RFW #104 Results
Date: 11/09/2024
Location: Detroit, MI
Welcome back, Rapid Fire Fanatics! This is Shawn Roberts with your report of all the action that happened in Detroit on our Turmoil in Toronto go-home show. Settle in for this one because we jammed the show to the limit!
Hector Diaz vs. Ruslan Panov
Fresh off his great showing against our Grand Champion Mark Blood last week, Hector Diaz opened the show in a match against Ruslan Panov.
Diaz was holding his own against the veteran Panov and had the crowd cheering him on early in this encounter. Diaz’s momentum spun down quickly when Panov nailed him with a forearm and began a brutal assault. Man, Diaz withstood a lot of punishment as this match continued. He showed guts but Panov defeated Diaz following a curb stomp.
Ruslan Panov won this match but he wasn’t done here. Panov reached for his jacket and ringside, pulled out a Lords of Chaos shirt from it, and donned the shirt before continuing to brutalize Hector Diaz. Rex Anarchy ran down to the ring causing Panov to escape through the crowd. This looked like yet another strange mind game from Panov to Anarchy. I don’t know what is going on here but you will be happy to know that Panov and Anarchy are scheduled to clash next week at Turmoil in Toronto!
Lost Cause Dreaming Big
We went backstage to drop in on Lost Cause. Paisley Alden has an opportunity to capture the RFW Wildheart Championship next week against Meghan DeWitt but our lovable flunkies have bigger dreams. Alden and Cool Spencer encouraged Rus Samson to capture some gold of his own.
“I can see it now. You go out there tonight and answer Mark Blood’s open challenge, pin him 1-2-3, and become the new RFW Grand Champion! Imagine that. You’ll be a champ, Paisley will be a champ, I’ll... be there, too!” -Cool Spencer
Samson loved this idea and so do I! It sounds like Mark Blood has a tough challenge tonight.
A Brutal Arrival
We weren’t leaving backstage yet because we had some commotion at the backstage entrance! The Iconoclast and Dezzy Nightshade arrived and they weren’t alone. Iconoclast was dragging a motionless Andre Jordan into the building while Nightshade had an unconscious Lucia Mendez draped over her shoulder.
Our Commish Tiger Johnson demanded an explanation as Iconoclast and Nightshade dumped their rivals at his feet.
“Mr. Johnson. Just the man we need to speak with. We are on a path of endless conflict with these two. The next obvious step is to meet them in the ring next week at Turmoil in Toronto.” -The Iconoclast
Johnson agreed but ordered The Iconoclast and Nightshade to leave the arena immediately. They complied and our medical staff tended to Jordan and Mendez. It sounds like we’ve got a match next week but I wonder if these two will be 100%. They’d better be against opponents like The Iconoclast and Dezzy Nightshade.
Siobhan Wild vs. Cate Stiles
We went back to the ring with the RFW World Champion, Cate Stiles, in an exhibition match against Siobhan Wild ahead of her title defense against Kassidy Fortune next week.
Stiles looked solid here, though I wouldn’t take anything away from Wild. Wild fought hard against Stiles but the champion looked ready for her title defense next week with an impressive offense. But then, a twist! Stiles’s challenger at Turmoil in Toronto, Kassidy Fortune, came down to the ring to observe the champion up close.
Stiles was distracted by Fortune’s presence which gave Wild a short comeback but Stiles was able to get back in charge. Stiles began showing off for Fortune before putting Wild in an ankle lock and forcing her to submit.
No time for celebrations here because Stiles barely released the ankle lock when she was flattened to the mat with Fortune’s cutter. The challenger picked up the RFW World Championship and held it high in the air as she stood over Stiles. Is this a sign of what is come to next week?
Not on the List
Here’s a bit of fun. The Door were bouncers prior to their run as a tag team and they went back to their roots by being bouncers for the men’s locker room. Your favorite wrestlers were on The Door’s list and were given the red carpet treatment to the locker room.
That treatment was not extended to our Tag Team Champions. No! The Navigators were stopped at the threshold, told they were not on the list, and were denied access. The Navigators were not pleased.
“You idiots don’t have a ‘list.’ This is absurd! We should go to Tiger Johnson about this right now. Actually, no. You can have your fun tonight. Next week the fun stops. Once we defeat you, again, the party stops. The Door closes.” -Aidan North
The Door laughed at the champions as they walked off but we’ll see who laughs next week when these teams collide with the gold up for grabs.
Contenders Scramble
Six women are set for battle next week in a Number One Contender Scramble with the winner getting a shot at the RFW World Championship at Final Round. Shannon Worth, the longest reigning champion ever in the history of this promotion, will be in the Scramble and she came to the ring to discuss her desire to win the thing.
“This place looked a lot different a year ago. Hell, it even went by a different name. I was on top as the World Champion but it all went away at Final Round. Now, I’ve had a pretty good year. I ditched that bitch Claudia Winter, I picked up the RFW Wildheart Championship, and most people would say that’s enough. But not me! I am still focused on winning back the title that I carried for nearly two years! I am going to win the number one contendership and I am walking out of Final Round as a two-time RFW World Champion.” -Shannon Worth
The lady’s plan is straightforward but she has to get through five others first and Alexandra Morgan stepped down to the ring to confront Worth and tell her that she has sacrificed a lot and clawed her way to this point, refusing to let Worth or anyone else get in her way.
You know where this is going. Kami King joined in and acknowledged Morgan as a favorite in the match but King refused to lose against her or anyone else. King’s mission has long been to become a champion here and she intends to make the most of this opportunity.
All three women argued until things got physical and they began brawling. Nobody noticed that Mia Mercury snuck down to the ring before leaping onto the turnbuckle and diving on top of the three of them. The brawl continued and when the dust settled Worth was standing tall. Annika appeared and had a tense stare-down with Worth. Neither woman came to blows but you could feel the tension all the way in the furthest corners of Detroit.
There is a lot riding on this match and what we saw this week was just a sample of what we can expect!
Stepping Aside
If you are good at math, you noticed that only five women were out there in the ring. Maria Estrella, the sixth woman in the match, was notably absent. We found her backstage with her girlfriend, Jessie Vega, and she looked solemn.
Vega’s record company representative, Lee Lee Hunt, walked in to greet the couple and laid out a shocking plan.
“We’ve already been through this but let’s make sure we are all on the same page. Maria, I know you deserve to be in this scramble thing, but there is the bigger picture to look at. Jessie is set to release a new album next year and we really believe this is the one that is going to put her into superstardom. Imagine if Jessie could have both the biggest album of her career and be champion at the same time. What publicity that would be! That’s why I asked you to step aside and give your spot in this match to Jessie. It’s a great opportunity for Jessie, but also, think of what her increased star power will do for RFW.” -Lee Lee Hunt
Wow. Is she for real? Vega stared at her shoes while this was going on and Estrella looked to her for an opinion but received nothing. I felt terrible for Estrella here as she agreed to give up her spot.
Hunt was appreciative and left to speak to Tiger Johnson. Vega took Estrella’s hand, kissed her cheek, and promised to make it up to her. Estrella forced a smile. I’ll admit. This was painful to watch.
Directives for The Diamond Peak
We stuck around backstage to check in The Diamond Peak. Claudia Winter was even more authoritative than usual and warned RFW Wildheart Champion Meghan DeWitt not to take Paisley Alden lightly and that successfully defending her title next week was a must. Winter also showed frustration about Shannon Worth competing in the Number One Contender Scramble and directed DeWitt to make sure Worth doesn’t upstage them by winning the match.
Winter turned her attention to Preston Montgomery and warned him that his time with The Diamond Peak was running out because of his failure to get into contention for the RFW Tag Team Championship. Montgomery’s new partner, Mikey Armstrong, was in this meeting though I don’t think he is actually a member of The Diamond Peak. Armstrong has been around the business a while and had an excuse for their lack of success thus far.
“You’ve got something in this kid. Let’s not be hasty! Look, we didn’t get the job done last week but we had a great time getting out there and working as a team. We need more time to develop. Stick with us and once we have some time to figure things out we’ll be carrying those title belts!” -Mikey Armstrong
Armstrong’s excitement in an otherwise dour meeting shocked everyone and Montgomery and DeWitt were encouraged. Winter was not fully convinced but agreed to give them more time.
RFW Grand Championship Open Challenge
Rus Samson w/Lost Cause vs. Mark Blood (c)
We returned to the ring for our main event. RFW Grand Champion Mark Blood came to the ring ready for his latest opponent in his weekly open challenge. Who could it be? Of course you know who it was. Rus Samson, flanked by Lost Cause, came to the ring to challenge Blood.
Samson first competed here back in 2019 in a losing effort against.. yep. Mark Blood. Samson looked great in this match and had the champion on defense throughout. When you want a title and redeem a loss you look like Samson did in this match. Samson was determined and there were a few near falls where I thought we had a new champion.
Blood got a lot stronger during his time in Honor Pro Wrestling and he showed that off by powering out of an abdominal stretch and then deadlifting Samson off the mat into a German suplex. Blood made his first big offensive push into this match but it was Samson who overpowered Blood, countering a vertical suplex and promptly crushing the champion with a powerbomb.
Things got complicated from here. Paisley Alden and Cool Spencer cheered on Samson at ringside but Alden had company. Meghan DeWitt, Alden’s opponent next week in Toronto, appeared at ringside to confront her challenger. This caused a commotion that distracted Samson, allowing Blood to make a comeback. Samson tried to get back into this thing but Blood secured a victory by pinfall after a tombstone piledriver.
Lost Cause were not happy with DeWitt whose presence likely cost them the RFW Grand Championship. Blood’s weekly open challenge will continue and he learned who his opponent will be just as the show was closing.
Tornado came down to the ring to confront his old rival.
“You and I are not friends, Mark. RFW’s fans and much of the locker room have praised your return and this open challenge you’ve been doing. Me? I’m not yet convinced. After all we’ve been through, I have to know the man you are today. Next week, Turmoil in Toronto, I want a crack at the RFW Grand Championship and I want to know the Mark Blood that stands here today.” -Tornado
Blood had no objection to this challenge. A handshake made it official. Tornado challenge Mark Blood for the RFW Grand Championship next week!
And that is when I will see you next, Rapid Fire Fanatics. We’ll be in Toronto, Ontario for our midseason supershow, Turmoil in Toronto, and after this show, you know you can’t miss it! See you then.