PETE WHEALDON vs. SOLOMON RICHARDS
ReVival returns to the ring as a jam-packed night of action continues to march forward. The large frame of Solomon Richards is caught by the cameras limbering up inside the ring as we get eyes back on the action.
Nick Stuart: As we see Solomon Richards in the ring, I have to wonder if he’s been fully cleared for this fight. At Culture Shock, his brain was rattled and I have to hope he’s fighting fit for this match.
Richard Parker: He’ll be fine, bigger boys have thicker skulls.
Nick Stuart: Thank you for that diagnosis Dr. Parker.
Vince Howard moves towards the middle of the ring to start the ceremonies for the match.
Vince Howard: The following contest is scheduled for one fall… standing in the ring at this time, standing at six foot ten inches and weighing in tonight at three hundred and thirty two pounds… SOLOMONNNNNN RIIIIIIIIICHARRRRDS!
The big frame of Richards doesn’t quite match the tepid wave he gives to the smattering of cheers he gets from the MGM Grand. He is quick to return to his corner, with his eyes hyper focused on the entrance way as The Thumping Bass line of “Never Fight a Man with a Perm” brings Pete Whealdon out from behind the curtain. Hair done up slick, wearing aviator sunglasses, he has his hands in the pockets of his Members only Jacket. He strides down towards the ring, Green kick-padded Boots slamming confidently into the ground.
Nick Stuart: Pete Whealdon is a surprising name to see on ReVival, I understand that his PRIME contract has come with quite a few conditions.
Richard Parker: And the man accepted each and every one of them, Nick. He is here in PRIME to remind everyone just exactly what Pete Whealdon can do in that ring.
Nick Stuart: Do you think there’s any concern with Whealdon that Richards has an entire foot and one hundred pounds on him?
Richard Parker: A veteran doesn’t let statistics get in the way of a battle plan.
“Never fight a man with a perm!”
Whealdon slides under the bottom rope as the song starts breaking down into tremelo’d chaos.
Vince Howard: And his opponent, standing at five foot eleven inches, he weighs in tonight at two hundred and twenty nine pounds… PEEEEEEEETE WHEAAALLLDONNNNN!
He moves to his corner and starts removing his excess gear, revealing green floral print tights and starts to take in the scope of his opponent. Richards for his part remains in the corner, carefully studying every small movement of Whealdon. Jimmy Turnbull performs his final checks on each competitor and calls for the bell.
DING DING
Soloman Richards marches out from his corner, looking to meet Whealdon in the middle of the ring but Whealdon seems quite happy to stay in his corner, thank you very much. He waves off Richards’ call to battle, laughing at his much larger opponent. Jimmy Turnbull gestures for Whealdon to the middle of the ring and Whealdon…
Rolls out of the ring instead, much to the intense irritation of the MGM Crowd, referee Jimmy Turnbull and Soloman Richards.
Nick Stuart: Pete Whealdon is in no rush to go toe to toe with Solomon Richards in the early ongoings of this match.
Richard Parker: Whealdon is being careful here, he knows Richards’ clear advantages in a test of strength. Plus, there’s always the chance the lumbering giant will trip over his bootlaces.
Jimmy Turnbull wastes no time starting to count Whealdon out.
ONE…
TWO…
THREE…
Whealdon starts to walk back towards the ring and Soloman Richards goes to meet him, causing Whealdon to wave the whole thing off and back away.
FOUR…
FIVE…
SIX…
Richards starts to walk towards Turnbull, trying to voice his frustrations and make it clear that he wants an earned win in this match. As Solomon’s attention is taken out of the action for mere seconds, Whealdon spots his opening and rushes back into the ring. He rushes towards Richards’ and drills an elbow right to the back of his neck. As Richards quickly spins around, clutching his neck, Whealdon goes in and…
*thunk*
Nick Stuart: That was not a crisp athletic move from Pete Whealdon, he just drilled his head against Solomon Richards and the microphones picked up an incredibly uncomfortable sound.
Richard Parker: I take back my prior statement on big boy skulls. The combination of the assault from Mephisto and the Montgomery Twins and Whealdon’s vicious headbutt has put the big man on jelly legs.
Whealdon looks delighted as Richards starts to wobble and goes in for a second headbutt but as he leans in, he meets an uppercut that hits him straight across the jaw. Whealdon takes a few steps back to nurse his jaw as Richards tries to shake off the glassy look in his eyes. Whealdon tries to continue his advantage and rushes back in at Richards, only to be taken over with a belly to belly suplex that sends him sailing high and crashing down to the mat. Richards staggers over to Whealdon and grabs Whealdon’s arm, looking for some form of armbar. He doesn’t manage to make much progress in locking it in as Whealdon kicks Solomon Richards square in the face.
Richard Parker: It’s like when a shark smells blood, Nick, Pete Whealdon has spotted that Richards may not have fully recovered from the Culture Shock assault and he knows just how to take advantage of it.
Nick Stuart: It may be a veteran tactic but Whealdon has to be careful, Richards will smash through any opening given.
Whealdon scrambles back up to an even base as Richards tries to shake off the cobwebs. Jimmy Turnbull quickly checks on Solomon Richards’ condition but Richards nods that he’s still fine to fight. Whealdon tries to keep momentum in his favour and drives a flurry of elbow strikes into the chest of Richards, turning his chest a deeper shade of red. Richards certainly feels the power behind the elbows but is able to absorb the blows, leaving a rather frustrated Whealdon backing off and trying to figure out his next steps. As Whealdon steps back, Richards swoops in with a successful double leg takedown.
Nick Stuart: A little bit more confidence for Solomon Richards with that takedown. It would seem that he’s finally getting a bit of a measure of his opponent.
Richard Parker: He’s a submission expert Nick but I have to wonder whether it is wise to keep putting Pete Whealdon in a situation where he can keep up his cranial assault.
Whealdon and Richards struggle in the mat, with Richards dropping clubbing blows targeted to Whealdon’s face but Whealdon has enough freedom to dodge the majority of the blows as he drills his knee continuously into the spine of his much larger opponent. Richards starts to clutch at his spine with one hand, while using the other to keep up his hammering on Whealdon. Richards tries to use his free arm to hook around the neck of Whealdon, trying to position himself for a chokehold of some sort but the slippery veteran is able to wiggle out of it. Whealdon scrunches up his face and drills a final knee into the back of Richards with as much force as possible and Richards finally relents in his assault, giving Whealdon enough scope to free himself from the mount of the mountain of a man.
Nick Stuart: Pete Whealdon was struggling to break free from the tight grip of Solomon Richards there but a well placed knee may have given him another opening.
With Richards still on the mat, Whealdon hoists himself up rapidly using the ring ropes and has already planned his next course of action. He rushes into the ropes, bounces back off them and with the momentum provided, he drills a shotgun dropkick straight to the skull of Solomon. Solomon collapses to the mat in a heap.
Nick Stuart: Again Whealdon targets the skull of Richards. This had to be premeditated, he’s focused on little else in the match.
Richard Parker: I know we’ve both been out of the sport for a while but when did we ban perfectly acceptable kicks to the skull?
Whealdon creates distance between Richards and Jimmy Turnbull who clearly wants to check in on the man from Kermit, West Virginia. Whealdon shoves Turnbull out of the way as Richards slowly rises back to his feet, slowly stalking his opponent around the ring. Once Richards is fully upright, Whealdon spins around and smacks Richards upside the head with a spinning backfist.
Nick Stuart: That’s Pete Whealdon’s spinning backfist, he’s called it… err…
Richard Parker: You can say pricks on the ACE Network, it’s fine. He calls it “Cheers Pricks!”
The big man goes down like a ton of bricks and Whealdon leaps upon him for the pin.
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
Turnbull calls for the bell.
DING DING DING
Nick Stuart: The veteran came in with a clear game plan and it worked. He knew that Solomon Richards could still be feeling the effects of the chair sandwich provided by the Montgomery Twins at Culture Shock and aimed almost every single blow towards exploiting that weakness.
Richard Parker: All above board, all perfectly legal. Pete Whealdon showed tonight that he knows how to navigate that ring and take advantage of any opening. That is the kind of competitive spirit that I certainly respect.
Whealdon throws one arm up in the arm in victory as the MGM Crowd begins to toss a selection of jeers in his direction, doing little to impact his buoyant state.
Vince Howard: Here is your winner by pinfall at a time of eight minutes and seven seconds… PETE WHEAAALLLDONNNNN!
Whealdon leaps back up and demands that Jimmy Turnbull raise his arm.
Richard Parker: One match in and one win for Pete Whealdon, he will be a figure to watch as we head towards the Great American Nightmare. As for Solomon Richards, he tried to fight through it but it’s clear that the Culture Shock assault still lingers…
The camera fades away on a dejected looking Solomon Richards clutching the back of his skull, a distant look in his eyes.