SHOTS FIRED

Derrick Cole begins the show explaining why he took out Will Ospreay last Friday: he was tired of what he perceives as disrespect by Storm wrestlers. He made thinly-veiled threats toward Storm and warned everyone that now is the time to take sides.

Our first match sees Jackel back for the first time since an unsuccessful challenge for the RAW Title taking on Scott Danielson. Jackel looked as good as ever, dropping Danielson with the Face Crusher to win.

Backstage, Devon and Kurt Andrews lay out their plans for the future. Kurt seems to want money, power and influence while Devon wants the Academy title to hurt Lancelot.

Back in the ring, the RAW Tournament begins with Igris against the debuting Chris Alexa. Alexa is a complete unknown and a real challenge for Igris in this tournament but the protegee was on top of things, hitting the debutant with the Reaper’s Embrace to win and advance. After the match though, the war may have started. Zack Sabre Jr from Storm hit the ring and bashed Igris with a chair before locking him in the Cattle Mutilation. Storm left the young man laying in the ring as Storm takes its first shot at the Academy.

Lieter battles Yamamoto Kobayashi with both men’s partners banned from the arena. Kobayashi looked the better singles wrestler after hitting Lieter with the Graveyard Shift but Lieter, as always, was too devious for the member of Island Naiton. An “inadvertent” punch from Lieter connected with the ref, dazing him for a few seconds which allowed Lieter to dust Kobayashi with some brass knuckles. The former tag champ finished off the match with the Call From Olympus.

Chris Danger is back in GAW and, as always, has big plans to increase his fame. What exactly he plans to do and how that intersects with the brewing war between Storm and the Academy he didn’t say.

In the main event, MidNight takes on Ramon Gutierrez as the RAW champ continues his dominant run. Gutierrez put up an incredible fight against the champ as he used his exceptional speed and athleticism to get the advantage. But Gutierrez learned, as so many others have, you can’t outclass MidNight. The RAW champ hit the challenger with the Yankee Destroyer to win and retain.

After the match, Lancelot came out to deliver an impassioned speech to the Academy faithful. He said all Storm can do is make the Academy stronger and that they have no idea what they’ve unleashed. He left us with these words: “what comes next won’t be a warning shot.”