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 Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 1:13 pm
Salem wasn't paying attention to what was going on, too distracted by Amaya's suspicious arrival! By the time "Showtime" knew Nuke was recovering, he'd already hit the ropes, Croft turning into the chop that took his legs out from under him!
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 1:15 pm
Nuke, ever the opportunist, had struck not long after being held down by the gator submission maneuver.. and now was his time to strike. As quick as he was able to, Fusion looked to lock in his signature Ankle Hold as close to the center of the ring as he was able to.
He looked to wrap his whole body around the same leg he just chopped!
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 1:17 pm
This was exactly what Salem had been afraid of earlier! Croft's eyes went wide, his arms flailing for leverage against the canvas as he clawed out in pain, feeling Nuke's full body wrenching at his leg that he'd just cut from under him!
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 1:20 pm
This was it, the opportunity of a lifetime here for Nuke to take Salem out in this match. He got the Ankle Hold down, and there wasn't too many places for Showtime to move to.
Nuke made sure that his legs were wrapped around the knee of Croft, right as he began torquing that ankle, really trying to make it pop. All is fair in love and war and, although Salem is a close friend of his, he was out to win this bout.
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 1:21 pm
JR: Well it seems like you might have had an impact here, Adrian. Salem got distracted and Nuke took advantage. Now Salem's locked in the ankle lock.
Adrian: Correct, Salem took his eye off the ball when all I did was walk out to join you on commentary. I expected him to know better. Drako always speaks so highly of him.
King: Adrian's right, JR. You have to keep your eyes on the guy across from you in the ring, not the manager coming down to sit on commentary.
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 1:24 pm
Salem's leg joints were on fire, feeling them twisting in unnatural directions as he fought through the agonizing pain and clawed and scratched for the ropes! It was a struggle carrying Nuke's weight with him, but Salem gritted his teeth and did his best to get as close as he could to reaching distance for a rope break!
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 1:28 pm
Nuke didn't want to relent, and he knew that if he pulled back on that ankle the opposite way to where Salem was trying to get to, it would make that pain even more excruciating. But Nuke was also a nice guy and didn't want to see his friend hurt at this point.. and, so, he called out..
"Salem! Tap for god sake, don't take this punishment! Just tap!"
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 1:33 pm
Adrian: You know, that's pretty uncharacteristic of Nuke, trying to be nice to an opponent here.
JR: How would you know? Have you ever met him before?
Adrian: Met him? No, but I'm a fan, and also a long time friend of the Damone family. So unlike you, JR, I don't have selective memory. The Nuke Fusion the Damones always fought would break his ankle rather than ask him to tap.
King: You do have a really selective memory, JR
JR: Well excuse me for thinking a man can change and grow.
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 1:35 pm
Salem could barely hear Nuke, with all the stimulation surrounding him! Between the referee checking on him, the crowd cheering for him, the pain debilitating him, and Adrian distracting him, "Showtime" had a lot to filter through to hear his mentors pleas! Defiant to the end, however, Salem shook his head and bit his bottom lip almost to the point of bursting!
"NO! The Show goes on!" he hollered back in opposition and pain!
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 1:38 pm
Nuke smirks at the retort from Salem.. how could he expect any less? He contorts the ankle even further, but at this point notices that Croft is extremely close to the ropes.
Was the damage enough? Fusion kept the hold going for as long as he can, knowing that this could take out Salem for the rest of the match potentially.
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 1:42 pm
Salem screamed in misery and rebellion, refusing to concede to Nuke's ankle lock no matter how much his leg felt like separating from his body! If pull came to snap, he'd gladly be that one legged man in the proverbial a**-kicking contest! But his fingers couldn't quite reach the ropes, no matter how much his supporters cheered him on! Could he make it those last couple inches?!
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 1:53 pm
If Nuke was able to read Salem's thoughts, he would make openly made a joke about Croft being able to work with just a couple of inches. But at this point he just kept torquing the ankle, and slid down a bit further, putting that same foot under his arm and squeezing his bicep for a different variation on the lock.
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 1:57 pm
Salem felt Nuke suddenly twist his leg in a new position, dramatically increasing the pain going through his body! Fans were on their feet, anxious to see if this might be the end of the match! Screaming with newfound agony, "Showtime" struggled to get just one more elbow forward, trying desperately to reach the ropes one more time!
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 1:59 pm
The referee had been watching with intent, and at this point dropped to a knee to check on just how close Salem was to the ropes. It was literally a matter of a fingertip, Nuke knew he was close but kept it up, kept torquing.. Salem got to the bottom rope.
Fusion let out a breath of air and immediately relented the hold, rolling away from Salem and laid out on the mat, staring up at the lights and breathing in deeply. Although he was the one inflicting the pain, that took a lot of energy and cardio to keep the hold in place for that long.
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 2:06 pm
Salem's face showed relief as the referee forced the break, sighing and clutching the cables like a lifeline! Both men were on the mat now, "The Copperhead" wincing with a leg that felt dead underneath him! The audience clamored for both competitors, cheering them on to continue their hard-fought war of attrition!
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