J-1 Pinnacle - Block A - Round Three - Rogers vs. Chance

[Kip Whistler]

Round Three in Block A:
Red Pirate Rogers (4) vs. Arizona Chance (1)

[Red Pirate Rogers]

The Pirate King theme plays and Rogers makes his way to the ring while Wink runs through the standard introduction.

LeRay: Here comes the Crimson Corsair, ready for a match against his fellow adventurer and old friend Arizona Chance, always a pleasure to watch these two stalwarts match up.

Beeman: I guess, if you get pleasure from watching paint dry, sure!

LeRay: I can’t believe this, last week Rogers saved your beloved Taylor Thorin from a 20 foot fall, and you’re still insulting him?

Beeman: hey, I said thank you to Rogers!

LeRay: When? Where?

Beeman: maybe I didn’t say it but I thought it really loud….or well thought about thinking it.

LeRay: oh brother

[Thumper Moore III]

Hysteria by Muse begins to play as the arena lights go dark. As the guitar kicks in, a single spotlight silhouettes Arizona Chance as he holds aloft the JWA Championship. The full band kicks in, and the arena lights come on. Arizona hurriedly heads into the ring, and asks for a microphone. He takes it and then asks for a second, all while the music plays.

LERAY: The champ is here and he has two microphones? What’s going on?

As Hysteria continues to play, Arizona hands a microphone to Rogers. Rogers begs off, laughing, but Arizona seems to goad his friend into singing along with him as the song reaches its chorus, and the fans sing with the Adventurers.

CHANCE, ROGERS, and FANS: I want it now, I want it noooooow
Give me your heart and your gold
I’m not breaking down, I’m breaking ooooooout
Last chance to gain controoooooool

Arizona and Red both drop the microphones and start cracking up at each other, like two old friends at karaoke night.

LERAY: After that absolutely awful singing, referee Panther Haberdashery rings the bell.

BEEMAN: What? I’m sorry, I had my ears plugged.

LERAY: Chance and Rogers shake hands and get ready to lock up in this third round matchup. Rogers is leading the bracket along with Bad Luck Bradley, while Chance is surprisingly near the bottom of the pack Sean. Sean?

BEEMAN: I’m sorry, I put my fingers back in my ears when you started talking again.

LERAY: The two lock up and we’re underway!

[Red Pirate Rogers]

Arizona gets the edge and transitions to an armbar, Rogers reverses but before he can slip away he gets put in a chicken wing, he reverses again but is soon twisted into a hammerlock.

LeRay: looks like these two have an answer for everything their opponent throws at them. Arizona looking to press the advantage steering Rogers toward the corner, no Rogers reverses it into a whip…no Arizona reverses that and Rogers jumps to the middle rope and springboards over Arizona. My goodness!!

When Arizona turns around, Rogers catches him in a new tie up and pushes his advantage into another round of chain wrestling holds and reversals. Until another do-si-do whips Arizona into the corner.

LeRay: wait a moment is Arizona going to? (No, he won’t start flipping about, he raises a skeptical eye to the camera and lifts an elbow). Oh! Arizona catches Rogers right in the solar plexus and let’s see what he does next!

[Thumper Moore III]

LERAY: Arizona runs the ropes, Rogers ducks under a Lost Ark Lariat, Chance jumps the trip attempt, Rogers leapfrogs the return, and now a drop toe hold by the pirate! He goes for the Figurehead but Chance scurries to the ropes for a clean break.

BEEMAN: God, we’ve been in this match for four minutes and we’ve hit an elbow to the gut and a drop toe hold, and been subjected to bad singing and glad-handing. This is not wrestling.

LERAY: That drop toe hold may have done more damage than you think, Sean. A trickle of blood is emanating from Chance’s lip. Chance runs his lip, sees the blood on his hand, and smiles a wicked smile. Rogers nods and smiles back— the two meet in the center of the ring and trade hockey punches! Chance backs off— huge forearm to Rogers’ chest rocks him. Rogers comes back with a forearm of his own, which knocks the champ backwards two steps.

BEEMAN: FINALLY!

LERAY: Chance returns with a Lost Ark Lariat! Rogers is down as we cut to a commercial break!

[Red Pirate Rogers]

We return from the ad break

LeRay: Welcome back JWA Nation, as you can see, old friends make for familiar foes as Arizona Chance continues to control the flow of the match.

(We see Arizona picking Rogers up off the mat by his armpits, there's picture in picture of a big vertical suplex from the commercial break, and as we come back to present Arizona hits another chop to force Rogers upright.)

Beeman: Ya know, this is a lot more fun if I cover one eye, then I can just see Rogers suffer and ignore that Chance is doing well!

LeRay: I don't think Rogers can ignore it, Arizona sends him towards the ropes, here comes Rogers back oh MICHINOKU DRIVER! Cover 1...2--no...and I will say I think Arizona was pretty hopeful to think that would work.

Beeman: Yeah, and he ruined my system for watching this match.

(Arizona goes to pick up Red again and sets him up for another whip into the ropes)

LeRay: It almost worked last time will Arizona get a second one--NO! Headscissor take down, and both men are down.

Beeman: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 ah well, it's a draw, goodnight everybody!

LeRay: Oh would you stop it?

[Thumper Moore III]

LERAY: Rogers is up first, followed closely by Chance— Rogers takes a huge swing, which Chance ducks— he captures Rogers’ arm— Snapdragon Suplex! That’s a new one from the champ and it seems to have done some damage. Chance to the corner, ascends to the top— Legion of Boom Drop! Chance to the corner again, this time to the second rope— he beckons the pirate to rise— Sedona Sunrise!

BEEMAN: Well, it appears today he added a Sixth Move of Doom.

LERAY: Arizona is signaling for the Last Crusade— LAST CRU—NO! What a counter by Rogers as he used Chance’s own momentum to send him face first into the turnbuckle! Now that cut is definitely aggravated. Chance staggers back toward the center of the ring and falls flat on his face again. Rogers straight into the Figurehead! Rogers is really torquing down on the hold! Will Chance tap?

[Thumper Moore III]

LERAY: Arizona is crawling to the ropes— Rogers stands up and drags Arizona back to the center of the ring. But Arizona rolls through and catches Rogers in a small package— one, two, three! Arizona Chance stays alive in the J-1 and also damages Red Pirate Rogers’ chances to emerge from this bracket.

BEEMAN: Great. Meaningful action for BOTH of these idiots next week. Yippee.

LERAY: Rogers is insisting to referee Panther Haberdashery that he kicked out at 2, while Arizona has his hand raised. Arizona taps Rogers on the shoulder and points as the Jerkatron is showing the replay.

BEEMAN: That was actually a lot closer than I thought.

LERAY: The replay shows— it looks like Rogers kicked out at 3.1. Arizona shrugs his shoulders, and Rogers shrugs back with a smile. A handshake turns into a hug and the two raise each other’s arms.

BEEMAN: Like I do after most matches Chance wins, I think I’m gonna puke.

LERAY: We’ll check in on the other results after the show but for now, onto the main event!