Post by Mr. Jimmyface on Jul 27, 2009 11:33:49 GMT -5
32 MAN WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT - DAY 2:
ROUND 2:
* Antonio Inoki def. Ted DiBiase with THE OCTOPUS HOLD (For those who saw DiBiase sneak a win out of Mascaras and Inoki be part of a one sided squash, this match blew those away. It was a tremendous show of submissions and counter wrestling, which no one expected in this match. 3 1/2 stars, and best match of the round)
* Ed "Strangler" Lewis def. Giant Baba with a bear hug and leg trip combo. (2 1/2 stars, as Lewis' ground game overcame the size and power of a giant)
* Rikidozan def. Diamond Dallas Page with THUNDEROUS CHOPS. (3 star match, as Page would not quit during the match. He struggled and escaped every hold he was put into, and would not surrender despite the pain. If one of the chops hadn't rendered him unconcious, he would have kept fighting.
* Antonino Rocca def. Frank Gotch by count out (Rocca dominated the match, with Gotch getting in no offense. After 10 minutes, Gotch simply walked out with a crestfallen look on his face. Did he really give up on himself, or is there something else going on here? 1 star, as Gotch was a huge fan favorite going into this match, but his leaving the arena has raised a lot of questions)
* The Masked Superstar def. The Iron Sheik with a head butt. (1 star squash match)
* Don Muraco def. Sam Hayne with THE HAWAIIAN HAMMER (Unlike Rogers, Muraco took the young challenger seriously and both men had a solid match, although experience and power made Hayne's efforts for naught. 2 1/2 stars)
* Steve Williams def. Jim Londos with THE OKLAHOMA STAMPEDE (2 1/2 stars, as Londos was simply overpowered by Dr. Death)
* Rob Van Dam def. The Crusher with THE FIVE STAR GROG SPLASH (3 star match. From the second RVD pointed his fingers, The Crusher laid into him. He was relentless and clearly not impressed with the young kid. It looked like Crusher was going to win until he injured his ribs when he missed a charge into the ring rails. RVD took control and quickly won the match)
ROUND 3:
* Antonio Inoki def. Ed "Strangler" Lewis with THE OCTOPUS HOLD (3 star match. This match was a match up of great submission masters who took this one all over the arena!)
* Rikidozan def. Antonino Rocca with THE HIPLOCK (2 star match. Rikidozan knows how to use his power better than anyone else in LOW!)
* Masked Superstar def. Don Muraco with THE COBRA HOLD (1 1/2 star match. Brief, one sided affair)
* Rob Van Dam def. Steve Williams with THE FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH (2 star match, but only due to length of the match itself. It was a great display of power and agility, and was highlighted by RVD executing a swanton bomb outside of the ring!)
ROUND 4:
* Antonio Inoki def. Rikidozan with the Cobra Twist (This was a 5 star match! Lots of power displays by both wrestlers, and absolutely no quit in them. Over 20 minutes of action before Rikidozan tapped out.)
* Rob Van Dam def. Masked Superstar with THE FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH (Another 5 star match! Masked Superstar took more damage than anyone in any match I've ever had - eleven fatigue tokens - and kept charging. He was the first wrestler to push RVD past his limits. A lot of high impact moves, a lot of blood, and a lot of fans chanting BEST MATCH EVER. Afterwards, the normally cocky RVD embraced Masked Superstar and raised his hand to a standing ovation)
FINAL MATCH:
Since the World Heavyweight Championship will be defended in a 2 out of 3 Falls format, this final matchup between Antonio Inoki and Rob Van Dam would be fought in the same manner. But truthfully, two falls were all that were needed for RVD to finish off Inoki. The first time with Rolling Thunder, and the second time with THE FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH. 3 1/2 stars for both matches.
YOUR WINNER... AND NEW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION... FROM BATTLE CREEK, MI... ROB VAN DAM... VAN DAM!
Afterwards, LOW President Tom Filsinger, along with Commissioners G. Michael Cappetta and Bill Apter presented Rob Van Dam with the ten pounds of gold. RVD thanked them and then addressed the crowd...
"Hey, listen... I'm not usually the guy to say this, but thank you all for being here and cheering on RVD. I am proud to be your world champion, and I hope to set the standard for what it takes to be a champion. I promise you all that I will give you everything I have every time I put this belt on the line. But for right now, I think it's time to celebrate!"
With that, he went into the crowd and like a pied piper, led them out into the arena where an impromptu barbeque/beer blast was set up for the fans.
Great night! Great start to the feds! Thanks for reading!
ROUND 2:
* Antonio Inoki def. Ted DiBiase with THE OCTOPUS HOLD (For those who saw DiBiase sneak a win out of Mascaras and Inoki be part of a one sided squash, this match blew those away. It was a tremendous show of submissions and counter wrestling, which no one expected in this match. 3 1/2 stars, and best match of the round)
* Ed "Strangler" Lewis def. Giant Baba with a bear hug and leg trip combo. (2 1/2 stars, as Lewis' ground game overcame the size and power of a giant)
* Rikidozan def. Diamond Dallas Page with THUNDEROUS CHOPS. (3 star match, as Page would not quit during the match. He struggled and escaped every hold he was put into, and would not surrender despite the pain. If one of the chops hadn't rendered him unconcious, he would have kept fighting.
* Antonino Rocca def. Frank Gotch by count out (Rocca dominated the match, with Gotch getting in no offense. After 10 minutes, Gotch simply walked out with a crestfallen look on his face. Did he really give up on himself, or is there something else going on here? 1 star, as Gotch was a huge fan favorite going into this match, but his leaving the arena has raised a lot of questions)
* The Masked Superstar def. The Iron Sheik with a head butt. (1 star squash match)
* Don Muraco def. Sam Hayne with THE HAWAIIAN HAMMER (Unlike Rogers, Muraco took the young challenger seriously and both men had a solid match, although experience and power made Hayne's efforts for naught. 2 1/2 stars)
* Steve Williams def. Jim Londos with THE OKLAHOMA STAMPEDE (2 1/2 stars, as Londos was simply overpowered by Dr. Death)
* Rob Van Dam def. The Crusher with THE FIVE STAR GROG SPLASH (3 star match. From the second RVD pointed his fingers, The Crusher laid into him. He was relentless and clearly not impressed with the young kid. It looked like Crusher was going to win until he injured his ribs when he missed a charge into the ring rails. RVD took control and quickly won the match)
ROUND 3:
* Antonio Inoki def. Ed "Strangler" Lewis with THE OCTOPUS HOLD (3 star match. This match was a match up of great submission masters who took this one all over the arena!)
* Rikidozan def. Antonino Rocca with THE HIPLOCK (2 star match. Rikidozan knows how to use his power better than anyone else in LOW!)
* Masked Superstar def. Don Muraco with THE COBRA HOLD (1 1/2 star match. Brief, one sided affair)
* Rob Van Dam def. Steve Williams with THE FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH (2 star match, but only due to length of the match itself. It was a great display of power and agility, and was highlighted by RVD executing a swanton bomb outside of the ring!)
ROUND 4:
* Antonio Inoki def. Rikidozan with the Cobra Twist (This was a 5 star match! Lots of power displays by both wrestlers, and absolutely no quit in them. Over 20 minutes of action before Rikidozan tapped out.)
* Rob Van Dam def. Masked Superstar with THE FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH (Another 5 star match! Masked Superstar took more damage than anyone in any match I've ever had - eleven fatigue tokens - and kept charging. He was the first wrestler to push RVD past his limits. A lot of high impact moves, a lot of blood, and a lot of fans chanting BEST MATCH EVER. Afterwards, the normally cocky RVD embraced Masked Superstar and raised his hand to a standing ovation)
FINAL MATCH:
Since the World Heavyweight Championship will be defended in a 2 out of 3 Falls format, this final matchup between Antonio Inoki and Rob Van Dam would be fought in the same manner. But truthfully, two falls were all that were needed for RVD to finish off Inoki. The first time with Rolling Thunder, and the second time with THE FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH. 3 1/2 stars for both matches.
YOUR WINNER... AND NEW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION... FROM BATTLE CREEK, MI... ROB VAN DAM... VAN DAM!
Afterwards, LOW President Tom Filsinger, along with Commissioners G. Michael Cappetta and Bill Apter presented Rob Van Dam with the ten pounds of gold. RVD thanked them and then addressed the crowd...
"Hey, listen... I'm not usually the guy to say this, but thank you all for being here and cheering on RVD. I am proud to be your world champion, and I hope to set the standard for what it takes to be a champion. I promise you all that I will give you everything I have every time I put this belt on the line. But for right now, I think it's time to celebrate!"
With that, he went into the crowd and like a pied piper, led them out into the arena where an impromptu barbeque/beer blast was set up for the fans.
Great night! Great start to the feds! Thanks for reading!