Shadowlove vs. Downfall(c)
Ethan Miller: The following is scheduled for ONE FALL, and it is for the ACTION WRESTLING WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP!!
By order of Brady Bolt, this has been declared a Pure Rules match! The winner must be by knockout or submission!!
Chris Avery: Well, this is going to be a hell of a match, even if it isn't quite a sixty minute iron man match!!
Billy: We didn't have clearance to go over our time slot!! Those episodes of NCIS are a big ratings draw!
Chris Avery: Still, you just know that Shadowlove is itching to put all of his martial arts prowess on display here, can he finally take home the title that has eluded him in Action Wrestling all these years??
Ethan Miller: Introducing first...
“HER STRUT” by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band starts to play on the Bose® (product placement) SoundTouch® (product placement) indoor and outdoor surround sound system throughout the arena.
Shadow’s sweet and lovely Miyamoto leads the way down the aisle with flirty seductive confidence as Shadow follows a few steps behind her enjoying the view of her attractive and well-proportioned, slim, trim, toned body built for sin as they make their way towards the squared-circle.
Shadow pushes a few AW fans back and sloberknockers one AW fan in particular that tried to get a little too close to his sweet and lovely Miyamoto.
Ethan Miller: And making his way down the aisle, being accompanied to the ring tonight by "The Fashionista Sensei" Miss Miyamoto, hailing from North East Okayama Prefecture on the border of Hyogo Prefecture.... weighing in at 235 lbs... the "HANDSOME HALF-BREED"... SHADOWLOVE!!
Shadow slides into the squared-circle like, well, like the slithering snake in the grass that he is while showing off his arrogance at just how mockingly proud he really was to be reappearing in Action Wrestling.
Shadow slides a custom-made pair of carbon and tungsten 129/250 C6 Irid Polar Oakley sunglasses on his face like David Caruso in CSI Miami.
His sweet and lovely Miyamoto, with Bushidō catlike precision, walks up the ringside steps, with flirty and seductive confidence, and enters the squared-circle through the second rope in a very highly provocative fashion.
He was standing in the middle of the squared-circle and running his fingers through his classically masculine and modern mussed, razor-textured, choppy finished dark brown hair now turning a little distinguished salt and pepper George Cloony-esque, making his hair perfect, and in super slow motion raises his arms up and straight out to his sides and bows his head, as if, being crucified on a cross. And on the third day, even Jesus wept!
She lowers her iconic Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses down her perfectly flawless nose of her angelic looking face showing off her intoxicatingly, incandescent almond shaped green eyes, nodding her approval at such a Magnificent Specimen standing before her while tapping a rolled-up copy of the Wall St. Journal in the palm of her hand.
She mysteriously conjures up a mystical spell over him just by her mere presence in her proper place against his muscular body and moving very little, never turning her head, or revealing any kind of expression that gives the viewing audience at home a clue as to her innermost thoughts with the exception of a very sharp and penetrating affection and devilishly delicious, malevolent and pleasurable, mischievously smile coming from her very luscious and very alluring lips while caressing his muscular chest with her fingers.
He slowly looks into the camera at the viewing audience watching at home and double raises his eyebrows with an ice cold psychopathic stare radiating from his sparkling blue eyes as his patented malevolent, tight wolfish, whiplash smile slowly appears on his lips showing off perfectly white even teeth on his chiseled fighter's face in a flamboyant, stylistic supermodel deus ex machina, shit-eating grin.
He starts performing a striptease inside of the squared-circle and strips off his newly fresh and crisp custom-made Calvin Klein stark white liquid leather trench-coat with fringe like a Chippendale dancer and swings it around his body like a matador in a bullring before throwing the trench-coat outside the squared-circle as it somewhat magically floats into the crowd. His body language said that he was ready for action.
He motions with his hands like the AW World Championship title belt was already perfectly wrapped around his efficient and effective streamlined waist.
And with Bushidō catlike precision, she exits the squared-circle in exactly the same way as she entered. She climbs through the second rope in a very highly provocative fashion and walks down the ringside steps with flirty and seductive confidence and stand sin a very on-guard, very protective, and ever vigilant attack formation outside of the squared-circle.
The audience throughout the arena continues with their feeding frenzy while still clicking away with their cameras and cellphones like the paparazzi.
She looks at the viewing audience at home with her intoxicatingly, incandescent almond shaped green eyes and showing no emotion on her angelic looking face then slices her own throat from her left carotid artery to her right carotid artery with her right index finger and makes an imaginary blood explosion style gesture with her left hand.
Then...
She raises her iconic Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses up her perfectly flawless nose on her angelic looking face while hiding her intoxicatingly, incandescent almond shaped green eyes with her middle finger.
Billy: We... all can see him hitting a fan in the crowd in his entrance, right? How are we not fucking sued into oblivion every single time he does that?
Chris Avery: I truly cannot explain that, but I can definitely tell you the make of sunglasses they're both wearing.
Ethan Miller: Annnnd his opponent...
There's a pregnant pause in the air before the lights in the arena shut down, one by one, with an audible CHOOM as each section goes dark. The crowd sits in unsteady, uncomfortable silence there, in the dark, for a full thirty seconds. And then, cutting through the stilled silence, quickfire staccato burst of kickdrums and shredding guitar in the intro to Slipknot's opus "Before I Forget", and the Tron's image changes to a close-up of a wolf's eye, gold against a black screen, and the animatic changes to bared, slavering lupine teeth, opening, and then biting down; A spray of red blood splatters over the screen as Corey Taylor shouts "GO!!"
"Stapled shut! Inside an outside world and I'm
Sealed in tight! Bizarre but right at home
Claustrophobic! Closing in and I'm
Catastrophic! Not again,
I'm smeared across the page and doused in gasoline,
I wear you like a stain, yet I'm the one who's obscene.
Catch me up on all your sordid little insurrections,
I've got no time to lose, I'm just caught up in all the cattle.
Fray the strings, throw the shapes,
Hold your breath, listen;"A spotlight cuts through the darkness to a point on the stage where Downfall's kneels one knee on the stage amid a cloud of pyrotechnic smoke and fog, head bowed, tracing the fingers of his right hand across the ramp, then he slowly raises his head to look at the ring. He's wearing his slashed denim vest with a black hood underneath, pulled up over his head, and, to chilling effect, as he looks up into the bright spotlight over him, smoke rolling onto the stage, it can be seen that his face underneath the hood is hidden behind a white skeletal mask with empty eye sockets, and a long snout culminating in pointed teeth: a wolf's skull.
Ethan Miller: ...From Chicago, Illinois... he weighs in at 217 lbs... he is the PURVEYOR OF ANARCHY, HE IS THE ACTION WRESTLING WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION...... DOWNFALL!!!"I! Am the world before I am a man,
I! Was a creature before I could stand,
I! Will remember before I forget...
BEFORE I FORGET THAT!!
I! Am the world before I am a man,
I! Was a creature before I could stand,
I! Will remember before I forget...
BEFORE I FORGET THAT!!"In his left hand, he is carrying a long, curved, black iron crowbar. The arena lights brighten, and then, he begins his walk down to the ring, holding the crowbar perched over his shoulder and behind his neck. He cracks his neck to the side in an aggressive manner as he gets to the end of the ramp. Then, he goes around to the ring, pacing over to climb on the apron, and he takes just a moment to breathe it in as he rests a leg on the ropes themselves, and slowly pulls the wolf skull mask up to rest on the top of his head, before pacing to the turnbuckles and ascending, quickly, to the second rope, crossing his wrists in an X. He hops down, taking the skull mask off, shrugging out of the slashed denim vest, and laying the crowbar down in the corner, circling the ring like a shark, tensely pulling on the top rope to stretch.
Chris Avery: The World Champion, Downfall, has put everyone on notice in the Six-Man Hell in A Cell... he has stated that, if he loses the World Title at any point, including to Shadowlove tonight, he will treat it as his last match, and walk away from wrestling.
Billy: But this is not a man that's going to just let anyone take him, he's going to fight them like a predator with his fangs out for it!!
Before the bell, Shadowlove and Miss Miyamoto stare at each other, but Shadow nods his assent, letting his valet know he's staying by his word. Miyamoto looks unhappy, but she realizes she's assenting to her love's wishes also, and they share a kiss. Miyamoto slowly steps down and leaves the ringside area, going up the ramp, as Shadow watches her go. Downfall rolls his eyes.
Chris Avery: Shadowlove seems like he's going to honor Downfall's terms at least, somewhat, no Miyamoto, no bodyguards, just the two of them, one on one.
Billy: This is about respect, too, Downfall straight up told Shadow that he needs to earn it.
Shadowlove and Downfall stare across the ring from each other as the referee gives Shadowlove last minute instructions before they walk out towards the center of the ring and go face to face. Flash bulbs flicker all over the arena as Shadowlove and Downfall go face to face and the trash talk starts to float back and forth. Downfall motions for Shadowlove to give his best shot, absolutely daring him, and Shadowlove looks to the crowd with a snicker, before plowing into Downfall with a right hand! Downfall is sent jogging a few steps away, head wobbling at all different angles, and then he shakes out of it, looks back to Shadowlove, and a grin splits Downfall's face. He motions to Shadowlove again, specifically saying "Bring it, bitch." Shadowlove, annoyed by Downfall's vim, runs in. Shadowlove and Downfall trade several right hands before Shadowlove takes the advantage with a rake to the eye followed by a knee to the midsection that doubles the World Champion over. Shadowlove clubs Downfall across the back with a with a clubbing blow that sends Downfall to one knee. Shadowlove quickly bounces off the near side and Downfall springs back to his feet and delivers a single leg lariat! Downfall mounts Shadowlove, knowing he can't pin him, and begins raining mounted right hands on his forehead.
Chris Avery: Explosive start, all of the tension bleeding out from their war of words on the boards and Twitter have unloaded in this exchange of stiff punches.
Billy: Remember, the rules state that you gotta knock or tap someone out, so, per Shadowlove's wishes, the referee really can't do shit!!
The crowd roars louder and louder with each and every shot that lands before Downfall has enough. Downfall reaches down picking Shadowlove up off the mat before whipping him into a neutral corner. Downfall walks forward where he laces Shadowlove across the chest with a knife edge chop before firing Shadowlove across the ring and into the opposite buckles. Downfall charges in after Shadowlove only to receive a reverse elbow that rocks the Champion out towards the center of the ring. Shadowlove explodes from the corner with a hard boot to the midsection that doubles Downfall over. Shadowlove quickly attempts a airplane spin only to have Downfall quickly spin out of it, dropping into a go-behind and a hammerlock behind Shadowlove's back. Downfall then, almost playfully palms Shadowlove's head and shoves it.
Chris Avery: Is Downfall.... toying with Shadowlove?? Someone of his intensity, I didn't expect him to play with his food.
Billy: He really, really doesn't like Shadowlove, as a person, does he?
Shadowlove, starting to get aggravated, turns around, glaring at Downfall, who again tells him to bring it. Shadowlove runs at Downfall, trying for a clothesline, but Downfall sweeps him down into a snap headlock takeover into a side headlock on the mat. Downfall wrenches it in tight, looking up at the crowd and laughing. However, Shadowlove is still full of energy, and the side headlock isn't effective at wearing him down. He slips out of it, applying a leg scissors and pushing Downfall to the mat with a leg around his throat. Downfall, choking, flails his arms and slaps at Shadowlove's leg. The referee tries counting Downfall down but he keeps rocking from side to side and shooting an arm up. Then, he performs a bridge while still in the headscissors, and then headstand, finally pulling his head loose, and while he's in close proximity to Shadowlove he goes for a penalty kick to the sitting up opponent, but Shadowlove ducks the swing of the kick, trips Downfall's leg, and floats over the back until he gets Downfall in a side headlock. Downfall, now seeing he is hoist by his own petard, slaps the mat.
Chris Avery: Each man, knowing that they need to be going for submissions or knockouts, is trying to grind the other man down!!
Downfall pushes himself to a kneeling position, first on all fours, then to one knee with the headlock still clamped on. Downfall shoves Shadowlove to the right, but Shadowlove holds on, sliding somewhat and taking Downfall with him as he keeps the headlock on. Finally, Downfall climbs to his feet, summoning all of his strength, and dumps Shadow out of the side headlock, smashing him to the mat with a backdrop. Shadowlove arches his back momentarily, groaning in pain. Downfall crawls to his feet, and Shadowlove gets up, shakes his arm to get some feeling into it, and runs at Downfall for a clothesline. Downfall scouts it, takes Shadowlove to the mat with a judo takedown, and holds on to his arm, twisting it into a keylock. Shadowlove screams, as Downfall cinches in the hold. The crowd is starting to get behind both men, and Shadowlove is pushing himself up with his free hand. With Downfall still holding his arm behind him in a keylock. It is such a basic, yet rudimentary move that it causes Shadow excruciating pain, and it even looks for a moment like he may tap out. Finally, he elbows Downfall in the side of the head, relentlessly, with his free arm. Downfall releases the keylock and sinks down for a moment, blinking and stunned. Shadow grimaces, shaking his arm out, and holding his arm starts to get to his feet, pulling Downfall up; Downfall rake Shadowlove across the eyes. Downfall rocks Shadowlove with a right to the jaw before taking the Handsome Half-Breed back into the ropes where he shoots him across the ring, Shadowlove bounces off the ropes and into a scoop powerslam. Downfall then backs up to the ropes and comes off, dropping a knee across the forehead. Shadow jerks to his feet, holding his forehead and complaining of the pain as Downfall gets up and turns him inside out with a tilt-a-whirl slam into the mat; Shadowlove arches his back, in pain, and rolls over, dazed from the two moves from Downfall, and is immediately grabbed by the arm, and whipped into the ropes courtesy of Downfall. Shadowlove, unable to do anything quick enough to dodge Downfall, is nailed with a huge boot to the face from Downfall and finds himself on the mat once again looking up at the ceiling.
Chris Avery: Now we're seeing the viciousness of the champion on complete display, and we're seeing that Shadowlove may have wanted some form of backup after all.
Billy: Yeah, I'm going to say it, if you're someone that Downfall decides he has personal disdain for, he is going to get evil with the amount of force he exerts behind trying to fuck you up.
Downfall, now revelling in dishing out this much pain, mocks Shadow and welcomes him to the School of Punishment, punching him in the side of the head as they sit side by side. Downfall then pulls himself back up and begins to pull Shadow up along with him. However, Shadow, who is tired of being dragged around the ring by the Beast Unleashed, plants an elbow firmly into the midsection of Downfall that causes Downfall to let go of Shadow. Shadowlove, wanting to take advantage of the situation, slams an elbow into the throat of Downfall before nailing him with a spinning backfist that rocks Downfall. A dazed Downfall falls back, dropping to one knee and Shadowlove bounces off the ropes and buries him with a running, sliding short reverse STO, spiking Downfall's head into the mat from about two feet away on the fly. Shadowlove then mounts Downfall and HE begins dropping MMA style punches on Downfall as Downfall tries, vainly, to cover up!
Chris Avery: Shadowlove is trying to knock the champion out!
Billy: How do we know Downfall doesn't headbutt concrete to make his skull stronger?? It seems like something he would do!!
Shadowlove seethes with barely contained fury, that "sociopath" side of him asserting itself, and trying to stay focused on fucking Downfall up Pure style; Pinfalls off the table, he needs to KO or tap out the champion. He lifts Downfall up, and makes him eat a few European uppercuts. Shadowlove goes to the side of Downfall, hooking a leg, and lands a lifting back suplex to Downfall, slamming him into the mat. Downfall rolls over, holding his back and gets to his knees on all fours as Shadowlove comes running in, looking for a running punt to the side of the head, but Downfall pulls his head back and Shadow goes past him by several feet, not allowing himself to turn this into Lucy Van Pelt pulling his football away. Shadowlove turns around, and Downfall nips up to his feet, then hops up, meeting Shadowlove with a hurricanrana attempt, but as he snaps Shadowlove end over end Shadow does a cartwheel dodge out of it and lands to his feet, and Downfall is mildly discombobulated and he comes back to a standing position, turning around only to be blasted with a jumping corkscrew kick to the temple that staggers him. Shadowlove, smiling as he takes a short breath, lays one arm against the ropes, and then he motions for Downfall to get up. Downfall does, shaking the cobwebs out, and the Handsome Half-Breed kicks him with the toe of his boot, yelling "Come on you arrogant bitch, show me what a 'wolf you are!!" Downfall gets to his feet, roaring, and Shadowlove leapfrogs over him. Shadowlove laughs, looking to the crowd, but Downfall has turned around now and Shadowlove is standing by the ropes. Downfall charges him, and Shadowlove waits until Downfall is just in position, trying to send him over the top rope by pulling it down. Downfall, still in charge mode, does go over the top rope, but he grabs onto the top rope and balances himself. Shadowlove, still in his taunting and pandering mode, turns back to see his rube, however Downfall is standing half a foot away from him from the apron, and then he grabs Shadowlove by the gelled, coiffed hair and pulls him off, dropping off the apron with such reckless speed as he holds on to the hair that Shadowlove is hung up dangerously hard on the top rope. Shadowlove goes flinging back off the rope, and he hits the mat hard, choking and contorting around, holding his windpipe. Downfall, from the apron, reaches in the ring, grabs Shadowlove by his boots, and pulls Shadowlove out by the feet so that Shadow almost comes completely out of the ring. Instead, Downfall pulls Shadowlove out by his boots so that he can scoop him up into his arms before Downfall lifts Shadowlove up and deposits him, very hard, onto the sternest part of the ring - the ring apron, with a cradling apron backbreaker. Shadowlove's mouth is stretched taut with pain and he arches his back, nearly slipping off the apron. Downfall gives him the very pointed middle finger salute and says "Who's laughing now, bitch?" Downfall gets back onto the apron, telling Shadowlove to get his ass up. As Downfall waits for Shadowlove to try pulling himself together, crawling up using the ropes to steady him, Downfall runs the entire length of the apron and makes Shadowlove eat an apron running BEAST KICK. The crowd gives a gasp of shock at the innovative move, and Shadowlove is floored, knocked off the apron entirely.
Chris Avery: Oh my GOD!
Billy: That kicked Shadowlove straight back a foot and a half!
Chris Avery: Shadowlove took two falls in one there, the impact of the kick, and the crash of his head meeting the floor.
Billy: This is a good time to plug that Action Wrestling is compliant and aware with all CTE and concussion related symptoms, and we donate proceeds to charities that work with, well, people like Shadow who's brains were just turned into scrambled eggs.
Downfall is on his knees on the apron, and he rolls back under the rope to catch his breath, and then he rolls back out to the outside. He stalks Shadowlove, who, while hardly even aware of where he's at at the moment, is crawling on hands and elbows in the aisle.
Chris Avery: Downfall is going to stay on top of Shadowlove. If Shadowlove is smart he'd create some distance between the two of them!
Billy: I don't think his brain is even firing neurons to his legs at this point.
Downfall lifts Shadowlove up, and walks him over, telling some fans at ringside to clear out of the way. He lifts Shadowlove up by the hair and bounces Shadowlove off the metal guardrail, which doesn't have as much give as Shadowlove's face would like. Shadowlove is in so much pain. His cheek is squished against the metal rail and he slides down, but Downfall lifts him back up and bounces his head off the metal guardrail again. Downfall paces around, holding a fist up to the crowd. Then, he backs up in the aisle, halfway around the ring by where the commentary tables are. As he gets set to charge he sees Shadowlove, only supporting himself by leaning against the guardrail, give Downfall a middle finger and gasp hoarsely across the divide, "Is that... all you got... pussy?..." Downfall, gnashing his teeth with an expression of someone who is relishing dishing out this punishment, runs towards Shadowlove, who is still hanging limply by the rail. But as Downfall is incoming, just before he meets Shadowlove for a face wash style boot that would kick Shadowlove's head off and send it into the second row, Shadowlove ducks and back drops Downfall, sending Downfall sprawling into some front row fans laps! The crowd roars at this, and amazingly an "OLE" chant goes up!
Chris Avery: This fight is spilling into the first row!!
Billy: This is going from Pure Rules to a straight up fight!! Remember, the only thing that matters is, knockout or tap out, bitch!
Shadowlove is trying desperately to get to his feet, shaking off the succession of hard shots. He gets to his feet, walking over to Downfall who is over the side of the guardrail. He takes Downfall, slowly pulling him up and clubbing him a few times. He goes to hook Downfall for a snap suplex, trying to bring Downfall back over the rail the hard way, as front row fans cheer on and pat them. Shadowlove jerks to lift Downfall up and suplex him over, but Downfall resists. Shadowlove jerks a few more times, but he can't muscle Downfall over. Downfall kicks his legs and wiggles back down. Finally Shadowlove pulls Downfall's hair and slams him off the guardrail, then lifts Downfall up, attempting a vertical suplex, and Downfall is pointed straight up for a second, but rather than let himself go crashing back down into the aisle, Downfall wiggles his legs again in midair and kicks back down, coming down from the side of Shadowlove. Downfall grabs Shadowlove, whirls him around, and throws him into the steel ringpost head first. Shadowlove groans, rests with one arm against the ringpost, and the camera picks up a line of blood from a gash over his eye. Downfall rolls Shadowlove back in the ring, and immediately swarms over Shadow, kicking him right in the fucking eye socket and mounting him with stiff, potato-like shots to the busted eyebrow. Then, just for good measure, Downfall yanks Shadowlove up and grabs him, locking him in both arms and dumping him with a snap dragon suplex that folds Shadowlove.
Chris Avery: EDEN'S DEMISE!
Billy: He's gone full mask off, trying to drop Shadow on his neck and injure him.
Downfall arrogantly shoves the referee, ordering him to check Shadow and make sure if he's knocked out. The referee checks, but Shadowlove, though still in a world of pain, is crawling on his elbows, and blinking, groggily holding his neck. Downfall mounts Shadow, smashing him with a few wicked looking crossface forearm shots until Shadow lays limply. Shadowlove is bleeding from his forehead, and Downfall shoves his face into the mat arrogantly. He drags Shadowlove over to the ropes. The referee very pointedly cannot do anything about this, and Shadowlove doesn't have Miyamoto or his "salty" henchmen out there to run interference as Downfall lays Shadow across the bottom rope, pulls back on the ropes, and steps on his back, choking him violently with force across the ropes. This goes on for..... an uncomfortable amount of time. Shadow's face is even starting to turn beet red. Finally, Downfall steps off, letting Shadowlove roll over, gasping for air. Downfall reaches his feet where he picks a now very bloody Shadowlove up off the mat. Downfall lands an open handed chop across the chest before scooping Shadow up and slamming him to the matDownfall reaches a vertical base before picking Shadowlove up. He drives Shadowlove back into the ropes before hurling him across the ring, Shadowlove bounces off the far side as Downfall ducks his head. Shadowlove puts on the breaks before kicking Downfall in the upper chest causing him to stand straight up. Shadowlove quickly snatches a double leg sending Downfall on the mat on his back. Shadowlove leaps up in the air and delivers both legs into the lower chest of Downfall with a double foot stomp! A winded, weakened Shadowlove gets back to his feet with the crowd solidly behind him as motions for Downfall to get up. Downfall does, holding his ribs, and Shadowlove boots him in the gut and hits a double underhook facebuster! Shadowlove looks over at Downfall, knowing he's out cold, as blood is running down his cheek.
Chris Avery: SEDUCTIVE HANDSOMENESS!!
Billy: He spiked the World Champion right on his head!!
Shadowlove gets to his feet, shaking violently and shivering from blood loss... but he shouts that Downfall has to be out cold, he has to be, check him! The referee is distracted by Shadowlove telling him to let go of his shirt, but he looks down at Downfall, and sees Downfall is moving. Shadowlove is crestfallen, knowing if he could pin, then he could have won this. He begins a Garvin stomp, walking around Downfall's limbs, stomping, stepping right on his ankle, his hand, making Downfall scream with agony every time, the Supervillain Superhero Supermodel getting more and more aggressive with each stomp. Shadowlove reaches a vertical base where he picks Downfall up. Shadowlove picks Downfall up. He locks a front face lock before delivering a snap suplex! The crowd inside the arena comes to a fever pitch as Shadowlove points up to the top turnbuckle. However, he's taken too long to get it going, as he staggers getting onto the top rope. Shadowlove rights himself, finally getting to the rope, set for a moonsault, but then Downfall shoots forward and runs into the corner, clubbing Shadowlove hard with a chop to the back. Shadowlove winces, and Downfall reaches between his legs and up, grabbing Shadowlove's hair while Shadowlove is still turned backwards on the ropes. Downfall pulls Shadowlove down and slams Shadowlove's head into the turnbuckle! Shadowlove, in so much pain that he doesn't move off the turnbuckle, sits there doubled over on the top rope. Then Downfall backs two steps up, and then surges forward, delivering a superkick between Shadowlove's legs that blasts Shadowlove right in the face, like a Cheeky Nando's variation of the Beast Kick. Shadowlove is hit so hard he flings over the top rope and out onto the apron, and Downfall holds his arms out, taking in the reaction from the crowd.
Chris Avery: And another unique hit with the Beast Kick tonight!!
Billy: That is pure blunt force trauma, Downfall is banking on his knockout artist potential here tonight.
Shadow is laid on the apron, staring at the lights. His forehead gash has widened aand blood is leaking down his face and neck. He gingerly grips at his head and neck, having landed badly. Downfall stomps down on the body of Shadowlove before reaching down and picking Shadowlove up off the mat. Downfall delivers a thrust to the throat that sends the Handsome Halfbreed back into a neutral corner. Downfall charges in with a clothesline to Shadowlove rocking him back into the corner. Downfall throws Shadowlove down to the mat out of the corner, and Shadowlove is beaten down and his eyesight so obscured from blood he can do little except twitch. Downfall, smirking confidently, lifts Shadowlove up and irish whips him into the opposite corner. Downfall whips Shadowlove into the corner, and comes in looking for a splash or some other corner move, but Shadowlove moves quickly out of the way. Downfall stumbles out of the turnbuckle, and then when he turns around holding his injured chest Shadowlove pulls him down into an omoplata crossface, transitioning it into a gogoplata, then a monoplata crossface, before turning them into a straightjacket crippler crossface!!
Chris Avery: THE FACE OF THE FRANCHISE!!
Downfall's eyes bug out of his head, inconceivably that he could even be caught in such a move, and reaching out for purchase before grabbing onto the bottom rope! However, the referee tells him, Pure Cup rules, no rope breaks! Downfall groans as Shadowlove pulls him back from the ropes regardless!!
Chris Avery: BILLY, THE CHAMPION IS IN DEEP TROUBLE!
Billy: Shadowlove is just a tapout away from finally reaching the top of the mountain!!
Chris Avery: Downfall can't even escape this excruciating hold! He can't get a rope break! Shadowlove will not let go!!
Several long seconds tick by in the hold, and Downfall, screaming in pain, refuses the referee's distant checks if he will submit, sternly shouting "NO!" at the top of his lungs. Shadowlove grimaces, telling him to give up, but Downfall will not. Finally, Shadowlove releases the hold, and rolls over to sit up, looking over to Miss Miyamoto for moral support, finding himself with nobody there in his corner, all alone. He looks rattled, and when he goes to lift Downfall up, Downfall doesn't waste a second in strapping on an omoplata crossface submission of his own, dragging Shadow down on the mat the hard way. Shadowlove moans in pain and tries to grab the ropes. The referee moves in, asking Shadowlove if he gives up. Now it's the hard-bitten Purveyor of Anarchy who barks for Shadowlove to tap out.
Chris Avery: BAD WOLF!! DOWNFALL DRAGS THE CHALLENGER DOWN INTO THE BAD WOLF!!!
Billy: Knockout or tap out!! This can only end one way!!
With every beat of his heart Shadowlove is losing more blood. Shadowlove shakes his head no, then his eyes light up and he yells "NO!" more forcefully. He rolls on his side, pushing Downfall over onto his back. Downfall attempts to right himself and get the hold reapplied. Shadowlove fights with all of his might to keep the arms from locking around his throat again, biting the hand of Downfall, and then finally Shadowlove is able to yank his way out of it. Both men collapse, falling to the mat, too spent to move, and the referee has to lean in to check if either man is knocked out.
Chris Avery: This match has become a gritty war of attrition, they've beaten and worn each other down so much, but neither man has given an inch so far.
Billy: Nor will they, because this is about the Action Wrestling World Title!!
Slowly, moving slowly with great pain, both men start crawling over, sitting up, looking across a veritable no-man's land. They are both alone now, and have set aside every other consideration for this, now. The Six-Man Hell in a Cell. Downfall's promise to walk away from wrestling if he loses the AW World Title. Shadowlove's chase for the gold. All that matters is the will for them both to get up, and push theirselves. Downfall and Shadowlove crawl together, meeting each other on their knees, and they begin exchanging strikes and chops and right hands, weakly at first, with spent energy, but gradually firing the fuck up as both men start making it to their feet, brimming with intensity, determined not to be the man that gets knocked out!
Chris Avery: This is as strong of a battle as we've ever seen, Billy. Neither one of these men would look weak in defeat at this point. They've proven their--
Billy: Oh! It's heatin' up!
Now clenched in a dust cloud of fistacuffs, Shadowlove rocks Downfall back to the ropes. He gets in a few heavy blows to the champ before shooting his head forward with a devastating headbutt-- but Downfall slips behind Shadowlove and grabs his arm.
Billy: THERE'S A RIPCORD AND--
Chris Avery: -- BULL HAMMER!!!
Billy: ...
Chris Avery: ...
Billy: Did he just--
Shadowlove drops to the mat and the referee drops down, noting the glazed look in Shadowlove's eyes. Downfall staggers toward them-- but the referee stands up and holds him back.
Chris Avery: Is Shadowlove--
The referee calls it.
DING DING DING
Billy: I can't believe what we just saw.
Chris Avery: A match for the ages for sure, Billy.
Ethan Miller: The winner of this match... AND STILL... ACTION WRESTLING... WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION... THE PURVEYOR OF ANARCHY... DOWWWWWWNFALLLL!!!!!1