All-Star Championship Wrestling

Introduction
Joe Bishop gave a booming welcome to the record crowd (2,000 fans) and ran out of words to describe how incredible it was that the Academy could draw such a crowd. Bishop however had a spot of bad news; what was supposed to be a 20-Person Academy Rumblus had now become a 18-Person Academy Rumblus. Two of the female competitors, Zyma Toshiro and Maggie Kwon, had fallen prey to food poisoning. Nonetheless, Bishop ensured everyone that the Rumblus was going to be rather epic. He reiterated what the Championship Pass was: a shot at all the singles titles in ACW, which the winner could use at ANY TIME during the 2010 calendar year... and also, each singular title shot was indeed transferrable, the terms of which would be at the discretion of whoever ended up claiming the Championship Pass. The fans? Thoroughly excited. Not wanting to waste any more time, Joe Bishop decided to get the show started!

18-Person Academy Rumblus
Finally, with everything out of the way, it was time for the much-anticipated Academy Rumblus to commence!
Peter Phoenix was the first entrant, and The Warrior From Down Under didn't look a single bit concerned. In fact, by the way he was stretching and warming-up en route to the ring, Peter looked like he'd done this sort of thing a million times. The fans gave Phoenix a very encouraging nod, eager for the second entrant to come out so that the Rumblus could kick off.
The second entrant turned out to be Jack Johnson, who stepped out from the back looking very nervous. Perhaps it was because Phoenix was beaming from ear to ear in the ring, inviting Johnson to come and join him. The fans chastised Johnson for taking so long to get himself down to the squared circle, and once he stepped in (thereby officially starting the Rumblus), everybody found out why Johnson was so fearful. Phoenix tackled Jack to the canvas immediately, and unloaded with a flurry of strikes to every part of Johnson's body!
As if that wasn't enough, Phoenix went so far as to kick Johnson in the head, before finally stepping back and allowing Jack some space to breathe. Jack Johnson, groaning loudly in agony, got back to his feet wondering what he'd gotten himself into, only for the Australian pit-fighting legend to stun him with the application of a triangle choke! Jack tapped out immediately, but it did him no good!
The timer buzzed to life, signalling that the third entrant was about to hit the scene. With tears streaming down the face of the rapidly-facing Jack Johnson, Peter let go of the poor kid he was tormenting and promptly lifted him up onto his shoulder. Peter decided to wait until the third entrant revealed him/her-self.
It turned out to be... Ulf German!
With a chuckle, Peter casually tossed Jack Johnson out of the ring and motioned for Ulf German to get into the ring. Roaring with malevolent intentions, Ulf did exactly just that -- only to receive a shuffle sidekick to the jaw! Ulf staggered backwards and hit the side of his head against the corner turnbuckle, which then saw him flop down to the canvas rather comically. Phoenix was soaking in the adulation of the crowd, before silently creeping up on the recovering Ulf German.

1ST ELIMINATED: Jack Johnson, by Peter Phoenix
German didn't even have to turn around to be tormented, as Peter swept his legs from behind and slapped on a dragon sleeper! The muffled screams of Ulf German gave the fans a great reason to celebrate, before the buzzing of the timer brought to their attention that the fourth entrant was about to hit the scene.
Phoenix, still holding on to Ulf who had gone limp by then, again very easily dumped the Efficient German over the ropes and out of the ring. Two eliminations accredited to him thus far, and many felt that another one was impending when Vick Victory was revealed to be the fourth entrant.

2ND ELIMINATED: Ulf German, by Peter Phoenix
The fans gave Victory a polite cheer, but stood up and took notice when Vick rolled into the ring and immediately managed to duck underneath a swinging roundhouse kick from the confident Australian! Peter hit nothing but air, and turned around to receive a taste of his own medicine in the form of a dropkick! Getting back up, Peter nodded at Victory and gave the young stalwart a thumbs up, before the two men engaged in battle in the middle of the ring.
As the two men continued to trade counters to the point of reaching a stalemate, the timer buzzed to life once more and brought out the fifth entrant; the big man known as The End. The End took his time getting to the ring, watching as Peter had Vick over the ropes and tried as hard as he could to toss him out of the ring. Once Victory had managed to secure his safety by elbowing Peter in the face, The End took his place in the ring.
And he took full advantage of his freshness, quickly laying waste to both Vick Victory and Peter Phoenix. The End even tried to eliminate Peter, lifting the Australian up onto his shoulder in a clear sign of his intention... but Peter squirmed out of The End's grasp and hit a stunning spinning backfist to the back of The End's head! That took the big man down, with Peter also on the canvas breathless after that exchange.
It was then rather fitting that with all three man plastered to the canvas, gasping for air, that the sixth entrant made his or her presence known. And that sixth entrant?
None other than the vile and destructive Jack Harris!
The man known as The Unit was already laughing as he came out, and as he entered the ring, connected with a big boot to the face of The End! The impact was enough to see The End tumble backwards and over the ropes, gifting Harris his first elimination of the night. Harris then turned his attention to Vick Victory, the young man that The Pikey Madman had destroyed on the very second episode of SHOWCASE back in October. Needless to say, Vick was in big trouble once more and got a hell of a pounding from Jack Harris, who then proceeded to casually toss Victory over the ropes.

3RD ELIMINATED: The End, Jack Harris
Trouble was, Vick just barely managed to hang on, with only his right foot grazing the ground. In the ring itself, Jack Harris and Peter Phoenix locked eyes. Considering that they just did battle on the previous episode not too long ago, it was understandable that the fans were excited at this pairing. Harris, being the fresher of the two, wasted no time in asserting his size advantage over Peter... but the Australian's spirited fight-back, coupled with Vick Victory sneaking back into the ring, meant there was hope yet.
The entrance of the seventh participant gave fans more of that hope, as it turned out to be Haley Mulligan! She rushed into the ring, had a quick pow-wow with Vick Victory, and the two quickly jumped Jack Harris from behind! Peter Phoenix soon recovered, and joined in the fun. Within seconds, Harris found himself being absolutely assaulted by all three people, who never once thought about attacking anybody else.
Phoenix decided more fun was in order and slapped on an armbar-like submission on Harris which left Victory and Mulligan to torture Jack's tree trunk legs, which brought agonising growls from The Unit! Victory, Mulligan and Phoenix were enjoying the gang-up on Harris so much that they didn't even notice the eight participant was on her way to the ring.
That's right, her. Her turned out to be Nika Joosta, who so happened to be Haley Mulligan's rival! Joosta raced down to the ring, climbed to the top of a corner turnbuckle and threw herself at both Mulligan and Victory! Peter let go of Jack Harris and attempted to get his hands on Joosta, who surprisingly shocked the Australian pit-fighter with a kick to the balls, before she turned her attention to Vick. Another kick of the balls, followed up by taking Vick by the back of the neck and tossing him over the ropes.
Good news, bad news. The good news?
Vick Victory hang on once more, although it was very close.
The bad news? Well, it was bad news to Nika.
As she turned to advance on Haley Mulligan, Joosta found herself being gouged in the eyes! Haley then spat in Nika's face and grabbed her rival by the hair, prior to flinging her out of the ring rather unceremoniously.
Which brought us to the greatest news of all, if you were a fan of Haley Mulligan. Nika Joosta had officially been eliminated, and she was utterly livid about that fact.

4TH ELIMINATED: Nika Joosta, by Haley Mulligan
As the referees held the incensed Nika back, Haley turned around and walked right into a chokeslam from the recovered Jack Harris. He was wobbly, but more furious than anything and spewed obscenities at the twitching lifeform of Haley Mulligan. Harris then noticed, somehow, that Vick Victory had pulled himself back into the ring.
The Chancellor of Excellence proceeded to continue his revenge, as he cut Vick off with a kick to the stomach, and raised the young man up in a powerbomb. Vick punched away at Jack's face furiously, trying desperately to avoid what was coming, but Jack simply absorbed the hits and eliminated Vick by powerbombing the poor upstart out of the ring and down onto the thinly-protected concrete floor!

5TH ELIMINATED: Vick Victory, by Jack Harris
Jack Harris almost found himself being eliminated just seconds later, as the fully-recovered Peter Phoenix rushed over and found enough strength to lift Harris over the top rope! Both of The Unit's feet didn't touch the ground, though, and Jack pulled himself back into the ring cursing silently.
Peter Phoenix however was under the impression that he did indeed The Pikey Madman, and turned to Haley Mulligan, who was also recovering. As the timer started to buzz to indicate another entrant was on the way, Peter quickly grabbed the young English lassie by the waistband of her pants and expertly sent her flying over the rope and out of the ring. Satisfied, Peter turned around with an arm raised... and walked right into a tremendous clothesline by the angry Jack Harris.

6TH ELIMINATED: Haley Mulligan, by Peter Phoenix
Sheamus O'Brien was revealed to be the ninth and next participant, and he too had a cross to bear against Jack Harris. Sheamus was in the ring within seconds, and came to Peter's aid by taking down the big bad Jack Harris in a double-leg takedown and went crazy with a series of punches. While Peter Phoenix was grateful, the first thing the Australian did upon getting back up was to pull Sheamus aside and stun him with another of his spinning backfist specials.
Peter and Harris then hooked up once more, with Jack Harris again falling back on his size advantage to control proceedings. Just as he took Peter down with a headbutt, Sheamus O'Brien came back into the frame with a headscissors takedown sending Jack Harris staggering into the corner turnbuckle. Sheamus then motioned for Peter to get up, eager in brawling with the famous pit-fighter.
With Sheamus and Peter trading blows, leaving Jack Harris to recuperate in the corner of the ring, the 10th participant was own his way out. John 'The Hammer' Smith was that man, sporting a giant smirk on his face. His first action upon entering the ring? Clotheslining Peter Phoenix. Another clothesline was delivered to Sheamus O'Brien, and the third might have been on the way.
But for some odd reason, John Smith didn't give Jack Harris one. The two men met in the middle of the ring, and surprisingly shook hands, before Harris rolled underneath the ropes and actually took a seat at the timekeeper's desk for a breather! John Smith then went to town on Sheamus and Peter, concentrating his efforts on trying to get Sheamus over the ropes since Peter was exhausted and playing the role of a dead weight.
Jack Harris was certainly living it up at ringside, stealing a drink from a nearby fan and drinking up to recharge himself. The sight of the next entrant, however, wiped the grin right off Jack's face.
For the 11th entrant turned out to be JOHN SARSGAARD!
The fans went ballistic, and so did Sarsgaard as he stormed the ring and made a beeline for John Smith, knocking him around with huge right hands before scoring with an inverted atomic drop! Sarsgaard then recorded his first elimination of the night, clotheslining Smith over the ropes and out of the ring. John soaked in the cheers of the fans for a bit, right before he stepped through the ropes and advanced on Jack Harris. Harris was equal to it, putting up a strong bravado, and within moments there was a mighty brawl between the most popular and the most evil students of the Academy!

7TH ELIMINATED: John 'The Hammer' Smith, by John Sarsgaard
Back in the ring, Sheamus O'Brien and Peter Phoenix picked themselves up and resumed their own little brawl. Peter, who was the first participant of the Rumblus, looked a little winded but was still holding his own. Sheamus' enterprise and relative freshness made life difficult for the Australian pit-fighter. So did the introduction of the next entrant, which so happened to be Selby O'Brien! Peter, who'd just managed to put Sheamus down with a cradle DDT, was blindsided by Selby moments later, and realised that he was seriously in trouble with The SOBs alone in the ring with him.
Meanwhile, Jack Harris and John Sarsgaard had taken their wild fight into the crowd, and Sarsgaard was clearly in charge. Until, of course, Harris raked Sarsgaard's eyes and tossed him into the ringside barricade with authority. The Unit, satisfied with having regained control, made his way back to the timekeeper's table in search of a weapon.
The buzzing of the timer meant that there was to be another entrant, and it turned out to be Ed of the Pop Culture Phenoms. He jogged down to the ring with a thin smile on his face, surveying Peter Phoenix trying valiantly to hold off the might of The SOBs. Ed figured Peter would very much appreciate some help, and thus he slid into the ring with only one intention on his mind.
Why, the crafty Ed knocked Sheamus O'Brien right out of the ring with a picture-perfect dropkick, just as Peter had blasted Sheamus with an uppercut. Selby, who'd trapped Peter in a sleeper hold, quickly released the Australian and made a beeline for Ed, taking him down with a clothesline! The break gave Peter Phoenix the chance to sneak up on Selby O'Brien, who was distracted with punching Ed in the face... and one shuffle sidekick to the back of the head saw the second O'Brien brother eliminated in the space of 30 seconds!

8TH ELIMINATED: Sheamus O'Brien, by Ed

9TH ELIMINATED: Selby O'Brien, by Peter Phoenix
The two O'Brien brothers were in shock on the outside, glaring at Ed. The SOBs and the Phenoms have had a bit of a war lately with the Phenoms being able to triumph over them, and with the entrance of Klein of the Phenoms as the next entrant, Sheamus and Selby shook their fists at Ed and mouthed a warning to him. Ed simply shrugged his shoulders, before being assaulted by Peter Phoenix. Klein had entered the ring by this point, and helped his partner turn the tables on The Warrior From Down Under.
On the outside, Jack Harris had been happily assaulting John Sarsgaard with the video cables that were hooked up to the monitors at the announce table. Feeling confident that his attack over the last couple of minutes went pratically unanswered by his rival, The Unit let Sarsgaard slump down onto the canvas and re-entered the ring, to much hostility from the crowd.
And considering that the Pop Culture Phenoms were opening up a fresh can of whoop-ass on the defenseless Peter Phoenix, one would have thought that Jack Harris would enjoy that. Instead, Harris growled and proceeded to kick both Ed and Klein in the face! Peter Phoenix was not spared either, as he got chokeslammed down to the canvas in some style. Jack Harris then proceeded eliminate the Phenoms; Ed went first, followed by Klein. Just in time for the next entrant to enter the scene, too.

10TH ELIMINATED: Ed, by Jack Harris

11TH ELIMINATED: Klein, by Jack Harris
It was not the best of news for Jack Harris. The next entrant turned out to be Orlando Grant, who literally sped to the ring like The Flash and started to rock The Pikey Madman with his innovative offense! Peter Phoenix was slowly recovering, and joined forces with Orlando Grant to really back Jack Harris into a corner (figuratively speaking).
And just as Harris thought things couldn't get worse? John Sarsgaard had pulled himself together and got back into the ring, unloading a fresh wave of hell upon the already-bamboozled Jack Harris! The fans roared their hearts out at the sight of three of the most popular guys in the Academy ganged up on the reviled Jack Harris!
The sight of Malk Al-Haq coming out from the back as the next entrant seemed like good timing for Jack Harris, but it didn't turn out that way. John and Orlando left the attack of Harris to Peter Phoenix, and as soon as Malk stepped over the top rope into the ring, he found The OG of ACW and the Hands of Steel charging at him collectively in a rather imposing manner. Needless to say, Malk was bundled out mere seconds later, and the fans ate it up with a giant spoon.

12TH ELIMINATED: Malk Al-Haq, by Orlando Grant & John Sarsgaard
The cheers turned to jeers in a heartbeat, what with Jack Harris punching Peter Phoenix in the groin and all. Orlando and John turned around to find Peter laying in a heap holding his groin, and the sneering Jack Harris inviting his enemies to come and get him. Orlando was the first to charge forward, and was instantly punished for his attempt as Harris kicked him in the face. Harris and Sarsgaard then hooked up in the middle of the ring once more, exchanging fierce hooks and uppercuts.
Just as Harris gained control with a palm heel strike to the side of John's neck, Mister Brewster came charging out as the second-last contestant. Harris quickly swatted the recovering Orlando Grant away with a forearm smash, before welcoming Brewster into the Rumblus with a massive clothesline! Six seconds later, Brewster was dumped out of the ring courtesy of a Jack Harris chokeslam, and the status quo was restored.

13TH ELIMINATED: Mister Brewster, by Jack Harris
The Chancellor of Excellence, standing tall despite being surrounded by three of his most feared rivals just a short while ago, raised his arms in the air. Disposing of Mister Brewster was his fifth elimination of the match, and he intended to rack up more. He reached into the side-pocket of his jeans and produced a pair of brass knuckles, much to the crowd's displeasure.
They couldn't do anything about it, however. Five seconds later, Jack Harris had obliterated Peter Phoenix with a shot to the face. Peter, still surviving in spite of being the first entrant in the Rumblus, was busted wide open. Orlando Grant tried to offer some resistance in the form of kicks to Jack's legs, but he too got blasted in the face by the fortified fists of The Unit.
All that left for Jack Harris was his ultimate foe, John Sarsgaard.
Oh, and JP Boudbreau, of course. JP had come out from the back, being the final entrant in the Rumblus. Taking a deep breath, JP ran into the ring and attempted to take Harris' head off with a flying clothesline off the top of the turnbuckle, seeing how Harris was focusing on yelling at Sarsgaard to get to his feet.
Alas for Boudbreau, The Pikey Madman appeared to have eyes in the back of the head, and JP's face got re-arranged courtesy of the brass knuckles. 10 seconds later, and JP Boudbreau's seemingly lucky draw as the final participant was out of the ring. Once again, Jack Harris was ruling the roost.

14TH ELIMINATED: JP Boudbreau, by Jack Harris
Jack Harris removed his brass knuckles and tossed them aside, surveying the wreckage of broken bodies in the ring. His three foes stood between him and ultimate victory. Harris grinned sadistically, probably thinking he was about two minutes from winning the Rumblus. Not even the sight of John Sarsgaard finally back to his feet could dampen his spirits, as Harris lashed out with an impressive superkick to John's jaw, knocking the Hands of Steel over the ropes and out of the ring!
... Or so Harris thought. John's left foot touched the floor as he careened over the top rope, but the Hands of Steel hung on for dear life and fought hard to ensure his right foot stayed off the ground. Jack, meanwhile, was oblivious to the fact that John was not eliminated... but the Pikey Madman soon made sure that Peter Phoenix's impressive challenge finally came to an end, as the Australian pit-fighter was yet anther participant that got chokeslammed out of the ring and out of contention of winning the Rumblus.

15TH ELIMINATED: Peter Phoenix, by Jack Harris
Orlando Grant was the last man standing in The Unit's way, as far as Jack Harris was concerned. Pulling up his figurative socks, the OG of ACW launched one last shot at taking down the seemingly-unstoppable Jack Harris, but a kick to the groin stopped any notion of that. The fans were jeering in disgust at how easily the Chancellor of Excellence seemed to be handling his three rivals, and within moments, Jack Harris stood in the middle of the ring with his arms up in the air, having made Orlando Grant another victim of the out-of-the-ring chokeslam.

16TH ELIMINATED: Orlando Grant, by Jack Harris
The fact that the bell didn't ring alerted Jack Harris to the reality of the situation, and Harris turned to see John Sarsgaard -- face bloodied from Jack's attack with the brass knuckles minutes ago -- climbing back into the ring and locking eyes with his nemesis. Every single fan stood on their feet, roaring behind John Sarsgaard as the final hope of stopping Jack Harris.
The Unit bounced his neck from shoulder to shoulder, and then advanced on Sarsgaard. The Hands of Steel, however, had a plan all lined up. He ducked underneath Jack's wild swing and struck with a rising uppercut to the jaw of Harris when the latter turned around. Stunned, Jack Harris soon found himself falling prey to a stunner-like manuever from Sarsgaard!
Unfortunately for the Hands of Steel, Jack Harris would not go down. He merely stumbled about the ring, still half lucid. Gearing up for one final push, Sarsgaard waited for Jack to turn to face him before attempting a clothesline that'd send the Pikey Madman out of the ring. That didn't work, as Harris sidestepped the clothesline attempt and guided Sarsgaard over the top rope for the win!
... But no! Sarsgaard held on, and proceeded to skin the cat. With Harris once again assuming he'd won, Sarsgaard snuck up behind Harris and kicked him in the back of the head with some power! The force saw The Chancellor of Excellence stagger over the top rope and down to the floor without being able to hold on to the ropes to save himself.
And just like that, John Sarsgaard had triumphed.

17TH AND LAST ELIMINATED: Jack Harris, by John Sarsgaard
Winner: John Sarsgaard to claim the Championship Pass

Aftermath
The crowd went absolutely crazy once the bell rang, and John Sarsgaard actually collapsed in the ring, completely spent. Still, he had his right arm raised in victory and the fans were on their feet celebrating the result. On the outside, Jack Harris slammed his fists against the floor, livid at being bested by his rival. The Chancellor of Excellence had a massive scowl on his face as Sarsgaard got up to his feet and punched the air in excitement over having won. The episode won with Sarsgaard perched on the turnbuckle, saluting the fans for their support, with Jack Harris shaking his head in defeat.

Conclusion
SilverHAWK? Pleased. Joe Bishop? Elated. Months of hard work culminated in the Academy Rumblus, the fallout of which would result in some interesting shake-ups in ACW in 2010 as promised by both men. Bishop defended the seemingly over-powering dominance of Jack Harris for the second half of the Rumblus, and SilverHAWk insisted that it went exactly the way he hoped it would. Nonetheless, there was no disagreement over the fact that Sarsgaard was the man to beat, and his ending exchange with Jack Harris came off flawlessly. Joe Bishop expressed his delight at having been part of something monumental in the Academy, and was looking forward to the eventual second season of SHOWCASE sometime in 2010. SilverHAWK responded that once certain logistical and funding issues were worked out, the All-Star Academy would be back in 2010 with a bang!

Reported by:
Sally Broxton
ACW Correspondent
27 December 2009