ALIAS TITLE TOURNAMENT: MORTIMER NIGHTINGALE VS. KENNY FREEMAN

The opening riffs of “You’re Nobody Til Somebody Loves You” by Dean Martin begins and the masked man emerges from the curtain as the lights dim and the spotlights shine on the ramp.

Nick Stuart: Good evening, everyone, and welcome to ReVival 22! Tonight we’re kicking things off with an opening round match in the Alias title tournament, 

Vince Howard: The following contest is scheduled for one fall, and it is a Block B matchup in the Alias Championship Tournament! Making his way to the ring, from Horace, North Dakota…weighing in at 248 pounds…MOOOORTIIMEEEEERRRR KNIGHTENGALE!

Mortimer Kjedelig begins making his way down the ramp, pointing to the fans in attendance. As he walks by, he pays no attention to the fans, he’s there to a job and his gait shows it. He slides into the ring under the bottom rope, step up to the middle turnbuckle and raise his hands in the air as the spotlight shines upon him. He hops off the turnbuckle and readies himself for the match as the music fades.

Richard Parker: Ol’ Morty hasn’t had the best of luck since joining PRIME last year, but I think we’re going to see a new side of him in 2023, especially with the might and mind of the Gamble Adoration Syndicate on his side.

“Let Me Entertain You” hits the sound system, to a mixed reaction from the crowd unfamiliar with Kenny Freeman as he makes his way to the ring.

Vince Howard: And his opponent, from Los Angeles, California, weighing in at one hundred sixty pounds… KENNY! FREEMAN!

Referee Elvis Nixon keeps the peace as Freeman heads to his corner, Nixon then checks if both competitors are ready, before calling for the bell.

DINGDING

With the opening bell, the next leg of the Alias Tournament begins! Mortimer Knightengale cautiously scouts Kenny Freeman, before lunging in for a takedown, only for Freeman to dodge his much larger opponent and nonchalantly lean on the ropes before casually slipping out of the ring and onto the floor feet-first.

Nick Stuart: The Orlando crowd is NOT liking Kenny Freeman’s hesitance to lock up!

Richard Parker: Well hey now, you can’t expect him to go guns-ablazing with the enforcer of the Gamble Adoration Syndicate, especially when that enforcer has almost ninety pounds on him! Freeman’s gotta play it safe!

And play it safe KFree does, as the Master of the Multiverse (B-Team) scouts his way around ringside, while Mortimer just looks at him with a look that begs the question, “really?”

Freeman seems to have found his point of entry, as he manages to dash in under the ropes and next to the ring post, before connecting with Knightengale’s back with a dropkick that sends him into the ropes! Freeman goes on the offensive, firing off another dropkick to the back, before reaching up to the GAS enforcer and whipping him into the ropes. Freeman follows suit and meets Knightengale in the center of the ring, but Knightengale ducks the attempted clothesline, before bouncing back and dropping Kenny Freeman with a clothesline of his own!

Nick Stuart: And down goes the sole healthy Master of the Multiverse!

Richard Parker: …B-Team.

Mortimer Knightengale takes advantage of the shift in momentum, picking Kenny up by the hair and taking him, over, and down, with a scoop slam, followed by a standing elbowdrop! Knightingale holds on for the cover, but Kenny Freeman kicks out before Elvis Nixon can get in counting position. Freeman is still rattled however, and is fresh prey for Knightengale, who gets behind him and hoists him up…

Nick Stuart: Kenny Freeman is flailing his arms and looks like he’s seen a ghost!

…and drops him tailbone-first onto his knee! Kenny Freeman winces and shudders, as the sensations from that atomic drop reverberate throughout his body!

Richard Parker: Kenny ain’t gonna want to sit down for a month, the way he landed on that nervous sweet spot!

Mortimer Knightengale knows what opportunities have opened, as he gets his mitts on Freeman again, and DRIVES him to the mat with a thunderous snap suplex, floating over into a cover!

ONE!

But Freeman kicks out, still visibly rattled from that atomic drop, and is struggling to get back to his feet; a state that Knightengale fully embraces, as he drives a boot harshly onto K-Free’s back! Freeman yelps in pain, while Mortimer locks on a front headlock and stalls to soak in the crowd, before driving a meaty forearm into Freeman’s back!

Nick Stuart: Freeman still stealing with that overload, as that forearm seemed to SHOCK him!

Knightingale gives a big, loud guffaw to the crowd as he slams another forearm onto Freeman’s back!

Richard Parker: See, this is how you keep these pipsqueak little gnats like Kenny Freeman in line; go for the high impact right out the gate, and pick apart the rattled carcass until you win!

Freeman is definitely looking a little worse for wear, but is starting to show signs of life as he clamps his hands down on Knightengale’s arm, pushing up with all his might.

Nick Stuart: Kenny Freeman seems to be hanging on for dear life, but will he be able to break out?

Indeed he does, after much struggle, Freeman manages to break out of the hold, loosening Morty’s grip and getting one in of his own, a hammerlock of the arm that had trapped his head!

Mortimer looks nonplussed as he looks for a way to break out, but is cut off by a La Magistral Rollup by KFree!

ONE!

TWO!

But the GAS Enforcer manages to break loose, rushing in for a clothesline only for Freeman to duck it, and rebound with a flying clothesline of his own that sends Morty down on the canvas!

Nick Stuart: Looks like the beginnings of a comeback here!

Richard Parker: We’ll see, Nicky, we’ll see.

Feeling a surge of energy, Freeman slams his fists onto the mat and gets back onto his feet, grabbing Knightengale by the mask and locking in his head and arm, before DRIVING him to the mat with a snap suplex of his own! Not satisfied, Kenny kips up to his feet and drops back down with a standing moonsault that he holds onto for the pin attempt!

ONE!

TWO!

Knightengale shoots up an arm, leading Elvis Nixon to hold up two fingers for all to see!

Nick Stuart: What a thunderous display by Kenny Freeman! The momentum might be shifting here!

Knightengale starts to stir, rising to his feet only to be met by a Kenny Freeman Dropkick that sends him rolling out of the ring!

Richard Parker: I don’t like Morty being outside that ring there, isn’t the air kind of Freeman’s specialty?

And sure enough as he says that, Kenny Freeman starts to dash for the opposite side, and takes off like a rocket, between the ropes and head-first onto Mortimer Knightengale!

Nick Stuart: AMAZING maneuver by Kenny Freeman!

Freeman makes it back to his feet, and revs up the crowd before grabbing Knightengale by the mask and rolling him back into the ring! Freeman waits for Knightengale to get to his feet, then sends in another drop kick…

…which is blocked! Kenny falls to the mat, but get back up just in time to get waffles by another Knightengale clothesline!

Mortimer Knightengale looks like he has just about HAD it, and he stares with gritted teeth at the prone Multiverse Master, before unloading a pair of stomps into his chest and taking to the top rope.

Richard Parker: Ha! It would be a poetic irony if Morty took to the skies and beat KFlea at his own game!

Looking with disdain at his fallen opponent, Knightengale leaps into the air, extending his elbow out…

WHAM!

…and hits nothing but canvas! Kenny Freeman has rolled out of the way, and is gathering his senses as he sees Knightengale writhing as he clutches his arm!

Nick Stuart: He missed! What’s Kenny Freeman going to do to capitalize?!

Freeman sees an opening, and he plays to the crowd as he grabs Morty’s injured arm and steps over his head, signalling an attempt at some submission maneuver.

Nick Stuart: Could he be setting up the rarely-seen Freeman Special?

Freeman has the head and arm locked, and reaches over to secure the enforcer’s leg, but Knightengale’s free arm reaches underneath and grabs the waistband of Kenny’s tights! Freeman loses his balance and grip, giving Mortimer Knightengale a perfect opportunity to get a fistful of tights and rolls the much smaller Freeman onto the mat and pin his shoulders tight! Elvis Nixon comes in for the count, but can’t see Knightengale’s attempt at leverage!

ONE!

TWO!

THREEEEEE!!!

DINGDINGDING

“You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You” starts playing once again, as Knightengale rolls out of the ring before Kenny realizes just what happened. The GAS Enforcer can only laugh and brag to the crowd, pointing to his head as he saunters back up the ramp.

Nick Stuart: Disgraceful! Mortimer Knightengale had to resort to an unfair advantage as he was all but defeated, and now he’s stolen away a spot in the next round of the tournament!

Richard Parker: You call it an unfair advantage, I call it finding an opening and taking it. Different strokes, right?

Nick Stuart: Urgh… we’ll be right back, folks.