Paradigm #21

STRONG STYLE /strôNG/ /stīl/ 1. ‘... A style of wrestling evolved from Japanese Puroresu (プロレス) and traditional British Catch wrestling that incorporates full contact martial arts kicks and strikes with a strong emphasis placed on submission wrestling ...’

Elite Champion: ‘Limitless’ Keith Lee Hometown: Wichita Falls, Texas Finisher: Ground Zero Spirit Bomb Reign: 03/21/21

Monarch Women's Champion: Deonna Purazzo Hometown: Hackettstown, New Jersey Finisher: Venus De Milo Cosa Nostra (Cradle Piledriver) Reign: 12/19/20

Tag Team Champions: Tomasso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin Cleveland, Ohio Finisher: Willow's Bell, Fairytale Ending Gargano Escape, One Final Beat Reign: 01/25/21

LOCATION: London, England (United Kingdom) ARENA: Royal Albert Hall BROADCAST TEAM: Mauro Renallo & Wade Barrett INTERVIEWS: Christy Hemme & Dasha Fuentes

ERIC BISCHOFF comes out and he is carrying the MLW and Paradigm title belts with him.  He has a major announcement.  There will be no MLW title match tonight because he is here to strip Keith Lee of the MLW title.  Bischoff says at the end of the day this is a business, and he reveals that Lee has been wrestling for the last few weeks without a contract, and they have been in negotiations on a new deal but over the last week those negotiations have stalled and both Lee and MLW have agreed to mutually part ways.  This is not how a championship is supposed to be decided because Bischoff feels that Keith Lee earned this championship.

‘JUDAS’ by Fozzy hits and that brings out former champion CHRIS JERICHO!!!!  Jericho says that Keith Lee didn’t earn anything!  It was Jericho’s star power that is solely responsible for Paradigm being in business and he has carried this company on his back since the beginning.  But Keith Lee gets lucky and this company rolls out the red carpet and confetti and shits all over Jericho’s legacy here …. He says Bischoff can make it up to him by doing the right thing right now and handing that championship back to its’ rightful owner because he was going to beat Lee for it tonight anyway.

Jericho is cut off by the arrival of MLW owner DONALD TRUMP, making his first live appearance.  Trump is very polarizing as in life and he gets a mixed reaction from the crowd.  Trump comes out and says no one is going to be handed anything.  Trump got to where he is because he is a businessman, and he’s out here to talk business …. He says he is expanding Paradigm into a global brand and it all starts at TEMPLE OF DOOM.  He says there is where the championship will be decided.  He agrees that Jericho deserves a chance to win the title back, but then he teases a brand new Free Agent signing that he’s been working a long time to sign.  He says the ink isn’t even dry on his contract, and he will be at TEMPLE OF DOOM and he will shock the world ….

Trump takes the title belt from Bischoff and walks to the back, leaving Jericho and Bischoff standing there ….


Back to ringside, MAURO and PAT discuss what we just witnessed.  The reports on social media have proven to be true, and Keith Lee is no longer the MLW champion.  And Donald Trump is here!!!!  Now the MLW title will be decided at TEMPLE OF DOOM, but how?  We know Jericho will be in some kind of match, but we don’t know who his opponent or opponents will be …. And who is this Free Agent that Trump eluded to?  


STREET PROFITS (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. PRETTY DEADLY (Lewis Howley & Sam Stoker)

RESULTS: Good, athletic match with Montez Ford’s crazy athleticism on full display.  The North come out during the match and mock the Street Profits by wearing hip hop clothing with big gold chains and solo cups …. The Street Profits look pretty annoyed, and they take their anger out on Pretty Deadly ….  Ford pins Hawley with the mile high frog splash to win the match ….

POST MATCH: The North then challenge Ford & Dawkins to a match at TEMPLE OF DOOM ….


IN THE BACK:

Ciampa is in the back … He thought he could bring out the real Johnny Gargano, but Johnny is stronger than he thought.  Maybe Johnny doesn’t need him after all, and maybe HE is the one that needs Johnny …. Do you understand that?  He talks about how strong the AOP are and wonders if he is stong enough to do the right thing …. It is hinted that he is talking to Johnny during this monologue, but the camera pulls back and he is actually talking to Candice …. Candice isn’t buying it and she has a disgusted look on her face …. If Johnny left him for dead no one would blame him …. Ciampa says that’s true, but would Johnny be able to forgive himself ….


WILL OSPREAY vs. SHAUN SPEARS

RESULTS: Ospreay picks up another impressive win, showing his versatility as this time he wins with a 630 splash….

Ospreay has his hand raised, but the lights drop and once again Cara Noir makes his grand entrance …. Like last week, he spreads his wings again, but this time when the spotlight comes on it shines on Ospreay …. Ospreay stares Noir down and nods to him, seemingly accepting this ‘challenge’


IN THE BACK:

Shane Taylor promo in the back.  He talks about Keith Lee and says that this is just another case of a company de-valuing someone because of the color of his skin.  Taylor asks what is next?  The MLW brass, Bischoff, Trump, they want assimilation, they want conformity, they want to gentrify the title picture for people only they deem worthy.  Basically what they want to do is ‘white-wash’ everything!  No room for a guy like Shane Taylor who has worked his ass off and came from nothing to be here?  A guy who is un-compromising, un-apologetic.  You look at a guy like Shane Taylor and you have no idea where he came from and what it took for him to get here.  You just think he’s here to be a ‘good hand’.  Taylor says he’s not going to sit back and wait for an opportunity to come his way, he’s gonna take what’s his!  If MLW won’t promote Shane Taylor’s name, then Shane Taylor will promote himself!  And the best way he sees in doing that currently is to take MLW’s shiny new toy, the Openweight division, and take it over.  Remember one thing, a ‘motivated Shane Taylor’ is the most dangerous man on this roster ….


Up next, Alberto Del Rio comes out and introduces Angel Garza … Together they are LA FACCION INGOBERNABLE … Garza is basically playing the Mexican Royalty gimmick that Del Rio used to play, but Del Rio is playing the part of Ricardo Rodriguez because it was Garza that brought Del Rio out of the gutter and restored his pride …. Garza addressed EC3’s actions last week and says they will not be tolerated …. Garza demands a match tonight, but not for himself …. He is saving his in-ring return for TEMPLE OF DOOM … Instead, it will be Del Rio who competes … Del Rio seems a bit surprised as he is not even dressed to compete ….

EC3 comes out and cuts a promo  …. Garza wants us to honor him as Mexican royalty, but what is honor?  Can honor be real if it is tied to your net worth?  Or is the honor he truly seeks in the attention?  The likes, the retweets, the comments, the shares, the overall gluttony of social media.  How do you demand respect in a degrading and slothful industry?  He knows what it’s like to be the ‘top 1%’ like Garza claims to be … but now his true purpose is exposing everything I know about the TRUE 1%’s ….  He looks at Del Rio and wants to know how you go from being an aristocrat, being in the top 1%, to being a lapdog?  Del Rio attacks EC3 and we have an impromptu match ….  


ALBERTO DEL RIO w/ Angel Garza vs. EC3

RESULTS: Del Rio dominates early off the attack, but EC3 rebounds with a powerslam …. EC3 comes back and hits the TKO, but Garza attacks before the 3 count, resulting in the DQ finish.

POST MATCH: Del Rio and Garza double-team EC3.  Garza takes off his belt and whips EC3, then says that he wants a match with EC3 at TEMPLE OF DOOM.  He is Mexican Royalty and EC3 is a ‘perro’ and will bow down to him in front of his people!

 
We get another video showcasing the NATIONAL OPENWEIGHT title …. It is explained that the division is going to be a hybrid of all fighting styles and open to all weight classes …. It is considered to be like the X-Division during its heyday …. The final 4 entries into the block tournament will be announced next week ….


Tomasso Ciampa comes out to the ring alone and calls out AOP …. He basically offers himself up to them and AOP comes out and attacks him 2 on 1 like they did Johnny last week!  Ciampa takes a beating, but Johnny Gargano runs out of the back with a chair and clears the ring to save him! …. Gargano doesn’t help Ciampa up, but as Johnny leaves you can see a smile on the face of Ciampa, like he planned this all along to get Johnny to come to his rescue ….


Becky/ Gina video package …. Next week we will have the official weigh-in for their match ….


We follow that up with the arrival of Valifornia …. SoCal Val talks about the Carano-Lynch match and goes as far as to insinuate that Carano has possibly enlisted her services to manage her …. Val teases Gina could be the next member of Valifornia …. As far as Deonna Purazzo and Chelsea Green are concerned, they are focused on Wrestlemania …. Purazzo says that mind games don’t work when you are the Virtuosa because you are always thinking ahead …. Rosemary and Su Yung have already lost, they just don’t know it yet …. Because Valifornia is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers, and they have the most dominant insurance policy in wrestling in Raquel Gonzalez ….


RAQUEL GONZALEZ vs. ZOEY STARK

RESULTS: Stark gets some offense showing she has potential, but is quickly over-powered by Gonzalez.  She tosses Stark around a little bit, but Stark fires up briefly before running into a clothesline from hell that would make JBL jealous …. Gonzalez then finishes this squash off with the one-armed powerbomb.


The following matches are confirmed for the upcoming TEMPLE OF DOOM show:

Johnny Gargano & Tomasso Ciampa defend the tag team titles against the Authors of Pain
Gina Carano vs. Becky Lynch
Street Profits vs. The North
Will Ospreay vs. Cara Noir
EC3 vs. Angel Garza
The Fate of the MLW title will be decided ….



BOBBY LASHLEY vs. RIDGE HOLLAND

RESULTS: This is a last minute addition to tonight’s show after the main event was put in jeopardy by Keith Lee’s departure from Paradigm …. Lashley returned recently and targeted Holland, who has been on a tear.  What’s more strange is that Lashley has saw fit to do his own talking without MVP’s help … This is a good BIG HOSS battle as these bulls collide both in and out of the ring …. Shane Taylor and MVP make their way down to the ring during the match, but it serves more to distract Lashley than help him …. Lashley makes it clear he is doing this on his own …. Holland hits the Northern Grit, only to have Lashley kick out at 2 …. We get a spot where the ref is out of position and Lashley is in control, but for some reason Shane Taylor slides in the ring and lays Holland out with a King Kong lariat!  Lashley has a ‘WTF’ look on his face, but Taylor just slides back out of the ring and walks up the ramp.  Even MVP is asking Taylor why he did that.  Lashley is pissed, and he stares down Taylor as he walks away …. Lashley then turns his attention back to Holland and finishes him with the spear for the win ….

POST MATCH: Lashley gets on the mic and calls Taylor back to the ring.  Who the fuck is this guy and why is he in his business?  Taylor says ‘Im ‘Shane T’ boy!’  Lashley tells Taylor to stay out of his business, but Taylor says that he works for MVP, not Lashley.  MVP is trying to play peace-maker and wants both guys to go to the back and talk about this.  Taylor says he will be seeing Lashley soon and he walks off, leaving MVP and Lashley standing there and Lashley is pissed at MVP ….

LOCATION: Boulder, Colorado ARENA: CU Events Center ANNOUNCER: Matt Striker & Christy Hemme TV: YouTube

We go in-ring with Matt Striker and Brandi Rhodes welcome everyone to the inaugural SHINE show …. Brandi puts over that she will have a live ‘SHOT OF BRANDI’ tonight with the two women that will battle for the World title at Wrestlemania, BETH PHOENIX and ALEXA BLISS … Let’s go up to the ring and get this night started!  


Shine title tournament Round 1: CANDICE LERAE vs. MERCEDES MARTINEZ ….

RESULTS: This is the quickness of Candice vs. the experience and striking ability of Martinez.  Candice's quickness gives Martinez problems early, but she is able to ground the action.  Candice fires up and picks the pace up a little, hitting an impressive suicide dive into a tornado DDT on the floor!  Candice follows up with a top rope back senton but misses, allowing Martinez to hit a neckbreaker for a 2 count .... Candice counters the Fisherman Buster into a small package, but Martinez escapes .... Martinez up top, but Candice is back up and meets her there and they fight …. Martinez shoves Candice off to the mat, but misses the frog splash!  Candice strikes with the poison rana dropping Martinez right on her head!  Candice follows with the Lionsault for the 1 ... 2 ... 3!  Candice advances!!!!


Shine title tournament Round 1: LITA vs. BRITT BAKER ….

RESULTS:  Lita controls early on, frustrating Baker.  Baker is sent to the floor and Lita hits a suicide dive to take her out.  She tosses Baker back in, but Britt cuts her off with a swinging neckbreaker.  Britt gets the heat on Lita, rallying the crowd behind her as she fires back up …. Lita goes on the offense, hitting a Lita-canrana for a 2 count as Baker gets her foot on the ropes.  Lita goes for the Twist of Fate, but Baker shoves her off into the ref!  Lita catches herself before hitting the ref, but that is all the opening that Baker needs as she catches Lita with a superkick!  Baker hits the Britt-Buster (brainbuster dropped onto knee)!  1 … 2 … Lita kicks out!  Baker immediately transitions into the Lockjaw, and Lita is fading!  The ref calls for the bell!  Baker advances to round 2 ….


Shine title tournament Round 1: RHEA RIPLEY vs. SASHA BANKS ….

RESULTS: This might be the match of the first round, and these two women go deep into the match and dangerously approach the 15 minute time limit.  Banks has an answer for Rhea’s power at every turn, and pretty much out-wrestles Ripley while Ripley relies on her brute strength to mount a comeback.  Banks avoids the Riptide and locks on the Banks Statement, and the fans are on their feet anticipating a tap out but Ripley makes the ropes to break the hold.  The meteora by Banks is reversed into a buckle bomb by Ripley, and Ripley goes up top only for Banks to cut her off with an enziguri.  Banks climbs up but Ripley blocks the super-plex attempt and HITS THE RIPTIDE OFF THE TOP ROPE!  Banks is done after that, as Ripley gets the 3 count to move on ….


Shine title tournament Round 1: BAYLEY vs. CARMELLA ….

RESULTS: With the crowd still trying to catch it’s breath from the previous match, these two turn in a banger in the final 1st round match.  Carmella goes to work on Bayley’s knee, focusing on it for a good portion of the match before Bayley rallies.  A figure four is reversed into a rollup for a close 2 count …. Carmella scores with a superkick but can’t put Bayley away.  Bayley battles back and hits a flapjack, then cinches up her pony tail.  Bayley to Belly follows and Bayley is finally able to put Carmella away to advance to round 2.


The 4 women that have moved on to the semi-finals all come out on the stage and face off in a photo op.  It will be Bayley vs. Candice and Baker vs. Ripley in the semis.  We then go to Brandi, who gives a verbal introduction to each of the teams that will do battle in the next match to crown the first SHINE tag team champions.  


SHINE tag team title Fatal 4 Way Elimination Match: PINK & PURPLE (Madison Rayne & Lana Star) vs. CANADIAN NINJAS (Portia Perez & Nicole Matthews) vs. VICTORIA & INDI HARTWELL vs. VALIFORNIA (Deonna Purazzo & Chelsea Green) ….

RESULTS: This is a huge marquee matchup as 2 of these teams are former world tag team champions.  A 3rd team, VALIFORNIA, will challenge for the world tag titles in 2 nights at Wrestlemania.  The action starts hot and heavy with all 4 teams battling it out in the ring.  PINK & PURPLE seem to be the fan favorites here, and they control a lot of the action in the early goings.  The heel teams keep tagging each other out, trying to avoid being one of the first teams eliminated.  The CANADIAN NINJAS hit ‘Funky Cold Medina’ on INDI HARTWELL and score the pin and we have our first elimination.  The NINJAS and VALIFORNIA team up on PINK & PURPLE, but eventually VALIFORNIA tries to double cross them …. THE NINJAS dispatch VALIFORNIA to the floor, but PORTIA gets rolled up by MADISON RAYNE for the 3 count!  The CANADIAN NINJAS are now eliminated!  It is down to PINK & PURPLE vs. VALIFORNIA.  PURAZZO gets a cheap shot on LANA STAR that allows VALIFORNIA to get heat on PINK & PURPLE, but they fight back.  We get all 4 women going at it in the ring, and STAR sets up PURAZZO for a dive but RAQUEL GONZALEZ catches STAR instead and slams her into the ring post!  RAYNE is alone against both members of VALIFORNIA, but she fights them off and backdrops GREEN over the top onto GONZALEZ to take both of them out!  RAYNE nails PURAZZO and goes up top, but PURAZZO catches her arm as she comes off the top rope!  She locks in Venus De Milo!!!!  RAYNE is trapped in the center and is forced to tap out, and VALIFORNIA have become the first SHINE tag team champions!!!!




Shine title tournament Semi-Finals: BAYLEY vs. CANDICE LERAE ….

RESULTS: Both women jockey for position early and trade several holds that end in a stalemate.  They circle and go back at it with a lock up and show some great chain wrestling .... CANDICE picks up the pace, but BAYLEY shows she is more than capable of matching her .... BAYLEY with a dropkick to the knee and she goes to work on the leg of CANDICE .... CANDICE battles back with a backstabber but does further damage to the knee in the process .... Her knee buckles when she goes for the Lionsault, allowing BAYLEY to hit a bulldog for a close 2!  They end up fighting up top, where CANDICE counters BAYLEY and hits 'Ms. LeRae's Wild Ride' from the 2nd rope!  BAYLEY kicks out!  They trade shots and BAYLEY scores with a German.  She cinches up her ponytail and goes for Bayley to Belly, but CANDICE counters with a small package!  BAYLEY kicks out, but CANDICE goes nuts and hits a Violence Party on BAYLEY!  Poison Rana by CANDICE but the force of the move pops BAYLEY back to her feet .... CANDICE charges but BAYLEY sidesteps and hits a poison rana of her own!  Bayley to Belly!  That finishes it as BAYLEY gets the pin and moves to the finals.

The fans applaud both women after the match and they hug in the middle of the ring as a show of respect.  The fans chant for CANDICE and she takes a bow before leaving.


BRITT BAKER and RHEA RIPLEY come out for the next semi-final match, and things are already getting chippy as BAKER talks that shit to RIPLEY before the bell ….


Shine title Semi-finals: RHEA RIPLEY vs. BRITT BAKER ….

RESULTS: The ref calls for the bell as Baker takes her ring jacket off.  Baker turns around …. AND IS MET BY A BIG BOOT TO THE FACE AS RIPLEY CHARGES ACROSS THE RING!  Baker goes down hard!  Rhea scoops Baker up....... RIPTIDE!! 1 …. 2 …. 3!!!

The fans celebrate as Baker is out cold, motionless in the ring!  Ripley is in the winner in less than a minute!  




As we prepare for the finals, BRANDI RHODES is in the ring for a live version of ‘A Shot of Brandi’.  She introduces her guest, starting with the challenger at Wrestlemania, ALEXA BLISS.  Then she brings out the champion BETH PHOENIX.  BLISS, wrestling’s ‘One True Goddess’ takes the opportunity to run down the ‘Glamazon’ and talk about how she isn’t on her level …. Mid-way through the segment things start to get heated, and BETH stands up and moves to get in the face of BLISS …. However, they are interrupted as the music of VALIFORNIA hits!  Out comes SOCAL VAL and new SHINE tag team champions DEONNA PURAZZO & CHELSEA GREEN along with RAQUEL GONZALEZ.  PURAZZO cuts a promo and puts over VALIFORNIA’s dominance, and says they went out and won the SHINE tag team titles just like she said they would.  And now they are going to Wrestlemania on Sunday and they are going to win the WORLD tag team titles from that disgusting duo SU YUNG & ROSEMARY.  DEONNA says that it really doesn’t matter whether BETH or ALEXA comes out of Mania as the champion, there is going to come a day when the Virtuosa comes for the World title and VALIFORNIA complete their takeover of womens wrestling.  So consider this your warning ….

The lights drop and we get the red glow, but DEONNA says this time she is not falling for the mind games …. She knows SU YUNG and ROSEMARY aren’t here, but even if they were it wouldn’t matter.  She is the Virtuosa and always has a plan, and she has GONZALEZ watching their back.  The lights come back up, and SU YUNG and ROSEMARY ARE HERE!!!!  BLOOD MIST TO THE EYES OF GONZALEZ!!!!  VALIFORNIA is without their insurance policy, and the champs attack!!!!  We get a wild brawl between the champions and challengers for the Mania match as BETH and ALEXA watch on from the ring!  Security comes in and have to be the ones to pull all 4 women apart!    



Shine Title Finals: RHEA RIPLEY vs. BAYLEY ….

RESULTS: We get a huge ‘RHE-A RIP-LEY!’ chant after RHEA destroyed BRITT BAKER in under a minute just a little bit earlier …. Meanwhile, BAYLEY has had the toughest road to get to the finals after 2 significant challenges …. The bell rings and RIPLEY charges for the big boot but BAYLEY dodges and hooks her in the Bayley to Belly!  RIPLEY breaks loose and both women are at a standoff in the first 30 seconds …. RIPLEY muscles BAYLEY back into the corner and lays in some shoulder blocks, and BAYLEY takes some punishment in the early goings from RHEA’s power moveset.  BAYLEY counters back with a swinging neckbreaker, then a dropkick that sends RIPLEY to the floor, where we get some brawling and RHEA takes back over …. BAYLEY gets locked in the Prism Trap but uses the ropes to escape.  BAYLEY would later score with the Bayley to Belly and look like she had the match won, but RIPLEY kicks out at 2!  Bayley to the top, but RIPLEY cuts her off with a super-plex and we get a double down.  BAYLEY fires up and cinches up her ponytail, but RHEA headbutts out of the Bayley to Belly and hits a big boot!  RIPLEY hits a Riptide and pins BAYLEY to become the first SHINE champion!


Ripley is handed the title and celebrates as the show comes to an end ….