Night Two delivers action and drama at The Crockett Cup 2023

Posted by Tommy "Milagro" Martinez | Jun 5, 2023

It's Night Two of The Crockett Cup and after last night whoever is going to win, know that your pick isn't the one. There were upsets aplenty and surprises galore on Night One of the legendary tournament. Can the second night of this double pay-per-view top it?

We’ll find out as we head to YouTube for the…

And we are still at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds in Winston-Salem, NC. Joe Galli and Tim Storm start out with a…

This match is where the remaining team could earn the NWA US Tag Team titles. Magnum Muscle and The Now start, and Draper and Mims beat them with a Suplex/front suplex combo to eliminate the team. Next is The Fixers and they go for smash mouth offense, but a sneak tag has Draper dropkick Mims onto Legursky and he gets the pin. Next is Talos and Daisy Kill, and chicanery abounds as Kill attacks from behind. A choke slam to Draper by Talos ends their run. Now TNT comes in the ring and Kill and Talos run roughshod over the Hughes brothers. The brothers send Talos out and deliver the 3-D to Kill to eliminate that team.

The Spectaculars come out (Bray Pierce and Rolando Freeman…no Rush Freeman in sight). Rolando hits the Biggest Boot, and Pierce delivers an elbow drop to eliminate TNT for the gauntlet. Up next are The SVGS and they have a huge chip on their shoulder. Rolando ducks away and Pierce is the focus of the attacks. Rolando comes in with Biggest Boot, but Dane pops the trunk and it's so long Spectaculars. Los Vipers come out, and they are lucharific against the SVGs. But it's all for naught as Troop gets a superplex on Toxin, and a Troop-plex secures the win. The final team is The Country Gentleman, and they revive their match from NWA 312. Troop gets Andrews in a seated guillotine choke, but Cazana comes in and delivers the Dead to Rights finisher, and they win the whole thing.

Next up is…

Courtesy of the NWA.

Mason seems to have a different attitude after his loss on Night One, and no Pollo Del Mar is at his side. Galli mentions the "Southern Six", which were the six wrestlers from the Tenessee area that made the trip down to Australia last month as part of The World Is A Vampire tour. As for the match, this is a bulldog against a bloodhound, and Mason still has that dog in him. They brawl in and out of the ring and Mason slams his head on Galli's hand on the commentary table. Mason delivers with a Thrillride outta nowhere and gets the win.

And we turn to the women for a championship bout for the…

Courtesy of the NWA.

This is mostly a one-sided affair as Love fights for the majority of the match. Once Max finally tags in, the Non-Binary Nightmare proceeds to decimate Kate and Madi. M95 double teams Max but can't quite get the job done. Love comes back in and attempts the Botox Injection and misses the mark. Kate delivers the Kick-fil-a and covers to retain the titles.

Kyle Davis interviews the Midnight Riders, and they are looking to be the best tag team in the world, even though Tyrus mentions he still holds the Twelve Pounds of Gold (and that's still too soon for Adonis). Nuff said.

That brings us to the final match of the pre-show, and it's another championship bout for the…

Courtesy of the NWA.

Because this is a PPV, Galli notes the 6:05 time limit doesn't apply, but the rest of the rules do for the Television title. Paige is aggressive to the challenger and she snapmares Jay by the hair. She retaliates with a leg drop to the champ, but Paige throws her face first to the middle turnbuckle. She locks Jay in a sleeper but manages to fight out of the submission and gets a clothesline to a dropkick and follows with a face-first front suplex to cover for a two count. Jay comes back and nails the Chaos Theory (rolling German suplex) on Paige for another close two count. As Paige nails a thrust kick, she pulls up lame. As the ref checks on her, Kylie Paige comes in and gives a basement dropkick to Jay hanging on the ropes, and the ref sees this and calls the match.

Because the title doesn't change on a DQ, Kenzie keeps her belt.

That concludes the pre-show and we head to…

Now Galli, Storm, and Velvet Sky have the call, and this is now your official start of Night Two that looks to be Spellbinding. We get a breakdown of the teams still in the tournament as we head to the…

Courtesy of the NWA.

Now, before we begin, know that the recap of the Tag matches will be brief as this is another loaded PPV full of action. When it gets to the singles action and the Semis and Final of the Cup, it’ll be more in-depth.

With that, the First Match of the Night begins with…

Typical of any tournament, there's gonna be a bunch of clowns you gotta sit through and watch. Speaking of which, who's following the Miami Heat/Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals?

(Thenkyew! I’m here all week! Try the nachos, and tip yer wait staff!)

Myzteziz starts with Yabo who has…a balloon sword, and he bursts that balloon. From there, lucha libre rules and they land stereo tope suicidas on The Brothers. Ruffo and Yabo start to come back, which leads to more dad jokes from Tim Storm ("You think Octagon noticed that boot tasted funny?" Zing.) Nevertheless, the clowns are still dangerous and keep Myzteziz grounded. But he manages to get the tag to Octagon and he delivers the Phoenix splash on Yabo to send out the clowns.

Now we go to…

As The Mortons come to the ring, Bobby Fulton comes out to talk about their rule-breaking last night, but Ricky and Kerry tell him off. In the ring, Ricky and Murdoch start out and Murdoch extends his hand but the elder Morton ain't trusting it. Murdoch walks over to the corner, and as the ref deals with Kerry trying to enter the ring, Ricky low blows him in the…err, little Murdochs and he and Kerry embrace the Drak Side of Tag Team wrestling and take full advantage focusing on his nether region/lower abdomen. This goes on until Murdoch nails a spinebuster to the younger Morton, and he crawls over for the hot tag, and Knox is an Outlaw en Fuego. The match goes all over until Ricky is sent out and Kerry receives a pop-up powerbomb from Murdoch and then Knox and Murdoch go with their high/low finisher, and it's "So long, Mortons."

Davis interviews both men in the ring after the match, and Knox says whoever they face next, "Mikey Likey Punchy." Simple enough for me.

The next team looking to move up in The Crockett Cup next is…

The Midnight Riders (Tyrus and Chris Adonis) vs. The Immortals (Kratos and Odinson)

With these four men in the ring, this match looks to go to the land of the big uglies. Kratos and Tyrus start and the champ notes to The Most Feared it's been a while, as Kratos gestures to bring it on. Both men give forearm shivers and Kratos is in control until Tyrus jabs away. He then tags in Adonis and he works on the arm and shoulder of Kratos. He tags back to Tyrus but then his knee buckles, and Kratos pounces and slams the big man for a two-count. Odinson comes in and targets the bad knee and gives some Asgardian uppercuts to the champ. Kratos comes back in and Tyrus gets an exploder suplex to create separation in the ring. He makes the tag to Adonis and he runs rampant over The Immortals. Kratos attacks Tyrus outside the ring, and Adonis cinches the Masterlock on Odinson and he passes out from the pressure of the submission.

Tyrus is still pulling up lame. When Davis comes over and asks if he can continue, Tyrus stares at him and advises him never to ask that again. He states they’ll fight to the end. Nuff said.

Galli notes there were many legends in attendance at The Crockett Cup Fan Fest, and Davis introduces legendary referee Tommy Young to the ring, who called matches for Jim Crockett Promotions back in the day.

With that break, the last team is…

As La Rebelion starts to head to the ring, Blunt Force Trauma attacks right away, and then Bestia is thrown into the squared circle and the match officially begins. Carnage drapes him on the top rope to the abdomen and keeps him isolated, making him a Rebelion in Peril. The Tijuana Gremlin fights his way out of the corner and gets the hot tag to Mecha and he is a Wolf en Fuego. Both men deal stereo enzugiris and send Blunt Force Trauma outside as they launch with double tope suicidas. Stevens tries to interfere, and as Mecha Wolf makes him cower Vampiro goes up top for a corkscrew senton but he gets shoved off by Carnage. Now, Blunt Force Trauma delivers the double flatliner (called the Traumatizer) to MechaWolf and that breaks the bracket again.

Davis tries to interview amidst a very loud chorus of boos from the North Carolina crowd, and Stevens tells the "glorified microphone stand" as well as the fans that Blunt Force Trauma is going to take the Cup.

With that final upset, the semifinals are set. But we’ll take a breather for singles action and this is a…

Champions Choice Challenge match: EC3 vs. Thom Latimer

This is just more head games from The Overman (because he's Over…Man) as EC3 gives Latimer two options: either he puts up his NWA Television title and shows what kind of champ he is, or go after his NWA National belt if he wants to play it safe. Latimer ain't playing and opts for the latter.

Once the bell rings, they go to blows and each gets a double crossbody that knocks the wind out of them. Latimer and EC3 roll out of the ring and they brawl a bit, and Latimer works the arm and shoulder of The Overman. An Axehandle smash connects and Latimer goes a second time, but EC3 reverses to a German suplex. He lands a Thesz Press and chops away at The King of all Evil and follows with a side legsweep to cover for a two count. Latimer comes back with an atomic drop to a clothesline and then nails a splash into the corner and EC3 comes back with an STO and clutches his shoulder. Latimer returns with a modified flatliner and gets a two count for his trouble.

He calls for a powerbomb and EC3 backdrops him to the mat. Latimer then attempts a moonsault that misses, and EC3 delivers with the One Percenter for a close two count. Latimer goes for a second rope attack and the Overman reverses to a German suplex where his head catches on the second turnbuckle. As EC3 goes up the top turnbuckle, Latimer comes from behind and gets the superplex and they are both wiped out from the move. As they get up and swing for the fences, Latimer and EC3 get sent out of the ring. EC3 grabs his National belt and swings, but Latimer dodges and backdrops him on the apron edge. As the ref goes to put away the title, EC3 kicks the middle rope to Latimer's groin and then delivers an underhook piledriver to retain.

After that match, what can follow that action? Well, funny you ask because it's time for the…

This match is to determine the number one contender for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship held by Kerry Morton. Fulton is the son of NWA legend Bobby Fulton and looks like he needs a footlong sandwich just to bulk up. Alonzo earned his spot last night against Alex Taylor, but then Davis announces there is one more entrant in the scramble that is…

Colby Corino, and he heads to the ring with Jamie Stanley following close behind!

You love to see it.

Welcome back @ColbyCorino 👊🏻#CrockettCup pic.twitter.com/61ILNz9ziI

— Jaden Newman (@Jaden4Real) June 5, 2023

Whelp, WWE's loss is the NWA's gain.

Now Alonzo is wondering what going on since he is also represented by Stanley. Methinks some tomfoolery and hijinks will ensue between Alonzo and The Last Bastion of Professional Wrestling.

Folks, there was just too much action to cover (and this bad boy needs to be put to bed soon), but some of the highlights were this: Judais comes out and crucifix powerbombs Gaagz to the competitors on the outside of the ring and he carries his limp carcass off, and Sal followed along afterward. The end had Corino and Gordon tee off. He gets a front Findlay Roll to a top rope moonsault with ease, but Corino returns with a Spanish Fly. The Last Bastion then proceeds to nail an avalanche somersault Ace Crusher, followed by a clothesline, and then delivers a DDT to earn his spot.

Morton comes out and golf claps Corino. Given their history, Morton holds the Junior Heavyweight title aloft and tells him this is his and this is his ring. Corino offers a handshake, which Morton kicks away and this looks to have some traction in the weeks ahead.

But now we go to the…

And it's time to kick things off with…

Courtesy of the NWA.

Blunt Force Trauma sticks to their playbook and beats the AAA luchadors before entering the ring, and softens them up further outside the squared circle. Back in the ring, Octagon attempts a crossbody on Carnage but he catches him and transitions to a fallaway slam. Now Damage tags in and focuses on the bruised back of Octagon, and he is a Luchador in Peril. As the fans chant, "Lucha! Lucha!", an elbow drop by Damage misses and Octagon gets the hot tag to Myzteziz in and he is a lucha tornado in the ring. He sets up for Octagon to land a frog splash for just a one count, but it doesn't matter as the end comes with Traumatization, and that means…

Davis comes into the ring for the post-match interview. Stevens points out that just like the best tag teams to enter The Crockett Cup like The Road Warriors, The Rock n Roll Express, Dusty Rhodes and Nikita Koloff, to name a few, they will etch their names onto the Cup and be counted amongst those legends.

And that brings us to the next match of the semifinals bracket between…

Courtesy of the NWA.

Obviously, there is a lot of history and bad blood between all four men, specifically Murdoch who faced Adonis and Tyrus for the NWA National and Heavyweight titles, respectively. Also, Tyrus’ knee is heavily taped up and he is limping noticeably.

Knox and Adonis start and the Outlaw lights him up. Adonis attempts the Masterlock submission, and Knox backs him up to his corner to tag in Murdoch. He comes in and Tyrus tags himself into the match despite Adonis’ protests. Murdoch focuses on the bad wheel and DDT's Tyrus for a two count. He continues the offense on the champ and he and Knox do not let up, targeting the taped-up knee, and they nail a double suplex. Things do not look good until Tyrus hits Murdoch with a belly-to-belly suplex to create separation. He tags in Adonis and he comes firing out of the gate. He cinches the Masterlock on Knox, but Murdoch makes the save and gets caught in the Masterlock for his trouble until Knox lands a running crossbody. Adonis goes for a tag, but Tyrus is not in the corner, and Knox and Murdoch go high/low to cover for the pin and they punch their ticket.

Davis talks to Knox and Murdoch post-match, and Murdoch says they’ve been underestimated all their life, but they are ready for the finals.

Well, as we take a breather, that leads to court next bout, but this is billed as an…

Idol didn't come out right away with Cyon during the intros, and the Masked Man (who attacked Cyon last night during their Crockett Cup match)comes out to white noise. Since we don't know who he is (other than he wears a black version of Cyon's mask), I will refer to him as Black Mask.

Cyon is revved up and goes to town on the masked assailant. The action spills to the outside as Black Mask slams his head onto the timekeeper's table to collapse it. BCyon whips Black Mask to the ring post and then proceeds to grab a trash can and throw it in the ring. He props the can in between the ropes in the corner and whips Black Mask to it, but he reverses and Cyon goes headfirst into the steel can.

Velvet Sky notes that Idol is oddly silent during the entire match, ad has yet to lift a finger. It's odd, she notes, but pleasant. Meanwhile, Black Mask rips at Cyon's mask and drives the point of his elbow to his exposed temple. Battered, Cyon reaches out to his dad Idol for assistance. Idol produces brass knuckles…and clocks him. Clearwater comes out to check on Cyon, and Idol beats him with the brass knuckles, too. The ref decides to call a stoppage so this is a…

After the match, Black Mask piles Clearwater and Cyon together, and Idol spits on his son to the disgust of commentary and the fans watching.

Davis spoke to Pollo Del Mar and she wears a neck brace after the incident during the National title match with EC3 and "Thrillbilly" Silas Mason, when he accidentally caught her with his running boot. She is distraught and conflicted, but Del Mar tells Davis that it's a very sensitive subject, but everything is great at home and she promises it is just fine between her and her man.

Yeah, and denial is not just a river in Egypt. This isn't the first time I’ve seen a woman go back to a troubled relationship despite the red flags, but enough about Provo, UT. For now we need to head back to ringside for the first of the double main event and that starts with the…

Courtesy of the NWA. Credit: Hiban Huerta

Markova comes out to ring with music courtesy of The Smashing Pumpkins that would leave fans Beguiled. As Davis starts with the boxing-style intros, Markova begins to pose for the crowd and Kamille nails a basement dropkick to the challenger and we’re off to the races. She proceeds to whip Markova hard into the corner and nails a slam that gets her a one count. Kamille then clotheslines her to the outside, and Markova lands her knee hard on the concrete floor. Kamille follows with a "Shhhh" chop that would make The Big Show blush and Markova feels every palm that hands on her chest. Then The Brickhouse sets her up on a chair and she kicks her right into the barricade. She then measures her and rushes, but Markova dodges at the last second and Kamille catches her shoulder on the barricade. Both women are hurt and the ref starts to count them out, but they get back in the squared circle at the last second.

Markova calls for a test of strength, and Kamille wants none of it. Then Maroka goes for a kick and Kamille grabs her leg and sends her down where she lands on to the mat in a split. Kamille whips her to the corner and props her on the top rope and there is a bit of a mess coming down as Markova gets a roll-up for a count of two. Kamille continues her offense with a backbreaker, and Markova comes back with a flash cutter and can't capitalize due to the pain she's in. She proceeds to light up the champ with multiple kicks to her chest and follows with a Jazz Stinger and that gets a close two count. The fans are now getting invested in the match as Markova and Kamille block their respective slaps, but The Crush connects with a roundhouse kick. She whips the champ into the corner and attempts the Beautiful Disaster kick but misses. Kamille comes back with a leg lariat for a two count. Then she picks up Markova into a torture rack and then transitions into a blue thunder bomb for the pin and still gets a two count. Kamille goes next for a wheelbarrow suplex and still gets another two count. She dips back to the suplex, but Markova counters with a bulldog. She then goes up top for a high-risk maneuver but Kamille catches her and nails an avalanche German suplex, but it still gets another two count. The One-Time champ goes to the opposite end of the ring to set up for a spear. As she rushes, Markova nails her with a knee to the face and follows with a double arm DDT for one, two…oooh, so close. The fans in North Carolina are chanting, " This Is Wrestling!" as Kamille shoves her into the corner. Markvoa then kicks her off and gets a head scissors takedown. She rushes and Kamille now delivers with the spear to end it for the decisive three count.

Galli notes that in two days, Kamille will have held The Burke for 728 days and counting, and fans are on their feet cheering for that athletic and emotional match.

Now Davis Crockett comes out along with NWA owner William Patrick Corgan, and they pose with the Cup ahead of the final match.

NWA Owner William Patrick Corgan and David Crockett posing with The Crockett Cup.

And now that leads to the Main event, and this is…

Courtesy of the NWA.

Stevens sheds the jacket and ascot as he leads his team down to the ring. Knox and Murdoch come out next, and business is about to pick up. As Kyle Davis delivers the boxing-style intros, fans at ringside are trying to get under Stevens’ skin by chanting, "BLT!" Ha!

The bell rings and Damage and Murdoch start out, but it soon devolves into a Pier Four brawl, where Knox and Murdoch send Blunt Force Trauma to the outside. After a brief huddle with Stevens, Carnage and Knox are up and Stevens messes around with lifting up the apron onto the mat. Knox has a foot on that portion of the apron and Stevens yanks it out from under him gets tripped up and Carnage spikes him with a DDT that rings his bell. He gets isolated in the corner with Carnage and Damage and Mikey No Likey. Damage keeps him grounded and then he shoots Knox into the ropes and both men land with dual clotheslines that knock each other out flat on the mat. Knox crawls and gets the hot tag to Murdoch, who is a Captain Badass en Fuego. Damage comes back with a spear to Murdoch and covers for a two count. Murdoch returns fire and nails a DDT for a count of two. Once again, both teams brawl and at one point Carnage pulls the ref in and he gets pancaked by Murdoch who lands a corner splash. He proceeds to nail a piledriver to Carnage but the ref is still out cold. Stevens enters the rings and knocks out Murdoch with his trademark loaded glove, and then drapes Carnage's arm on his lifeless body. He wakes the referee up to make the count at one, two…Murdoch barely kicks out. Knox comes back in the ring and he and Murdoch manage the high/low finisher on Carnage and they cover for the one, two, and three.

Both men are spent but elated as David Crockett and William Patrick Corgan present the Cup to the victors. Knox and Murdoch hoist it up in front of the appreciative fans as we conclude the PPV in Crockett country.

Top Photo: Trevor Murdoch and Mike Knox hold aloft The Crockett Cup.

Final Thoughts on Night Two:

Over two nights, The NWA had a fantastic Crockett Cup, and Knox and Murdoch deserve the win. Kamille is definitely making the case that she is the face of the promotion, and Markova has improved quite a bit in the ring.

Also, Corino coming back is going to make the Junior Heavyweight division very interesting, and one hopes this isn't the last we see of the tag teams who came for the tournament.

Until then, see ya for NWA POWERRR this Tuesday!

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