WPW Ode to the Immortals 2010 (October 2, 2010) [Partial Results only; posted as originally written]

[Dean]

Event: WPW Ode to the Immortals
Date: 10.02.10
Venue: The United Center
Location: Chicago, Illinois

Before the pay-per-view officially begins, we are treated to a hype video set to Nonpoint’s “In the Air Tonight.” The first visual we see as we fade in from black is over the city of Chicago from an overhead view, gazing down upon the bright city lights during the night.

I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord
Well I've been waiting for this moment, for all my life, oh lord
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord, oh lord​

The auspicious debut of The Winner’s Circle (Komodo, Daniel Shine, Damon Black, Lance Van Leer, and Malice) is highlighted in the first video piece, showing them walking to the ring for the very first time, and shortly after brief glimpses at the destruction they’ve caused and the careers they’ve affected, including Rohan Malhotra, Dan Dunn, Chris Chambers, Adam Hurst, Johnny Reed, Blake Straker, Chris Fallon, and many others.

Well, if you told me you were drowning
I would not lend a hand
I've seen your face before my friend
But I don't know if you know who I am​

Next we see the combatants in the WPW World Freestyle Title match, Rohan Malhotra and Adam Pugh, and clips from their battle for the title that ended in a draw, as well as their subsequent tag team match that ended in hostility.

Well, I was there and I saw what you did
I saw it with my own two eyes
So you can wipe off that grin, I know where you've been
It's all been a pack of lies​

The focus now is on two of WPW’s undercard feuds: the tumultuous triangle between Prince Angelos, El Ovino Negro, and Davy Honor, as well as the brutal blood feud amongst the former members of Murderous Intent, Will Bauer and Drake Vinaldi.

And I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord
I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh lord
I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord, oh lord
And I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh lord, oh lord​

Glimpses of Dimitri’s agitation with Locke Adams, as well as the matches between The Lindens and Bad Men Inc. are now displayed.

Well I remember, I remember don't worry
How could I ever forget
it's the first time, the last time we ever met
But I know the reason why you keep your silence up
No you don't fool me
The hurt doesn't show; but the pain still grows
It's no stranger to you or me​

More focus is given to the main event, the War Games match between Winner’s Circle and their opposition, as well as the high stakes street fight between Dan Dunn and Blaine Williams.

I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord
Well I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh lord
I can feel it in the air tonight, oh lord
Well I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh lord ,oh lord​

Members of the Freestyle Gauntlet, and several members of the WPW roster in general, are now shown in remarkably similar poses, mostly ones of reflection or ambition. A similarity is drawn between the roster and its unified purpose of glory.

I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord
Well I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh lord ,oh lord
I can feel it in the air tonight, oh lord
Well I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh lord, oh lord
I can fell it in the air tonight, oh lord​

We end with a graphic being shown, before cutting into the live pay-per-view! Scott the Scoop and “Slick” Rick Avalio struggle to speak over the explosions of pyrotechnics that set off the official beginning to Ode to the Immortals!

Scott the Scoop:
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the historic spectacle, World Pro Wrestling’s Ode to the Immortals!

We are live in the United Center here in Chicago, Illinois, and tonight will be the most important night in WPW’s short history. Alongside me is my broadcast colleague, “Slick” Rick Avalio, and Richard, from top to bottom, the card is lined with some of the most significant battles and historic match-ups in the history of this sport.

Slick Rick:
Well, it physically pains me to agree with you, Scooper, but you hit the nail on the head. Tonight is all about making history and attempting to achieve superstardom in the sport of kings. There’s a saying that’s been used in our sport before, and I think it’s especially true tonight: World Pro Wrestling is where men become heroes, heroes become legends, legends become gods, and gods become immortals. This is the showcase of the superstars, Scotty… This is the ultimate proving ground for every wrestler, and it’s where every aspiring wrestler strives to be. This is Ode to the Immortals.

Scott the Scoop:
From wrestlers trying to move up the ladder, to personal battles over philosophical differences, the night all leads up to our two main events. Originally scheduled to be a three-way Iron Man match, the battle for the World Freestyle Championship is now a traditional 60-minute Iron Man match, pitting the number one contender, “The Minority Militant” Rohan Malhotra, against the reigning and defending champion, “The Artist” Adam Pugh in what promises to be… quite bluntly… one of the greatest matches this sport has ever seen.

Slick Rick:
Pugh returns to his hometown with both the belt and a chip on his shoulder, Scotty. He was taken to the limit for the very first time against Rohan, and let’s be honest here: this match may have originally been scheduled to be a three-way dance, but frankly, we’re fortunate that Brick Rodgers got arrested or whatever the hell happened, because the real issue has always been between these two. Malhotra’s got his work cut out for him if he’s going to wrestle the title away from the best Freestyle wrestler the sport has ever seen.

Scott the Scoop:
And in the main event of the evening, The Winner’s Circle will do battle with the four men they’ve tormented for the better part of the last three months, a team of four of the top wrestlers in World Pro Wrestling, “The Hot Commodity” Adam Hurst, “The Black Snake” Blake Straker, “The Psychotic Superstar” Chris Fallon, all led by the legend himself, Sean “Thunder” Walker. But this isn’t the standard eight-on-eight match up that Blaine Williams wanted. No, this match will be contested in WAR GAMES!

The camera pans upward from the announcer’s table to a large, ominous steel cage suspended high above the ring, with the fans cheering and yelling as they notice the iTron displaying the structure.

Slick Rick:
Twenty feet tall and encompassing the entire ring and ringside area, this steel cage is going to do what seems utterly impossible: contain eight of the biggest superstars in our sport, two teams of four that are going to attempt to beat the living hell out of each other. When all eight man enter the ring, the ceiling will lower, and that’s when the real fun will begin. With weapons hanging from the ceiling, the match will reach abhorrent, gruesome levels of violence… frankly, you’re all sadists for watching this show.

Slick Rick:
But let’s not forget about all the classic match-ups on the show… Whether it’s the former teammates of Murderous Intent going head-to-head one more time, or the high stakes match-up between Executive Shareholders, Blaine Williams and “The Big Kahuna” Dan Dunn, there’s no bigger stage for this event to unfold than the United Center here in Chicago, and there’s no bigger show in wrestling than Ode to the Immortals.

The hype job by the broadcast team is cut off abruptly by The Winner’s Circle. The foursome of Komodo, Black, Van Leer, and Shine run down the Chicago crowd, as well as their opponents tonight. The Winner’s Circle has lived up to their namesake and their reputation thus far in WPW by remaining utterly dominant. Will the most hated faction in wrestling conquer their enemies once and for all on the grandest of stages?

Few men have been able to shake the seemingly unbreakable focus of the Russian Monster known as Dimitri. Locke Adams has been a thorn in the side of the beast, but the gargantuan shootfighter plans to extinguish the pest known as “The Disruption” tonight on the grandest stage in wrestling. Will The Herald of The End finally make good on his promise to destroy The Disruption once and or all, or have Adams’ mind games affected the psyche of one of the sport’s most feared demons?

Match One:
Locke Adams vs. Dimitri
Singles

The sound of “Your Betrayal” by Bullet For My Valentine is enough to bring these Chicago fans to their feet in anticipation for the opening contest here on Ode to the Immortals. The cameras begin to pan throughout the arena, not quite sure from which direction ‘The Disruption’ may enter the ring. After the drumming ceases and the song plays for a minute without an entrance, we abruptly cut to the backstage area, where Dimitri is seen going toe-to-toe with his opponent!

The fans can be heard cheering in the background as Dimitri grabs Locke from behind and slams his head into a nearby table, and then bounces him off a wall. He starts viciously soccer kicking the downed Adams in the head, but is suddenly… attacked by Locke Adams!? What the hell? It’s another one of Adam’s devoted followers, who tries to grab Dimitri from behind, but gets thrown overhead with a sickening Judo-style throw, slamming the poor bastard right on his head! Two more Locke followers are seen, and Dimitri levels them with a double clothesline that drops both men where they stand. Another Locke lookalike has a steel chair and charges toward Dimitri, but The End delivers a big boot into the chair, causing a loud clang and kicking the chair into the impostor’s face. Dimitri looks at the fallen bodies that surround him, letting out a sadistic chuckle…

Dimitri:
ADAMS… SHOW YOURSELF, YOU COWARD!

Locke Adams:
I’m right here.

Dimitri stares down the long corridor, the camera switching around in time to see him bolting after The Disruption, who clinches his fists and prepares to go to war! The two men immediately begin slugging it out, right in the middle of the hallway, with screaming, petrified crew members fleeing in horror. Dimitri uses his size and strength advantage to push Adams into a wall and unload with heavy hands. Adams covers up and absorbs the monster’s blow before countering with some body blows. Dimitri fights back with a sharp kick to the stomach and grabs Adams’ by his head. He tries slamming him into the wall, but Locke fires back with an elbow to the sternum and slams Dimitri’s face into the bricks. The monster stumbles toward the entryway to the ramp, and Locke pursues him with some hard shots. Adams grabs a nearby steel tray and smacks it over Dimitri’s back as he follows him toward the ring. Dimitri walks out on stage to a mixed reaction from the fans, mostly of cheers as now they can see the brawl up close. Locke Adams is right behind the Russian, wielding the steel tray. He swings wildly, but Dimitri ducks under, which isn’t an easy feat for a man his size. Adams turns around and Dimitri punches the tray right into his face, sending it clanging onto the steel ramp as Adams stumbles a few paces back. Dimitri grabs him around the throat and throws The Disruption down the ramp with a tremendous choke toss, slamming his back onto the steel and causing Adams to roll down the hard metal entryway. Adams rolls back to all fours, but Dimitri kicks him in the head with a vicious punt, and Adams falls limply at the base of the ramp. Dimtiri walks over to the steel guardrail and reaches over, grabbing a steel chair that was emptied by a scared fan. He folds the metal chair up and brings it down hard across Adams’ back, causing a CRACK sound that echoes throughout the United Center. He turns the chair upside down and drives the end of it against the back and back of the neck of his opponent, over and over again. After the repeated blows, he throws the chair across the ringside area. The official in the ring tries to order Dimitri to bring Adams into the ring, but it’s to no avail, as the monster grabs Locke by his pants and hair and spins him around, throwing him head-first into the steel ring steps! The impact is enough to make the stairs move, and Dimitri grabs them, easily hoisting them onto his shoulder in a feat of strength. Adams struggles to reach his feet, some small lacerations noticeable on his head from the attack. He finally gets to his feet and Dimtiri charges, taking his head off with a brutal shot from the stairs! Adams falls to the ringside floor again, unconscious from the blow. A relentless and unsympathetic Dimitri holds the stairs high above Adams’ head and drops them straight down! He slams the steel right into his opponent’s face once more and finally pushes them aside. He drags the groggy Adams back to his feet and pulls him into a bearhug before running him into the steel turnbuckle post. He keeps his grip around Locke and spins around, driving his back onto the steel ring steps with a sickening spinebuster! Adams lies sprawled out, defenseless from the Russian’s attacks. Dimitri grabs the metal chair from earlier, now bent out of shape, and holds it high above his head… SMACK! He sandwiches Adams between the stairs and chair, and finally drops the metal object and grabs Adams by his hair. Dimitri drags Locke toward the ring, the ref breathing a sigh of relief… until Dimi hoists his opponent onto his shoulder and drops him face-first onto the apron with a variation of the Snake Eyes. Adams’ neck snaps back and he falls limp to the floor again. Dimitri reaches underneath the ring and pulls out a spare light tube used for lighting around the ring. He smiles sinisterly before placing the light tube on the ringside mat and grabbing Adams by the hair again. Dimitri slowly and carefully places his adversary’s skull on top of the light tube, face-down no less, and then puts a boot over the back of his head. The Russian gazes upon a booing and sympathetic crowd before lifting his boot… CRASH! He slams Locke’s face into the glass! THIS IS DISGUSTING! It appears that disturbing maneuver satiated Dimitri’s bloodlust, as he finally rolls Adams’ lifeless carcass into the ring and climbs on the apron, stepping over the top rope as the referee calls for the bell, signaling the “official” beginning of this match.

Match One:
Locke Adams vs. Dimitri
Singles

The devious demon looms over his prey. The fans try to rally behind Adams, but it seems a foregone conclusion that Dimitri is just toying with him now, having his way with the bloodied and battered “Disruption”. Dimitri casually kicks Adams’ head, scraping the sole of his wrestling boot against his bloodied face. Locke grits his teeth and begins to rise from the mat, shaking his head no. He glares at Dimitri, as if to ask, “Is that the best you got?” Dimitri shows him it wasn’t, as he unleashes a barrage of soccer kicks! He unloads with rapid-fire, brutalizing kicks to the skull, sending Adams down in a bloody heap. After about a dozen horrific blows, he peels his adversary off the canvas and hooks him in a butterfly lock. Dimitri glances around at the worried expressions on the faces of Adams’ many fans before hoisting him in the air and planting him with the Wings of Tears! Dimitri rolls Adams onto his back and places both hands on his chest… one… two… thr-Dimitri lets him up! Oh, this is bad… The fans are really letting the monster have it now. He pulls Adams up, bludgeoning him with short fists while doing so. He says something inaudible to him while holding his head at an arms’ length by his hair. Adams swings wildly, landing a couple good shots that seem to stun Dimitri, but the monster brings the match back in his favor with a sharp knee to the stomach. He doubles Adams over and lifts him upside down… PILEDRIVER! That move is notorious for doing damage to the neck! Adams lies on the canvas, clutching that exact body part in pain, but Dimitri shows no mercy. He lifts Locke off the mat once more and grabs him around the throat with one hand. He hoists Adams into the air and plants him with the Eternal Darkness! The monster finally crawls to a cover, hooking the leg and getting the three count…

Winner via Pinfall: Dimitri

The evening gets off to a bad start, as the seven-foot Russian dominates the fan favorite. Dimitri raises both hands in the air after the victory, but he glances down and sees Adams trying to crawl to his feet. The Monster unloads more vicious soccer kicks to his head while he’s down, repeatedly blasting him in the skull with his boot. The referee tries to intervene, but Dimitri grabs him by the shirt and throws him out of the ring! The fans are really worried now, as Dimitri rolls out of the squared circle and grabs the steel chair from earlier, sliding inside. The monster unfolds the chair and sets it on the mat, then focusing his attention on the downed Adams, who is still lying prone on the canvas. He pulls Adams to his feet and places his head on the chair, immobile and exposed. Dimitri turns toward the fans for a brief glance at their jeering and concerned looks on their faces. He runs off the ropes and jumps through the air on the rebound, delivering an axe kick to the back of The Disruption’s skull! Adams’ head crashes into the steel chair, and he falls to the canvas, spilling more blood. Dimitri grabs the misshapen chair and sets it on the mat again, though it’s wobbly and unstable. He pulls Adams up into position for what appears to be a DDT on the chair, drawing more boos from the crowd, but Dimitri apparently has second thoughts and drops Adams to his knees, much to the fans’ delight… until he pulls him back up again and hoists him onto his shoulder. He pauses for a moment, really soaking it in, before flipping Adams forward and slamming his face off the seat of the chair with The End! Locke is completely unconscious now as EMTs scurry to the ring. They’re cautious of the dangerous Dimitri, as he’s finally satisfied with the carnage he has wrought, and exits the ring to the sound of “Nightmare” by Avenged Sevenfold. The medical team attends to Locke Adams, and the Russian wears a sadistic smile on his face, raising his fists for one last time to boos from the fans.

The introspective by the enigmatic Omega is one that leaves us wanting to know more about this mysterious wrestler. He is not the young fool he once was, believing he is immortal. Whoever Omega is, he’s clearly determined not to take life for granted, as perhaps he once did. Will he take a step in that direction tonight by seizing the moment and defeating one of the sport’s hottest up and coming wrestlers in Sanjay Khan?

The popular veteran known as Razor has been the life of the party and notorious for his reckless lifestyle and in-ring style that have made him a superstar. Cocky as always, the Personification of Sports-Entertainment knows that victory tonight in the Freestyle Gauntlet will secure him a title shot. With the gold and the girls, Razor can give World Pro Wrestling an injection of adrenaline and superstardom.

Perhaps the antithesis of everything Razor stands for, WEAPON is a misanthropic psycho bent on making everyone feel as bad physically as he does internally, emotionally, and psychologically. He has studied each opponent tonight, not taking this match lightly in the least. His borderline obsession could give him the edge in this gauntlet.

Much like his opponent tonight, Khan battles with his personal demons as well as the mystifying Omega. The Mercenary of Mayhem is determined to take advantage of his match tonight as well, in a performance he hopes will guarantee him his spot on the WPW roster and a steady source of income.

Match Two:
Sanjay Khan vs. Omega
Singles
Written by X

This marks the debut of WPW’s enigma. Nobody is quite sure who Omega is, or what he’ll be bringing to the table. Meanwhile, for the “Mercenary of Mayhem,” this is a very critical match, considering his previous two matches included a cheap loss at the hands of Will Bauer and a win over Dimitri by countout. Clearly the ability to make an impact, even against this relatively unknown quantity, would be a step in a positive direction.

Khan wastes no time charging at Omega, who sidesteps and avoids contact. The Queensbridge native sharply turns back and fires a Shoot Kick to Omega’s leg, and then follows this up with a Jab to the throat. Omega staggers backwards, but Khan’s attempt to follow this up with a Forearm Smash gets blocked, and instead Omega turns this into a Hammerlock. Unfortunately for the newcomer, Sanjay’s martial-arts experience comes into play, as he gets his left leg behind Omega’s right leg and places his free hand around Omega’s neck, tripping him up and breaking the hold. “The Mercenary of Mayhem,” takes the opportunity to mount the Minneapolis native and deliver three elbow shots to the face. Both men rise to their feet, and Sanjay attempts a Pump Kick but Omega manages to grab the leg and uses the Indo-Caribbean man’s momentum to plant him with a Fisherman’s Suplex.

The rookie begins to grapevine Khan’s legs, as if going for either the Figure Four or his trademark STF; this submission attempt is easily thwarted here in the early going. As Khan is rising to his feet, Omega attempts a stiff punt to the face, but the underground veteran manages to roll out of the way and slides underneath the ropes so that he is on the other side of the apron. Omega looks to Clothesline his foe off the apron, but Sanjay has a trick up his sleeve, and delivers a Kidney Punch while the referee is vulnerable at his terrible camera angle! The newcomer staggers back and crumbles to a heap relatively quickly, and Khan is quick to charge back into the ring, stomping Omega’s right arm at the elbow twice before locking into the Jujigatame. The rookie at first seems a little flustered, boosting the “Mercenary of Mayhem’s” confidence level, but eventually the Minneapolis native is able to wriggle around while trapped in the Jujigatame, and eventually his free arm grasps the ropes, causing the audience to cheer.

There is a sense of frantic desperation tonight for Sanjay Khan, and this emotion is conveyed by his furious glare at his adversary as he continues to hold onto the Jujigatame even after the rope break, finally conceding the submission at the count of 4. While this maybe a normal tactic for the Queensbridge native, the expression on his countenance suggests this match is far from ordinary. The fans start to boo a little bit for this cutthroat approach to today’s big performance, but Khan is oblivious as he continues to work on his opponent, yanking Omega off the ropes with a Half Nelson. It looks like he’s going for a Half Nelson Suplex, but Omega breaks free of the hold by stringing together successive elbow shots. Pivoting, he nails Sanjay with a Spike DDT, and goes for the pin count, but the newcomer gets nothing but a one.

Omega gets back on his feet by the time Khan begins to get back onto his knees. The Minneapolis native runs towards the ropes and bounces back, bringing “The Mercenary of Mayhem” back to the mat with a Running Clothesline. Allowing his momentum to carry him to the opposite ropes, Omega bounces off again, but this time Sanjay crouches underneath, cocks back, and blasts his adversary with a VICIOUS roundhouse kick! Khan mounts Omega’s back and delivers an elbow shot to the back of the head. He goes for a Crossface Chickenwing, but Omega is too close to the ropes and manages once again to secure a grip on it, and once again, Khan lets go only at the 4 count.

Khan hauls Omega up to a standing position, and hoists him up, going for Combustion, but the rookie manages to thwart the move with a quick Hurricanrana! He unleashes a flurry of punches from the mounted position that results, and gets to his feet, dragging Sanjay up as well. Taking a few steps back, Omega winds up and nails Khan with a Knee-Facebuster. The Minneapolis native tacks on an Elbow Drop, showing some persistence and focus, the crowd urging him on. Omega brings his foe back to a vertical base, but as he gets a front facelock down as if to hit Khan with another DDT of some sort, Khan responds by powering his way out of the hold and planting Omega with a T-Bone Suplex! Khan bounces off the ropes, and as Omega groggily gets back up, the Queensbridge native rebounds… BRRRRRRRRRRRAT! Omega’s gonna feel that shot tomorrow morning! The pin… 1, 2… KICKOUT! Khan glares lividly at the referee, as if demanding a justification for why he STILL hasn’t put this rookie away yet.

At this point, Sanjay wants to end this match pronto, and he lifts up his adversary slightly, trying to wrap his arms around for The Merc Job… But Omega fights his way out of it by throwing a few shots to the sternum. Khan rolls away as Omega struggles to his feet with the aid of the ring ropes. Still feeling as if he can put this match away now, and acting slightly impatient, Khan comes up to the ropes, yanks Omega off, and hoists him up to drop him with his second finisher, Gunshot in the Ghetto… BUT Omega breaks out and lands on his feet! Kick to the gut… OMEGA’S END! He hooks the leg… 1, 2, 3… Omega has stunned the wrestling world in a powerful and competitive debut!

Winner via Pinfall: Omega

Omega rises to his feet and gets a standing ovation from the crowd. He has definitely made a good first impression, and looks to have a bright future in this business. Sanjay Khan’s career, however, seems to be in jeopardy. With his record at 1-2, the sole win coming via countout, he appears to be in shambles. Khan can only take his frustration out by pounding on the mat. The camera zooms in on his face, and we see that he is snarling, perhaps even muttering to himself, his mouth foaming in rage. Still seething, he eventually slides out of the ring and heads miserably back up the ramp. As the cameras continue to try and get a closeup of Khan, the “Mercenary of Mayhem” suddenly shoves the nearest camera guy backwards, and looks as if he wants to do more damage, but merely stomps his foot down right next to the cameraman several times before stomping off…

Alex Michaels is used to having multiple partners at the same time *cough* but what about dealing with multiple opponents? The Climax seems confident, putting down his opponents in his usual dismissive tone. He has the experience and the Freestyle Championships from other organizations. Michaels is ready to piss excellence and shit sexiness on his way to securing another shot at the sport’s premier title in his division.

One man whose personality doesn’t exactly lend itself toward sexual conquests with several promiscuous women is the serious shooter known as Kenzo Katana. One of the most decorated pure athletes in the sport, the man from Japan detests the gimmicky nature of the Freestyle Division. A victory tonight would ensure that, for at least one night in his eyes, the title would at least be contended in a bout with one true warrior.

Are you ready for a British invasion? Innovators from England are set to invade the WPW, and it could be a matter of time before we’re eating fish and chips, mate. Cheerio.

After a lengthy hiatus, the world-class mixed martial artist, Dave Cashman, makes his return at Ode to the Immortals to battle for the right to challenge for the World Freestyle Title. Cashman’s wealth of experience in combat situations could give him an advantage heading into this chaotic and unpredictable match-up, and the desire to prove he is better than any pro wrestler on the planet could be enough to tip the odds in his favor.

Rob Cavallo has been at the top of this business, but has also hit rock bottom in recent memory. His inconsistencies have pretended him from achieving his destiny, but he can take a huge step in the right direction tonight should he leave Chicago victorious with a guaranteed title shot in his grasp. He certainly seems assured that he’s better than the rest; now all he has to do is prove it.

Before things get underway with the Freestyle Gauntlet match, the Chicago fans are pleased to witness the arrival of one of their hometown heroes, veteran wrestler Chris Linden, who makes a huge announcement: He has joined the WPW Roster! Linden targets the Freestyle division and joins Scott the Scoop and Slick Rick at ringside for the upcoming match, with the winner receiving a World Freestyle Title shot.

Match Three:
Alex Michaels, David Cashman, Kenzo Katana, Rob Cavallo, WEAPON, Razor, and A SURPRISE ENTRANT!
Freestyle Gauntlet; Winner receives Guaranteed Title Shot
Written by X and Dean

This match is definitely a big one with major ramifications for the Freestyle Division. For men such as Alex Michaels, Kenzo Katana, and Rob Cavallo, all former champions and respected veterans, they understand this opportunity and have cashed in on similar ones in the past. For men like Dave Cashman, Razor, and WEAPON, this match is a reintroduction to the wrestling world of just how powerful these men are. And for the final participant in this match, this is an ideal spot to score a title shot. The rules of the match are as follows: Two wrestlers begin the match. After fighting for two minutes, a new wrestler will enter. After that, wrestlers enter at one-minute intervals. The match follows battle royal-style, over-the-top-rope elimination rules until it gets down to the final two, at which point it becomes a standard match, with a pinfall or submission scoring the victory.

The first two men in the ring as this match gets underway are two distinct and different individuals, as Razor is battling WEAPON. The two men circle around each other until finally Razor, typically a high-flyer, decides to initiate the contact by grappling with the significantly smaller WEAPON. Razor uses an arm wringer and then pulls WEAPON into a side headlock, but the violent sociopath counters with an eye gouge and delivers a series of punches, backing Razor into the ropes. WEAPON takes a few steps back and tries a clothesline, but Razor counters with a shoulder thrust to the midsection. He grabs WEAPON into almost a spinebuster or bearhug position and tries to dump him outside. He sits WEAPON on the middle rope and goes for a shot to knock him out, but the smaller man blocks it and delivers a kick to Razor’s stomach. He grabs him around the head and jumps off, spinning around with a tornado DDT, spiking Razor’s head into the canvas. The dangerous competitor bounds his opponent’s back with a couple of stomps. Razor rises to his feet, stepping away from WEAPON, and as the German veteran looks to approach WEAPON, the latter man shoots a kick to the body. WEAPON goes for a roundhouse kick, but it’s an attempt that ultimately fails as the veteran ducks underneath and then grabs WEAPON around the waist. The Walking Pandemic blocks a German Suplex attempt and delivers a low blow mule kick, bringing Razor to the ground. Several curb stomps later, WEAPON latches on a cobra clutch, pulling on Razor’s arm and neck. The POSE rises to his feet, fighting off the hold as the fans cheer him on. He uses a few back elbows to loosen his opponent’s grasp and take him over with an armdrag. The veteran wastes no time running to the bottom ropes and squashing his opponent with a moonsault.

Razor is back on his feet, and brings WEAPON back to a vertical base. However, at this point, Alex Michaels makes his way down the ramp, and it looks like he’ll be the next entrant into this gauntlet. Razor seems as if he’s attempting a belly-to-back suplex, but the younger wrestler counters with a bulldog facebuster, driving Razor’s mouth right onto his knee. “The Climax” has now entered the ring, and quickly brings down WEAPON with a running leg lariat. He spots Razor rising to his feet and delivers a knife-edge chop. Razor responds with a big punch, and Alex fires back with one of his own. The two veterans exchange chops and punches now, with the fans cheering them on, until WEAPON takes both of them down with a split-legged springboard dropkick out of nowhere! The youngster outsmarted the two veterans, and he goes after Alex Michaels now, stomping viciously on him while he’s grounded. WEAPON drags The Climax toward the ropes and places his throat on the middle one, choking him with his knee, taking advantage of the ruleless environment. He pulls Alex up and places his throat over the top rope, putting his arms through the ropes and latching on a modified cravat. He’s trying to take Alex over now, eliminating him, but Razor grabs WEAPON from behind and dumps him over the top rope! Fortunately for the newcomer, he lands on the apron and manages to avoid defeat, but he’s still in a bad position. Razor starts stomping and kicking WEAPON now, but Alex shoves Razor off, wanting the glory of the elimination to himself. Razor takes offense and grabs Alex from behind, planting him with a German Suplex. Razor heads to the corner and climbs up to the top rope, with WEAPON indisposed and Michaels on the mat… He poses on the top for a second, basking in the cheers of the crowd, before leaping off… BLAST EFFECT! NO! Michaels rolls out of the way, and Razor crashes on the canvas! Michaels reaches his feet, but WEAPON has him in his sights… SPRINGBOARD CLOTHESLINE! No, Alex counters this time – SUPERKICK! Alex grabs WEAPON by the arm and neck and latches on the Alex Michaels Experience!

Alex has the match in his control now, but that changes when the next entrant makes his way toward the ring, and he knows Michaels better than perhaps anybody in this gauntlet: Rob Cavallo. Chris Linden has some unkind words for the cocky Cavallo, who enters the ring and immediately goes toe to toe with Michaels, delivering punches. Alex backs Rob up a bit with the blows and whips him across the ring, but Cavallo rebounds with a headscissors takeover, sending Alex to the mat. Michaels pops back up, and Rob ducks under a clothesline and sends Alex Back to the Future! Rob reaches his feet and takes time to pose, which turns out to be a big mistake as Razor grabs him from behind and hooks on a crossface chickenwing. Cavallo struggles to counter, but fortunately for The Future, a vengeful WEAPON does the job for him by delivering the Arsenic Kick to the back of Razor’s head. The Hotstepper lets go of Cavallo and drops to a knee, and WEAPON runs to the ropes, charging back with a Shining Wizard! Cavallo goes to high five WEAPON, who looks at him skeptically for a second before accepting… and pulling Cavallo into a big forearm! Rob responds to the treason with an elbow of his own, and the two men go tit-for-tat, until Alex interrupts their forearm exchanges with a double clothesline, sending both wrestlers to the canvas. Alex grabs Rob by his hair, lifting him to his feet and delivering a hair-mare, a move generally reserved for women wrestlers, but hey, Rob’s long hair has to be good for something, right? Michaels pulls Rob to his feet and plants him with a snap suplex before putting him in position and running toward the ropes for the Dueling Phoenix… but WEAPON pulls the top rope at the right moment, causing Michaels to slip and fall to the canvas. The sadistic sociopath follows it up with a standing shooting star press on Michaels. He lifts Alex to his feet and tries to eliminate The Emir of Orgasm yet again, but Razor stops it once more, clubbing WEAPON from behind. He grabs The Harvester of Sin into a back suplex, but changes it mid-move into a facebuster, slamming his skull into the canvas. Razor decides to go for another high risk move, but this time he gets caught as he climbs up the ropes, with Cavallo crotching him. Rob climbs up after the sports-entertainer and grabs him for a Flux Capacitor, but Razor blocks the move with elbows. Rob fights back with a thumb to the eye and leaps up for a frankensteiner, but Razor counters with a superbomb, slamming him right on WEAPON! He kills two birds with one stone, but doesn’t have time to postulate before Alex Michaels nails a running enzuigiri. He pulls Razor back to his feet and lifts him into the air for the Perfection Plex, but the wily veteran slips out behind Michaels and hits a side Russian legsweep. Cavallo has rolled out of the ring, clutching his side and lying face-down on the ringside floor, apparently complaining about his ribs. An official checks on him, as WEAPON slowly reaches his feet, still holding his stomach in pain. Razor doubles him over with a hard kick and lifts WEAPON into the air for the Razor’s Edge, but the misanthrope slips out and grabs the POSE… HIGH-ANGLE DRAGON SUPLEX! He drops Razor right on the top of his head!

And as he does, we see the next entrant in the gauntlet, multi-time World Heavyweight and Freestyle Champion, Kenzo Katana! The Japanese warrior marches toward the ring with a serious expression on his face – actually, I think that’s the only expression he has. The Burning Blade enters the ring and heads straight toward WEAPON, the two men staring down for a second… and then heading off in separate directions! Apparently these two don’t detest one another quite as much as the rest of their opponents. WEAPON continues to stomp and kick Razor, while Kenzo targets the cocky Alex Michaels, pulling him into a Japanese armdrag and latching on a basic armlock. Michaels is able to alleviate the pressure by rolling on the mat and getting back to his feet, but Kenzo wrenches his arm, going underneath with an amateur wrestling style takedown, flipping Michaels to the mat and then grabbing his leg, latching on a half crab. The misanthropic WEAPON places Razor on the top rope, facing the outside, and unloads with fists to the back of the head. He tries to shove Razor over the top rope, but the veteran hangs on, which prompts WEAPON to instead pull Razor back into the tree of woe and choke him with his boot. The Walking Pandemic climbs up the ropes and pushes his foot down in Razor’s groin with all his might, pulling on the ropes for leverage, likely putting a damper on Razor’s post-match festivities. WEAPON climbs to the top rope and sets up for the Aesthetic Abortion, but Razor quickly lifts himself up and uses his hands to split WEAPON’s legs, crotching him on the top rope and getting a modicum of revenge. The POSE unhooks his legs from the tree of woe and winds up standing on the middle ropes, before climbing up and pulling WEAPON up with him. Katana has switched to an STF inside the ring on Alex Michaels, who fights diligently to escape, while a doctor tends to Rob Cavallo on the outside of the ring. Razor delivers some punches to WEAPON on the top rope, but the young fighter responds in kind, and either of these two men, or even both of them, could fall off the top rope and get eliminated at any time. Instead, they wind up grabbing each others’ hair and delivering stereo facebusters into the ring! After slamming their heads into the canvas, the two lie in pain, as Michaels is able to break Kenzo’s grip in the STF by using both of his hands. Katana quickly bends back up to a vertical stance, turns around, and crosses Alex’s legs, placing his own between them and bridging backwards with a deathlock sickle hold! Kenzo is stretching Michaels here, taking his frustrations out on his fellow former PWW Freestyle Champion. The clock winds down, and the last known member of the gauntlet enters the ring with nobody eliminated as of yet…

Dave Cashman wastes no time in heading toward the ring, sliding inside and charging at Katana, fiercely kicking him in the side, breaking up the sickle hold. He grabs Kenzo and goes right to work with elbow strikes. Kenzo fires back with punches to the body and then open-handed palm strikes. These two come from martial arts backgrounds, but while Dave made his name in MMA, Kenzo is a proud pro wrestler, something Cashman detests. As the two men proceed to exchange blows, Alex Michaels crawls toward the ropes for refuge, but he gets none as WEAPON delivers a charging boot to his face. The vile man unleashes stomps and kicks on the downed Michaels, but Razor grabs WEAPON and lifts his arms up from behind into the Razor’s Edge. He charges across the ring and throws WEAPON into the corner, slamming his back against the turnbuckle pads and causing him to slump down. Razor seems quite proud of his work, but Michaels proves the old word of advice true, “never take your eyes off your opponent”, as he drives Razor into the canvas with a half nelson suplex. The doctor has Rob Cavallo sitting on a steel chair now, checking his rib and side, and Cavallo may have to pull out of the match at this rate, which gives Chris Linden a lot of joy. Meanwhile, Kenzo unleashes a barrage of kicks to Cashman’s legs and body and runs toward the ropes, but after picking up steam, Cashman delivers the Lethal Weapon! Kenzo’s head snaps back and he falls to the mat. Dave grabs Kenzo and drags the dazed grappler toward the ropes in hopes of eliminating him. He places Katana against the ropes and tries pushing him outside, but Michaels blasts Cashman in the back of the head. He whips Dave into the ropes, and Alex ducks down for a flapjack, but Cashman counters with a stiff kick to the head, and then a jumping sidekick, taking Alex down to the canvas. Dave grabs Alex’s arm and latches on a jujigatame, pulling on it and trying to hyperextend the joint, but Katana grabs Cashman by the head and arm and tries to lock on the Katana Klutch! Dave lets go of his submission to defend against Kenzo’s, using wrist control to block the choke from becoming applied. Michaels reaches his feet, shaking out his arm. He runs off the ropes and runs toward Cashman and Katana for a lariat, but both of them duck down and back body drop Michaels high into the air, sending him crashing down on the mat. Kenzo manages to grab Cashman and throw him overhead with a Katana Klutch-style Suplex, planting him on his dome. Katana looks to apply a submission hold, but Razor grabs Kenzo and plants him with The Flatline! Razor reaches his feet, and now he looks to throw Katana over the top rope, but it’s WEAPON grabbing Razor into the Incorrigible Depression! The Guillotine Choke is in tight, and WEAPON even wraps his legs around Razor’s torso to add leverage. Razor tries to counter it, and winds up spearing WEAPON into the corner before throwing him overhead with a release Northern Lights Suplex. Razor looks to follow up, but it’s Dave Cashman grabbing him into a rear naked choke, another submission hold. Razor again backs his opponent into the turnbuckles, but the former MMA jumps on Razor’s back with the hold now, applying a standing rear naked choke. Alex Michaels grabs both Cashman and Razor from behind with a waistlock… what the hell is he doing… DOUBLE GERMAN SUPLEX! The Climax shows just how powerful he can be by throwing both wrestlers overhead with a suplex that breaks up the submission! As Michaels gets to his feet, the clock has wound down, and it’s time to introduce our mystery entrant…

The sound of Mozart’s Symphony #40 in G Minor begins to play as the fans get on the edge of their seats, just wondering what the hell is going on… but the suspense is deflated when they see none other than Mike Boogie walk out, getting a mixed response from the fans, mostly of laughter. Why the laughter? Well, Boogie is a joke, but he looks quite ridiculous wearing a powdered wig and a classical style suit. The former Big Brother 2 cast member has a microphone in hand as he walks very slowly toward the end of the stage.

Mike Boogie:
I fare thee a good evening, Chicago.

What the deuce?

Mike Boogie:
For thou who may not remember thy man before thee, I bid you hello and good tidings. I once proclaimeth myself Mike… Boogie.

However, gentlefolk, my past, verily sordid and disgraceful, hath no impact on the present. Thine eyes feast upon the resurrection of Michael Malinspeare!

The fans are a bit upset now, realizing they’ve been letdown by this whole mystery entrant debacle, and boos are heard in the United Center. Boogie—er, Malinspeare does not appear happy.

Mike Boogie:
Art thou craven shag-haired nut-hooks not amuseth?!

Balderdash!

I, Michael Malinspeare, shall vanquish the ruttish ruffians inside thine ring, and proclaimeth thineself the champion!

Mozart plays again as the fans are pelting Malinspeare as he walks very slowly toward the ring, glancing from side to side with contempt and disdain for the fans. The former UWF Neoteric Champion steps onto the apron and gets inside the ring, and he stares down an unamused Alex Michaels. Malinspeare removes his jacket, carefully folding it and handing it to one of the crewmembers. When he turns back around, Alex unloads with several hard punches. Despite fighting them during much of the match, WEAPON and Razor join in, as Michaels and Razor whip Boogie into the ropes and WEAPON connects with an Arsenic Kiss on the return! Down goes Malinspeare! Razor climbs to the top rope on one corner, and WEAPON climbs up the other corner, with each man facing away from the ring. WEAPON leaps off first, nailing The Leap of Iniquity! Razor then delivers his own variation of the same move, the Blitzkrieg! Michaels springboards off the top rope, twisting through the air and hitting his Phoenix Splash, the Dueling Phoenix! Boogie is absolutely crushed, and Dave Cashman grabs him by the head, forcing him to kneel in the middle of the ring. Kenzo blasts Boogie in the head with a vicious Burning Blade, and Dave them grabs Malinspeare and throws him toward the ropes. Kenzo and WEAPON hold him up as Cashman connects with the Lethal Weapon, and Boogie goes flying out of the ring, crashing onto the top of his head!

MIKE BOOGIE MICHAEL MALINSPEARE HAS BEEN ELIMINATED

The five men in the ring resume being enemies, when suddenly, Rob Cavallo shoves the referee out of the way and grabs the steel chair, sliding in underneath the bottom rope. He blasts an unsuspecting Alex Michaels in the head with the metal object. Razor tries to react, but Rob thrusts him in the midsection and then cracks him over the back with the steel weapon. Cavallo laughs arrogantly and raises the chair in the air, laughing at everyone, but his shenanigans get cut off by the voices of Chris Linden, who has grabbed a live microphone from Derek Hennison. Chris Linden with a live mic. This will end badly…

Chris Linden:
I don’t know why that fucking jackass was out here, but there’s NO way in hell that goddamn Shakespeare wannabe was the mystery fucking man…

The announce team, the fans in the arena, and all the combatants wonder just how exactly Chris Linden would know anything about it. Rob finally looks right at the nEXt Generation and mouths, ‘How the fuck would you know?’ To which Chris retorts…

Chris Linden:
Because I AM!

The Chicago crowd goes crazy as Linden throws down the microphone and jumps over the announcer’s table, sliding right inside the ring. He sets his sights on Rob first, who swings with the chair and misses, allowing Chris to nail a spinning heel kick into the steel, smashing it against his face! Rob stumbles back toward the ropes, and Linden and WEAPON charge him, clotheslining Cavallo up and over to the outside floor!

ROB CAVALLO HAS BEEN ELIMINATED

The fans cheer as Rob crashes to the ringside floor, holding his head from the Van-Lindenator *cough* and grimacing with anger and pain. Linden doesn’t miss a step, as he whips WEAPON into the ropes. The youngster attempts to counter the veteran with a headscissors takeover, but Linden delivers a tiltawhirl backbreaker. He drags WEAPON toward the corner and climbs up, motioning to the crowd for the Kamikaze 630 Senton while facing away from the ring… but Rob Cavallo crotches Linden on the top rope! What a prick! WEAPON now climbs up to the top rope and stands poised… AESTHETIC ABORTION TO LINDEN! Chris gets crushed by WEAPON after the cheap interference from the already eliminated Cavallo! WEAPON gets back to his feet and grabs the steel chair, realizing he can use it to inflict more damage. Kenzo and Cashman are battling it out in the corner, exchanging chops, and WEAPON cracks Katana in the back with the steel, ending any hopes of an alliance between the two with one blow. The Silent Assassin then cracks Cashman over the skull with the chair. He places the chair in the middle of the ring and grabs Alex Michaels, whipping him across and dropping down for a drop toehold, but the Climax leaps over the attempt, grabs the chair, and throws it right at WEAPON’s face. Michaels pulls the bizarre man back to his feet and lifts him into the air for a powerbomb. He runs with WEAPON, but at the last second, Michaels gets countered with a huracanrana that sends him up and over, spilling to the outside floor!

ALEX MICHAELS HAS BEEN ELIMINATED

The Climax can barely belief it, slapping the apron out of anger. Cavallo laughs at Michaels, which causes the Climax to lash out, spewing vulgarities his way and getting in his face. The two men are nose to nose as the referees on the outside of the ring struggle to break the two apart. Michaels gets pulled away by the referees, and the distraction allows Cavallo to sneak around to the other side of the ring. Chris Linden and Dave Cashman are fighting each other now, and Linden has the MMA locked in a front facelock while seated on the top turnbuckle. Linden spins around for a tornado DDT, but Cavallo jumps up on the apron and grabs Linden as he jumps off, pulling his legs over the top rope. Cashman frees himself from Linden’s grasp and delivers a leaping kick, which coupled with Cavallo’s pulling, sends Linden crashing to the floor! The crowd boos as their hometown hero gets eliminated thanks to some dirty tricks.

CHRIS LINDEN HAS BEEN ELIMINATED

Linden doesn’t take kindly to Cavallo’s actions, and while Rob is laughing, Linden unleashes a series of rights and lefts. Cavallo fights back, and the two men wind up brawling up the ramp, with Chris being the aggressor. He continues to slug it out with Cavallo all the way backstage where security tries desperately to break up the slugfest. Back in the ring, we’re down to four men: Katana, Cashman, Razor, and WEAPON. The latter connects with a DDT on Cashman and climbs to the top rope, but Kenzo is able to cut him off, looking for revenge after being stabbed in the back. Katana climbs up and grabs WEAPON around the waist for a belly-to-belly superplex, but WEAPON fires back with headbutts. Kenzo responds with a throat thrust, and Razor joins the fray by climbing up on the other ropes alongside Katana. The two men grab WEAPON into a double superplex attempt, but Dave Cashman returns to his feet and grabs both men from behind with a double powerbomb! TOWER OF DOOOOOOOOM! WEAPON flies halfway across the ring! Cashman stalks Razor and Katana now, both of whom get up at about the same time from their double superplex while being powerbombed. Cashman hops from side to side, eager to deliver a Lethal Weapon to either of them. He charges forward… and Razor goes low with a legsweep while Kenzo goes high with a spinning heel kick! TOTAL ELIMINATION! The POSE and The Japanese Warrior stare at one another surprised after their impromptu double team… and then come to blows! Kenzo fires off a chop and gets booed… Razor responds with a punch and gets cheered! The fans have definitely chosen their preference in this match. Razor backs Katana up with a barrage of punches, but Kenzo comes back with open-handed palm strikes and chops, stunning Razor. Katana leaps into the air for an enzuigiri, but Razor ducks under and winds up stepping onto his legs. He goes to grab Katana for the Romero Special, the Mexican Surfboard if you will, but WEAPON runs right toward them… and Razor quickly ducks to avoid a clothesline. He steps off Katana and spins toward WEAPON, who throws a high kick that gets caught by Razor. The veteran swiftly hooks WEAPON’s leg over the top rope and grabs his other one, dumping him over and outside, but WEAPON lands on the apron. Razor tries to shoulder thrust WEAPON out of the ring, but the miscreant counters with a knee to the head. He climbs up the ropes, setting up a high risk move, but out of nowhere Dave Cashman charges and pushes WEAPON off the top rope, sending him crashing to the arena floor!

WEAPON HAS BEEN ELIMINATED

And just like that, it’s down to three. Cashman grabs Razor from behind and tries to push him the rest of the way out of the ring, but the vet holds onto the ropes and mule kicks Dave several times to block the attempt. Razor pulls himself back into the ring and sees Cashman running toward him. He ducks under and back body drops Dave, but Cashman lands on the apron just like WEAPON. But he learns from his mistakes by grabbing Razor’s head and dropping down with an ace crusher over the top rope. Dave steps in through the ropes and gets back in the ring. He spots Kenzo Katana running toward him now and ducks under a yakuza kick, Cashman grabs Kenzo from behind for a rear naked choke, but Kenzo counters with a jawbreaker. You don’t see that in MMA! Dave stumbles backward, and Kenzo unleashes a nasty kick to the body, dropping him to a knee. Katana goes for the Burning Blade, but Dave ducks his head a split-second before getting it knocked off. He low blows Kenzo from behind and shakes off the offense before getting to his feet. Razor is also back on his, and the two men start teeing off in a brutal slugfest. Razor’s punches get cheered yet again, and eventually you hear the constant screaming of the fans as the Hotstepper makes Dave take several hot steps back into the ropes. Razor charges at him full speed, but Dave ducks under and throws Razor over the top rope! He raises both fists in the air, thinking he’s won the match, but Razor hangs onto the top rope and skins the cat, bringing his legs back over and wrapping them around Cashman’s head as he spins around. Razor throws Dave over the top rope with a headscissors, a classic gauntlet strategy!

DAVE CASHMAN HAS BEEN ELIMINATED

And with that, we’re down to two: Razor and Kenzo Katana! The fans cheer as the two men make their way back to the middle of the ring, and now there is no worry about leaving it. The match between these wrestlers will be decided by pinfall or submission, the way it was meant to be. Kenzo unleashes a few kicks to Razor’s chest, backing him up, but the POSE fires back with chops to Katana’s chest. Kenzo winds up blasting Razor in the stomach with a spinning back kick, and then tucks his leg in and delivers a flick kick to the back of Razor’s head, sending him down on all fours. Katana runs off the ropes and jumps as high as he can on the rebound, nailing a knee strike to the back of Razor’s skull. With his opponent disoriented, Kenzo prepares to end the match… BURNING BLADE! No! Razor ducks under it and rolls Kenzo up! ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! Razor was a fraction of a second away from ending the match! Katana is irate as he reaches his feet and unloads with nasty kicks to the downed Razor, who covers up and fights back to his feet. Kenzo whips Razor into the turnbuckles and charges in for a stepladder shining wizard, but Razor moves out of the way, and Kenzo’s knee collides with the top turnbuckle. Kenzo grabs his knee, and Razor immediately seizes the moment with a bridging German Suplex! One… two… NO! Katana powers out just before three. These two have been through so much, especially Razor, who’s been in since the beginning. But the POSE gets to his feet and motions for Kenzo to do the same. Katana slowly reaches a vertical stance, and Razor drives several forearms into his face. He leaves a stunned Kenzo in the middle of the ring as Razor runs to the ropes and rebounds with a flying forearm smash that sends Katana down to the canvas. The Hotstepper doesn’t miss a beat, climbing up to the top rope… MOONSAULT! He crashes down on top of Katana! One… two… NO! Kenzo gets the shoulder up! Razor drags Katana back toward the corner and slaps the top turnbuckle, climbing up top… He’s going for it all here! BLITZKRIEG! NO! Kenzo gets both knees up, driving them into Razor’s chest! The Hotstepper just made a misstep there, but he reaches his feet, and Kenzo grabs him… He’s going for the Martial Driver! No, Razor fights against it with elbows to the spine… He lifts him up… RAZOR’S EDGE! Razor plants Kenzo with the splash mountain bomb! He folds his legs forward… one… two… thr-NO! Razor grabs Kenzo and goes to pull him back to his feet, but Katana grabs his arm and drags him into the Fujiwara Armbar! Razor is in serious trouble here… Kenzo’s got it locked on tight, pulling back and trying to yank the Hotstepper’s arm right out of the socket. Razor digs down deep, his hand lingering over the mat as he considers submitting, but instead he claws his way toward the ropes and gets a break, frustrating Katana. Kenzo pulls Razor back up and hooks him from behind for a Dragon Suplex, but Razor struggles to fight it off and slips out. They’re both really sweaty now, and it’s going to be hard to apply a hold like that. Razor rolls Kenzo up with a victory roll… one… two… Kenzo reverses it back the other way… one… two… another kickout. Katana goes for a head kick, but Razor ducks and rolls around, grabbing Kenzo into a sunset flip and rolling him up for another nearfall before Katana kicks out with a boot to the face. Kenzo grabs Razor’s arm and tries to latch on the Fujiwara Armbar yet again, but Razor blocks it and takes Katana over with an armdrag. Kenzo pops back to his feet and runs at Razor for a yakuza kick, but the POSE sidesteps it and quickly hooks Katana around the waist… BACKDROP DRIVER! He drills Kenzo on the back of his head and then points to the corner. Razor climbs up top, soaking in every second as the fans chant his moniker, and gets in perfect position. Razor leaps off for the Blast Effect… but Katana delivers a sickening kick as Razor falls down! BURNING BLADE! Kenzo may have knocked Razor out cold! Katana musters up all his strength and wraps his legs around Razor’s back, latching on the Katana Klutch. It doesn’t take long for Razor to go to sleep, and the official to call a stop to the match.

Winner via Technical Submission: Kenzo Katana

It was a long, grueling battle, but Kenzo Katana lives up to his reputation by defeating everybody in the field and becoming the new number one contender for the World Freestyle Championship. A typically stoic Kenzo has a little gleam in his eye after choking out the veteran Razor, and as the referee raises his hand, Katana makes motions with his other hand around his waist, saying the belt will soon be his…

 

[Dean]

Michael Green and Devastation are as different as day and night, as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde… However, having both personalities and mindsets going into a tag team battle against The Lindens could be a good thing. You never know which side of the High Flying Giant may be unleashed at any given moment, and that unpredictable nature of the show-stealer makes him a handful for any wrestler.

If Ruben’s tag team partner could use his two split personalities as two separate entities, then he could wrestle the tag match by himself. But of course, that’d be impossible, which is great news for our resident psychopath, the deadly Ruben. Johnson is ready to inflict some violence on two of his favorite punching bags, the legendary Linden brothers.

In what is not Blaine Williams’ finest hour, he struggles to convince The Winner’s Circle that he has the match against Dan Dunn under control.

The newcomer to WPW, going by the name Scourge, has taken full responsibility upon himself to eradicate the masses in as destructive and devastating means as possible. This strange addition to the roster could wreak havoc in ways we can only imagine…

Tainted liquor and ass kickers: The Lindens have arrived in WPW. They’ve been off to a rocky start, but tonight is the night they plan on getting things on track and living up to their legacy as a dominant tag team and their family namesake. They’ve got the resume, now they need to score the wins and get the ball rolling.

Match Four:
The Lindens vs. Bad Men Inc.
Tag Team
Written by X

After a whole month of repeated back-and-forth interaction between these two tag teams, something has got to give tonight on WPW’s grandest stage. These four heavyweight fighters are ready to slug it out with pride, respect, and machismo on the line, with no ounce of energy to be spared. While Bad Man Inc. is riding a two match win streak in a literal sense, having faced off the Linden brothers in singles action and pulling off successive victories, the team lost to the Lindens in an earlier tag team contest. As Ruben and Bradley Linden enter the squared circle and the match gets underway, one gets the sense that the past really doesn’t matter and will have no bearing on tonight’s action.

The two men begin by engaging each other in a series of chops, with the larger Bradley overpowering with backhand chops to the chest while Ruben fires off knife-edge chops to the ribs in order to match his foe blow for blow. Eventually, one particularly glancing blow sends the Shitkicker Supreme flying into the ropes, and as he bounces off, Linden grabs him and plops him on the mat with a Scoop Slam. Taking the opportunity to drive a few stomps to the chest area, the fiery Linden brother Irish Whips his adversary the minute he rises to his feet, but as Ruby bounces off the ropes he manages to convert his momentum into a Spinebuster Slam before any damage can be done. Mounting his foe, Ruben delivers a series of mounted forearm shots, before getting up and allowing Bradley to do likewise.

The two big men begin to circle around each other, before locking up. This time, however, Ruben manages to take advantage by striking with a European Uppercut. He follows this up with an assault of forearm strikes, sending Bradley staggering into the corner, and once his foe is trapped in this location, it comes natural to fire off repeated knees to Linden. However, just as the Shitkicker Supreme goes for a Belly to Belly Suplex, the younger of the two brothers wraps both of his arms around his adversary’s throat! In a surprising feat, Bradley hoists Ruby into the air, and plops him onto the top turnbuckle. Tagging in Eric into the contest, Bradley wraps his arm into a front facelock, and his brother reciprocates… combined Superplex! As Bradley clambers out of the ring, his partner goes for the pin. Could we have a quick victory tonight at Ode to the Immortals? No, Devastation has other plans!

Michael Green stomps on Eric Linden, breaking up the pinfall. Before the referee can intervene, Green is charging into the Linden corner, bumping Bradley off the canvas with a Running Shoulderblock! As Devas and Bradley go at it outside the ring, the two legal men have returned to a vertical base and now it is Ruben and Eric brawling it out in the center of the ring. Although Linden tries his level best to dictate and control the pace of the match, Ruben is on a roll! The Shitkicker Supreme wriggles his way out of a Belly-to-Belly Suplex and drops the elder brother with a Clothesline. Bouncing off the ropes, Ruby looks to catch Eric with a second clothesline but Eric manages to get away. No worries though, as Ruben bounces off the ropes again and on the rebound pounces with a Chop Block Takedown! Delivering a few mounted punches for good measure, Ruben hoists Eric back to his feet and grabs him in a front facelock, as if trying to lift him up for a Stalling Brainbuster.

The Chicago native isn’t willing to be lifted around like a ragdoll that easily, and overpowers Johnson by shoving him away, causing him to stagger back and turn his back on his opponent in the ring. This is a huge mistake that Linden capitalizes on with a Crossface Chickenwing Suplex. Eric goes for an STF, but Ruben Johnson is not one who plans to tap out tonight, and after several seconds of squirming around in the center of the ring, he is able to grasp the bottom rope, signaling a rope break. Linden relinquishes his hold and begins to pound on Ruby’s neck with repeated stomps.

Outside the ring, Bradley Linden and Devastation are dueling it out, trading a couple of haymakers before Devastation ducks underneath one particular blow and upends Bradley WITH STYLE! Jumping onto the apron, Green looks to come down with a sick Moonsault, but Linden gets his knees up, thereby blocking the attack. As Michael crumples to the floor, Bradley is able to rise to his feet, and hauls his adversary back to a vertical base. Hoisting him up in the air, Linden is going for the Lit Fuse, seemingly on the steel steps, but Green manages to escape the chokehold by delivering a punch to his foe’s solar plexus, and as he comes down he plants Bradley’s face into steel… DDT!

Back in the ring, Eric has brought Ruben onto his feet and has locked up with him. Taking advantage, Linden Irish Whips the Shitkicker Supreme into the ropes, but instead of bouncing off, he latches his arms on the ropes, staying in place. As Eric runs at him for a Yakuza Kick, Johnson skirts around and drops his foe with a Neckbreaker. Racing to his corner, where Devastation happens to be perched, Ruben goes for the tag at this opportune moment. As Michael Green is entering the ring, Ruby drags the downed Eric Linden towards his partner and legal man. Eventually, the larger Eric is able to stop this forced dragging, but his grappling attempt is thwarted by Ruben who tosses him into the air… CHAOS DEVASTATOR! Ruben charges towards the outside of the ring to distract Bradley and also to allow the referee to count the pin as Devastation secures the pin fall over Eric Linden.

Winners via Pinfall: Bad Men Inc.

The crowd cheers as Ruben and Devastation embrace, jubilant about their win here at OTTI. Meanwhile, the Linden brothers recuperate outside the ring, and look to make their exit, but as they do so, they receive an ovation from the audience, as Chicago is their hometown.

The war between Angelos and Ovino has taken many unexpected twists and turns, but the one constant is the hatred these two feel for one another. With Ovino’s mask – his legacy – on the line, and Angelos’ latest addition to The Entourage, Davy Honor, as his hand-picked referee, it is an uphill struggle for The Durango Daredevil, one he has embraced and promises not to back down from. How can he possibly overcome the odds set against him, with two losses to Angelos already on his record?

In what is a stark contrast to the usual jovial and jocosenature of The Black Snake, Straker is intent on taking down The Winner’s Circle tonight in War Games. He sees the pain in the faces of the fans, but more importantly, he’s tasted the pain of the beatdowns first hand. Tonight is a chance for revenge and redemption for Straker and all of WPW.

Since acquiring his services, Prince Angelos has treated Davy Honor with complete disrespect, and tonight is no exception. He demands Davy call the match against Ovino with bias, and the generally moral Honor is in quite the conundrum. Faced with a complex problem, he gets advice from perhaps the most unusual of sources, in the form of “The Sicilian Shooter” Drake Vinaldi, who is also caught between a rock and a hard place. In the end, Honor is going to do what he wants in his heart of hearts, while Angelos plans to deceive the poor guy regardless of the outcome of the match.

As the match is about to begin, Derek Hennison introduces the special guest referee for the match, Davy Honor. Receiving a mixed response from the Chicago crowd, the Knight of Honor walks to the ring wearing the striped shirt. He enters the squared circle, still contemplating the circumstances surrounding this match, and his duty as the referee. Angelos enters the ring next, and contrary to his nature, he leaves behind The Entourage. The Prince has a private conversation with Honor, really badgering him and instructing him on how to perform during this match. The partial crowd boos the hated Angelos, and already unleash the patented “Assgelos” chants, until the sound of “Bulls on Parade” by Rage Against The Machine hits the sound system. El Ovino Negro’s entrance theme for tonight’s match is noticeably angrier and more aggressive as he marches to the ring, only briefly high fiving a few fans as he heads straight into the squared circle and slides inside…

Match Five:
Prince Angelos vs. El Ovino Negro
Special Referee: Davy Honor; If Ovino loses, he must unmask

Angelos bails out of the ring and watches Ovino’s entrance theatrics, as he plays to the crowd and eventually stands on the ropes above The Prince, who sneers at the image of his adversary. Angelos requests Honor make Ovino back all the way into his corner before he enters the ring, and even goes as far as telling Davy to hold the rope down for him, to which the Knight of Honor reluctantly obliges. The Prince then tells Honor to do his job and check Ovino for weapons. The fans boo as Davy approaches him, and Ovino holds out his hands and then each foot for Honor to check for concealed objects, and Ovino is clean. Angelos has a smirk on his face, pleased that he was able to force Honor to do something like that… until Davy now requests Angelos do the same thing! The fans cheer as Honor begins to check The Prince, finding a pair of brass knuckles concealed in his tights. He throws them out of the ring, shaking his head at Angelos, who is angry with Honor but accusatory of his opponent. He demands Honor check Ovino again. Check his mask! I know he’s got something stashed in there. Honor breathes with angst as he walks toward the other side of the ring. Ovino seems a bit reluctant but agrees, and as Honor checks Ovino, Angelos runs across the ring and blindsides the Durango Daredevil with a forearm strike! Honor calls for the bell now, shaking his head at The Prince’s cheap shot, and the match begins.

Angelos stays on Ovino in the corner, unloading with punches and elbows, before kicking and stomping him, causing Ovino to slowly fall to the canvas in the corner. Angelos puts his boot over Ovino’s throat and pulls on the top rope for leverage, with Honor quickly counting. Angelos breaks the hold at four, and dismisses Honor with a wave of the hand. The Prince drags Ovino back up by his mask and whips him across the ring. He swings for a clothesline, but the luchador ducks under. Angelos tries a back elbow on the rebound, but again Ovino avoids it. The highlight reel picks up speed on the return, and this time Angelos tries grabbing him into a flapjack of sorts, but Ovino counters with a huracanrana! He snaps the move off, sending Angelos toward the ropes in a daze and a fit of rage. Ovino motions for his opponent to bring it, and The Prince uses the ropes to return to his feet… and then complains to Honor about a hair pull! Davy shakes his head, saying he didn’t see it, but Angelos is insistent, telling Davy to admonish Ovino for the cheap shot. While Davy is asking Ovino if he tugged his opponent’s hair, Angelos tries another sneak attack, but this time it fails. Ovino sees the shot coming and ducks under, responding with forearms of fury. The luchador switches to knife-edge chops, the fans cheering along with each strike to Angelos’ chest, until The Prince takes a cheap shot with an eye poke. Angelos grabs Ovino into a side headlock and takes him down to the mat, really wrenching it on and trying to ground the high flyer. The fan favorite is able to counter with a grounded headscissors, but Angelos kips up from that and spins around quickly. He tries to drop an elbow, but Ovino rolls out of the way. The Prince gets up and tries to drop another, but Ovino rolls the other way this time to avoid it. Angelos gets up a third time and goes for an elbow drop, but the third time isn’t a charm, and when he misses Ovino grabs his arm and attempts to lock on La Mistica! Angelos grabs for the ropes immediately and slides himself out of the ring to escape Ovino…but to no avail, as the luchador slingshots up and over the top rope with a corkscrew pescado! The fans get on their feet, whistling and cheering the daredevil. Ovino unloads with punches on the floor, but Davy Honor slides out of the ring and tells Ovino not to use closed fists, which prompts an argument between the Brit and the Mexican. Angelos takes advantage by shoving Ovino into Honor, sending both men down to the floor. With Davy distracted and a bit infuriated, Angelos low blows Ovino from behind, and then grabs him around the trunks and mask, throwing him head-first into the side of the announcer’s table, creating a sickening thud sound. Angelos dusts his shoulder off and rolls back in the ring, joining an agitated Davy Honor, who has just reentered as well. The official for the match begins to count Ovino out… one… two… three… Angelos complains about the pace of the count, demanding Davy pick it up. Four..five..six… no, that’s still not fast enough… SEVENEIGHTNIN-No, Ovino is able to slide back inside the ring!

Ovino gets stomped by The Prince now, who lifts him to his feet and then holds him up for a second before falling back with a hotshot, snapping Ovino’s neck off the top rope. The Durango Daredevil falls to the mat, holding his throat as Angelos stomps the back of his head and delivers a legdrop to the same target. He pulls Ovino into a standing dragon sleeper, before dropping to a knee and driving Ovino’s back and neck into it. He twists the luchador into the dragon clutch, wrenching back on the hold now and yelling at Honor, ASK HIM! Davy complies, because it’s his damn job, but Ovino refuses to tap. Angelos insists Ovino was saying he wanted to quit in Spanish, but Honor ignores him, allowing the underdog to fight on. The fans cheer Ovino, rallying behind the Mexican-native, and he is able to claw toward the ropes and finally reach out and grab one… but Angelos refuses to break the hold. He tells Davy to turn around, but Honor has had enough of his antics, and he motions to Angelos by bringing one hand down across the other, saying he’s going to call it “right down the middle.” Angelos looks up in disbelief as Honor begins to count him out, reaching four before The Prince relinquishes the hold for fear of disqualification. Honor stands his ground, but Angelos is livid, and he gets right in his face, even poking him with his finger. Ovino takes advantage of the moment, rolling Angelos up from behind with an O’Connor Roll, but to Honor’s credit the count is fair, and Angelos kicks out of the move at two. Ovino springs off the middle rope and nails a twisting crossbody, holding Angelos down for another two count before he kicks out. The daredevil grabs one of The Prince’s arms and rolls him into La Majistral now, getting yet another near fall. Angelos reaches his feet, a little disoriented from the pin attempts and from Honor’s disobeying, and he attempts a sloppy European Uppercut, which Ovino avoids and then uses to grab Angelos’ arms, pulling him for a backslide… Unfortunately, the weight difference is too much to overcome, and Angelos mule kicks Ovino between the legs. Normally that would warrant a disqualification, but Davy is surprisingly lenient, warning The Prince not to do it again. Angelos seems rather nonchalant, waving Davy off and blatantly choking Ovino in the middle of the ring. Honor counts him down, reaching four, and Angelos’ grip is still fight around Ovino’s throat. Honor does what comes natural and physically interjects himself, grabbing The Prince’s arms and forcing him to release the hold.

Angelos looks beside himself, completely irate over Honor’s backbone. He berates him and even looks for a moment like he’s going to slap him, but Angelos returns his focus to Ovino, kicking him in the head. He steps over Ovino, looking as though he’s about to apply the dragon clutch again, but instead he grabs Ovino’s mask and pulls back on it, ripping part of the eyehole open, before latching on a standard camel clutch. The Prince only keeps the hold on for a moment before jumping in the air and bringing his weight down across Ovino’s back. He leaves the luchador where he lies and steps onto the apron, soaking up the boos from the crowd before slingshotting up and over and nailing a senton across Ovino’s back. To The Prince’s credit, he’s really targeted the luchador’s spine and neck, and taken away a lot of his unpredictability and explosiveness. Honor looks poised to make a count, but Angelos doesn’t appear ready to end this match just yet. Angelos grabs Ovino into a butterfly lock and drags him back to his feet… He’s setting up the Tiger Bomb! No, Ovino spins out of it and uses one of Angelos’ arms to take him over with an armdrag. Angelos reaches his feet again and goes for a superkick, but Ovino ducks under and handsprings off the ropes, backflipping and catching Honor off guard with a back elbow. He stumbles several steps back, and the persistent luchador follows it up with a step-up enzuigiri! Angelos drops to the mat, and Ovino rolls him onto his back and begins to climb to the top rope! Ovino is setting up the Firebird, but Angelos shoves Davy Honor into the ropes, causing him to inadvertently crotch the daredevil on the top strut. The Prince reaches his feet, a grin on his face now, but Honor is telling him that he needs to understand he’s the official in the match, pointing to the referee shirt, but Angelos shoves Honor anyway, showing absolutely no respect. Angelos climbs up the ropes, with Davy Honor contemplating whether he should do anything to even the odds. Fortunately, he doesn’t have to, as Ovino fights Angelos off with fists of fury and sends him crashing to the mat courtesy of a huge elbow. The luchador is perched atop the top rope once again… 450 SPLASH! NO! Angelos gets both knees up! Ovino rolls on the mat in agony as a cocky Angelos slowly ascends the turnbuckles. He now approaches the top rope, ready to deliver his own blow, but just when he gets up there, Ovino comes back to life and runs up the ropes, leaping into the air and sending Angelos crashing to the canvas with a super top-rope frankensteiner! AY AY AY, DIOS MIO! Both men crash to the mat, and now it’s anybody’s game. Honor’s count reaches five by the time both men are getting to their feet, but Angelos motions to Honor for a time-out! There are no time-outs in pro wrestling! Davy tells Angelos he’s not getting any help from him, doing a time-out signal of his own, before changing back to the “cutting it right down the middle” symbol, infuriating Angelos, who realizes he’s in a fight. He swings for Ovino, who blocks the punch and responds with leaping forearm strikes to the jaw, backing Angelos up to the ropes. The luchador unloads with vicious kicks to the body, ending with a spinning back kick to the jaw that causes The Prince to stumble through the ropes and fall to the ringside floor. Angelos waves off the match, shaking his head and wanting no part of a fair fight with Ovino, but the Durango Daredevil has other plans as he cartwheels across the ring and flips up and over the top rope… TWISTING HURACANRANA ON THE FLOOR! ¡AERO OVINO!

The entire arena is standing, chanting “HOLY SHIT!” at the move they just witnessed! Ovino is the first man to his feet, as Honor counts both of the combatants out. The luchador pulls Angelos back to his feet now, but The Prince is able to halt his opponent’s momentum by delivering a drop toehold onto the steel stairs. He bounces Ovino’s skull off the steel and then rolls him back into the ring, rolling inside himself… but then back outside. Honor checks on Ovino, who struggles to reach his feet again, while Angelos grabs a steel chair from ringside, folding it up and sliding back into the ring. The fans are booing as Davy Honor approaches The Prince, demanding he remove the chair at once, but Angelos waves him off. Honor puts his foot down now, but Angelos has none of it, motioning the “money symbol” with his free hand, and reminding him just what exactly hangs in the balance. That causes Honor to sheepishly back off as Angelos holds the chair in position. An unwary Ovino slowly reaches his feet, and Angelos leans back with the chair, cocking back with all his might… and Honor grabs the chair, ripping it out of his hands! The fans are cheering wildly now, and Davy shakes his head at Angelos, telling him he’s not going to cheat his way to another victory. The Prince begins throwing a temper tantrum, and after Honor discards of the chair, he piefaces the official. Davy turns away for a moment, seething with rage. He cocks his fist and turns back, ready to punch Angelos in the face, and The Prince is egging him on, pointing at his chin and telling him to do it, throw away his wrestling career right now! Honor mutters something to Angelos and leans back even farther, but then inexplicably stops, causing Angelos to brag, That’s what I thought… bitch. The Prince turns around… and Ovino springs off the top rope! LA LOCA RANA! Ovino was waiting on Angelos during that whole exchange! He hooks both legs, and Davy drops down… one… two… three!

Winner via Pinfall: El Ovino Negro

The fans in the United Center erupt with joy as Ovino has finally beaten Prince Angelos! The Durango Daredevil reaches his feet, and Davy Honor proudly raises his hand. Angelos clutches the back of his head from the springboard rana, still seething at both of the men, as Ovino exits the ring and Davy Honor looks down upon Angelos, shaking his head once again… only this time, it’s not in protest to one of his illegal tactics, but just at how disgusting and pathetic he truly is. The Prince’s eyes narrow and his mouth snarls into a sneer, and you have to believe he’s already plotting revenge… but for now, the fans in the arena are on cloud nine, and as is Ovino Negro, who finally defeats his archrival, the dastardly Prince Angelos!

Always violent and vulgar, the Psychotic Superstar known as Chris Fallon has been the most physically threatening force that’s opposed the Winner’s Circle for the last few months. Now in the War Games, a caged-in environment with plenty of weapons, the Lunatic Fringe is even more dangerous, accepting the help of his teammates and prepared to annihilate the most hated faction in wrestling.

Quite simply, Will Bauer has made his bed and has no qualms about sleeping in it. The Toughman has made his career kicking asses, and when it boils down to it, that’s what he does best. Drake Vinaldi has abandoned Bauer on numerous occasions to pursue singles glory, but Bauer is determined to never take a backseat to anybody. He will live up to his reputation and punish Vinaldi in unfathomable ways. Will Bauer finishes fights, especially the ones he started.

The Sicilian Shooter can only apologize so many times. The guilt he feels for Bauer is surpassed only by the anger. But underneath the rage, there is a modicum of respect. Murderous Intent may be no more, but Vinaldi still plans on ratcheting the violence up to unprecedented levels with his partner in crime. He just happens to be on the other side of the ring this time. I got a feeling that somebody’s leaving Chicago in a body bag.

Match Six:
Will Bauer vs. Drake Vinaldi
Falls Count Anywhere
Written by Zio

Quite ironically, both competitors manage to calmly make it to the ring, staring one another down as they wait for the bell; however, once that bell sounds, the two violent superstars charge for each other simultaneously, exploding in a vicious tradeoff of right hands! Unfortunately for the leg specialist Drake Vinaldi, Bauer's superior size and familiarity with the slugfest gives him the advantage, allowing the Straight Edge Toughman to start backing Vinaldi against the corner. Drake manages to fire off a few stiff kicks to either side of the ribcage, stunning the larger former MI member and stopping the Sicilian Shooter from being backed into the corner entirely. A few more kicks and Drake figures himself safe, leaping onto the second turnbuckle and jumping off with a leg lariat; Bauer's not quite as debilitated by that kick combo as Drake thought, though, grabbing Vinaldi and throwing him back with a Fallaway Slam! Vinaldi manages to land on his hands and barrel-roll to his feet, running and tackling Bauer into the corner. Viciously, Drake starts to fire away with a series of stiff kicks, but Will catches the last one of them, pulling his former friend in... and blasting him with a huge headbutt! Drake stumbles back, shaking his head to get out the cobwebs, but Will catapults himself out of the corner, taking Drake down with a shoulder block! Will starts to viciously put the boots to the shooter, getting him to roll over to the ropes and exit the ring. Bauer does the same, but as he pursues a seemingly retreating Sicilian Shooter, Will catches a mule kick to the junk, doubling him over; with his larger opponent incapacitated, Drake leaps onto the guard rail hastily, springing off of it with a one-legged dropkick, flooring the toughman!

Drake isn't too slow in getting up, grabbing the short hair of the back of Will's neck and pulling him up as well. Vinaldi fires off a series of stiff sidekicks, nailing the toughman in the gut each time, causing him to double over more and more with each blow. Drake then leaps up onto the apron and hops off towards his former friend, but Bauer launches a Roaring Elbow, catching an airborne Drake Vinaldi in the trachea, stopping him in his tracks! Taking a moment to rest, Bauer looks around, trying to decide which way he should direct the fight from here. He leans down and picks Drake up, leading him to a ringpost near the announcers' table... and he LOBS the skull of the Sicilian Shooter right into it, causing a sickening CLANG as Vinaldi's cranium ricochets off the steel! Vinaldi stumbles back, but he takes a hard punch to the lower spine, causing him to drop down onto the steps. Will grabs his former friend and bounces his face onto the steps now; Drake stumbles to the floor again, but Bauer picks him up, leading him over to the announcer's table. As Scott screams bloody murder for the men not to bring their war this close to the commentary team, Bauer grabs Drake by the back of the head, pulling him back... and he bounces his skull off of the table! Will lets his "partner" go, heading over to grab a folded steel chair. As he brandishes the weapon, he makes his way back to Vinaldi, lifting the chair high above his own head and swinging down... but he misses, as Drake is able to evade the shot just in time! Drake fires a low dropkick, causing Will to drop to a knee; as Bauer is stunned and goes to make his way back up, Vinaldi climbs onto the apron, backing up a bit... and he runs forward and leaps off, firing off an incredible Torpedo Dropkick into the chair, kicking the weapon into Bauer's face and sending Will stumbling through the rest of the set-up chairs and up against the guard rail! As the crowd chants "HOLY SHIT" to voice their approval, Bauer lies amidst the carnage of a bunch of partially unfolded chairs, trying desperately to stay alert despite his pain.

Vinaldi heads to the announcer's table, using it to pull himself back up. Likewise, Bauer uses the guard rail, gripping it and pulling himself up, but Vinaldi manages to outrace him, firing off a SICK Ole Kick, blasting the Straight Edge Toughman in the skull and sending him flipping over the guard rail into the crowd! As the fans near Bauer disperse a bit, Drake climbs over the rail, sending a few -- which is an understatement -- stomps to Bauer's ribs. Will starts to get to his feet, but Drake doesn't stop the legwork, instead firing hard kicks to the ribcage and spine. Finally, as the Michigan native gets to his feet, Vinaldi fires off a stiff forearm, backing Will up through the crowd. Using a bit more of the upper body strikes, Vinaldi continues to blast the brawler with forearms, working him through the crowd with a continued barrage of dazing assaults. The two reach one of the exits, Vinaldi reeling back for a major haymaker, but Bauer ducks it, using the shooter's own momentum to shove him against one of the two walls enclosing the exit. As Vinaldi staggers against the wall, Bauer charges him from behind, taking him down with a clothesline. Vinaldi rolls his way out of the crowd and into the concession area, causing a few kids to yell and point. As Drake crawls around, Bauer fires a hard downward kick, driving the Italian's face into the filthy floor. Bauer holds his foot down on the back of Drake's head, trying to suffocate him for a bit. After about ten seconds of this, Will relents, allowing Vinaldi to get to a knee... and then Bauer charges forward with a punt kick, sending his opponent tumbling away! Bauer takes this opportunity to make the first pinfall attempt of the night, covering Drake... 1... 2... kickout from the Sicilian Shooter!

Bauer doesn't seem discouraged, though, simply laughing a little and getting to his feet, pulling Vinaldi up with him. The toughman grabs the shooter and goes to whip him into a nearby cotton candy stand, but Drake reverses it, impressively outmuscling the larger Will Bauer at this moment and sending HIM toppling into and over the counter! Bauer gets up, telling the cotton candy vendor to "Leave or get mutilated," successfully clearing the salesman from the area... however, Drake runs and launches himself over the counter before Will can even react, delivering a corkscrew crossbody and sending both men to the floor! Drake pulls Will to his feet, firing off a series of a quick kicks to the back of the knee, following it up by opening a container of dye and grabbing Bauer by the back of the head... and shoving the Straight Edge Toughman's face right into the container! As Vinaldi withdraws his opponent's head from the vat, the color of dye is revealed to be pink... and with that, Vinaldi laughs, saying, "Never knew you swung that way, Will!" With anger, Bauer spins around, taking a knee to the midsection. Vinaldi fires off a second knee, this time upwards into the toughman's knee, sending him staggering back. With a short-arm clothesline, Vinaldi knocks Bauer over the counter and out of the cotton candy booth; Drake decides to leave the booth the normal way, walking around... and an uppercut to the junk from Will Bauer as he rounds the obstructed corner of the booth shows that to be a mistake! Rising to his feet, Will fires a European uppercut to Vinaldi's jaw on the way up, sending Vinaldi sprawling backwards. Bauer, despite his pain and the discomfort of "pinkface", stays aggressive, using his brawling skills to continue laying on right hand after right hand, sending Vinaldi stumbling through the concession stand. Passing a security guard, Bauer fires off a haymaker, knocking Drake through a doorway off to the side; the two now enter the backstage area.

Bauer grabs Drake by the back of the neck and the tights, hurling him forward onto a small metal table filled with random assorted tools. Clearly a place for the backstage workmen to place their items, the Straight Edge Toughman's appeared to have hijacked it. As Vinaldi rolls over onto his back, Bauer starts to fire away one right hand after another... however, a gouge to the eye backs Bauer off, allowing Drake to stand up on the table... and he fires off a dropkick, sending Will against the wall! Drake uses the table to get to his feet, but he's grabbed from behind in a rear bearhug from the brawler... so Vinaldi grabs a monkey wrench off of the table, swinging around and BLASTING Bauer right above the eye! I suppose a "no more monkey business" pun would be in bad taste... anyway, Drake drops down and starts to wail away mercilessly -- it's a bit of a "duh" moment to say that he busts Will Bauer wide open -- smashing the wrench against the toughman's face. After he's satisfied, Drake drags Will to his feet, firing a kick to the midsection and leading him through the halls with the occasional rest and a shoot kick to the ribs. The two reach a locker room that says "Winner's Circle". With a sadistic sneer, Vinaldi shoves Bauer headfirst into the door, essentially battering it open and sending Bauer rolling to the floor. Drake steps inside, noticing the lavish decor, spitting right on the floor where he stands. As Bauer starts to get up, the Sicilian Shooter fires a vicious forward kick to his midsection, causing the Straight Edge Toughman to roll over onto his back. Vinaldi, with great vigor, stomps hard and repeatedly on his former friend's midsection and chest, following it up by climbing onto the back of the plush, smooth couch of the Winner's Circle... and driving both feet into Bauer's chest with the Lunatic High! Drake steps off of the bigger man, yelling for the ref. As the official huddles into the room, Vinaldi drops down for HIS first cover, hooking both legs. 1... 2... th- no, Bauer kicks out!

Vinaldi gets up, looking around for something... and he sees a bottle of scotch on a metal cart in the corner, the word "Jack" written in black marker on it. Going over to it, Vinaldi picks it up by the neck and takes a swig, gasping with satisfaction as he does so. Then, Drake walks back to the sXe competitor, reviving Bauer with a pouring of alcohol all over his face! As though being burned with lava, Will sits up with a jerk and tries to clean his face of the poison with his hands. Will gets to his feet, but Drake swings the bottle... Bauer blocks the shot just in time, grasping Vinaldi's arm, firing a stiff headbutt, and commandeering the piece of glass. Vinaldi fires off a kick, stunning Will and stealing the bottle back. He goes to take another swig, but Bauer tackles him into the wall, causing the bottle to drop to the carpeted floor and shatter, spilling scotch all over the place. With a look of legitimate grief, Vinaldi fires a headbutt of his own, stumbling almost as much as the Straight Edge Toughman when he does. He stumbles, accidentally, into the bathroom, bumping against the sink... and Bauer tackles him into the shower! As Drake falls to the floor of the shower, Will starts throwing a few vicious stomps to his abdomen. He backs off, yells some obscenity at Drake... and fires one last kick to the chest before backing away. Will uses the open shower door to pull himself up, but Bauer advances again... and Drake grabs the shower head, turning it on and spraying hot water into the brawler's face! Drake drops the head and charges, delivering some clubbing forearms to the scalded and doubled-over Will Bauer... then he grabs him by the head, tossing Will headfirst into the mirror! Drake stumbles out of the bathroom, looking for something else to use against the Straight Edge Toughman. He sees, stuck behind the WC's television monitor, Lance Van Leer's own personal barbwire bat, grinning. Drake picks up the bat, turning and heading toward the bathroom... but as he turns to the doorway, Will seemingly appears from nowhere, wielding the bathroom mirror as he SMASHES it over Vinaldi's head, sending him to the floor instantly! Bauer tosses the shattered remnants of the mirror to the side, stumbling about in a groggy daze, dropping to a knee after some hesitation so he can body-cover the Sicilian Shooter. 1... 2... thre- NO! Vinaldi gets the shoulder up! NOW the Straight Edge Toughman is in disbelief, simply looking at the referee with surprise more than anger.

Bauer lifts Vinaldi, who's now bleeding in several spots from the glass that cut his face, walking him out of WC's locker room and back to the hallway. Bauer simply walks with Vinaldi, his right hand around the back of the Italian combatant's neck, navigating the halls. Upon turning a corner, Bauer sees a door at the end of a short mini-hallway, seeing an "EXIT" sign over the frame. Bauer makes his way toward it, screaming for some backstage crewmen to "MAKE A HOLE!", grabbing Vinaldi and tossing him forward into the middle door! Vinaldi's skull bounces off of the door, allowing Bauer to catch him from behind and now HURL him, body-first, THROUGH the door, sending the Sicilian Shooter to the parking lot! As Vinaldi stumbles down a small pair of concrete steps and falls to the asphalt ground, Bauer steps out, kicking the Italian when he's down. Bauer picks Drake up, delivering one very stiff elbow to the temple, grabbing him by the back of the head... and he chucks him against the wall of the dumpster, Vinaldi's shoulder hitting the metal hard! As Vinaldi slumps down, Bauer looks around, trying to find something to "seal the deal", so to speak. He rounds a corner, out of Drake's sight, finding a brick (not a Brick, mind you) on the ground. He picks it up, tossing it a few inches into the air to test its mass, and then turns around... and walks right into a Yakuza Kick from Vinaldi, which kicks the brick into Will's face! As Bauer stumbles back against the fencing that encloses the entire parking lot, Drake drops right to the asphalt, that kick using up a desperate energy reserve. Bauer's nose is now bleeding, a fact of which he's now very aware; he stumbles up to Drake, picking him up, but catches a series of stiff elbows to the midsection. Drake then stands up, launching a high roundhouse, but Bauer catches the leg, pulling him up... and pulling him into a bearhug, trying to charge forward into a Spinebuster. However, Vinaldi manages to reverse the move, pulling Will down into a STIFF DDT on the asphalt, driving the toughman's skull onto the hard ground! As Bauer rolls involuntarily onto his back, a weak Drake hooks the leg... 1... 2... thre-NO! SOMEHOW, BAUER'S IN THIS STILL!

The end of the match seems imminent all the same: Bauer is bleeding from his nose and covered in pink-dyed blood from earlier, and Drake has been beaten and battered more than he can care to remember. Vinaldi, after a substantial delay, pulls himself up to his feet, stumbling away from the building and towards the array of vehicles. Using some of the cars as a crutch, Vinaldi leans on them, moving his head slightly and wincing in pain. He rests for a moment, his head hanging down... but Bauer knocks the side of his head into the windshield of said car with a clothesline! After Vinaldi hits the glass, Bauer bends down, trying to catch his breath. He grabs his partner, willing to put the finishing touch on this brutal fight. Rolling Drake onto the hood, Bauer fires off a series of closed-fisted right hands, trying to draw some more blood from the smaller man. He succeeds; Drake tries to escape as his face starts to bleed, but Bauer holds him in place. Eventually, Drake DOES break away, rolling off the opposite side of the car; Bauer follows him by walking around the front of the car, but he takes a flurry of chaotic kicks to all sorts of body parts, demonstrating the desperation of the usually precise shooter. The kicks are no less stiff or painful, however, causing Bauer to drop to a knee before taking a stomp to the crown. Vinaldi takes a step back, shaking his head to try to force some focus... and he fires off a Killing Blow! Unfortunately, Bauer catches the leg in time, forcing a STIFF enzuigiri shot to send Bauer's skull bouncing against the side of a car! Vinaldi drops, back-first, onto the asphalt, exhaling deeply. He grabs the door handle of the car, picking himself up with it. After several seconds of getting his bearings, Drake pulls himself up on the roof of the car... and he launches himself off onto Bauer's face, driving both boots into Bauer's skull with a modified Lunatic High! Bauer spits up blood from the move, Drake stumbling a step forward and dropping to his knees. He pulls Will a bit away from the vehicle, collapsing on top of the Straight Edge Toughman... 1... 2... 3! It's over! This war is over!

Winner via Pinfall: Drake Vinaldi

Drake drags himself against another vehicle, opposite the one from which he just leaped, sitting up against the side of the car and staring at Bauer, whose face is drenched in blood and who now breathes evenly and peacefully in his unconscious state. Drake nods, seemingly to himself, having won a bitter battle. EMTs are on the scene now, checking on both men...

One of the most controversial wrestlers in history, The Loose Cannon known as Malice, lets it be known that nobody speaks on his behalf. The Malicious Mofo doesn’t need an attorney taking liberties, and he doesn’t need the support of the fans or even his Winner’s Circle brethren. Yes, I said brethren. The fact is, Malice is quite comfortable as the lone wolf, and he solemnly swears to make an impact in WPW, without anybody else holding him down.

Blaine Williams sees things in a much grayer scale than the wrestling audience and perhaps even his opponent tonight, Dan Dunn. BW doesn’t worry about being called “good” or “evil.” He’s a businessman, first and foremost, and that savvy has helped WPW in the long run. Williams knows Dan Dunn is not half the businessman he is, but he’s not half the wrestler Dan Dunn is, either. The outcome of this match will have a long-lasting effect on the direction of WPW.

The Big Kahuna tries to play it cool, but he can’t hide the fact that what Blaine Williams and Winner’s Circle have done to him and have been doing to World Pro Wrestling has affected him. All of Dunn’s pent-up aggression behind his cool and collected exterior may come boiling to the surface when he engages in a street fight against the man who usurped his power and benefited the most from his absence. More than pride is on the line tonight, however, as the winner receives control over WPW’s stock.

Match Seven:
Dan Dunn vs. Blaine Williams
Street Fight for Control of WPW's Stock
Written by Zio

Dan Dunn enters the ring first, seemingly antsy as he waits for his opponent. "Power Trip" hits the speakers and Blaine Williams starts to head down the ramp... but The Big Kahuna intercepts him, starting a fist fight on the walkway with his co-shareholder! The two trade right hands, but the element of surprise and the momentum of anger shift in Dunn's direction, allowing him to overtake Williams with a flurry of rights and lefts. Grabbing his foe by the back of the head, Dan leads Blaine down the ramp and slides him into the ring. The surfing superstar slides in as well, stomping a few times on Blaine's ribs. Dunn grabs his opponent's t-shirt, lifting it over his head, not fully removing it; he then kick Blaine in the head a few times and uses the shirt as leverage, pulling him up off the ground and kicking him square in the ass! Blaine, a bit embarrassed, rolls away from Dunn, struggling to pull his shirt off. He does just that, tossing the generic WPW-brand article of clothing to the side just in time to guard himself against some more stomps from his angry opponent. Dan picks Williams up, tossing him against the turnbuckle; however, as the brawler moves in, Blaine fires a FINGER POKE OF DOOM~, stunning and temporarily blinding him. As Dan Dunn backs away, holding his eye in pain, Blaine hops onto the middle turnbuckle... and leaps up with a flying clothesline, managing to floor his foe! Blaine is quick to try for a pin, content with cheating the crowd out of any real violence... 1-and-a-kickout from The Big Kahuna!

Blaine, a bit annoyed by that, gets to his feet, stomping away hard on a fast-rising Dan Dunn. Williams hits the ropes, trying for another clothesline, but Dunn easily ducks the move, firing off a VERY early dose of The Chuck Norris! Blaine drops to the mat instantly, but instead of covering him, Dan Dunn... exits the ring? The Big Kahuna heads to ringside, passing Scott the Scoop and Slick Rick so that he can grab a steel chair. Picking the weapon up, Dunn heads back to the ring, sliding in with the chair. He sets it up in a sitting position, seemingly wanting to use it in that fashion. Dan then grabs Blaine Williams, who's still a bit groggy from the kick, pulling him over to the chair and placing his head on top of the seat of it. Then, as the last phase of his plan, the vengeful crowd favorite climbs through the ropes, grabbing the top rope... and he slingshots over with a leg dr-... no, his slingshot leg drop misses due to Blaine being able to get himself off of the chair just in time! The impact of Dunn's leg crashing onto the chair causes it to close up, resulting in a loud clang. As Dunn hits the canvas holding his leg in pain, Williams quickly charges forward with a mildly stiff Ole Kick to the head, sending Dunn fully to the mat now, his head hitting the canvas. Once more, Blaine tries to score a pinfall, dragging Dunn away from the ropes a bit and hooking BOTH legs... 1... 2-and-a-kickout!

A bit annoyed even now, Williams glares at the referee, almost as if to say that the official's career could hang in the balance. The businessman gets to his feet, grabbing the steel chair on the way up, clutching it tightly as he waits for Dunn to get to his feet. With a desperate step forward, Williams wildly swings the weapon... but Dunn ducks the attack, causing the chair to hit the top rope, ricochet back, and blast Blaine right in the skull! As Blaine stumbles back, dropping the chair, he turns into Dunn... who meets him with a Single Arm DDT, drilling the already-aching skull of the WC-adjacent shareholder into the mat! Dan Dunn, still not willing to end the match just yet, grabs Blaine by the legs, dragging him over to a corner. Dan rolls from the ring, walking over to the ring post... and grabbing one of his adversary's legs with each hand, he yanks Williams into the post from the outside, driving the man's genitals right into it! As the crowd collectively groans -- although with a bit of enjoyment in there -- Dunn heads over to near the ramp, grabbing his shopping cart full of weapons! The Big Kahuna mentioned having exactly this, and apparently he's had it relocated from the parking lot! Grabbing the handle of the cart, Dunn wheels it over to Blaine, who's now rolled out of the ring in agony. Using the ring apron to pull himself up, Williams turns around... and has the shopping cart rammed into his abdomen! This doubles Blaine over, allowing Dunn to navigate around his own cart and grab the silver-tongued competitor by the head, firing off a hard closed fist to the temple. He then grabs Blaine by the back of the head and shoves him forward, flipping his opponent into the weapon-filled cart!

Dunn grabs the cart now, turning it around. He fires a few clubbing forearms to Williams' face to keep him stationary, then starts running with the cart, dashing up the ramp! Cameras zero in on Blaine Williams, who has a look of sheer terror on his face; Dunn stops the motion as he reaches the very top of the ramp, instead turning so he -- and the shopping cart and Blaine Williams by extension -- face the edge of the stage. However, a panicking Blaine Williams gets a second wind of sorts, frantically pulling himself out of the cart. Dunn is on him immediately, firing some clubbing elbows and trying to get him back in, but a wild elbow from the wily businessman backs him off. Blaine fires a huge boot to the gut, doubling Dunn over... and he grabs a slightly caved-in garbage can from the cart, lifting it and bringing it crashing down on Dunn's skull! The Big Kahuna drops down onto the stage, prompting Blaine to raise the trash can up high, grinning menacingly, hurling the trash can down from two feet away... AND IT MISSES! IT LANDS RIGHT NEXT TO DUNN! Blaine can't believe it, rubbing his eyes as though it's a dream, backing up... and he trips backwards, landing on his back on the stage! As a very demeaning "YOU FUCKED UP!" chant rings out through the full-capacity Chicago crowd, Dan Dunn picks himself up, pushing his hands against the dented trash can for support. He grabs the shopping cart, stumbling into it and withdrawing a fire extinguisher. Blaine is up to his feet now too, charging Dan Dunn in a humiliated rage... but the brawler turns the extinguisher on him, spraying him down with foam! This causes Blaine to stop in his tracks and grab at his face, prying away the extinguishing foam, giving Dunn the chance to... and he clocks Blaine with the fire extinguisher, flooring the glorified bureaucrat! Dunn, eliciting some cheers from the crowd, tosses the extinguisher back into the cart, following that up by going over to Blaine and pulling him to his feet. Dan drags Blaine over to the cart, trying to shove him back inside of it, but he takes a CHEAP mule kick to the junk, being doubled over!

Williams, still incredibly groggy, stumbles against the cart, shoving it out of the way. He staggers down the ramp, albeit incredibly slowly, stopping about halfway down to bend over and catch his breath. He looks back... and Dan Dunn is recovering, glaring at the low-blowing Executive Shareholder, grabbing the shopping cart and charging down the ramp with it! Blaine, fortunately, manages to sidestep the raging surfer, using Dunn's own momentum to shove him into his own cart, pushing both it AND Dunn over, causing Dan to topple over his own vehicle of violence! As the cart falls over, Blaine pushes it even more, causing all sorts of weapons to spill out onto his foe; of these, Blaine notices a kendo stick, smirking as he bends down and grabs it. Waiting for Dan to get to his hands and knees, the weaselly one (I'm running out of Blaine nicknames) starts to go to town, bringing the kendo stick down on Dunn's back with a sick thwack. He repeatedly fires away, smacking the wooden weapon against the brawler's back, stopping him from getting up. Eventually, after driving enough strikes into Dan Dunn's body to stop him from being able to get back up -- at least immediately -- Blaine uses his one free hand to grab Dan by the short hair of the back of his head, leading him down the ramp. Once the two reach the ringside area again, Blaine stops, firing a huge shot to the abdomen with the kendo stick, doubling the fan favorite over. Finally, Williams discards the stick, grabbing Dan Dunn by the head... and shoves him headfirst into the steel ring post!

As Dunn falls to the floor, Williams looks around for something else to use. He lifts up the apron, sticking his head underneath... and what he pulls out might be just enough to end it. It's... a table! Oh, give me a break, they're still pretty badass. In any case, Blaine grabs the table and puts it on the apron, sliding it in before going over to Dan Dunn. He picks Dan up and rolls him into the ring, going in as well. As soon as the WC-aligned shareholder enters the ring, he makes sure to put the boots to Dunn, trying to keep the brawler subverted; Blaine then walks over to the table, lifting it up and propping up the legs before standing the object up in the middle of the ring. Williams heads over to his opponent, planning to end the match; however, Dan Dunn isn't dead yet, firing off a handful of right hands to back Williams up. Dan hits the ropes, even from his short distance, bouncing off into a flying clothesline, taking both men down! Rolling to his feet, The Big Kahuna still holds his abdomen a bit, clearly in some pain. He walks over to Williams, picking him up and rolling him onto the table, firing off a few right hands. Dunn starts to head to the turnbuckle, but Williams manages to roll off of the table, tackle Dunn from behind and sending him shoulder-first into the second turnbuckle. Firing off a few hard downward stomps to the back of Dan's neck, Blaine is satisfied, walking over to the steel chair from earlier with the intent to use it to soften his foe. Picking the weapon up, Williams nods slightly to himself, turning to Dunn. As soon as Dan pulls himself back up and out of the corner and turns around, he steps forward after the avaricious Blaine Williams... Blaine swings the chair wildly, just as before, but Dunn ducks it... Blaine turns around, ready to swing the chair once again, but Dan has already hopped onto the middle rope, bouncing off with an elevated dropkick into the chair!

Kicking the chair into Williams' face and dropping him to the canvas, Dunn himself lands on the mat, rolling over ninety degrees so he can grab the ropes. He pulls himself up, ready to end the match once and for all. He brings Blaine to his feet, against the will of the villainous shareholder's battered body, leading him near the ropes; Dan then hops onto the middle rope, backflipping behind his groggy opponent, coming down at an angle and driving an elbow directly into his windpipe, crashing into Blaine with the Tsunami! As the Chicago crowd cheers the recognizable maneuver, Williams drops to the mat, the back of his skull smacking onto the steel chair. Dan rolls away, pushing himself up onto his hands, leering over at his beaten-down opponent. Dunn next looks over at the table, still pristinely sitting in the ring without so much as a dent. The Big Kahuna brings himself to his feet and walks over to his rival, picking him up as well. He rolls Blaine Williams onto the table, content with Blaine's minimal level of response. Now, Dunn finally prepares to end things, heading to the top rope. With the crowd anticipating a final aerial assault to seal the deal, Dan's own senses become dulled. Taking his time, Dunn prepares to launch himself off, barely hearing the chorus of boos that passes through the section of the crowd behind him. A figure hops over the guardrail, leaping up onto the steel steps... and he pulls on Dunn's ankle, causing The Big Kahuna to fall crotch-first on the top turnbuckle! The figure is soon recognizable as none other than "The Icon" Damon Black, who smirks egotistically at his own move. Damon climbs into the ring now, walking over to Mr. Williams and pulling him off of the table. Leering through half-shut eyes at The Icon, Dunn has little defense against what happens next... Black leaps onto the middle rope, near the turnbuckle, jumping off and pulling Dunn with him, getting INCREDIBLE distance with a top rope Relapse through the wooden table! As splinters fly in every direction, Damon kips up to his feet, grinning like a jackass. He walks back to the apron, dropping down flat and rolling from the ring. Blaine, a bit groggy, pulls himself up, climbing up top in mirrored fashion to his opponent. With much less athleticism than one can be certain Dan Dunn would've used, Blaine launches a body splash atop the wreckage of The Big Kahuna and the once-pristine table, landing in perfect position... 1... 2... 3! Blaine Williams has captured his "colleague’s" shares in WPW!

Winner via Pinfall: Blaine Williams

The fans in the United Center boo the outcome of this match, and the cheap interference from Damon Black. “The Icon” grins from ear to ear and helps the… well, now sole executive shareholder to his feet. Love him or hate him, he won the match within the confines of the rules. Black pats Williams on the back as Blaine hobbles up the ramp, raising one arm victoriously and saying, I DID IT! I REALLY DID IT! A distraught Dan Dunn awakens from his slumber amongst the wooden fragments of the table. Williams glances up at the iTron and sees the look in Dunn’s eyes, which brings a callous grin to his face as he limps the rest of the way backstage, leaving behind Dan Dunn as his music fades out…

Dunn is offered some assistance from the referee, but politely declines and stands up under his own power after a moment. He begins hobbling at ringside, with the fans chanting, THANK YOU, DAN! Dunn tags a few of their hands, visibly disappointed in the outcome of this match and perhaps more disappointed with the consequences it brings. Regardless, he heads up the ramp, and gives the crowd one final “cowabunga” taunt with his hand, using his other hand to hold his ribcage in pain as he walks to the back, the fans cheering what could be the last time we ever seen Dan Dunn.

Adam Hurst has been in this business for as long, if not longer than, the members of The Winner’s Circle. He has witnessed each man in the early stages of their careers as well as their primes. Tonight marks the culmination of years of history, and The Hot Commodity realizes the importance of War Games. He sees it in the scope of his storied career. The Savior of the Sport swears to live up to that moniker and rid the WPW of the cancerous Winner’s Circle once and for all, and he knows he won’t have to do it alone. The resistance is united.

Everybody reacts differently to pressure; some thrive in it, while others are crushed by it. Malhotra seemingly was in the latter category, succumbing to the high expectations he set for himself. But now the Minority Militant has returned to World Pro Wrestling with a renewed vigor and focus. With the Freestyle Title in his grasp, can Rohan finally attain his destiny?

The man standing in his way is the most dominant Freestyle wrestler in wrestling history. Unbeaten in singles competition… unpinned and unsubmitted in any match here in World Pro Wrestling… the World Freestyle Champion, Adam Pugh, returns to his hometown, Chicago, a city of champions, and proclaims he will add another shining moment to the annals of Chicago’s championship history, as well as another masterpiece to his collection. These two were destined to go to battle; who will leave the Windy City with the World Title?

Returning from the interview with Adam Pugh to the announcers' table in the arena, featuring a sold out capacity crowd, the fans are roaring and screaming at the top of their lungs. They are on their feet, ready for the next epic match to this unforgettable event. Of course, Scott the Scoop and 'Slick' Rick Avalio are eager to talk about the World Freestyle Championship bout.

Scott the Scoop:
Well, fans, in spite of what we just witnessed, tonight we’ve seen some of the most exciting action in the world, proving once again why WPW packs the punch when it comes to professional wrestling. Coming up next is the rematch that the fans have been asking for: Pugh vs. Rohan 2, this time a 60-minute Irona Man match. They fought bell to bell once already on Octane several weeks ago, and tonight they'll go toe-to-toe once again with the World Freestyle Title hanging in the balance.

Slick Rick
Since entering World Pro Wrestling, Adam Pugh has been nothing short of unstoppable. I've heard some people say he's met his match in Rohan Malhotra, but you have to believe Pugh will be fighting harder than ever before his hometown crowd. I wonder how Rohan will deal with the hostility of being in "enemy territory?" I don't think this guy can handle the pressure. We've already seen him crack, and the guy is as mentally unstable as that other guy who was supposed to be fighting in this match, but he's just hides his craziness better.

Scott the Scoop:
You're joking right? It's really hard to say just who's going to win based on the people competing tonight. Rohan has proven himself to be the toughest challenge for our champion to date. Frankly, I don't think he'll squander his opportunity by coming into the match anything but mentally strong.

Slick Rick:
The truth is, Adam Pugh is doing his hometown a favor. Every champion has an off night, Scotty, and on his worst day, The Tragic Artist still wasn't beaten. I would be seriously surprised if Rohan Malhotra is the guy who has an answer to the puzzle known as The Highlight of the Night.

Speaking of surprises!

That familiar tune. A tune that the fans here in WPW haven't heard in a while has hit the airwaves, and they are on their feet in anticipation for the person that they all know will eventually show himself from the backstage area. He's wearing a black T-shirt that's available for purchase on WPWrestling.com/apparel, a nice pair of jeans, and what looks like to be a pair of all black Nike Dunk SB's...cause that's how he rolls, bitches! He smirks at the crowd before heading towards the ring, posing with the fans and giving them as many high fives as he can. If the reveal is killing you as who this man, now walking around the ring towards the announcers' table, is, you're going to have to wait just a little bit longer to find that little piece of information out. Sorry folks on the interwebs!

Scott the Scoop
This sure is a wonderful surprise! Have a seat and tell our loyal WPW fans what brings you here tonight.

Well, Scott, there was no way I was going to miss one of the biggest events of the year, so even though I'm not competing tonight, I thought I'd stop by and pay WPW a little visit.

Slick Rick:
Yeah, to try and steal everyone else's thunder in the process.

It's good to see you too, Rick.

Avalio grins in a way that would make the Cheshire Cat say, "Calm down. It's not that serious."

Slick Rick:
I can see you're still milking that little injury with that gimp leg of yours. Too scared to compete tonight?

Scott the Scoop:
Speaking of your injury, just how is your knee? The last time we saw you, you were rushed to the hospital mid-match at Summer Slaughter in the King of the Mountain, the very bout that crowned Adam Pugh as the World Freestyle Champion.

He pauses for a moment, reflecting the event that could have nearly ended his career. You guys should know who this is by now, so I won't give his name.

I've been training and rehabilitating my knee during my time off from WPW, so that when I do make my return to the ring, I'll be at one hundred percent and ready to take on all comers that want a piece of me.

Scott the Scoop:
So, any official word on when WPW can expect to see you back in the ring?

I can't really give a definitive time, but let's just say it's coming sooner than later. After finally listening to the voices of reason, I realized that I had to take the necessary time off so I could properly heal my knee and be at my peak level of performance. There are certain addictions that people can't give up, and while I never sought booze or pain killers to ease my pain, wrestling will forever be my addiction. It never mattered what the cost was; I needed to wrestle and perform in front of crowds like the one I'm surrounded by tonight, here in one of the best wrestling cities in the world, Chicago. This addiction blinded me, leading me down a path where I hurt people that care about me and hurt myself to the point of nearly ending my career. Through all of this, there was really only one man that really tried to look out for what was best for me. That man is Trent Eden. Thank you, Trent.

Slick Rick can't help but roll his eyes. He starts fanning the front of his nose, as if he's detected an awful odor.

Slick Rick:
I think you got something brown and sticky on your nose. I mean, Trent really had it in your best interest to put you in that match in the first place!

If I had listened to him instead of letting Blaine Williams fill my head with horrible ideas, I could have properly healed up. Who knows how differently things might be right now? I could be competing in this match tonight instead of Rohan or Adam. Being put on medical suspension was the best thing that ever happened to me. My thoughts are now clear, and the 'Phoenix' will rise once again!

Scott the Scoop:
With the big title match about to begin, do you care to stick around and watch?

Chris Chambers:
Sounds great.

The lights in the arena dim as it’s time for one of the evening’s featured bouts, the battle between “The Minority Militant” Rohan Malhotra and reigning WPW World Freestyle Champion, “The Artist” Adam Pugh. A single spotlight is shone on the ring as Derek Hennison stands in the squared circle, microphone in hand, as he introduces the combatants for the much-anticipated match-up.

Derek Hennison:
The following match is the 60-Minute Iron Man for the World Pro Wrestling Freestyle Championship of the World!

Some applause and cheering is heard as Hennison resumes his rather stoic stance and expression. The sound of “Hold On” by Novel hits the sound system, and Malhotra appears from the entrance tunnel. His facial expression is a mixture of determination and adrenaline as he marches forward to the beat. Knowing he’s venturing into enemy territory, the slightly negative reaction doesn’t seem to surprise or faze the former World Champion, who remains focused and heads straight to the squared circle, where he will do battle with the premier Freestyle wrestler in the world.

Derek Hennison:
Introducing first, making his way to the ring at this time, he is a former World Champion and the current number one contender for the World Pro Wrestling Freestyle Championship… He hails from Jersey City, New Jersey, standing five feet, nine inches tall, and weighing in at two-hundred fifteen pounds. HE IS… THE MINORITYYYYY MILITAAAAANT… ROOOOOOOOOHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN MAAAAAAALHOOOOOOOOOTRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Chris Chambers talks about Rohan’s road to redemption and compliments the Minority Militant on his constant fighting to improve himself and grow as a wrestler, and his pursuit of the World Freestyle Championship. Malhotra slides into the ring and runs the ropes, bouncing off either side and then stretching his neck a few times, shaking his arms loose and doing some last minute breathing exercises as the sound of his music ultimately dies down…

 

[Dean]

…But the crowd grows into a frenzy as the intro of “Mr. Right (Two Hookers and a Mexican)” booms from the speakers. The arrogant lyrics from Mickey Avalon fit the cocky Freestyle Champion, whose video plays on the iTron. We pan down to see the champ with his back toward the ring, holding the WPW World Freestyle Title high above his head. He turns around, boasting a big grin and an incredible amount of confidence as pyros shoot up from the stage. The champ uses the Freestyle Title to shield the sparks as he moves forward to the front of the stage.

Derek Hennison:
And his opponent, approaching the ring at this time, he is the current reigning and defending World Pro Wrestling Freestyle Champion of the world… He hails from CHICAGO, ILLINOIS!

As expected, Chi-town goes crazy for the mention of their city.

Derek Hennison:
He stands six feet tall, and weighs in at two-hundred fifteen pounds. HE IS… THE ALTERNATIVE… THE NEXT VAN GOGH… THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT… HE IS THE TRAAAAAAAGIIIIIIIIC ARRRRRTIIIIIIISSSST… AAAADAAAAAAAAAAAAM PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!

Pugh stops abruptly at the top of the ramp, holding the Freestyle Title above his head before casually letting go with one hand and letting it slide down his other arm, onto his shoulder. The champ then makes a cutthroat motion, stopping the sexually suggestive lyrics of Mickey Avalon. He reveals a microphone, while Malhotra adjusts his focus on his opponent for the evening with great interest.

Adam Pugh:
GREETINGS, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS!

The fans erupt, causing The Tragic Artist to sport a wide smile on his face. Malhotra is a little less amused by the pandering to his opponent’s home city and waits early to hear just what Pugh has to say.

Adam Pugh:
Thanks for the lovely introduction, Derek.

World Pro Wrestling fans, and Chi-Town, lend me your ears. You see, when I first accepted this match to defend my WPW World Freestyle Championship on the biggest pay-per-view in company history, this was supposed to be a three-way dance between myself, Adam Pugh, the man you see in the ring right now, Rohan Malhotra, and the maniacal, unpredictable, and downright mentally imbalanced, Brick Rodgers.

When I was informed by Trent Eden that Brick couldn’t make the event tonight, he offered me a chance to back out of the match, since technically he was changing the defense of my title on less than 24 hours’ notice. He was giving me an out, a chance to say “no”, and legally, I was within my rights to refuse to compete tonight.

But that’s not what Chicago wanted to see. That’s not what Rohan Malhotra wanted to see. And it damn sure isn’t what Adam Pugh wanted to see!

The fans are cheering now, realizing Pugh is putting the belt on the line against a very dangerous opponent in a new setting than what he had trained for.

Adam Pugh:
When I set foot back in my home town, The Windy City of Chicago, I made a promise to these fans and the entire World Pro Wrestling fanbase that I would unveil my greatest masterpiece… That I would use brushstrokes of brilliance to create the perfect work of art, one that would dazzle and wow even the most vehement wrestling critic.

This match may have been scheduled as a three-way affair, Rohan, but you know that tonight has always been about unfinished business between you and me. This night has always been about Adam Pugh facing the toughest challenge in his career, live on pay-per-view in his hometown, in a rematch of one of the highest rated, most talked about, most exciting battles, not just in the history of Octane… not just in the history of World Pro Wrestling… but in the history of the sport itself.

These fans are deserving of a masterpiece, Rohan… let’s not deprive them of the greatest work of art their eyes have ever beholden.

Tonight’s original stipulation, a triple threat Iron Man match, has been changed to a normal Iron Man match… I understand the thought process, and I appreciate the attempt at preserving the original intent of the bout – to see the top Freestyle athletes battle for sixty hard-fought minutes and see who comes out on top.

I don’t fear competition, Rohan. I embrace it. And tonight, I have a challenge that I want to issue the challenger for my championship. A sixty-minute Iron Man match was great when Brick Rodgers was in the fray, but now… now it just seems a little too rudimentary for my tastes. The crowd craves more. The crowd needs more. Let’s leave no doubt in these people’s minds that they just witnessed something different, something special, a true masterpiece…

Let’s make this a sixty minute PURE RULES Iron Man match, Rohan!

Erupting with cheers, the Chicago crowd begins to chant, PURE RULES! PURE RULES! PURE RULES! Pugh nods, holding the microphone out for the fans to hear. Even Rohan Malhotra has a grin on his face as Adam brings the stick back in to say one last piece.

Adam Pugh:
You’ve been heralded as the best pure wrestler in the Freestyle division for the last several years… But I know in my heart of hearts, especially on a night like tonight, in my city of Chicago, there is now way you’ll outmaneuver The Artist.

Let’s prove who the better competitor is, Rohan. Plain and simple. Let’s show these fans what two true wrestling artists are all about, and ply our craft right on that canvas, leaving them a masterpiece that will be talked about for years to come.

Adam lowers his microphone, as a ring technician hands Rohan one of his own. Pugh waits anxiously for a response from The Minority Militant, who smiles as the fans are cheering, even chanting PLEASE SAY YES! PLEASE SAY YES! Malhotra brings the microphone to his mouth, and with one sentence, brings the crowd to its feet.

Rohan Malhotra:
This is our destiny… I ACCEPT.

With that, the fans in the arena are on their feet, and Adam Pugh walks the rest of the way to the ring. The referee looks at both men, nodding and understanding the agreed upon change in rules. Pugh walks up the stairs and steps inside the squared circle, jumping up to the middle rope and holding the WPW World Freestyle Title above his head, for perhaps the last time. He jumps down, with Malhotra keeping his eyes locked in on him, like a moving target. Adam passes the title to the referee, who shows it to Rohan. Malhotra is jumping from side to side in anticipation, throwing a few punches in the air, but he stops to look down at the belt, nodding and respecting just exactly what is at stake here. The official holds the championship up to the hard camera and all the fans, and then passes it off to the timekeeper. The bell is rung, and this match has officially begun!

Main Event:
Adam Pugh (c) vs. Rohan Malhotra
60 Minute Pure Rules Iron Man; WPW World Freestyle Championship

The two wrestlers stare at one another, and while they feel each other out in a cautious and tentative process, let’s run down the rules for a reminder of everybody watching at home. A pure wrestling match is the ultimate proving ground for scientific wrestlers. Each combatant will only have three rope breaks to use throughout the duration of this match – that’s just THREE rope breaks, regardless of how many times they are pinned or submitted. There is a twenty count for outside the ring, and the guidelines for what warrants a disqualification follow the same rules for typical matches, with one exception: Closed fists to the face or head of your opponent are illegal. Adopted from Pancrase fighting in Japan, one of the first successful hybrid mixed martial arts fighting styles and organizations, a closed fisted punch to the face is not permitted under pure rules. The first time will result in a warning, while each consecutive punch will result in the attacker being docked one rope break. Should the wrestler use a closed-fisted punch to the face while depleted of all his rope breaks, he will be disqualified and lose one fall to his opponent. For the rest of the match, standard Iron Man rules apply: the winner is the competitor with the most successful pins or submissions over his opponent at the end of the allotted time. It’s hard to say which competitor the match favors, as while it is technically Adam Pugh’s specialty, Rohan Malhotra has racked up the most victories in pure wrestling matches during the last few years out of just about any wrestler on the planet, and is known for his durability and endurance.

In the early going, it’s clear that the two wrestlers are taking their time, wanting to land the first effective shot. They slowly move toward the middle of the ring, the fans in a buzz that grows louder and louder as the two competitors inevitably lock it up, collar and elbow. Pugh has a height advantage, but the stocky Rohan pushes back. The two men are engaged in a standstill, until Rohan is able to successfully break Pugh’s grip and pull him into a side headlock. Adam uses a few forearms to the side and breaks Rohan’s grip now, grabbing his wrist and switching behind him with a hammerlock. Malhotra uses a pair of back elbows to the face to swiftly go behind with his own hammerlock, but Adam counters it as soon as it’s applied, using a snapmare to take Malhotra over. Pugh takes a step back and goes to unload a soccer-style kick between his opponent’s shoulderblades, but Rohan must’ve been watching tape, as he predicts the move by quickly spinning around and catching Pugh’s leg. He sets up for a dragon screw legwhip, but before he can get his base and the leverage needed to execute the move, Pugh attempts a shining enzuigiri, just for Rohan to duck under. He ties up Pugh’s legs, crossing them to latch on a submission hold, but as Rohan leans his weight on Pugh to apply a bow and arrow lock, Adam reaches back with his arm and hooks Rohan around the head, flipping him onto the mat with a headlock takeover and applying his own grounded hold. Malhotra is able to shift his body weight and roll Pugh into a cradle pin attempt, but Adam kicks out at two and winds up seated on the mat now, wrenching on the headlock. Rohan gets his weight underneath him and pulls both himself and his opponent off the mat. He fires some elbows into Pugh’s back before shoving him into the ropes. Rohan goes to deliver a yakuza kick, but Pugh wisely hooks onto the top rope, and with a cocky smirk, wags his finger right in Rohan’s face, telling him it’s not going to happen that easily. Pugh moves off the ropes as Rohan circles, and the two men roll their shoulders and move in for another lock up, but this time Rohan surprises Adam with a fierce kick to the leg. Chambers comments about exactly how much that hurts, and Slick Rick gets a crack in about how it must be especially painful for Chris in his condition. The leg kick was a key strategy employed by Rohan in his first encounter with Pugh, and he delivers another successful kick to the outside of Pugh’s leg, nearly taking him off his feet. Rohan drops down for a legsweep, but Pugh uses a standing backflip to avoid it, showing his incredible agility and reflexes. He gets back on his feet as Rohan returns to his. Malhotra goes for another kick, but this time Pugh blocks it by checking the kick, creating a loud shinbone-on-shinbone crack that reverberates throughout the United Center and draws a groan from the crowd. Malhotra is a bit surprised, but behind the shocked exterior, he’s got to be impressed with Adam’s adaptability. Malhotra goes for another kick, but this time Pugh catches it and sweeps Rohan’s other leg with his own, taking him down with a trip and grabbing both of his opponent’s legs, turning Rohan into an elevated Boston Crab… or given the competitor and locale, perhaps I should say Chicago Crab! Pugh places his knee in Rohan’s back, and really pulls back on his opponent’s legs, applying the submission and looking for a quick one to go one-and-zilch against the dangerous Minority Militant. Malhotra has other plans, though, and crawls out from underneath Pugh’s leg by using his hands to walk backwards. He then uses his impressive leg strength to twist his hips and flip Pugh onto the mat, finding an explosive counter.

Both combatants reach their feet again, with Pugh spinning to his after landing on the mat, and Rohan nipping up off the canvas. They each take a fighting stance and immediately lock it up again, collar and elbow. The challenger isolates one of The Artist’s arms with an arm wrench, but Pugh rolls through it on the mat and reverses into his own arm wringer. Pugh delivers a short knee to Rohan’s stomach and quickly goes behind him with the arm, hooking him into a hammerlock before falling backward, driving Rohan into the mat with a hammerlock DDT! Pugh nails one of the biggest offensive moves of the match thus far, and he rolls Rohan’s shoulders onto the canvas, hooking the leg… one… two… Malhotra shoots an arm off the mat, and I got a feeling it’ll take more than that to score a pin. Adam pulls Rohan into a seated position, and then runs off the ropes in front of him, returning with a lightning quick seated blockbuster, flipping forward and slamming the back of his opponent’s head into the canvas. Pugh makes another cover, but once again Malhotra kicks out before three. Adam pulls his opponent off the mat and drives forearms and elbows into his jaw in lieu of the ban on closed fists. Rohan responds fire with some vicious forearms of his own, mixing in chops as well, but Pugh regains the advantage with a roaring elbow that snaps Rohan’s head back. The champ whips Malhotra into the ropes and connects with a leg lariat on the return, sending Malhotra back down to the canvas. He stomps his face several times, and then drops down and applies a figure four necklock, clearly focusing on Malhotra’s neck and head. Rohan is able to roll onto his stomach to alleviate the pressure by pushing Pugh’s knees into the canvas. The Minority Militant pops his head out from between his opponent’s legs and keeps them crossed, leaning forward and putting all his pressure on Pugh’s knees. He reaches forward and grabs Pugh around the head with a crossface, still pushing against Adam’s legs and forcing pressure on his knees. Adam uses his hands to try to break free of Rohan’s grasp, slowly pushing the challenger’s hands up and over his head, now popping his skull out of a submission and wriggling free. Rohan realizes he’s losing control of the match and jumps on the back of the rising Pugh, but it winds up backfiring as Adam drops down, delivering a piggyback stunner and jarring Rohan’s jaw, sending the challenger’s head snapping back yet again and falling to the canvas. Pugh crawls to the cover, hooking the leg a little less deeply this time, scoring another two count before Malhotra kicks out. Pugh looks up at the referee, telling him to pick up the pace in his counts, before returning his attention to Rohan with a front facelock, grounding his opponent. Malhotra begins to fight off the canvas, but despite his will to survive, the fans are still behind the hometown favorite. Regardless, Rohan battles back to his feet and starts delivering some heavy right and left hands to Adam’s sides, all perfectly legal as long as none of the fists crack him in the face. After a barrage of blows, he flips Pugh onto his back with a Northern Lights Suplex! One… two… Adam bridges up and spins Rohan into a backslide, pinning his shoulders to the mat for another two count. Rohan rolls backwards and pops back to his feet. Adam goes for a back body drop, but Rohan jumps over for a sunset flip, just for Pugh to sit down on his shoulders with a rana pin attempt… one… two… Rohan hooks his legs around the champion’s arms and pulls him into the sunset flip position now… one… two… Adam knocks his feet together on either side of Rohan’s head, disorienting him and allowing Pugh to roll back. He delivers a kick to his dazed opponent’s face, sending Rohan onto his back and following it up with a spinning legdrop to the neck. Pugh hooks the leg, but scores just another two count. He repositions Rohan and runs to the ropes… Look, ma, no hands! Pugh springs off the ropes for a no-handed Lionsault, but Rohan gets both knees up into the champ’s midsection, causing Adam to roll off in agony upon the impact. He reaches his feet as Rohan does the same, and Malhotra grabs his doubled over opponent, whipping him into the ropes. Pugh rebounds, and Rohan hoists him into the air… ALARM CLOCK! No, Pugh saw it coming and blocks the move with both his arms, a risky counter that pays off, as he quickly snaps off a spinning wheel kick on the surprised Rohan, sending him back down to the canvas.

We’re over a quarter of the way through this Iron Man match, and neither competitor has been able to secure a fall, but neither man has used a rope break as well. Despite those two facts, this match is anything but conservative, as evidenced by a violent Pugh delivering a series of stomps on his downed opponent. He starts unleashing some nasty kicks as well, showing that Rohan isn’t the only one with skills in that regard, and the former soccer player uses every bit of technique as he whips his shinbone into Rohan’s skull. Malhotra blocks a couple of the blows, deflecting them with his forearms as he reaches his feet. Pugh goes for a big kick to the body, but Rohan catches it and spins around, using his leg to sweep Pugh’s, a tactic Adam used on him earlier in the match, but now in a much flashier fashion. Pugh is somewhat surprised as he sits on the canvas, but he has little time to react before Rohan blasts him in the face with a roundhouse. Pugh falls back, holding his face in pain, and Rohan returns the favor for all those stomps and kicks with a few of his own. This match has devolved into a kicking contest, a far cry from the technical mastery that pure rules normally designate. Malhotra tries to bring back that element by grabbing Pugh’s wrists and wrapping his legs around his arm, falling back with a jujigatame! Adam screams in pain but he has the wherewithal to counter by clasping his hands together and rolling toward Malhotra to avoid getting his arm hyperextended. He forces Malhotra’s shoulders onto the mat… one… two… Rohan twists his hips and changes to an omoplata! But Pugh finds a counter by rolling forward, showing another thing or two he’s learned since their first encounter. Adam grabs Rohan’s foot while he’s still lying on his back, but Rohan uses his free leg to deliver a nasty upkick that catches the champion off guard, and he falls right into a triangle choke! Rohan grabs Pugh’s wrist now and tucks it underneath his own arm, applying a triangle armbar! Adam is in excruciating pain, feeling every blocked kick and arm wrench in the match thus far, while simultaneously being choked out… Is he going to risk injury here? His free hand lingers over the mat… He’s thinking about tapping! He’s going to tap! Adam Pugh quickly brings his hand down and… grabs the rope. He just used a rope break!

Rope Breaks Expended:
Adam Pugh:1
Rohan Malhotra: 0

The crowd is surprised, even a little upset that the hometown hero had to use a break, but they weren’t getting their arm wrenched and choked out by the Minority Militant. The referee asks Rohan to give Pugh some space, and he complies, allowing Adam to catch his breath and heal his arm. The ref asks Pugh to get to his feet, and the champion slowly rises back to a vertical base. The two men are back in the middle of the ring, and the referee brings his hand down between them, yelling FIGHT! The fans respond by cheering for their hometown hero, but there is a noticeable number who are chanting for Rohan as well. Malhotra delivers some kicks to Pugh’s legs, but he does a decent job checking and blocking some of them. Malhotra goes high with a roundhouse kick, and Pugh blocks it with his arm, which proves to be a mistake, as he grabs his arm in pain. Malhotra jumps on the opportunity, sensing blood in the water like a piranha, and unleashes five rapid-fire kicks to Pugh’s chest, backing him into the ropes. Malhotra goes low with a kick, then delivers one to the body. He switches it back to another low kick, then a second to the midsection. Rohan spins around to deliver a back roundhouse to complete Rohan’s Rush, but Pugh manages to duck under and grabs the dizzied Rohan, jumping into the air and spiking him with the Shining Facebreaker! Malhotra’s head snaps back again, and Pugh falls into the ropes, falling down to the mat and unable to capitalize after absorbing so many kicks. The fans cheer both men on now, admiring their fighting spirit. Pugh crawls out of the ring with some help from the ropes, lying on the apron and wincing in agony. Meanwhile, Rohan shakes his head while lying on his back in the ring, still recovering from The Artist’s offense. Malhotra rises to his feet, with Pugh using the ropes while on the apron to do the same. Rohan runs toward Pugh, who sticks his shoulder through the ropes to catch Rohan, but the move backfires as Malhotra evades it and blasts Pugh with a nasty kick to the head. Adam remains suspended on the middle rope as Rohan unloads with four rapid-fire kicks to the face, stunning Pugh and leaving him to dry. The referee asks Rohan to back up a few paces to give Pugh time to recover. The referee informs Pugh that he must fight or use a rope break, and Adam appears rather dazed as he struggles to hold himself up on the apron. Rohan seizes the opportunity by springing off the adjacent ropes and twisting through the air with a springboard dropkick, but Pugh manages to duck out of the way at the last second, and Rohan winds up crashing and burning inside the ring. Pugh wearily points to his brain, as if to signal that he outsmarted Rohan, but he goes back to holding his bad arm and shaking his head in pain. Rohan is on all fours, rising to his feet again in the ring, but Pugh slingshots up and over the top rope and snatches Rohan’s head on the way down… SUICIDE DDT! He spikes Rohan’s head inside the ring and rolls him away from the ropes, hooking the leg… one… two… NO! Pugh holds his head with both hands, looking at the official in disbelief. He drags Rohan back to his feet and peppers him with open-hand palm strikes and slaps. The champion runs to the ropes and rebounds with a ton of speed, but his attempt at the CKS gets countered by Rohan with a twisting gamengiri! All that momentum works against him when he runs into Rohan’s kick! Malhotra crawls on top of the champion, mustering up the strength to hook both legs, but Pugh kicks out just before three, showing the resiliency that’s made him the champion he is.

Malhotra uses the ropes to reach his feet now, stalking the downed Pugh, who rises to a knee. He blasts Adam in the chest with a kick, and that was the wake-up call Pugh needed, as he shakes the kick off and starts to get up to his feet. Rohan rocks the champ again with a kick to the head, sending Pugh back into the corner. Malhotra keeps Pugh in his sights and rolls forward, blasting him in the head with a kappou kick! Rohan gets back to his feet, while Pugh holds onto the ropes in the corner just to stand. Malhotra hoists the champion to the top turnbuckle, placing him up there and slowly climbing the ropes in preparation of a high-risk move. He hooks Pugh’s arm and neck and climbs up to the top rope for a superplex, but Adam comes back to life with punches to the body. He fights out of the suplex position with a trio of headbutts, and both men balance themselves precariously on the top rope now…Pugh rocks Rohan with a big elbow! He jumps into the air… SUPER FRANKENSTEINER TO THE OUTSIDE! HOLY SHIT! Pugh flips Rohan all the way to the arena floor, sending him crashing onto his back and neck, while Adam lands on the hard apron on his stomach! The fans get to their feet in absolute shock, and chants of “HOLY SHIT!” echo in the arena. The fans can’t believe what they’ve witnessed now, with both of the competitors looking like the move took a lot out of them. Malhotra remains prone on the ringside floor and Pugh on the apron as the referee counts both of the men out. He reaches the count of seven before Pugh is able to roll inside the ring and then back onto the apron to break the count. He uses the ropes to slowly get to his feet, and the referee is at ten by the time Malhotra really begins to stir and uses the announcer’s table to get up, a look of agonizing pain on his face. He turns around and moves toward the ring… but Adam Pugh flies off the apron and blasts Rohan in the face with a flying Chicago Knee Strike! Holy shit! Malhotra collapses to the floor! Pugh grabs his leg and scoots toward the ring. He grabs the apron and climbs up, getting on the apron and rolling back inside, lying on the canvas. Rohan is still out cold on the floor as the referee is counting him out, and Pugh looks like he’s content with letting his opponent get disqualified and winning a fall. The fans begin to boo, but their jeers change to cheers when Rohan rolls slowly toward the ring. Malhotra’s fingertips are on the apron and he pulls himself up at the count of fifteen, slowly sliding inside… until Adam Pugh blasts him in the face with both boots, courtesy of a baseball slide dropkick that sends Rohan back down onto the floor. Pugh uses the ropes to get back to his feet now and stands on the apron, facing away from Malhotra, who groggily reaches his feet as well. Adam slingshots off the top rope… SUPER ASAI MOONSAULT! No! Rohan moves out of the way! Adam crashes and burns now, and Malhotra takes the time to recover, nearly collapsing to a knee in the process from the exhaustion caused by this match. Chris Chambers admits that he is impressed with the fighting spirit of both men, while Rick Avalio rubs it in by saying he bets he wishes he were in there, fighting for the belt. Just as Chambers goes to rebut, Rohan slams Adam’s face off the announcer’s table. Malhotra grabs Pugh and whips him into the steel guardrail, charging in right after with a big shoulder thrust that crushes the champion’s ribs into the metal. Rohan backs Pugh up a couple steps and shoves him into the barricade a second time. He looks to duplicate it for a third time, but Pugh proves the third time isn’t always the charm by hooking his leg behind Rohan’s and falling back, delivering a Legsweep DDT into the steel! Malhotra collapses on the floor, and Pugh realizes the referee’s count has reached twelve. He crawls toward the ring now, rolling inside to break the count for himself. The referee continues to count Rohan out, and the fans begin to boo, not wanting to see a fall decided this way. A remorseful Pugh rolls back out of the ring and approaches Rohan, whose groggy expression on his face is now masked with blood from the DDT into the steel. Pugh puts a well-placed kick right into the wound and drags Malhotra back toward the ring, rolling him inside. Adam ascends the turnbuckles, heading up to the top rope for a high-risk move. Malhotra still lies on the mat in pain, and Pugh leaps off the top… FLYING KNEE DROP TO THE SKULL! He crushes Rohan’s blood-soaked head against the canvas, crawling on top of him and hooking the leg… one… two… thr-NOOO! How the hell did Malhotra kick out?!

Pugh can’t believe it, but he has to accept it. He begrudgingly pulls Rohan off the canvas again, his blood dripping onto the mat and staining it. Adam lights him up with open-handed slaps and strikes to the face, causing blood to spatter all over the place. Pugh even smears his opponent’s blood into his face and eyes, eliciting some boos from his hometown crowd. Adam doubles Rohan over with a kick to the stomach and butterflies his arms. He flips Malhotra over with a double arm suplex, rolling onto his side and pulling him back up… He connects with a second chained, locomotion style butterfly suplex, but Pugh isn’t done yet… He manages to lift Rohan for a third time, blood splatter staining the mat the whole time. He hoists Rohan into the air one more time, but this time lifts him high above and drops his back across his knee! CASE-BREAKER! Malhotra groans with agony as his back arches and he writhes in pain on the mat. Pugh forces his shoulders onto the canvas and hooks both legs… one… two… NO! The frustration is evident on Adam’s face, but he grabs Rohan by his bloodied skull and drags him back up to his feet. Pugh starts unloading slaps and chops again, but Rohan returns fire with punches to the body and some heavy chops of his own. Adam fires back with chops, and unloads a huge right hand to the head, getting a warning from the referee. Pugh could care less, doing it in the heat of the moment, and following the punch with a flurry of forearms, covering his own arm with his opponent’s blood. Pugh runs across the ring and rebounds for the Chicago Knee Strike, but Rohan grabs the top rope and drops down, and Adam winds up flipping up and over the top rope and crashing on the floor! Malhotra groggily walks across the ring, wiping the blood from his face and clearly having issues with his vision. Regardless, he glares toward a rising Pugh with mal intent and rebounds off the ropes, running the length of the ring and darting through the ropes, connecting with a suicide dive that sends Pugh’s back into the steel guardrail, and both men collapsing onto the floor yet again. We’re over halfway through the time limit in the Iron Man match, and neither man has been able to score the pinfall, but not for a lack of trying. Rohan is losing valuable blood and time as he struggles to stand. Pugh holds his back and crawls toward the ring, but Rohan stomps the back of his head, driving his face into the floor. He pulls Pugh to his feet now and slides him inside the ring. Rohan grabs Pugh and positions him face-up on the mat, grabbing his arm and head to set up the Sun Setter, but Pugh frees his arm and uses his leg to deliver an upward kick that blasts Malhotra in the face and causes more blood to fly. Pugh rolls back and wraps his legs around Rohan’s neck, twisting into a headscissors takeover, sending him into the canvas. Pugh returns to his feet and pulls Rohan up to his. He stuns him with a spinning back elbow and stuffs his opponent’s head between his legs for a powerbomb, but instead hoists him onto his shoulders… It’s the Garden City Driver! No, Malhotra uses every ounce of energy left to counter by hooking his legs around Pugh’s arms and flipping forward with a sunset bomb! A woozy Malhotra can’t even make the pin, but that doesn’t stop him from crawling toward the ropes and lifting himself up. The fans are cheering the Minority Militant on as he walks toward the corner, stepping onto the apron and nearly falling off while doing so, but he grasps the rope to hang on and begins to ascend the turnbuckles. Rohan reaches the top rope, but a wily Pugh is able to get to his feet and cut him off, crotching Rohan on the top rope, and immediately seizing the advantage by grabbing him around the head and leaping up… TOP-ROPE SHINING FACEBREAKER! Malhotra’s bloodied skull bounces off Pugh’s knee, and the Minority Militant crashes to the canvas, ripe for Pugh’s picking. Adam rolls him onto his shoulders and hooks the leg, and the pinfall is academic… Or it would be if Rohan hadn’t gotten his foot on the lower rope!

Rope Breaks Expended:
Adam Pugh: 1
Rohan Malhotra: 1

Despite suffering blood loss and incredible pain, and barely being conscious, Rohan manages to use a rope break to prevent dropping a fall to Pugh. The referee asks Pugh to back off now, and Adam grants Rohan the same favor he granted him earlier, allowing him some breathing room. Malhotra is able to get to a knee, still clearly dazed after the super single-knee facebreaker. The referee checks Rohan’s vision, but Pugh suddenly blindsides Rohan with the Shining Magic! The crowd is taken aback by the cheap shot, but Adam jumps right on Rohan with stomps. The referee tries to stop him, but he’s not technically breaking any rules. Pugh drags Rohan away from the ropes and grabs his legs, stepping forward and wrapping his own legs around Rohan’s head before twisting and locking on the Damascus! Pugh torques on Rohan now, trying to force him to submit, with blood oozing out of the Minority Militant’s head. Rohan resists the move, but he’s in unimaginable pain as he scrambles to find some way to escape. Pugh has the hold on deep, and Malhotra has no choice but to grab the lowest rope yet again…

Rope Breaks Exhausted:
Adam Pugh: 1
Rohan Malhotra: 2

Time is winding down, and the referee this time puts himself between Pugh and Rohan, asking Malhotra if he wants to continue. Rohan pushes the referee out of the way, and winds up getting kicked in the face by Pugh. Adam grabs Rohan and snaps him over with a suplex. He swivels his hips and brings Malhotra back up to his feet, this time lifting him for a second suplex, but instead driving him forward, delivering a knee strike to the head on the way down that sends even more blood flying in every direction. Pugh hoists Rohan up for a third time, and then falls back while slapping Rohan’s face into the mat with the Snap Back! Rohan lies limp on the canvas, and Pugh rolls him over yet again, hooking the leg… one… two… so close! The champion grabs Rohan’s head and neck and pulls him into a dragon sleeper! Pugh wrenches back on the hold, with blood slowly running down his arms and Rohan’s neck and chest. Adam lifts Rohan back up to his feet and lifts him into the air for an inverted brainbuster, but Rohan slips out and lands behind Pugh, pulling him into his own dragon sleeper! The fans cheer on the action as Rohan tightens his grip, trying to submit the champion and win the Freestyle Title! Pugh fights the hold off with an awkward-angled closed fist to the head, with the referee again warning him not to use them. It was enough to stun Rohan, and Pugh swiftly spins around and delivers an inverted atomic drop to break Rohan’s grasp. The champ pulls Malhotra in and knees him in the skull several times before hooking him in preparation for a suplex… No, he’s going for a brainbuster! He’s going to drop Rohan right on his battered and bloodied head! Pugh pulls Rohan up and lifts him into the air, but Malhotra finds a way to counter with knee strikes to Adam’s head while being suspended upside-down! After eating three or four of those, Pugh drops Rohan in front of him, and the challenger delivers a snapping Japanese armdrag that flips The Artist onto his back yet again. Rohan floats over with a pin attempt, but as Pugh kicks out to escape defeat, he gives up his arm, and Rohan snatches it and latches on a desperate kimura lock! Malhotra is trying to jerk Pugh’s arm out of the socket or tear a tendon, and the grimace on Adam’s face shows how much excruciating pain he’s in. The referee is right there, asking Adam if he wants to give it up. He glances at the clock, realizing there’s less than ten minutes remaining in the time limit and to give up a fall now would be downright disastrous. Pugh is able to roll Rohan over and hook him into an inside cradle, and Malhotra has to give up the kimura to escape at two. Adam gets to his feet and swings wildly with a haymaker, a move that would probably warrant a disqualification if it landed, but fortunately it didn’t… however, unfortunately for the champion, that’s because Rohan grabs his arm and drags him into a Fujiwara Armbar! Malhotra focuses on Pugh’s arm now, pulling as hard as he can, but again Pugh glances at the clock and knows how bad a position he’d be in if he were to tap… He crawls toward the ropes now, clawing each inch of the way and finally grabbing the lowest rope and getting a break.

Rope Breaks Expended:
Adam Pugh: 2
Rohan Malhotra: 2

Pugh is nursing that arm now, and the referee wants a clean break for a minute to check on the possible injury, but Rohan returns Pugh’s cheap tactics from earlier by attacking the sore arm with fast and fierce kicks. Adam rolls toward the ropes and tries to get out of the ring, but Rohan grabs his boot and starts dragging him back inside. Pugh responds by kicking Rohan in the body with his free leg and scurrying outside. Rohan slides out behind him and follows, but Adam darts around the ring and slides inside on the other side. Rohan is right behind him and slides in, but Pugh blasts him in his blood-soaked skull with a vicious soccer-style kick, stopping the challenger dead in his tracks. Rohan lies on the mat, struggling to gain his bearings, and Pugh grabs his arms, attempting to lock on the Chicago Fire. Rohan fights it, managing to free one arm and get back to a vertical base. Malhotra swings back around for a clothesline, but Pugh ducks under and drops him right on his dome with a head and arm suplex. A dazed Malhotra winds up sitting on the mat, more from the momentum and impact of the move than his own ability, and he groggily attempts to stand, dropping to a knee instead, and Pugh capitalizes with another Shining Magic! He blasts Malhotra in the face and makes the pin… one… two… WHAT? Rohan kicks out! Pugh is visibly flustered and pulls Rohan back up, hooking him and crossing his legs, hoisting him into the air and drilling Malhotra with the Cross-Shock! Pugh wastes no time in grabbing Malhotra’s arms and shoving him onto his face. Rohan does his best to fight it, but he just doesn’t have the strength in him anymore after the blood and sweat he’s lost. Pugh flips forward and applies the Chicago Fire! The fans are rather mixed right now, about half of them chanting “TAP! TAP TAP!” and the other half cheering “ROHAN! ROHAN! ROHAN!” The Minority Militant is beaten down after this match up. How much more can he possibly take? The clock is ticking down, but Malhotra is a long way from the ropes to use his final break. He struggles to survive in the middle of the ring as Pugh bridges with all his might, screaming as loud as he can for Rohan to tap out. Malhotra refuses to submit, but he’s slowly losing consciousness from the pain and the loss of blood. The official is right in Rohan’s face, checking if he wants to give it all up here… The clock is slowly ticking down… thirty seconds… twenty-five seconds… twenty seconds… Malhotra’s eyes are growing weary; his resistance is growing less and less noticeable. Pugh is getting more tired by the minute as well, however; how much longer can he keep applying this pressure?

Ten… nine… eight…

Rohan is not fighting the hold anymore. The referee is checking to see if he’s still conscious.

Seven… six… five…

Pugh’s face is drained, as are his arms, and his legs are noticeably wobbly.

Four… three… two…

Who’s going to break first?

One…

The time limit has expired!

Result: Time Limit Draw

The fans are cheering as Pugh finally collapses, and Rohan lies on the mat, a pool of blood around his head. The entire crowd is on its feet, applauding and whistling the efforts of both men. After a moment passes, Pugh is the first man to get to his feet. The official looks a bit perplexed at what to do, but Adam doesn’t wait for the referee. He rolls out of the ring and grabs his World Freestyle Championship and hobbles toward the ramp. He tries lifting the belt onto his shoulder, but he can’t muster the strength on his arms, after the damage done and applying the hold for so long. Instead, he barely clings onto the belt strap with one hand, almost dragging it along, until he notices this and tries to lift the belt on his arms, not wanting to tarnish it. Pugh begins to walk up the apron with a sense of relief that he didn’t lost his title, but he stops right away when he comes face to face with Trent Eden, who walks out applauding the epic encounter. Pugh has a bit of an uneasy smile on his face upon seeing the WPW founder, but that changes drastically when Eden begins to speak.

Trent Eden:
What I just witnessed was sixty minutes of the greatest wrestling I have ever seen.

You two should be damn proud of what just happened inside those ropes…

The fans agree, cheering and applauding, but there is also a smattering of people booing and even chanting “FIVE MORE MINUTES!”

Trent Eden:
However, after what happened in your last match up, these fans don’t just deserve one of the greatest wrestling matches of all time… They deserve a conclusion; they deserve a clear winner; they deserve to see this match end with one man getting his hand raised!

Pugh is beside himself, but everybody else in the building is pleased, including a now-awakened Rohan Malhotra, who grits his teeth and nods slightly. Adam drops his title from the announcement.

Trent Eden:
We MUST have a winner tonight… and the only way to ensure that… is with SUDDEN DEATH!

The champ picks up his belt and holds it in his arms, practically coddling it as he gazes up at the iTron and sees the bloodied face of his opponent. Pugh looks like he doesn’t want to go back at first, but the reluctance disappears rather quickly as he walks to the ring and sets the title down on the way, sliding inside. Rohan doesn’t even have time to fully reach his feet before Pugh starts kicking and stomping away, and the bell is sounded!

Adam Pugh (c) vs. Rohan Malhotra
60 Minute Pure Rules Iron Man; WPW World Freestyle Championship
Sudden Death

It’s overtime, folks! Pugh is blasting away with kicks and stomps, but Rohan is fighting to get to his feet, just so Pugh can smack him down again. Adam whips Rohan into the corner and charges in with a nasty yakuza kick, scraping his boot across his adversary’s previously lacerated face. He whips Rohan across the ring the other way and charges in… BIG DROPKICK! Both boots smack against Rohan’s skull, sending the challenger down to a slumping position in the corner. Pugh begins scraping his boot against Rohan’s face now, until the referee steps in, demanding he stop or risk disqualification, which in this case would give Rohan the Freestyle Title. Pugh backs off and walks across the ring to the other corner… before barreling back toward Rohan and delivering a hangtime dropkick to the Minority Militant! Malhotra is still in the lower corner, but Pugh drags him out and hooks the leg… one… two… NO! Malhotra gets the shoulder up in the nick of time! Pugh lifts Rohan back to his feet, holding his head in preparation for the Shining Facebreaker, but out of nowhere, Malhotra grabs Pugh’s arm and jumps in the air – FLYING ARMBAR! He traps Pugh’s arm and pulls it back all the way! Adam screams out in agony and quickly scoots toward the ropes, getting his foot on the lower one to break the hold.

Rope Breaks Expended:
Adam Pugh: 3
Rohan Malhotra: 2

Malhotra stays on Pugh now, unleashing more kicks and stomps. He pulls the champion to his feet and delivers machinegun-style chops, backing Adam into the corner and then blasting him with kicks to the chest as the crowd begins to count along, showing just how far the tide has turned… one… two… three… four… five… six… seven… eight… nine… and Rohan caps it off with a stepladder shining wizard! A dazed Pugh stumbles out of the corner, and Rohan runs to the ropes, springing off and twisting through the air… GAMENFURY! He blasts Pugh in the face and hooks the leg! ONE… TWO… THR-NOOOOO! Adam Pugh kicks out! Even through the crimson mask, Rohan’s disappointment is evident as he thought he had the bout won. He goes to pull Pugh back to his feet, but Adam stuns him with a jawbreaker. Pugh pulls Rohan in now and hoists him into the air, hooking him into the Gory Special before hooking his head and snapping back – GARDEN CITY DRIVER! He drives Malhotra’s face into the mat, leaving a bloodstain on the canvas! The Artist pushes the challenger onto his back and hooks the near leg… one… two… thre-ROHAN GETS HIS FOOT ON THE ROPE!

Rope Breaks Expended:
Adam Pugh: 3
Rohan Malhotra: 3

All the rope breaks have been exhausted! Pugh pulls Malhotra back to the middle of the ring anyway, and with a grimace he plans to put an end to this match. He tries to whip Rohan into the ropes, but Malhotra takes advantage of his opponent’s jellied arms and whips him into them instead. Before Pugh can react, Rohan grabs him and lifts him into the air, before bringing him down into a violent kick to the jaw! ALARM CLOCK! Pugh gets his wake up call and crashes to the mat, and Malhotra rolls him onto his back… HE’S GOING TO END IT ALL HERE! Malhotra steps onto the apron and climbs the ropes, one by one, ascending to the top turnbuckle. Pugh is immobile, still lying flat on the mat… Rohan raises one arm very quickly and flips off… CHE VIVA LA REVOLUCION! NO! Pugh rolls out of the way just in the nick of time! The force of landing on the mat causes Malhotra to lose balance for a second, but he recovers and stalks the rising Pugh. Rohan whips the champ into the ropes again and goes for a roundhouse kick, but Pugh ducks under and picks up momentum, rebounding and blasting Malhotra in the face! CKS! CKS! HE NAILS IT! Adam falls to the mat as well, and he slowly rolls on top of Rohan, draping an arm on his lifeless body. The ref counts: ONE… TWO… THRE—I DON’T BELIEVE IT! ROHAN MALHOTRA KICKS OUT OF THE CHICAGO KNEE STRIKE! WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?

Adam Pugh is wondering the same thing, as he glances up at the referee in utter incredulity. Pugh gets on all fours before lifting himself off the mat, pulling his hair and shaking his head in disbelief now, pacing the ring around the fallen Rohan. Malhotra comes two and struggles to reach his feet again. Drenched in blood and sweat, the fans are surprisingly turning in his favor, and the chants of “ROHAN! ROHAN! ROHAN!” echo throughout the venue in Adam Pugh’s own hometown. Pugh cups his ears for just a second, not wanting to hear the fans cheering for his opponent, or perhaps disoriented by the hour-plus long match against his toughest opponent. Pugh screams something, but it’s inaudible due to the deafening chants. Rohan has reached his feet, and he moves forward, but Adam has other plans as he charges across the ring and blasts Rohan in the face again! ANOTHER CKS! Pugh isn’t satisfied, despite blood smearing his tights and the ring. He rolls Malhotra onto his face and grabs both arms in a double chickenwing. Pugh flips forward and latches on the Chicago Fire! The crowd is really split now, but more have become sympathetic to Rohan, or perhaps even inspired by his true warrior spirit. Both men are out of rope breaks… If Rohan is going to escape this hold, he’ll have to break it himself! He struggles, managing to get some of his weight underneath him with one knee, but Pugh bridges back even farther, and the screams of Malhotra spur the crowd to increase the volume on their chants of “ROHAN! ROHAN! ROHAN!” Adam’s fanbase fires back, with “TAP! TAP! TAP!” and “PUGH! PUGH! PUGH!” Rohan is dripping blood and sweat, but he’s not throwing in the towel yet… He struggles to get up, getting both knees under him, but Adam rolls back behind Rohan and drags him back to his feet… TIGER SUPLEX! He drops Malhotra right on his blood-soaked head one more time! Malhotra’s face gets forced into the canvas, and Pugh flips forward yet again with the Chicago Fire! The Freestyle Champion keeps the hold locked in tight, and Rohan is slowly becoming less and less resistant, his struggle to escape becoming less impassioned… He’s fading away, and Pugh struggles to keep up the pressure. The referee checks Rohan’s arms, both of which are trapped in Pugh’s clutches, and they have gone limp. He asks Rohan if he wants to submit, but he hears nothing but silence from The Minority Militant. The official tells Rohan to say something… anything… if he wants this match to continue… and there is no answer.

Winner and STILL WPW World Freestyle Champion: Adam Pugh

As soon as Hennison announces the result, Pugh’s arms give in, his legs buckle, and he collapses to the mat, completely drained from this battle. The referee is handed the WPW Freestyle Championship to present to Pugh, as confetti falls from the ceiling for the reigning champion. The fans can’t help but cheer the man, who has slowly arisen to his feet… and snatches the title away from the ref! Pugh then puts the belt around his waist and demands the referee fasten it. The official obliges, with Pugh gazing down at Rohan, who is still lying on the canvas with his face down, surrounded by blood and sweat. Adam gets the title put on his waist and gazes up to the ceiling for a moment, closing his eyes and soaking it in. He finally lets the referee raise his hand, with most of the crowd cheering on their hometown favorite. Pugh may have won the war tonight, but it damn sure took a hell of a lot out of him to do so. Chris Chambers’ words on commentary ring true: “They say adversity introduces a man to himself; I think we just saw a glimpse at the true Adam Pugh tonight, and love him or hate him, he is the undisputed WPW World Freestyle Champion.”

 

[Dean]

Sean Walker has been trapped inside a cage on numerous occasions, usually all alone, but tonight he’ll have allies, and tonight he’ll have a higher purpose. While he may be combating his never-ending personal demons, Walker has vowed to rid WPW of the toxic Winner’s Circle, and to do that he and his army must step inside the War Games cage and face the demons head on.

Before the main event of the evening, the road to War Games is highlighted in a pair of music videos. The first focuses on The Winner’s Circle, and is set to “Almost Famous” by Eminem. The introduction of The Winner’s Circle to WPW, and the subsequent destruction and domination displayed by the group are set to the cold song.

You dream of trading places
I have been changing faces
You cannot fill these shoes
There is too much to lose

Wake up behind these trenches
You run around defenseless
There is too much to lose
You cannot fill these shoes​

Clips of Komodo’s World Heavyweight Title victory, Lance Van Leer’s destruction of Johnny Reed, and Damon Black and Daniel Shine’s beatdowns on various members of the roster alongside their Winner’s Circle teammates are shown, with the video closing in on a shot of the four men, wearing suits and standing in front of several spotlights, the camera angle adjusted so it appears as though they are looking down on us, both figuratively and literally…

We transition into a video of the team that opposes The Winner’s Circle tonight, the foursome of Sean “Thunder” Walker, “The Hot Commodity” Adam Hurst, “The Black Snake” Blake Straker, and “The Psychotic Superstar” Chris Fallon. The night Sean Walker debuted in World Pro Wrestling, the turning point in this rivalry between the two groups, is shown prominently in the video piece.

We are the long forgotten sons
And daughters that don’t belong to anyone
We are alone under this sun
We work to fix the work that you’ve undone
What you’ve undone…​

Shots of the four-man team rising against the Winner’s Circle, uniting together, and struggling to stop the hated group are now displayed throughout the video as the song nears its ending. We close on a shot of both teams brawling, with a graphic of the War Games superimposed over the top of the eight wrestlers.

We’re back in the United Center now, and Derek Hennison stands at ringside near the time keeper’s table, microphone in hand as he announces the main event…

Derek Hennison:
Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is your World Pro Wrestling Ode to the Immortals main event of the evening!

The fans erupt with cheers as Hennison speaks again.

Derek Hennison:
This is War Games!

On cue, the cameras pan upward to the 20-foot tall cage that will encompass the ring and enclose the action. Lights shine on the steel structure as it lowers, the cheering growing louder and louder until it finally touches the ringside floor. The cage is as large as Hell in a Cell, and just as tall, but unlike that infamous style, the ceiling is not attached to the walls of this structure. Two wrestlers will start the match and fight it out for five minutes, after which the second wrestler from Team Winner’s Circle will enter the cage. For two minutes, Winner’s Circle will have and advantage, until a second member of the opposing team will enter the War Games. One by one, all eight men will enter the cage, and after all the combatants are inside the War Games cell, the ceiling will lower, hanging from which are several weapons to use in this barbaric bloodbath. After the ceiling lowers, the first team to score a pinfall or submission will leave Chicago with the victory.

As the cage rests on the floor, the lights remain dimmed and the spotlights shift to the stage. The fans wait anxiously to see who the first member of Team Winner’s Circle will be…and they explode with boos as the sound of “Gods of War” by Def Leppard plays on the sound system.

Derek Hennison:
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the first member of Team Winner’s Circle. He hails from Columbus, Ohio, standing six feet, one inch tall, and weighing in at two-hundred thirty-four and three-quarter pounds… He is the former World Champion… “GOOOOOD’S FIIIIIINEEEEEESSST GRAAAAPPLEEEEERRR” DAAAAANIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLL SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!

Dan walks out wearing a camouflage singlet, truly in the mood for war as he marches to the ring with a look of intense focus on his face. He enters the open cage door and walks up the ring steps, getting inside the ring and pacing, cracking his knuckles and nodding along as the fans boo and jeer… but the sound of a heavy guitar and sirens, followed by the screaming of Otep in their song ”Battle Ready” puts the crowd in a much better mood.

Derek Hennison:
Hailing from Orlando, Florida, he stands six feet, three inches tall, and weighs in at two-hundred thirty-eight pounds… He is THE VIRTUOSO OF VULGARITY… THE PSYCHOTIC SUPERSTAR… THE LUNATIC FRINGE… CHRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS FAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOONN!

Chris practically RUNS to the cage, going inside as an official on the outside shuts and locks the door. For five minutes, these two men who despise each other will be trapped inside the War Games cage… The official calls for the bell as Fallon steps through the ropes.

Main Event:
The Winner's Circle (Komodo (c), Daniel Shine, Damon Black, & Lance Van Leer) vs. Sean Walker, Blake Straker, Adam Hurst, & Chris Fallon
War Games

Shine immediately rushes Chris with a barrage of fists and elbows. Fallon takes a lot of them while stepping inside the ring, and Dan doesn’t hold back, even gouging Chris’ eyes in the corner, taking full advantage of the no disqualification environment. Shine whips Fallon into the ropes and levels him with a clothesline, proceeding to yell at the booing crowd afterward, much to their chagrin. Shine takes advantage of Chris’ ruthlessness by catching him off guard early. He puts the boots to Fallon, who tries to get to his feet, but Shine floats around and jumps on Chris’ back with a sleeper hold. Fallon is on a knee, but he feeds off the energy of this anti-Winner’s Circle crowd by rising to his feet and backing up quickly, slamming Shine’s spine into the turnbuckle pads. He spins around and starts unloading with fists of fury, blasting Shine with heavy hands. Dan covers up and is able to slip out of the corner, nearly running away from the flurry. Fallon chases after Shine and boots him in the stomach, whipping him hard into one of the turnbuckles. Chris charges in with a full head of steam, delivering a charging back elbow in the corner that dazes the Winner’s Circle’s first entrant. Chris follows up with a snap suplex, showing his own technical side before floating over and dropping some more punches on Shine. God’s Finest Grappler gets pulled back to his feet by Fallon, who uncorks a crisp knife-edge chop that echoes throughout the United Center and gets a big pop from the fans. Shine responds with another eye poke, stunning Fallon and then dropping him with a European Uppercut. Dan takes a breather, rubbing his chest and holding his head in pain after the assault unleashed by the Lunatic Fringe. Shine grabs Fallon’s leg and looks to apply a submission, but Chris kicks him in the face with his free boot several times. Dan winds up grabbing both his opponent’s legs and spreading them, stomping Fallon right between them in the groin. The fans are already sick of Shine’s cheap tactics, but he parades around the ring before motioning for Chris to get back to his feet. Fallon holds his… nether regions in pain as he struggles to reach his feet, and Dan grabs him from behind for a German Shineplex! No, Chris counters with a mule kick between the legs. Payback is a bitch! Dan doubles over in pain now, with both men getting kicked in the nuts just minutes into this battle. Fallon grabs Shine’s head in hopes for a snap DDT, but Dan counters with a release Northern Lights Shineplex, throwing Fallon to the canvas. Dan tries to walk off the physicality that has been unleashed in just the opening minutes of the match. Fallon gets to a knee to reach his feet, but Dan kicks him and pulls him into a bearhug, trying to throw Fallon overhead with a belly-to-belly Shineplex, but Chris blocks the move and delivers a headbutt. Shine responds with a headbutt of his own, and before you know it, these two are teeing off, going skull to skull! The fans can’t help but watch this pissing context, like a freaking train wreck as after about a dozen blows, both Fallon and Shine break their grip and stumble in the ring, dazed from the head-on-head collisions. Shine stumbles back toward Fallon and delivers a knife-edge chop across the chest. Chris stumbles for a second, nearly losing his balance, but he bounces off the ropes and connects with a wild clothesline that drops Shine to the canvas.

Fallon shakes his head, trying to recover from the exchange of headbutts as he grabs Shine’s leg and places his own head underneath it… He’s got Shine in a stretch muffler! Fallon is trying to make Dan tap out here, but Shine is able to swing his other leg over and trap Fallon’s arm in an omoplata… You know what’s coming next! He hooks his hands around Fallon’s face and pulls back with the Dream Killer! Shine pulls back as hard as he can, but even if Fallon were to tap here, it would have no bearing on the match. Dan just wants to inflict punishment, as we’re about three minutes into War Games, and he could keep this hold on for a very long time. Fallon realizes he’s got to escape soon or the wear and tear will put his team at a distinct disadvantage. He tries breaking Shine’s grip with his free hand, but Dan has it locked on tight. Fallon does the only thing he can think of… and starts biting Shine’s fingers! He’s gnawing away here, and Dan has to let go from the pain. He still has the arm trapped, but Chris sits back with his weight and locks his own hands together now around Shine. He slowly pulls Dan off the canvas, hoisting him into the air with a feat of strength, and then gets a running start, throwing Shine over the top rope and sending him crashing down on the floor at ringside! The fans cheer as Fallon rolls his arm in the ring, trying to get the circulation back in it and ease the pain.Dan took a nasty spill, but he gets back to his feet and begins to climb the apron, just for Fallon to deliver a baseball slide dropkick that sends Shine into the cage. Dan bounces off and turns around, trying to get in the ring again, but Fallon slingshots up and over the top rope with a pescado! He crashes down with all his weight on top of Shine and starts unloading some huge punches at ringside. Chris gets to his feet and lets out a scream, and the crowd roars back with their approval. Chris drags Shine by his hair over to the cage wall, slamming his face against it several times before sliding it back and forth, using the steel mesh like a cheese grater to grind Shine’s skull. Dan is able to fire back with an elbow to the groin, yet another cheap shot to turn the tide in this match. Dan slams Fallon’s face into the cage wall now before rolling him back inside the ring, where he’s a bit more comfortable. Shine steps through the ropes and grabs his opponent, pulling him to his feet and into a waistlock. He lifts Chris for a German Shineplex, but Fallon blocks it with his leg and counters with a trio of sharp back elbows. Dan slowly loosens his grip, and Fallon does a 180, blasting Shine in the jaw with a Roaring Elbow! Dan drops down to the canvas, and Fallon grabs his legs right after, stepping inside and crossing them before falling back and latching on the Fatal Four! Shine is in excruciating pain now, with Fallon’s signature submission hold locked in. Dan holds his legs in agony and grabs the referee by the leg, pulling on his pants just to try to scoot out of the hold… Fortunately for Shine, the clock displays just ten seconds left until the second entrant will join War Games. The fans count along as the timer counts down, and Dan survives an agonizing ten seconds until the buzzer sounds.

Microphone Check
I make ‘em all bounce
Every teller in Bank of America, make ‘em all count​

The crowd boos as Damon Black foregoes his usual entrance theatrics and runs down the ramp, darting right through the opened cage door. He slides inside the ring and runs across it, stomping Fallon and breaking the submission on Shine. Fallon breaks the hold and gets back to his feet as Damon connects with rights and lefts. Chris responds with some of his own, pulling Black into his game: brawling. Damon soon realizes he can’t go punch-for-punch with Fallon, and cuts him off with a kick to the stomach. He tries to whip Chris into the ropes, but Fallon counters and sends Black across the ring… Unfortunately for him, as Damon rebounds, Shine uppercuts Fallon between the legs from behind, doubling him over and allowing Black to deliver a running, jumping DDT that spikes the Virtuoso of Vulgarity into the canvas. Shine gets back to his feet, limping a bit at first as he and Damon take turns stomping Fallon into the mat as Chi-town boos. The Winner’s Circle lift Chris back to a vertical base and hook him for a double suplex, taking the Psychotic Superstar over and slamming him into the mat. Shine grabs Fallon’s leg and steps over with a spinning toehold while Damon applies a grounded headscissors hold. The crowd is really letting Winner’s Circle have it now as they have effectively double teamed Fallon and taken him out of his element. Dan steps over a second time, applying more torque to Chris’ leg and wrenching on the hold as the crowd boos even louder, just egging Shine on. Dan steps over a third time, but Fallon uses his free leg to kick Shine in the ass and send him stumbling into the turnbuckles. Fallon surprises Black by kipping up to escape his head scissors. He spins around as Damon gets a concerned look on his face and gets to his feet, just in time for Fallon to unleash a series of brutal knife-edge chops that back Black all the way into the corner. Unfortunately for Fallon, he can’t keep his eyes on both competitors at the same time, as Shine comes up behind him and clubs him in the back of the head with a European Uppercut-style strike. Dan pulls Fallon into a waistlock and Black loads up his boot… SUPERKICK/GERMAN SHINEPLEX COMBO! NO! Fallon ducks under, and Damon superkicks his own partner! Shine drops down to the mat, and Black tries to attack Fallon with a wild swing, but Chris counters by hooking him into the uranage backbreaker, and then snapping back with The Tempest! He drives Black’s face into the mat, and goes back to work on Shine now, pulling him to his feet. He delivers a series of right hands that send Dan stumbling backward, before unloading with a spinning backfist that nearly drops the former World Champion. Fallon whips Shine across the ring and catches him on his return with a powerslam, driving Shine into the canvas. Fallon reaches his feet, screaming to the crowd once more, and the fans respond with deafening chants of “FALLON! FALLON! FALLON!” Black stumbles to his feet after taking The Tempest, and Chris drops him with a hard clothesline. Black gets back up again, and this time Fallon takes him down with a back elbow. Damon gets up a third time, and the Psychotic Superstar drops him with a knife-edge chop. Chris spots Shine returning to his feet and kicks him right in the stomach. He pulls Shine in and underhooks both arms, with the fans cheering on wildly. He’s going for the Tiger Bomb, perhaps to set up The Death Stroke, but Damon Black blasts Fallon in the back of the skull with an enzuigiri! Chris gets double-legged by Shine, who grabs his leg and steps over, locking on a traditional figure four, while Damon grabs the top rope and lifts his weight in the air, twisting and driving a leg across Fallon’s chest. He’s Showboatin’! Black basks in the jeers as Shine pulls back on Fallon’s legs in the figure four. The crowd’s tune changes in a matter of seconds…

You better watch who you’re talkin’ about
Runnin’ your mouth like you know me​

Hurst takes a split-second to enjoy the vociferous cheers as he strolls to the cage and steps through the door. Damon Black goes to cut him off, but Hurst shoves his head through the ropes and catches Damon running in with a shoulder block. Black stumbles back a few steps, and Adam springs off the top rope, drilling Damon with a missile dropkick. He runs over and delivers a standing shooting star press on Shine that wows the fans and breaks up the figure four leglock. Hurst delivers some hard punches to Shine, but Damon grabs the Hot Commodity by his hair and pulls him off Dan. Black hooks Hurst’s arms from behind with a double chickenwing as Shine gets to his feet and holds Adam by the jaw, slapping him across the face a few times. Shine cocks his fist and runs to the ropes, but Hurst lifts both feet and kicks Shine right in the stomach on his return, sending Dan right back into the ropes. Shine nearly falls out of the ring, but he rebounds and uses the ropes to flip forward like a pendulum. Hurst is able to break Black’s grip and spin around, whipping Damon right into Shine and sending Dan falling out of the ring again. Damon turns around and runs at Hurst, but Adam jumps in the air and snaps off a huracanrana, sending Black to the mat. Damon reaches his feet again, just in time for Hurst and Fallon to deliver a conjoined clothesline that sends Black crashing down on the floor on the other side of the cage from Shine. Fallon and Adam take fighting stances, their backs against one another, staring at both Black and Shine as they reach their feet. The two athletes turn toward one another briefly and say something inaudible, before Fallon charges and darts through the ropes with a suicide dive that sends Damon Black crashing into the cage wall! Hurst meanwhile flips up and over the top rope with a senton plancha on the other side, crashing down on top of Shine! Winner’s Circle is in serious trouble at the hands of Hurst and Fallon. Chris decides to keep Damon on the outside of the ring, slamming his head against the steel stairs, while Adam rolls Shine back inside the ring and begins to scale the ropes. Adam gets to the top turnbuckle, but Dan shoves the referee into the ropes, and Hurst gets crotched big time. On the outside, Black reverses an Irish whip and sends Chris’ back into the hard War Games cage. Black slides inside the ring, and the two Winner’s Circle members climb up the ropes together, grabbing Hurst off the top and delivering a double superplex! Adam crashes onto the mat, and Shine and Black briefly discuss strategy. Dan grabs Adam’s legs while Damon runs to the ropes behind him. Shine falls back, catapulting Hurst right into a charging Damon, who blasts him in the face with a yakuza kick, sending him back down across Dan’s knees. Black leaves Hurst in the precarious position as Shine holds him on his knees. Damon ascends the turnbuckles, but just when he gets to the top to deliver a frog splash, Chris Fallon cuts him off! Shine yells at Chris, but the distraction hurts him as The Hot Commodity leans forward and frees a leg from Dan’s grasp, stomping Shine right on the face and stepping out of his clutches. Fallon climbs up behind Black, but Damon catches him with a back elbow and hooks him around the head… HE’S GOING FOR A SUPER RELAPSE! No, Adam Hurst blocks it by running up the ropes and catching Damon with a few fists to the face to break the cravat. With Fallon standing on the middle ropes over the turnbuckle, Black in front of him facing the ring, and Hurst standing on the ropes in front of him, something has to give, and Dan suddenly gets a burst of energy, running up behind Hurst and sending him crashing down onto the mat with a Super German Shineplex! Hurst flips onto his stomach, and Dan lies on the canvas, recovering himself… until Chris Fallon grabs Damon Black by the back of his head and jumps off the ropes with a super bulldog, bringing Damon’s stomach down across his partner’s, squashing him with an involuntary frog splash! As all four men lie in the ring, recuperating from what was essentially a two-on-two affair, the clock once again winds down…

I'm cold and broken
It's over; I didn't want to
See it come to this…​

Perhaps the most dangerous participant in the match, “The King of Controversy” Lance Van Leer storms to the cage now. With all four men inside the ring down and recovering, it’s the perfect time for The Premier to pick apart the remains of the opposing forces. Van Leer bursts through the cage door and slides inside the ring, crouching down immediately as he spots two targets: Hurst and Fallon. The two men rise to their feet at about the same time, and Van Leer glances from one to the other before running toward them and breaking toward Hurst… but Adam leapfrogs the Van Leer Spear! Lance quickly stops and turns around, and Hurst pops off a series of jabs. Chris Fallon joins Hurst and double Irish whips LVL across the ring, but Daniel Shine grabs Fallon from behind and takes him down with a release Dragon Shineplex, leaving Hurst alone. Adam turns to look to see what just happened to his partner, and LVL blindsides him with a vicious lariat. Van Leer immediately kicks and stomps the downed Hurst, not wasting a fraction of a second with his physical onslaught. He pulls Hurst off the canvas and unloads a few big right hands that forces Hurst to take refuge in the corner. Damon Black stands behind LVL now, and The Premier whips Hurst into The Icon, who delivers a superkick. Adam takes the shot to the jaw and slowly spins around from the impact, allowing Van Leer to double Hurst over with a kick to the stomach and pull him into a powerbomb. He hoists Hurst into the air, and Damon Black leaps up with a jumping reverse neckbreaker, almost Relapse style! The powerbomb/neckbreaker combo is one of the most lethal in wrestling, and its effects are shown on The Hot Commodity as he lies in agony on the mat. Meanwhile, Chris Fallon is unleashing punches, elbows, chops, kicks, and whatever else he can throw at Daniel Shine in the other corner, but that offense is brought to a screeching halt as Van Leer and Black jump Fallon from behind with clubbing forearms. Fallon manages to avoid a few shots and fires back with punches, but the numbers edge is too significant, especially when Shine rejoins the fray, and the three members of Winner’s Circle isolate Fallon from his downed partner. Shine grabs one of Fallon’s arms as Black grabs the other, and LVL delivers shot after shot to his head. Chris absorbs the blows, eventually dropping to his knees, as Shine and Black wind up swapping sides, still keeping the same arms latched on, wrapping Chris’ arms around his own neck in some double team straight jacket. LVL runs off the ropes and returns with a vicious kick right to the face of the Lunatic Fringe! Fallon falls back in immense pain, and the three Winner’s Circle members loom over their fallen opponents. Shine goes over to the other side of the ring and puts the boots to Hurst, while LVL grabs Fallon and pulls him to his feet, punching him in the face a couple of times for good measure. Damon Black climbs to the top rope as the King of Controversy pulls Fallon into a powerbomb. He lifts him up, but Chris fights back with punches, surprising Van Leer with his determination and durability. Black stands precariously on the top rope, but Black winds up backing LVL up with the punches, right into Damon, who gets crotched, thwarting their double team attempt. Fallon grabs Black around the head, and as LVL throws Fallon forward, he inadvertently sends Black into the canvas with a super snap DDT! By the time LVL realizes what has happened, the clock has counted down once again, signaling the entrance of another wrestler…

Went to sleep real… Woke up realer
Goon-affiliated… Ex-drug dealer​

The Lizard King makes his presence known here tonight at Ode to the Immortals, walking down the rampway and heading straight toward the cage. Van Leer is practically frothing at the mouth, remembering his wars during the last several months against Blake Straker. The Black Snake enters the cage and glares at The King of Controversy, who snarls and holds onto the ropes, challenging Blake to try to get inside the ring. But it isn’t The Black Snake who strikes LVL; it’s Chris Fallon, who nails a dropkick to the back of Lance’s head, sending him falling over the top rope and landing on the outside. Van Leer quickly gets to his feet and goes to reach inside the ring to grab Fallon, but Blake connects with a barrage of punches, and these two start brawling on the outside! Straker gets the advantage of The King of Controversy and starts slamming his head against the cage, but Van Leer blocks one of the attempts and grabs Blake around his waist, hoisting him into the air and slamming his back against the apron, before spinning around and driving his back into the wall. Van Leer starts uncorking some hard shots, but Chris Fallon dives up and over the top rope with a tope suicida! He crashes down on top of Lance and Blake, and the fans in the arena are in a frenzy. Meanwhile, inside the ring, Hurst and Black exchange fists now. Adam stuns Damon with a few jabs and whips him into the ropes. Hurst goes for a superkick on the return, but Damon ducks under and keeps on running, twisting as he reaches the other side of the ring and jumping up and over the top rope! FOSBURY FLOP! He crashes down on all three men! The four wrestlers lie in a wreckage of flesh and bone, but Damon and Fallon are able to get to their feet, with Straker and Lance not far behind. Hurst sees his opportunity and runs toward the adjacent ropes, springing off the top and backflipping with a Quebrada all the way to the outside floor, crashing down on all five men! That leaves just Daniel Shine inside the ring, who looks outside and realizes all five of his opponents are between the ring and the cage. Shine runs off the opposite ropes and charges back at full speed… and stops short of the ropes, flipping off the fans! The crowd boos the psych-out by Shine, who steps through the ropes and jumps off the apron with a double axe handle on the back of Hurst’s neck. Shine drags Adam away from the rest of the pack and tries to Irish whip him across the ring, but Adam shows his freakish agility by wall walking and backflipping, landing on his feet in front of Shine. Dan grabs him around the waist for a German Suplex, but Hurst runs forward and drops down at the last second, using Shine’s own momentum to carry him into the cage face-first, slamming him into the hard steel. Meanwhile, Blake Straker has The Icon by the head and arm and delivers a suplex onto the floor. Lance Van Leer and Chris Fallon have made it back inside the ring, and who can forget the physical battles these two have had? Lance has the advantage right now, and he pulls Chris onto his shoulder, dropping him face-first on the top turnbuckle with snake eyes. Chris stumbles out of the corner as LVL runs across the ring, charging back for a Van Leer Spear, but Fallon dodges the move, and LVL winds up flying through the ropes and landing on the floor. Fallon now runs the distance of the ring, running back across and sliding for a dropkick, but LVL moves out of the way and grabs Chris from underneath, hoisting him onto his shoulder again and running across the aisle, throwing Fallon’s head into the cage like a lawn dart! Blake Straker sees his partner in trouble and connects with some punches on Van Leer, but Damon Black delivers a pele kick to the back of Straker’s head. The Premier and The Icon roll Straker back inside the ring, where Shine and Hurst are now fighting as well. Van Leer puts Straker in the corner and chokes him with his boot, while Damon spots Shine in trouble as Hurst has his nemesis laid out in the ring and is climbing the ropes. Black runs across the squared circle and cuts Adam off, crotching him on the top rope. Damon climbs up and delivers some elbows to The Prince of PPV, but Adam fires off his own shots and winds up blocking a superplex attempt by throwing Damon off with a release front suplex, sending him right on top of Shine! Dan groans with pain as Black reaches his feet, clutching his midsection. Adam leaps off the top rope and nails a diving huracanrana, flipping backward on top of Shine as he takes Black over! Hurst reaches his feet just in time to see LVL charge across the ring. He leapfrogs the Van Leer Spear, and LVL inadvertently tackles the rising Damon Black, sending him flying through the ropes to the floor. Lance turns around, and Hurst surprises him with the Orange County Chopper, sending Lance down to the canvas courtesy of the flying headscissors. LVL pops back up to his feet, but Blake Straker grabs him into the cravat and sends Van Leer flipping onto the mat courtesy of The Undertow! Daniel Shine slowly gets to his feet, still feeling the effects of all the moves he’s taken. Hurst delivers an enzuigiri to the back of Shine’s head, sending him stumbling right into Straker’s waiting arms… He grabs Shine and lifts him into the air, planting him with The Spellbinder!

But speaking of spells, the clock has counted down yet again, and ”Spellbound” by Lacuna Coil plays, signaling the entrance of the final member of Team Winner’s Circle, the notorious ‘Toronto Tornado’ himself, and reigning WPW World Heavyweight Champion, Komodo. The champ has the belt in hand and hastily walks toward the ring, skipping the usual entrance routine as he approaches the cage and walks up the steps. Straker and Hurst both wait for Komodo to enter the squared circle as he cautiously moves closer and closer toward the ropes. However, Damon Black is able to slide inside the ring with a steel chair in hand! What the hell? He must have found that underneath the ring. Damon smacks the chair across Straker’s back, sending him down to the canvas. Hurst turns around and winds up getting whacked in the head with the chair as well, and a cocky Komodo enters the ring with his title. He holds it up for all to see, and then motions for Blake to get to his feet. Straker slowly rises, holding his back from the steel chair shot, and Komodo rushes him, bashing his brains in with the WPW World Heavyweight Title belt! Hurst is brought to his feet now, a small amount of blood dripping from his forehead already, and Komodo makes matters worse by drilling him in the skull with a nasty shot from the World Championship. Komodo raises the belt high… until Chris Fallon slides in behind Komodo and wraps the piano wire around his throat! The fans are going crazy, but only for a second, as Komodo is able to slam the belt over his head, right into Fallon’s, causing him to drop the piano wire. Damon Black grabs the weapon, looking at it with disgust before walking over toward the edge of the ring and throwing the wire to the ringside floor, which causes the crowd to boo. Komodo has mounted Fallon, and he starts slamming the belt into his face, reminiscent of what he did to Mike Boogie. Blake Straker crawls over and tries to put a stop to it, but Daniel Shine grabs Blake around the waist and pulls him off… GERMAN SHINEPLEX! He pulls Straker back up to his feet… A SECOND GERMAN SHINEPLEX! Shine lifts Blake up a third time, and this time Damon Black superkicks Straker right in the jaw as Shine throws him back with the German! Komodo and his crew now have their sights set on Hurst yet again, who is brought to his knees by Black and LVL, who hold him by his arms while blood drips from his face. Komodo gets right in Hurst’s face now, holding the World Title in front of him and saying that’s as close as he’ll ever get, before slamming the belt into his face one more time. Komodo stands over Hurst with the belt, again shoving it in his face both figuratively and literally, while the rest of Winner’s Circle laugh. Hurst reaches up and grabs the belt, trying to pull it away from Komodo, but the Toronto Tornado just laughs… until Adam kicks him right between the legs! Komodo doubles over in pain, and Adam starts kicking, trying to grab the belt, but Shine, Van Leer, and Black all swarm the Prince of PPV, stomping and kicking him, beating him down. An irate Komodo motions for them to bring him to his feet as he walks across the ring and crouches down. Shine whips Hurst across the ring as Komodo charges toward him… SALASPEAR! Hurst gets split in half! Shine and LVL grab Fallon now, with Dan pulling Chris into the Shineplex on Steroids, but as he spins, Lance drops down to a knee, executing a brutal back-breaking double team! The last target is Straker, who Winner’s Circle bring to his feet as well. LVL and Shine pulls Straker into a double flapjack position as a cocky Damon Black does a little song and dance before running to the ropes for a Super Relapse… but Straker counters before he gets there, driving LVL and Shine into the mat with double DDTs! Black and Komodo start kicking and stomping Blake while he’s down, but their beatdown is cut off by the strumming of a guitar.

Here from the king’s mountain view…
Here from the wild dream come true…
Feast like a sultan, I do…
On treasures and flesh, never few…​

In what is quite possibly the loudest ovation of the night, Komodo and Damon Black stare at the stage, where stands the leader of the opposition to The Winner’s Circle, the legendary Sean “Thunder” Walker… Only he didn’t come alone. In his right hand is his patented baseball bat wrapped in razor wire.

Sean walks down the ramp, the crowd growing louder with every step along the way. Damon Black quickly slides out of the ring and slams the door shut. He grabs the piano wire that Chris Fallon used to try to choke out Komodo and desperately tries to tie it around the door, but Sean Walker delivers a baseball bat shot to Damon’s hands, causing him to let go and shake them in agony. Sean opens the door, and as Black lunges forward to stop him, he slams it right on The Icon’s head! Damon stumbles away, and Walker opens the door to a huge ovation. He swings the bat, cracking it against the turnbuckle post, which is enough psychological warfare to make even the bravest wrestler a coward. Sean slowly walks up the stairs, Komodo glaring at him from inside the ring with the World Title held tightly in his grasp. Sean steps inside the squared circle and lifts the bat, causing the crowd to roar yet again… and then with his other hand he points to the sky. The lights in the arena dim, and pyrotechnics shoot from the ceiling. Komodo looks up as well, realizing what is happening…

The ceiling is lowering… LET THE WAR GAMES BEGIN!

The ceiling continues to lower as Komodo tries to get the jump on Walker, charging forward with the belt, but Walker cracks him right in the stomach with the razor wire bat! Komodo doubles over, the belt fumbling from his grasp. He reaches down to grab it, and Sean cracks him over the back with another wicked shot. Komodo goes down to all fours, and Walker places a boot on the back of his head, stomping his face right into his World Heavyweight Title. Daniel Shine has gotten back to his feet and unwisely runs toward Walker, eating a shot to the head from his bat as a result. Lance Van Leer, meanwhile, has crawled out of the ring and begins to climb up the cage wall, seeing the ceiling resting on top of the cage, where several weapons are suspended. Adam Hurst has the same idea now, climbing up to grab some weapons of his own. Damon Black slides inside the ring with his steel chair, and he cracks Walker in the back with it, causing him to slouch slightly and lower his bat. Black blasts Sean with another hard chair shot, causing him to slump down more and drop his bat to the mat. Damon raises the chair as high as he can and brings it down across Walker’s back a third time, sending the legend down to a knee. The Icon grins as he witnesses Walker in pain… until Sean quickly grabs his bat and spins around, driving it right into Black’s body. Damon drops the chair, and Walker pokes the end of the bat in The Icon’s chest, shoving him into the corner with it. He puts the bat against Black’s throat, and then cocks back with it, swinging for the fences, but Black barely ducks out of the way and rolls under the ropes. Walker keeps a wary eye on him, but gets blindsided by Daniel Shine, who starts clubbing away, causing Walker to drop his weapon. Shine tries to whip Sean into the ropes, but Walker reverses and catches Dan on the rebound… SPINEBUSTER ON THE STEEL CHAIR! Damon facepalms as Shine writhes in agony, his back arching and face contorting in excruciating pain. Meanwhile, Van Leer and Adam Hurst are both on the cage wall, kicking each other and fighting over who’ll get the first weapon. LVL manages to grab Hurst and slam his face into the wall, causing him to drop down to the floor, and Lance reaches up and grabs his favorite weapon, his barbed wire baseball bat. Lance begins to climb down as Sean Walker has his own razor wire bat in hand. He’s toying with Damon Black, who moves side to side outside of the ring, as Sean stays between him and Daniel Shine. Walker spots Lance Van Leer climbing inside the ring with his own bat, and turns toward him, staring down one of the most dangerous wrestlers in the world. Van Leer steps inside the squared circle, armed and ready, and the two wrestlers move toward the middle of the battleground with their weapons in hand. LVL goes for a wild swing, but Walker ducks underneath. He goes to take LVL out with a shot, but Van Leer uses his bat to block it. The razor wire and barbed wire get tangled up, and the two warriors start pushing against each other! The fans are cheering and chanting, “WALKER! WALKER! WALKER!” Sean slowly but surely backs Lance into a corner and shoves the wire right into his face!

Unfortunately, Damon Black and Daniel Shine attack Sean from behind. The two Winner’s Circle members deliver punches and forearms to the back of Sean Walker. They turn him around and whip him across the ring, going for a conjoined clothesline, but Walker charges through their attempt, using a double axe handle to break their grip. He picks up some speed by running off the ropes, and the two wrestlers run after him, attempting unsuccessful clotheslines. They both rebound off the ropes, but Shine winds up getting tripped from the outside by Hurst. Damon keeps on running, right into Sean Walker, who spears him out of his boots! Walker unloads with hard punches to the head, but Komodo kicks him from behind and pulls him off Black. The Toronto Tornado delivers a big right hand, getting booed by the partial crowd. Walker returns fire with a right of his own, which draws cheers from his supporters. The two wrestlers go back and forth, getting booed and cheered, until the crowd is only cheering… Walker backs Komodo up into the ropes, unloading rapid-fire rights before running across the ring and charging back toward Komodo, clotheslining him with such ferocity and velocity that both men flip up and over the top rope, crashing on the arena floor against the cage! Sean gets back to his feet, raising both fists in the air and tilting his head back, the crowd going ballistic. Chris Fallon returns from a scavenger hunt on the ceiling with a kendo stick and uses it to crack Damon Black in the head. The Lunatic Fringe latches on a camel clutch with the kendo stick, but Shine, who disposed of Hurst outside the ring with a brutal suplex, winds up cracking Chris over the back of the skull with a steel chair. Fallon releases his submission, and Shine delivers another shot with the chair, then another, sending Fallon down to the mat. Shine places the chair over Fallon’s head and starts to climb to the top rope, but Blake Straker catches him off guard and crotches God’s Finest Grappler. Blake climbs up and hooks Shine for a superplex, but Dan blocks it with punches and elbows, and even a headbutt. Blake winds up turning around to face the ring as the two men battle on either side of the top turnbuckle. After several punches and elbows, they each have the same idea, a vicious headbutt that sends them both flying off the top rope and crashing to the ringside floor on either side of the ring! Chris Fallon rises back to his feet and grabs the steel chair, but Damon Black superkicks it right in his face! The cameras catch the wild brawl between Walker and Komodo, which gets interrupted by Lance Van Leer. The King of Controversy and the World Champion begin stomping and pounding away on Walker, leaning him right up against the cage wall. Van Leer and Komodo both crouch down and charge him at the same time… VAN LEER SALASPEAR! They both tackle Sean, ripping a hole in the cage wall! Walker falls out of the confines of the War Games, but that doesn’t stomp Komodo and LVL from attacking him.

Adam Hurst follows the three men outside of the ring, while Shine works over Chris Fallon in the ring. Dan has the Lunatic Fringe on the top rope for a Back Superplex, but Blake Straker cuts Shine off and pulls him off the ropes in an electric chair position. Fallon turns around and leaps off with a brutal clothesline, delivering a Doomsday Device to Shine. Damon Black reenters the ring and runs at Fallon and Straker, but they counter with a double hip toss, sending Black down to the canvas. Blake pulls Black off the mat and lifts him in the air for a spinebuster, while Fallon runs off the ropes and delivers a leaping clothesline, connecting with the Hart Attack on The Icon! Meanwhile, on the outside of the cage, Hurst attacks Komodo while Van Leer and Walker brawl toward the announce booth. Sean winds up blasting Van Leer in the face with a flurry of fiery rights and lefts, before clotheslining him on top of the table. Komodo sends Hurst into the outside of the steel cage wall, bouncing his head off it. He goes back toward Walker and LVL to help out his Winner’s Circle partner, but Sean catches a Komodo kick and spins the World Champion right into the waiting Adam Hurst, who blasts Komodo in the face with a yakuza kick. The champ stumbles right back into the waiting Walker, who grabs him from behind and delivers a Blue Thunder Driver on the floor! Walker reaches his feet, and he doesn’t realize LVL is standing on the announcer’s table, with Scott the Scoop and Slick Rick abandoning their seats, fleeing in terror. Lance grabs one of the monitors from the table and lifts it into the air to throw it at Walker’s skull, but Sean moves out of the way in the nick of time, causing the large monitor to smash into pieces on the floor! Sean grabs a shard of the screen and stabs LVL right in the stomach, doubling him over. Walker climbs onto the table and delivers a shot with the shard, stabbing LVL right in the skull! Van Leer covers up and staggers back a few paces toward the edge of the table, but Walker delivers an STO that sends Lance falling onto the Spanish announce table. Meanwhile, Hurst, who is standing on the same table, jumps off to deliver a senton onto Komodo on the floor, but the Toronto Tornado gets both knees up, driving them into The Hot Commodity’s spine. The Toronto Tornado reaches his feet and arrogantly stomps Hurst as the fans boo. He turns to tell the fans off, but Walker leaps off with a variation of the Heat Lightning! Komodo falls to the floor, and Walker delivers punches with the fans cheering on approvingly. Van Leer rolls on the Spanish table in agony, but Walker grabs a nearby steel chair and blasts him in the head with it. Adam Hurst has gotten back to his feet, and he realizes Lance is lying on the table, with Walker stopping him from getting up… and then The Hot Commodity glances toward the cage, in which Shine and Black are stomping on Chris Fallon in a tree of woe. Adam moves toward the cage… and then grabs the cage wall and begins to climb! The fans start to cheer, realizing what is going on. Komodo tries to stop it, but Walker blocks his punches and counters with ones of his own. The Prince of PPV continues to climb up the cage, but Komodo manages to catch Sean off guard with a kick to the groin and follows it up with a snapping enzuigiri kick to the head. The Toronto Tornado climbs up after Hurst, but Adam is over halfway up the cage by now, and Komodo can’t climb fast enough to catch up. Hurst makes it all the way to the top, facing toward the middle of the cage and looking down inside the ring at the war between Shine and Black, and Straker and Fallon. Komodo finally makes it to the top of the cage, reaching up… but as he does, Hurst backflips off! MOONSAULT OFF THE WAR GAMES CAGE ON LANCE VAN LEER THROUGH THE DAMN ANNOUNCER’S TABLE! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!

The Chicago crowd is going absolutely apeshit! Hurst just flew over twenty feet through the air and crashed down on top of Lance Van Leer, crushing his body with a moonsault through the Spanish announce table. Komodo looks back and realizes what has happened, and he starts to climb down… but Sean Walker is climbing up after him! AND HE’S GOT HIS RAZOR WIRE BASEBALL BAT! Komodo looks down and panics, crawling back up the cage, but Walker is hurriedly chasing him. Hurst and LVL lie in the wreckage of the announcer’s table, and the action in the ring has come to a slow halt as the four men look up and realize what’s going on. Komodo crawls on top of the roof of the cage, and Sean is right up after him. The four men inside the ring scatter from it, trying to scramble through the cage door, fighting each other along the way. Shine is able to shove past Fallon and looks up at the ceiling of the War Games, wondering what the hell to do. Damon Black and Blake Straker are still brawling as they exit the cage door, and Chris Fallon goes to the side of the cell where his teammate is climbing. Komodo looks down and sees Walker place his hand on the top of the cage, and he stomps his fingers, causing Sean to stop climbing. Komodo viciously stomps the head of the legendary Thunder, and with each boot, Walker’s grip loosens on the cage. Fallon looks up, also wondering just what in the hell to do, but just when Walker looks like he’s about to fall after eating another kick to the face, “Thunder” drops his signature ball bat wrapped in razor wire, and it falls to the floor. Chris Fallon looks up and sees Walker gripping the cage with both hands and climbing up anyway. Komodo goes for another kick, but Walker catches his foot and trips him, sending the World Heavyweight Champ onto his back with the trip. Sean climbs up the cage the rest of the way and starts punching Komodo, climbing on top of him and unloading rights and lefts. Komodo winds up rolling Walker onto his back now and delivering punches of his own, with both of the men just inches from the edge of the cage, a sheer drop that would severely injure them: case in point, Adam Hurst has just begun to stir while LVL looks like he may be out of this match after the incredible move just minutes ago. Fallon knows he has to do something, and he grabs the razor wire bat and starts climbing up to help Walker. Shine and Black look at one another, realizing one of them should probably climb up to even the odds. Dan definitely isn’t interested, and Black shakes his head and begrudgingly begins to climb the War Games cage. Shine goes back to Straker, who delivers a shot with a baseball bat he snatched from the cage, cracking Shine in the ribs, and then blasting him over the back.

The Icon is on one wall, while Fallon is on the other, each man about neck and neck as they inch upward toward their respective partners. Komodo has Walker on his back and starts stomping him, but Sean manages to use his own feet to kick Komodo, nearly sending him off the edge of the cage, but The Toronto Tornado barely hangs on and manages to avoid a horrific plummet to the floor. Walker reaches his feet, but Komodo catches him with the Komodo Kick! Sean flies back onto the steel mesh of the ceiling, lying sprawled out and stunned from the blow. Komodo drops to a knee to recover… but it becomes abundantly clear he has more than catching his breath on his mind. The Toronto Tornado is crouched down, ready to deliver a SalaSpear to Walker that would send him off the cell onto the ramp! Sean is reaching his feet very slowly, holding his jaw and throat as he struggles to stand, the chants of “WALKER! WALKER! WALKER!” driving him on and feeding his energy. Walker reaches his feet, and Komodo gets set to dart toward him… but Fallon cracks the Champion across the back with the razor wire bat! Komodo falls to the cage from the painful blow, and Fallon tosses the bat to “Thunder”, who catches it and raises the bat into the air, causing the fans to erupt! Fallon grabs Komodo and pulls him to his feet, holding his arms as Walker charges forward with the baseball bat, but Komodo mule kicks Chris between the legs and ducks under, and Fallon eats the razor wire baseball bat! Before Walker can react, Damon Black delivers a low blow from behind, sending Walker down to his knees in pain. Black now has possession of the bat, and he holds it in his hands as Komodo grabs Fallon and lifts him to his feet. Black readies the bat like he’s about to hit a home run swing, and Komodo whips The Lunatic Fringe toward his partner… but Sean Walker suddenly spears Fallon from the side, and saves his teammate from the huge blow. That doesn’t sit well with Komodo or Black, who begin stomping and kicking the living hell out of the legend. Damon brings Walker’s own bat down across his back several times, while Komodo motions for him to stand Sean up. Komodo grabs Sean around the throat with one hand, screaming obscenities at him as he chokes the life from the legend. Damon grabs Walker around the throat as well, and the two members of The Winner’s Circle use all their strength to lift Sean into the air and drive him onto the ceiling with a double chokeslam! AND WALKER GOES THROUGH THE CAGE! Sean plummets through the steel, creating a large hole and falling to the ring, bouncing off the mat with a devastating THUD!

Straker turns his attention from stomping Shine and looks inside the ring, realizing what’s just happened. The Black Snake’s jaw gapes open at the sight of a bloodied, pulsating Sean Walker convulsing on the canvas in unimaginable pain. Damon Black glares down at Walker with a cold stare, perhaps surprised at the impact of the Winner’s Circle tag team maneuver, while Komodo wears his trademark serpentine grin, quite pleased with Sean’s utter destruction. Blake goes to enter the cage to help his partner, but Daniel Shine cracks him over the back with a kendo stick and drops The Lizard King. He steps over Blake’s fallen body, and with a shit-eating grin on his face, hobbles at quickly as he can inside the cage and slides inside the ring. Komodo begins laughing callously as Shine proudly places one foot on Walker’s chest… one… two… three-HOLY SHIT! Walker gets the shoulder up!

Dan looks down incredulously, and then glares at the referee, as if the official had anything to do with it. Even the ref has a look of utter shock on his face as his hand lingers over the canvas. He looks up at Shine, then back at Walker, and then back at Dan. The hand that Walker lifted to pull his shoulder off the mat and avoid defeat clenches into a fist. Shine looks down and starts stomping the legend. Adam Hurst is climbing to the top of the cage as Komodo and Black are taking the frustration of Walker kicking out on the unfortunate Fallon. The Hot Commodity makes it to the top of the cage and brings a kendo stick with him. Damon Black grabs the razor wire bat and laughs in the Hot Commodity’s face… until Chris Fallon wraps the piano wire around Damon’s throat! Where the hell does he keep getting that stuff from?! Fallon is trying to choke the life out of The Icon, but Komodo stops that plan with a brutal kick to the back and drops Fallon onto the back of his head with a German Suplex on the top of the cage. In the mean time, Daniel Shine has grabbed a table from underneath the ring and slid it inside the squared circle, but before he can crawl inside, Blake Straker cuts him off with a hard steel chair shot to the back. He rolls Shine into the ring and slides inside, checking on his teammate, Sean Walker. “Thunder” lifts his arm to tell Blake that he’s okay, and Straker decides to get revenge on Daniel Shine. He grabs the wooden table and slides it so it’s still folded up, but lying in the middle of the ring. Straker pulls Dan to his feet and hooks him for The Spellbinder, but Dan blocks it with back elbows. Shine runs off the ropes and goes for a European Uppercut, but Straker sees it coming and nails a bicycle kick! Dan stumbles back into the ropes and them staggers forward, and Blake scoops him into the air, walking over toward the table… HE’S GOING FOR PILEDRIVER ’69! No, Shine slips out and grabs Straker from behind… SHINEPLEX ON STEROIDS ONTO THE TABLE! Blake’s back and head bounce off the hard wood, and Shine rolls onto the canvas. He turns his attention to Walker, who still lies on the canvas in pain. Shine slowly begins to crawl toward Walker, ready to take advantage of his injured opponent… but Sean unexpectedly sits up, shocking the hell out of Shine and causing the fans to erupt with cheers! Shine shakes his head, mouthing the word “no” over and over. On top of the cage, Komodo has the razor wire baseball bat that Damon Black dropped and stares down with Adam Hurst. Hurst swings with the kendo stick, and The Toronto Tornado blocks it with Walker’s razor wire bat. Hurst goes for another shot with the kendo stick, but Komodo counters with a razor wire shot to the ribs, doubling Adam over with pain and sending him down to all fours. Komodo laughs and holds the bat high above his head, ready to crush Adam, but Hurst brings the kendo stick up, right between the legs of the World Heavyweight Champion! Komodo doubles over with pain, and Hurst pulls him in for a piledriver on the steel ceiling! Black sees the move out of the corner of his eye and superkicks Adam right in the face, sending him stumbling backward and nearly falling off the War Games cage! Black pulls Adam back to his feet and grabs him for a Relapse, but Hurst shoves Damon off, right into Chris Fallon, who nails The Icon in the face with the razor wire ball bat! Damon goes down in pain, and now Fallon and Hurst direct their attention on Komodo. Fallon grabs the World Champion and puts him in position for a piledriver, but Adam Hurst slides the razor wire ball bat underneath Komodo’s head as The Lunatic Fringe grins and lifts the Toronto Tornado up, and The Hot Commodity grabs his legs, spiking him head-first onto the razor wire with a sickening double-team piledriver! Fallon gets up from the move and grabs Damon Black’s legs, stepping over and locking on the Fatal Four! Inside the ring, Daniel Shine has set the table up in the middle of the ring and grabs Sean Walker, pulling him in… SHINEPLEX ON STEROIDS! No, Walker blocks it with a stiff elbow strike! Sean delivers a series of punches that stun Shine and back him into the table, and a rising Blake Straker cracks Shine across the back of the head with a Singapore cane! Walker and Straker lie Shine on the wooden table, as Chris Fallon has Damon Black in extreme agony on the top of the cage, Lance Van Leer is lying in the wreckage of the announcer’s table still, and Komodo is bleeding on top of the War Games structure from the spike piledriver on the razor wire bat… Walker and Straker are going to finish Shine off! No, they’re going to let Adam Hurst do the job! The Prince of PPV looks down through the hole in the cage, made by Sean Walker’s death-defying plummet, and gulps… Shine is on the table, and “Thunder” and “The Black Snake” are both yelling and motioning for Hurst… Adam stands over the hole in the cage and stares down about 20 feet into the ring… He will fly tonight! HURST JUMPS THROUGH THE HOLE AND SPINS 360 DEGREES… AESTHETIC ANOMALY ON SHINE THROUGH THE TABLE! HURST PUTS HIS BODY ON THE LINE ONE MORE TIME! WALKER AND STRAKER DOGPILE ON SHINE! The referee is in position… ONE… TWO… THREE!

Winners of War Games: Sean “Thunder” Walker, “The Hot Commodity” Adam Hurst, “The Lunatic Fringe” Chris Fallon, and “The Lizard King” Blake Straker!

THEY’VE DONE IT! THEY DEFEATED THE WINNER’S CIRCLE! Pyrotechnics explode as the most hated group in wrestling has been beaten on the biggest stage in the sport! Fallon finally relinquishes the Fatal Four on Damon Black, who holds his legs in pain. Komodo groans in agony as blood continues to drip from his head, and EMTs are checking on Lance Van Leer, who’s still in the remains of the Spanish announce table. Walker and Straker help Hurst to his feet from the wooden fragments of the table, as an unconscious Daniel Shine remains stuck on the mat. The Winner’s Circle has truly been destroyed on Ode to the Immortals! As the three men inside the ring slowly make their exit, confetti falls from the ceiling. Chris Fallon stands on the ceiling as Hurst, Walker, and Straker tag the hands of many fans at ringside before they begin climbing the cage walls to join The Psychotic Superstar. The four men stand atop the ceiling of War Games, joining hands and raising their arms in the air, as the fans are cheering crazily, and confetti and pyrotechnics fill the air… THE WINNER’S CIRCLE HAS BEEN DEMOLISHED! LONG LIVE WORLD PRO WRESTLING!

 

[Dean]

To put into perspective how long these match results are, they were nearly 37 pages in Microsoft Word... and the font was Arial size 8. I tried posting the results as one post, but there is a 100,000 character limit, so I broke them up like you see here.

@Zio The Abyss @VashTheStampede @Ryan! @Ice Cold @Slick Rick @Scott Probably missing some tags on a few members, but wow. The sheer enormity of the event and the length of the results is insane in hindsight. I hope you guys get a nice nostalgic kick reading the results!

 

[Scott]

Looking back, it's crazy how much time and effort you guys put into results, and PPV's especially. Certainly an epic read, and brings so many memories back.

Forgot Dimitri pretty much killed a man. Good times.

 

[Tubby23]

Reading this is a wave of nostalgia and reminds me why I got involved

 

[Op19]

Although I was never super active with efedding I'll say creatively the EON / Davy Honor / Prince Angelos feud is one of my favorite things I've been involved with. I wish I could find some of the old promos we did, I had some saved but I might have lost them by now.