Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Jul 14, 2008 16:40:31 GMT -5
Match 5: Kudo Yasuda vs. Scott Andrews vs. Rattlesnake
We cut back to the arena as the last of the three entrance themes is fading away. In the ring stand three men who have grappled, literally, for control of the space around them on multiple occasions, and with many different outcomes.
Head Referee Raymond Allen Fleming gives Yasuda, Andrews and Rattlesnake his usual pithy reminder of “ring etiquette” as the competitors size one another up. There are chants for all of them rolling back and forth around the arena; whatever else tonight’s match may herald, it’s guaranteed to be a masterclass from a trio of ACW’s most well-known and well-regarded names.
And as such needs no further introduction…
Bell Rings.
The crowd is still on its feet as Kudo grabs the initiative off of the bell and gets in close to Scott, letting fly with a string of knee strikes as he demonstrates that he intends to follow up on his promise from earlier. Scott takes a second or two to recover his composure and block, and as he does so Snake sneaks up on Kudo from behind to perform a neat German suplex. He attempts to bridge it over, but Kudo objects to this and thrashes free, practically a blur of energy; Snake and Kudo are both up at the same time, catch one another’s eye – and then catch a whack from Scott Andrews’ Reload (Dragon Whip) delivered to both in double-quick time. The crowd pops as Andrews points his signature “gun-finger” taunt at both his foes; Kudo nips up and, faster than the crowd can blink, he and Scott are trading forearms, twisting and parrying one another as they move about the ring.
Rattlesnake keeps his wits about him and rolls up slowly, conserving energy whilst his opponents are simultaneously expending theirs. With a practiced eye he judges when they will pass in range; Kudo is fired up and, stunning Andrews with an elbow to the head, he jumps up and executes his famed spiral dropkick. Andrews staggers back and slumps against the ropes; Kudo charges in to knock him over, only to run instead into a big boot from Snake. The crowd winces as Kudo hits the canvas on his back; Scott gets a reprieve, but it’s no more than momentary as Snake decides to simplify things a bit and clotheslines Andrews out roughly over the ropes, much to the chagrin of Scott’s fanbase.
Taking the match by the scruff of the neck, Snake draws on the tenacity he developed as part of his Revolutionary persona, delivering big forearm strikes and a kick or two to the gut of his smaller and lighter opponent as he gets back on his feet. Kudo falls back to one of the corners as Snake excels himself, battering away at Kudo’s resistance. But Kudo refuses to be intimidated; his brow furrows, and as Snake culminates his attack with a magnificent pumphandle slam, Kudo kips straight back up and retaliates with a roundhouse kick. Snake staggers, and just a second or so after, so does Kudo as the “delayed effect” of Snake’s effect kicks in. Both men are vulnerable… and at just that moment, Scott reappears, jumping up on to the apron in the corner where both his opponents were stationed just a few moments before. He picks his target, and then with another gun-point at his foe he executes the Heat Seeker (Front Flip Diving Neckbreaker) on Snake. The crowd loves it, and Scott finally gets the first pin attempt proper of the match – it’s a 2, and Snake kicks just as Kudo regains his momentum and moves to break things up.
There’s little to choose between the three men at this point, and for the next four or five minutes the match swings back and forth, from person to person. Snake is evidently riled by Scott’s audacious Heat Seeker and targets the Scarlet Assassin with a barrage of body blows. Kudo is content to let Snake get involved – but when Snake hits a viciously strong DDT and pins, Kudo once again steps in, wanting the win over Scott for himself. Snake doesn’t take kindly to this interference, but before hostilities resume, Scott cuts in and attacks Kudo from behind, clearly keen to make his recent record 2-0. With no clear allegiances, pinfall attempts come thick and fast, and are just as quickly stymied by the “third man” in each case. So well balanced are the trio that stalemate is beginning to look like a distinct possibility…
Even RAF seems to be feeling the pace a little as Scott gets up off the mat, having just earned himself a 2.5 against Snake. His vision is torn – he wants to keep a close eye on both his opponents, and with a sudden chill he realizes he’s lost track of Kudo. He spins around – and then on pure instinct ducks, just milliseconds before Kudo comes hurtling over the top of him with a stunning Yakuza knee. Snake is just in the wrong place, and takes the glancing blow; he crumples, but Kudo doesn’t pin and instead rolls through. He reaches the vertical just in time to block Scott’s attempted Headshot with a kick of his own; the crowd yells out enthusiastically and the two men lock eyes for a second before unleashing hell on one another.
Kudo tries to break Scott with the K.O. Exploder; it nearly succeeds, but Scott kicks out at the last second. Incensed, Kudo moves a little too quickly and rushes headlong into a drop toe hold; Scott moves like lightning to try and secure the Scarlet Fever (Roll Through Fish Stretch Cobra Hold), and he and Kudo struggle for several seconds before Kudo gets away in the nick of time. The crowd by now is hyper; they yell out for something big, and they get it as Kudo hits the Brainbuster on his fierce rival. That would be it for a lot of guys, and Kudo makes the cover, 1…2..-
And it’s then that Snake, the consummate strategist, fulfils his mission statement and strikes. He lifts Kudo right up in the air and delivers a gorilla press slam; Kudo reels, yet amazingly auls himself up, determination raging through him. He advances on Snake… and that’s when Scott, who missed Snake’s action, comes from the side with a screaming headshot. It connects, and Kudo stumbles before falling; Scott punches the air – and then gets punched by Snake, right across the ring. As Scott skids, Snake drops into the pin on Kudo and hooks the leg, 1….2…3-
Kudo kicks, but it’s all over, and Snake allows the fans a flash of that trademark smirk.
Philip: Here is your winner… Rattlesnake!
The crowd cheers, not just for Snake but for a good match. Snake raises his arms and takes possession of the ring; on the outside, Scott and Kudo regard one another, both aware that they allowed their passion to be made to work against them today. Scott offers Kudo a hand; Kudo may not have evened the score, but he’s won something more valuable in Scott’s renewed respect. And Snake’s too, though you’d be unlikely to hear him say it out loud…
Fade.
We cut back to the arena as the last of the three entrance themes is fading away. In the ring stand three men who have grappled, literally, for control of the space around them on multiple occasions, and with many different outcomes.
Head Referee Raymond Allen Fleming gives Yasuda, Andrews and Rattlesnake his usual pithy reminder of “ring etiquette” as the competitors size one another up. There are chants for all of them rolling back and forth around the arena; whatever else tonight’s match may herald, it’s guaranteed to be a masterclass from a trio of ACW’s most well-known and well-regarded names.
And as such needs no further introduction…
Bell Rings.
The crowd is still on its feet as Kudo grabs the initiative off of the bell and gets in close to Scott, letting fly with a string of knee strikes as he demonstrates that he intends to follow up on his promise from earlier. Scott takes a second or two to recover his composure and block, and as he does so Snake sneaks up on Kudo from behind to perform a neat German suplex. He attempts to bridge it over, but Kudo objects to this and thrashes free, practically a blur of energy; Snake and Kudo are both up at the same time, catch one another’s eye – and then catch a whack from Scott Andrews’ Reload (Dragon Whip) delivered to both in double-quick time. The crowd pops as Andrews points his signature “gun-finger” taunt at both his foes; Kudo nips up and, faster than the crowd can blink, he and Scott are trading forearms, twisting and parrying one another as they move about the ring.
Rattlesnake keeps his wits about him and rolls up slowly, conserving energy whilst his opponents are simultaneously expending theirs. With a practiced eye he judges when they will pass in range; Kudo is fired up and, stunning Andrews with an elbow to the head, he jumps up and executes his famed spiral dropkick. Andrews staggers back and slumps against the ropes; Kudo charges in to knock him over, only to run instead into a big boot from Snake. The crowd winces as Kudo hits the canvas on his back; Scott gets a reprieve, but it’s no more than momentary as Snake decides to simplify things a bit and clotheslines Andrews out roughly over the ropes, much to the chagrin of Scott’s fanbase.
Taking the match by the scruff of the neck, Snake draws on the tenacity he developed as part of his Revolutionary persona, delivering big forearm strikes and a kick or two to the gut of his smaller and lighter opponent as he gets back on his feet. Kudo falls back to one of the corners as Snake excels himself, battering away at Kudo’s resistance. But Kudo refuses to be intimidated; his brow furrows, and as Snake culminates his attack with a magnificent pumphandle slam, Kudo kips straight back up and retaliates with a roundhouse kick. Snake staggers, and just a second or so after, so does Kudo as the “delayed effect” of Snake’s effect kicks in. Both men are vulnerable… and at just that moment, Scott reappears, jumping up on to the apron in the corner where both his opponents were stationed just a few moments before. He picks his target, and then with another gun-point at his foe he executes the Heat Seeker (Front Flip Diving Neckbreaker) on Snake. The crowd loves it, and Scott finally gets the first pin attempt proper of the match – it’s a 2, and Snake kicks just as Kudo regains his momentum and moves to break things up.
There’s little to choose between the three men at this point, and for the next four or five minutes the match swings back and forth, from person to person. Snake is evidently riled by Scott’s audacious Heat Seeker and targets the Scarlet Assassin with a barrage of body blows. Kudo is content to let Snake get involved – but when Snake hits a viciously strong DDT and pins, Kudo once again steps in, wanting the win over Scott for himself. Snake doesn’t take kindly to this interference, but before hostilities resume, Scott cuts in and attacks Kudo from behind, clearly keen to make his recent record 2-0. With no clear allegiances, pinfall attempts come thick and fast, and are just as quickly stymied by the “third man” in each case. So well balanced are the trio that stalemate is beginning to look like a distinct possibility…
Even RAF seems to be feeling the pace a little as Scott gets up off the mat, having just earned himself a 2.5 against Snake. His vision is torn – he wants to keep a close eye on both his opponents, and with a sudden chill he realizes he’s lost track of Kudo. He spins around – and then on pure instinct ducks, just milliseconds before Kudo comes hurtling over the top of him with a stunning Yakuza knee. Snake is just in the wrong place, and takes the glancing blow; he crumples, but Kudo doesn’t pin and instead rolls through. He reaches the vertical just in time to block Scott’s attempted Headshot with a kick of his own; the crowd yells out enthusiastically and the two men lock eyes for a second before unleashing hell on one another.
Kudo tries to break Scott with the K.O. Exploder; it nearly succeeds, but Scott kicks out at the last second. Incensed, Kudo moves a little too quickly and rushes headlong into a drop toe hold; Scott moves like lightning to try and secure the Scarlet Fever (Roll Through Fish Stretch Cobra Hold), and he and Kudo struggle for several seconds before Kudo gets away in the nick of time. The crowd by now is hyper; they yell out for something big, and they get it as Kudo hits the Brainbuster on his fierce rival. That would be it for a lot of guys, and Kudo makes the cover, 1…2..-
And it’s then that Snake, the consummate strategist, fulfils his mission statement and strikes. He lifts Kudo right up in the air and delivers a gorilla press slam; Kudo reels, yet amazingly auls himself up, determination raging through him. He advances on Snake… and that’s when Scott, who missed Snake’s action, comes from the side with a screaming headshot. It connects, and Kudo stumbles before falling; Scott punches the air – and then gets punched by Snake, right across the ring. As Scott skids, Snake drops into the pin on Kudo and hooks the leg, 1….2…3-
Kudo kicks, but it’s all over, and Snake allows the fans a flash of that trademark smirk.
Philip: Here is your winner… Rattlesnake!
The crowd cheers, not just for Snake but for a good match. Snake raises his arms and takes possession of the ring; on the outside, Scott and Kudo regard one another, both aware that they allowed their passion to be made to work against them today. Scott offers Kudo a hand; Kudo may not have evened the score, but he’s won something more valuable in Scott’s renewed respect. And Snake’s too, though you’d be unlikely to hear him say it out loud…
Fade.