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The crowd was on fire, enthralled as they watched this brutal back-and-forth, but Salem's leg was on fire, too - searing pain racing through it after straining the limb to lift Drako for the Suplex Lift Neckbreaker!

Just trying to drag himself over to Drako for a cover was a burden, slowing Salem down as he laid an arm and shoulder across Drako, hoping to put an end to this match and take a step closer to glory!

The crowd pops for the near fall, but Salem wasn't nearly as satisfied as their captive audience was! While some chanted "Fight Forever", Croft couldn't wait to end this match fast enough! His leg was getting worse by the minute, and everything Salem had tried to this point hadn't been enough to get the job done!

Pounding the mat in frustration, Salem seethed, struggling to stand as he glared at Drako and ran a finger across his throat, roaring at his opponent while the crowd eagerly anticipated Salem to go for a finisher of his own, the Copper Cutter!

"Get UP!" he barked, rage filling his expression as he waited poised as possible, ready to pounce once Drako had gotten to enough of an elevated base!

Salem was caught by surprise as Drako withheld the wherewithal to not only duck his finishing maneuver, but also spring onto the Gypsy Savage's back, applying a rear naked choke with his legs locked firmly around Salem's waist!

Salem wasn't expecting this, nor was the crowd, who only seconds ago thought Croft was about to Cutter the Young Dragon for the win! Instead, it was Salem struggling for breath, fighting to stay alive in this match as he fumbled with Drako's weight on his ailing leg, in addition to the suffocating submission being applied!

Fans chanted "The M.W. Deuce" on, not wanting to see him tap or pass out, and Salem consciously listened to them, feeding on the audience's energy as he took step after painful step towards the ropes with Drako on his back, finally in reaching distance to grab the top cable with both hands to initiate a break!

Salem had to lean a bit against the top rope as Drako was forced by the referee to break his submission, the piggybacking choke leaving Croft with a throbbing leg and a lack of oxygen! Trying to breathe as his arms hung over the top cable, Drako wasted no time in cutting off Croft's recovery, clubbing him in the spine before wrenching him backwards by the hair, pulling him towards the center ring and applying his finishing submission once again!

This time, Salem wasn't prepared to slip out of it, and as the blood pooled up in his skull, "The Copperhead" felt his energy draining drastically by the second! He struggled to keep his legs strong, but with one on half strength, the effort was falling him, starting to stagger and stumble in Drako's grip while the Young Dragon tried to put this match away!

Salem felt his body getting heavy, the roar in his ears indistinguishable between the crowd and the blood welling up in his brain! The referee was talking, but Salem couldn't hear it, his limbs felt pulled down by intense gravity that made his legs buckle! But as the referee began lifting his arm, Salem could feel tingles in his fingertips, a moment of clarity that the blood starved snake was having despite fading by the second!

Speaking of seconds, it wasn't until the second time the official had dropped Salem's arm did he catch it from falling completely, flexing a defiant fist as he started swinging wildly at Drako, looking to hit him anywhere and as many times as possible, if only to break the hold for a moment!

Drako released the submission after Salem's desperate strikes, but Croft wasn't out of the woods yet, staggered and dazed from the second serious submission applied in as many minutes! His wherewithal came to him for an instant, however, as Drako spin him around for a short distance clothesline, "The Copperhead" ducking the lariat attempt at the last second!

As Drako passed, Salem grabbed his extended arm and whipped him around, taking advantage of Drako's continued momentum to make him about-face into Salem, who hopped up best he could to lay out and hit a finisher of his own, the Copper Cutter!

The entire audience was on their feet at this startling development, thousands clamoring for both these fighters who were putting their hearts and bodies into this battle! Salem got the devastating cutter he'd made use of so many times over the years, but he lacked the strength to capitalize on it, his leg hurting so badly he had to try and run the muscles right with his hands!

He should've been trying to cover Drako while the Young Dragon was flat on his back, but Salem could only try and recover, regain his senses and strength as much as he could while the referee approached the pair, checking on each one before he started the count!