411’s FCW TV Report 10.19.08

You know, in about 9 months, I won’t be able to do this any longer. Why? Because I’ll be out of this nothing-happenin’, 2-horse-town, old people-infested, dead-ass, no hope, tourist-trap hellhole of a state. On to somewhere where I can actually make a living not having to schlep bread, sauce, and cheese – which is amazing how big of a damned deal people make out of food and how stressful that gets. But that’s okay, because, soon enough, it’ll be all over.

Yeah, I’m in a bad mood. Sorry about that. There are a few things I’ll actually miss about being here, and FCW is becoming one of them. Of course, if someone is nice enough to upload this as a torrent each week, I won’t have to worry about that, either.

Okay, This Is Boring – What Else Is There To Read?

Randle and Tha Czonk (wonder if I’ll get in trouble for calling him that) hold down the beginning of the week.

Once again, Livingston has some great points. Danielson is called “The Best In The World” for a reason. That having been said, I enjoy a crazy, flippy-floppy spotfest as much as the next guy. I saw one match from “Bound For Glory” – the “Steel Asylum” match – because it was the only one I wanted to see and I enjoyed the hell out of it. Might go watch it again after I finish this piece.

Thanks to Matt Short for keeping me up-to-date on the happenings in Japan.

Ari has some kind words for a guy you’ll read about on this very show!

And finally, based on Dunn’s review, I may have to put off watching Rob Zombie’s Halloween and finally check it out.

FCW – 10.19.08

—is joined in progress thanks to the ALCS. (One of the teams competing is based out of Tampa, after all; which sport do you think takes precedence when it comes to a World Championship?)

Joe Henning and “Handsome” Heath Miller vs. Jake Gabriel and Mike Kruel

This is a non-title match for FCW Tag Team Champions Hennig and Mille—wait a second. Last week, Eric Perez and Eddie Colon won those titles. What happ—how di—I’m diffused. Maybe I can sort this out a little later.

Miller and Gabriel start with Gabriel showing off his power for a bit before tagging out. Kruel in to try and keep Miller off-balance with the ground-and-pound, but Miller’s flashy style (sorry; been reading my way through Mark Waid’s run lately) style stops the momentum. Miller keeps onm the arm long enough to tag in Hennig, who takes the ground-and-pound to Kruel. Kruel resorts to chicanery, sending Hennig toward Gabriel so Kruel can nail him from behind.

Gabriel shows off some more power and showboats, leading Kruel to tag in, upset with Gabriel’s showboating – which costs the team the match…

Finish comes when Hennig takes advantage of his opponents’ dissension to hit the PerfectPlex (~!) on Kruel for the pinfall victory. Way short, but I like the story as that’s one of the most logical endings to the “dissident tag partners” scenario I’ve seen in a long time. Replay of the finish takes us to commercial.

Back to Dusty Rhodes and Josh Matthews (sitting in for Grisham or Rhodes’s new partner? I’m confused again…) discuss the #1 Contender’s Elimination Match later on.

Sinn Bowdee vs. Scotty Goldman

Okay, I think I have my answer. Colt Cabana is announced as “SmackDown Superstar Scotty Goldman”, meaning this is rather recent – as opposed to the last couple weeks, which were taped several months ago. Apparently they jumped ahead in time a little bit to keep things a little more current?

Bowdee starts out savage, which riles Goldman up for a second before he shifts the game into more of a wrestling match. Bowdee stubbornly sticks to his brawling game, though, working in a little impact in to keep Goldman off guard. Bowdee decides to wrestle Goldman to show him how it’s done, but that’s a mistake to work someone at their own game, even with the prior weakening. Goldman shows off a little of his power advantage, even working in the “Flip, Flop & Fly” elbow right in front of Rhodes. Nice touch. Goldman then switches to the acrobatics to keep Bowdee off guard and it works until Goldman puts himself in the path of offense, which spells the end…

Finish comes when Sinn Bowdee hits the Talulah Bell (double-underhook DDT with a body-scissors) for the pinfall victory. Interesting on paper, but the two never seemed to click. Don’t know if that’s a time or chemistry issue.

Post-match, Bowdee cuts a promo mixing carny speak and pure gibberish as we go to commercial.

Back to

Johnny Curtis vs. Eric Escobar – #1 Contender’s Match for the FCW Heavyweight Championship

Whoever this chick is they have doing the ring announcing, she’s terrible. Matthews mentions FCW Champion Drew McIntyre, confirming my suspicions earlier.

Feeling-out process starts as both men look top be taking no chances with this opportunity. In a nice touch, Matthews mentions how WWE is more apt to look at you and bring you to the big time if you’re the FCW Champion. Thanks for the continuity, kid. Curtis and Escobar are evenly matched here, going hold-for-hold, counter-for-counter and evasion-for-evasion. Good stuff.

Matthews says he’s staying and mentions a prior altercation between Sheamus O’Shaunessy and Batista that we didn’t see thanks to baseball. Curtis has now gained an advantage and targets the arm of Escobar with a sound game. Escobar powers his way out for a near fall, but Curtis is back on top and still after the arm. Curtis is relentless and smart in his attack – brilliant way to play it with so much on the line.

Escobar powers his way out of the offense on his arm and Matthews, after talking about the fusion of new school and old school (an apt description for this match) and hog hunting (it’s a Florida thing – one of the reasons I can’t wait to get out of here), says that Curtis not going for a cover after all that may come back to haunt him. Escobar proves that point as he uses his power and a little athleticism to keep Curtis down but can’t manage the pin quite yet. Curtis escapes a volley and uses some athleticism of his own, hitting a top-rope sunset flip, but Escobar won’t stay down.

Finish comes when Escobar hits the Latino Temper (full-nelson slam) for the pinfall victory. Okay, The arm work was great and the match was going so well with it – right up until the end when it didn’t matter as Escobar not only didn’t even sell the damage done to it for several minutes, but used it in his finisher like he was lifting barbells. Damn-near ruined the entire thing and, if I were in WWE Talent Relations, I’d tell the kid to work on his selling and leave him in Tampa for another few months. Show ends with short clips of what we missed and, sadly, no Gordon Solie to take us out.

Not bad for an abbreviated, pre-empted show. The matches still need to be longer, though; I thought the point of this was to show what the guys could do. But then again, they do a small house-show loop if I remember correctly and this is to get them used to being on television, so maybe it’s a moot point.

L8. Thanks again for reading.