WCW Underground 2.22

- Opening video.

- Lenny Leonard and JML, as always, are at ring-side for another edition of WCW Underground. Lenny promises tonight two more matches will be announced for the Great American Bash on 6/30. JML says it's a match a lot of people have been wanting to see and now they're going to get to see it. Lenny also promises a huge main event: Eddie Edwards/Brian Kendrick/Davey Richards/Joey Ryan vs. Brent Albright/Karl Anderson/Naomichi Marufuji/Roderick Strong. Lenny discusses the calamity on recent shows involving the faction under the management of Austin Aries. JML uses "calamity" to segue into the next video package.

- A lengthy video package details the Necro Butcher/Brodie Lee-history. It starts with Necro and Brodie teaming at Starrcade, goes to Brodie turning on Necro at the Bunkhouse Stampede, the fantastic Brodie Lee promo from Dos Caras vs. Jericho 2, and finally Necro's big return on the first live edition of Underground.

Match #1: Necro Butcher vs. Cru Jones
And from the onset, Lenny announces that it's official: Necro Butcher vs. Brodie Lee at the Great American Bash! Necro with the eye-patch is so many buys. Got to feel bad for Cru Jones here. Necro, of course, destroys him. Tons of punches, kicks, etc. On the outside, Cru gets busted open by the ring-post. Necro brings a chair into the ring and unloads on Cru with it to get disqualified! The ref tries to stop him but Necro shoves him away. The locker room empties to stop Necro and we cut to break.

Result: Cru Jones wins via disqualification because of Necro Butcher using a chair
Time: 3:21


- Commercials.

- Back from break and things have calmed down. Lenny Leonard is with Necro Butcher at the commentary table. Lenny asks what state of mind is Necro in. Necro rips the mic from and completely ignores the question, going into a fiery rant:

"An eye for an eye Brodie Lee. That's what this is about. I brought ya in here to WCW, I got ya the big paychecks brother! And this is what ya do ta me? You try ta take my damn eyes from me! Ya and I fought in wars tagether! We bled tagether! But ya damn jealousy got the best of ya and look what ya did? Ya poked the tiger one time ta damn many didn't ya? Ya told the world that ya were waitin' on me. Ya said ya knew that I was comin' and that I'd be bringin' hell with me. Well ya were right Brodie. By God you were right. Because this here doesn't end until I've got my damn justice. This here doesn't end until vengeance has been served! EYE. FOR. AN EYE. I am goin' to bleed you like a stuck pig, Brodie Lee, and ya goin' ta come ta regret the day you tried ta end my career. Look in my eye Lenny. LOOK IN MY EYE! Ya've known me since I came ta WCW, Lenny. Ya've known what I've fought for. I've fought for respect. I've fought to be the best. At the Great American Bash, I'm just fightin' for revenge. Eye for eye, Brodie, eye for an eye."

- Commercials.

- Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team is at ring-side with Lenny Leonard for an interview. Lenny asks Charlie what he's all smiles about. Charlie responds with a heck of a promo.

"Lenny, good buddy, the INK is on the PAPER. There's no backing out, there's no running away! The match is signed - June 30! The Great American Bash! Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas, Wrestling's GREATEST Tag Team - we finally get what we want. And what we want is that little midget Ares and his idiot partner Claudio Castagnoli. But the fun doesn't stop there, Lenny, no it does not. You see, it's not just a tag team match. At the Great American Bash, there's only one way to win: put both of your opponents... Through a table. Aww yeah, baby, that's right! A tables match! You know the Cross must have felt pretty damn good when they put Shelton through that table at SuperBrawl. But I tell you what, Lenny, it probably didn't feel half as good as putting that pipsqueak Ares through a table last week! And the Bash, oh man, those two? Hey, payback has been a long time coming and it's going to arrive on June 30 in the former of some broken wood and some broken bones!"

Match #2: Chris Masterson vs. Isaiah Rain
Standard squash, here. Lenny and JML spend the majority of the match putting over the Bull-rope Match between Masterson and Windham Rotunda at the Great American Bash. Masterson toys around with Rain but ultimately submits him to the Torture Lock.

Result: Chris Masterson wins via submission w/ the Torture Lock
Time: 4:09


- Interview-time, for Masterson. Lenny asks Masterson if he's worried about his match against Windham Rotunda. Masterson ignores the question and flexes, saying that he's the epitome of physical perfection. He says God only graces a very few with the physically gifted looks he possesses. Masterson says that it is very rare in one's lifetime to encounter a specimen of both perfect physical appearance and perfect physical athleticism. He says because he embodies both of those traits, he doesn't have damn thing to be worried about. Lenny asks how he feels about the bull-rope. Masterson says that the only thing that bothers him about the bull-rope is that he's worried that the grease and sweat from that fat slob, Windham Rotunda, might get on him. Good enough, promo.

- Commercials.

- CM Punk is in the ring with a microphone. There's no Lenny Leonard, so this is just a straight promo. The fans are, as usual, split right down the middle for him.

"You know, last week Chris Jericho came out here and he had some things to say. In most cases, I could care less what Jericho has to say. He said a lot of things, but one thing in particular stuck in my craw. You called me, Jericho, you called me a "straight-edge hypocrite." Now, you can say whatever you want about them cheering who they want to. You can, "bring your A-game" and all that good shit, whatever - doesn't bother me. But "straight-edge hypocrite?" Well there, there we might have an issue. You see, before it was just business. You had the World championship and I wanted it. But now? When you start questioning my values? The values that define me? I'm not sitting here in this ring pretending to be anything I'm not, like some man who "stands up for the little guy." I don't drink. I don't do drugs. I don't smoke. I am straight-edge. When I say what I am, I'm being honest. I'm not a character like you, Jericho. I'm not a fake. You want to get into a war of words? You want to start throwing out the truth? You want to call me out for walking out on Vince McMahon? Well here's the truth, Jericho. I did walk out on Vince McMahon. I did walk out and I don't regret a damn bit of it. And you want to know why? It wasn't because of any of that bullshit you read in the Observer, Jericho. It was plain and simple - I didn't want to be Triple H's bitch like you were. Pipe. Bomb."

Punk drops the mic and leaves the ring. GREAT promo!

- Commercials.

- Back from break, Lenny Leonard and JML talk about Punk's heated promo. They're interrupted by Austin Aries and his gang: Brent Albright, Karl Anderson, Naomichi Marufuji, and Roderick Strong. Lenny asks Aries what exactly this whole stable is about. And Aries gets a lengthy promo as well!

"What you're looking at right here, Lenny Leonard, is the elite of pro wrestling. The WCW United States Champion - Brent Albright. The A-List - Karl Anderson and Roderick Strong. The Asiatic Nightmare - Naomichi Marufuji. You see, just like I espouse greatness - so to do greatness find me. And that's EXACTLY what these men are. As the man behind Aries Unlimited, I represent only the finest athletes in the world. You want me see me in the corner of Joe Sixpack or Eddie Edwards, no - I only represent class. Aries Unlimited is the future of this business. We'll start tonight by beating up those losers and then at the Bash, we'll finish 'em off."

Not too shabby, actually. Not the best promo, either, though.

Match #3: The Old School Wrecking Crew vs. Caleb Konley/Sal Rinauro
You just know that one day, Konley and Rinauro will get the Mulkey Boys-treatment. Today is not that day though. The Wrecking Crew mess around with them for a bit, with Pearce frequently yelling at the crowd regarding DOOMSDAY. The end result is fairly predictable, though, as they put Konley down with the Spiked Piledriver.

Result: The Old School Wrecking Crew win via pin w/ the Spiked Piledriver
Time: 5:10


- No post-match interview, strangely.

- Commercials.

The Event Center
Mike Hogewood starts by talking about the brimming feud between Necro Butcher and Brodie Lee. The video package from earlier is replayed. He then talks about a sit-down interview he conducted with Brodie Lee and how unpleasantly it ended. That segues to the interview itself. In all actuality, it's a pretty weak segment. Brodie Lee doesn't fit doing a sit-down interview in this situation. They address the feud, but most of the responses are just too rehearsed. It ends with Brodie knocking Mike out of his chair. This was not so good.


- Commercials.

Main Event: Aries Unlimited (Brent Albright/Karl Anderson/Naomichi Marufuji/Roderick Strong) vs. Eddie Edwards/Brian Kendrick/Davey Richards/Joey Ryan
Well this is going to be crazy. Lenny informs that there will be a special 45-minute time limit because of all of the active talent involved. It starts out BONZO GONZO~! with everyone pairing off and battling it out around ring-side. They get in the ring, with the faces dominating, doing all the fun things where you whip four guys into each other, etc. It finally settles down with Kendrick being YOUR face-in-peril, getting straight MOLLYWOPPED by the heels. It's almost Horsemen-esque the way they beat him up. They focus on the arm, setting up for the Crowbar I imagine. Kendrick gets a couple of close-tags, but nothing successful. When he finally does make the hot tag, it devolves into massive warfare again. Everyone ends up on the outside, so Davey and Eddie take turns diving onto people. There's a couple of near-falls here on the heels, but no victories. Before long, Eddie ends up getting jumped while the referee is distracted by Aries and he ends up being your face-in-peril. The heat segment here goes longer than the previous, actually. Eddie and Naomichi have a beautiful series of counters leading up to Eddie making the hot tag to Davey Richards, which causes the crowd to EXPLODE! Davey cleans house and again it breaks down. There's a great series of finishers where someone hits their finisher (starting with Joey Ryan) and then someone else hits their finisher on them. It ends with Davey PLANTING Strong with the DR Driver for a near-fall, thanks to Anderson. Davey gets DRILLED with the Killshot, but rolls out of the ring to avoid being pinned. The Kings and A-List pair off. A-List dominate at first, but then Anderson gets nailed with Regicide. Roddy hits Kendrick with the Sick Kick, sending Kendrick to the outside. Albright then pairs off with Eddie in the ring as they exchange forearms and chops. Eddie catches Albright out of nowhere with a rolling Achilles Lock, but then Marufuji makes the save. So it ends up being Davey paired off with Naomichi and they go at it. Davey goes for the DR Driver but Aries causes a distraction. That leads to Davey getting MISTED~! and then SUPERKICKED~! which gives Aries Unlimited the big win. Hell of a match here!

Result: Aries Unlimited win via pin w/ the Superkick
Time: 35:11


- The faces check in on Davey Richards as the show ends.