FCW Flood

6/12

Last Month: Bo Rotundo was destroyed by Heavyweight Champion Lucky Cannon and friends...he decided to take some time off, but a masked wrestler named "Mr. Florida" suddenly debuted...do the math.

Your hosts are Matt Martlaro & S. William Regal. Who was that masked man? Regal thinks it was either Yoshi Kwan or Kendo Nagasaki.

Calvin Raines & Big E Langston vs. Los Aviadores(Hunico y Epico) for the Tag Team Titles: Tough first defense against former champions...FCW's had a lot of house show title changes recently as Raines & Langston defeated Seth Rollins & Richie Steamboat at a non-televised event not too long ago. The commentators do push that the challengers have the team experience...but that didn't affect Raines & Langston in winning the belts in the first place. Hunico outmaneuvers the champs, leaving them both on the floor...and the luchadors connect with stereo suicide dives! However, the sheer power of the champs puts Hunico in a bad part of town...but he's able to tag Epico into the fray. Epico rallies and gets an enzuigiri assist from Hunico on his Epic Ending(Flatliner) finisher...Big E breaks up the pin attempt. Epico hits a corkscrew Lionsault, but goes for another one and Langston busts it up behind the referee's back.

Now it's Epico on the receiving end of the tag champs' abuse...Big E is definitely in heel mode now that he's aligned with Raines. Regal notes that deadlifting 700 pounds is great but lifting a championship belt is even better and you need a mean streak to reach that level. On the subject of Mr. Florida's identity, Regal guesses Dirty Dick Slater(no relation to Heath)...then says he just wanted to say "Dirty Dick" without getting fired. HA! The champs looks great as a unit for the short time they've been together...in the meantime, Martlaro and Regal are having a ball on the Mr. Florida topic(guesses range from Bunkhouse Buck to Crash The Terminator). Oh yeah, hot tag to Hunico! It takes a lot to knock Langston off his feet...but Raines breaks up a pin attempt after Hunico's offensive flurry. Epico dropkicks Raines out of the ring but whiffs on a plancha...in the meantime, Hunico dropkicks Langston and hits a springboard version of the Falling Star swanton bomb...but bashes Raines off the apron instead of going for the cover. Hunico looks to finish with an Asai moonsault, but Big E makes the catch and delivers the Big Ending out of that for the win to retain the titles.

Sneak preview of Brad Maddox's new movie, "The Referee"...complete with review quotes. "A triumph of the human spirit." "Based on a true fiction story." Check out the credits and you'll spot "Virgil Runnels" as executive producer. INZIDE JOKEZ~!

Percy Watson vs. Bobby Dutch: Regal notes the finer points of a basic headlock in the early stages of the match...always cool to hear little technical things like that from commentators like Regal and Matt Striker. He also notes how a move like a back suplex can be counterproductive since it takes a lot out of you to execute a power move on a larger opponent. Percy shows his leaping ability with his trademark dropkicks, but Dutch blasts him with the LARIATOOOOO~! for a close near-fall. However, Watson nails the spinaround DDT out of nowhere and that's enough for the victory.

Eden Stiles interviews James Bronson...he calls his style "non-consensual entertainment". Huh.

DeSean Bishop vs. Rick Victor: One of these guys might just win a match! Victor is from Calgary, Dramatic Pause, Alberta, Canada and is one of the last students of the Hart Dungeon. Bishop is from Aurora, Illinois...home of Wayne's World. :-D He teamed with some newbie named D.T. Porter in Porter's untelevised FCW debut, so maybe that's a tag team in the making. Regal notes how early pin attempts can be counterproductive since you could be wearing the opponent down in other ways...I've heard about how repeated pin attempts can force the opponent to exert energy by kicking out of covers, but that might be more productive in a later stage of a match. Solid matchup...Victor does well on the ground, but makes the mistake of going to the second rope...he gets caught coming down in a full nelson slam, giving Bishop his first FCW TV victory!

Eden Stiles interviews Roman Leakee...he is OVAH~! No confidence problems on his part...he's got banner aspirations, to coin a phrase.

General Manager Maxine Perez makes her entrance with Heavyweight Champion Lucky Cannon, Women's Champion Queen Aksana Raudoniene, and Damien Sandow...Maxine seems convinced that Mr. Florida is actually Bo Rotundo. She orders a non-title match between Lucky Cannon and Mr. Florida, vowing to prove the masked man's identity...

Heavyweight Champion Lucky Cannon(w/ General Manager Maxine Perez, Women's Champion Queen Aksana Raudoniene, & Damien Sandow) vs. Mr. Florida, non-title: As Cannon's "already in the ring" introduction is taking place, Bo Rotundo casually takes a seat in the front row with a bag of popcorn...heh. Mr. Florida comes out as scheduled, thoroughly confusing Maxine...Regal guesses that the masked man is The Great Kabuki. Cannon obsessively goes after the mask before dumping Mr. Florida out of the ring, then yells at Rotundo while he's in the neighborhood. Can't really get a read on who THIS Mr. Florida is...Florida goes to the top rope, but Sandow and Aksana tie up the ref while Cannon delivers a cheapshot. The champ sets up for the Lucky Strike/Break, but Rotundo jumps the guardrail and spears Lucky, leading to Mr. Florida getting the win! Sandow goes after Bo and gets speared as well. Bo applauds Mr. Florida's win, then spears HIM...well, that was random.

Next week: Big news from President Steve Keirn's office. So long from the Sunshine State!

6/19

Your hosts are Matt Martlaro & S. William Regal.

Seth Rollins vs. Damien Sandow for the FCW 15 Title: Interesting matchup here...Martlaro & Regal relate the parallels to a Television Championship...Sandow pulls a page out of the Fit Finlay playbook by pulling up the ring apron to block a baseball slide, but it backfires as Seth gets the better of a fist exchange and then hides under the ring to throw Sandow off his game. However, Damien gets ticked and throws Seth shoulder-first into the ringpost and then grabs a half-crab while sitting on the top turnbuckle! Sandow won't release the hold before the five-count, so Rollins wins the first fall by disqualification.

Regal calls it "very clever competing" as Sandow sacrificed a fall to do some major damage to the champion. Damien delivers an elevated Flatliner shortly thereafter and evens the score just like that.

We hit the halfway mark with the score still tied at 1-1...surprise small package by Seth gets a two-count, backslide gets two more. Rollins goes into full comeback mode but Sandow rolls to the ropes to stall. Seth joins him on the apron, but that's a major mistake as Sandow delivers a back suplex onto the edge of the ring! Damien drags Seth to the middle of the ring and covers for the three-count, taking the lead!

Five minutes to go and the title is in danger...Sandow slows the pace as the clock is Rollins' enemy at this point. Seth backflips out of a back suplex attempt but runs into a Canadian Mapleleaf(rollthrough half-crab)! Rollins barely makes the ropes and Sandow milks the full five-count WITHOUT getting DQed this time. Seth desperately fires back(three minutes to go)...Sandow uncharacteristically goes to the top and delivers a flying gutdrop to Seth's fist...ow. Cactus Clothesline sends them both to the floor as we hit the two-minute warning...Seth throws Sandow back in and follows via springboard clothesline...for two! Seth goes topside, but this time the springboard move ends in another Canadian Mapleleaf! Seth is in big trouble in the middle of the ring(one minute to go) but manages to maneuver into a victory roll counter out of NOWHERE for a flash pin!

We're tied 2-2...Sandow freaks but misses a wild swing and eats a jumping enzuigiri! Avada Kedavra hits and Rollins gets another fall with ten seconds to go! The clock runs out and Seth wins 3-2! Regal rightly praises both men for their efforts. #theyrebothfired

Raquel Diaz interviews Tag Team Champions Calvin Raines & Big E Langston. Big E talks about his frustration from being overlooked for a year and a half...but now he's finally a champion.

General Manager Maxine Perez talks to Heavyweight Champion Lucky Cannon and Women's Champion Queen Aksana Raudoniene backstage...Maxine is ticked off and orders Lucky to defend against Bo Rotundo TONIGHT. President Steve Keirn arrives...he's taking issue with the little parking lot assault on Bo Rotundo a while back and decides that Maxine is OUT as General Manager, effective immediately! Norman Smiley takes over the role...oh, and he tells Maxine that she has a match tonight with "Ms. Florida". Ha ha.

Roman Leakee vs. Ricardo Rodriguez(w/ Brodus Clay): Regal sympathizes greatly with Maxine's predicament...heh. Ricardo doesn't fare well in the early going, but he pulls the ref aside long enough for Clay to drag Leakee to the floor and deliver an exploder suplex. Ricardo actually delivers a nice moonsault off the middle turnbuckle but can't put Leakee away. He goes for another moonsault off the middle rope(adding a corkscrew to the move) but misses this time. Leakee hits a tilt-a-whirl slam for a near-fall...Clay grabs the foot again, giving Ricardo the opening for a modified facebuster and his own two-count. Clay jaws at Leakee as Ricardo charges, but Ricardo accidentally dropkicks his own cornerman. Powerslam and FLYING JALAPENO~! end it for Leakee, but a surprisingly competent effort from Rodriguez on this night.

Raquel Diaz interviews Leo Kruger...he feels overlooked. He competed with a broken freakin' neck and beat a former FCW Champion(Justin Gabriel) but never got a title shot. That will change next week as he issues a challenge for next week to whoever holds the Heavyweight Title.

Ms. Florida vs. Maxine Perez(w/ Women's Champion Queen Aksana Raudoniene): Maxine opts for the black rubber catsuit look...very nice. Ms. Florida comes out to the NXT3 theme and looks quite familiar...Maxine comes right out and says that she's Naomi Night. Maxine orders Aksana to take her place...but Aksana notes that Maxine's no longer her boss and wishes her good luck. Just like that, Ms. Florida rolls up Maxine for the pin...that was quick. It's not too much of a mystery, so Ms. Florida removes the mask on the way out and it is indeed Naomi.

Lucky Cannon(w/ Damien Sandow) vs. Bo Rotundo for the Heavyweight Title: Yeah, there's some history here. Bo upset Mason Ryan for the belt, only to be stuck in an immediate title defense against Lucky which he lost thanks to biased referee Brett DiBiase. Sandow is still smarting from his earlier match with Seth Rollins...bad night all around for the "All-Stars". Lucky doesn't have Maxine's political clout on his side any more...

Bo goes for several quick rollups and gets some two-counts before Cannon bails out of the ring. Sandow jumps in the ring right away...but the referee catches him before he can do any damage and ejects him from ringside! There goes his last insurance policy and Rotundo takes the fight to Cannon. Lucky desperately yanks Bo into the turnbuckles by the tights and floors him with a huge European uppercut. Lucky keeps him down on the mat to slow the momentum...then he grabs a sleeperhold but Bo backs him into the turnbuckles and elbows him into oblivion. Corner clothesline! Bulldog! Bo's ready to finish but Lucky sidesteps the spear attempt and Rotundo hits the ropes hard. Lucky grabs the title belt but misses the shot, SPEAR hits on the second try and Bo is FINALLY the champion for real! The face locker room empties to congratulate Bo Rotundo, the first current-era two-time Florida Heavyweight Champion!

So long from the Sunshine State!

6/26

Last week: NEWWWWW FCW HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION! We get a bit of post-show footage as Mike "I.R.S." Rotundo came out to congratulate his son. Pretty cool symbolism with the title belt literally flying out of Lucky Cannon's grasp as Bo speared him.

Ring announcer Raquel Diaz introduces General Manager Norman Smiley...who promptly introduces the new champ Bo Rotundo! He thanks the fans for their support when he didn't know if he could get back up. Norman isn't giving him much time to rest as he's defending tonight...in a four-corner match! The challengers are former champion Lucky Cannon, last week's aspiring contender Leo Kruger, and Richie Steamboat...and Cannon comes out to dispute this, wanting a one-on-one rematch. Bo, quite sick of Lucky's yapping by this time, just decks him...that brings out Kruger to attack the champion and THAT brings out Steamboat to even the odds. Cue the zebra brigade to restore order(as well as you might expect)...

Titus O'Neil vs. Jinder Mahal: Interesting misdirection play by Mahal as he throws off his elbowpad. When the ref turns to dispose of it, he tries for a punt to the groin which is blocked...but he improvises with a rake of the eyes. O'Neil fires back and prepares to finish, but former partner Damien Sandow attacks O'Neil for the DQ! Mahal and Sandow double-team Titus, ending in a Flatliner from Sandow. Play Sandow's music because he interfered!

Maxine corners Smiley backstage and attempts to cozy her way into a better understanding with him...about as well as she could do in a PG environment, I would imagine. Smiley doesn't bite.

Xavier Woods vs. Tag Team Champion Calvin Raines(w/ Big E Langston): Regal notes that he's "weak-willed and easily-led" and wishes Maxine would try to influence him...har. Xavier looks good early and even hits both champs with a plancha...but Big E basically shrugs it off and yanks Woods to the floor rather roughly after he re-enters. Langston's interference backfires on the second try and Xavier knees him down, then dropkicks Raines into Langston on the apron! Xavier gets a quickie rollup pin shortly there after, leaving the tag champs in a heated discussion...

Briley Pierce vs. Tag Team Champion Big E Langston(w/ Calvin Raines): This is Pierce's TV debut...quite the family resemblance to his real-life brother Dolph Ziggler. Unfortunately, he's stepping in the ring with a rather pissed-off powerhouse. This goes slightly beyond "squash" and into "splat" territory...Pierce gets off a jawbreaker, but gets caught in a Samoa Joe-style uranagi/STO-ish move. The Big Ending mercifully finishes things...the tag champs celebrate but Big E seems to remind Calvin that only one of them won on this night...

Bo Rotundo vs. Richie Steamboat vs. Lucky Cannon vs. Leo Kruger for the Heavyweight Title: Tough test for the new titleholder, especially since he can lose the belt without being pinned or forced to submit. Rotundo/Cannon pair off quickly as Steamboat/Kruger tangle in the ring. Lucky whips Bo into the ring steps...then bides his time outside the ring while the other two fight. Cannon eventually enters the ring to assist Kruger in a double-team effort on Steamboat, kicking Rotundo down when he tries to re-enter. As you might expect, the "teamwork" breaks down over who gets the winning pinfall, allowing Steamboat to fire back.

Regal notes that weardown holds are dangerous in this environment since you're leaving yourself vulnerable to the other competitors in the ring. Everyone ends up on the floor and Steamboat takes out BO with a plancha...but Kruger recogers to throw Steamboat shoulder-first into the ringpost. Now the heels are focused on punishing Rotundo in the ring with Steamboat out on the floor...but Kruger surprises Cannon with a cheapshot in the middle of the fray. Cannon and Kruger double-suplex Rotundo but Steamboat nearly steals a quick pin on Bo in the chaos. Steamboat takes out both heels with the signature cross-body off the top, then hits the Shoutout on Kruger. FOOT DDT~! on Cannon! Make it two...then THREE! Steamboat hooks a unique leglock, turning it into a modified Indian Deathlock...but Kruger breaks it up with a guillotine legdrop off the top! Bo dumps Kruger but IT'S THE BIG FOOT from Cannon. Steamboat superkicks Cannon but takes a swinging fisherman buster(Final Destination?) from Kruger...and Bo spears Kruger out of the blue and pins him to retain the belt!

So long from the Sunshine State!