Two men are standing across the ring from each other in what could be a battle of the ages. The ever present Intercontinental Champion, Dante Cross, is eyeing off his much larger but much more inexperienced opponent, Bruce Benjamin. Benjamin sweeps a hand through his hair and almost seems to be talking himself down to try and keep himself from being caught up in tonight’s events while Cross coolly slaps his arms and warms up his shoulders. The referee stands between these two men and calls for the bell to signal the start of action and the crowd couldn’t be happier for this one to be underway. The crowd are loud and somewhere, one of the fans starts a loud chant of “BRUCE! BRUCE! BRUCE! BRUCE!” the chant picks up steam quickly and is incredibly loud throughout the arena. The young man who is the challenger here tonight, Bruce Benjamin, is amazed at these fans cheering for him and nervously lifts an arm up for the crowd who let out a loud cheer. Dante Cross doesn’t have time for these shenanigans though as he charges across the ring like a lightning bolt and drives a knee to the stomach of his larger opponent. The crowd quickly turn on Cross and let him know they’re not happy with a chorus of boos which Dante mocks by falsely wiping tears from his eyes. The Intercontinental Champion has let the crowd distract him though as Benjamin suddenly unloads a massive hand to Dante’s head, forcing the champion to stumble back, the crowd cheers loudly as Benjamin once again lifts a single hand above his head. It looks like the two men are ready to get underway now as the two of them meet in the centre and lock up in an Elbow and Collar Tie Up. Bruce uses his size advantage to take control of the lock up and slides around the side of Dante with a grip on the champion’s wrist, applying a wrist lock and looking to torque it to make sure the champion is as uncomfortable as possible to start the match. Cross isn’t about to get caught by a rookie with a beginners mistake though as he lifts his left leg up and breaks the wrist lock before jumping off his left leg and jamming a big kick to the back of Benjamin’s head with his right leg! Bruce stumbles back from the kick which has surely sent stars dancing around his head and Dante pushes the pressure with a big kick to the stomach before charging into the ropes and coming back with the speed of an Olympic sprinter, Cross leaps off his feet and plants two boots into the side of Bruce Benjamin’s head sending the big Australian crashing to the floor. Dante is quick as a flash as he dives on top of Benjamin and hooks a leg looking for an early pinfall but only gets a one count before The Brumby powers out.
TED CEDAR: Well, this match has started exactly how I would’ve expected it! Dante Cross is going to use his veteran experience in this one for sure to stay on top of Bruce and it’s up to this young kid’s natural ability to win this one here!
DAVID MICHAELS: Right you are, Ted, it’s not always the biggest dog in the fight how comes in with the advantage. There’s a reason Dante was paying off as the favourite in this one and it is that right there! Dante knows how to escape any hold that this rookie might care to lock in on him and Cross knows a million holds that’ll hurt this kid that I’m sure Benjamin has never even seen before!
Cross is quite salty that his early pinfall didn’t work but doesn’t press the issue as Benjamin gets to his feet and holds his head for a few moments. Dante steps forward and offers Bruce a test of strength and while every voice in the arena is screaming for Bruce to not go for it he is happy to step up and test his mettle against the Intercontinental Champion. The people watching were proven right, however, when Dante unloads a huge leg kick that catches Bruce right in the knee joint. Benjamin is in shock and can’t react before Dante hits another and another and another. Dante continues to unleash scything kicks to the knees of Benjamin that force the big man into a kneeling position as though he were a peasant bowing to his king. Cross rushes the ropes and looks to be hoping to find a home on Benjamin’s chin with his feet once again but the rookie seems to have that scouted at least and bursts out of his kneeling position, levelling the champion with a stiff arm lariat! Bruce forces himself to his feet, grimacing through the throbbing pain in his knees he marches over to where Dante has fallen and drags the smaller warrior to his feet. Benjamin shoves Cross into the corner and bends down, driving a shoulder into the sternum of the champion to try and wind him and force him to stay in the position he wants him in. Bruce turns away from Dante then and hooks his head, flipping him down just below the turnbuckle with a snapmare. Bruce takes a moment to climb to the second rope before sitting on the top turnbuckle. The Brumby runs a hand through his hair before jumping off the turnbuckle and looking for a big knee drop onto the champion! Dante has the move scouted though and rolls clear to avoid having 250 pounds dropped onto him. Benjamin crashes into the mat on his left knee and rolls around, clearly in a lot of pain from the damage his knees have already sustained in this match. Cross gets to his feet and surveys the damage done to his challenger here before deciding to add to the pain Benjamin was already in. Dante pulls one of the Australians legs over and places it on the bottom rope before leaping and dropping down onto the knee with a huge stomp! The crowd audibly groans as Benjamin’s knee twists in a way that no human limb should twist and Cross laughs sadistically at this opponent’s pain. Cross sets himself up for another stomp and brings all of his weight down on the joint of Bruce Benjamin! The referee is not happy with Dante and attempts to admonish him but Cross simply shoves him out of the way before climbing to the top rope. Dante is signalling that this match is over as he is about to go for the 540 Senton that he likes to call The Crucifixion. Dante smugly smiles from the top rope before diving off and tucking himself in the air for his rotation, little does he know though, that Bruce Benjamin himself has tucked into a ball, bringing his knees to his chest which means that when Cross lands he lands across the knees of Bruce Benjamin, severely hurting his back and further damaging the knees of Benjamin but the sacrifice of The Brumby means that he survives in this match.
DAVID MICHAELS: I don’t believe it! That’s twice now that Benjamin has had Dante scouted and has managed to reverse the champion’s manoeuvre. We may have a match on our hands after all!
TED CEDAR: David, I am certainly starting to think that too! This young man already proved that he could hand with the big boys when he managed to pick up the win over Evan Flare on Vendetta but here and now he is almost teaching Dante Cross a thing or two!
The two men are both sprawled on the canvas clutching at their injuries as the referee begins his count, Bruce Benjamin clutching at his knees which have taken some severe punishment in this one and Dante rubbing his back trying to push the pain out after having come down very hard across the knees of his young challenger. Benjamin slowly manages to get to his feet through the use of the ring ropes while Dante seems to have pushed the pain away for a moment and is now standing watching him. Dante charges across the ring towards Benjamin, driving a knee into the abdomen of the big Australian before taking a few steps back and holding his hands up to line up the head of the rookie. Cross charges in once more but this time Benjamin ducks and flips Dante up over his shoulder and out to the floor with a huge back body drop! The crowd cheer loudly as Dante crashes like a baby bird falling from its nest, landing hard on the unforgiving ground below. Benjamin struggles to his feet and takes a moment to recover as the crowd wills the young man on, wanting to see anyone besides Dante wearing the strap around their waist. The Brumby decides that he’s going to follow Cross out to the floor and slides under the bottom rope to stand looking down on the champion. Dante has managed to push himself to his hands and knees and gets a helping hand the rest of the way to his feet by Bruce Benjamin, the helping hand is less helpful than it would seem though as Dante’s face is quickly driven into the wooden announce table at ringside as David Michaels dives away from the table, giving Bruce Benjamin right of way. The champion seems wobbly on his feet as it’s now his turn to see stars bouncing around his head and it seems like Benjamin has an idea spring to mind as he gestures towards the stairs and the crowd lets out a riotous cheer. Bruce grabs the wrist of the champion and slings him towards the steel steps but Cross has managed to regain his wits about him and reverses the whip, sending B-Squared towards the steel steps. Not being able to prepare for the toss towards the stairs there is little that the Australian can do as he hits the stairs knees first and completes a full front flip over to the other side of the stairs where he lands with a loud thud.
DAVID MICHAELS: Well, Ted, I thought we were about to lose our table for a second there but it looks like Dante’s craftiness caught up with Benjamin yet again. Those knees of Bruce are of course always a target as anyone who does their homework on him knows it was a knee injury that ended his rugby career over in Australia.
TED CEDAR: Right you are, David and I am willing to bet that Dante knows that as much as anyone. There’s no way in hell that Dante wouldn’t have done his homework on Bruce Benjamin and know every little injury he’s ever had and how to exploit them, but- What the hell is Dante doing here?
What Dante is doing, Ted, is he is collecting a steel chair from the timekeeper and snaps it shut loudly, looking towards Bruce Benjamin. Dante has a sadistic smirk on his face as he bangs the chair against the ground a couple of times as the crowd boo him so loudly you wouldn’t be able to hear a jet engine over the top of them. David Michaels is quick to tell everyone that the title cannot change hands on a disqualification and Dante knows that so he may be looking to end this one and put Bruce Benjamin out of action at the same time. The referee is out of the ring quickly, telling Dante he can’t use the weapon or the referee will be forced to disqualify him, Cross barely seems to hear the official though as he shoves past him with the chair in hand. Benjamin has managed to get to his knees at this point and Cross is now standing over his challenger with steel chair in hand and it’s clear he only has one thing on his mind as he lifts the chair overhead ready to deliver a crushing blow! The strike never comes though as the referee has ripped the chair from Dante’s grasp and is going to place it back with the timekeeper. Cross turns to argue with the referee but doesn’t even get to finish his sentence before he is clobbered from behind by the big man and driven face first into the steel ring post! Dante is wobbly on his feet for the second time in a short time span as Bruce grabs him by his tights and throws him into the ring. The Brumby follows the champion in closely and hooks a leg, yelling for the referee to hurry up. The official slides back into the ring and starts the count but the champion pushes out at two! Benjamin is in shock, he really thought he had the match won there, but doesn’t waste time as he gets to his feet and pulls Cross up so that the champion is standing in front of his challenger. The Australian whips Cross into the ropes and looks ready to hit something on the rebound but the champion has something else in mind as he jumps up and uses the second rope as a springboard for a cross body only to find the strength of Bruce Benjamin still exists as he catches Dante in a fall away position. Benjamin grimaces at the extra strain on his joints but quickly turns and throws Dante out into a Spin Out Uranage which plants Dante’s shoulders square into the mat! The challenger quickly hooks a leg and it looks like this could be all she wrote but no! The Champion just manages to kick out at two and a half much to the crowd’s dismay.
DAVID MICHAELS: I don’t quite believe that one! These two men are really giving each other their all here and I don’t think they have many more cards to pull out of the deck if I’m being honest! This one wasn’t decided on the flop so now we gotta wait for the turn and the river!
TED CEDAR: This match has been absolutely amazing so far! Both men have clearly put in the work behind the scenes scouting each other in the hopes that it would pay off and no one man has really been dominant here with both of them getting their licks but giving them out too! I hope this one doesn’t end anytime soon!
Bruce Benjamin is absolutely astounded that Dante has managed to kick out yet again when he thought he had the match wrapped up for sure. The Brumby slowly pushes himself to his feet, clearly still feeling the effects of the damage his knees took earlier. The young rookie begins scouting Dante, clearly looking for something. As the champion slowly gets to his feet, Bruce charges the ropes and sticks an arm out, looking for a huge clothesline again but Dante ducks the arm and waits for Benjamin to come back again on the rebound before catching the Australian with a super kick that lands square on the jaw. Bruce stumbles on the spot and Dante trips him and rolls through into a School Boy! The rookie powers out at two, not going to get caught in a flash pin like that. Both men roll to their feet as quickly as possible and the young challenger charges in towards Dante, lifting his huge boot up to try and wipe Cross’ face off with his Roo Kick only for the champion to pull out his best Neo impression and duck backwards under the boot. Benjamin stops his run and Dante is already hitting the ropes to build up momentum, charging in but gets caught by the Australian in a tilt a whirl, instead of dropping him over a knee with a tilt a whirl backbreaker though, Bruce keeps spinning Dante up onto his shoulders before jumping up and crashing down planting Cross into the ground with a Samoan Drop! Both men collapse and the crowd explode in shock, even the referee seems amazed at what is going on between these two men and takes a second before beginning his count with both men down. Benjamin is the first man to his feet as he stumbles over to the champion. The throbbing pain in his knees and the fact that he still hasn’t put Dante away force him to decide that this match needs to be over and Benjamin signals that this is the end for Cross. Bruce pulls the champion to his feet before kicking him in the midsection and yanking him into a powerbomb position looking for the Australian Made Jackknife Powerbomb! Benjamin hoists Dante up but the champion knows B-Squared’s finisher was coming and throws a few punches to the skull of the Australian before pushing himself up off of Benjamin’s shoulders, landing behind the challenger. The young man turns to grab at Dante but is met with the loud crack of a Pele Kick connecting with skull and Bruce Benjamin drops like a sack of potatoes as Dante rolls over onto his stomach, surveying the challenger as the Australian collapses.
TED CEDAR: That was a hell of a kick out of nowhere! I thought this one was all over but the crying when Benjamin hoisted Dante up for the Australian Made Powerbomb but Dante managed to survive and may have just given Bruce Benjamin a severe concussion right then and there with that kick!
DAVID MICHAELS: That’s the type of kick that makes your head ring for a week afterwards and I’m going to be in shock if Bruce doesn’t feel that one in the morning but there’s no way to tell who’s going to win this match yet! Neither man has a clear advantage over the other!
Dante is quick to try and keep his bigger opponent down as he charges over and leaps into the air, coming crashing down on the back of the Australian with a senton. Cross pulls himself up, holding his back, and lays the boots to Benjamin, unleashing hellacious stomps to the skull of Bruce trying to ensure that there will be a concussion there after this match for his young challenger. Dante signals that now he wants the match to be over and starts climbing the top rope. Bruce is beginning to show signs of life on the mat as he very slowly pushes himself up to his knees but is struggling to find his feet. Cross has managed to reach the top rope and stands up tall, taunting the fans telling them that this is over and he’s still going to be champion. Bruce Benjamin has risen to his feet but still seems in a daze as he turns to face Cross standing high on the turnbuckle! The champion takes off like a rocket for outer space and tucks himself tightly, rolling forward for the 540 Senton known as The Crucifixion. Dante finishes his rotations and looks ready to land on top of Benjamin when the Australian suddenly springs to life and jumps into the air, catching Dante on his shoulders before driving him forward into the mat! The crowd explodes as they realise that Benjamin has just reversed The Crucifixion with his Australian Made Powerbomb! Dante crumples in a heap as he hits the canvas like a lifeless doll. Benjamin is completely finished after the move connects and it’s all he can do to drape himself over the Intercontinental Champion! The referee takes a moment to collect himself before counting the pinfall! ONE! TWO! THREE! There was no way in hell that Dante was kicking out of that one! The crowd erupt in a chorus of cheers as Bruce Benjamin rolls off of the former champion, seemingly unaware of exactly where he is. The referee collects the Intercontinental Title from ringside and drapes it across Benjamin who is still on his back in the centre of the ring, too exhausted and sore from this hellacious war to even move.
TED CEDAR: What have we just witnessed?! I can’t quite believe it myself! How in the hell did Bruce Benjamin manage to pull that one off?!
DAVID MICHAELS: I don’t know about you, Ted, but this kid just impressed the hell out of me! He showed a willingness to fight and that he would never give up and never surrender! Not even for a second did he look like he was going to give in here! This could be the start of something amazing!
Good luck, Dante. Loved writing this.
Subject: M6) Intercontinental Championship - Dante Cross(c) vs. Bruce Benjamin 
