Date: 07/06/2024
Location: Wildwood, NJ

Hello, Rapid Fire Wrestling fans! I am Kimberly Kennedy, RFW’s ringside, and in this case beach side, correspondent with all the information you need to know about week one of our five week Rapid Fire Festival here in Wildwood, NJ. 

We are coming off a successful spring season that crowned new champions, saw new alliances forged, old alliances shattered, and new rivalries began. All of this will be addressed throughout the Rapid Fire Festival and without further delay let’s get started!

Mark Blood Kicks Off The Festival

The Rapid Fire Festival is all about the fans and attending the show was free to anyone who wished to step onto the sand and stand ringside. The energy was buzzing on the beach when new RFW Grand Champion Mark Blood came out to open the show and welcome the fans. 

Blood was dressed to wrestle and as we quickly learned, there was a reason. 

“When I came back here earlier this year, I told you all that I left for the wrong reasons and I wanted to make it up to RFW and to you, the fans. Now that I find myself the RFW Grand Champion, I can’t think of a better way to give you all that I have by defending this title, every week, in an open challenge, starting now. Who’s first?”

-Mark Blood 

The Diamond Peak’s Preston Montgomery stepped onto the beach and looked ready for the first crack at the champion but was blindsided by Ruslan Panov! Panov showed a more aggressive side back at Mayday in Memphis when he attacked Killer Malone after their match. Panov’s fury had not calmed down since then as he made quick work of Montgomery outside the ring and stepped up to face Mark Blood for the RFW Grand Championship.

RFW Grand Championship Match
Ruslan Panov vs. Mark Blood (c) 

Ruslan Panov wasted no time trying to capture his first RFW title by getting the best of Mark Blood in the opening minutes of the match. The fans rallied behind Blood, however, and the champion made a strong comeback. The action swayed back and forth before a clothesline from Panov sent Blood over the ropes to the beach where the fight continued. 

Panov rolled back into the ring and went for a curb stomp when Blood followed but the champion rolled out the way. The excitement raised when Blood got the upper hand on Panov and rallied an offense that ended with a tombstone piledriver and a three count victory.

Mark Blood celebrated his first title defense but the celebration was short lived. Ruslan Panov snuck up behind Blood, ready to strike, but was thwarted when Killer Malone dove into the ring and began battling with Panov. Malone and Panov brawled out of the ring and into the gathered crowd at ringside until security broke up the fight. 

The Iconoclast Will Wait

While the post-match brawl was wrapping up on the sunny beach, I found myself in a darkened corner under the boardwalk at the request of The Iconoclast and his associate Dezzy Nightshade. I asked The Iconoclast if he was going to challenge Mark Blood and the former RFW Grand Champion had a surprising answer. 

“Ms. Kennedy, as the former champion, it seems only appropriate that I should have the opportunity to win it back. This little ‘open challenge’ game is intriguing to me, however, and I think I would rather it play out for a while. My time will come, but not right now. Have your fun, Mr. Blood. Have your fun while you can.”

-The Iconoclast

Ominous words from The Iconoclast.

Lighten Up

I was making my way out from under the boardwalk when our cameras caught The Door jogging by above me. Our cameras caught up with the former tag champs to listen in on their conversation. 

Richter was strategizing how they would recapture the RFW Tag Team Championships and Malcom apologized again for being distracted at Final Round and costing them the titles. Richter assured Malcom it was in the past and they should be focused on the future. 

Malcom stopped and leaned against a railing before admitting something to his partner. 

“Man, we’re the best team in RFW. Nobody questions how hard we hit, how dangerous we are, and how hard we work. But don’t you feel we are taking things a bit too seriously? The pressure. It adds up.”

-Malcom

Richter asked Malcom what he had in mind. Malcom smiled as he looked out at a volleyball game on the beach. 

The Diamond Defector

I made it back to the ring to interview our new RFW Wildheart Champion, Shannon Worth. Worth answered the question we all had on our minds: she has officially split from The Diamond Peak. Worth also wasted no time explaining her immediate plans for the Wildheart Championship.

“I was World Champion for almost two years. I made that championship mean something. My priority is now to do the same with the RFW Wildheart Championship and be the best champion to ever hold it. Next week, I am scheduled to defend this title against Mia Mercury–”

-Shannon Worth

Our interview was cut short when Claudia Winter, Meghan DeWitt, and Preston Montgomery, The Diamond Peak, came out to interrupt us. I took my leave from the ring but stood nearby to see how this volatile situation was going to develop. 

Winter claimed she was “devastated” by Worth’s betrayal but Worth countered that she was pushed aside for Meghan DeWitt. Winter insisted there was room for both of them in The Diamond Peak but since Worth turned her back on the group it will give DeWitt more opportunity. Worth was outnumbered but stood her ground. The Diamond Peak, surprisingly, left Worth alone. 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think The Diamond Peak is done with Shannon Worth. 

Travel Issues

RFW Commission Tiger Johnson had to deal with a crisis that affected the evening’s main event. Alexandra Morgan was scheduled to meet Kassidy Fortune in singles action but was nowhere to be found. Johnson worked with his assistant Delilah to find Morgan and Delilah realized that she made a mistake that failed to get proper travel arrangements scheduled. 

The commish was unhappy but kept his cool and directed Delilah to fix the problem by finding a suitable opponent for Fortune. 

A Crowded World Title Scene

It didn’t sound like a good day at the office for Delilah but our RFW World Champion Cate Stiles was looking confident when she came to the ring to talk about her ongoing reign. 

“I have faced a lot of challengers over the years, across multiple title reigns, and my message is no different today than it was in the past. You can try me but you can never be fully prepared for me.”

-Cate Stiles

Stiles drew her line in the proverbial sand and it was Yurei who walked through the actual sand to approach the champion. Yurei stepped through the ropes but was interrupted by the woman she put on the injured list back in the spring. Tracy Blood made her return to RFW to confront Yurei which made for a tense confrontation between all women. Blood made it clear she wanted Yurei and then was coming for Stiles and the RFW World Championship. It was the World Champ who came up with a solution.

“Well, Yurei, it looks like you’ve got someone else to worry about before coming for this title. Why don’t the two of you work this out before either one of you turns your attention to me?”

-Cate Stiles

I had a moment to speak with Delilah after the show and she confirmed that Yurei and Tracy Blood will compete next week and the winner will go on to face Cate Stiles for the RFW World Championship at a later show. 

Comeback Kids

The fans were ready for our main event but there was another bit of excitement before Kassidy Fortune was to come to the ring. Former RFW wrestlers, Paisley Alden, Cool Spencer, and Rus Samson, collectively known as Lost Cause, made themselves noticed as they paraded through the crowd to the front of the audience. Tiger Johnson and event security quickly arrived on the scene to confront them. 

Lost Cause assured us they had no intention of interrupting the show. Alden told Johnson they wanted to speak with him because they wanted their jobs back. Johnson’s response was to have them escorted away from ringside but Alden was insistent. 

“Please, boss! Just give us a few minutes. We want to be here. We’ll be better, we promise. Please.”

-Paisley Alden

Johnson refused but Delilah, nervously, showed him that she had already booked the meeting for next week. Folks, bless her, but Delilah was not having a good day on the job. 

Kassidy Fortune vs. Kami King

Lost Cause left the ringside area without further disruption and we got on with our main event. Delilah may have made a few mistakes but, in my opinion, made up for it with a fantastic replacement for Alexandra Morgan. Kami King was introduced as Kassidy Fortune’s opponent in a great match held under the setting sun. 

Fortune was coming off a loss that cost her the RFW Wildheart Championship and King has been trying to break into the upper ranks of the women’s division. The outcome of this match was important to both of them and it showed from the opening bell. The mat technicians traded takedowns and holds until Fortune gained some momentum and took control of the match. 

Fortune taunted King as she pushed her face against the turnbuckle and roughed her up. King struggled to get in much offense but refused to let Fortune pin or submit her. King escaped from a body slam attempt and responded with a neckbreaker. The fans were behind King as she made a strong comeback, nearly knocking Fortune out with a super kick that the former Wildheart Champion avoided by rolling out of the ring.

King followed Fortune outside and the two brawled on the sand. A beach ball landed at King’s feet and she threw it at Fortune who instinctively caught it, leaving her exposed to a drop kick. King returned Fortune to the ring but Fortune tripped King and went back on the offense. King was sent into turnbuckle, stumbled out and was caught by Fortune for a cutter. King managed to shove Fortune away, avoiding the cutter, and blasted Fortune with a super kick. King covered Fortune and won with a pinfall victory.

Kami King celebrated her hard earned victory while Kassidy Fortune walked away in frustration to close out the first night of 2024 Rapid Fire Festival. Be sure to join us again next week for more fun and action!