"Outlaw" Adam Knight Defeated "Canadian Idol" Chris Stevens
Won: April 8th, 2004 - Tournament Final - The LID Nightclub - Winnipeg, Mb
Lost: February 3rd, 2005
How: Lost to "Showtime" Robby Royce
Length: 301 Days (5th Longest)
By early 2004, Premier Championship Wrestling had come through it's most tenuous and trying period in the history of the young company.
Original Creative Director Mike Davidson had resigned from PCW the previous August, taking several wrestlers with him to start a rival promotion called Action Wrestling Entertainment (AWE). Their plans to take down PCW fizzled when they ran one live event featuring Buff Bagwell & Dan Severn and then went on indefinite hiatus.
At the same time, the longest running promotion in the province, the Canadian Wrestling Federation (CWF) owned by NWA President Ernie Todd suddenly declared war on PCW. They began by running weekly live events at a venue down the street from PCW's primary venue. When that venue, Coyotes Nightclub, ended their relationship with the CWF after only a few weeks, Todd chose a more direct tact - he physically invaded PCW!
Todd initiated a heated confrontation with PCW's new Director Andrew Shallcross and then used that situation to threaten a lawsuit against the company and their primary venue, the Lid Nightclub. That resulted in PCW Commissioner (and venue manager) Tom Manos to reluctantly negotiate a settlement with Todd.
Complicating matters, unbeknownst to Shallcross & Manos, Todd had purchased Davidson's 1/3 ownership stake in PCW and was determined to replace it with the CWF.
It was a short but intense 63 day "war" but when the smoke cleared, Manos controlled 100% of PCW, Antonio Scorpio had thrown the PCW Junior Championship in a trash can and Kenny Omega had unified the CWF Heavyweight Championship with the CWF Heavyweight Championship. The war was over and PCW was the clear victor.
Omega's regaining of the PCW Championship from Rawskillz on January 21st, 2004 made him the first two-time PCW champion and the face of the wrestling community. The reign began, just as his first reign had, with so much promise.
After defeating Skillz, Omega then beat TJ Bratt, ending the "CWF Invasion" for good. Omega committed to a busy schedule, routinely touring across the country and competing in singles & tag team competition in PCW.
On March 3rd 2004, PCW celebrated their 2nd Anniversary Spectacular and a huge crowd turned out to witness the re-match from the first PCW match ever held in Winnipeg - Omega vs Mentallo! With two more years of talent and experience, both men put on a wrestling clinic with Kenny successfully defending his title. Unfortunately, it would be his last.
Omega suffered a serious knee injury. Two weeks later, on March 18th, he was forced to relinquish the PCW Heavyweight Champion due to impending knee surgery. It was a crushing blow to Kenny and a disappointing end to his promising title reign. Both of his reigns, starting off so historically, had ended far sooner than anyone would have guessed.
PCW Commissioner Manos announced a one night tournament to crown a new champion and that created an immediate buzz in the wrestling community.
AWE's hiatus and CWF's defeat in the "unrest of '03" combined with PCW's solidified status as the top promotion in the territory resulted in an influx of new and returning talent to the company in 2004. The announcement of the Championship Tournament added an urgency to that development.
"Showtime" Robby Royce had been among the first men to return to the company early in 2004. Though he had lost his intense feud with Kenny Omega in 2003, he was back in the best shape of career and determined to rise to the top of the promotion just as he had done in every promotion he ever wrestled for.
With Omega side-lined and the impending tournament, Royce saw his chance to seize the day. But, like everyone else, he had to qualify for the tournament and he had help.
Throughout Royce's career, there were two things synonymous - his sterling championship success and the super-clique Team Impact, of which he was the undisputed leader. Team Impact had run roughshod over the CWF and Top Rope Championship Wrestling (TRCW) as Royce won the top title in both promotions.
Now in PCW, Team Impact returned as Royce assembled his forces, this incarnation featuring Darien Karisma & "Enforcer" JP Kaos. Their success was immediate as Royce & Kaos defeated Mentallo & Antonio Scorpio to capture the PCW Tag Team Championship. And Kaos lived up to his nickname by quickly securing his spot in the tournament. But Royce, uncharacteristically, struggled to qualify.
When he lost his qualifying match, he was incensed and lobbied for a second opportunity. PCW obliged but put him against the infinitely talented Mentallo who had already earned his own spot in the tournament. It was a daunting task for Royce...but he had a diabolical plan.
On April 1st 2004, "Outlaw" Adam Knight made his shocking return to the company, attacking Mentallo and helping Royce secure the final spot in the tournament. The timing was perplexing since there was no opportunity for Knight to qualify for the following week's tournament and he had long had a rivalry with Royce over the years.
But on April 8th, the Quid Pro Quo became apparent when Kaos, at Royce's behest, actually gave up his spot in the tournament to Knight. It was a high price to pay, and Royce & Knight were both adamant that their relationship was strictly business - ensuring they both made it to the tournament and then all bets were off. If either man was victorious, the other would receive a title shot.
As the PCW Championship tournament opened, Royce was the odds-on favorite. His experience, resume and talent were unquestionable. And certainly, he had plotted the most to create the opportunity. So it was a major upset when Royce lost in the first round!
It was disappointing for Royce but for Knight, the bargain allowed him to make it to the tournament finals against "Canadian Idol" Chris Stevens.
It was an intriguing match up. Both men possessed copious amounts of size, power, athleticism, experience and youth. Knight was 6'5", 275lbs. Stevens was 6'2", 230 lbs. The "Canadian Idol" was trained by Don Callis and worked out regularly with Omega. Knight was a former TRCW Champion and narrowly failed to win the PCW title from Chi Chi Cruz almost a year earlier.
Knight's return to PCW was, perhaps, the biggest surprise of all. He had quit the previous August, following his close friend Davidson out of the company. When Cruz had failed to show up for his mandatory PCW title defense against Omega that September, an effort on Cruz's part to remain champion until AWE started in November, it resulted in Davidson's Plan B being executed - Knight showed up to the venue unannounced and offered to replace Cruz against Omega, giving Davidson another chance to bring the PCW title to AWE should the "Outlaw" win.
He didn't. But it was close.
When AWE debuted on November 19th, 2003, Knight was a featured performer, teaming with Cruz to battle Buff Bagwell & Shane Madison. But with AWE on indefinite hiatus, Knight had nothing but time on his hands and he stewed over how close he came to winning the PCW title on those two occasions. To Knight, they were missed opportunities to cement his legacy as a bonafide top guy in the territory.
Knight, much like Royce had, viewed Omega's injury and the PCW tournament as a fresh start and a golden opportunity to fill the vacuum left by Kenny's forced departure.
But if winning the tournament was his ultimate goal, it would not come easy. Chris Stevens seemed like a man destined for greatness. His training at the hands of Callis provided him undeniable fundamental excellence. His fierce commitment to fitness gave him the strength, agility and endurance to succeed. And once in PCW, his personalty began shining through and he quickly became a consistent contender for every championship in the company.
When Chi Chi Cruz became the first PCW champion in January 2003, it was Stevens who was the first man to step up and challenge him. He came as close as anyone to beating the veteran but when he failed to do so, he gladly advised others in their attempts, bringing Mad Man Williams to PCW from the Maritimes.
When Knight pursued Cheech, it was Stevens who helped him, teaming with the "Outlaw" several times. Unquestionably, these men knew each other very well.
As far as titles went, in PCW Stevens had the advantage. He won his first championship on July 24th, 2003 teaming with Ronnie Attitude to defeat Perfect Balance and become the second PCW Tag Team Champions in company history. Stevens knew what it took to win gold in PCW.
And perhaps most intriguing about the "Canadian Idol" was the fact he was Kenny Omega's pick as tournament winner. Would the former champions' prediction be correct?
It would not.
Adam Knight defeated Chris Stevens in an intensely hard-hitting main event to become the PCW Heavyweight Champion. His reign would become historic in its own right. It began, following a four month period where the title changed hands three times, and lasted over 300 days, setting a longevity record that would last years.
But the consistent and dominant period for PCW as undisputed top promotion in the territory would be upset by the "insurgency of '05", a controversial development that would drag Knight into the murky political drama and end his incredible reign as PCW Heavyweight Champion.
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