Pyros light up the HWL Arena in St. Louis as we kick off a new year of HWL action. The hiatus is over and a new crop of superstars are signed to join in the fun this year, along with some familiar faces. However, fans we have to inform you that neither World Heavyweight Champion Tomasso Ciampa nor Cruiserweight Champion TJ Perkins have renewed their contracts with HWL at this time and as such their championships are hereby vacant. Also tonight, we’re introducing a new championship, the HWL Television Championship, which will be defended on every episode of Overdrive and is open to all challengers – men, women, singles wrestlers, tag team wrestlers, heavyweights, cruiserweights – any and all comers. In our Main Event tonight, Sami Callihan and Adam Cole vie for the right to be the inaugural Television Champion.

With that out of the way, let’s get to the action as M.V.P. and Ken Anderson make their entrances for our opening contest.

Match #1 – M.V.P. vs. Ken Anderson

Don’t adjust your televisions folks, these two are back in the ring together for the first time in years and set to go one-on-one. The two men tie-up as the match gets under way and MVP goes to a Side Headlock, but Anderson shoves him off into the ropes. Anderson then drops down to the mat and MVP jumps over him. Anderson then pops up as MVP bounces back and Anderson leapfrogs him. MVP bounces back off the ropes again and Anderson goes for a Big Boot, but MVP ducks out of the way and cinches Anderson around the waist and connects with a German Suplex. MVP then bounces off the ropes and connects with a Running Boot to the side of the head as Anderson had pulled himself up to one knee. MVP then goes off the ropes again and he’s ballin’ as he delivers his signature Forearm Smash across the skull. Anderson then staggers back up and MVP goes for the finish, but Anderson spins out of it and connects with an Impaler DDT. Anderson then goes for the cover, but MVP quickly kicks out. Anderson drags MVP back up to his feet and presses him back against the ropes with some Knife-edge Chops. He then tries to whip MVP off into the ropes, but MVP counters into a Facebreaker and then follows up with the Playmaker and covers Anderson for the three count.

MVP picks up the first win of the new year and we’re off and rolling. We’re going to take you now to a word from our sponsors, but when we come back, get ready for more HWL action.
 

Back from the break, the Boss Hug Connection start making their way to the ring when they are attacked from behind by Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke with Shayna Baszler along dictating their actions. They put Bayley in the ring and then turn their attention just to Sasha as they ram her left shoulder into the ring post. Duke then holds Sasha by the wrists on either side of the ring post with that left shoulder pressed against the post as Shafir nails her from behind with an Avalanche Splash. Duke then rolls into the ring to go after Bayley and the bell sounds to officially start the match.

Match #2 – The Boss Hug Connection vs. Marina Shafir & Jessamyn Duke

Duke goes after Bayley, but walks right into the Belly-to-Bayley Suplex. Bayley goes for the corner, but Shafir dives off the middle rope with a Diving Forearm Smash across the skull to break it up. Shafir and Duke then connect with a Double Suplex and Shafir goes out to the ring apron where she hits Banks with a Cannonball Senton, taking Banks back off her feet and again doing damage to that shoulder as Sasha comes down on it awkwardly. Back in the ring, Duke whips Bayley into the corner and follows her in with an Avalanche Splash and then follows up with a Sidewalk Slam. Duke goes for the cover, but Bayley kicks out. Duke puts the boots to Bayley and drags her back to her feet by the hair, but Bayley counters into a Jawbreaker. Duke then makes the tag to Shafir and Bayley looks to her corner for a tag, but Banks is down and out on the floor and Shafir connects with a Chop Block to the back of her knee. Shafir then rolls up Bayley from behind with the aid of a handful of tights and gets the three count.

Shafir and Duke make their way to the back, along with Baszler, having taken their marching order and softened up to of the challengers for her Women’s World Championship this Saturday at New Year’s Revolution. In addition to that match, a new World Heavyweight Champion will be crowned inside the Elimination Chamber, a new Cruiserweight Champion will be crowned in a four-way ladder match and the tag team titles will be on the line in a three-way elimination match including the defending champions, War Machine, the former champions, The Briscoes, and the winner of tag team turmoil, which is coming up next right after this commercial break.
 

Back from the break, it’s time for tag team turmoil with a shot at the HWL Tag Team Championships on the line with the winner joining War Machine and The Briscoes in a three-way elimination match this Saturday at New Year’s Revolution.

Match #3 – Tag Team Turmoil

New Day’s Big E and Kofi Kingston and the Forgotten Sons’ Blake and Cutler make their entrances to start things off and Blake charges across the ring at Kofi and runs right into Trouble in Paradise and Kofi covers him for the three count and picks up the quick elimination. The Usos then make their way to the ring next and Big E nails them both with a Double Clothesline as Kofi then follows up with a Boom Drop on Jimmy and Jimmy rolls out to the floor. Big E then polishes Jey off with the Big Ending and covers him for the three count. Next up, it’s Private Party and Marq Quen tries to do a Somersault Senton over the top rope onto Big E, but Big E catches him with a Powerbomb. Isaiah Kassidy then comes off the top rope for a Flying Crossbody, but Kofi nails him midair with another Trouble in Paradise and then covers him for the three count. That just leaves The Goodbrothers as Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows make their way to the ring. E and Gallows trade punches and Big E gets the upper hand and delivers a Belly-to-Belly Suplex. Kofi then takes out Anderson’s knee with a Running Dropkick and then follows up with a DDT and Big E bounces off the ropes and nails Anderson with a Warrior Splash. Big E then charges across the ring as Gallows staggers back up by the ropes and Big E Clotheslines him out over the top rope and out to the floor. Meanwhile, Kofi tunes up in the corner, smacking his hands together as the crowd chants along with a series of BOOM!s. Anderson stumbles back up to his feet and Kofi hits yet another Trouble in Paradise and covers him for the three count and New Day are your winners.

Kofi and Big E run the entire gauntlet and move on to challenge for the titles on Saturday. In the back, we see Sami Callihan and Adam Cole going through their final preparations for our Main Event. The Television Championship will be decided after this final commercial break.

 
Back from the break, Adam Cole and Sami Callihan make their entrances for our Main Event with the right to call themselves the first Television Champion on the line.

Match #4 – HWL Television Championship – Sami Callihan vs. Adam Cole

The two men square off as the match gets under way and Cole tries to tie up, but Callihan stops him with a jab, and then another jab, and another. Callihan then whips Cole off into the ropes and goes for a Tilt-A-Whirl Backbreaker, but Cole counters into an Armdrag.  Cole then follows up with a Dropkick to the back of the head and then an Atomic Leg Drop and goes for the cover, but Callihan quickly kicks out. Cole nails Callihan with a Thrust Kick to the gut as he gets back to his feet and then bounces off the ropes and goes for a Canadian Destroyer, but Callihan counters into an Alabama Slam. Callihan then connects with a Diving Headbutt from the middle rope and drags Cole back up to his feet by an ear before setting up for the Cactus Piledriver, but Cole tackles him backward into the corner and delivers a series of Shoulder Thrusts to the gut. Cole then pops Callihan with a big Elbow Strike to the jaw and takes him down out of the corner with a Snapmere Takedown and then goes for the Last Shot, but Callihan, seemingly with eyes in the back of his head, ducks out of the way. Callihan follows up with a German Suplex and then whips Cole across the ring into the corner and follows him in with an Avlanche Splash and then hurls him out over the top rope and to the floor. Callihan then goes out to the apron as Cole struggles to pull himself back up and Callihan goes for a Cannonball Senton, but Cole hits him with a Superkick to the back of the head in mid-air and Callihan crashes hard to the floor. Cole follows up with the Last Shot on the floor, but then struggles to pull Callihan back up to get him in the ring. Cole finally gets Callihan up onto the ring apron, but Callihan ties himself up in the bottom rope and refuses to go into the ring. Cole climbs up to the ring apron and stomps repeatedly on the side of Calihan’s head until he releases his hold on the ropes and crawls into the ring. Cole heads up to the top turnbuckle as Callihan struggles to pull himself back up and Cole goes for the Panama Sunrise, but Callihan tackles him into the corner to counter it. Cole shoves Callihan out of the corner and goes for a Superkick, but Callihan ducks and connects with a Reverse DDT-style Backbreaker into a Rolling Cutter. Callihan crawls into the cover, but Cole shoots his shoulder up just in time to beat the count. Callihan drags Cole up to his knees by the hair and hocks a big loogie into his right eye. Callihan then bounces off the ropes and goes for a Knee Smash to the face, but Cole ducks and rolls Callihan up for an extremely close near fall. Callihan comes up firing with a Discus Forearm and then plants Cole with the Cactus Piledriver and makes the cover, but Cole somehow manages to escape again a sliver of a second before the three count. Callihan pounds at the mat before going borderline psychotic as he delivers not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, but six Leg Drops in a row and then front a standing position drops a Diving Headbutt onto Cole. Callihan then follows up with a second Cactus Piledriver and covers Cole and this time gets the three.

Sami Callihan is your winner the NEW Television Champion as Dave and Jake Crist run out to join in the celebration and OvE has its first taste of HWL gold as the first Overdrive of 2020 comes to a close. Join us on Saturday for New Year’s Revolution where at least two new champions will be crowned, only on Pay Per View. For now, we’re signing off.