Harrys: Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time for the main event! This match is scheduled for one fall, and it is a first round match in the World Championship Gold Rush!
Xander slowly walks out onto the stage as his music kicks in. A single spotlight follows him down the ramp. The audience boos him mercilessly, but he doesn’t seem to mind. He stops at the foot of the ramp, and gives the fans a double finger salute. He slides into the ring, climbs the turnbuckle and stares out into the sea of New Yorkers, smirking and holding his arms up, while pointing to the sky.
Harrys: Introducing first, he is from Phoenix, Arizona. He weighs in tonight at 210 lbs. Please welcome Xander!
Copeland: This young man has been on a hot streak lately. He’s coming into Gold Rush following a controversial victory over former world champion, Kagura. Now thrown into the deep end, he’s considered to be a dark horse by many to win this tournament if he can survive this match tonight.
Cohen: That’s a big “If,” Seabass. I like Xander, but he must have really pissed off someone backstage to get this lousy of a draw.
The entire arena goes dim. All that’s left is a single spotlight shining at the top of the entrance ramp. Eve steps in it, with her head looking down. She slowly glances up, and looks around the entire arena, before staring blankly towards the ring. The New York crowd is booing her even worse than they did her opponent. She struts towards the ring, but in a careless manner. Once at the end of the ramp, she jumps onto the apron, and heads over to the closest turnbuckle. She climbs it, and once again the arena goes dim. The spotlight returns. Eve takes a deep breath, and soaks up all the noise from the crowd. She opens her eyes before climbing down from the turnbuckle, and preparing herself for the match. She takes off her entrance attire, and leans back against the ropes.
Harrys: And his opponent, she is from Berlin, Germany. She weighs in at 145 lbs. She is, “The Alternate” Eve Taylor!
Copeland: Despite coming up short in her match for the world title at R-Awakening, the most accomplished woman in WZCW history looks to be the early favorite to win the Gold Rush this year.
Cohen: Of course she’s the favorite. Eve wasn’t pinned in that triple threat. She should be given a rematch and main-event the next PPV, but she graciously chose to work her way up from ground zero in Gold Rush.
Eve and Xander stand nose to nose with each other, as the crowd starts booing them both. Xander is just a little bit taller, stockier, and more muscular. Eve starts talking trash, and shoves Xander hard enough to send him stumbling backwards a few steps. He doesn’t look happy, and pie faces her, and shoves her backwards as well. Eve loses her balance, and falls to one knee. She stares up at Xander, whose laughing at her, while still holding her cheek. She stands, and slaps the cockiness right off his face! Xander glares at her, eyes wide, and rubs his jaw.
*Ding! Ding ! Ding!*
They lock up in collar and elbow tie up, Xander gets behind her, and blasts Eve in the back of the head with a forearm shot! She whirls around, holding the back of her head, as he taunts her. Xander tries to lock up with her again, but Eve kicks him in the leg. She kicks him again in the ribs, and finishes with a spin kick to his abdomen. Xander holds his gut, and backs away. Now Eve is the one taunting him, as she holds her fists up. He circles the girl, trying to get close, but she throws a couple of mock kicks in his direction to keep him at bay. Suddenly, he feigns a takedown that catches her off guard, and shoots in for the real one. He wrestles Eve to the ground, and mounts her, delivering a volley of punches as she tries to cover up. Xander grabs her arms and pins them behind her back to the canvas. The referee begins to count her shoulders down: 1…2… but Eve pops her hips and arches her back, throwing Xander off her just long enough to raise her shoulders off the mat. Eve counters, and manages to flip Xander onto his back using her legs, the referee counts the pin: 1…2… but Xander gets his shoulders up. He rolls himself backwards, and gets to his feet. He stands, and drills Eve in the face with a front dropkick. Xander covers her again: 1…2… but it’s not enough.
Copeland: Lots of trash talking here at the opening bell, as both competitors have a lot to prove here tonight. They have little respect for each other, and the fans don’t like either one.
Cohen: I don’t know who I want to root for either, Seabass. Eve is nasty, but Xander has proven in recent weeks that he’ll do anything to win. I guess this’ll be a battle of attrition to the end.
Copeland: Back and forth near-falls now. Xander may have the edge in grappling, but Eve is a much better striker. If she lands a well-placed kick, or a knee, this match could be over quick.
Cohen: That’s IF she lands a kick or a knee. Xander’s not a clown anymore; the longer this match stays on the ground, the less of a chance Eve’s gonna have.
Xander lifts Eve to her feet, but she slaps his hands away and rocks him with a jumping knee strike straight to the jaw. She begins to pummel him with knife-edged chops to the chests, each one sending Xander sprawling, forcing him to take a step back. He steps forward, and tries to hit her with a forearm smash, but Eve ducks underneath and nails him with an inverted backbreaker. She hoists him to his feet, and takes him over with a northern lights suplex. She bridges, and pins him to the mat: 1… but it’s only a fast count. Xander quickly sweeps her leg out from underneath her, as Eve falls onto her back. He mounts her again, and begins to pummel her with elbow strikes until she goes limp. He drags her to her feet, hooks both of her arms behind her, and drives her into the mat with a tiger suplex. Normally he releases this throw, but Xander bridges high this time, pinning Eve’s shoulders to the mat. The referee counts: 1…2… but Eve kicks out.
Copeland: Eve and Xander trading some near falls with suplexes now. It seems like he got a little more off those elbows to the face, though.
Cohen: They’re just testing each other, Seabass. The bombs are coming, just you watch.
Eve flips herself over and stands, but Xander is up and waiting for her. He gets behind her, and applies a sleeper hold. Eve begins to thrash around wildly in an attempt to break the hold. She tries to throw him off like a bucking bronco, but he slowly begins to subdue her. He cinches in the hold, as she drops to one knee. The former world champion is fading fast! The crowd really doesn’t like either performer, but they’ve decided that they dislike the German model more, letting patriotism win out. Xander doesn’t seem to care either way, but smiles as chants of
“USA!” and
“Choke her out Xander!” fill the arena. All this manages to do is fill Eve with rage. With one last burst of adrenaline, she flips Xander off of her, sending him back onto the mat. He gets to his feet, but she kicks him in the knee. She runs, bounces off the ropes, and chop blocks his knee for good measure, sending him crumbling to the mat. Eve taunts the crowd, as they boo her mercilessly. She approaches her fallen opponent and pushes him, taunting him. “
Where’s all that gusto now, huh?” she shouts.
“You’re nothing, Xander!” She pulls him to his feet, and delivers a headbutt strike straight to the temple. The
‘Eight-By-Ten’ connects, as Xander stumbles backwards, and falls against the ropes. He growls, suddenly seeing red. Not many people can successfully get under his skin, but Eve was one of the few that could. He charges forward and takes a swing at her, but Eve ducks underneath him and hits the ropes. Instead of bouncing off of them, she rebounds through them like a pendulum, using her weight to propel her forward even faster. She tears through Xander with the
‘Designer Clothesline,’ knocking him loopy. The force of the blow sends him straight down to the canvas. Eve goes for the win: 1…2… but Xander kicks out!
Copeland: What a rebound clothesline from Eve! Seems like the fans have picked Xander as the lesser of two evils here, and Eve doesn’t seem to care one bit.
Cohen: Xander may act like he doesn’t care, but she’s the one getting into his head here. Maybe I was wrong about him, and he’s still just some punk kid that isn’t ready for the big time just yet.
Eve runs a hand through her hair, thinking she had the match won. She drags Xander to his feet, and promptly plants him with a DDT, driving his head straight into the mat. She climbs to the top turnbuckle, gazing down at her still lifeless foe. She leaps off the top, and drives both her feet into Xander’s chest. She flips forward and stands, having decided that her
‘Stiletto Stomp’ has done enough damage. She covers Xander once again for the win: 1…2… but it’s still not enough! Xander kicks out. Eve is beside herself this time. She stands and begins to argue with the referee. Chants of
“Xander! Xander! Xander!” begin to fill the arena. For one night only, fans in New York cheer the former Eurasian and Elite X champion, simply because of their hatred for his opponent. Eve frowns, and gives the fans a double finger salute of her own. Distracted by the thunderous boos that fill the arena, she fails to notice Xander getting back to his feet. Eve turns, and gets floored with an
‘X-Rated Superkick!’ Instead of going for the cover, he grabs her, and applies a guillotine choke! The
‘Fade Away’ is locked in!
Copeland: Oh my god, Eve got cocky and she just might have cost herself the match! The Fade Away is locked in, will she tap? A Gold Rush second round spot is on the line here.
Cohen: It was a conspiracy by these fans here tonight who don’t like her just because she’s foreign. New Yorkers are completely disgusting!
Eve is fading fast, as Xander wraps his legs around her body. She tries muscle her way free, but doesn’t have anywhere near enough power to lift the bigger man. Xander has the hold cinched in deep, as Eve struggles against his grasp. With one last defiant act, she reaches over and buries her thumb into Xander’s eye. The former champion screams in pain, and relinquishes the hold. He curses and grabs his eye, as Eve slumps against the match. She has almost nothing left. Xander screams, and slams the mat in rage. He yells at the referee to get away from him, as he gets to his feet. He has a crazed look in his eye, as he stalks the exhausted former world champion. He half drags, half lifts her to her feet, and connects with the ‘
Afterthought!’ The swinging STO connects, followed swiftly by a DDT of his own. Eve looks to be almost lifeless. Like a mad bull ready to charge, Xander squats down as she makes one final effort to get back to her feet using the ropes. Cries of
“Make her tap!” fill the arena, as Xander leaps to his feet, dashes across the ring, grabs her and pulls her away from the ropes, and applies the
‘Fade Away’ once more. Eve cries out in defiance, refusing to tap, refusing to give Xander that satisfaction. Xander begins counting down from fifteen mentally in his head. When he gets to ten, Eve has stopped moving. When he gets to five, the referee is checking her responsiveness. When he gets to zero, that’s it. She’s out. The referee stops the match, and Xander releases the hold.
Harrys: Here is your winner via TKO, Xander!
Copeland: What a finish! Eve managed to free herself from the ‘Fade Away,’ only to get trapped by it a second time. Xander was relentless, and didn’t let her breathe for a second. What a huge first round upset this was.
Cohen: I’m glad to see Xander refusing to kowtow to these idiot fans! I wish him luck in the second round, though he completely destroyed my bracket.
The referee lifts his hand into the air, as the crowd gives him a standing ovation. Xander doesn’t bask in their cheers, nor does he relish their chants for him, because he knows that this was all a farce. If it had been anyone else but Eve, he would have been booed out the arena. They weren’t cheering for him, but rather they were spiting his opponent. Next round, they weren’t gonna care about him at all. He tears his hand away from the official, and gives his signature double finger salute to the fans. Their cheers for him immediately turn to boos, as Xander stomps away and exits the ring. The referee and another official are still checking on Eve, who has regained consciousness, but remains motionless on the mat as the WZCW logo appears in the corner.
