Just twenty-four hours ahead of the special event,
CWA: Heat Up Scramble, the Muscle Bombers were out in full force! After
last week's domination of
Aleksey Zalazof, all eyes were on the undefeated living legend and #1 contender,
Victor Ortega.
Ortega's situation had complicated throughout the comeback month as he made verbal and physical assaults on
CWA Heavyweight champion Zangief,
Commissioner Mike Haggar, the CWA itself, and championship contenders, Zalazof and
Darun Mister. At the heart of the conflict was Ortega's claim that his retired reign as champion and undefeated record gave him first bite at the CWA Heavyweight title -- a claim supported by some fans surprised he was overlooked in the return championship match at
The International Blowout!
Ortega finally gets his shot at
Heat Up Scramble when he takes on the Red Cyclone, Zangief, in an attempt to reclaim the CWA title and continue his undefeated streak that currently includes comeback victories over heavy hitters, Hugo Andore and Aleksey Zalazof.
It was the champion himself,
Zangief, who started the show on the back of these matters.
After emerging last week to witness Ortega's violent finish against his fellow Russian, Zangief was in the ring to respond to the #1 contender's claims that he was not a worthy champion. Although he was not allowed to put the title on the line before Heat Up Scramble, Zangief issued an open challenge to any Muscle Bomber wanting the chance to earn a valuable victory to their career. Accompanied by his manager,
Poison, it was the biggest man in CWA,
Hugo Andore, who answered the call!
NON-TITLE MATCH
Hugo Andore (w/ Poison) versus Zangief
If Zangief was going to prove himself as a fighting champion, Andore was the perfect obstacle to do it with! Rarely physically dwarfed, even the experienced Russian had to be in awe of the nearly 8' German Giant! The pair locked up initially in a test of strength, giving Zangief a first-hand view of the man who had an opportunity to embarrass him heading in to his first title defence. Although no greater power came from their brief lock, Zangief was not to be outdone by the giant! It was Zangief's superior balance and speed that gave him the edge, recovering from early strikes from the big man to fire back with a charging 360 lariat!
The Russian had a brief scare when attempting the spinning piledriver proved too difficult, but even as Andore continued to look for a way back into the match with a big boot strike or wild swing of his tree-like arms, the champion was too good. A bridging german suplex gave a strong finish.
Winner: Zangief
Backstage,
Aleksey Zalazof was watching the match conclude on a monitor.
He applauded his countryman's ability to not only defeat a powerful opponent, but successfully retort to Victor Ortega's attack on his honor. The Russian did not notice
Lucky Colt standing behind him also watching. The Floride Wildehorse laughed snidely, agreeing that
Zangief was doing a good job of showing himself capable of winning, casting aspersions on Zalazof's comparative losing streak. Colt, Zalazof's old rival, mentioned that his partnership with Alex had been producing many victories, also. He revealed that at
Heat Up Scramble, he and Alex would finally get to earn their shot at the
Tag Team championships. Zalazof pushed past Colt without a word, leaving the tag team Muscle Bomber to laugh it up and resume watching.
Black Widow versus King Rasta Gomes (w/ Freak)
The wildman Rasta Gomes brought distractions with him to the ring in his match-up against the bizarre Muscle Bomber, Black Widow. His pet monkey manager, Freak, showed more signs of distress over Black Widow's unique style of grappling than Gomes himself! As the two exchanged blows, Gomes regularly turned his attention to Freak at every available interval. In the end, Gomes paid for his inattentiveness with a frankensteiner finish. Immediately after the match, Freak led Gomes away from the ring, cautious of the Black Widow.
Winner: Black Widow
In the locker rooms;
Rainbow Mika and
El Stinger were joined by a bandaged
El Fuerte.
Fuerte explained that the binding on his mid-section was purely precautionary, referring to the severe beating he took the previous week when he wrestled against
Kimala.
With a six-person tag team match announced last week by Commissioner Haggar, the trio were clearly looking like the underdogs against Tag Team champions,
Astro and
Mysterious Budo, and the BWA bouncer, Kimala. El Fuerte offered words of inspiration for his teammates, recalling Mika's victory over Budo on the same night he was beaten, and over Kimala at the International Blowout. They shared an enthusiastic cheer before heading out, but unnoticed following behind his teammates, a quiet Stinger looked slightly less than convincing. It was at the end of Mika's match that El Stinger suffered the mysterious mist to the eyes from Budo, resulting in perhaps still impaired vision?
A solemn
Aleksey Zalazof sought the council of
Commissioner Haggar backstage, in the offices. He expressed concern over his recent bout of defeats and wondered if Ortega's attacks on the quality of contenders were founded. Haggar reminded his former student of the calibre of opponents he'd been facing, competing in matches like the CWA Heavyweight title match at
The International Blowout against one of the most seasoned fighters in the business,
Zangief. Haggar explained that as Commissioner he could not go out of his way to do Zalazof any personal favours, but wanted to give him a shot at professional satisfaction by matching him up with the undefeated Indian superstar,
Darun Mister. He then added that after
Heat Up Scramble a new contender for the title would have to be named, and that the match could really help his chances. Refreshed, Zalazof headed out to prepare for the match.
Alex (w/ Lucky Colt) versus Sodom
The promising New Yorker, Alex, was accompanied by his tag team partner in a match against one of their many rivals for a title shot, Sodom. The elaborately decorated otaku offered Alex a handshake at the beginning of the match, but turned it into the first blow with a devastating trapped shoulder thrust. Sodom taunted regularly, maintaining a slow and deliberate pace with high impact slams on the young NYC Muscle Bomber. A lack of urgency and snide pins with his foot meant Sodom's grip on the match was ready to be loosened. Alex took full advantage of one such opportunity, countering a pin attempt into an ankle lock! As Sodom attempted to reach for the ropes, the Muscle Bomber switched to an STF, but Sodom's mask lessened it's impact!
While Alex locked in the hold, Sodom's Mad Gear tag partner, Hugo, returned to the ring amidst a wave of boos from the crowd. Lucky Colt intervened before Hugo could reach the ring, threatening with a raised fist. Hugo offered a lazy smile and raised hands to Colt, while in the ring, Poison emerged from the crowd and attempted to interfere in the match! Referee Harry Hicks kept her on the apron, but did not notice Sodom removing a sai blade from his costume with Alex distracted by the commotion! The samurai wannabe charged Alex with the weapon, but was stopped still with a boot, before Alex finished with a stiff piledriver! The crowd cheered on the victor and his partner, while Mad Gear retreated back to the drawing board for a second time in the night.
The win marked another positive footnote in the career of this new tag team, who just twenty-four hours later at
Heat Up Scramble would be competing for the right to finally earn a shot at the
Tag Team championships!
Winner: Alex
Somewhere in the bowels of the arena,
Titanic Tim and
Birdie were rolling dice with
Sheep the Royal while arguing about whether or not rugby was a valid sport. Sheep, a former rugby player in Australia, agreed with his UK counterpart, but was too delighted in winning money to break the argument. Just as he raked in his latest winnings, three eerie figures in black robes passed by them. From the shadows further in the basement level, a door could be heard closing, before a sinister laugh and green glow emerged from the darkness. The trio of spooked Muscle Bombers opted to move their game and debate, rather than stick around...
Aleksey Zalazof versus Darun Mister
Zalazof had nothing to lose and everything to prove in his match against undefeated Muscle Bomber, Darun Mister. The Indian superstar on loan from ARIKA wrestling had been on an unbeatable streak in his quest to fight Zangief. It was a clash worthy of a main event, the advantage tipping perhaps in favour of the taller Mister in a relatively well matched pairing.
The pair held their corners as the bell rung, observing each other before walking into a tie-up situation.
Mister broke the hold, slipping behind into a waist lock. Zalazof showed good ringsense, teasing a possible snapmare with a three-quarter facelock that provoked Mister to push Zalazof toward the ropes. The Russian went airborne, colliding with his opponent with a diving forearm. The pair went to the mat, Zalazof looking for an early fall with a fast hook of a leg to a count of only two.
Zalazof brought Mister to his feet, taking a side headlock that again saw him sent into the ropes.
This time the comeback went the way of Mister who turned the momentum into a weapon with a stiff big boot to the chest. The Russian was quick to spring back up, but Mister showed great agility, countering the charge into a sleeper hold. With his massive biceps crunching down around Zalazof's throat, referee Harry Hicks began enquiries to the situation. Zalazof was clearly in trouble, but manage to fight back, delivering a harrowing belly to back suplex! The situation put both men on their backs, but created an equalizer as they both arose in unison for another tie-up!
Zalazof won the contest this time, slipping a go behind into a waist lock. Mister, putting on a clinic, struggled out to reverse the situation, putting on the pressure with a german suplex. A lateral press produced only a two count as Zalazof showed gritty determination. He was able to block a vertical suplex from the front facelock with a hook of his leg on Mister, but struggled to gain any lift of his own. The pair broke, only to unite in the form of a belly to belly suplex initiated by the Indian Muscle Bomber.
Before anything more could happen, the #1 contender stormed the ring, driving his colossal forearm into the skull of Darun Mister! Ortega tossed Mister over the ropes to ringside, turning his attentions onto the fallen Zalazof with the bottom of his boot! Ortega's heinous attack forced the match to end in disqualification, granting the first attacked the victory.
Winner: Darun Mister (via disqualification)
Ortega grabbed a microphone and once again announced himself as the rightful Heavyweight champion. He mocked
Zangief's attempts to prove himself a worthy champion, pointing back to his victory over
Andore at
The International Blowout, which he described as easy. He then turned his attentions to the two men he'd attacked, who were still recovering from the assault and fatigue of their own high level exhibition. He described them both as pretenders and wannabes, worse than Zangief for being pale imitations of himself.
At that moment,
Commissioner Mike Haggar emerged at the entrance way with a microphone and words of his own! He expressed personal disdain for Ortega's methods, describing his actions as undermining what might have been a legitimate point to make. He reiterated that he's a man who believes in the natural order of wrestling and looked forward to seeing whether Ortega could really back up his claims the next night, at
Heat Up Scramble. He then revealed that there would be a match at the special event to separate the pretender from the contender, revealing that
Darun Mister and
Aleksey Zalazof would compete in a #1 contender match! Ortega proved less than thrilled.
SIX-PERSON INTER-GENDER TAG TEAM MATCH
Astro, Mysterious Budo & Kimala versus R. Mika, El Fuerte & El Stinger
The night's main event promised fireworks as the masked team of Mika, Fuerte, and Stinger clashed with the growing rivals led by Astro. The ring leader was suspiciously absent from the ring, opting to place Kimala in action first, as El Fuerte stepped up to face his foe. Despite bandages strapping injuries he sustained last week against Kimala, El Fuerte showed no signs of intimidation, beginning the match with his trademark quickness and rope tactics!
This time around Kimala looked like a flat-footed juggernaut, simply unable to keep up with the acrobatics of Fuerte who used the ropes as a launching pad to strike from all corners! Springboard kicks were the order, keeping the big man off his feet before Mika made the blind tag to launch herself into the ring off the top rope with a moonsault! The high risk dive finally took Kimala off his feet, but the pinning predicament was broken up by Budo with a stomp.
Mika reinitiated the assault, borrowing El Fuerte's rope-hitting strategy, this time to less success.
Kimala caught Mika on the crossbody, allowing him to bring his crushing half-tonne weight down on top of her frame with a fall forward slam. Kimala licked his lips as he sauntered to make the tag to Budo, who spun in circles with a grin. The demonic kabuki shut down Mika's attempts for a tag with a springboard kick of his own, before heading to the top rope for a corkscrew moonsault! Facing the lucha's corner, he danced over Mika's body, before hooking the legs for a seated pin attempt. The provocation created chaos as both luchas stormed the ring, creating a five-man brawl!
Harry Hicks struggled to separate the fighters as they exchanged unrefined punches and kicks! Finally the scuffle was broken when R. Mika collided with the pack upon launching into the flying peach from the top rope! The high risk gambit looked to be paying off, but as El Stinger rose to his feet, he mistook Mika for one of his opponents and levelled her with a snapping kick to the head! Astro moved with uncanny speed and efficiency to knock Stinger down with an unanticipated shining wizard, allowing him to make the cover on Mika!
Winners: Astro, Mysterious Budo & Kimala the Bouncer
A stunned
El Fuerte was ambushed by
Kimala who attacked from behind with an axe handle smash! The BWA bouncer lifted the already injured lucha into the air, creating a double-team scenario for Astro whose jump somersault kick collided with Fuerte's mid-section as Kimala brought it down from above his head!
Astro led his team toward the entrance without so much as looking back at the destruction they'd wrought. It seemed finally the former BWA Muscle Bomber was living up to his reputation! Meanwhile, in the ring, El Stinger was the first to sit up, wiping at his eyes with what seemed to be no understanding of what had just unfolded. The explosive Saturday Night Slam Masters before
Heat Up Scramble came to an end, leaving the heroes looking worse for wear ahead of the second special in the CWA comeback!
June 28 is
CWA: Heat Up Scramble! Titles are on the line as
Victor Ortega finally gets his shot at CWA Heavyweight champion,
Zangief! The Tag Team titles will no doubt go on the line against their lucha rivals when
Astro and
Mysterious Budo defend.
Aleksey Zalazof and
Darun Mister will have a rematch of their SNSM match to determine a #1 contender for the Heavyweight title; and up and coming tag team,
Lucky Colt &
Alex will face unnamed opponents to establish themselves as next in line for the Tag Team championship. All that, plus several unannounced matches, all tomorrow! Stay tuned!
Original Post: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8996488
GREEN LANTERN (DC) 
Theoretically, each H.O.T.W should be inspired by something happening concurrently within the superhero consciousness. So far that's included video games, starring films, and comic book events, and this week isn't really any different, aside from the fact that this topic has been of relevance for two years!
I'd stumbled across 1up.com once or twice through random happenstance in the past, but became more interested in the site via 
