The Finals!

[Linguistic]

Intro


(Once again, the cameras fade in to a shot of the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The crowd is making a lot of noise, and the cameras pan across the arena so that the viewer at home can get a better feel for the atmosphere. After a moment of shooting the crowd, the shot fades to the broadcast booth where Simon Van Helder and Creek Wineberg are ready to call the action.)

SVH: Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the Major Championship Wrestling Tag Team Invitational Tournament Finals. I’m Simon Van Helder and with me as always is my less-than-esteemed colleague, Creek Wineberg.

CW: Hey, can we get through one introduction without you insulting me? I thought I was supposed to be the color commentator and you were supposed to be the play-by-play man.

SVH: I know that I’ve got to hurry and get the first insult in because I’m in for a night of insults from you.

CW: Okay, point taken.

SVH: Folks, we have got a short card of just two lowly matches… but at the discounted rate for this pay-per-view you are getting your money’s worth. There are no time limits and we are guaranteed to see a winner in both of these contests. Jalen Latham and TEAM have put a great deal of money on the line to bring the best in tag team action, and the main event tonight is sure to deliver. In it, we will see the two best tag teams in the wrestling world today square off when the New & Improved D-X face Blitz with Leonard Johnson in their corner.

CW: Who would have thought that in a tag team tournament such as this the two teams widely considered to be the best would face each other in the finals. This is a dream come true for wrestling fans, and a dream come true for the promoters.

SVH: Do you have a favorite?

CW: I think that the favorites have to be NAPW’s New & Improved D-X due to the way they have dominated all interfed events over the course of the past year. That being said, my pick to win it is Blitz. It’s no secret that Leonard Johnson has close ties to Jalen Latham of MCW, but the reason I am picking them to come out of the match with the Hegstrand trophy held high is the fact that Leonard Johnson has really sat down and worked out a strategy with Max and Jecht.

SVH: How so?

CW: Are you kidding me? Since Leonard Johnson inadvertently cost Blitz the EPW World Tag Team Titles in 2006, the only loss they have sustained is a loss to James Irish and The Sergeant. It was a cheap loss, at that. Leonard Johnson is looking to make up for his business errors, culminating with a win tonight. While new & Improved D-X have proved dominant thus far in the tournament, in NAPW they have had a few struggles that have left them weaker. At least that is my opinion.

SVH: We’ll see how right you are when the Main Event concludes. Another match that the wrestling world has been talking about is the one that involves the MCW Heavyweight Title. A lot of people have been scratching their heads at Jalen Latham’s decision to keep his titles active in the wake of a decommissioned MCW. Earlier in the day I caught up with Mr. Latham himself, and this is what he had to say about the controversy.

(The scene cuts to a prerecorded interview of Jalen Latham, conducted by Simon Van Helder.)

Jalen: I know the world has been talking about the decision. Frankly, I’m feeling things out, myself. I’m looking to eventually bring MCW back to where it was in the heyday of the organization, but it all really depends on the result of the MCW invasion of Ultimate Championship Wrestling. Things in that regard have been slow moving.

The ultimate goal is to have a well-produced program with national exposure again, showcasing the finest young talent that the wrestling world has ever seen. In the meanwhile, I would like to scour the planet for the best contenders to the MCW Heavyweight and North American championships. While I believe that Chandler Maxwell and Dakota Smith are some of the best that wrestling has to offer, they’ll not be considered as great champions until they are truly tested. In the process, I’m hoping to make both titles more prestigious, maybe even bringing the MCW title to “world” status. In turn, this will create more opportunities for the wrestlers.

SVH: Can we expect more shows in the same vain as the MCW Tag Team Invitational?

Jalen: Oh, most definitely. I believe that the wrestling world is transitioning with the over saturation of wrestling organization and weekly programming. Many of these organizations boast of almost the exact same rosters. Through a few partnerships, I am aiming to increase the strength of wrestling as a global phenomenon… and of course I’m looking to make my fair share of money, too.

(Scene cuts back to the broadcast booth where Simon Van Helder and Creek Wineberg are ready to talk about the interview.)

SVH: There you have it. The plans of Jalen Latham may seem a bit scattered, but I think he has more of a plan than he wants to admit.

CW: When it comes to money and wrestling, Jalen Latham knows his stuff. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a newly revitalized and permanent incarnation of Major Championship Wrestling flourishing.

SVH: I can’t wait. You know, we’ve been talking about the MCW Heavyweight title and Mr. Latham’s plans with it, but we haven’t talked about our opening match.

CW: Don’t get me started. I’m happy that we have a great Heavyweight Champ in the form of “First Class” Chandler Maxwell, but I think everyone here knows how displeased I am with who Jalen Latham chose as his first number one contender.

SVH: Of course you’re speaking of none other than the turncoat himself, Bryan Storms. Storms has said that he sees right through Latham and that Latham is nothing more than a money and power-crazed authority figure.

CW: What authority figure have you known who wasn’t at least a little crazy about money and power? Jalen Latham is one of the most bleeding heart businessmen around the wrestling world! Bryan Storms is just upset because he made a bad decision and ended up without the UCW United States title and MCW Heavyweight title in the process. I hope Chandler mops the canvas with Storms’ face.

SVH: That won’t be an easy task, but Chandler Maxwell definitely has the wrestling skills and pedigree to do it.

CW: You ever think that Adam Benjamin is trying to take over the wrestling world with his family?

SVH (confused): Uh, no I have never thought of that. There are only two of them, Benjamin and Maxwell.

CW: Yeah, but there enough talent in those two men to accomplish that mission if they chose to make an attempt.

SVH: Before you get to far out in left field, buddy, I think it’s time to reel you back in and get things started for our first match of the night. On the line: the MCW Heavyweight Title.

 

[Linguistic]

MCW Heavyweight Title Match:

“First Class” Chandler Maxwell (CH) vs Bryan Storms

The first of two big matches for the night was an interesting matchup between Bryan Storms, former MCW Heavyweight Champ and turncoat in the MCW-UCW war, and Chandler Maxwell, current champ and cousin of MCW Legend Adam Benjamin. The MCW Heavyweight title hung in the balance.

Both men attempted to keep this a very technical affair, but Bryan Storms seemed a little more interested in cheating than the champ. Every hold was given an extra four-count when Maxwell would reach the ropes, and the fans made sure to let Storms know how little they appreciated such acts of cowardice. Other than the assorted cheating techniques, this match turned into a mat classic.

Maxwell took the initial advantage with a single-leg takedown and a leg lock, but Storms countered with a few kicks to the face with his free foot to break the hold. From there, the two exchanged great amateur wrestling holds, which culminated in Maxwell getting Storms in a cross face. Storms made it to the ropes and Maxwell immediately let go to a nice applause from the Staples Center crowd. Storms didn’t look as happy as the fans did, though.

Both members of the broadcast team made it a point to cheer for Chandler Maxwell each and every time that he gained the upper hand. Storms did his best to keep it from happening often, eventually making trips outside of the ring to regain his composure. Maxwell was putting on a technical wrestling clinic, but much to everyone’s surprise, Storms refused to take it to the air for offensive maneuvers. It seemed that he wanted to prove that he genuinely WAS the true Heavyweight Champion.

About ten minutes into the match, things finally started to heat up. Storms had suckered Maxwell into closing in on him less than cautiously, which gave him the opening for an old trick. He grabbed Maxwell by the front of his wrestling tights and pulled him forward and crashing into the corner. This gave Storms the opening he needed to make a comeback of sorts.

Regardless of the fact that he now had the upper hand, Storms stayed true to his original game plan by keeping everything technical. After a German suplex, Storms hooked Maxwell into a Boston crab. The MCW fans got behind their champion as he struggled to make his way to the ropes in a great deal of pain. When at last he reached them, the ref had to reach the count of four before Storms released the hold and stomped Maxwell’s mid and lower back area. Maxwell looked to be in trouble after dominating the early part of the match.

The fifteen-minute mark was announced, which seemed to infuriate Storms. The broadcast team speculated that Storms didn’t think the match would last that long since he had proclaimed Chandler Maxwell as a sham of a champion for most of the week prior to the big title defense. Storms helped Maxwell to his feet only to send him crashing to the mat with a snap suplex. This was when the fans rallied behind the MCW Champion to get him back into the match.

Storms didn’t like that the fans supported Maxwell at all. In fact, he looked absolutely disgusted by it. He seemed to raise his intensity level by once again locking Maxwell in a Boston crab submission hold. Again, Maxwell clawed his way to the ropes. This time however, it was much more slow moving to get there since Storms had cleanly locked the hold in the center of the ring.

Things started going in the direction of the unexpected, though. The Chairman of MCW, Jalen Latham, made his way down to ringside. Storms got upset about this, releasing the hold and going to the ropes to talk smack to the Chairman. Latham seemed uninterested and sat down with Simon Van Helder and Creek Wineberg at the broadcast team’s table. Chandler Maxwell, meanwhile, was pulling himself up on the opposite side of the ring with the ropes acting as his assistant.

It didn’t take long for Storms to figure out that his opponent was recovering. He closed the distance on Maxwell from across the ring, looking to inflict more damage on the MCW Heavyweight Champ. Maxwell had other plans, though. At the last second Maxwell threw himself into the air and hit storms with a leg lariat. It was the first aerial maneuver of the contest and the crowd loved it.

Simon Van Helder of the broadcast team announced that approximately twenty-two minutes had elapsed. At this point, it was still anybody’s guess as to who would come out on top. Both men were on the mat struggling to make it to their feet, but Bryan Storms seemed to be the fresher man. The referee made it to five with his ten count when Storms got to his feet. As he made it to Maxwell he was rolled up into a small package pinning predicament. Maxwell only got a two count for his effort.

Upon kick out, Storms once got to his feet and was met by Maxwell. The two exchanged punches. When Storms attempted his third right hand he missed, opening him up to a Maxwell belly-to-back suplex. Maxwell floated over and tried to pull out the victory by pinfall but once again only got a two count.

Once again the two reached their feet at the same time. Hey locked up in the center of the ring, but Storms stepped in with his right foot and hip tossed Maxwell to the ground. Immediately after the takedown, Storms tied up Maxwell in a dragon sleeper. The hold might have finished the match, but Maxwell deftly escaped and hooked Storms into a head scissors. Storms escaped and both men immediately shot to their feet. The crowd roared in approval. It had been twenty-six minutes since the match started and neither man looked any closer to victory.

For the next five minutes or so, the match slowed down. Both men tried to impose their technical wrestling will upon the other without much success. Maxwell eventually was able to take down Storms with a drop down toehold that transitioned into a crossface at around thirty-two minutes. Storms seemed trapped. The crowd was going crazy. The end seemed near.

Storms wasn’t giving up, though. A few times it even looked like he was about to pass out from the pain, but he would suddenly make a surge to the ropes. Storms finally reached the ropes and Maxwell released the hold, exhausted. Frustrated, Maxwell seemed to be running out of ways to put the challenger down. Storms made his way to his feet and that is when Maxwell went for broke. He executed the first half of his finishing maneuver “High Performance”, which is a sunset flip into a piledriver. Once the sunset flip was completed, Maxwell couldn’t pull Storms the rest of the way over. Storms fell to his knees on top of Maxwell for a two count.

Maxwell quickly rose to his feet. Storms immediately looked to finish him off with a standing sidekick, but missed, resulting in him being hooked in a beautiful fisherman’s suplex pinning combination. Surprisingly, Maxwell was able to hold on for the three count. The pin came at around thirty five minutes.

Announcer: The winner, and STILL MCW Heavyweight Champion… “First Class” Chandler Maxwell!!!!!

 

[Linguistic]

SVH: What a match for the heavyweight title. I didn’t know who was going to win it all the way up until the final moment of the match.

Jalen Latham: You know, whatever I may have against Bryan Storms… or whatever he may have against me, the guy is a tremendous competitor. I chose to lead an invasion into Ultimate Championship Wrestling with him leading the charge. He may have turned on me and MCW, but the fact that I chose him to lead us is proof enough that he is the real deal.

CW: Your bleeding heart is going to get you in trouble, sir.

Jalen: I might get in trouble, but I’ll still be making money.

SVH: After the end of that match, do you think you’ll give Storms another shot at the title?

Jalen: After the way that this match went, how could I not? These two are fantastic competitors that can really draw great attention to our organization.

SVH: When can we expect their rematch?

Jalen: You’ll be hearing more about what we’re going to be doing very very soon, don’t you worry. I’m making final plans, but lets just say you guys will be doing some traveling to get there.

CW: Well that’s really cryptic.

Jalen: I wouldn’t have it any other way, Creek. Why don’t you two focus on this next match which is the reason for us being at the Staples Center in the first place.

SVH: Good idea, boss. The moment we’ve all been waiting for is upon us, as the New & Improved D-X from New Alberta Pro Wrestling face the legendary Blitz team of Empire Pro.

 

[Linguistic]

Tag Team Invitational Finals:
New & Improved D-X vs Blitz

The culmination of months of hard work was finally at hand, as the NAPW juggernauts the New & Improved D-X faced the Leonard Johnson lead Blitz in the finals of the Tag Team Invitational. The winners would get some cold hard cash for their efforts, notoriety around the wrestling world, and the Hegstrand Trophy.

Surprising the fans, the broadcast team, and Blitz, the New & Improved D-X team of Kyle Roberts and Bruce Richards made an impressive start to the match by hitting both Blitz big men early and hard. Jecht ended up the starting man for Blitz in the match, but not from choice. More accurately, it was because Roberts and Richards had sent Max crashing to the arena floor. They didn’t let up, as they quickly isolated Jecht and delivered some double-teaming punishment, D-X style.

Jecht is not the type of person to be kept down for very long, and soon he began to make a comeback in the opposing corner. He floored Richards, who was on the ring apron, and tried to make a move for his corner but was cut off by Roberts, who hit him with a sliding kick to the legs. Immediately he was on top of Jecht with a series of heavy punches to keep him down.

That is when Max came in. He paid no attention to the referee’s admonishments. He went directly to Richards and picked him up, sending him crashing to the mat with a powerbomb! Almost as calmly as he entered the ring, he exited it. By the time he got to his corner, Jecht was there and ready to make the tag. In came Max at about the seven-minute mark.

With Max in and the D-X team in disarray, Blitz soon dominated. These two have been in the business for years and they showed awesome tag teaming chemistry. At one point, Max held Richards down after a back breaker and Jecht came back into the ring to get his revenge by jumping off the top rope with a leg drop that looked like it decapitated the D-X member. A chant of holy **** started slow and eventually got louder to the point of being commented on by the broadcast team.

****
13:23
Jalen: I know people can attribute it to me having such a great working relationship with Leonard Johnson, but I do feel that Blitz are the top tag team in wrestling over the past few years.
****

Kyle Roberts jumped into the ring to make the save after a pinning attempt, but New & Improved D-X looked to be in a great deal of trouble. Quick tags were used effectively by Max and Jecht to keep each other healthy and refreshed, and Leonard Johnson barked orders at the big men to keep them on top of their game. Some of Blitz’s typical power moves like the sidewalk slam and powerbomb were brought out to keep Bruce Richards down and out, but they didn’t count on both D-X members having something in the reserve.

This reserve came at about seventeen minutes into the match in the form of Kyle Roberts again coming to Bruce Richards’ rescue, only this time he did it by dashing around the ring and leveling an unsuspecting Leonard Johnson just as Richards seemed to be in the most trouble of being pinned. Max was in the ring and totally lost focus of the opponent he was dismantling, while at the same time Jecht jumped down to help their fallen boss. When Max finally turned around, he was greeted with a flying forearm that sent him staggering into his corner.

With nobody to tag there, he came rebounding out of the corner attempting to clothesline tackle both Richards and Roberts. They ducked under and hit Max with a double shoulder tackle to send him crashing to the canvas. Jecht came to the rescue but was hit by both men to send him off of the ring apron. A buzz went through the crowd, as Kyle Roberts and Bruce Richards stood alone with Max in the ring.

****
19:54
SVH: New & Improved D-X have the chance to end this right now!
****

Helping Max to his feet, Richards and Roberts proceeded to send him crashing back down again one more time with a double snap suplex before finishing him off with Down & Dirty around the twenty-one minute mark.

Announcer: The winners of this match… and THE BEST TEAM IN TAG TEAM WRESTLING… The winners of the Hegstrand Trophy! The New & Improved D-X!!!!!

 

[Linguistic]

SVH: Can you believe it?

CW: After that huge leg drop from the top rope after a backbreaker, I thought that Max, Jecht, and Leonard Johnson had this one all but wrapped up.

Jalen: This is what this tag team tournament was all about. Every team can make claims that they had a bad night, but in the end I feel that the tournament truly showed the world who the best teams in professional wrestling are. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to make my way into the ring and give Kyle Roberts and Bruce Richards the trophy that they so rightfully deserve.

(Jalen Latham steps away from the broadcast table and makes his way to the ring with the beautiful Hegstrand Trophy, also known as the MCW Tag Team Invitational Cup.)

SVH: This is quite a moment for Major Championship Wrestling. Since the start of the tag team tournament, wrestling organizations around the globe have seen the resurgence in tag teams and tag team matches. New & Improved D-X and Blitz should all be proud of what they have accomplished tonight.

CW: I really think this match could have gone either way. Bruce Richards was very lucky to have Kyle Roberts pull that special play out of nowhere to help them secure the victory.

SVH: Right you are. I don’t believe anybody saw that coming, least of all Leonard Johnson and Blitz. Let’s take it to ringside, where Jalen Latham is standing in the ring with the New & Improved D-X and their manager, Bill Fleming.

(Audio cuts to Jalen Latham’s microphone in the ring.)

Jalen: First of all, I think that everyone who took part in this tournament deserves a huge round of applause.

(Big pop from the crowd.)

Jalen: It all came down to these two teams, Blitz and New & Improved D-X. It was one hell of a battle, but in the end the men standing before me stood victorious.

(Cut to Max, Jecht, and Leonard Johnson all looking dejected as they make their way up the ramp and to the back.)

Jalen: On that note I present to Kyle Roberts and Bruce Richards, the New & Improved D-X, the Hegstrand Trophy. This trophy was named after Michael Hegstrand, better known as Road Warrior Hawk of the Legion of Doom. His legacy lives on, starting this day and going on infinitely. Carry this trophy proudly back to New Alberta Pro Wrestling, boys. You are the winners of the 2007 MCW Tag Team Invitational!

(HUGE pop from the crowd as Latham gives them the trophy. Roberts and Richards hold it high to the roaring approval of the crowd.)

SVH: There you have it, folks. Sixteen teams entered the tournament and only one team remains. NAPW should be very proud.

CW: Do we have anything else to say?

SVH: Only that the fans should stay tuned in the near future for a huge announcement concerning the next big shakeup in MCW! We’ll leave on that note! So long fans!

(Scene cuts to the ring where the New & Improved D-X are still celebrating and confetti is raining from the Staples Center ceiling. Cue up the MCW logo and we’re out!)

MCW.

All rights reserved.

 

[Linguistic]

Right after the show.



(The dust and the confetti have settled on the New & Improved D-X celebration at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The crowd pops, as “First Class” Chandler Maxwell makes his way to the broadcast table where Jalen Latham, Simon Van Helder, and Creek Wineberg are sitting. He has his MCW Heavyweight Title in tow as he grabs a microphone.)

Chandler Maxwell: This is my first time officially speaking as the new champion of this company, and honestly I have something that I have to get off my chest. Here it goes:

From the Christian Sands, to the John Does, to the Karl Browns, to the Bryan Storms that have stood before me under this company's spotlight. I stand here and accept the role as your Champion, wait a second. The Blitz of the World… man this title looks beautiful.

Even "Yours Truly" Adam Benjamin...

And they can all kiss my ass.

(Maxwell tosses down the Major Championship Wrestling title.)

SVH: What the hell is he doing?

CW: I told you I love this guy!

(Jalen Latham has a huge smile on his face as if he already knew this was going to happen.)

Maxwell: Because I am not a man that accepts a torch that is handed down to me from a organization that died, rest in peace, three years ago. Major Championship Wrestling is dead.

For all of the things that the greats have done before me…

I will not continue to walk this federation into the future with all of their shadows hovering over us every time we step into the ring.

(Maxwell grabs a new title from under the broadcast table where Jalen Latham has been sitting. Jalen had been hiding that belt the entire night.)

Maxwell: "First Class" Chandler Maxwell is the man who ignites a new flame in the sport of professional wrestling.

(He hoists the new title belt over his shoulder.)

Maxwell: So tonight, before God and with the world as my witness, I proclaim myself as the new Midwest Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Champion.

SVH: “Midwest” Championship Wrestling? What the hell is that?

Jalen: I told you guys at the beginning of the show that you’d find out what was next for MCW soon enough!

Maxwell: We have set out to change the face of professional wrestling. So tonight let the new era begin, the era of First Class, the Era of Midwest Championship Wrestling.

(The crowd EXPLODES with MCW Chants!!!!!)

CROWD: MCW! MCW! MCW! MCW!

(Scene fades.)