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3 #1 Contenders, But No Officially Signed Champion! ASP & Griffey Finally Come To Terms

Posted: Jul 3rd 2021 By: CMBurnham

The landscape of ASP changed when Jerome Daniel Griffey became ASP Champion.

Mostly because that didn’t happen at an ASP event. And Griffey, while an outstanding competitor, was not signed to an ASP Contract.

Nevertheless on May 7, 2021, Griffey, the Texoma Pro Wrestling Red River Champion def. ASP Champion Tino Valentino in a title-vs-title match at a Texoma Pro Wrestling event in Sherman, TX. And for all intents and purposes, the title was taken hostage by someone who was not on the ASP roster.

Griffey had come to ASP once before, making it known that he was a in-demand free agent in the world of pro wrestling, but he was also a man who knew his worth. And that worth was not met by Brandon Barricade, so Griffey chose not to return. But after winning the ASP Title, Griffey saw a tool of leverage and made it very clear to ASP management that if his demands were not met, he would take the belt and NEVER return to ASP.

On June 20th, Griffey arrived at the beginning of the ASP Event to see a table sitting in the middle of the ring with a contract for him to sign. Before Griffey moved to sig it, it wanted to recap a few events from his previous appearance. The last time he was there, Tino Valentino kicked him in the jaw and Fuego del Sol hit him with the Tornado DDT. Griffey admitted that perhaps he had been going about this all the wrong way and offered an apology. The crowd was shocked by this, but soon their expectations were met as Griffey said that he was apologising for making the fans believe that he ever cared what they think.

This all brought out co-owner and CFO Red to the ring with a gift basket under a blanket. He acknowledged that one of the stipulations that Griffey had insisted on was a theme party, so he had gone out and gotten Red Fruit Punch Gatordate, All Strawberry Starbursts, bags with only Red M&Ms...everything in the basked was Red. Red asked if he had done a good jo and Griffey screamed that everything was supposed to be BLUE! Red then reminded Griffey that this was NOT TMZ And he was not a diva asking for treats in a dressing room. This was ASP and he was the champion. Red acknowledged that Griffey was very talented, but he always seemed to need help to get things done and he needs to stop PRETENDING to be the champion. To that end, Red is prepared to meet all the financial terms of Griffey’s contract IF Griffey signs right there. If not, Red will get he entire locker room to come out and TAKE back the belt. Griffey says there is nothing pretend about him, that he knocks people out for real in cage matches and will be glad to do so here in ASP and that he will take special thrill in choking Red’s ass out on Live TV. Griffey explains that he got involved in the Tino Valentino/Fuego del Sol match because the #1 rule of wrestling is to respect your betters. In his opinion, Tino should apologize.

This brought out the former champion and Tino tells Red that he deserves a rematch. Red explains that he can’t do that because Griffey hasn’t actually signed an ASP contract, so he can’t force him to defend the title at ASP events. But as a sweetener to the pot, if Griffey will sign the contract, when Red sets up the rematch between Griffey and Valentino, he will let Griffey choose the date.

At that point, the unexpected arrival of Thorne the Hunter occurred and Thorne brought up an interesting point to the fans. Because Valentino lost the title at an event that was NOT an ASP Event, he forfeited his automatic rematch clause. And since Thorne was the last person to defeat Tino, HE deserves the title opportunity. Red reluctantly agrees that Thorne is correct regarding the rematch clause, but sets up a #1 contenders match between Thorne and Valentino for later that night.

Valentino would go on to defeat Thorne in that match, securing his title opportunity, but that was not the end of Thorne as he and Fuego del Sol were the last two men in the “Are You Ready” Rumble Match. The winner of that match received a briefcase with a contract that he can cash in for ANY championship in ASP. With one opportunity slipping through his fingers, Thorne did not want to see another go away, but was unable to prevent that. This left Fuego as the winner and possessor of the briefcase after it was presented to him by Red. But before Red could depart the ring, Griffey ran in and attacked Red, putting him in a rear naked choke. Fuego then rushed back in the ring and demanded that Griffey sign the contract. If he did, Fuego would cash in his briefcase at the next event they were both at and resolve this issue. Griffey agreed to that, but when Fuego went to check on Red, Griffey tried to attack Fuego from behind, but Fuego avoided that and connected with the Tornado DDT, forcing the champion to run from the ring, leaving his belt behind. Fuego held that title belt high, signifying to the fans that he planned on leaving at the next event as champion.

So who is the rightful and deserving #1 contender to the ASP Title? Tino Valentino won a match for that position. Fuego del Sol won a briefcase with a contract that can be used any time he wants to. Thorne the Hunter seems to have exhausted his attempts to pull himself up to the top level to challeng. And even former ASP Champions like Double D & WFC Hometown Heroes Champion Dimitri Alexandrov can claim to still be in the discussion about #1 contenders. With Griffey having NOW signed a contract to compete for ASP, the title is again on the plate. But Griffey is a formidable foe and will push anyone to the limits to capture that belt. Whatever the outcome, when Griffey is done, he can be assured that people will know his name and reputation, making it even more difficult to reclaim what is currently in his possession.