Hard Knocks #3

Triangle Match:
Elix Skipper defeated Chris Jericho and Jyushin Lyger when Skipper pinned
Jericho with the Play Of The Day in 0:13:05.
Rating: ***

Damian 666 and Kid Kash defeated Chris Chetti and Ron Killings when Kash pinned
Killings with the Money In The Bank in 0:11:56.
Rating: ** 3/4

No-Countout-No-DQ-Cage Match:
Johnny Swinger defeated Frankie Kazarian when Frankie Kazarian passed out in
a Fujiwara armbar in 17:02.
Rating: *****
(Chris the Bambikiller no-showed.)

Shane Douglas pinned Kurt Angle with the Pittsburgh Plunge in 0:12:24.
Rating: ** 3/4

Singapore Cane No-Time-Limit-No-Countout-No-DQ-Match:
Brian Pillman pinned The Sandman with the DDT in 0:15:57.
Rating: ** 1/2

The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) defeated
America's Most Wanted (James Storm and Chris Harris) when Hall defeated
James Storm by countout in 0:10:10.
Rating: 1/2*
[Johnny Swinger interfered against James Storm.]

The Rock defeated Danny Doring by disqualification in 0:04:01.
Rating: 3/4*
[Scott Hall interfered against The Rock.]

No-Time-Limit-No-Countout-No-DQ-Ladder Match for the vacant Vintage World Championship:
Rob Van Dam defeated Red in 0:10:36.
Rating: *** 1/2
(Rob Van Dam won the Vintage World Championship.)
[Chris Jericho interfered against Red.]


Card rating: ** 1/4


Match observations: 

The weeks show started out with an apology from the VCW about how the show 
ended the previous week. The ring announcer assured everyone that tonight a
VCW world champion would be crowned and that at next weeks Hard knocks, the
contenders for the VCW American Championship would be announced. He then
set the mic down and the show started up with Elix Skipper hitting the 
ring. Chris Jericho then came down to the ring getting a somewhat mixed
reaction from the crowd and he didn't seem to really care what the crowd thought
as he got in the ring. Lyger followed and the men had their match. It was just
as good as the previous weeks. Though Jericho a times seemed really distracted.
Lyger and Skipper went back and forth while Jericho avoided the match for the
most part, that was until Lyger nailed him with a plancha and got his attention.
The two of them brawled around on the outside before taking it back to the
ring where Primetime was waiting for them both, He went on the attack first
going for Lyger, before turning his attentions to Jericho. Jericho made a 
crucial mistake and then got nailed with The Play of The Day to end the match.
Jericho threw a fit afterwards, Lyger shook hands with Skipper who seemed a
little stunned at the show of respect from the Japaneese Legend. The crowd was
actually chearing for Primetime and he left the ring. 

The second match was a tag match between Chris Chetti and Rong Killings against
Kid Kash and Damian 666. Kash, who talked trash earlier in the day about the
match with VCW's roving reporter Randy O'Connell put his money where his mouth
is and got the win for his team. He had also ridiculed his partner earlier saying
he was a freak, but they managed to work pretty well as a team and  get a big
win over a couple of good competitors. Killings is on a skid though, 2 tag losses
 in 2 matches is not sitting well.

After the match, cameras were taken to the back where Chris The Bambikiller was
sitting on his dressing room table and medics were attending to him. Randy O'connell
caught up with him in the dressing room...

Randy: Chris, what happened?

Chris: Injury you fool, vwhat does it look like? 

Randy: But what happened?

Chris: Fell down stairs, very bad, can't wrestle tonight, but have someone to
take my place. Don't worry Kazarian, you still get yours.

Randy: But how....

Chris: [Cutting him off] Look, leave. I will tell you no more. Get out of here
you scrawney fool.

The question was, who was taking Chris' place in the match, Kazarian was not happy
at all about the situatino when he was asked about it and said he'd take on whoever
but Chris The Bambikiller better be careful. 

Kazarian hit the ring first, awaiting who his opponent in the cage match was
going to be. Thats when Simon Diamond's music hit and out came he and Jonny
Swinger. The crowd booed and Kazarian got an amused look on his face. Swinger
stepped in the ring and the cage was closed. The bell rang and Swinger stood
there looking on cocky as hell. The tied up and the match was off and was off
the charts. Definatley a match of the year contender already and only 3 shows
in these two put on a display, but then of course it had to get mucked up when
Simon Diamond got himself inovlved, climbing into the cage and helping to double
team Kazarian, until AMW came down to the ring side area, they managed to get
Simon out of the ring, but during that time, Swinger got the advantage and nailed
Kazarian with the Swinger Stinger and Kazarian was out cold. He wasn't moving
a bit. Swinger covered him, but somehow, miraculously at the last second 
Kazarian mustered his strength and got his shoulder up, but as Swinger moved
off him, and applied a Fujiwara armbar, Kazarain passed back out. The ref seeing
Kazarian out cold called for the bell. Simon tried to re-enter the ring to 
celebrate with Swinger, but Americas Most Wanted stopped him then got in the
ring to prevent Swinger from doing any more damage to Kazrian. They called
for the medics who came down and aided an unconcious Frankie Kazarian to the
back.

Shane Douglas took on Kurt Angle getting a big singles victory over him.


Then came Brian Pillman down to the ring, with a crazed look in his eye ready
to take out The Sandman at his own game, a singapore cane match. This one was
hardly a match but more of a bloody train wreck as the two men tortured and
tore eachother apart. At one point Sandman took 4 cane shots to the head
busting him wide open and bleeding in the center of the ring, but answered
the ten count as it was under death match rules. Pillman wouldn't get off 
easy though, after Sandman hung him in the corner with the cane, then cracked
him over the back of his head, and on the side of his face cutting Pillmans
face deeply and causing him to spill his own blood in the process. The two
men battled back and forth neither one wanting to go down till finally Pillman
managed to drill Sandman with a DDT in the middle of the ring and Sandman
was out cold and unable to answer anything. Pillman bloodied, and tired got up
and then grabbed the cane, and started to go on a rampage on Sandman. Sandman
was in big trouble, till Shane Douglas came to his rescute and scared Pillman
off. Pillman walked off with a sadistic smile and then made a motion around
his waist signifying  he is going to be the one fighting for the I.C. title.


The Outsiders then took on Americas Most wanted in a pretty good tag match
but in the end it was once again Swinger and Diamond costing AMW the match when
Swinger repeated his performance of earlier on James Storm knocking him out
cold with the Swinger Stinger. These two are causing a lot of damage in VCW
and if somebody doesn't stop them, somebody may get their career ended. The
Outsiders got the win by countout after Storm couldn't get back in the ring.
After the match, Swinger and Diamond attacked Chris Harris, holding him down
and then mocking him. Simon got on the mic...

Simon: Chirs... Simon has a problem. And I'm looking at it. You guys, need to
learn to keep your noses out of our buisness. You don't like how we won the
tag titles? (crowd boos) Well I say, go to hell. You two need to get over it
and realize nobody is going to stop us. Ask Kazarian, and your little girl
friend out there, the big bad Cowboy. 

[Simon slaps Harris who fights to get free but is weak from his match still
and the fact that Swinger is leaning on him.] 

Simon: What we are... are problem solvers. And we have taken care of two
problems tonight, and as far as I can see we only got one left. 

[Hammers Harris in the face with the mic splitting his forehead.]

Simon: No Kazarian to save you now, he's on his way to the hospital. So you
can forget about that. 

[Hits Harris again, then smacking him one last time and letting him fall on his
face to the mat. Swinger takes the mic]

Swinger: [crowd boos] Shut up, every one of you fools knows, that you could never
be as sexy as we are. Thats what your problem is. You are jealous. Get used to
it. But deep down, you people love us. We bring you pleasure because we are
what you always wanted to be, and are doing, what you've always wanted to do.
[More boos] Simon, this problem is solved, lets go meet Chris at the bar, he
said he had some ladies waiting for us.

Simon: [taking the mic back] And Simon, doesn't have a problem with that.

[crowd boos as the walk of leaving AMW a mess at ringside]

The Rock then had his match with Danny Doring. It was a fair match though rather
slow but The Rock would end up with the win when Scott Hall would try to get
involved, The Rock nailed him with a spine buster and Hall left the ring, The
Rock called for the mic and told Scott Hall that he's had enough of his candy
ass and that at the ppv, he wanted Scott Hall, one on one, and that he can bring
his big daddy bitch partner, but it wouldn't make a bit of difference if you
smell what the Rock, is cooking. 

Finally it was time for the main event, and for the second week in a row the 
world title was up for grabs in a ladder match. This time a guarenteed winner
and a guarenteed finish. The Match was another classic, just as the one last
week appeared to be. Back and forths with Van Dam hittin ghte 5 star off the 
top of the ladder, only to knock himself out of the ring. Red almost retrieved
the belt but RVD managed to sacrafice himself by throwing himself into the ladder
and stopping Red from retrieving the belt. The two men laid on the mat for some
time before coming back to try again, thats when Chris Jericho showed up to
try and get a hold of Red, but from out of nowhere came Elix Skipper to make
the stop and not mess up the match. The crowd cheered as Primetime fought Jericho
through the crowd and away from the ring leaving the two world title contedners
to fight it out for a fair finish. Red got to his feet first, and set the ladder
up and began to climg it slowly, but RVD got to his feet, and managed to get 
a hold of Reds foot, the two struggeld, but RVD pulled him down off the ladder.
RVD climbed, rung by run, slowly, inching his way to the top, reaching the top
of the ladder and finally snatching the World title and falling to the mat. His
music hit and the crowd went nuts. Red lay hurt on the mat, RVD did as well.
The two men caught there breath before slowly rising to their feet to a big 
ovation, Red came over, and shook RVD's hand, who shook it back, then went to
the corner to celebrate his first ever world championship. The Camera faded off
with the crowd chanting RVD.