[Cut to footage, albeit grainy, from Ground Zero #17, footage of the Gauntlet Battle Royal] Grendel's moshing his hair, whipping the fans into a frenzy here, and now a falling headbutt on Frown, and he's in Golota pain right now! Frown whipped to the ropes, FLYING ELBOWSMASH, and he hits the mat hard! Grendel now picking him up for a suplex near the ropes...he couldn't be going for a Lawn Dart here, could he? Against someone Frown's size? He may do better trying a suicidal move like Fuego's, and hope Frown hits first! Frown wiggling..he falls behind Grendel - SAMURAI BRAINBUSTER!!! Frown now dragging Ernie right over to the ropes...and he sets up for it again! Except THIS Pill will be laced with an extra-added ingredient... the concrete outside the ring! Possible elimination here...Ernie OVERROTATES UP...RANA OVER THE TOP.. ERNIE HELD THE ROPES!!!!! HE'S HOLDING A SPLIT OVER THE OUTSIDE!! FROWN HIT GROUND!!!! *DING DING DING* ("Crazy" starts up again, albeit briefly) Grendel secured last place!!! Waitaminute, Frown grabbing him from behind...POWERBOMB TOSS INTO THE GUARDRAIL!!!! (BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!) This is the definition of "sore loser" - Frown with the BITTER PILL II RIGHT ONTO THE CONCRETE!!! Ernie's down and he's not moving, Frown standing over him, yelling "Get Used to Disappointment", fans, we will see you at Snowbrawl! [The 'film' freezes and Ernie Grendel walks out in front of it.] [Ernie] [calmly] Get used to dissappointment... Get used to dissappointment? Frown... I'm dissappointed in *you*. I countered your big finisher, chucked you out of the ring... and you didn't have the the... [pause... Ernie's searching for the right word] the... [Ernie makes a vague gesture] the SACK to say "Ok, Ern. You got me there." Ohhhh no. [Ernie looks at the still-frozen shot of himself lying on the concrete in a crumpled heap.] [Ernie] So now we have the Gauntlet. And you know, I kinda *hope* that it comes down to you and me. Why? Because, Ronnie... either way, you're gonna be dissappointed. If I win - you get to be Ronnie Frown, the People's Champion. And if *you* win? Then you get the belt. And I get to live out my little nightmare. But. And there's always a 'but' to these things, isn't there? But... I'll have a brand new hobby. And that hobby is named Ronnie Frown. [He smiles] [Ernie] So... if you're looking to make some kind of personal triumph over me, Ronnie... some kind of defeat of Good Ol' Ernie Grendel, the guy no one else could put away... some kind of psychological victory over the guy who no one thought would last a month in the sport, never mind 4 years... [Ernie snaps his hair back out of his face. His mismatched eyes regard the camera as it slowly zooms in, but we just see the corners of his mouth twist up into a smile.] [Ernie] Get used to dissappointment. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@ *********************************** @ Camera Cut @************************************* @@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ///-----\\\ | PA System | "I'M THE SCATMAN!!!!" \\\-----/// (Crowd pops pretty hard as "Scatman" by Scatman John comes onto the PA system) Folks, that music means that "Silky Smooth" Simon Sanders is on his way to the ring, and it's time for the three way dance to determine the EWC Light Heavyweight Champion! And Sanders showing no signs of a stagger, so that's a good start. But getting back to Eernie Grendel for a moment, since he's the last one in, his nightmare is one of the two were guaranteed to see come true. And his is the one I'm most interested in seeing, because I don't think he can do it! I mean, the hair will grow back and all that, but wrestling only Pure Science matches? I don't think he can do it. But anyway, say something educational for once, Cross. Tell the folks at home how this three-way match is going to work. The way this works is that Sanders and Furia will be facing off for five minutes, and in that first five minutes neither man can eliminate the other. After five minutes, Mike Powers joins the match, and the match proceeds as normal. ("Staring at the Sun" by the Offspring comes on and the crowd gives another solid pop) Here comes the Elite Luchador, Militar de Furia, and folks, until a couple of hours ago, I would have sworn on a stack of bibles that Mike Powers was a dead man - until that altercation in the back between Sanders and Furia. Well, I'm just as confused as you are, but I'm still not sure if it was legit heat or if they're also trying to play a little mind game with Powers making him think there *is* friction between them. These first five minutes will be very telling. At any rate both mens eyes are locked on one another, this is going to be one incredible contest - two high flyers and a submission expert, should be a good mix of spots. The bell sounds, and the five minute countdown has begun. And don't forget that Sanders used to be one of the permier aerialists in the game earlier in his career. But his war with Jimmy Lowe gave him a knee injury that still nags him to this day. He had to completely reinvent his game, and I have to admit, he's done a very good job of it. Both men circling each other, looking for an opening. They go with a collar and elbow lockup, and Furia gets first strike with an armdrag takedown. Furia now just holding that armbar in the center of the ring. Well, this will be either the quickes five minutes of the night or the longest. Furia will want to keep the pace quick, Sanders will look to slow it down. Furia with the first edge and surprisingly going with a rest hold. Sanders gets to his feet, Furia still holding on, and now Sanders with a kick to the gut, Sanders coming off the ropes, crosses over Furia, Furia leapfrogs him on the rebound, and Furia with a chop that SANDERS ducks, Sanders with a hiptoss, Furia kicks him away, and now a kip up has Furia back on his feet! Furia with a crescent kick, DUCKED by Sanders, and Sanders gets a drop toe hold and converts it into a leg scissors. Good countermoves by both men. Back and forth action from both men, Furia showing his agility, Sanders showing his ring smarts, and now the former two-time Light-Heavy champ and former two-time Television champ clamping on a hold trying to slow down the fiery luchador. Furia made his way to the ropes, and Sanders giving him a clean break. It looks as if things are back under control for these two. Well, bad feelings or not, these two hold a lot of respect for each other and, sad to say, for the rule book. I don't think we're going to see any of the cheap shots that make a grudge match worth watching. They tie up in center ring again, and Sanders this time with a fireman's carry takedown before sliding into a headlock. Maybe it's just me, Cross, but does it seem like Sanders and Furia are just going through the motions out there? I'm not sure if this means they really *don't* have a grudge, or if they're saving something back for when Mike Powers finally enters the mix. It does seem like both men are taking it a *little* easy in the ring, although it's not like, say, Carr vs. Morelli on the ladder from a few years back. Furia now struggling to his feet, but Sanders hiptosses him while still holding the headlock, and now they're back to square one. Back where they started this exchange....y'know, if they really are just playing around in there, it seems that Sanders has had more of the "offense" in this five minute start. How much time is left anyway? About two minutes or so? Furia now slides out, and comes off the ropes, shoulderblock by Furia. Furia comes again, and a big backdrop counter by Sanders, but Furia lands on his feet...SANDERS WITH A DROPKICK THAT SENDS FURIA RIGHT OVER THE TOP! Whoa, I don't think *that* was part of the plan! A pretty solid drop kick from the former champ, and Furia taking a hard tumble to the outside. And Furia does not look very happy with that. Furia slides right back into the ring, but now he's talking with referee Terry Magnum about Sanders pulling his hair? I didn't see that. I didn't either, Cross. Probably Furia's frustration talking there. If this is supposed to be a psychological ploy on Sanders, I doubt it's going to work. Finally Furia just kinda shrugging, and they tie up again, and Sanders with another headlock...Furia escapes and now *FURIA* with a headlock, and now they keep escaping and going for headlocks with one another, until FINALLY Furia gets the best of that and goes for a headlock takedown. Now Furia finally getting his turn to be on top. But let's just see how long these two keep playing nice. Sanders bulls his way to his feet, goes for another headlo, NO, REVERSE DDT! That was "The Habit Breaker" and Sanders got that one out of nowhere. But now Sanders is just standing there, and I have a feeling there's more to this than meets the eye. Either that or Sanders knows he can't pin Furia yet. There's still about a minute left in the opening period...although why he'd pull out a move like the Habit Breaker is a bit puzzling. Furia back up, and he SHOVES Sanders backwards...complaining about a hairpull again, and this time the "Elite Luchador" is REALLY getting into it with the referee! You know, I'm beginning to think "hair pull" is their code word for backing out on their agreement. I don't think Furia was expecting to be on the receiving end of a high-impact move from Sanders, yet alone one of his signature moves. Sanders now arguing back, and Furia shoves him again, and this time Sanders shoves back. Tempers are getting heated again, and now both men trading chops in the center of the ring! Well, whatever deal they had at the start of the match, I think it's safe to say it's off now! They're not holding anything back with those chops! Furia just backed Sanders into the corner, HARD knife-edge, no playing with that one, and now an irish whip REVERSED by Sanders - Furia bounces out of the corner right into a bodyslam by Sanders! Here we go, *now* we're seeing some action! And looking up at the scoreboard clock in the Pepsi Center, we have three......two.....one..... *BZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTT!!!* ///-----\\\ | PA System | "It's just one of those DAYS when you don't wanna wake up" \\\-----/// (The heat starts raining down as "Break Stuff" by Limp Biskit blows over the speakers) Zero! And here comes Mike Powers, and he's taking his sweet time getting to the ring, probably some very sound advice. Definitely smart on the part of this youngster. Now that Sanders and Furia are finally tearing into each other legitimately, he's perfectly happy letting those two pound the snot out of each other, then sliding in to clean up what's left. Meanwhile, in ring, Sanders missed a kneedrop, and Furia just sent Sanders into the ropes, HARD spinwheel kick by Furia...and now Furia with an Asai Moonsault, and we've got a cover, count of one, COUNT OF TWO... Furia almost eliminated Sanders right there! Exactly what Powers is hoping for. He knows the hatred between those two is nothing compared to the hatred they have for him. Once they get tired of pounding on each other, he knows they'll both go after him with a vengeance. So it's in his best interest to eliminate either Powers or Furia early on. Furia now has Sanders propped into a corner and is stomping a mudhole in "Silky Smooth", and Powers has finally gotten to the ring, he came *ALONE* folks, but lets see how long that lasts..and Powers joining with Furia in stomping on Sanders! Well, this match will definitely start separating into "the enemy of my enemy is my friend", but who's the biggest enemy of whom right now, it's hard to say. Powers now in ring telling Furia "Get rid of him, it'll be you and me one on one!" VERY smart move by Powers, playing Furia's hate to actually give himself a better chance to win. And Furia has apparently bought it, and both men now laying a HUGE smackdown on Simon Sanders. And Powers definitely with a bigger beef against Sanders than he does against Militar, so it's no surprised Powers would go after him first. And Furia looks all to happy to play along. Sanders in a world of trouble. Double whip now by Powers and Furia, and a double backdrop sends Sanders crashing down. Powers turns to Sanders....and FURIA AND SANDERS WITH A COMBO LEG SWEEP/SPINWHEEL KICK ON POWERS!! (*MEGA CROWD POP*) I'll be - they suckered him! Sanders up now and both men are kicking Powers' ass - LITERALLY, with stomps all over Power's backside! Well....I....I mean I knew it all along, Cross! I wasn't fooled at all by that sham of a fight at the start of the match, but I guess it was good enough to fool Powers...which has me worried as to what else they have cooked up tonight! This was a scam the whole time, as Sanders and Furia high-five each other. They each grab an arm of Mike Powers...and a double arm DDT jams BOTH arms of Mike Powers into the mat! And wait...BOTH MEN APPLYING THE CROSS-ARM BREAKER!!! BOTH MEN HAVE THE "DUKE" ON EACH SIDE OF MIKE POWERS! Sanders on the left, Furia on the right, and Powers literally being crucified right in the middle! Am I actually showing some signs of teamwork coming from those two? Where was this in their tag team match against Star Power? Powers has managed to get a leg on the ropes, and both men being told to break the hold, and Powers deciding discretion is the better part of valor here, as he slides out of the ring...but Sanders goes for a baseball slide dropkick that staggers Powers backwards...AY CARAMBA!!! FURIA WITH A SPRINGBOARD PLANCHA THAT KNOCKED BOTH HIM AND POWERS INTO THE FANS!!! And they send the first two rows scattering! That's just one of the chances you take when you spring for the good seats. You get a great view of the action, but you could also end up with an EWC superstar right in your lap! That looked devastating on Powers, but I think Furia got the worst of that exchange, he's down right now, while Powers has made it to his feet and fell over the ring barrier. Don't get me wrong, I don't think Mike Powers knows where he is right now. Gotta agree with you there, Cross. If Powers *did* know where he was, he'd see he's walikng right into Simon....OOOOOH, make that the right fist of Simon Sanders! Sanders right on Powers, and an irish whip into the steel post, and now Sanders lifting Powers into an atomic drop, but Powers flips behind and shoves Sanders face first into the OTHER steel post! Now all THREE men dazed on the outside. Furia pulling himself to his feet, Powers looking to turn the tide on his arch-nemesis, Simon Sanders. No one clearly in control at the moment, but Powers making an effort to change that. Powers desperately needing some offense there, and now Powers comes off the steps with a hurcacanrana on Simon Sanders! Folks, remember, there *can* be DQ's and countouts in this match, but the referee being liberal with that, as there MUST be a winner in this encounter. Exactly. Commissioner Tara Jansen set this match up to hopefully put an end to the matters between Powers, Furia and Sanders once and for all. And a triple count-out certainly won't solve anything. I wouldn't be surprised if the Commissioner gave Magnum special instructions to make sure this match comes to a definite finish, so I don't think he'll start the actual count until somebody gets back in the ring. That's right, as long as all three are out there, no one will get counted out. Meanwhile, Furia is still walking around dazed behind us, paramedics are checking him out, and Powers has a chair set up in the aisleway. He grabs the timekeepers bell now what is he doing....Foxx, INCOMING!!! (Shot of Powers doing a triple jump, from chair to the announcers table OVER Foxx's head to come down with the timekeepers bell on Furia's head) HOLY.....what in God's name has gotten into Mike Powers??? He almost took my head off, for God's sake! Doesn't he know how valuable I am to this broadcast? And people call Ernie Grendel insane, at least he's not homicidal... Powers now setting up for a powerbomb on Furia...and he's RUNNING THIS WAY! LOOK OUT!!! (Shot of Cross and Foxx scattering as Powers does a running Liger bomb onto the announcers table from outside the guard barrier - the table, however, does not break) Man, that HAS to hurt. Powers now crawling over the ring barrier... and Simon Sanders is RIGHT THERE with a reverse DDT on the concrete! See, I give Powers credit for playing the game here, but he's still fighting not only two men, but two men that HATE HIM and will not stop unless he's put out! I know Simon Sanders is a man who's teetered on the edge on more than one occasion, but now it looks like Powers has been sent OVER the edge! That's twice he's tried to take me out! I haven't done anything to him! Sanders now grabs Powers by the hair, Powers is now bleeding from the forehead, and Sanders rams that bloodied head right into the ring apron. Now he grabs Powers by the hair and sends him flying across the ring steps! Simon Sanders definitely in the best condition of the three. Powers and Furia going at each other hammer and tongs, Furia obviously on the receiving end for most of it. Now it's Sanders' turn to get his hands on Powers, giving his buddy Furia a rest. Sanders now hooks Powers' arm behind his body...possible hammerlock suplex here...Powers flips over, LOW BLOW by Powers, and Powers now with a dropkick that CRASHES Sanders head right into the post. And again the Smooth one tastes the steel post! And Magnum still letting just about anything go outside the ring. And I don't really blame him - there's bad blood all around and the only way to take care of it is to let it all bleed out. And apparently Powers has the head start on that. Powers now slides into the ring and through the other side, he's got Sanders' hand, what the...HANDCUFFS!!! Powers just pulled HANDCUFFS out of his trunks! Hold on here....he had those handcuffs in his trunks the whole time? I mean I saw something bulging out of his....well....now I know what it is! Powers has cuffed Simon Sanders' hands together around the steel ringpost, and Powers now with several high kicks, bouncing Sanders' head off the steel ringpost!!! And Powers managing to pull a fast one in this match! And again Magnum just standing and watching as Powers is getting pretty much free rein in this match. And considering what he's done to Furia on the outside, I don't blame Magnum for not stopping him. Mike Powers now free to focus completely on Furia...but he's rolling into the ring! Furia still dazed on the concrete..and Powers telling the referee to count!!!! Aaahhhh, *now* I get it! This is a *brilliant* plan on the part of Mike Powers! Both his opponents are on the outside, Sanders pretty much helpless wrapped around the ring post, Furia stumbling about like he's had too much tequila, Powers standing all alone center ring....he's got the Light-Heavyweight title all locked up, Cross! Hold on here, Terry Magnum refusing to count Sanders out! He's saying the handcuffs were an unfair advantage, so he's refusing to count Sanders out! Powers is LIVID in there. Oh give me a break. *Now* Magnum decides to get a backbone and lay down the law? Powers has been fighting two-on-one odds all night! This was the least he could do to even the score, and now Magnum all but nullifies it on a judgment call? I have a hard time agreeing with that! Powers now screaming at Magnum to at least count Furia out, and Terry can't argue with that, although their argument has managed to buy Furia some time. Magnum up to four now as Powers is having a verbal altercation with one of the fans. Well, Powers can yell at the fans all he wants as long as he doesn't leave the ring. But you're right about Powers wasting time arguing with the referee. Just like arguing with an umpire in baseball, it's an argument you'll never win. Leave the arguing with the officials up to the managers, it's not the player's duty. Count is up to seven, Furia is at the ring apron..eight....nine....and Furia *JUST* sliding in before the count. And Powers is right there with a punt kick to the stomach of Furia. Now it's pretty much a one-on-one battle between Powers and Furia.... come to think of it, Mike Powers better have the key to those handcuffs handy. Magnum isn't going to count Sanders out, so eventually he'll have to let him loose and get him back into the ring so he can pin him. Powers now with a chop, and he irish whips Furia to the ropes, and a nice springboard leg lariat levels Furia, and Powers with a cover...we HAVE TWO...oooh, two and a half count on Furia, and Furia is so dazed in there Powers can pretty much have his way with him. Powers firmly in control, Cross, but it doesn't matter how dazed Furia is or how much more Powers can dish out. It's all for naught if he can't keep Militar down for a three count. Powers now scrapes his boot across the eye of Furia and now spitting on the Elite Luchador, and that is just uncalled for! And he just said "Heil, *pthhbbt!*" right in Der Furia's face! This is some of that Generation-X angst come to the forefront. Powers may have dropped the "everyone's against me" schtick, but the feelings are still there. He's just chosen a different way to deal with it. Powers grabs Furia, pulls him over to the corner, and stands on the second rope....and a piledriver off the second rope, Furia is down and his body is starting to twitch! Ow, and that is *not* a good sign when your body starts twitching like that. I mean, the pile driver is a dangerous move as is, but coming off the second rope, that could have easily cracked a vertebrae or knocked a disc loose or something. Powers now climbing onto the top rope, HIGH sommersault senton, look at the elevation he got there, Powers with a cover, count of two, and Furia still hanging on. That kickout was pure instinct, Cross. Furia has to be close to unconscious in there. One more serious high-impact blow, and Magnum better seriously consider declaring Furia unable to contiune. Sanders struggling with those handcuffs now that he's got some of his sense back, meanwhile Powers picks up Furia, whips him to the ropes again, and a leaping roaring elbow sends Furia back down! Powers still not giving Furia any space...and actually, Sanders should be pretty comfortable with those handcuffs. I'm sure the cops have raided Rosalyn's more than once, considering all the jazz musicians that hung out in there. Powers now standing over Furia, and FURIA TRYING TO FIGHT BACK, fires a couple shots into the sternum, but POWERS just bitchslapped the taste out of Furia's mouth, and the crowd is booing him hard for that cheapshot! Cheap shot nothing, Cross. That was a perfectly legal open-palm strike to the jaw! Either he keeps the hand open and gets accused of a slap, or he closes the fist and gets admonished for it. It's a no-win situation. Powers' attitude is going to come back and bite him in the rear one of these days, but right now this match is all Mike Powers. He's got Furia by the head and is climbing to the top rope...and a diamond dust sommersault stunner lays Furia out on the mat! That could be it! That could be the blow that....wait a minute here, who do we have coming down to ringside? *CROWD POP* Hold on now, security just got here...and they've apparently brought some bolt cutters with them and other tools to get Sanders free! This can't be good news for Powers. No-sir-ee. You can bet Sanders will be in there like shot once he's cut loose. And if Furia is still in there, that just poses double trouble for the youngster. He better give Sanders a few more kicks just to be on the safe side. Powers just saw this and he's out on the ring apron..."POWER PLAY" Springboard Shooting Star Press, FURIA GETS HIS KNEES UP!!! Powers tried to put Furia away but Furia had the presence of mind to block it, and now both men are down on the mat! Powers doing what he had to do. He knows it's only a matter of moments before Simon Sanders is cut loose, so he's trying to get rid of one opponent while it's still one-on-one. But Furia had other ideas. Powers now getting to his feet in the corner, but Furia is up as well, and it looks like that latin temper of his is in overdrive. Furia with a kick to keep him away, but it barely slows him down,as Furia unleashes a flurry of kicks in the corner that has Powers dazed and confused. Obviously the second wind has kicked in for Furia. I hope powers can reverse it back before Sanders re-enters the fight, otherwise it's lights out guaranteed for Mike Powers! Furia now sends Powers across to the other corner, and Furia heads in...jumping spinwheel kick that knocks Powers silly, and Powers is down in the corner area, and Furia onto the bottom turnbuckle, MOONSAULT and right back up, this could be the triple series... Uh-oh, bad things come in threes. And if Furia hits all of these, it'll be a *really* bad thing for Mike Powers! Moonsault nailed off the second rope...and NAILED OFF THE TOP ROPE! DARN! TRIPLE MOONSAULT RIGHT ON THE MARK, and Magnum is RIGHT THERE to count...we have one....WE HAVE TWO....we have a kickout, Powers is still right in this. And folks, Simon Sanders is free! He might still be in it, but not for long. You can bet Sanders is itching for payback for that handcuff trick. Furia now sends Powers to the ropes, Powers reverses..SANDERS FROM BEHIND, REVERSE DDT SET UP, Powers slides out, Furia with a rebound...FURIA HANDSPRING ELBOWS SANDERS!!!! That was a case of crossed signals to be sure! You sure about that, Cross? I mean, look at how long Furia had to stave off Mike Powers by himself. He's probably upset Sanders allowed himself to be handcuffed and get all that rest while he got the tar beat out of him! Sanders is stunned outside the ring, and Powers gets a forward Russian Leg Sweep on Furia in the ring. Powers outside like a shot...."POWER PLAY" right on the money.....cover, one.....two......THREE!!!! Furia is out of the match!!! It's down to Sanders vs Powers, and I don't think there was a betting man out there that would have thought Mike Powers *WOULDN'T* be the first eliminated! Well, now it doesn't really matter if that handspring elbow was crossed signals or intentional. Furia's out of the match as a direct result of that miscue. And you can bet when the match is over, Sanders and Furia are going to have a pretty long talk about it. Sanders now coming into the ring, and Powers dragging himself off the canvas to meet Sanders...kneelift by Powers, and now Powers setting up for a vertical suplex...he lifts and then twists around into a neckbreaker as he falls down. Great move by Powers! And now he'd getting a second wind of his own. He hasn't let Sanders get back on offense since he was freed from the ring post. As much as I hate his attitude, Powers has shown some innovation in that ring. He covers Sanders, count of one, count of two...two only, Sanders got a LOT of rest outside that ring while he was handcuffed - he's still wearing the cuffs arond his wrists, the techs just cut the chain off. And I wouldn't be surprised if he thought up some ways to use those cuffs as weapons while he was struggling outside the ring. Powers not giving him a chance to do so, though. Powers how has Sanders in an airplane spin..and he tosses him off throat first across the ropes in a modified stun gun, and Sanders tumbles over the top rope! Sanders spending more time outside the ring than inside, and Powers making sure he stays out there. And he's not going for a countout win. Looks like he's fixing to go out after him the hard way! Sanders slow in getting to his feet, as Powers measures him... and planchas outward into a tornado DDT...hold it, Sanders twisting him around and FALLS RIGHT ON POWERS' ARM!!! He converted that move into a single arm DDT that looked downright painful. Well, I was right about the hard way, but I was expecting it to be the other way around! Powers' left shoulder got driven into the concrete, and he's in obvious pain out on the floor. Sanders grabs Powers for a bodyslam..and instead rams Powers shoulder first into the steel ringpost!!! Sanders, I think, has had enough of this. I should think so. First the humiliation of the handcuffs, then getting clocked in the face by the guy he trusted to be his partner of sorts in this match, plus all the frustrations from his previous matches against Mike Powers, It's not looking good in there. Sanders now wraps Powers arm around that post a couple of times, trying to soften him up for his finisher. Powers staggers back into the ring, trying to get away from Sanders. Powers trying to get some space between him and Sanders, perhaps looking to catch him being over-aggressive and suckering him into a cheap shot. But Sanders staying right on top of his opponent. Sanders grabs Powers on the inside, and lifts him up into a shoulderbreaker, and "Silky Smooth" is fired up at the moment. He waits for Powers to get to his feet..and he slides in behind with the katahajime!!!! Now Magnum should step in and break this hold immediately! I know he's let a lot of things go so far, but that's a blatant illegal choke hold! That hold should be banned from wrestling altogether! Sanders has got that locked on tight, and Powers is struggling like mad to stay in this...POWERS backed Sanders HARD into the turnbuckles behind him, and Sanders released the hold. Desperation move by Powers, but it paid off. That's just about the only way he *could* have broken it! And great presence of mind by Powers to stay on his feet. If he let Sanders force him down to the mat, I think it would have been over. Powers with a series of kicks in the corner, punctuating it with a final high kick right upside the head! Sanders staggering out of the corner, and Powers grabs him, going for the airplane spin again, and THIS time turning it into a coptorbomb! Cover, WE HAVE TWO, OOOOOOOH, Powers was a fifth of a second away from the Light Heavyweight Championship I tell ya, if Powers pulls this one out, he better get the respect he deserves from these fans and from the Commissioner. Fighting off what was essentialy two against one and pinning both men, that's a sign of no ordinary athlete. And, Mr. Know-it-all, he's done it WITHOUT the assistance of Lanny Hawkins or Mr. WP! You have to give him credit for that! This started with three men, Powers pinned Militar de Furia, now it's just Mike Powers and Simon Sanders, two men who without a doubt HATE one another. Powers now back on the apron again, I think he's going to try to end this... POWERPLAY....Sanders sits up, and Powers gets nothing but mat! That's why they call them high-risk moves, Cross! Both wrestlers ripe for the picking. It's just down to a matter of who can put who away first! Sanders is still dazed, though, and both men are struggling to get to their feet. The first person there is going to have a huge advantage if the second person is too slow...both men up now, and Sanders with a hard right hand, backing Powers to the ropes. Irish whip, Sanders goes for a belly to belly sup...Powers blocks...JACKHAMMER!!! Suplex powerslam, count of one, count of two, count of OH MY GOD, it doesn't get much closer than that. I think everyone in the arena thought it was over, Cross! Powers arguing the count, and I think he has a valid point, but like I said earlier, he's not going to win this argument. So he better stay focused on Simon Sanders. Powers sends Sanders flying into the turnbuckles, and a handspring moonsault press in the corner stuns Sanders. Powers moving for the kill, whips him to the other buckle, and MISSES with a springboard leg lariat.. AND LANDS CROTCH FIRST ONTO THE ROPES! And again missing on a high-risk move! Powers' lives off high-risk maneuvers, but you can also die by them. Case in point right there. Sanders grabs Powers arm, armdrags him off the ropes onto the ground.. and RIGHT INTO THE CROSS ARM BREAKER!!! HE'S GOT POWERS IN THE "DUKE" CENTER RING! And this is certainly not a good sign for Powers! The last couple times he was in this hold, Powes tapped out! Then again, the referee was either knocked cold or distracted by the rest of Star Power the previous times. No such luxury now. Powers nowhere near any ropes, he's hanging in there, but how long can he last? He's trying to drag Sanders with him closer to the ropes, but Sanders isn't being very cooperative. Sanders knows this is his best chance to finally get a victory over Mike Powers and also regain championship gold. You think he's going to cooperate? Powers now moving around less, he's still refusing to tap out, but he's been in that cross arm breaker for almost a minute, and he's been through the wringer besides. And Sanders using his head and neck to bridge back a little bit and add more pressure to the shoulder and elbow joint! Powers trying desperately to hang on, but he's starting to fade in there.... The referee checking Powers arm to see if he's still in this...and he's out! Mike Powers has passed out, and we've FINALLY got a LH champion crowned! *DING DING DING* ("Scatman" comes on over the speakers as the crowd pops like fiends) Simon Sanders has done it, he is once again a Light Heavyweight Champion, but this time it's with the EWC! He's champion, all right, but not without a bit of help from his friends. He had Militar de Furia doing all the work to weaken Mike Powers, and then getting a friendly call by the referee refusing to count him out while he was handcuffed on the outside. Powers never gave up, there's gonna be a rematch, I guarantee it. Folks, I give all the credit in the world to Mike Powers, he took on two men tonight and was an eyelash from beating both of them. And yes, he did not give in to the "Duke", but he did pass out, and that was all Sanders needed! Well, I know Powers has a lot of pride, and I didn't expect him to tap out in a match of this importance. But sometimes you have to. It's a very rare occurrence, but sometimes when you pass out from the pain, you don't quite wake up again. And I'd hate to see a career as promising as Mike Powers' ended because he was too stubborn to know when to give up. Powers being looked at by paramedics in the ring right now, while that's being done, we're going to replay this look at a new talent from the famous McGill family coming in, his name is Robbie McGill, take a look!