March 29, 2004
THE SHOWSTOPPER
(2ND Edition)
Well, here we are, only days away from the biggest day of the TWF year, WrestleMania V. This night is going to showcase the absolute best of both Raw and PrimeTime. Also, for the first time, we will see men from both brands face off in one-on-one matches. This will also mark a milestone for TWF, as they will complete their fifth year as the premiere wrestling promotion today. And the following matches are proof of that.
THE RETURN OF HARDCORE: HARDCORE INVITATIONAL
COMPETITORS: NAILS, NEMESIS, JOHNNY STAMBOLI, JUSTIN SANE, SPAWN, AL SNOW, STEVE BLACKMAN, ARIES, RAVEN, CHRIS TIRPAK AND BOTH SADIST AND THE BRAZILIAN NIGHTMARE FROM THE PURCHASED M.O.W.
After being abolished at WrestleMania III, the Hardcore Championship is finally coming back to TWF. However, no one knows which brand it is coming back to, because that will be determined in the Hardcore Invitational. Representatives from both brands are being invited to take part in this match. Not only that, but fans will see the returns of two former champions, Al Snow and Steve Blackman, as well as the debuts of two former M.O.W. stars, Sadist and the Brazilian Nightmare. No one knows what those four men are going to bring to the table, or any of the current TWF stars, as Hardcore is something that has been gone for some time now. This match, in which two men will start, and then every two minutes another man will enter with a weapon. Just like in the Royal Rumble, luck of the draw is going to play into this match, one that a winner is impossible to predict, but I will take a chance.
Winner: Chris Tirpak
"THE MILLION DOLLAR MAN" TED DIBIASE VS. MYSTERY OPPONENT
How can you predict who is going to win a match when you don’t know who one of the participants is? Over the past few weeks, there is a man who has been making Ted Dibiase’s life a living hell. No one knows who this man is, but he has mad his impression felt in a major way. It is largely due to this man that Charlie Haas lost his title shot against the Universal Champion at WrestleMania, and now Haas will be spending his night watching this spectacle from the locker room. It may be hard to predict who is going to win a match when you don’t know the participants, but not knowing the mystery opponent’s identity gives him an advantage over the “Million Dollar Man”.
Winner: Mystery Opponent
RANDY ORTON AND BATISTA w/ Ric Flair and Sable VS. CHRIS BENOIT and BAHAMUT
In my personal opinion, no two men have had as much of an impact on PrimeTime in recent months than Randy Orton and Batista. Orton has gone to great lengths to prove to the world that he is indeed the “Legend Killer”. His sights are now set on a man who has been on a roll lately, Bahamut. Bahamut will be the true wild card in this match, due to the fact that he never actually accepted this match, even though the majority of TWF fans believe that he would have if he were given the chance. We all know that Batista and Randy Orton are experienced in the ring together as a team. The same can not be said for their opponents. No one knows if there will be any desention between the two due to Benoit accepting this match without talking to his partner, but in the end, this is still WrestleMania. It would be in the best interest of both men to put their problems behind them and move forward, but it may not be enough with Sable and Ric Flair on the outside.
Winners: Randy Orton and Batista
RAW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH
CHALLENGERS.... LA RESISTANCE VS. LOS GUERREROS
After losing their titles to Los Guerreros at the Royal Rumble, La Resistance is getting their long awaited rematch at WrestleMania. This will mark the third time that these two teams are facing off on Pay-Per-View, but this time, there is one major difference. This time, William Regal will not be in the corner of the two Frenchmen. The previous two times these teams faced off, Los Guerreros came out the victors. Not only that, but unlike at the Rumble, Eddie and Chavo are on the same page, yet they still were able to come out on top in the previous encounter. However, this time, even though they are working together, La Resistance is on a roll, and that will continue as they regain their titles. Winners, and NEW Raw Tag Team Champions: La Resistance
INTERPROMTIONAL #1 CONTENDER's MATCH
ROB VAN DAM VS. "HIGH OCTANE" DAMION WEST
*Winner gets a future shot at the champion from his division*
This match has all of the ingredients of a Match of the Year. On one hand, you have “High Octane” Damion West, who has been on a roll for the past few months on Raw, with the exception of his title shot against The Undertaker at the Royal Rumble. West may have come out on the short end that night, but he gained the respect of the Deadman, and that is almost as important as any title. On the other side of the ring, you have “Mr. PPV” Rob Van Dam, who has a tendency to pull out all the guns Pay-Per-View. This match is going to be taking place on the biggest stage of them all. RVD is no stranger to the Main Event of WrestleMania, as he was there last year, but “High Octane” is no stranger to the "granddaddy" either, and with everything that is on the line, he has a lot on his shoulders. However, that is nothing new to this man, who has been compared continuously to Shawn Michaels, and just like HBK, Damion West will show up for the big one.
Winner: “High Octane” Damion West
TWF LIGHTHEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH
CHALLENGER.... REY MYSTERIO VS. THE ULTIMO DRAGON
This is that match that everyone who is a true wrestling fan has been looking forward to for a long time. Not only PrimeTime fans, but anyone who appreciates real competition. These two men are two of the greatest lightheavyweights to ever step in the ring, and whenever they get in there with each other, it's is something special. It has yet to happen here in TWF, but there is a first time for everything, and what better place for it to take place. You have the Ultimo Dragon, who since winning the title, has been on a roll, and Rey Mysterio, who defied all of the odds to make it to this match. After everything he has been though, don’t look for Rey Rey to come up short this time.
Winner, and NEW Lightheavyweight Champion: Rey Mysterio
FATAL 4 WAY/TWF KING OF CABLE TITLE MATCH
TAYLOR MADE w/ Terri and Desire vs. AUSTIN PYROMANIA
w/ Stacy Kiebler vs. "THE SHOW" JOE COREY w/ Alexis Laree vs. (c) JOHN CENA
In my mind, no match has more buildup than this one. In one-way or another, this match has been brewing since last December. Also, each man involved in this match has an issue with each of their three opponents, which is something that you don’t see happen as much in Fatal 4 Way matches anymore. The most surprising part of this match is that “The Show” Joe Corey, who won the #1 Contender spot at Code Red, became so fed up with all of the problems that were rising between these four men, that he gave up his one-on-one match against John Cena in favor of the Sudden Death match. The first man to score a pinfall or submission will walk out of WrestleMania as the King of Cable. This is a title that has eluded Austin Pyromania for almost a year now, ever since the title was created last summer. John Cena has held that title ever since then, with the exception of only a couple of weeks. Taylor Made, a.k.a. Matt Taylor, is looking to get the respect he feels he deserves, and the fastest way to do that is to put championship gold around his waist. Unfortunately for those three men, no one has been more determined over the past few months than “The Show” Joe Corey. He went from pushing Austin Pyromania towards his destiny to realizing how close he truly was to that same destiny, one that will be realized in the Skydome.
Winner, and NEW King of Cable: “The Show” Joe Corey
TRIPLE H VS. STRIFE
Triple H has beaten everyone that has tried to get in his way in the past, but there is one person that he hasn’t contended with, and that is Strife. Strife is looking to duplicate the good luck that he had last year, when he won the TWF World Championship from The Undertaker. This is a match that many people have thought about for a long time now, but it never seemed that these two men would ever get it on in the ring. That all changed when Triple H attempted to enter himself in the Interpromotional #1 Contender match. Strife took that opportunity to place a challenge to “The Game”, one that may come back to bite him in the end. If we have learned anything over the past few years, it is that Triple H knows when to take it to the next level, which is what he is going to do in this match.
Winner: Triple H
IRON GATES/ TWF TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH
CHALLENGERS...... "THE FALLEN ANGEL" CHRISTOPHER DANIELS AND SHANE THOMPSON VS. JORDAN ROCKWELL AND RHYNO
This is a feud that has been building for months. Rockwell and Rhyno finally accomplished their goal of winning the tag titles only a couple months ago. Since then, The Chosen has done everything to keep the new champions from being able to celebrate the victory. Nothing has been deemed scared, not even Rockwell’s wife, Lita, and their newborn son. Also, at the WrestleMania Special, Shane McMahon announced that this match would be held under Iron Gates rules. What this means is that the belts will be suspended high above the ring, and the competitors will have to climb a ladder to reach a scaffold that is suspended above the ring. Once on that scaffold, one must reach up and grab the Tag Team titles. That was not the only big news coming out of the special. Shane Thompson defeated Kid Gundam to win the TWF Intercontinental Championship, so if he and Daniels were able to win this match, he would be a dual-champion on PrimeTime. There is only one given that one can see in this match, and that is that all four of these men’s careers are never going to be the same.
Winners, and NEW TWF Tag Team Champions: Shane Thompson and “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels
LEGACY VS. LEGEND
TRAVIS WAKEMAN VS. HULK HOGAN
If you ever wanted to see what Travis Wakeman was going to compete for after not being allowed to challenge for the Universal Championship, that question is finally answered. This match is so big that you can’t even describe it. The only downside to this match is that Wakeman has had his hands full with Rick Martel over recent weeks. The actions that have taken place between Wakeman and Martel have done nothing but take Wakeman’s attention off of the match at WrestleMania. On the other hand, Wakeman was strong enough to take out Hogan last week on PrimeTime. Was Wakeman wrong for his actions? No one really knows, but one thing is for sure, whether he did or he didn’t, he is going to have to answer for his actions in Toronto.
Winner: Travis Wakeman
TWF WORLD TITLE MATCH
CHALLENGER...... KURT ANGLE VS. THE UNDERTAKER
Currently, the Undertaker is enjoying the longest TWF World Championship reign in TWF history, passing the one set by the man he won the title from, Strife. Over the past few months, he has been able to hold off the challenges of Nathan Jones, Eddie Guerrero, and “High Octane” Damion West. If there is anyone who can bring that championship reign to an end, it is the Olympic gold medallist. Kurt Angle survived an 8-man elimination tournament to win this opportunity, and he is determined to make the best of it. The only problem is, the person he is facing is the same man who rules the TWF at this time.
Winner: The Undertaker
TWF UNIVERSAL TITLE MATCH
CHALLENGER...... "STONE COLD" STEVE AUSTIN VS. BROCK LESNAR
This match started developing at the year-end awards ceremony earlier this year. Brock Lesnar attacked “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and Austin has been enraged ever since. When Shane McMahon ordered Charlie Haas to defend his WrestleMania title shot, no one expected the Texas Rattlesnake to be one of his challengers. This is because Stone Cold retired from active competition last summer. Ever since then, he has been serving as the Enforcer of PrimeTime. Also during that time, Brock Lesnar has gone on to be the most dominant member of the PrimeTime locker room. No one has been able to fully get the better of the champion. There are those who were able to pick up a victory over Lesnar, but that loss would soon be avenged. The only problem is, the challenger has nothing to lose on this night, and the champion has his whole world on the line. That is going to be the downfall of the current champion, and the rebirth of the Stone Cold era.
Winner, and NEW TWF Universal Champion: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
WrestleMania comes only once a year, and it has never disappointed before, and I doubt that it ever will. This year’s card has everything needed to make this the greatest WrestleMania of all time, and I for one believe that to be the case. So on behalf of the entire TWF roster, I hope you all enjoy WrestleMania V.
