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Soft opening of In This Moment’s "Blood Legion". Swooping shot over a Nevada desert. The sun hangs low in the west. Nature’s beauty becomes unsettling as we see a figure stumbling towards us. Tonight, it feels like a good time to die We come across a haggard man. His clothes in tatters. He crumbles to the desert floor. A puff of dust escapes around him. Tonight, it feels like a good time to rise He struggles to his feet. Continuing his trek towards the distant Las Vegas Lights. Tonight, we live Behind him we see a pack of feral dogs chasing him. Hungry. They snap at each other as they tirelessly chase their hopeful meal. Tonight, it feels like a good time to fly The dogs take off in a cloud of dust. Desperate. Tonight, it feels like the Gods are alive We speed away from the chase into the Epicenter. We see boots being laced. Wrists being taped. Quiet, nervous eyes glance untrustingly at anyone who walks within their view. Tonight, we turn, we’ll ascend we believe our divinity We follow a shadow to gorilla position. And he pauses a moment before he burst through the curtain. Lights flash. The crowd on their feet. Over his shoulder we see a ring filled with Soldiers. I will not bow down, I will rise through the sun A flicker and they become the feral dogs snapping at one another. A flicker and we’re back to SHOOT’s finest. Fists flying. Kicks landing. Sweat dripping. Blood pouring. I’m transcending, I am claiming my throne A close up of the SHOOT World Heavyweight Championship hoisted high above a referee’s head. The ultimate brass ring. Flicker and we see two dogs snap at one another. Flicker and Lunatikk Crippler nails Donovan King with a Lunatikk Sweet. Flicker and King is driving Crippler to the mat with a vicious Deal Breaker. We are immortal, we rise through the wreck A blood soaked Jaime Alejandro. A vile sneer on the face of Isaac Entragian. A cocky smirk from Dan Stein and the masked intensity of Minxy Jones. We are eternal, you are my blood legion, my faith The dogs are in the ring again. We flicker to Adrian Corazon and Mason Pierce on the precipice of a brawl. The Synister Syndicate chatting in a lockerroom. The Genesis Corporation exiting a limo. The guitars and drums explode. As Long Island Hardcore hitting a series of moves on Sammy Rochester, rocking the giant, but not taking him down. I will not bow down, I’ll rise through the sun A flash to the chase in the desert. The man nears the city limits. The dogs close on him with terrifying speed. I’m transcending, I am claiming my throne A Dozen men and women brawl inside the ring. We are immortal, we’ll rise through the wreck Donovan King’s hand being raised flickers to Lunatikk Crippler’s hand being raised. King hoists his World Heavyweight Championship belt into the air. We are eternal, you are my blood legion, my faith. Project SCAR becomes Long Island Hardcore with Minxy Jones becomes Jester Smiles with Sammy Rochester, becomes Corey Lazarus, becomes El Asso Wipo, becomes Johnny Napalm, becomes Maya Nakashima. We are immortal… we will rise above the wreck The empty SHOOT ring inside an empty Epicenter. Flickers to the dogs inside the ring. Flickers to being filled with battling SHOOT Soldiers. Flickers back to the empty ring. We are eternal… you are my blood legion, my faith. We cut back one more time to those feral dogs running desperately towards Vegas. We flicker one more time. Those feral beasts become the Soldiers of SHOOT. Running through the desert. Chasing their Redemption.
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Eryk Masters: We’re kicking this show off hot, fast, and sexy, because we’re not going to fuck around. It’s time for our opener, OG, and I think we both know this one’s going to be a brutal affair.
Other Guy: No doubt, Eryk, Long Island Hardcore and the team of Jester Smiles and Sammy Rochester have gone back and forth for the last month, and it’s been brutal even without the no DQ stipulation.
Eryk Masters: And now, all bets are off. It’s gonna be a bloodbath.
Other Guy: You have to wonder what LIHC’s thinking about all this… they barely survived against Sammy without weapons.
Eryk Masters: Well, they’re not Long Island Hardcore for nothing, OG. That’s how they made their mark, and we’ve seen what these two can do with a few tables and chairs. They might just have a chance here.
Other Guy: If you say so.
Samantha Coil: This contest is scheduled for one fall, under no disqualification rules! Introducing first, from Westhampton Beach, NY, at a combined weight of 510 lbs, accompanied by Ryan Cuddihy, CJ Nelson and Jared Walsh, LOOOOOOOOOONG ISLAAAAAND HAAAAAAAAAARDCOOOOORE!
“Bad Reputation” pumps through the PA as the three-time former SHOOT Project tag champs step through the entranceway, and there’s a very different energy to these three tonight! CJ and Jared both stare down the ramp, eyes fixed on the ring! Jared is not slapping hands with fans tonight, and for good reason: both of his taped fists are wrapped in barbed wire, all the way up to his forearm! CJ carries a chair in his hand, and with his septum pierced, looks like a barely-contained bull! Ryan follows with a garbage can full of goodies, as they slowly make their way to the ring. Jared slides in, and CJ slides the chair in, stepping over the top rope. Pyro crosses pyro in an X behind them as Jared drops to his knees, arms out, and CJ slams the chair down in front of him, on its top edge, leaning over top of him! The pair go to their corner, and Ryan hands up the garbage can!
Eryk Masters: Man, these two come prepared.
Other Guy: Fuck chairs and tables, Eryk, LIHC’s already broken out the barbed wire!
Samantha Coil: And their opponents, at a combined weight of 620 lbs, JESTERRRRRRR SMIIIIIIIILES AND SAMMY ROOOOOOOOOCHESTERRRRRRRRRR!
The heavy beat of Kamelot’s “March of Mephisto” drives through the speakers, and the crowd is pouring boos as Sammy Rochester steps through the curtain, eyes like daggers at the ring! He stands on the ramp, just staring at the ring! CJ and Jared stare right back!
Eryk Masters: Sammy’s here, OG, but where’s his partner?
Almost as if on cue, a figure hops the guardrail opposite the entrance ramp, behind the ring! Jester Smiles runs at Ryan, who turns just a second too late! Jester absolutely CRUSHES Ryan’s knee with a heavy kick, and Ryan drops down! Jester, without any hesitation whatsoever, SLAMS the timekeeper’s bell across Ryan’s skull!
DING!
Ryan drops like a stone to the mat, and CJ and Jared are surrounded!
Other Guy: That’s one way to even things up, Eryk!
Eryk Masters: Jester’s effectively removed one of the big handicaps his team was facing in this match! And Sammy’s on his way!
Sammy Rochester is SPRINTING down to the ring! CJ stands on one side, waiting for him! Jared’s on the other side, where Jester is trying to find a safe spot to enter the ring!
Eryk Masters: Referee Austin Linam is doing his best to just avoid getting hurt!
Sammy slides into the ring, and CJ slams the chair onto his head! Sammy doesn’t even flinch, and CJ tosses the chair aside and drops to the mat, laying lefts and rights into his face! Sammy puts a hand up to CJ’s face and shoves him away! Sammy rises to his full height, and he dwarfs everyone in the ring! CJ gets up, and immediately the chair is in his hand! He swings at Sammy– Sammy grabs the chair, and yanks it out of CJ’s hands like a toy from a child! He throws it away without looking! CJ locks up with Sammy, and Sammy just throws him to the ground!
Meanwhile, Jester’s still circling the ring, and Jared is there wherever he goes! Jester and Jared spit venom at each other, Jester finally walking back to where he started, and Ryan grabs his leg! Jester turns around, and lands a solid soccer kick to Ryan’s face!
Other Guy: I guess he figured if he couldn’t get in the ring, he’d take advantage of the victim on the outside!
The moment Jester turns his back, Jared is in the air with a tornado plancha over the top! He catches Jester right across the chest, and the two hit the floor! Jared wastes no time in slamming his barbed wire-wrapped fists into Jester’s face! Jared Walsh gets first blood in this match! Jester lands a solid right hand to the side of Jared’s head, and Jared is staggered! Jester throws him off, and gets to his feet, putting a hand to his face!
Eryk Masters: I don’t think Jester was expecting to bleed this soon, OG!
Other Guy: It looks like it pissed him off to me!
Jared charges Jester, but Smiles sidesteps him, and puts him down with a drop toe hold right into the ring steps! Jared’s head bounces off with a clang! Jared nearly gouges himself with the barbed wire, putting a hand to his face! Jester grabs his arm, and starts to rip the barbed wire off! Pieces of black tape are stuck to the barbs, and Jared’s forearm is shredded! Jester gets the wire away, Jared pulling his arm into his body, and rolling over onto his chest! Smiles mounts Jared’s back, and lays a couple of nasty punches to the back of Jared’s head, before wrapping the barbed wire around Jared’s neck, and pulling up!
Eryk Masters: Jesus, Jester Smiles is out for blood here, OG!
Other Guy: Of course he is! This is his chance to prove he and Sammy are, without question, better than the three-time former champs!
Eryk Masters: Not to mention the personal bad blood between Jester and Jared Walsh!
Other Guy: I’m pretty sure we haven’t seen the end of that yet.
CJ is not doing much better in the ring, with Sammy pressing the attack by pushing CJ into the corner, and laying his ungodly large forearm across CJ’s throat! Nelson’s turning red, but he’s not stopping, throwing punch after punch Sammy’s way, but to no avail! Finally, CJ throws a knee into Sammy’s groin! Sammy keeps the press on, but the pain finally registers, and he lets up just a fraction– just enough for Nelson to push the big man away! CJ slides out of the ring to catch his breath, and sees Jared under attack from Smiles! CJ runs across the ringside floor, driving a knee to the side of Jester’s head!
Jester drops to his side, and CJ deadlifts him into a nasty German suplex– Smiles lands on his feet! CJ turns around into a huge roundhouse kick from Smiles that CRACKS him right above the ear! CJ snaps his head back at Jester, wild-eyed, and LEVELS him with a clothesline! CJ scoops Jared up to check on him– Sammy is there! CJ and Jared quickly feel hands around their throats! Sammy Rochester brings both men up into the air, and drops them both with an incredible double chokeslam!
Other Guy: Now THAT is fucking impressive!
Eryk Masters: We saw Sammy chokeslam CJ, and then Ryan at Revolution 103, but here he is bringing all five hundred pounds of LIHC down at the same time!
Sammy attempts to capitalize on Jared, like a predator going after the weakest of the herd, but CJ is up first, and he wraps his arms around Sammy’s midsection with a rear waistlock! Sammy starts swinging elbows, but CJ is defiant, keeping his hold! Jared is slowly getting to his feet, and he picks up the timekeeper’s bell! CJ keeps the waistlock tight, trying his best to pull Sammy off his feet, but Sammy’s fighting! Jared leaps up, slamming the bell into Sammy’s face!
DING!
Sammy’s knocked off balance, and CJ takes the opportunity, barely bringing Sammy into a German suplex! Sammy lands on the floor on his head and shoulders, and CJ rolls over, trying to catch his breath!
Eryk Masters: And now CJ Nelson brings all four hundred plus pounds of Sammy Rochester to the ground!
Other Guy: CJ Nelson actually lifted Sammy Rochester off his feet!
Sammy rolls to his knees, a look of shock on his face! Jared turns– and Smiles is there! Jester whips Jared into the apron, and Jared hits it hard! Jester’s wrapped the barbed wire around his own fist, and he BLASTS Jared in the face with a right hook! Jared crumples to the floor, blood streaming from right above his eye! Jester doesn’t let him stay down, though, pulling him to his feet, and into a clinch, driving a knee to Jared’s face, then another, and finally putting him back down with another vicious right hand! Jester wipes the blood from his face, pulling Jared up one more time, and rolling him into the ring!
Sammy has gotten to his feet, but he looks a little dizzy! CJ is also on his feet, and he pulls a chair from ringside! Sammy turns around and the chair comes down hard on his head! Sammy stumbles back, and CJ drives the edge of the chair into Sammy’s gut! Sammy doubles over from the force alone, and CJ drops the chair, pulling Rochester into a sloppy but effective piledriver! Sammy rolls onto his back, but is still conscious! CJ slides into the ring, and dumps the garbage can out onto the canvas! The crowd oohs at the sight! Sammy starts to get up, and CJ tosses the can over the top rope, where it nails Rochester in the back! CJ steps out onto the apron, jumping off with an insane elbow drop across Sammy’s back! Both men are on the floor!
Eryk Masters: It looks like Jester’s found some of LIHC’s presents!
Sure enough, Jester Smiles, who still has Jared laid out in the ring, has grabbed a street sign from the goodie pile!
Other Guy: Aww, that’s just wrong!
Eryk Masters: What?
Other Guy: He’s gonna nail him with a piece of Long Island!
Jester looks at the sign, a brown “Ocean Beach Park” road sign, and chuckles at the irony! Jared is on his knees, and Jester slams it onto his back with a sickening clang! Jared puts a hand to his back, and Jester pulls him to a seated position, grinding his wire-wrapped right forearm into Jared’s forehead! Jared howls as blood pours down his face! Smiles releases him, and Jared flops to the mat, his leg kicking against the canvas!
Jester gives a sick smile, grabbing Jared by the hair– low blow! With the barbed-wire wrapped hand! Jester’s eyes roll back into his head as he drops to his knees! Jared grabs Jester by the head, and slams his bloodied face into the mat! He picks up the chair, crashing it down hard onto Jester’s back! Jester arches his back in pain, and Jared holds onto the chair, running off the ropes– springboard moonsault onto Smiles, chair in hand! Both men roll in pain!
Eryk Masters: And Walsh sacrificing himself to put Smiles down!
CJ pulls Sammy to his feet– Sammy pushes him off! CJ smacks against the apron, and Sammy runs him face first into the ringpost! CJ clangs off, dropping to his knees! Sammy hoists CJ up in a guerrilla press, and CJ’s struggling, but to no avail! Sammy drops him face first into the ring steps! Nelson flops to his back, and his face is busted open!
Other Guy: And now Sammy’s the only one not bleeding!
CJ’s starting to get up, rolling to his knees, and Sammy grabs the garbage can! CJ turns to face him, and the can wraps around the top of his head! CJ drops like a stone, and Sammy throws the can into the crowd!
Jared is the first to get to his feet, and he stumbles into the corner! He pulls the lace around the turnbuckle cover, tearing it off– but Jester is back up, and he’s there! He slams the sign on the back of Jared’s head, putting a huge dent in it, and Jared’s face goes forward, off the exposed turnbuckle! Jared falls backward, right into Jester’s arms! He drops Jared onto the mat, and pulls him into a crossface, stretching the barbed wire between Jared’s lips! Jared had looked to be out for a minute, but he’s certainly come to life now, screaming in pain! Austin Linam drops next to him, looking to see if Jared’s going to tap!
Other Guy: See, now? Now’s that personal bad blood between these two!
Eryk Masters: This is just sick!
Sammy rolls CJ into the ring, and as Sammy climbs the apron, CJ gets his hands on a barbed-wire wrapped 2×4! In desperation CJ drives it into Sammy’s midsection! Sammy doubles over the top rope, and CJ grabs him… SUPLEX! CJ Nelson pulls Sammy Rochester OVER the top rope with a suplex ONTO THE 2×4! Sammy rolls over, and blood starts to ooze out of his back!
Jared is still howling in pain, and Jester torques the crossface just a little more! Blood starts leaking from the corners of Jared’s mouth, until CJ saves the day with a boot to Jester’s head! Jester drops the hold, and CJ pulls him to his feet, locking his arms around Jester’s shoulder and armpit! He FLINGS Jester over the top rope with a gargoyle suplex!
HO-LY SHIT! HO-LY SHIT!
Jared lays flat on the mat, blood staining where his head lays, and CJ scoops up a cheese grater from the pile of weapons! He runs at Sammy, who’s barely getting to his feet, and throws a dropkick to his knee! Sammy drops to his knees again, and CJ wraps an arm around his neck, pulling him down and dragging the grater across his forehead! A torrent of blood starts to pour from Sammy’s head, and he screams in rage!
Other Guy: I don’t think CJ thought this through!
Eryk Masters: Sammy Rochester isn’t hurt, he’s just pissed!
Sammy throws an elbow into CJ’s face, and CJ drops the grater– Sammy catches it! He slams it across CJ’s head, denting it! Blood explodes from CJ’s face, and Sammy grabs him by the throat with both hands! He lifts CJ up off the mat, eyes wide, blood covering his face! CJ’s struggling, but Sammy just bellows, throwing CJ into the corner… straight into the exposed turnbuckle! CJ stumbles out, and Sammy is there to LEVEL him with that chair!
Eryk Masters: God damn! You could hear that in the cheap seats!
Jared’s barely stirring, but he sees Sammy standing over him, and makes a desperate move, diving forward with his shoulder straight into Sammy’s knee! Sammy drops to his knees, and Jared pops up, slamming his forearm into Sammy’s face from behind!
Other Guy: And Walsh is getting his second wind, wasting no time putting that barbed wire to good use again!
Sammy swings, but Jared’s too fast! He keeps dodging, and no sooner does he get out of the way than he gets back to drive that barbed wire back in his face! Sammy drops backward to the mat, and Jared drops his forearm across his face for good measure! Jared swipes the chair, and crashes it onto Sammy’s face once, and goes up to the top rope! He dives off the top, sliding the chair under his leg!
Eryk Masters: MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD!
Other Guy: And a whole lot of it! Sammy’s face has exploded!
Jared makes the cover!
1!
2!
No! Jester pulls Jared to the outside!
Jared hits the floor with a thud, and Smiles has a table set up on the outside! Smiles pulls Jared down into a clinch, driving a pair of knees into Jared’s face, before pushing him down into a standing headscissors! Jester pulls Jared up into a powerbomb– no! Jared drives his fist into Jester’s head! Punch after punch! Finally, Jared swings out, and drops Jester to the floor with a tornado DDT!
Other Guy: Ryan Cuddihy is finally getting to his feet!
Eryk Masters: Looks like Jester may have done quite a bit of damage to Ryan’s knee!
Ryan stumbles over to the ring apron, barely keeping himself up, as Jared pulls Jester to his feet, rolling him into the ring! CJ is getting to his feet, as is the enraged Sammy Rochester! Jared hops onto the apron, but Sammy is there first! He wraps his huge hands around Jared’s throat, and slings him OVER HIS HEAD and down to the mat! Jared bounces a foot off the ground, rolling onto his stomach! Sammy steps onto his back and over him to get to CJ! CJ tosses something to Ryan on the outside, and turns around just in time to get his head nearly removed from his body by a Sammy clothesline! CJ lands hard on the mat, and Sammy falls forward, with a falling headbutt straight to CJ’s chest! CJ flops like a fish out of water! Sammy scoops CJ up, pulling him to his feet– CJ reverses with a jawbreaker!
Sammy pops up, and he grabs CJ one more time! Sammy starts throwing fists at CJ! CJ starts throwing them back! The giant grabs CJ by the back of the head, and CJ does the same, all the while driving fist after fist into each others faces! CJ’s eyes are wide and angry, and Sammy matches his intensity!
Other Guy: Unbelieveable! Who’s gonna give up first, Eryk?
Eryk Masters: I don’t want to be either of them right now!
Sammy’s showing signs of slowing first! CJ ups the speed, slamming his hands into Sammy’s face! Sammy brings his hands up to stop the barrage, and CJ takes that as his cue, stunning him with a throat chop, and pushing him against the ropes! CJ levels the off balance Rochester with a short-arm clothesline! Sammy falls over the top rope, but just to the apron!
Ryan pulls out the object CJ tossed to him… a can of lighter fluid! He limps over to the table, dousing it in the flammable liquid, and throwing the can away! One match later… FWOOM!
Eryk Masters: MY HEART, OG!
Other Guy: MINE TOO!
HO-LY SHIT! HO-LY SHIT!
Jared and Jester are getting to their feet, and Jester throws a vicious left to Jared’s temple! Jared shakes it off, swinging at Jester! Both men are trading tired punch after tired punch!
Sammy gets to his feet on the apron, the flaming table behind him! CJ charges him with a spear… and CJ and Sammy GO STRAIGHT THROUGH THE BURNING TABLE! CJ pops to his feet, and lets out a triumphant howl! Sammy flops around on the floor, trying to put out the flames! Ryan pushes himself off the ring apron, driving an elbow into Sammy’s back!
CJ slides into the ring, and Jared sees it! Jared puts a hand up to block the barrage of strikes from Jester, and Jester picks up the pace! Jared backs up against the ropes, covering his face from punch after punch! CJ gets to mid ring, and Jared hits Jester with a European uppercut that backs Jester up! Jester’s shocked as Jared lays strike after strike into his face… until he backs into CJ! Jester’s eyes widen as CJ scoops him up in a crucifix powerbomb position, turning him around to face Jared! Jared has a chair, and he flies to the top rope!
Eryk Masters: YOU DISSOLVE!
Other Guy: CJ and Jared lay Jester flat with that crucifix powerbomb and Arabian facebuster combo!
Jared makes the cover!
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
Samantha Coil: Your winners, at a time of 29 minutes and 6 seconds, CJ Nelson and Jared Walsh, LOOOOOOOOONG ISLAAAAAAAND HAAAAAAAAAARDCOOOOORE!
Eryk Masters: A brutal finish to a brutal match, OG!
Other Guy: And the SHOOT Project legends hold true to their reputations!
CJ and Jared hold their hands high in the ring, taking a minute to catch their breath and wipe the blood from their faces. The pair slides out of the ring, and help Ryan to his feet… the shots to Sammy’s head seem to have finally taken their toll, as he doesn’t get up with them! CJ and Jared support the big man as they head back to locker room!
Other Guy: Long Island Hardcore pick up the win today, but there’s no way anyone’s walking out of here without some serious scars!
Eryk Masters: Brutal, OG! No other words! What a way to start Redemption!
The piano plays diligently as Dan Stein is shown walking down the hallway at Revolution 100, catching eyes with Minxy Jones. Stein moves over to her as the vocals start and the audio from Revolution 100 fades as Stein starts talking to Minxy.
Come out Virginia, don’t let me wait
You Catholic girls start much too late
But sooner or later it comes down to fate
I might as well be the one
They showed you a statue and told you to pray
They built you a temple and locked you away
But they never told you the price that you pay
For things that you might have done…
Dan Stein: They say you should ‘be careful what you ask for’, Minxy. At Redemption, they’ll understand just what that means.
Only the good die young
That’s what I said
Only the good die young
Only the good die young
The video fades into Minxy in front of LIHC as they train at Purgatory.
You might have heard I run with a dangerous crowd
We ain’t too pretty we ain’t too proud
We might be laughing a bit too loud
But that never hurt no one
Minxy Jones: When you step into the ring against me, Dan, you’ll understand what ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman pissed off’ really means.
So, come on Virginia show me a sign
Send up a signal I’ll throw you the line
The video fades to Stein interfering in Minxy’s match at Revolution 101, celebrating with her in the ring as she realizes what happened.
Dan Stein: Gifts are precious in this business. Why couldn’t you just have accepted the one I gave you?
The stained-glass curtain you’re hiding behind
Never lets in the sun
Darling, only the good die young
I told you, only the good die young
Only the good die young
The video now fades to the backstage area, Minxy Jones frustrated and yelling at Dan Stein to remind him that she didn’t want his help in the match.
You got a nice white dress and a party on your confirmation
You got a brand new soul
And a cross of gold
Minxy Jones: When you remember what a REAL wrestler wants in a victory, give me a call. Until then, keep your gifts to yourself.
The video fades now to Minxy running her hands down Stein’s abs in front of the Redemption banner transposed behind them.
But Virginia they didn’t give you quite enough information
You didn’t count on me
When you were counting on your rosary
The video now fades to Stein chasing after Minxy Jones on his hands and knees with his most lustful smile across his face, Minxy strutting away from him with a coy smile.
They say there’s a heaven for those who will wait
Some say it’s better but I say it ain’t
I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints
Sinners are much more fun…
The video now fades to Dan Stein standing next to Minxy, hands raised in an old timey boxing position, her own poised to strike him.
You know that only the good die young
I tell ya, only the good die young
Only the good die young
The video fades to Stein leaning over and attempting to kiss the obviously put off Minxy Jones, who walks away from him.
Minxy Jones: Oh, Dan. You had your chance to get that from me.
Dan Stein: At Redemption, I’ll get that mask.
You say your mother told you all that I could give you was a reputation
She never cared for me
But did she ever say a prayer for me?
Dan Stein: Your career.
Stein chases Minxy around the room now, trying to talk to her. He grabs her hand, pulling her back into his arms and laying her across his body like a dip, looking down at her.
Come out, come out, come out
Virginia, don’t let me wait
You Catholic girls start much too late
Sooner or later it comes down to fate
I might as well had be the one
Dan Stein: …and that kiss.
Again, Stein leans down to plant one on her, but gets deterred by a hand shoving his face out of the way.
Minxy Jones: Over my cold, dead body, Loverboy.
Stein stands up, spinning her away from him. The two SHOOT soldiers look at each other as they walk towards each other slowly.
You know that only the good die young
Tell ya baby
You know that only the good die young
Only the good die young
Only the good
Only the good die young
The two of them meet in in the middle of the room in front of the SHOOT Project banner, looking at each other eye to eye.
Dan Stein: I accept the terms of your surrender.
Minxy Jones: At Redemption, I’m going to bring you back down to Earth, Golden Boy. No more playing around. Just a battle.
Stein smirks as he looks at her, again trying to kiss her. This time, she slaps him plenty hard. Stein recoils from the center of the room and steps back before turning and walking away – still smirking. Minxy stands in the middle of the room as the music dies.
Minxy Jones: He doesn’t know what this Catholic girl can do.
Samantha Coil: Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is schedule for ONE FALL with a time limit of TWENTY minutes!
“I Wanna Be Sedated” by the Ramones hits over the PA. The crowd pops as a very excited, very focused, and very purple Minxy Jones emerges from the back, a shower of purple sparks falling behind her. Minxy stares at the ring as she makes her way down the ramp, but she does stop to slap hands with a few fans and even pose for a picture.
Eryk Masters: Minxy Jones is focused tonight, OG.
Other Guy: It’s our second biggest Pay Per View, it’s to one of the largest crowds we will draw, and it’s against a man who has done nothing but try to make a fool of her for the past few weeks. She had damn well BETTER be focused tonight.
Minxy leaps onto the apron and stops. She turns to the crowd and leans on the rope, waving her arms in the traditional ‘get louder’ wave. She then turns, lifts herself onto the tope rope, and springboards off with a backflip, landing perfectly in the middle of the ring.
Other Guy: Impressive agility, but she’s up against a man who is equally agile and equally fast.
Eryk Masters: Which makes this match about who has the X factor. Stein is stronger, but Minxy might just have a little bit more heart for this one.
Other Guy: God, did you just say X factor?
Samantha Coil: In the ring now, weighing in at ONE HUNDRED and SIXTY FOUR pounds! The HIGH FLYER with the PURPLE MASK…MINXY JONES!
Minxy gives a courtesy nod to Samantha Coil for the added oomph to her intro.
Other Guy: Samantha trying to spice things up with the intros, I see.
The lights cut quickly, sending the fans into a hushed frenzy. After a few moments of silence, Stein’s voice booms, “SHOT THROUGH THE HEART, AND YOU’RE TO BLAME. DARLIN’, YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME”. His stage lights up baby blue on the left side of the stage as the opening bridge of “The Rocky Song Remix” by Ronald Jenkees picks up, causing the fans in the arena to EXPLODE with a chorus of boos. As the second wave of instruments pick up, the right hand of his stage lights up, and when the beat drops, Dan Stein walks out from the backstage area, turning his head on obvious look out, shadow boxing with a towel over his head and Molly rubbing his shoulders like a prized fighter. Stein jumps up a few times to limber up his legs, and then starts walking towards his ring.
Eryk Masters: What a dick.
Other Guy: I still can’t believe you said X Factors.
Samantha Coil: And now, making his way to the ring, he is a former IRON FIST, SIN CITY, and SKY HIGH CUP CHAMPION! He weighs in tonight at TWO HUNDRED and SEVENTEEN pounds…he is DAN…THE LIGHTS…STEIN!
Pausing incessantly, Stein turns to a group of fans, strafing over and shadow boxing near them. As he continues down towards his ring, he stops to look around the arena once more and Molly walks up the stairs to hold the middle rope down for him. Stein prim and properly ducks into his ring, shadow boxing around the perimeter, before acting like he’s going to throw his towel out to the crowd and instead tosses it to Molly on the outside of his ring. Stein raises his hands in defiant victory as he walks around the ring, spooked but failing to hide it.
Other Guy: Well, let’s see, if we want to talk about “X Factors”, I think Samantha Coil just listed why I’d put my money on Dan Stein. All those accolades man, and we don’t even know who this chick is.
Eryk Masters: First off, get over the x factors things. Second, not know who Minxy Jones is doesn’t mean she is a nobody. She held her own against Sammy Rochester for Christ sake. This chick has fighting spirit and she’s damn good to boot. I wouldn’t go giving the win to Dick Stein just yet.
Other Guy: Please, for the love of CHRIST, stop trying to be clever.
Dan Stein continues to shadow box all over the ring, getting really close to Minxy, who just sorta stares on, irritated. Dennis Heflin moves Dan Stein away, but Stein continues to shadow box, clearly getting on the nerves of Heflin as well. He finally stops, right after throwing a wild punch that comes dangerously close to striking Heflin. Heflin warns Stein to watch himself, but Stein simply shrugs, asking what he did?
Eryk Masters: *sigh* Seriously?
Other Guy: Did you really just sigh into the headset?
Stein shoots a finger gun wink at Minxy, yelling out that her ass looks especially juicy tonight. Minxy just rolls her eyes, stretching out her limbs while she waits for the bell. Heflin stands in the middle of the ring. He looks at Stein and asks if he’s ready. Stein shrugs. Heflin takes this as a yes. He looks at Minxy. Minxy’s words are ‘hell yes’. Heflin signals for the bell! Stein and Minxy begin to circle. Minxy makes a move to go in, but Stein just jumps out of the way and continues circling. Minxy again goes for some kind of confrontation, but again, Stein dodges and keeps moving. A third attempt at confrontation leads to the same result. This time Minxy stomps on the mat and yells “come on!” Stein again feigns innocence, but obliges her with a collar elbow tie up. The two struggle for a moment until Stein starts…dancing with Minxy? Minxy looks frustrated, and she slaps Stein on the ears! Stein recoils, which gives Minxy time to leap up and slam Stein in the jaw with a dropkick! Minxy and Stein are up at the same time, Stein checking his jaw and scowling. Minxy grins, motioning for Stein to come on.
Eryk Masters: Minxy Jones making it very clear that she will NOT be playing the stupid games Dan Stein has been playing as of late.
Stein and Minxy again lock up, but as they connect, Stein puts the knee up, catching Minxy in the stomach. He then sets up and launches her back with a snap suplex! He rolls over and keeps it hooked, looking for another, but as he lifts her, Minxy brings her own knees up and catches Stein in the chest, causing him to fall backwards with the weight of Minxy on his chest! He slams the ground hard, coughing, and his shoulders on are on the mat!
ONE!
TW-Stein gets the shoulder up, which causes Minxy to lose her balance. She rolls off of Dan Stein, but lands gracefully. She again continues the assault, looking for a baseball slide dropkick, but Stein moves! As Minxy tries to recover, Stein catches her in the stomach with a kick and drops her with a DDT! Stein locks his legs around Minxy and now has her caught in a guillotine choke! Heflin is right there to see if Minxy Jones wants to tap out, but she defiantly says no. Stein torques his body to apply more pressure, but Minxy manages to get her feet planted firmly and presses forward, causing Stein to be in another pinning predicament!
ONE!
TWO!
Stein is forced to release the hold to avoid being pinned. Minxy rolls away, coughing a little and trying to regain composure. Stein lashes out, looking for a Yakuza Kick, but Minxy dodges and throws her own leg out, sweeping Stein’s leg! She goes for a flipping leg drop, but Stein is up in time. Minxy winces, clutching her lower back, but is able to recover in time to avoid a vicious buzzsaw style kick from Stein. Minxy rolls back and is on her feet quickly, both competitors reaching a stand off.
Other Guy: That was…that was actually really impressive.
The crowd cheers a little at the display, and a small “MIN-XY!” chant starts in the crowd. Stein looks irritated. Minxy gives Stein another grin, mouthing “keep up”. Both competitors again begin to circle, and both competitors again lock up. Stein looks to overpower Minxy, but Minxy plays possum and uses the force he is exerting to fall backwards and roll him up in a small package!
ONE!
TW-Stein kicks out! Stein again goes for Minxy, but Minxy reacts quickly, ducking down and sweeping his legs out. She then grabs the legs and flips over, getting him in a sunset flip pinning predicament!
ONE!
TW-Again Stein gets out! Minxy hits the ropes, and Stein charges, looking for a clothesline, but Minxy catches the arm, swings around, CRUCIFIX PIN!
ONE!
TWO!
TH-Stein kicks out! Stein looks exceedingly upset about all these pinning predicaments, but he has no time to voice it, as Minxy is again charging. She does a hand stand, but as her back is turned, Stein lashes out with a big thrusting boot that catches Minxy in the small of the back and causes her to fall forwards on her stomach! Stein proceeds to put the boots to her lower back, the crowd booing the change in pace.
Eryk Masters: And now Dan Stein is throwing a temper tantrum because Minxy out played him.
Other Guy: Or, you know, he’s just attacking her with offense because he wants to win this match. You know, that’s a viable option as well, Eryk.
After Stein feels Minxy is sufficiently beaten down, he kneels down and pats her on the small of her back, asking if she is okay. She swats his hand away, which causes Stein to put on a mock frown. As Minxy tries to recover, clutching her back, Stein goes to the ropes. He leaps onto the apron and watches on, waiting. Minxy gets to her feet, but her back is turned as Stein leaps onto the top rope, springboards off, and hits a springboard dropkick to her lower back! Minxy is sent flying forward, clutching her back and crying out in pain. The crowd boos, but Stein simply looks back at the ropes. He begins to climb to the tope rope, perching himself at the very top and waiting.
Other Guy: Stein really showing off now.
Minxy again is up, and Stein is looking on, waiting. As she turns, Stein lifts himself up and flips off with a picture perfect SHOOTING STAR PRESS!
Except Minxy counters with an Enziguiri, hitting Stein straight in the face! Both competitors fall to the ground, Minxy clutching her lower back, Stein clutching his face and yelling “NOT MY MONEY MAKER!”.
Eryk Masters: And that is what happens when you show off.
Minxy is the first one to recover, having fallen near the ropes. She uses them to pick herself up while Dan Stein stays on the ground, clutching his face. Minxy makes her way over to Stein and grabs him by the head. She begins to pull him up. Stein paws at Minxy weakly, but this is simply a con so he can throw a thumb in her eye. Minxy flinches, but before she can move away and reveal the thumb to the eye, Stein shows his shoulder up into her gut. While she is doubled over, Stein does something we never see. He places her in the standing headscissors position and lifts her up, looking for a powerbomb!
Other Guy: Take pictures, folks. We are seeing Dan Stein perform a powerbomb.
Stein turns away from the ropes to drop Minxy, but Minxy drops an elbow onto Stein. She lashes out and grabs the top rope, swinging backwards with a headscissors take down that sends Stein OVER THE TOPE ROPE! Minxy skins the cat, leaving her on the apron as Stein crashes to the arena floor.
Other Guy: Or not.
As Stein works to his feet, Minxy grabs the top rope and leaps onto it, springboarding off and colliding with Stein with a MOONSAULT! The fans pop as Minxy and Stein lie on the arena floor. Heflin begins the ten count.
ONE!
Eryk Masters: That move may have cost Minxy more than it gained her. Especially with some of the damage Stein has already done to her lower back.
Minxy is the first to stir, grabbing hold of the guard rail to help herself up. Stein stirs after, but he seems to be disoriented as he crawls towards the ring steps.
TWO!
Minxy is up to her knees as Stein reaches the steps, again going to the ground to catch a breath. Minxy works her way up to her feet.
THREE!
Minxy is up to her feet, but she clutches her lower back while trying to catch her breath. Stein, meanwhile, has a hold of the ring steps and is using them to help himself up.
FOUR!
Other Guy: Both competitors slow in getting back to the action.
Minxy leans against the guard rail, still catching her breath and looking over at Stein, who is now up to his knees.
FIVE!
Minxy dashes forward and goes for a Yakuza kick, but somehow, Stein is able to dodge! Minxy turns as Stein gets to his feet. She blocks a right hand attempt from Stein and throws a right of her own. Stein ducks under the punch and locks his arms around her waist.
SIX!
He tries to lift her up and throw her with a German suplex, but Minxy gets her legs up and blocks the attempt, she rolls through with a victory roll, but since she is on the outside, she does not pin. She gets off of Stein and attempts a double foot stomp, but Stein rolls out of the way and scrambles up.
SEVEN!
Stein throws a chop which catches Minxy hard in the chest. Minxy responds with a chop of her own! Stein hits another knife edged chop! Minxy with an over hand chop! Stein with a knife edged! Minxy with an over hand chop!
EIGHT!
Minxy looks up at the ring, noticing she doesn’t have much time to get back in the ring, but this gives Stein an opening to land three solid knife edged chops and a kick to the stomach. Minxy goes down to her knees. Stein slides in the ring.
NINE!
Minxy tries to get back up, but before she can…DAN STEIN WITH AN ASAI MOONSAULT! BOTH COMPETITORS ARE DOWN ON THE OUTSIDE AGAIN! Heflin has to restart the count.
ONE!
Eryk Masters: I’m…surprised by Stein. I really thought he’d just take the count out victory.
Both competitors stir, this time with Stein grabbing the apron and getting to his feet quickly.
TWO!
Other Guy: He’s out to prove something, Eryk. He wants to remind people why, despite how much of a dick he can be, he deserves to be respected as one of the best. So, yeah, he’s showing off a bit more.
Minxy clutches her lower back. Stein looks down with mock sympathy before planting a MEAN soccer kick to Minxy’s lower back. The crowd boos the cheap shot, but Stein waves it off. He grabs Minxy by the mask and picks her up, shoving her into the ring.
THREE!
The count goes no further, as Stein slides in the ring. He throws another kick to Minxy’s lower back, causing her to roll over in pain. Stein grabs her by the mask and lifts her up, before just tossing her back down to the mask by yanking her down by the mask! The crowd boos this display, but Stein ignores, hitting the ropes and nailing Minxy with a flipping senton splash! Minxy rolls on the ground in pain, but Stein stays on the attack. He plants a few stomps before picking Minxy back up by the mask again. Seeing he is near the turnbuckle, he tosses the limp Minxy into the turnbuckle, causing her to fall to a seated position.
Eryk Masters: Oh no, not this stupid move.
Dan Stein, seeing the position, dashes forward, looking for his patented bronco buster…but Minxy dodges! She slides down and Stein goes groin first into the middle turnbuckle!
Other Guy: Ouch. That hurt me just looking at it.
Stein is up quickly, but he is clearly distracted by the pain in his balls. Minxy is up to. Stein throws a wild punch…Minxy catches it. She flips over Stein’s arm…FLYING ARMBAR! Stein cries out in pain as Minxy wrinches on his arm. Stein falls to his knees, still locked tightly in the armbar.
Eryk Masters: Wow! Minxy Jones showing us she has some submissions kill as that armbar is locked in TIGHT!
Minxy wrinches the arm, and Heflin asks if Stein would like to submit. He shakes his head no. He then looks over at Molly, who has made her way over to his side of the ring. Despite his pain, he throws her a wink. Molly looks unsure of things, but she reaches into her pocket and pulls out…brass knuckles. The crowd boos, but Heflin does not see it. Molly slides the knuckles in, right next to Minxy’s head. Minxy is so focused on cranking Stein’s arm, she does not see what is happening. Stein leans in close, slipping his free hand into the brass knuckles.
Eryk Masters: Oh no no no, come on Heflin, open your eyes!
He then slams Minxy in the jaw with them! She immediately releases the hold and clutches her jaw, crying out in pain. As Heflin checks on Minxy, Stein quickly removes the brass knuckles and slides them back to a very guilty looking Molly. Molly stares at the knuckles for a second before throwing them away, not even wanting to touch them.
Other Guy: Molly doesn’t look to happy about what she just did.
As Stein loosens his arm, he sees Minxy clutching her jaw, a little blooding spilling from her mouth. She is on her knees. Stein quickly pushes Heflin aside and CRACKS Minxy in the jaw with a superkick. Minxy goes down hard, and Stein covers.
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
Minxy looks unconscious as Dan Stein gets back up, throwing his arms in the air as the bell rings.
Eryk Masters: That’s bullshit. Straight up bullshit.
Other Guy: Yeah, I’m not in love with that either.
Samantha Coil: Ladies and gentlemen, your…winner…at a time of NINETEEN minutes and TWELVE seconds…Dan Stein.
Dan Stein motions for Molly to join him in the ring to celebrate, but Molly looks like she wants no part of it. Minxy is still out, and Heflin checks on her, calling for help. Stein, once again, pushes Heflin out of the way. He leans down and begins to undo Minxy’s mask. He slowly removes it, doing his best not to wake her. The titantron closes in on the mask coming off, revealing…AINSLEY LAKE! The crowd gasps a little before erupting in boos, even angrier now that they see who Dan Stein just hurt. Stein looks down at Ainsley, a look of surprise on his face.
And then he plants a kiss right on her lips. The crowd erupts in even more boos as Stein leaves the ring, allowing the medical crew to get Ainsley strapped to a stretcher. Stein, meanwhile, grabs Molly’s hand and forces both their hands in the air. Stein beams like a mad man while Molly simply stares at the ground.
Eryk Masters: Ladies and Gentlemen, our next contest is… well it was billed as a Grudge Match but as the week unfolded I have to wonder if that’s the right name for it.
Other Guy: It was a strange week indeed, it started out very heated but for lapses in time it felt like Maya may have gotten through to SCAR’s masochistic princess.
The lights in the Epicenter die down as the start of “HORIZON” by D’espairsRay fills the arena. Spotlights search through the seats as the fans rise up from their seats in boisterous anticipation. The words “CAN YOU FEEL THE NEW WORLD?” scribble across the video tron in elaborate silver script for a moment, the searchlights converge on the ramp, on Maya with his head bowed downward. The script on the video tron fades slowly into light particles, the moment Maya lifts his head the word “HOPE” etches its way across the video screen, and the spotlights SHOOT out in all direction as the lights in the Epicenter surge on to their most brilliant and brightest.
Samantha Coil: Making his way to the ring first, by way of Nagasaki, Japan, weighing in at 135 pounds and standing at 5’7”… MAYA… NAKASHIIIIIIIMAAAAAAAAA!!!
Eryk Masters:There he is, and it always amazes me at how driven this kid is. He gives up a significant size advantage to just about everyone he faces, even Gaunt who is relatively small has about a twenty pound weight advantage on Maya. But despite that, he still somehow finds a way to fight it out and go toe to toe with the best this business has to offer. What he lacks in size he certainly makes up for in heart.
Other Guy: Cliche alert…
Maya walks down the ramp, reaching out to tag hands with a few of the fans, but there is an obvious focus diverting his attention from them. Maya rolls into the ring and bounces off the ropes, sprinting from one side of the ring to the other to get warmed up before hopping up onto the nearest turnbuckle, applauding the fans cheering him.
Eryk Masters: Maya looks ready, but I have to wonder how much his head is in this one. Maya isn’t one to give up, but he was dead set on “helping” Gaunt escape Project: SCAR and follow a more righteous path.
Other Guy: That’s all well and good, Eryk, but did Maya ever stop to really consider she didn’t want to leave Project: SCAR? She and Isaac are usually joined at the hip anyway; you really think that Ivory Bastard is just going to let her walk?
Eryk Masters: I doubt it, OG. Once Isaac sinks his hooks down into you, it’s hard as hell to break away from his malignant influence.
“Blood” by In This Moment starts to play over the speakers, and red & black rose petals start to float down from the rafters at the head of the ramp. Elizabeth Gaunt steps out from behind the curtains, wearing her black latex body suit and a very conflicted expression on her face.
The fans boo her with every fiber of malice they can muster, and Gaunt bites her bottom lip where staring down at Maya in the ring.
Eryk Masters: Liz looks almost….hesitant…to walk down that ramp. She kinda wears her emotions on her sleeve, and it seems like Maya’s offer of a “second chance” has really shaken Gaunt down to her core.
Other Guy: I think Maya might regret making that offer in the first place. Gaunt is legit mentally deranged, she’s unpredictable as hell…and you never really know what you’re going to get with her.
Samantha Coil: Introducing second, hailing from Coney Island, New York…she weighs in at 155lbs..representing PROJECT: SCAR….ELIZABETH GAUNT!!!
Gaunt walks down to the ring, never taking her eyes off Maya. She slides into the ring underneath the bottom rope, and the bell rings with a loud clang…signifying that this match is OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY!
Maya and Gaunt cautiously circle around each other, locking eyes in what appears to be more of a mental stand off. Maya takes one cautious step forward and Gaunt takes one backwards as the two continue to size each other up.
Eryk Masters: A very tense opening to the match, both competitors looking to size one another up in their first official meeting inside a SHOOT Project ring.
Other Guy: Honestly? I don’t know how Maya does it, keeps this calm and try to be buddy-buddy with Gaunt. That psychopath tried to throw his sister, his SISTER, off the damn video screen on Revolution and he’s willing to help her with anything besides room and board in a hospital? Might be his undoing if you ask me.
Maya quickly pops forward locking up with Gaunt in a collar and elbow tie up, pushing Gaunt towards the ropes. When they reach the ropes Maya whips Gaunt to the ropes, on the rebound Maya easily leap frogs over Gaunt who continues towards the far ropes, on the way back Maya sidesteps at the last possible second, grabbing Gaunt by the elbow and heaving her up through the air and down to the canvas with an arm drag. Maya flips through the air with a standing moonsault, but Gaunt slides out of the way, kipping up! Maya, amazingly, manages to still land on his feet and pivots leaping into the air with heel kick, Gaunt ducks it and grabs Maya by the head! Gaunt lifts Maya up for a suplex, but Maya wriggles out the back door and dropkicks Gaunt in the lower back sending her stumbling forward onto the canvas and rolling out of the ring!
Maya hits the ropes with a full head of steam and sends himself flying through the middle ropes like a missile! But Gaunt just manages to dive out of the way and Maya goes head first into the barricade!
Eryk Masters: WOW! Maya smashed into that barricade headfirst…he could have a concussion after that.
Other Guy: Definitely not pretty, Eryk.
Gaunt looks almost…concerned…as she goes to pick up Maya and throw him back into the ring. There’s a strange gentleness about the way she tosses him back into the ring, and once he’s there, she climbs on top of him and raises one of her fists up high.
Other Guy: What is Gaunt waiting for here? Maya is half-conscious…she has him right where she wants him.
Eryk Masters: Trying to figure out what is going through this woman’s head is like trying to understand gibberish. It just isn’t even worth it to try…
Gaunt looks down into Maya’s face, her fist trembling as she bites her bottom lip…and finally she just stands up and walks away from him, unable to connect with the punch to his face. She drives her hands deeply into her hair, cursing out loud, and she takes a moment to kick the bottom rope.
Maya is starting to get back up, and Gaunt takes a different approach this time, proceeding to lock him up into a straight headlock. She grinds on the headlock harder, and then she takes him down with a headlock takeover.
Gaunt then quickly lets Maya free, and she cartwheels backwards and hits the ropes, proceeding to handspring forward and drop a leg across Maya’s throat. She then goes for a quick pinfall.
ONE!
TWO-NOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Gaunt glares at the referee, frustrated…and she pulls Maya up to his feet.
She tries for a picture perfect dropkick, but Maya SWATS her away….and then the young Soldier jumps up onto the second rope and practically BEHEADS Gaunt with a springboard clothesline!!
Eryk Master: AWESOME!! This is turning out to be a fast-paced match….no real surprise there since both of these two are known for speed and agility.
Other Guy: The interesting thing is Gaunt had a chance to just hammer on Maya with punches….but she didn’t take it. She instead is trying for a straight “wrestle him into the ground” approach. Is that a spark of sportsmanship from Gaunt or just another eccentric element of her nutty personality?
Maya is slow to get back up to a vertical base, shaking his head. As Gaunt gets back up to her knees, Maya puts his arms around her neck, lifts Gaunt to her feet, and whips her to the turnbuckle. Maya turns around walking to the opposite turnbuckle, waiting only a second before he sprints full speed and jumping at Gaunt! But Gaunt ducks under Maya, thinking it safe Gaunt takes a moment to catch her breath, but Maya has the momentum to actually land on the top rope! He quickly pivots on the top rope, jumps off, and plants both his feet off the back of Gaunt’s head!
Maya literally leaps from his landing spot over to Gaunt for the cover!
ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!
Eryk Masters: This match is REALLY picking up now, Maya is really getting that high paced offense rolling.
Other Guy: He is, and it’s impressive, but Gaunt looks… out of sorts. It looks like she’s questioning herself and almost letting Maya roll all over her. I get that the appeal of a second chance is nice, but this is Redemption… get your head in the game.
Maya quickly pops up and doesn’t even blink at the referee, Maya drops a leg across Gaunt’s throat. Maya quickly kips up and drops another leg across Gaunt’s throat, Maya kips up again and drops another thunderous leg across Gaunt’s throat, Maya pops up but this time holds his arms out, the crowd beaming at his showing of athleticism, and leaps high into the air dropping one final leg across Gaunt’s throat! Maya goes for another quick cover!
ONE
TW…Kickout by Gaunt!
Gaunt rolls over on her side holding her throat, a raspy cough filling the air. While on her side, Maya takes a few steps back and with a running start slides into the small of Gaunt’s back with an in-ring baseball slide! The force of the slide rolls Gaunt to the outside, Maya looks over the top rope almost with a look of concern. Maya grips the top rope tightly, the fans roaring, but he hesitates looking down at Gaunt before leaping over… but his hesitation costs him as Gaunt slides out of the way and Maya gets nothing but a face full of padded floor!
This time Gaunt is less gentle, and a slight twinkle of malice starts to shine in her eyes….almost like she’s starting to give in to a darker part of herself. She takes a few steps back…AND THEN SHE RUNS FORWARD AND PUNTS MAYA IN THE SIDE OF THE FACE!!
Maya goes down hard, a little spittle flying from the side of his mouth…and Liz promptly grabs him up and bundles him back into the ring.
Maya starts to rise up to his feet while holding the side of his face…but Gaunt jumps onto the middle rope and blasts Maya with a springboard lungblower, driving her knees deeply into his lower back!
Maya cries out in pain, going down hard against the canvas, and Gaunt is quick to pull back on both of his legs.
ONE!
TWO!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Eryk Masters: Liz starting to pick up the pace now. I think she realizes that there is no room for mercy or emotional baggage going into this match…it’s just a do or die scenario, you either win…or you don’t.
Other Guy: She’s going to have her work cut out for her….it’s a known fact that Maya Nakashima will fight until the BITTER end.
Maya gets back up, and Gaunt immediately takes him back down with a running bulldog…and she proceeds to lock in nasty looking octopus stretch on Maya! Nakashima cries out in pain, and Liz grinds back harder, her teeth gritted together….but the SHOOT Project fanbase is starting to rally…and Maya’s fists are rising up in defiance, his body shaking with the strength that he’s drawing from the crowd. Maya desperately tries to power his way out of the hold, but the weight advantage Gaunt has and the fatigue have set in. Maya finally manages to get one hand free and uses it to grab Gaunt’s inner leg and take it out from under her while pushing all his weight against her forcing her to fall over onto her back into a pin!
ONE…
TWO…
TH-KICKOUT!
The crowd lets out a collective groan, hoping the quick tactic was enough to put Gaunt away. Liz instinctively rolls over onto her stomach, but Maya pops up and rolls over her and folds her up with an Oklahoma Roll!
ONE…
TWO…
KICKOUT!
Eryk Masters: Two nearfalls for Maya there, using speed and leverage to make up for the fact that he isn’t the biggest or strongest dog in the yard. Prime examples of how Maya has been so successful despite giving up so much in terms of size.
Maya and Liz pop up at almost the exact same time, Liz tries to rush forward with a hasty clothesline but Maya ducks under it and hits the ropes as hard as he can! Maya, running at freakish speeds, blows right by Liz before she can even turn around! Maya rebounds off the ropes again at blistering speeds, leaving Liz confused about which way to turn in the middle of the ring!
Other Guy: This is god damn ridiculous, we’ve seen Maya move at this speed before and your eyes never get used to just how fast he can go in the ring.
When Liz finally turns around in the right direction Maya jumps up onto her shoulders, the fans expecting For Japan stand and a blinding screen of flashbulbs blow up in the stands. But Gaunt puts her hands up on Maya’s thighs to keep him from rolling over and now has him in prime powerbomb position! Liz takes a few steps towards the turnbuckle, Maya looking over his shoulder starts to squirm and try to somehow escape but there’s nowhere for him to go. A collective gasp from the fans is taken in as Liz powerbombs Maya SKULL FIRST on the top turnbuckle with a horrifying thumping sound. Maya’s head whiplashes off the top turnbuckle, his body being thrown forward by the force of the powerbomb.
Eryk Masters: Jesus Christ… the impact of Maya’s head on that turnbuckle, I can’t even imagine.
Other Guy: Cover the guy, just…
As if Liz could hear him, she throws herself over Maya and doesn’t even bother hooking a leg.
ONE
TWO
THRE… MAYA SHOULDERS OUT!
The crowd goes absolutely insane when Maya manages to somehow weakly pick his right shoulder up off the mat. Liz rolls over onto her back, gripping at her hair wondering what she has to do to finish the job.
Eryk Masters: Honestly? I’m not even sure how Maya is conscious, let alone how he managed to get a shoulder off the mat. OG, you and I both saw the way his head BOUNCED off the top turnbuckle. It’s a miracle that he can…
Other Guy: I’m not gonna lie, I thought it was over and done. Don’t really know where Maya gets it from but… gotta give the kid credit for surviving.
Maya barely manages to use the middle rope to get back to his knees, and Liz makes sure to physically pull him up the rest of the way.
Maya falls back down, near dead weight…and Gaunt backs up, running her hands back through her hair as her deranged turquoise eyes glare down at Maya. She cocks her head to the side…whispering out “I HAVE to do this” over and over again to herself.
Other Guy: Would you listen to Gaunt? It’s like she’s trying to CONVINCE herself to finish Maya off!
Eryk Masters: There might be some good buried WAY down inside this woman….but it’s no more than a small spark caught in a sea of black, swirling insanity.
Liz backs up a few steps, just watching Maya….and then she drops down to a crouch, her hands laid across her thighs. She’s motioning for Maya to get back up…her upper lip rising and lowering in a purely unconscious snarl.
Gaunt screams out at Maya as he groggily gets back up to his feet to face her.
Gaunt: I’M…SORRY! I CAN’T BE WHAT I’M NOT, MAYA…
Having said that….Gaunt launches her body to the side and PISTONS a superkick towards Maya’s chest, aiming every single ounce of her strength and tenacity at Maya Nakashima’s heart.
Other Guy: Liz is going for HEARTLESS!!!
Eryk Masters: Maya ducked!! Oh my god….Maya freakin’ ducked!!
Maya dives to the side at the last possible moment, and Liz’s boot catches nothing but thin air. She spins around, momentarily stunned…and Maya is RIGHT THERE!
For a split second their eyes meet, Maya’s sorrowful eyes meet with Liz’s.
Maya: I had to try…
Maya takes a few steps before putting his hands on Liz’s shoulders and lifting himself up into a hand stand position on her shoulders. The crowd knows whats coming and the blizzard of flashbulbs start to erupt, but Maya looks down from his hand stand, and Liz looks back up at him in a haze.
Maya: … gomen…
Eryk Masters: OTS! MAYA GOT ALL OF THAT!
There is no satisfaction on Maya’s face as he hooks Liz’s far leg.
ONE
TWO
THREEEEEE!!!
Samantha Coil: Here is your winner, by way of pinfall… MAYA NAKAAAAASHIIIIIIIIIIMA!!!
The crowd is in at an absolute fever pitch as Maya’s hand is raised, but he doesn’t celebrate as usual. Maya rolls out of the ring, his hands stamped on his hips as he walks up the ramp, his eyes staring down at the ramp the whole way until he reaches the curtain.
Other Guy: You’d think Maya would be a little more excited, this is a significant victory over Project: SCAR AND the woman who tried to kill his sister. He should be popping off and crowd surfing or something.
Eryk Masters: Despite how big of a win this is for Maya, OG, I think… I think Maya was looking for another kind of victory that eluded him on this night.
Maya looks back toward the ring, at Liz in the middle of it, and shakes his head before returning backstage.
Samantha Coil: The following contest is scheduled for one fall. Introducing first… from South Boston, Mass… weighing in at two hundred ninety seven pounds… the self-proclaimed master of your reality, Johnny… NAPALM!!!
“Electric Head (Pt. 1)” booms from the speakers as Napalm emerges from the back to a chorus of boos. He seems to be reveling in the disdain, extending his middle finger toward the crowd as he makes his way down the entrance ramp, pausing at the timekeeper’s table to grab a microphone before making his way into the ring.
Napalm: For far too long now, you’ve been sticking your nose in my business, you stinking masked freak. Now it ends.
Napalm tosses the microphone over the rope and awaits his opponent.
Eryk Masters: Wow, for someone who hasn’t been overly productive in the win department as of late, he’s sure coming into this with a lot of bluster. He seems awfully determined to inflict even more damage on El Asso Wipo tonight.
Other Guy: Napalm better watch himself. He doesn’t have the greatest track record against people smaller than he is. But you never know with this guy- all it takes is that one spark to light the inferno.
Samantha Coil: And his opponent… from the great state of Vermont… EL… ASSO…
The crowd drowns her out with a boisterous chant of “WIPO!!!” and as Tenacious D’s “Wonderboy” booms from the speakers, the capacity audience roars at the first sight of El Asso Wipo and Silas emerging from the back. The Legendary Luchadore of SHOOT seems to be a little less jovial than usual, beelining toward the ring as Silas tries in vain to keep up. El Asso Wipo gets to the ringside area and points to Napalm, holding his hands in front of him, fists clenched as if he’s gripping an imaginary stick. He points to his knee and as he brings his fists down, the crowd roars, “TCHA!!!”
Eryk Masters: You know, it never ceases to boggle the mind as to just how El Asso Wipo manages to get this crowd on his side so quickly. He’s not the most skilled wrestler, he doesn’t have gold- hell, he’s not even sniffing a title right now- but the second he emerges from that curtain, he’s got these people eating out of the palm of his hand.
Other Guy: It’s called charisma, Easy E. He’s got it by the truckload, and his opponent wouldn’t know it if it bit him in the juevos.
Eryk Masters: Oh, God, not you too. Let’s just concentrate on the match, shall we? Let’s leave the juevos out of it. Please.
As El Asso Wipo enters the ring and the bell sounds to get the match officially underway, Napalm wastes no time in closing ground and laying into the Luchadore with a nasty boot to the side of the head, following up by grabbing Wipo by the mask and setting him up for a snap suplex that sends the action to the middle of the ring! Wipo slowly gets to his feet, and Napalm is right there to drop him back down with a wicked clothesline.. he goes for a cover, but doesn’t even get a one count. Napalm waits for Wipo to get back up and then charges, but the luchadore ducks underneath the clothesline and delivers a dropkick to the back of Napalm’s knee, sending the big man down to the mat… the crowd roars as Wipo sets himself and gets a head of steam, catching Napalm with a running snapmare and going for a cover, but he winds up with the same result as Napalm’s attempt.
Eryk Masters: Looks like both men are trying to get the early win, but I think both of them know it’s not going to end so quick. It’s going to take a lot more than a dropkick or a clothesline to get a three-count in this one.
Other Guy: I sure hope so. These two don’t like each other. We want to see violence. We want to see blood, if at all possible. This ain’t the Octagon. People don’t want to see a sixty-second knockout here.
Wipo gets back to his feet and waits for Napalm to get vertical, maneuvering behind and taking his larger adversary down with a chop block.. he rushes the ropes looking for a dropkick, but Napalm has managed to pivot around and he catches Wipo’s legs in midair, swinging and slingshotting El Asso Wipo into the corner! Napalm slowly makes his way toward the stunned luchadore, his eyes widening as he lifts his opponent into the Tree of Woe, an evil grin crossing his lips as he starts laying a series of vicious knees into the midsection of the helpless Wipo! The crowd is booing as Napalm lifts Wipo up by the mask and delivers a nasty uppercut to the back of the neck, the momentum freeing Wipo from the precarious position, but dazing him long enough for Napalm to pull him vertical again, whipping him into the ropes and hoisting him up, pressing him over his head…. but Wipo manages to slide behind Napalm, grabbing his head and falling back… sending Napalm’s back over Wipo’s knees… like…
The crowd roars, “TCHA!!”
Eryk Masters: What a backbreaker from out of the jaws of what could have been a very painful landing!
Other Guy: Gotta give the man credit. He just took some nasty lumps from Napalm, yet he comes right back and turns the tables in an instant. Question is, how can he follow up?
Outside the ring, Silas is pacing the ringside area, gesturing for the fans to get louder, and they’re only too happy to oblige. Silas’ eyes meet Wipo’s and he gives the luchadore a hearty double thumbs-up. Wipo scrambles to his feet and rushes the ropes, catching a slowly recovering Napalm with a running splash into a cover… ONE!! Napalm kicks out quickly, but Wipo is wasting no time or motion, leaping back to his feet and getting some air before landing a legdrop across the chest and going for another cover.. but this time Napalm kicks out right away with authority, sending Wipo flying and giving Napalm a chance to get to his feet. He shakes off the cobwebs as Wipo slowly gets to his vertical base, looking like he’s starting to favor his left knee slightly. Napalm notices this and charges Wipo, but the luchadore manages to pull down the top rope, sending Napalm crashing to the floor!
Eryk Masters: BRILLIANT move by El Asso Wipo!
Other Guy: Momentum. It can be such a bitch sometimes, can’t it?
Referee Linam is right on the ball, starting the count as El Asso Wipo grabs the top rope, pulling on it and looking up at the rafters as he yells before releasing the ropes, cupping his hands and letting out a loud whoop, which is echoed by the crowd. Napalm is getting to his feet as the count reaches three, and the look in his eyes is one of absolute anger and fury and he slams his hands on the apron in disbelief and rage. Wipo is taunting him inside the ring, dancing and getting the crowd even more worked up than before. Napalm grabs a steel chair from the ringside area and tosses it into the ring, making his way back between the ropes- but Linam’s on point and he grabs the chair before Napalm has a chance to use it, throwing it back over the ropes and getting into Napalm’s face, giving him a stern warning. The distraction allows Wipo to sneak up behind Napalm, looking out at the crowd and putting a finger to his lips before leaping up to snake his arm around Napalm’s neck, pulling him down and across his knee! He goes for a cover… ONE!! TWO!! Napalm kicks out and scrambles to his feet as Wipo gets himself vertical- and comes face to face with a thunderous clothesline! Napalm gets down to a knee and starts landing wicked right hands to the side of the head, drawing boos from the crowd. Napalm seems oblivious to the disdain of the crowd and he pulls Wipo up, scooping him and slamming him hard into the corner once… twice… three times! Napalm keeps his grip and finishes things off by pressing Wipo over his head and tossing him forcefully toward the middle of the ring!
Eryk Masters: Oh, boy, here we go. We knew it was just a matter of time before Johnny Napalm got going. This could prove to be unfortunate for El Asso Wipo if he really does get a head of steam.
Other Guy: Maybe, maybe not. Come on, think about who we’re talking about here.
Eryk Masters: He seems to be a lot more focused and a lot more vicious ever since that defeat at the hands of Piper Fury back at RISE. It’s almost like when he went into that ambulance, a monster was awakened.
Other Guy: I’m still not convinced yet.
Napalm stalks his opponent, slowly making his way to the middle of the ring and leaping before dropping a nasty-looking knee to the chest, keeping the knee pressed hard in while he wraps his hands around Wipo’s head and yanks hard, leaning back in almost a reverse surfboard-type maneuver! Linam gets right into the action, but Napalm refuses to release the hold… all of a sudden Silas hops onto the ring and tries to get the attention of Napalm… and succeeds! Napalm releases the painful hold and rushes toward Silas, who has hopped back down to ringside, leaving Napalm fuming at the ring edge. As Napalm turns around, he is shocked to see that El Asso Wipo has gotten back to his feet and is shaking…he points to Napalm and the crowd roars, “TUUUUUUU!!” Napalm charges Wipo, but the luchadore sidesteps and earns a hearty “OLE!!” from the crowd. Napalm rebounds off the rope and right into a waiting Wipo, who scoops him up and lands a series of backbreakers, each one receiving a progressively louder “TCHA!!” from the crowd. Wipo goes for the cover… UNO!!! DOS!!! TR- NO!! Napalm manages to kick out!
Eryk Masters: Man, what does El Asso Wipo need to do? He’s come so close to winning this one on a few occasions, and Napalm just has the presence of mind to get that shoulder up at the last possible second.
Other Guy: Question should be, what the hell does Napalm need to do? Every time he tries to get any sort of momentum, Wipo’s snagging it right back. He keeps this up, the Legendary Luchadore’s going to walk away with the big dubya here tonight.
Wipo looks to Silas at ringside and gives him a thumbs-up and a quick salute, which is met by a pointed finger from his silent partner- and as Wipo turns around, he is met by a big boot from Napalm, who follows it up with a two-handed elevated choke… Linam gets right in and starts counting.. ONE.. TWO… THREE… FOUR… and just before the disqualifying five, Napalm delivers a ring-trembling chokeslam! The monentum of the impact bounces Wipo up from the mat, and Napalm quickly closes the distance and grabs Wipo by the throat again, lifting him up and snarling before hurling him overhead and sending him into the ropes, where his leg gets tangled in the ring rope! Wipo is trying to get his leg free as Napalm closes in, an evil smirk crossing his lips as he starts laying in knee after knee to the skull! Linam moves in and tries to pull Napalm away, threatening disqualification before Napalm relents and stands back… and as Linam tries to free the tangled Wipo, Napalm rushes and hits both men, freeing Wipo and sending both the luchadore and the referee over the top rope to the floor!
Eryk Masters: This is NOT good. With the referee down, this opens the door for something I really don’t think any of us want to see.
Other Guy: Speak for yourself.
Napalm climbs over the rope and hops to the floor, looking at Wipo and then over at the ringpost. He grabs the dazed luchadore and hoists him onto his shoulder… rushing toward the ringpost, but Wipo manages to slip down and he pushes Napalm into the post instead! Silas rushes over to the action, motioning for Wipo to get into the ring, pointing to himself and then to the downed referee, giving a thumbs-up. Wipo nods and slides the dazed Napalm into the ring, following close behind as Silas tries to revive Linam. The referee is slowly getting back to his feet, while Wipo and Napalm are exchanging shots inside the ring! This match has obviously taken a great deal out of both of these men, as is evidenced by the reduced power coming out of the blows. Wipo whips Napalm into the corner and follows right behind, leaping onto the second turnbuckle and raising his fist… and as he starts assailing Napalm in the corner, the crowd is roaring, “UNO!! DOS!! TRES!! QUAT-” but that’s as far as he gets before Napalm pushes him off and to the mat just as Linam re-enters the ring. Wipo gets back to his feet and charges the corner again, but this time Napalm gets his leg up and delivers a vicious kick right to the face!
Eryk Masters: That’s gonna scramble the juevos.
Other Guy: Ouch. Baaaad joke, Easy E.
Eryk Masters: Oh, so it’s only funny when you say it?
Other Guy: If the shoe fits…
Napalm shakes off the punches and grabs Wipo, sending him into the corner and following right after with a nasty shoulder block that catches Wipo right in the ribcage! Napalm hoists him up and hits a snake-eyes maneuver, driving Wipo’s face into the turnbuckle, following it up with a German release suplex that sends Wipo halfway across the ring… Napalm doesn’t let Wipo get any sort of momentum back, grabbing him from behind and unleashing a trio of headbutts to the back of the head, punctuated with an elbow to the back that sends Wipo crashing face-first to the canvas.. Napalm looks at the crowd, shaking his head and pulling Wipo to his feet, whipping him into the ropes… he catches him and elevates him…
Eryk Masters: NAPALM DRIVER!!!
Other Guy: Oh, man, you can stick the fork in El Asso Wipo. I think he might just be done.
The crowd boos as Napalm makes the cover… ONE!! TWO!! THREE!!! Linam calls for the bell and raises Napalm’s hand in victory.
Samantha Coil: Here is your winner… Johnny… NAPALM!!!
Eryk Masters: Gotta give El Asso Wipo credit. He gave it everything he had, and I really thought he had Napalm’s number tonight.
Other Guy: This could be the start of a new Johnny Napalm. He’s been talking for the longest time about his mean streak and how all it would take is that one spark to set him off. I think tonight we just saw that spark.
The cameras focus on the lovely Samantha Coil as she stands in the center of the ring, holding the microphone at her hip. She slowly brings it up to her mouth…
Samantha Coil: The following contest is scheduled for one fall with a 45-minute time limit, and it is for the SHOOT Project WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!
An old fashioned, black and white film countdown hits the VideoWall, the film flickering and a beep heard after every digit.
Spotlights search the arena as mist pours from behind the entrance curtain, illuminated by various colored strobe lights flickering into it. Muse’s "Hysteria" cues up over the PA system, bringing Gregory Price, Corey Lazarus, and Ron Barker out from behind the curtain (in that order) at the 22-second mark to a…well, a decidedly mixed reaction. Price chomps away on a stick of gum as Corey and Ron make their march down to the ring, the former not displaying his usual antagonistic attitude towards the crowd.
Eryk Masters: It almost seems like both Corey and Ron are more focused tonight than they even were against Lunatikk Crippler and Donovan King at Revolution 103.
Other Guy: Why wouldn’t they be? There’s gold on the line for them tonight!
It’s bugging me
Grating me
And twisting me around
Corey jumps up onto the ring apron, grabbing the top rope for brief support, and slides his silver-rimmed Ray Bans off, watching as his partner walks up the ring steps.
Samantha Coil: Weighing in tonight at a total combined weight of 510 pounds…
Yeah, I’m endlessly
Caving in
And turning inside out
Corey steps into the ring and quickly slides his entrance jacket off, throwing it over the top rope to a ringside attendant as Barker steps in across the ring from him, hitting the ropes quickly to get himself geared up.
‘Cause I want it now
I want it now
Give me your heart and your soul
Samantha Coil: …being accompanied by Gregory Price, they are the team of "The Premier Attraction" Corey Lazarus and "Ravishing" Ron Barker…
And I’m breaking out
I’m breaking out
Last chance to lose control
Corey hands his Ray Bans off to Price at ringside and then stretches out over the top ropes, slingshotting himself up so that one foot rests on the top turnbuckle and the other on the middle rope, holding his hands out to his sides as Barker climbs to the middle rope across the ring, holding a pair of fists into the air as the chorus of "Hysteria" fades back into the main riff.
Samantha Coil: …THE GENESIS CORPORATION!!!
Other Guy: I think it’s worth noting that it seems half of the crowd is behind these two tonight.
Eryk Masters: Why do you think that is?
Other Guy: Because half of the crowd loves to support obvious losers.
"Hysteria" dies out as the second verse starts, replaced by Fozzy’s "Let the Madness Begin" and another decidedly mixed reaction.
Eryk Masters: And this?
Other Guy: The other half loves winners, Eryk.
Chance Ryan emerges from behind the curtain, hoisting his SHOOT Project World Tag Team championship belt high over his head, slapping at the center plate as he basks in the hatred of those within the SHOOT Epicenter arena.
=It’s a promise that he made to himself=
=But the thrill puts his pact on the shelf=
Tanya Black comes out behind him and scoots around to stand in front of him with a wicked grin on her face, lifting her shirt up just a bit to reveal her own Tag Team championship belt around her waist…and inside out, the center plate pressed against the flesh of her stomach. A moment later Sean O’Connell emerges, though he stands behind both of the wrestlers his eyes constantly scanning around him.
=Locked in a prison he built over time=
=Made of bitterness, hate, and his lies=
=He can’t control the deepening hole=
=He feels true peace with rage unleashed=
Samantha Coil: Introducing next, at a total combined weight of 455 pounds…
=It’s a promise that he made to himself=
=But the thrill puts his pact on the shelf=
The three members of the SS stalk down to the ring, making sure they’re out of any fan’s reach. Tanya rushes ahead and jumps onto the apron, holding the ropes open for Chance as he climbs the steps, walks over to her, and then steps through. Black climbs the turnbuckle, blowing kisses to the unappreciative crowd as Sean stays outside the ring, pacing and giving Gregory Price dirty looks.
Samantha Coil: Being accompanies to the ring by Sean O’Connell, they are the current, reigning, and defending SHOOT Project WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS…the team of Chance Ryan and "The Alpha Female" Tanya Black…
=The devil feeds on my thoughts=
=Even when I pray=
=A broken promise that I’ll never lose it again=
Chance walks over to her as she lifts up her shirt and carefully reaches behind her to unbutton it, holding both Tag Team belts at once as referee Willie Dean requests them.
Samantha Coil: THE SINISTER SYNDICATE!!!
=The darkness sucks on my soul=
=And keeps the sun away=
=I can’t stop it now, so=
=LET THE MADNESS BEGIN=
"Let the Madness Begin" dies down as Black climbs down onto the ring apron, stretching out. Referee Dennis Heflin hands the belts off to the timekeeper…
**DING DING DING**
…and quickly backs in to make sure neither team rushes the other, acting surprised that not a single one of the four involved has even moved.
Eryk Masters: It seems that neither team wants to make the first mistake by jumping the gun too early.
Other Guy: As much as I think that the Syndicate has this in the bag tonight, you’d be foolish to think that the Genesis Corporation can’t bring a damn good fight, and let’s face it, the Sinister Syndicate are the champions for a reason.
Corey and Tanya start and circle, but Tanya jumps it into high-gear as she surprises Corey with a flurry of right hands. She forces Laz into the corner, unrelenting, but Laz pushes her away and misses a high roundhouse kick. He nails her with a surprise rolling back chop to the chest, though, and then follows in with forearms to the face before locking her in a Muay Thai clinch to pound knee after knee into her face and chest. She covers up, though, and only some them connect, but the damage is done as she drops down and backs away, hooking the ropes. Corey goes to continue the assault, but Dennis Heflin holds him back.
Other Guy: Good, Dennis, do your damn job.
Chance rubs her shoulders as she pulls herself back to her feet, a little shaken, and then goes for a point-blank clothesline. Corey ducks it and hits her with a rolling sole butt before hitting the ropes. Tanya leapfrogs him but he turns on a dime and goes for a German suplex. She blocks it, switches around and goes for one of her own, but Corey sprawls his legs out and breaks the waistlock, nailing a back elbow to her face. He hits the ropes and leapfrogs over her back body drop attempt, stopping again to look for a German, but Black rocks him with an uppercut and then takes him down with an Inside Cradle.
ONE!
Corey quickly kicks out and then hits a headlock takedown, but Tanya breaks free via a quick headscissors. Both Soldiers rise and Tanya sweeps Corey’s legs out, covering for not even a 1-count, and Corey does the same to her, meeting similar results. Tanya tries for a quick dropkick but Corey catches her leg and looks for a Half Crab, finding only himself locked into another Inside Cradle.
ONE!
Corey kicks out and rolls away as Tanya rises, a sinister smirk on her face, so Corey nods and claps.
Eryk Masters: It seems like Tanya’s studied Corey more than she’s let on, using the fact that he leaves himself open for Inside Cradles too often.
They circle again and then lock up with Corey powering Black into the corner. Heflin calls for the break…
Dennis Heflin: She’s on the ropes! 1! 2!
…and Corey lifts his arms up, backing away, and pays for his chivalry after eating a boot to his midsection. Black goes for another Inside Cradle, but Corey blocks it and then pushes himself free, looking to stomp on her chest. Black rolls away and jumps to her feet, but she catches a STIFF high roundhouse kick to her face that sends her reeling up against the ropes.
Other Guy:Very gentlemanly, Corey. You deserve an award.
Eryk Masters: It’s a match, OG, and a title match at that! Tanya’s a big girl, she can take the pain and keep going.
Tanya rubs her cheek, nodding, and then tags in Chance Ryan. Corey’s face "loses" all color as he starts shaking his fingers, backing away.
Corey Lazarus: Oh no! Big scary Chance Ryan! UGH UGH UGH!!!
Ryan goes to lock up with Laz, but Corey ducks under his arms and slaps him off the back of the head, jogging backwards into a neutral corner as Price applauds him from the floor.
Eryk Masters: Head games from "The Premier Attraction"…
Other Guy: Also known as "being a pussy," in some circles.
Chance, not amused, charges in but finds nothing as Corey rolls away, kipping up to his feet before doing jumping jacks in the center of the ring. Ryan, fuming, steps out of the corner and meets Corey face-to-face in the center of the ring, talking trash to the L-A-Z.
Other Guy: I’m sure those are nothing but kind words about how devastating Corey’s loss is going to be tonight.
Corey shrugs, bows, and then hits the ropes, connecting with a shoulderblock…that does nothing but push Ryan back a step. He shrugs again, hits the ropes, and then nails a Yakuza Kick…but Ryan just falls against the ropes again before walking back to meet him. Corey, his confident smirk now gone, hits the ropes once more, but Ryan catches him into a BEAUTIFUL tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.
Eryk Masters: BEAUTIFUL!
Corey bounces off of Chance’s knee and crawls quickly to his corner, tagging out to Barker. Ron, surprised by the tag, steps into the ring, slapping his arms and prepping himself as Ryan goads him on.
Eryk Masters: Ron Barker, for those of you unfamiliar with his career, may actually be one of the finest pure technical wrestlers in the history of this sport.
Other Guy: Let’s not underrate Chance here, though, because he does work closely with Cade Sydal, who can also lay claim to being one of the greatest technicians ever.
Barker and Chance lock-up and Chance starts to over-power him, but Barker jumps up and brings Ryan down with a juji gatame, wrenching back on Chance’s arm. Ryan rolls into it, though, and forces Ron’s shoulders to the canvas.
ONE!
Barker lifts his shoulder up and then rolls onto his stomach, bringing Chance to the canvas, and transitions the juji gatame into a double chickenwing, rolling forward and holding Ryan’s shoulders down.
ONE!
TWO!!
Ryan kicks out and Barker rises up, holding up a hand in early celebration as Chance gets up to his feet as well, shaking out his arm. Ron drops down to a referee’s position, begging Chance in.
Eryk Masters: I don’t think Chance quite knows what’s going on here…
Ryan complies and Ron quickly turns him over, locking a leg.
ONE!
Ryan kicks out and Barker floats into a side headlock, grinding his forearm against Chance’s face. Ryan forces himself up to a foot and locks on a side waistlock, quickly deadlifting Barker off of the mat and tossing him into the corner. Barker, surprised, turns and charges at the rising Chance, but Ryan ducks down and catches him in a tilt-a-whirl powerslam, hooking a leg.
ONE!
TWO!!
Barker kicks out and Chance puts some boots into his face, dragging him over to the Syndicate corner so he can tag Tanya in. Black enters and kicks Barker in the ribs before Chance brings him up to his feet and hits him with a vertical suplex OVER TANYA’S KNEE. Chance steps onto the apron as Black drops a pair of knees into Barker’s back, but she then tags Chance back in, holding Barker’s head open for Ryan to boot him in his face. Black steps halfway onto the apron before Chance tags her back in again, and she readies herself as Chance whips Ron into the ropes. Tanya rushes in and dropkicks Ron’s knee out from under him, sending him face-first into the mat, and Ryan comes off the ropes with a running elbow drop across Barker’s back before he rolls onto the apron.
Other Guy: This kind of teamwork is what won them the titles in the first place.
Eryk Masters: And Cade Sydal’s broken cane.
Other Guy: Shut your lying hole.
Tanya holds Ron in a chinlock as she drives a trio of knees into his back, but Barker grabs the bottom rope.
Dennis Heflin: He’s on the ropes, break the hold! 1! 2! 3!
Black releases him and then backs up before dropkicking him in the back again, shoving his head down on the canvas and hooking a leg.
ONE!
TWO!!
Barker kicks out but gets caught into another chinlock, allowing more knees to his back. Ron starts to fight back, though, and tosses Tanya off of him and towards the GenCorp corner. Black jumps to her feet and boots Ron in the midsection as he stands up, and then goes to whip him into the Syndicate corner, but Barker reverses the whip into a short-arm Northern Light Suplex before diving into the GenCorp corner and tagging Corey in.
Other Guy: Okay, that was extremely impressive.
Laz marches to the middle of the apron as Barker rolls Tanya over, locking her legs around his feet and grabbing her wrists before lifting her up into a Mexican Surfboard.
Eryk Masters: Oh, we saw this before…
Corey holds up five fingers, then four, then three, then two, and then his middle finger towards Black before springboarding off of the top rope and coming down with a HUGE double stomp to her midsection. Barker releases the Mexican Surfboard and rolls onto the apron, Heflin chastising him all the while, and Corey rolls Black over, covering her with an elbow digging into her face.
ONE!
TWO!!
Tanya kicks out and Corey laughs, shaking his head, before grabbing a handful of her hair. She struggles and thrashes her hand around towards Corey’s face, and Laz holds his eye, backing away. Price jumps up onto the apron, yelling at Heflin…
Gregory Price: WHAT ARE YOU, BLIND?! SHE COULD HAVE JUST SCRATCHED COREY’S CORNEA!! DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW TO DO YOUR FUCKING JOB?!
…but Corey reveals it all to be a ruse as he waves Barker in, the two of them shoving Tanya into a corner and barraging her with kicks to the midsection. Price and Heflin continue arguing as Ron pulls Black out of the corner and grabs her in a wheelbarrow position as Corey locks her into a butterfly hold, allowing him to drive a series of knees to the crown of her skull before Sean O’Connell runs over and scares Price off of the apron. Barker releases Black and steps onto the apron, rushing over to the GenCorp corner and pleading innocence as Laz drills Tanya with a Uranage suplex into the center of the ring, stopping only to flash Chance his TRADEMARK DEVILISH GRIN before covering her.
ONE!
TWO!!
Tanya kicks out and Corey grabs her foot, dragging her into the GenCorp corner as he tags in Barker. Ron stomps the back of her head and lifts her up to her feet, quickly tagging Corey back in as he whips her into the ropes. Ron drops down under Black and allows Lazarus to CREAM her with a springboard spinning wheel kick. Corey quickly brings her to a knee and then nails a STIFF roundhouse kick to her chest, another STIFF one to her back, and then hits the ropes…
Eryk Masters: Blind tag by Barker…COREY WITH THE COMING ATTRACTIONS…
As soon as Black falls down after the STIFF knee to the back of her head from Corey, Ron slingshots over the top rope and connects with a leg drop across her chest. Corey casually strolls back into the GenCorp corner and steps onto the apron, ignoring the yelling from Heflin. Barker stands over Tanya, nudging her with his foot, and then brings her to her feet, looking for a powerbomb.
Other Guy: There’s still some fight in this bitch!
Tanya fires off fist after fist to Barker’s skull and then sends him towards the Syndicate corner with a hurricanrana, leaping over him and tagging Chance Ryan in. Ryan measures Barker as he rises to his feet and then DESTROYS him with a BRUTAL lariat, dropping down with both hands on his chest for the cover.
ONE!
TWO!!
Barker kicks out and Ryan wastes no time, motioning for Tanya to go up top.
Other Guy: It looks like they could be ready to finish it all…
Ryan lifts Barker up for a powerbomb just as Lazarus enters the ring, but doesn’t get far as Corey connects with a backbrain superkick, dropping Ryan to a knee and allowing Barker to hit the ropes, coming off with a Shining Wizard to send Chance down before covering him.
ONE!
TWO!!
THR…NOO!!!
Ryan defiantly kicks out and Barker, dazed, tags Corey back in.
Eryk Masters: The L-A-Z back in, now, and looking to worsen the damage he’s already done.
Ryan sits up, his eyes rolling in his head, and Corey grabs a handful of his hair, delivering a plethora of crossface punches that bust open his eyebrow, made only worse by a running bootscrape to his face. Lazarus turns towards Black and does the "jerking off" motion, infuriating her enough to draw her into the ring. Heflin rushes over and tries to hold her back, allowing Corey to drag Ryan to the ropes and choke him on them. Chance gasps for air as Sean O’Connell comes over to help him out, but Barker swings with a warning kick towards him, sending Tanya’s beau back. Black steps back onto the apron and Heflin sees the choke, rushing over. Laz, of course, counts along with him.
Dennis Heflin AND Corey Lazarus: 1! 2! 3! 4!
Corey breaks the choke and backs away, his hands above him, and Barker takes the opportunity to dropkick Chance in the face on the apron, sending him back to the canvas. Corey walks over to the GenCorp corner and climbs up top, leaping off with a double stomp…
Eryk Masters: …no?!
…but then scrapes the bottom of his shoe across Ryan’s busted eyebrow, opening it further before he drops to his knee, his arms spread to his side with a wide, shit-eating grin on his face.
Other Guy: All that ego is going to be really hard to maintain once he’s the victim of Iconicide later on.
Corey turns and notices Ryan pulling himself up to his feet with the ropes, gasping for air, and then measures him, going in with a Rolling Elbow. Ryan ducks it, though, and then DROPS Corey with a PERFECT Backdrop suplex, bridging up for the pin.
ONE!
TWO!!
THR…NOO!!!
Corey barely manages to kick out, scrambling to the corner, and Sean O’Connell jumps up onto the apron on the opposite side of the ring, drawing the ire of Heflin. Tanya, meanwhile, goes to the floor and grabs a chair, holding it up against the ropes behind Heflin’s back. Ryan nods and brings Corey to his feet, spins him around, and then SLAMS him face-first into the chair.
Eryk Masters: …holy…did you HEAR that impact?
Tanya throws the chair away and jumps back onto the apron, running to her corner as Sean leaves the apron. Ryan drags Corey into the center of the ring, still winded himself, and then covers him.
ONE!
TWO!!
THR…NOOO!!!
Corey, again, barely manages to kick out, forcing himself to a knee long enough to watch the wide gash in his forehead pouring blood down his face before he collapses.
Other Guy: Oh, Corey, did somebody make you bleed your own blood?
Eryk Masters: …really?
Other Guy: Somebody dared me I wouldn’t say in case Laz was busted open tonight. I just won the bet.
Chance grabs Corey by his half-pony and drags him into the Syndicate corner, tagging Tanya in. She licks her lips, letting out an evil smile, and then enters the ring, grabbing Corey’s half-pony herself…before TYING IT INTO A KNOT AROUND THE TOP ROPE. Corey thrashes around but gets fists to the face and boots to the midsection to keep him steady, allowing Black to complete her work. Price, seeing what’s going on, yells something to Barker and then sprints up the ramp. Black and Ryan walk out of Laz’s reach, begging Ron to enter and try to free his partner.
Eryk Masters: THIS is the Syndicate we’ve all grown to expect, the kind that will relish in the pain they cause without a second thought.
Other Guy: THIS is the Syndicate that ended the title reign of the Bad Ass Brotherhood.
Barker obliges, stepping in, and immediately brings the fight, sending right hands into both of their faces before hitting the ropes and getting taken down with a drop toehold from Tanya and eating a kneedrop to the back of his head from Ryan. Heflin, meanwhile, is busy trying to untie Laz’s hair from the top rope, forced to ignore the blatantly illegal double-teaming on Ron.
Eryk Masters: I can’t believe she tied his hair to the ropes…
Other Guy: Sickeningly brilliant, isn’t it?
Tanya fires off with chop after chop to Ron’s chest in between Chance peppering his face with 1-2 and 1-2-3 jab combos, keeping him up against the ropes as Price runs back down the ramp, a pair of scissors in hand. He jumps onto the apron next to Laz, talking to his client as Barker continues to receive shot after shot from the Sinister Syndicate. Corey, begrudgingly, nods, and Price slowly cuts Corey’s half-pony, freeing him from the ropes. Corey grabs the chunk of freshly cut hair, throwing it down on the mat, and then charges towards Black and Ryan.
Eryk Masters: Uh-oh…Corey is PISSED!!!
Tanya turns around just in time to EAT A BRUTAL YAKUZA KICK, the impact sending her through the ropes and to the floor. Chance turns and nails Corey with jabs and chops, but Laz fires back with forearms and chops of his own. Ryan boots Corey in the gut and locks on a facelock, nailing clubbing blows to his back, but Corey drops down to a knee and forces himself free, rocking Chance with a European uppercut before grabbing the back of his head and unleashing a flurry of Kawada Step Kicks to the face.
Other Guy: Chance is still in it!
Ryan grabs Corey’s leg and hits a spinning backfist to the face, rocking Laz back, and then grabs his head, bending him over for knee after knee to his midsection. Lazarus, though, manages to catch a knee, hitting a spinning back elbow into Ryan’s head, and then going INSANE with Muay Thai clinch knees, rocking Ryan more and more with each strike.
Eryk Masters: Once again, we’re learning that it’s an insanely BAD IDEA to enter a striking contest with Corey Lazarus.
Laz lets go of Ryan’s head and nails a series of forearms, chops, elbows, knees, and all sorts of kicks to his chest and face and head before he pulls off COMBO #5 and following it up with a STIFF face chop before looking for the Box Office Bomb.
Eryk Masters: IT COULD BE ALL OVER NOW…
Other Guy: NO IT’S NOT!!!
Chance blocks the Box Office Bomb and doubles Corey over, whipping up and powerbombing him into the corner just as Black gets back into the ring, allowing her to rush in and connect with a NASTY pair of knees to Corey’s chest. Ryan, hurting, nods as Tanya motions for the end with a thumb across her throat, and Ryan pulls Corey out of the corner as Tanya climbs up, lifting Corey up for another powerbomb as, outside, Price and Sean get into it, trading punches.
Other Guy: NOW it’s all over, Eryk, because we’re about to witness the debut of the Living Iconicide!! And, because he’s such a "big Hollywood star," Corey Lazarus is getting a front row seat!
Chance turns so that Tanya can hook Corey’s head as Sean pulls out a pair of brass knuckles and CREAMS Price with a huge right hand, sending the GenCorp agent down on the floor. Heflin, his attention turned to the outside, misses it entirely as Barker, operating on instinct, winds up and kicks Ryan LOWWWWWW, forcing Chance to release his hold of Corey. Black, winded and waiting for Chance to position Corey, doesn’t notice Barker behind her until it’s too late, but just in time for an AVALANCHE GERMAN SUPLEX THAT SENDS HER FLIPPING BACKWARDS ACROSS THE RING!!!
Fans: HOLY SHIT!! HOLY SHIT!! HOLY SHIT!! HOLY SHIT!!
All four participants are down as Heflin turns his attention back to the ring, leaving Sean O’Connell with a smug and satisfied look on his face on the floor. He checks on each individually before making the count.
Dennis Heflin: 1! 2! 3! 4!
Chance starts to stir, as does Barker…
Dennis Heflin: 5! 6! 7!
…Corey pulls himself to a knee in the GenCorp corner, and Chance rolls to the floor, pulling Tanya out with him.
Eryk Masters: Oh, where the hell are they going?
Sean runs over to the timekeeper’s table and grabs the World Tag Team title belts, handing them over to Chance and Tanya as the pair limps towards the ramp, obviously having had enough.
Dennis Heflin: Get back in the ring! 1!
2!
3!
Other Guy: Well, titles can’t change hands on a count-out, soooo…
4!
5!
Barker sees the two reach the bottom of the ramp and turn, waving goodbye, and then drops down to all-four’s by the ropes, allowing Corey to use him as a springboard to soar over the top rope with a swan-dive topé con giro, sending Chance and Tanya down and the World Tag Team belts tumbling onto the floor. Corey rolls to his feet and then collapses against the crowd barrier, his face half-covered in blood.
Eryk Masters: HOLLYWOOD AIRLINES!!!
Other Guy: I can’t wait until they go bankrupt.
Barker, the only one still "with it," rolls out of the ring and grabs Tanya, rolling her into the ring before checking on Corey. Ron helps Corey to his feet, and the two slide back into the ring together, immediately grabbing Black by her hair and setting her up for the powerbomb/neckbreaker combo they used to beat Crippler with at Revolution 104. Chance, with a burst of energy, forces himself to his feet and dives into the ring, throwing Laz out to the floor. Barker releases Tanya just in time to get MURDERED with a lariat by Ryan, who checks on Tanya. Black shoves him away and measures Ron as he tries to get up, charging forward…but Corey pulls him out of the ring by his ankle before diving in himself.
Eryk Masters: Tanya Black just misses with the Concussion Kick!
Corey fights both Chance and Tanya with kicks and forearms and then looks to nail the End Credits on Tanya, but she ducks and Chance catches his leg and drops him back-first to the mat. He locks his arms around his legs and deadlifts him up into a powerbomb position as Black goes towards the corner…
Other Guy:Living Iconicide attempt number two…DAMMIT!!
…but Barker quickly reaches in and grabs her leg, dragging her to the floor. She goes to drill him with a right hand, but Barker ducks it and then hits a back suplex ONTO THE RING APRON before rolling into the ring. Chance powerbombs Corey into the corner and then hits the ropes, looking for momentum with a corner clothesline, but Ron dives into the ring and catches Chance with a Black Hole Slam.
Eryk Masters: PERFECTION!! PERFECTION!!
ONE!
TWO!!
THRE…NOOO!!!
Ryan’s shoulder is barely up and Ron is LIVID. Corey pulls himself out of the corner and marches over, dragging Chance up by the hair. He nails a pair of Kawada Step Kicks to his face again, stunning him, and then stands him up, turning him around with a PERFECT Rolling Elbow before dumping him down with the CINEPLEX!!! Corey lets Ryan roll away, virtually unconscious, and then crawls over to roll him onto his back, falling on top of him for the cover.
ONE!
Corey reaches down and grabs Chance’s kneepad.
TWO!!
Outside, Sean hands the brass knuckles he used on Price off to Tanya as she pulls herself to her feet, using the apron. Inside, Corey pulls Ryan’s leg up…
THREENOOO!!!!
Other Guy: YES!! YES!! THE CHAMPS ARE STILL IN IT!!
Eryk Masters: …how the HELL is this all happening?!
Lazarus, bewildered, rolls away and pulls himself to his feet. Ron looks at him and both men, winded and sore and one of them bloodied, nod to one another, simultaneously dragging their thumbs across their throats.
Eryk Masters:This is it, they say! They’re calling their shot!!
Ron brings Chance up to his feet and lifts him up for a powerbomb as Corey hits the ropes, but Sean O’Connell jumps up onto the apron and pulls down the top rope as Laz hits it, causing Corey to tumble down to the floor.
Eryk Masters: What…HERE COMES TANYA…SHE’S GOT SEAN’S BRASS KNUCKLES…!!
Tanya winds up and WHAM!! The brass knuckles connect to the back of Barker’s head, causing him to drop like a ragdoll and Ryan gets to his feet. He positions Barker for a powerbomb as Tanya goes up top, tossing the knuckles away to the floor as Heflin is too busy ejecting Sean O’Connell from ringside, annoyed by his random interference. Chance backs into the corner as Tanya hooks his head and, on the floor, Corey blindsides Sean, surprising him with the End Credits.
Other Guy: Here it comes…ICONICIDE!!!
The Sinister Syndicate NAILS it – PERFECTLY – and Tanya rolls away as Chance crawls forward, hooking Barker’s leg. On the floor, Corey turns and notices what’s going on, jumping onto the apron.
ONE!
Corey springboards as Tanya sees him, jumping to her feet…
TWO!!
…but she’s too late…!
THREE…NOOO!!!
Eryk Masters: LAZARUS BREAKS IT UP WITH A SPRINGBOARD DOUBLE STOMP TO CHANCE RYAN’S HEAD!!!
Ryan rolls to the side, his eyes rolling around in his head, as Tanya fires chop after chop into Corey’s chest before a HUGE spinning backfist sends him reeling back into the corner. Tanya whips Corey across the ring…
Other Guy: Corey reverses…NO!!
Eryk Masters: HE’S GOT HER UP…!!!
In one fluid motion, Corey reverses the whip and lifts Tanya up into an Argentine Rack before spinning and DRILLING her head into the canvas with a kneeling piledriver, not wasting time and hooking both legs.
Eryk Masters: MERCURY DRIVERRRR!!!!!!!!
ONE!
Chance starts to move…
TWO!!
…he reaches towards Laz…
THREE!!!
**DING DING DING**
…but he’s too late. Corey rolls off of Black and rises to his knees, wiping blood off of his face as a ringside attendant runs up the ramp, grabbing the World Tag Team title belts that the Syndicate dropped earlier and rushing them down to Dennis Heflin in the ring. "Hysteria" cues up again as Heflin hands one title to Corey and…keeps the other one as he checks on Ron Barker.
Samantha Coil: The winners of the match at 29 minutes and 18 seconds, and NEWWWWW SHOOT Project World Tag Team champions…Corey Lazarus and Ron Barker…THE GENESIS CORPORATION!!!
Price pulls himself into the ring, a nice gash just above his eyebrow trickling blood down his face, and he checks on Barker with Heflin as Corey continues staring at the World Tag Team title.
Other Guy: …HOWWWW the HELLLL did this happen?!
Barker rolls out of the ring and drops to a knee, Price rolling out to help him to his feet, and Corey slides out of the ring himself, holding his half of the titles up high above his head as he limps over towards his partner and agent. Price takes Barker’s title for him and then helps him to his feet as, in the ring, Chance checks on Tanya. The Genesis Corporation make their way up to the ramp to the same decidedly mixed reaction they received upon entering, and they stop at the curtain long enough for Corey to turn and blow the members of the Sinister Syndicate a kiss before walking through the curtain.
"Mislead" by James LaBrie starts to pour through the arena speakers, and the duo of Mason Pierce & Leona step out from behind the curtains. The fans unleash with a positive response for Mason, and he responds by cracking his neck to the side.
Samantha Coil: Introducing second, he hails from Manchester, England….weighing in at 230lbs….THE FIXER, MASON PIERCE!!!
Mason wastes no time, he heads straight down to the ring to join his partner with Leona at his side.
Eryk Masters: You’re looking at one of the most dangerous men to ever lace up a pair of wrestling boots. Mason has all the skill in the world, and I’m glad to say that he’s now fighting the good fight and aiming to rid SHOOT Project of scum.
Other Guy: He’s definitely lethal. Has quite the bone to pick with Corazon, too. What’s going on with Leona’s glove? That black glove she has on her left hand?
Samantha Coil: Introducing first, he stands at six feet, two inches tall… he weighs in at two hundred thirty pounds… HE IS THE FIXER… MASON PIERCE!
The crowd pops, but before they can cheer to their satisfaction, the lights go out.
A blues guitar riff takes over the sound system, and a high pitched chime starts as the rhythm kicks in, and then a dirty blues kick hits…
“I could take the pitchfork from the devil
Keep a super suit like I’m incredible.
From the deep blue sea to the dark blue sky….”
Then, the song cuts, the lights go out, a purple spotlight hits the center of the ramp, and then pyro EXPLODES!
“I’M THE BADDEST MAN ALIVE.”
The music continues as the smoke begins to clear, and once cleared, the banner that defines Adrian Corazon is shown. Not too long after that, a black silhouette appears at the top of the ramp, and he has arrived. The crowd lets him have it!
Eryk Masters: And to nobody’s surprise, Corazon getting showered with serious boos here.
Other Guy: Well, the guy is basically scum of the earth, so I can understand that.
Corazon walks down as “Baddest Man Alive” by The Black Keys continues, and he does his usual routine where he ignores everyone around him and focuses solely on his opponent, standing squarely in the ring. He has a big grin on his face as he removes his coat and his sunglasses before climbing into the ring.
Samantha Coil: Introducing second… he stands at six feet, three inches tall… he weighs in at two hundred, twenty-five pounds… a former Iron Fist Champion… a former two time World Heavyweight Champion… the BRUTAL… the INHUMAN… ADRIAN…CORAZON!
Eryk Masters: Corazon has had a… it’s been a different attitude from him, I think.
Other Guy: Can’t tell.
Eryk Masters: No, hear me out. It’s like he’s… he’s walking with a bit more swagger.
Other Guy: Swagger? Really? You just said swagger?
Corazon stands across from Mason Pierce, still grinning, with his black hair pulled into a ponytail. Austin Linam gives some last minute instructions to both men, he moves to the center of the ring and calls for the bell! Corazon IMMEDIATELY explodes out of his corner and launches into Mason Pierce with a flurry of punches, but he brings the intensity down and begins to measure out his blows. He has Mason backed against a turnbuckle and gives him one HARD shot and then ANOTHER hard shot before Linam comes in to break them up. Corazon adheres to the referee and backs away for a moment, allowing Mason Pierce to step away.
Other Guy: A little shocking for Corazon to just back off like that.
Eryk Masters: This is the kind of thing I’m talking about, OG.
Other Guy: I don’t think I can get behind him listening to a rule one time as a big character change, E.
And as quickly as Pierce stepped away, Corazon clocks him hard in the mouth again, rocking the Fixer! Corazon hits him one more time, insuring his position against the turnbuckle, and goes for the Act of Inhumanity! Pierce just shoves him off, and Corazon hits the mat hard, but rolls backwards to get back to his feet.
Eryk Masters: Whoa! If Corazon had hit that, it would have been over!
Other Guy: I think he’s sorta testing the waters, here. He’s obviously watched a lot of Mason Pierce tape, but never fought the man in the ring, so you just can’t get that kind of intimate detail without doing so, so he’s feeling him out.
Mason takes the advantage and launches into Corazon with a flurry of his own, peppering him with rights and lefts to the gut, as Corazon finds himself backed into his own turnbuckle now, taking some serious punishment from Mason Pierce.
Other Guy: And here’s where Pierce is really good. He is very solid at taking advantages where he sees them.
Eryk Masters: Agreed. He’s got a lot of calculated aggression.
Mason attempts to pull Corazon with an irish whip across the ring, but Corazon hangs on. Mason keeps hold of him and Corazon finds himself back against the turnbuckle. Mason backs up a bit and then drives a shoulder DIRECTLY into Corazon’s midsection, causing the former World Heavyweight Champion to let out a huge gasp of breath. Mason backs off and Corazon walks forward. Mason whips Corazon into the ropes and on the rebound, catches Corazon, and drives him down into a knee with a backbreaker. Corazon immediately clutches his back, and Pierce continues on his mission.
Eryk Masters: Mason Pierce is set to tell a story here, and it’s a story about how he’s going to pick Adrian Corazon apart.
Other Guy: As much as I’d love to see that, you and I both know that Corazon is one of the most resilient men in this business, so if Mason wants to make a dent, he’s going to have to keep focusing Corazon’s back and probably his neck.
As though he can hear the announcers, Pierce kicks Corazon square in the spine, eliciting an “oooooh” from the crowd and admonishment from Austin Linam. He shrugs his shoulders and smirks, as he backs up. Corazon begins to get to his feet, but Mason doesn’t like how long that’s taking, so he grabs Corazon by the back of his neck and pulls him up. With Corazon a bit groggy, Mason whips him against the rope again and LEVELS him with an elbow to the chin. Corazon pops up immediately, but Mason is already on him. He swings him over and delivers a swinging neckbreaker! He covers! Linam with the count!
ONE.
TWO.
Corazon kicks out!
The crowd boos, and Mason gets back to his feet, not showing any emotion from the near fall.
Eryk Masters: That was more of a message sent via near fall than an attempt at victory, I think.
Other Guy: He’s basically saying that he’s going to keep Corazon on the defensive for as long as he possibly can.
Mason is back up and Corazon is getting to his feet. Mason again doesn’t let up, and helps Corazon to his feet. Slapping him in the face doesn’t do Corazon any favors, and Corazon throws a wild right at Mason, only for Mason to block it. He knees Corazon in the gut and flips him over with a gutbuster suplex! Mason doesn’t let up, pulling Corazon back to his feet, doubling him over, and lifting him up in a powerbomb, only to bring Corazon’s upper back and lower neck down onto his knee! The crowd lets out an “OoooH!” once again!
Eryk Masters: OUCH.
Other Guy: Officially, Mason Pierce is owning Adrian Corazon right now. And that makes me really, really happy.
Pierce continues to be the aggressor, again picking Corazon up off the mat, as he lays there favoring it gingerly. Mason essentially marks Corazon and hits him squarely with a right hand to the jaw. Then, he whips Corazon against the ropes and tries to throw another elbow, but Corazon ducks! Mason immediately rebounds off the closest rope, but it’s not in time as Corazon’s already there, and he NAILS Pierce with the ACT OF DEFIANCE, which stuns Mason Pierce, but also sends Corazon to the mat in a heap!
Eryk Masters: DESPERATION MOVE FROM CORAZON, but NOW both men are DOWN!
Other Guy: Corazon showing some life after essentially having his ass beat for the last ten minutes.
Eryk Masters: Very much so, and the crowd is into it! They don’t want to see a total mugging!
Both men rise to their feet, staring each other down again. They charge each other like lions, savagely throwing hands, uncaring where on their opponent’s body their blows happen to land.
Eryk Masters: Pierce and Corazon are indiscriminate as to which part of each other’s bodies they hurt. Just as long as they HURT.
Corazon ducks a left from Mason Pierce to break up the slugfest with a back elbow, finding it’s way into the throat of Mason Pierce. Pierce stumbles backwards, and Corazon moves in as if he smells blood. Pierce recovers quickly, however, and takes Corazon down with a drop toe hold! Adrian’s face bounces off the mat, and Pierce moves in for the kill, and fast!
Other Guy: Manchester Necktie!
Corazon slides out of harms way, before the hold could be properly locked in. Pierce scowls in frustration, but keeps after his opponent. He drops a double axe handle across the lower back of Corazon before he can even get to his knees. Pierce gets to his feet, but quickly finds himself back down, as he drops a knee, right to the same area of the back of the Brutal and Inhuman. Corazon rolls away, but Pierce is right behind him. Pierce grabs two big handfuls of hair and pulls Adrian to his feet, only to hook him around the waist and take him over with an overhead belly to belly suplex! Corazon tries to roll to avoid the pin, but Pierce hangs on, forcing his opponent’s shoulders down!
One!
Two!
Corazon kicks out! Pierce forces Corazon to the mat once again, and grinds his forearm across the jaw of Corazon.
One!
Two!
Corazon gets out again, but this time more painfully. The butt of Pierce’s elbow drags across his face, bone grinding against bone. Pierce grabs Corazon around the neck in a headlock, and pulls him to his feet. Corazon somehow manages to shove Pierce off, sending him running into the ropes. Mason rebounds, and Corazon ducks to back body drop, but Pierce telegraphs, stopping dead in front of his foe, and kicking him right in the face! Corazon snaps upright, and Mason follows up with a huge lariat! Corazon crashes to the canvas, and Pierce goes for the cover again!
One!
Two!
Corazon kicks out, but that was close! Pierce quickly reaches behind Corazon, extending Adrian’s arms behind him as far back as Pierce can force them, and clasps his own hands together. He begins to squeeze his arms, trying to bring them together, and also apparently trying to force Corazon’s arms out of their sockets!
Eryk Masters: A rather unique submission from Mason Pierce, and Adrian Corazon is finding himself in a bad way here.
Other Guy: You said it. That’s painful just to LOOK at. I’m no anatomy expert here, but I’m fairly certain the human body is not meant to bend that way!
Pierce continues to squeeze, and Corazon continues to fidget in pain. Corazon tries to twist his torso, to bring himself to his feet, but Pierce just snaps him back to the seated position. Corazon’s face is contorted in pain, Pierce’s in determination and effort, trying with all his might to make Corazon’s elbows touch behind his own back.
Pierce adjusts himself, now hooking Corazon’s head underneath his arm. In addition to the obvious pain in the arms and back, Corazon’s head is forced downward, his chin digging into his clavicle.
Eryk Masters: That’s gotta limit the number of options Adrian Corazon has for escaping. It’s going to take a lot of grit to get out of this one, but we’ll see if Corazon has it in him.
Other Guy: He’s always had it in him. You just might happen to be a bit biased.
Eryk Masters: This is the man who ended Trey Willett’s career back at RISE. Forgive me if I don’t jump up to shout his praises!
Corazon’s legs begin to shake, as he attempts to turn his body once more. Pierce starts to struggle against Corazon, keeping his hands clenched, trying to keep Corazon pinned on the ground. All of a sudden, as if a giant light bulb goes off above Mason’s head, he STOPS struggling. He keeps the hold locked in, but allows Corazon to twist himself to one side.
Other Guy: Is it just me, or is Mason Pierce HELPING Corazon to escape?
Eryk Masters: Knowing Pierce, I’m thinking he’s got something much more dangerous in mind.
Corazon is able to roll onto his left side, and it’s the opening Pierce was looking for. He releases Corazon’s head, and flips his body into a bridge, effectively transitioning into a Cattle Mutilation submission. Corazon can kick himself for this mistake later, but right now, his legs are flailing, his arms wrenched back at nearly disgusting angles.
Eryk Masters: This is it! Corazon is trapped good and proper!
Other Guy: Pierce used the momentum that Corazon had built up to transition into a much more dangerous submission! I don’t see how Corazon can escape from this!
Corazon is trying everything he can think of. He attempt to get his feet flat, to push himself up off the ground, but no dice. Pierce continues to yank on Adrian’s upper appendages with everything he’s got, looking to submit the Brutal, Inhuman Corazon in the center of the ring. Corazon tries to roll, but all he can succeed in is putting more torque on the arms, causing himself more pain.
Other Guy: The pain has got to be excrutiating. Adrian Corazon has to be thinking about giving it up about now.
All Corazon is thinking about is escape. He attempts to turn and twist his body, perhaps trying to slip his arms free, but Pierce’s grip is vice like. Corazon is able to get a knee flat, and push back against Pierce, and somehow, Corazon breaks the bridge! Pierce still has a hold of the arms, but some of the pressure has been allieviated from the arms of Corazon. He plants his other knee, and pushes towards Pierce again, and Pierce is pushed a little bit closer to the ropes!
Eryk Masters: I have NO CLUE how Corazon is doing that!
Other Guy: Does it matter? He’s going the wrong way! GO THE OTHER WAY!!
Corazon pushes again, and again, Pierce is moved closer to the ropes! Pierce is trying to bridge up again, but Corazon keeps pushing him, causing him to lose his footing. Finally, with one last, painful heave, Corazon shoves Pierce and Mason’s feet brush the ropes, and are now hanging over the edge of the apron! Tony Lorenzo, seeing this, advises Mason Pierce to break the hold.
Eryk Masters: I’ll be damned! He got out of it!
Other Guy: You have to give the man credit, E! Not only did he not submit to such a dangerous hold, but he knew he wasn’t going to be able to pull himself to the ropes, so he gave Mason the push that he needed!
Eryk Masters: I’ll admit, that was a very clever escape, but the damage is already done. All Pierce has to do is finish the job!
Pierce reluctantly releases the hold, and Corazon rolls quickly away, grabbing the bottom rope for his own. Mason tries to advance, but Tony Lorenzo holds him back, citing that Corazon is in the ropes. Adrian uses the ropes to get to his feet, wincing as he uses his arms to pull up. The second he gets to his feet, Pierce advances, but is thwarted by a big right hand from Corazon!
Other Guy: There’s still life in Corazon yet! His arms have to be feeling like they are gonna fall off, but he’s still alive!
Eryk Masters: And as long as his heart is beating, he’ll keep looking to punish Mason Pierce. But Mason isn’t going to back down, either!
Pierce stumbles for a second, but advances again, this time, swinging his forearm up towards the head of Corazon. Corazon ducks, and hits a quick kidney shot to The Fixer! Pierce yelps in pain, and Corazon takes the opportunity to strike. He smacks Pierce across the chest with a knife edge, and follows it up quickly with a European uppercut that sends Pierce crashing to the mat!
Other Guy: I hope that hitting a European with a European uppercut is as ironic as I find it, E.
Mason gets up to his feet, with a few more bruises than he would like, and Corazon is wobbly, but standing his ground. He kicks Pierce in the knee, causing him to buckle, and drop to one knee, before Corazon runs the ropes. He rebounds, but is met with a lightning fast knee lift that doubles Corazon over. Pierce rockets off the ropes now, and follows with a boot right to the side of Corazon’s head, sending Adrian spinning, crashing back to Earth.
Eryk Masters: Mason is still alive, and I don’t think he’s done beating on Corazon quite yet!
Mason cocks back and drops a fist, connecting with a thunk on the top of Corazon’s head. Corazon’s whole body shakes with the impact, and Pierce quickly hooks the leg, looking to capitalize.
One!
Two!
TH-Corazon shoulders up! Pierce picks Corazon up to his feet, and takes hold of the right arm of his opponent. He ducks his head under Corazon’s arm, and takes him backwards with a suplex! Pierce with another cover!
One!
Two!
T-Corazon kicks out! Pierce is starting to show a few signs of frustration, but he continues his attack. He lifts Corazon to his feet, and peppers him with a quick One-Two, before whipping him into the ropes. On the rebound, Pierce buries his boot in the gut of Corazon, and then swings back with a double axe, with the target being the tender spot on the back of Corazon’s head! Corazon is able to move out of the way just in the nick of time, and responds with a boot of his own. Pierce doubles over, and Corazon yanks his arm, irish whipping him into the turnbuckles. Corazon charges, looking for an avalanche, but Pierce moves out of the way! Pierce runs the ropes as Corazon collides with the turnbuckle chest first, and propels backwards on impact. He turns just in time to see the Mason Pierce freight train coming at him, and acts. Simultaneous clotheslines leave both men lying in a heap, right in the center of the ring!
Eryk Masters: AGAIN with both of them down. I didn’t see the match going quite like this after the start that it had, and I would have figured at this point that Corazon would have crapped out.
Other Guy: Begrudgingly, I have to remind you and myself that this man is one of the most resilient on the roster.
They begin to get to their feet, and Mason charges at Corazon before he’s fully balanced. Corazon groggily rolls out of the way! Pierce finds himself back in the turnbuckle, leaning against it for support. Corazon gets to his feet and he runs at Pierce and tries to hit him with a stinger splash, but Mason moves! Mason turns Corazon around, doubles him over, hooks him under both arms, and pulls Corazon up for THE PAYROLL, but Corazon frantically reverses his momentum and winds up back on his feet. Mason is surprised by this, but throws a HARD right hand that catches Corazon just below the right eye, causing an IMMEDIATE welt. Corazon hits the deck, and Mason covers! Austin Linam with the count!
ONE.
TWO.
THRE—NO. CORAZON KICKS OUT AND THE CROWD is PSYCHO.
Eryk Masters: I don’t think they’re cheering FOR Corazon, but FOR the fact that this match is INSANE.
Other Guy: I just don’t understand… he just doesn’t die… He doesn’t give up, EVER.
Corazon is slow to get to his feet, lying face down on the mat. Mason sees this opportunity and steps over him. He arrogantly smirks and grabs one of Corazon’s shoulders and signals for the MANCHESTER NECKTIE, but Corazon realizes what’s going on!
Eryk Masters: Corazon would have been DONE if Mason had gotten that.
Other Guy: I think Mason wasted a liiiiiiittle too much time on setting that one up.
He frantically scrambles from underneath Mason! He gets to his feet! Mason throws a punch, but Corazon ducks it! Corazon quickly turns and throws Mason across the ring against the ropes! Mason rebounds and looks to nail Corazon with an elbow, but… ACT OF REALITY. MASON IS ROCKED and falls back against the rope! HE STUMBLES FORWARD AND CORAZON PULLS HIM DOWN WITH THE ACT OF INHUMANITY!!! MASON PIERCE IS OUT!
Eryk Masters: OH FUCK. THAT WAS OUT OF NOWHERE.
Other Guy: GOD DAMN IT.
CORAZON COVERS.
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!!!
Other Guy: I can’t even believe that just happened. That was SO fast.
Eryk Masters: Corazon providing a little FLASH here, OG. That was AMAZINGLY quick. He’s hit shit like that from out of nowhere before, but he got some serious style points for that.
Samantha Coil: YOUR WINNER… AT A TIME OF THIRTY TWO MINUTES AND TWENTY FOUR SECONDS… THE BRUTAL… THE INHUMAN… ADRIAN…CORAZON!!
Corazon stands up and leans against the turnbuckle, looking down at Mason Pierce. He simply nods his head towards him, as “Baddest Man Alive” by the Black Keys kicks on. Corazon shuts his eyes and smirks before rolling out of the ring and beginning to walk towards the back.
Mason Pierce gets to his feet and gets a LOUD standing ovation from the crowd for his effort, and though he’s a bit dejected, the life and volume of the crowd give him a very faint reason to smile.
Other Guy: Let’s give it up for Mason Pierce. This was probably one of the biggest matches he’s ever had here in SHOOT and he went toe to toe with one of SHOOT Project’s best. That is NOT to be undersold or forgotten. Mason Pierce went toe to toe with a two time SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Champion, and not only is he still standing, but he doesn’t look ALL that worse for wear.
Eryk Masters: Absolutely not, and unfortunately for Corazon, his night isn’t over, as he’s still scheduled to compete in the Rumble, if you can even believe that.
Other Guy: He’s got a long road ahead of him, that’s for sure, and I’ll be amazed if… you know what? Not even going to say it out loud.
Eryk Masters: Haha, understood. I know you don’t like the man, but you have to admire what he did here tonight. At any rate, we’re going to get on with the show.
The frame opens on a wide shot of the Epicenter crowd, the fans going wild for the big event and all the great matches still to come. The cameras pan upwards, and we see that the ominous steel structure that has resided there all night long is finally starting to descend.
Other Guy: That steel cell is lowering, ladies and gentlemen…and we all know what that means. The LAST match in a rivalry that has shaken the foundations of SHOOT Project will take place inside of that inhuman environment.
Eryk Masters: The cell takes no sides, OG. It’ll rend the flesh of champion and challenger alike. Truth be told, after everything we’ve seen these two men do to each other…I don’t think any other kind of match could contain them.
Other Guy: Gotta agree with you, Eryk. On a stage like this…with THIS much on the line…it’s fitting that these battle-tested warriors get locked in together until one of them falls and one of them emerges.
Eryk Masters: Think of the implications too, OG. This blood feud started way back at Salvation of 2011 in an Iron Fist Championship match, and it has continued for many long months since then…both men vying to dominate the Iron Fist Division. That finally happens tonight. It began at Salvation 2011…and it ends at Redemption 2012.
A loud clang echoes through the arena as the cell touches down completely, surrounding the ring in steel mesh and harsh metal girders. The fans cheer loudly at the sight of this man-made Hell, the expressions on many of the fan’s faces bordering on awe as they marvel at the size of the cell.
“Devil’s Dime” by Black Label Society starts to play overhead, and the fans become even more excited when Cronos Diamante steps out from behind the curtains. Cronos is decked out in his black & white referee shirt, and he makes a beeline down the ramp while slapping hands with the fans.
Samantha Coil: Introducing the special guest referee for this contest….CRONOS DIAMANTE!!!
Cronos stops just outside of the cell at the open door, taking a moment to gaze up at the unforgiving steel that stands before him.
Eryk Masters: What must Cronos be thinking right now, OG? This man has a pivotal role in this match, and he’s been involved in both Isaac & Jaime’s lives over the years. He was once a close personal friend to Entragian, and he’s recently taken sort of a mentor/confidant role in Jaime’s life too.
Other Guy: He’s probably just weighing it all in his mind right now, Eryk. Diamante is a legend in SHOOT, and I can’t think of anyone better to call a match of this magnitude. This guy BLEEDS honor, and he’s stated quite clearly that he’ll be taking no sides here…he just wants to ensure that the match is fair and he intends to call it right down the middle until the bitter end.
Diamante makes his way into the cell, and he slides into the ring under the bottom rope. Cronos cracks his neck to the side and goes over to one corner to await the arrival of the competitors.
“Pieces” by Sevendust starts to play overhead, and the cheering starts to roar through the arena before Jaime even appears. The cameras focus in on the curtains…but Jaime doesn’t emerge.
Eryk Masters: Where’s Alejandro?
Other Guy: Poor old guy must have decided to not show up. A smart choice, if you ask me!
The crowd is murmuring in confusion, when suddenly the sound of an extremely powerful engine purring starts to pour through The Epicenter. There’s the sound of heavy treads moving in the arena, and seconds later a fully armored desert storm-style tank rolls into place at the side of the rampway.
The tank is surrounded on both sides by servicemen wearing officer uniforms complete with medals and rifles, the men proceeding to march up to the top of the ramp and line up there in a perfect row.
Eryk Master: What the hell is this?? I figured this would be a war, but I didn’t consider heavy artillery like this coming into play!
Other Guy: Apparently someone took the term “war” very literally, Eryk!!
There’s a moment of silence as the servicemen stand stoic at the top of the ramp, and then the top hatch of the tank opens up. Jaime Alejandro proceeds to climb out, standing on top of the tank for a moment while staring out at the crowd.
The crowd ROARS for Jaime’s epic arrival as he hops down from the top of the tank and goes to stand in the middle of the servicemen at the top of the ramp.
Eryk Masters: I’ll tell you one thing, OG…Jaime really knows how to make an entrance!
Jaime is wearing a military combat helmet with shells lined up across the brim, and he’s also sporting desert storm-style pants and black laced up combat boots. His hands are heavily taped as well in desert storm-colored tape, and they’re balled up into fists as he stares down at the ring.
Jaime stands straight up for a moment, and the servicemen promptly aim their rifles towards the rafters. At timed intervals, the rifles fire, shooting blanks towards the ceiling…and once this display is complete, Jaime snaps off a salute and begins marching down towards the ring.
Other Guy: Gotta admit…pretty damn awesome. Jaime takes a great amount of pride in his past military life, and that definitely shows here tonight.
Eryk Masters: We call all our wrestlers SHOOT Project Soldiers, but when it comes to a man like Jaime Alejandro, the title SHOOT Project Soldier is particularly apt. He fights for what he believes in, and no matter who you are…you gotta respect that about him.
Jaime bumps fists and slaps hands as he marches down the ramp, and he pauses at the cell door much like Diamante did before him. Jaime reaches out, and he rattles the steel cell, testing the metal…and then he enters the ring and offers Diamante a curt nod. He tosses his combat helmet to the side and loosens up his arms while gazing towards the top of the ramp.
The camera takes in the crowd for a moment, showing fans holding up signs with mottos like “THE SAINT: SHOOT’S LAST REAL HERO” and “PURE EVIL HAS A NAME, WE CALL IT ENTRAGIAN”
Quite suddenly, the lights all shut off at once in the arena, plunging the Epicenter into pitch black darkness.
“Red Pyramids” starts to play overhead, and something begins to glow red at the very top of the ramp amidst the darkness. A spotlight falls, and we see Entragian standing there with a heavy canister strapped to his back and a long metal nozzle held in his hands. The tip of the nozzle glows red, a little ghost of a flame dancing inside.
Other Guy: Are you shitting me right now….does Entragian have a FLAMETHROWER???
Eryk Masters: PLEASE tell me that’s a prop. I’m three seconds away from running as fast as I possibly can to the nearest fire exit…
A leering, maniacal grin rests on Isaac’s face, and his championship belts are strapped across his chest like gunbelts. Half of the crowd is booing as loud as they possibly can, and the other half is scared shitless over the fact that The Ivory Terror has a weapon capable of this much damage in his unpredictable hands.
Isaac has a black bandana tied across his forehead, and his eyes suddenly narrow as he aims the nozzle towards one side of the ramp. The fans near that part of the security railing shrink back in horror….and Isaac UNLEASHES with a stream of blazing flame. He swipes the flamethrower back and forth, and as that part of the stage is illuminated….we see a wax effigy of Jaime Alejandro.
Isaac DOUSES the effigy in liquid fire, and the entire thing begins to melt and burn, Jaime’s wax features sloping down his face, his limbs withering and turning to ash. Isaac grins at his handiwork, and then he removes the flamethrower from his back and allows ringside officials to take it to the back.
Other Guy: Talk about symbolism, folks. Entragian told Jaime early on in this feud that he would burn through his life like a flame and incinerate everything that Jaime loves, and Isaac’s made good on that every step of the way.
Eryk Masters: Entragian is a Soldier in his own right too, OG. Certainly not the kind to be rewarded for acts of valor, though. The closest thing I can compare him to is a Nazi Officer…the kind of man to throw people into ovens, starve them of light and hope…and shower them in death.
Other Guy: The perfect yin to Jaime’s yang. The other side of the coin. On one side of that ring stands a decorated war hero, and on the other side of that ring stands an infamous war criminal.
Entragian stalks down to the ring, and when he makes it within a few feet of the cell, he glares up at it with a widening grin. Isaac reaches out with a pale hand and he caresses the steel mesh…almost lovingly.
Other Guy: You gotta believe that a sick puppy like Isaac is gonna be right at home inside of a structure like this. He’s no stranger to Hell, be it a Hell made of steel or a Hell made of darkness and flame.
Eryk Masters: I’ll put it to you this way, OG…if I was ever locked inside of a cage with a man like Entragian, I’d likely try to open my own throat with a piece of metal before going up against him, because I know I’d suffer a helluva lot less compared to what Isaac would do to me.
Isaac steps into the ring while staring at his opponent, and he proceeds to unsnap both championships belts and lift them HIGH into the air, much to the chagrin of the crowd, and then he very reluctantly hands the belts off to Diamante.
Samantha Coil steps into the middle of the ring between both men, bringing a microphone up to her painted lips.
Samantha Coil: Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time for the WINNER TAKE ALL Hell In A Cell Match!! In this match, both the Iron Fist Championship AND the Rules of Surrender Championship are on the LINE! The only way to win is either by knockout…or submission!
Samantha pauses, looking up at the foreboding steel cell overtop her head and surrounding her on all sides.
Samantha Coil: The stipulations state that if Jaime Alejandro wins this match, he becomes the IRON FIST and RULES OF SURRENDER CHAMPION!! But if Isaac Entragian wins this match….Jaime Alejandro’s SHOOT Project career is OVER!!
The fans show their disdain over this, and Isaac just grins.
Samantha Coil: Introducing first, the challenger…he hails from San Antonio, Texas…weighing in at 275lbs….THE SAINT, JAIME ALEJANDRO!!!
The crowd gives up all the support they possibly can for The Saint, and Diamante goes over to Jaime and shows him both the Iron Fist & Rules of Surrender Titles. Jaime nods while looking down at the belts.
Samantha Coil: Introducing second, he is the reigning IRON FIST CHAMPION AND RULES OF SURRENDER CHAMPION…he hails from Mideon, Nebraska…weighing in at 320lbs….THE IVORY TERROR, ISAAC ENTRAGIAN!!!
The Epicenter spews verbal vitriol down on the pallid dual champion, and Cronos takes the belts over to Isaac and shows them to him. Entragian reaches out and caresses both belts, whispering the words “mine forever” to himself.
Once the announcements are made, Samantha Coil is quick to exit the ring, and officials close the door and bar it with a heavy padlock, leaving only Entragian, Alejandro, and Diamante in the cell.
Diamante looks to both men, ensuring that they’re ready…and then he throws a hand towards the timekeeper’s booth.
The bell rings, and this match is OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY!!
Isaac and Jaime meet in the very center of the ring, and they lock up like two bulls jockeying for position. Entragian begins to bull Jaime across the ring, pressing him up against a turnbuckle, and then Jaime turns it around on Isaac and starts to force him across the ring and up against a turnbuckle.
The two force their way back to the middle of the ring, and Jaime manages to cinch in a side headlock on Entragian. Jaime grinds on the pressure for a moment, but Isaac lifts him up a few inches and escapes, and then the albino wrenches Jaime’s arm up behind his back with a perfectly applied hammerlock.
Jaime grits his teeth, but he gathers his strength and leans down, proceeding to slam Isaac down to the canvas with a judo hip toss. Jaime follows him down, and he attempts to apply an armbar on Entragian, but the big man whips his body up and locks his legs around Jaime’s throat, bringing him down to the canvas with a brutal-looking headscissors choke.
Jaime starts to sputter and struggle, and Isaac begins to just SLAM a log-sized leg down against Jaime’s throat over and over again.
Other Guy: I’m always amazed at these two guys…you really never know what kind of match you’re going to get out of them. They can give you the kind of bloodshed and violence that makes even strongest stomachs turn, but they’re also capable of wrestling each other right into the ground.
Eryk Masters: It’s a testament to the kind of athletes these two men are, OG. They’re not just hardened warriors….they’re damned good wrestlers too. They wouldn’t be in this business if they weren’t.
Jaime is down and hurting, a hand plastered across his throat…and Isaac takes that moment to stand up in an attempt to stomp Jaime’s chest in…but Jaime grabs Isaac’s foot on the way down and SNAPS the big man back down to the canvas, and then he laces his hands together and begins to just grind back as hard as he can on Isaac’s lower face and neck.
Eryk Masters: WHOA!! Check out this early submission hold from Jaime! Beautiful STF applied right now…
Other Guy: No way is Isaac going to tap this early into the match. This might serve to wear him down quite a bit though…
Diamante drops down and asks Isaac if he wants to give it up, and the albino growls out “NO” through gritted razor-sharp teeth. Jaime pulls back harder on Isaac’s lower jaw, droplets of perspiration starting to drip down from The Saint’s forehead.
Isaac finally manages to reach up and GRAB Jaime by the hair, and he just rudely yanks Jaime’s head to the side until he’s within range, and then Isaac CRUSHES a headbutt into Jaime’s temple. Jaime is forced to release the hold, his arms falling away from Isaac’s face. Jaime stumbles his way back up to his feet, and he goes to kick Isaac in the ribs…but this time Isaac catches Jaime’s foot!!
The albino kicks Jaime’s legs out from under him, and he starts tangling Jaime’s legs up with his own, driving a foot into his knee pit and bending back Jaime’s leg with ALL of his might. Jaime can’t help but let out a cry of initial pain, his black eyes widening as he realizes the predicament he’s in.
Other Guy: Look at this now! Isaac breaks out of the STF, and he counters into an indian deathlock! God, it’s fitting that this monster would choose a submission like that…it’s a well known fact that this hold is one of the most dreaded in the industry.
Eryk Masters: No doubt, OG. Just imagine the pain Jaime’s in as his cartilage gets stretched…the human leg is NOT supposed to bend that way. I gotta say though, I love the strategy these men are employing in the early goings of this match. They’re really taking advantage of the Rules of Surrender stipulation and trying to go hold for hold with these submissions.
Other Guy: Well the Rules of Surrender belt is on the line in this match, and this is the kind of thing you need to do to survive as Champion of that division. You gotta have a strong understanding of the human anatomy…and you have to exploit that and really push your opponent to the limit of their pain threshold.
Cronos drops down in front of Jaime, asking if he wants to throw in the towel, and Jaime violently shakes his head back and forth. Isaac is pulling back on Jaime’s leg with all of his might…and in a burst of adrenaline Jaime snaps his upper body forward and PISTONS a fist into Isaac’s face, forcing him to lapse on the pressure for a moment…just long enough for Jaime to escape the hold.
Jaime fights up to his feet, hobbling a little on one foot…and Isaac scrambles up to a vertical base to meet him. Isaac lashes out with a clothesline, but Jaime ducks the attempt and LOCKS onto Isaac’s neck with a sleeper hold!
Jaime tightens his big arms up as much as he can, preventing the oxygen from getting to Isaac’s brain. Isaac flails, his arms reaching out towards the ropes, his pale face taking on a flushed, red hue. The big man gets up some speed and he backs himself up into a turnbuckle, SLAMMING Jaime’s body up against the buckles….but still The Saint refuses to let go.
Isaac staggers back towards the center of the ring, and he promptly drops down to one knee, a paltry amount of breath wheezing out of his constricted windpipe. Just when it seems like Jaime is going to successfully choke the monster out, Isaac reaches up and grabs Jaime’s head, and he SNAPMARES him over his shoulder to the canvas.
Jaime’s entire body gets rattled the moment he touches down, and he’s not down for long, because Isaac scoops Jaime right back up and positions him spine first across his shoulders. Isaac begins to just YANK down on Jaime’s body as he’s racked across his shoulders, all the ligaments and muscles in Alejandro’s frame practically screaming in protest.
Eryk Masters: Torture rack!! Jaime weighs almost 280lbs, and Isaac has the man laid across his shoulders like he’s a little child!
Other Guy: I thought for sure Jaime was going to choke Isaac out with that sleeper, but now the tables have certainly turned…if The Saint doesn’t give it up here, he might find his spine suffering the consequences for many years to come long after this match has ended!
Jaime’s face is contorted into a masque of anguish, and Cronos is right next to him, asking if Jaime wants to give. Isaac rattles Jaime’s body even more, and Alejandro screams out “NO” through spittle-covered lips.
The Ivory Terror growls with frustration, and he flips Jaime over on his shoulder…THEN HE RUNS TOWARDS THE SIDE OF THE RING AND LAWN DARTS ALEJANDRO FACE FIRST INTO THE STEEL MESH OF THE CELL!!
A horrifying CRUNCH permeates through the arena, and Jaime crumples down on the outside of the ring. The cameras zoom in, and we see that The Saint’s forehead has been busted wide open.
Eryk Masters: MY GOD. Did you hear Jaime’s face smack into that steel, OG?
Other Guy: Sounded straight up CRYPTIC. That could have cracked an orbital bone, dislocated a jaw…busted a nose…we have no way of knowing how much damage it did to Jaime’s face.
Eryk Masters: Well I know one thing….first blood has been drawn. Jaime’s got crimson dripping down his face as we speak right now.
Isaac does a backwards flip over the top rope to exit the ring, and he makes a beeline towards Jaime, who’s stumbling up to his feet while mopping blood from his face. Isaac goes to grab Jaime, but The Saint leans in and pistons a right cross into Isaac’s face.
Jaime then grabs Isaac by the hair, and he starts to SCRUB Isaac’s pale face against the steel mesh of the cage. Entragian howls in pain, and Jaime finally just pulls his head back and SLAMS the albino face first into the cell mesh.
Isaac staggers backwards and falls to one knee, and Alejandro heads over to the steel steps, proceeding to kick them free and dislodge them from the ring. Jaime then leans down and grits his teeth while picking up the largest portion of the steel steps…and he marks Isaac from a few feet away…
AND THEN JAIME THROWS THE STEEL STEPS WITH EVERYTHING HE HAS!!
The steps SMASH Entragian flush in the face and torso, and he’s knocked back so violently that the back of his skull smacks up against the steel mesh of the cell. Entragian lands in an awkward sitting position, and he manages to weakly push the steps away from him. His breathing is labored, and we see that his nose has been busted all to hell, blood dripping down from both nostrils.
Eryk Masters: I’d say the ultraviolence just got kicked up to be about 10 on the scale, OG. We saw some strategic submissions out of these guys in the opening minutes of the match, but right now we’re seeing the type of blatant brutality that the Iron Fist Division is all about.
Other Guy: That’s the interesting part; Eryk…this match is for the Iron Fist Belt and the Rules of Surrender belt….so we’re seeing those two worlds mesh in this match. This is what happens when a blood-soaked brawl meets a technical showcase…and so far, I’m LOVIN’ it.
Entragian has crawled up to his hands and knees, blood oozing down from his nose…and a few feet away Jaime is backing slowly up, his shoulders hunches down low. Jaime lets out a battle cry….AND THEN HE RACES FORWARD AND DRILLS ISAAC IN THE TEMPLE WITH A RUNNING YAKUZA KICK!!!
The force of the kick causes Isaac’s head to SMACK up against the cell wall, and when he finally rolls to the side and onto his back we see the outline of chain-link mesh spread across his cheek.
This kick incites the hell out of the crowd, and many of the fans jump to their feet and begin chanting for The Saint.
LET’S GO SAINT!!
LET’S GO SAINT!!
LET’S GO SAINT!!
Other Guy: Somebody order some scrambled albino brains with a side of blood pudding???
Eryk Masters: That was….words don’t even do it justice. Jaime just performed a lobotomy with his boot heel.
Cronos Diamante rushes over, and he begins a ten count on the half-conscious Entragian.
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
FOUR!
FIVE!
SIX!
Isaac’s pale hand reaches up, and he grabs the steel mesh and HAULS himself back to his feet.
Jaime reaches into his wrestling tights, and he comes out with a pair of handcuffs! Jaime wraps these around his fist, and he goes to crack Isaac across the face with them…but Entragian catches his wrist and redirects Jaime’s fist directly into the steel cell wall!
A shockwave travels through Jaime’s arm, and Isaac scoops him up and holds him there across his chest…and then Isaac begins to just CRUSH Jaime’s body directly into the cell wall…over and over again!
Jaime cries out each time his spine meets the steel, and finally Isaac lets him drop. Jaime has one hand plastered against his back, and Isaac wastes no time, he leans down and latches a hand around Jaime’s throat, only to force him up to his feet….AND CHOKE TOSS HIM BACK FIRST INTO THE STEEL MESH OF THE CELL WALL!!
The impact is so severe that Jaime bounces off the wall and staggers forward, and he runs right into a jaw-crunching uppercut from The Ivory Terror. Jaime goes down hard, leaning up against the cell wall….and something on the ground catches Isaac’s eye.
The albino leans down, and he picks up the pair of handcuffs….an eerie grin alighting on his face.
Other Guy: It won’t surprise me if Jaime needs extensive back surgery after this match is over.
Eryk Masters: What scares me is the fact that Isaac is now has those handcuffs…and that grin on his face tells the whole story. I’ve got a feeling that Jaime is in for a WORLD of hurt in a few seconds here…
With Jaime still half out of it, Isaac leans down and he DRAGS Jaime up to a vertical base….then he hold both of his wrists together and proceeds to cuff Jaime up to the cell wall.
Jaime starts to come back to the world of the living a little, and he begins to pull at his chained up wrists…his black eyes blazing as he stares at Isaac.
Entragian makes a move towards Jaime, taunting him…and Jaime wildly kicks out with his legs, much to Isaac’s amusement.
Entragian: COME ON, SAINT! KICK THOSE LIL’ FEET LIKE A BALLERINA!!
Jaime grits his teeth, and he tries to reach Isaac with a kick…but Isaac feints to the side and boxes Jaime in, proceeding to DRILL a fist into Jaime’s ribs. Isaac doesn’t stop there, he begins to smash hammer-blow fists into Jaime’s torso with both hands, one brutal body shot after another. Painful shockwaves travel through Jaime’s body with every punch that lands, his face pulling down into a grimace.
His body starts to slink down, held up only by his cuffed wrists….and Entragian backs up…only to reach out and GRAB up a heavy-duty video camera from the solitary cameraman in the cell that’s filming portions of the action.
Entragian brings the camera over, focusing on a close-up of Jaime’s sweaty, blood-smeared face.
Entragian: Look into the camera, Jaime. Tell your children….that daddy just isn’t good enough to win this one. Tell Val…that you’re a poor excuse for a man, and you can’t get the job done. Tell the SHOOT Project faithful…that you don’t have what it takes to be their hero.
Jaime stares at Isaac, his blacks eyes narrowed with hate for the albino, and he SCREAMS at Isaac, spittle and flecks of blood flying from his lips.
Alejandro: FUCK….YOU!!!
Entragian shakes his head from side to side, as if to say “okay, if you want it to be that way”….and then Isaac begins to BLAST the camera into Jaime’s body over and over again. He starts with the torso, the lens closing in each time it smashes into Jaime’s flesh.
Our view through the lens cracks, and Isaac finishes off the assault by SLAMMING the camera into the side of Jaime’s mouth with all of his strength. We see the impact in horrific, zoomed in detail…blood spouting from Jaime’s mouth, droplets flying out to splatter against the camera lens.
The force of that last hit is so severe that the chain on Jaime’s cuffs breaks, and he slumps down, looking totally lifeless. Entragian brings the camera up to his own face, and we view his visage through a cracked, bloody lens.
Entragian: This program is rated TV-MA….intended only for mature audiences…it includes violence, devilishly handsome albinos, and BLOODY, JACKED UP MEXICANS!!
Eryk Masters: That….was incredibly hard to watch. If there was ever any doubt, this should prove one thing….Isaac Entragian is out of his fucking mind.
Other Guy: I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Isaac probably doesn’t have a future as a successful cameraman anytime soon…
Isaac then just tosses the camera aside while laughing to himself, and he calls Cronos over to make the count.
Jaime is lying face down, his hands finally free, but he still hasn’t moved an inch.
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
FOUR!
FIVE!
SIX!
SEVEN!
Jaime rolls onto his back with a wince of pain, and then he leans over to his side and spits up a glob of blood and saliva.
EIGHT!
Jaime gets up to his knees, and then he stands while holding his ribs. He leans heavily on the cell wall to keep from falling.
Eryk Masters: Pretty close.
Other Guy: I’m surprised Jaime was able to stand after all that…
Isaac shakes his head, and then he goes right over to The Saint and BASHES his head into the steel ring post. Jaime sinks down to his knees, and Isaac begins to dig underneath the apron for something.
The Ivory Terror proceeds to pull out THREE wooden tables, each of them pre-wrapped in barbwire. One by one, Isaac tosses these into the ring…and he starts to set them up. The monster stacks them up, one atop the other, until all three of the tables are positioned in the center of the ring.
Jaime is up at this point, and he slides back into the ring under the bottom rope…but Isaac promptly grabs him up and pulls him into a standing headscissors.
Eryk Masters: This looks bad, OG….that’s a whole TOWER of tables, each of them wrapped in barbwire…and it looks like Isaac is about to put Jaime through them.
Isaac gathers his strength and PULLS Jaime up onto his shoulders, turning to powerbomb him through the tables…but Jaime starts to just deck Isaac in the face with both fists until the monster is forced to drop him. Jaime lands safely on both feet…and he grabs Isaac around the torso and TOSSES him across the ring with an exploder suplex!!
Isaac flies between the middle ropes and SMASHES against the cell wall before crashing down to the floor on the outside of the ring.
YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!
Other Guy: Uhoh! We all know how dangerous Jaime’s suplexes are…he threw the 300 pounder clear out of the ring with that one!
Isaac is dazed on the outside, and Jaime is slowly and carefully climbing the nearest turnbuckle. The Saint reaches the top, and with Cronos Diamante looking on, Jaime LEAPS FROM THE BUCKLES AND HAMMERS ISAAC ACROSS THE HEAD WITH A DOUBLE AXE HANDLE!!
Isaac goes down HARD; landing right in the corner of the cell with his upper body propped up, his nose crusted over with drying plasma.
Diamante slides out of the ring and heads over to the competitors, and he begins his ten count.
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
FOUR!
FIVE!
SIX!
SEVEN!
Isaac shakes his head from side to side to drive the cobwebs out, and then he pushes up to his feet using his hands and knees. Jaime runs towards him out of frustration…but Isaac side steps and grabs Jaime’s hair, only to TOSS him face first into the cell wall. Jaime’s face is plastered across the mesh of the cell, and his fingers are wrapped around the chain link to keep himself from falling.
Entragian begins to back up slowly, step by step…and Jaime barely manages to turn himself around to face Isaac while still leaning on the cell wall.
Suddenly, Isaac begins to sprint forward….AND HE OBLITERATES JAIME WITH A HUGE SPEAR!!!
Jaime gets driven back so viciously against the cell wall that it BREAKS, the entire wall crashing down to the outside with both men spilling out of the cell in a heap of broken humanity.
HOLY SHIT!!!
HOLY SHIT!!!
HOLY SHIT!!!
Eryk Masters: WHAT??? CORRUPTION THROUGH THE CELL!!! THEY TORE THROUGH A PORTION OF THE WALL!!!
Other Guy: The fans are blowing out my headset right now!! That was INSANE!!
Isaac rises up to his knees while smiling. Jaime is laid out across the portion of broken cell, and Isaac plants a hand on his chest and pushes all the way up to his feet. He then nods for Diamante to start a count.
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
FOUR!
FIVE!
SIX!
SEVEN!
EIGHT!
Jaime rolls onto his stomach, and he starts crawling towards the security railing.
NINE!
Jaime grabs the railing, struggling to haul himself up to his feet….and in a totally unexpected move, several fans reach over the security railing and HELP to pull Jaime up to his feet. Jaime finally makes it vertical, and the hands of many fans reach out to steady him.
Entragian is INCENSED by this, his razor-teeth gritted together in anger.
Eryk Masters: That…was just plain awesome, OG. I have NEVER seen anything like that happen before. The fans reached out and helped Jaime make it back to his feet.
Other Guy: Definitely an awe-inspiring sight, Eryk. It just goes to show you….Jaime has thousands of allies in attendance tonight. The SHOOT Project faithful are on his side, and they’re doing everything they can to help The Saint overcome this monumental challenge.
Eryk Masters: The SHOOT fans believe in Jaime, OG. They’ve needed a hero for a very long time now…and even though Jaime might not consider himself a hero, these people do. Isaac’s alone here tonight…this hateful creature will always find himself alone…but The Saint has the support of all the people in attendance, and the millions watching at home. And personally…I think that counts for something.
Isaac suddenly turns his attention and rage towards Cronos Diamante, getting right up into Cronos’s face while screaming at him at the top of his lungs.
Entragian: YOU COUNT TOO FUCKING SLOW, BACKSTABBING BFF!
Isaac then rears back…and he SLAPS the taste right out of Diamante’s mouth as hard as he possibly can!
Eryk Masters: Oh geez. Isaac’s going to regret doing that….
Other Guy: Diamante promised that he would call this thing right down the middle, and there’s no way in hell that he’s gonna stand for that. Isaac might have just crossed a line that he should not have crossed…
Diamante reaches up, running a hand along his cheek….and when he looks back up at Entragian his face is fuming with legendary fury.
Cronos then begins to LASH out with brutal karate style kicks, targeting Isaac’s thighs, his legs, his torso, and he finally ends the assault with a STINGING kick right to the side of Isaac’s head!!
Eryk Masters: Told you. Cronos might be the official in this match, but once you put your hands on an official, you better be ready to face the consequences!
Entragian staggers backwards, seconds away from falling…and he runs right into Jaime Alejandro!
Jaime grabs Isaac around his midsection…AND HE GERMAN SUPLEXES HIM RIGHT INTO THE SIDE OF THE STEEL CELL!!!
Isaac’s neck and the back of his skull SMASH up against the cell, and he falls down with a crash, both hands plastered across the back of his neck.
Other Guy: Damn!! Can anybody out there loan Isaac a neck brace for the remainder of this match? I think he’s gonna need it!
Jaime doesn’t even bother waiting to see if Isaac stays down for a ten count, he heads back through the cell to rummage for something beneath the ring apron.
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
FOUR!
FIVE!
SIX!
SEVEN!
Isaac digs his fingers into the cell mesh, and he pulls himself back to his knees, and after another deep breath…he manages to yank himself back to his feet while cracking his neck to the side.
Meanwhile Jaime remerges from the cell, and he’s got a thick length of iron chain wrapped around his neck. He baits Isaac, making a “bring it” gesture….and then Jaime Alejandro begins to climb up the side of the steel cell!!
Isaac stares up at the cell, watching Jaime climb, and then the monster begins to stalk his way after his quarry, pulling himself up the side of the cell with pallid claws. Cronos watches the two men ascending for a moment, and then he shakes his head, realizing that he’s gotta be where the action is…so he starts to climb as well.
Eryk Masters: I DO NOT like the look of this. It’s a 25 foot drop from the top of that cell down to the floor…
Other Guy: That’s no man’s land up there…freaks me out just watching them!
Jaime makes it up to the top of the cell, and he pulls the iron chain off of his neck…and the very moment Entragian stands up on the cell ceiling…Jaime WHIPS the chain out and wraps it around Isaac’s legs, and then he YANKS backwards…pulling the albino off of his feet.
Isaac crashes down on steel with a loud clang, and Jaime starts to just WHIP Isaac’s torso with the iron chain. Entragian howls with pain, and he rolls onto his stomach and begins to crawl across the cell ceiling…but Jaime follows him with the chain, whipping the HELL out of his back…blood and purple bruises starting to saturate Isaac’s torso.
Eryk Masters: Well I think it’s safe to say that The Iron Fist Champion is feeling the bite of iron right now, OG.
Other Guy: Isaac’s a monster, no doubt about it….but he has the body of a man. If this keeps up…those ribs are going to crack, that flesh is going to keep tearing, and he’s going to end up having a really bad night.
Isaac has crawled his way over to the edge of the cell, his head hanging over the side…and Jaime follows him over and begins to WRAP the chain around Isaac’s pallid throat…and once this is done…JAIME KICKS ISAAC OVER THE SIDE OF THE CELL AND HE BEGINS TO PULL BACK ON THE CHAIN WITH BOTH HANDS, CREATING A NOOSE!!!
Isaac is HANGING in midair, his pallid fingers clawing at the iron chain links around his neck, his forked tongue stuck between his lips and oozing with saliva. He kicks his legs helplessly, and Jaime just LEANS back even more, planting his feet and roaring down at The Ivory Terror.
Other Guy: ERMAHGERD!!! We’re witnessing a hanging right now!!! Jaime has gone MAD here tonight!
Eryk Masters: Isaac is an abhorrent person…but I wouldn’t wish this on ANY human being! It turns my STOMACH! The man’s life is at stake here!
Finally Jaime just HAULS Isaac back up onto the ceiling of the cell, and he unwraps the chain from around the albino’s neck. There’s nasty purple bruising all along Isaac’s neck, and he’s coughing and sputtering desperately in an attempt to get some oxygen back into his lungs.
Jaime takes a step back, measuring his man….AND HE WHIPS THE CHAIN DOWN AT ISAAC’S HEAD WITH ALL OF HIS STRENGTH!!!
But Isaac’s pale hand comes up….AND HE CATCHES THE CHAIN IN THE AIR!!
There’s a collective gasp from the capacity crowd, and as Jaime stares into the enraged eyes of The Ivory Terror…the barest hint of fear passes over The Saint’s face.
Other Guy: Oh shit…
Eryk Masters: Oh shit is right…
Isaac is slowly wrapping the chain around his right fist, drawing Jaime closer despite Jaime’s attempts to pull the chain away from him…and when Jaime is close enough, Isaac BLASTS HIM IN THE FACE WITH A CHAIN COVERED RIGHT CROSS!!
Jaime flies backwards, and Isaac moves right in…WITH A RIGHT HOOK!! Blood JETS out of the side of Jaime’s mouth, and he staggers even farther back.
Isaac grabs him, pulling him in SO close….UPPERCUT TO THE JAW!!! THE CHAIN BITES INTO JAIME’S CHIN, AND HE FLIES BACKWARDS AT LEAST FIVE FEET!!!
Jaime CRASHES down on the middle portion of the cell, and it dents and sags downward, sending another gasp through the crowd.
Eryk Masters: Any other man wouldn’t have even been able to SURVIVE getting hung with that chain for any length of time…but Entragian not only survived it…he’s now making Jaime PAY for it.
Other Guy: Jaime needs to remember who he’s dealing with, Eryk. Entragian is 300lbs worth of malefic evil, and if Jaime forgets that for even a second…then he seals his own doom.
Isaac tosses the chain to the side after dealing some critical damage with it. Isaac then GRABS Jaime’s torso, and he DEAD LIFTS him up into the air!!!
Eryk Masters: What’s this now?? Is Isaac about to go for The Disemboweler?
Instead of placing Jaime into a fireman’s carry, Isaac holds him up BACK FIRST in a military press position…and the monster stares at the fans through a blood-streaked grin….every muscle in his upper body pulsing with exertion.
Entragian: YOUR SAINT IS TIRED, SHOOT PROJECT. HE NEEDS….A BREAK.
Isaac pauses for a moment, flashbulbs clicking all over The Epicenter….AND THEN HE SNAPS JAIME’S SPINE DOWN ACROSS HIS KNEE!!!!
HOLY SHIT!!!
HOLY SHIT!!!
HOLY SHIT!!!
Jaime literally SCREAMS in pain, sounding that an animal that was just gravely wounded. He curls into awkward shapes on the top of the cell, both hands on his lower back. TEARS of anguish are actually dripping from his eyes, his mouth wide open in a silent rictus.
Eryk Masters: Oh my god, OG….is Jaime’s back broken?? Did that son of a bitch just BREAK this man’s back??
Other Guy: I don’t know, Eryk. Something is definitely wrong though. Jaime might have slipped a disc or something…because I have never heard The Saint scream like that in his entire SHOOT Project career.
Diamante is awestruck while staring down at Jaime, and he leans down and asks if Jaime wants to throw in the towel…but to Jaime’s credit, he growls out the word “NO” through cracked, bleeding lips.
Isaac PUSHES Cronos out of his way, and he leans down and LATCHES a hand around Jaime’s throat, pulling The Saint up to his feet.
Jaime moans with pain as something shifts in his back, but Isaac is merciless…carrying Jaime across the top of the cell by the throat, his feet literally dangling a few inches. Isaac gets Jaime over to the side of the cell, and he DANGLES him over nothing but air, holding him with one hand goozled around Jaime’s throat.
Isaac leans close, his face pulled down into an expression of pure, shameless hate.
Entragian: This is how it ends, hermano. This is my epitaph on the tombstone of your career. This…is your downfall.
Isaac gathers up everything he has…..AND HE CHOKE TOSSES JAIME OVER THE SIDE OF THE CELL!!!
THE SAINT FLIES THROUGH THE AIR, ARMS PINWHEELING, AND HE CLEARS THE SECURITY RAILING STRAIGHT INTO THE CROWD!!!
There’s a terrible moment where everyone is waiting to hear that telltale SPLAT…but that moment never comes. Instead, something damn near magical has happened. The fans CATCH Jaime, preventing him from smacking down against the unforgiving floor!!
Many sets of hands bear up the weight of The Saint, and they hand him off through the crowd, his body crowd surfing back towards ringside.
Eryk Masters: Did I REALLY just see that, OG???
Other Guy: YOU DID!! I DID TOO!!
Eryk Masters: These fans just SAVED Jaime from a career-shortening fall!! SHOOT PROJECT IS BEHIND YOU, SAINT!!! TAKE THIS MOTHERFUCKER DOWN FOR GOOD!!!
A loud, emotional chant starts to pick up in The Epicenter….the people WILLING Jaime back into his fight!
LET’S GO SAINT!!!
LET’S GO SAINT!!!
LET’S GO SAINT!!!
Entragian stands on top of the cell, his hands DUG down in his white hair, his eyes totally disbelieving. He’s screaming out the phrase “WHAT??? ARE YOU SHITTING ME???” over and over again while looking at Diamante incredulously. Cronos can’t help but smile, shrugging his shoulders at The Ivory Terror as if to say “maybe it just isn’t your night, Isaac.”
The fans deliver Jaime back to his feet over the security railing, and despite his aching back…Jaime makes a beeline for the cell and he starts to climb once again!!
Jaime makes it back up to top of the cell, and he BARRELS into Isaac with his teeth gritted, and he starts to slam fists into the face of The Ivory Terror!!
Isaac meets him with an equal amount of venom, meeting Jaime’s punches with punches of his own!
A RIGHT FROM JAIME!!!
YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!
A RIGHT FROM ISAAC!!!
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
A LEFT FROM JAIME….AN UPPERCUT FROM ISAAC!!!
YAYYYYYYYYY……BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Jaime stumbles back, but then he leaps up into the air and PISTONS a karate torqued reverse punch into Isaac’s mouth. Isaac is reeling…and Jaime moves in…HAMMERING Isaac with body shots…DRILLING Isaac with lefts and rights to the face…the monster getting closer and closer to that dented portion of the cell ceiling.
Alejandro gets the monster close…and then he BOOTS him in the midsection and pulls him down into a headscissors…
The Saint looks out at the screaming fans…and he unleashes with a BATTLE CRY that echoes through the entire Epicenter!
JAIME THEN DRILLS ISAAC INTO THE DENTED PORTION OF THE CELL CEILING WITH A PACKAGE PILEDRIVER!!!
Eryk Masters: KILMER COMBUSTION!!! JAIME HIT IT!!!
Other Guy: OH SHIT…THAT CELL JUST GAVE WAY!!
The impact of Isaac’s head meeting steel SNAPS a portion of the cell free, creating a huge hole…and BOTH MEN FALL DOWN INTO IT!!!
Jaime manages to save himself by grabbing onto the side of the cell, and he pulls himself up to safety…but Isaac is BARELY hanging onto the portion of the cell that broke.
Jaime turns to look down, and the broken piece of cell falls…BUT ISAAC REACHES OUT DESPERATELY AND LATCHES HIS HAND AROUND JAIME’S THROAT!!! ISAAC IS HANGING THERE IN MIDAIR, SUPPORTED ONLY BY HIS FINGERS WHICH ARE DUG DOWN INTO JAIME’S NECK!
Isaac looks half-conscious, his face streaked in blood….but that bone-deep meanness still shows on his face. His voice flows out to Jaime…little more than a dry croak.
Entragian: If…I go down…you go…WITH ME.
Jaime stares down at Isaac, his breath wheezing out through a constricted windpipe…but he still manages to answer Isaac, his black eyes blazing.
Alejandro: No, Isaac. THIS…. is how…it ends. THIS…is your downfall. You go down…alone.
Isaac growls like a rabid, dying dog…and he tries to PULL himself up to BITE into Jaime’s face….but Jaime rears back a fist…AND HE CRUSHES IT DOWN INTO ISAAC’S FACE!!
Isaac’s loses his grip on Jaime’s throat…AND HE PLUMMETS DOWN TOWARDS THE RING….HE CRASHES THROUGH THREE LAYERS OF STACKED BARBWIRE COVERED TABLES…AND WHEN HE HITS THE RING, THE CANVAS IMPLODES, SAGGING DOWNWARD!!!!
The sound of the fall of Entragian echoes through the arena, and as the cameras pan down through the hole in the top of the cell…we see that Isaac’s body is TOTALLY buried in wreckage!
There’s a mound of splintered wood and a nest of barbwire covering the hole in the canvas, and the only portion of Isaac’s body that is visible is a bloody, pallid hand sticking up through the rubble.
Eryk Masters: GOOD….GOD!!! Isaac just fell through the cell, through three stacks of barbwire-wrapped tables…and he BROKE the ring when he touched down!
Other Guy: Now would be the time to count, Cronos!
Jaime collapses backwards on the cell, both hands wrapped around his injured back…and Diamante leans down through the hole in the top of the cell to begin the ten count.
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
FOUR!
FIVE!
SIX!
SEVEN!
EIGHT!
NINE!
The pale hand sticking up through the rubble begins to CLAW at the air, blood running down the knuckles…it looks almost like the hand is trying to grab onto something to pull the body it belongs to up to the surface.
This lasts for a few seconds…and then that pallid hand…goes limp.
TEN!
Samantha Coil: HERE IS YOUR WINNER….THE NEW IRON FIST CHAMPION….THE NEW RULES OF SURRENDER CHAMPION….HE IS SHOOT PROJECT’S SAINT….JAIME ALEJANDRO!!!
The happiness in Samantha’s voice is unmistakable, and the crowd ERUPTS with the kind of reaction that shakes the very walls of the building!!!!
Eryk Masters: HE FUCKING DID IT!!! THE SAINT STANDS TALL AT REDEMPTION!!! THE SAINT….STANDS TALL!!!
Other Guy: I’m in shock right now…I cannot even believe what I just saw…
Jaime tries to stand, his face so awash in blood and viscera that he’s barely recognizable…but something in his back hurts him badly, and he falls back down.
Meanwhile Diamante retrieves both belts, and he brings them back to Jaime on top of the cell. Jaime sees these, and he gathers up everything he has…he fights the pain…and he takes his championship belts in both hands and he RISES up to his feet, holding them up high for all the world to see! Cronos takes The Saint’s wrist, and he points to his chest, declaring him the winner.
THANK YOU, JAIME!!!
THANK YOU, JAIME!!!
THANK YOU, JAIME!!!
Eryk Masters: Listen to this OVATION! The Saint has dethroned this rotten monster…and ladies and gents, Jaime is smiling! For the first time in what seems like months….The Saint is smiling!
Other Guy: I think SHOOT Project fans all around the world are probably smiling right now, Eryk. This is unprecedented…
Eryk Masters: Well we’d better take a break folks; it’s going to take some time to repair the canvas…and to dig whatever is left of Entragian out from under that wreckage…
The shot closes out on The Saint standing triumphant on top of the steel cell…The Iron Fist Championship in one hand, The Rules of Surrender Championship on the other.
The bell rings to get the crowds attention, and a roar of cheers rumbles throughout the arena, as the World Heavyweight Championship match is set to begin momentarily.
Eryk Masters: This is it, OG!
Other Guy: I’ve been waiting for this one for a long time!
Eryk Masters: It’s gotten extremely heated the last few weeks, but Donovan King is set to defend against the number one contender, Lunatikk Crippler!
Other Guy: One way or the other, we’re going to have some questions answered here tonight. Who is the better wrestler? Who is the better man? Who is gonna walk out with the World Heavyweight Championship?
Eryk Masters: This is going to be extremely physical. Both men will be looking to show up the other, and we’re about to find out who will come out on top!
The crowd noise dies down a bit in the waiting, until "The Sound of Madness" by Shinedown kicks in. The crowd collectively gets to their feet, cheering wildly as the lights start to dim. Blue and green lights turn on around the entrance ramp, changing the colors of the arena in their glow.
Yeah, I get it
You’re an outcast
Always under attack
Always coming in last
Bringing up the past
No one owes you anything
I think
You need a shotgun blast
A kick in the ass
So paranoid
WATCH YOUR BACK
The lights go back to normal, and Lunatikk Crippler stands alone at the top of the entrance ramp, decked out in brand new ring gear. A hooded vest, colored green, white, and black, with a large tri-colored star in the middle of the back, and matching tights, three stars down each leg, the middle star much larger than the others. The SHOOT Project Helmet logo, in black and green, in the center of the waistband, almost like a belt buckle. His fists and wrists are taped up, an anarchy symbol drawn on the backs of his hands. He peers out at the crowd from under his hood, and we see the traces of a grin across his face, knowing that he’s coming up on the biggest match of his SHOOT Project career. He begins to make his way down the ramp, the ovation continuing for the number one contender, and Crippler’s focus seems to be wholly on the task at hand. He makes no acknowlegement of the people around him, reaching out to clap him on the back, or in general try to reach out and touch him, he stares straight ahead at the ring, and knowing the battle that is about to take place.
Eryk Masters: Crippler’s face is a mask of focus and determination. He’s going to need every single ounce of ability we know he has if he wants to answer the intensity and talent that Donovan King is going to bring to him.
Other Guy: Let’s put it this way: Lunatikk Crippler has been beating everyone that is put in front of him since he showed up about two years ago. At Revolution 100, he defeated "The Butcher" Jonas Coleman to EARN the number one contendership. Donovan King is going to be his biggest challenge ever, but something tells me Crippler will be up to the task here tonight!
Crippler climbs up the ring stairs and steps between the ropes into the ring. He climbs the middle turnbuckle and stares out to the crowd, throwing his arms out on either side of him, illiciting another round of cheering from the crowd. He turns his gaze now, not to the crowd, but the entrance ramp, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the World Heavyweight Champion. The music dies, and the crowd is still abuzz.
A bell sounds in the Epicenter, bringing the lights to an eerie dim. The entrance to the arena fills with smoke as "Rivers of Blood" by the Wu-Tang Clan featuring Kool G Rap begins to play.
The Chinese have a saying…
"Dangerous men shall meet in narrow streets"
…and so it was.
BOOM!
The music reaches its crescendo as the drums hit, and a massive BOOM from a single blast of pyro ignites the entrance, bringing the lights up. The fans rip into cheers as out from the back emerges SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Champion…DONOVAN KING.
Eryk Masters: And there is the man himself. The World Heavyweight Champion. The man who won The Primus, beating out some of the best that SHOOT has to offer.
Other Guy: That’s because a lot of people will call him the best in the business today, and the gold he wears around his waist makes a very convincing argument. Ladies and gentlemen, Donovan King!
The camera focuses on King as his hooded head is bowed, bobbing to the beat of his theme music. He walks down to the ring, the SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Championship on his waist as he saunters down to the ring. His hoodie has no sleeves and is a dingy gold, matching his ring gear. Black crowns on his kneepads and black fingerless gloves on both hands. The camera pans to his back as he walks to the ring, the smoke billowing and swirling behind him. On the back of his trunks the name KING is written in big, bold, black letters. Slowly, he reaches to his cowl with both hands, removing it slowly to the cheers from the masses, raising his head to glare into the ring. He locks eyes with Lunatikk Crippler, who is staring down at him from the turnbuckles. Crippler hops down to the canvas, allowing King to enter the ring unscathed, but does not break the gaze.
He walks up the ring steps onto the apron, taking the time to peer out into the crowd, tensing his muscles before he unbuckles the SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Championship from his waist. He marches to the turnbuckle and ascends it, holding the World Championship in his left hand and perching himself on the middle and top turnbuckles as the song reaches its chorus.
He hops down from the turnbuckle and kisses the face plate of the SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Championship title belt and grins, handing the belt to the referee.
Eryk Masters: Judging by the ovation that our World Heavyweight Champion received her tonight, he might have a slight edge in the popularity department.
Other Guy: Being popular is good, but this isn’t gonna be a popularity contest. This is going to be a fight. And you can tell that Crippler and King cannot wait for the bell to ring.
Tony Lorenzo takes the World Heavyweight Championship and raises it in the air for the world to see as the music dies down. The fans are in a frenzy of cheers, some directed at King, some for his challenger. Samantha Coil steps into the ring for the formal introductions.
Samantha Coil: Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is set for one fall, and it is for the WORLD. HEAVYWEIGHT. CHAMPIONSHIP!
The fans pop loud.
Samantha Coil: Introducing first, the challenger. From South Bend, Indiana, now residing in Las Vegas, Nevada, weighing in tonight at two hundred and thirty-eight pounds, he is the number one contender, he is Luuuuuuuuuuunatiiiiiiiiikk CRIIIIIIIIPPLERRRRRRRRR!
Crippler steps forward in his corner, throwing his hood back, his long black hair and wild beard now featured more prominently. He throws his arms back and lets out a scream that is answered from a great number of fans in attendance. He steps back, and the fans have begun a chant of "CRIP-PLER! CRIP-PLER!"
Samantha Coil: And, his opponent…
The chant dies down quickly, and a new round of cheers erupt from all directions.
Samantha Coil: From Charlotte, North Carolina! He weighs in tonight at two hundred and forty-two pounds, he is the SHOOT Project’s WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIOOOOOOOOON……DONOVAAAAAAAAAAAN KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!
Samantha Coil makes her exit as King steps forward in the corner, holding his arms in the air, milking the reaction from the crowd as much as Crippler did. Crippler has completely removed his vest, King his hoodie, and Tony Lorenzo is in the center of the ring, holding both men back before the contest begins.
Eryk Masters: You can cut the tension with a knife, folks. These two men want to get their hands on each other badly, and they are literally seconds away from doing so.
DING DING DING
Tony Lorenzo backs away, gesturing Crippler and King towards each other, but neither man moves real quick. They step towards one another, slowly, meeting face to face in the center of the ring. Their eyes are locked, but nobody is grinning anymore. King’s face is a mask, and Crippler has the beginnings of a sneer on his face. King says something to Crippler, in audible, and Crippler answers back. King smirks, but is met with a smack across the face from the number one contender.
Other Guy: Something tells me either King said something Crippler didn’t like, or Crippler didn’t like being referred to as a "bitch" all week by the World Heavyweight Champion.
King actually grins now, turning back to face Lunatikk Crippler, and the two lunge at one another, locking up in a collar-elbow tie up. Both men struggle with one another, neither man willing to give up a step, when King quickly breaks the hold, ducks down, and takes Crippler to the mat with a single leg takedown! The crowd cheers as King gets back to his feet, looking down at Crippler, who doesn’t seem to be very jovial right now.
Eryk Masters: Crippler tried to anger King and throw him off his game, but it’s King who scores the first takedown!
Crippler brings himself up off the mat, and they begin to circle on another. They lunge forward, again locking up, and again, King drops down to his knees, and this time, brings Lunatikk Crippler over his head with a fireman’s carry takedown! Crippler is quick to get back to his feet after that one, as is King, who waits for Crippler to turn around before answering him with a slap of his own! King’s hand echoes across Crippler’s face, and the crowd gasps, and then cheers.
Other Guy: It looks like our World Champion just turned the other cheek!
Crippler grits his teeth, but soon after, he busts out a full, toothy smile. He turns back to King, and nods in his direction, as if to say "I deserved that."
The two men circle again, and then lock up for a third time. King tries to hit the mat, but Crippler puts his knee down and follows, blocking King’s attempted takedown. Crippler takes control here, getting back to a vertical base, and twisting King’s left arm behind him with a hammerlock. King attempts to look for a way to take control, but Crippler wrenches upward on King’s arm, causing King to wince in pain. King regains his bearing, however, and is able to reverse the hammerlock, now getting behind Crippler and twisting Crip’s arm. Crippler fires an elbow, but King ducks, giving Crippler another opening, grabbing King around the head and bringing him over and to the ground with a headlock takeover. King’s arm gets free in the process, so Crippler once again pins it behind the World Champion with a hammerlock, this time, on the ground.
Eryk Masters: A classic ground game from both men, neither willing to easily give up the advantage.
Other Guy: Mat wrestling at it’s finest, always looking for the counter to your opponent to take him down.
King struggles a bit, but is able to get to his knees. He fights to his feet, Crippler still holding onto the hammerlock, but King reaches back with his free arm, and takes Crippler over with a headlock as well. Crippler thinks fast, and uses his legs to trap the head of King and break the headlock, but King nips out of it, coming up on his feet, as Crippler rolls to his knees. Crippler gets up and rushes King, who quickly sidesteps and slaps on a side headlock. King is able to wrench on the skull of Crippler once before the challenger shoves King off of him, and into the ropes. King rebounds, and Crippler is waiting, and attempts a hip toss. King blocks, and attempts to reverse, but Crippler hops out of it, ending up behind Donovan King. He grabs King around the waist, but King tries to counter by running forward. Crippler keeps the pace, and keeps his hands locked around the stomach of King, and they bounce into the ropes. Both men tumble backwards, and Crippler uses the momenutum to get King trapped in a victory roll!
One!
Two!
King reverses the hold, and ends up pinning Crippler’s shoulders down to the mat!
One!
Two!
Crippler kicks out of it easily. Crippler gets to his feet to find Donovan King already there, taking him down with an easy arm drag. Crippler is taken aback more than he is hurt, so he is able to use the momentum to get back to his feet. He turns, just in time for King to hook him over for another arm drag, Crippler landing back on the mat once again. This time, King does not relinquish Crippler’s arm, but instead tucks it under his own just under the elbow, cinching in an arm lock, with Crippler surprised in pain, on the ground.
Eryk Masters: It looks like our champion has the early advantage!
King leans back, pulling Crippler’s arm back at an odd angle with him. Crippler slams his fist into the mat in a bit of frustration, but is trying to maneuver himself around to alleviate the pain King is putting into his left arm. Crippler slowly gets himself turned around, and now King holds Crippler’s arm at a normal angle, and Crippler now tries to push himself to his feet. King keeps a grip on the arm, climbing to his feet as well, as not to be left on the ground in a bad position. Crippler ties up his own arm within King’s, and is able to reverse the armbar, with Crippler keeping hold on King’s wrist, twisting it back, forcing the bone into the rest of his arm. King feels the sudden jolt of pain, falling down to a knee, before regaining his footing quickly. King reaches out with his free arm, and once again, reverses, this time, turning the wristlock back into an armbar, before quickly sweeping behind The Crippler and taking his legs out from under him.
Eryk Masters: And now King floats over into a front facelock, after taking Crippler off his feet like that.
Other Guy: I’ll tell you, the amount of counters we’ve seen thus far really shows that these men are desperately trying to outdo the other. If either man gets the advantage, he doesn’t keep it for very long!
The fans are cheering rabidly as Crippler gets to a knee, before King wrenches back, turning the facelock into a guillotine! Crippler realizes he’s being trapped, and quickly pushes off hard before King can complete the transition, escaping what could have been a dire submission situation. Both men hurry to their feet, and Crippler turns to find King standing there, and he attempts a standing lariat, only for King to duck. King hooks his own head under Crippler’s arm, and lifts him up for a back suplex, but Crippler keeps hold of King’s head and reverses the momentum, rolling forward with another headlock takeover. Crippler releases his grip on King, who scoots away, a scowl of frustration his face, matched with the look on Crippler’s.
King gets up to his feet and both men meet in the center of the ring. They stand face to face until Crippler backs off quickly, bouncing off the ropes. He shoulderblocks King, and neither man go down. King, this time, runs the ropes, and Crippler leapfrogs on the rebound. King comes up quickly behind Crippler, who hits the deck. King leaps over Crippler and again bounces off the ropes. Crippler rolls onto his back, and attempts a monkey flip, but King is able to land on his feet with the attempt. Instead of hitting the ropes, King drops an elbow, but Crippler quickly rolls out of the way! Crippler runs the ropes as King gets to his feet, holding his arm, but King has the wherewithal to drop down, and he traps Crippler’s feet with his own, sending Crippler crashing face first to the mat.
Eryk Masters: A beautifully executed drop toe hold, and the counters just keep on coming. Crippler once again finds himself face down on the mat, and King is trying to take control!
King gets up and stalks toward Crippler, who is trying to shake the cobwebs loose after the last impact. King comes up behind Crippler, looking for a German suplex, but Crippler reaches up and pulls King over his shoulder with a snapmare. King rolls back to his feet, and Crippler shoots a forearm into the chest of the Champion. Crippler grabs King by the arm and irish whips him into the ropes, but King counters, sending Crippler running instead. Crippler rebounds, but catches a solid knee from King, sending Crippler flipping over the leg of the World Heavyweight Champion, crashing onto the mat.
Other Guy: This can be the turning point of the match! King needs to keep on Crippler to press his advantage!
Eryk Masters: Crippler caught that knee right in the ribcage, he’s in some obvious pain here.
King pounces on Crippler, firing a quick elbow strike right to the skull. It hits with a thud, and Crippler’s head bounces off the canvas. King gets up but doesn’t stay on his feet too long, driving his knee right into the side of the ribs of Crippler. He does this a second time before Crippler rolls, clutching at his ribcage.
Eryk Masters: King is relentless now. He knows he’s got the advantage, and he’s not holding anything back.
Other Guy: He’s gotta have a little frustration after being countered nearly as much as he’s reversed Crippler. Look for him to start letting all of that out here.
Crippler is trying to claw his way to the ropes to escape King, but Donovan King is not going to have any of that. King walks over and grabs two big handfuls of Crippler’s lush, silky black hair, and pulls The Whole Fucked Up Show to his feet. Crippler fires off a quick forearm, trying to create some distance, and it connects, right to the jaw of King. King releases Crippler’s hair, but bounces off the ropes and connects with a lariat, the sound of the impact echoing across the arena to the point that you can see several people in the first few rows cringe. Crippler hits the mat with a thud, thankful to still have his jaw attached. King rubs his face, and then moves back in after Crippler. King drops another elbow, this time, right in the shoulder joint.
Eryk Masters: King grinds his kneecap into that shoulder joint now. You have to believe he’s looking for a different kind of seperation than what Crippler is now!
Other Guy: Agreed. I’ll bet Crippler feels like there is broken glass under his skin right now. That’s a very tender area.
King reaches over and grabs the arm of Crippler, yanking it straight off the ground, using Crippler’s own arm to dig his knee deeper into the shoulder joint. Crippler, out of desperation, kicks at King’s standing leg, taking it from under him. King falls to his ass, the knee coming up off the shoulder, and Crippler has found his way out of this hold. He traps King’s face and head between his legs, bringing his top leg up and smashing it down across the face of the Champion. He does this a second time before King gets wise, and rolls away.
Eryk Masters: Nothing pretty about that counter, but it was damn sure effective!
Crippler gets to his feet, obviously favoring the arm, as does King. King is up first, and he fires a forearm shot that gets parried by The Crippler, who sacrificed his bad arm to block that shot. He grits his teeth, but fires a right hand that connects to the face of Donovan King! King is rocked backwards, and Crippler stalks after him. Crippler sets King up straight, before connecting with a heavy European uppercut that sends King sprawling backwards into the corner. Crippler backs up and charges, but King is able to move out of the way in the last second, and Crippler crashes chest first into the turnbuckles! Crippler turns around and King leaps high, connecting his knee HARD into the head of The Crippler, who falls, his head hitting the bottom rope before finally hitting the mat.
Other Guy: The cap of King’s knee got driven into the temple of Crippler’s head right there! Crippler may be out!
King is thinking the same thing. He pulls Crippler by the legs away from the ropes and rolls him over. A small trickle of blood has begun to form from Crippler’s brow, and King falls down to make the cover, hooking the far leg.
One!
Two!
Crippler rolls his shoulder out! King wastes no time, as if he smells the blood he has spilled, in bringing Crippler back to his feet, and booting him in the gut, doubling him over. King turns Crippler’s world upside down, and drives him head first with a piledriver! Crippler’s head bounces off the mat, and he lands flat on his back, the perfect position for King to roll over and hook the leg one more time.
One!
Two!
Crippler kicks out! King gets up again, and pulls Crippler up with him. King drives his forearm into the bleeding area on Crippler’s head, before grabbing him in a standing front facelock. Crippler quickly shoves King away, out of instinct, but King pursues quickly. He whips Crippler into the ropes. Crippler rebounds, ducking a lariat attempt by King, who gets turned in a 180, just enough time to see Crippler bounce off the ropes and connect with a vicious spear! Crippler ends up on top of King, who is flat on the mat, and Crippler tucks King’s arm underneath him, as he falls into the cover!
One!
Two!
King kicks out!
Eryk Masters: King kicks out after a desperation Blood Drive from the number one contender! Crippler’s gotta be feeling that this is his opportunity to strike, here!
Crippler gets to his feet, a little bit unsteady, and King is to his knees, clutching at his ribs now. Crippler bounces off the ropes and rebounds, with King facing him. Crippler leaves his feet, and drives the heels of his boots into the face of King with a running dropkick! King, even in a kneeling position, flails backwards, a trickle of blood now coming from his nostril. Crippler doesn’t cover right away, but instead hits the ropes again, and drops a leg across the throat of the World Heavyweight Champion! He floats over, this time hooking the far leg, and makes sure King’s shoulders are on the mat!
One!
Two!
King powers out, not allowing Crippler to gain the title that easily. Crippler grabs King’s head, and pulls them both to their feet. Crippler instinctively tries to pull King back down to the mat by the arm, nearly hooking the limb between his own legs!
Eryk Masters: Bitchified! Crippler is going for his favorite submission!
Other Guy: And King is QUICKLY out of dodge there! He knows that once that move is hooked in, no matter which of them is the man performing that hold, this match is OVER.
King quickly gets to the ropes and pushes Crippler away before Crippler’s finisher can be locked in. Crippler gets to his knees, and attempts to pull King up, but King snaps a forearm to the gut of Crippler. Crippler is a bit shaken up, but he still manages to get up, King right along side him. He fires with a European uppercut, but King returns it right back to him! Crippler stumbles back, and fires a forearm to the jaw of the World Heavyweight Champion! King staggers, but is able to drive the butt of his elbow right between the eyes of the challenger, and Crippler loses his balance, falling to one knee!
King runs the ropes, but Crippler is quickly to his feet, and absolutely bashes King across the face on the rebound with a Polish hammer! King’s head whips back with the impact and he crumples to the ground. Crippler wastes no time in going for the pin!
One!
Two!
King rolls his shoulder out of it! Crippler picks King back to his feet, and whips him into the ropes. King rebounds and Crippler bows to back body drop King, but King, hops out of it, somehow, and lands on his feet behind Crippler. Crippler tries to move, but King grabs his head and tucks it under his arm, driving Crippler down with a reverse DDT! King hooks the leg quickly, and Lorenzo slides into position!
One!
Two!
Crippler kicks out! King grabs Crippler by the arm and drags him back to his feet. He pins Crippler’s left arm behind him, and rams it directly into the turnbuckles! Crippler cries out in pain, and King waits for him to turn around. Crippler does, and King hooks Crippler’s arm behind him again, taking him over with a belly to belly suplex, with Crippler landing on his arm!
Eryk Masters: King looking to do some more heavy damage to the arm of Crippler, using one of his patented suplexes!
King goes back to the arm, wrapping it around his leg, and then driving his knee down, pinning Crippler’s arm betwixt the mat and King’s knee. King quickly transitions into a cross armbreaker, but Crippler quickly locks his fingers with his other hand, so as to try and block the move.
Other Guy: If King can get this locked in, that’s going to be huge trouble for The Crippler!
Crippler continues to struggle against the hold, leaning towards the arm King has trapped. King is trying to push Crippler down with his legs, but thus far, Crippler seems to be pushing just a bit harder. Crippler rolls his right side completely off the mat, gaining the momentum, and pins King flat on his back! The shoulders are down!
One!
Two!
King pushes with his legs with all his might, and Crippler goes backwards, losing his grip with his hands, and now King has Crippler trapped in the center of the ring with the cross armbreaker! Crippler’s left shoulder is about three inches of the ground, at a horrible angle, and King continues to pull on the joint. Crippler’s face is contorted with pain, and we hear him grunting audibly, trying to reach out for the ropes that are just too far away!
Eryk Masters: There it is! It’s locked in, with Crippler having nowhere to go!
Other Guy: It seems King has won this battle on the ground, and he’s gotta be moments away from retaining his World Heavyweight Championship!
Crippler continues to squirm, in obvious pain, as King begins to rock back and forth, attempting to yank the arm out of socket. Crippler attempts to kick at King, but King is easily able to avoid Crippler’s flailing feet. Crippler grits his teeth and looks towards the ropes, reaching out with his free hand, but still unable to grasp them. He begins to try to claw his way over, but has little success. King bridges up a little bit, lifting Crippler’s shoulder still higher off the ground, putting much more pressure on the shoulder.
Other Guy: Oh, damn! If King keeps doing that, we’ll all see why that hold is called "armbreaker." Crippler is in a world of hurt right now!
Eryk Masters: He’s inched a little closer to the ropes, but good lord, I don’t know how he’s held on this long!
Crippler reaches out as far as he can towards the ropes, and his fingertips nearly brush them. He’s reaching out frantically, but King has refused to relinquish the hold, still attempting to make Crippler the One Armed Man.
Crippler raises his hand in the air, fingers extended, and King begins to rock even more violently, yanking back and forth on Crippler’s trapped arm. Crippler’s right arm, his free one, is extended to it’s fullest, and the arm falls down!
HE’S GOT THE ROPES! Tony Lorenzo rushes over to King, telling him to release the hold! King continues to pull on the limb, and Crippler yells out in pain again, King continuing to do the damage. Lorenzo warns King again to release the hold, but King doesn’t.
One!
Two!
Three!
Fo-King finally relinquishes, the extra damage being done. Crippler releases the bottom rope, and immediately clutches his left shoulder, holding it close to his body.
Eryk Masters: Crippler may have SOMEHOW found a way to escape that brutal submission, but his chances of becoming World Champion may have ended.
Other Guy: You might be right. Who knows what kind of use he’s going to get out of that arm!
King stalks his prey, eyeing the injured arm of Lunatikk Crippler, as he tries to pull himself to his feet with his good limb. Crippler is unsteady to his feet, and King pounces, whipping Crippler around, grabbing the left arm, and falling backward, driving both his knees into the arm of Crippler, just below the shoulder joint!
Eryk Masters: Crippler’s got a bullseye on that shoulder, and Donovan King is the man who painted it there!
Crippler rolls around on the mat, clutching at his arm, and King quickly folds the good arm to Crippler’s side, and hooks the far leg, leaning into the left shoulder of Crippler! Both shoulders are down!
One!
Two!
Th-Crippler kicks out, and barely. Crippler remains on the ground, while King gets to his feet, and begins to ascend the turnbuckles. He perches himself on the middle turnbuckle, and leaps, driving the butt of his elbow directly to the shoulder of Lunatikk Crippler! It connects, and Crippler rolls away, in obvious pain. King wastes no time in going for the cover once again.
One!
Two!
Crippler rolls his bad shoulder out, wincing loudly as he does. King instinctively grabs the bad arm of Crippler, and pulls him up to his feet by it. King swings around behind Crippler, and folds the arm behind him, lifting Crippler off his feet, and driving him back with a back suplex. King holds on, pinning Crippler’s shoulders to the mat.
One!
Two!
Crippler rolls out of it again!
Other Guy: King has zeroed in on the injury he created. He’s not going to let up!
King gets to his feet, and he stalks Crippler, waiting for him to get to his feet. King’s arms are outstretched, and Crippler is real wobbly, holding his left arm close to his body.
Eryk Masters: King’s got something on his mind, Crippler needs to be careful!
Crippler slowly turns around and King leaps into action, grabbing at Crippler’s neck.
Eryk Masters: DEALBREAKER!
Other Guy: Blocked! Crippler throws King away!
King turns back around, and Crippler clobbers him with a clothesline that hurts both men, because Crippler absent mindedly uses his left arm! King falls to his back, and Crippler to his knees, clutching the bad arm. King is quickly back to his feet, and Crippler leaps up and surprises him with a dropkick! King falls back to the mat, and Crippler is getting up, his arm still obviously hurt. Crippler looks out into the crowd, and a chorus of cheers ring out. Crippler starts shaking out his left arm, trying to get a bit of feeling back into it, but King is already back on his feet. King charges, but Crippler sticks out his right elbow, and King goes down! Crippler grabs his limp arm, and rams himself into the top turnbuckle! He grimaces, but he turns to find King back on his feet. Crippler moves toward him, and King takes him over with a fireman’s carry! Crippler tries to get back to his feet, and does. King is up as well, and they move toward each other, and Crippler goes low, lifting King off his feet, nailing a huge spinning spinebuster!
Eryk Masters: Crippler SOMEHOW able to muster the strength to get King up for that spinebuster, and it pays off! Crippler with the cover!
One!
Two!
TH-NO! King kicks out! Crippler is still having trouble with the arm as he gets to his feet. King is slow to his knees, but he too gets up. Crippler moves in and irish whips King into the ropes. King on the rebound, and Crippler leaps high, connecting with a leg lariat that brings King crashing down to the mat! Crippler scurries into the cover!
One!
Two!
King kicks out again! Crippler is showing signs of frustration, but he gets back to his feet. There is blood dried on the side of his head and face, but he is trying to persevere. He runs the ropes, and connects with a running senton splash! Crippler lands solid on the ribcage of King, knocking the wind straight out of his body! King sprays a little blood that trickled into his mouth from his nose upon impact, but Crippler hooks King’s leg, and lays on top for the pin!
One!
Two!
King somehow hooks Crippler’s arms and rolls him over for a crucifix style pin!
One!
Two!
Crippler kicks out!
Eryk Masters: Just when you think one of these men are out of it, they just keep coming back!
Crippler gets back to his feet, as does King. King is rubbing his ribs, and Crippler stumbles across the ring, still shaking out his arm. They freeze, locking eyes with one another from across the ring. The fans rise to their feet, sensing what is about to happen.
Other Guy: These men have been beating the hell out of each other, but I think this is about to start all over!
The two step forward towards one another, and Crippler throws a right hand, connecting with King’s jaw! King staggers, but stays with it, throwing a forearm that connects with Crippler’s cheek! Crippler turns and chops King right in the chest, the sound echoing across the arena. King returns the shot with a chop of his own, Crippler forced to clutch at his chest in pain. Crippler returns fire, however with a straight jab to the face, backing King up. Crippler advances, but King fires a huge back elbow, landing right in the teeth of Lunatikk Crippler. Crippler grabs his mouth, and it gives King time to catch a breath, but not a big one. Crippler rushes forward, clutching King around the waist, and takes him over for a German Suplex!
But King lands on his feet behind Crippler! He latches onto Crippler’s waist and hits a German suplex of his own, releasing Crippler in midair! Crippler does a near 180, landing flat on his face! The impact causes Crippler to flip onto his back, and he’s motionless!
Other Guy: DAMN what a counter! That suplex was very fluid, from the reversal to the impact! Crippler just got knocked stupid!
King shakes his head and begins to crawl over to Crippler. He drapes himself across Crippler’s chest, and that’s good enough for the ref!
One!
Two!
Crippler gets his shoulder up! King rolls Crippler over, and goes to trap Crippler’s arm between his legs, setting up for the Carolina Crossface! Crippler sees it coming, however, and clutches King’s head, rolling through in a variation of a small package!
One!
Two!
King busts out of the hold! Crippler is a little groggy from King’s last suplex, but is trying to get to his feet. King beats him there, landing a forearm that nearly knocks Crippler back to the mat. King pulls Crippler up the rest of the way, and irish whips him. King steadies himself, and goes to take Crippler’s head off with a lariat, but Crippler rolls under King’s arm, leaps up, springboarding off the ropes, and vaulting backwards, landing on Donovan King, but hooking King’s head, driving it down to the mat.
Other Guy: What in the HELL was THAT?
Eryk Masters: Crippler springboarded into a moonsault, into a reverse DDT! I don’t think I’ve ever seen Lunatikk Crippler pull something like THAT out of his hat before!
Crippler is forced to hesitate a bit, still reeling a tad from the assault from King, but he gets the cover, hooking both legs.
One!
Two!
Th-King kicks out! Crippler closes his eyes in frustration, but that doesn’t last long. He picks himself up off the mat, and goes to the corner. He climbs the turnbuckle, perching himself on the top. Tony Lorenzo is there checking on King, who is slowly getting up to his feet. Crippler is still on top, trying to will King to get to his feet. King stands, shakily, but slowly turns to face Crippler, who springs into action, leaping forward with a missile dropkick! It connects!
With Tony Lorenzo! King ducks, and Crippler’s shot, aimed for the World Heavyweight Champion, accidentally wipes out the referee! Lorenzo hits the mat with a thud, and the impact propells him to the apron, and then he rolls off to the floor! Needless to say, he is OUT!
Eryk Masters: There’s no referee! Nobody in the ring to count the three or call the submission!
Other Guy: Is this going to boil over into an all out war?
Crippler gets up, and leans over the top rope to check on the ref, but King is back on his feet. Crippler turns, seeing the World Champ, almost too late! Crippler moves out of the way of King’s uppercut shot, and fires off a right hand that King ducks easily! King grabs Crippler’s head and puts it on top of his, before falling to his knees, completing the jawbreaker that sends Crippler crashing into the turnbuckles! King gets back to his feet and hooks Crippler, muscling him up to the top turnbuckle. King climbs up after him, looking for something deadly. He hooks Crippler’s head under his arm, and then takes Crippler over with a superplex! But Crippler reverses in midair, crashing down on top of King, instead! He hooks the leg out of instinct!
One!
Two!
Three!
Four!
Five!
The crowd is counting along, but there’s still no referee! Crippler gets up, a mad look on his face. He rolls out of the ring and goes over to Tony Lorenzo on the outside, who is still out cold. He grabs Lorenzo by the shirt and shakes him a bit. Crippler smacks him, though not too hard, across the face to get him to come to.
Other Guy: You know, I never understand why people think hitting a guy is going to help him become NOT unconscious.
Crippler stands over Tony Lorenzo, who is stirring feebly. He turns his head and looks inside the ring at Donovan King. He then turns into the other direction, looking over at the time keeper’s table. He moves close to where Mark Kendrick and Samantha Coil are sitting, and reaches behind the table. He pulls out a steel folding chair, and the look on his face is etched in madness.
Eryk Masters: No! Don’t do it, Crip! Not like this!
Other Guy: You heard what Crippler said this week, E! He says he wants it more. Says he NEEDS it more. Maybe this is way of trying to prove he’ll do whatever it takes!
Crippler slides into the ring, steel chair still in hand.
Eryk Masters: Yeah, but like THIS? After the battle these two men have waged against one another? It would prove King right. Crippler would be nothing but a bitch!
Other Guy: Whoa! Let’s not jump to conclusions there, when he might possibly hear you. With a weapon in his hand. And that look on his face.
Crippler is staring down at Donovan King, who had his back to him, trying to crawl to the bottom rope to get to his feet. Crippler stand behind the chair, and raises it over his head. The fans come alive again, a lot of them beginning to boo Lunatikk Crippler, some pleading with him. A chant has even broken out.
"PLEASE DON’T DO THIS"
*CLAP CLAP CLAPCLAPCLAP*
"PLEASE DON’T DO THIS"
*CLAP CLAP CLAPCLAPCLAP*
Crippler sneers down at Donovan King, who is still struggling to get to his feet, with no luck. Crippler gets ready to swing the steel chair, aiming directly for the head and back of the World Heavyweight Champion.
But he stops. A look of comprehension seems to come over the Crippler’s face, and he lowers the chair. Most of the boos begin turning back to cheers, and Crippler seems to think better of what he’s about to do. He turns, goes to the other side of the ring, and dumps the chair on the ground.
Eryk Masters: Thank GOD! Thank you, Lunatikk Crippler! You don’t need to win that way!
Other Guy: I’m sure he’s heard you, you’ve only said it like, thirty times.
Crippler turns back and moves back towards King. He stands over the World Heavyweight Champion, who has gotten to one knee, and draws a thumb across his throat, which gets a pop from the crowd.
Then..
In a flash, Crippler is on the ground, King leaping up suddenly, grabbing his hands around the head and neck of Lunatikk Crippler and driving him face first into the mat!
Eryk Masters: King with….a reverse Dealbreaker?
Other Guy: You can call it that if you want, but these people know that move better as the Lunatikk Sweet! The Crippler just got dropped by his own finisher!
The pop when King connects with Crippler’s own move is ludicrous. Every single fan is on their feet, trying to get a better look in at this match. Both men are on the ground, but King is slowly crawling towards Crippler, and he rolls him over to his back. King collapses atop Crippler’s chest, and weakly hooks the leg. It doesn’t matter that Crippler is seemingly out cold, because Tony Lorenzo is still on the outside of the ring! The fans count the three count like before, but King doesn’t move. He might not have the energy after all both men have poured into this match, but wait! The fans start to cheer, as a figure begins running down the ramp at top speed!
Eryk Masters: That’s Austin Linam! Finally, another referee has come out here!
Linam slides into the ring, and immediately slides into position, making damned sure Crippler’s shoulders are pressed against the mat!
One!!
TWO!
THREE!! THREE!!!
Other Guy: NO DEAR GOD HE KICKED OUT!
Eryk Masters: They need to invent cardiac Depends, because my heart has been peeing all night! It’s just reached overload!
King gets to his knees while Crippler lays on his side. King has his head in his hands, unbelieving that Crippler had the gall to kick out of his own finish. King smacks some sense into himself, and gets to his feet. He starts stomping the mat, waiting for Lunatikk Crippler to get to his feet. Crippler is very slow to move, but he fights and gets to his feet, only to fall back to his knees. King gets impatient, and moves over toward his injured foe, who IMMEDIATELY traps King’s arm to the canvas, trying to lock his arms around the face of the champion!
Other Guy: BITCHIFIED! WHERE THE HELL IS THIS COMING FROM?!
Eryk Masters: I don’t know, but he’s WAY too close to the ropes!
Crippler finally hooks his hands around King’s head, but Masters was right. King reaches out and grabs the bottom rope just as Crippler begins to wrench backwards. Austin Linam shouts to Crippler to release the hold, but Crippler refuses, an audible "FUCK YOU" escaping his lips.
Other Guy: Crippler may be seeing red here. No WAY he’s happy with being hit with the Lunatikk Sweet!
Linam doesn’t bother with the count, he physically pries Crippler’s hands apart, effectively breaking the hold. Crippler gets to his feet gingerly, and gets in Austin Linam’s face. Linam reminds Crippler that King had the ropes.
Eryk Masters: I don’t know how smart that was for Austin Linam to break the hold himself, but at least he didn’t try to disqualify Crippler. Not after all he’s been through tonight!
Crippler turns back to King, who snaps to his feet, snaring Crippler’s arm himself, and spinning The Whole Fucked Up Show around, away from the ropes. He secures the arm, and locks his hands around Crippler’s face, pulling back as hard as he can!
Other Guy: Carolina Crossface! King’s got it locked in! First the Sweet, and now this! How’s Crippler going to escape?!
Good question. Crippler is frantically trying to reach out for the ropes, but the circle King swung him in has him too far away to make it there! Crippler is locked in good and tight, the injured left arm of his the one that’s being trapped!
Eryk Masters: King has been working on that arm all night! There is no WAY Crippler’s going to get out of this!
Crippler struggles mightily, but there is absolutely nowhere to go. King is leaning on Crippler with all his weight, making it difficult for Crippler to move in any direction. The fans are in a frenzy, sure they are about to see a submission. Crippler balls up the fist on his right hand and places it directly on the mat, using it to push himself off the ground.
Other Guy: He’s fighting! If there was any men I knew that would know how to escape from this hold, they are the ones in the ring right now!
King pulls back on Crippler’s head, his locked hands across Crippler’s mouth. Crippler’s jaw is clenched shut, but we can hear the screams of pain that are muffled, unable to escape. He falters, ending back up on the ground. His fist is still balled up, so he does what comes natural. He swings it.
Eryk Masters: I….Crippler is punching himself in the face!
Other Guy: You gotta believe he’s desperate! He’s punching blindly at the hands clasped around his head, pulling backwards! If he hits himself in the face, oh well! He’ll do anything to keep his World title chances alive!
Crippler swings again, this time, connecting with King’s hands. King doesn’t let go, so Crippler is forced to swing again. He catches himself in the nose, but also connects with King’s hands. Crippler’s nose begins dripping blood onto the fists of King, which seem to start to slip on Crippler’s face, due to the new found lubrication. Crippler clenches King’s hands, and forces them painfully up his face, finally getting his head through! Crippler quickly headbutts the World Heavyweight Champion, causing his nose to start dripping blood once again in this match.
Eryk Masters: Dear lord, I think he’s fought his way out of it!
Wrong. King quickly redoubles his grip, cinching in the hold one more time! Crippler was able to move about an inch out of the way, still not close enough to grasp that bottom rope! His eyes are wide in panic and pain, and King is gritting his teeth, eyes closed in effort. He has his hands clasped around the chin this time, clenching Crippler’s jaw shut, and giving himself a better grip! Crippler balls up his fist again, and pushes himself off the ground.
Other Guy: Crippler is trying to build some momentum, pushing himself up and down off the ground. Why doesn’t he go back to plan A? That almost worked!
Eryk Masters: Because he can knock himself out if he punches himself in the face too much. He’s probably sensing he’s close to passing out!
Crippler rocks up and down, King’s grip like a vise, and finally, Crippler pushes himself backwards! King holds onto the Crossface, but Crippler has forced King onto his back! Austin Linam looks a little torn, as he sees that the submission is locked in, but King is now flat on his back in the center of the ring. King keeps Crippler’s arm as extended as it will go, with Crippler trying to get his footing for a bridge!
Eryk Masters: Look at this! Crippler is trying to force King to break the hold by trying to PIN HIM from the Crossface position!
Other Guy: It won’t work if he can’t get King’s shoulders down! He needs more than King’s back on the mat!
Crippler gets the bridge, and starts making adjustments, the pain probably becoming unbearable! King looks to have no intention of letting go. Linam is right there on the ground, checking King’s shoulders, yelling to Crippler, asking if he wants to submit! Crippler can make no verbal answer even if he wanted to. He pushes up a little more with his feet, and Austin Linam sees what he wants to see. A pair of shoulders, flat on the canvas!
ONE!!
TWO!
THREE!!
CRIPPLER TAPS!
Austin Linam jumps up, and calls for the bell, and the fans roar. He leans through the ropes to speak with Samantha Coil, as Donovan King relinquishes the Crossface, rolling to his knees, arm raised in the air. Samantha Coil passes by Tony Lorenzo, on his knees against the ring, and hands Linam the World Heavyweight Title.
Eryk Masters: Donovan King gets the submission victory! What an effort in this title defense by the reigning champion!
Other Guy: Hang on a second! Austin Linam counted three! We have a new World Champion!
Eryk Masters: OG, Crippler tapped! He couldn’t take the pain of the Carolina Crossface, and he couldn’t escape! It was definitely a hard fought battle..
Other Guy: That Crippler won!
Eryk Masters: Well, let’s get the official announcement!
Samantha Coil raises a mic to her lips, speaking out to the crowd.
Samantha Coil: At the time of fifty-three minutes, and 43 seconds, here is your winner…..
She pauses, and the crowd silences itself a bit…
Samantha Coil: And the NEWWWWWWW World Heavyweight Champion….
Eryk Masters: WHAT?
Other Guy: TOLD YOU SO!
The fans roar while Donovan King looks on with confusion, as Austin Linam hands the World Heavyweight title to an equally shocked Lunatikk Crippler.
Samantha Coil: Luuuuuuuuunatiiiiiiiikk Criiiiiiiiiiiipplerrrrrrrrrrr!
"The Sound of Madness kicks in, and Crippler is sitting in the ring, the World Heavyweight title laying comfortably in his arms. He brushes the hair and sweat out of his face, in order to get a clear look, and King is not happy. He’s arguing with Austin Linam, explaining that Crippler submitted. Crippler gets to his feet, adrenaline kicking in, and climbs the turnbuckles, raising the World Heavyweight Championship high above his head.
Eryk Masters: I….I’m thrilled for Lunatikk Crippler, he has captured the big one here tonight at Redemption but….but I don’t think this is right! Lunatikk Crippler CLEARLY tapped out!
Other Guy: And Austin Linam CLEARLY counted King’s shoulders down! Did you miss that?
Eryk Masters: I didn’t. But Crippler still submitted to the Carolina Crossface!
Meanwhile, outside the ring, Tony Lorenzo is having a conversation with Samantha Coil. She nods, understanding what he has to say. Lorenzo turns and goes into the ring, where King is still conversing heatedly with Austin Linam, and Crippler’s still celebrating his title win. Samantha Coil raises her mic once again.
Samantha Coil: Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please?
The crowd dies to a buzz, as Tony Lorenzo is explaining something to both King and Austin Linam, Linam looking as if he is disagreeing with what Lorenzo has to say.
Samantha Coil: The referee assigned to this match…has reversed the decision!
Other Guy: WHAT?
Samantha Coil: Therefore, your winner, by way of submission……and STILL World Heavyweight Champion….Donnnnnnovaaaaaaaaaan KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!
The music shuts off, to be replaced with "Rivers of Blood". Tony Lorenzo is explaining to the Crippler what is transpiring, but Crippler seems to be in a state of shock.
Eryk Masters: I knew it! I knew Crippler had submitted, and Tony Lorenzo spotted it!
Other Guy: From the arena floor? Get real!
As if on cue, a replay kicks in of the match’s final seconds. Linam’s hand is dropping for a second time, and we see on the corner of the screen, Tony Lorenzo propping himself up on the apron. Linam’s hand comes down for number three, and as it does, Crippler begins to tap out on the ground. We see Lorenzo stumble backwards, calling for the bell exactly as Austin Linam does.
Eryk Masters: He saw it! King has retained!
Other Guy: You just don’t want Lunatikk Crippler to be World Champion! Is that it?
Eryk Masters: On the contrary, if Lunatikk Crippler had won tonight, he’d be a champion to be proud of, just like King! But Lunatikk Crippler tapped out!
The refs are still arguing, as are the wrestlers. The World title has be returned to Donovan King, who raises it high in the air, almost taunting Crippler. Crippler tries to rush forward, but both referees push him back.
Another replay hits the screen, this time, in slow motion. Austin Linam’s hand comes down for the third time, and the moment it makes contact with the mat, Crippler’s does as well, in a show of submission.
Other Guy: That is awfully close. Maybe King did get the win here.
Eryk Masters: I don’t know, you may have been right before. It looks like Austin Linam counted to three, alright.
Other Guy: Oh, I get it. You don’t want Donovan King as World Champion! It’s because he’s…..you know. From the South.
Eryk Masters: That is probably the dumbest thing you have ever said, and you’ve said some dumb things.
Other Guy: Alright, Mr. My Heart is Peeing. Why don’t I go tell the boss you have something against Southerners?
Eryk Masters: You won’t have to go anywhere. The boss is coming to you.
Other Guy: HI BOSS!!
Jason Johnson has made his way ringside. He strolls quickly around the ring, going directly to Samantha Coil. Both referees meet him there and converge on him, each making his story for either of the competitors. Crippler and King have abandoned all attempts to go at each other, and are watching this meeting outside, both more anxious to see what the ruling is going to be.
Eryk Masters: Finally, Jason Johnson will clear things up!
Other Guy: That’s MISTER Jason Johnson to you!
Johnson waves off the referees, and speaks directly to Samantha Coil. When he finishes, she nods and replaces the mic to her lips once more.
Samantha Coil: Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please?
The crowd is near silent now. Everyone wants to hear what she has to say.
Samantha Coil: Referee Austin Linam has counted Donovan King’s shoulders for the count of three, and has awarded the match to Lunatikk Crippler!
Crippler raises his arm in the air, and the crowd pops.
Samantha Coil: HOWEVER, Referee Tony Lorenzo, the assigned official for this contest, has ruled Donovan King the winner via submission!
King raises HIS arm in the air, and gets a pop from the crowd as well.
Samantha Coil: Upon further review from SHOOT Project officials, including the CEO, Jason Johnson, it has been determined that the third count and Lunatikk Crippler’s tap out submission happened SIMULTANEOUSLY
Eryk Masters: I don’t like where this is going….
Samantha Coil: Therefore, the ruling is determined that at fifty-three minutes, forty-three second, this match has been ruled….a DRAW.
Boos. THUNDEROUS boos. Not a single person in this arena is happy with that ruling, especially Lunatikk Crippler and Donovan King.
Samantha Coil: And as a title cannot change hands except by pinfall OR submission, STILL your World Heavyweight Champion, Donovan King!
"Rivers of Blood" kicks back on, and the fans begin to cheer again. King takes his title and rolls underneath the bottom rope, leaving a very upset Lunatikk Crippler in the ring behind him.
Eryk Masters: Well, whether you like the ruling or you don’t, the ruling is final. Donovan King is STILL your World Heavyweight Champion, and he earned that right once again tonight!
Other Guy: So did Lunatikk Crippler! You gotta feel for the guy. He had the World Heavyweight Championship in his HANDS. And then, poof. It was gone.
Eryk Masters: You’ve gotta believe there’s going to be another chance for Crippler very soon. Both of these men left everything out here tonight, spilling blood, sweat and tears for the SHOOT Project fans. This is a match I would LOVE to see again!
We cut to the locker room area of the Epicenter as Abigail Chase is standing by with a microphone in hand.
Chase: We’ve already seen so much action here tonight at Redemption, but everyone is still talking about the Rumble match coming up in a very short while. Who will be the last person standing and claim that guaranteed World Title shot? Well, I’m standing outside the locker room of a man who has been extremely vocal in his desire to win tonight…
Abigail backs up and reveals a black sign that reads "Azrael Goeren" in gold print. The fans inside the arena immediately start to boo as SHOOT’s intrepid backstage interviewer continues.
Chase: As many of you know, Azrael Goeren will be making his return to active competition here in SHOOT during the Rumble. I’m not sure if I’m lucky or not, but I’ve been sent back here to try to get a word from him about tonight’s match.
She inhales deeply and knocks on the door very apprehensively.
Chase: Mr. Goeren? It’s Abigail Chase. Can we get a comment on tonight’s match?
No response from inside the room. Abigail bites her lower lip and knocks again, this time with a bit more force.
Chase: I saw you enter the arena earlier tonight, do you have anything you want to say?
Still nothing.
Chase: Mr. Goeren? The world wants to know…
Before she can finish her sentence, the locker room door swings open and Azrael Goeren emerges to another round of boos from the audience in the arena. Azrael is already dressed in his ring gear, a pair of Beats earbuds in his ears. He pulls them out slowly, staring down Abigail with a look of contempt.
Chase: Any…any comment on the Rumble tonight?
Azrael smiles and runs his hand across Abigail’s face. She immediately pulls back but keeps the microphone near him.
Chase: Are you worried about ring rust after being away from SHOOT for the last few months?
Again, nothing from The Megastar aside from a slight smirk.
Chase: What is going to be your strategy heading into tonight’s match?
Goeren shakes his head and takes a step back. He reaches for his earbuds and pops them back in before slamming the door closed behind him. Abigail looks absolutely stunned as she turns back to face the camera.
Chase: There…there you have it. Apparently that’s a "no comment" from Azrael Goeren in his return here tonight. Pretty surprising considering he’s usually impossible to shut up. We’ll see just how focused he truly is coming up next…
The bell rings and the fans immediately start paying attention to the center of the ring where we see Samantha Coil, looking as elegant as ever. She looks over the sea of fans who have experienced one hell of a show thus far.
Samantha Coil: Ladies and gentlemen…the following is the REDEMPTION RUMBLE!
The fans erupt into cheers.
Samantha Coil: The match will start with two SHOOT Project Soldiers who will go at it for FIVE minutes before the next Soldier comes out and then…a Soldier will come out once every TWO minutes until ALL THIRTY-FIVE Soldiers make their way to the ring! A Soldier is only eliminated from the match after being thrown OVER the top rope and BOTH feet hit the floor!
“Everything Burns” by Anastacia plays as TANYA BLACK slowly walks to the ring, stopping halfway to glare at the fans who boo her. She walks past the jeering fans and walks around the ring before she finally slides into the ring with a burst of speed. She nods her head with a grin on her face as she holds her finger up for all to see, letting the world know because we all had no idea…she is entrant number one.
Eryk Masters: Tanya Black with the unfortunate first draw. Last year that spot was held by Trey Willett and I’ve gotta tell you, he had a star making performance that night.
After her theme song dies down, she marches around the ring with her hands on her hips, waiting for entrant number two.
If you havin’ girl problems, I feel bad for you son
I got ninety-nine problems an’ a bitch ain’t one
“99 Problems” by Hugo plays, but the fans are somewhat confused as the bluesy cover hits. The confusion doesn’t last long however, and the fans RIP into cheers as Tanya Black turns her head and stares at the entrance with a look of absolute shock. Her eyes grow wider and wider as out from the back, at number two, emerges BUCK DRESDEN. He stands at the entrance, glaring down at Tanya Black.
Eryk Masters: HA HA! YES!
Other Guy: Number two all over again!
Buck throws his cowboy hat off into the audience and SPRINTS into the ring! Tanya quickly slides from the ring, shaking her head no as Buck marches over to her, trying to tell her to get into the ring. The referee demands she get in as well, and the fans are excited to see these two forced to go at it once again. Tanya sighs and slides into the ring, just in time for the referee to call for the bell!
Eryk Masters: We’ve got Tanya Black versus Buck Dresden to set the Redemption Rumble off!
Buck charges at her and she slides right back out of the ring, prompting boos from the fans! She looks around and yells at one of the fans as Buck sneers at her, still pacing around the ring. She rolls her eyes at some insult she hears from the fans, sauntering around the ring, the fans booing louder and louder as she paces around the ring. Buck motions for the microphone from Samantha Coil.
Buck Dresden: Hey, Tanya! TANYA! Yoo hooo!
Tanya turns to face the ring, a sneer on her face.
Buck Dresden: Why don’t you just go ahead an’ get in this here ring an’ take what’s comin’ to ya?
The fans pop BIG as Tanya scoffs. She walk up the ring steps and is on the ring apron before she drops back down again, laughing as Buck grows frustrated with her.
Buck Dresden: What’s is gonna take, huh?
Buck touches his index finger to his chin until he realizes he has a good idea.
Buck Dresden: I don’t gotta worry about hittin’ a woman with you, because you’re clearly post-op?
The fans laugh, but Tanya isn’t biting. She mouths “Whatever” as she continues to pace around the ring.
Buck Dresden: No? Okay. Hold on.
He starts to think a little bit more.
Buck Dresden: Hey, Tanya.
He grins.
Buck Dresden: Laura Seton is the Alpha Female in SHOOT.
Annnnnd that does it! Tanya’s in the ring and Buck immediately throws the microphone down to meet her! She chops him across the chest and he hits a chop in return! She staggers back and returns to chop him! He staggers back and chops her once again! She goes to chop him, but he blocks it and slaps her IN THE FACE.
Other Guy: IN THE FACE! IN THE FAAAAAACE!
Buck whips her into the ropes and bends over, telegraphing his back body drop, but she leapfrogs over him! He turns around and she catches him with a jawbreaker! He bounces back up and she catches him again, hitting him with a Side Effect! He’s down on the mat now and she rushes past him, leaps to the middle rope, leaps back with a Lionsault! NO! Buck’s got his knees up! She sees it, she lands on her feet, avoiding the counter! She quickly grabs his legs, though, and hits a HARSH legdrop to his man parts!
Eryk Masters: Tanya Black might have been playing one hell of a psychological game with Buck earlier on. She avoided him like the plague, ran in quickly, and is in control!
Buck clutches his Long Horn as Tanya sprawls over him and writhes, reminiscent of their first one on one encounter. She seems to be in the middle of an orgasm as Buck quickly…grabs her breasts?! She looks down at him, completely shocked. He looks up at her, a hybrid of fear and disgust on his face. He takes her breasts and squeezes…and does so…pretty fucking hard. The fans ERUPT in laughter as she cries out in pain! He manages to SHOVE her off of him and pick himself up off of the mat.
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
Tanya holds her chest as she begins to pick herself up off of the mat herself.
SEVEN!
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
Buck and Tanya look at one another.
THREE!
TWO!
ONE!
The horn sounds as “UltraNUMB” by Blue Stahli plays! NUMBAH ONE bursts out running towards the ring, stops in the middle and takes a breather, then starts sprinting towards the ring then starts beating up anyone who is close. That someone turns out to be Buck Dresden, who seems really…confused. Tanya Black quickly LOW BLOWS Numbah One and grabs him by the sides of his face.
Tanya Black: HEY. WE…
She points to Buck
Tanya Black: …ARE FIGHTING.
She motions to Buck, who aims his imaginary shot gun at Numbah One! Tanya throws Numbah One at Buck, he hooks Numbah One in…and NAILS the Buck Shot! Buck picks him up and Tanya grabs the other side of the erstwhile masked wrestler…and the two of them LAUNCH Numbah One over the top rope to the floor!
Eryk Masters: Numbah One is number three and elimination number one!
Other Guy: I hate math!
Despite the random alliance, Tanya QUICKLY dumps Buck to the outside, but he skins the cat! She IMMEDIATELY starts to BITE his fingers! Buck cries out in pain and catches his footing on the ring apron. He grabs her hair and NAILS a modified Stun Gun, snapping her head off of the top rope! Buck lands on the ring apron and throws himself into the ring once again.
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
Buck nurses his bitten fingers as Tanya catches her breath.
THREE!
TWO!
ONE!
The horn sounds “Not Going Away” by Ozzy Osbourne plays as CRONOS DIAMANTE comes out from the back. He makes no motions to the cheering crowd. He walks up the ring steps and looks at Buck and Tanya, the two of them extremely angry with one another still. Cronos motions to Buck and then motions to Tanya. He throws his hands up to let them know he’s not going to get involved.
Eryk Masters: Cronos saw what happened to Numbah One, apparently.
Other Guy: There’s a lot of problems between Buck and Tanya. This is like pro wrestling’s answer to Ron Burgundy and Veronica Corningstone!
Eryk Masters: That is a terrible comparison, OG. I liked that movie. I can’t stand the Syndicate.
Tanya and Buck lock up once more, but Buck hooks her in a headlock! She drags him backwards, bounces him off of the ropes and throws him into the opposite ropes, only to have Buck catch her on the return with a HARD shoulderblock! She is FLATTENED as Buck wastes no time picking her up. He looks over to Cronos and motions for him to help throw her over the top rope, but she gouges Buck’s eyes and throws HIM over the top rope once again!
TEN!
NINE!
Buck Dresden is on the ring apron, trading punches with Tanya Black!
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
Cronos shrugs his shoulders and he grabs Tanya by the back of the head and throws HER over the top rope, but she holds onto the middle rope for dear life, her feet almost scraping the floor!
THREE!
TWO!
ONE!
The horn sounds as Buck gets back into the ring and Sebastian Bach’s squeal rips through the arena which launches Skid Row’s "Monkey Business" as ARCH ANGEL strolls out dressed in black pants and boots, a tight white tanktop, and both his fists taped up. He strolls confidently towards the ring.
Eryk Masters: One half of ANARCHY! These longtime associates of Loco Martinez have rubbed shoulders with some of the greats in this industry!
Other Guy: I can only imagine how they’re gonna do when faced with such a challenge as a Redemption Rumble!
Tanya Black manages to get back into the ring now as we have four Soldiers in at once. Arch Angel starts to trade punches with Buck Dresden as Tanya gets in Cronos’ face, angry he chose to target her. He quickly catches her with a SNAP suplex, bringing her to the mat. He rushes to lock in the Ne-Han, but she is quick to get back to her feet, though he keeps the full nelson on. Meanwhile, Arch Angel ops to let Buck get his feet under him after a HARD punch to the head before he lifts Buck onto his shoulder and carries him over to the turnbuckle, and SLAMS Buck down with a snake eyes!
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
Arch Angel picks Buck up and starts trying to get him over the ropes!
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
Cronos gives up on the Ne-Han and SLAMS Tanya down with a full nelson slam!
THREE!
TWO!
ONE!
The horn sounds as "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Slayer plays, the fans booing HARD as COREY LAZARUS makes his way to the ring. He saunters down slowly to the ring, smirking as he looks at the action going on in the ring. He leaps up onto the ring apron and starts to pull Buck down, helping Arch Angel. Angel, however, does not seem to like the assistance and NAILS Lazarus with a hard punch, sending Lazarus back down to the floor!
Other Guy: Now, ladies and gentlemen, that ISN’T an elimination! Lazarus isn’t even in the match officially yet!
Eryk Masters: Good Lord, though, how methodical and merciless is Arch Angel?! He’s manhandling Buck Dresden and he just bitch slapped Corey Lazarus!
Lazarus cradles his jaw as he picks himself up. He slides into the ring as Arch Angel continues to try to eliminate Buck, only to low blow Arch Angel from behind! Buck gets to his feet and LEVELS Arch Angel with a Lariat! Tanya Black sees Lazarus as he hits Buck in the back of the head. She quickly gouges Cronos’ eyes and leaps onto Corey’s back, furious at him!
Other Guy: Tanya Black is either secretly in love with Buck Dresden, or she’s still sore about earlier tonight!
Eryk Masters: Tanya Black still holds a grudge against the doctor for smacking her ass when she was born…you don’t think she won’t hold a grudge against a guy for something that only happened a couple of hours ago?!
Lazarus manages to throw her off of him, but Buck catches him with a belly to back suplex! Tanya looks over at Buck and for just the most fleeting of moments, her eyes soften…JUST in time for Buck to DESTROY her with the STIFFEST Lariat thus far tonight! The fans pop BIG as he stares down at her, nodding his head at the fans’ approval.
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
Cronos and Arch Angel are both up now!
SEVEN!
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
Lazarus is slowly coming to!
THREE!
TWO!
ONE!
The horn sounds as “Let The Madness Begin” by FOZZY plays. Out from the back emerges CHANCE RYAN, who sprints down to the ring and enters the ring quickly, bringing Lazarus back down and then SLAMMING Buck to the mat, helping Tanya up.
Eryk Masters: This doesn’t look good for either Buck OR Corey, OG.
Other Guy: All of a sudden, there’s a full-fledged team in the ring!
Eryk Masters: And I don’t care who you are…if you have even the slightest inkling of an ally in this thing, you take it!
Tanya slaps Chance on the chest and motions to pick Lazarus up. The two of them whip him to the ropes and lift him HIGH…and pancake him to the mat! Meanwhile, Cronos struggles with Arch Angel, who is manhandling him due to his size. Cronos, ever the wily veteran, finally gets to dodge a punch from the mighty ANARCHY member, moves to the left, and kicks the side of Arch Angel’s knee, bringing him to his knees! Cronos bounces off of the ropes and LEVELS Arch Angel with a HARD Yakuza Kick! Knowing Arch Angel is going to be dead weight, he leans against the ropes to catch his breath.
Eryk Masters: I have to say that, despite dealing with the largest guy in the ring, Cronos is utilizing the smartest strategy, picking his battles, avoiding trying to eliminate people who’ll give him a struggle on his own.
Other Guy: Not to mention he doesn’t have beefs with any of the folks in the ring right now, so it’s easier to pick your battles.
Meanwhile, however, Buck is being torn apart by Tanya Black and Chance Ryan. Corey Lazarus smirks as he slides away from the carnage, not wanting to be noticed.
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
Eryk Masters: I hope whoever’s coming out is gonna help Buck, because the Syndicate almost have him out of here!
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
THREE!
Lazarus sighs and clubs Ryan from behind, saving Buck from elimination!
TWO!
Arch Angel is back up now and he rushes at Cronos!
ONE!
The horn sounds and “Lay Down” by Priestess plays, bringing the fans to their feet as JARED WALSH is out now! He is heavily bandaged, but he hobbles down to the ring, clearly favoring his left leg. Lazarus motions to Jared, slapping Buck on the chest. The unlikely alliance between Buck and Lazarus suddenly gets attacked by Tanya Black and Chance Ryan! The four of them trade punches as Jared gets to the ring apron. He sighs, gets his shit together, and LEAPS to the top rope…and LAUNCHES off the top with a cross body block, taking ALL FOUR of them down!
Eryk Masters: Jared isn’t leaving anything behind in the locker room!
Jared gets up and rushes Arch Angel, wrapping himself around Arch Angel’s arms in a crucifix, and Cronos takes that chance to SPEAR Arch Angel, with a double team, bringing Arch Angel to the mat! Jared cries out to the fans, excited at being in the Redemption Rumble, only for Cronos to clothesline him over the top rope! Jared goes flying out, but he catches the top and middle ropes, swinging violently, hanging on for dear life! Cronos scoffs at Jared’s tenacity and starts to put the boots to him. Meanwhile, Lazarus and Buck whip Tanya Black to the ropes and bring her DOWN with a double elbow smash. Chance Ryan yells for them to attack him, and Buck and Corey are only too happy to oblige. Buck charges at him, but Corey hangs back, letting Chance FLATTEN Buck with a sidewalk slam! He lords over Buck’s body as the countdown begins!
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
Corey motions to Chance to have at Buck!
SEVEN!
Chance picks Buck up, but Buck powers out of Chance’s grasp!
SIX!
Buck and Chance start trading blows!
FIVE!
FOUR!
THREE!
Chance ONCE AGAIN flattens Buck!
TWO!
ONE!
The horn sounds!
I want it all
I want it all
I WANT IT ALL
AND I WANT IT NOW
Armageddon’s “I Want It All/We Will Rock You” kicks in and the fans are pretty much unsure of how to react as CHARLES BRANDON MAGNUS appears at the entrance.
Other Guy: Uh oh!
Magnus saunters down to the ring, dressed in his former singles run Magnus tights in all their purple glory. He walks up the ring steps and motions for Chance to leave Buck alone. Chance, a grin on his face, wants to see how this plays out. Magnus enters the ring and stands between Chance and Buck. Buck looks up at Magnus and the two old friends share a moment between the two of them. Buck sighs when he looks into the furious eyes of Magnus. Magnus, however, nods…AND DESTROYS CHANCE RYAN WITH A LARIAT OVER THE TOP ROPE TO THE FLOOR BELOW!! The fans ERUPT!
Eryk Masters: YES!
Tanya Black looks at the scene in front of her in horror as Magnus helps Buck up…and they embrace! The Bad Ass Brotherhood is reunited!
Other Guy: NOW the scales have tipped in the other direction!
The fans are chanting “BAD ASS, BAD ASS, BAD ASS” as Magnus and Buck embrace. Buck pulls back and starts talking to Magnus, slapping him on the back while Magnus tries to get him to focus up. The two of them slowly look around the ring and see what is before them. Arch Angel has stopped fighting with Cronos, and Cronos is in the corner trying to heal from the assault laid upon him by the monster. Corey Lazarus is in another corner, staring at the Bad Ass Brotherhood while Tanya Black seems rather worried about the situation.
Eryk Masters: Tanya Black has GOT to be worried right about now, OG. The Bad Ass Brotherhood has just eliminated Chance Ryan, they are united, Corey Lazarus, who was just in the ring against her a little while ago is in there, and I can assume that Tanya probably found her own way to piss Cronos and Arch Angel off.
Other Guy: Don’t forget Jared Walsh, who doesn’t have any friends in there, either. If I were her, I’d be sucking up to Long Island Hardcore something fierce!
Buck and Magnus descend on Tanya, but Lazarus low blows Magnus! Doubling him over, he motions for Arch Angel to help him remove Magnus from the ring. Buck clubs Corey in the back of the head, while Tanya rubs her forehead, happy to see her time in the ring is going to continue just a little while longer!
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
Buck LIFTS Corey into a belly to back suplex!
SEVEN!
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
THREE!
Buck NAILS Arch Angel in the back of the head and saves Magnus from elimination!
TWO!
ONE!
The horn sounds and “LAURA SETON” appears on the SHOOTtron to a helpful dose of booing.
Can’t read my
Can’t read my
No, he can’t read my poker face
“Poker Face” by Lady Gaga plays as Laura Seton steps out from the back as the crowd goes crazy with their new dislike for her. She pays no mind to it as she slowly walks to the ring.
Eryk Masters: She sure is taking her sweet time getting to the ring.
The camera focuses on Tanya Black, who mouths the word “Really?!” as if even the rumble entry order is against her.
Other Guy: She’s letting them beat each other up. It’s strategy. She’s not the only person to do this.
As she gets to ringside, she stops and crosses her arms as she surveys the scene. A cameraman goes in for a close up of her, but the video camera gets a bit too close to her. She gives him a stiff shove, knocking him over, before sliding into the ring amidst more booing. Tanya Black marches up to her, but Laura stops her. Tanya holds her fists up, ready for a fight, but Laura starts to explain herself to Tanya. Out of nowhere, Magnus hits Tanya with a VICIOUS Side Russian Leg Sweep and Laura breaks into a laugh!
Eryk Masters: Laura Seton’s new mean streak is ridiculous…I don’t think I’ve ever seen her spitefully let an opponent get attacked from behind like that!
Meanwhile, Laura ties up against Jared Walsh. She quickly whips him to the ropes , but he leapfrogs over her on the return! She turns, ready for the attack, but Jared leaps up…HURRICANRANA! Laura stumbles forward RIGHT into a Cronos Diamante Yakuza Kick! Laura lands HARD on the mat and she quickly rolls to the ring apron and out to the floor below, much the chagrin of the fans!
Other Guy: WOW…one moment of being outmatched and she’s out of the ring!
Eryk Masters: Legally, though. She’s still in this thing!
She looks at the referee and makes the motion for a “time out” and she cradles her chin and the back of her head, kneeling outside of the ring. Cronos looks out at her, and Arch Angel dumps him to the ring apron! Cronos is back up to his feet, but Arch Angel is punching at him HARD! Cronos quickly grabs Arch Angel by the head and locks in a front face lock, wrapping his legs around Arch Angel’s midsection between the ropes!
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
Magnus gets Tanya Black up onto his shoulders and Buck bounces against the ropes, ready to hit their tag team finisher on her!
SEVEN!
SIX!
Buck charges at Magnus and Tanya, BUT COREY LAZARUS CONNECTS WITH THE END CREDITS!
FIVE!
FOUR!
Magnus throws Tanya down, but Lazarus pokes him in the eye!
THREE!
TWO!
Cronos starts to PULL Arch Angel OVER the top rope to the apron with him!
ONE!
“The Red” by Chevelle plays and CJ NELSON is out, running to the ring to his partner’s side! He slides into the ring and immediately greets Corey Lazarus with a snap jab! Then another! And he FLATTENS him with a STIFF AS FUCK Lariat, flipping the movie star around onto his stomach! He high fives Jared and the two of them immediately double team Magnus, sending him into the ropes! Meanwhile, Arch Angel AND Cronos are over the top rope, trading punches on the ring apron when suddenly, Laura Seton grabs Arch Angel’s ankle and trips him up, sending him to the floor!
Other Guy: Laura Seton just eliminated Arch Angel!
Eryk Masters: With half the tag division getting lower numbers in this thing, I’m stunned Arch Angel’s partner didn’t get out here in time to even the odds.
Arch Angel marches away from the ring, frustrated that Laura Seton caught him unawares. Meanwhile, Cronos is back into the ring, awaiting Laura Seton…who is BACK to clutching her chin in pain from the Yakuza Kick! The fans boo her as she begins to demand the referee fetch her a bottle of water! Meanwhile, Long Island Hardcore almost has Magnus eliminated when Jared gets thrown to the side by Buck! CJ quickly gets to Jared’s side and the two tag teams face off! Buck and Magnus glare down CJ and Jared when Buck attacks Jared, who ducks his Lariat and leaps to the top rope and MOONSAULTS onto Buck AND Magnus! CJ laughs until he catches a LOW BLOW from Lazarus! Lazarus grins as he gets to his feet, but Jared is right there with punches to Corey’s million dollar face!
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
THREE!
Lazarus is against the ropes, Jared might have him!
TWO!
ONE!
The lights go off on the rampway which means only one thing.
Perhaps you better start from the beginning
Eryk Masters: DAMMIT! I forgot he was in the Rumble!
Perhaps you better start from the beginning
Perhaps you better start from the beginning
Other Guy: Here comes the dark horse of the rumble!
Perhaps you better start from the beginning
Eryk Masters: I hope he lasts less than 10 seconds..
Perhaps you better start from the beginning
Other Guy: I know…there’s GOT to be a more intimidating intro for a guy named Napalm besides “you better start from the beginning”.
"Electric Head Pt.1" Kicks in as a very smug JOHNNY NAPALM comes out looking at the ring with an almost demonic grin on his face as he reaches to the middle of the ramp he slams his hands to the ground as pyro light off at the top of the ramp.
Eryk Masters: Napalm has no right to be in the rumble, he is no Soldier all he amounts to is a jackass!
The camera catches Tanya Black, who is rolling her eyes at the comedy that is the order in which people are coming out for the Rumble.
Other Guy: He was one of the first to throw his name in the rumble, even though Tanya Black called him a joke.
Eryk Masters: Which he is…
Napalm enters the ring and IMMEDIATELY starts trading punches with Tanya Black! He is able to overpower her briefly, and he is just ENRAGED at her. He keeps pummeling her until she falls to the mat, trying to block the attack. He sprawls OVER her and keeps punching!
Other Guy: At what point is this less a match and more assault?
Eryk Masters: Well…I mean…if the Mayans were right, I wish the Earth would open up and swallow the two of them whole right now…the Epicenter’d have a big hole in the middle but I’d have a lot more fun calling matches!
Jared seems to have the upper hand against Corey Lazarus and hooks his head up, ready to hit You Dissolve on him! He gets a running start…but Corey keeps him up in the air! Jared is trying to finish the move, but Lazarus dumps him to the outside…but Jared KEEPS a hold of Corey’s head! Jared’s legs are trying to get their footing on the ring apron, and CJ is on the way to help him out! CJ is about to attack Corey from behind, but Buck swings him around and NAILS the Buck Shot on him! Corey gouges Jared’s eyes and Jared falls to the floor!
Other Guy: Buck Dresden just inadvertently helped get a member of Long Island Hardcore eliminated!
Corey laughs to himself as he and Buck make eye contact and are about to fight when Johnny Napalm shouts for all to hear.
Johnny Napalm: HEY!
All eyes turn to see him picking Black up.
Johnny Napalm: WHO WANTS TO HELP ME THROW THIS BITCH OUT!?
Eryk Masters: Now we see if people’s hatred for Tanya Black is greater than their hatred for Johnny Napalm.
Buck, Magnus, Corey, Laura, and Cronos all look at Napalm as he picks Black up.
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
THREE!
They ALL attack Napalm AND Black at the same time.
TWO!
ONE!
"Blood" by In This Moment plays and ELIZABETH GAUNT steps out to a chorus of boos. She seems somewhat weary as she walks down the entrance ramp.
Eryk Masters: Elizabeth Gaunt is our first SCAR representative tonight and in SUCH a hotly contested Rumble, she’s gonna need all the allies she can get!
Gaunt slides into the ring and watches as everyone puts the boots to Tanya and Napalm. Cronos, CJ, and Laura pick Tanya up while Buck, Magnus, and Corey get Napalm in their clutches, guiding them to the ropes. Napalm’s nose seems busted as blood drips out of it. Gaunt leans against the turnbuckle and shrugs as Tanya and Napalm fight valiantly to avoid being eliminated. Tanya gets her legs grapevined around the top rope while Napalm makes his body go dead weight. Cronos starts to work on Tanya’s leg when he sees out the corner of his eye Elizabeth Gaunt, standing in the corner, fresh and alone. Out of nowhere, Cronos breaks off his assault on Tanya Black and NAILS Gaunt with a clothesline into the corner! He drags Gaunt from the corner and hooks her into an abdominal stretch, causing her to shriek in pain.
Other Guy: So much for avoiding conflict…Cronos sees the one person closest to Isaac Entragian in this match and he just goes wild!
Tanya manages to poke CJ Nelson in the eye and kicks Laura Seton away from her, getting herself back into the ring. Meanwhile, Napalm has just one arm holding a rope, trying to avoid elimination on the other side. The Bad Ass Brotherhood and Corey Lazarus nearly have him completely eliminated as he manages to swing his other arm out and grab the bottom rope, holding on for dear life. Cronos is pummeling Gaunt’s midsection while she is in the abdominal stretch and lets the hold go, but not before grabbing her by the back of her hair and SLAMMING her down to the mat!
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
Napalm slithers back into the ring underneath the bottom rope, despite the Bad Ass Brotherhood and Corey Lazarus putting the boots to him!
SEVEN!
SIX!
FIVE!
They get Napalm to his feet and he NAILS Buck with an elbow!
FOUR!
Magnus gets an elbow!
THREE!
Lazarus gets an elbow!
TWO!
Napalm is loose in the ring, and he charges at Cronos blindly attacking him from behind!
ONE!
The horn sounds as "The Baddest Man Alive" by RZA and the Black Keys plays and the fans instantly boo with some small smattering of cheers scattered about as ADRIAN CORAZON makes his appearance.
Other Guy: Looks like Gaunt’s not alone anymore!
Corazon walks out to the ring slowly, watching the chaos as it unfolds before him. He stands there, watching as Johnny Napalm has Cronos on the ropes and sees Gaunt trying to regain her senses nearby. He slowly slides into the ring and IMMEDIATELY spins Napalm around and NAILS him with the Acts of Brutality!
Eryk Masters: Is Corazon…HELPING Cronos!?
With Napalm dazed from the quick assault, Corazon grabs him by the back of his head and ROCKETS him over the top rope to the floor! Cronos looks at Corazon somewhat bewildered as Corazon kneels down to check on Gaunt. Tanya Black, however, still surviving after all this time, gets a moment to rest as Corey Lazarus is trying to get Buck eliminated from the match and Laura Seton is trying to get Magnus eliminated. A grin crosses Black’s face as she rushes to Laura’s side…and she KICKS Laura in her back! Laura arches back in pain and Black connects with a Backcracker! Magnus leans against the ropes, trying to get his wits about him…and Tanya Black grabs him by his cheeks and headbutts him! Magnus is reeling against the ropes, Black grabs the top rope and throws all of her strength behind a HARD kick to Magnus’ face, sending him OVER the top rope to the floor below!
Other Guy: Buck is by himself all over again!
Eryk Masters: Tanya Black has just eliminated Charles Brandon Magnus!
Black drops to her knees and waves at Magnus, who is clutching his face, looking up at her in fury. Buck has yet to see the elimination, as he is doing all he can to avoid being eliminated himself by Corey Lazarus. Corazon, meanwhile, gets Gaunt to her feet and the two of them go their separate ways in the ring, Gaunt leaps onto Tanya Black while Corazon SAVES Buck from elimination! The fans pop as Buck narrowly avoids elimination once again, this time thanks to a member of Project:SCAR!
TEN!
NINE!
Lazarus is face to face with Corazon!
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
Corazon throws a punch, but Corey blocks!
SIX!
Corey with an elbow, but Corazon blocks!
FIVE!
Corazon ducks another elbow and hooks Corey up for a Uranage!
FOUR!
Corey elbows Corazon in the back of the head and hooks his arm around the head in a front face lock!
THREE!
Corazon goes for a Northern Lights Suplex!
TWO!
Corey spins out with a tornado DDT!
ONE!
The horn sounds and no music plays? SILAS MITCHELL steps out, saying nothing. He merely stares dead ahead and walks to the ring slowly.
Eryk Masters: Uh oh…El Asso Wipo’s big bodyguard slash sidekick slash confidante slash…I assume caterer is out here now!
Silas walks up the ring steps and steps OVER the top rope and surveys the action in the ring. He spots CJ Nelson dragging Laura Seton to the ropes and then Buck Dresden trying to get his wits about him. He sees Corazon being kicks by Corey Lazarus and then Elizabeth Gaunt attacking Tanya Black. He also looks over to Cronos, who seems ready for a fight. Silas storms over to Elizabeth Gaunt and grabs her by the nape of her neck and her pants and THROWS her off of Tanya Black!
Other Guy: Is Silas Mitchell helping Tanya Black?!
Silas gets Tanya to get feet and the two of them glare at one another. Silas WHIPS her to the ropes and brings her down HARD with a bicycle kick!
Eryk Masters: Okay, the amount of people who are using Tanya Black as some sort of cathartic punching bag in this is fantastic for me.
Other Guy: Truly, as we get closer to one hour in this thing, I can’t believe she’s lasted so long.
Silas reaches down and picks her up, only to have Gaunt chop block his knee! Silas goes down to one knee, and Gaunt NAILS him with an enziguiri! Silas falls backward, but catches himself with his hand and starts to pick himself up again! Gaunt seems concerned as she bounces against the ropes and hits him with a dropkick that he starts to shrug off! The fans are as stunned as Gaunt is as Silas stands right back up!
TEN!
NINE!
Silas grabs her by her throat!
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
SIX!
He drags her to the ropes!
FIVE!
FOUR!
She’s holding on!
THREE!
TWO!
ONE!
The horn sounds and "Red Pyramids" by Akira Yamaoka plays, bringing down MASSIVE boos from the audience as ISAAC ENTRAGIAN appears, sprinting FAST to the ring! He slides underneath the bottom rope and IMMEDIATELY rams an elbow into Silas’ arm, breaking the choke he had on Gaunt! Silas turns around to lock eyes with the Ivory Terror, but Isaac wastes NO time and Lariats Silas OVER the top rope to the floor!
Eryk Masters: Isaac has just eliminated Silas!
Other Guy: He looks really banged up, but he looks PISSED.
Isaac glares at everyone else in the ring as he stands over Gaunt, who is trying to catch her breath. Cronos and CJ Nelson are now in one corner, both of them staring down the massive monster of a man. Corazon has rallied from Corey’s attack and is trying to eliminate Corey himself, unaware that Isaac is even in the ring. Buck and Tanya, the longest running entrants in the Rumble, are both on their knees trying to regain some strength, both of them aware of Isaac, but Buck slowly realizing that Magnus…is gone.
Eryk Masters: Uh oh…I think Buck is just now figuring out that Charles Brandon Magnus isn’t in this thing anymore.
Buck stands up, looking around the ring and he sees Tanya Black, who is also picking herself off of the mat. She looks at him and Buck starts making the connection as to who must have eliminated Magnus. Tanya quickly shakes her head and points to Corey Lazarus, who Corazon has almost out of the ring. Buck walks over to her and gets in her face, but Tanya makes her case that it was Lazarus who did it, not her.
Eryk Masters: That woman will do anything to stay alive in this thing, won’t she?
Tanya cups Buck’s face and locks eyes with him, telling every lie she can in the book that it wasn’t her that eliminated Magnus, but it was Lazarus. She charges at Lazarus and starts to help Corazon eliminate him, leaving Buck to stare her down, confused at her earnestness.
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
CJ Nelson walks over to Buck and starts to point at Tanya!
SEVEN!
SIX!
FIVE!
Buck looks over to Tanya and his face goes red!
FOUR!
CJ SLAPS Buck in the face and points to her again!
THREE!
Buck charges over to Tanya and spins her around!
TWO!
BUCK LARIATS TANYA OVER THE TOP ROPE!
ONE!
SHE SKINS THE CAT as the horn sounds as “Natural One” by The Folk Implosion brings RON BARKER out to the ring! He rushes down and slides into the ring quickly. He surveys the match and attacks Corazon, saving Corey!
Eryk Masters: The Genesis Corporation are alive and well in this thing now! The remains of the tag division need to be on notice!
Buck charges at Tanya, but Ron Barker catches him and LEVELS him with the Perfection! Barker leaps to his feet, screaming at the fans as he seems legitimately excited to be back in this kind of match. Cronos and Isaac meet in the middle of the ring…and IMMEDIATELY start to trade blows against one another! Tanya Black holds her chest as she sees Buck down in the middle of the ring near the Isaac and Cronos assault going down. She slides over to him and starts to drag him as best as she can to the ropes. Once she gets him there, she motions for Ron Barker to help her get him up and over the top rope. Barker glares at her, but he complies. CJ Nelson and Corazon, however, will have none of that and attack the both of them! CJ pummels Tanya with rights and left while Corazon wastes NO time hitting Barker with the Acts of Brutality!
Other Guy: Okay, is it just me, or is Corazon just not down with the bullshit tonight?
Eryk Masters: Corazon is picking his targets seemingly at random, OG, I have to admit, but helping keep Buck Dresden alive after all the history those two have had IS the craziest thing I’ve seen in this match thus far.
CJ grabs Tanya’s head and picks her up…POWERBOMB! He keeps ahold of her, lifts her up AGAIN…POWERBOMB! CJ shakes his head and lifts her up AGAIN…POWERBOMB! Tanya Black is OUT. CJ reaches down and picks her up once more, only this time he points to the ropes. CJ gets ready to throw her, but BUCK STOPS HIM!?
Eryk Masters: Listen to these fans! They do NOT want to see Buck get his mind messed up ANYMORE by this girl!
Buck shakes his head no and CJ gets in his face. CJ starts to argue with Buck, but Buck SHOVES him back…AND LARIATS TANYA BLACK COMPLETELY OVER THE TOP ROPE TO THE FLOOR!!
Other Guy: YES! YES! YES!!
The fans ERUPT as Buck leans against the ropes, glaring down at Tanya Black, having eliminated her! Suddenly, however, CJ Nelson bundles Buck over the top rope, but Buck lands on the ring apron! CJ starts to kick at Buck, but CORAZON appears behind him and THROWS CJ over the top rope to the floor!
Eryk Masters: AGAIN Corazon saved Buck!
Buck rolls into the ring, breathing heavily as he looks up to Corazon, who says nothing. However, Corazon turns RIGHT into the End Credits from Corey Lazarus! Isaac sees this and RAMS his fist into Cronos’ head, bringing him down to the mat. Corey picks Corazon up, but Isaac grabs Corey Lazarus by the throat! Ron Barker clips Isaac’s knee, and the Genesis Corporation start to put the boots to Entragian! Gaunt rushes to her man’s side, but Cronos is right back up, attacking her! Isaac forces himself to his feet, throwing both members of the Genesis Corporation off of him, and creates a circle of Soldiers around him, all wanting to fight him.
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
THREE!
TWO!
ONE!
The horn sounds and "HORIZON" by D’espairsRay plays, bringing the fans to their feet in exuberant anticipation! MAYA NAKASHIMA SPRINTS with all of his energy down to the ring and leaps to the ring apron, leaps to the top rope, and LEAPS onto Isaac, attacking him with lefts and rights! The fans are loving this as he and Isaac tumble around the ring, punching and clawing at one another. Gaunt runs to the two of them and throws Maya off of Isaac and tries to get in between the two of them. The fans, however, are eating this UP.
Eryk Masters: Maya Nakashima wasting NO time going after the big white dog in the ring!
Other Guy: He wants vengeance, he won’t back down, and right now, he’s got everybody’s attention!
He ducks an attempted clothesline from Corey Lazarus and leaps OVER a Laura Seton clothesline and catches a rising Isaac with a Hurricanrana, SNAPPING the Ivory Terror to the mat! The fans are ERUPTING as Gaunt locks up with Maya, trying to shove him back, but Maya arm drags her to get her out of the way and proceeds with his assault on Isaac. Gaunt screams to Corazon to come help take care of Maya, but Corazon is attacked from behind by Ron Barker! Corazon collapses as Barker and Lazarus start to put the boots to Corazon, only to have Buck tackle Barker! Lazarus gets up, but Cronos catches him with a HARD Full Nelson Slam! The Genesis Corporation have been FLATTENED by Cronos and Buck!
TEN!
NINE!
Gaunt grabs Maya’s hair and starts to pull him off of Isaac, who is LIVID.
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
Isaac IMMEDIATELY rushes and CLOBBERS Maya!
THREE!
TWO!
He throws Maya into the ropes!
ONE!
The horn sounds, and "Wonderboy" by Tenacious D begins to play.
Other Guy: It’s him! It’s El Asso Wipo!
Eryk Masters: Let’s see what he’s got left in him after his physical battle with Johnny Napalm earlier on.
Wipo makes his entrance, complete with brand new cape, full of sparklies and with two small tubes sticking out from each of his shoulders.
Eryk Masters: What in the HELL is that?
Just then, the question is answered, as two small streams of pyro erupt from the shoulders of SHOOT’s LEGENDARY LUCHADORE!
Other Guy: Now THAT is class!
Eryk Masters: He’s certainly making a spectacle, that’s for sure!
Other Guy: Look at the poise! Look at the beauty! Look at the-OH MY GOD HE’S ON FIRE!
And he is. The sparklies on the new cape are extremely flammable, it would seem, and the bedazzled ring gear is now aflame. Wipo struggles to remove the flaming cape, and finally does, stomping on it for good measure. Stagehands show up late, and spray the cape, and Wipo, with fire extinguishers. Wipo is disoriented as he continues his walk down to the ring. All of a sudden, he spots Isaac and fire burns in his eyes. Not, like, literal fire. But there’s fire. Of the spirit kind. He jogs to the ring and rolls underneath the bottom rope and points at Isaac, who stops his assault on Maya.
El Asso Wipo and the Wip-a-maniacs: JOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Isaac charges at Wipo, but Isaac gets tripped up by Maya! Isaac stumbles forward AND EL ASSO WIPO GRABS ISAAC AND LIFTS HIM UP…BACKBREAKER!!!! BACKBREAKER!!!!! BACK-FREAKING-BREAKER!!!
Eryk Masters: THIS IS FOR LAST YEAR!
Other Guy: THIS IS FOR SILAS!
The Wip-A-Maniacs: TCHAAAAAAA!!!!
Gaunt rushes to her man’s broken side, but Wipo catches her…and BREAKS HER BACK!! He pops up, ready for war, but the fighting around them have stopped! Laura Seton, Cronos, and Corazon waves off the assault of El Asso Wipo. Buck Dresden, however, is up for the challenge! El Asso Wipo stops him and reaches to his side…and withdraws…an imaginary sword?
Other Guy: HEY! WHAT’S HE DOING WITH THAT!?!?!?
Eryk Masters: With what?!
Other Guy: EL ASSO WIPO HAS A SWORD! A LEGENDARY LUCHASABRE!
Eryk Masters: Lucha…sab-bruh? You mean sabre? Like say-ber?
Buck stares at his foe…and HE WITHDRAWS AN IMAGINARY SWORD AS WELL.
Other Guy: OH GOD, THIS ISN’T FUNNY! THIS ISN’T FUNNY THEY CAN BE KILLED!!!
Eryk Masters: I…are they imaginary cosplaying something?
Asso lunges forward, but Buck parries the invisible blade quickly slicing at Asso’s knee, connecting! Asso, however, shows no ill effects until Buck stops him.
Buck Dresden: HEY! HEY. I got you!
El Asso Wipo: Que?
Buck Dresden: On the leg, man.
El Asso Wipo: Oh. OH.
Asso starts to hop on one leg!
TEN!
NINE!
Buck tries for the other leg, but Asso slices Buck’s arm!
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
Buck tucks it behind him and steadies himself. Meanwhile, everyone else in the ring has completely stopped fighting, completely unsure of what to do next.
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
Buck stabs at Asso, but Asso parries!
THREE!
TWO!
Their blades are clashing, it’s like a war from the gods!
ONE!
The horn sounds!
“SHOT THROUGH THE HEART!”
Eryk Masters: Oh, good.
Other Guy: Don’t act like you’re not impressed, Eryk. He’s promised a big To-Do for this Rumble!
The crowd immediately boos as they hear Stein’s voice singing the words, but where the music would normally cut into ‘The Rocky Song Remix’, now cuts into ‘Hail to the Chief’. As the SHOOTron once glowed baby blue and gold, now waves the American Flag. Falling from the rafters above the stage are red, white and blue balloons along with presidential confetti, littering the stage itself. The crowd looks at the stage waiting for Stein to emerge from the back, but several seconds pass before anything happens.
Eryk Masters: That’s good, but where is he?
Other Guy: You think he’s going to be on time to his own Victory Party? The man knows style. You always show up casually late to your parties!
Meanwhile, Buck rolls to the back of Asso and cuts Asso’s OTHER leg, bringing the luchadore down his knees! Finally, after two renditions of the song, there’s some action from backstage. Pulling onto the stage is a carriage, complete with a coachman who wears a black and white suit, black top hat and only presumably coat tails. Stein and Molly sit in the back as it completes its emergence from the back stage.
Eryk Masters: …Seriously?
Other Guy: Hey, Dan Stein is serious about his title dreams and if it takes a little Pomp and Circumstance to show them just how serious it is, he’s not afraid to do it.
Stein wears a black Minxy Jones t-shirt with just her mask printed on the front of it. Hanging from his neck by a pearl necklace is Minxy’s mask, but is quickly shown to the fans as he stands up, becoming showered with boos. Stein eggs on the fans by motioning for them to get up on their feet and throwing falling balloons out at them. Molly simply smiles and waves very formally, though stiff like she’s only there because Stein is making her. Buck stops as Asso breathes heavily, unable to continue. He throws his “sword” away.
Eryk Master: Wait’s he celebrating, ‘Longest Ring Introduction in Redemption Rumble History’?
Other Guy: With the buttons he’s been handing out for the last three weeks, I’m assuming he’s celebrating a long awaited title shot JUST at his fingertips.
Eryk Masters: Let’s hope it stays just out of reach.
The carriage rolls slowly to a stop next to the ring. Stein steps out, still celebrating. As he turns around, he bumps into the carriage driver who was helping Molly out – because Stein didn’t. Stein walks over to someone in the front row wearing a Dan Stein button and turns around in front of them making sure the camera catches every second of it. Buck looks down at Asso, who puffs his chest out.
El Asso Wipo: Do it. DO IT!
Buck wipes a tear from his eye…and RAMS the imaginary blade into El Asso’s heart! The Luchadore screams in agony!
Other Guy: NO! NO! NO! I…El Asso…dear, sweet, innocent prince…
Eryk Masters: Oh God…look at Dan Stein!
Other Guy: How can I!
Eryk Masters: Is he even going to acknowledge the action going on in the ring, or is he just going to sit out and boast about his underhanded victory over Minxy Jones earlier?
Other Guy: Let him take his time, he’s earned this celebration! It’s been a long time coming, and it’s a smart tactic. Don’t put yourself in harm’s way until the right time, Eryk. Got to admit, the man’s a genius when it comes to protecting his body.
TEN!
NINE!
Buck cradles El Asso’s head, sobbing uncontrollably.
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
Buck Dresden: WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
Isaac rolls his eyes at the scene outside the ring and the scene inside the ring as fighting has COMPLETELY stopped.
THREE!
TWO!
ONE!
The horn sounds as no music plays. Out from the back steps…CALIGULUS. He steps out, ignoring the ambivalence mixed in with the booing. He also walks past the road agents who are working to get the carriage removed from ringside. He looks Molly up and down as she is heading to the back and then looks at Dan Stein, who is still shaking as many hands as humanly possible.
Eryk Masters: So this…is Caligulus.
Other Guy: After back handing Mason Pierce, he’s told the world he’s coming to make his name known, right? Throughout the nations or something.
Eryk Masters: I know I’m worried about messing with a guy who thinks he’s the emperor of a hundreds of years old dead empire.
Caligulus walks up the ring steps and enters the ring, staring at the weeping Buck Dresden as he cradles El Asso Wipo. Caligulus leans against the ropes for a moment before he springs into action, attacking Buck Dresden from behind! El Asso gets to his feet quickly and engages the enemy!
Other Guy: HE’S ALIVE! WOW! Corey Lazarus, take notes! You need to hire him for The Black Circle II!
Eryk Masters: Isn’t two black circles a colon!
Other Guy: And three will be called Black Circle: The Ellipses!
Asso tries to lift Caligulus, but Caligulus gouges Asso’s eyes and then hits him with a European uppercut! Asso flops backward, and Caligulus grabs a hold of him…and HEFTS him up and over with a gutwrench suplex! Caligulus pops up, raising his arm to the masses who boo him loudly. Suddenly, however, he gets clobbered from behind by Laura Seton! Isaac Entragian turns his assault to Cronos now as Gaunt joins in. Maya, however, will have none of that and joins the fight by the side of Cronos! On the outside, Dan Stein is working on lap number THREE trying to shake hands with the fans.
Eryk Masters: WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE GET DAN STEIN IN THE RING, FOR GOD’S SAKE!
TEN!
NINE!
Isaac backs Cronos against the ropes as Maya finds himself against the ropes, trying to handle Gaunt’s assault.
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
The Genesis Corporation has begun double teaming Buck in the corner!
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
Laura has incurred the wrath of Caligulus, who attacks her, only to find his assault cut off by Corazon, who has dumped him to the ring apron!
THREE!
Caligulus is back in the ring!
TWO!
ONE!
The horn sounds as "Pieces" by Sevendust beings to play, bringing the fans to their feet! Out from the back limps JAIME ALEJANDRO, who storms towards the ring! While in mid jog, he grabs Dan Stein by the back of his head and his trunks and THROWS him into the ring!
Eryk Masters: THANK GOD.
Alejandro slides in behind Dan Stein, but Stein scoots back hard and fast to the other side of the ring, trying to avoid any attacks! Alejandro wastes NO time and he grabs Ron Barker from behind and dumps him to the outside! Isaac turns and sees Jaime and grins! He starts to cross the ring, only to get intercepted by Buck, looking to return the favor that Jaime just gave him with the save! Isaac boots him HARD in the midsection and LAUNCHES Buck over the top rope to the floor!
Other Guy: Oh man! Laura Seton sees Jaime, too!
Before Isaac can get to Alejandro, Laura Seton is in his face, striking him with elbows and backing him against a corner! El Asso Wipo is back up now, trying to catch his breath against the ropes when he is greeted once again by Caligulus! Caligulus launches an assault on El Asso Wipo, who is trying to avoid the onslaught. Caligulus lifts him up over the top rope!
Eryk Masters: I have to hand it to Caligulus, he’s got some CRAZY physical strength!
El Asso Wipo is struggling on the top rope, and Dan Stein appears behind Caligulus and bundles BOTH of them to the outside! Caligulus keeps a hold of one of the ropes, keeping himself alive, but El Asso Wipo is gone! Dan Stein quickly rushes away from Caligulus before he can be seen and quickly ducks behind Isaac Entragian, using the Ivory Terror to block Caligulus’ view. Isaac turns to see Stein, who waves to him with a grin on his face. Stein motions to the two of them, opting they make an alliance.
Dan Stein: We can do this, man! Chicks dig scars!
Isaac nods his head and stands next to Dan Stein, but before Stein can go anywhere…Isaac grabs a hold of him and LAUNCHES him over the top rope! Stein’s foot SLAMS on the ground, but he’s got a hold of the bottom rope and keeps his other foot in the air!
Other Guy: Look at Dan Stein’s genius!
Eryk Masters: Only ONE foot’s landed on the floor! Damn it!
Stein uses his tremendous upper body strength and lifts himself back up into the ring, rolling underneath the bottom rope.
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
THREE!
TWO!
ONE!
The horn sounds and "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha begins to play, starting with the chorus. Out from the back, jogging to the ring with a smile on her masked face is SUNNY RAYNE!
Eryk Masters: Sunny Rayne is back!
Other Guy: She’s so cute!
Eryk Masters: How can you even tell that?
Other Guy: …I have a thing for masked chicks.
Sunny enters the ring, but she is quickly assaulted by Laura Seton! Laura wastes no time and the two of them start trading lefts and rights! Sunny gets the upper hand, but Laura catches her with a beautiful kick to the side of her head! Sunny is down! Corey Lazarus is back up now, seemingly rested as he starts to survey the action going on around him. Dan Stein is still curled up in a corner. Corazon is wrestling against Jaime Alejandro while Isaac and Gaunt have returned to Maya and Cronos. Caligulus is also up now, and he glares back at Lazarus. Caligulus marches towards Corey, but Isaac breaks off from Cronos and quickly NAILS Caligulus!
Eryk Masters: Isaac is EVERYWHERE in this thing! He doesn’t seem to stop!
Isaac’s decision to attack Caligulus, however, leaves Gaunt to be double teamed by Maya and Cronos! Corey Lazarus saunters over as Isaac and Caligulus keep hitting one another again and again until Corey helps get Caligulus backed against the ropes! Caligulus fights the two of them, but as Isaac pummels him with rights and lefts, Corey Lazarus grabs his legs and bundles him to the outside! He lands on the ring apron, and Isaac backs up…BIG BOOT to Caligulus! He’s out! Isaac’s leg gets caught on the top rope and Corey Lazarus grins, ready to attack…when Corazon bundles HIM out!
TEN!
NINE!
Corazon and Isaac glare at one another.
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
Isaac slaps him on his chest, chuckling at his brother for the assist.
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
Sunny Rayne is back up, and she attacks Laura from behind, bringing her down!
THREE!
Sunny runs to the corner and leaps to the top rope, ready for a splash!
TWO!
She LEAPS off, but Jaime Alejandro catches her!
ONE!
He THROWS her from the ring as the horn sounds! "Sieben" by Subway to Sally hits over the Epicenter’s loudspeakers as a massive red and gold pyro explosion occurs at the top of the ramp.
Other Guy: YES! Finally! He’s baaaaaaaaaaack!
Eryk Masters: And here it is…ANOTHER part of the night I was absolutely dreading…
Stepping out from behind the curtain is AZRAEL GOEREN, wearing a bedazzled red cowboy hat along with his normal ring gear. The fans erupt in a deafening chorus of boos as Azrael holds his hands out to his side, a big smile on his heavily tanned face. He makes his way down the ramp, not looking like he’s in any hurry to get into the ring. As Goeren walks, red and gold glitter falls from the ceiling behind him and leaves a trail back up the ramp. He stops in front of the ring, only to turn back towards the fans to soak in more of their jeers.
Eryk Masters: For the love of God, get in the ring already!
Other Guy: Azrael is a skilled tactician you know, he’ll get in there when he’s good and ready.
Azrael, still looking like he’s not interested in joining the fray, reaches into his boot and pulls out a Sharpie. Without looking, he starts autographing a fan’s face at ringside all the while keeping his eyes on the action in the ring. Suddenly, Azrael spots Cronos against the ropes in a fight against Elizabeth Gaunt and slides underneath the bottom rope, taking the time to grab a hold of Cronos’ leg, getting him to the outside before Gaunt can do anything! She gets ready to fight Goeren, but Goeren simply shoves her into an unawares Maya!
Other Guy: Uh oh!
Goeren slides from the ring through the bottom rope and walks over to Eryk and OG, demanding a headset.
Eryk Masters: No no no!
Azrael Goeren: Ja! JA! JAAAAA! Hahaha…hello, gentlemen!
Other Guy: I’m getting’ the vapors, it’s Azrael Goeren!
Azrael Goeren: How amazing for you that I am here!
Eryk Masters: I’m so sick right now…
Maya locks up with Gaunt, only to have Isaac tear the two apart and PUNCH Maya HARD in the face! Maya staggers backward and Isaac hits him again! Maya tries to rally, but Isaac Lariats him over the top rope! Maya lands on the ring apron and starts to punch savagely at Isaac’s face, trying to stop the monster from eliminating him! Gaunt looks on with concern for the both of them. She reaches out for the briefest of moments and Maya sees this, reaching for her hand just as Isaac NAILS him across the jaw, sending him to the floor!
Azrael Goeren: Tragic. After school special sort of tragic.
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
Maya looks up at Gaunt as her face slowly twists into a…grin.
SEVEN!
Isaac slithers his arm over his shoulder and the two of them laugh at Maya.
SIX!
FIVE!
Isaac releases her and turns around, but Jaime Alejandro has appeared out of NOWHERE and he comes for Isaac!
FOUR!
Gaunt intercepts Alejandro, and Alejandro takes her by her hair and sends her FLYING over the top rope to the floor!
THREE!
TWO!
Isaac looks over the top rope to Gaunt on the floor, slowly turning his head to Jaime, who greets him with an assault!
ONE!
The horn sounds and "DIM Scene" by the GazzetE plays, bringing yet again…more boos from the fans! KENJI YAMADA steps out and sees Maya walking up the entrance ramp. The two of them pass one another as Maya sneers at him as he passes. Kenji, however, can’t help but grin as relief washes over him.
Other Guy: Welp, with his kid’s ghost no longer in this thing, it looks like Kenji’s got a new lease on life!
Azrael Goeren: It is truly a blessing to see Kenji Yamada at his scariest.
Dan Stein: Hey guys!
Eryk Masters: OH COME ON.
Kenji enters the ring now…and things are bleak. Jaime Alejandro is in one corner as Laura Seton is in another. Kenji, however, is embraced by Isaac Entragian who stands near Corazon.
Dan Stein: You know, guys, I think I just found another headset if Jaime wants to come out here and call this match with us.
Azrael Goeren: This is definitely not going Jaime’s way. I’m guessing he regrets crossing the border now, eh, Dan?
Eryk Masters: Seriously?
Other Guy: Well, he IS Latino, Eryk.
Eryk Masters: Oh you, too?
Dan Stein: Let’s be racially sensitive, guys. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to be called a Nazi would you, Mr. Goeren?
Azrael Goeren: Gott in himmel…
Dan Stein: I’m sorry, I don’t speak Spanish.
Laura laughs as Isaac, Kenji, and Corazon descend on Jaime! Jaime blocks an Isaac blow, and then elbows Kenji. Corazon, meanwhile, sees Laura having a laughing fit and rushes at her, NAILING her with a Lariat into the corner! Laura gets flattened and Corazon starts ramming his shoulder into her midsection, the fans cheering as Corazon attacks her and Jaime managing to counter each and every attack Kenji and Isaac throw his way!
Other Guy: Jaime Alejandro is taking everything thrown his way and he’s still standing!
Dan Stein: He’s still strong!
Eryk Masters: He is NOT Antwone Fisher, you two!
TEN!
NINE!
Isaac fakes Alejandro out and Kenji rushes in with the shoulder ram!
EIGHT!
Laura Seton hits Corazon with an elbow strike, causing him to stagger out of the corner and away from her.
SEVEN!
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
Laura Seton grabs Corazon by the back of his head and hits the Gold Medal, bringing him down to the mat!
THREE!
Kenji NAILS the Prominent Scar on Alejandro!
TWO!
ONE!
The horn sounds as “The Struggle” by Scroobius Pip plays, bringing the fans to actually cheer as CYRUS O’HAIRE steps out from the back.
Eryk Masters: Well, well, well, Dan…what do you think about this?
Dan Stein: I…uh…plead the fifth.
Eryk Masters: But, Cyrus is—
Azrael Goeren: I believe he pleads the fifth, Eryk.
Eryk Masters: He’s not on tr…
Dan Stein: Good day.
Eryk Masters: But…
Dan Stein: I SAID GOOD DAY, SIR.
Cyrus slides into the ring and immediately starts after the first person he can get his hands on and unfortunately for Milk and Cookies, that’s Laura Seton. He grabs her by her throat and SLAMS her to the mat with a chokeslam! Corazon tries to get to his feet and Cyrus RAMS his boot into the back of Corazon’s head! He continues his assault by catching Kenji from behind and fish hooks him until he turns around, only to SNAP him to the mat with a swinging neckbreaker! Cyrus picks Kenji up and guides him over to the ropes, leaning him against the ropes to throw him over, but FLAY RIOS is outside, grabbing and clawing at Cyrus’ foot!
Eryk Masters: That’s Flay Rios! That girl’s been hanging around Kenji for…whatever reason.
Other Guy: Who knows with those crazy bitches, man.
Cyrus STOMPS her fingers and she cries in pain. Cyrus lets Kenji fall to the mat and turns…and he locks eyes with Isaac! The fans are absolutely entranced at this mad man as he locks horns with Isaac Entragian, punching the Ivory Terror in the stomach and throwing him to the mat.
Azrael Goeren: Er…excuse me.
Dan Stein: Yeah, been fun, boys!
Stein and Goeren remove their headsets as Cyrus slides underneath the bottom rope, stalking the two of them. Stein and Goeren get on either side of Cyrus as he looks from left to right at the two of them. Goeren and Stein offer one another a thumbs up and charge at Cyrus! Goeren, however, stops running towards Cyrus and points at Stein, and Cyrus grabs him by the throat! Goeren low blows Cyrus! Stein breaks the choke, coughing and clearing his throat as Goeren reaches underneath the ring and withdraws…a steel chair! He raises it high and SLAMS it into Cyrus’ back!
Other Guy: Goeren and Stein are geniuses! GENIUSES!
Stein looks at the devastation in the ring and motions to Goeren to help him out in there! The two of them slide into the ring and start looking around at who they want to eliminate of everyone that is slowly coming to. Stein picks up Alejandro and Goeren picks up Seton! The two of them motion to each other’s victims and drop the two of them, their bickering escalating to the two of them in each other’s faces, pointing to Laura Seton and Jaime Alejandro.
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
Stein shoves Goeren!
SEVEN!
Goeren shoves Stein!
SIX!
Corazon, Alejandro, Seton, Isaac, and Kenji are all up on their feet now.
FIVE!
FOUR!
THREE!
The two of them slowly turn and see the rest of the remaining Soldiers circling them!
TWO!
ONE!
The horn sounds before they attack when "March of Mephisto" by Kamelot plays and…SAMMY ROCHESTER steps out from the back! He is accompanied by Jester Smiles, who motions for him to get in the ring and clear it for him! Sammy storms down to the ring and walks up the ring steps and onto the ring apron, and he steps in, everyone’s attention is now focused on him!
Eryk Masters: It’s like SCAR’s little brother!
Sammy immediately NAILS Corazon with a shot! Then he attacks Laura Seton, flattening her on the mat! Kenji looks at Alejandro and they make the decision to charge at Sammy together, but Alejandro stops short, letting Sammy grab Kenji by the throat, spinning him around, and SLAMMING Kenji to the mat with a reverse choke slam! Isaac is grinning from ear to ear as he sees Sammy’s onslaught. Sammy looks up and sees Isaac, the two monsters locking eyes and begin heading towards one another until Corazon attacks Sammy from behind and Alejandro clubs Isaac from behind! Sammy starts wailing mercilessly on Corazon, who is trying valiantly to fight back.
Eryk Masters: This is terrible for everyone else in this thing…if Sammy’s in there unchecked, he can clear this entire ring!
Isaac elbows Jaime in the face and then shoves Alejandro back. Sammy Lariats Corazon to the mat to get right back in Sammy’s face! Sammy and Isaac are right back in each other’s faces, Sammy is positively shaking with fury.
Sammy Rochester: I…WILL…KILL…YOU.
Isaac grins.
Isaac Entragian: I don’t die so easy, you wittle monster baby!
Sammy arches back and NAILS Isaac! Isaac staggers backwards and rallies with a HARD punch of his own! Sammy NAILS Isaac! Isaac comes back with a shot of his own! Sammy hits Isaac! Isaac goes for another shot, but Sammy blocks it and SNAPS Isaac around for a reverse choke slam! He pops his leg up from behind and he LOW BLOWS Sammy! Sammy releases the hold and Isaac…HOISTS SAMMY UP ONTO HIS SHOULDERS!!
Other Guy: NO. EFFING. WAY!!
Isaac holds Sammy up…DISEMBOWELER!!! ISAAC NAILS THE DISEMBOWELER! BOTH MEN ARE ON THE GROUND, ISAAC CRADLING HIS KNEES WHILE SAMMY REELS FROM THE DISEMBOWELER!
Eryk Masters: OH. MY. GOD.
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
Everyone else in the ring are STUNNED at what they have just witnessed!
SEVEN!
SIX!
Cyrus slowly rises to his feet on the outside!
FIVE!
FOUR!
THREE!
TWO!
ONE!
The horn sounds and "Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked" by Cage The Elephant plays, bringing the fans to their feet and THOMAS MANCHESTER BLACK appears! He rushes to the ring and slides in, and he immediately starts demanding that someone help him get Sammy or Isaac up and out of the match! Jaime rushes to TMB’s side and the two of them start getting Isaac up for elimination! Isaac is awake, fighting back savagely, but his knees are in complete agony from the sheer weight of Sammy crashing down on top of him! Kenji slaps Corazon’s chest and the two of them rush to their brother’s side! Kenji attacks TMB while Corazon hits Jaime with a belly to back suplex! Corazon pops back up, but Isaac grabs him and HURLS him over the top rope! Corazon skins the cat and gets his footing on the ring apron, glaring at Isaac, who reaches out with a look of shock on his face!
Other Guy: Isaac ALMOST tossed his own partner!
Isaac offers his hand and gets Corazon back into the ring and puts his arm around Corazon’s shoulders to make sure he’s okay. Corazon glares at him, but nothing is said or done between the two of them before Cyrus O’Haire attacks the both of them, sending BOTH of them to the outside! Both Isaac and Corazon skin the cat as Cyrus moves on to attack Dan Stein, who is trying to eliminate Laura Seton on the opposite side of the ring!
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
THREE!
TWO!
ONE!
The horn sounds and a voice is heard on the PA system.
Bellowing Voice: All rise for the National Anthem of the United Kingdom.
Eryk Masters: Ah, no…
“God Save the Queen” begins to echo throughout the Epicenter with very few in attendance rising to their feet. Five men, dressed in sharp black suits, white shirts, black ties and sporting an ear piece placed in their right ears take to the stage waving Union Jack flags. A further man, dressed identical to his colleagues takes to the stage. He mouths a series of words into a walkie-talkie before waving towards the entrance way. After a few short moments a lady – bearing a resemblance to Her Majesty, The Queen of the United Kingdom – makes her way onto the stage carrying with her what looks like a red carpet.
Other Guy: What is going on here? This is the same farce we saw at the last Revolution. What’s this all about?
Erik Masters: I have no idea but is she laying down that carpet for someone?
As ‘The Queen’ lays down the red carpet the bassline “For The Love Of Money” by The O’Jays begins to boom throughout the arena. Seconds later, a man, wearing a wrestling singlet with the colours of the Union Jack plastered all over it, a sleak and trimmed moustache and greased back hair walks onto the carpet with his arms aloft.
Other Guy: Oh… Wait.. A minute here. That’s….
Erik Masters: That is Mr. Heart… Mr. Heart OBE no less! He. Is. Back!
As MR. HEART walks over the laid red carpet, ‘The Queen’ drops to one knee, bowing before the Knight of Light. Heart acknowledges the bow with a swift nod of his head before walking towards the right with his entourage taking the lead, ensuring his safety and waving their flags to an unimpressed crowd.
Other Guy: Heart is back in SHOOT and is about to enter this rumble match up. The one question I would have is what part is his entourage going to play here?!
Erik Masters: These guys aren’t his entourage OG… They are The Associates. They advise only. I am sure they would never dream of getting involved in this.
Heart leaps up to the ring apron, brushing his feet on the mat. Before he can enter, however, TMB NAILS him with a Roaring Elbow, sending him right back to the floor!
Eryk Masters: I have to point out, much to my chagrin, that Heart hasn’t entered the ring officially, he isn’t eliminated!
Heart cradles his face outside the ring as the people in the ring start to get themselves situated. Isaac Entragian and Kenji Yamada stand in one corner, Laura Seton and Corazon are in another, Azrael Goeren and Dan Stein are in another, and Jaime Alejandro and Cyrus O’Haire are in the fourth. TMB is glaring down at Heart as Sammy is starting to pick himself up off of the mat. Sammy rises up from the mat now, and he SCREAMS at everyone in the middle of the ring. Everyone decides the lesser of evils and all nine of them charge at Sammy!
Eryk Masters: It’s on!
The nine of them pile onto Sammy, but he THROWS ALL nine of them back! Jaime rushes in and Sammy clocks him in the head! Dan Stein and Azrael Goeren hang back as Laura Seton dropkicks Sammy, but he swats her away! Cyrus Lariats Sammy, but Sammy growls at him and LEVELS Cyrus! TMB, however, is RIGHT there and connects with a Roaring Elbow to Sammy! Sammy is ACTUALLY staggered! Corazon bounces off of the ropes and rushes at Sammy with Isaac dropping to his hands and knees behind Sammy! Corazon connects with a dropkick, causing Sammy to trip and land against the ropes!
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
Kenji NAILS Sammy with an enziguiri!
SIX!
FIVE!
Kenji takes a step back and glares at Sammy once again.
FOUR!
THREE!
Kenji looks back at Corazon, who nods to him! Meanwhile, Flay is back, on the ring apron, clawing at Sammy’s face!
TWO!
Kenji CONNECTS with a Shining Wizard to Sammy’s temple and Sammy falls OVER the top rope to the outside, but before he completely lands on the outside, Corazon NAILS the two of them, and BOTH Sammy and Kenji are gone!!
Other Guy: NO WAY!
ONE!
The horn sounds as "Flying through the City" by Bliss N’ Eso plays…and ALEX BROOKS sprints down to the ring. Mr. Heart is on his hands and knees on the outside, and Brooks steps ONTO Heart’s back and onto the ring apron! He jumps OVER the top rope and connects with a Flightpath on TMB! Brooks is up and he dropkicks Laura Seton, only for Corazon to NAIL him with the Act of Inhumanity! Isaac gets in Corazon’s face, pointing to where he seemed to accidentally eliminate Kenji! Corazon shrugs, telling him it was a mistake, but he doesn’t get to argue his case before the both of the get attacked by Goeren and Mr. Heart, who is now officially in the ring!
Other Guy: Project:SCAR has two members left in this thing!
Eryk Masters: Wait…they STILL have one more…and God help the SHOOT Project the further along we go and Obsidian’s number isn’t called!
Corazon is being pummeled by Goeren while Heart actually manages to overcome Isaac, this time with Jaime Alejandro’s help! Isaac is against the ropes with Alejandro and Mr. Heart beating the living hell out of Isaac! Isaac’s nearly out of it, but Mr. Heart gets his back raked by Laura Seton! Heart staggers away as Seton gouges his eyes! Alejandro turns and sees Laura with hatred in her eyes. The two of them share a moment, Jaime exhausted and somehow…the hate fueling Laura, keeping her adrenaline pumping.
Eryk Masters: The two of them have been through…so much. To see them like this…
Other Guy: …is AWESOME!
Isaac leans against the ropes and he starts to laugh at the scene unfurling before him. He quickly STOMPS Jaime’s knee, causing it to buckle, and Laura DROPKICKS Jaime OVER the top rope to the floor!
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
THREE!
TWO!
ONE!
The horn sounds as Sebastian Bach’s squeal rips through the arena which launches Skid Row’s "Monkey Business" as T. REX steps out onto the entrance ramp in a pair of black loose fitting pants. Black Boots, and a tight white tanktop. He stomps his way to the ring.
Other Guy: This is one hell of a gap between tag team partners as the second half of Anarchy is coming out here to kick some ass!
Rex enters the ring and immediately hooks up against Isaac Entragian! The two behemoths go at it until Cyrus arrives and attacks the both of them! T. Rex grabs Cyrus and whips him to the ropes, but RIGHT into Dan Stein! Stein drops to the mat, yanking down the bottom rope, causing Cyrus to go FLYING over the top rope! Cyrus holds on for dear life, but Stein quickly jabs Cyrus in the eye, causing Cyrus to lose his grip and crashes to the floor! Stein grins as he looks at Cyrus who is intensely furious. He slaps the ring apron in frustration as Goeren slaps Dan Stein on the back for a job well done…before he TOSSES Dan Stein! Stein AGAIN skins the cat, while Goeren walks away, happy with what he’s done, only to get caught by Isaac Entragian’s CORRUPTION, SNAPPING Goeren’s head to the mat!
Other Guy: These guys are throwing EVERYTHING at one another now!
Heart slides from the ring and grabs the steel chair Goeren used and slides back in, SLAMMING the chair into T. Rex’s back! Rex staggers RIGHT into an Act of Inhumanity!
TEN!
NINE!
Heart gets caught by a DDT from TMB!
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
TMB gets up…and Laura Seton NAILS the Cookie Cutter on him!
FIVE!
FOUR!
THREE!
Brooks is up and he’s on the ring apron!
TWO!
He LEAPS and connects with the Flightpath on Isaac!
ONE!
The horn sounds and “Party Hard” by Andrew WK hits and out from the back comes DINA BRYCE, who rushes to the ring as fast as she can. T. Rex is now picking himself off of the mat and she spots him, leaps to the ring apron, leaps to the top rope, and goes for a cross body block, but he catches her! He RAMS her into the turnbuckle and then keeps a hold of her…and RAMS her into the next turnbuckle! He STILL keeps a hold of her and he RAMS her into the third turnbuckle! He shouts ONE MORE and RAMS her into the FOURTH turnbuckle before he DRIVES her to the mat with an Oklahoma slam!
Other Guy: DAMN!
Rex stands up and is greeted by a barrage of punches from Alex Brooks, punching him repeatedly until Rex staggers against the ropes. Rex is nearly done for, and Brooks rallies to finish the job, but Thomas Manchester Black dumps him to the outside! Brooks is on the ring apron and TMB is ready to hit the Roaring Elbow and finish the job, but Laura Seton goes for ANOTHER Cookie Cutter on him, only this time, he’s ready! He quickly overpowers her and SLAMS her to the mat, lifts her up by her hair and points to the outside!
Eryk Masters: This could be it for Laura Seton!
Brooks re-enters the ring and dropkicks TMB’s knee, bringing him down!
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
SIX!
FIVE!
Alex Brooks gets Corazon’s help in picking TMB up and leaning him against the ropes.
FOUR!
THREE!
TWO!
ONE!
TMB is fighting back as best he can as the horn sounds and "March of Mephisto" by Kamelot plays, the fans booing as JESTER SMILES hobbles out from the back. He limps to the ring slowly, gritting his teeth as he comes down the entrance ramp. He walks around the ring and sees Mr. Heart, who is battling with a dazed T. Rex, trying to bundle him out of the ring. He slides in behind Heart as he gets Rex teetering on the edge of the top rope and NAILS Rex with the Virginia Sidekick, sending him all the way over the ropes to the floor!
Other Guy: Jester might be hurt, but he’s made himself known with the quickness!
TMB, who has broken free of Corazon and Alex Brooks, LEAPS onto Jester Smiles and starts punching him violently, sensing the blood in the water for the possibly injured Soldier! Jester tries to block the assault, but TMB just doesn’t let up! He drags Jester to his feet, only for Azrael Goeren to tear at TMB’s eyes! TMB is hurt, and Goeren is ready to capitalize, but Corazon is right there, attacking Goeren with chops and elbow strikes! The fans are actually CHEERING for the Bruta, Inhuman member of Project:SCAR as Isaac Entragian looks on, resting against a turnbuckle.
Eryk Masters: What do you think is on Entragian’s mind?
Other Guy: Corazon’s gotten on this honor type kick. He seems to want to cut out the cancers in SHOOT, and he’s been both the greatest champion and the most lethal assassin in the company. See him beating on Goeren there? Goeren doesn’t want to fight man to man, he wants to eliminate people and cheap shot people, and I think Corazon’s sick of that.
Eryk Masters: So what, then? Does that mean Corazon turns his back on Project:SCAR?
Other Guy: I doubt it. Just means he wants to see his victims face to face.
Corazon has Goeren against the ropes when he gets attacked from behind by Mr. Heart OBE, Laura Seton, and Dan Stein! Corazon can’t combat everyone attacking him!
TEN!
NINE!
Isaac starts to chuckle as he watches the events unfolding in front of him!
EIGHT!
SEVEN!
SIX!
FIVE!
Corazon’s kicking and fighting, but he’s on the top rope as Stein, Goeren, Heart, and Seton have him nearly eliminated!
FOUR!
THREE!
Isaac Entragian rushes over and THROWS Stein off of Corazon, then punches Heart in the head, then shoves Goeren back, and BOOTS Seton in the stomach!
TWO!
Isaac pulls Corazon back down to the mat.
ONE!
The horn sounds as “Give Me Back My Bullets” by Lynyrd Skynyrd plays as HENRY GORDON jogs out from the back, waving to fans as he greets their warm ovation for him! He rolls underneath the bottom rope and puts his fists up, ready for a fight!
Eryk Masters: We have ELEVEN people in the ring right now!
Other Guy: I think the ring’s about to break with Gordon’s big ass in there!
Gordon sees Isaac checking on Corazon while Laura Seton, Dan Stein, Mr. Heart OBE, and Azrael Goeren ALL slide underneath the bottom rope and all FOUR of them take a time out, much to the dismay of the fans. Thomas Manchester Black, Dina Bryce, Alex Brooks all are regaining their composure while Jester Smiles has leaned himself against a turnbuckle, trying to shake the cobwebs loose for himself. Gordon slowly lowers his fists, confused at the chaos surrounding him.
Eryk Masters: Clearly this is Henry Gordon’s first battle royal.
Other Guy: Then he’s likely to shit himself when he sees the final guy coming out in a few seconds!
Gordon goes over to Jester Smiles and starts putting the boots to him. He picks Jester up and starts to punch wildly at Jester’s head and face, with Jester only being able to block some of the assault. He starts to finally get the upper hand with the attack and Jester can’t defend himself, and he slumps down to the middle ropes, STILL taking the punches from Gordon until he finally collapses back down to the mat! Gordon pumps his fists, psyched beyond measure!
TEN!
NINE!
EIGHT!
Isaac slowly rises to his feet and he helps Corazon do the same as Laura Seton and Mr. Heart OBE slide back in.
SEVEN!
SIX!
FIVE!
FOUR!
THREE!
TWO!
Isaac slowly holds his arms out and a grin slides across his face!
ONE!
The horn sounds as “Call the Devil My Friend” by Frank Bang and the Secret Stash plays. Out from the back emerges the final entrant in the 2012 Redemption Rumble and the final member of Project:SCAR…OBSIDIAN.
Other Guy: Oh…shit. No more entrants, this is it!
Obsidian walks down to the ring slowly. He walks up the ring steps and steps over the top rope and the match is ON! He immediately targets Henry Gordon and grabs the chubby Soldier by the sides of his head…and HURLS him over the ropes to the floor! Azrael Goeren and Dan Stein slide back into the ring themselves, as Obsidian has both Alex Brooks and Dina Bryce by the throats! They kick him in the midsection and he doubles over, just in time for Isaac and Corazon to appear, attacking the both of them! Corazon Lariats Dina Bryce HARD over the top rope to the floor just as Entragian rockets Alex Brooks to the floor!
Eryk Masters: And just like that, Audacity is gone!
Project:SCAR starts to target each and everyone in the ring. Azrael Goeren, Dan Stein, Mr. Heart OBE, Laura Seton, Thomas Manchester Black, and even Jester Smiles are on one side of the ring, as Isaac Entragian, Corazon, and Obsidian are on the other! Black shakes his head, fuming that he has to ally himself with the likes of Goeren and Stein. Jester pulls himself up and nods his head, and it looks like the fight is going to be joined! Jester, Black, and Seton charge out as Heart, Stein, and Goeren hang back!
Eryk Masters: Are you serious?! Those three can’t man up and fight BACK?!
Isaac starts to counter TMB’s attacks while Obsidian grabs Jester by his head and hurls him into the ropes, the two of them trading blows! Corazon and Seton, however, lock up, only for Corazon to duck under and lift her up, bringing her down to the mat. Jester hangs on with all of his might as Obsidian is trying to choke him over the top rope! Seton manages to power out of the Corazon sprawl and sees Jester putting up against Obsidian! Jester is nearly completely over the ropes, and he grapevines around Obsidian’s arm, dragging him over the ropes with him!
Other Guy: Jester isn’t wanting to let this go! He’s damn near dead to the world but he won’t let Obsidian eliminate him without a fight!
Jester is pulling with all of his might and Obsidian is nearly over the top rope himself. Jester’s head is resting on the ring apron when all of a sudden Dan Stein BASEBALL SLIDES into the BACK of Jester’s head! Jester can’t hold on and is thrown over the out of the ring! Obsidian tries to right himself, but Goeren pushes him the rest of the way over the rope onto the ring apron himself! Seton stomps Corazon in the back of the head and races to Goeren’s side! Goeren, Seton, and Stein start trying to shove Obsidian off of the ring apron as Isaac shoves TMB and charges at Mr. Heart, who tries to escape! Isaac grabs him and Heart immediately starts wailing at Isaac, trying to stop the attempted elimination, only for Corazon to rush to Isaac’s aid…and BOTH of them send Heart OVER the top rope to the floor JUST as Goeren, Seton, and Stein get Obsidian out of the match!
Eryk Masters: Obsidian is OUT! WOW! Goeren and Stein, you crazy bastards, have eliminated Obsidian!
Obsidian punches the ring apron and shakes his head as he walks away from the ring. He turns and nods his head to both Corazon and Isaac Entragian before he leaves.
Other Guy: We are down to our final SIX, ladies and gentlemen!
Isaac spots TMB and motions to Corazon to help him eliminate TMB, but Black will have none of that, and he meets Isaac head on! The two of them trade blows as Corazon looks over to Goeren and Stein, who have forged one interesting alliance in the Rumble thus far. Nearby is the Rumble’s “Iron Woman”, Laura Seton, who have been in the match the longest of anyone.
Other Guy: Laura Seton has been in this match going on something like two hours, I don’t know.
Eryk Masters: But she keeps surviving. It’s crazy!
Black blocks Isaac’s punch and rallies with a HARD elbow, causing Isaac to stagger against the ropes! Black almost can’t believe he got the shot in and he ERUPTS with elbow strikes! Isaac can’t rally, and Black’s almost got him on the ropes when all of a sudden, Stein and Goeren attack him from behind!
Other Guy: Oh man!
Eryk Masters: With the numbers dwindling, the two of them are picking people apart when they least expect it!
Black can’t overcome the two of them…and they LAUNCH him over the ropes to the floor! Laura Seton rushes to the two of them and starts to yell at them. She points to Isaac and Corazon and tells them they need to focus on SCAR. Goeren and Stein look at one another and the three of them turn to face Isaac! Isaac shakes his head, chuckling as Corazon takes a step back. Isaac shrugs his shoulders and attacks first, swarming Laura Seton and Dan Stein with punches and clubbing back blows! Goeren tries to find the right place to attack as Isaac throws Stein to the mat and HURLS Laura Seton to the floor!
Other Guy: The Iron Woman is OUT!
Isaac leans against the ropes as Goeren motions for Stein to help him toss Isaac, and the two of them grab Isaac’s legs to bundle him over! Isaac lands on the ring apron, holding on for dear life as Goeren is trying every trick he can to eliminate Entragian! All of a sudden, Stein bundles GOEREN over the ropes to the floor!
Eryk Masters: The alliance is BROKEN!
Stein can’t help but smirk as Isaac is about to step back into the ring when…CORAZON SLAMS INTO BOTH STEIN AND ISAAC, SENDING ISAAC TO THE FLOOR!!!
Other Guy: WOW!
Eryk Masters: ISAAC ENTRAGIAN HAS BEEN ELIMINATED…BY ADRIAN CORAZON!!!
Stein crumples in a heap on the mat as Isaac IMMEDIATELY gets back in the ring and screams at Corazon, who shrugs his shoulders, referring to when Isaac tried to eliminate him!
Other Guy: Isaac is NOT happy!
Corazon pats him on the shoulder and tries to tell him it’s okay as Kenji, Flay, Gaunt, and Obsidian all come down to the ringside area. They enter the ring as Isaac argues with Corazon when all of a sudden…ISAAC LEVELS CORAZON! He pounces on his SCAR Brother and the two of them trade blows, Isaac trying to gnaw at Corazon’s face! Kenji and Obsidian yank Isaac off of Corazon while Gaunt checks on Corazon, Flay standing at ringside, watching!
Eryk Masters: Isaac just…HERE HE GOES AGAIN!
Isaac STOMPS on Corazon’s chest, trying to choke him with his boot as Obsidian SHOVES Isaac to a BIG pop from the fans!
Eryk Masters: This is it! SCAR is imploding!
Kenji and Obsidian start pulling Isaac out of the ring as he kicks violently at Corazon, who is trying to pick himself up, blood trickling from the bite on his face. He picks himself up by the ring ropes, looking at his brothers in SCAR as they drag Isaac away from ringside. He bows his head, trying hard to regain his wits when DAN STEIN POPS UP! He SPRINTS over to Corazon and THROWS him over the top rope!
Other Guy: DAN STEIN! DAN STEIN!
Eryk Masters: NO! LOOK!!
CORAZON HAS SKINNED THE CAT!! HE IS HOLDING ON TO THE TOP AND MIDDLE ROPES! Stein’s arms are raised in victory until he glances behind him and sees Corazon picking himself up! He shakes his head and charges at Corazon…CORAZON HITS THE ACT OF INHUMANITY USING THE ROPES!!! Stein BOUNCES back and Corazon reenters the ring, measures Stein…and DROPS him with the Act of Reality!!!
Other Guy: Corazon! He’s GOT him!
Corazon grits his teeth and bends down, breathing heavily, and he picks Stein up. He walks Stein to the ring ropes and leans him against them. He bends down and grabs onto Stein’s legs and begins to bundle him over, BUT STEIN HOOKS HIS LEGS AROUND CORAZON’S HEAD! HE FLIPS CORAZON OVER…STEINARANA!!! CORAZON FLIES OVER THE TOP ROPE AND HE CRASHES TO THE FLOOR BEFORE STEIN!!!!
Eryk Masters: NO WAY!!
Other Guy: NO!!!!! STEINARANA!!!
Samantha Coil: YOUR WINNER OF THE 2012 REDEMPTION RUMBLE…AND THE NEW NUMBER ONE CONTENDER TO THE SHOOT PROJECT WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP…DAN…STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNN!!!!!
The fans ERUPT into boos as Molly runs down to the ring and slides in, embracing Dan Stein, who has yet to realize what has just happened as “The Rocky Song Remix” plays once again, and the fans are booing mercilessly!
Eryk Masters: Wow…Dan Stein…a mere three seconds away now from being the SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Champion!
Stein motions for Molly to lift him, but she denies him. He starts to celebrate until he spots DONOVAN KING steps out from the back, the SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Championship belt on his shoulder. He stares Dan Stein down as the Stein motions across his waist that the belt is coming to him. King looks at Stein for a long moment as the fans are cheering until the cheers get EVEN louder and LUNATIKK CRIPPLER appears!
Other Guy: What’s HE doing out here?!
Cripper steps out, glaring at Stein until he catches King’s eye! King and Crippler glare at one another as Dan Stein ascends the turnbuckle, the tickertape beginning to fall in honor of his victory. He watches the entrance stage as King and Crippler continue to glare at one another. Dan Stein stands tall, his face to the skies, as the tickertape rains down around him.
Fade.