BTWF Intensity (January Week 4)
The camera panned to the backstage area, where Izuku Midoriya was walking down the hallway with a determined look on his face. Before he could get to the gym, Scott Stanford walked over to Midoriya and patted him on the shoulder.
"Excuse me, Midoriya. You're not booked for the show tonight, and after losing the BTWF Hardcore Championship in a brutal Falls Count Anywhere match last week. So, I want to know what you're doing here," Scott asked as Midoriya turned to face him. Midoriya took a couple of deep breaths and sighed before responding, putting the microphone closer to his mouth.
"Well, you're right; I wasn't booked on the show. But, I did ask Sunny and Overhaul for some interview time so that I can get my thoughts on this whole thing out there," Midoriya explained as Scott nodded. However, before Scott could say anything else, BTWF Tag Team Champions Pete Corvus and Kite came up with Tsubaki behind them, showing off their BTWF Tag Team Championship belts.
"Listen loser, Bakugo isn't at the show tonight. He and several other members of the NWO are training at a gym I recommended to them here in New York," Corvus explained as Midoriya raised an eyebrow before smirking at the group.
"Oh, that's fantastic, because now I can get a word out without Bakugo opening up his sewer of a mouth. But if I were you two, I'd worry more about Mirio and Hitman coming after your titles," Midoriya countered. Corvus, Kite, and Tsubaki looked at each other and then started laughing while looking down at their BTWF Tag Team Championship belts.
"You really think we're worried about those two? Mirio may have beaten Corvus some weeks ago, but that's only one match, and not even a tag team match. At the Battle Riot, we're going to take Mirio and his wannabe vendor friend," Kite responded. However, Scott backed away as Mirio Togata and 'Ace' Hitman Jones, who was carrying a box full of Power of Flight merchandise. Kite and Corvus looked at them with a raised eyebrow, and Hitman threw the box in Corvus and Kite's faces, allowing him and Mirio to start brawling with the two.
"You guys really should watch what you say. You never know who's going to show up," Midoriya explained. Mercury Black then walked up to Midoriya, smirking at him as he looks around his chest and back.
"Man, I almost didn't recognize you without the BTWF Hardcore Championship. But you know, it looks a lot better on Jellal anyway. You're lucky that he's with Bakugo, training for the Battle Riot, or else he'd embarrass you again tonight," Mercury gloated. Midoriya chuckled while pinching the bridge of his nose while Hitman, Ace, Corvus, and Kite brawled away from Midoriya and Mercury, with Tsubaki chasing after them while yelling for security. Midoriya picked up one of Ace's homemade 'Power of Flight' shirts and threw one in Mercury's hands.
"You might as well take one of those now because once Mirio and Ace beat your boys for the BTWF Tag Team titles, those shirts are going to cost an arm and a leg," Midoriya said before turning around and heading to the locker room. Mercury looked down at the shirt and threw it onto the floor before walking away, mumbling that he had business to deal with later tonight and didn't need this. The camera then panned to the stage, where 'Fight' by Oleander played as pyro went off to the stage with the crowd chanting 'BTWF!' The camera then panned to the announce team after panning around to the cheering fans.
"Welcome to another exciting episode of BTWF Intensity, ladies and gentlemen! From New York City, New York, the home of our BTWF United States Champion, 'Amazing' Luna Collins, I'm Matt Striker alongside Kotoko Iwanaga and Bob Belcher, and we're on the final stop before the Battle Riot!" Striker exclaimed as the crowd continued cheering while the camera panned to Kotoko and Bob waving to the fans at home.
"That's right, Matt, and speaking of 'Amazing' Luna Collins, she's going to be in our main event tonight defending the BTWF Women's Championship against Homura Momiji in what promises to be a fantastic match," Kotoko explained as the Miz's 'Reality' theme song played, causing the crowd to boo as Juniper Lee came out with copies of her pamphlets full of June Facts. The crowd continued booing as June tried to give fans her pamphlets, but some of those fans threw the pamphlets back at her, causing June to glare back at the crowd.
"And speaking of the BTWF Women's Championship, we're going to determine the #1 contender for the championship at the Battle Riot PPV right now!" Bob exclaimed as June picked up some of her fallen pamphlets, and attempted to give them to some kids in the front row, but one of the kids grabbed them and threw them right into June's chest. June called the kid a 'stupid little brat' before continuing her way to the ring as the crowd continued to shower her with jeers.
"The following contest is a Fatal-4-Way match scheduled for one fall! Approaching the ring first, from Orchid Bay California, Juniper Lee!" Tony Chimel announced as Juniper Lee walked to the ringside area, put her pamphlets on the ring apron, and then walked up the steel steps before leaning on the ropes. June glared at the crowd before jumping into the ring and leaning into the corner, telling the fans that they were looking at the next BTWF Women's Champion as she waited for her next opponent.
"Juniper has had success against Rally Vincent in the past months, and has also been a multiple-time Women's Champion in the CWF," Striker explained as 'Immortals' by Fall Out Boy played. The crowd cheered as Sue ran out of the back, stopped right at the entranceway, cocked her fist, and then punched the floor. The crowd continued cheering as Sue got back to her feet, cracked her knuckles, and started walking down the entrance ramp with a determined smile on her face.
"And introducing her opponents, first, from Magnolia Fiore, Sue!" Tony Chimel announced as the crowd continued cheering while Sue hi-fived fans in the front row on his way to the ring. June looked unbothered as Sue continued her way to the ring, telling the fans that she was going to become the new Women's Champion. Sue continued hi-fiving fans as she walked to the ringside area, and went to the corner of the fan barricade before going in front of the steel steps. While June continued looking on with disinterest, Sue pounded on the top of the steel steps a couple of times to fire herself up before running into the ring.
"Sue has exchanged some big wins with Jiro Kyoka over these past several weeks, and she's hoping to do it again in this match. Not only would she get the better of Jiro, but Sue would get an opportunity for the BTWF Women's Championship," Striker explained as Sue went into the ring, and stopped in the middle of the ring. Sue then looked at a still disinterested Juniper, and punched the center of the ring, looking up slowly at the cheering crowd with a smirk on her face while nodding. As Sue got back to her feet, 'This Fire Burns' by Killswitch Engage played, with the crowd continuing to cheer as Rally came running out of the back.
"And their opponent, from Chicago Illinois, she is 'the Second City Shooter' Rally Vincent!" Tony Chimel announced as Rally went onto one knee in the center of the stage, pretended to pump up a shotgun, and then shot the pretend shotgun in the air, which caused pyro to shoot out of the sides of the stage. Rally then jumped back to her feet, looked on at a now pissed-looking Juniper, and put up two fingers, telling her that it was going to be two in a row.
"Rally has finally gotten one-up on Juniper Lee at Christmas Chaos, and looks to turn that momentum into an opportunity for the BTWF Women's Championship," Kotoko explained as Rally walked down the entranceway, and started hi-fiving fans in the front row. Sue nodded at Rally before Juniper turned to the camera, and said that Rally got lucky at Christmas Chaos as Rally ran up the steel steps while the crowd continued cheering her.
"Rally vs. Luna has to be a dream match for the BTWF fanbase, so she has to be a popular choice to win this contenders' match," Bob explained as Rally jumped into the ring from over the top rope. The crowd continued cheering as Rally got on her knees, pretended to pump a shotgun, and shot it into the air, causing pyro to go off from the corner turnbuckles as she went back onto her feet, and told June to watch her back. June rolled her eyes as Rally went into her own corner before the strums of a guitar were heard, causing the crowd to boo as the lights in the arena went down with a spotlight pointed at Jiro.
"Ladies and gentlemen, there are three women in the match, and only one of them actually has any chance of winning this match," Jiro said while pointing at June, who pointed back at her and told Jiro that she was one of the best singers she ever heard. Sue rolled her eyes and called June a kiss-ass before the crowd began chanting 'Shut the Fuck Up!' at Jiro, who simply chuckled at them.
"Shutting up would deprive you of my angelic voice. Anyway, this match is my opportunity to make it to the big time of Madison Square Garden in a one-on-one environment. Don't get me wrong, I could easily win 39 other nobodies in the Battle Riot, but…why waste the energy especially when I have so many concerts lined up?" Jiro asked as the crowd continued booing and continued chanting 'Shut the Fuck Up!' while Rally and Sue told Jiro to come to the ring already so that they can start the match.
"So, in honor of my upcoming accomplishment, I'm going to sing a song just for all of you," Jiro finished before continuing to strum some notes on her guitar. Sue rolled her eyes, turned to the referee, told her to ring the bell before she went outside, and ran to Jiro while she was still distracted by her guitar. The referee told the timekeeper to ring the bell, and by the time the timekeeper did, Sue had grabbed Jiro by the hair, and much to the crowd's delight, started punching her in the side of the head before throwing her to the ground.
"This match is underway, Sue preventing any more stalling from the Queen of Song Style!" Striker exclaimed as in the ring, June attempted to attack Rally from behind, but Rally was able to dodge and throw her into the corner. The crowd continued cheering as Rally hit multiple punches to the side of June's face before Irish whipping her into a diagonal corner, hitting June with a Running Corner Clothesline. Rally then started lighting up June's chest with multiple Knife-Edge Chops.
"Rally taking it to June in the corner in the ring, while Sue is continuing to beat Jiro down on the entranceway!" Bob exclaimed as on the entranceway, Sue mounted Jiro and started hitting her with multiple punches to the side of the face, but Jiro was able to separate herself from Sue by poking her in the eye. The crowd booed as Jiro grabbed Sue by the hair, and hit her with multiple forearms to the face before attempting to throw her into the side of the fan barricade, but Sue was able to put her hands out and keep herself from hitting the actual barricade. Jiro responded to this by kicking Sue in the small of the back, but Sue was still able to turn around and hit Jiro with a punch hard enough to send her falling to one knee.
"Sue with those hands of stone, allowing her to knock Jiro down so that she could recover from that kick to the back!" Kotoko exclaimed as inside the ring, Rally picked June up, attempting to hit her with a Vertical Suplex, but June kneed Rally in the gut a couple of times. The crowd booed as June attempted to throw Rally into the ropes, but Rally was able to counter an attempted Snap Powerslam by June and rolled her up with a Small Package.
Ref: 1…
"June almost immediately kicked out there! And she has a handful of Rally's hair!" Bob exclaimed as June started punching Rally in the face while holding onto her hair, but Rally countered with a couple of punches to the gut. However, June still kept a hand on Rally's hair and started hitting her with a couple of European Uppercuts and attempting to pick her up for a Suplex. Rally was able to counter this attempt at a Suplex into a Jawbreaker before Jiro came running into the ring, and kicking Rally in the side of the head, attempting to roll her up for a pin with a School Girl.
Ref: 1…2
"Jiro almost snuck away with the pin there, but that kick to the head may have been enough to take Rally out of the match for a little bit," Kotoko noted as Jiro grabbed Rally by the hair, and started hitting her with multiple elbow strikes to the top of the head. Jiro attempted to put Rally in the Silencer (Kirifuda Clutch), but Rally headbutted Jiro a couple of times in the head to loosen her grip on the Silencer (Kirifuda Clutch). However, the crowd cheered as Sue started climbing up the top rope, and hit both Jiro and Rally with a Diving Crossbody before pinning both Jiro and Rally down.
Ref: 1…2
"Sue pinning both women down, but Rally was able to push both Jiro and Sue off of her in a remarkable feat of strength," Striker explained as Rally, with a hand wrapped around her abdomen, got back to her feet, grabbed Jiro, and hit her with multiple palm strikes to the side of the head. As Rally pushed Jiro into the corner, Sue came from behind and attempted to roll her up with a School Girl pin, but Rally was able to roll out of it and hit Sue with a kick to the side of the head. The crowd continued cheering as Rally picked Sue up, and attempted to hit her with the AK-47 (G.T.S.), but Sue was able to hit her with multiple back elbows to the side of the head.
"Luna and Homura have to have this match on the back of their mind because any of these 4 amazing athletes can take her championship away tomorrow at the Battle Riot. Sue's showing some resiliency while being in position for the AK-47, showing what Luna or Homura could be in for at the PPV!" Kotoko exclaimed as Sue pushed herself out of the AK-47 (G.T.S.), and attempted to hit Rally with a Jumping Clothesline, but she was able to dodge. However, the crowd booed as Juniper dived off of the top rope, and hit a Flying Clothesline onto both Sue and Rally, sending them down. The crowd continued booing as Juniper ran into the corner and hit a still dazed Jiro with a Running Clothesline.
"June picking her spot, sending a message to how her in-ring IQ can be a threat to Luna's championship reign," Bob noted as Juniper put Jiro in a headlock while she was still in the corner, and ran her out of the corner with a Running Bulldog.
"Or a threat to Homura's title victory that could happen later tonight," Kotoko responded. The crowd continued booing as Juniper pointed to Sue and Rally, calling them losers before pointing at Jiro, and saying that she was cool, but she was going to get beaten. Juniper stomped on Sue's gut multiple times before picking Rally up and throwing her into the steel ring post hard enough to send her falling out of the ring and next to the steel steps.
"Juniper with some force behind that throw, taking Rally completely out of the ring!" Bob exclaimed as June grabbed Sue by the hair, and hit her with multiple punches to the gut before hitting her with a punch to the head that sent Sue staggering into the corner. Jiro got back to her feet and attempted to run at Juniper, but Juniper was able to counter this into a hip toss that sent Jiro crashing into Sue. The crowd continued booing as Juniper jumped onto the middle rope, and hit her with a Tornado DDT before going for the pin.
Ref: 1…2.
"Sue barely kicking out there, but Juniper has done a good job of keeping control of this match in her favor," Striker explained as Juniper hit a Jumping Leg Drop across the throat of Sue. Jiro started standing back up, and Juniper responded by hitting her with a couple of punches to the face, but Jiro was able to grab one of those punches, wring Juniper's arm, and kicking her in the chest multiple times. The crowd continued booing as Jiro hit Juniper with a Gutwrench Suplex before hitting a couple of knee drops to the face. Jiro then noticed Rally coming back onto the apron, and hit her with a Running Harley Race Knee to the side of her head, sending Rally falling back onto the floor.
"And Rally taking a hard fall back onto the floor as she continues to be banned from the ring!" Bob exclaimed as Jiro grabbed Juniper by the hair, and threw her out of the ring as well. Jiro grabbed Sue by the hair and hit her with multiple forearms to the sides of her face before running the ropes and hitting Sue with a Running Harley Race Knee as well. Jiro brushed her hands together before playfully kicking Sue in the side of the head a couple of times, but Sue tried to counter with multiple punches.
"Sue's still fighting back despite being dazed by that running knee strike!" Kotoko exclaimed, but Jiro was quickly able to put a stop to that with a standing kick to the face before going for the pin.
Ref: 1…2.
"Well Jiro ended that quickly with a hard kick to the face, but Sue isn't done yet!" Striker exclaimed as Jiro grabbed both of Sue's arms, and wrapped them around Sue's throat, locking her in a Straight Jacket submission. The crowd booed as Jiro started singing that Sue was going to give up while Sue tried to drag herself to the ropes, but Jiro kicked Sue in the back several times before pulling her back to the center of the ring. After a few more seconds in the hold, Sue tried to get out of this hold with several headbutts to the face, but the crowd went back to booing as Juniper came back into the ring, and hit Sue with a Running Kick to the side of the head.
"Juniper breaking up Jiro's submission by kicking Sue in the face hard enough to push her out of the hold," Kotoko explained as Juniper helped Jiro up, and told her to help her for a Double Suplex. Jiro shrugged before helping Juniper hit Sue with a Double Snap Vertical Suplex, but before the two could celebrate, Rally came up from the top rope and hit a Diving Elbow Drop across Juniper's chest. The crowd continued cheering as Rally was able to dodge Jiro's attempt at a Clothesline, and hit her with an Enziguri to the side of the head. Jiro was staggering on her feet, and Rally responded by knocking her with a Clothesline, sending her spinning in the air.
"Rally coming back into this match, with that Clothesline having the force of all her impatience of getting back into the ring!" Bob exclaimed as when Jiro came back to her feet, Rally hit Jiro in the side of the face with multiple open hand palm strikes before hitting her with a Spin Kick to the gut. Rally then ran the ropes, and hit her with a Running Knee Lift, and then continued running the ropes to hit her with a Running Dropkick to the side of the face, sending her into the corner. Rally then ran the ropes and hit a Jumping Knee Strike onto Jiro's face, and sent her out of the corner with a Bulldog while also hitting Juniper with a Flying Clothesline at the same time.
"Rally taking both Juniper and Jiro down, and the crowd is all into it!" Bob exclaimed as Rally picked June back up, and hit her with a DDT before going for another pin.
Ref: 1…2.
"June kicking out of that DDT, and Rally looks amused rather than frustrated," Kotoko pointed out as Rally, while chuckling, kicked Juniper out of the ring. However, Jiro attempted to grab Rally, and lock her in the Silencer (Kirifuda Clutch), but Rally threw her overhead with a Snapmare. Rally then knocked Jiro down with a Shining Wizard while Jiro was on her knees, causing the crowd to cheer as Rally shot at the crowd with finger guns before picking Jiro up with an AK-47 (G.T.S.). However, while Rally was trying to put Jiro up in the Fireman's Carry, Jiro raked Rally in the eye, jumped down, and put Rally in position for the Sound Off (Gutwrench Powerbomb).
"Jiro is still in this, and she has Rally in position for the Sound Off! Can she finish it here!?" Striker asked as Rally attempted to fight out of the position with a couple of punches to Jiro's side. However, Jiro responded by kneeing Rally in the side of the head several times and hitting her with the Sound Off (Gutwrench Powerbomb) before going for the pinfall, hooking both of her legs back.
Ref: 1…2..
"Jiro has the pin—no! Sue breaks it up with a rough forearm to the nose!" Striker exclaimed as Sue grabbed Jiro by the ears and started headbutting her in the face multiple times before throwing her overhead with a Belly-to-Belly Suplex. The crowd continued cheering as Sue ran at Jiro and hit her with a Jumping Spinning Elbow Drop across the chest, but Jiro was put back in a seated position and Sue hit her with a Sliding Forearm to the side of the head. Juniper attempted to run back into the ring and get a shot in at Sue from behind, but Sue countered this by throwing June back outside of the ring.
"And Jiro goes flying out of the ring, giving Sue a better chance of getting the victory!" Bob exclaimed as Sue picked Jiro up, and attempted to hit her with the Samoan Drop, but Jiro responded with a couple of elbows to the side of the head. While the two of them continued struggling in the corner of the ring, Rally ran at the both of them, hitting a Rolling Wheel Kick onto both Sue and Jiro, sending Sue crashing into the ropes which also caused Jiro to fall out of the ring, with her head hitting the steel ring apron. The crowd continued cheering as Rally ran the ropes and attempted to hit her with another Running Knee Strike to the face, but Sue shot herself out of the corner with a Superwoman Punch, sending Rally falling down to the ground before Sue went into the corner.
"And now Sue is preparing to finish this match off, looking to go for the Spear!" Striker exclaimed as Rally staggered back to her feet while holding the side of her head in pain. The crowd cheered as Sue ran out of the corner and turned Rally inside out with the Spear, causing the crowd to cheer. However, before she could try and pin Rally, Sue was hit from behind with the June Effect (Bobby Fish's Sleeping with the Fishes). The crowd booed as June pushed Rally out of the ring, picked Sue up, and hit her with the Underworld Plunge (Reverse Tombstone Piledriver) before going for the pin, hooking both of her legs back.
Ref: 1…2…3
*Bell Rings*
"Here is your winner, Juniper Lee!" Tony Chimel announced as the crowd continued booing while Juniper rolled out of the ring, and raised her fist up in victory. June started yelling at the crowd that it wasn't even a surprise that she won, and that the Women's title was all hers at the Battle Riot. Jiro looked on from the other side of the ring, not knowing whether to congratulate June for winning the match or be mad that she lost an opportunity at the BTWF Women's Championship in a one-on-one match. Jiro then decided to kick the steel steps in frustration before walking away from the ring after giving it a moment's thought.
"And just like that, Juniper Lee has punched her ticket for a one-on-one match with the Women's Champion at the Battle Riot!" Striker exclaimed as Juniper continued celebrating on the outside while Rally ran a hand through her hair in frustration. Rally got back to her feet and checked on Sue while June kept telling Rally that 'she told her so' and that she was never going to get a title shot once she became champion. Rally responded by telling June she wasn't going to win and that Luna was going to make easy work of her.
"I have a feeling things between Rally and June aren't done yet, given the tension and argument we're hearing," Bob noted as Juniper brushed Rally away while walking to the back.
"I don't think I could've put that together. Thanks for that, Bob," Kotoko quipped sarcastically as June continued gloating about her upcoming title victory as Rally helped Sue back to her feet. The camera then panned to the back, where 'Amazing' Luna Collins was watching the match with her BTWF Women's Championship over her shoulder. As Luna turned the TV off, Melissa Shield came into the locker room with a microphone in hand.
"Luna, we just saw you watching the #1 contenders match, and I have to ask what you think of the winner, Juniper Lee," Melissa asked, as Luna nodded while re-adjusting the BTWF Women's Championship over her shoulder.
"I saw Juniper pick her spots well in that Fatal-4-Way match, and I have to admit she seems like she'll be a very smart competitor in the ring. However, Juniper will not be able to do the things she did in this match when it's only one on one against me. June better spend the next 24 hours preparing herself, because she's going to be in the fight for her life," Luna explained as Melissa nodded before putting the microphone back underneath her mouth.
"Well, that's not the only title match you have this week, as later tonight, you have a main event match against Homura Momiji with your title on the line. And not only that, but we're in front of your hometown audience. How are you feeling about that match?" Melissa asked. Luna nodded before looking up with a smile on her face as she heard the crowd cheering and chanting her name from the locker room.
"Homura is a very good athlete, and she and Kohaku are going to be future stars in the BTWF. Unfortunately for Homura, I am on the role of my career right now, and she is going to have to be at 150% to come close to defeating me for this title," Luna explained before giving another look at the BTWF Women's Championship over her shoulder before Melissa took the microphone back to her.
"Well, I wish you the best of luck this week," Melissa said. Luna nodded her thanks before walking away, before the camera panned back to the ring, where 'MANTRA' by Bring Me the Horizon played, causing the crowd to boo as Mercury Black came walking out of the back with a hood over his head. Mercury then bent down, waited for the first verse of the song to drop, and then took his hood off, which caused the lights in the arena to turn brighter than usual for a second before Mercury looked on at the booing crowd.
"The following contest is scheduled for one fall! Approaching the ring, representing the NWO, from Remnant, Mercury Black!" Tony Chimel announced as the crowd continued booing while Mercury showed off his NWO shirt to the crowd. Mercury showed off with his cocky strut while telling the fans that the NWO was only getting bigger and better, and this upcoming victory here is going to keep the momentum going. Mercury then faked hi-fives with several fans before getting to the ringside area and stretched out his arms with his hands open.
"Mercury looks absolutely elated about the NWO's string of victories and championships recently. He probably believes that this momentum on the NWO's part will bleed into his own matches," Kotoko explained as Mercury made his way up the steel steps, rolling his eyes at the crowd booing him before jumping up to the top turnbuckle. Mercury once again outstretched his arms, with his hands open while he continued telling the crowd that this victory was going to be a walk in the park. Mercury then jumped off of the top rope, rolled to the center of the ring, and once again outstretched his arms with open hands before going into his corner to wait for his opponent to come out. After a moment of waiting, Austin Aries' 'Ambition and Vision' theme song played, causing the crowd to cheer as Edward Elric came out, with the crowd cheering louder as Edward had Gabriel Rise by the collar.
"And his opponent, from Resembool, East State, Amestris, Edward Elric!" Tony Chimel announced as the crowd continued cheering as Rise attempted to run away from Elric, but he couldn't escape Elric's grasp, allowing Elric to continue dragging him to the ring. Elric was able to hi-five the fans while Rise continued trying to escape Elric's grasp. Mercury raised his eyebrow as Elric made it to ringside, grabbed one of the tag ropes from the bottom turnbuckle, and tied Rise's right wrist to the tag rope.
"Well…this is odd. Elric has brought BTWF International Champion Gaara's lawyer, Gabriel Rise to the ring, tying him up to the tag rope of the turnbuckle pads," Kotoko pointed out with a raised eyebrow as Elric rolled into the ring from underneath the bottom rope. The crowd continued cheering as Elric kipped back up to his feet, and smirked at Mercury, who simply smirked back at him, telling Elric to get out of his face.
"Elric seems a lot happier than he has in the past several weeks, and I have a feeling Rise being trapped in the corner has something to do with it," Bob noted as Elric backed away, continuing to smirk at Mercury. The referee checked both men and then told the timekeeper to ring the bell, and once he did, Elric grabbed Mercury by the arm and started wringing his right arm, but the crowd booed as Mercury countered the hold into one of his own. However, Elric was able to counter Mercury's arm wringer, and send him down to the ground with a Hip Toss. The crowd continued cheering as Elric grabbed Mercury's arm, and pushed him down to the mat face first, rubbing his face into the mat.
"Elric and Mercury fighting over for wrist control, with Elric clearly winning here," Striker explained as Elric put an armbar on before turning over to Rise and smirking at him. The crowd booed as Mercury pulled himself back to his feet, but Elric responded with a couple of knee strikes to the gut. The crowd continued cheering as Elric sent Mercury back down with an Arm Drag. Mercury got back to his feet quickly, but when he attempted to run back at Elric, Elric hit him with a couple of right-handed jabs to the side of the face before pushing Mercury into the corner.
"Elric has Mercury in the corner, and all the while, Rise is trying to escape the tag rope!" Bob exclaimed as Elric stomped on Mercury's gut multiple times before running the ropes and hitting a Running Jumping Back Elbow to the side of Mercury's head. The crowd continued cheering as Elric pushed Mercury out of the corner, jumped up to the middle turnbuckle, and hit a Diving Knee to Mercury's back, sending him crashing into the ropes, sending Mercury's head draped over the middle rope. Elric ran the ropes and hit a Leapfrog Body Guillotine to Mercury's back, sending Mercury staggering away from the ropes. Elric then grabbed Mercury and hit him with a Back Suplex before going for the pinfall.
Ref: 1…
"Rise has to be furious seeing what could happen to his client, Gaara, at the Battle Riot," Bob explained as Elric hit a couple of Jumping Knee Drops onto Mercury's face before rolling to the corner of the ring, asking Rise what he thinks. Rise, ignoring the question, yelled at Elric to untie him, but Elric, instead, ignored him and went back to stomping on Mercury. Mercury grabbed Elric's foot from one of the stomps and pushed him away, but when Mercury got back to his feet, Elric attempted to hit him with a Jumping Knee to the face. However, Mercury was once again able to push Elric away and hit him with several forearms to the side of the face.
"Mercury trying to get some control back in this match with some hard forearms!" Kotoko exclaimed as Elric was able to push one of those forearms away, and hit Mercury in the face with a punch so hard that Mercury fell back on his ass. Elric ran the ropes and attempted to hit Mercury with a Running Penalty Kick to the face, but Mercury was able to roll out of the way and onto the apron. The crowd cheered as Elric grabbed Mercury by the hair, and hit him with several punches to the side of the face before jumping onto the middle rope, and hitting Mercury with a Springboard Clothesline onto the apron.
"That was an impressive Springboard Clothesline by Elric, and you can see how hard Mercury's back landed on the apron! Mercury is probably going to be temporarily slowed down because of that," Striker explained as Elric pushed Mercury off of the apron, and jumped off of the top rope to hit a Jumping Splash off of the ring apron and onto Mercury's chest. Rise yelled at Elric from the other side of the ring, telling him he wasn't going to be able to do this to Gaara at the Battle Riot. Elric responded by flipping Rise off before picking Mercury up and throwing him into the fan barricade.
Ref: 1…2…3
"Elric continuing to dominate, and it is really irritating Rise, with how he's pulling on his own hair with his free hand," Kotoko pointed out as Elric grabbed Mercury by the hair, and started hitting him with multiple punches to the side of the head. However, Mercury raked Elric in the eye, grabbed him by the hair, and threw him into the steel ring post, causing everyone in the arena to boo, except for Rise, who was smiling for the first time since he was brought out to the ring. Mercury flicked some sweat from his hair onto Elric and started stomping on Elric's head, before hitting a Jumping Stomp onto Elric's chest.
Ref: …4…5…6
"Mercury finally gaining the advantage here, and Rise is loving it from the corner of the other side of the ring," Bob narrated as Mercury picked Elric up, and hit him with multiple knees to the gut before throwing him into the fan barricade back first. Mercury stretched his back before grabbing Elric by the hair and throwing him back into the ring. The crowd continued booing as Mercury jumped up onto the apron, and hit a Springboard 450 onto Elric's chest before going for a pinfall, hooking both of Elric's legs back.
Ref: 1…2.
"Mercury getting a close two count there with that beautiful Springboard 450 Splash!" Striker exclaimed as Mercury grabbed Elric by the ear, and threw his face into the top turnbuckle before turning Mercury around. The crowd continued booing as Mercury hit multiple stomps to Elric's chest before running the ropes and hitting a Jumping Corner Clothesline onto Elric's chest. Elric stayed in the corner, and Mercury responded by running the ropes and hitting a Jumping Forearm to Elric's face before throwing him out of the corner.
"Mercury dominating Elric in the corner, and you can hear Rise being the only person in this audience cheering Mercury on," Kotoko noted as Mercury kicked Elric's leg out from under his leg, sending him crashing down in front of the bottom turnbuckle while in a seated position. Mercury playfully kicked Elric's face a couple of times before he started choking Elric with his boot until the referee pulled Mercury out of the corner. The crowd continued booing as Mercury ran the ropes, and hit a Hesitation Dropkick to the side of Elric's head before dragging him out of the corner and going for the pin.
Ref: 1…2.
"Elric looks dazed after that Running Dropkick to the face, but this only makes it easier for Mercury to get his hands on Elric," Bob explained as Mercury ran the ropes and hit a Jumping Knee Drop onto Elric's chest before picking Elric up, and hitting him with the Phenomenal Blitz. However, when Mercury attempted to hit a Pele Kick to finish the Blitz, Elric was able to dodge, and when Mercury attempted to pull himself back up to his feet, the crowd began cheering as Elric hit Mercury in the side of the face with several punches. However, the crowd booed as Mercury grabbed the front of Elric's tights, and threw him into the ropes, sending Elric's throat crashing into the middle rope.
"That is some very nice ring smarts by Mercury, using the ropes to make sure that he maintains control," Striker explained as Mercury picked Elric up in an Argentine Backbreaker position, and hit him with an Argentine Neckbreaker before going for another pin, once again hooking both legs back.
Ref: 1…2..
"Elric kicks out of the Argentine Neckbreaker, showing Rise the resiliency that Gaara is in for at the Battle Riot," Kotoko explained as Mercury looked shocked at the two count before stomping on Elric's face a couple of times. Mercury then walked to the corner, climbed up to the top turnbuckle, and attempted to dive off with the Spiral Tap. However, the crowd cheered as Elric raised his knees up, sending Mercury crashing back first into Elric's knees and jumping to the side. Elric tried to start pulling himself back to his feet as Rise yelled at Mercury to get back to his feet before Elric went into the corner to get his breath back.
"Elric is finally able to get some reprieve as Mercury recovers from the missed Spiral Tap!" Bob exclaimed as Mercury got back to his feet and attempted to hit a Running Dropkick into the corner, but Elric was able to dodge, causing the crowd to cheer as Mercury gets sent into a Tree of Woe position. The crowd cheered as Elric stomped on Mercury's gut before running the ropes and hitting him with a Running Knee Strike to the chest. Elric then grabbed Mercury and put him on the top rope with his back facing the ring, causing the crowd to cheer louder as Elric jumped up to the middle rope, and hit Mercury with a Back Suplex from the top rope before bridging into a pin.
Ref: 1…2..
"Now THAT is what you call a comeback!" Bob exclaimed as after a moment on the ground, Elric kipped back to his feet, causing the crowd to cheer louder as Elric picked Mercury up, playfully slapped him in the face a couple of times, and then ran the ropes before knocking him down with two Clotheslines. When Mercury staggered back to his feet, Elric hits a Running Jump Kick to Mercury's chest before grabbing him by the back of the head and hitting him with a Lifting Reverse DDT. The crowd continued cheering as Elric ran the ropes, and springboarded off of the middle rope to hit Mercury with a Springboard Twisting Body Splash.
"Elric is firing on all cylinders, hitting Mercury with a fantastic Springboard Twisting Body Splash!" Striker exclaimed as Elric picked Mercury up, and hit him with multiple punches to the face before pushing him back into the corner. Elric ran the ropes and hit a Running Corner Big Boot to the side of Mercury's face before putting him back on the top rope. Elric climbed up to meet Mercury and attempted to hit him with a punch, but Mercury responded with a poke to the eye before attempting to hit Elric with a Sunset Flip Powerbomb.
"Mercury may have turned this match around!" Bob exclaimed as the crowd cheered as Elric countered the Sunset Flip Powerbomb into a Hurricanrana. Mercury attempted to get back to his feet, but Elric jumped up to the middle rope and hit a Diving Elbow Drop to the back of Mercury's neck before going for another pin.
Ref: 1…2..
"Elric with the impressive counter, allowing him to put Mercury back down!" Kotoko exclaimed as Elric picked Mercury up by the arm, and attempted to hit him with the Ripcord Knee Strike, but Mercury was able to dodge the knee and hit Elric with a Pele Kick. The crowd booed as Mercury gave Rise a thumbs-up before hitting Elric with an Ushigaroshi. Mercury then slapped Elric in the face before going onto the ring apron and moved his elbow pad away while waiting for Elric to get back to his feet.
"Mercury looks to finish this match with the Phenomenal Forearm!" Kotoko exclaimed as when Elric got back to his feet, Mercury springboarded into the ring with the Phenomenal Forearm, but Elric was able to counter with a Jumping Knee Strike to the face. The crowd continued cheering as Elric grabbed Mercury by the arm before he could fall, and hit Mercury with the Ripcord Knee Strike. The crowd cheered loudly as Elric climbed up to the top rope, winked at Rise, and hit Mercury with the Phoenix Splash before going for the pin, hooking both of Elric's legs back.
Ref: 1…2…3
*Bell Rings*
"Here is your winner, Edward Elric!" Tony Chimel announced as rather than celebrate with the referee, Elric rolled out of the ring, grabbed Rise, untied him from the tag rope from the bottom turnbuckle, and threw him back into the ring. Before Rise could escape, Elric rolled back into the ring and pushed his foot into the back of Rise's leg. Elric then asked Tony to throw his microphone into the ring, which Tony obliges to, and is surprisingly able to throw it close enough for Elric to bend over and grab the microphone.
"Good throw Tony! Now, all of you may be wondering why I have this slime ball here with me. Well, the reason is twofold; one is that I want Gabriel Rise Esq. here to see live and in living color what I'm going to do to his pussy of a client!" Elric exclaimed, causing the crowd to cheer as Rise yelled at Elric to let him go. Elric then knelt down and slapped Rise in the back of the head hard a couple of times before continuing his promo.
"Secondly, I realized that if I can't attack Gaara, I can just let out some of that annoyance and anger on you. And don't worry, I'll have plenty for Gaara at the Battle Riot, think of this as a little preview," Elric said before dropping the microphone, and mounting Rise with multiple punches to the side of Rise's face. The crowd continued cheering as Elric kicked Rise in the side of the head before going up to the top rope, and hitting Rise with another Phoenix Splash as Mercury rolled out of the ring, and held his chest in pain. Elric then picked the microphone back up and turned his attention to the stage and entranceway.
"Gaara, your restraining order is almost over, and once it is, not only will I take your BTWF International Championship, but I'm going to take your dignity as well like you tried to take mine at Trouble in Tokyo!" Elric exclaimed. Just then, Damian Priest's 'Nightmare' theme song played, causing the crowd to boo as Gaara walked out of the back with his trademark sunglasses, leather vest, and the BTWF International Championship over his shoulders. Gaara smirked at Elric as he stopped at the stage, took a microphone out of his pocket, and lifted it towards his mouth.
"Listen Shorty, if you think any of your little speech or you attacking my lawyer scares me, then you must have forgotten who you're talking to. See, the only reason I got a restraining order against you was so that I could go around and not get attacked by some jealous turd with a Napoleon Complex," Gaara explained as Elric glared at Gaara and told him to come into the ring if he wasn't scared of him.
"Listen Shorty, I have plenty of plans of what I'm going to do to you at the Battle Riot, and I don't think that these losers here deserve to see my plan. And the idiots watching at home need to pay to see what I do to you. So you know what? I want you to feel good, feel like you're on top of the world because, at the Battle Riot, I'm going to send you falling back down to the bottom where you belong!" Gaara exclaimed as Elric's glare turned into a smirk as he looked down at Rise, coughing and writhing in pain, before beginning to talk again.
"Gaara, you know the old saying, right? The bigger they are, the harder they fall. And if you think the fall I'm gonna go on is hard, then you're going to fall straight through the ground," Elric explained before dropping the microphone, running up to the top rope, and raising his arms in the air as Gaara pointed to his championship and told the BTWF fans that Elric was going to fail again before walking away. The camera then panned to the backstage area as Elric told the fans that they were looking at the new BTWF International Champion. The camera panned to Yang Xiao Long sitting by herself in the locker room before Chika Fujiwara came walking in with a microphone in her hand.
"Hello Yang, I was hoping to get a word from you. I noticed that you're all alone in this room without your Team RWBY teammates," Chika explained as she sat down next to Yang, who was simply looking down with her arms folded over her legs.
"I asked them to give me some time alone to think about the Conglomerate's offer," Yang explained as Chika nodded.
"Did the beating the Conglomerate give you last week affect your decision-making process?" Chika asked as Yang looked up at Chika.
"Well…kind of. See, I found out from a couple of the Lumberjills last week that Lucy had paid some of them off to help attack me and Team RWBY. And you know how vengeful Lucy can be, so I know that she's going to have more beatings like this lined up. I'm not scared of these beatings don't get me wrong, and I'm not scared of the Conglomerate either, but…if I want a successful career in the BTWF, I'm going to have to have the best allies by my side," Yang explained as Chika nodded before taking the microphone back.
"I know you're not due to give your answer yet, but do you have any side you're leaning more towards?" Chika asked. Yang looked at Chika with a raised eyebrow for a moment before shaking her head and putting it back down.
"I'm still thinking," Yang mumbled vaguely before Chika nodded. Realizing that Yang wasn't in the mood to answer more questions, Chika decided to get up and leave, giving Yang some more alone time to think about this major career decision before the camera panned to a commercial break.
*Commercial Break*
*Commercial Over*
The camera panned to the backstage area, where Gaara was pulling Victor Calavera by the collar of his shirt and throwing him into the backstage interview area. Gabriel Rise followed Gaara to the interview area, holding his chest in pain while in his free hand he had a stack of papers.
"Woah! What's going on!?" Victor asked looking like he was staring at an oncoming truck as Gaara glared at him.
"I'll tell you what's going on you little twerp; during the commercial break, my lawyer here added another stipulation to my International Championship match at the Battle Riot," Gaara explained as Rise came walking in front of Gaara, glared at Victor, and pulled a paper out of his folder.
"Elric thought he was so funny with his assault on me. He's lucky I didn't file an injunction against him, but I got something that I can take comfort in; the fact that thanks to this stipulation I worked up, Elric will NEVER get an International Championship match when he loses to Gaara!" Rise exclaimed, practically shoving the paper into Victor's face. Victor looked shocked at the paper as Gaara's smirk grew while he looked at the BTWF International Championship slung over his shoulder.
"If Elric doesn't think his Little Man Syndrome is enough, the fact he's never going to have a chance at the championship he signed to this company for should REALLY drive him over the edge," Gaara explained. Gaara then smirked, patted Victor on the back roughly, and then left with Rise following him, mumbling about how he can't wait to see what Gaara does to Edward Elric. The camera then panned to the stage, where 'Just Don't Care Anymore' by American Fangs played, causing the crowd to boo as Floch came walking out of the back with a dress shirt over his back.
"The following contest is scheduled for one fall! Approaching the ring, from Wall Rose on Paradis Island, Floch Forster!" Tony Chimel announced as Floch smirked at the crowd before throwing the dress shirt on his back over his back, raising both of his fists with his pointer fingers up. The crowd continued booing as Floch started walking down the entranceway, continuing to smirk at the jeering crowd while he told the camera that he was going to expose Connie more than he already had in the ring tonight.
"Over these past few weeks, Floch Forster has been harassing fellow wrestler Connie Springer, claiming that he's trying to 'expose Connie for who he really was'," Striker explained as Floch chuckled at a couple of fans in the front row showing him their downcast thumbs. Once Floch made it to the ringside area, Floch ran his hands through his red hair before walking to the steel steps. Floch patted the top of the steel steps before running to the top, running across the apron and looking back at the booing crowd with a smirk on his face.
"I don't know what Floch means by that, but all I've seen him do is make Connie angry with the disrespect he's given Connie," Kotoko responded as Floch went into the ring, walked to the center of the ring, and raised his fist up, showing his pointer and middle fingers crossed together. The crowd continued booing as Floch said once again that he was going to show the world who Connie Springer really was. The crowd's boos turned to cheers as Enzo Amore's 'SAWFT as a Sin' played and Connie Springer ran out of the back with a microphone in his hand.
"And his opponent, from Ragako in Wall Rose on Paradis Island, Connie Springer!" Tony Chimel announced as the crowd continued cheering as Connie continued running to the ring. Connie, however, wasn't as happy as he usually was, and his eyes were focused solely on Floch in the ring. In fact, Connie didn't bring the microphone close to his mouth while he continued making his way to the ring, maintaining all of his focus on Floch, with Floch just rolling his eyes at Connie's anger.
"It's shocking to see how focused Connie is right now. Usually, Connie likes to give some speeches and give the fans some good times with his spiels. But Floch seems to be pushing all the right buttons," Kotoko explained as Connie rolled into the ring with his microphone in his hand. The crowd continued cheering as Connie walked over to Floch, who continued smirking at him, mocking Connie for not going on one of his usual spiels. Connie brought up the microphone and it looked as though he was going to have a spiel, but the crowd cheered as Connie hit Floch in the face with the microphone.
"Connie starting this match off with a hard shot to the microphone!" Bob exclaimed as Connie told the referee to start the match. The referee responded by telling the timekeeper to ring the bell, allowing Connie to grab a still dazed Floch by the hair, throwing him into the corner, and hitting him with multiple punches to the face. The crowd continued cheering as Connie ran the ropes and hit a Jumping Corner Clothesline before continuing to rain down punches to the side and back of Floch's face before the referee pulled Connie out of the corner.
"Connie punching Floch over and over, so you can't be surprised if Floch isn't seeing stars right now," Bob explained as Connie went back into the corner, and started stomping on Floch's gut before grabbing his chin, and telling Floch to talk shit now. The crowd continued cheering as Connie leveled Floch with a punch to the side of the head, sending him falling face first onto the floor. Connie then ran the ropes and hit a Running Basement Dropkick to the side of the face before kipping back up to his feet, and stomping on his chest multiple times before the referee once again pulled him off of Floch.
"Floch hasn't been able to get a single shot in this match, showing why that mind games like the ones Floch has been doing with Connie can sometimes lead to disastrous results!" Striker exclaimed as Connie got away from the referee, picked Floch back to his feet, and hit him with multiple punches to the face before running the ropes, and hitting Floch with a Flying Headscissors. As Floch is trying to get back to his feet once again, Connie ran the ropes, springboarded off of the middle rope, and hit a Springboard Clothesline onto Floch before going for the pin for the first time in the match.
Ref: 1…2
"But this could also lead to a problem for Connie, as he has been pulled away from Floch by the referee a couple of times, and you have to think that Connie could give Floch one too many stomps when he's near the ropes," Kotoko further explained as Connie grabbed Floch by the hair, but the crowd booed as Floch poked Connie in the eye. Floch walked away to take a breath but then attempted to hit a Clothesline onto Connie, but Connie responded with a Side Kick to the gut of Floch.
"That was a nice counter by Connie! I think a couple of hours ago, Floch would've lost his lunch thanks to that kick!" Bob exclaimed as Connie ran the ropes and attempted a Running One-Armed Bulldog. However, Floch pushed Connie away, but Connie was able to land on his feet, and when Floch attempted to hit him with a Clothesline to the back of the head, Connie pushed the bottom rope down, causing Floch to throw himself out of the ring. The crowd continued cheering as Connie jumped up onto the ring apron, and gave a small smirk to the cheering audience.
"Connie sending Floch shooting out of the ring like a cannonball! Floch landed on the mat hard!" Striker exclaimed as when Floch staggered back to his feet, Connie springboarded off of the middle rope and hit him with an Asai Moonsault. The crowd continued cheering as Connie picked Floch up, pushed him into the fan barricade, and hit him with multiple Knife-Edge Chops to the chest. The crowd continued cheering as Connie hit multiple punches to the side of Floch's head before giving a hi-five to a couple of the fans in the front row.
Ref: 1…2…3
"Connie has been dominating this match, possibly proving Floch wrong about whatever he was talking about earlier," Kotoko explained as Connie went back onto the apron, and attempted to jump off with another Moonsault, but Floch was able to move out of the way. Connie was able to stop himself from landing on the fan barricade, but Floch was able to send Connie's back crashing into the fan barricade with a Russian Legsweep. The crowd began booing as Floch shook his head to get the cobwebs out.
Ref: …4…5
"Floch finally gets an advantage in this match, sending Connie's back into the fan barricade!" Bob exclaimed as Floch told the crowd that he was just getting warmed up as Floch started hitting Connie in the side of the face with multiple forearms. The crowd continued booing as Floch threw Connie back first into the steel ring apron, with Floch pulling Connie by the hair and telling him that Floch knew what the real him was like before throwing Connie face first into the steel ring post. Floch then put Connie in a Bearhug position and pushed him into the steel ring post back first multiple times.
Ref: …6…7…8
Floch rolled Connie back into the ring, telling the referee to shut up before rolling into the ring after him. The crowd continued booing as Floch stomped on Connie's chest and gut multiple times before hitting multiple standing Elbow Drops to Connie's chest. Floch then kicked Connie in the side hard enough to send Connie onto his stomach, allowing Floch to hit Connie multiple times with more Elbow Drops to the small of Connie's back before running the ropes and hitting a Jumping Stomp to Connie's back.
"Floch is in control, and he's now targeting Connie's back. This is good for keeping Connie grounded," Striker explained as Floch picked Connie up, put him in a Pumphandle position, and hit him with a Pumphandle Backbreaker. The crowd continued booing as Floch kept Connie in a Pumphandle hold, and then hit him with a Pumphandle Slam before going for the pin, hooking both of his legs back.
Ref: 1…2..
"That was some impressive strength with the Pumphandle combination!" Kotoko exclaimed as Floch hit a stomp to the chest of Connie before telling the crowd that Connie was nothing but a loser. Floch then continued telling the fans that Connie was just a weak little man who ran his mouth way too much before hitting him with a Jumping Fist Drop across the top of Connie's forehead. Floch then mounted Connie and punched him multiple times in the side of the head before getting back to his feet with a handful of Connie's ear in his right hand.
"Floch showcasing some aggression of his own here, possibly paying Connie back for the multiple sets of punches to the face from earlier in the match!" Striker exclaimed as Floch slapped Connie in the face hard. The crowd cheered as Connie grabbed Floch by the hair and attempted to hit him as payback for the slap, but Floch responded by stomping on Connie's chest and face before grabbing one of Connie's arms and rolling him up with a Magistral Cradle.
Ref: 1…2.
"Floch almost stealing the pin there, but Connie isn't going to give this one up without a fight!" Bob exclaimed as Floch grabbed Connie and pushed him into the corner. Floch ran into the corner and hit him with a Jumping Corner Forearm to the side of Connie's head. The crowd continued booing as Floch hit Connie with more forearms to the side of the head before the referee pulled Floch out of the corner. Floch then went back into the corner to put Connie on the top turnbuckle and started punching him in the side of the head.
"Floch has something big planned from the top turnbuckle, and Connie looks too dazed to counter!" Bob exclaimed as Floch started climbing up to the middle rope, and attempted to put Connie in position for the Superplex. However, Connie started punching Floch in the side of the face, causing the crowd to cheer as Connie slammed Floch's face into the middle turnbuckle a couple of times before pushing him off. The crowd continued to cheer as Connie dived off of the top rope, attempting to hit a Crossbody, but the crowd's cheers quickly turned to boos as Floch caught Connie and hit him with a quick Fallaway Slam.
"What a counter by Floch! Floch instantly turned that Crossbody into a ferocious Fallaway Slam!" Kotoko exclaimed as Floch picked Connie back up, and hit him with an Inverted Gutwrench Suplex before rolling him up for a pin.
Ref: 1…2..
"Floch showing his technical powerhouse style, which is uncommon for plenty of Cruiserweights in the division," Striker explained as Floch picked Connie up, and started hitting him with multiple punches to the face and chest before taking him down with a Scoop Slam. The crowd continued booing as Floch grabbed both of Connie's arms, and locked him in the middle of the ring with a Grounded Abdominal Stretch. Floch then ground the knuckles of his fist into the side of Connie's chest, yelling at Connie to show the world that he was nothing but a quitter with a big mouth.
"Floch, for the entire duration of this match, has been saying that Connie's more of a big mouth than a worthy title contender. And Floch is trying to prove that by making Connie tap out with the Seated Abdominal Stretch, which is also stretching his back!" Kotoko exclaimed as Connie attempted to roll out of the hold, but Floch responded by punching Connie in the side of the face multiple times and locking him back in the Seated Abdominal Stretch. The crowd continued booing as Connie tried to get back onto his feet, and Floch responded with several knees to the chest before locking him in a Standing Abdominal Stretch.
"Floch continuing his attack on Connie's chest and back, and this may be the end of the match right here," Bob explained as Connie started punching Floch in the face, causing the crowd to cheer as Connie was able to push Floch away, but Floch was able to hit Connie with a massive Lariat that sent him back down. The crowd continued booing as Floch, uncharacteristically, started climbing up to the top rope. Floch balanced himself on the top turnbuckle and attempted to hit a Diving Body Splash onto Connie, but the crowd went back to cheering as Connie raised his feet up, causing Floch to crash into Connie's feet face first. Floch staggered into the corner while holding his face in pain as Connie tried to pull himself back up to his feet.
"Connie is finally able to get Floch off of him thanks to some quick thinking!" Kotoko exclaimed as Connie got back up to his feet, and Floch attempted to run out of the corner with another Lariat. However, Connie was able to grab Floch in an arm wrench and hit him with a Riott Kick to Floch's face that had enough force to almost send him out of the ring. But Connie kept Floch in the ring and knocked him on his back with a Dropkick right to the side of Floch's face. The crowd continued cheering as Connie ran around the ring to fire himself up, seemingly trying his best to ignore the pain in his back.
"Connie, running on pure adrenaline, is pumping himself up now that momentum is back on his side!" Striker exclaimed as Floch came back to his feet, and Connie responded by running the ropes, and hitting Floch with two Clotheslines before taking Floch back down with a Headscissors that sent him crashing into the middle corner turnbuckle. The crowd continued cheering as Connie ran the ropes and hit a Jumping Cannonball to a barely standing Floch before Connie got on his feet, put Floch in a Front Facelock before hitting him with a Tornado DDT.
"And Connie with the Tornado DDT! You can see there that the top of Floch's head got a small cut on it!" Kotoko exclaimed as Floch tried to roll away, but Connie springboarded off of the middle rope and hit Floch with a Springboard Double Foot Stomp to his back. The crowd continued cheering as Connie went up to the top rope, and waited for Floch to get back to his feet. When Floch did, Connie attempted to hit the Diving DDT, but Floch was able to counter with a Northern Lights Suplex, bridging into a pin.
Ref: 1…2..
"Floch with another surprising counter to one of Connie's top-rope maneuvers!" Bob exclaimed as Floch looked shocked that Connie kicked out. Floch then picked Connie up and attempted to hit him with the Ripcord Lariat, but Connie was able to duck the Ripcord Lariat and counter it into an Inverted Stomp Facebreaker. The crowd continued cheering as Connie prevented Floch from falling, and sent him crashing down to the mat with a Michinoku Driver. Connie then ran the ropes and springboarded off of the top rope to hit a Springboard Moonsault across Floch's chest.
"Connie with a spectacular moonsault onto Floch, and he looks to be going back to the top for the Diving DDT!" Kotoko exclaimed as Connie climbed up to the top rope while holding his back, due to some of the adrenaline leaving Connie's system. Connie made it to the top turnbuckle and balanced himself on the top turnbuckle, and by this point, Floch had gotten back to his feet. However, before Connie could dive off the top turnbuckle for the Diving DDT, Floch pushed the referee into the ropes, sending Connie crashing down onto the top turnbuckle crotch first.
"Floch using the referee to take Connie out, and just like that, the rest of the adrenaline has left Connie's system!" Striker exclaimed as Floch climbed up to the middle turnbuckle, put Connie in a Front Facelock, and hit Connie with an Implant DDT from the top rope to the ground.
"Well, consciousness may have left Connie's system after that DDT from the top rope!" Bob exclaimed before Floch grabbed both of Connie's arms, and locked him in the Scum of the Earth Armbar (Rolling Omoplata Armlock). Connie was not responsive to the referee, and when the referee tried several times to get Connie to respond, the referee told the timekeeper to ring the bell.
*Bell Rings*
"Ladies and gentlemen, Connie Springer has been ruled unable to continue this match! Therefore, here is your winner as a result of a technical knockout, Floch Forester!" Tony Chimel announced as the crowd continued booing while Floch continued to keep the Scum of the Earth Armbar (Rolling Omoplata Armlock) locked on an unconscious Connie. The crowd continued booing as the referee tried to pull Floch off of Connie, but Floch responded by rolling outside of the ring with Connie still in his grasp.
"Floch has won the match, but he's not done sending a message to Connie and all of his fans!" Striker exclaimed as the referee called some security as Floch continued stretching Connie's arms. A couple of security guards came running, grabbed Floch, and pulled him off of Connie, allowing the referee and the medical trainer at ringside to check on Connie and help him back to his feet. While being taken away by security, Floch yelled at the fans that he had shown just how weak and pathetic Connie really was.
"Floch acting like he had proven a point, taking advantage of a downed and unconscious Connie," Kotoko exclaimed in irritation as the referee and the medical trainer helped Connie to the back, trying to keep his arm up and in a good position while trying to check on it. Floch smirked back at the injured Connie while getting dragged to the back by security while talking smack to the fans booing him at ringside.
"Connie definitely isn't going to let this slide, but judging by the attack by Floch tonight, we're going to have to wait a little," Bob explained as the camera panned to the backstage interview area, where Kuro Sakuragawa and Crona Gorgon were standing next to Scott Stanford, who was holding a microphone in his hand.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here with the two contenders for Kazuma Sato's BTWF Cruiserweight Championship, Crona Gorgon and Kuro Sakuragawa. Now, guys, Kazuma's taking a vacation, and you two have a triple threat title match at BTWF Legends Night," Scott explained as Crona nodded with a smile while Kuro nodded with a blank look on his face.
"I couldn't be more excited for that; Kazuma's been screwing the both of us out of the Cruiserweight Championship, and it's time to stop the screwing at Legends Night," Kuro said with no hint of irony or humor in his voice, causing Crona to almost break from laughter, but is able to take a couple of deep breaths and compose himself before talking.
"Kazuma isn't going to be able to run from the both of us at Legends Night, and whether it's me or Kuro, Kazuma is not walking out of Legends Night with the BTWF Cruiserweight Championship," Crona explained as before Scott could ask more, BTWF Cruiserweight Champion Kazuma Sato appeared on the TV screen in the backstage interview area, with a bathing suit on, and Darkness and Megumin on each side of him, each of them in bikinis as well.
"Guys, hey, this is a prerecorded message that I sent from my cruise. And while the two of you are complaining about the genius of how I defended my championship against you two, I've been relaxing with Megumin and Darkness here," Kazuma explained as Kazuma kissed Megumin and Darkness on the cheek before going back to the camera, taking his sunglasses off, and smirked at the camera.
"You know, I was upset at the idea of you two losers facing me for my Cruiserweight Championship at Legends Night in a triple threat match. But then I got to thinking; I've beaten Kuro already, even before a couple of weeks ago, and Crona, I beat you 1-2-3 to win this championship at Christmas Chaos. I've beaten the two of you, and after the Battle Riot and go through the two of you at Legends Night, I'm going to Starshow so that I can become a double champion," Kazuma explained as he took the BTWF Cruiserweight Championship off of his waist, and kissed it before showing it off to Crona and Kazuma.
"I just wanted to give you two one last look at the Cruiserweight Championship, because, after Legends Night, you're never going to see it again. Bye for now, the girls and I have a little more vacation to have before I win the Battle Riot," Kazuma said before putting his BTWF Cruiserweight Championship down before the video turned off. Kuro and Crona looked at each other annoyed, but Crona smirked before telling Scott to give him the microphone.
"Kazuma can talk all the shit that he wants, but he can only run and hide behind technicalities for so long," Crona said before walking away. Scott then looked at a still irritated-looking Kuro before putting the microphone closer to his mouth.
"When I get Kazuma into the ring, I'm going to make him tap out, and I'm not going to stop until he regrets ever messing with me," Kuro explained before also walking away. The camera then panned to the stage, where the lights in the arena turned down as on the TitanTron, a man appeared with a megaphone in his hands and looked on at the crowd before raising the megaphone to his mouth.
"Gather 'round everyone, and witness the debonair devastation of such exquisite sophistication; Miyuki Shirogane and Akira Tsubaki, the Vaudevillians!" the man on the TitanTron said as the crowd booed while the lights came on to reveal Miyuki Shirogane and Akira Tsubaki on the stage. Akira and Shirogane then turned to face each other and shook hands with each other before putting their dukes up. The crowd continued booing as the Vaudevillians 2nd WWE theme played before Miyuki and Akira walked down to the ramp, grimacing in disgust at a couple of children who wanted hi-fives.
"The Vaudevillians have been silent lately, and last week, they attacked #1 contender for the BTWF World Heavyweight Championship Gourry to make a statement. And you have to say, they certainly made some noise with that attack," Striker explained as Miyuki and Akira began talking to each other as they went to the ringside area. Miyuki and Akira faced each other again, and put their dukes up once again before both of them rolled into the ring from underneath the bottom rope.
"A victory over not only the #1 contender for the BTWF World Heavyweight Champion, but the actual BTWF World Heavyweight Champion would definitely help Akira and Miyuki make the noise that they want to," Bob responded as Miyuki got onto one knee, and flexed one of his arms before Akira walked behind Miyuki, and flexed both of his arms while bending to his side slightly. The crowd continued booing as Miyuki jumped up to his feet, and walked into the corner with Akira, continuing to go over plans. While they were, 'Straight to Hell' by Falling In Reverse played, causing the crowd to cheer loudly as Gourry walked out with a smile on his face as he looked on at the crowd.
"And introducing their opponents, first, Gourry!" Tony Chimel announced as Gourry walked down the entranceway, hi-fiving multiple fans in the front row as he told the fans that the Vaudevillians were going to pay for their attack last week. The Vaudevillians didn't look too concerned as Gourry continued his way down to the ring, before running to the steel steps, jumping all the way to the middle stair. The crowd continued cheering as Gourry pointed to the fans and presented his waist, telling the fans that he was going to win the title at the Battle Riot.
"Gourry has returned to the BTWF, and has his eyes set on the BTWF World Heavyweight Championship!" Kotoko exclaimed, but when Gourry walked into the ring, Miyuki and Akira ran at him and started clubbing and stomping on Gourry. The crowd booed as despite Gourry attempting to fight off Akira and Tsubaki, Akira low-blowed Gourry, allowing Miyuki to lock Gourry in a Front Facelock. This allowed Akira to club Gourry on the back, but before they could continue the assault, the crowd exploded into cheers as the lights in the arena went out.
"That wasn't very gentlemanly by the Vaudevillians, but they may be paying for that attack right now!" Striker exclaimed as when the lights came back on, the BTWF World Heavyweight Champion Zancrow was in the middle of the ring, having Akira and Miyuki by the throat. The crowd continued loudly cheering and chanting for Zancrow as Zancrow threw Miyuki out of the ring, and glared at the referee. The referee nodded as he ran to tell the timekeeper to ring the bell, which the timekeeper did. When the bell rang, Zancrow threw Akira into the corner and started hitting him with multiple punches to the side of the face and chest. Zancrow then ran the ropes and ran back into the corner to hit Akira with a Running Back Elbow to the side of his head while Gourry recovered on the apron.
"Zancrow here to help his #1 contender, giving him time to recover from the Vaudevillians' beatdown while Zancrow is leveling Akira with some hard strikes!" Kotoko exclaimed as Zancrow grabbed Akira by the hair, and hit him with a Scoop Slam in the middle of the ring. The crowd continued cheering as Zancrow ran the ropes and hit a Jumping Leg Drop across Akira's throat. Zancrow then grabbed Akira by the head and started punching him in the chest, but the crowd booed as Akira poked Zancrow in the eye. However, when Akira started punching Zancrow in the side of the head, Zancrow simply glared at Akira.
"Akira's only making Zancrow angrier with those punches to the side of the head!" Bob exclaimed as Zancrow grabbed Akira by the throat, and attempted to hit him with an early Chokeslam, but Akira was able to escape with a couple of kicks to the gut of Zancrow before tagging Miyuki into the match. The crowd cheered as when Miyuki tried to hit Zancrow with an early Yakuza Kick, but Zancrow was able to counter with a Big Boot of his own. The crowd cheered as Zancrow looked over at a still dazed Gourry, and decided to throw Miyuki into the corner, and began hitting him with multiple punches before knocking Akira off of the apron with a punch to the face when he tried to interfere.
"Akira and Miyuki tried to make this match a 2-1 handicap match, but Zancrow is fighting them both off pretty well," Kotoko noted as Zancrow ran the ropes, hit a Running Corner Clothesline onto Miyuki, and then threw him out of the corner with a Release Falcon Arrow. Zancrow then jumped onto the middle rope, and when Zancrow attempted to jump off of the top rope, Akira once again tried to interfere, pulling on Zancrow's leg to distract him. The crowd booed as Miyuki ran back into the corner, and started punching Zancrow in the chest, but Zancrow responded by hitting Miyuki with a hard punch to the side of the head, dazing him and sending him staggering away.
"Zancrow continuing to fight back against this disadvantageous situation against the Vaudevillians!" Kotoko exclaimed as Zancrow hit a straight right hand to Akira's head, allowing Zancrow to dive off of the middle rope with a Flying Clothesline onto Miyuki before going for the pinfall.
Ref: 1…2
"Miyuki able to kick out of that Middle Rope Clothesline and it looks like Gourry's ready for some action!" Striker noted as Zancrow heard Gourry ask to tag him in. Zancrow looked at Gourry for a couple of seconds before going into the corner, attempting to tag Gourry into the match, but the crowd booed as Akira grabbed Gourry's leg, and threw him off of the apron, sending Gourry's face slamming into the top of the steel ring apron. The crowd continued booing as Akira sent Gourry into the steel ring steps hard enough to send the top of the steps falling off.
"The Vaudevillians once again showing off some smart separation tactics, sending Gourry back on the ground!" Striker exclaimed as Zancrow knelt down to grab Akira for a Chokeslam, and while the referee was distracted and while Zancrow was kneeling through the ropes, Miyuki took advantage of the referee being distracted by hitting Zancrow with a low blow. The crowd continued booing as Akira grabbed Zancrow's arm, and pulled on it, sending Zancrow's neck and throat into the middle rope.
"The Vaudevillians are also using this to finally take advantage of the BTWF World Heavyweight Champion!" Bob exclaimed as Miyuki hit Zancrow with multiple kicks to the back and the back of the leg, sending him down on his knees. The crowd continued booing as Miyuki ran the ropes and hit a Sliding Forearm to the side of Zancrow's head, sending him down on his back before going for the pin, hooking both of his legs back.
Ref: 1…
"Zancrow still kicking out at only one, telling the Vaudevillians that they're going to have to do more than that to defeat him!" Kotoko exclaimed as Miyuki stomped on Zancrow's chest multiple times before grabbing Zancrow's right arm, and tagging Akira back into the match. Akira punched Zancrow a couple of times in the gut before Miyuki let Zancrow go, and he and Akira hit Zancrow with multiple punches to the side of the head before taking him down with a Double DDT. Akira and Miyuki then posed by flexing both of their arms while bending to the sides slightly before Akira ran the ropes and hit a Running Spinning Elbow Drop to Zancrow's chest.
"Miyuki and Akira continuing to maintain control over the World Champion, keeping him laying on the ground," Striker explained as Akira mounted Zancrow, and started punching him in the side of the head before getting off of Zancrow and hitting him with a Seated Senton to the chest. Akira jumped back to his feet and tagged Miyuki back into the match. Akira grabbed both of Zancrow's arms, put him in a seated position, and held Zancrow's arms behind his back, allowing Miyuki to kick Zancrow in the face multiple times before Akira slammed the back of Zancrow's head down to the mat multiple times.
"The Vaudevillians have gotten a lot more aggressive from what we're seeing here tonight, and they're going to need all that aggression with the opponents that they're facing across the ring," Kotoko explained as Akira grabbed Zancrow's head, and put him in a Seated Cobra Clutch, causing the crowd to boo as Zancrow looked as though he was going to pass out. Akira started kneeing him in the back multiple times, but the crowd began cheering as Zancrow went back to his feet while Akira still had the Cobra Clutch on. Zancrow started ramming Akira's back into the corner, but when Zancrow tried to ram Akira into the corner again, Akira jumped off of Zancrow's back, sending him crashing into the corner.
"Very nice dodge by Akira, sending Zancrow's back crashing into the corner!" Striker exclaimed as Akira hit a Shotgun Dropkick onto Zancrow's chest, sending him back into the corner. Akira ran the ropes, tagged Miyuki into the match, hit a Running European Uppercut to Zancrow, and then went on all fours, allowing Miyuki to run over Akira's back and hit Zancrow in the face with a Running Corner Dropkick. The crowd continued booing as Miyuki and Akira grabbed Zancrow and hit him with a Double Suplex. However, when the two got back to their feet to celebrate, Zancrow sat back up as the crowd began cheering.
"Zancrow's sitting up! And look at the faces of shock on Akira and Miyuki!" Bob exclaimed as Akira attempted to hit a Running Clothesline, but Zancrow grabbed him by the throat and hit him with a Chokeslam. The crowd continued cheering as Zancrow and Miyuki exchanged punches briefly, but Zancrow was able to win this brawl before running the ropes and hitting Miyuki with a Running DDT. The crowd cheered loudly as Gourry told Zancrow to tag him in, and that he was ready, and Zancrow looked back at him, nodded, and tagged him into the match, causing the crowd to explode into cheers.
"Gourry's in the match! This is the first time that Gourry's been in a ring since Over the Limit last year!" Striker exclaimed as Gourry ran into the ring and hit a now standing Miyuki with two Clotheslines, multiple Knife-Edge Chops to the chest, and then ran the ropes to hit a Running Hurricanrana that sent Miyuki crashing into the ropes. Miyuki then draped his head over the middle rope, allowing Gourry to run the ropes, jump over the top rope, and hit a Jumping Leg Drop over Miyuki's back.
"Gourry looks like he hasn't lost a step in the ring, and you have to believe that Zancrow's shocked on the inside!" Bob exclaimed as before Gourry got into the ring, he noticed that Akira was getting up in a daze, so Gourry dived off of the apron with a Moonsault, sending Akira back down to his feet. Gourry then ran up the steel steps and jumped up to the top rope, and hit a now standing Miyuki with a Crossbody before rolling into a pin.
Ref: 1…2..
"Gourry's on a role, but Miyuki's showing Gourry that he's not going to go down that easily!" Kotoko exclaimed as Gourry picked Miyuki up, and hit him with several more Knife-Edge Chops to the chest. However, Miyuki was able to grab Gourry's arm and kick Gourry in the gut multiple times. The crowd booed as Miyuki attempted to put Gourry in position for the Yakuza Kick, but Gourry countered this with a Drop Toe Hold, and locked him in an STF, causing the crowd to cheer loudly.
"An STF by Gourry! And he's in the middle of the ring! Miyuki may have to tap out here!" Striker exclaimed as Miyuki attempted to crawl to the ropes, but Gourry was able to roll both him and Miyuki back to the center of the ring. However, the crowd booed as Akira ran into the ring and hit Gourry with a Running Senton to the back. The crowd continued booing as Akira stomped on Gourry before Zancrow walked into the ring, and grabbed Akira by the throat before hitting him with a Tombstone Piledriver.
"Zancrow sending Akira straight to hell with a Tombstone Piledriver!" Bob narrated as Miyuki got back up, and attempted to hit Zancrow with a move, but Zancrow was able to turn around and hit him with a Big Boot to the face before hitting him with a Chokeslam. The crowd continued cheering as Zancrow left the ring at the referee's discretion, and Gourry got back to his feet, noticing that Miyuki was down. The crowd cheered as Gourry started climbing up to the top rope, and after balancing himself on the top turnbuckle, hit Miyuki with a Diving Headbutt to the chest before putting him back in the STF.
"Zancrow just gave control back to his team, and Gourry's taking advantage of that, putting Miyuki back in the STF, and stretching back as much as he can!" Kotoko exclaimed as Miyuki almost immediately tapped out after Gourry made it clear that he wasn't going to let Miyuki move from the center of the ring.
*Bell Rings*
"Here are your winners, the team of Gourry and the BTWF World Heavyweight Champion, Zancrow!" Tony Chimel announced as the crowd cheered louder when Gourry kipped back up to his feet and raised both of his fists up in victory. Zancrow looked on at Gourry celebrating as Miyuki rolled out of the ring while coughing and cricking his neck. The crowd continued cheering as Gourry ran into the corner, jumped onto the middle rope, and shot both of his fists up in the air.
"Gourry, from the small amount of time we've seen him in the ring, looks like he's ready for his match with Zancrow!" Striker exclaimed as while Gourry was celebrating, Zancrow grabbed the back of Gourry's trunks, put him back down onto the ring canvas, and merely glared at Gourry once he turned him around. The crowd cheered and chanted 'Fight!' at the two of them as Zancrow grabbed the referee and pointed to the ringside attendant, telling him to give him the BTWF World Heavyweight Championship.
"That may be, Matt, but this was only a small part of a tag team match, which is completely different from a BTWF World Heavyweight Championship match," Bob explained as Zancrow grabbed the BTWF World Heavyweight Championship from the referee and raised it over his head. Zancrow told Gourry that he shouldn't be celebrating yet, as he had still not won the BTWF World Heavyweight Championship.
"And it looks like Zancrow's reminding him that the Battle Riot championship match still hadn't happened yet, and his victory had not been guaranteed!" Kotoko exclaimed as the crowd continued cheering and chanting for both Zancrow and Gourry as they continued staring each other down while Akira helped Miyuki up and walked him to the backstage area. Gourry told Zancrow that he was ready for the Battle Riot and that he was ready to see whether or not Zancrow could be a flag bearer for the company when he goes.
"If Gourry's worried about his ability to perform at the Battle Riot, then he's definitely not showing it with this staredown with Zancrow," Striker responded as Gourry and Zancrow continued sharing tense words with each other before the camera panned to a dark room with a single-person couch in the middle of the room, where a girl with light pink hair and glowing blue eyes shows up and sits down.
"I'm gonna keep this short and simple, my name's Shikimori, and I know what you're thinking but allow me to correct you; I'm not just a cutie, I'm also a killer," Shikimori explained with a smirk on her face, as footage from several collegiate wrestling shows are shown, with Shikimori dominating her opponents, showing off multiple unique takedowns and some aggression that causes the referee to pull her away at a couple of points.
"When it comes to my opponents in the ring, I couldn't care less what happens to them as long as I look good and win in the end," Shikimori continued as the footage switched to an independent show, where Shikimori's trademark takedowns are on full display, along with some strength, such as taking two smaller female wrestlers over her shoulders and hitting them with a double Death Valley Driver before kipping back up to her feet.
"BTWF Evolve is going to be my show, and it won't be long before I capture the BTWF Evolve Women's Championship," Shikimori finished as the footage finished off with Shikimori knocking out an opponent with a Grounded Lariat to the throat, knocking them unconscious. The camera then panned to a commercial break as Shikimori flicked her hair before walking away from the interview room.
*Commercial Break*
*Commercial Over*
The show came back on, with the camera panning to the backstage interview area where Izuku Midoriya was back with Tom Phillips next to him with a microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here with Izuku Midoriya, who was given time here to talk about the Battle Riot, so Midoriya, what do you have to say?" Tom asked as Midoriya nodded before taking a couple of deep breaths and responding.
"I've been preparing for this Battle Riot for the past several weeks. I may no longer be the BTWF Hardcore Champion, but I've said that the Hardcore Championship is a stepping stone for what's been my goal since the beginning; the BTWF World Heavyweight Championship," Midoriya explained as Tom nodded before taking the microphone back.
"So does that mean you won't be going back after the BTWF Hardcore Championship?" Tom asked with a raised eyebrow as Midoriya looked down at Tom and shook his head before responding.
"I never said that. In fact, after the Battle Riot, whether I win or don't, I'm going to get my rematch for the BTWF Hardcore Championship with Jellal. The BTWF World Heavyweight Championship is still my target, but it never hurts to have some more gold around my waist, especially a championship that I took personally from one of Bakugo's little minions," Midoriya explained before Tom continued nodding as he allowed Midoriya to continue on with his promo.
"Whether it's the bane of my existence Bakugo, my good friend Kurt Bale, the former Cruiserweight Champion Crona, the current Cruiserweight Champion Kazuma, or anyone else, I'm not going to make it easy for them, especially when there's a Starshow main event on the line. One way or another, I'm going to Starshow, and I'm going to get the BTWF World Heavyweight Championship," Midoriya finished before patting Tom on the back of the shoulder before walking away from the backstage interview area. The camera panned back to the stage, where Marin Hollow came out with a cup of coffee in his right hand, and a microphone in his left, causing the crowd to boo.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Marin Hollow, and I'm here to give you what you all came here for; some of that sweet, sweet premium content. Tonight, you will see this woman stand tall against 4 high-level athletes. This woman now has 2 million followers on Twitter, 2.5 million followers on Instagram, and 1 million subscribers on YouTube! She is 'the Influencer' Brandish Myu!" Marin introduced as the crowd continued booing as Brandish Myu came out of the back with her green and purple patterned robe on. Marin put his microphone down and began taking pictures of Brandish as she flicked her hair to the side as she looked at the booing fans with disinterest before the two of them began walking down the entranceway.
"Brandish has been trying to prove herself as a worthy contender for Luna Collins' BTWF Women's Championship and what better than way by running the gauntlet?" Striker asked as Brandish continued to give the booing fans disinterested looks as she and Marin continued their trek down the entranceway. Marin continued taking photos of Brandish before they made it to the ringside area, and Brandish gave Marin a couple of poses for his phone camera before she walked up the steel steps.
"We can give Brandish a lot of criticism for the way she conducts herself as a person and focusing more on her influencing career, but Brandish can go between the ropes," Kotoko explained as Brandish walked into the ring, sitting on the middle rope with her legs crossed, allowing Marin to take several more pictures of her. Brandish then got back to her feet, made it to the center of the ring, and gave the fans and Marin some more poses, which Marin responded to by taking more pictures of her.
"I heard from some sources in the back that Marin hand-picked the people to be involved in the Gauntlet match," Bob noted as while Brandish and Marin were going through the pictures, Natalya's WWE theme song played, causing the crowd to give a smattering of applause as Tori Meadows came running out of the back with Angol Mois accompanying her to the ring.
"The following contest is a Gauntlet match! Introducing the first opponent, Tori Meadows!" Tony Chimel announced as Tori ran into the ring, and the crowd cheered louder as Tori pushed Marin down, and started punching Brandish in the face. The crowd continued cheering as the referee told the timekeeper to ring the bell, and once the timekeeper did ring the bell, Tori pushed Brandish into the corner and continued hitting her with punches to the side of the face. Tori attempted more punches, but Brandish kicked Tori's arm away, and slammed her down to the ground with an STO.
"Brandish quickly taking control of this match back in her favor! Tori clearly remembered getting humiliated by Brandish and Marin with the coffee thrown in her face a couple of weeks ago!" Striker exclaimed as Brandish stomped on Tori's chest multiple times before putting Tori on her knees, and punching her in the side of the face multiple times. The crowd continued booing as Brandish ran the ropes, and hit Tori with a Running Knee Strike to the side of the head, sending her staggering to the ropes, leaving her head draped over the middle rope.
"Brandish can also get very aggressive when she wants to, which is not something you'd expect from someone whose job involves her looks," Bob responded as Brandish ran the ropes and hit a Running Crossbody to Tori's back before picking her up, hitting her with a Back Suplex, and going for the pinfall.
Ref: 1…2
"Tori kicking out, but Brandish and Marin don't even seem to care that Tori's still fighting," Kotoko noted as Brandish pulled Tori back up by her hair, and told Angol to watch this, before hitting Tori with a knee strike to the gut, and taking her down with a Snap Vertical Suplex. Brandish then ran the ropes, and hit a Jumping Knee Drop to the top of Tori's face before grabbing her head, and putting her in a Chinlock. Brandish continued hitting Tori with multiple elbow strikes to the side of the head while keeping her in the Chinlock, but Tori started getting back to her feet after less than a minute in the Chinlock.
"Tori's not giving up yet! Despite her dazed appearance, Tori's not going to let Brandish bully her in the ring!" Kotoko exclaimed as Tori started punching Brandish in the gut, which Brandish responded to by grabbing her hair and slamming Tori down to the mat by the back of the head. Brandish ran the ropes, and attempted to hit a Jumping Elbow Drop, but Tori was able to roll out of the way, and the crowd continued cheering as Tori ran the ropes and hit a seated Brandish with a Running Dropkick to the face before going for a pin.
Ref: 1…
"Brandish kicks out at a count of 1, and Tori is going to have to do much more than that to put the Influencer down!" Bob exclaimed as Tori picked Brandish up, and hit her with a Discus Clothesline before trying to lock her in the Sharpshooter. However, Brandish was able to push Tori away, and the crowd booed as Brandish kipped back up to her feet and hit Tori with a Running Single Leg Dropkick, nearly turning Tori inside out. The crowd continued booing as Brandish picked Tori up by the hair, and hit her with the Shot of Brandish (Single Knee Facebreaker) before going for a pinfall.
Ref: 1…2…3
"And Brandish defeats the first member of the Gauntlet, but it looks like the other part of the Gauntlet is going to start!" Striker exclaimed as Angol Mois jumped onto the apron, and springboarded into the ring, hitting a now standing Brandish with a Springboard Dropkick to the chest. The crowd continued cheering as Brandish staggered into the corner, and Angol ran into the corner to hit her with a Jumping Clothesline before throwing her out of the corner and hitting her with a One-Armed Bulldog.
"Angol coming into the match with piss and vigor! Angol has been dominating the match, which is kind of surprising given Angol's last encounter with Brandish," Kotoko explained as Angol pointed to the cheering crowd before running the ropes, and springboarding off of the 2nd rope, attempting to hit Brandish with a Lionsault, but Brandish was able to get her knees up, sending Angol's chest crashing into the knees. The crowd began to go back to booing as Brandish got back to her feet, and started stomping her in the gut and back while Marin cheered her on from the outside.
"And Brandish quickly takes back control with a quick counter!" Bob exclaimed as Brandish grabbed Angol by the hair, and started punching her in the side of the head before hitting her with a Backbreaker. Angol attempted to get out of Brandish's grasp, but she hit another Backbreaker onto Angol before hitting her with an STO and going for a pinfall, hooking both of her legs back.
Ref: 1…2
"Brandish getting a two count there, but Angol barely kicked out with those couple of Backbreakers seeming to take it out of her," Kotoko explained as Brandish grabbed Angol by the hair, and threw her into the corner, sending her into the turnbuckle face-first. The crowd continued booing as Brandish ran into the corner, and hit Angol with a Running Crossbody into the corner, sending her elbow and sides crashing into Angol's chest. The crowd continued booing as Brandish kneed Angol in the chest multiple times before putting her in a bent-over position, jumped over Angol, and dropped both knees down onto Angol's back.
"Oh! What a knee drop by Brandish! I'd be surprised if Angol could move after that!" Striker exclaimed as Brandish grabbed both of Angol's legs, and locked her in the Reverse Boston Crab. The crowd booed as Angol tried to drag herself to the ropes, but Brandish pulled Angol back by the hair and rolled her away from the ropes. Angol immediately tapped out as Brandish continued pulling Angol's hair back before the referee began pulling Brandish off of Angol.
"And Angol has been eliminated, with Brandish showing her technical prowess with the Reverse Boston Crab!" Bob exclaimed as Brandish backed away with a smile on her face as she told Marin to take a couple of pictures of her. Marin responded by taking pictures, but the crowd cheered as Ashley Spinelli came running to the ring, and hit Brandish from behind with a Running Knee to the back. The crowd continued cheering as Spinelli grabbed Brandish's hair, and started punching her in the side of the face before throwing her down with a Scoop Slam. The crowd continued cheering as Spinelli ran the ropes and hit a Jumping Stomp to the top of Brandish's face.
"Spinelli was Brandish's first opponent on Intensity, and she's taking it to the Influencer right now!" Bob exclaimed as Marin attempted to get on the apron, but Spinelli ran and hit Marin with a Running Baseball Slide Dropkick to the face. Brandish got back up and attempted to use the distraction to lock Spinelli in the Reverse Boston Crab, but Spinelli was able to turn herself around and push her away with her foot. The crowd continued cheering as Spinelli kipped back up to her feet and knocked Brandish back down with a Jumping Clothesline before going for the pin.
Ref: 1…2
"Spinelli dominating Brandish in the early goings of her match, taking advantage of Brandish wrestling two short but energetic matches earlier," Striker explained as Brandish attempted to start crawling into the corner, but Spinelli kicked Brandish in the chest a couple of times. The crowd continued to cheer as Spinelli grabbed Brandish by the hair, and pushed her into the corner before hitting her with multiple Forearms and Knife-Edge Chops in the corner before the referee attempted to pull Spinelli out of the corner. Taking advantage of this, the crowd booed as Brandish poked Spinelli in the eye before grabbing Spinelli and throwing her into the steel ring post shoulder first.
"And Brandish finally taking advantage of Spinelli, sending her arm crashing into the steel!" Bob exclaimed as Brandish jumped over the top rope and onto the apron, hitting a Running Drive-By Kick to the side of Spinelli's head, sending the side of Spinelli's head and her arm into the steel ring post. The crowd continued booing as Brandish backed away on the apron, and hit another Running Drive-By Kick to Spinelli's head, pushing her back into the ring. The crowd continued booing as Brandish springboarded back into the ring with a Twisting Crossbody to Spinelli's chest before going for the pin.
Ref: 1…2.
"Brandish has to be so annoyed that Spinelli is giving her a much bigger fight than she was expecting," Kotoko explained as Brandish grabbed Spinelli by the hair, and started hitting her with multiple punches to the head before taking her down with a Drop Toe Hold. Brandish then pushed her elbow to the back of Spinelli's head, telling Marin to take some more pictures of her, which Marin did while holding the side of his face in pain. Brandish picked herself back up, and hit her with a Jumping Leg Drop across the back of Spinelli's neck.
"I think Brandish is more annoyed that she didn't get as many pictures of her dominating as she had in the previous two matches," Striker responded before Brandish picked Spinelli back up by the hair, and threw her into the corner. The crowd continued booing as Brandish started punching Spinelli in the side of the head before running the ropes and hitting Spinelli with a Running Clothesline, but rather than get out of the corner, Brandish hit multiple standing Clotheslines to Spinelli's throat before the referee pulled her away.
"And you can see that annoyance leaking into those punches in the corner!" Bob exclaimed as Brandish ran back onto the corner with a Running Clothesline. The crowd continued booing as Brandish grabbed Spinelli, took her down with a Snapmare, and then ran the ropes to hit her with a Sliding Forearm before going for the pin.
Ref: 1…2.
"Brandish nearly sending some of Spinelli's teeth out of her mouth!" Striker exclaimed as Brandish grabbed both of Spinelli's ears and attempted to pick her up, but the crowd cheered as Spinelli hit Brandish with a Sit-Out Jawbreaker. Spinelli then ran the ropes, attempting to hit Brandish with a Clothesline, but Brandish was able to counter with a Tilt-a-Whirl Backbreaker. The crowd booed as Brandish put Spinelli in a seated position, grabbed her right arm, and started pulling her arm back and telling her to give up.
"A unique arm submission applied by Brandish here, bending the arm where an arm should never be bent!" Kotoko exclaimed as Spinelli tried to pull herself away from Brandish's arm hold, but Brandish was able to keep her feet firmly in place, therefore keeping Spinelli in the middle of the ring. After another thirty seconds in the hold, Spinelli started punching Brandish in the face, and attempted to push her off of her right arm, but Brandish countered with a Double Knee Armbreaker to her right arm. The crowd continued booing as Brandish hit a Jumping Knee Strike to the face before going for the pin.
Ref: 1…2.
"Spinelli kicking out again, and the normally cold and uncaring demeanor of Brandish is quickly coming off thanks to frustration!" Striker exclaimed as Brandish glared at the referee before picking Spinelli back up, and attempting to hit her with another Snap Vertical Suplex, but the crowd cheered as Spinelli was able to counter the Suplex attempt into a Small Package pin.
Ref: 1…2.
"Spinelli almost stealing the pin, and Brandish looks completely irate!" Kotoko exclaimed as Brandish attempted to hit Spinelli with a Clothesline, but Spinelli was able to duck out of the way and hit Brandish with a Pele Kick to the face. The crowd cheered as while Brandish was staggering, Spinelli hit Brandish with multiple punches to the face before running the ropes and knocking Brandish down with several Clotheslines, a Back Body Drop, a Reverse Atomic Drop, and a Swinging Neckbreaker. The crowd continued cheering as Spinelli ran the ropes and springboarded off of the 2nd rope to hit Brandish with a Springboard Elbow Drop to the chest before going for a pin.
Ref: 1…2..
"Brandish barely kicking out of that Springboard Elbow Drop! I do wonder what Brandish and Marin have planned for if Brandish doesn't win this Gauntlet," Kotoko wondered out loud as Spinelli put Brandish in a Cravate, and started hitting her with multiple knees to the side of Brandish's head. The crowd continued cheering as Spinelli attempted to hit Brandish with a Snapmare Driver, but Brandish responded by pushing Spinelli away, and the crowd booed as when Spinelli turned around, Brandish hit her with a Superkick to the face. Spinelli was still on wobbly legs, and Brandish responded by running the ropes and hitting a Running Crossbody.
"We may not have to wonder about that, as Brandish took control of this match back on her side!" Bob exclaimed as Brandish grabbed Spinelli by the hair, and attempted to hit the Shot of Brandish (Single Knee Facebreaker), but Spinelli was able to keep herself on her feet by grabbing the top rope. The crowd cheered as Brandish fell to the floor, and Spinelli responded by rolling Brandish up with a Jackknife pin.
Ref: 1…2.
Brandish pushed Spinelli off of her, but before Spinelli could get back to her feet, Brandish hit a Jumping Double Foot Stomp to Spinelli's back before grabbing both of her legs and locking her in the Reverse Boston Crab. The crowd cheered as Spinelli immediately began dragging herself and Brandish to the ropes, but Brandish rolled Spinelli back to the center of the ring, and grabbed Spinelli's right arm. After Brandish started bending Spinelli's arm, Spinelli reluctantly tapped out, causing the crowd to boo as Brandish jumped off of Spinelli and told Marin to take some more pictures.
"Brandish with a third straight victory, but it seems like the Gauntlet is taking its toll on her," Striker noted as while Brandish was blowing kisses to Marin's camera, 'My Fight' by Ashes to New played, causing the crowd to give a mixed reaction as Hana Morenos came walking out of the back. Hana shadow-boxed on the stage before walking down the entranceway, telling the fans that her fists have been aching for a fight. Brandish looked confused at Hana coming out as Marin looked worried while continuing to take photos of Brandish.
"Hana Morenos is back! We haven't seen her since her battles with Minatsuki Tamaki!" Bob exclaimed as Hana ran to the ringside area, and pounded the top of the steel steps several times before running up the steel steps and into the ring. Brandish attempted to hit Hana with a Running Corner Clothesline, but the crowd gave a mixed reaction as Hana was able to dodge the Clothesline, and hit her with a German Suplex before bridging into a pinfall.
Ref: 1…2..
"Brandish barely kicking out of that shock German Suplex and this is a surprise, especially when you saw the expression on Marin's face when Hana came out of the back!" Kotoko exclaimed as Hana grabbed Brandish by the hair, pushed her into the corner, and started punching her in the gut before throwing her out of the corner, sending her in a seated position at the center of the ring. Hana then hit Brandish in the back with a Sliding Knee before rolling Brandish up with a Crucifix Pin.
Ref: 1…2..
"Hana almost getting the pin, but Brandish is still able to kick out. Once again, we can knock Brandish for her attitude and behavior, but she's showing an admirable amount of resilience," Striker explained as Brandish poked Hana in the eye, causing the crowd to boo as she kicked Hana in the gut a couple of times. Brandish pushed Hana into the corner, and followed her into the corner, attempting to hit her with a Running Crossbody, but Hana was able to respond with a punch to the gut while Brandish was in mid-air. The crowd cheered as Hana hit a Spinebuster onto Brandish before attempting to roll her into an Armbar, but Brandish responded with a Roll-Up.
Ref: 1…2..
"Brandish almost stole away the pinfall there, but Hana is still trying to keep the Armbar locked in!" Bob exclaimed as Brandish started stomping on Hana's face before pushing her away. The crowd booed as Brandish grabbed Hana's arms, and attempted to put her in position for the Belly-to-Belly Suplex, but Hana started hitting Brandish in the face with several headbutts. Hana then hit Brandish with a Belly-To-Belly Suplex of her own, causing the crowd to give a mixed reaction before running the ropes and hitting a Running Knee Drop onto the top of Brandish's forehead.
"Hana dominating Brandish, but Brandish has gone through three grueling matches. This could be a good way for Hana to get the return victory that other superstars who return from injury want," Kotoko explained as Hana picked Brandish up, and hit her with multiple punches to the gut before running the ropes, attempting to hit her with a Running Heel Kick, but Brandish was able to counter with a Stun Gun, causing the crowd to boo as Hana's throat crashed onto the top rope with enough force to send her crashing onto the floor on the outside.
"Brandish with another smart counter, sending Hana's throat landing on the top rope!" Bob exclaimed as on the outside, Marin kicked Hana in the back several times while Brandish distracted the referee. The crowd began giving a mixed reaction as Hana grabbed Marin by the throat, but Brandish responded by running at Hana, hitting her in the back of the head with a Running Baseball Slide, sending Hana crashing into the announce table. The crowd continued booing as Brandish checked on Marin, helped him back to his feet, grabbed Hana by the hair, and started slamming her face into the announce table repeatedly.
"Brandish now showcasing some aggression, using the environment around her to give some damage to someone with the MMA expertise of Hana Morenos!" Striker exclaimed as Brandish hit several European Uppercuts to the chin before throwing her face first into the steel ring apron. Brandish then pushed Hana back into the ring, walked up to the apron, springboarded back into the ring, and hit a Springboard Twisting Body Splash onto Hana before going for a pin, hooking both of her legs back.
Ref: 1…2..
"Brandish showing her eclectic move set in this gauntlet match, which should go a long way in showing the General Managers of Intensity that Brandish should be in a BTWF Women's Championship match," Bob explained as Brandish grabbed Hana by the hair, and hit her with a couple of Running Uppercuts to the back of the head. Brandish dragged Hana to the ropes, draped her head over the middle rope, and started choking her with the ropes, using her knee to push Hana's throat into the middle rope.
"We saw how Marin looked when Hana came out, and we have to wonder who Marin actually had planned for Brandish's final opponent in this gauntlet," Kotoko wondered out loud as Brandish picked Hana back up, and hit her with a Back Suplex. Brandish put Hana in a seated position, and ran the ropes to hit a Running Seated Dropkick to Hana's face while Marin was applauding on the outside. Brandish then put her foot on Hana's throat, choking her while Brandish told Marin to take a couple of pictures, which he did.
"Whoever it is must be excited that Hana is getting beaten up by Brandish in the middle of the ring," Bob responded as Brandish picked Hana up, threw her into the corner, and hit her with several Knife-Edge Chops to the chest before running the ropes and hitting her with a Running Corner Clothesline. Brandish then turned around, and started hitting Hana on both sides of her face with Back Elbows. The crowd cheered, however, as Hana was able to catch one of those Back Elbows, and attempted to lock Brandish in a Full Nelson.
"Hana has the Full Nelson locked in! Could Brandish tap out here!?" Striker asked as Hana pushed Brandish out of the corner, and continued to keep the Full Nelson locked in. The crowd continued cheering as Brandish got onto one knee, breathing heavily as it seemed like she was about to pass out. However, after a moment, Brandish was able to get onto her feet, walk to the corner, walk up the turnbuckles, and flip herself over Hana, putting her in a pinning position. While the referee was putting herself into position, Marin ran towards Hana's foot and pushed her foot down with all his weight.
Ref: 1…2…3
*Bell Rings*
"Ladies and gentlemen, here is the winner of the Gauntlet Match, 'the Influencer' Brandish Myu!" Tony Chimel announced as Marin quickly ran over to the side of the ring, grabbed her arm, and pulled her out of the ring as Hana started getting back to her feet. Hana looked at the referee in shock as Marin and Brandish hugged each other on the outside as the crowd continued booing at them. Hana began arguing with the referee as Marin and Brandish let each other go as Brandish walked over to the steel steps.
"Brandish able to defeat four competitors at once, though Marin had to help her beat Hana!" Striker exclaimed as Marin led Brandish up the entranceway as Hana continued arguing with the referee, telling her that Marin was holding her leg outside of the ring. Brandish, meanwhile, stopped on the stage, allowing Marin to take several pictures of Brandish on the stage while Hana left the ring to confront Brandish.
"Hana doesn't look happy about the way she lost the match here, but the referee's decision stands," Bob explained as Marin told Hana to back off and that she wasn't even supposed to be in this Gauntlet. Hana didn't let up, so Marin grabbed Brandish's hand and pulled her away from the stage as Hana told Brandish and Marin that she was going to get her hands on both Marin and Brandish before trying to catch her breath.
"Hana apparently was a last-minute addition to this match, and Marin didn't even know about it, so you have to wonder how she got in the match in the first place," Kotoko explained as the camera panned to the backstage area while Hana was continuing to yell at Brandish. The camera then panned to the backstage interview area, where Melissa Shield was standing next to Lucy Heartfilia and the rest of the Conglomerate with a microphone in her hand.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here with Lucy Heartfilia, who will be joining the rest of the Conglomerate in the Battle Riot match. The question remains whether Yang will join you in the Conglomerate or not," Melissa explained as Lucy smirked while looking over at the rest of the Conglomerate (Tohru Kobayashi, Liz & Patty Thompson, and Onslaught).
"Of course, Yang is going to join us. She'd honestly be an idiot not to join the Conglomerate, especially with the lesson that I gave her last week," Lucy explained as Melissa nodded with a raised eyebrow before taking the microphone back.
"Did you hear what Yang said earlier in the show, as she seemed really hesitant and unsure of what she wanted to do," Melissa explained as Lucy rolled her eyes before grabbing Melissa's hand, and moving the microphone underneath her mouth once again.
"Well for her sake, I do hope she comes to the right decision, and the only right decision is for her to leave Team RWBY and that overgrown toddler she calls a sister, and join the Conglomerate to reach her true potential," Lucy explained before she pushed the microphone back into Melissa's chest before snapping her fingers, promoting the Conglomerate to turn away with her. However, while Lucy and the rest of the Conglomerate walked away, Lucy almost tripped over the prone body of a local female talent. Lucy grimaced at the girl, kicked her in the chest hard enough to move her out of the way, and continued walking away before the camera panned back to the announcers.
"Well, I guess that explains how Hana got into Brandish's gauntlet match," Striker noted as 'Young' by Hollywood Undead played, causing the crowd to boo as Gray and Lyon came walking out of the back in matching Fiore's Top Team tracksuits. Gray and Lyon looked on at the booing crowd, rolled their eyes, and fist-bumped each other before raising their fists while on the center of the stage.
"The following contest is a tag team match, scheduled for one fall! Approaching the ring, from Magnolia Fiore, the team of Gray Fullbuster and Lyon Bastia, Fiore's Top Team!" Tony Chimel announced. The crowd continued booing as Gray and Lyon took another look at the booing crowd before walking down the entranceway, with Gray looking into the camera and telling the fans that the Japanese Destroyers weren't going to get another lucky victory over them.
"At Christmas Chaos, the Japanese Destroyers were able to defeat Fiore's Top Team in a classic tag team match at Christmas Chaos," Bob explained as Gray and Lyon made their way to the ringside area. Gray and Lyon smirked at each other before turning and walking to the steel steps before telling the fans around the ringside area that they needed to realize that they were looking at greatness. Lyon and Gray jumped over the ropes, walked to the center of the ring, and raised their fists in unison as the crowd continued booing Fiore's Top Team.
"Gray and Lyon look to get even with the Japanese Destroyers while also building momentum for the Battle Riot," Kotoko continued as Gray and Lyon went to the corner, going over some plans for their match before TM-61's (or the Mighty's, whichever you prefer) 'Stand Tall' theme song played. The crowd's jeers turned to cheers as Tanjiro and Ganta ran out of the back, and once they got onto the stage, Tanjiro knelt on one knee and clapped both hands together while Ganta raised a fist up.
"And their opponents, the team of Tanjiro Kamado and Ganta Igarashi, the Japanese Destroyers!" Tony Chimel announced. The crowd continued cheering as Tanjiro jumped back to his feet, fist-bumped Ganta, and the two walked down the entranceway. Tanjiro and Ganta hi-fived the fans in the front row as Gray and Lyon started glaring at the Japanese Destroyers while Lyon was telling fans that they weren't that impressive.
"Listen to the ovation for the Japanese Destroyers! These two have become quick fan favorites here in the BTWF!" Striker exclaimed as Tanjiro, once he got to the ringside area, slid into the ring from underneath the bottom rope. Ganta ran up the steel steps, and jumped over the top rope, shooting his fist back up. Tanjiro looked up at Ganta, gave him the thumbs-up, and then went back down to one knee, and clapped his hand together. Gray and Lyon started talking trash to the Japanese Destroyers, and Tanjiro responded by kipping back to his feet and walking over to the two, with Ganta not too far behind.
"Gray and Lyon may be trying to get under the Japanese Destroyers' skins, and it may be working," Kotoko noted as the referee separated both teams, and once he made sure that both men were ready, the referee told the timekeeper to ring the bell. The bell rang, and Tanjiro and Gray were the legal participants in the match, and Tanjiro responded by grabbing Gray's arm, and wringing it a couple of times. Tanjiro ducked one of Gray's punches and started kicking Gray in the arm and chest while he still had his arm wrung before taking him down with a Japanese Arm Drag.
"Tanjiro starting off with Gray, and took him down with a Japanese Arm Drag that would make Ricky Steamboat blush!" Striker exclaimed as Gray came back to his feet, attempting to run at Tanjiro, but Tanjiro was able to counter with two Japanese Arm Drags, a Hip Toss, and then cartwheeled in front of Gray. The crowd continued cheering as Tanjiro tagging Ganta into the match before sending Gray on his back with a Seated Dropkick. Once Tanjiro slid onto the apron, Ganta jumped from the apron to the middle turnbuckle and hit a Diving Elbow Drop onto Gray's chest before going for the pin.
Ref: 1…
Ganta picked Gray back up and wrung his arm once again, but Gray attempted to counter with multiple Knife-Edge Chops to the chest. However, Ganta grit his teeth to try and bear with the pain, and hit Gray with several Knife-Edge Chops of his own before walking over to the ropes, attempting to walk onto the ropes for an Eddie Guerrero-esque Arm Drag, but Gray was able to counter by taking Ganta down with an Arm Drag.
"Gray sending Ganta falling off of the apron with an Arm Drag, but Ganta is somehow still able to stay on his feet!" Bob exclaimed as Gray attempted to hit a Running Clothesline, but Ganta countered with a Scorpion Kick before taking him down with a Ranhei. Ganta then rolled to the corner, tagging Tanjiro back into the match. Ganta then ran at Gray and hit him with a Double Foot Stomp, and while Ganta knocked Lyon down with a Running Dropkick to the side of the head, Tanjiro ran the ropes and hit a downed Gray with a Sliding Leg Drop across the throat. The crowd continued cheering as Tanjiro picked Gray up, but Gray was able to counter with a Jawbreaker, causing the crowd to go back to booing before Gray pushed Tanjiro into the corner.
"Gray trying to maintain some form of momentum, pushing Tanjiro into the corner!" Striker exclaimed as Gray hit multiple forearms and Knife-Edge Chops onto Tanjiro. However, when Gray attempted to Irish whip Tanjiro out of the corner, Tanjiro was able to counter this with an Irish whip of his own. The crowd went back to cheering as Tanjiro ran and jumped onto the second rope to hit a Spinning Head Kick to Gray's face, and then ran the ropes to tag Ganta back into the match. Tanjiro ran into the corner, hitting a Running Back Elbow onto Gray before Ganta ran into the corner, and threw Gray out of it with a Monkey Flip.
"That was some impressive leg and arm strength by Ganta, sending Gray almost halfway across the ring with that Monkey Flip!" Striker exclaimed as Ganta grabbed Gray by the hair, but let go of him when Lyon got back onto the apron and attempted to run into the ring. However, Ganta was able to push him onto the apron with his foot and then started punching him while he was on the apron. Gray had gotten onto all fours by this point, and ran so that he could hit a Chop Block to the back of Ganta's knee. The crowd booed as Gray grabbed Ganta's leg, and started dropping several Elbow Drops to the right leg.
"Thanks to Lyon, Gray is able to take control of this match back for Fiore's Top Team!" Kotoko exclaimed as Gray grabbed Ganta's leg, and tagged Lyon into the match. The crowd continued booing as Lyon kicked the back of Ganta's knee while Gray was holding Ganta's leg back. Gray then hit Ganta's right leg with a Stump Puller before rolling out of the ring and onto the apron before Lyon started stomping on the side of Ganta's knee. Lyon then dragged Ganta closer to the center of the ring and hit a couple of Foot DDTs onto Ganta's right leg before going for the pin, hooking the right leg back as far as he could.
Ref: 1…
"Lyon and Gray are focusing on the leg of Ganta, which can slow him down considerably, but also makes it harder to knock the wind out of him like most chest or head shots would," Striker explained as Lyon picked Ganta up, and hit him with a Shin Breaker. Ganta tried to push Lyon away, but Lyon hit Ganta with another Shin Breaker, and hit him with a Back Suplex, folding him up. The crowd continued booing as Lyon grabbed Ganta by the hair, and threw him into the corner, kicking him several times in the side of the knee. Lyon then started punching Ganta in the side of the head before the referee pulled him out of the corner.
"You can see that Ganta's trying as hard as he can to not put too much pressure on his right foot to prevent pain from going throughout his body," Kotoko pointed out as Ganta attempted to push Lyon away, but Lyon stunned Ganta with a massive Forearm to the side of the head. Lyon then ran the ropes, tagged Gray into the match, and hit Ganta with a Running Stinger Splash before throwing him out of the corner, allowing Gray to catch him and send him down with a Drop Toe Hold. The crowd continued booing as Lyon hit a Running Elbow Drop to the small of Ganta's back before Gray hit a Running Leg Drop across the back of Ganta's neck.
"Gray and Lyon working well to keep Ganta away from the fresher Tanjiro," Bob explained as Gray grabbed Ganta's foot, and smashed his knee into the canvas several times before turning Ganta onto his back, rolling him over for a pin.
Ref: 1…2
"Ganta is still fighting though, but he looks like he's standing on pins and needles with that grimace on his face!" Striker exclaimed as Gray mounted Ganta, and started punching him in the side of the face multiple times. The crowd continued booing as Gray stomped the side of Ganta's knee multiple times before grabbing his right leg, dragging him to the ropes, and draping his right leg over the middle rope. Gray started pulling on Ganta's right leg, causing Ganta to yell in pain as more damage was done to his leg. The referee pulled Gray away, and while the referee was distracted, Lyon stomped on Ganta's knee several times before hitting Ganta in the side of the leg with a Dropkick.
"Lyon, while the referee's distracted, continuing to go after the leg of Ganta!" Bob exclaimed as Gray went back to Ganta, and hit him with a German Suplex that had enough force to send Ganta falling on his chest and knee. The crowd continued booing as Gray picked Ganta back up, smirked at a worried Tanjiro, and hit Ganta with several Rolling German Suplexes before throwing Ganta into the corner hard enough for Ganta to nearly bounce out of the corner. Gray hit a Running Knife-Edge Chop to Ganta's chest before tagging Lyon back into the match, causing the crowd to boo louder.
"Tanjiro looks absolutely desperate to get back into the ring as Lyon and Gray continue to dominate Ganta!" Bob continued exclaiming as Lyon and Gray picked Ganta up into a Vertical Suplex position, and slammed Ganta chest first into the top rope with a Double Gourdbuster. Lyon then kept Ganta hanging onto the top rope, allowing Gray to jump onto the middle rope, and hit Ganta with a Middle Rope Diving Headbutt to Ganta's back. Gray rolled onto the apron, and Lyon took Ganta back down with a Rope Hung Swinging Neckbreaker before going for a pinfall, hooking both of his legs back.
Ref: 1…2
"Ganta once again kicking out, but look at how he immediately holds his leg in pain after breaking out of the pin," Kotoko explained as Lyon grabbed Ganta by the hair, and started hitting her with multiple punches to the side of the face, sending Ganta staggering. Lyon then ran the ropes and attempted to hit him with a Running Clothesline, but the crowd cheered as Ganta was able to duck the Clothesline and send him falling over the top rope. However, the crowd booed as Gray tagged himself in, jumped over the top rope, and knocked Ganta down with a Clothesline before Ganta could get to Tanjiro.
"Some clever tag team strategy by Fiore's Top Team, preventing Ganta from taking control of this match back," Striker explained as Gray picked Ganta up, and attempted to hit him with a Snap Vertical Suplex. However, Ganta was able to reverse this into a Small Package pin, causing the crowd to cheer.
Ref: 1…2..
Lyon rushed back into the ring and stomped on Ganta a couple of times. Lyon and Gray then picked Ganta up and attempted to hit him with another Double Vertical Suplex, but the crowd cheered as Ganta kneed both men in the face, and hit them with counter DDTs.
"What a counter by Ganta! Now he finally has a chance to get Tanjiro back into the match!" Bob exclaimed as the crowd continued cheering as Gray attempted to grab Ganta's leg and pull him back, but Ganta pushed Gray into Lyon with his legs, and rolled into his corner, tagging Tanjiro into the match. The crowd exploded as Tanjiro jumped onto the top rope, and hit both Gray and Lyon with a Missile Dropkick. The crowd continued cheering as Tanjiro grabbed Lyon, and hit him with multiple Open-Palm Strikes to the sides of Lyon's face before knocking him out of the ring with a Clothesline.
"Tanjiro taking all that energy from waiting on the apron, and taking it all out on Lyon!" Kotoko exclaimed as Gray attempted to hit Tanjiro with a German Suplex, but the crowd cheered as Tanjiro landed on his feet. When Gray turned around after trash-talking fans, Tanjiro hit multiple kicks to the sides and legs of Gray before knocking him down with a Jumping Spin Kick, sending him staggering into the corner. Tanjiro ran into the corner with a Handspring Back Elbow before turning around and hitting Gray with a CCS Enziguri. The crowd continued cheering as Tanjiro hit Gray with multiple kicks to the chest before pushing him out of the corner.
"Tanjiro absolutely dominating Gray in the corner! The Japanese Destroyers may make it 2 for 2 here!" Striker exclaimed as Tanjiro hit a Spinning Heel Kick to the back of Gray's head before rolling him up in a Victory Roll pin.
Ref: 1…2..
"Tanjiro almost getting the pin there, but Lyon is trying to get back into the ring once again!" Kotoko exclaimed as Lyon attempted to kick Tanjiro in the head, but Tanjiro tripped him up, causing Lyon to inadvertently hit Ganta with a Senton. The crowd continued cheering as Tanjiro threw Lyon back out of the ring, and Ganta grabbed the top rope and used it to help him jump to the top turnbuckle. Ganta attempted a Diving Cannonball Senton onto Lyon, but the crowd booed as Lyon was able to dodge the attack, causing Ganta to land on his bad leg.
"Oh! Ganta missed his dive, and landed on the bad leg!" Bob exclaimed as Lyon picked Ganta up, and rammed his leg into the steel ring post. Lyon then went back into the ring before Tanjiro attempted to pick Gray back up, but Gray hit a Jawbreaker before putting him for a German Suplex. Lyon then went into the ring and hit a Running European Uppercut onto Tanjiro at the same time Gray hit a German Suplex onto Tanjiro. Lyon and Gray then threw Tanjiro into the ring and hit multiple stomps and punches onto Tanjiro in the corner before the referee forced Lyon out of the ring. Gray picked Tanjiro up, put him on the top turnbuckle, followed him up to the top rope, and hit him with a Superplex.
"Gray sending Tanjiro all the way to the canvas with that Superplex! I think Fiore's Top Team may have taken the momentum of this match back!" Kotoko exclaimed as Gray climbed up to the top rope while Lyon tagged himself into the match. Lyon went into the ring and hit Tanjiro with the Ice Pick (Snap Reverse DDT) while Gray went up to the top rope, and hit Tanjiro with another Diving Headbutt. Lyon then turned around, jumped up to the middle rope, and hit Tanjiro with a Middle Rope Moonsault before going for the pinfall.
Ref: 1…2..
Ganta, despite the insane pain in his leg, ran into the ring and hit a Jumping Double Foot Stomp onto Lyon's back. Ganta started clubbing Lyon in the back, but Gray grabbed Ganta from the apron, raked his eyes, turned around, and hit a Vertical Suplex from the inside of the ring to the outside, sending Ganta falling back out of the ring.
"Gray just taking Ganta back outside with a Suplex from the inside to the outside!" Bob exclaimed as Tanjiro and Lyon grabbed each other, and started exchanging punches with each other in the face. However, Lyon pushed Tanjiro into the ropes, allowing Gray to hit a Knife-Edge Chop to the back of the neck, allowing Lyon to hit Tanjiro with a Snap DDT before picking him back up immediately, tagging Gray into the match, and hitting Lyon with another Ice Pick (Snap Reverse DDT) before going for the pinfall, hooking both of Tanjiro's legs back.
Ref: 1…2…3
*Bell Rings*
"Ladies and gentlemen, here are your winners, the team of Gray Fullbuster and Lyon Bastia, Fiore's Top Team!" Tony Chimel announced as Gray got into the ring, and raised Lyon's wrist up. The crowd continued booing as Lyon and Gray literally kicked Tanjiro out of the ring from underneath the bottom rope. Lyon and Gray went into the middle of the ring, pushed the referee away from them, and once again raised their arms up as they told the crowd that they told them so.
"Fiore's Top Team has made it 1-1 against the Japanese Destroyers, and gave themselves some major momentum heading to the Battle Riot!" Striker exclaimed as Ganta grabbed the top of the apron, and pulled himself back to his feet. Ganta then limped over to Tanjiro to check on him while Gray and Lyon were continuing to celebrate. Gray and Lyon then looked back at Ganta trying to help Tanjiro back up to their feet before looking at each other and smirking. Lyon nodded before Gray ran through the ropes with a Suicide Dive, knocking Tanjiro and Ganta back down.
"I guess that's not enough for Fiore's Top Team, as they're continuing to attack the Japanese Destroyers!" Kotoko exclaimed as Gray grabbed Ganta, and slammed his leg into the side of the announcers' table. The crowd continued booing as Lyon followed Gray out of the ring, grabbed Ganta's legs, and locked him in a Sharpshooter. Tanjiro attempted to get Lyon off of Ganta, but Gray grabbed Tanjiro and hit him with a German Suplex that sent the back of his head crashing on top of the announcers' table. Gray then threw Tanjiro off of the table and locked Tanjiro in the Hypothermia (Crippler Crossface).
"Fiore's Top Team absolutely humiliating the Japanese Destroyers, showing the fans and the higher-ups that they're not to be messed with!" Bob exclaimed as multiple referees pulled Lyon and Gray away from Tanjiro and Ganta. Gray and Lyon put their hands up, backing away while the referees were telling them to go to the back. Meanwhile, several other referees were helping Tanjiro and Ganta up, with a couple of referees making sure that Ganta could stay up as he had trouble putting any pressure on his right leg.
"One thing is for sure though; the Japanese Destroyers are not going to let Fiore's Top Team get away with this!" Kotoko exclaimed as the camera panned to the backstage interview area, where Gourry was standing next to Scott Stanford, who had a microphone in his hand.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here with the #1 contender for the BTWF World Heavyweight Championship Gourry. Now Gourry, the fans saw you team up with your opponent for the Battle Riot, Zancrow, and even giving them a taste of what people may expect from you at the Battle Riot. Given all of that, how are you feeling heading to the PPV?" Scott asked as Gourry smiled at Scott, patting him on the back before responding.
"Scott, I wanted to give you a small correction; I gave the fans of what they ARE going to expect at the Battle Riot. And from what Zancrow told me in the ring, Zancrow saw what I was capable of and that I still indeed have it," Gourry explained as Scott nodded and brought the microphone back to the bottom of his mouth.
"Are there any final words that you wanted to give to Zancrow before arguably one of the biggest matches of your career?" Scott asked as Gourry nodded before taking the microphone back and putting it back underneath his mouth.
"Zancrow, there's nothing more dangerous than a man with nothing to lose. I may want to give the BTWF a more stable future, but that doesn't mean I'm not interested in holding a World Championship in the BTWF once again. So Zancrow, you better be prepared, because I'm not going to go easy on you," Gourry explained before nodding at Scott and leaving the backstage interview area. The camera then panned to a commercial break as the brief glare of Zancrow is seen from behind Scott.
*Commercial Break*
*Commercial Over*
The camera panned back to the ring, where Lucy Heartfilia was in the ring with the rest of the Conglomerate (Tohru Kobayashi, Onslaught, and Liz & Patty Thompson). The ring was all decked out with a red carpet, a table full of hors d'oeuvres and champagne, and the Conglomerate in formal dress wear. The crowd booed loudly and chanted 'Lucy's a Bitch!' as Lucy grabbed a microphone and smirked at the booing fans.
"Ladies and gentlemen, and I use that term loosely, welcome to one of the biggest events in the Conglomerate's history. Tonight, Yang Xiao Long WILL become the newest member of the Conglomerate, helping us to go to even bigger heights than I've already led them to. Now, without further ado, Yang, please join us in the ring!" Lucy exclaimed excitedly. After a moment, 'You Only Live Once' by Suicide Silence played, causing the crowd to explode into cheers as Yang came out of the back, but rather than come out alone, Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna, and Weiss Schnee came walking with her, causing Lucy to raise her eyebrows.
"Yang, I'm not sure if you got the memo, but this is supposed to be a summit between you and the Conglomerate, AKA, you coming out by yourself," Lucy explained as the crowd continued booing while Yang, Ruby, Weiss, and Blake came walking into the ring. The crowd cheered as Yang grabbed the microphone from Lucy's hands, and glared at the rest of the Conglomerate, who didn't respond.
"Listen, Lucy, this is an important decision, and it wouldn't be right if my sister and my friends weren't out here to see it for themselves," Yang explained. Lucy looked as though she was going to say something, but took a couple of deep breaths, put on a fake smile, and decided to continue with her summit.
"Now Yang, I told you that I saw you as someone who can be a big star and being a part of Team RWBY is going to put a small ceiling on your potential. Now you may have been the inaugural BTWF Women's Tag Team Champions, but is that all you want to be known for? Don't you want to become the top star of the Women's division, well…top star other than me. But the point is you're only going to get to where you want by joining the Conglomerate," Lucy explained. Yang didn't get the chance to respond as Ruby grabbed a microphone from one of the ringside attendants and walked up to Lucy.
"You think you know what's good for Yang!? The only reason you want Yang to be in your group is that you're scared that me, Yang, and the rest of Team RWBY are a threat to the Conglomerate!" Ruby exclaimed as Lucy chuckled before brushing Ruby off.
"Oh please, like I'm scared of some overgrown toddler, and a couple of her loser friends. Your sister is the only one of your three that can offer anything to this company," Lucy said as Weiss walked up to Lucy and grabbed her hand, moving the microphone closer to her mouth.
"Really? Because the last time I checked, I beat you in my debut match in the BTWF. And given the opportunity, I can do it again," Weiss countered. Lucy rolled her eyes as Tohru walked up to Weiss, and leaned in closer to the microphone.
"You got lucky. On any other day, Lucy would destroy you and make you think over your entire decision to come to the BTWF," Tohru countered. Weiss started arguing with Tohru, and the rest of the people in the ring joined in on the argument. Yang looked on at the scene before her in annoyance, before she grabbed one of the microphones that had been dropped, and finally got her thoughts out.
"Shut the hell up! All of you!" Yang yelled out, causing the crowd to cheer as the arguments between Team RWBY and the Conglomerate stopped their argument. Yang walked over to her Team RWBY partners and moved them all away from the Conglomerate before walking right into Lucy's face. Ruby and Blake looked as though they were going to back up Yang, but Yang turned around briefly to push them back, telling them that she could handle this.
"Listen, last week, after you attacked me, your offer to join the Conglomerate has been the main thing on my mind. You threatened that those types of attacks would continue if I didn't join your group," Yang explained before Lucy decided to interject.
"That wasn't exactly what I-"
"Don't interrupt me. Anyway, I also got your gift basket too. You got all my favorite fruits, like cantaloupe and watermelon, and even a nice $5K in it. Which don't get me wrong, it's always nice to have a little extra money," Yang explained as Lucy once again took several deep breaths before nodding, trying to hold her anger down.
"I have to admit, there were times where I thought of accepting your offer and joining the Conglomerate," Yang admitted. Ruby looked scared, with Blake and Weiss also looking shocked at Yang's confession. Meanwhile, Lucy and the rest of the Conglomerate looked elated as Lucy walked over to the table to pour champagne. However, Yang continued talking as Lucy was pouring drinks.
"But then…I thought of how I almost lost myself during all that bullshit with the Sisterhood of Darkness. I almost lost not only my eyesight, but my sister, and when I realized how close I was to losing Ruby, I felt like a piece of shit and realized that NOTHING was more important to me than my family. And I knew that if I joined the Conglomerate, I'd have to abandon Ruby and my friends, so Lucy…my answer is no!" Yang exclaimed, causing the crowd to cheer as Ruby, Blake, and Weiss cheered on while Lucy glared at Yang while holding a full glass of champagne.
"And just in case you're thinking of trying to court me again, allow me to give you a more physical answer!" Yang exclaimed before pushing the glass of champagne into Lucy's face, sending the alcohol in her face. Onslaught attempted to intervene, but Blake grabbed the champagne bottle and smashed it over the back of Onslaught's head. Blake then jumped up to the top rope and sent Onslaught crashing through the miniature table with a Diving Elbow Drop while Onslaught was still standing.
"Yang with an emphatic 'No!' to the Conglomerate!" Bob exclaimed as Ruby and Weiss joined in on the brawl, brawling with the Thompson sisters while Yang threw Lucy into the corner and started punching Lucy in the side of the face. Tohru joined in the brawl, picking Blake up and exchanging punches with her, causing the crowd to cheer louder as Blake pushed Tohru away, and hit her with a Clothesline that sent her over the top rope. Ruby and Weiss did the same thing with Patty and Liz before Yang picked Lucy up in a Gorilla Press.
"Yang has Lucy held high over her head! What the hell does she have planned!?" Striker asked as Yang ran to the other side of the ring, and threw Lucy out onto the rest of the Conglomerate on the outside, sending them all crashing down onto the padded concrete floor. The crowd cheered loudly and chanted 'RWBY!' as Yang shot her fists up with the rest of Team RWBY trash talking the Conglomerate as they tried to get back onto their feet. Yang then put her hands down and grabbed one of the dropped microphones before walking over to Blake, wrapping her arm around her waist.
"Oh, and by the way, Bob! Look over here for a second!" Yang called out, waving over to announcer Bob Belcher before moving Blake closer to her and giving her a big kiss on the lips, causing the crowd to explode somehow even louder into cheers as Blake completely engulfed herself in the kiss immediately as Ruby and Weiss encouraged them. Lucy, as she was getting helped up by Patty and Onslaught, told Yang and the rest of Team RWBY that they were going to regret what just happened.
"Well, aside from the fact that Yang just turned down the Conglomerate, Yang helped prove me right all along by kissing her GIRLFRIEND Blake Belladonna!" Bob exclaimed in victory as Striker and Kotoko mumbled and rolled their eyes as the camera panned to the back as the Conglomerate and Team RWBY continued arguing as security came from the back to try and keep the two teams separated from each other. The camera then briefly lost the feed, before going back to the Happy Place, where Minatsuki Tamaki was looking on at her 'friends' with a smile on her face that looked as though it was going to turn into a frown at the slightest provocation.
"Today, I was planning on continuing with my story of how I got here and how I became who I became, but you know what? It doesn't matter anymore," Minatsuki said as she picked up her Demon mouthpiece from the table. Minatsuki took a break from explaining herself to stroke the front of her mouthpiece with the back of her finger before looking back at the camera.
"All the betrayal, all the dirty looks, and all the trauma, I've realized, is going to be my motivator to prove how good I am," Minatsuki continued explaining as she sat up from her destroyed and burned couch, looking at the fire-damaged remnants of the Happy Place. Minatsuki then knelt down, looking down at the torn-up remains of Donna the Dog and Carrie the Cat before looking back up at the camera.
"The Battle Riot is the perfect opportunity for me to embrace the Demon. I've spent these past months fearful of what the Demon was going to do not only to my opponents but to me," Minatsuki continued to explain before the footage from the camera started cutting out, with several shots showing Minatsuki in her Demon face-paint. The camera then went back to Minatsuki out of her face paint with her pained smile still clear as day on her face.
"But after mulling it over and telling parts of my story, I realized that the Battle Riot is a chance for me to let the Demon run wild in my mind, and let her mow through the Women's Division. I've realized that I shouldn't try to hide my demons," Minatsuki explained before the camera feed began shaking and going out. When the camera came back, the entire Happy Place was bathed in a red light, with Minatsuki in her Demon attire, featuring her face paint, mouthpiece covered in fangs, red highlights in her hair, and a black and red dress.
"I should accept my Demons," Minatsuki said with a voice filter making her voice sound deeper and higher at the same time. Minatsuki stared at the camera with her discolored eyes before the camera panned back to the stage, where 'God of War' by Wargasm played, causing the crowd to cheer as Homura and Kohaku came out of the back. The crowd continued cheering as Kohaku and Homura gave each other a secret handshake with each other before Kohaku picked Homura up, and raised her up.
"The following contest is scheduled for one fall, and it is for the BTWF Women's Championship! Introducing first, accompanied to the ring by Kohaku, from the Kingdom of Science, Homura Momiji!" Tony Chimel announced as the crowd continued cheering as Homura, while Kohaku was still holding her, got on her feet, and posed with her feet inside Kohaku's hands. The crowd began chanting 'That was awesome!' as Homura jumped off of Kohaku's hands and flipped onto the floor in front of her.
"Homura already showing off her gymnastics skills there, showing Luna and the crowd that Luna's not going to be in for a walk in the park," Striker explained as Homura and Kohaku started making their way to the ring, hi-fiving several fans as Homura playfully told Kohaku that she was going to win the BTWF Women's Championship before she did. Kohaku laughed it off, patting Homura on the back and wishing her luck before Homura rolled to the ringside area, giving Kohaku a hi-five when she ran by.
"Kohaku and Homura, despite their competitive natures, are still the best of friends, which you can see with Kohaku encouraging her friend to do what she couldn't do a few weeks ago; win the BTWF Women's Championship," Kotoko noted as Homura ran up the steel steps, and jumped over the top rope and into the ring before rolling onto her hands. The crowd continued cheering as Homura briefly walked on her hands before flipping back onto her feet and into the middle of the ring.
"Kohaku and Homura, despite their competitive nature, are also very fair competitors, given that they gave Luna an extra week to prepare for this match due to not wanting to have a stipulation for Homura's match-up so she and Kohaku can be on an even playing field," Striker further elaborated as Homura went into a corner of the ring to stretch her legs. A moment later, the crowd exploded into cheers as 'Bulletproof' by Diamante played, with Luna coming out of the back with the BTWF Women's Championship around her waist.
"And her opponent, from New York City, New York, she is the BTWF Women's Champion, 'Amazing' Luna Collins!" Tony Chimel announced, trying to talk over the raucous crowd as they continued cheering and chanting Luna's name. Luna looked on at the crowd with a rare smile on her face, nodding at her fans before walking down the entranceway. Luna began hi-fiving fans in the front row while the crowd began chanting 'Welcome Back!' at Luna, which she responded to with another smile and nod.
"Listen to the hometown ovation for the BTWF Women's Champion! Even Luna's getting a little choked up at the ovation!" Bob exclaimed as once Luna got to the ringside area, Luna took the BTWF Women's Championship off from around her waist, holding it over her head with her right hand. Meanwhile, in the ring, Homura was nodding and keeping her eyes on Luna while Kohaku was whispering words of encouragement into Homura's ear. Luna put the championship belt down and started walking up the steel steps.
"It's nice to see Luna look so happy after becoming such a serious wrestler," Kotoko admitted before Luna walked into the ring, looked back at an impressed-looking Homura, and once again raised the BTWF Women's Championship over her head with her right hand. Luna then handed the belt to the referee, letting the referee raise the belt up and show it to Homura. Once the referee made sure that both Luna and Homura were ready, the referee gave the championship belt to a ringside attendant and told the timekeeper to ring the bell. Once the timekeeper did, Luna and Homura went into the center of the ring, circling each other as one waited for the other to make the first move.
"The bell sounds, and our main event championship match is underway!" Bob exclaimed as Luna and Homura locked up in the middle of the ring, and Homura attempted to take Luna down with a Hip Toss, but Luna was able to land on her feet. Luna kept a hold of Homura's arm, and locked her in a Hammerlock, causing Homura to immediately try and get to the ropes, but Luna responded by turning Homura around and pushing her down to the ground. Luna spun around Homura's back, turning the Hammerlock into a standard Armbar, which Homura responded to by getting up to her feet.
"Luna making sure that she keeps a hold of Homura, which allows her to prevent Homura from flying around the ring," Striker explained as Homura attempted to hit Luna with a punch, but the crowd continued cheering and chanting for Luna as she hit Homura with a Fireman's Carry and locked her in an Armbar once again. Homura attempted to drag herself to the ropes, but Luna rolled her back to the center of the ring, which Homura was able to take advantage of by continuing the rolling to that she could roll Luna up into a surprise pin.
Ref: 1…
"Homura almost pinning Luna there, using the momentum of Luna's own Rolling Armbar against her!" Kotoko exclaimed as Luna got back to her feet, and attempted to take Homura down with a Headlock Takedown. However, Homura was able to stay on her feet, and the crowd continued cheering as Homura hit Luna with several Arm Drags, but Luna was able to counter a 4th Arm Drag into a Japanese Arm Drag of her own. Luna then knocked Homura down with a Single Leg Dropkick before going for the pin.
Ref: 1…
"Homura kicking out at one there, but that kick nearly sent her jaw flying into the 4th row!" Bob exclaimed as Luna picked Homura up, and sent her into the corner with a hard Irish whip. The crowd cheered as Luna ran the ropes, and hit a Running Spinning Heel Kick into the corner, but she kept Homura standing in the corner. Luna began hitting multiple kicks to Homura's chest, but Homura was able to dodge one of these kicks and turn Luna around while pushing away her kick. The crowd continued cheering as Homura jumped up onto the middle turnbuckle and hit a second rope Victory Roll onto Luna, rolling her up into another pin.
Ref: 1…
"Homura trying another roll up, but Luna is able to kick out, showing just how serious Homura is in regards to winning the BTWF Women's Championship!" Striker exclaimed as Luna picked Homura up, and attempted to throw her back into the corner, but Homura was able to hit Luna with a Jawbreaker. Homura then went into the corner, jumped onto the middle rope, and hit Luna with Diving Arm Drag. Luna got back to her feet, and Homura responded by springboarding onto the middle rope and hitting Luna with a Springboard Hurricanrana that sent Luna into the corner.
"Homura with an impressive Springboard move, showing exactly why Luna was trying to keep her in place earlier," Kotoko explained as Homura went into the corner, attempting to hit her with a Running Corner Dropkick to the side of the face. However, Luna was able to dodge, sending Homura crashing into the corner and leaving her in a Tree of Woe position. The crowd continued cheering as Luna went into the corner, and hit Homura in the chest with multiple kicks to the chest before running the ropes and hitting her with a Running Dropkick to the face.
"Luna taking advantage of Homura being stuck in the Tree of Woe, and she doesn't look like she's done yet!" Bob exclaimed as Luna ran the ropes, attempting another Tree of Woe Dropkick, but Homura was able to pick herself up, sending her in a seated position on the top rope. Luna was able to send herself sliding to the outside of the ring, jumped back up onto the apron and into the ring, and climbed the middle turnbuckle to attempt a Back Superplex. However, Homura started hitting Luna in the side of the head with multiple Back Elbows before pushing Luna off of the top rope.
"Luna landing back first onto the canvas! Homura may have the chance to win this early!" Bob exclaimed as Homura balanced herself on the top turnbuckle, and the crowd cheered as Homura hit Luna with a Moonsault that had plenty of air, pinning Luna right after.
Ref: 1…2
"Luna showcasing some resilience, because that Moonsault has enough air to finish off a woman lower on the card!" Striker exclaimed as Homura looked at Kohaku in shock as Luna attempted to roll away from Homura. However, Homura was able to pick Luna up and hit her with multiple punches to the face, dazing her so that Homura could run the ropes, and hit Luna with a Spinning Heel Kick. Homura then hit a Standing Moonsault to the chest of Luna before rolling back to her feet and hitting a seated Luna with a Dropkick to the back of the head. Homura playfully told Kohaku that that was how it was done, which Kohaku responded to with a laugh and a light applause.
"Kohaku cheering her friend on as she's beginning to dominate the BTWF Women's Champion!" Bob exclaimed as Homura picked Luna up, and sent her into the ropes. Luna attempted to stop herself, but Homura was able to put her onto the apron with a Running Dropkick to the face. While Luna was leaning down on the apron with her head draped over the middle rope, Homura responded to this by springboarding off of the middle rope and hitting a Spinning Leg Drop across the back of Luna's head.
"Homura showing off her high-flying abilities, sending her leg crashing to the back of Luna's neck!" Striker exclaimed as Homura pushed Luna off of the ring apron before running the ropes and hitting a still downed Luna with a Springboard Body Press from the top rope. Homura kipped back up to her feet, got onto the announcers' table, and shot her fists in the air, causing most of the crowd to cheer, though a small smattering of fans were booing due to Luna getting dominated. Homura then noticed that Luna was getting back to her feet, but when she tried to hit a Moonsault onto Luna from the table, Luna hit a counter kick to the chest.
Ref: 1…2…3
"Luna with a terrific kick counter to Homura, sending her on her knees and sending the breath shooting out of her mouth!" Kotoko exclaimed as Luna grabbed Homura by the back of her tights, and hit her with several kicks to the sides of Homura, but Homura started hitting Luna with several Forearms to the side of the head before throwing her into the announcers' table head first. Homura once again slammed Luna's face into the announcers' table before going up onto the ring apron, and once she saw that Luna was still dazed, Homura hit a Springboard Arabian Press Moonsault onto Luna.
Ref: …4…5
"Homura once again able to take Luna down with another beautiful-looking Moonsault!" Bob exclaimed as Homura grabbed Luna by the hair, and threw her back into the ring. The crowd cheered as Homura went back onto the ring apron, and springboarded back into the ring with a Springboard 450, hitting Luna in the chest. Homura then picked Luna back up to her feet, and threw her into the corner, hitting her with multiple forearms to the side of the head. The crowd continued cheering as Homura picked Luna back up and put her on the top turnbuckle, hitting her with several more punches to the side of the head.
"Homura really holding her own against the BTWF Women's Champion, much like her partner did weeks ago," Kotoko noted as Homura followed Luna to the top turnbuckle, and hit her with several more punches to the face before putting her in position for a Dragon-Steiner. However, Luna was able to keep herself on the top rope by holding on, causing Homura to put herself in a Tree of Woe position with her legs still wrapped up around the top turnbuckle. Luna shook the cobwebs out of her head before balancing herself on the top turnbuckle, looking down at Homura, and hitting her with a Tree of Woe Diving Double Foot Stomp.
"What a foot stomp by Luna! Alberto Del Rio could learn a thing or two about how to do a proper Tree of Woe Diving Double Foot Stomp from our BTWF Women's Champion," Striker explained as Luna got on one knee, and started taking a couple of deep breaths while Kohaku tried encouraging Homura from the outside. Homura pulled herself back onto her feet, but when she attempted a Springboard Twisting Leg Drop, Luna was able to jump out of the way, causing Homura to land flat on her ass and put her in a seated position. The crowd exploded into cheers as Luna ran the ropes and hit a hard Running Penalty Kick before going for the pinfall.
Ref: 1…2..
"Luna nearly kicking the teeth out of Homura, but Homura is still able to kick out!" Bob exclaimed as Luna grabbed Homura by the hair, and started punching her in the side of the head. Luna then Irish whipped Homura into the ropes, and Luna was able to hit Homura with a Tilt-a-Whirl Lumbar Check before sending her back down with a Standing Spinning Wheel Kick. The crowd exploded into cheers as Luna went into the corner, and started stomping in rhythm with the crowd's clapping as Homura started pulling herself back up again. Luna ran the ropes and hit Homura with two Clotheslines, a Spinning Kick to the gut, a Running Basement Dropkick to the side of the head, and then dropped Homura with a Sling Blade.
"Luna getting control back into this match, adrenaline allowing her to ignore the pain and show Homura that she's not the only one with incredible speed!" Kotoko exclaimed as Homura crawled over to the corner, and Luna responded to this by running into the corner and hitting Homura in the side of the face with a Running Corner Dropkick to the side of the head. The crowd continued cheering loudly and chanting for Luna as Luna grabbed Homura, and threw her out of the corner with a Dragon Suplex, bridging into a pinfall.
Ref: 1…2..
"Homura barely rolling her shoulders off of the mat, and Luna has to be impressed at the resiliency of Homura!" Striker exclaimed as Luna looked at a downed Homura, and nodded at her downed body before putting her on one knee. Luna backed away and then attempted to hit the Amazing Kick (Scorpio Rising Kick), but Homura was able to back away from the kick, and roll her up with a School Girl.
Ref: 1…2..
Luna was able to kick out and reverse Homura's pin into a Jackknife pin.
Ref: 1…2..
Homura was able to stand back up, causing the crowd to cheer as she rolled Luna up with a Backslide pin.
Ref: 1…2..
"Homura and Luna reversing pinfalls with each other, getting so close, yet so far!" Striker exclaimed as Luna was able to reverse the Backslide pin into a Magistral Cradle.
Ref: 1…2..
"Luna is still not able to get the three count from Homura! What's it going to take!?" Bob asked as Luna picked Homura up, and attempted to hit her with a Brainbuster, but Homura started kneeing Luna in the top of the head. However, the crowd continued exploding into cheers as Luna kept a hold of Homura, and sent her down with a Brainbuster. Homura fell head first into the mat in a seated position, but Luna responded by picking Homura back up and hitting her with a Luna Eclipse (Hangman's Facebuster).
"We haven't seen the Luna Eclipse in a while, but this may be the beginning of the end for Homura!" Striker exclaimed as Luna went back into the corner and waited for Homura to get back onto her knees. When she did, Luna ran at her, attempting the Amazing Kick (Scorpio Rising Kick) once again, but Homura was once again able to counter, push her away, and hit her with a Frankensteiner while also rolling her up into a pin.
Ref: 1…2…
"Luna barely rolling her shoulder up! Homura was so close that she could taste the BTWF Women's Championship!" Kotoko exclaimed as Homura kicked Luna in the side of the head before jumping up to the top rope. Homura dived off of the top rope, attempting to hit her with a 450 Splash, but Luna was able to raise her feet up. However, the crowd cheered loudly as Homura was able to stop herself, put Luna's feet down, and hit Luna with a Standing 450 Splash to the chest before going for the pin, hooking both of her legs back.
Ref: 1…2..
"An amazing counter by Homura, but Luna is still able to kick out! But Homura's already going all the way back up!" Bob exclaimed as Homura climbed up to the top rope, and took a couple of deep breaths while balancing herself on the top turnbuckle. Homura then attempted to hit Luna with a 450 Splash again, but this time, Luna was able to roll out of the way, sending Homura crashing into the mat chest first. Luna then rolled into the corner, and this time, was able to hit Homura with the Amazing Kick (Scorpio Rising Kick) before going for the pinfall.
Ref: 1…2…3
*Bell Rings*
"Ladies and gentlemen, here is your winner, and still the BTWF Women's Champion, 'Amazing' Luna Collins!" Tony Chimel announced as Luna rolled onto her back, breathing in and out while raising both of her fists. The referee got Luna's BTWF Women's Championship from the ringside attendant as Kohaku rolled into the ring to check on a downed Homura. Luna grabbed one of the ropes, and pulled herself back up, smiling at the fans chanting her name while she grabbed the BTWF Women's Championship from the referee.
"Luna Collins, just one night before she has to defend the BTWF Women's Championship against Juniper Lee, puts on yet another classic, retaining her championship in the process!" Striker exclaimed as Kohaku helped Homura back up to her feet as Luna raised the BTWF Women's Championship over her head with her right hand. Luna looked over at Homura, put the BTWF Women's Championship over her shoulder, and offered a handshake. Homura looked at the handshake for a second and accepted the handshake.
"Some sportsmanship between the two women, which we probably won't see against Juniper Lee at the Battle Riot," Kotoko explained as Kohaku also shook Luna's hand. Kohaku and Homura left the ring, telling Luna to enjoy her moment, and she nodded before once again raising the BTWF Women's Championship over her head. However, once she was all alone in the ring, the crowd started booing as Juniper Lee ran into the ring and hit Luna in the back with a Running Knee to the back, causing her to drop the title belt.
"Speaking of Juniper Lee, it looks like she wants to send a message to Luna before their title match!" Bob exclaimed as Juniper Lee picked Luna up, and hit her with the Underworld Plunge (Reverse Tombstone Piledriver). Juniper then picked up the BTWF Women's Championship and told the booing crowd that this wasn't a prediction, that it was a spoiler. Juniper raised the championship over her head for a moment before going over to the corner, jumping onto the middle turnbuckle, and continued raising the championship over her head as the camera faded to black.
Match Results;
Juniper Lee def. Rally Vincent, 'the Queen of Song Style' Jiro Kyoka, and Sue to become the #1 contender for the BTWF Women's Championship at Battle Riot
Edward Elric def. Mercury Black
Floch Forster def. Connie Springer via technical submission
Zancrow and Gourry def. the Vaudevillians (Miyuki Shirogane and Akira Tsubaki)
Brandish Myu (W/Marin Hollow) def. Tori Meadows, Angol Mois, Ashley Spinelli, and Hana Morenos in a Gauntlet match
Fiore's Top Team (Gray Fullbuster and Lyon Bastia) def. the Japanese Destroyers (Tanjiro Kamado and Ganta Igarashi)
'Amazing' Luna Collins def. Homura Momiji (W/Kohaku) to retain the BTWF Women's Championship