...DUCKED! Johnson catches Maddix under the arm and grabs the shorts, checking his position before with the faintest hint of a smile he pops the hips...
*CLUNK!*
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
...AND WRAPS LANDON AROUND THE RINGPOST, SPINE-FIRST, WITH AN EXPLODER SUPLEX!!!!!
"Oh God!" groans Francis.
"That's the big move! That's the big move Johnson was looking for!" erupts King beside him, showing much less compassion than his co-commentator. "Hell, that might even be a 7 count winning move right there!"
"HOLY SHIT!"
"HOLY SHIT!"
"HOLY SHIT!"
"HOLY SHIT!"
Megan is in near-hysterics across the other side of the ring, hardly able to look as her man lies motionless in a not too comfortable looking position. Sitting up, Johnson rubs at his throat which is still giving him some problems, but now he can take some time to recover.
"I still remember seeing JJ do that very same move to Zyon some time ago and I still remember the damage he did." says King, with an audible air of happiness in his voice. "And now, dum dum dum, another spot monkey bites the dust!"
"It isn't over yet, King. Johnson still has to get Maddix back into the ring and pin him. Right now, he's not in any condition to do that apparantly."
"Doesn't matter. Maddix might have a broken back after that move, Mak."
Finally, JJ has gotten himself back in a condition to capitalise, as he sits himself back up and grabs Maddix by top and tails once more. This time, Johnson is dealing with deadweight. But he's still able to haul The Next Generation up and after pushing his limp body into the ring, Johnson re-enters, slowly logrolling Maddix away from the ropes and dropping into a cover...
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!!
FOUR!!
FIVE!!!
SI...
NO, A FIVE COUNT IS ALL JJ GETS, as Landon meekly rolls a shoulder!! The crowd aren't sure whether to cheer the 5 count or boo the kickout, causing a mixed reaction to go up briefly through the Alltell Stadium.
"Damn!" curses King. "I was sure that would have been a seven."
*DING!*
"The winner of the fall, earning a count of 5... JJ JOHNSON!"
"YYEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
--------------------------------
LANDON MADDIX
3
JJ JOHNSON
8
-------------------------------
"With that fall, JJ Johnson is one fall away...one fall away from winning the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in his career!" Mak cheers. "And barring a miracle, Maddix needs at least two falls before JJ gets one."
"And you know what else Mak...a submission is good enough now for victory." delights King.
"That's right. Up until now, Johnson's been avoiding the submission game, preffering to go for pins and look for possible fours and fives. Now, it doesn't matter. He needs a three to pass the magic 10 barrier and a submission will do just that."
As if on cue, with Landon having rolled onto his front with whatever remaining senses he has about it, JJ stands up and ruthlessly stomps down on the left shoulder! Landon shudders as JJ lands three more stomps to the same arm, before dropping beside The Next Generation and pulling the arm back with a Fujiwara armbar!
"YYEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
"And Johnson is wasting no time, going right after the submission!"
"He should be going after the back!" despairs King. "I know he's got the Jujigatame in his arsenal and a decent enough cushion in the score, but he should have gone for the back!"
Ripping and tearing at the arm, Johnson knows what he needs. He pushes up onto the tips of his toes and leans back, leaning on Maddix's weakened spine in the process, all the while pulling the arm into a unnatural angle!
"TAP!"
"TAP!"
"TAP!"
Maddix is screaming in agony now as his elbow is in danger of being hyper-extended, his shoulder being ripped from the socket. All this and a Ringpost Exploder has put Landon in a seriously bad way and he looks in serious danger as Hardcastle lies in front of him, halfway out of the ring due to Maddix's ring position.
"TAP!"
"TAP!"
"TAP!"
Another agonised scream spurs Johnson on to tug at the hold some more. Sensing serious trouble, Megan has had enough and springs into action. Running over to where Hardcastle lies, Megan positions herself on the referee's blind side and pushes the bottom rope into the ring, closer and closer to Landon who makes a laborious crawl forward and reaches past Hardcastle with his free hand...
"TAP!"
"TAP!"
...and grabs the ropes!
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
"Megan Skye to the rescue again." sighs Mak, beginning to tire of the antics as much as his co-hort now.
With No Disqualifications, Johnson is able to hang onto the hold for a few more seconds than usual. But he realises that any submission on the ropes shouldn't be counted, so rather than waste his energy tearing at the arm with no reward, he releases the hold and climbs back to his feet, taking Landon by the ankle and dragging him away from the ropes. Johnson then looks to bring Landon back up as he reaches down, looking for some hair. However, it's Landon who gets a grip first, taking hold of the front of JJ's tights and tugging the unsuspecting Canadian forward, sending him throat-first into the middle ring rope!!
"That'll buy Maddix some time."
"It's not time Maddix needs anymore, Mak, it's pinfalls. And quick pinfalls at that."
Coming off the ropes, Johnson is once again dis-orientated due to his throat, which allows Landon to go under an arm and quickly swipe him to the canvas with a Complete Shot!
"Well this might be one of those quick pins, King! Johnson, face-first, the arm across the throat for good measure..."
Landing back first does Landon no favours and for a moment, he seems just as affected by the move by Johnson. But with some more encouragement courtesy of his Perfect 10, Landon fights through the pain to roll JJ onto his back and lounge into a pin...
ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!
"It'll take more than that, Mak." King states confidently, but only once he's sure JJ's shoulder has risen off the mat in time.
Throwing a hand to his head and one to his back, Maddix despairs at the count. But Hardcastle confirms it was just a two and not enough to effect the scoreboard. So, The Next Generation is forced to drag himself up and fight through the pain barrier yet again. Unable to stand, Maddix makes it to one knee and no further before the searing pain across his spine becomes too much. Megan is frantic though, warning Landon as Johnson is recovering in the centre of the ring and reaching his feet also. Stumbling forward, Maddix is back up and beats Johnson up, wrapping him in the kidneys with a kick. The shot doesn't do a whole lot of damage though and Johnson gets to his feet regardless, so Landon fires in another kick, then grasps JJ's hand and looks to send him across the ring with an irish whip. However, with a bad back, Maddix isn't moving anyone anywhere. Forced to release the arm to tend to his back, Maddix is an easy target for JJ as he spins a quick 360 and MOWS through Landon with a Discus Shotgun Lariat!
"OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
The crowd go nuts, as Johnson reaches back and snares one of Landon's still airborne legs, pulling it into a tight pinfall...
ONE!
TWO!
TH...
NO, JUST TWO!
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
"Gah, one second away!" groans King. "How sweet would it have been if JJ won with something so simple as a clothesline?"
"Johnson knows that he's desperately close and he knows one pinfall or one submission will be sufficient, off a clothesline or whatever. But they don't call Landon 'La Cucaracha' without a good reason, King."
"Would that reason be because he's a dirty, interminable little insect by any chance?"
"I was thinking more the resilience, but to each their own."
Without moving from the mat, Johnson reaches out for Landon left arm and attempts to apply a keylock on the limb. Unsurprisingly Landon wants none of that and squirms as much as his aching body will allow to try and get away, eventually able to reach the ropes with his legs and pull himself inch by inch towards the outside of the ring. JJ stops him with a quick grounded elbow though, popping him in the jaw and dazing La Cucaracha. Quickly, JJ then stands up while Maddix is still seeing stars and grabs the arm again, this time trying to apply his patented Jujigatame...
...but a straight punch to the gut fends him off.
"Maddix needs desperately to stay out of that Jujigatame, or the title is JJ's." points out Francis.
Johnson moves in again quickly, but this time Maddix is waiting with his punch, again able to fend JJ off. But still JJ keeps coming and this time he drags Landon the rest of the way to his feet, swinging a kick around the body to connect with the ribs! Down to a knee drops Landon and Johnson goes back to the arm, taking a grip of the left wrist and kicking up underneath the left armpit. A groaning Landon withdraws as Johnson is still determined to go for the arm, following in after and looking to snatch on another Fujiwara...and only being stopped by two fingers, jammed into his eyesockets!!
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
"Boy, you can just feel the desperation." says King snidely. "Maddix knows he's in trouble and he's having to stoop lower and lower just to have an outside chance of being champion."
The crowd cry foul, but of course there's nothing Hardcastle can do. It's a perfectly legal tactic, no matter how immoral it may be. The same can be said for Maddix's next move too, as once he steadies himself back to his feet he lunges forward with a straight double thrust directly into the blinded Johnson's injured throat. Johnson immediately throws his arms up to his throat and splutters for breath, while Landon ducks under and again drives JJ down, face-first with the Complete Shot!
*WHAM!*
Johnson's skull bounces off the mat once again. But for some reason, once he's gotten over his own collision with the mat, Landon doesn't go for the pin, preferring instead to gather himself up to his feet.
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
The baying Jacksonville crowd is the least of Maddix's worries at the moment as he glances up at the big screen at the head of the wreckage surrounded ramp, seeing the score at 8-3 in his opponent's favour. Maddix then looks down at Johnson, before gingerly exiting the ring and beginning a slow climb to the top rope.
"Landon doesn't think the Complete Shot is enough and now, he's heading to the top to try and secure a fall."
"But there's better ways to do it than this." protests King, as Landon stops on the middle rope to nurse his back again. "Again, it's more high risk. Johnson wouldn't be going to the top right now, I can guarantee you that, because he's got more sense and he'd know that if he screwed up it could be match over."
Regardless of that, Maddix has now reached the top. Megan looks equally as nervous as JJ Johnson's newfound fans as with bad back and all, Landon eases himself into a standing position on the top turnbuckle. One false move could be costly, so Landon remains very cautious as he steps off the turnbuckle and onto the ropes, soaring up...
...tucking his legs...
*CRUNCH!*
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
...AND DRIVING BOTH FEET INTO THE BACK OF JOHNSON'S HEAD, SMUSHING IT INTO THE MAT!!!!
"SUPER DOUBLE STOMP!?!" yells Mak in shock, as Maddix skids to his knees and comes to a relieved stop. Johnson, who had begun to stir moments earlier, is no longer moving and the nerves have been replaced by elation for Megan Skye, as she jumps around ringside in a premature celebration. Forcing himself back around, Maddix crawls slowly on his knees, back over to Johnson, turning him over onto his back and finally slumping weakly over the Canadian with a lateral press...
ONE!
TWO!
THREEEE!!
FOU.....
SHOULDER UP!!!
"YES!" cries King in elation. "Even after that, he only got a 3 count!!"
*DING!*
"The winner of the fall, earning a count of 3... LANDON MADDIX!"
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
--------------------------------
LANDON MADDIX
6
JJ JOHNSON
8
-------------------------------
Again the crowd don't quite know whether to react to the fall or the kickout. As the scoreboard updates itself though, many sound out in cheers as they realise that Landon is still trailing by two counts and that another 3 count or a submission wouldn't be enough for a La Cucaracha victory.
Coming to this realization at the same time, Landon slams the mat with frustration, knowing that so much effort only earned him a paltry three count. Megan implores him not to worry, but Landon does just that as he gets into a slanging match with referee Hardcastle over the count.
"I don't think I've ever seen anyone so disappointed at scoring a three count in my life." muses Mak.
"You haven't seen many people as screwed up in the head as Landon though, to be fair."
"Well, we are coming down to the crucial stages of this Canadian Death Match, King. JJ Johnson, one fall away. Landon is one four count away, a submission will not quite suffice. It's going to come down to who wants it more, the man who's never been champion or the man who's had the title and wants it back. And I can speak for myself in saying JJ Johnson sure as hell wants that title..."
"But I can speak as a former World Champion." crowd King. "And, as a former World Heavyweight Champion, I know that once you've had a taste of that title it becomes an addiction. And like any addiction, you become desperate to feed it once more."
"So you're tipping Landon?"
"Phhff, fuck no!"
Accepting the 3 count, Landon now realises he has to attack and does just that, stomping away at the back of Johnson's neck repeatedly as his focus now switches to a more traditional one. Down on the neck Landon continues to stomp, time after time, before finally his rage subsides and he strides away to try and walk off some of the pain in his back. Having stretched it out, Maddix now leans on the ropes and watches Johnson like a hawk (or even a Hawke), waiting patiently. As soon as Johnson then reaches his feet, Maddix comes forward and strikes...
*CRACK!*
...landing a forearm! Johnson still seems a little woozy, but manages to fight back...
*CRACK!*
...with an elbow strike! Maddix wobbles but doesn't go down, regaining his bearing...
*CRACK!*
...landing another snug forearm strike! Johnson is spun away by the force but that just fires the former Ultimate Fight up, clenching his fists as he whips back around...
*CRACK!*
...and connects with a THUNDEROUS elbow strike! Put into reverse, Maddix goes back four or five steps with his gaze looking decidedly off centre as he tries to steady himself.
"These two men going toe to toe, strike for strike!" enthuses Mak, the crowd around him buzzing. "And neither man seems to be backing down!"
"Yeah well, Landon can't stay toe to toe for much longer against JJ."
Defiant, Johnson watches Maddix and seems to be almost waiting on a response...
*SLAP!*
"WHOOOOOOOO!"
...and he gets it, lashed right across his chest knifedge style...
*CRACK!*
...but comes firing right back with another elbow! This one connects across the ear and sends Landon off to the side, eyes frozen wide in surprise. Megan can't bear to watch, as Landon shakes away the cobwebs and sets again...
*SLAP!*
"WHOOOOOOOO!"
...chop...
*SLAP!*
"WHOOOOOOOO!"
...chop...
*SMACK!*
"OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
...and a STINGING, straight right jab to the cheek, catching JJ by surprise!
"This is just brutal!" Mak gasps. "And Johnson is still standing!"
"C'MON JJ!" encourages Maddix, perhaps making the mistake of his lifetime, as Johnson cups him behind the head...
*THUD!*
...for a European uppercut!
*THUD!*
...a second.
*CRACK!*
...and a vicious Muay Thai kneestrike to the FACE, dropping Landon onto his keister!
"Uuugggghhhh..." grimaces Mak. "That was..."
"That was great!" King chuckles, interrupting his partner's thoughts.
As Johnson takes a moment to recollect his thoughts, Maddix groggily tries to come back up. He now looks decidedly unsteady on his feet and it seems like one more strike will be enough for Johnson to put La Cucaracha down and out. Lucky for Landon, it's his turn.
*SQWUISH!*
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
"And Landon goes to the eyes!"
"Ah, he knew he was beaten!" snaps King. "That was a desperate move if ever I saw one!"
Johnson reels away and blindly claws at his eyes, Hardcastle looking on powerlessly while Landon now slumps back into a corner and tries to recollect his thoughts. Once they're recollected, Landon stalks after JJ and turns him around, going to the gut with a quick knee before glancing into the crowd and posing.
Arms out, palms down.
Collecting the arms, Landon applies a double underhook and looks to lift Johnson up...but can't do it, as he tweaks his back again! A groan from Maddix is met by cheers from the fans as he slumps forward, over Johnson's back. Johnson needs no second invitation to backdrop Landon overhead and free himself from the double underhook, saving himself from whatever Maddix's twisted mind had in store. Instead, JJ now has the advantage as he waits on his opponent. The eyes are stinging, the neck and throat too, but Johnson is prepared as Landon stumbles towards him. Avoiding a sprawling attempt to grab him, Johnson shoves Landon in the back to force him into the ropes and as he rebounds, The Next Generation is snared around the waist...
...AND RAILGUNNED!
"YYEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
"Tremendous suplex by Johnson, who you feel just needs one more clinical move to clinch this match!"
Landon ends up spread-eagle in the middle of the ring and Johnson decides to try his luck, crawling over and making the cover...
ONE!
TWO!
THR...
KICKOUT!
Despite the kickout, Maddix is quite clearly in trouble as Johnson brings him up and sends him into the turnbuckles. The spine strikes the steel and Landon falls to his knees briefly, bringing himself back up and stumbling forward into Johnson's clutches again, whipped 'coast to coast' and into the opposite turnbuckles, again spine-first! Out stumbles Landon again, where JJ waits. A simple double leg takes Maddix down and no sooner has his body bounced off the canvas than Johnson snares up a leg, turning Landon over and applying a single leg crab!!
"YYEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
"This could be it!" cries Mak, as Johnson guides his leg back and STANDS on the back of Maddix's head! "Submission hold and all the torque is on that lower back!"
"This is what he should have done after the Exploder, but hey, better late than never. So long as he disattaches his spinal cord, all is forgiven."
Landon cries out in muffled, mat in the mouth pain as Johnson bends him back in a completely unnatural way!
"TAP!"
"TAP!"
Head in hands, Megan Skye fears the worst, as Hardcastle is right in Landon's face, pressing him to submit. Landon wags a finger to say no for now, but as Johnson begins to crouch himself slowly down, the angle of his spine is becoming more and more acute.
"TAP!"
"TAP!"
Another attempt at asking Landon to quit ends with another no, as The Next Generation isn't ready to give up on the World Championship yet. Digging deep, Landon reaches up and manages to shrug JJ's foot off of his head and begin to crawl forward, in search of the ropes. Johnson hops along with him though, gaining his balance before placing his foot back on the head! Despairingly Megan sinks down on the outside and senses the worst, as Johnson again begins to crouch, again looking to bend Landon in two. But Landon has other ideas and with his free foot, he thrusts out. The first shot misses...but the second kick grazed Johnson's head, leaving him open for a third which connects fully enough to force JJ into a break of the hold.
"C'mon JJ, you can take a little kick in the teeth!" bays King unsympathetically, as Johnson ends up backed against the ropes. "Get on him!"
Maddix makes it back to his knees before Johnson strides back in, taking hold of the left arm again. Knowing that can only mean bad things, Maddix flails and flaps, but Johnson strikes him in the side of the head with a back elbow and then snares the arm between Landon's legs. Yelps and cries come from Megan once more, Johnson paying no attention as he secures the pumphandle and sets up an Exploder '98...
...and gets peppered with a succession of elbows to the back of the neck!
"Look at him, frantic!" mocks King...
...despite the fact that Landon has now fought Johnson off, landing enough elbows to drop the Tag Team Champion down onto his hands and knees. Getting over the relief quickly, Maddix then grabs Johnson by the hair...
*SMACK!*
Kawada kick!
*SMACK!*
Kawada!
*SMACK!*
Kawada!
*SMACK!*
Kawada!
....AND LANDON THEN APPLIES THE LAND OF NOD!!!
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
"Right back to the throat!" gasps Mak. "He's trying to choke Johnson out, not to mention the torque on the neck and the pressure on the back as well! This move has finished off some of the greats in this business!"
Megan perks up now as Maddix leans back and pulls back on the head of his Canadian opponent with everything he can muster up from inside. Johnson looks to power his way out before the hold can take it's dehabilitating effects, trying to free his feet out from underneath him...
...and he does so, able to twist his way out in front of Landon, trapping himself in a front facelock in the process. That doesn't pose quite as much of a problem for Johnson as the LON did however. Manouevering around the ring, JJ eventually manages to wrap his arms around Maddix's waist and hoists him up for a Northern Lights Suple...
...NO! Maddix throws his leg up defensively and manages to knee Johnson square in the throat!
"Oh, he got him again!"
"This is getting ridiculous...Hardcastle needs to step in before Johnson stops breathing!"
"I don't think it's that bad yet King."
Stepping away from the choking Johnson, Maddix scoots behind and applies a waistlock, levering Johnson up and over with a German, bridging awkwardly into a pin...
ONE!
T...
Landon loses the bridge, Johnson easily kicking out...
...BUT LANDON ROLLS RIGHT THROUGH WITH JOHNSON AND RE-APPLIES THE LAND OF NOD!!
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
"He rolled through with him!" cheers Mak. "This is the exact same sequence that put down Spike Jenkins two weeks ago, the German transitioned from the kickout in the Land Of Nod!"
Johnson is caught this time and the hold is locked in before he can even attempt an escape. Up goes a solo cheer from Megan Skye as Landon wrenches back on the head of the Canadian once again, this time managing to reach his hands across and lock his fingers, trapping JJ in the hold!
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
Unable to see anything, other than the nostril hairs of his opponent and the blinding lights hanging high above the arena, Johnson reaches out blindly despite knowing that the ropes can't be so close in front of him as to reach them. Planting his hand, JJ starts trying to crawl on his fingertips and knees. Landon sits back though, trapping him in place.
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
"I think he's got him King!" enthuses Mak, knowing forewell it'll grate at his partner.
"Johnson's fighting it, be patient Mak."
Johnson is slowly beginning to face now, the sapping hold taking effect. Maddix is arching his own back in applying the hold, but the adrenaline of an imminent submission wills him on to hanging onto the hold.
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
Another wrench rips and tears at JJ's neck, the arm under his throat cutting off his oxygen. Now, Johnson's arm is flapping at his side and Landon can sense a victory as he pulls back once more. Hardcastle steps to the side now and checks Johnson for signs of life, getting no response, so he lifts up the free arm...
...IT DROPS!
"ONE!"
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
Landon nods in approval, as Hardcastle raises the arm again, allowing it to drop...
...AND IT DOES!
"TWO!"
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
One more is all Landon needs to bring himself within one fall of the World Title and he wills Hardcastle to make the check. Up goes the arm, the crowd nervously hoping as it drops...
...BUT IT STAYS UP!!
"YYEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
"Johnson's fighting, but he's still trapped in the hold!"
"I hate to say it, but Johnson should just tap here." insists King. "If Landon scores a submission, he still needs one more fall! But his pride won't let him tap and live to fight on and if he ends up passing out, he'll be easy pickings for the next fall."
"I doubt Johnson will surrender a fall without a fight King, especially via submission, to someone he trained and sparred with."
"Yes, I know, but it's not smart. 'JJ refuses to tap' would probably make a cute t-shirt some time, but it isn't appropriate right now."
Johnson is fighting now, fists clenched as he starts to try and power up and out. Looking shocked, Landon wrenches back repeatedly, tugging on the head in a desperate attempt to neutralise the Canadian. But Johnson won't give up and he plants his hand for another crawl. Inching forward, Johnson is closing in on the ropes now and Landon knows it, looking to Megan for advice, but she comes up blank as JJ inches forward...
...reaching out blindly...
...he's close...
...closer...
...but still, the hold is sapping his oxygen. JJ briefly slumps again for a moment but with the image of the World Title plastered on the insides of his closed eyelids, Johnson wills himself on once again...
...and he reaches out again, his hand mere centimetres from the middle strand...
...when suddenly, Landon tucks Johnson's head down and sprawls forward, tucking Johnson into a sudden Gedoh Clutch...
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!!
"He got the fal..."
FOOOUUUUUUUURRRRRRRR!!
"WHA...NO!!!"
*DINGDINGDING!*
Rolling to a seated position, the groggy Johnson looks shocked. And he's about to get even more shocked, as Landon scrambles from the ring and into the waiting arms of Megan Skye.
"The winner of the fall, earning a count of 4... LANDON MADDIX!"
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
--------------------------------
LANDON MADDIX
10
JJ JOHNSON
8
-------------------------------
"I don't believe it." mumbles King. "I...no!"
"And, therefore, your winner of this contest, by a score of 10 falls to 8... and, for the SECOND time, the NEEEEEWWWW Smartmarks Wrestling Federation WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION... LLLAAAAAAANNDDOOOOOOOOONN "LA CUCARACHA"... MMMAAAAAAAAAADDIIIIIIIIXXXXXXXXXXXX!!"
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
"Megalomaniac" strikes up through the Alltell Arena again and on the outside of the ring, Landon Maddix is handed the SWF World Title, prompting him to drop his manager and cradle the belt in his arms like a newborn child. Megan guides Landon away from the ring through his celebrations, past the jeering crowd who can't believe what they've just seen.
Add into that club, JJ Johnson. Sat on his knees in the ring, Johnson cradles his neck with one hand while looking off into the distance with complete dejection in his eyes. If he's sure of what actually happened, he's certainly not sure how he let it happen. Landon certainly never did that in the Jay Hawke dojo.
"This is like some sort of...appalling nightmare." King mumbles once more, still taking everything in. "He...he got a four count."
"That he did King! Landon Maddix caught Johnson napping, quite literally, taking him out of the Land Of Nod into a flash pin. Johnson was losing consciousness by fighting the Land Of Nod and Maddix took advantage, stunning him with a flash pin...and somehow, Landon Maddix is a two-time SWF World Heavyweight Champion!"
"I never thought I'd see this day again." weeps King sadly. "I prayed it'd never happen, I really did. This is...this is painful to watch."
Johnson continues to watch on from the ring and he climbs to his feet, head hung in disappointment as he kicks out at the air. For Johnson, it's another case of so close yet so far and even the sounds of sympathetic applause for many member of the audience who decide to give him a standing ovation for his efforts is no comfort.
Elated, Maddix drops to his knees in the aisleway, tears rolling down his cheek as he looks into his reflection in the World Title belt.
Fifteen months.
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
Fifteen months.
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
Landon looks up from his title belt and to his left to Megan Skye, also with tears in her eyes, although to her credit much more containted than her associate. And as he looks from one to the other, Landon thinks back to that promise he made. That haunting promise, he made to himself months ago, that'd he get everything he's lost back.
The World Title.
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
Megan Skye.
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"
"LAN - DON SUCKS!"[/i][/i]
Toxxic who?