RFW #105 Results
Date: 11/23/2024
Location: Syracuse, NY
Hello you Rapid Fire Fanatics! We are one week removed from Turmoil in Toronto, a show that lived up to its name, and we have come to Syracuse to address the fallout! I’m Shawn Roberts, your guide to the world of RFW. You ready? I’m ready! Let’s go!
Ruslan Panov vs. Hector Diaz
Our show opened with a hell of a match between Ruslan Panov and Hector Diaz. Panov has developed a mean streak this year and with Rex Anarchy seemingly in the rear view, he came to this match looking to show Diaz he wasn’t playing around.
Turns out, Diaz showed up with something to prove, too. Diaz took some punishment from Panov before coming out of nowhere with an impressive technical offense with a hint of high flying luchador flavor mixed in.
This one went back and forth until Panov got Diaz in position for a curb stomp. Diaz rolled away, made a quick comeback, and put Panov down with a small package for the three count in a stunning upset!
Hector Diaz came away with a huge win here but his celebration was cut short when Panov attacked from behind and laid him out with a curb stomp. Sore loser? Yeah, I guess so. Just the beginning between these two? You are smart. You know it!
Yurei Calls Out Annika
Kimberly Kennedy came to the ring to invite Yurei to the ring. For those just tuning in, Yurei had her arm snapped by Annika and the Japanese fury made a surprise return last week at Turmoil in Toronto when she came through the crowd and savagely beat Annika down during a match using the cast on her arm.
Yurei’s message was clear but Kennedy wanted to get more of the story. After confirming that her arm was still broken but she refused to stay away, Yurei had a message for Annika.
“You think knocking you senseless last week was the end? Ha! No no. Just the beginning. Annika, I want you to come find me. You broke my arm. I will break each arm! Each leg! I will break you in half!” -Yurei
Annika wasn’t in the building but I have been told she will be back next week to respond to Yurei’s threat!
Who is More Deserving?
Mia Mercury came to the ring to issue a challenge to RFW Wildheart Champion Meghan DeWitt. Mercury and DeWitt once had a friendly relationship and even held tag titles together in Wildheart Wrestling Club but that friendship seems to have strained. Mercury was promoting herself as a worthy challenger but was interrupted by Jessie Vega, her girlfriend Maria Estrella, and her record label representative Lee Lee Hunt.
Hunt did the talking here, sad to say, and argued that Vega was more deserving.
“Mia, you are not the best representative to carry the Wildheart. RFW needs a champion who crosses pop culture boundaries, someone who can handle the pressure of being in the limelight. RFW needs Jessie Vega. You should want this, Mia. With Vega as a champion here, it gets RFW more attention. It lets people find the unknowns, you know, like yourself.” -Lee Lee Hunt
Mercury was amused by Hunt’s campaigning for Vega but said they are talking about a wrestling championship, not a music championship, and suggested she and Vega have a match to see who the better wrestler is.
Commissioner Johnson’s assistant Delilah came out to ringside to make it official. Mia Mercury and Jessie Vega in action next week with the winner getting a title shot against Meghan DeWitt.
Hot Commodity and Cooled Tag Team
Claudia Winter and rest of The Diamond Peak watched the exchange in the ring and she turned to DeWitt with triumphant grin.
“The Wildheart is becoming a hot commodity here in RFW and look where it is. Right around the waist of our very own Meghan DeWitt. And speaking of our champion, a congratulations are in order on her impressive defense last week in Toronto against Paisley Alden. Well done, Meghan. You’ve made me proud.” -Claudia Winter
Preston Montgomery and Mikey Armstrong (the latter really isn’t a part of this group) clapped and cheered for DeWitt who blushed. Winter turned her attention to Montgomery and Armstrong, unhappy that they are not finding success as a team. Winter informed the duo they have a match against Lost Cause that she expected them to win. That match was up next!
The Diamond Peak w/Claudia Winter vs. Lost Cause w/Paisley Alden
I wouldn’t say Claudia Winter gave them an energizing speech but Preston Montgomery and Mikey Armstrong came to the ring excited for competition. Lost Cause found themselves up against a motivated tag team and that meant we got an action packed tag match!
I should tell you about how The Diamond Peak made frequent tags, showed they are improving their teamwork. I should tell you that Samson exploded with a barrage of power moves, tagging in an anxious Spencer who cleared the ring. I should tell you about all the near falls, the turnarounds, the fans on their feet. That’s not the whole story, though. While these teams were fighting in the ring, Claudia Winter and Paisley Alden were at odds at ringside, too. Winter got shoved right out of her heels to the floor when Alden had enough with her. Winter, in turn, struck Alden from behind moments later.
Winter had an opportunity to help her team from ringside but was thwarted by Shannon Worth who ran full speed down to ringside and hit Winter with one of the fastest spinning elbows I’ve ever seen! Montgomery, seeing this, was distracted, allowing Spencer to roll him up for the pinfall victory. Lost Cause won this one, folks. The Diamond Peak’s troubles continue.
Worth continued to attack Winter after the match which brought out Meghan DeWitt. Worth quickly knocked out DeWitt before walking away from the scene as Montgomery and Armstrong came out of the ring to check on their teammates.
Braving the Elements
We aren’t done with the tag team division yet. Our RFW Tag Team Champions, The Navigators, came to the ring to gloat about their continued success in RFW.
“We proved ourselves the best, all over the world. We dominated in Europe, Japan, Mexico. We reigned supreme in the top wrestling promotions in this business. HAW was our house. RFW is our house. We don’t stop sitting at the top until we are ready to step down and that’s not happening for a long, long time. Let’s face it. We aren’t just the best today. We are the best tag team in the history of this sport.” -Aidan North
Aidan North and Pete Arrow high fived and flashed their smiles but those smiles fell quickly because of what happened next. Someone took exception to that “best tag team in history” line. Tommy V and Marcus, NRWL tag team legends and core members of the Four Elements faction, made their debut in RFW, wasting no time challenging North’s words. The Navigators scoffed at the Elements for not even working in RFW. Tommy V had a surprise for the champions.
“First off, nobody wants to hear the sewage that keeps spewing from your mouths. Best tag team in history? Big words. If only there was some way for you to prove it to everyone. Oh wait! There is! We just signed a contract for a championship match, December 14th, at Final Round. The Elements vs. The Navigators. We can’t wait to bring the violence to the ‘best ever’ tag team.” -Tommy V
There we have it, folks. The Elements are in RFW. I don’t think this bodes well for The Navigators. We’ll find out in a few weeks!
The Future for Andre and Lucia
We went backstage where Kimberly Kennedy had a sit down interview with Andre Jordan and Lucia Mendez. Kennedy asked about the couple’s victory over The Iconoclast and Dezzy Nightshade at Turmoil in Toronto. Mendez admitted it was one of the hardest fights either one has had but they had each other to get through it.
Jordan spoke about his own career goals.
“The way I see it, Kimberly, is that I’ve been here a long time. I’ve had some lows but I’ve also had some great successes. I feel at my best right now but I also know if I don’t elevate my game I will get lost in the mix. It’s time to reach higher. It’s time to go big or go home. You know what I’m saying?” -Andre Jordan
Kennedy closed out the discussion by mentioning that the pair have been together for a long time and asked if wedding bells would ever be in their future. Mendez made it clear they were happy and don’t need to be married.
The Champion of the Future. The Determined Challenger.
Someone else who was looking to up their game this season was Kassidy Fortune. She upped that game higher than anyone by dethroning Cate Stiles to become the new RFW World Champion. Anyone who has followed RFW for the past decade knows that defeating Stiles clean in the middle of the ring is a huge accomplishment. Fortune didn’t walk away unscathed, however, spraining her ankle in the process thanks to Stiles’s dangerous ankle lock. The new champ walked gingerly on that ankle as she came to the ring to address her win.
“Cate Stiles was a tremendous competitor and the face of this company for the last decade. That ended last week. This is my time now and the next decade is mine. I’m not being cocky. I’m just being honest. Get a good look at me carrying this belt because I intend to carry it for a long time to come.” -Kassidy Fortune
Enter Fortune’s opponent at Final Round, Kami King. King won the right to face Fortune after winning a number one contender scramble match last week. These two had an intense, competitive rivalry at this summer’s Rapid Fire Festival. King admitted that Fortune got the better of her over the summer but she has been training, been more focused than ever, and believes she will defeat Fortune. Fortune admitted her appreciation for King’s determination but has already proven herself the better wrestler and intends to do so again at Final Round.
King insisted she was more determined than ever and suggested that Fortune’s injured ankle would make the title defense even harder for her. Fortune assured King she would be 100% come Final Round.
RFW Grand Championship Open Challenge
Mark Blood has been defending the RFW Grand Championship weekly since he won it back in the spring at Mayday in Memphis. I give the man credit for keeping up this pace because he’s been through some wars and showing the wear and tear.
Nevertheless, Blood showed up ready for his next challenger and got quite the surprise! “The Award Winning” Sakurai Rintaro, a free agent within the Open Wrestling Alliance, showed up to challenge Blood in our main event!
“The Award Winning” Sakurai Rintaro vs. Mark Blood (c)
Sakurai Rintaro is a former champion so he knows what it takes to win. Blood locked up with Rintaro and the two traded some headlocks before Blood shoulder blocked Rintaro. Our champion wasted no time amping up his offense and controlling much of the opening minutes of the match.
Rintaro ducked a clothesline and caught Blood with a swinging neckbreaker. Blood was slow to get up which offered Rintaro the opportunity to get control of this match. Rintaro tried for a piledriver but Blood reversed it into a back body drop. The action went back and forth and though Blood regained some momentum, Rintaro refused to stay down for a pin.
Rintaro used a brainbuster on the champion and covered for a pin but Blood narrowly kicked out. Rintaro had Blood dead to rights here but the champion had a little bit left to give, making a comeback late in the match and driving Rintaro to the mat with a tombstone piledriver. Blood covered for a pin and won the match, continuing his RFW Grand Championship reign.
Mark Blood stood tall as the winner of this main event but looked to be favoring his neck. The toll this title reign has been taking on Blood is noticeable but every time you think he might have reached his limit, he shifts into a higher gear. Mad respect!
As for Sakurai Rintaro, he may not have walked out the champion but this free agent made the most of his opportunity. He looked great here and I am sure promotions throughout the OWA will be contacting him.
That’s going to do it for us on another supersized show. We will be in Scranton, Pennsylvania next week for more Rapid Fire Wrestling. See you then!