SHOWCASE: SEASON ONE, EPISODE SEVEN

Friday, 11 December 2009
ACW (All-Star) Arena
Montreal, Quebec
Canada

JP Boudreau vs. Jack Johnson
708 fans were in attendance in the ACW All-Star Arena, ready and primed for a night that promised to be off the hook. The opening contest of the night just so happened to be a rematch from the very first episode, where Jack Johnson gained an impressively cheap and tainted victory over the hometown boy. This time 'round, Jack Johnson entered first and watched as JP stormed out from the back looking anxious for a measure of revenge. Jack Johnson, who had decided to join forces with Malk Al-Haq and Ulf German in the tandem's rivalry against Vick Victory and Mister Brewster (who had JP Boudreau join their cause recently), quickly exited the ring and was seemingly walking away from the match.

JP, however, had been looking forward to the match ever since Joe Bishop announced it on the last episode and wasn't going to let Jack Johnson escape so easily! Boudreau gave chase after Johnson and knocked the latter down with a clothesline, before the two men began to brawl at ringside. It took the referee some time to get both men back into the ring, but it finally happened. And once it did, it was Johnson who was the first to gain an advantage, raking the eyes of JP before executed a fierce snap suplex. The cover was made, but JP easily kicked out. Johnson went for the snap suplex again, and again immediately went for the cover. JP once more kicked out, and found himself being set up for a third snap suplex. JP blocked the suplex, however, and surprised Johnson with a small package roll-up!

Jack was a whisker away from being beat, but rolled out of the pinning predicament just in time. JP used that exchange to regain control of the match, though, targeting the left shoulder of Jack Johnson. Jack tried to get back into the back, once again resorting to cheap tricks like tossing JP out of the ring and constant eye rakes, but JP's fire was too much. A powerslam from JP garnered another close call, and it looked as if the hometown boy was getting frustrated.

Johnson used that frustration to his advantage, reversing an Irish whip and sending JP flying into the corner turnbuckle shoulder-first! JP stumbled out of the corner holding his shoulder in pain, which gave Jack Johnson the chance to roll JP up. And if that wasn't enough, Johnson put his feet on the ropes. Unfortunately, it didn't work. More bad news for Jack Johnson was that when he tried to follow up with a scoop slam on JP, the hometown boy squirmed out of it and took the so-called Quickdraw Kid down in a crossface submission! All the work JP had done on Jack's shoulder paid off, as Johnson submitted almost instantly... giving JP Boudreau the hard-fought win and a confidence booster!

Winner: JP Boudreau

***

Joe Bishop with another surprise-filled announcement
Joe Bishop made his way down to the ring, and thanked the fans for showing up in all their glory once more. He noted that there were several students that were given the night off for a reason; Orlando Grant was one of them, given the chance to cool down after getting involved in a show-ending brawl on the previous episode. Joe did say that to make up for it, the current Spirit of ACW Champion -- already with a date at the upcoming SuperShow (END GAME 2009) -- was in attendance and would be taking on any challengers in the main event. Non-title, of course.

Joe Bishop also revealed that a new team had joined the ranks of the Academy, and they were the Pop Culture Phenoms. The members, Ed and Klein, would in fact be involved in separate singles match later in the episode against Sheamus O'Brien and Selby O'Brien respectively. That got a loud cheer from the fans. Finally, Bishop announced that the Academy Rumblus would be a similiar match to the End Game Match that all ACW fans were already acustomed to, with the winner being the man who could outlast everybody else in an over-the-top- rope-and-both-feet-must-touch-the-floor-to-count-as-an-elimination environment. To round off, Joe reminded everybody that the winner of the Academy Rumblus would come into possession a Championship Pass, which had the ability to greatly shake up the landscape of ACW's champions scene next year!

***

Avis Flyfield vs. Malk Al-Haq
Malk Al-Haq was out in the ring, looking determined to snap his singles losing streak, and found the fact that he was squaring off against the popular Avis Flyfield once more a challenge. Avis had beaten Malk in a match on the fourth episode of SHOWCASE, and found himself back in the thick of things at the request of Joe Bishop. Flyfield garnered a strong reaction from the crowd, which grew louder when Avis sidestepped Malk's attempt at a cheap shot and sent the Arabian stumbling out of the ring like a loser.

The fun and games ended there, however, as Malk quickly got back into the ring and used his power set to keep Flyfield grounded. Avis managed to fork out several openings by working on the left arm of Malk, going so far as to actually manage to take the Arabian down with a single-arm DDT! Avis, thinking that he had a window of opportunity fully open, blitzed Malk with a barrage of high-flying moves before going for a handspring hurricarana. Unfortunately, Malk always seemed that he was one move away from changing his fortune, and that one move came in the form of a powerbomb counter to the handspring hurricarana!

Malk, confident that he was on the cusp of victory, laid further damage upon the Wing Commander with several punishing clothesline before hitting his Widow's Peak finisher. Al-Haq was not satisfied, however, and ascended to the top of the turnbuckle much to the shock of the crowd. All of Flyfield's fans watched on in horror as Malk connected with a flying leg-drop, the ring having moved several inches due to the impact! 1- 2-3, and Malk Al-Haq picked up his very first singles victory of the season.

Winner: Malk Al-Haq

***

Ed vs. Sheamus O'Brien
Newcomer Ed came out to the ring dressed all in gold. He was shouting about the poor treatment and the lack of pyro for his entrance. Ed was a short individual, akin to the size of a Rey Mysterio. He entered the ring with a swagger and extended his hands. He also came out to a song from the Inglourious Basterds movie. The fans didn't quite know what to make of that.

But they did erupt for Sheamus O'Brien, who ran out from the back and rushed underneath the bottom rope. These two duked it out with rights and lefts to start it out, no catch-as-catch-can wrestling here. Sheamus quickly gained the advantage, taking out the smaller Ed with slams and tosses. A body slam, a vertical suplex, a backbreaker; all were hit, and after each successive move, Sheamus would cover only to gain a two -count every single time.

Suddenly, a man in red tights with a large cardboard box came down to ringside. He began to slam his hand against the apron, and seemed to be cheering Ed on. Ed rallied out of a side headlock and caught Sheamus with a crescent kick, before exclaiming out the name of his friend -- Klein. Ed sure was glad to see Klein, waving at him, before going back to business. In a funny spot on the outside, Klein was startled by a cameraman and fell to the ground in fright. Ed took this time to punt Sheamus in the face as he tried to recover. That's when Selby, the brother of Sheamus, joined the action at ringside, and stared daggers at Klein. The two were set to face later in the night, and Selby wanted to make sure there were no shenanigans.

Ed worked Sheamus over with a body slam and went up top. Selby went to push Ed off but Klein blocked his path. It was enough time for Sheamus to recover and trip Ed up. Sheamus climbed up top with him, and tried to put Ed on his shoulders. While leaning forward, Ed flipped over top, grabbing Sheamus' head and nailing an awkward looking A-Lister (3/4 headlock cutter) off the top for 1-2-3 and the win.

Selby, by that time, had grown tired of just watching. He attacked Klein from behind, and tossed the bewildered and bespeckled technophobe into the ring. Before Ed could celebrate his win, the bell had rung for the next match.

Winner: Ed

***

Selby O'Brien vs. Klein
Selby stared down Ed who charged forward, trying to attack Selby. He was blocked by the trusty ring official, who surely didn't anticipate officiating two matches back-to-back. Selby then shaped up and attacked Kleinagain, focusing on the back of his neck with elbows and kicks. Side chancery, lift up, drop on his face with a brainbuster... only to get a two-count. Ed on the outside begain to slam his hands against the apron, with Sheamus nearby recovering.

Selby lifted Klein up but Klein slammed his shoulders into Selby's gut. Up on Klein's back he went, as Klein spun him for a TKO, aka Duck. Selby freed himself and landed on his feet. He grabbed Klein's head and leapt onto his back, driving Klein face first into his knees. That got a two-count, as Selby climbed to the top rope. Ed quickly got on the apron and made him trip; jeers from the crowd echoed as Ed unfairly gave his partner an advantage.

Klein returned to his feet in a daze and charged. He leapt to the top rope in one jump. Selby grabbed his tights and leaned back. He pulled Klein just as he tried to gain his balance. He fall face first on top of Selby, but specifically, his skull hit the turnbuckle on the outside. Selby did essentially a push up on the limp body of Klein, sending him tumbling back into the ring, laying face up on the canvas. It was academic, as Selby leapt off the top with his Celtic Press and got the 1-2-3.

Selby's hand was raised, but he quickly slid out of the ring to check on Sheamus. Ed, meanwhile, slid in to check on his charge. The two respective victorious members of these tandems never broke their stare at one another, giving fans reason to believe that this was merely the first chapter in their ongoing saga.

Winner: Selby O'Brien

***

Haley Mulligan vs. Maggie Kwon vs. Zyma Toshiro
It was then time for some girl-on-girl-on-girl action. Not in that way; Haley Mulligan, having survived her first few weeks in the Academy with a fantastic feud-ending victory over Nika Joosta, found herself taking on two newcomers. Maggie Kwon, from Hong Kong, and a strange-looking Japenese girl by the name of Zyma Toshiro. Strange, because she carried a teddy bear to ringside and left it at the timekeeper's table before entering the ring. Haley shook hands with both of her adversaries before the match started, only to find Maggie and Zyma gang up on her once the handshakes were done with and the bell rang.

Once both newcomers had taken Haley to the mat and left her gasping for her, Maggie and Zyma turned their attention to each other. Maggie, looking the lighter of the two, found herself overpowered by Zyma and taken down with a hard snap-mare takeover. Zyma then appeared to glance at her teddy bear, nodding enthusiastically before slapping an armbar submission on Maggie! The girl from Hong Kong was quick to the ropes, only to get clotheslined out of the ring after getting back to her feet.

By that time, Haley Mulligan had fully recovered and blindsided Zyma with a picture-perfect belly-to-back suplex for a near-fall. Haley rained down several close-range punches to Zyma before heading to the top of the turnbuckle. Maggie Kwon, having spent a minute on the outside regaining her bearings, quickly hopped onto the ring apron and grabbed a handful of Haley's locks! Mulligan did not appreciate that one bit, but had no defense to offer, which led to Maggie joining the young British lassie at the top of the turnbuckle and pulling off a superplex that greatly impressed the fans!

Zyma Toshiro found herself spoilt for options. She again glanced at her teddy bear, seemingly seeking consultation, before deciding to cover Haley. Only a 2-count. Toshiro then tried to pin Maggie, only to get punched right in the nose! The strange teddy bear lover screamed her little heart out, which made Maggie laugh as she got back to her feet. Maggie then did the fans a favour and silenced Zyma with a jumping high- knee smash to the face, coming across as a veteran rather than a newcomer. Unfortunately for Maggie, she walked right into a spear takedown from Haley after turning around... and not too long after, Haley Mulligan knocked Maggie out cold with a double-arm DDT! 1-2-3, and Haley Mulligan picked up the hard-fought victory in a great showcase of women's wrestling.

Winner: Haley Mulligan

***

The End vs. John Sarsgaard
Fans were more than happy to see John Sarsgaard, the Hands of Steel, out in the ring for the second-to-last match of the evening. John was obviously loving the attention, and didn't blink once when his opponent The End came out. The End grabbed a microphone right before the start of the match, but instead of speaking, The End decided to try to twirl the microphone in his hands. John and the fans alike were confused, and the Hands of Steel couldn't help but laugh when The End figured he didn't want to play anymore and tossed the microphone out of the ring... only to see the microphone bounce off the rope cable and land at his feet.

After kicking the microphone out of the ring, The End finally got serious and charged at Sarsgaard, who executed a wonderful drop-toe-hold to officially get the contest started. Both men didn't waste any time slipping into their more comfortable routine of slugging things out, which gave Sarsgaard the opportunity to almost take off The End's head with a massive haymaker!

The End just barely kicked out of the cover following that, and resorted to gouging John's eyes! The End promptly followed up with a gut-wrench suplex that, although sloppily pulled off, actually garnered a 3- count! Fans were generally shocked that their favourite did not manage to kick out.

The reason for that, as The End would find out to his dismay, was because John has his hand on the rope. Great ring presence by John Sarsgaard, who recovered nicely after that close shave and eventually wore The End down enough to pull off a rolling german suplex sequence! John landed four german suplexes before The End attempted to get out of the predicament he was in via a back elbow. John was quick to duck the elbow and got the fans standing with a really solid overhead belly-to-belly suplex. The End never really got his act together after that, and fell prey to more crowd-pleasing moves from Sarsgaard.

A short while later, the Hands of Steel put The End down with the Windy City Slice. 1-2-3, and Sarsgaard picked up yet another victory! John was quick to his feet, raising his arms in celebration, but the party mood was quickly disrupted by the sight of Jack Harris walking out from the back looking like he was spoilin' for a fight.

Winner: John Sarsgaard

***

Jack Harris vs. Chris Moliano / Aftermath
But in fact, Jack Harris got into the ring and revealed to the fans that he was the man that decided to take up the main eventchallenge to face the current Spirit of ACW Champion, Chris Moliano! Harris asked Sarsgaard to remain at ringside, as he wanted the Hands of Steel watch the man who would go on to win the Academy Rumblus; the Pikey Madman himself!

As John agreed to the invite, Chris Moliano hit the scene and the fans went craa-aazy. The man nicknamed Potential Personified certainly had cultivated a huge following in Montreal, and he was eager to give them a show. Harris got the match started a little bit prematurely, however, sliding out of the ring and blindsiding Moliano with a clothesline! It looked as if Jack was planning to take the Spirit of ACW Champion out, but Moliano valiantly fought back, giving as good as he took.

The brawl developed into something more sinister in a matter of moments as Chris, who had managed to attain the upper hand over the behemoth Harris, found himself being thrown into the steel steps after being raked in the eyes. By then, John Sarsgaard had decided enough was enough and went after Jack Harris. Alas, Harris saw the Hands of Steel coming and backed away, prompting a chorus of unmitigated jeers from the fans. Chris Moliano stormed into the ring, grabbed a microphone and demanded that Jack Harris finished what he started.

The Unit simply shook his head and returned to the back. Chris brandished Harris a coward, and welcomed Sarsgaard into the ring, shaking hands with the Hands of Steel to a huge round of cheers from the fans.

Winner: N/A as the match never officially started

***

Conclusion
A match-heavy episode with some interesting developments. Joe Bishop again had nothing but praise for his students. Special mention was reserved for the Pop Culture Phenoms, who Joe mentioned had quite the trainer (didn't reveal who exactly) and also said that Ed & Klein had a wonderful opportunity to break through in record time. SilverHAWK was recorded as saying he loved the twist on the main event, giving the fans even more reason to hate Jack Harris and John Sarsgaard some great reputation by being in the same ring as Chris Moliano. Joe Bishop finished up by saying the next episode would take place a mere one day before ACW's final SuperShow of the year, END GAME 2009. The final episode of the season would then occur two days after Christmas, and SilverHAWK was giddy at the propsect of the Academy Rumblus being a showcase (no pun intended) for some of the top students in the Academy.

Reported by:
Sally Broxton,
ACW Correspondent
12 December 2009