8 Bryan Williams vs. 9 Miles Lucky
Nick Stuart: Six out of the opening eight rounds to the Almasy Invitational Tournament are behind us, but this next one may be one of the more interesting match-ups we see this evening, when Bryan Williams meets Miles Lucky in the ring!
Richard Parker: “Interesting?” How!? I never even heard of these guys!
Nick Stuart: That may change after tonight, Rich. Though relatively new to PRIME, there’s a lot of history between these two competitors. Bryan Williams was more or less a mentor to Miles Lucky in his formative years. Who knows what will happen when the student finally faces the master in the ring?
Richard Parker: Ah… so Miles is like the Kanye to Bryan’s Jay-Z. Got it.
Nick Stuart: Well if you want to get technical… ugh, actually, let’s not get into it. In any case, tensions are high between these two, as they came to blows last week when they crossed paths at a press event. Tonight, in this first round tournament match-up, they look to finally settle the score in a face-off that’s been a long time coming!
“Tech Noir” by Perturbator plays through the PA as the house lights come down and neon lights fill up the stage. BRYAN WILLIAMS steps through the curtain and makes his way down the ramp.
Vince Howard: The following contest is scheduled for one fall! Introducing first, the eighth seed in the Almasy Invitational Tournament! Hailing from New York, New York, and weighing in at one-hundred and eighty-five pounds… here is, BRYYYAAAN WIIILLLIIIAAAMMMS!!
“Play God” by Sam Fender plays through the PA as the house lights come up again. MILES LUCKY bursts through the curtain and charges down to the ring, looking like a maniac.
Vince Howard: And the opponent, the ninth seed in the tournament! Hailing from the City, and weighing in at one-hundred and eighty pounds… please welcome, MIIILLLEEES LUUUUUUCKYYYYYY!!
Lucky slides under the ropes to enter the ring, and official Elvis Nixon sternly commands both mentor and mentee to stay apart until the bell. Bryan and Miles go to their corners, but never stop staring at each other. Nixon gives the cue to the timekeeper.
DING DING
At the sound of the bell, both men come out of their corners and engage in a long, tense staredown. The crowd noise ramps up to a steady roar. Both men are visibly bereft with emotion as they look at one another–Williams slightly trembling as he fights through his feelings, while Lucky switches through rage and glee and sadness like flipping through television channels.
Nick Stuart: The atmosphere in the MGM Grand Garden Arena is absolutely palpable right now!
Richard Parker: I have no idea why. They haven’t even done anything yet!
Words are quietly exchanged between them as they slowly close the distance between each other. Bryan shakes his head. Anguish fills Miles’ face. Then all at once, they explode upon each other into an all-out brawl of rights and lefts. The out-of-control slugfest sends both competitors dancing around the squared circle in a storm of violence. The crowd is cheering wildly!
Sheer animal tenacity gives Miles Lucky the upper hand as he lands a few blows. Williams backs into the corner and soaks up repeated wild punches, allowing his former pupil to let it all out. Official Elvis Nixon commands them to take the fight out of the corner. Lucky concedes, grabbing Williams by the neck to lead him out of the corner.
Lucky takes his mentor around the head and looks for a Cravat Neckbreaker–but Williams has it scouted and quickly reverses out! Bryan locks up the wrists and twists Miles around before slamming him to the mat with a Straightjacket Suplex! Williams immediately jumps on his protégé to keep him on the mat, but Lucky bursts to his feet with a roaring uppercut that catches him on the chin and leaves him reeling.
Bryan rubs his face as Miles rallies and shoots in low. Williams blocks the takedown and delivers elbows to the spine to put Lucky to his knees. Then he shows Lucky how it’s done by grabbing him around the head and executing a Cravat neckbreaker of his own to put him to the canvas! Williams quickly goes for the pin…
ONE
TWO
KICKOUT!
Nick Stuart: Williams goes for the first cover in this match following the neckbreaker, but almost expected the kickout from Miles Lucky. It’s clear these two know each other all too well. Bryan Williams taught Miles Lucky everything he knows! He can predict his every move!
Richard Parker: Can he predict winning lotto tickets? ‘Cause then I might be interested in the guy.
Bryan Williams traps Lucky in a side headlock to keep him on the ground, not wanting to let him up. Miles doesn’t take it lying down, literally and figuratively, as he stubbornly works back to his feet. He grabs Williams by the waist and lifts for the Blue Thunder Bomb–but Bryan AGAIN sees it coming and slips out behind Lucky. Before Miles can react, Williams lifts him off his feet and drops him on his head and neck with the Backdrop Driver!
Lucky’s engines have cooled as he lies on the mat, holding his neck and baring his teeth like an animal in pain. Bryan Williams watches him closely, patiently waiting for Miles to slowly work his way back off the mat. When the time is right, he hits the ropes and connects with a perfectly timed running Bicycle Knee that catches Lucky in the side of the head, and immediately goes for the lateral press!
ONE
TWO
NO! Lucky kicks out before the three!
Williams traps Miles again on the mat with an inverted facelock, wrenching back on the neck of his protégé. Lucky thrashes as he tries to pull himself loose, but only succeeds in twisting over to prevent his mentor from locking in a Dragon Sleeper. Miles finds his footing and fights to get back up while Bryan wrangles him like a wild animal.
Williams has Lucky in position for the Solar Flare Homicide (Rolling Cutter)–but Miles, knowing the move all too well, slips out at the last second and ends up behind him! Bryan gets shoved into the ropes, and on the return runs straight into a charging HEADBUTT out of nowhere from a suddenly reenergized Miles Lucky! Lucky howls madly and slaps his own head while the fans cheer the sudden comeback.
Nick Stuart: Bryan Williams looked to be handily in control of things, but Miles Lucky is showing some uncanny resilience in this battle against his mentor!
Richard Parker: That guy must have a skull over an inch thick! Would definitely explain why he acts like a caveman…
Nick Stuart: Williams knew he would be walking into one of the greatest challenges of his career tonight, against the very man he took under his wing! I can’t comprehend how a man like Miles Lucky’s brain operates, but Bryan Williams probably knows better than anyone else!
Bryan shakes out the cobwebs before realizing his position and quickly rolls over onto his knees. Miles Lucky stares him down, grinning hungrily ear to ear and noticeably more confident. The fans applaud loudly as Williams rises up and tells his former student to come at him. Lucky launches himself forward, and the two engage in another wild brawl!
This time, Williams gains the upper hand, blocking a wild hook from Lucky before connecting on a pair of European uppercuts that knocks his former student back into the ropes. Bryan attempts to put him into motion, but Miles puts on the brakes to counter the whip and pulls Williams into a headlock takedown to throw him to the mat! Lucky hangs onto the headlock as he buries his weight into Williams’ chest and makes the cover.
ONE
TWO
KICKOUT by Bryan Williams!
Bryan tries to sit up but puts himself into position for a sleeperhold attempt by Miles! Williams knows he’s in trouble and wastes no time getting his footing and working off the mat, only to break out of the hold with a reverse jawbreaker that leaves Lucky reeling! Bryan wastes no time popping to his feet, but whiffs on a running lariat that gives Miles the chance to slip behind him and execute a Sit-out Reverse DDT!
Nick Stuart: SHOTGUN MOUTHWASH by Miles Lucky, using his mentor’s own trademark move against him!
Richard Parker: Williams got sloppy on that one and paid the price. I gotta imagine Miles Lucky is trying to get under his skin by throwing his own moves back in his face!
Nick Stuart: Miles Lucky has changed the flow of this match, and he hooks the leg for the pin! Could that do it?
ONE…
TWO…
NO!! Williams gets the shoulder up!
The crowd has reached a fever pitch as Miles rolls to his feet, slaps his head some more, and gets positioned in the corner, waiting for Williams to push himself off the mat. Williams is groggy as he gets up, but still looks up and reacts in time to dodge the Superkick from Lucky!
Bryan snags him from behind and the master attempts to teach the student how the Blue Thunder Bomb is done–but upon lifting him onto his shoulders, gets peppered with lightning-fast jabs that send him falling onto his back with Miles on top, continuing to pound away! Williams doesn’t panic, bringing up his legs to hook Lucky by the arms and roll him to the mat into a double leg cradle!
ONE
TWO
BROKEN UP after the leg scissor across the face!
Both men scramble to their feet. Lucky rages in with a forearm, but Williams sees it coming and counters with a backslide pin!
ONE
TWO
LUCKY ROLLS OUT!
Bryan goes high while Miles goes low, and Lucky wins out with a double-leg takedown to put his mentor to the mat! He executes a quick standing senton to crush Williams’ ribs and stays in place to make a cover!
ONE
TWO
THR–BRYAN BRIDGES OUT!!
RRAAAAAAHHHH!!!
Nick Stuart: What amazing back and forth action we’re seeing between these two! These fans are about to blow the roof off the Garden Arena!
Richard Parker: I’ll give them this: these two can really go in there…
Williams twists around and ends up on top of Lucky. Bryan has plans for suplex–but Miles fights his way out of his arms and drops harmlessly to his feet behind him! Williams turns around and catches the SUPERKICK that Lucky was looking for earlier, sending him sprawling to the mat! Miles throws himself over William’s chest for the cover.
ONE…
TWO…
TH–KICKOUT!!
The fans pop hard again as the match continues! Miles Lucky looks unhinged at this point, grabbing Williams by the head and forcing him back to his feet. Williams suddenly catches him off guard with a forearm to the side of the head, and follows up with an EXPLODER SUPLEX that sends him bouncing across the canvas! Williams falls over his chest and hooks both legs…
ONE…
TWO…
TH–NO!! KICKOUT!!
Miles is hurt, but nevertheless tries to work his way back to his feet. Bryan, however, appears to be in full control as he pulls him up the rest of the way and scoops him onto his shoulders, right before delivering a devastating Fireman’s Carry Neckbreaker! Williams makes the cover…
ONE…
TWO…
THR–NO!! MILES KICKS OUT AGAIN!!
RRAAAAAAHHHH!!!
Nick Stuart: ANOTHER kickout, after the Ushigoroshi from Bryan Williams! How does Miles Lucky find the strength to keep going?!
Richard Parker: Maybe he’s one of those headcases that can’t feel pain? I dunno…
Nick Stuart: There have been many shifts in momentum between these two competitors who know each other inside and out, but the mentor’s wisdom and experience seems to be coming out on top! Can Bryan Williams put him away, or will Miles Lucky survive this onslaught?!
Bryan Williams pulls his protege off the mat for the next move, but doesn’t anticipate the EYE RAKE from Miles! Lucky jumps on him and attempts a Snap Suplex, but Williams blocks it by hooking the leg! He instead counters by lifting his former student up and dropping him into Brainbuster across the KNEE!
Nick Stuart: PARKWAY DRIVER!! Miles Lucky just went LIMP on the canvas! Could that have done it?!
Bryan makes the cover…
ONE…
TWO…
THRE–NOOO!! ANOTHER KICKOUT!!
The PRIMEates ROAR as Williams sits up and looks at Elvis Nixon in astonishment as the official holds up two fingers. He shakes his head in disbelief. Miles Lucky convulses on the mat beside him.
FIGHT-FOR-EV-ER!! FIGHT-FOR-EV-ER!! FIGHT-FOR-EV-ER!! FIGHT-FOR-EV-ER!!
Williams gets to his feet and waits for his opponent. Lucky is somehow moving again, mostly on muscle memory. Bryan can’t believe how much he’s withstood, but knows exactly where he needs to go from here. He takes Miles by the arm and wrangles him the rest of the way to his feet, holding him out at arms length and drawing him in for the RIPCORD LARIAT–
But Miles Lucky suddenly LEAPS onto his shoulders to block the MANTRA! Gravity puts Lucky’s feet back to the mat, and the weight redistribution plays right into Miles hooking the leg as Bryan gets lifted up… and drilled HARD with the 9:30 (Cradle DDT)!
Nick Stuart: WHAT A REVERSAL!! It was Miles Lucky’s turn to predict his mentor’s next move! He goes for the cover… could that be IT?!
ONE
TWO
THREE!!
DING DING DING
The PRIMEates in attendance pop hard as “Play God” by Sam Fender cues up over the PA. Miles Lucky rolls off of the chest of Bryan Williams, and both men lie on the mat for several moments breathing heavily while Elvis checks on them. Eventually, Lucky sits up, giggling like a deranged man. As he staggers to his feet, he hardly notices his arms being raised; his eyes never leave Williams, his mentor, still lying on the mat.
Vince Howard: The winner of the match, by pinfall… MIIIIIIIIILLLES LUUUUUUUUUCKYYYYYYYYY!!!
Nick Stuart: What a magnificent battle these two put on display, as Miles Lucky moves on to the next round in the Almasy Invitational Tournament with a triumphant win over the man who showed him the ropes!
Richard Parker: Okay, I’ll admit it… that was a pretty good match.
Nick Stuart: Bryan Williams definitely showed he knows how to read Miles Lucky in that ring, but it almost seemed he underestimated his student’s sheer tenacity to survive against the odds! A moment’s hesitation was all it took to cost him a chance at the PRIME Universal Title, although he has to be proud of Miles’ performance tonight!
Richard Parker: Well, whatever. I guess that settles things between these two, huh? We can all move on now?
Nick Stuart: Not sure I would agree with you there, Rich. Williams will no doubt be looking to settle the score somewhere down the line, and I think the overwhelming reaction by these fans would suggest that many would like to see these two meet in that ring again!
Back on his feet, Bryan is leaning on the ropes and rubs the top of his head, while Lucky backpedals up the rampway. Miles no longer looks giddy with victory, but almost heartbroken. Both men never stop staring each other down.