20 Man Blood Bath Match Approaches
For years it has been a tradition in the EUWC! Every October, 20 men climb into a steel cage with one thing in mind. A shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. This year is no different as the 20 Man Blood Bath Match will make it's fifth appearance at EUWC Blood Bath.
The idea; which is similar to the Royal Rumble match; is commonly referred to as one of the most brutal matches in professional wrestling. A steel cage surrounds the ring. Twenty men draw numbers between one and twenty and then enter the cage according to the number they drew, at equally timed intervals. Elimination occurs by pinfall, submission or failure to continue. The last man remaining in the cage receives the all important chance at the World Heavyweight Title.
In previous years, the Blood Bath match has seen new stars arise and many memorable moments. In 1996; the Blood Bath Match debut year; Don "Heart Throb" Hall shocked the world and earned the moniker of "Human Highlight Reel" when he ascended to the top of the cage and exceuted a moonsault back into the ring onto a standing RAGE. In that year, STEALTH would be the man to survive all the odds and win the match, last eliminating Hall. In 1996, the prize would also crown the EUWC's very first North American Champion.
In 1997, the world witnessed a truly titanic struggle in the final four. Don "Heart Throb" Hall, HICAL, YAHOO and "The Russian Bear" Dan Sokolov battled it out for the number one spot. HICAL would take care of Sokolov while Hall eliminated YAHOO. And in the end, the world witnessed HICAL and Hall in a double pin, crowning co-winners to the ultimate annual Blood Bath. Both men would go on to receive a shot at the World Heavyweight Title, but HICAL would make the most of it, by defeating STEALTH for the title in January of 1998.
Fast forward to the year 2000 and we arive at the first time the Blood Bath match was contested with only sixteen men. The year's event saw the young up and coming superstar, Kritical Kondition emerge as the winner after having to take on former World Tag Team Champions Joe "The Hardcore Event" Johnson and "The Hitman" Tony DeLucci in the end of the match. After single-handedly eliminating the Tag team specialists, Kritical Kondition would ascend to the World Heavyweight title shot; which he would never receive due to contract negotiations failing to re-sign the superstar.
2003 marks the most controversial finish to the Blood Bath match in the history of the event. With five men remaining in the match, fans anticipation grew to a fever pitch as they awaited a winner to be declared. Sean taylor, HICAL and Angel of Death were all brawling at the top of the cage wall. Meanwhile, down below, Lynch Garrisson picked up the gigantic Paul Doom and hurled him into that same cage wall. In a moment that will never be forgotten, the force of the blow and the weight on the cage wall, forced the wall to break free of the rest of the ring and fall over, crashing to the ground. Garrisson would leave the ring and sort through the rubble, pinning all four of the remaining opponents. However due to the controversial nature of the finish, Garrisson wasn't awarded the World Title shot. Instead, all five men were awarded the shot at the title in an Elimination Chamber match with Lord Alucard the following month.
This year, with a new field of twenty men, anything can happen. Certainly any man could walk into Blood Bath as a lower contender and leave the event as the number one contender. With the list of superstars like Damian Stone, Paul Doom, Holocaust, Lord Alucard, Ray Santana and others, this year's Blood Bath match could be one of the most highly contested matches in EUWC history. With all the uncertainties that the Blood Bath match holds, several things are certain. Blood will be shed, bodies will be battered, and twenty men will never be the same again after entering the most dangerous match in the EUWC.
EUWC Blood Bath 2004 takes place on October 31, 2004; LIVE from the Tokyo Egg Dome in Tokyo, Japan. The event is available only on Pay Per View.
Link:
http://fwrestling.com/host/euwc
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