Collision Course 6 Results
Dec 11, 2017 0:29:32 GMT -5
Stace Matthews, The Anarchist, and 1 more like this
Post by Rick Majors on Dec 11, 2017 0:29:32 GMT -5
Hours before this nightmare comes to a climax, parked in the rear of the Pure Class Wrestling Arena with his window cracked, Johnny Vivacious sits in his 2017 Aston Martin Vanquish overlooking metro Greenville. A cigarette burns, pursed in his kisser. The powerful V12 engine is off and the sound system, that helped build a $325,000 price tag, bumps Moccasin Creek’s “Run Again” low.
There's a chill in the air, but it's adrenaline battling nerves that has his entire body shaking.
People, fans arriving early to get a prime seat, mill around their vehicles in the parking lot. They can be heard chattering and complaining about the cold temperature, talking about the upcoming event and discussing their plans for later.
All of them, have some anticipation building for one of the most want-to-see matches in PCW, if not of all time, definitely in the here and now.
While not a championship match, like that of his brother-in-law and Notorious ally, the stakes couldn't be higher for either competitor and he adds the perception of the crowd to his stress. It would destroy him inside to let them down tonight.
He checks himself in the mirror, says a prayer and throws the car door open. Stepping out, one biker boot after the other, he lights another coffin nail. Leaning against his vehicle, he watches the fans line up to enter the building. A muffled roar can already be heard from inside. The place is going to be packed tonight.
He drops the cigarette, snuffing it under his boot, before popping the trunk open and gathering his bag. As he heads in, he rehearses and runs through his spots audibly, but to himself.
He goes to the gorilla spot and peeks through the curtain. The entire arena is full of people. Is fifteen to twenty minutes enough time to suspend them, amp them up, pin them down and sell them on all of it? Would an hour even be enough time? Regardless, he is wishing that it would just fly by.
He wishes it over with actually.
One way or the other.
Done.
He knows that the direction of his future is at his feet in front of him. All he really wanted to do was have a great time. In the business he has a keen ability to have survived to this night; now, he is recognizes the next time that he steps in this building after tonight, he could be the headliner.
He's not supposed to be this person that shows concern or doubt. He holds a microphone and the entire watching fan base hang on his every word. He uses the support against the ridicule of the fans in waves like cavalry on a battlefield.
He tells them everything about himself, from his travels, his dreams, his failures, his family values and his fears, spilling it week after week.
He puts his body, his health and his well being on the line every time he challenges someone in the ring. He pulls out all stops to pull them from their couches, into the arena and up on their feet. It has always and will always be, for them.
Maybe it is time.
Possibly it is his time.
Their perception has always guided him to say and do the outrageous things to have brought him this far.
Tonight, he is going to push his technical prowess and wrestling skill.
Tonight, he is going to have to play smart defense and effective offense.
Tonight, he is stepping out of the darkness and looking for the spotlight.
Pure Class Wrestling Presents Collision Course 6
Sunday December 10th
The show opens with the crowd on their feet, cheering as the camera pans across them.
Jerry Andrews: Ladies and gentlemen, there may be a chill in the air, but the crowd in here is certainly HOT TONIGHT!
Ace Anderson: We've been gearing up for this event for months and now we're finally here! The competitors of Pure Class Wrestling are on a Collision Course with one another and it all comes to a head tonight!
Suddenly, the camera cuts to backstage, a little room to be precise. Three figures, two thick as thieves and one unlikely face, are by the looks of it in some sort of meeting. Arica “Trouble” Lewitt and Jule “Wasp” Martins sit rather uncomfortably on steel chairs. The kind that are better meant for smashing opponents in the ring, rather than for sitting on. Standing across from them is High Tide, and with the door closed and no threat of being walked in on, he has his flask out and is furiously drinking from it.
“But Trouble has a match tonight Tide, I don't know what you want us to do about that?” Wasp spoke his tone implying that he was feeling intimidated. Probably a smart choice when dealing with a drunken volatile pirate.
“I don't have a choice Tide, I have to be in that match. We all have contracts here, you know exactly how it goes,” Trouble spoke this time, and from the fire in her voice she was obviously not afraid at all. Wasp shook his head. He had once tried to be firm with High Tide, and the results were less than satisfactory.
Tide stopped drinking from his flask for a moment, looking kindly at Wasp. His gaze flickered over to Trouble and his face changed from understanding to one of glaring daggers. “I know exactly what you do and don't have to do. You're new around here in comparison to me, I don't need a lecture on what contracts are from you. That's exactly what you have to do is show up and that you will. It's too early to play our hand. You will show up in that ring, you will put up a good fight, and that will be that. That's what will happen, don't you two dare think otherwise. Now, I have places to be. Good luck in your match,” High Tide winked at the pair and turning on a heel, he walked out.
The camera's go from the departing High Tide back to the pair sitting in the chairs. The room is silent, almost an awkward tension permeating the air. The two are left only to shrug at each other.
Ace Anderson: Wait, what was that all about?
Jerry Andrews: I'm not sure but it looks like we're getting a bit more intrigue in our show tonight!
Ace Anderson: And what a show it is! Folks, we have quite a line-up here tonight!
Jerry Andrews: That's right Ace, five big matches, three titles on the line, and one huge event!
Ace Anderson: There are at LEAST three matches tonight that could headline any pay-per-view in the world, and I'm talking about Grimm versus Johnny Vivacious, Gabriel versus Justin "Stormm" Michaels for the North American title, and Seromine defending his World Championship against Kyle Shane!
Jerry Andrews: Not to mention our HUGE - and I mean really, really HUGE - Underground Title match which will see Dominator put his title on the line against Hiroshi Yukio.
Ace Anderson: Did they reinforce the ring? They'd better have reinforced the ring.
Jerry Andrews: And that certainly isn't all! Let's go down to the ring for our first match, a fourway elimination contest between some of the toughest competitors in this company.
At ringside, everyone is ready for the first match of the evening.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the following match is a fourway elimination match!"
The lights flicker and fade out as the pulsating beats of Dope Star Inc's "10000 Watts of Artificial Pleasure" pops on the PA system. Smoke fills the arena as a figure stands in the middle of it. All the sudden, Crazy Boy comes out of the smoke and pumps a fist in the air. He walks down the entryway and climbs the ropes of the ring. He bounces around the ropes a few times, pumps his fist in the air one last time and waits for his opponents.
"Introducing first, from Biloxi, Mississippi: Tyrone 'Crazy Boy' Smith!"
"The Truth Reigns". Razor Blade comes out from the back of the Audience in walks down the steps in high fives his Fans in walks down the stops in Climbs over the barricade in stops for a min in hops on the apron in raise both of us arms in the air in get's down in waits for his opponents.
As “I Knew You Were Trouble” begins to play over the speakers the lights cut out completely, leaving the arena cloaked in darkness. As the distinctive voice of Taylor Swift sings “Trouble, trouble, trouble,” a spotlight flashes on Trouble each time her name is sung and the crowd can barely make out Trouble standing in the middle of the ramp as the spotlight flashes. Eventually the lights come back on, and she is standing in the middle of the ring, usually staring her opponent down if they are in the ring or staring at the back, waiting for them to come out. She climbs a turnbuckle to either wait for her opponent or to anger the crowd more. She has been known to unleash an aerial attack to an entering opponent or one standing in the ring, before the match has officially started on occasion.
"From Vancouver, British Columbia, Arica “Trouble” Lewitt!"
Can you feel it coming? Can you feel it coming?
'Switchblade Smiles' by Kasabian gradually rises in volume to announce the arrival of the next superstar. The lights dim and flicker as the crowd react in various manners. The atmosphere is intense as not one fan reacts indifferently. However, what is clear is that the boos outweigh the cheers as images of Tyler Scott flash on the big screen.
Move back this wrecking ball,
Rips through the blackest hole,
Violence is coming. It's coming. It's coming
Tyler Scott appears from the curtain, a steely and focused expression across his face. He pauses and takes a moment to adjust the strapping around his wrists. A quick turn of the wrist and crack of the knuckles and Tyler continues his descent down the ramp.
He heads to the ring, climbs through the ropes and walks to the centre where he stands and stares intensely into the crowd. He mouths a few obscenities, possibly as provocation to the fans, possibly as encouragement to himself, before beginning his few warm up moves, awaiting the start of the upcoming contest.
The bell rings. Just as it does, High Tide and Wasp appear in the entrance way.
Jerry Andrews: We saw these two talking to Arica Lewitt just a few moments ago, but what are they doing out here right now?
Ace Anderson: Well, it looks like they're watching the match start, Jerry.
Nonetheless, the distraction is enough that Crazy Boy temporarily turns his attention to the ramp. That slight lack of focus is enough for Razor Blade to take advantage!
Jerry Andrews: RAZOR'S EDGE!
Ace Anderson: A quick cover!
1....
2....
3!!!
Jerry Andrews: WOW!
Ace Anderson: My God! Already!?
Razor Blade celebrates his actions while Crazy Boy slowly gets to his feet. His eyes are filled with rage. He charges at Lewitt, taking her down with a double leg takedown! The referee tries to pull Crazy Boy off, but it proves tough to do so, as he continues to swing wildly at Lewitt with rights and lefts. Once the referee manages to pull Crazy Boy off, however, Tyler Scott takes a swing at him, connecting with a right hand. The referee has to physically remove Crazy Boy from the ring, Tyler Scott hurling insults at him as he's escorted from the ringside area by another official. Then suddenly....
Jerry Andrews: RAZOR'S EDGE AGAIN!
This time Tyler Scott is the victim!
1....
2....
3!!!
Ace Anderson: WHAT!?!? TWO DOWN ALREADY!?
Jerry Andrews: Razor Blade is just slicing through the competition in this match here tonight!
Ace Anderson: You've been waiting to use that pun tonight, haven't you?
Jerry Andrews: Maybe.
Lewitt is now back up on her feet when...
Jerry Andrews: NO WAY!
Ace Anderson: YET ANOTHER RAZOR'S EDGE!
1....
2....
3!!!
Razor Blade stands up and shouts victoriously!
Jerry Andrews: A big victory here for Razor Blade, his first in Pure Class Wrestling!
Ace Anderson: And what a dominant victory it was!
After a few more moments of Razor's celebration, the shot cuts back to the announce table.
Jerry Andrews: We are having a raucous night here already and we're just getting started!
Ace Anderson: Coming up next, the Underground Championship is on the line as two absolute mammoth competitors face off in a no holds barred contest. I can't wait!
The crowd: ONE FALLLLL!
The crowd looks to the entrance way as Rising Sun roars out and they know who is coming out from backstage and they start cheering loudly almost drowning out the music.
Hiroshi Yukuo steps through the curtain his face lit up with a smile.
He walks slowly down the ramp as the cheering intensifies as the PCW faithful don't hold back for the mountain man from Japan.
He waves to the crowd as he walks and when he sees a kid at ringside and holds up his sign and takes a selfie with him.
As he continues to walk down to the ring as the crowd grows louder and louder so even the announcers can't get a word in over the cheering.
He goes up the ring steps and steps over the top rope and into the ring After he does he does a purification ritual by throwing salt in the ring to cleanse it before the match.
The music fades out as Hiroshi stays in the ring waiting for his opponent.
Jerry Andrews: I know that size can be deceiving, but the screen does not give justice to the sheer size and presence of this man, the legendary sumo Hiroshi Yukio.
Ace Anderson: This right here is two of the biggest goliaths in the company, perhaps in the sport, about to collide.
Jerry Andrews: There's a lot of bon mots about irresistable force and immovable objects, but still, seeing Hiroshi up close, you get the feeling of looking up at a mountain.
Ace Anderson: The champion does have a tall order here tonight, so to speak.
The lights slowly fade to black. Flashes of cameras give intermittent glimmers of the darkened surroundings. There is a moment of silence as the crowd awaits with anticipation. The Tron slowly illuminates with the image of a ticking clock as the opening rift to TRIVIUM’s cover of “Losing My Religion” echo throughout the arena. The crowd suddenly comes alive as the guitars make themselves heard. Horacio Mortimer appears on the stage, holding out his arm in an expression of beholding. As the first verse begins to play, he finally appears on the top of the stage…
…DOMINATOR…
The Zenith glares towards the crowd massed to his left, then to his right before slowly raising his left arm into the air, revealing a gold plated watch that envelopes his wrist. A shower of orange sparks begin to fall from the top of the Tron, briefly masking the Entrance Video as Dominator shows off his bulging biceps to the crowd. All the while, Horacio Mortimer is applauding his client and calling some last minute tactics to him.
He slowly walks down the ramp with a gleam in his eye, a wicked and arrogant smirk spread amidst his dark stubble. He makes no attempt to slap hands with the fans. He reaches the ring apron, grabbing the middle rope to haul him onto the side of the ring. He pushes down the top rope with his right hand, throwing one foot over the top before the other follows. He slowly makes his way to the center of the ring, turning a full three hundred and sixty degrees to admire the capacity crowd before raising his arms in the air in the exact same manner as he had done atop the entrance ramp, lifting them with malicious purpose to display the watches covering his wrists.
He cricks his neck back and forth before swinging his arms in preparation for the impending fight. All the while, that devious smile is still on his face and he looks to make eye contact with his opponent without a single hint of intimidation. Horacio Mortimer patrols the perimeter of the ring. The music slowly fades, the lights returning to a more average level of illumination as Dominator waits with masked enthusiasm for the start of the match.
Jerry Andrews: Dominator has been on an absolute tear since he made his way into the Underground division. It feels like the big man is right at home.
Ace Anderson: Yeah, but Hiroshi Yukio is a legend in the Underground division himself. Who can forget his battles with Kyle Shane for the title over the summer? He has a chance tonight to take home the gold, gold that he never actually lost, mind you.
Jerry Andrews: That's right, he was forced to hand it over due to injury.
The bell sounds and both men circle each other for a good long second, Hiroshi keeping his distance as well as trying to keep an eye out for Horatio Mortimer. Dominator walks over to Hiroshi, calling for a tie up. Before they can even get started, the bulkier sumo bodily flings his bearded counterpart across the ring. Picking up Dominator and throwing him into the nearest corner, he immediately goes for a nasty barrage of right hands that rock the fellow big man. He whips Dominator across the ring and tries for an avalanche in the corner, but Dominator CATCHES 500 pounds of Yukio and turns him around, hurling him into the corner. Dominator rains down the right hands, and the crowd counts along gleefully, ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR - however before they managed to start getting to the more advanced part of Sesame Street Hiroshi did manage to counter with a knee to the breadbasket of Dominator. Superior strength be damned, Yukio turns HIM around and FLOORS him with some of the most vicious open hand chops he’s ever thrown in his lengthy PCW tenure. With each successive draw back of the hand and chop to the chest, Dominator groans, leans out and holds his chest, and the crowd lets out a "WOOOOOOOO!"
Jerry Andrews: The arena is rocking tonight, you can hear those chops in the nosebleeds!!
Taking hold of Dominator’s head as he stumbles out, gasping and holding a reddened chest, Hiroshi HURLS him directly over the top rope and sends him crashing to the floor. The big man makes his way down, despite his girth, feeling as inexorable and implacable as a battleship. Dominator pulls himself up from all fours and roots around under the apron, finding a kendo stick, but as he turns and sees Hiroshi incoming he prepares a hit from the kendo stick with a two handed grip. Hiroshi Yukio however intercepts the swing and rips the kendo stick out of Dominator's hand. Letting out an angry yell that is unlike the gentle giant of his entrance, but in character for a sumo warrior, he snaps the kendo stick over his knee, leaving Dominator looking stumped momentarily. Hiroshi follows in with a clothesline, taking Dominator down. Dominator rolls onto his stomach, shaking his head.
Ace Anderson: I can't believe we're seeing someone strong enough to disarm and take down Dominator so effectively.
Jerry Andrews: This is surely going to be a hard hitting contest.
Dominator scoots to a kneeling position while trying to put some distance between him and the slower Yukio. Hiroshi gives chase, and Dominator meets him as they round the ring post with an explosive clothesline. Now it's Hiroshi's turn to be taken off his feet, and he recovers quick enough, but Dominator retrieves a ring bell and comes in to bash him across the back of the head with it. Dominator throws the bell aside and lays a furious series of boots to Hiroshi. He pulls the heavy opponent up, which is not as easy as it looks, muscles or not, and he slams his head off the apron. Hiroshi, stunned after being brained with the bell, lays on the apron and holds the back of his head. Struggling to push dead weight, Dominator rolls him onto the apron and uses the ropes and his boot to push Hiroshi back into the ring. Dominator looks underneath the ring, selecting a trashcan and throwing it outside, and he reaches back in. Both arms become a whirlwind as he selects a number of hardcore implements and throws them outside for future use, but first things first, he selects a trash can lid that flew off and as Hiroshi pulls himself up, gathering his marbles, he takes a breather with his left arm and head and neck resting on the middle rope sticking to the outside of the ring. Dominator comes in and savagely hits Hiroshi with the trash can lid, curving it over Hiroshi's face, and Hiroshi falls onto his back in the ring.
Jerry Andrews: Metal isn't supposed to just fold that way!!
Ace Anderson: Maybe Dominator is trying to introduce Hiroshi to a new form of origami metal folding? No? Yeah, that was ugly.
Dominator follows it up by getting in the ring, and he lands a monstrous leg drop across Hiroshi's throat. He covers...
The referee: One...
Two... Kickout.
Hiroshi kicks out, but still remains laid out flat on his back, unable to move quickly. Dominator holds his arms up to the hot crowd and roars, garnering a show of negative support for the monstrous champion. Dominator goes to pick up Hiroshi, but despite the hard hits he's taken, the sumo hits Dominator in the gut once, twice and three times before getting up to his feet. Hiroshi then executes a small throat toss that lands Dominator relatively close to him.
Jerry Andrews: There is still life in Hiroshi!
Ace Anderson: Even after weathering the early onslaught and those brutal shots with the ring bell and that lid, Hiroshi has enough strength to push back up and throw Dominator across the ring.
Jerry Andrews: Let's not beat around it here, Hiroshi has nearly 200 pounds on Dominator, and despite the bulk, there is a serious core of muscle power there.
Ace Anderson: I really hope they've reinforced the ring, because otherwise it could implode like you during speed dating.
Hiroshi catches his breath a bit before picking Dominator up. Then Hiroshi drops Dominator in a double arm DDT. He covers...
The referee: One...
Two... Kickout.
A frustrated Hiroshi rolls to his feet and goes to lift Dominator, attempting to lower him over the shoulder in position for a Fire thunder driver. But Dominator, while dazed, is not down for the count yet, and he slides off the shoulder behind Hiroshi. He comes underneath him and hits the knee with a chop block that makes one cringe at the awkwardness of Hiroshi's leg angle. Then Dominator lays a series of boots to the leg and the knee. Dominator lifts Hiroshi up, giving him a series of wicked clubs to the back. He whips Hiroshi into the corner and goes for a splash, sandwiching Hiroshi. Dominator whips Hiroshi into the opposite corner, coming in for a second splash. Dominator begins lay a series of punches into Hiroshi's forehead, beating him down into a seated position. Dominator then tries to apply a vicegrip submission on Hiroshi's head, but Hiroshi struggles to keep Dominator's hands from fully locking, screaming with effort. Hiroshi finally is able to grab Dominator by the head and drop down to his knee, executing a quick jawbreaker, which makes Dominator release the hold.
Jerry Andrews: I have been very impressed by the resilience shown by both men so far.
Hiroshi gets to his feet slowly, his size prohibiting him from speedy regaining his footing, but as Dominator stumbles in a circle and then reorients himself while holding his mouth a FURIOUS sumo meets him with a harsh right hand to that very same mush. So hard that Dominator goes stumbling away a few steps. Dominator turns back and plows into Hiroshi with a hit just as hard, and then for a few moments they're going back and forth, back and forth, now Hiroshi, now Dominator, now Hiroshi, now Dominator, just throwing bombs. Finally, Dominator sneaks in a horrendously painful looking rake to the eyes with his thumbs and grasping fingers. Hiroshi lifts his hands up and screams highly, and Dominator follows it up with a clothesline to the back of the neck.
Jerry Andrews: Aw come on... you know there's no rules in Underground title matches, but still.
Ace Anderson: That is the kind of street fighting mentality you need to adopt. It's anything goes, and the dirtier you fight, the more successful you'd be.
Jerry Andrews: But Hiroshi still can't see. He may literally be blinded!
Mounting Hiroshi, Dominator unloads with a volley of strikes to the forehead until you can see streaks of blood on his fist. Indeed as the camera zooms in, the powerful shots and the assaults from the metal weapons have given Hiroshi a series of deeply bleeding wounds on his cheeks and forehead. A final shot to the temples dizzies Hiroshi as Dominator gets off his opponent and scans the weaponry hanging around him.
Jerry Andrews: God... now he's eyeing up the candy. This match is turning into a gangland mugging.
Ace Anderson: Hiroshi wanted in on this when he won the number one contendership, and got in Dominator's face, Jerry. Like it or not, crap like that has consequences.
His eyes flash from weapon to weapon, but as Hiroshi reaches out and wraps a hand around his opponent's ankle Dominator settles for the closest option: a trashcan. Retrieving it from the spill of weapons on the outside of the ring, Dominator turns it upright as he re enters, raises it over his head and brings it crashing down across Hiroshi's head. Barely able to get his arm up, Hiroshi groans as the aluminum smacks into him. Still holding its shape, Dominator takes the trashcan and places it on the floor, grabbing Hiroshi by the legs and kicking the trashcan over his feet up to his shins.
Jerry Andrews: What the hell is Dominator doing?
Ace Anderson: Taking out the trash... someone summon the ghost of Roy Schneider 'cause we're gonna need a bigger bin.
Dominator firmly lodges Hiroshi's legs inside the trashcan and spies the steel steps. The fans are tirelessly booing the Zenith, sporadically cheering as weapons come into play. He grabs the steel steps and hauls them away from the corner of the ring, before hucking them into the ring. Then Dominator goes to the steps, stepping over Hiroshi and planting a quick boot into his ribs as he takes his place at the giant's feet with the steel steps in hand.
Ace Anderson: Dominator's about to give this his stamp of approval!
Jerry Andrews: You know in retrospect I wonder if it was so wise of to take this match, he's vastly underestimated Dominator's ability and capabilities.
Ace Anderson: Blatantly obvious. Hiroshi's by far one of the toughest sumbitches in the industry... but he sure as hell isn't one of the smartest.
Dominator holds the steps and begins to hoist them above his head. Without warning a massive crack booms through the arena as the trashcan suddenly smacks into the steel steps, driving them up into Dominator's face and knocking him back onto the mats where the steps clatter off the floor over his face.
Jerry Andrews: Hiroshi got him! The giant lives!
Ace Anderson: That came out of nowhere.
Hiroshi's legs hit the mats with a thump, still inside the trashcan. Working them loose he kicks the trashcan aside as Dominator stirs beneath the steel steps. Taking in copious lungfuls of air, the sumo rises, glancing at Dominator and sneering. With a final deep breath Hiroshi pulls himself up and staggers forward into the apron, wincing from the early onslaught. Turning to Dominator however his eyes light up and he bares his teeth, advancing on Dominator and kicking the steel steps aside. Grabbing his opponent by the head the former sumo pulls Dominator to his feet. Suddenly his arms are flung aside as Dominator bursts to life and starts throwing punches at Hiroshi, who staggers with each as Dominator pushes him back with the striking forearms and elbow smashes.
Jerry Andrews: Dominator's back on track. In the time it took Hiroshi to collect himself Dominator was all ready to go after the first hit at the hands of that trashcan shot.
Ace Anderson: Now we're getting somewhere, Hiroshi is on his feet and he looks PISSED.
Hiroshi throws up an arm in the path of a left hook and retaliates with a headbutt. Dominator sees stars but strikes back regardless, switching between body shots and kicks to the shins while Hiroshi dances on the spot as though being randomly electrocuted throughout his body. As Dominator winds back for a heart punch, Hiroshi lunges forward with a brutal bell clap to the ears the stops him in his tracks, then an even stronger uppercut that cuts right through Dominator's strike and catches him square on the shin. Dominator's head snaps back and he drops to the mat as the fans roar wildly. Hiroshi then backs up into the ropes, and uses them to bounce himself forward. Dominator is gathering himself to his feet and holding his head from the bell clap and uppercut, when he is smashed into by a literal battering ram of running headbutt to the chest. The bleeding head of Hiroshi Yukio.
Jerry Andrews: Osaka Overdrive to Dominator!
Hiroshi drops down for a cover...
The referee: One...
Two...
Thr- Kickout!
Clutching his head, Hiroshi groans and checks the cuts on his face and body. Wiping more dried blood out of his eyes he glances down at the arena floor at the weapons up for grabs. Of all the stuff Dominator flung from underneath the ring still remain singapore canes, a ladder and a crowbar, and also a steel chair. Hiroshi is about to get out of the ring and get a weapon, but Dominator paws at his leg. Still trying to pull himself up, Dominator is smashed by a coconut crush across the knee from the sumo. Hiroshi lifts a weakened Dominator up like it was nothing and headbutts him hard enough to send Dominator jogging across the ring holding his face. Then Hiroshi runs and hits a lariat with such force that both men are going end over end and crashing to the outside! It is a damn miracle the ropes didn't snap on that one. The referee wears a shocked expression at the hard hit that took both Dominator and Yukio out of the ring.
Jerry Andrews: You've gotta be kidding me!!
Ace Anderson: Did they leave a crater where they hit?!
The referee tells them to get in the ring. Both men stagger to their feet. And when they are both on their feet, they get into a fist fight. Dominator grabs the arm, and he attempts to whip Hiroshi into the steel steps remaining, however the big man plants his feet like he is rooted and refuses to be moved. Instead, Hiroshi pulls Dominator in and knees him in the gut, and then, in a show of strength that flabbergasts everyone witnessing it, Hiroshi is able to lift 365 pounds of champion up in a GORILLA PRESS over his head before letting him drop face first across the guardrail. Dominator hits with a force that could turn his orbital bone into powder. He nails the railing and flops back, turning in a circle as he writhes holding his face. Hiroshi lifts up Dominator up and tosses him into the ring, but keeps his head under the ropes and on the side where Dominator is. Hiroshi slams his elbow right across the throat of Dominator on the apron, who then contorts and rolls around, before rolling back into the ring.
Jerry Andrews: I have never seen the champion take such a beating. Maybe it was Dominator that took on a bigger challenge than he's used to.
Ace Anderson: Let's call a spade a spade, Dominator is used to being the giant in Pure Class Wrestling, most of our competitors are on the lighter side, and his size bullied them around. But Hiroshi has shown Dominator tonight, there is no bullying him around.
Hiroshi is all business as he searches among the weapons Dominator strewn out, and he selects the steel chairs and throws them inside, and also lays the guitar on the apron. Satisfied, he takes another few long moments to get back on the apron and roll in, but as he goes to where Dominator is laying, still holding his throat. As Hiroshi hoists him up however Dominator flips over his shoulder and lands on his feet, driving a boot into the back of the knees and dropping Hiroshi, following up with a face plant into the canvas to a chorus of boos from the fans.
Jerry Andrews: Hiroshi was looking to wear Dominator down with those weapons only for the champion to counter and gain the offense once more.
Ace Anderson: If he turns the tables on Hiroshi, the big man will be open to another assault with one of those weapons.
Rolling Hiroshi over, Dominator gets up and runs off the ropes, rebounding with a kick square in the ribs of the giant. Hiroshi shunts towards the ropes, knocking into the guitar. Dominator gets back up and approaches Hiroshi, and as he leans down to grab at the sumo he snaps back with the guitar in hand and smashes it into Dominator's head.
Ace Anderson: I think that may have been Hiroshi's number one hit.
Jerry Andrews: Oy, this guy with the puns.
Ace Anderson: There certainly were no strings attached to that one.
Jerry Andrews: ENOUGH!
Ace Anderson: ...Something about finger picking.
Jerry Andrews: God, I want a new partner.
The guitar splinters against its target and falls to the mat in pieces. Hiroshi pulls himself up using the ropes while Dominator grabs his head, kicking at the mat in pain. The goliath staggers on his feet but holds fast, and pulls Dominator up by his hair. Dominator jabs left, left and right into Hiroshi's gut, releasing the hold on his hair and allowing Dominator to get in with another hard straight to the giant's face. The sumo reels, and the champion grabs his arm to whip him across the ring. As he does so however Hiroshi reverses the irish whip and sends Dominator running across the ring, catching him halfway and firing him overhead with a beastly German release suplex.
Jerry Andrews: And again Dominator leaves the safety of his feet behind and Hiroshi sends him soaring!
Ace Anderson: On a serious note, this has been one of Hiroshi's most successful challenges yet. He's hanging in there with the unbeaten champion.
Hiroshi rumbles over to where Dominator landed and lays crumpled and paws him over so that he can hook a leg for a pin.
The referee: One...
Two...
Thre - Kickout!
Hiroshi yells angrily, and he gets to his feet, wincing and limping for the pain. Dominator is still trying to regain his wind, and Horacio Mortimer slaps the apron from the other side and tells him to get up. Dominator begins rolling to the apron. Hiroshi, meanwhile, has picked up and selected a steel chair. He sees Dominator pulling himself up on the ropes to his full height, and Hiroshi comes in to bash him with a running chairshot. But surprise! Dominator has it scouted and big boots the chair very hard into Hiroshi's face. Hiroshi falls, hard, and the chair goes flying out of his hands. Dominator, on spaghetti legs, tumbles back and is only able to stay even a little vertical thanks to the ropes behind him, but Hiroshi is down. So then, Dominator stamps his hands twice in succession on the mat as he gets into a crouch in the corner, and he awaits the big sumo to pull himself to his powerful base. Hiroshi, dazed, bleeding and confused, turns around into a violent Gore from the champion that cuts him down.
Jerry Andrews: Force of Time!! Did you see the amount of power Dominator put behind that??!
Ace Anderson: Like the power you put behind your yelling!
Dominator covers...
The referee and the crowd: One...
Two…
Thre - Kickout!
Dominator is livid. He argues with The referee for a second, before turning to Hiroshi and clubbing him over the back. He picks Hiroshi up and whips him off the ropes. Dominator grabs Hiroshi on the rebound and executes a snap powerslam. Dominator goes to pick Hiroshi up again and Hiroshi begins to slowly fight back. Hiroshi kicks Dominator in the gut and hits a quick DDT. Both men are down breathing heavily, Hiroshi grabbing his back.
Jerry Andrews: This match has definitely taken its toll with these superstars.
Ace Anderson: And me too. *pants* I need some water. Dominator come on!
Jerry Andrews: You want Dominator to give you some water?
Ace Anderson: No.... I want the referee to.
Then both men begin to get up to their feet. After both men are on their feet, Hiroshi boots Dominator in the kneecap, taking him down to one knee, where Hiroshi begins to unload with a furious assault of right hands. Hiroshi gives Dominator a swinging neckbreaker. Hiroshi lifts Dominator back up, and goes to whip him to the corner, but Dominator resists. He tries again but the big man will not be budged. Finally, Dominator sends Hiroshi into the corner on his own. Hiroshi hits chest first and stumbles out, holding his sternum. Dominator comes running in looking for a splash, but Hiroshi moves, and Dominator hits the turnbuckles. Dominator turns around, and Hiroshi is waiting for him with a boot to the gut and a pumphandle swinging reverse STO. Hiroshi lays back on the mat, as Dominator is on his back. There is a good long moment where neither man is able to move.
Jerry Andrews: Hiroshi Yukio blasts Dominator with the Hiroshima Hammer, it could be over... No!
Hiroshi has taken such damage, has lost such blood and his body has sustained a long pace of a match, but Dominator has taken such heavy shots that he is very deep in the red. If this was a countout type of match, both men might be at a count of 8.
Finally, Hiroshi is able to crawl over and drape an arm over Dominator.
Ace Anderson: It took him too long to recover.
The referee and the crowd: ONE...
TWO...
THR - Kickout!!
There's another few moments here where the beaten competitors take a breather, and finally, Hiroshi goes to lift Dominator up but he is cut off by an uppercut. Hiroshi stumbles away as Dominator finds his footing. Dominator runs at Hiroshi, swinging for a clothesline. Hiroshi ducks, Dominator turns around and Hiroshi is able to give him a side effect-like slam. Hiroshi grabs Dominator's knee and stomps on it a few times, before locking in a single boston crab. Dominator yells and thrashes around. Hiroshi sits back on the move, putting all of his massive weight into ripping that God damn leg off. After several torturous moments, Dominator crawls to the ropes and grabs on, forcing Hiroshi to break the hold. Hiroshi now picks up Dominator and drills him with a few big right hands and irish whips him into the ropes, and on the bounce back takes him down with a discus clothesline. Hiroshi now picks up Dominator's head and puts it between his legs, calling for a powerbomb, but Dominator again counters it by rolling off the back. And now, Dominator meets him with a fist loaded by his wrist watch. The Plated wristwatch punches Hiroshi in the back of the head.
Ace Anderson: Ahhh, now here, you see Dominator taking time into his own hands.
Jerry Andrews: Again?! Are you going to make shitty puns every time there's a weapon break?
Ace Anderson: When the opportunity presents itself, I pounce!
Hiroshi is limp after the hit to the back of his head. Dominator then walks over and grabs the second steel chair Hiroshi introduced into the ring. Dominator goes to the corner and slowly gets to the second rope. Then Dominator jumps off the second rope, putting the steel chair underneath his elbow, and he drives an elbow, and the chair, RIGHT into the heart of the sumo!!
Dominator rolls around on the mat, holding his elbow, because holy SHIT that hurt him too, but the crowd, in appreciation of the big man going out of his comfort zone, also begins chanting "THIS IS AWESOME" and "HOLY SHIT".
It's the Underground Division, man.
Jerry Andrews: Dominator took to the air!
Ace Anderson: Man, these two have put everything into just beating the crap out of each other.
Jerry Andrews: They're so spent from this grueling match and neither one has moved.
Hiroshi took the brunt of that elbow drop with the chair right cross the chest and sternum and he is gasping for life, but Dominator is conferring with Horatio Mortimer as if his arm is hanging by a thread. Neither man is able to regain their footing. Both men are down as the referee checks on them, and the crowd is starting a "LET'S GO SUMO, LET'S GO DOM" chant in appreciation of these two gladiators, if not what they stand for. Finally, gingerly, Hiroshi begins to get to one knee, as does Dominator, holding his arm tightly against his side. Hiroshi gets to a vertical base and Dominator charges. Dominator is taken down by a Samoan drop, as Hiroshi uses Dominator's momentum against him. Dominator hits the mat, with an impact to shake the ring. Hiroshi is on one knee, winded, and then he peels himself up and walks over to the ropes, then he climbs the turnbuckle himself. He sets himself up for a Banzai drop that would flatten Dominator and bring an end to the entire affair.
Jerry Andrews: I can’t believe what we’ve seen in this match.
Ace Anderson: I can't believe after all of that we're about to see the Mount Fuji Drop to Dominator!
Jerry Andrews: Has the champion ever been this vulnerable, in this much danger?
Hiroshi is too hurt in his knees and midsection to climb any faster, and when he ascends up there with his butt poised in the air, Dominator scrambles up, and then he counters by gripping the pants and using all of his might to bring Yukio down with a short powerbomb to the mat. Again, Dominator and Hiroshi are both laid out, but this time, Dominator recovers.
Jerry Andrews: HE COUNTERED IT!
Dominator weakly rolls into a pin.
The referee and the crowd: ONE...
TWO...
THREE - KICKOUT!
Dominator angrily walks over to the turnbuckle and starts ripping off the pad, exposing it. Then he walks over and tries to lift the 500 pound sack of unmoving meat that is his opponent, but Hiroshi is very hard to budge in this state. Dominator muscles him up and intends to drag him over to the corner with the exposed turnbuckle, but at the last second, Hiroshi breaks free and hurls Dominator back first into the exposed steel, which cannot feel super. Even worse when Hiroshi comes charging in and swallows him whole with a body splash in the corner, sandwiching him against that turnbuckle. Hiroshi falls to one knee, holding on to the ropes and staring vacantly, but Dominator winces and gingerly steps forward a few times, holding his back. Hiroshi snarls at him and drops him with a chokeslam. He covers.
The referee and the crowd: ONE...
TWO...
THREE - FOOT ON THE ROPE!
Dominator does indeed have a foot on the rope. There may not be a lot of rules in this division, but that one still seems to hold up it seems. The referee waves it off. Hiroshi yells at him and tells him it was three. The referee explains his ruling. Hiroshi is getting heated now, and he tells the referee never mind the rule book. Hiroshi walks over, grabbing Dominator by the head. He lifts Dominator up, walking him over to the turnbuckle with the exposed metal part, and he grabs Dominator by the back of the head, ready to dash his face into the steel enough times to either crush his face in, or beat him into unconsciousness, or both, both is good. However, Dominator straightens his arms and holds the ropes, veins standing out on his muscles as he resists Hiroshi's overwhelming size pushing against him. Dominator elbows Hiroshi enough times that Hiroshi's grip slackens. Then, he pulls himself up to where he is sitting on that top rope, and he grabs Hiroshi, trying to pick him up with him.
Jerry Andrews: What are they going to do here?!
Ace Anderson: No, don't try to superplex him, hasn't the poor ring withstood enough?!
The crowd is stirring mightily as they feel something buzzworthy is about to happen. Dominator has tried to lift Hiroshi's bulk up onto the ropes with him, but Hiroshi resists, planting his feet and hanging on to the top rope. He uses a free hand to punch Dominator again and again. Finally Dominator stops endeavoring to lift him, and sits limply on the top rope. Hiroshi then begins loading Dominator up on his shoulders from the top rope, attempting a muscle buster type of maneuver, which would drop Dominator quite a ways down. However, now it's Dominator's turn to fight out of that, throwing right hands and punching to loosen the grip.
Jerry Andrews: These two men are battling for position on the top rope, what might happen next?!
Dominator finally loosens Hiroshi's grip enough that he slips out of his hands entirely, coming off the top rope, and off the ropes to land on the apron beside the ring post. As he does he pulls Hiroshi's arms and hair and yanks him in hard and Hiroshi hits that exposed steel turnbuckle head and neck first quite hard. Hiroshi falls back, holding his face, which if it wasn't bleeding before, it damn sure is now.
Jerry Andrews: Oh! My! Hiroshi was just drilled right into that exposed steel.
Ace Anderson: Dominator got Hiroshi close enough to that turnbuckle and yanked him right in.
Dominator gets back in the ring, where Hiroshi is doubled over. Dominator lifts him up onto his shoulders with Hiroshi across his broad back, stumbling a little bit. Veins stick out on Dominator's neck and his face is turning red with the effort of dead lifting the 500 pound sumo but he does it, despite his knees buckling at first, and with a big heave he lifts him fully up onto his shoulder in torture rack position.
Jerry Andrews: ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME?!!
Ace Anderson: THAT'S A 500 POUND MAN AND DOMINATOR IS LIFTING HIM ONTO HIS SHOULDERS!
He doesn't bother with a submission because his strength is already failing him, he just throws Hiroshi off with a semi-botched version of the torture rack neckbreaker. Exhausted, he slumps down.
Jerry Andrews: I... I don't believe we would ever see someone lift someone up onto their shoulders like that, but... but it happened.
Ace Anderson: Dominator just delivered a version of the Rip In Time and lifted Hiroshi up and then dropped him down.
Dominator rolls Hiroshi over for a cover.
The referee and the crowd: ONE...
TWO...
THREE!!
Ding Ding Ding
"Losing My Religion" by REM sounds as the referee and Horatio Mortimer both try to help Dominator up. Mortimer, looking concerned but incredibly proud, hands Dominator his championship, and Dominator, selling the brutality of the match we just witnessed, takes it, but is still exhausted and red faced from the effort. He exits the ring, and he raises a weary and beaten arm to the crowd. The fans are going insane for the effort from both men we just witnessed. Hiroshi is laid out in the middle of the ring, covering his face with his hands. He sits up, and the referee begins cleaning some of the blood out of his eyes.
Jerry Andrews: What an Underground title defense. What a hard hitting, brutal, insane war we just witnessed. I... I have no words.
Ace Anderson: Hats off to Dominator for weathering the challenge and remaining still, unbeaten, the Underground Champion.
Jerry Andrews: We can't take anything away from Hiroshi. He was very game tonight and you have to believe Underground gold is going to be in the cards for him.
Suddenly a hissing of static can be heard and the PCW Tron lights up and the same sentence can be read
Ace Anderson: Godamn it. I’m getting pretty sick of these interruptions.
Jerry Andrews: I am too but no one knows how it’s happening or how to stop it
The PCW Tron shows where Mr Hughes stands by a laptop awaiting a incoming Skype call from the mysterious stranger who has been meeting with Hiroshi these past months.
“Hello again Mr Yukio, my employer wants to talk to you...”
The screen comes to life and a hooded stranger appears in the middle of the screen staring ominously at the camera.
“Hiroshi the time has come I have given you plenty of time to think and consider your options.
Now the time has come for you to decide your fate. Join me and I will take you to glory. Deny me and you will fade into obscurity.
“Well? What will it be?”
He waits patiently as Hiroshi thinks for a moment before nodding his head yes.
“I accept your offer”
He looks up and bows respectfully to this mysterious figure who simply nods.
“You have made the right choice Hiroshi together you and I will show Pure Class Wrestling and the world. At the Iceys I shall reveal myself to the world and nothing will be the same..."
Suddenly a hissing of static can be heard and the Tron goes dead and the lights go out leaving the arena in total darkness.
Ace Anderson: What the hell is going on now? Somebody get the lights!
Jerry Andrews: He accepted so what does this mean for him and the rest of Pure Class Wrestling?
Ace Anderson: Nobody knows except the stranger and Hiroshi. Anything could happen.
Suddenly the lights come back on and the hooded figure appears at the entrance way and walks down the ramp to ringside before ascending the stairs. Climbing through the ropes the person stands before Hiroshi but does not move.
The person make a “follow me” motion to Hiroshi who bows again and walks with the stranger to the front of the ring. The stranger holds open the ropes and Hiroshi steps through followed by the mystery person. Both of them exit the arena up the entrance ramp to the back leaving a shocked PCW faithful in stunned silence.
Ace Anderson: I don’t know what to say about what just happened but it makes me very uneasy.
Jerry Andrews: Me too Ace.
Ace Anderson: Speaking of uneasy, how do you think Johnny Vivacious is feeling right about now?
Jerry Andrews: You certainly have a point... he's about to step into the ring, face-to-face, against Grimm.
Jerry Andrews: That's how all of this started....
Ace Anderson: ... and tonight is where it ends!
Lights dim and the PCW-Tron goes black. With the sound of a sharp nib scratching across a ragged sheet of parchment, a sepia-toned cursive scrawls grimm across the screen. The name flickers, wavering in and out of focus with the occasional tracking glitch as if projected from an old forgotten film canister uncovered on the bottom shelf in the cellar. Sparse percussion resonates throughout the arena and is soon joined by a droning, distorted bass line. At that, A Perfect Circle’s ”Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums” stomps out of the speakers and marches through the aisles. The drums, the distortion, the voices – all work to herald the arrival of the Hangtown Horror.
Don’t fret, precious, I’m here. Step away from the window.
He walks out to a single blue-white spotlight, stops to bask in the light and shadows, and scans the crowd.
The Lord of Misrule closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before making the long walk down the ramp, deadset on the ring and ignoring the fans along the way. The spotlight follows. The words work their way up through the layers of the song.
Go back to sleep.
Phinehas climbs up onto the apron and slides in between the ropes. Hopping up onto a turnbuckle, he casts his gaze out over the crowd with his arms at his side, eyes shifting to take in the sea of faces spread out before him. Grimm then drops down. And waits.
“NO TOR I OUS!”
The Pure Class Arena lights go pitch black as the huge red letters on the PCWTron fade and the screen goes black. Again, the word echoes high in the rafters, even louder.
“NO TOR I OUS!”
The crowd speckle the darkness with the LEDs of their mobile devices. While the crowd anticipate the new single, Notorious, by Adelitas Way, they are surprised by the jingling of bells.
“HO! HO! HO!”
Suddenly, around the edge of the screen and high above the stage and ring, the arena lighting flashes blue, red, green and orange in repeat. Weird Al’s “Christmas at Ground Zero” rocks over the arena and the fans sing along with a loud air raid siren blaring.
Ace Anderson: What is Johnny Vivacious doing?
Felt clad little people, in green and red, line each side of the ramp as the curtain under the PCWTron opens really wide. From behind the curtain, a gigantic sleigh emerges with Vivacious at the helm.
Jerry Andrews: He has to be the first black and white Santa suit I have ever seen.
As the sleigh continues through the curtain, Justin “Stormm” Michaels is gunning a T-shirt cannon mounted in the rear. With red, green and silver explosions of glitter, he fires official Notorious Ts into the crowd.
Jerry Andrews: It is Christmas on the Pure Class Arena.
Ace Anderson: Meanwhile, Grimm is waiting to bring an end to this in the ring.
With assistance from the elves, Vivacious passes wrapped packages of all sizes to the fans. The entire arena is bright and loud, full of joy and happiness as the sleigh reaches the foot of the ramp. Vivacious throws a very large sack over his shoulders and, with elves in tow, walks around the ring passing out gifts.
Ace Anderson: This has to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever had to sit through.
In the sleigh, Stormm, continues to fire T-shirts to all reaches of the red-hot crowd. The shiny glitter is everywhere as the colors of the season sparkle from the rafters down onto the celebration.
Jerry Andrews: Don't be a humbug!
Vivacious nods to his brother-in-law as the sleigh reverses back up the ramp. He looks deep into the bag and then into the ring at his awaiting opponent. Tossing the bag over his shoulder, he goes up the ring steps, wipes his HD Badlands on the apron and then ducks between the top and middle ropes.
Jerry Andrews: This is what he was asking for when he returned and called Grimm out.
Vivacious reaches deep into the bag retrieving the last gift. He offers it to Grimm and is denied; a second offer, denied as well; until, finally, Grimm accepts and tears the bow and wrapping away.
Jerry Andrews, laughing with the crowd: He can't say Johnny never gave him anything.
Grimm stands in the middle of the ring, looking twistedly at the official Johnny Vivacious Foam Middle Finger. The same foam item currently outselling Grimm Beards, five to one. Real news.
DING!
DING!
DING!
No. It isn’t the sounds of a requiem bell to usher the potential passing of Johnny Vivacious, but rather the bell at the time keeper’s table to start the match. The normally bright and loud Johnny V is nowhere to be found. In place is a deadly serious challenger to the dangerous, Phinehas Grimm, a man who always dead serious, regardless of the opposition. Tension surrounds the two men like invisible lumberjacks around the ring. The crowd is at a fever pitch and this is before any offense! They circle. Neither man taking their gaze off the other. After moments of hesitation, they lock horns.
Grimm is giving up eleven pounds, but has three inches of height on Johnny V. Mr. Network Liability strikes first with a well timed knee to the gut. Johnny V is swift and precise with his elbow strikes to the neck and back of the head. Grimm is dropped to a momentary right knee as the shots keep raining down. Grimm is pulled up and flung towards the ropes. He reverses it. Vivacious returns with authority as he lands a Lou Thesz press. Johnny V throws haymakers at Grimm’s cranium. His fists of fury will have to settle for blocked connections as the Hangtown Horror covers up the best he can.
Vivacious steps up, bringing Grimm with him by the wiry scuff of his beard. A backhand chop slices the chest of Grimm, turning him slightly around so that his back faces Johnny V. He responds to the opening with a back rake. With Grimm distracted by the pain, Johnny V sticks his right hand deep into his armpit, making sure to get it nice and greasy. Grimm is spun around into the sweaty gift. Vivacious makes sure to give it that extra disgusting push in his face.
Jerry Andrews (in full disgust): Phinehas just got SERVED DIRTY there! And boy does it smell something awful from where this commentator sits.
Ace Anderson (plugging his nose): How long has he been letting that fester?
Grimm himself is offended. Or at least his sense of smell is. With the same sweat stained hand, Vivacious gives him the business with a face rake, which garners a warning. From there he runs Grimm back first into the corner. Phinehas again goes to covering up to soften the offense from hitting. He attempts to stick-and-move, but when you’re trapped, where can you possibly go? Johnny stomps him into a seated position, then puts his foot into his throat. Grimm grasps the boot, but is faced with waiting for a release by the count of five. Vivacious backs off, allowing air to filter into his lungs. He salutes Grimm with twin middle fingers before jamming a knee to his jaw, creating a quick whiplash.
Grimm slumps and while the referee gets involved with restraint, excuses himself to the outside. Grimm favors his face but makes sure to keep an eye on what’s transpiring in the ring. Johnny Vivacious thinks of jumping out after him, but wisely decides to make Grimm come to him instead. Vivacious grabs his crotch, telling Grimm in unison with the crowd to SUCK THIS! The gesture draws a cold stare. You know the one. Soul piercing eyes doing just that. He’s not amused. Grimm gets into the ring. Vivacious is there to meet him, but takes a battering ram to the midsection. Grimm pushes him upright. He hits a disorienting bell clap. Vivacious, while his ears are ringing, is hoisted up in a bear hug. He manages to fight this off, however, and instead, turns the tables back in his favor with a belly to back suplex.
Grimm is sat upright. Vivacious hits the ropes and comes back with a neck snap. Grimm is folded like an accordion before falling onto his back. Vivacious has brought a methodical pace to his offense. Grimm is pulled up and sent into the ropes. He holds onto them to avoid returning. Johnny V moves in and takes both feet to his face. Staggered, he backs off. Grimm moves in and is thrown for a loop with a back body drop. Public Enemy #1 shifts Grimm towards the corner, manipulating his movement so that he is forced against it like a prop. He shields himself from the referee so that he can sneak an eye gouge. The official comes in to see what the heck is happening, because Grimm is really selling the damage in order to get his attention over there. Vivacious notices this, so he puts a loving arm around him and walks him away from the action. This allows Stormm…
...to do nothing, because he isn’t there. This suddenly dons on Johnny Vivacious as the cheers were pouring down on him. He offers up a nervous bit of laughter and maybe even a request for a final drink. Vivacious turns around to catch the receiving end of a nasty looking lariat. The kind that sends you inside out. Grimm keeps one eye closed to sell the previous gouging, but he’s done playing nice.
Jerry Andrews: I have a bad feeling about this.
Grimm wades in with a flurry of mud hole stomps. Any time Johnny decides he’s going to use a limb to protect himself, Phinehas makes sure that gets worked on as well. Grimm grows bored of doing this and decides to change plans. Vivacious is ripped up. He’s aggressively sent into the ropes and brought down like a mighty oak with a drop toe hold, of which his face kisses the mat with authority. It draws instant sympathy from fans. Grimm pulls him up to his knees, then locks in a death grip around his temples. He applies pressure with the claw hold, squeezing with the tightness of a vice and reveling in the agony that’s etched on the face of Johnny V. Grimm slowly pulls him up. He relinquishes the grip, but follows with a quick headbutt. Vivacious staggers, but he comes back with a fist to the face.
Grimm spins his head around and hits a second. This one puts Johnny V on spaghetti legs, but his resilience shows. He boxes Grimm with a left-right combo, before taking a knee as the pain catches up to him. Grimm grabs him by the neck, throws him into the ropes and scores with a samoan drop, driving the air from Johnny’s lungs. Grimm rolls onto his side, going for the quick cover.
1.
2.
And that’s as far as it gets. Vivacious kicks out as the crowd applauds. The cold and calculating Phinehas Grimm of Hangtown, Kentucky, has no time for things like fan interaction. He’s here to do a job and that job is beating the snot out of Johnny Vivacious to the point that he can’t beat the three count. Grimm has him on a vertical base. Vivacious is shoved in the corner. Grimm charges in with a running shoulder tackle. He steps away to allow Johnny V to stagger out like a drunk in a bar. When the moment presents itself, BAM! A savate kick that hits square in the face. Vivacious drops like a ton of bricks. He quickly checks to make sure his teeth are all still in place. Grimm stands dominantly above him, studying this as it happens. Johnny moves around and is allowed to get back up to his feet. Grimm jabs him in the back with an elbow. Vivacious staggers to the ropes, but somehow returns to clock Phinehas out of nowhere with a crushing forearm blast. It catches him by surprise.
Grimm charges with a lariat. Vivacious traps the arm and turns it around into a Russian Legsweep! He transitions into a second. Then a third. With a sudden burst of offense, Grimm is pulled up and brought into a capture suplex! Vivacious feeds off the crowd to see this through. He hits those ropes, leaps in the air and comes down with Double Foot Stomp, or as he calls it, SoB! The crowd in unison, and at the top of their voices, take it upon themselves to yell “STOMPED ON BITCH!” Grimm curls into a ball, but Johnny V isn’t going to let him get a breather. He sends Phinehas into the corner while moving in after him with a crushing splash. This allows him to turn the hips, hook his head and bring him out with a running bulldog.
Or not.
Jerry Andrews: Ouch! Not the most graceful of landings.
Ace Anderson: The tide has turned again and this time, what Grimm does may be remembered as being notorious.
Grimm leans back in the very corner he was in. He gets a chance to get a breath and his composure. Johnny meanwhile has to gingerly peel himself up after the rough tailbone landing. Grimm cuts him at the pass and takes control back with a reverse DDT. Vivacious’ body flies backwards into a capture from Grimm, thus a pin attempt.
1!
2!
Kickout.
Grimm takes him by the head as both men return to their feet. Vivacious is slammed into the top turnbuckle. He shakes it off and gives Grimm a taste of his own medicine. Phinehas no sells and just goes to town. Vivacious finds his face hitting turnbuckle pad ten times. Grimm pulls him away and then introduces him shoulder first to mister ring post with a sickening crack. Audio picks up a very audible f-bomb as Vivacious cradles his right arm in pain. The follow up comes in the form of a shoulder breaker. Vivacious has that very right arm bent behind him before he’s unceremoniously bodyslammed right down on top of it.
Grimm pins him just like that, which presses his arm into the mat and keeps it trapped.
1.
2.
Nope! Johnny uses his healthy left arm to get the shoulder off the mat. Grimm takes this in stride. After all that just means more time to beat on Johnny Vivacious, right? He interjects with a blatant choke. One-two-three-four-fi...Grimm releases before the count of five. Johnny is pulled up by the worked over right arm. Grimm slowly twists it over his head and brings it crashing down across his own left shoulder. Vivacious bellows in pain. He throws some desperation jabs from the left, but they are largely useless. Grimm twists his arm again. This time he stretches it out and works it over at the joint with thunderous elbow shots. Vivacious is in pure hell. He thinks Satan needs company. Vivacious darts around Grimm. He wraps his good left arm around the waist and in juncture with his worked over right arm, manages to rattle off some sort of a German suplex!
The fans rise to their feet and get behind one half of Notorious. Johnny flips onto his back as he begins to shake his arm out with deep massages in-between. Anything to get the feeling back. Grimm grabs the back of his neck while returning to his feet. He moves in to pull Vivacious up. Shot to the gut! A second! A Third! Vivacious is on his feet now. The left punches find their way to Grimm’s head, knocking him back for a loop. Grimm is whipped into the corner. Vivacious is there to follow him in with a monkey flip! He pulls himself onto his feet. Clothesline! Arm trap shoulder neckbreaker! Vivacious pumps his fist as he is feeling the offense and change of fortunes.
Jerry Andrews: He may be hurting. He may only have one good arm. But BY GAWD Johnny Vivacious refuses to stay down and is going to make sure Grimm remembers who the hell he is!
Ace Anderson: You would think that by abducting him at the end of our last show, he already does. But hey. What do I know? I’ve only been in the ring with Phinehas before…
Vivacious has made it to the top rope. Grimm staggers into a crossbody bock! He stays pressed on him.
1!
2!
Kickout! Vivacious sits up, annoyed by the count. He has no time to waste, however. He pulls Grimm up in order to jab a thumb into his throat. He grapples the Hangtown Horror. From his left side, he pulls Grimm down into a shoulder jawbreaker. Vivacious spins up to his feet in order to capitalize on the stunned Phinehas Grimm…
Center Ring Screwdriver! Johnny Vivacious continues to hit his dazzling array of suplexes, this one being an inverted exploder suplex! He has Grimm face down on the mat and is contemplating what he can pull out to put him down for the count. Vivacious continues to favor his left shoulder and arm, but pain won’t stop him from using it if he must. After all, that’s what alcohol is for. He’ll feel better in no time! Grimm is rolled onto his back and drug across the ring. Johnny blows a snot rocket into his finely shaped beard to add disrespect. He steps onto the apron. Climbs to the top. Perches himself and gives everyone a photo op that they can tell future generations about…
CORKSCREW 450 SPLASH HITS!
Vivacious hooks the legs and because why the fuck not, props his feet on the middle rope to gain added leverage for his cover. The referee is in position. The crowd counts along.
1!
2!
3!!
NOOOO! Grimm powers his right shoulder off the mat. The force of such disrupts the rule break of Vivacious. He sits upright and pleads his case about the count. Vivacious looks out at the sea of fans for a reprieve. He pulls Grimm to his feet. Phinehas is backed up a few feet and then swung back first with authority to the corner. The landing drives him to the waiting Johnny V. Grimm is spun around and taken by his right arm. Vivacious turns him so that the arm is wrapped around his throat. Johnny crouches down and while he keeps the arm positioned, Grimm’s left knee is pulled up into his body from the left arm of Johnny V. He takes one push to pull Grimm into the air. The effect is a fall backwards into a nasty looking suplex, or as Johnny Vivacious calls it…
Jerry Andrews (screaming): WIDOW MAKER!!
Johnny senses victory is upon him. He rolls a lifeless Grimm onto his back. Johnny hooks the legs and here comes the count!
1!
2!
3—NO! NO! NO!
A last second kickout has put the champagne on ice! Vivacious looks up with a stunned look on his face. The faithful are loving this hard hitting contest. Respect is given to both, but that was always expected. Johnny drops to all fours. It’s as if his energy reserve was put into this run of offense, capped off with another devastating maneuver from his suplex arsenal. Back to the drawing board he goes. Does he have anymore tricks in the Notorious bag? Vivacious once more returns to the top rope. He barks some choice words out as he waits. Grimm is slow to get to his feet, but he’s got life left. He partially turns in the wrong direction. This may have been a plan, because he falls into the ropes, which staggers Vivacious into crotching the top turnbuckle. His mouth is wide open. His eyes are closed shut. His eggs are officially scrambled.
Grimm glances at his predicament. He pulls himself along with the top rope, sensing blood in the water. Grimm sticks an elbow to the left temple of Vivacious to keep him off balance. He takes him by the previously worked over left arm, then proceeds to yank him across the ring, dropping him on it with authority. Vivacious yells from the impact. A winded Grimm leans into the corner, but keeps a watchful eye on his fallen foe. When Johnny V is able to get to his feet, he is cut in half with a spear! Grimm falls into a cover.
1!
2!
3!--KICKOUT
The two competitors remain down. Hurting. Exhausted. By seven and eight, they are partially up and trading partial shots. They are landing, but without the usual force behind them. That all changes once they fight to their feet. Then it’s like as if the match were just beginning. Vivacious gets the sudden upper hand with a belly to belly suplex. Grimm rolls onto his hands and knees. Vivacious takes advantage by pulling him into an Irish whip. Grimm reverses it, lowering his head. Johnny V leaps in the air and comes down with a running elbow drop between the shoulders.
Crowd: HELL BOW!
Professional wrestling’s Man in Black shoves Grimm over. He hooks BOTH legs and leans back for that extra something. Could this be it??
1!
2!
3!--NOT YET!
Johnny Vivacious sits upright and looks almost beside himself. He looks back at Grimm who is stirring rather quick. Vivacious shakes his head from side to side and once more, has to return to the drawing board. Grimm is pulled to his feet. Johnny V goes for a bodyslam. Grimm floats over, pulling Vivacious around so that he’s facing him. Johnny V is BLASTED with the most brutal looking Dead Reckoning, Grimm may have ever thrown. The headbutt connects square between the eyes and may produce a migraine that lasts until next year!
Jerry Andrews: Did you HEAR how that sounded?! Holy Fruitcake.
Ace Anderson: I think the whole galax---did you---did you really say, holy fruitcake? This is a LIVE Pay Per View, Jerry. It’s ok to fucking swear.
Vivacious was seen stumbling backwards into the ropes. Then a full stagger crash into the corner. He is now picked up outside of the ring, laying flat on his kisser. Wait! He’s back up...and grabbing a bottle of water from a lucky front row ticket holder? Vivacious just needs to quench his thirst (arena lights ARE hot after all. Add to that all of the action and you’d be thirsty, too!)...he chugs it down in record time. Vivacious’ senses must have caught up, because in the process of falling straight back, the bottle goes flying up into the nosebleeds!
Grimm is not impressed.
He takes his time to step out to the floor to collect Johnny V. But he does, and he deposits him under the rope near one of the corners. Grimm climbs back in and well...you know how the story goes. Vivacious finds his head trapped under the right arm of Grimm as he mounts the turnbuckle. He leaps and rotates around with a tornado DDT, aka THE HARVEST! The fans groan from the crushing impact. And here goes Phinehas with the pin.
1!
2!
3!
VIVACIOUS KICKS THE EFF OUT AT THE LAST POSSIBLE SECOND!! Fans rise to their feet and chant, NO TOR IOUS, over and over. Grimm gets up. No emotion. He knows what has to be done. Grimm pulls him back up. A SECOND Harvest is landed. He’s not satisfied.
Jerry Andrews: You don’t think…
Ace Anderson: A THIRD Harvest! Johnny Vivacious may need a neurologist after this one.
Johnny V is out like a light in the middle of the ring. Grimm is on top for the pin. The referee is there for the count.
1!
2!
3!
And THAT ends this brutal affair. A Perfect Circle drowns out the fans reaction. Grimm slowly rises to his feet and has his hand raised.
Jerry Andrews: Grimm was victorious here tonight, but Johnny Vivacious gave him a tougher challenge than anyone thought was possible and he nearly pulled it off.
Grimm pays Vivacious no further attention. He exits the ring at his own pace, leaving the referee to check on the fallen member of Notorious.
Jerry Andrews: Well folks, that was quite the brutal match-up, but I think this next one may have even more anger in it.
Ace Anderson: When Justin 'Stormm' Michaels returned to Pure Class Wrestling, he had every intention of gunning for the World title, but now that he's facing off against Gabriel, I'm hearing that Stormm is taking this as an opportunity to take down a member of Seromine's crew.
Jerry Andrews: I'm hearing that he wants to hurt Gabriel.
Ace Anderson: Oh yeah... I've heard that too.
The crowd, again: ONE FALLL!
"NO-TOR-I-OUS!"
"SO NO-TOR-I-OUS!"
The arena lights dim down to a gentle glow and a dense fog begins to cover the entrance way. The fans start to rise to their feet as a sudden bright flash of light floods the crowd before a deafening crash of thunder rattles the foundation and leaves the arena in darkness. "Notorious" by Adelitas Way instigates a small riot amongst those in attendance as flashes of light, like lightning, are all that illuminate the arena for the Force of Nature, and Justin Michaels appears through the curtain and onto the stage.
"SO NO-TOR-I-OUS!"
His partner in crime, Johnny Vivacious, is not far behind, grinning and bearing it through his condition after having faced off against Grimm earlier in the night. Justin plays to the cheers of the fans from atop the ramp, and marches back and forth while interacting with those in attendance. He nods his head and points towards the fans recognizing all the support they provide before turning his attention back to the ring. The Notorious duo share a fist bump, and Johnny makes his way backstage while the Force of Nature makes his way towards the squared circle.
The Force of Nature interacts with fans on his way down the ramp as the first verse of "Notorious" accompanies him, but he never gets close enough to high five those begging for them, or to let anyone in the crowd touch him. The smile on his face is ripe with condescension, but the faithful are too amped up to notice. As he makes it to ringside, Stormm patrols around to the opposite side of the ring and gives a salute towards Ace and Jerry before hopping up onto the apron, and motions to the crowd once more.
Justin climbs through the ropes and immediately scales the nearest turnbuckle to raise his hands into the air for all to see. The flash bulbs surge throughout the dark arena, mimicking the lightning flashes, and the chorus of his theme song helps set the mood as the lights finally brighten back to the venue's usual lighting. Justin repeats his actions and poses on the turnbuckle in the opposite corner before hopping down from the corner as his music fades out, but the overwhelming applause does not as he stands the ready for his match.
Jerry Andrews: Stormm looks ready and chomping at the bit tonight, he's been in a fighting shape I haven't seen him in years.
Ace Anderson: You can tell that Stormm is itching because he finds himself locked out of the World Title conversation at this particular date. Tensions boiled over with the number one contender, Kyle Shane, at last Trauma.
Jerry Andrews: The question in my mind, remains, Ace, is Justin Michaels 100 percent focused on this match, right now with Gabriel and is he going to be focused on taking home the North American title.
Ace Anderson: He should be. It is the number two belt in the company right now, and the recent wars between Seromine, Nathan Saniti, and Kyle Shane and Gabriel over it have really left a legacy on it.
The lights go out. Suddenly the arena is completely lit up with white light as the opening notes of "There's a World" by Neil Young play. Gabriel emerges, wearing a tan button up shirt, brown overalls and heavy dark boots. He clasps his hands together and smiles widely before walking down to the ring.
"There's a world you're living in
No one else has your part
All God's children in the wind
Take it in and blow hard.
Look around it, have you found it
Walking down the avenue?
See what it brings,
could be good things
In the air for you.."
Gabriel climbs the ring steps and pauses. He then enters the ring, says a quick prayer, and awaits the start of the match.
Jerry Andrews: You just know that Gabriel's actions have burned a lot of people lately. He has taken his position as Seromine's point man and set his sights on everyone Seromine would deem a threat. Justin Michaels, with his eyes firmly fixed on Seromine's gold, certainly qualifies.
Ace Anderson: Let's not forget Seromine and Gabriel screwed Shane AND Stormm out of winning the Deadly Rumble, and then, when they were the last two left, Seromine ordered Gabriel to give him the win. Gabriel has made a lot of enemies.
Jerry Andrews: He sure has, and as he showed with Kyle Shane, he is willing to do anything, go to any length, to keep that gold where he feels it belongs.
The bell sounds and Gabriel, clutching the North American title closely to his chest and refusing to give it up, shakes his head no to the referee who is insisting he hand it over. The referee says "Come on, man," but Gabriel stubbornly refuses, and he exits the ring, rolling to the outside, still clutching his belt. He shouts at the referee to count him out. Gabriel begins walking around the ring as Stormm and the ref stay where they are. Stormm flings his arms out, yelling epithets Gabriel's way, and the referee is telling him to get back there. Gabriel has made sure to keep a wide berth of the ring, and he says "Count me out!" and he goes around the side by the steps and starts to climb over the guardrail into the front row. Stormm, having enough, runs from the side and catches up to him, and grabs Gabriel by the back of the head roughly. He then marches his butt over the guardrail and throws him into the ring. Gabriel keeps rolling, and then he makes his way out another side, again getting into the aisle and attempting to walk away, up the ramp this time.
Jerry Andrews: Gabriel wants no part of Stormm or this match!!
Ace Anderson: It's not a very brazen tactic, but I think Gabriel's reasoning is that if he takes a count out he gets to keep his title and some dignity.
Gabriel again tells the official he wants to be counted out and he tries to leave. Stormm has started running up the ramp after him, and Gabriel clutches the North American title in both hands and tries to clock Stormm, but Stormm boots him in the gut, making him drop the title altogether. It is only then that Stormm grabs Gabriel by the back of the head, and again, very forcefully walks him down the aisle and throws him in the ring. He follows in, attempting to finally get this match underway, but Gabriel is scooting on his butt towards the ropes. Stormm goes to haul Gabriel up but Gabriel snakes a knee into his midsection. Gabriel begins clubbing Stormm over the back. Gabriel whips Stormm to the ropes, only to have it reversed. Stormm whips Gabriel off the rope, and when he swings for a clothesline Gabriel ducks in turn. Stormm turns around and begins getting assaulted with rights. Gabriel backs Stormm up into the corner and begins peppering him with right hands. Stormm reverses, throwing Gabriel into the corner and unloading on him with rights. The ref, gets in between them, forcing Stormm to break out of the corner. Stormm backs off, holding his hands up innocently. As he comes back towards Gabriel, Gabriel gives him a thumb to the eye. Stormm stumbles back, blinded.
Jerry Andrews: Gabriel only decided to get fully invested in this match once he caught Stormm off guard.
Ace Anderson: While I still think he's going to bolt at the first sign of trouble, it is just like Gabriel's scavenging self to pick his spot and use cheap tactics to his advantage.
Michaels wipes his face, checking for any errant blood or other spittle on his lips, and he angrily begins to throw punches with Gabriel. Stormm takes the advantage and tosses Gabriel into the ropes, dropping him with a drop toe hold followed by the side headlock. Gabriel shoves him forward into the ropes and sends him over with a belly to back suplex. Stormm rolls around on the mat. Gabriel goes for an elbow drop but Stormm moves. Stormm and Gabriel both recover swiftly as they get back up and Michaels takes him over with a swinging neckbreaker. He lifts Gabriel back up and tosses him into the ropes. Gabriel grabs the top rope, stopping his momentum. Stormm charges towards the ropes, but as he gets close Gabriel lifts him over the third rope. Stormm grabs the ropes and lands safely on the apron. Gabriel runs the ropes incoming towards Stormm but Stormm roars between the middle and top rope with a lawn dart spear, taking the champion down. He covers.
Jerry Andrews: First cover of the match!
The referee: One... Kickout.
Gabriel takes the moment after the kickout to again escape the ring. This time he doesn't try running up the ramp or into the crowd, but he does try rooting underneath the apron, trying to find some leftover hardcore weapons, despite this not being an Underground rules match, like at all. He finds a stray Singapore cane and he begins trying to get in the ring of it but the ref is on top of things and blocks his entry. Stormm, seeing what's going on, gets irritated and grabs Gabriel by the hair over the top rope, pulling him up. He makes Gabriel get on the apron as the referee turns his attention to disposing of the kendo stick, and then Gabriel gets in a good poke to the eyes on Stormm which makes his challenger yell angrily and turn away, blinded.
Jerry Andrews: And again Gabriel with the cheap rake to the eyes.
Ace Anderson: Can't see, cannot fight. Simple math.
Gabriel doesn't waste time with anything else on the blinded Stormm, he clubs him over the back of the head and hits a front facelock cutter, his Believe!, laying Stormm out face down. Gabriel rolls Stormm over and hyperextends his arm, attempting to lock in a cattle mutilation. Stormm battles to the bottom rope quickly before it can get too far in, using his longer legs.
Ace Anderson: Justin Michaels is one of the better technical wrestlers in the biz, and he's showing Gabriel exactly what it takes to be a submission wrestler.
Gabriel breaks the hold and delivers a few stiff kicks to the shoulder. The referee breaks up the tactics. Stormm is the one who rolls to the outside, rolling his shoulder as Gabriel holds his arms out, telling him to test his faith. Justin Michaels walks back and forth in front of the ring for a few seconds, taking a second to compose himself.
Jerry Andrews: Stormm is doing his best to avoid the submissions of Gabriel, as well, one would think, of the shadier tactics he started with.
Ace Anderson: Plus it's a little bit of a mind game, playing a similar stall that Gabriel did earlier. There's a mental component to this.
As Stormm enters the ring, he shoots in for Gabriel, but Gabriel ducks behind the referee, holding his arms like he's a shield. Stormm can't juke the right way because Gabriel keeps moving the ref in front of him and blocking Stormm. The referee shouts at Gabriel, telling him to let go of him. Finally with just the littlest nudge forward Gabriel sends the ref stumbling. Stormm gently steadies the referee. Gabriel quickly clubs him over the back of the head, following it up by dragging Stormm over to the ropes and placing Stormm's throat on the middle rope and choking him. Gabriel puts a knee in Stormm's back and hauls back on the top rope. Stormm flails his arms, as his wind is cut off. The official, unamused by Gabriel using him as a human shield ten seconds ago and pissed off at the flagrant disrespect of the rules being shown here, begins warning Gabriel, who has his knee buried in Stormm' back and is pushing with all his might as he pulls on the top rope for leverage. The referee begins a five-count to disqualification, and Gabriel breaks at three. Stormm leans on the middle rope, gasping for air. The referee has a stern conversation with Gabriel, who maintains his forthrightness and his moral terpitude. Then Gabriel goes back to choking Stormm on the ropes anyway.
Jerry Andrews: What a disgusting display we're seeing from Gabriel.
Ace Anderson: Is he just trying to eat a DQ?
The referee starts counting yet again to a disqualification, but Gabriel breaks again, and then he grabs Stormm's arm and wraps it up in the ropes, torquing it backwards with force. Sort of a keylock with the arm being pulled back against the ropes. The poor, set upon referee in this match once again warns Gabriel about disqualification. Gabriel eventually breaks, letting Stormm up to his feet. They lock up and Gabriel takes the same arm in with an arm wringer followed by a hammerlock. Stormm attempts to roll forward but Gabriel wrenches the hold in tight and suplexes him back. Stormm lets out an explosive yell and rolls around holding the wing. Gabriel pushes down and goes for the pin.
Jerry Andrews: Finally, an honest to god wrestling maneuver out of Gabriel...
Ace Anderson: He's been using all the cheating he can muster, but you get a sense that he smells blood in his waters now.
The referee: One...
Two... Kickout.
Michaels lifts his shoulder up off the ground. Gabriel lifts him up but Stormm surprises him, flows around and sends Gabriel over with a German suplex. He grabs on tight and sends him over with another. On the third Gabriel goes for a few back elbows, and it looks like Stormm might loosen the hold, but he then headbutts Gabriel between the shoulder blades making the Deacon tense up as Stormm reapplies the waistlock and hits the third suplex, letting Gabriel collapse like an accordion with the last. Stormm, shaking his elbow out, peels Gabriel back up and slams him down with a tiger bomb. And a pin.
The referee: One...
Two...
Stormm gets to his feet, pulling Gabriel up and he grips Gabriel from the side, attempting a lifted reverse STO, however Stormm lifts Gabriel up near the ropes but Gabriel picks him up and faceplants him into the turnbuckle. The crowd moans as Stormm hits the pad face first. Gabriel shoves Stormm into the turnbuckle so his shoulder rests against the turnbuckle post. Gabriel runs across the ring and front drop kicks Stormm in such a way to cause his shoulder to collide with the post. Gabriel jerks him out of the corner and applies a seated arm and wrist lock to the arm he's targeted. Gabriel jerks back on the arm, as Stormm screams and writhes in pain. Stormm starts crawling to the ropes, but Gabriel makes every effort to keep him in the center of the ring. Finally, Stormm is able to reach out and he grabs the bottom rope. Gabriel jerks him up but Stormm reacts quicker, lifting the smaller man up and hanging him up with a hot shot across the top rope. Gabriel goes falling back. Stormm then paces around, grabbing Gabriel's arm and locking in a version of... Gabriel's very own Lebell lock crossface signature move. Stormm grins widely as he pulls back on the crossface, and Stormm yells at Gabriel that now he knows how it feels.
Jerry Andrews: I think Stormm is trying to humiliate Gabriel by using his own submissions against him!
Ace Anderson: Arguably better than Gabriel could be able to, look how far Gabriel's chin is bent back. He's in a world of hurt right now!
Gabriel uses his free arm to scoot over and he holds his fingertips out and then grips the bottom rope with all his might. Stormm looks over, irritated, as the referee tells him he has to let go. Gabriel may as well be wrapped around the bottom rope like tinsel on a Christmas tree, he's clinging on to it so tight. Stormm tries to pull Gabriel out by his legs, but the referee admonishes Stormm, telling him let him get out of the ropes. Finally, Stormm has enough of the warnings and leans over the top rope, trying to pry Gabriel up that way, but Gabriel slithers underneath him and then comes from behind with a waistlock. He runs Stormm chest first into the ropes and as they both bumble back Gabriel works it into an O'connor roll. He even tries to pull a handful of tights. The referee drops down for a count...
The referee: One...
Two... the referee breaks off because he sees Gabriel holding a handful of tights.
Ace Anderson: If running won't work, Gabriel will try using a weapon. If using a weapon won't work, Gabriel will pull the tights. If that doesn't work, he'll find some other way to get around the rules.
Jerry Andrews: Then he'll whine about being persecuted for his religion when he can't get his way.
Ace Anderson: You just described the entire fanbase of the 700 Club.
The referee are having a fierce debate over whether Gabriel pulled the tights, with Gabriel assuring the referee he didn't (Gaslighting is wrong, folks) but the official saying that he saw it with his two eyes. Gabriel holds his hands up innocently and he walks back over to Stormm. Stormm meets him with a punch to the gut, then another, but Gabriel cuts him off with a violent elbow strike to the trapezius muscle and the neck. Gabriel scoops Stormm up off the mat and he drives him down with a rib breaker. Stormm rolls out of the ring clutching his midsection. Gabriel climbs out after him and he quickly lays the boots to Stormm’s ribs. Gabriel lifts Stormm up and he rams him back first into the guardrail. Stormm shouts in agony and doubles over, holding his back. Meanwhile, the referee is counting both men out. Gabriel lifts Stormm up and he doubles him over with a hard kick to the gut. Gabriel grabs a hold of Michaels and he throws him onto the concrete floor with a double underhook suplex. Gabriel lifts Stormm up and he rolls him into the ring. Gabriel doesn't go for the cover, instead wraps his legs around Stormm’s midsection and he applies a leg scissors. Stormm yells in pain as Gabriel applies the pressure to his softened midsection. Gabriel digs the point of his elbow into the ribs and grinds it back and forth just to make it hurt more. Our official asks if Stormm gives up, but he vehemently shakes his head no.
Jerry Andrews: I’ve got to hand it to him, Gabriel has stuck to a fairly solid and consistent game plan.
Ace Anderson: Like him or not, Gabriel does show flashes of evil genius.
Jerry Andrews: That’s debatable... but Stormm has been trying to take Gabriel out of his comfort zone, and indeed break through the outer shell to the man beneath.
Ace Anderson: You look right now and you tell me who's looking more successful.
Stormm tries to inch towards the ropes, but as he reaches out, Gabriel squeezes harder. Stormm tries to fight off the pain. Stormm reaches for the ropes again, sliding closer. Stormm reaches out one final time and he gets a hold of the bottom rope. The referee orders Gabriel to let go, but he refuses, so he begins a count to disqualification. Once again Gabriel hangs on as long as he can, then lets go and he gets a harsh verbal warning from the ref. Gabriel brushes him aside and he drags Stormm to the middle of the ring. Gabriel lands an elbow drop on Stormm’s stomach and he covers.
The referee: One….
Two….
Thr... Kickout.
Jerry Andrews: Although he has taken quite a bit of punishment, Stormm is not out of it yet!
Gabriel gets up and he talks even more trash to Stormm, calling him a sinner and an unbeliever. Gabriel picks Stormm up and he whips him into the ropes. Stormm ducks a clothesline and he stops dead in his tracks behind Gabriel. Gabriel turns around and he gets clocked by a superkick. Stormm falls to the mat and both men are down. Stormm, though winded, does recover first, and he makes a that's it type gesture and then walks over Gabriel, strapping on a modified half nelson crossface lock. With his free left arm he places it around the front of wrestler's face and then uses his left hand to grab the forearm of wrestler's right arm that is caught in the half nelson.
Jerry Andrews: Oh, my! Eye of the Stormm is locked in!
Ace Anderson: You just know that Stormm has been looking for this. He wanted to rub salt in Gabriel's wounds with his opponents submissions, but he wants to make him feel the real hurt with his own.
Jerry Andrews: Gabriel is resisting with all of his might! He's doing all he can to pull to the ropes, clawing by fingertips alone.
Finally, with his free hand, Gabriel does grab on to the bottom rope, and Stormm relinquishes the hold relatively quickly. He goes and wrenches the arm while Gabriel is still in a limp position and twists it around. He pulls Gabriel back out. Stormm boots the arm as he pulls Gabriel up by it, kicking him in the armpit and clubbing him over the extended elbow. Gabriel groans and holds his arm at his side. Stormm grabs Gabriel from the back and picks him up, drilling him into the mat with an Inverted implant DDT.
Jerry Andrews: Hangcloud DDT connects!
Stormm covers.
The referee and the crowd: One...
Two...
Thr - Kickout.
Not allowing himself to fly off the handle, Stormm goes back and boots the arm of Gabriel again. He tries to pick Gabriel up. Gabriel goes for a punch, but it is blocked. Stormm lands one of his own that stuns Gabriel. Stormm goes for an Irish whip, but Gabriel grabs the ropes as he hits them. Gabriel grabs big lungfuls of air as he sees Stormm recuperating on the opposite end of the ring. Gabriel charges at Stormm but Stormm tucks a shoulder down and Gabriel goes flying over the ropes, and tumbles to the floor. Stormm takes a moment to catch his breath and assess his game plan. Outside, Gabriel gets to his feet. From the apron, Stormm gets a running start on one end of the apron and hops off, coming down with a double sledge into the aisle that smashes Gabriel down. Both men hit the floor but Gabriel definitely gets the worst of it. Both men are down and it takes a moment for them to respond. The referee starts counting them out. 1…… 2…… 3…… Stormm stands up and he gives Gabriel a very stiff kick to the ribs. Stormm lifts Gabriel to his feet and then he throws Gabriel back first into the steel steps. 4….. 5….. Stormm rolls under the bottom rope, then back in to break up the count. Stormm lifts Gabriel back to his feet and then he destroys Gabriel with a lifted reverse STO on the concrete floor.
Jerry Andrews: JESUS CHRIST!!
Ace Anderson: Now, we all know Notorious have their delusions of grandeur but Stormm isn't quite there... but on the other hand, he did murder Gabriel with that Flash Flood onto the concrete there.
Stormm is resting on the outside for a moment, and the referee pleads with them to get in the ring as he starts another 10-count. A winded Stormm is finally able to lift Gabriel up and roll him into the ring. Gabriel looks unconscious. Stormm stumbles, and holds himself up on the apron. Finally Stormm rolls into the ring, and slowly crawls over Gabriel for a pin.
Ace Anderson: Uhhh, Gabriel, you might wanna be saying a prayer or two right now, you need divine assistance...
The referee and the crowd: ONE...
TWO...
THRE... Gabriel gets his foot on the rope.
Jerry Andrews: Amazing ring awareness by Gabriel, you have to give him that.
Stormm flops back to the mat in disbelief. He begins asking the referee if it was three, but the referee assures him it was only a two-count. Stormm looks on in disappointment, and then he goes to pick Gabriel up, but Gabriel drop-toeholds him and quickly floats over into a Sharpshooter.
Ace Anderson: No way?!
Jerry Andrews: Was Gabriel just using a rope-a-dope strategy or is this a second wind?!
Stormm reaches out for the ropes and screams in pain. He can't quite grab the bottom rope. Gabriel tightens his hold on the move. Stormm is forced to bite down on his finger to withstand the pain. Gabriel yells for him to give up. the referee asks Stormm if he gives up, but he yells "NO!" Stormm tries crawling towards the ropes, but just as he gets within reach, Gabriel walks him back out to the middle of the ring and sits back on the move, increasing the pressure. Stormm yells and screams, contorting his arms. He begins holding his hand over the mat, and it looks as if he may tap out.
Jerry Andrews: Stormm is holding on with all he has!
Stormm begins his crawl back towards the ropes, and after a long crawl, he makes it to the bottom rope, his hand shooting out and gripping it. He hangs on for dear life. the referee tells Gabriel to break the hold and he does, and he immediately begins stomping on Stormm's lower back. the referee tells Gabriel to back off, and the two get into an arguement. Gabriel tells the referee to watch his tongue, threatening him, and then he turns back to Stormm. He lifts Stormm up, planting him with a second front facelock cutter.
Jerry Andrews: Gabriel is bound and determined to make Stormm BELIEVE tonight!
Gabriel hooks the leg for the cover.
The referee and the crowd: ONE...
TWO...
THRE... Kickout.
Gabriel shouts and kneels, holding his arms out in a supplicating "WHY GOD" position and shouting "NO! I HAD HIM!" Gritting his teeth, Gabriel gets to his feet in one smooth motion lifts Stormm up to his feet again, lacing in some Half-Hatch knee strikes and backing him to the ropes. He whips Stormm off the rope, and as Stormm returns Gabriel plants him with a textboox standing dropkick to the sternum. Stormm goes flying back. Gabriel paces over, clubbing Stormm over the back, and he plants him with an STO backbreaker. Stormm contorts around, holding his wounded back. Gabriel paces around angrily, but rather than go for the cover, he looks at the turnbuckle with a smile. He begins climbing up to the top, and as he gets up he sets himself. Stormm is getting to his feet, and Gabriel is setting up on the top turnbuckle. Suddenly Stormm shoots forward with a right hand, knocking Gabriel down onto the turnbuckle in a seated position. Stormm jerks Gabriel from the top rope and flings him to the mat. He goes for the pin....
Jerry Andrews: Gabriel left his comfort zone, he tried something he never does to put Stormm down.
The referee and the crowd: ONE...
TWO....
THRE.... Gabriel kicks out.
Gabriel rolls to the outside before Stormm can even make another move. Stormm's hair is matted with sweat, and you know Johnny Vivacious is watching this with his heart leaping into his throat. Gabriel is down on the mat, and Stormm is trying to will his limbs to start working properly and get back in the game. Gabriel is crawling on all fours around the side of the ring. The referee is trying to keep track after everything that's happened. He finally spots Gabriel, who has made his way over to the timekeeper's area ringside. Gabriel, groggily and half out of his mind, shoves a random crew person out of the way and grabs for the steel chairs. He staggers around at ringside, trying to bring a steel chair towards the ring. The referee leans out, telling him nope, under no circumstances is anything like that happening. Gabriel is taking a long arc around the ring holding the chair.
Jerry Andrews: And again, after Gabriel has absorbed all of this punishment, he can only go out and try to bring in an equalizer.
Ace Anderson: This match has been surprisingly stripped down, just the two of them. No Club V, no followers of Seromine, and yet it has been wild and they've used every mental and psychological trick in the book.
Jerry Andrews: Does Justin Michaels want to win the North American title? I can't answer that for certain. But he does want to prove a point by removing a chief pillar in Seromine's empire and weakening Gabriel.
Gabriel tries getting in the ring with the chair, but the ref intercepts him. Gabriel has the chair in both hands, and it turns into a tug of war for a few moments and then Gabriel relinquishes the chair to the ref. The official turns his back to make sure that the chair is out of the ring, and while he does Gabriel kicks Stormm right in the crotch. Stormm's eyes fly open wide and his jaw slackens. He drops to both knees, holding his jewels.
Jerry Andrews: Oh come on!! That's pure lowest common denominator.
Ace Anderson: Gabriel's hidden bonus finisher right there, ask Kyle Shane!
Gabriel holds his hands out in a stigmata pose and shouts "Praise Seromine, amen", and then he lifts Stormm up, attempting to hook him in a headlock before kicking forward and smashing down with a headlock driver. However, Stormm spins out of it and grips the arm, coming behind Gabriel and locking in a half nelson before going right back to a half nelson crossface lock, bringing Gabriel down to the mat.
Jerry Andrews: Gabriel's going for the Word of the Lord - Michaels counters! And right back into the Eye of the Stormm!!
Ace Anderson: Gabriel is caught in a proverbial bear trap. Stormm is just wrenching that hold in.
Stormm screams out, "TAP!!" and there is a protracted moment of agony as he wrenches the hold in. Gabriel is too wounded, too weakened to pull himself to the ropes. His free arm stretches out, but he's a foot away, at least. His arm dangles out in free air, and as the crossface rips and tears, his muscles tense. His hand wavers over the mat as if he is just seconds away from tapping out. The referee asks Gabriel if he gives up. Gabriel stubbornly refuses, but he is weakening, his hand falling lower, and it looks like he might have to tap. However, Gabriel's hand points back up and he shakes his finger, no, no, no, and with a little surge of energy he begins to claw his way over and he wraps an arm around the bottom rope. The referee shouts at Stormm, and tells him he needs to relinquish it. Stormm, fed up with this, throws Gabriel's arm down and gets in the referee's face. The poor working man tells Stormm about the ropes and gives him his warning. Stormm shakes his head in attitude, and he brushes the referee off. He goes to lift Gabriel up, and he intends to end it with a setup for a suplex, but Gabriel boots the kneecap. Stormm falls to one knee. Gabriel just drops like a stone, unable to stand, still on one arm.
Jerry Andrews: Both of these men are just plain spent.
Ace Anderson: Gabriel has tried everything he can just to leave Collision Course with the North American title still in the camp of the believers.
Jerry Andrews: Well, I'm sure if he displeased Seromine there would be consequences.
Ace Anderson: I'm sure there's a refreshing cup of Kool Aid for him waiting no matter what happens.
Gabriel gives the kneeling Stormm a short DDT. Then, it's Gabriel's turn to lock in a double armbar, and he turns Stormm onto his stomach and then, moving slowly and laboriously, he is able to bridge over into a cattle mutilation. He screams out for Stormm to submit, and his head bobs with effort as he pulls both arms back tight. Arms generally aren't meant to be pulled that far back with any sort of comfort. Stormm is face down, but you can still hear his agonized moans. The referee asks him if he submits, but Stormm doesn't want to.
Jerry Andrews: And now Gabriel has Stormm Crucified. Both of his shoulders are pulled to the breaking point.
Ace Anderson: This was really more of a Roman thing, but, whatever, historical accuracy isn't needed.
Jerry Andrews: I'm sure it's named for the effect of the move, Ace.
Stormm tries moving his lower body since his arms and his head are pinned down by the bridge of Gabriel. He swivels his hips and kicks his legs, using his core and knees to scoot backwards and trying to feel for the ropes. Gabriel pulls the armbars in to a sharper angle, and Stormm yells out. Gabriel screams "Submit, sinner! Blasphemer! Charlatan!!" throwing epithets and dogmatic abuse with each twinge on the submission. Finally, Stormm's foot hooks over the bottom rope, and the referee notices it. The foot on the rope is enough for him to order a rope break. Gabriel lets go of the hold and reorients himself seated, looking up with disbelief and shock as the referee tells him about the ropes. Stormm is contorting on the mat, holding his arms and breathing heavily. Both men look completely wiped out. Gabriel picks himself to his feet, lifting the arm of Stormm and booting it. He then pulls Stormm up, attempting to lock in a cross arm breaker, but Stormm stands out of it and trips Gabriel to the mat. Stormm rests on one knee, shaking one of his arms to get a sense of feeling. Then he lifts Gabriel up and lays in a few elbow shots to the face. He backs them both to the ropes with a few more rights. Then he goes for an irish whip. Gabriel however short arms him in to a knee to the gut. Gabriel goes for his finisher again, but Stormm pulls him out and grips him for a rear naked choke. Gabriel flails his arms and resists being pulled down.
Jerry Andrews: Gabriel is fading!
Gabriel shoots forward into the ropes and as an effect, Stormm, over his shoulder, connects face first with the top rope as Gabriel goes underneath it. Stormm is pushed/thrown back, letting go of the hold. Gabriel smirks, and he charges at Stormm, but Stormm drop toe holds him and goes into the Eye of the Stormm for the third time. Now, they're in the center of the ring. Gabriel's eyes open up wide, and he holds his arm out for the rope, but it may as well be an ocean away. Stormm scoots him away regardless and tightens the half-nelson crossface.
Jerry Andrews: And for the third time, Gabriel is trapped. He has nowhere to go!
Ace Anderson: Gabriel, if you tap, your God or Messiah or what have you will be so displeased with you. Resist with all of your might!
Gabriel tries to hold on for as long as he can, but he can't resist the hold any longer. Gabriel taps. The referee immediately orders the bell rung, and Stormm slumps in relief.
Jerry Andrews: Michaels has done it! Michaels has beaten Gabriel!!
Ding Ding Ding
The crowd erupts into a fever pitch for the title change, as the referee comes over to hold Michael's hand up. Stormm is weak, barely able to stand, but he smirks. He rights himself and walks over, holding his arms up and making a title sign around his waist to Gabriel, who is cringing and near tears over by the ropes. Gabriel feels Stormm looming over him, and he gets to his feet with a hiss and a snarl.
Jerry Andrews: The former champion is beside himself, Gabriel looks like he's about to have a breakdown.
Stormm readies himself and he motions to Gabriel if he wants to fight, but with a curl of his lip, Gabriel shakes his head, thinking better of it. Gabriel drops down and rolls out of the ring, walking up the ramp, not taking his eyes off Stormm.
Jerry Andrews: There is a lot of bad blood here, and you know Notorious aren't done with Seromine or his followers yet.
Ace Anderson: Maybe not, but Justin Michaels just made himself a target by taking the North American title away from them.
Jerry Andrews: You get the sense that wasn't his primary objective here tonight, but I know it feels good for him to stick it to Seromine and further Notorious' agenda.
Indeed, Stormm almost leaves the ring by himself, but then he turns back as if he was almost forgetting something. The referee is holding the North American title belt outstretched to him. Stormm takes a long lingering look at it, almost weighing his options, and then he sucks up his pride and picks the belt up, slinging it over his shoulder.
Jerry Andrews: New champion, and one hell of a match.
Ace Anderson: And, somehow, we're not done yet.
Jerry Andrews: The World Title is on the line and it's coming up next!
Ace Anderson: What a match that will be.
Jerry Andrews: Speaking of incredible moments, the next time we'll join you is for the Icey Awards special, happening live on December 21st. We're inviting you to check out the ballots online at PureClassWrestling.com and make your voice heard.
Ace Anderson: I have a feeling like one or two matches from tonight might be receiving nominations.
Jerry Andrews: And our upcoming main event could be one of them!
Ace Anderson: Seromine and Gabriel have been trying to make life hell for Kyle Shane over the last few months.
Jerry Andrews: And now he has his chance to get the ultimate revenge and take Seromine's title.
The opening notes of "In The Morning And Amazing" by Circa Survive begins to play. The big screen shows shots of Kyle’s matches. Kyle Shane steps slowly out onto the stage. Kyle snaps the collar to his NCR Ranger duster upward. The distinctive voice of Anthony Green hits the bridge:
"And how could anyone
You are in my dreams
Half human, half machine
You with someone else that I have felt and seen
I cannot rest, or my consciousness contest
Looking right through the lens
From winter brings the spring again"
Kyle tilts his head back and holds his arms out, taking in the reception of the crowd.
For the PCW faithful that are just getting to know him, there is a modest show of respect, but the truly dedicated that have followed his career stir mightily. Some on the sides of the aisles even make a fanning bow motion as Kyle walks by. 1/2 the way down the aisle, Kyle pivots, holding his arms up to either side of him. He climbs onto the apron. Kyle balances on the ropes for a moment, points to himself and smirks, holding his arms out, and then he hops down, takes off his duster and stretches a few times to get ready.
The pipe organ of “Be Still for the Presence of the Lord” echoes throughout the arena. As an angelic choir begins to sing the hymn, Seromine and his wife Destiny enter from around the ramp in an open carriage, horse-drawn buggy.
He halts the clydesdales, then assists Destiny out of the ride. Secured around his waist is the Pure Class Wrestling World Title. Slowly, the pair makes their way down to the ring, stopping to “bless” some of those close to the barrier as a mixed reaction churns from the crowd.
The very moment Seromine puts his eyes on the ring, he’s forced to move Destiny to safety and have enough time to safely catch the speeding bullet that is Kyle Shane. If he doesn’t, there could be a serious injury to start things. Regardless of wrestler etiquette, Kyle strikes first with a lighting fast suicide dive through the ropes. It’s one that has the impact of a car crash and one that feels like a spear when it’s completed. The champion is flipped head over heels several times in the aisle. His hat and championship a few feet away from where his body stops.
Kyle is quick to his feet. Seromine is brought to his, finding himself being whipped from rail to rail. On the rebound, Kyle hooks him into a T-bone suplex position. It connects. Seromine writhes in pain after landing hard in the aisle. A concerned Destiny can only watch on in horror at her husband’s start, neutralized from participating by a watchful ref who must keep an eye on the action as well. But you know she’s already planning ahead.
The ultra focused Kyle Shane pays no mind to the outreached hands of ringside fans. Any other time he may high five some, but he can’t leave any openings here and lose focus of the grand prize. Regardless, he does hear his name being chanted. Seromine manages to get his jacket off before being thrown back into the ring. Kyle hops onto the apron, calls his shot, and comes off the top rope with a springboard missile dropkick! With both men now inside of the ring, the referee can officially call for the bell.
DING!
DING!
DING!
Ace Anderson (yelling): Kyle Shane had the nerve to call OUR champion a cheat?! What do you think he just did there before things even got started??
Jerry Andrews: I believe that is called offense. Seromine wasn’t expecting it, so plus one to Kyle Shane for taking the early fight to him!
Kyle peppers Seromine with rapid fire kicks to the legs and sides. The Serpentine Sermonizer manages to capture the left foot of Kyle Shane, but leaves himself open to an enziguri. There is a loud crack to the back of the champion’s head and it has him down to his knees. Kyle glances at Destiny to take a note of where she is at ringside. She narrows her eyes at the challenger, but it’s ignored. Seromine is pulled onto his feet and sent to the corner. Kyle meets him with a sick dropkick to the kisser. Not allowing him a single second to breathe, Seromine is whipped to the opposite side where he meets the same feet a second time. He keeps himself upright using the ropes. Kyle leans him up and slices into his chest with stinging knife edge WOOOO chops! He goes for another whip. Seromine partially reverses it, but finds it being reversed on him. He bounces, but Kyle is there to mirror it. Before Seromine knows what is going on, he’s clotheslined over the top rope.
KYLE!
KYLE!
KYLE!
Feeding off the LOUD enthusiasm of the faithful, Kyle Shane takes one look at the fallen Seromine below. He doesn’t hesitate to execute a springboard plancha splash to keep him down. Seromine is forced into the fetal as the air is driven from his body. This time Kyle allows a few moments to tag some hands. He never takes his eyes off Seromine. Or his wife. Taking a page from Dominator, Kyle Shane keeps track of how much time he has before he needs to launch his next move of choice. He’s all business tonight, folks. In order for Kyle Shane to unlock the highest achievement, he needs to beat the final boss. The ultimate evil as Kyle would call him. Seromine begins pulling himself up. Kyle swiftly gets into the ring. On the return, he barrel rolls himself into a second suicide dive...WAIT! He turns it into a sudden tornado DDT, driving Seromine’s head into the mat with impact. He pops upright, looks to be on dream street, and then falls back over. The fans find humor and glee in the sight.
Jerry Andrews: Seromine has been taken completely out of this match! If this keeps up, Kyle Shane may win this with enough time for us to beat traffic.
Ace Anderson: I’m sure you would like that, wouldn’t you?
Jerry Andrews: I’d enter confessional just to admit it! Just like he’ll admit to feeling disappointed by Gabriel’s defeat earlier. So now Seromine has added pressure just to keep gold with their “team!”
Destiny Willard is seen slowly advancing around the ring, but puts on the “I’m just watching!” routine as the referee calls her out. Kyle himself puts his head on a swivel to where she is. She partially covers her face behind the ring post. Her fingers are tapping the steel. There is a devious feeling to her aura, but she’s accounted for. Seromine is grabbed by the hair. Kyle slides into the ring with him. He still has a handful of his long, brown locks. Seromine is leaned down. He’s put in position for a suplex. He nails a trio of them, finishing with a brainbuster. Kyle kips up to his feet, turns around and when then moment arises, drills Seromine in the teeth with EMBLEM HEARTLESS! Kyle floats over into a pin and nods his head with each count.
1!
2!
Kickout! The crowd’s enthusiasm takes a temporary slumber, but they were ready to explode with cheers. Kyle shakes off the initial disappointment. Seromine is brought up and doubled with a spinning back kick. Kyle hits those ropes at breakneck speed. He leaps but finds himself taking a midair spinning roundhouse kick just under his left ear. Kyle falls hard against the ropes. Seromine drops completely, the damage having taken it’s toll, leaving him incapable of following up with anything. Destiny moves over as close as she can get. She’s unable to touch her husband, but he hears her voice pleading with him to get up and “punish the heathen.” Seromine stirs. As does Kyle. The fresher challenger is up first. The champ is pulled onto his feet. He surprises Kyle Shane with a waist lock that is followed into a high angle German suplex. The landing has Kyle’s head and neck taking a rough landing. Seromine remains down, but is gaining some sort of awareness. Kyle favors his head more than anything.
Seromine attempts to shake off the cobwebs as he returns to his feet. He notices his fortune. Kyle is pulled out to the center of the ring, kept face down, and has his neck stomped on a total of eighteen times. Absolution Stomp! Or at least a play on it. The referee nearly gets shoved off as he attempts to get order restored. He’s right there to issue a warning to Seromine’s face. The champion dares him to issue a disqualification. No such thing actually happens. Seromine knees Kyle across his face after standing him on his knees. With him prone, he uses elbow strikes to the neck, making sure to put as much force behind them for added viciousness. Kyle is torqued into a front face lock. He becomes the proud owner of a swinging neckbreaker. Seromine is not satisfied. He drops Kyle with a second one, but going to the opposite way. He fakes like he’s stopping there. The third (and last) is the standing variety, but with a leap into a split legged position, pulling Kyle further down than normal. Kyle wraps his hands on the back of his neck. He’s heard gritting f-bombs as he kicks the mat. Seromine menacingly forces his forearm across Kyle’s face as he goes for a quick pin of his own.
1!
2!
Kyle Shane kicks the heck out of that. Seromine sits up and laughs. He looks towards Destiny, who is enjoying every second of pain that Kyle is in. Seromine brings Kyle up and scores with a short arm drop toe hold near the ropes. He’s back up and leading the referee to the opposite side of the ring, complaining about some unflattering remarks fans in the front are making. Behind their backs, Destiny finally sees her chance. She strangles Kyle on the middle rope. The long legged beauty arches her left leg as she stands on the floor, pushing his windpipe down. The fans are rabid. Destiny hooks the top rope and in short bursts, leaps partially in the air to put her right knee into the face of Kyle, WHILE keeping him trapped on the rope. The referee finally buys himself a clue and breaks free from the manipulative World Champion. He turns around to see Destiny where she was prior. He also sees that Kyle Shane looks more in trouble than before.
She smiles brightly as a halo is traced around her head.
Seromine cranks his neck. He aggressively pulls Kyle up. The God of Game surprises the champion with a flurry of punches to the gut. Seromine responds in kind with a gouge. Then follows it with a brainbuster and a gator roll. Seromine positions his feet on the ropes to apply pressure on the hold, squeezing down on Kyle’s neck.
Jerry Andrews: Seromine is showing that despite being a so-called “man of god,” he’s not above throwing the rules out the window. Kyle Shane knew he would have to account for the wicked witch of the west and…
Ace Anderson (interrupting): I’d be careful of talking about her that way, Jerry.
Jerry Andrews (defiantly): Or what? She should have been sent to the back. I’m sure catering has a television she can watch---
Destiny has actually heard the remarks and is right there with an evil smile to confront Jerry. Back in the ring, Seromine is worked up to his feet. Kyle fights through everything as he drives Seromine backwards into the corner. Kyle tries to free himself a second time. It works. He stands up as fast as he can to unload combination strikes. Seromine, caught by surprise, is Irish whipped. He reverses this. Seromine charges in. He’s caught in position for an exploder suplex, or as Kyle would call it, NUKA-WORLD! Seromine palm strikes Kyle along the bridge of his nose, watering his eyes. This allows Seromine to drop his base and connect with a trio of northern lights suplexes. The third of which is bridged for a cover.
1!
2!
Kyle kicks out! Seromine returns to his feet with Kyle in hand. He whips him again into the buckles. This time he finds success with a handspring back elbow. A tribute to the Great Muta! In tandem with the motion, Destiny was seen doing a cartwheel along the side of the ring the finish was to happen on. She’s quite proud of herself as Kyle is dropped with a bulldog. Seromine rolls over to his wife as they exchange a kiss between the middle and bottom rope. Aw. The self proclaimed ‘Lord and Savior’ rolls himself back over to Kyle. Seromine returns to his feet. He plants a foot on Kyle’s neck, stepping on it as he moves over him. Leaving Kyle in pain, Seromine steps out onto the apron. He clutches the top rope. Waiting.
In the midst of jeers from the faithful, an impatient Seromine times his leap with Kyle getting to his feet. He turns to see Seromine springboarding, looking for a CYANIDE PUNCH! SHORYUKEN counters that! The rising 180 degree turn uppercut flattens Seromine with enough force to propel him over the top rope and to the floor. Destiny frantically rushes to her husband’s side as she checks on him. Kyle remains down inside of the ring, but has FULL support of the faithful. He’s seen favoring his neck, but has the momentum back for the time being. Seromine remains down outside and not showing much signs of life. When action returns, Kyle meets Seromine at ringside to block shot after shot. A staggering pele kick sends him to the ring post. Kyle is about to raise his game another level. He gets a running start. Grabbing the ringpost, he swings around it with a tiger feint kick, sandwiching Seromine’s head and body against the steel post.
CROWD: OHHH!
Jerry Andrews: Kyle Shane just leveled his resilience up!
Seromine is spun back into the ring. Kyle, grabbing his neck, catches Destiny nearing his location. It stops her cold. The referee orders her to move away. Her patience with this guy is running out. Kyle jumps back into the ring as she charges (or at least pretends she’s going to). His laser focus is on the only person he has to beat to win the richest prize in the game. Seromine is met with a spinning back kick before he can assault the challenger. Kyle kicks him in the chest, launching him upright. Another spinning back kick. Another kick under him. Seromine finds himself short whipped into the ropes. Or not. He’s yanked into a modified Goddess White Sword! Kyle spins himself to his feet. He hits the ropes with a springboard. Middle. Top. Asai Moonsault! He drives his body into the midsection of Seromine! Kyle goes for the quick cover.
1!
2!
3!
NO—KICKOUT! Kyle’s jubilation is halted as the referee alerts him to the stoppage. Kyle was so close he (and everyone else) could taste it. The worried look on Destiny’s face tells the story. Kyle pulls Seromine up. There’s an Irish whip across the ring. He pops Seromine into the air. LIGHT ARROW!---NO! Seromine manages to time a counter before the strong kick hits his chest. He catches the leg, managing to spin his body through with a dragon leg whip. Kyle’s knee violently twists, jerking his body around awkwardly. Seromine fights through his hurting body. He gets Kyle into a surfboard...then adds in a dragon sleeper. THE RAPTURE! Seromine has his submission hold locked in tight. Destiny, with wide eyed cheer, yells for Kyle to TAP. It’s actually got a few added words in there, but they don’t bear repeating. The referee is there to check for any signs of quit. Kyle can be heard screaming in pain. His hand is in the air.
The faithful clap their way through the chant, hoping to help their chosen hero out of this predicament. It looks like he...just...might...tap. HE DOES---
–-N’T!
Kyle absolutely refuses to give in. Not now. Not ever. Seromine realizes he’s losing ground. So, he relinquishes Kyle from his binds. But he’s none too happy about it. Kyle is ripped from the canvas. Seromine measures him for a European uppercut! Kyle is dropped to a knee. He pops up and throws one of his own. Seromine is spun around. He returns with a discus lariat, knocking Kyle for a loop with impact. Seromine folds Kyle back and grabs a handful of tights for good measure as he goes for a pin.
1!
2!
3!
WAIT! The referee catches the underhanded tactic. He stops his count to challenge Seromine about it. Seromine, enraged, goes face to face (somewhat. He’s got the height advantage) with the referee. An argument ensues. Destiny watches this take place, but soon turns her focus to Kyle. Then back to the argument. Seromine shoves the referee. He PUSHES back! Kyle trips him up! He bridges his body over the legs of Seromine, trapping them by his head! The fans count along!
1!
2!
KICKOUT!
Well, rope grab would be more accurate. Kyle moves off. Destiny pulls her husband out of the ring from under the bottom rope. She whispers something in his ear as he puts an arm around her. She’s leading him towards the locker room!
Jerry Andrews: What the hell is this?! Seromine is growing feathers and a beak right before our very eyes. Kyle Shane has him where he wants him, and he decides to turn chicken!
Ace Anderson: Seromine doesn’t HAVE to beat Kyle Shane. This is a smart, old school tactic by OUR champion!
Jerry Andrews: He’s not MY champion! And he’s about to rob Kyle Shane from becoming one.
The husband and wife could care less about the loss, the boos, or anyone in the ring. The count has reached five. Kyle is not going to let this happen. He’s out of the ring and in pursuit as fast as his body will allow him. Seromine is actually moved to the side as Destiny senses danger. She spins around and sprays POISON MIST! Kyle barrel rolls under this, landing in front of her husband. He is quick to grab Seromine, leading him back into the ring by the count of eight. Destiny is seen in the background power walking back to the ringside area. Seromine is hit with a single knee facebuster, staggering him to the corner. Kyle leaps onto the middle rope. He pushes Seromine’s head back.
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
The tenth is a leaping bionic elbow. Kyle lands back on the middle rope. Hurricanrana! Kyle rolls over for a pin!
1!
2!
3!
NO! NO! NO! Seromine BARELY gets a shoulder off the mat. Kyle slaps the mat in frustration. He picks Seromine up and backs him against the ropes. Kyle sneaks in a single knife edge chop for good measure. There’s an Irish whip. Seromine reverses. Kyle shoots across the ring...SUICIDE DIVE INTO DESTINY WILLARD! THAT draws molten cheers from the faithful.
Jerry Andrews: OHHHH! I don’t think you’re in Anaheim anymore, Mrs. Willard!
Kyle jumps to his feet, nodding in approval with fans as he slaps hands. Destiny is flattened in the aisle. Kyle returns his focus back on Seromine. He leaps onto the apron. Seromine is caught with a shoulder thrust between the ropes. He clutches his gut while staggering back. Kyle leaps off with a springboard clothesline. Seromine catches him! How is anyone’s guess, but he halts the flying challenger. A swift knee to the midsection. Kyle is pushed upright and pulled into a short-arm clothesline…
KYLE COUNTERS INTO OLD WORLD BLUES!!
Seromine is facing the ropes. He has a bird’s eye view of his wife, whom is barely getting up to her feet. Seromine has his right arm and shoulder trapped in stretching crossface. Kyle can feel the moment is here. He cranks down with all that he’s got in him to force a submission victory. Seromine frantically fights with all that he has to NOT tap out. The fans encourage him to do so. The referee is there just in case. Seromine tries to wiggle free, but is finding no luck. His arm is in the air!
Ace Anderson: Don’t do it, Seromine!
Jerry Andrews: Kyle Shane is about to throw Seromine off his perch and restore some honor to the World Championship! Putting ‘Class’ back into Pure Class!
Seromine shuts the doubter down. He muscles Kyle just enough to rake his eyes. This forces a break of the hold. Seromine rolls out of the ring, albeit slowly, as he cradles his right arm. He writhes in pain while joining his wife, who explains to him what happened to her. Kyle Shane recovers in the ring. He soon exits, but is BLASTED with a savate kick as he gets between the ropes. He falls sideways, stopping on the apron. Seromine falls to a knee as he searches for some oxygen. These two men have beaten the hell out of each other and are making sure it all gets left on the table.
Seromine rolls himself under the ropes. He drags Kyle Shane to the middle of the ring. Seromine slowly steps onto the apron. He climbs to the top. Get your cameras ready, because it’s FIVE-STAR FROG SPLASH TIME! Seromine has chosen to go back to his Anarchist roots with the finisher. It HITS! Seromine falls over Kyle for the cover.
1!
2!
3!
The referee calls for the MATCH TO CONTINUE! Kyle BARELY (half second barely) gets his arm off the mat. Destiny looks like she wants to pass out from the stress. Seromine sits up in disbelief. He begins to work some feeling back into his right arm. The fans try to will Kyle to life. Frustration has set in for the World Champion. He finds a second wind. Kyle is peeled off the canvas and pulled into a short-arm clothesline. Kyle ducks under it! He shoves Seromine into the ropes. The champion rebounds into VATS!!! Kyle hits his finishing move with such an impact that Seromine probably feels like Buddy Revell when Jerry Mitchell hit him with brass knuckles in Three O’ Clock High. Then champion’s eyes roll back and he hits the mat with a thud. As if it took every last ounce of energy from the challenger, Kyle falls on top of him. The ref is there! Here we go!
1!
2!
3!!!
WAIT! Destiny slyly sticks her husband’s foot on ropes, and she’s all too eager to alert the referee right as he is about to call for the bell. The ruckus crowd melts into angry mob. The referee checks on this sudden development. The win is waved off. Destiny exhales for the time being. She slaps the mat in trying to rally her hubby back up. Kyle now has to find something extra because he, like Seromine, is out. His hands are placed on his head as he was super close to capturing the World Title.
Jerry Andrews: If not for that thieving bitch, Kyle Shane would have won this match! And everyone here knows it!
Ace Anderson: Well if Kyle was as smart as he thinks, if he is such an ultimate gamer, then perhaps he should have pulled Seromine away from the ropes!
Kyle is winded, barely able to stand, but as he pushes himself up, he looks around at the crowd. Feeding off their energy, Kyle holds his arms out and tilts his head back and takes it in. Seromine IS pulled closer to the center. Kyle gains renewed speed and hops up to the top rope, points one finger to the sky to signal for ONE FOR MY BABY…
Jerry Andrews: DO IT KYLE! DO IT FOR ALL OF PURE CLASS WRESTLING!
Ace Anderson: ...(he’s in the middle of praying for a miracle)
Destiny climbs onto the apron. The referee is there to argue with her about getting down. She was about to get her husband disqualified, but the referee will have none of that. SHE’S SENT TO THE LOCKER ROOM! She defiantly protests this. So, Pure Class Wrestling security are forced to escort her to the back. Buoyed by that development, Kyle vaults himself HIGH in the air with an excellent leap. He flips off with an incredible height, beautiful rotation corkscrew shooting star press that comes down full force across the chest of Seromine. He can't do much more except roll over and cover Seromine, but his weakened arm shoots up in a triumphant fist, counting along with the ref as he counts!
1!
2!!
3!!!
Jerry Andrews (top of his lungs): YES! YES! YES! YES!
The referee calls for the bell. Kyle looks up in disbelief. LOUD chants of THANK YOU KYLE, THANK YOU are mixed in with his entrance music.
Every ounce of pain. Every drop of fatigue. It all melts away as he yells at the top of his lungs, "ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED!". Despite winning gold elsewhere, this title means the most to him.
He called his shot yet again, channeled his inner Frank Sinatra and did it all his way by dethroning the resident preacher. His celebration is cut short however, as Gabriel runs down to the ring.
Jerry Andrews: Oh come on now!
Gabriel slides under the bottom rope and into the ring. Despite just having fought in a grueling match, Shane is ready for him with a series of stomps. He then pulls him up....
Jerry Andrews: VATS!!! Thanks for coming Gabriel!
Gabriel stumbles backwards and falls through the ropes to the outside, seemingly unconsious. Kyle Shane turns around and...
Ace Anderson: ASHES TO ASHES BY SEROMINE!
Jerry Andrews: This is ridiculous! How many sneak attacks is Kyle Shane going to have to deal with!?
Seromine stands over the new champion. Then, suddenly, someone in a hoodie jumps into the ring.
Ace Anderson: Wait... is that a fan? Someone just came out of the crowd and they're in the ring.
Jerry Andrews: Get the camera off them. No fan should ever enter a wrestling ring, no matter who is....
The mysterious intruder suddenly runs at Seromine and hits a slingblade!
Ace Anderson: WHAT!?
Jerry Andrews: Wait..... was that.... the Rip Tide???? Is that.......
BRENNA GORDON!!!
The hoodie comes off and the returning star is standing in the ring, looking down at the fallen Seromine. The crowd is on their feet. Kyle Shane slowly gets to his feet. He looks at Gordon. He looks at Seromine on the mat. He looks at Gabriel unconsious on the floor.
Ace Anderson: WHAT THE HELL IS BRENNA GORDON DOING BACK HERE!? OH MY GOD!
Brenna nods at Shane and slides out of the ring, disappearing back in the crowd. Kyle Shane, who still hasn't had the chance to celebrate his huge victory, looks over at the referee. Shane eagerly awaits being handed his newly won title...however....there seems to be an unexpected problem.
The referee doesn't have the title belt. Neither does the timekeeper.
Jerry Andrews: We seem to be having some technical issues here....
Ace Anderson: Where's the belt? Kyle Shane earned that title! Give him the belt!
Panic and pandemonium as officials rush down the ramp and around the ring. Absolutely everyone who may be anyone official is frantically searching under the commentators table, the ring, the ramp, the stage and finding nothing.
The PCW World Championship belt is gone.
Static cracks out of the speakers, feedback and then a low, chest-rattling hum. The PCWTron flickers, cutting the live feed of the search.
“NO TOR I OUS!”
And the crowd erupts. The screen continues to tease all in attendance as it flickers static, an area backstage, static, the loading dock, static, the parking lot, static and then it cuts off.
“SO NOTORIOUS!”
The buzz of the feedback gets louder and then, nothing. With everyone in the arena and around the ring, both Kyle Shane and Seromine are glued to the PCWTron.
“ahem…”
Two easily recognized laughs followed by the distinct sound of the flick of a Zippo lighter. The PCWTron reveals Justin “Stormm” Michaels on the right, his wrestling attire topped with an orange and white Santa hat. Johnny Vivacious, taking a long hard drag from the cigarette dangling in his mouth, his customary black gear topped with a red and black Santa hat.
Ace Anderson groans. “We should have known.”
Between the two, hanging from the raised trunk of Vivacious’ Vanquish, the PCW World Championship belt.
“Congratulations!” Stormm applauds.
Vivacious claps his fingertips against the inside of his elbow, “Yay, for you!”
“You may have won,” Stormm continues, “you very well may be the PCW World Champion.”
“But,” Vivacious butts in, “for those too broke to pay attention,” he continues, pointing at the championship belt, “something seems to be missing.”
While Vivacious examines the gold plates on the leather strap, checking his reflection, Stormm reaches into the trunk retrieving two cans of Montana spray paint. Handing one to his accomplice, both rattle the cans and pop the plastic tops off.
A mixture of encouragement and disappointment radiates from within the arena. They can hear it, feel it, and they feed off of the energy. A recently returned spark that PCW had been lacking for far too long.
“Since we crashed back onto the scene two months ago,” Stormm boasts, “attendance has reached capacity.”
“S R O, Bro.” Vivacious ads.
“The numbers rolling in from the network have skyrocketed,” Stormm presses on, “and for the first time in years, Pure Class Wrestling is actually...”
“...worth a shit!” Vivacious nods as he and Stormm share a fist bump with their empty hands.
“As far as this little beauty is concerned,” Stormm returns everyone’s attention to the World title, flicking it twice, “You can keep calling yourself Champion.”
“But,” Vivacious interjects, “so long as Notorious is here in PCW,” the tandem share a look, “this belt…”
“...belongs…” Stormm chimes in.
“...to US!” The two couldn’t be more in sync, despite the tension between the two of them a couple weeks ago on Trauma.
With their orange and red cans of paint, Stormm and Vivacious trade a turn spraying a large “N”, defacing the large center medallion and claiming the belt for themselves. They toss their cans out of view, rattling and clanging as they find the asphalt. Stormm loosens and drops the belt down into the trunk right before Vivacious slams it shut, putting an exclamation point on PCW’s most notorious heist.
“Happy holidays PCW, see you at the Iceys!” Another fist bump and the PCWTron cuts to static then the live feed returns to an entire arena, shocked and dumbfounded.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Jerry chimes in as Ace has already taken off his headset and made his way towards the backstage area, “I hate to say it, but we’ve run out of time!” He sounds as if he’s in as much shock as everyone else in attendance. “We’ll see you at the Icey Awards on December 21st!”
There's a chill in the air, but it's adrenaline battling nerves that has his entire body shaking.
People, fans arriving early to get a prime seat, mill around their vehicles in the parking lot. They can be heard chattering and complaining about the cold temperature, talking about the upcoming event and discussing their plans for later.
All of them, have some anticipation building for one of the most want-to-see matches in PCW, if not of all time, definitely in the here and now.
While not a championship match, like that of his brother-in-law and Notorious ally, the stakes couldn't be higher for either competitor and he adds the perception of the crowd to his stress. It would destroy him inside to let them down tonight.
He checks himself in the mirror, says a prayer and throws the car door open. Stepping out, one biker boot after the other, he lights another coffin nail. Leaning against his vehicle, he watches the fans line up to enter the building. A muffled roar can already be heard from inside. The place is going to be packed tonight.
He drops the cigarette, snuffing it under his boot, before popping the trunk open and gathering his bag. As he heads in, he rehearses and runs through his spots audibly, but to himself.
He goes to the gorilla spot and peeks through the curtain. The entire arena is full of people. Is fifteen to twenty minutes enough time to suspend them, amp them up, pin them down and sell them on all of it? Would an hour even be enough time? Regardless, he is wishing that it would just fly by.
He wishes it over with actually.
One way or the other.
Done.
He knows that the direction of his future is at his feet in front of him. All he really wanted to do was have a great time. In the business he has a keen ability to have survived to this night; now, he is recognizes the next time that he steps in this building after tonight, he could be the headliner.
He's not supposed to be this person that shows concern or doubt. He holds a microphone and the entire watching fan base hang on his every word. He uses the support against the ridicule of the fans in waves like cavalry on a battlefield.
He tells them everything about himself, from his travels, his dreams, his failures, his family values and his fears, spilling it week after week.
He puts his body, his health and his well being on the line every time he challenges someone in the ring. He pulls out all stops to pull them from their couches, into the arena and up on their feet. It has always and will always be, for them.
Maybe it is time.
Possibly it is his time.
Their perception has always guided him to say and do the outrageous things to have brought him this far.
Tonight, he is going to push his technical prowess and wrestling skill.
Tonight, he is going to have to play smart defense and effective offense.
Tonight, he is stepping out of the darkness and looking for the spotlight.
Pure Class Wrestling Presents Collision Course 6
Sunday December 10th
I've been on a long road
With the devil right beside me
Rising with the morning sun
It's a hunger that drives me
Woah Lord, set my soul
Take my pain and turn it into gold
Cause all I know, all I know, all I know is...
Champion
I can take a beating, I'll rise again
Burning through the jungle until the end
I can live forever, I'll rise again
With the devil right beside me
Rising with the morning sun
It's a hunger that drives me
Woah Lord, set my soul
Take my pain and turn it into gold
Cause all I know, all I know, all I know is...
Champion
I can take a beating, I'll rise again
Burning through the jungle until the end
I can live forever, I'll rise again
______
The show opens with the crowd on their feet, cheering as the camera pans across them.
Jerry Andrews: Ladies and gentlemen, there may be a chill in the air, but the crowd in here is certainly HOT TONIGHT!
Ace Anderson: We've been gearing up for this event for months and now we're finally here! The competitors of Pure Class Wrestling are on a Collision Course with one another and it all comes to a head tonight!
Suddenly, the camera cuts to backstage, a little room to be precise. Three figures, two thick as thieves and one unlikely face, are by the looks of it in some sort of meeting. Arica “Trouble” Lewitt and Jule “Wasp” Martins sit rather uncomfortably on steel chairs. The kind that are better meant for smashing opponents in the ring, rather than for sitting on. Standing across from them is High Tide, and with the door closed and no threat of being walked in on, he has his flask out and is furiously drinking from it.
“But Trouble has a match tonight Tide, I don't know what you want us to do about that?” Wasp spoke his tone implying that he was feeling intimidated. Probably a smart choice when dealing with a drunken volatile pirate.
“I don't have a choice Tide, I have to be in that match. We all have contracts here, you know exactly how it goes,” Trouble spoke this time, and from the fire in her voice she was obviously not afraid at all. Wasp shook his head. He had once tried to be firm with High Tide, and the results were less than satisfactory.
Tide stopped drinking from his flask for a moment, looking kindly at Wasp. His gaze flickered over to Trouble and his face changed from understanding to one of glaring daggers. “I know exactly what you do and don't have to do. You're new around here in comparison to me, I don't need a lecture on what contracts are from you. That's exactly what you have to do is show up and that you will. It's too early to play our hand. You will show up in that ring, you will put up a good fight, and that will be that. That's what will happen, don't you two dare think otherwise. Now, I have places to be. Good luck in your match,” High Tide winked at the pair and turning on a heel, he walked out.
The camera's go from the departing High Tide back to the pair sitting in the chairs. The room is silent, almost an awkward tension permeating the air. The two are left only to shrug at each other.
Ace Anderson: Wait, what was that all about?
Jerry Andrews: I'm not sure but it looks like we're getting a bit more intrigue in our show tonight!
Ace Anderson: And what a show it is! Folks, we have quite a line-up here tonight!
Jerry Andrews: That's right Ace, five big matches, three titles on the line, and one huge event!
Ace Anderson: There are at LEAST three matches tonight that could headline any pay-per-view in the world, and I'm talking about Grimm versus Johnny Vivacious, Gabriel versus Justin "Stormm" Michaels for the North American title, and Seromine defending his World Championship against Kyle Shane!
Jerry Andrews: Not to mention our HUGE - and I mean really, really HUGE - Underground Title match which will see Dominator put his title on the line against Hiroshi Yukio.
Ace Anderson: Did they reinforce the ring? They'd better have reinforced the ring.
Jerry Andrews: And that certainly isn't all! Let's go down to the ring for our first match, a fourway elimination contest between some of the toughest competitors in this company.
At ringside, everyone is ready for the first match of the evening.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the following match is a fourway elimination match!"
The lights flicker and fade out as the pulsating beats of Dope Star Inc's "10000 Watts of Artificial Pleasure" pops on the PA system. Smoke fills the arena as a figure stands in the middle of it. All the sudden, Crazy Boy comes out of the smoke and pumps a fist in the air. He walks down the entryway and climbs the ropes of the ring. He bounces around the ropes a few times, pumps his fist in the air one last time and waits for his opponents.
"Introducing first, from Biloxi, Mississippi: Tyrone 'Crazy Boy' Smith!"
"The Truth Reigns". Razor Blade comes out from the back of the Audience in walks down the steps in high fives his Fans in walks down the stops in Climbs over the barricade in stops for a min in hops on the apron in raise both of us arms in the air in get's down in waits for his opponents.
"And, from Orlando, Florida: Razor Blade!"
As “I Knew You Were Trouble” begins to play over the speakers the lights cut out completely, leaving the arena cloaked in darkness. As the distinctive voice of Taylor Swift sings “Trouble, trouble, trouble,” a spotlight flashes on Trouble each time her name is sung and the crowd can barely make out Trouble standing in the middle of the ramp as the spotlight flashes. Eventually the lights come back on, and she is standing in the middle of the ring, usually staring her opponent down if they are in the ring or staring at the back, waiting for them to come out. She climbs a turnbuckle to either wait for her opponent or to anger the crowd more. She has been known to unleash an aerial attack to an entering opponent or one standing in the ring, before the match has officially started on occasion.
"From Vancouver, British Columbia, Arica “Trouble” Lewitt!"
Can you feel it coming? Can you feel it coming?
'Switchblade Smiles' by Kasabian gradually rises in volume to announce the arrival of the next superstar. The lights dim and flicker as the crowd react in various manners. The atmosphere is intense as not one fan reacts indifferently. However, what is clear is that the boos outweigh the cheers as images of Tyler Scott flash on the big screen.
Move back this wrecking ball,
Rips through the blackest hole,
Violence is coming. It's coming. It's coming
Tyler Scott appears from the curtain, a steely and focused expression across his face. He pauses and takes a moment to adjust the strapping around his wrists. A quick turn of the wrist and crack of the knuckles and Tyler continues his descent down the ramp.
"And, making his way to the ring, from London, England. He is the British Lion...Tyler Scott!!!"
He heads to the ring, climbs through the ropes and walks to the centre where he stands and stares intensely into the crowd. He mouths a few obscenities, possibly as provocation to the fans, possibly as encouragement to himself, before beginning his few warm up moves, awaiting the start of the upcoming contest.
Fourway Elimination Match
Arica "Trouble" Lewitt vs Tyler Scott vs Tyrone "Crazy Boy" Smith vs Razor Blade
Referee: Tyrone Little, Jr.
Arica "Trouble" Lewitt vs Tyler Scott vs Tyrone "Crazy Boy" Smith vs Razor Blade
Referee: Tyrone Little, Jr.
The bell rings. Just as it does, High Tide and Wasp appear in the entrance way.
Jerry Andrews: We saw these two talking to Arica Lewitt just a few moments ago, but what are they doing out here right now?
Ace Anderson: Well, it looks like they're watching the match start, Jerry.
Nonetheless, the distraction is enough that Crazy Boy temporarily turns his attention to the ramp. That slight lack of focus is enough for Razor Blade to take advantage!
Jerry Andrews: RAZOR'S EDGE!
Ace Anderson: A quick cover!
1....
2....
3!!!
Jerry Andrews: WOW!
"Tyrone Smith has been eliminated!"
Ace Anderson: My God! Already!?
Razor Blade celebrates his actions while Crazy Boy slowly gets to his feet. His eyes are filled with rage. He charges at Lewitt, taking her down with a double leg takedown! The referee tries to pull Crazy Boy off, but it proves tough to do so, as he continues to swing wildly at Lewitt with rights and lefts. Once the referee manages to pull Crazy Boy off, however, Tyler Scott takes a swing at him, connecting with a right hand. The referee has to physically remove Crazy Boy from the ring, Tyler Scott hurling insults at him as he's escorted from the ringside area by another official. Then suddenly....
Jerry Andrews: RAZOR'S EDGE AGAIN!
This time Tyler Scott is the victim!
1....
2....
3!!!
Ace Anderson: WHAT!?!? TWO DOWN ALREADY!?
Jerry Andrews: Razor Blade is just slicing through the competition in this match here tonight!
Ace Anderson: You've been waiting to use that pun tonight, haven't you?
Jerry Andrews: Maybe.
"Tyler Scott has been eliminated!"
Lewitt is now back up on her feet when...
Jerry Andrews: NO WAY!
Ace Anderson: YET ANOTHER RAZOR'S EDGE!
1....
2....
3!!!
"Arica Lewitt has been eliminated!"
Razor Blade stands up and shouts victoriously!
Jerry Andrews: A big victory here for Razor Blade, his first in Pure Class Wrestling!
Ace Anderson: And what a dominant victory it was!
Winner: Razor Blade
After a few more moments of Razor's celebration, the shot cuts back to the announce table.
Jerry Andrews: We are having a raucous night here already and we're just getting started!
Ace Anderson: Coming up next, the Underground Championship is on the line as two absolute mammoth competitors face off in a no holds barred contest. I can't wait!
Sasha Greene: The following is scheduled for ONE FALL!
The crowd: ONE FALLLLL!
Sasha Greene: It is for the Pure Class Wrestling Underground Championship. Introducing first, he weighs in at 500 pounds... HIROSHI YUKIO!!
The crowd looks to the entrance way as Rising Sun roars out and they know who is coming out from backstage and they start cheering loudly almost drowning out the music.
Hiroshi Yukuo steps through the curtain his face lit up with a smile.
He walks slowly down the ramp as the cheering intensifies as the PCW faithful don't hold back for the mountain man from Japan.
He waves to the crowd as he walks and when he sees a kid at ringside and holds up his sign and takes a selfie with him.
As he continues to walk down to the ring as the crowd grows louder and louder so even the announcers can't get a word in over the cheering.
He goes up the ring steps and steps over the top rope and into the ring After he does he does a purification ritual by throwing salt in the ring to cleanse it before the match.
The music fades out as Hiroshi stays in the ring waiting for his opponent.
Jerry Andrews: I know that size can be deceiving, but the screen does not give justice to the sheer size and presence of this man, the legendary sumo Hiroshi Yukio.
Ace Anderson: This right here is two of the biggest goliaths in the company, perhaps in the sport, about to collide.
Jerry Andrews: There's a lot of bon mots about irresistable force and immovable objects, but still, seeing Hiroshi up close, you get the feeling of looking up at a mountain.
Ace Anderson: The champion does have a tall order here tonight, so to speak.
Sasha Greene: And his opponent, weighing in at 365 pounds, he is the Pure Class Wrestling Underground Champion... DOMINATOR!!
The lights slowly fade to black. Flashes of cameras give intermittent glimmers of the darkened surroundings. There is a moment of silence as the crowd awaits with anticipation. The Tron slowly illuminates with the image of a ticking clock as the opening rift to TRIVIUM’s cover of “Losing My Religion” echo throughout the arena. The crowd suddenly comes alive as the guitars make themselves heard. Horacio Mortimer appears on the stage, holding out his arm in an expression of beholding. As the first verse begins to play, he finally appears on the top of the stage…
…DOMINATOR…
The Zenith glares towards the crowd massed to his left, then to his right before slowly raising his left arm into the air, revealing a gold plated watch that envelopes his wrist. A shower of orange sparks begin to fall from the top of the Tron, briefly masking the Entrance Video as Dominator shows off his bulging biceps to the crowd. All the while, Horacio Mortimer is applauding his client and calling some last minute tactics to him.
He slowly walks down the ramp with a gleam in his eye, a wicked and arrogant smirk spread amidst his dark stubble. He makes no attempt to slap hands with the fans. He reaches the ring apron, grabbing the middle rope to haul him onto the side of the ring. He pushes down the top rope with his right hand, throwing one foot over the top before the other follows. He slowly makes his way to the center of the ring, turning a full three hundred and sixty degrees to admire the capacity crowd before raising his arms in the air in the exact same manner as he had done atop the entrance ramp, lifting them with malicious purpose to display the watches covering his wrists.
He cricks his neck back and forth before swinging his arms in preparation for the impending fight. All the while, that devious smile is still on his face and he looks to make eye contact with his opponent without a single hint of intimidation. Horacio Mortimer patrols the perimeter of the ring. The music slowly fades, the lights returning to a more average level of illumination as Dominator waits with masked enthusiasm for the start of the match.
Pure Class Wrestling Underground Championship
Underground Rules Match
Dominator (Underground 🤴) vs Hiroshi Yukio
Referee: Manny Cruz
Underground Rules Match
Dominator (Underground 🤴) vs Hiroshi Yukio
Referee: Manny Cruz
Jerry Andrews: Dominator has been on an absolute tear since he made his way into the Underground division. It feels like the big man is right at home.
Ace Anderson: Yeah, but Hiroshi Yukio is a legend in the Underground division himself. Who can forget his battles with Kyle Shane for the title over the summer? He has a chance tonight to take home the gold, gold that he never actually lost, mind you.
Jerry Andrews: That's right, he was forced to hand it over due to injury.
The bell sounds and both men circle each other for a good long second, Hiroshi keeping his distance as well as trying to keep an eye out for Horatio Mortimer. Dominator walks over to Hiroshi, calling for a tie up. Before they can even get started, the bulkier sumo bodily flings his bearded counterpart across the ring. Picking up Dominator and throwing him into the nearest corner, he immediately goes for a nasty barrage of right hands that rock the fellow big man. He whips Dominator across the ring and tries for an avalanche in the corner, but Dominator CATCHES 500 pounds of Yukio and turns him around, hurling him into the corner. Dominator rains down the right hands, and the crowd counts along gleefully, ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR - however before they managed to start getting to the more advanced part of Sesame Street Hiroshi did manage to counter with a knee to the breadbasket of Dominator. Superior strength be damned, Yukio turns HIM around and FLOORS him with some of the most vicious open hand chops he’s ever thrown in his lengthy PCW tenure. With each successive draw back of the hand and chop to the chest, Dominator groans, leans out and holds his chest, and the crowd lets out a "WOOOOOOOO!"
Jerry Andrews: The arena is rocking tonight, you can hear those chops in the nosebleeds!!
Taking hold of Dominator’s head as he stumbles out, gasping and holding a reddened chest, Hiroshi HURLS him directly over the top rope and sends him crashing to the floor. The big man makes his way down, despite his girth, feeling as inexorable and implacable as a battleship. Dominator pulls himself up from all fours and roots around under the apron, finding a kendo stick, but as he turns and sees Hiroshi incoming he prepares a hit from the kendo stick with a two handed grip. Hiroshi Yukio however intercepts the swing and rips the kendo stick out of Dominator's hand. Letting out an angry yell that is unlike the gentle giant of his entrance, but in character for a sumo warrior, he snaps the kendo stick over his knee, leaving Dominator looking stumped momentarily. Hiroshi follows in with a clothesline, taking Dominator down. Dominator rolls onto his stomach, shaking his head.
Ace Anderson: I can't believe we're seeing someone strong enough to disarm and take down Dominator so effectively.
Jerry Andrews: This is surely going to be a hard hitting contest.
Dominator scoots to a kneeling position while trying to put some distance between him and the slower Yukio. Hiroshi gives chase, and Dominator meets him as they round the ring post with an explosive clothesline. Now it's Hiroshi's turn to be taken off his feet, and he recovers quick enough, but Dominator retrieves a ring bell and comes in to bash him across the back of the head with it. Dominator throws the bell aside and lays a furious series of boots to Hiroshi. He pulls the heavy opponent up, which is not as easy as it looks, muscles or not, and he slams his head off the apron. Hiroshi, stunned after being brained with the bell, lays on the apron and holds the back of his head. Struggling to push dead weight, Dominator rolls him onto the apron and uses the ropes and his boot to push Hiroshi back into the ring. Dominator looks underneath the ring, selecting a trashcan and throwing it outside, and he reaches back in. Both arms become a whirlwind as he selects a number of hardcore implements and throws them outside for future use, but first things first, he selects a trash can lid that flew off and as Hiroshi pulls himself up, gathering his marbles, he takes a breather with his left arm and head and neck resting on the middle rope sticking to the outside of the ring. Dominator comes in and savagely hits Hiroshi with the trash can lid, curving it over Hiroshi's face, and Hiroshi falls onto his back in the ring.
Jerry Andrews: Metal isn't supposed to just fold that way!!
Ace Anderson: Maybe Dominator is trying to introduce Hiroshi to a new form of origami metal folding? No? Yeah, that was ugly.
Dominator follows it up by getting in the ring, and he lands a monstrous leg drop across Hiroshi's throat. He covers...
The referee: One...
Two... Kickout.
Hiroshi kicks out, but still remains laid out flat on his back, unable to move quickly. Dominator holds his arms up to the hot crowd and roars, garnering a show of negative support for the monstrous champion. Dominator goes to pick up Hiroshi, but despite the hard hits he's taken, the sumo hits Dominator in the gut once, twice and three times before getting up to his feet. Hiroshi then executes a small throat toss that lands Dominator relatively close to him.
Jerry Andrews: There is still life in Hiroshi!
Ace Anderson: Even after weathering the early onslaught and those brutal shots with the ring bell and that lid, Hiroshi has enough strength to push back up and throw Dominator across the ring.
Jerry Andrews: Let's not beat around it here, Hiroshi has nearly 200 pounds on Dominator, and despite the bulk, there is a serious core of muscle power there.
Ace Anderson: I really hope they've reinforced the ring, because otherwise it could implode like you during speed dating.
Hiroshi catches his breath a bit before picking Dominator up. Then Hiroshi drops Dominator in a double arm DDT. He covers...
The referee: One...
Two... Kickout.
A frustrated Hiroshi rolls to his feet and goes to lift Dominator, attempting to lower him over the shoulder in position for a Fire thunder driver. But Dominator, while dazed, is not down for the count yet, and he slides off the shoulder behind Hiroshi. He comes underneath him and hits the knee with a chop block that makes one cringe at the awkwardness of Hiroshi's leg angle. Then Dominator lays a series of boots to the leg and the knee. Dominator lifts Hiroshi up, giving him a series of wicked clubs to the back. He whips Hiroshi into the corner and goes for a splash, sandwiching Hiroshi. Dominator whips Hiroshi into the opposite corner, coming in for a second splash. Dominator begins lay a series of punches into Hiroshi's forehead, beating him down into a seated position. Dominator then tries to apply a vicegrip submission on Hiroshi's head, but Hiroshi struggles to keep Dominator's hands from fully locking, screaming with effort. Hiroshi finally is able to grab Dominator by the head and drop down to his knee, executing a quick jawbreaker, which makes Dominator release the hold.
Jerry Andrews: I have been very impressed by the resilience shown by both men so far.
Hiroshi gets to his feet slowly, his size prohibiting him from speedy regaining his footing, but as Dominator stumbles in a circle and then reorients himself while holding his mouth a FURIOUS sumo meets him with a harsh right hand to that very same mush. So hard that Dominator goes stumbling away a few steps. Dominator turns back and plows into Hiroshi with a hit just as hard, and then for a few moments they're going back and forth, back and forth, now Hiroshi, now Dominator, now Hiroshi, now Dominator, just throwing bombs. Finally, Dominator sneaks in a horrendously painful looking rake to the eyes with his thumbs and grasping fingers. Hiroshi lifts his hands up and screams highly, and Dominator follows it up with a clothesline to the back of the neck.
Jerry Andrews: Aw come on... you know there's no rules in Underground title matches, but still.
Ace Anderson: That is the kind of street fighting mentality you need to adopt. It's anything goes, and the dirtier you fight, the more successful you'd be.
Jerry Andrews: But Hiroshi still can't see. He may literally be blinded!
Mounting Hiroshi, Dominator unloads with a volley of strikes to the forehead until you can see streaks of blood on his fist. Indeed as the camera zooms in, the powerful shots and the assaults from the metal weapons have given Hiroshi a series of deeply bleeding wounds on his cheeks and forehead. A final shot to the temples dizzies Hiroshi as Dominator gets off his opponent and scans the weaponry hanging around him.
Jerry Andrews: God... now he's eyeing up the candy. This match is turning into a gangland mugging.
Ace Anderson: Hiroshi wanted in on this when he won the number one contendership, and got in Dominator's face, Jerry. Like it or not, crap like that has consequences.
His eyes flash from weapon to weapon, but as Hiroshi reaches out and wraps a hand around his opponent's ankle Dominator settles for the closest option: a trashcan. Retrieving it from the spill of weapons on the outside of the ring, Dominator turns it upright as he re enters, raises it over his head and brings it crashing down across Hiroshi's head. Barely able to get his arm up, Hiroshi groans as the aluminum smacks into him. Still holding its shape, Dominator takes the trashcan and places it on the floor, grabbing Hiroshi by the legs and kicking the trashcan over his feet up to his shins.
Jerry Andrews: What the hell is Dominator doing?
Ace Anderson: Taking out the trash... someone summon the ghost of Roy Schneider 'cause we're gonna need a bigger bin.
Dominator firmly lodges Hiroshi's legs inside the trashcan and spies the steel steps. The fans are tirelessly booing the Zenith, sporadically cheering as weapons come into play. He grabs the steel steps and hauls them away from the corner of the ring, before hucking them into the ring. Then Dominator goes to the steps, stepping over Hiroshi and planting a quick boot into his ribs as he takes his place at the giant's feet with the steel steps in hand.
Ace Anderson: Dominator's about to give this his stamp of approval!
Jerry Andrews: You know in retrospect I wonder if it was so wise of to take this match, he's vastly underestimated Dominator's ability and capabilities.
Ace Anderson: Blatantly obvious. Hiroshi's by far one of the toughest sumbitches in the industry... but he sure as hell isn't one of the smartest.
Dominator holds the steps and begins to hoist them above his head. Without warning a massive crack booms through the arena as the trashcan suddenly smacks into the steel steps, driving them up into Dominator's face and knocking him back onto the mats where the steps clatter off the floor over his face.
Jerry Andrews: Hiroshi got him! The giant lives!
Ace Anderson: That came out of nowhere.
Hiroshi's legs hit the mats with a thump, still inside the trashcan. Working them loose he kicks the trashcan aside as Dominator stirs beneath the steel steps. Taking in copious lungfuls of air, the sumo rises, glancing at Dominator and sneering. With a final deep breath Hiroshi pulls himself up and staggers forward into the apron, wincing from the early onslaught. Turning to Dominator however his eyes light up and he bares his teeth, advancing on Dominator and kicking the steel steps aside. Grabbing his opponent by the head the former sumo pulls Dominator to his feet. Suddenly his arms are flung aside as Dominator bursts to life and starts throwing punches at Hiroshi, who staggers with each as Dominator pushes him back with the striking forearms and elbow smashes.
Jerry Andrews: Dominator's back on track. In the time it took Hiroshi to collect himself Dominator was all ready to go after the first hit at the hands of that trashcan shot.
Ace Anderson: Now we're getting somewhere, Hiroshi is on his feet and he looks PISSED.
Hiroshi throws up an arm in the path of a left hook and retaliates with a headbutt. Dominator sees stars but strikes back regardless, switching between body shots and kicks to the shins while Hiroshi dances on the spot as though being randomly electrocuted throughout his body. As Dominator winds back for a heart punch, Hiroshi lunges forward with a brutal bell clap to the ears the stops him in his tracks, then an even stronger uppercut that cuts right through Dominator's strike and catches him square on the shin. Dominator's head snaps back and he drops to the mat as the fans roar wildly. Hiroshi then backs up into the ropes, and uses them to bounce himself forward. Dominator is gathering himself to his feet and holding his head from the bell clap and uppercut, when he is smashed into by a literal battering ram of running headbutt to the chest. The bleeding head of Hiroshi Yukio.
Jerry Andrews: Osaka Overdrive to Dominator!
Hiroshi drops down for a cover...
The referee: One...
Two...
Thr- Kickout!
Clutching his head, Hiroshi groans and checks the cuts on his face and body. Wiping more dried blood out of his eyes he glances down at the arena floor at the weapons up for grabs. Of all the stuff Dominator flung from underneath the ring still remain singapore canes, a ladder and a crowbar, and also a steel chair. Hiroshi is about to get out of the ring and get a weapon, but Dominator paws at his leg. Still trying to pull himself up, Dominator is smashed by a coconut crush across the knee from the sumo. Hiroshi lifts a weakened Dominator up like it was nothing and headbutts him hard enough to send Dominator jogging across the ring holding his face. Then Hiroshi runs and hits a lariat with such force that both men are going end over end and crashing to the outside! It is a damn miracle the ropes didn't snap on that one. The referee wears a shocked expression at the hard hit that took both Dominator and Yukio out of the ring.
Jerry Andrews: You've gotta be kidding me!!
Ace Anderson: Did they leave a crater where they hit?!
The referee tells them to get in the ring. Both men stagger to their feet. And when they are both on their feet, they get into a fist fight. Dominator grabs the arm, and he attempts to whip Hiroshi into the steel steps remaining, however the big man plants his feet like he is rooted and refuses to be moved. Instead, Hiroshi pulls Dominator in and knees him in the gut, and then, in a show of strength that flabbergasts everyone witnessing it, Hiroshi is able to lift 365 pounds of champion up in a GORILLA PRESS over his head before letting him drop face first across the guardrail. Dominator hits with a force that could turn his orbital bone into powder. He nails the railing and flops back, turning in a circle as he writhes holding his face. Hiroshi lifts up Dominator up and tosses him into the ring, but keeps his head under the ropes and on the side where Dominator is. Hiroshi slams his elbow right across the throat of Dominator on the apron, who then contorts and rolls around, before rolling back into the ring.
Jerry Andrews: I have never seen the champion take such a beating. Maybe it was Dominator that took on a bigger challenge than he's used to.
Ace Anderson: Let's call a spade a spade, Dominator is used to being the giant in Pure Class Wrestling, most of our competitors are on the lighter side, and his size bullied them around. But Hiroshi has shown Dominator tonight, there is no bullying him around.
Hiroshi is all business as he searches among the weapons Dominator strewn out, and he selects the steel chairs and throws them inside, and also lays the guitar on the apron. Satisfied, he takes another few long moments to get back on the apron and roll in, but as he goes to where Dominator is laying, still holding his throat. As Hiroshi hoists him up however Dominator flips over his shoulder and lands on his feet, driving a boot into the back of the knees and dropping Hiroshi, following up with a face plant into the canvas to a chorus of boos from the fans.
Jerry Andrews: Hiroshi was looking to wear Dominator down with those weapons only for the champion to counter and gain the offense once more.
Ace Anderson: If he turns the tables on Hiroshi, the big man will be open to another assault with one of those weapons.
Rolling Hiroshi over, Dominator gets up and runs off the ropes, rebounding with a kick square in the ribs of the giant. Hiroshi shunts towards the ropes, knocking into the guitar. Dominator gets back up and approaches Hiroshi, and as he leans down to grab at the sumo he snaps back with the guitar in hand and smashes it into Dominator's head.
Ace Anderson: I think that may have been Hiroshi's number one hit.
Jerry Andrews: Oy, this guy with the puns.
Ace Anderson: There certainly were no strings attached to that one.
Jerry Andrews: ENOUGH!
Ace Anderson: ...Something about finger picking.
Jerry Andrews: God, I want a new partner.
The guitar splinters against its target and falls to the mat in pieces. Hiroshi pulls himself up using the ropes while Dominator grabs his head, kicking at the mat in pain. The goliath staggers on his feet but holds fast, and pulls Dominator up by his hair. Dominator jabs left, left and right into Hiroshi's gut, releasing the hold on his hair and allowing Dominator to get in with another hard straight to the giant's face. The sumo reels, and the champion grabs his arm to whip him across the ring. As he does so however Hiroshi reverses the irish whip and sends Dominator running across the ring, catching him halfway and firing him overhead with a beastly German release suplex.
Jerry Andrews: And again Dominator leaves the safety of his feet behind and Hiroshi sends him soaring!
Ace Anderson: On a serious note, this has been one of Hiroshi's most successful challenges yet. He's hanging in there with the unbeaten champion.
Hiroshi rumbles over to where Dominator landed and lays crumpled and paws him over so that he can hook a leg for a pin.
The referee: One...
Two...
Thre - Kickout!
Hiroshi yells angrily, and he gets to his feet, wincing and limping for the pain. Dominator is still trying to regain his wind, and Horacio Mortimer slaps the apron from the other side and tells him to get up. Dominator begins rolling to the apron. Hiroshi, meanwhile, has picked up and selected a steel chair. He sees Dominator pulling himself up on the ropes to his full height, and Hiroshi comes in to bash him with a running chairshot. But surprise! Dominator has it scouted and big boots the chair very hard into Hiroshi's face. Hiroshi falls, hard, and the chair goes flying out of his hands. Dominator, on spaghetti legs, tumbles back and is only able to stay even a little vertical thanks to the ropes behind him, but Hiroshi is down. So then, Dominator stamps his hands twice in succession on the mat as he gets into a crouch in the corner, and he awaits the big sumo to pull himself to his powerful base. Hiroshi, dazed, bleeding and confused, turns around into a violent Gore from the champion that cuts him down.
Jerry Andrews: Force of Time!! Did you see the amount of power Dominator put behind that??!
Ace Anderson: Like the power you put behind your yelling!
Dominator covers...
The referee and the crowd: One...
Two…
Thre - Kickout!
Dominator is livid. He argues with The referee for a second, before turning to Hiroshi and clubbing him over the back. He picks Hiroshi up and whips him off the ropes. Dominator grabs Hiroshi on the rebound and executes a snap powerslam. Dominator goes to pick Hiroshi up again and Hiroshi begins to slowly fight back. Hiroshi kicks Dominator in the gut and hits a quick DDT. Both men are down breathing heavily, Hiroshi grabbing his back.
Jerry Andrews: This match has definitely taken its toll with these superstars.
Ace Anderson: And me too. *pants* I need some water. Dominator come on!
Jerry Andrews: You want Dominator to give you some water?
Ace Anderson: No.... I want the referee to.
Then both men begin to get up to their feet. After both men are on their feet, Hiroshi boots Dominator in the kneecap, taking him down to one knee, where Hiroshi begins to unload with a furious assault of right hands. Hiroshi gives Dominator a swinging neckbreaker. Hiroshi lifts Dominator back up, and goes to whip him to the corner, but Dominator resists. He tries again but the big man will not be budged. Finally, Dominator sends Hiroshi into the corner on his own. Hiroshi hits chest first and stumbles out, holding his sternum. Dominator comes running in looking for a splash, but Hiroshi moves, and Dominator hits the turnbuckles. Dominator turns around, and Hiroshi is waiting for him with a boot to the gut and a pumphandle swinging reverse STO. Hiroshi lays back on the mat, as Dominator is on his back. There is a good long moment where neither man is able to move.
Jerry Andrews: Hiroshi Yukio blasts Dominator with the Hiroshima Hammer, it could be over... No!
Hiroshi has taken such damage, has lost such blood and his body has sustained a long pace of a match, but Dominator has taken such heavy shots that he is very deep in the red. If this was a countout type of match, both men might be at a count of 8.
Finally, Hiroshi is able to crawl over and drape an arm over Dominator.
Ace Anderson: It took him too long to recover.
The referee and the crowd: ONE...
TWO...
THR - Kickout!!
There's another few moments here where the beaten competitors take a breather, and finally, Hiroshi goes to lift Dominator up but he is cut off by an uppercut. Hiroshi stumbles away as Dominator finds his footing. Dominator runs at Hiroshi, swinging for a clothesline. Hiroshi ducks, Dominator turns around and Hiroshi is able to give him a side effect-like slam. Hiroshi grabs Dominator's knee and stomps on it a few times, before locking in a single boston crab. Dominator yells and thrashes around. Hiroshi sits back on the move, putting all of his massive weight into ripping that God damn leg off. After several torturous moments, Dominator crawls to the ropes and grabs on, forcing Hiroshi to break the hold. Hiroshi now picks up Dominator and drills him with a few big right hands and irish whips him into the ropes, and on the bounce back takes him down with a discus clothesline. Hiroshi now picks up Dominator's head and puts it between his legs, calling for a powerbomb, but Dominator again counters it by rolling off the back. And now, Dominator meets him with a fist loaded by his wrist watch. The Plated wristwatch punches Hiroshi in the back of the head.
Ace Anderson: Ahhh, now here, you see Dominator taking time into his own hands.
Jerry Andrews: Again?! Are you going to make shitty puns every time there's a weapon break?
Ace Anderson: When the opportunity presents itself, I pounce!
Hiroshi is limp after the hit to the back of his head. Dominator then walks over and grabs the second steel chair Hiroshi introduced into the ring. Dominator goes to the corner and slowly gets to the second rope. Then Dominator jumps off the second rope, putting the steel chair underneath his elbow, and he drives an elbow, and the chair, RIGHT into the heart of the sumo!!
Dominator rolls around on the mat, holding his elbow, because holy SHIT that hurt him too, but the crowd, in appreciation of the big man going out of his comfort zone, also begins chanting "THIS IS AWESOME" and "HOLY SHIT".
It's the Underground Division, man.
Jerry Andrews: Dominator took to the air!
Ace Anderson: Man, these two have put everything into just beating the crap out of each other.
Jerry Andrews: They're so spent from this grueling match and neither one has moved.
Hiroshi took the brunt of that elbow drop with the chair right cross the chest and sternum and he is gasping for life, but Dominator is conferring with Horatio Mortimer as if his arm is hanging by a thread. Neither man is able to regain their footing. Both men are down as the referee checks on them, and the crowd is starting a "LET'S GO SUMO, LET'S GO DOM" chant in appreciation of these two gladiators, if not what they stand for. Finally, gingerly, Hiroshi begins to get to one knee, as does Dominator, holding his arm tightly against his side. Hiroshi gets to a vertical base and Dominator charges. Dominator is taken down by a Samoan drop, as Hiroshi uses Dominator's momentum against him. Dominator hits the mat, with an impact to shake the ring. Hiroshi is on one knee, winded, and then he peels himself up and walks over to the ropes, then he climbs the turnbuckle himself. He sets himself up for a Banzai drop that would flatten Dominator and bring an end to the entire affair.
Jerry Andrews: I can’t believe what we’ve seen in this match.
Ace Anderson: I can't believe after all of that we're about to see the Mount Fuji Drop to Dominator!
Jerry Andrews: Has the champion ever been this vulnerable, in this much danger?
Hiroshi is too hurt in his knees and midsection to climb any faster, and when he ascends up there with his butt poised in the air, Dominator scrambles up, and then he counters by gripping the pants and using all of his might to bring Yukio down with a short powerbomb to the mat. Again, Dominator and Hiroshi are both laid out, but this time, Dominator recovers.
Jerry Andrews: HE COUNTERED IT!
Dominator weakly rolls into a pin.
The referee and the crowd: ONE...
TWO...
THREE - KICKOUT!
Dominator angrily walks over to the turnbuckle and starts ripping off the pad, exposing it. Then he walks over and tries to lift the 500 pound sack of unmoving meat that is his opponent, but Hiroshi is very hard to budge in this state. Dominator muscles him up and intends to drag him over to the corner with the exposed turnbuckle, but at the last second, Hiroshi breaks free and hurls Dominator back first into the exposed steel, which cannot feel super. Even worse when Hiroshi comes charging in and swallows him whole with a body splash in the corner, sandwiching him against that turnbuckle. Hiroshi falls to one knee, holding on to the ropes and staring vacantly, but Dominator winces and gingerly steps forward a few times, holding his back. Hiroshi snarls at him and drops him with a chokeslam. He covers.
The referee and the crowd: ONE...
TWO...
THREE - FOOT ON THE ROPE!
Dominator does indeed have a foot on the rope. There may not be a lot of rules in this division, but that one still seems to hold up it seems. The referee waves it off. Hiroshi yells at him and tells him it was three. The referee explains his ruling. Hiroshi is getting heated now, and he tells the referee never mind the rule book. Hiroshi walks over, grabbing Dominator by the head. He lifts Dominator up, walking him over to the turnbuckle with the exposed metal part, and he grabs Dominator by the back of the head, ready to dash his face into the steel enough times to either crush his face in, or beat him into unconsciousness, or both, both is good. However, Dominator straightens his arms and holds the ropes, veins standing out on his muscles as he resists Hiroshi's overwhelming size pushing against him. Dominator elbows Hiroshi enough times that Hiroshi's grip slackens. Then, he pulls himself up to where he is sitting on that top rope, and he grabs Hiroshi, trying to pick him up with him.
Jerry Andrews: What are they going to do here?!
Ace Anderson: No, don't try to superplex him, hasn't the poor ring withstood enough?!
The crowd is stirring mightily as they feel something buzzworthy is about to happen. Dominator has tried to lift Hiroshi's bulk up onto the ropes with him, but Hiroshi resists, planting his feet and hanging on to the top rope. He uses a free hand to punch Dominator again and again. Finally Dominator stops endeavoring to lift him, and sits limply on the top rope. Hiroshi then begins loading Dominator up on his shoulders from the top rope, attempting a muscle buster type of maneuver, which would drop Dominator quite a ways down. However, now it's Dominator's turn to fight out of that, throwing right hands and punching to loosen the grip.
Jerry Andrews: These two men are battling for position on the top rope, what might happen next?!
Dominator finally loosens Hiroshi's grip enough that he slips out of his hands entirely, coming off the top rope, and off the ropes to land on the apron beside the ring post. As he does he pulls Hiroshi's arms and hair and yanks him in hard and Hiroshi hits that exposed steel turnbuckle head and neck first quite hard. Hiroshi falls back, holding his face, which if it wasn't bleeding before, it damn sure is now.
Jerry Andrews: Oh! My! Hiroshi was just drilled right into that exposed steel.
Ace Anderson: Dominator got Hiroshi close enough to that turnbuckle and yanked him right in.
Dominator gets back in the ring, where Hiroshi is doubled over. Dominator lifts him up onto his shoulders with Hiroshi across his broad back, stumbling a little bit. Veins stick out on Dominator's neck and his face is turning red with the effort of dead lifting the 500 pound sumo but he does it, despite his knees buckling at first, and with a big heave he lifts him fully up onto his shoulder in torture rack position.
Jerry Andrews: ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME?!!
Ace Anderson: THAT'S A 500 POUND MAN AND DOMINATOR IS LIFTING HIM ONTO HIS SHOULDERS!
He doesn't bother with a submission because his strength is already failing him, he just throws Hiroshi off with a semi-botched version of the torture rack neckbreaker. Exhausted, he slumps down.
Jerry Andrews: I... I don't believe we would ever see someone lift someone up onto their shoulders like that, but... but it happened.
Ace Anderson: Dominator just delivered a version of the Rip In Time and lifted Hiroshi up and then dropped him down.
Dominator rolls Hiroshi over for a cover.
The referee and the crowd: ONE...
TWO...
THREE!!
Ding Ding Ding
Sasha Greene: Here is your winner and STILL PURE CLASS WRESTLING UNDERGROUND KING... DOMINATOR!!
"Losing My Religion" by REM sounds as the referee and Horatio Mortimer both try to help Dominator up. Mortimer, looking concerned but incredibly proud, hands Dominator his championship, and Dominator, selling the brutality of the match we just witnessed, takes it, but is still exhausted and red faced from the effort. He exits the ring, and he raises a weary and beaten arm to the crowd. The fans are going insane for the effort from both men we just witnessed. Hiroshi is laid out in the middle of the ring, covering his face with his hands. He sits up, and the referee begins cleaning some of the blood out of his eyes.
Jerry Andrews: What an Underground title defense. What a hard hitting, brutal, insane war we just witnessed. I... I have no words.
Ace Anderson: Hats off to Dominator for weathering the challenge and remaining still, unbeaten, the Underground Champion.
Jerry Andrews: We can't take anything away from Hiroshi. He was very game tonight and you have to believe Underground gold is going to be in the cards for him.
Winner: Dominator via Pinfall
Suddenly a hissing of static can be heard and the PCW Tron lights up and the same sentence can be read
“Soon the truth shall set you free!”
Ace Anderson: Godamn it. I’m getting pretty sick of these interruptions.
Jerry Andrews: I am too but no one knows how it’s happening or how to stop it
The PCW Tron shows where Mr Hughes stands by a laptop awaiting a incoming Skype call from the mysterious stranger who has been meeting with Hiroshi these past months.
“Hello again Mr Yukio, my employer wants to talk to you...”
The screen comes to life and a hooded stranger appears in the middle of the screen staring ominously at the camera.
“Hiroshi the time has come I have given you plenty of time to think and consider your options.
Now the time has come for you to decide your fate. Join me and I will take you to glory. Deny me and you will fade into obscurity.
“Well? What will it be?”
He waits patiently as Hiroshi thinks for a moment before nodding his head yes.
“I accept your offer”
He looks up and bows respectfully to this mysterious figure who simply nods.
“You have made the right choice Hiroshi together you and I will show Pure Class Wrestling and the world. At the Iceys I shall reveal myself to the world and nothing will be the same..."
Suddenly a hissing of static can be heard and the Tron goes dead and the lights go out leaving the arena in total darkness.
Ace Anderson: What the hell is going on now? Somebody get the lights!
Jerry Andrews: He accepted so what does this mean for him and the rest of Pure Class Wrestling?
Ace Anderson: Nobody knows except the stranger and Hiroshi. Anything could happen.
Suddenly the lights come back on and the hooded figure appears at the entrance way and walks down the ramp to ringside before ascending the stairs. Climbing through the ropes the person stands before Hiroshi but does not move.
The person make a “follow me” motion to Hiroshi who bows again and walks with the stranger to the front of the ring. The stranger holds open the ropes and Hiroshi steps through followed by the mystery person. Both of them exit the arena up the entrance ramp to the back leaving a shocked PCW faithful in stunned silence.
Ace Anderson: I don’t know what to say about what just happened but it makes me very uneasy.
Jerry Andrews: Me too Ace.
Ace Anderson: Speaking of uneasy, how do you think Johnny Vivacious is feeling right about now?
Jerry Andrews: You certainly have a point... he's about to step into the ring, face-to-face, against Grimm.
Pure Class Wrestling Trauma: All Hallows Eve Thursday October 26th, 2017 Vivacious holds up his hand to calm the anticipating crowd, “there is someone back there with absolutely nothing going on at Collision Course because, unlike Seromine, he DID NOT win the PCW World Championship… again.” “Is he talking about…” Jerry contemplates. “Tell me he isn’t going to challenge…” Anderson leans forward, “I mean, he wouldn’t.” Stormm has already wrapped his arm around Vivacious, blocking the microphone from their huddle in the center of the ring. Stormm, clearly attempting to speak some sense, but Vivacious isn’t having any of it. He gently pushes his Notorious ally to the side and raises the microphone. “He is about to sign his…” Jerry’s eyes widen. “Hey,” Vivacious shouts into the microphone, up the ramp and into the locker room, “Rusty-Beard, I know you are back there and I know you have nothing to do in a few weeks so, I propose this…” Like the crowd, the commentators are speechless. “...you come on down here and I will kick your ass!” Stormm, as caught off-guard as everyone else in attendance, stands across the ring in absolute shock. The crowd of witches, zombies, superheros and princesses explode, not literally, but the top of the arena could have been launched into space if that sort of thing were possible based on noise. They were LOUD! “Johnny Vivacious, born whenever that was,” Anderson announces, “murdered at a wrestling pay-per-view event in December two-thousand seventeen for running his fat lips.” “Will Grimm accept,” Jerry asks, “and set himself on a Collision Course with one of the wildest challenges he has faced here in PCW?” “Doesn’t matter,” Anderson pronounces, “Johnny Vivacious is dead.” “Somehow,” Jerry puzzles, “someone is going to have to calm this crowd down.” Grabbing the microphone from his brother-in-law’s hand, Stormm holds up his free left hand to try and pacify the audience. “Now,” he begins to speak in another effort to quiet the crowd. “Now I know it might seem crazy,” he shoots a quick look at Vivacious like he knows it to be, “but I think the point he’s trying to prove is that it doesn’t matter who he steps into the ring with, or when, or where, he’s ready to go!” “It just so happens that the man he’s chosen to target is one of the longest tenured and most feared individuals to ever be on the Pure Class Wrestling roster,” Jerry affirms. “Ready to go?” Vivacious repeats in question, grabbing Stormm’s wrist and pulling the microphone to his face, “I am ready to drag that ragamuffin around this arena with a fist full of that wire mess on his chin.” |
Jerry Andrews: That's how all of this started....
Ace Anderson: ... and tonight is where it ends!
Sasha Greene: The following match is scheduled for one fall! Introducing first…
Lights dim and the PCW-Tron goes black. With the sound of a sharp nib scratching across a ragged sheet of parchment, a sepia-toned cursive scrawls grimm across the screen. The name flickers, wavering in and out of focus with the occasional tracking glitch as if projected from an old forgotten film canister uncovered on the bottom shelf in the cellar. Sparse percussion resonates throughout the arena and is soon joined by a droning, distorted bass line. At that, A Perfect Circle’s ”Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums” stomps out of the speakers and marches through the aisles. The drums, the distortion, the voices – all work to herald the arrival of the Hangtown Horror.
Don’t fret, precious, I’m here. Step away from the window.
He walks out to a single blue-white spotlight, stops to bask in the light and shadows, and scans the crowd.
Sasha Greene: From Hangtown, Kentucky. He weighs two-hundred and seventeen pounds...here is GRIMM!!
The Lord of Misrule closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before making the long walk down the ramp, deadset on the ring and ignoring the fans along the way. The spotlight follows. The words work their way up through the layers of the song.
Go back to sleep.
Phinehas climbs up onto the apron and slides in between the ropes. Hopping up onto a turnbuckle, he casts his gaze out over the crowd with his arms at his side, eyes shifting to take in the sea of faces spread out before him. Grimm then drops down. And waits.
Sasha Greene: ...and his opponent...
“NO TOR I OUS!”
The Pure Class Arena lights go pitch black as the huge red letters on the PCWTron fade and the screen goes black. Again, the word echoes high in the rafters, even louder.
“NO TOR I OUS!”
The crowd speckle the darkness with the LEDs of their mobile devices. While the crowd anticipate the new single, Notorious, by Adelitas Way, they are surprised by the jingling of bells.
“HO! HO! HO!”
Sasha Greene: …from Corpus Christi, Texas, he is two-hundred and twenty-eight pounds on a six-foot frame; accompanied to the ring by Justin “Stormm” Michaels, they are Notorious, he is JOHNNY VIVACIOUS!
Suddenly, around the edge of the screen and high above the stage and ring, the arena lighting flashes blue, red, green and orange in repeat. Weird Al’s “Christmas at Ground Zero” rocks over the arena and the fans sing along with a loud air raid siren blaring.
Ace Anderson: What is Johnny Vivacious doing?
Felt clad little people, in green and red, line each side of the ramp as the curtain under the PCWTron opens really wide. From behind the curtain, a gigantic sleigh emerges with Vivacious at the helm.
Jerry Andrews: He has to be the first black and white Santa suit I have ever seen.
As the sleigh continues through the curtain, Justin “Stormm” Michaels is gunning a T-shirt cannon mounted in the rear. With red, green and silver explosions of glitter, he fires official Notorious Ts into the crowd.
Jerry Andrews: It is Christmas on the Pure Class Arena.
Ace Anderson: Meanwhile, Grimm is waiting to bring an end to this in the ring.
With assistance from the elves, Vivacious passes wrapped packages of all sizes to the fans. The entire arena is bright and loud, full of joy and happiness as the sleigh reaches the foot of the ramp. Vivacious throws a very large sack over his shoulders and, with elves in tow, walks around the ring passing out gifts.
Ace Anderson: This has to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever had to sit through.
In the sleigh, Stormm, continues to fire T-shirts to all reaches of the red-hot crowd. The shiny glitter is everywhere as the colors of the season sparkle from the rafters down onto the celebration.
Jerry Andrews: Don't be a humbug!
Vivacious nods to his brother-in-law as the sleigh reverses back up the ramp. He looks deep into the bag and then into the ring at his awaiting opponent. Tossing the bag over his shoulder, he goes up the ring steps, wipes his HD Badlands on the apron and then ducks between the top and middle ropes.
Jerry Andrews: This is what he was asking for when he returned and called Grimm out.
Vivacious reaches deep into the bag retrieving the last gift. He offers it to Grimm and is denied; a second offer, denied as well; until, finally, Grimm accepts and tears the bow and wrapping away.
Jerry Andrews, laughing with the crowd: He can't say Johnny never gave him anything.
Singles Match
Grimm vs Johnny Vivacious
Referee: Ed Lane
Grimm vs Johnny Vivacious
Referee: Ed Lane
Grimm stands in the middle of the ring, looking twistedly at the official Johnny Vivacious Foam Middle Finger. The same foam item currently outselling Grimm Beards, five to one. Real news.
DING!
DING!
DING!
No. It isn’t the sounds of a requiem bell to usher the potential passing of Johnny Vivacious, but rather the bell at the time keeper’s table to start the match. The normally bright and loud Johnny V is nowhere to be found. In place is a deadly serious challenger to the dangerous, Phinehas Grimm, a man who always dead serious, regardless of the opposition. Tension surrounds the two men like invisible lumberjacks around the ring. The crowd is at a fever pitch and this is before any offense! They circle. Neither man taking their gaze off the other. After moments of hesitation, they lock horns.
Grimm is giving up eleven pounds, but has three inches of height on Johnny V. Mr. Network Liability strikes first with a well timed knee to the gut. Johnny V is swift and precise with his elbow strikes to the neck and back of the head. Grimm is dropped to a momentary right knee as the shots keep raining down. Grimm is pulled up and flung towards the ropes. He reverses it. Vivacious returns with authority as he lands a Lou Thesz press. Johnny V throws haymakers at Grimm’s cranium. His fists of fury will have to settle for blocked connections as the Hangtown Horror covers up the best he can.
Vivacious steps up, bringing Grimm with him by the wiry scuff of his beard. A backhand chop slices the chest of Grimm, turning him slightly around so that his back faces Johnny V. He responds to the opening with a back rake. With Grimm distracted by the pain, Johnny V sticks his right hand deep into his armpit, making sure to get it nice and greasy. Grimm is spun around into the sweaty gift. Vivacious makes sure to give it that extra disgusting push in his face.
Jerry Andrews (in full disgust): Phinehas just got SERVED DIRTY there! And boy does it smell something awful from where this commentator sits.
Ace Anderson (plugging his nose): How long has he been letting that fester?
Grimm himself is offended. Or at least his sense of smell is. With the same sweat stained hand, Vivacious gives him the business with a face rake, which garners a warning. From there he runs Grimm back first into the corner. Phinehas again goes to covering up to soften the offense from hitting. He attempts to stick-and-move, but when you’re trapped, where can you possibly go? Johnny stomps him into a seated position, then puts his foot into his throat. Grimm grasps the boot, but is faced with waiting for a release by the count of five. Vivacious backs off, allowing air to filter into his lungs. He salutes Grimm with twin middle fingers before jamming a knee to his jaw, creating a quick whiplash.
Grimm slumps and while the referee gets involved with restraint, excuses himself to the outside. Grimm favors his face but makes sure to keep an eye on what’s transpiring in the ring. Johnny Vivacious thinks of jumping out after him, but wisely decides to make Grimm come to him instead. Vivacious grabs his crotch, telling Grimm in unison with the crowd to SUCK THIS! The gesture draws a cold stare. You know the one. Soul piercing eyes doing just that. He’s not amused. Grimm gets into the ring. Vivacious is there to meet him, but takes a battering ram to the midsection. Grimm pushes him upright. He hits a disorienting bell clap. Vivacious, while his ears are ringing, is hoisted up in a bear hug. He manages to fight this off, however, and instead, turns the tables back in his favor with a belly to back suplex.
Grimm is sat upright. Vivacious hits the ropes and comes back with a neck snap. Grimm is folded like an accordion before falling onto his back. Vivacious has brought a methodical pace to his offense. Grimm is pulled up and sent into the ropes. He holds onto them to avoid returning. Johnny V moves in and takes both feet to his face. Staggered, he backs off. Grimm moves in and is thrown for a loop with a back body drop. Public Enemy #1 shifts Grimm towards the corner, manipulating his movement so that he is forced against it like a prop. He shields himself from the referee so that he can sneak an eye gouge. The official comes in to see what the heck is happening, because Grimm is really selling the damage in order to get his attention over there. Vivacious notices this, so he puts a loving arm around him and walks him away from the action. This allows Stormm…
...to do nothing, because he isn’t there. This suddenly dons on Johnny Vivacious as the cheers were pouring down on him. He offers up a nervous bit of laughter and maybe even a request for a final drink. Vivacious turns around to catch the receiving end of a nasty looking lariat. The kind that sends you inside out. Grimm keeps one eye closed to sell the previous gouging, but he’s done playing nice.
Jerry Andrews: I have a bad feeling about this.
Grimm wades in with a flurry of mud hole stomps. Any time Johnny decides he’s going to use a limb to protect himself, Phinehas makes sure that gets worked on as well. Grimm grows bored of doing this and decides to change plans. Vivacious is ripped up. He’s aggressively sent into the ropes and brought down like a mighty oak with a drop toe hold, of which his face kisses the mat with authority. It draws instant sympathy from fans. Grimm pulls him up to his knees, then locks in a death grip around his temples. He applies pressure with the claw hold, squeezing with the tightness of a vice and reveling in the agony that’s etched on the face of Johnny V. Grimm slowly pulls him up. He relinquishes the grip, but follows with a quick headbutt. Vivacious staggers, but he comes back with a fist to the face.
Grimm spins his head around and hits a second. This one puts Johnny V on spaghetti legs, but his resilience shows. He boxes Grimm with a left-right combo, before taking a knee as the pain catches up to him. Grimm grabs him by the neck, throws him into the ropes and scores with a samoan drop, driving the air from Johnny’s lungs. Grimm rolls onto his side, going for the quick cover.
1.
2.
And that’s as far as it gets. Vivacious kicks out as the crowd applauds. The cold and calculating Phinehas Grimm of Hangtown, Kentucky, has no time for things like fan interaction. He’s here to do a job and that job is beating the snot out of Johnny Vivacious to the point that he can’t beat the three count. Grimm has him on a vertical base. Vivacious is shoved in the corner. Grimm charges in with a running shoulder tackle. He steps away to allow Johnny V to stagger out like a drunk in a bar. When the moment presents itself, BAM! A savate kick that hits square in the face. Vivacious drops like a ton of bricks. He quickly checks to make sure his teeth are all still in place. Grimm stands dominantly above him, studying this as it happens. Johnny moves around and is allowed to get back up to his feet. Grimm jabs him in the back with an elbow. Vivacious staggers to the ropes, but somehow returns to clock Phinehas out of nowhere with a crushing forearm blast. It catches him by surprise.
Grimm charges with a lariat. Vivacious traps the arm and turns it around into a Russian Legsweep! He transitions into a second. Then a third. With a sudden burst of offense, Grimm is pulled up and brought into a capture suplex! Vivacious feeds off the crowd to see this through. He hits those ropes, leaps in the air and comes down with Double Foot Stomp, or as he calls it, SoB! The crowd in unison, and at the top of their voices, take it upon themselves to yell “STOMPED ON BITCH!” Grimm curls into a ball, but Johnny V isn’t going to let him get a breather. He sends Phinehas into the corner while moving in after him with a crushing splash. This allows him to turn the hips, hook his head and bring him out with a running bulldog.
Or not.
Jerry Andrews: Ouch! Not the most graceful of landings.
Ace Anderson: The tide has turned again and this time, what Grimm does may be remembered as being notorious.
Grimm leans back in the very corner he was in. He gets a chance to get a breath and his composure. Johnny meanwhile has to gingerly peel himself up after the rough tailbone landing. Grimm cuts him at the pass and takes control back with a reverse DDT. Vivacious’ body flies backwards into a capture from Grimm, thus a pin attempt.
1!
2!
Kickout.
Grimm takes him by the head as both men return to their feet. Vivacious is slammed into the top turnbuckle. He shakes it off and gives Grimm a taste of his own medicine. Phinehas no sells and just goes to town. Vivacious finds his face hitting turnbuckle pad ten times. Grimm pulls him away and then introduces him shoulder first to mister ring post with a sickening crack. Audio picks up a very audible f-bomb as Vivacious cradles his right arm in pain. The follow up comes in the form of a shoulder breaker. Vivacious has that very right arm bent behind him before he’s unceremoniously bodyslammed right down on top of it.
Grimm pins him just like that, which presses his arm into the mat and keeps it trapped.
1.
2.
Nope! Johnny uses his healthy left arm to get the shoulder off the mat. Grimm takes this in stride. After all that just means more time to beat on Johnny Vivacious, right? He interjects with a blatant choke. One-two-three-four-fi...Grimm releases before the count of five. Johnny is pulled up by the worked over right arm. Grimm slowly twists it over his head and brings it crashing down across his own left shoulder. Vivacious bellows in pain. He throws some desperation jabs from the left, but they are largely useless. Grimm twists his arm again. This time he stretches it out and works it over at the joint with thunderous elbow shots. Vivacious is in pure hell. He thinks Satan needs company. Vivacious darts around Grimm. He wraps his good left arm around the waist and in juncture with his worked over right arm, manages to rattle off some sort of a German suplex!
The fans rise to their feet and get behind one half of Notorious. Johnny flips onto his back as he begins to shake his arm out with deep massages in-between. Anything to get the feeling back. Grimm grabs the back of his neck while returning to his feet. He moves in to pull Vivacious up. Shot to the gut! A second! A Third! Vivacious is on his feet now. The left punches find their way to Grimm’s head, knocking him back for a loop. Grimm is whipped into the corner. Vivacious is there to follow him in with a monkey flip! He pulls himself onto his feet. Clothesline! Arm trap shoulder neckbreaker! Vivacious pumps his fist as he is feeling the offense and change of fortunes.
Jerry Andrews: He may be hurting. He may only have one good arm. But BY GAWD Johnny Vivacious refuses to stay down and is going to make sure Grimm remembers who the hell he is!
Ace Anderson: You would think that by abducting him at the end of our last show, he already does. But hey. What do I know? I’ve only been in the ring with Phinehas before…
Vivacious has made it to the top rope. Grimm staggers into a crossbody bock! He stays pressed on him.
1!
2!
Kickout! Vivacious sits up, annoyed by the count. He has no time to waste, however. He pulls Grimm up in order to jab a thumb into his throat. He grapples the Hangtown Horror. From his left side, he pulls Grimm down into a shoulder jawbreaker. Vivacious spins up to his feet in order to capitalize on the stunned Phinehas Grimm…
Center Ring Screwdriver! Johnny Vivacious continues to hit his dazzling array of suplexes, this one being an inverted exploder suplex! He has Grimm face down on the mat and is contemplating what he can pull out to put him down for the count. Vivacious continues to favor his left shoulder and arm, but pain won’t stop him from using it if he must. After all, that’s what alcohol is for. He’ll feel better in no time! Grimm is rolled onto his back and drug across the ring. Johnny blows a snot rocket into his finely shaped beard to add disrespect. He steps onto the apron. Climbs to the top. Perches himself and gives everyone a photo op that they can tell future generations about…
CORKSCREW 450 SPLASH HITS!
Vivacious hooks the legs and because why the fuck not, props his feet on the middle rope to gain added leverage for his cover. The referee is in position. The crowd counts along.
1!
2!
3!!
NOOOO! Grimm powers his right shoulder off the mat. The force of such disrupts the rule break of Vivacious. He sits upright and pleads his case about the count. Vivacious looks out at the sea of fans for a reprieve. He pulls Grimm to his feet. Phinehas is backed up a few feet and then swung back first with authority to the corner. The landing drives him to the waiting Johnny V. Grimm is spun around and taken by his right arm. Vivacious turns him so that the arm is wrapped around his throat. Johnny crouches down and while he keeps the arm positioned, Grimm’s left knee is pulled up into his body from the left arm of Johnny V. He takes one push to pull Grimm into the air. The effect is a fall backwards into a nasty looking suplex, or as Johnny Vivacious calls it…
Jerry Andrews (screaming): WIDOW MAKER!!
Johnny senses victory is upon him. He rolls a lifeless Grimm onto his back. Johnny hooks the legs and here comes the count!
1!
2!
3—NO! NO! NO!
A last second kickout has put the champagne on ice! Vivacious looks up with a stunned look on his face. The faithful are loving this hard hitting contest. Respect is given to both, but that was always expected. Johnny drops to all fours. It’s as if his energy reserve was put into this run of offense, capped off with another devastating maneuver from his suplex arsenal. Back to the drawing board he goes. Does he have anymore tricks in the Notorious bag? Vivacious once more returns to the top rope. He barks some choice words out as he waits. Grimm is slow to get to his feet, but he’s got life left. He partially turns in the wrong direction. This may have been a plan, because he falls into the ropes, which staggers Vivacious into crotching the top turnbuckle. His mouth is wide open. His eyes are closed shut. His eggs are officially scrambled.
Grimm glances at his predicament. He pulls himself along with the top rope, sensing blood in the water. Grimm sticks an elbow to the left temple of Vivacious to keep him off balance. He takes him by the previously worked over left arm, then proceeds to yank him across the ring, dropping him on it with authority. Vivacious yells from the impact. A winded Grimm leans into the corner, but keeps a watchful eye on his fallen foe. When Johnny V is able to get to his feet, he is cut in half with a spear! Grimm falls into a cover.
1!
2!
3!--KICKOUT
The two competitors remain down. Hurting. Exhausted. By seven and eight, they are partially up and trading partial shots. They are landing, but without the usual force behind them. That all changes once they fight to their feet. Then it’s like as if the match were just beginning. Vivacious gets the sudden upper hand with a belly to belly suplex. Grimm rolls onto his hands and knees. Vivacious takes advantage by pulling him into an Irish whip. Grimm reverses it, lowering his head. Johnny V leaps in the air and comes down with a running elbow drop between the shoulders.
Crowd: HELL BOW!
Professional wrestling’s Man in Black shoves Grimm over. He hooks BOTH legs and leans back for that extra something. Could this be it??
1!
2!
3!--NOT YET!
Johnny Vivacious sits upright and looks almost beside himself. He looks back at Grimm who is stirring rather quick. Vivacious shakes his head from side to side and once more, has to return to the drawing board. Grimm is pulled to his feet. Johnny V goes for a bodyslam. Grimm floats over, pulling Vivacious around so that he’s facing him. Johnny V is BLASTED with the most brutal looking Dead Reckoning, Grimm may have ever thrown. The headbutt connects square between the eyes and may produce a migraine that lasts until next year!
Jerry Andrews: Did you HEAR how that sounded?! Holy Fruitcake.
Ace Anderson: I think the whole galax---did you---did you really say, holy fruitcake? This is a LIVE Pay Per View, Jerry. It’s ok to fucking swear.
Vivacious was seen stumbling backwards into the ropes. Then a full stagger crash into the corner. He is now picked up outside of the ring, laying flat on his kisser. Wait! He’s back up...and grabbing a bottle of water from a lucky front row ticket holder? Vivacious just needs to quench his thirst (arena lights ARE hot after all. Add to that all of the action and you’d be thirsty, too!)...he chugs it down in record time. Vivacious’ senses must have caught up, because in the process of falling straight back, the bottle goes flying up into the nosebleeds!
Grimm is not impressed.
He takes his time to step out to the floor to collect Johnny V. But he does, and he deposits him under the rope near one of the corners. Grimm climbs back in and well...you know how the story goes. Vivacious finds his head trapped under the right arm of Grimm as he mounts the turnbuckle. He leaps and rotates around with a tornado DDT, aka THE HARVEST! The fans groan from the crushing impact. And here goes Phinehas with the pin.
1!
2!
3!
VIVACIOUS KICKS THE EFF OUT AT THE LAST POSSIBLE SECOND!! Fans rise to their feet and chant, NO TOR IOUS, over and over. Grimm gets up. No emotion. He knows what has to be done. Grimm pulls him back up. A SECOND Harvest is landed. He’s not satisfied.
Jerry Andrews: You don’t think…
Ace Anderson: A THIRD Harvest! Johnny Vivacious may need a neurologist after this one.
Johnny V is out like a light in the middle of the ring. Grimm is on top for the pin. The referee is there for the count.
1!
2!
3!
And THAT ends this brutal affair. A Perfect Circle drowns out the fans reaction. Grimm slowly rises to his feet and has his hand raised.
Sasha Greene: Here is the winner of the match, Grimm!
Jerry Andrews: Grimm was victorious here tonight, but Johnny Vivacious gave him a tougher challenge than anyone thought was possible and he nearly pulled it off.
Grimm pays Vivacious no further attention. He exits the ring at his own pace, leaving the referee to check on the fallen member of Notorious.
Winner: Grimm via Pinfall
Jerry Andrews: Well folks, that was quite the brutal match-up, but I think this next one may have even more anger in it.
Ace Anderson: When Justin 'Stormm' Michaels returned to Pure Class Wrestling, he had every intention of gunning for the World title, but now that he's facing off against Gabriel, I'm hearing that Stormm is taking this as an opportunity to take down a member of Seromine's crew.
Jerry Andrews: I'm hearing that he wants to hurt Gabriel.
Ace Anderson: Oh yeah... I've heard that too.
Sasha Greene: The following is scheduled for ONE FALL!
The crowd, again: ONE FALLL!
Sasha Greene: It is for the Pure Class Wrestling North American Championship!
"NO-TOR-I-OUS!"
"SO NO-TOR-I-OUS!"
The arena lights dim down to a gentle glow and a dense fog begins to cover the entrance way. The fans start to rise to their feet as a sudden bright flash of light floods the crowd before a deafening crash of thunder rattles the foundation and leaves the arena in darkness. "Notorious" by Adelitas Way instigates a small riot amongst those in attendance as flashes of light, like lightning, are all that illuminate the arena for the Force of Nature, and Justin Michaels appears through the curtain and onto the stage.
"SO NO-TOR-I-OUS!"
His partner in crime, Johnny Vivacious, is not far behind, grinning and bearing it through his condition after having faced off against Grimm earlier in the night. Justin plays to the cheers of the fans from atop the ramp, and marches back and forth while interacting with those in attendance. He nods his head and points towards the fans recognizing all the support they provide before turning his attention back to the ring. The Notorious duo share a fist bump, and Johnny makes his way backstage while the Force of Nature makes his way towards the squared circle.
Sasha Greene - Introducing at this time, from Kansas City, Kansas; weighing in at two hundred and fifty-two pounds...
The Force of Nature interacts with fans on his way down the ramp as the first verse of "Notorious" accompanies him, but he never gets close enough to high five those begging for them, or to let anyone in the crowd touch him. The smile on his face is ripe with condescension, but the faithful are too amped up to notice. As he makes it to ringside, Stormm patrols around to the opposite side of the ring and gives a salute towards Ace and Jerry before hopping up onto the apron, and motions to the crowd once more.
Sasha Greene - The Force of Nature... JUSTIN "STORMM" MICHAELS!
Justin climbs through the ropes and immediately scales the nearest turnbuckle to raise his hands into the air for all to see. The flash bulbs surge throughout the dark arena, mimicking the lightning flashes, and the chorus of his theme song helps set the mood as the lights finally brighten back to the venue's usual lighting. Justin repeats his actions and poses on the turnbuckle in the opposite corner before hopping down from the corner as his music fades out, but the overwhelming applause does not as he stands the ready for his match.
Jerry Andrews: Stormm looks ready and chomping at the bit tonight, he's been in a fighting shape I haven't seen him in years.
Ace Anderson: You can tell that Stormm is itching because he finds himself locked out of the World Title conversation at this particular date. Tensions boiled over with the number one contender, Kyle Shane, at last Trauma.
Jerry Andrews: The question in my mind, remains, Ace, is Justin Michaels 100 percent focused on this match, right now with Gabriel and is he going to be focused on taking home the North American title.
Ace Anderson: He should be. It is the number two belt in the company right now, and the recent wars between Seromine, Nathan Saniti, and Kyle Shane and Gabriel over it have really left a legacy on it.
Sasha Greene: And his opponent, weighing in at 219 lbs... he is the reigning Pure Class Wrestling North American Champion... GABRIEL!!
The lights go out. Suddenly the arena is completely lit up with white light as the opening notes of "There's a World" by Neil Young play. Gabriel emerges, wearing a tan button up shirt, brown overalls and heavy dark boots. He clasps his hands together and smiles widely before walking down to the ring.
"There's a world you're living in
No one else has your part
All God's children in the wind
Take it in and blow hard.
Look around it, have you found it
Walking down the avenue?
See what it brings,
could be good things
In the air for you.."
Gabriel climbs the ring steps and pauses. He then enters the ring, says a quick prayer, and awaits the start of the match.
Jerry Andrews: You just know that Gabriel's actions have burned a lot of people lately. He has taken his position as Seromine's point man and set his sights on everyone Seromine would deem a threat. Justin Michaels, with his eyes firmly fixed on Seromine's gold, certainly qualifies.
Ace Anderson: Let's not forget Seromine and Gabriel screwed Shane AND Stormm out of winning the Deadly Rumble, and then, when they were the last two left, Seromine ordered Gabriel to give him the win. Gabriel has made a lot of enemies.
Jerry Andrews: He sure has, and as he showed with Kyle Shane, he is willing to do anything, go to any length, to keep that gold where he feels it belongs.
Pure Class Wrestling North American Championship
Singles Match
Gabriel (North American ©) vs Justin "Stormm" Michaels
Referee: Nigel Gale
Singles Match
Gabriel (North American ©) vs Justin "Stormm" Michaels
Referee: Nigel Gale
The bell sounds and Gabriel, clutching the North American title closely to his chest and refusing to give it up, shakes his head no to the referee who is insisting he hand it over. The referee says "Come on, man," but Gabriel stubbornly refuses, and he exits the ring, rolling to the outside, still clutching his belt. He shouts at the referee to count him out. Gabriel begins walking around the ring as Stormm and the ref stay where they are. Stormm flings his arms out, yelling epithets Gabriel's way, and the referee is telling him to get back there. Gabriel has made sure to keep a wide berth of the ring, and he says "Count me out!" and he goes around the side by the steps and starts to climb over the guardrail into the front row. Stormm, having enough, runs from the side and catches up to him, and grabs Gabriel by the back of the head roughly. He then marches his butt over the guardrail and throws him into the ring. Gabriel keeps rolling, and then he makes his way out another side, again getting into the aisle and attempting to walk away, up the ramp this time.
Jerry Andrews: Gabriel wants no part of Stormm or this match!!
Ace Anderson: It's not a very brazen tactic, but I think Gabriel's reasoning is that if he takes a count out he gets to keep his title and some dignity.
Gabriel again tells the official he wants to be counted out and he tries to leave. Stormm has started running up the ramp after him, and Gabriel clutches the North American title in both hands and tries to clock Stormm, but Stormm boots him in the gut, making him drop the title altogether. It is only then that Stormm grabs Gabriel by the back of the head, and again, very forcefully walks him down the aisle and throws him in the ring. He follows in, attempting to finally get this match underway, but Gabriel is scooting on his butt towards the ropes. Stormm goes to haul Gabriel up but Gabriel snakes a knee into his midsection. Gabriel begins clubbing Stormm over the back. Gabriel whips Stormm to the ropes, only to have it reversed. Stormm whips Gabriel off the rope, and when he swings for a clothesline Gabriel ducks in turn. Stormm turns around and begins getting assaulted with rights. Gabriel backs Stormm up into the corner and begins peppering him with right hands. Stormm reverses, throwing Gabriel into the corner and unloading on him with rights. The ref, gets in between them, forcing Stormm to break out of the corner. Stormm backs off, holding his hands up innocently. As he comes back towards Gabriel, Gabriel gives him a thumb to the eye. Stormm stumbles back, blinded.
Jerry Andrews: Gabriel only decided to get fully invested in this match once he caught Stormm off guard.
Ace Anderson: While I still think he's going to bolt at the first sign of trouble, it is just like Gabriel's scavenging self to pick his spot and use cheap tactics to his advantage.
Michaels wipes his face, checking for any errant blood or other spittle on his lips, and he angrily begins to throw punches with Gabriel. Stormm takes the advantage and tosses Gabriel into the ropes, dropping him with a drop toe hold followed by the side headlock. Gabriel shoves him forward into the ropes and sends him over with a belly to back suplex. Stormm rolls around on the mat. Gabriel goes for an elbow drop but Stormm moves. Stormm and Gabriel both recover swiftly as they get back up and Michaels takes him over with a swinging neckbreaker. He lifts Gabriel back up and tosses him into the ropes. Gabriel grabs the top rope, stopping his momentum. Stormm charges towards the ropes, but as he gets close Gabriel lifts him over the third rope. Stormm grabs the ropes and lands safely on the apron. Gabriel runs the ropes incoming towards Stormm but Stormm roars between the middle and top rope with a lawn dart spear, taking the champion down. He covers.
Jerry Andrews: First cover of the match!
The referee: One... Kickout.
Gabriel takes the moment after the kickout to again escape the ring. This time he doesn't try running up the ramp or into the crowd, but he does try rooting underneath the apron, trying to find some leftover hardcore weapons, despite this not being an Underground rules match, like at all. He finds a stray Singapore cane and he begins trying to get in the ring of it but the ref is on top of things and blocks his entry. Stormm, seeing what's going on, gets irritated and grabs Gabriel by the hair over the top rope, pulling him up. He makes Gabriel get on the apron as the referee turns his attention to disposing of the kendo stick, and then Gabriel gets in a good poke to the eyes on Stormm which makes his challenger yell angrily and turn away, blinded.
Jerry Andrews: And again Gabriel with the cheap rake to the eyes.
Ace Anderson: Can't see, cannot fight. Simple math.
Gabriel doesn't waste time with anything else on the blinded Stormm, he clubs him over the back of the head and hits a front facelock cutter, his Believe!, laying Stormm out face down. Gabriel rolls Stormm over and hyperextends his arm, attempting to lock in a cattle mutilation. Stormm battles to the bottom rope quickly before it can get too far in, using his longer legs.
Ace Anderson: Justin Michaels is one of the better technical wrestlers in the biz, and he's showing Gabriel exactly what it takes to be a submission wrestler.
Gabriel breaks the hold and delivers a few stiff kicks to the shoulder. The referee breaks up the tactics. Stormm is the one who rolls to the outside, rolling his shoulder as Gabriel holds his arms out, telling him to test his faith. Justin Michaels walks back and forth in front of the ring for a few seconds, taking a second to compose himself.
Jerry Andrews: Stormm is doing his best to avoid the submissions of Gabriel, as well, one would think, of the shadier tactics he started with.
Ace Anderson: Plus it's a little bit of a mind game, playing a similar stall that Gabriel did earlier. There's a mental component to this.
As Stormm enters the ring, he shoots in for Gabriel, but Gabriel ducks behind the referee, holding his arms like he's a shield. Stormm can't juke the right way because Gabriel keeps moving the ref in front of him and blocking Stormm. The referee shouts at Gabriel, telling him to let go of him. Finally with just the littlest nudge forward Gabriel sends the ref stumbling. Stormm gently steadies the referee. Gabriel quickly clubs him over the back of the head, following it up by dragging Stormm over to the ropes and placing Stormm's throat on the middle rope and choking him. Gabriel puts a knee in Stormm's back and hauls back on the top rope. Stormm flails his arms, as his wind is cut off. The official, unamused by Gabriel using him as a human shield ten seconds ago and pissed off at the flagrant disrespect of the rules being shown here, begins warning Gabriel, who has his knee buried in Stormm' back and is pushing with all his might as he pulls on the top rope for leverage. The referee begins a five-count to disqualification, and Gabriel breaks at three. Stormm leans on the middle rope, gasping for air. The referee has a stern conversation with Gabriel, who maintains his forthrightness and his moral terpitude. Then Gabriel goes back to choking Stormm on the ropes anyway.
Jerry Andrews: What a disgusting display we're seeing from Gabriel.
Ace Anderson: Is he just trying to eat a DQ?
The referee starts counting yet again to a disqualification, but Gabriel breaks again, and then he grabs Stormm's arm and wraps it up in the ropes, torquing it backwards with force. Sort of a keylock with the arm being pulled back against the ropes. The poor, set upon referee in this match once again warns Gabriel about disqualification. Gabriel eventually breaks, letting Stormm up to his feet. They lock up and Gabriel takes the same arm in with an arm wringer followed by a hammerlock. Stormm attempts to roll forward but Gabriel wrenches the hold in tight and suplexes him back. Stormm lets out an explosive yell and rolls around holding the wing. Gabriel pushes down and goes for the pin.
Jerry Andrews: Finally, an honest to god wrestling maneuver out of Gabriel...
Ace Anderson: He's been using all the cheating he can muster, but you get a sense that he smells blood in his waters now.
The referee: One...
Two... Kickout.
Michaels lifts his shoulder up off the ground. Gabriel lifts him up but Stormm surprises him, flows around and sends Gabriel over with a German suplex. He grabs on tight and sends him over with another. On the third Gabriel goes for a few back elbows, and it looks like Stormm might loosen the hold, but he then headbutts Gabriel between the shoulder blades making the Deacon tense up as Stormm reapplies the waistlock and hits the third suplex, letting Gabriel collapse like an accordion with the last. Stormm, shaking his elbow out, peels Gabriel back up and slams him down with a tiger bomb. And a pin.
The referee: One...
Two...
Stormm gets to his feet, pulling Gabriel up and he grips Gabriel from the side, attempting a lifted reverse STO, however Stormm lifts Gabriel up near the ropes but Gabriel picks him up and faceplants him into the turnbuckle. The crowd moans as Stormm hits the pad face first. Gabriel shoves Stormm into the turnbuckle so his shoulder rests against the turnbuckle post. Gabriel runs across the ring and front drop kicks Stormm in such a way to cause his shoulder to collide with the post. Gabriel jerks him out of the corner and applies a seated arm and wrist lock to the arm he's targeted. Gabriel jerks back on the arm, as Stormm screams and writhes in pain. Stormm starts crawling to the ropes, but Gabriel makes every effort to keep him in the center of the ring. Finally, Stormm is able to reach out and he grabs the bottom rope. Gabriel jerks him up but Stormm reacts quicker, lifting the smaller man up and hanging him up with a hot shot across the top rope. Gabriel goes falling back. Stormm then paces around, grabbing Gabriel's arm and locking in a version of... Gabriel's very own Lebell lock crossface signature move. Stormm grins widely as he pulls back on the crossface, and Stormm yells at Gabriel that now he knows how it feels.
Jerry Andrews: I think Stormm is trying to humiliate Gabriel by using his own submissions against him!
Ace Anderson: Arguably better than Gabriel could be able to, look how far Gabriel's chin is bent back. He's in a world of hurt right now!
Gabriel uses his free arm to scoot over and he holds his fingertips out and then grips the bottom rope with all his might. Stormm looks over, irritated, as the referee tells him he has to let go. Gabriel may as well be wrapped around the bottom rope like tinsel on a Christmas tree, he's clinging on to it so tight. Stormm tries to pull Gabriel out by his legs, but the referee admonishes Stormm, telling him let him get out of the ropes. Finally, Stormm has enough of the warnings and leans over the top rope, trying to pry Gabriel up that way, but Gabriel slithers underneath him and then comes from behind with a waistlock. He runs Stormm chest first into the ropes and as they both bumble back Gabriel works it into an O'connor roll. He even tries to pull a handful of tights. The referee drops down for a count...
The referee: One...
Two... the referee breaks off because he sees Gabriel holding a handful of tights.
Ace Anderson: If running won't work, Gabriel will try using a weapon. If using a weapon won't work, Gabriel will pull the tights. If that doesn't work, he'll find some other way to get around the rules.
Jerry Andrews: Then he'll whine about being persecuted for his religion when he can't get his way.
Ace Anderson: You just described the entire fanbase of the 700 Club.
The referee are having a fierce debate over whether Gabriel pulled the tights, with Gabriel assuring the referee he didn't (Gaslighting is wrong, folks) but the official saying that he saw it with his two eyes. Gabriel holds his hands up innocently and he walks back over to Stormm. Stormm meets him with a punch to the gut, then another, but Gabriel cuts him off with a violent elbow strike to the trapezius muscle and the neck. Gabriel scoops Stormm up off the mat and he drives him down with a rib breaker. Stormm rolls out of the ring clutching his midsection. Gabriel climbs out after him and he quickly lays the boots to Stormm’s ribs. Gabriel lifts Stormm up and he rams him back first into the guardrail. Stormm shouts in agony and doubles over, holding his back. Meanwhile, the referee is counting both men out. Gabriel lifts Stormm up and he doubles him over with a hard kick to the gut. Gabriel grabs a hold of Michaels and he throws him onto the concrete floor with a double underhook suplex. Gabriel lifts Stormm up and he rolls him into the ring. Gabriel doesn't go for the cover, instead wraps his legs around Stormm’s midsection and he applies a leg scissors. Stormm yells in pain as Gabriel applies the pressure to his softened midsection. Gabriel digs the point of his elbow into the ribs and grinds it back and forth just to make it hurt more. Our official asks if Stormm gives up, but he vehemently shakes his head no.
Jerry Andrews: I’ve got to hand it to him, Gabriel has stuck to a fairly solid and consistent game plan.
Ace Anderson: Like him or not, Gabriel does show flashes of evil genius.
Jerry Andrews: That’s debatable... but Stormm has been trying to take Gabriel out of his comfort zone, and indeed break through the outer shell to the man beneath.
Ace Anderson: You look right now and you tell me who's looking more successful.
Stormm tries to inch towards the ropes, but as he reaches out, Gabriel squeezes harder. Stormm tries to fight off the pain. Stormm reaches for the ropes again, sliding closer. Stormm reaches out one final time and he gets a hold of the bottom rope. The referee orders Gabriel to let go, but he refuses, so he begins a count to disqualification. Once again Gabriel hangs on as long as he can, then lets go and he gets a harsh verbal warning from the ref. Gabriel brushes him aside and he drags Stormm to the middle of the ring. Gabriel lands an elbow drop on Stormm’s stomach and he covers.
The referee: One….
Two….
Thr... Kickout.
Jerry Andrews: Although he has taken quite a bit of punishment, Stormm is not out of it yet!
Gabriel gets up and he talks even more trash to Stormm, calling him a sinner and an unbeliever. Gabriel picks Stormm up and he whips him into the ropes. Stormm ducks a clothesline and he stops dead in his tracks behind Gabriel. Gabriel turns around and he gets clocked by a superkick. Stormm falls to the mat and both men are down. Stormm, though winded, does recover first, and he makes a that's it type gesture and then walks over Gabriel, strapping on a modified half nelson crossface lock. With his free left arm he places it around the front of wrestler's face and then uses his left hand to grab the forearm of wrestler's right arm that is caught in the half nelson.
Jerry Andrews: Oh, my! Eye of the Stormm is locked in!
Ace Anderson: You just know that Stormm has been looking for this. He wanted to rub salt in Gabriel's wounds with his opponents submissions, but he wants to make him feel the real hurt with his own.
Jerry Andrews: Gabriel is resisting with all of his might! He's doing all he can to pull to the ropes, clawing by fingertips alone.
Finally, with his free hand, Gabriel does grab on to the bottom rope, and Stormm relinquishes the hold relatively quickly. He goes and wrenches the arm while Gabriel is still in a limp position and twists it around. He pulls Gabriel back out. Stormm boots the arm as he pulls Gabriel up by it, kicking him in the armpit and clubbing him over the extended elbow. Gabriel groans and holds his arm at his side. Stormm grabs Gabriel from the back and picks him up, drilling him into the mat with an Inverted implant DDT.
Jerry Andrews: Hangcloud DDT connects!
Stormm covers.
The referee and the crowd: One...
Two...
Thr - Kickout.
Not allowing himself to fly off the handle, Stormm goes back and boots the arm of Gabriel again. He tries to pick Gabriel up. Gabriel goes for a punch, but it is blocked. Stormm lands one of his own that stuns Gabriel. Stormm goes for an Irish whip, but Gabriel grabs the ropes as he hits them. Gabriel grabs big lungfuls of air as he sees Stormm recuperating on the opposite end of the ring. Gabriel charges at Stormm but Stormm tucks a shoulder down and Gabriel goes flying over the ropes, and tumbles to the floor. Stormm takes a moment to catch his breath and assess his game plan. Outside, Gabriel gets to his feet. From the apron, Stormm gets a running start on one end of the apron and hops off, coming down with a double sledge into the aisle that smashes Gabriel down. Both men hit the floor but Gabriel definitely gets the worst of it. Both men are down and it takes a moment for them to respond. The referee starts counting them out. 1…… 2…… 3…… Stormm stands up and he gives Gabriel a very stiff kick to the ribs. Stormm lifts Gabriel to his feet and then he throws Gabriel back first into the steel steps. 4….. 5….. Stormm rolls under the bottom rope, then back in to break up the count. Stormm lifts Gabriel back to his feet and then he destroys Gabriel with a lifted reverse STO on the concrete floor.
Jerry Andrews: JESUS CHRIST!!
Ace Anderson: Now, we all know Notorious have their delusions of grandeur but Stormm isn't quite there... but on the other hand, he did murder Gabriel with that Flash Flood onto the concrete there.
Stormm is resting on the outside for a moment, and the referee pleads with them to get in the ring as he starts another 10-count. A winded Stormm is finally able to lift Gabriel up and roll him into the ring. Gabriel looks unconscious. Stormm stumbles, and holds himself up on the apron. Finally Stormm rolls into the ring, and slowly crawls over Gabriel for a pin.
Ace Anderson: Uhhh, Gabriel, you might wanna be saying a prayer or two right now, you need divine assistance...
The referee and the crowd: ONE...
TWO...
THRE... Gabriel gets his foot on the rope.
Jerry Andrews: Amazing ring awareness by Gabriel, you have to give him that.
Stormm flops back to the mat in disbelief. He begins asking the referee if it was three, but the referee assures him it was only a two-count. Stormm looks on in disappointment, and then he goes to pick Gabriel up, but Gabriel drop-toeholds him and quickly floats over into a Sharpshooter.
Ace Anderson: No way?!
Jerry Andrews: Was Gabriel just using a rope-a-dope strategy or is this a second wind?!
Stormm reaches out for the ropes and screams in pain. He can't quite grab the bottom rope. Gabriel tightens his hold on the move. Stormm is forced to bite down on his finger to withstand the pain. Gabriel yells for him to give up. the referee asks Stormm if he gives up, but he yells "NO!" Stormm tries crawling towards the ropes, but just as he gets within reach, Gabriel walks him back out to the middle of the ring and sits back on the move, increasing the pressure. Stormm yells and screams, contorting his arms. He begins holding his hand over the mat, and it looks as if he may tap out.
Jerry Andrews: Stormm is holding on with all he has!
Stormm begins his crawl back towards the ropes, and after a long crawl, he makes it to the bottom rope, his hand shooting out and gripping it. He hangs on for dear life. the referee tells Gabriel to break the hold and he does, and he immediately begins stomping on Stormm's lower back. the referee tells Gabriel to back off, and the two get into an arguement. Gabriel tells the referee to watch his tongue, threatening him, and then he turns back to Stormm. He lifts Stormm up, planting him with a second front facelock cutter.
Jerry Andrews: Gabriel is bound and determined to make Stormm BELIEVE tonight!
Gabriel hooks the leg for the cover.
The referee and the crowd: ONE...
TWO...
THRE... Kickout.
Gabriel shouts and kneels, holding his arms out in a supplicating "WHY GOD" position and shouting "NO! I HAD HIM!" Gritting his teeth, Gabriel gets to his feet in one smooth motion lifts Stormm up to his feet again, lacing in some Half-Hatch knee strikes and backing him to the ropes. He whips Stormm off the rope, and as Stormm returns Gabriel plants him with a textboox standing dropkick to the sternum. Stormm goes flying back. Gabriel paces over, clubbing Stormm over the back, and he plants him with an STO backbreaker. Stormm contorts around, holding his wounded back. Gabriel paces around angrily, but rather than go for the cover, he looks at the turnbuckle with a smile. He begins climbing up to the top, and as he gets up he sets himself. Stormm is getting to his feet, and Gabriel is setting up on the top turnbuckle. Suddenly Stormm shoots forward with a right hand, knocking Gabriel down onto the turnbuckle in a seated position. Stormm jerks Gabriel from the top rope and flings him to the mat. He goes for the pin....
Jerry Andrews: Gabriel left his comfort zone, he tried something he never does to put Stormm down.
The referee and the crowd: ONE...
TWO....
THRE.... Gabriel kicks out.
Gabriel rolls to the outside before Stormm can even make another move. Stormm's hair is matted with sweat, and you know Johnny Vivacious is watching this with his heart leaping into his throat. Gabriel is down on the mat, and Stormm is trying to will his limbs to start working properly and get back in the game. Gabriel is crawling on all fours around the side of the ring. The referee is trying to keep track after everything that's happened. He finally spots Gabriel, who has made his way over to the timekeeper's area ringside. Gabriel, groggily and half out of his mind, shoves a random crew person out of the way and grabs for the steel chairs. He staggers around at ringside, trying to bring a steel chair towards the ring. The referee leans out, telling him nope, under no circumstances is anything like that happening. Gabriel is taking a long arc around the ring holding the chair.
Jerry Andrews: And again, after Gabriel has absorbed all of this punishment, he can only go out and try to bring in an equalizer.
Ace Anderson: This match has been surprisingly stripped down, just the two of them. No Club V, no followers of Seromine, and yet it has been wild and they've used every mental and psychological trick in the book.
Jerry Andrews: Does Justin Michaels want to win the North American title? I can't answer that for certain. But he does want to prove a point by removing a chief pillar in Seromine's empire and weakening Gabriel.
Gabriel tries getting in the ring with the chair, but the ref intercepts him. Gabriel has the chair in both hands, and it turns into a tug of war for a few moments and then Gabriel relinquishes the chair to the ref. The official turns his back to make sure that the chair is out of the ring, and while he does Gabriel kicks Stormm right in the crotch. Stormm's eyes fly open wide and his jaw slackens. He drops to both knees, holding his jewels.
Jerry Andrews: Oh come on!! That's pure lowest common denominator.
Ace Anderson: Gabriel's hidden bonus finisher right there, ask Kyle Shane!
Gabriel holds his hands out in a stigmata pose and shouts "Praise Seromine, amen", and then he lifts Stormm up, attempting to hook him in a headlock before kicking forward and smashing down with a headlock driver. However, Stormm spins out of it and grips the arm, coming behind Gabriel and locking in a half nelson before going right back to a half nelson crossface lock, bringing Gabriel down to the mat.
Jerry Andrews: Gabriel's going for the Word of the Lord - Michaels counters! And right back into the Eye of the Stormm!!
Ace Anderson: Gabriel is caught in a proverbial bear trap. Stormm is just wrenching that hold in.
Stormm screams out, "TAP!!" and there is a protracted moment of agony as he wrenches the hold in. Gabriel is too wounded, too weakened to pull himself to the ropes. His free arm stretches out, but he's a foot away, at least. His arm dangles out in free air, and as the crossface rips and tears, his muscles tense. His hand wavers over the mat as if he is just seconds away from tapping out. The referee asks Gabriel if he gives up. Gabriel stubbornly refuses, but he is weakening, his hand falling lower, and it looks like he might have to tap. However, Gabriel's hand points back up and he shakes his finger, no, no, no, and with a little surge of energy he begins to claw his way over and he wraps an arm around the bottom rope. The referee shouts at Stormm, and tells him he needs to relinquish it. Stormm, fed up with this, throws Gabriel's arm down and gets in the referee's face. The poor working man tells Stormm about the ropes and gives him his warning. Stormm shakes his head in attitude, and he brushes the referee off. He goes to lift Gabriel up, and he intends to end it with a setup for a suplex, but Gabriel boots the kneecap. Stormm falls to one knee. Gabriel just drops like a stone, unable to stand, still on one arm.
Jerry Andrews: Both of these men are just plain spent.
Ace Anderson: Gabriel has tried everything he can just to leave Collision Course with the North American title still in the camp of the believers.
Jerry Andrews: Well, I'm sure if he displeased Seromine there would be consequences.
Ace Anderson: I'm sure there's a refreshing cup of Kool Aid for him waiting no matter what happens.
Gabriel gives the kneeling Stormm a short DDT. Then, it's Gabriel's turn to lock in a double armbar, and he turns Stormm onto his stomach and then, moving slowly and laboriously, he is able to bridge over into a cattle mutilation. He screams out for Stormm to submit, and his head bobs with effort as he pulls both arms back tight. Arms generally aren't meant to be pulled that far back with any sort of comfort. Stormm is face down, but you can still hear his agonized moans. The referee asks him if he submits, but Stormm doesn't want to.
Jerry Andrews: And now Gabriel has Stormm Crucified. Both of his shoulders are pulled to the breaking point.
Ace Anderson: This was really more of a Roman thing, but, whatever, historical accuracy isn't needed.
Jerry Andrews: I'm sure it's named for the effect of the move, Ace.
Stormm tries moving his lower body since his arms and his head are pinned down by the bridge of Gabriel. He swivels his hips and kicks his legs, using his core and knees to scoot backwards and trying to feel for the ropes. Gabriel pulls the armbars in to a sharper angle, and Stormm yells out. Gabriel screams "Submit, sinner! Blasphemer! Charlatan!!" throwing epithets and dogmatic abuse with each twinge on the submission. Finally, Stormm's foot hooks over the bottom rope, and the referee notices it. The foot on the rope is enough for him to order a rope break. Gabriel lets go of the hold and reorients himself seated, looking up with disbelief and shock as the referee tells him about the ropes. Stormm is contorting on the mat, holding his arms and breathing heavily. Both men look completely wiped out. Gabriel picks himself to his feet, lifting the arm of Stormm and booting it. He then pulls Stormm up, attempting to lock in a cross arm breaker, but Stormm stands out of it and trips Gabriel to the mat. Stormm rests on one knee, shaking one of his arms to get a sense of feeling. Then he lifts Gabriel up and lays in a few elbow shots to the face. He backs them both to the ropes with a few more rights. Then he goes for an irish whip. Gabriel however short arms him in to a knee to the gut. Gabriel goes for his finisher again, but Stormm pulls him out and grips him for a rear naked choke. Gabriel flails his arms and resists being pulled down.
Jerry Andrews: Gabriel is fading!
Gabriel shoots forward into the ropes and as an effect, Stormm, over his shoulder, connects face first with the top rope as Gabriel goes underneath it. Stormm is pushed/thrown back, letting go of the hold. Gabriel smirks, and he charges at Stormm, but Stormm drop toe holds him and goes into the Eye of the Stormm for the third time. Now, they're in the center of the ring. Gabriel's eyes open up wide, and he holds his arm out for the rope, but it may as well be an ocean away. Stormm scoots him away regardless and tightens the half-nelson crossface.
Jerry Andrews: And for the third time, Gabriel is trapped. He has nowhere to go!
Ace Anderson: Gabriel, if you tap, your God or Messiah or what have you will be so displeased with you. Resist with all of your might!
Gabriel tries to hold on for as long as he can, but he can't resist the hold any longer. Gabriel taps. The referee immediately orders the bell rung, and Stormm slumps in relief.
Jerry Andrews: Michaels has done it! Michaels has beaten Gabriel!!
Ding Ding Ding
Sasha Greene: HERE IS YOUR WINNER... ANNNNND NEW!! PURE CLASS WRESTLING NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION... JUSTIN "STORMM" MICHAELS!!!
The crowd erupts into a fever pitch for the title change, as the referee comes over to hold Michael's hand up. Stormm is weak, barely able to stand, but he smirks. He rights himself and walks over, holding his arms up and making a title sign around his waist to Gabriel, who is cringing and near tears over by the ropes. Gabriel feels Stormm looming over him, and he gets to his feet with a hiss and a snarl.
Jerry Andrews: The former champion is beside himself, Gabriel looks like he's about to have a breakdown.
Stormm readies himself and he motions to Gabriel if he wants to fight, but with a curl of his lip, Gabriel shakes his head, thinking better of it. Gabriel drops down and rolls out of the ring, walking up the ramp, not taking his eyes off Stormm.
Jerry Andrews: There is a lot of bad blood here, and you know Notorious aren't done with Seromine or his followers yet.
Ace Anderson: Maybe not, but Justin Michaels just made himself a target by taking the North American title away from them.
Jerry Andrews: You get the sense that wasn't his primary objective here tonight, but I know it feels good for him to stick it to Seromine and further Notorious' agenda.
Winner: Justin "Stormm" Michaels via submission
Indeed, Stormm almost leaves the ring by himself, but then he turns back as if he was almost forgetting something. The referee is holding the North American title belt outstretched to him. Stormm takes a long lingering look at it, almost weighing his options, and then he sucks up his pride and picks the belt up, slinging it over his shoulder.
Jerry Andrews: New champion, and one hell of a match.
Ace Anderson: And, somehow, we're not done yet.
Jerry Andrews: The World Title is on the line and it's coming up next!
Ace Anderson: What a match that will be.
Jerry Andrews: Speaking of incredible moments, the next time we'll join you is for the Icey Awards special, happening live on December 21st. We're inviting you to check out the ballots online at PureClassWrestling.com and make your voice heard.
Ace Anderson: I have a feeling like one or two matches from tonight might be receiving nominations.
Jerry Andrews: And our upcoming main event could be one of them!
Ace Anderson: Seromine and Gabriel have been trying to make life hell for Kyle Shane over the last few months.
Jerry Andrews: And now he has his chance to get the ultimate revenge and take Seromine's title.
Sasha Greene: The following contest is scheduled for one fall and it is for the Pure Class Wrestling World Title!
The opening notes of "In The Morning And Amazing" by Circa Survive begins to play. The big screen shows shots of Kyle’s matches. Kyle Shane steps slowly out onto the stage. Kyle snaps the collar to his NCR Ranger duster upward. The distinctive voice of Anthony Green hits the bridge:
"And how could anyone
You are in my dreams
Half human, half machine
You with someone else that I have felt and seen
I cannot rest, or my consciousness contest
Looking right through the lens
From winter brings the spring again"
Kyle tilts his head back and holds his arms out, taking in the reception of the crowd.
Sasha Greene: Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts. He weighs two-hundred and eighteen pounds, KYLE SHANE!
For the PCW faithful that are just getting to know him, there is a modest show of respect, but the truly dedicated that have followed his career stir mightily. Some on the sides of the aisles even make a fanning bow motion as Kyle walks by. 1/2 the way down the aisle, Kyle pivots, holding his arms up to either side of him. He climbs onto the apron. Kyle balances on the ropes for a moment, points to himself and smirks, holding his arms out, and then he hops down, takes off his duster and stretches a few times to get ready.
Sasha Greene: and his opponent…
The pipe organ of “Be Still for the Presence of the Lord” echoes throughout the arena. As an angelic choir begins to sing the hymn, Seromine and his wife Destiny enter from around the ramp in an open carriage, horse-drawn buggy.
Sasha Greene: Being led to the ring by Destiny Willard, and hailing from Anaheim, California. He weighs two-hundred and forty pounds. The Pure Class Wrestling World Champion, SEROMINE!
He halts the clydesdales, then assists Destiny out of the ride. Secured around his waist is the Pure Class Wrestling World Title. Slowly, the pair makes their way down to the ring, stopping to “bless” some of those close to the barrier as a mixed reaction churns from the crowd.
The very moment Seromine puts his eyes on the ring, he’s forced to move Destiny to safety and have enough time to safely catch the speeding bullet that is Kyle Shane. If he doesn’t, there could be a serious injury to start things. Regardless of wrestler etiquette, Kyle strikes first with a lighting fast suicide dive through the ropes. It’s one that has the impact of a car crash and one that feels like a spear when it’s completed. The champion is flipped head over heels several times in the aisle. His hat and championship a few feet away from where his body stops.
Kyle is quick to his feet. Seromine is brought to his, finding himself being whipped from rail to rail. On the rebound, Kyle hooks him into a T-bone suplex position. It connects. Seromine writhes in pain after landing hard in the aisle. A concerned Destiny can only watch on in horror at her husband’s start, neutralized from participating by a watchful ref who must keep an eye on the action as well. But you know she’s already planning ahead.
The ultra focused Kyle Shane pays no mind to the outreached hands of ringside fans. Any other time he may high five some, but he can’t leave any openings here and lose focus of the grand prize. Regardless, he does hear his name being chanted. Seromine manages to get his jacket off before being thrown back into the ring. Kyle hops onto the apron, calls his shot, and comes off the top rope with a springboard missile dropkick! With both men now inside of the ring, the referee can officially call for the bell.
Pure Class Wrestling World Championship
Singles Match
Seromine (World ©) vs Kyle Shane
Referee: Joseph Buckland
Singles Match
Seromine (World ©) vs Kyle Shane
Referee: Joseph Buckland
DING!
DING!
DING!
Ace Anderson (yelling): Kyle Shane had the nerve to call OUR champion a cheat?! What do you think he just did there before things even got started??
Jerry Andrews: I believe that is called offense. Seromine wasn’t expecting it, so plus one to Kyle Shane for taking the early fight to him!
Kyle peppers Seromine with rapid fire kicks to the legs and sides. The Serpentine Sermonizer manages to capture the left foot of Kyle Shane, but leaves himself open to an enziguri. There is a loud crack to the back of the champion’s head and it has him down to his knees. Kyle glances at Destiny to take a note of where she is at ringside. She narrows her eyes at the challenger, but it’s ignored. Seromine is pulled onto his feet and sent to the corner. Kyle meets him with a sick dropkick to the kisser. Not allowing him a single second to breathe, Seromine is whipped to the opposite side where he meets the same feet a second time. He keeps himself upright using the ropes. Kyle leans him up and slices into his chest with stinging knife edge WOOOO chops! He goes for another whip. Seromine partially reverses it, but finds it being reversed on him. He bounces, but Kyle is there to mirror it. Before Seromine knows what is going on, he’s clotheslined over the top rope.
KYLE!
KYLE!
KYLE!
Feeding off the LOUD enthusiasm of the faithful, Kyle Shane takes one look at the fallen Seromine below. He doesn’t hesitate to execute a springboard plancha splash to keep him down. Seromine is forced into the fetal as the air is driven from his body. This time Kyle allows a few moments to tag some hands. He never takes his eyes off Seromine. Or his wife. Taking a page from Dominator, Kyle Shane keeps track of how much time he has before he needs to launch his next move of choice. He’s all business tonight, folks. In order for Kyle Shane to unlock the highest achievement, he needs to beat the final boss. The ultimate evil as Kyle would call him. Seromine begins pulling himself up. Kyle swiftly gets into the ring. On the return, he barrel rolls himself into a second suicide dive...WAIT! He turns it into a sudden tornado DDT, driving Seromine’s head into the mat with impact. He pops upright, looks to be on dream street, and then falls back over. The fans find humor and glee in the sight.
Jerry Andrews: Seromine has been taken completely out of this match! If this keeps up, Kyle Shane may win this with enough time for us to beat traffic.
Ace Anderson: I’m sure you would like that, wouldn’t you?
Jerry Andrews: I’d enter confessional just to admit it! Just like he’ll admit to feeling disappointed by Gabriel’s defeat earlier. So now Seromine has added pressure just to keep gold with their “team!”
Destiny Willard is seen slowly advancing around the ring, but puts on the “I’m just watching!” routine as the referee calls her out. Kyle himself puts his head on a swivel to where she is. She partially covers her face behind the ring post. Her fingers are tapping the steel. There is a devious feeling to her aura, but she’s accounted for. Seromine is grabbed by the hair. Kyle slides into the ring with him. He still has a handful of his long, brown locks. Seromine is leaned down. He’s put in position for a suplex. He nails a trio of them, finishing with a brainbuster. Kyle kips up to his feet, turns around and when then moment arises, drills Seromine in the teeth with EMBLEM HEARTLESS! Kyle floats over into a pin and nods his head with each count.
1!
2!
Kickout! The crowd’s enthusiasm takes a temporary slumber, but they were ready to explode with cheers. Kyle shakes off the initial disappointment. Seromine is brought up and doubled with a spinning back kick. Kyle hits those ropes at breakneck speed. He leaps but finds himself taking a midair spinning roundhouse kick just under his left ear. Kyle falls hard against the ropes. Seromine drops completely, the damage having taken it’s toll, leaving him incapable of following up with anything. Destiny moves over as close as she can get. She’s unable to touch her husband, but he hears her voice pleading with him to get up and “punish the heathen.” Seromine stirs. As does Kyle. The fresher challenger is up first. The champ is pulled onto his feet. He surprises Kyle Shane with a waist lock that is followed into a high angle German suplex. The landing has Kyle’s head and neck taking a rough landing. Seromine remains down, but is gaining some sort of awareness. Kyle favors his head more than anything.
Seromine attempts to shake off the cobwebs as he returns to his feet. He notices his fortune. Kyle is pulled out to the center of the ring, kept face down, and has his neck stomped on a total of eighteen times. Absolution Stomp! Or at least a play on it. The referee nearly gets shoved off as he attempts to get order restored. He’s right there to issue a warning to Seromine’s face. The champion dares him to issue a disqualification. No such thing actually happens. Seromine knees Kyle across his face after standing him on his knees. With him prone, he uses elbow strikes to the neck, making sure to put as much force behind them for added viciousness. Kyle is torqued into a front face lock. He becomes the proud owner of a swinging neckbreaker. Seromine is not satisfied. He drops Kyle with a second one, but going to the opposite way. He fakes like he’s stopping there. The third (and last) is the standing variety, but with a leap into a split legged position, pulling Kyle further down than normal. Kyle wraps his hands on the back of his neck. He’s heard gritting f-bombs as he kicks the mat. Seromine menacingly forces his forearm across Kyle’s face as he goes for a quick pin of his own.
1!
2!
Kyle Shane kicks the heck out of that. Seromine sits up and laughs. He looks towards Destiny, who is enjoying every second of pain that Kyle is in. Seromine brings Kyle up and scores with a short arm drop toe hold near the ropes. He’s back up and leading the referee to the opposite side of the ring, complaining about some unflattering remarks fans in the front are making. Behind their backs, Destiny finally sees her chance. She strangles Kyle on the middle rope. The long legged beauty arches her left leg as she stands on the floor, pushing his windpipe down. The fans are rabid. Destiny hooks the top rope and in short bursts, leaps partially in the air to put her right knee into the face of Kyle, WHILE keeping him trapped on the rope. The referee finally buys himself a clue and breaks free from the manipulative World Champion. He turns around to see Destiny where she was prior. He also sees that Kyle Shane looks more in trouble than before.
She smiles brightly as a halo is traced around her head.
Seromine cranks his neck. He aggressively pulls Kyle up. The God of Game surprises the champion with a flurry of punches to the gut. Seromine responds in kind with a gouge. Then follows it with a brainbuster and a gator roll. Seromine positions his feet on the ropes to apply pressure on the hold, squeezing down on Kyle’s neck.
Jerry Andrews: Seromine is showing that despite being a so-called “man of god,” he’s not above throwing the rules out the window. Kyle Shane knew he would have to account for the wicked witch of the west and…
Ace Anderson (interrupting): I’d be careful of talking about her that way, Jerry.
Jerry Andrews (defiantly): Or what? She should have been sent to the back. I’m sure catering has a television she can watch---
Destiny has actually heard the remarks and is right there with an evil smile to confront Jerry. Back in the ring, Seromine is worked up to his feet. Kyle fights through everything as he drives Seromine backwards into the corner. Kyle tries to free himself a second time. It works. He stands up as fast as he can to unload combination strikes. Seromine, caught by surprise, is Irish whipped. He reverses this. Seromine charges in. He’s caught in position for an exploder suplex, or as Kyle would call it, NUKA-WORLD! Seromine palm strikes Kyle along the bridge of his nose, watering his eyes. This allows Seromine to drop his base and connect with a trio of northern lights suplexes. The third of which is bridged for a cover.
1!
2!
Kyle kicks out! Seromine returns to his feet with Kyle in hand. He whips him again into the buckles. This time he finds success with a handspring back elbow. A tribute to the Great Muta! In tandem with the motion, Destiny was seen doing a cartwheel along the side of the ring the finish was to happen on. She’s quite proud of herself as Kyle is dropped with a bulldog. Seromine rolls over to his wife as they exchange a kiss between the middle and bottom rope. Aw. The self proclaimed ‘Lord and Savior’ rolls himself back over to Kyle. Seromine returns to his feet. He plants a foot on Kyle’s neck, stepping on it as he moves over him. Leaving Kyle in pain, Seromine steps out onto the apron. He clutches the top rope. Waiting.
In the midst of jeers from the faithful, an impatient Seromine times his leap with Kyle getting to his feet. He turns to see Seromine springboarding, looking for a CYANIDE PUNCH! SHORYUKEN counters that! The rising 180 degree turn uppercut flattens Seromine with enough force to propel him over the top rope and to the floor. Destiny frantically rushes to her husband’s side as she checks on him. Kyle remains down inside of the ring, but has FULL support of the faithful. He’s seen favoring his neck, but has the momentum back for the time being. Seromine remains down outside and not showing much signs of life. When action returns, Kyle meets Seromine at ringside to block shot after shot. A staggering pele kick sends him to the ring post. Kyle is about to raise his game another level. He gets a running start. Grabbing the ringpost, he swings around it with a tiger feint kick, sandwiching Seromine’s head and body against the steel post.
CROWD: OHHH!
Jerry Andrews: Kyle Shane just leveled his resilience up!
Seromine is spun back into the ring. Kyle, grabbing his neck, catches Destiny nearing his location. It stops her cold. The referee orders her to move away. Her patience with this guy is running out. Kyle jumps back into the ring as she charges (or at least pretends she’s going to). His laser focus is on the only person he has to beat to win the richest prize in the game. Seromine is met with a spinning back kick before he can assault the challenger. Kyle kicks him in the chest, launching him upright. Another spinning back kick. Another kick under him. Seromine finds himself short whipped into the ropes. Or not. He’s yanked into a modified Goddess White Sword! Kyle spins himself to his feet. He hits the ropes with a springboard. Middle. Top. Asai Moonsault! He drives his body into the midsection of Seromine! Kyle goes for the quick cover.
1!
2!
3!
NO—KICKOUT! Kyle’s jubilation is halted as the referee alerts him to the stoppage. Kyle was so close he (and everyone else) could taste it. The worried look on Destiny’s face tells the story. Kyle pulls Seromine up. There’s an Irish whip across the ring. He pops Seromine into the air. LIGHT ARROW!---NO! Seromine manages to time a counter before the strong kick hits his chest. He catches the leg, managing to spin his body through with a dragon leg whip. Kyle’s knee violently twists, jerking his body around awkwardly. Seromine fights through his hurting body. He gets Kyle into a surfboard...then adds in a dragon sleeper. THE RAPTURE! Seromine has his submission hold locked in tight. Destiny, with wide eyed cheer, yells for Kyle to TAP. It’s actually got a few added words in there, but they don’t bear repeating. The referee is there to check for any signs of quit. Kyle can be heard screaming in pain. His hand is in the air.
LET’S GO KYLE, LET’S GO!
The faithful clap their way through the chant, hoping to help their chosen hero out of this predicament. It looks like he...just...might...tap. HE DOES---
–-N’T!
Kyle absolutely refuses to give in. Not now. Not ever. Seromine realizes he’s losing ground. So, he relinquishes Kyle from his binds. But he’s none too happy about it. Kyle is ripped from the canvas. Seromine measures him for a European uppercut! Kyle is dropped to a knee. He pops up and throws one of his own. Seromine is spun around. He returns with a discus lariat, knocking Kyle for a loop with impact. Seromine folds Kyle back and grabs a handful of tights for good measure as he goes for a pin.
1!
2!
3!
WAIT! The referee catches the underhanded tactic. He stops his count to challenge Seromine about it. Seromine, enraged, goes face to face (somewhat. He’s got the height advantage) with the referee. An argument ensues. Destiny watches this take place, but soon turns her focus to Kyle. Then back to the argument. Seromine shoves the referee. He PUSHES back! Kyle trips him up! He bridges his body over the legs of Seromine, trapping them by his head! The fans count along!
1!
2!
KICKOUT!
Well, rope grab would be more accurate. Kyle moves off. Destiny pulls her husband out of the ring from under the bottom rope. She whispers something in his ear as he puts an arm around her. She’s leading him towards the locker room!
Jerry Andrews: What the hell is this?! Seromine is growing feathers and a beak right before our very eyes. Kyle Shane has him where he wants him, and he decides to turn chicken!
Ace Anderson: Seromine doesn’t HAVE to beat Kyle Shane. This is a smart, old school tactic by OUR champion!
Jerry Andrews: He’s not MY champion! And he’s about to rob Kyle Shane from becoming one.
The husband and wife could care less about the loss, the boos, or anyone in the ring. The count has reached five. Kyle is not going to let this happen. He’s out of the ring and in pursuit as fast as his body will allow him. Seromine is actually moved to the side as Destiny senses danger. She spins around and sprays POISON MIST! Kyle barrel rolls under this, landing in front of her husband. He is quick to grab Seromine, leading him back into the ring by the count of eight. Destiny is seen in the background power walking back to the ringside area. Seromine is hit with a single knee facebuster, staggering him to the corner. Kyle leaps onto the middle rope. He pushes Seromine’s head back.
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
The tenth is a leaping bionic elbow. Kyle lands back on the middle rope. Hurricanrana! Kyle rolls over for a pin!
1!
2!
3!
NO! NO! NO! Seromine BARELY gets a shoulder off the mat. Kyle slaps the mat in frustration. He picks Seromine up and backs him against the ropes. Kyle sneaks in a single knife edge chop for good measure. There’s an Irish whip. Seromine reverses. Kyle shoots across the ring...SUICIDE DIVE INTO DESTINY WILLARD! THAT draws molten cheers from the faithful.
Jerry Andrews: OHHHH! I don’t think you’re in Anaheim anymore, Mrs. Willard!
Kyle jumps to his feet, nodding in approval with fans as he slaps hands. Destiny is flattened in the aisle. Kyle returns his focus back on Seromine. He leaps onto the apron. Seromine is caught with a shoulder thrust between the ropes. He clutches his gut while staggering back. Kyle leaps off with a springboard clothesline. Seromine catches him! How is anyone’s guess, but he halts the flying challenger. A swift knee to the midsection. Kyle is pushed upright and pulled into a short-arm clothesline…
KYLE COUNTERS INTO OLD WORLD BLUES!!
Seromine is facing the ropes. He has a bird’s eye view of his wife, whom is barely getting up to her feet. Seromine has his right arm and shoulder trapped in stretching crossface. Kyle can feel the moment is here. He cranks down with all that he’s got in him to force a submission victory. Seromine frantically fights with all that he has to NOT tap out. The fans encourage him to do so. The referee is there just in case. Seromine tries to wiggle free, but is finding no luck. His arm is in the air!
Ace Anderson: Don’t do it, Seromine!
Jerry Andrews: Kyle Shane is about to throw Seromine off his perch and restore some honor to the World Championship! Putting ‘Class’ back into Pure Class!
Seromine shuts the doubter down. He muscles Kyle just enough to rake his eyes. This forces a break of the hold. Seromine rolls out of the ring, albeit slowly, as he cradles his right arm. He writhes in pain while joining his wife, who explains to him what happened to her. Kyle Shane recovers in the ring. He soon exits, but is BLASTED with a savate kick as he gets between the ropes. He falls sideways, stopping on the apron. Seromine falls to a knee as he searches for some oxygen. These two men have beaten the hell out of each other and are making sure it all gets left on the table.
Seromine rolls himself under the ropes. He drags Kyle Shane to the middle of the ring. Seromine slowly steps onto the apron. He climbs to the top. Get your cameras ready, because it’s FIVE-STAR FROG SPLASH TIME! Seromine has chosen to go back to his Anarchist roots with the finisher. It HITS! Seromine falls over Kyle for the cover.
1!
2!
3!
The referee calls for the MATCH TO CONTINUE! Kyle BARELY (half second barely) gets his arm off the mat. Destiny looks like she wants to pass out from the stress. Seromine sits up in disbelief. He begins to work some feeling back into his right arm. The fans try to will Kyle to life. Frustration has set in for the World Champion. He finds a second wind. Kyle is peeled off the canvas and pulled into a short-arm clothesline. Kyle ducks under it! He shoves Seromine into the ropes. The champion rebounds into VATS!!! Kyle hits his finishing move with such an impact that Seromine probably feels like Buddy Revell when Jerry Mitchell hit him with brass knuckles in Three O’ Clock High. Then champion’s eyes roll back and he hits the mat with a thud. As if it took every last ounce of energy from the challenger, Kyle falls on top of him. The ref is there! Here we go!
1!
2!
3!!!
WAIT! Destiny slyly sticks her husband’s foot on ropes, and she’s all too eager to alert the referee right as he is about to call for the bell. The ruckus crowd melts into angry mob. The referee checks on this sudden development. The win is waved off. Destiny exhales for the time being. She slaps the mat in trying to rally her hubby back up. Kyle now has to find something extra because he, like Seromine, is out. His hands are placed on his head as he was super close to capturing the World Title.
Jerry Andrews: If not for that thieving bitch, Kyle Shane would have won this match! And everyone here knows it!
Ace Anderson: Well if Kyle was as smart as he thinks, if he is such an ultimate gamer, then perhaps he should have pulled Seromine away from the ropes!
Kyle is winded, barely able to stand, but as he pushes himself up, he looks around at the crowd. Feeding off their energy, Kyle holds his arms out and tilts his head back and takes it in. Seromine IS pulled closer to the center. Kyle gains renewed speed and hops up to the top rope, points one finger to the sky to signal for ONE FOR MY BABY…
Jerry Andrews: DO IT KYLE! DO IT FOR ALL OF PURE CLASS WRESTLING!
Ace Anderson: ...(he’s in the middle of praying for a miracle)
Destiny climbs onto the apron. The referee is there to argue with her about getting down. She was about to get her husband disqualified, but the referee will have none of that. SHE’S SENT TO THE LOCKER ROOM! She defiantly protests this. So, Pure Class Wrestling security are forced to escort her to the back. Buoyed by that development, Kyle vaults himself HIGH in the air with an excellent leap. He flips off with an incredible height, beautiful rotation corkscrew shooting star press that comes down full force across the chest of Seromine. He can't do much more except roll over and cover Seromine, but his weakened arm shoots up in a triumphant fist, counting along with the ref as he counts!
1!
2!!
3!!!
Jerry Andrews (top of his lungs): YES! YES! YES! YES!
The referee calls for the bell. Kyle looks up in disbelief. LOUD chants of THANK YOU KYLE, THANK YOU are mixed in with his entrance music.
Sasha Greene: Here is the winner of the match, and NEW Pure Class Wrestling World Champion, Kyle Shane!
Every ounce of pain. Every drop of fatigue. It all melts away as he yells at the top of his lungs, "ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED!". Despite winning gold elsewhere, this title means the most to him.
Winner: Kyle Shane vis Pinfall
He called his shot yet again, channeled his inner Frank Sinatra and did it all his way by dethroning the resident preacher. His celebration is cut short however, as Gabriel runs down to the ring.
Jerry Andrews: Oh come on now!
Gabriel slides under the bottom rope and into the ring. Despite just having fought in a grueling match, Shane is ready for him with a series of stomps. He then pulls him up....
Jerry Andrews: VATS!!! Thanks for coming Gabriel!
Gabriel stumbles backwards and falls through the ropes to the outside, seemingly unconsious. Kyle Shane turns around and...
Ace Anderson: ASHES TO ASHES BY SEROMINE!
Jerry Andrews: This is ridiculous! How many sneak attacks is Kyle Shane going to have to deal with!?
Seromine stands over the new champion. Then, suddenly, someone in a hoodie jumps into the ring.
Ace Anderson: Wait... is that a fan? Someone just came out of the crowd and they're in the ring.
Jerry Andrews: Get the camera off them. No fan should ever enter a wrestling ring, no matter who is....
The mysterious intruder suddenly runs at Seromine and hits a slingblade!
Ace Anderson: WHAT!?
Jerry Andrews: Wait..... was that.... the Rip Tide???? Is that.......
BRENNA GORDON!!!
The hoodie comes off and the returning star is standing in the ring, looking down at the fallen Seromine. The crowd is on their feet. Kyle Shane slowly gets to his feet. He looks at Gordon. He looks at Seromine on the mat. He looks at Gabriel unconsious on the floor.
Ace Anderson: WHAT THE HELL IS BRENNA GORDON DOING BACK HERE!? OH MY GOD!
Brenna nods at Shane and slides out of the ring, disappearing back in the crowd. Kyle Shane, who still hasn't had the chance to celebrate his huge victory, looks over at the referee. Shane eagerly awaits being handed his newly won title...however....there seems to be an unexpected problem.
The referee doesn't have the title belt. Neither does the timekeeper.
Jerry Andrews: We seem to be having some technical issues here....
Ace Anderson: Where's the belt? Kyle Shane earned that title! Give him the belt!
Panic and pandemonium as officials rush down the ramp and around the ring. Absolutely everyone who may be anyone official is frantically searching under the commentators table, the ring, the ramp, the stage and finding nothing.
The PCW World Championship belt is gone.
Static cracks out of the speakers, feedback and then a low, chest-rattling hum. The PCWTron flickers, cutting the live feed of the search.
“NO TOR I OUS!”
And the crowd erupts. The screen continues to tease all in attendance as it flickers static, an area backstage, static, the loading dock, static, the parking lot, static and then it cuts off.
“SO NOTORIOUS!”
The buzz of the feedback gets louder and then, nothing. With everyone in the arena and around the ring, both Kyle Shane and Seromine are glued to the PCWTron.
“ahem…”
Two easily recognized laughs followed by the distinct sound of the flick of a Zippo lighter. The PCWTron reveals Justin “Stormm” Michaels on the right, his wrestling attire topped with an orange and white Santa hat. Johnny Vivacious, taking a long hard drag from the cigarette dangling in his mouth, his customary black gear topped with a red and black Santa hat.
Ace Anderson groans. “We should have known.”
Between the two, hanging from the raised trunk of Vivacious’ Vanquish, the PCW World Championship belt.
“Congratulations!” Stormm applauds.
Vivacious claps his fingertips against the inside of his elbow, “Yay, for you!”
“You may have won,” Stormm continues, “you very well may be the PCW World Champion.”
“But,” Vivacious butts in, “for those too broke to pay attention,” he continues, pointing at the championship belt, “something seems to be missing.”
While Vivacious examines the gold plates on the leather strap, checking his reflection, Stormm reaches into the trunk retrieving two cans of Montana spray paint. Handing one to his accomplice, both rattle the cans and pop the plastic tops off.
A mixture of encouragement and disappointment radiates from within the arena. They can hear it, feel it, and they feed off of the energy. A recently returned spark that PCW had been lacking for far too long.
“Since we crashed back onto the scene two months ago,” Stormm boasts, “attendance has reached capacity.”
“S R O, Bro.” Vivacious ads.
“The numbers rolling in from the network have skyrocketed,” Stormm presses on, “and for the first time in years, Pure Class Wrestling is actually...”
“...worth a shit!” Vivacious nods as he and Stormm share a fist bump with their empty hands.
“As far as this little beauty is concerned,” Stormm returns everyone’s attention to the World title, flicking it twice, “You can keep calling yourself Champion.”
“But,” Vivacious interjects, “so long as Notorious is here in PCW,” the tandem share a look, “this belt…”
“...belongs…” Stormm chimes in.
“...to US!” The two couldn’t be more in sync, despite the tension between the two of them a couple weeks ago on Trauma.
With their orange and red cans of paint, Stormm and Vivacious trade a turn spraying a large “N”, defacing the large center medallion and claiming the belt for themselves. They toss their cans out of view, rattling and clanging as they find the asphalt. Stormm loosens and drops the belt down into the trunk right before Vivacious slams it shut, putting an exclamation point on PCW’s most notorious heist.
“Happy holidays PCW, see you at the Iceys!” Another fist bump and the PCWTron cuts to static then the live feed returns to an entire arena, shocked and dumbfounded.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Jerry chimes in as Ace has already taken off his headset and made his way towards the backstage area, “I hate to say it, but we’ve run out of time!” He sounds as if he’s in as much shock as everyone else in attendance. “We’ll see you at the Icey Awards on December 21st!”
- CLICK -
2017 - Pure Class Wrestling
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