Dante Cross is perched on the top rope, observing his prey. Tyler Lawson stares a hole through him as he steps through the ropes, cautious, considering the circumstances of last week. He steps through and faces Dante, backing into his own corner as the music quickly dies down. He's cautious, ever cautious, eyes fixated on his opponent. Dante is simply shaking his head, a rare smile crossing his face. That was a pun wasn't it? Damn. Lawson starts to loosen up: cracking his neck, rolling his shoulders around, but his gaze us unfaltering.


The Bell Rings.

Lawson glances over to ringside; the referee had gone and rang the bell. Good, they should get this started. He turns back to his opponent, and after a moment, mouths "Let's go" to him. Cross, still slyly grinning, nods in agreement. The Son of Sin pushes back on the ropes to drop himself back down to the canvas and walks toward the center of the ring. Lawson takes a step up as well, and they meet face-to-face in the middle....or....face-to-chest, anyway. Lawson towers over Cross, having a good 7 inches on his opponent. Dante knows this, and his first move is to try and take away this advantage as quickly as he can. He takes a half of a step back, sticks out his leg, and drives his heel right into Lawson's toes. Tyler clenches his teeth, grunting, caught off guard for the second match in a row, before bending down, reaching Dante's eye level, as if to try to reach for his foot. Cross immediately strikes, again, placing his left hand on top of Lawson's head, and violently swinging up, nailing Tyler in the jaw with a European Uppercut. Lawson's head snaps back, his face pointed to the ceiling, as he stumbles backwards following the strike. Dante continues on the offensive; he crouches down and leaps up, catching Lawson as he looks back down with a hard Dropkick, which floors the bigger man. Dante quickly pushes himself up after hitting the floor and stands up, while Lawson drops flat on his back and rolls onto his side. Cross steps over to Lawson, who holds a hand over the spot on his forehead that was kicked, and reaches down to grab him. Tyler tries to swat him away with his left hand, but Dante manages to get him under the arm and lead him back up. With that, Lawson is grabbed by the back of the head and swung around toward the corner. With as much force and control as he can produce, Dante pulls Lawson's head back and quickly slams it into the top turnbuckle, smacking The Instant Classic's forehead into the corner.

Lawson's head snaps back again as he stumbles to keep his balance. Dante, whose arm had shot forward in front of him upon the impact, deliberately pulls it back before bringing it back to the back of Lawson's head. He grabs Tyler again and goes to do the same thing again. He pulls him back, but as he thrusts Lawson's head back forward, The Instant Classic catches himself on the ropes and stops himself completely. Cross tries in vain to shove his opponent forward, but Lawson will have none of it. After a second failed attempt, Tyler shoots his arm back at Dante and nails him with an elbow to the midsection. Cross hunches over in pain, but only for a brief second, as he quickly lunges right back towards his opponent. However, this fails, as he is met by a well-timed left hand from Tyler Lawson. Dante stumbles back, head cocked at an odd angle from the impact, but he shrugs it off and charges right back at his opponent. Lawson is prepared for this, and strikes him again, this time with a kick to the stomach. Dante then doubles over, and Lawson has a chance to go on the offensive. He takes Dante's head and drops down with it, driving it into his protective brace with a Knee Facebuster. It's at that point where Dante really feels the impact. His hands shoot to his forehead after the impact with the corner of the plastic brace. Tyler steadily stands back up, runs his hand up along his forehead, and starts off toward his opponent, who is stumbling back toward the ropes. He gets to Dante and reaches across his body to grab the right wrist. He pushes Dante up against the ropes, gets set, and pulls, the Irish Whip sending Cross over to the other side of the ring. As Lawson sets up for a Backdrop, Dante bounces off the ropes closest to the stage. At about this point, he regains his awareness, seeing Lawson bent over, and manages to stop himself before reaching his opponent, instead swinging his foot forward and landing a sharp kick across Lawson's torso.

As the announces go into the inevitable "But you're Shade!" shtick, the match continues. Lawson stands back up in surprise, putting an arm around his midsection, while Cross goes for another kick, this time the exact same one Lawson gave him a moment ago, straight to the gut. It's as if Lawson rewinds, as he assumes the same position he was in before the first kick, but it's not for long, as Dante hooks him up in a Front Facelock and immediately drops him with a DDT. Tyler's skull is driven into the mat, and he immediately rebounds back off of it and onto his side. Rather, he is on a knee and an elbow, but not for long; he slowly, almost comically, falls off to the right and lands flat on his back, limp, but swinging his head back and forth on a swivel. Dante calmly stretches his neck out and cracks it as he sits up, then rolls over onto his hands and knees to make his way over to his opponent. It looks like he is about to pin Lawson, but passes right by in in his sort-of crawl/scamper; he has other plans in that dark little mind of his. Once the Son of Sin gets to the far ropes, he grabs them and climbs back to his feet. Looking back down at Lawson to make sure he's still down, he gets up onto the bottom rope. Lawson is still dazed as Cross begins to shift his weight up and down on the bottom rope, building momentum. Up and down, up and down. On the third go-around he leaps off, spinning 180 degrees in the air and landing a Legdrop across Lawson's throat. Tyler's legs shoot up into the air from the impact, and before they can go back down, Dante lunges for one of them, grabbing it before he shifts his weight into a more suitable pinning position. The referee slides in to make the count. [.....1.....2..] Kickout right after two!

With Adam still confused, Dante is making his way back to his feet. He needs to be quick about this. As much offense as he can. Don't let Lawson get a move in edgewise. Dante knows the score, the comparisons have been made, both he and Lawson have been around for a while, with little main event experience to show for it, and while he doesn't like to admit it, he did lose to *ahem* "Kyle Skype". He does have something to prove, and he wants the match to be in his hands as long as he can. By the time you can process that information, Dante is on his feet, and Lawson is groggily on his hands and knees, trying to do the same. However, Dante's ahead of him, as he reaches down and gets Tyler in a Cravate, pulling him up by the neck before walking out in front of him. As quick as he came up, The Instant Classic is sent right back down, as Dante falls forcefully into a Cutter. Lawson is discombobulated again as his jaw cracks off of Dante's shoulder; he flips right off and onto his back as Cross follows and applies another pin attempt. [.....1.....2...] Lawson gets the shoulder up again, but everyone knows he's gotta get his act together pretty soon. The crowd begins chanting "Let's go Lawson" as Dante, a scowl quickly appearing across his mouth. He stands up, glaring down scornfully at his opponent. Cross swiftly kicks Lawson in the shoulder, causing him to roll over, then follows him, nudging him along with his foot over toward the ropes. It seems a little like he doesn't want to pull Lawson up himself, and is thus guiding him to something that he can use to get up himself. Eventually, Lawson does grab the bottom rope when he's close enough, and Dante stands back, sizing him up, as Tyler struggles to get back to a vertical base.

Lawson gets to his feet, only for Dante to give him another kick, dropping him back to one knee. He grabs Tyler by the head and drags him back to the middle of the ring, before sticking his opponent's head between his legs. He just stands there in that (awkward-sounding) position and stretches his arms out to both sides in a cross formation. It looks like he's going for the Hell Bound. After a second or so of the pose, he reaches down and grabs Lawson around the waist, looking to pull him up. It's here where Lawson's size advantage really comes into play. Cross gets his feet up into the air, but Tyler begins to squirm and kick, and his opponent has no choice but to put him back down. He tries again, but Lawson again refuses to be lifted, and Cross can't get him more than a foot off the ground. Lawson is set down again, and not long after, a pair of feet leaves the ground yet again...although this time it's not his. The Instant Classic gets a burst of energy, and uses it to throw Dante over the top of him with a Back Body Drop. Lawson, off-balance, stumbles forward into the ropes nearest the announce table, but at least he has time to rest there. Cross lands hard on the canvas and arches his back after the impact, gritting his teeth in pain. Lawson turns, leaning against the ropes, catching his breath, regaining his composure. He feels his head for blood; it's not there. He just watches patiently as Dante rolls over onto his hands and knees, calculating in his head the precious number of seconds he can stay in his brief rest.

As the silliness at the announce table continues, Dante gets back to his feet, and true to his plan, rushes right back at Lawson. However, Tyler is prepared for this, and takes two steps forward before sticking his leg up in the air and taking Cross down with a Big Boot. Now Lawson's on the offensive, and he needs to keep it up. The crowd roars to life as the move connects, and Dante, like the good little heel he is, pops right back up to take the next move. Dazed and groggy, he slowly turns around to take a kick to the gut from Lawson, who quickly applies a Front Facelock. Tyler raises a fist to the audience, who pops big for it, before hooking Dante's arm over his head. He plants his feet, pops the hips, and pulls his opponent straight up over top of him. He takes a step toward the corner before falling back to complete the Vertical Suplex. Dante again puts a hand to his lower back as Lawson rolls over and crawls over to him. Tyler hooks the leg as the referee slides in. [.....1.....2...] Dante kicks out. Figures as much. Lawson quickly slides over to Dante's head and wraps his arm around it, locking in an Inverted Side Headlock. However, this is only a transition move, as he uses it for leverage to spin around, turning Dante over as he goes. Once Cross is on his stomach, Lawson grabs his right arm, spins again with it, floats over Dante's back, and ends up on top of him, on one knee, holding it in a tight Hammerlock. He wrenches it tight as Dante groans, beginning to reach towards the ropes in front of him.

Tyler shifts his leg positions and sets up to deal a little more damage. He gets himself to the side of the arm he's working and brings back his knee...bam, right into the shoulder goes his knee brace. Dante jumps upon the impact, trying to claw forward even faster now. Lawson draws his knee back...then connects again, resulting in the same, only this time Cross lets out a low roar from the pain. Seeing his opponent get closer and closer to the ropes, Lawson shifts his weight again, now placing his knees on either side of Dante's head. He now pulls back on the arm to tighten the hold, but the progress was too much, and Dante is now clearly in reach of the ropes. After one last yelp-inducing yank from Lawson, Dante grabs the bottom rope. The referee goes to Lawson to get him off of the hold, and after a little bit of prodding, he does break. Tyler stands up and walks a loop to the center of the ring as Dante pulls his arm into his body, clutching at his shoulder. However, Lawson just wants to go right back to work on that arm; he reaches in and grabs Cross's wrist, turning him 90 degrees before pulling it, and him, away from the ropes and toward the middle of the ring. After that, The Instant Classic takes a seat on the mat, pulling Dante's arm between his legs, which he crosses over his opponent's chest. He pulls back, and the Armbar is applied. Dante lets out a "GAAAH" as the pressure is put back on, and he again begins to claw back at the ropes.

Lawson pulls the hold as tight as he can as the crowd gradually gets louder. This could be the end. It probably isn't, but they can dream. Dante is in obvious pain, but he still has the wherewithal to inch his legs around counterclockwise, to try as hard as he can to reach the ropes. If only he was taller. He fights against Lawson, scooching his body, centimeters at a time, Lawson pulling at his arm the whole time. Love him or hate him, he's got resolve. Cross extends his left leg toward the ropes, just short! A growl of disdain precedes his final shot at this. He shifts his rear end, shoots out his leg, a grunt of agony....and just barely catches the rope with his heel. The entire crowd lets out a collective groan as the referee scurries over to Lawson to get him to break the hold once again. Tyler reluctantly lets go and rolls backward onto his hands and knees, making it easier for him to get up. However, he crouches there for a while, making a gameplan. Dante is rolling on the mat, cradling his arm, almost helpless. Maybe it's time to put the match away. Lawson stands up. Surprisingly, most of Dante's offense had been to his head, so it's not much of a problem, even at this stage of the match. Cracking his knuckles along the way, Lawson walks back over to his opponent, who has sat up, but is still nursing the arm. Cross looks up to see him, and quickly acts to turn the tides. As Lawson bends over to grab him, Dante takes his left hand and sticks it in Tyler's face, thumbing him right in the eye. Completely stunned by this, Lawson jerks back, putting his hands to his face, and loses his balance, falling right on his ass and sliding a little across the ring.

Dante's gotta get up to take advantage of this change in momentum, but he doesn't have an arm to do so. Using only your legs to get up is a difficult task, especially if you've been wrestling for nearly ten minutes. He struggles to do so as Tyler wipes the tears from his eye, then tries to do the same. Dante is up first, as Lawson, hand still over half of his face, is on one knee. Dante takes a shaky step forward as Tyler reaches his feet, and after making sure he can still see, blinking several times, The Instant Classic starts right back over toward his opponent. Only Dante's ready for him. He spins around, building momentum, and leaps up, looking to kick...Lawson ducks, but Dante goes right back around, swinging as fast as he can. Tyler brings his head back up, but Cross just spins a second time, and on this go-around, he swings his foot up and nails Lawson in the side of the head with the Return to Sin. Lawson is knocked loopy, and stumbles back toward the corner before falling flat on his back. Meanwhile, Dante has to put his hands out to catch himself landing, which is a bad idea to his hurt shoulder. He winces and clutches at it again on impact, and the crowd goes quiet as the ref actually starts a ten-count.

Not long after the official reaches two, Dante is on his knees and grabbing the ropes to pull himself up. Again, it's a difficult task with only one arm, as he holds the other one tight into his body, but by the count of five, he is vertical again. Meanwhile, Lawson has rolled over onto his stomach and is holding the side of his head for what seems like the hundredth time in this match. He may need a concussion test after this. Dante gets his bearings, he sees Lawson push himself up on his hands and knees. It's time to strike. The Son of Sin rushes at the Instant Classic as hard as he can, sticking his right foot out at the very last second to nail a Drive-By Kick, right to the temple, and Lawson's just out of it now. He flips over onto his back, unmoving and limp. Cross's momentum takes him into the ropes near the corner, and he catches himself there, catching his breath and gaining energy for the end. The crowd has erupted with boos, and Dante turns around with what seems like another sly smile on his face. He sees Lawson, probably unconscious, and decides it couldn't hurt to give him the match-ender for good measure. So after a couple more jeer-filled seconds of rest, he begins to climb the ropes in the corner. Lawson just happens to be in perfect position for this too. However, again, climbing with only one arm is a hindrance, and it takes Cross an abnormally long amount of time to get to the top rope. He's there though, and he gets his balance. He lets out a shout, and jumps back, corkscrewing in midair to hit the Crucifixion....onto the mat! Lawson got out of the way!

Dante smacks into the mat full-force, not only on his back, but his injured shoulder as well. The force of impact actually pops him back up to his feet, but he's wobbly and grimacing. He won't be standing for long. The fans go nuts at the miss, and even more so when they see that Lawson actually rolled up into a crouched position in the corner. On nothing but Adrenaline, he charges forward, sticks his head down...SPEAR! Dante crumples like a ragdoll. Lawson just falls flat on his back. The crowd is going crazy, Ted Cedar is going crazy. But everybody dies down when they don't see Lawson go for a cover. He just isn't in it enough to take advantage immediately. After several seconds he finally rolls over and throws an arm across Dante's chest, but it just may be too late. [.....1.....2......]SO CLOSE! Dante just barely kicks out, mere inches from the third slap of the mat to be counted. Lawson rolls over and puts his hands over his face. It's probably just covering the pain, but that very well could be him knowing he should have covered just a little bit quicker. Dante, whose shoulder just barely shot up, grabs that shoulder again, shaking it out, doing anything to make it feel a little better, even though he is a little out of it as well. Lawson begins to roll and crawl toward the corner, while Cross inches his way to the far ropes as well. The ref starts another count, but by the shout of two, both Lawson and Dante have reached their respective ropes and are struggling to pull themselves up.

While Dante's arm may be hurting, he is still more awake at the moment than Lawson is, so is pace in getting up is slightly faster, and at the count of 4, he manages to stand on his own, while Tyler is still slumped over the top rope. As Lawson stays there and shakes his head back and forth to shake out the cobwebs, Dante tries to have the wherewithal to continue here. He stumbles forward, trying to walk toward Lawson, and slowly but surely crosses the ring. Lawson turns to see Cross reaching for him, and that was his last mistake. Another burst of adrenaline hits, and Tyler reaches forward and grabs Dante around the waist, pulling him backwards and down. The Son of Sin is hung up over the top rope; particularly, the rope is sent right into his right armpit. He immediately recoils and starts dancing around the ring like a madman, spasming and clutching his arm as the pain shoots through his shoulder. Lawson pushes himself back up from the second rope and grabs him out of his mad dance, locking him up in a Front Facelock. He shoots a finger in the air and the crowd goes bonkers. Everyone knows what's coming next. Tyler hooks Dante up, pops his hips again, and vertical the smaller man goes. Tyler holds him there for a second for emphasis, and in the next second, this one is a formality, the Toxic Spike has connected. Cross falls flat on his face, and all there is left to do is roll him onto his back and let the referee count the pinfall. Shade actually stands up to watch this one. Lawson hooks the leg. [.....1.....2.....3] This one's over!


DING DING DING

Lawson's theme kicks back in as he slowly makes his way off of his defeated opponent. The referee helps him up and raises his hand as the ovation from the crowd forms a harmony with the music. Shade takes his headset off and simply observes.

Tyler slowly moseys over to the corner and climbs onto the ropes to celebrate his victory as Dante discreetly rolls out of the ring. Lawson shoots Shade a glance, which is met with an unemotional stare, showing no signs of his reaction to the result. It doesn't matter though, that's for another day. Today was a success. The statement has been made; the stage is set for the rest of the tournament. Lawson isn't a pushover, he isn't an afterthought. After tonight. He is a threat.

Lawson gets down off the ropes and begins to cross over to the other side. He's all smiles, if not a little fog-headed. But the victory more than makes up for that. He continues to play up to the crowd as Vendetta fades out to a commercial break...



What is yet to come? Now that....that is the interesting part...

The End

Dante Cross sits in the corner as his opponent, Tyler Lawson moves his head from side to side, loosening up for the match at hand. Lawson is looking across the ring at Dante with intent, his mind set on gaining the victory tonight. Across the ring, Dante glares back at him with an expression that shows little of what was going on in the inner workings of his mind.

Ted Cedar: Welcome back XWA Universe. In the ring now we have the self-proclaimed “Savior” Dante Cross going up against the returning XWA superstar, “The Instant Classic” Tyler Lawson.

Adam Dennis: And seated beside us in their fellow King of Xtreme tournament competitor, Shade. Shade, what are your thoughts on this match tonight?

Shade: I’m out here to scout the competition. I haven’t seen much from Tyler Lawson. Dante Cross is always coming out with something different. I don’t know much about either man so by the end of the night I hope to have an idea of what these two are about.


Dante grabs a hold of the ropes and pulls himself up into a standing position to begin the match. He swaggers to the middle of the ring to meet Lawson as the fans cheer the superstar. The two men stand within a foot of each other. Dante’s face carrying a sort of smirk, a half smile if you will, as he extends his hand towards Lawson.

Ted Cedar: Dante Cross trying to show respect for Lawson tonight.

Shade: Perhaps.

Lawson glares at Dante for a time, considering. The fans in the arena are booing loudly, showing their distrust for the Son of Sin, willing Lawson not to take a hold of the devil’s hand. Lawson stares Dante in the eye as Cross gives a tilt of his head, as if to say, ‘come on’. Going against his better judgement, Lawson reaches out to take a hold of Dante’s hand. What he gets in return in a resounding slap across the face.

Adam Dennis: You just can’t trust Cross, you just can’t.

Shade: I thought as much.

Dante begins to back away but Lawson swings out with a strike at Dante’s face. Cross ducks out of the way and maneuvers behind Lawson. Before Tyler can react, Dante has captured Lawson in a Sleeper in the early going of this match.

Ted Cedar: One thing people need to know about Dante Cross. The man is agile and the man is quick. Very quick.

Just as fast as Dante was able to lock on the Sleeper, Lawson drops to a knee and pulls Dante up and over with a Snapmare and latches on with the Reverse Chin Lock, wrapping his arm under Dante’s chin and locking his hands. The crowd cheers as Lawson now has the upper hand and is wrenching against the neck of Cross, tightening the hold. Dante struggles to get off the mat as he reaches behind to get a hold of Lawson. With that, he pulls of a rough Snapmare of his own, sending Lawson overheard and onto his back while Dante rushes to his feet. Lawson rises to his feet as well but sees an incoming Spin Kick from Cross and is able to duck the shot but Dante isn’t finished as he comes around with the kick again to pull off the Return to Sin Kick to the head of Lawson. Lawson reaches out and knocks away the second strike from Cross, sending the man off balance. Lawson takes advantage of this and sends a hard kick to Cross’s midsection, doubling him over. Lawson places Dante’s head between his legs and wraps his arms around Dante’s midsection as if to go for a Powerbomb, but Dante backs out of the move, grabs Lawson’s arm and with his free arm, sends forward a fast Clothesline for a Short Arm Clothesline attack, but Lawson swerves out of the way and in shades of Dante’s actions earlier, gets behind Cross and wraps his arms around Dante’s waist. Surprised and without enough time to react, Dante is sent into the air up and over to come to a hard landing from a Release German Suplex that sent him crashing into the center of the ring. Lawson seeing Dante on the mat, runs to the ropes, rebounds, and hits a Standing Senton onto the chest of Dante, landing back first. The referee dives to the mat as Tyler Lawson hooks the leg for the pin. 1—Dante gets the arm up before the referee can make the second count.

Tyler rises up off of Dante and turns around to pick Cross up off the mat but is met with a hard knee to the side of his face from his flexible opponent. Lawson stumbles sideways as Dante gets to his feet and runs to the ropes. He comes off the ropes and runs at the bent over Lawson with a Big Boot. Lawson rears his head back out of the way of the boot and swings out with a vicious Lariat that is only magnified by the momentum Dante was already running on. The shot sent Dante head over heels, landing hard on his back and his legs in the air. Lawson reaches out and grabs one of Cross’s legs and immediately turns Dante over and cinches in the Ankle Lock submission hold.

Ted Cedar: Tyler Lawson is not letting up on Cross one bit. Just when it looks like Cross has the upper hand, Lawson comes back with another counter and turns the tables.

Adam Dennis: It’s been back and forth with both men Ted, don’t make it seem like Lawson is just dominating here.

Indeed that seems to be the case at the moment as Dante is holding his head as the referee is on the mat with him asking if he wants to tap while Lawson maintains the Ankle Lock and doesn’t seem to be letting up. Dante shakes his head at the referee, saying through the grunts that he doesn’t want to give up. The referee asks again and Dante pushes the referee away and twists around in the hold. Dante tries to go to the ropes but Lawson is having none of it. The fans are on their feet cheering, wishing that Dante Cross would tap, that he would submit and be put in his place by Tyler Lawson. Dante shakes his head and uses his arms to push off from the mat. He rolls in on himself and with the leg still held by Lawson, sends Tyler to the ropes as he maneuvers out of the move. Dante gets to his feet and spins around as Lawson hits the ropes chest first and bounces back, coming right into a Spinning Backfist from Cross to the back of Lawson’s skull. The impact of the move sends Lawson through the ropes and to the floor as he holds his head from the pain.

In the ring, Dante takes a moment to lean against the ropes and look down at his opponent, savoring the moment as he likes to do. The referee begins the ten count and Dante rolls out of the ring to gather up his opponent and continue god’s work. He goes over and grabs Lawson’s head to bring him to his feet. Hunched over, Lawson sends a series of strikes to Dante’s midsection causing Cross to release his hold. Lawson grabs Dante’s arm and pulls him close, landing a Forearm Smash to the face of Dante that dazed him. With that, he turns around and whips Dante to the ring apron, but Dante leaps onto the ring apron instead, and flips backwards for a moonsault and catching Lawson as he came around, lands the DDC, inverted DDT moonsault, on the outside. The referee is at the count of 8 now so Dante rolls into the ring and back out again, breaking the count. Lawson is trying to get to his feet, holding the back of his head and he uses the railing for assistance. Dante comes from behind and wraps his arms around Lawson, pulling him away from the railing only to ram him back into it with force. He takes Lawson up and turns around with him and with a slight leap for added impact, he sends Lawson crashing backfirst into the steel guard railing and falling into the crowd.

Adam Dennis: I guess we can say the ball is solely in Cross’s corner right now.

Dante rolls into the ring and back out again, making the referee restart the count as he prefers to keep the action on the outside for now. Lawson is on his knees on the floor in the crowd holding his back as Dante climbs onto the railing to hop over. Thinking fast, Lawson strikes Dante at the legs, sending him falling to the floor off the railing. Dante lands on his back and Lawson is on him before Dante knows what hit him. Mounted atop Cross, Lawson begins raining down a series of stiff Forearm Shots to the face of Dante that seem to be knocking screws loose with each strike. Lawson pulls Dante to his feet and tosses him over the railing onto the other side. Dante tries to get to his feet but Lawson is on him, taking Dante by the head and trunks and slinging the smaller man into the side of the ring as the referee is calling for the two men to bring it back into the ring. Lawson complies, bringing Dante to his feet once more and rolling him into the ring, soon following right behind. Dante is crawling on his hands and knees to get away from Lawson who is coming from behind. As Lawson draws near, Dante rears back and pulls off a Mule Kick, to the legs of Tyler Lawson, sending him face first into the mat. Dante scampers to his feet and runs to the ropes, glancing back only once to see Lawson getting to a knee. Dante rebounds off the ropes and runs at Lawson. He uses his opponent’s knee as a step and goes for the Shining Wizard—Lawson brings his hands up and knocks the knee out of the way! But Dante brings the other one to bear on Lawson’s face, knocking the Instant Classic to the mat. Dante dives down onto Lawson and goes for the pin on his downed opponent. 1…2…Lawson kicks out before the three count!

Shade: Dante’s pretty fast, no doubt about it.

Adam Dennis: I have no doubt that if Cross had connected with that initial knee strike this match would be over. The second one wasn’t able to muster as much momentum as the first.

Ted Cedar: You may be right there Adam, but it didn’t and it’s not and I’m sure we haven’t seen all of what Tyler Lawson has to offer for this match.

Dante gets to his feet and sends a hard stomp to the downed Lawson, keeping him on the mat before he runs to the ropes. Dante jumps to the second, then the first, and springboards backwards in a twisting motion for the Deadliest Moonsault Evermore. Lawson rolls out of the way but Dante is able to land on his feet from the move. Reminiscent of Dante’s earlier actions, Lawson leaps forward and hits a Dropkick to the legs of Dante, sending Cross to the mat hard on his face. Lawson tucks Dante's head underneath his armpit and wraps his arm around the neck so that the forearm is pressed against the throat. He grabs his own arm with his free hand, locks in the hold and compresses Dante’s neck in the process. Lawson begins to arch backwards, pulling the opponent's head forward and thus applying extra pressure on the neck, then he flips forward, turning the move into the Last Chancery. Tyler Lawson is balancing on the top of his head and the tip of his toes as he wrenches back against Dante’s neck as Cross cries out from the maneuver. Dante’s hand is in the air as he is questioning the option of tapping, to end the pain, to close the match, but he doesn’t. He ignores the jeers from the fans as they call for Tyler Lawson to close the match, to make the Son of Sin tap out, and he holds on, fighting through the pain as his head id wrenched back by the move. Dante takes his raised hand, makes a fist and strikes Lawson in the face, causing the Instant Classic to break the hold and giving Dante some time to breathe at last.

Dante rolls onto his front and lifts himself up off the mat, the same time as his opponent Lawson, who rushes forward and charges at Dante. Lawson grabs Cross and puts Dante’s s arm around his neck and goes for the leg to pull off a quick Snap Suplex, lifting Dante off the mat. Dante cracks Lawson in the back of the head with his elbow and reverses the move in rough fashion, grabbing the arm of Lawson that had be wrapped around his neck and slamming Tyler Lawson to the mat with force as he wrenches back on his trapped arm to lock in the Fujiwara Armbar. Lawson cries out as Dante pulls back on the arm, willing Lawson to tap.

“Ask him! ASK HIM! REREREE, ASK HIM!”

Dante turns his head towards his opponent and yells into his ear.

“Tell him! TELL HIM! TEEELLL HIIIMM!!”

Lawson is struggling against the mat as Dante has the hold locked in tight. Lawson begins to beat his fist upon the mat in frustration as he can’t get free of the hold, which only makes Dante crank up the pressure. Now Dante is rocking back and forth, adding to the effect of the move in a way, each backwards motion pulling Lawson’s arm further backwards than it did the last time. Dante looks back and sees that Lawson still has yet to tap out. Frustrated, he releases the hold and gets to his feet. Lawson lets out a sigh of relief that is halted when Dante takes to stomping Lawson repeatedly in the back of his head. The annoyance evident on Dante’s face as the referee pulls him away from his opponent. Cross was sure that the match was almost over there, he wanted the match to be over.

Ted Cedar: I think Dante is getting a little ticked here guys.

Shade: My thoughts exactly. You’ve got to realize that we’ve got a tournament going on that could put any of the men participating in a position to headline the biggest pay-per-view of the year and matches such as this just seem like a distractor from the real goal.

Dante watches and waits as Lawson gets to his feet, holding the left arm that Dante had made his bitch. Cross rushes forward and Lawson quickly catches the charges Dante with an Arm Drag that sends him up and over, crashing to the mat. Dante gets back to his feet as Lawson charges forward this time and returns the gesture by giving him an up and over Arm Drag as well. The two men make it back to their feet at the same time and each react, going for another Arm Drag, but upon seeing the other, neither makes a move. Dante stands upright and backs away a few steps, a smirk on his face as he looks back at his opponent Lawson, who is flexing that left arm, getting some much needed circulation back in it, still feeling the effects of Cross’s armbar submission. Dante raises an arm, wriggling his fingers, beckoning for Tyler Lawson to accept his gesture to tie up. Lawson outstretches his hands and locks up with Dante.

Shade: You’d think Cross would be wary of a test of strength against the larger opponent.

Adam Dennis: You have to remember Shade; Dante faced an even larger opponent last week in Axel Anvil and came out victorious in that encounter.

Shade: I know. He didn’t beat him in a tie up though. That’s arrogance, all that is. We’ll see how that works out for him in this match.

The two men lock up in the center of the ring. Dante is giving up a lot of weight to his bigger and taller opponent tonight but it is not unlike any of his past challenges. He is on the losing end of the battle of strength as both men go back and forth, pulling each other in rough fashion, trying to get the better of the opposing man in this one. Lawson is getting Dante to a knee, but Cross rears back up from the mat, powering upwards. He forces Lawson back, breaks the hold, and spins around, striking out from the pivot and hitting a Spin Kick to the gut of Lawson, doubling the man over. Able now, Dante rushes forward and cinches in a Front Facelock on his opponent and wrenches on the hold, pulling back upon Lawson’s neck and tightening the lock all the while. Lawson grabs Dante’s arm and reverses out of the move, and goes for a Short Arm Clothesline, which is ducked by Dante, who gets behind Lawson and attacks with an Inverted Atomic Drop. Before Lawson can react, Dante leaps into the air and grabs Tyler Lawson around the neck from behind as he leaps and hits a Reverse Jumping Cutter, sending the Instant Classic to the mat hard. Lawson holds his head from the impact and Dante rushes over to hook the leg and get the pin. 1…2…--Lawson kicks out and stays alive in the match.

Dante gets to his feet and pulls Lawson up as well. He grab’s Lawson’s face and strikes with a pair of stiff European Uppercuts that put the man on wobbly knees. With that, Dante goes to whip Lawson to the ropes, but Lawson reverses, sending Dante instead and coming right behind. Dante hits the ropes and holds on as Tyler Lawson runs forward with a Lariat that would take Dante’s head off. If it had connected. Dante ducks the move and holds the top rope, sending the Instant Classic over the top from the momentum. Lawson tries to catch himself but he stumbles and falls against the steel railing. Dante, always on the move, goes and ascends the top rope, climbing the corner turnbuckle and gearing to attack from the sky. Lawson is leaning against the steel railing, facing away from Dante who leaps from the top rope for a Flying Forearm onto his unsuspecting opponent. At the last second, Axel glances back and without another thought, he pulls out the metal railing and with a sound heard round the arena, causing Dante to land chest first into the steel barricade.

It’s Lawson’s turn to smirk now as Dante falls from the railing and onto the floor holding his midsection with his eyes clenches tight from the pain of the impact. Lawson guides Dante back into the ring and rolls him in, following right behind. Dante rolls onto his front but Lawson is back on him. He kicks Dante in the back with force before bringing him to his feet and sending him to the ropes. Dante rebounds off the ropes and comes back at Lawson, who leaps into the air and allows Dante to go to the opposite ropes and rebound again, only to reason a swift Dropkick to the face from the Instant Classic as the fans in the arena cheer in approval. As Lawson is playing to the crowd, Dante is on his knees and checking to see is any blood was drawn or perhaps a broken nose. This does not escape Lawson, who runs to the ropes in front of Cross and rebounds to run back at Dante with a Big Boot—caught by Dante! Tyler Lawson for a moment is hopping on one leg until Dante heaves him up and over onto his face as Cross himself, still holding the foot, maneuvers into a Single Leg Boston Crab to the dismay of the crowd.

Ted Cedar: And yet again, Cross with the submission. He is trying to make Tyler Lawson tap tonight.

Adam Dennis: It doesn’t look like he’s done Ted.

The fans are on their feet as Dante grabs the other leg of Lawson and raises the elevation of the move into a High Angle Boston Crab, but now, now he is adding insult to injury as he places his foot on the back of Lawson’s head, locking in the Gates of God! Dante’s body is tensed and straining as he is working in all his power to make Lawson quit tonight. He looks back and through clenched teeth.

“Just quit! Just end it!”

Lawson replies in a terse voice, fighting back against the pain.

“Fuck…you!”

Infuriated at the gall of Lawson and at his inability to make the man submit, he releases the hold and takes the stomping the Instant Classic’s face into the mat until the referee has to pull him away. Lawson struggles to his feet as Dante pushes the referee out of the way to get at him. He reaches out to Tyler but Lawson sends a hard strike to Dante’s gut and follows immediately with an irish whip to the turnbuckle. With surprising force for this point in the match, Lawson has sent Dante to the turnbuckle, but Cross leaps into the air and lands upon the top rope, avoiding the collision in the corner. Lawson runs forward and Dante spins back with a leap from the top for a Crossbody and is met with a Dropkick in midair by Lawson, crumbling Dante upon the mat.

Ted Cedar: That last dropkick looked like it sent Dante’s head into the next dimension that it did.

Tyler Lawson is tired. He is hurting. But he knows it won’t be much longer now. He can feel the match is close to an end, that his victory is all but certain. He waits until Dante rises to his feet and just as he turns, Lawson catches him with a stiff Lariat that takes him down again and bounces him on the mat. Almost on instinct, Dante pops back up only to be taken down again with the Enzuigiri to the side of the head that has his ears ringing as he stumbles to the mat.

Adam Dennis: Oh I know what this combination is leading to. This set up is one of Tyler Lawson’s signature combinations and it looks like he is about to end it here.

Tyler Lawson grins as he backs away, waiting, watching, just holding out for the perfect moment to strike. Crouched in the middle of the ring, he watches as Dante grabs the corner ropes, struggling to get to his feet. The fans know it’s coming. Dante turns around and Tyler Lawson runs forward at breakneck speed for the Spear. They can feel it about to end. It’s almost there, it’s almost there, he’s almost there.

The sound resonates throughout the arena on impact. A collective groan comes up from the fans. Lawson is slumped in the corner, blood running down his face from the head first collision with the turnbuckle. Dante had moved out of the way at the last possible second and now he reaches out and grabs the roll up on Lawson as the fans let out a volley of boos, knowing the match is lost to them now. The referee slaps his hand on the mat for the 1, but Dante lets out a cry of surprise as Lawson pulls his arm and twists himself up, locking Dante Cross in the Gogoplata (Hell’s Gate) submission.

Ted Cedar: I can’t believe it! I can’t—Lawson’s still got some fight left in him and he may win this damn thing!

The boos from the fans instantly turn to cheers as Lawson now has the upper hand in the match and looks to submit Dante Cross, who is flailing on the floor and yelling out to no avail. Lawson tightens the hold, compressing Dante’s neck even more but Dante, amid the yelling, reaches out and begins to strike Lawson in his already bleeding face, opening the wound even more. Lawson tries to maintain the hold, but out of the view of the referee, Dante’s next strike sees him jab a thumb into the eye of Tyler Lawson. Lawson releases the hold and Dante scurries free as Lawson gets on his knees and holds his eye. Dante runs to the ropes and rebounds, with the momentum he strikes out and lands a resonating Superkick to the face of his bloodied opponent, causing him to fall back on his legs from his knees. Wasting no time, amid all the jeers and catcalls, Dante drops to his knees, puts a forearm into the face of Lawson as insult, and with a smile on his face, relishing the hate from the crowd, gets the pin. 1…2…3.