Notes: This is not a steel cage match. See the Chain Reaction card thread, or PM me if you have any questions.

The two starting competitors size each other up, but not before Chris gives Raye a quick glance of slight disdain. He wasn't exactly SM's biggest fan, and it shows. Instead, he focuses more on how he could win this match without having to co-operate too much, if possible. The bell rings, and the two starting wrestlers approach one another, locking up in a collar-and-elbow.

This is a bit of an odd match. While fighting the likes of Raye and Pyro is definitely a worthy test for any team, there's one definite question. Why, of all people, would our GM have put these two together?

There's definitely no love lost between them, that's for sure. These two have gone at it on more than one occasion, and have made it very clear they do not care for one another in the slightest. Quite frankly, I don't see any way they'll be able to work together enough to take on a real tag team like the Logging Crew.Then why put them together in the first place?

Who knows? Social experiment?

In the ring, the match is underway, as Chris Pyro has already gone on the move, sweeping up Cletus' leg with a swift full-angle kick to the back of the ankle. The big man goes does like a shot, much to his own surprise. Pyro leaps down on his foe for a surprisingly early pin! Cletus powers out nice and quick at one, pushing Pyro up enough to send the man back to his feet. Cletus quickly stands back up, but the moment he's close to his feet, Pyro swings through with another sweep, sending the lug back down again. Another pin...and another big kick out at one. The sequence repeats twice more, Cletus going down, getting pinned, and quickly kicking out. But by the fourth one, the ref manages to get all the way to 2. This time, Cletus stands up a bit slower, breathing a little more heavily. The quick pins having done their job, Pyro grins, and this time smacks the lumberjack with a big dropkick, sending him reeling back into his corner.

A smart approach at the start; at Cetus' size, going at him this quickly is a great way to get the wind out of him.

Cletus grabs on to the rope and scowls back at Pyro, but before he can come charging back out, Big Jim gives him a nice slap on the shoulder, tagging himself in. Cletus looks like he's about to protest, but a couple words from Jim seem to convince him to begrudgingly agree. Over on the other side of the ring, Chris, while still looking across the ring at his opponents, with a bit of a smug grin on his face, put his hand over his shoulder, face up, for a tag; one that never comes. After a few seconds, his expression grows a bit annoyed and confused, then turns to see SM Raye with his back turned. Understandably, Chris's pretty peeved, but before he can start shouting at his "partner", the newly legal man comes rushing across and grabs a nice handful of Pyro' very long hair. Two handfuls in fact. He drags him back in the middle of the ring, before stopping and yanking that hair straight down, sending the back of Chris's head crashing into a waiting knee.

Oooh, and what you could only so generously call a miscommunication costs Pyro the momentum he started doing so well with!

That didn't take long to break down, did it? It's like I told you, I don't see any way these two could possibly get along. But damn, I thought they'd at least try!

The vicious Big Jim had started putting the boots to Chris Pyro, softening him up more while he had his prey down. The stomps go all over the place, making it hard for Pyro to find the right spot to try and cover up. Eventually, Jim seems to have had enough of that, and once again drags Pyro by the hair. He throws Pyro in the corner and keeps him pinned against the bottom turnbuckle with a pressing boot under the chin. Now that Pyro was immobile, he'd make for easy pickings with no partner wanting to save him. Jim tags Cletus back in, and holds Pyro against the bottom buckle long enough for the bigger of the two woodsmen to get into the middle of the ring, before charging full-steam ahead and crashing the massive weight of his knee right into Chris Pyro' face. Pyro' face says it all. The big blow after getting boot-choked leaves him dizzy, and Cletus easily lifts him back to his feet. The beast of a man lets out a mighty yell right into Pyro' face, before getting both hands around Pyro' head and flat-out tossing him across the ring! While normally, being thrown back towards your corner is a good thing in a tag match, Pyro gets no such luck. He reaches up a hand while struggling up to one knee, just to see SM Raye grinning down at him, shaking his head.

I'm not liking the looks of things for Pyro in the ring there. While I do think that, individually, Raye and Pyro could take a member of the Logging Crew in a singles match, when you're in a tag situation where your partner doesn't even care about helping you out? And against a team that actually has teamwork? That's a death sentence.

Raye's very punchable expression seems to have some sort of healing effect on Pyro, however. Seeing his partner being such a dick boils him up, his anger being enough to get him back to his feet. Well, almost. Pyro gets up to one foot, but before he has a full footing, he feels his other foot getting pulled back by the massive Cletus. Thinking fast, Pyro grabs a rope with one hand to prevent getting pulled back. But Cletus' strength is enough that it would only be a matter of time before he gets snapped back in. Pyro will have to think fast, and looking at Raye just grinning at him seems to give him an idea. Pyro tries to pull is his leg back with the help of the rope a few times, and makes a little progress, but Cletus just pulls right back. After a few tugs, though, Pyro does something surprising. He lets go of the rope. He's still able to keep his ground, and this time crouches his leg on the ground, building up strength for a mighty bound! His jump pays off, as the sudden take-off pulls Cletus forward, and the airborne Pyro slips out of the man's grip. But his flight is a long one, and a grin on Pyro' face could be seen from the first row as he flies forward, hand extended....

*SLAP!*

The next thing anyone knows, SM Raye is standing on the apron, blinking in surprise, with a nice red mark across his face! The referee slaps his hands together, indicating a legal tag! Chris Pyro rolls under the bottom rope and on to the apron, smiling, and pointing to the middle of the ring, mouthing the words, “Your turn".

Ooo! That’s an authority tag by Pyro!

Tension is one thing, but outright hostility is something altogether different. These guys better get on the same page.

That, or the Crew is gonna close the book on them. I hear they don’t do much reading anyway.

SM gives a mocking chortle as he enters the ring, expressing his amusement that Pyro had the stones to strike him and at the thought of how that action might be repaid down the line. As Cletus rises to all fours, regaining his footing, Raye delivers a kick to the gut that sends the brawny birler to the mat and leaves him sputtering. Taking a moment for his own favoured brand of psychological warfare, SM kneels close enough to whisper his twisted prophecy into Cletus’ ear. Having delivered his message, Raye thrusts his hands toward Cletus’ face and fish-hooks him, all the while sneering at Big Jim, who stands impotently exhorting his partner.

A nasty hold, by a nasty man…

I’ll say Teddy, Cletus’ face isn’t much to look at, even at the best of times, but that twisted maw, courtesy of SM Raye, is as ugly as sin.

Cletus is no saint either; maybe he’s getting his due.

`Due’ has got nothing to do with it. Both these guys like to dish it out inside the ring, and right now Cletus has to show if he’s got it in him to take a bit of punishment.

Referee Bud Erdbuns admonishes SM for his street fighting tactics, which have no place in a wrestling ring. However, a devilish glare quiets the official’s objections. Big Jim urges his partner to do something substantive, but Cletus is occupied prying at SM’s hands. At length, he tries a different tactic, struggling to get his feet under him and lifting himself and Raye off the canvas. Sensing what he’s up to, SM drops the hold and, as both men reach a vertical base, lands a clubbing blow across the shoulder blades of the Beaubears bruiser. Cletus turns to give an inquisitive look at his assailant, and follows through with a clothesline, which floors Sebastian. Taking both of his opponent’s legs, Cletus calls for his partner’s boot, and finds Jim more than happy to extend his leg into the squared circle. Dropping down, the brute of bonnie Beaubears Isle catapults his hapless quarry into the size 14 boot of the perverse pulp peeler. SM’s face collides with the sole and he collapses into a heap, but he’s not out of the woods yet. With a tag, Cletus brings in Big Jim and the Logging Crew stand over a prone Raye, and, with no small amount of satisfaction rain their succession of double axe handles down upon him. The man from the Black Rapids quickly slaps on a reverse chinlock, laying all of his 245 pounds on the head and neck of the opposition. SM’s eyes get glassy, but he can see clearly enough to spy his partner across the ring. Chris Pyro, far from encouraging his partner, is waving at him, mocking the Franchise.

This is trouble for the team of Raye and Pyro. You recall that Cletus & Big Jim have fought some composite teams in the past.

Positively, they play off the weaknesses of inexperienced teams. These guys have to at least hate the Crew worse than they hate each other.

It could be that Chris is smarter, and less petty, than his actions let on, or perhaps he’s simply lucky. Either way, his brazen display fires the ardour of the one man militia; he clamours to stand. Big Jim bears down on him all the more, but cannot prevent his opponent from raising just enough to drop down and jar the lumberman’s jaw with the crown of his head. Jim comes to his feet and turns to tag out, but Raye is there with a savage back rake that elicits a wounded whoop from the wild woodsman. SM grabs him around the waist, lifts him up, and falls backwards, slamming the whistle punk down to the mat shoulder and upper back first; a proficient German suplex. Opting against a pin, in favour of doling out more punishment, he splits Jim’s legs and drops an elbow between them. Another pained scream reverberates off the arena walls, melded with a collective gasp from the predominantly male audience. Gratified, Raye decides he’s done more than his share to carry Chris Pyro to victory, and makes to tag. The Black Spider calculates things differently, and as far as he’s concerned SM’s still in the red. He drops off the apron and waves his hands, shooing him back toward the action.

You were saying about what a stand-up guy Chris Pyro was?

Clearly he feels that SM’s got the situation in hand…

Come off it, he’s in it for himself. Chris’s still got something to prove, and if he can do it at Raye’s expense, so much the better. You can bet that while these two are arguing, Big Jim is not going to waste any time tagging out.

Indeed the Logging Crew has already made use of the interval to make a quick tag and Cletus has re-entered the ring. He spins SM around, but finds him ready with a stunning left; Cletus lands a right of his own, but finds himself on the receiving end of three shots, each more stinging than the last, and a whip to the far corner. Raye follows him in, but gets caught in a head scissors, seconds before Cletus raises one leg and brings it crashing down on SM’s cranium. Stumbling backward, the last outlaw next falls prey to a headbutt, which leaves him on his back. With a ring savvy, which belies his simple nature, Cletus drags Raye to the corner and clamours to the outside. He hauls the foe into the post and proceeds to smash his leg into the steel. SM lets out a stream of curses that would make a sailor blush, but that fails to faze his opposition. The pine island powerhouse locks his opponent’s leg behind the knee and then traps the other leg over the already-locked foot. He then uses his other foot to press against his foe’s knee; an Indian Deathlock best known as The Log Jam. As Cletus shouts at Raye to call it quits, and SM replies with wad of spittle to the face, Chris Pyro has seen enough. Raye’s taken his licks, but the Toronto native isn’t about to let this match get away. He rushes into the ring and gives Cletus a dropkick that effectively breaks the hold, before briskly returning to the apron in response to Bud Erdbuns’ disqualification count.

See, the Militant isn’t ready to cut and run on this match after all.

Maybe so, but the attack on that leg means that SM Raye has a bad wheel, and you can’t tell me that Chris isn’t going to keep that piece of information in the back of his mind.

Both teams now in desperate need of a tag, let’s see who can win this foot race.

As SM hobbles to the corner, intent on tagging out and tending to his leg, Cletus tries to make the interception, but is too slow. The fans erupt, as Raye makes the hot tag and Chris hits the ring, and the lumberjack. An impressive bodyslam shocks the burly axman and gets the crowd on its feet. A charging Jim is met with a dropkick to the leg and a swinging neckbreaker, as the XWA faithful voice their support. A nearly standing Cletus is rocked with a hip toss, before Pyro guns his engines and somersaults over the big man, snapping his neck in the process. Pyro looks to the fans and the reaction is instantaneous, as showers of cheers wash over him. Chris though, did it for himself, working out his frustrations on the two whistle punks is more fulfilling than fickle cheers. The time for flashy moves is over now though, and the erstwhile speedster decides to slow things down once again and further sap the strength of the big man. He tents his hands and places them next to his head, indicating his plan to force a nap upon Cletus. Spreading his arms he clamps them around the head of the rising timber slayer and proceeds to slow the blood to his brain. Big Jim hollers to his partner from the apron, but just as he is about to enter the fray and take matters into his own hands, Cletus drops backward and sandwiches Pyro between himself and the canvas. He casts his gaze across the fallen competitors and locks eyes with SM Raye, who beckons him to continue. The pulp hook punisher is happy to oblige and steps through strands as Raye does likewise. The man in stripes wants no part of this fight, but verbally warns both parties to resume their positions on the outside. As their respective partners clear the cobwebs, they see SM spear Jim to the mat and both men begin to roll and brawl in their own private war.

Referee is losing control of this one; it’s a pier six brawl in there.

These four better be careful, or he’ll throw this whole mess out on a DQ.

*I'll try to add a bit more before the deadline, as I say, this is my last post for a bit

The XWA fans are eagerly anticipating the start of the up-coming tag team bout. SM Raye and Chris Pyro's newly formed alliance set to take on the always dangerous and much more experienced in this type of situation team of The Logging Crew of Big Jim and Cletus the Lumberjack. The Revolutionary Front look every bit of a mixed up pairing compared to their opponents with Raye wearing a pair of trunks and matching kick pads as his 'partner' is decked out in his now signature riot squad-esque clothing. The four men stand in the squared circle with their eyes locked on one another as the official in charge of this contest, prepares to signal for the starting bell. Before the zebra shirt can make his sign, however, the One Man Militia and the One Man Death Squad dart toward their foes and gain an early advantage by separating the two and backing them to adjacent corners with a series of vicious strikes. The duo with similar styles begin to savage rain down kicks to the mid-sections of their chosen target as the official looks on in disbelief.

"And the newly formed team of Pyro and SM Raye jump start the action."

"I'm pretty sure that is not how The Logging Crew planned on this to go, but Raye and Pyro better be careful they could easily be disqualified here."


The Courier of Controversy sends a savage kick into the gut of Cletus as he looks toward his tag team partner who is keeping control of Big Jim. "That's NOT how you do it!"The fifteen year veteran of the sport winds up and slams his leg into the ribs of the six foot seven behemoth with a sickening force, he grimaces as the shot sends a shockwave up his limb."THAT'S how you do it!" The Demon with a smile rolls his eyes and with the same amount of vigor snaps his leg against the ribs of the former King of the Deathmatch. "Your kicks are looking a little weak there Sebastian." He lands a second vicious kick to the abdomen of his fellow Canadian. "Maybe I should dig up your mother again and show you the proper technique." Those words insight a rage in the Last Outlaw of Professional wrestling and he begins to rain down kick after damning kick that causes the 281 pounder to drop in the corner and Raye turns those baby blues of his onto his partner. "FUCK YOU!"

"I think it is clear that the history between those two has left no love lost, but they are going to have to stop trying to out do each other and work together if they want a hope of even winning this bout."

"Am I the only who noticed Raye's leg buckle on that last shot? I think old age is finally getting to the veteran. And whoever is in charge of censoring our show is going to have his work cut out for them this time around."

Pyro slams an open hand strike to the jaw of Big Jim which sends him out to the floor and the two members of The Front meet center of the ring, much to many of the fan's liking. The official gets between the pair and demands the One Man Death Squad out of the squared circle while warning that if their antics keep up that he will throw the match out. Chris steps out onto the apron as Raye continues to talk trash, but unbeknownst to him Cletus is raising to his feet and looking ready to go. SM finally turns to continue the assault, but receives a knee to the mid-drift and a clubbing blow to the upper-back as his welcome. The Beast of Bonnie Beaubears stands over the shocked Chicago native as he attempts to get away on his hands and knees, but the six foot seven Pine Island Powerhouse drags his fingernails down the spine of the man he outweighs by at least fifty pounds which causes Raye's back to arch and him to cry out in pain. The One Man Militia rolls onto his back as a twisted smirk crawls across the lumberjack's face and without a moment of hesitation Cletus grabs the sideburns of the 225 pound Courier of Controversy and forces him to his feet. Suddenly the Ferry Road Freight Train lifts his foe by the facial hair with a loud shout and walks him toward no man's land where Big Jim awaits his chance for some fun as well. The referee admonishes the behemoth and begins to count for the release of the grip, at four Cletus tosses Raye into the turnbuckles with a jarring impact.

"The big man delivering some pain to the trash talking Chicago native and it is obvious that Raye needs to get out of the ring for a moment."

"The so called Last Outlaw of Wrestling is looking like he has just suffered the same fate as Wild Bill. HA ha!"

The six foot seven man tags in his slightly smaller partner and opens up the obviously damaged limb of their victim and the Black Rapids Brute lands a stomp right onto the braced knee of Raye. The Windy City's own lets out a pain filled shriek as he clings to the limb and again attempts to escape further damage. The former King of the Deathmatch latches on to his foot before extending the limb and driving his elbow down across it with a delighted expression."SON OF A BITCH!" The agony being inflicted showing in the verbal and body language of Wrestling's Last Outlaw as he rolls on the canvas and claws his way to his corner. Big Jim, however, has other plans as he again grips SM by the ankle and drags him back toward Cletus. Cletus taps Big Jim on the shoulder and quickly comes in before dropping an elbow onto the back of the downed opponent's skull.

Pyro's face shows a mixture of amusement and frustration at the damage his new partner is taking and he calls out for a tag, but all his shouting receives is a one gun salute from SM. Cletus takes hold of the dark brown locks of his target and sends him toward the ropes, upon his return trip the Courier of Controversy ducks a clothesline attempt and continues toward the parallel set of cables. Pyro takes the opportunity to make the awaited tag, which only the official sees. Raye ducks a second attack attempt and lands a Superkick to the jawline of the six foot seven monster, but does not have the strength in the leg to get full force so it only staggers the behemoth. Pyro awaits as The Beast turns and lands a tooth shattering kick of his own, but again it is not break the vertical base of the 281 pounder. Raye and Pyro back into each other as they both try to figure out how to knock the big man from his feet and quickly turn to each other as they feel the contact. The two lock eyes and at the same time throw a second version of the kick and the shot is enough to send Cletus to the canvas and Raye drops before rolling out of the ring for a much needed pause in his part in this match.

"The last show floors the towering lumberjack, but Chris Pyro may be on his own now. SM does not look like he has much left, if anything at all."

"Raye does not seem to have any RAY's of hope left in him. See what I did there?"

Wrestling's Last Outlaw leans against the apron, trying to get feeling back in his damaged limb as his partner tries for a quick win. The zebra shirt gets to an emphatic two before Big Jim breaks up the fall with a precisely placed boot to the back of the former rogue ninja. The official escorts him back to his corner as Pyro slams a fist into the canvas. The Demon of Canada stalks the big man and attempts for his leaping stomp, The Venom Injection, but Cletus' ring experience allows him to dodge the early finisher and safely move behind his foe. The big man wraps his arms around the waist of Chris, but the wild haired wonder delivers a series of elbows to the side of his grizzly visage. Pyro darts toward the ropes like a rocket and comes back with a flying knee that catches the lumbering redneck under the chin. The shot staggers Cletus toward the corner as SM makes his way back onto the apron. Pyro lets out a warrior yell and rains down a flurry of kicks and open hand strikes which backs the behemoth closer to his corner.

"Pyro like a man possessed with a savage series."

"Last time I heard someone with long hair scream like that I had to press charges on my mother. She was an abusive woman, you know."

SM take hold of Cletus's arms and Pyro drives a knee into the abdominal area. The shot drops the big man to his knees as the air is driven out of him. "TAG ME!" Pyro nods as he looks into the baby blues of his partner and responds with a slap to the face. The official gives the sign that a tag has been made as Raye rubs his face and an annoyed expression covers his face. Raye lines up as his untrusting team mate exits the ring and slams three more kicks into the chest of the kneeling Canadian. He follows with a fourth that lands upside the skull of lumberjack and quickly covers him. He gets a count of two before Big Jim once again is able to stop the fall short.

"Cletus again saved by his partner. What Raye and Pyro lock in tag knowledge they seem to be making up for in ability to deliver damaging strikes. I have never seen Cletus in this much trouble before."

"Well SM does have a win over Cletus in single competition from a long time ago, but I don't think lightning will strike twice tonight."

SM takes hold of the beard of the grizzly lumberjack and forces him to his feet before leaping into the air and burying both feet into the big man's chest. Cletus backs into the corner again and Raye returns Pyro's favor by slamming his hand into his chest. "WHIP ME!" Pyro steps into the ring and reluctantly does as he is asked and Raye steps up onto the ropes before slamming a knee into the skull of The Logging Crew's monster. A light bulb goes off in Pyro's mind as he watches the strike land and his 'partner' go up and out onto the apron, with a charging start he buries a boot into the hair marred visage of Cletus which drops the big man yet again.

"High knee followed by a Yakuza kick in the corner... I don't know if they are meaning to do it, but it looks like Raye and Pyro are actually putting together some team work."

"It take more than some flashy kicks that go in a sequence to make them a team and even more importantly... To knock off these two rough necks."

Pyro attempts to grab the Beast of Beaubears' foot, but receives a shove back into his partner that knocks him from the apron. The official calls out that a tag has been made and Cletus as quickly as he is able tags in Big Jim. The Twisted Timber Slayer darts toward the man still in the ring and is quickly sent up and out as The Demon with a smile relies on his instincts. Raye slides under the ropes and into the ring as The Pine Island Powerhouse charges as well. Raye dropkicks him in the back which also sends him out of the ring. Wrestling's Last Outlaw and the One Man Death Squad make eye contact and the two take off crossing paths as they head toward the ropes. The two cross a second time as Pyro dives through the top and middle ropes to take down the Black Rapids Brute. Raye takes hold of the top rope and uses it to send him into the air with a flip as he lands back first onto Cletus's shoulder blades.

"OH MY GOD! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!"

"A Suicide dive by Pyro and a Helo from Raye... That was an impressive display of aerial ability by this newly formed team, but I don't think that will be enough to win this match. But it definitely won over the fans here tonight."

"Yeah two men flopping around like fish in the air... That should impress anyone."

Joey Cunting Miles rolls his eyes as Raye gingerly slides back into the ring. Pyro tosses Big Jim back into the squared circle as well. SM takes hold of Jim's head, but the Perverse Pulp Peeler slams a closed fist into his ribs. The shot double's Wrestling's Last Outlaw over and the rough neck Canadian lifts him up before dropping Raye's manly parts onto his knee. The Chicago native holds onto his nether regions as Big Jim takes off like a jet toward the ropes and returns with a high knee that catches him on the bridge of the nose. Jim goes for the pin, but the Courier of Controversy gets the shoulder up at two.

"This match has gone back and forth and we have seen a lot of action and just as many shocking developments, but you have to think it almost over."

"Well in this business anything can happen. I mean c'mon I have seen a Magikarp defeat a Gyrados."

Big Jim drags Raye to The Crew's corner by the hair and tags in Cletus once again. The Twisted Timber Slayer locks the Chicago native into a Full Nelson as the Beast of Bonnie Beaubears lines up a shot. The official begins the count for one of the two to exit the ring and Cletus drives a fist into the ribs of SM. The shot drops Raye to his knees and Jim steps out onto the apron. The Ferry Road Freight Train forces the two-hundred-twenty-five pounder to his feet and locks him into a bear hug. The One Man Militia screams in pain as the mammoth man begins to squeeze the oxygen from his body. The official asks the fifteen year veteran if he wishes to give in and Raye shakes his head. The Beast begins to shake his foe like a rag doll and the Chicago native yowls in discomfort.

"Raye is in trouble here. This could be the maneuver that Cletus has been waiting for.

"Turn out the lights, let in the dog, and put out the cat... This one is over.

Wrestling's Last Outlaw frees his arms and claps his hands over the ears of the lumbering behemoth before rocketing toward the ropes out of instinct. The motion inadvertantly takes Raye toward The Demon with a smile who blind tags in. The Courier of Controversy rebounds from his trip to the cables and takes hold of the large head of the Beast of the Bonnie Beaubears and drives him face first as Pyro prepares to spring into the ring. The impact causes Cletus's face to ricochet from the canvas and Raye takes off, sending a fore-arm into the face of Big Jim. The blow knocks Big Jim from the apron, Chicago's finest celebrates prematurely as Pyro takes flight and lands with a boot to the back of the skull of The Logging Crew's behemoth, which in turn drives his grizzly visage back into the canvas a second time. Raye continues to play to the crowd as Pyro goes for the cover. One... Two... The One Man Militia turns to surprisingly see the fall being decided.

"Raye's ego may have cost him the fall, but his team still picks up the victory."

"Ok... I missed something... What happened?"

Raye nods as he looks on at his partner looking toward him with a knowing gleam in his eye. The Courier of controversy rolls out of the squared circle and the camera zooms in on his sweat glistened face as a smirk curls his lips. The One Man militia backs up the ramp with the smirk remaining as the crowd rains approval or lack there of over the way the match ended.