Dragon's Dungeon: MD vs. Hughes

[Metal Dragon]

As a video package for tonight's main event finishes, the devilish structure known as the Dragon's Dungeon has begun lowering itself down from the roof. The lights in the arena go out, and the big screen turns on once again, showing Metal Dragon sitting backstage, clad in his normal ring attire of long black tights and black boots. Tossing aside an empty water bottle, he begins to speak.

MD: "So this is what it comes to, Ryan... History just has to repeat itself. I've beaten you every time you've reared your head in my way, and god complex or not, nothing changes tonight. We're doing this because we have conflicting interests, interests that simply cannot co-exist, and now I'm going to have to put you on the shelf to do what's best for GHW, for EVPW, and for wrestling as a whole. The warpath's first stop is tonight."

The camera feed returns to the ring area while Dragon begins walking to the entranceway, the bell tolling three times as Charlie Coors stands next to the announcers' desk with a microphone and a cue card.

Coors: "The following is the first main event of the evening, and it is a Dragon's Dungeon Match! The diagonal walls of the cage are rigged with explosives, and the only way to emerge victorious in this contest is for your opponent to be unable to answer a 10-count with any visible or audible response!"

The cheering of the audience turns to a mixed reaction as soon as "Bleed" by Meshuggah begins playing over the PA system, accompanying MD's usual video montage on the tron. MD comes into view and stops at the top of the ramp for a moment, surveying the environment that he created. Various weapons litter the ringside area, the proverbial wasteland outside of the dungeon.

Fuzz: "This match is going to be brutal and hard to watch for a lot of people, but I'm glad that I get to call it. Two huge stars giving their all is always a privilege in this business to commentate, Al."

Al: "Yeah, and you'll be singing a different tune after it's over. The loser and possibly the winner will both be in the hospital later tonight. Inside the ring, there's steel and C4 to maim both combatants, and there's no shelter outside of it given all the weapons that you see strewn everywhere. This match was made to make a big statement, which is why Metal Dragon hasn't pulled this card in two years."

The Man of Golden Words begins walking down the ramp, watching the dungeon finish its journey to meeting the ring itself, processing everything necessary to fathom what he has gotten himself into tonight.

"Introducing first, from Nashville, Tennessee, weighing in at 220 pounds, the innovator of the Dragon's Dungeon... Metal Dragon!"

"I see a focus in MD's eyes tonight, as I'm sure I will see in those of Ryan Hughes. Both guys in this match have been involved in inhumane contests, the NeXuS Deathmatch, Hardcore Heaven, H-Games, and the Asylum Cage just to name a few. Brutality on this level is nothing new to them... HOWEVER, I'm sure it still takes a bit of stomaching each time a Fighty fighty person prepares for it."

"It's like waiting to go to the electric chair, Colin."

Stepping over various weapons and climbing into the ring through one of the four open doors in the structure, MD quickly gets up and looks around in the cage. Seeing the tripwires in the diagonal edges of the structure sends a chill through his spine, feeling like a mad scientist who created a monster. "Bleed" fades out as Dragon stands solemnly in the center of the ring, waiting for the Mancunian Mastodon to enter the fray.

TBC Ryan

[Ryan Hughes]

Dragon looks around his creation once more as the seconds tick away; he knows that this is as much a danger to himself as it is to Ryan, but hey – it's for the greater good in his eyes. As The Man of Golden Words continues to survey the sick structure he devised, the camera feed switches once more to the backstage area. The shot is of the Mancunian Mastodon himself sat on a crate, obviously left by techies while they produce this spectacle of a show. A call from afar is heard, shouting “Ryan, you're up”. Three words that quite frankly tightened the knot in the Englishman's stomach. With a weak nod, the former New Age Champion begins to walk slowly towards the curtain, which isn't very far from where he is right now. Before he can get further than a few steps, he is stopped by a hand on his shoulder - the hand of Chip Diddy. Both he and El Nacho Grande wanted to say their peace, before allowing their mentor and friend to fight the good fight.

“'Ey mang, we know you gotta go out there now, but we just wanted to say it. Good luck brah.”

“We won't think any less of ju if ju leave tonight as the loser. Do what ju gotta do, holmes.”

And with that, the two former members of The Corps give Ryan a crunching hug, before retreating to join the growing mass of production staff and Fighty fighty persons who are watching the match on the television screen which was erected especially for this. As Hughes walks, head bowed, he receives an applause from the people of GHW, each one of them letting him know how great he is for accepting this satanic match type. After what seems like forever, Ryan makes his way through a darkened tunnel, before reaching the curtain.

“Well this is one emotional match, for the entire GHW locker room, it seems. And you can understand why. Ryan Hughes, like him or loathe him, could be considered one of the faces of this company. He is fighting for our right to be the top wrestling company in this state, hell, even this region.”

“But on the same note, these people aren't treating Metal Dragon like some sort of anti-Christ. They know and appreciate everything this guy has done for Glory and Honor. For everyone here, this is just a clash of the titans. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“And the opponent...”

Coors' brief announcement is followed by the beginning of Metallica's “Unforgiven” which plays through the PA system, signalling the long awaited arrival of the Chief Batmanite, and the man who is about to walk right in to hell with open arms. The fans begin to cheer the Mancunian, but not like the half hearted ones of the past, no. The decibel level reaches a massive peak as the GHW faithful give as much respect as possible to the Mancunian. Ryan pushes the last of the curtain cloth which clings to his shoulders, and stares straight ahead, wanting to get right in to this epic encounter. Hughes slowly walks to the ring decked out in sky blue trunks and his “Vintage Batmanite” t-shirt, simply staring straight ahead of the structure which awaits his presence.

New blood joins this earth, and quickly he's subdued
Through constant pained disgrace, the young boy learns their rules
With time the child draws in, this whipping boy done wrong
Deprived of all his thoughts, the young man struggles on and on he's known

If ever there was a time to coin the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words”, this was it. The usual look of cockiness was replaced by an almost fearful look on the face of Ryan Hughes. No one can blame him for it though, because this match is enough to make Chuck Norris shit himself. Beside the dungeon, Charlie Coors adjusts himself, before clearing his throat and wiping the sweat from his brow. Lifting the mic up, Coors announces Hughes' arrival.

"Hailing from Manchester, England, standing at 6'5 and weighing in at 251lbs, he is the 2010 NeXuS Deathmatch winner... Ryan Hughes!"

A vow unto his own
That never from this day
His will they'll take away-eay

“As said, Ryan Hughes is the winner of the 2010 NeXuS Deathmatch, but quite frankly, this is a whole more demonic kettle of fish. His body could literally be tenderised by the amount of C4 in that structure.”

“Exactly. Last time I checked, this was Boston, not Helmand Province. I am ashamed to say that I expect someone's career to end tonight.”

What I've felt, what I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never be, never see
Won't see what might have been
What I've felt, what I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never free, never me
So I dub thee unforgiven

He continues his slow walk to the to the dungeon, scanning the area whilst trying to conjure up some sort of match strategy in his head. He doesn't bat the hands of fans away, he simply embraces the fact that the fans are on the side of the Mancunian Mastodon. Simply staring forward, he makes his way up the steel steps; the sound of clunking metal rings around the surrounding area as he ascends to the hellacious creation of his nemesis. He steps through the cage door, before looking up to the heavens in a vain attempt of repentance to God. After the the man in the zebra stripes finishes going over the safety regulations of this match, Hughes nods in understanding as does Metal Dragon. The referee steps out of the cage, obviously planning on making the count outside, where it's safer. “Unforgiven” dies down, but the noise doesn't as the fans cheer wildly in anticipation of this, the first of two main events tonight. The bell rings thrice, but to Ryan, it merely seems like the bells of the town hall ringing before his execution.


TBC Metallica Dragonite.

[Metal Dragon]

The larger man in the match tries to move in to instigate the action, but MD shuffles to the side in evasion. A few brief seconds of this cat-and-mouse game results in a swift kick to Ryan's shin from the middleweight, eliciting a flinch from its victim. Dragon follows up by lifting his right leg and kicking forward, but Hughes catches the foot. MD's other leg swings up in an Enzuigiri attempt, but Ryan ducks before dropping down to the mat with the leg still in his grasp. Now with Dragon's back exposed and both men on the mat, Ryan crawls forward. Wrapping his arms around Dragon's waist, the Batman gets up, pulling his opponent up with him before immediately slamming him back down onto the canvas. Hughes attains a vertical base and wastes no time in walking around MD, then dropping a knee on the Tennessean's head. Ryan walks away to exit the ring, stepping through the ropes and cage door while his adversary begins getting up, both men now with weapons on their minds. Hughes looks through the medley of objects littered around the ring, finally settling on a small metal desk lamp with a flexible neck. Seeing that MD is pursuing him, Ryan places the lamp on the ring apron and climbs onto the edge of the ring. The two foes meet on opposite ends of the ring ropes and dungeon structure, the Man of Golden Words quickly loading up and delivering a punch to Ryan's forehead. The Mancunian Masher grabs onto the ropes to keep himself from falling, then quickly responds with a jab. Metal Dragon is not knocked back by the blow, but dazed long enough for Ryan to pull him in and connect with a headbutt. The second strike from the Briton knocks his American foe backward, buying Ryan the time to grab the lamp and enter the dungeon once again. Hughes waits for the wobbling 220-pounder to look him in the eyes, then lifts the desk lamp overhead and smacks the Metallic One right between the eyes. MD falls to the mat, but quickly gets up. All that results from the quick recovery is another shot from the lamp, this one hitting him in the scalp. The Tennessean Technician drops to his knees, then falls forward to the mat. The referee stands on the other side of the ring, waiting for a cue to count, but never starts due to MD's constant stirring. Hughes turns around and ejects the lamp from his hands, sending the light source flying out of the Dragon's Dungeon until it hits the crowd barricade to rest on the outside of the ring once more.

Fuzz: "Well, it looks like Metal Dragon is already no longer the boss of his own playground! Ryan gave him an early hurting with that lamp!"

Al: "Like you said, it was an early hurting. Matches with two tough customers like these have many momentum changes. It just so happens that Ryan scored the first point."

The Chief Batmanite grasps his foe by the hair and tights, pulling him up while his eyes cast devious stares in the direction of one of the explosive walls. Once Dragon is on his own two feet, Hughes grabs his arm and steps sideways, lining up the Southern Suplexer on a one-stop crash course into the cage. Ryan plants his feet and pulls back, propelling MD across the innards of the Dragon's Dungeon. Knowing exactly what fate might be about to befall him, the former King of Deathmatches manages to decelerate himself, stopping a handful of feet away from the exploding wall of the structure. MD then instinctively turns around, correctly predicting Ryan to be charging with a full head of steam. Dragon steps forward and then leaves his feet, kicking both legs out to strike low with a Dropkick to Hughes' knee. Ryan lets out a gasp of pain while he plants face-first onto the canvas, the Tennessean rolling away and getting up to take a breather after his brush with death.

"What a move by Metal Dragon to save himself from the explosives!"

"Hughes was rushing like a freight train right there, and that low Dropkick derailed him! That's a veteran move."

MD shoots a glance at the wall that he just avoided smashing into, deciding to take a shot at the early boom himself. Ryan has gotten up to one knee, holding the other one in pain due to the move that just transpired. Metal Dragon pulls Hughes backwards and up to a vertical base, not letting go of the Limey's hair once both men are up. The Bipolar Briton is pushed forward briefly, but he throws an elbow back, connecting the joint with MD's ribs. The Man of Golden Words flinches and lets go, immediately receiving a rising forearm to the chin that knocks him to the mat. Dragon recovers quickly from the European Uppercut, but Hughes has already stepped forward and stretched an arm out, intending on a Clothesline. The quick reflexes of MD prevail, however, and he slips behind Ryan. The smaller Fighty fighty person wraps his arms around the waist of the bigger one, then pulls back to attempt a German Suplex. However, the Mancunian Mastodon stays on the mat, instead twisting one of MD's arms and spinning out of the predicament. Ryan only controls his adversary for a moment, though, as Dragon rolls forward, then moves in and throws the 241-pound NeXuS Champion over his shoulder. Ryan Hughes lands on his back as the Metallic One quickly scrambles out of the ring, going to the outside to peruse the plethora of weapons available for use. A trash can rests beside the 2008 H-Games winner. Dragon grabs the trash can's lid and grips it with a hand on each side, looking up to see a recovered Ryan standing in the ring and staring him down. Hughes breathes deeply and charges at full speed, diving through the ropes like a 6'5" missile to escape the Dungeon and attack his opponent. MD holds the trash can lid in front of himself, and it quickly is introduced to Ryan's cranium. As the clang of aluminum is heard, both men crash down on the outside of the ring.

"SUICIDE DIVE! Both men are down!"

"The move succeeded in taking out Metal Dragon, but Ryan's head got a good dose of that trash can lid! It'll be hard to tell who's more hurt from that!"

Metal Dragon lies slumped against the crowd barricade while Ryan is sprawled out on the padded concrete floor. The referee peers over the ring ropes, seeing no motion from either combatant, and begins his first count of the night.

One!

Two!

Three!

Ryan: "Marco."

MD: "...Polo. Fucking Polo."

Those words break the count as the fans close enough to hear the dialogue elicit an audible chuckle. Dragon turns over, then reaches up to pull himself to a vertical base on the railing. MD grabs Hughes' hair and pulls him up to a sitting position, seeing a cut that has opened on the Manchester native's forehead. The Metallic One bends his free arm and drives an elbow into the cut, busting it open wider and knocking Ryan back to a lying position. The Batman is once again pulled up to a seated position, then receives a vicious punch to the forehead that knocks him back down just as quickly. After sniffing the blood that now smears his knuckles, the nefarious Metal Dragon reaches under the ring apron and begins pulling a ladder from its underbelly. While Ryan recovers, Dragon begins the process of sliding the ladder into the door of the dungeon structure, bridging it between the cage and the crowd railing.

"He's got plans for that ladder, Colin, and none of them are good!"

Once MD is done with the ladder, Ryan has made it up to his feet. The groggy VWE alum watches his opponent climb onto the horizontally-positioned ladder and intertwine his fingers into one collective fist. Dragon jumps off of the metal bridge with a Double Axe Handle raised high only for Ryan to snap back to reality and deliver a swift chop to his chest. The crowd cheers as Dragon flops back-first onto the floor, then is immediately picked up and scooped up between the legs. Ryan Hughes drapes MD over the ladder, most of his body hanging off of it as he lies perpendicularly on the metal weapon. The Chief Batmanite climbs onto the apron, then shuffles along it while gripping the non-explosive cage wall that is inches away. Finally standing on the ladder, Hughes jumps in the direction of MD's head and sits down. The Briton's calf lands across his Tennessean opponent's throat, flipping Metal Dragon backwards before both men end up on the arena floor once again.

"Guillotine Leg Drop by Ryan Hughes! These two are beating each other to a pulp already, and with all four cage walls still yet to explode, the carnage possible here is unlimited!"

"Hughes really turned the match back in his favor with that. Will it be enough for the 10 count? Of course not, but it's a very good stepping stone to dealing the proper amount of damage to finish the job and walk out of here the victor. Hell, walking out of here is another victory in itself."

Ryan throws the lower body of the motionless Man of Golden Words off of himself, then slowly begins getting up. Once he is able to attain a standing position, Hughes slides the ladder all the way into the ring. The Mancunian then climbs onto the apron and steps back into the confines of the Dragon's Dungeon, picking up the ladder and laying it down in the center of the steel hell. The referee raises his arms to begin counting, but is stopped when he sees MD roll onto his stomach. Ryan walks into the doorway of the octagonal cage, peering over the ropes at his recovering foe, and raises an arm to play to the crowd. The spectators cheer, their fanfare transitioning into a "Batman" chant after a few moments. Dragon gets to all fours, then begins pulling on the ring apron to assist in getting up. Once he has his feet under him, the former Dragon's Rage Champ grabs the middle rope and climbs onto the apron. Ryan immediately swings at his smaller opponent, but Dragon ducks. The Orchard Stoner then jumps, grabbing the top of the Englishman's head with both hands as he drops down to the floor. Ryan's throat is pressed against the top rope and then suddenly sprung off of it, knocking him back to where his upper body lands on the very ladder that he brought into the ring. Metal Dragon stumbles for a brief second, then retrieves the trash can from which he removed the lid earlier. MD holds the can high as he walks around the ring to a different doorway, then the Tennessean Technician tosses the trash can over the ropes and into the dungeon itself. Dragon slides into the ring, then kicks the trash can aside in favor of continuing his bare-handed offense first.

Dragon pulls Ryan Hughes up only to receive a quick jab to the ribs. The Batman kicks his opponent in the stomach, doubling over the Whiskey-Drinking Womanizer. Ryan then runs past MD, turns around, and runs toward him again before leaping. Hughes sits down in mid-air while grabbing the back of the Nashvillian's head, bringing him along for the ride. Dragon's face is smashed into the ladder courtesy of the Bulldog while Ryan lands safely on the canvas. Resting for a moment, Ryan allows the referee to do the obligatory count.

One!

"What a move by Ryan Hughes there! Both of these guys have been battered quite a bit, so these two Fighty fighty persons might have their sights set on causing some fireworks now."

"I think Dragon might be busted open now, Fuzz."

Two!

Three!

Indeed, Metal Dragon is busted open, showing that fact off as he wipes the blood from his forehead to break the referee's count. Ryan gets up and pulls the ladder out from under MD's head, putting it through one of the cage's open doors to discard it from the match. The Chief Batmanite points at one of the diagonal walls of the Dragon's Dungeon, prompting thunderous applause from the crowd before he bends down to pull his opponent up. Hughes grabs the arm of the Metallic One and pulls back, intent on an Irish Whip with a C4-laden steel wall as the destination, but Dragon twirls around to put a halt to those plans. MD grabs Ryan's left arm and deftly ducks under it, emerging behind his opponent while retaining control of the arm. Hughes now has his own arm bent behind his back, holding him in place while Metal Dragon wraps an arm around his abdomen. MD then plants his feet and explodes backwards, throwing Ryan back with him. The Mancunian lands on his neck and shoulders, then flops over onto his belly. The Man of Golden Words pounds the mat as he gets up, then walks over to the trash can that he placed inside the ring and grabs it. After he makes his way back over to Ryan, who has now rolled over once again, he drops to one knee. Metal Dragon places the trash can on the canvas, then pulls Ryan up to a sitting position. Picking the trash can up, he slides it over the Briton's head, aluminum engulfing Ryan's body from the diaphragm up. Grabbing one of Hughes' arms along with the trash can to pull his fellow former New Age Champion up, MD grips Ryan's wrist tightly with one hand while putting his other hand on Ryan's back. The Southern Suplexer propels Hughes toward the cage, and he blindly runs into the explosive-ridden wall that stands somewhat near to them.

BOOM!

The scene of Ryan charging at the wall with a trash can covering his upper body is comical until the explosion goes off. Ryan Hughes is obviously grounded by the blast, but MD feels some effects of it as well. Both men have been knocked to the canvas as the crowd begins a "G-H-Dub!" chant.

"And there's the first bomb! There are three left in the Dragon's Dungeon, and I won't be surprised at all if not all of them are needed!"

"I won't be surprised if the match is over already."

The referee wastes little time in beginning his count, barely audible over the still-raucous GHW crowd.

One!

TBC Ryan