Location: CenturyLink Field
Excalibur: "Hello everyone! And welcome to CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington as we begin the Path to Greatness tournament! I'm your host Excalibur, alongside Kevin Kelly! You will begin to see us on a regular basis in a couple of weeks as we do commentary for AEW, but tonight we got the privilege of calling this first round tournament!" 
Kevin Kelly: "That's right Excalibur.....twelve of the IWA's finest are in action tonight! All with one goal.....to face the IWA World champion on June 25th at the Summer Sizzler pay per view!" Excalibur: "And what a Field of participants it is! Do you have an odds of favorite to win it all Kevin?" Kevin Kelly: "It may not be popular opinion, but how can anyone bet against the former world champion, Ric Flair? Outside of the title loss to Dusty, the man has been untouchable the last six months!" Excalibur: "He's a man you can never count out for sure, but I'm gonna go with a dark horse and predict The One Man Gang! His size alone makes him a favorite. My only concern for him....is does he have the stamina and endurance to pull it off? But we will find out the answers to that and many more as it's time to kick things off as the Path to Greatness is ready to begin!" Match One: Magnum TA vs Ric Flair They lock up, and do their little slow build amateur wrestling thing. Magnum then hiptosses and dropkicks Flair, and gives Flair a big gorilla press slam. Flair begs for a timeout, gets a short one, and we’re back to wrestling. Flair lays in the chops, then takes a backdrop coming out of the corner. Magnum gets a 2 count. Flair tries to throw Magnum out of the ring, which fails big time and Magnum takes Flair to the corner and kicks his ass. Magnum then misses a dropkick. Of course, Flair takes over a little, and lands a few chops and a kneedrop. Double-underhook suplex by Flair gets a 2 count. Abdominal stretch is then applied by Flair. Flair does his ref intimidation deal, and sends Magnum to the corner, where he punches him a couple times. Flair goes for another kneedrop, which he misses, and then Magnum puts on THE FIGURE FOUR. Flair reaches the ropes. Magnum tries the figure-four again, but this time Flair blocks it. Magnum blocks a Flair suplex, doing one of his own, and getting a 2 count on the cover. Magnum backslides Flair for another 2 count. Flair tosses Magnum out of the ring and Flair tosses Magnum into the ringpost shoulder first. Flair rolls inside and Magnum sunset flips Flair, and gets punched right in the mouth. Flair attacks that injured shoulder of Magnum’s, and puts his feet on the rope for leverage. He does the same thing on some pinfalls, and after a while the referee catches him. Flair shoots the half and transitions to an armbar. Magnum shoots Flair into the corner, and upon Flair bouncing out, locks Flair up into a SLEEPER. Flair falls asleep and goes down to get pinned, 1.....2..... but Flair sticks his foot on the bottom rope to break the count. Magnum slams Flair, and misses a splash by landing on Flair’s knees.
Flair goes for a shinbreaker, and here comes Flair’s FIGURE FOUR. Magnum has to make the ropes. Flair works the hold as well as he can do, and Magnum sells the hold extremely well…and turns over the figure-four, which Flair breaks up by falling into the ropes. Flair goes for it again, but Magnum cradles him for a 2 count. They fight in the corner, which Magnum gets the better of! He rocks Flair with some right hands, and shoots him into the turnbuckle, which of course Flair takes by flipping over the top. Magnum throws Flair’s head into the ringpost, and Flair is busted open. Magnum opens him up with some big punches, and Flair takes some nice bumps off those punches. Magnum covers, only gets a 2. Magnum backdrops Flair once again, 1.....2.... but Flair barely kicks out at the last moment. Magnum then bridges up into a backslide, but only counted 2. Magnum lands his big BELLY TO BELLY, but the referee got kicked and goes down! Magnum has Flair pinned and the ref springs back into action, 1......2.....NO!! Magnum rides Flair into the corner, rolls him up but Flair grabs the tights, reverses the pin, and gets the 3 count! Flair advances in the tournament. As Flair leaves the ring, he is approached by Kevin Kelly at ringside.......
Kevin Kelly: "Ric Flair.....if I may! I think the crowd is surprised by your actions to win that match and it was obvious you had the tights of TA there!" 
Ric Flair: "Kevin Kelly this is a tournament to decide the #1 contender to the IWA World title....MY WORLD TITLE! You do what you have to do to win! And whether these people like it or not.....I'm still the dirtiest player in the game! And im gonna style and profile my way all the way to the finals! WOOOOO!" Match Two: Adam Cole vs JBL Both men are cautious early on. They quickly take it to the mat, and JBL sends Cole scurrying to the floor. Cole comes back in but JBL stays in control, thwarting everything that Cole tries. JBL continues to wear Cole down and Cole takes another powder. This time JBL goes out as well and catches Cole with a boot to the face. JBL hits another one and then throws Cole back in the ring. Cole tries to escape and JBL kicks him in the face again, sending Cole crashing to the floor. JBL goes out again and Cole drills him with an enziguiri to the face. Back in the ring Cole tries to keep JBL grounded to avoid strikes. Cole hits a nice Shining Wizard for two. Every time JBL tries to fight up Cole is able to cut him right back down. Finally when Cole tries a suplex JBL is able to counter with the Lariat. Both men are down. Back on their feet JBL has gained a second wind, and he’s on fire. A series of strikes sends Cole to the floor, and JBL kicks him right in the skull. Back in the ring JBL lands a huge forearm strike but Cole kicks out at two. A series of reversals ends with JBL kicking Cole square in the face. JBL hits a cravat suplex for another two-count. They fight up to the top rope and Cole comes back. Cole is able to hit a rope-hung piledriver for a near-fall. Cole gets a little too cocky and JBL makes him pay for it with a knockout punch to the face for a near-fall. JBL picks Cole up and hits the CLOTHESLINE FROM HELL that sends Cole outside. JBL tries to put Cole back in the ring but Cole makes it very difficult to do so. JBL responds to that with a boot to the face. Cole shrugs it off and hits a release German Suplex. Back in the ring Cole hits the vertical suplex into a neckbreaker for a two-count. The Referee finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and gets elbowed in the face. JBL hits the Lariat and then locks in the Boston Crab and Cole taps out but there is no referee. JBL releases Cole and tries to get the ref up. Both men trade strikes, and Cole hits the Florida Key and the ref is back to count, 1......2.......NO! Cole hits another Florida Key, and then a third to finally put JBL away!! Adam Cole advances.
Kevin Kelly: "Adam Cole advances in the tournament after a hard fought battle.....and we now know that you will face Ric Flair in ten days during the second round of the tournament." 
Adam Cole: "I don't care who I face....I'm in this thing to win it! I'm going to show the entire world why AEW picked me as their draft pick! And if beating Ric Flair and WCW is what's in the cards......that just puts the icing on the cake!" Match Three: Hangman Page vs One Man Gang The Terminus Heavyweight champion, Hangman Page, makes his way out first to a nice ovation. But before Hangman can get inside the ring he is jumped from behind by the One Man Gang! Gang pounds on Page then whips him backfirst into the steel post. Then Gang charges in and splashes Hangman up against the post. Page falls to the floor and Gang hits a massive splash onto Page! The cameras pan to Page and we see Hangman bleeding from the mouth. Several IWA officials, including President Gorilla Monsoon, come out to check on Hangman.
Gorilla orders that Gang return to the dressing room. Gorilla informs the ref that this match will be postponed until he doctors can check on Page and see if he can compete later tonight!
Kevin Kelly: "Crazy chain of events there fans! We hope to have an update on Hangman Page as soon as it's available. But while we try to restore order here, I would like to bring in the IWA Womens World champion.... Dr. D.M.D ........Britt Baker! Champ, welcome to Seattle! And while you don't have a match tonight, your schedule of opponents coming up the next few weeks will not be an easy feat, headlined by the title defense at the pay per view on June 25th against Kris Statlander!" 
Britt Baker: "Kevin Kelly, I know your the new kid on the block.....but take a look at this face! Do I look worried to you? I have held this title for 8 months putting away each and every challenge they put in front of me. Trust me.....Kris Statlander will be just like the rest once I prove she's just like her home promotion AEW..... just another flash in the pan!" The crowd pops as this brings out Kris Statlander!
The two ladies have a little stare down, then Britt pie faces Statlander! Baker goes to leave the ring but Statlander isn't having that and jumps Baker and the fight is on! The two roll all over the ring and out to the stadium floor! Baker climbs over the guardrail trying to get away but Statlander is all over her! Statlander sees a vendor nearby and takes his tray of hot dogs and slams Baker with them! Britt fires back into Statlander and grabs a beer from a fan and throws it in Statlanders face! The two continue fighting all around the stadium until Statlander picks Baker up and hits the package Tombstone!! Baker is out cold as Statlander stands over Britt and reaches down and takes the IWA Womens title and holds it up for the fans!
Match Four: Big Van Vader & Bam Bam Bigelow vs The Armstrongs vs The Sheepherders for the IWA World tag team titles Luke Williams and Bigelow start off as they crowd begins to buzz with this confrontation but Luke tags Brad Armstrong before any physicality happens. Butch Miller attacks Brad and Brad gets a nice leaping arm drag on Miller followed by a hurricanrana into a dropkick. Brad goes to dive on Miller, but Luke Williams pulls him out and throws both Armstrongs into the guard rail. Back in the ring, the Armstrongs are pounded on by the Herders. Running kick to the gluts by Williams help both men out. The Sheepherders get some double team offense in. Brad gets out and tags Bob who leaps onto both men. Double clothesline by Bob. More fast offense by the Armstrongs. But Miller gets a bulldog clothesline on both men. Bigelow is tagged in. Bigelow hits the running clotheslines in the corners on both Armstrongs. Suplex on Miller by Bigelow followed by a Cartwheel kick by the big man on Williams. Running clotheslines in the corner by Bigelow on the Sheepherders now. Crowd pops for that. Splash on both men in the corner, and Vader rams Bigelow into that corner smashing the Sheepherders. Fallout blocked by Bob gets a hurricanrana on Bigelow from the top rope. They dispose of Bam Bam. The Armstrongs go for forearms, but Vader just leans into them. DOUBLE BELLY TO BELLY by Vader. Williams with the s dropkick. Williams distracts the referee, and Miller hits a chair swing to the chair around the neck to Vader!!
The Armstrongs get Miller with dives to the outside, but Williams counters with a dive of his own to both men to prove he can get just as crazy as anyone else. Brad keeps Bigelow from diving on everyone. Brad caught with a pop-up powerslam by Vader and Bigelow. Bigelow climbs the turnbuckles and dives on everyone else on the outside! Vader grabs Brad......POWERBOMB! 1......2.......3!!! Vader and Bigelow retain the world titles!
Match Five: Don Muraco vs Jeff Cobb w/Dan Lambert Cobb takes control early in the corner with a series of shoulderblocks and forearms. Whip to the corner attempt is reversed and Muraco fires Cobb into the buckle. Muraco goes to the second rope and drops off with an elbow drop. Cobb runs into a backdrop and an armdrag, but Cobb stops short of the second armdrag attempt. Pair of elbows from Cobb set up a gutwrench suplex. Into the buckle goes Muraco, and a whip follows that to the buckle. Cobb sends him to the otherside, but Muraco moves out of the way of a high knee attempt. Muraco works the leg a bit and comes off the ropes with a forearm. Muraco locks in spinning toe hold, but gets kicked off by Cobb. Single leg takedown allows him to go back to it, but Cobb kicks off again this time tying Muraco’s head in the ropes. Cobb pounds on Muraco in the ropes then pulls him free and gives him a piledriver, 1...... 2.......NO! Cobb cant brlieve it as Lambert argues with the ref about a slow count. Second piledriver attempt by Cobb is blocked, and Muraco hits backdrop. Both guys hit the ropes and clothesline each other putting them both down. Flying forearm from Muraco connects, and is followed by a bodyslam. Muraco goes for a second flying forearm, but Cobb moves and Muraco collides with the ref taking him out. Muraco pulls Cobb up and applies his infamous Asiatic Spike! Cobb fights frantically to get out. Cobb is fading when Dan Lambert jumps up on the ring apron. Muraco releases the hold and goes after Lambert! Cobb hits a running knee to Muracos back. Cobb whips Muraco into the ropes..... TOUR OF THE ISLANDS TO MURACO!! The ref crawls over...... 1.......2......3!!! Jeff Cobb advances!
Kevin Kelly: "Dan Lambert if I may......as controversial as it may been, your man Jeff Cobb advances in the tournament!" Dan Lambert: "What controversy you idiot? Was you not watching? There's a reason that Jeff Cobb is called Mr. Athletic! And just like I led him to the GFW Heavyweight title..... I'm taking him straight to the finals of this tournament, which he will win! Then we would love nothing better to take another title away from the American Slob..... Dusty Rhodes!" Match Six: Shawn Michaels vs Rick Rude w/Jimmy Hart Lockup to start and Rude just simply overpowers Shawn in the early going. Shawn slides between Rudes legs to avoid a clothesline and peppers him with punches before getting a take down with a side headlock. Rude gets back to his feet, so Shawn slaps him in the face and does it again. Rude boots him and gets a headlock of his own and then slaps Shawn in the face. They start exchanging blows and Rude wins that as you would expect. Gorilla Press Slam gets a great reaction, but Shawn slides out and tries a backdrop which nearly leads to a powerbomb. Shawn bails to the floor. Rude gives chase on the floor and then back in the ring Shawn gets a boot and takes out the knee with a chop block. HBK goes to the figure four. Rude rolls to reverse the pressure, so Shawn rolls with him to get both to the ropes for force a break. Shawn continues the attack on the knee. Rude kicks Shawn off sending him shoulder first into the post and now Rude has a body part to target. Rude dominates Shawn in the corner, but misses a running boot. Shawn dropkicks the knee and bounces the knee off the mat. Shawn skins the cat but Rude murders him with a clothesline that sends HBK back to the floor. The brawl around the ring and Shawn gets sent back first into the apron. Rude with a drops Shawn throat first on the security rail. Rude takes time to play to the fans which gives Shawn a chance to regroup and kick out at two when the match gets back inside the ring. Rude hits a backdrop as Shawn starts bumping like a mad man all over the place. Whip to the corner has Shawn flopping to the apron, but he catches Rude on the top rope and heads up. He comes off with a cross body, but Rude catches him and hits a back breaker for two. Shawn tells Rude to bring it, so Rude bounces him from corner to corner. They trade blows in the middle of the ring and Shawn gets a slam. He heads up to the middle rope, but Rude gets a boot up. Sleeper from Rude, and gets a couple two counts off it as Shawn grounded. Chokeslam attempt, but HBK gets a thumb to the eye. Sweet Chin Music is blocked and now we get the Rude Awakening and both men are down on the mat. Jimmy Hart is squeeling for Rude to cover. Rude slowly throws an arm iver HBKs chest, 1.......2.....NO!! HBK counters another Awakening with a small package for two, but then gets caught with a powerslam which gets two for Rude. Shawn back with the flying forearm. HBK nips up, but Rude mows him down with a clothesline for two. Rude swivels his hips for the ladies and Sweet Chin Music attempt but Rude ducks......low blow to HBK unseen by the ref! Rude Awakening!! 1......2.......3!! Rude advances!
Kevin Kelly: "Another impressive win for Rick Rude..... a man who has been on a roll since being victorious with Jeff Cobb at Survivor Series!" Rick Rude: "That's what happens when you put a "Boy Toy" in the ring with a real sexy man like Ravishing Rick Rude! And im gonna continue all the way through this tournament until I get to June 25th and and break Dustys neck with my Rude Awakening and take that IWA World title! See ya soon champ!" Kevin Kelly: "Alright fans.....can you believe this? I see Hangman Page making his way to the ring......it looks like he is able to compete in this tournament!" 
No sooner than Hangman gets in the ring out comes the Ine Man Gang, charging to ringside! Hangman hits the ropes and does a baseball slide into Gang! The ref calls for the bell. Hangman slams Gang facefirst into the ringapron. Hangman climbs the turnbuckles.......MOONSAULT OFF INTO THE GANG! Hangman rolls Gang inside. Page climbs the turnbuckles again and flies off with a crossbody.....but Gang catches him and hits a side walk slam on Page! Gang hits a splash on Hangman. Gang puts Hangman in the corner. Gang goes to the opposite corner and charges in for a splash...... Hangman moves and Gang crashes into the turnbuckles. As Gang stumbles in the ring, Hangman goes to the ring apron......BUCKSHOT LARIAT TO GANG! 1......2.......3!!! Hangman advances!
Kevin Kelly: "Hangman Page.....alot if people had written you off earlier tonight as at that time it looked like you may not be able to compete. But here we are after a very impressive victory iver the beast, One Man Gang!" Hangman Page: "All not long I've heard guys like Flair..... Adam Cole.....and Rick Rude calling out Dusty Rhodes like they already won this tournament! Keep counting me out boys! You see how that just worked out for Gang! I'm in this thing too boys! And I plan on winning it!" Match Seven: Steve Austin vs Kurt Angle Both men feel each other out to start with before locking up and Austin goes into a waistlock. Angle switches into his own waistlock and takes Austin down then floats over him and rolls out to the floor. Angle shows off his gold medals and Austin reponds by flipping him the bird. Angle rolls back in the ring and both men lockup when Austin applies a headlock. Angle shoves Austin into the ropes but Austin hits a shoulderblock for a two count. Austin takes Angle over with a headlock and Angle rolls him over into a pin for two count but Austin rolls back. Angle shoves Austin into the ropes and leapfrogs him but Austin applies the headlock again. Angle counters into a suplex but Austin keeps the headlock on. Angle shoves Austin away but Austin hits another shoulderblock then comes off the ropes but Angle trips him with a drop toehold. Angle goes into a facelock but Austin counters with a Fireman’s carry into an armbar then kneedrops the arm. Austin applies a standing armbar then rams Angle into a turnbuckle and wrenches his arm. Angle starts to fight back but Austin gets another headlock takeover. Angle counters with headscissors then bridges up into a backslide for a two count. Angle goes for a belly-to-belly suplex but Ausitn fights out of it then comes off the ropes but runs into a elbow. Austinrolls out to the floor but Angle goes out and rams Austin into the ringsteps then into the announce table. Angle throws Ausitn back in the ring and stomps him down in a corner. Austin starts to fight back and whips Angle but Angle rolls him into a cradle for a near fall. Angle hits a gutwrench suplex and follows up with a suplex for another two count. Angle goes for a whip, Austin reverses and slaps on a sleeperhold but Angle slings him through the ropes.
Angle goes out and drops Austin on the barricade then throws him back in the ring. Angle whips Austin and puts him in an Abdominal stretch, Austin counters wtih a hiptoss but misses an elbowdrop. Angle puts Austin in the Abdominal Stretch again then grabs the top rope for leverage but referee Earl Hebner catches Angle and forces a break. Angle starts arguing with the ref when Ausitn goes for a suplex, Angle flips out it but Austin rams him into the turnbuckles repeatedly. Angle goes out ot the apron but Ausitn rams him into the turnbuckle then goes out and rams Angle into the announce table then into the steps. Austin throws Angle in the ring and Angle tries to go out the other side but Austin cuts him off. Ausitn whips Angle and hits a Thesz press then unloads on him with the rights. Angle counters with a rollup but Austin rolls through it and stomps him in the chest. Austin whips Angle and plants him a spinebuster but only gets a two count. Angle rolls Austin up and grabs the tights but only gets a two count. Angle argues with the ref then turns ariund right into a STUNNER FROM AUSTIN! 1......2......3!
Kevin Kelly: "A little bit of retribution for Stone Cold there after Angle cost him a match on Nitro recently against Rob Van Dam!" 
Steve Austin: "It ain't about the retribution! It's about Stone Cold Steve Austin marching through this tournament and putting a mud hole in any sumbitch that tries stopping me from winning it! And that's the bottom line..... CAUSE STONE COLD SAID SO!" Main Event: Dusty Rhodes vs Ole Anderson for the IWA World title This opens as a clean match . Lot’s of counter wrestling . Clean rope breaks . Throughout the match , Ole tries to get a hold on Dusty’s left arm , but Dusty always counters out into something else . Finally , Dusty gets the first serious hold , an old fashioned headlock . Ole tries to shoot him off , but Dusty has it locked in tighter than a police dog’s bite . Ole backs Dusty in the ropes and knees him on the gut . From there he gets off a hiptoss and then clamps down on a hammer lock .
Dusty battles to his feet and gets the reverse . Ole , finds the eyes and sticks his fingers in them . He kicks Dusty in the gut and then gives a short Kneelift that puts the champion back to the mat . Ole now pulls Dusty over to the ropes and drapes the left arm over the ropes and puts a knee in the back of it . Ole breaks on four and half . He stomps away at the arm and now hits a shoulder breaker . He covers 1…..2….. Dusty kicks out .
Ole goes right back on the attack . He stomps away on the arm and now puts on a short arm scissors. Dusty gets to the ropes for the break , but Ole wraps the arm around the bottom rope and stomps and kicks at it some more until Dusty falls out of the ring . Ole goes out after him . He puts Dusty in a hammer lock and goes to hurl him into the ring post , but Dusty drops down and Ole bangs up against the ring post instead . Dusty goes to Suplex Ole back in , but the arm gives out . Ole falls on top of Dusty for a two count .
Ole kicks Dusty in the gut and goes for a falling arm breaker , but Dusty reverse into a DDT !!! Both men are down . Ole is up fist . Dusty gets off a dropkick that sends Ole into the corner . Dusty with mounted punches , Ole turns it into a front Atomic Drop and. Now puts puts on a cross arm breaker . Dusty fights through the pain , establishes a base , then kind of flips over into small package . Ole’s shoulders are down for 1…..2…..3 !!!
Winner and still IWA World Heavyweight Champion The American Dream Dusty Rhodes.
Kevin Kelly: "A great night of wrestling action folks! Culminated by "The American Dream" successfully defending his IWA World title! We started the night with 12 participants in this tournament! We are now down to six! We now know that Ric Flair will face Adam Cole in the second round. As well as Hangman Page facing Jeff Cobb and Steve Austin going against Ravishing Rick Rude! Who will advance in the next round? We will find out on June 12th in Fayetteville, Arkansas! Fans.... don't you dare miss it!" 
. The cry baby’s .