SHOWCASE: SEASON ONE, EPISODE FOUR

Friday, 20 November 2009
ACW (All-Star) Arena
Montreal, Quebec
Canada

Introduction
It was another very cold night in Montreal, as 655 eager and enthusisastic fans welcomed the All-Star Academy for their fourth episode of SHOWCASE! Joe Bishop was out in the ring, stating that he wanted to announce two big matches for the night in addition to everything else that had been planned and that was sure to go down. First up was that Iceman -- the ACW Scorpion Fighting Champion -- was issued a challenge by Sheamus O'Brien of THE SOBs. The fans jeered at the mere mention of Iceman's name, proving that the man who toppled Alias back in early October was a proven heat generator. Bishop was glad to announce that Iceman accepted the challenge (to be once contested under 'Iceman Academy Rules), as he rather liked charity work and also relished the opportunity for an easy kill.

The second match that Bishop announced was the main event of the evening; Jack Harris would take on John Sarsgaard after Harris basically challenged for anyone in the Academy to try and beat him at the conclusion of the last episode. The fans went crazy at the thought of seeing Sarsgaard take on The Unit tonight, and it was obvious John Sarsgaard had built up quite the rabid cult following in such a short time. Bishop invited everybody to get the cameras out and ready for the first match of the evening, and thanked the fans for attending despite the frigid weather conditions.

***

Avis Flyfield vs. Malk Al-Haq
The first match of the evening kicked off with the moody Malk Al-Haq taking on fan favourite Avis Flyfield. The Wing Commander slapped hands with some of the youngsters in the front rows, before taking to the ring and blitzing right at Malk Al-Haq with a barrage of punches. Malk, being of bigger size and still sore at being eliminated by Avis in the 10-Men Battle Royale on the second episode of SHOWCASE, fought back with particularly vicious blows. Malk even took to rubbing his forearm in Flyfield's face after a slobberknocker of a spinebuster. Feeling confident, the Arabian from Babylon signalled for his Widow's Peak finisher... but The Wing Commander managed to full off a snap hurricarana that sent Malk tumbling out of the ring! That of course gave Avis impetus to go for a suicide dive, what with the crowd egging him on and all, but it was an ill-advised course of action; Malk Al-Haq just managed to scramble out of harm's way, and Avis went crashing into the ringside barricade! Malk could be forgiven for thinking that he was moments away from victory, and as such took his own sweet time getting Avis back into the ring. The Arabian sneered at the fans that were jeering him, and once again got Flyfield in position for his Widow's Peak finisher. But surprise! Avis once again squirmed his way out of Malk's grasp and pulled off a Tornado DDT for a verrrrry close near-fall. Malk kicking out didn't faze The Wing Commander one bit, as he simply followed up with his double-knee backbreaker finisher -- a.k.a. The Afterburn! 1-2-3, and Avis Flyfield walked out of the ring the winner to much adulation from the crowd.

Winner: Avis Flyfield

***

Orlando Grant responded to Jack Harris' threats
Orlando Grant, the OG of ACW, came out to a very appreciative response from the Montreal fans, most of whom clearly noticed the bandage wrapped around Orlando's head. Orlando thanked the fans for their unwavering support and expressed his delight at having one of the best matches of his young career against John Sarsgaard on the previous episode of SHOWCASE. Unfortunately, Orlando felt regret at the fact that Jack Harris had to crash the scene after the match and condemned The Unit for his despicable actions. Orlando shot a warning to Jack, stating that he'd be cheering Sarsgaard on tonight as the Hands of Steel primed himself for a showdown with Jack... and that on the next episode, Orlando would have his opportunity to take Harris down a couple of notches. The crowd roared their approval at Orlando's bravado, and the OG of ACW rounded up his air-time by telling everybody in attendance to give Jack Harris a rough reception later on.

***

Haley Mulligan vs. Nika Joosta
The second match of the episode featured a rematch from the previous episode. Haley Mulligan came out first, reddening just a little at the support showered upon her by the fans. Having secured an upset victory on the previous episode of SHOWCASE, Haley was sure to relish the chance to build on that momentum and the extra spring in her step as she entered the ring highlighted her growing confidence.

Nika Joosta soon entered the fray to a certain amount of heat, and she had a microphone in her possession. As she hoisted herself up to the ring apron, Nika addressed the crowd... saying that she didn't care whether she was liked or not. She was there to wrestle and to win. Nika explained that Haley was extremely lucky in their previous outing and even derided the fact that Haley had to resort to cheating to win the match. Nika Joosta further warned her opponent that she should prepare herself for the harsh reality of being beaten in a few short minutes. With the crowd getting restless and Haley Mulligan looking on defiantly, Nika decided to cut the talk and do something drastic.

She threw the microphone that she had in her hand right at Haley Mulligan!

Haley, naturally, only saw it coming a second too late and she got hit right in the middle of her face! Nika took further advantage by jumping into the ring and raining down a flurry of punches down on the young English lassie. The bell rang for the start of the match, of course, but it could have easily rang for the end of it afte Nika laid Haley out with a STO. Somehow or rather, Haley just managed to kick out at the very last second. This greatly frustrated Nika, which allowed the rookie Haley to get a few shots in. That was until the experienced Dutchwoman halted Haley's growing head of steam with a drop toe hold that saw the young English lassie smack her face against the corner turnbuckle. Nika Joosta laughed at the sight of blood flowing freely from Haley's nose, before following up with a tremendous double-arm DDT. 1-2-3, and Nika Joosta had gained a measure of revenge with an emphatic victory.

Winner: Nika Joosta

***

Mister Brewster vs. JP Boudreau
Mister Brewster, a newcomer to the Academy but a bona fide veteran, took on the hometown boy JP Boudreau in the third match of the evening. JP had been rather luckless thus far despite a series of encouraging performances, but his early offense suggested that Boudreau was not exhibiting the usual signs of someone down on his luck. It took the experienced Brewster a minute and a half to catch on to JP's game, and countered a shinbreaker attempt by the hometown boy with a violent elbow smash. Brewster then imposed his authority on the match, and almost had it all sewn up after a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker -- but it only got a two-count. Both men, now familiar with each other's strengths and weaknesses, played a game of counter and reversal for a fair bit before JP Boudreau caught Brewster in a small package out of nowhere. 1-2-3, and JP Boudreau picked up the surprise victory! After the match, both mens shook hand as a sign of respect earned which the fans of course ate up with a giant spoon. JP Boudreau returned to the back with a giant smile of relief on his face at having snapped a winless streak, while Mister Brewster decided to stay at ringside.

Winner: JP Boudreau

***

Ulf German insulting the women of Germany
It didn't take long to find out why exactly Mister Brewster stayed at ringside after the conclusion of his match, as Ulf German marched out to the ring looking rather annoyed and without his usual gusto. Having lost to Mister Brewster and Vick Victory in a Handicapped Match on the previous episode, Ulf German had to face the consequences of his loud mouth. As stipulated, Ulf now had to address how German women were inferior to the women of North America. The crowd really let Ulf have it as the big man stood in the middle of the ring, with a piece of paper in his hands. Before he could begin his speech, Vick Victory joined Mister Brewster at ringside... and Vick actually brought a tub of popcorn with him.

For some reason, however, Ulf German requested for Vick and Brewster to join him in the ring. More than willing to oblige, the tandem did exactly that -- only to be blindsided as Malk Al-Haq (Ulf's on-and-off tag team partner) suddenly appeared from within the crowd and stormed the ring with a steel chair. Suffice to say, Malk and Ulf went to town on Vick and Brewster until a swarm of referees finally broke up the assault. Malk and Ulf retreated from the scene feeling extremely proud of the carnage they'd inflicted on Vick and Brewster, motionless in the middle of the ring.

***

A trip down memory lane: Khristian Keller versus Alias, Five Stages of Grief for the ACW Scorpion Fighting Title, THE WAKE 2009
After watching two burgeoning favourites of theirs get beaten down, it was no wonder the fans were happy to watch the second special recap retrospective at another potential match of the year; this time, Khristian Keller challenging Alias for the ACW Scorpion Fighting Title at THE WAKE 2009 SuperShow. Considering that the Five Stages of Grief actually consisted of five differently-themed matches under one banner, there were plenty of highlights for the fans to chew on, and they cheered their hearts out at the ending where Alias once again triumphed to retain the Scorpion Fighting Title against one of the most reviled figures in ACW history.

***

Sheamus O'Brien vs. Iceman (c) for the ACW Scorpion Fighting Title
Sheamus came down to the ring with Selby at his side, but his brother jumped into over the barrier to watch the match from ringside. That particular section of fans got very excited at one-half of The SOBs joining them, and promised to be vocal for the rest of the night. Iceman came out and looked legitimately concerned at first with the hostile crowd reaction he got. He changed things around quickly by putting on an arrogant stride, but it mostly made the fans more ruthless. Iceman requested for a microphone when he got to the ring, but before he could spout anything off Sheamus rushed him from behind to get the match kicked off to a big round of cheers. Sheamus spent little time in the ring and dragged Iceman out to the floor. From there a brawl along the outside of the ring took place with Sheamus routinely posing for the crowd to get a better view of him blasting Iceman with right hands. Iceman managed to counter some blows and sent Sheamus into the crowd. He debated taking things into the audience but brought out some plunder from under the ring instead. A chair got tossed around before Iceman found a lead pipe that put a smile on his face. Before he could use any of it Sheamus flew from the security barrier into Iceman with a Flying Crossbody. He lifted Iceman up over his shoulder and brought him to Selby who had the audience begging for him to land an Uppercut on the Scorpion Fighting Champion. Instead, Iceman slid down the back of O'Brien and landed a Standing Missile Dropkick. Iceman scrambled to his collection of weapons and used the lead pipe for batting practice on the lower back of Sheamus. He tossed the challenger into the ring and brought along the chair. Feeling confident, Iceman set it up in the center and nailed his Legsweep variation -- The Edge. The crowd was begging for Selby to get involved but he stood by not wanting to hurt his brother's pride. Iceman finished up with The Icecap and picked up the submission victory. Once the bell ring Selby moved like a madman to the ring and was able to get a few kicks in before Iceman bailed to the outside and ran up the ramp with his title belt. The SOBs got a hearty round of cheers from the crowd as Sheamus walked slowly to the back with his head held high... knowing he'd made a good effort at making life very difficult for the ACW Scorpion Fighting Champion.

Winners: Iceman to retain the Scorpion Fighting Title

***

John Sarsgaard vs. Jack Harris
It was finally time for the main event, and John Sarsgaard was out first to a standing ovation. The Hands of Steel, who had amassed a cult following of devout fans in a very short amount of times, was limping a little but otherwise looked determined to take on Jack Harris. The Unit, the Chancellor of Excellence, and a man that everybody in attendance wanted to see get served big-time for not only his general attitude but his horrendous actions on the previous episode.

There was then no surprise that every single fan stood on their feet and jeered heartily when the Fightin' Pikey finally hit the scene. Harris, in the best shape of his life, strode to the ring with no wasted step and immediately charged at Sarsgaard the moment he rolled into the ring. The two men traded stiff blows in the middle of the ring as the fans went nuts. It seemed as if a couple of thousand people had been packed into the arena with the noise they were making. Sarsgaard gained control of the slugfest after ducking one of Jack's wild swings, and got the fans even further riled up after a rollicking clothesline that saw Harris being bundled out of the ring. Harris was quick to his feet, though, and pulled Sarsgaard out violently. The Hands of Steel was however very alert and delivered yet another stinging clothesline to the Chancellor of Excellence! The brawl continued all over ringside until Jack Harris gouged Sarsgaard in the eyes and sent the Hands of Steel flying into the steel steps.

And of course, it was just Sarsgaard's bad luck that his knees took the brunt of that exchange. From there, Harris had full control of the match... and after getting Sarsgaard back into the ring, the Chancellor of Excellence had the gall to trap John in a modified Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring! If the intention of John Harris was to push the fans to near revolt, then it was working like a charm. The Hands of Steel found that his legs, already weakened after the attack by Harris on the previous episode and further damaged a few moments prior, were not made of steel. Nonetheless, John prevailed and made it to the ropes. Jack Harris was forced to either break the count or accept the disqualification loss. The Unit found a third option -- drag Sarsgaard back to the middle of the ring.

One tiny problem occured along the way; Sarsgaard waited until Jack cinched down on the modified sharpshooter once more before using everything he had left in his legs to force a REVERSAL! The crowd's cheers didn't last long, as Jack Harris quickly scrambled for the ropes. Both men were back to their feet within seconds, but Sarsgaard found himself back on the mat courtesy of a cheeky leg sweep from The Unit. That was merely the precursor to the ending sequence, in which Sarsgaard played possum for a bit before catching Jack Harris in a small package! Harris kicked out at the very last second, and upon recovery, charged full steam ahead at John with a clothesline in mind. John's legs gave out under him, though, and the poor referee got the brunt of Harris' attack. From there, the match degenerated into a fist-fight that spilled to the ringside... and it didn't take long for a slew of other referees to come out and try to seperate the brawl which looked as if it might endanger the fans' well-being. Jack Harris didn't take too kindly to being touched by the referees, and elbowed one square in the fact before delivering a big boot to the unawares John Sarsgaard. By this time, the bell was ringing non-stop.

Winners: No Contest

***

Aftermath
The mayhem for the night was not yet complete, believe it or not. Clearly with evil intentions in mind, Jack Harris downed each and every single one of the other referees until John Sarsgaard was the only other person that was still not completely unconscious.That was all the invitation Jack Harris needed to do what he did next.

Chokeslam/Spinebuster combo.

On. the. steel. steps.

And with the sight of Jack Harris towering tall over their downed hero... the fans had nothing else to do but rain down copious amounts of hate onto the man called the Chancellor of Excellence, as the episode came to a gruesome end.

***

Conclusion
For the second episode in a row, the fans expressed joy at how everything had come together nicely despite the lack of a feel-good ending. Joe Bishop revealed that Jack Harris had really come into his own as the de facto big bad of the Academy, and was hoping that the crowd's collective wish to see The Unit get his due comeuppance would help spread word that the Academy was putting out a nifty little product of its own. SilverHAWK was on hand once again and praised the character development of Orlando Grant, while stating there was still room for improvement with regards to his mic work. SilverHAWK also gave props to Avis Flyfield for putting on a fantastic performance in the opener, and expressed his desire to have Flyfield back on future episodes of SHOWCASE. Bishop rounded up everything by dropping hints of a big announcement on the next episode of SHOWCASE that'd set the stage for the planned episodes in December.

Reported by:
Sally Broxton,
ACW Correspondent
22 November 2009