As Avari turned to face the downed Hiro, he would see the Ethnic Enigma beginning to stir -- he was pushing himself to try and stand, already on to his knees and elbows once more as his eyes looked a little glazed over. It wasn't a perfect look for Hiro -- but hey, it meant he was fighting, right? The ref would begin to count both men down on the ground, getting to three rather quickly. As Hiro pushed himself up to his feet slowly, the ref would stop that count, and the Cuban would try to reach down and lift Avari back to his feet -- but would he be successful? Well, it didn't exactly go well for him when he tried. Avari was merely playing possum, perhaps either because it was easier to do so or because he had to, but he quickly hooked Hiro's head and pulled his body down into a school boy pin -- but the Ethnic Enigma powered off the mat at two, ruining the surprise. Hiro rolled away from Avari as he tried to catch his breath from having to burst out from the pin, but his opponent didn't need that same amount of down time the older wrestler did. Avari had already gotten back up to a vertical base almost instantly after the pinfall broke down, and ran at Hiro trying to catch him square in the face with a big boot, but Hiro dropped back to avoid it! He would reach up between Avari's legs and pull him down, rolling him up for a counter but that was quickly kicked out of at one.
Hiro finally managed to get a push back to his feet after the kickout and found himself back up on his feet with Avari, and they quickly met in center ring and again began to strike one another -- a knife edge chop from Avari sent Hiro staggering back, but he soon responded with a HUGE headbutt to the young Fusion that cracked him square in the forehead! Thankfully for the crowd, neither man bled from the blow, but Hiro certainly knocked himself loopy. Avari stumbled a bit to keep his balance as the headbutt certainly did him in too, but he was more than prepared to shoot back at Hiro with a big forearm to the side of his head! The fans let out an "OOOOH" from the sound of the sickening shot, but perhaps even more hype was the fact that Hiro just DIDN'T FALL! He kept his feet planted tight to the ground and slowly turned his head back to Avari, his bloodshot eyes bulging as he rammed him in the chest with a chop that was easily the loudest so far, leaving a horrible bruise on Avari's chest that lit up instantly, but still no blood would escape the pores on his chest. The veins in Avari's neck, face, and shoulders would become easily visible as he held back a scream and shot back at Hiro with a european uppercut, but the Ethnic Enigma would respond in kind with another chop!
What followed was a series of blows being traded between the two men until finally Hiro drove the tip of his foot into Avari's gut. Hiro would look around after doubling over Avari, and with the fans cheers behind him, he would wrap his arms around the waist of the Man of the Hour looking to pick him up and go for the Gutwrench Powerbomb! However, as one could probably guess, Avari was not going to allow this to happen no matter how much his chest stung. He would squirm each time Hiro tried to lift him until finally the Ethnic Enigma's back would prevent him from trying again, forcing him to let go of Avari and be the on bent over. This was a perfect outcome for Fusion, grabbing hold of Hiro himself and hitting him with a picture perfect snap suplex that left him laying flat on his back and unmoving aside from his chest expanding and emptying with all the air he could muster. Avari would quickly get up and take off running towards the ropes, leaping on to them and executing an insanely impressive Lionsault to the downed Ethnic Enigma, hooking his leg as he landed on him. The ref dropped down for the count, but there would only be a two as Hiro managed to kickout once again!
That would not be the end of the onslaught however as Avari would quickly grab hold of Hiro's arm that kicked out and flatback with it wrenched -- locking in an armbar! Hiro immediately turned his body, trying to bring his two hands together to stop Avari, but it was no use -- he was locked in tight and his only hope was to once again try to find the ropes. Lucky for him, he was closer to the set where his open arm could drag him to, and thus is began. "LETS GO HIRO!" chants broke out, trying to cheer on the former world champion into getting to the ropes. Hiro hadn't won a single match since the night he walked out of Wrestlemania 2016 as the WWF:G Legacy Champion...and it looked more and more like he wasn't going to be winning this match either, the way Avari kept targeting his body. A Watch Your Step match had so many ways it could end, but for it to go by Submission would be the last thing anyone would see coming. Hiro's nails dug into the mat and he kicked his legs, bringing him closer and closer to the ropes as Avari yelled at him to tap, threatening to snap his arm if he didn't stop. However...come on, Hiro wasn't afraid of a threat like that, even if Avari meant it. Finally, Hiro would drag himself and his opponent to the ropes, grabbing on to it again causing Avari to let go instantly... but as he got to his feet, he ran at Hiro and connect with another baseball slide that sent him out to ringside with a thud.
Hiro turned over onto his side, coughing up a storm as he held his right arm close to his body. All of that time spent in the armbar was enough to make it go numb with pain, so he was expecting to be working with just one arm for now. Avari had followed after him to ringside, the ref shouting at the Man of the Hour to get this action back in the ring pronto. However, a rather incensed Avari was not going to be doing that so quickly -- with the pain of his now purple chest fueling him, he grabbed hold of Hiro's hurting arm and slammed it back down on to the ground, stomping down on his elbow in a follow up. Hiro yelped out and again pulled his arm close into his body in an attempt to keep it safe. Avari would aide Hiro in standing up, but not as a courtesy to the older man, but instead so he could drive him shoulder first into the ring post! Hiro dropped down to a knee at the post after hitting it, sulking at the amount of pain his weakened arm was being put through. While he was already not wrestling this match at 100% follow the Jamie Bader encounter, he was pretty much making it a guarantee he wouldn't be wrestling anything any time soon at 100% either.
The ref's count would get to five before Avari would roll under the bottom rope and back out, resetting it. It looked like the Man of the Hour was going to be taking out some aggression on Hiro here, perhaps rooted in how high octane their promo got, some of the things that the Ethnic Enigma had to say. Avari took Hiro by the beard and guided him up to his feet again, and aimed him right at the barricade. He sent him colliding back first into it, shaking the fans in the front row and sending them back into their seats. Avari didn't let up however, driving two big stomps to Hiro's hurting arm -- some fans booed, but a large amount of them continued to cheer on Avari's viciousness in the moment, this is what they came to Summerslam to see. A fan even stuck his hand out, getting a quick high five from the young Fusion. Avari lifted Hiro back up to his feet and started to guide him back towards the announce table, but as they got close Hiro broke free of Avari's grasp and shot yet another wicked chop to his chest with his injured arm! Hiro screamed out due to the perhaps misguided attack, but he would quickly have his head driven into the announce table by Avari. Hiro stumbled backwards until he lean against the ring, barely standing still. His opponent took a second to grit his teeth and slam his fist into the table, the pain in his chest becoming almost unbearable. He went up to Hiro and forced him back under the ropes as the ref got to a count of eight, both men back within the squared circle now.
Hiro tried to crawl from where he had entered the ring, hoping against hope that Avari wouldn't reach him, but there was no chance in hell he'd get far. The Man of the Hour quickly stomped on Hiro's bad arm once more, stopping his escape attempt quickly. The Ethnic Enigma pulled his arm in, but Avari got down and went for another pinfall -- getting only a two count once again. Avari was starting to show more aggression than usual with the amount of targeting he's done to the arm of Hiro, but he wasn't going to risk actually destroying his opponent. He sat up on his knees next to the Ethnic Enigma, and asked him to just give up now. This didn't need to drag on, pride didn't have to cost Hiro any more of his health. The Ethnic Enigma turned up on to his non-injured elbow and sat up on his knees as well, locking eyes with Avari. He shook his head, giving the answer Fusion knew he'd receive -- this match would continue. Both men slowly got up in tune with one another, mirroring each other's movement until they stood up and pressed their foreheads together.
Avari would use his head to shove Hiro back and drive a big european uppercut to his chin, but Hiro wouldn't go down, instead responding with his own euro-uppercut. The fans would hoot and holler as they were being treated to a series of serious strikes the likes of which they rarely saw -- two men with a strong desire to beat the other down and leave as the victor fueled by their own individual pride. It was intense, smashmouth, and at times hard to watch, but Avari would this time gain the upperhand as he delivered a big boot to the face of Hiro that turned him around and allowed the Man of the Hour to grab him from behind, lift him up, and drive him down neck first with a hard German Suplex! That may have been enough to put Hiro down for the count, but Avari wasn't satisfied...he would roll while keeping Hiro in his grasp and work both of them back to their feet, lifting and dropping Hiro for a SECOND ring-shaking German. Even the official for the match couldn't help but cringe as Hiro landed on his surgically repaired neck and back for a second time. The ref got in position to count the pin...but Avari wasn't satisfied hitting the move twice, no...he wanted a third. He rolled again, bringing he and Hiro to their feet...but this time, as he lifted up the Ethnic Enigma, the veteran would kick his legs a bit. He ripped away at Avari's hands and managed to break free, cheers kicking up in a frenzy -- Hiro had avoided a third suplex which certainly would have been the end of this match!
The momentum flipping, Hiro was able to chop Avari once more, causing the younger man to be sent into a frenzy as he drilled Hiro with an open handed slap across the face -- apparently having his chest turned into a bongo drum wasn't his favorite. Hiro drops to a knee but quickly gets back up and heads over to the corner, leaning back first into the turnbuckles. Fusion took the lul in the action after his slap to nurse his burning chest, checking it for any sign of blood, of which there was none. The Man of the Hour shook away the pain and took off running towards Hiro, leaping into him looking for a monkey flip...but was caught! Hiro caught Avari, and on shaky legs, walked a few feet towards center ring and slammed him down to the mat causing the ring to shake like the dickens! Hiro would stay on his knees and push himself back up to his feet, taking hold of Avari's legs and twisting his body around to lock him in a Japanese Cloverleaf! Hiro leaned back and tightened the hold quickly, leaving Avari to slam his fists into the mat -- not tapping out, mind you.
The hold remained locked in for what felt like a good minute or two, but Avari had spent that time pulling himself closer to the ropes...but given the positioning of this move, Hiro found it much easier to walk Avari back to center ring and lock the move right back in again! The Man of the Hour would begin to push himself up on to his knuckled and lift his body from the mat, making it harder for Hiro to hold the move in properly, and eventually he would find the strength to free his legs from Hiro's grasp, sending the Ethnic Enigma falling face first to the ground from the momentum. Avari lay on the ground for a moment clutching at his legs, and Hiro makes his way back to his feet with help from the ropes. He turns to face Avari who is now also trying to get back to a standing position, his legs giving him a few problems as he tries to. It gives Hiro the perfect window to run at him looking for another lariat...BUT OH MY GOODNESS! Avari throws himself into Hiro's arm as he draws close, perfectly wrapping himself around it and pulling him back down into an armbar! The fans start a "Holy s**t!" chant because they just couldn't believe the fact that Avari could so precisely counter a lariat like that!
Hiro thrashes about on the mat, his working arm now caught in a devastating submission move. Avari drove a few punches into the elbow area of the arm, continuing to keep the hold locked in tight. The ref drops down below Hiro, asking him over and over if he wants to quit...but the Ethnic Enigma just wont do it. He can't bring it in him to tap, the will to go on burned strong, and he knew that beating Avari meant sitting down with Nuke...though don't get it twisted -- he was NOT looking past Avari at all. He knew that if he didn't get his arm free as soon as possible, it would snap and he'd have no choice but to quit. As he shifted his body around, the Ethnic Enigma finally managed to turn his body about and start to gain the upper ground...he was locked in the armbar but was beginning to get to his feet. He suddenly applied some weight as Avari's shoulders were on the mat, but before the ref could get past a one count, Hiro shocked everyone and began to lift Avari from the mat! His legs shook as he struggled and his bad arm looked like it was barely helping, but before long Hiro had lifted Avari a couple of feet off the ground and then drove him right back down to the mat with a powerbomb! Once again, a frenzy of cheers -- a duo of babyfaces can get that reaction, the fans didn't want to see either man lose this match...but it was becoming clearer and clearer that with every big move, one of the two came closer to winning...and it wasn't Hiro, unfortunately for him.
The Ethnic Enigma and The Man of the Hour lay on the ground as they had several times already in this match, sprawled out and unmoving. Hiro gingerly cradled his newly attacked arm with his previously injured one, and Avari hooked his neck and cradled into a fetal position momentarily as he tried to massage away an ache that just happened to linger a bit too long. The ref began his count, getting to six before Avari started to stir, making his way to his knees. Hiro would do the same a few moments later, once again both men finding themselves a few feet from each other. Avari would beckon Hiro to come at him, to which the Ethnic Enigma would reply with an attempt at a superkick that was quickly caught by Avari! However as he pushed his foot down, Hiro quickly shot it back up a second time and this time it caught the young Fusion! It sent him stumbling backwards into the ropes, but in doing so he rebounds and spears Hiro practically out of his boots! The Ethnic Enigma slams against the ground and finds himself immediately pinned, but manages to kick out just before three! Avari slams his hands on the mat and quickly grabs Hiro, bringing him back up to a vertical base and up against the ropes.
Avari begins to lift Hiro up, trying to bring him over the top rope to toss him out and win the match. The Ethnic Enigma wraps his arms around the ropes, creating an interesting moment for the ref -- is Avari's hold on his leg trying to tip him over actually a submission maneuver, and thus he has a two count to let go, or is it part of the attempt at tossing him over the top rope and thus different? It wasn't something he'd have to figure out though as Avari lit up Hiro's back with a chop and then managed to dump him over the top rope, the Ethnic Enigma landing back first on the apron yet again. The ref warned Avari that if he attacked Hiro while he was in the ropes again, he'd DQ him -- but the convoluted idea was ignored by Fusion as he noticed Hiro using the ropes to work back to his feet from the apron. It seemed the adrenaline in Hiro's soul had finally kicked in, and he wanted to get off his back as soon as possible and try to work his way back into the ring. It seems like the concept of rolling under the bottom rope was too much for him with the way his back stung, he simply wanted to stand to get off of it. Avari came towards Hiro guns blazing attempting to punch him right off the apron, but Hiro managed to catch the first haymaker, and wrap his slightly less damaged arm around Avari's neck, pulling down to try and bring him right over the top as well!
The attempt was successful, as slowly but surely Avari found his midsection dangling on the top rope before his body fell down next to Hiro's on the apron. One wrong move and this match would be over, but for the time being, the two men were staring each other down again, standing tall on the wrong side of the ring ropes. Avari was the first to move, open hand slapping Hiro across the chest. The response? It was a knife-edge chop, yet another one that caused Avari to nearly lose his balance, but thankfully for him remain on the apron. Avari would then try to kick Hiro in the gut, but he was caught! There wasn't a fan in the crowd in their seat as they all stood, believing this just might be it! Hiro held on to Avari's foot and shook his head at the young Fusion who was about to be tossed down to the ground -- it was deafening in the building, it felt as if it was shaking. Hiro, with all of his might, thrusted Avari's leg upward, hoping he would merely land on his back at ringside...but he was DEAD WRONG. It seemed as though Hiro Shin-Mozas forgot that he was in the ring with the most exciting young wrestler in the company, and one of the most agile and incredible athletes in the locker room, as he created just enough moment um for Avari to do a full backflip and barely land back on his feet on the apron, clutching the ropes for dear life to keep his balance. "THIS IS AWESOME" chants dueled with "HOLY s**t", and quite frankly, they were words Hiro couldn't help but think to himself as well. He would never show it in the moment, but he had perhaps never seen something so impressive as the flip Avari landed beautifully. The next thing he hadn't seen was the superkick that rocked his jaw, the insanity of the situation leaving a nice window for Avari to hit one of his bigger moves. Hiro staggered back and into the turnbuckle and barely kept his feet beneath him, the fans letting out a shocked gasp as the Ethnic Enigma avoided elimination. The Brit himself was surprised Hiro didn't go down, but he was definitely going to make sure the next move was enough to knock him off the apron. As he approached slowly down this career-defining tight rope, he was stunned as Hiro shot out a superkick of his own, sending Avari up and over the ropes back into the ring!
That superkick was probably Hiro's worst mistake of the night, as he didn't account for the fact that Avari was positioned back-first to the ropes while coming towards him, making it easy for him to be carried into the ring. Hiro turned his body so that his chest was again against the ropes, preparing to go back through them. His head began to spin suddenly, he managed to grip the ropes but was barely able to stand, much less get back in the ring and off the apron. He was out of gas, wrestling at less than 100% and then trying to keep up with the young stud that was Avari Fusion pushed his body past it's capacities. He had nothing left to give and contemplated just stepping down off the apron and ending the match here. Perhaps, after everything that he'd been through since coming back, it was time to accept the fact that he could NOT go on as a professional wrestler to the best of his abilities. The will to go on would always be there, but at some point, a guy needs to be smart. He needs to understand that just because you think you can doesn't mean you should. The thought lingered in Hiro's subconscious as he began to lift up his leg to step through the ropes and back into the action. It seemed that no matter what doubts he had, his body had other plans as there was just no stopping him from trying to get back into the ring, no amount of logic or discussion or debating internally. He had a purpose in this match -- to defeat Avari and get Nuke's attention, to prove to that maniac murderer Blackjack wherever he may be that if he truly planned to come back for Hiro at any point that it would be a futile endeavor. Hiro Shin-Mozas wanted to show the crowd that he could still fight, that he could still win, and that ANYTHING was possible.
It just seemed like tonight wasn't his night. As he finally picked his leg up and partly through the middle rope, the side of his head was suddenly bopped by the boot of Avari Fusion, and driven right into the post. A patented Fusion Cutter, the single legged running dropkick, crushed Hiro's skull and sent it careening into the ringpost, and that caused Hiro to slam back first down at ringside. The majority of fans went hush as the fall was incredibly nasty, but a decent amount began to cheer for Avari Fusion as the bell rang oh so abruptly. Hiro Shin-Mozas took too long to get back into the ring, providing Avari an ample amount of time to collect himself and hit his finisher. If only the Ethnic Enigma had simply watched his step.
Lost soul in the unmarked grave
We have given a name
Black flame
In death we are all the same
Remain, black flame
Lost soul in the unmarked grave
We have given a name
Black flame
In death we are all the same
Remain, black flame
"Here is your winner...THE MAN OF THE HOOOOOUR, AVAAAAAARIIIIII FUSIOOOOOOOON!!!!"
Avari remains down in the ring, having fallen after hitting his finisher on Hiro, relishing in the fact the bell had rung and he could hear his music playing. He didn't move much right away, but began to bring himself to his feet after he noticed doctors and a stretcher being wheeled out from the back. The Man of the Hour was helped to his feet by the ref who had slid back into the ring from checking on Hiro who was motionless on the ground, bleeding from the nose and unconscious. While the official way that this Watch Your Step match ended was by being tossed over the top rope, it seems that Avari also won by first blood and knock out. That right there is three different ways that the young Fusion had defeated the Ethnic Enigma in the opener to Summerslam -- but now that the match was over, Avari could only really think of one thing: making sure Hiro was okay. The ref would assist him out of the ring, but Avari would make his way to Hiro side as he was loaded onto the stretcher, an oxygen mask put on his face. He would look around at the crowd which was cheering for him, but obviously in a state of worry for the Ethnic Enigma. It was a powerful moment, perhaps one of the most emotionally impactful that Avari had been a part of since his career began. He remained with the doctors and Hiro as he was wheeled around the ring and up the ramp, but separated from them as they took the Ethnic Enigma backstage. Avari remained on the stage and turned to face the crowd, looking around at the sea of people that couldn't pick a side in a war that brought out the viciousness in two of the best WWF:G had to offer. They began to cheer louder for Avari Fusion, but he could be seen fighting back some deeper emotions as he seemed to mouth "Thank You, Hiro" to himself, barely caught on camera. The Man of the Hour would exit to his theme music and the adoring crowd as Summerslam would continue with still a ton of wrestling to come.
