[Rex Kobra] vs Salem Croft (War Games Advantage)

[Cartwright]

5th February 2024 - 18th February 2024
One Day Auto-Hit or Auto-Recover

The following match is scheduled for one fall and will decide which team has the team advantage for the War Games match!

 

[Undead Superstar]

The lights in the arena go out, plunging the crowd into darkness. There is a slow beat that seeps from the speakers. As the main music of The Devil's Rejects hits the speakers, red lights turn on focusing on the stage. Standing in the center of it is a figure wearing a hoodless snakeskin jacket, hanging all the way to his ankles. A woman standing off the side and to the back. Rex Kobra, ready for more violence, and his sister accompanying her high priest as she must. He stands for a moment on the stage, staring at the ring with slitted, serpent eyes. He slowly raises his arms up at his sides, prompting flames to rise on either side of him. He stands between them for a moment before lowering his arms and causing the flames to dissipate. As the flames die down, the rest of the lights turn on all red as well, bathing the entire arena in a reddish glow.

I am the bad one
Distant and cruel one
I am the dream that
Keeps you running down

With distraction
Violent reaction
Scars of my actions
Watch me running out

Rex starts down the ramp, his sister following along behind. His attention remaining fixed on the ring. His cathedral of misery. The place where he would dedicate a beating to The Serpent so that he may continue to be blessed. Blessed with the advantage in War Games. He would drag Salem Croft to the realm of agony and destruction and make him relish in the joy of being conquered by his betters.

Hell doesn't want them
Hell doesn't need them
Hell doesn't love them
The Devil's rejects

"Introducing first, accompanied by The Vipress Ramona Tyler, weighing at 328 lbs...From the Defiler's Den...The High Priest of the Serpent...Rex Kobra!"

Yeah I am the knuckle
Bow down and buckle
Hold your breath
Your world is running down

Live for the family
Die with the family
All is the family
My gun is running out

Rex stops at the end of end of the ramp, and raises his arms to his sides. He can feel the power of the ring. His cathedral to drag people to new found faith. Lowering his arms, he makes his way to the steps and stomps up them. At the top, he moves to the middle of the apron and climbs into the ring by stepping over the top rope. In the ring, he moves to the center and drops to his knees. He stares ahead of him, not focusing his gaze on the crowd but instead of the reddish glow of the lights. The red that will fuel him through the match to come.

Hell doesn't want them
Hell doesn't need them
Hell doesn't love them

This world rejects them
This world rejects them
This world rejects them

Rex stands, removes his coat and hands it off to his sister who takes it and sets it on the steps in his corner. Rex moves back and forth. Pacing in the ring like a predatory animal awaiting its next meal. And Salem "Copperhead" Croft would be that meal. He would show the head of Apex what a true Apex Predator looked like.  

[Salem Croft]

The crowd waited anxiously once Rex's entrance was over, knowing who was about to arrive next for what was sure to be an uncomfortable family affair! Cartwright knew how to get under a snake's skin, and this time was no exception - using Salem's daughter's grandfather to once again menace APEX and cause trouble for the community with his cultish fervor! But as the lights dropped following Rex's entrance, a voice boomed throughout the arena...

"WHAT TIME IS IT?!"

"IT'S SHOOOOOOWTIIIIIIIME!" the crowd answered, popping as sparks and fireworks started erupting across the stage!

Rising up from underneath the stage, Salem revealed himself at last, drawing cheers from his fans throughout the stands! Dressed for action, in designer black denim jeans and well-polished snake-skin cowboy boots, the "Copperhead Cowboy" rolled his taped wrists and fists as he stared down into the ring at his 'family' while his entrance music played on! Over his shoulder was his WWFG World Tag Team Championship, won back by the very man Rex had tried to take out some months prior, the other half of the "Savage Sons", Erynys Reich! A stern look peered sharply from the eyes of "Showtime", who waited a moment once he'd been fully elevated to draw a finger gun and aim it at the other serpent awaiting him! Pulling the trigger, a burst of pyro exploded around the "Gypsy Savage", who smirked and raised the gesture high, mimicked by many in the audience!

"...AND HIS OPPONENT...REPRESENTING APEX AND ONE-HALF OF THE WWFG WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS, THE SAVAGE SONS...HE IS THE "COPPERHEAD COWBOY"...HE IS THE "GYPSY SAVAGE"...HE IS "SHOWTIME" SALEM CROFT!"

Descending the ramp, it appeared Salem was full of piss and vinegar, ready to do violence upon the man who'd once been a friend but recently taken to hurting his own and building a disturbing following of sycophants, but there was more at stake than just getting retribution for Eryn, his tag partner, or his daughter, Kyra! This match was to decide who would get the opening advantage at War Games, whether APEX or Carty's coalition, in a battle that would surely take everything both groups had!

Clapping hands and dapping up fans along the barricade as he descended to the ring, Salem strutted up the ring steps and wiped his feet on the apron, ducking under the top rope and entering the squared circle to hold his title up high to applause from the crowd, making sure he turned to look Rex in the eyes as he did so! Handing his gold off to the referee who then passed it on to the timekeeper, "Showtime" would square up across from Kobra, his posture relaxed but belying the lethal strike of a venomous snake, a sentiment the two combatants in the ring knew all too well as he waited for the bell!

 

[Undead Superstar]

As soon as the bell rang, Rex moved forward at a hurry. When he got close, he would attempt to deliver a vicious, violent chop to Salem's chest.  

[Salem Croft]

Much like their serpent namesakes, the larger "Cobra" had over a hundred pounds of size on the "Copperhead", and wasted no time looking to strike forth with a firm butcher's chop at Salem's chest! The impact made "Showtime" stagger back a couple steps, pain zapping his brain momentarily as he planted his feet and grit his teeth through it! But uncowed, the "Copperhead Cowboy" would use the extra couple steps to shuffle quickly forward and stab with a dose of his own venom - aiming one of his patented Tomahawk Chops square at Rex's sternum!

 

[Undead Superstar]

The chop connected and Rex winced for a moment, taking a step back. But as he had with Hiro, he seemed to shrug it off and stepped forward again, aiming another brutal chop at Salem's chest. If it connected, he would not wait for Salem to fire back right away and would seek to deliver a third chop in the hopes that he could cave in Salem's chest and drive the necessary wind out of him.  

[Salem Croft]

The crowd cheered as Salem got a good chop in on the much bigger guy, but their celebration turned sour when Rex recovered and started slamming his trunk-like arms into Salem's sternum! The blows were debilitating, rattling his ribs each time his chops connected, nearly knocking "Showtime" to the canvas as he stumbled back into the second rope!

 

[Undead Superstar]

Rex stayed on top of Salem as he fell against the second rope. Rex would attempt to grab Salem by the skull to pull him to his feet before trying to deliver a crushing headbutt.  

[Salem Croft]

Salem was rattled, trying to regain his composure before Rex pressed the attack, but the big man was already on him - prying him off the ropes and looking to slam his skull into Croft's! Caught in his grip, the "Copperhead Cowboy" was at a disadvantage as Kobra headbutted him hard!

 

[Undead Superstar]

Keeping hold of Salem's skull, Rex aimed to drag him over to a corner and lean him into it before trying to deliver a Tomahawk Chop at Salem's chest to add insult to injury.  

[Salem Croft]

Winded and woozy, "Showtime" staggered where Rex led him, his child's grandfather putting him in a corner before chopping him again, his bronzed Native skin reddened with blistering whelps! The audience jeered the antagonism, hoping Salem could find a way to come back despite this giant's pummeling!

 

[Undead Superstar]

Rex looked out at the crowd with a cruel grin. He backed up from Salem. "What Time Is It?" Rex called, to the crowd in a taunt to both Salem and his fans before charging and attempting to drill Salem with a a powerful Body Avalanche.  

[Salem Croft]

Salem was in a bad way, and now Rex was charging in to press him like a smash burger into the corner! But dazed as he was, "Showtime" still knew what time it was, despite Rex's jeering - and that was to side step the turnbuckles and let the giant slam into them, full-force!

 

[Undead Superstar]

Rex's wind was ejected from him as he collided with the corner without Salem there to soften anything. Rex let out a wheeze and started to back slowly out of the corner.  

[Salem Croft]

The crowd popped back to life as Salem evaded the charge and let Rex knock the breath out of himself! For his part, the "Gypsy Savage" knew he had to keep Rex contained, and so he'd try a step-up Enziguri from the second rope to knock Kobra in the head and put him back in the corner!