DISCLAIMER: All characters (fiction, nonfiction, and other OCs) and lyrics used and/or mentioned here are properties of their respective owners. Ricardo Alvarez, Jr., Jesse Alvarez, Joshua Garza, Alpha & Omega, The Wolves, Kurt Hudson, Alyssa Parker, Lisa Weston, Kenji Matsuo, Zack Carver, Clarissa Rivera, Mike Martin, Maria Lopez, and the OC referees are all created and owned by me.
Enjoy.
Welcome to the APEX Era.
APEX Presents: The Nightmare Before Christmas – Night 1
Venue – AT&T Center (San Antonio, Texas)
Broadcast Team – Ted Mosby, Ned Bigby, and Logan Reese
Ring Announcer – Mike "The Mic" Martin
Lumberjack Match – iGeneration [c] (with Freddy Benson) vs. The Jeweled Felines for the APEX Women's Tag Team Championships
Not often one sees a tag team match where every part of ringside is surrounded by many female talent as they do their part to ensure that both iGeneration and Jeweled Felines remain in the ring throughout. Although iGeneration couldn't stand the idea of this match, they're somewhat relieved there's even at least one person outside that aligns with them in Mai Valentine. Meanwhile, there's also certain others the Four Horsewomen have encountered such as their victims in Sarah Ortiz, Coco Bandicoot, and Sakura Haruno, others being rivals like the Mistresses of Mayhem (Kendra Daniels, Eliza Hart and Allison Wilson) and the Devil's Maidens (Lady and Trish), and there were fresh faces in the likes of Ochako Uraraka alongside some of her U.A. female classmates, Kathleen Powers, Cassie Cage, and the Queens of Wrestling's Serenity Wheeler and Natsuki Kuga.
The moment the bell rang for this opening match, iGeneration immediately tried running off…but get instantly blocked and thrown back in the ring by the U.A. gals and the Jeweled Felines jump the champions! Jessica on Carly and Lisa on Sam, the challengers are finally getting their hands on the very culprits that assaulted them back at Night of Champions and kept fleeing from the consequences of their actions!
Sam and Lisa welcomed the violence to lash on each other while Carly was desperately screaming to escape Jessica's clutches. The chaotic brawl between Weston and Puckett spills to the outside and the lumberjills in Mistresses of Mayhem and the Queens of Wrestling attempt their jobs to get them back in the ring, but both women instantly shove them back before returning their attention on each other. The Mistresses didn't take that kindly as they swarm the two like wasps with furious fists and force them back inside the ring. Meanwhile, Carly inflicted a jabbing thumb to Jessica's eye and tried escaping once again, only for Sakura Haruno to get in her way. Carly screams at her to get out of the way and this gave Jessica a chance to yank her back inside.
It's been all Jeweled Felines that relished and thrived in castigating iGeneration for dodging them the last couple of weeks. Right up until Jessica had Carly set in the corner for Lisa to for a Stinger Splash and Carly yanked Jessica to take the blow instead! As Carly staggered to catch her breath, Lisa was preoccupied out of concern for Jessica before Sam Puckett shoved her out of the ring with a brutal Big Boot. Sam recovered Carly in swift motion so they can double-team Jessica, taking her for a ride with It Came from the Internet (Double Hip Toss into a Pop-up Neckbreaker (Shay) / Sitout Powerbomb (Puckett) combination). Carly kept Lisa at bay after the lumberjills had thrown her inside while Jessica kicked out of Sam's pin attempt around a two-count.
Now iGeneration are on top of the match to dissect and destroy their challengers, particularly with a Reverse STO (Shay) / Jobber Clobber (Puckett) combination on Jessica, then a Tenderizer (Snap Powerbomb) from Sam to Lisa on top of Jessica. To assert their reign for the moment, Sam has Lisa's arms pinned behind her while Carly berated her even daring to touch iGeneration with her unworthy hands and slapped her. Lisa spat on the ring mat and grinned at Carly, asking for another. The sneering Carly obliged with a second slap…only for her fingers to be caught in Lisa's feral fangs! Carly is shrieking like a siren in sheer agony while Sam was trying to save her friend's fingers with several rigid punches to the temple! The Lioness did let go, but it left Carly's fingers wounded and bleeding. She glared at Lisa, blaming her for a likely infection before Jessica blasted her with a Facial Construction (Sweet Chin Music)! While Carly was out cold and rolled out of the ring, Sam charged after Jessica, who pulled down the top rope for Sam to tumble over. Weston and Wilson are back in unison with the lumberjills just doing their job to get the champs back in the ring…and all look up to find the challengers suddenly leaping over the top rope via Slingshot Plancha!
The chaos had spilled out at ringside with the lumberjills trying to get both teams back inside the ring, but the likes of Sam and Lisa are shoving them away before colliding with each other with fierce forearms. The lumberjacks become focused on separating those two while Carly snuck her way out over the barricade and through the APEX crowd… At least, that's how she tried to flee if not for Jessica jumping over to land on her!
Sam and Lisa suddenly are on top of the announcement table, rolling around with trading fists as the lumberjills were again performing their job. Of course, the surrounding women had enough of simply trying and took a page from the Mistress of Mayhem's book by forcing them back in the ring with several yanking Weston and Puckett away from each other. Like a wild lioness, Lisa despised being surrounded and powered out of their grasp, the first person to take her frustration out on being Mai Valentine as Lisa attacked her with wild fists for all that the Four Horsewomen have committed against the Women's Division! Sam did the same to shove her side of lumberjills away and climbed on the announce table while Lisa was occupied with Mai. Just as the lumberjills on Lisa's side pulled her off, Sam ran and dove off her turnbuckle with a Diving Elbow Drop into the pile!
Meanwhile, Jessica and Carly had been fighting upward the AT&T Center stairway through the rowdy crowd with a few lumberjills behind them. Carly landed a piercing forearm across Jessica's face and had her in a headlock, the two dangerously dangling over the mezzanine section until the lumberjills came to separate them. The fans, of course, were not happy about the separation…but this gave Carly a chance to sneak away once more while Jessica was forced back to the ring all the way down.
In a desperate attempt to finish the match here and now before Jessica can return, Sam had Lisa's arms hooked to lift her upside-down…and Lisa used that momentum against the tag champion with a Hurricanrana! Puckett on her feet and ate a Bicycle Knee Strike from Weston at the same time Lisa ate a Bicycle Kick from Sam!
During all this, Carly nearly escaped, drawn closer to the stage for freedom with the belief that Sam can take care of herself and retain the belts herself…but a few lumberjills emerged to stand in her path in the form of Lady, Trish, Cassie Cage and Jacqui Briggs. Carly screamed at them to leave her alone as she tried leaping over them, but got caught in their grip. Carly was literally dragged and then carried by the group on their way to the ring…and it turned out another was waiting in the reigns in the form of the Wilson Family Jewel crouching on the top rope! Too little too late for everyone involved as Jessica dove on everyone, especially Carly Shay!
Lisa and Sam stood back on their feet trading move for move, Exploder Suplex from Puckett, then Lisa ducked under a Jobber Clobber (Northern Lariat) to catch her with a Panthera Slash (Spin Kick)! Jessica back in the ring to assist her partner by tuning up the sly band, Sweet Feline Music (Superkick/Spin Kick combination)…and they connect it to Samantha Puckett! Just one pinfall away…and Mai Valentine interrupted it as soon as it was made! Mai had Jessica next for Harpie's Feather Duster, but Serenity Wheeler shoved her off! Serenity tried to get through Mai that the lumberjacks aren't supposed to interfere, and Mai can only glare…before suddenly shoving her down! Mai shook her head at Serenity to stay out of her business. This incited Natsuki Kuga to step in and attack her, the rest of the lumberjills immediately rushed the ring—every woman for themselves!
Uraraka and Tsuyu battle the Ashley Rosemarry and Lillian Aurawell!
Kathleen Powers and Sakura Haruno are at each other's throats!
Mistresses of Mayhem's Allison and Eliza clash with Cassie and Jacqui!
Kendra Daniels focused on Mai Valentine! There's absolutely no control over this Lumberjack Match!
This bedlam eventually has most of the lumberjills continuing their various brawls outside the ring while iGeneration and the Jeweled Felines were left in their wake. Throughout all the disarray, Freddie Benson left commentary and grabbed one of the APEX Women's Tag Team Championship belts to try nailing one of the Jeweled Felines with. He went straight for Jessica, who ducked under it and both she and Lisa struck him out of the ring with Sweet Feline Music! As referee Nikolas Alba was shouting at Freddie to stay out, Sam brought her butter sock out to brutalize Jessica's face with! Lisa turned to find her partner taken down and was immediately nailed with a Superkick by the swift Carly Shay! iGeneration set Lisa Weston for the killing blow, Sam having her in an Argentine Rack and Carly springboarding for the duo to hit the iDestruction (Inverted Death Valley Driver (Puckett) / Springboard Diving Knee Drop (Shay) combination)! From there, iGeneration secured the win thanks to Carly pinning the Lioness for the three-count, much to the crowd's discontent!
As "Popularity" by Jonezetta plays in the speakers, Carly and Sam cling to their belts like they were their children, superbly happy to retain their belts and stay on top as the APEX Women's Tag Team Champions. Mai Valentine helps a loopy Freddie back on his feet and rejoins with iGeneration to help them celebrate. On their way, they gloated that the Jeweled Felines were one and done now that they had their chance at the belts and lost it "fair and square." But to the Jeweled Felines, it didn't feel that way, not after how this match ended the way it did. Jessica and Lisa virtually licked their wounds as they stared in anger at the champions for this gutless act. One way or another, they'll have those belts and pray they can truly beat iGeneration without their shenanigans keeping them ahead.
–/–/–/–/–/–
"The Original Ranger" Tommy Oliver vs. "The Titanium Toxin" Ryan Mitchell
Tommy Oliver is fighting to keep his legacy alive in the new APEX Era and the one that threatens it is Ryan Mitchell, who not only wants to tear it down by defeating the Original Ranger, but forcefully change the guard and ensure the poison of the Bullet Club seeps through the entire organization of Apex Caliber Wrestling. Tommy was ready to beat the respect into Ryan the moment the bell rang…and Ryan had decided to get out of dodge. The crowd immediately booed at Ryan's cowardice after all the talk he's been running the few weeks and Tommy did not take that kindly by making chase. They made a lap around the ring as Ryan Mitchell then swiftly slid back in the ring and attempted to catch him with a Gun Stun, but Tommy shoved him away and nailed Ryan to his back with his signature Ranger Spin Kick to a massive pop! Ryan rolled out of the ring to recover, but Tommy refused to give him a break, grabbing him from behind to start slamming his face over the announce table repeatedly as the fans made their "Yes!" chants coordinated.
Tommy's momentum did not last for him to continue the punishment to Ryan as the Titanium Ranger snuck in a mouthful of water to spit directly in his opponent's face! With Tommy blinded, Ryan took complete advantage to turn the tables on Tommy with an Irish Whip to the steel steps! Truly, the Titanium Toxin is nothing but crafty. Brought back in the ring, Ryan now has his fun to torture Tommy with him hung over the middle rope and press the knee over his neck to choke him out, dragging out the pain as long as he could before stopping around four. Referee John Benoit gave fair warning to Ryan as he argued he has up to five and told him to shut up and do his job proper, then resumed choking him against ring rope and concluded to slingshot all the way down on the floor just so he can slap Tommy across the face to add further disrespect.
Believing the end was already near for a "gassed out" Tommy Oliver, Ryan motioned a gun gesture toward Tommy's head to "put him out of his misery" and hooked the arms for a Double Underhook Piledriver…but Tommy kept his boots planted to the canvas and flipped Ryan over to pin him, earning only a near-fall! Ryan collected himself and rushed Tommy with a Jumping High Knee attempt, only to get caught in a Snap Overhead Belly-to-belly Suplex! By the time Ryan got to his feet again, Tommy squashed him with a Stinger Splash and vented the rage he had built up for weeks with back elbows and stomps, especially stomps to the gut of the Titanium Ranger. John Benoit forced a rift between the Rangers so Ryan could breathe and warned Tommy to back off while Ryan had his back facing them. Feeling he still had the advantage, Tommy flew for another Stinger Splash…but Ryan moved out of the way and Tommy's chest landed on the exposed turnbuckle eye bolt! It was revealed that Ryan used the referee's distraction to rapidly tear the turnbuckle pad off and shift the match back in his favor!
Now it was all "Titanium Tactics" from here as Ryan ruthlessly targeted Tommy's chest with slow, but heavy stomps, wanting to put the legend through the worst imaginable pain possible. From knee drops and shoot kicks to the chest, a disrespectful walk over on his sternum, and a flattening Front Suplex on the ring apron, the Titanium Ranger was enjoying himself on top of the match while mocking Tommy's predicament and the fans' undying support in telling them "Tommy ain't shit." At one point, Ryan brought out a steel chair from under the ring apron, but not to attack Tommy with it. While the official was shouting at Ryan to get the chair away from Tommy at the risk of disqualification, Ryan bent the rules by opening the chair to wrap around Tommy's neck…and viciously shoved him chest first against the steel ring post, furthering the damaged chest! As Tommy was practically coughing up his lungs, Ryan Mitchell stood tall over with his Too Sweet gestures, reminding the booing crowd that this is all in the name of the Bullet Club. Back in the ring, Mitchell had Tommy in the Rear Chinlock to make it more difficult for him to breathe. But that wouldn't last for too long with Tommy getting inspired by the fans' ascending support to stand back on his feet and retaliate against Ryan…until he slammed back his head hard on the canvas and jumped on his torso with a Double Foot Stomp.
Eventually, just as Ryan was about to plant Tommy from the high-rent district with a Front Superplex, Tommy was able to reverse it with a super version of the White Falcon Suplex (Sitout Suplex Slam) and float over for the pin, but Ryan kicked out at a near-fall! In spite of the failed attempt, there was a chance for Tommy's counterattack to be the gamechanger in this match. And it would be Tommy starting to make a comeback with repeated Flying Clotheslines, then a razor-sharp Knife Edge Chop to the chest that brings Ryan to the ropes and goes for an Irish Whip. Ryan reversed that into his own and sought to jump on him for a Tornado DDT, but Tommy drilled him with an Inverted Atomic Drop and struck him down with the Zeo Crystal (Two slaps to the opponent's face, followed by a knee lift the midsection, then a Spinning Backfist, and concluded by a Ranger Spin Kick)! Believing the end was near as well as in his favor, Tommy had Ryan ready to drop for the Black Thunder (Rock Bottom)…and Ryan countered that beautifully into an Arm Drag, only warranting himself a two-count after the pin attempt! Both rose to their feet and Ryan jumped for the Gun Stun—reversal with a backslide pin! Only a two-count, and Tommy then kicked him in the midsection, hooked his arms for the White Tiger Driver (Sitout Double Underhook Powerbomb), and Ryan spun out of it. Ducking the left hand, Ryan has Tommy's head tight in his arms and drilled him with the Max Solar Spiral (Cross Rhodes)! Ryan now has the legs hooked…and Tommy kicks out before three, dangerously close to the pinfall!
Becoming irate and desperate, Ryan applied the Abdominal Stretch on Tommy, returning his focus on the pained torso by expanding his body in the most torturing way possible to win this match. However, he was close to the ring ropes and used them for leverage over Tommy, which caught the eye of referee John Benoit and demanded Ryan to break it up with the threatening five-count. Benoit and Mitchell get in each other's faces over that dispute before Ryan picked up Tommy for a swinging punch…only for Tommy to catch it and strike back harder! Ryan tried another punch, but ate another one! And a third! Ryan hits one in! And Tommy returns to sender! Back and forth, the two Rangers slugged it out in the middle of the ring with the crowd absolutely eating up the action!
The Original Ranger gained traction in the fistfight, going for the final strike, but Ryan ducked and nailed dead center at his chest with a picture-perfect Dropkick! The pain was back in Tommy's sternum as Ryan snatched him up on his shoulders and sent him down with the Titanium Driver! The leg is hooked…and Ryan has taken home the victory!
[…]
Or so he thought.
Just as the referee nearly counted to three, he saw that Tommy's other leg was through the ropes to count the break while Ryan believed he had won! Benoit threw his victorious arms down to bring reality back to him that Tommy got the rope break when Ryan hooked the leg too far into the ropes nearby…and this absolutely incensed Ryan. He dragged Tommy back to the center and rained fists over his skull over and over before covering…and Tommy kicked out at two! Another cover and Tommy kicked out just short of two again! The Titanium Ranger roared in frustration, resuming his violent beatdown on the legend while the official counted close to five for a near disqualification.
Yet again, desperate times called for desperate measures as Mitchell forced Tommy to his feet and applied the Cobra Clutch. Wrenching the hold as tightly as possible, Ryan is swinging Tommy around with a crazed expression in his eyes and mocked the fans for their useless support for a man "past his prime". But Tommy is formidable, remaining on his feet and reaching out as far as he can to show he's still fighting for his life. Meanwhile, Ryan's eye glances over to a reminder. The exposed turnbuckle corner from earlier. With a devilish grin, if he could bash Tommy's head against it, he could be able make it look like Tommy ran himself into it by "accident" and pick the win up there. The plan proceeds…and backfires horribly when Tommy kicked off the corner to roll on top of Ryan for the three-count!
By the skin of his teeth, Tommy Oliver has taken home the win to the delight of the fans in the AT&T Center. While Ryan was slowly digesting his lost, the Original Ranger came to and stood tall with his fists raised with the referee signaling him as the winner to the many watching in the arena and from their screens…and Ryan nailed Tommy with a low blow from behind! The crowd showered the ring with boos as Ryan vented his frustrations on Tommy with numerous stomps, then mounts him with furious fists. The official hollered for the bell over and over, but there was no stopping him from beating down the exhausted and defenseless Tommy! A few swears leave Ryan's lips while he decided to make a brutal conclusion to his horrendous beating with a steel chair and a looming Titanium Driver…
…but then "My Town" by Hollywood Undead plays to a big pop from the crowd as Hernan Ortiz rushed down the ramp to make the save! Ryan throws Tommy to the side and Hernan jumps him with a Lou Thesz Press and punches away at him! Hernan rolls off from Ryan and was about to hit him with the V-Trigger, but Ryan immediately slid out of the ring and opted to flee instead. The fans jeer to Ryan unwilling to take his licks, yelling out that he's the "last Ranger standing, not Tommy Oliver." His declaration made Ryan believe he was the real winner while Tommy recovered at this point with a heavy glare at the Titanium Ranger and Hernan was checking on him.
–/–/–/–/–/–
"The Gore Machine" Jason Krueger vs. "The Blue Exorcist" Rin Okumura
Entrances can make a difference to how the crowd reacts to a wrestler's arrival. For The Gore Machine, he arrived with new music in the iconic sound of "Before I Forget" by Slipknot and fans were very mixed on his choice of theme. Not because the song itself is bad, but the fact that half that booed Jason Krueger (while still upset about Jesse's departure) are conflicted to cheer for him because of it and the half that are cheering for him have more of a reason to. To Krueger, however, it didn't matter if he was loved or hated as fans stopped being significant a long time ago. On the other hand with Rin Okumura, as he embarked his singles debut on the main roster with NateWantsToBattle's cover of "Core Pride" by UVERworld booming from the stage, he embraced the cheering crowd right back. Then, his eyes lock with Jason Krueger in the ring and the smile evaporates to a glare. Okumura's mission remains the same: To give Krueger a massacre and paint the ring canvas with his own blood.
The time for talking and threats was over. The second referee Faith Hathaway called the opening bell…Rin darted at Jason and the latter Stun Gunned him over the turnbuckle, then blasted him down with a vicious King Kong Lariat! Rin was knocked for a loop as Jason has the arms hooked for an early end with Death Rider (Jon Moxley's move of the same name), but Rin used the momentum to flip back on his feet! Rin ran for the ropes this time and returned to Krueger with a lunging headbutt right into his chest! As Jason was nursing his sternum, Rin hit the ropes once more to jump high for the Forearm Drop to smash Krueger's skull in…but Krueger rolled out of the way and Rin virtually dents the ring mat! Krueger goes for the Sanity Unbroken and Okumura avoids that. Rin runs for the Exorcism and Jason ducks that with a roll. Jason hits the ropes for the Gore…
…and Rin tanks the Gore, roaring at the top of his lungs as he went for The Blue Night (Bloody Sunday)! But Jason keeps his feet planted down on the mat! He hoists Rin up and rams him hard into the nearest corner with repeated shoulder thrusts while Rin is also bashing his back with clubbing fists. Jason presses his hand against Okumura's face to simply agitate as the official counted up to four…and just when Jason backed away, Rin suddenly slaps him across the face! Before Jason could register the slap, Rin aggressively shoves Jason into the corner that he was in and starts striking him over and over with Corner Clotheslines. The next one Jason blocked gave him a moment to bash his elbow into Rin's jaw and switch places with him to attack viciously with a knife edge chop. One after another, Jason has been quickly leaving red handprints on Rin's chest until he backed away at the Faith Hathaway's four-count…but not before returning the slap across the face back to Rin. They were considered even…but Rin decided to hell with that and tackled Jason down with furious raging fists! The two were simply not even in a wrestling match, turning this into an utter brawl as they then rolled outside the ring. Fists remained flying between them before Rin nails a forearm strike to the throat and goes for an Irish Whip…but Jason swiftly reverses and sends Rin flying over the steel steps!
It was barely five minutes into the match and already, these two were appearing as if they were going to kill each other.
After throwing Rin back in the ring, Jason follows after, but sees Rin was already rolling to the other end to keep his distance…so Jason responds by closing the distance with a Big Boot. Rin is back on his feet, though stumbling, as Jason then went for the ropes…and Rin catches him in the middle of his Suicide Dive with an inflicting forearm smash across the temple! Jason is left dangling over the middle rope while Rin slides back inside to hit the ropes on the other end and lands a Leapfrog Body Guillotine. Then, Rin slingshots himself over the top rope and lands an elbow drop across the back of his head.
The Blue Exorcist has done well to keep himself in the driver's seat…but he eventually became too hotheaded for his own good. He actually brought a steel chair to the ring, arguing with the referee that he wasn't going to use it on Jason…but use Jason on the chair. To clarify that, Rin wedges the chair in spite of Faith Hathaway's protests; he collects Jason to a vertical base and hurls him towards the chair, which Faith tried to remove before dodging out of the way…and Rin Okumura's skull is driven into the chair instead when Jason Krueger reversed the Irish Whip! The poor official was so conflicted to ring the bell, but there's no way to count that as a disqualification as the weapon wasn't used by anybody. The end result…is a leaking Rin Okumura as he's left busted open.
And it was going to get worse for the young Okumura was getting treated like a ragdoll across the ring as Krueger escalated the onslaught. Virtually returning the favor to Okumura, the inaugural Hardcore Champion drags Okumura's face across the middle ring rope, relishing in hearing his screams. Krueger brings up all the "shit-talk" from Okumura to mock him before yanking him away to the center of the ring via Snap German Suplex, nearly dropping him on his head. The first cover of the match and the Blue Exorcist powers through at a two-count. Continuing the torment, the Gore Machine had his knee pressed firmly over Rin's neck and jaw as the latter's leg flailed around. Then he had Rin up against the nearest corner where he stood atop the ropes and punched away at his skull to a rhythm…before leaning down to gnaw his fangs on the wound! Fans in the arena reacted with disgust and venom in their "YOU SICK FUCK!" chants as they see Jason Krueger glaring up at them with his mouth smeared with Rin's own blood. Jason would berate Rin for his decision to pick a fight with him, as he wanted this…and just as he went for another punch, Rin catches it, slips through Jason's legs and yanks the balled-up fist between his legs, which brings Jason's head to bash against the ring post! And Jason is left busted instantaneously with a mighty gash! Rin capitalizes by slipping through his legs once more and lands a Running Powerbomb! Legs are hooked and Jason manages to kick out so close to three!
In this following spot, Rin and Jason were glowering at each other immensely before taking turns to thump each other's craniums in with elbow smashes, then thrusting knee strikes to each other's chests, and concluding with headbutt royale! Okumura takes a book from Jason's book and chomps hard onto Jason's forehead so he can make the double underhook setup easier, but Jason refused to go down as he spins out of the hold to hit a Roaring Elbow across the jaw! Rin tilts in the ropes and turns Jason inside out with the Pendulum Lariat! A moment of rest was enough to give the crowd their chance to applaud the brutality these two are willing to put themselves through before they eventually beat referee Faith Hathaway's count around three with Jason standing first.
Now up on the top turnbuckle with Rin seated there, Krueger digs his nails into his opponent's back, ensuring that the pain was lingering and deep enough to cause the skin to break while Rin grits through his teeth. Jason clubs his spine with his forearm before taking him for a ride with a Butterfly Superplex! But he doesn't go for the cover; no, Krueger almost instantly switches it up with Rin seated up and Jason keeping him trapped so he can repeatedly drive his elbow against his face over and over and over! Though horrified to see this ferocious contest, Hathaway kept her eyes on Rin in case he was unable to compete any longer, but Rin kept his head up despite the stiff strikes. New plan for Jason: throttle Rin Okumura with the Bulldog Choke. He managed to get it applied, but Rin was somehow able to boost himself to his feet and drop Jason on his neck with the Backdrop Suplex! Now Rin takes his turn to apply the same attack with the Arm-trap Elbow Strike method! However, the more Rin struck Jason with his elbows…the more it pissed off Jason, as if offended to how Rin was pulling this move off worse than him, becoming less inflicted by the pain as Okumura and Krueger rise to their feet once more.
Forehead to forehead, the two were spouting disparaging language against each other, not giving a damn at the amount of blood they've spilled as it drips over their eyes. Krueger gestures to him he'll allow Rin one free shot…Rin grabs his head, winds up the arm…and practically cracks Jason's jaw with his elbow! The Gore Machine licks across his teeth to savor the shot…and chuckles at it, returning the message with a sudden Big Boot! Rin tilts the ropes again—and Jason boots his face again through the ropes, not falling for the Rebound Lariat trick again! Rin manages to hang on to the middle rope, but barely. And Jason uses the amount of time Rin has to bring himself on the apron to run to the ropes, bounce back and leap through to slam Rin's entire body on the padded floor with Over the Edge! Immediately, Krueger throws Rin back in the ring and goes for the pin after seeing his head bounce off the mat earlier…and Rin barely shoots the shoulder up at two and a half! In a shocking twist, Jason keeps his cool, if only a bit as he ran a hand over his crimson mask in a sign of irritation.
He now waits in the corner, huffing and puffing in anticipating to Rin's rise to his wobbly legs. Jason charges and Rin Okumura strikes with the Exorcism! But he can't capitalize as the match combined with the blood takes a toll on his body, giving Jason a chance to roll out to the apron! An aggravated Rin Okumura clutches onto his hair once he realized it too late and is screaming into the mat out of frustration. As if on autopilot, he drags himself across the canvas, pushing himself to stand on his boots. Jason only got as far as to rest bent over on the apron, so it was at least easy for Rin to snatch him by the bloody ash hair and pull him back inside…only for Jason to grab Rin's head and snap his throat over the ropes! Jason returns and hooks Rin's arms together, but Rin is trying to fight out of it! Jason drives the knees up Rin's sternum in the struggle and finishes him off with the Death Rider! The legs are hooked…and referee Faith Hathaway stops at a near-fall when she sees Rin's foot over the bottom rope! Rin had such great ring awareness to not make Jason realize in the struggle that he was taking the hit close to the ropes to ensure he'd keep the match alive! And that truly enraged Jason with his tranquil fury.
Jason seeks another Death Rider, and this time, it's from the top rope. As the official demanded Jason to get down, he promptly hooks the arms once more…and when he attempted the finishing move, Rin manages to break out of it and headbutt Jason square in the nose! The Gore Machine falls hard on the canvas, allowing Rin to shake the cobwebs off as he breathes rapidly in anticipating Jason's rise. With his fangs bared, Rin jumps right off the middle rope for the Exorcism…
…
…
…and Jason Krueger catches him with the Gore! But he wasn't done! He wasn't satisfied with just a Gore, one and done! Jason roars as he takes Rin's arms for the double underhook and drills his skull dead center of the ring with the Death Rider, giving him the hard-earned three-count victory!
Slipknot battles the crowd's mixed reaction to the end result as Jason and Rin lie beside each other, having kept their promises to each other with the ring canvas painted in blood and their bodies broken down. Having the most experience in blood loss and violent matches, Jason Krueger is expectedly the one that rises first as he gradually carries himself to his boots. The official has his hand raised to signal him as the winner before Jason drops and rolls out of the ring, seemingly done for the night.
But there's one issue. Rin Okumura demanded a microphone to speak, screaming at Jason to get his ass back in the ring and fight him like a man.
"Screw the damn rules!" he shouted. "I'M FIGHTING YOU UNTIL I CAN'T F—KING STAND! YOU HAVEN'T BROKEN ME YET, JASON KRUEGER!"
To Jason, however, it'd be fruitless. He had already won. Any to do with Okumura further would just be a waste of his time, even if Rin proved he remained standing on his wobbly legs. Jason turns his back to walk up the ramp…but Rin said one more piece to get him back in the ring…and that since Rin is still speaking, Jason hasn't broken his jaw. And Krueger…was actually convinced to finish the job, returning to the ring where Rin was waiting by the opposite end of the ropes impatiently. Blood loss be damned, the two were gonna keep laying hands on each other as Rin throws the first fist and Jason catches it…but he stops soon as he grabbed onto Rin's hair for a measured punch.
The two stared each other down, Rin more so in confusion. First appearing impassive, Krueger then nods in commendable respect to Okumura as he pats on his neck. To add further puzzlement, Jason raises Rin's hand to a shocked pop, leaving Rin bemused before Jason suddenly lifts him over his shoulder. The camera catches his mouth saying, "You're coming with me, kid," as Rin weakly fidgets around to no avail as the Gore Machine walks away with the young Exorcist. Cecil Stedman makes his arrival known to meet Jason at the ramp and Jason asks Cecil if he's still sure he wants Rin involved. Stedman looks over the still bewildered and rather loopy Okumura…and nods that he's still interested with the plan they have in mind. No more questions, Krueger shrugs and the two walk away, basically kidnapping Rin Okumura before everyone's very eyes.
–/–/–/–/–/–
Mixed Trios Match – Smosh (Ian Hecox, Anthony Padilla, and "Atomic" Mari Takahashi) vs. Apocalypse Academy (Takashi Komuro, Kohta Hirano, and Saeko Busujima)
With a clean slate in the ring now that that match was said and done, fans were entertained with the next contest that was somewhat brief, but still chaotic. After the opening bell, Ian and Anthony constantly switched places with tags to start the contest with Takashi getting impatient. Soon as he tried going after either man, Atomic Mari tags herself to face off with Komuro. Referee Corey Jackson tells Takashi to leave the ring, but he stays in place to let Mari to have one shot on him. Takashi puts his hands behind his back as Mari preps for a knife edge chop…and strikes his chest with a sudden shoot kick instead! Takashi recoils, but catches the next kicking leg from Mari, holding her in place for Saeko to kick her face in with a Big Boot.
It was all Saeko and Mari from here on, delivering JOSHI style match with stiff elbows, brutal knee strikes, shoot kicks—doing everything they savored in extracting pain and leaving each other with bruises. One more kick to the chest sends Mari to the ropes and Saeko takes her for an Irish Whip. Atomic Mari runs under the Clothesline attempt, bounces off the other ropes, and counters the Hip Toss into an Arm Drag. Saeko now in the corner as Mari dashes after her, only to have Saeko hop over her while double foot stomping her back along the way. As Mari nursed her spine, Saeko blows a kiss in her direction to mock her…and this prompts Mari to lunge out of the corner with a Dropkick. Saeko sidesteps her, Mari ducks the Roundhouse Kick, and Saeko grabs onto her for a German Suplex. A Snapmare to oppose the German as Mari then thrusts a kick and misses it for Saeko to roll her up. Mari kicks out to make a roll-up of her own and Saeko counter rolls at two. Counter roll from Mari at two, counter roll from Saeko again, counter from Mari once more; pinfall after pinfall attempt, each ref count being quick at one as Jackson can barely keep up. Eventually, Saeko kicks out of the final counter and Mari takes her down with a Hip Attack!
Mari applies enough damage done to tag in Ian, who decided to demonstrate his gorilla like strength on Saeko while the official is berating him to let her go as she's not legal. Ian pushed the envelope to simply carry and lift Saeko around in his Military Press before dropping her…and Saeko lands fine on her feet before Roundhouse Kicking his face from behind! As Ian held his face, Hirano enters the ring and tosses Ian around with an Overhead Belly-to-belly Suplex! At commentary, Ted Mosby brings up that Kohta has brought himself to great shape over the years and compares his size to that of a cannonball: stout yet hearty and tough. Sidewalk Slams, Running Sentons, Spinebusters—Kohta was pulling out the big moves to put the hurt on Ian. But after a trip-up by Anthony as Kohta hit the ropes, Ian capitalized his friend's assistance by taking Kohta out with a Cactus Clothesline!
Smosh cut the ring down in half maintaining Hirano on their side and preventing him from getting the tag to either Saeko or Takashi. They were also surprisingly clever to not tag in Mari as that would automatically bring Saeko in legally by way of mixed tag rules. For instance, Ian would let himself be slated and argue with the official over his recent aggressive mudhole stomps followed by a blatant strangle, so Atomic Mari can attack Kohta in the corner with shoot kicks of her own behind the referee's back. Saeko tried to intervene, but it only took official Corey Jackson's attention to hold her and Takashi back in their corner while all of Smosh ganged up on Hirano with various kicks and stomps, much to the Academy's anger.
But something awoken in Kohta in that moment. After getting bashed around for long enough, as Ian was laying Kohta out with Corner Clotheslines…Kohta stopped absorbing the attacks like he couldn't give a damn and gives a death glare to Ian. Ian realized this with his clothesline strikes decreasing as he felt an unknown fear coming from the otaku's eyes. In spite of that, Ian tries shoving him down, but Kohta had no give as he simply walks forward, making Ian's boots drag across the mat. The aggravated Ian pie-faces Kohta and Kohta responds in kind with brutal open-palm strike across the face! Ian staggers from the surprising vigorous move, but sends Kohta rolling back with a Hadouken (Double Palm Thrust to the opponent's chest)…and Kohta stands back on his feet like nothing happened! Kohta brushes it off by rubbing his nose with an expressionless face! And just as Ian was about to run at him, Kohta pops his cheek with a right closed fist! Kohta catches the unconscious Ian by his wrist and pulls him into a Bulletproof Bomb (Full Nelson Bomb)!
Shockingly, Ian was able to kick out from the brutality displayed by Hirano and tag in Anthony, but not even the double-team efforts could put him down as they threw him with an Irish Whip and Kohta tackles them down with a Spear! And that opens the window for Kohta to tag in Takashi! Ian tries to knock Takashi off the apron, but gets his head grabbed and slammed onto the turnbuckle. Anthony goes for it and Takashi gives him the same treatment. One by one, Anthony and Ian inadvertently take turns getting their craniums smacked over the turnbuckle pad before performing a Springboard Double Clothesline on the duo! A Dropkick to Ian, then a Half Nelson Bulldog to Anthony, an Arm-trap Swinging Neckbreaker to Ian thereafter, and a complete Infecta Trifecta on Anthony—Takashi Komuro has taken utter advantage of the hot tag and has become a house of fire, roaring with the thrilled mass!
Takashi awaits Anthony to his feet and grabs his arms from behind for the Death Blow, but Ian clubs his spine with a forearm to stop him. The Smosh duo have him set for a Double Suplex, but then Kohta saves his partner by pulling him down and turn the tables on them with an attempt of a Double Suplex of their own. However, Mari puts the breaks on Komuro and Hirano's double-team effort to add herself, trying to shift the odds. And now, Saeko makes the save and joins her partners, Apocalypse Academy pulling off a Triple Suplex on all of Smosh!
Moments later, Takashi aims again for the Death Blow on Anthony, but Anthony breaks free to pull Takashi on the mat for the Tap Out, Bitch! (Arm-trap Crossface), wanting to humiliate Komuro with his own submission. Unfortunately, this only infuriates Komuro with a forward roll and applies the Crippler Crossface himself on Anthony! With the tables turned on Padilla, he was left thrashing in sheer agony while Takashi shouted, "TAP OUT, BITCH!" at him, giving him a taste of irony. Just when Anthony was close to giving up, Ian breaks the hold with the Courageous Leg Drop (Diving Leg Drop)! The Smosh boys recover quickly to have Takashi up and ready on Ian's shoulders for the Smosh Pit (Running Corkscrew Neckbreaker (Padilla) / Samoan Drop (Hecox) combination…and Kohta interferes by catching the running Anthony with a Spinning Side Slam! Ian releases Takashi to target Kohta, who catches him with straight right jab to the face. As he continued the consecutive series of punches, Anthony almost intersects before Takashi joins Kohta to jab Anthony across the face. In perfect sync, Hirano and Komuro were bumping fists to faces on Anthony and Ian until they were dazed enough for the boys to roll their fists à la Bubba Ray Dudley, a theatrical gunshot to the temples, and a crotch chop gesture to their opponents, Takashi and Kohta finish it off with a Double Pointblank Elbow (Bionic Elbow)!
Mari Takahashi levels out the playing field to make up for Ian and Anthony getting taken out with an Atomic Buzzsaw to Kohta, then tries to put Takashi in the Mariko Lock (Asuka Lock). Takashi stays on his feet long enough for Saeko to yank her off her partner and take her out of the equation completely with Psychotic Peak (Widow's Peak)! By the time Kohta recovered from the Atomic Buzzsaw, he saw Ian coming to at ringside…and Kohta decided to send himself flying on top of Ian Hecox with a Topé Corkscrew Plancha! Takashi needed someone to help him to pull off his signature tag move and Kohta took himself out of the equation as Anthony was stirring back to his feet. Saeko quickly offered herself to take Kohta's place and Takashi decided, "Why not?" The moment Anthony turned around, Takashi and Saeko planted him with Drop Dead! But the job wasn't done yet, as Takashi, wanting innate and further retribution, immediately put Anthony in the most agonizing Crippler Crossface possible…and it didn't take long for Anthony to tap out!
All three Apocalypse Academy members stand tall in victory as Avenged Sevenfold's "Welcome to the Family" plays to commemorate that and the fans cheer in approval. The trio themselves were well pleased, Takashi and Kohta especially, as they can move on towards the upper card, hoping to get themselves one step closer towards tag team championship gold, whereas Saeko can put this as a footnote for her journey back to the World Women's Championship league. Meanwhile, Smosh were recuperating from their loss, notably Anthony nursing his neck as they glared at the departing Highschool of the Dead characters.
–/–/–/–/–/–
Extreme Rules Match – Altered Egos vs. Alpha & Omega
This Extreme Rules match is set to become more than a simple tornado tag hardcore contest; these men were ready to go to war. As "Alpha & Omega" by Stratovarius plays to Carter Young and Stan Terra's signature entrance, they were revealed to be in their street clothes with the "sane" explanation that if they are to play by Altered Egos' environment, they may as well embrace it. They wait in the ring with steel chairs in their hands, a reference to when they assaulted the inaugural tag champs from behind back at Night of Champions. Then, the first eight seconds to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Main Theme plays and swiftly transitions to "We Ride" by Pillar for the fans to embrace the iconic duo of Yugi Mutou and Atem. They too brought chairs of their own as the pair stared a hole through Alpha & Omega, who have not moved from their spots nor their eyes away from the approaching Blood & Ink legends.
Brought up by Yugi in a pre-match backstage interview, in all their history, not once did Alpha & Omega win clean against him and Atem. The first time around, they had interfering help from the now renowned Gods of Darkness. The second clash brought Altered Egos to victory over Alpha & Omega in their violent atmosphere of the Extreme Rules match, which they firmly believe that they will win again (albeit without the belts). At Rebellion, it took a Triple Threat match involving the Symbiotes and Stan Terra blatantly stealing the victory after knocking Yugi out with one of the belts for Alpha & Omega to win the APEX World Tag Team Championships. Tonight, not only will history repeat from Reign in Blood, but Altered Egos will guarantee the Rookie Revolution alumni will be left over a pool of their own blood.
And the twins swiftly slide in the ring to clash steel chairs with Alpha & Omega in the middle of the ring, bashing them like they were in a sword fight while Andrew Styles calls for the opening bell! The vehement tremors from the clashing chairs eventually forced Carter to let go of his weapon, leaving him open for a chair shot in the back by Atem. Yugi has his chair virtually slapped away by Stan's chair as he felt the pain in his hands, but quickly recovers with a Dropkick that sends the chair flying into Stan's face! The second-ever APEX World Tag Team Champions retreat to ringside, but they certainly are not going to be given a break as Atem suddenly throws his chair smash mouth Sabu style at the duo to knock them down, which Logan called out as unnecessary! Then, Atem dropped to his hands and knees for Yugi to run and hit the ropes from across the mat, jump off Atem's back, and springboard off the top rope to land what has to be a beautiful Poetry in Motion on Alpha & Omega! But if they thought that was the end of their troubles…they'd be unfortunately wrong as Atem follows his partner in suit with an Over-the-top-rope Suicide Dive!
Altered Egos have the crowd amped up after that display as they now search under the ring apron to bring in "the toys," tossing over one trashcan filled with a few kendo sticks, a sheet tray, metal signs, and, for some reason, a cheese grater that spilled out. More foreign objects thrown inside involved a few more steel chairs, a baseball bat, another trashcan (this time, it's empty), and one weapon specialty of theirs, a fifteen-foot ladder. While Atem handles Carter at ring side and trade blows, Yugi deals his own business with Stan with the chair in one hand and the other taking Stan for an Irish Whip. Terra bounces back and ducks under the chair swing, surprising Yugi with a Jumping Neckbreaker Slam! Then, as outright payback, Terra picks the chair back up and smashes it over the temple of the King of Games to a sickening sound of skull meeting steel! Adding insult to injury as Yugi dropped to his knees, Stan shouted at him to "enjoy his fucking crown," the cameras then revealing that already Yugi is already busted open with some blood dripping down from his forehead. However, Stan Terra was beginning to feel more…bloodthirsty. He picks up the cheese grater with evil intentions, stands behind Yugi…
…
…and swipes the cheese grater over Yugi's forehead to expand the wound! And that wasn't even enough for him, as he held Yugi in his grasp and began to slowly scrape the cheese grater over Yugi's head and with a sadistic smile on his face with Yugi virtually shrieking in pain! Terra slams the grater over Yugi once more to finish it and puts his hand over Yugi's blood to wipe it over his own face and wear it like a "mask of honor" while the fans were chanting between, "YOU SICK FUCK!" and "FUCK YOU, TERRA!" Giving no damns about the opinion of the crowd, Stan told Yugi and the audience that Yugi wanted this—he demanded for this to happen and now Yugi is the one paying the price as Stan then started punching at the leaking wound.
In the meanwhile, Carter drops Atem hard over the barricade with a Backdrop Suplex and comes in the ring to assist Stan with a Double Brainbuster on Yugi's head. Alpha & Omega work over Yugi to their numbers advantage before Atem becomes the difference maker with a running ladder bash to A&O just as they Irish Whipped Yugi through his legs. With the duo down, Atem raises the ladder and throws it down on top of them. With Yugi back on his feet and willing, he gets Irish Whipped by Atem to rebound from the ropes and gets sent flying over in a Back Body Drop to land on the ladder while Alpha & Omega are still under it! Hard to tell who got the worst of it, but the job was done, even if it meant for Yugi to hurt himself to do so. As Yugi rolled away to nurse his back, Atem picks the ladder up, and when Carter and Stan stood up…Atem airplane spins around with the ladder over his head, taking out his opponents in the process!
During Atem's pin attempt on Carter that resulted in a kick-out at two, Yugi had a receipt to give to Stan as he grinded the cheese grater over his forehead to make him cry out in pain and drip blood this time! Afterwards, he goes for an Irish Whip to the stairs, but Stan reverses it. In quick fashion, despite the blood loss, Yugi recovers by hitting a Whisper from the Heart of the Cards off the corner! Back in the ring with Atem and Carter, the Pharaoh himself dumps out the filled-up trashcan of the weapons that were in it and the Alpha catches the overhead trashcan to strike Yami Yugi with a right Toe Kick. Carter places the cylinder object on its side, scoops Atem in his arms and plants him over the trashcan with Ground Zero (Scoop lift spun out into a Facebuster)! A new pinfall attempt for Alpha & Omega's favor…and Atem manages to kick out at two! Meanwhile, in a replay that shows Stan turning the tables on Yugi with a low blow kick just when Yugi was about to smack him with a metal sheet, Stan then sends Yugi into the fans with a Superkick over the barricade!
Despite Atem's valiant efforts to fight against the odds, Alpha & Omega persisted to be on top of the violent rules with their double-team tactics involving the foreign objects scattered in the ring, such as Carter Young using the ladder like a steel chair to slam over Atem's supine body and Stan drilling Atem's skull into the propped-up open steel chair with a simple DDT. Later, Atem finds himself on the ladder via a Scoop Slam by Carter, who holds him down while Stan climbs the top rope. The Omega mockingly gestures the Hardy Boyz hand signs, flips the bird to Atem with the following words, "Fuck you and the Hardy Boyz!" and proceeds to hit the Swanton Bomb to a chorus of boos, though some couldn't hide how elegant Terra's Swanton actually was. And the Pharaoh rebels against their pinfall attempt with the shoulder up at two!
It's become a ghastly sight for everyone in attendance to see this much blood spill in the APEX ring when the last time this happened in an Unsanctioned Match between Jesse Alvarez and Jason Krueger over at Homecoming. But hardly any of the fans could look away with Stan keeping a returning Yugi at bay by kicking him at the head through the ropes, then coming back to resume beating Atem's head as Carter trapped his arms behind him. The despicable Alpha & Omega berate Atem in a "lesson" that they need to learn to stay down for good and "allow the real stars" in A&O to truly shine in the roster while Altered Egos rot away in a funeral home. One spit mixed with blood and saliva from Stan Terra to Atem's face in, and Stan has the ladder ready. He charges…and accidentally bashes Carter's face in with the ladder when Atem slipped out of his grasp! Stan stands horrified at what he done, immediately regretting hurting his own best friend, who has now joined the bleeding party with a gusher…and Yugi Mutou brings Stan back to reality with a Springboard Dropkick to the ladder that knocks him down hard! Yugi with the cover…and Stan survives the match with a kick-out at a near-fall! In a rather amusing, yet brutal spot, Atem has a chair placed between Stan's legs while Yugi rises on the top turnbuckle…and performs a Diving Leg Drop across the chair, absolutely crushing Stan's family jewels into dust!
The good times for Yugi and Atem did not last, sadly, as a crimson masked Carter came like a feral bull with God's Kiss to Atem that turns him inside out, then grabs kendo stick to snap over Yugi's skull! He throws the broken stick in frustration and drills Yugi further into the canvas with the Alpha Driver DDT! Carter then shouted, "TO HELL WITH THIS!" as he left the ring to pull out a table. With Stan's help, he and Carter have the table standing and prepped for someone to go through it. And that someone would be Pharaoh Atem. The Omega props himself up to the top turnbuckle while the Alpha lifts Atem on his shoulders in an Electric Chair position with ease, displaying his natural strength. Terra flips forward with Atem's head snatched and the duo sends him through the table with the Apocalypse Now (Sitout Electric Chair Facebuster (Young) / Diamond Dust (Terra) combination)! They turn him over for the pin…and at the last second, Yugi breaks it up with a chair-assisted Leg Drop over Stan! Yugi then hurls that same chair into Carter's face smash-mouth style, picks up another one to wrap his head in, and virtually snaps neck in the chair with the Duelist's Endgame! Every single one of these competitors are laid out all over the ring as much as the blood that has spilt throughout this insane contest! All referee Andrew Styles is left to do is watch over these vicious gladiators with a pale expression and the crowd were left to chant three letters in tribute to one infamous company, "ECW!" with the Blood & Ink alumni in the ring. Shockingly and horrifyingly, the camera would get a gruesome shot of Atem suddenly sitting up Undertaker style with his blood drenching his face, after all that's been done to him, and smiles through the pain.
A staggering Atem spurts blood off his lips as he exits the ring and pulls out two items no one thought he of all people would be happy to see: a fresh table and a bag filled with what everybody can easily guess. Getting back in the ring, The Pharaoh opens the bag and lays out hundred upon thousands of thumbtacks across the canvas. His first victim to lie on the bed of thumbtacks? The stirring Stan Terra. He drags him towards the pile and goes for the Pharaoh's Endgame (Twist of Fate)…and Stan Terra spins out of it! Terra kicks Atem square in the gut, puts him in position for the Terra Implosion (Styles Clash), and plants Atem on the thumbtacks, leaving the Pharaoh's front body punctured like a pincushion! Even though Atem took most of the blow, Stan wasn't without consequences as he felt the tacks in his hands and knees. But Yugi quickly shifts the tide of the match with a light tube assisted Front Dropkick to the skull of Terra!
Seeing the table left unused outside, Yugi props it up on its legs with the intent of finishing this match now, as soon as possible. He grabs Stan by his blood-dripping hair to try and put him through the table with an Apron Suplex from over the ropes…but the moment he endeavored, unexpectedly, a wild Carter Young appears with a swinging light tube across his spine! Stan drops to his feet as Yugi recoils from the pain and this gives Carter a brief open window to now douse the entire table with lighter fluid. Ted Mosby calls this spot as excessive carnage pushed beyond their limits, but neither one of these men could ever care of the consequences toward their bodies after all they've done to massacre each other. The Alpha holds up the lit lighter with a manic grin…and sets the entire table ablaze! Yugi's eyes widen like saucers and Carter holds his legs in place to prevent him from getting out of this. The Omega recovers enough to hit the ropes, runs across the ring…
…and Spears the King of Games through the flaming table! Yugi and Stan violently recoil on the floor with their flesh possibly seared while Carter stares in horror at what they've committed! Stan shakily rolls, likely jumping onto Yugi for the cover…and with Carter pushing his friend down to keep Yugi pinned, Alpha & Omega secure the win in a shocking fashion! Though the crowd is left speechless after that slaughter fest between two teams who displayed how much they hated each other, they clamor over Alpha & Omega's hard-earned victory, both positively and negatively. While Maria Lopez regained her composure in time to announce Alpha & Omega as the winners with Stratovarius' "Alpha & Omega" playing, they aren't feeling like winners; they felt like they just survived an attempted murder.
Seared skin, hair singed off the forearms and locks, blood continuing to mask his face, Stan Terra can hardly figure out where he is right now, let alone stand with his left eye getting covered in thick red liquid. He looks to the camera, his face appearing like his life flashing before his eyes…before his lips curl into a manic smile and laughing at the fact he pinned the King of Games once again. This time, in Altered Egos' own environment. Carter helps Stan to his feet as they limp their way up the ramp. The barriers that kept them down are now broken through; Alpha & Omega can embark on their journey back to tag team gold where they believe they belong at the very top.
"LOOK WHO'S LEFT IN A POOL OF THEIR OWN BLOOD NOW, LITTLE YUGI!" Stan Terra vehemently spits at the crumbled inaugural tag champs before Carter carries him away to the back.
For Altered Egos, on the other hand…they aren't doing quite so well to take this hefty loss. Atem is being checked with the amount of thumbtacks still on his chest, stomach and cheek while Yugi is so befuddled, he doesn't remember where he is with the amount of blood he lost. Doctors, medics and officials aid them for injuries that likely will keep them out for a while as Yugi and Atem's friends are surrounding them out of major concern. Yugi is helped to his feet…and that's all he needed them to do as he lumbers ahead, not giving a damn about how much the medics tell him he needs assistance. He walks all the way up to the stage where he sits down and stares out towards the crowd, Atem joining him soon after. A major round of applause from the crowd out of sheer respect leaves Yugi and Atem grateful for what they give their bodies, hearts and souls for in this business.
Atem gently takes Yugi's head to rest into his and says to him, "One day… One day, we'll be on top of the tag division again. For now…we do what we can for this company, together or separately."
And in kind, Yugi smiles, "To the end, partner. To the end…"
–/–/–/–/–/–
"The Steel Queen" Satsuki Kiryūin [c] vs. "The Sōjutsu Submission Specialist" Rei Miyamoto for the APEX World Women's Championship
It took quite a bit to get the ring inside and out to be cleaned of stained blood and broken tools to be removed, but the APEX ring crew did their jobs well enough for the next match. This one, while not as toxic, but still personal between two women. One with a throne to protect and retain from all challengers while the reign is still young. One with starvation and on a mission to finish what her friend could not at Night of Champions. "Never Lost" by Decyfer Down signaled Rei Miyamoto's first arrival as the challenger with her new killer demeanor, but still has time to enable the fans with passing high fives and pointed at a sign that predicts her as the next World Women's Champion. The excitement is then hushed with "Hadou" by KAZSIN's cold opening from its vocalizing chorus to a deep exhale and drawn sharp blade overheard…and the song comes into full blast for the reigning and defending Apex Caliber Wrestling Women's Champion of the World, Satsuki Kiryūin.
The interesting aspect is, the crowd adores both women in this contest, but there were slightly bigger cheers for the Steel Queen of the Women's Division. Rei wouldn't let that deter her from her goal, however, as her eyes remained locked on the champion, who never left her sights away from her opponent on her path to the ring.
Excited as the crowd wanted to be, they were still recovering from the Extreme Rules match before. So after the official of this match, Aiko Takahashi, raised the crowning belt of the Women's Division for all to see, the girls themselves were willing to start things off at a slow pace soon as the bell rang. Miyamoto and Kiryūin circle the ring, cautiously reaching for each other's fingers for an endeavored lockup. Rei locks fingers with Satsuki, having plans of her own to try and dominate her in a test of strength. Satsuki's no weakling, but she can tell quickly how much stronger Rei actually is in the Greco-Roman knuckle lock, being driven up against the corner. The Japanese official comes down the middle for Rei and Satsuki to cooperate with her and back away from each other…but not without Rei condescendingly patting Satsuki's cheek. Another Greco-Roman knuckle lock then reverts quickly into a Double Leg Takedown by Satsuki and Rei finds herself scurrying to the ropes for a break. Before giving her space, Satsuki pats Rei's cheek with the same superior attitude as Rei gave her before, even asking how her friendship with Saeko is going. A third lock-up attempt between these fine, young athletes…and Rei drives her knee right up into Satsuki's stomach! Satsuki gets pushed into the corner behind her and Rei follows with a brief series of right jabs to the face, then starts stomping her into the turnbuckles with ferociousness until the referee threatened the five-count. Rei backs up close to the time limit…and doesn't completely distance herself without slapping Satsuki across the face for her comment about Saeko earlier! The competition status was getting to them…but Satsuki would not be one to blow a gasket as she is more of a steaming kettle with a furious glare towards Rei.
The Steel Queen and the Sōjutsu Submission Specialist trade rest holds, trying to get one over the other while also putting the hurt on each other with forearm rakes, hair pulls, and grinding knuckles into their heads. It eventually got to the point of where these two stopped wrestling and simply began fighting, clinging to each other in the corner and trading punches anytime one is in the corner. With one driven knee into Satsuki's abdomen, the champ falls on her backside for Rei to intensely rake her boot across her opponent's face before dashing to the ropes and back to nail a brutal Running Facewash! In relation to that, Rei urges Satsuki to "talk her shit now" with a face full of boot after that before restarting the ruthless stomps.
Rei sought the early finish with her Muscle Buster set-up, but as she ran, Satsuki pops out of the hold and lands on her feet! Rei blindingly charges after her and Satsuki pulls the ropes down for her to tumble over. As Miyamoto got back to her feet, Satsuki uses the ropes for a dropkick through them, but Rei catches the champ's legs to force her out with her raw strength and slugs her entire body into the barricade not once, but twice! Rei plays to the crowd, who of a select few at the front row clapped and sung, "FUCK HER UP, REI-REI; FUCK HER UP! (Clap, clap!)" Rei takes Satsuki back in the ring for the cover, but she kicks out around two. While not surprised, Rei was somewhat annoyed this wouldn't end sooner than she could hope for; still, if a kick-out like that would cost her some energy, then all the more to keep the pressure going.
A rest hold now set for Rei, who has Satsuki in a Reverse Chinlock in the middle of the ring. Satsuki almost fights out of it, but Rei shifts gears to press her knee into Satsuki's lower back while pulling back on her chin. Rei needs to stay on top of the match if she wants to wear down Satsuki long enough before finishing her off. Regardless, Satsuki has an example to make as this promotion's face of the Women's Division as she forces herself back on her feet…and Rei suddenly puts her in the Rear Naked Choke—no, Satsuki slips down and Victory Rolls Rei, earning only a two-count! Just when Satsuki was about to build momentum, Rei stops her in place with a Spinning Back Kick to the gut and brings her down with the Pulse Check (Running Knee Lift followed by a Falling Neckbreaker)! Unfortunately for Rei-Rei, that would only be enough for another two-count.
By the time Satsuki was able to regain herself fully after the swinging prawn hold against the barricade, she truly began to fight back with her series of shoot kicks to the sternum and abdomen of Rei Miyamoto, each and every one of them all being on point in her strikes. Satsuki finishes the combo off with a feign Shoot Kick followed by a Spin Kick to the back of Rei's head the moment Rei stood up. However, Rei refused to stay down as she rose to her hands and knees…and lifted her head in time for Satsuki to nail her with a Shining Wizard. Not done by a long shot, though, Satsuki Kiryūin hooks Rei's leg and body to toss her with a Sternness Slinger! Now the champion makes the cover with the leg hooked…and Rei powers out of it after two! Though it was her first pin attempt, Satsuki already started to put Rei through the worst pain possible by applying the Ankle Lock. Even when Rei lasted long enough to grab the ropes, Satsuki just pulls her back to continue the unforgiving pressure on her ankle. Just when she appeared closer to giving up…
…Rei twists her body for Satsuki to follow in motion and kicks her right leg for her to fall into her clutches, sealing the World Women's Champion with the Rear Naked Choke, the rebranded Brain Dead! Miyamoto is screaming for Satsuki to tap out as she tightens the submission for as long as she had the thrashing champion in her clutches! Satsuki's face nearly changes colors as she felt the constrictive muscular arms around her neck…but in an act of smarts, the same foot she applied the Ankle Lock on before is felt in her hands and starts to twist it again, forcing Rei to break the Brain Dead submission! Rei hated every second of how she was back in this agonizing hold…and thankfully, it wouldn't be as long as she then flips herself forward to whip Satsuki face-first into the middle turnbuckle! Pain in the leg be damned, Rei urges Satsuki to stand and turn so she can make her suffer an Inverted Atomic Drop, eat a Running Single Leg Dropkick, and get slammed on by a Running Senton, a perfect succession of the Flash of the Dead! Far from done, Rei puts Satsuki through brutal tosses and slams in her Dance with the Dead (Samoa Joe's Chimera-Plex)…and that only gets her a 2.418—not even two and a half!
Champion and challenger on their feet, glaring each other down as Satsuki lands the first blow with a knife edge chop. Rei returns the favor by licking her palm and chopping over Satsuki's cleavage, adding to the sharp pain. Chops then evolved into closed right fists between the two, displaying and sharing such hidden animosity. One final punch from Satsuki…and Rei slaps the spit out of Satsuki's mouth with a blunt "fuck you" attitude! Remember the comparison of Satsuki being a steaming kettle? Now the kettle has boiled over and Satsuki obliterates Rei with a Kōryu Slam (Ura-nage)! Satsuki pins her shoulders down…and Rei succeeds to get a kick-out at two!
A while later, Satsuki whips Rei to the ropes and the latter hangs on to halt her momentum. Satsuki runs for Rei and Rei back body drops her to the outside! Satsuki stumbles onto the announce desk and Rei looks ready to fly. She gets momentum going at high speeds, hitting the ropes back-to-back before diving through with a Suicide Dive Elbow Smash and both women crash and tumble over the announce desk! Miyamoto and Kiryūin are left prone in that car crash while the RAMPAGE announce team barely avoided the collision.
It was a miracle that they were able to get back inside the ring before the ten-count, let alone muster the strength to stand and walk. Another standoff between the APEX Athletes in the center…and they began bashing forearms into each other's skulls…until Rei blocks the next forearm to headbutt Satsuki with a sickening thud, true JOSHI style! Satsuki and Rei drop to their knees together as they lean on each other, chins on their shoulders as a sight to behold for the San Antonio audience with exchanging chants: "THIS IS APEX!" and "FIGHT FOREVER!"
Rei grabs onto Satsuki by her hair as she stands back up, slowly recuperating from the headbutt she executed, and puts her head between her legs. It looks like a Powerbomb setup…but the fans quickly realize that Rei Miyamoto is signaling for the Might of Honnōji, wanting to finish the match in embarrassing Satsuki Kiryūin by beating her with her own finishing move. With a knowing smirk, she lifts her high…and Satsuki is able to counter with the Sunset Flip! One, two—a kick-out by Rei! She rolls to her knees and Satsuki stands up faster to blast her back down with the Zenkan Kick (Running Soccer Kick to the chest of a kneeling opponent while using their knee for leverage)! Rei gets back up nursing her chest as she eats two European Uppercuts, a High Knee and empathic Ushigoroshi (Hirooki Goto's move of the same name)! But Satsuki couldn't make the pin off her momentous comeback with Rei rolling out of the ring! Satsuki is at least able to snatch her up by her hair through the ropes to get her back on the apron…only for Rei to hot shot her throat over the ropes!
As Satsuki recoiled, Rei lines her up for the Springboard Clothesline…but Satsuki catches her with the Kōryu Slam—no! Rei jumps down behind Satsuki and traps her in the Brain Dead! Satsuki is able to have one arm up to prevent the hold from being cinched in completely as she fights against Rei's Rear Naked Choke. She then makes a run for it…and throws herself into the corner just to smack Rei's face on the turnbuckle! Satsuki lines up Rei as she turns around…and knocks her down with the discus version of the Gowan Lariat! Satsuki is down on Rei and transitions herself to put her challenger through the Junketsu Clutch! Rei Miyamoto is flailing madly around, kicking her legs all over the canvas as the intense Satsuki Kiryūin strengthens her grip on her hold! Satsuki has the perfect ring positioning, having Rei laid out in the middle of the ring with the Junketsu Clutch cinched in! The APEX World Women's Champion is unrelenting to make her challenger suffer long enough before she has to be forced to quit! Yet Rei is just as unrelenting to give up, preferring to kick and scream on her way down than simply tap out in front of the thousands in attendance! In a final act of defiance, Rei is able to have one of her hands peeked to Satsuki's face…and flip the bird, unwilling to give her the satisfaction of her tapping out before fading to unconsciousness completely. By the time Rei was out cold, referee Aiko Takahashi called for the bell on a technical knockout.
As "Hadou" sounded off Satsuki's victory, she was left kneeling just as exhausted as before with her previous match against Saeko. The belt is draped over her lap by the official and Satsuki raises it high to emphasize her win. Her eyes turn over to Rei, who remains immobile for the moment…though there's likely a chance that Rei is hiding her face between her locks in shame after going through all that just to lose. In spite of that, Satsuki gives her the rub with a hand on her shoulder, telling her that she proved just as valiant and strong, if not one of the toughest fights just like her friend, Saeko, who she does tell Rei she genuinely believes things are going to go well for them in their future. The two eventually face each other…and share a hug that resonates with the sympathetic crowd to earn an ovation. Rei thanks Satsuki for giving her this opportunity for the belt…but she wants her to hold onto it tightly the next time they meet, for she wants a rematch once she climbs back the ladder. Satsuki awaits that second round as much as Saeko's return to grace and Rei leaves to let the APEX World Women's Champion continue her celebration in the ring.
In the meanwhile…famished wrestlers were focused on Satsuki Kiryūin and her title from backstage. From Kendra Daniels with her Mistresses of Mayhem to Mai Valentine with iGeneration to even Revy, they remain lurking in the background and await the right time to strike. The cameras that captured them in each of their isolated spots were enough to send one message to the audience: All eyes are on Satsuki Kiryūin with a massive target on her back.
–/–/–/–/–/–
MAIN EVENT – "The Lone Devil Hunter" Nero [c] vs. Mr. Eddy McGee (with Ed and Double D) for the APEX Intercontinental Championship
Aside from the RAMPAGE XII main event between Edd and Nero, this would be the first time in APEX history that the Intercontinental Championship is in the main event of a live special as Nero defends his title against one of the most well recognized characters and wrestlers in Mr. Eddy McGee. While respected, Eddy isn't without his many flaws, such as how he tried to take the title off Nero and put it in his league with the Eds through various means in scams (which Nero outsmarted him in) and official matches with his fellow Eds throughout the last few weeks. Ed and Double D put up good fights, but now it was down to the Ed Honcho himself, the last Ed standing, to bring home APEX gold for himself…and his fellow Eds, of course.
In true Mr. Kennedy inspired fashion, Eddy makes his presence known through "Turn Up the Trouble" by Airborne and chases Mike "The Mic" Martin out of "his" ring for doing his announcement all wrong. To "show him how it's done", he makes the Kennedy pose as the lights dim around with the spotlight shining down on him…and summons a retro microphone from the skies of the unknown. The Loudest Ed in the Enterprise reminds everyone in attendance and those watching from their screens the statement of his residential birthplace in Peach Creak, California (Edd: WRONG STATE, EDDY!) and his declared weight of 185 pounds, lists off the notable accomplishments in his historic run as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, if not the greatest, with multiple tag title reigns and even world title reigns…and tonight will be another historical mark when he ends the shortest reign of "Baby Nero's" career and stand as the new APEX Intercontinental Champion of the World…
"MMMIIIIIIIISTEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRR…EDDY MCGEEEEEEEEEEEE!~"
Eddy soaks in the adored reaction from the fans with a wide grin as he lifts the mic to let it float—nah, he just runs up the middle rope and shouts, "Eddy McGeeeeeeee!~" Letting the mic be pulled back up into the abyss that is the ceiling, Eddy tells Mike at ringside that that's how you make a real announcement, to which Martin could only roll his eyes.
When Nero arrived for his entrance, with signature theatrics and "Devil Trigger" echoing in the arena that sing with the chorus, Mike smirked to himself for his time to shine again and showed why exactly he earned his nickname.
"His opponent: hailing from Fortuna City, weighing in at two-hundred and twenty-one pounds…HE IS 'THE LONE DEVIL HUNTER'. HE IS THE REIGNING, DEFENDING APEX INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION OF THE WOOOOORRRLD…NEEERRROOOOOOOOO!"
With that enthusiastic, bombastic call that Nero gave props Martin for, Eddy could only glare at the ring announcer with his red face and Michael added salt to the wound by stating to him off-mic with a smarmy grin, "And that's why they call me 'The Mic', Mr. McGee."
All said and done for the prelude…now it was time for the main show to begin as Marshall Eriksen, the senior official in charge for tonight's main event, runs the program with the two contenders of the rules, then after confirming they're ready to wrestle, he calls for the opening bell. Future Hall of Famer and the legacy of Devil May Cry circle the ring as Eddy invites Nero for a collar-and-elbow, swiftly switching behind him and slams him with the waistlock takedown. Height difference aside, Eddy displays his Kurt Angle side with his mat-based skills and amateur wrestling style to hold Nero down on the canvas. From leglocks to armbars to even headlocks, Eddy was taking Nero to school, and it was frustrating the champion no matter how many times he escaped him. At one point, with another waistlock takedown spun into a feign front sleeper…Mr. Eddy McGee slaps the back of Nero's head and scurries out of the ring with a shit-eating grin as Marshall holds him back to keep this match in order. Eddy calls Nero a "hotheaded rookie"…and this is where Nero fully understood his game and decides to play along for now. So, when they engaged in a Greco-Roman knuckle lock, Nero is the one dominating the mat-based contest with a surprise Keylock Armbar. It took a bit, but Eddy was able to roll through and tried a headlock on Nero, who quickly reversed it on him. Everything Eddy did to wear down and agitate his opponent, Nero countered and used against him to his own advantage. The young champion was learning as he fights, and now Eddy was the one being frustrated this time around.
At a later point, Eddy does become able to have Nero in the corner in the waistlock and the senior official orders them to separate. They do slowly, then Eddy shoves into Nero's chest and Nero responds in kind with a Big Boot to Eddy's face that sends him rolling. With an insult referring to Eddy's height from the IC Champion, Mr. McGee furiously charges on command and Nero hops right over and rotates forward up to his feet. On the turnaround, Nero squashes Mr. Eddy with a Rainbow Bullet into the corner. Eddy's head whiplashes off the turnbuckle and stumbles forward to find himself launched into the air and struck down with the High Shot (Pop-up European Uppercut)! Nero onto the cover and Eddy pops the shoulder up just as the referee hit the two-count. Eddy rolls out to the apron and Nero chases him, which is exactly what Mr. Eddy counted on when the champ grabbed his head and he retaliated with a shoulder thrust to the gut. Swiftly thereafter, Eddy takes Nero's head this time and hotshots him over the middle rope with the Rude Awakening (Rick Rude's move of the same name)! Mr. Eddy McGee gloats over his momentous tide to back up why he's a multiple-time world champion and returns to the ring with a Slingshot Senton on top of Nero, who proceeds to kick out at two.
Against the ring ropes, Eddy has been landing shot after shot from recurring European Uppercuts to Nero, wanting to wear the champ down as best he can. The senior official warns him to back away and Eddy does so…until he charges him for the Clothesline and Nero sends him flying to the outside over the ropes! Swinging for the fences, Nero goes for a Slingshot Plancha…and fakes Eddy out, making him believe he outsmarted the champ, when he actually landed safely on the apron. By the time Eddy finished wallowing in his intellect while Double D was trying to warn him of the incoming Nero, who catches him with the Double Down (Diving Double Foot Stomp) right in his chest! For an effective maneuver, Nero could only get a near-fall out of it.
After slamming Eddy's head over the turnbuckle and lighting his chest up with a couple of knife edge chops, Nero bounces from the other end of the corner to rush back for a Rainbow Bullet…and Eddy narrowly avoids it, letting Nero crash into the corner! Nero gets to his feet and Eddy grabs him to throw him out of the ring. They meet near the announce desk to exchange chops and Nero kicks him straight in the gut to go for a Powerbomb through the table, but Eddy slides off his back and tosses Nero right on top of the announce table with a Release German Suplex! After taking a moment's time to rest, Eddy is forced to play fair and drag Nero's entire body back in the ring; any given time, any given place, Eddy would have love to win by count-out if it meant survival, but with the APEX Intercontinental Championship on the line, he can't really risk losing his chance at becoming the new titleholder.
From the outset, Eddy had Nero in his grip before being consistently outwrestled by him, having each throw and hold countered and turned back on him. As he cannot beat Nero in a technical wrestling match, Eddy changes tactics, beginning to decimate his younger opponent with a string of vicious, illegal assaults. Having Nero placed up against the corner, Eddy switches from mudhole stomps to European Uppercuts to keep the pressure on the young champion. Channeling his inner Cerebral Assassin, Eddy traps Nero's left leg over the middle rope and drives his stomping boot into it to deliver massive damage to him. Punishment after punishment, punch and kick, elbow and knee into the injured leg, even drilling that leg with a DDT in the canvas. But Nero refused to quit, never the type to have his will broken and just too stubborn in general. Eddy came close to victory with a well ensnared Money Lock (Ankle Lock), even using a grapevine, but with Nero's incredible determination, he dragged himself and Eddy along to get the rope break, which only frustrated the former world champion.
Eventually, Nero is able to bring himself back to his feet and try a Backdrop Suplex, but Eddy flips out of it and chop blocks Nero's bad leg! Knowing Nero is just going to go for the rope break once again if he tried the Money Lock, Eddy strives for the Peach Creek Plunge (Rolling Fireman's Carry Slam), but Nero slides off and strikes hard and fast with two knife edge chops, then hits the ropes—Eddy with the SpearED (Spear)! Another cover, and another kick-out at two! Out of frustration, Eddy slaps the canvas and Double D is reassuring him at ringside to keep his head cool.
As the saying goes, desperate times, desperate measures. Eddy has dragged Nero's corpse all the way to the top turnbuckle and mustered as much strength he can possibly have to hold him on his shoulders while standing on the second rope. Looking for the finish and the title victory, Eddy takes one more step up to the top rope…and Nero starts fighting. The Intercontinental Champion is ramming his elbow against Eddy's cheekbone over and over, eventually able to make Eddy release him and blasts Eddy with the Overture Battery! Eddy is knocked for a loop, still standing on the second rope, if barely keeping his balance. After smacking his bad leg to suck the pain up, Nero then nails Eddy with the Punchline and he tumbles hard on the mat, giving Nero another shot to perform an elegant Roulette Spin (Corkscrew Moonsault) from the top rope! This only earns him a raised shoulder by Eddy at two, but in spite of that, this was the difference maker Nero desperately needed. Once he gained a read on his opponent again, Nero began rallying and countering everything Mr. McGee could throw at him. A German Suplex attempt, Nero performs a beautiful Tiger Spin Drop Toe Hold and translates that into a Deadlift German Suplex…rolls back into another…and drills Eddy on his head with the Pumphandle Piledriver, completing the Maximum Bet, which somehow Eddy gets the shoulder up at a near-fall! Later, an Olympic Slam gets halted and reversed into an Arm Drag, then Nero ducks under his Clothesline to take Mr. Eddy down with the Violet Rose (Discus Forearm Smash)!
The Intercontinental Champion was being very careful not to apply too much weight pressure on his leg considering the other moves he had and held his own thus far. However, though Eddy may not seem as brainy as Edd, he remains the shrewd, crafty Ed as he could tell Nero was somewhat holding back because of his leg. Just as Nero was about to send Eddy flying with the High Roller, Eddy again strikes with a chop block at the bad leg and applies the Money Lock once more! However, Nero felt ready to counter that with a Victory Roll modifier attempt…but Eddy still kicks out and stays on the Money Lock! Mr. Eddy is like a pit bull unrelenting on his bite as Nero is screaming in deep agony and reaching for the ropes! Eddy had his victory cinched in as Nero's will was close to cracking…if he didn't say these words…
"YEAH! YEAH, TAP OUT, ROOKIE! TAP OUT LIKE THE DEADWEIGHT YOU REALLY ARE!" Eddy cackles.
To this day, Nero never sat comfortably with the word "deadweight". It was demeaning, patronizing, and outright insulting. With a newfound fire in his eyes, Eddy suddenly finds himself flung forward shoulder-first straight into the ring post! As Eddy is recovering from that, Nero is on his feet with violent intentions burning through his soul as he eagerly awaits Eddy to turn around from the corner…and when he did, Nero goes for the Jackpot (Superkick), but Nero falls with the bad leg having taken too much to keep him standing. Eddy derides Nero's condition that this is best he can offer in question. Confident that the end is quite near for his time to shine in the spotlight once again and as the new Intercontinental Champion, Eddy hits the ropes for running momentum to go for the Sucker Charge (Jumping Reverse STO)…
…
…but Nero catches him midway! Nero glares at him dead in the eye as he carries him horizontally and threatens him to never call Nero "deadweight" ever again, then has him set up for the coup de grâce in spite of Eddy's struggles with his Small Package Driver—the Devil Buster! And with that finish, Nero has successfully put away Mr. Eddy McGee with a pinfall triumph and championship retention!
In the end, the victor outsmarted the challenger as he now stands with a limp and the belt in hand. For weeks, after dealing with the Eds' antics, Eddy especially, Nero can put this to rest behind him with bigger opportunities ahead of him with fresh challengers. But that isn't to say he didn't respect Eddy for doing and trying his damnedest to take the title off him. In true Eddy fashion, Mr. McGee brushes it off as he tells Nero that he got lucky this time, but one day soon, he'll be swimming in more moolah with that very belt in his hands, cackling maniacally as Ed carries him off to the back with dimwitted smile and Double D more so deadpanning to his friend's delusional state.
Nero blinks at Eddy's response and shrugs, still satisfied with the match and the win. Asking for a microphone, Mike passes it to him as fans were getting a bit excited to see what he had to say.
"…So, what do you guys wanna talk about real quick before we get off the air?~" Nero grins as fans cheer to his voice. "Hey, since we still have a few minutes before we fade to black, I'm taking advantage of my mic time! Throughout this entire month of December, I've been busting my ass defending the stepping stone of this company against not one, not two, but three of the greatest legends to set foot in this ring! If I'm honest, hard to pick a favorite from my experience! […] But to be honest? I think what I performed here…is but barely scratching the surface~ Oh yeah, we're just getting started, baby! And I don't plan on stopping anytime soon! It may be Christmas from we're in, but I'm getting this New Year's resolution out of the way—my plan is to remain the Intercontinental Champion one year from now!" Nero then leans on the ropes with his eyes towards the stage with a cocky grin. "And if anybody has the balls to step up to meet and face me for my belt, BE MY GUEST! I'M JUST GETTING STARTED! GIMME WHOEVER YOU GOT, OLD MAN ALVAREZ! 'Cause whoever's bringing the marshmallows better be ready for me to bring the fire!"
Statement made that more than likely will echo throughout the locker room as "Devil Trigger" resonances in the arena for Nero to continue his celebration with the cheering audience. The last shot of night one's Nightmare Before Christmas was The Lone Devil Hunter posing with one foot each on the second and top rope respectively and raising his APEX Intercontinental Championship high before the show faded to black and ended.
Results for APEX The Nightmare Before Christmas – Night 1:
Lumberjack Match – iGeneration [c] (with Freddy Benson) def. The Jeweled Felines via pinfall to retain the APEX Women's Tag Team Championships
Tommy Oliver def. Ryan Mitchell via pinfall
Jason Krueger (with Cecil Stedman) def. Rin Okumura via pinfall
Mixed Trios Match – Apocalypse Academy (Takashi Komuro, Kohta Hirano, and Saeko Busujima) def. Smosh (Ian Hecox, Anthony Padilla, and "Atomic" Mari Takahashi) via submission
Extreme Rules Match – Alpha & Omega def. Altered Egos via pinfall
Satsuki Kiryūin [c] def. Rei Miyamoto via technical submission to retain the APEX World Women's Championship
MAIN EVENT – Nero [c] def. Mr. Eddy McGee (with Ed and Double D) via pinfall to retain the APEX Intercontinental Championship
Hey, how you doing? Hope you're doing well!
Night 1 is DONE, and it's only been a few weeks since I last updated. It's a month-late Christmas miracle!~
Expect NBC's Night 2 to come soon in another matter of weeks, hopefully, because we are still just getting started with this event.
Appreciate y'all for reading.
Until next time, adios~