KNIGHT: “So as you can see folks... in the closing moments of the match, Tiger Gold is visibly exhausted. This is his first time in the ring in nearly four months, and at his age you have to wonder how much of a toll this on-and-off-again schedule is having his body.”
***A slow motion clip of Gold hoisting Sato up into the Locomotion Tiger-Breaker plays on the screen. As he lifts the big man into the air, Gold stumbles briefly into tie ropes, allowing Sato to firmly grasp the top rope. Before referee Bill White is able to get into position, Gold steps away from the edge of the ring and Sato’s hand is wrenched loose.***
KNIGHT: “Now... I want to draw your attention to two specific points here. I don’t know if this was intentional or not. It’s quite possible Tiger Gold didn’t realize that Sato had hold of the rope. But... as you can see, Sato clearly had hold of the rope and that should have resulted in a rope-break by Bill White. That’s the first thing to notice. The other...”
***As Sato struggles in the Tiger-Breaker, sweat drips from the brow of a desperate-looking Gold. One of Gold’s knees begins to buckle and the large wrestler wobbles dangerously, barely keeping his balance. Just then... Gold very clearly adjusts the grip on the hand holding Sato’s head. His fingers reach over and grasp the jaw of Sato, forcing his head rudely to one side. He then steadies himself and begins rhythmically pulling down on Sato’s bent neck and upper leg with his massive arms. Sato cries out and immediately taps his hand on Gold’s shoulder. Bill White calls for the bell.***
KNIGHT: “Now right there... you see what Gold is doing with his hand around Sato’s jaw? Those new to wrestling might not recognize it but that’s what’s known in Japan and most of Eastern Asia as an Iragami-Lock. This modification on a standard Tiger-Breaker was popularized in the late 1980s by Shiro Iragami. It’s not strictly an illegal move variation here in PWA... but this version of the hold has been banned from many western promotions due to its painful and, frankly, dangerous reputation. The Iragami Tiger-Breaker puts incredible pressure on the autonomic nerves of the neck and upper back and, when improperly applied, can easily result in severe debilitating injury. Now... in thirty years of competition I cannot think of a single instance where Tiger Gold has ever intentionally used this variation of his finisher. But... well, the pictures speak for themselves.”
***As Bill White calls for the bell and Gold releases the hold, the camera freezes on his face. Under his mask, he wears a confused and exhausted expression. His shoulders are slumped and he looks off into the middle distance at the crowd.***
KNIGHT: “I have to wonder just how much trouble Tiger Gold was in and what was going through his mind that lead him to call upon such a controversial maneuver to finish that match.”
***The screen cuts to black as the camera pulls out... revealing a blackened monitor in the locker room backstage at the PWA Arena. The Imperial Assassin sits unmoving with his hand clutching the remote. A deep frown creases his brow as he exhales slowly. Fade to black.***Statistics: Posted by Quillz — Sun Jun 16, 2019 9:54 pm
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