Five Star Frog Splash.
The impact sent a shudder through the scattered debris as Ray Jr’s torso slammed into Billy’s ribs with mighty force, compressing the older wrestler against the unforgiving floor. Splintered wood from the table, twisted metal, and jagged plastic shifted beneath them, offering zero cushion for either man.
A collective gasp rang out through the Auditorium. The fans had expected Ray to take the easy count-out victory. They had expected him to stand tall on the turnbuckle and let the referee’s count reach ten.
Instead, he had thrown his own body into the wreckage to ensure his brother didn’t just lose by mere count out.
Ray Jr rolled off, instantly clutching his own ribs. The maneuver was a double-edged sword, the height and velocity required for a Five Star Frog Splash meant the attacker absorbed a massive amount of shock upon landing. Ray gritted his teeth under the mask.
[Braxton: He threw away the count-out!]
[Tanaka: I guess we’re seeing the type of man he is, he doesn’t want a win from a technicality. He wants to pin him in front of the world!]
Ray forced himself up to a vertical base, stumbled toward Billy, who was completely motionless among the ruined monitors and tangled cables. Billy’s white shirt was practically torn to shreds, no black suit jacket this time too.
Ray grabbed his brother by the collar and the waistband of his trousers. The dead weight was staggering. Billy was heavy, over two hundred and twenty pounds of limp muscle.
Hauling him up from the floor was an agonizing task.
With a shout, Ray heaved Billy up, rolling him under the bottom rope. Billy’s body flopped onto the canvas, sliding a few feet before coming to a dead stop in the center of the ring.
Ray slid in right behind him without wasting time, ignoring the protests of his ribs, he threw his entire upper body across Billy’s. He hooked the leg tight, pressing his weight down to prevent any escape.
The referee dropped to his knees, his hand slapping the mat in rapid succession.
1!
2!
The crowd was already halfway off of their seats, ready to blow the roof off the arena.
The official’s hand came down for the final strike, Billy’s shoulder twitched. It wasn’t a powerful, explosive kick-out. It was a desperate one, driven by nothing more than hatred.
Billy’s shoulder cleared the mat by half an inch.
The referee waved off the count, holding up two fingers.
The crowd let out a massive, heavily synchronized groan of disbelief, quickly followed by a chaotic buzz.
[Braxton: He kicked out! Billy Bones is still alive in this match!]
[Tanaka: I don’t believe it! After going through the broadcast table, after taking a Five Star Frog Splash to the floor... how is he even conscious?!]
[Braxton: Hate might go a long way.]
Ray Jr sat up on his knees, his hands resting on his hips. He stared down at his brother. Underneath the mask, his expression was one of pure shock. The frog splash wasn’t enough to put Billy to rest.
Billy rolled onto his side in visible agony. A thin stream of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, staining the white canvas beneath his cheek. As he looked up at Ray, that familiar, terrifying bitterness bled right back into his stare.
Ray grabbed Billy by the hair, hauling him up.
Billy fired a back-elbow that caught Ray in the jaw. Ray stumbled backward, shaking off the sting, and surged forward with a stiff European uppercut.
Smack.
Billy spat onto the mat and answered with multiple closed-fist punches right to the side of Ray’s head, completely ignoring the referee’s stern warnings beside him.
Both men dropped to their knees in the center of the ring, too exhausted to stand, but too stubborn to stop fighting. They traded heavy, unprotected strikes.
Ray threw a forearm. The crowd yelled, "Yay!"
Billy threw a right hook. The crowd yelled, "Boo!"
Ray answered with another forearm. "Yay!"
Billy threw a vicious chop to the chest. "Boo!"
The strikes echoed sharply. Sweat flew off with every impact. Slowly, relying purely on adrenaline, they fought their way back up to their feet, never breaking the rhythm of the exchange.
Billy dug deep into his indie-circuit playbook. As Ray pulled his arm back for another strike, Billy lunged forward, driving his thumb directly into Ray’s covered eye.
Ray yelled out, clutching his mask and stumbling backward into the turnbuckle. The referee immediately stepped in, initiating a loud warning that an eye poke can get him disqualified. Billy raised his hands, taking two steps back before surging forward the exact moment the official stepped away.
Billy threw his body weight into a devastating corner clothesline, crushing Ray against the pads. He didn’t let up. He grabbed Ray by the back of the mask and dragged him out of the corner, hooking his brother’s head under his arm. Billy hoisted Ray up into the air and dropped him vertically with a crushing brainbuster.
The mat shook violently. Ray’s body bounced upon impact, his hands immediately flying to hold the back of his neck.
[Tanaka: A brainbuster! Billy Bones knows exactly what he’s doing! He knows Ray Jr just came off a severe neck injury, and he is targeting that!]
[Braxton: It’s ruthless! I can’t imagine the relationship these two have!]
Billy saw the opening and capitalized immediately. He dropped to the canvas, wrapping his forearm across Ray’s face, locking in a brutal crossface submission. He clamped his hands together, pulling Ray’s neck backward at a sickening angle.
Ray thrashed wildly, his boots kicking the air. The pressure on his recently cleared neck was agonizing. The burning stiffness he was used to feeling returned tenfold, shooting sharp pain down his shoulders.
"Ask him!" Billy screamed at the referee, his voice cracking with exertion. "Ask him!"
The official dropped to the mat, placing his face inches from Ray’s mask. "Do you submit? Ray, do you quit?!"
Ray shook his head frantically, his hands desperately clawing at Billy’s taped forearm. He was trapped in the center of the ring. The ropes were miles away. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the searing pain in his neck, focusing only on the roar of the Osaka crowd chanting his name.
Using his lower body weight, Ray rolled his hips toward the left, attempting to shift Billy’s center of gravity. Billy adjusted, leaning his weight back to maintain the pressure, but the slight movement was all Ray needed. He pushed off the canvas with his boots, inching his body toward the edge of the ring.
With one final, desperate lunge, Ray extended his left arm. His fingertips brushed the bottom rope.
The referee immediately called for the break, waving his arms. "He’s on the ropes! Break the hold! One! Two! Three!"
Billy kept the crossface locked in, pulling back even harder.
"Four!" the referee shouted, physically grabbing Billy’s shoulders.
Billy released the hold, shoving the referee away with a scoff. He stood up, pacing the ring like a caged animal. He was furious. The submission should have ended it... atleast he hoped it would.
Ray Jr lay on his stomach, clutching the bottom rope like a lifeline. He pulled himself up slowly, his legs trembling. His neck throbbed with every beat of his heart.
Billy charged, looking for a running big boot to knock Ray over the ropes.
Ray saw it coming. He ducked, pulling down the top rope. Billy’s momentum carried him over, but the older wrestler managed to catch himself on the apron, landing on his feet on the outside edge of the ring.
Billy tried to re-enter, but Ray was already up in the air.
Ray hit him with a headshot dropkick. Both boots caught Billy flush in the head, sending the older brother flying off the apron and crashing hard into the barricade below.
The crowd erupted.
[Braxton: The agility of Ray Jr! He is fighting through unimaginable pain in that neck to keep this match alive!]
Ray rolled out of the ring. He grabbed Billy by the arm and whipped him violently into the ring post. Billy collapsed to the floor, clutching his shoulder.
Ray rolled his brother back under the bottom rope, sliding in immediately after him. He dragged Billy to the center of the ring, preparing for the end. Ray stood his brother up, grabbed Billy’s arm, twisting it behind his back, looking to set up a recoil clotheline.
As soon as Ray spun him around, Billy ducked low, wrapping his arms tightly around Ray’s waist. Billy deadlifted Ray off the canvas, but Ray freed himself mid air and landed back down on his feet, he charged, Billy drove him down with a massive spinebuster.
Both men were completely laid out.
It was slow, they were both getting to their feet, leaning heavily against each other just to stay upright.
Billy pushed Ray away, his uncovered eye wide and frantic. He was out of options. The brawling wasn’t working. The submissions weren’t working. He needed to hit something catastrophic. Something that couldn’t be kicked out of.
Billy grabbed Ray by the throat, shoving him backward into the corner. He hit a stiff forearm to keep Ray dazed, then turned around, pressing his back against Ray’s chest.
Billy reached back, grabbing both of Ray’s legs, Billy hoisted Ray up into a sitting position onto his own shoulders.
[Tanaka: He’s got him up! Billy Bones has Ray Jr sitting on his shoulders! This is an incredibly dangerous position! What move is he looking for here?]