The incredible tension in the air from that brawl continues into the next match as GFC World Heavyweight Champion Sean Sands faces the man who attacked him and Mia Scott last time, Sterling Everett! Sands and Everett have had quite the war of words on Twitter since then, and now it’s time for that war to get physical. As he takes in the negative reception he gets, Sterling reminds the fans he already told them they’d boo him for telling – in his eyes – the truth. Instead they’re firmly behind the champion, who emerges to a wall of cheers. The staredown between the two men as Sean steps into the ring says it all. They stand nose to nose, exchanging unpleasant words, both completely ignoring the referee as he pats them down.
Sean Sands vs Sterling Everett
The bell’s echo is drowned out by the cheers that rise up as Sean and Sterling instantly start throwing hands at each other. The opening minutes of the match are nothing short of brutal as both the World Champion and the man who’s vowed to be his next challenger batter each other literally from pillar to (ring)post. Not an inch of the canvas doesn’t find some body part crumpling onto it after a wicked strike, or getting mashed into it from a high impact slam. Sterling – being the more smash-mouth wrestler – is in his element, but Sean is putting all of his 220lbs behind his kicks, takedowns and high flying body assaults and by the time the five minute bell rings both men are panting heavily and swaying from the intensity of their mutual onslaught. They break apart from a moment; Sean, with the better conditioning despite his punishing fourway match one day previously, recovers first and goes back on the offensive with punches to the head of the kneeling Everett. Sands seems close to raging, his documented anger problems starting to bubble up. The ref warns him about closed fists and he backs away to cool off, seemingly as angry with himself as anyone else right now. But the former World Tag Team Champion powers in with a chop block! He stomps Sean repeatedly, then whips him into the corner and stomps him some more. After a belly-to-belly suplex to toss the champ right back to the middle of the ring, Sterling poses over him with one foot on his chest and his arms raised, to massive boos.
Sean throws a shoulder up, but Sterling doesn’t care. He drags Sean back up by the hair, throws him up and plants him right back down with a pumphandle neckbreaker, the Extinction Agenda, for a more serious cover attempt. One… two… kickout! This time, Sterling grimaces in anger. As Sands sits up, Sterling wraps his arms around him from behind and throws him overhead with a deadlift Bruiser Suplex! The impact makes Sean roll around, but only for a couple of seconds before Everett pushes him flat. One… two… kickout! Sterling growls and chews on his beard, slamming a huge palm into the ropes in frustration. Finally, he crosses back to Sean… and gets rolled into an inside cradle! One… two… kickout! As both men stand, Sterling swings an outsized lariat straight at Sean’s head – which Sean ducks behind! He lets Sterling’s own momentum carry him round and Sands lifts him up in an atomic drop! As Sterling stumbles off Sean’s knee, he takes a roundhouse kick to the back of the head. Sterling’s left on his hands and knees, and as soon as Sean gets his footing back he slams a stiff knee into Sterling’s face to drop him. He covers. One… two… kickout!
Sean dances around Sterling, using his speed to maintain control and deny the big man an opening, and not letting his own physical exhaustion catch up with him. Strike follows takedown follows strike as the two-time world champion repays all the pain Sterling has caused him thus far, and the champ scores a very close near fall off a fameasser. Things look shaky for him when Sterling counters a Lip Buster and goes for the tilt-a-whirl, but Sean counters with a satellite bulldog! He quickly follows up with a springboard moonsault. One… two… no! Everett gets a foot on the ropes. Sean scouts him… waits for him to rise… Sand Attack! NO! Sterling leaps backwards, crushing Sean beneath his 250lb frame. Sterling flips round and covers and nets a one point five. Sterling then lifts Sean over his shoulders, but Sean manages to swing out into a DDT to huge cheers. He covers, and likewise gets about a one and a half count.
Once the two men are back to their feet, they again start trading strikes, the crowd oohing with each one. Sean leaves Sterling stumbling with a spinning back elbow. He goes for another Lip Buster, but Sterling catches him powerbomb style! He runs forward, slamming Sean’s back against the turnbuckles. Even while he’s trapped between the buckles and his mountain of an opponent, Sean starts throwing punches, but Sterling answers with a headbutt that leaves the World Heavyweight Champion reeling. Using his broad shoulders, Everett lifts him up across the top rope, then climbs up after him and starts to set up a superplex. Sean fights back with everything he’s got, raining fists on Sterling’s crown and ribcage. Sterling returns fire, and the two competitors are both on multiple occasions left swaying precariously. Finally a stunning backflip kick from Sean, all the way up on the ringpost, breaks the symmetry. Sean leaps for a Sand Attack off the top tope – and Sterling counters! He swings him round while hopping one eighty himself, and soars down to slam Sean into the mat with an avalanche powerbomb! The Motorpoint erupts in chants of “Holy shit! Holy shit!” Sterling drags his thumb across his throat and covers. One… two… thre…KICKOUT! Sean thrusts up a shoulder! Sterling punches the mat with both hands and turns on the referee, insisting – no, demanding – that it was a three. But the ref is insistent. Sterling raises a fist to the ref threateningly, then turns and levels the rising Sands with a monstrous big boot. He covers again… and again Sean kicks out just in time!
Sterling shakes his head; he’s not having this. He exits the ring and grabs a steel chair, then slides back in. The referee darts over and tries to pull the chair from his grasp, but he kicks him away and blasts Sean square in the forehead with the metal weapon.
The ref, of course, calls for the bell.
Your winner via disqualification, Sean Sands!
But Sterling doesn’t look done by a long shot. He lifts Sean to his knees by the hair and hoists the chair up in both hands…
…only to be felled by a lariat from a third party! The crowd roars as Jay Pride comes to his friend’s rescue, tearing the chair from the stunned Sterling. While Everett tries to figure out what just happened, Pride helps Sands to his feet, and then both men clothesline Sterling over the top rope. Sterling looks far from happy as he backs away, calling for “Burn Brighter” to be switched off, but he also looks grimly pleased with himself and from the stage taunts Sean by pointing at him and then making the classic belt symbol around his waist. Sean falls back to one knee in the ring shakily, but he makes a “bring it on” gesture which has the fans delighted.