Florida Championship Wrestling
May 27, 2012
Report by: Jason Namako of Wrestleview.com
Hello everyone and welcome back to the detailed Florida Championship Wrestling recap.
Apologies for the last 2 weeks with the quick results, but didn’t feel like it was needed to do a detailed recap when the show was released almost a week after the original airdate.
But luckily, the show was back up on its normal schedule this week.
So with that, if you all are ready, then let’s get on with the show!
Your announcers this week are Chris Russo & WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross.
6-Man Tag
C.J. Parker, Jason Jordan & “The Blond Stallion” Mike Dalton vs. Alexander Rusev, Garrett Dylan & Jiro
Jiro and Parker start things off for their respective teams. Jiro takes Parker down, but Parker kicks him away. Parker then with an armdrag into an armbar. Tag into Dalton, as he & Parker double Irish whip Jiro and hit a double monkey flip. Dalton then with a roll-up for a nearfall. Tag into Jordan and he hits a double sledge from the turnbuckles on the arm of Jiro. Jiro then retreats into the ropes and tags in Rusev. Jordan with a waistlock into a wristlock. Rusev then comes back with a side headlock, but Jordan escapes and goes back to the wristlock. Rusev sends Jordan into the corner and tags in Dylan but then Jordan hits a back body drop on Dylan.
Dylan then comes back with a hot shot on Jordan. Dylan with a right hand to Jordan and then tags in Rusev. Rusev with a series of kicks and tags back in Dylan. Dylan with his own series of kicks, followed by choking Jordan. Tag into Jiro who hits a kick, followed by locking in a front chancery. However, Jordan pushes him away and then tags in Dalton. Dalton with a series of forearms, followed by a spinning heel kick. Dalton then with a neckbreaker to Jiro, followed by knocking Dylan off the apron. Jiro then sends Dalton to the apron and this allows Rusev to press slam Dalton across the ring from the turnbuckles. Tag into Dylan, who hits a headbutt. Tag into Rusev, who hits a knee in the corner, followed by a right hand and finally locks in a bearhug. Dalton tries to fight back with elbows and kicks, but Rusev comes back with a series of hiptosses for a nearfall. Tag into Jiro as he & Rusev do the double wishbone on Dalton. Jiro hits a chop, followed by a snapmare for a nearfall. Tag into Dylan, who nails Dalton with a kick, followed by an elbow drop for another nearfall. Dylan then with a slam, followed by a seated double sledge for another nearfall. Dylan then misses an elbow drop, followed by running into Dalton’s boot on a charge in. Dalton tries to make the tag, but Dylan stops him by grabbing his leg. Dalton then nails Dylan with an enzuigiri and tags in Parker.
Parker with a clothesline, followed by a leaping kick. Parker with shots to Rusev & Jiro, followed by heading up top and hitting a diving headbutt. Parker goes for the cover, but Rusev & Jiro pull him off. This brings in Dalton & Parker, who both send Rusev & Jiro to the outside. Dylan grabs Parker by the hair and drives him down to the mat.
Parker then surprises Dylan with a victory roll to get the win.
Winners: C. J. Parker, Jason Jordan & “The Blond Stallion” Mike Dalton by pinfall (Victory Roll)
Commercial
Leo Kruger vs. Aiden English
Lock-up & Kruger with forearms, followed by sending English into the turnbuckles. Both men exchange right hands until Kruger gains advantage. Kruger hits a snap suplex, followed by a right hand. Kruger sends English into the turnbuckles, followed by an Irish whip. Kruger runs into a boot from English, but then comes right back with a clothesline. Kruger with a club to the chest, followed by a backbreaker. Kruger hits a slam, but misses a knee drop as English moved out of the way. Kruger then comes right back with a knee, followed by a European uppercut. Kruger heads up to the middle rope, but English stops him with a gut shot. English hits a clothesline, followed by a series of dropkicks. English charges, but Kruger catches him with a spinebuster.
Kruger then locks in the sleeper with body scissors and English has no choice but to submit.
Winner: Leo Kruger by submission (Sleeper w/Scissors)
We go to the interview area where Kassius Ohno talks about his friend Antonio Cesaro. Ohno says Cesaro got in FCW before him and he could be bitter about that. But, he is happy that Cesaro is on Smackdown. However, Cesaro walks around here with his purse like he is God’s gift to professional wrestling and that he is better than him. When Cesaro attacks him from behind and runs away, it proves that Cesaro is a liar and a coward. Ohno says that he wants to knock Cesaro out. Ohno closes by saying he is going to send Cesaro back to Smackdown with two black eyes and a mouthful of broken teeth.
Commercial
FCW Divas Title
“The Ultra Diva” Raquel Diaz (c) vs. “The Anti-Diva” Paige w/Sofia Cortez
Both women shove one another, then Diaz hits a Lou Thesz Press. Diaz slams Paige’s head into the mat, followed by kicking her for a nearfall. Paige comes back with a short arm clothesline, then goes to the outside and trips up Diaz, sending her into the bottom rope. Paige stands on Raquel’s back, followed by a kick and finally Paige connects with a baseball slide in the corner. Paige hits a slam for a nearfall. Paige with a club to the back, followed by a fallaway slam. Paige then locks in the Nakano Stretch, but Diaz is able to get out. Irish whip by Paige and she hits a series of shoulders, followed by a chop after placing Diaz on the top turnbuckle. Diaz then fights back and connects with a Sunset flip powerbomb. Diaz walks across Paige’s chest, then does a little shimmy remiscent of her father before hitting a spinning leg drop for a nearfall. Diaz then hits the Three Amigas for another nearfall. Cortez then grabs a steel chair and places it in the ring while distracting the referee. Diaz then gets the chair and in total Eddie Guerrero fashion, throws it to Paige and drops down like she was the one hit with the steel chair. The referee turns around and sees Paige with the steel chair & Diaz down on the mat and then calls for the bell.
Winner and STILL FCW Divas Champion: Raquel Diaz by disqualification
Commercial
Back from commercial, Italian music is playing in the background as we see Colin Cassady & Briley Pierce talking in Italian accents about some of the FCW superstars before we go to another commercial.
Commercial
Main Event for the FCW Title
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Bo Rotundo
Before the bell rings, both men shake hands in a sign of respect. Lock-up and Rollins with a waistlock takedown. Rotundo then with an armbar into a waistlock. Rotundo then with a wrist lock, but Rollins rolls through and reverses into a hammerlock, followed by a side headlock takedown. Rotundo headscissors out, but Rollins escapes. Rotundo goes to a front chancery, but Rollins reverses that into a hammerlock. Rotundo then gets out and goes to a side headlock. Irish whip by Rollins, but Rotundo nails him with a shoulder tackle. Both then try for a hiptoss, but both block one another from doing so. Rotundo goes for an O’Connor Roll, but Rollins rolls through it and hits a back suplex for a nearfall. Rollins locks in a neck vise as we go to commercial.
Commercial
Back from commercial as Rollins has a headscissors on Rotundo. Rotundo then breaks out and gets a pair of nearfalls on Rollins. We see that during the commercial break, Rollins hit a series of kicks on Rotundo. Back to live action as Rotundo with a series of elbows, followed by a right hand and finally a running elbow to the head. Rotundo charges and connects with an avalanche, but Rollins pushes him away when Rotundo tried for a bulldog out of the corner. Rollins goes for a superkick, but Rotundo blocks it and this time hits the bulldog. Rotundo sets up for the spear, but Rollins avoids it with a leapfrog and Rotundo goes through the ropes to the outside. Rollins then gets a head of steam and nails Rotundo with a tope dive on the outside. Both men are down as the referee begins his 10 count. Both are then able to get back into the ring by the count of 9. Rollins goes for the running curb stomp, but Rotundo avoids it. Rotundo then goes for the spear, but Rollins avoids that. Rollins tries for a roll-up, but Rotundo rolls through it. Rollins then drills Rotundo with Avada Kedavra for a close nearfall.
Rollins hits a series of kicks, then goes for the running curb stomp again, but Rotundo blocks it.. Both men then charge at one another, but they clunk heads and both go down. Rollins heads up top, but Rotundo stops him. Rotundo heads up with Rollins and goes for a superplex, but Rollins blocks it. Rollins then with a series of headbutts to knock Rotundo off the apron. Rollins goes for the Phoenix Splash, but Rotundo moves, however Rollins rolls through it. Then, Rotundo hits the spear, but Rollins barely kicks out and Rotundo can’t believe it. Rollins rolls out to the outside, so Rotundo goes to the outside to bring Rollins back into the ring. Rollins then surprises Rotundo with an inside cradle for a nearfall. Rotundo charges, going for another spear, but Rollins moves out of the way and Rotundo goes headfirst into the middle turnbuckle. Rollins then finally hits the running curb stomp, but is so exhausted that he is not able to make the cover and both men are down. Both men get to their feet and exchange forearms until Rollins nails Rotundo with an enziguri.
Rollins lifts up Rotundo and hits a Buckle Bomb, followed by drilling Rotundo with God’s Last Gift for the victory.
Winner and STILL FCW Champion: Seth Rollins by pinfall (God’s Last Gift)
Rollins and Rotundo are down on the mat, exhausted from the match as we go to credits.
My Thoughts
Solid show this week.
Opener was just there to me, nothing really to it. Besides Dalton portraying a good FIP, this was very bland to me.
Kruger match was a mere showcase for him, nothing more to it than that.
Divas match was very good and the best thing on the show. Yes, I said it, the Divas were the best thing on the show this week. Diaz put on her working boots and had her best effort since she has started wrestling down in FCW. Paige again showed why her in-ring work is better than 85-90% of the entire Divas roster in the WWE right now, and she ONLY 19! That is scary and she has so much potential to be something, especially with the “Anti-Diva” shtick she is doing. Loved the finish as Diaz did her father’s classic “Lie, Cheat & Steal” with the steel chair. Loved the hell outta this and to me, it may be one of the best female matches this year.
The main event, however, was not very good. To me, Bo Rotundo’s style as the old school, white-meat babyface, does not work with other babyfaces. The match had a bunch of clunky spots and unfortunately, Rollins couldn’t do enough to carry the match and make it passable. I think in time, these guys can have a better match, but right now, this wasn’t very good.
My Grade: C+
This week on the Independent Roundtable:
If you would like to send in questions or e-mails, send those over to roundtable@wrestleview.com
Well, with that, I will see you all next week for more F-C-W!