No Brand Wrestling Presents: SHICKSAL Pay Per View
Live from the O2 Arena in Berlin, Germany.
V/O - “Nearly Seven years ago a small-time promotion out of Reading, PA came to existence. Over the years superstars have debuted and grown, some have retired, and others are still around today. Owners have changed. Locations have shifted. But one thing has always stayed the same. The name. Three Initials that have survived through the thick and the thin.”
The NBW logo is shown as it fades in and out showing the various designs from past to present. The voice-over by Trent McKnight continues.
V/O - “Those initials represent the past, the present, and the future. No Borders. No Boundaries. No Bull. Nothing But Wrestling. Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to the NBW!”
A video package rolls showing past wrestlers and on-screen talent from the original promoter Alex Styles to Xander Napoli onto the current: Thaddeus Boyle. Three different men with three different agendas, all of which were responsible for the success that is NBW.
Shots of Jason Kain, Maximizer, Frost, Rey Campbell, Cal Roberts, Blake Gray, Rejection, Uncensored, Jade Greene and Alan Helms filled the screen before being replaced with shots of macWICKED, Ali Amore, Lunatic, D-T, Max Hopper, High Flyer, Sam Potright, Dream Warriors, Rik Bone, Callie Urban, Heaven and Hell, The Gordon Brothers, Andrew Martin, Mat Walton, William Arthur Reagan and numerous others as the clips speed up to a blur.
It all comes to a stop as the face of the Double Champion, World Heavyweight/Keystone Champion ‘Superstar’ Vince Jacobs fills the screen followed by the members of his Upper Echelon; Judasbleek, Warren Spade, and the new TFZ Champion Son of Malta.
They are soon replaced by the likes of Shawn Jessica Hart, Remy Leroux, Brock Metzer, Spike Saunders, Keegan, Torment, RaVage, El Dragon Loco, The Night Life USA, For The Win, former TFZ Champion Johannes Antonious de Castonovo, Supersquad, Zed, Family Keeling, and more as the clips speed up once more.
The NBW logo spins to life once more and fades out to the simple initials before the opening video for SLAM plays and then the initals return with the logo once more.
N.B.W.
SHICKSAL
The first leg of the World Tour would official come to an end at the closure of tonight. In the same light the NBW fans could witness a brand new Infamy Champion when Vic Gravender defends in a Ladder Match against Adam Faulkner, while the Nightlife USA defends their Tag Team titles against three other worthy tag teams. Additionally the Double Champion will be putting his coveted World Title on the line against the winner of the SIX Man that will take place earlier tonight. That and much more would be on the line tonight so what better place to house Shicksal than the O2 Arena in Berlin, Germany?
And what better way to kick it off than with Germany’s own…
RAMMSTEIN
The lights dropped out to darkness as the NBW logo spun on the EpiCenter I and II before the ever popular lyrics and beats begun. With a blast of fire on the stage and the ring posts all attention turned to the center where Rammstein had begun to play ‘Feuer frei’.
Getadelt wird wer Schmerzen kennt
vom Feuer das die Haut verbrennt
Ich werf' ein Licht
in mein Gesicht
Ein heisser Schrei
Feuer frei!
Bäng bäng
[The EpiCenter showcased the events that led up to this night. The battle for dominance in the tag team division that led to an amazing eight person tag team match on Slam 22. The rise of The NightLife USA’s reign after beating D-T for the Dynasty Tag Team titles, to the arrival of their challengers. ]
Geadelt ist wer Schmerzen kennt
vom Feuer das in Lust verbrennt
ein Funkenstoss
in ihren Schoss
ein heisser Schrei
Feuer frei!
[Footage of the Infamy Championship Battle Royale was shown next with the unexpected outcome of Vic Gravender surviving as the last man inside the ring. Recaps of the prior engagements between Adam Faulkner and Gravender played as well. ]
bäng bäng
Feuer frei!
bäng bäng
Feuer frei!
[The EpiCenter displayed six squares next to one another and slowly filled each one with a person’s name and image until all six were present. The members that would be participating in the SIX-man rumble for a shot at the Double Champion in the Main Event. The deck was stacked and any of the six men could come out of the match as a formidable challenger to the champion. ]
Gefährlich ist wer Schmerzen kennt
vom Feuer das den Geist verbrennt
(bäng bäng)
[Clips shown of a young man that’s been with the company-Matt Haddon-since the start had finally achieved greatness as he won the Keystone from ‘Superstar’ Vince Jacobs but it was short lived that night thanks to a cunning rematch declareance by Jacobs. On the other hand Haddon’s former friend, an exile of the Upper Echelon, and now the leader of his own group-XYZ Affair- held resentment to Haddon’s string of success and lack of attention he himself had received in the recent years. Tonight the final nail would be placed in the coffin of Haddon. ]
gefährlich das gebrannte Kind
mit Feuer das vom Leben trennt
ein heisser Schrei
bäng bäng
Feuer frei!
[The EpiCenter split into two screened boxes as the two giant’s set for battle later in the night were shown. Ever since his arrival into the NBW the Mid-South Monster Warren Spade, had held an un-pinned streak and for every sense of reasoning a true reason to be called NBW’s Giant and go-to big guy. But one man has seen it all, even previous Spade’s, and that would be the seven foot three Colossus Spike Saunders. Despite the injury sustained at Pinnacle against Jack Owyns, Saunders claimed to be 100% as did Spade and tonight they would both need to be at their healthiest. As tonight they would be competing in a barbaric, First Blood match. ]
Dein Glück
ist nicht mein Glück
ist mein Unglück
[Regardless who comes out on top in the Six Man Rumble, one man is already set for the Main Event. The Double Champion, Superstar Vince Jacobs. And tonight he will defend his World Heavyweight Championship against one of those Six Men. It could be Family Keeling’s Tony Sharp. Or Night Life USA’s leader Techno Dragon. Even his fellow Upper Echelon members Son of Malta and Judasbleek had the possibility. Or Special K Keegan, and as revealed last week a man needing little fanfare, Derecho. Any of those Six could challenge him in the main event and either they would be like all the rest and sent back to the bottom of the food chain or one lucky individual could do what those before him had failed and become the NEW World Heavyweight Champion! ]
bäng bäng
bäng bäng
Feuer frei!
[Thaddeus Boyle was shown on the EpiCenter smiling out to the crowd before the NBW logo faded into view ]
bäng bang
bäng bang
[And the EpiCenter then lit up with the logo for Shicksal ]
Feuer frei!
[The Stage ignited in a shower of glory with fireworks, sparks and explosions along the base. ]
Rammstein finished up to a rousing cheer and applause from the fans before they took their leave to the back and the EpiCenter lit up again.
I'm Declaring WAR!
The crowd cheered as they saw Special K pacing the halls of the 02 World Arena, staring at the ground and clearly agitated, unable or unwilling to look at the camera: “So here I am in Germany, against the odds. Apparently, I led people to believe I’d be bowing out in Britain, giving up my spot in The Six here tonight.”
The Geordie grunted: “Until Malta, I’d never given up and believe me, it’s a one-off. I lost fairly that night, but no one has ever completely silenced Special K and I doubt they ever will.
“I’ve got a big mouth but I’ve got a big heart too. I’m too proud to sit at home, watching the next generation. I’ll go before I disgrace myself, I promise, but I can still go one and one defeat does not end a career, especially one unfulfilled.
“When I left Britain as a teenager to go to the United States, I did with the words of my trainers ringing in my ears: ‘We’ve actually got a genuine hope of a World Champion here.’
“For almost twenty years, I’ve kept those words with me, stored at the back of my mind and believe it or not, I actually closed SHOW by winning their World title.”
Now, the Englishman turned his back to the camera: “It was hollow, though. I was there to burn the place down. I didn’t even get the chance to defend the title and now it’s open again. Rightfully, I’m still their champion.
“So, my dream was interrupted, my sleep disturbed. Sure, I’ve won The Fighting Zone title three times, which I’m proud of, but I boarded the plane to wrestle and win a WORLD championship in WRESTLING.”
Keegan’s name reverberated around the arena and he nodded his head: “I guess I should be grateful for the fans I’ve got and I am. Thank you GERMANY.”
Cheaper than chips.
“But, I’m hungry for more. I’ve never been satisfied with my lot and I’ll struggle, scrap, scrape, scratch and claw until I get what I want. To say the last two years have been a rollercoaster would be akin to asking whether The Pope was Catholic. Yes, that old chestnut.
“Amy Winehouse wouldn’t go to rehab and I won’t go quietly either. Like her, I’ll die, but I won’t retire on anyone’s terms, other than my own.
“I came back from a broken back, stronger than ever and lived up to my promises, putting Willis and WAR to bed. I won’t glorify what happened to WAR, I still remain guilty, and he was a worthy opponent despite how I felt about him.
“In the end, he went down the way I will: He died doing what he loved.”
Only now did the popular competitor look at the camera: “Upper Echelon ended Ali’s stay in NBW and they’ve sniggered, whispered behind my back about how he’s soft, I’m soft and all of that shit ever since. They’ve dared me, pushed me, prodded me, asked me, challenged me, BEGGED ME to put up a challenge.
“Boys, I’m on this tour alone. No Kelvin Christie and no Drew Miller. No Alfie Button and unfortunately, no Ali Amore.”
The former Fighting Zone’s franchise’s fists were clenched and he walked away from the camera, gathering his thoughts, though not out of sight.
“Everytime I’ve said I’ll do something in NBW, when it’s really mattered, I’ve succeeded. I’ve passed the test. I’m setting another one for myself here and now.
“Jacobs and all of your little sidekicks, listen up: You may’ve beaten me but you haven’t BEATEN me, not yet. My heart still beats, my desire is higher than ever and every single time Trent McKnight asks me if I want to retire, there’s a fire that burns deep inside.
“On this World Tour, I’ll meet you all. It may be in India, it may be in Japan. But, watch your step because I’m declaring William Arthur Reagan on all of you.
“Tonight, I start with guess who? You know who. See you out there…”
Special K winked at the camera: “SON.”
NbW Dynasty Tag Team Titles
Night Life USA © Versus The Creede Bros Versus Jupiter and Lexia Hart Versus The Family Keeling
The following contest had a lot riding on it and also, a lot of pressure on the brand new nbW Dynasty Tag Team Champions. On Slam 21 in the middle of a sold out arena in Spain, the Night Life USA members – and twin brothers – Polar and Hotstreak had defeated the tandem of Shawn Hart and “The Monster” Torment for the tag team titles, bringing the first-ever gold to the up and coming stable.
But now, they had three teams breathing down their neck, each with an equal chance of winning the tag team titles in a one-fall sudden death rules match. As usual in this type of match, the champions did not have to be pinned or submitted to winning the tag team titles.
The Creede Bros., despite not having the best won-loss record, did come up winning big on the last edition of Slam! They had the most tenure as a team in nbW and maybe had more to prove than anybody in the match.
Jupiter and Lexia Hart were a brand new tag team with a big win under their belt, but were both on the rise thanks to their new alliance with their mentor, Spike Saunders. They were a perfect combination of strength and speed and could easily win them if given the opportunity.
The Family Keeling members Aleczander The Great and Johannes Antonious de Castanovo were a forced to be reckoned with and showed great chemistry in their short time together. Aleczander was a tag team specialist and over in ACW, he was a member of the original Night Life chapter. JAC was a former TFZ champion and wanted more gold. Not to mention they had a pinfall victory over the Dynasty Tag Team Champions. Needless to say, NLUSA had the deck stacked against them.
“This Fire Burns” by Killswtich Engage was up first and out came Ace and Spade Creede for the second time in the very same night, getting a less than favorable reaction from the crowd. They ignored the crowd reaction and focused only on one another, possibly talking strategy against their opponents. They climbed into the ring and glanced out to the sea of fans, telling them not so politely to perform sexual acts upon their own persons.
The EpiCenter sprang to life again as it flashed several still shots of a fiery rain of meteors falling from the heavens….
Chances and Unimportance
The cameras were lit and the scene faded in. We see a shot of C.G. Gains in the back standing side by side with Derecho. The crowd saw him and began to cheer wildly! Derecho had not received that kind of reaction since 2000 when he ran his own company, X Wrestling. Derecho cracked a slight grin when he heard the positivity from the crowd.
Gains began by asking Derecho the standard question.
“So, Derecho. You have signed a contract to compete in the Six Man Rumble match here tonight. As the outsider, you’re stepping into unknown territory. I am well aware of your history in this business and I know that you have never faced any of these men before in your life. You must think that your chances of winning are slim to none.”
Derecho rubbed his chin and then grinned.
“Well you know, eh… well this is a bit embarrassing… I have no idea what your name is.”
Before Gains could answer, Derecho cut him off.
“It’s not something that really matters, really. The heart of what really matters here is what everyone thinks my chances are of winning the match tonight. You know… I could stand here and spout forth how I’ve been a champion in every company I’ve ever stepped foot in, that I have a lot of history in this business and that these people who haven’t been around for nearly as long as I have stand a snowball’s chance in hell of ever winning here tonight, but you see.. that’s just being over optimistic… that’s wishing for a utopian scenario, but you said it yourself… I have never faced any of my opponents in that match tonight and that poses a bit of a problem.”
Gains looked at Derecho then slowly brought the microphone back to his lips.
“But that didn’t really answer the question… what do you think your chances are of winning?”
Derecho sighed
“Look here no name… do I have to spell it out for you? You, yourself, have said you have followed my entire career, correct?”
Gains looked at Derecho for a moment and replied.
“Y-Yes… I recall you being a triple champion in 21st Century Wrestling.. that you defeated Sylo in LoC to become the Legacy Champion, and that you owned and even competed in your own company, X Wrestling from 1999 to 2003.. not to mention you were the winner of the only Bitch With Mitch Invitational Tourna….”
Derecho cut Gains off.
“Erhm.. yeah… I know my own history, too and as cool as it is, a simple “yes” would have sufficed. Trust me.. I know my accolades would give anyone a raging hard-on… and as an aside, please stay at least…”
Derecho sizes Gains up
“..two inches or more away from me… but seriously… I’m asking yes or no questions here, but one little piece of my history that you did not mention was when I walked into NBW and accepted the challenge of one, Spike Saunders. I then defeated him here, in NBW, his parent company, in his ring, on his home turf. I had never faced Spike Saunders before in my life and I still came out victorious in that match. If I was able to do it before.. I certainly can do it again, more or less, do it again five more times to five new people who have no idea what it’s like to step into the ring with someone such as myself.”
Gains nods
“Lest you forget, sir… they may be new to me and I may have never faced them, but the same is true for them. They have never faced me and tonight, they will soon learn about the distance between my ability and their own and that’s all I have to say about the matter. Now if you’ll excuse me…”
Gains brings the microphone up to his lips.
“By the way.. it’s Gains”
Derecho stops in his tracks.
“Come again?”, asked Derecho
“My name… it’s C.G. Gains”
Derecho tilts his head to the side then shakes his head
“I’m sure it is…”
Derecho pats Gains on the shoulder and walks away.
Matt Haddon Versus Zed
Tonight's exciting night at Shicksel was about to continue with a grudge match and a rematch from the last month's Pinnacle PPV and a rematch from the last show. Mat Haddon appeared to be well on his way to victory, but had it not been for interference by Zed's new allies, the mysterious Xiang and young prodigy, Yulan. Zed was tired of being pushed around by who he felt were a very neglectful roster. So the challenge was made by Mat Haddon for this rematch and now, he and Zed would go at it one more time to see who the victor would be between the two.
“The following grudge match is scheduled for one fall!” Brent Williams cried while the German crowd went wild.
“The following contest is scheduled for one fall! First, making his way to the ring, from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, weighing in at 260 pounds…ZED!”
The opening guitar to 'Ride the Lighting' by Metallica began and the lights turned a reddish hue, with spotlights whirling around the audience. The Epicenter I & II went black for a moment, and then showed a huge Z on the screen. The Z faded out as the drums kick in and the screen switched to images of years past Z-nnihilated’s being delivered to different people, Zed has defeated. Zed stepped out of the back just in time for the lyrics to kick in. Behind him was the smaller man in the silver custom body suit that was identified as former 4CW
World Champion, Xiang. Behind him was the tall prodigy that Zed pulled from the United States called Yulan.
The three men were on their way to the ring with a purpose as Zed climbed up the steps. He looked focused and he was ready for action as he climbed up the steps, climbing into the ring. Yulan and Xiang each took a turnbuckle and the crowd jeered while Zed stood outward, glaring to the crowd. He turned his attention back to the entrance before continuing.
Zed looked back at the entrance ramp as the lights in the arena turned off, blue spotlights shining around the arena, and as the bass hits all of the spotlights combined on the ramp as Matt Haddon walked out onto the stage, his face obscured by a blue and yellow NBW hoodie. Matt walked out onto the ramp before holding out his arm, his fingers pointed like a gun at Zed. His other hand grasped the hood as he simultaneously pulled the hood down and throws his fists up, mouthing “Boom” as a huge wall of Blue fire works shot up from the stage!
“And his opponent, from Malone, Vermont, weighing in at 270 pounds… THIS IS… ‘THE INNOVATOR’ MATT HADDON!”
Matt Haddon threw the jacket off and slapped hands with some fans in the crowd before he looked at his arch-nemesis and his new allies. He was in a three-on-one situation as it appeared Xiang and Yulan were going to be at ringside. But Haddon didn't care about any of that. Only payback was on his mind and shaking Zed once and for all would make it so he could continue on his way back to the nbW World Heavyweight Championship.
DING DING DING!
Haddon and Zed didn't waste any time locking up in the center of the ring and fought quickly to try and get the first advantage in the match. Xiang and Yulan continued to watch their new leader as Zed maneuvered Mat Haddon into the corner and kept the Innovator at bay. He held him there for several moments before the referee made him let go in the corner. Zed backed away and actually kept it clean.
Haddon wasn't having any of that and tried to get at Zed, but Zed was putting the smaller referee in between the two men to try and save himself. When Haddon was distracted long enough, Zed threw a boot into his gut and tossed him outside to the floor where Xiang and Yulan were waiting.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Mat was doing his best to fight off both Xiang and Yulan on the outside, but the two-on-one was quickly getting to him while the referee was distracted by Zed. Haddon threw a big right to Xiang and then one for Yulan before crawling back into the ring.
A shocked Zed approached Mat and had bad intentions in mind, but Haddon turned him around and CHOPPED him hard across the chest. He threw a few more nasty shots at him and continued to chop away at Zed, who was feeling the blows even behind his suit.
WHOO!
WHOO!
WHOO!
WHOO!
WHOO!
He picked up Zed by the body and dropped him down with a violent Scoop Slam before running off the ropes and coming back with a pretty big Knee Drop. He hooked the legs.
ONE!
TWO... NO!
Zed kicked out just right after two in Mat Haddon's first cover of the match. He picked him up by his hair and delivered a pair of hard knees to the chest before applying a Front Facelock. Looking out to the sea of excitable German fans, The Innovator lifted him up into the air and held him there for several seconds very impressively. He then THREW Zed right behind him and sent him crashing back to the canvas with a sweet looking Suplex Slam. He turned him around and went for another quick cover.
ONE!
TWO!
THR... KICK OUT!
Zed fired a shoulder off the mat and as Haddon tried to grab him again, Zed rolled away and got the fuck out of dodge, not wanting to take any more punishment from the Innovator. The former nbW Keystone Champion rolled out of the way and headed away. Haddon approached him, but Yulan climbed onto the apron!
“HEY! HADDON! BITCH!”
Yulan screamed at him, getting Mat's attention long enough for the Innovator to try and take a swat at him. Yulan ducked off the apron, but this was all that Zed needed to Chop Block Haddon's knee and finally get a decided advantage. Once he was down and out, he threw a couple hard knees into his head before running off the ropes and coming back with a STIFF Knee Lift upside his head!
With Haddon down for the count, Zed dropped a barrage of hard elbows across the chest and continued to beat down on him while shouting into his face.
“YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME, HUH? YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME? YOU ARE NOT BETTER THAN ME, YOU PIECE OF CRAP!”
He grabbed onto Haddon tightly in a Front Facelock to keep the Innovator grounded, but also threw in a couple of vicious knees into the top of his head as well to wear him out. Xiang and Yulan were both cheering on their leader as he continued to rain down a couple more knees before deciding to turn Haddon over and go for a quick cover.
ONE!
TWO... NO!
Haddon kicked out at two and threw a shoulder up, but Zed stayed on him and continued to bombard him with a couple of hard right hands. He picked him up and tried whipping Haddon, but Haddon turned it around on him and booted Zed in the gut. From there he cast a glance to the crowd before actually muscling the 260 pounder over his shoulder. He spun him around and DROVE Zed over his knee with a hard Overhead Gutwrench Gutbuster!
Zed had the wind knocked out of him and scurried away from Haddon again, but the Innovator kept after him and charged right at Zed, taking both men over at the same time with a Cactus Clothesline to the floor!
After the two men struggled to get up for several moments, the Innovator was up to his feet first and picked up Zed by the head. Yulan and Xiang were within eyesight of the referee and backed off when they were told to as Haddon took Zed by the head and smacked him hard into the barricade. He tossed Zed head first into the ring apron then rolled him back into the ring where he could do the most damage.
The Innovator followed Zed, who was in a daze and slowly staggered backwards towards the corner where he was easy pickings for his former best friend. Haddon climbed the ropes and the crowd counted along with each punch that he threw towards Zed. Xiang was now going to be the distraction as he ran towards Haddon, but Haddon yelled at Xiang telling him to get back or he'd get a shitkicking, too.
This was all that Zed needed to pull Haddon out of the corner and drop him HARD face-first onto the top turnbuckle! The Annihilator bought himself a few moments of rest from Haddon's beating while the former Keystone Champion was now at his mercy.
He grabbed onto Haddon and hooked him a Suplex position of his own before lifting him up and dropping him stomach first across the top rope. Haddon yelled out in pain after having the wind knocked out of him as Zed blasted him with a couple of hard right hands, knocking him towards the apron. With the match in his control now, Zed ran off the opposite side of the ring and came back with a HARD Shoulder Tackle, sending Haddon flying off the top rope and crashing into the barricade below!
Zed took a moment to preen for the crowd, raising both fists into the air while he smirked before he crawled to the outside and looked to follow up on his assault. He lifted Haddon's left arm up and threw a couple of hard punches into his exposed ribcage before tossing him back inside the ring.
Haddon was slumped over in the corner now where he was still easy pickings for Zed, who continued to put the boots down into the ribs and chest of his former friend. He pressed down a boot in an attempt to choke him out and the referee started to count. He finally let go after four and a half, but now Zed was in firm control of the match.
The Annihilator lifted The Innovator up by his hair only to drill some more fists into his face to try and wear him down some more. While Haddon was down, Zed glanced out to the German crowd and took another mock bow. Sure, he was on something of a losing streak, but Zed had the match in his grasp and took the advantage to mock his opponent.
BIG MISTAKE.
Mat Haddon grabbed him by the neck and tossed him backwards into the corner before he rained down a barrage of fists of his own, getting the crowd behind him as he beat the snot out of Zed. He whipped Zed across the ring and watched him land before he ran at him and tried for an attack.
Zed jumped up to avoid the attack, but Haddon slid to the floor to save himself from a very bad landing. He tripped Zed up and smiled to the crowd as he tried to pull him and smash his family jewels into the ringpost...
OOOOOOOOOOOOOH!
That would be the sound of Zed pulling his legs in and sending Haddon face-first into the ringpost! If steel meets skull in a fight, ten times out of ten the steel would win and that's exactly what happened there when Haddon slumped over in pain. Zed took a breather for a moment before going back to the outside and once again tossing The Innovator back inside the squared circle.
Haddon was down on one knee when Zed walked over and tried to follow up his assault. He tried to grab him, but Mat defended himself with a couple of hard right hands to the chest. Zed doubled him over with a knee to the gut. He grabbed him by the arm and pulled Haddon into a series of Short-Arm Knee Strikes to the chest before he lifted him up and dropped him hard across his knee with a Gutbuster. He followed up with a cover.
ONE!
TWO!
THR... NO!
Zed went and locked in a modified Abdominal Stretch, holding him in place while he tried to wear down Haddon some more. Haddon was screaming in pain now while Zed pulled away at the rib cage trying his best to get the submission.
'do you give up, Mat?”
“no!” Haddon shouted.
The Innovator was a very proud man who'd served nbW faithfully for some time now. He wasn't about to give up so easily. Haddon elbowed his way out of the submission, throwing a couple of shots into Zed's jaw before he slowly started to pick himself back up. He turned around and chopped him in the chest (complete with a couple more “WHOO!” cries from the crowd.) He went for some kind of a Discus Lariat, but Zed ducked and grabbed him by the back of the head... REVERSE DDT!
ONE!
TWO!
THR... KICK OUT!
Haddon got the shoulder up, but The Annihilator had just pulled out a brilliant maneuver to get the advantage back for himself. He pulled Haddon back up to his feet and pushed him back into the corner, going back to work on the midsection again. He rammed a series of hard shoulder thrusts into his gut before outright wrapping both hands around his throat and trying to choke the life out of him. He milked the referee's five count as long as he possibly could before he stopped.
Xiang and Yulan were looking at their leader still, watching the match unfold. He went to whip Haddon across the ring, but the Innovator put the brakes on and reversed it, shooting Zed off into the opposite corner. He charged in, but Zed jumped into the air and brought both knees up into the head of Haddon, sending him stumbling back a few steps.
Haddon was on spaghetti knees, struggling to get up while Zed climbed out to the apron and started to head to the top rope. He cast a glance over to Xiang and Yulan and nodded before he climbed to the top rope...
STOPPED!
The Innovator did just that and cut him off at the pass with a hard punch. He stumbled around up top while Mat Haddon grabbed him in a press...
TOP ROPE PRESS SLAM!
Haddon had jumped off the second rope with him, adding some impact to what would normally be a simple toss off the top rope. Living up to his name, the Innovator was down, but Zed had landed in a very bad way as he hit the mat, holding his back in pain. While both men were down now, she continued to fight back.
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
FOUR!
FIVE!
Mat Haddon was up first and used the ropes to try and pull himself back to his feet. Zed was starting to show signs of life as well as he struggled, using the corner in the opposite side in order to try and get himself upright. When he did so, the referee stopped his count as an angry Haddon continued to fight back. He motioned for Zed to turn around and when he did, he got KNOCKED THE FUCK OUT courtesy of a hard Discus Lariat!
The fans cheered for the former Keystone Champion as he sprung back to his feet and yelled to the crowd, waiting for a staggered Zed to get back up again. When he did so, he kicked him in the chest and whipped him to the ropes, but Zed reversed and shot him off. When Haddon came back, Zed telegraphed a back body drop too early and kicked him in the head.
He waited for Zed to get back to his feet and doubled him over with a kick to the chest. With another glance to the cheering crowd, he lifted Zed up off the mat and spun him around before DRIVING him down with a hard Sitdown Powerbomb!
ONE!
TWO!
THR... KICK OUT!
Zed got the shoulder up right before the count of three. Haddon was in disbelief that he hadn't put Zed away, so he gave him another whip. Zed turned it around and kicked him in the chest before trying to turn him around for a Neckbreaker-like maneuver. Haddon pushed him away and shoved him hard into the corner. He tried running at Zed, but Zed move and sent Haddon crashing hard into the chest to try and stun him. Zed turned him around and flipped him around before catching him with a hard Double Underhook Suplex!
ONE!
TWO!
THR... NO!
Another big move that had been kicked out of and now Zed was getting a little bit irate. He did have a notorious temper, but he was trying his best to keep it all in check. He picked up Haddon by the head, but Mat kneed him in the gut and locked him in a modified cradle pin!
ONE!
TWO!
THR... KICK OUT!
Zed escaped defeat again again, just barely, but Haddon had him dead to rights. He elbowed Zed in the face and dumped him into the mat with a modified Michinoku Driver before standing back up to his feet, pointing at the turnbuckles. His signature Flying Elbow Drop had to have been what was coming next.
He started to climb and made his way to the top turnbuckle, but again, Yulan was there to distract the referee from doing anything.
Haddon was ready to fly...
CRACK!
He got caught up top with a hard kick to the head by Xiang, who quickly got the hell out of the scene of the crime fast. The crowd booed while Zed saw Haddon hurt on the top turnbuckle... he was easy pickings...
ZECTOR HOOK!
The Samoan Drop off the top turnbuckle connected perfectly and Zed hooked the far leg, pulling back for dear lfie.
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
The crowd booed. They did not like this one bit. But the losing streak of Zed had finally come to an end and in the process, scored a HUGE win for himself and the XYZ Affair.
“Here is your winner of the match... ZED!”
Zed had finally gotten the monkey off his back. And thanks to his new henchmen that were dressed just like him and acting like him, Zed had pulled out the victory. Xiang and Yulan joined their leader in the ring and they raised their arms in victory as the crowd booed.
They left the ring and had made a very powerful message.
Zed was not here to play any more.
And with his new group, the XYZ Affair, they were headed straight to the top. And while an angered Haddon watched as Xiang, Yulan and Zed disappeared up the ramp, Zed had a smile on his face.
He had come to win.
The Place where the Division was Ended by Son of Malta
A promo in black and white was played. It has, sitting in the middle of the road in Berlin, in the place where the famous Berlin Wall stood, was the Son of Malta. He was wearing his usual trench coat and a very serious look on his face.
“Since no Brand Wrestling left the United States and came to Europe, my life was changed forever. I am not the man I used to be. It all started in Palermo where my friend, my mentor, my second father William Arthur Reagan was killed inside the Zone by the hands of Keegan.
Those scenes reminded me of when I was just a little kid, and my father was killed by the labour thugs during that dreaded meeting.
After that dreaded show I wanted to stop wrestling. The Wrestling world was just not the same anymore for me. After Palermo I left to Malta, where I stayed for two weeks with my mother. Whilst there, I was contacted by a local promoter who told me that he was bringing no Brand Wrestling to Malta for the third show of the European Tour. He told me that being the biggest Maltese star in Professional Wrestling, he wanted me to be on the show.
I told him that I wanted to have nothing to do with Wrestling anymore, but he then made me an offer I could not refuse. He told me to go in the ring and cut an unscripted promo on what happened in Palermo. I wanted to give my last respects to William, and I wanted to do it inside the ring .
I went to Golden Bay determined to cut the promo and leave the Wrestling World forever. What happened during that speech was something special for me. The crowd was chanting my name, and chanting WAR’s name, and without realising what I was saying, I challenged Keegan for a shot at The Championship in The Zone.
When I realised what I had just done I just froze. But it was too late. Keegan accepted my challenge and everything was set. I came to the show with just the thought of cutting my last ever promo, and instead I was going to be involved in my first ever fight against the second best fighter the World has ever seen.
What happened during that fight made me fall in love with the sport again. I defeated Keegan and avenged my mentor’s death. I made the Geordie tap, something he never did. The crowd was cheering me all the way. It was there that I decided to continue in the wrestling world.
During the next two shows in Spain and in England I fought the best that both Spain and England could produce and both of them did what the Geordie did. They tapped out!
And that brought me here tonight at Berlin, the stage where the Europe used to be split. The Berlin Wall symbolised the division between the West and the Communists. Even though the Wall was just in Berlin, the division was throughout Europe. In Malta the division was so big that it cost me my father. My father was killed by the Communists, the Labourites, for what he believed, the same as many Germans did here near the Berlin Wall.
Today I will compete in The Six against 5 top superstars. The Legend known as Derecho, Techno Dragon and Tony Sharp are completely new to me since I never battled against them. On the otherhand the other two are quite familiar. On one hand we have my partner in the Upper Echelon, Judasbleek, someone that I really respect. On the other hand I will have the killer of my mentor face to face again. Keegan is the 6th wrestler in The Six.
And if getting a title shot wasn’t enough stimuli for me, the fact that the Geordie is there makes it a must win. Just like I did in Golden Bay when I made him tap, I will do so again in Berlin. All other competitors are really amazing, especially my good old friend Judasbleek. But my target is Keegan. I want to hear his bones break and I want his hand slap three times the floor as he taps out to me again.
Winning The Six will mean double duty for me today in Berlin. It will get me a shot at both the World and Keystone titles. It will get me a shot at the leader of Upper Echelon, Superstar Vince Jacobs.
After WAR died, and I left to Malta to stay with my mother, Vince came to Malta a couple of days before the show. He was there for me and guided me during one of the darkest moments in my life. When I told him that I wanted to stop Wrestling, he told me to listen to my heart. And it was him who encouraged me to accept the offer to cut that promo in Golden Bay. Deep inside Vince knew that if I get in the ring, I won’t come back.
William didn’t have many friends, and he trusted even less people. But for him Vince Jacobs was a friend, he was someone that he could trust. And so can I. When I will win The Six, I will wrestle the greatest wrestler alive. I will wrestle my friend.
I don’t care whether I will win or lose against Vince. I just care about giving a show. Two great wrestlers showing the world why they are the Upper Echelon, giving everything they have for one man. When William accepted Vince’s offer for me to join the Upper Echelon, he knew that the day will come where I will have to challenge Vince.
And that day is today. We will dedicate the match for the memory of William Arthur Reagan. And whatever the outcome of the match, we will shake hands and hug afterwards.”
A tear came down Son of Malta’s face, as he pulled off his trench coat to show a new tattoo on his left arm which said “William Arthur Reagan : My Friend, My Mentor, My Second Father”. With that the scene cut for an advert for the William Arthur Reagan Foundation, a foundation opened by the Upper Echelon to help those who are abusing from subscribed drugs.
Who will Bleed First?
The camera loaded up to a shot of the NBW backdrop where Trent McKnight was standing by with the massive Colossus himself.
"Good evening Knight Watchers. Joining me here now is a man that in just a short while will be facing off against the odds in a First Blood match with the Mid-south Monster Warren Spade. Spike, how do you feel going into this match?"
"Different. It has been some time since I participated in a First Blood match. It's funny though you know. I had come to the conclusion that my body needed to rest after what happened in St. Louis, and yet here I am, about to risk my body and career again. I suppose I should be glad it isn't another roof top Streetfight. Not sure I could survive another fall through those glass windows." he let out a nervous chuckle. "I hear the Company is still paying a payment plan on the repairs, heh."
"That was quite the match. But tonight it's just you, one on one with Warren Spade-"
"And Fenton Woods. And I'm sure old mcdonald himself Tremoid will be out there to. So basically a three on one. But they wanted this. Only difference is that they thought they were going up against a injured giant. Too bad for them that my arm is healed."
"It may be healed Spike, but it still isn't good to put it to too much stress so soon."
"Maybe. But, hey I haven't been 110% in years. Nothing stopping me tonight. Be it one on one or against the three of them together."
"Shame that Fenton and Spade couldn't leave you alone. I would think you would have been part of the SIX Man earlier if not."
"Indeed. However I am biding my time. That 'superstar' Vince Jacobs knows that it is only a matter of time until I request my Championship shot. But this time I am playing it smart and biding my time till the time is right. The other guys gave a great showing tonight. Even Derecho which was shocking, given how I floored the guy in the FWO two years ago." Saunders grinned. "Sure he mentions the NBW match against me all the time, but he seems to have forgotten about our second encounter in the FWO. Someday maybe we will have our rubber match. I will say good luck to Son of Malta tonight. He is going to need to bring his everything to the game as Vince isn't going to play. Friendship or not, those titles come first to him."
"Well Spike, we'll be cheering you on from the back. Goodluck tonight."
"Thanks Trent." and with that the giant walked off camera headed back to his locker room to prepare for the First Blood Match later tonight.
NBW Infamy Title Ladder Match
Adam Faulkner Versus Vic Gravender ©
Over ten years of friendship between the two men that were about to meet up for the first-ever title defense of the new nbW Infamy Championship.
Two men that had traveled the same roads together, that had competed with and against each other for years in the independent circuit and had been the best of friends along the way.
Adam Faulkner. A wrestling journeyman of about a decade and a half. Somebody that wasn't truly bound to any body or any thing that loved the sport for what it was. He'd seen his fair share of gold and success, but didn't really care about any of that. Not a man that gives into material things and really loves the sport itself. A man that was stabbed in the back by his former best friend.
Vic Gravender. A man with a very short temper, which had been seen since the two men appeared in ACW at the beginning of the year. A big man that moved around with the agility of a man half his size that had spent thirteen years to the business himself. A man who turned his back on Adam Faulkner because he was tired of living from paycheck to paycheck and felt he wasn't living up to what he could truly do. A man who is now on the fast track to success and a man who is now focused, as evidenced by him winning the nbW Infamy Championship in a match with twenty-nine other men.
The title hung ominously above the ring attached to a cord. Surrounding the ring were several ladders in place, some opened and upwards, ready for somebody to climb and a couple of others laid around the ringside area. And in the ring, ring announcer Brent Williams was about to get us started.
“THE FOLLOWING CONTEST IS A LADDER MATCH... AND IT IS FOR THE NO BRAND WRESTLING INFAMY CHAMPIONSHIP!”
The crowd was buzzing with anticipation. Already, they had seen the SIX match kick off the show and watched as six men battled for a chance to meet Superstar Vince Jacobs in the main event of the the show. But now... somebody gon DIE in a ladder match!
“Beat You Down” by Downstait.
The arena became dim and pockets of the crowd were lit up with blue spotlights shining all around. And when the opening chords hit the speakers, out came The Innovator of Impact himself! Even though he’d seen better days with his best friend of a decade-plus turning his back on him to join a money-hungry stable, he was still smiles as he got to slap hands with some of the fans on his way down to the ring. And he had his first title match in nbW and a big chance to get revenge on his former friend. Brent Williams introduced him for the crowd.
“Making his way to the ring, from Sacramento, California, weighing in at 241 pounds… he is THE INNOVATOR OF IMPACT… ADAM FAULKNER!”
Adam Faulkner looked at a couple of the ladders around the ringside area and smiled. Per the rules of nbW Infamy Title defenses, the challengers were allowed to pick the stipulations in order to truly test the champions who hold the belt. And currently, he had chosen a ladder match to allow himself an advantage against the 400-pounder.
“AHEM! I SAID A-HEM! THE KEELINGS COMMAND YOUR ATTENTION!”
Coming out to the stage, Junior Keeling had a mic in hand and yelled at the crowd. Thomas Keeling patted his son on the shoulder for the warm welcome.
“Ladies and gentlemen, The Family Keeling is proud to present to you... The Baddest Man In No Brand Wrestling... and YOUR NO BRAND WRESTLING INFAMY CHAMPION! 'THE HUMAN WRECKING BALL' VIC GRAVENDER!”
“Break You” by Drowning Pool.
The fans booed as the man coming through the curtains looked straight ahead at the ring with nothing less than bad intentions. Staring out to the sea of German fans with a wide grin on his face, Vic Gravender walked straight ahead as both Keelings were proud to show off their client.
Adam Faulkner was already in the ring, getting ready for the match ahead of him. While he chose the ladder match for this title defense, he knew how dangerous Vic Gravender was first hand. Gravender walked to the ring and climbed up the steps, looking right at his target standing across from him. This would be the first time the two men would come face to face for the championship and The Keelings watched proudly before they disappeared behind the curtain, letting Gravender do his thing alone against his former tag team partner.
DING DING DING!
“You really want to do this?” Adam Faulkner asked his former tag team partner.
He answered the question in the form of a punch.
It was good for Adam Faulkner, though, he was the quicker of the two and immediately ducked the oncoming blow. He kicked Vic in the knee and continued to let him have it with several hard punches to the face in order to wear the big man down. Gravender shook off each of the blows and when Faulkner went for a fifth punch, he grabbed him by the back of the head and HURLED him right through the ropes and out to the arena floor!
Gravender was all smiles inside the ring and looking down at Adam Faulkner as if he'd just taken out some trash. Adam Faulkner growled and quickly went to work to try and win the match, grabbing one of the closed ladders from the ringside area. He pushed it into the ring and climbed back in...
...Vic simply kicked the ladder back outside.
“Not today, fucko,” Vic laughed.
Faulkner had to do something to negate Vic's size advantage right away if he had any hope of winning this match. Letting his big former tag team partner grab him by the throat and push him back to the corner was not that thing to do. Gravender muscled him into the corner and pressed him against the turnbuckle, trying to play defense against his smaller opponent.
“IT'S MY TITLE! MY TITLE AND YOU WON'T TAKE IT FROM ME!” Vic screamed.
So Faulkner did the only sensible thing he could do...
KICK TO THE GROIN!
It was the not so honorable thing to do, but Adam Faulkner wasn't above bending the rules if it meant taking the victory. He'd been doing this a long time. He elbowed Gravender in the face several times and the fans cheered with every shot before he went low with a Dropkick to the knee. Vic Gravender was down now and Adam Faulkner climbed to the second rope. He flew off and dropped Gravender into the mat with a Second Rope Bulldog!
The Innovator of Impact connected with a nice move, but Vic was still moving. He climbed near the ropes to try and pull his massive frame up, but Adam Faulkner ran off the ropes and came back, flying over the ropes and snapping Vic's head over the second rope!
He did it. Gravender was down now and the fans were behind the Innovator of Impact as he grabbed another ladder and slid it back into the ring.
Vic was still down from the sequence of moves pulled off by Faulkner. Adam wasted no time in setting up the ladder in the center of the ring and hoisted it into place. Propping it up, he fastened the locks and started to climb for dear life...
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!
He only made it to about the second or third rung when Vic Gravender got back up to his feet and headbutted Faulkner in the back of the head! Vic kicked the ladder over and let it fall casually while he focused his attack on Adam again. He pushed the Innovator of Impact back against the ropes and CHOPPED him hard across the chest. He then rushed him into the corner and CHOPPED him again with a second, even more vicious chop across his chest, knocking the wind out of him!
“GRAVENDER SUCKS!
GRAVENDER SUCKS!
GRAVENDER SUCKS!
GRAVENDER SUCKS!”
The English-speaking fans in the crowd were starting various obscenities, but Vic wasn't hearing any of it. He laughed at the crowd and held his hands in the air, practically bathing in their disdain for him. He grabbed the ladder and set it up in the corner before picking up Faulkner and pushing him cross-corner. He looked at the ladder before THROWING Adam Faulkner across the ring, sending him CRASHING hard into the ladder!
Faulkner hit back first and arched in pain before he slumped over from the sheer force of the throw. Vic was taking his time and clearly taking his former tag team partner down slowly so he could simply climb the ladder when it was most convenient for him to do so. He kicked Adam outside of the ring and sent him to the floor before picking the ladder back up again.
He was a big guy, so taking the ladder was a simple task for the first-ever nbW Infamy Champion. He took the ladder and started to swing it up, trying to knock the title loose from the cable that was hanging twelve feet above the ring. He tried swinging, but didn't get anywhere, so he set the ladder down and opened it up so he could start a climb.
He wouldn't get to do that, though, when he felt a sharp pain in his side. The sharp pain combined with the cheers from the crowd told him that Adam Faulkner was back in business. He had a second ladder and jabbed him in the side with it a second time, doubling over the Human Wrecking Ball. Vic was still on his feet, so Adam charged a third time and CRACKED him in the side of the head, finally bringing the monster down!
The challenger to the Infamy Title quickly looked at Vic, then at the title above. He could make another climb if he truly wanted, but it looked like he had something else in mind when he set up the ladder off in the corner.
While Vic was still recovering on the other side of the ring, Adam Faulkner climbed out to the ring apron before heading up top where the ladder had been placed. Gravender was starting to come around after the nasty shot and when he turned around, Adam pushed the ladder at him. Vic naturally caught it, but this appeared to be part of another plan...
MISSILE DROPKICK INTO THE LADDER!
When Vic caught the ladder, Adam Faulkner flew off the top rope and dropkicked the ladder right into his head, sending him crashing back to the mat as the fans cheered the innovative maneuver. Living up to his moniker of the Innovator of Impact, Adam Faulkner slowly picked himself back up.
Over in the corner while the fans were still buzzing, a groggy Vic rolled over and had a gash cut in the side of his head where the ladder connected. He was starting to bleed and was down and out while Adam Faulkner set up the second ladder and put it over the top of his former best friend's massive frame. He climbed to the second rope...
TOP ROPE SENTON ACROSS THE LADDER!
Adam Faulkner was idiotic and crazy for even attempting that sort of a move and would no doubt be feeling it in the morning, but Vic Gravender go the worst of it, being crushed under the ladder!
“FAULKNER!
FAULKNER!
FAULKNER!
FAULKNER!
FAULKNER!”
He heard the cheers of the crowd, but it didn't feel good at all rolling off the top rope and crashing his back down across a steel ladder. But he couldn't give up yet. Not when this was his best chance to win the match. He pulled himself up using the nearby corner and hobbled over to the ladder, setting it back up again.
One rung at a time.
One, two, three, four... one at a time, he was heading back up the ladder and he almost got there when he started to feel the ladder rocking.
And it teetered and soon, sent Adam Faulkner CRASHING hard across the top cable, snapping his head back in the process! Vic Gravender was back up and saw Adam Faulkner heading back up towards his title, so he shoved the ladder over and incapacitated Adam!
Even though he had a nasty gash in the side of his head and he looked a little bit woozy, Vic was back on his feet and looked even more pissed than he did before. He picked up the knocked over ladder and closed it again before he propped it up against the corner.
Adam was still down when Vic palmed him by the back of the head. With bad intentions in mind, The Human Wrecking Ball grabbed Adam by the mouth and started talking trash to him as he faced the corner again.
“YOU WANT TO KICK LADDERS INTO MY FACE! EAT THIS, FUCKER!”
He grabbed Adam by the back of the head and LAUNCHED HIM HEAD-FIRST into the ladder in the corner, knocking him silly before he bounced back and landed on his stomach. The crowd was shocked from the tremendous impact of the move as he bounced backwards.
Faulkner was at the mercy of the giant who really didn't have any to begin with. The nbW Infamy Champion picked up Adam Faulkner again and dumped him back down to the mat with a simple Falling Powerslam near the ropes. Once he was back up, he grabbed another ladder from the ringside area before pushing it back into the ring.
Vic Gravender took the ladder and dropped it on his former tag team partner before he started to STEP on the ladder, trying to crush Adam Faulkner in the process!
Faulkner was screaming in pain as he was having the ladder pressed down into him with a four-hundred pound man on top of that. He continued to press down further and further until he was satisfied with the damage done to his former tag team partner.
“GRAVENDER SUCKS!
GRAVENDER SUCKS!
GRAVENDER SUCKS!
GRAVENDER SUCKS!”
Those pesky English speaking fans again, eh? Vic Gravender was starting to come around and had finally made it back to his feet when he decided that he'd had enough of this bullshit. He set up another ladder in the corner across the ring and was contemplating what he was going to do to his former tag team partner next. After fastening it in place, he picked up Adam Faulkner again and looked down.
“Good try, Adam. Ladder match. Nice... you're still a shithead, though...”
He grabbed him and whipped Adam Faulkner in the corner and when he hit the ladder, he was stuck in place. Vic Gravender laughed before he charged right at the Innovator of Impact, CRUSHING him with a Corner Hip Attack!
That attack wasn't all, though, as Adam Faulkner staggered right into the grip of The Human Wrecking Ball. He grabbed him by the leg and HURLED him over head with a vicious Exploder Suplex that sent him flying almost all the way across the ring!
Faulkner crashed hard into the ladder and slumped down to the side while Vic Gravender sat up and rubbed his hands together. He waved his hands to tell the crowd this match was over as he got back to his feet again. He crawled over to one of the ladders and kicked it outside the ring, then did the same to another one, leaving only one of the ladders left in the center of the ring.
Adam Faulkner was just starting to come around while Vic was setting up another ladder in the corner. Faulkner was being willed back to his feet by the cheering fans watching this PPV spectacular on the European leg of nbW's world tour. He stood back to his feet and greeted Vic with a couple of punches to the head.
Gravender returned a shot with one of his own, a hard clubbing blow to the back of the head that brought Faulkner back to a knee. Faulkner got back up and fought back, throwing a couple of big rights to the head of Vic. He ran to the ropes and came back...
CHARGING HEADBUTT!
Nailing Adam Faulkner right in the chest, Adam Faulkner went flying nearly across the ring and came crashing against the ropes. Gravender shook his head, still with various streams of blood from one side. He gritted his teeth and shook the cobwebs out before he finished setting up a ladder in the corner.
He grabbed onto Faulkner and casually dropped him in front of the ladder in the middle of the ring. While the groggy Innovator of Impact spent time looking up at the ceiling lights and the dangling nbW Infamy title, Vic was taking his sweet time heading up the ladder. The fans were confused as it appeared he wasn't close enough to be climbing for the title.
He wasn't.
But when he turned himself around at about the sixth rung up the ladder, he looked out to the crowd, then down at his former tag team partner and best friend. He looked out to the ring and smiled.
DIVING HEADBUTT OFF THE LADDER...
…
…
…
MISSED!
The Human Wrecking Ball went for his sigature diving headbutt off the top rope, but he missed just as Adam Faulkner rolled out of the way at the last second. Call it craziness or self-preservation, but Adam Faulkner was able to finally get the hell out of harm's way and finally save himself from certain doom.
“FAULKNER!
FAULKNER!
FAULKNER!
FAULKNER!
FAULKNER!”
The fans were getting behind Adam Faulkner again, but he was pretty beat down from the series of attacks he'd taken earlier on in the match. He was slowly working his way to his feet just as Vic Gravender started to come around, holding his already battered head in pain as he used the corner to try and pull himself up.
Faulkner finally picked himself up again and went right back on the attack to his former best friend, trying to stun him with a combination of more punches and kicks in the corner. Vic goozled him, but Adam broke free from his grip and went for another kick to the knee to try and weaken the big man.
While Vic was stunned in the corner and still trying to get his wits about him, Faulkner grabbed onto the ladder and folded it up before going on the attack. Using it like a battering ram, he JABBED Gravender in the gut with it, knocking the air out of him!
He rushed him with a couple more punches and grabbed onto the ladder again, but Gravender moved and Adam hit nothing but turnbuckle. He dropped the ladder and turned around, right into the grip of Gravender... URANAGE SUPLEX!
Driving him down with a BIG suplex variation, Vic Gravender kicked him away to the side and decided that he had enough fooling around and trying to wear down Adam Faulkner once and for all. While Faulkner was incapacitated for the moment, he climbed out of the ring and pulled out a slightly bigger and wider ladder, one that would be perfect for his larger frame.
With a smile on his face, he tossed the ladder over the top rope and slid it inside the ring before climbing back in. Faulkner was still down, but not out as he was seeing what Vic was doing. Once Vic set up the ladder, he smiled and started to climb the ladder again, trying to reach out for the championship that he won by besting 29 other competitors in a battle royale.
But Faulkner STILL would not give up and climbed the ladder once again, trying his very best to get back into the race and get his first singles title in nbW. The fans were still buzzing with excitement as Faulkner was still able to outpace the bigger man on his way up.
He was mere inches away from the title belt as he was there, but Vic met him at the top and grabbed him by the throat. Adam fought to try and free himself from Vic's grip by dropping a couple of hard elbows into the head.
Adam took three blows to the head, but tried for one more. He grabbed Vic by the head and smacked him into the top rung! He continued to brawl and brawl, ferociously smacking Vic's head into the ringpost again. He continued to climb up again and had his hands on the actual leather of the title...
He made his way to the hook...
But felt a pair of hands grab his leg!
JUNIOR KEELING!
The mouthy little prick and co-manager of the Family Keeling stable had ran down to the ringside area, stopping Adam Faulkner from making his way to the top. He kicked frantically at Junior Keeling and continued to fight and managed to get him away from his grip.
With Junior Keeling nursing his sore fingers from the many kicks he'd taken from Adam Faulkner, The Innovator of Impact was just moments away from reaching the title.
But so was Vic.
And Vic grabbed that title and SMACKED it into the face of Adam Faulkner, stunning him. With a grin, he hit a second shot, and a THIRD before Adam Faulkner FLEW off the ladder, crashing back down violently to the canvas. Vic Gravender unhooked the title belt and smiled.
DING DING DING!
Junior Keeling was ecstatic on the ring floor, nearly going crazy with jubilation while the fans were booing. Vic Gravender stood atop the ladder, holding his nbW Infamy Title for all to see.
“HERE IS YOUR WINNER OF THE MATCH... AND STIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLL THE NO BRAND WRESTLING INFAMY CHAMPION... “THE HUMAN WRECKING BALL” VIC GRAVENDER!”
Gravender climbed down the ladder, despite the blood running across his face. He was too much for Adam Faulkner to overcome and made it back to his feet, cradling the shiny new title that he won on the last edition of Slam!
Vic Gravender and Junior Keeling left the ring together while Adam Faulkner was down, holding his head in pain after taking a tremendous beating with the championship belt itself. He angrily looked on at his former tag team partner, walking back up the ramp and holding his nbW Infamy Title for all to see. He promised that this would be the start of a very dominant reign and with a good performance like that, who could argue?
The nbW Infamy Champion and Junior Keeling both disappeared behind the curtains, leaving a sore Adam Faulkner to wallow in defeat as he fell to his knees, sighing heavily and nursing a throbbing body. He thought his plan would surely work, but he fell to the strength of Vic Gravender (and the sneaky assholeish ways of Junior Keeling).
He didn't see a pair of masked men creep up from the crowd...
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
One man in a Jason Kain mask. The other man in an Uncensored mask.
Whoever the two men were, they made a beeline for Adam Faulkner and wasted no time picking the bones of what Vic Gravender had started. One of the men attacked Adam Faulkner who had nothing in the tank to defend himself with as he rained down a hard series of blows to the head of the Innovator of Impact.
The other man watched and waited while his co-conspirator continued his assault and occasiaonlly joined in, throwing in an errant punch or boot to the skull.
Faulkner had no idea where he was at this point as he continued to suffer a tremendous beatdown from the two gentlemen until they lifted him up to his feet. One of the men held him in place and the other CRACKED him hard in the back of the head with a solid Enzuigiri kick. With Adam Faulkner down, the two men nodded to each other before setting up a ladder near the corner. The two then proceeded to climb up to the top and raised their left and right arms out in unison. The fans had no idea what was coming next...
STEREO 450 SPLASH!
It was a SPECTACULAR and breathtaking move executed by the two masked men. The only person who couldn't truly appreciate it was the man who was crushed under the weight of the two men hitting the move at the exact same time. Faulkner had the wind driven out of him and was reduced to mush while the masked men each stood up and took a bow for the crowd.
With their assault on Adam Faulkner complete, they disappeared into the crowd and quickly out of sight, just as they had arrived.
He's Backkkk
The camera pans backstage to an NBW logo were all of sudden the double champion, ‘Superstar’ Vince Jacobs came into view. The fans in attendance started to jeer the double champion. The same man that has been missing from NBW television for the past few weeks. Jacobs stood holding both his championship titles on his shoulders. He knew tonight that he was going to be facing the winner of the SIX match for his NBW World Heavyweight Championship.
Jacobs placed the microphone to his lips as he heard the chorus of jeers from the fans. “Tonight we are in Germany for Shicksal. All you NBW fans get to see some of the best wrestling in the world. That’s right you get to see me, ‘Superstar’ Vince Jacobs wrestle in that very ring tonight.”
The fans jeered Vince.
“I know all you plebeians have been subjected to all these matches on Slam for the past few weeks and the only matches that meant anything were the ones the UE were in. See the UE did the business while SVJ was away training for the pay-per-view. But don’t think SVJ wasn’t paying attention to this crap TV that Boyle was putting on the air to disgust me and the rest of you fans.
Jacobs paused a bit to let the jeers kick in. He smirked before speaking again.
“So tonight six wrestlers will be in the ring vying for a chance to wrestle YOUR GOD, Vince Jacobs. In this match you will see Techno Dragon a little punk that thinks he can hold my jockstrap. He got a fluke win over me and now he thinks his shit don’t stink. Well let me let you in on something Techno Dragon, you are in my world. I just let you dwell here. SVJ is a big money player when the big lights shine its brightest at the pay-per-view. You can ask Shawn Hart, Ravage, Remy Leroux, and you can ask Spike Saunders. They have all fell to yours truly and you won’t be any different.”
The fans cheered for Techno Dragon.
“Next I see that Judasbleek and Son of Malta made it into this match. My dear Upper Echelon members know me very well. And they know that I will bring my best in the match against them. So boys I already know this but bring your best and don’t let me down because I know you two are the best options that would come out of this match.”
Jacobs paused as he went on to the next man.
“The next man is the new comer to NBW that is making a lot of noise, Tony Sharp. Yes I know your brother very well and I see a lot of him in you but seeing him in you doesn’t mean a thing. Your brother is on another level than you are and he is championship material, however you are not and will not be when I am around. I want you to take notes at what I do to the actual winner of this match because you and the family Keeling will see who runs the NBW, me and the Upper Echelon.”
“The mystery man cometh. And that man is none other than Derecho. A person that I have had run ins with in my long career. So it seems that you can’t stay out of my spotlight can you Derecho. When I go to a promotion and win a world championship it seems that Derecho shows up and decides he needs to take what is mine. When will you ever learn that when SVJ is the world champion than you have no chance. Well we’ll see if you can make it past the others Derecho.”
Jacobs gritted his teeth for a second before speaking again.
“Now this brings me to the last person in this match, Keegan.”
A huge cheer erupted in the arena. Jacobs shook his head to the cheers.
“Yeah I believed I would hear that from these peons. Keegan I really don’t understand why these fans adore you. You are a murderer and these fans praise you. The problem I have with you Keegan is you think you did nothing wrong. You pushed and pushed until a great man couldn’t push back and died. Now I can honestly say that I never liked you. I don’t like what you stand for and I definitely don’t like that sewer hole Britain that spawned you. Keegan you and I are on a collision course and I can’t wait when it happens. I am going to beat the holy hell out of you and I will cause you the pain that Son of Malta and William’s family felt. I really hope that you are the one that comes out the winner but seeing that Malta and Judas are in this match. I don’t think you will make it to next week alive. Have fun Keegs because your time at becoming world champion will not happen tonight, hell it may never happen as long as I, the Icon is still champion.”
Jacobs smiled as the jeers got louder.
“Have fun tonight guys, I’ll be watching.”
SIX-Man Rumble
Winner earns a shot at the World Championship in the Main Event
Keegan Versus Techno Dragon Versus Son of Malta Versus Judasbleek Versus Tony Sharp Versus Derecho
The arena clamored with excitement as it was time for the six-man Rumble match! NBW fans had been anticipating this match highly and with the added mix of an outside superstar, the stakes have been raised!
“Battle Flag” by Lo-Fidelity All-Stars
Techno Dragon was the first participant out from the backstage area. The crowd received him well as he took a running start and slid into the ring. Dragon ascended the turnbuckle pad to soak up even more praise from the hot crowd here tonight. The music died down as the crowd awaited the next participant.
“Malta National Anthem”
The cheers quickly turned to boos as The Son of Malta took a step out from behind the curtain. Malta looked around and soaked in the resentment that the NBW fans had for him before taking his walk down to the ring. Malta hopped up on the ring apron and then stepped inside where he and Dragon would come face to face. As the music died down, the two of them were distanced by the referee and the bell had been called for.
DING DING DING!
Malta and Dragon circled each other in the ring and then locked up. Dragon with an arm twist, but Malta countered it with an arm twist of his own. Dragon lifted his leg and used it to break the submission hold and then used a knee to the stomach of Malta. Dragon then went back to the arm twist and then proceeded to irish whip Malta to the ropes. Malta hits the opposite side and ducked a clothesline attempt by Dragon. Malta bounced off the near side and leapt into the air with a flying forearm that connected.
Both men get back up as Malta hits a running elbow that knocked Dragon down again. Dragon got back up and this time was met with a standing drop kick. Dragon rolled out to the floor to collect himself, but Malta gave chase. Dragon ran around to the near side and slid back into the ring where he took off running to the opposite side and hit the ropes. Dragon came back and hit a baseball slide to Malta as he had attempted to re-enter the ring. Malta staggered back to the guard rail as Dragon built up another full head of steam and hit a Suicide Dive through the middle rope to the outside, taking Malta down with him. Since neither man went over the top rope they were still legally in the match!
The fans cheered Dragon on as he stood up and showboated to the crowd a little. Dragon then pulled Malta back up to his feet and rolled him back into the ring. Dragon then got on the ring apron and ascended the turnbuckle pads as he waited for Malta to get back to a vertical base. Malta did and Dragon leapt off and connected with a missile drop kick! Dragon quickly grabbed Malta and pulled him back to his feet. He brought him over to the ropes where he attempted to dump him over the top for elimination, but Malta hung on. Just as Dragon was attempting to eliminate him, the countdown began for another participant to enter.
FIVE…. FOUR…. THREE…. TWO….. ONE…. BZZZZZZZ!
“Bullet With A Name” by Nonpoint
Tony Sharp dashed out from the back and slid into the ring as he saw an opportunity, but Dragon sensed his elimination coming. He hit a mule kick on Tony Sharp and stopped him before he could reach him. Dragon then opened up with a pair of front kicks to the chest of Sharp. Dragon then whipped Sharp into Malta, but Malta lifted Sharp up and over the top rope, but Sharp landed on the ring apron. Sharp then used a forearm to smash in the face of the Son of Malta which caused him to stagger and fall to a single knee. Dragon then took advantage and hit a Step-Up Enziguri to the side of Malta’s head!
Tony Sharp stepped back into the ring and measured Dragon up as he got back to his feet. Sharp dashed in and laid out Dragon with a big clothesline. Sharp pulled Dragon up and hit a pair of European Uppercuts that staggered him back a few steps. Sharp then whipped Dragon into the ropes, but Dragon leapt to the middle rope and rebounded off with a twisting flying cross body block, but Sharp caught Dragon in mid air, spun, and nailed a twisting powerslam on Dragon that shook the ring!
Sharp pulled Dragon back to his feet and then brought him over to the ropes where he attempted to eliminate him, but when Sharp tossed Dragon over the top, Dragon landed on the ring apron. Dragon went for a shoulder block through the ropes, but Sharp stepped aside and hit a knee to the side of Dragon’s head. Dragon hung over the middle rope as Sharp pulled him back into the ring. Meanwhile, Malta grabbed Sharp from behind and hit a back drop suplex on him while his attention had been focused on Dragon. Dragon staggered back to his feet as Malta grabbed Dragon and whipped him to the ropes. Malta then picked up Dragon and nailed a massive spinebuster on him in the dead center of the ring. As this happened, the countdown began once again.
FIVE…. FOUR…. THREE…. TWO….. ONE…. BZZZZZZZ!
“Where Do Gangsters Go” by Lake of Fire
The crowd erupts in cheers as Keegan stepped out from the back and charged the ring. Keegan slid in and immediately went after Malta with a flurry of punches to the side of the head. Tony Sharp came up from behind and hit a forearm to the back of Keegan. Sharp turned Keegan around and went for a European Uppercut, but Keegan blocked it and delivered a knee to the stomach and a clubbing blow to the back. This gave Malta enough time to spin Keegan back around and hit a knee to the stomach that doubled him over. Malta then placed Keegan between his legs and waited for Sharp to stand back up. Malta lifted Keegan and then powerbombed him INTO Tony Sharp!
A large “OOOH” from the crowd echoed through the arena as the two of them collided with force! Dragon staggered back to his feet and then got a running start and leapt onto the shoulders of Malta. Dragon then used a few punches and attempted a hurricanrana, but Malta blocked it and lifted Dragon back up to a powerbomb position, but dragon spun around into the electric chair position and this time, hit a reverse frankensteiner that dumped Malta on the back of his head and neck. Dragon then quickly headed to the corner and ascended the turnbuckle pads. All eyes were on him as he leapt off and nailed a turning frog splash down onto Son of Malta! Dragon leapt up and showboated for the crowd as he was the sole survivor in the middle of a trainwreck. That was until the countdown began once again!
FIVE…. FOUR…. THREE…. TWO….. ONE…. BZZZZZZZ!
“Animal I Have Become” by Three Days Grace
Judasbleek came out next and ran down to the ring where Dragon stood ready. Judas slid into the ring and immediately, Dragon went after him with a flurry of kicks, but with a 70lb weight difference between them, the kicks had little effect. Judas simply shoved Dragon away and run over him with a massive clothesline that flipped him inside out. Judas then pulled Dragon to his feet and tossed him over the top rope where Dragon fell out and down to the floor!
Techno Dragon has been eliminated!
Tony Sharp has been eliminated!
Keegan has been eliminated!
Judasbleek has been eliminated!
Derecho has been eliminated!
DING DING DING!
It was over! Son of Malta, who entered at number two, survived five other competitors and had achieved victor in the Six-Man Rumble match!
Blood, Sweat, and Tears
In just a few moments time, a match between two of the biggest and baddest forces within No Brand Wrestling were set to collide. The Upper Echelon's enforcer and the (thus far) unpinned and near-unstoppable force called Warren Spade was about to collide with who many could consider to be the cornerstone and backbone of the organization, “The Colossus” Spike Saunders. And to make things more interesting, the battle would not feature pinfalls, submissions, disqualifications or countouts. The match was First Blood which meant that it would continue until one man spillled his opponent's blood.
Earlier tonight, the fans got to see an interview with none other than the aformentioned Colossus himself. Now, it was time to hear from the other half of the blockbuster match up. And standing by with that man was none other than Allison Cadence.
“nbW fans, we are just moments away from a First Blood match between former nbW World Heavyweight Champion, Spike Saunders and his opponent... my guest at this time... “The Monster of the Mid-South” Warren Spade and his manager, Fenton Woods.”
The crowd in attendance were jeering from all sides and directed them at the Epicenter screen. Fenton Woods was pushed into view, still suffering from what he claims were career-ending injuries at the hands of Spike Saunders when he took his Spiked finisher in the middle of the ring several weeks ago. Confined to a wheelchair and a back neck brace, Fenton Woods smiled and looked above him where none other than Warren Spade appeared. Covered in a new version of his ring attire – a sleeveless body suit with thick elbow pads, wrist tape and athletic gloves – The Monster of the Mid-South was prepared for his match.
“Now, Warren, we've seen you and Spade exchanged victories in both singles and tag team matches without actually pinning the other man. But now, you come face to face in a singles match. Your thoughts on this match?”
“PSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
Fenton Woods cut off Allison Cadence.
“Do you not see this man standing right here? Practically seven feet tall. Almost four hundred pounds. This is the most destructive force that No Brand Wrestling has ever seen! Superstar Vince Jacobs chose right when he picked my boy here to be part of his group! And it's a good thing he wasn't in the SIX match because he would be standing against our fearless leader. But we have a more important task to worry about right now. Spike Saunders. A man called the cornerstone, the heart, the soul, the man in No Brand Wrestling. A man that saw them all come and a man that saw them all go. But one thing that he's never seen is a man he can't possibly beat. A man he can't step to. A man that will bust Saunders's rotten skull open like a piece of rotten fruit!”
The Monster of the Mid-South smiled.
“Allison, Spike Saunders would be a formidable foe... if you were to have me fight him ten or fifteen years ago. But we all saw it. Jack Owyns proved it at Pinnacle when Saunders showed that he's getting up there in years. He's fragile and his best years are behind him. He told everybody that he was at a 100% but is that the truth? He's just saying that to kid himself. I know it, you know it, the Upper Echelon know it, the rest of the guys in the back know it, the fans know it and whether you want to admit it or not, even Saunders knows it. His time has come and gone. He may be the life blood of No Brand Wrestling, but after tonight... I spill that life blood all over the canvas and prove he's no longer the biggest and baddest here.”
Allison Cadence nodded.
“And what of your new found relationship with the other giant, Tremoid? Warren, we've seen you team up with the giant on several occasions now.”
Warren and Fenton looked at one another and both turned back to her.
“None of your business!” came both voices at the same time.
Warren Spade and Fenton Woods both left the interview area to get ready for the biggest match of Spade's career in just mere moments.
First Blood Match
Warren Spade Versus Spike Saunders
The fans had already seen some hard-hitting brawls tonight, but what was about to come next wasn't about to be just any regular slugfest. For weeks on end, two giants had locked horns on several occasions without a decisive winner. Spike Saunders had been gunning for “Superstar” Vince Jacobs for a long while in an attempt to wrest the title away from he and the Upper Echelon's iron grip. But SVJ had an insurance policy in the form of his group's enforcer, the unpinned Warren Spade.
Spike Saunders, at seven-foot three and over three hundred pounds was a true force to be reckoned with inside the squared circle, but his opponent, Warren Spade, had never been pinned or submitted during his tenure in No Brand Wrestling going on over a year now. At six-foot ten and almost four hundred pounds, the Monster of the Mid-South had destroyed all in his path. Former world champions, rookies, and everybody in between had fallen to the big bruiser. And what made tonight's match all the more intense was that it would be contested not by a standard pinfall or submission.
It would be First Blood rules.
The two giants would get to do whatever they could to bust the other man open.
A cymbal clash echoes throughout the arena…
“Downfall" by TRUSTCompany blasts throughout every speaker available. Flashing on the EpiCenter is a repeated set of words.
MONSTER.
OF THE.
MIDSOUTH.
Red and gold strobe lights flash throughout the building and just as the song finishes up its first verse, out comes Warren Spade himself, wheeling Fenton Woods down to ringside in his wheelchair. He was covered up in a customized version of his regular ring gear, covering his entire chest and body while a pair of big, thick arm sleeves covered him and athletic gloves covered up his hands. There would be no accidental cuts to his body that would make him stop the match. Clips from some of his career highlights play with "MONSTER OF THE MIDSOUTH" interrupting every few seconds.
Pushing down the ropes, Warren steps over them with ease as he raises both hands into the air, taking in the hatred from the fans. Fenton Woods was safe behind the announce table and luckily for the viewing audience, they didn't have to deal with the mouthy manager from West Memphis, Arkansas tanking the ratings with the sound of his voice. Warren Spade ripped off a couple of the turnbuckle pads with one hand, giving himself a couple extra weapons to use against the giant that would be coming down to the ring shortly.
The fans turned their attention to the entrance again where 'SPIKE-IT-UP' hit and the second it did, the crowd went crazy! They went ape-youknowwhat for Spike Saunders as the giant made his way out in street clothes, a pair of black jeans and a sleeveless nbW t-shirt. It appeared both men were dressed for combat now and Warren Spade at least kept things honorable by allowing Saunders to enter the ring...
POW!
…Then he let him have a big shot right across the chin with his fist! He caught Saunders in the mouth and the bell rang as the two giants collided in the center of the ring, exchanging big shots. Saunders may have had the height and reach advantage over Spade, but the Monster of the Mid-South was able to outmuscle Saunders and back him into the ropes with a succession of punches to the face that backed him up. He whipped Saunders across the ring and caught him with a big shoulder block that knocked him backwards into the ropes.
To his credit, Saunders managed to stay standing, but he was teetering a little bit. Spade smiled and walked forward to dish out some more damage to the big man, but Saunders fought back with a violent barrage consisting of powerful right hands and chops to the chest of the One-Man Stampede.
“You won't be spilling MY blood, you stupid-ass goof!” Saunders yelled right at his giant opponent before trying to whip him across the ring. The Monster of the Mid-South reversed that and sent him flying into the ropes, but Saunders came bouncing right back with an AMAZING flying shoulder tackle that actually knocked down Warren Spade.
Spade, for the first time in his No Brand Wrestling career, was being manhandled by another giant and got knocked off his feet. He went rolling outside the ring to try and regroup from Saunders's assault while the former nbW champion stood in the middle of the ring, taking in a big reaction from the crowd that were cheering on his every move.
“Get back here! You wanted this match, Spade, you got it!”
“Fuck you!” Spade yelled back, showing some intensity of his own. The crowd booed him and Fenton yelled for the crowd to shut up.
Spike Saunders climbed out of the ring and decided if Warren Spade wasn't going to come back to him, he would bring the fight to the big man. Spike Saunders rounded the corner as Spade was recovering from the blow, only to eat a tremendous running lariat that knocked Warren Spade clear off his feet for a second time in this match.
The Colossus had the crowd in the palm of his hand, but tonight wasn't about his fans. He was going to beat some respect into his opponent and take him out to get back into the title hunt. He picked up Spade by his hair and led his fellow big man back to his feet, only to sock him right in the mouth again twice. Once Spade was rocked, he grabbed him by the throat and had every intention of chokeslamming him, possibly through the announce table!
The announcers got the hell out of the way while Fenton wheeled himself for higher ground. He tried to lift Spade up and send him crashing through the table, but Spade threw some big elbows into the back of Spike's head to keep him from executing the move. The Monster of the Mid-South grabbed him by the waist and looked to be trying to belly to belly suplex him through the table himself, but Saunders boxed his ears and broke free from his grip.
He clubbed Spade in the back with several hard blows and pushed him away, sending Spade flying hard into the ringpost, head first!
He went tumbling over and hit the ground now, leaning over the ring steps. The referee looked for any signs of blood, but Spade got his arms up in the nick of time, possibly saving himself from either a busted forehead or broken nose. Saunders followed Spade and continued to beat on the Upper Echelon's enforcer, clubbing him with some more shots. He grabbed him and whipped him across the ringside area to try and throw him into the steel steps, but he stopped himself short. He walked to the other side and saw Saunders try to give chase...
BANG!
That was the sound of Warren Spade kicking the steel steps into Spike Saunders's left knee, finally stopping The Colossus's attempt at another attack, bringing him down to a knee. To try and buy himself a little recovery time, Saunders rolled underneath the ropes and headed back into the ring.
Sensing an opportunity to strike, The Monster of the Mid-South followed him into the ring, but ate a rather nasty kick from Saunders and his good leg as he entered the ring. While he was draped in the ropes, Saunders grabbed him by the head and tried going for a DDT on his four-hundred pound opponent, but Warren Spade went low and chopped the leg out from under Saunders, finally knocking him down for the first time in the contest.
While Saunders was now on his knees, Warren bounced off the ropes and came back with a big nasty kick directly into the face of Spike, knocking him flat on his back. It was a pretty nasty shot, but lucky for Spike hadn't busted him open. When Warren took notice of this, he waited for Saunders to try and get back up again, only to deliver a second deadlier kick right between the eyes.
The referee checked on Saunders and there was still no sign of blood, but now Spade was starting to get some ideas going in his head. He grabbed Saunders by the head and pulled him back up before tackling him and sending him into the exposed turnbuckle back first. Saunders was in pain now and Spade continued to let him have it with a volley of hard body shots with each blow hurting him more and more.
He grabbed Spike by his head and rang his bell with some more punches to the face and grabbed him by the arm, leading him into a mighty stiff short arm clothesline that knocked Spike off his feet.
Spade motioned for Fenton Woods to bring him a weapon and his manager did so happily, pushing a chair into the ring. The Monster of the Mid-South picked up the chair and held it high over his head, ready to use it. He waited for Spike to get back to his feet and when he did, he doubled him over with a brutal shot to his stomach. Spike yelled in pain and took two more brutal chair shots to the back that drove him back down to the ground.
Now it was The Colossus's turn to get sent packing from the ring as he rolled to the outside. He was trying his best to keep his distance from the giant, but Warren Spade was hot on his trail and tried swinging for the fences again. He doubled over Saunders with a kick to his bad knee and set him up against the ringpost. He held the chair out and looked out to the crowd as he swung...
...SWING AND A MISS~!
Saunders moved out of the way and avoided having his head smashed in between a chair and the ring post. The fans cheered as Saunders brought himself back into the fight and caught Spade off guard with a couple of jabs to the face. He doubled him over with a knee and dragged him over to the announce table, smashing his face into it unforgivingly.
The Colossus tackled him near the table and beat him across the face with some nasty shots, kicking him near the timekeeper's table. The ring staff got out of the big men's war zone and let them duke it out as Saunders sent him flying into the table. He turned his attention to Fenton Woods and tried to grab at him, but Spade turned him around and cracked him in the face with a microphone.
“I'VE GOT YOUR NUMBER, SAUNDERS!” Spade yelled at him into the house microphone before bashing it into his face a second time. He hit a third and a fourth before cracking him in the temple with a fifth, trying to use one of the pointed edges to his benefit.
Saunders was knocked down, but amazingly there was still no blood on his face. Spade picked up Saunders by his shirt and rolled him back inside the ring again. He stepped onto the steel steps and pushed the ropes down to enter the ring. While Saunders was brought down to his knees, Spade ripped his nbW shirt off and started using it like a weapon, trying his best to strangle him with it. If he could choke out Saunders, then he would be a sitting duck.
Spade kicked at him a few times and pressed a foot down into his back while pulling at the shirt wrapped around his throat, using it like a makeshift noose. Spike Saunders moved a fist back and caught Spade in the chest with a couple of shots before getting back to his knees. He finally made it back up and elbowed him in the face before sending him to the ropes. Spade reversed the whip and sent Saunders flying but he came back with a big boot that knocked Spade down.
The fans cheered for Spike Saunders as he waited for Spade to get back up. The Colossus charged at him and ran into him with a big back elbow that sent him staggering into the corner. While Spade was now pinned ot the corner, Saunders struck him with a big series of back elbows to the face. As Spade was winded from the strikes, Saunders got his foot up and choked him in the corner with his boot, possibly as a receipt from earlier.
While Spade fell over to a knee, Spike Saunders ran off the ropes and came back to the amazement of the crowd hitting a big low-angle Kane-style dropkick to the face to knock him down.
With the giant down and out, Saunders winced before he climbed back to his feet. He looked out into the sea of Berlin fans and saluted them before he ran off the ropes and dropped a big leg across the throat of Spade. He obviously wasn't going to go for a pin, but waited for The Monster of the Mid-South to make it back to his feet.
When the monster teetered upwards, Spike grabbed him by the waist and tried lifting him up on his shoulder, but Spade was too big and squirmed his way out behind Saunders. The Colossus turned around and walked right into the grip of Spade, spinning him around almost an entire three-hundred sixty degrees before SLAMMING him almost through the canvas with a spinning sidewalk slam.
The fans were amazed by the feat of strength from the big man to be able to lift a man like Spike Saunders and making it look easy. He was driven down into the mat and once again, control of the match was back on the side of The Monster of the Mid-South.
He kicked Saunders back once more to the ringside area and followed while Saunders was slow to get back up. When he tried to do so, Spade grabbed Saunders by the head and kicked him in the chest and followed up with a very measured right hook to the side of the head. Neither giant had bled despite the damage inflicted upon one another, but right now, Saunders was at Spade's mercy.
With all the strength that he could muster, he grabbed Spike by his arm and hurled him with all his might, tossing him HARD into the steel ring post before crumbling over in a heap near the barricade. The impact was hard and was felt all through the arena as the fans looked concerned for Spike's well being.
“Finish him!” Fenton shouted at Spade as he wheeled to get a closer look at the damage.
Spade nodded and looked over as Saunders tried to shield himself from the referee's view...
No blood.
The crowd cheered when they saw that Saunders wasn't busted open, but Warren Spade was starting to get a little bit more angry. He kicked over the steel steps near him and picked up the top half, taking one-hundred fifty pounds of steel and holding it up like it weighed nothing. He waited patiently as Spike tried to shake off the pain and get back to his feet again. When he did so, Spade chucked the steel steps right his head...
MISSED~!
Saunders moved out of the way and watched the steps collide with the barricade, pushing it back a few inches in the process. Spade growled and ran over to grab Saunders by the head before trying to spike (har har) The Colossus into the barricade. Spike blocked it and grabbed Spade by his head, ramming him into the barricade twice.
Spade stumbled backwards a few steps and found himself in a bad way as Spike Saunders took the fight back to him. He tried ramming Spade into the barricade a third time, but Spade blocked that and sent him into the hard steel. Saunders was dizzied and found himself back in the grip of Warren Spade. The One-Man Stampede grabbed him in a headlock and pulled him away towards the other half of the steel steps that were left near ringside.
“You're fucked, Spike...”
He set him down against the steel and raised his leg, trying to crush Spike Saunders's head underneath his boot...
He cocked his leg back...
and got tripped over!
In a last ditch effort to save himself, he tripped his good leg and sent Spade crashing off the steps and fell back down to the ringside floor. The fans cheered Spike's clever move as he now looked to get himself back into the game again.
While Spade was still trying to breath after falling on his back against the steel steps, Saunders was back up and reached underneath the ring. From underneath the ring, he got himself a ladder! Left over from the earlier ladder match between Vic Gravender and Adam Faulkner, Spike Saunders pulled the ladder out and folded it up with every intent of using it as another weapon at his disposal.
He charged forward and NAILED Warren Spade right between the eyes, knocking him down again. He tossed the ladder aside and backed away to buy himself some much-needed recovery time. He hoped that would make him bleed in the same way that Faulkner had busted Vic Gravender open during their match while the referee checked.
No blood.
Saunders was surprised that the big shot to the dome of The One-Man Stampede did not do him in, but he shrugged it off and grabbed the groggy Spade. He looked out to the crowd before dragging him over to the steel steps, then rubbed his face against the jagged edges of steel!
Spade did his best to get his arm between his face and the steel, trying to shield himself from any cuts that would do damage to his face and cost him the match. Fenton screamed for his man to get back into the match and tried to keep him on the defensive.
“Don't let Saunders show you up!”
The Colossus kept on raking his face until he felt he'd done enough damage, backing off a few steps to try and shake off some of his own punishment. The camera got a close look on the face of Warren Spade, but only a couple of red rashes appeared across his face.
Still no blood.
Again, there was no sign of the blood so Saunders picked him up by the hair and rolled the Upper Echelon member back inside the ring. Thinking of some new ways for him to dish out some punishment to the Monster of the Mid-South, he grabbed another chair from the ringside area and climbed back into the ring with it, intent to finish this match once and for all.
He waited as Warren Spade was using the corner to try and pull himself up, still feeling loopy after having eaten a straight ladder shot directly to the top of his skull. Spike Saunders ran forward with the chair, swinging for the fences, but Spade kicked him in his bad leg, saving himself from another brutal weapon shot. Saunders yelled out again and cradled his leg, but Spade got back to his feet and grabbed Spike by the head, throwing him face first into the exposed turnbuckle he uncovered in the beginning of the match.
Spade had Saunders on the ropes now. The giant was stunned from the first blow and left himself wide open for The Monster of the Mid-South to throw him into the same corner with a second and more brutal headshot. Saunders was doubled over and fell to the canvas, cradling his head which could have very well done him in.
“That's how to do it, Warren!” Fenton yelled.
“That's it! I got 'em!” Spade screamed.
He pointed at the fallen body of Saunders, who was still covering himself up with his hands. He was hurt badly from the dual shots of the exposed turnbuckle.
The referee checked and moved one of Saunders's arms while Warren Spade was still looking on.
Still... no blood.
“NO!” Spade shouted.
He was in disbelief and the fans yelled with all the energy they could muster. Saunders was still into this match and wasn't going to give up until he could bust Warren Spade open. The Monster of the Mid-South had different ideas and prepared himself from the corner as he waited for Spike Saunders to get back to his feet. He prepared himself for his killing blow. The move that he had defeated Saunders with in the past, along with countless others.
He waited and waited...
HE CHARGED...
THE TRAMPLE...
He missed~!
Spike saw the move coming and moved out of harm's way. Warren Spade was amazingly quick enough that he stopped himself on a dime in the corner to prevent himself from flying into the corner. He turned around and got doubled over from a hard kick from Saunders. With him kneeled over in the middle of the ring, Saunders ran off the ropes and came back, dropping Spade down into a steel chair with a running DDT.
The move took a lot of energy out of Spike but Spade was looking a little bit worse right now, having his head drilled into the steel chair. He rolled away from the bent chair and covered up his face, trying to make sure the referee could see no bleeding.
He checked on Spade.
And again, no blood from the big man.
Spike Saunders was sure that was going to do it and these two men had thrown everything they could at one another, but both men were stubborn and were not going to give the other the satisfaction of making the other guy bleed.
The Monster of the Mid-South struggled now to get back to his feet and as Saunders used the ropes to pull himself up on one side of the ring, Warren Spade crawled to the other side. Fenton Woods threw a black towel in the ring and handed it to Spade, who unwrapped it to reveal a steel chain hidden within it.
The Colossus pulled himself up and had brought the ladder back inside the ring to do some more damage. He tried charging at him, but Spade was ready for him...
CHAIN-ASSISTED GUT PUNCH~!
A debilitating straight shot to the stomach doubled Saunders over again and knocked the wind out of him as Spade saved himself and scored a big blow right to the breadbasket that doubled over the giant. The Colossus went down in a heap as Spade was still winded.
The fans booed the dirty tactic devised by both Warren Spade and Fenton Woods, but they didn't care. They had essentially schemed their way through the match and it was working to their benefit. Saunders was being checked on by the referee as he held onto his exposed ribs, checking for any signs of internal bleeding from such a nasty blow.
There was no blood, but surely, he was severely weakened now for Warren Spade to dole out some additional damage. Warren Spade smiled and waited for him to stand back up again, trying to get him with a second shot. He waited when Spike got to his feet, he turned around...
CHOKESLAM~!
It came from almost out of nowhere, but Saunders ducked the blow and caught Warren Spade with a big-time, ring-shaking grade-a muthaeffin' chokeslam! But he was unable to follow up right away, though, due do the big chain shot he took from just moments before. He held his ribs in pain while Spade was down on the canvas, trying to get his bearings back.
Saunders grabbed onto the chain now and took hold of it after Warren had dropped it and pondered its use. Spade was just starting to come around after several moments and decided to use the weapon, taking it in his grip.
He readied himself for another assault, but as Spike turned around and swung, it was Spade's turn to duck a big shot and returned fire with a stiff short lariat of his own, knocking Spike Saunders back into the ropes. And what was worse, Saunders became entangled in the ropes.
Trapped in the ropes by his arms, he was squirming to get free while Warren Spade noticed what happened. He crawled over and took back his chain weapon that he used.
“YOU'RE FUCKED NOW, SAUNDERS!” Fenton yelled from ringside.
Spade laughed as Saunders struggled to fight in the ropes.
“He's right, you know,” Spade wrapped the chain around his big fist again.
He walked forward slowly as Spike continued to try and turn himself loose. Spade took the chain and cocked back another fist...
LOW BLOW~!
Saunders, seeing no other way out of his predicament, brought his leg up and nailed The Monster of the Mid-South directly in the family jewels! The fans cheered for The Colossus as he was able to get himself out of the ropes. Spade was now down to his knees and clutched his lower extremities in pain as Saunders took back the chain again, looking for the killing blow that was going to end this.
He cocked the fist back...
BOOM! HEADSHOT!!
A sweet punch with the chain wrapped around his fist caught Warren Spade right between the eyes and sent him flying down to the canvas. He caught him right between the eyes and Spade fell right to the mat as the fans celebrated the nasty knock-out shot. He stumbled over and waited for the referee to tell him that he may have won the match...
But Fenton Woods leaped out of his wheelchair and stood back up to his feet! It was a miracle! Or it could've been a scam, which seemed more likely. He crawled back towards the ropes and yelled at the referee as Spade shielded himself in the corner. The camera caught a glimpse of a cut on his forehead with blood, but he kept his face hidden and Tremoid handed him a towel to wipe away the blood that should've won Spike the match.
While the referee was distracted by Fenton Woods throwning a temper tantrum the fans continued to boo at Saunders as he turned around and was face to face with Tremoid! Spike turned around to throw a chain-wrapped fist at Tremoid, but the Brickhouse backed away. He pulled a vial out of his tights and fired off a red substance that got into the eyes of the Colossus!
The fans started jeering at Tremoid, who backed away from the ringside area and ditched the vial underneath the ring. He ran forward...
THE TRAMPLE~!
The running spear by Warren Spade caught Saunders in the ribs and toppled the giant to the ground. The referee had finally turned around and witnessed the shot as Warren quickly drilled the downed Saunders with a barrage of fists to the face where he'd been sprayed by the red substance...
DING DING DING!
NO WAY.
No way the match had ended without the actual blood of Spike Saunders being shed, but the referee was none the wiser. The referee called for the bell and the match was now over. Warren Spade stood back up to his feet over the dazed Saunders, who was down from the Trample and could hardly see thanks to whatever substance was sprayed in his face.
Spade raised his arms in victory as Fenton Woods climbed back into the ring, running circles around the ring. Whatever ailments that he seemed to have before the match had been mysteriously cured. Tremoid climbed into the ring and merely stood over the fallen Saunders, staring a hole right through The Colossus as he fell to the ground. Spade turned around to face him.
“Good job, T,” Spade cackled.
“Hey, I try!” Tremoid shot a smile back.
The two men shook hands, much to the disdain of the crowd. Fenton, Spade, and Tremoid raised one another's hands in victory as they headed back up the ramp. Saunders had called it. Despite Warren Spade's insistence that he needed no help to defeat Spike Saunders, much like his leader, Vince Jacobs, his word could not be trusted.
Spike Saunders cradled his sore ribs as he glared at the trio heading back up the ramp. Despite his best efforts, the fates (and Fenton Woods and Tremoid) conspired against him. He could deal with the sore ribs and throbbing headache that was plaguing him right now.
What hurt worst was his pride.
A Red Christmas
"Good try out there, kid." spoke Alyx Norwood as he patted Matt Haddon on the back. "You'll get him next time."
Haddon nodded and went to thank Alyx for the kind words of encouragement but as he turned around he saw Alyx slumped up against the brick wall. "Alyx?"
'I'm dreaming of a Red Christmas'
He twisted to the left to the source of the sound but saw only in the distance as the crew prepared for the Main Event.
'I'm dreaming of a Red Christmas, just like the ones I used to cause.'
Again he spun and looked back at Alyx Norwood whom was now covered by a figure in a dark black cloak. The figure turned and peered at Haddon whom jumped to his feet.
'Where my eyes beam, and captives scream.'
He faced Haddon and peered through the eye slits of his cracked mask. Slowly stalking his way towards Haddon whom readied to fight.
'I'm dreaming of a Red Christmas, with every lost soul I see.'
Torment grabbed at Haddon but Matt jumped off to the side and dived back towards Torment knocking him into the wall. The lights flickered to pitch black darkness for a moment before returning. Haddon proceeded to lay into the cloaked freak with a series of rights and lefts before executing a picture perfect flip-kick that knocked him back hard. Haddon smirked as he drove a boot down into the masked monster unaware of the presence behind him.
'May you and yours cease to be.'
Torment, sans-mask and cloak, grabbed Haddon as he spun towards the voice, and gripped his throat before raising him high into the air and driving him down with a Chokeslam. Without release he raised him against and slammed him towards the wall much as he had done to the ground, thens pun about and executed the third and final Chokeslam over the table, shattering it with the impact from Haddon's body.
Torment walked over to the wall and grabbed his mask and cloak placing them back on his person, which caused Alyx Norwood to slump to the side knocked out from the assault by Haddon. He turned and headed down the coridor as the camera zoomed into the body of Haddon and the face of Norwood, both of which needed urgent attention.
'And may all your Christmases be Red'
World Heavyweight Title
Son of Malta Versus 'Superstar' Vince Jacobs ©
Son of Malta not only started The Six but managed to outdo Derecho to set up a grandstand finish here in Germany, the end of the European tour but the beginning of the World tour, which would culminate on the other side of the world in Australia, nbW wheeling out the big guns apparently with Legacy earmarked for an overdue unveiling.
Who would be there? Well, ‘Superstar’ Vince Jacobs, arguably the greatest in-ring performer over the last two decades and best big-match competitor to boot wouldn’t fall short at the final hurdle, would he? SVJ had bagged the belt at Slam 7, seeing off Callie Urban, Spike Saunders and finally Max Hopper to lift the vacant World Championship and has reigned supreme ever since, turning back the challenge of the gigantic Saunders once again.
Or would it be Son of Malta? While Vince had a CV virtually no one could compete with, SOM was the in-form horse, a stud who’d won his last four matches in as many shows, three of which came by submission. This purple patch started by making Keegan tap out in an emotional homecoming to become the final Fighting Zone Champion, avenging his trainer, WAR, who’d died just weeks earlier while battling the Briton.
Cleaner-than-white submission wins over Santiago Sabino and Alfie Button in their respective backyards may not have been his sternest tests. Instead, they were exemplary of his ruthlessness, taking the two rookies out with no remorse and unleashing his impressive Maltese Cross to rack up wins and then there was tonight. He’d already outlasted five opponents. Could he go one step further and outshine Vince Jacobs, his boss and the leader of Upper Echelon?
Let’s find out.
The Maltese national anthem was greeted with a mixed reception. Maybe the Germans were going to back their fellow European in pursuit of his dream, which would make his mentor and ex-World Champion, WAR, so very proud. He strutted to the ring with purpose, ignoring his lukewarm welcome. Was he fully-recovered from the outing earlier? We’d soon find out.
“I didn’t have to come to nbW to become a superstar…I brought my spotlight with me.”
He’s so modest, isn’t he?
Shut the fuck up. Why should he be…
He is…
Pro Wrestling’s Phenomenon, The Icon, The Living Legend and The Ratings Grabber.
Oh, and if that wasn’t enough…
He’s also YOUR GOD.
The nbW World AND Keystone Champion.
Germany didn’t give a warm welcome to the biggest name in wrestling since the turn of the 21st century. Despite all of the titles, SVJ was hated and notorious in Deutschland.
By the time the ring announcer relayed the aforementioned information to the audience, Jacobs was getting jeered to fuck and standing on top of the turnbuckle, mirroring his status and standing in this sport.
He came down from his pedestal, literally but never figuratively, and handed all of the hardware over to the official. Both belts would be on the line here tonight and what an opportunity it was for Son of Malta, who would be looking to add wrestling glory to the taste of fighting success he enjoyed in a great day at Golden Bay a month ago.
Ding, ding, ding!
Neither man was loved, but it seemed Son had the edge in the popularity stakes. Both men, friends and colleagues, came together for a handshake…
Poke to the eye!
Classic Jacobs and if it wasn’t clear who would play the heel here, it was now. He enjoyed the disdain deep down but there was no time to revel and roll around in it. Vince had a job to do and he rammed Son of Malta’s head into the top turnbuckle while the crowd counted along. When they got to eight, he slammed on the brakes and shouted: “SHUT THE FUCK UP!”
Okay, now he was basking in it!
What happens when you take your eye of the ball even for a second at this level?
You get punished. Son of Malta burst out of the corner and flipped the head of Upper Echelon, his superior and everyone else’s for that matter, into the corner and stung Vince’s ‘Jasmine’ tattoo with a few well-place knife-edge chops that echoed around this magnificent, modern building.
Then, Son of Malta whipped Hollywood’s Brightest Star into the opposite turnbuckle with tremendous velocity. When Vince exploded out of the corner, SOM mowed him down with a terrific clothesline, a move he knew how to throw very well, picking up a solid 2-count in the process.
The Islander picked up ‘Superstar,’ eager to stay on the champion and he had to, he knew that first-hand by virtue of working with this wonderful athlete. He respected him, though not too much at this minute in time by the looks of it, taking Jacobs up and over with a stalling suplex for another 2.
He was focused and he had to be. He’d had a crack at former titleholder, Ali Amore, but this was for two titles, he’d come on leaps and bounds since that sterling showing in itself and he was headlining an important pay-per-view in Europe’s biggest country, the continent’s financial powerhouse.
Son was poised to press on, but the Californian ushered a thumb to the eye again in order to take a shortcut and the reins back with it. There were no flies on the game’s greatest player and he followed up his underhand tactic with a Russian Legsweep.
‘Superstar’ slapped on a sleeper hold, sapping energy from the European, who had to be tired from The Six. However, Vince wasn’t interested in wearing him down. He wanted to knock him out…
Falling Star!
He’d taken him down from the sleeper position with an inverted DDT and hooked the leg…
1
2
Not yet. Vince remonstrated with the referee, who stood his ground and told Superstar straight it was two, not three. The Living Legend slowed the pace down, even if you’d expect him to do the complete opposite, and executed a textbook suplex and a subsequent cover that resulted in 2.
The Reason There is A Show waited for Son to return to his feet and applied a simple-as-you-can-get sleeper hold, seeking to sap more energy from the European import. Maybe I was wrong: Vince was wearing his opponent down with moves that were older than The Queen Mother when she died. It was smart, sound strategy and also presented him with the opportunity to taunt the crowd, yawning when they booed him and generally building heat as great heels do and Vince had to be near the top of anyone’s list of villains.
As Son of Malta struggled to his feet, trying to fight the 2nd sleeper of the contest, Vince converted it into a Dragon Sleeper quicker than Kim Kardashian’s marriage…
Star Light.
SVJ had the sleeper cinched in and the body locked with his long legs, applying a scissors contraption with them.
The authority figure asked the Islander if he wanted to surrender and while he could barely speak at this moment in time, he was able to mutter ‘no’ several times so the official had no excuses of ringing the bell. From out of nowhere, he used a couple of stiff knees to cause separation. However, when he got to one knee, Vince grabbed him by the hair and yanked SOM back down to the mat in a violent way, causing Son’s head to smack off the canvas. The ref reprimanded him for it, not that the Californian cared. He was YOUR GOD. He could do what he wanted.
When Vince helped SOM back up, courtesy of a handful of hair I may add, he whispered to his challenger and colleague: “It’s just business, don’t take it personally. Learn from this. I’m giving you a wrestling lesson and you’ll be grateful for it one day.”
Out of nowhere…
Backdrop Suplex!
Vince landed right on his head and started kicking the canvas, both in pain and out of frustration. Could Son of Malta bounce back? He’d had a much heavier schedule than his commander recently and had been on the receiving end in this tie thus far.
On the official’s count of six, SVJ got up and strolled over to Son: “That was clever but you’ll need more tuition Son. Stay down. Tonight’s your night but your night will come.”
After that, Son stood upright and stung Jacobs with a right, then a second right and after that, a third. With ‘Superstar’ wobbling, much to the crowd’s amusement, the final Fighting Zone titleholder took the World Champion down with force via an assertive running elbow smash to the top of the bonce. Vince went down like a ton of bricks and Son flopped on top, scoring a 2 in the process.
Jacobs caught Son by surprise with a strong uppercut to the throat but his attempts to snatch the lead back were handed a dent when he got caught with an inverted atomic drop. With Jacobs clutching his testicles in the centre of the ring, the European exploded into life in front of his continent’s strongest nation, in its capital no less, with an emphatic flying forearm that led to another 2-count.
Son of Malta looked at the crowd, not playing to them at all but he was the lesser of two evils here, whatever the reason may be, perhaps the Germans wanted him to win because it would be a happening. Anyone who stepped into the ring with Vince was considered underdog from the outset but the in-form man’s confidence was growing, so much that he sprang off the roads with a springboard moonsault…
Only to digest Vince’s knees.
SOM was winded. SVJ smiled. As he hooked Malta in a front chancery, he had more words of wisdom: “I’m sorry Son, but I have to break your heart…”
What a sportsman.
STAR STRUCK!
No, wait…Son had it scouted and instead of allowing Jacobs land his lethal lifting DDT pushed the champion back into the corner and stopped SVJ’s momentum momentarily. He knew he couldn’t stop there though and unloaded with a barrage of knife-edge chops.
He wasn’t done mind. Uh-uh. Son hoisted Mr. CWL onto the top turnbuckle and joined him for the panoramic view of the 02 World Arena in Berlin. As the audience rose to its feet, we were about to see another picture-perfect suplex…
Suplex? Okay, I’ll go large.
SUPERPLEX!
The impact could be heard from the back row. Despite its age, it was still a wonderful sight and more crucially for the challenger, a dead-cert to hurt and inflict punishment, which had happened judging by Jacobs’ reaction, twitching and holding his spine as Son had threatened to put him through the canvas.
Neither man was able to get to his feet. At the 8-mark, SVJ shook the cobwebs loose and turned onto his side. While he did that, it also appeared Son of Malta was just beginning to recover.
Seeing an opportunity, SVJ seemed to be going for it. He wanted to put SOM down for a 3-count and the way he was shaking his leg, it appeared…
A Superstar Kick was on the menu.
It would’ve been but when Hollwood’s Brightest Star was poised to strike, Son simply ducked underneath and with one swoop…
Dragon Screw Leg Whip.
Oh, it was no Knickerbocker Glory. But it could take the Malteser to glory. Even if The Reason There Is a Show was resourceful, Son of Malta could take away a massive weapon in his leader’s arsenal by working over the leg and effectively nullifying the Superstar Kick.
He set about doing that by ripping a page from The Icon’s book, dusting off a step-over toe hold, which again was hardly a new, innovative manoeuvre invented by some Mexican spot monkey but was a sound platform upon which to build a match-winning performance.
The victor of The Six twisted Vince’s knee, which must’ve taken some abuse over the years, three times for good luck, favouring him obviously, before he released the timeless yet painful hold…
Mercifully.
Hardly.
No, he wanted to wrap both of the household’s legs up and did so with a figure-four leglock. SVJ sat up as if he’d sat in a boiling hot bath-tub and now wanted out of there in a hurry, trying to cope with the undeniable pain caused by one of the sport’s most famous and clinical submission holds. It was easy to apply, though not so simple to master but SOM, an able apprentice, appeared to have a good handle on it. Pro Wrestling’s Phenomenon was in considerable pain, but what wasn’t in doubt was his desire to succeed and reluctance to quit in high-profile situations and on pay-per-view, the highest plateau of them all, Hollywood’s Brightest Star had shone vividly on countless occasions. Therefore, he refused to give into this hold but had to be wary of the official’s constant 2-counts anytime he dared to keep his shoulders squarely on the canvas.
At one point, he tried to slap Son of Malta, desperate to do anything to alleviate the pressure and get out of harm’s way. Malta merely pulled his head back and increased the pressure by X and Vince’s expression told the story.
Eventually, Vince started to move backwards ever so slightly, battling the pain barrier as he did so. After avoiding a plethora of near-falls, SVJ edged towards safety in the form of the bottom rope and clung onto it, waiting for his charge to release him from this precarious predicament.
Son respectfully obliged. He stood back and watched Vince struggle to get to his feet, aided by the top rope just to regain his vertical base. It wasn’t clear whether he was admiring his handiwork, identifying mini chinks in the near-perfect armour or something else. Whatever he was thinking, he had to jump on Jacobs and did so, kicking the Californian back down, which prompted a cheer from the capacity crowd. Through gritted teeth, Mr. CWL got back to his feet and hobbled to the corner and threw a wild swing, which missed Malta by some distance, and it was punished when the Islander’s boots peppered their target with ease and accuracy. Son then tied the kingpin’s weakened pin up in the rope and used the ropes for leverage, like a vice, until the official ordered him to break. Thereafter, another couple of kicks didn’t do his cause any damage; though Vince would disagree I’m sure.
SOM stood back and while the Islander was no mug, a moment of hesitation allowed Vince to do something he doesn’t need legs for…
Low blow.
That dastardly deed naturally gained a collective voice of disapproval in the German capital and the official gave the grounded Jacobs a dressing-down but when you’re a double-champion, you’ll do anything to preserve your precious belongings and like it or not, low in morality and physicality, Vince had changed the game with one uppercut that started in South America and arrived in Mexico.
Spotting Son on the mat, SVJ thought he’d try a cheeky cover and got 2 for his troubles.
SVJ laughed as he heard Son coughing, presumably from the ball shot: “Kid, you should just stay down. I like you, I do, but nobody fucks with Vince Jacobs and it’s better for you if you just give it up.”
The other Upper Echelon member didn’t respond, assumedly ignoring his leader’s advice. Jacobs rolled his eyes and shook his head as he saw Son getting up. He would be waiting for him, standing behind the European, stalking him, just waiting for his prey to fall into the trap and turn around in spite of several thousand warnings emanating from the audience…
A Star is Born!
Or killed in this instance.
Oh, it’s a spinning spinebuster to you and me, by the way.
One…
Two…
Th…
The nearest near-fall thus far, which resulted in Son’s shoulder shooting off the canvas, made Vince question the official’s count but he wasn’t one for changing.
‘Superstar’ sent Son to the ropes and put his head down too early. Son stunned him with a solid punt to the face and then sent him sprawling to the mat with a smashing lariat that visibly removed oodles of energy from Vince’s body and may’ve also removed a few teeth in the process.
At 7, Son and SVJ stood up simultaneously. The two combatants struck one blow each, Vince registering first with Malta responding in kind. However, The Ratings Grabber found himself grabbed after missing a right hand, Malta capturing him in a full-nelson. Oh, wait for it…
Another Low Blow!
Malta was clasping his gonads, grimacing in agony, while the blind-sided official was unable to see it. Vince pointed to his head, highlighting his intelligence and chicanery, prior to drilling Son with a…
Stellar Performance (Chokebomb.)
One…
Two….
Thr….
NO!
Vince questioned the official, who countered by asking if SVJ had struck for a second time south of the border. The crowd cheered but Jacobs insisted he hadn’t, repeatedly shaking his head while the fans contradicted him. As a result, The Living Legend told them all to ‘fucking shut their mouths’ and vociferous heel heat was directed back at him.
In the middle of a lecture, Superstar skipped class and headed out of the classroom and onto the next floor.
We’d just seen a Stellar Performance. Brace yourself for a…
FIVE STAR!
Yes, ‘Superstar’s’ spectacular frogsplash had been on the money. But was it the money shot, a la Val Venis?
One…
Two…
KICKOUT!
The Californian could not believe it and told the referee it was three and asked him why he had something against him. The man in the middle refused to eat any shit off Vince’s plate.
SVJ sensibly regained his focus and threw Son of Malta over the top rope and onto the floor. He was still limping somewhat and killed a little bit of time trying to get feeling back into the pin and get it functioning to its full capacity.
The main-event player vacated the ring and stood on the apron with his back, occasionally glancing at his comrade-cum-rival to see where he was. As the European got up for the umpteenth time tonight, it became apparent…
The Reason There Is A Show!
Vince was searching for his patented Asai Moonsault-DDT combination.
We didn’t see the DDT.
And, we didn’t see the Asai Moonsault for that matter either.
The motion, yes, but the brawler from Europe’s hottest country caught his stable-mate in mid-flight and stunned spectators, most of all SVJ literally and figuratively, with a tremendous powerslam on the ringside floor!
Holy Winnie The Pooh!
The count was on…
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8…
The Icon stuck his hand inside the squared circle to break the count and then lent the same paw to help Son up. Notwithstanding, it was to try and whip his opposition into the steel ring steps!
CRASH!
What Jacobs hadn’t banked on was his powerful opponent reversing it and sending him into said stairs, knees-first!
What a din it made and the wailing on the arena floor would put Bob Marley and his merry men to shame. SVJ wasn’t exactly relaxed right now.
The count was on again. Son of Malta had a spring in his step, a seventeenth wind, which couldn’t be said for Jacobs, clutching his knee. Son came over to him and rolled him back into the ring where he could finish the job.
Jacobs was dragged back towards deep water as Son slammed Vince’s left knee into the ring post not once, not twice but thrice. The Icon was helpless and prone to…
Another figure-four helped by the steel post.
This new-age submission caused the Californian all kinds of problems, though it was illegal and that meant The Islander could only maintain it for five seconds. Son obliged as the observers applauded.
That applause was dwarfed soon after. You see, Son returned to the ring himself and was able to tie up the stationery ‘Superstar’ up…
MALTESE CROSS!!!
This was no joke. It was on and the pressure was on the champion, arguably the best big-match performer on the planet in the last decade. If he thought he was in pain before, it was fuck all compared to what he was experiencing at this particular point.
SVJ shook his head, struggling to resist this submission, which had extracted three submissions is as many nbW shows, including the beautiful day at Golden Bay, claiming the first clean submission from Special K, Keegan, in the Englishman’s storied career.
Could he take the ultimate scalp in the shape of Superstar Vince Jacobs and consequently, Keystone and World glory?
This just got REALLY INTERESTING. The European added a grapevine to the Reverse Texas Cloverleaf. Not only was SVJ groaning and grunting, but now, he had nowhere to go. Son had dared to dream and defy. Now, the finish line was in sight. Was he about to exchange a fighting title for the No Brand Wrestling World Championship?
Jacobs continued to reject any calls for him to surrender his iron grip over the company’s two most important titles. He was a proud performer, one who in spite of his enormous ego was a battle-hardened warrior who hated quitting and this was a test, even for him, and a mission he was about to undertake. The bottom rope, not for the first time in the contest either, was his salvation. All he had to do was reach out and touch it. Easier said than done mind.
Slowly but surely, evidently in agony, SVJ crawled, scratched and slithered towards the promised land. His will to win was unquenchable, an underlying reason in his success. Although he had enjoyed immense success in a glory-filled career, the greedy bastard still wanted more. Momentarily, he was able to hang onto his possessions as he managed to reach ‘dry land’ and avoid sinking.
Even though Son hadn’t got the job done there, a round of applause greeted the sequence and a roar of encouragement from the Germans suggested now was the time to put this star-studded thoroughbred away if he wanted to realise his dreams and win titles number two and three to round off the most productive period of a promising career perfectly.
Yet again, SVJ had to use the ropes in order to get up. He held his hand up to indicate he wasn’t ready when SOM moved in for the kill. Of course, it was a ploy as it gave Jacobs a free shot, extending a cracking punch to the throat, further affecting Son’s breathing in a match that had now surpassed The Six in terms of time. Plus, Jacobs had no-showed the previous Slam in Great Britain, citing his refusal to have anything to do with Keegan or his country as his excuse. Meanwhile, Son had competed – and won – on the last three shows and had already won The Six in the opening bout tonight. This was his 5th bout in just 4 shows.
The Icon backed The Islander into the corner and unleashed with three stinging knife-edge chops. However, the whip went awry as the Malteser reversed it and sent Superstar into the buckle with authority. Unfortunately, the subsequent corner splash attempt was easily avoided by SVJ, causing the brawler to eat the turnbuckle pad. When he stumbled out of the corner, Vince was waiting…
Starburst!
His wicked brainbuster may’ve just stolen it…
One…
Two…
THRE…NO!
‘Superstar’ smacked the canvas in frustration. The fans jeered him but, from out of nowhere, a smile developed on his face. What did he have in mind?
We wouldn’t find out…
Suddenly, quicker than a cat, SOM negotiated a drop toehold and it was in again…
MALTESE CROSS!
No, no, no. False alarm. Son had secured the legs, but when he was going to turn it over, SVJ kicked him back. Malta, who was fatigued, rolled off the ropes and fell to the mat out of sheer exhaustion…
OUCH!
Completely unintentionally, his head landed in Jacobs’ jewels, almost shattering them. It was hardly poetic justice but a mini-payback for Vince’s antics and the best thing of all…
It wasn’t illegal.
The count was on again. On the stroke of 8, the two warriors stood up and slugged it out, giving everything they had, which wasn’t much at this stage. Nevertheless, never write Vince off, who’s in incredible condition, and he started to go ahead, surprisingly, in the scrap with the renowned brawler, going up 7-4 in the series of fisticuffs. Gingerly stepping back into the ropes, Vince used them for leverage, even if he was limping, and catapulted himself into the air, apparently seeking a crossbody block…
CAUGHT!
Fallaway Slam!
SOM had unceremoniously dumped SVJ and scurried over to make a cover…
One…
Two….
KICKOUT!
That was the closest he’d come in the pinfall stakes and he looked a little bit dejected, desperate to strike while he was still hot and head into Asia, The Middle East and Australia with the gold around his waist, instead of being a follower and jealously eyeing up the belts during interviews and segments while SVJ was speaking.
Were his eyes bigger than his belly or was his hunger about to be satisfied?
He brought Jacobs to his feet. It was time for another suplex.
Wait, in mid-air, Vince was able to escape via the backdoor…
STAR STRUCK!!!!!
Unbelievable. The fans gasped as Vince connected with the lifting DDT. He was still affected himself, inching over slowly a couple of metres, his leg throbbing and back hurting, but he hadn’t landed too far from his victim and as he flipped him over like a McDonalds worker does daily, he managed to place enough of his body on Son’s and hook enough of the right leg…
1…
2....
2 ½
3?
3!!!
‘Ring Superstar’ by Cypress Hill played as Vince gained his bearings. SOM was unconscious and while he’d been beaten, he had to be proud of his brave effort to push the best in-ring performer in the profession to great limits, especially after outlasting five men in the opener just to get here. Although the unbeaten streak had ended, the momentum was still massive and he could take huge credit and pride in his strong showing on the biggest stage he’d ever stood on.
Superstar, up to one knee, snatched his two titles from the referee as the ring announcer told Berlin what they already knew – SVJ was still the champion.
He had one in each arm and looked down at SOM, who still wasn’t moving. At first, it appeared like a sneer or a smirk, but Jacobs bent down and playfully slapped the challenger on the face as if to say ‘Great try’ and he was right – it had been.
When all was said and done, the two winners from Golden Bay – Son of Malta stopping Keegan in that memorable main event in Malta while SVJ held down the formidable Judasbleek underneath the water long enough to secure victory – had come to Germany to put it all on the line.
Pro Wrestling’s Phenomenon had done it again. Yet, between him and Son of Malta here tonight…
They’d shown why they were Upper Echelon.
Winner: ‘Superstar’ Vince Jacobs.
The cameras faded out from the ring as SVJ celebrated and the crowd jeered with all their might.
Tonight was the end of the first leg of the World Tour, and when NBW arrives in Doha, Qatar for the start of the second leg, the 'Superstar' will still be representing NBW as the Double Champion.
The Keystone Championship was defended as a part of the NA Championship in an interpromotional match at F.A.T.E?
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