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Salem rubbed his throat a little, scowling down at Cartwright with a seething stare as the veteran was grounded following his failed dropkick. The thud sounded rough, Cartwright writhing on the canvas while Salem stalked around him. Thrusting a foot down, "The Copperhead" would stomp on the various limbs of the lethargic Cartwright, targeting each wrist and ankle in efforts of further slowing his game and hampering his movement. Each vicious kick made those around the ring cringe, photos snapping off as Salem, finally satisfied with his wearing down of the fan favorite, reached down to grasp the Brit by the hand. With a firm jerk, Salem would try to bring Cartwright up to his feet and drag him immediately into a knee to the gut, doubling the dastardly dapper gent over! But without breaking his grip, Salem would arm drag Cartwright towards the corner where Salem had draped his vest and title, looking to Irish Whip him into the turnbuckles face-first!

...But no! Cartwright, acting out of instinct in his dazed dance for survival, caught himself with both hands on either side of the top rung, sparing a nasty spill into the buckles and championship belt. But no sooner had the man from across the pond stopped himself did Salem come crashing into Cartwright from behind, hitting a double axehandle into the back of his head to send Cart's face into the belt! Dizzy, and with a bit of blood trickling down his brow after having been busted open by the belt, Cart was seeing stars - and not the celebrity kinds - as Salem tried to capitalize - springboarding off the nearby ropes to try a crossbody onto his senseless adversary!

Salem couldn't see from the water in his eyes after having his nose hit so viciously by Cartwright, "The Copperhead" experiencing a busted blood vessel that threatened to drip crimson all over his now-wrinkled and dusty suit. But from his back, Salem had more important things to worry about, namely dealing with the man presently trying to pin him to the canvas! After managing to shoulder up, Salem would use his raised hand to rake Cartwright across the eyes, momentarily blinding the British b*****d and sending him recoiling towards another corner while trying to correct his vision. Getting up, Salem could feel the sudden gravity bringing blood down out of his nostrils, leaking over his lips and putting the taste of warm pennies in his mouth. Snarling, Salem rushed towards the corner and laid a hard shoulder into Cart, knocking the breath from him once again and crushing him into a crouch with his back to the turnbuckles.

Grasping Cartwright's arm, Salem would seize the shift in momentum with a short-arm clothesline, jerking Cartwright back up like a rag doll without letting go of the man's wrist. Pulling him closer with another hard jerk, Salem once again thrust his forearm across Cart's throat, once again taking the legs out from under the bloodied and unbalanced warrior. Once more pulling the Swag Bag back to his feet, Salem would slip around behind and initiate a rear waistlock similar to the one Cartwright had performed earlier, but this time "The Copperhead" would let out a fierce grunt, lifting the man back and tossing him head-over-shoulders with a German Suplex that sent Cart clear across the ring!

Cameras went off like crazy, phones recording the encounter while the audience watched with baited breath, but Salem merely huffed, catching his breath while turning around to see the results of his vicious outburst. Smirking at the mangled form of Cartwright, Salem slid on his stomach over towards Cart, taunting the man by looking down at his bloodied, dazed face from mere inches away. With a firm blow of his nose, Salem shot blood all over Cartwright's face, shouting while grabbing a fistful of hair from a full mount.

"You don't know where I've been, Lou!" Salem screamed, starting to slam the back of Cart's head into the canvas, sending particles of blood flying off both men in the exchange. The sick smile on Salem's lips said it all, but he repeated the phrase with a smile for emphasis. "You don't know where I've been!!!"

Salem gripped his spine as he bucked up from the cover, rolling to his side and cupping his lower back with both hands, squinting in pain from the bruising and swelling that was already starting as a result of the Back Body Drop. Getting up onto his knees, Salem narrowly ducked as Cartwright ran forward and tried booting "The Copperhead" in the face, standing up as the Swagtastic One passed by! Just as Cartwright turned around for a follow-up, Salem snapped his leg up and out, striking the veteran under the chin with a stiff Superkick that made a glass-breaking pop throughout the entire gymnasium! Anyone who hadn't been watching was now, and those who'd started losing track went wide-eyed when Cartwright dropped to the mat like a wet sack of potatoes. Hobbling over, Salem dropped to the mat and hooked a leg, the crowd starting to count as Salem merely grimaced, trying to hold his grip.

"One! Two! AH!" they exclaimed, Cartwright shouldering up before the third count. Sitting up, Salem shook his head, starting to stand back up but feeling a strain in his back from his muscles locking up, residual effects of the slam into the apron he'd taken earlier. Blood was starting to crust on his upper lip, but fresh batches were still oozing from Salem's nostrils, the warm life essence stirring his irritation even further as Cartwright stood back up shakily. Once again, though, Salem snapped forward with a lightning-quick superkick, making Cartwright fall limp to the canvas while Salem once again fell atop his opponent and hooked the leg.

"One! Two! Th-AWW!" they cheered, excited at seeing Cartwright kicked out at the very cusp of three. Backing away on his knees, Salem shook his head in disbelief, reaching up to run his fingers frustratedly through his hair, tugging the black locks between his digits. No way, there was no way Cartwright didn't go unconscious after that! Slapping the mat angrily, "The Copperhead" tried to stand up one more time, having to brace his lumbar with his hands in the process. Sizing Cart up, Salem waved him on, waiting for the 3OH!3 groupie to get back to his feet one final time...lurching his leg forward for a third superkick!

Cartwright had dodged the Superkick, grabbed Salem up, and even used one of Croft's own finishing moves against him, but still the wounded serpent refused to relent to the pain, bucking up a shoulder at two to the delight of those watching. At this point, some of the camera crew had been taken aside to be looked at by EMTs following their tumbles at ringside, but Salem was still struggling to stay in the fight, showing that it'd take a lot more than a Reverse DDT to keep "The Copperhead" down! Cartwright didn't seem to mind, though, doing all he could to work over the injured spine that Salem had suffered following their last tussle through the ropes.

Back on them again, Salem screamed out as Cartwright collided with his spine knee-first, sending him backwards onto the canvas for another pin. Yet, again Salem fought back, breaking up the crowd's count before the third count. At this point, it seemed like there was little more the Seasons Champion could do than to endure, trying to survive Cartwright's submission as he locked in the Boston Crab and added leverage into it! Slamming wild fists down onto the mat, shaking his head in agony, Salem squinted and squealed, desperately trying to hold on despite the sensation of his discs being cracked like a broken PEZ dispenser. Planting both hands on the mat, Salem would try to use sheer strength and willpower to push his torso up...just enough to get his other leg underneath and out to try spinning from the bottom and swinging the leg around, trying to aim an enziguri kick from the mat at the side of Cart's head!

The kick connected - Cart's face snapping sideways from the force of impact, breaking his grip on Salem's ankle! But the fourth consecutive headshot in a row had done a number on Cartwright's competency, both men now lying motionless on the mat. Cartwright on his stomach, Salem on his back, neither one appeared to be capable of putting any more into this fight, this grudge match that had started during such a festive and carefree exhibition series. Still, the crowd was enthralled, eating up the action inside the ropes and starting a chant of "THIS IS AWESOME!" paired with rhythmic slaps of the apron, encouraging both men to persevere!

Salem narrowly evaded the Cartwright Crush, causing his counterpart to crash into the mat a**-first, surely stunning him for a moment while Croft continued trying to push himself up from his stomach. Getting to his knees after some struggling, Salem knew that his pain threshold was being reached, fearing that if he didn't end this quick, his very spine might snap under his own weight! Seeing Cartwright start to try and stand back up, Salem fought through tunnel vision, getting to his feet first to step up on Cart's lifted knee and hit him across the chin with a Shining Wizard!

The Brit's jaw snapped to the side, teasing a loose tooth or two, but the man didn't fall over! Still, Salem was finding it hard to stand, every second another dagger driven into his back! With a fierce grunt, Salem swung his leg again, starting a chopping like motion with repetitive kicks to the sides of Cart's ribs and arms! The veteran tried to cover up, but his arms were getting heavy from the wear and tear this fight had put on him, gradually getting weaker as the strikes connected like an axe to a tree! After what seemed like a half-dozen chops of his leg, Cartwright finally fell back, prompting Salem to drop low and hook Cart's knee at a high angle, the crowd starting to count!

"One-two-three!" Salem shouted, beating the audience to the punch by at least half a count early. Immediately, though, "The Copperhead" relinquished the pin, rolling towards the apron to grab his vest and title off the ropes on his way out of the ring. Almost falling onto his face as his feet hit the concrete, Salem crouched for a second outside the ring, Cartwright stirring on the canvas and beginning to sit up.

Meanwhile, the crowd started to boo a bit, disappointed that Croft was trying to be crafty and get away before taking further injury. Despite being just an exhibition, this match was threatening to have serious implications on either man's immediate careers, the pair having punished one another greatly in such a short amount of time! Staggering up to his feet, Salem hobbled one foot in front of the other, feeling like the man in Tiananmen Square who famously stood up to the tank...only, if the tank had run him over, instead. Cartwright may have been made in the U.K., but he hit like a Panzer, and Salem was shuffling towards the door to sneak off with a moral victory over his nemesis!

Salem was looking to preserve his wellbeing by getting out while the gettin' was good - and while he still had taste in his mouth, albeit the sour flavor of copper - but the BBW Security Squad was posted up at the double-doors like...like...like two assholes that wouldn't go the ******** on! Who were they to keep him from leaving, this was an exhibition, wasn't it?! Did the company want to see someone maimed or scarred as a result of this clash?! Before Salem could get any headway with the guards, however, a volley of cheers swelled behind him, catching the Seasons Champion off-guard as Cart came careening in on the fan's wheelchair!

Stunning him with an uppercut that loosened one of Salem's molars, the limey git threw "The Copperhead" into the wheelchair and rolled him back towards the mat with a burst of speed Salem didn't think was possible this much into the match! Hitting the side of the ring, Salem tumbled over the apron, his belt sliding onto the mat out of his grip as he struggled to breathe, coughing a little blood onto the canvas that had drained from the back of his sinuses. Struggling to army crawl towards his title, the audience applauding as Cartwright slid in after, moving over to hoist Salem back up to his feet, the belt just inches between them!

With help from the adrenaline fueling his veins, thinning the blood that leaked from his brow, Cartwright showcased his resilience and swept Salem up onto his shoulders in the torture rack position with a burst of strength! Wincing, Salem struggled to breathe as his spine was bent over his enemy's shoulders, accentuating the stabbing sensation assaulting his nerves! Many around the ring gasped, recognizing the set-up for Cart's infamous Cartwright Crash, his high-impact finishing maneuver! It seemed like the British b*****d was going to slam Salem down onto his own title! But just as Cartwright tossed him over, "The Copperhead" slithered out, hooking an arm around the veteran's neck to instead convert his fall into a DDT face-first into the Seasons Championship!

Salem managed to plant Cartwright's face into the title, his finishing DDT doing the job long enough for Salem to take a lap around the ring, making sure to hit each turnbuckle to raise his bloody belt high for all those who'd doubted his skill to see. Salem was determined to prove himself, and whether his peers or the press respected him or not, "The Copperhead" knew that he'd scored a personal victory here, even if the actual outcome was still in dispute. Coming down off the fourth corner, Croft turned around and saw Cartwright starting to stand, extending a hand as a gracious gesture for a hard-fought match.

Apparently, Cartwright was conceding - a smart choice, and one that made Salem smirk with pride as he stepped forward, snatching The Bravest Brit's hand with his own for a firm handshake, Cart's blood still staining the surface of Salem's Season's Championship, draped across his shoulder. Even the crowd couldn't help but cheer for the intense back-and-forth these two competitors had put on all for the sake of pride, soaking in the friendly gesture following their spar.

Salem said suddenly, his grip becoming more intense as he jerked Cartwright forward, thrusting his championship-laden shoulder right into the face of the veteran! The crunch of Cart's teeth against the metal, his nose and brow against the bloodstained gold, it provoked a groan of disgust from those around the ring, some starting to boo Salem once again as Cart fell back into a bloody, broken heap.

Turning around to face the ropes, Salem extended his hands and shrugged his shoulders, smirking as he ducked under the top rope and hopped off the apron. Lifting his belt high, Salem walked back towards the double-doors he'd come in through, the guards posted there taking a nervous step aside to grant him passage. Swinging the doors open, the headlights from his pickup flooded the room once again, leaving a massive silouhette of Salem's figure on the ring and wall behind it before they shut with a heavy click, the vehicle's engine revving up and fading off.