Waste-of-Time:
Once again, welcome to the Waste-of-Time, the least exciting pre-game show in wrestling! "Wasting My Time" by Jimmy Page is playing as the intro rolls, and for the next half-hour, we'll be showing previews, clips of stuff that's already happened, and insignificant B-level matches. Get ready to order the pay-per-view if you haven't already done so, because we're looking at one heck of a show as we get ready for the 2001 edition of the Big Fight, less than a half-hour away on pay-per-view, coming to you from the Alamodome in Texas! If you've already ordered the pay-per-view, then sit back and get ready to enjoy it... but if not, there's still time to do so now! Pick up your phone, call your cable provider, and order the Big Fight now!
Without a doubt, one of the highlights of the Big Fight pay-per-view is the Big Fight itself, a thirty-man battle royal where the participants enter one at a time at two-minute intervals. On paper, it's a lot like the WWF's Royal Rumble... but this is VCW, and we can guarantee an extraordinary spectacle for you tonight. This is the third Big Fight in VCW history, but in a lot of ways, it's unique from past years. This time, it's not merely for a title shot at Blood and Thunder... the winner of the Big Fight this year will be crowned the new VCW Intercontinental Champion. And in addition to twenty-six members of the VCW roster, there are four guest independent wrestlers in the backstage area who have been offered a shot at entering the Big Fight and competing for the VCW Intercontinental Title. We haven't heard specifics yet, but we're given to understand that they're names with which many fans who follow the sport closely will be familiar.
Last year's Big Fight was quite an event in its own right. Last year, the entrances were spaced three minutes apart, and Falcon entered as the fourth man in. He proceeded to remain in the ring for nearly ninety grueling minutes, setting the VCW record for the longest in-ring performance in history. In the end, however, Crimson came in and dominated, annihilating everybody on the way to winning the Big Fight in dramatic fashion, as the following special remastered footage shows....
From The Big Fight 2000 (remastered footage):
Crimson turns his attention to Manhunter #2... and immediately knocks him off his feet with a big right hand! The crowd erupts as Crimson pulls him up into a standing headscissors... he's going for a power bomb... no, backdrop! And Manhunter #2 lashes out with a headbutt! Falcon leaps off the ropes as Crimson gets back up... FALCONSAULT!! Crimson buckles under Falcon, and Manhunter #2 pulls him up again, motioning for Falcon to go up to the top turnbuckle... Manhunter #2 gives Crimson a huge backbreaker, and now Falcon comes off the top to flatten him with a flying elbowdrop, as Bass Rogers stands back and roars with sadistic glee! The Inquisition is totally dominating Crimson with these three-on-one odds!
Falcon rolls off of Crimson to lie on the mat... he's obviously at the end of his limits, covered with sweat and seemingly ready to collapse from fatigue at any moment. Manhunter #2 begins choking Crimson... but Crimson nails him low! Crimson grabs Manhunter #2, and chucks him out of the ring! Manhunter #2's out of there! (Manhunter #2 was eliminated at 1:30:25.) After a moment of shock, Bass Rogers rushes in and goes on the attack, and Falcon wearily joins him. They whip Crimson into the ropes... double fist to the midsection! They're trying to send him over the top... but Crimson holds on! They're whipping him to the ropes again... double bodyslam! But they're still not done! They pick him up and send him in again... they're going to take him out of the ring with a double backdrop... but Crimson knocks their heads together! Falcon collapses, and Bass Rogers staggers and slumps over... and Crimson puts him in a standing headscissors... POWER BOMB!! Crimson somehow power bombed Bass Rogers, and now he pitches him out of the ring! (Bass Rogers was eliminated at 1:32:44) The crowd explodes into deafening cheers... it's down to Falcon and Crimson, one-on-one!! But is Falcon in any shape to face Crimson now!?
Falcon rolls his eyes and seems to mutter an obscenity under his breath as he turns around to face Crimson, with pain and fatigue in his eyes and his hair matted with sweat. Crimson grins and tries to knock his head off with a right hand... but Falcon blocks it! Kick to the midsection, and Falcon hooks him... double underhook facebuster! Crimson begins to get up, and somehow Falcon summons the energy to run and spring off the ropes... FALCONSAULT!! He nailed Crimson with it again, taking him down... and now he's going up again... FLYING ELBOWDROP!! He's pulling out all of the guns here... and now he's gearing up for the Superkick!! Crimson gets up... SUPERKICK!! Crimson just took a boot to the jaw, and he topples over like a felled tree! After nearly ninety minutes, could Falcon somehow pull it off? His attitude and ego are sickening, but there's no denying that there's no quit in Falcon! He pulls Crimson up and tries to pick him up and toss him out... but he doesn't have the strength left! He can't do it!
Falcon shifts position and takes Crimson down with a Russian legsweep, taking him down again, but what's he going to do if he can't physically lift Crimson to throw him out! Crimson's reeling from Falcon's offense, but does Falcon have anything left? He's gearing up for the Superkick again, as Crimson gets up... HE HITS IT!! Crimson staggers back a few steps before collapsing against the ropes, and Falcon goes over to him, trying to shove him over! If he can't lift him, maybe he can at least tip him to the outside... but Crimson's just not going over! Falcon backs up, measuring Crimson again... and Crimson may be out on his feet here. Falcon's going to try to knock him out over the top rope with a third Superkick... and he snaps the foot out... but Crimson suddenly steps to the side! Falcon staggers, trying to regain his balance... and Crimson grabs him and pitches him to the outside!!! (Falcon was eliminated in 1:35:27) FALCON'S OUT!! After a few seconds shy of ninety minutes in there, he's gone, and Crimson just won!! The crowd's on its feet... Crimson has won the Big Fight, and he'll be going on to get a shot at the VCW World Title at Blood and Thunder!!
As it turned out, Crimson did not, in fact, go on to challenge for the VCW World Title at Blood and Thunder, due to circumstances later in the year. But it can't be denied that Crimson won the Big Fight in convincing fashion, overcoming three-on-one odds at the end of the night to win the Big Fight. And in recent weeks, he's made it abundantly clear that he plans to repeat this year and use the VCW Intercontinental Title as a stepping stone to the VCW World Title... after Julian Page, a former recent VCW Intercontinental Champion, promised he'd be the one getting the title back.
From VCW 109:
J. Page: There are only thirteen days left until I rectify the horrible mistake that was made at Wrestlewar, and regain my VCW Intercontinental Title by winning the Big Fight. But I know what you're all saying... what makes me so sure that I'll be the winner? I mean, there ARE twenty-nine other guys in there... what makes me so special? I'll tell you what it is... it's the fact that I'm still the best that VCW has to offer. They had to bring in somebody who doesn't even work here to beat me, because there's nobody in this company that measures up to my standard of excellence. Even, for instance, the guy who won the Big Fight last year... Crimson. He's pretty impressive, as a former World Champion and all... but he's no Julian Page.
If you'll recall, I hold a victory over David Wright Hubbard, for a major VCW title... and he DOESN'T. Remember when I beat David Wright Hubbard for my first Intercontinental Title? That right there conclusively proves that I'm better than Crimson... but in case that's not enough, I've got another way to prove it, and that's by beating him right here, right now, in this ring. Unless I'm mistaken, Crimson's in the building tonight, and I've got a special message for him. Crimson, get out here right now, and I'll take you apart right now!
Has Julian Page lost his mind!? He's actually ASKING for a match with Crimson? This is suicide... but it's too late to take it back now, because "Walk" by Pantera just started playing over the arena sound system!! Here comes Crimson, and the crowd's torn between booing him because he's an evil, heartless son of a bitch, or cheering because Julian Page is in store for one hell of an ass-kicking. He stops at the top of the ramp, and grabs a microphone.
Crimson: Let me get this straight, little man. You actually WANT to fight me? Surely, now... you've GOT to be kidding me.
J. Page: First of all, I'm not kidding... and second of all, my name's Julian, not Shirley, and--
Crimson: That don't matter a bit, because it's still a sissy little name for a girly little fucking BITCH like you. And I hate to spoil your little party, but I entered the Big Fight too... and that means you ain't gonna win it. Nobody's gonna win it but me, after I'm done whipping twenty-nine other asses. And when I get the Intercontinental Title... I'll be number-one contender to the VCW World Title, and whether it's that bullshit cowboy David Wright Hubbard or that fat fuck Tony Garcia, I'm gonna kick his ass and take my belt back. Just to put it in terms you can understand, boy... you're looking at the man who's gonna repeat in the Big Fight this year and walk away with the Intercontinental Title.
But Julian Page and Crimson aren't the only ones who seem to think they'll be the VCW Intercontinental Champion at the end of the night... Robert Danson, formerly one-half of the Immortals and a two-time co-holder of the VCW World Tag Team Titles, also made it clear that he's aiming for the Intercontinental Title.
From VCW 108:
Robert Danson has emerged victorious from this match... not as if there was any doubt. But now what's he doing? He's grabbing a microphone... what could this be about?
R. Danson: I just want to let you all know that I sincerely appreciate your appreciation of my wrestling ability. When I'm in the ring, whether I'm battling a member of a biker gang or some giant guy dressed up as a ninja, it's always nice to hear the cheers of my fans. And I know I'll be glad to hear your cheers again when I win the Big Fight and become the next VCW Intercontinental Champion. Because that's what I'm gonna do. There are a lot of people who don't believe it, and a lot of people who probably think they'll be the ones winning instead. But when the night's over, only one guy's gonna be standing in the ring, wearing the Intercontinental Title, and saying "I told you so"... and that's me.
However, the bottom line is that every man entered in the Big Fight tonight has his sights set on the VCW Intercontinental Title. Whether they've been vocal about it in the past few weeks or not, there's no denying that this is a huge opportunity for somebody to walk away with a major prize, especially if they draw well when picking their entrance number. This could be a huge win for anybody with enough skill, physical attributes, or just luck to walk away with the win tonight.
Right now, we're going to take a break to get to some action in the ring, continuing the tradition of bringing in NCXCW performers ... "Jesus Built My Hotrod" by Ministry kicks on, and here comes one of NCXCW's more offbeat performers (and believe me, that's saying something), Dragon Mandoodle. A small man wearing green tights and a smiling dragon mask runs to the ring and slides in gracefully, then begins stalking around the ring in a martial-arts stance, before executing a jumping spinkick, intentionally falling on his backside, then breakdancing up to his feet and bowing to the crowd, which gives him a weak pop. A few NCXCW fans try to start a "DRAGON" chant, but to no avail, as Dragon Mandoodle awaits his opponent in the ring.
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" by Apocalyptica begins playing over the arena sound system, and here comes another NCXCW performer, "The Spirit Warrior" Mark Heston, along with his girlfriend Miranda Reno. A short, thin, pale man with long black hair, black pants, and a black shirt, Mark Heston has occasionally met with criticism from observers who claim that he's trying to imitate VCW's Troy Black, both in image and wrestling style... and the fact that Miranda is a tall, well-endowed, but muscular woman wearing a tattered concert t-shirt, tight blue jeans, and a pair of work boots doesn't do much to dispel the notion. He enters the ring and does his best brooding stare as he poses on the top turnbuckle and looks around at the crowd, but his face is a little too boyish and "cutesy" for the part, and all he gets is a weak chant of "YOU'RE NOT TROY" for his troubles. Miranda Reno kisses him as he steps down, but he remains mostly unresponsive, staring past her at Dragon Mandoodle. And now VCW referee Jerry Rogers is in the ring, and this match begins now!
"The Spirit Warrior"
Mark Heston
w/Miranda Reno
vs.
Dragon Mandoodle
Mark Heston moves forward for a lockup as the match starts... but Dragon Mandoodle holds up a finger as if to say "Wait a second"... and he springs up to the top rope! He begins doing a goofy walk across the top rope, bobbing his head in an exaggerated fashion, then turns the corner and keeps doing the same thing, until he's made a lap all the way around the ring, at which point he dives back in, lands with a forward roll, then springs to his feet and bows. A few people in the crowd laugh and cheer, but Mark Heston doesn't look impressed. Now Dragon Mandoodle's walking in for a lockup... and Mark Heston drops him with a throat jab!
Dragon Mandoodle begins getting up... but Mark Heston takes him down with a spin kick, then tosses him to the outside of the ring. He climbs to the top turnbuckle, as Dragon gets to his feet on the outside of the ring... and he comes off with a ringpost moonsault... and overshoots by a couple of feet, forcing Dragon Mandoodle to quickly backpedal and catch him to keep him from missing and breaking his neck on the concrete. Dragon Mandoodle goes down hard under Mark Heston, and Mark Heston stays on the offense, pulling him up and taking him head-first into the ringsteps, then whipping him into the guardrail... but Dragon Mandoodle jumps up on the top of the rail, then springs back off onto Mark Heston with an Asai moonsault!! That gets a pop out of the crowd, and Dragon Mandoodle immediately gets up to bask in the cheers as he turns in circles and folds his arms, flapping his elbows like chicken wings.
Mark Heston begins getting up, and Dragon Mandoodle rolls him back into the ring, then continues the offense with a series of kicks to either side, culminating in a massive jumping spinning thrust kick that takes Mark Heston off his feet. Dragon Mandoodle pulls him up and executes a jawbreaker, then climbs out to the apron and grabs the top rope... and he slingshots himself into the ring, landing on Mark Heston with a senton! He pulls Mark Heston up again, and whips him to the ropes, then runs off the other side and does a forward roll, springing up into a Konnan-style rolling clothesline! A few smart-aleck fans yell "ARRIBA LA RAZA!" from the crowd, but Dragon Mandoodle's not paying attention... he's dancing again, this time duck-walking into the ropes, and coming off the other side... and he drops a leg, but Mark Heston rolls out of the way!
Both men get up, and Mark Heston dishes out a few swift kicks to Dragon Mandoodle as he gets up... but Dragon catches his foot! No, Mark Heston jumps up and nails him with an enzuigiri!! Dragon Mandoodle's down, and Mark Heston pulls him up and whips him to the ropes, then runs to the other side... Dragon tries for a clothesline, but Mark ducks and comes off the other side... and takes him down with a leaping clothesline on the second pass! Dragon Mandoodle begins pulling himself up... but Mark Heston pops him with a savate kick as he gets up! Now Mark Heston's going up to the top turnbuckle... he's going for a shooting star press... but Dragon gets his knees up into Mark's abdomen!
Mark Heston rolls over, clutching his abdomen in pain, and Dragon Mandoodle begins to get up... this could be his chance! He runs into the ropes and comes off as Mark Heston gets up, doubled over... BACKSPIN DDT!! That's the same DDT used by Rocky Maivia early in his career, but Dragon Mandoodle calls it the Dragon DDT, and he just planted Mark Heston with it! But he's not going for the cover... he's going up to the top turnbuckle! Mark Heston gets up, slowly, and Dragon Mandoodle comes off the top... DRAGON DESTROYER!! That's his move, a flying somersault neckbreaker similar to the Buff Blockbuster... but he's still not going for the cover! He's getting up and dancing, wiggling his body like a serpent as his arms wave wildly but gracefully at his side and he stalks around the ring, cocking his head at odd angles... he calls this the Dragon Dance! But it's wasting valuable time, and... MARK HESTON SITS UP!! Dragon Mandoodle turns around just in time to see Mark Heston on his feet... kick to the midsection!! DOUBLE ARM DDT!! That's his finishing move, and he calls it the Soulslayer!! Mark Heston covers Dragon Mandoodle, and Jerry Rogers makes the count... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THREE!!
Mark
Heston pinned Dragon Mandoodle with the Soulslayer in 0:05:02.
Rating: ** 1/4
Not bad, for a bunch of spot-happy garbage from a pair of bush-league nobodies... at least they didn't inflict Raisin Brandon or Jockey Oldcastle on us again. Once again, Mark Heston begins staring out into space, barely even noticing as Miranda Reno comes up to him and embraces him... but he seems to notice just fine as a VCW ring crew member approaches him and tells him to take it backstage so we can get on with the show.
Without a doubt, one of the biggest matches in tonight's event has to be considered Troy Black and Falcon meeting in a Street Fight. Their rivalry has been a long one, starting a long time ago in the early days of VCW. Troy Black had warned Melissa DelArmeggio not to come to the ring for his Towel Match with the Tony Garcia, then known as the Torturer, and when she did he refused to save her from the ensuing Inquisition attack. That drew the anger of Falcon, who said even then that Troy Black had done the wrong thing, and was only further angered when Troy Black tried to justify his actions.
From VCW 10:
Falcon: Well, the first thing I heard when I got here today was Troy Black's speech about how he didn't want help, and he didn't want to help anybody else. If he wants to fight the entire Inquisition by himself, that's his business, but when you make an alliance with someone, when you team up with someone and help them out, it's not something you can brush off. Friendship doesn't have an on/off switch, Troy. You can't stand back and watch the Inquisition brutalize Melissa and say she was just interfering in your business. When you and her started helping each other, your business became her business. No matter what you said earlier, the two of you had a bond more powerful that any pain that the Inquisition could unleash on you, a bond that held you together. Last week, Troy, you cut that bond, and watched her fall into the abyss.
From there, they had an inconclusive match and a mini-feud which ended in an uneasy alliance after they realized that Gabriel Black and the Inquisition was the greater of the evils. They fought alongside one another, even becoming VCW World Tag Team Champions, in their quest to battle the Inquisition. But that alliance wouldn't last long before breaking down again, and once again they were at each other's throats as Troy Black challenged Falcon to a match at Disaster Area.
From VCW 17:
T. Black: Normally, I like to keep to myself. I don't antagonize people just for the sake of making a name for myself. But Falcon forced himself into my life, and now he's going to have to deal with the consequences. He said he couldn't trust me... but he was the one who attacked ME after a match, he was the one who came to my locker room and Superkicked me... I'm not going to forget that.
I'll start with my own honest opinion on Falcon. I don't like his image as the bohemian philosopher of VCW... I don't like his style... I don't like his attitude... and to be honest, I don't like his face. Everything I have seen from Falcon is enough to show me that he's an immature, manipulative, whining, self-serving, self-loving, skirt-chasing glory hound. ...
... This time will be different. Falcon isn't going to be the one beginning this conflict. I'm starting the final battle, and ending the war. Falcon, I want to end this. Once and for all. And I can't think of any better place to do it than at Disaster Area.
Falcon would go on to accept that match, once again attacking Troy Black's seeming lack of loyalty in a nearly prophetic manner nearly two years ago, seemingly fortelling what happened a few mere weeks ago from that time.
From VCW 17:
Falcon: Since I ran in that night and filled in for Troy's lack of compassion and manhood, Melissa and myself have gotten to be pretty good friends. And I know this isn't the right thing to say, not now, but it needs to be said anyway... Melissa, friend or not, you need to get your head out of Troy Black's ASS before it comes back to haunt you again.
But Troy says I have a problem? I don't have a problem. I make my intentions plain as day. My career and my life are an open book. My friends KNOW that if they go down with a ring of Inquisition guys around them, and I'm in the building, in about fifteen seconds I'll either be in there kicking ass with a chair, or in there in a heap on the mat with them. I live with my people, I fight with my people, and if it has to happen, I get beat to a bloody pulp with my people. ...
... I've got a challenge from Troy Black for a match at Disaster Area. He wants me out of his business. I like that idea... I'm just a little tired of him myself. So I'll make him a deal. We'll have the match, I'll Superkick his head off his shoulders and into the cheap seats, pin him for a three-count, and then after that, if he'll stop messing with Melissa's head and talking trash about me, I'll stop beating the crap out of him for it!!
So in case you took the opportunity to go out to the snack bar or take a quick nap while I gave you my life story, let me give you the Falcon Condensed Version of what I just said. Troy Black, at Disaster Area, I'm gonna kick your short, scrawny ass!!
That match wasn't the end that both men had thought it would be... it was only the beginning. They met in a Strap Submission Match at Disaster Area, which was universally agreed to be a lackluster, overbooked affair with an anticlimactic ending. Troy Black walked away with the victory, but it wasn't the epic, decisive win that could seal the end of a hatred like this. If anything, it only strengthened it. However, yet again Falcon and Troy Black seemed to realize that their common enemy, Gabriel Black's Inquisition, was a greater threat... and yet again, their rivalry was put on hold as they formed an alliance for their mutual benefit. With apparent mutual respect for each other, they met in a classic match at the finals of the first-ever Survival of the Fittest Tournament, and Troy Black emerged victorious again. Falcon seemed to be at ease with the results of their second encounter...
From VCW 36:
Falcon: You know, I can't remember any other time when I've been able to say that with pride... but that was the toughest match of my career, the best match of my career, and I'll bet Troy would tell you the same thing. And if anybody that wrestles in VCW has to kick my ass... I'd want it to be Troy. Congratulations, man... and you'd better believe that when you come stepping out of the ring with the belt around your waist at Wrestlewar II, and Skip Bizby's calling you the winner, and new VCW World Champion, that there will be one hell of a celebration party waiting for you backstage.
We would find out later, however, that this was a false sentiment. In fact, Falcon's hatred for Troy Black had become so strong that he was willing to do anything to exact revenge. With this burning hatred in his mind, and temptation from new Inquisition member Rebecca Black, Falcon would do something we never thought we'd see him do... align himself with the most feared and hated force in VCW history... Gabriel Black's dreaded Inquisition. And he formalized his turn with a stab directly in Troy's back.
From VCW 42:
The argument between Falcon and Troy Black seems to shift focus now, as Troy Black gestures to the ring containing Richard Tobian, like he wants Falcon to help him take care of Gabriel Black and Bass Rogers. They seem to agree on this, and Troy Black climbs back into the ring, not noticing as Rebecca Black hands Falcon a chair.
Of course, the crowd sees it... and immediately a bunch of noise erupts from the crowd as Falcon comes up behind Troy Black with the chair given to him by Rebecca. This doesn't sound too much different from the noise that would normally accompany Troy Black and Falcon getting ready to take care of business with the Inquisition, and so Troy never notices it... until the chair comes crashing down on the back of his head.
The crowd explodes into deafening boos as Bass Rogers grabs Richard Tobian's remains and disposes of him on the outside of the ring, then Gabriel Black, Bass Rogers, and Falcon immediately begin pounding the living hell out of Troy Black. Once Troy is suitably subdued, Falcon folds the chair on his face, then Gabriel Black and Bass Rogers pick him up by the arms and hold him while Falcon lands a Superkick on the chair. Troy crashes to the mat, with blood trickling down his neck from his face behind the chair. As if that isn't enough, Falcon then stands over Troy and executes a legdrop on the chair, further smashing Troy's face.
This attack wouldn't go without retaliation... Troy Black would have his chance at revenge at Deck the Halls '99, when he met Falcon in a no-DQ, no-countout, no-time-limit match, very similar in environment to his upcoming Street Fight with Falcon. For a third time, Troy Black emerged victorious, and it appeared that that would be the charm, that the rivalry was finally over... Falcon went on to feud with David Wright Hubbard and Crimson... while Troy Black went on to challenge for the VCW World Title, suffering a severe neck injury at Wrestlewar. Later, when Troy Black returned and broke up the Inquisition from inside, Falcon once again stood as his teammate, and while they never pretended to like one another, it appeared that they at least accepted each other, and that there would be no more feuding. All was quiet
And then Troy Black formed the Black Plague, in the process coldly discarding Melissa DelArmeggio with a torrent of harsh words and a Black Dagger, replacing her with Amy Lin. Once again, Falcon was ready to stand up against Troy for what he saw as mistreatment of his former teammate and friend, but this time there was no question... Troy Black truly had turned his back on Melissa, just as Falcon had claimed he would a long time ago.
From VCW 106:
Troy Black motions for Brujah and Desmond to step aside, and they do as he stands up, moving to stand face to face with Falcon. Falcon immediately grabs him by the shirt and shoves him up against the wall, prompting every last person in the locker room to stand up and take a step towards Falcon, but he directs a hostile, emotion-filled glare at them, stopping them in their tracks, then turns back to fix that glare on Troy.
Falcon: You son of a bitch... I KNEW you couldn't be trusted. What you did to Gabriel... that was a lowlife, gutless thing to do, but I'm not gonna call you on it, because I never liked Gabriel either. But what you did to Melissa... she's one of my friends. She trusted you, Troy, with every beat of her heart... and it didn't matter that you turned your back on her, even in the old days, and left her alone with Tony Garcia... I couldn't convince her that I knew what kind of human slime you really are. I just had to hope that maybe I was wrong, maybe the sky wasn't blue, and maybe you weren't a human ball of slime. She trusted you, Troy... she left herself defenseless to you, and you attacked her emotionally and physically in the ring tonight. I want you to go out there and apologize to her... hell, apologize to EVERYONE... and I want you to do it right FUCKING now.
Troy Black just shakes his head in contempt as he pulls Falcon's hands off his shirt and shoves him away, then smooths out the wrinkles in his shirt.
T. Black: First of all, there's a lesson you should have learned from Melissa's mistakes earlier tonight... NOBODY tells me what to do. Even you. Least of all you. And second... you can go ahead and cry Melissa a river if you want to, but I really don't care. Aside from the fact that she works out and knows martial arts, there's nothing seperating her from any of the other pretty redheads in the crowd... except that she's not all that pretty anymore after her face has been mangled half a dozen times.
Falcon: You fucking piece of shit...
Falcon lunges at Troy Black and begins blasting him in the side of the head with a series of hard punches, but Brujah and Desmond grab him and pull him back...
The hatred and animosity was back with a vengance, and it couldn't just be allowed to simmer... VCW Commissioner James Applebee quickly saw what needed to happen, and made the match for tonight... Troy Black versus Falcon, one more time. But that wasn't enough for Falcon... he had another torrent of scathing words for Troy Black, and with them a challenge to up the ante, and make their match tonight a Street Fight.
From VCW 108:
Falcon: So, let me get this straight... Applebee wants to keep me uninjured, so he bars the Black Plague from the building... then puts me in a match with Randy Savage tonight? I have to admit, that doesn't make a lot of sense... but you know, I'm not gonna complain about it. Because frankly, there are other people worse off than I am right now... like Troy Black. That's because Troy Black has a match with me at the Big Fight. Maybe that doesn't sound so bad... until you consider what I'm going to do to him when I get him in the ring. I couldn't care less about the fact that he double-crossed Gabriel Black... after all I've been through with Gabriel, I wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire. But when he double-crossed Melissa... that made me mad.
See... Troy's not the only one who goes back a long way with Melissa. Shortly after she came to VCW, she joined Liberation X. We were friends... we were teammates... and to be perfectly honest, I had some deeper feelings for her too. And when she ended up with Troy... well, it made a little jealous, but more than that, it made me sick. It was like she went to a pet store and bought the biggest, slimiest snake there and took it home, then took it to her room, dropped her pants, spread her legs, and let it crawl inside her. I saw from the beginning that the only thing that Troy Black cares about is Troy Black. I used to pray that maybe I was wrong and he had a shred or two of decency, or maybe that he finally had woken up and realized just how valuable what he had with Melissa was... but I was fooling myself, just like Melissa. And sure enough, when he saw that it was causing him too much trouble to do the right thing and stand up to Tony, Lorenzo, and Rebecca, he sold Gabriel and Melissa up the river and formed the Black Plague.
But there's one thing Troy Black doesn't seem to have counted on... and that's me. I saw the surprise and fear in his eyes when I stormed in his locker room two weeks ago... but he knew he could stand up to me as long as he had his goons there to pull me back, and to threaten Erica. But at the Big Fight, he has to face me himself, in the ring. And if James Applebee will add the stipulations, and Troy Black has the guts to accept them, I have two things to add to this match. Number one, we leave everyone else backstage. No Erica, no Amy Lin, no Rebecca, and no Black Plague. And number two... I don't want a wrestling match with you, Troy. I want a no-disqualification, no-countout Street Fight.
Troy Black hesitated for a week or two... but at the eleventh hour, just six days ago, he accepted the challenge in cold, malice-filled terms...
From VCW 110:
T. Black: Normally, I'm not inclined to give my enemies what they want... but he already has the misfortune of facing me at the Big Fight, and since he was foolish enough to extend a challenge for a Street Fight, I'll happily take it. He says he wants to take revenge on me, for Melissa's sake... but I know the truth better than that. I've said it from the beginning... at his core, Falcon's nothing more than a skirt-chaser. He's wanted Melissa from the beginning days of VCW... and now that I've finally discarded her, he thinks he finally has a chance to make his fantasies into reality if he can do a favor to her, and take revenge on me for setting her straight. As far as I'm concerned, they're both insignificant to me, and they deserve each other... but if Falcon thinks that he can defeat me in the first place, he's mistaken... he's never beaten me before, and this Sunday will be no exception.
Six days have passed, and this Sunday has become tonight. We're looking ahead to what could be the defining match of one of VCW's oldest, strongest rivalries, as Troy Black and Falcon face each other man to man in a Street Fight! There will be no disqualifications and no countouts, and nobody else allowed at ringside... just two men who hate each other more than anything else, fighting the greatest battle of what has been an all-out war, putting their bodies on the line as they each seek to destroy a rival that they hate above all others. All hyperbole and exaggeration aside, this match stands to be a huge, epic confrontation.
What we're about to see, however, is a somewhat-less-than-epic confrontation, although it's theoretically a main-event level encounter. "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin begins playing over the arena sound system, and that brings forth the NCXCW World Champion, "Beautiful" Brian Eastwood, along with his tag team partner for the evening "The Shooter" Robin Goldman, and his lovely valet Jill Madison. Brian Eastwood, a flamboyant, average-sized man with flowing blond hair, a robe, and elaborately airbrushed tights, stands in stark contrast to Robin Goldman, with his plain trunks and short brown hair. They enter the ring, and Jill Madison takes off the champion's robe as he swivels his hips... and Robin Goldman has a microphone!? Who gave him that!? He raises it to speak... this should be rich...
R. Goldman: Johnny Stagger... Adam Logan... tonight, you're going to need a little more than your drunken antics and cheap suntan for this match. I'm a professional trained fighter... my name says it all. I'm what's known in fighting circles as a "shooter". And you're--
"Have A Drink On Me" by AC/DC begins playing over the arena sound system, and that brings forth Johnny Stagger, a tall, slender, scruffy man with dirty blond hair in black trunks, a leather jacket, and a fishing hat, along with Adam Logan, a muscular, powerful man with short blond hair and plain red trunks. And now Johnny Stagger has a microphone too!? These guys haven't been allotted promo time...
J. Stagger: So, you say you're a shooter? Boy... I'm a real shooter... hell, I shot half a dozen glasses of tequila just before I came out here, and I'm a-gonna shoot half a dozen more after I whoop your ass!!
Johnny Stagger throws down the microphone and charges into the ring with Adam Logan, and they begin brawling with Brian Eastwood and Robin Goldman. Linda Peterson enters the ring to officiate, and this B-level hogwash begins NOW!!
"Beautiful" Brian
Eastwood & "The Shooter" Robin Goldman
w/Jill Madison
vs.
Johnny Stagger & Adam Logan
Robin Goldman goes into a fighting stance and stalks towards Johnny Stagger, looking for a quick takedown... but Johnny Stagger just begins firing right hands into his face repeatedly! Johnny Stagger grabs Robin Goldman and whips him to the ropes... and knocks him off his feet with a massive lariat as he comes off! Robin Goldman's down, but he's pulling himself back up... and Johnny Stagger bodyslams him! He planted him with that slam, and now he's staggering around the ring drunkenly... and he keels over, just happening to headbutt Robin Goldman in the ribs on the way down! The crowd pops for the drunken buffoonery, and Johnny Stagger slaps on a headlock, then tags in Adam Logan.
Adam Logan comes in and nails Robin Goldman with a few forearms, then grabs him as Johnny Stagger releases the headlock and steps outside. Adam Logan hits a bodyslam, and now he's bouncing off the ropes... elbowdrop! Robin Goldman thrashes around on the mat in pain after it connects, and Adam Logan pulls him up, fires off a few more right hands into his head, then whips him into the ropes... and takes him down with a clothesline as he comes off! Robin Goldman starts getting up... and meets with more right hands from Adam Logan, then a massive lift... into a Gorilla Press! Adam Logan pitches Robin Goldman halfway across the ring with a massive Gorilla Pres... and Robin Goldman begins pulling himself to his feet... and gets run over by a clothesline from Adam Logan!
Adam Logan decides to get technical on us now, grabbing Robin Goldman's arm and putting on a wristlock... but Robin Goldman quickly wriggles free and grabs his leg, taking him down into a leg grapevine. Adam Logan yells in pain as an unconvincing look of pain flashes across his face, then quickly pulls himself to the ropes. Robin Goldman kicks and twists his leg a few more times as he gets up, then makes the tag to Brian Eastwood, who comes in, takes Adam Logan down with a kneebreaker, then immediately slaps on a figure-four leglock. Once again, Adam Logan begins dragging himself to the ropes... he's just too strong to stay down this easily! He crawls to his corner, and makes the tag... here comes Johnny Stagger!
Brian Eastwood immediately releases the figure-four leglock and begins backpedalling, begging off... not too long ago, he won the NCXCW World Title from Johnny Stagger through less than legitimate means, and Johnny Stagger remembers it well! Johnny Stagger begins drilling Brian Eastwood with a series of punches... but now Robin Goldman comes in... and Johnny Stagger uses the other hand to start punching him too! He's taking them both on at once and winning (in about the most ridiculous, unconvincing spectacle the world has ever seen)... and now they're both dazed (i.e. overselling to make this ridiculous spot work) as he winds up both fists, then turns and staggers around the ring before stumbling back towards them and dropping them both with a simultaneous double-punch! The crowd eats it up, and Robin Goldman rolls out of the ring!
Brian Eastwood's not so lucky, on the other hand... Johnny Stagger tosses him into a corner, then stands up on top of him for ten count-along punches to the forehead. Brian Eastwood staggers out, looking dazed and battered... and Johnny Stagger fells him with a Samoan Drop! Johnny Stagger pulls him up and takes him down with a bodyslam, then stumbles into the ropes, no doubt intending more drunken foolishness... and Jill Madison trips him on the outside! He gets up, and immediate grabs her and pulls her up to the apron, then gives her a sloppy kiss, getting a small pop from the crowd... but Brian Eastwood nails him from behind with a double-axhandle to the back, then grabs him, and takes him down in a belly-to-back suplex!
Brian Eastwood tags in Robin Goldman, and Robin Goldman immediately goes into a fighting stance as Johnny Stagger gets up. Johnny Stagger carelessly throws a right hand, but Robin Goldman catches this one and works it into an armdrag takedown, then turns that into a wristlock! Johnny Stagger gets to his feet slowly, and swings a back elbow around to try to break the wristlock, but Robin Goldman ducks, then takes him down by the arm again! He begins dropping repeated knees into his wrist, then puts it behind his back and scoops him up and plants him with an Arn Anderson-style wristlock bodyslam! Johnny Stagger gets up, shaking his wrist in pain... and Robin Goldman immediately takes him down into an armbar and pulls back on it, paying special attention to the wrist as he bends his hand back at a far angle. Johnny Stagger cries out in pain, and begins dragging himself to the ropes... and after several seconds, he finally makes it. Robin Goldman goes for another wristlock as he gets up... but Johnny Stagger turns out of it, then fells him with a lariat as he turns around! But that took a lot out of Johnny Stagger as well, and now they're both crawling to their corners for tags. Robin Goldman tags in Brian Eastwood... and Johnny Stagger tags in Adam Logan!
Adam Logan rushes in, having evidently made a miraculous recovery in terms of his injured leg, and immediately starts hammering Brian Eastwood with repeated right hands. He whips him to the turnbuckle hard... and runs over him with a massive clothesline as he comes off the other side! But now Robin Goldman's in... and Adam Logan turns and starts drilling him with punches as well! He takes him down with a massive right hand... but Jill Madison just slipped the NCXCW World Title to Brian Eastwood, and now she has Linda Peterson distracted! Adam Logan turns around... and Brian Eastwood tries to take the title belt upside his head, but he ducks! Brian Eastwood hits Robin Goldman instead! He just wiped out his own partner, and now he turns to Adam Logan... and gets a kick to the midsection! AND AN ACE CRUSHER!! That's his finishing move, called the Adam Smasher... and he goes for a cover, hooking the leg! Linda Peterson turns around... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THREE!! Adam Logan wins!
Adam
Logan and Johnny Stagger defeated Brian Eastwood and Robin
Goldman when Logan pinned Eastwood with the Adam Smasher in
0:07:47.
Rating: 3/4*
Not much of a match, but the heels managed to keep it from degenerating into complete crap with decent selling and bumping. At any rate, Adam Logan and Johnny Stagger briefly pause to play to the crowd before heading backstage, and now Brian Eastwood, Robin Goldman, and Jill Madison follow suit, arguing as they leave. This'll probably lead to some major storyline development in NCXCW, but on the other hand... who cares!?
Before the Waste-of-Time draws to a close, there's one more match that bears close attention... tonight's main event, the VCW World Title Match between David Wright Hubbard and Tony Garcia. Formerly teammates in the Inquisition, these two first ended up at odds when David Wright Hubbard was kicked out of the Inquisition, then sought revenge against Gabriel Black. These men are certainly no strangers to one another, and David Wright Hubbard has usually come away with the better of their previous exchanges... but never before has the momentum of both men been so lopsided. Tony Garcia, with the Black Plague at his back and his newly-won TNM Elite Lethal Lottery Cup as proof of his skill, is poised to take himself to the next level in a huge way... while David Wright Hubbard has been hobbling down a rocky road on one bad knee, and may be easy pickings tonight for a dangerous, sadistic veteran like Tony Garcia.
Gabriel Black had previously made a promise to Tony Garcia to help guide him to the VCW World Title, and when he proved unable to fulfill that promise, Tony Garcia turned against him. When Troy Black allied with Tony Garcia and formed the Black Plague, he made a promise of his own, to keep the promise that they claim Gabriel broke... to guide Tony Garcia to the VCW World Title.
From VCW 106:
T. Black: Speaking of Gabriel Black's promise to Tony Garcia... because I'm a better man than my brother, I'm going to fulfill it for him. Tony... I'm going to stand by your side, and guide you to the VCW World Title, just like Gabriel said he would. You beat Gabriel at Deck the Halls, and you beat him again last night at Wrestlewar, and you've been destroying everyone in your path in between. Falcon, Bass Rogers, the Heavy Metal Express... even me. So I petitioned the VCW Championship Committee... and at the Big Fight, you now have a title shot, one-on-one against the VCW World Champion, David Wright Hubbard, in the main event.
That night, David Wright Hubbard goaded Troy Black into facing him in a match for the VCW World Title. It seemed possible that Troy Black would win the VCW World Title for himself and leave Tony Garcia out in the dark at the Big Fight... but it was proven than blood was thicker than gold when we found out otherwise. If anything, what happened in that match brought Tony Garcia several steps closer to achieving his goal at the Big Fight.
From VCW 106:
David Wright Hubbard's getting up as well... and Troy Black nails him with a stiff kick to the knee! David Wright Hubbard bellows out in pain and begins clutching his knee... and Troy Black hooks him... DOUBLE ARM DDT!! Troy Black's going up to the top turnbuckle... BLACK DAGGER!! He just nailed David Wright Hubbard with the Black Dagger, and I don't think the VCW World Champion's getting up! But Troy Black goes up to the top turnbuckle again... not again... BLACK DAGGER!! He did it a second time!! But he's not going for the pin... he's climbing to the top turnbuckle one more time... HE DOES IT YET AGAIN!! Troy Black just drilled David Wright Hubbard with a third Black Dagger, and now he's going for the cover!! The crowd boos loudly as Linda Peterson goes down to count... AND TROY PULLS HIM UP AT TWO!! WHAT THE HELL!?
Troy Black had the VCW World Title won there... that's not a "maybe", that's a definite fact... and he pulled the champion up!! Now he's motioning for someone backstage to come out... and here comes the usual gang. Brujah, Desmond, Tony Garcia, and Lorenzo Vasquez all come swaggering out of the backstage area and enter the ring! Tony Garcia casually steps into the ring and brings his wooden axe handle down on David Wright Hubbard's injured knee, drawing an immediate disqualification! But why!?
Not even seeming to care that the match has been thrown out, Brujah, Desmond, Lorenzo Vasquez, and Tony Garcia all converge on David Wright Hubbard and begin stomping the hell out of him. Tony Garcia begins smashing David Wright Hubbard's injured knee repeatedly with the wooden axe handle as the others begin stomping away, totally ignoring Linda Peterson's pleas to stop the violence. Troy Black just stands back and watches, with his arm around Amy Lin's waist, smiling his sick, evil smile at the damage they're doing. This was his plan all along! He wanted to destroy David Wright Hubbard tonight so that Tony Garcia could pick up the pieces and win the VCW World Title at Wrestlewar!
Realizing that the odds were stacked against David Wright Hubbard unfairly, VCW's new Commissioner, James Applebee, made a decision to try to level the playing field at the Big Fight by preventing the Black Plague from destroying David Wright Hubbard in a series of gang attacks prior to the event.
From VCW 107:
J. Applebee: It's a little bit harder to deal with David Wright Hubbard and Tony Garcia. I know that I can't trust David Wright Hubbard to stay at home until doctors say his knee is well enough for him to wrestle... he's going to want to come back as soon as he possibly can and get a piece of the action. And because of that, I have no choice... I'm hereby forbidding any physical contact, outside of a legally sanctioned VCW match, between David Wright Hubbard and any member of the Black Plague, until after the Big Fight. If David Wright Hubbard violates that agreement, he's stripped of the VCW World Title effective immediately... and if any member of the Black Plague violates that agreement, they can call up Vince McMahon or Mayor Mike Haggar, because they won't work for VCW any longer!!
That didn't stop the Black Plague's conniving ways, however. They put a hit out on David Wright Hubbard, sending Crimson and Hell's Bikers to weaken him up, which they did successfully the following week. Later, Lance Errington did even more damage to David Wright Hubbard's wounded knee, refusing to release the Scorpion Deathlock even after David Wright Hubbard had made it to the ropes in a title match. Meanwhile, Tony Garcia's career continued to flourish, culminating in a tournament victory that saw him win the TNM Elite Lethal Lottery Cup. With all the momentum in the world on his side as he prepared to go into the Big Fight, Tony Garcia's last comments for David Wright Hubbard seemed to be the words of a man assured of victory.
From VCW 110:
T. Garcia: Do you see anybody laughing now!? Because I sure as hell don't. And David Wright Hubbard sure as hell isn't gonna be laughing. He's already got a bad knee... he's just waiting for the slaughter like a horse being shipped off to the glue factory. And this Sunday, it ain't no damn cartoon character in a stupid mask coming after him... it's the baddest man in VCW, coming to take what should've been his a long time ago. There ain't gonna be nobody calling David Wright Hubbard a badass when I get done with him... all there's gonna be is Tony Garcia, the VCW World Champion... and the one-legged cowboy he beat to get his belt.
Undoubtably, the VCW World Champion is suffering from several disadvantages. Where Tony Garcia has momentum and support from a veritable army of allies, all David Wright Hubbard has is his own body, and that's been severely damaged in the past few months. But he remained determined to prove the doubters wrong at the Big Fight by retaining the VCW World Title and walking over Tony Garcia, as a backstage interview with Ziggy Adderloaf seemed to show...
From VCW 110:
Z. Adderloaf: ...this Sunday... a lot of people think it's time for a change. A lot of people think it's time that David Wright Hubbard and the VCW World Title part ways--
D.W. Hubbard: Listen, you skinny little pipsqueak, I think a lot of these people can kiss my ass if they ain't got the guts to take this title away from me personally. You think Tony Garcia's gonna be the man to win this belt!? He better keep his little TNM Elite Lethal Lottery Cup nice and shiny, because it's the only gold he'll be carrying around for a good long while. I think some people need to remember one thing... I'm the man who whipped Crimson's ass. I'm the VCW World Champion. Tony Garcia can talk about the old days all he wants, but that ain't gonna get this belt for him... he's gonna have to do what Crimson couldn't do, what Troy Black couldn't do... he's gonna have to whip my ass and take it. And I don't think he can do it.
Even with the odds against him, David Wright Hubbard remains defiant and ready to fight Tony Garcia. But can he do it, realistically? Let's take nothing away from him; he's the VCW World Champion, and he beat Crimson for that title. He may have the most devestating all-around offense in VCW, and he can take punishment like a main battle tank. But with one knee nearly crippled, standing on shaky ground in terms of his track record in the past few weeks, is he a match for a crafty and powerful man of Tony Garcia's caliber? The advantage in speed that David Wright Hubbard could normally expect to enjoy against the larger, slower Tony Garcia has been neutralized by his wounded knee, and it's hard to envision a scenario where David Wright Hubbard can defeat Tony Garcia on his own... yet that's exactly what he'll have to do to retain the title tonight.
We'll find out the answer to that question in a matter of hours... but for now, we're done wasting time! We're gearing up and getting ready... here comes the Big Fight!! See you on pay-per-view!!
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