JOE BERGMAN vs. SAGE PONTIFF
The match graphic appears and the crowd braces themselves for what’s to come.
Joe Hoffman: Joe Bergman’s last match is here. He’s definitely got his hands full with Sage Pontiff, though. Pontiff is certainly no push over. He’s been doing very well in PRIME I’m told.
Benny Newell: I’d rather have one of our own finish Joe Bergman off for good, because he will be finished off. Guy doesn’t have it anymore.
Joe Hoffman: Where are you getting this from?
Benny Newell: Good riddance.
Joe Hoffman: That didn’t answer my question.
As the announcers continue to bicker, Bryan McVay is in the center of the ring ready to get the ball rolling.
Bryan McVay: This match is for ONE FALL! Introducing first, from Joshua Tree, California… weighing in at two-hundred-one pounds… SAGE PONTIFF!
“Satori Part II” by the Flower Travellin’ Band plays as Sage casually strolls out to a chorus of boos, with seemingly no fucks given.
Joe Hoffman: Of course nobody’s going to cheer for this man tonight.
Benny Newell: I’m… thinking about it.
Joe Hoffman: You can’t be serious.
Benny Newell: Joe Bergman has continued to throw the Lee Best name under the rug for his ENTIRE career. Of course I don’t want this man to walk off into the sunset. I want him to be rolled off a cliff.
Hoffman ignores the Newell comment as Pontiff makes his way to ringside.
Joe Hoffman: A HUGE moment for Sage since it’s Joe Bergman’s last match, regardless. If Pontiff can be the one who takes him out with a loss…
Benny Newell: Yes. It would do great things for his career. Let’s point out the obvious.
Pontiff rolls into the ring as the crowd anticipates one of the men they came to see.
Bryan McVay: And his opponent…
The room is already deafening and everyone is on their feet.
Bryan McVay: From Plattin, Missouri… weighing two-hundred-twenty pounds…
The broadcast can barely pick up McVay’s voice because the crowd says it along with him.
Bryan McVay: JOE BERGMAN!!!!
RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
The opening piano played by Billy Powell begins. It is followed by the iconic guitar licks from Gary Rossington’s slide guitar. Then Lynyrd Skynyrd’s epic “Freebird” blares out of the PA speakers.
Joe marches out to a huge ovation. He raises his arms in the air and a can of PBR in tribute to the ‘ordinary people’ in attendance tonight and, of course, Section 214.
Benny Newell: 214 is retired after tonight. Thank fucking god. Guy should’ve been paying respect to the Best Alliance all these years.
Joe Hoffman: Get over it.
Bergman makes his way down, taking in the atmosphere for what is going to be his last time. Meanwhile, in the center of the ring, Sage Pontiff doesn’t seem to care one way or another. He’s locked his fingers together and rolls his arms around to stay “loose”.
Joe hops onto the apron and enters the ring to another ovation.
Benny Newell: (Sigh)
Referee Matt Boettcher calls both men to the center of the ring for a quick “talk”. Sage looks indifferent the whole time.
Joe Hoffman: Get your phones rolling…
With Bergman in one corner and Pontiff in the other, Boettcher calls for the bell and the crowd EXPLODES!
DING DING
Sage Pontiff makes his move and tries wrapping his arms around Bergman’s waist. Sage positions himself to the side of Joe and looks for a German suplex but Bergman sinks down so Pontiff isn’t able to.
However, not to be outdone, Pontiff ends up tripping Bergman to the mat and then he drops an elbow to the back of his head. Another elbow. Another. A third. Fourth. Fifth.
Joe Hoffman: Sage is not going to allow Bergman to have the spotlight. He’s attempting to take the crowd out of it right away.
Benny Newell: It’s smart. No sentiment.
Pontiff stands and pulls Bergman up with him. He connects with an arm drag. Pontiff is back to his feet and connects with another arm drag. Similar to the hard elbows, Pontiff continues to throw arm drag after arm drag, sending Bergman every which way in the ring.
Benny Newell: Did Joe mail this in before the bell even rang?
Joe Hoffman: C’mon now, I highly doubt that.
The crowd can tell Bergman is trying to survive but Sage has come to play. Pontiff pulls Bergman off the mat and looks for an atomic drop but it’s not a well carried out atomic drop so Joe slips out, bounces off the ropes and ends up hitting the PRIME star with an elbow of his own.
Pontiff lowers his weight, picks up Bergman and in one fluid motion he tosses Bergman onto his back with a backdrop.
Joe Hoffman: Unphased by the Bergman elbow-
Benny Newell: Yep, Ordinary Joe mailed it in.
Joe Hoffman: He did not.
Benny Newell: Listen, I don’t want PRIME to win, I already said that. But I’m not going to sit here and pretend I enjoy Joe’s work, either.
Pontiff peels Bergman off the mat and looks for a gutwrench suplex when Joe escapes, bounces off the ropes and ducks a clothesline attempt so he bounces off the next set of ropes. Bergman flies through the air, looking for a potential crossbody block but Pontiff catches him and turns it into a powerslam! Sage hooks the leg…
ONE.
TWO.
SHOULDER UP.
Benny Newell: Mailed. It. In.
Joe Hoffman: Sage Pontiff is twenty-four-years-old and no doubt recognizes how big this moment is. Maybe it’s more about him right now and less about Joe losing his footing.
Bergman is on his feet. He blocks a right palm shot from Pontiff and then reels him in for a side-to-belly suplex, which lands. Joe floats over, lifts Pontiff up and looks for a snap suplex this time when Pontiff hooks his right leg around Bergman so the move can’t be performed. In response, Pontiff lowers his own base and sends Joe Bergman head-over-heels overtop of him, crashing to the mat in another arm drag.
Pontiff dropkicks Bergman in the neck. He pulls Joe up and connects with a snap suplex. By now, the crowd is in a hush, worried they might not be seeing a lot of offense from Bergman at all.
Pontiff drops an elbow. He pushes Bergman to the mat and then bounces off the ropes, striking directly when Joe gets on a knee… with a running, leaping forearm strike.
Joe Hoffman: You could hear that one from over here!
Pontiff drags Bergman to his feet, kicks him in the midsection and then plants the vet with a sloppy looking DDT in the center of the ring. Sage rises, raises his hands to a chorus of boos and spins around-
WHAM!
Right into a forearm shot by Bergman!
The crowd comes alive as Bergman works quickly. He forearms Pontiff into a corner, then Irish whips Pontiff into the corner across the way. Sage meets it chest-first and sticks to the buckle. Bergman races in, looking for a shoulder block when Pontiff suddenly collapses and falls into a heap on the floor. Joe meets the buckle and gets nothing.
Joe Hoffman: That backfired. I definitely don’t think Sage meant to fall over.
Pontiff stumbles around on the canvas, trying to find a vertical base. He’s up, but Joe notices him by then. Bergman is cautious to approach his opponent this time but goes for a standing dropkick once he’s close enough.
Pontiff takes a minor step back, right at the last second and then he lunges forward, the split second Bergman hits the mat with his back. Pontiff snatches Bergman’s legs and tries to twist him into a figure four leg lock. However, Bergman won’t submit without a fight. Right before Pontiff locks in the move, Joe leans forward and drives his elbow into Sage’s face. Pontiff drops the hold, and Bergman rolls into the ropes to help him stand upright.
Pontiff won’t be denied. He’s like a pitbull and immediately charges at Joe the second the vet is on his feet.
Bergman tries for a jumping cutter but Pontiff snaps his head back at the last second and Ordinary Joe misses. Sage leaps onto the ropes right beside Bergman and then whips his legs across Joe’s head…
Into a poisonrana!
The crowd gasps as Bergman’s head ricochets off the mat.
Benny Newell: Should’ve retired ten years ago!
Pontiff stands, dusts himself off and looks over at the referee like he has the match won. He quickly finds where Joe Bergman lies and hooks a leg…
ONE.
TWO.
KICKOUT!
The crowd comes alive but Sage hates it. He’s immediately on the offense, hammering careless looking fists into Bergman’s face as the referee shouts for them to be open palm strikes. Needless to say, it doesn’t matter. Pontiff hurls Bergman into a corner and charges in with a wild splash. He takes hold of Bergman’s head and then performs a running bulldog in the center of the ring! Once again, Pontiff goes for a cover.
ONE.
TWO.
KICKOUT!
Joe Hoffman: Sage didn’t hook the leg.
The crowd gives another sign of life, as they are seeing signs of life in the Average Joe. By now, Pontiff is driving his knee haphazardly into Joe Bergman’s face and Joe is trying to cover up, but having difficulty doing so…
Pontiff props Bergman onto his knees and hits the ropes-
Suddenly, Joe shoots up and connects with a roll through roundhouse kick, sending Pontiff out of the ring!
Sage falls through the bottom and middle rope to the surprise of the crowd. Bergman collapses on all fours, trying to catch his breath.
Joe Hoffman: Hell of a move there. Joe has bought himself some time.
Benny Newell: Whatever.
Bergman is on his feet and he’s firing up the crowd. He races over to the side of the ring where Sage is recovering from the roundhouse kick. It looks like the kick caught Sage under the nose and there’s a small trickle of blood running down his face because of it.
Bergman measures Pontiff…
Slingshot leg drop!
The crowd chants heavily as Bergman throws himself up and out of the ring, crashing down onto Pontiff in a picture perfect move!
Joe Hoffman: Benny, you were saying?
Newell doesn’t say a word as Bergman stands, shouts into the rafters and sends Pontiff back to where he came from… into the squared circle.
Bergman quickly follows. He sees Pontiff is trying to get on his feet so Joe performs the same move. The 214 grabs the top rope and slingshots himself over and into the ring, landing another leg drop to Sage!
Joe waits on his opponent to stir, before enclosing and taking Pontiff by the waist…
It looks like Bergman may be going for a gutwrench suplex when Pontiff wiggles his way out of it. Sage turns Joe around to face him and drills the Average Joe in the temple with a forearm. Pontiff looks to drag Bergman into a suplex himself when suddenly Joe reverses it into a hurricanrana!
Into a pin!
Joe Hoffman: Both legs hooked! Joe has both legs hooked!
ONE.
TWO.
KICKOUT!
Joe Hoffman: Barely a kickout! I thought Joe had Sage dead to rights!
Benny Newell: You could see Pontiff was trying to kickout the second his legs were trapped. Luckily for him, the last second was still available…
Both men are up, as the crowd gives a cheer. Bergman is certainly hurting, he’s clearly taken more damage throughout the match. But he’s sucking it up as best he can.
Sage cracks his neck. He marches to the center of the ring and raises his right arm.
A test of strength.
Joe nods and meets him in the center of the ring- but once he’s there, Pontiff kicks Bergman in the stomach and lands that gutwrench suplex!
Benny Newell: There ya go! Sage is here to win a match, NOT to worry about who’s last match it is!
Pontiff lifts a woozy Bergman off the canvas and connects with Atharvaveda, his release dragon suplex!
Joe Hoffman: This does not look good, Joe landed on the crown of his head!
Pontiff races over and pumps Bergman with a wild knee to the face. Sage hurls the vet into a corner and begins unloading again. It’s elbow after elbow to the side of the head before Pontiff whips Bergman into the corner across the way. Once Joe bounces out, Pontiff is there for an implant DDT. He pushes Bergman onto his back and looks for a pin-
When Bergman comes through with a desperation inside cradle!
ONE!
TWO!
NEARLY A THREE!
Pontiff can’t believe it. He pops to his knees and then levels Bergman with an elbow. Sage pulls at his hair, he’s shaking his head…
Joe Hoffman: Pontiff better not lose focus. Yes, that was almost a three but he’s STILL in control!
Bergman is struggling on all fours while Pontiff comes in with a shotgun dropkick to Joe’s face. Sage lifts Bergman up, tosses him into the ropes and then absolutely throws himself through Bergman’s body with what looks to be some kind of modified shoulder block/spear tackle.
Joe Hoffman: Pontiff is literally throwing his entire body at Bergman.
Joe is down and out. He lays on his back, motionless. Pontiff’s face is full of intensity as he contemplates what to do next. He begins kneeing Bergman in the side of the head, while trying to position him for his Canadian destroyer finisher…
The crowd is trying to give Joe life, but they aren’t sure he’s going to survive. Pontiff has Bergman in position-
And then Joe escapes and connects with a roundhouse kick. Bergman is on roller skates but he ultimately hits a superkick flush under Pontiff’s jaw. Bergman bounces off the ropes, leaps in the air and takes down Sage with a hurricanrana! Joe shoots up, he’s surviving off fumes now as the crowd continues to cheer…
Bergman turns to where Sage Pontiff should be…
But he’s not there.
Instead, Pontiff is behind Bergman. Sage latches onto Joe’s waist and throws the 214 in the air for a release German suplex!
Joe lands on his feet!
YOU STILL GOT IT!
YOU STILL GOT IT!
YOU STILL GOT IT!
Pontiff pulls at his hair. He charges at Bergman but Joe ducks and Sage hits the ropes. With Pontiff’s back turned to the vet, Joe grabs onto the PRIME star and tosses him over his head in Bergman’s own release German suplex!
The crowd is white hot and Bergman is feeling it. He Irish whips Sage into a corner but the California native hits the buckle so hard he flips right up it and now he’s sitting on the top buckle.
Bergman is going to meet Pontiff there. The crowd is on their feet, as both men are on top post, trying to go blow for blow. Suddenly, Sage slips away and lands on the second turnbuckle pad. He superkicks Bergman square in the jaw.
Joe Hoffman: This doesn’t look good…
Sage decides he’s going back to the top rope and he’s going to end Joe Bergman once and for all.
Pontiff hooks his right arm around Bergman and ensures Bergman’s left arm is also across his shoulders.
Joe Hoffman: Superplex time?
Pontiff pulls Bergman into a standing position. It doesn’t take long, a mere second after Pontiff pushes off the buckle with everything he has…
SLAM!
Superplex.
Joe Hoffman: SAGE HOLDS ON!
Pontiff floats over, still taking hold of Joe Bergman and connects with another suplex!
Sage STILL holds on! It looks like he’s going for a third suplex when out of nowhere Joe lowers his base, keeps his feet on the ground and somehow… someway… the wily vet connects with a falcon arrow suplex of his own.
AND HOOKS THE LEG.
ONE.
TWO.
KICKOUT!
The air is knocked out of the arena, as everything thought the match was over!
Joe Hoffman: I don’t know how Joe got that second wind! Bergman was hit with a suplerplex… then another suplex! How did he have the wherewithal to find a falcon arrow suplex!?
Benny Newell: The damage is done. That’s ALL Joe had left in him! Look at him, he’s DOA!
Benny’s words ring true… as the first person to move on the canvas is Sage Pontiff.
Joe Bergman hasn’t flinched.
No one in the bleachers sits. The crowd is prepared to witness the end of the match, and, of course, the end of one man’s career.
Pontiff is on his feet but he’s definitely feeling it. He looks down at Bergman and begins to position Joe…
Joe Hoffman: That’s all she wrote…
Sage takes one moment to look into the crowd and then a smile crosses his face. He takes a few steps back and charges at Bergman, looking for his Canadian destroyer-
WHAM!
Bergman connects with a standing dropkick!
The crowd is ruckus. Bergman barely has anything left… but he finds the second rope, pulls himself upright and measures Pontiff, leaping towards Sage with a cutter!
It connects.
Joe isn’t going to waste another second. He slides across the mat, hooks his arms around Pontiff’s neck…
And locks in the Dragon Sleeper!
Pontiff tries shouting at first. He’s even attempting to bite… but he can’t get his mouth anywhere close enough to Bergman’s flesh.
And he’s fading.
Fast.
Referee Matt Boettcher slides into position. He lifts Sage Pontiff’s hand…
Boettcher calls for the bell.
DING DING DING
The crowd gives a MASSIVE cheer upon Bergman being announced as the winner.
Joe Hoffman: He’s done it! In his last match… what a show of resiliency!
Benny Newell: Goodluck with your future endeavors. Can we move on now?
Bergman drops the hold the second the bell rings. He falls on his back, barely able to do anything else.
Bryan McVay: The winner of this match… JOE BERGMAN!!!!
Joe’s theme song plays as, finally, he’s able to stand, albeit with help from the ropes. Boettcher raises Bergman’s left arm, while the crowd continues to give a standing ovation.
Joe Hoffman: Bergman left it all on the line tonight. A hell of a career!
Even Benny Newell attempts to give in.
Benny Newell: Yeah, I guess. It was a good showing.
PWA 2 fades as Joe Bergman exits the ring and starts walking a lap around the outside, thanking as many fans in attendance as he can.