Laugh Like Pee-wee (2020)

Laugh Like Pee-wee 2020 was the eleventh installment of the annual Laugh Like Pee-wee event, held on January 25, 2020. The show was highlighted by the 30-man Laugh Like Pee-wee match and Christian defending the World Heavyweight Championship against DEFAULT, and Brock Lesnar facing The Shark for a spot in the Laugh Like Pee-wee match.

Background
The Laugh Like Pee-wee match has been a launching pad for success since its inception, and with members of the Arrested Developmental roster joining the field for the first time ever, the stakes couldn't be any higher. This revelation came about shortly after Dynamite Derek secured the #30 spot for himself at Dr. Meinheimer, an achievement he'd be unable to celebrate due to Jon Moxley immediately delivering Dirty Deeds to him. Shortly thereafter, it would be revealed by new Arrested Developmental General Manager Charles Barkley that Moxley and other members of his locker room would be competing for an opportunity at the Main Event Championship in the 30-man contest. The reception wouldn't be so warm from other entrants such as Batista. He noted that not earning the #30 spot was a setback, but that nobody from either locker room would get in his way of main eventing the Fest. Also entering the 30-entrant field will be The Very European Union, comprised of Sheamus, William Regal, and Very European Champion Cesaro. The trio proved to be dominant against Macho Man's All-American Boys at Dr. Meinheimer, but it's possible that cracks in the armor have already started to form on this relatively new alliance. After prodding his rivals about how they'll decide who goes to the Fest if it comes down to the three of them, Macho Man was given the opportunity to qualify for the match against any member of The Very European Union. However, before they could reach a consensus, William Regal nominated himself. In the end, Savage was victorious. Although Cesaro has remained neutral regarding the situation, tensions have been high between Regal and Sheamus as the momentous Pee-wee draws closer. With the pool of potential entrants opened wider than it ever has been before, nearly everybody in both SvR06 and Arrested Developmental are looking for their way into the Laugh Like Pee-wee match. One in particular is The Master of Drew-Jitsu, Drew Thunder. After Jon Moxley interfered in his match at Dr. Meinheimer, Drew Thunder has his sights set on the unpredictable invader. "The Golden Boy" Chance had other ideas, however. As the only man entering the match in possession of an Olympic gold medal, Chance declared that he would use his unmatched grappling prowess to toss both Drew Thunder and Jon Moxley if he crossed paths with either of them. Also at Dr. Meinheimer, Rene Dupree sent out a word of warning that he wanted to share his nightmare with everyone at Laugh Like Pee-wee. Evidently, he's chosen to do so in the 30-man match itself. Things have been equally competitive in Arrested Developmental as well. With an opportunity at the Main Event Championship on the line in this year's contest as well, the Good Hand Champion PAC is looking to add more titles to his collection. This idea wasn't well received by rival KENTA, who vowed to kick PAC out of the Laugh Like Pee-wee match on his way to a Main Event Title opportunity. The two foes were pitted in a tag team bout with Doubles Champions Kaz and Christopher Daniels, but their egos ultimately got the better of them. Afterwards, The Dogs of War tossed both men over the top rope and declared that neither of them will be winning the Laugh Like Pee-wee because they've already marked it as their territory. With less than a week to go, the number of available spots in the Laugh Like Pee-wee match begin to dwindle. In a contest where the goal is to throw your opponent over the top rope, it goes without saying that size matters. This point was stressed by Scott Steiner, who claimed that he didn't care if either Brock Lesnar or The Shark entered the match because nobody was big enough to toss out Big Poppa Pump. This challenge was met by tandem of The Kingpin and Rhyno, who teamed up on Steiner and tossed him over the top and to the floor. Kingpin would give Rhyno a cordial pat on the back following the display, which Rhyno mistook for his partner attempting to do the same to him. It just goes to show that trust only goes so far in a match where it's every man for himself. SvR06 isn't the only place where the big boys play, however. In Arrested Developmental, Sonic El Hedge and Cruiserweight Champion Buki looked to gain some momentum in singles action before entering the 30-man fray. The match would be brought to an abrupt halt by the brutish Bubba Ray. Bubba would lay out both men, asserting his size over them. He would note that every so-called big man that wants to run their mouth about the upcoming match should step up to him so he can clock them in the jaw. This challenge was met by the 400-pound Rikishi, who would counter Bubba's attack with a superkick into the corner and a subsequent Stinkface. Rikishi would note that he has 29 more Stinkfaces loaded and ready to go if necessary for Laugh Like Pee-wee.

Christian's path to the World Heavyweight Title has been unique. Not only did he become champion by cashing in a Money in the Bank contract that he obtained via disqualification, he won the gold after Dynamite Derek had been left incapacitated by a Batista Bomb. Some have suggested that his claim to the championship has been built off the efforts of everyone other than him. One of those critics was Christian's first challenger for the title at Dr. Meinheimer, DEFAULT. The former champion pushed Christian to prove that he was everything he says he is and attempt to defend his title on his own merit. In the end, it was a chair shot by an unfamiliar assailant that would ultimately allow Christian to retain. Afterwards, the two would keep DEFAULT down with a two-man con-chair-to. The World Champion would later introduce this man as Knox, and claimed that he was simply a devoted Christian enthusiast who acted on his own at Dr. Meinheimer. This wasn't good enough for Winslow J. Wiley. He suggested that Christian deliberately instructed Knox to save his title reign because he knew that he couldn't get the job done by himself. Christian would slap the Winslow across the face, but before Winslow could retaliate he was cut off by Knox. In a repeat of the scene from Dr. Meinheimer, the two would clobber DEFAULT's uncle with a con-chair-to as they had to him. DEFAULT would call out Christian, demanding another championship match at Laugh Like Pee-wee. Christian and Knox would attempt a repeat performance on DEFAULT, but were halted by Winslow J. Wiley. He informed the champion that he can bring Knox to the ring him, but this time, DEFAULT won't be going it alone. The World Heavyweight Championship will be on the line at Laugh Like Pee-wee, but DEFAULT will be out for payback as well as the gold.

Unquestionably, one of the most shocking endings to any contest in the history of SvR06 occurred in the clash between Brock Lesnar and The Shark at A Fish Called Walter. With a thunderous superplex from the top turnbuckle, the two monstrous combatants landed with such destructive force that the entire ring collapsed. As the match would end in a draw, the two would meet again at Dr. Meinheimer in a Shark Cage match. Although the reinforced structure is the specialty of The Shark, it was the beastly Lesnar that managed to leave victorious after using his last ounce of strength to crawl out of the cage. Although he had conquered his white whale in his own mind, Lesnar once again became the subject of criticism. Rather than being touted as the winner of the Shark Cage match, many suggested that Brock instead survived The Shark's patented match. When The Shark took the opportunity to proclaim that he would be the winner of this year's Laugh Like Pee-wee match, Lesnar would man the harpoons once again. The Beast insisted that he wanted to truly beat The Shark, and this time beat him so bad that he won't be able to make it to the Laugh Like Pee-wee match. With that in mind, the decision was reached that this modern day version of King Kong versus Godzilla would reach its final chapter at Laugh Like Pee-wee with the winning competitor earning their spot in the 30-man main event.

For nearly a year, The Pranksters have proudly defended the World Tag Team Titles against every adversary that has stood in their path. Although they've been dominant thus far, their reign has seemed to hit a roadblock by the name of The Abomination of Desolation. Under Walter P. Wiley's guidance, Snitsky and Heidenreich not only decimated The Pranksters after a successful title defense but decisively earned a shot at their championships at Dr. Meinheimer. With the beginning of a new decade, The Pranksters were two of the competitors recognized for their achievements by receiving the Tag Team of the Decade award. On an edition of The Highlight Reel, Chris Jericho presented his friends with a trophy to commemorate their accomplishment. In a characteristically classless display, Walter P. Wiley interrupted the proceedings by suggesting that Jericho should present the AOD with the trophy, seeing as they are the tag team of this coming decade. Walter suggested that the time for fun and games will officially be over at Laugh Like Pee-wee, before directing his two brutes to get an early advantage over their opponents. The duo got the best of The Pranksters, but Jericho managed to fend them off by using the trophy as a weapon. Jericho noted that Walter may have the AOD's back, but claimed that he'll be standing by The Pranksters at Laugh Like Pee-wee to ensure that they remain the greatest tag team of the previous decade and the one to come.

At Dr. Meinheimer, former rivals Rob Van Dam and Carlito reignited their dormant dispute when Van Dam eliminated the Intercontinental Champion with the Five-Star Frog Splash. RVD noted that he doesn't know how things work, but felt that pinning the champion should put him next in line for a shot at his title. Carlito suggested that his defeat at the hands of the Five-Star Superstar was merely a technicality and claimed that Van Dam wouldn't be able to do it again in a one-on-one match. However, when the two squared off in singles competition, RVD managed to score the pin once again. With two pinfalls over the Intercontinental Champion, Rob Van Dam made a strong case for challenging for the gold. Carlito would eventually agree to put the title on the line at Laugh Like Pee-wee, but only if RVD was able to make it to the event. As always, Carlito had a trick up his floral print shirtsleeve. Initially, the champion hired a fake doctor to administer a physical for Van Dam that included a urine test. As Carlito suspected, the results showed heavy traces of cannabis in the challenger's system. Unfortunately, his ploy to have RVD suspended failed when it was revealed to him that SvR06 had discontinued their testing policy for recreational substances some time ago. With his plans foiled, Carlito turned to the alliance of Mark Jindrak, Chris Masters, and Tajiri for assistance. Carlito would later provoke Van Dam into pursuing him, only to be ambushed by the trio. With the challenger's physical condition left uncertain, Jindrak pointed out that he helped out Carlito and suggested that he return the favor by giving him a shot at the Intercontinental Title in RVD's place. Following the signing of the match between Carlito and JIndrak, RVD would return to reveal that he's more than able to compete at Laugh Like Pee-wee and that he'd gladly face both of them in a Triple Threat match.

The Big O's team was unsuccessful at Dr. Meinheimer, and it appeared the most lasting injury following the match was that of the broken heart of the team captain. The Colossal Casanova had selected the most recent subject of his affection, Contessa di Su, to compete alongside him against Count Out's team. However, as the match was set to begin, the Hardcore Champion was nowhere to be found. Count Out used this as an opportunity to catch Big O off guard and eliminate him, but the no-show on the part of the Contessa seemed to be even more defeating for him. Some time later, The Big O would reveal that he attempted to find the answers behind Contessa di Su's dodgy behavior. What he discovered in his sleuthing was Count Out leaving her dressing room on multiple occasions. This lead him to the only logical conclusion he could think of: Contessa di Su was sneaking around with Count Out behind his back all along. The passion in his heart would turn to rage, leading The Big O to challenge the Hardcore Champion for her title at Laugh Like Pee-wee. However, after experiencing a number of defeats by being distracted and rolled up in the months prior, the challenger noted that this would not be a standard title bout. At Laugh Like Pee-wee, the Hardcore Title will be on the line in a Ladder match!