FCW TV Report 26 February 2012

Florida Championship Wrestling

26 February 2012
Via therealwrestle

Three weeks ago Richie Steamboat, son of WWE Hall of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, defeated Damien Sandow for the FCW 15 Championship. Last week Steamboat came to the ring to give a celebratory promo, only to be cut short by the former champion. As he usually does, Sandow demanded for the lights in the arena to be cut and then demanded his spotlight. As Sandow emerged from the curtain into his spotlight, Steamboat hit him with a super kick. This week we finally see the re-match. Damien Sandow vs. Richie Steamboat for the FCW ‘Jack Briscoe 15’ Championship is the FCW main event.

Corey Graves vs. CJ Parker

Corey Graves

The opening match of the night was CJ Parker, returning to the ring following a shoulder injury that put him out for two months, taking on Corey Graves.
The match started at a fast pace, Parker taking his opponent down with a series of arm-drags and drop toe holds, grounding Graves with a nice arm bar. His early momentum was countered as he attempted a leapfrog out of the corner but was caught with a solid punch from Graves, selling the injured shoulder as he hit the mat awkwardly. Graves capatilised and worked over the arm and shoulder.
As Parker fought back he landed a dropkick, sending Graves to the mat and back into the corner. Going to the ropes he attempted the roll into the Cannonball and as his opponent moved out of the way, collided with the ropes. Selling the injury to the leg as he made his way back to his feet, Graves pounced and rolled Parker through into a leg-lock, winning by submission.

By order of FCW General Manager Maxine, the entire locker room was obligated to undergo therapy by appointed psychiatrist James Bronson. Backstage we see Dean Ambrose on the couch as he talks up his on-going feud with William Regal.

Seth Rollins vs. Rick Victor

The second match of the night started out as quickly as the first as Seth Rollins, after his usual insane entrance routine, convulsing, limbs-flailing in a manner that may make you worry that he’s in some kind of genuine pain, landed several punches and a dropkick, sending his opponent back into the corner. Following his early assault up with a very nice splash to the turnbuckle where, upon hooking Victor into a Rock Bottom position, threw himself back towards the corner, pulling Victor face-first into the turnbuckle.

The momentum appeared to be shifting as Rollins attempted the Avada Kedavra super kick but Victor was able to avoid the contact and roll out of the ring. As the action spilled to ringside Victor hit a nasty suplex to the floor but as he attempted a running knee, Rollins dodged and he collided hard with the ring steps. Victor, a graduate of the famous Hart dungeon in (dramatic pause) Calgary, Alberta, Canada would roll back into the ring. Rollins, attempting a springboard from the apron back inside, was thwarted by Victor swiftly kicking the ropes and causing his opponent to lose his balance, falling abdomen first onto the top rope. Taking advantage, the match would once again be grounded with a series of suplexes and an arm bar before Victor would pick up a two count off a neck breaker.
Back on his feet Rollins would miss a cross-body as he tried to get himself back into the fight and Victor would hit the ‘Canadian Lifter’ corkscrew shoulder block, turning his opponent inside out.
However tonight was not to be Victor’s night. As he attempted to hit the same move into the corner Rollins would get his knees up and then drive Victor shoulder first into the turnbuckle. As the Canadian reeled in pain Rollins, off the ropes, would drive his boot into the back of the neck and face-stomp Victor into the canvas, picking up a three count.

Returning to the backstage area, Dean Ambrose now has James Bronson lying on the couch and proceeds to tell the big man that he isn’t a therapist but rather a fighter and can make any man in FCW tap out. Getting a deranged look in his eye Bronson agrees with Ambrose and tells him that not only can he make up anyone tap but he really wants to make Ambrose tap. Notably intimidated, Ambrose makes a quick exit.

Sakamoto vs. Dean Ambrose

Dean Ambrose

Trained by former WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Taka Michinoku, Sakamoto was grounded in the opening exchanges by Ambrose with a headlock takedown and an arm-lock. Taking control with a thumb to the eye, Sakamoto would hit two clotheslines into the corner before taking Ambrose over with a suplex and then the ground-and-pound.
Exchanging chops in the middle of the ring, Sakamoto would whip Ambrose to the ropes only to be hit with a clothesline. Attempting a suplex, Sakamoto would reverse and take the back of his opponent in a waistlock. Ambrose would subsequently reverse and switch, forcing Sakamoto to break the hold with an elbow and come off the ropes. Whatever the man from Tokyo had in mind we’ll never know as Ambrose followed him in and hit a knee to the gut. His opponent grounded he then hit a William Regal-esque running knee before applying the Englishman’s signature hold, the Regal stretch, picking up the submission victory. The victor would again then look toward Regal and the commentary desk and the two would stare each other down, suggesting that the feud between these two is far from over.

Big E Langston vs. Jason Jordan

The powerhouse Big E Langston would assert his dominance in the early going, squashing his much smaller opponent with a block as he came off the ropes before holding him in a suplex, the blood rushing to Jordan’s head before finally being released and hitting the canvas. The underdog would get some offence and make an opening for himself as he was able to connect with a dropkick to the gut before floating over Langston and taking him down with a neckbreaker. Following the kick out however Langston would hit arguably the move of the night to finish Jordan off. Sending him to the ropes and easily scooping him up into a power slam position, the former power-builder fell backwards, dropping Jordan to the mat face-first and picking up the pinfall.

The current ‘Queen of FCW’ and the FCW Divas Champion made her way to ringside to discuss, as usual, her recent accomplishments. Raquel Diaz, real name Shaul Guerrero and daughter Eddie and Vicky Guerrero announced that on next weeks show she would defend her title against two FCW Divas.

Main event for the FCW Jack Briscoe 15 Championship
Damien Sandow vs. Richie Steamboat

Richie Steamboat

The former champion immediately left the ring to get a steel chair as the bell rang for the main event of the evening. Stepping back inside, the referee struggled with Sandow and eventually was able to take the weapon from him. Taking advantage, Steamboat rolled him up and got a one count.
Under the format of the unique championship, the medal (that’s right, not the belt) is defended in 15 minute matches under ironman rules. The man to score the most number of decisions within the time limit announced as the winner. Steamboat hammerlocked the arm and sent Sandow to the turnbuckle before taking him down and applying a top wristlock. Fighting back to his feet Sandow tried to build momentum but, mirroring his fathers expertly executed arm drag, Steamboat was able to continue to work over the arm. Sandow, still locked, would attempt arm drags of his own to break the hold that Steamboat was able to roll through, keeping the pressure on the arm and wrist of the well schooled veteran.
With eleven minutes left on the clock Sandow fought back to his feet and rolled out of the ring, only to be hit with a baseball slide. Again paying homage to his father, Steamboat would throw Sandow back into the ring and hit an axhandle off the top rope and score a near-fall before resting into a fujiwara arm-bar.
Upon breaking the hold Sandow pulled the referee out of position and, pulling the hair of the rookie, threw him awkwardly into the ropes before applying a full nelson and driving Steamboats head into the turnbuckle. The action spilling to the floor momentarily, the challenger rolled the champion back onto the apron before viciously grating his face against the top ring step and grounding him in a sleeper hold, trapping the arm. Attempting a succession of pinfalls with five minutes left on the clock, Sandow would began to show his frustration and, as he applied another full nelson and headed to the corner once more, the resilient Steamboat reversed his aggressor and it was Sandows turn to eat the turnbuckle before scrambling through the ropes to the apron. Suplexing him back inside, the champion scored a two count as the clock ticked down to three and a half minutes.

Damien Sandow

The pace quickened in a mad-dash to the finish line. Steamboat would float over into a beautiful inverted bulldog, driving the back of Sandows head to the mat and again getting a long two count. Sandow responded with an equally impressive Side Effect style move followed by a northern lights suplex. Neither was enough to hold the champion down as they entered the final minute.
Any chance Sandow had of pulling off a late victory in a fantastic wrestling match was stopped dead by a super kick. The time running out as the champion went for the cover and the two wrestled to a time-limit draw. Richie Steamboat retained his FCW 15 Championship but still appeared to want more as he gestured for more time.

As the show went off air it was confirmed that off the back of a recent non-title victory, next week Mike Dalton, a product of former ECW, WCW and WWE wrestler Lance Storms wrestling academy will receive his opportunity to face current FCW Heavyweight Champion Leo Kruger for the championship in the main event of next weeks show.