As I was preparing to type my preview for tonight’s broadcast I was handed a note about some apparent breaking news in PWI and HCW. In a memo entitled “2.5.24: The Day Everything Changes”, Brown Inc. and Mmouse Enterprises shared with their staff and talent that “The Final Showcase” will mark a turning point wherein the war will be kicked up a notch.
Starting tonight, EVERY interpromotional match will be counted towards the total Global Conflict tally. Remember that this tally is about that Final Battle at Armageddon 4; the match that will control the fate of – at least – Mmouse Enterprises and Brown Inc. In other words, this is truly huge news, and “The Final Showcase” could shift the lead in the tally from HCW’s present 2-1 lead to a PWI lead.
So, let’s run down the card for the last ever installment of this popular event!
Opening Bout – Tag Team Championship Unification: FTR © v. The IIconics © v. The Misters
In a defiant move a month ago, Mickey announced that the Women’s Tag Team Titles would be viciously unified with the Men’s Tag Team Titles. That positioned FTR to take on The IIconics for what many believe to be a lop-sided contest in waiting. Then, Mr. Perfect and Mr. Kennedy waltzed into the picture and coerced Peyton Royce and Billie Kay to convince Shane McMahon to put them in the match as well with the promise that the Misters would deliver a victory for the IIconics. Peyton suspected ill-intent, but Billie swayed Peyton to join her in making the pitch.
Unfortunately for Perfect and Kennedy, their terrible not-so-diabolical plan was not well hidden, because they discussed everything in front of the damn cameras in the weeks which followed. Now, Edge Court is on to them and one has to believe that the IIconics are too. FTR has been quiet since they initially confronted the IIconics early last month. What is on their minds?
Interestingly, this match – due to the memo that I just mentioned – will count towards the Global Conflict tally since the Misters represent HCW in a match against two teams from PWI, and if the IIconics really are duped, then the night could start with HCW padding its lead to a 3-1 start. Controversy will abound for sure. Keep an eye on this space!
Career Match: Metalhead v. Heavymetal
The Brothers Metal both found their way into the USWA in the second era, and it is crazy to think that Metalhead alone has been at this for just over 27 years (having initially debuted on Christmas 1996 in WPW/NWO Country at the tail end of the first era)!
Heavymetal is Metalhead’s younger brother and has always been overlooked. It is no surprise that this former UWF Co-Champion is heading into this match as the underdog, but that has been the tale of his entire career. Metalhead is a former Undisputed Champion, former USWA Champion, and former UWF Champion. He has held countless other titles as well, but it should not be forgotten that he is also a former EWA Tag Team Champion and former Co-UWF Champion with his brother Heavymetal.
Heavymetal may know Metalhead better than anyone else, and this isn’t his first time meeting Metalhead in the ring, but with it all on the line, Metalhead and Heavymetal are absolutely going to give it their all here! We have known ever since Metalhead turned on his brother back in the fall that we were headed for a clash, and when Heavymetal cost Metalhead a chance at getting back to the title picture it became inevitable.
So, the sibling rivalry comes to its conclusion tonight in a match 27 years in the making!
10 Man Tag: Rhyno, Big Cass, Jeff Cobb, Karrion Kross, ??? v. Slammu, Pac, Legado Del Fantasma
The invasion of HCW launched this past summer set the foundation for this Global Conflict, and now we have two main eventers leading the charge with Rhyno serving as a captain of the PWI team against Slammu as captain for the HCW team. The memo earlier today creates the condition of this match now having stakes far surpassing what we had heading into tonight.
Rhyno has declared numerous times that he is dead set on destroying HCW and helping Mickey end the industry. Slammu stood tall in defiance when he led the Ascendant Class to largely defect to HCW in defense of the industry he once stood atop. These leaders have had numerous classic battles – most of which took place amidst the Allegiance War at the end of the Second Era -, but their tale isn’t the only one tonight.
Legado Del Fantasma has a lot to prove after losing their initial leaders in Andrade and Santos Escobar, and Angel Garza would love to show the world that he has what it takes to bring LDF a major victory. Big Cass was drafted from WWE and he could catapult himself into the next level by helping get a win for Mickey. Cobb needs this as well, as he has been rather stagnant since losing the Ascendant gold.
Then we have Pac. Pac is an immensely talented man who Slammu may have unintentionally overshadowed upon entering the fray. Pac’s star especially burned bright at the outset of this era when he was flanked by Ghostrider. Can he take center stage here?
Finally, what about the mystery PWI participant? What role will they play in the outcome? This match will have more riding on it than we all realize when it finally airs this evening!
Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch © v. Charlotte (1)
Charlotte Flair last unsuccessfully challenged for the title in the opening bout of A Premier Halloween. The champion then was Liv Morgan and Liv had all of the advantages being the Premier Athlete, Immunity Champion, and the Women’s Champion. Charlotte – despite being incredibly talented – had a mountain to overcome in that showdown. Fast forward 98 days to now and the Queen of Professional Wrestling has again found herself poised to challenge for the Women’s Title. This time, the champion is Becky Lynch.
The first time these two interacted was when Charlotte first appeared on PWI programming back during the final preseason. It was right after Becky had retained the gold against Shotzi Blackheart. Charlotte sent a clear message that day that she was coming after Becky’s belt, and now we finally find ourselves prepared to see this clash which has been building since July 10th!
Who will leave tonight as the Women’s Champion? Will Becky’s second reign continue or will Charlotte finally realize her destiny in becoming a champion?! It is truly insane that you are getting this one for free!
The Fiend v. The Demon II
These two have only battled one other time and that was at Motivation X on Father’s Day. In that Fire Pit match, Mickey’s assassin for hire, Finn Balor took on his seemingly impervious alter ego The Demon to put an end to Mickey’s nightmare fuel in Bray Wyatt’s The Fiend.
What happened was that the Demon sent the Fiend to hell, incinerating him in front of thousands of horrified onlookers in Sofi Stadium. Bray hadn’t been heard from for the better part of the last seven months…until Alexa Bliss resurrected him with the sacrifice of Nikki Cross last week!
Alexa had confronted Finn a number of times and warned that “He” wanted to settle the score with Finn. Finn is no longer the hyper-confident bounty hunter dispatched by Mickey to take out Bray. No, now he is a man frightened about paying the consequences for his deeds against Bray.
We still have not gotten a good look at Bray since his return, but there will be no escaping it tonight. This second clash between tormented souls happens – again, for FREE – on the eve of our main event!
MAIN EVENT – Undisputed Championship: Dragonfly © v. FRED (8)
I can’t stress enough how big of a deal this match is. Let’s go over some facts here:
The last time FRED received a title shot was on June 19th, 2022 (Motivation IX) in a Triple Threat Match. The last time FRED received a world title shot in a SINGLES match was April 19th, 2010 (that’s almost 14 years ago) when he challenged Slammu unsuccessfully for the USWA title. But the facts only get more interesting from there.
In their entire careers (which span just over 21 years) Dragonfly and FRED have only been in 8 matches against each other. 4 of those matches happened in this era, and they were all matches wherein others were involved:
September 19th, 2021 at “The Wrath of Mickey” wherein they both participated in the first ever Premier 8 Match to determine the World Title challenger at Rising 2021 (won by Attitude).
October 30th, 2021 at the first “A Premier Halloween” wherein they were each vying for a shot at the Immunity Title in a Hardcore Elimination match (Dragonfly won).
December 19th, 2021 at “Rising 2021” wherein they were participants in the first ever Mountain King Challenge to determine the challenger for the World Title at The Epic 2022 (and, won by Dragonfly).
And March 20th, 2022 at “The Epic 2022” wherein they were both entrants in the Epic Royale won by Ted Brown (after Dragonfly eliminated himself and aligned with HCW).
Their ONLY 4 singles bouts took place in a 3 month span of time in 2008 at the start of the 4th Era (remarkably, they NEVER fought in the 3rd Era):
July 14th, 2008 at the premiere of “Massacre” for the 4th Era, Dragonfly defeated FRED in their first meeting ever in a street fight.
August 31st, 2008 at “Summerslam”, they battled to a draw in their cage match to determine the number one contender for the USWA title.
September 28th, 2008 at “Bedlam”, FRED defeated Dragonfly in a Crimson Car Match to become the UWA and USWA Champion (starting his final world title reign to date).
Finally, on October 13th, 2008, at “A Night of Violence”, Dragonfly defeated FRED via disqualification in their final singles match to date which was fought over the UWA and USWA World Titles.
One last important date: December 28th, 2008, at “Motivation 4” is when FRED lost the UWA and USWA Titles to Rob Van Dam, thus ending his last world title reigns (technically his 2nd and 3rd reigns, respectively).
It’s been 5,593 days since Dragonfly and FRED last met in a singles match. It’s been 5,517 days since FRED last held a world title, and 5,040 days since FRED last received a singles opportunity for a world title.
Why are all of these facts important? Well, because with Dragonfly entering tonight enjoying an ongoing 505 day reign as World Champion (232 of those days as the Undisputed Champion), he is about to face someone with whom he holds an overall record of 4-3-1 and a singles record of 2-1-1 (FRED’s record, by the way, is 1-6-1 and 1-2-1 respectively). FRED is not likely to let this opportunity go by without trying to remind the world of why he has been so feared over the past 2 decades.
These two pillars of the 3rd and 4th Eras are on a collision course which has not received enough talk. It doubles as another interpromotional battle as well since FRED is in the PWI camp and Dragonfly remains in the HCW camp.
Consider that not a single match involving them both has been anything but a special occasion. All but one of their matches against each other involved a title in some respect, and there is no denying how the whole world always pays attention every time they are on screen.
Strap in your seatbelts, ladies and gentleman, because “The Final Showcase” is going to end with a bang!
That’s all for now, I hope you all enjoy and I will see you all back here in less than a week!
World Of Wrestling: Murrey Universe 