KERRY KUROYAMA VS. SCOTT HUNTER

From nowhere, the opening guitar licks to “Burning Heart” kick in while scenes from Rocky IV flash on the screen. Scott Hunter steps out onto the stage, chest out, chin up, then stops in a heroic fists-on-hips pose.

Vince Howard: This Almasy Invitational First Round Match is set for one fall and has no time limit. Introducing first, from Miami, Florida… weighing in at 245lbs… he is.. SCOTT… HUUUUUUUNTEEERRR!!!

Looking out into the crowd, the newcomer nods. You’d think after a few weeks, the brand recognition would be a little stronger, and I guess you could say it is – but the fan response is still decidedly tepid as they figure out what to do with this brash kid in blue and yellow. After a moment of soaking in the crowd’s lukewarm reaction, he mouths “thank you, thank you” and starts walking to the ring.

The lights fade.

A tempest rumbles through the darkness.

The sounds of howling wind and pouring rain.

Verdant stormclouds fill the PRIMEview.

A flash of lighting.

A deafening crack of thunder.

And without warning, “Blouses Blue” by Konrad OldMoney and Sleep Steady suddenly THUMPS through the PA.

The stage lights up. Flashing strobes. Smokescreen. Green lasers.

A silhouette appears and marches forth from the haze, stopping at the head of the ramp.

The spotlight hits, revealing Kerry Kuroyama, clad in his emerald and silver robe. Eyes forward. Arms up. Knuckles touching, to form a peak over his head.

Rows of white and green fountain pyros erupt at his flanks.

The lyrics kick in.

Focused and fearless, Kuroyama strides down the ramp.

His gaze never leaves the ring.

Vince Howard: And the opponent, hailing from Seattle, Washington, and weighing in at two-hundred and fifty-four pounds, please welcome… the Emerald Apex, KERRY KUROYAMA!!

Kuroyama arrives at ringside. He climbs the stairs, steps through the ropes, and occupies the center of the ring.

He faces away from the hard camera, waiting for his music to build to its climax.

When it does, he tears off his robe in a single, swift motion and tosses it aside, gifting the camera a good look at the a green storm dragon tattooed across his sculpted back.

Then he twirls around to face the camera

His clenched fist proudly held up.

His defiant eyes are full of conviction.

The storm has arrived.

DING DING

One may think, with the exchange of words earlier in the evening, that what happens next will be a bit of wonderful sporting competition. So, when Kerry Kuroyama makes a beeline into the space of Scott Hunter, cutting off the ring, getting deep into a wrestling stance. Hunter goes for a simple tie up. A jostle between friends. Kuroyama, instead, explodes into him, through him, grabbing him with a single leg and quickly sweeping the other leg. With smothering precision, Kuroyama quickly grabs onto a headlock, locking his arms around the neck of the Vae Victus hanger on while also trapping his arm and shoulder in a rigid, upright position.

Hunter tries to roll, but all this does is make Kuroyama tighten the grip. With his free hand, Hunter reaches upward, the heel of his hand bracing against the chin of The Pacific Blitzkrieg, and, surprisingly, is able to push Kuroyama to the mat. Such defiance. KK releases, and before Hunter can react, Kerry locks him in a front facelock in a sprawl, yanking at his opponent’s neck.

Nick Stuart: Kuroyama has the upper hand here…we saw earlier on–OH! SQUALL LINE LARIAT! 

Richard Parker: So much for ‘friendly’ competition!

The pair are equal in size, which makes the suddenness of Hunter pushing up and bringing the two to a vertical base not exactly shocking. What is, however, is how quickly Kuroyama releases and absolutely plasters Scott with the discus lariat. Within moments, Kuroyama is jerking Hunter back up, smashing forearm strikes to the upper back and the back of Hunter’s neck. Scott starts to wince and try to get away, but any attempt to get space is quickly cut off when Kuroyama plasters him in the back of the head with a yakuza kick.

Nick Stuart: Kuroyama looking incensed here! 

Richard Parker: Looking smart is what he’s looking. And I’ll be honest, I like intensity in my wrestling matches. I don’t know if Kuroyama is just trying to send a message or set the tone for what he’s all about, but I’m here for it. And if he’s got to smash someone carrying some bags, then so be it. Get noticed in PRIME. Make everyone believe in the hype.

Nick Stuart: And that is a good point here, Richard; Kerry Kuroyama, the Pacific Blitzkrieg, Seattle’s Beast, he comes into this contest with a lot of hype surrounding him for this debut. His pedigree and membership in Lindsay Troy’s handpicked group, Vae Victus, his success in DEFIANCE, he comes into the Almasy new to PRIME, and yet, there’s a lot of scuttlebutt about him being one of the favorites to make a deep run into the tournament.

Able to hear, Ivan Stanislav scowls in Nick’s direction. The play by play announcer is too engaged with what he’s seeing, a tight bevy of open palmed slapped to the back of Hunter’s head, and then, a ring rattling side russian leg sweep, to notice.

Richard Parker: And really, what’s Scott Hunter done since coming to PRIME? 

Nick Stuart: Well, not exactly easy out the gate. A match with former Alias Champion C. Mortgomery Burns, the brutal Arthur Pleasant…

Richard Parker: Okay, right. But that’s PRIME. There’s no fat. There’s no easy outs. And with how he’s bellyaching in there as we speak, Scott Hunter is merely going to be fodder for someone else to get their career going. Because Kuroyama? He’s going places. You’d have to be blind not to see or know that. To not believe this talent acquisition is MASSIVE. 

Scott Hunter is chopped liver. Scott Hunter is meat to get pounded into oblivion and get processed. Maybe pasteurized. Put in a can as protein for spaghetti-o’s. Kuroyama isn’t giving him a chance to breathe. Not giving him an opportunity to rally in a friendly, sporting way. Just getting smashed, and for there to be boos, not because of Kuroyama attacking him, no, they’re excited for that. 

They are, rather, angry that someone is just taking an absolute powder. 

Forearm strikes. A necksnap. Driving his elbow into the neck of Hunter. The Pacific Blitzkrieg is living up to all of what he’s been billed as, as he’s been built up. Even Ivan Stanislav can’t help but laugh at the patheticness he is seeing.

With little respect, Kuroyama pushes his forearm into Hunter’s mush, pinning him as if to say “you kick out, and it’s only getting worse.”

ONE

TWO

KICKOUT

RAAAAAAAAAAAR

It’s a mock chant. The first bit of offense. Seattle’s Best is nonplussed. More time to showcase his abilities. To send the message to the field, hell, to the Universal Champion, that all of this may soon belong to him. And who can blame him? He’s got to be feeling good. A mocking slap to the head of Hunter, he barks at him to get up. Almost as though he’s offering a hand. 

And when he does?

The damn ring SHAKES!

Nick Stuart: DEEEEEEEEEEP HIPTOSS from Scott Hunter there! And Kuroyama didn’t expect that!

Richard Parker: But he’s getting–

Nick Stuart: AND ANOTHER HIPTOSS!

Kuroyama grimaces hard. He’s in tremendous pain.

Richard Parker: Did he…did he just break his tailbone? He’s grabbing at…oh he’s going for his back…

Nick Stuart: The elevation on those hiptosses WERE quite high, and that might have jarred something in the back…

Richard Parker: Which, look, it’s not going for the knee. It’s not targeting the leg. But Hunter, if there’s one thing we can say, is that the man ‘thinks’ he invented the figure four leg lock. And while that hold IS painful, one of the ways you can combat it? Dragging yourself to the ropes. But to do that? 

Nick Stuart: You need your back.

Richard Parker: Bingo. Maybe Hunter isn’t as dumb as he–

Nick Stuart: OOOOH! Kuroyama tried to snatch the leg but Hunter pushed him away! Kuroyama to his feet CLOTHESLINE! Kuroyama back up FLYING FOREARM! WOAH! This might be getting away from Kuroyama and HUNTER SNATCHING HIM AND LIFTING HIM UP–

Richard Parker: And holding him.

Nick Stuart: All the blood–

Richard Parker: And holding him.

Nick Stuart: –rushing to his head. Just holding him there, and there’s–

Richard Parker: still holding him–

Nick Stuart: –no quiver, no sense of urgency–

Richard Parker: STILL. HOLDING. HIM.

Nick Stuart: And the fans are now cheering with how longer this has–SUPLEX! SUPLEX!

Richard Parker: KUROYAMA’S TRYING TO GET UP BUT HE CAN’T! HE KEEPS DROPPING!

Nick Stuart: Did that…did that delayed suplex…

Richard Parker: COVER HIM!

Nick Stuart: Hunter…Hunter…Hunter going for the leg, SNAPS IT INTO THE CANVAS!

Richard Parker: YOU NEED TO COVER HIM! YOU WANT THE UPSET?! GO AND TAKE IT! STOP DILLY DALLYING AND GET IT!

Nick Stuart: Elbow drop to the knee! And again! He’s got the leg and he’s just PULVERIZING it with all his weight with those elbow drops–

Richard Parker: But Kuroyama’s HANDS are moving and HE’S REACHING FOR HIM! He wasn’t able to do that before because of the blood rush! This is a tournament, dammit! All you need is three seconds! And if someone can’t get up because they got the dizzies, THAT’S FREE REAL ESTATE!

Kerry Kuroyama’s debut is becoming a nightmare. Scott Hunter? Not the brightest bulb in the room by any margin, but it’s clear what he’s about to do. Figure four leg lock. He reaches for it, grabbing at legs of Seattle’s Best. And Kuroyama doesn’t fight it. There’s no give. 

He’s resigned to defeat.

Some might think that. Hunter thinks he’s got free reign. In reality, as Hunter stoops to grab the legs, Kuroyama’s free one rockets and catches him across the temple, instantly dropping his opponent to a knee. A few power punches to the thigh and knee, and Kerry Kuroyama is back up. And there is malice in his eyes. 

Hunter is too.

Flying body press misses.

Snap dragon suplex.

Scott Hunter tries to rally. 

Kerry Kuroyama snatches him with a front chancery. 

Nick Stuart: HUNTER WITH ANOTHER HIP TOSS!

Richard Parker: SO MUCH ELEVATION!

Taking the blows pisses off Kerry, but the reality is, it hurts worse than he’d ever let on. Hunter reaches over, grabbing hold, lifting Kuroyama up, and lifts him onto his shoulder. An Oklahoma Stampede? Maybe a shoulder breaker? A back breaker? We never find out, as the Pacific Blitzkrieg slides out, falling behind Hunter, grabbing hold of him in a pumphandle and lifting him.

Nick Stuart: KUROYAMA DRIVER 1! KUROYAMA DRIVER 1! 

Richard Parker: THAT! WAS BRUTAL!

ONE

TWO

THREE!

DING DING DING

Nick Stuart: That…got VERY interesting VERY quickly!

Richard Parker: Kuroyama is…damn. He’s BRUTAL! And uncompromising. I think I may have a new favorite coming up…

Nick Stuart: Kuroyama makes good on his debut and moves on in the Almasy, but to be clear, and this needs to be said, Scott Hunter showed us something here. He managed to take the fight to Kuroyama and proved that, maybe, he’s more than just a bag handler…

Vince Howard: Your winner…and ADVANCING…TO THE SECOND ROUND…OF THE ALMASY INVITATIONAL…KEEEEEEEEERRY! KUROYAMA!

Unfortunately for Scott Hunter, this night is not his. And it looks like it’s about to get worse, as his opponent draws close, perhaps looking to continue the fight. 

Instead, Kerry offers a hand to the rising Hunter, who takes it. Kuroyama, for his part, shakes it very aggressively, very pantomime. Mocking. And then, he tells him to hit the damn bricks. Hunter does, seemingly oblivious to the affront. 

And Kerry Kuroyama? He milks his moment, raising his arms, going to the near turnbuckle. 

Message sent. 

If you think you’re winning this tournament, you damn well might have to survive a Pacific Blitzkrieg to do so.

We then cut to commercial.