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(As the FBI warning fades, the screen slowly begins to go from black to gray and then into full color as the camera pans the width and breadth of the CSWA Auditorium in Greensboro, North Carolina. The lone arena ever built exclusively for wrestling is bedecked in its full ANNIVERSARY glory, including the most important part, the 30,191 in attendance.
It’s not a record-setting crowd, because almost 2,000 seats have been removed to make way for the spectacle on the floor. Where one ring usually sits as the focus of attention, there are five: one in the center, slightly raised; four others just off each corner, creating an “X”. Inside each ring is a square of movie screens forming a cube. As the spotlights begin to flash around the arena and music begins to play, CSWAvision comes to life, as do the screens within each ring. The camera pans overhead, showing the five ring and five distinct screens.)
I want to run
I want to hide
I want to tear down the walls
That hold me inside
I want to reach out
And touch the flame
Where the streets have no name
(The crowd is on its feet and cheering as a series of CSWA ANNIVERSARY logos flash across CSWAvision at the top of the rampway. As the large screen settles on the CSWA ANNIVERSARY 2006: Coming of Age logo, the screens in the ring flare to life showing ANNIVERSARY championship moments.)
I want to feel sunlight on my face
I see the dust cloud disappear
Without a trace
I want to take shelter from the poison rain
Where the streets have no name
CSWA ANNIVERSARY 1997
CSWA World Tournament Final: GUNS vs. Julius Godreign
BILL BUCKLEY: GUNS doesn't waste anytime, Godreign is stunned, GUNS has him in position....TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER!!! HERE'S THE COVER, ONE.....TWO......THREE!!!! I don't believe it, GUNS is the NEW CSWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION!!
SAMMY BENSON: Oh, Why!! Why!!??
BILL BUCKLEY: GUNS, has the belt in his hands, he's beside himself! Godreign has a chair, he's not taking this loss too well! GUNS steps out of the ring just in time!! He's walking back to the dressing room, with the World Title over his shoulder!!
Where the streets have no name
Where the streets have no name
We're still building
Then burning down love
Burning down love
And when I go there
I go there with you
It's all I can do
CSWA ANNIVERSARY 1998
CSWA World Title: GUNS vs. Hornet
BB: Inside the ring, Hornet sends GUNS into the ropes again...but Troy Windham trips GUNS up and pulls him outside the ring! Troy Windham is all over GUNS, and Hornet and Ben Worthington are just staring at each other!!! Windham throws GUNS into the railing, and now suplexes him onto the concrete. Troy's setting GUNS up for something....but before he can do anything else...Hornet WITH A PLANCHA!!! He just caught Windham and slammed him into the guardrail with a suicide dive!!!! Windham is down, and now both Hornet and GUNS are on their feet. They appear to be jawing back and forth....but not for long...now MARK WINDHAM NAILS HORNET IN THE BACK WITH A CHAIR!!!
TM: He came out of nowhere with that one! One second he was coming down the aisle, then we lost track of him!!!
BB: Mark is going after Hornet with that chair again....but before he can, GUNS levels him with a clothesline!!! Hornet's on his feet...and again we've got some kind of staredown between GUNS and Hornet!!! They say something to each other...and now they've taken after the Windhams!!! GUNS is all over Troy....Hornet's all over Mark, and we've got a pier six brawl on the outside!!!
The city's aflood
And our love turns to rust
We're beaten and blown by the wind
Trampled in dust
I'll show you a place
High on a desert plain
Where the streets have no name
CSWA ANNIVERSARY 1999
IRONMAN of CHAMPIONS Hornet vs. Eli Flair
BB: He is...but we're down to around three minutes left in this one. Hornet pulls Flair up and sends him into the corner one more time!!!! He charges in with the elbow, but nobody's home again!!! Flair grabs hold of Hornet and sends him all the way across the ring into the opposite corner.....where Poison Ivy nails him in the head with that cane!!!!!!
RM: What a shot!!!!
BB: I don't know if Juarez saw it or not......Hornet staggers out of the corner.....here comes Flair! INVERTED DDT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He drops Hornet like a ton of bricks!!! He hooks the leg! ONE.................. TWO................. THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ELI FLAIR HAS DONE IT!!! LOOK AT THAT MAN'S FACE...HE CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!!
RJ: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH AND YOUR NEWWWWWW CSWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION.......TOTAL ELIMINATION ELI FLAIRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!
BB: This crowd is on its feet!!! This is one of those special moments. Look at it.....Ivy rushes into the ring and falls into Flair's arms.
RM: I think Ivy is in tears.....that's one I never thought I'd see.
Where the streets have no name
Where the streets have no name
We're still building
Then burning down love
Burning down love
CSWA ANNIVERSARY 2001
CSWA World Championship: Evan Aho vs. Hornet
BB: Aho still continues to struggle...and apparently so does Teri. She's apparently asking Stanley if she should push!
SB: That's just not right.
BB: Stanley leans down...I suppose to see if the baby is on its way.... Teri just kicked him in the head! What the hell!?
SB: She's having a baby, Buckley...why do you think they use stirrups?
BB: What is Teri doing? She's reaching under her dress..... is she... what is... And Evan Aho has reached the ropes as this crowd gets to his feet! Worthington forces Hornet to give the break. He does...but Hornet's still has the advantage as he climbs to his feet. He pushes Worthington into the far corner.... Ben Worthington hits hard and looks stunned. On the outside, Lawrence Stanley is getting up.
SB: Not for long! KABONG!
BB: What the....
SB: I love it. HOOTERS ARE BACK BABY!
BB: You mean she's not.... but he's.... but....
SB: CAN YOU SAY SETUP, BUCKLEY?
BB: But what's she gonna do next?!
SB: Whatever she wants, Buckley! Whatever SHE WANTS!
BB: Hornet pulls Aho to his feet. He whips Aho into the turnbuckle.... as Teri Melton leaps on the apron.
SB: It's the answer to the age-old question, Buckley.
BB: What are you talking about?
SB: You just have to have the right CLUES.
BB: Here it comes..... HORNET SPLASH!!!
SB: MISS HOOTERS.... ON THE APRON.... WITH A CANDLESTICK!
BB: Teri Melton just walloped Hornet in the side of the head with a candlestick. Worthington's on the wrong side to see it!
SB: A thing of beauty...
BB: Aho's still stunned from the Splash, he's clueless. Hornet stumbles backwards. Aho goes in...kick to the gut. He hits the ropes..... THE AGONY! He nails Hornet with that diving inverted DDT! And here it comes...this crowd is still up.... THE ECSTASY! Worthington dives into position to count it. ONE......... TWO...... THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! EVAN AHO RETAINS THE CSWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP!
SB: And HOOTERS are back baby!
And when I go there
I go there with you
It's all I can do
Our love turns to rust
CSWA ANNIVERSARY 2004: CSWA15
CSWA World: Dan Ryan vs. Shane Southern inside a Roofed Steel Cage
BB: Southern moves and Ryan cracks his head against the mat. Southern rushes Ryan to his feet, positions him...POWERBOMB! POWERBOMB!!
(Shane still has a hold of Ryan’s legs.)
CM: BRIDGE PIN!! NICE!!
(As his feet hit the mat, Shane slips a bit, losing one hand of the bridge.)
BB: (Worthington leaps into the air, flashbulbs go off, and he slides into position.) Southern for the World Title, ONE...................TWO......(Merritt Auditorium counting.) THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
CM: I don’t believe it...
BB: WE HAVE A NEW CHAMPION! NEW CHAMPION! NEW CHAMPION! SHANE SOUTHERN HAS WON THE WORLD TITLE, and these fans are going crazy!!
(There’s bedlam in the old warehouse.)
CM: Southern’s collapsed in the ropes...he’s the World Champion and he’s overcome with emotion! Man tears! Let’s see them Shane!
(Ryan has remained very calm.)
(He feels even better as Worthington hands him the World Title.)
RHUBARB JONES: Ladies and Gentleman the winner of the match and STILL CSWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION, ‘THE EGO BUSTER’ DAN RYAN!!!
(Ryan slides out of the ring as the cage raises. He turns to a shocked Southern and points to his head, smiles and walks back up the aisle to a mixture of cheers and boos.)
BB: WHAT??
CM: (Talking to Worthington off camera) Okay. Bill Ben just informed me...Southern took the pinfall.)
(CUEUP: FULL SCREEN – VIDEO REPLAY – The powerbomb. Southern with the bridge. Worthington counts, ONE.....TWO.....both of Southern’s shoulders are on the mat. A half second before Ben hits THREE, Ryan lifts his left shoulder up.)
(Fans after viewing the CSWAvision groan.)
BB: Southern’s shoulders were down! Good gracious! He’s in a state of shock. I want to say it’s highway robbery, but it was a great call...and even better move by Dan Ryan.
We're beaten and blown by the wind
Blown by the wind
Oh, and I see love
See our love turn to rust
CSWA ANNIVERSARY 2005: Rebirth
UNIFIED World Championship Tournament Finals, Dan Ryan vs. Troy Windham
BB: NOOOOOOOO! WINDHAM JUST GOT HIS SHOULDER UP! Ryan GLARES at Troutman...but now he hoists Troy for the Humility Bomb... Ryan lifts Troy -- HE HITS IT! HE HITS IT! HE JUST DROPPED WINDHAM RIGHT ON HIS NECK!
SB: BUT TROY KICKED TROUTMAN ON THE WAY UP! TROY KICKED TROUTMAN!
BB: Ryan has Troy OUT! Ryan is now SCREAMING at Troutman... Troutman is flinching but sees the pin! WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A NEW WORLD CHAMPION!
CROWD: ONNNNNNNEEEE! TWWWWOOOOOO! THREEEEEEE---
BB: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! TROY GOT HIS FOOT ON THE ROPPPE! RYAN CAN'T BELIEVE IT! IF TROUTMAN WASN'T KICKED BY TROY RYAN WOULD HAVE THE TITLE! RYAN IS SCREAMING AT TROUTMAN!
SB: WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU! THESE FANS ARE TOO LOUD!
BB: Ryan is SCREAMING at Troutman. Ryan now whips Troy into the corner... HORNET SPLASH!!!! Ryan now onto the second rope... HE'S GOING FOR THE HUMILITY BOMB FROM THE TOP ROPE! HE HOISTS TROY.... NOOOO
SB: SLLLLACCCKKKKNIIFFEEEE!!!!
BB: TROY HITS A SLACKKNIFE OFF THE TOP ONTO RYYYANNNNN!!!! RYAN POPS UP AND FALLS BACK ONTO THE MAT! TROY CRAWLLLS TO RYANNN!!!! HE DRAPES HIS ARM ACROSSSS!!!!!!!!!
CROWD: ONNNNNNNEEE!!!! TWWOOOOOOO!!!! THRREEEE!!!!
BB: WE HAVE A NEW CHAMP! WE HAVE A NEW CHAMP!
RJ: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH AND NEWWWWWWW UNIFIED WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION -- "THE EPITOME" TROY WINDHAM!!!!!
We're beaten and blown by the wind
Blown by the wind
Oh, when I go there
I go there with you
It's all I can do
(As the video clips end, all the screens go to black and the lights fade out. As if they’re at a U2 concert, the CSWA auditorium fans are singing “Where The Streets Have No Name” on their own, at least until one lone spotlight begins traveling around the arena randomly… finally coming to light on one of the commentator’s tables near the set of rings. Amplified so that the entire crowd can hear him say three special words, the spotlight comes to rest on CSWA announcer BILL BUCKLEY.)
BUCKLEY: HELLOOOOOOOOOO WRESTLING FANS! (The crowd pops!) This is the granddaddy of them all. Greensboro, North Carolina and the rest of the world…. Welcome to CSWA ANNIVERSARY!
(The crowd pops huge as pyro and the CSWA’s patented laser light show kick into gear. In the meantime, Buckley sets things up for the viewers on pay-per-view.)
BUCKLEY: Fans, we are thrilled to have you join us as a part of this “Coming of Age” celebration of the CSWA’s 18th anniversary. I’m joined, as always, by Sammy Benson. Happy Anniversary Sammy!
BENSON: Did I get married and not know it? Again?!
BUCKLEY: Hopeless as ever. Not as always, folks, you’ll notice that there are FIVE rings in the center of the CSWA Auditorium. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that tonight ANNIVERSARY takes a very different turn. There is only one match on the books tonight… a little thing we like to call GOLD RUSH.
(As Buckley speaks, the fans ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ as three CSWA championships are lowered to their places above three of the five rings. The screens in those rings begin to show championship moments from the history of the title they represent. The cast of Greensboro, Presidential and United States champions from CSWA history are all show on the in-ring screens, while the center and fifth rings show the somewhat shorter list of UNIFIED World Champions.)
BUCKLEY: It may seem complicated, but the premise is really very simple. In mere moments, those four outer rings will be filled by some of your favorite CSWA wrestlers, as well as superstars from around the world who have shown up to take their shot at CSWA gold. Their goal? Outlast their opponents in an over-the-top battle royal. The last man standing in each ring receives the prize represented by that ring – either the United States Title, the Presidential Championship, the Greensboro Championship, or a title shot at the UNIFIED World Championship.
BENSON: I’m praying that one of the belts falls during the match and hits somebody in the head. It’s all about the drama, Buckley.
BUCKLEY: Of course it is, Sammy. That leaves one ring…that one right there in the middle, where in a few minutes, UNIFIED World Champion Troy Windham, will stand by himself… waiting to find out who he will be defending his title against. We’ll find out with him as we watch the four battle royals play out. The top two wrestlers remaining in each ring move on to the center ring to face Windham in a final battle royal. The final man standing in the center ring from among the 42 participants will walk away with the UNIFIED World Championship around his or her waist.
BENSON: Her? We’ve got a chick in this thing?
BUCKLEY: Stop it, Sammy. You already know who’s in here. Speaking of which… it would be impossible for Sammy and I to follow all the action that we’re about to see, so we’re being joined by an all-star cast of our colleagues.
Covering the action in the Greensboro Ring, my long time friend and fellow commentator Stan Parsons, as well as my favorite son, Billy Buckley.
BENSON: Favorite son? He’s your only son.
BUCKLEY: Calling things in the Title Shot Ring, the host of CSWA: ON TIME, John Simons, and former CSWA referee and one of our long-time Spanish-language announcers, Manny Juarez.
BENSON: Because…as we know…he does actually speak English. Except during World Title matches.
BUCKLEY: The furious action in the Presidential Ring will be handled by the best interviewer in the business, Rudy Seitzer, as well as the woman who will one day go into the Hall of Fame as a manager, Poison Ivy.
BENSON: There’s a team that deserves each other. But which one is the woman?
IVY: Sammy, you realize we can all hear you, right? And that even with a bad knee I’m still faster than you if you try to run?
BENSON: Let’s move on, Buckley.
BUCKLEY: Sammy and I will be covering the United States Ring, as well as have the pleasure of calling the final action in the center ring at the end for the Unified World Title.
For those of you who are watching our first broadcast on U-62-HD you'll have several options for this unique event. Here on the main U-62 channel you'll be able to see the highlighted ring of the moment. U-62 has made FOUR other channels available so that at any time you can choose a specific ring you would like to see, or see all four rings at once in split-screen action.
With all that said as we prepare for the kickoff of this CSWA special event and the introductions of all the participants, let’s take a look at how we got here…
(CUTTO: video package on “recent” events)
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