Background: This was the finals of the OVW Heavyweight Championship tournament.
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Detroit, MI
March 1, 2006
CM Punk vs. Brent Albright
And dey was a clubberin’ early, Tony! Punching Punk over & over again only fired the contender up and gave him the chance to land a leg lariat. Showing off his strength, Punk unleashed a delayed vertical suplex that gave him the first two count of the bout. The butterfly suplex from Punk gave him the same two count, as did a dropkick aimed at the back of “The Shooter’s” head. Going for the submission instead, Punk found himself coming up short again when the champ used the nearness of the ropes to save himself. Forearm after forearm, some face washing and a running big boot in the corner allowed Punk to ground his opposition. Backing his opponent into the corner, Brent popped Punk in the mouth courtesy of a right hand as the referee tried to separate the two. Punk fought back, executing a hurricarana-big boot combo … to earn a near fall!
It seemed Albright was in a bad way as Punk toyed with him until “The Second City Saint” brought to the action to the floor. Showing incredible strength, Albright caught Punk in midair as he went for the hurricarana off the apron, slinging CM Punk into the barricades. Rolling Punk back in, Albright almost ended this one with a pin fall in his favor. Slams and elbow strikes were the name of “The Shooter’s” game as he tried to wear down the Chicago native. The fans were rallying behind Punk, giving him the energy to knee and elbow his way out of the suplex. Coming off the ropes, Punk ran into an overhead belly to belly suplex that put his shoulders down for two seconds. Brent Albright had a superplex in mind, only to be knocked backwards into the tree of woe. Punk came off the top, dropping a knee across Albright’s face as he tried to free himself. Punk took too much time going for the pin after the maneuver, only getting a two count for his trouble. Kicking his way out of Punk’s grip, Albright hit the 61Knee … to gain a near fall!
Both men got up looking for a submission counter when Punk flipped his way out of a German suplex. Several strikes landed in his favor, giving Punk the chance to scale the ropes for a springboard attack. “The Second City Saint” slipped, landing awkwardly on his left knee. The referee pushed Albright away to bring in some medical staff that could help Punk as the show entered a commercial break.
Returning to the show it seemed Punk wouldn’t be able to continue as he was helped onto a stretcher. Albright returned to whip and choke the injured Punk with a leather strap after tipping the stretcher over that confined him. Hobbling into the ring, Punk demanded Albright to come in and fight like a man. “The Shooter” ran in, getting punched and knocked around the ring until he shoved himself and Punk into the cornered referee. With the referee down, Punk was able to whip Albright without recourse. When Punk wound back for another swing, Albright clipped his left leg from underneath his adversary. The referee came to just as Punk was forced into the STF. Not tapping out, Punk passed out from the pain.
Winner: Brent Albright (19:51)
Is It A Classic: A very good bout featuring two men who had obvious chemistry. While the ending left a little to be desired (an obvious rematch was to come from this one), the overall bout was really entertaining and a rarely mentioned gem in the history of both men’s careers.
