CXA REUNION SHOW - PART 8

“I actually can’t believe Reto made it this far without taking a fall,” says Jason frankly, “He appeared to be so outmatched by the Reaper!”



“Appearances can be deceiving,” Maxine notes, “Things definitely swung in his favour when he nailed that Chi-capitation. Not all the way, but I think he gained some momentum.”

Shand has retreated to a corner, a murderous look in his eyes. Nevertheless he is stretching out and allowing his body time to recover during the one minute rest period. David has destroyed bigger men than Chio in seconds, and yet somehow Reto has hung on for 30 minutes, and wounded him. David momentarily checks the cut. Its not that bad, and nothing that is going to bother him at the moment. Across the ring, Chio is still down.

A minute passes and the timer resets to “30:00”, and this new round begins!

Shand gets right back into it, bringing Chio upwards as he gets back to his feet. He drives another elbow into the forehead, and the impact cracks the skin of Reto, causing him to bleed openly now.



“Eugh, that’s horrible,” a disgusted Maxine comments.



Shand wraps his arms around his foe, transitions to the back and pulls Chio’s arm across his own throat! He begins to swing him around, a merciless hold locked in tight!



“Million Dollar Dream here by Shand. We saw Novaar use it earlier tonight” Robinson states, “He’s going for a submission right from the get-go.”



“Why not? It’s the only way he can score a fall in this round, and Chio’s already hurt!” Tarsh is quick to add.



Reto is kept in this hold for some time, with the referee checking on him. There is no response from Chio however, who looks out on his feet. Shand continues to apply the enormous pressure of the choke and swing him around even more intently, much like a ragdoll.



“You’ll notice the referee isn’t checking the arm to see whether Chio’s still conscious,” Reynard notes, “It’s only submissions that count here, not knock-outs.”

“But what happens if Chio’s unconscious? Surely the ref has to call that as a submission?” Maxine asks.



Maybe not. Time passes, and Chio’s body goes limp. It’s unclear just how aware of his situation he is. However, moments later, he tenses up and seems to struggle. He battles for his life against the vicious hold of Shand, and starts to bury elbows into the midsection of the Reaper. It has no effect, but then Reto scores a backwards kick to the weakened knee, and with that Shand lets out a howl of pain and relinquishes the hold!


“Reto’s out!” exclaims Maxine.



Somehow, Reto is back in this. With Shand momentarily incapacitated, he grabs HIS arm, trails behind him, and locks in a hold of his own!



“Hey now, Reto’s giving a Shand a taste of his own medicine!” Robinson says, “Cobra Clutch is locked in! That’s the basic form of the Million Dollar Dream!”



“I think Chio always called this the Kennel Clutch,” Maxine informs Reynard.



Chio yanks back, using Shand’s own bulging forearm to rob him of oxygen! Shand’s eyes bulge and Reto lets out a scream of determination from the sheer effort of holding the mammoth Shand in place. The referee checks on Shand, who shakes his head adamantly to show that he’s still very much willing to go. The hold is tightened, and Shand finds himself utterly incapable of breaking free!



“Chio’s got this one in perfectly!” Jason exclaims, “He’s really come back from the dead!”



Just as the momentum seems solely in Chio’s corner, however, Shand ducks under his own arm when Reto’s grip becomes loose, rapidly switches to the back and re-applies the Million Dollar Dream! It all happens in the blink of an eye!



“Whoa, how did that happen?” Maxine asks frantically.



“Just like that! Shand capitalised on a moment’s weakness!” Tarsh explains, “That’s the skill of the Reaper!”



Chio is at the mercy of that swinging, asphyxiating move. He struggles as much as he can, but the grip of Shand is relentless. He seems too powerful... so Reto tries something else. He pulls forwards with all of his strength, and manages to budge Shand along with him. He drives himself and his foe to the corner, and kicks up to press both boots right into the top turnbuckle. He kicks outwards, performing a backflip, and the force pushes Shand down onto his back with Chio on top!



“We’ve seen this before, the classic cobra clutch leverage reversal!” Robinson declares, “But there’s no pins in this match, and look! Shand isn’t letting go!”



It’s true: the Reaper still has the hold locked in whilst lying on his back. Chio is on his shoulders, but can’t get out of it! What’s more, the angle he is bent over adds further pressure to the move. The referee checks on Reto, who is trying his best to use his position to force Shand to release the hold. Eventually, he manages to roll backwards, leaving Shand’s weakened grip behind. He transitions seamlessly into a reverse facelock, and cinches the arm!



“Dragon sleeper here by Chio,” Tarsh states, “Nicely applied, and that can’t be easy to do on the thick neck of David Shand!”



The referee asks Shand if he wants to give it up, but he quite sternly tells him no. He is still having a great deal of trouble getting out of this hold, which is grasped on pretty tightly. That is, until he performs an impressive bridge, bringing his lower body up, and with that movement he is able to slip his head out with ease!



“Whoa!” Maxine yells in surprise, “What a move! Shand is ridiculously agile!”



Shand continues the motion, rolling backwards and catching the still-shocked Chio with two boots right into the chest! He gets to his feet, and Reto can be seen cradling his sternum in pain.



“Hey, remember; Shand injured Reto’s chest early on in this match,” recalls Jason, “His strategy during the first round is paying off now!”



In response to that, Shand drives a boot into Chio’s chest to daze him, slips back down to the mat, and criss-crosses his legs for a new move! With his boot planted firmly right underneath Chio’s, he stretches his body into an upwards C-shape, with all the pressure being on the midsection and back!



“Original Liontamer by Shand!” Robinson announces, “This move was one of David’s finishing moves in Japan when he was known as the English Lion and before Jericho stole the name for his move. My friends, this move is just plain horrible! The pain that must be going through Reto’s body has to be unbearable, especially with that damaged chest!”



Reaper rears back with the hold, and Chio lets out a howl of agony. Obviously the move is doing a lot of harm to the already hurt Reto, and it seems utterly impossible to escape it! The referee dives in to check on Chio, and as he does the steadfast until now Demi-Legend taps his hand against the mat! The referee calls for the bell, indicating the first fall, and the fans buzz.



The announcer pulls the microphone to his lips, “The winner of the first fall, as a result of submission... David Shand!”



“There we go! The first fall of this match!” Robinson informs the viewers at home, “Chio submits to the Liontamer, giving David Shand the 1 point advantage!”



“I can’t believe Chio quit!” Maxine exclaims, “With all he’s been through so far, it seems so out-of-character!”



“To be honest, it makes sense,” Tarsh says with a shrug, “He had no means of escaping that insane hold, not in the state he’s in now, and he had to do something before it really did some damage. In this kind of match, you have to play things smart and think of the long game.”



Though he is reluctant at first, Shand lets Chio drop under the insistence of the referee, who jumps in to check on the condition of Chio. David backs off for a moment, checking the timer to see that it reads 26:53, but soon dives back in and goes straight for that hold again! Chio kicks him off before he can even try it though, and as Shand flails from the unexpected defence, he leaves himself open to a jumping headlock by Reto!



“Bulldog!” screams Maxine excitedly.



The fans are just as surprised at this as Shand, and Chio follows up by keeping the hold locked in. Again, Chio has come back from the dead! He’s breathing heavily as a result of exhaustion and repeated hits to the chest, and is soaked in sweat, but he keeps on tenaciously gripping the headlock. Shand kicks his legs about frantically, confounded by the brute strength of his smaller foe. A second later and Chio swings around, transitioning to a fujiwara armbar, showing great speed and technical proficiency in doing so!



“Chio sure uncovered some energy really quickly, and he’s doing damn well now for somebody so beaten up!” Robinson declares.



Another quick switch, Chio grips the already-restrained arm of Shand between his legs and grasps at the free one! He pulls back sharply and the big man growls in pain!



“Rings of Saturn by Reto now,” Tarsh points out, “Damned painful hold, that one! Puts real strain on the shoulders, neck and back as well as the arms. Even more painful for someone like Shand with such massive upper body development!”



Shand is making an imprint in the mat with how much he’s bashing his foot against it. The referee asks if he wants to give in, but he loudly hisses in the negative. Chio keeps a strong grip on the hold, yanking back all he can.



“Seems Reto is paying Shand back here,” Robinson says, “He’s quite happy to put him through pain, if that look on his face is anything to go by.”



Sure enough, Chio seems to have a self-assured smirk on his face, even with his forehead bloodied, but no longer dripping. David, on the other hand, is bleeding more now with all this pressure applied!



“Just under twenty-six minutes remaining on the clock for this round, folks,” Reynard notes, “The score is 1-0 in David Shand’s favour, but Chio is looking to even it up with this hold!”



All of a sudden, Shand flexes his arm muscles, with a low grunt. The incredible size of his biceps in particular becomes a bit too much for Chio to restrain fully, and Shand uses this one brief moment to slip through! He gets his limbs free, but Reto stays on top, trying to keep him down. Shand begins to rise on his knees, lifting the entire weight of his opponent upwards! Chio decides to change tactics, slides off the body of Shand and aims for his right boot... but is given a kick to the head as thanks!

Chio is dazed from the blow, and David Shand goes right in for the kill; he wraps his much larger arms around Reto’s neck and applies a headlock of his own. Chio kicks around, grasping his arms with all the power he can muster, but it doesn’t work. Shand is relentless in getting revenge for before.



“Shand’s certainly making Chio pay for trying to embarrass him,” Robinson says, “Managing to have the Reaper at your mercy is a crime not to be taken lightly.”



As if to mock his foe, Shand lets the hold go, spins around atop the fallen Reto with incredible grace, and tries to lock in a fujiwara armbar of his own... but Reto spies the hole in Shand’s offence and capitalises! He slips out underneath him, charges after his right boot, and before David even knows what’s going on he’s locked in an ankle lock! Shand lets out a scream that is all too familiar to fans who watched him in the CWA!



“Ankle lock! The ankle lock is applied!” Robinson yells, “Chio’s been looking for this!”



“The Chi-Lock, as he calls it,” Maxine corrects Reynard, “As I mentioned before, Shand knows THAT move!”



Shand tries to shake Reto off, but it won’t work; he has the grip applied so tightly there’s no removing it. David struggles from his knees to regain his all-important vertical base, but Chio still won’t let go! Shand shakes his leg even more, trying desperately to get Reto to relinquish the hold. Chio is utterly tenacious!



“Look at Reto go!” Tarsh exclaims, “When he gets that move locked in, he’s like a pitbull!”



“You might even say he’s like a grey Chihuahua biting on your ankle,” chuckles Maxine, “But honestly, I think he’s a lot more intimidating than that!”



“How about a beartrap?” Reynard offers gravely.



David is now getting rather annoyed, and starts to back away to the corner, even with Chio dragging down on his ankle! He begins to climb up the turnbuckles, shaking his leg all the time, and eventually from his heightened position manages to level Reto with a kick to the face! He finally lets the hold go and scrambles away while cradling his face!



“Well, how about that?” asks Jason, shaking his head, “Shand got rid of Chio’s attempts, but look at him! I think Shand was actually scared for a moment there!”



“Bad memories is my guess,” Maxine comments.



Shand hops off the ropes, goes straight after Chio, and tries for a big yakuza kick... but Reto intercepts his right leg and locks the hold in yet again! The Reaper curses loudly, showing real frustration as the Chi-Lock is applied! He is forced onto his stomach, where Chio grips it even tighter than before!



“He’s done it again!” yells Robinson, “Chio is relentless with that Chi-Lock!”



Shand struggles, almost reaching for the ropes until he realises that rope breaks aren’t available in this round. He tries to turn to his back to alleviate the pressure, but Chio keeps rolling him back! He even manages to get all the way over at one point but Chio just won’t let go, and spins him around again! David tries to get up onto his free leg, and it is then that Reto grapevines the leg with his own and twists the ankle at an even more hideous angle!



“This is painful to watch,” winces Maxine, “Chio has David Shand at his mercy once again!”



Shand is overcome with agony at this point. It’s obvious that the memory of his feud with Verona combined with the brutal nature of this hold is too much to bear, even for a man of his intense conditioning. He finally – reluctantly - taps his hand against the mat and the referee calls it! The bell rings and the fans let out a loud pop!



The announcer grabs his mic again, “The winner of the second fall, as a result of submission... Chio Reto!”



“The scores are tied,” declares Reynard, “Chio Reto got the big man to tap out!”



“I never thought we’d see that,” says Tarsh in disbelief, “Then again, perhaps Shand realised that Reto wasn’t going to let go and, like we said before, didn’t want to risk serious injury to his ankle.”



“Whatever the case, Chio has evened this match up!” exclaims Maxine giddily, “Now things are getting interesting!”



Chio lets Shand go under the referee’s urging, and backs off with both hands in the air. He eyes the clock, and it displays 22:48. After Shand slowly gets to his feet, hobbling on his ankle slightly, Reto goes after him again, ducking down with the intention of grabbing his ankle. Shand sees this, and promptly exits the ring! He rolls outside, rubbing his ankle when he’s up. The fans let out a disappointed boo in reaction, but Shand pays them no mind.



“David Shand’s having a reprieve here; it seems,” Robinson says, “I guess he wants to rest that ankle before continuing.”



“He has plenty of time to do it,” Tarsh notes, “No count-outs here, though I’m not sure if going outside like that during the submission round is entirely within the confines of the rules.”



“Well Shand invented this match,” Maxine mentions, “I guess he knows the rules better than anybody, and he’s smart enough to take full advantage of them.”



Chio presses against the ropes, looking out at his opponent. He has a puzzled look on his face, not expecting this sort of strategy from the Reaper he looks up to so. He calls out to Shand, who simply ignores him. Chio’s brow furrows angrily and he slides out there. It is then that David strikes! He wheels around quickly and wipes Chio out with a stiff clothesline!



“Whoa whoa,” Robinson exclaims, “Can’t say I saw that coming! Talk about effective, though!”



“I didn’t think we’d see these sort of tactics from Shand,” Tarsh comments, “but here we are.”



Shand has a smirk on his face – a very self-assured one - and he keeps it there as he grabs his foe by the hair, pulls him up and then proceeds to toss him into the nearby ringpost! Chio’s face smacks off the hard steel and he tumbles down! His wound from before starts to bleed again!



Maxine squeals disgustedly, “Oh, that’s just awful. Was that really necessary?”

“You do what you have to I guess” responds Reynard



The referee warns Shand, but he simply glares at him in response, and that shuts the official right up. Chio is trying to get back up, but is in a haze now and drops of blood are streaming down from his forehead onto the mats. Shand approaches Reto again, walking on his right ankle a little gingerly, and takes him by the blue locks. He brings his face to his, and the words he tells him are very clear:



“This is your own fault, you idiot.”



With that Shand introduces Chio the opposite steel steps from before, making him hit them hard face-first. He crumples down over them, his blood seeping all over the metal frame.



“Yikes,” Robinson winces, “What do you suppose Shand meant by that?”



“It’s probably in reference to Chio asking for this match,” Tarsh clarifies, “He was the one who made the challenge, after all, so you have to say....live by the sword, die by the sword.”



Shand simply stands there, admiring the result of his actions. Many of the fans are not taking kindly to this, seeing that Shand isn’t content to play this section of the match fairly. Chio remains motionless for several minutes, meanwhile Shand rolls back into the ring and performs various exercises to more boos from the fans. The timer counts down to 18:20 while all of this goes on.



“I can’t believe David Shand has gone with this approach,” Maxine says softly, “I expected more out of the Reaper; I really did.”



“It seems Shand is not only more aggressive, but he’s also being impatient,” Tarsh grimaces, “I think he’s now just passing time until the third round; Soul. That’s when all the rules are officially out of the window and he can truly do what he wants.”



As the timer hits the 18:00 mark, Shand finally rolls back outside to retrieve his opponent. He approaches Chio confidently, and this will be his undoing... for Chio leaps off the stairs rapidly and dives at Shand, swinging around him with a Tornado DDT that drives the monster’s head into the thin mats and the concrete below! The fans erupt!



“What the hell?!” Robinson is dumbfounded, “Was he just playing possum?”



“Shand left him too long!” Maxine adds excitedly.



Chio is also wiped out from the move, unfortunately; the exertion and hitting the hard floor were both too much. He and Shand simply lay there on the outside, both bleeding now, and looking absolutely on another planet. The timer ticks away as they remain barely conscious on the outside, running down to 16:51 before we finally see some movement.

Chio’s stirring first, stumbling ever-so-slowly to his feet. He wobbles around woozily, trying to regain his bearings, before setting his eyes on the ring. He lunges forward suddenly, rolling inside. He sees that Shand is still out, and is surprised by the overwhelming effect of his move. He looks from side to side, calculating his chances, then bounds into the ropes...



“Whoa, what’s he trying now?” Maxine asks agitatedly.



“This could be dangerous!” exclaims Robinson, “I hope Reto knows what he’s doing!”



Chio charges at the opposite ropes that face David, and vaults over them... then lands both knees into the midsection of Shand from an amazing height! All of the wind is ejected from the Reaper’s body!



“Incredible!” exclaims Maxine, “That was a high risk move more than worth the risk!”



Chio is clearly quite jarred by the impact however, and stumbles forward afterwards. He drops to both knees, breathing heavily; he’s still feeling the after-effects from Shand’s assault on his chest, as well as his head. He turns to look at the tron... it shows the time of 14:30. Chio tries his best to lift David Shand, hoping to get him into the ring: the only place he can score a fall. The dead weight of the Reaper is far too heavy, however.

He reaches out and grabs an arm... and one of David’s arms reaches out for Reto’s throat! It grabs it tightly, and the icy blue eyes of Shand open up. He sits up suddenly in a manner usually reserved for another dominating giant, and gets to his feet. The shock in Chio’s face is quite apparent!



“David Shand still has plenty of life left in him, apparently!” Robinson announces.



In a swift motion, Shand lifts Chio upwards and charges towards the ringpost, driving Reto’s spine into the post! As Chio lets out a yelp of agony, Shand rears back, and... tosses Chio upwards from the choke hold! Chio flies over the top rope and lands HARD in the ring!



“Good lord!” exclaims Jason, “That strength is beyond anything I’ve ever seen, even from David Shand! Just what training has he been up to?”



“He did disappear for a long time,” Reynard notes, “Whatever he did back then, it must have contributed to... this!”



Shand follows the groaning and writhing Reto back into the ring and upon arrival decides to chalk up another fall... he swoops downwards, rolls Chio onto his stomach, hooks his arm in a leg scissors and wraps both chiselled hands around his face!



“Crossface time!” Tarsh exclaims, “This could be another submission fall, easily!”



Chio struggles, having been revived by the incredible pain, and the referee finally gets involved in the match again to ask him whether he can still go. The blood from Chio’s forehead is now running down Shand’s hands, and Reto lets out a howl of pain as he pulls backwards! Nonetheless, Reto will not give up this time!



“This hold is not pleasant to be on the receiving end of,” Maxine pipes in, “It puts a lot of pressure on not just the face and arm, but the neck too! It will also pull apart the pec muscles in Reto’s already damaged chest. Chio’s gonna want to try and slip out of this one!”



But Chio is fading. He appears to be losing his drive, as well as consciousness. Shand keeps the hold in for a long time, and it seems as though he’s not going to get a submission. He rears back even more, and this causes Chio to let out a shrill scream! Now awake and very much aware of the pain he’s in, Reto looks to be contemplating tapping out!



“We could have another fall here!” Robinson says, “Eleven and a half minutes are remaining! What will Chio do?”



Suddenly, the grip of Shand slips! The blood oozing from Chio’s head causes him to lose control of the hold, and Chio takes full advantage! He rolls forward, yanks his arm free in the process, and NAILS Shand right in the head with a vicious kick! Shand grabs his head in pain, flipping to his back, giving Chio another opportunity! He slips down and restrains the head of Shand, pulling his elbow behind his own head and applying an arm choke!



“Here we go!” Maxine yells enthusiastically, “Anaconda Vice! Believe it or not this is a Brazilian jiu jitsu and Judo choke! Darned effective too!”



“This could be just the break Chio needs!” Tarsh adds.



Chio pulls back with the hold, and Shand struggles violently. It’s clearly locked in extremely well, and is stretching Shand in ways that can’t be comfortable. Shand kicks around and tries to push upwards; attempting to use his superior upper body strength to force Reto off, but it’s not working! Chio is stubbornly grasping that hold and keeping him from getting the slightest advantage! Shand looks to be fading!

Shand tries again to get up, flexing his arm muscles in an attempt to release Chio’s grip again, but it has no effect this time, and this only forces Shand to expend even more energy. His eyelids start to flicker, the effects of the choke taking effect. Chio rears backwards, and Shand’s eyes widen again, as he lets out a grunt. The pain registers on his face, and it’s quite intense, but he doesn’t succumb to it. Chio keeps on pulling back, but Shand will not relent!



“This is incredible!” Robinson states, “We’re down to eight minutes now, with Chio keeping that hold locked in for over two minutes! How is Shand surviving?”



All of a sudden, David Shand rises up sharply! He manages to reach his free arm around – which up to now was in a disadvantageous position - and smack Chio right in the jaw with a closed fist! Reto instantly releases the hold, and rolls backwards in pain! Shand is clearly spent however, and flops back down to the mat. Chio is just as exhausted, having put a lot of energy into applying that hold on such a powerful man, and drops down as well. The referee goes to make the ten-count, but then remembers the rules and stops himself: It’s submissions only!

Or it is for the next seven minutes, which is how much time remains for this round. Time is ticking away, as both men simply take this time to recover. They’re breathing heavily, chests rising up and down violently, and Chio in particular is wheezing. Eventually, Shand is up. He’s worse for wear, but he’s the first man to his feet, so that means he is on the attack. He grabs Chio by the hair, a menacing look in his eyes!



“What’s he got planned here?” questions Tarsh, almost scared to witness the answer.



Shand goes to Reto’s back, grasps him around the arms and hoists him into the air for an especially tiring but effective move: an elevated double chicken wing! Reto is shocked awake by the intense pain in his shoulders and the searing pain of his chest muscles being separated! Shand holds his foe up tightly, the veins in his meaty arms pulsating as he constricts his grip around Reto’s. The referee asks Reto if he quits, but he shakes his head in the negative. Shand rewards him by dropping him down face-first!



“Ouch!” Robinson exclaims, “I can see why he didn’t keep that hold on too long, though; it’s just as straining to Shand as it is Reto!”



“Yeah, but it does the job,” Tarsh notes, “Worth the sacrifice, I’m sure.”



Chio holds his nose in pain, and notices that he’s now bleeding from it. He doesn’t have much time to do so though, as David Shand mounts him and wraps his arms around his neck!



“Camel Clutch!” yells Maxine, “Shand wants to make Chio humble!”



“Probably not the best turn of phrase there, Maxine,” Jason groans, “This hold is very serious. And he hasn’t even... ah, never mind.”



As Tarsh said that, Shand let his grip go for a moment to perch both of Chio’s arms over his knees, adding further to the pressure. Now with the clutch applied, it becomes an even more deadly hold! Chio lets out a squeal of agony, and Shand takes that as a sign to pull back even more!



“Now it’s a full-blown Steiner Recliner,” Tarsh follows up, “I don’t need to tell you what that can do to his neck and shoulders.”



“Five minutes remain to this round!” Robinson announces, “Will Chio give it up?”



Chio appears to be doing nothing of the sort. He seems to be looking for a way out. He’s trying his best to carry his opponent on top of him, but to no avail: Shand is way too heavy! The hold remains locked in! The referee asks Reto, but he quite forcibly tells him no. He’s not done just yet. Shand rears back at the hold, and Chio still struggles, but doesn’t appear to be getting anywhere. This keeps up for a full minute.

But that’s when the impossible happens! Reto pushes upwards, and manages to lift Shand’s boots from the mat! He then pushes even further, his muscles tensing from the exertion, and has Shand on his back! Somehow, Chio is carrying all of David Shand, even with a Camel Clutch applied!



“How the...?” Robinson is astounded, “We’ve never seen such brute strength from Chio Reto!”



Soon enough, Chio is up to his feet! Shand has let go of the hold, looking to let himself down, but Chio’s having none of that! Instead, he shifts his opponent around, hooks his head, and puts him into a fireman’s carry! The fans are abuzz at this remarkable sight!



“Chio has Shand up!” exclaims Jason in disbelief, “I never thought I’d bear witness to this!”



Even better, Chio spins around in place with the three hundred plus pounds of Shand on top of him! Shand’s struggling, but can’t get anywhere!



“Chio’s will is too strong!” Maxine yells, “That’s what’s going on here! He wants a win here too badly!”



When he is done spinning, disorienting the Reaper enough, the Demi-Legend thrusts Shand’s weight overhead and drops down, the head of David being driven into the mat!



“Death valley driver by Reto!” Robinson calls out, “Three minutes left to this round and he’s actually hit a huge offensive move on the seemingly indestructible David Shand!”



“I think that’s the T-Driver!” Maxine notes, “A finishing move of his old tag partner, Tessanda Euwick! Chio’s going old-school here!”



Chio has clearly exerted a hell of a lot of energy at this point, but he still continues on! He reaches for Shand, who hit the canvas so hard he flipped over into a crouching position, and slaps on a sleeper hold! He crosses his arms tightly and Shand struggles!



“I know what this is; it’s the Blue Cross!” Jason fills in his announce team, “Chio told me about this one; his tight variation on the old wrestling staple, the sleeper! What a time to lock it in!”



Shand does his best to get out, but he is still quite dazed from being dumped on his head. The referee asks him, but he doesn’t respond. He instead tries to hit Chio with errant punches, none of which connecting. Chio lets out a yell of fury, apparently in his element at this point.



“Two minutes left!” Robinson says, “Will David Shand tap out before this round comes to a close?”



Soon enough David answers that question; he pulls out another old trick and bridges again, once again slipping his head out. He furiously lunges in towards Chio, wraps his arms around his arm and neck before he can do anything to prevent it, and tosses him overhead! Reto lands on the back of his neck with a sick crunch!



“Oh my god, that was horrible,” Maxine says in shock, “I’ve never seen a Tazplex quite like that.”



David’s eyes have lit up and they are terrifying. There’s a cold rage about them, and he’s taking it out on his opponent. He grabs Chio again, brings him up, and in a remarkably quick fashion, hooks him up for the Tortured Soul! He hoists Reto up into the air, and spins him around just as he was moments before!



“Here it comes!” bellows Reynard in anticipation.



Chio is positioned, and Shand drops down onto his thighs! The head of Reto bounces off the canvas! His body falls limp as the timer counts down to the one minute mark!



“Tortured Soul!” Tarsh calls, “But will Chio be conscious now? And if not, how will Shand get a submission?”



Shand looks down at his fallen friend, a look of disappointment in his eyes. He shakes his head, and walks over to the ropes methodically. He then slides outside, and reaches under the ring apron...



“Oh no, I don’t like the look of this...” Maxine says softly.



After a few moments, he pulls a steel chair from underneath. He waves it upwards, and many fans let out a roar of approval. Now brandishing his metal companion, Shand re-enters the ring and eyes the still motionless Chio. His gaze turns to the tron. The timer is still counting down...



“Twenty seconds remaining to the Body round, folks,” Robinson reminds the viewers, “When that’s over, Shand will be free to do whatever he wants.”



“That hasn’t stopped him before,” grumbles Maxine bitterly.



Nonetheless, Shand watches it closely and steadily raises his chair over the fallen form of Chio Reto. It reaches its apex as the timer counts down even further...

Twelve... eleven... ten... Shand‘s eyes focus on Chio now... eight... seven... six... Chio is stirring... five... four... Shand’s features adopt a malicious grin... three...

Two...

One...