.:: Clash of the Icons - LIVE from the XHF Arena! ::.
Jun 29, 2018 19:42:57 GMT -5
Mongo the Destroyer, Steele, and 6 more like this
Post by ForeverKuroi on Jun 29, 2018 19:42:57 GMT -5
The show fades from the picture of our departed alumni, Nathan Thunder. After solemnly honoring our fallen, the show fades in with pyro that can only be offered at the XHF Arena!
Romano: Folks we are live! And in action at the biggest AWF event of the year...Clash of the Icons!
Taylor: Cassius, I am pumped up. I mean, waaay more than usual pumped. I am SUPER pumped up for tonight! A six-way ladder match for the XHF Phoenix Championship. An Old vs. New bout for the State of Ohio Championship, between the first ever and most recent champions. The X*Crown is on the line, AND we get that sweet Unification match too!?
Romano: Don’t forget we have the Nihilists taking on Danny Ray and Villalobos, returning to the ring in style!
Taylor: Villalobos...as in El Cazador?
Romano: We sure do have a jam packed show for you all-
"OUR TRUTH" by Lacuna Coil starts to play, and the lights dim down low.
Romano: And we’re kicking it off now!
The marching beat of "Our Truth" plays as smoke billows out, lit up by purple strobes. As Cristina Scabbia's instantly recognisable wail sounds out, the lights go back up and Natasha emerges, ghost like, from the fog. Natasha sashays down the entrance ramp, pausing halfway to throw her head back and scream, loudly. Natasha steps into the ring through the ropes and glares at the referee while she is checked over.
Taylor: So that's Natasha. She certainly looks... devious.
Romano: She reminds me a lot of Danica Ziko, but instead of shoving a knife into your jugular, she looks like she already did that.
Without any music, Jay Cutter walks out from the behind the curtain, dressed in his electrician's jumpsuit, and takes a final drag from his cigarette. He flicks it aside and checks his watch. Eminem's Berzerk begins playing over the speakers. As the music starts Cutter takes a few steps forward and pulls at his jumpsuit from the neckline on down, revealing his wrestling shorts, elbow pads, and knee pads. He slams the jumpsuit down at his feet and runs down to the ring, taking a lap to slap hands with the fans. He then slides into the ring and tests the ropes while he watches his opponent across the ring.
Taylor: And here is Jay Cutter! In this match, he's pretty much the most homegrown here.
Romano: I like him. He works hard and cares more about the work being put in than his pizzazz.
The lights dim and smoke pumps from the stage area as "The Bear Song" by Green Jelly starts to cut through the atmosphere. Soon through the mist comes out Lord Dominicus, wearing the EWF Superior Championship around his waist. He walks down the ramp, sneering at everyone (we think, it's hard to tell with the mask). As the song continues to shred, the darkness that is Dominicus climbs into the ring and makes his way to the last free corner.
Taylor: And here comes Lord Dominicus and is he... wearing a different company's belt in an AWF ring? That's totally evil!
Romano: That's his game plan, although I'd simply call that - and his other stunts - as merely inconsiderate.
‘The Phoenix Reigns’ starts to play as Young appears on the stage. The crowd pops at his appearance, and he walks to the ring with cheers surrounding him. Instead of entering the ring, he stops short and makes his way around to the rear, between the announcers table and ring. He is not sliding into the middle of four very angry looking people.
Taylor: And Damien Young returns! Reverend Thomas Reece on Prestige 18 just took the championship off of him, and I'm sure he's ready to take it back!
Romano: That's how it works in wrestling. When someone takes what yours, you want to take it back.
"Because He lives" by Matt Maher starts to play throughout the arena as the lights go dim we see twelve men in white hooded robes slowly walk out and down the ramp as Rev. Thomas Reece slowly walks out holding his own personal black leather bound bible. As he walks down the aisle in between the twelve men he preaches to the crowd as he enters the ring. The twelve men turn and leave again as a Reece stays on the outside. The champion looks up to see the XHF Phoenix Championship slowly being lower on a rope, hanging 15 feet in the air over the ring. The referee encourages both Reece and Young to now enter the ring.
Taylor: And this is the champion himself! Reverend Thomas Reece! With God on his side, he can't lose!
Romano: Dude, keep it in church.
Some stage hands quickly run down the ramp and set up three ladders, on all sides bar the ramp entrance. With all six opponents in the ring, surrounded by three different ladders, a huge roar goes up from the crowd. They are as excited as ever to see this huge battle take place. The cheers spur on Cutter, who leans on the ropes and raises a fist...but Bradley takes him out from behind, sending him to the outside! Natasha wastes no time either, heading right for Lord Dominicus, and getting the upper hand early! Damien Young and Reece are left across from each other, a thick air of tension in the air... they walk closer nose to nose, shouting at one another... One fist! Two fists! Who punched first? Who knows! They are both going at it in the ring!
DING DING!
Taylor: This is hot stuff, and we literally JUST began!
Outside Bradley continues to dominate Cutter, pulling out a chair from under the ring to use as a weapon. Inside Lord Dominicus gets back in control and pins Natasha to the corner with a heavy offense. Young and Reece square off but Young gets an advantage, flipping Reece to the mat outside following a whip counter. He exits the ring and beats on the Reverend in front of the announcers desk. Using the standing ladder as a battering ram, Young slams Reece against the steel steps to the ring, crushing him in. Cutter breaks free of Bradley and manages to use a ladder on the outside to fight back, driving off Bradley with a joust-like thrust! Bradley is down and holding his face! Inside Dominicus takes Natasha to the mat, working her with a choke hold.
Romano: The thing with these matches is, anyone stands a chance of winning! You just have to-
CRASH!
Young swings the ladder to take down Reece, but the Champ ducks and drop kicks him right over the desk and into the announcers! Using a barrage of fists, Reece leave Young there and makes his way back to the ring. Outside, Cutter has almost KO’d Bradley and is also back in the ring. Lord Dominicus has been unable to choke out Natasha, but has released her as both Cutter and Reece are now inside battling with him for dominance. Seeing an opening, Natasha lands a low blow on the masked man and tosses him outside, turning to attack Reece. Teaming up, Cutter helps her work down the champion.
Young stirs on the announcers table, looking to get back to his feet but shaky. He takes a seat on an open chair, catching his breath. Bradley rolls to his front, finds his chair from earlier and makes his way to his feet. On the far side, Lord Dominicus is up but is now trying to fold down the ladder on his side.
Taylor: ...is off the...there has been...action and now...think...microphones are broken!
Romano: ...will be getting...with a replacement microphone…
Bradley slides in and takes out Natasha from behind with the chair, almost crushing her skull. He turns to Cutter again but instead Cutter is taken out by Young, who is now in the ring! He clothesline Cutter down to the mat, and drags him to a corner to work on him. Reece turns on Bradley and battles him for the chair. They clash and move towards the ropes...but both men are taken out by a flying ladder, courtesy of Lord Dominicus! He slides in and picks up pieces, attacking whoever is left standing. Outside the ring, a boom guy runs down with new mics for the announcers.
Romano: ...back on? Testing?
Taylor: We’re good Cassius! Whew, what a start to the show! Ladders and bodies flying everywhere! Looks like each person in gunning for that sweet sweet gold swinging over the ring!
In the ring Cutter is getting up, as Natasha starts to work on him. Reece and Bradley battle it out, with Reece getting the chair and using it to knock down the rugged thug. Turning he gets connected with a ladder, through the chair, right into the face! Reece goes down hard, as Lord Dominicus tries to set up a ladder in the ring. He gets it standing and is about to climb, but Young grabs him from behind with a german suplex, from about three steps high! Rolling out of the ring, Young grabs a second ladder and slides it in, looking to inflict more pain. He tries to place to ladder so to suplex Dominicus onto it again...but Natasha comes from nowhere to DDT Young face first onto the ladder!
Romano: Natasha is really showing she can roll with the big boys, and has taken out the former champion with ease!
Taylor: She is one scary chick, the emo goth look really unsettles me...and kinda gets me going!
Romano: What doesn’t get you going Tommy…
Natasha gets back to her feet and lays some boots into Young. Reece is still down but Bradley is up now, and it placing a ladder in to corner against the turnbuckles. He is focused on placing the ladder there in the right spot but doesn’t see Cutter go for the dropkick, smashing him face first into the steel! Bradley is hung loose on the ladder in the corner as Cutter goes to work on him. The ladder that is standing in the ring is now being mounted by Natasha, as she makes her way up the steps quickly. She nears the top but Lord Dominicus catches her ankles and slows her ascent. She tries to shake him free but is unable to, leading him to climb up the ladder behind her. He has only one foot on the ladder but is already eye-to ass with her. She kicks out like a mule but slips up as Lord Dominicus manages to slip his head between her legs and set her up for an electric chair. The crowd pop as the see the thrill and danger of what's happening.
Romano: This is not a good place to be for Natasha. Sitting probably eight feet in the air now, anything can happen!
Lord Dominicus tries to angle them both so he can slam down Natasha, but she is too agile and manages to to force him backwards into a stumble. Near to the ropes, she goes for a frankensteiner...and gets it! Reverse hurricanranna-ing Lord Dominicus out over the top rope to the outside, with Natasha landing on the apron!
Taylor: Huge move there by Natasha, sending Lord Dominicus down hard on his head to the outside! He might be out for the rest of this match!
Natasha managed to cling to the ropes and stay on the apron, but with her eye off the match she doesn’t see Young on his feet as he connects with a wheelhouse kick and sends her flying backwards too! Both Lord Dominicus and Natasha are down and out on the outside!
Inside Cutter has broken Bradley down some more and is still working on him over in one corner. Young approaches Reece and brings him to his feet to whip him outside but instead sends him running the opposite direction right into Bradley and Cutter! The three men collide in the corner, as Reece grabs the standing ladder and turns it horizontal. He runs to the corner and crunches all three men with the ladder, pinning them all in one corner! He uses this free time to his advantage to get out of the ring and grab the third ladder and re-enter to set it up in the center. Reece starts to make the climb, as the three others in the corner try to break free. Reece is near the top before Young is first out of the mix and pushes over the ladder...but Reece has the belt! He’s got the belt in his hands, but he’s hanging there!
Romano: I can’t watch... Reece has grabbed the belt but didn’t have time to unhook it. He’s swaying in the breeze like a bunch of bananas!
Taylor: Sure is...wouldn’t have been the description I would have used but sure. A bunch of bananas!
Reece is struggling to get the belt, as Young is grabbing his ankles and pulling on him. He can’t pull the holy man free but turns his attention to Cutter who is now gearing up for a spear. Seeing this, Young kneels to set up the combo and Cutter runs to him, letting Young propel him into the air and spearing Reece in mid-air! The holy man goes down hard, much to the enjoyment of the fans! Cutter gets up and turns to Young for a high five...but gets hit with a flying enziguri! Damien Young used the fallen ladder to spring into his finisher, the Gun Shot! Cutter goes down hard onto the mat! Bradley stumbles out of his corner to see Young running at him, but he dodges the clothesline attempt, instead hitting Young with a discus forearm right to the face!
Romano: That is Bradley’s signature move, the Shotgun Blast!
Taylor: A Gun Shot followed by a Shotgun Blast...makes sense, seeing as we are an Ohio based fed…
Romano: I think Bradley was hoping to send Young over the top rope, but the former champ is just hanging on the ropes now! Bradley is looking for inspiration in the ring now…
Looking behind him, Bradley picks up the fallen ladder by the corner, signals to the crowd and jousts the ladder right into the face of Damien Young! He goes flying over the top rope to the outside! Bradley starts to set up the ladder in center-ring, and starts his climb. Inside the ring Reece is stirring, and uses the ladder to get to his feet also. He looks up to the belt but instead of joining, he sets up a second ladder instead and starts climbing on the opposite side. Cutter gets up from the mat but is closer to the ropes, and starts to get to his feet...but his legs are swept from under him and Lord Dominicus is outside and drags him out too! Lord Dominicus and Cutter now going at it on the outside!
Taylor: Two men climbing two different ladders, and two more people outside brawling! Young might be out for the count but there is plenty of chances still left in this match! Cutter and Lord Dominicus-
Romano: I’m going to stop you right there. Take a look?
Outside, Cutter tried to get the upper hand on the match but Lord Dominicus reversed a clothesline attempt into a tornado DDT, driving Cutter face first into the steel steps! Cutter drops down, motionless.
Taylor: I take it back, we now have TWO guys down and out on the outside of the ring! Bradley and Reece are climbing inside on their own ladders, and it looks like Lord Dominicus and Natasha are looking to come back in too! SO. MUCH. EXCITE!
Romano: Easy there Tommy…
Lord Dominicus climbs onto the apron and looks to the set-up in the center of the ring, he makes his calculations...and he springboards forward to land on a ladder! He hits Bradleys ladder and does so with such force that the ladder ‘shuts’, so both Lord Dominicus and Bradley and balanced vertically! Slowly the ladder begins to teether backwards, much to the loud ‘oooooooh’ from the crowd, and it fully topples sending Bradley out over the top rope onto his back! Bradley hits the floor on the outside hard, but Lord Dominicus is safer as he managed to transfer to the other ladder in time! Now both him and Reece are at the top of one ladder and are both clawing at the belt once more!
Romano: I don’t think I can watch this anymore. This match has been a roller-coaster since the beginning, and there is no stopping the action! Who is going to get the belt? This is so tight.
Taylor: …
Romano: Before you say it, grow up Tom-
Taylor: That's what she said.
Romano: …
Both Lord Dominicus and Reece are now at the belt, trading blows and forearms strikes to try and push the other person off. Neither are releasing their grip, neither are giving up their fight! Both men have a grip on the prize ...but suddenly they are both shaken hard, as the ladder starts to fall sideways. Inside, Natasha has slid into the ring and has shouldered the ladder over, so that both men are now slowly falling towards the ropes...and both men fly out over the top rope to the hard floor outside! Natasha grabs the now empty ladder and sets it up inside the ring. The fans cheer her on, as much as she hates that but she keeps moving and starts to climb. Uncontested and unchallenged, she makes her way to the top. She looks around to see that the coast is clear...and unhook the XHF Phoenix Championship!
DING DING!
Jessie Love: Your winner, and NEW XHF Phoenix Champion... Natasha!
Romano: She’s done it! Despite all the odds Natasha has won the challenge! The only woman in this match and against two former champions, Natasha has won the prize!
Taylor: This is a huge victory for Natasha, as she is not only the next XHF Phoenix Champion...but the first ever FEMALE champion in the AWF!! This is a game changer for the federation!
Natasha holds the belt high in the air, as the fans shouts and cheer. There is mostly screams of joys from the female fans, as Natasha jumps down to the mat. She quickly slides out of the ring with the belt and walks up the ramp carrying it. At the top she turns around to look at the crowd one more time. No smiles, no emotions...but she holds the belt up once more time to the cheers of the crowd before she exits.
Romano: Well we are only one match into the show but what a match it was! The ring is surrounded by bodies right now, with both Cutter and Bradley barely moving, Young may have his skull cracked and Reece and Lord Dominicus crumpled into a ball!
Taylor: This was a match for the record books, and I for one am so happy I got to see it live! Natasha goes away with the gold, and sets a new record in the books as the first ever female champion in the AWF! Stay tuned folks as right after this we have even more wild action more you.
The arena dims down to pitch blackness. Two male voices are heard softly saying, “Embrace … the emptiness.” Lie by Black Light Burns begins to play and a single blue spotlight illuminates the stage. On the stage standing back to back facing either side of the arena are Esmur and Gebin, the Nihilists. The camera zooms right up from the ramp to their masked faces as they slowly turn to look at it. They then walk past it and out of frame as it zooms out. The two men mean business as they quickly walk to the ring and slide under the bottom rope. The push to their feet and step to the center of the ring as the spotlight turns slowly from blue to pink to white. The two men remain back to back facing the two sides of the crowd left and right of the entryway.
Taylor: The Nihilists have returned! And they sure have their own aura about them.
Romano: You can say that again. They had a strong beginning in taking on Kira and Furanku. They beat the first AWF Prestige Class Champion and the first ever TGK Grand Champion.
The song by Soundgarden begins to drown out the crowd as "Jesus Christ Pose" plays. The house lights are now out as the darkness builds the suspense for the next participant. In a flash of white light just as the lyrics to the song begins Sebastian Villa Lobos is now standing in the blinding light arms fully extended in a full T-pose. The howl of a wolf harrows out as Villa Lobos takes in the electrifying feel of the moment. The light soon fades to a lone pale spotlight following the Luchador as he slowly makes his way to the ring arms still extended, slowly turning to show his oily glistening body in the "moon light." Finally he makes his way to the ring, taking his time to climb up the ring stairs and front flip over the top rope. He gracefully steps to the center of the ring where the spotlight has followed him. Taking one more moment to twirl ever so slightly to display is physic.
The lights go out as "Family Man" by Craig Campbell starts to play. A rainbow of different colored lights come back on flashing throughout the arena. The Family Man walks down the aisle shaking hands as he heads towards the ring. He slowly walks up the ring steps as he looks out among the crowd waving as he enters the ring and stands in his corner.
Taylor: Villalobos and Danny Ray! For the first time ever, these two join forces!
Romano: For those of you who don't know AWF history, the two feuded one another. El Cazador, who is now Villalobos unmasked, took the Prestige Class Championship from Kira and fought Danny Ray in a heated battle of the spirit until Danny Ray was able to defeat him. It seems now, the two have forged a deep camaraderie with one another.
While the announcers continue to discuss the upcoming match, the Nihilists both look at each othis and nod. Gebin and Esmur both rush at their opponents from behind and attack the two of them while they're posing on the turnbuckle. The fans boo loudly, with Gebin focusing his attention on Danny and Esmur focusing his attention on Lobos. Esmur pounds away on Lobos and shoves him down to the mat. Esmur then turns around and charges at Danny, freeing Gebin up to grab hold of Lobos and try to lock him into a Nothingness!
Taylor: Does someone wanna inform the Nihilists that the match hasn't started yet?
Lobos rolls toward the ropes as Danny finally knocks Esmur to the mat with a forearm smash! Danny hurries over toward Gebin and hits him with a kick to the jaw that knocks him off of Lobos! Danny grabs hold of Gebin and begins to pound away on him with a series of hard strikes while Lobos crawls out to the apron. The referee tries to separate Danny and Gebin to keep control of the match.
Taylor: That...wasn't something that these fans approved of...
Romano: The Nihilists are here to seize every opportunity, even if it means surprising their opponents. All is fair.
Esmur takes his place on the apron as the referee calls for the bell and the match is officially underway. Danny immediately runs across the ring and hits Gebin with a forearm shot that knocks him off balance. He follows it up with a second and then grabs hold of Gebin. Danny tries to shoot Gebin across the ring, though Gebin reverses the attempt! He steps toward Danny and waits for him to come back on the rebound, lifting Danny into the air and setting him up for a back body drop! Danny manages to land on his feet behind Gebin and waits. As soon as Gebin turns around to face Danny, Danny leaps into the air and hits Gebin with a knee strike! The impact of the blow sends Gebin crashing back into the turnbuckle on Danny's end of the ring. Danny smirks and quickly tags Lobos into the match. Danny remains in the ring and steps toward the center with Lobos. Danny then whips Lobos into the corner to help him build speed, Lobos using the opening to hit Gebin with a hip strike in the corner! Lobos then tags Danny back into the match while Gebin groggily pulls himself back up to his feet!
Taylor: Danny just used Lobos as a weapon...
Romano: If he can manage to harness that agility from Lobos, this could be over quickly.
Danny grabs hold of Gebin while he tries to pull himself back up to his feet. He brings an end to that effort with a swinging neckbreaker! Danny covers for the...
ONE!
TWO!
T---Gebin kicks out!
Gebin drags himself back up to his feet as Danny locks in a front facelock and quickly delivers a series of knee strikes. He tries to wear Gebin down, though Gebin responds by shoving Danny away! Danny recovers and tries to charge at Gebin, who catches Danny with a hip toss! He quickly drops an elbow onto Danny before Danny can make it back up to his feet. Gebin then grabs hold of Danny's head and locks in a headlock, delivering a series of hard right hands to Danny's head before Danny can make it up to his feet. Gebin steps over toward his corner of the ring and allows Esmur to tag himself into the match. Esmur steps into the ring as both members of the Nihilists lift Danny into the air and slam him down with a double suplex!
Taylor: Some good team work here from the Nihilists to take control of the match!
Romano: History has shown that Danny has plenty of heart and fight inside him.
Taylor: But the Nihilists are willing to do WHATEVER it takes to win, including things others might not view as honorable... and Danny doesn't have it in him to play dirty!
Esmur immediately positions himself so that he can pound away on Danny with a series of strikes! Danny nonetheless starts to fight his way back up to his feet. Esmur drives his knee hard into Danny's ribs and then blasts him in the mouth with an elbow shot. He then sends Danny crashing to the mat with a Russian Leg Sweep! Esmur hooks the leg and picks up the...
ONE!
TWO!
Danny kicks out!
Esmur blasts Danny in the mouth with anothis elbow shot. He then drags Danny up to his feet and tries to shoot Danny across the ring into the nearest turnbuckle. Danny reverses the attempt and sends Esmur crashing into the turnbuckle! Esmur hits it hard and Danny comes flying in with a Stinger Splash! Esmur stumbles out of the corner as Danny hoists Esmur onto his shoulders and hits him with a rolling fireman's carry! Danny drags Esmur over to his corner of the ring and tags Lobos into the match. Danny ties up Esmur's legs and holds him on the mat as Lobos bounces off of the ropes and hits Esmur with a senton splash! He rolls him over and covers for the...
ONE!
TWO!
TH---NO!
Taylor: Once again, Danny managed to help Lobos!
Romano: Lobos is in this match now, and he's ready to show what he's got.
Esmur pulls himself back up to his feet, Lobos striking with a series of chops to try and wear him down further. He grabs hold of Esmur and shoots him across the ring. He waits for him to come back on the rebound and leaps into the air, trying to use his ass as a weapon! Esmur stops himself just before Lobos can connect, causing Lobos to hit the mat hard instead. Esmur bounces off of the ropes and dives at him, hitting Lobos with a flying clothesline! Lobos rolls out of the way and tries to pull himself back up to his feet. Esmur grabs hold of Lobos from behind and wrestles him into position for a full nelson! Lobos tries desperately to make his way over toward the ropes to keep Esmur from locking in the hold, though he responds by slamming him down to the mat. Lobos yells out in pain as his head dribbles off the mat like a basketball.
Taylor: Lobos just can't get the momentum going here!
Romano: I wanna see him fly. Fly, lucha, fly!
Lobos tries to drag himself back up to his feet once again. Esmur steps toward and blasts him in the mouth with an elbow shot to keep him groggy before locking his into a hammerlock. He smirks as Lobos is clearly in pain, before stepping over to his corner of the ring and tagging Gebin into the match. Gebin climbs up to the second rope as Esmur hits Lobos with a backbreaker! Gebin then leaps off and connects with an elbow drop! He remains on top of Lobos and goes for the cover, picking up the...
ONE!
TWO!
TH----NO!
Almost immediately, Gebin drives his knee into the center of Lobos's back. He locks in a chinlock with his knee driving hard into Lobos's back with Lobos's eyes immediately going wide in pain. He tries to reach out toward the ropes as Danny cheers for him to hang on from the apron. Gebin releases the hold just a bit and smirks over in Danny's direction. He drags Lobos up to his feet and drops his down onto the mat with another backbreaker, covering and picking up the...
ONE!
TWO!
THR---NO!
Taylor: These two know that they can isolate Lobos and put him in some less than favorable situations...
Romano: It's a smart strategy! And they're working on his back, which might be smart because it allows them to easily transition to submission holds if given the opportunity... keep the flyer grounded.
Gebin drags Lobos up to his feet halfway and then shoves him over toward the ropes. He drapes Lobos's throat over the bottom rope applies pressure with his knee in an effort to start choking Lobos. The referee comes over and counts the one...two...three...Gebin backs away. He hits Lobos with a kick right on the back before grabbing hold of him and bringing his back up to his feet. He lifts Lobos onto his shoulders and tries to set his up for an argentine backbreaker. Gebin pauses and throws his hands in the air for a moment, before hoisting Lobos into the air. Lobos lands on the mat behind Gebin on his feet, and waits for Gebin to turn around. He leaps into the air and catches Gebin by surprise with an enziguiri! Gebin stumbles and drops to a knee, with Lobos jumping to the ropes and flying in the air, nailing Gebin with a springboard hip attack! Gebin wisely rolls over to the ropes to keep Lobos from going for the cover. Lobos takes a moment to catch his breath as Esmur pulls himself back up to his feet. He charges at Lobos to try and grab hold of her, only to have Lobos make it to his corner of the ring and tag Danny into the match!
Taylor:Lobos did some damage and now it's time to see what Danny is capable of!
Danny immediately launches himself through the ropes and cuts Gebin off from hitting Lobos with a slingshot spear! Danny then grabs hold of Lobos and lifts his into the air, dropping him down onto Gebin for a splash! Gebin rolls over toward the ropes and starts to pull himself back up to his feet. Danny bounces off of the ropes and goes to charge at him, only to have Esmur hit Danny in the back of the head. Danny stumbles a few steps before turning around and kicking Esmur in the mouth with a superkick! The fans are on their feet as Gebin runs at Danny from behind and hits him with a chop block! Danny drops to a knee as Gebin spins him around and plants Danny on the mat with a DDT! Gebin covers for the...
ONE!
TWO!
TH---NO!
Danny tries to pull himself back up to his feet as Gebin charges at him and hits Danny with a running knee strike! The impact sends Danny stumbling around. Danny makes his way back to a corner as Gebin tries to hurry over toward him in an effort to keep control of the match. Danny sees this coming and lifts Gebin into the air, dropping him down onto the ropes! Gebin snaps back to the center of the ring and pulls himself back up to his feet. Danny runs at Gebin and sends him crashing to the mat with a slingblade! Gebin tries to drag himself to his feet as Danny grabs hold of Gebin to set him up for the end! Gebin shoves Danny away and toward his corner of the ring, Esmur blasting Danny in the mouth with a right hand. Gebin then grabs Danny from behind and tries to set him up for a German Suplex! Danny hits Gebin in the mouth with an elbow shot and sends him staggering back. Gebin charges at Danny from behind, only to have Danny step out of the way! Gebin crashes into Esmur on the apron, Esmur just barely keeping his balance. Lobos senses the opening and runs into the ring, charging across the ring and knocking Esmur off of the apron with Danny's help.
Taylor:Lobos is making sure Esmur doesn't interfere with the ending here!
Lobos steps out onto the apron and positions himself as Esmur pulls himself back up to his feet. Once he's standing, Lobos leaps off of the apron and tries to land on Esmur with a hurricanrana! Though he connects, the impact with the floor hurts him as well. Both wrestlers try to pull themselves back up to their feet. Back in the ring, Gebin spins out of Danny's grasp and tries to set him up for a neckbreaker! Danny spins out of that and knees Gebin in the gut, setting him up for The Sitter! Danny hooks one arm... and goes to hook the other, but Gebin manages to writhe free and pushes Danny away. Gebin chases after Danny, ducking a clothesline attempt and heading for the ropes. He bounces back and catches an unsuspecting Danny on the rebound with the Nihil, driving him face first into the mat!
Romano: A great series of reversals from these two, but it looks like Gebin is about to seal the deal!
Taylor: Not if Lobos has anything to say about it!
Gebin begins to climb the corner turnbuckle, going high for the big finale. He doesn't see that Lobos has made it to his feet outside and is climbing up on the apron. Lobos gets on the apron and starts to make his way to the corner for a save... but Esmur jumps up on the apron and blocks his path. Before Lobos can react, Esmur runs down the apron and leaps in the air, catching Lobos with the Clarity (kinshasa), knocking him to the ground outside. Gebin throws his hands up and leaps into the air, connecting on the downed Danny Ray with the Empty Abyss! Gebin flips over for the cover.
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!!
Jessie Love: The winners of this match... Esmur and Gebin, the Nihilists!
"Lie" by Black Light Burns starts to play as Gebin slides out of the ring and slaps Esmur on the back in celebration. They lean on each other for support as they march up the ramp after their victory.
Romano: Everyone gave this one hell of an effort.
Taylor: True! We saw all different styles of wrestling on display here today. Nihilists have made a huge impact in their first few matches here in AWF, and I'm interested to see where they go next.
Romano: Villa Lobos looked impressive in his debut match, and Danny Ray always brings the heat. We're looking at four gentlemen that could very well be the future of AWF.
"Aw, fuck your headphones!"
"Timebomb" by Beck blasts into the arena as Seth Dillinger marches out onto the stage. He pauses at the top of the ramp, taking in a deep breath and smiling as he begins his jog down to the ring. He doesn't seem too interested in shaking anyone's hand as he rolls straight into the ring and goes to his corner, leaning back against the ropes and awaiting the start of the match.
Taylor: Here is our State of Ohio Champion, Seth Dillinger! He's one of the quickest risers to the top that we've ever have.
Romano: Seth Dillinger is absolute a blue-chipper. He's got flash, pizzazz but guess what? He also has the skill to back that all up!
The intro for Goldfinger's Superman starts playing over the speakers, "So here I am, doing everything I can, holding on to what I am, pretending I'm a Superman" Jason Justice storms out from behind the curtain with a huge smile on his face, and the AWF State of Ohio Championship across his chest, he makes his way down towards the ring then circle around the ring slapping hands with all the ringside fans, he'll hand his hat off to one of the kids in the crowd before taking the stairs to the ring, he stands on the apron looking back out to the crowd with a huge smile, he then spring boards up over the top rope but lands on the 2nd turnbuckle, he holds the AWF State of Ohio Championship high in the air, he drops down hands the title over and prepares for his match.
Taylor: And here is Jason Justice! He's actually the first ever State of Ohio Champion!
Romano: That's right. With the exception of Maverick, we actually have all our State of Ohio Championships in the ring!
A video plays on the tron, it starts with static before words appear saying
"HE WILL RETURN... BUT AT WHAT COST?"
More static appears on the tron before shots of someone with their back turned to the camera, then to someone walking through a forest and someone in a Anonymous mask looking at the camera. More words appear on the screen.
"THE CHOICE WAS HIS... BUT AT WHAT COST?"
These scenes of the mysterious person appear once again, they quickly change from one to another but the man with is back to the camera is lifting up something as the other camera shots quickly zoom past making it hard to tell what he is holding, but before it's shown the tron turns to black. 30 seconds of nothing before it turns back on again. It shows this man holding the State of Ohio Championship, he slowly turns around to reveal it to be Maverick! He lowers the title before it changes to static again and the video ends.
The lights go out as "Cathedral" plays through the speakers. As the lights come back, the clock ticking intro ends, and Maverick stands at the stage looking out to the crowd with no expression on his face. He slowly walks to the ring, continuning to look out to the crowd. He gets to the ring and walks up the steps, getting into the ring through the second rope. Maverick walks to the centre of the ring as the lights go out again and the spotlight shines down on him, with his head down and eyes closed. He raises his arms and head up slowly and stretching his arms out as they are raised, as he stops moving he opens his eyes and the lights come back on.
Taylor: Scratch that! It looks like Maverick is back in!
Romano: Well he is guaranteed a rematch and it looks like he wants his time in the spotlight! It looks like we have ourselves a three-way!
With all three competitors in the ring, the match kicks off. With the bell in play, all three competitors get into battle stance. Their eyes shift as they want to make sure that they wouldn't be caught off guard. Immediately off the bat, the emboldened Maverick goes in after the champion, Seth Dillinger. He goes for a double-legged take down, but Seth falls down and captures him, proper basic wrestling defense. Seth moves for an armbar and begins to wrench the left arm of the Icon. All while this is happening, Jason Justice is standing back and watching. Out of them all, Justice has spent the most amount of time with technical wrestling and considers himself an expert in the field. He watches all of this unfold. Seth Dillinger wrenches his body back to increase the amount of torque on Maverick, but he lifts his left leg and captures Dillinger's head in a headscissors hold. Maverick begins to work on the head of the champion. Seth grasps on Maverick's legs, but he's not letting up. Seth then lifts his own legs in the air to kip up, breaking himself of the hold. Both Maverick and Seth climb to their feet. Maverick runs to Seth, but the champion brings him back down with an arm drag. Jason Justice is beginning to clap his hands, congratulating both of them in the engagement of using chain wrestling with one another.
Taylor: They're all so technical... And that's coming from me, "Technical" Tommy Taylor!
Romano: Well that's how we all did wrestling when I was in the ring. I can respect this. None of this loopdy-loops and bouncey bounce. This is real wrestling!
Taylor: ...The heck is a bouncey bounce?
Seth Dillinger comes up to Jason Justice, and lets him know that he's going to be participating in the match too. Jason smiles and accepts. He brings his arms up for a lock-up. Seth does the same, not being one to ignore a challenge. As Seth moves in for the lock up, Jason quickly drops his guard and goes to take Seth with the single-leg take down. This time, Jason's able to do this. He swings around to Seth, grabs both of his arms and puts a knee to his back. Seth groans in pain. Jason Justice is very vocal in telling Seth to quit. Perhaps the longest-ever State of Ohio Champion will become the champion again for a second reign. Seth exhales sharply in his attempt to muster the strength to escape, but soon Jason becomes the next person to yell. He lets go of Seth and both of them make their way to their feet.
Taylor: And there goes Maverick with a stiff kick to Jason Justice, forcing him to let go!
Romano: This goes to show that no matter who you are in this match, you'll get your ass handed to you.
Maverick runs to Jason Justice and goes at him with a clothesline, but Justice ducks. Instead, he clotheslines Seth Dillinger who was trying to come from behind! He goes up to Maverick and takes him down with a reverse suplex and then goes down to the ground, where he does his best work as a technical wrestler. He gets past the Mercenary's defenses and gets him into the twister submission that Jason Justice calls Justice Served! Immediately, Maverick is put into a world of hurt. He begins screaming! His arm is stretched out! Maverick is shaking his head to Junior Referee Steve Tyrell's questioning if he wants to give up or not. However, despite all that refusal, he keeps looking to his arm. Is he going to tap out!? ...No! Seth jumps in with an axe handle to break the submission hold!
Taylor: Luckily for Maverick, Seth Dillinger was there to save his hide!
Romano: You know he only did that because he wants to defend his belt, right?
Right when Jason Justice gets back to his feet, he has the current State of Ohio Champion to worry about. Seth Dillinger throws a forearm to Justice. Then another. Then another, up until the AWF native becomes backed up to the ropes. Seth then sends Justice to the ropes on the other side of the ring. On the rebound, Dillinger tries to go for a clothesline, but Justice jumps up for a flying headscissors! But then the feisty party boy, Seth, reverses that headscissors into a tiltawhirl backbreaker! Justice grasps his back in pain. He tries to roll away, but Seth keeps him in place. He gets up, just so he can drop down with an elbow - all for good measure. He covers Jason Justice. Junior Referee Steve Tyrell slides in for the pin count:
...One!
...Two!
Maverick is making his way over, but won't get there in time!
...Th-Justice kicks out! A split-second later, Maverick gets there.
Taylor: What a close one! I didn't think that Maverick could actually do it!
Romano: He didn't. Not on time, anyways. Jason Justice is a fighter, and it takes more than that to bring him down. I should know. I'm the one who trained him.
Taylor: And you never let me forget that, either.
Seth Dillinger gets up and helps Maverick get to his feet. On the way up, Maverick gives Seth a quick jab to the stomach. Seth bends forward. This allows Maverick, who pops up, to grab the shoulders of the current State of Ohio Champion and shove him down to the mat. Maverick runs to the ropes and jumps onto them, springboarding off for a moonsault that slams onto Seth! At this point, Maverick has a grin on his face. He looks to the corner. The Mercenary Maverick climbs to the top of the turnbuckle and looks down to Maverick. Is he going to do it!? Mercenary's Delight!? His inverted 450 splash!? Wait - Jason Justice is approaching the corner! He climbs the ropes. He puts his head between the legs of Maverick. Is he going to go for an electric chair drop from the top rope!? BUT WAIT! Seth Dillinger is getting to his feet. Just as Jason Justice got his feet on the turnbuckle, Seth Dillinger comes from behind.
Taylor: Oh no. Seth can't possibly pull this off!
Romano: Well on top of his body weight, he would be carrying nearly four-hundred pounds. I don't think Seth can carry that weight!
The current State of Ohio Champion is proving Cassius Romano wrong. Seth is sweating and growing all sorts of different shades of red, but he lifts Jason Justice, lifting Maverick. At this point, he lets gravity takes its course. He falls back. Over six-hundred pounds of wrestling prowess slams down onto the ring.
Taylor: & Romano: HOLY SHIT!
All three men are on the mat. None of them are moving all too much, other than shaking their head or slowly moving their arms and legs, trying to get a bearing of what's around them. Surprisingly, after a moment, the first wrestler who gets to really move all too much is Jason Justice. He turns on top of Maverick. People are putting their hands through their hair. With such a high opinion of this match, they don't want the good time to ends. Alas, Steve Tyrell goes for the pin count:
...One!
...Two!
...Three-
Taylor: Cassius! We have a new State of Ohio Champion! Jason Justice is back as the champion! I wonder if he'll continue advertising for Ohi-os, the breakfast cere-
Romano: Tommy, it wasn't a three count. I swore it was a three count too, but the referee is shaking his head. He's saying it's just still a two count. But that's close as hell. I don't know if I would have counted that as only two.
Jason Justice struggles but forces himself to the ring. He takes a moment to exhale, but finds that the single exhale is all about the only moment he has of rest. He finds Seth Dillinger forcing himself to his feet as well. Seth's eyes are wide and nearly red. On more than one occasion, he has nearly lost this match. He blindly runs to Justice with a clothesline, but the first State of Ohio Champion ducks it. He grabs the shoulder of Seth Dillinger. Is he going for Final Judgment, his high angle uranage!? He goes through with it! Wait! No! Seth Dillinger brings his legs up on the way down and reverses it into a hurracanrana! Seth sees Jason on the floor, and decides he needs to finish it now. He wraps him in for an anaconda vice! Jason Justice's eyes are wide open as he begins to look for the ropes. He swings around. At first, to attack Seth, then to find the ropes. Neither are effective. Where seconds feel like they last a minute, Jason feels himself fading fast. That's when Maverick comes in. He puts his hands on Jason Justice's chest. His shoulders are touching the mat. The referee goes for the pin count:
...One!
...Jason screams out in pain!
...Two!
...Jason reaches his arm out in front of him!
...THREE!
...Jason taps out!
The bell rings. Both Maverick and Seth Dillinger stagger to their feet, raising their arms in celebration. The referee runs over to Jessie Love and whispers something in her ear. Both men standing in the ring look over, confused.
Jessie Love: Ladies and gentlemen... here is your winner... and NEW State of Ohio Champion--
Seth throws his hands in the air, angry. Jessie is interrupted as another referee, Senior Referee Gabe Valentine, runs down from the back, waving his hands off. He runs over to Jessie love and points to Seth Dillinger, then mimics the "tapping out" hand motion. Maverick sees this and starts walking over to the ringside area.
Taylor: The refs don't agree on the ending of the match!
Romano: It looks like Justice tapped out... but he also got pinned? How does this work, now?
Jessie Love nods and enters the ring with a microphone and the two referees with her.
Jessie Love: Ladies and gentlemen... we have a problem! Please direct your attention to the screen...
The Xtreme Tron lights up. It shows the pin count. It shows Steve Tyrell's hands slapping the canvas down. ONE. TWO. THREE. Maverick gets up and pushes Jessie Love's shoulders.
Maverick: So what the hell's the problem? You saw it yourself! I just pinned him and the cameras show that!
Jessie Love: If you give me a moment, I'll show you the problem. So ladies and gentlemen, this camera angle shows Maverick, as rude as he my be, pinning Jason Justice. However, if you look at this angle...
The camera switches to the angle closest to Jason Justice's head, where Seth Dillinger is. In the left hand corner of the camera, Junior Referee Steve Tyrell's hand is in view. As the replay proceeds, Jason Justice slaps his hand on the mat, with his third slap timing perfectly with that of Steve Tyrell's three count.
Jessie Love: As you can see here, Jason Justice tapped out to Seth Dillinger at the exact same time as he was pinned by Maverick!
Maverick looks over at Dillinger in shock, then over at the two referees standing with Jessie.
Jessie Love: With that said, this match is considered a draw of sorts. As a result, the champion's advantage comes into play and as a result, the State of Ohio Champion remains Seth Dillinger!
The crowd goes nuts as Seth walks over to collect his title belt from the referee. Maverick stomps over and tries to snatch the belt away. Both men have hold of different ends of the belt -- Maverick tugs on it, then Seth tries to rip it away. This continues for a few moments. Finally, the referees try to get involved. Maverick lets go of the belt and starts to clobber the second ref who gave the match to Seth. Seth steps forward and shoves Maverick off of the ref. Jessie Love and the two referees hit the mat and roll out as Maverick turns to Seth, who has the State of Ohio Championship draped over his shoulders. Both men stare each other down as the crowd's electricity builds.
Taylor: Maverick feels like he was robbed... if I were Seth Dillinger, I wouldn't be sticking around to see what an angry Maverick can do!
Seth nods and jaws off to Maverick, who returns the favor. Both men take a few steps closer to each other, getting forehead-to-forehead, mouthing inaudible words to each other. Finally, Maverick has had enough. He catches Seth with a left hook! Seth staggers back and drives a fist into Maverick. Maverick punches Seth. Seth punches Maverick. Back, and forth, and back, and forth! Maverick starts to drive Seth back against the ropes with each punch, and then clotheslines him over the top rope, the title belt dropping to the floor. Maverick turns away from the ropes, so he doesn't see Seth catch himself on the apron. The crowd starts to cheer wildly as Maverick slowly turns around, and comes face-to-face with a flying forearm from Seth Dillinger! Maverick hits the mat and bounces back up, charging at Dillinger and driving him all the way into the corner. Maverick starts to drill punch after punch into the champ, and with no referee to stop him, he goes way past the ten count.
Romano: Someone has to get this situation under control!
Taylor: Here comes security to break it up!
Seth finally gets a window of opportunity and gets a knee into the face of Maverick. Maverick staggers back as Seth quickly scrambles to the second rope and leaps off with a quick dropkick. The force of the dropkick knocks Maverick back and he tumbles a few feet away. The half a dozen security personnel jump in the ring and stand in between the two men. Seth tries to charge through them, but they restrain him. Maverick gets up to his feet and tries to forge a path through the security, but they guide him out of the ring. Maverick hops down and glares up at Seth, who is still being held back by security. Maverick glances down and notices the title on the ground. He stoops to pick it up, then looks back up at Seth and smirks.
Romano: What is he doing?
Maverick throws the title over his shoulder and points to himself with his thumbs, indicating that he should be the champion! Seth's rage grows even higher as he tries to get over to Maverick, but now all of the security is blocking him out. Maverick cackles and laughs as he turns and walks out of the ring, having stolen the title belt from Seth!
Taylor: Maverick just walked out with the title! The true champion is left without his belt!! And at Clash of the Icons, of all places!?
Romano: Don't worry, Tommy. This is the end of this match, but I doubt this will be the end of these two. They both have a legitimate claim to the championship. In a battle where all current and former State of Ohio champions clashed, we have an unclear ending. This will be rectified.
Taylor: If I were Maverick, I'd stay out of sight with that thing! Dillinger looks ready to go nuclear on half of Ohio to get it back!
Out in the XHF parking lot, Natasha. Is. Walking. She smiles as she taps the shiny gold belt she has slung over her shoulder. Suddenly she stops and looks at the sickeningly expensive Vision Mercedes-Maybach "Ultimate Luxury Edition" Sedan that is pulling up in the car park. She snorts derisively as she sashays over to the window away from the camera. She taps her knuckle against the glass and we hear a barely audible elctric window lower. Natasha lowers the belt so that the occupant of the back seat can get a good look at her newly won title.
Natasha: Follow that, dear brother-in-law.
Jessie Love: The following match is scheduled for one fall…
Crowd: ONE FALL!
Jessie Love: And is for the XHF X*Crown Championship!
"Undeniable" by Seckond Chaynce begins to play as the lights dim. The crowds cheer as they know The Prince of Pain is about to come out.
SO!, SO!
UNDENIABLE!
SO, GO,
GO!
UNDENIABLE!
As the music kicks up, Michael Storm breaks through from behind the curtain. As he jumps out, he takes a moment to have a full view of his audience. He jumps up and down with the balls of his feet as he soaks up the energy.
(SO) BREATHTAKIN’
(SO) AMAZIN’
(SO) MAKE SURE THERE’S NO MISTAKIN’
(GO) THE HATIN’
(GO) IS WAITIN’
(GO) SO MAKE IT UNDENIABLE!
Michael Storm takes off his shirt and throws it into the crowd as he turns back to the ring in front of him. Storm runs down the line toward the ring. He circles around the ring once and slaps hands to in the front row. He then enters the ring and jumps up and down once more, waiting for the match to begin.
Taylor: Michael Storm, The Prince of Pain. Will he be undeniable tonight, Cass?
Romano: This is a true test for him. Jack Diamond has been on a hot streak recently, even beating the Heavyweight Champion at prestige.
Taylor: In a Pancake…
Romano: Do NOT remind me of those stipulations, Taylor. I will end your career.
The stadium lights dim and red strobes begin to flash as "Ace of Spades" by Motorhead feels the stadium. Diamond emerges from the back wearing his leather jacket and diamond shaped sunglasses and smiles big at the crowds reaction. Some boo, others chant "Diamond Club" as the Ace of Spades makes his way down to the ring.
IF YOU LIKE TO GAMBLE I TELL YOU I’M YOUR MAN,
YOU WIN SOME, LOSE SOME IT’S ALL THE SAME TO ME!
He rolls under the bottom rope and quickly pops up and throws his hands in the air in a diamond champ, again to some cheers and some boos and he gives a very smug grin as he waits for the match to start.
Taylor: This is one of the most talked about matches across the wrestling world. Both men have been very vocal in the build up.
Romano: Words mean nothing, Taylor. Tonight it’s all about fists. Let’s throw it back to Jessie for the introductions.
Jessie Love: Introducing first, from Brooklyn, New York, He is the Prince Of Pain and The Hardcore Icon, This is MIIIIIIIIICHEAL STOOOOOOOOORM!
Storm bounces excitedly in the ring, raring to go in this title match.
Jessie Love: And his opponent, The reigning and defending X*Crown Champion, “The Ace Of Spades” JAAAAACK DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAMOND!
Jack throws the Diamond sign again as his name is announced before handing his belt to Jessie. She clears the ring, the referee performs his final checks and the bell sounds.
Jack and Michael stare each other stare off in the middle of the rings. There is a tense pause of about five seconds and then both men start the match by THORWING BOMBS! Big punch from Storm. Big punch from Jack. Punch from Storm. Punch From Jack. They close and clinch and both men just start hammering away with their free arm connecting with shot after shot. Diamond breaks the clinch and Strom goes buck wild with a flurry of four rapid shots, the final dropping Damond to the canvas. The Prince Of Pain wheels away and shouts a quick, “C’MON!” to the crowd.
Taylor: It looks like both of these men came to fight!
Romano: Striking is in both these men’s wheelhouses. There’s a lot of malice behind these strikes.
Dragging The Ace Of Spades off the mat, Storm slings Diamond off into the ropes. Jack manages to regain some level of control and squares a shoulder but Michael Storm stands firm and Jack thuds into him with a satisfying crash. Strom nods and rushes the ropes himself, looking to shoulder Jack over but Jack takes this one standing and again the two bodies crash together. Neither man budges. This time both men rush the ropes and they both collide with force and again neither man budges. More punches are thrown, lefts and rights, this time Jack winning the exchange and dropping Storm.
Crowd: HARDCORE ICON! ACE OF SPADES! HARDCORE ICON! ACE OF SPADES!
Taylor: It seems the crowd here is split, Cassius.
Romano: Michael Storm is wildly popular. Jack Diamond certainly has his detractors, but his fans are amongst the most vocal in wrestling today.
Jack kicks away at Storm’s prone body but Storm rolls and hooks out Jack’s leg with an arm. The Hardcore Icon stands, looking to drop an elbow on Diamond but Jack steals a page out of Storm’s playbook and levers out Storm’s leg. Diamond stands and swings a shin high kick at Storm’s leg, Storm jumps to avoid. The Prince Of Pain aims a kick high at Diamond’s head but Jack ducks. Storm spins round with the momentum and the two men face each other AND START TRADING SHOTS AGAIN! Punches fly from the fists of both men freely and after about six shots are thrown, the pair back off, both huffing and puffing.
Taylor: Who do you think a match of this pace favours?
Romano: I’d think that the style slightly favours Storm but Jack has supreme cardio. It’s tough to call.
This time Storm lets Jack throw the first shot. Storm takes it LIKE A MAN and SCREAMS at Jack to “HIT ME AGAIN!” Jack throws another shot and Storm takes it again! Jack goes for a third but Storm unloads. One huge overhand right, a second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth. Machine gun like right hands leave jack wobbling and The Prince Of Pain closes in and floors Jack with a headbutt! Storm drops to cover.
ONE!
TWO!
Diamond kicks out.
Crowd: MIKE-ULL STORM! MIKE-ULL STORM!
Taylor: That’s using your head, Cassius
Romano: Remind me to recommend you get a pay cut to Ziko, Taylor.
Full of fire, Storm stands and land a few vicious stomps into Jack’s ribs. Storm lifts up Jack and lifts him, dropping The Ace Of Spades rib first into his knees. Storm tosses Jack down to the mat and drops a big elbow down. The Hardcore Icon follows by athletically hopping back up to his feet and posing.
Continuing his assault, Storm grabs a hold of Jack, hauls him to his feet and effortlessly suplexes him over. Storm rolls his hips, swings his legs around and lifts Jack up to a vertical base. Rather than hit a second suplex, Eddie Guerrero style, Storm simply sits out driving Jack’s head to the mat with a sharp DDT. Storm covers…
ONE!
TWO!
And the Ace of Spades kicks out. Storm pounds the mat, psyching himself even further up than before.
Taylor: Michael Storm is feeling it tonight.
Romano: Fire and passion is one thing, Taylor. But you need to be able to follow through with damage to secure a victory.
Looking to follow through with damage, Storm picks up The Ace Of Spades again. He drives an elbow, hard, into Diamond’s ribs and bends Jack double with the blow. Grabbing an arm, Storm flings Diamond across the ring and ducks, before flicking his body backwards and backdropping Diamond. The poor unfortunate Diamond goes sailing through the air, crashing down hard on the mat. Storm opts not to cover, opting to do more damage with boots and a big leg drop. He backs off and poses again.
Crowd: MIKE-ULL STORM! MIKE-ULL STORM!
Romano: Follow up, you idiot! You’re not going to win by showboating!
Storm walks over to the ropes and with great athleticism and poise, hops onto the bottom rope, then the middle and with a graceful arc of his body, sails through the air, backflipping into a beautiful Moonsault.
Taylor: HASHTAG FLIP STORM!
Romano: Don’t ever say hashtag again, Taylor.
Storm stops to cover.
ONE!
TWO!
TH.. and Diamond kicks out. Storm looks up to the referee to ask whether that was actually three, just to make doubly sure. Jack Diamond gets up to one knee and seeing that Storm is currently blocking the referee’s view… BLASTS MICHAEL STORM WITH A LOW BLOW! Storm crumples to the mat.
Crowd: BOOOOOOOOOO!
Romano: Tactics. Strategy. Ring savoir faire. That is the way of Jack Diamond.
Taylor: And blatant cheating, Cassius.
Romano: Subtle cheating. Blatant cheating gets you disqualified, Taylor.
Jack slowly stands and mouths, “Now we go to work!” to the hard camera. As Storm groggily sits up, Jack dismissively soccer kicks him under the chin, sending him back down to the mat before dropping a leg right across his face. Jack stands and takes a bow, proud of his handiwork. The Ace of Spades pauses, drawing a little breath, free of the relentless pressure of Storm’s offense before allowing Storm to stand. Just as Storm regains his footing, Jack leaps into the air and connects with a beautiful dropkick, right in the kisser.
Romano: You have to admire the form on Jack’s dropkick, Taylor.
Taylor: Begrudgingly. It is a thing of beauty.
Michael Storm staggers, backing up against the ropes. Jack rushes in and whacks The Prince Of Pain with a savage clothesline, spilling Storm over the ropes onto the floor. Storm’s head whacks the ring apron, the hardest part of the ring (TM) on his way down and though he lands on his feet, Storm is stunned. Jack backs off a few steps and charges, flinging himself between the ropes with a beautiful tope suicida, connecting again with Storm’s head.
Crowd: AY-DUBYA-EFF! AY-DUBYA-EFF!
Standing, Jack grabs Storm by the hair and throws him headfirst, hard against the ringpost with a resounding clang. Jack slings Storm back into the ring and drops to cover…
ONE!
TWO!
THR... Michael Storm kicks out. Jack goes right back to work by just rearing back into a full mount and firing some vicious hammerfists down onto Storm’s face. A welt forms under Storm’s right eye as Jack is relentless in his punishment. Jack stands and backs up, beckoning Storm to stand and groggily Storm does, only to get SPIKED ONTO THE MAT WITH A VICIOUS HURACANRANA!
Taylor: No pin, all impact on that ‘rana.
Romano: We are seeing a vicious side from The Gambling Man tonight.
Jack is all in on his line of attack, stomping away at Storm after standing and when Storm eventually gets back up to a seating position, swinging a leg casually and kicking The Prince Of Pain in the face once more. Jack taps at his knee a couple of times and retreats to the ropes. The Ace Of Spades charges in and catches Storm, now trying to slowly stand with a massive running knee to the face. Storm falls back again, and Jack covers….
ONE!
TWO!
THR... NO! Storm kicks out!
Taylor: Storm has fight left in him yet! That man does not know how to quit.
Romano: Or, more appropriately, when.
Jack stands, frustrated. He lifts Storm up again and grabbing Storm firmly by the arm, Jack slings Storm off into the corner. Broken and battered by Storm’s relentless assault, The Hardcore Icon slumps against the turnbuckle, unable to fight any further. Jack charges, leaps and SPLATS Storm against the turnbuckle with a huge splash!
Taylor: DIAMOND SPLASH! THE PRELUDE TO THE END!
Lifting Storm up onto the top rope, Jack hooks Storm’s limp head across his shoulder.
Taylor: STACKED DECK!
...NO! From a reserve of strength deep within himself, Storm pushes Jack Diamond off with both hands! Jack, half from Storm’s effort, half from sheer surprise falls backwards. Drawing on every last ounce of strength in his body, Storm stands, turns around and FLIES OFF THE TOP ROPE! HE TWISTS! HE TURNS! HE SPINS! HE DRIVES HIS DAMN ELBOW INTO JACK’S STERNUM!
Taylor: PRINCE OF PAIN! PRINCE OF PAIN! PRINCE OF PAIN!
Crowd: PRINCE OF PAIN! PRINCE OF PAIN! PRINCE OF PAIN!
Storm covers....
ONE!
TWO!
THRE... NOOOOOOOO! JACK DIAMOND KICKS OUT!
Storm is breathing really heavily. Jack just lies there on the mat. A flash of an idea crosses Michael Storm’s face and he slowly, tortuously slowly walks back over to the corner.
Crowd: ONE MORE TIME! ONE MORE TIME!
Step by step, ever so carefully Storm ascends to the top turnbuckle again. Storm holds his head, obviously bothered by something. Maybe the damage delivered by Jack across the match. Maybe something more. Jack is powerless to resist and Storm leaps off again, turning, flipping… but he is a tired, tired man and misjudges the distance.
To land flush would have been perfect. To land short would have been painful. But Storm lands inches, mere inches just short of where he wanted to land. And the full impact of the crash into Jack’s ribs is taken full on Michael Storm’s forehead. A limp arm drapes unconsciously across Jack’s chest...
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
Jessie Love:Here is your winner and the NEW X*Crown Champion - Michael Storm!
Taylor: MICHAEL STORM WINS! MICHAEL STORM IS YOUR NEW X*CROWN CHAMPION!
The referee goes over to award Storm the belt. But Storm does not move. Not one inch. The camera focusses in on Storm’s supine body and there is nothing, nothing in Michael Storm’s eyes. Jack wriggles his way free from underneath Storm and his face of disappointment changes to one of shock as he sees the state of his opponent. The referee checks on Storm and then throws the dreaded X sign to the backstage area. Jack Diamond frantically beckons for EMTs to be sent down to the ring.
Romano: We have a situation here.
Taylor: That was a tremendous match. I hope Michael Storm is all right.
Romano: The match be damned… Thomas. Belts be damned. Storm is hurt. My thoughts are with him.
The EMT team lift Storm up onto a gurney, check his pulse (which he fortunately has) and make sure he doesn’t swallow his tongue and slowly, carefully begin to wheel the unconscious body out of the ring.
Crowd: MIKE-ULL STORM! MIKE-ULL STORM!
Jack Diamond kneels in the ring, looking up at the ramp as Michael Storm is taken away by the paramedics, the X*Crown with him. Jack looks more than a little shaken up, both from his own pains from the match and from the injury to Storm. The crowd noise hushes as Jack stands up. Bouyed by Jack’s magnanimous concern for his opponent, they offer a rousing chorus of..
Crowd: THANK YOU JACK!, THANK YOU JACK!, THANK YOU JACK!
Jack cracks a weary smile and…
The arena lights go dim for a second. A ripping drum fill sounds across the arena, followed by a savage harmonica and guitar line. The tune of Clutch’s DC Sound Attack! Neil Fallon’s gravelly voice rings out across the PA System…
THE OPTICS OF IT ARE NOT IMPORTANT
THE PUBLIC DON’T GIVE A DAMN
I FEEL IN NEED OF CONSULTATION NOW
EVERYBODY NEEDS
A SINISTER HAND
And out from behind the curtain walks a very dapper man in a very expensive suit, microphone in hand.
Chris Card: Well, I would like to make my entrance under more happy circumstances, but I was watching backstage and both of the men you have just watched impressed me. My thoughts are with Michael Storm at this difficult time for him and his family of course.
Card walks slowly down the entrance ramp as he talks.
Chris Card: And you, Jack. You impressed me so very much tonight. See I have known since the first time I saw you wrestle that you are a special talent. And you proved tonight, that even in defeat you are one of the greatest competitors working in this industry of ours today. For Michael, I hope he recovers. And for you, Jack… everybody, give Jack one huge cheer. He deserves it.
The crowd cheers and Jack takes a small, forced bow as his body is still wracked with pain. Card reaches the ring steps and steps into the ring.
Chris Card: Now, this is a difficult time for all of us. Injuries in professional wrestling happen. I know this as much as most people. I know my timing isn’t perfect. I am truly sorry for what has happened here. But my offer of a match still stands, however sour the mood might be because of the events tonight. Because, Jack. Few people in wrestling have truly earned my respect. And tonight, you proved you deserve this.
AND CARD SUPERKICKS JACK DIAMOND, OUT OF NOWHERE, RIGHT IN THE FACE!
Taylor: WHAT?
Romano: Not now, Chris. Not now.
Crowd: BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Card looks down at Jack Diamond lying there on the mat. Card draws an X across his heart with his thumbs, stoops over and picks the mic back up again.
Chris Card: “I’ll make sure to give you my Calling Card.” And I. Just. Did. I don’t care if the man you were facing has practically killed himself to beat you. I am a man of my word. And no potential career shortening, scratch that, LIFE shortening injury is going to stop me carrying those words through.
Crowd: BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Chris Card: And my message to every single fan in this here arena? Deal with it.
Chris extends his arm holding the mic out fully and theatrically drops it on the mat before walking confidently out of the ring and up the ramp.
Backstage, the cameras open up in the locker room. The door to the locker room sits shut for a moment... then it explodes open as Seth Dillinger bursts into the locker room, scanning with his eyes.
Seth Dillinger: Where are you, Mav?
Seth stomps around to the back part of the locker room where the showers are and starts ripping back shower curtains.
Seth Dillinger: You've got something that belongs to me, my dude.
With there still being no sign of Maverick, Seth Dillinger storms back through the locker room and into the hallway, where he nearly runs in to Charles Akiyama. Charles stops in his tracks and stammers out an apology.
Charles Akiyama: Oh... s-sorry, Mr. Dillinger...
Seth sighs.
Seth Dillinger: It's fine, Charlie. I didn't look where I was going. And please don't call me Mr. Dillinger. That's way too formal.
Charles nods in response.
Charles Akiyama: Yes... noted... I won't do that again. Would you happen to have time for an interview? The AWF fans will want to hear your reaction to what happened earlier.
After a few moments, Seth shakes his head.
Seth Dillinger: Sorry, no can do. Maybe later. I need to track down Maverick and make--
The camera shakes wildly as Maverick flies in from the locker room, blasting Seth in the back of the head with the State of Ohio Championship. Seth hits the ground as Maverick glares down at him and stomps on him a few times. Charles Akiyama stares in shock. Maverick looks up from Seth and glares at Charles, who nods and turns to hurry off in the opposite direction. Maverick turns and walks off-screen down the hallway. The camera lingers on Seth clutching at the back of his head, writing on the floor.
The opening chords begin to play, as the lights darken completely. The crowd reacts to the haunting melody of Hyperion's entrance; the darkness blanketing everyone. Hyperion appears from a distance, walking through the crowd, tall and fierce. A single golden light guides his path to the ring until he climbs over the barrier and approaches the ring steps. He pauses at the side, looking vaguely into the crowd, before raising his fist over his head to shouts from the audience. He enters over the top rope and prepares for Bobby Barratt.
Taylor: Here is Hyperion, the AWF Champion himself! I worry about whomever steps into the ring with him.
Romano: Hyperion is absolutely a monster, yes. But his ego does get in the way. still, I wouldn't want to be beside him.
Motherfucker of the Year starts playing over the sound system. The lights drop apart from purple spotlights, which appear to swirl around as if they are looking for someone. Suddenly, they all converge on one spot, revealing "The Prodigy" Bobby Barratt standing square in the middle of the ramp. His arms spread wide and his head back, drinking in the jeers from the crowd. He slowly makes his way toward the ring, on the whole ignoring the fans reaction.
Hopping onto the apron and wiping his feet, he hops over the top rope, ascending to the second buckle to mouth along with the fans.
Taylor: And Bobby Barratt is the Prestige Class Champion! How does his chances look to be in this match?
Romano: Not as low as one may think. The two have fought together before and Bobby used to be the AWF Champion, himself. He just has to follow the same advice and stop letting his ego get in the way.
The bell rings, and there is an eery silence to the match. On one side of the ring is the AWF Champion Hyperion and on the other side, Bobby Barratt. They are both widely regarded as the best wrestlers in the AWF today - perhaps in all of history. They stare at each other in the eyes. They know what's at stake. Two champions walk in. One walk out. The new coveted AWF Prestige Championship. Hyperion and Bobby eye each other up and down. At the main event of the grandest stage in all of the Ascension Wrestling Federation, their time is here. Their time is now. And they're off. Hyperion and Bobby go for a lock up, but Bobby decides last minute to dodge him. He somersaults out of the way past Hyperion, who engages forward and misses his mark. Hyperion turns around and shakes his head, disappointed with that decision. Bobby shakes out his arms. He then stretches his arms forward, ready to go for another lock up. The AWF Champion nods and goes for another lock up, but Bobby again dodges with a somersault, forcing Hyperion to move forward with nothing to show for it. Hyperion's nose flares up as his patience is quickly running thin.
Taylor: Bobby's playing a very dangerous game right now, ticking off Hyperion and all that.
Romano: Think about it like this, though. Bobby knows he can't just take on Hyperion head on. Hyperion is much bigger and much stronger than Bobby and he knows that. Bobby is playing things smart by playing to Hyperion's weaknesses, which are his lack of speed, agility and patience. He's hoping to wear him down and force him to make a rash decision.
Bobby gets to his feet and turns around to Hyperion. He throws his arms out, signaling that he's ready for another lockup. This time, Hyperion knows better. Third time is the charm. Hyperion and Bobby Barratt lunge forward, but Hyperion goes to the side, anticipating Bobby's move that he already tried twice. This time, Bobby is a straight shooter. He jumped forward and grabbed Hyperion by the face and then pulled back, shoving his face straight to the canvas. This caused Hyperion to move backwards, falling backwards and hit the canvas. His weight caused the ring to shake like a mini-quake. Bobby isn't one to go for pizzazz and flare. He knows that Hyperion is a force to be reckoned with, so he goes for the quick pin count. Senior Referee Gabe Valentine slides in for the pin count:
...One!
...Tw-Hyperion kicks out!
Taylor: I can't believe it! Bobby Barratt was able to take down Hyperion with a single move. This is a huge accomplishment for him!
Romano: 100% agreed, Tommy. Win or lose, Bobby has done something momentous by taking down a titan like him so soon.
When Hyperion kicks out, he actually lifts Bobby nearly a foot in the air, like a child throwing their teddy bears. As Bobby hits the mat, he rolls and gets back onto his feet. Hyperion brings himself to his feet and goes toward Bobby. He sees him coming and prepares for the worst. Bobby sends a kick to the stomach of the Mad Titan, causing him to bend forward. Looking to capitalize, Bobby Barratt throws a fist forward. Closed fists are frowned upon, but the Prestige Class Champion has no qualms with bending the rules. He throws a fist to Hyperion... who catches the fist. That's when Bobby sees the dark and cold eyes from Hyperion, who is now flaring with anger. Hyperion bends Bobby's wrist and then with his other hand, grabs Bobby by the chest and throws him, from the center of the ring, to the corner, which his back slams. The cushion does nearly nothing to soften the impact as it felt like he got hit by a truck. Bobby Barratt opens his eyes just as he finds Hyperion charging for him. Hyperion slams into him with a shoulder. As if the truck couldn't be any worse, that shoulder from Hyperion felt like a train. Bobby slumps down to the canvas and Hyperion puts his foot on his chest, choking him. The referee steps in the middle and begins to count. One... Two... Three... Four... Fi-Hyperion lets go.
Taylor: Bobby can only get so far before Hyperion could retaliate.
Romano: But you'd be a fool to think Bobby is done. This match is only going to get hotter.
As Hyperion backs up, Bobby tries to grab the ropes, but the damage that has been inflicted up onto Bobby must have shaken him something inside, where it caused an issue with his depth perception. The lean forward actually caused Bobby to fall out of the ring. This actually becomes a good thing as he just narrowly avoided Hyperion next shoulder. As Bobby hits the canvas outside of the ring, he uses the outside barricade to help him get to his feet. As he finally make his way vertical, he feels a tug at the back of his head. Much to his chagrin, it's the AWF Champion himself, Hyperion! The AWF Champion grabs the head of the AWF Prestige Class Champion, Bobby Barratt and slams his head into the barricade. The recoil sent Bobby's face back up. That's when Hyperion sent Bobby's head to the barricade for a second time! Bobby's eyes nearly rolled to the back of his head. Hyperion grins as he sends Bobby's face to the barricade for a third time! ...But Bobby shoots his arms forward and keeps Bobby from shooting forward. Hyperion looks down at the arms and looks back up. He shot forward with Bobby's head, but once again, Bobby stopped it! Hyperion's eyes grew wide. Bobby let go with one of his arms and swung back. He hit Hyperion in the stomach and forced him to jump back. Hyperion tried to move forward, but Bobby sent another elbow. Hyperion, at this point, was almost a full foot behind him. Then BOOM - Pele kick! Hyperion goes down!
Taylor: Holy smokes! It looks like Bobby stands a chance!
Romano: He better not get cocky, though. The issue with Hyperion is that he has pockets of extra energy he keeps in his depths so you can feel like victory is just at your grasp, but if Hyperion hits one of those pockets, he can turn this match a full 180.
Bobby grits his teeth as he gets himself up off the mat. He finds Hyperion slowly, but surely getting to his feet. Bobby, however, is ensuring that he's going to go into the ring. He's not done yet. He enters the ring at the six count. Hyperion isn't too far behind him and enters himself at the eight count. As soon as Hyperion gets inside, Bobby hits him in the head with a baseball slide. Hyperion backs out of the ring but lands on his feet. Sure, he may have been ejected from the ring, but he has less to worry about. He's back at a one count, and he can take his time to reenter without any time constraints. His eyes move all around and he explores his options. His face studies Bobby Barratt, the AWF Prestige Class Champion. Although he is perspiring and with messed up hair, his breath is steady and his eyes sharp. He's confident and accepting an all out brawl with the titan that is Hyperion.
Romano: Look at this, Tommy.
Taylor: There's not much to look at. Hype is just a bit stumped.
Romano: That's exactly my point! You see, Hyperion is normally the kind of person to just waltz in and expect his victory to be served to him on a silver platter, but this is different. He's actually studying Bobby, trying to plan out how he will win. In other words, Bobby has the AWF Champion worried. Even if Hyperion ends up winning this match, he has at least won this victory!
And Hyperion jumps from the mat onto the apron with two feet leaving and rejoining solid ground at the same time. Bobby doesn't hesitate as he approaches Hyperion. He throws a punch to his head, while Hyperion ducks his head and headbutts Bobby in the stomach all at the same time. Both stumble back, but Hyperion has a higher threshold of pain than Bobby does. He manages to get himself into the ring while Bobby circles around from the damage to his gut. As Bobby looks around, Hyperion hits him with a big boot! At least, he tried to. Bobby slid underneath it. Hyperion turned around to a BIG kick in the stomach from The Icon, enough to bend Hyperion over. Bobby grabs the head of the Mad Titan and runs to the corner. He's going for it! The Sliced Bread #2 that he calls Prodigal Arrival! ...But mid-air, Hyperion reverses the move into an upside down spine buster! Hyperion goes for a pin count over Bobby. Senior Referee Gabe Valentine officiates the pin count. Is this the end? Do we have our first ever AWF Prestige Champion!?
...One!
...Two!
...Thr-Kickout! Bobby Barratt dug deep and found the resolve to keep fighting!
Romano: I've never found so much tact in Hyperion and so much defiance in Bobby Barratt. I'm impressed. First off, Hyperion knew that Bobby would attack and bet on the fact that he doesn't feel pain as easily. Whereas with Bobby, he fought through an attack that would knock most people out. The amount that he was able to inflict onto someone like Hyperion is extraordinary.
Taylor: So who do you think is going to be able to end up as the winner in this match, Cassius?
Romano: The ordinary man would say Hyperion, but I am no ordinary man. With that said, you can't just discount everything that Hyperion can do.
Taylor: So...
Romano: I have absolutely no idea.
Taylor: ...
Hyperion looks up at the referee. He swore that he got the three count. He felt Bobby kick out, but surely it was after the three count. He looks up to Referee Gabe Valentine, who shows the raised index and middle fingers. Hyperion gets off of Bobby and steps up to the referee. The referee begins to sweat, but remains confident and holds his ground with regards to the call. Hyperion, at this point, is visibly losing his patience. He corners the referee. Gabe Valentine holds his hands up, trying to reassure him that he's just trying to do his job, but the AWF champion isn't having it. He grabs the referee up by the shirt and lifts him right off the ground. The referee's eyes are wide open. He looks to the timekeeper, primed and ready to make a call if necessary.
Romano: Hyperion needs to calm down or he's going to get himself disqualified!
Taylor: A disqualification during a unification match? Isn't that kind of a grey area in the rules, since this is a title match?
Romano: I'm afraid so. It looks like that might be the referee is so hesitant to make the DQ call. That and Hyperion hasn't actually caused damage to him yet. That's probably enough for him to hold off on that ruling.
Taylor: Come on, Hype! This is our first ever Clash of the Icons! Don't make us have to end the show of all shows on such a questionable end!
Hyperion notices that the referee isn't looking at him, the man that could end it all for him. That piques his interest and has him turn his head to where his eyes pointing toward. There, he finds the timekeeper and realizes the predicament that he is in. The gold is at stake, and it'd be an absolute travesty for the trophy to go anywhere except to the rightful champion. A God. Hype manages to take a deep breath and calm himself down. He puts Senior Referee Gabe Valentine back onto his two feet. After all, he has a match to win. Hyperion turns around... right into a dropkick from Bobby Barratt! It sure as hell looks like Bobby put every pound of his body into that attack, because the monstrous titan Hyperion fell back into the turnbuckle, crushing Gabe Valentine, the senior referee, between Hyperion and the turnbuckle! Hyperion felt the body behind him and while the attack merely forced the breath to come out of his lungs, it would do a lot more for its match official. The crowd gasps. Between the ruthless Hyperion and the conniving Bobby Barratt, anything can happen now!
Taylor: This is anarchy, Cassius! There's no telling what could happen between the two!
Romano: I agree. What's going to happen next is anyone's guess.
Hyperion looked behind him. He wanted to check on the status of the referee. After all, there was a possibility the referee thought Hyperion backed up into him of his own accord, not seeing Bobby. However, the referee is out like a light. He's more likely to be dead than he is conscious enough to officiate the match. In that case, the match is going to continue, and he's going to do it his way. The titan way. Hyperion looks back and finds no one in the ring. Where the hell did Bobby Barratt go?! Hyperion looks to the left. He looks to the right. He's nowhere to be seen! Hyperion exits the ring. He makes his way toward the entrance ramp. After all, he is a man twice Bobby's size. He figured that someone like Bobby would take any opportunity he could possibly take in order to escape with his life. Halfway up the ramp, he hears people chattering among themselves. He turns around. He sees a split second's worth of Bobby before he gets taken down with a steel pipe! Hyperion hits the ground! Not only that, but his face has just been busted open! His crimson water is painting himself like a red Mel Gibson in Bravehart! Bobby knows that Hyperion is down. He's looking to bring him in for the pin, but finds that the referee is still down. Still, he finds the time to look down and admire his own handiwork.
Taylor: Now Bobby's up top! But it doesn't matter since the referee isn't up!
Romano: Not only that, but how would he even plan on getting Hyperion into the ring?
Bobby turns around and starts to walk away. It looks like he has had it trying to deal with his opponent, but he suddenly turns around and strikes Hyperion! And again! The people are gasping. He's mutilating Hyperion like there's no tomorrow. If the referee was there and it was a no disqualification match, he would have been likely to pull Bobby away on pure principle! He ends up stopping, and only because he doesn't want to get arrested for being a murderer. So Bobby drags and he drags. A man who is nearly a foot taller than him and over a hundred pounds heavier. He grits his teeth and arches his back as he moves the mad titan. Ten feet and up the stairs in moving Hyperion sounds hard, but doing that is somehow even tougher - quite nearly impossible. Barely in the ring, Bobby is huffing and puffing as he's grabbing Senior Referee Gabe Valentine, trying to stir him into reality. That's when he actually follows through! He's opening his eyes. He finds Bobby on top of Hyperion.
Taylor: Bobby's going to beat Hyperion! He's going to become the new AWF Prestige Champion!
Romano: It can't end like this! It just can't!
The referee is slow, but is definitely doing his damnedest in making this pin happening. He slaps the canvas as this match comes to a close:
...One!
...Two!
...THR-
Hyperion ROARS as his eyes open and grabs Bobby Barratt by the neck, strangling him while using his other hand to get up.
Taylor: Uhmmm... Cassius? What the HELL just happened!?
Romano: ...Hell. That's what happened. Hell's fury just unleashed itself in the name of Hyperion.
As Hyperion got to his feet, he used his other hand to strangle Bobby Barratt, who is off the ground. The people's eyes are all wide open. He's going for it! The High One! He moves to slam Bobby down, but The Prodigy quickly uses his feet to wrap around the ropes, keeping him from properly throwing down his finisher. The red-faced Hyperion is furious. Hyperion moves forward to attack Bobby, but the referee intervenes while still on the floor, telling him that he can't attack someone who is on the ropes. He reluctantly agrees, and keeps himself away. Bobby slowly untangles himself from the ropes, ready for anything. However, he wasn't ready for Hyperion to move as quick as lightning. He moved quicker than he should have moved. And when he attacked, he struck with the viciousness of a mad titan unleashed. Bobby Barratt goes over the top rope. Bobby hit the outside hard. He shakes his head, hoping for a moment to recover. His vision blurred. As he rubbed his eyes, he looked back into the ring. The only one in the ring was the referee, Gabe Valentine, trying to make his way to his feet. He saw something in the corner of his eye. It was.
Taylor: HYPERION!
Romano: I have to say, Hyperion is attacking in ways I have never seen him before. All I know is that I am glad I am not Bobby Barratt.
Hyperion hits Bobby Barratt with such a ferocious amount of energy that his spit gets knocked out of his mouth. Hyperion doesn't give Bobby a moment to recover. He doesn't grant him that reprieve. Hype stays on the offensive and sits on his chest, sending punch left and right to the Prestige Class Champion's face. All while this is happening, Gabe Valentine is counting down. Hyperion couldn't even be bothered. He honestly doesn't even care. He's in his own little world, getting the revenge he so desperately craves. He keeps going until the eight count when the now-bloody Bobby shoots air out of his chest. "Draw". Hyperion looks back to the referee, now counting. Ready to end this match to a draw, where no one wins. Hyperion would then find himself being the equal of Bobby Barratt, right at his level. That's something he would not accept. That's something he could not accept. Something, he won't accept. In a stunning display of power, the furious Hyperion throws Bobby into the ring. He gets in himself, right before the ten count. Hyperion would not end this match by count-out. No. The people deserve to see the depths of his powers.
Taylor: This match is crazy. The two have been going at this for over half an hour!
Romano: Well this is the main event, Tommy. And these are two of the most talented men in this company. I can't even begin to surmise how this match can end!
Hyperion gets himself back in the ring. Right before the ten count, too. Bobby is bloodied and beaten, just like him. However, he's not a God. Not like him. He couldn't possibly take such punishment. And with blood spilled, it's time for this match to end. He covers him. The referee goes down for the pin count:
...One!
...Two!
...TH-Bobby kicked out! The people gasp! Cassius Romano gasps! Tommy Taylor gasps! Hyperion himself doesn't believe what just unfolded right before his eyes!
Taylor: Cassius, how did this happen!?
Romano: To be honest, I don't even think Bobby intended to kick out. I think it was all reflex. Like there's something deep inside him that won't let him give up. That won't let him surrender.
Taylor: I mean, that's just kind of cheesy. Maybe he's just able to really take an ass kicking,
Romano: ...
Hyperion looks down to Bobby, that fallen body which has been struggling to get himself from his horizontal status. After the kick out, Hyperion rolls off of him. He puts an arm down to help him get out, but falls to the ground. He finds his arm failed to help him get up and realizes just how tired he really is. He, however, finds himself near the ropes and begins to use that to help him get himself to his feet. Finally getting himself to his feet, he looks to Bobby and becomes surprised with his will and resolve, nearly at his feet himself. He looks at his face and has noticed a major change in his demeanor. Despite the fact that Bobby is normally cocky and with an inflated ego, he entered this match a bit more serious. But now, he's angry, furious even. It looks like he has taken this match personally. Hyperion gives him a solemn nod, for he has given this match with the dignity and honor that it deserves. Bobby and Hyperion meet in the center of the ring. Hyperion goes for a clothesline. Bobby dodges that. As the two spin around, Bobby sends a couple of jabs into his kidneys. Hyperion winces.
Taylor: Cassius, I want you to think about this statement - Hyperion and Bobby are on an even playing field when it comes for blow for blow brawling!
Romano: This is certainly impressive, and Bobby chose the right time to try this. I guarantee you if he tried this in the beginning of the match, he would have been knocked out within the first few minutes, but Bobby Barratt has grown within his time at the Ascension Wrestling Federation. He's playing this smart.
Bobby follows up to his like strike with a punch to Hype's face, which staggers him back. Hyperion follows back with a punch of his own, striking Bobby in the face. The blow so full of impact that the camera beautifully captured a shot of Bobby's eyes rolling to the back of his head. Bobby retaliates with a blow of his own, again - the camera capturing a great blow that saved Hyperion sending the spit expelled from Hyperion's mouth. Hyperion is forced back a few paces. He looks back and then charges forward with his lariat that he calls First Principle! Bobby Barratt nearly topples under the arm in order to avoid the strike which he barely sees, but the AWF Champion Hyperion advances to the opposite rope. Bobby turns around and takes a massive First Principle from The Mad Titan!
Romano: And I think we saw it a-
Taylor: Cassius! Look!
Bobby Barratt has been flipped 360-degrees and manages to land on both two feet! Hyperion hasn't seen this, but Bobby Barratt's eyes nearly rolled to the back of his head. Despite standing, he has taken the full effects of this. He clutches his chest, but forces himself to look forward, where his opponent, Hyperion, is still looking away from him. As Hyperion turns around, he finds Bobby Barratt right in front of his face. Bobby grabs Hyperion and takes him down with the Codebreaker finisher that he calls the Iconbreaker! Both hit the ground and they just freaking stay there! Everyone in the arena is on their two feet, onlooking what has just unfolded. The referee looks down. He's stunned, himself! He looks down at both competitors and begins the ten count:
...One!
...Two!
Taylor: Is the referee doing the knockout count?
Romano: He has to. It's part of the rules.
Taylor: Then what happens if no one stands up by the ten count?
Romano: Then this match ends in a draw.
Taylor: Without a winner!?
Romano: *shrugs*
...Three!
...Four!
At this point, Bobby has gotten to all fours. Hyperion has just blinking his eyes and trying to know where he is.
...Five!
...Six!
...Seven!
Bobby tries to get to his feet, but his arms and legs are shaking. Hyperion is grasping the ropes while on his back, trying to get to his feet.
...Eight!
...Nine!
Both Bobby and Hyperion are staring at one another, dreading this most unfortunate yet impending result.
...TEN!
The people gasp. They mutter to one another. Jessie Love can be seen talking with the timekeeper and then the referee. After a quick discussion, she walks into the ring with a microphone in hand.
Jessie Love: Ladies and gentlemen, neither competitor has reached their feet in the allotted time. With this in mind, it is the referee's decision that this match end in a double-countou-
Voice: Wait!
The people turn to the entrance of the ramp, where Felix Ziko stands. He's holding a microphone in his hand.
Ziko: As the owner and CEO of the Ascension Wrestling Federation, I am going to say that there is no way in hell that the main event of our most important super show end in a count-out. Not when we are merging two of our most valuable championships. I will not allow it! The people deserve much more than that! So it is my proclamation that this match will not end until one of those two men reach their feet. That man will be declared our first ever AWF Prestige Champion!
The people pop! The match continues!
Taylor: Did you hear that, Cassius!? This match doesn't get to end! We still have a match!
Romano: And as far as I'm concerned, both of those men still have a chance. Who's it going to be?
Bobby finally resorts to using the ropes for leverage. He has no more room to waste on self-image. Hyperion, himself, is already on one foot. Both men are bloody. The canvas has been stained red and both of the men are dehydrated and running low on fuel. Bobby climbs from the middle rope to the top rope. Veins are nearly popping out of his neck as he struggles to get to his feet. ...That's when Hyperion gets to both feet! Well, he gets to the heels of his feet, staring at Bobby, before his eyes go white and he falls backwards. In a moment of clarity, Bobby gets to his two feet - his eyes not leaving Hyperion's. The bell rings.
Jessie Love: Ladies and gentlemen, after almost forty-five minutes of combat, a winner has been decided. Our winner and the FIRST AWF Prestige Champion is... BOBBY BARRATT!
Taylor: Bobby Barratt won! He managed to topple the mad titan, Hyperion! This is the first time in AWF history where the Prestige Class Champion has been able to beat the AWF Champion!
Romano: But we don't have the AWF Champion or the Prestige Class Champion anymore. Now we have our new top belt, the AWF Prestige Champion, made to combine the ethics and values of the Prestige Class Championship with the legacy of the AWF Championship! Bobby Barratt is our new champion. Tonight, Bobby Barratt is AWF!
Bobby Barratt falls to his knees as confetti flies from the ceiling of the AWF. Felix Ziko walks to the ring and bestows Bobby Barratt with the AWF Prestige Championship. Bobby's eyes grow wide as he sees his new belt. Bobby looks over to Hyperion, still fallen over. His eyes are still open. Bobby makes his way to him.
Bobby: Hyperion? Are you alright?
Hyperion turns his head to Bobby.
Hyperion: Hyperion? Who's Hyperion?
Bobby cocks his head, slightly confused.
"My name is James Knox."
Bobby's mouth slightly opens in surprise. The camera switches over to the commentators.
Taylor: What a way to end a show, I tell you! All of these belts have either come to new owners or to controversial endings.
Romano: But this isn't what made the show great. It was the values of the AWF - Athleticism. Respect. Sportsmanship. Without these values, this show could not be great as it is and we would not be where we are today. Happen one year anniversary, AWF! We will see you again on Friday, July 13th for Prestige 19! This time, we will see you in the grand state of Indiana! But for now, we must wish you a pleasant evening. I'm "Bruiser" Cassius Romano!
Taylor: And I'm "Technical" Tommy Taylor! Farewell!
Clash of the Icon focuses on the new AWF Prestige Championship before fading to black.
