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Coffin Surfer

From the Fire Losing Matches

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“COME AND ‘AVE A GO IF YOU THINK YER ‘ARD ENOUGH!”

“COME AND ‘AVE A GO IF YOU THINK YER ‘ARD ENOUGH!”

 

The great “Rookie” by Boy Sets Fire has apparently been mugged backstage and replaced by the grumbling bassline of “The Gush” by Raging Speedhorn. This does nothing to confuse the sold out Acer Arena as thousands of thumbs simultaneously drop to an orchestra of jeers. Wearing his Pay Per View best, Fulton announces the match in a booming operatic baritone that puts Meatloaf too shame.

 

“The following singles contest is scheduled for one fall. Introducing first: from Nottingham, England, weighing at a trim 218 pounds, Michael Stephens!!!!!”

 

Dressed more like he’s going to a punk concert than a fight, a trench coat wearing figure that appears to be Michael Stephens swaggers out of the locker room. However, the fans know better; they recognize the smirk, the arrogance, and most importantly the bitter resentment smeared across his pretty boy face. They call him by his name; well, they do a little more than that.

 

“Toxxic Sucks! Toxxic Sucks! Toxxic Sucks!”

 

Entering the ring, Toxxic takes in the several thousand head crowd with a cocky grin. He bathes in their thunderous insults with pride, even busting out a few poses to further aggravate them; silently contemplating how much fun it is going to be to piss all over their parade. Somewhere, he hopes that Janus is watching too; after all, he’s the one that should be getting crushed tonight.

 

Francis: Since losing the title, Michael Stephens has gradually undergone a transformation for the worst.

 

King: Were just finally seeing the real Mike Stephens, the winning sensation simply known as Toxxic.

 

Francis: How is losing the tag titles sensational?

 

King: Landon lost the belts, Toxxic carried dead weight across a desert.

 

With Toxxic in the ring, there’s only one other person that could possibly be coming to the ring next. All eyes turn to the dresser room, their quivering anticipation stretching seconds until hours.

 

“And his opponent, hailing from Louisville, Kentucky; weighing in at 275 pounds; he is a former FOUR TIME SWF WORLD CHAMPION!!!! “

 

Hordes of mad Australians mass at the guardrail, all intent on getting a closer look at the near mythical warrior whose legendary feats were nothing but a distant memory of better days.

 

“DANNY WILLIAMsssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!”

 

Until now! Already sweating from a vigorous pre-match warm up that would kill a lesser man, Williams intensely marches out of the locker room. The arena is absolutely bedlam! Moving with controlled intensity, he purposefully walks down the aisle, his demonic eyes locked on the bloody task at hand. The applause peaks at ear bleeding levels as he enters the ring with primitive, beast like movements. His presence is as awe inspiring as it is menacing, built like a monster his face looks like it was crudely carved from stone; his molten blue eyes burning behind wavy bangs of oak colored hair. Hands folded, head titled, Toxxic stands unimpressed in his corner.

 

Francis: No fans this is not a re-run, this is not a dream, Danny Williams is back and ready to take the SWF by storm!

 

King: I got ten bucks that says he slips and gets injured on the way to the ring.

 

Francis: A laundry list of past injuries aside, Danny does look to be in excellent shape, and most importantly he’s game as hell; promising his fans a final run they can be proud of.

 

King: Yeah, we’ve hard that before. This guy has let his fans down more than a weekend dad.

 

Francis: Jesus, King!

 

Soapdish inspects both men thoroughly, predictably finding nothing on the code driven warriors. With both men in their corners and waiting for the bell, a surreal ambience lingers in the air. After the all epic hype, the moment doesn’t even seem real, but now it is unfolding before the fan’s very eyes; so fast in fact that they can barely take it all in before it’s started. The atmosphere is pure electricity, the rare match where everyone in the building cares about the outcome, the feeling that something epic is truly about to go down.

 

Ding! Ding! Ding!

 

They leave their corners with understated urgency, turning circles of precaution in the middle of the ring. The fans are beyond pumped; too excited to save their voices for later in the evening as they recklessly scream and cheer with throat bleeding intensity. Not only are they happy to see the unlikely return of Williams, but they are also being treated to the possibility of seeing someone prove Toxxic wrong. Seemingly oblivious to the fact that they’re at a wrestling match and not a soccer game, the thousands in attendance stomp and bellow, “Let’s Go Danny! Let’s Go!” like a drinking song at a local pub. Even the quiet, creepy bearded guy in sunglasses that mysteriously attends every SWF event without saying word gets in on the action, as well as the bored girlfriend of some lucky fan boy, in fact there isn’t a single soul in the building that isn’t merry and chanting.

 

Francis: Call me crazy, but it looks like Williams has the quasi-home court advantage.

 

King: Your crazy! There’s no such thing as crowd advantage. These morons hold as much bearing on the outcome of the match as the wet naps I wipe my BUTT with.

 

Francis: You need more fiber and again, never underestimate the effect a wrestler’s fans can have on their performance. When you need that extra boost to get you out of a jam, you can always count on them.

 

King: Yeah, yeah, quit acting like you’re the only one of us with ring experience.

 

The size difference is immense, not in height but in mass. The soft looking Toxxic looks like a lamb being fed to a grizzly bear, yet there is more than cocky arrogance in his mannerisms. The razor sharp focus in his eyes suggests a man with something to prove, someone who’s hungry for violence, someone who is really freaking smart.

Eyes narrow and focused, Williams moves in, closing the distance on his smaller foe. Knowing that he’ll be torn to pieces if he allows himself to get caught, Toxxic stays light on his feet, anticipating every move his powerful opponent can possibly make. Skilled in the fine art of cornering smaller mammals, Williams uses subtle foot movements to pin his elusive prey in a corner. The fans are on the edge of their seats, eager for the forth coming beat down. Confident that he just can reach out and grab his target, Williams takes a gamble! Like magic, Toxxic disappears in front of his very eyes! Off balance, Danny oafishly lunges into the corner with an embarrassing stumble; damn near tossing himself through the ropes. The pathetic sight is so painful to the watch that many fans can’t help but look away in disappointment. The arena quiets down rather quickly.

 

Francis: Oh lord! Perhaps long periods of inactivity have finally caught up with Williams.

 

King: You think? Williams wasn’t kidding when he said they’d be different wrestlers this time around.

 

Not taking the time to scold himself in such a dire situation, Williams frantically untangles himself from the ropes. Expecting an attack, he turns to find Toxxic instead mocking his two left feet with a taunting Ali shuffle. Wanting nothing more than to knock that smirking block off his lanky shoulders, Williams once again lumbers after him. Toxxic once more obliges his predator with a suave defensive dance, but his movements are much less calculated and nervous this time, as if he thought he had to bring his A game only to just now realize that he could get by with a C. Showing no visible fear or even the faintest hint of doubt, he surprisingly instigates a quick grapple. Before he can apply even a fraction of pressure, Williams feels Toxxic suavely slip out of his clutches. A vicious European Uppercut finds its mark! Williams head snaps up in a cloud of sweat, his clinched teeth drawing blood from his ill placed tongue.

 

Francis: Stephens…uh Toxxic, shockingly taking the fight right to Williams!

 

King: He’s feeling him out, trying to get an idea of just how much he can get away with which evidently is a lot.

 

Rubbing his jaw, Williams steps back, crimson trickling from his lips. Wearing his signature lopsided grin, Toxxic smugly beckons him to return fire, and Williams is more than willing to oblige! But the elbow smash is easily ducked! Wham! A swift dropkick counters! Williams teeters but he doesn’t go down! Whack! An ambushing kip up Enzugiri connects, blasting the back of Danny’s skull with a nasty crack! The sickening sound of boot on bone echoes throughout the arena, drawing gasps of horror from the legions of shocked fans! Unable to feel the mat, Williams stumbles backwards, falling, staggering into the ropes! Knowing he has to stay on his toes, Stephens rushes to his feet only to find a recovered Williams charging madly!

 

Francis: Axe Bomber?!

 

Swoooooosh! Stephens evades the clumsy blow with an athletic roll!

 

King: Danny hasn’t lost a step, he’s lost miles.

 

Had the wild swing connected it would have in all likely hood torn poor Toxxic’s head clean off! But it didn’t even come close. Struggling to stay on his prey’s heels, Williams awkwardly skids to a halt and picks up the chase! Standing tall and confident, Toxxic firmly holds his ground. Gaining speed, Williams snarls like a beast as he draws back his arm! Toxxic bravely remains statuesque! Danny swings! Toxxic smiles! CRACK! A snapping Superkick catches the side of Danny’s face with gruesome accuracy! A collective gasp of horror circles through the crowd. Stopped dead in his tracks, Williams aimlessly wanders away, tumbling through the ropes and falling to the floor! Worried, the fans come to their feet as one, their eyes wide with disbelief.

 

Francis: Williams is hurt! Williams is hurt!

 

King: Williams may be in shape but his ring instinct looks to be buried in more rust than the Tin Man’s ass crack. Toxxic was right; this bum really doesn’t belong in the same ring with him.

 

Francis: After witnessing that sequence I may have to agree. Williams may have just severely injured himself with that poor showing of judgment.

 

Urgently picking himself off the floor, Williams rubs the side of his face, his nerve endings alive with stinging anguish. Inside the ring, Toxxic quickly calculates the risks and takes off! Picking up blinding speed, he springs onto the top rope with cat like agility! Sensing a presence from above, Williams turns and draws back his elbow! Catching himself, Toxxic jumps back into the ring, inspects an invisible watch and flashes a goofy smile. Disgusted, the fans lower their thumbs in disapproval. It’s bad enough he’s dominating their beloved hero, but the fact that he’s making it look so easy strikes a nerve.

 

“Toxxic Sucks! Toxxic Sucks!”

 

Stephens loves it, relishing in his role as villain, as if it was the role he was born to play his entire life.

 

King: Toxxic is back, bitches.

 

Francis: Sadly, Williams is not. As much as I hate to admit this, he’s a mere shadow of his former self.

 

Doubt creeps into the collective consciousness of the stunned spectators as they now fear the worst, what if Stephens is right, what if Danny really doesn’t belong in the same ring as him. They were expecting the monster that dominated the SWF so long ago, but that was simply wishful thinking. After all the injuries and time off, those heroic days long past are simply that, the past. Having bought a much needed break, Williams rubs his eye repeatedly, but for some reason it won’t say open. He hangs his head, struggling to accept what just happened, what he let happen. He feels betrayed by his own body; by the legs that won’t run as fast as he tales them, and the natural instincts that won’t react unless he tales them. The left side of his face begins to rise and reddened, consuming his eye with swollen flesh. The front roll fans gasp with terror and concern as they see a knot the size of a soft ball quickly grow under Danny’s skin and threaten to close his eye.

 

King: I wager he’s going to be mighty sore in the morning.

 

Francis: Dear god, what a horrific development. I’m not sure this match can continue, can it?

 

King: It looks like he’s smuggling a midget beneath his eye lid.

 

Knowing that this a worsening condition, Williams ponders if the match is even worth continuing, after all he’s not in nearly as in good shape as he thought he was. Left with no other choice, Soapdish starts to count him out. Danny’s good eye roams around the building, he sees all of his fans egging him to go on and try his best; he can’t just walk away and let them down again. Jolting back into the ring, he beats the count! Spotting the grotesque swelling from a mile away, Soapdish immediately steps in front of him. The fans are literary begging for the match to go on. Since he’s proven to be such a durable bastard in the past, the official gives Williams the benefit of the doubt; knowing that he’ll probably lose his job or be shot if he stops Danny Williams’ comeback match on swelling anyway.

 

Francis: The match is going to continue!

 

Kings: They decided that Williams couldn’t possibly get any uglier that he already was.

 

With renewed vigor, Danny storms after a surprised Toxxic; crashing into him for the collar elbow tie up. Utilizing his vastly superior strength advantage, he quickly pushes the smaller man deep into the nearest corner; knowing that he can turn the tide with just one elbow. Williams gives the clean break but not without taking a swing at his cornered foe! Swoooosh! The slippery Toxxic ducks out of the corner before the elbow can even come close to reaching its intended destination!

 

Francis: And Williams still can’t find his range.

 

Cornered, Williams finds himself on the receiving end of a vicious flurry of speedy punches!

 

King: That’s ok because Toxxic has plenty to spare.

 

The blows connect stiffly with Danny’s eye, the sickening percussion of cold, hammered meat rattling throughout the arena like a symphony from the darkest corner of hell. Reaching out with frustration, Williams crudely snatches Toxxic by his throat and spins him back into the corner. Sizing his target up, Danny unleashes another knock out elbow! But it’s ducked again! “Like fighting smoke,” Williams reasons as he finds himself back in the corner without a prayer. Toxxic turns loose a flurry of hard head butts, doing his best to burst open the knot that’s slowly consuming Danny’s face! The brutal shots are so hard that they sound like a pumpkin being dropped from a building over and over again. With Williams looking dazed, Toxxic tries a whip as it would be to his advantage to keep things moving. Snatching the stunned big man by his wrist, Toxxic uses every ounce of his body weight to swing the big lug out of the corner! But Danny reverses! Thrown across the ring like a rag doll, Toxxic crashes into the turnbuckles with bone crushing force! BAM! The ring post nearly breaks in half from the impact while the arena comes alive with hope.

 

Francis: Through raw power alone, Williams may have just turned the tide of this match up.

 

King: What else is he going to do, think his way out of peril?

 

Clutching his back, Toxxic rolls to the floor in obvious agony. On his hands and knees, Williams finds he can no longer open his eye. The knot looks terrible, pulsating and swelling to the point that his own mother couldn’t recognize him now. On the edge of their seats, the crowd urges him to get up and work a miracle. Rising like a phantom, another chant of “Let’s Go Danny!” envelops all other sound. Digging deep, Williams forgets about his eye and heroically rises, relieved to find that Toxxic is still ailing on the outside. Knowing that he can’t afford to hold anything back now, he takes aim and recklessly charges! With their jaws on the floor, the fans watch with fear and wander as Williams desperately dives through the ropes; grotesquely swollen eye or not!

 

Francis: Elbow Suicida!

 

Bam! A right hook catches Danny on his blindside, blasting him out of the sky like a clay pigeon! Sinking in despair, the fans mourn all that could have been.

 

King: Rejected!

 

Francis: That may very well have been Williams’ last and only chance to steal this match.

 

King: Yeah, I honestly can’t see Toxxic giving him another stupid opening like that.

 

Shaking his hand, Toxxic rolls inside, cursing himself for not thinking of a better counter. The fans greet him with an assault of jeers but he could care less, Williams is a shadow of his former self and it’s high time they realized it. On the outside, a half blind Williams struggles to his feet; the hideous lump still growing larger and larger by the second. He has trouble staying balanced, his head feeling as though it weighs over a hundred pounds on one side. The horrific sight is almost too much for some fans to bear as those with weaker stomachs cover their mouths in shock. Looking as though he’s wearing a basketball beneath his eyelid, Williams carries on like always, sluggishly slipping into the ring. Showing no mercy, Toxxic viciously slams knees into his disfigured face as he tries to rise.

 

“Booooooooooooooooooooooo!” violently protests the outraged fans, knowing there’s little else they can do.

 

Jerking Williams up by his wavy hair, Toxxic flashes a smile of pure venom. He steadies the swollen and mutilated Williams than WHAM! Pulls his face into a brutal jumping knee smash! Momentarily going limp, Williams lifelessly slides down the ropes and sinks to the canvas. Showing no mercy, Toxxic viciously knees at Williams’ mutilated face while he sits helplessly in the corner. In his eyes, Danny becomes more than just Danny he becomes Drake, Tom, Janus, everyone that is holding him back from the World Title that is rightfully his.

 

King: Toxxic is bringing some serious hate!

 

Francis: More like bratty angst.

 

Fed up, Soapdish steps in. “He’s on the ropes, dammit!” scorns a passionate Soapdish, cursing himself for allowing the match to continue. Not wanting to risk losing on dq when he’s dominating so easily, Toxxic hesitantly gives Danny some room. Walking away with clinched fists, he paces to cool himself off, doing his best to remember that he’s just here to win the match not vent his frustrations over the past few months. The arena is like a tomb.

 

King: There’s not going to be enough left of Williams to serve at McDonald’s.

 

Francis: What a tragedy this has become, I never thought I’d see Williams this bad off before.

 

Soapdish carefully inspects what was once the left eye of Williams, which refuses to stop swelling with buckets of internal hemorrhaging. Like a water balloon filled with too much water, it looks like it’s stretched to the bursting point. The inevitable finally comes to pass as he has no choice but to call the match off….but a strong hand grabs him by the shirt. Snarling, Williams shakes his head. Pushing the official aside, Williams starts to drag himself up right. Surprised by the cheering, Toxxic turns to find a determined Danny dragging himself up with the ropes. Aiming to knock him back down where he belongs, Toxxic marches across the ring and rips a mean spirited European Uppercut upside his chin! Williams goes down in a cloud of blood! Rubbing it in on the fans, Toxxic raises his hands in triumph when a beast like roar interrupts his victory party! Turning, he finds Williams stubbornly rising to his feet. Teeth clinched, fists balled up, adrenaline flowing through his naked veins, his good eye alive with rage, the grotesquely swollen monster defiantly screams, “Is that all you got, you pussy!”

 

Francis: Williams is going on nothing but heart now.

 

King: Is that what they call bats**t crazy these days?

 

Toxxic knows Williams has a ton of heart, and isn’t too surprised by the fact he managed to get up after such beating. No matter, aiming to knock Danny’s thick skull right back off, Toxxic rips lose another Uppercut! That’s dodged! Suavely slipping behind his attacker, Williams hooks his big arms around his chin, clamping on a tight, suffocating Sleeperhold! Pandemonium breaks out in the stands, as rumbling feet and screams of joy threatening to shake the building apart.

 

Francis: Williams suckered him right into a trap!

 

King: You’re telling me Danny actually used that pea sized brain of his?

 

Francis: Yes.

 

King: Good for him.

 

Madly flinging his arms about, Toxxic searches for the ropes, the ref, anything that can relieve the crushing pressure! Williams hangs on with all his might, knowing that this is only chance for victory. Feeling his greatest attribute, his energy, being rapidly drained from his body, Toxxic urgently runs for the nearest corner, scaling the turnbuckles! One! Two! Three! But Williams rips him right back down, swinging him around by his neck like a key chain; dragging him to the inescapable hell mouth that is the center of the ring! Soapdish moves in as the Toxxic’s oxygen deprived face starts to turn a dark shade of purple.

 

Francis: This could be it! Williams may have stolen this match!

 

King: Ironically outsmarting his athletically superior opponent. I didn’t see that one coming.

 

Refusing to admit defeat at the hands of such an inferior, undeserving, steroid pumping trash; Toxxic aimlessly wanders in circles, questing for a salvation that doesn’t exist. Williams hangs on, knowing that all he has to do is keep the hold applied and the day is his; he proved that annoying little shit wrong. Soapdish stays close, watching the ailing Toxxic with a careful eye; constantly grabbing at his arms to make sure he can hold them up. Toxxic grabs Williams behind his head with weary arms, desperately clinging for anything he can get his hands on.

 

Francis: We might see a stoppage if Toxxic passes out before submitting.

 

Suddenly, Toxxic cuts toward the official with a brilliant flash of speed! Running up Soapdish like Sonic the Hedgehog, Stephens back flips off his shoulders, and for the briefest of seconds, supernaturally walks on air! BOOM! Crashing to the canvas, Stephens slams the back of Danny’s skull into the mat with ring shaking force!

 

Francis: Sunny Day in England off the ref!?

 

King: I would have just kicked Danny in the balls, but if it works, it works.

 

Francis: Love him or hate him, this has been a near flawless performance from Toxxic, he is putting on one hell of a clinic!

 

The fans leave their chairs, mouths open with bittersweet shock. They feel privileged to have just witnessed such a supernatural demonstration of athleticism and skill, but they simply cannot bring themselves to applaud the otherwise amazing feat. Instead, the fans turn a concerned eye to Danny, who might very well have had his last hope crushed into dust. Yet Toxxic isn’t in good shape himself, having been nearly suffocated; he lays on his back, gasping for air. Though nobody wants the match to end this way, Soapdish has no choice but to start the count.

 

“One!” “Two!” “Three!”

 

Toxxic lazily starts to stir while Williams clinches the back of his head, grimacing with pain; doubting if his opponent is a human bound to our laws of gravity.

 

“Four!” “Five!” “Six!”

 

Toxxic searches for motivation, the belt that should be his, the satisfaction of proving everyone in the building wrong. Williams doesn’t have to search for motivation as he hears the music of the crowd rallying behind him, their energy running through his veins as if it was his own. Sure he got outsmarted but this match is far from over, and the little bastard still hasn’t gotten up yet.

 

“Seven!“ “Eight!”

 

 

 

“NINE!”

 

Williams pushes himself off the mat, oblivious to the throbbing headache that is no doubt a mighty concussion, perhaps even oblivious to his own actions. Meanwhile, Toxxic drags himself up right as well, slapping himself around in the hopes of clearing the cobwebs. He turns! BLAM! Only to be run over by an out of control dump truck named Danny Williams! The desperate, sloppy shoulder tackle leaves both men on their backs but only one appears to be dead, and it isn’t the guy with a knot on his face the size of China.

 

Francis: With the help of the fans, Danny reached his feet first!

 

King: He just has more skull than brain, tragic really.

 

Knowing that he has Toxxic hurt, Williams frantically crawls to his feet. Toxxic is down, struggling to raise his head off the mat, his eyes glassy and somber. This the big chance, Danny’s been waiting for. The chance to land a single decisive blow! Raising his arm in the air, he adjusts his elbow pad. Knowing what this means, the fans triumphantly cheer; contempt that their support has got Williams through a lousy night.

 

Francis: Williams is actually in position to win this match up! What a comeback in every sense of the word.

 

Williams drags Toxxic upright by his hair, the Straightedge Sensation’s glazed eyes rolling in the back of his skull. Drawing back his massive arm, Williams channels everything he has into the swing! For the pride that Toxxic tried to steal from him, for the legacy he never full filled, and most of all for the fan’s he let down and neglected time and time again, Williams unleashes it all into this one single crushing blow!

 

Francis: AXE BOMBER!

 

That’s blocked by quick, instinctive forearms! Toxxic goes down hard, but he avoided most of the impact. Doubled over in pain, Williams cradles his arm into his chest, the pain so numbing that it feels as though it’s been amputated!

 

Francis: Danny’s Lariat arm has a list of career threatening injuries from here to Japan.

 

King: Who would have thought that wildly swinging your arm at everything in sight would result in chronic injury?

 

Scrambling to his feet, Toxxic forces himself into quick effective action. Getting his rubbery legs beneath him, he uses the spring action cables to launch a sneak attack on his helpless foe; wildly throwing his body into Danny’s ankle!

 

“Booooooooooooooooooooooooooo!” protests the fans, outraged by the cowardly sneak attack to Danny’s historically injured foot.

 

Riving in agony, Williams tightly clinches his ankle with his recently recovered arm in a vain attempt at stopping the pain from shooting further up his leg. He’s confident the ankle held up to the attack, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s going to hurt like hell for a few minutes; give or take.

 

King: Wow, I completely forgot about Danny’s bad ankle.

 

Francis: I must say that’s some impressive research, though I’m going to have to agree with the fans on this one. If Toxxic is so much better than Danny why does he need to dick over an old injury to take the advantage?

 

King: Because he’s smart enough too.

 

Unsure of the ankle, Danny slowly rises to a single knee when Toxxic sneaks up on his blindside like a thief at 3:00 am. With a look of indifference, the Sensation viciously blasts Danny’s mutilated eye with a sickening Basement Dropkick! Face buried in hands, Williams lies still; apparently in too much pain to even scream. Now resembling caged, saliva dripping animals just waiting to find a way out of their prison and into the ring, the blood thirsty fans scream with murderous hate:

 

“TOXICC SUCKS! TOXXIC SUCKS! TOXXIC SUCKS!!!

 

Stumbling to his feet, Toxxic flips off the rabid crowd with grouchy disgust. He simply doesn’t understand what’s so wrong about what he’s doing, reasoning that if it was anybody but Williams he was punishing they’d be cheering him on. These people are nothing but hypocrites and all he once to do is win the damn match fair and square. Shaking his head from side to side, Toxxic clears the remaining cobwebs from his head and schemes up his next move.

 

King: Toxxic is dissecting Williams like a frog in a high school.

 

Francis: Danny’s proved to be much more resilient than we originally suspected, but that eye has become a huge liability that Toxxic is only going to take more and more advantage of.

 

Sensing that Williams has nothing left to offer, Toxxic decides it’s time to take this one home. Having foreseen his victory many times before the match, his movements are smooth and confident as he curiously drags his prey into a front face lock. He smiles as he hooks a leg, very much aware of the metaphoric aspects of the situation. In addition to being the only move he knows he can truly knock Danny out with, it’s something that he would never consider doing as Michael Stephens; technical wrestler of pointless ethics. Drawing his thumb across his throat, he let’s the fans know that it’s curtains for their hero.

 

Francis: Oh no, you don’t think?

 

King: Well, it wouldn’t be a great Toxxic match without one.

 

The fans come to their feet, trembling with nervous anxiety. They know what Toxxic is up to, and they know what will happen if he pulls it off. Knowing that Danny isn’t going to be exactly light lift, the junior heavyweight fills his lungs with the muggy air of the arena, hoping he can muster enough strength for the lift. Getting his legs into it, he dips low, and lifts! Strenuous shoots through his entire body but much to his surprise, he gets Danny in the air. Tasting the sweet nectar of victory, Toxxic painfully jumps into the air, and twists! CRUNCH!

 

Francis: CAFEEINE BOMB!!!

 

King: He’s not doing it for Pepsi, he’s not doing it for Coke he did it for his own damn self and power to him.

 

Much to the shock of the fans, Williams gets right back up, but it’s clear right away he’s not himself! Swaying around as if he’s on a sinking ship, Williams suddenly collapses in a lifeless heap. Williams is dead, Toxxic is spent, and the arena is as silent as the grave. They did what they could to will Danny back into the match, but deep down they knew he never stood a chance, the glory days are gone and they’re not coming back. They’re grateful that Danny tried and never gave up, but that still doesn’t take the sour taste out of their mouths.

 

Francis: I absolutely hate the fact Toxxic has had to stoop this low to pull off the win! We don’t need more guys like me in wheel chairs rolling around here.

 

King: More grumpy cripples like you? I’ll drink to that.

 

Toxxic sits up to a deathly silent arena. This is surprising as he half expected these blood thirty mutants to be going nuts for the head drop regardless of who it was. No matter, it’s good to have finally shut them up he reasons. Turning over, he’s relieved to find the grotesquely disfigured Williams lying motionless on his back. This may have been a relatively easy win but his constant movement, the brief but deadly Sleeper, and the draining lift have took a ton out of him; much more than he expected. Without a moment to lose, he goes for the cover. It’s as if the souls of everyone in the building have been torn from their bodies as they broken heartedly watch Soapdish start what can only be the conclusive count.

 

 

 

One!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

………

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THREE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NO, DANNY KICKS OUT! As if brought back to life by lightening, the surprised fans roar as one. They recall Williams surviving some serious brushes with death but nothing quite like this! In a state of shock, Toxxic rolls off Williams and slams his fist into the canvas. “Bollocks!” he curses.

 

Francis: Danny Williams has become the first person since Annie Electric to kick out of the Caffeine Bomb!

 

King: Yeah, but he’s in a bad way.

 

Francis: It doesn’t even matter if he wins or loses anymore, King. Danny Williams has made one hell of a statement.

 

King: What, that he can still take a good beating? Bravo, I suppose.

 

Not sure if he can muster another Caffeine Bomb so soon, Toxxic quickly thinks up another plot. Without a second to lose, he goes to work like a pretzel maker. Trapping Danny’s arm in a cartilage tearing chickenwing, Toxxic viciously stretches his victim into a suffocating Dragon Sleeper! A body scissors is the cherry on top, trapping poor Danny in the tenth level of hell with no means of escape!

 

Francis: REPEAT TO FADE!

 

King: If he can’t knock Danny out, he’ll make him wish he was in a coma.

 

Toxxic concentrates all of the pressure of the Dragon Sleeper directly on the monster sized knot consuming Danny’s eye, forcefully pushing it back into his skull! Feeling as though dull bolts are being driven into his head and piercing his brain, Williams finds himself uncontrollably screaming! The scene is difficult to watch, drawing a symphony of “oohs” and gasps from the repulsed crowd. Having a hard time stomaching the scene himself, Soapdish asks Williams if he wants to just quit and call it a night.

 

“Nooooo!” howls Williams in between cries of pain.

 

Putting his all into the hold, Toxxic squeezes as hard as he possibly can; tensing his muscles until they can’t possibly flex any harder. He feels the knot pulsate and throb under his forearm, the thin skin no longer able to contain the flowing rivers of blood within Danny’s face. Williams lets out a strained, soul curdling scream as he feels the skin above his eye burst like a balloon. A geyser of blood thickly spurts from the small but gaping wound, painting both men and the ring around them in bright crimson showers. The surreal horror of the scene is beyond comprehension as blood flows like it never has before in the ring, pooling in large red puddles underneath them. Kids cry, adults swallow vomit, but they never turn away; clinging to the faintest hope that Williams can somehow overcome this horror.

 

Francis: My lord, this is horrendous! Williams has to submit, there’s no point in destroying his body like this.

 

King: That would be the smart thing to do, but since when has that moron ever did that.

 

Francis: When I nearly tore his arm off several years ago this very night.

 

King: He was smarter than.

 

Feeling his life drain down his face and spill everywhere, Williams starts to go dizzy. His breathing slows down, and he can see the darkness of oblivion growing all around him. Soapdish asks him one more time. He considers it this time, after all is anything worth this much torture. He sees his fans egging him on, and that’s all the insurance he needs. He says nothing. His thoughts jumble into a spiral of incoherent gibberish, than he hears nothing.

 

Francis: Refusing to submit, Williams has just passed out in the hold!

 

King: Told you he’d be too stupid to submit these days, guy has a tragic hero fetish.

 

Francis: This might very well be one of the most heroic performances I’ve ever witnessed. Though his wrestling skills have obviously deteriorated, Danny has proved that his heart is still stronger than ever.

 

Soapdish raises Williams’ hand once. It falls. Twice. It falls. A third time……

Buried deep in a not so pleasant sleep, Williams’ ear catches something in the distance.

Someone is calling his name! It grows louder and louder, and the next thing he knows he’s back in the ring, legions of hopefuls screaming his name. He stops his hand from dropping and tightens it into fist; a surge of adrenaline flowing through his protruding veins like liquid fire! The fans combust into climatic cheers, praying that what they are seeing isn’t some strange fever dream or trick of the eyes.

 

Francis: Danny’s trying to rally out of the hold!

 

King: Where is he getting this energy from?

 

Francis: The fans and nothing more.

 

King: That or performance enhancers.

 

Toxxic can’t believe what’s happening, he’s bathed in the man’s blood for crying out loud! How can this be possible? He tries to add more pressure but his body won’t conform; his muscles relaxing as fatigue sits in. He’s been applying maximum pressure the entire time, and it’s took a serious toll on his already worn body. Reaching back with his free hand, Williams grabs Stephens by his wrist, prying it away from his blood gushing head. Panic sits in as Stephens feels Williams gradually overpower him while the fans refuse to stop screaming their lungs bloody.

 

Francis: Williams, looking to escape the inescapable!

 

King: Toxxic needs to go to that eye and fast.

 

Refusing to accept this turn of events, Toxxic stubbornly resists, but it’s no use; whether he believes it or not, Williams is awake and fighting out of the hold like nobody has before. Fighting a losing battle, Toxxic slams a frustrated elbow into the gushing cut above his eye! Rolling out from underneath the ailing Williams, he stomps around the ring with controlled angst. He feels tired, hurt, and terribly frustrated by this puzzling turn of events.

 

“DAN-E! DAN-E! DAN-E!”

 

And worst of all, the fans will not shut up, their chants a mockery of his inability to close the match. Much like his previous match with Williams, Toxxic has tried every thing in the world to beat the man only to come up empty. For the first time in a while, doubt slips into his conscious.

 

Francis: Its crunch time for Toxxic, does he have what it takes to solve the Williams’ enigma or will he once again come up short.

 

King: As long as he doesn’t grab a chair and jump into Danny’s arms he’ll be alright.

 

Wiping sweat from his brow, Toxxic does the only logical thing he can think of. Forcing Williams into a front facelock, he labors to get him on his feet again. This does nothing to shake the crowd as they continue to chant and rave, louder, and louder. Their stomps and voices shaking the arena like thunderclaps.

 

“DAN-E! DAN-E! DAN-E!”

 

Almost dead weight, Williams proves to be even heavier than before, but than again it could also be that Toxxic is just way more tired. Breathing hard, he eventually gets the massive Williams on his feet and cradled.

 

Francis: Dear lord, not another Caffeine Bomb!

 

King: Now this is what I miss about Toxxic, his willingness to do whatever it takes to win; even if it means dropping a guy on his head a few times.

 

Francis: This is not what Stephens needs to get back in the main event; his problem lies in his ego, not his move set. He simply doesn’t need this crap to win.

 

With a bend of the knee, an arch of the back, and a scream of strain, Toxxic somehow drags Danny into the air! He prepares for the follow through when a sudden sharp pain stabs him in the back! Aborting the lift, he comes to the conclusion that it will take too much effort to execute the move like that again. Refusing to give up completely when he’s teetering on the edge of victory, he quickly adlibs another plan.

 

“DAN-E! DAN-E! DAN-E!”

 

Taking a second to gather himself, Toxxic quickly ducks beneath the heavy human sandbag that is Williams. Getting Danny over his shoulders, he trembles and shakes as he struggles to lift him into the air. On a single bent knee, he takes several breaths for the hellacious task ahead of him. With a cry of pain, he power squats his way towards a full vertical base. Sweat pours down his face like a waterfall, his muscles burn as if aflame, a his insides feel like their going to force they way out of his backside, still he puts everything he has into the lift, knowing that it will all be over once he reaches the apex.

 

King: He’s working smarter, not harder.

 

Francis: He’s got Williams up, but does he have enough gas to follow through?

 

His leg muscles strained and stretched to the point they feel like they are working their way from the bone, Toxxic stiffly straightens his back. He prepares to deliver the finishing blow, when he feels his legs fold beneath him. Williams crashes down on top of him, crushing him into the canvas and knocking out his breath. Though he wiggles and kicks into the air like a madman, he can’t get free! Overjoyed, the fans celebrate as Soapdish dives to the canvas for the pin.

 

 

 

“ONE!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“TWO!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NO! At the last possible second, Toxxic’s hard work pays off as he squirms out from underneath Williams. The fans are disappointed but their fire isn’t even close to being extinguished, in fact they are more alive than ever; their energy even surpassing that of the uber hot opening bell.

 

Francis: Close call! This match is indeed getting very interesting. Williams has somehow weathered the storm and Toxxic is starting to show some serious signs of fatigue.

 

King: I’d rather be fatigued than beaten to a bloody pulp.

 

Francis: Hard to say. If Toxxic can’t keep the heat on the impossibly tough and always dangerous Williams could still work his way back into this match.

 

Pulling himself up with the ropes, Toxxic drapes himself over the cables, struggling to reclaim the air that was knocked out of his crushed chest. He can’t conceal his disappointment anymore as his face sinks with somber distress; he knows that he is the better man, he’s been the better man, so why can’t he win? It is simply beyond comprehension that a human being can take this punishment. Williams is still down but his eyes reveal a growing awareness.

 

“DAN-E! DAN-E DAN-E!”

 

Though he can’t recall the Caffeine Bomb or anything immediately after it, Williams hears the urgency in his fans and that’s enough to get him stirring. Spotting this out of the corner of his eyes, Toxxic groans with disgust. Running on the pure hatred of his critics, Toxxic mounts his helpless foe, sluggishly throwing rubber armed punches at his cranium. Vaguely aware of the punches, Williams turns to his side, shaking Toxxic off his blood painted chest.

 

Francis: I honestly don’t think Toxxic has anything left, King.

 

King: Its times like this I wish that guy would consider bending the rules just a little bit, a thumb to the eye, a kick to the balls, something.

 

Williams looks like a ghoulish zombie rising from a muddy grave as he struggles to his knees; his face a grotesque mask that bares little resemblance to the man that started the match or to any living being for that matter. “Why won’t you bloody stay down!?” he curses Toxxic with disbelief. Determined to put him back on the canvas, the fatigued punk rocker punches at Williams as he tries to get up, doing little to detour him. Keeping his distance, he steps back, plants his feet, and jabs sloppily at Williams’ head as he inevitably reaches his feet. Measuring Williams with the left, Toxxic turns loose a knuckle busting right hand! Crack! The blow buckles Danny’s knees as fresh blood comes down like rain, decorating the ring like a gory Picasso painting. Catching himself with the ropes, Williams stays on his feet, crimson running down his face like a gentle stream. Much to Toxxic’s horror, he flashes a gruesome smile of awareness as he steadies himself, and steps forward.

 

King: What the hell is that idiot smiling at?

 

Francis: It looks like Williams may have a final rally left in him, the worst possible outcome for Toxxic! Fatigue is setting in, the pace has slowed, and Williams still has some fight left in him.

 

Struggling to keep Danny at bay, Toxxic pumps more jabs at his kisser. Plodding forward no matter what, Williams painfully absorbs the stiff shots, begging his body to hold up just long enough for him to get a little close. Losing ground, Toxxic starts to frantically back paddle as he’s far too lethargic to swiftly evade Williams like he did earlier. Desperate and running out of room, he plants his feet and makes a final stand. Measuring Williams, he aggressively snaps vicious jab after vicious jab into his face! The shots pop with gruesome accuracy but Williams won’t stop coming, drawing back his arm as he inches closer! Loading up his Lariat arm, Williams walks through a final jab and lunges in for the kill!

 

Francis: AXE BOMBER!

 

CRACK! A thunderous straight right stuns Williams in mid swing! Determined to finish what he started, Toxxic winds up for the Rolling Lariat! But Williams goes down before he can follow through! Splattered with blood, Toxxic shakes out his hand, and sighs with relief. “Finally!” he thinks to himself, amazed at the sheer relentlessness of Danny’s attack; maybe he wasn’t such a wash up after all.

 

 

King: The fighting spirit has left the building!

 

Francis: Williams came at Toxxic with everything he had but it just wasn’t enough tonight.

 

Grabbing Danny by his red streaked hair, Toxxic lazily drags him up for the knock out blow he didn’t get to land. Suddenly, Williams comes to life with a desperation elbow! But it’s blocked! Wham! A hard Rolling Lariat counters! Possibly the hardest that Toxxic has ever thrown in his life! Williams turns and stumbles…..stumbles….only to suddenly spring back! WHAM!

 

Francis: AXE BOMBAAAAH!!!!

 

Toxxic goes into the air like an acrobat; head over heels, heels over head, upside down, right side up, tumbling into a lifeless heap of devastation on the canvas! Off balance and plowing forward from the wind tearing swing, Williams goes through the ropes and crashes into the floor below. The fans leap for joy, urging him to get up and capitalize on this glorious situation. Danny would love to give them what they want, but as of now he just like to lay down. He’s absorbed a beating that would surely kill a lesser conditioned athlete and he needs some time to recover.

 

Francis: And just like that, the tables have been turned!

 

King: No pun intended but Danny is wrestling like he has a legit “deathwish.” How the hell are you suppose to beat a guy that won’t stop coming forward?

 

Francis: That’s the idea, King. Winning isn’t always about wrestling flawlessly, sometimes it’s about how far your willing to go, how much your willing to sacrifice. Years ago, Williams taught me a lesson in that. I won the match, but I had to push myself to extremes I never thought I was capable of; to beat Danny you must beat him at his game, and I don’t think Toxxic has ever been willing to do that.

 

Overzealous, the fans try to cheer Danny on as Toxxic lays prone and motionless on his back, dark blood pouring from the bridge of his nose in a Scarlet V. Finding himself on the floor, Williams claws his way up the ring apron, beating a count he was never aware of. His vision is blurry and his head won’t stop ringing, but other than that he’s fine, well aside from maybe the blood loss related dizziness and nausea. Truth be told, he’s a complete mess but that’s never stopped him before. He did what he needed to do, now it’s time to collect, and give the fans the win they deserve. Rolling back into the ring, he epically crawls towards the fallen Toxxic.

 

Francis: We’ve seen Williams dig deep and survive some serious punishment tonight, is Toxxic willing to do the same?

 

The suspense is unbearable for the crowd, who haven’t found their seats since the Axe Bomber landed. Inch by blood smeared inch, Williams pulls himself over his fallen foe’s body, blanketing it for the pin. All eyes in the arena are on the nerdy four eyed official as he starts the count.

 

 

“ONE!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“TWO!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

……..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“THRE-Ooooooooh!” sighs the over anxious fans as Toxxic apparently slipped a boot beneath the bottom rope.

 

King: Who needs toughness when you got great ring sense?

 

Francis: And the luck of being knocked out near the ropes.

 

King: I’m sure he planned it that way.

 

Rolling off the bloodied heel, Williams rests and plots. Despite the brief disappointment, the crowd gets right back into it.

 

“DAN-E! DAN-E! DAN-E!”

 

Shaking himself back awake, Williams wearily climbs to his feet. He stumbles but finds the ground in time, saving himself the embarrassment of flopping on his bottom. For the fans this is almost surreal, having never guessed that after all that has passed, they’d be seeing Williams standing tall over a bloody Toxxic. Ripping off his arm pad, Danny pumps his blood stained fist high into the air, signaling the end is near.

 

Francis: Williams, looking to close the match with another Axe Bomber!

 

King: If there’s any trick Toxxic has been saving for a special occasion this would be the time to use it.

 

Snatching Toxxic by a handful of blood dripping hair, Williams drags him to his feet as if he was a child. Steadying his target, Williams draws back his massive arm…..when a sloppy Superkick rockets towards his head! But it’s caught! Struggling to stay balanced, Toxxic swings up his free leg for the Enzugiri! But Danny doesn’t need two eyes to see the weary kick coming! Getting up his arm, he blocks the ill conceived ambush, letting the already rubber legged Toxxic awkwardly splatter on the canvas!

 

Francis: Toxxic, trying to mount a comeback but it isn’t happening.

 

King: That damn Axe Bomber must have really messed him up; you could probably throw a better kick, Mak.

 

Francis: In my prime?

 

King: No, right now.

 

Extending his broad arms, Williams stalks his ailing prey from behind, waiting for him to make the foolish mistake of sitting up. Diving in like a jackal smelling blood, Williams clamps his powerful arms around Toxxic’s busted face! The Sensation screams as a crimson highway pours to the canvas from his forehead and his nose, his face caving in quicker than an ill cooked cake.

 

Francis: Danny Williams’ Facelock is one of the most painful moves in the sport, with an already busted face, I can only imagine how much it hurts.

 

King: Toxxic’s got too pride to give up. Yeah, he’s as dumb as Danny in that regard.

 

Still standing, the crowd leaps up and down in jubilation as they wait for the magic words. Toxxic’s eyes burn and water as if he has sand in them, a sure sign of a broken nose. He tries to exhale through his nostrils but blood pours out in alarming gushes, some running down the back of his throat, and gagging him considerably. Gasping for breath from his open mouth, Toxxic refuses to submit as Soapdish pops the question. He instead reaches for the ropes, stretching his arm as far out as he possibly can, but he’s not even close! Desperate to relieve the tortuous pressure that’s disfiguring his face, he frantically reaches back with his free arm, digging his fingers into the gash above Danny’s closed, puffy eye without thinking twice.

 

King: Hey, he stole a page from your book, Mak.

 

Francis: Not technically cheating but a sure sign that desperation is sitting in for Toxxic.

 

King: Nah, most people are calm and rationale when their getting their faces crushed.

 

Thick, dark blood runs down Toxxic’s arm and spews into his own face, but Williams refuses to let go. Both men bleed buckets on each other in a scene that’s straight out of a gory horror film. Growling like an angry wild animal, Williams increases the pressure of the hold, squeezing Toxxic’s head until it feels like it’s going to burst in his arms like fruit. Getting a migraine that could kill an elephant, the Sensation’s arms spasm out of control, forcing him to release Danny’s ravage eye! Despite bleeding out, Williams calls upon all of his remaining power for a one final surge of strength. It’s all or nothing now. Ignoring the pain, Danny flexes his muscles until they are tighter than a bass drum of human skin, veins swelling out his neck and arms like giant snakes, a geyser of blood sprinkling out of the cut above his eye. Purple faced, Toxxic’s blood spewing head violently shakes like he’s about to pull a “Scanners”, his head feeling as though it’s being flattened and misshapen, his skull crumbling around his brain like an egg shell. The pain is beyond words, worse than anything he’s ever experienced, a headache that all the Advil in the world won’t be able to help. If he’s not mistaken, his eyes feel like they are about to pop out of his skull as well.

 

Francis: Earlier, we saw an injured Williams endure Toxxic’s toughest submission and rally. Can the Sensation do the same and out will Williams? Danny had the fans to get him through it, but what does Toxxic have?

 

King: An obsession with winning the title, proving all these idiots wrong…..and the hope of knowing that I will always root for him as long as he doesn’t sell out again.

 

Toxxic’s pride holds his tongue, but when all is said and done that’s all he has left, and when you feel like you are teetering between life and death that doesn’t seem all that important. He doesn’t have any fans to cheer him on in such a bleak situation, no one to help him through, he’s on his own in an island of growing darkness. Also in pain, Danny fends off fatigue, struggling to keep the heat on the fading Toxxic. He listens to the music of the molten hot crowd, the only thing keeping him going. Toxxic doesn’t have such luxury, and pride can go to hell as he taps his blood stained hand against the canvas.

 

DING! DING! DING!

 

Completely burned out, Williams collapses in a heap while Toxxic sinks in a fresh pool of his own gore. The ring is a mess of red foot prints, hand prints, and smudges; it doesn’t like a brawl just happened, it looked like a heinous execution occurred. The crowd is simply ecstatic, somehow mustering enough energy to show their appreciation of Danny’s bloody sacrifice. Unable to stand, Soapdish raises his hand from where he’s at. Williams leaves it up on his own for a little to acknowledge the crowd.

 

Francis: What a performance from Danny Williams!

 

King: Yeah, just the let other guy beat you until they burn out. Sheer genius! I can’t imagine why I never thought of that before….maybe because it’s retarded.

 

Francis: It was the only way, King. His heart was the only edge he had over Toxxic, that and this incredible crowd.

 

King: We’ll see how long that lasts; this crowd is like the tavern whore she’ll leave with whoever’s buying or something like that.

 

Francis: Jesus, King.

 

Soapdish calls for the medics since it’s obvious that neither man is getting up on his own. Since been the bell, both men have done nothing but agonize in pools of their own blood. Williams is in the better shape as he can least talk where as Toxxic lays quietly on his stomach, his agonizing face buried in his hands. Perhaps, he’s hiding his disappointment in himself or maybe he’s simply in too much pain to even be bothered with such trivial matters. Armies of paramedics storm into the ring, both men are quickly administered oxygen, and strapped into stretchers. The fans applaud the doctors as they carry Danny and Toxxic down the aisle, both looking to be seriously injured and drained.

 

Francis: They’re probably going to need blood transfusions. Not surprising considering that this has been one of the more grueling, goriest battles I’ve ever seen. So where do these warriors go from here? Surely both men made a case for the Main Event.

 

King: We both know Toxxic belongs in the Main Event and he’ll win a rematch for damn sure, but let’s not forget that Danny looked like total chump for most of the match. Yeah, he won tonight but I doubt he can make any type of long term impact wrestling this pathetically.

 

Francis: Hopefully, this match knocked the rust off Williams. If he stays healthy, he may make a decent run of it.

 

King: Bah, will agree to disagree. It’s been swell but goodnight everybody.

 

Francis: But we have at least two more matches left, including the Drake/Landon Main Event.

 

King: I know, I was just seeing if you’d bite or not.

 

Francis: Now I wish the night was over.

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*Sigh* :(

=========

 

From the Fire keeps on trucking after the ending to the All Show Ironman. In the booth sits the Franchise and the former King of Hearts, ready to give us the rundown of what’s yet to come… the final match of the evening!

 

“Once again ladies and gentlemen,” Mak Francis opens, “while we’ve just witnessed a dramatic end to the All Show Ironman match between Insane Luchador and Zyon, we’re not through because the Main Event is still to come!”

 

“It’s the match we’ve all been waiting for and you’re absolutely right, Mak. Whether you love him or you hate him like I do, the stakes couldn’t be higher for Landon Maddix!” King says while wringing his hands. “He is the only Clusterfuck winner in SWF history to not win here at From the Fire and to lose again would brand him a choke artist! I’m wringing my hands in anticipation because if he loses Maddix’s psyche may be damaged beyond repair!”

 

“Say what you will about Landon Maddix, King, but the twenty three year old kid is a two time World Heavyweight Champion focused on a three peat and exercising those demons of old is just icing on the cake.” The Franchise states. “Universally, anyone would be devastated to lose a World Title match no matter the circumstances!”

 

“Please Mak, the enmity between these two goes all the way back to Genesis! The circumstances matter more than ever and Gabriel Drake, the master manipulator himself has proven that over the last month. This match is anything but nothing personal.”

 

“I’d have to agree as this rivalry took a new twist two shows ago.” Francis adds. “Gabriel Drake assaulted and abducted, Landon’s manager Megan Skye and then left her in the trunk of a car! Of all the vile things I’ve seen happen in this federation—and I’ve seen a hell of a lot, kidnapping that young woman and leaving her to possibly suffocate may take the cake!”

 

“Megan Skye shoved her perky little… nose into Gabe’s business by getting into Maddix’s ear and now that she’s gone they’ll finally get to have a match they should have had at the grandest stage of them all, SWF Genesis VII!”

 

“Well now this stage is certainly set… with ladders surrounding the ring and animosity at an all time high, for the richest prize in our game, the SWF World Title!”

 

The camera cuts to an ominous view of the hardware set in the center of the aisle. The crowd sits in anticipation, low murmurs about the action that’s about to occur fill the Acer Arena. The mood, though quiet is also electric as they wait to-

 

"REACH OUT AND TOUCH FAITH!"

 

“YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

 

-cheer as "Personal Jesus" by Marilyn Manson comes forth from the PA system, a very welcome change to the previous dead air, causing the fans rise to their feet! The house lights dim and strobes set about the entire arena alternate between completely blacked out and obscenely bright! Until, through the curtain and onto the stage, arrives the challenger to the SWF World Title!

 

“RRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”

 

Theme music blaring, the crowd greets the number one contender with the single largest reaction of the night! Pausing at the top of the ramp for the roaring crowd, Landon Maddix looks dead serious as he acknowledges the filled to capacity Acer Arena! Landon nods his head then takes a deep breath and walks down the aisle, trenchcoat billowing behind him!

 

“Twenty one thousand plus SWF fans have embraced the South Dakota native as if he’s an Aussie, but markedly absent from this grand entrance is Landon’s manager, Megan Skye.” Mak notes as Maddix reaches a ladder situated at ringside. “I saw Megan in the arena earlier today, but I can’t blame her for not coming out after her ordeal.”

 

Maddix comes to a stop, looking the black ladder over and then fakes walking under it before wagging his finger and sidestepping the metal structure with a wry smile! King sighs in disgust. “It’s true we’re missing one whore, Mak, but at least the other whore—the crowd whore that is, still came out. I legitimately thought he might be too scared after the ass kicking he got last week!”

 

Having to add-lib his normal entrance without Skye, Landon slides into the ring from the floor and pops to his feet, but that’s where the changes stop as he spins center ring, falling into the HBK pose while accepting the audience’s adulation!

 

“Maddix is coming into this match off a hard fought loss to the new tag champs, Wild and Dangerous, but what’s really important to note is the fall he took to the outside at the end of that match. That slam to the concrete along with the beating he took from Drake earlier in the night assures that Landon is not a hundred percent going into this-”

 

Suddenly, cutting off Mak mid-word, the Smarktron flares to life and flashes from The Beasts debut vignettes splashing across the screen, as the deliberate strum of ‘The Devil’s Rejects’ begins to quicken. Meanwhile, the slow melody continues and the atmosphere is even amplified by the eerie menacing blue light and the flickering of several white strobes cutting across the darkened arena, until finally…

 

“JAAAAAIIIIIL-BIIIIIRD!”

 

…through all the bright lights, glitz and glammer; face framed by his black hair with white highlights…

 

“JAAAAAIIIIIL-BIIIIIRD!”

 

…with his SWF World Title wrapped around his waist…

 

“JAAAAAIIIIIL-BIIIIIRD!”

 

…Gabriel Drake himself appears through the curtain.

 

“BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

 

“I am the bad one…

Distant and cruel one…

I am the dream that, keeps you running down!”

 

Hearing the opening lyrics of the Rob Zombie song, Drake pauses on the stage for a moment, looking around the arena spotting each and every single fan attempting to taunt him as mercilessly as they can! Gabe smiles wide and then proceeds to saunter down towards ringside.

 

“-And I can guarantee that this man will take advantage of that!” Francis adds. “This man, who has been one of the most physically dominate champions since, well, I don’t know who to compare him to, but he has held the belt since the beginning of 2007 and probably won’t give it up over his own dead body!”

 

“With distraction…

Violent reactions…

Scars of my actions, watch me running out!”

 

The Smarktron behind him continues to flash scenes from famous wars and bits of destruction while showing him hitting a Musclebuster on Michael Cross, twisting Akira’s broken body in the Spite and Malice and deforming Landon Maddix’s feature by tossing him into a Steel Cage interspersed…

 

[“HELL DOESN’T WANT THEM!

HELL DOESN’T NEED THEM!

HELL DOESN’T LOVE THEM!”

 

…Until a final picture of the newly infamous leap off the second rope with Michael Stephens in tow, compacting his jaw with a sickening Mark of the Beast!

 

“I think you’ve got it wrong, Francis!” King exclaims. “He won’t give it up over Maddix’s dead body! He’s going kill him and keep the title… and I can’t wait to see it! This is a LADDER match! There’s no pinfalls, no submissions, no disqualifications, and no count outs which basically means no rules to save him from this ass kicking except going up a ladder and getting the title!”

 

Now at ringside, Drake also stares at the ladder sitting before him and walks directly under it, going to the ring steps before bouncing on his toes then methodically moving up the stairs and onto the apron! Walking to the center, he brings his hands down to frame the World Title on his waist and leans back, living in the moment!

 

“I guess Drake is not one to believe in old superstitions, King?”

 

“Sometimes a little bad luck is a good thing, Mak.” The former King of Hearts notes candidly. “Besides, Maddix is going to need all the help he can get if he’s going to even survive this thing!”

 

“The Devil's Rejects…

 

The Devil’s Rejects…”

 

As the music fades, Gabe enters the squared circle and stares down his pacing opponent from his corner that makes a move for him, but is halted by the referee who sends Landon back to his own corner. In between them, Funyon sits center ring, mic in hand to launch the final match of the evening…

 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, this your Main Event!” Funyon bellows. “The following contest is a LADDER MATCH and it’s for the Smartmarks Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship of the WOOOOORRLLLDDDDDDD!”

 

“YEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

 

“Introducing the challenger, from Huron, South Dakota!” At the mention of his hometown, Maddix stops pacing and discards his trenchcoat. “Weighing in at two hundred and eight pounds, he is a former two-time SWF World Champion and winner of the 2007 SWF Clusterfuck, LAAAAAAN-DON… ‘LA CUUUUU-CA-RACHHAAAAAA’… MAAAAAAAAAAAD-DIX!”

 

“RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!”

 

“And his opponent, from Athens, Georgia! Weighing in at two hundred and fifty-eight pounds! He is the reigning and defending… SWF World Heavyweight Champion!” At this point Drake raises the title above his head. “He is the ‘BEAST’, GAAAAAAB-RI-EELLLLLL… DRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEE!”

 

“BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

 

Folding the straps of the belt, Gabriel Drake in what has become a little tradition since his non-title loss to Insane Luchador, kisses the nameplate of the title and hands it over to Senior Referee Matthew Kivell. A black lasso lowers from the top of the arena, as Kivell once again raises the World title for all to see.

 

“That’s what it’s all about, folks… the SWF World Title and I can’t think of two better people to showcase why it’s the best belt in our industry!”

 

“I can think of one person who shouldn’t be in the match…”

 

Kivell fastens the belts strap in place and signals for the title to be raised! Slowly, the belt ascends to the heavens and neither man takes their eyes of it! Now that the strap is situated, Kivell looks to Drake and asks if he’s ready. ‘Fuck Yeah!’ is Gabe’s response. A similar question is posed of Maddix, who nods his head and says ‘Yup.’. Swinging his hand to the timekeeper, Kivell signals for the bell…

 

*DING! DING! DING!*

 

And the Main Event is officially underway! Landon and Gabe start out by slowly turning the circle, neither man making too big a move lest they give up an early advantage. After a few second, both men slide forward little by little and come together in a collar and elbow tie-up!

 

“I honestly thought Maddix would come out here guns blazing, but he’s showing incredible restraint considering what’s transpired.” Francis notes, as Drake overpowers Landon controlling the grapple into a side headlock. “The title obviously means a lot to him, as well it should!”

 

“Well, if he came out guns a-blazing all that would happen is he’d die in a blaze of glory, Francis.”

 

La Cucaracha pushes the Beast to the right into the ropes, sending him for the ride, but Drake returns center ring flying into his opponent in a shoulderblock and as their nicknames would suggest, Maddix gets squashed like a bug! Standing over Landon, Gabe reaches down and grabs another headlock, imposing his will on the smaller challenger. Grinding in the hold, Drake wrings his hands to gain a better grip, while Maddix guides Gabe down towards the ropes. Shooting the Beast off, Landon once again sits center ring preparing for a collision, but the freight train-like Drake rolls right through him!

 

“Not the best of starts for Landon so far, King,” Mak states, as his announce partner can be heard audibly chuckling, “but the unpredictability of a ladder match can change things in a hurry. Again, there’s no pinfalls, no submissions, no disqualifications, no count outs and there’s only one way to win… climb the ladder and retrieve the SWF World title which is suspended twenty feet above the ring.”

 

Having marched back over to Maddix, Drake feels the ire of the fans rise as he snitches on yet another side headlock!

 

“BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

 

Gabriel laughs outright at this reaction, as Landon squirms in his grasp. Still bullying Maddix around the ring, Drake is slowly pushed to the left, as his opponent tries to liberate himself. Using momentum to get free, La Cucaracha makes Gabe run the ropes one more time, dropping to the canvas quickly avoiding another shoulderblock! Drake rebounds and Landon is up, leapfrogging the Champ’s six feet four inches with ease, causing the Beast to hit the brakes! Turning around after missing his second attempt at a shoulder to shoulder collision, Gabe walks right into…

 

*SMACK!*

 

“YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

 

“GODDAMN!” King hollers, as Landon lashes out with an open hand right! “He just slapped the taste out of his mouth!”

 

“That’s why you should never laugh in your opponents face!” Mak crows, as Drake holds his stinging jaw. The Beast’s eyes narrow and the Next Generation, who was talking some smack suddenly shuts up. “Third times the charm for Landon Maddix and—I don’t believe it… now he’s running away?!”

 

Eyes wide and tail tucked firmly between his legs; believe it or not, Landon Maddix is indeed running away! Scurrying away in fear, Landon slides under the ropes and runs around the ring with Drake nipping at his heels!

 

“What a joke!” King shouts, as Maddix turns the corner and runs in front of them. “All that’s missing is a girly shriek and some chase music!”

 

Checking briefly to make sure his opponent is still pursuing, the sly cockroach dives back into the ring and pounces on a growling Gabriel Drake as he slides in head-first underneath the ropes! Raining down upon the surprised Beast with clubbing blows to his head and neck, Maddix has a fury in his eyes that’s very different from his earlier somewhat business-like demeanor…

 

*WHAM!*

 

*WHAM!*

 

*WHAM!*

 

*WHAM!*

*WHAM!*

*WHAM!*

 

…the speed of the strikes increase as Landon tries to keep the larger Drake down! Latching on to a handful of hair, La Cucaracha pulls Gabe’s face down to waist height and-

 

*CRACK!*

*CRACK!*

*CRACK!*

*CRACK!*

*CRACK!*

 

-proceeds to kick his face of with five vicious Kawada kicks! Transitioning into a cravate with ease, Landon spins Drake to the mat in a snapmare and then quickly back away-

 

*THWACK!*

 

*THWACK!*

 

*THWACK!*

 

*THWACK!*

 

-before snapping off four Dragon kicks, each one stinging the Beast’s back! Lifting Drake to his feet, Landon moves Gabe back into the rope, but the World Champion will not be manhandled, forcefully shoving Maddix away! “I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes… Landon Maddix uses one of the oldest tricks in the book to take the fight right to Gabriel Drake! There’s the fire I expected!” Mak calls, as not to be deterred, the Next Generation bounds back into the picture-

 

*SMACK!*

 

“WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

 

-popping Drake with a knife-edge chop! The crowd as usual gives the appropriate response to the first plate of chops being served in this match! Rearing back again, Landon drives his hand into Gabe’s chest-

 

*SMACK!*

 

“WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

 

-hitting another knife-edge! Drake is still stunned from the Pearl Harbor has been easy prey so far, but he looks to be getting his wits about him.

 

“If this were a restaurant I’d send those chops back to the kitchen!”

 

“And then, hopefully, they’d spit in your food…”

 

Mak’s little dig at King does get under his skin, but not as much as Maddix’s chop to Drake’s upper torso does!!

 

*SMAAAAAACK!*

 

“WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

 

Seemingly answering King’s challenge and plastering Drake’s pecks with a scintillating knife-edge chop!! This one places a significantly red welt on the Champ’s chest and is enough to back him into the ropes for an Irish whip…

 

…but Gabe holds his ground. Leaning against the top rope, Drake digs in preparing for an attack and Landon doesn’t disappoint, slamming his forearm into the Beast’s face! Again! And again! And again… until the World Champ grabs a side headlock to stop the assault! Leading Landon towards center ring, Gabe abruptly spins around, using the momentum from dragging Maddix forward and swinging his right arm into Maddix’s jaw to make for a nasty lariat!!

 

*WHAAAAAAAM!*

 

“That’s more like it, Gabe.” King boasts. “All the little tricks in the world can’t save Maddix from something like that and now the pain begins!”

 

Shaking out his arm from the impact, Drake looms over the challenger to his title that just got knocked ass over elbow and grabs a tuft of blonde hair. Pulling Maddix up to his knees and yanking his head back, Gabe batters La Cucaracha’s chest with forearms!

 

*WHAM!*

 

*WHAM!*

 

*WHAM!*

 

*WHAM!*

 

*WHAM!*

 

*WHAM!*

*WHAM!*

*WHAM!*

*WHAM!*

*WHAM!*

 

King’s prediction of pain seems to be prophetic, as Drake, after letting Landon fall back to the mat, reaches down and moves the Clusterfuck winner into a sitting position before-

 

*SMACK!*

 

-knife-edge chopping him across the back! Gabe’s right foot immediately rears back as Maddix seizes up in pain, before speeding straight ahead-

 

*THWACK!*

 

-plastering the challenger’s chest!! Landon falls prone on the mat and Drake takes this as his opportunity to run back into the near ropes, rebounding back with authority for a knee drop to the head… but suddenly stops when a groggy Landon attempts to cover his head, so instead Drake stares down at Maddix before bounding into the air and crushing his ribcage with a leaping knee!!

 

“BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

 

Finished, for now anyway, the Beast stands up off Maddix’s stomach and raises his hands to booing from the crowd. “That’s nearly two hundred and sixty pounds to the challenger’s sternum and we can already see Landon is hurting…” Mak calls as sitting up, the Next Generation’s hand immediately goes to his lower back, while the other clutches at his ribs.

 

“…And just think what could happen when a ladder gets introduced, Francis!” King practically sings. “Happy days are here again!”

 

Grabbing a handful of hair, Drake uses his position of power to shove Landon in between his legs in a standing head-scissors! Situated over his opponent, Gabe, in a now familiar taunt points towards the outside of the ring and places his hand in the devil horns, swiping it across his neck!

 

“BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

 

“We both know what that means by now!”

 

“Even the crowd knows, King.” Mak responds to his announce partner, as Gabe latches his hands together around Maddix’s waist! “Each time he tries this I think he’ll come back to his senses and not attempt it…” Francis adds, as Drake snatches Landon off the canvas onto his shoulders and rushes towards the ropes with a snarl…

 

 

 

“YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

 

 

 

…but as the Beast tosses Maddix over the ropes, he ensnares the World Champ’s head with his legs and sprawls backwards sending them both to the outside in a huracanrana, while he latches on to the top rope with his hand! Holding on for all he’s worth Landon pulls himself onto the apron, saving his body from another bad fall!!

 

“Well scouted by Landon Maddix, who must’ve seen Drake’s match with Alan Clark and known what was coming!” The Franchise states as Gabe starts to move on the outside. “I think the best way for him to win this match is to use his speed and imagination with moves just like that!” The Beast is hurting a little from his tumble to the outside, but he’s tough and gets to a knee, then his feet. Maddix meanwhile looks back over his shoulder and after taking a big breath, leaps into the air…

 

 

…springing onto the second rope…

 

 

…and back flipping with a full layout onto Gabe in an Asai Moonsault!!!

 

Nearly landing on his feet, Landon stands from a knee and walks over to the metal ladder located dead center in the aisle. Having someone dump all their body weight on you is not that uncommon in wrestling, so it’s not much of a surprise when the World Champion begins to rise, unfortunately for him Maddix has a plan! Folding up the hinges, Landon lifts the metal would-be weapon and wields the hefty object-

 

*THWAAAACK!*

 

-by blasting Drake square in the face!!

 

“It doesn’t take much imagination to hit your opponent in the face with a ladder, Mak!”

 

“That’s true, King,” The Franchise concedes, “but the fact remains, Landon was the first one to bring the hardware into play and he christened it against Gabe Drake’s face! There’s a learning curve in a match like this and when you have no experience it takes time to adjust. Even at less than a hundred percent Maddix can exploit that advantage.”

 

Maddix smiles at the large cheer that comes forth from the audience after knocking the Beast down, but he’s got more important issues to deal with, like getting the ladder inside the ring. Landon walks over to the ring and slides the hardware inside under the bottom rope, but the back end of it gets caught on the apron tarp. Meanwhile, on the outside, shaking off the effects of a ladder to the skull is no mean feat, but Gabriel Drake does just that while La Cucaracha rolls back inside the squared circle. Bending down to pull the steel structure entirely into the ring, Landon doesn’t see Drake staggering over to the ladder-

 

*THWAAAACK!*

 

-or shoving down on said ladder, levering it directly into his nose!!!

 

“I guess the learning curve isn’t as steep as you thought, Francis. Gabe might not have ever been in a Ladder match, but he knows a weapon when he sees one!” King brags to his announce partner, as Maddix flops to his back. “It’s just simple physics. Exert force down upon an object and watch as it crashes into something else.”

 

Backing away a little from the hardware, Drake pushes the hair out of his eyes and then rushes forward, Yakuza kicking the ladder from the bottom rung, propelling it into Maddix’s mid-section!!

 

*THWAAAACK!*

 

“Now that took imagination!” King adds, continuing to crow about Gabe’s prowess with a ladder. “That ladder struck him square in side and you can tell he’s feeling every bit of it!”

 

The Beast watches from the outside as Landon clutches his ribs and rolling back inside the ring, Gabe lifts the ladder off the mat, while Maddix crawls towards the corner to get to his feet! Situating the ladder like a battering ram, Gabriel dashes ahead aiming for Landon’s face, but the Next Generation dives to the right out of the corner, causing the World Champ to hit nothing but the steel post behind the turnbuckles!

 

*CLANG!*

 

Gabe’s shoulder is jarred so much by the impact that he immediately lets go of the would-be weapon, leaving it wedged underneath the top turnbuckle! Stumbling around and shaking out his arm, the Beast turns back towards the ladder and straight into an awaiting Maddix who pops him in the face with a close quarters forearm! And then another forearm rocks the Champ, allowing Landon to wraps his arms around Drake’s head for the Crash Landon 05, but before he can execute-

 

*CRACK!*

 

*CRACK!*

 

*CRACK!*

 

-Gabe counters with elbows to the nape of the challenger’s neck! Falling away, Maddix turns around right into a kick to the gut, hunching him over!! Sweeping Landon’s arm over his neck, Drake reaches down and grabs the waistband of his shorts, before arching back while lifting Landon vertical in a suplex onto the angled ladder wedged under the top turnbuckle in the corner!!!

 

“Oh, what a vertical suplex by Drake and Maddix’s body—his lower back and kidneys… legs and neck all landing on that ladder!” Francis states, as Landon stays rooted to the spot on the ladder. “With a basic maneuver like a vertical suplex Gabriel Drake has put himself in complete control!”

 

Smiling down at his handiwork, the Beast drops to his knees and rolls out of the ring, ducking under the squared circle and pulling out a second ladder to the chagrin of the crowd!

 

“BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

 

In other news, back inside the ring, Landon finally slides off the metal structure he crashed on to and down to the mat, while the World Champion shoves another ladder into the ring! Drake picks the ladder up near its base and as Landon struggles and pushes himself to his vertical base, Gabe cocks the metal weapon back like a baseball bat-

 

*CRAAAACK!*

 

-and blasts him in the side of his head and shoulder!!

 

“Drake showing total disregard for his opponent with that reckless swing of the ladder, King!”

 

Looming over the challenger to his title, Gabriel toes him onto his back and then, holding the ladder completely vertical, plunges it straight down into Maddix’s diaphragm!!

 

*THWAAAACK!*

 

“Heh, that was the Home Depot special there by Drake! I bet you’re wondering, just like I am, if Landon thinks a Ladder match stipulation was such a good idea now?” King asks, as walking over to the corner, the Beast places the middle of the ladder over the ring post, so that the top points out toward center ring! “Gabe’s just too big, too strong and has some real bad intentions for Landon and that ladder stuck in the corner!”

 

“Landon Maddix is giving up size and strength and power and that may be too much to overcome in a normal match, King,” Mak starts, as Gabe moves towards his aching challenger, “but this isn’t a normal match… it’s a ladder match and the ability to do things to your body and with that hardware which no normal man would try can even any odds!”

 

Picking up Landon by his hair and hoisting him onto his shoulder, Drake lines Maddix’s face up with the steel like a human lawn dart and rushes towards the hardware secured around the corner post-

 

*CRAAAACK!*

 

-but Maddix slides down his back and shoves Gabe face-first right into it!!! Drake bumbles backwards, blinking in pain from the solid contact of skull and metal, when Landon reaches overtop and tugs him into an inverted headlock, before turning and burning Drake with a Landon Eye! The World Champ’s head bounces off the mat from the impact and Gabe rolls out of the ring on instinct most likely, as Landon rises to his feet. Drake holds onto the guardrail while attempting to walk off the effects of Landon’s take on the Eye of the Hurricane! Meanwhile, falling back into the ropes with a tired expression on his face, Maddix looks up and suddenly takes off in a dead sprint, scuttling up the ladder then using it as a diving board to fly over the top rope before plummeting down on top of the Beast on the outside!!!

 

“HO-LY SHITE!”

 

“HO-LY SHITE!”

 

“HO-LY SHITE!”

 

“HO-LY SHITE!”

 

Laying on the ground just in front of the barricade separating them from the crowd, both men sit and are slow to get up after one crazy dive to the outside! Inside the ring, Matt Kivell, who hasn’t had much to do leans through the ropes to check on both men, as Mak Francis comments on the scene. “And that’s exactly what I was talking about! Landon taking a hell of a chance by running up that ladder and coming up and over in a Spaceman Plancha!”

 

“With each big risk he takes there’s just as much a chance that he’ll fall flat on his face, Mak.” King rebuts, as Maddix rolls off of Drake and tries to work out the kinks in his sore body. “If you want to back the guy who has to nearly kill himself when his opponent is already doing a pretty good job of it themselves, you have my blessing!”

 

Making it to his hands and knees, Gabe begins to crawl towards the ring apron just as Landon makes it to his feet. Circling around the ring post just like Drake, Maddix semi-politely (‘Give me your chair!’) asks the timekeeper for his seat at ringside! Drake is now up to his feet; although that’s a generous description and Landon Maddix doesn’t give him long to celebrate this fact-

 

*WHUMP!*

 

-jabbing Gabe in the gut with his new steel chair!! The Beast falls back, leaning against the post for support when Maddix takes a homerun swing-

 

*CEEEERACK!*

 

-but thankfully for Drake only hits the post!! La Cucaracha drops the chair immediately, his hands stinging from the missed assault and Gabriel uses that to his advantage, grabbing Landon by the shorts and tossing him in under the ropes! Now back inside the ring, the Beast quickly presses his newfound advantage, whipping Landon into the neutral corner unoccupied by a ladder! Maddix stumbles out after hitting the turnbuckles back first and Gabe scoops him up with ease, slamming the Next Generation across his knee in a Pendulum backbreaker!!

 

“See how easily momentum changes, Mak.” King says, rubbing it in his fellow commentators face. “All the crazy risks in the world are no substitute for a balanced attack!”

 

Throwing Landon off his knee, Drake ponders his next move and then spots the ladder that’s wedged under the turnbuckle. Pulling the ladder from its position and dragging it almost center ring, the Beast repositioning the ladder with a deft kick and grabs the downed challenger from the mat into his second standing head-scissors of the night!

 

“It’s just like Storm all over again, Mak!” The Suicide King notes giddily. “Maybe Dangerous can come back out and Chokeslam him too!”

 

Gabe points down towards the middle of the ring where the steel structure is and then latches his hands together around Maddix’s waist, before he snatches Landon off the canvas and onto his shoulders! Turning slightly, Drake holds Maddix in place with his hands on his back…

 

*CRAAAACK!*

 

...but Landon flips out at the apex putting Gabe’s face on a collision course with the steel hardware beloWii!

 

“FACEBUSTER! A facebuster counter to Drake’s Powerbomb!” Mak crows. “See how easily momentum changes, Brian.”

 

The World Champ’s head snaps back from the blow, as Maddix sits on his hands and knees trying to take advantage! Noticing Drake looks out of it; Landon picks up the ladder and drags it to the middle of the ring, setting it up directly under the title! Starting his climb, Maddix makes his way up the first few steps easily, but the higher he gets the more wobbly the ladder becomes… in part because of physics, but mostly because Gabriel Drake has made his way back into the picture, pushing the hardware over and sending it to the mat. This may be a bad occurrence for some, but La Cucaracha does what cockroaches do best… adapt and survive, sadly Drake isn’t quite up to the task and he has to eat a little nuclear fallout from Maddix who dives off the ladder in the form of a Mushroom Stomp!!

 

“You can clearly see it now, King! Landon’s experience in Ladder matches is showing through as he saw the Beast coming and executed an innovative Mushroom Stomp off the top! He’s proving right now that this is his environment and his match to win!”

 

The momentum from the double boot to the back makes the Beast crack his head against the ladder and Landon having landed on his feet, grabs the stunned and groggy Champion and walks him before leaping over and to the outside, dragging him throat-first across the ropes in a Macho neck snap!! Hurriedly hobbling around the ring, Maddix slides back inside right in front of the ladder! Resetting it underneath the title on an angle due to the rushed situation, Landon starts his ascent! One rung, two rungs, three rungs, four… Maddix quickly scales the structure on his path to the belt, but his attack on Drake wasn’t enough to keep him out of the picture and Gabe recovers with the help of the ropes!! Bouncing over towards the ladder Gabe’s six inch height advantage pays dividends as he scales the hardware!! Landon makes it all the way to the top and reaches up, his fingers just below the level of the belt, when a hand comes from below and punches him in the gut! Maddix steps down a rung or two to regain his balance and Drake hits him again this time in the face!!

 

“It’s a battle atop the ladder as both men are trading blows!”

 

The Beast and Next Generation hammer each other with shots to the face, trying to knock each other from their perch… until Drake scores another punch to the gut, winding his foe! Grabbing at Landon’s locks, Gabe-

 

*CRACK!*

 

*CRACK!*

 

-slams Maddix’s head against the top of the ladder twice, weakening La Cucaracha enough to pitch the challenger from one ladder to the other, which was secured around the top of the ring post until Landon soared into it!!!

 

*THWAAAAACK!*

 

“And Gabe Drake has w-” King was about to say ‘won it’, but he’s stopped mid-sentence by the form of Landon Maddix, who after flipping the ladder he hit with his face off the post and on top of his head, is currently tumbling backwards and knocking the ladder Drake’s currently standing on over…

 

 

 

 

…CAUSING BOTH WRESTLERS TO WIPE OUT!

 

“HO-LY SHITE!”

 

“HO-LY SHITE!”

 

“HO-LY SHITE!”

 

“HO-LY SHITE!”

 

Maddix flops on his face, while Gabe lands throat-first across the top rope yet again, this time from off a ladder, but at least the crowd enjoyed it! Kivell looks on in utter disbelief much like the Suicide King, who can actually voice it…

 

“So let me get this straight… Gabe tosses Maddix from the ladder like the rag doll he is and he falls into the hardware stuck around the top of the ring post,” King says in complete disbelief, “but after hitting it, Maddix somehow ricochets backwards knocking over Gabe’s ladder and pretty much destroying them both?!”

 

“That about sums it up, Brian.” Mak responds. “I’ve never seen anything like it and I doubt I ever will again…”

 

A few seconds pass, while Kivell removes the ladder that was perched on the post from the ring for safety reasons and neither Drake nor Maddix are moving much. Probably taking the less punishing blow and being the freshest man, Gabriel Drake stands first with the help of the ropes! On the other side of the ring, Landon Maddix is just trying to get to his hands and knees… and not doing a great job! Done removing the first ladder, Kivell goes after the other one, but Drake stumbles forward and snatches it from the referee’s grasp! Opening it up in the middle of the ring, Gabe sets the hinges and then notices Maddix on his hands and knees! Gingerly walking over to La Cucaracha, Drake reaches down to pick up his challenger and make sure he stays down, when suddenly Landon hits him with a weak elbow to the stomach! Hunching over slightly, Gabe continues to lift Landon and gets another elbow for his trouble! Fighting to his feet, the Next Generation starts firing off rapid punches to the World Champ forcing him back into the ropes!!!

 

“YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

 

*BAM!*

 

*BAM!*

 

*BAM!*

 

*BAM!*

 

“Landon’s firing up here, King!” Mak says, encouraged by his comeback. “He’s not as hurt as we previously speculated!”

 

*BAM!*

*BAM!*

*BAM!*

*BAM!*

 

 

*WHAM!*

 

…until the Beast cuts him off with ONE overhand haymaker that clocks him!!

 

“Well, he certainly is now!” King counters, as Maddix seems to be out on his feet and Drake uses that to his advantage, immediately shooting a double leg pickup! “And because of his little comeback Landon’s now got a cross to bear—an Inverted Cross to be precise!”

 

Finding himself suddenly on the shoulder of the Beast, Landon frantically reaches out trying to latch onto anything that can save him… and luck would have it that a ladder is directly within arms reach! Scrambling off Drake’s back and up the ladder, Maddix tries to climb as fast as an injured man can, but it isn’t fast enough as Gabe quickly turns around and yanks him by his shorts back to the canvas where he lands on the back of his head!

 

“That was a bad fall for Landon Maddix and an easy way to get a concussion.” Mak calls, as realizing that this may be his chance, Drake starts to tentatively climb the hardware, not too sure of himself. “And it seems Gabriel Drake is going to take advantage, as he should.”

 

“I think everyone in the arena can tell Drake’s not so comfortable on that ladder.” King notes, as taking his time, Gabe reaches about halfway up the ladder. “I mean, you could probably make it up there faster, Francis!”

 

“Haha… very funny,” Mak deadpans, “you ass…”

 

Drake makes it about three quarters of the way when suddenly a cheer comes forth due to his challenger, making it to his feet!

 

“YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

 

Stumbling around to the other side of the ladder, Landon bounces off the ropes and then grabs a hold climbing as haphazardly as he can to catch Drake! As Gabe reaches the top of the ladder, Maddix’s hand shoots into the picture grabbing his right one to stop him from reaching the belt! Climbing higher, Landon notices Drake’s hand graze the gold… he can reach it even without his other hand! So Maddix in a stroke of brilliance or an idiotic move depending on which announcer you ask, sways back and forth, causing the ladder underneath both men to teeter…

 

 

 

 

…and then it tips over…

 

 

 

 

 

 

…FORCING DRAKE AND MADDIX TO STRADDLE THE TOP ROPE!!!!

 

“…OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

 

The crowd, Kivell, hell even Mak though it can’t happen to him anymore wince at that one. The lone person who didn’t wince is an irate Suicide King!

 

“WHAT THE *BEEP!* WAS THAT!”

 

Both Gabe and Landon sit on the top rope, holding their jewels, but the Beast not familiar with this particular situation loses his balance from his precarious position, tumbling to the outside and hitting the ring apron as he goes, landing in a crumpled heap!! Kivell, shocked by the fall climbs out of the ring to check on Drake and clear away the chair Maddix used unsuccessfully earlier. Gabe could have really got hurt by that thing…

 

“A calculated risk by Landon Maddix has saved the match and even swung it in his favor!”

 

“A calculated risk?!” King shouts, as Maddix eyes still wide from his fall, leans towards the canvas and lands on the mat also in a heap. “He pushed them both from a ladder with the express purpose of crushing both their balls! Now that’s nuts!”

 

Pushing himself to his knees, Maddix lets out a low moan. After it happened it didn’t seem like such a great idea, but now that it’s over all that’s important is that Gabe Drake doesn’t have the title. Getting to a vertical base by use of the ropes, Landon checks to make sure he’s all there, before resetting the ladder center ring. Hearing a shout of ‘Hey!’ and spotting somebody move out of the corner of his eye, Landon turns and spots Gabriel Drake’s back and Matthew Kivell standing off to the side saying something. Dashing back into the ropes for a full head of steam, Landon Maddix dives through the bottom and middle ropes in his patented suicide dive, but Drake wheels around-

 

 

 

 

*CEEEEE-RACK!*

 

 

 

 

-AND LANDON GETS A CHAIR WRAPPED AROUND HIS HEAD MID-FLIGHT!!!!

 

“BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

 

“Jesus Christ!” Mak yells, seemingly as surprised as the crowd who begin to boo. “Landon went for his tope especial—a version of a suicide dive and Drake dented a chair around his dome in mid-air!”

 

“He’d have been better off committing suicide, Mak!”

 

“As crass as that is I bet Landon’s thinking the same thing right now…”

 

Suddenly King changes his mind, citing that he would die before agree with the cockroach. Around the ring, Kivell immediately goes to check on Maddix, and be sure he doesn’t need to get a medic, while Drake drops the chair and slumps against the ring apron trying to regain his wind! Flexing his left knee a little, the Beast cautiously takes a few steps with an assist from the apron and then secure enough in his leg slowly rolls under the bottom rope.

 

“It looks like Gabe is walking with a little bit of a limp.” Mak notes as Drake reenters the ring. “That fall to the outside was far from pretty so it probably happened there. I’d have to say if ever there was a time not to have even the slightest injury to your knee it’d be now.”

 

“Okay lets’ compare.” King begins. “Is it better to limp a little from a trip to the outside or get cracked in the face with a chair from a trip to the outside?”

 

“You do have a point.”

 

“I always have a point, cause I’m always right, Mak!” King adds. “And besides, Drake looks fine!”

 

The Beast pushes himself to his feet and leans over the ropes, checking to make sure that Maddix is still down. Yup, Kivell’s still fussing over him. Gabe hobbles to the middle of the ring and turns the ladder, positioning it right underneath the title. Beginning his climb up the hardware, Gabriel Drake seems a lot more confident in his abilities. The crowd begins booing each step Gabriel makes up the ladder, until a very odd sound comes from their lips:

 

“RRRGGGGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

 

…cheers?! They would never pop for him so Drake looks back down and spots the scrappy Landon Maddix clawing his way into the ring under the bottom rope!! Not quite sure if he really believes Maddix has gotten up from that chair shot, the Beast turns around on the ladder! Watching as Landon slowly attempts to move forward and get to his feet, the World Champ thinking it’s better safe than sorry, leaps off the middle of ladder soaring through the air with his arms extended before driving his fists into the back of La Cucaracha’s head in a double axe handle!!!

 

“Drake taking no chances after his last unexpected fall from the ladder, King.”

 

Even though his knee is throbbing slightly, the Beast stands without assistance from the ropes and lifts Landon up to his feet. Throwing Maddix into the ropes, Drake lifts the weary Next Generation for a Stungun into the ladder, but the challenger hooks his hands around the rungs and scrambling off Drake’s shoulder, Maddix tries to climb as fast as an injured man can, but it’s nowhere near fast enough as Gabe turns his back to the ladder, while ducking underneath and between La Cucaracha’s legs! “That Devil’s reject attempt nearly backfired on the Champion there, but now he’s got Landon up…” Mak calls as Maddix’s feels himself being pulled from the ladder and begins to fight back, firing forearm after forearm into the face of the champion, until-

 

 

 

*THWAAACK… BANG!*

 

 

 

-Drake dumps Landon into the hardware in a release Powerbomb… BENDING THE LADDER’S HINGES!!!

 

“GODDAMN KING!” Mak shouts as the Next Generation sits underneath the warped ladder. “Gabriel Drake just throwing Maddix right into that ladder—the strength of Drake is amazing but the most important thing is the way Landon, well, landed, which was right into the ladder’s hinges!”

 

Kivell, who had been waving his hands for them to stop, slowly pulls the deformed ladder from around Maddix, hoping to do so with as little pain as possible to the man.

 

“Well, Gabe finally got that Powerbomb…” King mentions. “I think they actually broke an industrial strength ladder… I thought I’d never see the day when that happened.”

 

Gabriel Drake spotting that the ladder is of no use, rolls outside the ring and lifts up the tarp. Searching underneath, Gabe discovers another piece of hardware and pulls it out from under the ring. Looking up, Drake sees Kivell has completely removed the ladder and Landon Maddix’s body is halfway outside the ring hanging over the apron. Pushing the ladder inside, it gets caught on the ring apron, but the Beast slides in after it anyway. Going to the front of the ladder, Gabe finally gets it all the way inside the ring.

 

“…Hey, does Landon have that-”

 

“-Gabe!” King exclaims interrupting his partner. “Look out, look out, look out—LOOK OUT!”

 

But Drake doesn’t look out, turning around-

 

 

*CEEEEE-FUCKIN-RACK!*

 

“YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

 

-and walking right into a HOMERUN SWING WITH THE PREVIOUSLY DENTED CHAIR!!!!

 

“It’s going, going… and quite frankly Gabriel Drake’s chances of retaining his title may have just left the building!” The Franchise calls, as Drake seems to have a delayed reaction, before crumpling to the canvas! “Landon getting revenge for that earlier chair shot from the Beast!”

 

“This is a LADDER match, not a ladder and chairs match!” King says, dejected that his wrestler is now losing. “This isn’t right!”

 

“That wasn’t what you were saying a little while ago, King.”

 

Maddix seems to be on wobbly legs, but that doesn’t matter much to him! Looking at the Beast who seems to be out, Landon isn’t through! Raising his bent chair above his head, La Cucaracha swings the weapon down-

 

*CRACK!*

 

-across the left leg of his opponent!! Kivell waves his hands hollering for him to stop, while Gabe shouts out in pain and Maddix revels in it… but this is about more than revenge. He saw how Drake fell on the outside and if he can take out his leg…

 

*CRACK!*

 

*CRACK!*

 

“He’s lost his mind, Francis!”

 

*CRACK!*

 

*CRACK!*

 

Stumbling back into the ropes behind him, Landon just haphazardly tosses the chair to the outside as an afterthought to staying standing!

 

“Actually King, I don’t think Landon Maddix has ever been saner!” Francis says, as Kivell comes over to check on Drake. “By attacking the knee, he can severely limit Drake’s mobility—this wasn’t some plan given to him or discussed before the match… Landon came up with this on his own, on the fly and probably after noticing the Champion’s limp!”

 

Picking up the brand new ladder Drake just brought into the ring, Maddix unfurls it and moves the hardware to the corner. “And it doesn’t look like he’s done!” Mak finishes, as Landon basically falls into the ropes, still bruised from all the accumulated damage he’s received and after climbing through them begins to slowly scale the turnbuckles! Meanwhile, in the center of the ring, Gabriel Drake while still clutching his knee has enough foresight to push away the mothering head referee, sending him into the ropes…

 

“…OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

 

…which in turn crotches, Landon ‘La Cucaracha’ Maddix!

 

Falling back to his knees, Gabe has bought himself some time. But not much because Landon, while stunned, is not done with his attempt to climb. Mustering up some guts, Maddix lifts himself off the metal stud his balls fell across and very gingerly continues his trek. Getting to his feet on the bad wheel, Drake also realizes that as he’s scaling the ladder from the inside, Maddix is climbing from the outside… and whoever gets to the top first will have control of the situation! Both men stare each other down as they climb to the pinnacle and the two meet at the top of the steel structure!! Drake slams Landon’s head down on the top of the ladder and then grabs his arm, slinging it over his own shoulder prepping for a Superplex… from the TOP OF THE LADDER!!

 

“Is he trying to do, what I think he’s trying to do?” Mak asks, alarmed by the scene while the crowd all stand as one in anticipation, as Gabe lifts… but Maddix blocks, falling back onto the ladder!! Another lift by the World Champ… and another block by Landon who loses his footing and steps out onto the top rope in order to gain some stability!!

 

“This is looking pretty dangerous, Mak!” King states as the Next Generation stands wobbly on the top rope. Suddenly Drake smiles, reaching out and grabbing Landon by the throat! “…And it’s gone from bad to worse for Maddix and I love it! A Chokeslam to the floor!!” And that seems to be the plan as Gabe tries to clench his opponent’s throat, but Landon slaps away the hand-

 

*CRACK!*

 

*CRACK!*

 

*CRACK!*

 

-and crushes Drake’s head into the top of the ladder multiple times! His opponent sufficiently stunned, Landon wraps his arms around Gabriel’s head and shoulders. “What the hell… he’s not! NO!” Mak shouts, as the cockroach dives into the air…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“OH MY GOD!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

*BANG!*

 

 

 

 

 

…SPIRALING DOWN TO THE CANVAS IN A CRASH LANDON FROM THE TOP OF THE LADDER!!!!!

 

“HO-LY SHITE!”

 

“HO-LY SHITE!”

 

“HO-LY SHITE!”

 

“HO-LY SHITE!”

 

The moment speaks for itself, as both men are devastated by the high impact move! Landon sits, clutching his bruised back, ribs and neck while Gabe rolls around the ring, holding his face and finally sliding to the outside due to not knowing where he is!

 

“…Earlier today Landon Maddix’s attempt at the Crash Landon 05 was thwarted by Gabriel Drake,” Mak starts half in shock, “but he finally got it back in spades with the original Crash Landon!”

 

Sitting center ring, La Cucaracha body in burning, but he knows Gabe’s in the same situation. Rolling from his back to his belly, Landon looks over and is shocked to see the World Champ is not quite through! Crawling underneath the ropes and rolling to the outside, Maddix lifts up the tarp and pulls a ladder from beneath the ring! And he keeps pulling!! And keeps pulling… until a LARGE ladder comes forth from under the squared circle!!!

 

“YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

 

“That’s a big ass ladder, Mak!” King notes, as Landon lifts the huge piece of hardware and hefts it onto his shoulder! “It has to be around sixteen feet high and of course, the only ‘inventive’ thing Maddix can think of is hitting Gabe in the face…” Kivell, who was checking on Drake, pleads with Landon from behind the Beast to stop, but Maddix runs forward anyway…

 

*THWAAAACK!*

 

…plastering KIVELL right in the face as Drake ducks out of the way!!!!

 

“Landon was going for Drake, but he hit Kivell—and he doesn’t even care?!” Francis says, laughing outright at Maddix’s shrug of the shoulders. Bringing the ladder over to the ring, Landon proceeds as if nothing happened and shoves the gigantic ladder inside. Slowly getting to his vertical base, the challenger is hurting as he sets up the big ladder! Scaling the rungs to the top, very slowly what Landon doesn’t see while he’s climbing this huge ladder center ring, is Gabriel Drake scaling the shorter one set up in the corner!! Reaching the top of the normal sized ladder, the Beast dives off, shocking the crowd…

 

 

 

 

“…WOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!”

 

 

 

 

…BY IMPALING LANDON AS HE SPEARS HIM OFF THE OTHER LADDER!!!!!

 

*BANG!*

 

“Good god, King, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this… a SPEAR from one ladder to the other!”

 

“After all the big falls Maddix has taken over the past two weeks, there is no way he gets up from that!” King adds excitedly. “Landon completely forgot about Gabe after Kivell got taken out, but with that Spear he got reminded pretty quick that this match is the Beast’s to win!”

 

Inside the ring, Maddix and Drake sit in a mass of humanity near the ropes, while the crowd finally starts to boo the World Champ! Rolling a hacking and wheezing Landon outside the ring, Drake bumbles to his feet and after resetting the hardware directly under the title, begins his climb to the top of the ladder! With each slow step to the top, the Acer Arena audience begins to boo even more audibly! Making his way to the middle of the ladder, the Beast thinks he has it in the bag… Maddix is down and there’s nobody to stop him from climbing the ladder to success and finally ending this match! Step by step, Gabriel is now three quarters of the way there! Continuing his trek single-mindedly, he doesn’t notice the entire crowd rising to its feet…

 

“He’s got it!” King crows, as Drake’s hand brushes against the belt! “He’s got it—hey, wait a minute!”

 

“YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

 

Quite possibly one of the biggest cheers of the night comes forth from the crowd when Megan Skye rushes down the ramp and steps through the ropes into the ring! “Hey, I thought she wasn’t coming out! What’s she doing here?” King asks speculatively, as Skye, whose appearance is something of a shock to Drake, comes up to the ladder and begins to push! “Is she shaking the ladder?”

 

“Wait, I don’t think she’s shaking-” Mak says, his voice tense, while Megan shoves the ladder over completely…

 

“MAK DISCONNECT! DISCONN-” King screams, doing just that and diving out of the announce booth!

 

 

 

 

…SENDING HIM OVER THE TOP ROPE TO THE OUTSIDE…

 

 

 

 

“I’M IN A DAMN WHEELCHAIR I CAN’T GO ANYWHERE!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*CCCCRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH!*

 

 

…AND HURTLING THROUGH THE GODDAMN ANNOUNCE TABLE!!!!!!!!!

 

“YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

 

The crowd it seems is happy about the return of Megan Skye and her impact on this match:

 

“THAT WAS AWESOME!”

 

“THAT WAS AWESOME!”

 

“THAT WAS AWESOME!”

 

“THAT WAS AWESOME!”

 

Lying in a pile of broken table bits and announcer notes, sits the quivering mass of Gabriel Drake! Beside him, Mak has been knocked out of his wheelchair and King reconnects his headset trying to think of something to end the dead air. “When the hell did this thing become a tables, ladders and chairs match?!” Brian says mostly to himself as he tries to stall. “Uh, we’ve got Landon Maddix practically coughing up blood on the outside and now Gabriel Drake has flown through our announce table, taking out Francis and all our viewing equipment… so I guess I’m flying solo for now!”

 

“Everything’s a complete mess over here, this match is completely getting out of control—and can we get some help for, Mak… and maybe another ref, since Maddix killed the first one?” King inquirers, as Megan steps through the ropes and goes to check on her man on the outside, who is still feeling the effect of his spear. At the urging of his manager, Maddix slowly gets into the ring and shifting the ladder back on to its base, Landon makes his climb towards the title! Going up the hardware one step at a time, Maddix feels the energy from the crowd as they chant his name:

 

“LAN-DON!”

 

“LAN-DON!”

 

“LAN-DON!”

 

“LAN-DON!”

 

Making it about halfway up the ladder, with Megan Skye and the entire audience cheering him on, Landon Maddix pauses to catch his breath. He can feel it in the air, its time for him to exercise the demons of old…

 

“I just knew that bitch, Megan Skye would get involved since it was NO DQ and now she’s given Landon Maddix a clear path to the title!” When suddenly to the left of the Suicide King, Gabriel Drake crawls from the wreckage! “I don’t believe it! I literally don’t believe it! Gabe Drake is still in this thing!”

 

Stumbling to the apron through the broken table, Drake looks up and spots Landon almost three quarters of the way up the ladder. Climbing into the ring, the Beast is spotted by everyone in the arena, except for the title challenger…

 

“Gabe is willing himself through this; he couldn’t give a damn about the crowd who’s booing him or the fact that Megan Skye interjected herself in the match right now!” King calls, as Gabe enters the scene looking a mess, but still functioning! “All he’s focused on is stopping Landon Maddix and keeping his title!”

 

Swiftly moving into position and lifting the bottom rung of the ladder off the ground, the Beast dumps Maddix from his perch…

 

 

 

…SENDING HIM OVER THE TOP ROPE TO THE OUTSIDE…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*THUUUUUUMP!*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…AND STRAIGHT TO THE ARENA FLOOR BACKWARDS!!!!!!

 

“HO-LY SHITE!”

 

“HO-LY SHITE!”

 

“HO-LY SHITE!”

 

“HO-LY SHITE!”

 

Mak Francis has finally been helped back into his chair and reconnected, as Maddix sits on the arena floor! It seems to have picked him up mid sentence. “-could have broken his back! There was no table to break his fall, no real padding on the arena floor—nothing but cold hard ground?!”

 

Megan shrieks at the scene, rushing over to her man who looks like a certified train wreck! Afraid to touch him, incase his back is broken or something equally horrific, Skye is unbelievably thankful for referee Mark Hebner who comes down to ringside to finish officiating the match!

 

“Skye looks distraught out there, all teary eyed and stuff…”

 

“Wouldn’t you after seeing someone you cared for take THAT?!” Mak implores of King, who just kinda shrugs his shoulders. “Don’t you care about anyone but yourself?!”

 

“Not really… although I do care if Maddix wins this match or not.” King responds. “After that, I’d say he’s losing, which is good in my book!”

 

Resetting the ladder directly under the title, Gabe goes to climb and finally win this match, but then he spots Megs, huddled with a new ref, over Maddix’s prone form. Feeling all the pain that wracked his body from falling through a table at her hands, Drake makes up his mind. Grabbing a tuft of Skye’s blonde locks, Gabe lifts the valet/manager up onto the apron and yanks her through the ropes!

 

“Hey asshole!” Mak shouts! “Let go of her! She’s a woman for christ’s sake!”

 

“Megan Skye, once again, stuck her nose in Gabe and Landon’s business and now he’s going to get that bitch back!” King crows. “I think it’s just proper justice!”

 

Gripping her throat, Drake starts to talk smack to the woman who caused him so much pain… and as she fades in unconsciousness, she remembers what she should’ve done that Storm two weeks ago!

 

*…CHING!*

 

“She kicked him in the balls!”

 

Staggering back into the ropes, Megan rebounds forward and connects with some sweet shin music to the injured left leg of Drake and then with him hunched over, spikes him on his head in a DDT!

 

“No, proper justice is what just happened, King!” Mak responds to King’s earlier statement. “The Skye is the Limit! Megan Skye has just re-evened the odds and now Maddix has a chance! The sky really is the limit now!” Mak calls and the crowd loves it:

 

“SHE’S HARD-CORE!”

 

“SHE’S HARD-CORE!”

 

“SHE’S HARD-CORE!”

 

“SHE’S HARD-CORE!”

 

A ghost of a smile on her face, Megan’s demeanor suddenly changes, her focus hurriedly going back to checking on Landon. Skye quickly steps out of the ring, while Hebner moves inside to tend to Drake and finally up from his extended slumber, head referee Matthew Kivell takes his officiating partners place on the outside checking over Maddix.

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“Oh, so NOW we have two referees!” King bemoans, as slowly Drake starts to get up to his feet! “Where were you guys five minutes ago?!” Not really caring if the ladder is perfectly set up or not Gabe wanders over to the Home Depot hardware and begins what he believes will be his final climb. His knee aching, Drake goes up the ladder one rung at a time... meanwhile the Acer Arena audience begins to chant, praying for some kind of miracle:

 

“LET’S GO LANDON!” *clap!-clap!-clap!clap!clap!*

 

“LET’S GO LANDON!” *clap!-clap!-clap!clap!clap!*

 

“These fans are going nuts, Brian!” Mak shouts. “They believe he can get up after that horrendous fall to the outside! After all the punishment and pain, the crowd is trying to will Landon Maddix on!”

 

“LET’S GO LANDON!” *clap!-clap!-clap!clap!clap!*

 

“LET’S GO LANDON!” *clap!-clap!-clap!clap!clap!*

 

And the crowd finally gets their wish! Landon Maddix, against the urging of Senior Official Matthew Kivell, and plainly ignoring the pleading of Megan Skye… is up and crawling into the ring:

 

“RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

 

“LAN-DON!”

 

“LAN-DON!”

 

Drake is halfway up the ladder already, as Landon slides into the ring and crawls onto the bottom rung! The crowd continues chanting, the energy flowing through the arena and Maddix as he attempts to catch the reigning World Champion! Everyone is invested in the chase! The Beast has made it three quarters of the way, as the Next Generation makes it to halfway…

 

“It’s a race for the title!” King screams, as Drake makes it near the top of the ladder, Landon grabs his left hand! Drake still reaches up with his right, brushing the title and causing it to swing… he almost has it!

 

“LAN-DON!”

 

“LAN-DON!”

 

The audience is buzzing as all the way at the top, Maddix, realizing he can’t stop the World Champ that way from getting title, lets’ go of Drake’s hand, which he was grasping and swings-

 

*BAM!*

 

-blasting him in the face! The Beast responds in kind-

 

*WHAM!*

 

-popping Landon in the jaw with a solid right!

 

“Now they’re brawling at the top of the ladder!” Mak says, as both men let go of the clinch they have on each others hands and begin to throw down! “The stakes couldn’t be higher and neither man will give up!”

 

*BAM!*

 

 

*WHAM!*

 

 

*BAM!*

 

 

*WHAM!*

 

 

*BAM!*

 

 

*WHAM!*

 

“This is dangerous, Mak, real dangerous!” King adds as the ladder teeters under the brawl at the top of the ladder. “They could fall at any moment!”

 

Realizing this, both Landon and Gabe reach up for the SWF title, one hand from each grabbing the belt that means so much…

 

“Both men reaching for the belt they worked so hard to win… the richest prize in our game!”

 

“…OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

 

…When suddenly, Gabe bends at the waist into a double leg pickup, causing the crowd to react! “OH NO! NO-NO-NO! NO! NOOOO!” Mak repeats again and again, realizing what’s about to happen. “Don’t-don’t do it Gabe!” Francis pleads, as lugging Landon’s weight with him the Beast slowly stands…. “Please don’t do it…” He adds in a low voice, as Drake lowers Maddix down his back and off to the side, latching onto his head…

 

Mak has to make the call.

 

“OH MY GOD IN HEAVEN!”

 

 

 

 

 

Even King reacts.

 

“OH NO!”

 

 

 

“…WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-”

 

 

 

 

…just before he free falls back off the ladder-

 

 

 

 

 

*BOOOOOOOOOM!*

 

 

 

 

 

 

-IN AN INVERTED CROSS FROM THE TOP OF A SIXTEEN FOOT HIGH LADDER!!!!!!!

 

“-OOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

 

The crowd explodes having never seen anything quite like it, but suddenly quiets after seeing the fall of a lifetime! Mak Francis sits in his chair, floored by the scene in the ring. Landon’s spread eagle on the canvas and Drake flops up into a sitting position from the impact…

 

“Landon Maddix has just been driven into the canvas from off a sixteen foot ladder in an Inverted Cross,” Francis shouts incredulously, “a modified version of an Air Raid Crash, by what may be the meanest, baddest, cruelest sunnuva-bitch on the planet!”

 

As Gabriel shakily gets to his feet and starts his climb back up to the top, Megan attempts to enter the ring and check on Landon, but Matt Kivell stops her. Who knows what Drake would do to her if she entered that ring, even if it wasn’t to interfere…

 

“King, I just don’t know what else to say…” Mak adds, as Drake finishes his climb to the top of the ladder, which is the top of the world for him. Nobody has much to say except for the crowd who can only boo and they do:

 

“BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

 

…but the ending is still the same, as Gabe reaches up and unclasps his SWF World Title!

 

*DING! DING! DING!*

 

‘The Devil’s Rejects’ blares through the PA system confirming what everyone already knows to be true after that brutal finish. Gabriel Drake is still the man. As a tired Drake climbs down the ladder and gets his hand raised, Funyon makes the call:

 

“The winner of this match… and STILL your S-W-F WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION… the ‘BEAST’, GAAAAAAB-RI-EELLLLLL… DRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEE!”

 

“Landon Maddix put up a hell of a fight, taking some huge falls in what has to be the damnedest match I’ve ever been witness to, but the two-time Clusterfuck winner has not exercised those demons of old tonight.” Mak says, shaking his head. “He gave it his all—put his body, heart and soul on the line, but in the end it wasn’t enough, King.”

 

“Enough about that two-time loser, Landon… Gabriel Drake came into this match with the deck stacked against him!” King begins, as trainers, EMT’s and Megan all slide into the ring to check on Landon. Gabe Drake just stares down at the scene around his opponent and walks to the back. “It was a true defense of his title in a stipulation his opponent picked, in an arena that hated his guts, against an opponent who defeated him on the grandest stage of them all, but none of that matters now!”

 

“He was blasted with ladders, had his leg dissected by a steel chair… he even went through our announce table from the top of a sixteen foot high ladder!” Walking down the entrance ramp, exhausted from this crazy match, Drake kisses the nameplate on his belt once again and then slings the title over his shoulder. “But Gabe is still the man and that’s what he set out to prove! The SWF World Title he continues to carry is evidence of that fact!”

 

“The Year of the Beast continues strong and you have to wonder, who can possibly stop Gabriel Drake?” Mak states, as the Beast comes to a stop, standing tall on the stage while raising the title belt high. “No matter how much I dislike the guy one thing is true…”

 

Francis pauses…

 

“…Be proud of this win, Gabe, you earned it.”

 

Is the final word from the Franchise as he begrudgingly nods his head with the show fading to black…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

©2007 Smartmarks Wrestling Federation

A Superior One Production

Raising Workrate by getting the matches in almost on time…

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If it's any consolation Danny (which I doubt) I'm still waiting on comments from the marker about why you beat me back in 2005.

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Subtlety aside, I've been recovering from a car crash that occurred Wednesday night. Nothing serious, I just really bruised. I was sleeping most of last week and part of Sunday, and for the most part I've been trying to sleep it off and keep up with my classwork. I really didn't want to comment on the matches until I felt good enough to give you the explanation I really wanted.

 

My biggest problem is the story you're going with. Toxxic, in my opinion, went with more of a straight match. I have my problems with that, considering the build-up, but I think yours is far more flawed, and here's why:

 

With the build-up you've given me, with Danny coming back from Japan (And, presumably, wrestling there), along with intense training and a past history with Toxxic, makes it hard for me to buy that Danny comes into this even remotely as unprepared as you show Danny.

 

I paid very close attention to the promos you guys wrote out during 'regular season', so to speak, and I didn't get any sort of impression that Danny was coming into this as the weak player. In fact, I got quite the opposite: That Danny was in ring shape. Here's my line of thinking.

 

"What!?" exclaims Flesher, jumping up right in his chair. "Are you even in ring shape?"

Williams looks at him with a face that says he should know better.

 

Now that, to me, says "Flesher, of course I'm in ring shape." Plus, add in this:

 

"So how's Japan?" asks Flesher.

"I can't complain. Annie says hello."

 

Gives me the impression that you're actually still wrestling. Perhaps I missed where you were only acting as a trainer in Japan (And I'm serious, I may have. I'm very ADHD and I no longer have the excellent internet connection I once had), but I figured that you had continued wrestling. Adding in the fact that, for the show promo, it was you "Taking your ball away" makes it seem like you decided 'Nuts to this, I can wrestle in other places' the choice.

 

Finally, your promo where Danny is training didn't give me any hints that you were off your game in the slightest. If anything (And by the by, that was a really, really great atmospheric promo. I always love the good ol' gym promo), plus the fact that you're fairly young and, even with injuries, you're at that age where you can still get in shape reasonably quick, especially if you've been active (Like I assumed you were instead of being Japan). I mean (NOTE: THE FOLLOWING ISN'T MEANT TO BE SELF-PROMOTIONAL AT ALL), if Danny were at old fogey Judge/Ric Flair age, I can see the plot being believable, especially if you were something like a Road Agent over there. But Danny, coming in from APJW (Or wherever you were, I'm taking where Toxxic said you were) where you were presumably active, along with your training, made me assume that the match would go like this:

 

1) Toxxic goes on the offensive early, thinking Danny is the old, battered, broken-spirited guy that he's been talking about in those promos.

2) Danny, being 26, not in a good mood, and training constantly with new drive to secure his legacy, shows Toxxic how painful being wrong can really be.

3) Toxxic manages to recover,-Insert whatever strategy in here for the center of the match.

4) In the end, Toxxic's early hubris takes its toll, making Toxxic too weak to completely recover from the early beating he took from Danny. Danny wins, etc etc.

 

But that didn't happen. Actually, again, neither of you tried that plotline. But while Toxxic took a more regular approach to the match, I felt yours was more "against the grain" than his, and it made your match hard to reconcile overall. I didn't really have a problem with your spots, your psych, and other things. It was simply the story driving it all was against everything I saw in the build.

 

I apologize if you don't agree. Maybe it's just the post-crash head trauma talking, but that's why I didn't choose it.

Edited by Justice
Damned weird symbols...

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For my part I didn't try that plotline because Toxxic certainly respects Danny's abilities, he just doesn't like him as a person and felt slighted that Flesher called on him as the saviour of the fed while he's been de-pushed. So I didn't write Toxxic going into a stupid amount of offence early because he knows that's not the way to beat Danny. I was going for a "yes, he's good, but he doesn't belong here" rather than a "you're crap! Feel my wrath!" type of deal.

 

In more important news, very sorry to hear about your accident Judge and I hope you continue to heal well.

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Thanks for the comments. I don't mean to be anal, I just find it interesting to hear what the marker had to say.

 

"I paid very close attention to the promos you guys wrote out during 'regular season', so to speak, and I didn't get any sort of impression that Danny was coming into this as the weak player. In fact, I got quite the opposite: That Danny was in ring shape. Here's my line of thinking."

 

Your right, I just wanted to throw a swerve and more than tease the possiblity of Toxxic actually being correct; that after being away for so long, Williams wasn't ready for SWF Main Event competition. I didn't mean to imply Williams wasn't in shape, but that his reflexes were slower and he wasn't ready for someone as sharp as Toxxic. In retrospect, I should have made that more clear and I can understand the confusion.

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For my part I didn't try that plotline because Toxxic certainly respects Danny's abilities, he just doesn't like him as a person and felt slighted that Flesher called on him as the saviour of the fed while he's been de-pushed. So I didn't write Toxxic going into a stupid amount of offence early because he knows that's not the way to beat Danny. I was going for a "yes, he's good, but he doesn't belong here" rather than a "you're crap! Feel my wrath!" type of deal.

 

In more important news, very sorry to hear about your accident Judge and I hope you continue to heal well.

 

Well, that's fine, too. Underestimating Danny Williams often a nose-breaking mistake.

 

Your right, I just wanted to throw a swerve and more than tease the possiblity of Toxxic actually being correct; that after being away for so long, Williams wasn't ready for SWF Main Event competition. I didn't mean to imply Williams wasn't in shape, but that his reflexes were slower and he wasn't ready for someone as sharp as Toxxic. In retrospect, I should have made that more clear and I can understand the confusion.

 

No, it's cool. If I came off a little hard in my reply, it's really the first time I've ever had (in my opinion) a reason that was really supported by other evidence.

 

And I think that, in retrospect, that storyline might have worked. You just came on too strong with it, and I didn't think was appropriate. If you had played it up as something small (Danny making headway, but constantly missing the Roaring Elbow, even at points where he SHOULD hit it) that really reflected a larger problem (Danny being slower than he normally is, perhaps due to the APJW Strong-Style against Toxxic's speedy Technical-Cruiser style, along with Danny just naturally slowing down from injuries) and in the end, finding a way around the problem (Rather than busting out the Rolling Elbow, he changes over to the Screaming Elbow (Shout-out to your extended series against Ejiro) to catch Toxxic offguard rather than just trying to beat him with speed, and using moves that you've learned from other people that resemble your moves, but change them enough to take Toxxic by surprise).

 

Again, I don't really have too many problems with the psychology and moves itself. I thought it was great for what you were trying to accomplish. It's just not what the build really told me.

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