DING DING DING!

The bell rings, and Riley Williamson and Robert Hope (shadowed by that huge beast, Cerberus) cautiously move towards the centre of the ring. The Prophet takes a moment to look his opponent up and down and throw out a few...less than flattering remarks about him. Williamson doesn't seem to be too perturbed by them, however. Instead, Riley just laughs them off, deflecting Hope's attempts to get in his head. Robert Hope, determined to psyche his opponent out, points at Cerberus while berating Williamson. The ever psychological Hope appears to be reminding Williamson of what his beast can do, but to Williamson's credit, he never breaks his eyes from The Prophet. The Hardcore Champion knows fine well what he's getting in to, and he's not about to let Hope get in his head. Flustered now, Hope puts his hands on his hips and scowls at his opponent, who simply adjusts his...jorts...

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Hope attempts to slap Williamson across the face, but finds nothing but air as Riley steps back. Embarrassed, Hope looks down as his ego shatters in to a thousand pieces. Hope looks up and immediately starts shouting in Williamson's face, obviously not too happy with the chuckles from the fans after that failed slap. Riley then prepares for a lock up, trying to show Hope that this is going to start on his terms, not Hope's. The Prophet just looks sideways at Williamson, before relenting and agreeing to the lock up. Both men prepare themselves for the lock up, and just as Riley reaches out to Hope, he catches a quick slap to the face from Hope, who is now beside himself with joy that he finally got the chance to disrespect his opponent. His joy appears to be short lived, however. Instead of being able to revel in his genius by turning to the fans and taunting them about how smart he is, Robert Hope instead gets dropped with a running clothesline from a fed up Williamson, who decides that he won't be waiting any longer for Hope. Robert Hope isn't on his back long from the clothesline, but the same can be said for him being on his feet. As soon as he gets up, he is scooped up and slammed with a scoop slam in the centre of the ring. Hope grits his teeth from the impact as he gets back to his feet again, this time only to be pushed against the ropes and be Irish whipped across the ring. On his return, Hope ducks another clothesline, then rebounds off the ropes again, but is this time caught with a belly to belly suplex, tossing him up in to the air and causing him to land with a crash. Robert Hope then rolls out of the ring, holding his spine.

Robert Hope takes a moment to vent his frustration by punching the ring apron and stomping around like a child. Cerberus stands just off to his side, looking at his 'brother' blankly. Hope glares back in to the ring at Williamson, then decides to take a walk around the ring for a little bit. Riley calls out at Hope to get back in to the ring, but it falls on deaf ears, as Hope simply ignores him and goes about his little walk, as the referee begins to count. Williamson walks over to the referee and ask him to get Hope back in to the ring, but the referee only gets abuse from The Prophet. Eventually, Hope decides to make his way to the ring steps over on the other side of the ring and slowly walk up them, taking his sweet time. Just as Williamson rushes over to him to hurry the process along, Hope simply hops off the steps and decides that now isn't the time to get back in to the ring, much to the displeasure of Williamson, the ref, and the fans. The referee's count reaches 5, prompting Hope to start shouting him down, demanding that he doesn't hurry him from getting in to the ring, because it would be devastating for his strategy. Things get heated between the referee and Hope, as Hope becomes increasingly irritated with the increasing count. Williamson stands in the ring, momentarily distracted by the commotion, not able to see the huge boot that comes to his face from Cerberus, who is capitalising on the referee's lack of attention. The crowd boo wildly as Riley hits the mat and Cerberus steps over the top rope. Seeing Riley down now, Hope decided that it's time for him to get back in to the match. The Prophet makes sure to push the referee to the side to stop him seeing Riley on his back, then feigns a dropkick by stomping the mat hard. This eliminates any suspicion of foul play as the referee turns back around to admonish Hope for the shove.

Convinced he'd gotten away with the perfect crime, Hope spreads a confident smile across his face as he lifts Riley by the head and then locks him in to a headlock, before dropping to a knee to really sink it in. Robert Hope beams a condescending smile to the fans, who absolutely crap all over him for it. Riley struggles against the hold, pushing his forearms in to the face of Hope to get some leverage on the hold. However, Hope manages to shift himself so Riley's arms shift off his face. The referee comes to check on the hold to see if Hope his choking Riley, which is a strong possibility. Hope simply turns away from the referee and tells him to piss off, which prompts the referee to admonish him yet again. As Hope and the ref begin to argue again, Hope slips his arm down to Williamson's throat and squeezes. Williamson stops his feet and slaps at Hope's arm in an attempt to release the hold. Williamson pushes against Hope's head hard, trying to release the pressure on his throat, which helps the referee notice the illegal choke. The referee immediately tells Hope to release and begins to count.

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Just before 5, Hope releases the hold and holds his hands above his head, as if to say “OK, I let him go!” Riley drops to his knees and gasps for air after the underhanded tactic from Hope. Just as he tries to stand, Hope steps over his back and locks his hands under his chin, before sitting down in to a camel clutch, pulling Williamson head back and putting a lot of pressure on the neck. Williamson strains against the hold, trying to break Hope's grip by pulling his hands, but not finding much success. The referee checks on Williamson, asking him if he wants to give up, but gets a clear 'No; back from the resilient Hardcore Champion. Hope bounces on Williamson's back a little bit, causing a lot of discomfort for the champion and jerking his head back. Hope looks down at Williamson and tells him to give up, obviously eager to get the match finished early. Williamson doesn't give up, though. Instead, he begins to shuffle himself to the ropes, or perhaps to attempt to get himself free from the hold. Hope moves his hands up to the bridge of Riley's nose and pulls back hard, forcing his bent thumb in to the eye socket of his opponent, causing Williamson to howl in pain. The referee immediately tells Hope to break the told, and starts to count again.

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Hope releases again at 4, calmly putting his hands up and letting Riley drop to the mat. He 'innocently' shrugs his shoulders and explains that he didn't know what he was doing, which doesn't really wash with the referee. Then, like a flash, Hope lifts Riley up again by the head, with him still between his legs, and begins to viciously strike his face with clubbing blows, starting to really punish the Hardcore Champion. The referee warns Hope yet again, this time to keep his fist open, but surprisingly, Hope doesn't listen. Instead, he leans down and begins to bite at the forehead of Williamson, and once again, causes the referee to count.

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Hope lets go before 5 again, but this time gets a face full of referee, who is absolutely ballistic at the blatant disregard for the rules. He informs Hope that one more infraction means he'll be disqualified. The Prophet steps over to the referee and says, in a clear, dismissive voice: “You tell me what to do one more time, and I'll have Cerberus rip one your arms off and he'll use it to count the three when I win!” The referee scowls at Hope, and again, simply reminds him to quit testing his leniency. Hope smirks and turns back to Riley, just in time to receive a beautiful dropkick right to the face! Hope drops to the mat, holding his jaw, but quickly gets up again. Riley, who is holding his head from the assault before, quickly closes in on Hope, yanking him to his feet and lighting him up with a brutal chop to the chest. Hope snaps back like he's just been shot in the chest by a cannon, with only the ropes to stop him flopping to the floor. Riley begins to showcase his novice leather tanning skills by repeatedly chopping Hope's chest again and again and again, the impact of the chops resounding like thunderclaps through the arena. The Prophet whimpers in pain, but he finds no mercy from Williamson, who simply whips him off the ropes to the other side of the ring. Hope rebounds to his opponent, and is quickly and forcefully powered down with a beautiful spinebuster, almost converting him in to some sort of jellied desert. Hope grunts in anguish, and Riley covers him.

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Hope kicks out at 2 and a half, wheezing like a chain smoker.

Hope attempts to scurry away, but doesn't manage to get far before Williamson grabs his leg and drags him back in to the middle of the ring aggressively. Riley pulls Hope up to his feet again, then quickly takes him down with a suplex, driving an already winded Hope on to his back. The fans start to really get behind Williamson as he comes roaring back in to the match. He watches Hope, who again tries to shuffle out of the ring, but this time gets a running elbow drop to the back to stop him. The thud causing more pain for Hope's back. Williamson rolls Hope on to his back and drops another elbow to the chest. Williamson picks Robert Hope up again and this time pushes him to the ropes. Hope rebounds off the ropes and is caught in another belly to belly suplex, sending him crashing to the mat. Williamson, feeling the momentum shift in his favour, takes a moment to acknowledge the fans' support, using the adrenaline surging through his body to psyche himself up, and the crowd as well. Robert Hope finally manages to get the break he sorely needs, rolling out of the ring and holding his back in pain. He curses in to the apron and pounds it with his fist. The temper of Hope seems to be showing it's face and sending him off his game. The Prophet looks up in to the ring, just in time for him to be hit by a baseball slide, which knocks him in to the announcer's table. Robert Hope lands against it with a thud, them immediately holds his ribs from the impact. Williamson looks out to the crowd, then back at Hope. He begins to stomp his feet in an increasing rhythm, getting the crowd to clap along, as if he is calling Hope to his feet. The disgruntled Prophet gets to his feet, and Williamson dashes to the ropes across the ring. He uses the elasticity from the ropes to propel himself across the ring in a sprint, then dives out on to Hope with a suicide dive, taking both men across the announcer's table! The crowd erupts in cheers at the show of bravery from Williamson in his attempt to punish Hope. Ted Cedar and Joey Miles scatter from the fracas at their feet, as both men lie behind the table, worse for ware from their tumble. Regardless, Williamson is to his feet first, holding his chest and ribs, but still ready to fight. He picks Robert Hope up from behind the table and throws him back over it. Hope crawls away, slowly. He looks to be moving towards his companion, Cerberus, but Riley doesn't let him get too far. Just by the ring post, Riley lifts Hope up, but Hope isn't making it easy for him, turning in to dead weight when Williamson touches him. Suddenly, Hope pulls the belt on Riley's shorts and slings him right in to the ring post, causing his head to clatter off the steel. Williamson falls to the ground, holding his face in tremendous pain, as Hope uses the opportunity to pull himself in to the ring and call the referee over. The referee, who is busy counting, glances to Hope, who appears to be clutching his shoulder, and is in some pain. The referee, bound by duty, goes to check on Hope.

The Prophet tells the referee that he thinks he might have broken his shoulder when he landed. He's almost in tears, telling the referee about the crack and the intense pain he felt when he landed on the floor behind the announcer's table. Meanwhile, Cerberus has slowly walked over to where Williamson is holding his face. He grabs Riley by the throat and yanks him up to his feet, before tossing him one handed across the floor. Williamson spills out all over the floor as he lands, then balls up in pain. Cerberus looks over to Hope and the referee, making sure Hope is still keeping him distracted while the monster does his work. Like a cat playing with a mouse, Cerberus paws Riley's face again and pulls him up to his feet. He then hits Riley with a brutal uppercut to the jaw, almost shattering a few teeth of the Hardcore Champion. Williamson staggers back in a daze, and is then promptly booted over the ring steps by the monster, causing him to land in a heap beside them. Just as the referee turns to check on Williamson, Hope lets out another pained scream to revert his attention, and perhaps warn Cerberus that it's time to get Williamson back in the ring. Cerberus quickly walks over to where Williamson landed and scoops him up in his arms, before dumping him between the bottom and middle ropes. Hope then tells the referee that he thinks he can go on, which allows the referee to go and check on Williamson, who is now (surprisingly) in the ring, but face down. The referee checks on the fallen champion, but doesn't have much time, as Hope saunters over and begins to stomp Williamson. The crowd boo loudly, unhappy that Hope is weaving his dirty tactics again in this match. Hope drags the dazed Williamson up to his feet again, hooks him up in a front chancery and drags him to the centre of the ring. Robert Hope lets out an evil cackle to the fans, who respond with a wave of jeers.

Hope hooks Riley's arm over his head and then lifts him up for a suplex. Instead of falling right back, though, Hope turns Riley in the air and drops him with a falcon arrow, driving him back first in to the mat. Williamson lets out a pained cry from the impact, and Hope covers him.

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Williamson kicks out at 2 ¾.

Robert Hope quickly follows up from his pin attempt, locking Williamson in a sleeper hold on the mat. He sets the hold in deep and tight, then lays down on the mat to get as much pressure on Williamson as he can. Williamson wave his arms with a pained expression on his face, struggling against the hold, but not managing to do much in the way of escaping. Hope keeps the sleeper locked in tight, and takes the time to whisper words of discouragement in to his ear. Riley forces replies through gritted teeth, though what he actually says is anyone's guess. The crowd begins to clap their hands to encourage Williamson to his feet. Hope's face turns to rage as he looks out at the crowd, wishing they'd all just sit down and shut up. Relentlessly, the crowd persist with their rallying call, which starts to have an effect on Williamson. He begins to slowly shift his weight, trying to push himself up to his feet and in to a position where he can escape from the hold. Hope shakes his head furiously, as if he's trying to battle the claps from the fans with his own toxic, negative energy. Riley manages to get to a knee, and is starting to pull at Hope's arms in an attempt to free himself. Hope's face turns from a look of anger to a look of concern over the fact that Williamson is nearly to his feet. Hope begins to wrench at Riley's head in an attempt to shake him back to the floor, but it doesn't seem to be helping at all! Hope eventually gets so desperate that he actually pulls Williamson back and slams him on the mat, before dropping down and reapplying the sleeper hold. The crowd groan in frustration from the crafty move, and immediately get on The Prophet's case again, which gets them a sly smile from the side of his mouth. This time, Hope hooks a leg around one of Riley's on the mat, trying to keep him anchored down and in the hold.

Riley pulls against one of Hope's arms, trying to get some separation between it and his chin. The heat of the lights, plus the exertion from the match means that this becomes especially difficult, and Riley just say can't manage to get his hand in to break the hold. The referee checks on Williamson, as his arms begin to grasp out for a rope, each attempt more laboured than the last. Hope wrenches the hold again and again, sensing that he is on to a winning strategy...er...with a lot of help from Cerberus. After a few seconds, Riley begins to slowly close his eyes, his reaches becoming less obvious. The referee holds his wrist, but has it quickly snatched back from his grasp by Williamson, as he begins to thrash back behind him to Hope, but not allowing him any success in breaking up the hold. Eventually, Williamson stops, allowing the referee to take a hold of his wrist again and check his response. He shakes his arm, raises it and then drops it.

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The referee takes the arm again, as Hope begins to chuckle with glee. The referee raises it...

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Riley's arm falls again, and Hope shouts out “It's all over now!” For the third and final time, the referee lifts Williamson's arm.

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Just as the referee raises it, it snaps back in to an elbow strike, managing to catch Hope's ribs. Hope loosens the hold a little from the strike, and before he can tighten it up again, the groggy Williamson delivers another strike to the ribs. Hope lets go and rolls to his side, while Riley rolls over to his side, gasping for precious air. His eyes are wide open as he drinks in precious air to reinvigorate his body. The Prophet slowly gets to his feet, holding his ribs from the blunt force of the elbow strikes. Hope manages to shake himself back to awareness and walk over to Riley, who is now on his hands and knees. Hope quickly boots Williamson in the ribs, stopping him from getting up to his feet briefly. Hope then snaps off another, stiffer kick to the chest as Riley rolls over. Williamson rolls to his side and out of the ring to get a little bit of a reprieve in this match. He isn't alone for long, though. Hope follows him, with menace in his eyes. The referee begins to count both men out. The Prophet holds Riley by the back of his head and tosses him in to the barricade at ring side. There, he places his boot on the face of the slumped down Hope and presses his head in to the barricade, using the top of it as leverage. The referee warns Hope about this, and Hope begrudgingly relents. He walks away from Williamson to the apron and brushes his hair back with his hands. He rests against the apron to catch his breath, before slowly looking back to Williamson, who is now stirring. Hope measures him and charges without warning. Just as Hope is about to collide with Riley, Riley side steps Hope and tosses him over the barricade with a hip toss, right in to a group of, now empty, chairs. The quick thinking fans disperse with just enough time to spare as Hope crashes in to the mass of steel. Riley takes a brief moment to catch his breath, and quickly checks to see where Cerberus is. Luckily, he hasn't made it over to where the two competitors are just yet. Riley seizes the opportunity to quickly climb the barricade, all the while watching Cerberus move. Then, just as a pain-stricken Hope gets to his feet, Riley flips on to him with a moonsault from the barricade, taking both men down again! The fans erupt in cheers as Riley puts his body on the line in that daring move on to the already twisted and dented chairs.

Williamson isn't exactly unfazed by the move, holding his ribs as he gets to his feet, perhaps indicating that he may have taken a nasty blow to his midsection. The referee is currently at a count of 7, which spurs Riley over the barricade. Groggily, he pushes himself on to the ring apron and rolls in to the ring, then back out to break the referee's count. He makes his way back to Hope in the wreckage and reaches over to him in an attempt to grab him. He manages to get a hand on his tights and yank him up to the barricade. Just as Hope is within grabbing distance, he throws an elbow to the face of Riley, sending him staggering back. Williamson collides with the apron, and uses it to keep himself upright on his feet, hanging on to it like it was a cliff face. He tries to shake off the strike that has blurred his vision a bit, and doesn't see Hope leaping over the barrier and dropping him with a brutal flying DDT! The crowd can almost feel the devastating impact from the DDT as both men land hard on the floor outside. Hope twists and contorts his body through the horrible pain that his back just endured, while Riley simply lays face down on the hard floor, motionless. Hope forces himself up to his feet, and wrenches Riley up to his as well. He pushes the barely conscious body of Riley in to the ring and rolls in to a cover.

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DING DING DING!