ADAM ELLIS VS. ARTHUR PLEASANT
“Immigrant Song” by Voodoo Prophet hits the speakers and a chorus of boos immediately follows.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Two words, followed by two letters, written in signature style, appear on PRIMEview with a bleeding effect; this is created by a machete that slices through the bottom of the screen with a violent effect. Arthur Pleasant, meanwhile, has already begun making his way out from behind the curtains.
YOUR NIGHTMARE,
AP
Vince Howard: Making his way to the ring… from Under The Midnight Sun… weighing in at 225 lbs…he is PRIME’s WORST NIGHTMARE… ARTHURRRRRRR… PLLLEEEAAASAAAAAAAAAAAAANT!!!
Richard Parker: Arthur Pleasant…he’s just one of “those” kinds of guys, you know what I mean?
Nick Stuart: I haven’t the slightest idea what you mean.
Richard Parker: One of those guys where you can’t really imagine a scenario where you cross his path and think, “huh, THAT’S somebody I’m happy to see!” You know?
Nick Stuart: Arthur Pleasant, certainly making many enemies here in PRIME as he looks to build momentum tonight.
Garrett Biggs’ “Mama Didn’t Raise No…” plays over the sound system and on the video screen, a video plays, showing a series of wrestling trophies on a dresser next to an old high school football uniform that has ‘Ellis’ on the back.
Vince Howard: And his opponent…from Warrensburg, Missouri, weighing in at 225 lbs…ADAM! ELLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!
An acoustic guitar plays and the vocals begin.
“Mama didn’t raise no… quitter- guaranteed to get the job done.”
Adam Ellis and Ginny Van Lear walk out from the back hand in hand and stand on the stage.
“She didn’t raise no SOB who that can’t back himself up – been known to throw a good punch.”
The video screen shows a series of action shots of Ellis from his various matches
“And this ol’ boy gets going when the going gets tough- sundown to sun up.”
Dressed in a t-shirt, jeans, and her feet wrapped in tape the former MMA prodigy nods her head causing her bright red hair to flip, and raises her left hand…
“Need a man with a helping hand – he’s always got one to lend.”
…and then brings it down as the chorus and full instrumentation hits- complete with pyro.
Nick Stuart: Always nice to see young love, don’t you think?
Richard Parker: Emphasis on the “young”, my goodness. He can’t even rent a car, and SHE can’t even buy a drink!
Nick Stuart: Nevertheless, like so many other wrestlers on our incredibly stacked roster, he’s found a fair amount of success despite his young age!
“Oh, I might be a little rough around the edges”
Adam’s wearing a pair of plain blue wrestling shorts. He starts forward down the ramp towards the ring followed by Van Lear.
“From the outside lookin’ in it might seem helpless.”
The couple reaches the ring. Adam holds the rope open so Ginny can slide through.
“I’ve been blessed with a strong backbone – I never coulda made it on my own”
Adam joins her in the ring.
“But if there’s one thing that I know – Momma didn’t raise no…”
Adam climbs up the top turnbuckle and holds up his arms.
DING DING
Adam hops down and measures Pleasant with his eyes. Both men are virtually identical in height and weight on paper, but the way they carry themselves in the ring couldn’t be further apart. Ellis is squared up in a very traditional amateur wrestling stance as he cautiously looks for an opening, while Pleasant’s movements are more like a viper’s, unpredictable and full of Quick Strike Danger energy.
Nick Stuart: Both of these competitors are looking to continue their momentum following recent wins, partner. Matchups like these can often come down to the intangibles. Who do you give the edge to in that department?
Richard Parker: Tough call – both men have a little bit of crazy in them. Arthur’s got those fangs, but Adam Ellis went and married himself a firecracker mixed with a pistol. I call “push” on that one.
In a flash, Arthur goes in first for the collar-and-elbow and really digs into Ellis’s shoulder and neck with his fingernails. Ellis winces, then reverses momentum, breaks an arm loose, and catches Pleasant in an arm wringer. Pleasant snaps a kick squarely into Ellis’s ribs, but Ellis finds a way to maintain control and sweeps out Pleasant’s kick leg as he tries and fails to regain his balance. Both men are now on the mat with Ellis atop Pleasant’s back, looking to grab a shoulder submission, but Pleasant resists.
Nick Stuart: We’ve heard rumor that Arthur Pleasant took some extra hours in the practice ring working on escaping submissions, partner.
Richard Parker: Yeah, and I heard Ellis took some bitin’ classes, too!
Nick Stuart: Unlikely.
Pleasant shoots out with surprising swiftness, pops to his feet, and peppers the prone Ellis with some stiff Muay Thai kicks. After absorbing a few stiff shots, Ellis is able to scramble to the ropes. As he grabs onto the middle rope with both hands, Pleasant runs over, grabs both of Ellis’s feet, and pulls him as hard as he can towards the center of the ring. Ellis’s grip breaks, and with a mighty SPLAT, he’s prone once again.
Arthur launches in with some rabid punches (not to be confused with rabbit punches) to Ellis’s face before deciding “eff it” and going in for a bite on the top of Ellis’s scalp! Referee Jimmy Turnbull will not have it and immediately goes for the five count – satisfied at the damage he’s done, he separates. Ellis taps a few fingers to the area Pleasant bit and checks for blood – there’s not much, but there’s at least a couple drops. Angered, he gets to his feet once again.
Pleasant launches at Ellis for a third time – Ellis sees it coming and uses Pleasant’s momentum against him and him around into a reverse waistlock, hoists his knees and hips, and PLANTS Pleasant with a big German Suplex! He rolls over, maintaining control, and this time connects with a much snappier Snap Suplex, releasing Pleasant as he does so! Seizing the opportunity, he goes for the cover!
ONE!
Two! Kick out by Pleasant!
Nick Stuart: Ellis is staying on top of the very agile and spry Provocateur.
Richard Parker: He wants to return the favor after feeling the TEETH TEETH!
Ellis grabs Pleasant’s feet into a stepover toehold and he then goes in for the same shoulder control he was searching for at the start of the match. This time, he’s able to swing Pleasant’s shoulder back and over, and he traps Pleasant in a facelock!
Nick Stuart: Modified STF from Adam Ellis! Will this be enough? Will Arthur tap??
A pocket of the audience starts chanting “TEETH TAP!” clap clap “TEETH TAP!” clap clap, but it doesn’t seem to spread through the entire arena. Jimmy Turnbull checks, but Arthur emphatically declines. He fights and wriggles, but Ellis has the hold firmly locked in and Pleasant has no window to get to his feet. Out of desperation (or out of genius?) Arthur realizes the best tools he has to escape the hold are the tools that created the meme…
Richard Parker: Look at that! Arthur’s biting him! He’s biting Adam Ellis’s hands! HA, what a goon.
Nick Stuart: Borderline illegal, but it gets the job done, and Arthur Pleasant is free!
Both men back into opposing corners, Pleasant catching his breath and checking his teeth with a sinister grin to see if he’s drawn more blood. Ellis checks his hands – we can see indents on his skin, but apparently no broken skin. By now, the raised intensity of emotion in both men is all over their faces – Ellis is QUITE MAD, and Pleasant is QUITE PLEASED WITH HIMSELF. Ellis leaves his corner first, looking to be the initiator for the first time all match, when –
SMACK!
Arthur Pleasant surprises him with a lightning-quick Roaring Elbow straight to the jaw! Ellis staggers but stays vertical – Pleasant swings again with another Roaring Elbow! Ellis is stunned and drops to his knees. Pleasant runs to the opposite ropes, bounces off with added momentum, and launches – NARCOLEPSY!! Ellis crumples to the mat after taking that huge Buzzsaw Kick! Arthur has to heave Ellis off his stomach in order to navigate the pin, and after some exertion, he hooks the far leg!
ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!!
Nick Stuart: Adam Ellis hangs on!
Richard Parker: Fangs McTrouble isn’t done with him just yet!
Nick Stuart: “Fangs McTrouble”?
Richard Parker: You would watch a movie called Fangs McTrouble, don’t lie to our audience.
Arthur Pleasant pulls Adam Ellis up by the head and positions him in a standing headscissors. He then locks his arms around Ellis’s torso, looking to lift him up into piledriver position – but Ellis resists! Pleasant goes for another lift, but Ellis flails his legs and kills the momentum before he can get vertical! As Ellis’s feet return to the mat, he plants his hands on his knees and powerfully raises up his torso, sending Pleasant crashing in a Back Body Drop.
Both men sport a few bruises from this encounter, and eagle-eyed viewers might catch that Ellis’s hair right around the area of Arthur Pleasant’s bite has become a matted mess of blood and sweat. Before long, they find themselves exchanging strikes in the center of the ring – Adam Ellis with big arcing haymakers, Pleasant with precision-strike Muay Thai-style punches. The crowd “boos” and “yays” depending on the puncher (no guesses as to whom’s punches receive the boos versus the yays). Pleasant fires off a flurry of punches and a snapping kick to Ellis’s shin – but Ellis digs deep, feints a kick, and LAUNCHES his right fist!
SMASH!!
Nick Stuart: Superman Punch from Adam Ellis!!
Arthur goes DOWN, and Ellis sees his opening! He goes to grab Pleasant’s left leg for the elevated Boston Crab, but Pleasant kicks him away! Another grab from Ellis, this time with added stomps to Pleasant’s guts, and this time Ellis is on his way to having his signature finishing hold.
Richard Parker: No teeth down in Arthur’s feet, that’s smart strategy!
Nick Stuart: But Arthur Pleasant is fighting Ellis every step of the way here, Ellis can’t quite seem to get Pleasant in the position he wants!
Frustrated, Ellis turns to deliver a fresh set of stomps into Pleasant’s gut, when – quicker than a hiccup – Pleasant sweeps out Ellis’s leg with his arm! He’s got him wrapped and stacked into a SCHOOLBOY! Jimmy Turnbull dives to the mat for the count!
ONE!
TWO!
Nick Stuart: ARTHUR’S GRABBING THE TRUNKS! He’s going to STEAL THIS THING!!
THRE-NOOOOOOOO!
Adam Ellis LURCHES a shoulder off the mat and Arthur is FURIOUS at Jimmy Turnbull for not giving him the three count.
Richard Parker: I thought that was it!
Nick Stuart: Ellis REALLY had to dig deep to get out of that one!
Rage washing over Pleasant’s face, he decides “enough is enough” and gathers Ellis’s body onto his shoulders, rising to a foot and a knee, inching his way closer to hitting Calamity Pain!
Ellis smashes an elbow into the side of Pleasant’s head, then another, breaking loose of the hold! For good measure, Ellis shoots in, grabs the waist, and plants Pleasant with a Snap Suplex with an exclamation point! Pleasant is down, and Ellis looks into the crowd cheering the young man from the middle of Missouri, and he points to the turnbuckle nearest Pleasant. He makes his way to that corner and checks his head once again for blood (oh DEFINITELY there is, he might need to get it checked post match). He takes it as a sign that he needs to do something big to keep Pleasant from escaping all of his dang submission holds.
Inspiration lights up his eyes as he reaches the top rope and measures his opponent. He leaps, clearly going for a diving Elbow Drop like we’ve seen from him before…
CRASH!
…but instead of driving his elbow through Arthur Pleasant’s heart, he crushes Pleasant’s legs instead! Pleasant howls out after receiving that hellacious targeted strike!
Nick Parker: Arthur Pleasant’s legs have been CRUSHED!
Richard Parker: No teeth in those legs, either, I guess!
Nick Parker: You “guess”??
Ellis gets to his feet and pulls Pleasant by the feet to the center of the ring. Finally, after struggling all match to make it happen, he’s able to grab a limb and manipulate it into position with relative ease. Arthur Pleasant’s left leg is turned and lifted high above the rest of his body!
Adam twists and leans into the hold, putting a tremendous amount of pressure on Pleasant’s head and neck in addition to the horrible pain shooting through his legs! Jimmy Turnbull goes in to see if Arthur will submit!
“TEETH TAP!” CLAP CLAP
“TEETH TAP!” CLAP CLAP
It’s starting to catch on a bit in the crowd – Arthur grits his teeth hard and tries everything he can think of to get out – but his free leg doesn’t have the strength anymore to help him escape! He reaches to see if the ropes might move another six feet closer to him – no dice there either.
With no options left to him, Arthur Pleasant reluctantly taps the mat. Jimmy Turnbull signals for the bell!
DING DING DING
Vince Howard: Your winner, as a result of a submission…ADAM! ELLLLLLLLISSSSSSSSS!
The referee raises Ellis’s hand in victory as Ellis soaks in the cheers of the crowd. Arthur Pleasant clutches at his left leg as he slowly rolls out of the ring.
Nick Stuart: Adam Ellis is one one heck of a run lately! Another win for the man who’s about to turn 23 later this month! Well folks, we still have our main event tonight as Wade Elliott and Sage Pontiff do battle! But first, THIS COMMERCIAL!