Florida Championship Wrestling TV Report
November 15, 2009
Aired on the Bright House Sports Network
Report by Cody Endres, PWTorch contributor

-Byron Saxton & Wade Barrett hype the main event as a Smackdown vs. ECW match when Eric Escobar takes on Yoshi Tatsu. Saxton mentions that Dusty Rhodes is still "on assignment."

1 – DAWSON ALEXANDER vs. WES BRISCO

This is the debut of Alexander's (David Otunga) heel character that we currently see on NXT. Brisco hasn't been seen in a while and appears to have added some tattoos along the side of his body. Brisco works an arm early, but Alexander shoves him under the top rope and snaps his neck against the rope to gain the advantage. Alexander with a few violent clotheslines for a nearfall. Brisco manages to get Alexander up for a suplex. Alexander finishes Brisco off with a horrible looking spinebuster for the win.

WINNER: Dawson Alexander in 2:43. Just brutal to watch. Alexander is terrible in the ring.

-After the match, Angela interviewed Alexander at ringside. He talked about being a superstar and mentioned that he should be the face of FCW.

[Commercial Break]

2 – DYLAN KLEIN & MIA MANCINI vs. SKIP SHEFFIELD & AJ LEE

Barrett referred to Lee as the "poison dwarf" of FCW. As Mancini dominates Lee in the early going, Barrett compares it to a polar bear swatting around a seal. Sheffield sets up Klein for the over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder, but Mancini enters the ring and slaps Sheffield to break it up. Barrett talked about Klein spending so much money on clothes, he can barely afford to feed his family, and how we should all admire his dedication. Early highlight of Barrett's announcing career here. Lee catches Mancini out of nowhere with Sliced Bread #2 to get the upset.

WINNERS: Skip Sheffield & AJ Lee in 4:14. Very entertaining when the women were involved. Lee is playing the underdog role to perfection.

[Commercial]

3 – HEATH SLATER vs. JOE HENNIG

Slater is sporting quite a shiner near his left eye that the announcers never bring to attention. Barrett now constantly refers to all the women in the crowd as birds. Saxton talks about Hennig earning the right to have a shot at the FCW Heavyweight Title and never receiving a shot. Hennig with a running dropkick for a nearfall. Barrett vaguely mentions Slater sporting a black eye after receiving a concussion the previous weekend. I hope that's not true. Slater connects with a running knee lift. Hennig channels his father and does a crazy bump to sell it. Hennig whips Slater into the corner and accidentally knocks down the referee. As Hennig attends to the ref, Slater rolls to the outside and grabs a chair. Hennig steals the chair before Slater has a chance to use it, but the ref wakes up and DQ's Hennig.

WINNER: Heath Slater in 5:28 by DQ. Decent outing, but nothing we haven't seen between these two before.

[Commercial Break]

4 – ALEX RILEY, MICHAEL TARVER, & ELI COTTONWOOD vs. JUSTIN ANGEL, TYLER REKS, & MR. FCW.

What a mish-mash of personalities in this match. Mr. FCW is Gabriel under a generic red mask since he lost the ability to "show his face in FCW" last week. About two minutes into the match Barrett began shouting on commentary and was irate about Gabriel's new identity. In case you were wondering, Barrett said he recognized Gabriel due to his small hand size and effeminate actions. Reks hits the High Tide elbow drop on Tarver for a nearfall. The heels take advantage of Reks after illegal interference by Cottonwood. Angel gets the hot tag from Reks, but Cottonwood interferes from the outside again. Mr. FCW hits Riley with the Vindicator for the win.

WINNERS: Justin Angel, Tyler Reks, & Mr. FCW in 6:05. Good for what it was. Cottonwood's stock must be low since he didn't do much except interfere from the floor.

[Commercial Break]

5 – ERIC ESCOBAR vs. YOSHI TATSU

Barrett went on a tirade about Tatsu's music and said that anyone who actually likes it is prepubescent. Back and forth action to start. Tatsu with a La Magistral for a surprise nearfall. Escobar takes control by brawling and bores everyone with a few headlocks. Tatsu with the snapmare/kick combo for another nearfall. Tatsu clotheslines Escobar over the top rope as both men tumble to the floor. Escobar whips Tatsu into the steel steeps.

[Commercial Break]

Escobar works over the back of Tatsu with a bear hug. Escobar with some JYD style headbutts from his knees. Tatsu mounts a comeback with a DDT and his series of kicks. Tatsu with a sweet looking spinning back elbow for a nearfall. Escobar hits the Puerto Rican necktie and a running kick to the head for a nearfall of his own. Tatsu catches Escobar running off the ropes with the standing side kick out of nowhere to pick up the victory.

WINNER: Yoshi Tatsu in 11:36 (of what aired). Tatsu is always fun to watch, but this was nothing special.

-The announcers quickly hyped that next week Justin Angel would defend the FCW Heavyweight Title against Heath Slater.

***

Florida Championship Wrestling TV Report
November 22, 2009
Aired on the Bright House Sports Network
Report by Cody Endres, PWTorch contributor

-Well, it was bound to happen sometime. The show starts with extreme disappointment as Dusty Rhodes returns to commentary alongside Byron Saxton and Wade Barrett is nowhere to be seen. One month ago Justin Angel defeated Heath Slater to capture the FCW Heavyweight Title. Tonight will be the long awaited rematch.

1 – CAYLEN CROFT (w/Trent Barreta) vs. ALBERTO BANDERAS

The former Dos Caras Jr. returns to FCW television after an unexplained absence. Banderas works lucha at the start and hits a big crossbody off the top rope for an early nearfall. Rhodes brought up a fact that Banderas is a tall man, unlike most Mexican wrestling stars. Yeah, nobody is interested in seeing those little guys with talent. Rhodes talked about Saxton working on ECW television and joked about people talking in his ear. Croft works an extended sleeper hold as the crowd rallies Banderas. Banderas hits a German suplex and holds the bridge for the pin.

WINNER: Alberto Banderas in 3:42. Surprising to see a Dude Buster jobbed out so quickly.

-In a pre-taped promo, Heath Slater asked Justin Angel how it felt to be the luckiest man alive. Slater said it took a 30-minute two-out-of-three falls match to beat him and that's only because he "slipped up on some sweat." Slater promised to win the title back and then tear down the FCW banner featuring Angel. He also promised to blow our minds.

[Commercial Break]

-Jenny Cash seems to be filling in for Savannah (Angela) on ring announcing duties.

2 – THE SOUTH BEACH BOYS (Darren Young & Percy Watson) vs. VANCE ARCHER & LENNOX MCENROE

Archer had just started in ECW at this time, so he debuted his new look post-haircut. The heels isolate the very green Watson from the start. Watson is just so awkward in there. Young manages to tag in and hits Archer with the Darren Stomp. The South Beach Boys double-team Archer and hit a double attitude adjuster for the win.

WINNERS: The South Beach Boys in 4:45. Pretty uninspired stuff.

-At ringside, Jenny Cash interviewed The South Beach Boys. They just repeated all of their catchphrases before Watson stated they were coming after the FCW Tag Team Titles.

[Commercial Break]

3 – DYLAN KLEIN vs. JOE HENNIG

In a pre-tape, Hennig said he was done playing games and that he was going after the FCW Heavyweight Title. He also reminded viewers that he was a former champion and never lost the title (he had to vacate it due to injury). Not sure if it was intended, but Hennig came across as a heel in this promo. Klein works over the ribs of Hennig with a bear hug and later an abdominal stretch. Hennig broke the abdominal stretch by stomping on Klein's foot. Hennig with the rolling neck snap for a nearfall. For some unknown reason, Rhodes joked about Billy Crystal being in attendance. Klein hoisted up Hennig for a gutbuster, but Hennig slipped free and nailed the HennigPlex for the win.

WINNER: Joe Hennig in 4:28. The crowd was really behind Hennig. Good match.

-A previous taped segment aired with Byron Saxton conducting a sit-down interview with Kaval (Low Ki). If you remember, Kaval suffered a knee injury last February and has been out of action since. The storyline is that someone attacked Kaval backstage and Kaval has never revealed who the culprit was. Kaval looks weird wearing a white dress shirt and black tie. Saxton opens up the interview by asking about Kaval's international experience. Kaval talked about working for Zero-One, All Japan, NOAH, and New Japan as several clips aired from a New Japan match against Tiger Mask. Kaval even mentioned being the 55th IWGP (Jr.) Champion. I guess you can talk about every Japanese promotion under the sun, but you can't bring up ROH. Saxton asked if he still had what it takes after nine months on the shelf. This is sort of coming across like a lame Matt Striker interview on NXT. Kaval stared at him angrily and we fade to black.

[Commercial Break]

4 – CURT HAWKINS vs. JOHNNY PRIME

Rhodes asked Saxton if he asked Kaval who attacked him months ago. Saxton said we only saw the tip of the iceberg regarding their conversation together and promised future installments. I've been watching this show for almost a year now and I have seen absolutely no character development for Prime. Viewers know absolutely nothing about this man. Hawkins chokes Prime on the top rope and nails an overhead suplex for a nearfall. Rhodes acted like he was hollering at Billy Crystal in the audience. Hawkins worked a headlock for an extended period. Prime with a sit-out slam for a nearfall of his own. Hawkins recovers immediately and hits an implant DDT for the victory.

WINNER: Curt Hawkins in 4:37. Hawkins was fine. Prime was just sort of there.

-In a pre-taped promo FCW Heavyweight Champion Justin Angel responded to Slater's comments from earlier in the broadcast. Angel said he makes his own luck and accused Slater of making excuses for his loss. He promised to be champion for a long, long time.

[Commercial Break]

5 – JUSTIN ANGEL vs. HEATH SLATER – FCW Heavyweight Championship Match

Rhodes mentioned briefly that FCW General Manager Abraham Washington was responsible for booking this rematch. Feeling out process to start. Angel stands on the apron to attempt a springboard maneuver, but Slater dropkicks him to the floor. Angel sold it like he hurt his arm on the fall. Slater immediately targets the arm by slamming it against the apron and twisting it over the guardrail.

[Commercial Break]

Angel hits a dropkick off the second rope for a nearfall. Slater regains the advantage by going right back to the injured arm of Angel. Slater drags the champion to the mat and works a hammerlock, but Angel breaks free with a jawbreaker. Angel rallies with a back spin kick and a roundhouse punch. Angel nails a springboard crossbody for another nearfall. Slater drops Angel throat first on the top rope and hits Sweetness, but Angel barely gets the shoulder up on the pinfall attempt. Slater misses a splash in the corner and falls to the mat, allowing Angel to climb up top and connect with his 450 splash for the successful title defense.

WINNER: Justin Angel in 8:49 to remain FCW Heavyweight Champion. Not on par with their first title match together, but leagues above anything else on this show.

-Saxton hyped that next week would be the first ever FCW Super 8 Match. No further explanation was given. Also, Tommy Dreamer comes to FCW in two weeks.

***

Florida Championship Wrestling TV Report
November 29, 2009
Aired on the Bright House Sports Network
Report by Cody Endres, PWTorch contributor

-Byron Saxton & Wade Barrett are our commentators for the evening. Saxton hypes up the first ever FCW Super 8 Match, but offers no details.

1 – ALBERTO BANDERAS vs. TRENT BARRETA (w/Caylen Croft)

This match stems from Banderas defeating Croft last week. Saxton said that Barreta told him he warms up for matches by playing Guitar Hero. Barrett said this was a great warm-up and claimed it gets the blood flowing in your hands, which makes your jabs more effective. Barreta catches Banderas with a baseball slide as Banderas argues with Croft at ringside. Barreta starts to work over the shoulder of Banderas. Banderas doesn't have anyone in his corner, so Barrett referred to him as a "Billy No-Mate." Barreta executes a Northern Lights suplex for a nearfall. As the fans clapped for Banderas, Barrett said the FCW Universe had fallen in love with the Dude Busters. Banderas catches Barreta coming off the ropes with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a nearfall of his own. Banderas counters a DDT attempt and takes out Barreta with a step-up enzigiuri for the win.

WINNER: Alberto Banderas in 5:40. Better than the matchup between Banderas & Croft last week. If they are just having Banderas do his current lucha gimmick, why did he have to lose his mask?

-At the announce table, Barrett said that the winner of the Super 8 Match would earn a crack at Justin Angel's FCW Heavyweight Title.

[Commercial Break]

-The reigning Queen of FCW, Mia Mancini, came out and took a seat at ringside for the following contest.

2 – COURTNEY TAYLOR vs. AJ LEE

Taylor is the former Beverly and also served as Tiger Woods' wife in those terrible skits on Raw a while back. Lee looks tiny even standing next to someone like Taylor. Barrett's new nickname for Lee is the "pocket rocket." Taylor attempts a headstand into a headscissors maneuver and fails miserably. Barrett claimed that Lee was one of the major stars in the film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Both women work over each other's arms. Lee hits Sliced Bread #2 for the win.

WINNER: AJ Lee in 3:50. Taylor was awful in the ring. She makes Tiffany look well versed.

-As Lee celebrated, Mancini walked to the back shaking her head in disgust.

[Commercial Break]

-Abraham Washington and Liviana came to the ring for the Abraham Washington Show. Barrett called Liviana a "smashing piece of crumpet." Seriously WWE, get this man out of the ring and into the booth. Washington wanted to introduce the newest member to the FCW roster, a diva from Lithuania – Miss Aksana. Quick, imagine the most stereotypical big-chested blonde. That's her. She stated that her dream was to become the first Lithuanian Queen of FCW. Lofty goals. Washington told her he was looking for a Secretary of Foreign Affairs with an emphasis on affair. Liviana smacked his arm. As Aksana spoke in Lithuanian, Eli Cottonwood made his way to the ring. Cottonwood talked randomly about loving the fall season, sweaters, apple pies, and walking on leaves. Aksana looked at him lovingly. Suddenly, Washington noticed Gabriel sitting at ringside with a ticket in hand. Washington told Gabriel to inform Mr. FCW that he would face Cottonwood in action next week. If Mr. FCW manages to win, Gabriel is reinstated in FCW. That's a long road to travel to book that match. Awful.

-A video aired on Tommy Dreamer capturing the ECW title from Christian & Jack Swagger in a triple threat match. A graphic then hyped up Dreamer taking on Eric Escobar next week.

[Commercial Break]

3 – DONNY MARLOW (w/Jimmy Uso) vs. DINO CARTER

Before the match Uso claimed fans were looking at the next FCW tag team champions. Marlow did some sort of awkward Samoan war dance. Barrett said some rugby team does the exact same thing. Not sure if it's true, but the announcers hyped up Carter's amateur background and Barrett even marked him as a breakout star for 2010. Unfortunately, Carter was released from developmental in early January. Marlow hoists up Carter and drops him throat first over the top rope. Marlow works over Carter with a two-handed nerve hold. Later Marlow hits a Samoan drop and follows it up with a diving headbutt off the second rope for the win.

WINNER: Donny Marlow in 3:51. Just a glorified squash.

-Part two of Saxton's sit-down interview with Kaval aired. Kaval said time hadn't passed him by and talked about how much he has sacrificed to be one of the best in the world. Saxton talked about Kaval's training as clips of Kaval working out were shown. Saxton finally asked who attacked Kaval and put him on the shelf for so long. Kaval was silent and then smirked as we faded to black.

[Commercial Break]

-FCW Heavyweight Champion Justin Angel joined Saxton & Barrett at the announcer's table to call the first-ever FCW Super 8 Match. Angel said he would love to face someone he has never faced before. Barrett was gravely offended with a third person calling the action.

4 – CURT HAWKINS vs. HEATH SLATER vs. MICHAEL TARVER vs. DYLAN KLEIN vs. TYLER REKS vs. BRETT DIBIASE vs. JOE HENNIG vs. SKIP SHEFFIELD – Super 8 Match

Saxton revealed that this match was your typical Battle Royal with the last two men competing in a regular match for a shot at the FCW Heavyweight Title. Klein easily tossed out DiBiase in the first minute. Seconds later, Hawkins tossed out Klein. Slater back body drops Hennig to the floor. Pretty uneventful elimination for Hennig. Sheffield & Reks joined forces to eliminate Tarver. Hawkins & Slater join forces to eliminate former champion Reks. The final three are Hawkins, Slater, & Sheffield. Slater & Hawkins take Sheffield down with a double-clothesline. Slater double-crosses Slater and chucks him to the floor.

[Commercial Break]

We're down to the last two participants so it turns into a singles match between Sheffield & Hawkins. Barrett talked about Sheffield being mentally deficient. Hawkins throws Sheffield shoulder-first into the steel post. Sheffield mounts a comeback that includes a Thesz press and then some strutting before a splash. Sheffield catches Hawkins with a powerslam for a nearfall. Both men collide and collapse to the mat. Hawkins rolls up Sheffield and grabs the tights for the win.

Winner: Curt Hawkins in 9:22 of what aired to become the #1 Contender. The singles match was extremely uneventful. It's too bad more time or thought wasn't put into the battle royal segment.

-Next week: Justin Angel defends the FCW Heavyweight Title against Curt Hawkins while Tommy Dreamer comes to town to take on Eric Escobar.

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