MPW

December 23, 2000

Bloomington Armory

Bloomington, MN


                    

The show opened with Cruel & Unusual coming out. Ian Xavier called out Commissioner Ashley and said that he wanted to wrestle Mitch Paradise that night. There was a discussion about what his partner, Big Daddy Hoofer would do in the tag match, and it was decided that Hoofer would have a mystery partner.


1.) Mike Stormwolf (face) pinned Playboy Pete Huge (heel). At the outset, Stormwolf nailed Pete with a clothesline that knocked him down. Pete yelled out "That hurts!" Late in the match, Lacey came out on the arm of Shawn Davairi. This distracted the Playboy, and allowed Stormwolf to get in two drop kicks and his floatover DDT finisher, and the pin. After the match, PPH attacked Davairi with a spinning heel kick. Shawn tried to respond with a huracanrana but Huge countered it into a DDT. Pete then dragged Lacey out of the ring.


2.) Helmut von Strauss (?) pinned City Slicker Jake Ricker (heel). HvS is looking more and more like a tweener every match. It didn't hurt him that he was wrestling Ricker, who in this match drew legit heel heat. Much like a heel Steve Corino, the crowd was really into it whenever Ricker was getting beaten up. In the end von Strauss won with the Uberdriver, some sort of a sit out Spicolli driver.


3.) Dr. Darin Davis & Morgan P.R. (faces) defeated Big Daddy Hoofer (heel) & Charlie Norris (face) when Morgan pinned Hoofer. C & U and Norris came out at the same time. Hoofer gestured toward him and said, "Who's this?" Norris started and Hoofer sat in a chair on the Armory floor. Referee Terry Fox told him to stand by the corner like he was supposed to. For a time Big Daddy wouldn't tag in, until Norris slapped him on the shoulder. Morgan showed strength and drew applause from the crowd when he picked up and slammed Charlie. In the middle of the match, Dr. Darin Davis put a back breaker on Hoofer, and was following that up with a cross-arm surfboard, when Charlie Norris hit him in the back with a steel chair. A chorus of boos followed. Norris then hit a Hogan leg drop on Davis. The finish came when Hoofer tried to throw Morgan toward Norris, who was waiting to deliver a big boot. Morgan reversed that though, and threw big Daddy into the boot, and followed with the pin. After the match Doctor Darin Davis gave Norris a drop toe hold, and was ready to deliver "The Glove" but Norris moved away when Big Daddy Hoofer surprised everyone by hitting Norris with a stiff chair shot to the head. Davis then gave Hoofer the toe hold setup, but he too ran away from the rectal exam.


4.) "The Truth" Austin Aries (heel) pinned Sheriff Johnny Emerald (face). Early on Aries countered a bulldog try by Emerald and converted it into a suplex. Later he threw the Sheriff into the corner and immediately hit him with a drop kick, and followed with snap mare, and a drop kick to the back of the head. The new guy also did the Liger/Tajiri handspring rebound off the ropes into a back elbow smash. Aries got the pin after a top rope flying head butt. You gotta see this kid work. He displays agility and athleticism. After the match Shifty, Pete, and HvS all came in to attack the Sheriff. Soon after the Black Stallion came to clean house. He clotheslined the interloping trio, then picked up "The Truth" with an overhead gorilla press and threw him out of the ring onto the waiting heels.


After the intermission Commissioner Ashley introduced "Straightedge" Eric Hammers to the crowd. Later Shifty came out and did some sort of a bit involving scissors.


5.) "Straightedge" Eric Hammers (face) pinned Shifty (heel) in a nontitle match. This was my first look at Hammers. He's small, real small; but good, real good and comes across with an intense persona. During the match Shifty did a funny bit where he climbed the ropes and stood on the top turnbuckle. He was shaky there and asked for quiet from the audience so he could better concentrate. Of course the crowd yelled louder and louder as Shifty carefully lowered himself first to the second and then the first rope. Hammers won with some sort of a DDT. This match was kind of short, but good. Look for these two to wrestle again.


6.) Mitch Paradise (face) pinned Ian Xavier (heel) to retain the MPW Heavyweight Title. Ian attacked first and the two brawled outside the ring. Later on, with Ian in the corner Mitch moved toward him only to have the referee get caught in the middle and make a "Fox sandwich." With Fox down, Paradise hit Xavier with a big boot and a fallaway slam, but there was no one to count the pin. Then Big Daddy Hoofer came in with a steel chair, gave it to Ian, who hit Paradise. Then there was a long wait for Fox, but the champ kicked out at two. Mitch then attacked with a russian leg sweep, and a belly to belly suplex that made a very big noise. Ian came back and hit a superplex from the corner ropes, and that made another big noise. He then went for the pin, but Paradise countered it to retain the title. These two legit heavyweights in these closing maneuvers got the biggest sound out of a wrestling ring that I have ever heard. –doc d'X