FCW TV Report – 11/15-11/22 Edition

Welcome to the first edition of the FCW TV Recap on The People’s Wrestling Website! Each week, I’ll be issuing an as-I-watch report of Florida Championship Wrestling’s weekly television show. For those of you who don’t know, FCW is the development system for World Wrestling Entertainment operating out of the “FCW Arena” in Tampa. Over the last year or so, FCW has contributed WWE stars like Jack Swagger, Sheamus, Yoshi Tatsu, Drew McIntyre, Eric Escobar, Tyler Reks, Abraham Washington, Savannah, and more.

The 11/15 show kicks off with the requisite crowd shot of fans chanting FCW before going to Byron Saxton and Wade Barrett at the announce table. They hype Eric Escobar versus Yoshi Tatsu in a SmackDown-versus-ECW main event.

Dawson Alexander makes his way to the ring in a new getup. Apparently the days of Dawson Alexander Esq. are over, to be replaced by a man in a skull hoody with a star shaved into the side of his head. This is Jennifer Hudson’s fiancé. No, for real. That’s not kayfabe. He has a developmental deal with WWE. His opponent is Wes Brisco, son of Gerry Brisco, one of about a billion (approximate) second- or third-generation FCW stars. They feel each other out to start until they go into a brief catch-as-catch can sequence with Brisco rolling Dawson up for two. Armbar from the oddly-tattooed Brisco. Armdrag by Dawson, but Brisco rolls through and now he’s got him on the mat in the armbar. Dawson pushes him into the ropes for a break, then snaps Brisco’s neck off the top rope. Apparently Dawson has turned heel? Gotta love FCW!

Clothesline in the corner then a sharp lariat for two. Wes Brisco’s tattoos are throwing me off. They’re like Undertaker and Orton’s arm tattoos… but on his legs. Shoulderblock from Brisco, then a back elbow and another shoulder tackle. Hooks him in the front chancery and lands a suplex for two. Seriously. The tattoos are weird. It’s like he waded into an ink pool. Dawson goes for a chokeslam, but Wes catches him as though preparing for a Diamond Cutter, but Dawson hits a standing spinebuster for the win.

Dawson Alexander is your winner, and Savannah is at ringside for an interview. “Dawson, you have been turning quite a few heads here in FCW. And it looks like you’re ready to take the next step to becoming a superstar.”

“Becoming a superstar? I already am a superstar. I know you watched me on ‘I Love New York.’ I’ve been on like all the major reality talk shows. Oprah, you name it. Cover of the most famous magazines. Even designers pay me to wear their clothes. I don’t know how to tell you this, but: I’m kind of a big deal. I mean, look at this poster…” At this point, he points to the giant banner advertising Florida Heavyweight Champion Justin Angel. “It’s about time FCW realized what a hot commodity I am. I mean, you have a real celebrity right here. So they better get on the same page, ‘cause that should be my face up there. I should be the face of FCW.”

Okay, so they’ve finally given Dawson a gimmick, which is a good start, but his promo work needs some work. It always takes me out of the moment when someone giving a speech or cutting a promo or whatever injects “like” into a sentence. Also, quoting “Anchorman?” Really? Although I guess if they keep this up, they could feud him with Miz when they call him up or team them up as some sort of reality-TV team.

Back from commercial, the queen of FCW Mia Mangini comes out to team with Dylan Klein for a mixed-tag match. Wade Barrett puts over how tough Mia is, saying that Klein is very brave for teaming with her, because he’ll be “sleeping with the fishes” if they lose. Their opponents are AJ Lee and Skip Sheffield. Skip Sheffield is a strange story. He first appeared on WWE TV as one of the participants in the last Tough Enough. He was the insanely ripped guy, Ryan Reeves. He was signed to a developmental contract earlier this year and was brought in as Ryback, sort of a vaguely-futuristic killing machine brought in to take out Tyler Reks when Reks was the FCW Champion. Now, two weeks ago, Ryback is gone and we’re treated to a “new” superstar, Skip Sheffield, who is what Jimmy Wang Yang would be if he were white. It’s so weird. Because he’s still this muscular monster of a man, but now he’s wearing a cowboy hat and firing off lame catchphrases like “Yup yup yup” and “What it do.” Very strange. Okay, time to unpause the DVR.

Wade Barrett hates Skip with a passion, and Saxton makes fun of him for it. The Divas start the match. Mia takes AJ down with a waistlock takeover, then just throws her around the ring by her waist. AJ gets off a couple of elbows in the corner, then a wrist drag. The announcers hype Mia’s big win over Gail Kim last week as she slams AJ down for two. Wade speculates that we may never see the male participants because Mia’s going to make short work of AJ. AJ goes for a sunset flip, and Mia tries the sit-down splash. AJ catches her with a dropkick, and in come the men as a “What it do” chant begins. Skip sends Klein into the corner for an avalanche clothesline. Skip gets Klein up on his shoulders to set up for the Over The Shoulder Boulder Holder (swear to God, that’s the name of the move), but Mia slaps him in the face.

Skip drops Klein and turns his attention to the queen, but Klein hits what I think was supposed to be a bulldog but wound up looking more like a flying clothesline to the back of the head. Mudhole stomps in the corner now and Skip’s “Yup yup yup” is becoming a “nope nope nope.” Klein works Skip over with stomps and punches, then clamps on a variation on the sleeper. The crowd starts to get behind Skip, and he powers out of it, then backdrops Klein. Mia tags herself in, but eats a spinning headscissor. A pair of big clotheslines from AJ, who misses a kick, but catches her on the rebound. Nice spot! Only a count of two, though. Mia clamps on a chancery, but AJ hits an Asai DDT out of nowhere for the win. Nice!

Skip picks up AJ and spins her around as the announcers hype how huge an upset it is for AJ Lee to pin Mia Mangini. Skip dances awkwardly while they hype Heath Slater and Joe Hennig for tonight, former tag partners going one-on-one. This should be good. Both former Florida Heavyweight Champions, both pretty close to ready for their WWE close-up.

Back from commercial, Slater is making his entrance. This guy is very exciting. He’s young, energetic, and he’s got a good look. Saxton says that Slater is obsessed with Angel, the man who beat him for the title. He’s got a puffy right eye. Don’t know where that came from. The “Mr. Perfect” music hits, then turns into Joe Hennig’s entrance theme. The crowd starts chanting “Joe! Joe! Joe!” as he enters. Saxton points out that Hennig beat Slater in a non-title contest when Slater was champion.

These two circle each other, then go into a collar-and-elbow while Wade talks about Slater’s sex appeal. Single-leg takedown by Joe, but Slater gets to the ropes, then shoves him. Hennig gives chase as Slater goes to the floor. A couple of punches, then Joe sends Slater back in for more punches. Hennig hits a Stinger splash, then a clothesline to the back of the head. Saxton speculates as to why Hennig never got another title shot after he was stripped. Barrett talks about how he faked the injury that put him out for three months because he cracked under the pressure of being champion. Joe hits a huge dropkick, very much like his dad’s.

Barrett says that Slater’s black eye coincides with a “massive concussion” he suffered over the weekend. Joe does the push up in the corner, but Slater catches him and hits a sort of reverse Codebreaker. Very nice spot. Never seen anything like it. Slater stays on it with stomps while Barrett thinks that Joe might have internal injuries. Snapmare, then a kneeling abdominal stretch, and Joe is in bad shape. Barrett is really putting over that move from Slater. Barrett’s a solid worker, but his commentary skills are very good for someone who hasn’t been doing it long. Schoolboy from Joe after escaping for two. Backslide for two, but Heath blasts him with a knee to the face, then a double-kneedrop to the midsection. Slater really working the ribs and Hennig sells it well.

Back on their feet, Slater charges Hennig, but Joe moves and Slater hits the top rope hard. Back elbows from Joe, who clutches his midsection after each one, then a big belly-to-belly for two. Joe is very slow to get up, but he stays on Slater with punches. Ref bump in the corner! Slam by Joe, followed by the Perfect running snapmare. Joe checks on the ref, and Heath’s got a chair. Joe steps on it to keep him from using it, then grabs the chair for himself as the ref regains consciousness and sees him holding it over a prone Slater. DQ win for Slater, and he rubs it in from ringside. Very good match with a pretty lame ending. They hype the main event tonight, then talk about a six-man match pitting Angel, Reks, and Mister FCW (???) against Alex Riley, Michael Tarver, and Eli Cottonwood.

After the break, the heels come to the ring. Riley’s wearing his letterman jacket, but he’s without his valet/girlfriend Beverly. Michael Tarver once again works his boxer/MMA gimmick. Eli Cottonwood lumbers out in his Sanitarium jacket, looking like the slow-moving wrestling-impaired hoss he is. Riley and Cottonwood beat Gabriel (former ECW star DJ Gabriel, a.k.a. Steve Lewington) last week to put Gabriel out of FCW for good. Barrett hates Gabriel, so he’s very happy for Riley. Angel and Reks come out next. The crazy woman by the entrance that screams all the time goes nuts when Angel comes through the curtain. The champ asks for the mic. “So, as you can see, there are only two of us. So, as the FCW Heavyweight Champion, I took it upon myself to find us a suitable partner for this six-man extravaganza. Now, I searched everywhere in the back. So, without further ado, from Parts Unknown, Mister FCW!” Good thing Angel’s awesome in the ring.

The masked Mister FCW comes through the curtain. It’s very clearly Gabriel wearing a mask. He’s even still wearing the sparkly tights. It’s like Mister America without Hulk Hogan. Barrett smells a rat while Saxton talks about this exciting new superstar. Tarver looks confused as he starts the match with FCW. Side headlock by Tarver. Interesting (or not. Probably not, actually) fact – Tarver was part of Saxton’s Conglomerate stable that feuded with Johnny Prime last year. As was Lawrence Knight, who is now Wade Barrett. And Saxton went overnight from being a heel manager to the down-the-middle play-by-play guy once Josh Mathews got called up to the big dance. I love developmental wrestling, because they really are throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks.

Headlock takedown by FCW while Barrett talks about his tiny hands. FCW hits a delayed vertical suplex for a one count. Barrett says that FCW’s tiny hands, physique, and “feminine” features have helped him realize that it’s Gabriel! Saxton plays along with the “no it’s not, it’s Mister FCW!” gag as Reks tags in for the High Tide Elbow for two. Tarver escapes a slam, then kicks him in the midsection. He whips Tarver into Eli on the apron. Reks fights off Tarver and Riley, but Cottonwood trips his ankle, causing him to slam face-first into the apron. Tarver pounds on Reks on the floor, then rolls him back in for two. Barrett’s still pissed that Gabriel’s back. Eli comes back in and hits Reks. Then hits him again. And again. Elbow to the head. The ref pushes him back while Riley kicks Tyler in the head. FCW goes for the save, but it allows a triple-team. Big whip from Eli, who tags in Riley. Wow, top-notch work from the bearded giant.

Riley hits a snap suplex on the former champion for two. He steps between Reks and his partners, which was pretty good psychology, then an awkward clothesline to Reks that catches the side of his head. Barrett plays up the fact that hitting him in the side of the head is potentially more damaging. Nice cover-up by the color man! Rear chinlock from Riley, who Saxton calls the Varsity Villain. Reks fights to his feet and hits a DDT. Reks wants the hot tag, but Riley’s got his ankle. Tag to Angel, who hits a pair of kicks, then a jumping back kick to the chin. Riley knees him in the midsection, bu Angel fires off a shot of his own. Riley goes for a leapfrog, but Angel slams on the brakes, only to get tripped by Eli. He’s craaaaaaaaaazy! Tag to Mister FCW. Big European uppercut by FCW, who then grabs Riley for the Vindicator! Mister FCW picks up the win for his trio.

Decent match that was basically a showcase for Mister FCW. Riley carried the match for the heels, and it was disappointing to not see much of the champion. Plus, Eli did a grand total of diddly-squat. Which is probably good because he couldn’t bring the match down with his lack of mobility and… you know, skill. Up next, it’s our main event, pitting SmackDown!’s Eric Escobar against ECW’s Yoshi Tatsu!

Eric Escobar is on his way to the ring as we come back from break. Barrett says that it’s not easy being sleazy, but Escobar is doing a great job of it. Yoshi Tatsu is out next, and Barrett makes fun of his entrance music. I’ve decided tonight that I officially love Wade Barrett. Escobar pounces on Tatsu early with forearms and elbows to the back. Yoshi slides between his legs, then hits a Japanese armdrag followed by a more traditional drag. The announcers put over Tatsu’s kicks as the most dangerous in sports entertainment. Saxton calls Escobar one of the “founding fathers” of FCW.

Tatsu with an elaborate roll-up for two, but Escobar goes back on the offensive with punches and kicks in the corner. Tatsu pushes up in the corner, then a drop toehold and a Mahistral cradle. Armbar by Yoshi that Escobar turns into a whip. Tatsu tries a dropkick, but Escobar dodges and goes back to work with stomps. Barrett says that the crowd goes bananas for Tatsu, which is something he doesn’t understand. “What, you don’t like bananas?” Nice line from Saxton.

Escobar stomp stomp stomp stomps on Tatsu. Thrilling. The announcers talk about the rags-to-riches stories of the two competitors while Escobar continues to stomp stomp stomp knee knee knee punch punch punch. It’s weird. Escobar wasn’t awful when he was FCW champion. Since going to WWE, he’s way less entertaining. Maybe he just works better as a face? Stompy punchy kicky blah blah blah. Sends Tatsu headfirst into the corner, then a shoulder to the midsection. Tatsu sends Escobar into the corner for a running knee. Rolling snapmare sets up a big kick to Escobar’s chest. Barrett says that Escobar looks knackered. “He looks hurt to me!” Saxton is keeping up better with Barrett than he was at the beginning of the show. Tatsu clotheslines Escobar to the floor. Both men are down outside, which I thought was going to be the segue for a commercial, but I guess they’re staying with it till the finish. Escobar sends Tatsu hard into the ring steps. Oh, wait, no, commercial time.

We get a replay of Tatsu hitting the steps. Back in the ring, Escobar has a bearhug clamped on. Thrilling. Tatsu fights out of it with punches. Escobar does a good job of looking rocked by the punches, then hits a leg lariat for two. Punchy punchy punchy. Escobar does a pretty nice crawling headbutt, shades of Junk Yard Dog. Sends Tatsu to the corner with the hard Irish whip. He must have held R1. Yoshi tries to fight back, but kicky punchy knee-y. (Knee-y? Okay, doesn’t work so hot) The announcers talk about how the SD and ECW stars are watching this. I pity them. I love Tatsu, but Escobar is showing me nothing in this match, other than the headbutt. Another bearhug, but Tatsu hits a nice spinning DDT. Both men are down.

Tatsu ducks a punch, then fires off a series of kicks, ending with a Rico Constantino-style spinning back kick, then a spinning back elbow for two. Flying headscissor turned into the Octopus by Tatsu! Escobar grabs the ropes for the break, but Tatsu lights him up with a couple of chops. Kick and knee from Escobar, and Yoshi’s down. Back up, Yoshi heads up top, but Escobar runs underneath him, eats a kick, and hits a Sky Hi on Yoshi for a long two. Nice way of selling the pin by Saxton and Barrett, making it look like the end of the match.

Escobar hits a powerslam, but Yoshi rolls through it for two. Escobar hits the Puerto Rican Necktie, but doesn’t go for the pin because he’s too busy slapping the mat. Mafia kick from Escobar, but Tatsu grabs the bottom rope to break up the pin. He goes for the Mafia kick again, but Yoshi blasts him with a standing kick to the face. Escobar collapses and Yoshi gets the win. Nice sell job on the kick. As Yoshi celebrates, Saxton hypes next week’s main event – Heath Slater finally gets his rematch against Justin Angel for the Florida Heavyweight Championship!

Stock footage of Gordon Solie thanks us for watching, and now I’m going to do the same. Hit-and-miss show tonight that was definitely highlighted by the Hennig/Slater match. I think Slater’s ready for a call-up and Hennig is probably only another month or two away (if he can stay healthy). Slater reminds me a lot of a young edge, and Hennig is doing an effective job of becoming somebody other than Curt’s son. A little disappointed by a lack of Dudebusters (my favorite FCW tag team), though. Maybe next week. See you next week!