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The fans could smell blood in the water, and Salem was already off to a one-up lead on his opponent in this best-of-three match. The situation had certainly become a precarious one for Trent, who was struggling to stand after scraping his way to the ropes following the debut of Salem's new finisher. "The Copperhead", however, couldn't have appeared more ready for the second match to begin, stamping his foot anxiously from the corner like a horse stuck in the gate. He wasn't slouching or sitting back against the turnbuckles...his hands were strewn out across the top ropes at his sides, his grip the only thing keeping his killer instinct at bay as he lunged forward a few times, only getting as far as his arms would allow with his hold on the cables.

But finally, the referee called for the bell once Trent had made it up to the top rope from the side of the ring he was on, suspending the restraint Salem had been showing since gaining the first pinfall. Flying from the corner to a chorus of cheers from the BBW Faithful, Salem tried to catch Trent before he could turn around with a vicious forearm into the back...aiming to beat at the man's shoulderblades with furious fists before he could turn around from the ropes!

Trent may have lost his footing, but Salem wasn't missing a step - making sure to put his boot across the back of his opponent's head as the self-righteous rookie fell to a knee. In BBW, especially here lately for Salem, nothing was off-limits...so with the 'no-DQ' rules in mind, "The Copperhead" attempted to drive Trent's throat into the second rope, intending to choke the lad while grabbing the top rope for leverage!

The crowd was giving it up for the ferocity Salem was exhibiting against his enemy, but one couldn't help but see a deeper-rooted anger in the depths of their hero's eyes as he continued putting his steel-toed boot to the back of Trent's head. Despite having triumphed recently over Ryan Killman - a man who'd tormented him for weeks, at the expense of his best friend and world title - Salem's aggression had only escalated, seen by the snarl across the lips of "The Copperhead". With a firm kick, Salem would try to bounce Trent's head off the ropes and send the young man back-first into the canvas before turning around to face his adoring public.

While Trent was in a heap on the canvas following being strangled by the second cable, Salem was slapping his chest and raising a fist high for the crowd, provoking them with a fervent 'B-B-W' chant. Shouting loudly, he approached the ropes opposite the side his opponent was currently lying on, standing on the bottom rope to lean over and gesture towards some members of the front row who were sporting his new 'Strike First' t-shirt, a graphic plastered across the front of Salem's face blended with a copperhead. From rage to joy, it seemed almost manic the way this former champ was bouncing between emotions, The past few shows had been especially hard for "The Copperhead", but he still managed to find time in even his darkest hours to throw it up for his fans who'd cheered him on for months!

After having caught a breath of fresh air, Salem turned around to take note of his adversary starting to stand back up despite having been strangled by the ropes just moments before. Still, it seemed that Trent was the more worse for wear at this point, so with a spring off the bottom rope and a burst of cheers from the crowd, "The Copperhead" charged across the ring to try and tilt Trent over the ropes with a savage clothesline!

The impact of Salem's arm colliding with Trent's throat left his forearm feeling a tad bit numb following their collision at the ropes, but his opposition wasn't proving to be an easy foe to fell this second time around, standing wobbly on the apron after rolling over the top cable. Looking over at the staggered Trent incredulously, Salem rolled his fingers to regain the feel in his arm before standing on the bottom rope to spring up and land a knee into his opponent's chin! He couldn't let up on the offense if he intended to put this egotistical enemy away!

His knee connected, Trent's head jerked back, but still the rookie didn't fall from the apron despite the punishment Salem had put the lad through. Shaking his head in disbelief, "The Copperhead" became a little irate at this defiance, but whether he was angry at Trent's resilience or his own inability couldn't be known. Regardless, it was with a full-head of fury that Croft clutched the top rope as well and once again bounced off the bottom rope, trying to send another knee up into Trent's face even harder this time!

This time, Salem flung himself up against the ropes hard enough that when he landed back on the canvas, he was forced to stumble back a few paces to center ring...only then realizing that Trent was still standing. Reaching up to run his hands through his hair, Salem stood wide-eyed and slack-jawed for a moment, unsure of how this rook could still be on his feet after having eaten two knees and a clothesline. It was impressive, to say the least, but "The Copperhead" was too dumbstruck - stumbling back into the ropes opposite Trent - to appreciate it. Shaking his head, Salem snarled and stamped his feet aggressively, getting the pacified crowd riled back up after Trent had taken the piss out of them with a charge forward...looking to spear both Trent and himself out of the ring, through the ropes!