We are here in Phoenix, Arizona for what could prove to be one of the best nights of the year, Summer Sizzler! Over 19,000 screaming fans have packed the America West Arena to see what Global Championship Wrestling does best, and that's pay-per-view! But first, we had High Voltage leading up until the big event! Not only will we have a full preview of the Summer Sizzler card, but also two big matches with Rob Conway and Nick Dinsmore taking on the Italian Stallions and the monster that is Brock Lesnar taking on The Hurricane and Shannon Moore in a handicap match! Let's start with the first half of the match previews.
Doug Williams has come to Global Championship Wrestling with two intertwined missions: 1) to bring pure wrestling back into the mainstream, and 2) rid Global Championship Wrestling of the hardcore wrestlers. Williams has made a start, causing Hardcore Holly to quit after beating him a couple weeks ago on Explosion. Tommy Dreamer, one of the best hardcore wrestlers of the last 20 years, has taken offense to Williams' attitude and wants to shut Williams up tonight. Will Dreamer be able to put Williams in his place, or will the Anarchist run the Innovator of Violence out of town as well?
Goldust is one of the hardest competitors to read in GCW. Since Goldust made his first appearance in a GCW ring back in April, he has shown quite the liking for Booker T. Although Goldust's showing of appreciation seemed a little odd, it was viewed as nothing more than harmless affection. However, that changed when Goldust started accidentally costing Booker T matches, including causing Booker's elimination from the Fatal Fourway match for the World Heavyweight Title at Chaos Reigns. Booker had tried to simply ignore Goldust, but when he started losing matches, Booker had to address it. Booker T confronted Goldust and told him to stay out of his business, which is when Goldust informed Booker that he had somehow managed to get them a World Tag Team Title shot against the Basham Brothers. Booker T and Goldust formed an unlikely duo and looked to be on their way to winning the titles when Goldust unexpectedly turned on Booker T, causing Booker to suffer the Ball and Gag Bomb from the champions. Since then, Goldust's obsession with Booker T has become even more sick and twisted. Booker T is no longer shrugging Goldust off; he is looking to hurt him.
Two men who seemed to be the best of friends, torn apart by a woman. As the World's Greatest Tag Team, Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas won the World Tag Team Titles on two occasions. They have since split due to some meddling by Shaniqua. After the WGTT had won the titles for the second time from the Basham Brothers, we thought that the Bashams had ditched Shaniqua, trying to attack her on numerous occasions, only for Shaniqua to be saved by the unlikely Shelton Benjamin. A romance seemed to be budding between Benjamin and Shaniqua, much to the chagrin of Haas, who said Shaniqua couldn't be trusted. Benjamin insisted that she could, but it was Haas who would turn out to be correct when Shaniqua cost the World's Greatest Tag Team the titles to the Bashams in what was a huge setup. Benjamin tried to apologize, but Haas would have none of it, leading us to tonight. Who will come out on top in the battle of the World's Greatest Tag Team?
This one has the potential to get very very brutal. A month ago at Chaos Reigns, AJ Styles successfully retained the Television Title against Steve Bradley in what many considered to be an upset. Bradley couldn't believe that he lost, and he put Styles through a table after the match to show his anger. The next night, Styles had to defend the Television Title against Sean O'Haire. Despite having injured ribs, Styles somehow pulled out the victory. He received quite a beating after this contest as well from O'Haire and Bradley, but Monty Brown came in to make the save. The following week, Styles defended the Television Title against Brown, but the match ended in a no contest when O'Haire and Bradley got involved. Bradley once again showed his like of the table as he and O'Haire put Brown and Styles through one after this match, leaving them both laid out. A tag team match was signed for the next week between these two factions, which was won by Bradley and O'Haire when miscommunication led to their demise. The heel faction tried to once again put Brown and Styles through tables, but the tide was turned on them and Bradley and O'Haire got the wood instead. Steve Bradley and Sean O'Haire got the last major shot in though last week when a chairshot from the Fallen Angel's protege allowed Bradley to take the Television Title from AJ Styles. It all comes to a head tonight. Will AJ Styles and Monty Brown be able to coexist to win this match, or will Steve Bradley and Sean O'Haire make them eat wood?
Rey Mysterio Jr. is pretty widely considered the top cruiserweight in the world, willing to face all competitors. Paul London is young and hungry to make his mark in the wrestling world, and has been wrestling accordingly, putting together an impressive string of wins. London was handpicked by Mysterio to wrestle Low-Ki for the number-one contenders spot, and although there was a little controversy unrelated to him, Paul London defeated the former Cruiserweight champion to earn this title shot. London's partner Billy Kidman seems to be a little distrusting of Rey Mysterio Jr.'s friendship with London, giving some menacing words toward Mysterio on last week's Explosion. Regardless, Paul London has the chance of a lifetime. Will London be able to take that next step and become Cruiserweight champion, or will Mysterio once again prove why he's the best cruiserweight in the business?
A big match in the tag team division as Rob Conway and Nick Dinsmore and the Italian Stallions locked horns. A win here would be huge for both teams as they are looking to jockey for position in the division, trying to line up a title shot. The Stallions have been impressive since coming to GCW, and the long time team of Conway and Dinsmore may be the most fundamentally sound tag team in Global championship Wrestling. However, sometimes being fundamentally sound just isn't enough as Conway and Dinsmore didn't have that killer instinct in this one and it cost them as Mark Jindrak caught Conway with the Mark of Excellence and took a win home for the Italian Stallions.
The Italian Stallions (Chuck Palumbo and Mark Jindrak) defeated Rob Conway and Nick Dinsmore when Jindrak pinned Conway with the Mark Of Excellence in 0:12:04.
Rating: ** 3/4
We were all shocked to see the Hardy Boyz appear on GCW television on the July 19th edition of Monday Night Explosion. Matt Hardy had been out for 3 months with a tear in his left triceps, so the last two people the Bashams were expecting when they offered anybody a World Tag Team Title shot was Matt and his brother Jeff. The Hardy Boyz won that night, but they did not win the titles as Shaniqua had her men leave for the back for a countout. The Hardy Boyz petitioned to get a rematch, and it was granted, but Shaniqua has promised Matt and Jeff a huge surprise tonight. What could that surprise be, and will it be enough to keep the Hardyz from walking out of Phoenix as the World Tag Team champions?
Who is the Black Tiger? This is one of the most asked questions we hear around GCW. A man dressed as Black Tiger, the original gimmick of Eddie Guerrero, has been terrorizing Latino Heat and to a lesser extent, Shawn Michaels, for the past several weeks. We've seen Black Tiger wrestle one match, but we were unable to decipher who it is. Everyone has their theories, but nothing definitive has come from those theories. Michaels and Guerrero will be looking to defeat Black Tiger and Chris Jericho soundly in hopes of getting that mask off of the former. But Jericho has lived in GCW to make the lives of Eddie Guerrero and Shawn Michaels hell, so you know Jericho will stop at nothing to ensure that Black Tiger's mask stays on.
Since Dawn Marie has surfaced in GCW, she has inadvertently caused Lance Storm a lot of problems. When Marie came here looking for a combatant to lead in Global Championship Wrestling, North American champion Randy Orton took it upon himself to offer his services. When Dawn declined, Orton took much offense, physically assaulting and verbally threatening the diva. Luckily for her, Lance Storm came to her aid. Despite Lance Storm's interjections, Orton has still made it a point to harass Marie at every turn. These two met a month ago at Chaos Reigns, with Orton successfully retaining the North American Title when an errant Marie slap hit Storm instead of Orton, allowing the champ to hit the R.K.O. Storm has received one more opportunity to take the title away from the third-generation superstar, but Storm will be wrestling on a sore ankle thanks to Kurt Angle. Will Storm be able to both protect Dawn Marie and focus enough to win the North American Title, or will the crafty 24-year old find a way to retain his gold?
Brock Lesnar is an absolute animal. I don't know what else can be said about him after witnessing the carnage that was this match. The Hurricane and Shannon Moore are two fantastically talented wrestlers, no question about that, but Lesnar decimated the both of them in this contest. Lesnar is angry, Lesnar is focused, and Lesnar wants a shot at the World Heavyweight Title, and he has shown that he will spare no man in his quest to get that opportunity. I guess the only thing that can really be said about this match is at least the dismantling didn't last long. In the end, the Minnesota Monster caught Moore with a huge overhead belly-to-belly suplex to mercifully put this one away.
Handicap-Match:
Brock Lesnar defeated Shannon Moore and The Hurricane when Lesnar pinned S. Moore after an overhead belly-to-belly suplex in 0:04:00.
Shannon Moore suffered a back injury. He will be out for approximately 3 months.
Rating: ** 3/4
After the match, Shannon Moore stayed down on the mat clutching his back. The beating that he suffered tonight was so severe that he suffered a back injury that will keep Moore on the shelf for 3 months. That, combined with the already damaged larynx he suffered two weeks ago, has made August not a good month for Shannon Moore. Injury aside, how long will GCW President Ryan Niemiller be able to wait before Brock Lesnar gets a title shot? If Lesnar is doing this to people now, imagine what else he is capable of.
Our main event for the pay-per-view is a rematch of the classic that took place at Super Cade, but the roles have been switched now with Kurt Angle being the defending champion and Chris Benoit acting as the challenger. The Olympic gold medalist won the World Heavyweight Title at Chaos Reigns in controversial fashion, using the ropes for leverage, and that hasn't sat well with Benoit. At Super Cade, the Rabid Wolverine made Angle tap out to the Crippler Crossface. Kurt Angle, however, has never been able to make Benoit tap. Benoit has vowed that there is no way Angle can make him submit. Angle, on the other hand, tapped out once again to Benoit on July 19th in an interview segment, and also tapped out to Lance Storm's Maple Leaf, albeit Angle wasn't the legal man in the ring at the time. Angle has been going around the locker rooms saying those instances don't count as they were never in a win or lose situation in a match, but it's obvious that these instances are weighing on the champion's mind. So much so, in fact, that Angle orchestrated an assault on Benoit during the Crippler's match with Randy Orton this past Monday. As a result of Angle's brutal clothesline on the floor, Benoit suffered a minor concussion. Benoit has been cleared to wrestle, but he was unable to train for much of the week. Angle has to be confident going into this match, but Benoit always seems to find a way to get himself ready. One thing is for certain though, you can expect some of the best technical wrestling in the world tonight in Phoenix.
The time for talk is over! The time for action is now! Summer Sizzler is coming your way... NEXT!