TAP OUT WRESTLING 12: DIAMOND VS STRYCHNINE PREVIEW
Mar 2, 2023 5:23:58 GMT -5
Mongo the Destroyer, Dave D-Flipz, and 2 more like this
Post by Cross Recoba on Mar 2, 2023 5:23:58 GMT -5
PRESENTS
TAP OUT WRESTLING 12: DIAMOND VS STRYCHNINE
Date: Sunday, 26th March 2023
Venue: Lansky Ballroom The Sands Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Capacity: 1000
MAIN EVENT
TAP OUT OPENWEIGHT TITLE MATCH
TAP OUT OPENWEIGHT TITLE MATCH
Jack Diamond (#1) vs Tommy Strychnine (#8)
With the tournament out of the way, Jack Diamond might have thought he'd done the hard work of earning the title but now begins the far more challenging part, retaining it.
Jack appeared at our last show and name-dropped a few of the heavy-hitters that will surely be biting at his heels to keep reminding him that they're in line for a shot. One name he didn't mention was that of his opponent, Tommy Strychnine. Having never crossed paths in AWF, Diamond only has what he's seen in Tap Out and the video from Ascension Wrestling to go from. Will the curve-ball be dealt with? Diamond fanatics will surely point to the fact that Jack earned the title the hard way and came back from a 0-1 starting point at XHF Supremacy to stand victorious at 2-1 when his hand was raised.
Strychnine is enigmatic not just in his character but also his performances. There is one school of thought that believes he plays up to his opponent's level but never pushes beyond that. This match will give him no comfort zone as he'll need to be at his very best to get anything out of this match-up. We've seen him step-up a gear in his last title shot on the Network but can he return to that form nearly three years later? He does not have a weapon in his arsenal that can end a match in a heartbeat as Capone and The Thespian have found out.
Stacked Deck vs Kiss Me Deadly, which will prove to be the deciding factor?
With the tournament out of the way, Jack Diamond might have thought he'd done the hard work of earning the title but now begins the far more challenging part, retaining it.
Jack appeared at our last show and name-dropped a few of the heavy-hitters that will surely be biting at his heels to keep reminding him that they're in line for a shot. One name he didn't mention was that of his opponent, Tommy Strychnine. Having never crossed paths in AWF, Diamond only has what he's seen in Tap Out and the video from Ascension Wrestling to go from. Will the curve-ball be dealt with? Diamond fanatics will surely point to the fact that Jack earned the title the hard way and came back from a 0-1 starting point at XHF Supremacy to stand victorious at 2-1 when his hand was raised.
Strychnine is enigmatic not just in his character but also his performances. There is one school of thought that believes he plays up to his opponent's level but never pushes beyond that. This match will give him no comfort zone as he'll need to be at his very best to get anything out of this match-up. We've seen him step-up a gear in his last title shot on the Network but can he return to that form nearly three years later? He does not have a weapon in his arsenal that can end a match in a heartbeat as Capone and The Thespian have found out.
Stacked Deck vs Kiss Me Deadly, which will prove to be the deciding factor?
CO-MAIN EVENT
Jason Long (#2) vs Random McConalogue (#9)
This match has Match of the Night written all over it with both fighters able to mix up a technical-base with moves that astound and amaze.
Long is coming back into Tap Out after being defeated by his former Icon partner, Diamond, at XHF Supremacy. That being his second defeat ever in a year of Tap Out we have to look to how he responded after his shock loss against Close Collins and the streak that got him back into the Openweight Tournament and into the final without a blemish on his copybook. He knows he wants to get back into the ring with the Champion but admits himself that there's work to be done to get there, can he begin his rise back to a title-shot against the undefeated McConalogue?
Random continued her unbeaten streak with an EXTREMELY impressive and conclusive win against Spike Kane. Her catch-as-catch-can approach has given every opponent she's faced so far something to think about and she'll fancy her chances against Long. To her, Long is a double-edged sword, he lives to compete and so always has a fully-booked schedule in the ring and that means wear and tear and easy openings for her technical and, at times, brutal offense. The flip-side is that with The Catalyst competing over the world, will he have the answers on how to deal with her unorthodox for the United States style?
This match has Match of the Night written all over it with both fighters able to mix up a technical-base with moves that astound and amaze.
Long is coming back into Tap Out after being defeated by his former Icon partner, Diamond, at XHF Supremacy. That being his second defeat ever in a year of Tap Out we have to look to how he responded after his shock loss against Close Collins and the streak that got him back into the Openweight Tournament and into the final without a blemish on his copybook. He knows he wants to get back into the ring with the Champion but admits himself that there's work to be done to get there, can he begin his rise back to a title-shot against the undefeated McConalogue?
Random continued her unbeaten streak with an EXTREMELY impressive and conclusive win against Spike Kane. Her catch-as-catch-can approach has given every opponent she's faced so far something to think about and she'll fancy her chances against Long. To her, Long is a double-edged sword, he lives to compete and so always has a fully-booked schedule in the ring and that means wear and tear and easy openings for her technical and, at times, brutal offense. The flip-side is that with The Catalyst competing over the world, will he have the answers on how to deal with her unorthodox for the United States style?
Poena (#3) vs Sam Sawyer (#5)
Another contender for Match of the Night pits two people who are almost as polar-opposite of the other can be but the one thing they do have in common? They can get results in the ring.
Poena still wants to inflict more punishment on Jack Diamond but that may have to wait, at least this show anyways. After serving a month suspension for assaulting Tap Out staff after his last loss to Diamond you have to wonder what the Harbinger of Horror might have spent his time doing. The behavior that led to his suspension only adds to the lore that he has built in Tap Out with his finger-breaking and limb-damaging offense just one 'SNAP' t-shirt away from becoming a brand itself.
Sawyer's time in Tap Out has been deeply impressive with their win over XHF Legend a particular highlight. Running it close was the way that they dealt with the much larger Merric in last month's Main-Event, their ability to adapt their moveset to their opponent being the key to victory. It's a skill they'll need in spades for this match where the Texan Teenage Talent will need to be able to judge when to engage and when to evade. Their Lariat-focused training in their last camp paid dividends, what will their team put together for an opponent that people say you don't fight, you experience?
Another contender for Match of the Night pits two people who are almost as polar-opposite of the other can be but the one thing they do have in common? They can get results in the ring.
Poena still wants to inflict more punishment on Jack Diamond but that may have to wait, at least this show anyways. After serving a month suspension for assaulting Tap Out staff after his last loss to Diamond you have to wonder what the Harbinger of Horror might have spent his time doing. The behavior that led to his suspension only adds to the lore that he has built in Tap Out with his finger-breaking and limb-damaging offense just one 'SNAP' t-shirt away from becoming a brand itself.
Sawyer's time in Tap Out has been deeply impressive with their win over XHF Legend a particular highlight. Running it close was the way that they dealt with the much larger Merric in last month's Main-Event, their ability to adapt their moveset to their opponent being the key to victory. It's a skill they'll need in spades for this match where the Texan Teenage Talent will need to be able to judge when to engage and when to evade. Their Lariat-focused training in their last camp paid dividends, what will their team put together for an opponent that people say you don't fight, you experience?
The Throw Show vs The Goons
We bring the first-half of the night to a close with a match between a newly-formed team and one that comes with with a huge amount of experience and a reputation to match.
Since the announcement that the XHF Tag Team titles would arrive in Tap Out in August for a defence, Close has set his sights on being the Tap Out representative. The younger Collins now enters the sophomore year of his career after a tremendous rookie year and he seems to be going about getting his first title in a pragmatic fashion. His father and tag-team partner, Tuff, was signed by Tap Out on a spec-deal where he can only compete in matches with his son but his experience will be invaluable inside the ring and more easily applied than when he's ringside for Close's matches. Can they get a win in their debut?
The Goons, made up of David and Ricardo Goon, are no strangers to Network viewers and bring a hybrid style that incorporates brawling, mat-based holds and taking to the skies. Despite this crowd-pleasing mix they're unlikely to win any Fan Polls, they do their best work with a bounty on their opponents' head for them to collect. With rumors that they've been sent to Tap Out for this show by Kingsley Solomon you have to wonder what that angle might be but one thing is clear - Ricardo and David will find any weakness in the inexperience of Close and the ring-rust of Tuff and make them pay!
Tapout Openweight Tournament Prediction Winner's Match
Aiden Merric (#7) vs Jackalope (#4) vs Sticky the Clown (#12=) vs The Thespian (#12=)
A match made by Little Davey from Weymouth, MA and it's evident that he's a Merric fan as we get our second four-way in two straight shows.
Merric was unlucky to not put away Sawyer at our last show but this match looks to be designed for the Bounty Hunter with each opponent having something he can claim as a trophy if he comes out victorious. The chaos of the match lends itself to someone who's wrestling style is somewhere between Bar Room Brawler and a Smashmouth Slugger and we're certain that Little Davey knew this when he made the match.
Jackalope won't make it easy for the Australian though. He has several things going for him, he's been the subject of a trophy hunt before and came out on top, he's fought in the four-way at our last show and came out with a win and, most importantly, he survived Sticky the Clown. Jackalope must know that a win in this match, combined with his crowd support, will make it next to impossible for Tap Out officials to ignore his claims for a shot at the Openweight title.
Sticky the Clown might not have won in the four-way at Tap Out 11 but he did show a little of the horror he can bring to the ring. We saw his 'Trapeze Accident' Gonzo Bomb which from a man of average height and weight is brutal but from someone nearly half a tonne and eight feet? There's a reason Zoi Rousakis isn't likely to appear on this show or one anytime soon. Can he pick up the win in this match? He'll surely be the focal target for the other three to eliminate but if he can survive that? Watch out...
The Thespian makes his return after seeing out 2022 with a loss in his return to the ring. Having taken time off to recover and reassess will that freshness and perhaps a new approach give him the success he saw so freely in NLW? We can't speak for Sticky the Clown but it'll be interesting to see what mind-games The Thespian might play in the build-up to the match and how Merric and Jackalope try to tackle them.
Wildcat Capone (#10) vs Kingsley Solomon (#11)
Opening up the show is a match between two fighters who both look to Japan for inspiration for their fighting style but in two different ways.
Wildcat's a brawler but he does have some elements of what the Japanese call Strong Style in his arsenal. He might be the more inexperienced wrestler in this match but his development is coming on at a speed of knots, helped by his involved in Infinite Pro Wrestling and GUNS Fight Club to round out his game. Though he lost in his last match he did demonstrate his ability to improvise and to counter and rework a game-plan as the fight went on and that spells trouble for all his future opponents. With multiple ways to put his opponents away, can Capone start his rise back up the Tap Out Rankings with a win over Solomon?
Kingsley will be coming into the match a little fresher than his opponent having had the last show off to deal with SCCW Sinners & Saints Cup. His Japanese influence is in the speed-based moves that he takes his opponents down with and that quickness might be the key to him getting a win in this one. Another factor that works in his favor is his ability to improvise, adapt, and innovate with his moveset growing match-on-match it makes him an already mysterious man even more difficult to prepare for.
We bring the first-half of the night to a close with a match between a newly-formed team and one that comes with with a huge amount of experience and a reputation to match.
Since the announcement that the XHF Tag Team titles would arrive in Tap Out in August for a defence, Close has set his sights on being the Tap Out representative. The younger Collins now enters the sophomore year of his career after a tremendous rookie year and he seems to be going about getting his first title in a pragmatic fashion. His father and tag-team partner, Tuff, was signed by Tap Out on a spec-deal where he can only compete in matches with his son but his experience will be invaluable inside the ring and more easily applied than when he's ringside for Close's matches. Can they get a win in their debut?
The Goons, made up of David and Ricardo Goon, are no strangers to Network viewers and bring a hybrid style that incorporates brawling, mat-based holds and taking to the skies. Despite this crowd-pleasing mix they're unlikely to win any Fan Polls, they do their best work with a bounty on their opponents' head for them to collect. With rumors that they've been sent to Tap Out for this show by Kingsley Solomon you have to wonder what that angle might be but one thing is clear - Ricardo and David will find any weakness in the inexperience of Close and the ring-rust of Tuff and make them pay!
Tapout Openweight Tournament Prediction Winner's Match
Aiden Merric (#7) vs Jackalope (#4) vs Sticky the Clown (#12=) vs The Thespian (#12=)
A match made by Little Davey from Weymouth, MA and it's evident that he's a Merric fan as we get our second four-way in two straight shows.
Merric was unlucky to not put away Sawyer at our last show but this match looks to be designed for the Bounty Hunter with each opponent having something he can claim as a trophy if he comes out victorious. The chaos of the match lends itself to someone who's wrestling style is somewhere between Bar Room Brawler and a Smashmouth Slugger and we're certain that Little Davey knew this when he made the match.
Jackalope won't make it easy for the Australian though. He has several things going for him, he's been the subject of a trophy hunt before and came out on top, he's fought in the four-way at our last show and came out with a win and, most importantly, he survived Sticky the Clown. Jackalope must know that a win in this match, combined with his crowd support, will make it next to impossible for Tap Out officials to ignore his claims for a shot at the Openweight title.
Sticky the Clown might not have won in the four-way at Tap Out 11 but he did show a little of the horror he can bring to the ring. We saw his 'Trapeze Accident' Gonzo Bomb which from a man of average height and weight is brutal but from someone nearly half a tonne and eight feet? There's a reason Zoi Rousakis isn't likely to appear on this show or one anytime soon. Can he pick up the win in this match? He'll surely be the focal target for the other three to eliminate but if he can survive that? Watch out...
The Thespian makes his return after seeing out 2022 with a loss in his return to the ring. Having taken time off to recover and reassess will that freshness and perhaps a new approach give him the success he saw so freely in NLW? We can't speak for Sticky the Clown but it'll be interesting to see what mind-games The Thespian might play in the build-up to the match and how Merric and Jackalope try to tackle them.
Wildcat Capone (#10) vs Kingsley Solomon (#11)
Opening up the show is a match between two fighters who both look to Japan for inspiration for their fighting style but in two different ways.
Wildcat's a brawler but he does have some elements of what the Japanese call Strong Style in his arsenal. He might be the more inexperienced wrestler in this match but his development is coming on at a speed of knots, helped by his involved in Infinite Pro Wrestling and GUNS Fight Club to round out his game. Though he lost in his last match he did demonstrate his ability to improvise and to counter and rework a game-plan as the fight went on and that spells trouble for all his future opponents. With multiple ways to put his opponents away, can Capone start his rise back up the Tap Out Rankings with a win over Solomon?
Kingsley will be coming into the match a little fresher than his opponent having had the last show off to deal with SCCW Sinners & Saints Cup. His Japanese influence is in the speed-based moves that he takes his opponents down with and that quickness might be the key to him getting a win in this one. Another factor that works in his favor is his ability to improvise, adapt, and innovate with his moveset growing match-on-match it makes him an already mysterious man even more difficult to prepare for.
PLUS
Half-time show: TBC
* Who will announce their entry into the XHF Rumble in April?
* With one spot opening up on the roster, will we see any surprise debuts or returns?
* Who will announce their entry into the XHF Rumble in April?
* With one spot opening up on the roster, will we see any surprise debuts or returns?
Promo Deadline: 3/24 - 5 AM (GMT) ||3/24 - Midnight (EST)
Segment Deadline - 3/24 - 5 AM (GMT) || 3/24 - Midnight (EST)
RP Limits: 2 Promos @ 2k a piece
(NOTE: ONLY ONE PROMO PER HANDLER ACCEPTED IN THE LAST 24 HOURS OF DEADLINE)