Thanks to
Thomas (TK),
on_the_edge, and @kevinb for the comments this week! My usual Saturday card was postponed to Monday, as I was out of town attending the HOF banquet. Better late than never- we bring you the results from the pay-per-view!
Heartland Championship Wrestling proudly presents:July 19, 2021
Ervin J. Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio The show opens with the tune, "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue" by Toby Keith playing overhead. EPICDAVE enters the arena in a red sports jacket, white shirt and blue slacks, waving an American flag as he greets the fans. He is accompanied by VELVET SKY, who is wearing a red, white and blue sequined dress. The fans cheer as the hosts enter the ring.EpicDave: Hey, fans! Welcome to
Freedom Festival 2021! It is great to be back in the city of Dayton, where
Heartland Championship Wrestling was born. And tonight, it is great to celebrate the birth of our nation!
Velvet: Heartland- what is up?!? I am JAZZED to be here! We have so much great wrestling lined up tonight that I good go on all night. Professional wrestling is the passion of my life, and it is one of the things that makes America awesome!
EpicDave: We definitely have plenty of excitement in store for you tonight, fans, including TWO world championship matches! The
NWA World Tag Team Championship is on the line tonight when
THE ROAD WARRIORS defend against the former champions,
THE FABULOUS FREEBIRDS. And in our Main Event,
RIC FLAIR puts the
NWA World Heavyweight Championship on the line against a hated rival,
CURT HENNIG.Velvet: And don't forget- the biggest match of the year in
Heartland Ladies' Wrestling is going down tonight when our Heartland girls-
CHEERLEADER MELISSA, SHERRI MARTEL, SARAYA KNIGHT, & KYLIE RAE take on
THE MASKED INVADERS. We have been waiting for MONTHS to get our hands on those nasty women- and when we win- the Invaders will be forced to unmask!
EpicDave: I know that I am supposed to remain neutral- but I will definitely be pulling for the Heartland ladies to finally unmask these invaders here tonight. But- if the Heartland ladies lose- the loser of the fall will be forced to LEAVE the federation! You won't want to miss those three HUGE matches, which will be broadcast live on the
Epic Sports Broadcasting Network. But first- we have a terrific undercard ready and waiting as we get this show a rollin'- so relax, grab yourself a cold one, and enjoy the show!
Pro Wrestling Mid-America Championship: #1 Contender's MatchMIL MASCARAS vs. NICK BOCKWINKELBockwinkel showed his technical wizardry in the opening contest, starting the match by grounding Mascaras with a variety of submission holds and nearly putting the Mexican's lights out with the Bockwinkel Sleeper. Mascaras made a brief comeback, gaining one near-fall with a Crossbody Attack, but Bockwinkel regained control and finished off Mascaras with the Figure-Four Leglock.
WINNER: NICK BOCKWINKEL
EpicDave: A big win for Bockwinkel to kick things off here tonight. He will move on to face
BOBO BRAZIL for the
PWMA Heavyweight Championship! Bockwinkel has already held that prestigious title three times- and now he is on the hunt for number four!
Velvet: Next up- a bitter grudge match between two teams that don't like each other- managed by two women who want to tear each other apart! I still can't believe how
THE FALLEN ANGEL double-crossed
SO CAL VAL. Tonight, Val gets her shot at revenge!
Grudge Match: No DisqualificationRICK RUDE & ERNIE 'THE BIG CAT' LADD vs. THE POWERS OF PAINThe grudge match was an absolute throwdown! Rude came to the ring with a heavily bandaged left knee as a result of the injury sustained at the hands of the Powers. Ladd started things for his team and battled both men, surviving a double head butt from the Powers and battling back. Ladd battled to the point of fatigue, and Rude finally tagged himself in. Rude held his own long enough to let Ladd catch a breather, and Ladd immediately returned to the ring and pitched Barbarian out to the arena floor.
EpicDave: Here we go! It's breaking down now!
The prediction of EpicDave came true as Ladd hoisted Barbarian up and launched him through the announcer's table! Ladd rolled Barbarian back into the ring and nailed Barbarian with the Double Leg Drop, and it looked like Barbarian was finished. But Fallen Angel slid a steel chair into the ring, and Warlord smacked Ladd with the chair to interrupt the cover! Rude came to the rescue and took down Warlord with a chop block.
Velvet: This is insane!
Ladd was first to his feet, and he left the ring to put up a table at ringside. Barbarian attacked Ladd on the arena floor, but Ladd prevailed in the brawl. With So Cal Val screaming her encouragement, Ladd picked up Barbarian and slammed him through the table! Barbarian crashed through the table and went motionless. The referee rushed to the scene and immediately called for medical attention. Barbarian was unable to respond, and the referee stopped the match and declared the So Cal Crew to be the winners!
WINNERS: ERNIE LADD & RICK RUDE
After the decision, Rude and Ladd celebrated with a weary embrace as Barbarian received medical attention. So Cal Val came to join the celebration, but Val was attacked by Fallen Angel with a steel chair! Before Rude and Ladd could intervene, Fallen Angel delivered several extreme chair shots to Val until Val collapsed to the arena floor unconscious. Velvet: Ohmigawd! Fallen Angel just tried to kill So Cal Val!
EpicDave: That was an ugly attack. The paramedics are going to have to do double duty here in the wake of that melee. Even in defeat, there is no depth to which the Fallen Angel will not stoop to prevail against an enemy. That is one DANGEROUS woman. Fans- now that the dust is settled- we take you to our first championship match of the night.
Heartland Ladies' ChampionshipSHOTZI BLACKHEART (c) vs. MERCEDES MARTINEZThe Ladies' Title Match was a display of dominance for Mercedes. Martinez overpowered Shotzi early on and dropped the champion with a brutal power slam! Mercedes continued to pepper Shotzi with high-impact manuvers as Shotzi wore down. Shotzi mounted a rally with a flurry of flying moves, but Mercedes trapped Shotzi in the corner and brutalized Shotzi with vicious chops to the chest. Shotzi was gassed, and Mercedes took Shotzi down with the Fisherman Buster for the pin!
WINNER: MERCEDES MARTINEZ
MERCEDES MARTINEZ WINS THE HEARTLAND LADIES' CHAMPIONSHIP
Velvet: Wow! Mercedes kicked butt out there tonight! She has won the
Heartland Ladies' Championship for the fifth time. Kudos to Mercedes for regaining the title here tonight. A lot of people were surprised that Shotzi won the belt in the first place- so give it up to Shotzi for a successful run as champion.
EpicDave: Congratulations to Mercedes for a dominant championship victory. Next up- we head back down south for the
Pro Wrestling Mid-America Tag Team Championship! Pro Wrestling Mid-America Tag Team ChampionshipTHE MIDNIGHT ROCKERS (c) vs. BOB BACKLUND & PEDRO MORALESThe Rockers got off to a rough start as Backlund gave both champs a wrestling lesson. Backlund nearly finished off Jannetty with an Atomic Knee Drop, but Michaels alertly made the save. Backlund tagged out to Pedro, and the Rockers exploded on Morales with an incredible series of double-teams! Morales ate a double elbow from the champs, and Janetty followed with a Rocker Dropper to pin Morales and retain the belts.
WINNERS: THE MIDNIGHT ROCKERS
THE MIDNIGHT ROCKERS RETAIN THE PRO WRESTLING MID-AMERICA TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
EpicDave: What a comeback from the Midnight Rockers! The speed and the chemistry of those two is something special.
Velvet: I thought Jannetty was finished- but I thought to soon. Shawn and Marty are still the champs- and every lady in Dayton is thrilled to watch those guys!
EpicDave: They are definitely a couple of heartthrobs- but let's not underestimate their abilities as a tag team. They took out a pair of all-time greats tonight and have solidified themselves as the best team in the PWMA. All right, fans- let's move on to the
West Coast Heavyweight Championship!West Coast Heavyweight ChampionshipBRYAN DANIELSON (c) vs. CODY RHODESThe championship reign of the American Dragon carried on in style tonight. Cody came out aggressively at the opening bell, but Danielson countered with a flurry of roundhouse kicks to take Cody to the mat. Danielson immediately slapped on a Crossface Chickenwing and nearly ended the match in the first three minutes. Rhodes escaped from the move, but Danielson kept control of the bout and kept Cody grounded. Several minutes later, Danielson once again clamped on the Crossface Chickenwing and forced Cody to tap out.
WINNER: BRYAN DANIELSON
BRYAN DANIELSON RETAINS THE WEST COAST HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
EpicDave: Bryan Danielson once again proves that he is one of the top wrestlers in the world today. He gave Cody a wrestling lesson tonight and the outcome was never in doubt.
Velvet: Good job, Bryan! But finally- it is the moment we have been waiting for. The ladies of the Heartland- my girls- finally get their hands on the masked invaders that have been terrorizing
Heartland Ladies' Wrestling!EpicDave: I can't wait to see this. And fans- you will get to see all the rest of tonight's action on the
Epic Sports Broadcasting Network!Velvet: Are we on? I am so nervous! It is finally time for the big showdown and the stakes couldn't be higher. If we win- the Invaders unmask! But if we lose, whichever one of our girls loses is going to have to leave
Heartland Ladies' Wrestling- for an entire year!
Heartland Ladies' ShowdownCHEERLEADER MELISSA, SARAYA KNIGHT, SHERRI MARTEL & KYLIE RAE vs. THE MASKED INVADERSTensions were through the roof of the Nutter Center as the Heartland Ladies entered the ring. The Invaders took their time coming to the ring, much to the aggravation of the Heartland team.
Velvet: More mind games. Why am I not surprised?
When the action finally got underway, Cheerleader Melissa started for Heartland and launched an all-out assault on the Red Invader. But Red used Melissa's aggression against her, and Melissa slammed hard into the turnbuckle after a reckless charge. Red and Black teamed up on Melissa and wore her down. Black applied a Boston Crab to further weaken Melissa. Red and Black took turns on Melissa, methodically working her over for several minutes before Melissa finally dropped Red with a Kudoh Driver and escaped to tag in Saraya!
EpicDave: Melissa took a TON of punishment in that sequence!
Saraya entered the ring and squared off with Yellow. Yellow and Blue tagged in frequently and tried to punish Saraya, but Saraya dropped Blue with a nasty DDT! Sherri hit the ring and pummeled Blue, then Kylie came in for a double-team on Blue that stunned her! The fans went wild as Kylie opened up a can of whoopass on Blue!
Velvet: Go Kylie! Wow- has she stepped up her game!
Blue finally managed to tag out to Black, who entered the ring and greeted Kylie with a nasty SLAP across the face! But Kylie refused to back down, and traded blows with Black until Kylie tagged out to Sherri. Black caught Sherri with a vicious head butt! Action spilled out to the arena floor, where Sherri slammed the head of Black on to the announcer's table! Sherri dropped Black with a knee lift for a near fall, and the fans went crazy!
EpicDave: Black Invader is down! This is a great opportunity for our Heartland girls to take control!
Kylie returned to the ring and teamed with Sherri to drop Black with a huge Double Suplex for another near fall, but Black escaped. Black got to her feet, clearly staggered, but again SLAPPED Kylie across the face! Kylie was enraged, but Black tagged out to Yellow and Yellow took over against Kylie! Yellow locked on a series of submission moves, but Kylie refused to give up!
Velvet: Come on Kylie! You can do this!
Yellow punished Kylie a bit more, then tagged in Red. Red continued the assault on Kylie, until Kylie finally came off the ropes with a big dropkick to stun Red! Melissa came into the match, but immediately set up a table on the arena floor! Unfortunately, Red recovered and backdropped Melissa through the table! Red took control, blasting Melissa with a big boot and tagging in Blue. Blue drilled Melissa with a Power Bomb, and Blue went for the cover! All four women from both sides jumped into the ring, and Kylie managed to interrupt the pin. Black put Melissa into another Boston Crab, but Saraya made the save!
EpicDave: Wow! That was close!
The referee finally regained control, and Melissa was left at the mercy of the Invaders. Blue went for a Double Leg Drop, but Melissa slipped out of the way and Melissa drilled Blue with a curb stomp! Yellow and Saraya tagged in and threw down in a vicious brawl. The battle spilled out of the ring again, where Saraya dumped Yellow with a Samoan Drop on the Arena floor!
Velvet: Here's our chance! Let's go girls!
Yellow retrieved the ring bell, but Saraya snatched the bell from Yellow and bonked Yellow across the head! Saraya immediately dug her fingers into the eyes of Yellow! Kylie returned to the ring and clobbered Yellow with a pair of missile dropkicks! Sherri tagged in a snatched a Camel Clutch onto Yellow! Yellow nearly gave it up, but Black grabbed Sherri and pitched her out of the ring! Sherri reached into the crowd and retrieved a crutch from a disabled fan, and smacked Yellow across the side of the head!
EpicDave: She got all of that one!
With Yellow in trouble, Melissa hit the ring and tried to finish off Yellow, but Yellow escaped to tag in Blue. Melissa went for another charge to the turnbuckle, but missed again and tumbled out of the ring. Blue pursued Melissa to the arena floor, where the two brawled without mercy! Blue and Melissa finally returned to the ring, where Blue caught Melissa with a pair of suplexes. Melissa narrowly escaped defeat and tagged in Sherri. Sherri grabbed Blue and choked her viciously on the top rope! Blue barely escaped, and staggered to the center of the ring. Sherri went to the top rope and prepared for a big splash! Red tried to intervene, but Kylie took out Red with a running spear! Sherri was able to fly off the top turnbuckle, hitting the Big Splash on Blue and covering Blue for the pin!
WINNERS: HEARTLAND LADIES' WRESTLING
After the decision, Sherri snatched the mask off the Blue Invader to reveal JUDY MARTIN! The remainder if the Invaders were quickly subdued and unmasked to reveal:
RED INVADER: LEILANI KAI
YELLOW INVADER: MAE YOUNG
BLACK INVADER: FABULOUS MOOLAHVelvet: We did it! We did it! We unmasked those nasty Invaders!
EpicDave: Yeah, baby! What a great night for
Heartland Ladies' Wrestling! The Invaders have been unmasked- and Fabulous Moolah was the ringleader of this entire invasion. But give it up for the proud ladies of the Heartland who beat back the invasion! These mystery women are leaving
Freedom Festival 2021 with their collective tails between their legs as the Heartland stands proud!
Velvet: I have never been so PSYCHED in my entire wrestling life! Way to go, ladies!
EpicDave: From the moment the referee counted three, the fans have not stopped cheering. Enjoy the moment, fans! All right- as the mood around the ring finally settles down- it's time for our World Championship Matches!
NWA World Tag Team ChampionshipTHE ROAD WARRIORS (c) vs. THE FABULOUS FREEBIRDSAfter the drama of the ladies' match, the crowd was drained and even the obnoxious histrionics of the Freebirds did little to inspire. Gordy battled both Warriors competitively, but when Hayes hit the ring, Animal and Hawk took control. BUDDY ROBERTS hit the ring and clubbed Animal from behind, but the blow had no effect and the referee sent Roberts back to the dressing room. Hawk took over on Hayes and quickly hoisted Hayes up for the Doomsday Device. Gordy tried to intervene, but Animal took out Gordy with a flying shoulder tackle! The Warriors proceeded to annihiliate Hayes with the Doomsday Device and Hawk covered Hayes for the clean pin.
WINNERS: THE ROAD WARRIORS
THE ROAD WARRIORS RETAIN THE NWA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
EpicDave: A dominant performance by the champions! The Road Warriors left no doubt tonight that there are the best tag team in the world! And now, fans- we take you to tonight's Main Event.
Velvet: But wait-
SO CAL VAL is out of the arena!
CURT HENNIG is going to have to wrestle all by himself!
Main Event: NWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipRIC FLAIR (c) vs. CURT HENNIGHennig wrestled the match of his life here tonight! The challenger was on the attack from the opening bell tonight, and used everything in his arsenal in an effort to overcome the formidable Flair. After an initial flurry, Hennig went to the Sleeper Hold and left Flair on goofy street. Hennig surprised Flair with a Figure-Four leglock and Flair nearly gave it up! But JAMES J. DILLON distracted the referee and pulled Flair to the ropes to force the break. Hennig toppled Flair with The Axe, and Flair collapsed face-first to the mat. Dillon threw his shoe in to the ring to assist Flair, but Hennig grabbed the shoe and threw it out of the ring. With all the momentum in his favor, Hennig pulled Flair off the mat and executed a Hennig Plex and covered Flair for the three count!
WINNER: CURT HENNIG
CURT HENNIG WINS THE NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
EpicDave: Ladies and gentlemen- history has been made here in Dayton, Ohio! Curt Hennig has won the
NWA World Heavyweight Championship! Against all odds, Hennig rose to the occasion and toppled the champion to achieve his dream of becoming the best wrestler on the planet! What a stunning conclusion to an incredible night of action here at
Freedom Festival 2021. Congratulations to the new champion- and to all of tonight's winners! All right, fans- we're done here. Thank you for joining us for tonight's action! Heartland will be back next Saturday night with another exciting evening of wrestling. That's our show, and I AM OUTTA HERE!