We're back, and ready to begin the third and final part of Survival of the Fittest! We've already seen all of the hype and buildup, so we're going to go straight ahead into our next match, right now!

"Perfect Strangers" by Dream Theater begins playing over the arena sound system, and the crowd boos as Lance Errington comes out of the backstage entrance, accompanied by his agent, Derek Cole. Lance Errington spreads his arms and turns around to show off the back of his black-and-silver robe, where his name is written in silver sequins, as Derek Cole points to him with a proud smile and says "THIS is the MAN!!" They begin walking to the ring, Lance Errington ignoring the booing fans in an aloof and condescending manner, as Derek Cole mocks them with a sarcastic smile. Lance Errington climbes into the ring and sheds his robe, then begins stretching as he stares down the aisle. He doesn't seem too concerned, but make no mistake; Lance Errington is an intelligent wrestler, and behind the arrogance, he has to know exactly what he's gotten himself into.

And now "Wait and Bleed" by Slipknot begins playing, and the crowd explodes into cheers as the Grave Digger steps out of the backstage entrance!! Seven feet two inches tall, three hundred and eighty pounds, and a former VCW and SMCW World Champion, he's the last man most people would want to pick a fight with... but that's exactly what Lance Errington's done. The Grave Digger walks slowly to the ring, as Lance Errington watches him; he's giving Lance Errington plenty of time to realize what he's gotten himself into. He reaches the ring, steps up on the apron, and steps in over the top rope, and Lance Errington backs into the opposite corner, giving him plenty of space. Jerry Rogers enters the ring and calls for the bell, and we're ready to start this match!

Lance Errington
w/Derek Cole

vs.

Grave Digger

Lance Errington approaches the Grave Digger cautiously, but the Grave Digger's just standing in the middle of the ring, waiting for him, while staring a hole through him with his intense green eyes. Lance Errington rushes forward and locks up with the Grave Digger... and the Grave Digger shoves him back, hard!! Lance Errington is shoved to the mat, and the momentum of the shove rolls him backwards head-over-heels into a corner! The crowd cheers, and Lance Errington gets up, looking a little concerned... that's not going to win him the match.

The Grave Digger takes one menacing step closer to Lance Errington, and Lance Errington steps in to meet him, unloading a series of right hands into the Grave Digger's face, but the Grave Digger doesn't even acknowledge them! He grabs Lance Errington by the hair, draws his own head back... and NAILS him with a huge headbutt!! Lance Errington collapses to the mat, then gets up, but the Grave Digger knocks him flying back with a huge punch to the face! Lance Errington gets up in a corner, begging off, but the Grave Digger rushes forward and nails him with a kneelift, then whips him into the opposite corner!! Lance Errington hits the turnbuckles back-first, then staggers out... into the GRAVE YARD SLAM!! This match could end up being really short, as the Grave Digger goes for the cover, and Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Derek Cole pulls the Grave Digger's foot onto the ropes at two, then points it out to Jerry Rogers!! Jerry Rogers sees it and stops his count, beginning to lecture the Grave Digger!!

The Grave Digger gives Jerry Rogers a disgusted glance, then steps out of the ring and begins approaching Derek Cole! Derek Cole smiles, balling up his fists and going into a karate stance... does he have a death wish!? The Grave Digger draws near, and Lance Errington has Jerry Rogers distracted in the ring as Derek Cole gives the Grave Digger a swift kick straight to the kneecap!! But the Grave Digger doesn't even flinch! He reaches out for Derek Cole, and Derek Cole grabs his arm, pulls it out straight, and slams his the edge of his hand right into the back of the elbow joint! That could break a normal man's arm easily... but again, the Grave Digger doesn't even flinch! He reaches forward to grab Derek Cole, but Derek Cole steps back, then lunges forward with a straight punch to the sternum... and again, that has no effect on the Grave Digger!!

Derek Cole finally realizes that his martial arts prowess isn't helping him a bit, and he turns to run away... but the Grave Digger catches him! The Grave Digger has Derek Cole by the throat... but meanwhile, Lance Errington has gotten up in the ring, and he just climbed up to a top turnbuckle! He leaps off, as the Grave Digger raises Derek Cole for a chokeslam, and hammers the Grave Digger with a flying axhandle to the back of the head! The Grave Digger drops Derek Cole and stumbles forward... but then whirls on Lance Errington, showing no sign of being hurt by that big move!! Lance Errington throws a punch, but the Grave Digger blocks it, then punches Lance Errington in the midsection. Lance Errington doubles over, and the Grave Digger lifts him over his head in a Gorilla Press, then steps forward to the ring apron and tosses Lance Errington back in over the top rope, from the floor!

Lance Errington gets to his feet as the Grave Digger steps in over the top rope. He hammers the Grave Digger with a few right hands, but the Grave Digger doesn't even acknowledge them. He grabs Lance Errington and whips him into one of the corners, then charges in after him with an avalanche, but Lance Errington dodges out of the way! The Grave Digger hits the turnbuckles chest-first, then staggers out, and Lance Errington comes in from the side to clip his right knee, taking him down to one knee! The Grave Digger begins to stand, but Lance Errington steps in the corner, boosts himself up to the second turnbuckle, and comes off to take the Grave Digger down with a bulldog from the second turnbuckle! The Grave Digger's face-down on the mat, and Lance Errington quickly slips back, crosses his legs over, and pulls them back into the SCORPION DEATHLOCK!! The crowd boos, but Derek Cole shouts out triumphantly at ringside, and Lance Errington smiles as he leans into the hold!

Lance Errington has his finishing move applied, and the Grave Digger's a long way from the ropes, but he's never been known to submit before! Lance Errington leans back, applying pressure in the Scorpion Deathlock... but the Grave Digger just plants his hands and begins pushing up! With amazing power, he pushes up out of the Scorpion Deathlock almost immediately, then begins getting to his feet! Lance Errington gets up and starts hammering him with repeated blows to the head, but the Grave Digger sends him sprawling to the mat with a careless backhand, then gets up to his feet! The Grave Digger is up, and it doesn't look like the Scorpion Deathlock did anything but make him mad!!

Lance Errington gets up again, but the Grave Digger grabs him and whips him into the ropes, then mauls him with a huge clothesline when he comes off the other side! Lance Errington gets up, but the Grave Digger sends him flying back into a corner with one huge punch! Lance Errington comes staggering out... and walks right into a huge backdrop!! He crashes hard to the mat, and now the Grave Digger steps out to the apron and begins climbing to the top turnbuckle! He's preparing to take flight... but Lance Errington sees it coming as he gets up, and throws himself against the ropes, shaking them and causing the Grave Digger to lose his balance and fall crotch-first on the top rope!

Lance Errington climbs up to the top with the Grave Digger, then turns his back to him and hooks his head from behind. What's he doing? He leaps off the top, and brings the Grave Digger with him in a TOP-ROPE ACE CRUSHER!! That just put the Grave Digger down hard! Lance Errington gets up, and turns to face the crowd with a cocky smirk on his face... but behind him, THE GRAVE DIGGER SITS UP!! The crowd cheers, and Lance's facial expression turns to one of dread as he turns around, just in time to see the Grave Digger get to his feet! He rushes forward with a clothesline, but his arm just deflects harmlessly off of the Grave Digger's massive chest, and the Grave Digger just stares at him! The Digger grabs Lance Errington and whips him into the ropes, then runs off the other side... and takes flight to nearly decapitate Lance Errington with a massive leaping clothesline!!

The crowd explodes into cheers, and the Grave Digger stares at Lance Errington with contempt as Lance pulls himself up to his feet. He staggers forward, and the Digger grabs his throat!! But before he can lift for a chokeslam, Lance Errington reaches out and gouges his eyes! The Grave Digger stumbles back, clutching at his face, and Lance Errington takes aim, then kicks him square in the crotch!! Jerry Rogers warns him against that sort of move, but Lance Errington ignores him, hooking the head of the doubled-over Grave Digger, and bringing him down with a DDT!! The Grave Digger's down, and Lance Errington steps out onto the apron, then climbs to one of the top turnbuckles. He takes aim, then leaps off with a FLYING KNEEDROP!! Lance Errington hits the Grave Digger square in the head with his knee, and grimaces at the pain as his knee collides with hard skull, but then crawls onto the Grave Digger for the cover! Jerry Rogers counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two and a half! There's still plenty left in the Grave Digger!!

Lance Errington begins stomping and kicking at the Grave Digger, trying to keep him from getting up, but that's pretty futile; the Grave Digger's rising to his feet, and he won't be denied! Lance Errington steps back into a corner, boosts himself up to the second turnbuckle, then leaps off with a flying clothesline that catches the Grave Digger across the chest, but the Grave Digger just rocks back on his heels, not going down! Lance Errington runs into the ropes, then comes off to nail the Grave Digger with a leaping clothesline... and he staggers back a step, but still doesn't go down! Lance Errington backs into the ropes again, then runs at the Grave Digger, and runs right into a HUGE Yakuza kick!! Lance Errington goes down hard, and the crowd explodes into cheers!!

The Grave Digger pulls Lance Errington up and lifts him high over his head in a Gorilla Press, then tosses him across the ring! Lance Errington wipes out on the mat and starts to get up, in a world of pain, but the Grave Digger runs into the ropes... and Derek Cole trips him on the outside!! The Grave Digger falls face-first on the mat, and Jerry Rogers didn't see anything, as usual, but Lance Errington's waiting on the Grave Digger as he gets up! He hooks his head, and brings him down with an ACE CRUSHER!! The Grave Digger flops over on his back, and Lance Errington grabs his legs and steps through, preparing for the Scorpion Deathlock again... but the Grave Digger just kicks him back into a corner!! Lance Errington staggers out, and the Grave Digger runs into the ropes, then rushes him with a lariat, but Lance Errington ducks, and the Grave Digger wipes out referee Jerry Rogers instead!! The Grave Digger turns around to Lance Errington... but Lance nails him with a low blow, then brings him down with a DDT!!

The Grave Digger's down, as is Jerry Rogers, and now Lance Errington rolls out of the ring and grabs a steel chair. He climbs to the top turnbuckle with the chair, as the Grave Digger gets up... and comes off with a big TOP-ROPE CHAIRSHOT!! The Grave Digger's legs buckle, and he goes down to his knees, and Lance Errington draws the chair back and swings it again, nailing the Grave Digger in the head with it once more! The Grave Digger wobbles, but doesn't fall down, and Lance Errington raises the chair again... and he swings, but the Grave Digger catches it, pulls it out of his grasp, and tears the seat off of the frame, then tosses both pieces aside!! The Grave Digger just tore apart a steel chair, and now he's getting back up to his feet!!

Lance Errington backs up, begging for mercy, but the Grave Digger won't hear any of that. He doubles Lance Errington over with a kick to the midsection, then spins him around and grabs him in a cobra clutch... CRADLE TO GRAVE!! Lance Errington's down!! And now the Grave Digger pulls him up off of the mat and grabs him by the throat... CHOKESLAM!! Lance Errington is splattered on the canvas, but the Grave Digger's not done yet! He points down to Lance Errington and draws his thumb across his throat, signalling for the Burial!! Derek Cole jumps up on the apron, but the Grave Digger whirls on him with a murderous glare, and Derek Cole blanches and hops down from the apron, wanting no part of the Grave Digger! The Grave Digger pulls Lance Errington up into position... and drives him down with the BURIAL!! That's it!!

The Grave Digger folds Lance Errington's arms over his chest to cover, and Jerry Rogers is still down! The crowd counts to three for him, but that's not going to be official... the match isn't technically over, even if for all intents and purposes, it's clearly over. The Grave Digger gets up, and moves to Jerry Rogers, trying to rouse him... but someone's coming out of the backstage entrance... it's the VCW Television Champion, Gabriel Black!! What the hell is HE doing out here? He has no business in this match whatsoever!! He comes to the ring and hops up on the apron, and the Grave Digger turns to see him... this could get ugly. These two had an altercation six days ago...

The Grave Digger approaches Gabriel Black, saying something with a menacing glare on his face... and Gabriel Black swings the VCW Television Title right into his head!! The Grave Digger wobbles backwards and goes down to one knee, but then begins getting up again... but Gabriel Black climbs up to the top turnbuckle, then leaps off to nail the Grave Digger with the DESTINY HAMMER!! The Grave Digger turns and staggers away from Gabriel Black... but Lance Errington's pulling himself to his feet, and Derek Cole just handed him a pipe wrench!! The Grave Digger staggers towards Lance Errington, and Lance swings at him... PIPE WRENCH TO THE HEAD!! He just nailed the Grave Digger SQUARE in the head with a solid steel pipe wrench! That could kill a man!! And now he flops down onto the Grave Digger, and Gabriel Black rolls out of the ring, as Jerry Rogers looks up groggily! He makes the count... no, come on!! ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THREE!! Damn it, Lance Errington just stole a victory!!

Lance Errington pinned The Grave Digger after hitting him with a foreign object in 0:16:45.
Rating: 1/2*

Lance Errington rolls out of the ring, groggy and battered, and leans on Derek Cole, who begins helping him backstage. Gabriel Black, who just cost the Grave Digger a victory, is also headed backstage, and he nods to Lance Errington and Derek Cole as he passes them. What's that about? What the hell just happened here!? We know one thing for sure; Lance Errington stole a victory with some help from Gabriel Black, and the Grave Digger, if he's not seriously injured here, will be back for some serious revenge.

But right now, the Grave Digger's still down. He was clobbered in the head by a heavy, solid steel wrench, and there may not be anybody in this company who WOULD get up from that. Jerry Rogers, himself battered and groggy, is checking on the Grave Digger... and he leaps back in fright suddenly as the Grave Digger SITS UP!! Unbelievably, the Grave Digger is getting to his feet! The crowd's cheering him on, and he has an inhuman rage burning behind his bright green eyes as he begins to leave the ring. Lance Errington, Derek Cole, and Gabriel Black are marked men in the Grave Digger's book, and if they're smart, they'll get out of the arena as fast as they can!

As the Grave Digger stalks backstage, refusing assistance from medics who were on their way out to check on him, ring announcer David Page enters the ring with a microphone. He'll be announcing the participants in our double main event tonight, starting now.

D. Page: Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please? ... Violent Championship Wrestling is proud to bring you the first of our two main events of the evening! The following contest is set for one fall, with a sixty minute time limit... and it is the FINAL round in the Survival of the Fittest Tournament, to determine the challenger for the VCW World Title come Wrestlewar!! Your referee for this match is Bobcat McGavin!!

Bobcat McGavin steps into the ring to a tiny pop from the crowd. But the few scattered cheers become a deafening chorus when "Degenerated" by the Lone Rangers begins playing over the arena sound system, and Johnny Smiles steps out of the backstage entrance. He's limping slightly, still feeling the effects of the abuse his leg took against Julian Page, but he's had over an hour to rest and put an icepack on it, so hopefully he will have made at least a partial recovery in time for this match. In any case, he's still smiling and in high spirits as he begins making his way to the ring.

D. Page: Introducing first, from Indianapolis, Indiana... he stands six feet two inches tall and weighs two hundred and thirty pounds. He is a former two-time VCW Intercontinental Champion, and the winner of the Big Fight in this year of 2001... but tonight, he seeks to go to Wrestlewar for a coveted shot at the ultimate prize! He is one of the most charismatic and popular competitors in VCW... he is JOOOOOOOHNNNNYYYY SMIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLESSSS!!

Johnny Smiles walks to the ring, climbs up on one of the top turnbuckles, and begins posing for the crowd. A camera catches him saying, "Wow, I got a main event ring introduction! This is so COOL!!" as he smiles in delight. Clearly, he's excited about his chances here, but the odds are going to be pretty steep...

D. Page: And his opponent...

Dim silver-blue lights replace the arena lights, but somewhat surprisingly it's "For Whom The Bell Tolls" by Metallica rather than "Favorite Things" that begins playing over the arena sound system. The crowd gives a mixed reaction of mostly boos as Troy Black comes out of the backstage area, with Rebecca Black. But at the top of the ramp, he says something to Rebecca Black, and she turns and walks backstage, as Troy Black continues his walk to the ring alone.

D. Page: He comes from Phoenix, Arizona, at a height of five feet ten inches tall, weighing in at one hundred and ninety-five pounds. He is a former VCW World Champion, and the winner of the Survival of the Fittest Tournament in 1999. Arguably the best athlete and technical wrestler in VCW, he now seeks to take what he says is his rightful place in the main event of Wrestlewar, with a victory in this match. Ladies and gentlemen, TRRRRRROOYYYYYY BLAAAAAAAAACK!!!

The crowd continues to give Troy Black mostly boos as he walks to the ring and steps in through the ropes. The boos and cheers both get louder as he poses at one of the top turnbuckles, and Johnny Smiles stands back in the opposite corner, watching him with uncharacteristic caution. He certainly knows what Troy Black is capable of. The lights go back to normal, and Bobcat McGavin calls for the bell, and this match is on!

Survival of the Fittest
Final Match:

Troy Black

vs.

Johnny Smiles

Troy Black and Johnny Smiles circle each other in the ring for a few seconds, then move to the middle and lock up. Johnny Smiles grabs a headlock out of the lockup and yells "LOOK, I GOT HIM!!" but Troy Black backs him into the ropes, then shoots him into the ropes on the other side. Johnny comes off the ropes, and Troy meets him in the middle with a shoulderblock, but is knocked to the mat by Johnny Smiles. Johnny has about four feet of height and forty pounds of weight in his favor here, and as that collision shows, Troy Black's not going to get anywhere just by running into him.

Unconcerned, Troy Black gets up, cautiously approaching Johnny Smiles again. They lock up again, and Johnny Smiles goes for an armwringer, but Troy Black twists out of it, grabs Johnny Smiles's arm, and sends him into the ropes. He goes for a dropkick when Johnny Smiles comes off the other side, but Johnny Smiles pulls back at the last second, and Troy Black crash lands on the mat! He bolts up into a sitting position, but Johnny Smiles comes forward and pushes his head down, then straddles the back of his head, sits down on the back of his neck and bridges backwards so that he's supporting himself with his hands. What the hell is that supposed to be? It may be putting pressure on Troy Black's neck, but that's certainly not any sort of conventional wrestling move... and perhaps we can see why, as after a few seconds Troy Black slips his head free and sweeps Johnny Smiles's legs so that he falls into a sunset flip pinning position. Bobcat McGavin counts... ONE!! ... And only one, before Johnny Smiles rolls out of the pin and gets to his feet!

Once again, they're both back up, and neither man has the advantage. It looks like they're going for another lockup, but no, this time Troy Black just hauls off and punches Johnny Smiles in the face! They begin trading blows in the middle of the ring, and Johnny Smiles takes the upper hand, then whips Troy Black into the ropes. Troy Black comes in off the other side, and Johnny Smiles hiptosses him down to the canvas! Troy Black gets up and charges again, and Johnny Smiles goes for a second hiptoss, but this time Troy Black blocks it and doubles him over with a knee to the midsection! Troy Black puts a leg over Johnny Smiles's head for a Rocker Dropper, but Johnny Smiles backdrops out of it! Troy Black performs a backflip, lands on his feet, and whirls at Johnny Smiles with a spin kick, but Johnny Smiles catches his foot, spins him around by it, then grabs him in a waistlock and brings him down with a German suplex! He holds the bridge, and Bobcat McGavin counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two by Troy Black!

Johnny Smiles gets up and cuts Troy Black off with a few right hands, then whips him into a corner of the ring. Troy Black stumbles out, and Johnny Smiles goes for a superkick, but Troy Black pulls up short and he misses! As Johnny Smiles regains his balance, Troy Black rushes forward and nails him with a series of punches, then grabs him and gives him an inverted atomic drop! Johnny Smiles is stunned by that move, and Troy Black measures him, then nails him with a spin kick that drops him to the canvas! Johnny Smiles starts getting up, and Troy Black hooks him for the double arm DDT, but Johnny quickly realizes where he is and backdrops out if it! Troy Black lands on his back but instantly kips up to his feet, but as he does Johnny Smiles runs into the ropes, then comes off the other side with a dropkick that knocks him down!!

Troy Black gets up, and Johnny clobbers him with a few right hands, then grabs his head and turns him around into a reverse neckbreaker! Troy Black's starting to get up now, but Johnny Smiles scoops him up off of his feet, then bodyslams him to the canvas. With Troy Black down, Johnny Smiles backs up into the ropes, then comes forward and drops a leg on Troy Black! Johnny Smiles floats over for a cover, after the bodyslam and legdrop; hey, why not? It works for Hulk Hogan! Bobcat McGavin counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... And Troy Black kicks out at two. It's going to take one hell of a lot more than that to keep him down.

Johnny Smiles pulls Troy Black up and lifts him for a vertical suplex, but Troy slips out behind him, then clobbers him in the back of the head! Johnny Smiles stumbles forward, and Troy Black grabs him by the hair and takes him head-first into one of the turnbuckles three times! Johnny Smiles staggers back, and Troy Black springs up on the second rope, leaps back off, turning in mid-air to catch Johnny Smiles with a backspring cross bodypress! Johnny Smiles goes down, and Troy Black stays on top for the cover... no, actually, he's not covering, he's crouching over Johnny Smiles and punching him repeatedly! Bobcat McGavin warns Troy Black to stop that, and Troy ignores the warning at first, but then Bobcat McGavin physically pulls him off and threatens to disqualify him.

Troy Black glares at Bobcat McGavin, then pulls Johnny Smiles up. He puts on a headlock and takes a running start, then brings Johnny Smiles down with a bulldog! Troy Black has Johnny Smiles down, and now he's stepping out to the apron and climbing the turnbuckles! But Johnny Smiles doesn't stay down for as long as Troy Black would have liked; he gets up and catches him at the top turnbuckle, then press slams him off into the ring! Troy Black gets up, and Johnny Smiles rushes at him, then knocks him off his feet with a dropkick! Troy Black gets up again, pulling himself up on the ropes... and Johnny Smiles rushes forward with a second dropkick, knocking Troy Black out of the ring through the ropes! Troy Black lands on the floor, and Johnny Smiles runs into the ropes on the opposite side as he gets up, then runs forward and dives out over the top rope with a tope that knocks Troy Black down at ringside! The crowd explodes into cheers; Johnny Smiles is really taking the fight to Troy Black here!

Johnny Smiles pulls Troy Black up and whips him into the guardrail, but Troy Black reverses, and Johnny Smiles hits the rail back-first, then slumps against it! Troy Black pauses for a second to clear his head, then turns and charges Johnny Smiles, but Johnny gets a boot up into his face! Troy Black staggers back, stunned, and Johnny grabs a glass of cola from a helpful fan, then sloshes that into Troy Black's face as he charges again! Troy Black stops in his tracks, stunned by the shock of getting a face full of ice-cold cola, and Johnny Smiles steps forward, pivots, and nails him with the SUPERKICK!! Troy Black goes down, and the crowd explodes into cheers!

Johnny Smiles grabs Troy Black and rolls him back into the ring, then climbs in after him. He pulls Troy Black up on his shoulders in a fireman's carry, but Troy Black quickly realizes his position and squirms out of it, countering with a crucifix! Johnny Smiles falls back in the move, and Bobcat McGavin counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two by Johnny Smiles! They both get up, and Troy Black launches a throat jab at Johnny Smiles, but Johnny grabs his fist and whips him into the turnbuckles! He hits chest-first, and staggers backwards into Johnny Smiles, who grabs him and takes him down with a belly-to-back suplex! The crowd cheers, and Johnny Smiles floats over for the cover! Bobcat McGavin counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two by Troy Black!

Johnny Smiles pulls Troy Black up and throws him into a corner of the ring, then climbs up on the turnbuckles and starts hitting him with punches. The crowd counts along as Johnny Smiles punches Troy Black ten times, then hops down and whips him into the opposite corner! Troy Black hits the turnbuckles back-first, and Johnny Smiles charges in after him, catching him square in the chest with a dropkick! Troy Black slumps down in the corner, into a seated position, and Johnny Smiles backs up, then runs forward and gives him a low dropkick to the chest this time! He winces and stops to shake out his leg, but then pulls Troy Black out of the corner by the legs, and flips over him into a jackknife pinning hold! Bobcat McGavin counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two by Troy Black!! Obviously, Troy's a long way from being finished. Johnny's offense has been consistent and full of energy, but he may need to shift into a higher gear to beat Troy Black; his offense so far hasn't gotten the job done.

Johnny Smiles pulls Troy Black up from behind, then hooks him for a belly-to-back suplex, but when he lifts, Troy flips out behind him! Johnny Smiles turns around and throws a punch, but Troy Black blocks it, then hammers Johnny Smiles with three punches of his own! He backs Johnny into the ropes, then whips him to the other side... no, Johnny Smiles reverses! Troy Black comes off the ropes, and Johnny Smiles throws a clothesline, but Troy Black ducks under it, then runs into the ropes on the other side, and comes off to take flight with a jumping clothesline, taking Johnny Smiles off his feet!! Johnny Smiles gets up, but Troy Black grabs him by the hair and pulls him into a kneesmash facebuster, but then twists him as he pops up from that into a reverse neckbreaker! That was a pretty nice combination of moves by Troy Black!

He's not going for the cover, though; perhaps he knows he needs to inflict more damage before he can win this match. Instead, he pulls Johnny Smiles up, hooks him in a front chancery, and whips him to the mat with a snap suplex! Johnny Smiles lands hard on the mat and begins to get up, but Troy Black cuts him off with a kick to the midsection, then grabs him and tosses him out of the ring, over the top rope to the floor! Johnny Smiles goes down in a heap at ringside, clutching his knee... it looks like he reaggravated some of the damage Julian Page caused to his leg earlier tonight. Troy Black notices that and smiles as he climbs to the top turnbuckle. Johnny Smiles gets up, and Troy Black jumps out onto him with a FLYING CROSS BODYPRESS!! Johnny Smiles goes down under Troy Black again, and the crowd gives a few cheers mixed in with their boos for that move!

They both stay down for a moment, but then Troy Black gets up. He pulls Johnny Smiles to his feet, then grabs him by the hair and takes him head-first into the announcers' table! Now he rolls Johnny Smiles up onto the table, then climbs up with him! He pulls him up into a standing headscissors and lifts for a piledriver, but no, Johnny Smiles blocks, then backdrops Troy Black off of the table to the floor!! Troy Black falls back-first onto the floor, and Johnny Smiles climbs off of the table, then lifts Troy Black up over his shoulder! He takes a limping, running start, and rams Troy Black head-first into the steel ringpost, then lets him drop to a heap in the floor! Troy Black's down and in trouble, and Johnny Smiles grabs him by the back of the shirt, then rolls him back into the ring.

Johnny Smiles climbs in after Troy Black, then stops to flex his right knee and rub at it. Troy Black's getting up, and Johnny Smiles slaps his thigh to signal for a superkick as he measures Troy Black. He steps forward and launches the kick, but Troy Black catches his foot, then brings him down with a dragon screw leg whip into a half Boston! The crowd boos, and Johnny's fortunes are reversed again as he grimaces in pain, with Troy Black leaning back on the half Boston! Johnny Smiles grits his teeth and crawls towards the ropes, making steady progress, but that hold has to be aggravating the condition of his right knee, which took quite a beating in his match against Julian Page. He makes the ropes, and Bobcat McGavin forces Troy Black to release the hold, but some damage may have been done.

Troy Black pulls Johnny Smiles up off of the mat and punches him in the face a few times, then grabs his leg and brings him down with a kneebreaker. He's adapting his strategy, now single-mindedly focusing on Johnny Smiles's leg instead of counting on his superior athletic abilities and staying power in a battle of attrition. Johnny Smiles is down and in pain, and Troy Black drapes his right leg over the bottom rope, then jumps up and sits down across the knee, causing Johnny Smiles to writhe and yell out in pain. Troy Black just smiles, then jumps up and sits down on the leg again! Johnny thrashes around on the mat and curls up, clutching at his leg, and Troy Black looks on with a satisfied smirk, then stomps at his fallen body a few times, to boos from the crowd.

Troy Black pulls Johnny Smiles into the middle of the ring, then holds his legs and steps through, looking for a scorpion deathlock, but Johnny Smiles grabs his foot and counters by bringing him down into a kneebar! The crowd cheers, and that display of wrestling prowess clearly caught Troy Black off guard! His eyes flash wide with surprise and pain, and he begins his own struggle to the ropes, as the crowd cheers for the reversal of fortunes. Troy Black fights towards the ropes, and he begins getting near... and he grabs the bottom rope!

The crowd boos, but Johnny Smiles quickly releases the kneebar, but keeps holding Troy Black's foot as he gets up, then grabs the other foot! Shifting his weight, he pulls Troy Black away from the ropes to the middle of the ring, then falls back sharply and catapults Troy Black backwards into the opposite top rope!! Troy Black lands on the rope gut-first, and teeters on the brink of tumbling over to the floor... but Johnny Smiles gets up, and helps him over the edge with a casual shove! Troy Black goes over the top rope, but keeps holding it with his hands, and starts to do the "skin the cat" flip backwards into the ring, but Johnny Smiles dropkicks him in the back, knocking him down to the floor after all!

The crowd cheers, and Johnny Smiles gets up, but his right leg is clearly giving him some big problems now. The damage done by Julian Page earlier tonight seemed to have receeded at first, but as the match goes on and Troy Black himself goes after the leg, it's all coming back in force. Troy Black gets up off of the floor and pulls himself back onto the apron, but Johnny Smiles limps over to meet him with a right hand to the side of the head! Troy Black is rocked back, and nearly falls back to the floor again, but Johnny Smiles grabs him by the hair and pulls him forward into a front chancery, then braces himself on his good leg and brings him back into the ring with a vertical suplex!

But back in the ring, Johnny Smiles gets up almost as slowly as Troy Black, with his leg being hurt. He forces himself into action, pounding away at Troy Black as he gets up, then whipping him into a corner. Troy Black hits the turnbuckles and staggers out, right into a powerslam!! The crowd cheers, Johnny hooks the leg for the cover, and Bobcat McGavin counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two and a half by Troy Black! Johnny Smiles seems a little frustrated that there's still so much life left in Troy Black, but you had to expect this from a wrestler who usually has to be dropped on his head a few dozen times before he stays down.

Johnny Smiles props Troy Black up into a sitting position, then slips behind him... and applies a cobra clutch! This is a change in tactics, but it may be a smart one. Johnny Smiles would be unlikely to match Troy Black's mobility when healthy, and with his leg ailing, it's out of the question. Now he's trying to use his weight advantage, and perhaps a slight strength advantage, to keep Troy Black down! But Troy Black's fighting it, and it seems like he's a little bit angry at this unexpected development. He fights his way to his feet, then begins walking towards a corner, and Johnny Smiles is having a hard time holding him still, without support from his right leg! Troy Black lunges to a corner, then runs up the turnbuckles and kicks off backwards... but Johnny Smiles falls back and uses his momentum to bring him down in a COBRA CLUTCH SUPLEX!! The crowd explodes into cheers, but instead of holding it with a bridge for the pin, Johnny Smiles rolls onto his side, cinches down tightly on the cobra clutch again, and keeps the hold applied!!

Troy Black begins trying to fight to his feet again, using his free arm for support, but Johnny Smiles wraps his legs around his waist in a bodyscissors, and Troy Black's not able to get up with Johnny's weight on his back. Troy Black seems to be fading as he reaches down with his free hand and pulls Johnny's weakened right leg away from the bodyscissors, thereby slipping out of the bodyscissors, and begins squirming towards the ropes, trying to reach them with his legs. But Troy Black has lost too much strength by remaining in the hold for so long, and Johnny scoots backwards, away from the ropes, with Troy Black in his grasp, foiling his attempt to earn a rope break! Troy Black struggles wildly for a second or two... and then his hand goes limp! He could be out!!

Bobcat McGavin goes down to check his arm. He lifts it once... and it falls once. He lifts it again... and it falls. He holds up two fingers and yells "TWO!" to the crowd, which is starting to murmur as Johnny Smiles clenches down on the hold and yells "YEAH BUDDY!" through a strained smile. Bobcat McGavin lifts Troy Black's arm a third time, and again it fa--NO, IT STAYS UP!! Troy Black's arm nearly dropped a third time, but then it shot staight up in the air!! The crowd boos loudly, and Troy Black begins struggling with renewed vigor, fighting his way up to his feet! Johnny Smiles holds on, trying to keep him grounded, but now Troy Black is fighting on some kind of surge of intense strength, and he won't be denied! Troy Black gets to his feet, still in the cobra clutch... but Johnny Smiles just lifts him and flings him down to the mat in a cobra clutch slam!! He wasn't going to wait for Troy Black to counter the hold or break free! And that may have stopped Troy Black's momentum cold, because now he's flat on his back!!

Johnny Smiles looks down at Troy Black, and then points up at the ceiling and steps out to the apron! What's he thinking? This might not be a good idea, but he's climbing to the top turnbuckle on his injured leg! Fortunately for Johnny Smiles, Troy Black is definitely woozy and slow to get to his feet, even as Johnny is slow to get to the top turnbuckle. Troy Black gets up, shakes his head, and turns to look at Johnny Smiles with a dazed look in his eyes, and Johnny Smiles leaps off the top turnbuckle with a flying... headbutt!? Johnny Smiles cracks his forehead against Troy Black on his descent from the top!! Troy Black crumples back down to the mat, but Johnny Smiles half-staggers, half-limps backwards into the ropes, looking none too coherent himself. He stumbles forward again, as Troy Black starts to stir, then keels over again... HEAD-FIRST INTO TROY BLACK'S CROTCH!!

The crowd lets out an "ooooh" as Troy Black grimaces in pain and curls up on the mat, hands between his legs. He's curled up in agony, and Johnny Smiles is face-down and limp... and Bobcat McGavin looks back and forth between them, then begins a slow ten-count. Troy Black starts to stir at six, and Johnny Smiles begins getting up at seven. They get to their feet, Troy slightly ahead of Johnny, and Troy throws a punch, but Johnny Smiles blocks it! Johnny Smiles returns fire with a series of punches, then whips Troy Black into the ropes, hobbles into the other side, and comes off with a running leaping forearm smash that knocks Troy Black off his feet!

The crowd cheers for the leaping forearm smash, and Johnny Smiles pulls off his shirt, flexes his muscles, and makes his pecs dance, then gets a little too carried away with his Lex Luger homage and signals for a torture rack! Troy Black gets to his feet, still staggered, and Johnny Smiles lifts him into a torture rack! But his right leg's having trouble supporting the move, so he stops to shift his grip and his position, and Troy Black takes that opportunity to slide out, then hooks Johnny Smiles's arms from behind and brings him down into a backslide! Johnny kicks and squirms, and Bobcat McGavin counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two and a half by Johnny Smiles! They both start getting up, but Troy Black nails Johnny Smiles with a low blow, then grabs him by the hair and pulls him down into a jawbreaker!!

Troy Black gets up, looking slightly winded and fatigued, then begins stomping at the fallen form of Johnny Smiles. Bobcat McGavin lectures him about the low blow, but Troy Black brushes him off, then refuses to pay any further attention as he grabs Johnny Smiles's shirt and starts choking him with it! Bobcat McGavin yells at him irately, then orders him to let go and begins counting. Troy Black releases the choke at four, holding his hands and the shirt up high... then goes right back to it! Bobcat McGavin yells at him again, becoming fed up, then counts to four a little more quickly, and again, Troy Black releases the hold. This time, Bobcat McGavin yanks the shirt out of his hand, wads it up, and tosses it into the crowd, where fans begin fighting over it. Troy Black just shrugs, and turns back to Johnny Smiles, who's beginning to get up, and he stuns him with an eye gouge, then pulls his hair to take him down with a snap mare!

Bobcat McGavin's on the verge of losing his temper now, red-faced and shouting loudly at Troy Black to use no more questionable tactics. Troy Black rolls his eyes and starts to turn away, but Bobcat McGavin grabs him by the shoulder and spins him around, then gets in his face, yelling loudly and poking him in the chest with a meaty finger for emphasis! Troy Black shoves Bobcat McGavin away, talking back to him... and Bobcat McGavin snarls in rage, then shoves Troy Black back!! Troy staggers backwards two steps from the shove, into a roll-up by Johnny Smiles!! Bobcat McGavin gleefully goes down to make the count... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... But Troy kicks out at two and a half, and Bobcat McGavin seems almost disappointed that it wasn't three!

Troy Black gets up, then shoots an icy glare at Bobcat McGavin before turning back to Johnny Smiles and hammering him as he tries to get up. He pulls Johnny Smiles up and gives him an atomic drop, causing him to stagger and hobble forward, clutching his rump. Troy Black measures him, then backs into the ropes, and comes off with a precisely-aimed dropkick to the knee that brings Johnny Smiles down!! Johnny Smiles is down on the mat, clutching his leg, and Troy Black hooks his leg, then steps around into a figure-four leglock!!

The crowd boos loudly; they've already seen Johnny Smiles trapped in a figure-four leglock too much tonight already. Johnny Smiles cries out in pain and anguish; it doesn't seem like he can take it! He's fighting it, but there's a hopelessness in his eyes as his struggling brings him mere inches closer to the ropes each time! Troy Black just smiles, and begins pulling the hold the other way, not gaining much progress due to his smaller size, but stopping Johnny's struggle to the ropes more or less dead in its tracks. Johnny looks up at the lights with a weary, defeated look in his eyes... but the crowd's stomping the floor and "JOHNNY!" Johnny shakes his head, gritting his teeth against the pain... and his eyes flash wide open with renewed energy behind them!!

Troy Black curses under his breath as Johnny Smiles puts a fist into the air, beginning to try to turn the hold over! Troy Black is fighting it with all he has, but he has about forty fewer pounds than Johnny, and Johnny's somehow getting a renewed surge of strength from the crowd! He turns the hold over to an eruption of cheers from the crowd, then plants his hands firmly on the mat to stop Troy Black from attempting to turn it back! Now Troy Black cries out in pain, and quickly he has to release the hold! Troy Black gets up, but Johnny Smiles pulls himself to one knee, despite the pain in his leg. Troy Black turns around to continue his attack on Johnny... but Johnny lunges forward with a SPEAR!! He just took Troy Black down, and he begins opening up on him with repeated right hands, nailing him several times before Bobcat McGavin demands that he get up!

Johnny Smiles gets up and whips Troy Black into a corner of the ring, then hobbles in after him and drives his shoulder into Troy Black's midsection. Troy staggers out, doubled over, and Johnny Smiles backs into the ropes, then comes off with a swinging neckbreaker! Johnny Smiles gets up again, favoring his leg, but Troy Black's getting up as well... but he's doubled over again, and now Johnny Smiles hooks his head and brings him down with a DDT!! That might keep a lesser opponent down for the three-count, but probably not Troy Black, and Johnny Smiles seems to know that, since he's not going for the cover! Instead, he pulls Troy Black into a standing headscissors, braces himself on his good leg, then lifts... POWER BOMB!! That just folded Troy Black up! Johnny Smiles leans forward on him for the pin, with Troy Black's legs on his shoulders and his hands pressing down on Troy's shoulders, and Bobcat McGavin counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THR... Kickout at two and three-quarters!!

Johnny Smiles steps back, flexing his knee, and he seems to be measuring Troy Black for a superkick, but then he quickly thinks better of it. Instead, Johnny Smiles pulls Troy Black up and whips him into a corner, then waits on him as he comes out, and lifts him into a fireman's carry! Johnny Smiles pivots on his good leg... but Troy Black squirms out behind him!! Johnny Smiles turns around... into a kick to the midsection! And now Troy Black hooks him for the double arm DDT... but Johnny pulls his arms free, then shoves Troy Black back into the corner again! Troy Black staggers out, and Johnny grabs him around the waist, then flings him backwards with a belly-to-belly overhead suplex!! Troy Black lands in a heap, and Johnny Smiles pulls himself to his feet, then steps out to the apron!

Johnny Smiles begins slowly climbing to the top rope again on his wounded leg, but Troy Black's up first, and he runs into the ropes, causing Johnny to fall groin-first on the turnbuckle! The crowd boos, and Troy Black climbs up with Johnny Smiles, then hooks him for a superplex, but Johnny blocks it! Troy Black tries again, and again Johnny Smiles blocks! And then Johnny Smiles lifts, and tosses Troy Black down into the ring with a front-layout superplex! Troy Black crash-lands on his face, then starts to pull himself back up to his feet. But that gives Johnny time to find a perch on the top turnbuckle again, and when Troy Black looks up, Johnny Smiles leaps off onto him with a FLYING CROSS BODYPRESS!! Troy Black goes down under Johnny Smiles, and Bobcat McGavin goes to make the count... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THR... Kickout at two and three-quarters again!

After a few seconds, they both begin getting back to their feet. Johnny Smiles grabs Troy Black from behind in a cobra clutch again, but this time Troy Black cuts him off with a sharp elbow to the ribs, breaking the hold, then reaches back, grabs Johnny Smiles's head, and brings him down in an ACE CRUSHER!! Johnny Smiles is down, and Troy Black gets back up, rubbing the back of his neck and looking down at Johnny Smiles angrily. He kicks and stomps at him a few times, then pulls him up and hooks him... DOUBLE ARM DDT!! He just brought Johnny down, head-first into the mat! The crowd boos, knowing what comes next, as Troy Black steps out to the apron and begins climbing the turnbuckles. He stands at the top turnbuckle, raises his fist high in the air, and leaps off with the BLACK DAGGER!! But Johnny Smiles rolls out of the way, and Troy Black only connects with the mat!

The crowd cheers loudly for the miss, and Johnny Smiles begins fighting his way to his feet. Troy Black gets up and gives him a furious glare, then charges, but Johnny Smiles lashes out and catches him square on the chin with a SUPERKICK!! That obviously taxed his injured leg, as he goes down to one knee winching in pain, but Troy Black was just knocked flat to the canvas! Johnny Smiles seems to be at a loss for what to do now, though... his leg is on its last legs, and Troy Black still has a lot of fight left! Troy Black pulls himself up on his hands and knees, and Johnny Smiles grabs him from behind and hooks his arms in a chickenwing hold... is he going for a tiger suplex? He begins to lift, but Troy Black snaps his head back into Johnny's nose, breaking the suplex attempt! With Johnny Smiles stunned, Troy Black bends down, reaches between his legs, and grabs Johnny's foot, and rolls forward, sending Johnny toppling face-first to the mat, as Troy Black holds his foot and locks on a reverse kneebar!!

The crowd boos in despair, knowing there's not much more that Johnny's right leg can take, but Johnny's not giving up! With a Wrestlewar title shot on the line, he can't afford to give up! He pushes up with his hands and gets to his knee with his good leg, and tries to crawl to the ropes, dragging Troy Black. But that's a slow, difficult process, and it's going to take too long... instead, Johnny tucks in his right arm while pushing up with his left arm and leg and rolls over in the hold, grabbing Troy Black's foot and freeing his leg as he comes up, countering the reverse kneebar into an ankle lock submission!! Who knew that Johnny Smiles could pull off a counter-move like that? Troy Black certainly seems surprised, but he manages to get up onto one leg from the ankle lock, then leaps up and clocks Johnny Smiles in the head with an enzuigiri!!

Johnny Smiles collapses face-first to the mat, and Troy Black takes a deep breath, then gives Johnny Smiles a look of pure malice. Every time he appears ready to finish Johnny Smiles and win this match, Johnny Smiles somehow hangs on just long enough to thwart him! This match has inspired Johnny Smiles to new heights of resilience and wrestling ability, and Troy Black seems surprised at finding himself faced with an opponent who has actually taken this match past the forty-five minute mark now! Troy Black seems to run out of imagination, hauling Johnny Smiles up to his knees and hammering fists into his face repeatedly, but Johnny Smiles fights back, clobbering Troy Black with a few punches to the midsection, then getting up!

Johnny Smiles throws a few punches at Troy Black, then whips him into the ropes, and takes him high into the air with a big backdrop as he comes off the ropes! Troy Black gets up, but Johnny Smiles slips behind him, hooks his arms, and this time successfully brings him back with a TIGER SUPLEX!! He holds it for the bridge, and Bobcat McGavin counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THR... Kickout at two and three-quarters by Troy Black!! Troy Black flops over onto the mat, then begins rolling out of the ring... but Johnny grabs his leg and hauls him back into the middle! Troy Black's squirming, trying to crawl away, and Johnny Smiles reaches down and grabs him by the back of his pants, pulling him forward by that! Troy Black's pants come down in the back, exposing his pale posterior to the crowd, and he abandons his attempts to crawl out of the ring in order to reach down and hold his pants up in front!

Johnny Smiles, despite his pain and exhaustion, grins at Troy Black's predicament, and, despite his severe limp, he hauls him all the way around the ring by the back of his pants, then pulls him to his feet! Troy Black quickly pulls his pants up, but while he's doing so Johnny Smiles draws back and clobbers him with a forearm to the back of the neck! Troy Black falls forward onto his hands and knees, and Johnny Smiles pulls one of his hands through between his legs and hooks the other arm, then lifts him up and drives him to the mat with a pumphandle slam!! But Johnny doesn't let Troy stay down for a second before he lifts him up again, and sets him on the top turnbuckle! The crowd cheers as Johnny climbs up with him, having some difficulty... but Johnny Smiles makes it to the top, hooks Troy Black, and brings him down with a huge SUPERPLEX!!

They both stay down for a few seconds after landing on the mat, but then Johnny Smiles rolls over and covers Troy Black. Bobcat McGavin counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THR... Kickout!! Still, Troy Black refuses to stay down for anything! Johnny Smiles pulls Troy Black up, then grabs him from behind and lifts him for a backdrop driver... but no, Troy Black slips out behind him and lands on his feet! Johnny Smiles turns around... INTO A THROAT JAB!! Troy Black just nailed him, and Johnny Smiles goes down hard!! Just like that, the momentum has shifted; once again, Troy Black survives everything Johnny can throw at him, then turns the tide with a single move. Troy Black drops a leg across Johnny Smiles and goes for the cover, as Bobcat McGavin counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THR... Shoulder up at two and three-quarters by Johnny Smiles!!

Troy Black gets up and stomps on Johnny Smiles a few more times, then hauls him up and hooks him for the double arm DDT... but Johnny pulls his arms free and lifts Troy Black on his shoulders in a fireman's carry, and spins into the SMILEDRIVER!! The crowd explodes into cheers!! Johnny Smiles just nailed Troy Black with the Smiledriver, and maybe THIS, finally, will take Troy Black down!! Johnny Smiles covers him and hooks his legs, and the crowd counts along with Bobcat McGavin... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THRE... KICKOUT!! At two and nine-tenths, Troy Black just kicked out of the Smiledriver!! The crowd groans, and Johnny Smiles doesn't seem to know what to do with him now!

Johnny Smiles lifts Troy Black off of the mat and hooks him in a front chancery, then lifts him for a vertical suplex, carefully putting most of the weight on his good leg, and brings him down with a brain buster!! That might do it... but instead of going for the cover to find out, Johnny Smiles pulls Troy Black up, lifts him again, and gives him a second brain buster!! The crowd cheers, catching onto this new strategy quickly; Johnny Smiles is going to drop Troy Black on his head until he's unconscious! Johnny Smiles picks Troy Black up again and gives him a third brain buster, and this one is decidedly sloppy, perhaps due to fatigue on Johnny's part, but it was still effective, and Johnny Smiles covers Troy Black again!! Bobcat McGavin counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THRE... Again, Troy Black kicks out at two and nine-tenths!!

Johnny Smiles is breathing heavily now, and weariness and pain are etched on his face, but he flexes his right knee and forces a resolute grimace onto his face! He tosses Troy Black into a corner of the ring, then lifts him up to the top turnbuckle and begins climbing up after him! Troy Black fights back, throwing a few punches at Johnny Smiles as he climbs up with him, but Johnny reaches up and grabs his hair, then drives his forehead into Troy Black's nose! That stuns Troy Black, and Johnny Smiles ascends to the top turnbuckle and lifts Troy Black on his shoulders... is he going to... TOP-ROPE SMILEDRIVER!! He just DROVE Troy Black head-first into the mat from the top turnbuckle!! That'll be it! That HAS to be it!!

Johnny Smiles sits up weakly from the mat, but he's raising a hand high in the air and smiling triumphantly... BUT TROY BLACK SITS UP!! Troy Black just sat up after taking the top-rope Smiledriver, and Johnny's eyes roll back as hopeless dread washes over his face. Troy Black actually gets to his feet before Johnny Smiles, smiling as he advances on him... and Johnny Smiles reaches up and nails him with a punch to the face! Troy Black is rocked by the blow, but he just shrugs it off, then chuckles and asks for another one! Defiantly, Johnny Smiles hits him again, but Troy Black just absorbs this one too! Johnny Smiles throws another punch, but this time Troy Black blocks it and whips him into the ropes! Johnny Smiles makes a hobbling run into the ropes, and comes off right into a spin kick to the face from Troy Black!!

Johnny Smiles is flat on his back on the canvas, his chest rising and falling heavily, and Troy Black stomps on his fallen carcass a few times, then demands that he get up. Johnny Smiles struggles to his feet, but there's clearly nothing left in him; pain, fatigue, and despair have all taken their toll on him. Troy Black knees him in the midsection, then pulls him into a standing headscissors and lifts, giving him a piledriver!! Johnny Smiles seems to deflate upon impact, and the crowd is too drained even to offer much in the way of boos or support for him. Troy Black nods with satisfaction, then goes for the cover, and Bobcat McGavin counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THR... FOOT ON THE ROPES!! Johnny Smiles was too close to the ropes, and he managed to throw a foot on the bottom rope at the last minute!

Troy Black looks up with a snarl when Bobcat McGavin tells him about that, and he begins furiously punching Johnny Smiles, as if to punish him for daring to resist, when at this point, he's clearly no longer in the match. Bobcat McGavin warns Troy about the closed fists, and Troy Black scoops Johnny Smiles up, then brings him down across a knee with a gutbuster. Johnny curls up on the mat, gasping for breath, and Troy Black smiles as he pushes sweat-soaked hair out of his face. He pulls Johnny Smiles up and gives him a kick to the midsection, then hooks him... DOUBLE ARM DDT!! He just nailed it!! This is the beginning of the end, to be sure, and the crowd knows it, booing loudly and desperately chanting "JOHNNY!"

But Johnny Smiles is completely winded and broken down, and there's not much chance of another comeback now. Troy Black just looks out at the fans with a sadistic smile, then turns his thumb down over Johnny Smiles's carcass and steps out to the apron. Troy Black's climbing to the top turnbuckle, and he raises his fist high again. He leaps off... BLACK DAGGER!! It just connected! Johnny Smiles convulses on the mat, and a cruel smile spreads across Troy Black's face! He hooks the leg for the cover, and Bobcat McGavin counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... TH--THE BELL RINGS!! WHY IS THE BELL RINGING!?!?

Troy Black looks up at Bobcat McGavin and grabs him by the collar of his shirt, getting in his face and asking what's going on, and Bobcat McGavin shrugs and looks out to the timekeeper helplessly! Troy Black covers Johnny Smiles again, and demands that Bobcat McGavin make the count, but Bobcat McGavin's consulting with the timekeeper now!! Troy Black slaps the mat with his own hand three times as he lies across Johnny Smiles's motionless form, then stands up, raising his hands in victory, but Bobcat McGavin comes forward and pulls his hands down, shaking his head "no"! Troy Black snarls and grabs Bobcat McGavin by the throat with both hands, but Bobcat McGavin's pointing to his wrist! Did they just run out of time in there? Has it been sixty minutes!?

The timekeeper jumps up on the apron and begins saying something to Troy Black, but Troy Black whirls on him and nails him with a throat jab, causing him to fall backwards off the apron to the floor!! Johnny Smiles is finally starting to come around, pulling himself up off of the mat with great pain and effort, then rolling out of the ring with his head hung low and staggering towards the backstage entrance... he doesn't seem to have any clue what's been happening! He seems to think he just lost the match, and now he's heading backstage! But he turns in the aisle and stares in confusion when he sees Troy Black on the ViolenTron, arguing with Bobcat McGavin instead of celebrating. VCW ring announcer David Page has a microphone, and maybe now we'll get an official word on this match...

D. Page: Ladies and gentlemen, the sixty-minute time-limit for this match has expired! Therefore, this match has ended in--

J. Applebee: The hell it has!! You just hold it right there!

Wait just a second... VCW Commissioner James Applebee just stepped out of the backstage entrance.

J. Applebee: We're just gonna take that sixty-minute time limit and throw it right out. This is the Survival of the Fittest. This is about WRESTLEWAR. I don't care about the time limit, this match isn't over yet. Johnny, you get back in the ring. Troy, you stay there and don't do anything rash. Bobcat, you go out and take the timekeeper's spot. Because I'll lock the doors and keep us here all night if I have to, but we're not leaving this place until someone's going to the MAIN EVENT at WRESTLEWAR!!

The crowd explodes into cheers, and James Applebee tears off his dress shirt, revealing a striped referee's shirt underneath, and sprints to the ring, climbing inside to replace Bobcat McGavin!! Johnny Smiles takes a deep breath, then flexes his knee, and makes a limping hustle back to the ring, then slides inside as well! Troy Black immediately greets Johnny Smiles with a series of stomps as he comes in, then pulls him up off of the mat and whips him into the ropes! Johnny Smiles comes off the other side, and Troy Black runs at him, then takes him down with a leaping clothesline!! Johnny's down, and the crowd boos again; this might have only been prolonging the inevitable.

Johnny Smiles starts to get up again, but Troy Black hooks him for a double arm DDT... no, Johnny Smiles backdrops out of it! Troy Black lands on his feet from the backdrop, then runs to the ropes, springs up on the middle rope, and leaps onto Johnny with an Asai moonsault!! Johnny Smiles's right leg buckles under him, but he only goes down to one knee, holding Troy Black over his shoulder!! He manages to right himself and stand, but Troy Black's kicking and squirming, trying to stay out of position for the Destiny Driver... so Johnny shifts him to the side and drops him with the EMERALD FUSION!! The crowd explodes into cheers, and Johnny Smiles goes for the cover, as James Applebee counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THR... KICKOUT!! Troy Black kicked out after that move as well!

Johnny Smiles lifts Troy Black in a fireman's carry and goes into a spin for the Smiledriver, but his leg buckles and Troy Black slips out, grabbing a headlock on Johnny Smiles on the way down! He runs up the turnbuckles for a swinging bulldog, but Johnny Smiles holds him tight and shoves him down groin-first onto the top turnbuckle bolt!! Troy Black is sitting on the top turnbuckle, in a world of pain, facing the crowd... and Johnny's climbing up behind him! Johnny stands up on the top turnbuckle behind Troy, stops to rub his knee and test its strength, then leaps up for a REVERSE TOP-ROPE FRANKENSTEINER!! UNBELIEVABLE!! Troy Black is flung from the top turnbuckle RIGHT down onto his head, and he crumples into a motionless husk! The crowd explodes into cheers and a huge "HOLY SHIT!" chant!! Johnny Smiles crawls forward and throws an arm across Troy Black, and James Applebee counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THREE!! JOHNNY SMILES WINS!! Unbelievably, JOHNNY SMILES just BEAT Troy Black, and he's going to the Wrestlewar main event!!

Survival of the Fittest Tournament -Final Round:
Johnny Smiles pinned Troy Black after a reverse top-rope Frankensteiner in 1:06:10.
Rating: **** 1/2

James Applebee raises Johnny Smiles's hand to a huge ovation from the crowd, which begins a quick "JOHNNY!" chant. Troy Black somehow manages to roll out of the ring, clutching the back of his head and wincing in pain, and Johnny slowly ascends to the second turnbuckle, then raises his hands high in the air. He's breathing heavily, battered, and covered in sweat, but he is the winner, and at Wrestlewar, he will get a shot at WHOEVER the VCW World Champion may be!!

Now Johnny Smiles is calling for a microphone, and he gets one... what will he say, knowing now that he's going to Wrestlewar after over an hour of hell!? He's out of breath, finding it hard to speak... but finally he raises the microphone.

J. Smiles: This... this is definitely the greatest moment... in my career.

The crowd explodes into cheers, and continues chanting "JOHNNY!" loudly as Johnny tries to catch his breath.

J. Smiles: I want to thank everyone who got behind me... all my fans, all my family and friends... Mom, Dad, Ken, Stacey, Lars, Christina, Sumiko, Yuri... heck, even Marty, sitting in a shed somewhere watching this on an eight-inch black and white TV with stolen cable... thank you all. And Troy... if you'll get in here for a second...

Troy Black looks up from the floor, cringing in pain as he puts a hand to the back of his neck, not seeming to understand.

J. Smiles: Oh, come on, get in here. I'm not gonna pull your pants down again, I promise.

The crowd laughs a little bit, and Troy Black glares at them, then cautiously climbs up on the apron and steps in through the ropes. Johnny Smiles looks at him eye to eye, with sincerity radiating from his weary face.

J. Smiles: Troy... this is sincere, something for you to think about when you go home tonight. I've said my thanks to all of my fans and my friends... and now it's your turn. I appreciate what this means. I really do. This wouldn't be possible without you, and we just had the greatest match of my career... so I want to be sure and thank YOU. After tonight, there's no doubt in MY mind that, in the annals of VCW, you're the greatest... of ALL time.

Johnny Smiles extends a hand to Troy Black, looking for a handshake... and Troy Black's just staring back at him. He may not take this well at all. He was just beaten by a man who he doesn't respect, who he doesn't feel is in the same league as him, and mostly because of confusion regarding the time limit. Troy Black looks around at the fans, and they're cheering, then looks back at Johnny Smiles, with his hand extended, then rolls his eyes and grimaces, and turns away. The crowd explodes into boos as Troy turns to leave the ring, and he stops in the middle of stepping out through the ropes, then re-enters the ring. He approaches Johnny... AND SHAKES HIS HAND!! The crowd explodes into a standing ovation and camera flashes go off all around them as Troy Black shakes Johnny Smiles's hand, then turns and raises it in victory as he points to Johnny Smiles! What a great moment we have here! Troy Black and Johnny Smiles, hands raised together in the middle of the ring after a classic match... who would have ever thought the Survival of the Fittest Tournament could end like this!

Oh, NO... wait a minute!! "Walk" by Pantera just came on over the arena sound system, and the crowd roars with deafening boos!! Here comes the VCW World Champion!! Crimson is on his way to the ring!! Johnny Smiles and Troy Black turn to stare at him, and Crimson just smiles back at them, then climbs up on the apron and steps in over the top rope! He steps forward and snatches the microphone away from Johnny Smiles...

Crimson: Boy, if the main event of Wrestlewar is gonna be Crimson against Johnny Smiles... then Wrestlewar's gonna be the sorriest bunch of shit in pay-per-view history.

Hold it, Crimson just dropped the microphone, and levelled Johnny Smiles with a huge right hand! Troy Black whirls Crimson around, snarls, and takes a swing at him, but Crimson absorbs the blow, then doubles Troy Black over with a knee to the midsection! James Applebee pushes Crimson back, trying to make him stop, but Crimson just shoves him down to the mat! Johnny Smiles is getting up, and Crimson grabs him and Troy Black both by the throats, then lifts... AND CHOKESLAMS THEM BOTH!! After an hour of grueling competition, neither Troy Black nor Johnny Smiles were in any shape to resist!! Crimson picks up the microphone...

Crimson: Don't even bother with the damn ring intro. Now that I've dealt with these two midgets, send that fat fuck Bass Rogers out here and I'm gonna literally murder his ass in this ring.

Well, David Page won't be doing the introductions, but it looks like we're moving right along to the main event! It'll be one fall, with a sixty-minute time limit, for the VCW World Title, and "War Machine" by KISS begins playing over the arena sound system!! Johnny Smiles and Troy Black roll out of the ring to the floor, where trainers begin tending to them, and the crowd bursts into cheers as Bass Rogers steps out of the backstage entrance!! Normally, the challenger for a title match is supposed to come out first, but Crimson has changed the rules on us by coming out early and calling Bass Rogers out! We don't even get ring introductions! Bass Rogers advances on the ring, yelling at Crimson and pointing at him, and Crimson just smiles at him and motions for him to bring it on! Bass Rogers enters the ring and begins going toe-to-toe with Crimson, and now Linda Peterson climbs inside and calls for the bell! This VCW World Title match begins NOW!!

For the VCW World Title:

Crimson (c)

vs.

Bass Rogers

They're trading punches in the middle of the ring, and Bass Rogers gets the upper hand to start, backing Crimson into a corner! He drills Crimson with a few stiff right hands, then whips him into the opposite corner... but no, Crimson reverses! Bass Rogers hits the turnbuckles back-first, and Crimson charges in after him, but Bass Rogers charges right back out at him and mows him down with a huge clothesline!! Crimson's down! He gets up again, but Bass Rogers clobbers him with a few shots to the back, then scoops him up and bodyslams him down. Bass Rogers backs into the ropes and comes off with a big splash, but Crimson rolls out of the way, and Bass Rogers wipes out on the mat!!

They both get up, but Crimson beats Bass Rogers to his feet by a split second, then doubles him over with a knee to the gut. He unloads on Bass Rogers with some punches, then tosses him out of the ring through the ropes! Bass Rogers lands on the floor, and Crimson's going out after him, preparing to administer a beating. But Bass Rogers is up on his feet when Crimson goes out to meet him! They trade punches on the outside, and again, Bass Rogers takes control in the slugfest. He whips Crimson back-first into the guardrail, then grabs Crimson as he staggers out and scoops him up! Bass Rogers has Crimson up, and he takes a running start with him, and rams him back-first into the steel ringpost! Crimson grimaces in pain, and Bass Rogers rolls him back into the ring, then climbs in after him.

Back in the ring, Bass Rogers hammers Crimson with a few more punches, then runs into the ropes and comes off to nail him with a diving shoulderblock, knocking him off his feet! The crowd cheers, and Bass Rogers stands back, daring Crimson to get up again! Crimson gets up, and Bass Rogers charges in with a lariat, but Crimson ducks! Bass Rogers runs past him, into the ropes on the other side, then comes off... into a big boot to the face by Crimson!! The crowd boos loudly; that'll cut Bass Rogers's offense off in a hurry! Crimson measures him, drops a leg on him, and covers, and Linda Peterson counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two by Bass Rogers!!

Crimson pulls Bass Rogers up to his feet, then hooks him and takes him back in a gutwrench suplex! Bass Rogers, as tough as they come, begins getting up again, but Crimson hammers him with a series of punches, then whips him into the ropes. Bass Rogers ducks under a clothesline from Crimson and wraps around behind him, then lifts and takes him down with a belly-to-back suplex!! Crimson gets up and charges, but Bass Rogers catches him around the waist and takes him down with a massive belly-to-belly suplex this time!! Crimson's up again, and again Bass Rogers grabs him and flings him to the mat with a belly-to-belly suplex! Crimson pulls himself to his feet, looking staggered by this offense, and Bass Rogers whips him into a corner, then follows him in with a crushing avalanche!! Crimson staggers out, and again, Bass Rogers is waiting to take him down with a belly-to-belly suplex! Crimson's down on the mat, and Bass Rogers runs into the ropes, then comes off with a big splash!! He hooks the leg for the cover, and Linda Peterson counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two and a half!!

Bass Rogers starts to pull Crimson up off of the mat, but Crimson takes a cheap shot this time with a low blow, then gets up and clobbers Bass Rogers with a few shots to the back. He scoops Bass Rogers up and bodyslams him, then crawls on top of him and begins hammering him with punches! Bass Rogers struggles, and eventually throws Crimson off, but when he charges Crimson takes him down with a rather awkward-looking drop-toe hold, then gets up and cuts Bass Rogers off with a kneelift when he tries to stand. Crimson hammers Bass Rogers with a few punches, then whips him into a corner and comes in with a big kneelift! Bass Rogers slumps in the corner, and Crimson shoves him back against it, then measures him and nails him with a big elbowsmash! Bass Rogers is wearily slumped against the corner, and Crimson extends a big boot to his throat and begins choking him in the corner! Linda Peterson orders Crimson to let go and begins counting, and of course Crimson releases at four.

Bass Rogers staggers out of the corner, breathing heavily, and Crimson hammers him with a few punches, then whips him to the ropes, but Bass Rogers reverses! Crimson comes off... right into a Samoan drop from Bass Rogers! Bass Rogers covers and hooks the leg, and Linda Peterson counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two and a half!! Bass Rogers pulls Crimson up into a standing headscissors, then lifts him... POWER BOMB!! Could THAT do it? Bass Rogers covers Crimson again, and again Linda Peterson counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... Kickout at two and a half again by Crimson! Bass Rogers pulls Crimson up, then lifts him and takes him down with another belly-to-belly suplex. He's wearing Crimson out, and now he pulls him up again, and slaps on a bearhug!

Crimson grimaces in pain as Bass Rogers tightens his arms around Crimson, drawing in deep breaths. This is good thinking by Bass Rogers; he seems to have blown up early in this match, so he's making Crimson use his energy now to fight out of the hold. The crowd is pretty much dead as Crimson begins struggling, trying to break Bass Rogers's iron grasp by pulling his hands apart. Failing at that, he gouges Bass Rogers in the eyes to break the bearhug! Bass Rogers staggers back, clutching at his face, and Crimson backs into the ropes, then comes off and kicks him square in the head!! Bass Rogers goes down hard, and Crimson lifts him from behind in a full nelson, then picks him up... FULL NELSON SLAM!! Again, Bass Rogers was just driven down hard to the canvas!!

Crimson's not going for the cover just yet, though... he's waiting on Bass Rogers to get up. Bass Rogers pulls himself to his feet, and Crimson grabs him by the throat for the Chokeslam... but Bass Rogers halts it with a quick kick to the midsection! Crimson doubles over, and Bass Rogers lifts him up over his head in a Gorilla Press, in an AMAZING display of power! His arms seem ready to buckle under Crimson's weight, but before that happens he tosses him down to the canvas! Crimson crashes to the mat and starts to get up, and Bass Rogers grabs him around the waist again, for another belly-to-belly suplex!!

Bass Rogers stops to catch his breath, sucking wind and sweating hard, and he looks down at Crimson, then draws his thumb across throat! He's ready to end it now! Bass Rogers turns and starts climbing the turnbuckles, as the crowd gives a round of cheers in anticipation! He's making his way to the top rather slowly, but finally he reaches it, standing on the top turnbuckle and facing the crowd! He leaps off with the MOONSAULT!! But he falls a little bit short, and ends up hitting Crimson's chest with only his thighs and knees!! Still, he crawls across him and goes for the cover, and Linda Peterson counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THR... KICKOUT!! Crimson just kicked out of the Moonsault!! Nobody since the legendary Tony Garcia has been able to do that!!

Bass Rogers gets up, gasping for breath, then turns and begins climbing the turnbuckles again. He's going up to try for a second Moonsault... but this time, Crimson is up behind him! Bass Rogers reaches the top, and Crimson clobbers him with a forearm to the back, causing him to fall groin-first across the top turnbuckle, facing the crowd! Crimson turns around and pulls Bass Rogers back to back with himself, then hooks his hands under his armpits and lifts, then flings him to the mat with a CRUCIFIX POWER BOMB!! Will that do it!? No, Bass Rogers is somehow getting to his feet! But he's weary, battered, and clearly out of gas... and Crimson grabs his throat!! He lifts... CHOKESLAM!! He just hit it that time!! The crowd boos, and Crimson goes for the cover, as Linda Peterson counts... ONE!! ... TWO!! ... THREE!! Crimson has retained the VCW World Title!

Crimson pinned Bass Rogers with the Chokeslam in 0:09:12.
Rating: -* 3/4
(Crimson retained the VCW World Title.)

Well... that wasn't exactly a mat classic, but the fact remains that Crimson has retained the VCW World Title. Bass Rogers hasa fallen to Crimson, on a night where he has already laid to waste Troy Black and the challenger for the VCW World Title at Wrestlewar, Johnny Smiles. Will anybody be able to stop Crimson and take the title from him before Wrestlewar? And if not, is there any hope for Johnny Smiles? Is there any hope that ANYBODY can bring Crimson down? He's already beaten Bass Rogers and the Grave Digger, and it looks as though he's just getting started!

VCW Monday Night Wrestling will be pre-empted tomorrow by a special feature movie, The Eternal Stone. But we will resume our regular schedule after that, so join us in eight days, and find out what has become of VCW!! We're out of time for tonight... we leave you with the final standings in the Survival of the Fittest Tournament! Thank you for joining us here tonight, and we hope to see you very soon!!

This is not a link!!

But this is. Click here to go back to the Welcome Page.