We're back, and ready to go right ahead with Part Three of Deck the Halls! We'll get right to the action this time, as "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath begins playing, bringing out David Wright Hubbard! The crowd boos loudly as he walks to the ring, muttering something to himself with a dark scowl on his face. We know he's looking forward to this match, to getting Lars Coverdale in the ring and delivering a severe beating in this Strap Match! These two have faced each other at every major event, in some form, since Gang Wars earlier this summer.
For those keeping score, Lars Coverdale has gone down in the records as the winner at Gang Wars, Survival of the Fittest, and Spontaneous Combustion, whereas David Wright Hubbard has defeated Lars Coverdale at Blood and Thunder, Horror Show, and This Friday in Florida. But you could also say that while he and his wife lost their meeting at Spontaneous Combustion, David Wright Hubbard certainly made an impact by destroying Lizzie Carter, hurting her so severely that she hasn't been seen since! And now, in this Strap Match, he's seeking to do damage to Lars Coverdale directly.
At the same time, though, we know Lars Coverdale's looking for revenge! And as "Scarface (Push It To The Limit)" by Paul Engemann begins playing over the arena sound system and the crowd cheers loudly, Lars Coverdale comes running out of the backstage entrance! He sprints to the ring and slides inside, then pops up and begins unloading on David Wright Hubbard with right hands! He backs him into a corner, but Harold Brusco grabs him and pulls him back, explaining that they need to be wearing the leather strap before the match can begin! Someone from the ring crew hands the strap inside, and Harold Brusco attaches it to Lars Coverdale's wrist, then takes the other end and attaches it to David Wright Hubbard's wrist as he stumbles out of the corner! And NOW he calls for the bell, and this match is underway!
Strap Match:
Lars Coverdale
vs.
David Wright Hubbard
Lars Coverdale rushes forward, determined to pick right back up where he started, but David Wright Hubbard catches him coming in with a big right hand of his own! Lars Coverdale staggers backwards into the ropes, and David Wright Hubbard grabs him by the hair and drives a knee into his midsection twice, then grabs the leather strap and wraps it around his neck! He's choking Lars Coverdale with it, and then he throws him out over the top rope by it, while keeping his grip on the strap! Lars Coverdale is being hung by the neck from the strap, and it's all perfectly legal, because there are no disqualifications in a Strap Match! This one will end by pinfall, submission, or time limit draw!
Lars Coverdale grips the strap around his neck with his hands and kicks and squirms, and after a few seconds he tumbles to the floor, breathing deeply. He takes a few deep breaths on his hands and knees, then starts to get up, but from inside the ring David Wright Hubbard takes a two-handed grip on the strap and jerks back sharply, pulling Lars Coverdale hard into the ring apron! The crowd boos, and Lars Coverdale arches his back and yells out in pain! Then David Wright Hubbard leans out over the ropes, grabs him by the hair, and pulls him up to the apron, but Lars Coverdale catches him with an elbow to the midsection! David Wright Hubbard's stunned, and Lars Coverdale recovers quickly, takes a deep grip on the strap, and wraps it around his opponent's neck, then jumps off of the apron, pulling David Wright Hubbard throat-first into the top rope by the strap!
David Wright Hubbard flops down on his back, clutching his throat, and Lars Coverdale goes back up to the apron! David Wright Hubbard begins to stand, and Lars Coverdale leaps to the top rope, then springs off with a SPRINGBOARD DROPKICK!! David Wright Hubbard goes down hard, and the crowd cheers! He begins to get back up, but Lars Coverdale is up first, and when David Wright Hubbard gets to his hands and knees, Lars Coverdale draws back the strap and whips him hard across the back with it! David Wright Hubbard goes back down, roaring in pain, and Lars Coverdale whips him again with the strap, and again, wearing him out! The crowd cheers, and David Wright Hubbard crawls desperately to the ropes, then pulls himself up on them!
When he does, Lars Coverdale gives him a kick to the midsection, then whips him into the other side, but David Wright Hubbard reverses! Lars Coverdale comes off the other side, and David Wright Hubbard raises a foot for a big boot, but Lars Coverdale slides under it, comes up behind him, and nails him when he turns around with a big dropkick! David Wright Hubbard staggers back and nearly goes down, then regains his balance and charges, but Lars Coverdale brings him down with a drop-toe hold, then pops up to his feet, and dropkicks David Wright Hubbard square in the face as he starts to come up!
David Wright Hubbard goes back down, and Lars Coverdale crouches over him, hammering him with repeated right hands! After a few seconds, David Wright Hubbard shoves him off, then begins to stand up. But Lars Coverdale won't stay back, and he doubles David Wright Hubbard over with a kick to the midsection, then puts a foot over his head for the ROCKER DROPPER!! But David Wright Hubbard backdrops out of the attempt! Lars Coverdale flips in mid-air and lands on his feet, but David Wright Hubbard just whirls and cuts him down with a LARIAT!! The crowd boos, Lars Coverdale tumbles to the mat in a wrecked heap, and David Wright Hubbard yells out triumphantly!
Lars Coverdale's slow to get up, so David Wright Hubbard grabs him with both hands and tosses him roughly into a corner of the ring, then begins hammering away at him with a series of big right hands! Lars Coverdale slumps back in the corner, and David Wright Hubbard stands back, chokes up on the strap, and gives it a hard pull, hauling Lars Coverdale out of the corner, and right into a BIG BOOT!! Lars Coverdale goes down hard again, and David Wright Hubbard drops an elbow on him, then covers! Harold Brusco counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Shoulder up at two after the first pin attempt of the match!
Lars Coverdale rolls over to his hands and knees, but when he starts to rise David Wright Hubbard wraps the leather strap around his throat, then sits down on his back in a strap-assisted camel clutch! He leans back, pulling the strap tight across his throat, and grins to himself as Lars Coverdale thrashes around in agony! Lars Coverdale struggles desperately, and with a supreme effort he manages to get his feet under himself and actually begin to stand under the two hundred and seventy-plus pounds of David Wright Hubbard! He gets to his feet, lifts David Wright Hubbard up, and falls back down on him with a huge crash! The crowd cheers loudly!
But now Lars Coverdale rolls off of David Wright Hubbard, and both men are down. Harold Brusco begins counting, and both men are slow to stir. Finally, at five, David Wright Hubbard is up first, and he pulls Lars Coverdale into a standing headscissors, but Lars counters it with a backdrop! David Wright Hubbard crashes to the canvas, and as he gets up, Lars Coverdale runs into the ropes, and comes off to nail him with a dropkick! David Wright Hubbard staggers back into the ropes, then spills out over the top rope and tumbles to the floor! The crowd cheers wildly!
But as he gets up on the floor, he chokes up on the leather strap, and as Lars Coverdale goes over to the ropes, he gives it a sharp tug! Lars Coverdale is pulled out over the top rope to go crashing to the apron, then down to the floor as well! He starts getting up, but David Wright Hubbard chokes up on the strap further and pulls him forward into a big kneelift! That doubles Lars over, and David Wright Hubbard takes a handful of his wild blond hair and takes him head-first into the steel ringsteps! Lars Coverdale goes down in a heap, and David Wright Hubbard reaches under the ring, rummaging for some foreign object!
After several seconds, he pulls out a wooden table. He sets it up perpendicular to the ring apron, then hauls Lars Coverdale to his feet, takes him head-first into the apron for good measure, and rolls him onto the apron, near the table! And then David Wright Hubbard gets up on the apron and begins climbing the turnbuckles! We've seen this before; when Lars Coverdale stands, David Wright Hubbard's going to leap on him with the Flying Cross Bodypress and knock him backwards so he falls through that table! Lars Coverdale starts to get up, but then he immediately realizes what's coming and gets off of the apron, then takes a deep grip on the strap and gives it a forceful tug! David Wright Hubbard is pulled forward off of the top turnbuckle, and he CRASHES DOWN THROUGH THE TABLE ON THE FLOOR!! The crowd goes CRAZY!!
But Lars Coverdale's not content to let him lie in the wreckage! He crouches over David Wright Hubbard and opens up on him with an unrelenting series of right hands to the face! When he finally stops, it's to grab a jagged, splintered piece of wood, which he brings down on David Wright Hubbard's forehead, grinding it in against his flesh! The camera pulls away abruptly, and when David Wright Hubbard begins to stand again, he's bleeding profusely from the forehead! Lars Coverdale knees him in the midsection, then rolls him back into the ring and climbs in after him!
David Wright Hubbard begins standing up, but he's hurting and disoriented! This could be Lars Coverdale's big chance to put him away! He's doubled over as he stands, and Lars Coverdale comes forward and drives his bloody face back into the canvas with the ROCKER DROPPER!! The crowd cheers, and then Lars Coverdale goes over to a corner and brings his foot down with a resounding STOMP! And he stomps again, and again, with a distinctive rhythm, calling for the superkick! David Wright Hubbard pulls himself to his feet, and Lars Coverdale measures him, then steps forward and snaps off a SUPERKICK!! But David Wright Hubbard dodges out of the way, then rushes forward and cuts him down abruptly with a huge LARIAT!! The crowd boos loudly!
David Wright Hubbard smiles maliciously, then hauls Lars Coverdale up and pulls him into a standing headscissors. He lifts him up, then DRIVES him down to the canvas with a POWER BOMB!! That could very well do it! David Wright Hubbard covers Lars Coverdale, and Harold Brusco counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THR... KICKOUT AT TWO AND THREE-QUARTERS!! David Wright Hubbard gives Harold Brusco an outraged sneer and holds up three fingers, but that wasn't quite a three-count!
Angered, David Wright Hubbard hauls Lars Coverdale's half-limp body up and sets him on the top turnbuckle, facing the crowd, then steps out after him and climbs up to the top! He pulls him into a standing headscissors, spending considerable time to muscle him into the right position while still keeping his balance, then bends down to lift for a top-rope power bomb, but Lars Coverdale counters with a TOP-ROPE BACKDROP!! David Wright Hubbard crashes to the canvas! And Lars Coverdale turns himself around at the top as David Wright Hubbard gets up, then leaps off at him and brings him down with a FLYING CROSS BODYPRESS!! He stays on him for the cover, and Harold Brusco counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THR... Kickout at two and three-quarters! David Wright Hubbard came less than half a second away from losing to his own finishing move!
Lars Coverdale starts to pull David Wright Hubbard up, but David Wright Hubbard cuts him off with a big right hand that staggers him back! David Wright Hubbard gets to his feet, and as Lars Coverdale gets his bearings, he charges in with a huge LARIAT!! But Lars Coverdale ducks, and when David Wright Hubbard turns around, he floors him with a SUPERKICK!! The crowd gives a huge round of cheers, and Lars Coverdale goes for the pin! Harold Brusco counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THR... Shoulder up!! He still couldn't quite get him!
But now Lars Coverdale's stepping out to the apron! David Wright Hubbard's nearly beat, and Lars Coverdale could be going for the Frog Splash to finish him off! But now someone's coming out of the backstage entrance! Oh, no, it's Michelle Hubbard! She runs to the ring, jumps up on the apron, and begins yelling at Lars Coverdale, causing him to lose his focus! He turns and shouts something back to her and tries to kick her away with one foot, but now David Wright Hubbard's up, and he grabs the strap and gives it a hard jerk! Lars Coverdale is pulled off of the top turnbuckle, and David Wright Hubbard just MURDERS him on the way down with a HUGE LARIAT!! Lars Coverdale is swatted out of the air like a bug, and David Wright Hubbard quickly covers and hooks a leg! Harold Brusco counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THREE!! David Wright Hubbard pulls out the victory after Michelle Hubbard distracts Lars Coverdale!
Strap Match:
David Wright Hubbard pinned Lars Coverdale after a lariat in 0:11:46.
Rating: *** 1/4
The crowd boos, and David Wright Hubbard unhooks the strap from his wrist, stands up, and raises his hands high as he bellows in victory! Michelle Hubbard comes into the ring as well, carrying a microphone, and she puts her arm around David Wright Hubbard's waist, then kisses him on the cheek and hands him the microphone. He scowls at the loudly booing crowd, then raises the microphone...
D.W. Hubbard: In case you didn't get a good look just now, Lars Coverdale just got his ass whipped!
The crowd boos loudly.
D.W. Hubbard: But I ain't done whipping that man's ass yet. I'm gonna keep whipping his ass all night until I've had my satisfaction! Basically, before it's all said and done, I'm gonna make that man humble!!
David Wright Hubbard unhooks the other end of the strap from Lars Coverdale's wrist as he starts to get up to his hands and knees, then draws back and gives him a hard kick to the ribs. Lars Coverdale falls back down to the canvas, and David Wright Hubbard doubles up the strap, draws it back, and just LAYS INTO Lars Coverdale with it, whipping him right across the back!
The crowd boos loudly, and David Wright Hubbard draws back the strap again, and he whips Lars Coverdale with it again and again, laying into him with repeated, fierce blows from the leather strap! After several of these vicious lashings, Lars Coverdale is finally able to roll out of the ring to a heap on the floor, and David Wright Hubbard throws the strap out after him, then raises his fists high in the air and bellows loudly again.
Thanks to a timely distraction by Michelle Hubbard, Lars Coverdale has been defeated by David Wright Hubbard yet again. David Wright Hubbard scowls down at his beaten body, then leaves the ring and stalks backstage, with his wife at his side. Several seconds later, trainers come out for the battered Lars Coverdale and help him to make his way backstage also. Will Lars Coverdale take this loss lying down, or will this only drive him to further lengths to avenge the injuries he's suffered from David Wright Hubbard?
We're going to go straight through to our next match now. "Perfect Strangers" by Dream Theater begins playing over the arena sound system, and the crowd boos loudly as Lance Errington comes out of the backstage entrance, accompanied by Derek Cole. He opens his black and silver robe to show off his well-defined body and the VCW Intercontinental Title around his waist, then twirls around at the top of the ramp and begins walking down the aisle. He's scheduled to face Troy Black in this match, with the VCW Intercontinental Title and much more on the line, but after the chilling confession we overheard him make earlier, we have to wonder if that will even be possible!
Lance Errington steps into the ring and takes off his robe, then hands that aside to Derek Cole. He takes a moment longer to remove the VCW Intercontinental Title belt, and he looks into that for a second, then hands it to Derek Cole also. Then he leans back against the ropes as the fanfare for his entrance dies down, awaiting his opponent.
And now "For Whom The Bell Tolls" by Metallica begins playing, and the crowd goes CRAZY as Troy Black comes out of the backstage entrance! He wastes no time in charging to the ring at a full sprint, then slides inside! Lance Errington takes a swing at him, but Troy Black ducks, then knocks him off his feet with a THROAT JAB!! Lance Errington goes down, then gets back up, clutching his throat and gagging, and Troy Black backs into the ropes, then comes off and takes him down with a spear!! He crawls on top of Lance Errington and begins beating the hell out of him with right hands as Bobcat McGavin calls for the bell to begin the match!
For the VCW Intercontinental Title
Lance Errington (c)
w/Derek Cole
vs.
Troy Black
Troy Black stays on top of Lance Errington and keeps punching him in the face in a furious frenzy, until finally Bobcat McGavin grabs him by the hair and pulls him off! Troy Black turns to Bobcat McGavin, then gives him such an angry shout that Bobcat actually backs off a few steps! Lance Errington gets up, but Troy Black kicks him in the midsection and whips him to the ropes! No, Lance Errington reverses it, and Troy Black comes off the ropes! Lance Errington goes for a clothesline, but Troy Black ducks under it, runs into the ropes on the other side, and then comes off and leaps at Lance Errington with a LEAPING CLOTHESLINE that knocks him off his feet! The crowd goes crazy!!
Lance Errington starts to get up, but Troy Black immediately cuts him off with a kick to the midsection, then whips him into a corner of the ring! Lance Errington hits the turnbuckles back-first, then staggers out, and Troy Black flings him to the mat with a backdrop! Lance Errington begins to get up again, but Troy Black clobbers him with a series of right hands! Lance Errington absorbs them and takes a swing in retaliation, but Troy Black ducks, hits him in the midsection, then blocks a second swing, and drops him with a big THROAT JAB!! Lance Errington goes down, then gets back up, and Troy Black grabs him by the hair and takes him head-first into one of the top turnbuckles! Lance Errington flops back down into the ring, and the crowd cheers loudly again!
Lance Errington gets up to his knees, but Troy Black hauls him up by the hair, kicks him in the midsection, and pulls him into a front chancery! He lifts him for a vertical suplex and steps forward, but then drops him stomach-first on the top rope! Lance Errington hangs precariously on the rope for a second before he lands on his feet on the apron, and Troy Black runs forward and knocks him off the apron with a dropkick! Lance Errington crashes to the floor, and the crowd cheers wildly! And then he gets up, but Troy Black goes to the top turnbuckle and leaps out onto him with a FLYING CROSS BODYPRESS TO THE FLOOR!! Again, the crowd is electric for Troy Black!!
Both men are down for a few seconds, but Troy Black gets up first and hammers Lance Errington with a few more right hands to the forehead, then hops up on the apron. Lance Errington gets up and begins to stagger away, but Troy Black takes a running start down the apron, then leaps off and grabs his head on the way down to bring him down with a BULLDOG ON THE FLOOR!! The crowd gives another huge round of cheers, and Troy Black pulls Lance Errington up again by the hair, then knees him in the midsection and takes him head-first into the ring apron!
Lance Errington turns and staggers up the ramp, holding his head in his hands, and Troy Black rushes him from behind and clobbers him down to his hands and knees with a shot to the back! Lance Errington starts to get up, but Troy Black hooks him for a vertical suplex again, then lifts him and suplexes him on the steel ramp! Lance Errington writhes in pain, and Troy Black gets up, rolls back into the ring briefly to break the count, then goes out and grabs Lance Errington when he gets up. He kicks Lance Errington in the midsection, then whips him into the ring apron, causing him to arch his back in pain, and fall to his hands and knees! The crowd cheers, and Troy Black comes forward and knocks him over to his back with a nasty kick to the head, then stands on his throat while leaning on the apron for support.
Bobcat McGavin warns him to knock that off, so Troy Black hauls Lance Errington up by the hair, then rolls him back into the ring. Lance Errington begins to pull himself up, but Troy Black gets up on the apron, then goes up to the top turnbuckle! Lance Errington turns to face him, and turns right into a FLYING CLOTHESLINE!! Troy Black cuts Lance Errington down right in the middle of the ring, and then he goes for the cover! But no, instead of covering him, he's blatantly choking him! Bobcat McGavin admonishes him and begins a count, and Troy Black breaks just after four.
Lance Errington starts to get up, but when he does, he staggers forward right into a kick to the midsection! Troy Black hooks his arms, then brings him down with the DOUBLE ARM DDT!! The crowd goes wild, but Lance Errington rolls out of the ring before Troy Black can go for the Black Dagger, to a huge round of boos! Derek Cole begins helping Lance Errington to his feet, on the outside, but Troy Black rushes forward and slides into both of them with a BASEBALL SLIDE!! Derek Cole ends up smashed between Lance Errington and the guardrail, and Lance Errington goes down to his knees! He gets up and starts to regain his bearings, but by then Troy Black is up and holding the ropes, and he flings himself out onto him with a PESCADO BODYPRESS! Both men go down at ringside!!
Again, Troy Black is up first, and he hauls Lance Errington up, knees him in the midsection, and then whips him into the guardrail! Lance Errington hits the rail back-first and slumps against it, and then Troy Black runs at him, leaps into the air, and hits him with a spinning leg lariat while he's on the rail! Lance Errington is rocked back from the impact, and Troy Black actually tumbles over him, into the laps of several fans in the front row! They all reach out to touch him, but Troy Black ignores them as Lance Errington staggers out! Finally, Lance Errington turns around to face him, and Troy Black leaps up on the guardrail, then springs off to take him down on the floor with a SPRINGBOARD CLOTHESLINE!!
Again, Lance Errington is cut down, and Troy Black rolls him into the ring, then climbs in after him! He pulls Lance Errington up, kicks him in the midsection, and hooks his arms for the double arm DDT again, but this time Lance Errington quickly pulls free, then grabs Troy Black's legs, brings him down with a double-leg takedown, and falls backwards to slingshot him into the ropes! Troy Black lands chest-first on the ropes, then staggers back, and Lance Errington crawls up behind him and gives him a blatant LOW BLOW!! The crowd boos, and Bobcat McGavin threatens to disqualify Lance Errington, but Lance is too busy trying to shake off the effects of the abuse he's taken to even acknowledge the warning!
Lance Errington gets up, then staggers back into the ropes and leans against them, shaking his head. Slowly, Troy Black begins getting up, but he's facing the wrong way, and Lance Errington rushes forward and clobbers him in the back of the neck with a forearm shot! Troy Black goes down to his hands and knees, and Lance Errington crouches over him and hammers him again and again with shots to the back of the head and neck, attacking him like an enraged beast! Despite his strong showing early on, we have to remember that Troy Black suffered severe injuries from an attack before the show; if what he said earlier is to be believed, he shouldn't even be wrestling here tonight!
Finally, Bobcat McGavin demands that Lance Errington back off, and so he does. Troy Black begins to get up, but Lance Errington comes forward again and cuts him off with a kick to the midsection, then grabs his head and turns him around into a reverse neckbreaker! The crowd boos, and Lance Errington floats over for the cover in what is, surprisingly, the first pin attempt of this match! Bobcat McGavin counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... And Troy Black kicks out at two!
Lance Errington gets up and pulls Troy Black into a front chancery, then begins to lift, but Troy Black blocks it! He knees Lance Errington in the midsection, shoves him back, and then pivots and brings him down with a spin kick, to a renewed burst of cheers from the crowd! But Troy Black's holding his neck and grimacing now, and Lance Errington begins getting right back up. Troy Black charges with a clothesline, but Lance Errington ducks, then immediately pops up, reaches back, and grabs Troy Black's head to bring him down with another neckbreaker! The crowd boos, and Lance Errington sits up, smiling wearily to himself.
Lance Errington steps out to the apron and begins going to the top turnbuckle, and Troy Black slowly begins to get back up. He turns around, slowly, and Lance Errington comes off the top with a flying axhandle smash, but runs right into another spin kick! Lance Errington goes down hard, the crowd cheers, and Troy Black looks up, his green eyes shining with malice! Lance Errington begins to pull himself up again, but Troy Black hooks him from behind, lifts, and brings him crashing down with a big belly-to-back suplex!! The crowd cheers, and Lance Errington flops over in a heap!
Troy Black just roughly hauls Lance Errington up by the hair, then draws back and blasts him with a right hand to the face, sending him staggering back into a corner! Lance Errington slumps against the turnbuckles, and Troy Black grabs him and whips him to the opposite corner, but Lance Errington reverses it! It's Troy Black that runs back-first into the turnbuckles, and when he staggers out, Lance Errington desperately charges forward and knocks him down with a clothesline! The crowd boos, and Lance Errington drops as well, spent and exhausted, then rolls out of the ring to the floor!
Derek Cole comes over to console Lance Errington, but he just brushes him off, then crawls over to the timekeeper's table and grabs the VCW Intercontinental Title belt. He gives a dismissive, contempt-filled wave to the ring, then begins staggering up the ramp, clutching the title belt to his side! He's taking a walk on this match! After all that buildup, after all his claims of wanting to get at Troy Black so badly, Lance Errington can't take the heat, and now he's getting out of the kitchen! Derek Cole follows after him, saying something to him, but Lance Errington doesn't slow down in his pace!
But inside the ring, Troy Black's up from the clothesline, and he looks at Lance Errington's retreat in disgust, then slides out after him! He runs up the ramp to a roar of cheers from the crowd, then clobbers Lance Errington from behind at the top of the ramp, knocking him to his hands and knees! Derek Cole starts to come in to intervene, but Troy Black gives him a murderous stare, and he turns and runs all the way back to ringside rather than face Troy's wrath! Lance Errington starts to pull himself up, but Troy Black scoops him up, then bodyslams him down on the steel ramp! The crowd cheers gives another huge round of cheers!
Lance Errington's down, and Troy Black goes over to the ViolenTron, then begins climbing one of the beams at its side! Lance Errington pulls himself up, on shaky legs, and Troy Black climbs up to about seven feet off the ground, then leaps back at him with a MOONSAULT BODYPRESS!! But Lance Errington dodges out of the way, and TROY BLACK WIPES OUT ON THE STEEL RAMP!! The crowd goes into a hush as Troy Black cries out in pain, clutching his knee, and then a huge chant of "V-C-W!" begins among the crowd! Troy Black just moonsaulted onto an unforgiving steel surface, with nothing to catch him or break his fall!
Inside the ring, Bobcat McGavin's count is getting high, but Derek Cole, seeing the abrupt turnaround in the match, hops up on the apron and begins arguing with him to stop the count and let the match go! But while the argument's taking place, Lance Errington grabs the VCW Intercontinental Title belt! Troy Black starts getting up on the ramp, but he's barely able to stand on his right side, and Lance Errington draws the belt back and hits Troy Black right upside the head with it! Troy Black goes down in a heap, and Lance Errington drops the VCW Intercontinental Title belt! And Bobcat McGavin, arguing with Derek Cole, didn't see a damn thing!
Lance Errington grabs the motionless body of Troy Black, then pulls him up into a standing headscissors and hooks his arms! No, not on top of the ramp! Lance Errington's got Troy Black right where he wants him, and he gives him the SWAN SONG ON THE STEEL RAMP!! The crowd boos loudly, and Troy Black is left in a limp heap on the ramp! Things have certainly taken a drastic turn for the worse since Troy Black followed Lance Errington out here! And now Lance Errington scoops Troy Black up over one shoulder and begins carrying his limp body down the ramp! A shot of Troy Black's face shows that he's busted open and bleeding profusely after the Swan Song on the ramp, and now Lance Errington's going to take him back and finish him!
Lance Errington brings Troy Black down to ringside, but instead of throwing him back into the ring, he tosses him head-first into one of the steel ringposts!! Troy Black strikes the ringpost and glances off of it to crumple to the floor, leaving a bloody spot on the post, and Lance Errington rolls back into the ring to break the count (which had started over after Bobcat McGavin's argument with Derek Cole), then rolls back out! He grabs Troy Black, presses him up over his head in a Gorilla Press, and then drops him face-first onto the ring apron! Troy Black's head leaves another bloody splotch where it strikes the apron, and he falls to a limp heap on the floor again!
Finally, Lance Errington hauls him up again and rolls him into the ring, then climbs in after him. Troy Black's not moving, and Lance Errington crawls across him for the cover! Bobcat McGavin counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... And Troy Black throws a shoulder up at two and a half!! How the hell is he still in the match, after all he's suffered? Enraged, Lance Errington crouches over him, then begins hammering his bloodied face with repeated right hands! After several punches, Bobcat McGavin orders him to stop, and Lance Errington does so. Somehow, Troy Black begins trying to stand again, but his right knee is wobbling dangerously beneath his weight! Lance Errington sees that, and he stalks around behind him, then runs forward and kicks his leg out from under him, knocking him back down and earning boos from the crowd!
Lance Errington grabs Troy Black by the ankle and drags him over to the ropes, then props his ankle up on the middle rope and begins stomping and kicking at his exposed knee! Troy Black writhes in pain, and Lance Errington goes to straddle the leg, then leaps up and comes down butt-first across the knee joint! That brings an anguished howl from Troy Black, and Lance Errington grins in satsifaction as he watches him curl up on the mat, clutching his knee. He's already scrambled his brains and busted him wide open, and now Lance Errington's trying to take out his leg!
Lance Errington grabs Troy Black by the leg again and drags him back to the center of the ring, then steps around the leg, looking for a figure-four leglock! But Troy Black plants his free foot in Lance Errington's backside and shoves, launching him forward into a corner! Lance Errington turns and staggers out, then regains his composure and goes down to grab Troy Black by the hair, but Troy Black cuts him off with a fist to the midsection! Lance Errington's stunned, and Troy Black gives him another fist to the midsection, then fights his way up to his knees and gives him another! Then he gets to his feet and whips Lance Errington into the ropes, but Lance Errington reverses! Troy Black hobbles into the ropes, and comes right off into a SPINEBUSTER by Lance Errington!! The crowd boos loudly! Lance Errington crawls across Troy Black and covers, and Bobcat McGavin counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Shoulder up at two and a half by Troy!
Lance Errington scowls and looks around for a moment, then steps out to the apron and begins climbing the turnbuckles! He didn't have such great luck with the last high-risk move he attempted, but he's up yet again! Troy Black's down, and Lance Errington leaps off the top turnbuckle with a FLYING BODYPRESS!! We haven't seen him use that move before--and maybe there's a reason for that, because Troy Black gets his knees up, and Lance Errington lands stomach-first on them! Troy Black curls up on the mat immediately, grimacing and clutching his right knee, but Lance Errington's also doubled over, clutching his stomach!
Bobcat McGavin begins a count for them, and at four, Lance Errington's the first one up. He reaches down and scoops Troy Black up, perhaps for a bodyslam, but Troy Black slips out behind him! He lands on his feet with a pained grimace, but sucks it up when Lance Errington turns around, and he drops him with a THROAT JAB!! Lance Errington hits the canvas, clutching his throat, then starts to get back up, but Troy Black hammers him with a pair of right hands, then whips him into the ropes! Lance Errington comes off, and Troy Black grabs him, lifts with a painful effort, and drops him throat-first on the top rope with a Hotshot!!
Lance Errington starts getting up again, but Troy Black grits his teeth against his pain, kicks him in the midsection, and hooks his arms for the double arm DDT! But Lance Errington quickly pulls his arms free, doubles Troy Black over with a shot to the midsection, then turns and grabs his head and brings him down with an ACE CRUSHER!! The crowd boos, and Lance Errington rolls over onto Troy Black for the cover! Bobcat McGavin counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THR... KICKOUT!! Kickout at two and three-quarters by Troy Black!!
Lance Errington scowls, then grabs Troy Black and puts him up on the top turnbuckle in a corner. He climbs up after him, then begins to hook him for a superplex, but Troy Black gathers his strength and shoves Lance Errington off! Lance Errington falls backwards, and LANDS RIGHT ON BOBCAT MCGAVIN!! Bobcat goes down, and Lance Errington untangles himself and pulls himself up just in time for Troy Black to gain his footing on the top rope, then come off and cut him down with a FLYING CLOTHESLINE!! Lance Errington goes down in the middle of the ring!
Derek Cole gets up on the apron, shouting something at Troy Black, but Troy suddenly whirls on him and hits him with a THROAT JAB!! Derek Cole goes flying off the apron and crashes against the guardrail, and the crowd goes crazy! Lance Errington's up, and he comes from behind Troy Black, arms raised to strike with a double-axhandle blow, but Troy Black turns and catches him with a kick to the midsection, then hooks his arms and drops him with the DOUBLE ARM DDT!! The crowd erupts! Lance Errington's down, and Troy Black pushes his blood-soaked hair out of his eyes and grimaces in satisfaction! He knows he has a chance to put him away!
Troy Black turns Lance Errington over onto his back, then steps out to the apron and begins climbing the turnbuckles! At the top, he stops to take off his shirt, baring his pale, slender torso to a high-pitched cacaphony of shrieks from young girls in the crowd, then wipes his bloody face on the shirt and tosses it out into the crowd! He raises a fist high into the air, roars in triumph, and leaps off with the BLACK DAGGER!! But Lance Errington rolls out of the way! Troy Black's fist strikes the mat, and perhaps more importantly, his right knee hits not long after! Troy Black's down and in pain, and Lance Errington pulls himself to his feet, then pulls Troy Black up, kicks him in the midsection, and pulls him in a standing headscissors! He hooks his arms, and drops him with the SWAN SONG!! The crowd boos loudly!!
Lance Errington gets up, smiling around at the booing crowd, and his smile turns into a laugh! He probably has the damn match won, but Bobcat McGavin's still down, and he's just starting to move! In any case, Troy Black's down, and he's NOT starting to move... but then HE SITS UP!! The crowd explodes into cheers, and Lance Errington's eyes go wide as he looks at Troy Black with a breathless stare of horror! He shakes his head "no" and says something in disbelief, but Troy Black is actually getting to his feet! Fresh blood is pouring from his forehead anew and he can barely stand on one of his legs, but he's STILL getting back up! Lance Errington gave him the Swan Song, the strongest move in his arsenal, and he's just getting right back up!!
But hold on! Someone's coming out of the backstage entrance! It's MELISSA DELARMEGGIO!! The crowd gives a decidedly mixed round of cheers and boos for her, and she runs down the ramp, carrying a steel chair! Both Lance Errington and Troy Black turn to look at her, and she runs forward, leaps up on the apron, and throws the chair into the ring! It seems to be heading for Troy Black, and he reaches out to take it... but Lance Errington rushes him and knocks him out of the way with a shoulder tackle, then catches the chair in his place! Troy Black gets up, and Lance Errington just draws back and ANNIHILATES him with a skull-shattering chairshot! Blood flies off the chair to spatter over the canvas, and Lance Errington chucks the chair aside! Melissa DelArmeggio's staring into the ring, with an open-mouthed expression of horror on her face, and Lance Errington smiles, then goes over and plants a kiss on her wide open mouth!!
Melissa DelArmeggio drops off of the apron, still staring into the ring in horrified disbelief; it looks like she meant for Troy to be the one to catch and use that chair! Instead, Troy Black's down, and Lance Errington goes over to him, grabs his legs, and steps through to apply the SCORPION DEATHLOCK!! He could have probably covered him and won the match, except that Bobcat McGavin's just now starting to come around! Troy Black's locked in the Scorpion Deathlock, he doesn't have any energy left, and he's face-down in a pool of his own blood! Is there any way at all that he can escape now!?
Bobcat McGavin crawls over to Troy Black and begins asking him for a submission, but Troy Black just grits his teeth and shakes his head "no." He begins struggling, trying to crawl his way towards the ropes, but his hands just scrape against the mat uselessly! He doesn't have the strength left to drag himself to the ropes! Lance Errington has the Scorpion Deathlock locked on in the middle of the ring, and a grin of savage satisfaction spreads across his face as he leans back on the hold! Troy Black's going nowhere, and Lance Errington just keeps putting on the pressure!
On the outside, Melissa DelArmeggio's getting more and more distraught as she stares into the ring at Troy Black struggling in the hold. She yells out his name, and Troy Black looks up at her, then feebly reaches out with one hand, but he's three or four feet away from being able to touch the ropes, much less Melissa! After an anguished moment of indecision, Melissa looks at him and yells, "GIVE UP, TROY! FOR GOD'S SAKE, JUST GIVE UP!!" and Troy Black stares out at her, impossibly trying to extend his arm out the extra three or four feet to reach her! He stays frozen in that position for three or four seconds, and then finally wilts down to the canvas in a defeated heap and BEGINS TAPPING OUT!! Bobcat McGavin calls for the bell!! Lance Errington WINS!!
Lance Errington made Troy Black submit to the Scorpion Deathlock in 0:29:24.
Rating: ****
(Lance Errington retained the VCW Intercontinental Title.)
The crowd boos loudly, but despite the sound of the bell, Lance Errington keeps the Scorpion Deathlock applied and keeps leaning back on it! He won the damn match, and he's still not letting up! Lance Errington is going to take Troy Black out for the Unholy Alliance, just as Gabriel Black no doubt intended! But then Melissa DelArmeggio gets into the ring, and she grabs Lance Errington and pulls him off of Troy Black! He seems honestly confused that she'd pull him away, and she yells something at him that the cameras don't pick up apart from a snippet of "...JUST LEAVE HIM ALONE!"
Lance Errington takes a deep breath and steps back, and Melissa DelArmeggio kneels at Troy Black's side, putting a hand on his shoulder and saying something to him. She begins trying to help him off of the canvas, but he's nearly dead weight, and she's having trouble getting him up! Then Lance Errington comes over, puts his hand on Melissa's shoulder, and says something to her... and she slowly stands up from Troy Black's side. They exchange a few words, and then Lance Errington bends down and pulls Troy Black to his feet!
The crowd seems shocked, and even Melissa DelArmeggio looks over at Lance Errington in confusion. Troy Black staggers back into the ropes, barely able to stand, and Lance Errington points to Troy Black and says something, then offers him a handshake. Why in the world would he offer him a handshake now!? He attacked him with a damn wrench before the show! Has Melissa DelArmeggio said something to him to give him a change of heart, or is this another mind game by Lance Errington?
Troy Black just gives him a hate-filled stare in return, and Lance Errington shrugs and says something else, then goes to the opposite side of the ring and holds the ropes open for Melissa DelArmeggio. Melissa seems hesitant to leave, talking to Troy Black with a desperate look on her face, but he's just staring past her, staring a hole in Lance Errington! Finally, reluctantly, she turns and steps out through the open ropes offered by Lance Errington. Troy Black watches them leaving together, a stony expression on his face. Lance Errington is walking away from here the victor... but what role was Melissa DelArmeggio trying to play in all this? What's going on here?
After this brutal, hate-filled, and in the end somewhat puzzling meeting between Troy Black and Lance Errington, we have the Iron Man Match between Johnny Smiles and Gabriel Black. We know full well that if Gabriel has his way in that encounter, Johnny Smiles won't be able to leave the ring on his own two feet either. Johnny Smiles, on the other hand, will reclaim his chance to challenge for the VCW World Title at Wrestlewar, should he be victorious here tonight. The risks and rewards have never been higher, and we're going to go backstage with Ziggy Adderloaf to check in with Johnny Smiles before this huge match!
Backstage...
Ziggy Adderloaf is standing by with Johnny Smiles, who's dressed to wrestle. He seems ready, but he also looks a little bit jittery as he clenches and unclenches his fists and shifts his weight repeatedly.
Z. Adderloaf: Johnny Smiles, you're about to step into the ring for ONE HOUR with Gabriel Black in the Iron Man Match. Opinions differ strongly on what your odds are of winning this match, and even on what your odds are of surviving this match. But what is it that's on YOUR mind, seconds before this high-stakes match with Gabriel Black?
Johnny Smiles takes a deep breath.
J. Smiles: This is it. The pressure's high. Everyone's made it really clear to me that this is my last chance. In order to even have the POTENTIAL to reach the top, I have to go sixty minutes with Gabriel Black. And I know from experience that Gabriel Black IS what he says he is: the greatest professional wrestler of all time. I have to go sixty minutes against THAT, and somehow find a way to WIN. But, you know...
K. Collins: We're gonna find out if dreams really DO come true tonight.
Ken Collins walks onto the scene, also dressed to wrestle. He goes to stand close to Johnny Smiles, so they're nearly face-to-face.
K. Collins: This has been a rough night. Stacey got destroyed. Yuri got hurt. Lars took a hell of a beating. And now everybody's looking at us. We're all that's left before they turn out the lights and go home in this place tonight. Everybody's looking at us, and wondering, does the cloud really have a silver lining? Is there a calm anywhere in this storm? Was it worth it, all along, to believe in these guys?
J. Smiles: Yeah... I guess they are, aren't they?
K. Collins: Damn right they are. It's all up to us, now. EVERYTHING. The Unholy Alliance has been winning every match but one tonight, Stacey got her ass kicked, David Wright Hubbard just beat Lars half to death, and now there's just US. And there's two ways this could go. Wrestlewar could be ME and YOU, giving the fans what we know DAMN WELL would be the best match in VCW history, standing tall at the end of the night... or it could be Crimson tearing down the entire company before our eyes, while Gabriel Black picks through the pieces. In the next two matches, we're about to go out there and answer the question that THREE YEARS have been building up to: is VCW a place where dreams come true, or is it just a never-ending nightmare?
A smile slowly spreads across Johnny Smiles's face.
J. Smiles: I already know the answer to that question.
Ken Collins steps forward and gives Johnny Smiles a big hug.
K. Collins: So do I, Johnny. ... The people want a MIRACLE. Go out there and give 'em one.
Johnny Smiles turns takes a deep breath, swallows, and pats Ken Collins on the back, then steps back.
J. Smiles: I will. ... But it's your turn next.
Johnny Smiles turns and walks away, and Ziggy Adderloaf stares after him, speechless, as the camera fades out on the backstage scene.
We're back! And now "Denial" by Sevendust begins playing over the arena sound system, and the crowd gives a deafening round of boos as Gabriel Black comes out of the backstage entrance! He's alone, unaccompanied by Jasmina Chastity or Derek Cole, which gives our fans one small consolation: Johnny Smiles won't have to worry about outside interference. All he has to do is defeat Gabriel Black, one-on-one, in a sixty-minute Iron Man Match! But as Gabriel Black enters the ring and begins stretching to loosen up for the match, there's no doubt of his skill and prowess. He's the best of the best, he knows it damn well, and over sixty minutes you have to believe that his enormous technical skill advantage will favor him.
But now "Degenerated" by the Lone Rangers begins playing over the arena sound system, and Johnny Smiles steps out of the backstage entrance to a huge roar of cheers from the crowd! He begins jogging to the ring, touching the hands of his fans on the way! He's certainly been a thorn in Gabriel Black's side thus far; he resisted Gabriel's attempts to humiliate him in a public debate, survived their forty-minute confrontation at Spontaneous Combustion, then went on to cost Gabriel Black the VCW Television Title against Quinn Harper! Tonight, we'll see if he can score the biggest victory of all, the biggest victory, unquestioningly, of his career, and defeat Gabriel Black in this sixty-minute Iron Man Match. Johnny Smiles slides into the ring at the opposite side of Gabriel Black, then watches him closely. Jerry Rogers enters the ring and calls for the bell, and that'll get this match underway!
Iron Man Match:
Gabriel Black
vs.
Johnny Smiles
Slowly, the two men circle one another, and then they lock up in the middle. Gabriel Black grabs a headlock immediately and whips Johnny Smiles to the mat with a headlock takedown. He rolls Johnny Smiles's shoulders onto the mat, and Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... And at two, Johnny Smiles rolls his shoulders up again! But Gabriel Black rolls him back down into a pinning situation, and Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Again, at two, Johnny Smiles rolls a shoulder up! Gabriel Black's trying to establish a lead early here; no doubt he'd love to get a flash pin in the first few seconds, and with it a one-fall advantage so that he could focus on physically destroying Johnny Smiles without worrying about winning the match!
Johnny Smiles begins fighting his way up in the headlock, and the crowd gets behind him as he struggles to his feet! He gets up, grabs Gabriel Black around the waist, and lifts him for a belly-to-back suplex, but Gabriel Black flips out behind him, lands on his feet, and grabs a rear waistlock! But Johnny Smiles throws a back elbow, breaking the waistlock, then drops to his knees, reaches back, and flips Gabriel Black over with a fireman's carry! The crowd cheers loudly, and Johnny Smiles grabs a rear chinlock while Gabriel Black's on the mat!
Gabriel Black thrashes around for a second, then struggles to his feet! After a few seconds, he's on his feet, and he elbows Johnny Smiles in the midsection to stun him, then again, and a third elbow breaks the hold! Gabriel Black runs into the ropes, then comes off and knocks Johnny Smiles down with a clothesline! Johnny Smiles starts to get up, and Gabriel Black kicks him in the midsection, then grabs him and starts to turn him into position for a reverse neckbreaker, but Johnny Smiles pushes him away! Gabriel Black whirls around and rushes him, but Johnny Smiles takes him down with a drop toehold, then floats over and puts on an armbar submission!
The crowd cheers, and Gabriel Black grimaces in pain as Johnny Smiles applies pressure in the armbar! Gabriel Black struggles up to his knees, then gets to his feet, rolls forward to take off the pressure, then pops back to his feet and tries to lift Johnny Smiles in a rear gutwrench to the Destiny Driver position! But Johnny Smiles sees it coming and thrashes around desperately before Gabriel Black even lifts him very far, and Gabriel Black drops him! Johnny Smiles scrambles out of the ring on his hands and knees, and Gabriel Black watches him go, looking irritated but amused.
Johnny Smiles stares into the ring and takes a deep breath, and Gabriel Black just smiles, then goes over to the side of the ring and holds the ropes open for him! Johnny Smiles knows how close he came to taking the Destiny Driver, and he has to be wondering how he can possibly make it sixty minutes with Gabriel Black and still manage to come out in one piece. Gabriel Black leans down further on the ropes, holding them open for Johnny Smiles with mocking courtesy. Johnny Smiles slowly comes forward, but then he reaches in under the bottom rope, grabs Gabriel Black's leg, and trips him! The crowd cheers, Gabriel Black goes down, and Johnny Smiles pulls him out under the bottom rope to the floor, then draws back and drops him with a big right hand! The crowd goes wild!
Gabriel Black starts to get up, but Johnny Smiles kicks him in the midsection, then whips him into the steel guardrail! Gabriel Black collides with the rail back-first and staggers out, but runs right into a SUPERKICK!! It catches Gabriel Black right on the chin! He goes down on the floor, and the crowd cheers wildly! Johnny Smiles picks him up and rolls him back into the ring, then climbs in after him and drops an elbow on him! He goes for the cover, and Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two and a half by Gabriel Black!
Johnny Smiles pulls Gabriel Black up, then hoists him up on his shoulders in a fireman's carry lift, and the crowd goes electric! But Gabriel Black quickly struggles and slips out behind, then shoves Johnny Smiles forward into a corner! Johnny Smiles collides with the turnbuckles, turns around, and staggers out, and Gabriel Black whips him to the opposite corner! This time, Johnny Smiles hits the turnbuckles back-first and slumps in the corner, and Gabriel Black charges in after him! But Johnny Smiles gets his feet up into Gabriel Black's face, knocking him down! Johnny Smiles boosts himself up to the second turnbuckle, Gabriel Black gets up, and Johnny leaps off onto him with a cross bodypress from the second turnbuckle! Gabriel Black goes down, and Johnny Smiles stays on him for the cover! Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two and a half again!
Johnny Smiles gets to his feet and starts to pull Gabriel Black up, but Gabriel Black brings him down with a double-leg takedown, then crawls on top of him and begins choking him! Bobcat McGavin counts to four, and Gabriel Black releases the hold, then gets up and kicks Johnny Smiles in the side of the head when he sits up. Johnny Smiles goes down, rolls to the side, then gets up again, and Gabriel Black comes in with a kneelift, then slips behind him, grabs a waistlock, and brings him to the mat in a waistlock takedown. Johnny Smiles starts to get up, but Gabriel Black floats over him into a front facelock and rides him back down to the mat, to a chorus of boos from the crowd!
The crowd boos, and Johnny Smiles begins fighting his way up from that position. Gabriel Black used this move to wear down Johnny Smiles in their last encounter, and he's no doubt looking for the same effect here. Gabriel Black keeps on the pressure, grinding down on Johnny Smiles's neck, wearing him down. Realistically, the Destiny Driver's such a lethal move that this is hardly necessary; if Gabriel Black hits it, this match is over. But he wants to do more than score a few falls or even win the match; he wants to be SURE that it will do Johnny Smiles serious, lasting harm! He keeps the hold applied, cranking on Johnny Smiles's neck with all he can muster!
But the crowd begins stomping and clapping, and chanting "JOHNNY!" and Johnny Smiles begins to tremble with energy as he fights his way up! Despite the pressure applied by Gabriel Black, he gets to his knees, then to one knee, and then begins to slowly stand up on his feet! Johnny Smiles is getting up, but Gabriel Black quickly cuts him off with a knee, then hooks him in a front chancery! He lifts for a vertical suplex, but Johnny Smiles squirms as he goes up, slips out behind Gabriel Black, lands on his feet, and grabs a waistlock! He runs forward into the ropes with Gabriel Black, running him into the ropes chest-first, then rolls back with the momentum to bring him down in a rolling reverse cradle! Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two and a half! Gabriel Black used a vertical suplex out of the front facelock in their last encounter, and this time Johnny Smiles was ready for it and came half a count away from winning the match!
Gabriel Black regards Johnny Smiles with grudging respect as he gets up, and the two men square off and begin circling one another cautiously. Gabriel Black makes a few false starts towards Johnny Smiles, causing him to flinch in preparation for an oncoming attack, but Gabriel Black holds his distance and keeps stalking Johnny Smiles. Finally, the crowd begins to grow restless, and Johnny Smiles charges Gabriel Black, but runs right into an armdrag takedown! Gabriel Black keeps a hold on Johnny Smiles's arm and applies pressure in a kneeling arm grapevine, but Johnny Smiles thrashes around in pain and gets his feet in the ropes after just a few seconds!
Gabriel Black breaks the hold at two, smiling politely, but then as Johnny Smiles pulls himself up on the ropes, he runs forward suddenly and kicks him in the ribs! Johnny Smiles doubles over, and Gabriel Black grabs him by the hair, then runs to a corner with him and takes him HARD head-first into one of the turnbuckles! Johnny Smiles collapses backwards to the canvas, and Gabriel Black steps out to the apron. He goes up to the top turnbuckle as Johnny Smiles stands, and then comes off with a FLYING AXHANDLE!! But Johnny Smiles side-steps, then drives a fist into Gabriel Black's midsection on the way down! Gabriel doubles over, and Johnny Smiles hoists him on his shoulders in a fireman's carry lift, and the crowd has just enough time to realize what's happening and explode into deafening cheers before Johnny Smiles sends him crashing down with the SMILEDRIVER!! The crowd goes wild, Johnny Smiles covers, and Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THRE... SHOULDER UP!! Damn it, Gabriel Black got a shoulder up at two and nine-tenths! The match is still young, he hasn't taken that much punishment yet, and like him or hate him, Gabriel Black is one tough bastard!
Johnny Smiles looks up at Jerry Rogers, disappointed, and Gabriel Black wastes no time in cradling the back of his head in his arms and rolling out of the ring to the floor. Then Johnny Smiles seems to realize that he must strike while the iron is hot and capitalize on Gabriel Black's weakness after hitting that move, and he goes out after him to a burst of cheers! Gabriel Black gets up from the floor and turns to the approaching Johnny Smiles, but Johnny lashes out with a kick to the midsection! Gabriel Black doubles over, and Johnny Smiles kicks him in the midsection again, then again, then again! Doubled over, Gabriel Black hops up and back with each kick like a sick kangaroo, and Johnny Smiles kicks him again and again! After over a dozen such kicks, he finally grabs him by the hair and the back of his singlet, then takes a running start with him and flings him over the guardrail into the front row of fans!
A few fans start pounding on Gabriel Black with foam fingers as he gets up, and Johnny Smiles climbs over the guardrail and goes in after him! He hammers Gabriel Black with a right hand, sending him staggering through the crowd, then follows after him, kicks him in the midsection, and knocks him back into the lap of a long-bearded fellow with an uppercut! The bearded guy puts Gabriel Black in a headlock and starts giving him a noogie, and Gabriel Black pulls away, then angrily begins shouting at the man! But while he's thus distracted, Johnny Smiles grabs a cup of cola from one of his supporters! He takes a drink, and then when Gabriel Black turns around, he smashes it over his head, sending the cold, fizzy beverage flying everywhere!
Johnny Smiles grabs Gabriel Black, kicks him in the midsection again, and whips him towards the guardrail, but Gabriel Black reverses it! Johnny Smiles goes flying into the rail and strikes it back-first, and Gabriel Black charges in after him. But Johnny Smiles bends low when he comes in, then backdrops him over the rail and back into the ringside area! Johnny Smiles climbs back after him, then goes over to the ring, rolls inside, and stands up. Gabriel Black begins getting up as well, and he goes over to the apron, but Johnny Smiles runs forward and hits him with a baseball slide, knocking him back down to the floor to a burst of cheers from the crowd!
Johnny Smiles goes out after Gabriel Black again, and he clubs him with a few forearms to the back as he stands up, then scoops him up and bodyslams him on the thinly-padded floor. Gabriel Black is left down on the floor, and Johnny Smiles climbs up on the far end of the apron, then raises a fist in the air! The crowd cheers, and Johnny Smiles runs down the apron, then leaps off with a RUNNING ELBOWDROP FROM THE APRON!! But Gabriel Black gets his knees up, and Johnny Smiles lands on them and rolls off, clutching his ribs and groaning in pain, to a loud burst of boos from the crowd!
Jerry Rogers begins the count for both men, and Gabriel Black gets up first, then rolls into the ring to break the count, rolls back out, and pulls Johnny Smiles up. He scoops Johnny Smiles up and drops him face-first on the apron, then stomps and kicks at his fallen body as the crowd gives him a loud round of boos. A smile crosses Gabriel Black's face, and he turns around to taunt them, then hauls Johnny Smiles to his feet and knees him in the midsection! With a handful of Johnny's hair, he goes to the nearest ringpost, and then rams Johnny face-first into the steel! Johnny Smiles goes down hard, and Jerry Rogers admonishes Gabriel Black, but to no avail.
Gabriel Black grins wickedly and rolls Johnny Smiles up onto the announcers' table, then climbs up with him. Once up there, Gabriel Black pulls Johnny Smiles up and hooks him for a DDT, but Johnny Smiles grabs him around the waist and blocks! And then he lifts and falls back off of the table with Gabriel Black to DROP HIM THROAT-FIRST ACROSS THE GUARDRAIL FROM THE TABLE!! The crowd cheers loudly, and a chant of "VCW!" mingles with a "JOHNNY!" chant as both combatants lie on the floor for several seconds!
Finally, Johnny Smiles gets up first, then hauls Gabriel Black up and rolls him into the ring. Gabriel Black starts to get up, but Johnny Smiles backs into the ropes, then comes off and floors him with a clothesline! Again, Gabriel Black stands, but he seems dazed and out on his feet, and this time Johnny Smiles kicks him in the midsection, then whips him into a turnbuckle! Gabriel Black hits the corner back-first and staggers out, and Johnny Smiles lashes out at him with a SUPERKICK!! But Gabriel Black ducks under it, then kicks Johnny Smiles in the midsection when he turns around, but Johnny Smiles catches his foot! Johnny Smiles spins him around by the foot, then catches him regaining his balance, hoists him into a fireman's carry lift, and spins with him for another SMILEDRIVER!! But no, Gabriel Black slips out behind him and lands on his feet on this attempt! Johnny Smiles turns around, and Gabriel Black kicks him in the midsection, hooks him in a front chancery, grabs his leg, and snaps him back into the FISHERMAN SUPLEX!! The crowd boos loudly, Gabriel Black holds the pin, and Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THREE!! Gabriel Black defeats Johnny Smiles in the first fall!
----- x Gabriel beat Johnny via a fisherman suplex in 0:16:53
The crowd is irate as Gabriel Black gets up, making no attempt at hiding his pleasure in his obvious superiority. If this was a conventional match, Gabriel Black would be the winner, and that would be bad enough. But now, this may give Gabriel Black some breathing room, a chance to focus on hurting Johnny Smiles instead of simply defeating him. Gabriel Black made no secret that that was what he wanted. The burden is now on Johnny Smiles to swing this match in the other direction by beating Gabriel Black, while all Gabriel Black has to do is avoid taking more losses than he scores in the next forty minutes or so, and he has the match won!
Johnny Smiles realizes his predicament when he stands up, regarding Gabriel Black with an open-mouthed, apprehensive stare. The two men begin to circle one another again, and then Johnny Smiles seems to realize that time is actively NOT on his side right now, and he charges in and forces a lockup! Gabriel Black quickly grabs a headlock out of the lockup, but Johnny Smiles backs him into the ropes, then shoots him off to the other side! Gabriel Black comes off the ropes, and Johnny Smiles leaps up at him with a dropkick, but Gabriel Black sees it coming and dodges out of the way! Johnny Smiles wipes out and scrambles to his feet, and Gabriel Black meets him with a forearm smash when he gets up! Johnny Smiles needs to even this match up while he still has time, but in his haste he may be more prone to make mistakes!
Gabriel Black stays on the offensive with a kneelift to the midsection, then flings Johnny Smiles into a seated position with a snap mare, grabs him by the hair, and flips over him into a jumping neck snap! Johnny Smiles flops back down to the canvas, and Gabriel Black floats over onto him, but instead of covering he crouches on him and starts punching him in the face repeatedly! Now that he's up one fall, he feels he can do that! Rather than going for the pin, he can focus on just inflicting more punishment, and if Johnny Smiles can't even up the score, he's gonna have one hell of a long night in there! Mercifully, Jerry Rogers orders Gabriel Black to stop the closed fists and get off of Johnny Smiles, sparing him for the moment.
Johnny Smiles starts to get up, clutching his face, and Gabriel Black grabs his head, turns him into position, and brings him down with a reverse neckbreaker. This time, he does float over for the cover, and Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two and a half by Johnny Smiles! Gabriel Black just keeps smiling, secure in both his lead and superiority over Johnny Smiles. He pulls him up again and hooks him in a front chancery, but Johnny Smiles suddenly comes to life and pulls him down into a small package! The crowd erupts, and Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two and a half by Gabriel Black!
Gabriel Black pops up, full of anger, and begins hammering Johnny Smiles with forearm shots when he tries to stand. He forces Johnny Smiles back into a corner, then drives a knee into his midsection repeatedly! Johnny Smiles folds up in the corner, and Gabriel Black hooks his arms, then flings him out to the canvas with a double underhook suplex! Johnny Smiles crashes to the mat, and Gabriel Black comes forward, drops an elbow on him, and hooks a leg for the cover. Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... And Johnny Smiles throws a shoulder up at two and a half! He absolutely cannot afford to lose another fall to Gabriel Black, but each kickout costs him a little more strength!
Gabriel Black stands up, but Johnny Smiles also begins getting up, full of determination and inner fury! Gabriel Black knees him in the midsection, then steps to his side and begins to lift him in a rear gutwrench into Destiny Driver position! But Johnny Smiles immediately begins to struggle so violently that Gabriel Black has to set him down before he even really gets him up, and then Johnny Smiles elbows him in the ribs, hooks him from the side, and brings him down in a Russian legsweep! The crowd cheers, and Johnny Smiles flops over onto Gabriel Black for the pin! Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two by Gabriel Black!
Johnny Smiles slowly gets up, but Gabriel Black's up as well, and he takes a swing at Johnny Smiles, but Johnny blocks! Johnny opens up on Gabriel Black with a series of punches of his own, then whips him into a corner of the ring. He charges in and nails Gabriel Black with a dropkick in the corner, and Gabriel Black slumps down to a seated position! Johnny Smiles backs up, then runs in and hits him with a low dropkick, again connecting on his chest, then grabs Gabriel Black's legs, drags him out of the corner, and flips over with his legs into a jackknife pinning hold! Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Again, Gabriel Black kicks out at two!
Johnny Smiles gets up again, but Gabriel Black's standing too, and Johnny Smiles kicks him in the midsection, then throws a leg over the back of his head and brings him down with a ROCKER DROPPER!! The crowd cheers, and Johnny Smiles rolls Gabriel Black over and covers him! Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two and a half this time by Gabriel Black! Johnny Smiles backs off now, then begins to measure Gabriel Black as he stands! Gabriel Black gets up, then slowly turns and staggers towards Johnny Smiles, and Johnny lashes out and tags him with a SUPERKICK!! The crowd erupts, and Johnny Smiles covers again! Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Again, only two and a half for Johnny Smiles!
After a deep breath, Johnny Smiles pulls Gabriel Black up again, then lifts him in a fireman's carry for another Smiledriver attempt, but again Gabriel Black sees it, and this time he shifts his weight sharply to bring Johnny Smiles down in a crucifix! Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two and a half by Johnny Smiles! Johnny Smiles gets up first, then starts to pull Gabriel Black up, but Gabriel Black throws a blatant uppercut right between Johnny Smiles's legs, hitting him square in the groin! Johnny Smiles goes down and the crowd boos, but for some reason Jerry Rogers only gives Gabriel Black a stern warning instead of disqualifying him out of hand!
But in any case, Gabriel Black may have just accomplished what he was after; Johnny Smiles is stunned now, and Gabriel Black points down to him and signals for the Destiny Driver! If he hits it, this'll be the end right here! He pulls Johnny Smiles up and turns him upside-down into position... but Johnny Smiles comes to life, kicking and struggling, and slides down Gabriel Black's back! Then he suddenly hooks his arms in a full nelson to a HUGE pop from the crowd, and flings him back with a DRAGON SUPLEX!! That's the move that ended Gabriel Black's VCW Television Title reign, and Johnny Smiles holds the bridge as Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THR... KICKOUT AT TWO AND THREE-QUARTERS!! Damn it, Gabriel Black just will NOT stay down!
Both men get up, but Johnny Smiles is behind Gabriel Black, and he grabs the full nelson again! But this time, Gabriel Black realizes his predicament and struggles frantically, pulling one arm free! Johnny Smiles keeps his hold on the other arm, though, and then shifts his grip to lock Gabriel Black into a COBRA CLUTCH!! The crowd explodes into cheers, and Gabriel Black begins flailing around in a frenzy as he realizes too late what he's in! He makes a desperate struggle towards the ropes, pushing ahead with every bit of energy he has! The fingertips of his free hand brush the top rope, and then Johnny Smiles pulls him back, then flings him back with a COBRA CLUTCH SUPLEX!! But he keeps the hold applied and rolls over on his side, keeping Gabriel Black in the hold!
After laying near motionless for several seconds, Gabriel Black struggles to his feet again, but his movements are getting weaker, and when he lunges for the ropes again, Johnny Smiles is able to jerk him back into the center of the ring, keeping the cobra clutch applied! Gabriel Black staggers in his grasp, and then his legs buckle, and Johnny Smiles wastes no time in falling back to the mat with him and locking his legs around his waist in a bodyscissors! Johnny Smiles has Gabriel Black locked in a cobra clutch bodyscissors in the middle of the ring!
The crowd is cheering in a frenzy, and a particularly loud cry of "PASS OUT, BITCH!" rings out from the front row. But Gabriel Black's still fighting, and with his legs he begins pushing them both closer and closer to the ropes! It's slow progress, and Gabriel Black's strength is fading, but little by little, he's getting there! He reaches out, nearly touching the bottom rope, and then Johnny Smiles releases the bodyscissors and rolls over with Gabriel Black in his grasp, pulling him away from the ropes! The crowd cheers loudly again!
But with the bodyscissors broken, Gabriel Black begins fighting the hold again. He flails his free hand around desperately, then plants a foot under himself and slowly begins to stand! He gets to one knee, then rises up to his feet, his free arm wildly grasping for the ropes, the referee, or anything within reach! Gabriel Black lurches towards the ropes again and makes a desperate grab, but Johnny Smiles leans back for all he's worth and pulls Gabriel Black away just before his fingers close on the top rope! Both of them fall down to the mat, and Gabriel Black's arm gropes around blindly, slowly for a few more seconds, then go limp!
The crowd cheers, then goes into a hush as Jerry Rogers goes down to check Gabriel Black's arms! He raises his arm once... and it falls! The crowd is watching in anticipation, and Jerry Rogers carefully raises his arm a second time, holds it up, and then it falls! The crowd erupts into cheers, and Jerry Rogers looks around at them, raises two fingers, and yells "TWO!" And then he takes hold of Gabriel Black's wrist again, and the crowd screams in anticipation as he raises it! As he holds the arm up, the crowd begins a rapid chant of "DROP! DROP! DROP!" and Jerry Rogers hesitates, holding Gabriel Black's arm up a third time! He releases it... AND IT FALLS!! Everybody in the arena bolts to their feet, going crazy in an EARTH-SHAKING explosion of deafening cheers!! GABRIEL BLACK IS OUT!! GABRIEL BLACK PASSED OUT IN THE COBRA CLUTCH, AND JOHNNY SMILES JUST EVENED THIS MATCH UP!!
----- x Johnny beat Gabriel via a cobra clutch in 0:30:03
The crowd is going crazy, and Johnny Smiles gets up, grinning ear-to-ear, and begins pumping his fists in the air excitedly! He just scored a fall over Gabriel Black! Moreover, he did it by rendering him unconscious, which none of Gabriel Black's opponents have EVER done before in his career! Johnny Smiles goes to the top turnbuckle, hands raised in triumph as he celebrates his victory! But meanwhile, Gabriel Black's still out on the canvas, completely limp! Johnny Smiles looks back at him, realizes his opportunity, and then hops down and crawls across him, hooking a leg for the cover! The crowd explodes in renewed cheers, and Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THRE--NO!! Gabriel Black comes alive and throws a shoulder up at two and nine-tenths! He came to just in time, or Johnny Smiles would've scored two straight falls off of that cobra clutch!
Johnny Smiles gets up, undaunted, then hauls Gabriel Black up from behind and grabs him for the cobra clutch again!! The crowd explodes, but this time before he gets it fully cinched in Gabriel Black realizes what's going on, and he reaches back, grabs Johnny Smiles's hair, and counters it with a jawbreaker! Johnny Smiles pops up straight, a glazed-over look in his eyes, and wobbles back into the ropes. Gabriel Black rolls over on his back, gasping for air, then tries to sit up only to fall flat on his back again! Gabriel's down, and Johnny Smiles staggers out of the ropes, then keels over and FALLS HEAD-FIRST INTO GABRIEL BLACK'S CROTCH!!
The crowd erupts in cheers, Gabriel Black howls in pain and curls up on the mat, and now both men are down! Jerry Rogers looks at both of them, laid out on the mat, and begins a standing ten-count. Both men stay down, and the crowd begins a "JOHNNY!" chant as Jerry Rogers's count grows high! Finally, at eight, Johnny Smiles pulls himself up! Gabriel Black begins to stand a second later, but he's still doubled over and coughing! Johnny Smiles runs into the ropes behind him, then comes off, leaps through the air, and grabs Gabriel Black in a headlock on the way down to bring him down with a bulldog!! The crowd cheers, and Johnny Smiles rolls Gabriel Black over and covers him! Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two and a half by Gabriel Black!
Johnny Smiles gets up, and Gabriel Black rolls out of the ring, grimacing in pain. He staggers forward and leans against the announcers' table, trying to catch his breath and regain some strength, but Johnny Smiles isn't going to let up! He goes up to the top turnbuckle behind Gabriel Black, and when Gabriel Black turns around, he comes off with a FLYING AXHANDLE SMASH!! Gabriel Black is knocked down on the floor, and Johnny Smiles falls to his hands and knees after hitting the move, but there's no doubt who got the better of that one!
After a few seconds, Johnny Smiles gets up, grabs Gabriel Black by the hair, pulls him up, and rams him head-first into the ring apron! Gabriel Black goes back down, and Johnny Smiles reaches down and pulls up the thinly-padded mats around the ring! He folds the mat on top of itself, then folds it over again. And then he drags Gabriel Black over to that area, hooks him for a DDT, and... gives him a DDT on the triple-folded mat. It seems like Johnny Smiles is missing the point, and Gabriel Black doesn't seem all that injured as he rolls away, clutching his head.
In fact, Gabriel Black begins getting back up, but Johnny Smiles grabs him and rolls him into the ring, then climbs up on the apron after him! Gabriel Black begins to get up, doubled over at first, and Johnny Smiles leans back on the ropes, then slingshots himself in over Gabriel Black and takes him down with a sunset flip! Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two and a half by Gabriel Black! Gabriel Black begins to stand again, but Johnny Smiles kicks him in the midsection, then grabs a double handful of his hair and nails him with a headbutt! Gabriel Black staggers back to a corner of the ring and slumps against the turnbuckles, and Johnny Smiles goes in after him and mounts the second turnbuckle! He raises a fist high into the air, then begins raining blows down on Gabriel Black's head as the crowd counts along! But at six, Gabriel Black staggers out of the corner holding Johnny Smiles, then brings him down with an inverted atomic drop!
Gabriel Black stays down on one knee for a few seconds, but Johnny Smiles is down and in pain! Johnny Smiles starts pulling himself up again, but Gabriel Black knees him in the midsection, grabs him by the hair, and snap mares him to a seated position on the canvas, then puts on a rear chinlock! The crowd boos, but this may be a wise shift in strategy for Gabriel Black. He knows he needs to find some way to cut off Johnny Smiles's energy, and most of the big offense that's successfully landed, thus far, has surprisingly enough been from Johnny Smiles! As Johnny struggles and writhes in the rear chinlock, Gabriel Black clenches down on him and applies increasing pressure with a sweaty grin on his face.
The crowd begins clapping in a rhythm and Johnny Smiles on, and he begins fighting against the chinlock with greater intensity! Though Gabriel Black tries to hold him in a seated position, Johnny Smiles struggles his way back up to one knee, then slowly begins to rise! Gabriel Black keeps the hold applied, and Johnny Smiles twists in his grasp and throws an elbow into his midsection! Still Gabriel Black refuses to let go, and Johnny Smiles rears back and elbows him again, then again, and the third elbow finally breaks the hold! Johnny Smiles backs into the ropes while Gabriel Black's stunned, then comes off with a clothesline, but Gabriel Black ducks! Johnny Smiles turns around, and Gabriel Black suddenly leaps up and tags him with a dropkick, knocking him off his feet! Johnny goes down hard and the crowd boos, but Gabriel Black just gets up, then grins and spreads his arms!
Johnny Smiles pulls himself to his hands and knees, and Gabriel Black gives him a sharp kick to the ribs that knocks him back over onto his back, then covers him and hooks a leg. Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... And at two and a half, Johnny Smiles kicks out! Gabriel Black just shrugs, then pulls Johnny Smiles up by the hair, drags him to a corner of the ring, and takes him head-first into the turnbuckle! Johnny Smiles falls slumped against the ropes on one side, and Gabriel Black grabs him, hoists him up, and sets him up on the turnbuckle facing the ring! Gabriel Black climbs up to the top turnbuckle with Johnny Smiles, and Johnny begins to struggle, but Gabriel Black stuns him with a few close-in right hands, then hooks him in a front chancery and brings him down with a SUPERPLEX!! The crowd boos, both men crash to the mat, and after a few seconds on the mat Gabriel Black rolls over and covers again! Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Shoulder up at two and a half by Johnny Smiles! He's showing amazing resiliency and refusing to give up another fall!
Johnny Smiles begins to get up again, and Gabriel Black hammers him with a right hand, then pulls him into a knee in the midsection and grabs another front chancery! He reaches down and grabs the leg, looking for the fisherman suplex again, but Johnny Smiles struggles and manages to throw him off! Gabriel Black stumbles back a few steps, then scowls and rushes forward with a clothesline that knocks Johnny Smiles off his feet! Gabriel Black stomps and kicks at Johnny Smiles as he gets up, then backs up into the ropes and comes off with another clothesline! But this time, Johnny Smiles ducks and wraps around him into a rear waistlock as he runs past, then lifts him and gives him an atomic drop! The crowd cheers, and Gabriel Black bounces forward with the impact and lands stomach-first on the top rope! He teeters on the verge of toppling over to the apron, then tips back into the ring, lands on his feet, and turns and staggers towards Johnny Smiles. But Johnny draws back, measures Gabriel as he staggers in, and drops him with a HUGE right hand!
Johnny Smiles shakes out his fist and grins, even as Gabriel Black begins getting up again! He's doubled over, and Johnny Smiles puts a leg over his head for a Rocker Dropper, but this time Gabriel Black sees it coming and just takes a firm grip on the leg, then uses it to bring him down in a high-angle single-leg takedown! Johnny Smiles begins getting up again, and Gabriel Black hooks his arms, then flings him back down to the canvas with a double underhook suplex! Johnny Smiles crashes to the mat, and Gabriel Black drops an elbow down on him, then covers! Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... And again, Johnny kicks out at two and a half!
Gabriel Black doesn't seem surprised by the kickout, and he hauls Johnny Smiles up and whips him to a corner of the ring! Johnny Smiles runs into the turnbuckles chest-first, then staggers out, and Gabriel Black draws back and just SLAPS him hard across the face! Johnny Smiles staggers back a step, puts a hand to his face, and looks at Gabriel Black in confusion, and Gabriel Black says something to him, then slaps him across the face again! Johnny Smiles goes down to one knee from this one, but gets up immediately, and retaliates with a big right hand! Gabriel Black staggers back, then takes a swing of his own, but Johnny Smiles blocks and returns fire, knocking him back into the ropes!
Johnny Smiles whips Gabriel Black to the other side, then lowers his head and brings him crashing down with a backdrop when he comes off! Gabriel Black gets back up, but Johnny Smiles grabs him and flings him down to the mat with a bodyslam! With Gabriel Black down, Johnny Smiles steps out to the apron, then goes up to the top turnbuckle! Gabriel Black gets up and turns to Johnny, right into a FLYING CROSS BODYPRESS!! Gabriel Black goes down under Johnny Smiles, but he rolls back with him and comes up on top, then hooks Johnny Smiles's pants and holds on for the pin! Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two and a half by Johnny Smiles!
Gabriel Black's still feeling the effects of that move, and Johnny Smiles gets to his feet as Gabriel Black's just on his knees. He hammers Gabriel Black with a series of punches, then pulls him up and hooks him in a front chancery and grabs a leg! He's going for his own fisherman suplex, but Gabriel Black quickly counters it into a small package! Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two and a half by Johnny Smiles! Both men get up at about the same time, but Gabriel Black takes the advantage with an eye gouge, then backs into the ropes and comes off to knock Johnny Smiles down with another clothesline! The crowd boos, and Gabriel Black stops to run a hand through his sweat-matted hair, then yells at them!
Gabriel Black pulls Johnny Smiles up by the hair, stops to say something to him, and drives a knee into his face. Johnny Smiles goes down, then begins pulling himself up, but Gabriel Black kicks him in the face when he gets to one knee, then grabs him by the hair and the back of his pants and tosses him out of the ring! Johnny Smiles tumbles to the floor, and Gabriel Black begins going up to the top turnbuckle, but Johnny Smiles is already up somehow! As Gabriel Black takes his position on the top, facing out to the floor, Johnny Smiles dives forward with a frantic burst of energy, grabs the top rope, and hangs on it as he falls back down to the apron! The rope shakes, and Gabriel Black loses his balance and falls crotch-first into the top turnbuckle to the cheers of the crowd!
After a few seconds, Johnny Smiles starts to get up on the apron, but Gabriel Black begins to get his bearings as well. Gabriel Black gets his feet under him again, then climbs back up to his perch on the top turnbuckle! But Johnny Smiles is standing up on the apron now, and he comes forward and stuns Gabriel Black with a fist to the midsection, then draws back and gives him another one! Gabriel Black slumps forward, loses his balance, and grabs the top rope to keep from falling off the turnbuckle entirely, but while he's in that awkward position Johnny Smiles grabs him and takes him across his shoulders! A look of disbelief and horror flashes across Gabriel Black's face, and a delayed frenzy of cheers bursts up from the crowd, just before Johnny Smiles leaps off of the apron, turning Gabriel Black in mid-air to bring him down with a SMILEDRIVER FROM THE APRON TO THE FLOOR!! GOOD LORD!! Gabriel Black may be the one with the broken neck after THAT!!
A thunderous chant of "JOHNNY!" rises up out of the rafter-shaking cheers of the crowd, but Johnny Smiles is down on the floor too, clutching his tailbone and grimacing! Gabriel Black is just completely laid out after that move, and both men are down! Jerry Rogers looks out at both of them, then starts counting to ten, counting both men out! At seven, Johnny Smiles gets up, favoring his hip, then grabs Gabriel Black and rolls him back into the ring! He probably could've had a count-out if he just left him there, but it doesn't look like that even crossed his mind as he climbs back in after him! He crawls across for a cover, then hooks the leg, and Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THRE... SHOULDER UP!! What!? How the HELL is he still in the match!? Even fifteen to twenty seconds after the fact, it's remarkable that Gabriel Black was able to throw a shoulder up after that!
Johnny Smiles takes a deep breath, then begins to pull Gabriel Black up, but Gabriel Black struggles wildly, then shoves Johnny Smiles back! Johnny Smiles staggers back and throws an arm out for balance, but catches Jerry Rogers right in the face with it! Jerry Rogers turns and falls to his hands and knees, but wisely Johnny Smiles doesn't spare him more than a passing glance before turning his attention back to Gabriel Black! He begins to pull him up again, but this time Gabriel Black suddenly nails Johnny Smiles with a LOW BLOW!! Johnny Smiles doubles over and crumples to the mat, and the crowd boos loudly!
Slowly, Gabriel Black pulls himself up, then staggers into the ropes and takes a deep breath. Johnny Smiles begins to get up as well, but when he does Gabriel Black cuts him off with a kick to the midsection, then scoops him up and bodyslams him to the mat! With Johnny Smiles down, Gabriel Black steps out to the apron and begins to ascend the top turnbuckle! Slowly, Johnny Smiles gets up, facing away from Gabriel Black, and he turns and stumbles in a circle, until he's facing Gabriel Black, just in time for Gabriel to come off the top turnbuckle with the DESTINY HAMMER!! It connects, Johnny Smiles goes down hard, and Gabriel Black falls to his hands and knees! The crowd boos loudly, and Gabriel Black stops to take a few deep breaths before covering Johnny Smiles. Despite the delay, he must have picked up another fall just now!! Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THRE... KICKOUT!! The crowd goes CRAZY!!
Gabriel Black looks up at Jerry Rogers, holding two fingers, with an expression of utter disbelief! Ken Collins told Johnny Smiles to go out and give all his fans a miracle, and kicking out of the Destiny Hammer is certainly nothing short of miraculous! Though it's not the career-ender that the Destiny Driver is, it's one of the most reliable, damaging moves in wrestling, and Johnny Smiles has just survived it! Gabriel Black tries to argue the count, but it's no use, and he turns back to Johnny Smiles with a bitter scowl. Johnny's getting up, but he doesn't have a clue where he is, and Gabriel Black draws back almost carelessly and flattens him with a right hand.
Johnny's down again, and Gabriel Black points down at him, then signals for the Destiny Driver! It's time!! Johnny Smiles may have survived the Destiny Hammer, but he won't survive this! Gabriel Black reaches down and pulls Johnny Smiles up in a rear gutwrench, then lifts him for the DESTINY DRIVER!! He has him almost in position, but no, Johnny Smiles struggles and squirms, then slips out the back! Gabriel Black turns to face him, but EATS A SUPERKICK TO THE FACE!! Gabriel Black goes down, and Johnny Smiles points to the ceiling, then goes to a corner and begins climbing the turnbuckles! He gets up to the top, then leaps back off with a MOONSAULT!! The crowd erupts, Johnny Smiles hooks the leg, and Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THREE!! Half a second too late, Gabriel Black throws a shoulder up, and Johnny Smiles now leads two falls to one, with less than four minutes to spare!! The crowd goes WILD!!
----- x Johnny beat Gabriel via a moonsault in 0:56:12
Gabriel Black sits up, a slow-dawning expression of horror on his face! He looks up at the scoreboard, shakes his head, and breathlessly mouths the word "no" as he realizes he has less than four minutes to get another fall, and that's just to tie this match up! Johnny Smiles has his hands raised, celebrating this newest fall; he seems to believe he's just all but officially won this match! It might be a mistake, however, to count Gabriel Black out, even with less than four minutes left... and it seems to be, because Gabriel Black bolts forward with a desperate cry and tackles Johnny Smiles to the mat with a spear, then crawls on top of him and begins blasting him with a series of crushing right hands!
Jerry Rogers pulls Gabriel Black off of Johnny Smiles, and Gabriel Black screams half-coherently at him, then scoops Johnny Smiles up, takes him to a corner, and drops him face-first on the top turnbuckle! Johnny Smiles lands on his feet and turns and staggers towards Gabriel Black, but Gabriel Black grabs him and pulls him down into a small package! Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... And at two and three-quarters, Johnny Smiles reverses the small package, then grabs a handful of tights!! Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THREE!! UNBELIEVABLE!! He did it again!! Gabriel Black was so focused on offense, he didn't see that coming, and Johnny Smiles just took another fall!!
----- x Johnny beat Gabriel via a small package in 0:57:03
Gabriel Black screams in frustration, bangs his fists on the mat, then rolls out of the ring! He now has THREE minutes, to make up TWO falls, and he's not gonna do it on the outside of the ring! Except... wait a minute, he just grabbed a chair! Gabriel Black's got a damn steel chair, and he slides into the ring with it! Jerry Rogers warns him, but Gabriel Black's in a berserker rage now as he charges forward, swings for the fences, and ANNIHILATES Johnny Smiles with a hard chairshot! Jerry Rogers calls for the bell, and we're looking at a three-fall gap now!
----- x Johnny beat Gabriel via disqualification in 0:57:29
But that blow just scrambled Johnny's brains, and if he's out cold, Gabriel Black could possibly pin him several times over and make up the falls before the end of the match! And Gabriel Black's grinning as he covers and hooks the leg; that was his plan all along, the damn snake! Jerry Rogers goes down to count... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THRE... SHOULDER UP AT THE LAST POSSIBLE INSTANT!! The crowd boos loudly, and Gabriel Black's face falls in horror again!! Johnny Smiles somehow survived that chairshot too!! Somehow, there's still some small spark of consciousness left in him, and that was enough for him to throw a shoulder up just before the three count!!
Gabriel Black bolts to his feet, red-faced and irate! He screams a bunch of unintelligable gibberish that in no way resembles the Queen's English at Jerry Rogers, and Jerry Rogers is actually so frightened that he bails out of the ring! Gabriel Black is down three falls and the ace up his sleeve didn't get the job done, and now he seems to have literally LOST HIS MIND!! Now Gabriel Black grabs the chair again, and Johnny Smiles is still weak and defenseless as he pulls himself up on the ropes! He's waiting on him, preparing to make this one count, and Johnny doesn't even see it coming! If Gabriel Black hits him again, he'll go down by a gap of four falls via disqualification, but there just might still be enough time on the clock for him to cover and get four or more straight falls once Johnny's knocked out cold!
Johnny Smiles slowly pulls himself up on the ropes, and Gabriel Black raises the chair over his head, charges, and swings it down with a blood-curdling scream... but JOHNNY DROPS DOWN!! The chair hits the top rope, bounces back, and HITS GABRIEL BLACK IN THE FACE!! Gabriel Black goes down, and both men are down on the mat! But after a few seconds Johnny Smiles rolls over and throws an arm across Gabriel Black's chest! And now Jerry Rogers slides back into the ring and counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THREE!! The crowd erupts again!! AGAIN, Johnny Smiles scores a fall over Gabriel Black, creating what is now surely, undoubtably, without question, an insurmountable gap!! There's still nearly a minute left on the clock, but it's five falls to one, and short of divine intervention or a sudden heart attack from Johnny Smiles, we can call this one! Johnny's gonna win it!
----- x Johnny beat Gabriel via pinfall in 0:59:09
Johnny Smiles gets up slowly, staggers back into the ropes, then steps forward and raises his hand in triumph! He looks around at the wildly cheering crowd... then raises a finger up and yells "ONE MORE!!" to them, to a thunderous burst of cheers! Johnny Smiles hauls Gabriel Black's limp carcass up off of the mat, lifts him on his shoulders, and turns to spin for the SMILEDRIVER!! But Gabriel Black slips out behind him, grabs him from behind, and pulls him into position for the DESTINY DRIVER!! NO!! Damn it, Johnny Smiles is gonna win this match, but Gabriel Black's gonna end his career, just like he set out to do! Gabriel Black's face is twisted with inhuman rage and hatred as he takes a good grip on Johnny Smiles, but suddenly Johnny squirms, flings his legs around his head, and takes him down with a SPINNING HEADSCISSORS!!
Gabriel Black crashes to the mat and rolls out of the ring, and the crowd counts down wth the dwindling clock... SIX!! FIVE!! FOUR!! Gabriel Black hops up on the apron, bellowing in rage, and Johnny Smiles charges and knocks him off with a big right hand!! THREE!! TWO!! ONE!! JOHNNY SMILES WINS!!
----- x Time limit expired (Johnny and Gabriel) in 0:60:00
The crowd is electric! He did it!! JOHNNY SMILES BEAT GABRIEL BLACK!! He stepped into the ring for a solid hour to go one-on-one with the Greatest Professional Wrestler of All Time, and he beat him five falls to one!! Gabriel Black went down two falls to one in the last four minutes, and he couldn't take it! He cracked under the pressure, lost his focus, and made several very uncharacteristic mistakes, and as a result Johnny Smiles will be walking out of here the victor!! In the ring, he drops to his knees, smiling breathlessly as he looks around at the standing ovation he's getting from this crowd!
Iron Man Match:
Johnny Smiles defeated Gabriel Black 5 falls to 1:
----- x Gabriel beat Johnny via a fisherman suplex in 0:16:53
----- x Johnny beat Gabriel via a cobra clutch in 0:30:03
----- x Johnny beat Gabriel via a moonsault in 0:56:12
----- x Johnny beat Gabriel via a small package in 0:57:03
----- x Johnny beat Gabriel via disqualification in 0:57:29
----- x Johnny beat Gabriel via pinfall in 0:59:09
----- x time limit expired (Johnny Smiles and Gabriel Black) in 0:60:00
Rating: ****
On the outside of the ring, Gabriel Black gets up and stares into the ring! His face is red, and sweat and tears are streaming down his cheeks as he yells "I'LL BREAK YOUR FUCKING NECK FOR THIS, YOU MISERABLE BASTARD!!" in a hoarse, ragged voice! He charges into the ring and hammers Johnny Smiles with a series of right hands, then knees him in the midsection! The crowd boos, and Gabriel Black goes for the rear gutwrench lift for the Destiny Driver, but Johnny Smiles blocks it, then takes him across his shoulders!! The crowd's reaction turns on a dime to cheers, and Johnny Smiles spins and DROPS HIM WITH THE SMILEDRIVER!! The crowd erupts again, and Gabriel Black rolls out of the ring, cradling his head in the back of his hands!!
The crowd's thunderous applause continues as Johnny Smiles goes around to all four corners of the ring, posing at the second turnbuckle with his hands raised in victory! Finally, he grabs a microphone and returns to the center of the ring. He seems like he's about to choke up, but he slowly raises the microphone as he looks around at the crowd, which quiets to a dull roar to allow him to speak...
J. Smiles: God... I love you guys.
The crowd gives a renewed burst of cheers, and Johnny Smiles can't contain an ear-to-ear, tearful smile as he looks around at all of them. He takes a deep breath and raises the microphone again.
J. Smiles: Yeah... this is good. ... You know, we've had some really big ups and downs this year, haven't we?
The crowd cheers in acknowledgement.
J. Smiles: Come to think of it, this isn't the first time recently we've done the whole "big, emotional celebration" thing, is it?
The crowd cheers again.
J. Smiles: And I'm gonna make DAMN SURE it's not the last, because as you know, I'm going to WRESTLEWAR, and I'm gonna be the VCW WORLD CHAMPION!!
The crowd erupts again, and Johnny Smiles raises his hands in the air to celebrate. It takes them nearly a minute to quiet down again, and when they do, Johnny Smiles raises the microphone again.
J. Smiles: And Ken... you'd better come through here, because if I have to beat someone for the biggest prize in pro wrestling, at the biggest event of the year--and the overwhelming consensus out here is that I DO--I want it to be my best friend, the California Crippler himself!!
The crowd offers another burst of cheers, and Johnny Smiles looks around at them, still grinning, before raising the microphone again.
J. Smiles: Thanks for standing by me. And hang in there... we're almost there, and it'll ALL be worthwhile before too long. ... Goodnight. God bless you all.
The crowd cheers loudly, and Johnny Smiles drops the microphone, rolls out of the ring, and begins heading backstage! What a moment, and what a night it's been so far! And we've got a camera on the scene as he goes backstage, where his friends are waiting for him... including the challenger in our main event, "The California Crippler" Ken Collins! Johnny disappears backstage, and we're going to follow right along!
Backstage...
Johnny Smiles through a few hallways backstage, breathless and dripping with sweat. After walking for a minute or so, he gets to a door, turns the knob, and staggers in through it. Inside are Stacey Lockman (mostly recovered from her match with Komachi), Christina Ellis, Lars Coverdale (who still seems a little out-of-sorts after his match with David Wright Hubbard), the unmasked Yuri Sonoda (whose wrist is in a cast now), and "The California Crippler" Ken Collins. Even Sumiko's nearby, propped up in a chair. They all cheer when he walks through the door.
K. Collins: Yeah! You did it, man. You did it. ... You really did it.
Johnny shrugs and smiles.
J. Smiles: Yeah, not only that--I did it so much you had to tell me three times!! Now THAT'S how you do it!
Johnny Smiles exchanges a high-five with Ken Collins and laughs. Across the room, Lars Coverdale looks up.
L. Coverdale: Yeah, dude... way to go. You totally rocked out tonight. It was AWESOME. And I tell you what... after my match, I was ready to just give it up, you know? But just like Led Zeppelin inspired Whitesnake, Kingdom Come, and all the greatest bands of the eighties, you INSPIRED me out there, dude. This thing with me and David Wright Hubbard ain't over yet. I see that now... and it's all because of you.
Lars Coverdale gives Johnny Smiles a thumbs-up, and then Christina Ellis approaches him.
C. Ellis: Well, Johnny... I don't even know what to say. I mean, congratulations, of course, but... that's so inadequate. I guess actions speak louder than words...
Christina Ellis throws her arms around Johnny Smiles's neck and kisses him lightly on the lips. It's brief and about two-thirds chaste, with only the faintest hint of something more. All the same, Johnny Smiles grins sheepishly.
J. Smiles: Wow... Christina. I mean... yeah, I had it right the first time with "Wow." ... So, uh, does this mean--
Christina Ellis stares past Johnny Smiles with a quizzical look on her face, then points behind him.
C. Ellis: Hey, wait just a second. Not to interrupt, but what the HECK is that behind you, anyway?
Johnny Smiles turns around and comes face-to-face with Yuri Sonoda, who immediately lunges forward, snares him with her one good arm, and pulls him into a deep, long kiss. Everyone else in the room gives them cheers and catcalls as Johnny Smiles puts his arms around her and kisses her back. After several seconds, the kiss breaks, and Yuri Sonoda gives him a breathless smile as they look at one another.
J. Smiles: Okay, I take it back. THAT was "WOW."
Yuri Sonoda giggles shyly, then looks into his eyes with a smile again.
Y. Sonoda: Just wait until my arm heals a little bit. You'll be taking it back AGAIN.
Johnny Smiles hesitates a second, then gently slips an arm around her waist with a contented grin. As he does, Ken Collins stands up.
K. Collins: And now it's my turn. Wish me luck.
J. Smiles: Yeah. Hey... good luck out there. Just remember what's at stake, and... be strong. We're all behind you.
Ken Collins stops and looks Johnny Smiles in the eyes.
K. Collins: Oh, I won't forget. Defending the VCW World Title against you at Wrestlewar would be the greatest moment in my career... but first I've gotta get there. And I HAVEN'T forgotten about Crimson, about what he did to me... and what he did to Stacey. And there is NO... WAY... IN... HELL that I will let THAT disgusting excuse for humanity have the honor of standing across the ring from you in the biggest match of your career. Believe me, Johnny... even if it took me a hundred years to walk that aisle... I'd NEVER FORGET.
Ken Collins turns and walks out of the room, and the camera fades out on the backstage scene.
We're back, and ready to kick off our main event of the evening! David Page is in the middle of the ring, holding a microphone, and he's ready to begin the main event ring introductions.
D. Page: Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come for the MAIN EVENT of the evening. The following contest is a Submission Match, which can only be won when one competitor submits to his opponent. It is set for one fall, with a sixty minute time limit, and it is for the VCW World Title. Your referee for this match is Brendan Powers!
Brendan Powers enters the ring and waves to the crowd with a broad smile, but nobody really pays him much heed. With a shrug, he steps to one corner of the ring and stands aside so that the competitors can take center stage.
"Liquid Mercury" by Jimmy Page begins playing, and the crowd gives a huge round of cheers as "The California Crippler" Ken Collins steps out of the backstage entrance with a determined scowl on his face. He stops at the top of the ramp to stretch his wrists, then cocks his head back and forth to stretch his neck. Limbered up and ready for battle, he begins a fast, determined walk to the ring. Stacey Lockman isn't with him tonight, and given the nature of his opponent, and the ugly circumstances of a similar match with Lorenzo Vasquez earlier in the year, that has to be considered to be for the best.
D. Page: Introducing first, the challenger. From San Diego, California, he stands six feet tall, and weighs in at two hundred and twenty-one pounds. A mainstay of VCW, he has delivered high-quality, crowd-pleasing performances from the very beginning. Known as one of the greatest technical wrestlers and one of the greatest submission wrestlers in the world today, he now seeks the greatest prize yet, the only one to have eluded him thus far in VCW. He is a former two-time VCW World Tag Team Champion as one-half of the Immortals, a former VCW Television Champion, and a former VCW Intercontinental Champion... he is... "THE CALIFORNIA CRIPPLERRRR"... KENNNNNNN COLLLLLLLINNNNNNNNSSS!!
The crowd keeps up the loud round of cheers for Ken Collins as he climbs into the ring, goes to one of the top turnbuckles, and poses with his hands raised to a big burst of camera flashes. Then he steps down, grabs the top rope with both hands, and leans back, testing the give in the ropes and stretching his arms and shoulders at the same time. For such a young man, Ken Collins is a master ring general, and this match plays right into his strengths. He's no doubt ready and focused; we know Johnny Smiles is going into the Wrestlewar main event now, and Ken Collins would love to have a classic match against his close friend in that event. To do that, he'll have to accomplish a nigh-impossible feat tonight; he'll have to make Crimson submit.
D. Page: And his opponent...
"Walk" by Pantera begins playing, and the crowd gives a deafening chorus of boos as the VCW World Champion, Crimson, steps out of the backstage entrance. He looks down the aisle and his eyes roll up as he looks at Ken Collins with an exasperated sneer. He takes the VCW World Title belt off from around his waist and points to it, then puts it on his shoulder, pats it with the palm of a hand, and begins walking to the ring with just the slightest limp noticable in his step.
D. Page: From Atlanta, Georgia, he stands six feet, nine inches tall, and weighs three hundred pounds. He is a walking incarnation of strength, toughness, and destructive anger that destroys everything in his path. He claims that he wants his path of destruction to be complete, that he will not rest until he has torn VCW itself apart, piece by piece. He is the driving force behind the Homicide Road Tour, and the reigning and defending THREE-TIME VCW CHAMPION of the WOOOOOOORRRRRLD... CRRRRRIMMMMMMMSONNNNN!!
Crimson walks to the ring, climbs up to the apron, and begins to step in over the top rope, and immediately Ken Collins rushes forward and begins hammering him with a frenzied series of right hands! The crowd cheers, and Brendan Powers quickly calls for the bell to begin this match!
Submission Match
For the VCW World Title:
Crimson (c)
vs.
"The California Crippler" Ken Collins
Crimson absorbs several of the punches, then grabs Ken Collins and shoves him down hard to the mat! He finishes stepping in over the top rope and into the ring, but Ken Collins is already up when he comes in, and he nails Crimson with a dropkick to the knee! Crimson goes down to one knee, then pops up, roars angrily, and takes a swing at Ken Collins! But Ken Collins catches his wrist, steps to the side, and sweeps Crimson down into the CALIFORNIA CROSSFACE!! The crowd explodes into cheers, and Crimson roars in pain!!
The crowd cheers loudly, and a chant of "TAP! TAP! TAP!" begins and quickly grows in volume! Crimson cringes and raises a hand as if to tap out, but then seems to come to his senses and begins furiously driving himself towards the ropes! With his immense strength, he makes rapid progress, and soon reaches out and grabs the ropes! The crowd boos loudly, and Brendan Powers orders Ken Collins to break the hold, but Ken Collins leans back more sharply than ever on it for a second, then finally breaks at four.
Crimson begins to get up, but Ken Collins beats him to his feet and begins stomping and kicking at him with fierce intensity! Crimson endures the blows, gets to his feet, and takes a big swing at Ken Collins, but Ken Collins blocks and unloads on him with a hard chop to the chest! Crimson is rocked back into the ropes, and Ken Collins grabs him and whips him to the other side! Crimson comes off the ropes, and Ken Collins runs forward and dropkicks him in the knee again!
Crimson goes down on his face as the leg goes out from under him, then starts to pull himself up, but Ken Collins lashes out with a series of swift kicks to the leg as he stands! He's trying to exploit that weakness and take him off his vertical base, while setting him up for a submission at the same time! Despite the abuse, Crimson gets to his feet, then lashes out with a wild swing, but Ken Collins avoids it, kicks him in the knee, then draws back and chops him across the chest! Crimson stumbles back a step, then takes another swing, but Ken Collins ducks, gives him a fist to the stomach, then another hard chop across the chest! Crimson is reeling, and Ken Collins draws back and unloads on him with another chop!
Crimson swings another right hand, and Ken Collins blocks again, then hammers him with two rights to the face, draws back, and chops him again! Crimson is rocked back again, and Ken Collins hits him with a right hand, then a left hand, then two more rights, and draws back and chops him hard again! Crimson teeters back, but catches his balance and takes another swing, but Ken Collins ducks that one too, hits him with an elbow to the midsection as he comes up, then draws back and hits him with a BIG chop that knocks him off his feet! The crowd bursts into cheers! Ken Collins just chopped Crimson down!!
With Crimson down, Ken Collins wastes no time in grabbing his leg and kicking at the knee repeatedly! Crimson writhes in pain, and Ken Collins hooks the leg and drops to the mat to apply a kneebar! The crowd cheers loudly, and Crimson lets out a roar and begins thrashing around! Brendan Powers comes in to ask for the submission, but Crimson doesn't even acknowledge him as he struggles! It's all that Ken Collins can do to keep his hold applied on the big man, but then Crimson's wild struggling gives way to a concerted effort to pull himself to the ropes. With his strength and long reach, it's only a few seconds before he drags himself across the ring and grabs the bottom rope, and Brendan Powers calls for the break.
When Ken Collins releases, Crimson begins pulling himself up on the ropes, but Ken Collins is right behind him! He kicks at the back of Crimson's leg a few times as he stands, then grabs him in a waistlock, looking for a German suplex! But when he goes to lift, Crimson hangs onto the top rope to anchor himself, and he doesn't go anywhere! Ken Collins lets him go and takes a step back, favoring his back, and Crimson whirls on him and knocks him down with a huge clothesline! The crowd boos, and Crimson flexes his knee experimentally, then grimaces and gives Ken Collins a hateful glare!
Ken Collins starts to get up, but Crimson meets him with a clubbing forearm to the back before he can get his bearings, then whips him into the ropes! Ken Collins runs forward, but instead of bouncing off the ropes he leaps up to the middle rope, then springs back onto Crimson with an ASAI MOONSAULT!! But Crimson catches him! Crimson catches him over one shoulder, then takes a somewhat limping running start and PITCHES HIM OUT OVER THE TOP ROPE!! Ken Collins sails out of the ring and tumbles to a heap on the floor, and Crimson looks down at him on the outside with a horrible grin! Just like that, this is suddenly Crimson's match!
Crimson steps out over the top rope, then gingerly drops off of the apron and begins advancing on Ken Collins. Slowly, Ken Collins makes an attempt to pull himself back up, but Crimson just hauls him up abruptly, then whips him back-first into the steel guardrail! Ken Collins hits the rail and staggers out in pain, and Crimson scoops him up, then carries him to the nearest ringpost and drives him back-first into that! But instead of letting him go, he backs up and rams him into the ringpost again! And then he carries him over to the steel ramp and bodyslams him down on that! Normally, you'd consider the lack of disqualifications and countouts in this match to favor Ken Collins, because Crimson couldn't save his title that way, but in practice, that aspect of this Submission Match is heavily favoring Crimson thus far!
Crimson stands over Ken Collins and gloats to himself for a few seconds, then turns and reaches under the ring apron, and pulls out a steel chair! Ken Collins is starting to get up, but Crimson slowly stalks around behind him, then draws back and brings the chair down right across his back! The crowd boos loudly, and Ken Collins goes down to the floor again! Crimson smirks to himself, then hauls Ken Collins up and rolls him back into the ring, then climbs in after him! Ken Collins somehow begins to stand again, but Crimson just draws back a fist and flattens him with a big right hand, then stands over him and bellows triumphantly!
After a few moments, Crimson stares down at Ken Collins, then pulls him up into a seated position, sticks a knee in his back, and pulls his arms back in a surfboard! The crowd boos, and Crimson yells "GIVE UP, YOU LITTLE SHIT!" into Ken Collins's ear as he cranks back the pressure! Brendan Powers goes down to ask Ken Collins, and despite the pained expression on his face he shakes his head! It's worth noting that while this hold does target the back to an extent, its primary target is the shoulders, and Crimson's offense has, until now, focused on the back! But submission wrestling's not one of Crimson's strong suits, and he may not even realize that this isn't quite the optimal hold for the situation. Then again, he may not even care!
The crowd begins to get behind Ken Collins as he thumps his leg repeatedly on the mat, stomping and clapping along and chanting "LET'S GO KEN!" Crimson scowls around at all of them, but Ken Collins slowly begins to raise up, then gets up to one knee, then up to both feet! Slowly, fighting against the immense strength of Crimson, he begins twisting to take the leverage off, and he even pulls Crimson into position for Brian Rivera's Bitch Slap, but Crimson quickly shoves him forward! Ken Collins staggers forward, and Crimson rushes at him with a big boot, but Ken Collins dodges out of the way! Crimson stumbles, then goes down to one knee as his weak leg gives out, and when he recovers, Ken Collins dives forward and knocks the leg out from under him by clipping it with a shoulder!
The crowd cheers, and Ken Collins leans back into the ropes for a second, still battered from the offense he's endured! Crimson starts to get up, but he's facing the wrong way, and Ken Collins comes in from behind and grabs him in a rear waistlock! He takes a deep breath, then lifts, and gives Crimson an amazing GERMAN SUPLEX!! But he keeps the waistlock applied, and in spite of the pain etched across his face, he rolls back to his feet for another one! He's got him in position, and this time he cries out as he takes him back for a second GERMAN SUPLEX!! And he's not done yet; he rolls back to his feet again, STILL holding the waistlock! He holds Crimson in position, gives out a ragged scream, then flings him back again with a THIRD GERMAN SUPLEX!! Bad back and all, Ken Collins's inner fury drove him to hit the rolling German suplexes on a three hundred pounder!
But that may have been a mistake, as the toll it took on him is now obvious. Ken Collins and Crimson are both laid up on the mat, Ken Collins gasping in pain and putting a hand to his back. Even if his back hadn't been targeted earlier in the match, that might have been a questionable idea, but given the nature of the match and the condition of his back, it's even more questionable. Nobody has ever submitted to a German suplex, and Ken Collins just sacrificed his weakest body part to deliver three of them in a Submission Match! Both men are down, and Brendan Powers stands over them, watching for signs of life. Finally, Ken Collins begins to sit up, and he drags himself up off of the mat, grabs Crimson's leg, and turns him over into a half Boston!!
The crowd cheers as Crimson yells out in pain, and now we may be seeing that strategy bear fruit; if Crimson is too weakened by the German suplexes to escape this hold quickly, it could cause enough damage to tilt the match irrevocably in Ken Collins's favor! Crimson does seem a little dazed and disoriented as he begins to struggle, but not quite enough to stop him from seeking out the ropes! If anything, the pain seems to have cleared his head a little bit! Ken Collins holds on and applies the pressure, but Crimson's awe-inspiring strength holds steady, and he drags himself to the ropes, then grabs the bottom rope! Even those three big suplexes couldn't keep Crimson from fighting his way to the ropes!
Crimson pulls himself up on the ropes again, and Ken Collins kicks at the back of his leg a few times, then whips him to the other side! Crimson comes limping off the ropes, and Ken Collins staggers him with a dropkick when he comes off! Crimson reels back, but then catches his balance and takes a swing at Ken Collins! But Ken Collins blocks it, then blatantly kicks Crimson SQUARE IN THE GROIN!! The crowd cheers, Crimson doubles over, and Ken Collins hooks his head, then takes him down with a DDT!! Crimson's down, and if this was a conventional match, Ken Collins could probably get a near fall or perhaps even an upset! But instead, he has to find some way to make him quit!
But Ken Collins just steps out to the apron, then begins climbing to the top turnbuckle! The crowd cheers wildly, but Ken Collins isn't going to make Crimson submit with a high-risk move either! His strategy must be to wear Crimson down enough, to neutralize his strength so that he can't just fight his way out of whatever hold he's in through brute force, and then make him quit! Ken Collins gets to the top, perhaps looking for the Flying Dropkick, but as Crimson starts to stand, he sees him up there, then immediately drops back down and rolls out of the ring on the opposite side! The crowd boos, but that's surely a smart move.
On the outside, Crimson winces and begins hobbling around, trying to walk off some of the damage his knee's taken. But Ken Collins dismounts from the top turnbuckle, looking angry, then backs into the ropes opposite Crimson, runs forward, and leaps out between the second and third ropes to barrel into Crimson with an ELBOW SUICIDA!! Both men go down, but Ken Collins crawls over Crimson, then begins hammering him with repeated blows to the face! The crowd cheers loudly, and after a few seconds, Ken Collins gets up, then grabs the steel chair that Crimson dropped earlier!
Crimson begins standing up, but Ken Collins stalks him from behind, then draws back the chair and just NAILS him across the bad leg with it! Crimson goes back down on the floor, clutching his knee, and Ken Collins raises the chair again, then brings it down across his back, then raises it and hits him across the back again! Crimson's curled up, protecting his knee, so Ken Collins is just beating the hell out of him! But now he drops the chair, then grabs Crimson, hauls him up, and takes him head-first into the ring apron, then rolls him back into the ring! Crimson's down, and Ken Collins goes up to the apron himself, then leaps to the top rope and springs off with a SPRINGBOARD LEGDROP!! Crimson thrashes around on the mat with the impact, and the crowd cheers!
Ken Collins pulls Crimson up again, then grabs his leg and lifts for a kneebreaker, but no, his back gives out! He drops Crimson back down, then staggers away, clutching his back in pain! After a few seconds, he regains his bearings, but by this time Crimson's recovered enough to turn and knock him down with a big clothesline! The crowd boos, and Crimson stumbles forward and grabs the ropes, but then steadies himself, raises a fist in the air, and bellows in triumph! His sheer size is becoming a factor, coupled with Ken Collins's back condition, and despite the abuse he's taken to his leg, the VCW World Champion's still very much in this match!
Crimson hauls Ken Collins up, then whips him into a corner of the ring. He hits the turnbuckles back-first, cries out in pain, and then slumps against them, and Crimson charges in with a severe limp and clotheslines him in the corner! Now Ken Collins begins to stagger out, but Crimson grabs him and flings him back with a big gutwrench suplex! Ken Collins crashes to the canvas, but Crimson's a little slow to get up after that big move as well, with the condition of his knee! Even so, Ken Collins is up late and facing the wrong way, and Crimson stalks in behind him, then grabs him in a full nelson! He lifts him up, shakes him a little bit, and then flings him down to the mat with a FULL NELSON SLAM!! But after hitting the move, Crimson also goes down to one knee! He couldn't perform that move with his usual gusto thanks to the condition of his knee!
Even so, Ken Collins is in bad condition as Crimson pulls him up into a standing headscissors. He grabs Ken Collins and lifts him for a power bomb, but here Ken Collins comes alive, hammering him with a series of right hands! Crimson is stunned for a moment, and that's all the time it takes for his knee to buckle under him, sending him crashing to the canvas under Ken Collins! Both men are down now! After several seconds, they begin getting up! Both men get to their feet at the same time, and Crimson throws a punch, but Ken Collins blocks it, then returns fire with two of his own! Crimson's backed into the ropes, and Ken Collins whips him to the other side, but Crimson reverses! Ken Collins comes off the ropes, and Crimson goes for a big boot with the bad leg, but Ken Collins catches his foot, brings him down with a single-leg takedown, then turns him over into an ANKLE LOCK SUBMISSION!!
The crowd erupts, and Crimson roars in pain as a desperate snarl comes onto Ken Collins's face! Crimson begins frantically struggling, trying to pull himself to the ropes! But he's a long way away, and after the punishment that Ken Collins has inflicted on him thus far, he's a little slower and a little more weary, and he's not making progress like he once did! He drags himself towards the ropes, fighting for every inch, but then Ken Collins pulls back on his ankle and drags him back to the center of the ring! Crimson roars in pain, then raises a hand as if to tap out... but instead, he begins thrashing around wildly, and manages to flip over on his back! From that position, he plants the foot of his healthy against Ken Collins's chest and kicks him away, launching him back-first into a corner of the ring! Ken Collins staggers out, and amazingly Crimson gets into position with a burst of speed and brings him down with a drop-toe hold, then floats over into position for a CROSSFACE SUBMISSION!!
Despite the visually impressive display of wrestling prowess, the crowd boos as Crimson wrenches back on Ken Collins with his own hold! Ken Collins didn't seem to expect THAT coming from Crimson, and now he's caught in his own hold! But fortunately, he's only about half a foot away from the ropes, and Crimson doesn't seem to have his arm fully snared thanks to his bad leg. Ken Collins drags himself forward, grimacing in pain, and after about ten seconds he reaches out and grabs the bottom rope! Brendan Powers orders Crimson to break the hold, and he releases Ken Collins at four.
Ken Collins is down and in pain, and Crimson rolls out of the ring again. He may be taking another break... no, he's reaching under the ring, and he pulls out a shovel! Crimson's got that damn shovel again!! He climbs back into the ring with it, and Brendan Powers is warning him not to use it, but even if he does, there's nothing he can do! There are no disqualifications in this match! Ken Collins slowly gets up, and Crimson charges him and swings for the fences, but Ken Collins ducks! Crimson misses and stumbles forward, and Ken Collins knocks him off his feet with a dropkick to the knee! Crimson goes down, clutching his knee, and Ken Collins gets up... and HE GRABS THE SHOVEL!! The crowd comes alive with cheers as Crimson starts to stand, favoring his leg heavily, and Ken Collins draws back the shovel and SWINGS IT RIGHT INTO HIS LEG!! The crowd goes wild, and Crimson goes down!!
Ken Collins drops the shovel, then grabs Crimson by the ankle and drags him forward, into the middle of the ring! Then he yells "THIS IS FOR STACEY!!" and steps around the leg, then drops back to apply a FIGURE-FOUR LEGLOCK!! The crowd goes wild, and Crimson roars in agony, thrashing around like a wild man! Ken Collins has the figure-four leglock locked on in the middle of the ring, and Crimson's knee has to be nearly destroyed!! The crowd is cheering wildly, screaming at Crimson to tap out, and he's flailing around like a man possessed! Finally, he throws an arm up and rolls over, turning the hold over in a surge of immense strength, but Ken Collins just braces himself, gives a ragged shout with the effort, then turns the hold back over into its original position! The crowd goes crazy!!
Ken Collins sits up and props himself up with his hands, trying to stabilize the hold and prevent Crimson from turning it over again! Crimson continues bellowing like a wounded beast and struggling wildly, but he's too far from the ropes, and he can't manage to turn the hold over again! How much longer can he hold out before we have a new VCW World Champion!? Crimson seems to be fading, and he falls back down to the mat! Ken Collins rocks his hips back and forth, putting on more pressure, then leans forward a little further... and CRIMSON SITS UP AND GRABS HIS THROAT!! His face red and twisted with pain, Crimson's sitting up in the figure-four, and he's got a deathgrip on Ken Collins's throat!
Ken Collins releases the hold and clutches at Crimson's wrist, trying to pry it off, but Crimson keeps his hold and stands up, despite his bad leg wobbling and trembling as he does so! He takes a tight grip on Ken Collins's throat, puts the other hand on his back, braces himself, lifts, and drives him down with the CHOKESLAM!! The crowd boos, and Crimson slumps forward onto his hands and knees!! If Ken Collins had been another six inches back, out of the reach of those long arms, he might be VCW World Champion right now; as it is, he's laid out from the Chokeslam, and it's hard saying if either man can continue the match at this point!!
Crimson drags himself to a corner of the ring on his hands and knees, then pulls himself up on the ropes. He reaches up and grabs the top turnbuckle pad, then begins taking it off! With the steel turnbuckle bolt exposed, he hobbles over to Ken Collins and pulls him up, then grabs him and whips him back-first into the exposed steel! Ken Collins hits the bolt with a scream of agony, then staggers out and falls at Crimson's feet! Crimson stands over him and glares down at him with hate and contempt, then pulls him up again!! He whips him into the corner again... but this time, Ken Collins reverses! Crimson runs chest-first into the steel turnbuckle bolt, then staggers back several steps and topples backwards like a felled tree!!
The VCW World Champion is down, and Ken Collins stumbles over, grabs his leg, and steps around for the figure-four leglock again! But this time, Crimson plants a foot on his backside and kicks him away with all his strength! Ken Collins flies through the air and crashes FACE-FIRST INTO THE EXPOSED BOLT, and now he's the one staggering back! He starts to fall backwards, but Crimson's up to his knees again, and Ken Collins falls back-first into Crimson! Crimson grabs him and hoists him across his shoulders, then slowly, gingerly rises up to his feet and locks him in a TORTURE RACK!! The crowd boos, and Crimson's face is warped with effort as he applies the hold! He's leaning pretty severely to one side, putting all his weight on one leg, and you have to believe that this is taxing the last of his energy!! Ken Collins is struggling, trying to escape somehow, or trying just to hold out until the last of Crimson's strength gives out and he's forced to drop him... BUT HE CAN'T!! KEN COLLINS IS TAPPING OUT!! CRIMSON RETAINS!!
Submission Match:
Crimson made Ken Collins submit to a torture rack in 0:28:07.
Rating: *** 1/2
(Crimson retained the VCW World Title.)
The crowd boos loudly, and Crimson lets Ken Collins drop, then falls to his hands and knees, gasping for breath! Ken Collins has been laid to waste, despite his best efforts, and Crimson is victorious once again! We won't see Ken Collins defending the title against his best friend, Johnny Smiles, in the main event of Wrestlewar! Instead it'll be this monster, Crimson, who Johnny Smiles has never beaten before in his career!! What could have been a great moment between two close friends will now be a struggle for survival, and it's all because Crimson's just too damn strong and too damn tough to be defeated!!
Brendan Powers takes the VCW World Title from the timekeeper as Crimson pulls himself up on the ropes, then hands it to Crimson. Crimson raises the title belt in the air and bellows loudly, earning a new chorus of boos from the crowd, then calls for a microphone. He's battered and sweaty, and he's been taken to the absolute limit tonight, but he's still the VCW World Champion! And now he has a microphone...
Crimson: What just happened is me throwing a cold bucket of reality on all your dreams. What you're gonna see at Wrestlewar ain't gonna be two little guys rolling around on the mat, with a bunch of emotional crap at the end. Instead, what you're gonna see then is what you're gonna see now. Me coming in and killing that annoying little motherfucker you all like to cheer for, then turning out the lights and going home early. This belt... this is MY TITLE. I'm gonna keep it FOREVER. And if I have to make you people cry to do it, if I have to send you home with a sorry-ass look on your face after I kill your dreams... then GOOD, because I don't like your attitude. ... Merry fucking Christmas.
Crimson throws down the microphone and raises the VCW World Title high in the air with another bellow! Ken Collins is still laid out, and Crimson is still the VCW World Champion! It'll be Crimson against Johnny Smiles at Wrestlewar! It'll be one more shot for the last beacon of hope in VCW to overcome the odds and win the VCW World Title, on the biggest stage of the year! And we're heading that way, starting next Thursday with This Thursday in Toronto: INNER FURY II!! Don't miss the action there as we start off on the road to Wrestlewar, towards the biggest event of the year, towards Johnny Smiles versus Crimson, one-on-one, for the VCW World Title!!
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