All-Star Championship Wrestling

Introduction
4,142 fans were in attendance on the last day of February, three days removed from ACW's immense pay-per-view held in London, England. The fans in the Joe Louis Arena were treated to a special highlight reel of the pay-per-view right before the episode kicked off, and once the video ended, ICU showed up on the video wall. The Chief of the Academy thanked everyone for showing up for the third episode of the second season of SHOWCASE, and reminded everyone why the episode would go down in history: a new United States Champion would be crowned. ICU confirmed that Alias, still the ACW World Champion, would be in the arena later to place the United States Title around the waist of whoever ended up winning at the end of the episode. With the fans' collective roar of approval, ICU signalled for the episode to begin in earnest!

Haley Mulligan vs. Peter Phoenix (Referee: Hammond Jones)
The opening match of the episode featured rising star Haley Mulligan squaring off against a man who had built quite the sizable fan-base in a very short time in Peter Phoenix. Two favourites going against each other, with the opportunity to challenge for the United States Title later in the episode at stake. Haley and Peter shook hands in a show of sportsmanship after the bell rung, but soon got down to business. Perhaps it was the gravity of the situation that got to Haley, but she was having a hard time combating Phoenix's attacks in the early moments of the match, and found herself having to kick out numerous times within the first three minutes. Peter could have been forgiven for thinking he was on the cusp of victory when he sized Haley up for his shuffle sidekick of doom.
Surprisingly enough, Haley managed to evade getting hit and followed up with a springboard dropkick that earned her a close near-fall. Haley began to build up a head of steam, buoyed by the reaction of the fans. Pheonix however always had a measure of control, and hung in there with Haley's high-flying offense to eventually connect with his shuffle sidekick of doom. Instead of going for the pin rightaway, Peter allowed Haley to recover before downing her with a cradle DDT. 1-2-3, and Peter Phoenix had triumphed in the first semi-final match.... one step closer to being the new United States Champion. After Haley Mulligan regained her marbles, she was helped up by Peter and the two once again exchanged handshakes. That drew a large round of applause from the crowd.
Winner: Peter Phoenix

Orlando Grant vs. Andrew Kole (Referee: Belinda Decroix)
The second semi-final match was up next, and the odds were heavily in favour of Orlando Grant to win and go on to face Peter Phoenix later in the episode to crown a new United States Champion. Andrew Kole was determined to spoil the party, though; and he set out to accomplish that task the second the bell rang, rushing Orlando and unloading on him with a series of clubbing blows. The OG of ACW -- with the fans firmly behind him after a very impressive showing at the ACW pay-per-view days ago -- tried to fight back but Andrew Kole was hell-bent on winning. When a series of suplexes only resulted in near-falls, Kole decided to slap on a rear chinlock in the middle of the ring, while presumably thinking of other options. That ended up being the turning point, for Orlando transitioned out of the rear chinlock with superb skill and kicked it up a notch against a beleagured Andrew Kole. Even Andrew's attempts at cheap tricks such as eye gouging and holding on to the tights with surprise roll-ups did not work. Orlando Grant was determined to end the night as the new United States Champion, and finally managed to execute with his Shoutout quasi-finisher. Incredibly, Andrew Kole kicked out. That didn't deter Orlando, as he followed up with his Big Shit Poppin' finisher. 1-2-3, and Orlando Grant finally put away the resilient Andrew Kole away. Orlando officially had a date with Peter Phoenix, and the fans were truly salivating at the prospect.
Winner: Orlando Grant

Backstage: Kristinia Kage, Haley Mulligan and... April Monday?!
Expect the unexpected had been something of a theme recently when backstage the top two female draws of the Academy were seemingly in a deep heartwarming conversation, the topic being how well they partnered together against The SOBs back on the first episode of the second season of SHOWCASE. Kristinia Kage and Haley Mulligan began to speak about the latter coming close to outlasting Peter Phoenix earlier on in the episode when they had had half of Sin City Championship Wrestling's Strength in Numbers Champions (and not the bearded one) crash their little pissing-in-the-pocket party. April Monday (who did have a short stint in ACW itself in 2009) stared the two young upstarts down and was quite forward in putting them a step or two backwards, claiming that neither of them were to be considered rising female superstars in the industry. She went on to mention they would never be able to rise to the summit of ACW, Academy or no Academy, until they'd beaten the best female that had been on its roster. Herself. She left the pair slack-jawed and in awe of not only her machismo (for lack of a better term) but her presence, which she brought in spades.

'The Natural' Nathan Adams vs. Art Ajax (Referee: Kevin Chang)
Having been given an opportunity to think over if he wanted to compete in the Academy, 'The Natural' Nathan Adams apparently decided that he did indeed feel that the All-Star Academy was a good training ground for him. As such, Nathan Adams came out for his debut match, and it would be against Art Ajax. Ajax and Nathan shook hands prior to the bell ringing, and within moments, Ajax was running circles around Nathan. Adams eventually did manage to pull himself back into contention, countering a hurricarana off the ropes into a snap powerbomb. Instead of going for a pin, however, Nathan opted to ascend to the top of the corner turnbuckle. Nobody would know what he had in mind, for Art recovered and joined Nathan atop the corner turnbuckle, taking him down with a armdrag! From that height, it was no wonder that the impact of Nathan's fall left him winded... and seconds later, an tilt-a-whirl DDT was enough for Art to secure the 1-2-3! Not the best of showings for the rookie Nathan Adams, who appeared crestfallen once he came to and realised he'd lost.
Winner: Art Ajax

The SOBs vs. RESPECT vs. The End & John 'The Hammer' Smith vs. Malk Al-Haq & Ulf German (Referee: Dick Zhirkov)
Four tag teams, eight men, and the promise of chaos awaited referee Dick Zhirkov in the third match of the evening, which happened to be a Fatal Four-Way Tag Team Elimination Match. Malk Al-Haq and John Smith started out, with Al-Haq easily taking down John Smith with a variety of slams and a series of harsh clotheslines. Smith managed to somehow escape a suplex attempt and rake Malk's eyes, and wisely made the tag to his partner. The End, however, walked right into the end of his involvement in the match as Malk took him down with a Babylonian Drop for the 1-2-3!
Sheamus O'Brien didn't waste any time in hopping into the ring, and almost got the drop on Malk with a roll-up. Malk survived, and instead of tagging his partner Ulf in, decided to give the honours to the returning Johnny Long of RESPECT. Zhirkov deemed it within the rules of the match, and Long quickly found himself being pounded on by Sheamus O'Brien. Sheamus tagged his brother Selby in for an attempt tandem move, but Long escaped the clutches of Sheamus and desperately tagged Ulf German in. Ulf quickly stamped his authority on the match, dominating the Irish brothers with jumping kicks to the face. However, Ulf quickly fell prey to the taunts of the fan, which allowed Selby to tag his brother back in, and Sheamus escaped a piledriver attempt from Ulf to hit a running bulldog. 1-2-3, and The SOBs had eliminated Ulf & Malk... much to the latter's rage.
That left the freshest team of all, RESPECT, to square off against the favourite of the fans in The SOBs. Rory Hayes immediately hit the ring and unleashed hell on Sheamus. Selby tried to get involved, but after Hayes took Sheamus down with a spinebuster, The Boston Mangler feigned a thigh injury. The momentary distraction was enough for Johnny Long to take Selby off the apron. Rory Hayes made a miraculous recovery seconds later to lay Sheamus out with The Boston Massacre. 1-2-3, and RESPECT had emerged victorious.
Winners: RESPECT

Vince Jacobs Junior vs. Mary-Lynn Mayweather (Referee: Kevin Chang)
Up next, the fans had the pleasure (or rather displeasure) of seeing Vince Jacobs Junior coming out for his match. Naturally, the mere sight of the self-proclaimed her to the Vince Jacobs legacy set the fans off, but VJJ didn't seem to care much. He instead grabbed hold of a microphone and informed everybody how happy he was that Jacobs defeated Jesse Ramey at the most recent ACW pay-per-view just three days prior, adding that Ramey never had a chance of winning.
VJJ's opponent would turn out to be Mary-Lynn Mayweather, and it would be her debut match in the All-Star Academy. Once the bell was rung, MLM proceeded to resemble the silver ball in a pinfall machine. Vince Jacobs Junior was completely outclassed from the get-go, unable to fathom how he was failing at landing a single bit of offense. Mercifully for him, Mary-Lynn put VJJ out of his misery with a stunning fireman's carry into a double-knee gutbuster; Breathtaker was the name of the move, and it certainly was breathing. One ****1/2 Frog-splash later, and Mary-Lynn had secured the 1-2-3 in more-than-emphatic fashion. Another match, another shameful showing by Vince Jacobs Junior.
Winner: Mary-Lynn Mayweather

Josh Marshall vs. Koji Takada (Referee: Belinda Decroix)
Up next, Josh Marshall had the opportunity to win two in a row, and his opponent would be one of the three he faced on the last episode; Koji Takada. Takada got off to a rousing start in the match, ducking a spinning heel kick attempt and executing a STO takedown. Marshall however wasn't about to go down without a fight, and after several minutes of absorbing Koji's punishment, Marshall countered a hurricarana attempt into a sit-out powerbomb! Only a near-fall, although even referee Belinda Decroix would have admitted that it was extremely close.
From that juncture, Josh Marshall channelled his attacks towards Koji's neck, triggered by Takada's extreme wincing after a neckbreaker. Koji knew he was in trouble after a series of vertical suplexes, especially since Josh Marshall slapped on a sleeper hold in the middle of the ring. Koji somehow managed to counter into a belly-to-back throw that saw Josh's head collide violently with the corner turnbuckle! But, the follow-up cover did not garner the win, much to Koji's surprise.
And it was a shock to Josh Marshall when Koji Takada cheekily decided to lick the side of his opponent's face! Even referee Belinda Decroix was creeped out by that single act, which resulted in Josh Marshall instinctively rolling out of the ring in digust. Koji had once again decided to play up his homosexuality act, and looked content with the count-out victory he was about to attain. Unfortunately for him, Josh Marshall was eager to build on last episode's success and got back into the ring just in time. A slugfest between the two men erupted, and ended two minutes later with Josh Marshall amazingly executing an exploder suplex out of thin air that saw Koji land awkwardly on his neck. 1-2-3, and Josh Marshall walked out the victor.
Winner: Josh Marshall

Backstage: 'Brash' Betsy Lienhard
Amanda Dixon, the Academy's one and only Backstage Interviewer, was standing with the daughter of PBP Commentator Roger Lienhard -- 'Brash' Betsy Lienhard. Amanda asked Betsy, dressed smartly in casual clothing, what she was doing attending an Academy event. Betsy explained that she came to visit her father, who had supposedly finally given his blessing to Betsy being ready to make her mark on professional wrestling. Dixon deduced that Betsy had been undergoing training by her father, who was once upon a time a superstar in ACW back in the late 1990s and had three reigns as United States Champion. Betsy revealed that professional wrestling wasn't her first choice, but she'd been charmed by certain aspects of the business and was looking forward to debuting in the Academy before long. Amanda and Betsy ended the segment with well-wishes going both ways.

Ladder Match for the ACW United States Title (Referee: Dick Zhirkov)
And then, there were two. It was time for the United States Title to find a new owner after years of laying dormant. Orlando Grant and Peter Phoenix were already in the ring, looking up at the United States Title hanging high above the ring. Both men had emerged as finalists in the unofficial tournament set up by ICU on the first episode of the second season of SHOWCASE, and despite already having competed earlier in the evening, neither Orlando nor Peter looked at all tired. They realised the importance of giving their all against each other, especially considering that Ladder Matches have traditionally been very brutal and exhausting.
Just as the signal for the match to begin was given, however, there was a surprise twist. Jack Harris, the ol' Pikey Madman himself, shocked everyone by marching out from the back with a smug grin on his face. Climbing into the ring, Jack had to watch out for both Peter and Orlando who were not at all pleased with the interruption. Jack quickly exited the ring, and retrieved a microphone to make his address.
The Chancellor of Excellence told both Orlando and Peter (as best as he could with his crazy Pikey accent) that while they thoroughly deserved the opportunity to fight for the United States Title, there was one ingredient missing. Himself. Jack explained that being the runner-up for the Academy Rumblus on the last episode of the first season of SHOWCASE should account for something, and considering that the new Chief ICU was intent on making each episode of SHOWCASE worth remembering -- a Triple Threat Ladder Match for the United States Title would definitely have fans going crazy over all the excitement!
Phoenix and the OG of ACW were not very impressed with Jack's attempt to inject himself into the match. But the fans, despite knowing that they didn't like Jack Harris one bit, cheered at the prospect of catching a Triple Threat Ladder Match. Within moments, ICU himself was out from the back, contemplating Jack's offer. ICU stated that while it wouldn't be overly fair to Orlando and Peter who worked hard to earn the chance to fight for the United States Title, Jack Harris had a very good point. ICU warned Jack that if he ended up not winning, there would be no place for The Chancellor of Excellence on his roster, as he was sure he was making himself an unpopular figure with the decision he was close to signing off on. Jack readily agreed, to much debate from Peter and Orlando, and the Chief of the Academy made it official.
Peter Phoenix. Orlando Grant. Jack Harris. Ladder Match. United States Title.
With all of that settled, it was on! Consigned to the ruling of ICU, Orlando and Peter decided to join The Unit on the outside of the ring and opened a collective can of whoop-ass on the big man. The Pikey Madman had no answer to the double-team, and soon found himself getting smacked around with a steel chair courtesy of Orlando Grant. The OG of ACW and The Unit had a ton of history between them, so it was fitting to see Orlando lay a beatdown on Jack. This left The Warrior From Down Under (who also had a bit of history with The Unit) to his own devices, which consisted of pulling out a ladder from under the ring and going for the title belt!
Unfortunately for the Australian, Orlando Grant had finished his assault on Jack Harris and scooted back into the ring just in time to catch Peter halfway up the ladder. Orlando pulled Peter down after much effort, and the two men traded blows in the middle of the ring until Phoenix parried a spinning heel kick attempt from The OG of ACW... following up with a throat thrust, that left Orlando gasping for air! Peter thought that would be sufficient enough to put Orlando at bay and began climbing up the ladder again. Phoenix, however, was dead wrong; despite half-choking, Orlando found enough reserve to execute a dropkick on the ladder. That of course sent the ladder toppling over, and Peter Phoenix was dumped on the outside rather unceremoniously!
Recovering, Orlando Grant quickly got the ladder back in place and began ascending towards his prize. Jack Harris, by them, had also recovered albeit not fully and got into the ring just as Orlando's right hand grazed the leather strap of the title belt. With the fans on their feet, Jack Harris proved an effective buzzkill as he tipped the ladder over, sending Orlando Grant crashing down to the canvas with much aplomb! The OG of ACW landed awkwardly on his neck, but that didn't stop The Unit from dragging Orlando back up and delivering a punishing piledriver that had many sections of the crowd concerned about Grant's well-being.
While Harris took delight in the fact that he might've finished Orlando for good, the resilient Peter Phoenix slinked back into the ring and propped the ladder back in place. He wasn't going for the title, however. The Warrior From Down Under quickly advanced halfway up the ladder before launching himself at the vertical-again Jack Harris! The jubilation of the fans was short-lived, for The Chancellor of Excellence caught Peter Phoenix in mid-flight and destroyed the Australian with a sickening backbreaker! Peter was then once again tossed out of the ring, much to the disgust of the fans.
They were, after all, looking forward to a classic Ladder Match between two mobile and agile competitors. Jack Harris promised his entry would spice things up; it did, but not in the way the fans expected. With his two adversaries disposed of, The Unit slowly climbed up the ladder and unhooked the United States Title without any resistance whatsoever for the win.
Winner: Jack Harris to become the new ACW United States Champion

Aftermath
As promised by ICU at the top of the show, the winner of the Ladder Match would have the United States Title placed around his waist by the last holder of the title belt, Alias. Jack Harris quickly came down from the top of the ladder and placed the title belt on the canvas, calling for his due reward. And within moments, Alias was in the building... looking like hell, as always, but also scowling at the realisation that The Chancellor of Excellence was the man who'd triumphed.
With neither Orlando nor Peter getting up any time soon, the fans were resigned to the fact that Jack Harris was walking away scot-free. Alias climbed into the ring, picked up the title belt, and reluctantly placed it around the waist of the smirking Jack Harris. Once the title belt was tightened and locked in place, The Pikey Madman pushed Alias away and raised his arms in the air, jubilant at the way he'd won his first championship. The Original Pulp Hero fought the urge to strike Jack Harris, and instead mouthed a undecipherable warning to the new United States Champion before taking his leave.
And it was with the sight of Jack Harris standing in the ring that was being slowly but surely being filled by garbage, that the monumental third episode of the second season of SHOWCASE came to a close.

Reported by:
Sally Broxton
ACW Correspondent
28 February 2010