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Stranger Things Presents: TCW Review - Episode 14-1

First, look here to see if TCW is available in your area:

http://www.tcwwrestling.com/tvinfo.shtml

Second, here is the episode if you feel like playing along:



It's the first episode of 2014, and we don't even get a rundown from Rhodes and Thompson in the ring this week, as we hit the opening video immediately. Well, let's take a cue from TCW and roll the show!




Taped from Fort Smith, AR.

Match #1 - Vordell Walker vs. Sigmon - 30 Minute Iron Man Match.

We kick things off proper with what, hopefully, should be the blowoff for this feud. The rules are simple: the man with the most decisions after 30 minutes of action is the winner. Some jawjacking and showing to start this thing. Walker just picks up Sigmon, carries him around the ring, and drops him with a big takedown. Sigmon rolls outside and paces around the ring. Back in, they lock up into a test of strength, broken up by Sigmon with headbutts. Walker hits a back suplex and then an armdrag. Sigmon heads back outside. Back in the ring, Sigmon hits a forearm to take walker down in the corner. Now some chops from Sigmon. Walker fires back with chops of his own. Sigmon takes over again with a headbutt and some choking on the ropes. Walker comes back with an enziguiri, but misses a corner splash. Sigmon working over Walker in the corner. Now here comes the rear headlock on the mat. Big thrust chop to Walker coming off the ropes. More work in the corner for Sigmon. A chest first bump for Walker on the whip to the corner. Back to the rear headlock for Sigmon. Walker tries to counter out, but Sigmon gets a roll up. 1...2...3! First fall goes to Sigmon. (7:41) Sigmon 1 - Walker 0. Thirty second rest period between falls, and we take a break.

When we come back, the second fall has begun. Both men outside and Walker takes Sigmon's head to the timekeeper's table. Back in the ring, Sigmon takes over in the corner and dumps Walker back outside. Sigmon exposes the concrete floor and tries for a suplex. Walker gets out of it and send Sigmon to the stairs, and then hits an EXPLOSIVE belly-to-belly to the concrete floor! Walker tries a charge and hits the post, to give control back to Sigmon. In the ring, Sigmon misses a diving headbutt from the top! Walker hooks the arms, pins the shoulders down...1....2....3!  Walker gets the second fall! (2:50) Walker 1 - Sigmon 1.

Sigmon attacks Walker in the corner before the thirty second rest period is up. Walker tries to come back with some punches, but Sigmon puts him back down. Suplex by Sigmon, cover...1...2...kick out! Sigmon puts on what I can only call a straitjacket hold. Now Sigmon with back-to-back whips to the corner, before Walker reverses a third one, and then nails Sigmon with a stiff forearm. But Sigmon comes back AGAIN with another thrust. Sigmon to the top, but Walker with a HUGE enziguiri to cut him off. Walker climbs to the second rope, but Sigmon catches him and hits a NICE sunset flip power bomb! Cover...1...2...3! Third fall goes to Sigmon! (3:17) Sigmon 2 - Walker 1.

Sigmon again jumps Walker before the thirty second rest period ends. Sigmon dumps Walker to the floor, and takes his head to the stairs. Now a hard whip into the stairs, and Sigmon heads back in with Walker on the floor. We take a break. When we come back, Walker is still out on the floor. Baseball slide for Sigmon hits, and he rolls Walker in. Walker tries to come back with kicks, but Sigmon puts him down with a clothesline, and then hits a falling headbutt coming off the ropes. Cover...1...2...kick out! Walker takes Sigmon to the corner, and then as Sigmon comes out, Walker snaps off a powerslam! 1...2...kick out! EXPLODER SUPLEX!! Walker misses the running knee, and Sigmon hits an enziguiri. Corner charge from Sigmon and he hits Walker with a forearm. A second charge is met with a RUNNING KNEE by Walker! Cover...1...2...3! Walker takes the fourth fall! (3:59) Walker 2 - Sigmon 2.

Ten minutes left with the match tied 2-2. The two men trade forearm blows. Sigmon catches Walker with a huge clothesline that gets the 360 sell by Walker! Cover...1...2...kick out! Walker catches Sigmon off the ropes with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker! Now Walker picks him up and hits a MICHI-FUCKING-NOKU DRIVER!! Cover...1...2.......kick out!! Damn! Sigmon with a release German suplex! Now he's up top and hits the diving headbutt this time! Cover...1...2....kick out! They trade forearm blows again. Walker catches Sigmon off the ropes, and gets a tilt-a-whirl into a spinning uranage! Cover...1...2....kick out! The announcers are losing their shit here as Matt Rhodes gives us a biblical swear. Walker to the top, but Sigmon crotches him. Sigmon follows him up and ....sweet fuck...Sigmon hits a GERMAN SUPLEX from the top! Walker does the 360 sell job on the landing! Sigmon hits a clothesline off the ropes, getting another flippy sell from Walker. Cover...1...2....3! Sigmon gets fall number five! (4:56) Sigmon 3 - Walker 2.

Walker power bombs Sigmon onto the top turnbuckle! Now a clothesline puts Sigmon down, and Walker gets the Boston crab. Walker releases and gets the stretch muffler! Sigmon fights it off. Chop block from Walker and now the FIGURE FOUR! Sigmon in pain. Referee counts the shoulders down for a few two counts. Sigmon trying to turn it over. One minute left! Sigmon hanging on and turns it over, but Walker rolls through! Sigmon reaches the ropes, but Walker gets the figure four again! The countdown is on...and the match is over! (30:00)

WINNER: Sigmon, 3-2. **** - This match started slowly, with some pinfalls out of nowhere. But that last 10 minutes they just killed it! Some near falls off high impact moves. This was the best match I have seen in my short tenure as TCW reviewer. After the match, it appears that Walker wants the respect handshake, with Sigmon hesitating before finally flashing the "loser" hand signal at Walker. HEEL!

Col. Tom Parker is in the ring, with Buford and .....Bobo? Bobo is a teddy bear. I have NO idea what the hell this even means. Parker talks about putting up control of TCW against The Empire next week in the eight-man elimination match. Apparently, John Saxon was supposed to be on the team, but The Empire injured him in the lumberjack match a few weeks back. So Parker went to Tommy Dreamer to turn it up a notch. Parker calls The Empire "walk behinders" showing off his impressive vocabulary. Greg Anthony comes out to rebut as the voice of reason. Now that Dreamer is involved, The Empire may not be ready for the match. But it's just a ruse as The Empire comes out for the beatdown on Parker and Buford. They whip Buford with a belt, and then take turns on Parker. Then, they claim the teddy bear? What the fuck...? Apparently, they are REclaiming the bear. If someone knows what the hell the fucking teddy bear has to do with this, please enlighten me. Because I thought it was fucking lame.

Match #2 - Lance Hoyt vs. Steve Anthony.

We start the match proper with both men already in he ring. Shoving match to start things off. Anthony tries a go-behind, but can't get it, and Hoyt tosses him off. Anthony with some rights and forearms to put Hoyt down to a knee, but Hoyt hits him with the big boot coming off the ropes. Anthony goes to the floor as we take a break. Coming back, Anthony is in control in the corner. Hoyt hits a couple of back elbows, but Anthony dropkicks the knee to take him down. Anthony with some kicks, eventually no sold by Hoyt. Hoyt with a slam, but Anthony knees him in the gut. Hoyt hits him with a knee and then comes off the ropes with a big clothesline. Cover...1...2....kick out! Anthony with a german suplex but can't get the bridge. Superkick by Anthony! 1..2...kick out! Hoyt reverses a double underhook into an F-5! Cover...1...2...kick out! Hoyt whips Anthony into the corner, but the referee is there, and when a wrestler and a referee occupy the same space at the same time, the referee goes down. Hoyt misses a corner charge, and Anthony is handed some brass knuckles from Greg Anthony. Hoyt attempts to bring Steve in from the apron, but Steve hits Hoyt with the knux! Hoyt goes down, and Steve Anthony goes to the top. 450 splash! 1...2...3! (6:17) WE'RE OUT OF TIME!!

WINNER: "The Exclamation Point" Steve Anthony. **1/2 - Hoyt carried to a decent match by Steve Anthony here. Heels cheat to win, nothing wrong with that. It makes The Empire look that much better for the big elimination match next week.

Wrestling-wise, this show was great. The iron man match delivered, and exceeded my own expectations. The Empire was shown as a strong heel stable going into next week's show. But that stupid fucking bear, man! It's some low-level indy goofiness that I can't wrap my head around. See you next week.



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