October 1996

[managermike99]

Roster

Faces
Stan Lane
Greg Valentine
Jesse Hennig
David Jericho
Todd Bullett
Robbie Royce
Mike Wildside
Elmwood Brawler

Heels
Lewis O'Day
Manny Silva
Stan Baker
Wolfgang Haessler
Untermenschen 
Vance Nevada
Gothic Knight
Ludvig Borga (NEW)

Ladies
Cynthia Rothrock
Jeanne Basone
Emma Bezzlerr
Nikita Nikolishin
Mistress Gloom
Tami Kim
Julie Strain (NEW)

[managermike99]

River City Wrestling #637
October 5, 1996
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Hour #1

Opening Bout
Mistress Gloom defeated Nikita Nikolishin by pinfall after an avalanche at 4:48
**the women's division needs a shake up, or a make over

Bout #2
David Jericho defeated Stan Baker by pinfall after an inside cradle at 5:28
**Jericho used his speed to control the match early but Baker caught him mid-air after a crossbody block attempt and slammed him to the mat. Baker went to work on Jericho and looked like he had him set up for his heartpunch...but maybe after last week's near call with the Brawler he has had a change of heart (pun intended)....and so he hesitated, then went for a scoop slam instead but Jericho rolled him up and got the upset win.

Bout #3
Jesse Hennig defeated Vance Nevada by disqualification for use of a foreign object at 4:07
**more fall out from the unusual happenings last week. In this case the usual curtain jerker Nevada came in with an edge to him we hadn't seen, partial determination, and partial humiliation. Regardless, as soon as things turned against him he grabbed a steel chair and nailed Hennig three times, busting him wide open, and left him laying.

Bout #4
Untermenschen defeated Todd Bullett by pinfall after a release powerbomb at 5:32
**Bullett was on fire with a hit and stick attack. But the monster changed his own tactic to, get hands on Bullett and throw him out of the ring. Everytime Bullett would get some momentum the monster would just throw him out of the ring. Finally Bullett made the mistake of charging in too fast, and the German hit him with a big clothesline, dropped an elbow, hit the finisher and it was over.

Post-Match: Robbie Royce joined Bullett in the ring. Royce has been cleared to wrestle next week and the matchmakers have put them back where they were before the injury, as the #1 contenders. As such they will be given a title shot next week against Haessler & Untermenschen.


Hour #2

Bout #5
Emma Bezzlerr defeated Wolfgang Haessler by pinfall after a running legdrop at 5:40
**while Bezzlerr had her moments against her former compatriot overall she didn't fair that well. Haessler is much stiffer competition then she faced in Nevada last week. However, that match last week came back into play when Vance Nevada came down to ringside, and attempted to trip up Bezzlerr. However, the former women's champ reversed a whip to the ropes and Nevada unwittingly tripped up Haessler instead (unseen by the ref of course). Bezzlerr swooped in with a legdrop across the back of the neck and got a huge (but tainted) victory.

Bout #6
RCW Television Title Match
Lewis O'Day defeated Gothic Knight by pinfall after a running kneesmash at 9:45
[Lewis O'Day retained the RCW Television Title]
**more fallout from last week as these two were on opposite sides of a tag bout. Knight provided a formable opponent for O'Day, but somehow just has that feeling of a guy who will not move up that next notch on the ladder.

Main Event
RCW Heavyweight Title Match
Stan Lane defeated Manny Silva by disqualification for outside interference at 9:13
[Stan Lane retained the RCW Heavyweight Title]
**after last week's match got thrown out as a no-contest, this week's rematch started surprisingly calm, with Lane working some actual wrestling moves, then Silva taking over with a couple power moves and then a Boston crab. That lasted about 5 minutes and then all hell broke out again, and the match went from inside to outside again and again. Lane though looked to have the bout won after slipping out of a wheelbarrow suplex set up, pushing Silva head first into the buckle, then nailing him with his superkick finisher. Cover for a slow count of 1, 2...Mistress Gloom had appeared by the ring and pulled Lane off of Silva.

Post-Match
Lane was shocked, and then more shocked when Gloom punched him in the head. Lane tried to demure but she kept coming at him. Finally Lane pushed her backward. By this point Silva had recovered and nailed Lane from behind. Emma Bezzlerr came out to make the save, at least trying to even the odds by working over Gloom. This brought out the Germans though who attacked Bezzlerr (or at least Haessler did while Untermenschen looked on passively). This brought out Bullett and Royce who went after the Germans...but then Vance Nevada also came out and helped Gloom attack Bezzlerr. In fact by now Lane had recovered and was beating up on Silva, so Gloom left Bezzlerr to Nevada and helped Silva by nailing Lane from behind...then both dressing rooms cleared out...we had a closing time brawl as we went off air.


That's it for an especially wild episode of River City Wrestling. See ya next week!!

P.S. as we went off air it was announced that next week would be a special attraction. The in ring debut of former Penthouse Pet, actress, and overall femme fatale Julie Strain!!

[managermike99]

River City Wrestling #638
October 12, 1996
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Opening Bout
Gothic Knight defeated Elmwood Brawler by pinfall after a chokeslam at 4:20
**the Brawler is back, but faring no better

Bout #2
Ludvig Borga defeated Mike Wildside by submission to the backbreaker rack at 3:07
**impressive premiere for former WWF star Tony Halme as Ludvig Borga.

Bout #3
Jesse Hennig & David Jericho defeated Stan Baker & Vance Nevada by pinfall when Jericho pinned Baker after Nevada hit him with a steel chair at 6:31
**Nevada was the weak link in the bout but when Baker got mad at him for his performance he retaliated by getting a steel chair and hitting his own opponent in the back of the head.

Bout #4
Julie Strain defeated Tammy Rief by pinfall after a swinging neckbreaker at 4:06
**Former Penthouse Pet, Julie came in with a dark "gothic" look, but also a superior attitude which took her to the rulebreaker side of the talent ledger. Rief has a handful of matches under her belt so she took the lead on this one, but Strain fought back with some hip tosses, chokes, boot stomps, back bodydrop, and then her finisher.

Post-Match: It's announced that even with her lack of experience, because she is famous, Strain has been given a title shot at Cynthia Rothrock on October 26th, which will be the next all women's episode of River City Wrestling.


Hour #2

Bout #5
RCW Tag Team Title Match
Wolfgang Haessler & Untermenschen defeated Todd Bullett & Robbie Royce by pinfall when Haessler pinned Bullett after a piledriver (and with his feet on the middle rope for leverage) at 9:46
[Wolfgang Haessler & Untermenschen retained the RCW Tag Team Titles]
**interesting match, much more even then one might expect. The good guys managed to counteract Untermenschen's power to a large degree by refusing to lock up, avoiding him, double teams, cutting the ring in half. The "sub human" monster grew frustrated but had no answer. Haessler showed no patience, yelling at his partner "just go get him" despite the obvious speed difference. The announce team noted they may have been missing Emma Bezzlerr's guidance on this one. Then Untermenschen got gassed later in the bout and was being taken apart by the challengers. However, the champs battled back with some double teams of their own, Haessler nailed a piledriver and put his feet on the second rope to make sure he got the 3 count, which was missed by the ref.

Main Event
Mixed Six Man Elimination Match
Stan Lane, Greg Valentine, & Emma Bezzlerr  vs Manny Silva, Gothic Knight & Mistress Gloom 
**There was much opportunity for fireworks in this bout, especially between Lane and Valentine, but for the most part none of that occurred.
Gloom and Bezzlerr were not restricted to only wrestling each other so both were careful about locking up with the guys. Unfortunately for Bezzlerr she got caught after a tag and found herself facing off against Gothic Knight who caught her with a kick to the gut and then a chokeslam and got the pin.
[Gothic Knight pinned Emma Bezzlerr after a chokeslam at 4:59]
**Lane and Valentine then worked well together, first dominating Silva, then doing the same to the Knight. The bad guys were careful not to tag in Gloom even though she was asking for it. After Valentine had been knocked down with a nice running clothesline, the Knight tagged in Silva. However as Lane struggled to his feet Knight feigned that he was tagging out to Gloom who entered the ring. The ref got in front of Gloom to put her out of the ring but Valentine was still fooled and confused. So Knight ran over and nailed Lane off the apron, Silva took out Valentine from behind, nailed him with the wheelbarrow suplex and got the pin.
[Manny Silva pinned Greg Valentine after a wheelbarrow suplex at 8:13]
**Lane came in a house of fire. First he knocked Silva around, then did the same to Gothic Knight. He got 2 near falls on the Knight. Finally the Knight managed to tag out, but to Gloom not Silva. Lane was a bit hesitant to hook up with a woman but when Gloom raked his eyes he fired back. Lane worked over Gloom. He nailed his superkick finisher, but as Gloom fell backward into the corner, Silva tagged in off her back. Lane did not see the tag because his momentum took him to face the other way. He covered Gloom while the ref tried to get him to break. Silva dropped a knee to the back of Lane's head, nailed his finisher and the bad guys all survived. Pretty much guarantees Silva another title shot next week.
[Manny Silva pinned Stan Lane after a wheelbarrow suplex at 12:56]
[Manny Silva, Gothic Knight & Mistress Gloom all survived]

[managermike99]

River City Wrestling #639
October 19, 1996
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Hour #1

Opening Bout
Gothic Knight defeated Mike Wildside by pinfall after a chokeslam at 2:52
**squash matdh

Bout #2
Emma Bezzlerr defeated Mistress Gloom by pinfall after a double stomp at 5:23
**solid match between two powerhouses. Bezzlerr has more of an actual athletic/muscular physique while Gloom is just big. They traded power moves and fisticuffs but in the end Gloom tried for a splash, Bezzlerr rolled out of the way, then followed up with a double stomp and got the duke.

Bout #3
Bermuda Triangle Match
Vance Nevada defeated Stan Baker and Jesse Hennig by pinfall when he pinned Baker after a jawbreaker at 6:18
**Nevada is pretty much just nuts now. But the biggest heat in the match was still between former partners Baker and Hennig. In the end Hennig was going for his jumping necksnap on Baker, but Nevada did a baseball slide into Baker to move him, then nailed a dropkick on Hennig. All 3 men on their feet, Baker nailed Hennig with a heartpunch, but then Nevada took him out with a jawbreaker and got the pin. Huge upset win.

Bout #4
Greg Valentine defeated Ludvig Borga by disqualification for abuse of official at 6:41
**Borga attacked Valentine before the opening bell and controlled early. But when the Hammer made his big comeback the Finnish destroyer lost his cool and tossed the referee away. He then chopped Valentine in the throat and began to pound away. He lifted him up in an elevated chokehold then smashed him to the ground. He powerbombed him twice...and Lewis O'Day ran to the ring to make the save. O'Day surprised the crowd by pretending he was on Borga's side then clipping him from behind. O'Day went to work on Borga, the Finn fought back, but then O'Day hit him with a low blow and tossed him over the top rope.

Hour #2

Bout #5
RCW Television Title Match
Lewis O'Day and David Jericho battled to a no-contest at 4:40
[Lewis O'Day retained the RCW Television Title]
**as could be expected Ludvig Borga came for some revenge, taking O'Day out from behind, and then tossing Jericho over the top rope. And as could be expected Greg Valentine came out to make the save.

Bout #6
RCW Tag Team Title Match
Todd Bullett & Robbie Royce defeated Wolfgang Haessler & Untermenschen by pinfall when Bullett pinned Haessler after a double vertical suplex at 8:44
[Todd Bullett & Robbie Royce Win the RCW Tag Team Titles]
**there are certain upsets, even in pro wrestling that really seem like upsets, as in David vs Goliath upsets. Kind of like when Jim Garvin & Steven Regal defeated the Road Warriors for the AWA Tag Team Titles. This match had that feeling. And it was clean, no interference by Emma Bezzlerr. Pure and simple the new tag champs wrestled as a harmonious unit and did their best to isolate Haessler, a strategy that worked. In fact Unternenschen tried to break up the final pin attempt but was too slow and clumsy getting through the ropes to break it up. While this is Bullett's first title in RCW, Royce has previously held the tag title (with Dan Kroffat) back in 1994.

Main Event
RCW Heavyweight Title Match
Stan Lane defeated Manny Silva by pinfall after a superkick at 11:10
[Stan Lane retained the RCW Heavyweight Title]
**perhaps the blow off match to this feud as it ended clean. Hard fought match with both men having a long stretch where they were in control but could not put their opponent away. Lots of near falls and submission holds. In the end Silva went for his wheelbarrow suplex too early, Lane floated over, drove Silva shoulder first into the ringpost, then nailed his finisher to pick up the decisive win.

[managermike99]

River City Wrestling #640
October 26, 1996
Winnipeg, Manitoba

**All Women's Halloween Edition**

Hour #1

Opening Bout
Kelly Gallant you tube & Tammy Rief you tube defeated Catherine Nolan & Kari Pelletier by pinfall when Gallant pinned Pelletier after a German suplex at 6:42
**Nolan and Pelletier had been an impressive team (at one time holding the North American Women's Tag Team Titles) but tonight Kelly Gallant shone, took over the match and picked up the win.

Bout #2
Julie Fulkerson you tube defeated Kawasuki by pinfall after a tilt-a-whirl slam at 3:30
**The win was not as easy as the short time would indicate. The whole match was fast paced and Fulkerson caught Kawasuki mid-air in a cross bodyblock attempt, turned it into a powerslam, hit her finisher and picked up the win.

Post-Match:
As Fulkerson walked away Kawasuki leaped off the ring apron bulldogging her from behind. The Japanese youngster continued to beat down Fulkerson until security broke it up.

Bout #3
Teagan Clive you tube defeated Tami Kim you tube 17:48 by disqualification for abuse of official at 5:58
**The powerful Clive surprised Kim by shaking off most of her attacks, including a series of Savate kicks which she absorbed and came right back with a running clothesline. A gorilla press slam, and a release overhead suplex would have got the win but Kim pushed the ref out of the ring to avoid a pin and to get disqualified. 

Bout #4
Kat LeRoux you tube defeated Heather McTague bio by submission to the figure-four leglock at 6:08
**McTague was the fan favourite but Nasty Kat LeRoux was an experienced cheater, and that was the difference in this bout.

Hour #2

Bout #5
Jeanne Basone you tube defeated Vine by pinfall after a Frankensteiner at 3:38
**this was billed as Hollywood vs Vine from the GLOW days some 10 years ago. However, in reality Vine had retired and this version of Vine was someone else entirely. The former "Hollywood" Jeanne Basone dominated the match.

Bout #6
Streetfight
Emma Bezzlerr defeated Mistress Gloom by 10 count in a streetfight at 11:44
**solid match in a streetfight just like a men's match. Both women even bled which was really unusual and apparently upsetting to some fans. They battled inside and outside the ring, and on the announce table. They used ladders, the ring bell, the guardrail, ring steps, and an uncovered ring post to full effect. In the end Gloom charged at Bezzlerr who flipped her over the top rope and through a table which had been set up. This table shot was enough damage to keep Gloom down for the 10 count.

Main Event
North American Women's Title Match
Julie Strain you tube defeated Cynthia Rothrock you tube by pinfall after a swinging neckbreaker at 8:51
[Julie Strain wins the North American Women's Title]
**a bit of an upset since this is only Strain's second pro wrestling match that we know about. The femme fatale, actress, and former Penthouse Pet upset the martial artist and actress Rothrock. It was a peculiar match pitting two distinctly different styles. Rothrock always tries to stay in the middle of the ring, keeping her movements concise, always in fighting position, and striking from the center. Only when she has a clear advantage does Rothrock move to the ropes for the kill. Strain fought a cat-like style, where she kept a low center of gravity, even going down to all fours, and always trying to scramble or roll to get behind the champ, or perching up on the second buckle, or twice jumping onto the second rope only to springboard off. Rothrock went after Strain too early and the challenger caught her with a springboard back elbow, nailed a flyng elbowsmash from the second buckle, then hit her finisher to complete the upset that was not popular with the fans.