Due: Saturday, November 15th 11:59PM EST

DING DING DING

Cedar: Champion vs champion action in your main event!

Miles: Yeah, so be grateful!

The bell rings and the two wrestlers, Rob Chapman and Akira Kobayashi, exit their corners and move to the centre of the ring, ready to wrestle. As the two face off from a few paces away the camera crew gives us a quick look at their respective titles, the XWA Intercontinental Championship and the XWA Cruiser-X Championship, laid in the time keepers area - a reminder of the pedigree that the two bring with them. The two circle around for a few seconds until Akira makes the first move, shooting his arms out and ducking down low slightly to try and grab a hold of Rob's left leg. Chapman has little problem stepping backwards and pushing off of Akira's shoulders with the palms of his hands to get away from the takedown, but Akira didn't commit to the takedown enough to leave himself open to a quick follow-up and is quickly back upright. The two circle around each other again looking for an opening as the fans remain either subdued to a murmur or cheer for Akira. The two crouch down slightly as they move around each other, their hands out both looking for an opening and slapping their opponents hands away occasionally. Akira again shoots for Rob's right leg and this time makes sure to get down low. This proves to be a mistake, however, as Chapman is able to hold his legs in place and put his weight forward to push Akira face down into the mat. Chapman follows him down, first grabbing Akira around the waist from the north south position and then pivoting his body around 180° degrees to get into a back mount position, with his hands clasped together around Akira's stomach. Akira starts trying to crawl forward but is halted by Chapman planting the soles of his feet into the ground and getting some elevation, keeping Akira in place and forcing his upper body off of the mat. Going to plan B Akira reaches down and tries to grab Rob's hands to pull them apart, resulting in the intercontinental champion quickly moving his own arms up and inside of Akira's before reaching his hands around the back of Akira's neck to clasp them together to lock in a full nelson. Akira yells in pain as Chapman squeezes his arms together like a vice, trying to wear down Akira' neck early on. Akira straightens up his body as much as he can, forcing Rob to a standing position while Akira attempts to work his way up from his knees. Akira starts to lift his right leg, but Rob quickly stops him by pressing his own right foot down into the back of Akira's knee. The War Machine keeps his foot on the back of Akira's knee, digging the toe of his boot deep into the sensitive joint as he carries on applying the full nelson to crank away at Akira's neck. Deciding that the second time's the charm Akira tries lifting his left leg, which predictably results in Rob applying the same counter measure with his left leg. Portions of the crowd can't help but applaud and cheer for Rob's creative hold as Akira yells out in pain, now not only having his neck cranked and the backs of his knees pushed down on, but also having his midsection stretched thanks to his legs being pinned in place as his upper body is yanked upwards by the full nelson.

Miles: What the hell am I even supposed to call this? A full nelson leg hold? The nelson knee crusher?

Cedar: Well, painful and effective would be good words to start on!

Realizing that there aren't many ways out of his current predicament, Akira chooses to simply try fighting through the pain to get his right leg up. As he winces in pain he leans forward to try and force Rob to balance on the front of his foot, taking away some of his balance, before pulling his leg out from under Rob's foot and getting to one knee. Now with a foot planted on the mat the Osaka native is able to push himself up, quickly getting his left leg free as he gets back up to his feet, albeit with the full nelson still locked in. Akira quickly takes a few steps forward, getting close enough to the ropes to touch them with his feet. He lifts his right foot and puts it on the bottom rope, prompting official Ryu Sanu to start the rope break count. Hearing Sanu start counting Chapman steps backwards, dragging Akira off of the ropes to a chorus of boos from the fans. He punishes his opponent by squeezing in the full nelson even tighter, and although it's only early on in the match Chapman already seems to have found his groove. Again Akira inches towards the ropes bit by bit, eventually getting close enough to stick a foot out towards them. This time he puts his right foot up on the second rope, and quickly hops his left foot up as well. With both feet on the middle rope he pushes backwards as hard as he can, causing Chapman to trip off of his feet and fall onto his back. He keeps the full nelson locked in, but is now trapped beneath Akira. Ryu Sanu drops to the canvas to check closely that Chapman's shoulders are up as the Cruiser-X champion bridges up and leans back, attempting to push his opponents shoulders down. He puts all his weight into it, and after another agonizing ten or fifteen seconds of being trapped in the full nelson is able to push Chapman's shoulders down onto the canvas. Reluctantly, Chapman releases the full nelson and sits up slightly, getting his shoulders off the mat. Akira pulls himself up and staggers towards the corner, clutching the back of his neck with his right hand and holding the rope in the other. Already he's clearly in some pain, and against a guy like Rob Chapman the last thing you should be doing is showing him that you're hurt. Chapman gets up to his feet and moves towards Akira, his first order of business being grabbing the left hand that is rested on the rope. While holding onto his opponent's arm Chapman uses his shoulder to sandwich him into the turnbuckle before stepping back, looking to whip him across the ring. Akira, however, has other ideas, and instead of allowing himself to be whipped across the ring he grabs onto Chapman's right hand, turns, and sends Chapman hurtling towards the opposite corner with an Irish whip. Before Chapman has even hit the corner Akira sets off running, allowing him to take the Canadian by surprise with a high kick that cracks off of the side of his head. The crowd cheers out loudly as Akira rests against the ropes, the base of his boot still jammed into Chapman's face trapping him in the corner.

Cedar: Oooh, that'll leave a mark!

He brings his foot down and grabs Chapman, pulling him out from the corner by his hair. The Straight Edge Outlaw throws a right knee up at Akira's midsection, but The Black Heart Warrior sees it coming from a mile away and wraps his arms around the outstretched limb before stepping back a few paces to drag Rob away from the corner. With Chapman's right leg trapped Akira throws a soccer kick at the inside of his left leg, hitting home with enough force to knock the leg out from under him and send him crumbling down to his back. Still in possession of Chapman's leg Akira turns around, and in doing so flips his opponent over into a face down position. Akira puts a leg on either side of the restrained limb, allowing him to wrench back and apply a single legged crab. The hold is further up than Akira usually applies it, focusing more on the leg than the back, but it proves to be just as effective as normal as Chapman finds himself laid in the middle of the ring desperately trying to scramble to the ropes. Akira clenches his arm over Chapman's knee and yanks back to stretch out the ligament, but it doesn't take too long for the larger Chapman to crawl close enough to the ropes to reach out and grab them, forcing a break. Akira tosses down Chapman's leg and steps off from over him, keeping in close as Chapman grabs the second rope and starts to get up to his feet. Akira reaches around his waist and links his hands in a rear waist lock before rolling over backwards, taking Chapman down with an o'connor roll which ends with Akira sat on top of a folded up Chapman in a pinning predicament. Ryu Sanu counts to one before Chapman kicks out, shoving Akira away towards the ropes. The Black Heart Warrior grabs the ropes to avoid rebounding off at Chapman, who is already back on his feet. The Straight Edge Outlaw runs at Akira, who in one smooth motion lurches forward, ducks low, wraps his arms around Chapman's waist, gets behind him, and rolls back back down to the mat with the second straight o'connor roll! Again Akira ends up sat on Chapman for a pin, and this time Ryu Sanu gets a two count before Chapman powers his way out. Portions of the crowd laugh at the two successive pinning moves, while Chapman seems to look annoyed at the idea that he's no longer out wrestling Akira, choosing to remain sat on the mat almost as if he's pouting.

Cedar: Chapman doesn't like that one bit!

Akira backs off and beckons Chapman to come and get him with a smile across his face. Chapman gets up to his feet and puts his hands up for a collar and elbow tie-up, which Akira gladly accepts. The two push back and forth for a few seconds, but the larger and stronger Canadian wastes no time getting the advantage by pushing Akira down, forcing him to bend his knees and allow Chapman to get on top of him. Now with a leverage advantage, Chapman steps his leg leg forward over Akira's right and hooks it around inside while reaching his right arm down under Akira's armpit. He falls backwards and both trips and pulls Akira to the ground while rolling him over, allowing him to push The Pacific Rim Nightmare onto his back and put in a crucifix pin. Ryu Sanu gets a two count before Akira wriggles free, and both men get themselves back to their feet, locking eyes.

Cedar: This is quickly becoming a game of one-upmanship - these two are both proud of their mat wrestling skills, and won't take kindly to being outwrestled.

Akira moves in and puts his arms out for Chapman, his hands open for a Greco-Roman knuckle lock. Chapman crouches down slightly and puts his own hands out to oblige Akira, who once again quickly gets into an advantageous position by ducking down and shooting his right leg out, hooking it inside of Chapman's own right leg. Before his larger opponent can react Akira throws his body forward, twists his midsection, and shoots his arms out to grab Chapman's right arm, pulling it up in an almost abdominal stretch style move. Akira doesn't wrench at the arm, however, and instead chooses to shift his weight forward to send Chapman falling backwards into a cradle pin position. Ryu Sanu drops to the mat to start counting the fall, but before his hand can slap the mat Akira starts rolling over with Chapman still trapped in the cradle, leaving the official baffled as the two roll in a circle around him. With both of his legs trapped, Chapman is almost helpless as Akira performs a rolling cradle in the style of Manami Toyoda, taking him for a ride across the canvas.

Miles: What the fuck?

Cedar: Round and round they go!

The crowd cheer and laugh as Akira keeps rolling Chapman around, taking him for maybe a dozen loops of the ring before coming to rest back in the spot where they started, Chapman's shoulders now pinned down to the mat. Sanu is on the count immediately, getting to two before a dizzy and confused Chapman is able to kick free and get his shoulders off of the mat. The two men roll away to opposite sides of the ring, their reactions to the rolling cradle almost exact opposites - Akira with an almost endearing grin across his face, and Chapman scowling back at him as he looks to almost be seething with rage. Akira takes his time climbing back to his feet while Chapman almost jumps straight back to his and power walks across the ring to Akira. Seeing his opponent coming Akira shakes his hands out and goes to meet Chapman in the middle of the ring, crouching slightly as he looks for another opening. Seeing that Chapman is simply stood up right with his fists clenched Akira shoots in for a double leg takedown, wrapping his arms around the Intercontinental champions thighs as he does so. As Akira makes contact Rob digs his boots into the mat and leans forward, allowing him to wrap his arms around Akira's stomach. Now clearly tired of grappling, Chapman pulls up on Akira by his midsection to hoist him upside down, a display of strength and quick reactions that sends the crowd wild. Chapman holds Akira upside down in a belly to back position for a few seconds before jumping and dropping to a sitting position, spiking Akira on the head with a sickening piledriver.

Miles: And now the tables have turned!

Cedar: WHAT A PILEDRIVER!

Akira's body crumples down and goes limp on impact, leaving him laid on the back of his head against Chapman. With Akira now dead weight Chapman releases his grip and pushes the Osaka native to one side, letting him fall down onto his back on the canvas. Chapman covers with a lateral press almost mockingly, smirking at the crowd as if to tell them that this is him one-upping Akira's rolling cradle. At the count of two Akira kicks out, which although not all that surprising given how early in the match it is still gets a decent pop out of the fans. Chapman grabs Akira by the hair and stands up, forcing the dazed Cruiser-X champion to sit up. With Akira sat upright Chapman walks around in front of him, picks his spot, and snaps a kick off into the side of Akira's head, knocking him back to the mat. Akira starts trying to crawl away, knowing that he's still too out of it to fight back, but before he can get too far Chapman grabs a hold of his hair once again and drags him to his feet. The Canadian forces Akira into the corner and mockingly slapping him across the face before stepping back a few paces, giving him enough room to jump, spin through the air, a bring his foot down directly into his opponents head, executing the spinning wheel kick Rob calls desist. Akira clutches his face as he drops down to his knees and doubles over forward, the smirk having been wiped from his face by the hardest part of Chapman's boot. An enraged Chapman follows up by dropping to his knees and wrapping an arm around Akira's throat, locking in a sleeper hold despite Akira being almost already in the ropes. Akira leans over to one side to touch the rope causing Ryu Sanu to start his count, which Rob barely beats as he lets go of the sleeper just after the count of four. Instead of backing off Chapman stays on the offence by getting back up to his feet and almost immediately dropping a big leg drop across the back of Akira's neck, smashing his face down into the canvas and sending him rolling out of the ring to the floor.

Cedar: Well, it looks like play time's over!

Chapman follows Akira out to the floor, making sure to lay in a kick straight up to his gut as soon as he can to keep Akira from catching his breath. Although a skilled wrestler of many styles, Chapman drops the idea of wrestling this match technically as he grabs Akira by the back of his head and slams him face first into the crowd barricade, drawing a few boos. Akira collapses to the floor, leaning against the barricade and clutching his aching neck. The Super Xero crouches down to lock in a side headlock on the seated Akira and uses the hold to pull him back up to his feet, his back still pressed against the crowd barricade. After pausing for a second or two Chapman runs forward and practically throws Akira away while turning, sending him back first into the hard ring apron. Ryu Sanu's count reaches three as Chapman grabs Akira's legs and pushes him back up onto the apron and into the ring, where he quickly follows. Rob drapes himself over Akira and hooks both legs, getting just a one count before Akira breaks free. Rob kneels over Akira for a few seconds, looking down at his opponent who has quickly gone from a smirking, happy wrestler who's just having fun to a crumpled up wreck that already looks to be in real trouble. The Artistic Anomaly grabs Akira by the back of his trunks and drags him up to his feet before locking his arms around his stomach, applying a rear waist lock. He leans back to try and dump Akira onto his neck again with a German suplex, but The Last Warlord of Osaka manages to hold on by planting his feet and leaning forward. Realizing that Akira isn't budging Rob runs forward, pushing Akira as he does so to slam him chest first into the corner. Rob lowers his grip slightly and drops low while leaning backwards in an attempt at taking Akira down with the same o'connor roll manoeuvre the Cruiser-X champion executed earlier. Unfortunately for Chapman hitting the turnbuckle seems to have woken Akira up, allowing him to hook his arms under the top ropes and stay upright as Chapman rolls backwards across the mat. The fans cheer their lungs out as Akira turns and rushes at Rob, nailing him in the jaw with a European uppercut that staggers Canada's greatest export. Akira follows up with another uppercut and then backs up into the corner again while raising his arm up. He charges out towards Rob and swings his arm like mallet, aiming to strike Chapman in the throat with a big lariat. The move doesn't hit him, however, as Chapman ducks and flips Akira over with a backbody drop, cutting his comeback off at the knees. The crowd quickly deflates as Akira's body bounces off of the canvas in a painful looking fashion, creating a loud crash which easily exceeds what remains of the crowd noise in terms of volume. Chapman stalks his opponent instead of jumping back on him, clearly in no rush to get back on the mat with Akira and instead preferring to attack him on a vertical base. Not one to shy away from a fight Akira pulls himself back to his feet as fast as he can, keeping his hands up as he does. Chapman doesn't give him any time to breath, choosing to once again hit Akira in the stomach, this time with a spinning back kick into the midsection.


Cedar: Akira nearly had something going then, but it appears that Chapman is keeping him locked down tight now.

Akira stumbles back a few steps, but bounces back by lunging forward and nailing Chapman in the jaw with a forearm. Being out of breath and off balance, Akira can't lay in the strike with his usual intensity, and although Chapman is pushed back it doesn't hurt him enough to stop him from flying forward with a roundhouse kick into Akira's ribs. The sound of the kick fills Akira's ears as he doubles over, clutching his stomach like he's about to throw up. Chapman follows up almost immediately with another round house, this one down low into Akira's right leg to put him down to one knee. Chapman strafes around Akira, who is now wobbling back and forth on one leg while sucking in air as much as he can manage. For a second it looks like Rob is going to apply another sleeper hold as he approaches the kneeling Akira from behind, but instead he hits the trifecta by spinning around, throwing out his leg, and battering the side of Akira's head with another roundhouse kick. The Blackheart Warrior drops down to the canvas like a ragdoll once again. Chapman drops to his knees and rolls Akira over onto his back so he can hook the leg and cover, scoring a close two count before Akira throws an arm up to raise a shoulder up. Chapman looks down at Akira as one would look at a piece of dog shit they just trod on, but doesn't spent too long dwelling on his disappointment as he grabs Akira by the arm and literally drags him up. Showing a bit of fighting spirit Akira puts his other arm up and throws a slap at Chapman, missing his face by maybe inches. For his troubles Akira gets a slap in return before Chapman pulls his head down, locking him in a front facelock. Although capable of applying a brutal guillotine choke from this position, nicknamed fade-2-black, The Straight Edge Outlaw decides the time isn't right yet. Chapman tightens his arm around Akira's neck and stands up tall, getting ready to spike Akira down with a DDT. Realizing the danger he's in Akira starts pushing forward as hard as he can, sending Chapman peddling back towards the ropes. Akira throws his arms down at Chapman's legs as the two hurtle towards the ropes in an attempt to take him down, but all it does is put Chapman more off balance so that when he hits the ropes both men spill out, crash into the apron, and collapse down onto the floor in a mess of limbs.

Cedar: Crash and burn!

Miles: Fuck, I can't tell who got the worst of that!

The two wrestles remain laid out on the thin mats, trying to get their bearings. Ryu Sanu neglects starting his count, instead deciding to climb down to the floor to check on Akira and Rob, who both confirm that they're fine to fight by making their way to to their feet. Akira strikes first, charging at Rob and elbowing him in the jaw. The blow rattles the Intercontinental champion, allowing Akira to follow up with two more that further sends him for a loop. Chapman stumbles back, grabbing the ring post to keep his balance as he does so. Akira closes in, looking to get some vengeance for the beating he just took. He knees Chapman in the gut to double him over and then grabs his hair, pulling his opponents head between his legs in position for a powerbomb to the floor similar to the one Akira suffered at the hands of Razor Xtreme the previous week! Akira leans down and wraps his arms around Chapman's stomach, allowing him to hoist him up into a seated position as Ryu Sanu yells at him to get back into the ring. Akira stands up tall with Chapman on his shoulders, but before he can slam him back down Chapman pushes off of Akira's head to leapfrog over behind him. Akira snaps around to face Chapman and immediately hits the deck as the bulky Canadian lunges at him while swinging his right arm like Jack Torrance swinging an axe, looking to take Akira's head off his shoulders with his signature lariat - cease. Chapman's reactions fail him as his arm goes over Akira's head and cannons into the metal ring post. Immediately Chapman screams out in pain and grabs his right arm as Ryu Sanu finally slides back into the ring and starts his count. Seeing Chapman clutching his arm Akira pulls himself up by the apron and throws a thrust kick into the same area of the arm which hit the post, sending Chapman reeling back as the crowd explodes. Akira ignores Sanu's count and follows Chapman, throwing kick after kick aimed at his arm, a fair of which hit home.

Cedar: Akira Kobayashi has his opening!

At the count of five Chapman manages to roll into the ring and get some separation from Akira, who grbas the middle rope and uses it to hoist himself up onto the apron. Sanu stops his count when Akira reaches the apron, but The Black Heart Warrior's re-entry into the ring is cut off by Chapman wildly running forward and throwing cease again, this time cracking Akira across the back of the head and dropping him face down onto the apron. While Akira clearly takes the worst of it, Chapman very quickly comes to regret using his right arm in his adrenaline fuelled attack as he once again grabs it and yells out various expletives.

Miles: And it's closed again!

Chapman backs all the way up to the far corner, using Akira being laid out on the apron as a chance to adjust his elbow pad to cover up the injured part of his arm as much as he can. The crowd is still going wild now, thanks due to both Akira's comeback and the monstrous lariat which Chapman then proceeded to drive into the back of his head. Satisfied that his arm is as protected by the pad as it can be Chapman makes his way back over to the ropes, where Akira is now stirring and has a hand on the bottom rope. Chapman leans over the top rope and grabs Akira by the hair, yanking him back up to his feet like a bird of prey plucking a field mouse into the air. He leans Akira over the ropes and puts an arm over his head, looking to suplex him back into the ring. Chapman grabs Akira by the trunks with his other arm and starts trying to hoist him up, but due to both Akira's stubbornness and Chapman's injured arm he finds himself unable to get Akira off of his feet. He yells out as he tries to get Akira off the ground, but The Blackheart Warrior continues to hold his ground on the apron. A frustrated Chapman releases his grip on Akira and as soon as he can launches a roundhouse at the Cruiser-X champion's head. The swift kick is barely ducked under, but Akira's head ends up taking a huge blow anyway as he grabs the top rope and launches himself back into the ring like a torpedo, slamming his own skull into Chapman's as he flies over the ropes. Once again both men end up collapses on the mat, but this time the crowd is as alive as they have been all show, chanting "KOBAYASHI" like their lives depend on it.

Cedar: Akira just threw himself back into the ring and destroyed Chapman with that headbutt!

Miles: Kamikazi! Just like Pearl Harbour!

Dazed and with his head spinning Akira pulls himself up to his knees and crawls over to Chapman, who is laid face down on the mat near the centre of the ring. Akira goes around to Chapman's right side and grabs a hold of his arm, which instantly makes Chapman start trying to struggle away. Akira starts leaning on Chapman's arm to apply a Fujiwara armbar, but The Straight Edge Outlaw manages to wriggle his arm free and roll over onto his back before the hold is locked in. Akira follows him, grabbing a hold of Chapman's right wrist as he rolls over and clambering over his body to get into position for a cross armbreaker! Chapman instantly links his hands, creating a tight a grip as he can before he starts sliding his feet towards the ropes. Akira leans back, sweat dripping down his brow and an animalistic roar escaping his mouth as he tries to break Chapman's grip, and possibly his arm. Chapman flails his legs out as he scoots towards the safety of the ropes, knowing that each second he wastes is further heightening the possibility that Akira will be able to extend his arm out. A loud "break it off!" chant starts along one of the upper decks and quickly spreads to other portions of the crowd, but Akira finds himself unable to oblige as Chapman manages to sneak his right foot onto the bottom rope, causing Ryu Sanu to start counting just as Chapman's hands part. Chapman yells out as Akira locks in the cross armbreaker, and while he can's hold it on for long thanks to Ryu Sanu's count he makes the most of it, bending the arm back with as much force as he can muster for four of the most painful seconds of Rob Chapman's career. Reluctantly Akira releases the hold and rolls off of Chapman, getting back to his feet as Chapman grabs the ropes and pulls himself up, using his left arm to drag himself up while his right arm hangs down by his side. Akira backs away to the centre of the ring, giving himself a second or two to catch his breath, as Chapman shakes his arm out to try and get some feeling back into it. After a short break the two men move back to the centre of the ring, with Akira putting his arms up for a collar and elbow tie up. Chapman responds by raising his arms up as though to lock-up, but then quickly pulling them back as he toe kicks Akira in the gut. Akira leans over forward and clutches his gut, allowing Chapman to push his head down with his left arm and then fire off a handful up quick kicks up into his opponents face.

Cedar: Chapman's arm may be hurt, but he's still got those deadly kicks to fall back on!

Akira grabs a hold of Chapman's foot, blocking the kicks to the face and allowing him to then shoot in for a double leg takedown, shoving Chapman back into the turnbuckle. Ryu Sanu yells at Akira to break it up as he rests his shoulder into Chapman's gut, keeping him held in the corner. Akira releases Chapman's legs and starts to back away, but with being leaned over forwards he finds himself in the perfect position to be nailed with a kick which cracks off of his mangled up nose. Akira staggers back with his hands up on his face as Rob turns to put his back to him. Despite having wrestled Rob once before and having scouted him, Akira still isn't ready as Rob jumps up into the air, twists around, and slams his heel into the side of his head, nailing don't blink! Akira flops down to the canvas like a dead fish, allowing Chapman do dive on him. Akira kicks out right on two, thanks in part to The Straight Edge Outlaw not having hooked his leg thanks to not wanting to move his arm. Chapman rolls Akira over onto his front and then applies a full nelson once again, dragging Akira up to his feet as he tightens the hold up to once again work over Akira's neck. This time though Chapman doesn't look to be willing to keep the hold in for too long, and instead stands up straight and attempts to fall back into his eye popping signature move last flight, a release dragon suplex. Akira fights back, ripping his right arm down and then using it to grab a hold of Chapman's left arm. He traps the left arm down under his armpit and then throws himself backwards, driving Chapman backfirst into the turnbuckle before turning outwards and hip tossing him down to the mat. Akira walks back first into the corner and ascends up to the second rope, perching himself on the corner as Chapman starts getting up to his knees. Akira yells out something at Chapman as he stands up straight, getting ready to jump off and drive his boot into Chapman's face, but gets interrupted by Chapman diving forward in desperation to try and push Akira off the corner with both hands. The move is telegraphed very early, and Akira has little trouble throwing up his own arms to grab a hold of Chapmans. The two struggle back and forth as Chapman tries to get his arms free, but he is only capable of regaining the control of the left, leaving Akira with his with arm trapped. Still holding onto Chapman's arm Akira boots his opponent in the face with the sole of his shoe, raises his legs up to wrap them around the trapped arm, and then allows himself to fall backwards off of the top rope to the outside! Clutching onto Chapman's arm Akira hangs over the ropes, his head maybe an inch off of the apron, as his opponent screams out in pain from the modified armbar style hold being applied. Ryu Sanu starts the rope break count as soon as he can, but even just four or five seconds of the hold being applied leaves Rob Chapman screaming out in pain. At the count of four Akira releases Rob's arm, allowing him to grab the apron and smoothly flip down off it onto his feet, to loud cheers from the appreciative crowd.

Cedar: What a manoeuvre!

Miles: Show-off!

Chapman stumbles back and drops down to one knee so he can grab a hold of his arm, which he is now struggling to move. Ryu Sanu comes over and asks if he's OK to continue as Akira climbs back into the ring, but Chapman ignores him in favour of trying to further adjust his arm. Akira storms in like a man on a mission and swings a soccer kick towards Chapman's arm, forcing The War Machine to hit the mat and roll away to avoid it. Chapman scoots back up to his feet in the corner, staring daggers across at Akira as Ryu Sanu walks over to continue trying to talk to Chapman. Akira sprints across the ring at the cornered Chapman with his arm up for a lariat, and instinctively Chapman grabs the first thing he can - Sanu's shirt. The senior official gets dragged between the two men, resulting in him being crushed by Akira and sent collapsing to the mat. Akira backs up and glances down at the fallen ref, giving Chapman the chance to lunge forward and nail Akira with a swift kick to the groin. His knees crumple, and The Black Heart Warrior finds himself on the receiving end of another roundhouse kick to the skull at the hands of Chapman, sprawling him out on the canvas just under the turnbuckle. Sanu, being fairly durable for a ref, is able to crawl over to lean on the ropes as he tries to gather his senses, having no idea that Chapman just nailed Akira with a low blow. Chapman chuckles to himself as the crowd boos, although he only lapses from the task at hand for a second before he carries on his assault on Akira with a crushing leg drop across his neck. Akira splutters and grabs his throat as Chapman climbs off of him, throwing in a quick stomp to the torso as he does so. The Straight Edge Outlaw turns to face the turnbuckle and slowly climbs up it, his back to the prone Akira. He stands up straight and tall, takes a moment to plant his feet, then flips backwards off of the top rope to crash down onto Akira with a moonsault, mostly coming down with the left side of his body to save his arm any pain. As Sanu recovers enough to sit upright Chapman covers, using his left arm to hook Akira's leg. "ONE...TWO...TH-" Akira kicks out just before the count of three, sending a wave of excitement and cheers through the crowd.

Miles: That could've been it!

Cedar: And thank god it wasn't, Chapman had to use the ref as a shield and then hit low to get that near fall!

Chapman kneels over Akira and slaps him in the face mockingly before grabbing him by the hair, yanking him back up to his feet. With his arsenal limited by injury Chapman again goes back to his legs, kneeing Akira in the ribs twice before forcing him into the corner. He pulls Akira out and whips him across the ring into the far corner before charging in after him and, with his left arm, nails him in the neck with cease. The big beefy lariat forces Akira to stumble out of the corner clutching his neck, while Chapman moves out of the way and leans on the ropes. Akira groggily staggers around back towards Chapman, who grabs him around the neck from the front with his left arm. Reluctantly Chapman grabs Akira's trunks with his right hand, knowing that although using the arm will cause it more damage, he has to do it if he plans on getting Akira up and slamming him down. With Akira locked in place Chapman hoists him up and then slams him back down to the mat on his upper back, nailing the acid reign. Again Chapman drops to the mat and covers, but again he can only get a close two. Chapman rolls into a sitting position and starts yelling at Sanu that it was a three count, waving both hands at him with three fingers up. In doing this Chapman takes his eyes off of Akira, giving The Pacific Rim Nightmare an opening. Laid behind his opponent, Akira rolls onto his side and throws both legs out, wrapping them around the outstretched arm of Chapman. The Straight Edge Outlaw immediately panics and tries to get away by rolling onto his front, but in doing so he doesn't get his arm out of Akira's leg vice. Now on his stomach, Chapman starts crawling to the ropes as Akira hooks his hands around his face, locking in a crossface style move. Chapman yells out in pain thanks to both the neck crank from the facelock and Akira squeezing down on his arm with both legs, but he's able to continue fighting through to get closer to the ropes inch by inch. Akira roars out as he puts as much strength into the hold as possible, but even the full might of The Pacific Rim nightmare doesn't prevent Chapman from worming his way to the ropes and forcing Ryu Sanu to start his count. At four Akira releases the hold and collapses back onto the mat, sweat pouring down the side of his cheeks as fatigue sets in.

Cedar: Akira looks exhausted here, the question is if Chapman can fight past an injured arm and try to get back into this.

Akira slowly gets back to his feet as Chapman remains laid face down on the mat, his left arm still out holding the rope. Akira walks around to his feet and grabs a hold of his left leg to try and drag him away from the ropes, resulting in Chapman rolling over onto his back and wildly kicking out at Akira. The bottom of his boot snaps into Akira's jaw, making him release his grip and take a few slow steps back to regain his composure. With Akira off balance Chapman swings his legs around to sweep Akira off of his before kipping up to his feet, a move best known by XWA fans as fast forward. He stomps down on Akira's skull like a man possessed, smashing his head against the canvas like he's trying to split it open for candy. Akira tries rolling away to escape but Chapman doesn't allow it, and punishes his opponent for it by dropping down to put a knee on either side of his body and throwing a series of left handed punches down into his face. Quickly Akira's face starts to bruise and swell as his lip opens up, and the only thing that stops the onslaught is Ryu Sanu yelling at Chapman to stop striking Akira with a closed fist. Chapman gives Sanu a sideways glance and opens his fist back up, not wanting to get DQd over losing his cool. The fans register their disgust at Chapman, with even those who normally cheer for his eye popping moves and technical skill struggling to find anything redeeming about his behaviour. In a scene eerily similar to how Akira defeated Razor Xtreme the previous work Chapman switches to throwing mounted elbows at Akira, further busting up his face and scrambling his thoughts. Akira throws his hands up to protect himself and pushes his feet into the ground, bucking his hips up and jolting Chapman forward off of him to the mat. Akira wastes no time in scrambling up to his feet and running at the kneeling Chapman, dropping down to the floor with his right arm out looking for a sliding lariat. Chapman once again avoids the devastating strike by diving to one side, leaving Akira to roll across the met and recover by the ropes. The Straight Edge Outlaw gets up to his feet and staggers to one of the corners of the ring as Akira strides away from the ropes, wiping some blood from his mouth as he does so. The Intercontinental champions turns to see Akira and starts moving out of the corner with his left fist raised up, but he is denied the chance to throw any more punches by Akira shooting in for a double legged takedown. While his previous two attempts at this move resulted in Akira being piledriven and kneed in the nose, this time Akira finds his target. He hoists Chapman's legs up and sends him tumbling backwards with such force his head cracks off of the bottom turnbuckle, to loud cheers from the rabid crowd.

Cedar: HIS HEAD JUST CRACKED OFF OF THAT TURNBUCKLE PAD!

Akira is unable to chain the takedown into another position as Chapman rolls over onto his side, his head hanging out over the bottom ropes. Akira grabs a hold of Chapman's leg, but finds himself too tired to drag his opponent away from the ropes to pin him. Akira resorts to simply kicking a leg out from the ground, striking Chapman in the ribs with the bottom of his boot and making The War Machine roll over into a seated position in the corner. Akira gets to his knees, then his feet, with the crowd loudly chanting his name. He backs up while looking at Chapman in the corner, clearly knowing exactly what he's going to do next. Akira reaches nearly the other side of the ring before he comes sprinting back across at Chapman, who sees Akira coming from a mile off. Chapman manages to pull himself up by grabbing the middle rope and charge out to meet Akira with a high angle dropkick that sends Akira head over heels onto the back of his neck. The two men lie motionless in the centre of the ring as the crowd goes wild at the jaw shattering dropkick which Chapman just laid in. He gets his arms out and pokes his head up to look at Akira, who is clutching his jaw and moaning in pain, while also probably thanking whoever it was that introduced him to mouth guards. Chapman crawls over to Akira and grabs him by the hair, allowing him to peel him from the canvas and back up to a vertical base. Chapman walks behind Akira and puts his left arm over his head, pulling Akira down into a dragon sleeper style position, from where Chapman can execute his inverted brainbuster, heathen chemistry. He grits his teeth and grabs a hold of Akira's trunks with his right hand as he plants his feet, knowing he needs to fight through the pain if he wants to finish the match right now. He leans back and tries hoisting Akira up, but as he goes up The Last Warlord of Osaka flails his legs out to try and make it more difficult. Chapman manages to get Akira up to almost a vertical position, but before he can finish off the move and fall back his arm betrays him and he releases Akira's trunks, dropping him back down to the mat on his ass. Frustrated by his own inability to finish off the match Chapman throws a soccer kick down into Akira's kidney region, making him yell out in pain and collapse backwards. Chapman drops down to cover, but only gets a one count before Akira frees his shoulder.

Cedar: It could've all been over there, but that injured arm is really coming back to haunt Chapman!

Again showing his frustration Chapman slams his fist down into the mat and curses out Akira, equally annoyed at his opponent as he is the thousands of fans who jeer and boo him. In the front row one fan mockingly lifts up his right arm with the left and lets it drop back down, mocking Chapman's injury as the insensitive XWA crowd is want to do. Chapman takes his eye off of the ball for a second as he turns and yells something about the sexual history and preferences of the maternal figure in said fan's life at him, giving Akira the chance to get a few feet away before he starts getting up to his feet. Chapman turns back from the fan and then makes his way back up to a vertical base, just beating Akira back up to a standing position. Even with having snapped off a come-back, it's clear that the injured arm is doing more to Chapman than providing a possible way to finish for Akira - it has stripped down his arsenal and left him with very limited options in terms of putting Akira way. Nevertheless Chapman carries on going as he swings in a low leg kick at Akira, catching him just above the knee pad. He follows it up with a spinning back kick into Akira's midsection, forcing him to double over and drop to one knee. Seeing an opening Chapman runs at Akira and hooks his left arm around his neck before leaning back and throwing his legs up and around him, getting close to locking in his guillotine choke, Fade-2-black. Akira desperately grabs a hold of Chapman's left arm, wrenching on it to prevent him from fully locking in the choke. The crowd screams wildly for Akira, practically begging for him to come back and put down Chapman once and for all. Akira gasps loudly as he steps back up to both feet, Chapman's two-hundred and fourty pound frame still hanging off of him like a ball and chain. Akira holds Chapman up as he runs at the corner, slamming Chapman into it in the hopes of forcing him to release his grip. It doesn't work, however, and Chapman continues to try and force his arm across Akira's throat.

Miles: Akira has nowhere to go!

Cedar: Come on kid, fight out of it!

Deciding to take a different approach Akira hooks his arms under Chapman's legs, slowly prying them away to at least escape the body scissors. He gets Chapman's legs most of the way off of his torso and then, with whatever energy he has left in the tank, bridges over backwards while throwing his opponents legs off of him, driving Chapman into the mat with a sloppy looking deadlift Northern lights suplex! Akira barely manages to keep a hold of Chapman and maintain the bridge as Sanu drops to the mat and starts counting the pin. "ONE...TWO...THR-" Chapman kicks out! Akira rolls over onto his knees and slams his fists down into the mat, yelling at Chapman to try to get up. He obliges, resulting in Akira hopping up to his feet and pretty much stomping directly down into the face of his kneeling opponent, making his head jerk back like it's just been ran into by a mac truck. Chapman doesn't fall back to the mat, allowing Akira to drag him up to his feet by his hair before pushing him backwards towards the corner. Grabbing a hold of the dead weight Chapman used to call his arm, Akira forces him to tuck the limb down between his legs, where Akira grasps his wrist around the other side. Akira ducks his head down under Chapman's left arm and then bridges over backwards, allowing him to dump Chapman down onto the back of his neck with a vicious wrist clutch exploder suplex! The impact of the move makes Chapman's head whip backwards and hit the mat with such force he jolts upright into a sitting position, barely aware of what country he's even in. Akira climbs up to his feet and, spotting his opponent's current position, runs past him across the ring to the opposite corner. He turns to plants his back into the corner, lets out an almighty battle cry that large chunks of the crowd harmonize with, and then charges back with his arm outstretched like a mad man. He reaches Chapman and slides down, swinging his arm in to crack him directly in the face with a sliding lariat! Already barely awake, Chapman appears to be knocked clean out as he collapses back down onto his back with his limbs spread out like a star fish. Wasting no time at all Akira dives onto Chapman and hooks both his legs up, making sure that not only does Chapman get no time to recover but the pin will be difficult to get any leverage against. "ONE...TWO..THREE!" Chapman kicks out just half a second too late!

DING DING DING!



As "Stay Here" booms out through the speakers Akira rolls away, knowing that Chapman won't be happy about losing by such a slam margin. Chapman remains laid in the centre of the ring, breathing in and out heavily as he clutches his arm and mutters angrily about both his opponent and the official. Akira grabs his Cruiser-X belt from the time keepers area before making his way back up the ramp, a trickle of blood running down his chin as he leaves the ring victorious after a hard fought match.