1/23/2023 - Road Warriors

We join back just before the opening bell of our tag team match.  As the two teams are sorting out who's going to start, AJ Knight quickly darts his head in a "follow me" fashion as he dashes across the ring and hoofs MEZA in the gut with a boot! He tries to elbow Lynx, but the veteran ducks it... but finds himself grabbed by David Troy! AJ smiles and lines him up...

LYNX DUCKS! TROY GOES DOWN!

AJ doesn't really react so much as he chuckles and shrugs, only to turn around and find Lynx has hoisted a running MEZA up and the youngster crossbodies him! AJ goes down and gets pulled out of the ring by David Troy, a bit of arguing ensues out there while Lynx and MEZA are doing some of their own on the inside.  MEZA nods his head yes and Lynx puts his hands up, seemingly relenting to whatever the debate was about.  MEZA charges across the ring and executes a tiger feint kick, faking the two former World Champions out...

AND ALLOWING LYNX TO FLY WITH THE TOPE SUICIDA!

MEZA checks on his trainer and sends him back into the ring before following him in.  The teacher/student tandem back up to the opposite set of ropes and Lynx is adamant that he'll stay in, which Hewitt credits to adrenaline from the tope suicida.  David Troy gets in and Lynx jumps on him, trying to Irish whip him but gets reversed.  Troy tries to hit a running big boot as Lynx rebounds off the ropes, but he shoves it aside and goes behind.  Troy tries to elbow out of it, but only serves to spin himself around in the waist hold.  Lynx trips Troy to the mat and leaps up into a grounded side headlock, but Troy has twisted his body so he's up on all fours and explodes to his feet - pushing Lynx off into the enemy corner! AJ grabs him as Troy comes over and tags out.  The duo centre Lynx on the ropes and shoot him across, following it up with a lariat from AJ and a boot to the midsection from Troy! Lynx drops to the mat and rolls out clutching his stomach.  AJ gets Troy back to the corner and they quickly tag once more, then again, making AJ legal again.

MEZA slows his roll seeing that both Troy and AJ await him.  He cautiously circles until they try to close the gasp, so he rolls forward but AJ anticipates this and begins stomping on him.  Troy directs traffic, AJ complies - grabbing MEZA and restraining both arms as Troy lines up a kick...

OOF!

Sweat flies off the chest of MEZA as you can hear the air being sucked out of him.  The crowd oohs at the sound of the shot, so Troy gives them another listen before AJ lets go.  Troy heads back to his corner.  AJ grabs MEZA and chucks him into the corner, Troy walks away a bit on the apron to show referee Ted Thomas that he isn't getting involved.  AJ drives a shoulder into the midsection, then tags in Troy, who comes in and delivers a couple more kicks to the chest.  MEZA tenses up and tries to roar through the pain, but Troy delivers another one and the youngster falls to his knees.  Troy tags back out and AJ comes in, grabs MEZA in a cravate and snapmares him to the mat.  He grabs both arms and puts a knee to the back, pulling the arms backwards as he drives the knee into the spine.  MEZA grunts and tries to pull his arms free, Hewitt surmises that he must be getting somewhere as AJ is forced to adjust his grip and removes his knee.  Knight pulls MEZA up to his feet in a double chickenwing, but quickly grabs a rear waist hold and hoists MEZA up...

ATOMIC DROP!

MEZA tailbone bounces off AJ's knee and sends him to the mat. 

MEZA is grabbed by AJ who tries to pull him toward the Knight/Troy corner by his legs, but MEZA reaches up and grabs AJ's wrists, plants his feet near AJ's hips and monkey flips him back toward Lynx! MEZA rolls out and Lynx climbs the corner turnbuckles, leaping off in a decent crossbody attack that serves it purpose.  Lynx grabs AJ by the legs and tries to apply a crab hold...

AND DOES!

Lynx sits down on AJ's back, contorting him unnaturally.  This forces David Troy to come in for the save, hoofing him with a big boot! Lynx topples over and AJ scurries out to the apron and drops to the floor.  Troy takes over, pummelling Lynx with palm strikes and slaps as he backs him into the corner.  With Lynx dazed and confused, the Fox Among the Lions whips him across the ring into the opposing neutral corner and charges in...

A HELLUVA KICK!

The running corner big boot nearly removes the mask from Lynx's face and the veteran luchador stumbles out and falls on all fours.  Troy frees his leg up from the top rope and stands over top, seemingly debating about his next move... but he gives in and slaps Lynx in the side of the head before slapping on a side headlock.  He spins it around into a drop toe hold, then leaps up and reapplies the side headlock on the ground.  AJ takes his spot back on the apron as Troy wrenches in, but Lynx begins to get up.  Troy does a transition into a hammerlock and kicks Lynx's bad leg out from underneath him, then slaps on the headlock again.

Lynx tries to elbow his way out of it, but Troy creates some distance to minimize the effect of them.  He steps away and plants Lynx head first into the mat with a facebuster, then reverts back to the side headlock.  AJ is yelling at Troy about something, but there's some yelling in response.  Lynx's leg begins to mimic the response of the crowd as MEZA slaps the corner turnbuckles trying to fire his mentor up.  Lynx gets up and tries a backdrop out of the side headlock, but his knee buckles! Troy slaps his head and tightens the hold, then says "let's go!" as he dashes forward looking for a bulldog...

BUT LYNX PUSHES HIM OFF INTO AJ!

AJ and Troy collide, sending AJ down to the floor.  Lynx rolls out and MEZA hops in to the roar of the crowd, Troy gets grabbed in a rear waist hold but elbows his way free.  MEZA tries to grab him again, but Troy small packages him!

1...

...

2...

...

3-NO!

MEZA barely kicks out, Troy grabs him and tries to initiate a backslide and gets it, but MEZA rolls through.  Troy tries for the Tornado fang, the discus throat thrust, but MEZA captures the arm and leaps onto Troy's back...

FLIPPING LA MAGISTRAL!

Tsukasa Fujimoto's Infinity, or "Humble Beginnings" as MEZA calls it, hits and ends in the pin!

1...

...

2...

...

3-AJ IS TOO LATE!

Knight doesn't get the cover broken up in time and the bell sounds.  MEZA lets go and rolls away, Knight and Troy begin arguing almost immediately as Lynx limps to his partner and pats him on the back as the youngster watches the veteran fighters across the ring.

Troy gets up and extends a fist to MEZA, who hesitates but returns it.  Troy slaps hands with Lynx then heads out, leaving AJ who pats both men on the back before leaving to follow his partner.

MEZA helps Lynx walk to the back as we go to break. 

"Ecstasy of Gold" by Metallica hits and the Soo crowd comes alive as we return from our break. 

Pollo Dorado emerges from the back with some small pyro that takes the fighter off guard. 

Reo Ojima doesn't wait for his championship entrance as he's right behind Pollo Dorado, clubbing him with the title belt! Dorado goes down in the aisle as referee Ted Thomas rushes out to admonish Ojima, who invites him to disqualify the champion. 

Ojima continues his assault, grabbing Dorado and heaving him into the guardrail! He grabs his masked challenger and begins tearing open the Pollo's mask, exposing his dark hair! Dorado feverishly begins fighting back, frantically even, forcing Ojima to stop and chuck him into the ring post instead! Dorado falls to the ground as Dojo students emerge for the second time tonight, putting themselves between champion and challenger in hopes of restoring order.  Ojima climbs into the ring and questions why Thomas isn't counting, pestering him to do so.  Dorado gets up, slouched over on the apron, bleeding from his head.  The masked challenger tries to grab the rope to pull himself in, but misses and crashes back to the floor.  Thomas calls for the ringside doctor, Dr. Nick Pierson, who rushes over and checks on Dorado.

Dorado is given the OK and he slides underneath the bottom rope, Thomas asks if he's ready and "Si" results in the bell.  Ojima charges him, knocking him back down with a knee strike.  On all fours, Dorado is grabbed in a rear waist lock and the champion executes a deadlift German suplex! He can't hold the bridge, but he rolls over and places his body on top!

1-KICK OUT!

The Sault Ste. Marie crowd pops big as Ojima looks up at Thomas with a stone cold glare.  Thomas holds up one finger and Ojima begins speaking Japanese to Dorado, punishing him with shots to the head.  Ojima stands up and walks over to the corner, he rolls his arm a couple of times to signal for a lariat as Dorado is trying to find his bearings.  The challenger gets up to a knee and then back to a vertical base as the champion runs in...

LARIA-NO!

FLYING CROSS ARMBREAKER!

OJIMA TAPS! OJIMA TAPS! OJIMA TAPS!

The Soo crowd lets out a collective roar as a bloody Pollo Dorado II releases the submission, Ojima rolls away clutching his arm and swats away the medical attention that greets him.  He storms up the aisle as Dojo students and other fighters charge down to the ring to celebrate with Dorado, but it's Red Tiger King that gets bumped into by Ojima.  Ojima berates him, but eats a slap upside the head for it! RTK continues on down to the ring, a Pollo Road shirt covering up his wound from earlier.  A dojo student tackles Dorado and hugs him as Thomas brings the World's Cruiserweight title to them.  Dorado climbs up to his feet, is handed a towel and drapes it over his head before accepting the belt.  Lynx, RTK and the dojo student that tackled him raise him up in the air! MEZA looks on, not apart of the celebration, but at ringside. 

Dorado asks to be put down, which is obliged.  He looks long at the belt, then presses it to his head as he falls to a knee.  Dr. Nick Pierson comes in to check him out as we head back to the desk.

A replay is shown.