Referee Jerry Roberts quickly checks all the men over and opts to get out of the way! The two sides of three decide who's going to start out the match and much to the surprise of Hewitt and Shelzi, it appears that the World's Champion and his number one contender will go toe to toe. David Troy and Jack Mace circle one another as the bell sounds. Mace darts in, prompting a leg kick from Troy but the Wrestling Bear grabs a hold of him and slaps on a side headlock. Troy uses some knees to back Mace up into the ropes and force a break. A clean break is granted, but Mace grabs Troy and whips him into the ropes and Mace attempts to drive right through him with a shoulder block! Troy hits the mat hard, but staggers up to his feet and gets in Mace's face - slapping him! He tells Mace that if he wants to be World's Champion then he's going to have to hit him harder than that! Mace swings, but Troy ducks underneath and cleans his clock with a roundhouse kick as he turns around! Mace stumbles, but shakes it off and says "issat the best ya got, mate?" and Troy responds with a kick to the chest.
No effect.
A second kick to the chest.
No effect.
A THIRD KICK TO THE CHEST...
is caught!
Mace hoists Troy high up over his head and displays his strength, carrying him a few steps before launching him up...
AND BACK DOWN! With a big back body drop! Mace asks the World Tag Team Champions if they want any part of him and both men respond positively, telling him to let Troy tag out. Mace chuckles as he grabs Troy's legs and turns him over for a Boston crab! In high school, I was anxiously awaiting my order of an ROH DVD and a girlfriend called me. I was very much a closeted wrestling fan, but I told her I was waiting for this particular DVD because that's how excited I was about it (Final Battle 2003 btw). She proceeded to tell me that this kid in elementary school told her all about wrestling, but she only popped when he mentioned a Boston crab because she knew her Mom had that recipe. Anyway, Troy gets put in this particular hold and Mace wrenches back. Hammer and Edwards are debating whether to break it up, or let Troy fight it on his own.
SAM HEWITT
A lot of discussion on the apron there between the tag team champions about whether to step in here.
BRIAN SHELZI
As there should be, Sambo. This is a big six man tag, each fighter gets one save so even if you sacrifice one early - you've still got two in your pocket. A win for either side gets three points for each fighter and with all six of these men in Division I, I don't think anyone wants to face the possibility of being dropped into Division II.
The Burning Hammers save their respective saves and Troy makes it to the ropes. Mace releases without incident, but doesn't give the champion much time to recuperate as he grabs him and attempts a bear hug. Troy fights it off by applying a front chancery and tries to swing his wei--
DDT!
Mace rolls away, driven neck first into the mat. Troy slowly climbs to his feet, finding his footing as Mace takes cover in a neutral corner. The World's Champion tries running with a big boot, but Mace ducks out of the way. Troy's leg gets caught up on the top rope and Mace gets to his feet and drives his ass end into Troy's back with a running hip attack before he can get loose! Troy falls to the mat, grunting in pain as Mace walks off the effects of the DDT. Having recovered enough for his own liking, Mace grabs Troy up and pushes him against the corner turnbuckles and smashes his forearm upside his head. Troy wobbles out of the corner as the ropes are the only thing keeping him up, but he wanders right into Mushigihara and Justin Seville in enemy territory. Mace calls for the men to back off and Mushi does, Seville thinks about it... but obliges as well. Mace sizes him up and lines up his headbutt...
TROY KNEES HIM IN THE HEAD!
Mace falls to his knees as Troy does a front roll, trying to escape from the corner... but Mace grabs his foot and the two get back to a vertical base. Troy enzuigiris him, then follows it up with a dropkick! Mace falls back into his corner and Mushigihara tags himself in. Troy briefly considers a tag, but opts instead to jump his stablemate as he's climbing through the ropes. Troy clubs him, backing him up into the corner... but this time, the partners don't move. The champion's OK with that - he cracks Mace with a slap across the face and an elbow to Seville! Mushi shoves him down and Mace tags himself right back into the match!
BRIAN SHELZI
The Wrestling Bear is a bit of a hot head! These guys might be allies in the House of Dante, but that only means the closest ones to you know your biggest strengths and weaknesses and I think we're seeing one be exploited here!
Mace comes in and absorbs Troy's kicks, backing him up into the ropes and begins... well, hitting him with his head! A flurry of headbutts connect and though he's worn down and even a little bloodied up, Troy slaps Mace and asks for more! Mace tries to grant his request, but ends up headbutting the turnbuckle! Troy wearily and narrowly avoids it, but picks himself up off his hands and knees and grabs Mace - trying for an Irish whip. It takes some strength, but he gets Mace off the buckles only to get reversed and kneed in the gut. Mace grabs him in a front chancery...
CRADLE SUPLEX!
He bridges!
1...
...
2...
...
KICK OUT!
Edwards turns and exits the ring, having almost broken up the pin. Mace grabs Troy in a rear waist hold, wrapping his two big arms around the champion's waist and pulls him to his feet. Troy gets his legs hooked around Mace's leg, preventing him from hitting the Bear Arms suplex. It also serves to knock Mace off balance and the two tumble into the ropes. Roberts calls for a break, Mace lets go without issue but immediately grabs Troy again and pulls him into the middle of the ring. Troy executes a standing switch, then turns around - hooking the arms!
SAM HEWITT
He's looking for the backslide - it's the hold that put Hammerstein away in December!
Troy drops to his knees suddenly, creating a momentum shift and Mace's shoulders are pinned to the mat!
1...
...
2...
...
3-BROKEN UP BY MUSHIGIHARA!
Edwards comes in and cracks the sumo with an elbow strike, sending him off balance. He tries to retaliate, but Roberts gets in front of him and tells him to go back to the apron. Edwards is keeping a keen eye on him as he goes back to his corner. Troy crawls away, trying to head to the corner where the Burning Hammers having their arms out. However, Mace roars up to his feet and grabs Troy in a waist hold again...
AND YANKS HIM UP IN ONE SWIFT MOTION...
BEAR ARMS SUPLEX!
HOWEVER!
Troy rotates in mid-air, landing on his shoulder/side and not allowing the move to have its desired effect!
SAM HEWITT
Wow! David Troy just maneuvered himself in mid-air! I think he was hoping to land on his stomach, but he didn't quite get the full rotation. He landed awkwardly on his shoulder, but it didn't knock the wind out of him like the Bear Arms was designed to.
BRIAN SHELZI
I love the Bear Arms. I get a kick out of all these kids in the Dojo trying to come up with super cool moves, Jack Mace uses a German suplex. Yeah, lots of guys use a German suplex but Mace grabs you and chucks you with such strength and force that it knocks the wind out of you. Finishing moves don't need to be elaborate, or concussive - they just need to render your opponent unable to move for three seconds. Troy twisted around to avoid exactly that, but he might've messed up his shoulder when he could've just taken the move and let his teammates break up the pin.
Troy is grimacing in pain on the mat, holding his arm to his chest and trying to crawl over to his corner. Mace is being directed by Darnell Cane, interestingly enough - as Eddie Dante is concerned about his champion client. Mace grabs Troy in the waist hold again...
AND GERMAN SUPLEXES HIM!
CLEANLY!
1...
...
2...
...
HAMMER BREAKS IT UP!
He drags the World's Champion to the corner and Edwards tags in, Mace reaches out and Justin Seville tags in for his team. Edwards charges at him but eats a kick to the gut, the Cottonmouth chucks him at Hammerstein on the apron. The American Monster falls down to the floor, but recovers quickly enough to see Edwards eat a superkick! He covers!
1...
...
2-KICK OUT!
Hammer climbs back up, but once more Seville knocks him off! He grabs Edwards, still dazed and yanks him in...
PILEDRIVER!
He covers!
1...
...
2...
...
HAMMER THROWS TROY ON TOP OF HIM!
Roberts waves off the pinfall and warns Hammer, saying that it was a pretty liberal skirting of the rules... but he'll allow it. Darnell Cane protests and Justin Seville isn't too happy about it either. Mushigihara asks for a tag and Seville considers it... and gives him one. Mushi gets in and Seville tells him to do something, which gets a fired up...
"OSU!"
Of course. Mushigihara charges into the ropes as Seville whips Edwards into the opposite set and the God-Beast drills the Burning Heart with a snap scoop powerslam! He covers!
1...
...
2...
...
FOOT ON THE ROPE!
Seville angrily kicks it off before exiting the ring, but Roberts already saw it and stopped the count. Mushi pulls Edwards up and uses some sumo palm thrusts to back him up into the corner. He then whips him into the opposite corner and sprints across, but no one is home! Edwards moves and Mushi delivers an avalanche to nothing but the turnbuckle pads! The tag champion quickly chop blocks him, bringing him down the mat with force! Mushi tries to get right back up, but Edwards drills him with an ace crusher!
SAM HEWITT
The always efficient James Edwards. No wasted movement with the Burning Heart, that's for sure. Never mind the fact that he's seven inches shorter and outweighed by about eighty pounds, the kid found a combination that worked. This, mixed with his recent submission prowess makes him one of LRX's most dangerous men - smaller sized heavyweight or not!
BRIAN SHELZI
Yeah, okay, whatever. Great sequence, but has he tried a pin or a submission? Nope! So what good did it actually do?
Edwards tags in Hammerstein, who stalks Mushi as he tries to climb back to his feet. When he's just about there, Hammer bounces off the ropes and goes for a lariat but it gets ducked! Mushi turns and grabs him...
URANAGE!
A vicious one at that! Hammer is downed near enough to the ropes that the groggy God-Beast staggers to the opposite corner and then dashes across, leaping up onto the second rope...
CORNER SLINGSHOT SPLASH!
HAMMER GETS HIS KNEES UP!
Mushi falls back, clutching his ribs as Hammer gets up to a vertical base. He grabs Mushi in double overhooks...
AND BEGINS HEADBUTTING HIM! SEVERAL TRAPPING HEADBUTTS!
To finish the sequence off, Hammer nails an exploder on the God-Beast!
He floats over and covers!
1...
...
2...
...
SEVILLE BREAKS IT UP!
Edwards comes in and grapples Seville, dumping themselves out of the ring. Mushi is tagged by Jack Mace, who becomes a Flying Bear as he launches Hammerstein in the corner with a front dropkick! David Troy tags himself in, unseen to Mace who gets up and heads toward Hammer in the corner. Troy sneaks in the opposing side and charges up...
CRUCIFIX!
Mace struggles to stay upright, but Hammer helps the cause by delivering a shoulderblock! Troy has him cradled!
1...
...
2...
...
3!
Mace breaks free a second too late! The World's Champion rolls out of the ring, clutching his shoulder as he raises his fist in victory. Mace is disappointed in the result, watching Troy on the outside. Hammer goes to exit the ring and he and Mace share a tension filled moment, as memories of their encounter during the Strong Style Summit and their tag wars in the Strongest Tag League come flooding back. Eddie Dante checks on Troy, who's fallen to a knee.
SAM HEWITT
The King of Lions shows us once again that it isn't all about size as he cradles Jack Mace to score the victory for his trio in this loaded tag bout. However, I think he's got a huge target with that shoulder now.
BRIAN SHELZI
Sure, yeah, but is Jack Mace willing to go that route? These guys are friends, allies, partners - whatever. Is Mace willing to pick the meat off the bone to become a World's Champion? If not, that match is going to end the same way it did tonight.
SAM HEWITT
I think tonight showed us a meaner side of Jack Mace. I don't think he's going to be going easy on Troy when they meet here next week.
Mushigihara gets in the ring and pats Mace on the back. Cane and other stage hands are keeping Seville held back from Edwards, who's restrained by Hammerstein. We cut to break.
