bear witness to the era of Tully Blanchard! I am the future so you had all better get used to seeing my face. I'm not going anywhere but to the top!"

[ajcostello]

Intercontinental Championship Wrestling has selected four of the women on the roster to compete to be the first I.C.W. Women's champion: April Hunter, Nevaeh, Tessa Blanchard, and Madison Rayne.

Nevaeh and April Hunter lock up and exchange hold and counters for a few moments Hunter misses a dropkick. Nevaeh hits a snap suplex and then locks in a guillotine choke that Hunter succumbs to, ending the match fairly quickly.

The winner of the match is Nevaeh!

This brings up our next match...

Madison and Tessa lock up and exchange a series of offense back and forth for several moments before Tessa hits a back elbow and dropkick and a running neck-breaker that sends Madison rolling out of the ring in an attempt to put some space between the two women. Tessa waits for Madison to get back into the ring, where she is waiting to hit her with a DOUBLE KNEE FACEBREAKER that gets her a three count and the win.

Winner of the match is Tessa Blanchard
!

During a short break, promoter A.J. Costello and Commissioner Tex Robertson come out to unveil the I.C.W. Women's title.

This brings us to our next and final match...

Tessa goes for a vertical suplex that Nevaeh counters and hits Tessa with a pair of dropkicks before attempting a flying elbow. Tessa is able to move aside and go for a hammerlock DDT and a running neck breaker on Nevaeh. Another hammerlock DDT by Tessa is followed up by Blanchard whipping Nevaeh into the ropes. Tessa drops down and Nevaeh goes over her to come off the opposite side of the ring to catch Tessa with a sick piledriver when she telegraphed a back body drop. Nevaeh hits Tessa with a bridging German suplex that leads into a Double Shot that sets Tessa up for BACKPACK STUNNER that puts Blanchard down for the count!

Winner of the match and new I.C.W. Women's Champion is... Nevaeh!

Costello and Robertson come back out to the ring and present Nevaeh with her championship belt and give her a chance to address the fans.

Nevaeh: "I'm sure that very, very few of you out there gave me a snowball's chance in Hell of winning but... here I stand... the I.C.W. Women's Champion! So, for those of you who love me: thank you. For those who hate me: f*ck you."

[ajcostello]

The men in charge of International Championship Wrestling have selected four men to compete for the I.C.W. Junior Heavyweight championship: Suge D, Chris Saban, Jimmy Rave, and Jake Crist.

Rave and Crist lock up and Crist ends up getting thrown into the corner turnbuckles, where he eats a big kick that sets him up for a spear. Rave goes for a cover but barely gets a two count. Rave looks to end the match with FROM DUSK TIL DAWN but he manages to fail in the attempt. Rave looks to hit the STO but it doesn't do anywhere near as much damage as he was hoping for and gives Jake enough of a chance to send Rave into the corner himself. Rave comes bouncing out of the corner only to eat a massive clothesline and THE SUICIDE. The match doesn't end, though: Crist locks on a Dragon Sleeper and cranks on it until Rave makes it to the ropes to get things broken up. Crist follows that up with a tiger suplex and gets the pinfall victory and will move on to the next step!

Winner of the match is Jake Crist!

This brings us to our next match...

Sabin starts off with an arm wringer that transitions into a Hesitation Dropkick that Suge manages to avoid! Suge replies to Sabin with a BRUH Kick that sends him tumbling out of the ring. Sabin takes as much time outside of the ring getting himself together before rolling back into the ring to avoid being counted out. Suge is ready and jumps on him, going for a Stretch Royale. SAbin very nearly has no choice but to submit but makes it to the ropes to get the hold broken. Sabin is wobbly and falls prey to THE SUGAR HIGH HEADBUTT. The match ends and Suge moves on to face Jake Crist for the title!

Winner of the match is Suge D!

A.J. Costello and Tex Robertson come out to give the wrestling world the first glimpse of the new I.C.W. Junior Heavyweight title belt.

We're ready to move on to the last match of the night...

Crist starts the match by whipping Suge into the corner and moves in after him only to get hit with a raised knee. Suge follows up with a pair of roundhouse rights that put Crist down. Suge follows up with A-Town Down and Crist escapes the ring, looking for a break. Crist grabs Suge and drags him out of the ring and rams him head-first into the corner post before taking things back into the ring. Back in the ring, Jake goes on a rampage, hitting Suge with two tiger suplexes before hitting THE SUICIDE to end the match and secure the title.

Winner of the match and new I.C.W. Junior Heavyweight champion... Jake Crist!

Costello and Robertson present the title to Jake Crist and allow him to address the fans...

Crist: "Well, would you believe it? I won the title here tonight and my wife won the title tournament she was in. So there's a celebration in the House of Crist tonight... and you can f*cking believe me when I say that we are going to be the First Family here in I.C.W.!"

[Bri]

Totally awesome to see you back in action ajcostello!

Loving the multiple divisions and looking forward to the ensuing chaos, not to mention the rest of your rosters to be revealed.

Great start!

[ajcostello]

Hey, Bri thanks for popping in to give your first impressions!

Want to hear something kinda amusing?

Last night when I was deciding on doing the last of the tourneys I was chatting with EpicDave on the Discord server and I asked him for some picks for the Women's and Junior Heavyweight tourneys and... no shenanigans here... both of his suggestions won their tournaments!

I thought that was pretty crazy.

Maybe not as crazy as Suge D beating Chris Sabin but it was still crazy!

[Bri]

Looking forward to more my friend!