Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling on CMT
Episode 3 - 11/1/2008
Report by Steve Cook

Tensions are running high, and the pressure of the competition gets to two of the celebrities. Then, they are forced to face their fears in a challenge that will bring them to new heights. With three new skills to learn, they face off in their second main event.

Cast:

Team Beefcake: Danny Bonaduce, Todd Bridges, Butterbean, Trishelle Cannatella, Tiffany
Team Nasty: Dustin Diamond, Erin Murphy, Dennis Rodman, Frank Stallone, Nikki Ziering
Coaches: Brutus Beefcake & Brian Knobs
Judges: Eric Bischoff, Jimmy Hart & Hulk Hogan

Our celebrities show up in the lounge the morning after the matches all beat up. They complain about their injuries and then get into an argument over whose match was better. Team Beefcake says theirs was, but Erin says that she & Team Nasty followed the rules more. Butterbean wants her to shut up. Erin & Danny end up getting in a big argument about things, leading to Erin crying. Danny comments to the camera that he’s been making her cry since they were 6 & on Bewitched. Funny stuff.

The judges show up in the middle of the fight, and things settle down. Hulk wants to see how fearless the celebs are, so they go to the warehouse. Knobs greets them and tells them it’s gutcheck time, as we see a large crash-mat set up and Brutus Beefcake standing on a platform 30 feet above it. Beefcake jumps into the crash-mat, and now the celebrities must do the same! Team Beefcake is first…Todd & Danny jump without issue, but Trishelle is scared. We go to a commercial while she ponders it…

Trishelle takes the plunge after we come back, awkward as it was. Butterbean jumps and now it’s time for Team Nasty. Dennis, Erin, Nikki & Dustin all take the jump, but Frank refuses due to his fear of heights. Knobs & Beefcake make fun of him, and Butterbean comments “Even Nikki jumped, for God’s sake!”

Eric talks to them at the arena and asks what they’ve learned so far. Todd says that wrestling takes a lot of heart, but Nikki responds with “absolutely nothing”! Well, give her points for honesty, I guess. Dustin isn’t nearly as kind as I am. Eric informs them that they will learn three moves this week: the headlock takedown, a schoolboy, and a shoulder tackle. Knobs & Beefcake demonstrate.

We go to training, and Beefcake notes that Danny is missing because he has to do his radio show. Trishelle is concerned about this, but Todd isn’t. Commercial time!

We’re back and they’re still training. Trishelle comments that the moves are more technical this week. Erin’s not doing very well due to her neck bothering her, and she cries for the second time today. Team Beefcake’s schoolboys go well, except for Butterbean due to size issues. Dustin works lucha-style and does it on the wrong side. Knobs is pissed with his team because the schoolboy is the easiest move in wrestling and they’re struggling with it. Team Beefcake tries to plan out their match, but it would be easier if Danny was there. In our comedic highlight of the show, Butterbean farts and clears out the room. In our “uh oh” portion of the show, Dennis tries his second-rope clothesline on Knobs, but manages to mess up his shoulder while doing so. The medics are called in and everybody is concerned. Danny shows up and manages to catch up a little bit.

One hour before the show, Team Nasty finds out that Dennis won’t be allowed to wrestle tonight due to a strained rotator cuff. They have to re-plan their whole match, with Frank taking Dennis’ place. Hulk comes into the Team Beefcake locker room before the match and gives them a nice pep talk about keeping each other safe and whatnot. Trishelle is nervous (I type that a lot), Dustin says that if Team Nasty loses, he knows who will be gone. We go to a commercial…

It’s match time! Ring announcer Todd Kelly introduces the judges and Hulk welcomes the crowd.

Match 1: Team Beefcake

Heels: Trishelle Cannatella & Danny Bonaduce vs. Faces: Todd Bridges & Butterbean

Bean & Danny start it off, Danny’s attempts at shoulderblocks go nowhere and he tags Trishelle in. Butterbean doesn’t want to fight a girl, but Trishelle attacks him from behind and gets a piggyback ride until Bean squashes her in the corner. Todd & Danny tag in, Danny kicks away at Todd but Todd rams his head into the turnbuckle and does a headlock takeover. Danny gets out with a headscissors, as the judges say that he really needs to slow down. Trishelle’s back in but Todd meets her with a headlock takeover. Danny back in and he & Todd mess up a shoudlerblock to the point where announcer Bubba the Love Sponge has no idea what they were going for. Trishelle’s back in and she misses a splash in the corner. Butterbean tags in and he clobbers Danny. Trishelle hits Butterbean into a really bad schoolboy by Danny (rolling up the fat guy probably wasn’t the best of ideas) and it gets the 3 count!

Winners: Trishelle Cannatella & Danny Bonaduce

Butterbean chucks Bonaduce into security for a measure of revenge. We get a commercial and then our second match…

Match 2: Team Nasty

Heels: Erin Murphy & Dustin Diamond vs. Faces: Nikki Ziering & Frank Stallone (w/Dennis Rodman)

Dustin & Nikki in the ring to start, Nikki gains control and bangs Dustin’s head into the turnbuckle ten times. A schoolboy by Nikki gets 2. Headlock takeover leads into a tag to Frank. Chop by Frank, he does a schoolboy for 2. Frank gets sent outside by Dustin, who continues to beat him up outside. Dennis tries to get involved, but it leads to problems for his charges. Dustin misses a splash in the corner, and the ladies tag in. Boot by Nikki, who also knocks Dustin down. The men tag back in and a clothesline by Frank gets 2. He tries another pin, but Erin hits a double axhandle on him while the referee is talking to Dennis. That’s good enough to get a three count.

Winners: Erin Murphy & Dustin Diamond

After a commercial, the judges address the celebs. Hulk tells us that Team Beefcake is safe.

Eric gives Nikki his spiel about how there’s more to wrestling than good looks. Jimmy tells Dustin that he stepped up to the plate and was the team captain tonight. Hulk tells them they’re safe and can leave the ring. Hulk tells Frank that he stepped it up and was able to fill Dennis’ shoes. He then tells Erin that she had a rough week and didn’t improve, but the fans love her. He tells Dennis that wrestling isn’t the NBA and he should have wrestled tonight. But, he did well in his manager role and has the physical tools to do well if he heals up. Finally, Hulk tells Frank Stallone that he didn’t show the eye of a tiger. He’s a jabroni, get out of Hulk’s ring.

Frank doesn’t feel like a loser, most 58 year old guys couldn’t do what he did. Ric Flair says hello. Well, he wasn’t actually there, but if he was…you get the idea.

That’s all for this week, join us next time when the celebrities get to pick out their in-ring gimmicks!