A Fish Called Walter (2019)

A Fish Called Walter was held on October 18, 2019. The event was highlighted by The Shark going one-on-one with Brock Lesnar, Dynamite Derek defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Batista, and Kurt Angle putting his Olympic gold medal on the line against Chance.

Background
At In My Ass, Dynamite Derek scored the pinfall that would allow JBL to become sole commissioner of SvR06 and leave Charles Barkley powerless. Before saying his final farewells, Barkley was stopped by Batista. The Animal noted that he was still co-commissioner for the rest of the night, leading to Barkley using his final act in power to name Batista as the number one contender for Dynamite Derek's World Heavyweight Championship. Batista would later acknowledge that Dynamite Derek considers himself a champion of the people. However, when Batista would poll the audience, they made it clear that they wanted him as their champion. Dynamite Derek would confront Batista, telling him that sometimes what people want isn't what they need. He noted that he has always dedicated himself to doing what's right for them and for the company by any means, but only up until recently have people like Batista poisoned the minds of his public. Dynamite Derek stated that he not only feels that he has vanquish the phony superhero Batista in the name of all that is good and decent, but above all else because he simply does not like him. The champion would then attempt a cheap shot on Batista with the title belt, but The Animal countered and delivered a spinebuster instead. Before he had the opportunity to deliver the Batista Bomb, Dynamite Derek slipped away to safety. After their encounter, Dynamite Derek admitted that he may have underestimated just how powerful Batista is. With that in mind, the World Champion swiftly got to work on constructing a new suit that would be more capable of withstanding the unmatched strength and sheer force of his opponent's offense. Batista would respond by claiming that no amount of armor will protect anyone from the effect's of one Batista Bomb. These two will leave all the talk at the door when they go one-on-one for the first time ever at A Fish Called Walter. Will the people get a champion that they want or a champion that they need?

For four straight years, The Shark went without a single pinfall loss on his record. That was until he finally went toe-to-toe with Batista to find out which animal was truly at the top of the SvR06 food chain. Ultimately, it was a earth-quaking Batista Bomb that finally brought The Shark's unprecedented streak to an end. With such a monumental victory over arguably the most dominant individual SvR06 has ever seen, it was only appropriate that Batista would find himself next in line for the coveted World Heavyweight Championship. However, this decision clearly wasn't popular with The Shark. The carnivorous competitor immediately targeted Batista with a brutal blindsided attack. When Brock Lesnar attempted to get in a few free shots as well, The Shark surprised everyone by coming to Batista's defense. This would lead to speculation that The Shark perhaps felt some level of respect for Batista after his Fest defeat at the hands of The Animal. On the other hand, that respect was obviously not extended to Lesnar. For weeks, Brock would become belligerent and highly agitated when anyone would bring up the fact that he'd never defeated The Shark. When the subject was addressed in a sit down interview, The Beast proceeded to tear apart the set and littered the room with mangled furniture. When it was mentioned on commentary, Lesnar grabbed Michael Cole from his announce position and laid him out with an F-5 in the ring. As Brock was about to inflict further damage with a debilitating Kimura lock, Cole was pulled out of harms way by The Shark. The two beasts locked eyes for a moment before The Shark finally gave a symbolic nod, seeming to suggest that Brock had his attention and that the two would face off in a titanic match-up at A Fish Called Walter.

Over the past year, Chance has learned the hard way that getting rid of The Undertaker is no easy feat. After presumably perishing at the turn of the new year, the Deadman returned with a vengeance during Chance's United States title defense against Drew Thunder. The two would finally look to settle things inside the structure that began their bitter rivalry, Hell in a Cell. The Demon of Death Valley felt right at home in the structure, as he treated Chance like an unwelcome guest. Before he had the opportunity to finish off his opponent, however, he was attacked from behind by the sinister Sevendust. Despite struggling to stand, Chance had enough sense left in him to crawl into the cover and bring the punishing contest to an end. Clearly knocked senseless from the onslaught received inside the Cell, Chance would proceed to sing his own praises for single-handedly taking down The Undertaker. On top of apparently having no recollection of Sevendust's role in his victory, the Golden Boy would claim that he has now truly begun to set the gold standard for everyone else in the locker room. This caught the attention of Kurt Angle, who hasn't appeared since the Fest earlier this year. Angle noted that Chance can start considering himself the gold standard whenever he can outlast ring veterans like Bret Hart in Ultimate Submission matches, or win a gold medal with a broken freakin' neck. Chance retorted that it made him sad to see an all-time great like Kurt Angle reduced to clinging for relevancy by standing in his spotlight, but admitted that there was an easier way for people to think "Chance" whenever they see Angle. The Golden Boy would then attempt to leave his name imprinted on Angle's forehead with a shot from his signature brass knuckles, but the Olympian countered with an Angle Slam. An incensed Chance refused to have his shine removed by Angle, however. The Golden Boy claimed that the SvR06 ring is now his property, and that he owns whomever and whatever comes between the ropes with him. He continued by noting that he lives by a mantra that has got him where he is today, which is that when he sees gold he takes gold. Chance claimed that Angle brought himself and his Olympic gold medal into his house, and since he's due for a new piece of bling anyway, he said that he planned on owning both of them at A Fish Called Walter. Angle accepted, refusing to let Chance trivialize his gold medal as just a trinket. He noted that it was a symbol of his life's work, and that it will truly be the fruits of his labor to make Chance tap out in the middle of the ring.

Drew Thunder is no stranger to the concept of strength in numbers. The road that led him to the United States Title in the first place saw him aligned with "The Golden Boy" Chance in a crusade to dominate SvR06. Evidently, the notion slipped his mind during his title defense against the team of Sheamus and Cesaro. While The Master of Drew-Jitsu swiftly put away Sheamus, it was the Celtic Warrior's involvement in the second match with Cesaro that allowed the Swiss Strongman to capture the championship. Cesaro paid little mind to the circumstances that allowed him to become United States Champion. Drew Thunder, however, wasn't as willing to put it aside. The former champion immediately threw down the gauntlet and issued a challenge for a rematch against Cesaro with the title on the line, citing that this time they have a match where Sheamus hasn't attacked him beforehand. The two squared off, with Drew Thunder dictating most of the offense this time. As it appeared he was closing in on winning back the title, Sheamus crept his way into the ring and planted Drew Thunder with a Brogue Kick to result in a disqualification. Outnumbered by The Bar, Drew Thunder did the only thing he could and consulted JBL to find a solution. Drew Thunder would later challenge Cesaro one more time to a championship rematch, this time at A Fish Called Walter. This time, the challenger wanted to assure that things would be different. This time, it was decided that Sheamus would be banned from ringside. Cesaro initially declined, feeling that he had nothing left to prove after their previous encounters. But when Drew Thunder suggested that Cesaro was only champion thanks to Sheamus, he accepted the challenge and stipulation in order to prove his worth as the rightful holder of the gold. Will Drew Thunder manage to become a three-time United States Champion now that Sheamus is no longer a factor, or will the crafty Cesaro devise another way to keep his prize?

Since reuniting, The Pranksters have risen the ranks of the tag team division without missing a beat. Of course since their initial run on top, the landscape has changed dramatically. One of the tandems that has been influencing this change has been the duo of Mark Jindrak and Chris Masters. Evidently threatened by The Pranksters' firm claim to the World Tag Team Titles, the pair decided to combat the champions psychologically as well as physically. In recent weeks, Tajiri has become the target of a number of cruel and tasteless "pranks" that were attributed to the the tag team champions by Jindrak and Masters. The two would suggest that The Pranksters' sense of humor had no place in 2019, and that the two should be left in the past where they belong. The Pranksters would deny the acts directed at Tajiri, claiming that it was all orchestrated by Jindrak and Masters to get them "cancelled" from SvR06. To help smooth things over with Tajiri, The Pranksters suggested that he be in their corner when they battle Jindrak and Masters with a tag team championship opportunity on the line. As suggested, Tajiri stood in the corner of The Pranksters during the tag team contest. The champions were closing in on the victory against their opponents when suddenly, the Japanese Buzzsaw showed his true allegiance when he spewed green mist into the face of Nateflix from the outside, allowing Jindrak and Masters to pick up the win. One of the most formidable teams on the roster will now have the opportunity to challenge The Pranksters for the World Tag Team Championship at A Fish Called Walter. With Tajiri now in their corner as well, The Pranksters time as champions could potentially end up being cancelled after all.

Over the past year, Rey Mysterio has springboarded himself to new heights in the SvR06 rankings. From his stunning upset victory over The Kingpin to win the Intercontinental Championship to defending the gold in a taxing Triple Threat match, Mysterio has proven time and again that it's all about the size of the fight in the dog. Unfortunately, not everyone can admire the inspiration Intercontinental Champion. Despite the record books stating that he lost the Triple Threat match at In My Ass, Carlito deflected his defeat by pointing out that he wasn't the one who was pinned. Instead of offering Carlito another title shot, Mysterio elected to be a champion that wanted to receive fresh challenges from competitors that rarely have been awarded the opportunities. Rather than be ignored, Carlito decided to take matters into his own hands. On one evening, Rey Mysterio made his way to the ring and approached one of his young fans to share words of encouragement. To everyone's shock, Mysterio spewed half-chewed apple into the face of the fan, revealing himself to be Carlito in disguise. Mysterio bolted to the ring, fending off Carlito following his heinous actions. The Intercontinental Champion stated that you could do anything to him, but that messing with his fans was crossing the line. Rey informed Carlito that he would put the Intercontinental Title on the line against at A Fish Called Walter just to have an excuse to kick his ass.

This year's Money in the Bank Ladder match was arguably one of the most exciting of them all. Of course not everyone was as excited about the result as others. Most vocally perturbed was fellow ladder match competitor Christian, whose verbal attacks on Big Show ranged from him having an unfair advantage in the contest to suggesting that he was a poor role model for fans and his own family. With Big Show pushed to his absolute limit, he and Christian would square off at In My Ass with the Money in the Bank contract on the line. The rules stipulated that if Big Show lost the match in any way, he would relinquish his opportunity to his opponent. Christian took advantage of this, poking the bear to the point that Big Show found himself being disqualified. As a result, he would be forced to release his Money in the Bank briefcase to Christian, but not before leaving him with a colossal knockout punch. In the following weeks, Christian would point to Big Show's treatment of both the referee and himself to illustrate his point about the World's Largest Athlete being nothing more than the World's Biggest Bully. With Christian now in possession of a World Heavyweight Championship opportunity as well, Big Show has made it his new mission to ensure that he never has the chance to use it. Big Show would note that he now has nothing left to lose, and claimed that it made him more dangerous than ever. He continued by saying that he wanted to snap Christian in half like a wooden board before challenging him to a match that he claimed he couldn't lose. At A Fish Called Walter, Big Show will challenge Christian to a Tables match.

In My Ass is often an event that often sees new faces join the ranks of SvR06. However, none seemed to have caught the eye of The Big O quite like Contessa di Su. The striking backstage interviewer apparently left such an impression on the Colossal Casanova that his main squeeze, Torrie Wilson, cited this as the reason he wasn't thinking clearly enough to retain the Hardcore Championship. Later in the evening, after the title had been captured by The Hurricane, Torrie Wilson managed to track down the new titleholder and became Hardcore Champion herself. After chastising The Big O for losing it in the first place, she made it clear that she had no intention of laying on her back for him. After weeks of rockiness with Torrie, Big O was delighted when he received a message about a secret rendezvous in the locker room showers. When he went in the showers expecting to find Torrie, he was instead met by Contessa di Su. She told Big O that he deserved to be treated better than how Torrie treats him. She continued by saying that she knows he's too much of a gentleman to take the title from Torrie, but that maybe another woman could. When Big O sheepishly backed out of the locker room in nothing more than an undersized towel, he came face-to-face with a visibly angry Torrie. Although he tried to explain, she sternly informed him that she was considering this "strike two." As for the Contessa, Torrie said that she was going to teach her a lesson at A Fish Called Walter for moving in on her territory. And to win back some points with her, Torrie said she was going to make sure The Big O was named the special guest referee so that he could make sure she leaves with the Hardcore Championship. The Big O will be between a rock and a hard place when he has to choose between the two women in his life. The question is, which one will he choose?

Results
A Fish Called Walter opened with JBL welcoming everyone to a new era of SvR06 under his leadership as commissioner. The brash tycoon suggested that this would be an era of law and order, going as far to declare that he would be at ringside to ensure that the huge World Championship match between Dynamite Derek and Batista is contested fairly. Before he could leave the ring, J-Pac appeared on the tron. He claimed that he respected JBL's decision to give him the night off, stating that it has given him some time to reflect on the period when they were aligned. He noted that his most important takeaway from that time was to never do your own dirty work when someone else can do it for you. He would step aside to reveal that he'd hijacked and defaced JBL's limo with anti-biker sentiments and left it parked in front of a notorious biker bar. JBL sprinted from the ring, hoping to rescue his limousine from certain destruction.

Kicking off the action was the Tables match pitting Big Show against Christian. After a controversial match-up that saw Christian win Big Show's Money in the Bank opportunity by disqualification, the World's Largest Athlete has been hellbent on ensuring that Christian will never be physically able to use it. Christian attempted to take to the high ground throughout the match, hoping to stay out of reach of the giant paws of Big Show. However, this tactic would ultimately be his undoing as he would be chokeslammed from the top turnbuckle through a table to bring the match to an end.

Up next, Rey Mysterio prepared to defend the Intercontinental Championship against Carlito. However, before the match could begin, a fan in a Mysterio mask struck the champion. In a dastardly twist, the fan turned out to be none other than Carlito. This surprise attack would give Carlito the upper hand for the early portion of the bout, but Mysterio would eventually mount a comeback. As the underdog champion was preparing to deliver his signature 619, he was caught off guard by the sight of a horde of unsightly, demented clowns approaching the barricade. This distraction would give Carlito just enough time to land a Backstabber and cover Mysterio for the championship. To put an exclamation point on the bizarre occurance, the celebration would be cut off by the sight of a ghastly grinning face flashing upon the screen.

The Big O headed to the ring, donning a striped bathrobe to officiate the conflicting Hardcore Championship match contested between his current partner Torrie Wilson and the new target of his lust Contessa di Su. Torrie would take issue with the Colossal Casanova not counting faster for her to defend the title right off the bat, but he stayed true to his word that he was going to call the match down the middle. Big O proved to be a man of his word, which would in turn lead to the Contessa becoming the new Hardcore Champion. Whether his intentions were pure or not, this may have been the final straw for Torrie.

Cesaro made his way to the ring for his United States Championship rematch with Drew Thunder. This time, however, Sheamus would be barred from ringside. It was soon discovered that Sheamus' absence wouldn't be the only difference this time around. Before the match, Cesaro talked about the legacy of the United States Title and all of the champions that came before him. But instead of honoring that legacy, he tossed the title to the ground and suggested that all the former champions could kiss his ass. He would then unveil he would from this point on be recognized as the Very European Champion, a distinction he claimed he could be proud of. Drew Thunder put up his best against Cesaro regardless, now fighting to restore honor to the title he unjustly relinquished. Before he had the opportunity to finish off Cesaro, William Regal entered the ring in an attempt to get the jump on the challenger. The Master of Drew-Jitsu propelled him over the top rope, but turned around to be met with a thunderous Swiss uppercut that kept him down for the three count. As Cesaro celebrated with the Very European Title, he was met at the entranceway by Sheamus and Regal. The three stood triumphant, evidently forming a new and dangerous alliance.

After Chance trivialized his Olympic gold medal as nothing more than a trinket to be worn, Kurt Angle agreed to put his most prized possession on the line against the so-called Golden Boy. While Angle's wrestling ability no doubt outmatched his opponent's, Chance had the Olympian's weaknesses well-scouted in his own right. That being said, it wouldn't be enough to keep Angle down, who bounced back from a number of Final Chances. Seeing that he couldn't defeat his illustrious opponent in a traditional manner, Chance took advantage of an incapacitated official by plastering Angle with a stiff right from his patented gold knuckles. With the Olympic hero unconscious, Chance made the cover just as the unaware referee rose to count it and award him the coveted medal.

Before the event could proceed, an ominous casket appeared at ringside. Without warning, the lid flew open to unveil an effigy of The Undertaker. At this point, Sevendust walked down the ramp and proceeded to eulogize before the open casket. He lamented that the Reaper of Wayward Souls has spent his career claiming the souls of his victims when they weren't his to claim in the first place. As it's his belief that he's been tasked with punishing the souls of the sinful for their transgressions, he felt he had no choice but to bludgeon The Phenom inside Hell in a Cell at In My Ass. With that, Sevendust prepared to lay the spirit of The Undertaker to rest. That was until the motionless figure in the casket revealed himself to be the actual Undertaker, who seized Sevendust and forced him into the casket in his place. The Undertaker would proclaim that at Dr. Meinheimer, it would be he and Sevendust going one-on-one in a Buried Alive match.

Although JBL hadn't made it back to observe the contest, the time had arrived nonetheless for Dynamite Derek to defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Batista. The champion's new Batista-resistant armor proved relatively effective. That being said, it didn't change the fact that taking down The Animal would be no easy feat. This was especially evident when Batista managed to vigorously kick out of the DKO that has allowed Dynamite Derek to defeat a number of his toughest foes over the years. Stunned, the champion rolled out to the ringside area with Batista in hot pursuit. Before he could inflict any further damage, Dynamite Derek clobbered the challenger over the head with the championship belt, forcing the referee to end the match by disqualification. Dissatisfied with the result, Batista cut Dynamite Derek's celebration short by delivering a brutal Batista Bomb in the center of the ring. Suddenly, Christian's music hit and the holder of the Money in the Bank contract hurried to the ring. Capitalizing on Batista's handiwork, Christian cashed in his opportunity and pinned Dynamite Derek to become the new World Heavyweight Champion.

Backstage, Spike Dudley shared his amusement with Daivari over watching JBL's reaction to J-Pac's stunt earlier in the evening. Unfortunately for him, it turned out that JBL had managed to get back just in time to overhear Spike poking fun at the situation. The commissioner harshly ordered Spike to head to the ring immediately, which he did without protest. In a matter of moments, he found himself staring across the ring at Snitsky and Heidenreich, the Abomination of Desolation. The two monstrosities made swift work in mercilessly annihilating Spike, putting everyone in the locker room on notice in the process.

Despite the ploy by Mark Jindrak, Chris Masters, and Tajiri to get them "cancelled," The Pranksters looked to party on and continue their reign as World Tag Team Champions. While Jindrak and Masters have been an effective pairing in the past, and the newfound backup of Tajiri added an extra layer to the match, it seemed that they lacked the same experience and synergy of The Pranksters. After their titles had been retained, the defending champions were instantly ambushed by Snitsky, Heidenreich, and their manager Walter P. Wiley. AOD would decimate The Pranksters similarly to the way they did Spike Dudley previously. Chris Jericho, who had a run-in with the destructive team on The Highlight Reel, came to the aid of the tag champions. However, he was overwhelmed by their brute strength as well.

In the titanic final match of the evening, The Shark and Brock Lesnar went toe-to-toe to determine who was truly the biggest fish in the SvR06 sea. The two forces of nature would seemingly match strength with one another, but it was Brock Lesnar who appeared to have the match in hand early on when he planted The Shark into the mat with an F-5. However, The Shark reminded everyone why he's the most dominant competitor in SvR06 history by swiftly powering out of the cover. As the match progressed, The Shark would once again find himself on the receiving end of an F-5. In a display of strength rarely seen before, The Shark managed to kick out once again from the second F-5. Before it could be seen if Lesnar could become one of two men to pin The Shark, the two battled their way to the top rung of the ring rope. With the biggest superplex ever delivered in SvR06, the two titans came crashing to the mat with such force that the ring collapsed. Regardless of this massive match-up ending in a draw, it could arguably be considered as the most destructive contest in SvR06 history.