Post by Admin on Feb 8, 2019 17:32:37 GMT
This event took place at the Ted Reeve arena on February 8th, 2019
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The Cruiserweight Cup Finale got underway with the final four competitors inside of the ring, each standing in one of the corners. From left to right, we watched as each man made an effort to look into the crowd to either psyche them up, or to get under their skin. In the middle of the ring, Matthew Saunders stood holding the North American Cruiserweight Championship on a red velvet pillow. The championship title glistened in the light, while Saunders welcomed everyone to the event here tonight. Saunders spoke about the NAWC, and how they were in the midst of expansion – and how big things were ahead for the entity. Saunders recalled his vision when he first put this round robin tournament together, stating he wanted to ensure that the best competitors under the 225 pound weight limit would inevitably rise to the top.
Saunders reintroduced each competitor one by one. During the introduction, Saunders spoke about how the competitor reached the final four, while showing a highlight package of their various victories. Saunders noted that International Influence and Midwestern Pro Wrestling were the two companies who reaped the rewards of this tournament – as two wrestlers from each promotion stood before the crowd, waiting for their opportunity to showcase themselves on their biggest stage to date.
The NAWC was about competition, and bringing the absolute best in professional wrestling to their fans. The opportunity and prestige of becoming the very first Cruiserweight Champion would undoubtedly catapult someone’s star to the tip of everyone’s tongue. Saunders reminded everyone that the champion would begin to travel throughout the various territories to defend the championship against the very best. Saunders left the Championship gold with the time keeper, and exited the ring.
Result: The Black Jaguar defeated White Light II via Double Underhook Driver [22:46]
Reaction: This match had the crowd rocking from start to finish. The two fan favorites were up to the challenge from the moment the bell rang. Equally matched in just about every facet of the game, the fans knew to settle into their seats and watch the drama unfold. Both men have earned success in various ways since the inception of the NAWC. This would be White Light’s second opportunity to claim championship gold, as he was involved in the initial eight man tournament to crown the North American Champion. On top of that, ‘WL’ has also been mentioned in some of the top matches in the NAWC thus far.
The Black Jaguar got off to a slower start, having to fight off multiple challengers at once on more than a few occasions. His current battle against MPW’s Spin Cycle has been building for months. Jaguar has been able to use his cat like quickness to wear down his opponents, and then been able to keep the pressure on to eventually earn multiple victories.
This contest went back and forth with multiple counters and momentum seeming to change at the drop of a dime. Jaguar would eventually wear Light down, and execute a Double Underhook Driver which was enough to keep his shoulders down for the three count. After the match, the two men met in the middle of the ring and exchanged a handshake. White Light took Jaguar’s hand and raised it – signifying that the better man won.
Result: Willard Manchester defeated Mitchell Dixon via Texas Cloverleaf Submission [13:40]
Reaction: We witnessed our first instance of the numbers game being too much to overcome. Manchester brought the rest of his FIGHT:UK teammates with him to ringside. Both Liam Beesley and Oliver Stewart were there to distract Dixon, and perhaps help create an opportunity for Manchester to complete his mission and come away with the victory. Once it was clear that this could be an uneven advantage – Shane Severe made his way to ringside and stood in Dixon’s corner. Dixon and Severe had built a relationship based on respect in Midwestern Pro – and since Severe would be challenging for the Midwestern Pro Championship, he was in the building.
While there were a couple of instances where Stewart and Beesley acted like they were going to get involved, it was more of a decoy to keep Severe and Dixon on their toes. The match itself was hard fought, and ended up bringing out the best in Dixon in a losing effort. Manchester’s mat work was flawless, and whenever the bout shifted to more of a ground game, Manchester was clearly in his element. The finish came when Manchester locked up Dixon in a Texas cloverleaf – keeping Manchester’s undefeated record in tact – all victories coming by the way of submission.
Result: Esteban ‘En Feugo’ Fuentes defeats Shane Severe via Triangle Choke Submission [14:21]
Reaction: Two fan favorites again were locking up to test themselves in combat. Both men have developed a strong following in ‘MPW’ and would both serve as respectable champions. Shane Severe would be in control for much of the contest, and looked like he was on his way to victory. It would be a power bomb that he executed that would lead to his untimely demise. After Severe hit the powerbomb, he tried to keep his weight on top of Fuentes, to secure a pin. The referee counted to 2 – at which point Fuentes locked his legs around Severe’s neck and raising his own shoulders off of the mat to break the pin.
The crowd was stunned, as this was an unexpected counter to Severe’s power move. Fuentes had surprised Severe with this hold, and Severe was unable to break free. After around ten seconds, Fuentes tightened the hold as tight as he could, which cause Severe to fall flat, and tap out to the pressure.
After the match, Parker Smith walked out from the back carrying the Midwestern Pro Wrestling Championship belt. He walked into the ring and presented the company’s first champion with the title. Fuentes nodded his head in respect to Parker – before climbing the turnbuckle to celebrate his victory with the fans.
Result: Willard Manchester defeats The Black Jaguar via Dragon Sleeper w/ Body Scissors [18:37]
Reaction: FIGHT:UK Is here to stay. As this tournament commenced – Manchester swore he would be bringing in reinforcements to watch out for him. A week later he brought over his two best mates from the UK Indy Scene, and he never looked back. While a three on one situation didn’t happen in this contest – Jaguar hasn’t had it as easily in MPW – where he was constantly on the defense of a two on one attack. Just the possibility of this potentially occurring in this contest, was enough to shift the balance of power over to Manchester.
The Black Jaguar was every bit the competitor that his resume has built him to be. He fought his heart out and was visibly upset when he came up short in this contest.
During Manchester’s victory celebration he called for his teammates to come into the ring with him. Liam had taken the North American Cruiserweight Championship from the time keeper, and walked into the ring with it. Once he handed it over to Willard, the two men embraced. Stewart and Beesley then hoisted Manchester up in their shoulders and paraded him around the ring with the championship gold over his shoulder.
Manchester would take the mic, and talk about how the British Style was something unlike the North American’s had seen. He felt as though his wrestling prowess and multitude of submissions proved that he was the best technical wrestler in all of the NAWC. The crowd was split on this, as some fans cheered for FIGHT:UK, while others sat quietly observing.
Manchester said that he would bring his own brand of brutality to the Cruiserweight Division, and urged any challenger who felt they were worthy to step up. Manchester also mentioned that this was only just the beginning. FIGHT:UK would be looking to build off of this victory, and Beesley and Stewart were going straight to the top of the tag team division. Manchester stated it would only be a matter of time before all three of them were wearing championship gold.
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The Cruiserweight Cup Finale got underway with the final four competitors inside of the ring, each standing in one of the corners. From left to right, we watched as each man made an effort to look into the crowd to either psyche them up, or to get under their skin. In the middle of the ring, Matthew Saunders stood holding the North American Cruiserweight Championship on a red velvet pillow. The championship title glistened in the light, while Saunders welcomed everyone to the event here tonight. Saunders spoke about the NAWC, and how they were in the midst of expansion – and how big things were ahead for the entity. Saunders recalled his vision when he first put this round robin tournament together, stating he wanted to ensure that the best competitors under the 225 pound weight limit would inevitably rise to the top.
Saunders reintroduced each competitor one by one. During the introduction, Saunders spoke about how the competitor reached the final four, while showing a highlight package of their various victories. Saunders noted that International Influence and Midwestern Pro Wrestling were the two companies who reaped the rewards of this tournament – as two wrestlers from each promotion stood before the crowd, waiting for their opportunity to showcase themselves on their biggest stage to date.
The NAWC was about competition, and bringing the absolute best in professional wrestling to their fans. The opportunity and prestige of becoming the very first Cruiserweight Champion would undoubtedly catapult someone’s star to the tip of everyone’s tongue. Saunders reminded everyone that the champion would begin to travel throughout the various territories to defend the championship against the very best. Saunders left the Championship gold with the time keeper, and exited the ring.
North American Cruiserweight Championship
[Semi Final]
White Light II vs. The Black Jaguar
Result: The Black Jaguar defeated White Light II via Double Underhook Driver [22:46]
Reaction: This match had the crowd rocking from start to finish. The two fan favorites were up to the challenge from the moment the bell rang. Equally matched in just about every facet of the game, the fans knew to settle into their seats and watch the drama unfold. Both men have earned success in various ways since the inception of the NAWC. This would be White Light’s second opportunity to claim championship gold, as he was involved in the initial eight man tournament to crown the North American Champion. On top of that, ‘WL’ has also been mentioned in some of the top matches in the NAWC thus far.
The Black Jaguar got off to a slower start, having to fight off multiple challengers at once on more than a few occasions. His current battle against MPW’s Spin Cycle has been building for months. Jaguar has been able to use his cat like quickness to wear down his opponents, and then been able to keep the pressure on to eventually earn multiple victories.
This contest went back and forth with multiple counters and momentum seeming to change at the drop of a dime. Jaguar would eventually wear Light down, and execute a Double Underhook Driver which was enough to keep his shoulders down for the three count. After the match, the two men met in the middle of the ring and exchanged a handshake. White Light took Jaguar’s hand and raised it – signifying that the better man won.
North American Cruiserweight Championship
[Semi Final]
Willard Manchester vs. Mitchell Dixon
Result: Willard Manchester defeated Mitchell Dixon via Texas Cloverleaf Submission [13:40]
Reaction: We witnessed our first instance of the numbers game being too much to overcome. Manchester brought the rest of his FIGHT:UK teammates with him to ringside. Both Liam Beesley and Oliver Stewart were there to distract Dixon, and perhaps help create an opportunity for Manchester to complete his mission and come away with the victory. Once it was clear that this could be an uneven advantage – Shane Severe made his way to ringside and stood in Dixon’s corner. Dixon and Severe had built a relationship based on respect in Midwestern Pro – and since Severe would be challenging for the Midwestern Pro Championship, he was in the building.
While there were a couple of instances where Stewart and Beesley acted like they were going to get involved, it was more of a decoy to keep Severe and Dixon on their toes. The match itself was hard fought, and ended up bringing out the best in Dixon in a losing effort. Manchester’s mat work was flawless, and whenever the bout shifted to more of a ground game, Manchester was clearly in his element. The finish came when Manchester locked up Dixon in a Texas cloverleaf – keeping Manchester’s undefeated record in tact – all victories coming by the way of submission.
Midwestern Pro Wrestling Championship
[Final]
Shane Severe vs. Esteban Fuentes
Result: Esteban ‘En Feugo’ Fuentes defeats Shane Severe via Triangle Choke Submission [14:21]
Reaction: Two fan favorites again were locking up to test themselves in combat. Both men have developed a strong following in ‘MPW’ and would both serve as respectable champions. Shane Severe would be in control for much of the contest, and looked like he was on his way to victory. It would be a power bomb that he executed that would lead to his untimely demise. After Severe hit the powerbomb, he tried to keep his weight on top of Fuentes, to secure a pin. The referee counted to 2 – at which point Fuentes locked his legs around Severe’s neck and raising his own shoulders off of the mat to break the pin.
The crowd was stunned, as this was an unexpected counter to Severe’s power move. Fuentes had surprised Severe with this hold, and Severe was unable to break free. After around ten seconds, Fuentes tightened the hold as tight as he could, which cause Severe to fall flat, and tap out to the pressure.
After the match, Parker Smith walked out from the back carrying the Midwestern Pro Wrestling Championship belt. He walked into the ring and presented the company’s first champion with the title. Fuentes nodded his head in respect to Parker – before climbing the turnbuckle to celebrate his victory with the fans.
Main Event
North American Cruiserweight Championship
[Final]
The Black Jaguar (208lbs) [MPW] vs. Willard Manchester (195lbs) [II]
Result: Willard Manchester defeats The Black Jaguar via Dragon Sleeper w/ Body Scissors [18:37]
Reaction: FIGHT:UK Is here to stay. As this tournament commenced – Manchester swore he would be bringing in reinforcements to watch out for him. A week later he brought over his two best mates from the UK Indy Scene, and he never looked back. While a three on one situation didn’t happen in this contest – Jaguar hasn’t had it as easily in MPW – where he was constantly on the defense of a two on one attack. Just the possibility of this potentially occurring in this contest, was enough to shift the balance of power over to Manchester.
The Black Jaguar was every bit the competitor that his resume has built him to be. He fought his heart out and was visibly upset when he came up short in this contest.
During Manchester’s victory celebration he called for his teammates to come into the ring with him. Liam had taken the North American Cruiserweight Championship from the time keeper, and walked into the ring with it. Once he handed it over to Willard, the two men embraced. Stewart and Beesley then hoisted Manchester up in their shoulders and paraded him around the ring with the championship gold over his shoulder.
Manchester would take the mic, and talk about how the British Style was something unlike the North American’s had seen. He felt as though his wrestling prowess and multitude of submissions proved that he was the best technical wrestler in all of the NAWC. The crowd was split on this, as some fans cheered for FIGHT:UK, while others sat quietly observing.
Manchester said that he would bring his own brand of brutality to the Cruiserweight Division, and urged any challenger who felt they were worthy to step up. Manchester also mentioned that this was only just the beginning. FIGHT:UK would be looking to build off of this victory, and Beesley and Stewart were going straight to the top of the tag team division. Manchester stated it would only be a matter of time before all three of them were wearing championship gold.