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Post by Matt Oliveira on May 25, 2010 2:08:26 GMT -5
Holy shit, NeXuS seemed a lot less painful when remembering it from last year. The four of you have made it, once again, to the final stage of this match.
You stand in a 20-by-20 ring twelve feet above the previous stage, surrounded in a ring with caging fifteen feet high. Ropes are installed, and in one corner is the final trashcan of weapons -getting a tad redundant, we know. The goal of this? The first man to score a submission will be the winner, obviously the spare opponent will be keeping you from doing so -render them incapacitated, out-maneuver them, anything...just get that submission.
Rules 1. No post limit. 2. No disqualifications. 3. 6-hour reservations allowed. 4. This match will end on Sunday at 7 PM EST.
Santo Mascaras vs. Desperado vs. Ryan Hughes vs. Dominik Santiago
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Post by Desperado on May 26, 2010 12:05:01 GMT -5
The stage was set, the final stage of the neXus death-match. Desperado had been here before. Not once, not twice but three times before. Nobody knew this stage better and nobody was more bitter about it. This is what Desperado had set his sights on before the match, to get to the final stage. Not so that he could win the neXus death-match or become the champion. It was because he wanted to conquer it, conquer the neXus. Thrice he had come close, inches away from earning the glory, fulfilling his destiny but each time somebody stole the crown from within his grasp but this wasn’t about somebody else. Desperado didn’t care about the three other men that were sharing this platform with him. No, this wasn’t him against them. It was Desperado against the neXus itself. This was his fight, to prove that he was the better, the stronger, the more resilient of the two. He was sick and tired of hearing the word ‘Choker’ or failure. This was his moment of glory and he wasn’t going to let him pass him by once again.
“This is it; these four men have made it up to the final stage. Out of the 12 that started off on this quest, these four have reached the top of this climb but there can only be one winner now.”
“Thanks for pointing out the obvious; what I want to know is which one of these four guys is going to be our ‘new’, New Age Champion.”
“Well Desperado’s got the most experience in this matchup although. Dominik’s got the best win/loss record for the past year or two. Ryan is always unpredictable in the sense there is always a possibility he will walk out as champion as long as there’s gold on the line. And Santo, well he’s a Saint so if you believe in God, he should win.”
“Yes, indeed. That makes it a whole lot easier.”
Ryan Hughes stood opposite him, Dominik Santiago adjacent to him and opposing him was Santo Masceras. Most were surprised at Santo making it thus far; having only recently joined the GHW federation but it shows experience isn’t everything. Sometimes you just need skill, spirit and luck. The fallen before them were probably furious about not going the distance but that didn’t really concern the four that were in the ring. They just stood there on spot; waiting for someone to make the first move for the final stage of the neXus was about skill and anticipation. Now there were two ways of going about in this stage, either you wait for your opponent to make a mistake and trap in the meanest, craziest, agonizing submission hold you could think of whilst making sure you don’t get caught in one. Or you could take advantage of the fact everybody is almost dead and you could grab yourselves a weapon and clip them all around the head until they can’t move anymore, so you can put one of them into a submission hold without having to worry about someone breaking it up.
Desperado knew the most dangerous of the opponent’s was ‘The Hardcore Assassin’ himself, Dominik Santiago. Flickering his eyes about, Desperado finally locked them straight ahead, creating the impression that he was going to lunge forwards in Ryan’s direction causing everyone to shift their weight in turn setting everyone in motion. Desperado however had no plan to hunt the Batmanite. Turning on his heel, Desperado brought his arm out, vertically straight, having read Dominik’s intention like a mother would of a naughty child. Dom couldn’t put on the breaks as he went head first into the clothesline, his head knocking back like it was guillotined, except in this instance, his body followed along with it.
“Oooh, that clothesline was placed to perfection. You can’t beat Desperado when it comes to planning things out. How did a guy from Brooklyn become such a tactical genius?”
“Well, you know what they say. To survive in the street’s you need to become one of the best. Desperado is one of the best which is why he survived, that’s survival of the fittest. Doesn’t come any simpler than that...”
Meanwhile the confusion of anticipating Desperado’s attack had left Ryan vulnerable to Santo’s incoming flying kick that struck him dead on the chest, sending him several feet back into the ropes. Santo had expected the return and clasped Ryan’s body as it rebound back, flipping it around and into the canvas with a power-slam. Santo immediately tried pinning Ryan down, decided what submission to use from his limited arsenal of holds, although he had done his research before coming into this match. Ryan however, was having none of it, wriggling free of his captive like an eel escaping its predator. The former GHW champion rolled away after a kick into Santo’s mask. He regained his stance speedily before going back into his opponent, this time planning to take the Mexican Saint down. The two began wrestling one another on the cold floor of the final stage of neXus. Rolling around the ground with their arms around one another’s necks, trying to lock them into a head-lock or sleeper of some sort, it was entertaining to watch as the kicked and rolled as if two country chicks in a pool of mud.
Desperado and Dom in the meantime were engaged in a psychological battle, refusing to give in to the others superiority, both firmly in belief that they were the better technical Fighty fighty person. After the clothesline had knocked Dominik down, the two were since battling it out, reversing and countering one another’s moves in quick succession. It all kicked off when Desperado trapped Dominik’s arm within his own but the Hollywood Superstar managed to escape the arm-bar without a problem, instead reversing the hold into one of his own, breaking free of the arm-bar whilst spinning behind Desperado in one swift movement before wrenching Desperado’s own arm behind his back. The Brooklyn Brawler almost let a squeal slip out of his mouth but didn’t want Dominik to know that yanking his limb harder actually hurt more. Desperado decided to put his agility into practice this late into the match, jumping onto the ring-ropes that were situated onto his left, before using them as a springboard to twist out of the arm wrench and counter it into a spring-board arm-drag.
“What athleticism by Desperado. That’s how you escape from a submission hold, ... with style and theatrics.”
“I don’t think we will be seeing many more of them for the rest of this match. These guys should be exhausted.”
“They should but they’re a pro Fighty fighty person, that’s what being a pro is all about.”
“Does being a pro give you super-human endurance? Because that’s what it looks like from here. God knows what they’re really feeling and how much longer they’ll last.”
Desperado raced over to the grounded Dominik and affixed his left arm between his own legs whilst wrapping his fingers around his face but Dominik saw the ‘Lock of Desperation’ coming and began kicking his arms and legs frantically like a child refusing to obey. The deadly and dangerous superstar, realising the plot was foiled switched over immediately to ‘Plan B’. Desperado toggled his body towards Dominik’s feet and stabbed his shoe into the Californian’s ankle and then once again, to make sure the flailing would end. The Yankee then dropping his knee onto the leg of Dominik for support and control coiled both arms and hands around the ankle and lower leg of his adversary, locking the ankle into submission. Dominik screamed out in agony for a second or two, garnering the attention of the other two superstars, who were locked in their battle of locks and holds. However, Dominik saw an opening or a flaw you could say in Desperado’s set-up. With his arms still free, Dominik brought them into his body before squeezing in the muscles of his stomach and using the space available to coil his abdomen, knocking Desperado off balance, sending him into the turnbuckle in the process.
The former Dragon’s Rage champion took a short while to recover from the pain, long enough for Desperado to also regain his strength. Both men got to their feet immediately, ignoring the exhaustion that had built through each and every cell in their body up until this point. Locking into a grapple, Dominik took the advantage, clasping his arm around Desperado’s waist and heaving him for a half-hearted german suplex. He mounted onto Desperado’s back as quick as his feet would drag him and wrapped his fingers around Desperado’s chin.
“Camel Clutch! ... Dominik’s got a camel clutch locked on Desperado. Do you think Desperado can hold on?”
“I don’t think Desperado come all this way to give up so easily. He’s going to fight until he can’t fight no more.”
The concentration on Dominik’s face was matched by the determination on Desperado’s. He attempted to lift himself off the ground but the force that was pulling on his neck would not allow him to do so. Dominik could feel victory in his grasp but he had not been expecting the steel of a chair to strike into the core of his spine. A low, deep and painful groan is emitted from Dominik’s mouth before he released the Camel clutch and dropped onto his side. Ryan stood victorious behind him. Looking below at Desperado, a smile took over his face, one of accomplishment as he brought the steel down for the second time, striking Desperado’s back this time, knocking the hurtful soul back into the canvas as he tried to lift himself back up. The Mancuninan was so influenced by the thought of winning he dropped the chair without making sure he had put down El Santo Masceras for sure. His mistake was answered as the Mexican rose up to his feet just as Ryan has taken over where Dominik had left off, locking Desperado into a boston crab. The fairly new GHW Superstar ran his back against the ropes before charging off the length of the ring, jumping into the air with his two feet raised, dropkicking Ryan in his lower back, pushing the momentum forward knocking the Cheif Batmanite face first into the floor.
TBC ...
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Post by Ryan Hughes on May 26, 2010 13:41:52 GMT -5
Now Santo has an option that not many Fighty fighty persons can ever say that they’ve had. Does he try and take out a vulnerable Hughes, two time GHW World Champion? Does he make the former Imperial Champ Desperado cry like a baby? Or does he ‘assassinate’ the ever feared ‘Assassin’? This is the Mexican’s chance to make history- to go back to his homeland, hailed as a national hero. Eyes switching between all three supine men, the rookie is at a loss of what to do next. The fans try to help him out, screaming the name of the Fighty fighty person that they want to see tap out. Unfortunately, many a name is called, and the helpful encouragement just becomes an annoying din for Masceras. Shaking his head vigorously, the newbie sets his sights on the man in front of him, the man he just dropkicked, Ryan Hughes. Santo strides forward, stepping ever closer to his dream. Gazing at Ryan as if he was a plump turkey at the Thanksgiving dinner, he sets to work. Ryan scouted this, thanks to his good ring awareness. Wrapping his feet around Santo’s legs, he drops the Mexican with a drop toehold. He shifts his body weight, sliding around the fallen Saint before clasping his arms around the left ankle. As soon as he twists his arms, the newcomer screams.
“And the ankle lock is locked in! Santo has to hold on!”
“No he doesn’t, Colin. HE NEEDS TO TAP OUT!”
Santo writhes and wriggles, trying to break free by any means necessary. It doesn’t work though, because it just incites the Batman into tightening the hold further. The Mexican Saint faces the ropes, looking for some salvation. In his panicked state of mind, he clutches them, expecting to let go. Hughes laughs at Santo’s futile attempt, shouting “It’s no disqualifications, dimwit!” which agonises the Mexican further. He looks through the chain link of the cage, looking to the fans behind it for some form of salvation. He is getting nothing from the crowds, seeing as their cheers cannot force Ryan off of his ankle. Knowing that there is no other choice, the Saint lifts one of his hands up, prepared to do something that is totally against his morals, his ethics, his beliefs, his dreams...
*THWACK!*
The side of Ryan’s head suddenly feels as though it has collapsed, and the Batman lets go of the ankle, before dropping to the ground in a drunken heap. Standing over him is his assailant, Dominik Santiago. He holds the chair limply by his side, cocking his head to one side as he examines his latest victim. It’s a case of Ryan tasting his own medicine, seeing as Hughes was the one who knocked the victory from his grasp earlier- with the same steel chair. The former GHW Champion is powerless as Santiago prods him with his boot, nudging and poking at every bit of flesh, before lifting his weapon of choice once more, smiting the Batman with yet another crack of the chair, this time to his side. Hughes doesn’t react much, simply twitching before remaining still. Dom thinks about locking in a submission on the Englishman, but what use is trying to make an unconscious man tap out? Santiago shrugs, before scanning the ring, eyes locking on the trashcan in the corner. Striding over, he leans over the can, looking inside at what wonders it holds. After a moment of rummaging, the Assassin lifts up a long, slender weapon- a Singapore cane.
“It’s about to go down now, Santiago has a toy to play with!”
“And it looks as though he wants to go to ‘Show and Tell’ too!”
“Too complicated and not at all funny.”
“Right. I will work on it, and I will get back to you... not...”
The former Solid Core Champion looks in his element at this moment in time, handling a nice weapon, just waiting for one of these men to challenge him. Just a shame that they are all down in some way or another. Dom tuts to himself, almost angry that these men have been previously weakened. The unfortunate one who gets up first just so happens to be Desperado, the man who Dom almost made tap. The New Yorker gets to his feet, clutching the small of his back with his hand. He is obviously still smarting from the earlier camel clutch. Dom smiles to himself as Despy nears, tightening his grip on the bamboo stick. As Desperado lunges at the Assassin, he sidesteps, instantly swinging the cane and tanning Despy’s back with it. Desp arches his back and lets out a yelp of pain, which seems to delight the fans. Cocking the stick back once more, Dom swings. This time, Despy dodges it, before swinging his fist towards Santiago’s face. The punch lands, jerking his attacker’s face backwards and forcing the Assassin to backtrack slightly.
“Fightback time!”
Despy lands another hook, making Dom retreat ever further, now nearing the ropes. Santiago throws his hands up, trying to block or parry what Desp throws at him. He manages to catch one of Desp’s hooks, parrying it to the left, giving Santiago a window of opportunity which he takes full advantage of. Swinging a blind right hand, he connects right on the jaw of Desperado, who staggers back giving Dom space. With some free time now, Santiago rubs his eyes, his vision now correcting after the barrage of punches which rocked his skull. He takes this brief moment to listen. He listens to the chants and the screams of the crowd below the fighters. This crowd wanted a fight last year, and they didn’t get it. This year, it is fair to say, the crowd are being paid back- with interest. Grinning to himself, he walks towards the stunned Desperado before landing a headbutt to the side of his head, which causes the New Yorker to fall like a redwood to the floor; his equilibrium failing him for the moment. A small spot of saliva begins to form at the corner of his mouth, unaware of what Santiago is planning next.
“Desp is out of it. I think that headbutt did some real damage.”
“It can only be an improvement, surely? I mean Despy has done a LOT of stupid, brainless things in this match already...”
Dominik stares at his fallen foe, much like he did with Hughes earlier. He doesn’t dawdle with any prodding this time. He quickly sits on Desps sore back, before grabbing his right arm and wrenching it upwards, almost trying to rip it out of his socket. Desp gasps at the pain, not wanting to give Dominik the satisfaction of hearing him scream, not on this occasion. Despy bites his bottom lip so hard that it begins to bleed, a little droplet of blood slowly cascading it’s way to his chin. Eventually, Desp can’t hold in his feelings any more, and he erupts in sound. He screams a deafening scream, which is like music playing in to the ears of the Assassin. Dom shouts “YES YES YES!” before cranking up the power and intensity. Despy’s arm is almost at past a right angle to his torso, the shoulder is surely going to dislocate imminently unless Desp can find some sort of divine intervention from something, somewhere, someone.
On the other side of the ring, Ryan Hughes is stirring, albeit slowly. He shakes his head, trying to get rid of the proverbial “cobwebs” from his mind. He clutches the cage, using it as a climbing frame in order to reach a vertical base. His legs quiver, tell tale signs of a man who just got knocked out. Keeping his hands on the cage, he waits until he feels that he has control of his legs, before thinking about anything else. After a few seconds, he takes a chance of letting go, which succeeds. He grins at his progress, before turning around. Much to his horror, he sees Desperado almost ready to tap out. “This will not do”, he mutters under his breath. In his head, he begins to mentally play Frank Sinatra’s most famous song, and begins slowly making his way through the terse atmosphere. “What is a man, what has he got...” Raising his foot, he thrusts towards an unsuspecting Santiago. “If not himself, then he has not...” Like a puppet cut from his strings, Dom drops, head pounding from the boot he just received to his temple. “To say things, he truly feels...” Ryan now begins his search for a weapon, heading to the trashcan, he smiles after seeing an old friend of his. “And not the words, of one who kneels...” He raises the one thing he could always rely on- his trademark modified baseball bat. Glass, barbed wire, tacks, shrapnel, the works. The song now transfers from the caverns of his mind, over to his mouth, as he begins to sing in a hearty tone.
“THE RECORD SHOWS...”
He swings the bat, slamming it against Santiago’s stomach. The Assassin doubles over, much to Ryan’s delight as he carries on the tune.
“I TOOK THE BLOWS...”
Driving the bat down on to Dom’s back, he collapses to his knees, bits of glass sticking in to his flesh. Dom is now an absolute sitting duck, waiting to be put out of his misery.
“I DID IT-“
*THWACK!*
Ryan collapses, after being cracked on the head with the Singapore can from earlier. The forgotten man stands above him, coldly staring at the Batman, who stare back with glassy eyes. The man smiles, as he finishes the tune.
“My way.”
The place erupts in cheers for the assailant- Santo Masceras. Once again, he is the last man standing.
TBC
STATUS Ryan: Out cold, taken a Singapore cane shot. Dom: On his knees and out of it after Ryan’s bat assault. Santo: Standing over Ryan and Dom, cane in hand. Desp: Recovering in a corner. Weapons out: Steel Chair, Singapore Cane, Ryan’s “Modified Baseball Bat”
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Post by Santo Masceras on May 27, 2010 22:29:52 GMT -5
The Masked Mexican swings the cane around in a large circle, letting the lethal stick rest against his shoulder while he gazes around the ring at the three bodies laid out before him. Santo can feel the energy from the crowd, the deafening cheers music to his ears. With the fans cheering on the underdog, he can feel a small inkling at the back of his mind. Every fibre of his being tells him that he might actually achieve the unachievable... A rookie win at Nexus! The splintered wood of his Singapore Cane scratches against the bone of his shoulder, but he pays no attention to the mild annoyance. His attention is drawn to the movement of one of the three ring veterans to share the final stage with him. Desperado groans in pain as he comes about, the submission hold he had been victim to earlier still sending shockwaves of agonising pain through his shoulder and lower back.
Desperado uses his left arm to stagger onto his hands and knees, with his right still lame from the earlier barragement at the hands of the Assassin. The sight of struggle catches Santo's eye and the Mexican turns his red tinged mask to the side, facing the source of the distraction. He does not have to wait long before his plan of action forms in his mind. Cane in hand, the Mexican Saint darts across the ring to cut Despy off at the pass, so to speak.
:"Big" Al Mulligan: Oh, look at that. The pesky little Mexican really thinks he has a chance now. Look at those eyes, have you ever seen such misplaced confidence in your life Fuzz?
:Colin "Fuzz" Jennings: I don't know if I'd call it misplaced Al. Every one of these guys has a genuine chance of a win here. This is stage three of Nexus, you don't get here by handing out roses and puppy dogs!
Santo steps over the discarded steel chair on his way to meet destiny, stealing a nervous glance back over at the two lifeless looking bodies of Dominik Santiago (now face down on the mat, his chest heaving slowly with each breath) and Ryan Hughes (lying almost in the recovery position, out of sheer luck). Ryan's arm is reaching out in what appears to be a vain attempt to grasp the "Modified" Baseball bat he had dropped when his head had met Santo's cane. His eyes are closed, as if asleep and his face drawn blank, the only signs of life coming from the steady rise and fall of his breathing. Masceras takes in the whole scene in all of a two second glance, before turning his attention back to Desperado once more. Before the battered legend can react to him, Santo had crept up behind him, swinging the cane so that he holds it across both hands. His eyes scream of an unspoken determination as the feisty luchadore slips the Singapore Cane up underneath Desperado's chin. He wrenches upward, listening to the gargling sound of the air being cut off from the brain as a tell-tale signal that his choke had been effective. From underneath the mask, one can tell that his teeth are clenched tightly, the strain of effort clear on his face as he appears to be attempting to take Desp's head clean off his shoulders.
Despeardo's eyes bulge, threatening to pop out of their secure place inside his skull, like they would in a poorly directed and overly predictable horror movie, and yet the eyeballs stay firm in their place. Nevetheless, Santo hoists upward more and more with the Singapore Cane, putting all his effort into gaining an essential submission. Before long, Desperado's arms are off the groung, flailing about wildly in the air to no avail. A third wave of pressure sees Desperado's torso straighten, as Santo holds him halfway between a kneeling and standing position. Soon, the pain that had been centered in his neck and shoulder spreads through all four limbs, as his legs struggle to hold his body in the awkward predicament. The lightweight Santo lets a rousing cry of "Arriba!" escape his lips as he continues to beg Desperado to tap out and end the torture.
:Colin "Fuzz" Jennings: Santo looks more determined than ever to score a win here Al. And with Ryan Hughes and Dominik Santiago both in no place to fight back, it looks as though the unlikely Mexican might just get one too!
:"Big" Al Mulligan: Don't go counting your chickens Fuzz. This is far from over, we still have three highly skilled warriors in the ring to match up against this one man's aerobatics display.
Do you really think that Desperado has never been in this type of situation before?[/i]
As the hold continues to choke the life out of Desperado's once colourful face, the chances of a comeback begins to seem all the more unlikely. But, just as the light begins to fade in Desperado's eyes, the hold is released. Desp hears a muffled thud before collapsing to the mat once more, broken, aching, but still in the match. Standing above him in the place where Santo had been is the cocky figure of one Ryan Hughes. the Batman towers over the luchador, who he had shoulder charged into the turnbuckle with devestating repercussions for the Mexican. Santo has his skull driven into the lightly padded steel. His once gold mask is now turned slightly to the side, the nose covering his eye and the eye holes showing no eyes through them. Blinded, the Mexican flops backward to the mat, slumping across the coughing and spluttering figure of Desperado.
In one hand, the Batman had picked up his trusty weapon, living up to his alias by brandising one of the more dangerous looking sluggers one had ever laid eyes on. He waits until the Mexican had found his footing, pulling himself up by the ropes on the side of the hellacious structure. Hughes taps the bat to his shoulder, crouching into a slugger's stance while Santo desperately attempts to straighten the mask on his face so that he can see again. It is a decision that the Mexican would come to regret, as the first thing he sees is a glass shard embedded, nail poking, thumbtack brandishing baseball bat swinging through the air aiming right at the small cross on the left hand side of his mask. The bat connects with the small cross, tearing a glass shard sized hole in the durable fabric. Santo drops quickly, not standing around to debate the force or impact of the shot. He falls once more, again slumping onto the body of the third man, Desperado. This time, however, there are no signs of a speedy comeback. From out of the small hole torn in the side of Santo's mask comes an all too familiar sight, a small crimson trickle. The trickle soon leads to a stream, flowing down the side of his mask and dripping effortlessly onto the canvas, while Santo lies none the wiser to the blood pouring out of the side of his head. Hughes, however, simply raises the bat in victory, the cocky smile returning to his over confident face.
:"Big" Al Mulligan: Now that is a guy that somebody can rally behind. Look at the Batman, he looks like a winner!
:Colin "Fuzz" Jennings: He looks like a blooming maniac, thats what! Who knows what kind of long term damage a shot like that could have done to Santo Masceras.
:"Big" Al Mulligan: Would it matter? He's not going to win Nexus at least, so I'm happy![/i]
Ryan's victory celebration continues, as unbeknown to the confident Batmanaite, the only unnacounted for competitor left in the match had begun his road to recovery. SLinking in the shadows, the Assassin strikes with all the precision of a python. Dominik Santiago pushes Hughes forward into the ropes. The Batman drops his trademark bat once more out of sheer surprise, and is more surprised when the lethal log bounds into the cage and carrers back at him, catching him in the forehead with a pile of thumbtacks, sticking the bat to Hughe's head. Dominik wastes little time in putting an exclamation mark on his re-entry into the match, wrapping his arm around Ryan's head and dropping him to the canvas with a vicious Neckbreaker. The force of the move is such that the once lethal bat soars into the air, landing plum in Santiago's hands.
The Assassin smiles with a mixture of his achievement and the ideas forming in his head as to what to do next. He raises the bat, looking to give the Batmanite a taste of his own medicine, but then, in a surprising twist, he turns to face the cage. With a grunt as he does so, Dominik Santiago tosses the baseball bat high into the air, watching in satisfaction as it soars up and over the cage wall. The modified bat then proceeds to plummet down, down, all the way down to the floor, three stages below. Santiago dusts off his hands, the smile still on his twisted face, knowing that he had removed Ryan's equaliser in the match.
:"Big" Al Mulligan: What the? Ryan's bat! He just threw away Ryan's bat, I thought that the Batman was going to get a taste of his own medicine for sure!
:Colin "Fuzz" Jennings: Thats what you would expect though. Nexux has a way of throwing some curveballs at you. Now Santiago has evened up the odds a little, and unless Ryan Hughes wants to jump down after it, that bat is gone!
Around the arena, the perplexed crowd chime in their differing throught as to the actions of the Assassin, as all eyes are trained on the ring to watch what happens next.
TBC
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Post by Dominik Santiago on May 29, 2010 11:25:46 GMT -5
After taking a brief moment to convalesce, The Assassin plods heavily toward Desperado who slithers into the nearest corner looking to recoup. Hoping to prevent Dominik from thwarting his efforts, Despy leans up and buries his fist into the Assassin’s gut, eliciting an agony induced shriek from the Californian. What seemed to be a yelp of pain turns out in actuality to be the bellow of the beast, as the reinvigorated Assassin retaliates with a stiff left, right combination that befuddles his adversary. Using his momentum, Dominik quickly grapples the former Imperial Champion by the head before slugging Desperado with a European Uppercut that sees his forearm violently clash against the New Yorker’s chin. With his back against the wall, Desperado resorts to cowardice, quickly and maliciously driving his finger into Santiago’s nearest eye; impairing his vision and successfully stifling his offense. Having created a window of opportunity, the Stone Orchard alumni quickly grasps Santiago's nearest arm before maneuvering out of the corner, whilst launching the Californian across the ring.
The Assassin races straight for the corner that houses a helpless Santo Masceras. With Desperado hot in pursuit, Santiago leaves his feet, jumping onto the body of the Mexican Saint while simultaneously wrapping his arms around his head and plunging his feet into his hip. Reclining backward, Dominik drags Santo out of the corner, concurrently extending his legs and propelling Santo into the air. While airborne, the Saint deftly wraps his feet around the head of the stationary Desperado, before falling back and coercing him into a forward somersault.
Colin Jennings: “What an exchange there which ends in a brilliant Hurricanrana from Santo! And listen to the Saint’s congregation! They’re rallying behind him!” Big Al: “These people have been mislead, and misguided! Disillusioned souls heading straight for dismay, just like their false prophet, Santo"
With the crowd giving impetus to his new adrenaline rush, Masceras climbs to his feet, quickly grabbing the nearby steel chair before turning his attention to the Batman who sits dormant in the adjacent corner. Ostentatiously and menacingly, Santo waves the chair around before sprinting straight at his foe. Leaping forward, Masceras brings his knees inward, strategically placing the chair under his feet before making the full extension at the eleventh hour. The chair violently collides with the crimson mask of the wounded Englishman; the crowd is sent into a frenzy as the Surfboard Dropkick incapacitates the Batman. Begging to be put out of his misery, Ryan Hughes gradually rolls out of the corner before sprawling mere feet away from the corner. Aggressive and urgent, Santo quickly grabs the chair before placing it across the chest of the quiescent Englishman. With his back turned to his antagonist, the pugnacious Santo slowly scales the top turnbuckle. Reaching the top of the proverbial mountain, Masceras gazes into the crowd, using their energy to boost his confidence. Clenching his eyes shut, Santo adjusts his mask before falling down, and splitting his legs on the ropes. The Mexican Saint exploits the elasticity of the cables to catapult himself backward. As he descends on his prone opponent, Santo artfully contorts his body in a corkscrew degree motion. Just when it seemed that eradication was imminent, and that all hope had dwindled, Ryan Hughes lifts the chair up before placing it under his bent knees, causing Santo to crash down into the unforgiving steel.
Wincing in agony, Masceras staggers to his feet, completely conquerable and susceptible to a submission. The apex predator skulking behind him wastes no time in striking; as the predacious Dominik Santiago horizontally leaps across Santo’s back before executing an arm scissor with his nearest leg, giving him all the leverage he needs to further torment the Mexican Saint. With Masceras’ upper-body compromised, Dominik swings his free leg and spitefully wraps it around Santo’s neck. Passing one hand through the headscissors and the other under, Santiago clasps them together. Restricting the air to Masceras’ lungs, The Assassin falls backward to the canvas, completing his malignant choke, and springboarding Santo onto the precipice of defeat.
"Lights, camera, action Santo. Enjoy your... 15 SECONDS OF FAME!" "There's no lack of malevolence either. How can Santo survive this stranglehold?" He can't. He'll either pass out or tap out!
Having slightly recovered and recuperated from his beating throughout the night, Ryan Hughes regains a vertical base. However before he can exert his dominance once more, he is bereaved of the opportunity, as Desperado quickly advances toward him. Out of desperation, Hughes thrusts his fist forward. As Ryan’s arm protrudes, Desperado suddenly parries and counters, capturing the Batman’s arm before falling supinely to the canvas. As he drags Ryan forward, the despiteful Desperado vindictively encircles his legs around Hughes’ neck and constricts. Completely distraught, Ryan Hughes frantically slaps his feet against the canvas, desperately searching for a means for escaping; but to no avail. Despy strenuously squeezes, continuing to cut off the Englishman’s air supply. And with every passing second that Ryan remains a captive in the vicious chokehold, the more his body becomes inanimate, and the quicker he begins to fade.
"Triangle Choke! Hughes walked straight into that one! And now we've got double the submissions, and double the chokes!" "And of course you would know all about choking anyway Colin! I mean, considering the long bathroom breaks you take during intermissions!" "Har-har! How about you focus on this match Al, and not how long I work in the restroom! Do you hear those chants? "DOUBLE TAP!" "DOUBLE TAP"!" "I could care less about this so called audience. This being the same crowd that turned on us a mere year ago. They don't deserve this treat, this treat that is NeXus. If I'm the champion, I'm winning this for me, not a bunch of fickle fans!"
Immersed in anguish, Hughes digs deep; mustering what could be his last bit of strength and energy for his ordeal. In spite of his affliction, The Batman begins to rise, simultaneously lifting a bewildered Desperado off the canvas. With his knees buckling, seemingly about to give way, Hughes takes a giant step forward before collapsing, whilst thrusting Despy downward and slamming him across the bodies of Santo and Santiago. The roof of the arena is almost blown off by the vociferous chants of “GHW,” as Ryan Hughes escapes his plight and potential demise while also having destroyed his opposition.
Thanks to the Powerbomb, all four tormented souls lay writhing in pain and bleeding profusely. The spectators fully get behind their superstars, attempting to help them summon enough energy to stand and fight once again. Only three of them answer the call as Ryan Hughes, Desperado and Dominik Santiago regain their bearings. Hyperventilating fans and unanswered prayers are what are left as Santo’s body remains inert; seemingly finished after Santiago’s pernicious submission, and the devastating turn of events. The three truculent slaves of the devil’s playground begin to ponder. Their strategizing quickly ceases however, as the deadly Desperado strikes, penetrating Ryan’s defenses with a stiff knee to the gut. As Dominik moves in to capitalize, Despy forces him to swallow his pride, clocking the former New Age Champion with one of his patent, lethal uppercuts. Santiago’s head awkwardly snaps back from the detrimental slobber knocker of a shot, while the rest of his body quakes tremendously, intimating that the smug challenger was begging to be put out of his misery. Despy granted his wish, as he delivered a mighty clothesline that sent the Assassin down rather emphatically.
Turning, Despy was greeted with a stiff boot to the midsection which forced him to double over. Ever the opportunist, The Batman double underhooked Despy’s arms, setting up only one of the most deadly moves in sports entertainment. Stamping his feet on the canvas, Ryan initiated his finisher, only unfortunately for him, he lit the spark in Desperado. The former Imperial Champion suddenly spun himself, circumventing, and deftly maneuvering out of the transition hold, ending up facing his groggy, disoriented foe. In a position of dominance, the venomous viper brandished his fangs and lunged forward, grappling Ryan’s head and simultaneously turning his body. Before Desperado could successfully execute the DKO, Hughes evades the attack, sliding his head free before quickly wrapping his right arm around Desperado’s neck. The former World Champion drags Despy to the mat, quickly wrapping his legs around the New Yorker’s abdomen and compressing. The Chief Batmanite could feel Desperado declining, and as he applied more pressure, he felt himself closing in on the victory.
But his world suddenly imploded, as Santo Masceras pulled himself up on the ropes. Looking back to survey the situation, Santo suddenly lifted himself up onto the second rope, before leaping backward, flipping in mid-air and crashing down upon Desperado with all his weight. Though he risked his own well-being to dehabilitate his opponents, Masceras successfully broke up the submission hold, leaving all four gladiators once again sprawled on the canvas.
"Lionsault! Santo came out of nowhere! Who is this man Al?" "One sunuvabitch who doesn't know when to roll over and die! He loves pandering to these parasites!" "Without these fans Al, we wouldn't be here right now calling this fine contest! And what's the point of victory if you have no supporters to share it with!" "Share? Do these superstars share the heartbreak, the pain, or the suffering! No they do not! You are ignorant, and Santo is ignorant. This is why you will never step in between those ropes, and this is why Santo will never be New Age Champion!"
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