Blood and Thunder 2000
[Waste-of-Time]:
Triangle Match:
Dave Adams and Main Street Pete defeated The Middle-Aged Outlaws and
Russel Taylor and The Super Giant Ninja when M.S. Pete pinned R.R.C. with the
Main Street Special in 0:04:26.
Rating: -*
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[Waste-of-Time]:
Moy Lazzario pinned Dick Douglas with the Slingshot Suplex in 0:07:12.
Rating: ** 1/2
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Interview:
A video package makes the transition from the Waste-of-Time to Blood and Thunder.
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Card Information:
Held in: ANAHEIM STADIUM
Location: CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
Date/Time: 08/06/00 at 6:30pm
Interview:
Christina Ellis brings out her opponent for tonight.
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Christina Ellis pinned Luna Vachon with the Dragon Suplex in 0:11:15.
Rating: * 3/4
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Triangle Match:
Jiro Tobikuma defeated Neytron DelArmeggio and Paul Canyon when J. Tobikuma
pinned P. Canyon after a lariat in 0:16:16.
Rating: *** 1/2
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Number-One-Contenders-Match:
Hell's Bikers (Butch Manson and Jack Norman) and The Wrecking Crew
battled to a draw in 0:30:00.
Rating: **
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[Bikini Bronco Buster Match]:
Jennie pinned Nurse Vivacia after the Bronco Buster in 0:03:11.
Rating: -**
(Jennie retained the VCW T & A Title.)
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Crimson pinned Johnny Smiles with the Chokeslam in 0:04:20.
Rating: -****
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The Immortals defeated The System (Arthur Justice and Steve McMichael) when
K. Collins made Justice submit to the California Crossface in 0:13:43.
Rating: 1/2*
(The Immortals retained the VCW World Tag Team Titles.)
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Owen Addison pinned Jacob Idol with the Tombstone in 0:14:47.
Rating: *** 1/4
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Death Match:
Devaccio Pola beat Rob Solomon 4 falls to 2:
x D. Pola beat R. Solomon via the Guillotine Kick in 0:11:14
x R. Solomon beat D. Pola via a lariat in 0:13:14
x R. Solomon beat D. Pola via the Katana Legdrop in 0:15:23
x D. Pola beat R. Solomon via a kick to the head in 0:19:52
x D. Pola beat R. Solomon via the Guillotine Kick in 0:20:41
x D. Pola beat R. Solomon via a scorpion deathlock in 0:26:42
Rating: ****
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Double Title Match:
Julian Page beat Lance Errington 2 falls to 0:
x J. Page beat L. Errington via a small package in 0:14:05
x J. Page beat L. Errington via the DDT in 0:20:30
Rating: ** 1/2
(Julian Page retained the VCW Intercontinental Title.)
(Julian Page retained the VCW Television Title.)
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Liberation X (Brian Rivera, Erica Whitmore, Falcon and Jeff Wright) defeated
The Inquisition (Bass Rogers, Manhunter #1, Manhunter #2 and Rebecca Black)
when Falcon pinned R. Black with the Falcon Arrow in 0:23:58.
Rating: 1/2*
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Virginia pinned Jimmy Lockman after outside interference in 0:10:42.
Rating: ** 1/4
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Interview:
Jimmy Lockman confronts Tattoo about his actions in this match, only to back down. But
when Tattoo turns his back, Jimmy Lockman attacks him.
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Randy Savage pinned David Wright Hubbard with the Flying Elbowdrop in 0:20:36.
Rating: *** 3/4
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Interview:
Skip Bizby introduces the competitors in the main event match.
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No-Time-Limit Match:
Troy Black pinned Gabriel Black with the Black Dagger in 0:40:09.
Rating: *****
(Troy Black won the VCW World Title.)
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Interview:
Troy Black celebrates his VCW World Title win, and Gabriel Black acknowledges it as well.
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Match observations:
Blood and Thunder was expected to be a packed show, and it was.
Featuring the wrestling debut of Christina Ellis against a mystery opponent,
the return of Owen Addison after the better part of a year, a battle for the
very control of VCW, and what has to be considered a "dream match" between
David Wright Hubbard and Randy Savage, from top to bottom this card was
absolutely stacked. But more than any of this, there is one event that can sum
up what will be remembered about Blood and Thunder, and it can be summed up in
six words: NEW VCW WORLD CHAMPION TROY BLACK.
The show opened on a far more humble note, specifically the Waste-of-
Time. While the opening triangle match that saw Dave Adams and Main Street Pete
defeat the Middle-Aged Outlaws and Russel "The Muscle" Taylor and the Super
Giant Ninja was just that, a waste of time, Moy Lazzario and Dick Douglas, two
of VCW's outstanding rookies, put on a nice little match. Hopefully by the time
the next VCW pay-per-view rolls around they'll be higher up on the card; they
deserve it, especially Moy Lazzario.
The opening match of Blood and Thunder itself, featuring Christina Ellis
wrestling in VCW for the first time, was less than the technical wrestling
masterpiece that Christina Ellis seemed to promise. Her opponent, the aging
Luna Vachon, seemed to be stuck in the world of snap mares and hair pulls from
modern American style women's wrestling. Not only did this detract from the
aesthetic quality of the match, it also allowed Christina Ellis to carve her up
like a turkey, showing off a few nice moves on the way to finishing her off to
make a successful debut in VCW.
The next match, featuring Neytron DelArmeggio, Paul Canyon, and Jiro
Tobikuma in a triangle match, was a paradoxical combination of a technical
wrestling match and a wild goose chase. Both Paul Canyon and Jiro Tobikuma
seemed to agree on one thing, and that was that Neytron DelArmeggio's legs
needed taken out. In between brawling with each other, they mercilessly
attacked his leg. But Neytron fought back, attacking the necks of both men, and
in fact he took down both men with the Piledriver, only to have the pin
interrupted each time. Eventually, Paul Canyon managed to wear him down,
putting him down with his own move, the Piledriver, then moving in to
capitalize on a severely weakened Jiro Tobikuma. Paul Canyon seemed on the
verge of winning, but was unpleasantly surprised when Jiro Tobikuma nearly
knocked him out of his boots with a vicious lariat that seemingly came from
nowhere to score the pin, and win his first VCW pay-per-view match.
After that came the number-one-contenders match between Jack Norman and
Butch Manson of Hell's Bikers and the Wrecking Crew. Neither one of these teams
gave an inch as they beat the hell out of each other for a solid half-hour.
While this served to show that both teams are nearly indestructable, it leaves
one problem. With no winner in this match, there is no number-one contender
team in the hunt for the VCW World Tag Team Titles! Something will have to be
done about this... a rematch, maybe? Due to the shake-ups in VCW management
lately, no word has been heard on that subject yet.
The next match was certainly no great treat for workrate enthusiasts,
but there was no shortage of bouncing breasts and Bronco Busters. It was the
Bikini Bronco Buster Match, in which Jennie successfully defended the VCW T & A
Title against Nurse Vivacia. Oddly, the expected attack by Christina Ellis
didn't come; maybe she was weary from her earlier match with Luna Vachon.
Jennie's T & A Title reign continues with this match, and no complaints are
being heard from the fans of the T & A Division.
If the last match was a disaster in the eyes of workrate fans, the next
match was an unspeakable atrocity. Crimson, not known for his exceptional
mobility or agility to begin with, went into this match with an obviously
injured knee. Despite the fact that he could barely walk, he was up to the
challenge of facing Johnny Smiles tonight. Johnny got off some good offense,
and took Crimson off of his feet several times, but Crimson was too big and too
strong, and despite one of his knees being in terrible shape, he pummelled
Johnny into submission with an obviously limited power offense (none of his
lethal kicks to the head tonight!) and finished him off with the Chokeslam in
just under four minutes.
The next match, the one which would determine the VCW World Tag Team
Champions, was a rather unusual match, to say the least. It started out
normally, with the Immortals and Arthur Justice and Steve "Mongo" McMichael
trading the advantage... then turned into what was almost a singles match
between Ken Collins and Arthur Justice. Perhaps both teams were thinking to
gain the technical advantage by sending the more technically proficient member
of each team in for the majority of the time, or perhaps Ken Collins and Arthur
Justice just got mad at each other and refused to tag out due to pride.
Whatever the case, Robert Danson and Mongo spent a lot of time on the apron.
The Immortals are still the VCW World Tag Team Champions, thanks to Ken Collins
wearing down Arthur Justice's shoulder, then finishing him with the California
Crossface.
After that, Owen Addison made his long-awaited VCW return against Jacob
Idol. His ring rust was evident; Idol gave him a lot of trouble, and he seemed
at a loss for what to do sometimes. Each man had a plan; Jacob Idol worked on
Owen Addison's bad shoulder, while Owen targeted Jacob's neck to set up the
Tombstone. Owen Addison's arm was able to hold up despite Jacob Idol's attacks,
and after a backdrop driver, Jacob Idol was pretty much out. Jasmina Ecstacy
had the bright idea to try to save him by putting his feet on the ropes, but
after Owen Addison gave Jacob Idol's lifeless carcass the Tombstone, Jasmina
showed better judgement in giving it up as a lost cause and allowing Owen
Addison to win his first match back.
Everybody knew that the Death Match between Devaccio Pola and Rob
Solomon would be one hell of a brawl, and they weren't disappointed. They just
beat each other silly with stiff blows for nearly a half hour. After dropping
an initial fall, Rob Solomon beat the crap out of Devaccio Pola, pinning him
twice in relatively short order. But try as he might, he couldn't finish him
off. Devaccio Pola blasted him with a series of kicks to even up the score, but
also had trouble defeating Rob Solomon a final time. Bleeding and battered from
blows with the hockey stick and a nasty ringpost shot, and worn down from Rob
Solomon's high-power offense, it seemed as though Devaccio Pola was done for.
Even though he managed to kick out of the Katana Legdrop, he was still in big
trouble when Rob Solomon pulled out a table and ladder. But with a final
effort, he was able to roll out of the way, and Rob Solomon put himself through
a table from the top of a ladder on a Katana Legdrop attempt, destroying his
lower back, hips, and legs. Devaccio Pola immediately capitalized on that,
putting him in a scorpion deathlock and forcing him to tap out for the third,
decisive fall.
Despite impressive chances going into his match with Julian Page
tonight, Lance Errington goes home empty handed tonight. A quick small package
with a handful of tights secured the VCW Television Title for Julian Page.
Lance Errington obviously wasn't happy about that, and beat the hell out of
Julian Page for the majority of the next six minutes as a result. After nailing
Julian Page with his own move, the DDT, Lance Errington tried to put the
finishing touches on with the Scorpion Deathlock. Whether he would have
succeeded or not isn't known, as Jacob Idol came in to distract the referee,
while the battered and blistered Rob Solomon knocked Lance Errington over the
head with the hockey stick. Julian Page's DDT failed to finish Lance Errington
the first time, but when he tried it again, then went for the pin with his feet
on the ropes, that was enough to put the finishing touches on Lance Errington
and keep the VCW Intercontinental Title with Julian Page.
The next match, featuring Liberation X against the Inquisition, was in
many ways a brawl that we had seen many times before in the heyday of
Liberation X, coming back one more time. The Annihilators and the Manhunters
both knew each other quite well, and Falcon and Bass Rogers are no strangers to
each other either. The match got interesting when Rebecca Black came in to get
a piece of a severely battered Falcon. That ended up backfiring, when Falcon
got the advantage... but then Lady Erica Whitmore wanted to get in the ring
with Rebecca Black. Despite obvious misgivings, Falcon obliged, tagging her in,
and though she didn't turn on Liberation X as feared, Rebecca Black did get the
upper hand over her, then turned her over to one of the Manhunters for a
vicious beating. With Erica all but destroyed, Rebecca Black came back in to
finish her with the Blackout, but Erica broke it with a facerake, then brought
Falcon in again. This time, there was no quarter given; Falcon positively
destroyed his former lover, finishing her off with a new finishing move: the
Falcon Arrow. As a result of this match, the Inquisition had to leave the
building, leaving Gabriel Black alone against his brother.
When "Pretty Boy" Jimmy Lockman faced Virginia, he was the heavy
favorite. After all, as a veteran and a legendary competitor in the NCWA many
years ago, it was hard to see him losing to Virginia, who he had already
defeated once. And indeed, that did seem to be the case; Virginia's power
offense failed to keep Jimmy Lockman down for much of the match. But even
though Jimmy Lockman viciously attacked her knee without mercy, she never
submitted to the Figure-Four Leglock. Battered, obviously outclassed, and
standing on one leg, Virginia somehow called upon a final burst of energy, and
put Jimmy Lockman in serious trouble with a few hard-hitting power moves. But
when it seemed as though she'd have a chance, Stacey Lockman jumped in,
screaming at Tattoo to get his attention, allowing Neytron DelArmeggio to come
in and blast Virginia with a chair. He executed a Piledriver on Virginia, and
was about to do another when Tattoo decided he'd had enough of Stacey's obvious
ploy, and turned around in time to catch Neytron in the act. He beat the hell
out of Neytron, then turned on his employer as well, smashing him into the mat
and throwing Virginia on top of Jimmy Lockman to right the wrong. He made the
count, and despite his seeming allegiance to the System, it would seem Tattoo
upheld real law and order tonight. Unfortunately, he received only a sneak
attack from behind with the cane and the Figure-Four Leglock from the outraged
ex-commissioner, Jimmy Lockman, as his reward. Regardless, Virginia is the new
VCW Commissioner, and Jimmy Lockman is now just another wrestler. Whether he
will retire from wrestling entirely, or become an active member in the VCW
roster is another thing.
David Wright Hubbard and Randy Savage faced each other next, and the
rulebook went right out the window as quickly as could be expected. They spent
as much time out of the ring as in it, beating the crap out of each other with
everything they could get their hands on. David Wright Hubbard rose to the
occasion, beating his legendary opponent all around the ring area, while Randy
Savage fought with an internal fire that he hasn't shown in years. At the
conclusion of what can only be called a great, wild brawl, David Wright Hubbard
made the mistake of putting himself through a table with a misguided flying
bodypress. One piledriver and one Flying Elbowdrop later, "Macho Man" Randy
Savage came out on top. He wrestled like he was ten years younger tonight...
but given the reality of his deteriorating physical condition, how many more
high-impact matches like this does he have in him?
What could top David Wright Hubbard and Randy Savage beating each other
senseless for twenty minutes? Not much, but Troy Black and Gabriel Black
beating each other senseless for forty minutes is a possible answer to that
question. Considering that they went thirty minutes at their last meeting, and
NOBODY wanted to see this match end in a time limit draw, this match was made a
No Time Limit Match before the show. Troy Black blasted Gabriel Black with
everything in his offense, even attacking one of his arms, perhaps to provide
him with increased difficulty in executing the Destiny Driver, while Gabriel
Black, as could be expected, targeted Troy Black's neck with a flurry of
neckbreakers, short clotheslines, DDTs, piledrivers, and anything else he could
pull out of his arsenal. Despite Troy's weakened neck, he refused to say
down... but Gabriel also took everything Troy Black could throw at him and then
some without quitting.
The match appeared to be over when Troy Black put his brother, half-dead
from blood loss and the beating of his life, in an armbar submission. But
Gabriel Black was determined to win, and refused to let the VCW World Title
slip out of his hands like that. He struggled like a demon, and though barely
conscious he made it to the ropes. Somehow, through the pain and punishment he
had endured, he found the strength to turn the match around again, and came
close to murdering his brother with a top-rope neckbreaker. One Destiny Hammer
later, it seemed that NOBODY could get up from what Troy Black had endured...
but Troy did. Gabriel Black made a further attempt to shatter Troy Black's
spine with a backdrop driver... but still Troy Black kicked out. Despite
previous failed attempts countered by Troy, Gabriel Black pulled out his
ultimate weapon, the Destiny Driver. This time, it worked. Troy Black was
rendered motionless on the mat. But as the referee's hand came down for three,
as trash rained down upon the ring from angry fans who sensed Gabriel Black's
impending victory, the unthinkable happened. Troy Black kicked out, with
authority.
Gabriel Black was stunned. With eyes as wide as dinner plates and
obvious shock etched across his face, Gabriel Black did something he had never
done before. He backed away from his opponent, grovelling. A desperate Yakuza
kick only served to throw him off balance, and he was immediately caught by
Troy, who started carving him up in preparation for the end. But the tactical
mind that had allowed Gabriel to defend the VCW World Title many times before
once again resurfaced, and he countered the double arm DDT. Another piledriver
to Troy Black's damaged neck seemed to seal the match, but Gabriel Black went
for another Destiny Driver to be sure. This time, Troy Black would not be
caught; he escaped, and after an inverted DDT, a double arm DDT, and the Black
Dagger compounded on forty solid minutes of hell, Gabriel Black would not get
up. The crowd proceeded to give everyone in a five mile radius permanent ear
damage with the loudest pop in VCW history as Troy Black was declared the new
champion. Even Gabriel Black, shocked at his defeat, grudgingly acknowledged
his brother as the victor before heading backstage. The longest World Title
reign in fifteen years has ended. Gabriel Black was VCW World Champion for 546
days. How long will Troy Black hold the title?
Tomorrow, on the next episode of VCW Monday Night Wrestling, the dust
will finally settle, and probably be kicked up again in short order. Both
competitors in the World Title match are expected to share their thoughts on
the match, and the new VCW Commissioner, Virginia, will be present as well. In
addition, an Ontario Color Show reunion is expected, for the first time in many
months. You won't want to miss what will probably be an important night in
defining the new face of VCW. Make sure you're glued to your TV screen (not
literally, of course) for the next episode of VCW Monday Night Wrestling!!
Click here to return to the card overview.
, 10-17-2000