This match has been granted a 24 hour extension.

As with the previous week, Greg Samuel starts the match by walking to the centre of the ring with his arm outstretched for a handshake. Akira Kobayashi doesn't hesitate, clearly trusting The Maine Attraction's sense of sportsmanship as he reaches in and accepts the handshake. The two take a few steps back and then pace around, staring each other down.

Cedar: Both these men are undefeated so far in the intercontinental title tournament, but consecutive high impact matches like the ones Samuel and Kobayashi have been through will take their toll.

Miles: And that's why you shouldn't fuck around with all this sportsmanship. Samuel could've rolled the Jap up right there and avoided getting kicked in the head.

Cedar: These two are about the same size, both skilled wrestlers, both very athletic, we're likely to see some very good action here.

The two men lock-up in a collar the elbow tie-up, resulting in a stalemate as they both lean in and push. After a few seconds Samuel tries to turn the exchange into headlock, and after some resistance manages to lock the hold in. With his head tucked under Samuel's arm, Akira wraps both his arms around his opponents waist and pulls backwards towards the ropes. Samuel manages to stop Akira by planting his feet, but by this time Akira is close enough to the ropes to stick a foot back and hook it around the bottom rope, forcing Samuel to break the hold. Neither man seems to be in a hurry as they reconvene in the centre of the ring, this time going for a greco-Roman knuckle lock. They push against each other in a test of strength, and again neither man can gain an advantage. This time however it is Akira who switches the hold as he hooks a leg around behind Samuel and trips him. Samuel falls backwards to the ground while still holding Akira, pulling him down while putting his own knees up. Samuel lies on his back, the two men still engaged in the knuckle lock as Akira leans over Samuel's knees. Akira leans forward and pushes down with all his weight, managing to force Samuel's shoulders to the mat for a split second. referee Ryu Sanu manages to count one before Samuel gets his shoulders back up and manages to extend his legs out, pushing Akira away and giving himself room to get back to his feet, the two still engaged in the knuckle lock. Once again Akira attempts to take his opponent down, this time by ducking his head down under Samuel's arms and trying to lift him over for a northern lights suplex. With his hands locked up Akira is unable to lift Samuel off his feet, and once again Samuel one ups him by dropping back and monkey flipping Akira over, leaving the two laid out on the mat with their heads a few inches apart.

Cedar: Neither man wants to give up this knuckle lock, but it looks like Greg Samuel is getting the advantage in the clinch.

Samuel rolls over on top of Akira, allowing him to push his shoulders down from a kneeling mount. Again the referee can only get a one count before the pin gets broken. Samuel goes for the pin again, this time with one knee pressed down into Akira's chest for leverage. The one count is slightly longer, but again only a one. Deciding the third time's the charm Samuel hops up slightly and comes down with both knees on Akira's chest. Now being held down by all of Samuel's weight on his chest, Akira pushes up from his feet with as much force as he can while keeping his hands down on the mat, creating a bridge that allows him to get his shoulders up. With Akira in the bridge Samuel slides his legs off and puts his feet down, leaving himself stood over Akira while leant over, still connected by the knuckle lock which at this point is causing no small amount of pain for both men. Akira scoots himself forward slightly and puts his legs up, wrapping them around Samuel's hips and pulling him down into a sit-out pin. Thanks to the knuckle-lock combined with the body scissors Greg Samuel almost seems confused as to how to escape for a second, and just before Sanu hits the mat for what would be a very unfortunate loss resorts to using his upper body strength to pull himself up and break the pin, as well as the knuckle lock. Sections of the crowd applaud the two men as they stand-up, going back to circling each other while trying to figure out the best way to attack. After a few seconds of thinking and catching their breaths Akira and Samuel go back into a collar and elbow tie-up, which Samuel quickly breaks by grabbing Akira's head and taking him down with a snapmare. Now stood behind the seated Akira Samuel grabs both his opponents arms, pulls them back, and plants his foot into the base of his neck. Akira yells out in pain as he finds himself trapped in the middle of the ring, feeling like his arms are about to be torn out of the socket thanks to Samuel's submission hold. Akira grits his teeth through his mouth guard and tucks his legs in, allowing him to get the leverage he needs to start standing up. Instead of releasing Akira's arms, and the hold, Samuel leans back and keeps his boot firmly pushed against the back of Akira's neck. When Akira finally gets to his feet Samuel is stood on one foot while the other is up against Akira's neck in a position which would make even DDP yoga experts gulp, but the ridiculousness of the hold doesn't reduce the pain it causes The Black Heart Warrior.

Cedar: Greg Samuel is a master of this type of contest - he can control his opponent on the mat and in the clinch like nobody else!

Miles: Try that shit in a bar fight, you'll get your teeth knocked out.

Cedar: And that's why nobody pays to watch bar fights, Miles.

Being unable to see behind him, it takes Akira to realize the position Samuel is now trapped in. Once he realizes Akira suddenly ducks his head down, allowing Samuel's momentum to carry him forward and past Akira as Samuel releases Akira's arms. Instead of just stumbling forward Samuel keeps moving, running the ropes and coming back with a hurricanrana which forces Akira to roll across the ring to the ropes. Samuel gives Akira plenty of time to recover, clearly in no rush to turn the match from a technical wrestling contest into a brawl. Akira slowly walks towards Samuel, who is bent forward slightly with his arms up in an almost amateur wrestling style stance. With a good five feet of distance between the two Akira shoots in low for a takedown, getting down under Samuel and grabbing his right leg. Samuel quickly responds by latching his arm down around Akira's head in a front face lock, both as a way to stay on his feet and possibly to try and cut off some of the blood flow to Akira's head. Samuel hops back a few steps towards the ropes to keep his balance and leans over Akira, switching from the front face lock to wrapping his arms around Akira's waist. Realizing he won't be able to take Samuel over with a single leg takedown Akira stands up, attempting to throw him over with a back body drop. Samuel counters by yanking his leg free in mid air, allowing him to turn what would be a hard landing with all of Akira's weight coming down on him into a sunset flip. The pin attempt doesn't even get a one count as Akira rolls through, ending up on his feet in front of Samuel. Akira quickly dives in and grabs Samuel's leg, possibly trying to lock in a figure-four or a knee bar, so Samuel wisely stretches back and grabs the bottom rope, cutting off Akira's offence dead in its tracks. Akira breaks his usually stoic demeanour by tossing Samuel's leg down before walking away, clearly frustrated by Samuel managing to escape. Once again portions of the crowd applaud and cheer the action, but they mostly remain quiet, waiting for either man to ramp it up and start striking or hit a big move on the other.

Miles: Haha, look how angry he is!

Cedar: Kobayashi prides himself on his grappling and striking, the big question right now is if he'll admit defeat when it comes to the former and go to the latter. So far it's all been grappling from these two.

Miles: You mean will he get so pissed off that he can't even do a leg lock that he'll start kicking Greg Samuel?

Samuel pulls himself up by the ropes, ensuring he doesn't break contact with them until he's back on his feet. Akira rushes in, grabbing Samuel in a collar and elbow tie-up again and using his momentum from running in to force Samuel into the ropes. As Samuel goes into the ropes Akira pulls him back, using his own weight against him as he leaps up, wraps his legs around Samuel's left arm and attempts a flying armbar. Instead of getting caught in the hold while struggling to stay on his feel Samuel makes sure to latch his free right arm to the left arm while rolling down to take the impact of being pulled down as best as he can. Now on his back, Samuel is tightly gripping his fingers together so The Black Heart Warrior can't hyper-extend his arm and lock in the armbar, although he's a fair way away from the ropes and it isn't getting any easier for him to keep his fingers locked together. The two engage in a tug of war, both pulling on Samuel's trapped arm as Akira tries to put in the armbar and Samuel looks for a way to escape. The crowd starts to stir as business picks up, and the noise from the fans seems to help Samuel clear his head. Realizing that Akira is leaning back as far as he possibly can Samuel rolls over, turning his body while getting to his feet. While Akira still has Samuel's arm, he finds himself staring up at Samuel, his shoulder pushes down to the mat as Samuel leans on him from above. Akira has no choice but to release Samuel's arm to kick out and kick out he does, throwing his legs up and catching Samuel in the side of the head. The Maine Attraction staggerss back clutching his jaw, having been taken by surprise by the first strike of the match so far.

Cedar: I think that Akira Kobayashi is done trying to out wrestle Greg Samuel!

Miles: Kung-fu time!

Akira rolls up to his feet and charges at Samuel, who is barely aware of what's going on thanks to the hard shot to his jaw. By the time his vision has cleared and he looks up across the ring the sole of Akira's boot is inches from his face, leaving him with no time to prepare for the hard kick that sends him tumbling down into the ropes. The crowd is mixed between those cheering for the strike and those booing Akira for breaking up the grappling, but Akira doesn't seem too interested in the reaction he's getting. Samuel shakes the cobwebs out as Akira grabs his hair in both hands and yanks him up, forcing Samuel back up to a vertical base so Akira can drive a knee into his abdomen. The knee goes deep into Samuel's midsection, knocking him back into the ropes, ending up with Samuel sat perched on the middle rope as he mindlessly tries to throw his hands up to grasp the top rope. Samuel strtas to feel physically sick as is lungs empty, making even drawing breath difficult. Samuel attempts to catch his breath but any oxygen that gets into his body is immediately forced out again by a knee, leaving his head spinning and his vision a blur. Through the sound of the crowd cheering and booing and Akira's boots stomping on the mat as he pulls back for another strike Samuel can vaguely hear referee Ryu Sanu yelling at Akira to back up. It takes Samuel several seconds to remember that he's leant on the ropes, which is what forced the break, and several more to inhale enough air to get him back on his feet. Akira backs away, now in a kickboxing stance and clearly having dismissed the idea of trying to out-grapple Samuel. Samuel steps towards Akira, once again in his wrestling stance looking to take the fight back to the mat where Akira will be less able to kick, knee and stomp him with all his strength. Seeing Samuel's stance Akira steps back and throws a low kick almost as a warning to Samuel, who doesn't seem fazed by it and instead closes the distance with a few steps forward. For a second time Akira throws a leg kick, but this time it connects with Samuel's leg and does enough to at least make him hop to the side slightly. With Samuel off balance Akira jumps in, throwing a knee towards Samuel's body while wrapping his arms around his shoulders and head from above. The result is a mess of limbs as Samuel falls back and tries to throw Akira off him, once again feeling the effects of a knee strike to the mid-section, this time to the ribs. Akira ends up knelt up in front of a prone Samuel, which he takes advantage of by launching himself forward into Samuel's guard while throwing un-orthodox palm strikes towards his face. Samuel puts up his hands, managing to block the strikes but not getting out of the dangerous position he now finds himself in. Akira looks content to simply lay and pray, staying on his knees and throwing palm strikes down at Samuel's head and arms.

Cedar: Greg Samuel needs to get out of this position!

Akira's hands smash into Samuel's arms, slowly working his way through Samuel's defense with punishing strikes. Deciding it's the time to strike, Akira pulls his right arm back and winds up for a big strike with all his weight behind it. He throws his arm forward, and right as he's about to connect with Samuel's arm The Maine Attraction pulls his arms down to his side and grabs Akira's arm while putting his legs up, wrapping them around his neck. The result is a triangle choke, with Samuel's legs squeezing away at Akira's neck like a vice. The ref quickly gets involved, asking Akira if he wants to give up, and at this point the crowd are firmly behind Greg Samuel. With his dominant arm trapped Akira rises up from his knees to his feet and attempts to hoist Samuel up, but finds that he's unable to get him off the ground. After a few seconds of struggling Akira resorts to pulling Samuel up as far as possible and kicking him in his back with the toe of his boot. Samuel holds on for as long as possible, but eventually the force of Akira kicking him directly in the spine prompts him to release the hold and kick Akira away. Akira rolls backwards and ends up on his feet, his face red and covered in sweat from the triangle choke, while Samuel gets up slowly and shakes out his arms to try and rid them of the pain caused by the palm strikes. Akira rushes in and does a full turn while throwing his arm up, looking for a rolling elbow, but Samuel is aware enough to duck under it and go behind to grab a waist lock. The two battle as Samuel attempts a German and Akira grabs his arms, trying to pull them apart and off his waist. The brief struggle ends with Akira stomping down on Samuel's foot and then wrenching up his arms to get out of the waist lock. Now free, Akira runs the ropes and returns again looking for a rolling elbow, and again Samuel ducks it. This time Akira keeps moving, getting far enough away from Samuel to avoid being grappled. The two have a brief staredown from a distance, prompting duelling "Ko-ba-ya-shi" and "Samuel" chants to crop up throughout the audience. Akira and Samuel square up to each other a few feet apart, exchanging muttered words. Samuel again extends his hand, and again Akira accepts it and shakes his hand, albeit with slightly more hesitation than before. The two back up slightly and go back into fighting stances.

Miles: Jesus, just get a room you creeps.

Cedar: They're showing there's no hard feelings, no hat-

The end of Cedar's sentence is drowned out by the sound of Samuel laying a knife edge chop into Akira's chest, followed by the crowd letting out an "oooo". Akira responds with a kick across Samuel's chest, followed quickly by a forearm smash. The quick burst of strikes catches Samuel off guard, allowing Akira to grab the back of his head with his left hand and start throwing in more forearms to the side of Samuel's jaw. Samuel fights back, throwing forearms of his own, and soon the two are stood in a tie-up pummelling away at each other as hard as possible. The crowd explodes as forearm meets face again and again, and bit by bit the two start to falter as they tire and the effects of the strikes set in. The strikes slow down and the tie-up almost becomes them leaning against each other while teeing of on each others face. It doesn't take too long for them to come to a standstill, with each man having taken dozens of hard shots which might even knock-out a less durable fighter. After a few seconds Greg Samuel starts striking again, this time with European uppercuts which crack off of Akira's chin. He hits Akira three times then pauses, waiting for a reaction. The reaction comes in the form of a jumping knee into the underside of Samuel's chin, knocking him loopy and stumbling back into the ropes. Samuel's momentum takes him into the ropes, and when he steps forward again The Black Heart Warrior meets him with a northern lights suplex with a bridge. Ryu Sanu quickly starts the count, but only reaches a two before Greg Samuel kicks out. Samuel rolls over onto his side, clutching his jaw as Akira takes a second to sit on the mat next to him and catch his breath. Akira climbs to his feet and stomps on Samuel's ribs before leaning down to try to pull his opponent up into a front face lock, meeting fairly little resistance thanks to Samuel still being dazed by the forearm strikes and the jumping knee. Akira drives Samuel back first into the corner before straightening him up and breaking clean as Samu starts the rope break count. After taking a step back Akira unloads with slaps and palm strikes to Samuel's face, followed by a vicious kick across his stomach which knocks the wind out of The Maine Attraction and makes him slide down into the corner, clutching his stomach. With his opponent down Akira runs perpendicular to the ropes, hitting the ropes on the opposite side of the ring and rebound back looking to soccer kick Samuel's head off his shoulders with a glint of rage in his eyes. At the very last possible second Samuel reaches up to grab the top ropes on each side of the turnbuckle and skins the cat, pulling himself out of harms way and out onto the apron as Akira's boot slams into the middle turnbukle. With Akira stunned Samuel grabs him by the hair and slams him face first into the turnbuckle, giving himself an opportunity to jump back over the ropes and back into the ring, now stood between the turnbuckle and Akira, who is too busy clutching his head to notice. Samuel steps forward and wraps his arms around Akira's waist before falling back and launching Akira overhead, sending him back first into the turnbuckle with a high impact belly to belly suplex!

Cedar: Akira Kobayashi just got destroyed by that belly to belly!

Samuel reaches down and grabs Akira by the arm, pulling him up to his feet and forcing him towards the centre of the ring. Samuel elbows Akira across his back as he goes behind and hooks him up for a German suplex, but Akira still has his wits about him enough to resist, throwing an elbow of his own back at Samuel and catching him in the jaw. With Samuel off balance Akira pulls himself free and goes behind, grabbing Samuel in position for a German suplex of his own. Desperate to avoid getting slammed down on his head, as any sane man would be, Samuel runs at the ropes, forcing Akira to follow him to keep the rear-waist lock on. Samuel runs straight into the ropes and hooks his arms under the top rope, avoiding being pulled backwards by an o'connor roll attempt from Akira. Unable to detach Samuel away from the safety of the ropes, Akira ends up rolling backwards empty handed and lands on his knees, leaving himself wide open to a superkick directly to his temple! Samuel's foot cracks off Akira's head and drops him down to the mat in a heap, allowing Samuel to dive on top of him and get a close two count. Akira satys laid out on the canvas as Samuel stands up, walks back to the corner, and beckons Akira up, prompting some cheers. After a few seconds Akira gets to one knee and then up to a vertical base, still clearly unsteady on his feet. Seeing that Akira doesn't have his guard up Samuel runs in for a lariat, his arm going only a few inches over Akira's head as The Black Heart Warrior ducks. Samuel turns and ducks under another attempt at a rolling elbow from Akira, and seeing an opportunity attempts another superkick. With no time to duck away Akira's instant reaction is to throw up his hands, allowing him to catch Samuel's foot just before it reaches his face. Samuel hops on his left foot as Akira tucks his right foot down under his own left arm, leaving his right arm free to slap Samuel across the face. Bewildered, Samuel attempts to keep his balance as Akira tries to knock the teeth out of his mouth with slap after slap to the side of his jaw. Samuel attempts to respond with an enzirguri, but the slow strike is easily dodged by Akira, allowing Samuel to turn in the air and come crashing down face first into the mat, his leg still in Akira's grasp. Akira pulls Samuel towards the centre of the ring while trying to hook in an ankle lock, wrapping both his arms around Samuel's leg as The Maine Attraction struggles and tries to break free. With the hold not yet locked in but Akira now in control of his ankle, Samuel makes a last ditch effort to escape by lifting his upper body up with his hands and rolling forward, allowing him to kick Akira away towards the ropes. Instinctively Akira hits the ropes and comes back towards Samuel, who wastes no time in using his opponents momentum to lift him up and bring him face down into the mat with his signature flapjack! The crowd explode for Samuel as he sits on the mat, slowly starting to smile.

Cedar: Greg Samuel may have this one!

Samuel walks around Akira in a circle like a lion eyeing up its prey as Akira struggles to stand up, taking a good ten seconds just to get to one knee and then pausing to try and catch his breath, still clearly dszed. When he finally does Samuel runs past him, hitting the ropes behind Akira. He comes back off the ropes again passing Akira to gain even more momentum, hitting the ropes in front of Akira and charging in. Samuel steps up onto Akira's knee and then blasts him in the jaw with his shin at full speed, nailing a shining wizard that pops Akira's mouth guard out and flattens him. Samuel drops onto Akira and hooks both legs. 1...2...thre-KICKOUT! Akira barely manages to beat the count, which is so close that Ryu Sanu's hand still hits the mat a split second after. Samuel sits up, slamming his hands to the mat in frustration at coming so close to earning another three points towards the intercontinental title.

Miles: That was three!

Cedar: Almost!

Samuel stands up again, grabbing Akira by the jaw and pulling him up. Akira feels like dead weight, and it takes all of Samuel's strength to lift him up to a vertical base and hold him there. Getting ready to finish the match, Samuel hooks his arm around Akira's neck and shoulder to set up for the Fatal Attraction. He looks out at the crowd, catching his breath and steadying Akira to ensure that when he plants him down with his patented reverse STO it finishes the job. As Samuel gets ready to fall back Akira starts to struggle, laying an elbow into his ribs followed by a knee to the guts. Samuel's grip loosens slightly, giving Akira the room he needs to pull back his head and then ram it forward into Samuel's, using his skull as a battering ram. Like two drunks wandering home at 4AM the two hobble back, clutching their heads as waves of pain engulf them. Almost in time with each other both men raise up their right arms in front of themselves. They glance up, ensuring that the blurred outline of their opponent is close enough. They begin to spin, going a full 360 degrees with their arms up. They come to face each other and strike at the same time, Samuel with a discus forearm and Akira with a rolling elbow. The result is the same - both men get blasted in the jaw by a blow that feels like being hit by a freight train. Both wrestlers drop backwards, hitting the mat as the fans start a "that was awesome chant" and referee Ryu Sanu runs between them, trying to see if either man is able to continue. Sanu reluctantly starts the count, getting to four before either man stirs. Samuel is first to move, managing to sit up by five as Akira tries to roll onto his stomach and crawl to the ropes. By the seven count Akira has his hands on the middle rope and is trying to pull himself up while Samuel is on his knees, trying to keep his balance and stand up. Sanu shouts out "EIGHT!" as Akira pulls himself up to one knee, his eyes closed as he tries to power through the pain. As Sanu hits nine the two manage to stand up, which provokes thunderous applause from the crowd. Samuel and Akira both stop for a second, taking in the atmosphere of the crowd cheering them on for a hard fought battle. Staring each other down, the two walk back to their original corners and lean in them, trying to keep themselves upright. The crowd start a low hum as the two lock eyes across the ring and nod, almost sharing a moment of understanding and respect. The crowd gets louder and louder as Akira and Samuel straighten up in their corners, getting ready for the final stretch. After a few seconds the two charge, meeting in the middle of the ring - Samuel with a front dropkick and Akira with a high boot. Samuel's feet nail Akira in the ribs as the sole of Akira's right boot meets Samuel's left shoulder. The two hit the mat but this time get right up, fists clenched and teeth gritted, driven on by fighting spirit.

Miles: These two are leaving it all out there!

Cedar: Next time somebody says this tournament is "only" for the intercontinental title, point them at this match!

Samuel strikes first, kicking Akira in the gut and whipping him into the ropes. On the rebound Akira ducks under a lariat and goes behind looking for a German suplex. With his arms wrapped tightly around Samuel's waist Akira tries to lift him, but Samuel leans forward and manages to turn, getting into position for a belly to belly. With a roar Samuel falls back, suplexing Akira overhead and slamming him down onto the mat. Samuel kips up following the suplex, receiving a loud pop from the crowd. He smiles as he reaches down, helping Akira up, a mistake that leads to a kneeling Akira uppercutting him in his jaw. Samuel limps back a few steps as Akira hits a few more uppercuts, slowly wearing down what's left of Samuel's strength with repeated shots to his jaw. Samuel eventually finds his back up against the ropes, giving him nowhere to go. In desperation he throws up his hands to block his face, absorbing a trio of uppercuts with his forearms. Akira adjusts, wrapping his arms around Samuel's arms and leaning in to trap them against his chest with all his weight. With nowhere to go, Samuel can only wait on the referees call to break as Akira slams his knee up into his guts, going back to a plan of attack that put him in the drivers seat back at the start of the match. Sanu starts a count and Akira breaks, taking a few paces back and allowing Samuel to drop down to his knees. Completely out of breath and with his stomach burning in pain, Samuel looks up at Akira, who now stands over him. With no hesitation Akira blasts Samuel in the chest with a soccer kick, dropping him backwards so his head lands resting on the bottom rope. Giving no quarter Akira leaps up, pulling his legs up and then coming down with a vicious double stomp that lands on the bottom rope where Samuel's head had been only seconds before. Samuel stays alive, rolling to the side and then forward, getting to his feet behind Akira. With Akira stood on the bottom rope Samuel runs, jumps up onto the middle rope next to him and then falls back, hitting an enziguri style kick that connects with Akira's face. As Akira stumbles away to the middle of the ring Samuel pulls himself up and gets behind him, waiting for him to turn. Akira swings around as Samuel ducks down, lifting Akira up by the leg looking for a flapjack. As Akira goes up into the air he tucks forward, flipping over Samuel and grabbing him in a sunset flip style hold around his waist, holding on to drive the back of Samuel's head into the mat as the pair go over.

Cedar: Akira Kobayashi may just have saved himself!

Miles: He was lucky!

Cedar: And when two guys match-up like this, luck can be the one deciding factor!

Samuel manages to struggle free and keep a shoulder up on instinct, rolling up and landing back first in the corner. Samuel tries to regain his sense, pulling his hands away from the back of his head and looking up just in time to see Akira running in, his arm raised as he roars out in a last ditch bout of offence. Akira's elbow cracks off of Samuel's jaw and slumps his body down onto Akira. The two put their hands up, Samuel trying to grab a hold to stay alive and Akira to try and capitalize while he has the chance. Their hands lock, and in a moment of deja vu back to the start of the match end up in a greco-Roman knuckle lock. This time, however, Samuel is too beaten down and hurt to try to fight back. Akira turns, tripping Samuel down back first onto the mat with the knuckle lock still engaged. Akira stands looking down at Samuel, who's head is lifted just off the mat, with a foot on either side of his torso. Akira raises up his right foot and mercilessly brings it down, driving it into Samuel's head as hard as he can. Akira's boot slams into the mat as Samuel's head bounces back up like it's on a rip-chord, his eye glazing over as Akira unloads. Ryu Sanu yells at him asking if he's OK to continue as loud as he can, causing Samuel to groggily mumble "yes". Akira responds in the only way he knows how - with another vicious stomp into Samuel's head, using the knuckle lock to keep him in position for the assault being rained down on him. A third stomp lands, and then a fourth, and by the fifth the crowd explodes, either calling on Samuel to try and escape or Akira to kick his damn head off. In all the noise and adrenaline it seems impossible for Akira to keep track of how many times he's driven the bottom of his shoe into Samuel's cranium, but at a certain point, maybe around twenty, he releases the knuckle lock. Akira looks down at Samuel, who is barely stirring, and then drops to one knee, planting said knee across Samuel's stomach. 1..2...thr-KICKOUT! The crowd goes into a state of pandemic, yelling and screaming at Samuel to try and get back into it as Akira wanders away to the corner in a state of shock, leaning against the turnbuckle and facing out to the crowd. He turns around to find Samuel on his feet, stumbling back and forth yelling "is that all you've got?" at Akira. Akira walks towards Samuel and once again drives a knee into his gut, doubling him over in position for a front facelock. Akira pulls Samuel's arm up over his shoulder and then pulls him up in a vertical suplex. After stalling for a second or so Akira drops back, planting Samuel head first on the canvas with a brainbuster. The crowd explodes as Akira drapes an arm over Samuel and drops down limp, finally getting the three count and the three points in the intercontinental title tournament.

Vendetta 85. Two shows away from Revolutionary Wars. The Intercontinental Championship Tournament is in full swing. In the standings right now, there is a four way tie for first place. With six points and heavily in the hunt for the Intercontinental Championship are Rob Chapman, Rellim, Akira Kobayashi and Greg Samuel. Potentially the biggest match in the tournament this week pits to of the first place competitors, assuring that there will be at least one less person in first place by the end of the night. The two men in this match are Greg Samuel and Akira Kobayashi. Samuel has been on a tear since starting this tournament, taking down two former world champions, in DC Hennig and Mack, in his first two matches. The fans know and love Greg, and very few would be disappointed if the passionate veteran with an extreme resiliency walks out of Revolutionary Wars as the XWA Intercontinental Champion. Akira Kobayashi is a newcomer that cannot be slept on in the tournament, as he has been extremely impressive in both of his victories. Akira put in a dominating performance against C5 Ion, and then was able to gain the victory in impressive style against Drake Dysfunction. For many in the XWA Universe, it might be easy to sleep on the XWA rookie as he takes on Samuel, but the hard-nose fighter will put up a great fight. To the winner tonight, three more points toward the Intercontinental Championship, and a third straight victory.

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Both men have made their entrances to the match, and now Greg Samuel and Akira Kobayashi stand in the ring, ready to compete for three more points in the Intercontinental Championship Tournament. Samuel has just finished taking off his entrance attire, revealing his black, white and blue trunks with a “GS” on the front and “Samuel” on the back, with matching kickpads and kneepads. Across the ring from him stands his adversary, Akira Kobayashi. Kobayashi is wearing black tights and boots with no fancy designs. Ryu Sanu is the referee in charge of the match. Sanu checks with each of the competitors to make sure they are ready to start this match. After checking with the two wrestlers, Sanu points to the timekeeper who then tolls the bell thrice. Samuel is a little more apprehensive to approach the center of the ring, as he has very little experience with the shoot-style of wrestling. Samuel finally decides to stop in the center of the ring and stick and hand out, for the third week in a row to offer a show of respect for his competitor. Akira gives him a little hairy look, not sure if he completely trusts Samuel. Kobayashi decides to return the gesture of respect from Samuel, shaking “The Maine Attraction’s” hand. The crowd claps for the sign of respect between these two competitors. After releasing the grip of the handshake, the former Intercontinental Champion immediately wraps his right arm around the back of Kobayashi’s neck, before bringing the shoot-style fighter down in a side headlock. Greg wastes no time getting his opposition into a position where he cannot throw the strikes that he is so well known for. Kobayashi’s claws at Greg’s arm, trying to get him to release the hold, to no avail. While the side headlock will never put anybody away, Greg knows its value as a wear down hold. Akira is not willing to allow this wear down hold to continue, so he decides to rear back his left arm before bending it to form a point at his elbow. “The Black Hearted Warrior” then proceeds to drive that elbow into the exposed abdomen of the veteran. The force of the elbow lifts Samuel off of the ground and jolts him backwards. “The Maine Attraction” is able to keep hold on the neck of Kobayashi. The shoot-style combatant follows up the first elbow with another one. Again, Samuel is lifted off of the ground by the elbow to his midsection. Greg is able to keep the hold on his adversary’s neck, despite the agony in his midriff. Knowing that Samuel has to be feeling the effects of two elbows driven into his stomach, Kobayashi delivers one more elbow pin pointed to the exact same spot that first two were placed. The third elbow is just too much for Samuel to handle as he releases his grip around the neck of his adversary. Samuel crosses his arms over his midsection, looking to alleviate some of the pain. With this perfect opportunity, Kobayashi grabs the former Intercontinental Champion’s hair with his left hand. As any ref should in this situation, Sanu is warning Kobayashi about the hair grabbing. Kobayashi ignores Sanu, and instead quickly swings his arm in an upward direction, through the chin of Samuel. The sound of the European Uppercut causes the crowd in Oklahoma to cringe, as Samuel’s head snaps back and he takes a few stumbling steps backwards before colliding into the ropes. Greg bounces off the ropes lightly and takes a few staggering steps back toward his opposition. Kobayashi again grabs the medium-long brown locks of Samuel before viciously swinging his arm up and through jaw of the resilient Samuel. Again, Greg staggers backwards into the ropes as the world spins around him. Akira quickly closes the gap created by “Mr. Match of the Night” before grabbing both sides of his opposition’s head before rearing his own head back and then whipping it forward, connecting with a headbutt that produces a crippling sound.
TED CEDAR: “That headbutt makes my head hurt! Samuel has been putting up some great victories in recent weeks, but never in his career has Greg faced someone with Kobayashi’s style. This is a big challenge for Samuel! If he can overcome the shoot fighting style of Kobayashi here tonight, this will be a huge win for the Maine Bred Superstar.”

JOEY MILES: “Some Asian fucker vs. that Samuel fuck face… Does this company hate me?”

TED CEDAR: “Yes…”

The headbutt sends Samuel to the mat as his head is now throbbing. After hitting the mat hard, Samuel is quickly back to his feet, refusing to stay down. Upon arrival to his feet, Samuel is met by Kobayashi grabbing him by the right forearm and backing him into the ropes. “The Black Hearted Warrior” then takes a few steps backward, extending his arm and then pulling Samuel along with him before Irish Whipping his opposition across the ring. “The Maine Attraction” puts all his weight into the ropes, using them as momentum to spring back toward the Japanese shoot-style wrestler. Kobayashi sticks an arm out, looking to put Samuel down with a clothesline. Samuel is able to catch on to Akira’s efforts early enough to duck under the outstretched arm. Greg doesn’t even turn around to face his opposition, as he has a very good idea of what Akira is going to do. Kobayashi turns around to face his crafty opposition, doing just as “Mr. Match of the Night” predicted. The shoot-style combatant takes a step toward Samuel, looking to dish out some offense. “The Maine Attraction” reaches over his right shoulder, grabbing Kobayashi’s head, and then dropping down to his right knee and pulling Kobayashi over his shoulder, putting him on the mat with a Biel Throw. The momentum off of the throw sends Akira onto a seated position on the mat. Samuel then wraps his left arm around the jawline of his adversary, locking him into a headlock in the center of the ring. Sanu checks on the hold, making sure Samuel is not using a choke, which he is not. Again, Samuel does not expect to get the victory with his headlock, but rather is just using it as a way to wear down his opposition in a way that Kobayashi can’t attack him. The Japanese fighter is reaching above his head, trying to get out of Samuel’s grasps, but is unsuccessful. “The Maine Attraction” really works on cinching the headlock in, looking to get as much he can out of the move. After doing everything he can to wear down Kobayashi with the hold, Samuel releases his grasp and then grabs “The Black Hearted Warrior” by the shoulders and pulls his back down to the mat. “Mr. Match of the Night” then hooks the right leg of Kobayashi, as Sanu drops to his knees and begins to count. Sanu can only get one slap of the mat before the Akira powers his shoulder up off the mat.

TED CEDAR: “Samuel only gets a one count, but he doesn’t seem too distraught as I bet he is just using the pin to wear down his opposition.”

JOEY MILES: “Oh, oh, I got this one… When you wear down someone as dangerous as Kobayashi, his strikes become less powerful… There you have it, my fucking good piece of commentary for the night. Hope you liked it…”

Cedar is correct, Greg was just looking to wear down his opposition, so he is not fazed by the kick out this early in the match up. “Mr. Match of the Night” then holds Kobayashi’s left arm down to the mat as he gets back to a vertical base. Samuel then puts his left foot onto the left hand of “The Black Hearted Warrior,” immobilizing his opposition’s arm. Greg then lifts up his other leg before stomping down on the bicep of the shoot-style wrestler. Kobayashi darts off of his back and on to his left side in agony after the stomp to his arm. The Maine resident continues on to deliver another stomp onto the bicep of Kobayashi. This stomp is the cause of Akira letting out a yelp of pain. The pain is shooting up and down the arm of the Japanese wrestler, but he is forced to endure one more stomp by Samuel, who makes sure to get the absolute most out of this one. Again, Akira lets out a scream of agony as his arm is being worked on. With his left boot still holding down the left hand of Kobayashi, Samuel lifts his right leg up, sticking it out horizontal to the mat and then falls to the mat, dropping a leg on Akira’s left arm. Kobayashi’s face shows just how much pain he is in after his arm has taken a lot of impact in the past few minutes of this match up. After the leg drop, Greg gets up and approaches Kobayashi’s legs. Standing at his opposition’s feet, “Mr. Match of the Night” then picks up the shoot-style wrestler’s legs behind the knee before jumping forward, doing a front flip and landing on his feet and attempting to get the victory with a Jackknife pin. Sanu drops to the mat and begins to count, but only gets to two before Kobayashi is able to get his shoulders off of the mat, sending Samuel toppling over to the mat. Quickly, Samuel gets backs to his feet before grabbing his adversary by the back of his head and assisting him back to a vertical base. With his opposition at a vertical base, Samuel looks to continue his offense, not allowing Kobayashi to attack with his masterful striking abilities. “The Maine Attraction” then bends over, wrapping his arms around the hips of his opposition before lifting him into the air. With “The Black Hearted Warrior” in the air, the former Intercontinental Champion sticks out his knee, then dropping Kobayashi down on his knee with an Inverted Atomic Drop. Kobayashi hops around, clutching his lower back as his spine is compressed on the knee of Samuel. “The Black Hearted Warrior” stumbles backwards a couple steps, potentially buying himself some time away from the onslaught from Samuel. “Mr. Match of the Night” closes the gap immediately, but before he can dish out any more offense, Kobayashi quickly snaps his right forearm into the face of Samuel, catching the veteran off guard. Samuel stumbles backward, dropping to a knee while holding his face in pain. Samuel gets back to a vertical base and faces his opposition, quickly to realize that was a bad decision. Kobayashi approaches Samuel before twisting his hips, readying himself to unleash, before lifting his right leg up and rapidly swinging his hips back toward Samuel, bringing the leg with him and connecting with a hard boot to the left leg of Samuel. “The Maine Attraction” hops around, as he lifts up his right leg and grabs it. As soon as Greg puts his leg down, Kobayashi has twisted his hips the other way, and quickly whips his hips around again, this time driving a right boot to the left leg of Samuel. The Maine resident repeats the process, this time grabbing his left leg as he cringes at the pain that shoots through his leg. Kobayashi again twists his hips to the right before connecting with another right boot to the left leg of Samuel. Greg lets out a growl, doing anything to keep his mind off the pain that is coursing through his legs. Once more, Kobayashi twists his hips, this time to his left side, and then drives his left boot through the side of Samuel’s right leg. Samuel again lets out a yelp of agony as he hops around. Quickly, Akira closes the distance between himself and his opposition before grabbing Samuel by the back of his head and then pulling him in while lifting up his right knee and driving it into the midsection of “The Maine Attraction.” Samuel’s left leg shoots backwards as does his midsection, and he brings both arms into his midsection, trying to aid his tender midriff. Kobayashi quickly pushes Samuel’s upperbody back up straight from a bent over position, and then quickly wraps his arms around the midriff of Samuel. Wasting no time, Akira lifts Samuel up and over, slamming him down on the mat, lower back first with a Northern Lights Suplex. Kobayashi bridges the suplex, hoping to get the victory over Samuel.

TED CEDAR: “Bridging Northern Lights Suplex! Beautifully executed by Akira Kobayashi!”

Sanu drops to the mat, slaps the mat once, then again, but before he gets very close to getting a third count, Samuel is able to force a shoulder off of the mat. Kobayashi is unfazed by the kickout, instead he just transition to his next bit of offense. Kobayashi kneels over Samuel and begins to drive elbow shots down into the face of Samuel. With each shot, Samuel’s head snaps down to the mat. After a half dozen shots, Kobayashi lets off, getting up and back to his feet. Kobayashi then turns Samuel over so the former Intercontinental Champion is now on his stomach. “The Black Hearted Warrior” then grabs Samuel’s left arm, before laying on the mat facing away from Samuel’s body. Kobayashi then lifts the Maine resident’s arm up away from the mat, locking in a Fujiwara Armbar. Samuel immediately begins to kick his feet off of the mat, screaming in agony as his arm is being pulled out of socket. Greg reaches around with his free arm, trying to find a rope that will allow him freedom from this hold, but it is nowhere to be found. “The Black Hearted Warrior” is pulling up on Samuel’s arm as viciously as he can, trying his hardest to get Samuel to tap out. “The Maine Attraction” begins driving his fist into the mat, attempting to fight off the pain any way possible, as he refuses to tap out. This hold is being performed to perfection by Kobayashi, as he is right in his wheelhouse, with the knowledgeable wrestler unable to use any conventional wrestling against him. Samuel tries to claw his way to the ropes, but is unsuccessful as Kobayashi cannot be moved. Realizing that he is in deep trouble, Samuel places his head on the mat, trying to think of some way he can get himself out of the deeply painful hold. Samuel comes to the conclusion that there is one way out of this hold, and that is by causing Kobayashi enough pain to force him to release the hold. Samuel rears back with his right arm before punching across his body and connecting to the face of Akira. The Japanese combatant is hardly fazed by the punch. Samuel rears back again and looks to connect with a second punch. The follow up seems far more effective than the original, but Kobayashi seems adamant to keep the hold locked in. Samuel keeps rearing back and throwing punches, just hoping to get out of the Fujiwara Armbar. After eight punches, Kobayashi was feeling the effects of the punches cumulating. One last time, Samuel rears back, as far as he can, and drives one more punch into forehead of Akira, and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back, as Kobayashi releases his grasp on Samuel’s arm. Immediately, “Mr. Match of the Night” rolls onto his back and pulls his arm in close to his chest. Kobayashi gets back to a vertical base, trying to shake off the effects of the punches. “The Black Hearted Warrior” approaches his downed opposition and then lifts his right leg up before stomping down on the ribs of Samuel. Kobayashi repeats the process four times, totaling five stomps to the ribs of Samuel. The shoot-style combatant then proceeds to drop down to his knees and then covers Samuel while hooking a leg. Kobayashi is only able to get a two count before Samuel kicks out.

TED CEDAR: “Resiliency shown by Samuel, as he has taken a lot and still kicked out!”

JOEY MILES: “Asian fucker wants the win badly!”

Kobayashi gets back to his feet a little groggily but then grabs Samuel by the back of the head and works him back to his feet. Upon getting his opposition back to his feet, Kobayashi spins Samuel around and then looks to lock in a Sleeper hold. Samuel is able to catch on to the intent of Akira, and before the Sleeper can be locked in, Samuel reaches back and grabs the back of Kobayashi’s head, and drops to his butt, bringing “The Black Hearted Warrior” with him and slamming Akira’s jaw into his shoulder with a Jawbreaker. Kobayashi stumbles around with his head back, fighting falling to his back. Samuel pushes back to his feet before shaking around his left arm, trying to get circulation back into it. Kobayashi then stumbles back toward Samuel, who whips his left arm up and drives his fist into the face of his opposition. Kobayashi stumbles back a few steps, and Samuel immediately closes the gap before grabbing his wrist and whipping him across the ring. Akira bounces off the ropes and comes shooting back toward Samuel. “Mr. Match of the Night” turns and then lifts Kobayashi up on to his shoulders. Samuel then quickly flips Akira over off of his shoulders before falling to his back, slamming Kobayashi down with a Death Valley Driver. The lower back of Kobayashi takes the brunt of the impact. The Japanese combatant arches his back and cringes, trying to alleviate some of the pain. Samuel pushes Kobayashi to his back before hooking his leg and looking to get the victory. Sanu hits the mat twice, but is unsuccessful to get the third count before Kobayashi gets a shoulder up. Greg is slightly annoyed, but gets back to his feet before heading to a corner. Samuel then slides onto the ring apron before climbing to the top rope. “The Maine Attraction” then leaps out, sticking out his legs, and then dropping a leg across the neck of Kobayashi. All of the shoot-style fighter’s limbs shoot up into the air, as the air is taken out of him. Samuel then covers Kobayashi, looking to claim yet another three points toward the Intercontinental Championship. Unfortunately for Samuel, Akira is out at a two and a half.

TED CEDAR: “Kobayashi isn’t going to stay down that easily. Samuel better bring more than that, and I know he has him.”

JOEY MILES: “He’s a bitch.”

Samuel gets back to a vertical base, very tenderly, making sure not to aggravate any of his sore spots that Kobayashi has caused over the course of this match. After kicking out, Akira rolls onto his stomach, kicking around as he is feeling the effects of Samuel’s offense in this match. Looking to use this to his advantage, Greg walks over to “The Black Hearted Warrior’s” legs before carefully standing on the back of his opposition’s left knee. Samuel then does the same to the back of Kobayashi’s right knee. Greg then slaps the back of Kobayashi, causing both of Akira’s arms to shoot back. Samuel then grabs both of the shoot-style wrestler’s arms and carefully leans back, so he is sitting on the mat, while Kobayashi is on his knees with his arms being pulled backwards. Samuel isn’t done, as he then falls to his back, locking Kobayashi into a surfboard. Kobayashi immediately lets out a yelp of pain as he is being pulled apart by the surfboard hold. Sanu is checking on the Japanese combatant, making sure he is not ready to give up the match. The pain is agonizing, but Kobayashi has been through much worse in his career as a fighter, so he is holding on, doing everything he can to avoid focusing on the pain. “The Maine Attraction” pulls back on the arms, doing everything he can do earn the victory and take one step closer to the Intercontinental Championship. This hold is really starting to take effect on the arms, shoulders and back of Kobayashi. Samuel is not known as a submission expert, but as a student of the game, Greg knows how to pull of the basic submission moves. Kobayashi is fighting the pain with everything he has, refusing to give up. “The Maine Attraction” is unable to get the submission victory, so he lets Kobayashi down, opting to look for other ways of getting the victory over his opposition. Kobayashi lays on his back, breathing heavily as his body aches. Samuel gingerly gets back to a vertical base, still moving his left arm around, still obviously feeling the effects of the Fujiwara Armbar from earlier in the match. The former Intercontinental Champion again approaches Kobayashi’s legs, this time attempting to pick up both legs of Kobayashi. Akira is one step ahead of Samuel, as he pulls his legs in close and then pushes Samuel off. Greg falls to the mat, now regretting that he let Kobayashi out of the surfboard. Both men slowly work their way back to a vertical base. Greg is up a split second sooner, but that is no worry for “The Black Hearted Warrior” who charges at Samuel and then rears back his right arm before driving it forward and delivering a palm strike to Samuel’s chest. “The Maine Attraction” stumbles back a couple of steps, which is immediately mimicked by Kobayashi who again rears back his right arm, this time bending his arm before thrusting it forward and slamming his forearm into the side of Samuel’s neck. The shot sends Samuel back into the corner, as his eyes look pretty glassed over after a hard shot. The crowd cringes at the impact of the forearm.

TED CEDAR: “Kobayashi is giving Samuel all he has! Both of these competitors refuse to lose.”

With Samuel backed into the corner, Kobayashi closes in, before lifting up his right knee and driving it quickly into the side of Samuel. Greg’s midriff shoots back in between the turnbuckles as Samuel cringes and lets out a long breath of air. Kobayashi repeats the hard knee again, causing the same reaction from Samuel, as his midriff is taking a pounding. “The Black Hearted Warrior” delivers one more knee before grabbing Samuel by the arm and whipping him across the ring, into the opposite corner. Samuel slams back first in the corner, and the impact causes him to come staggering out of the corner with a cringe on his face. Kobayashi quickly closes the gap between the two of them, before grabbing Samuel’s arm and then flipping him over, slamming Samuel back first on the mat with a Hip Toss. Samuel immediately arches his back in pain. Despite all the agony he has been put through in the match, Samuel works back to his feet as quickly as he can. Immediately after Samuel gets back up, Kobayashi kicks Samuel in the gut, causing the former Intercontinental Champion to double over. Akira then locks Samuel in a Front Facelock, looking to hit his finishing Brainbuster. Kobayashi is able to get Samuel off his feet, but the student of the game is able to reverse the move by shifting his weight right to get him back to the mat. “The Maine Attraction” then lifts Kobayashi up and over with a Back Body Drop which Kobayashi is able to land on his feet. Samuel knows that Akira landed on his feet, so Greg quickly leaps and does a backflip before connecting with a boot straight to the head of Kobayashi. Akira falls back into the ropes after the well placed Pele Kick. Samuel, now running on adrenaline, gets back to his feet and faces Kobayashi, who groggily takes a few steps toward Samuel, and swinging a Lariat at him, which “The Maine Attraction” is able to dodge. Samuel then take Kobayashi in, grabbing him by the opposite shoulder. Samuel then falls to his back, driving Kobayashi’s face into the mat with the Fatal Attraction. The impact of the move causes Kobayashi to flip onto his back, as he is out cold. Samuel slowly crawls over to Kobayashi, before draping an arm over him, looking to get the victory.

ONE, TWO, THREE!!!

DING-DING-DING