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Stranger Things Presents: TCW Episode 14-2 Review

Let me start by saying that I have been reviewing some videos for the Best of February PPV column. I have opted to allow you, the BoD Universe, to decide the #1 match. I will be posting a poll sometime in the next week with the candidates. Choose wisely...

Now, to the business at hand. Here is how to watch TCW either online or on TV:

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

Here is this week's episode, if you feel like playing along:






Taped from Fort Smith, AR. Straight to the opening video. No in-ring breakdown again this week from Rhodes and Thompson. We start the show backstage, where interviewer Jason Jones is with The Empire. Matt Riviera calls The Empire the most dominant force in wrestling. The Empire is going to take control of TCW. Greg Anthony says that Parker's Posse has no shot against The Empire. Steve Anthony predicts a clean sweep. The champ, Tim Storm, asks Jones if he had a question to ask, and then promptly cuts him off by telling him to shut his mouth, because no one cares. Back to Riviera, who ends things by saying TCW is good as done. The heel team appears confident, and considering they have been built up by actually WINNING matches prior to the big showdown, that only helps the angle.

We take a break with the promise of Americos vs. Kincaid for the TCW Junior Heavyweight Championship....NEXT!

Match #1 - Americos (c) vs. Kincaid (with Boyd Bradford) - TCW Junior Heavyweight Championship.

This is at least the third match between the two in the last couple of months. Americos is pulling double duty tonight, as he replaces the injured John Saxon in the main event. The last time they faced off, it resulted in the title going to Americos. Kincaid attacks before the bell, knocking Americos from the apron to the floor. Kincaid takes Americos to the rail. Now back in the ring, as the ref calls for the opening bell. Kincaid goes to the top, but Americos throws him off. The two trade reversals before Kincaid gets a cross armbreaker. Americos, while in the armbreaker, rolls up Kincaid for a 2 count. Americos gets an armdrag off a reversal. Americos dumps Kincaid to the floor. Hurrancanrana for Americos from the apron! He's back in the ring, off the ropes, and a dive is cutoff by Kincaid's knees. Kincaid takes Americos to the corner. Now with a shoulderblock to the back. Backbreaker for Kincaid, and he holds it there for a submission attempt. Americos gets out of it, and tries a comeback, but Kincaid cuts him off with a knee to the gut. Forearm from Americos, then follows with a big boot. Cover...1...2...kick out. Kincaid with a slingshot Falcon's Arrow! Cover...1...2...kick out! Kincaid charges and Americos hits a Japanese armdrag to the corner! Both men are down as we take a break. When we come back, Kincaid has Americos in the tree of woe. Kincaid climbing to the top with Americos still there, but Americos sits up, grabs Kincaid and hits a belly-to-back suplex from the tree of woe! Nice counter there. Americos to the top, and the swanton HITS KNEES! Kincaid hits Grave of the Fireflies (a forward inverted cutter with the opponent in his knees). Cover...1...2...kick out! Kincaid misses a springboard dive to the apron, and Americos charges, and reverses a hiptoss into a head shot to the stairs. Kincaid on the floor, and Americos his a swanton from the apron to the floor! Both guys stay down on the floor for a while. Back in the ring, Americos with the cover...1...2...kick out. Back and with with forearms. Now they trade kicks to the head. Kincaid with a clothesline. Cover..1...2...kick out! Kincaid distracts the referee, and now Boyd Bradford climbs to the top, and he drops an elbow on Americos! Kincaid with the cover...1...2...kick out! Kincaid picks Americos up into an airplane spin into a sit out slam! Cover...1...2....kick out! Kincaid to the top, but Americos crotches him. Americos to the top with him. Superplex is blocked by Kincaid, and he drops Americos face first from the top. Kincaid sets himself on the top rope, Sorcerer's Stomp from the top to the back of Americos! Kincaid covers...1...2...3! New champ! (10:58)

WINNER: Kincaid, your NEW TCW Junior Heavyweight Champion. ***1/2 - Very good match here, with a lot of back and forth. Kincaid has an innovative moveset and Americos certainly did his best to keep up. The finish looked brutal. Hopefully, this ends the feud and the back and forth title changes between these two.

Match #2 - Genetic Perfection (Michael Barry & Alan Steel) and Rich Rude vs. The Hounds of Hell (Cerebus & Roosevelt) (c) and Boyd Bradford - Tables Match - TCW Tag Team Championship.

To win here, you have to put the other team's manager through a table. The managers are involved in the match. We're joined in progress with both teams brawling around the ring. Alan Steel comes up behind Bradford on the outside and threatens him with the table, but Roosevelt dives from the top to Steel on the floor to take him out. Now in the ring, the heels are in control. Cerebus hits a running knee to Steel. Whip off the ropes into a back elbow for Cerebus. Cerebus chokes Steel in the corner with his boot. With the ref's back turns, Bradford gets some choking in. Some double teaming in the heel corner now. Roosevelt hits a belly-to-belly to Steel, and tags in Bradford, who promptly gets in one stomp and tags back out to Cerebus. Cowardly heel manager works for me. With the ref's back turned, the heels switch off without the tag, and Roosevelt hits a suplex. Roosevelt gets a crossface chickenwing, with Steel trying to power out, and we take a break? In the middle of a comeback attempt? When we come back, a table is in the ring, and Roosevelt and Barry clothesline each other down. Bradford calls out Rude into the middle of the ring, and Rude takes him down into the corner. Meanwhile Roosevelt sets up the table in the corner. Roosevelt takes out Rude from behind and is about to try putting Rude through the table, but Barry spears Roosevelt into the table set up in the corner. But the table does not break. Steel tries again, and AGAIN the table refuses to break. On the outside, Rude clocks Bradford with the briefcase and Bradford is out on the table. Steel is going up top, but Cerebus meets him up there. Cerebus trying a suplex, but here's Rude with a faceful of powder and Cerebus falls through a table on the floor. Steel recovers and hits the flying splash onto Bradford and through the table! The match is over. New champs! (7:07)

WINNERS: ...and NEW TCW Tag Team Champions, Genetic Perfection (and Rich Rude). ** - Not much to this match. It was mostly brawling and not a lot of in-ring work. The heels get their comeuppance, and the faces win the titles to end this feud. The table spots were weak save for the last one that won the match.


Backstage, Col. Tom Parker is giving his team a pep talk. Tommy Dreamer takes over with some words of inspiration, asking them what they're fighting for. Scott Phoenix says Tim Storm turned his back on the fans. Shane Williams was holed up for eight months because of The Empire. Dreamer name drops Paul Heyman, Dixie Carter and even Triple H as people running the business into the ground and The Empire is no different then those people. Again, he asks them what they are fighting for and they all agree they are all fighting for T-C-W. Good work here from Dreamer.

Match #3 - Parker's Posse (Tommy Dreamer, Shane Williams, Scott Phoenix & Americos) vs. The Empire (Tim Storm, Greg Anthony, Steve Anthony & Matt Riviera) - Eight Man Elimination Tag Team Match.

We start off with Americos and Greg Anthony in the ring. Americos reverses a couple of moves on Anthony and hits him with a press for the 2 count. Americos tags in Williams, who comes off the middle with a sledge to the arm. Tag to Dreamer, who gets an elbow drop on Greg. Tag back to Williams who comes off the middle with another sledge. Tag to Steve Anthony, who gets armdragged down by Williams. Steve says he wants Dreamer, and Williams complies. Steve gets the upper hand with a hard left and a body slam, but misses and elbow coming off the ropes. Dreamer with some left jabs and a bionic elbow. Dreamer gets hit from behind coming off the ropes, and Tim Storm gets the tag and takes over. Stomps in the corner for Storm. To the heel corner we go, and Riviera is tagged in. He beats Dreamer down in the corner. Now in comes Greg Anthony, and Dreamer is the face-in-peril. Knee drop from Greg gets a 1. Tag in to Storm. Storm gets a whip off the ropes and a back elbow. Cover...1...2..shoulder up. Back to the heel corner, and Steve Anthony tagged in. He puts Dreamer down with a right for a 1 count. Dreamer comes off the ropes with sunset flip for a 2 count, but Steve puts him back down with a clothesline for 2. Tag in to Greg Anthony, who comes off the top and misses the flying elbow drop! Dreamer gets the hot tag to Americos, who hits everybody with dropkicks. Americos to the top in the heel corner, but Storm comes back and pushes him off to the mat. Steve Anthony hits Americos with the Exclamation Point (Death Valley Driver). Cover...1...2...3! Americos is eliminated (8:27) It's 4 on 3 in favor of the heels.

Scott Phoenix takes over at this point. Phoenix hits a neckbreaker for a 2 count. Phoenix goes for Phoenix Rising (Disaster Kick), but it misses and Steve Anthony hits a HUGE spear! Everybody in the ring now for some brawling. The numbers favor The Empire, and the faces are easily dispatched. Steve Anthony goes to the top, but Phoenix meets him up there. Storm and Greg Anthony also come over, and it looks like we have a log jam in the corner. Storm gets under Phoenix, and power bombs Phoenix from the second rope, while Phoenix hung for the superplex on Steve Anthony! Everybody is down except for Riviera, who was on the floor. We take a break, and come back to Phoenix and Steve Anthony in the ring, and Phoenix hits Phoenix Rising! Cover...1...2...3! Steve Anthony is eliminated. (11:19). The odds are now even.

Storm takes over on Phoenix, but Phoenix comes back with some kicks. He goes for Phoenix Rising again, but miss and Storm hits The Perfect Storm (spinning Boss Man Slam)! Cover....1...2...3! Scott Phoenix is eliminated. (11:54) The Empire has the advantage 3 on 2.

Dreamer on Storm and clothesline himself and Storm over the top rope. On the floor, Storm crotches Dreamer on the guardrail. Willams crotches Storm with the middle rope. Williams gets the FUCKING PILEDRIVER on Storm! Cover...1...2...3! The champ, Tim Storm, has been eliminated. (13:05) It's now 2 on 2.

Greg Anthony posts Williams hard, covers...1...2...3! Shane Williams is eliminated. (13:17) The Empire now with the 2 on 1 advantage, as Tommy Dreamer is the last man standing for Parker's Posse.

Anthony and Riviera work over Dreamer in the ring. Anthony pulls out a chair from under the ring but it breaks! TCW shouldn't shop at Walmart. Riviera continues to beat down Dreamer with stomps and punches in the ring, while Anthony comes back with a non-folding arena chair and sets it up between the ropes in the corner. The legs are sticking out as the heels whip Dreamer into the chair. Dreamer, thankfully, avoided the legs. Riviera whips Anthony into Dreamer, who backdrops Anthony over the top and to the stairs! Dreamer and Riviera face off in the ring, but a busted open Anthony gets back in. Dreamer plants Anthony with a DDT. Riviera comes over with an elbow drop but hits Anthony as Dreamer moves. Dreamer covers Anthony...1...2...3! Greg Anthony is eliminated. (17:01) It's now 1 on 1 with Dreamer vs. Riviera.

Riviera begs off, but Dreamer dumps him to the floor. Dreamer has water and spits it in Riviera's face. Now we find a cookie sheet under the ring, and Dreamer nails Riviera with it. Dreamer has a fan hold the cookie sheet and he takes Riviera's head to it. Dreamer tosses a trash can in the ring. He finds a replica belt from a fan and hits Riviera with it. Now he takes an old lady's cane and crotches Riviera. Tim Storm is still down on the floor, selling the piledriver like a champ. Dreamer holds Riviera open, and gets a fan to slap Riviera across the chest. Then Dreamer gets ring announcer Tom Simon to slap Riviera across the chest. This has now become a comedy match, in my opinion. Dreamer finally rolls Riviera back to the apron, lays the ring bell on his crotch, and rings his bell, literally. Various weapons make their way into the ring now. Dreamer sits Riviera on top, goes up to the middle rope.....and the lights go out! When they come back on, a man in a hoodie pulled over his face has Dreamer in reverse Razor's Edge position, and drops him to the mat! Riviera covers...1....2....3! Tommy Dreamer is eliminated. (22:51) The Empire wins! Matt Riviera wins the match for The Empire, who now have control of TCW! The hooded figure reveals himself to be...Lance Hoyt! Lance Hoyt has turned on Dreamer and Parker's Posse! The rest of The Empire make their way down to celebrate the win, as Hoyt leaves. The Empire is in control, and WE'RE OUT OF TIME!

WINNERS: The Empire. *** - There was some good action in the ring for the better part of this. The rapid fire eliminations in the middle helped keep a good pace. I bring the rating down a notch for the comedy spots with the fans involved. Dreamer didn't show much here, as he resorted to garbage brawling. Still, the heels were strong coming in. The Lance Hoyt turn does not make sense yet, as he was beat down by The Empire two months ago. But still, with the good opener and a solid main event, this show brings the goods. Title change hands very rapidly in this company. Hopefully, we can get some stability on that front in 2014. See you next week.







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