Date: 11/30/2024
Location: Scranton, PA
Hello, Rapid Fire Fanatics! Shawn Roberts here with all the details from RFW’s show in Scranton. We are only two weeks away from Final Round and the road is getting bumpy to say the least. We have a lot to cover so strap in, hold on tight, and get ready for the ride because here we go!
Kami King vs. Paisley Alden w/Lost Cause
The number one contender for the RFW World Championship, Kami King, opened the show in a match against one of our rising stars, Paisley Alden. It was busy at ringside because Alden had her Lost Cause teammates in her corner. Oh, but that’s not all! Kassidy Fortune, the RFW World Champ herself, sat at ringside to closely observe her upcoming challenger.
Alden had the support of Lost Cause cheering her on but King looked strong without her own cheerleading section. Alden came through with a strong offense early on that kept King struggling to get into the match.
The mood turned when Alden dropkicked King, sending her through the ropes to the floor and at the feet of our World Champ. Fortune and King locked eyes and began to argue allowing Alden to strike King from behind, rolling her into the ring, and nearly pinned her after a facebuster.
King was rattled but came back strong before hitting Alden with a super kick and pinning her for the victory.
Kami King shortened any celebration she deserved and rolled out of the ring to confront Kassidy Fortune. The two continued their argument before a visibly frustrated King tried for a super kick. Fortune dodged and grabbed King for a cutter on the hard floor. Fortune stood up, though she appeared to tweak her injured ankle in the scuffle, favoring it as she walked off.
Annika Responds to Yurei
Yurei showed up last week to explain her reasons for showing up at Turmoil in Toronto to attack Annika for breaking her arm in a match earlier this season. Yurei’s mission is simple. She wants to make Annika suffer. Annika showed up this week to respond.
Annika came to the ring and said she was ready to fight Yurei any time, any place.
“So, Yurei, when you want some more, I’ll be here. You can come prepared to use that arm cast, or a pipe wrench, or a bazooka. It really doesn’t matter. When the dust settles, I will still be standing and you will have another broken arm to match the one I already gave you.” -Annika
Cue Yurei who came from the crowd and once again tried to hit Annika from behind with her arm cast. Annika stopped Yurei and tried to roll her into an armbreaker. Yurei avoided it and the two brawled until Annika was knocked out with the cast. Yurei then tried to break Annika’s arm with a chair but officials were, thankfully, able to stop her.
Folks, this one continues to get more heated. I expect it will be an inferno next week!
Diaz’s Big Win
Hector Diaz was standing backstage with Kimberly Kennedy for an interview. Kennedy began to discuss Diaz’s upset victory over Ruslan Panov last week. Diaz acknowledged Panov as a tough opponent and a great ring veteran but before he could say more, you guessed it, Panov showed up and attacked Diaz before knocking him out on the concrete floor with a curbstomp.
Mia Mercury vs. Jessie Vega w/Lee Lee Hunt and Maria Estrella
High stakes for Mia Mercury and Jessie Vega. This match was for a shot at Meghan DeWitt’s RFW Wildheart Championship at Final Round. Mercury came ready and determined. Vega came with all that and a little more as she had Lee Lee Hunt and Maria Estrella with her at ringside.
Vega got off to a good start in this match but once Mercury had the chance to shift into high gear, she hit Vega hard, fast, and from all sides. The high flyer looked great here and had Hunt and Estrella concerned.
Hunt tried to interfere by putting her hands on the referee. Big no no! Estrella tried to calm the situation and apologize for Hunt’s uneducated mistake. The embarrassing situation did nothing to help Vega, who was pinned shortly after Mercury hit her with a top rope flying elbow.
The win puts Mia Mercury in line to face her old friend Meghan DeWitt for the RFW Wildheart championship at Final Round. As for Vega’s crew, none of them looked happy about the outcome.
Remove the Head to Kill the Body
One year ago, Shannon Worth was riding high as the champion around here and was the shining star of The Diamond Peak. Today, Worth is without a championship, on her own, and is haunted by The Diamond Peak everywhere she turns. It seems something has to give and Worth came to the ring to address just that.
Worth wasted no time demanding that Claudia Winter meet her in the ring to talk. Winter came to the ring with RFW Wildheart Champion Meghan DeWitt by her side and cut Worth off before even listening to her.
“I know why you wanted an audience with me. It’s because you want a match with Meghan so you can try to win the Wildheart back, right? Well, I don’t know where you’ve been but a number one contender was just determined moments ago, and it isn’t you.” -Claudia Winter
Yeah, thing is, that’s not what Worth was looking for.
“Claudia, I don’t care about Meghan DeWitt and I don’t need that title back. If I wanted Meghan, I would have called for her. No. You’ve got it all wrong. I had a long talk with Commissioner Johnson and I wanted to see your face up close when you learned what we talked about. He agreed to put me in a No Holds Barred match at Final Round. A match against you! One-on-one.” -Shannon Worth
Winter was, of course, mortified. DeWitt was furious. But Worth had one last piece of news that I like to call “the icing on top.”
“Oh, right. I almost forgot. This really is one-on-one because if anyone from The Diamond Peak shows up at ringside to help, you are all fired.” -Shannon Worth
Folks, Final Round is going to be a rough night for Claudia Winter.
Three (?) Elements Reunion
We returned our attention to the locker room where Mikey Armstrong ran into his old Four Elements stablemates, Marcus and Tommy V. The Elements and Armstrong got along well enough, reminiscing about their time together in NRWL.
Yeah, Armstrong’s tag partner, Preston Montgomery, was not cool with this. Montgomery accused The Elements of walking into RFW and taking opportunities away from other tag teams. The Elements argued with Montgomery while Armstrong tried to calm the situation but Montgomery blurted out a challenge to face The Elements in a tag match. And that match happened right on this show!
The Diamond Peak w/Claudia Winter vs. The Elements
This impromptu match had a lot of variables in play. We’ve got Mikey Armstrong conflicted about facing his old teammates while supporting his current teammate, Preston Montgomery looking for a chance to show he and Armstrong can be a successful team, Claudia Winter up in arms about this match occurring without her say, and last but certainly not least The Elements making their in-ring RFW debut. And none of this was on the agenda I received before the show!
Armstrong worked well with Montgomery despite his friendship with The Elements. It was encouraging to see these guys starting to figure things out as a team, though The Elements showed us that they are still the well-oiled machine that put them on the map in NRWL. This match went back and forth but it was The Elements who came out on top with a win by pinning Montgomery.
The Elements stood tall as the victors but their celebration was cut short when the RFW Tag Team Champions, The Navigators, snuck into the ring and attacked their Final Round opponents. Mikey Armstrong came to The Elements aid but Preston Montgomery pulled him out of the ring.
The Navigators sent a message to The Elements. They have their work cut out of them at Final Round.
Season End?
Kimberly Kennedy came to the ring after the dust settled and invited the former RFW World Champion Cate Stiles to the ring. Kennedy recapped recent events around the World title. Stiles lost the title to Kassidy Fortune and Kami King won the Number One Contender’s Scramble to lock in her title shot at Final Round. This situation leaves Stiles out of the title picture and Kennedy asked for Stiles’s thoughts.
Stiles admitted a clean defeat to Fortune and with King lined up as number one contender she found herself off the Final Round match card.
“I’ll be honest. This is an unexpected position to be in but when I think about what I’ve done here, what else do I need to prove? Maybe a quiet end to the year is what I need so I can think about my future.” -Cate Stiles
Stiles was right that she has nothing to prove to anyone, but to be alright without a slot at Final Round? That didn’t sit right with me and it didn’t sit right with someone surprising.
Tracy Blood interrupted the pity party and approached her long time rival to share her own thoughts.
“Four years ago, I found myself left off the first Final Round. I never got over that and promised myself not to let it ever happen again! I hear you talking about losing your spot at Final Round because you lost a title? No way. We may have our differences but I refuse to see you miss the biggest show of the year. You deserve to be there. So let’s fix that. Tracy Blood. Cate Stiles. One more time. Final Round.” -Tracy Blood
Blood extended her hand to seal the deal, Stiles shook on it, and we got ourselves another blockbuster match for Final Round!
RFW Grand Championship Open Challenge
Mark Blood has been defending the RFW Grand Championship week in and week out since winning it back at Mayday in Memphis this past spring. He’s been beat up, he’s worn down, but he keeps showing why he’s the champion by defeating all comers. This week, Blood came to the ring looking for his next challenger and got a hardcore one! “Badlands” Bill Stanton stepped up to battle the champion.
“I’ll give ya this, kid. You are as tough as they come. Not many could hold on to that title like you have. I respect you! But! I am going to step into this ring and when I do, I’m sorry, but I am not holding back. I want that title and I’ll do anything to get it.” -Bill Stanton
I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of a determined Bill Stanton. Blood had his work cut out for him in this encounter.
RFW Grand Championship Match
“Badlands” Bill Stanton vs. Mark Blood (c)
Mark Blood looked strong here early on but Bill Stanton hit him with a surprise forearm and that began a rough night for the Grand Champion. Blood took an absolute beating in this match. Stanton didn’t hold back and was determined to win this match and claim the championship for the first time in his 20 year career.
I really thought Blood was cooked here, I really did. Stanton was fired up and had Blood where he wanted him. Or so I thought! Blood was whipped into a turnbuckle and stumbled forward as Stanton ran at him for a spear. Blood managed to dodge and send Stanton shoulder first into the ring post, allowing the champion the opening needing to make a comeback.
Despite Stanton’s best effort, Blood secured a pinfall after a tombstone piledriver. And there you have it. Mark Blood defended the RFW Grand Championship once again though this string of weekly defenses has clearly worn on him. Blood sat in the corner of the ring trying to recover from the brutal beating he received in the match when Andre Jordan’s music cut off his own and Jordan walked down to the ring with Lucia Mendez. Jordan stood over Blood to challenge the champion.
“This open challenge thing you got going on is impressive. This is maybe the best title run I’ve ever seen in RFW. My opportunity was interrupted. I want another crack at you. I want to be next. But I don’t want it next week. I want you rested and I want you on the biggest show of the year. I challenge you, Mark Blood, at Final Round!” -Andre Jordan
Blood gave Jordan a nod and secured Jordan’s shot at the RFW Grand Championship at Final Round. Will two weeks before enough time for Blood to recover from this grueling gauntlet of challengers? Can Jordan stop this seemingly unstoppable champion? We’ll find out together at Final Round but before that we’ve got one more show down in Hershey, PA next week. See you then, Rapid Fire Fanatics!
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