IVAN STANISLAV vs. MORTIMER KNIGHTENGALE
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: We begin Colossus with a big… literally, BIG match up, as the Gamble Adoration Syndicate’s Mortimer Knightengale locks up against the Russian Bear Ivan Stanislav! This match was established when Knightengale attacked Stanislav with a steel chair during a tag team match between the Gamble Adoration Syndicate and the team of Stanislav and the Anglo Luchador, and this feud rages on to Colossus!
Richard Parker: Hate to say it, Nicky, but Mort might have his hands full against the giant Russian.
Vince Howard: The following contest is scheduled for one fall! 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.
The lights turn red as the PRIMEtron switches to a flowing, crimson flag of the U.S.S.R. The strong starting chord of the “Soviet National Anthem” explodes as Ivan Stanislav and Alexei Ruslan emerge from backstage. Stanislav raises his arms high in the air and bellows at the crowd. There’s a smattering of cheers from the crowd, perhaps a holdover from his teaming with The Anglo Luchador, or perhaps he is perceived as the lesser of two evils versus Mortimer Knightingale.
Either way, Vince Howard has a job to do.
Vince Howard: AND HIS OPPONENT! From Arkhangelsk, Russia, standing 7’1” tall and weighing in at 400 lbs, with Alexei Ruslan, IVAN STANISLAV!
Ivan turns to salute the PRIMEtron just in time for the lights to suddenly go back to their default white color. He stops mid-salute and the PRIMEtron turns off while his music is abruptly cut. Alexei looks back at the tron, and then over at Ivan. The two Russians frown angrily as it dawns on them why this is happening.
They don’t complain, or freak out, or anything else. If anything, Stanislav uses this brazen injustice to fuel his intensity, and with both Russians clenching their fists, Ivan steps up onto the apron, into the ring, and seethes. Then, he points over at Nick Stuart threateningly, and waits for the match to begin.
Senior official Timo Bolamba snaps glances at both competitors, before signaling for the opening bell!
DINGDING!
Mortimer Knightengale and the massive Ivan Stanislav face off from their respective corners, with Knightengale jawjacking the giant Russian, who just nods, as if to challenge Knightengale to bring it.
Nick Stuart: Stanislav is clearly not afraid of the Gamble Adoration Syndicate member!
Nightingale cracks a smirk, before rushing full-bore at Stanislav, only to bounce off of him in the corner, and stumble onto the mat! Stanislav looks down on Knightengale, and lets loose a roaring…
“DYAAHAAHAA!”
…which, to his surprise, actually seems to inspire some copycats in the New York crowd.
Richard Parker: Ivan got himself a following now?! I know the young people have been warming up to Communism, but this is ridiculous!
The few people laughing with Ivan cause him to look around to see who was cheering him on for a second, before a rally Knightengale rushes in for a clothesline, which actually succeeds in rattling the Russian Bear into the corner! Knightengale unloads a right hand to the massive jaw of Stanislav, followed by another! Timo tries to warn Knightengale to lay off the closed fists, but Ivan manages to cut him off, getting his hands on Mort’s collar and tossing him back to the center of the mat!
YEET COUNT: 1
Nick Stuart: The power of Ivan Stanislav on display!
Richard Parker: Age hasn’t softened him up one bit!
Nightingale gets back to his feet, only to get knocked back down by an Ivan clothesline! Ivan gets back to the offensive, grabbing Mort by the hair, and scooping him up and over, before dropping him with a slam, following up with a HEAVY elbowdrop to the chest, which has Mortimer Knightengale flopping like a fish out of water!
The Russian Bear slowly rises to his feet and stops the masked enforcer by stepping on his chest and WAAAAAAALKING over him, making Knightengale yelp in pain!
Nick Stuart: Ivan hasn’t been much of a fan favorite since his return to professional wrestling, but the crowd seems to enjoy seeing him do some damage to Tony Gamble’s unwilling associate!
Richard Parker: What has the world come to, rooting for Communism over good old-fashioned American spirit and gumption?
Ivan seems to relish in the moment, smiling as he drives a boot into the now-turned-over back of Knightengale, who struggles to rise to his feet from his knees. The Russian Bear grabs Mort by the mask, up to his feet, and whips him into the ropes, but Mort ducks the clothesline, and on the rebound, he LEAPS and nails Ivan with a clothesline of his own, which rattles Stanislav, but fails to knock him off his feet! Knightengale bounces off the ropes for another one, and manages to visibly wobble the big man! Mortimer goes for a troika, and bounces off the ropes for the clothesline…
WHAM!
YEET COUNT: 2
Nick Stuart: IVAN STANISLAV WITH A *BIG* FLAPJACK SENDING MORTIMER KNIGHTENGALE TO THE MAT!
Ivan gloats over the crumpled up Knightengale, and grabs the masked man by the arms, driving a boot in between his shoulderblades and WRENCHING!
Richard Parker: Oooooh, having a man Ivan’s size posting on your body to try and make you give up is NOT a good position to be in, Nicky!
And it is a position the masked marauder tries to get himself out of, as he reaches his feet out to try and get the ropes, but the pressure from Ivan’s titanic frame makes it difficult! Meanwhile, Timo is leaning in, checking on Knightengale and waiting for a sign of submission! Mort furiously shakes his head, refusing to give up, and after a daring attempt, manages to scoot himself to a rope and put a foot on it!
Nick Stuart: Mortimer Knightengale manages to get out of that submission, but you have to imagine all that torque did him no favors!
Mortimer Knightengale is clearly feeling it as he slowly gets to his feet, crawling towards a gloating Stanislav… but Knightengale sees an opening and lunges with a knee clip! The Russian Bear staggers and falls to a knee, leaving him prone to Knightengale reaching out and locking on a front headlock…
WHAM!
Richard Parker: Now that’s what you call a DDT with panache!
Knightengale laughs in relief as he rushes in with a salvo of stomps to the Russian Bear’s back! Knightengale waits for Ivan to get on all fours, trying to get his footing, before he bounces off the ropes and drops an elbow across the back of his head to send him down to the mat! Knightengale gloats, pointing at his own head, before reaching down and grabbing another front headlock onto Ivan, before putting one of the bear’s gargantuan arms over his own head.
Richard Parker: No. Way. He’s not gonna try to do that, is he?
It’s a little hard at first. Ivan doesn’t initially go along with Mortimer’s snap, but Mort lines himself up and plants his feet in real deep, before going for the lift…
WHAM!
The crowd erupts in surprise, as Ivan lands on his back by way of a SUCCESSFUL Mortimer Knightengale snap suplex!
Nick Stuart: What a display of strength from the Gamble Adoration Syndicate member!
Ivan reels from the impact, trying to get his footing, but Mortimer is right there, grabbing the gargantuan Russian by the hair and planting a headbutt, while pulling him to his feet and pushing him into a corner! An uppercut or two later, and Knightengale presses into him, before WHIPPING HIM from corner-to-corner!
WHAM!
Ivan writhes in the corner, feeling the impact of the whip against the turnbuckles and wincing in pain, as Knightengale sprints towards the Russian Bear…
WHAP!
Nick Stuart: QUICK thinking by Ivan Stanislav!
Indeed, as Knightengale ran to the corner, Ivan managed to lift one of his long, strong legs, just in time for Mortimer Knightengale to run right into a massive boot! The impact sends Mort stumbling to the mat, as Ivan snaps his head around the MSG crowd, before slooooooowly climbing backwards up the ropes, until both feet are standing on the second turnbuckle…
Richard Parker: No way…
Nick Stuart: Is Ivan really going to go for…
The Enforcer of the Gamble Adoration Syndicate slowly gets back to his feet, and looks around until his eyes lock onto the corner where he got knocked silly, only to see that his opponent simply isn’t there…
Nick Stuart: THE HURRICA–
THUD!
As Mortimer Knightengale looked up, it was too late. Ivan Stanislav was in mid-air, leaping as far as he could, until those oak-like legs where on either side of Mort’s head, resting on his shoulders…
Richard Parker: RUSSIA!
…and riding Ivan’s weight down onto Mortimer Knightengale’s chest and neck, planting him firmly onto the mat. Ivan Stanislav slowly gets back to a standing position, looking down on his opponent, now squashed flat like a bug, and lets out that laugh for all of New York to hear…
“DYAAHAAHAA!”
Nick Stuart: The crowd here tonight is VERY pleased at the destruction of Mortimer Knightengale, and I think we may see the killing blow right here!
Now emboldened by the crowd, Ivan looks down once again as Mort struggles to catch his breath, much less get back up to fight. However, Ivan Stanislav gladly gives his opponent a hand, pulling him back to his feet, and getting a nice grip on him for…
Richard Parker: That’s gotta be about it! The Red Scare is just a DEADLY move on top of that HurricaRussia!
YEET COUNT: 3
Mortimer Knightengale shows very little in the way of signs of life, as Ivan stalks towards him and goes for the cover, with Timo Bolamba in perfect position.
ONE!
TWO!
THREEEEEE!!!
DINGDINGDING!
The Soviet National Anthem plays once more, as Ivan rises triumphant, Alexi Ruslan ever jubilant as Timo raises his man’s hand.
Vince Howard: Here is your winner… “THE RUSSIAN BEAR!” Ivan… STAAAAAAANISLAAAAAAAV!
Nick Stuart: A hard-fought win by Ivan tonight, and perhaps a new reputation among the fans here tonight?
Richard Parker: You might not agree with his ideologies, but you can’t argue his power and toughness.