TEAM Epicenter, Episode 1

[TH]

[Cue up "Down," STP. Fade into a metallic looking logo that reads the word "EPICENTER" in all caps on a fiery background.
Cut to: Adam Benjamin delivering the Shining Wizard from the top on Karl Brown.
Cut to: Hida Yakamo giving Andy Gilkison the HIDADRIVER~! {Oh the humanity}
Cut to: Timmy Windham gnawing on IrishRed's forehead.
Cut to: James Irish with Dan Ryan in the Fredonia Cloverleaf.
Cut to: WildStar delivering the Five Star Frogsplash on an anonymous victim.

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

TH: I'm Tom Holzerman.

SM: And I'm Steve Murray.

TH: And welcome to the first edition of EPICENTER here on the ESEN Network. We have a lot of show here tonight, with complete coverage of first round action in Philadelphia and St. Louis for the TEAM Invitational Tournament. Let's dive right into the action.

[Cut to a shot of Holzerman alone with a graphic inset featuring a split screen picture of Ken Cloverleaf and Joe Average with the words "Cloverleaf/Average" underneath.]

TH: More than a few people picked Ken Cloverleaf to win not only the St. Louis regional, but the entire TEAM Invitational Tournament. The betting action in Vegas was so high on Cloverleaf in his first round match that they stopped taking bets 45 hours before the match took place. But would it be as easy for the former A1E Champion as he and every bettor this side of the Sierra Nevadas thought it would?

[Cut to the Savvis Center ring]

TH V/O: And this match was all Cloverleaf early.

[Cut to Average running the ropes.]

TH V/O: Right here, Average gets planted by a Cloverleaf dropkick. Look at the elevation on that move, just brutal.

[Cut to Cloverleaf with Average in a front face lock.]

TH V/O: More dominance, Cloverleaf with rolling snap suplexes, a tribute to the fallen Eddie Guerrero, and Average is in a world of hurt here.

[Cut to Cloverleaf ascending the turnbuckles with Average perched above.]

TH V/O: Average showed some signs of life during the match, reversing some holds, most spectacularly this one, wow, reversing that superplex into a body press.

[Cut to Cloverleaf's third powerbomb of the match.]

TH V/O: But it wouldn't stay like that for long. Cloverleaf got mad, and then he powerbombed Average three times. THis is the third one. Now, instead of pinning him, Cloverleaf inexplicably pulls him up after the two count. This is crucial. Cloverleaf looked to get a submission here, but let's go to the call from St. Louis.

[Switch to Mike Gosling and Joey Baggadonuts' call of the match.]

MG: Cloverleaf goes down to grab Mr. Average's other leg and... WAIT A SECOND! Joe Average just belted Ken Cloverleaf in the face with his boot! Cloverleaf stumbles back and now holding his face, comes forward. He rushes over, bent down to grab Mr. Average but Average rolls out of the way and rolls up Cloverleaf...

...one...

...two...

...THREE! THREE! THREE!

TH V/O: The arena explodes, no one can believe it, not even Mike and Joey, and Joe Average pulls off the biggest upset in the tourney to date, knocking off the former A1E Champion Ken Cloverleaf.

[Cut back to the studio with a close-up of Holzerman.]

TH: Alright, now we're going to go live back to St. Louis where we're going to talk to Mike Gosling about this monumental upset. Mike, how are you.

[Cut to a split screen of Holzerman in the TEAM Studios and Gosling in an empty Savvis Center.]

MG: I'm going great tonight, I'm pretty excited after calling a full slate of action.

TH: Alright, now, tell me how big was Joe Average beating Ken Cloverleaf tonight in the big scheme of things for St. Louis?

MG: Not very big, actually. In my view, it only makes the bracket a little less wide open and gives Beast pretty much the virtual bye into the regional final.

TH: Well, many thought that Average would be a virtual bye for Cloverleaf, but it wasn't.

MG: I think people need to take into account Mr. Cloverleaf's extreme ego and arrogance here. Beast won't let pride get the best of him. Besides, Mr. Average didn't really wrestle all that well until the end of the match.

TH: Doesn't that speak well for his resilience? That he took a beating and was able to come back with a strong enough pin to get the win?

MG: Yes, it does, but let's look at the stats. Ken Cloverleaf is a finesse wrestler who will attack you in a different way than a Beast would. He attacks joints, uses agility and quickness, whereas Beast will pound you into submission with his superior size advantage.

TH: Alright Mike, thanks for your insight, and we'll look forward to the Sweet Sixteen.

MG: Thanks Tom.

[Cut to Holzerman again, with a Cloverleaf graphic inset.]

TH: Of course, the story didn't end there. Sources tell Epicenter that Cloverleaf was not happy at all after his shock defeat and he absolutely trashed his locker room. The bill, according to Savvis Center officials, came out to well over $3500 and no word yet on who will get the bill. Cloverleaf did not return calls from the Epicenter desk, but I'm sure we'll hear from him on this in the future. Steve?

[Cut to Steve Murray, with a Beast/Alcaeus graphic inset.]

SM: Of course, it wasn't a bad day for all the favorites in the St. Louis regional. Beast, another favorite in this shindig, went up against the alleged 2500 year old vampire Alcaeus, although a sacrifice of pig's blood wasn't on the agenda of the former EPW Champion.

[Cut to the Savvis Center ring, Beast and Alcaeus locking up.]

SM V/O: Things didn't really go as easily early on for Beast.

[A shot of Beast going for an overhead belly-to-belly suplex

SM V/O: He goes for the overhead throw here, but he underestimates Alcaeus' size and is blocked. He's able to keep the big vampire at bay with his martial arts skills, but soon, Alcaeus takes over.

[Cut to Alcaeus working over Beast.]

SM V/O: Alcaeus with several vicious shots to the back of Beast here, and follows that up with a gutwrench suplex.

[Cut to Alcaeus with his hand across Beast's throat.]

SM V/O: Things wouldn't stay very good for Alcaeus for very long. Here he's going for his Vampiric Dreams chokeslam/backbreaker hybrid, but Beast just LEVELS him with an elbow to the face. After this all Beast.

[Cut to Beast hammering Alcaeus with clubbing elbows to the face.]

SM V/O: Here we see him give Alcaeus an impromptu amateur nosejob. Yikes.

[Cut to Beast in belly-to-belly position again with Alcaeus.]

SM V/O: And there's the overhead throw he was looking for earlier in hte match.

[Cut to a wobbly Alcaeus standing in the middle of the ring.]

SM V/O: And Beast hits him with the GORE! GORE! GORE! here and gets the pinfall victory shortly thereafter.

[Cut to a shot of Timmy Windham delivering a top rope bulldog to IrishRed and cue up Led Zeppelin "No Quarter."]

TH V/O: Coming up next on Epicenter, we're going to visit the Philadelphia region and check out the match of the night, Timmah! and IrishRed.

[Cut to Hida Yakamo and Saint grappling.]

TH V/O: And what'll happen when MBE tangles with Titanium Wrestling? We got those highlights for you too. Stay tuned.

[Cut to the commercial for Southwest Airlines where the people are trying to break into the car.]

 

[TH]

[Cut right back to the studio and Steve Murray with a Windham/IrishRed graphic on the inset.]

SM: If you asked a random person on the street what the best matchup of the first round would be, you'd be lucky not to get a soda to the face if you didn't ask a wrestling fan. But if you did perchance get someone who followed the TEAM Invitational proceedings, they'd most likely say, IrishRed versus Timmy Windham. And eight matches into this first round, I think most people would be hard pressed to disagree.

[Cut to the Wachovia Center ring, Windham with Red on the canvas.]

SM V/O: And it got bloody early. Barely three minutes into the match, Timmy Windham was feasting on IrishRed's forehead. Red had the proverbial crimson mask on the rest of the proceedings. Things would pick up even more.

[Cut to Windham on the top rope.]

SM V/O: The Muppet Kid was relentless here, just relentless. Take a look at the guillotine legdrop.

[Cut to Windham with Red in a standing headscissors.]

SM V/O: And then with the Memphis piledriver. But Red would fight back.

[Cut to the outside of the ring.]

SM V/O: IrishRed turning the tide here by ducking out of the way of a leap from Windham. The Muppet Kid eats steel, not a pretty sight. Right after, Red would deliver a DDT into the guardrail.

[Cut to the ring.]

SM V/O: Red now on the top here, and he leaps with the knee right to Windham's kidney. He calls that the Cold Shot. Red in control here, but there were some fireworks at the end, it got close quick.

[Cut to Windham slipping off of Red's shoulders.]

SM V/O: Red going for something out of the fireman's carry and raking his forehead from behind. Muppet Kid going for the torture rack, but Red reverses that, goes behind and hits his overhead pumphandle suplex, the Bad Company, for the pin. Great match, and we're going to go studio analysts Squiggy Jackson and Brian "Sephiroth" Weissbrot for a round of Good Cop/Bad Cop. Guys.

[Cut to a side stage where Jackson and Weissbrot are seated to the right and Tom Holzerman is seated to the left.]

TH: Alright, I'm here with our police squad, and we're going to do a segment called Good Cop/Bad Cop with IrishRed's chances for the rest of the tournament. Guys, who's going to take the good cop?

BW: I will, Tom. I think IrishRed showed toughness and grit and above all, resiliency. He wrestled an entire match with the crimson mask and still pulled out a gutty victory.

SJ: Yeah, a gutty victory over an unbalanced shrimp. Brian, I doubt that Red will even get a chance to hit a signature setup move against Hida Yakamo let alone on of his finishers. HE's a brawler, and I don't see him getting past the superior grappler in Hida Yakamo in the second round.

TH: Alright Steve, back to you.

[Cut to Steve Murray with a Hida Yakamo/Saint graphic inset.]

SM: Alright, and Red's opponent for the next round, Hida Yakamo, had a little turbulence with his first round opponent, Saint.

[Cut to the Wachovia Center ring again, Hida and Saint locked up.]

SM V/O: Hida had the advantage earlier, punishing Saint with a hammerlock behind Saint's neck, a lot more painful than a regular hammerlock. Saint had a lot of trouble gaining his bearings in this match.

[Cut to Saint running the ropes.]

SM V/O: Saint with a big diving clothesline here, and a little later on...

[Cut to Saint with Yakamo in a full-nelson position.]

SM V/O: ...a dragon suplex.

[Cut to Yakamo with Saint in a full nelson position.]

SM V/O: But Yakamo would respond with rolling dragon suplexes.

[Cut to Yakamo with Saint in the Lotus Blossom II.]

SM V/O: And Yakamo has Saint all bundled up in this dragon sleeper/surfboard combo he likes to call the Lotus Blossom II. Saint taps out, and Yakamo advances.

[Cut to a shot of Victor Molotov with The Mighty Impala in an abdominal stretch. Cue up Led Zeppelin, "No Quarter."]

SM V/O: When we come back, we'll go back to the St. Louis regional and see a thorough smackdown, plus Boogie Smallz in a little trouble. Would he survive? Stay tuned!

[Cut to a commercial for ESEN TEAM Full Tournament Pass.]

 

[TH]

[Cut back to the studio and Tom Holzerman, with a Boogie Smallz/WildChild graphic inset.]

TH: Boogie Smallz has had a a small layoff from ring action. He last saw action at CSWA 17, and it seems like that took place in another time. Against any other foe, he might have been upset fodder, but against WildChild, who was wrestling his first match on the national pro stage? He couldn't fall victim to an upset, could he?

[Cut to the Savvis Center ring.]

TH V/O: We start out with WildChild storming out of the gate, Euro uppercuts and blows to Smallz's head, but Boogie Smallz turns it around and puts the Raver in his place. Running knee lift, and we're off.

[Cut to Boogie with WildChild in standing headscissors.]

TH V/O: This match was back-and-forth, Boogie going for a piledriver here, but WildChild counters with the back body drop. This was back and forth all match long.

[Cut to WildChild and Boogie on the top turnbuckle, jockeying for position.]

TH V/O: Just another example here, WildChild going for a hurricane rana from off the top rope, but Boogie shoves him off. The former GXW Champion leaps for the headbutt, but no one is home. Fast forward to the end here.

[Cut to WildCHild with Boogie in the Crossfade.]

TH V/O: WildChild looks to have the monumental upset all wrapped up, but never count out the big bad high man. Boogie is straining and straining, forcing WildChild to stand up out of the camel clutch position. Shoves back and just crushes him in the corner. Both men are just wobbly, but Smallz gets in the Power Bong here... and what a win for Boogie. We've got more action from St. Louis. Steve?

[Cut to another shot of the Savvis Center ring.]

SM V/O: Victor Molotov and The Mighty Impala, and this match wasn't even close.

[Cut to Molotov with Impala tied up.]

SM V/O: Molotov tying up Impala here and driving knee after knee into Impala's skull.

[Cut to Molotov with Impala in a from-behind double hook.]

SM V/O: And here we see a giant tiger suplex, all impact, no bridge. Molotov just decimating the Mighty Impala in this first round match. He'd later get Impala to tap out with a scissored dragon sleeper he calls the Purifying Scourge.

[Cut back to Holzerman, with a Karl Brown/Trevor Hawke graphic inset.]

TH: PRIME is generally considered the best of the best when it comes to wrestling promotions nowadays. They sent a representative to the TEAM Tournament, but it was an up-and-comer rather than one of their main eventers in Trevor Hawke. Karl Brown is Empire Pro's resident rising star. Which fed's potential breakout star would win their match?

[Cut to the Wachovia Center.]

TH V/O: We'll jump right in the middle, and this was all Karl Brown.

[Cut to Karl Brown whipping Hawke off the ropes.]

TH V/O: Karl Brown with the flapjack into an X-Pac style facebuster here. Innovative offense from The Dragon.

[Cut to Brown with Hawke in the dragon sleeper.]

TH V/O: Brown with Hawke in the dragon sleeper. He's going for the Dragon's Bite, but Hawke breaks out, but it's not for long he has any kind of momentum. Brown with the immediate kick to the gut and a sitout powerbomb into a pin for the win.

[Cut to several shots of wrestlers in the TEAM Tourney: James Irish, Dan Ryan, Larry Tact, Promo, and cue up Led Zeppelin, "No Quarter."]

TH V/O: Coming up after the break, we'll have reports from Greensboro and Calgary, plus later on in the show, our top moves of the night. Stay tuned.

[Cue up another commercial for one of the myriad penis pills on the market.]

 

[TH]

[Cut back to the studio where we see a close up of Tom Holzerman.]

TH: We're only halfway through our first round matchups. The others haven't taken place yet, but there's still stuff to report from both Greensboro and Calgary. First, we'll go to Greensboro, where Jimmy Bretts has a report.

[Cut to Jimmy Bretts with a TEAM microphone in a darkened CSWA Auditorium.]

JB: While most participants in this tournament have been at each other's throats, James Irish and the Sergeant have forged a sort of mutual respect for each other. It has a few people wondering if they will go easy on each other, but Irish quashed those rumors by saying, "To call it wrestling boot camp is both a bad cliche and an even worse pun, but it's about what I expect out of this match. I'm sure the Sarge will hold his own, but win? We'll soon see, eh?"

In other news, officials here in Greensboro have not seen hide nor hair of Sheik Nasty. No word yet on how his first round match with Andrew Gilkison will be handled in the event of a complete no-show, but sources tell me that he will forfeit his tournament check if he doesn't show up. Now, for news out of Calgary, here's Kendra Jane Lawerence.

[Cut to KJL in the Saddledome with a TEAM mic.]

KJL: The big story seems to be the reports of discomfort and ring rust coming from the camps of two heavily favored wrestlers. Both Promo and WildStar have been hampered by ring rust in training. Sources say both feel a little out of place, but both camps have assured their wrestlers will come out on all cylinders.

Also, I've heard some scuttlebutt that Beau Michaels' "There is MEAT in TEAM" will become the fed's first officially licensed t-shirt, which has family groups up in arms. However, a spokesman for the licensing department says that it's clever and edgy and thus will probably make TEAM a bunch of money. And now, back to Steve Murray in the studio.

[Cut to Steve Murray at the desk with a Steve Johnson/Steven Shane graphic inset.]

SM: More action from the Philadelphia region, it was A1E's longest reigning Cyber Champion against WFW's rising star from The Ohio State University.

[Cut to the Wachovia Center.]

SM V/O: Poor Steve Johnson was overmatched here though. Early on in the match, he was able to get a headlock in as you see here.

[Cut to Steven Shane with Steve Johnson in a rear waistlock.]

SM V/O: But outside of that, it was all Shane here. Shane lands a back body drop here.

[Cut to Shane with Johnson in the reverse DDT position.]

SM V/O: And Shane finishes him off with the Westside Connection.

[Cut back to Murray in the studio with a Steve Johnson graphic inset.]

SM: Of course, Johnson's loss can be blamed on major jet lag and natural disaster considerations. Johnson helped the region recover from Hurricane Wilma, and his flight to Philly was delayed. He arrived just two hours before his scheduled match. Unfortunate circumstances, but at least he has a good excuse.

[Cut to a slow motion shot of Victor Molotov's tiger suplex on Impala. Cue up Led Zeppelin, "No Quarter."]

SM V/O: Coming up next, this suplex rocked Mighty Impala's brain, but did it make the cut? Our Top Moves and The Last Word, when we return.

[Cut to a commercial... I love chicken, I love liver, Meow Mix Meow Mix please deliver!]

 

[TH]

[Cut back to the studio, a shot of Holzerman and Murray.]

TH: Well, we've seen some big matches and we saw some clunkers in this first wave of first round matches.

SM: But regardless of what kind of match, there were big moves and crowd pleasers abounding. So without further ado, it's our Top Moves, five of the best from this first round of action.

[Cut to the Savvis Center, Beast/Alcaeus.]

TH V/O: At number five, it was Beast GOREing Alcaeus back into the Middle Ages. Beast advancing to the second round to face upset special Joe Average.

[Cut to Wachovia Center, Brown/Hawke.]

SM V/O: And here we have Karl Brown delivering a tremendous, TREMENDOUS flapjack into an X-Factor. Big move, and Brown moves on.

[Cut to Savvis Center, Molotov/Impala.]

TH V/O: Tiger suplex, all impact, no bridge. And Kofi Annan says ouch.

[Cut to the Wachovia Center, Red/Windham]

SM V/O: At number two, Timmy Windham making a snack out of IrishRed's forehead, but that doesn't help him win the match, Red advances, face covered in red.

[Cut to the Savvis Center again, Cloverleaf/Average.]

TH V/O: And finally, our top move was this reversal of the superplex into a body press by Joe Average on Ken Cloverleaf. That didn't win Average the match, but it may have helped crack Kenny's psyche.

[Cut back to the studio.]

SM: Alright, that about wraps up this edition of Epicenter.

TH: But before we go, it's time for the Last Word.

SM: And today's Last Word concerns the same thing we led off the show with. Joe Average notched his first win in his career in the match tonight, and he's the first rookie in tournament action to get his first win in a tournament this year on the FW/A1 circuit. Josh Heywood, W. Clark and WildChild all came up empty.

TH: That about wraps it up. Thanks for watching, and stay tuned to ESEN for more TEAM Tournament action!

[Fade to black.]