LightTube Cage - Vladimir Strife vs. Demon

[Vladimir Strife]

The lights are dim, the arena is silenced. A lone spotlight shines into the middle of the ring, the mat stained crimson from tonight's battles and bloodshed. In midst of the horror, Lizzie Morna holds the microphone to her lips, preparing the patrons for the next battle.

"Ladies and Gentlemen... our next bout is a Lighttube Cage Match. The contestants will first make their way to the ring. Once they are inside, a cage - constructed from duct tape and fluorescent light tubes will be lowered over it. There is no submission, no pinfalls, no disqualification. The ONLY way to win is to eliminate your opponent through the cage and to the floor below!"

JP: As some more diehard fans might realize, this match has only been done once before, back in GHW between the legendary LRey and one of tonight's contestants, Vladimir T. Strife.
Ray: Yep! And my baby won it! This match, as few people realize, was actually originally created in Japan. The structure was considered too dangerous though and for fear of the fans being injured, they opted out on performing the match.
JP: That's right, Ray. As an extra precaution for our own fans, we've actually moved fans back further from ringside to avoid any debris from the cage.

As lights shine over the entrance bay, a song unheard in EVPW hits the P.A. system. It is 'All Hail The New Flesh', a song from Canadian thrash metal band Strapping Young Lad.

"Introducing first, weighing in at 269 lbs, standing at 6 feet tall.. Hailing from Sighisoara, Romania... he is The Hardcore King.... The Messiah of the Asylum... the 47-0 Undefeated Behemoth... VLADIMIR T. STRIFE!!!"

The curtain is yanked aside, the King stepping into the limelight with his arms held high. The audience takes a momentary reaction to the new short haired look he has taken on and the shaved face. They cheer him on, a few cat calls coming from the women in the audience and a certain commentator at ringside. His shirt is jet black, the words on it stating "What doesn't kill me, only pisses me off!"

He sticks his hands out to the sides, tagging the outstretched palms of the people alongside the ramp as he makes his way to the ring. He walks around the entire ring, inviting the pushed back fans to the barricade long enough to get their appreciation as well. He steps behind the commentary table and hugs Jimmy and Ray, happy to see them both again. As they sit back down, Vlad climbs the steel steps and swings a leg into the ring, running up to Lizzie and wrapping his arms around her, lifting her into the air. He holds her up in a hug as she tries to protest, but eventually gives in, wrapping her arms around him as well.

As the King sets her back down, he takes her microphone and looks around the stadium, his music fading out.

"IT IS GREAT TO BE BACK!!!"

The fans go wild, cheering him on as they wait for more of his thoughts.

"I know I've only been gone a few weeks, but I missed this... And man, what a few weeks. I laid in that fucking hospital bed... out of my fucking head. Actually, truth be told, they lost me at one point... I DIED ON THAT FUCKING TABLE!! But Nicholas Carson... he was just the beginning. I will stop the Imperfects at ANY cost, even my fucking life!! 1 DOWN, 4 TO GO!!! DO YOU FUCKING HEAR ME, RHAPS!?!?! I will rip your men piece by piece to fucking shreds and then I'm going to hunt you down like THE FUCKING COWARD YOU ARE!!! I fucked your world up once and I'll fuck it up all over again!! You and every.. last... fucking comrad... you have."

The fans applaud, wanting nothing more than to see the SIC monster brought to the ground.

"But that's for another day. Demon, I just got home from the fucking hospital this morning, which means I have a thirst for carnage like you fucking READ about! So get your fat, sweaty, mommy-never-loved-me ass down here and let's start this slaughter!!!"

Vlad goes to set down the microphone as the arena lights up again, but stops, bringing it back to his lips.

"And one more fucking thing!! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN...."

Vlad holds on a minute as some of the more ambitious fans scream it first. He shakes his head, holding up a single finger to tell them to wait. He leans his head back, raising the microphone overhead before bellowing out the words they're waiting for.

"FUCK YOU!!!"

The entire place goes haywire, jumping and cheering at the signature and infamous line.

TBCB Demon

[Demon]

"Welcome to Hell!"

*The now familiar line rings through the arena, signaling that Demon is about to make his entrance. All of the lights dim down so that the arena is left in complete darkness. The sound of a small child screaming echoes through the crowd, sending a chill down the spines of many of the fans in attendance. As the scream fades away, a blue light fills the arena and Last Resort by Papa Roach begins to play. After a few moments, the entrance curtains begin to ruffle and Demon steps out from behind them. He is wearing his usual in ring attire consisting of black wrestling pants and a black muscle shirt, all topped off with his trademark mask on his face. Demon has his Imperial Championship strapped to his waist, along with Vladimir's United Glory Championship slung across his shoulder. After a few moments of hesitation, Demon begins to walk down the ramp.*

"The match has been long in the making. Ever since Demon stole Vlad's title belt back at the end of Killing Grounds, we've been expecting to see these two square off in the ring. This should be a great match!"

"JP, any match with my future hubby is a great match. And I can tell you one thing, Vladdy will not be beaten by the likes of Demon. No, he'll destroy Demon, take back his title, and then go kick Rhaps' ass."

"That's not as easy as you make it sound. Remember, Demon has only lost once while he's been here in EVPW, and that was to his stablemate Rhaps. He's not easy to beat, and he's proved that he has at least a bit of talent."

"True, he's only been beaten by Rhaps here. But, Rhaps was beaten by Vladimir back in GHW, so by the transitive property Vlad is better than Demon."

*Demon continues to walk down the entrance ramp at a steady pace, completely ignoring the booing fans on either side of him, his attention only focused on Vlad. A few of the more high spirited fans throw food or drinks down at Demon to show him just how much he is hated around EVPW. As the snacks and beverages continue to fly, Demon finally loses his cool and kicks the barrier separating him from the audience. Immediately the food and drink stops coming, though the fans continue to boo loudly at the hated superstar.*

"Introducing the opponent. Hailing from parts unknown, and now residing in Sacramento, California. He stands six feet seven inches tall and weighed in tonight at three hundred and twelve pounds. He is your Imperial Champion.....DEMON!!!!"

*As Lizzie introduces Demon, the crowd boo louder than ever, really wanting to let him know that they could care less if he just dropped dead. Demon continues to mentally shake them off, trying not to lose his cool yet again. As he nears the ring, Demon walks over to the steel steps and climbs up the slowly. He pauses on the ring apron before swinging his leg up and over the ropes and climbing into the ring. Demon looks at Vlad momentarily before walking over to him and yanking the microphone out of his hands.*

"CUT THE DAMN MUSIC!"

*Last Resort immediately stops playing and the lights all return to normal. Demon waits a few more seconds, wanting to see if the fans will actually be quiet. When they are not, he just plows on, talking over them instead.*

"Vlad, you are so full of shit. You think you can take all of the Imperfects single-handed, but you really are just going to get your ass whooped. I could care less about that oh so special record of yours. Forty seven and zero huh? Well, tonight I am just going to have to prove to everybody that you are only human. And when I win, you will never see this title again."

*As he says this, Demon holds up the United Glory Championship, wanting to gloat to Vlad. A look of anger flares on Vlad's face as he sees the title that was stolen from him so long ago, even though he is still the tag team champion. Demon lowers the title before handing it and his Imperial Championship over to the referee. He hands both titles out to a staff member outside of the ring before signaling for the cage to be lowered. It is immediately dropped down and the ref then signals for the bell to be hit. The sound of the ringing echoes through the arena as the crowd wait in anticipation for the match to get underway.*

-TBC-

[Vladimir Strife]

Vladimir and Demon step to the middle of the ring, meeting one another slowly as they take in their opponent. The monstrous Imperfect stood a full 7 inches taller, 43 lbs heavier, a force of nature. It was the King's unspoken weakness, a larger enemy. Few times had he parred up with as large of men and each time he'd wound up hurt. Nicholas Carson, Hyperion, the bout of respect with Kingbear. Strife was a bully, but it was always easy to bully the little ones. There was no manhandling the Demonic one, no overpowering or dominating. The flash of cameras flooded the arena, a photo
opportunity as the men stood silent in the calm before the storm.

Vladimir backs away finally, snapping his wrists to limber them up. He grabs the top rope and bends down, pulling it towards him as he stretches and prepares for a battle to go down in the record books. Standing up once more, he grabs the sword pennant that rests upon his collarbone, raising it to his lips and pursing them against it.

The combatants are ready, the Romanian stepping up with both hands held high to initiate a test of strength. Demon snickers, knowing that his strength easily outmatches the competition. His hands reach up as well, clasping a single palm to Vladimir's and lacing their fingers. As he slowly reaches for the other, he finds himself caught in a trap. Vladimir's free hand darts south and slaps across the undercarriage of the super heavyweight. The big man drops to his knees, cursing and swearing at the cheap shot by the Undefeated Behemoth. He takes the given hand and raises it up, stepping below and behind the Imperial champion. Twisting it about, Demon begins to wince in pain, it being more of an annoyance at this early going.

JP: That's Vlad for you, he'll take any opening he can get, be it honorable or not.
Ray: Who cares how he does it as long as he beats this freak?

The King doesn't hold the maneuver long, letting go abruptly and raising his leg up. He extends it forward, the sole of his boot battering the hind of Demon's skull. The big man drops onto his front, instantly picking himself back up as Vladimir plans his next move. He stomps at the side of the masked monster, wearing him down lightly as he is returning to a vertical base. Once on his feet, the Imperfect's wrist is clutched and seized, taken prisoner by the Almighty ruler. Tepes pushes back with his weight, using the momentum to whip the opponent towards the ring ropes and the dangerous structure that lies just beyond. In haste, Strife had chosen to use his weight, a very poor decision given the current foe. Demon punishes the mistake, stopping himself and using the inertia to spin Vladimir around into the Irish whip.

Vlad hits the ropes hard and they stretch behind his weight, leaning him into the glass cage. A white tube is crushed across the back of his shoulders, the dust-like explosion of slivers of glass stabbing into his shirt and through into his flesh. He cries out in pain before dropping down to his knees, back arched as he tries to shake the misery.

Ray: My baby! Oh no!
JP: And Vladimir Strife becomes the first of these men tonight to taste the bite of the glass tubes. Don't let it get you down, Ray, there are hundreds of those things and sooner or later, one of these men are going to feel the fury of it all as they crash through a side and down to the floor!

Before Vladimir can even stand, the Imperial Imperfect comes rushing the length of the room and juts his foot forward, colliding with his sternum. It sends him back fiercely and he hits the cage between the bottom two ropes again with his cranium. Two more lighttubes seem to disintegrate against the force, pouring fragment shards raining down across his left cheek. Strife jerks himself away from the spot, cursing aloud as he wipes his cheek, smearing blood across his face and palm, a grimace overcoming his face as he accidentally pushes the slivers in further. He calls out in pain before grabbing the top rope and pulling himself up. The Demonic one charges again, this time met with a raised boot that slams across his mouth and pushes him back, stopping him.

The Czar of Scars comes bustling back at him, stopped abruptly by a gigantic hand that covers his windpipe and throat, holding tightly to it. Demon steps to the King's side and presses his other hand onto his back, Tepes struggling for freedom. The Demonic One lifts him into the air, pushing him back towards the fragile structure. Slamming with his shoulders across a fortified piece of the cage, Strife is lucky to not spill out through it and go home a loser tonight. His luck is twisted, however, instead being met with the remainder of several busted tubes on his back and head. He lightly bounces back, his feet giving out under him as they hit the canvas and causing him to drop onto his hind. His body is almost completely covered in the grains and glass, the Undefeated Behemoth's body shivering as it tries to cope with the pain that has taken him over by storm.

JP: HOLY SHIT! Vladimir just left a hell of a weak spot in that cage, you can almost make out his impression on it! He's COVERED in glass!!
Ray: Come on, Vlad!!! You haven't even busted a single tube on this freak's head yet!


((Sorry for the short post, just got some crap going on in my head, figured we'd start out slow anyhow))

[Demon]

*Demon looks down at his opponent, disappointment evident on his face. It seemed that he thought Vladimir would prove a much more challenging opponent than he had so far. Little did the Imperial Champion know that Vlad had yet to get warmed up. But Demon is uniformed on this front and instead he continues on his murderous rampage, letting Vlad take all the damage for now. The Demonic One bends down low and lifts the Undefeated Behemoth back up to his feet before whipping him into one of the four corners of the ring. This is the moment Demon makes his first mistake. He takes his sweet time to attack Vlad again as he believes the King to be incapacitated. And for good reason, this being the first in a long time the crowd have seen Vlad being manhandled. However, as Demon finally charges forward, the wily veteran slips out of the way and allows Demon's momentum to cause the damage.*

*The Imperfects size proves to be his downfall at this pivotal moment, causing his body to continue forward, his inertia proving too much for him to overcome. Demon's face collides squarely with the glass rods that surround the ring, causing powdered glass to fly through the air and Demon to become temporarily blinded. This is all the opportunity the forty three and zero Vladimir Tepes Strife needs to begin taking advantage of the contest. He begins to quickly dissect his opponent, choosing to take out his legs and therefore disable the power of the large man.*

*Vlad first connects with a quick series of calf kicks, sending the big man down to his knees. This was most unlike the King. He hardly ever used speed to defeat his opponents, choosing to usually demolish all with his strength. However, facing a man like Demon forces you to adjust your style a bit so you are not overwhelmed by absolute power. Tepes follows up the barrage of quick kicks by running forward and leaping over the curled up body of the Demonic One. He allows his left leg to stick out, and as gravity takes hold of him and brings him back down to earth, his leg falls on to the back of Demon's head, driving his nose into the canvas. The force of the shot is enough to bring Demon back up to his knees momentarily before he flops back down to the ground and lies there motionless. Vladimir hops back up to his feet and immediately begins to gloat cockily to the crowd.*

"YES! My baby has managed to take control of this match once again!"

"Calm down before you cum in your pants Ray. Haven't you learned yet that you can never count Demon out. He's not our Imperial Champion for nothing."

*Jimmy was correct, though he didn't entirely know it yet. Currently, however, Demon is still on the ground, rolling around a bit and blinking his eyes rapidly to try to clear any glass and blood from them, but otherwise showing no signs of life. The Undefeated Behemoth continues to gloat overhead, though he quickly stops, realizing the huge mistake he is making in letting Demon recover at all. He mentally scolds himself, knowing that he should have kept the pressure on Demon and not allowed him any room to breathe. However, he now knows that with each passing second Demon grows stronger, and he wishes to remedy that.*

*The King stalks over to the Imperial Champion, looking to add to Demon's pain and possibly put him through the glass tubes surrounding the ring quickly and avoid the possibility of horrible injury. However, as he begins to bend down to lift the large man up to his feet, he is grabbed around his throat by Demon. It appears that the super heavyweight was only playing opossum, and Vladimir has now played neatly into his trap. Demon pushes himself up to his feet, never taking his eyes of Vlad or loosening his grip for even a second. The Undefeated Behemoth's eyes grow wide as Demon uses his immense strength to lift the rather large man bodily into the air with apparent ease. Instead of slamming his opponent into the ground immediately, Demon chooses to hold Vlad up and begin walking toward the glass tubes that form a cage.*

"Oh no! If Vladdy doesn't find a way to escape from the clutches of Demon soon, he may just wind up on the arena floor covered in glass."

"It looks like the streak could finally be over. However, it has looked like that before and Vlad has always managed to pull something out of his ass and come away with a win."

"Oooooh! I really hope that Vlad pulls something out of his ass during this match!"

"You sicken me."

*Vladimir notices exactly what Demon has planned for him and immediately begins to struggle with all of his might. It takes a few moments but his struggles pay off as he finally manages to knock the Demonic One off balance and adjust to get his left arm behind the head of Demon. The sudden change in the positioning of Vladimir's weight causes Demon to fall forward and smash his face once again into the canvas. This time, however, Vlad does not waste time gloating, learning already from his earlier mistake. Instead, he immediately jumps back on Demon, not letting the possible unconsciousness of his opponent fool him. Even if he is truly knocked out now, he may not be later when he would attack if he had gotten too cocky.*

*The Undefeated Behemoth begins to rain down rights and lefts, targeting the head and upper body of Demon. The shots prove to be effective as it stops Demon from gaining any energy back and prevents any hope of him making a comeback soon. The Imperial Champion slowly begins to fade, the power and experience of the King apparently just too much for the young star to compete with. Now it is Vlad's turn to be disappointed. He had really thought that this might be the man who would take him to the extreme, even possibly be the man to defeat him. What a glorious day it would be when he wasn't depended upon to win every night. However, he is snapped back into reality very abruptly by Demon's fist. It seems that during his day dream, Vladimir had stopped his attack, and the momentary lapse of focus had allowed Demon to recover a bit before getting a shot of his own in.*

*The force of Demon's blow sends Vlad onto his back and off of his position on Demon. They are both now on even ground, neither man truly having the upper hand as both are in the same position, on their backs. The two men both begin scrambling up to their feet, determined to be the first one back up and get the upper hand in the match.*

"This could truly have match of the year quality, and we just started the new year. I can't wait to see how this match progresses, especially if it's going to be this back and forth the whole way throughout."

"You can watch for that all you want, JP. All I'm interested in is seeing whether or not Vlad manages to beat this beast of a man."

(It's no problem Vlad. In fact, I'm glad that we're starting off slow. I've been dealing with a lot of stuff as well, and I've lacked my luster as of late.)

[Vladimir Strife]

((Sorry it has taken me so long, bro. Had a lot of things going on IRL. I pretty much shit out everything but my soul earlier, but I'm feeling better ))

As the men scramble their way back up, Vladimir is first to his feet, having an advantage in speed on the Imperfect. He smiles, a goofy grin in being pleased that his hair no longer gets in his line of sight. Snapping back to focus, he rushes in on Demon, looking to put him back down before he can prepare for another attack. While slower than most of the roster physically, the monster is on par with the best mentally and quickly sways the tide. He turns out of the way of danger, grabbing the back of Vladimir's head and directing him into the deadly lighttubes. Another tube bursts when met with his momentum and the dust from it covers his face. Another tube is freed from the cage, sent crashing on the outside just in front of the announce table.

JP: And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is why we've moved this crowd back!
Ray: Holy shit! That could have hit me! Will you guys fucking watch it!?

Vladimir pulls back from the glass, the pain inciting rage within him. He turns towards Demon, met with a huge fist that bats him across the jaw. The King strikes back, cocking his arm back before shooting forward like a piston and ramming his clenched white knuckles into the the palette and lips of the Imperial Imperfect. Unleashing one of the most perfect punches in the business, the Lights Out causes Demon's legs to wobble, dropping him onto his bottom, stunned for a moment. He looks up in shock at his opponent, almost disbelieving the power behind the shot. He waves his fingers, motioning for more as the champion pushes back up to his feet to meet him with another shot of his own. The blast drives down the side of the Czar's jawline, the weight behind it tossing him back and into the corner. He wraps an arm around the top rope to keep from going down as his opponent closes in again.

His foot fires out, clashing the side of the Demonic one's kneecap and halting his progress. He shakes out the pain, trying again and finding another boot to his patella, bringing a wince to his face. He steps back out of the line of Strife's kicks, hunching over a bit as he rubs his knee. The Messiah Of The Asylum comes out of the corner, ducking down as he grabs ahold of Demon's wrist. He wraps an arm over the villain's neck and pulls the wrist up, draping his bicep over the back of his own neck. The whole thing executed more precisely and quickly than the bigger man can comprehend, Vlad's hand is soon on the side of his tights. The Impaler yanks him airborne and pushes them backwards, the whole 269 lbs of his weight thrown into it and sending them toppling. The Master of the Abyss is racked into the corner, his back hitting the turnbuckles while his opponent lands at the base of it. The super heavyweight seems to bounce off, crumbling down onto the Undefeated Behemoth.

JP: I LOVE IT!!! A suplex into the turnbuckles!!! I'm not exactly sure who got it worse, however. Those turnbuckles are padded, but just barely and Demon ended up falling onto Vlad, squashing him like a bug!
Ray: That's what EVPW is about, Jimmy! These men have no problem whatsoever with throwing themselves into the fire just to burn the people who challenge them! It's not the soundest of techniques, but when you have as much heart as this roster, you stop caring about your own sake and throw your all in there for the sake of the show.
JP: That has to be the most heartfelt thing I've EVER heard you say... are you feeling alright?

Demon is up first, Strife having taken more of a cost in the event. He helps Vlad to his feet, pulling him up in order to punish him for the attempt to take the advantage. The Imperfect pulls the sovereign legend's head into his armpit and pulls his closest appendage over his cranium, resting it over his shoulder. As he bends down and hooks a single leg, he signals to the crowd that it is time to show the Impaler how a suplex really goes. He pulls him up for the Fisherman's suplex, only reaching halfway as the haphazard hero instinctively wraps his free leg across the back of the true behemoth's thigh, locking himself from being brought any further up. Frustrated, the attacker struggles with his unwilling victim a moment before simply strapping his arm tighter around his head, turning it into a headlock, holding the King up with one leg across his thigh and the other in his opposing arm. As the two time world champion begins to fade, the monstrosity that opposes him shoots back, slamming his back flat to the ground. The crown of Tepes' head, protruding from the gap in Demon's hold, is driven like a nail to the mat. His brain is rattled around, a concussion resulting from being spiked in such a manner. The Imperfect rolls him off and to the side as he, in a rush of adrenaline and habit, grabs his leg and goes for a pinfall. The official corrects him, reminding him that it's an invalid way of winning the contest.

Ray: That idiot went for a pin! What a putz!
JP: Ray, we've seen even the greats like Vladimir and Rhaps do that before! It's easily to get confused in matches like this when your primary focus is on picking your opponent apart..
Ray: I guess.... he's still a putz though..

The champion gets back up to his feet, leading Vlad up with him by the arm. He whips him across the ring and into the ropes opposite to himself. As the Impaler lands into them, they press back, his back hitting another light tube and shattering it. The ropes force him on despite his will to stop at the sharp stabs in his flesh, bringing him closer and closer to the ready and hungry foe that is determined to do the impossible and bring the streak to a screeching halt. Demon brings his arm out, lowered and waiting, lurking for it's spot as the prey comes his way. Strife prevents the hip toss that would have sent him through the cage and out of the match by grabbing onto the offered hand and leaping up, scissoring his legs around the bicep of the colossus. The Imperfect seems confused as he looks over to the man dangling from his arm by an armbar. He grabs onto the King's shirt, twisting the cloth around his fingers and pulling the heavyweight up to a horizontal stance and displaying the control and dominance he holds in this bout. He drops down to his knees, letting his arm drop and gravity take effect. Vlad smashes across the light blue canvas and releases his hold as he strives to bring air back into his lungs.

JP: Vlad looking for an armbar, but to no avail there, Demon just flattened him. It honestly seems like everything Vlad throws at him, Demon has some kind of a counter for. This man has done his homework and he knows exactly what he's dealing with.
Ray: I seriously doubt that... I mean, how the hell do you prepare for Vladimir fucking Strife!? My baby is THE God. Jesus and his daddy can screw off, my prayers are answered tonight when I see that freak taken down!
JP: RAY! WE'RE ON TV, YOU CAN'T SAY THAT!!!
Ray: Please... if they haven't censored me yet, do you think they'll start now?

Vlad slowly recovers, making his way onto all fours as Demon remains in the same position, watching the Godking. He raises to his knees, raining a blow down across the temple of the fan favorite and rocking his vision, blurring his world. Strife, not to be outdone, comes back with one of his own as he drills his knuckles into the crotch of his adversary. The sadist leans forward, clutching himself in pain at the cheap shot and cursing his sneaky foe. The Impaler raises up, getting his feet planted while he has Demon distracted. He grabs him by the hair and lifts his leg, smashing his knee into the gullet of the maniac and loosening a few teeth. Following up, he drags him to the ropes and places his head over the mid one, pressing his face to the glass tubes.

Taking off in a sprint, Vlad darts into the ropes, understanding that he will feel the wrath of glass on his back once more and simply not caring. To no surprise, a light shatters on the width of his shoulders as he springs back against the nylon cable, being projected toward the devastation he is about to cause. He barrels across the ring, leaping up and grabbing the top rope next to the plus sized pulverizer. His boots are slapped down on the middle rope, pushing it and the monster that rests upon it down. Using the momentum, he is thrusted upward, directing himself as he swings back down. The soles of his footwear are aimed for the back of the Imperfect's skull, but another game of opossum is in order as he comes to life again, dodging the attack by moving aside. Vlad goes feet first through the tubes, blasting through them with ease. His body hangs halfway out of the cage, clinging onto the top rope in desperation now to prevent slipping out and suffering his first loss. Eyes wide in shock, he begins to pull himself back in, the jagged edges of white glass raking his back and thighs with every movement.

Ray: VLAD!!! MY BABY! HE'S ALL CUT UP!!!
JP: OH MY GOD!! If he can't pull himself back into this thing, then it's all over!!

Vlad pulls through the pain, moving inch by inch slowly further towards remaining in contention, pulling closer and closer back into the hellhole he'd nearly escaped. His shirt is tattered, as are the back of his pants, as he has himself now almost completely into the ring area, his lower legs dangling out through the cage, the broken glass impaled into the back of his knees. He breaks his grimace long enough to see the massive calf of Demon coming down onto him. It lands across his pectorals, ripping his hands from the rope as he is sent downward, careening to the sandy white and red surface.

TBCB Demon

[Demon]

Vladimir Tepes Strife now lies motionless near the edge of the ring. His legs still partially hang over the edge, and he is still in mortal peril of suffering his first loss of his career here tonight in front of a sold out crowd. Demon waists no time with gloating, as he has no true need of such a stupid thing. Instead, he immediately returns his attention to Vlad. However, in a fit of testosterone filled rage and power, he pulls Vlad back into the ring instead of taking the smart route and pushing the Impaler out of the ring. This crucial mistake could be the very thing that might give Vladimir a fighting chance, if he could only get this behemoth off of him.

"That was such a rookie mistake by Demon right there. He shouldn't have taken Vlad back into the ring with him. Now he's given him a chance to recover, and with Vlad it's almost a sure thing."

"It IS a sure thing JP. My Vladdy poo will recover from Demon's onslaught and come out the winner. You'll see!"

Whatever you say Ray...."

When Demon has pulled Tepes sufficiently back into the ring, he begins to move backward, looking at the cage and ropes as he moves. As his back presses upon the ropes, they bend and stretch to accommodate his enormous girth without breaking. Just before it seems the ropes must surely give, they snap the Imperial Imperfect back toward the Undefeated Behemoth, but not before a couple more of the light tubes on the cage burst and weaken the proverbial prison even more. Demon is forced into a run from the stored energy in the ropes and he quickly reaches the downed form of the Godking. Without a moment's hesitation, Demon leaps into the air, sticking out his right leg. It comes down across the upper chest of the resting Vladimir, driving all air from his lungs and seemingly awakening him from a long slumber. Vlad's eyes open wide in shock, almost as if he had just been unconscious. He gasps in pain and begins rolling around on the canvas slightly, massaging his chest in an attempt to alleviate some of the pain caused by the vicious leg drop from the Demonic One.

"Oh no! Come on Vladdy, you need to get up! You need to start fighting back and teach this damn monster a lesson already!"

"I'm pretty sure he can't hear you Ray. And anyway, even if he could, why on earth would he listen to you?"

"For one thing, he kind of has to get up or he'll soon be out for the count. For another, I give really good advice JP!"

"Just shut up. Please."

Demon stands over his victim in Vladimir Strife once more. Yet again, a slightly disappointed look can just be made out from under his mask, but it is soon replaced with a look of demonic glee and a sadistic grin. The fans know this face. It is the face that this oh so evil man wears just before he puts his victims down for good. They now know that it is most likely that the Master of the Abyss will go for one of his finishing maneuvers here soon, so as to finally finish the match and end the undefeated streak. He raises one arm up high, sticking his thumb straight out so it runs parallel to the ring mat before turning his hand and making his thumb point down. After this quick act of showmanship, he bends down and grabs a hold of the Impaler's hair, pulling the smaller man brutishly up to his feet. Demon then tucks the head of the Undefeated Behemoth between his legs before heaving upward with all his might and lifting Vlad up with all his might.

The Messiah of the Asylum now rests upon the shoulders of the maniac, seemingly in a position of extreme peril. Demon begins moving forward, slowly at first due to the inertia of the large mass comprised of Demon and Vladimir Strife, but he soon gathers speed. However, as he nears the wall of light tubes, a new spark of life seems to ignite in Vlad as his eyes flare wide open, the fire of the fight gleaming behind them. In a show of great strength and also great tactics, the Impaler pulls downward mightily, forcing Demon's momentum to shift to a more downward position. This sudden change knocks the Imperial Imperfect off balance and causes him to careen forward. The proverbial King of wrestling manages to avoid injury by tucking his body into a ball and allowing his forward motion to just roll him lightly into the ropes. Unfortunately for Demon, he does not manage quite to graceful a fall. Instead, he careens haphazardly forward before busting face first through the cage. A head sized hold now appears in the cage as Demon attempts to recover from the possible concussion caused by the impact of his head smashing into glass a second time.

"Finally! It looks like Vlad may be able to take control of this match at last. Demon was looking to hit Vlad with Death's Chariot, but Vlad countered and instead he ended up with a mouthful of glass."

"Don't get too excited yet Ray. I wouldn't ever truly count Demon out. There is a reason that he's Imperial Champion, and only has one loss in ten matches since coming to EVPW."

"Yea, yea, yea. But the important thing is that Vladdy is back in the driver's seat, and this match can finally start to get good!"

The sovereign legend shakes his head, trying to shake the cobwebs that still hang around from the drop he took earlier in the match. When Demon dropped him on the crown on his head, he did Vlad no favors, and now it shows as his decision taking is obviously slower. Normally, he would have had a plan formulated and would have already been putting it to action, but the Imperial Champion is hardly a normal opponent. Instead, Vladimir would have to adapt if he wanted any chance of winning. Finally it appears that the Messiah of the Asylum has formulated some sort of plan and a devious grin crosses his lips. He looks up from his seated position at Demon, who still has his head through the glass wall, and his grin grows ever larger. Without another moment of hesitation or thinking, the Impaler decides to put his plan into action and see if it works out for better or worse.

The Demonic One finally begins to recover as Vladimir Strife pushes himself back up to a vertical base. It seems as if the very gods are working against the Undefeated Behemoth as each time he attempts to put the big man down, he refuses to stay down. As it is, however, Demon seems to be having difficulty pulling his head back into the ring, seeing as the hole is somewhat smaller than his head as he was driven through with such a velocity. This gives the Impaler time to work and he quickly does so. Vlad pounces backward, uncaring of the definite shattering of more light tubes across his back as he bounces off the ropes. Indeed, three more shatter and two fall to the arena floor. However, the cuts along his back seem to be of no concern to Vlad as he just rushes forward toward the struggling Demon. At the last second, Vlad jumps into the air and spreads both of his legs wide. Gravity soon takes its hold on the man, and brings him crashing back toward earth. The Messiah of the Asylum lands of Demon's back, forcing him even further through the glass tubes.

The man in the mask is torn to shreds in the shards of glass that surround him, adding to the many scars already adorned on his rather young body. Powdered glass now hangs in a fog over the ring, so many tubes now vaporized by the violence that is unfolding in the ring. There is a humongous hole now in the glass cage, an easy way to dispose of one of the men in the ring. Vladimir Tepes Strife is now completely back in the driver's seat, where he is most definitely accustomed to being. He lets out a roar of triumph, going against his better judgment and allowing himself to be sucked into the illusion that he has the match under wraps. He begins to move slowly back toward Demon. However confident he may be, he knows it never pays to completely underestimate one's opponent. He has too much veteran experience to make a crucial error now. As he nears the wreckage he has caused, the Messiah of the Asylum notes the amount of blood now spewed on the sharp shards of glass.

"Just look at how much damage has been caused in this match. Demon is lying in the wreckage that was once the wall of a cage of light tubes. Now, it's nothing more than powdered glass and shards."

"Don't act so surprised JP. We all knew just how violent this match would be, and I must say that it is truly living up to the hype. I'm so excited right now, I think I might burst!"

"God, if you're there, please kill me now..."

TBCB: Vlad

[Vladimir Strife]

In the world of Vladimir Strife, time stood still. Now in what many dubbed 'the zone', he had reached a heightened sense of awareness. Around him, the snowy powder of glass drifted to the sky blue ground of these men's personal hell. His eyes fixated through the haze on a lighttube, half intact, it's jagged teeth pointed into the air, waiting. A thick drop of blood runs the side of it from it's last meal, painting a maroon stripe down the cylinder. It was time to put the Cinderella story to rest and once more remind the world that fairy tales don't come true. He closes in on the shredded Imperfect and grabs a handful of his hair, helping him to his feet in a most impolite manner.

Both men standing, the Demonic one wobbles in his place, his body weak from the punishment and loss of blood. The sole of a boot slaps his flesh just above the belt line and he lurches forth. The King scoops his arm into the nook of his opponent's. He repeats himself, this time with the other arm. Hooking them both, the crowd now lights up in favoritism of Strife and the Skesis Driver he has planned for his battered foe. He jerks both arms up, lifting the champion's feet from the mat. His back protests, however, and he is forced to set the larger man back down, wincing in pain as he releases his hold to favor his lower back. Fighting through it, he falls back against the ropes, doing so lightly enough as not to feel the bite of his contraption once more. As he bounces forward, the Imperfect seems to suddenly reboot, raising up and projecting his boot into the air. Vlad's face collides with the bottom of it, unable to stop his own momentum and being flattened by the resistance he meets.

JP: A big boot from Demon! He absolutely leveled Strife with that one!
Ray: Don't be excited! Vlad is supposed to win, you jerkface!

The Hellbeast steps over the fallen victim and reaches out to one of the glass tubes, taking it in his hand and tugging a few times before it comes loose and separates from the rest of the cage. He looks at the end of it, already shattered with a embossing streak of red dripping down the surface. He watches his recovering opponent, doing nothing to stop him for the moment. As Vlad reaches his feet, he stumbles about, trying to steady his footing as danger waits, poised behind him. He notices the absence of the Demonic one in his sights and spins around quickly, but not quickly enough. Demon stabs forth with the light, the shards digging into the forehead of the King and breaking off as it bursts into shards and slivers. He drops to a single knee, ripping at the tears in his flesh and the jagged pieces lodged within. A fist to the disaster zone sends the other leg down to a knee, the Czar of Scars clutching his face and screaming audibly through his palms.

Demon pulls the Impaler back up to his feet, allowing him to stand idly a moment as he seeks out his next move. Blood coats the face of the Undefeated Behemoth, his hair matted back with the liquid that flows in his veins. The Imperfect makes his way into the nearest corner, reaching around the padding and untying the strings that hold it in place. As he does, the nifty Strife reaches into his left pocket, pulling out what appears to be a black box. He follows after the unaware villain and holds the tazer in front of himself, ready to fry the sadist. An early push of the button is his mistake, however, as the clicking of the voltage falls upon the ear of the Imperial Champion. He turns on a dime, protruding an arm to the throat of Vladimir and clasping down firmly. He snatches the weapon away, raising it up towards the face of the fan favorite as he jerks and tries to get free. As the blue jolts fire across the prongs, they flash in the right iris of the helpless Romanian. He lifts his leg to strike the freak in a most sensitive of areas, but the taser connects first, skipping across the lens of his eye. Tepes collapses to the mat, both open palms pressed against the spot as he kicks his legs in a fit.

JP: OH MY GOD!! HE JUST STUCK THAT TASER TO VLAD'S EYE!!! HE COULD BE BLINDED!!!
Ray: THAT'S A HUMAN BEING!! STOP THIS!!!
JP: While I agree full-heartedly, this isn't going to end until one of these men is freed from that cage... the hard way.

Demon laughs aloud as his opponent writes in agony, gleeful in the destruction he is causing. He rests the top of his shoe against the side of the King before using it to flip him over onto his back. Seeing the anguish in the face of the legend, he takes off in a backwards sprint, taking himself into the ropes before returning with full momentum. The champion takes to the air, sticking his legs out full length before him as he twists his body. He lands with his leg crashing the length of his enemy, slamming the back of his heel into the lips and teeth of the smaller heavyweight. The stolen signature move makes our hero roll to the side, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the mat and breathing raggedly.

As Demon returns to his full height, he carries an additional 269 lbs with him, lifting up the battered and broken bloody mess that once was the greatest star on the roster. With a slap to the face, he awakens the beast beyond what even he expected. Vladimir shoots forward, his mouth opening and baring his teeth before sinking them into the cheek of the monster. A surprised and hurt yelp follows, the giant caught off guard by the tactic. As the King releases him, the champ's hand raises to the wound, spots of blood dribbling from the tiny holes that have been poked into his face. A knife edged chop lands against his esophagus, cutting off his airflow and causing him to cough and gag as he fights to take in precious oxygen. The next strike is already in motion, Tepes hitting the ropes and bouncing back, stampeding across the ring before leaping high and raising his knee. It clashes the skull of the masked maniac and sends him sprawling as the fans erupt in pandemonium.

Ray: There we go! He's back in the game, Jimmy!!
JP: And you may be the only person gladder to see it than I am! Nothing would make me happier than seeing Vladimir take out Demon here tonight and take another step closer to snuffing out the Imperfects!

Vladimir pulls his shirt up, enticing cat calls from some of the female fans in the audience. He grabs at his belt, unbuckling it in a hurry and yanking it from the belt loops. He works with the ends a minute, pushing it back into a loop and smiling at what he's done. He lowers it in front of Demon, reaching down and grabbing a handful of hair before lifting his head. Strife brings the bottom of the circle under and against the throat of his nemesis, standing over him and looking around the arena. He pulls it taut, closing the belt down tightly around the neck of the Imperfect and sending him into a spasm as he clutches at the leather, trying to rip it away from his trachea. The King continues to pull with all of his might, the champion raising with him to try to relieve some of the pressure. The Undefeated Behemoth raises his foot, slamming the sole of it into the swelling cheek and pressing against it, strangling the monstrosity as his face takes on a hint of blue. Screaming at him now, the King stands mighty in the middle of his court.

"I WILL END YOU!!! DO YOU FUCKING HEAR ME!?! LISTEN TO ME, YOU COCKSUCKER, THESE ARE THE LAST FUCKING WORDS YOU'LL EVER HEAR!!"

TBCB Demon

[Demon]

Vladimir continues to scream at the top of his lungs into the ear of his wounded nemesis, all the while not slackening his grip at all. Demon's features begin to take on a ruddy hue behind his mask as his heart pumps more and more blood up to his brain, trying to supply this most vital of organs with more oxygen. However, even with the painstaking attempts from his heart, the Imperial Imperfect finally looks to be down for the count as he fades rapidly. The constriction of his trachea stopping him from sucking in air causes the man behind the mask to stop struggling and he instead falls limp, now only held up by the belt around his neck. The Impaler continues to hold on to the leather strip, wanting to truly end this miserable man's life, however he releases the hold before the one known as Demon loses his life.

Tepes now stands fully triumphant over his enemy. He holds both of his arms high in the air, still holding his leather belt in one hand. Immediately the poor man who got stuck officiating the match drops down to his knees to check on the condition of Demon while the Undefeated Behemoth continues to gloat over him. Before long, however, the sound of sputtering breaths can be heard, and the sound causes the King to become aware that the Demonic One has managed to regain consciousness and is breathing once more. He turns his head to look at the man who he just choked, staring at him for only a moment before spitting down upon the Hellbeast. This ignites a spark of rage in the Imperial Champion and he pushes a surprised referee off of him as he begins moving up to his feet. This takes Vladimir off guard and he can do nothing but watch as the large frame of the Imperfect rises up before him.

"Vlad may have just set Demon off. And I'm pretty sure that he wants no part of that."

"Shut up JP! My Vladdy can handle anything this big monster can throw at him. Anyway, he's already proven that he can decimate the dumbass we have for an Imperial Champion."

"And yet, he got his ass handed to him for most of the beginning of the match."

Demon's body seems endless as he just continues to grow over the smaller man in the match. To Vladimir it seems as if a Goliath of old has been awoken and is now on the prowl. The Master of the Abyss finally makes it completely up to his feet and he looks down at the Impaler, who is no longer in a state of shock induced fear, but instead standing his ground and ready to go to town on the monster. The two men stare at each other, both holding their ground and trying to pick out a weak spot in their opponent. Vladimir uses his advantage in speed here to shoot forward suddenly, only to stop just shy of reaching his opponent. Now the two begin to circle around the ring slowly, creeping ever closer together. Almost subconsciously their arms reach out. They brush against each other, and Demon's right hand closes around Vlad's left. As the two reach out with their other arms, Vlad once again uses his advantage in speed to kick Demon swiftly in the gut.

"I can't believe that idiot feel for that trick again! What a retard. He deserves to be injured and lose this match with the way he's thinking."

"Ray, you know as well as I do that this type of thing happens in every match. It's not just Demon who falls for it."

"Yes, but he's fallen for it twice in one match!"

Strife wraps his right arm over the bent head of the Imperfect, tucking it securely in place. The wily veteran has now given himself a couple of options. He can either DDT Demon's head into the ground, or go for a more high impact move and suplex him. The Impaler decides on the latter, and begins to heave upward with all of the force his body can muster. Each and every one of the muscles in his back send signals up to his brain to tell him to stop, but he has become blind to pain in a fit of rage and adrenaline. With a final almighty heave, Vladimir manages to lift the Demonic One high into the air. He moves his feet a bit, maneuvering around until he has Demon's back next to the nearest wall of light tubes. The Messiah of the Asylum finally releases his hold and gravity takes its effect, dragging both men toward the earth with surprising velocity.

The back of Demon's neck and head are the first things to experience sheer pain, as they crash into the light tubes, shattering the glass and sending slivers of the deadly projectiles flying everywhere. They slice up Demon once more as he continues to break through the glass wall, once again providing a huge hole for somebody to be thrown through later on in the match. Luckily for him, however, his back bounces off of the ropes and throws him back into the ring, saving him from the possibility of falling through at the moment. Also lucky for Vlad, the force of which he bounce from the ropes causes him just to miss the Undefeated Behemoth. Both men lie motionless with shards of glass absolutely covering the mat and powdered glass hanging in the air like an ethereal fog. The referee hurriedly checks on both men to make sure they are all right.

He first checks on Demon. The large man appears to be alright, his breathing steady despite the amount of glass now lodged in his back. The referee then moves on to Vladimir, who is lying a few feet away with his eyes closed. However, as the zebra clad man reaches the Impaler, his eyes fly open and his arm shoots out. It wraps itself tightly around the neck of the ref and slowly pulls the defenseless man toward him. Mr. Strife looks the poor guy directly in the eyes, and for a few moments is silent. However, this does not last long and Vlad soon explodes, now yelling at the referee.

"DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH ME! JUST STAND OVER THERE AND CALL FOR THE BELL WHEN I'VE FINISHED MY JOB BY THROWING THAT FAG THROUGH THE LIGHT TUBES!"

Vladimir then tosses the referee aside. The small man stumbles forward and then decides to do as he was told. He stands out of the way and just watches as Vlad prepares to go to work. The Impaler walks toward his opponent, a dangerous glint in his eye. He stoops down and grabs a hold of the larger man's hair, using it as a means to pull the Imperial Imperfect up to his feet.

"I don't know what Vlad has planned for Demon, but we can be sure it won't end well for the champ. Vlad's seemed to have snapped!"

"It must be all the stress my poor baby is under. He's got this stupid match against Demon, and then the aspect of taking on the rest of the Imperfects single-handedly!"

The Messiah of the Asylum lifts Demon up to a vertical base, still keeping a firm hold on his hair. He pulls back his right hand, stretching the various muscles in his arm taunt, before shooting his hand forward and connecting with the face of the Demonic One. If not for the holding of his hair by Vladimir, the Imperial Imperfect would have crashed lifelessly onto the mat from the awesome power of the Lights Out. As it is, however, Vladimir pulls him back up and steadies him once more. This time, Vlad forgoes the use of punches, instead choosing to use his knees. He first drives his right knee right into the gut of Demon, causing the large man to double over in pain, gasping for air. Before he gets the chance to draw more than a few mouthfuls of air in, the Undefeated Behemoth shoots his left knee up. It connects with the bottom of Demon's chin, causing his head to recoil upward, and further loosening the teeth lodged in his gums.

"That's right Vladdy, pummel that madman and make him wish he never messed with you!"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with you Ray. I really would love nothing more than to see this monster get taken out once and for all."

TBCB: Vlad

((Would you mind if we just left it here? I'm really out of it due to RL stuff ATM, and I don't want to have to try to put up another post after you.))

[Vladimir Strife]

((Yeah, that's fine being it leaves us at an even number of posts and all. I hope whatever is going on IRL gets better for you man. We'll have to give this another go down the line when things settle down a bit in our lives))