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 Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 7:00 pm
The Storm was raising up to his feet slowly after the fall to the mat, his eyes cast down towards the mat. With his head tilted down, he caught sight of the foot flying right at his chest; he decided that maybe Salem needed the same treatment he gave Omega.
As the foot nearly connected, Matt's hands caught and swiftly wrapped around it. He attempted to turn it and pull Salem down to the mat as his arms twisted about, hoping to lock the challenger in an early ankle lock.
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 7:56 pm
Salem was stepping forward to kick Matt's ribs with authority, wanting to impose his will on the Evolution Champion early on in this match with some gut-wrenching boots to the ribs. But instead, it was the M.W. Deuce who was taken aback - his swift kick, intercepted by Shanahan's seasoned hands! With a twist, Salem's ankle was torqued into a painful position, forcing the up-and-comer to cringe as he stretched and desperately reached for the ropes. Unable to get a hold, though, he'd deftly twist with Matt's hands and try a heel kick to the face with his spare leg as his balance finally succumbed to 'The Storm's grip!
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 7:59 pm
The kick landed right across Matt's jaw, only pushing him down to the mat even faster. Even with the blow, The Storm's arms were locked around that ankle and he wasn't giving it back anytime soon. He fell ontop of Salem's leg, adding weight to it and he attempted to twist and yank at the man's joint, with clear intentions of snapping it right in half.
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 8:05 pm
Salem's counterstrike had been successful, but the effort had failed to free him from Matt's vise-like grip. Coming down to the canvas with a cry of pain, Croft slmmed a fist of fury into the mat as he winced and writhed towards the ropes. The pain in his ankle was excruciating, and Matt's weight felt like an oen was on his legs as he struggled, elbow over elbow, trying to reach the bottom rope!
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 8:08 pm
The Storm knew he couldn't hold onto this hold forever. He wasn't going to get a submission this early; but he wasn't about to give up the chance to do major damage to the limb. Slowly, he tried to position himself to where he had a knee on either side of the challenger's endangered leg before rising to a kneeling position, the ankle still in his grasp. As Croft tried to crawl away, Matt gave him a rough tug back, attempting to keep the hold on for as long as he could manage. With the tug, he applied a spike of pressure, holding to add to the pain that Salem was feeling!
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 8:17 pm
Matt's methodical manipulation of Salem's leg ensured the most damage was being done while The Deuce fought for freedom. But for every inch he managed to gain towards the ropes, his ensnared leg endured a mile of pain...almost enough to make Salem want to tap. For a moment, as he divided his time between trying to reach the apron and trying to avoid reaching back to soothe his slowly-separating knee, Salem thought about how easy it would be to tap the mat three times and end it. But that wasn't why Salem was here. He wanted to prove something, and simply giving up at the first sign of hardship wouldn't prove anything but that he was a quitter. So desperately, passionately, Croft reached out as if to separate his own shoulder in the process of grabbing the rope!
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 8:20 pm
Just a little longer, and Matt could cripple Salem for the rest of the match, if he hadn't already. A little longer, and this would be a simpler match than any of the previous ones this year. The fans were fully behind him, cheering The Storm on. The referee was drilling Croft, asking if he wanted to tap. Just as Matt was about to give it another sharp twist in the opposite direction..
... Salem's hand got the bottom rope.
The referee shouted and got up, demanding that Shanahan break the hold. Knowing his work was done and not bothering to push his luck, The Storm released the hold and pushed him to his feet quickly, taking sparing steps away from Salem so the man could have the space he fought for.
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 8:27 pm
Salem felt the cable in his grasp and clutched it tightly, like it were a lifeline cast out to him in the deep, blue sea. But even as "The Storm" relinquished the hold and backed off, Salem knew that his leg was in dire shape before he even managed to start trying to stand, struggling to claw his way up the ropes for support. Wincing as he pushed and pulled himself up to a vertical base, "The Most Wanted Man in Wrestling" shot a tired scowl over at Shanahan, trying to stand upright on one leg. "You sonovabitch..." he muttered under his breath, fighting against his instinct to keep his hurt ankle off the mat. Testing it a couple times against the bottom rope, Salem tried to put a little weight on the cable while watching Matt, waiting to see how the champ would respond to the wound he'd just dealt the challenger!
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 8:32 pm
As Matt backed away, he heading right to the opposite side of the ring, his eyes locked on the ropes. When he finally looked over he shoulder to see Salem struggling to get up with the help of the ropes, The Storm decided that it was time to move. He finished his path across the ring with a short sprint, bouncing right off the ropes and heading back towards Croft. Right as he got upright, Matt was nearly in his face. Taking a page out of one of his arch-rival's book, he dove forward, attempting to Spear the M.W. Deuce right through the ropes and into the outside area!
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 8:40 pm
Salem stood up and turned around just in time to see Matt come surging across the ring for a spear, but could do little else but take the impact - the momentum of Shanahan's charge sending both men through the ropes and onto the padded concrete outside the ring. His back slammed into the ground from off the apron, Salem clutched his lower back and rolled over, gasping for breath after having it knocked out of him from the fall.
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 8:42 pm
These dives were always a double-edged sword, especially for a man of Shanahan's age and size. His shoulder and head collided with the mats, causing a blunt force of pain against both regions. He grunted on impact, immediately rolling away from Croft with his head in his arms. The fans were on their feet and chanting for the champion, but it was clear that Shanahan wasn't going to capitalizing immediately on this one.
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 8:46 pm
As Shanahan rolled over and cradled his head, Salem was crawling military-style towards the nearest ring steps, already trying to make headway in getting back on his feet. Still, every shuffle of his body against the mats brought the pain in his spine and ankle back to the forefront of his mind, making the trek back to his feet an arduous one, indeed. Even with all the cheers for the champion bearing down across the arena around him, Salem was determined to make it to the steps and get back up in the fight!
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 1:47 pm
The True Evolution Champion brought himself up to his knees and crawled towards the barricade, putting a hand on the padded wall to help himself up to his feet. Once he had manged to rise all the way up, he rolled his neck to shake some of the pain. After turning on his heel, he turned to see Salem trying to get to the steps; just as the man began to rise, The Storm went storming in his direction, aiming to run by and stomp on that right ankle he had already worked on breaking in half.
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 1:57 pm
Salem was starting to get back on his feet when Shanahan stormed across ringside, looking to stomp on his leg made nearly lame after Matt's submission, earlier. But the "M.W. Deuce was crafty, as seen when Croft used a well-timed roll over the steps just before his ankle suffered a seething stamp from the champ's foot. Hitting the ground with both feet on the other side of the stairs n Salem winced as weight was put on the bad ankle, struggling to evade Matt around the ring while the ref continued counting, now up to five.
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 2:08 pm
The fans booed the challenger loudly as he retreated around the ring, avoiding the Champion further. The Storm was about to chase after him, until he heard the sound of the referee's count; he had yet to get a count-out in any of his previous matches, yet for some reason he was at risk now? Rather than risking his title even further, Matt decided to use those same steps to climb up onto the apron opposite of Salem and step back into the ring. He wasn't going to play any games on this one.
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