On the last episode of Vendetta, both E.G. Deal and Minkaro came out victorious, defeating Southern Wayne and Dante Cross respectively. These victories have led to them being awarded points towards the XWA World Championship tournament, but only one man can achieve the same outcome tonight – indeed one of them will have points reduced for a loss. Whether this added pressure will have an effect on either man is yet to be seen, they both appear to be calm as the referee signals for the bell.

DING DING DING

So many wrestling matches begin with both men circling each other, or approaching each other for a lock-up, and Minkaro does indeed begin to move sideways around the ring, only to stop sharply when he realises that E.G. Deal has yet to move. Looking quizzically towards the referee, Minkaro can be heard to say “the bell did ring, right?” Looking back towards the large man across the ring, the reason for Deal’s lack of movement is revealed when he grins, tapping his chin with a finger to symbolise that he is giving Minkaro a free shot at him. Once again Minkaro looks to the official, this time to ask him “is he serious?” As Minkaro edges warily closer to his opponent, E.G. lets his arms hang down by his sides, to make it as clear as possible that he is not going to prevent Minkaro from landing that one blow. Evidently deciding to act before Deal changes his mind, Minkaro bunches his hand into a fist, and lands an impressive blow on E.G. Deal’s jaw. The big man’s head is knocked slightly to the side, but soon his arrogant smile returns, and he looks towards Minkaro once more. “My turn” he says, before thumping Minkaro around the side of the head. This blow is understandably a lot more severe than the one Minkaro struck against him, and causes Minkaro to stagger sideways a bit, but not to fall. The smirk on Deal’s face is soon matched by one on Minkaro’s, as the veteran wrestler nods in approval of the strike.

At first it appears as though E.G. Deal is going to allow Minkaro to have another shot at him, but the big man suddenly explodes into action, darting forward to flatten Minkaro with a running shoulder block. Before the Shrewsbury native can recover from the shock, Deal swiftly drops an elbow across his chest, remaining there to make the first count of the match. One…and Minkaro manages to force his shoulder off the mat at one. Both men return to their feet quickly, with Minkaro looking to go on the attack straight away in a combination of annoyance that he has allowed himself to fall victim to a sneak attack, and a desire to regain the momentum in the match. The momentum still isn’t his, as E.G. Deal brings a sharp elbow down onto the top of his head to halt his progression.  As Minkaro sways dazed by the blow, Deal plants both hands into his chest in order to shove him back into the ropes, before hitting a clothesline to knock him down after he rebounds. Minkaro gets straight back up, but is flattened by a second and then a third clothesline. After the third he is a little bit slower to get up, and does not charge at his opponent again, instead choosing to stand at a safe distance and allow himself some time to gather a breath. Seeing Minkaro so obviously rattled this early in the match has turned the permanent smirk on E.G. Deal’s face into a smile, one that entices the fans to boo him, which only makes the smile wider.

Slowly advancing towards the Egyptian, Minkaro decides that maybe the surprise attack option will work for him as well, suddenly dashing forward and swinging a kick that’s aimed towards Deal’s hip. The kick never reaches its destination, as E.G. Deal saw it coming, and is able to catch hold of Minkaro’s foot. Minkaro twists his body, about to attempt an Enzuiguri, but before he can do so, E.G. Deal grabs the foot with his other hand, before hurling both hands upwards with a tremendous amount of force, causing Minkaro to flip backwards, landing with a thud on his front. Not bothering to go for the pin, Deal instead chooses to add insult to injury by stepping onto Minkaro’s back, and surfing him for a few seconds. Whilst a few seconds may not seem like long, it is an eternity when there is a 310lb man standing on one’s back. After stepping off Minkaro, E.G. Deal rolls him over and goes for the cover. One…tw…and Minkaro kicks out. Another attempted cover wields the same result, and Minkaro manages to roll away and slide underneath the bottom rope before Deal can try for a third, energy-sapping, pin attempt. E.G. Deal crouches in the centre of the ring, looking on as Minkaro walks around the outside, eyes twinkling with dark delight as a frustrated Minkaro slams a fist down onto the ring apron.

The match official approaches Deal as Minkaro slides back into the ring, cutting off The Real Deal’s attempt to attack Minkaro whilst he is down. Deal raises both hands in a placating gesture, telling the referee that he had no intention of attacking Minkaro anyway. To the surprise of nobody (except the referee, who has clearly never watched a wrestling match before in his life), as soon as the official turns to check on Minkaro, E.G.Deal sidesteps around him and knocks Minkaro into the corner of the ring with a Running Boot that he calls TLH. Minkaro stays leaning against the corner of the ring for a few more moments, before dropping down to a sitting position. Backing away a few paces, E.G. Deal lets out a roar of triumph as he charges towards the downed athlete before him, turning his back on him in order to attempt a Running Hip Attack into the corner. Unfortunately for him, Minkaro manages to roll underneath the bottom rope for the second time in the match, leaving Deal to crash back-first into the corner of the ring. Minkaro swiftly re-enters the squared circle, standing up in time to kick E.G. Deal sharply in the chest as he stands in the corner. This is quickly followed by a series of rapid-fire chops, as Minkaro unleashes the frustration that has been building up throughout the contest. As each chop connects, the crowd gets louder and louder, until they are roaring their approval when Minkaro turns away from E.G. Deal, spreading his arms wide and yelling “COME ON!”

Still fired up, Minkaro turns back around again and rushes towards the cornered Deal. His comeback turns out to be a brief one, as E.G. Deal takes one step out of the corner, lifting Minkaro high into the air, before bringing him crashing down in an STO. Deal rubs his chest, which is already beginning to turn red, but otherwise seems relatively unfazed by Minkaro’s assault on him. Spotting that Minkaro is beginning to sit up, the Cairo native leans back against the corner once again, before pushing himself out of it with a ferocious kick to the face that has the crowd groaning due to the sound it makes. Another cover is made…one…two…and Minkaro manages to grab the bottom rope. Not bothering to allow his opponent the five count, E.G. Deal grabs Minkaro by an arm and a leg, and drags him away from the rope with such power that it forces him to release it, continuing to drag him until he is in the centre of the ring. Here, Deal grabs a hold of Minkaro’s hair, and hauls him up to a vertical base, still maintaining the grip on the hair as he begins to mock the former XWA International champion. “How are you a legend?” he can be heard to say? “You haven’t even knocked me down once yet,” is the next insult. Evidently deciding that Minkaro has been suitably chastened, E.G. Deal draws his hand back in order to land another blow, but as his fist swings towards Minkaro’s face, the Bionic Technician manages to free himself from his grip and duck underneath the punch.

With E.G. Deal slightly off balance, Minkaro aims a kick at his shoulder to stagger him a bit more, before dropping an elbow down onto the back of his head to double him over, perhaps an act of revenge for the elbow that Deal delivered to him earlier in the match. Placing a hand on the back of E.G’s head to keep him doubled over, Minkaro begins to deliver a series of kicks to the face with the top of his boot. When he stops, presumably because his leg is getting tired, incredibly E.G. Deal is still standing, albeit looking as though he might fall over at any second. Minkaro looks towards his teetering adversary, and shouts “STAY DOWN!” before leaping into the air with an attempt at his Famous Last Words Fameasser. Ironically, Minkaro’s yell could turn out to be his own famous last words, as somehow E.G. Deal is able to straighten up just as Minkaro leaps, catching him across his shoulders in a Powerbomb position. With Minkaro in this precarious position, Deal charges towards the side of the ring, with the intention of sending Minkaro flying out of it, or rebounding off the ropes. Whatever he has planned, we never find out, as Minkaro leans backwards into a Hurricanrana that sends his opponent forwards into a tumble through the ropes and outside the ring. For the first time in this contest, The Destiny Holder is down, although not for long as he pushes his way back up to his feet, slamming his fist down onto the ring apron like Minkaro before him. His proximity to the ring proves to be a mistake, as Minkaro catches him off-guard with a baseball slide that sends him backfirst into the audience barricade. Scrambling quickly back onto the ring apron, Minkaro retreats back across it towards the ringpost, allowing E.G. Deal to move away from the audience barricade. When he does so, he is quickly taken off his feet once more by a flying Minkaro, who hits a Running Shooting Star Clothesline.

Minkaro slides back into the ring upon the referee’s count of five, and waits there for E.G. Deal to rise once more. The Egyptian does so, re-entering the ring on the count of eight. Both men appear to have the same idea, as they race towards one another, taking each other out with dual clotheslines.  With both men down, the referee begins another count, with the crowd getting progressively louder the closer he gets to ten. Without warning, Minkaro abruptly rolls sideways and up, grabbing a hold of Deal’s foot as he does so, and applying an Ankle Lock. The move is not in for long though, as E.G. Deal plants his other foot into Minkaro’s chest, and sends him rolling backwards with a half kick and half shove.  The Golden Eagle climbs to his feet now at the same time as Minkaro, and charges towards him with an attempted Spear, hoping to finish the match there and then. Unfortunately for him, Minkaro anticipates the attack, and is able to leap over his foe, sending Deal crashing headfirst into the middle turnbuckle. As Deal staggers groggily out of the corner of the ring, Minkaro grabs hold of his head before yanking him backwards into The Arockalypse. E.G. Deal’s head thuds into the mat, and he looks as though he might be out for the count already. Having witnessed the endurance that the two time Rising Star Division champion possesses, Minkaro is willing to take no chances. He climbs to the top rope, pausing briefly to salute the fans before leaping off backwards into a front-flip, in order to hit the Inverted 450 Splash that he calls The Theatre of Pain. One…two…three! Minkaro comes out on top of this contest, completing a comeback that looked all but impossible earlier on. Minkaro will now have the right to pick his opponent on the next episode of Vendetta.

OOC: Good luck, Abdel. Not my best post, but I think it's better than I expected it to be. I have an idea of what the weaknesses are, but I'm not going to say here because that'd be doing the grader's job for them.

It’s been a long show, and we’re almost at the tail-end of it with this spectacular one-on-one. On one side, we have Minkaro, a former 2WWF World Champion and XWA Intercontinental Champion, who returned to the XWA only one week ago to a victory against Dante Cross, and seeks to get a shot at the World Title. On the other side, we have E.G. Deal, who has been 2-0 since his return at Revolution Wars and is a former two-time Rising Star Champion. Minkaro has been wrestling since 2003, while E.G. Deal is only two years into this industry. However, E.G. Deal cannot be underestimated, as his weight and height give him an advantage over most of the roster, including “The Pioneer Anomaly”. It will be a fight of survival, a fight of proofs. Minkaro wants to prove he still has it, while E.G. Deal wants to prove he’s the best up-and-comer in the world right now. Who will gain victory, and the precious 3 points? Will it be the veteran, or the rising star? Minkaro, E.G. Deal, one on one, Winner chooses his opponent next week, enter.


The bell is rung thrice, setting both competitors into action. Both Mink and Deal are cautious of each other. They don’t know each other well, but they have surely seen tapes of each other, accounting the importance of this match. Instantly after the bell, both men start moving around the ring in circular pace. It’s like a slow race, a race against time. Both superstars want to end this quickly and move on to the next round in the lead, but they still don’t want to brisk any move that may hurt them. Suddenly, and without any warning, Deal stops in his tracks, and so does Minkaro out of confusion. “The Destiny Holder”, now looking at Minkaro face-to-face but from a distance, raises his hands and slowly opens his palms, offering Minkaro the chance at test of strength. “Metal Machine” calmly steps forwards, opening his hands on his way to gain Deal’s trust, before stopping just from a low distance from his foe and jumping down, striking Deal’s right knee with an impressive Low Dropkick!

*The fans in attendance show their presence for the first time in this contest, breaking into a sound wave of cheers as their favourite has just taken control.*

Adam Dennis: “Ahaha, he’s scared, I know that feeling.”

Ted Cedar: “Scared? More like smart. No sane man, including Minkaro, would try and clash with Deal in something such as a Test of strength.”

“The Destiny Holder” falls to one knee, tending to his hurting one before getting to a footed base. Minkaro takes the initiative, backing away slowly as he sees Deal rising up again. E.G., bit angered, steps into the middle of the ring, quickly followed by “The Bionic Technician” as they both lock horns in a fierce Collar-and-Elbow tie-up. After a few seconds of back-and-forth struggling, both of them trying to gain the upper hand. It’s E.G. Deal, much to the chagrin of the fans, who gets the advantage, translating the tie-up into a classic Side Headlock. The former 2.W.W.F World Champion tries to escape his position, balling up his hand and striking E.G. multiple times in the abdomen, but it seems to have no effect as Deal is actually applying more pressure with any punch that hits him. Deal continues squeezing and wrenching, and Minkaro realises that he has no other choice but to push E.G. away. He quickly focuses, tightening his body and gathering all of his muscles and strength into his two arms, before pushing E.G. away and onto the ropes! Unfortunately, “The Technical Messiah” didn’t know that would cost him a lot of energy, and so make him vulnerable against a huge Running Clothesline from his foe which brutally fells him into the ground!

Ted Cedar: “E.G. Deal shuts Minkaro up with a great Clothesline!”

Adam Dennis: “Minkaro needs to know where to waste his energy.”

“Metal Machine” gets up, a bit slower than usual, as Deal anticipates him closely by the corner. “The Pioneer Anomaly” uses his hands for help, getting to something like an all-fours position, before coming out of the blue with a breathtaking sprint. However, before Minkaro can do whatever he plotted in his mind, E.G. viciously and sneakily catches him in the forehead with a surprising Big Boot! The Englishman spins around from the dizziness and accordingly clatters to the mat, covering his head with his hand as he tries to regroup from the malevolent hit.

Ted Cedar: “Ladies and gentlemen, it irks me to say this but Minkaro is getting decimated by E.G. Deal right now.”

Adam Dennis: “Hopefully after this match he realises that he’s outclassed by nearly everyone else on the roster and should just retire for good. Minkaro, that is.”

E.G. doesn’t go for a pin attempt like a wrestler would casually do; instead, he decides to inflict more pain, as he heads over to the fallen Minkaro and easily pulls him up to a vertical base. “The Destiny Holder” quickly grabs his foe by the wrist, using his sheer power to whip to the side ropes. The Shrewsbury native consequently ricochets off of them, craftily dodging out of an incoming Clothesline from Deal, before continuing en route to the opposite ropes, before rebounding and leaping into the air inches away from colliding with Deal. The mid-air Minkaro clutches Deal’s head and locks him in a quick Front Chancery, proceeding to spinning around with him and planting E.G. face-first with a picture-perfect Tornado DDT, putting himself back in the match!

Ted Cedar: “Minkaro is back into this with a beautiful Tornado DDT!”

Adam Dennis: “I hate to do this, but I have to hand it to Minkaro. He used Deal’s position to perfection. Still doesn’t earn my respect, though.”

Deal lands quite-scarily on his face, rolling about the area he’s in whilst favoring his head, however Minkaro continues being onto him. “The Lone Wolf” heads over to him, grabbing him by the head and pulling him, albeit difficultly, to the perpendicular base he was in moments ago. The difference now is that E.G. Deal looks dazed as hell, and Minkaro uses that daze to his advantage, placing his hands on Deal’s shoulders and pulling himself for a sitting position on Deal’s shoulders. More of a Powerbomb position for “The Real Deal”, but he’s not in the appropriate mindset to make something of it. “The Last Rock and Roll Star” throws himself backwards, felling Deal to the same direction and forcing him to frontflip, before keeping hold of his legs and looking for a pin after a very successful Frankenstiener!

“One…”

Ted Cedar: “Minkaro using his high-flying prowess to keep Deal under his control!”

“Two…”

Adam Dennis: “Yeah, but I doubt it will last for long.”

“Kick-out!”

E.G. Deal launches his body forwards, foiling the pin attempt and sending Mink reeling to the back. “The Technical Messiah” back-flips, regaining his balanced footed position as Deal sits up and tends to his neck and face. Minkaro sees this, as he breathes heavily with his back against the corner, and so dashes forward, slightly jumping and hitting Deal with his knee like a rocket with a fantastically-done Shining Wizard! “The Bionic Technician” lets out a warrior’s scream, accompanied by a frenzy of cheers from the fans, before using his hands to roll the prone Deal towards the corner as he tries to set up something dangerous.

Ted Cedar: “Shining Wizard! Shining Wizard by Minkaro, and I think I can see blood dripping from Deal’s forehead.”

Adam Dennis: “I don’t get it…Deal hasn’t been down for this long before. What happened?”

Minkaro stops rolling E.G. a few steps away from the corner, before stepping past him and positioning both of his hands on the top turnbuckle. The Englishman pulls himself up, separating both of his legs from each other and rebounding off of turnbuckle by rotating his body mid-air, seeking to hit his signature Starship Pain, dubbed by him the “Sex on ice”. However, Deal instinctively writhes forwards, forcing Minkaro to violently smash into the mat front-first! E.G. quickly turns to Minkaro, not believing he managed to hurt him this severely as Minkaro yells loudly with both of his hands covering his torso. Deal flips him to his back, hooking his leg to get the pinfall!

“One…”

Ted Cedar: “Minkaro went for the Sex on Ice but he missed horribly!”

“Two…”

Adam Dennis: “I knew E.G. would comeback to this match somehow.”

“T-KICK-OUT!”

Minkaro, valiantly and surprisingly, launches his shoulder into the air and continues the match. The bloodied E.G. Deal puts both of his hands on his head, not believing that he didn’t win yet, before proceeding to lie on his back as a smart way to regroup, knowing Minkaro is not getting up any time soon. The referee seems confused for a second, before starting the traditional 10 count as he sees the scattered bodies on either sides of the ring.

“One…”

Ted Cedar: “Smart tactic used by Deal as he tries to heal a bit.”

“Two…”

Deal inhales and exhales slowly and heavily, placing one hand on his abs and the other hand on his crimson-red face as Minkaro begins to writhe around the ring in pain.

“Three…”

Slowly but surely, “The Lone Wolf” starts to stir around, crawling towards the nearest ropes.

“Four…”

E.G. Deal tries to gather himself and his strengths, positioning himself to an all-fours spot as Minkaro grasps the middle rope of the northern ropes, trying to pull himself up.

“Five…”

“The Golden Eagle” begins swarming towards the nearest ropes, as Minkaro, albeit hardly, gets on his feet and stumbles his way towards the corner, standing by it and breathing heavily.

“Six…”

Deal gets a hold of the bottom rope of the western side of ropes, slowly ascending to his feet as his foe advances from his position, ready for any altercation.

“Seven…”

Deal finally gets to a footed base, pulling himself about before turning around and facing Minkaro. Both men warily head to the center of the squared circle, their hands slightly in front of their face for carefulness, as tension begins to rise between them. Deal ends the waiting moments, shaping his hand into a fist and sending out an enormous punch. Minkaro staggers to the back, but responds by hardly punching Deal in the same place the cut was produced from. Deal covers his forehead and backpedals, before coming back and sending a huge jab to Minkaro’s cheek bone like a rocket. The Shrewsbury native covers his cheek and dazedly spins around himself a bit, before facing E.G. and surprisingly kicking him in the guts! Deal holds his sternum and bends forwards, growling in pain as Minkaro positions his hand to a fist and delivers another powerful punch to E.G.’s jaw. Deal’s body is straightened up, as he covers his mouth and checks to see if there is any blood. Minkaro goes for a second punch, but this time it misses, as Deal manages to duck down just at the nick of time. E.G. quickly balances himself and clutches Minkaro’s throat, elevating him highly into the air and just brutally slams him to the ground with his rough signature Chokeslam, titled by him the “Grotto Drop”!

Ted Cedar: “I don’t know how Deal physically managed to pull that out, but he may have just won the match.”

Adam Dennis: “I hope he did, I am bored of seeing Minkaro flying around the ring.”

Deal tiringly falls, laying on Mink’s body and hooking his outside leg.

“One…”

“Two…”

“Thr-KICK-OUT!”

Ted Cedar: “I can’t believe it!”

Adam Dennis: “Fuck, we have to witness some more of this?”

Deal’s eyes widen, he puts his hands behind his head and screams like a maniac, taking out his rage. “The Lone Wolf” rolls around, holding his back and making his way to the direction of the closest ropes. The Egyptian superstar makes his way, albeit angrily, towards the farthest corner from Minkaro, to increase the distance of his planned charge. Deal ducks down to a position like that of Edge’s when he was preparing for a spear, as he indicates for Minkaro to get up. Deal screams at him what seemingly is trash-talk, but it’s mostly inaudible. Minkaro grasps the top rope and gets to a perpendicular base, slowly and obliviously rotating around. E.G. charges full-speed at Minkaro, trying to predate him with a Spear and this match, but Minkaro swiftly counters, leaping up and striking Deal from his neck, felling him face-first with his blockbuster signature the Fame-asser, nicknamed by him the Famous Last Words!

Ted Cedar: “I’m not sure if Minkaro is a superhuman or anything of the sort, but how the hell could he pull that off?”

Adam Dennis: “Luck. Just pure luck.”

Deal lies on his stomach, visibly unconscious as his arm is draped over his head, and he has fallen into a pool of his own blood. Minkaro proceeds tiringly to flip Deal over to his back, before making his way towards the corner. He sluggishly starts to climb the turnbuckles, until he reaches the top one, balancing himself on it when an unexpected visitor comes in.

Ted Cedar: “OK, I’m a bit confused now. What the hell is Smoke Xtreme doing here?”

Adam Dennis: “He’s our COO, Ted, don’t question him.”

Indeed, Smoke Xtreme makes his way out from the curtains, wearing his traditional white suit and an evil-looking smirk. Minkaro momentarily turns his sight to the COO, as Xtreme shouts “Don’t worry, I’m not here to hurt you.” Just after Smoke says that, Minkaro’s next feeling is a huge pain in his family jewels as Deal gets up and swiftly hits the turnbuckle! Minkaro holds his under-the-belt area, cringing and yelling loudly as Deal clutches him from his throat again. This time, due to the height of Minkaro, Deal elevates him to an even higher position, clattering him even more violently to the ground with an earth-shattering Super Grotto Drop!

Ted Cedar: “Oh my God! I don’t think I have ever seen anything like that in an XWA ring!”

Adam Dennis: “Eleven points in Deal’s bag right now, I’m calling it.”

Ted Cedar: “Yeah but at what expense? Smoke Xtreme just screwed him out!”

Adam Dennis: “Minkaro is the one that allowed himself to be distracted, not Smoke’s problem.”

Deal pins Minkaro to the canvas, very confident that he got the match now.

“One…”

“Two…”

“…Three!”


Laura Watts: “Here’s your winner, advancing to next week with eleven points in the World title tournament…E! G! DEEEEEEEEEAL!”

Smoke Xtreme’s smile grows huger, as E.G. glares at him, happy but confused. Smoke makes his way to the timekeeper and snatches a microphone from the timekeeper’s hand. He ascends the steel steps and enters the ring, raising the mic to his lips.

Smoke Xtreme: “E.G., if you don’t mind, I’ll have to cut your music for now.”

The music is promptly cut, accompanied by huge boos from the fans as Smoke lets them die down before continuing on.

Smoke Xtreme: “Alright…The reason I’ve come out here is because I needed to assure you a win. You needed to win the match, Deal, not for you only…But for me, too. You see, I would like to make you a little ‘business offer” if you would call it that. Let me choose the opponent for you, and I’ll reward you with some amount of…money.”

E.G. Deal, after having been confused earlier, nods in agreement as he seems to like what he’s hearing.

Smoke Xtreme: “I can see you’re quite pleased. Alright, so, the pick I’m making for you is someone I know quite well. Someone who wants to feed his ego each and every week, and someone who wants people like YOU to step aside, Deal. Now, I pitted you against him because I really, really want to see his ass being kicked. So…Whores and drunkies…Next week, LIVE on Vendetta, you will witness for the first time ever E.G. Deal against…Caleb Spires!”

The fans pop at the mention of the former five time World Champion, as Deal and Smoke shake hands together, heading to a commercial break before the main event.