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All Friends Wrestling? Not For Tim Rockwell!

Posted: Jul 16th 2024 By: CMBurnham

They say the best of friends make the worst of enemies. Because when something comes between men who were so much like brothers, it has to be something incredibly divisive to split that bond.

For much of 2022 and 2023, the bond between Thrash and WFC Champion Tim Rockwell was as solid as anyone could expect. The two had chased the WFC Tag Team Championship unsuccessfully for part of that time. Then Thrash won the Freedom Rings Rumble and earned an opportunity to challenge Dutch Hagen for the WFC Title. But in between all that, Alex Royal had come back to WFC and reintroduced himself to the fray. Thrash knew Alex couldn't be trusted. But he always thought he could trust Tim. And that trust was betrayed on August 5th, 2023 when Rockwell turned on Thrash while serving as the special guest referee in a match between Royal and Thrash.

Thrash recovered from that and went to challenge Dutch Hagen for the WFC Title in January where he lost in a Duchess of Queensbury Rules match. That seemed to be end of Thrash's pursuit of the WFC Title, but the next month, at the inaugural Slamzapalooza event, Thrash won the "Opportunity Knocks" Battle Royal, earning another chance at the WFC Title and he succeeded this time in defeating Hagen for the belt.

And that's when the real issue between Thrash and Rockwell arose. Because now, Thrash was the target. Now, he had to watch on all sides. And with Rockwell having backup in the form of HIM members WFC Prime Champion Alex Royal, WFC Hometown Heroes Champion & TIW Champion Wesley Crane and Zac Royal, Thrash knew the odds were stacked against him. That was BEFORE Rockwell won the "Joker's Wild" Elimination Match, gaining the Joker's Card, which allowed him to challenge for the WFC Title any time he wanted to.

Rockwell held off for a couple of months when an intriguing set of circumstances arose. Thrash was set to defend his title against newcomer Zachariah Zues in a No Holds Barred Match and dispatched this challenge fairly swiftly. Then, Duke Cornell came out to the ring and explained that he was unsure exactly how much longer he was going to be able to compete due to the condition of his surgically repaired eye. He asked for a match and was granted one, again under No Holds Barred Stipulations. And while Thrash was able to win that match, it took a lot more out of him. And that's when Rockwell chose to strike with the Joker's Card, cashing it in and capturing the WFC title.

Rockwell reigned supreme as WFC Champion for 2 months, but in his rematch with Thrash at the Freedom Rings Rumble event in June, Rockwell attempted to create an advantage for himself by removing one of the turnbuckle pads. However Thrash reversed an Irish Whip by Rockwell, careening him into that exposed metal and then hit the Thrash Compacter for the win, making him a 2-Time champion. Rockwell was incensed and tried to get his rematch by stealing Malo's entrance number in the Freedom Rings Rumble. But towards the end of the match, Rockwell made his way to the broadcast table while Tommy Dean and Duke Cornell fought it out in the middle. Tommy was eventually able to eliminate Cornell and Rockwell struck then, but after trading low blows Dean tossed Rockwell over the top and won the match.

Frustrated, Rockwell went to appeal to WFC Director of Operations Stevie Caballero. Caballero granted Rockwell his return match, but also felt that Duke Cornell and Zac Royal deserved a title shot, since they were the other 2 in the final four of the Freedom Rings Rumble. So now, faced with having to fend off 3 opponents, Thrash, stepped into the ring on July 6th, knowing he only had a 25% chance of retaining the belt. But even he probably didn't see the end coming to this match. Thrash hit the Thrash Compacter on Zac Royal, but Cornell shoved Thrash aside and tried to get the pin himself. Rockwell then pulled Cornell out of the ring and as they face off, Zachariah Zues (Who had no participation in this match) came out to attack Cornell. Duke then fought him off and started to fight with Thrash, but Thrash dove on both men. With those two (plus Zues) outside the ring, Rockwell quickly motioned for Zac Royal to lay down and let Tim pin him. And once again, a Villain has taken advantage of the situation to become the first-ever 5-Time WFC Champion.

Rockwell now has his strongest challenge yet as he faces for WWE and TNA star Heath at ExtravaSlamza. And Thrash has a chance at earning yet another WFC Title match, but to do so, he will have to go through Riker, Jason Jones, Zachariah Zues and Duke Cornell to get it. And all this begs a serious question: What (if any) alliance is there between Rockwell, Cornell and Zues? We know that Cornell is a mercenary. He came in to WFC as such. We know that he used to be partners with Tommy Dean (and HIM member Wesley Crane) in HaVen. But it seems like he has been doing lots of "Favours" for Rockwell. And how does Zachariah Zues fit into this? Is he just being used as a pawn by Cornell and Rockwell? Or is he more on the ball than he wants anyone to believe? Given Rockwell's villanous tendencies, the answers to these questions may not be revealed anytime soon. Rockwell always likes to hold his cards close to his chest. Especially if he has a Joker up his sleeve.