Thanks as always to
neilybob,
~KB~, and
barfly2021 for keeping the Heartland hot!
Heartland Championship Wrestling proudly presents:
February 17, 2024
Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas: Good evening, fans- and welcome to
Heartland Havoc CXX: Thunderstruck! We are so proud to be here in the legendary wrestling city of Dallas, Texas with a full night of action. It's gonna be spectacular from start to finish tonight- including an incredible Main Event with the
NWA World Heavyweight Championship on the line as
RIC FLAIR defends his title against
VADER!Solie: That should be a tremendous match indeed. Of course, Vader earned this title opportunity by winning the
Legends of Wrestling Tournament at Galacticon 2023, and tonight he hopes to cash in that opportunity to bring home the biggest prize in all of wrestling.
Russell: EpicDave, Gordon Solie, it is a privilege for
Pro Wrestling Mid-America to host this monumental pay-per-view. Welcome to Dallas!
EpicDave: Thank you, Lance. It is an honor to be here- and yes, this will be a monumental show, including FIVE championship matches- and all of tonight's action will be streamed live on the
Epic Sports Broadcasting Network. So fans- relax, grab yourself a cold one, and enjoy the show!
EpicDave: Tonight's first contest will be a Steel Cage Match involving
SHAWN MICHAELS and an opponent who is yet to be announced. This has arisen from a series of events that took place right here in Texas. Lance- can you give us the details?
Russell: It all began a couple of weeks ago when Shawn Michaels was arrested for an alleged assault which took place at a grocery store in Michaels' home town of San Antonio. Details on that event were sketchy- but Shawn was bailed out of prison in San Antonio and immediately kidnapped! In exchange for Michaels' release, he was signed to this match tonight- but we still don't know the identity of his opponent.
Solie: Could
JACKIE FARGO be involved in this incident?
EpicDave: That wouldn't surprise me one bit. Fargo has been out to get Michaels ever since Buckeye Bowl 2024, when Michaels accidentally clocked Fargo with Jimmy Hart's megaphone and knocked Fargo out of the Buckeye Bowl.
Russell: Well, folks- the time has come for us to find out the identity of tonight's opponent.
A hush falls over the crowd as SHAWN MICHAELS is shoved through the curtains. Michaels is escorted roughly by STAN HANSEN & OLE ANDERSON. Russell: Why am I not surprised that these scoundrels from
WHATEVER WE WANT would be responsible for this.
JACKIE FARGO & JIMMY HART come to ringside, but Fargo is in street clothes. Michaels is shoved into the ring, then the crowd gasps as TERRY FUNK storms into the cage and the match is on!Steel Cage Grudge MatchSHAWN MICHAELS vs. TERRY FUNKNo sooner did the bell ring, then Michaels was on Funk in a heartbeat! Michaels took Funk down with a flying forearm, and raked the face of Funk against the steel cage. Funk struggled to his feet, and Michaels obliterated Funk with the Sweet Chin Music! Funk was knocked for a loop, but refused to go down. Michaels smoked Funk with another Sweet Chin Music and Funk was down for the count.
WINNER: SHAWN MICHAELS
EpicDave: Wow! Shawn Michaels just took out Terry Funk- and Michaels dominated that match!
When Michaels left the cage, he was confronted by Hansen and Ole. It looked like Michaels was going to take a beating, but NIKITA KOLOFF & KEVIN STEEN charged to ringside and chased off Ole and Hansen! Michaels left the ring with Nikita and Steen to the cheers of the fans.Russell: What a performance by Shawn Michaels! I think the fans really enjoyed seeing that from Michaels. And the crew from
JUSTICE 4 ALL came to the aid of Michaels to save him another beating!
Solie: Indeed, that was a perplexing turn of events. Ladies and gentlemen, we now bring you the first title match of the evening- with the
Atlantic Tag Team Championship on the line.
Atlantic Tag Team ChampionshipTHE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (c) vs. THE FLYING REDHEADSDespite the formidable reputation of the Redheads, The Midnight Express was able to take control after several minutes of back-and-forth action. The match turned when Eaton dumped Lyons with a nasty Divorce Court. Bastien tried to rescue his hurting partner, but Eaton dropped Bastien with a stinging right hand! Lyons was left to fend for himself, and Lane put Lyons away with a Russian Leg Sweep.
WINNERS: THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS
THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS RETAIN THE ATLANTIC TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
EpicDave: Vintage Midnight Express.
Solie: No question, Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane have impeccable teamwork- and the managerial genius of
JAMES E. CORNETTE has built this team into an unstoppable force. Congratulations to the Midnights for a successful defense of the
Atlantic Tag Team Championship. EpicDave: Coming up next- the AWF is back in the spotlight!
Atlantic Heavyweight ChampionshipNICK ALDIS (c) vs. DUSTY RHODESThe crowd was pumped up for
DUSTY RHODES as he challenged for the Atlantic Title. Aldis had a game plan, but Dusty took Aldis by surprise with a dropkick from the arena floor which sent Aldis careening over the security rail! Aldis was slowed, and Dusty kept after him with dropkicks and elbow drops in the ring. Aldis was in a tough spot, and Dusty shocked Aldis by coming off the top turnbuckle with a perfect cross-body block for the pin!
WINNER: DUSTY RHODES
DUSTY RHODES CAPTURES THE ATLANTIC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
EpicDave: Congratulations to
DUSTY RHODES! He has captured the
Atlantic Heavyweight Championship- his first taste of gold in the Heartland. What a performance by Dusty!
Solie: He's just a common man- but he is indeed the embodiment of the American Dream. That is why this man is beloved in the state of Texas and across the wrestling universe.
EpicDave: But there will be no love lost in this next match as
MARK HENRY and his bitter enemy
BIG JOHN STUDD have brought their respective partners here to Texas for a
No Disqualification Tag Team Grudge Match. Grudge Match: No DisqualificationMARK HENRY & 'ROWDY' RODDY PIPER vs. BIG JOHN STUDD & CURT HENNIG (w/BOBBY 'THE BRAIN' HEENAN)It was an intense battle between these heated rivals. Henry and Studd were itching to mix it up, and Piper and Hennig joined right in. All four man battled with reckless abandon, including a wild sequence where Henry caught Hennig in midair coming off the turnbuckle, and immediately thereafter, Studd caught Piper the exact same way. Both the smaller men suffered crushing landings, with Henry hoisting Hennig overhead in a military press and pitching Hennig into the crowd! With the smaller men out of the way, Heenan handed Studd a sledgehammer, and Studd prepared to attack Henry. But before Studd could strike, Piper pulled a baseball bat from under the ring and came after Studd! Studd and Piper dueled with the sledgehammer and the bat, attempting to maim one another all the way up the ring aisle and back to the locker room.
FINAL RESULT: NO CONTEST
EpicDave: Holy mayhem! Studd and Piper are battling all over Dallas! Nothing has been decided here tonight- but the war rages on. We're going to book Piper vs. Studd in a
Weapons Match to settle this.
Russell: I understand where you are coming from, EpicDave. I usually don't condone that level of violence- but sometimes you just gotta let the boys do what they're gonna do- especially here in Texas! All right- it's time now for another match that Texas has been waiting for- a title match for the
Pro Wrestling Mid-America Heavyweight Championship!Pro Wrestling Mid-America Heavyweight ChampionshipBARRY WINDHAM (c) (w/JIMMY HART) vs. BRET 'HITMAN' HARTThe PWMA championship was easily the match of the night- and an early candidate for Match of the Year! Windham and Hart traded holds and moves for several minutes before Hart took control with an incredible skull-splitting Lariat off the turnbuckle. Hart went for the Sharpshooter and nearly forced Windham to tap out- but
JIMMY HART jumped to the ring apron and created a distraction. Before Jimmy could interfere,
JERRY LYNN dashed to ringside and pulled Jimmy off the apron! Unfortunately for Jimmy, Lynn caught Jimmy by the pants, and Jimmy's pants fell down around his ankles! Jimmy staggered away from ringside with Lynn in pursuit, and the match continued.
Russell: Jimmy Hart lost his britches! And the fans here in Dallas are roaring with laughter.
As Bret returned to the match, Windham caught Bret in an inside cradle and nearly scored the pin! Bret kicked out and staggered to his feet, but Barry clamped on the Blackjack Claw! Hart dropped to his knees, struggling desperately and finally reaching the ropes to force the break. Hart came up dazed, and Windham obliterated Bret with a massive Lariat. It looked like curtains for Bret, but Hart managed to get his foot over the bottom rope just ahead of the three count! Windham pounded the mat in frustration, then Windham hoisted the Hitman to the top turnbuckle and sent Hart crashing to the mat in the center of the ring with the Sweetwater Superplex. This time, there was no escape for Hart as Windham covered him for the three-count.
WINNER: BARRY WINDHAM
BARRY WINDHAM RETAINS THE PWMA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
EpicDave: Unbelievable! Hart nearly had the title in his grasp- and even then, it took THREE tries before Windham could close the deal.
Russell: Bret Hart showed incredible resilience in that match, and he nearly won the darn thing- if not for the interference of that weasel
JIMMY HART. EpicDave: No doubt about it. Still, we must congratulate
BARRY WINDHAM for retaining his
PWMA Heavyweight Championship after an incredible match. And now, fans- it's time for the first of two World Championship matches here tonight!
NWA World Tag Team ChampionshipJACK & JERRY BRISCO (c) vs. TONY GAREA & LARRY ZBYSZKOTeamwork and scientific grappling were the key features of this match. Jack was wrestling injured, but managed to hold his own. Jerry carried the load for the Briscos, while Garea and Zbyszko tagged frequently and hit several double moves. Finally, the Briscos were able to hit a neck-breaking double clothesline on Garea that stunned the Kiwi. Jack followed up with a pair of perfectly placed dropkicks and pinned Garea as Zbyszko tried in vain to make the save.
WINNERS: JACK & JERRY BRISCO
THE BRISCO BROTHERS RETAIN THE NWA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Solie: Without question, that was a textbook display of tag team excellence on both sides.
Russell: It looked like Garea and Zbyszko were in control- but Jack and Jerry came through when the chips were down.
EpicDave: You got that right. I am so impressed with
THE BRISCO BROTHERS for such an impressive run as
NWA World Tag Team Champions. Their feud with those maniacs,
CACTUS JACK & KEVIN SULLIVAN, was as brutal as it gets- and now they come back against a very skilled and scientific tag team like Garea and Zbyszko and once against they manage to come away victorious. These guys are the total package. And now, fans- it's time for the Main Event of the evening!
Main Event: NWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipRIC FLAIR (c) (w/BOBBY 'THE BRAIN HEENAN') vs. VADER (w/PERCY PRINGLE III)Flair executed his game plan to perfection, working the left knee of Vader at every opportunity and hobbling the big man. Vader rallied with his power game and planted Flair with a Power Bomb for a near fall, but Flair got his leg over the bottom rope to break the count. The two men battled back and forth, which Flair battering Vader with thunderous chops and Vader refusing to go down.
Solie: A monumental struggle indeed between these legends!
Flair went back to work on the knee of Vader, and Percy Pringle became desperate. As Flair was about to lock on the Figure-Four, Percy slammed his hands on the mat. To the shock of the crowd,
'ROWDY' RODDY PIPER came to ringside to assist Vader! Piper and Flair had words, and Vader took advantage by backjumping Flair to take control. But the Vader offensive was short-lived, as
CURT HENNIG & BIG JOHN STUDD arrived to provide Heenan with back-up. With the threat neutralized, Flair was able to catch Vader with another chop block and lock in the Figure-Four and force the submission!lair caught a distracted Vader with a chop block to the injured knee and wrapped up the mammoth in the Figure-Four to force the submission.
WINNER: RIC FLAIR
RIC FLAIR RETAINS THE NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
EpicDave: The Nature Boy wins again! Congratulations to
RIC FLAIR for successfully defending the
NWA World Heavyweight Championship! Solie: Indeed, that was a monumental victory for the champion- but the implications are profound for one
BOBBY HEENAN.Russell: Nobody was expecting
RODDY PIPER and
MARK HENRY to align themselves with
VADER and
PERCY PRINGLE III. Mark Henry is next in line for a shot at the NWA Title- and that's gonna mean a lot of sleepless nights for Bobby Heenan.
EpicDave: So that's that- Ric Flair retains the World Title, but it's gonna be a hard road ahead. Congratulations once again to the Nature Boy, and to all of tonight's winners! All right, fans- we're done here. It has been a terrific night here in Dallas for this special presentation of
Heartland Havoc CXX: Thunderstruck! Thanks for checking us out tonight! Heartland will be back next Saturday night as the action rolls on for
Heartland Championship Wrestling. That's our show, and I AM OUTTA HERE!
