DING DING DING

Greg Samuel shakes his head as The Pirate holds up his hands for a lock-up. After what he just saw on the tron, he's still not sure what exactly he's in for. But that doesn't matter. No matter who the opponent, they're just another obstacle in the way of his path to the Intercontinental Championship. As the referee encourages him to start the match, the Maine Attraction steps forward and reaches out. After a brief moment of scouting position, the two lock up in the Collar and Elbow, simply pushing as hard as they can against each other. The Pirate's size advantage shines through early, as he gets a bit of an advantage and pushes back a few steps. However, Samuel capitalizes on his lower center of gravity, planting his feet and standing his ground for several seconds. After the evenly matches competitors push each other to a deadlock, Greg quickly disengages and dives toward Pirate's left foot, looking for a Single-Leg Takedown. Bloom avoids this, though, pulling his foot back and circling around Samuel as he stumbles into the corner. Greg turns back toward his opponent and tries to go for another one, but before he can lunge down, Pirate steps into him, planting his left foot and hooking under Greg's arm. Pointing his right foot high into the air, almost comedicly, the captain swings his opponent up and over him, depositing Greg on the mat with an Arm Drag, much to the delight and applause of his Crew at ringside.

Pirate gets up from his knees, while Samuel scrambles back to his feet as well. The Maine Attraction looks at his opponent, a little shocked after that brilliant counter. Not something you'd see out of a swashbuckling brute. Although, he is Tyler Lawson, isn't he? Regardless, Greg doesn't waste any time, lunging forward again at his opponent. As Pirate reaches out, Samuel ducks around the back of him, wrapping Bloom up around the waist. Pirate tries to fight the Rear Waistlock, but it's cinched in tight. He then tries to rear back and elbow his opponent, but Greg has it scouted, and ducks under the attempt, now keeping the hold locked in from the side. Running out of options and not wanting to be Suplexed, Pirate grabs the back of his opponent's head in the crook of his elbow and tries a Side Headlock Takeover. Samuel, however, a student of the technical game, quickly reaches down to grab Pirate's right leg and pull it up into the air, taking out all his leverage. With no force behind his counter attempt, Bloom has no choice but to let himself be picked up and thrown backwards, as Greg attempts a Back Suplex...but amazingly, it doesn't work. Greg had miscalculated where he was in the ring, and instead of the mat, Pirate's back settles right into the top turnbuckle. He grimaces a little on the impact, but he's still in much better shape than he would have been had he taken the full brunt of that move. Meanwhile, Samuel loses his grip on his opponent as hits the ropes and falls flat on his back, narrowly missing the bottom turnbuckle. Surprised by his error, Greg swivels and rolls away to the center of the ring, having to regroup as Pirate slumps his arms back over the ropes.

"W-w....the fuck was that?"

"A rare mistake by Greg Samuel in the early going. Can Pirate capitalize?"

"No. No, that'd be...the worst fucking thing ever. Get back at him Greg! Kill him."

As Samuel pops back up to his feet, Pirate steps out of the corner and tries to make sense of what just happened. His opponent tries to make up for his error, running forward back at him, but Bloom sees this coming, and makes Greg pay by ducking down and Backdropping him...but wait! Greg manages to spin around in midair, avoiding flipping, and land perched on the top rope. Pirate turns, only to see Samuel adjusting his balance before leaping forward onto him with a Flying Crossbody...but Pirate catches him! Can anyone land a move in this match? Well that question becomes moot, as Pirate can't keep his footing, losing his balance as Samuel completes the Crossbody. Pirate crashes to the mat, and Greg pops back to his feet while his opponent struggles to do the same. Before Pirate is up, Samuel grabs him by the head and spins him around, taking the captain right back down with a Neckbreaker. After this, the Maine Attraction quickly flips onto his side, rolling on top of his opponent to make the cover.....one.....tw-kickout. Again, Samuel stands right back up, this time giving his opponent a bit of a breather by playing up to the crowd a little. He raises his arms into the air, getting a bit of a pop, but a majority are actually concerned for Pirate as he slowly climbs back up, ever so slightly favoring his upper back.

Samuel turns around to his opponent, who has reached his hands and knees. The Maine Attraction ushers Pirate up, ever so slightly positioning him for the next move. Once Bloom is to his feet, Greg pulls his right arm across and delivers a hard Chop to the chest, spurring obligatory "WOO!"s from the fans. I wonder who those are in reference to in this canon, anyway...maybe Caleb? Anyway, Pirate recoils a bit, but suddenly looks, angrily, into his opponent's eyes. In retaliation, the captain issues a Chop of his own, but it is quickly blocked by the left hand of Samuel, who quickly shoves Pirate's arm out of the way and gives him another chop. More Woos. Pirate backs up a step and covers up, allowing Greg to get in close. The technical specialist wraps up his swashbuckling opponent, and after a quick pop of the hips, he throws Bloom over his head with a Belly-To-Belly Suplex. Pirate lands hard on his back once again, but luckily he's near the ropes, as he quickly rolls out to his Crew to regroup. Megalodon and Lookout step in front and look angrily at Samuel, who had gotten up and walked to the ropes, as Scurvy Steve and Jumbo pat their captain on the back and offer some verbal support. After a while, Pirate shakes the cobwebs out and pushes past his comrades, sliding himself into the ring as Samuel backs up to allow him re-entry. Before Pirate can bring himself back up to a vertical base, Greg grabs him by the wrist and shoots him off across the ring. As Bloom bounces off the ropes, the Maine Attraction sets up in the middle of the ring and plants his feet, waiting. Pirate gets to him, and Samuel lifts him high into the air, looking for his Gateway. However, Pirate is able to counter, leaning forward as hard as he can. He manages to roll downward, grabbing his opponent by the waist on the way, and fall out of Greg's grasp. As Bloom hits the mat, he pulls Samuel backwards, driving his shoulders to the mat and turning the move into a Sunset Flip. Pirate's feet flip up and make the pin.....one.....two...no!

"OHH and he kicks out! Pirate almost stole one there!"

"Bullshit, no, he...uh...he had the tights. That pin wouldn't have counted."

"I...don't know what match you're watchin', Joey..."

Samuel rolls backward into the corner and starts pulling himself up with the ropes as Pirate races to his feet as well. Bloom, trying desperately to get into the driver's seat here, charges forward at his opponent with an arm outstretched to the side. Greg sees it coming, however, and ducks under Bartholomew's Clothesline. Spinning his opponent around as Pirate his caught off-guard, the Maine Attraction wraps him up and pushes forward, driving Pirate across the ring and toward the corner. Before his sternum can meet the turnbuckles, though, the captain reaches his hands out and catches both sides of the top rope, stopping himself from hitting the corner. With Samuel's momentum stopped, he pushes up against his larger opponent's back, being forced vertical, a perfect place to catch a left elbow to the temple, thrown by Bloom in front of him. Greg stumbles back a step, stunned by the move, but still has his wits about him by the time Pirate turns himself around, because when the scurvy dog tries something, he's unable to make any move before his opponent rears back and launches a boot into his face, a desperation Superkick. Pirate's head snaps back, as Lawson's had similarly done many times before in his battles with David Michaels, and he slumps into the corner, while Samuel catches his balance and puts his hand on his knee, leaning over with his other hand rubbing his head.

After catching his breath, and with Pirate barely being held up by the turnbuckles, Greg slowly moseys over to his opponent and grabs his hand. After pushing into the corner a bit, he yanks back, pulling Pirate along with him and Irish Whipping him across the ring. Pirate stumbles forward and turns, as his back smacks into the opposite buckles, and Samuel takes a step back before charging forward after him himself. Not long after Bloom hits the corner, Greg sandwiches him into it with a hard Corner Clothesline. Pirate, a little battered at this point in the match, slumps forward as his opponent pulls away from him, nearly landing on the smaller Samuel. This allows the Maine Attraction to pick him up around the waist, hoisting the captain over the ropes to place him on the top turnbuckle. With Pirate perched in the corner, Greg slowly starts to climb the turnbuckles little-by-little, getting to the second rope as Bloom starts to come to his senses. Samuel grabs Pirate, hooking his head under, trying to set up for a Superplex, but just as he's about to execute the potentially match-ending move, Pirate throws his right arm up and drives it down in desperation, connecting with Greg's kidney. Samuel flinches a little, and it delays his hoisting up of Pirate by just enough for the captain to throw another right hand, once again hitting the lower back. After a third shot Samuel disengages and places a hand on his kidney in pain. With an opening, Pirate grabs his opponent's head and nails him with another right hand. Samuel recoils and wobbles a bit, but manages to right himself and respond by grabbing Pirate's hair and punching him right back. Bloom's head jerks back a little, but he is balanced on the turnbuckles, and is able to quickly return fire with another right hand. This one knocks Greg a little loopy, and Pirate then launches another punch, this one causing the Maine Attraction to lose his balance entirely, falling right off the ropes and landing on his back with a thud.

"And look here, Pirate getting back into this one."

"No! That can't fucking happen! Get up, Greg, damn you!"

As Samuel rocks back and forth on the mat, holding his head (and stealthily re-positioning himself perpendicular to the corner), Pirate wipes his brow and starts to step up onto the top rope. With Greg not moving on the mat, Pirate stands up and does what could be called his signature taunt at this point, pulling out an imaginary sword from his belt and holding it high into the air. The crowd gets going for this, and after a moment of reveling in the cheers, Bloom pulls his fist back, points his elbow, and leaps forward, falling toward his opponent and Dropping said Elbow right into the chest. Samuel's legs shoot up into the air upon impact, and Pirate, after settling on the mat, shifts his weight on top of Greg for a pin attempt.....one.....two....kickout! That one was a little close. Bloom rolls off and starts to hold his shoulder, a little sore after taking that impact with his opponent. He fights through it though, as a good pirate can't be held down, y'know? He stands up, shaking out that right arm, while Greg slowly rolls over on his stomach. Pirate tries his darnedest to get back into this one. As Samuel, holding his sternum with one hand, pushes up to his knees, Bloom staggers over to him and brings him up himself. Greg struggles to find his balance, and Pirate starts an offensive, rearing back and hammering the Maine Attraction with a stiff Forearm. Very Japanese-looking move there.

Samuel covers up his head, opening up his midsection, and the savvy Pirate (dat reference) takes advantage by going lower, nailing a punch right to Greg's midsection. With the wind knocked out of him, Samuel doubles over clutching his stomach. Pirate then hops to his left, turning to back into the ropes and come back off at his opponent. Right before he reaches him, Bloom spins to his right, whirling his leg around to hit a Spinning Back Kick to the side of Greg's head. The Maine Attraction nearly trips over himself as he stumbles across the ring to the ropes, the Crew applauding the somewhat unorthodox offense of their leader. Some fans follow their lead, supporting their new favorite gimmick in the XWA, but others seem concerned for Greg's well-being. It's truly a torn crowd for this one. Samuel turns around and leans into the ropes to prevent himself from falling over. However, he has no balance and stumbles back forward to the middle of the ring, where Pirate is waiting for him. The captain bends down and hoists his opponent onto his shoulders, quickly falling back into a Samoan Drop, driving his entire weight into Samuel's midsection. Greg hits the ground hard, but has little time to react to it as Pirate immediately hooks the leg and pushes up on the mat with his feet for more leverage on the pin attempt.....one.....two.....no! Greg kicks out at the last second!

"This is fucking bullshit! Fucking Greg, you do your fucking beast mode shit when I DON'T want you to. Well come on! Do it now!"

"Well it might take that to get Greg out of the pickle he's in..."

Ted speaks the truth, as Pirate gets right back up, rolling both of his shoulders as he sizes Samuel up. He's in total control right now. He twists around a bit, loosening up his back, then raises both arms to ARR at the fans, before turning back to his opponent's limp body. He reaches down and rolls Greg onto his hands and knees before pulling him back up to a vertical base. Before Samuel can even catch his breath, Bloom scoops him up, quickly flipping him before dropping him on a knee with a familiar Tilt-A-Whirl Backbreaker. Samuel's back arches backwards on impact, before he drops down to a seated position, both hands rushing to hold his spine. Pirate continues his offense, though, not giving him any breathing room, by sitting down himself, wrapping his legs around Greg's midsection to slap on a Bodyscizzors. Samuel's back and midsection have taken quite a beating in the past few minutes, so he visibly grimaces upon the hold being applied. Pirate squeezes tightly, giving his opponent little room to breathe. However, Bloom applied the hold from the side, not from behind, so Greg has a bit of room to counter if he can maneuver himself into it. The technician does notice this opportunity as well, and fighting through the pain, starts to twist himself around to try to face Pirate. The captain tries to keep the hold in as tight as he can, but after a while, Samuel gets to the point that he can plant a foot under him and push forward, tipping Pirate over and onto his back. Greg pushes up, nearly to his feet, to counter the submission into a pin attempt.....one.....two.....Pirate throws his shoulder up just in time, releasing his grip and sending Samuel rolling to his left, back down to the mat.

Bloom, surprised by almost giving up the match right there, rolls onto his stomach and grabs the ropes, quickly pulling himself to his feet before Samuel can gain an advantage. Greg crawls into the corner and tries to do the same, but Pirate easily beats him to the punch, getting back on his feet before the Maine Attraction can even get to his knees. By the time Greg is back up, Pirate has already walked up behind him, and the captain wastes no time in hooking under his opponent's arms and locking him in a Full Nelson. Pirate pulls back, executing his signature High Seas Suplex, and bridges Samuel's shoulders to the mat for another pin.....one.....two..kickout again. This one wasn't as close as Bloom's last pin attempt. He seems to be losing ground. Determined to keep up his momentum, Pirate pushes himself up quickly, shaking his head, trying to think on the fly. Greg starts to get up as well, a bit more quickly than before. This is bad news for Pirate, as a second wind for this guy is especially bad. As Samuel gets to his feet, but before he can stand fully up, Bloom quickly grabs him by the arm and starts to set up for a Short-Arm Clothesline. However, as he pulls his opponent toward his oncoming arm, Greg ducks under it, causing the captain to whiff hard and stumble toward the corner. As Pirate is off balance, Samuel turns around and sizes him up, panting, a hand still glued to his lower back. Pirate catches himself in the corner and turns around only for Greg to come out of nowhere, leaping up and grabbing him before falling back into the Fatal Attraction!

"OH MY! Fatal Attraction out of absolutely nowhere!"

"It's about FUCKING time!"

Pirate's face smacks off the canvas and he basically goes flying off across the ring. Greg lays motionless on the mat, breathing heavily. Bloom rolls around near another corner, holding his face urgently after taking his opponent's match-ender. Samuel can't capitalize however, having taken a lot of punishment in this one. The match hits the eight-minute mark, with both men now incapacitated. Suddenly, Greg rolls onto his stomach and begins to claw his way across the ring. Pirate is writhing on the mat, unable to see his opponent slowly crawl to him. One...after another...the Maine Attraction fights to put one arm in front of the other, seemingly running on fumes at this point. Finally, he makes it to Pirate, throwing an arm across the captain's chest. Megalodon starts to hurry around the ring, as this looks bad for his leader, but there's no way he's gonna make it in time as the count begins.....one.....two......thr-NO~! Pirate kicks out at the last possible second, as Ryu Sanu has to jump up and wave it off feverishly to avoid the bell being rung. It was that close. The members of Pirate's crew let out a huge sigh of relief as Greg weakly rolls back to the center of the ring. Bloom rolls over and throws an arm across the bottom rope, making a feeble attempt to climb back up. It won't happen very quickly though. Meanwhile, something is happening to Samuel in the middle of the ring. Something that gets a bit of a pop from the crowd.

Greg starts seething, his eyes now open wide. He clenches his fists, a second wind and a rush of adrenaline surging through him. He rolls his head around, cracking his neck a few times...suddenly, he whips his legs up into the air and quickly kips up right to his feet, roaring loudly as a bit of pain shoots through his back. He tries his hardest to ignore it, tensing up his entire body, completely entered into his Beast Mode. Seething through his teeth, the Maine Attraction sizes up his opponent as Pirate slowly pulls himself back up, and as Bloom turns around, he gets hit with a huge Lariat from the rejuvenated Samuel, flooring him once again. The intensity is off the chart as Greg then bends down to pull Pirate right off the mat again. With the captain barely able to stand, his opponent shoves him under between his legs, looking out into the crowd as he takes a deep breath. Slowly, he reaches around Bartholomew's waist, and starts to pull him up...but a jolt of pain shoots through his spine again, and he quickly drops Pirate back to his knees. Mr. Match of the Night can't have that, however, and after taking another deep breath and stretching out his back a little, he tries one more time. Grunting through the pain, he hoists Bloom up into the air, on his shoulders, before quickly throwing him down onto the mat with a Powerbomb. Not really a Greg Samuel move, but the situation felt right for it. Pirate slams into the mat, going limp once again as Samuel falls on top of him for the cover.....one.....two...kickout...at two and a half.

"No! ...fuck he almost had it..."

"Well Pirate still looks in a bad way here. It might be close to being over..."

"It fucking better be!"

Greg starts to get up, albeit quite a bit more slowly. It's not quite the kip up from before. Clearly the burst of energy took quite a toll. However, he's still got that intense look in his eye, as he looks to continue his offensive flurry. He reaches down and rolls Pirate over, using all his might to pull the bigger man back up once again. The captain, back to his feet, is still a little out of it, so Samuel has little trouble spinning him around. The Maine Attraction wraps him up and lifts him ever slightly, but immediately drops him back down as he sticks out his knee and connects with an Atomic Drop. Not that inverted crap that David Michaels does, the original. Pirate holds his...booty (ba dum tshh) as he starts to stumble forward. Samuel reaches out and grabs him by the hair however, pulling Bloom back in close to him. He bends the captain backward and reaches his right arm over his head, holding the position for a split second before falling back into an Inverted DDT. Grimacing as he lands on his tailbone, Greg takes a moment to get in position, but still rather swiftly rolls over his opponent and hooks both legs. Here's the count.....one.....two....Pirate, on instincts alone, reaches out and grabs the bottom rope before one is even counted, and his crew make a whole lot of commotion from ringside to get Ryu's attention so he can see it just before counting the three. Greg turns  to see Pirate's hands on the rope, and groans in disappointment. He should have seen that before he made the pin. No matter, just gotta keep up the offense.

Slowly, wincing at the pain shooting through him, Mr. Match of the Night stands back up, grabbing his opponent's ankles and pulling him into the center of the ring. After getting vertical and putting his hands on his hips, he rolls his head a few times before breaking into a jog off toward the hard camera. In a bit of a risky move, he leaps up onto the second rope and flips off, flying backwards through the air to land on his opponent with a Lionsault. He lands rather hard on top of Bloom, coming up to his knees and holding his midsection after that, but after a moment, falls back down on top of him and hooks the leg again.....one.....two.....kickout again! Pirate just won't stay down. Greg rolls off of him and lays on his back, holding his hands on the top of his head as if to ask what he needs to do to finish this one. Pirate put him through hell before, and now he's returning the favor, but neither man fell through. These two are really evenly matched. After getting a bit of a breather, the Maine Event once again rolls over and begins the long trek back to his feet. As Pirate rolls into the corner, Greg reaches his feet and backs into the far ropes, just waiting for him to get back up. It appears to be time to finish this, as he throws his arm out to one side, signaling for another Fatal Attraction.

"And Greg just wants nothing more than to end it right here, folks!"

"What a stupid observation. Of course he fucking does! What fucking wrestler doesn't want to win!?"

Pirate, looking like he's had a few too many rums, pulls his wobbly self back up, alternating between rubbing his forehead and shaking out the cobwebs as he holds the ropes to keep his balance. Trying to get situated and turn back to his opponent, he stumbles away from the camera, to the side nearest the entrance ramp. Dueling chants have erupted from the crowd during this cold spell, with "LET'S GO PIRATE!" and "LET'S GO GREG!" nearly drowning out the announcers. Finally, Bloom turns around, seeing Greg come at him with purpose. Samuel reaches his opponent, lifting up the arm and wrapping him up. He expects little resistance out of Pirate, and stands, grinning, for a moment, before starting to pull back...Pirate grabs the top rope! The captain hangs on for dear life as Samuel just hangs there, holding on to his opponent's head. After a few seconds of awkwardness, Bloom rears back and elbows Greg in the head, forcing the Maine Attraction to release and fall to his back. Greg rolls backward over his shoulder and starts to get up while Pirate gets his bearings. Samuel starts to walk back over, but Bloom is ready this time, lunging out with his foot and connecting with a kick to the shin. Samuel, taken off guard, doubles over, groaning as he holds his leg in agony, giving Pirate a huge opening. The crafty sailor quickly steps forward to hook him up, then with a grunt and a heave, lifts Greg into the air, turns around him, and connects with the Tidal Wave. Without a second thought, he rolls Samuel over, sure that the match is now over.....one.....two.....NO! GREG KICKS OUT!

Pirate's crew sit at ringside with their mouths agape. Half the crowd is in shock, and the other half is cheering like nuts for Samuel. Bloom slowly turns his head, his face a combination of shocked and annoyed, at his opponent's glazed-over visage. He barely has it in him, but Pirate figures there's only one thing to do at a time like this. Pushing off of Greg's body, Pirate plants his wobbly legs under him and stands back up. As this bout has now hit 13 minutes and counting, he's barely able to hold his balance, but somehow manages to bend back over and pull the Maine Event back to a seated position, and after a moment of gathering strength, up to his feet. As Joey Miles heavily protests, Pirate bends his opponent over, sticks him under his legs, and hooks both arms up. After looking over at his crew, getting many supportive ARRs in return, Bloom grunts, hoisting Samuel up into the air, and with his last bit of strength, falling back to drop him on his knees with the Mutiny. Greg once again falls limp to the mat as Pirate weakly throws an arm across him.....one.....two.....three!!!

DING DING DING!!!