[I hope I'm not late, either. I don't think I am, but please be merciful if that is the case. I really worked my ass off to get this done and I'd hate to be overdue.]
Rose vs. Bryant vs. Ness
We arrive back at tonight's tournament, where the sold out crowd are on their feet, hotly anticipating the next second round bout. Backstage, the three combatants are preparing themselves for the second time tonight. But they have a few more minutes to wait, as on the ramp Matthew Werner stands, mic in hand, beside the ridiculous looking, but oddly ominous, wheel which will decide the wrestlers' fate tonight.
Matthew Werner: Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please.
The crowd dies down a little.Werner: Thank you. It is now time for me to spin the wheel to determine the stipulations for the triple threat match between Rose, Ness, and Joel Bryant. I'm sure you all know the drill by now - the wheel spins, and whatever it lands on will be the match type the competitors will face off in.
On the 'tron, shots of all three competitors are shown, each in different dressing rooms, watching screens anxiously, waiting. Back on stage, Werner walks over to the wheel, ready to get things underway.Werner: This is actually a pretty big moment for me. Here we go!
With a great tug, Werner pulls on the wheel and around it goes. All three wrestlers look nervous; Rose clenching his fists, Ness shuffling his feet while Joel bites a nail. As the wheel spins, we see odd flashes of various match possibilities - three way dance, falls count anywhere, cage, all ticking by.
Werner: Isn't this exciting?
Slowing down now, more match types are visible on the wheel, but none of them matter, as the wheel ticks slower and slower, coming to a stop. It stops for a cup of coffee at Submission Elimination match before, with one last little click, it comes to its stop on...
Werner: Round-Robin Match!
All three wrestlers look a little relieved at the result; Rose and Bryant are even smiling as a graphic appears. Round-Robin Match Rules
-All three wrestlers start in the ring.
-Two randomly drawn competitors start off as a team against the lone opponent.
-Every four minutes, one wrestler switches teams.
-The first man defeated becomes the permanent partner of the winner of the fall.
-The defeated competitor remains in the match, but if he wins the fall against the opponent he picks up the win for his partner, NOT himself.
[/b]
Matthew Werner is now back at the announce desk at the top of the ramp, amongst his WFWF broadcast colleague, Matt Steel.
Werner: Now this one sounds interesting.
Matt Steel: It sure does. I've never called one of these before. I can't wait to see how it unfolds.
Werner: Well, we don't have long to wait!
Announcer: The following is a Round Robin match, and is scheduled for two falls. The winner will advance to the next round of the tournament. Introducing first, from Akron, Ohio, weighing two hundred and forty pounds...
"Margin Walker" by Fugazi rings out across the PA as Joel Bryant slowly steps out onto the stage. He stares out at the cheering crowds and raises a fist in the air as a salute to them before marching down to the ring. Rolling under the bottom rope, Joel is quick to his feet, quickly walking back and forth across the length of the ring, shaking his arms to loosen them out, before stretching his back with the help of the ring ropes.
Announcer:[/b] ...JOEL...BRRRRYYYYANT!
Werner: Bryant managed to pick up a close win over one of the favourites, Michael "Tempest" Hart in the first round. How do you rate his chances in this second round contest?
Steel: He looked strong in the last round, no doubt about it, but Tempest did a number on Bryant's leg. If Rose and Ness are smart they'll target that early on.
Announcer: And his opponents...from Caerphilly, South Wales, United Kingdom and San Diego respectively...at a combined weight of four hundred and seventy pounds...
The opening notes to Terra in Black start to play as the arena grows quiet. The trumpets finish blaring as Ness makes his entrance with Rose, where they are met with a scathing response from the crowd. Completely ignoring them, they slowly make their way to the ring, Rose carrying his flag and a microphone. He struggles to get his voice heard above the boos from the crowd, as well as Ness' music, so most of his rendition of the Welsh nation anthem goes unheard. They enter the ring and head towards their corner and wait for their opponent.
Announcer:[/b] ...ROSE AND NESSSSSSSS!
Werner: Now these two seem pretty happy with themselves right now.
Steel: Of course they do. They'll be thick as thieves! No morals, no sense of honour or mercy. They know they can trust each other to really put a beating to Bryant tonight.
Rose and Ness have a short conversation, deciding who is going to start the match.
Steel: See, now, that's a good point. On the one hand, Rose and Ness could really put a hurting on Bryant...
Werner: If they can.
Steel: ...if they can. On the other hand, in four minutes there's going to be a partner switch, and Bryant will be teaming with one of them. I wouldn't want a weakened man for back up.
Ness climbs out on to the apron as Rose jumps on the spot a little, loosening the joints a little bit more before the kick-off.
Werner: Now, saying that, will Rose and Ness target Bryant's weaker knee, or try and keep him a little fresher for when the change comes?
Steel: I guess it depends on how long they expect the match to go. If Rose or Ness can beat Bryant within four minutes then Bryant's out.
Werner: Even then, though, Bryant would partner one of them, and they'd want him to be a little fresher to take advantage of the situation.
Steel: Also true. Colour me intrigued!
Rose and Bryant are in the centre of the ring with the referee, who goes over the rules one more time, before sending them back to their corners and signalling for the bell.
DING! DING! DING!
Werner: And we're underway. Rose and Bryant get things started.
Steel: These two are probably the two most traditionally technical wrestlers in this match; Ness has a quicker and more unorthadox style which we'll see later on.
Rose and Bryant circle each other, looking for any small opening to get the upper hand right away. They suddenly both move forward in unison, getting into a collar and elbow tie up. Rose quickly gains the advantage, applying a quick headlock, but only for a brief time, as Bryant pushes Rose off, sending him to the ropes. Rose rebounds off them, coming back towards Bryant, who goes to meet him with a big clothesline, which is smartly ducked. Rose continues the momentum, allowing himself to rebound off the opposite ropes and come back with a jumping clothesline. Bryant has it scouted, though, and catches Rose in a bearhug, which he completely transitions to a big spinebuster, dumping Rose hard on the mat. He goes for the quick cover.
Werner: Bryant going for the early cover!
One!
T...
Rose kicks out quickly, and manages to shove Bryant off of him and rush to his feet. Bryant quickly goes to tie up with Rose again, but Rose dodges, allowing his opponent to pass him. Rose slyly kicks backwards at the back of Bryant's knee, making him crumple slighltly and giving Rose that little bit more time to casually go to his corner and tag in Ness.
Werner: Did you see that shot by Rose there? That was on Joel Bryant's injured knee.
Steel: I saw it. But think about it, Werner; Rose could have done a lot worse. He's not out to do a number on that knee, he just wanted a little time. Plus he's a dick.
Ness climbs into the ring as Bryant is on his way up from Rose's cheap shot. He doesn't make it to his feet, though, as Ness charges him and shoves his foot into his face, knocking him straight back down. Ness flips off the crowd before snapping a quick leg drop across Bryant's chest, then quickly grabbing his hair and pulling him back up. He goes for the knee to the stomach, but Bryant grabs the leg and quickly trips Ness.
Steel: He looked like he was in trouble early there, but he's responded with a great counter.
Werner: Bryant's not someone who's going to go down easily however long he fights, let alone this quickly.
Steel: But he's battling a knee injury, you can't forget that.
Bryant has Ness by the leg and tries to walk over Ness, looking for a half crab, but as he steps over him, Ness scrambles free and makes a break for his corner, where Rose waits for the tag. Bryant runs as well as he can on his injured knee after him, but is beaten to it, and Ness makes the tag. Bryant doesn't quite manage to put the breaks on and runs into a hard elbow from Rose, who then steps through the ropes to take over from his partner.
Steel: Ness makes the tag to Rose, who is nursing a knee injury from his own, caused by his missed super kick from High Horror.
Rose approaches the reeling Bryant from behind (oo-er) and before Bryant knows anything about it, Rose has his opponent locked in a full nelson. He goes to lean back, looking for a facebuster, but Bryant leans back hard with him, allowing their combined momentum to send the crashing backwards to the apron, Rose taking the brunt of the fall.
Steel: Rose has a reputation of being incredibly ring-smart, but Bryant has had him scouted so far.
Bryant rolls back, hooking Rose's leg for the cover.
One...
A fast kick out by Rose leads Bryant to shift to Rose's arm, applying a reverse armbar, but if he planned on getting comfortable there, he is disappointed, as Ness is in the ring like a shot to break the hold with a swift kick before Rose can even think of tapping out; and adds a quick stomp before the referee shoos him out again. A relieved looking Rose gets to his feet.
Werner: Do you think he would've tapped?
Steel: I dunno. Bryant's a helluva wrestler, and something of a submission specialist. It would've been pretty hard to carry on.
Bryant goes to tie up with Rose again as he rights himself, but is thrown backwards as Rose shoves him. Rose warns him to back off before stomping his feet and kicking out at the bottom rope in frustration.
Werner: Rose looks pretty angry at himself, Steel.
Steel: Well, everything he's tried so far has been scouted by Bryant. This is a man who prides himself of being the smartest in the game, and I bet he's not liking being proved wrong.
Werner: What's this now?
Rose moves to the centre of the ring, pointing first at Joel Bryant, and then at the floor. Bryant looks confused until Rose drops to the mat, on all fours, challenging his opponent to come and outwrestle him.
Steel: Now this is Rose trying to get a little respect back.
Werner: Or trying to lure Bryant in.
Bryant, to his credit, looks wary, but is smiling a little.
Werner: As we know, Joel Bryant is an accomplished amateur wrestler.
Steel: You've gotta know he relishes a challenge like this. Rose also has a background as an amateur wrestler, though not as extensive as Bryant. He's got to fancy himself here.
Bryant nods his head approvingly as he approaches a patiently waiting Rose. He still looks a little cautious as he drops down next to Rose, but has no hesitation in quickly applying a front face lock. Rose smartly slips out, though, and grabs Bryant's arm and twists, getting on to his opponent's back. Rose keeps hold of the arm and straddles Bryant, applying a hammer lock. Rose shifts forward, pushing his knee to the back of Bryant's head, pushing it painfully down to the floor. Rose keeps the hold applied long enough to get on to his feet, still crouching, and drop again, smashing his knee back down on to Bryant's head. He throws the arm down and gets back up, throwing his own arms up at the fans, who sound their depreciation.
Werner: Rose gets the advantage on that exchange, however underhanded his 'wrestling' might have been.
Steel: We might not like it, and the fans sure don't, but Rose is loving the superiority he has right now.
Bryant is on his back,clutching his face on the mat while Rose lazily strides over to Ness and tags him back in. Ness steps up the turnbuckle to the top rope. He swears loudly at the jeering crowd before leaping off, hitting Bryant with a big diving splash and making the cover.
One...
Tw-
Kick out by Bryant, but he gets no time to rest as Ness pulls him to his feet. He throws Bryant to the ropes, letting him rebound and run back, before dropping and pulling him down in a drop toe hold, leaving Joel's injured knee to slam painfully to the mat. Bryant yells out in agony, though not as loud as when Bryant backs up and kicks the leg with all his might, exacerbating the injury further. Rose stands on the mat, shouting at Ness.
Werner: What's Rose shouting about?
Steel: Now here we're seeing Rose's personal gameplan unfold. We're coming to the end of four minutes and Rose does not want that knee hurt more than it has to be right now.
Ness is shamelessly ignorant to Rose's orders, continuing with a few heavy stomps to the knee. Bryant is pulled to his feet by the dominant Ness, and sent to the ropes. He rebounds off them and gets caught in a drop toe hold, his knee painfully hitting the mat. Ness plays to the crowd, while over in the corner, Rose is just shaking his head. If Ness even knows about this, he clearly doesn't care, as he pulls Bryant back up. Ness pulls Bryant in and throws an arm over his own shoulder. Ness lifts his opponent up into a back suplex position, but rather than follow up, he brings Bryang back down, hitting a sickening knee breaker. Rose looks like he's frothing at the mouth, feeling his gameplan coming undone.
Werner: Dammit! I know Ness wants to win, but if this carries on Joel Bryant may never walk again!
Steel: Don't think for a second he's done yet.
Damn right he's not done yet. Ness has the downed Joel Bryant by the injured leg, and is dragging him over to his side of the ring, near the corner where a severely pissed off Rose is practically begging for the tag in order to salvage his own strategy. But Ness doesn't even look at him as he places Bryant's foot on the second rope. Ness has an evil grin on his face as he turns around to his corner and points upwards, showing the crowd his bad intentions.
Werner: ...noo...he wouldn't. Right?
Steel: Looks like Ness is going up there and maybe hit a leg drop or something. Bryant's leg might actually break.
That seems to be exactly what's on Ness' mind as he makes to climb up the turnbuckle. Before he can get past the bottom rope though, Rose spins him around and gets in his face, asking him what the hell he thinks he's doing. Ness is still grinning as he points at Bryant's helpless form and makes a "breaking" gesture. Rose tells him, loudly and categorically, "NO." However, Ness just turns around and starts climbing again. Rose, by now, has had enough of Ness' antics and pulls him backwards, belly to back, and looks in a light-looking full nelson, only to restrain Bryant.
Werner: Is that...COMPASSION from Rose?
Steel: Hell no. He has his plan and Ness is ruining it, that's all. Rose is as sick as Ness is, but he's smar-
DING!
Festus runs down the ramp and kills everyone. The media have a field day and the company goes under. End.
Naw, just kidding
Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, four minutes have passed, Joel Bryant now teams with Rose.
Just as Ness looks like he is about to break free, Rose realises the significance of the announcement, and fully locks in the full nelson. He keeps it locked in as he steps through the ropes, his legs in the ring and torso still on the outside. Ness seems to have caught on, and is struggling with all he has to escape, but to no avail, as Rose pushes himself backwards hard, pulling Ness over the top rope and dumping him to the arena floor in a dragon suplex. Rose manages to stop himself from following him out by hooking his feet under the bottom rope. It sounds complicated, but in my head, it looks awesome.
Werner: That's the first time in a long, long time Rose has left any fan in an arena feeling happy with his actions.
Steel: I don't think Rose gives a damn what any fan thinks of him, he's just sticking to his plan.
The ref starts counting Ness out as Rose unhooks his legs from the ropes and leans over to allow Bryant to tag him before dropping to the floor to take advantage of the situation he's created for himself. Ness is on the ground, grimacing in pain as he clutches his head and neck. If he thinks Rose has any intention of allowing him a second to heal, he's dead wrong, as Rose has him up right away. Rose lays a knee into Ness before dragging him closer to the ring. The ref restarts his count for Rose's exit from the ring.
Referee: One!
Steel: Now this is where you'll see that Rose is just as ruthless as Ness has been.
Rose puts one more knee in for good luck before pushing Ness back, holding on to one arm to keep him in reach, before pulling him in, irish whipping him as hard as possible into the ring steps.
Werner: Jesus! Ness may have broken his collar bone!
Steel: Rose is intense enough at the best of times, but Ness really pissed him off earlier. Now he pays the price.
Werner: And he's not done yet.
Referee: Four!
Sure enough, Rose, looking quite pleased with his handiwork so far, backs up, allowing himself a little distance between himself and the stranded Ness. After a second's pause to compose himself, Rose charges at full speed (or, as close to he can get on his own injured knee) at Ness, who only manages to escape being crushed into the steps by desperately flailing a foot and luckily catching Rose in the face. Rose is sent reeling, as much from surprise as from the actual impact, while Ness scrambles up again, a sudden burst of adrenaline taking over. He rolls into the ring to stop the count at nine, before rolling right back out again, and taking position behind the steps which were so recently his downfall.
Werner: Ness gets lucky and manages to get himself free and the crowd go wild, I'm sure.
Steel: None of us like it, Werner, but Ness showed great presence to counter Rose's charge, and was very smart to stop the ref's count. He's got something in mind.
Rose has recovered now, and is angrily making his way towards Ness again, and meets him - on the recieving end of a flying, ring-step assisted shining wizard. Rose drops like a sack of crap and Ness lands on his knees and allows the momentum to carry him sliding along the floor a couple of feet. He has his cocky grin back on his face as he throws his arm in the air, before getting up. He pulls himself up on to the apron and into the ring while Rose lies on the floor, looking like he's trying desperately not to scream from the pain. Ness signals to the ref.
Ness: Count him out, ref. He's done. C'mon! FIVE! Six comes next. Count faster!
Referee: Six!........Seven!
Joel Bryant drops off the apron and pulls Rose to his feet.
Werner: Why is Bryant helping Rose?
Steel: My guess is that, after the number Ness did on on Joel's leg earlier, Bryant wants nothing more than to beat Ness in the centre of that ring to advance. He has a lot of pride.
Joel pushes Rose into the ring, much to Rose's surprise. Joel reclaims his place on the apron as Rose uses the ropes to pull himself up. He is completely clueless as Ness runs to the opposite ropes, bounces off, and comes back towards Rose. Not until the last second does Rose see him coming, but that's all he needs, as he throws himself out of the way, leaving Ness to throw himself into the ropes, getting his leading leg caught. Rose capitalises, ever aware of an opportunity when he sees one, by getting underneath Ness, and hoisting him up on his shoulders into a fireman carry position.
Werner: Ya know, I always wonder how these guys can get the crap kicked out of them and keep going like this.
Steel: I doubt they even know. Already there've been times I'd counted all three of these guys, but they dig deep. They don't mess around, they know what winning this tournament could do for their careers. They're bringing the hardest hitting offence they can.
Rose walks to the centre of the ring with Ness still over his shoulders, looking for the Samoan drop, but Ness wriggles free, landing deftly on his feet behind Rose, who quickly turns around, to meet a kick, which he catches, but Ness doesn't allow Rose to get an upper hand, and cleverly jumps up and hits Rose with an enzuguiri to the back of the head. Rose goes flying forward, falling flat on his face in front of his corner. Unfortunately for Ness, not before a now rested Joel Bryant slaps him on the back for the blind tag, and no sooner does Rose hit the floor than Bryant pulls back on the ropes and hops over the ropes and into the ring, to a huge response from the crowd.
Werner: Now this is what the crowd's been waiting for. If ever there was a hot tag, this is it!
Bryant simply stands there for a second, challenging Ness to come and get him. Ness, looking a little fearful, only stares for a second, before running back into the ropes and rebounding, hurtling towards Bryant but getting intercepted by a high cross body from the fresh man. Bryant stays on top, looking for a quick cover.
Referee: One...
Two...
Ness gets the shoulder up and turns over, but is offered no reprieve, as Bryant twists himself around, riding Ness before getting his arms around Ness' torso, applying a rear waistlock. Joel pulls himself to his feet, wrestling Ness to his, also, waistlock still applied. Bryant pulls back, looking for the German suplex, but Ness isn't beaten yet, and he manages to wedge his feet under Bryant's arms, looking for the victory roll. An amazing display of strength prevents this, however, as Joel Bryant manages to lift Ness to a vertical position, before slamming him down in a sit-out facebuster.
Werner: Bryant is well rested and firmly in control, AND HE GOES FOR THE COVER...
ONE...
TWO...
AW, SO CLOSE!
Steel: Ness comes close there, and Matthew Werner nearly explodes.
Not downhearted by any stretch, Joel Bryant locks his arms around Ness' waist once again. Back on the apron, a tired looking Rose is looking steady on his feet once again, though in no hurry to get back into the fray. Bryant hoists Ness back to his feet, looking for another german suplex.
Werner: Bryant's clearly in control right now. Playing his own game. There's not many who'd win a pure wrestling match with Joel Bryant.
Steel: You're right, there, Werner, but I think one man who'd love to try and give him a run for his money is standing on the apron right now.
Bryant cinches the waist lock in tight before throwing Ness back and releasing, looking to throw him clear across the ring in a release German suplex, but Ness manages to spin in the air and land on his feet. He runs at Bryant, who sees him just in time and hits the deck, allowing Ness to hop over and continue is run to the ropes, right into an elbow to the face from Rose on the apron. Bryant is back on his feet in a flash and comes up behind Ness, locking in the waistlock again and finally hitting his German suplex, leaving Ness on his back.
Werner: Bryant finally gets the German suplex after a somewhat unlikely assist from Rose.
Steel: By the looks of things, it's an assist that Bryant didn't feel he needed.
That's what it looks like, because that's what it is. Bryant is on his feet again, and walks over to Rose, and they immediately get in each other's faces.
Werner: Bryant letting Rose know that that's not how they're doing things on Bryant's team.
Steel: Man, these two have the potential to be a truly dominant team. They're very similar, but Rose just can't resist being underhanded. If they had any sense they'd stop squabbling and take care of Ness and be the great team they could so easily be.
Any thought of working in harmony is obviously far from Rose and Bryant's mind as they are now nose to nose, their arguement getting more and more heated, until Rose finally shuts up and looks away, for the tiniest part of a second, before looking straight into Bryant's eyes and smiling. Bryant barely has time to look confused before he doubles over in pain from a shot to the gut from Rose's knee. Almost on cue, we hear...
DING!
Rose leans back, hands on the ropes, and launches himself over Bryant in a sunset flip as the ring announcer tells the audience of the partner switch - Ness now teams with Bryant. They barely hear him, though, as they are anxiously watching their hero in a pinning predicament.
Referee: One...
Two...
A kick from the forgotten opponent, Ness, breaks up the pin. Even the referee, it seems, had forgotten him, and makes up for it by sending him to the corner, making Bryant, who has gotten to his feet, the legal man with Rose, also on his feet. The two keep their distance, mouthing off at each other some more, before Bryant walks to the centre of the ring and gets on all fours.
Werner: Oho! Now Bryant's challenging Rose!
Steel: I'm not sure how much of a good idea that is. Rose got the upper hand last time...
Rose laughs to himself, and jerks his head, as if to say "alright." On the apron Ness is giggling to himself, obviously finding this sort of behaviour weird, but Rose is undeterred, as he zeroes in on Bryant, picking his spot. He moves in front of Bryant, who even closes his eyes, so confident he is, and goes for a waist lock. Bryant immediately squeezes out and pushes Rose down to the floor. He pushes Rose's face down to the mat, disabling him, while he fights to get Rose's arm. When he finally does, he sits back, applying a painful arm stretch. He manages to drag Rose by the arm a little and stretches over for the tag.
Werner: Looks like Bryant wins that round. I still say that he's the better pure wrestler.
Steel: I dunno. We're used to seeing Bryant working that amateur style; Rose's style has never drawn on his background too much. It's incredible to see these two locking it up like this, though.
Ness climbs into the ring and his first action is to kick the arm that Bryant has tightly held. Bryant lets go and climbs out of the ring, allowing Ness to take charge, and he immediately picks up where Bryant left off, stretching that arm and using it to pull Rose to his feet. He pulls it one more time, just to make sure Rose feels it for good long while, before releasing the hold and whippng Rose into the ropes. Rose rebounds and runs straight into an overhead belly to belly suplex, which Ness executes perfectly. Ness sits up, shouting at the crowd -
Ness: You all like that? Hell yeah, you do!
The crowd obviously don't like it at all, but Ness would have it no other way, and he is once again smiling as he gets to his feet and rushes over to Rose.
Ness: You'll LOVE this one!
Werner: I don't think they will, Ness.
But Ness takes his position and hits what has to be described as a beautiful standing moonsault on to Rose - one that, if Ness was likeable at all, would have the crowd on his feet, but in this instance, even with their equal hatred of Rose, they crap all over. Ness stays on top of Rose for the cover.
Referee: One!
Two!
The crowd aren't sure whether to cheer or boo as Rose pops a shoulder up. Ness looks a little put out, but gets to his feet just the same, and pulls Rose up by his long hair. He sends Rose to the ropes once again, this time heading to the opposite ropes. They both rebound off their respective set of ropes and are heading to meet in the middle. Ness lifts off for a second shining wizard, but this time Rose drops down to slide underneath, using his momentum to pass Ness and get on his feet behind him.
Werner: Ness going for a second shining wizard there.
Werner: The first one was effective, no doubt about it, but Rose had it scouted this time.
Rose goes to charge Ness as he turns around. Ness sees him coming in time and leans back, looking to hit a stiff kick to Rose's face, but Rose sees it coming, and manages to put on the brakes a matter of inches from impact. Ness' leg lands comfortably, and he breaks out in a laugh.
Ness: Hahahaha, ooo, close one there, Rose.
Rose backs up, as if expecting a sudden cheap shot, but Ness shows no sign of any such plan. In fact, he just keeps laughing as he walks over to the centre of the ring, and makes a big show of dropping to the floor, on hands and knees, obviously mocking Rose and Joel Bryant.
Werner: Oh, what is this?
Steel: It's a head game, Werner. I doubt he has much chance of actually beating Rose in this situation. But then, I don't think Rose is stupid enough to accept the challenge - it's obviously a trap.
Trap or not, Rose doesn't like Ness by this point, and is more than willing to school Ness. He is quick to act this time, and takes a small run and drops, sliding on his back, in an attempt to get under Ness. He manages to hook his legs around one of Ness' arms, and manouvres himself so he can use Ness' wait to turn him over, pulling Ness on to his back and into an armbar. Ness, however, manages to slide out, and quickly moves up to Rose and grabs him around the head, and stands up so he has a front face lock applied from above.
Werner: Unbelievably, Ness has Rose!
Steel: Rose's arm isn't as strong as he'd like it to be, it's obviously going to affect his ability here.
Ness shouts at the crowd again, feeling pretty confident, but not for long, as Rose pulls one arm up between Ness' legs, and pulls him over in a quick fireman carry slam. Ness still has the face lock cinched in, despite now being underneath Rose, and is effectively choking him out, in a sleeper. Rose has one last option, and he uses it, pulling his legs in and pushing his back up, putting himself in a bridge position, forcing Ness' shoulders to the mat.
Referee: One!
Two...
THREE!
Werner: WHAT!?
Steel: WHAT!?
Ness looks to have the same question as he releases Rose, allowing him to roll off of him. Ness gets up to his knees and looks at the ref, arms out in confusion, looking completely shell shocked. Rose looks shocked, too, but is showing it in a very different way, by laughing disbelievingly and applauding himself and the referee. The crowd are deafening, cheering more at Ness' elimination than Rose being the one to do it. Ness gets up and immediately goes to Bryant's corner, blaming him, seething angrily at him for not making the save, while the announcer tells the crowd that Ness is now permanently on Rose's team.
Werner: Ohohoho, that's not going to sit well with Ness.
Steel: It's going to have to, Werner! Ness is out of the tournament running, but still is still under contract 'til the end of the show. He helps, or he pays the price. Besides, from the looks of it, Ness wants a piece Joel Bryant!
Indeed he does. The referee has to restrain him from going straight for him. The referee forces him back across the ring, past Rose, who is still laughing, and into his corner.
Rose: That's right. You're in MY corner! Ahahaha!
Rose spots Bryant climbing into the ring and his laughter trails off; he realises that he still has to be all business to go on and win. If the crowd were anticipating a final showdown between Bryant and Rose, though, they are disappointed, as Rose quickly loses any fans he might have made tonight by quickly backing up and tagging a more than eager Ness in. Ness practically flys into the ring and dives straight for Bryant, tackling him to the floor. He takes a mounted position and starts laying into Bryant with punches.
Werner: Doesn't seem to be any hard feelings between Rose and Ness.
Steel: I don't know about that, Werner. I think it's more a case of Ness being pissed for Bryant not making the save. And he's sure letting him know now!
The referee makes a four count on Ness, who shows no sign of wanting to stop beating Bryant, forcing the referee to pull Ness off of his opponent. The ref stands between Ness and Bryant, and lectures Ness, laying down the law. This distracts Ness long enough to allow Bryant to quickly crawl over and grab his leg, pulling him so he falls on his back. Bryant goes for the quick cover.
Ref: One!
Two...
Ness grabs Bryant's head and rakes at his eyes, forcing a break.
Werner: Dirty move by Ness there after a quick cover.
Steel: Ness was caught off guard once before, he damn sure wasn't going to let it happen twice.
Ness is on his feet in a flash, laying the boots into Bryant before pulling him up, head between Ness' legs. Ness signals flips off the crowd, and puts his arms around Bryant's waist for the power bomb, but before he gets the chance, Bryant grabs the legs, and pulls Ness down into a small package.
Ref: One!
Tw-
Ness kicks out of it again and gets to his feet, backing away slightly, looking absolutely livid. Bryant starts to get to his feet, too, and looks up to see Ness coming at him to tackle him right back down again, but Bryant has enough time to struggle out of the way, leaving Ness to fall harmlessly to the floor again. Bryant comes back with a hard kick the Ness' back, before pulling him to his feet. He hits a few quick elbows to Ness before pulling on his arm, aiming to send him to the corner. Ness allows the momentum to carry him there, and uses it to run up the ropes, and steady himself for a second. As Bryant chases, to follow up and take the advantage back, Ness jumps backwards off the top turnbuckle, in a picture perfect moonsault. Bryant manages to stop and catch his opponent, but can't seem to get his balance completely right, and Ness rolls through, picking Bryant up in perfect position for a tombstone piledriver.
Werner: If Ness hits this it HAS to be over. He'll get the win for Rose.
Steel: I don't see how Bryant can escape.
The simple answer to that, unluckily for Bryant, is that there is no escape. Ness drops to his knees, slamming Bryant's head hard to the mat. Ness stays on his knees for a second, before allowing himself to fall forward and cover Bryant.
Steel: Cover! One!
TWO!
OH MY GOD! FOOT ON THE ROPE! BRYANT GETS THE FOOT ON THE ROPE! IT'S NOT OVER YET!
Ness looks as shocked as he did when he took the fall, and the crowd are loving it. Ness beats his fists on the mat in sheer frustration, before grabbing Bryant by the legs and pulling him over to his own corner. Rose offers the tag, but Ness gestures for him to just keep an eye on proceedings. Rose looks concerned, but seems to agree, and Ness shoots Rose a nasty look before grabbing Bryant by the legs and easily applying his Fade to Black inverted Boston Crab.
Werner: Fade to Black! And Bryant doesn't look in any fit state to break out of it!
Steel: But look at him. He's surrounded by ropes to grab. This doesn't seem too smart on Ness' part.
Sure enough, as Matt Steel anticipated, Bryant reaches out a short distance and grabs a rope. The ref sees this and orders Ness to break the hold, but Ness gestures for the ref to look at Bryant's hands. The ref turns around to see Rose kick Bryant's hand off the rope, allowing the hold to continue.
Steel: I stand corrected, very smart on the part of Ness. Credit where it's due.
Bryant puts his hand on the rope and is cut off by Rose again. He perseveres and continues trying but again and again is kicked off by Rose. The more he is cut off, the more determined he seems to be to keep doing it, and the frustration is etched on the face of both of his opponents.
Werner: Joel Bryant will not give in!
Steel: And Rose is looking really pissed about it!
The frustration becomes too much for Rose and he slaps Ness on the back, forcing the tag, and tells him to move. Rose climbs in the ring and Ness lets go of the hold and stares at Rose for a second before walking past him, making sure to knock against him on the way out. Rose shrugs this off, getting straight to business, pulling Bryant to his feet. He pulls Bryant in to a vertical suplex set up. He breathes for a second, before lifting Bryant up into his trademark gordbuster. He goes to finish the move, falling forwards, but before landing Bryant pulls his legs in, allowing to land somewhat on his feet, blocking much of the impact as Rose falls on his face. Bryant is quick to take advantage, hitting a quick leg drop on the back of Rose's head before getting back to his feet. He moves to Rose's legs and, quick as he can manage, locks in the Cuyahoga River Fire inverted Texas cloverleaf.
Werner: Bryant locks in the Cuyahoga River Fire! What a reversal in fortune!
Steel: Rose is stranded!
Bryant has the hold properly applied, and Rose is indeed stranded, in the middle of the ring, nowhere to go. He is screaming in pain as Bryant applies more and more pressure, desperate for Rose to tap and end this match. Out on the apron, Ness is looking on, looking like he is having a struggle in his head about what to do. He knows that the longer he stands there, the closer to losing Rose gets. And as attractive as that sounds, that means Bryant, the man who cost him his spot in the next round, will go through. Rose, meanwhile, has an arm out, holding on and getting closer and closer to tapping out. Bryant, on the other hand, is screaming, using every bit of strength he has to end this match. All three men are wondering how good of an idea it was to enter in the first place, and no one, not even Ness, expects Ness' interference, running and and shoulder charging Bryant to break the hold.
Werner: Rose was less than a second away from tapping there!
Steel: Ness couldn't have cut it any finer there. I can't imagine the struggle in his mind right now. He has an obligation to Rose, but Rose was the one who pinned him in the first place. I know one thing, though, if there's any place in the world that Ness does not want to be right now, it's fighting in this match that he can no longer win.
Ness, now, has left the ring, deciding he has done enough. The damage is done to Rose, though, and Bryant pulls him to his feet, head between his legs, looking for something big. Bryant signals to the crowd, who cheer in the palm of his hand. Bryant lifts Rose up into a piledriver position, and all Ness does is look like he's only vaguely paying attention now. With no help forthcoming, Rose is left to be the victim of a vicious piledriver, dropped on his head and left to fall limply on his back.
Werner: GO FOR THE PIN, BRYANT! YOU'VE GOT IT NOW! GET THE WIN! GET THE WIN!
But Bryant cannot hear Matthew Werner, and even if he could, Joel Bryant is a showman. Bryant gets to his feet and walks over to the corner, climbing out on to the apron. Ness looks on placidly as Bryant makes his slow but steady ascent to the top turnbuckle.He steadies himself at the top and signals for his signature flying elbow drop. He looks a little shaky, and stops for a second to steady himself again. A second too long, it seems, as Ness makes the decision to interfere once again, and pushes Bryant off the top rope.
Werner: CONTROL THAT MAN, REF! HE HAS NO BUSINESS ATTACKING JOEL BRYANT RIGHT NOW, DAMMIT!
Bryant lands on his feet on the mat and turns to confront Ness, who is walking along the apron to return to his corner. This gives Rose all the time he needs to crawl up behind Bryant and roll him up into a school boy.
Ref: ONE!
TWO...
The crowd go insane as Joel Bryant kicks out again to the appreciation of everyone except the two other stars in the ring. Deflated, Rose uses the ropes, and helps himself to his feet, leaning on them to steady himself, while Bryant gets up off his own steam. The two get their breath back as they stare at each other.
Werner: Now this is what this match was about from the beginning. Ness proved a tough obstacle for both, but this match was always about Rose and Joel Bryant. I can't help but feel that the next few moments are going to be intensely contested, tight moments in this match.
The two legal men are almost smiling as they take their places in the centre of the ring. The atmosphere is tense, one that deserves the old addage "you could cut it with a knife." The two soak in it for a moment before simultaneously stepping forward and tieing up, trying to get the upper hand once again. Rose takes it, applying a headlock to Bryant, who tries to lift Rose up for a backdrop, but Rose shifts his weight, preventing it, and pulling Bryant down in a headlock takedown. They land on the mat, Rose on top of Bryant, who pulls his legs up and attempts to put a headscissors on Rose, who rolls backwards through it, forcing both men on to their back, Rose on top. He grabs Bryant's feet and pulls them up and together, trying to climb on to him to lock in an STF. Bryant manages to escape and turn on to his front. He grabs Rose in a front face lock, but Rose puts his feet on the ground, putting his body in a triangle shape, before pushing off the ground, flipping over, facelock still applied, which only serves to apply more pressure to Rose's neck. Rose thinks quickly and elbows Bryant in the shoulder, forcing the break, before turning over and backing off in time to see Ness come right out of the sky on top of Bryant, hitting him hard with his trademark 450 splash.
Werner: Where the HELL did Ness come from!?
Steel: I damn sure didn't see him coming.
Werner: I don't think anyone did. I know I didn't, I was watching two excellent wrestlers compete to try and win this match.
Ness promptly gets to his feet and walks over to the ropes. He climbs between them and jumps down to the floor. He doesn't even look back as Rose scrambles for the pin.
Ref: ONE!
TWO....
NO!
Some how, some way, Joel Bryant forces the shoulder up. An exhaused Rose looks down on him in disbelief as he gets to his feet, wondering what on Earth it's going to take to put the former 'Crazyman' away. Ness is on his way up the ramp, having still not looked back, telling jeering fans 'I did my damn job!" If you were to ask Rose, it's doubtful he'd say the same thing, as Bryant is still not going down. He pulls Bryant to his feet, though with difficulty, as both mens' legs are exhausted. Rose props Bryant up as well as he can, while grabbing his hand. He quickly crosses to the other side of Joel's body before bringing him down in a Regal cutter.
Werner: Llofnod! Rose's favourite move has very, very rarely failed to get the job done. Rose has Bryant now. He goes for the cover.
ONE!
TWO! It's over...
NO!
The crowd explode again as Bryant, again, manages to force his shoulder up off the mat. Rose has his head in his hands, looking close to tears, not believing that this man, Joel Bryant, could be so damned tough. He slams his fist on the ground and turns to the ref, asking what the hell is going on. The ref looks as surprised as Rose does.
Werner: I simply do not understand where Bryant is getting this from.
Steel: We knew Joel Bryant was tough. Everyone knows that. Look at all he's done in the past. But I'm damned if I have a clue how he's doing this. Rose has given him every damn thing he has.
Though Rose cannot hear the commentary, he is shaking his head as if to say to Steel, "No. Not everything. Not quite yet." He forces himself shakily to his feet, wincing as he does so, his muscles aching, his injured knee flaring up more than ever. He hobbles over to the closest corner and climbs on to the apron. He pulls himself up to the bottom rope...middle rope...
Werner: What can Rose be looking for now?
Steel: I have a bad feeling I already know.
...top rope. Rose has to fight to steady himself on the top rope, but manages to do so. He slowly straightens himself up and makes a weak attempt to gesture to the crowd, to piss them off one more time, but ultimately can't muster enough. Rose jumps and tucks his knees into his chest and just lets himself fall. His knee comes down hard on the face of Joel Bryant with a sickening thud. Rose screams out in pain, having used his injured knee to hit Bryant. He can do nothing but let himself fall on top of Joel Bryant, having truly given him everything he had.
ONE!
TWO...
THREE!
Werner: ROSE WINS! ROSE GETS THE PIN ON JOEL BRYANT AND IT'S OVER! ROSE WINS!
Steel: God, I was honestly starting to think that Joel Bryant could just flat out not be pinned. Credit to Rose for the win, he fought a hell of a fight, but you have to give Joel Bryant his dues, too. He gave it everything. Every damned thing he had. Tonight, it just wasn't enough. I do not like Rose, but I have to give the devil his due for taking everything that Bryant gave him tonight, as well as Ness. What a match!
Rose has rolled out of the ring by the time his music starts playing, not even allowing the referee to raise his hand. He does, however, allow a couple of trainers from the back to do so, but only so his arms can go round them, as he is helped to the back. He is escorted slowly and carefully up the ramp, knowing that he still has more to do tonight. He puts Joel Bryant, and Ness, out of his thoughts now. Ness will dwell on his mistakes tonight, but Joel Bryant can go home proud, knowing that he left it all in that ring tonight. Back in the ring, a hurt, beaten, and defeated Joel Bryant still has enough left him to raise one arm weakly, to please the crowd for the last time tonight.
