TEAM EPICENTER: Dupree Cup Week 1

[TH]

[Fade into Tom Holzerman, in front of the big screen, this time, showing Drunken Tiger and Troy Douglas face to face.]

TH: The Dupree Cup, finally here. One fewer team, and new wrenches thrown in. People jumping ship, new faces... but the same intensity. EPICENTER... next.

[Cue up "Down" by Stone Temple Pilots.
Cut to JASON PAYNE, shouting out in primal fury with a man's blood as his war paint.
Cut to ROCKO DAYMON whipping ULYSIS SOLIAN off the ropes.
Cut to RAVAGER rolling out of the way of a ROB FRANKLIN top rope headbutt.
Cut to MUNSON MONSOON tossing HIGH FLYER out of the FREE FOR ALL~! ring.

Cut to DAN RYAN hoisting the Merrit Trophy, then flash cut to NOVA with the Harvard Avalon Memorial Trophy held by his side, then flash cut to Team NEW hoisting the Dupree Cup.

Cut to: The Epicenter logo once more, fading into Tom Holzerman and Steve Murray at the EPICENTER desk.]

TH: Hello everyone, and welcome to this first week Dupree Cup recap edition of EPICENTER. I'm Tom Holzerman...

SM: And I'm Steve Murray, and I'd like to officially say that this is a Michael Vick-free zone.

TH: Thank God.

SM: But what we do have are highlights from all five first week meets, and we start in Minnesota.

[Cut to a close-up shot of Murray with an A1E/MWCW inset.]

SM: Last year, A1E made the playoffs out of their group A slot, and MWCW didn't even exist. This year, they kicked off the Dupree Cup action, but could A1E continue its momentum from last year?

[Cut to Drunken Tiger and Troy Douglas in the ring at the XCel Energy Center.]

SM V/O: The first match was former A1E superstar and current UKPW bigshot-slash-Champion Drunken Tiger taking on the Cyber Champion, Troy Douglas. Douglas started off the match strong, working over the big Korean's legs here. Kick to the calf, and the big man is down. Another kick, and another, and if you can't stand up, you don't have a size advantage.

[Cut to Douglas in the corner.]

SM V/O: Now, it's Tiger's turn to get some licks in, here, smacking his hand across Douglas' chest several times. Those chops leaving Douglas' chest bright red.

[Cut to Tiger with Douglas staggered.]

SM V/O: Tiger here showing more of his martial arts side, leveling Douglas with a kick to the jaw.

[Cut to Douglas on the second rope.]

SM V/O: Douglas makes a comeback though, leaping from the top rope and driving that elbow right into Tiger's sternum.

[Cut to Douglas with Tiger on the canvas.]

SM V/O: Douglas seemingly has the match in hand, going for the Scorpion Deathlock, but Tiger breaks his right leg free and boots Douglas in the chest. He gets up, and quickly plants Douglas with the Reunification. It's academic after this, and Tiger scores the upset in the first match of the meet.

[Cut to Beast choking Adam Cash with the bullrope.]

SM V/O: Next match wasn't even close, as Beast annihilated "Hot Stuff" Adam Cash. Choking him with the bullrope here...

[Cut to Beast running the ropes.]

SM V/O: And here, GORE-ing Cash out of his boots. After that, touching the corners was only a formality. It's all up to the tag match to decide who wins here.

[Cut to Rob Franklin grappling with Ivan Dalekchev.]

SM V/O: CHRONIC COLLIZION~! against Rob Franklin and The Sergeant, and this one was a see-saw affair. Rob Franklin in control early on, nailing Dalekchev with the running elbow to the face.

[Cut to Erik Black running the ropes.]

SM V/O: The CC comes back, Erik Black charging in on Franklin and just planting him with that running STO.

[Cut to Sergeant in the ring with Black in a front headlock.]

SM V/O: Now the Sarge gets in on the action, planting Black with a DDT right to the canvas.

[Cut to Dalekchev with Sarge in a gorilla press.]

SM V/O: The big Russian back in the ring, and now he's on the offensive. He's got the military man in a military press. Impressive.

[Cut to Black prone in the ring, Franklin on the top rope.]

SM V/O: But in the end, it's all over for the CC. Franklin on the top rope, and Icebreaker flying headbutt right to Black's sternum. One-two-three, and the team of Franklin and Sarge and MWCW score monumental upsets in Group A play.

[Cut to Harley Douglas and Matthew Kurtis in the ring.]

TH V/O: Onto the second meet in Minnesota, REBEL and TEAM, and we start with Matthew Kurtis taking on Harley Douglas. Douglas starts off a bit slow, fanning on that wide haymaker, allowing Kurtis to nail him with a back suplex.

[Cut to Douglas whipping Kurtis off the ropes.]

TH V/O: The former FREE FOR ALL~! Champion gets back into the swing of things here though, whipping Kurtis off the ropes and nailing him with the picture perfect dropkick.

[Cut to Douglas running the ropes.]

TH V/O: And here, Douglas the one running the ropes and Douglas catches him with a lariat.

[Cut to Kurtis holding Douglas by the wrist.]

TH V/O: Kurtis gets back in this match, looks like he's going to win it, hitting Douglas with that shortarm clothesline... FROM HELL~!

[Cut to Douglas with Kurtis in a front headlock.]

TH V/O: But it was not to be. Piston DDT from Douglas, and he puts Team TEAM up one match to nothing.

[Cut to the steel cage.]

TH V/O: Rage in the cage for the second match, Stylin' Kyle Roberts and Ulysis Solian slugging it out here. They trade blows, but the REBEL World Champion gets the upperhand and sends Solian into the cage with a strong right.

[Cut to Solian whipping Roberts.]

TH V/O: Solian comes right back though, whipping Roberts off the ropes and in a calculating move, steps back and hits Stylin' Kyle with a back body drop that sends the REBEL Champ into the cage. Ouch.

[Cut to Roberts with Solian on his shoulders.]

TH V/O: Roberts pulling out the big guns here, DRILLING the Prodigal Son with the Moose Jaw Driver (Death Valley).

[Cut to Solian gripping up Roberts.]

TH V/O: Once again, Solian comes right back, nailing Roberts with an STO.

[Cut to Roberts and Solian on top of the cage, Roberts on the outside, Solian on the inside.]

TH V/O: To the end of the match, and it's a duel on top of the cage. Solian and Roberts trading blows again, like in the beginning. Solian with a right, Roberts with a right, Solian, Roberts, Solian, Roberts, and Roberts gets the upperhand, another punch and another. Solian is staggering, but before he falls to the canvas, he gets a parting shot in on Roberts. Solian falls backwards, and so does Roberts. Roberts is out of the cage and wins the match, but he pays for it falling into a pile of tables. REBEL and TEAM tied up at one.

[Cut to Shinya Funabashi and FEAR in the ring.]

TH V/O: Once again, the tag team match would decide it all. Japanese legend but American newcomer Shinya Funabashi and Sean Edmunds taking on the team of Fredrick Eglasies Armand-Romano and KRENSHOV, and Mt. Tsuki is in trouble early. Armand-Romano showing his amazing dexterity with the dropsault right to Funabashi's grill.

[Cut to Edmunds whipping FEAR.]

TH V/O: Sensational Sean Edmunds comes in and shifts the balance for his team. He sends FEAR into the ropes and nails him with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.

[Cut to KRENSHOV with Edmunds in the corner.]

TH V/O: REBEL's tag team comes right back, smushing Edmunds with that Hornet splash in the corner there.

[Cut to KRENSHOV and Funabashi in the ring.]

TH V/O: Now, it's KRENSHOV's turn to feel the pain. He may have a buck-forty on Mt. Tsuki, but that doesn't mean the Japanese superstar can't hit. Pinpoint dropkick right to the back of the big man's knee.

[Cut to Funabashi with KRENSHOV in the corner.]

TH V/O: And Mt. Tsuki gets the duke here, doing what he can do with the big man. Diamond Dust and Edmunds keeps Armand-Romano from making the save. TEAM takes this first meet, two matches to one.

[Cue up Led Zeppelin, "No Quarter." Cut to Dusk chopping Lindsay Troy.]

SM V/O: Coming up after the break, Dusk and his PRIME-mates were miffed that their Universal Champion, Lindsay Troy, chose to rep EPW. And lo and behold, they met this first week. Who'd come out on top? We'll find out after the break.

[Cut to a commercial for Nintendo DS.]

 

[TH]

[Fade back into the studio, Steve Murray in front of a PRIME/EPW inset.]

SM: Lindsay Troy is a wrestler in demand, especially with her being the current PRIME Universal Champion and the most recent EPW World Heavyweight Champion. She had a choice to make, a choice that would heavily affect this week's opening matchup in Dallas between PRIME and EPW. She chose the latter, but would that fire up the former?

[Cut to the Reunion Arena ring, Dusk and Troy in grapple.]

SM V/O: Lindsay Troy gets the advantage early, leveling Dusk with some European uppercuts, and then she drops back and hits him with a flying forearm.

[Cut to Dusk with Troy in a sleeperhold.]

SM V/O: Dusk reverses field though, and here, he's looking like he's wearing down the Queen, but he abruptly drops and nails her with the sleeper drop.

[Cut to Dusk with Troy on the top rope.]

SM V/O: It looks as if Dusk has this one in the bag, dropping Lindsay with a superplex.

[Cut to Troy running the ropes.]

SM V/O: The Queen hits Dusk with that spinning heel kick.

[Cut to Troy on the top rope.]

SM V/O: And she finishes off Dusk, adding injury to insult with the 720 degree splash and a pinfall vctory.

[Cut to Munson Monsoon with a chair.]

SM V/O: Next match was the hardcore match between Munson Monsoon and Dope, and this was a one-sided affair. Monsoon here PLASTERING Dope with a steel chair.

[Cut to Monsoon running the ropes.]

SM V/O: And he finishes the job planting Dope with the CHUMP BUSTER (LARIATO~!) on a trashcan. Dope's done and PRIME evens this match up at a duke apiece.

[Cut to Sean Stevens grappling with Jonathon Winters.]

SM V/O: Tag match to decide this one, Sean Stevens and Karl Brown against Jonathan Winters and Eliot VanNess, and Winters was on fire early. He has Stevens locked up and then turns it into a Japanese arm drag.

[Cut to Winters ready to strike Brown.]

SM V/O: And here, he levels Karl Brown with a spinning heel kick.

[Cut to Brown grappling VanNess.]

SM V/O: But here, VanNess comes in and just craps out. The Dragon hits the PRIME rookie with a belly to belly suplex.

[Cut to Stevens behind VanNess.]

SM V/O: Triple X comes in and has his turn hitting VanNess with the German suplex.

[Cut to VanNess running the ropes.]

SM V/O: And to end things, Stevens and Brown work together to finish off Team PRIME here, 3D on VanNess and Brown takes out Winters to allow Stevens to get the pin and the win.

[Cut to Kin Hiroshi and Jason Payne in the ring.]

TH V/O: Onto the second matchup in Dallas, the defending Champion New Era of Wrestling taking on last year's upstart New Frontier Wrestling. Jason Payne, who was the rock that NFW built upon last year, jumped ship and settled in for the Champs, and he drew NFW World Champion in the first match. This one was a knockdown, drag-out affair. Payne started out early with a flurry of punches to Hiroshi's grill. It's a wonder the Muffin Man's face didn't look like hamburger after that.

[Cut to Payne whipping Hiroshi into the ropes.]

TH V/O: Payne continues the punishment, powerslam out of the whip.

[Cut to Hiroshi behind Payne.]

TH V/O: Hiroshi would make a comeback, here with the German suplex...

[Cut to Hiroshi with a staggered Jason Payne.]

TH V/O: And here, the Muffin Man shows his athleticism with that high flipping dropkick, making Payne eat the soles of his boots.

[Cut to Payne behind Hiroshi.]

TH V/O: But that would be it, as Payne continues his Dupree Cup dominance, Payne Killer and pinfall on Hiroshi. Champs go up one to nothing.

[Cut to the ring, no one in it, casket on the side.]

TH V/O: The next match between co-defending Most Valuable Wrestler HAL and Mittens T. Cat... well, it barely happened. Mittens was introduced first and didn't come out until two minutes later, when he was thrown out of the curtains, bloodied and beaten. Mike Randalls came out behind him, obviously having beaten on Mittens behind the scenes. He drags Mittens into the ring and stomps him. Then, HAL comes out, hops in the ring and confronts Randalls for screwing with his match. Randalls responds with a savate kick right to HAL's face and then a dangerous Tiger suplex. Randalls surveys his damage and then grabs a microphone.

RANDALLS: This one goes out to that turncoat, Jason Payne. Payne, you think you're too hot for TEAM, but you're too hot for sh*t. My piss is worth more than your career. You think you're bad? Come out here and prove it!

TH V/O: Sure as the sun rises in the East, Payne comes on out to confront his would-have-been coach. Words are exchanged until Randalls decides he wants the ante raised, so he shoots the green mist out of his mouth, a page out of the Japanese villains of old. Payne can't see, and he's flailing to get at Randalls, but Randalls books it out of there. Medics come out, and this match is ruled a no-contest.

[Cut to the ring, Professor Tremendous and Larry Tact.]

TH V/O: Because of that, the best NFW can hope for is a draw out of this meet, while the defending Champs look to close the match out in the tag match. Professor Tremendous and Yori Yakamo Jr. taking on Shawn Hart and Larry Tact. Tact starting out strong against the Good Professor, drilling him with a short-armed clothesline.

[Cut to Yakamo working over Tact.]

TH V/O: The ULTRATITLE runner-up though comes to the rescue of his partner, working over Tact's ribs with his feet there, stomping away.

[Cut to Hart whipping Yakamo off the ropes.]

TH V/O: Shawn Hart comes in now, nailing Yori with a stiff elbow to the jaw off the whip.

[Cut to Prof ready to pounce on a staggered Hart.]

TH V/O: The Good Professor gets some measure of revenge against Hart for his wailing on Yori, here with a series of spin heel kicks he calls the Pop Quiz.

[Cut to Tact with the Prof in position for a uranage.]

TH V/O: Tact getting Prof ready for a Humbling, but Yori saves the day, missile dropkick right to the face of Tact. As referee Kevin Bates restrains Yori, Prof turns around and clocks Hart with a foreign object, taking him out of the equation, and as Tact recovers, Prof slips behind him and hits him with the Honor Roll (German, Dragon and Straitjacket suplexes in a row), getting the win for NFW and salvaging a draw for the meet.

[Cut to the ring, November and Mike Wade brawling.]

SM V/O: Our final meet of the evening in Dallas, Wrestling's Finest taking on The A-List. First match, November and Mike Wade, and they're brawling it up here, November with a right hand, and Wade answers with a chop across the chest, and another, and another.

[Cut to Wade whipping November off the ropes.]

SM V/O: Wade keeping the pressure on with this tilt-a-whirl side slam.

[Cut to November with Wade in a front headlock.]

SM V/O: November comes back with a vertical suplex... WITH AUTHORITAH!

[Cut to Wade near the ropes, November coming in like a train.]

SM V/O: November charges in here and hits a clothesline on Wade, sending them over the top rope.

[Cut to November and Wade brawling on the outside.]

SM V/O: And on the outside of the ring, both men going at it, back and forth, punches, chops and elbows, all unbeknownst that referee Monet Samuel is counting both of them out. She reaches ten, and for the second time in Dallas, there's a match that ends in a draw.

[Cut to the locker room, Kenjiro Ito battling the Face-Eater.]

SM V/O: This next match wasn't as colorful as the last Falls Count Anywhere match under TEAM auspices, but it did go out of the ring back in the locker rooms. Kenjiro Ito slamming Face-Eater's head into various lockers, and then shoving it into a pile of laundry containing Munson Monsoon's sweat socks. Ew.

[Cut to Facey and Ito in the bathroom.]

SM V/O: Facey strikes back though, taking Ito into the john. Now I know what you're thinking, he's going to give Ito a swirly, right? Well no, but he does whip Ito back first into a ceramic sink. Muchos ouchos.

[Cut to a loading dock.]

SM V/O: This match ends with an Ice Age (cross-arm sitout powerbomb) off the loading dock by Ito. Facey in a world of hurt, and the A-List down with only a chance to draw.

[Cut to the ring, Onslaught and Chandler Tsonda.]

SM V/O: Onslaught and Shawn Arrows taking on Chandler Tsonda and Danny Ferguson, and Onslaught takes the lead early on, snagging Tsonda with a side belly-to-belly suplex, much in the vein of Ken Shamrock.

[Cut to Tsonda running towards the ropes.]

SM V/O: Tsonda comes back, this time assaulting Shawn Arrows with a springboard cross-body plancha. Sick.

[Cut to Arrows with Ferguson in the corner.]

SM V/O: Arrows gets some offense in, whipping Ferguson from one corner into another and then following it up with a hard clothesline.

[Cut to Ferguson with Onslaught in the middle of the ring.]

SM V/O: But the A-List is able to salvage this into a draw as Ferguson scoops up Onslaught and drills him with the Box Office Bomb (scoop tombstone). The A-List wins the match, and both teams escape the meet with one point.

[Cut to a standings graphic.]

TH V/O: Alright, in Group A, MWCW takes the early lead with two points, while both REBEL and A1E have none. In Group B, EPW starts out with two points, while NFW and NEW are tied with one apiece. Group C, Wrestling's Finest and the A-List are tied with one point, while PRIME has none, and floating around, Team TEAM has two points.

[Cut back to the studio.]

TH: Alright, that oughtta do it for us. Check in after week two action has commenced. Until then, I'm Tom Holzerman...

SM: And I'm Steve Murray. Goodnight America.

[Fade to

]

 

[TH]

Credits: Writing and judging: Holzerman
Credit Katz with the Randalls angle