GFC Commonwealth Championship Match
Both men come out and we’re shown the new, shiny belt which the referee holds aloft while Jenni Starr runs through the rules for those of us in attendance. Talbot’s looking in a determined mood, as is Madman; who is wearing green tonight in memory of his former partner Darren Hughes.
The bell finally rings to begin the first of the six five minute rounds. Both men step out cautiously, Madman assuming a very low amateur wrestling stance. Talbot keeps his guard, careful not to close his fists as to comply with the rules. When both men do lock up, the exchange of moves is so rapid and fluid that many in the audience are unable to keep up, and dueling “Let’s go Madman/Let’s go Jason!” chants begin to swell through the building. An arm ringer by Madman…reversed into a hammerlock by Talbot…that is reverted back into an arm ringer by Szalinski…no, Talbot has a side headlock…Madman with an escape, a hammerlock, an arm ringer, and a go over with the leg for a takedown…Talbot rolls out of it and has Madman on his back by the legs…no! Madman rolls out backwards to his feet and has a Muay Thai clinch, and another arm ringer…into a fireman’s carry…and a dropkick into the back of the head…Jason moves! Szalinski quick to get back up…TALBOT WITH THE LAST CALL…NO! Szalinski leans back and kips up to avoid the superkick, and both men are left to stand off, to the approval of every fan in attendance! And there’s still over three more minutes to go in the first round!
The rest of the first round is back and forth, with neither man making much progress. Madman continues to work the arm, while Talbot fends Madman off by taking advantage of the openings Madman inevitably leaves; for example, Szalinski again goes for the arm ringer and tries a superkick of his own. However, his foot not only misses Talbot’s head, but is caught on Jason’s shoulder! Szalinski, refusing to let go of Talbot’s arm, hops on one foot with his foot still caught on the shoulder of Talbot. He loudly asks “would you help me out please?” Talbot’s response is “what the fuck are you talking about? Let me go!” Madman again yells “Fuck that! Just slide my foot off your shoulder with your other hand!” Jason’s response is “can you not bend that far, dude?” The crowd is laughing at Madman, and possibly Talbot as well, but they soon cheer when Talbot says “okay” and breaks Madman’s grip, grabbing his perched foot and taking him down with a hard dragon screw! Szalinski assures Ariel his knee is fine in the corner while Talbot just looks over and says “it’s just wrestling”, and both meen come out charging for the second round.
While the first round was mostly grappling with no strikes connecting, the second round soon became an outright brawl. When Szalinski attempted another fireman’s carry from yet another arm ringer, Talbot snuck behind him and delivered a vicious German suplex. After missing with an elbow drop, Talbot got to his feet and met Szalinski with a collar and elbow tie-up, followed by a forearm to the face. Szalinski responds with a slap so loud, the echo repeats the impact a second time. Talbot is sent back into the corner, where Szalinski runs right in. However, he is backdropped over the ropes and to the floor, where he soon begins holding the same left knee that Talbot targeted in the first round. At four, Szalinski has not even risen to all fours, and Ariel soon comes over. At six, Talbot hits the floor. Szalinski is on his knees, an attempts to put weight onto his left knee. As he begins to call forward, Talbot catches him and throws him backwards onto the mats outside the ring. At nine, Ariel stays at Madman’s side, not getting involved in the action even when Jason throws a stomp to Madman’s gut while he is laying on the floor beside her, crouched over. At eleven, Talbot picks Szalinski up and rolls him into the ring. A few more stomps and a toe hold to the leg later, and Madman is in serious trouble. The second round ends with Madman finally breaking the referee’s first ten-count of the match, struggling to support himself after recovering when Talbot misses a third consecutive knee drop from across the ring to the injured leg. However, Talbot is able to pick him up and deliver a double underhook suplex, slamming Szalinski into the canvas hard and going for the cover. He only gets a two count, and as Madman kicks out the bell sounds to end the round.
Limping and dazed, Madman’s demeanor changes going into the third round. Talbot immediately goes on the offensive, looking more and more determined in between rounds. Targeting the leg, Talbot works in everything from kneebreakers to single leg crabs to even snap suplexes, all taking their toll regardless. Madman’s only offence in the third round comes from a missed clothesline turned into a crucifix roll-up, which Talbot barely kicks out of. Szalinski has no time to capitalize as Talbot immediately puts him right back into the corner with a shoulder charge, then pulls his leg through the ropes and torques on it, prompting a five-count from the referee (which is stopped right on four.) A belly-to-belly suplex only gets two, and at the end of the round, Szalinski nearly taps out when an errant jumping shin kick is caught and he is flipped back-first onto the mat with a blistering powerbomb, then locked into a leg grapevine with thirty seconds left in the round! Madman somehow manages to get to the ropes, still hanging on for dear life as the bell sounds, Talbot getting up and releasing the hold. Concerned, Ariel questions if Madman wishes to continue, to which he only nods. Talbot takes a seat on the top turnbuckle, one foot on either middle rope, and watches intently, not looking around the arena but keeping his eyes on Madman.
Round four starts, and Jason is able to lay Madman down with one open right hand as he goes right to holding his knee. Jason takes his time as he bends down to grasp at Madman, and he is soon wrapped into a surprise small package…barely escaping at two, to the crowd’s stomps throughout the building. Now fully behind Szalinski, the crowd eats Madman’s comeback alive as he blocks a kick from Talbot, and gets a flurry of open palm strikes across Jason’s mouth! The shots are soon returned, and before long both men are entangled in a wiry web of forearms, palms, wild kicks, and knees as they duke it out to the roaring approval of London! Jason’s mouth soon begins to produce blood, but when Talbot rocks Szalinski back with an elbow he appears to have the upper hand…only for Madman to duck his clothesline and sprint to the ropes, gliding back Jason’s direction and nearly decapitating him with a flying lariat! The impact is so strong that BOTH men are turned upside-down in the air, and land on their heads! With both Jason Talbot and Madman Szalinski down, the referee is forced to begin the ten-count to signal a double knockout. Stomping at the floor and pounding whatever they can reach, the fans desperately attempt to get Madman and Jason to their feet. Neither man moves a muscle until seven, and the first syllable of “nine” is when the fans finally get a sign that the match is not over yet. Both men do make it to their feet, and through the rest of the round. However, Talbot comes close to winning the whole thing after catching Szalinski on the top rope (Madman had him seated, attempting a super hurricanrana) and driving him down with the Backdraft. The bell rings just as Talbot gets an arm draped over Madman, and Ariel has to physically drag Madman into the corner and wake him up. His forehead has also been opened up, no doubt a combination of Jason’s rough elbow in the round and the still-healing wound from his match with Chandler Scott two weeks ago. Talbot is bloody, but smiling, leaning into the corner as the crowd fires up a huge “PLEASE DON’T DIE!” chant at Madman, who has gained a second wind of consciousness and is begging the referee to allow him to continue.
His pleas are granted, and the weary and hurt Madman is allowed to start the fifth round with Jason Talbot. For the first time in the match, Jason Talbot is shown to have suffered wear during the match – Madman is able to briefly lock in a standing Deathtrap, which has effect for a few seconds after Talbot breaks free. Talbot criss-cross the ropes, and goes for a vertical/diagonal-looking crossbody. Madman somehow catches him in mid-air, and drives him down with a releasing Northern Lights suplex! Again, both men stay down for a referee count through chants of “THIS IS WRESTLING!” Madman does not attempt a pinfall, as he is simply too winded. Talbot starts to hold onto his neck, and both men fight hard to make it to their feet before the count of ten. Later on in the round, Madman goes for his triple neckbreakers. The first one connects, as does the second one, but when he swings around on the third one Jason spins free, spins Madman around, and hoists Szalinski onto his shoulders. Assuming he is attempting the HypnoTwist, the crowd starts to cheer in anticipation. However, Madman manages to wriggle free, and attempt a teardrop suplex. But his knee buckles during the attempt, and even though he still hangs on and finishes through with the slam on Jason Talbot he cannot keep the hold in order to attempt a pin. Rolling around on the mat clutching his knee, Szalinski slaps the mat in frustration before grabbing the ropes angrily to pull himself up. Talbot slowly stumbles to his feet, and Madman shoves him backwards into the corner, falling onto his own knees for a second and running into Jason as he gets up. Once into the corner, his voice cracks as he yells out to the crowd “READY?” He backs away for the three-point stance, and the crowd yells out the “DOWN!” along with him. When he comes forward with the Tecmo Elbows, the crowd is doing all of the “HUT! HUT! HUT! HUT!” while Madman is flailing away with elbows. Finally, he stops, yanks Talbot out of the corner suddenly, and turns him around to drive him down with a Scoopstone right in the middle of the ring! Madman lays flat, going for a pin…AND JASON TALBOT KICKS OUT AT TWO! Madman stands up for a second, looking at the referee and pointing back down at Talbot. The round ends as Madman falls back onto his ass, holding his knee with a look of pure shock on his face.
Talbot only leans face-first into the corner holding the back of his head, while Ariel is crying and pleading with Madman as she futily attempts to stop the bleeding from Madman’s unprotected forehead. The sixth and final round begins, and it takes nearly twenty seconds for both men to approach the center of the ring. Szalinski fires first with a palm strike to the face. Talbot throws an elbow. Madman with another palm…Talbot with an elbow…Szalinski with a kick to the side…Talbot with a kick to Madman’s left knee…and Szalinski crumbles to the mat, yelling “GODDAMNITFUCK!” as he hits the mat.Talbot merely leaps high, going for a legdrop. Madman rolls out of the way, and rolls Talbot up as he lands. It only gets a two-count. Szalinski crawls away to the corner, and pulls himself up. Talbot, meanwhile, sits up and climbs under his own power to his feet, readying to strike again. Madman steps one inch in Jason’s direction when the Last Call puts him right back down. Instead of a pin, Jason merely stumbles backwards into the corner and rests as the referee begins the long count for Madman to answer.
At two, Madman has yet to even blink. Three, and no blink. Four…and nothing, not even the movement of his chest from breathing. Five, still no movement. Six scares Ariel enough to compel a loud shriek, which jolts Madman’s eyes back to life. At seven, his eyes and some of his head and face are all that has moved. Jason Talbot turns away at this point and looks toward the crowd at eight. Nine soon comes, and Jason is the only person in the arena who does not see Madman Szalinski crawling towards him from behind, scooting on his behind to grab Jason by the arm. Madman flings his legs up after doing so, taking Jason down with some form of an arm drag/leg scissors combination. More importantly, this constitutes an offensive move and therfore, the ten-count is broken! But Madman soon gets the crowd to roar in cheers once more when he maneuvers all of the rolling around on the mat into a cinched-in Deathtrap, legs and all! There’s still a minute left in the last round! No singing follows, no cursing, just a scream from Madman as he cinches on pressure. and Talbot has been unable to break the hold or approach the ropes! Fourty seconds! THE ROUND IS ALMOST OVER! Jason struggles to hold on…he finally puts his hand out to tap…he hesitates, trying to hold on… five… four…. three… two… one…
The round is over! We have gone all six rounds without a decision! Talbot is down! Szalinski is down! Ariel is hysterical! This crowd is hysterical! Matt Montell is rushing to ringside, to speak with the ring announcer outside of the ring and the referee leaning over the ropes inside of it. Finally, after what seems like forever, with both men still down on the mat, we get an official word…
“Ladies and gentlemen, Matt Montell has informed me that there MUST be a winner, and this match WILL continue under sudden death rules!”
The bell is sounded again and both men, looking exhausted, are back to their feet and ready to go again. Madman stumbles forward… LAST CALL!!! Szalinski stumbles back into the ropes, bounces back and LARIAT!! Talbot pops back to his feet. This means so much to both men, both of them are refusing to stay down!
They lock up, almost holding onto each other to keep themselves upright. Madman connects with an elbow, Talbot rocks backwards but Madman pulls him back in for another shot. Szalinski goes for a crucifix, looking like he’s going to float over into a DDT. But instead he makes a minor adjustment… AND FLOATS INTO A PILEDRIVER!!! The crowd go nuts! Szalinski slumps back into the corner, not entirely sure how he just managed that move. The referee starts counting both men down, but Madman uses the ropes to pull himself up. The ref is unto eight when Talbot stirs, rolling onto his front and pushing himself up to his knees. At nine he’s on a knee and he’s up just in time.
Szalinski musters the energy to charge in, connecting with a lariat. Talbot’s down again and Szalinski is leaning on the turnbuckle. He begins to climb, looking for the X-Buster? The crowd love the idea, Ariel is convinced this is a bad idea. He gets half way up and slips. He shakes his head, deciding that an X-Buster would be a very bad move. Instead he grabs Talbot… AND LOCKS IN THE DEATHTRAP!! No screaming or singing this time, he’s totally worn out! Talbot is too, and he can’t fight the move. He doesn’t tap, he’s just gone limp. The referee checks on him, raising an arm and dropping it til it hits the canvas. He does it a second time, and again it drops. He raises it a third time and… NO, THERE’S LIFE IN TALBOT YET!!! Jason’s arm stops just short of the canvas and he forms a fist, much to the excitement of the London crowd. And in that moment Madman tightens his grip. And Talbot taps!!!
Your winner, and the first ever GFC Commonwealth Champion, Madman Szalinski!
The York Hall erupts as the announcement is made by Jenni Starr. Ariel gets into the ring and helps Madman back to his feet before he is handed the title by the referee. The two celebrate with the title, Madman is visibly emotional as he holds the title aloft, looking to the rafters and pointing up, then beating his chest. A little thank you to the Bomber there, I think.