8/20/2017 - Star Zone

SAM HEWITT
Welcome back to Star Zone! During the break, the masked marvel known as Asterio answered Graham Gosch's challenge!

Indeed, Asterio is the opponent for newcomer Graham Gosch in this impromptu bout.  He bounces off the ropes, but Gosch ducks and grabs an arm! He wrings it out, then wrings it out a second time... then a third.  Feeling pretty confident, Gosch folds it behind Asterio's back in a hammerlock! The Shooting Star from Parts Unknown nails Gosch with a back elbow smash, rocking him.  However, he's still locked up in the hold... so he does it again! Asterio ducks underneath, Gosch still has a hold of his arm... so Asterio leaps onto the top rope then drops to a seated position - backflipping into the ring and then arm dragging Gosch to the mat.  Gosch gets up, Asterio leaps up and goes for a palm strike... but Gosch ducks...

SAM HEWITT
Octopus hold! Look at that - Graham Gosch is driving the point of his elbow into the ribs of Asterio, which adds a whole different layer of pain in addition to the hold.

Asterio falls to his knees under the weight of carrying Gosch on his back, which helps him - as he's able to drape his leg over the bottom rope and force a break.  Gosch gets up, drags Asterio up and plume clinches him.  Asterio tries to fight out, but Gosch stomps on his foot and yanks him down into several knees to the head! He pushes Asterio back into the corner and forearms him! He then grabs Asterio in a side headlock and pulls him away from the corner... hip throwing him to the mat! He reaches up, slaps on a double wrist lock in addition to the headlock.  He cranks downward while arching back and it doesn't take long before Asterio is tapping out! Gosch lets go and gets up to his feet, raising his arms.  Asterio sits up and Gosch extends his hand, Asterio accepts it and Gosch yanks him to his feet.  Asterio yelps as it was his sore arm.  Gosch drops out of the ring while Asterio rubs his shoulder, unsure what to make of the gesture.

SAM HEWITT
Despite a deviation from the scheduled bout, Graham Gosch makes an impactful debut here on Star Zone.  He earns his first two points in the Iron Road by forfeit as doctors have yet to clear Alex Kincaid after Thursday's bout vs. Alexander Irvine.  The rookie Gosch will get a true taste of Lion's Road this Thursday night when he battles one of the most decorated men in all of the Great Lakes territory - the Crippler, Ben Chrenshaw as the Iron Road continues.  We'll be back in just a few short moments.

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Mark Storm stands inside the ring as "Radio" by Wolfmother accompanies Kevin Moss to the ring.  He stretches his shoulders as he makes his way to the ring. Kevin high-fives his fans while walking down the stairs before a short sprint. He slides under the bottom rope and springs to his feet inside the ring. Quickly bouncing off the ropes, Kevin continues to warm up while his music begins to fade and is replaced by "Cry for the Bad Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd.  Carl Whitaker comes out to a mixed reaction, adjusting the towel within his ring jacket as he saunters across the stage.  He walks down the steps as "Voodoo Child" by Jimi Hendrix hits.  The guitar intro plays through, the crowd builds in anticipation... Eli Buchanan comes out as the song picks up.  He ignores the crowd, fist bumps Whitaker and the duo slide inside the ring.  Dave Flynn takes a seat with Sam Hewitt.

SAM HEWITT
I'm joined here by Dave Flynn.  Well, in presence only - he has declined to do commentary. 

JAKE AARONS
Ladies and gentlemen, this Summer Tag League bout is your main event of the evening and is to be fought over a fifteen minute time limit or television time remaining! One fall, one submission or a knockout to decide the winner! Introducing first at a combined weight of four hundred and forty eight pounds... CARL WHITAKER! and ELI BUCHANAN!

Whitaker ditches his ring jacket while Buchanan holds his walkout mask out, Dave Flynn has to hurry down the stairs to grab it.

JAKE AARONS
Their opponents at a combined weight of four hundred and fifty pounds... MARK STORM! and KEVIN MOSS!

SAM HEWITT
Pretty even in the weight departments.

JAKE AARONS
Your referee for this bout is Cordell Garner!

The bell sounds and a lock-up starts things off between Carl Whitaker and Mark Storm, but it doesn't last long as a knee to the stomach area sends Storm reeling to the ropes.  Whitaker chases him down and slams his fist into the Hero's skull a couple of times before dropping to his knee and driving his shoulder into Storm's midsection while he's back against the ropes.  He grabs his wrist and launches him across the ring, Storm rebounds off the ropes and ducks Stonehand's lariat attempt and slides out of the ring.  Buchanan tells Whitaker to look out, but it's too late because the now legal Kevin Moss comes soaring into the ring off the top rope with a springboard elbow! Whitaker falls to his knees, Moss quickly grabs an arm and wrenches it around.  The Bull tries to get up and slap Eli's outstretched hand, but Moss pulls him back into the centre of the ring.  Whitaker turns and grabs a hand full of hair and yanks Moss down to the mat, but he still has the arm and kips right back up, wrenching it through again! Whitaker cusses under his breath as Buchanan protests Garner telling Whitaker not to grab the hair - telling him that Carl's hand got "stuck" in it.

SAM HEWITT
In one of the more creative excuses I've ever heard, Eli Buchanan is trying to convince Cordell Garner, our senior referee, that Carl Whitaker's hand just happened to get stuck in Kevin Moss' hair at a prime, opportune moment.  Don't worry, folks, I don't think Mr. Garner buys it for a second.  Do you?

Hewitt's question to the television audience obviously goes unanswered. Moss whips Whitaker into the ropes but the Bull comes back with a shoulder block.  With the Infinity Warrior down, Whitaker runs into the ropes and hops over and springs off the opposite set.  Moss leaps high over top of the running Bull, then turns around and cracks him with a Superman punch on the return! Buchanan rushes in, knowing full well this will cost him a save but with his team already in a do or die situation, I don't think he cares.  He grabs Moss and chucks him out to the floor, drawing some time for Whitaker to recover.  Storm comes in as the legal man and dropkicks Eli from behind, then tries a school boy cradle!

SAM HEWITT
Carl Whitaker is still the legal man.

Indeed, Garner tells Storm this and he hurries to his feet only to get punched in the gut! Storm doubles over and a double axe handle to the back follows the punch.  With Storm down on his knees, Whitaker grabs him and chucks him into the corner where Eli has taken base once more.  They slap hands, signalling a tag.  Whitaker exits as Buchanan comes in, earning a mixed reaction - fans happy to see him back in the ring, and fans not happy to see him back at all.  Buchanan pays no mind as he drags Storm across the ring and slams his head off the adjacent top turnbuckle not once, but twice.  Buchanan turns around and plays to the crowd, clearly fired up and happy to be back inside the ring.  He gets in Moss' face, drawing the attention of Cordell Garner.  Storm drops to the mat and rolls out of the ring, technically making Moss the legal man but both his partner and Garner are distracted by Buchanan.  Whitaker grabs Storm and chucks him right back inside! The fans boo as Whitaker shrugs his shoulders before taking his spot on the apron.  Buchanan turns around and chuckles, clearly aware of what happened.  Buchanan pulls Storm up and immediately takes him down to the mat with a Fujiwara armbar, but Storm grabs the bottom rope to break the hold! Buchanan holds onto it - releasing it at 4.5 and Garner intervenes! He backs Buchanan up into the ropes and warns him, telling him that he may be rusty but that he isn't! Buchanan laughs off the comment and replies with something, making Garner pull out a yellow card to a big pop.  However, during all this - Storm rolls to the outside again.  Whitaker drops down and reaches in his tights, loading up his hand as he turns around the post...

JAKE AARONS
Referee Cordell Garner has issued a yellow card to Eli Buchanan for failing to adhere to the referee's instructions! It is his first public warning!

CRACK

Ol' Stonehands strikes again! Mark Storm goes down from a punch and Whitaker hurriedly throws his body back inside the ring.  Moss tries to get in, but Garner stops him.  Moss insists an automatic tag was made, but Garner looks back and sees Storm in the same place as before and orders Moss back to the apron. 

SAM HEWITT
Once more, Mark Storm makes an automatic tag but much like a traditional tag - it needs to be seen by the referee.  Unfortunately Cordell Garner was tied up with Buchanan, who may have drawn the yellow card to create this situation - who's to know. 

Moss protests but heads back to the corner as Buchanan pulls Storm up to his feet and quickly drops him with a reverse STO, then transitions into the Koji Clutch.  Moss comes in to try and save the day, but Whitaker plays blocker.  Garner sees that Storm is out - although he's definitely not aware that it's not from the STO or submission - and calls for the bell.  Buchanan keeps the hold on a few extra seconds then releases, he gets up and extends a hand to Whitaker who accepts and pulls him in for a MAN HUG.  Moss checks on his partner while Garner raises the winner's arms. 

SAM HEWITT
Eli Buchanan and Carl Whitaker - the team of family values so to speak, keep themselves alive in the Summer Tag League by securing a win over Moss and Storm.  A controversial win, but a win nonetheless.  That puts both teams at 1-1 meaning there's a high possibility they may meet again in a few short weeks.  That'll do it for this episode of Star Zone, my name is Sam Hewitt and we'll see you Thursday night in Milwaukee!

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