FPR Eve of Destruction Results + Final Showdown Results + End of Year Awards!

FPR Eve of Destruction
December 24, 2009
Theme Song: Story of the Year -Take Me Back


Check out the Eve of Destruction + Final Showdown highlight video HERE!
http://www.viddler.com/explore/tigerXgroge/videos/31/



PRESTORY: Throughout December, the 5th annual Guerrero Cup tag team tournament took place. The two teams that made it to the finals were the Road Warriors and former tag team champions, Team 3D. The Road Warriors had their most impressive showing in a very long time while 3D skyrocketed back into the tag team scene after a long absence. 3D's biggest win in the tournament thus far had been over the Hardyz in the semi finals. The Hardyz had been looking to get into the tag title picture but it was not to be. On the other side, The Road Warriors overcame last year's tournament winners, Beer Money Inc. in a great battle that both teams put great effort into.
Guerrero Cup Finals: Team 3D def. The Road Warriors (30:36) when Devon pinned Animal
AFTERSTORY: Team 3D win their tournament and get a shot at the tag team titles. It was a big win over the legendary Road Warriors and Team 3D would go on to face the tag team champions, the Briscoes later on in the night

PRESTORY: Bryan Danielson eliminated Yoshinari Ogawa in the elimination 8 man tag at Survival of the Sickest. Danielson along with the rest of Team Angle would go on to win the match. Ogawa wanted a one on one match with Danielson to prove that he could beat him when there was nobody else in the match. Danielson, feeling confident, gladly accepted the challenge.
Yoshinari Ogawa def. Bryan Danielson (4:34) via victory roll
AFTERSTORY: Ogawa beat Danielson and not only that, he did so in record time! Ogawa caught Danielson with a quick rollup and gained the three count in under five minutes. As would be expected, Danielson was livid about his loss. Danielson didn't waste anytime in making a challenge for Final Showdown should neither man win one of the beat the clock challenges.

PRESTORY: Survival of the Sickest saw the feud between Lita, Victoria, Gail Kim, and Trish against The Beautiful People continue in a big way. They defeated the Beautiful People but after the match, Lacey Von Erich debuted and injured Gail Kim. Madison Rayne and Maryse challenged Lita and Victoria to a tag team match after Trish had challenged Von Erich to fight in Gail's place.
Lita & Victoria def. Madison Rayne & Maryse (13:33) when Lita pinned Maryse with a victory roll
AFTERSTORY: Another big win over the Beautiful People in a great matchup. Lita caught Maryse out of nowhere with a victory roll to get the win for her team.


PRESTORY: At Survival of the Sickest, Jushin Liger's team had a clean sweep against their opposition. JT Lamotta was the last man eliminated in that match and with no official number one contender, he was granted a shot at Liger's junior championship.
Junior Championship Match: Jushin Liger def. JT Lamotta (11:13) after a brainbuster to RETAIN the championship!


PRESTORY: Last month at Survival of the Sickest, we saw two debuts of Alissa Flash and Maria Menounos on opposite teams. Alissa debuted as a part of Team Mickie James and quickly formed an impressive partnership with fellow team member, Claudia. Maria Menounos came in to FPR as a close friend of team captain, Candice Michelle. Both were impressive in their debuts and as a result of their in ring altercations, they were booked to face each other one on one.
Alissa Flash def. Maria Menounos (11:35) after a discus lariat
AFTERSTORY: Alissa picked up the big win here in another good matchup as she climbs the ranks of the women's division as the division continues to become stronger and stronger. Both women were again impressive here and would surely meet in the ring again.

PRESTORY: Last month at Survival of the Sickest, The Foundation finally defeated the Faithful. Though the Faithful had finally been defeated, Faithful member The Big Show still held the International Championship. Bret Hart wanted to put the final nail in the Faithful and challenged Show to a title match to try and take the title away from the Faithful and into the Foundation.
International Championship Match: The Big Show def. Bret Hart (12:42) when Show choked out Bret to RETAIN the championship!
AFTERSTORY: Bret was unsuccessful in his title aspiration as Big Show was able to defeat him and keep hold of the gold. Show continues to look dominant in his one on one bouts since ending the year + reign of Mark Henry. Who can stop The Big Show?

PRESTORY: As noted above, last month saw the debut of Lacey Von Erich. Lacey entered the ring following the Stratusfaction vs Beautiful People elimination tag match and delivered a brutal Clawslam to Gail Kim, putting her out of action. Trish Stratus, the team captain, challenged Von Erich to face her one on one at Eve of Destruction.
Lacey Von Erich def. Trish Stratus (19:15) after a punch with brass knuckles
AFTERSTORY: This match turned out to be a brawl all over the place with definite hatred. Lacey surprised pretty much everyone in going toe to toe with Trish. Trish ended up busting open Lacey on the outside. Trish was able to survive Lacey's deadly Clawslam, but Lacey also took Stratusfaction. In the end, Lacey used a pair of brass knuckles and delivered a vicious punch to Trish's head which knocked her out for the three count. It was definitely a major win for Von Erich and some points in The Beautiful People's favor. A win that definitely pleased all the members of TBP.

PRESTORY: At Cyber Saturday, Brock Lesnar shocked the world when he ended the three year reign of Bob Sapp as Octagon Champion. Lesnar became champion and he didn't feel like Sapp deserved an immediate rematch. They met again in a non-title fight which Sapp won to prove his worth. At Survival of the Sickest, they led opposite teams against each other in a match where the stipulation agreement was that if Sapp's team won he'd get his rematch but if Team Lesnar won then Lesnar could continue his reign without giving Sapp a rematch. Sapp's team won the match and ensured his rematch would take place here at Eve of Destruction.
Octagon Championship Match: Bob Sapp def. Brock Lesnar via 2nd Round KO (1:28) after a short arm clothesline (6:28) to become the NEW Champion
AFTERSTORY: Bob Sapp has become Octagon Champion once again. The most dominant champion of all time has begun yet another reign and looks primed to dominate the division once again. Who will be able to stop The Beast this time around and will he rule for another three years?

PRESTORY: At Cyber Saturday, Mick Foley was voted into the Hardcore Deathmatch championship match and won the title from Raven. Foley's win seemed to revitalize his career and give him a new start here in FPR while he defeated Raven, who has been the kingpin of the hardcore division for years. Foley won the championship and told Raven to earn his rematch in the Chamber of Horrors. While Foley went on to make a statement at Halloween Havoc, when he defeated FPR Worlds Heavyweight Champion, Mick Foley in a non-title cage match. Raven went on to win the Chamber of Horrors to guarentee his rematch while Foley hasn't let anyone forgot he beat the champ. At Survival of the Sickest, Foley led his team over Raven's and now the stage was set for their rematch.
Hardcore Deathmatch Championship Match: Mick Foley def. Raven (8:55) after a piledriver on a lighttube to RETAIN the championship!
AFTERSTORY: Foley defeated Raven and cemented his status as the new top dog in the Hardcore Division. Raven's definitely not happy with Foley having the gold but for now he's going to have to live with it. Foley's been all over the map since winning the title, involving himself in the world title scene as well, and we'll have to wait and see where this all goes next!

PRESTORY: Earlier in the night, Team 3D defeated The Road Warriors to win the Guerrero Cup and earn their shot at the tag team titles held by the Briscoes.
World Tag Team Championship Match: Team 3D def. The Briscoes (15:45) when Ray pinned Jay after the Bubba Bomb to become the NEW Champions!
AFTERSTORY: Team 3D are officially back. It has been years since 3D have held the tag team gold much like The Briscoes at the end of 2008. 3D end the Briscoes reign and become champions once again. The Briscoes have had one hell of a year in 2009 but it seems like they won't end the year as champions. It will be interesting to see the direction the tag team title scene takes as Team 3D are now the champions.

PRESTORY: At Survival of the Sickest, Team Mickie defeated Team Candice. The win came largely due to Claudia garnering the last three eliminations. Claudia lastly eliminated Gina Carano to win the match for her team. Her impressive performance, which included eliminating the champion herself, made her the number one contender once again to Candice Michelle's championship belt.
Women's Championship Match: "Best in the World" Candice Michelle def. "Angel of Mercy" Claudia (8:11) after a russian legsweep to RETAIN the championship!
AFTERSTORY: Candice was able to retain her title and have another great showing. Candice and Claudia have had a very heated rivalry and one of the top feuds of the year and Candice picked up one more victory over Claudia to retain the belt over her longtime enemy.

PRESTORY: At Halloween Havoc, following the Hulk Hogan-Mick Foley steel cage match, the two were ambushed by Randy Orton and Sid, who were brought to the ring by the Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase. DiBiase proclaimed that at Survival of the Sickest his Million Dollar Team would go against Hogan's team. In the weeks to come Hogan formed his team to consist of Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior, later forcing a last minute replacement addition to his team of Mick Foley. DiBiase's team consisted of himself, Orton, Sid and his son Ted DiBiase Jr. In the end it was DiBiase Jr. eliminating Hogan and Savage to get the win for his team. The win, which was huge for DiBiase Jr.'s debut, skyrocketed him into Fire Pro R like no one before him. Orton and Sid were a bit miffed that Ted Jr. was getting the shot over them but they accepted it because of the victory he did earn.
Worlds Heavyweight Championship Match: Hulk Hogan def. Ted DiBiase Jr. (8:47) via CRITICAL after the Leg Drop to RETAIN the championship!!!
AFTERSTORY: DiBiase Jr. may have picked up two big pins at Survival of the Sickest but taking on Hulk Hogan must have been too much, too soon, for the brash newcomer. Hogan gained quick revenge for Survival of the Sickest, cementing his victory with a CRITICAL on Ted Jr. Hulkamania ran wild and the entire Million Dollar corporation were none too pleased.


(In the days that followed Eve of Destruction, beat the clock challenges were held to determine the challengers for each championship at Final Showdown)


FPR Final Showdown 2009
December 31, 2009
Theme Song :Story of the Year - Take Me Back


Check out the Eve of Destruction + Final Showdown highlight video HERE!
http://www.viddler.com/explore/tigerXgroge/videos/31/



PRESTORY: The Beat the Clock challenge to name the number one contender for the women's championship saw the FPR debut of Hamada. Hamada debuted against Shinobu Kandori and was extremely impressive. Hamada was able to pin Kandori but it was seconds after the time set had passed. Kandori was not going to forget that as she had recently been trying to reassure her dominance in the division. Kandori challenged Hamada to a rematch to take place at Final Showdown.
Shinobu Kandori def. Hamada (9:21) via side armbar CRITICAL
AFTERSTORY: Kandori certainly evened the score here and did damage to Hamada's arm. But it was not without a fight. Hamada gave it her all and was moments away from victory when Kandori got her in the armbar for the victory. We surely haven't seen the last.

The Miracle Violence Connection def. Vader & Bam Bam Bigelow (12:37) when Gordy CRITICAL'd Vader
AFTERSTORY: A classic tag team match relived and the Miracle Violence Connection picked up a huge victory!

PRESTORY: A match was setup to determine a future contender for Jushin Liger's junior championship. It featured four of the top contenders to the title in a fatal four way where the first pinfall to occur would get the victory.
Fatal 4 Way Match: Evan Bourne def. JT Lamotta, Rey Mysterio, & Matt Palmer (14:03) when he pinned Palmer with a northern lights suplex
AFTERSTORY: Bourne gained a huge victory as he pinned Palmer just as Mysterio had almost pinned Lamotta. Bourne will get another shot at the champinoship in the near future!

PRESTORY: At Eve of Destruction, Ogawa caught Danielson in the rollup that got him the win in under 5 minutes. Danielson challenged him to a rematch and as neither man beat the clock, Danielson got his rematch and it took place at Final Showdown
Bryan Danielson def. Yoshinari Ogawa (13:50) with a fisherman's suplex
AFTERSTORY: Danielson avenged his previous loss to Ogawa here and what a battle it was. Ogawa came close again but Danielson delivered move after move refusing to give Ogawa an edge. In the end Danielson hit a series of suplex variations to finally hold Ogawa down for the three count.

PRESTORY: In the International beat the clock, The Great Muta defeated Desmond Wolfe to beat the clock in the last match in the set. Muta would advance to Final Showdown for an international title shot against The Big Show.
International Championship Match: The Big Show def. The Great Muta (11:52) after a running elbow drop to RETAIN the championship

PRESTORY: At Eve of Destruction, Alissa Flash defeated Maria Menounos. The two met again in Beat the Clock where Alissa beat Maria to beat the then-clock by a second. The time would later be beaten though and Alissa would not get the title shot. Alissa tagged up with Claudia, as they were a very formidable duo at Survival of the Sickest and accepted a challenge sent by Maria Menounos who wanted another shot at Alissa. Menounos tagged up with fellow Team Candice member, Wendi Richter.
Maria Menounos & Wendi Richter def. Claudia & Alissa Flash (29:46) when Menounos pinned Claudia with a small package
AFTERSTORY: A great match and Maria Menounos got the victory this time and finally got one over on Alissa Flash. Richter and Maria made quite the team themselves against the Alissa/Claudia team that has proven to work very well together. Menounos scored a huge pinfall victory with a small package out of nowhere on the former women's champion in Claudia. Needless to say, Alissa and Claudia were both irate after the match. This feud has definitely been a heated one!

PRESTORY: At Eve of Destruction, Bob Sapp once again became Octagon Champion. Brock Lesnar was unable to get his rematch as he did not beat the clock. It was Scott Steiner that beat the clock when he beat Bobby Lashley in the Octagon. Steiner would go on to fight Sapp in Sapp's first defense of his new reign.
Octagon Championship Match: Bob Sapp def. Scott Steiner via 2nd Round KO (0:20) after the Beast Bomb (5:20)

PRESTORY: At Survival of the Sickest, Lacey Von Erich debuted and put Gail Kim out of action. At Eve of Destruction, Lacey had her first match scoring an upset victory over Trish Stratus. After Eve of Destruction it was announced that Gail Kim would make her return to challenge Von Erich to a match at Final Showdown!
Lacey Von Erich def. Gail Kim (14:38) after the Clawslam
AFTERSTORY: Lacey managed to pull off the victory again. Perhaps, Gail returned from injury a bit too soon. The Beautiful People joined Lacey in the ring and looked to inflict further damage on Gail but Trish, Lita, and Victoria ran to the ring to make the save. It led to a standoff between the two groups but the Beautiful People left with this victory from Lacey who remains undefeated!

PRESTORY: Frankie Kazarian won the beat the clock challenge to face Jushin Liger for the Junior Championship. On most occasions throughout the year Kazarian was on the same side as Liger, the two had not met one on one in the ring since Liger defeated him at Final Burns 2008. Kazarian though had earned another shot at the title by winning his match in the quickest time.
Junior Championship Match: Frankie Kazarian def. Jushin Liger (15:15) after the Wave of the Future to become the NEW Champion!!!!
AFTERSTORY: Kazarian did it! Kazarian upset Liger in what has to be considered a major upset. Liger was almost reaching a full year as champion and was heading into 2010 with confidence. Liger dominated a majority of the bout but the action spilled outside where Kazarian took the advantage. Upon heading back into the ring, Frankie surprised Liger with the Wave of the Future and gained the huge pinfall victory. There's no doubt Liger will be getting a rematch, likely at Royal Battle, as we are once again in the months leading up to WrestleMania V and that means the 2010 Super J Cup is only a month away.

PRESTORY: Kevin Nash won the Hardcore Division's beat the clock in dominating fashion. Nash would go on to get his shot at Mick Foley in the hardcore deathmatch environment with the title on the line.
Hardcore Deathmatch Championship Match: Mick Foley def. Kevin Nash (17:35) after a piledriver to RETAIN the championship!
AFTERSTORY: A bloody war it was and many thought Nash would have the title won but in the end, Foley pulled it off again. Foley has definitely had a hell of a run these past few months and he heads into 2010 with a lot of steam. He is the hardcore deathmatch champion and sources say he will be entering his name in the Royal Battle as soon as the chance arises. The Royal Battle of course will see the winner receive a Worlds Heavyweight Title shot at WrestleMania V.

PRESTORY: Shawn Michaels and Triple H teamed up to reform their D-Generation X tag team for the beat the clock challenge and ended up winning the whole thing. The two have not teamed in FPR before but they're doing so turned out very well for them. They would then be the ones to get the very first shot at newly crowned tag team champions, Team 3D.
World Tag Team Championship Match: Team 3D def. D-Generation X (29:08) when Devon pinned Michaels after Saving Grace to RETAIN the championships
AFTERSTORY: Team 3D managed to keep hold of their belts for now. It was definitely a tough competitive battle that saw DX on the verge of winning several times. Team 3D head into the new year as champions but they'll definitely have some competition ahead of them. DX want another shot, The Briscoes still have their rematch upcoming and on the same boat, Edge & Christian have not yet received their rematch from losing the belts back at Halloween Havoc! The tag team scene is certainly a wild one.

PRESTORY: In September 2009, Gina Carano made her FPR Debut in the first annual Queen's Cup. Carano took the women's division by storm and ended up winning the tournament, looking extremely impressive in doing so, capping it off with a win in the finals over Awesome Kong. Following the tournament, Carano became embroiled in a rivalry with Shinobu Kandori, who was not impressed by Carano. The two would meet in a K1 Rules match at Cyber Saturday. Carano won the match and remained undefeated. At Survival of the Sickest, Candice Michelle brought Carano onto her team as the hired gun of sorts for her team. Their team was unsuccessful with Carano being the last eliminated by Claudia. She remained however undefeated in singles competition. Carano got her revenge in Beat the Clock when she beat Claudia to set the time. Carano won the challenge and would go on to challenge the FPR Women's champion, the Best in the World, Candice Michelle.
Women's Championship Match: "Queen of FPR" Gina Carano def. "Best in the World" Candice Michelle (16:07) via submission to become the NEW Champion!!!!
AFTERSTORY: Gina Carano has become FPR Women's Champion! Carano and Candice put on one hell of a match, as expected. Carano had plenty of momentum coming in undefeated but Candice is known as one of the greatest FPR Women's champions of all time. Carano managed to defeat Candice and claim the women's championship for the first time. After the match Candice and Carano shook hands in a show of respect from both as they will surely meet in the ring again and probably soon at that.

PRESTORY: The hatred between the Foundation and Faithful is one that will likely never end. The two faction leaders met in the Beat the Clock challenge and Mike Foxx defeated Bret Hart to beat the clock. Foxx earned himself a world title shot and proclaimed that his forthcoming victory would be the rebirth of the Faithful as he challenged Hulk Hogan.
Worlds Heavyweight Championship Match: Hulk Hogan def. Mike Foxx (11:05) after the Leg Drop to RETAIN the championship!!
AFTERSTORY: Hogan defeats Foxx and remains World Champion! Hulk Hogan has had his best career year in a long, long time, in 2009. From winning King of the Ring to becoming Worlds Heavyweight Champion for the first time in four years. Hogan's reign has been quite the ride so far as Hulkamania has ran wild through Fire Pro once again. As we look forward to FPR in 2010, we are sure to see some more bright things!

©FPR Eve of Destruction/FPR Final Showdown 2009 - The final shows of 2009! Comments, questions, requests, feedback of all sorts are appreciated as always. FPR's next PPV broadcast will be the 2010 Royal Battle as the Road to WrestleMania V begins!

Also don't forget to check out the 2009 FPR YEAR END AWARDS:
WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: HULK HOGAN Hogan suffered an injury in January 2009 but bounced back with a return at WrestleMania IV in March. Hogan won the King of the Ring tournament in April and held onto his momentum through the summer. Hogan won the Worlds Heavyweight Championship in August at Final Burns when he defeated Yoshinari Ogawa. Immediately after the match, Randy Orton cashed in his money in the bank title shot but Hogan was able to trump him too! Following that, Hogan resumed his feud with the man that injured him in January, the masked giant Colossus. Hogan/Colossus' feud reached new heights and on September 9, 2009 they signed the contract to meet in the ring raising the stakes higher than ever before when Hogan put his championship belt on the line against the mask of Colossus. They met at the Ultimate Encounter and Hogan was once again victorious, this time winning the mask of Colossus and forcing him to unmask which revealed Sid! (Sid had quit FPR in November 2008 after failing to win the World Title from Bruiser Brody). Hogan continued his reign on to Cyber Saturday where you the fans voted Stone Cold Steve Austin in to face him in a Last Man Standing Match. Hogan again defied the odds and defeated the rattlesnake in a grueling 17 minute match. Hogan then headlined Halloween Havoc in a non-title steel cage match against Hardcore Deathmatch Champion, Mick Foley. Foley was victorious and a post-match assault from Orton and Sid led to the main event of Survival of the Sickest where the Million Dollar Team (Orton, Sid, DiBiase, and DiBiase Jr.) defeated Hogan's Hulkamaniacs team which consisted of himself, Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, and a last minute replacement partner in Mick Foley who promised Hogan he would owe him one for his services. In the SOTS matchup, Ted DiBiase Jr (who was making his debut) was the one that pinned Hogan and Savage in the end to win it for his team. This earned Ted a shot at Hogan's championship which was held at Eve of Destruction. Hogan took on the newcomer and showed him he was in for too much, too soon, CRITICALing him with a deadly leg drop! The days that followed Eve of Destruction featured Beat the Clock challenges to determine Hogan's challenger for the final show of the year, Final Showdown. Mike Foxx was the man who beat the clock with a victory over his arch-nemesis, Bret Hart (2008 wrestler of the year). Foxx got his shot at Final Showdown but Hogan was once again able to overcome and retain his gold. Hulkamania has ran wild all over 2009!!

TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR: THE BRISCOES No tag team came close to having the year that the Briscoes had. Every time you thought they were out, they bounced right back. And in the most impressive of ways too. At Final Showdown 2008, The Briscoes ended 2008 and started 2009 with the biggest bang possible, they ended the one year long title reign of The Big Show & Hardcore Holly - shocking absolutely everyone. The Briscoes reign was short-lived however as they would lose the belts to LAX at Valentine's Massacre in February. However the Briscoes wouldn't give up there as they won the titles right back the following month at WrestleMania IV. Following that, LAX won a contenders match to earn their next rematch in which they defeated the Briscoes again this time in a Texas Tornado tag team match. Around this time, the Real World Tag League took place which prevented the Briscoes from getting a rematch at Bloodlines. LAX held onto the belts (over Big Show & Holly at that) and the Briscoes were pressed to find another way to the tag team titles. Soon, FPR Management announced the first ever FPR Summer Spectacular tag team tournament to coincide with the Road 2 GAB singles tournament. The Briscoes entered and through some massive competition and despite all the odds, they came out the winners in a 32 team tournament to prove undoubtedly that they deserved the tag team title shot no questions asked. They had proven themselves on that night unlike any team before them. The Briscoes would go on to regain the titles at the Great American Bash in the most spectacular finish of the year (more on that later). The Briscoes-LAX feud would not end there as LAX won the belts back at Final Burns only for the Briscoes to gain them back immediately at the Ultimate Encounter. With that win, The Briscoes felt in the clear of LAX as they knew the fans would be picking their next opponents at Cyber Saturday. However, they didn't know quite who to expect. The fans voted in Edge & Christian, who came in and shocked the Briscoes into defeat. The Briscoes however as they always did, bounced right back and won the belts back the following week at Halloween Havoc. The Briscoes would hold onto the gold as the reigning champions during the Guerrero Cup tag team tournament to crown #1 contenders. The tournament was won by Team 3D who would go on to defeat the Briscoes to end their last championship reign of 2009. The Briscoes are sure to start 2010 remaining in the title picture.

WOMAN OF THE YEAR: CANDICE MICHELLE For the second year in a row, Candice Michelle is the FPR woman of the year. Candice ended 2008 with losing her championship and in 2009 she began alongside Gail Kim feuding with Maryse and Claudia. Candice and Claudia have had a very long running feud and as 2009 progressed, their rivalry grew hotter. Candice being aligned with Bret Hart and the Foundation while Claudia came into FPR under Mike Foxx and is a member of his Faithful. Candice and Claudia met in a super grudge match at WrestleMania in which Candice was the victor. Meanwhile Tiger Dream had been womens' champion since Final Showdown 08 and carried it into 09 with a heck of a reign. Candice's win over Claudia at Mania made her the number one contender to the title. However on the road to getting there, Tiger Dream was upset by Maryse in Mexico City. With Maryse as the new champion, Candice challenged her at Redemption and went on to win the gold once again. Following the match, Candice's never-ending rival, Claudia, attacked once again, furthering the feud with the Foundation and the Faithful. At Bloodlines, they met in a mixed tag match where Foxx and Claudia defeated Candice and Hart, which led to Claudia being named #1 contender. Their match was signed for the Great American Bash on a night where the Foundation and Faithful would meet in War Games. As they prepared to wrestle, Candice asked for the steel cage to be lowered early and she wanted Claudia in the cage. Candice's rage may have got the best of her as Claudia finally became women's champion at the Great American Bash. At Final Burns they would meet again, this time in a 2/3 falls match where Candice regained the gold in 2 straight falls. As September began so did the first annual FPR Queen's Cup which got the women's division hotter than ever. At the Ultimate Encounter, Candice once again defeated Claudia decisively to put a temporary end to their rivalry. Candice went on to Cyber Saturday where the fans voted in her opponent. The fans vote ended up a tie between Awesome Kong and Trish Stratus which led FPR management to declare a three way for the belt. The odds were stacked against the champion big time but she did it again, Candice retained over Kong and Trish in a triple threat encounter. Also at Cyber Saturday, Mickie James became #1 contender winning the fulfill your fantasy battle royal. Mickie would receive her shot at Halloween Havoc where Candice was able to beat her as well. Candice offered a handshake after the match to Mickie which was accepted. Mickie then turned and violently attacked Candice, challenging her to meet her in the ring again for an 8 woman tag at Survival of the Sickest. Mickie's team defeated Candice's team largely in part to the final three eliminations from Claudia. Claudia's dominance in that match made the Angel of Mercy once again the number one contender to her biggest rival's belt. At Eve of Destruction, Candice defeated Claudia one more time as Candice continued to prove why she earned the moniker of Best in the World in 2008. Gina Carano beat the clock and would get her long awaited title shot at Final Showdown. Carano won the Queen's Cup and now she would get her shot. In a classic matchup, Carano got the victory over Candice and became women's champion for the first time. After the match the two friends shook hands in a great moment. It was a great 2009 for the Best in the World and Candice looks forward to big things in 2010.

FEUD OF THE YEAR: THE FAITHFUL VS THE FOUNDATION It began in 2008 with the Faithful (Mike Foxx, King Umaga, The Big Show, & Hardcore Holly) against The Foundation (Bret Hart, Samoa Joe, Kane, & The Undertaker). It really kicked into high gear at Survival of the Sickest 2008 when the Faithful defeated the Foundation and looked to take over FPR. From there Foxx and Umaga severely injured Samoa Joe at Day of Destruction 08. Kane gained a big one for the Foundation when he won the worlds heavyweight championship at Final Showdown and as 2009 began King Umaga won the Royal Battle for the Faithful and for the right to face Kane at WrestleMania IV. On that same show, Kane retained his belt over Faithful leader, Mike Foxx. At Valentine's Massacre, one of the biggest matches was held when Foundation leader, Bret Hart, put his career on the line against King Umaga and his WrestleMania title shot. (Umaga vs Bret was the 2008 feud of the year as well as 2008 match of the year). Umaga would win that match and afterwards when it looked as though Umaga and Foxx would do further damage to Bret, Samoa Joe made his shocking return to chase them off. Joe challenged Foxx to a last man standing match at Mania where if Foxx won, Joe would join the Faithful but if Joe won, Bret would be re-instated. Joe would go on to win the match and bring Bret back into the mix. Kane and Umaga would trade the title back and forth, Bret and Foxx met several times to resume their rivalry included a lumberjack match and a mixed tag match. All to culminate in the two factions meeting once again in the main event of the Great American Bash inside of War Games. As well as the two factions' leading ladies meeting in a cage as well when Claudia defeated Candice. They met in War Games where the Faithful was once again victorious after Foxx shot a fireball into the face of the Undertaker to give them the win and put Taker out of action for months. King Umaga then injured Foundation friend, Franco D'Angelo at Final Burns as the Faithful felt on top of the world again. At Cyber Saturday, the fans voted one person from each group to step into the ring and the way it turned out, King Umaga defeated Samoa Joe. At Survival of the Sickest, the two teams agreed to meet in one last 8 man tag against each other. The match featured the return of the Undertaker and this time the Foundation got the victory finally. That match was an ending of sorts, but the hatred between the two groups is one that will never die and one that will rise again each and everytime two members go at it in the ring.

MATCH OF THE YEAR: THE BRISCOES VS. MITSUHARU MISAWA & KENTA KOBASHI - SUMMER SPECTACULAR FINALS - 7/5/09 This match had absolutely everyone on the edge of their seats. The constant thoughts of will or can the Briscoes do this, could they pull it off and get a tag title rematch in the biggest way possible. They had already gone through so much in the tournament at this point. Misawa and Kobashi were dominant and in this match they gave the Briscoes everything they had but the teamwork never slowed down. They were always getting back up, breaking up pins, whatever it took, the Briscoes would not quit. After 26 minutes of non-stop exciting action from pillar to post, Jay was able to pin Kobashi and the crowd erupted like never before. It was an incredible match to end an absolutely awesome tag team tournament!

CRUISERWEIGHT OF THE YEAR: JUSHIN LIGER Was there ever really any doubt? Nobody in the junior division had the year Liger had. Liger started the year as champion and suffered a shocking upset when he lost his title to Matt Palmer. Liger quickly regained it a month later at Valentine's Massacre and would steamroll the competition that followed which included Super J Cup winner, Psicosis, at Wrestlemania, the returning Austin Aries who once ruled the division, the fans vote of Evan Bourne, and seemingly everyone else that came his way. Liger held the title for almost a full year that is until the final night of 2009 when he shockingly lost the championship to Frankie Kazarian! Regardless, Liger's sheer dominance gave him this award without a doubt.

FINISH OF THE YEAR: THE BRISCOES DOUBLE FINISH ON LAX - GREAT AMERICAN BASH - 7/26/09 It was a great match in its own right but the finish is one that will never ever be forgotten in FPR history. The finish of the match witnessed both Briscoes hitting their respective finishers on LAX simultaneously which led to the pinfall. Mark hitting the Cutthroat Driver on Homicide and Jay hitting the J-Driller on Hernandez. Double impact if we ever saw. The crowd exploded at the sight and it was the perfect finish to the match. It stands out in the Great American Bash 2009 highlight video.