NeXuS VI - FINAL ROUND

[Public Enemies]

ROUND 3 RULES:
- These top four will then fight over roughly the third week. The winner of this round will be last entrant standing and will be crowned 2012 NeXuS Champion, and Number One Contender for the Glory and Honor Wrestling Championship.
- Submissions only.

AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR

Desperado
Hayden HardKore
Shawn Dreamer
Vex

DUE DATE: JULY 4th, 2012 at 7pm EST roughly

[Vladimir T. Strife]

As Vex descends the interior wall of the final cage, he cautiously plants his feet upon the turnbuckle. Pad after pad, he lowers himself into the squared circle as fast as his barbed wire ravaged body will allow him. Slinking against them to recuperate, the enigmatic rookie looks about the ring at the three men who punched their tickets to the grand finale before him. The enormous wealth of experience shared between the three leaves the newcomer a bit intimidated, particularly in the face of Desperado and Hayden's expertise on this very stage. Accepting that there is no turning back now, the Black and White Warrior steps out of his corner and raises his hands before him, fingertips drawn together like the leaves of an unbloomed lotus flower, and takes a deep breath to ready himself for the final round of brutality.

Shawn opts to test his mettle, stepping in towards Vex with hands open before him, challenging the fresh meat to a test of strength. The Godking's protege displays his own palms, wiggling his fingers as he gradually brings them in closer towards the Hardcore Prince's. Just as they are about to meet, however, the Taoist draws his hands back almost half a foot, as though he is uncertain of the decision. He moves in again, Dreamer still looking to engage him in the classic measuring of power. Their fingertips faintly brush this time, the Shrouded Superstar again retreating at the last second. His elder becomes annoyed with this, a scowl beginning to develop across his features. With one tremendous step, the Technical Extremist closes the distance between them, quickly lacing his digits with the hesitant Vex's at last. A readied boot shoots up and catches him between the thighs, Mr. Monochromatic proving to have been simply goading him with the antics. The Floridian drops to his knees in agony from the cheap shot, doubling over while his attacker circles around him. The rookie reaches in over Shawn's shoulders, clasping his hands together before his chin. He draws him back, planting his knee between the shoulders of the Prince and stretching his neck, looking to bring his odds up to 1/3 as quickly as he can.

"Aw, come on. Was that kind of a low blow really necessary?"
"Maybe not, but it was certainly effective."
"It's not a tactic I'd usually endorse, but in this type of match, there's really no sacred cows. You do whatever it takes to win."

Across the ring, arguably the two greatest NeXuS stars to have never won the match square up, the veterans taking their time and scouting one another, leaving the crowd on the edge of their seats. Once they have closed in to within arm's reach, Desperado incites their legendary showdown, rocking the Jackass's skull with a hefty haymaker. Hayden, not big on the 'turn the other cheek' aspect of his faith, returns fire with a punch of his own, a pop ringing out from the impact to the Strife Slayer's chin. A rebuttal follows in kind from the Brooklyn native, looking to display his superiority as his knuckles distort the Kiwi's features. Staggering back from the response, the former Tri-champion abandons the nature of their trade with a heel aimed for Despy's gut. The arrogant Daniels is quick to block his attempt, however, seizing his foot with both hands and denying the attack. Having thought one step ahead, the Jackass kicks his posted leg up, darting a kick for the flank of his foe's cranium. The reflexes of the American are too sharp to be caught off guard by the Enziguiri tonight, ducking below the boot and narrowly evading it. Hardkore manages to prevent falling, planting his sole to the canvas for support. Desperado relinquishes the other, stepping in behind him and wrapping his arms around his abdomen. With no means of protest, the Down Under Denizen is ripped into the air, his larger opponent arching back and driving his shoulders into the mat. He maintains his grip, rolling over and finding a footing before pulling his prey back up to a standing again. Repeating his prior performance, James yanks Hayden up and back again, slamming his upper back down and forcing the wind from his lungs. Not yet content with the damage he's inflicted, the Revolutionist flips himself and the helpless Kiwi over another time and puts feet to ground for foundation. Dragging the Jackass up to his feet proves even more of a task this time around, his energy dwindling and the cruiserweight lacking the cognizance to support himself. As he bends back the final time, the Strife Slayer releases his catch, chucking the three time Undisputed champ against a cage wall forcefully. The suspended structure softly sways from the absorbed momentum, the unwilling battering ram that rattled it slipping down between the chain link fencing and the nylon ropes to an astounded audience's chorus.

"HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!"

"Absolutely brutal! Rolling German suplexes AND Despy just launched Hayden into the cage! This is why the NeXuS is the pinnacle of entertainment!"
"I'm pretty sure that moved the whole cage! What an impact!"
"And expect even more where that came from. I've gotten to know Desperado well over the year and if there's anything to remember about him, it's that when he sets his sights on something, he doesn't stop until he achieves it."

Desperado clamors back to a vertical stance, nearly unable to but unwilling to give anything but his everything. He finds the Hardcore Prince still trapped in the chinlock of the newcomer, having been stuck for a while but valiantly refusing to resign. Vex holds on just as stubbornly, understanding that no one can truly hold out forever. The New Yorker sneaks up behind the pair stealthily, taking carefully quiet steps as to not betray his intentions. Dreamer raises his hand slowly, it shaking with the pain that racks his body as he begins to entertain the idea of quitting, the notion causing his tormentor to find his strength again, latching on tightly as he seeks to seal the deal. His moment of glory is suddenly taken from him, a set of hands taking him by the shoulders. The Yin Yang Sensation is jerked back, a pair of patellas rising and pressing into the rear of his ribcage. The Strife Slayer hits the mat back first, the inertia of the impact being transferred into the shoulders and spine of the successor to the Titan he'd conquered. A portion of the force continues on as the Technical Extremist is stretched back and drawn into the carnage as well. While Shawn and Vex writhe on the canvas, Desperado pulls himself up with the help of the ring ropes, emerging from the pile as the only standing finalist for the moment.

"Desperado has, perhaps forebodingly, destroyed the competition."
"And in spectacular fashion. The Strife Slayer seems to be at the top of his game tonight."
"Well, it's his match to lose at the moment, but you can just never really tell what is going to happen with these kind of matches."

[x|SHAWN DREAMER|x]

Up on his feet, the Strife Slayer lets his eyes to roll around and scope the scenario around him; the entire elevated ring looks like a barren battlefield after a great war, with bodies sprawled here and there being completely lifeless. The image of the previous five Nexus deathmatches flashes inside the head of Desperado right away – he has been there before, but never could he make it till the end. The thought simply transpires a second wind of viciousness inside the mind of the Brooklyn Warrior, and he marches up to Vex with a new intent – that is, to take advantage over the partial unconscious state of the Monochromatic superstar. But then, before could he draw a step forward, he finds the Jackass to be stirring up to his heels, with the latter having his eyes locked onto the former. The rise of Hayden popped a new theory in the mind of James, and to put it onto effect, he takes down his stance and makes a charge at the New Zealander, trying to take down the experienced one out of the equation. But then, the Extremist from Down Under isn’t just ready to give in to the Deadly One; just as Desperado draws close to him, Hayden springs up to his heels and leaps up in the air, before hooking his arm around the neck of Daniels for a front facelock. Soon the Kiwi flies down with the aid of gravity, and he just takes Desperado’s skull along with him, smashing the five time Nexus finalist’s skull across the dusty canvas. The sudden move from Hayden sets James down and out on the ground, and the New Zealander takes complete advantage of it. He quickly springs up to his feet and grabs his adversary’s arm, before falling back onto the canvas and start to wince it. The crowd gives in a loud round of cheers at the sight of the submission hold being locked; the former New Age champion had locked in a simple, yet devious arm-bar – a lock that would give the Brooklyn native a hard time to pick and break through.

“That’s a picture perfect arm-bar right there from Hayden Hardkore. Bear in mind that Hayden had came short each time he stepped in for the Nexus Deathmatch, with once joining the party as Santo Mascaras.”

“I swear no one saw that coming, Matt. It seemed like he was a true lucha at heart, and was shocking when he revealed to be Hayden Hardkore – the legendary GHW star!”

“Hah, as if it’s the year of the Jackass; it’s about time Desperado wins this thing, and well, he just will!”

Meanwhile, on the other end of the ring, the Hardcore Prince is seen to pull himself up to full form with the aid of the ropes. Once regained his vertical base, Dreamer turns around to see the scenario around him and finds Vex to be stirring up to his heels as well. Learning his lesson the hard way last time, Shawn decides not to take a chance, and so he makes a charge at the chip of Strife, with his cross-hair locked upon the skull of the quadruped Yin-Yang grappler. Vex simply doesn’t see Dreamer come in like a freight train, and before he knows, he receives a hard shot of the shin from the Floridian, which simply slumps him back down to the ground. A unison scream of “OOOH!” escapes the lips of the attendants at the sight of the deadly punt kick, but the Jacksonville’s Pride doesn’t seem to heed out to it. He moves onto his mission further and walks up toward Hayden, getting the Kiwi to look at him being perplexed. Before the Jackass could make up his mind whether to move into Dreamer or continue with his hold, the Extreme Technician falls down to his knees and grabs onto a toe of his foe, gripping it tight. Like a fish hooked up by a prolific fisherman, Dreamer places his legs across the thigh of Hayden, and starts to twist his toe, replicating the hold applied on Desperado in an unorthodox fashion. With karma now biting around his ass, Hayden has no choice but to let go of Daniels and turns his focus to Dreamer, trying to brush off the Hardcore Prince before it’s too late – his Achilles heel rips away from the joints.

“I must say Dreamer used his head right there. It’s an old move from the mixed-martial arts’ book – the kneebar! I guess that came in right from the days when Shawn was in hiatus… he seemed to have taken a little training out there.”

“Whatever be it, it’s just matter of time before Desperado makes one tap out in the middle!”

Hayden tries to claw the grip of Dreamer, tries to use his free leg to kick around Dreamer, but nothing could get the persistent Floridian to get off his feet. Soon the Kiwi goes helpless in the middle, and he starts to bang his fist onto the ground around him, trying to subdue the pain that’s going up his veins. The kneebar might be unorthodox move for the Fighty fighty persons, but its effect… it’s just can put one to the point of breakage if not tapped. But then, before that moment comes in, the candle wick leading to Dreamer’s sure victory is extinguished; out of nowhere appears the Black and White superstar, and he drops onto the chest of Dreamer with a running elbow drop, dropping the bomb right over his heart.

TBC;

[Hayden]

Vex stares out around the arena through the eye holes in his mask. The well placed Elbow Drop the Dreamer’s heart gives him the opening he needs. He does not let go of the Hardcore Prince, hoisting him to his feet as he stands himself up. As a result, he has his opponent locked up the moment he reaches his feet. With a fling of the wrist, Vex escorts Shawn to the waiting turnbuckle. The cage walls rattle with the impact of Dreamer’s body and the crowd respond in turn, roaring approval as the match takes yet another turn. Strife’s protégé follows him in, splashing Dreamer against the turnbuckle before locking him up in a headlock once more.

Vex’s eyes twinkle through his mask as he eyes up the barbed cage wall. Grabbing Shawn’s head, Vex hurls the Hardcore Prince head first into the waiting steel. He does not let up, proceeding to wash Dreamer’s face over the barbed steel. The screams that erupt from Shawn Dreamer’s mouth serve to drown out those that escape from the mouth of the Jackass as he stands gingerly to his feet. Hayden, seeing Vex pre-occupied with his barbaric face-washing of Dreamer, decides to take advantage of the moment himself. He limps toward the back of Vex, favoring his left leg heavily. As he nears the Yin-Yang emblazoned warrior, Hayden picks the pace up. However, when he reaches the crucial moment, the knee that Dreamer had targeted earlier gives way, buckling under the strain of Hayden’s increased speed. Instead of bludgeoning Vex from behind, Hayden is reduced to a crumpled heap of groaning flesh, clutching at his injured knee. Not noticing the scene unfolding behind him, Vex continues with his work, releasing Dreamer’s face from the cage wall and tossing him nonchalantly to the ground.

”Vex has really turned the heat up, opening up a gash on Dreamer’s forehead with that vicious face wash across the cage wall.”

”And more to the point, Hayden’s knee seems in a bad way. That could be all she wrote for the Jackass. All it will take now is for one of his opponents to target his bad knee once more and the Kiwi will go down faster than a two-dollar hooker.”

”You have a way with words Matt. That was… poetic.”

”Do I detect a slight hint of sarcasm in your voice?”

Dreamer attempts to scramble away from the rampant Vex, but Vladimir’s student follows him across the ring. His eyes blaze through his mask as he nears Dreamer. He grabs him head on, and the men kneel shoulder to shoulder, butting horns like two rams charging at each other. Vex flips himself over into a bridge, grabbing Dreamer by the neck as he does so and locking in his patented Stretch of Symmetry. Shawn’s neck is craned to an inhuman angle, and his head is directed up into the sky from the move. This only serves to show off the agonized look on his face as Vex tightens the screws of his submission maneuver, awaiting an impending tap-out.

The cries of agony catch Hayden’s attention again. He flashes a glance over at the source of the noise. Putting aside his injured knee, Hayden stumbles to his feet. The Kiwi Battler staggers across the ring, picking up a Kendo Stick from the seemingly bottomless pit weapon-cache of a trashcan as he does so. Stick in hand, Hayden proceeds to wind up and unleash the power of bamboo across the bridged chest of the Yin-Yang Man. The sharp pang of Kendo Stick meeting flesh is met with a cry of surprise and pain from Vex, as a large red welt begins to form. In the surprise and pain, Vex releases the hold, saving Shawn Dreamer from his clutches once more. The lifeless Dreamer simply falls flat to the mat and does not move.

”Hayden just unleashed hell with that Kendo Stick!”

”Always account for the Jackass Matt. Vex learned that the hard way.”

”Perhaps Vladimir Strife brushed over that lesson? Then again, he knows now doesn’t he?”

Still holding the Kendo Stick in hand, Hayden dashes off toward the corner turnbuckle. With three steps, Hayden climbs the corner, till he is atop the mountain. Wasting no time, Hayden launches himself into the air and back into the ring. He executes a Moonsault, aiming at the exposed and welted chest of Vex. With a grimace on his face from his bad knee, Hayden nears his target. He rotates around to land feet first on Vex’s chest- a double footed stomp to the masked man’s lungs. Vex curls up into a ball and rolls onto his side to try and suck precious oxygen into his body. Hayden turns his attention to the only remaining member of the match.

The man himself, Desperado, had by now made his way to his feet and was eying up his long-time nemesis. The pair look set to lock horns in the center of the ring, until Desperado notices Hayden’s limp. His veteran instincts tell him to target the knee, and he does so with a targeted Dropkick that causes Hayden’s knee to buckle underneath him. Despy looks to capitalise on the move, but is caught with a wild swing from the Kendo Stick. The strike from Hayden’s knees takes him by surprise and he flinches slightly, enough to give the Kiwi Legend an opening. Hayden takes Desperado down with a Drop Toe Hold. As soon as Desperado hits the ground, Hayden pounces, injured knee and all. He straddles his opponent’s back and slips the Kendo stick up under Desperado’s neck. With the stick in place, Hayden wrenches back and applies a weapon-assisted Camel Clutch. Each wrench of the weapon brings more pressure to the move, the shock-waves of pain shooting across Desperado’s body. His tell-tale hand hovers in the air and everybody in the arena is fixed on it, looking for any sign of yielding from the five-time Nexus bridesmaid.

"Desperado has got to find a way out or this could be all she wrote!"

"Hayden has made friends with the Kendo Stick, and it might be the difference."

"He's carrying an injury to his knee, bruised and battered... But there's no quit in Hayden HardKore. If this does not work though, I'm not sure how long the injured Kiwi can hold on for. His time to strike is right now, and that is what he is doing."

Tbc

[Desperado]

His brow wept tears of sweat under the burden of the bamboo. Darkness began to sweep over his sight, plunging him in and out of perception. One moment he was drifting into an abyss of peace and the next moment he was back in the hell-hole; in agony, waiting for the day to end. His wind-pipe was over extended. His breath was shallow. With his hands trapped between the kangaroo’s legs, there was little to work with. The pressure of the moment was immense and difficult to deal with, despite the veteran level of expertise. One could never get used to being in life or death situation. He knew Hayden was a reformed man but he also knew what the burden of reaching and failing the nexus could do to a man. If he were in Hayden’s place, snapping a neck wouldn’t be far off his mind. With his neck threatening to snap and his breath losing hope, it was time to make a decision. For James, life was a gamble and it always had been. So far, he’d been lucky. Having escaped a childhood where death was always around the corner, he firmly believed in his luck. Fate had always been on his side; why would that change today? Calling the neck’s bluff, Hayden’s injured knee suddenly presented itself in Despy’s mind. The Yank didn’t think twice about it.

Although his arm had limited movement, with enough force behind, the NY Superstar managed to aggravate the knee that held him prisoner. Mr Hardkore immediately yelled out in pain and that moment of distraction was enough for the Nexus Specialist to heave out, using his free arm to push off the ground and level the Kiwi to it. Recuperation took a moment or two for both troupers but despite the gasping and suffering, they knew they were having the time of their lives. The rivalry between these two men was more than just winning and losing. It was about pushing each other to the limit. They had done it before and here they were doing it once again at the biggest and most brutal stages of all.

“These two are working their asses of here. I hope the crowd is appreciating it because I know I sure am.”

“They are the crowd favourites for a reason Fuzz. I know I would split my money between the two of them; although I am favouring Desperado as of right now.”

“Not a bad choice considering he is the most experienced in this setup. Let us not forget though. Both of these men failed at this stage on more than one occasion. To win this stage, you need a bit of genius. You need a bit of Matthew Oliveira.”

Meanwhile, Vex had gotten himself trapped beneath the mountain of experience that stood before him. He was fast, technical and skilful but the Shawn ‘Fucking’ Dreamer had seen it all before. Everything the Titan-in-the-making threw at Dreamer was seen through like a transparent wall. Vex threw a barrage of quick fists. A few connected but Shawn managed to put a good few in of his own; most of which connected. A follow-up sweep was unsuccessful and despite making it to his feet in quick time, he couldn’t duck beneath the clothesline that smack-banged him to the canvas. Shawn boasted a smile before dropping an elbow across the fallen warrior’s chest.

“Shawn is showing Vex up like he’s a rookie. I don’t think Vex has ever experienced a match that has lasted this long. It must be working its toll on him.”

“I think he’s doing well but Shawn is playing his veteran card like a boss here. It’s not just a physical battle anymore but a psychological one. He’s trying to break Vex apart mentally. This is what the final stage is all about. Who’s going to be the one that doesn’t crack to the pressure?”

“If we’re talking about mental strength, it would be hard to look past Hayden. I mean he’s working with an injured knee here and he’s still pretty sure he can win. That’s determination right there.”

Matt Oliveira couldn’t have spoken sooner for Hayden’s mental strength was just about to come into further question. Desperado was back on his feet much quicker than his foe but still required a moment to steady his degrading body. The glory hunter on the other hand couldn’t find a footing despite his crudest of efforts. Slamming his palms into the ground in anger, Hayden attempted to bring himself up and for a moment it seemed he might succeed this time, with his knee finally agreeing to support the leg but that deal was termination almost immediately as Desperado flew in with a dropkick to the knee, cancelling the contract in the process.

“This does not look good for Hayden at all.”

“You don’t say? He’s at Desperado’s mercy here.”

Daniels smirked at his opponent with those predatory eyes, like a panther would do at the site of an injured prey. With nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, the jackass was all but game for the slayer. Lifting the cane Hayden had so proudly used earlier on, the smirk on Desperado’s wicked face widened. The cage had awakened the beast within his heart. The evil being that loved to inflict pain to his victims before he swallowed them. There was no rush here. Everything was calm and steady, just as he liked it. He didn’t even bother looking over his shoulder; the screams of Vladimir’s protégé were playing in his ear like a symphony in the background. It was soothing but wasn’t hitting the sweet spot. For that, he would require Hayden to squeal like the bitch he was. The biggest legend in this industry they say; the man who has accomplished all. The only thing left in his career was this… the Nexus. He couldn’t have it. No, Despy wouldn’t allow. If Desperado couldn’t take it after five attempts, five glorious attempts, then Hayden did not deserve in just his third attempt. They say third times a charm. There was nothing charming about this match or this day. In fact, it might even be the worst day of Hayden’s life, if Desperado could have it his way.

With a malevolent stare and a snap of bamboo against bone, Desperado began his assault on his long-time rival. The agony on Hayden’s face was priceless. He screamed out, hoping for mercy but there was nothing to appeal to. Not the cold heart Desperado had brought with him today. Hayden couldn’t expect any either. He made an attempt to drag himself away from the Brooklyn Beast before him but his efforts were futile as Desperado brought the kendo stick down upon his knee once again, tormenting the kiwi. With both hands clutched around the swollen knee, Hayden attempted to protect it from further damage but it didn’t stop the despicable Daniels from continuing his appalling assault. The weapon struck against Hayden’s hard over and over, threatening to break every carpel within its structure, jeopardising the Jackasses short term career in his bid to save himself in the long run. It didn’t take long for his hands to become red and blue from the batter and bleeding it received at the hands of the deadly and dangerous one.

“That son-of-a-bitch has lost the plot. He has no intention of making Hayden submit any time soon. He has no intention of breaking Hayden down mentally. He wants to leave him in a physical state where he is unable to hold a threat to anybody in this match.”

“Without hands and legs to support him, there is little Hayden can do. I would say it’s a brilliant strategy despite it seeming so inhumane and evil.”

“Desperado is willing to do anything to win out here and many others would do the same in his position.”

Satisfied with his beating, Desperado dropped the weapon and went in for the kill. Hayden rolled around onto his stomach and attempted to use his elbows and injured hands to writher away from what was awaiting for him but the predator was too quick, clasping down on Hayden’s injured knee. Once in his grasp, Brooklyn’s finest draped the knee over his own neck before applying force to the joint, executing an Argentine leg-lock. The former KotDM champion and third time nexus finalist seizure in anguish as the knee was brought under immense stress. It was torture and Hayden had all but given up. That was until the very kendo stick both men had previously used was again brought into the equation, this time in the hands of Vex. The young rookie had managed to work his way out of Shawn’s ankle lock and taken the veteran down. With the opportunity presented to him, there was no way he was passing up on it. The cane crashed into the Yank’s cranium, crushing any hope of eliminating Hayden, forcing the favourite to pass out immediately.

“It’s lights out for Despy. I don’t believe it. Vex struck him so hard, I think he’s got a concussion. This match might be over for Despy this very moment.”

“For once I might have to agree with you. He’s completely lifeless. It’s a lifeline for Hayden and makes this a whole lot easier for Shawn and Vex to take this. I can smell an upset. What do you think Matt?”

“I still wouldn’t count either of them out. They’re not known as legends for nothing. It’s still an open field until one of these men is eliminated. You know what they say, it’s not over till its over.”

(OOC: Didn't mean to write so much. Was planning to keep it equal in terms of length but carried away in the end. Was struggling at first but it just wrote itself once I reached halfway.)

[Public Enemies]

AND THE RESULTS ARE IN!


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RIGHT AFTER THIS COMMERCIAL BREAK!