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March Madness would begin with a tag team contest between the Legion of Smashdom and Beer Money Inc. Although, nothing had yet been confirmed many people believed that Smashdom were the true number one contenders’ for the NWA World Tag Team Championships and expect the pair to face the winners of tonight’s main-event Roode and Storm would give Uno and Dos a good challenge, but it would be the Legion of Smashdom that would claim the victory in what would be a great match to kick off the show.
Okada would face Honma, in what would be Tomoaki’s final match of what had been a short tour for Honma and it would also prove to be another loss for the elder Japanese wrestler who hadn’t been able to win once since working in the US as Okada would continue to shine. It had been suggested that Tomoaki’s time in the US had actually had more to do with the coming ‘Wrestle 1’ tournament, but at this point it was nothing but gossip from the dirt sheets.
The Women’s division would be treated to Trios action as Becky Quinn would team up with Pink Energy (Angelina Love & Velvet Sky) would secure a win over a slightly less organised ensemble of Thea Trinidad, Katie Lea Burchill and Madison Rayne in what would be a fairly average match, but seemed to be centered on giving Quinn a position on the card without the young Irish talent losing relevance.
The first title match of the evening would be contested for the NWA Hollywood Championship as PAC would be pitted against Shelton Benjamin. ‘The Gold Standard’ Benjamin would prove to be an excellent opponent and would bring the best out of the Hollywood Champion that would turn the contest into a five star classic. PAC would once again successfully defend his title and extend his winning streak to 23-0.
A Trios match would take place that would see The Colony w/ Arn Anderson take on JLS in a quality match that would see The Colony claim the win. After the contest, Arn Anderson would make it clear that he had never dreamed of managing a group like The Colony, but felt that if Trios action was something that the NWA were really thinking of pursuing then he was happy to continue to support his working project Green Ant (Gresham).
SJB and Candice LeRae would battle in a Street Fight with the NWA World Women’s Championship on the line, and neither women held anything back and it was quite clear they were intent on causing the other as much damage as possible. Both women would sustain large amounts of damage, with both drawing blood throughout the match. The contest would end with LeRae leaping off the turnbuckle whilst holding SJB and spiking her through a wooden table with a piledriver. The referee would actually rule that SJB had been knocked out and declare Candice the winner and therefore the new Women’s Champion. LeRae was hardly able to stand up herself, but would manage to smile as she flung the strap over her shoulder.
AJ Styles and Zack Sabre, Jr. would face each other in the much anticipated contest between the two men, and would compete under the gimmick of a Submission Match knowing that the only way they could lose was by tapping out. The match would end up being the best match of the evening so far, actually narrowly being more impressive than the Hollywood Championship match. Both men were gifted acrobats and workhorses that the match had really fluidity and chemistry and would last over twenty minutes, before ZSJ would claim the win by locking AJ in his signature Cross Armbreaker to claim a monumental victory at PPV level.
Charlie Haas had been left embarrassed when he had lost the National Championship to Jase Hicks in an open challenge on his very first defence of the belt, and so this would be his chance to save some face and win back the belt that he still felt was rightfully his. Unfortunately, the match wouldn’t be a fairytale for Haas despite Paul Ellering’s best attempts at playing the role of fairy Godmother as Hicks’ Kickboxing style would prove to be too much and the young rookie would retain the belt. The victory would also mean that all five members of Energy! (Angelina, Velvet, PAC, ZSJ and Hicks) had managed to win, giving the faction a 100% record at the March Madness PPV.
The Legion and Chaos Project would finally have the match that both groups had been working towards, and although no one expected this to be the end of the war it would leave no doubt in anyone’s mind which faction was the more dominant. What was strange though, was that Peter Avalon and Jake Strong would be revealed as members of The Legion for the match - although this left everyone very confused for two reasons. Both men were members of the Court of Avalonia, but the second was that Avalon was set to face Booker T later on in the show. No answers would be offered though, as the pair made their way out the ring with Abyss, The Hardy Boyz with Father James Mitchell in tow.
They would be met in battle by Sting, Samoa Joe, Josh Alexander and Chaos Projects’ newest recruits Rob Van Dam and Bobby Lashley to complete their group of five, in what was scheduled to be a Five-on-Five Elimination tag team match. The order of eliminations were as follows:
Rob Van Dam eliminated Jake Strong
Abyss eliminated Bobby Lashley
Peter Avalon eliminated Sting
Rob Van Dam eliminated Peter Avalon
Josh Alexander eliminated Jeff Hardy
Abyss eliminated Josh Alexander
Matt Hardy eliminated Rob Van Dam
Abyss eliminated Samoa Joe
At the end of the contest it would be Matt Hardy and Abyss that would be left as the two survivors, although there would be questions rather than answers following the contest as why The Legion had recruited Avalon and Strong for the contest with it being common knowledge that the duo were actively part of another faction.
The X-Division Championship match would follow the elimination match, which would prove to be a hard match to follow. Not that it would stop Kevin Steen and Trevor Murdoch from doing their damn best to impress the fans in attendance. Steen though would continue to impress as he would take Murdoch for a ride off the top rope with a Package Piledriver to wrap up the contest and retain the X-Division Title.
Ric Flair - who many had expected to feature in the 5-on-5 elimination match earlier on in the night, would address the fans and make it clear that had would have loved to take part in the elimination match but that he had previously been booked to face Jeff Jarrett and was not someone to disappoint the fans. This was a blatant lie and everyone knew, but that didn’t stop the match from actually taking place. Much to fans’ enjoyment, Double J would nail Flair with The Stroke to win the match in a contest where Flair was made to look really old and in real need of taking a permanent seat on the bench.
The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship was on the line and Tyler Black had arguably not just the toughest match since joining the NWA, but the toughest of his whole career as he had to face ‘The Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar for the belt. Black pushed back more than Brock was expecting, but the match would only last just over five minutes before Black would be on the wrong side of an F-5 and find himself pinned for the three count. It would be the end of Black’s reign as champion, but one thing was for certain and that was that Lesnar was incredible shape and was proving to be more like a Titan than a wrestler at this point in time.
Peter Avalon and Booker T would meet in an ‘I Quit’ match with this being Avalon’s second match of the evening. A loss for Avalon meant he would have to abdicate as the ruler of the Court of Avalonia and give Booker T control, whilst if Booker lost he would be forced to hang up his boots. The match would be an interesting contest, that was until The Hardy Boyz would get involved in the match and lead to a three-on-one assault taking place in the ring that had led to Booker T being handcuffed to the ring ropes. After a while Booker T had no option, but to say ‘I Quit’ as his career seemingly came to an abrupt end.
The main-event of March Madness would be a three way Ladder Match with the NWA World Tag Team Championships hanging over the ring, as the Kings of Wrestling would take on the Motor City Machine Guns and Team 3D as their challengers. The match would be a brutal affair with the standout moment being when Team 3D nailed Alex Shelley with the Deadly Death Drop onto a ladder that would result in Shelley’s nose being savagely broken and blood going everywhere. All three teams would look incredible that was almost a throwback to a series of ladder matches that had taken place a decade ago, but it would be Brother Ray and Devon who would manage to claim the titles belt bringing an end to Kings’ reign as the champions with the fans having a feel good moment as Team 3D would for the umpteenth time become World Tag Team Champions once again. The match would end with the pair celebrating by lifting the titles above their head, as they mounted the turnbuckles.
Kevin Nash has joined the National Wrestling Alliance as one of the trainers, acting as a mentor for numerous talents working on the training roster. This appointment is announced as the following wrestlers have been signed to developmental: Davina Rose, Santana Garrett, Evie & Jessicka Havok.
Havok returns to NWA not that long after being released, but confirmed that she felt she would really benefit from some more time on the training roster and getting to work with some of the new talent and admits she made a mistake by pushing to be part of the main roster during his previous spell with the NWA.
Gurv and Harv Sihra - who had previously worked for the NWA with accomplishments including winning the 2010 Crockett Cup as well as being one time NWA World Tag Team Champions re-sign with the NWA after spending time in Japan. The team that previously wrestled as The Knights, have decided to instead wrestle under a form name of ‘The Bollywood Boyz’.
Female Japanese veteran Sumie Sakai signs with the NWA and joins the main-roster, despite an influx of female talent to the main roster and the train roster JMG confirmed that the National Wrestling Alliance had no intent on bring back a Women’s Tag Division and stated that as a concept it wasn’t appealing to fans and seemed to limit the product rather than enhance it.
Doctor El Sueno returns from his three month tour whilst working in NJPW. Meanwhile, El Phantasmo, Brody King, Cash Wheeler and Kyle Bukhari sign long-term contracts and decide to continue working in Japan.
Coming in the other direction, infamous ring valet Pieter signs a permanent contract with the NWA, as well as the news that Tomoaki Honma will work in the NWA for a twelve month period. Pieter would be confirmed to take on the role of managing the affairs of Kazuchika Okada.
The four blocks for 'The Wrestle 1' were revealed, with the first matches in the tournament set to take place on the next episode of Shockwave.
[Block A: Kazuchika Okada, Zack Sabre, Jr., Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Chris Hero & Trevor Murdoch]
[Block B: Bobby Lashley, Jake Strong, Shelton Benjamin, James Storm, Claudio Castagnoli & Jeff Hardy]
[Block C: Doctor El Sueno, PAC, Matt Hardy, Abyss, Josh Alexader & Chris Sabin]
[Block D: Tomoaki Honma, Rob Van Dam, Charlie Haas, Bobby Roode, Peter Avalon & Tyler Black]
Shockwave would begin with Jeff Jarret standing in the ring where he would be joined by Tomoaki Honma. Jarrett would make it clear that the partnership between the National Wrestling Alliance and New Japan Pro Wrestling was critical to the success of both promotions and would make it clear that ‘The Wrestle 1’ tournament could prove to be the crown jewel that would forge an everlasting partnership between both brands. Jeff would introduce Honma who would be in the US for the next twelve month and work as a representative of NJPW. Jeff would make it clear that for the next two weeks of Shockwave and Impact, all the matches featured would solely feature matches from ‘The Wrestle 1’ but Extra would feature wrestlers not involved in the tournament. Jeff would reveal that matches from Blocks A & B would be taking place on tonight’s show with the evening’s main-event being the Block B contest between Claudio Castagnoli & Jeff Hardy.
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Block A
AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
AJ Styles and Samoa Joe would be granted the honour of featuring in the first ever match in ‘The Wrestle 1’ tournament. Both men would set a high standard for the rest of the evening as they would push the other man to their upper most limit with the fans watching on in absolute awe at the showcase they were witnessing. The match would end with Styles leaping off the turnbuckle and landing on top of Joe with a 450 Splash to bring an end to the contest.
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Although not booked to compete on this evening’s show, Peter Avalon would cut a promo backstage where he would express his sheer delight as being single handedly being the man who had forced Booker T to hang up his boots and never to be seen again in the world of professional wrestling. Avalon would make it clear that moving forward The Court of Avalonia and The Legion both had a strong understanding of the political landscape in the NWA, and that never has there been a truer phrase than ‘your enemies enemy is your friend’ and would make it clear that in many ways he was very much a young Ric Flair, destined to be one of the greatest name in the National Wrestling Alliance.
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Block B
James Storm vs. Jake Strong
James Storm and by association of being a member of Beer Money Inc. Bobby Roode as well, had been down on their luck since the NWA had purchased TNA, with neither men really being involved in any of the higher level storylines. With it being a case of straight singles competition though, ‘The Cowboy’ was given a chance to release all his frustration and remind the world just who exactly James Storm is as with all his strength he would lay out Strong for the victory with the Eye of the Storm to bring a conclusion to the contest.
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Block A
Kazuchika Okada w/ Pieter vs. Trevor Murdoch
The styles that Okada and Murdoch brought to the ring were so far in contrast, Okada had learned his crafted from Ultimo Dragon and Nagata whilst Murdoch had learned his crafted under Harley Race, but something about such different styles put in the same ring seemed to create an unexpected result with both men putting on a match that was as close as you can to being a five star match, without actually being one with both men having excellent form in the ring. It was also a match, that a lot of people hadn’t really expected to be the best of the night, and it would be completed with Okada nailing Murdoch with his version of the DVD ‘Heavy Rain’ to bring an an end to proceedings and earn him his first victory in ‘The Wrestle-1’. Although Okada had left NJPW on bad terms - many fans felt that a good performance in this tournament would be proof that Okada didn’t need NJPW to be successful and that one day New Japan would come knocking hoping to convince the prodigy to return home.
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Block B
Shelton Benjamin w/ Paul Ellering vs. Bobby Lashley
Bobby Lashley was coming into ‘The Wrestling 1’ as one of the lowest ranked entrants into the whole tournament and he was met with a tough opponent as he would face one half of Censored Material Shelton Benjamin, who was a former tag team champion even if it had been a transitional reign. The match would be very stop and start, with every time Lashley picked up any sort of momentum Ellering would clamber up onto ring apron and do his best to distract the referee. Eventually though, the patience of the in-ring official would snap and eject Ellering from ringside. As Shelton would do his best to plead with Ellering case, but would only make him vulnerable as with his back turned Lashley would take a three point stance before running forward and nailing Shelton with a Spear before holding him down and claiming the victory.
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As Zack Sabre, Jr. was getting ready for his first round match, he would be confronted by fellow Block A member AJ Styles. AJ Styles would make it clear that it didn’t matter if Zack and him and fought in an epic submission match at March Madness, because when all was said and done he would be the only person in Block A that would be advancing would be AJ Fucking Styles. AJ would wish Zack the best of luck though and would make it clear that he hoped that when they finally met in the tournament - the match would have consequences that meant something.
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Block A
Chris Hero w/ Truth Martini vs. Zack Sabre, Jr.
The contest between Hero and ZSJ would start off cagey, with Hero doing his best to avoid falling into Sabre’s trap of putting himself into a vulnerable submission. This would result in Hero relying on rope break and exiting the ring under the ropes as much as he could, which would really start to frustrate ZSJ. At one point this would lead to Sabre chasing Hero around the ring, only for Martini to play distraction which would allow for Hero to blindside ZSJ with a Running Lariat that would totally catch the Brit off guard and almost result in him being counted out. The match would look like it was going in Hero favour, when out of nowhere Sabre would nail Hero with the Dragon Suplex and then bridge it into a pin to steal the win from under his nose.
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Everyone would be left slightly taken aback as Jim Cornette would make his way out from the back and introduce himself as the newly appointed DIrector of Sport for the National Wrestling Alliance. Cornette's first bit of business would be to clarify the situation regarding Peter Avalon and Booker T. Jim would reveal that despite Avalon having beaten Booker T, due to the involvement of The Hardy Boyz the Juice Management Group had decided to overturn the decision and change the result into a No Contest and that therefore Booker T was still very much an employee of the NWA. Jim would then reveal that a rematch would take place between both men at the Crockett Cup 2012.
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Block B
Claudio Castagnoli w/ Truth Martini vs. Jeff Hardy
The first night of ‘The Wrestle 1’ would end with a blockbuster main-event between Claudio Castagnoli and Jeff Hardy. Both men were currently seen as two of the biggest names in the National Wrestling Alliance and so it wasn’t at all surprising that both men would have an incredible contest. Truth Martini at one point tried to bend the match in Claudio’s favour, but the Swiss wrestler got annoyed and actually instructed Truth to head backstage. A true classic would continue between the two tag team specialists, with the win coming after Claudio would catch Jeff in mid-air after Hardy leaped off the turnbuckle only for Cesaro to send Jeff down with a Ricola Bomb and claim the match victory.
[4.25]
AJ Styles def. Samoa Joe
James Storm def. Jake Strong
Kazuchika Okada w/ Pieter def. Trevor Murdoch [MOTN - ****¾ ]
Bobby Lashley def. Shelton Benjamin w/ Paul Ellering
Zack Sabre, Jr. def. Chris Hero w/ Truth Martini
Claudio Castagnoli w/ Truth Martini def. Jeff Hardy
[experimenting with a new format for 'The Wrestle 1']
The show would begin footage from the recently created YouTube Channel for Triple H, who had recently had his contract with the WWE terminated due to the collapse of his marriage with Stephanie McMahon with allegations that he had been cheating on the boss’ daughter some less than desirable. Paul Levesque would speak in his video that his time in the WWE had very much come to an end, but that he had no intention of quitting professional wrestling just yet and that as soon as his non-compete clause was over he would be open to offers. He would name drop NJPW, ROH and NWA as three companies he was much interested in working for.
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Block C
Josh Alexander vs. Doctor El Sueno
The first match of the evening would see the two time National Heavyweight Champion Alexander take on Doctor El Sueno, who for many was considered as the lowest ranked entrant into ‘The Wrestle 1’ tournament. El Sueno would show some promise, but really the contest was nothing more than a means for Alexander to get his the win by nailing El Sueno with Divine Intervention to bring an end to the contest.
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The newly crowned NWA Women’s World Champion Candice LeRae would cut her first promo following her victory at March Madness which had made her a two-time champion. Candice would focus on SJB and make it clear that now that she had taken the title from her former protege it wouldn’t be very long until she would convince the rest of the Industrial Revolution that SJB needed to be tossed to the curb. She would make it clear that Simon Gotch already agreed with her and that it wasn’t long until Danny Burch came round to their line of thinking.
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Block D
Tomoaki Honma vs. Charlie Haas w/ Paul Ellering
With the recent news that Honma would be working as a representative of New Japan for the next twelve months, some expected that Tomoaki may be getting a stronger push than he had during his short touring spell where he hadn’t really been used much. Haas on the other side of things had been left sour-faced as he had lost the National Heavyweight Championship almost as soon as he had done it. Haas would take a lot of frustration out on Honma and seemed more interested in hurting his opponent than actually winning the contest. However, after a clever transition Honma would nail Charlie with the Kokeshi Otoshi (Over the shoulder reverse piledriver) and would get a near-fall. This would be the wake up Haas needed and he would begin to take the match seriously and it would before long before he locked Honma in the Haas of Pain to finally bring an end to the contest that had very much been won multiple times already if Haas hadn’t been playing with his food, in a manner of speaking.
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Block C
Matt Hardy vs. Abyss w/ Father James Mitchell
The third match of the night would feature two men from The Legion, although it was clear as soon as the bell rang that there would be no honour amongst thieves. The match would end up being the most violent contest of the evening, with both Hardy and Abyss intent on beating the crap out of each other and bending the rules as much as they could to gain an advantage. James Mitchell would offer support for Abyss, he wouldn’t attempt to be directly involved in the contest - not that he wouldn’t receive multiple warnings to stay away from Matt. Both men would come to within two minutes of the twenty minute time limit, before Hardy would nail Abyss with the Twist of Hate to claim his first win of the contest. After the match Matt Hardy and Abyss would shake hands, and it was clear that there was no bad blood between The Legion members.
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Kevin Steen would cut a promo where he would make it clear how frustrated he was to not have been included in ‘The Wrestle-1’ tournament and felt that he had proven himself on multiple occasions as being more than worthy of management’s recognition especially after he had won the Hollywood Bowl to make him the X-Division Champion following Kurt Angle turncoat tactics that had left the title vacant after he had left for Japan. Steen would make it clear that he would do everything in his power to make sure that no one ever gave him a second thought ever again.
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Block D
Peter Avalon vs. Rob Van Dam
Peter Avalon remains the man with the longest reign as the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion with a tenure of eleven month, and for many despite RVD’s history it was actually Avalon that was seen as the favourite going into the contest. The match would end up being the best match of the evening with the fans being treated to a contest that would see a combination of RVD’s high flying and aerial techniques against Avalon's more technical style. It looked as if RVD had claimed the win after he would leap off the turnbuckle and land on top of Avalon with the Five Star Frog Splash, but Avalon would show his wrestling brain and roll out of the ring rather than allow himself to be pinned. As Rob would follow him out of the ring, Avalon would have reached underneath the ring and ended up slamming RVD in the face with a knuckle duster before tossing it a way and rolling his man back into the ring to steal the win. However, the bell would be rung as the referee would signal that he had seen Avalon using the duster on the titantron and disqualify him.
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Block C
Chris Sabin vs. PAC
PAC entered the match as the man with the longest unbeaten streak in in the NWA standing at 23-0 and would face Chris Sabin who wasn’t the most winningest singles wrestler, but was one half of one of the more dominant teams the the new era of the National Wrestling Alliance under the ownership of the Juice Management Group. The match between the two men though, would prove to a be a really interesting contest with it being clear that Sabin was in fact the toughest opponent he had faces in singles action, whilst at the same time PAC would prove to be much more than just a hot prospect who had been blessed with good luck as both men would do their best to outdo each other in a match filled with chain wrestling, technical transition and mass reversals. Both men also had a strong understanding of where the ropes were and when their opposite number was playing possum. Both men would look surprised when the bell rang, until it was announced that the match was a time limit draw as they had both reached the twenty minute mark. Both men would look exhausted, but would proceed to shake hands despite the fact that they had only earned one point each rather than the two points they would have achieved from a win. Both would come off long great though, with Sabin not suffering a loss to a rookie and PAC unbeaten streak remaining intact.
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Becky Quinn would cut a promo prior to the final contest of the evening. Quinn would make it clear that the Women’s Division was at a major breaking point, and that either strong women would have to step up to the plate and make their mark and carry the rest of the division on their shoulders. Becky would send out a challenge to Madison Rayne making it clear that on the episode of Extra this coming Saturday, she would start her righteous act of cleansing the Women’s Division of all its negative influencers.
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Block D
Bobby Roode vs. Tyler Black
The final match of the evening would see one half of Beer Money Inc. who had been struggling to find form since the TNA Takeover would be pitted up against the previous Worlds Champion Tyler Black. The match wouldn’t be the most interesting of the night, as it would tell a story of Bobby Roode doing his best to stay relevant and offer a challenge but he would just not be quite good enough with Tyler Black only really having lost the Heavyweight title because of Lesnar’s sheer dominance and not any lacking on his own behalf. Black would end the match by nailing Roode with a strong Superkick (named Black Death) to bring an end to the evening.
[4.0]
Josh Alexander def. Doctor El Sueno
Charlie Haas w/ Paul Ellering def. Honma
Matt Hardy def. Abyss w/ Father James Mitchell
Rob Van Dam def. Peter Avalon [MOTN - ****1/4]
Chris Sabin vs. PAC - Time Limit Draw
Tyler Black def. Bobby Roode
The first match of the evening would be a clash between Ishimori and Young, with it being the first match of the week that wasn’t part of ‘The Wrestle 1’ tournament. The match would be nothing to write home about, largely due to the fact that Ishimori seemed to still be struggling to find a rhythm in singles matches since joining the NWA. Silas would have a strong showing though and end the match by forcing Taiji to tap out after locking him in the Stock Lock.
After the match, Silas would cut a short promo reminding everyone that Kazuchika Okada was going to end up winning the entire ‘Wrestle 1’ tournament. Young though would reveal that he and his partner would be teaming up with him and that The Last Real Men would be taking part in the Crockett Cup this year.
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Sergeant Dust vs. Jase Hicks
Jase Hicks as the current NWA National Heavyweight Champion would face a fellow graduate of the NWA Development Roster in Sergeant Dust, who had recently become the newest member of IR Power. Dust would do his best, but he simply would be no match for Hicks who would claim the victory by nailing Dust with a 450 splash.
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Brother Ray would speak on behalf of Team 3D, for the first time since the pair had become the NWA World Tag Champions after defeating the Kings of Wrestling and the Motor City Machine Guns in a Ladder Match at March Madness. Ray would make it clear that this year’s edition of the Crockett Cup would feature sixteen teams for the first time ever, with the previous editions having eight team brackets. Ray would make it clear that Team 3D would become the first reigning champions to win the Crockett Cup and join the The Knights (now the Bollywood Boyz) and the Motor City Machine Guns as the recent winners of the cup since its reinstatement and become the sixth ever winners of the cup. Joining the ranks of The Road Warriors, Nikita Koloff & Dusty Rhodes and Sting & Lex Luger lament themselves as one of the greatest tag teams of all time.
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The Bollywood Boyz (Harv & Gurv) vs. JLS (Sonjay Dutt & Low Ki)
Harv and Gurv would make their return to the NWA with a win over two thirds of JLS with the Bollywood Boyz showing what they had learned during their time working in Japan for the various promotions. It was clear though that a lot had changed since Harv and Gurv first run with the company and it would actually prove to be the best match of the evening, with Dutt and Low Ki showing all their skills that had been refined during their short spells in developmental.
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Booker T would cut a promo making it clear that Peter Avalon had played his hand by trying to get him to retire by cheating by involving the Hardy Boyz in their match at March Madness. Booker would make it clear that he no longer had any interests in taking the Court away from Avalon, but instead was going to take his hair away from him in a Hair vs. Career match at Crockett Cup 2012. Booker T would make it very clear that he intended to cause so much damage to Avalon that he wouldn’t even be able to carry on in ‘The Wrestle 1’ after their match was over.
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Main Event
Becky Quinn vs. Madison Rayne
It seemed as though Madison Rayne wasn’t reading from the same script as Quinn when it came to their match up in the main event of Extra, as it was clear that the recent inductee into the Court of Avalonia very much had no intention of changing her way anytime soon and would have an absolute brawl with Quinn. Madison would end up nailing Becky with the CrossRayne to pick up the unexpected ring, but would add insult to injury by forcefully pushing her Irish opponent out of the ring before celebrating her victory as the Youtube supplementary show would come to end.
[4.0]
Silas Young defeated Taiji Ishimori w/ Chase Owens
Jase Hicks defeated Sergeant Dust
The Bollywood Boyz (Harv & Gurv) defeated JLS (Sonjay Dutt & Low Ki) [MOTN - ****]
Shockwave would begin with an update on ‘The Wrestle 1’ standings for Block A & Block B reflecting on the current standings, with being made very clear that with only six people in each group losing one match was survivable, but losing two or more matches and any chances of advancing out of your block was most likely game over.
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Block B
James Storm vs. Shelton Benjamin w/ Paul Ellering
AJ Styles and Samoa Joe would be granted the honour of featuring in the first ever match in ‘The Wrestle 1’ tournament. Both men would set a high standard for the rest of the evening as they would push the other man to their upper most limit with the fans watching on in absolute awe at the showcase they were witnessing. The match would end with Styles leaping off the turnbuckle and landing on top of Joe with a 450 Splash to bring an end to the contest.
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Block A
Kazuchika Okada w/ Pieter vs. Chris Hero w/ Truth Martini
Both men were entering the contest coming from two very different places. Hero had lost in the first round to ZSJ, whilst Okada had claimed a win over Trevor Murdoch meaning that a second loss for Chris Hero could mean his run in ‘The Wrestle 1’ could be over before it ever really had begun. Okada would continue to impress though and would counter Heros’ dirty tactics with some of techniques and methods that he had learnt from his mentor Silas Young. This would frustrate Hero, that would lead him to being rash and opening himself up to perfectly vertical horizontal drop kick that would take Hero off his feet that would allow Okada to lock in the Red Ink and force Hero to tap out taking Kazuchika to 2-0 in the tournament.
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Brock Lesnar would make his first appearance on NWA Television Programming as the new NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion, and make it known that ‘The Wrestle 1’ tournament was the biggest load of crap ever made and that all sixteen men taking part in the tournament would never be able to stand toe-to-toe with him and win the the title belt off him. Brock would make it clear that the National Wrestling Alliance was nothing but a stepping stone for him and that once he had harvested this company for all it was worth he would be signed up and return to the federation. Brock would make it clear that he was without a challenger at the Crockett Cup, and that if anyone had a backbone they would come out from the back and look him in the eye and challenge him for a shot at the Worlds Title.
The challenge would be answered by none other than the leader of Chaos Project Sting. Sting would make it clear that he wasn’t scared of Lesnar, irrespective of his size and raw power and that what he lacked in strength he made up for in brain - a black baseball bat would magically appear out out of Sting’s sleeve and he would strike Brock in the side of the head before nailing the champ with the Scorpion Death Drop. The segment would end with Sting lifting the NWA Worlds Title and looking at and smiling to himself.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Block B
Claudio Castagnoli w/ Truth Martini vs. Jake Strong
The match would end up being much shorter than anyone would have expected as as soon as the bell rang Castagnoli would nail Strong with a Roaring Swiss Uppercut that would totally blindside Jake and drop him to the mat. Claudio would roll over Strong and hold him down for cover to claim a pin-fall victory in less than a minute leaving everyone completely shocked with Castagnoli looking like an absolute monster because of the means by which he had won the contest.
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Block A
Samoa Joe vs. Zack Sabre, Jr.
The contest between Joe and ZSJ would prove to be a masterful technical match, with both men displaying their skills not only on the mat, but also off it as both men had a comprehensive arsenal of moves that allowed them to counter, reverse and transition around each other's approaches. This would cause the match at times to have a slightly slower pace, which would lead to the match actually reaching the 18 minute mark before both men were given a two minute warning. Joe would pick up Sabre and attempt to nail him with the Muscle Buster only for ZSJ to lock in the Article 50 on a vertical base and force Joe to tap out in desperation out of nowhere.
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The Legion of Smashdom would cut a promo in the build up to the Crockett Cup taking place at the end of the month. Player Dos would do the majority of the talking and continue to reiterate the repetitive propaganda that Madison Rayne had been pumping out in recent weeks that Smashdom were the true number one contenders for the Tag Team Title and therefore it was only fitting that they would win the Crockett Cup and confirm themselves as the true number one contenders. Smashdom would name drop the Fatu Family, and make jokes that Josh and Jonny were the perfect example of one of many teams - that were be provided with nothing short of charity with the tournament being extended from eight to sixteen teams.
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Block B
Bobby Lashley vs. Jeff Hardy
Lashley claimed a strong victory over Shelton Benjamin in the previous round, but would face a much bigger fish in Jeff Hardy. It would also be a faction clash between Chaos Project & The Legion. Jeff had also come off a loss to Castagnoli in the first round, and seemed extra motivated going into the match. Bobby would have a good performance, but the match was very much dominated by Jeff who would claim the win by nailing Lashley with the Twist of Hate to put his first points on the board.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Block A
Trevor Murdoch vs. AJ Styles
The final match of the night would see AJ Styles take on Trevor Murdoch. Murdoch who once upon a time had been one of the top title contenders in the NWA, but in recent years had been forced to settle for the mid-card. Styles though would really turn the heat up though, and prove to be a match in which Styles would be put over massively and end the night by nailing Murdoch to connect with the Styles Clash. The victory would mean that Okada, Styles and ZSJ now had two wins each to their name in Block A.
[4.5]
James Storm defeated Shelton Benjamin w/ Paul Ellering
Kazuchika Okada w/ Pieter defeated Chris Hero w/ Truth Martini [MOTN - ****¾ ]
Claudio Castagnoli w/ Truth Martini defeated Jake Strong
Zack Sabre, Jr. defeated Samoa Joe
Jeff Hardy defeated Bobby Lashley
AJ Styles defeated Trevor Murdoch
some of them are 100% not correct for the era - but I do agree with you on an aesthetic look. The trick now is trying to find picture bases that match up with some of the random generated wrestlers the game has provided
some of them are 100% not correct for the era - but I do agree with you on an aesthetic look. The trick now is trying to find picture bases that match up with some of the random generated wrestlers the game has provided
Impact would continue to play host to Block C & Block D, with viewers being informed that ‘The Wrestle 1’ would continue for the next week as well, although Round Three would see Block C & D matches take place on Shockwave and Block A & B on Impact.
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The first live action of the night would feature Bobby Roode, who would share his feelings ahead of tonight’s main-event in which he was set to face Peter Avalon. Roode would make it clear that he had a lot of respect for Avalon and what he had achieved and was more than aware that tonight’s match was not going to be a walk in the park. Two years ago, Roode would admit he had never heard of of Peter Avalon but in 2012 anyone who had worked in the indies or had a wrestling brain understood that Peter Avalon was no joke and that his loss to Rob Van Dam meant nothing and that he wouldn’t make the mistake of taking him lightly.
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Block C
Doctor El Sueño vs. Matt Hardy
The first match of the night would feature El Sueno for the second week in a row, with many viewers and critics very much believing that the Doctor had no place in ‘The Wrestle 1’ and that he would lose every match in the tournament. It seemed that the masked luchador had taken these words to heart and would put on his best performance perhaps since his name change when he had signed with the NWA as he would shock the world by nailing Hardy with the Shooting Star Senton and claiming his first point of the tournament - much earlier than anyone had expected.
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Block D
Tomoaki Honma vs. Rob Van Dam
Honma and RVD would feature in an interesting contest, with both men doing their best to overpower the other. Honma would do his best to put on a good show and entertain the fans, and Rob Van Dam would show in kind some of his own signature moves that would impress the fans in attendance. Honma almost won the match after connecting with his dramatized finisher of a Diving Headbutt known as the Kokeshi. RVD would manage to kick out at the last possible moment to stay alive in the match. RVD would win the match by connecting with the Van Terminator, although a steel chair would not be used on this occasion with the corner to corner missile dropkick proving to be enough to keep Honma down for the count.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Sumie Sakai would feature in a segment backstage in which she would be interviewed about being excited to have signed with the National Wrestling Alliance. Sakai would make it clear she was very much looking forward to being part of the organization and would do everything in her power to show that women’s wrestling was far from being done and dusted in the NWA. Sakai would find herself being interrupted by Thea Trinidad. Thea would make it clear that if Sumie wanted to make a name for herself, then she was going to have to do a whole lot more than talk a good game and want to be seen as one of the girls. Trinidad would be quite condescending and would show no respect to a veteran of the sport who was two times her age. Sumie would just chuckle to herself after Thea spoke, almost as if she hadn’t listened to a single word the young rookie had spoken.
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Block C
Chris Sabin vs. Josh Alexander
The fans would be treated to another great technical max with two men with recent history of being champions in the NWA would come together in an aggression fuelled match, that would actually have begun with both men actually shaking hands prior to the bell being rung. Both wrestlers would fight clean and wouldn’t resort to any foul play or dirty tactics in order to get an advantage over the other. Alexander would have a slight edge over Sabin, showing that his tenure as the National Heavyweight Champion on two different occasions had really helped shape him into the man he was today and as soon as he managed to singe Sabin into the Ankle Lock, despite Chris’ best he would be able to escape the hold and would eventually have no choice but to tap out otherwise he would have been in danger of having his ankle broken.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Block D
Tyler Black vs. Charlie Haas w/ Paul Ellering
The clash between Tyler Black and Charlie Haas would end up being the best match of the night, with two men who were driven by their frustration and shortcomings in recent months - with both having only had a short time holding the title belt they had fought so hard to possess. Ellering would have a part to play, but eventually would be ejected from ringside by the referee. It would be Haas though, who would turn everyone’s head when he manage to weave out of the way of oncoming traffic and end up nailing Black with Haastile Takeover before transitioning it into the Haas of Pain and forcing Black to tap out claiming his second win and handing Black his first loss of ‘The Wrestle 1’.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Ric Flair with the entourage of The Legion in tow, would end up running into Kevin Steen backstage. The extra bodies were clearly there to prevent Owens from trying to start a fight, and Flair would make it clear that he was very much interested in the X-Division Championship and that he intended on ending his career with an X-Division title reign to his name and that at the Crockett Cup he would bring Steen's reign of terror to an end. Kevin Steen would just laugh in Ric’s face and make it clear he had no problems putting Flair into a retirement community sooner than expected.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Block C
PAC vs. Abyss w/ Father James Mitchell
PAC had come the closest to his first singles loss in the NWA in the previous round, when his battle against Sabin had resulted in a time limit draw, which had kept the Brit’s unbeaten streak intact. PAC would find himself against a ravenous and tough opponent in Abyss who would use his power and brute strength to throw PAC around the ring like a ragdoll which would force PAC to do their best to tire out his bigger opponent and would cut the monster down with a flurry of various technical kick before sending Abyss down to the mat with a springboard tornado DDT before taking to the turnbuckle and launching off nailing him with Black Arrow to win the contest, much to Father Mitchell’s complete disbelief.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Block D
Bobby Roode vs. Peter Avalon
The main-event of the evening would end up being a match filled with complete heel tactics as whilst Roode was making his way down to the ring, he would be attacked on the entrance ramp by Avalon who would nail Roode with a butterfly suplex. From that point onwards Roode would be on the back foot and look off balance, that would allow Avalon to connect with the Marti-Knees to claim the victory and bring an end to the fourth night of ‘The Wrestle 1’ tournament.
[4.25]
Doctor El Seuno defeated Matt Hardy
Rob Van Dam defeated Tomoaki Honma
Josh Alexander defeated Chris Sabin
Charlie Haas w/ Paul Ellering defeated Tyler Black [MOTN ****½ ]
Extra would begin with Green Ant (the repackaged version of Jonathan Gresham) battling in singles action against Low Ki. Gresham was very much fitting well into this new persona as a member of The Colony and not scared of doing various spots for comedic value. Eventually though, Green Ant would nail Low Ki with a 630 Senton to wrap up the contest.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Sumie Sakai vs. Thea Trinidad
Sumie Sakai would educate Trinidad not just in respect, but also in her raw wrestling ability. Trinidad would do her best to match up her fighting to her fighting talk, but the Suzuka Native would simply prove to be too much for Trinidad as she would win her debut match with the Smash Mouth (Rolling Cutter) to claim the pin-fall victory.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Booker T would cut another promo, as part of the now confirmed build up of the scheduled match between Peter Avalon and Booker T taking each other on at the Crockett Cup. Booker T would make it clear that he remained a man of his word, and although he no longer had any longer in shaming Avalon by taking control of the Court - he would stay true to his word and hang up his boots and never wrestle in an NWA ring ever again. Booker would make it clear though, that after he won at the PPV he would be on the right course to challenge for one of the many titles in the promotion.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Industrial Revolution (Danny Burch & Simon Gotch) vs. Future Shock (Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly)
The fans would be treated to a high caliber tag team between the two time former tag team champions Industrial Revolution and Future Shock, with both teams set to take part in this year’s Crockett Cup. Both teams would end up having a really good match, but there was more energy and passion from Cole and O’Reilly who would end up nailing Burch with an Elbow Smash/Superkick combo to win the contest.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
A fight would break out backstage between Brock Lesnar and Sting, with the pair having to be forcefully separated by security backstage. It was clear that tensions between the pair set to face each other for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship at the PPV.
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Main Event
Booker T vs. Johnny Gargano
The match for many was seen as nothing more than a tune up match for Booker T, especially considering Peter Avalon was facing competitive matches each and every week in ‘The Wrestle 1’. Booker T would prove to be the more dominant of the two men, and would have won the contest if Avalon hadn’t clambered onto the ring apron and distracted Booker. This would result in Gargano stealing the win with a roll-up pin to end the event.
Shockwave would begin with focusing on some of the past matches in Block C & Block D, with the two previous rounds having taken place on Impact. In recent times, both shows were very much on an even keel - but as with all things there was a chance that some viewers may be getting the chance to watch these Blocks for the first time live. As it stands Josh Alexander and PAC were the two men in Block C without a loss to their name, although PAC had one less point because of his draw with Sabin. In the other block Haas and RVD both had two wins to their name.
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The show would begin with an exclusive contract signing between Brock Lesnar and Sting, with Jeff Jarrett joining both men in the ring as the official representative of the National Wrestling Alliance. Jeff would make it clear that once both men signed their respective contracts, they would be booked to face each other for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship at the Crockett Cup in two weeks time. After both men had put their signatures on the contract, both men would suddenly break out into a fight before Brock would send Sting crashing through the table with an F-5. Brock would end the segment, by picking up a microphone and sending a clear message that at the PPV he was going to turn an icon into a bitch.
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Block D
Bobby Roode vs. Charlie Haas w/ Paul Ellering
The first match of the evening would see a top vs. bottom clash, with Charlie Haas having built up a head of steam so far in ‘The Wrestle 1’ with two wins already to his name with wins over Tomoaki Honma and former Worlds Champion Tyler Black to his name. On the other side of things Roode had taken part in two main-events, but was currently without a win to his name. Roode’s hunt for his first win, would be put on pause as Charlie Haas would simply prove to be too much for Roode and would lay a trap before forcing him to tap out as he was locked in the Haas of Pain.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Block C
Matt Hardy vs. PAC
‘The Wrestle 1’ tournament was really proving to be a coming of age tournament for PAC, as he was getting to face higher calibre opponents on a weekly basis and really getting a chance to prove himself. Matt Hardy wouldn’t give PAC an easy ride, but PAC would continue to prove himself as the hottest prospect in the NWA and would manage to show his technical abilities before reversing out of a Twist of Fate and instead forcing Hardy to tap out after locking in the Brutalizer. The win would take the current NWA Hollywood Champion to a record of 25-0, with everyone wondering whether PAC would be able to seemingly go all the way in this tournament.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
A full on fight would break out backstage between Candice LeRae and SJB, with the hatred between both men at absolute boiling point. Both women would have to be separated, with both having bloodied the face of the other before they were pulled apart and it seemed as if a rematch between the pair was very much on the cards at this point.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Block D
Peter Avalon vs. Tomoaki Honma
Peter Avalon would simply prove to be too much for Honma, with the Japanese wrestler seeming unable to handle the challenge that the former two time Worlds Champion offered up. Avalon didn’t even need to resort to cheating, with the match reaching its conclusion in under five minutes. The loss would mean that Honma would join Roode as two men that were now officially unable to progress out of the Block with a record of a 0-3, with only two matches left in the block stage.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Block C
Doctor El Sueno vs. Chris Sabin
Sabin and the Doctor would end up having a really fast paced match, that was very becoming of a match that one would expect to see if they travelled south of the border with the luchador styles very much in full effect - and with both Sabin and Doctor El Sueno very much in their element. Both men would pull off a number of high flying combinations and aerial assaults, in a match where neither man was given any room to relax and catch their breath. Doctor El Sueno would surprise everyone by claiming their second win in the tournament after hitting Sabin with the Golden Rewind.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
A video package would take place promoting the main focus of the up and coming PPV, which was now set to be a sixteen team tag team tournament at the Crockett Cup, with the cup very much being the focal point of one, if not the most important PPV on the NWA wrestling calendar.
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Block D
Rob Van Dam vs. Tyler Black
The match between Rob Van Dam and Tyler Black would end up being the match of the night, with Tyler Black getting the chance to prove himself against an established veteran in RVD. Both men would push each other to their limits, in a match that would nearly go the full limit and end in a time limit draw. The match would end with RVD nailing Black with the Modified Spinning Heel Kick square on Tyler’s Jaw, before spring-boarding off the ropes and connecting with a Tornado DDT to claim an important victory, with less than twenty seconds on the clock and both men looking absolutely exhausted at the finish.
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A video package would feature Rey Mysterio who had been a free agent for a while, after having been released by the WWE following a long-term injury. A video package would reveal that Rey had signed a contract with the National Wrestling Alliance and that as soon as he was medically cleared the luchador would be making his NWA debut.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Block C
Abyss w/ Father James Mitchell vs. Josh Alexander
The main-event of the evening, and what would be the final match of Block C until after the PPV would see Alexander who had started the evening at the top of Block, taking on the only competitor without a point to their name in Abyss. Both men would be having a fairly even contest, until Abyss went to rake Alexander’s eyes which result in him being told off by the referee - which would allow Father James Mitchell to leap up onto the ring apron and end up smashing Alexander over the head with what looked like some sort of spiked. As Alexander was pedalling backwards clear stunned, he would be grabbed suddenly by Abyss who would nail him with the Black Hole Slam that would pulverise Alexander and claim his first win of the tournament.
After the match, fans would be reminded that next week there would be a break from ‘The Wrestle 1’ serving as time for some build for the Crockett Cup PPV.
[4.25]
Charlie Haas w/ Paul Ellering defeated Bobby Roode
PAC defeated Matt Hardy
Peter Avalon defeated Tomoaki Honma
Doctor El Sueno defeated Chris Sabin
Rob Van Dam defeated Tyler Black [MOTN - ****1/4]
Abyss w/ Father James Mitchell defeated Josh Alexander
