LOSER LEAVES FGA
Shintaro Majima vs. Mark Bisley
The arena lights dim to almost pitch blackness, save for a couple of blue lights that pulse in sync with the intro to "Storms End" that is rising in pitch and intensity until the main hook burst forth and, at that very second, the ramp is bathed in blue light as Mark Bisley strides onto the ramp with his head bowed and an arm raised before he comes to a stop on the ramp and raises his head to survey the arena wearing one hell of a self-satisfied smirk upon his face
J.A. Aldridge: Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is a Loser Leaves FGA match! Introducing first, hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota! Weighing in at 201 pounds... MARK BISLEY!
Keeping his arm raised as he makes his way down the ramp, Bisley walks at his own pace as he confidently walks to the ring at his own pace right up until he reaches the ringside area, and once he reaches the ringside area he lowers his arm and breaks into a short dash to give him the momentum to hop onto the ring apron where he crouches for a moment and taps the side of his head a couple of times to the song's beat before he rolls backwards into the ring and quickly gets back to his feet
Once he's got to his feet Bisley makes his way to the nearest corner and climbs the nearest turnbuckles where he stands with one foot on the top rope and his arms held out wide as he slowly tilts his head back for a few seconds until he turns his head and peers back into the ring and climbs down, removing the towel from around his shoulders the second his feet touch the canvas and casually tossing it in the referee's direction as he takes a few steps forward so he's standing in the centre of the ring where he drops to a knee and runs his hand on the canvas to say one thing: this is
my ring
As the opening of "There's A Storm Coming" filters through the PA system a combination of gold and reddish-orange lights flicker in the entranceway in sync with the keyboards - until the intro is interrupted by a combination of brooding synths and haunting, almost ethereal vocals that greet Shintaro Majima as he walks through the curtain into the arena, and without a second's hesitation he begins to walk down the ramp towards the ring
J.A. Aldridge: And his opponent, hailing from Gifu, Japan! Weighing in at 241 pounds... “THE STRONG STYLE SAVIOUR” SHINTARO MAJIMA!
Once he reaches ringside Majima climbs the ring steps and steps into the ring, loosening his robe and removing his sunglasses before he walks towards the corner he has decided is his, at which point he removes his robe and places it and his sunglasses in the corner, pausing to wipe the back of each hand in the palm of the other in preparation for what is to follow
Kris Cruise: This is it, Stephy Auger, one of these men will be leaving this company when this match is over.
Stephy Auger: And you and me both know it won't be Bisley doing that. There's a reason he calls himself the New Ace, because he soon will be.
Just before the referee can call for the opening bell Bisley saunters into the centre of the ring with a smirk on his face as he looks at his former partner and, after chewing his gum for a moment, he makes a big show out of extending his hand
Stephy Auger: Look at that, Cruise, Bisley is showing himself to be the bigger man by offering Majima a sporting handshake!
Kris Cruise: Sporting? It looks to me like he’s trying to get a rise out of his former partner before the opening bell.
Majima’s face doesn’t flicker as much as a millimeter as he looks at Bisley’s outstretched hand, but he does move his eyes to look at the referee to tell him that he wants the opening bell rung and he wants it run
NOW, which the referee duly obliges
Once the bell rings Majima goes for a lockup, but Bisley ducks behind and catches him in a rear waistlock and quickly spins Majima around to take him down with an arm drag, and when Majima gets back to his feet Bisley quickly knocks him down with a dropkick, landing in a crouch as he looks at Majima to say “Gotcha!”
Kris Cruise: Majima was looking to use brute force, but Bisley used his technical ability to stay two steps ahead of him
Shaking his head as he gets back up, Majima once again looks for the tie-up, but again Bisley is too quick and takes him down with a side headlock takeover and quickly floats into a front chancery on the mat to remain in control, synching in the hold while remaining out of Majima’s reach before he brings him back to a standing position in a front facelock. Majima throws a couple of forearms to Bisley’s midsection to try and break his grip, but Bisley responds with a knee to Majima’s midsection before hitting a snapmare followed by a dropkick to Majima’s shoulder
Stephy Auger: Bisley proving what we all knew: he can out wrestle Majima all night long if he has to!
Getting back to his feet again, Majima motions for another lockup - yet before Bisley is able to do anything Majima grabs him by the back of the head and hurls him through the ropes to the outside
Kris Cruise: Majima already tiring of Bisley’s shenanigans in this match
Stephy Auger: Shenanigans? He’s been wrestling rings around Majima and Majima couldn’t handle it!
Rather than get back into the ring, Bisley stands on the outside and beckons Majima to join him - but Majima simply stands his ground and aims a stony glare in Bisley’s direction to tell him that he isn’t budging, so reluctantly Bisley climbs onto the apron and steps through the ropes, but once he sees Majima approach he ducks through against and tells the ref to get Majima to back up
Kris Cruise: So what would you call this, Stephy?
Stephy Auger: I’d call it “ring awareness” Cruise, as Bisley isn't allowing Majima to jump him the second he sets foot in the ring.
Once Majima has backed off and the referee is standing between the two, Bisley steps through the ropes again and approaches Majima, and Majima looks to greet him by throwing out a backhand chop in his direction - yet Bisley ducks out the way and, once Majima turns around, kicks him in the leg before backing up a couple of steps
Rather than take that shot lying down Majima approaches Bisley, trapping him in the corner, and rears back to hit an overhand chop - but Bisley ducks his head and upper body through the ropes while making sure he’s clinging onto them to cause the ref to intervene, once again pulling Majima away...and the moment the ref is out of the way Bisley once again kicks Majima in the leg
Kris Cruise: Bisley’s been psyching Majima out for this entire match, and that’s twice he’s avoided his trademark…
Before Cruise can finish what she’s saying Majima throws another backhand chop in Bisley’s direction, but Bisley saw it coming and blocks it using his forearms and once again retaliates with a leg kick, again backing up a couple of steps - but this time he’s caught out when Majima simply bullrushes him and splashes him in the corner, before grabbing him and hurling him clear across the ring where he lands with an ugly thud
Kris Cruise: ...although I don’t think that Bisley was prepared for
that!
Majima lets Bisley get back to his feet, and this time it’s Bisley who tries for a tie-up - but Majima quickly takes him down to the canvas with a snapmare and delivers a
hard kick between Bisley’s shoulder blades that echoes through the arena
Stephy Auger: Dear God!
As Bisley continues grimacing on the canvas, Majima picks him up and whips him to the ropes, and when he comes back he connects with a running forearm smash directly to Bisley’s jaw that sends him to the mat like a pile of bricks and he quickly makes the cover
ONE!
.
.
...Bisley kicks out, although Majima can’t help but allow himself the merest hint of a smirk
Kris Cruise: If Bisley thought he could play it cute, Majima just reminded him why he shouldn’t.
Majima picks Bisley off the mat and shoots him to the ropes, looking to catch him with an elbow on the way back but Bisley ducks under and keeps running, and as he comes back Majima looks for a leapfrog - but Bisley stops in his tracks and sidesteps, catching Majima on the way down with a shinbreaker to regain momentum once more
Stephy Auger: Genius! Bisley let Majima hit a shinbreaker on himself!
As Majima favours the leg on the canvas, Bisley tries to get hold of the leg to follow up but Majima manages to block his attempts by kicking him away at the last moment, so instead Bisley stomps Majima in the midsection a couple of times before pulling him into a seated position and running the ropes, returning with a dropkick to Majima’s shoulder to knock him back down, and in the split second after Majima is knocked down Bisley is back up and has hooked the leg, driving it down to the mat with the KneeDT
Kris Cruise: Majima thought he’d protected his knee from further damage, but Bisley was quick to change gears to bring it back into play
Stephy Auger: It’s just a matter of time, Cruise. Bisley smells blood and he’s going to pick the leg apart at his leisure!
Once again picking up his opponent, Bisley quickly tags Majima with a forearm to the face before taking him back down to the mat with a snap suplex, and without wasting a second he rolls Majima onto his front and runs the ropes, springboarding off the middle rope to come crashing down upon Majima’s back with the Corazon de Zorro, and having hit the move he once again rolls into a kneeling position and appears to say something to his former partner
Kris Cruise: Oh come on now, there’s no need for that!
Stephy Auger: He’s just reminding Majima who’s boss, Cruise.
With a smirk on his face, Bisley once again picks Majima off the mat and locks in an arm wringer before looking Majima in the eye and asking “Remember this?” as he releases the arm and prepares to hit a northern lights suplex - but Majima proves he certainly does, bodily yanking Bisley off the mat and spiking him sp[ine-first on his knee with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker
Kris Cruise: Bisley looking to rub Majima’s face in it by reminding him of one of Smart Style’s signature manoeuvres, but Majima reminded him about the
other part of that same manoeuvre!
Gritting his teeth as he clutches at his back, Bisley tries to roll out of the ring to regroup - but as he tries to roll to the outside Majima catches hold of him and pulls him into a seated position where he tags him with an elbow, and with Bisley momentarily stunned Majima runs the ropes to pick up a head of steam before connecting with a running soccer kick that echoes through the arena and punts Bisley through the ropes to the outside
Seizing the advantage, Majima follows Bisley out of the ring and pulls him to a standing base before shoving him into the crowd barrier, and once Bisley’s in place Majima connects with a
huge backhand chop that sends a plume of sweat flying off of Bisley’s chest into the crowd
Kris Cruise: How long has Majima been looking forward to that?
Stephy Auger: Big deal, one chop, like that’ll win the match
Apparently taking cues from Stephy, Majima unleashes one hell of an overhand chop to Bisley’s chest, followed by another backhand chop. Sensing the crowd getting behind him brutalising Bisley’s chest, Majima takes a deep breath and then unleashes a barrage of machine gun chops to Bisley’s chest, each one sending an audible meaty slap through that is only drowned out by the crowd counting along
...ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN...
Kris Cruise: The crowd is loving this!
Stephy Auger: Well I’m not!
...TWENTY THREE
TWENTY FOUR
TWENTY FIVE
TWENTY SIX…
As his chopping pace slows, Majima lets Bisley slump to the arena floor, but he only does so to allow him to heave up Bisley and plant him with Kurifu onto the ring apron, the impact of which causes Bisley to yell out in pain as his spine connects with the metal supporting beam of the ring
Stephy Auger: That’s an illegal manoeuvre, Cruise! Majima should be disqualified!
As Bisley rolls back into the ring the ref checks up on him to see if he can still continue, as Majima climbs onto the ring apron to watch his former partner and see if he’s trying to pull something, but the referee’s concern appears genuine
Kris Cruise: It looks as if Bisley’s in real trouble here, as being driven spine-first onto the ring apron is giving the referee cause for concern.
Majima attempts to step into the ring but the ref tells him to back up, with Majima remonstrating that he’s wasting time as he steps back onto the apron. A moment or so later Bisley begins to stir, so Majima tries to step through the ropes again, with the ref once again telling him to back off - and in that moment Bisley flies off the mat and grabs Majima’s leg to hit a dragon screw as he's trapped in the ropes
Stephy Auger: Ha ha-ha, Bisley suckered his ex-partner in again!
Kris Cruise: I don’t think so, he's not following...MY GOD, look at his chest!!!
As Majima clutches at his knee on the ring apron, Bisley collapses back to a seated position in the ring clutching at his chest as it is already resembling freshly-ground hamburger as a result of Majima unleashing so many chops on him at ringside
Once he’s finished looking down at the welts forming across his chest, Bisley looks up towards Majima on the ring apron and he looks as if the cogs are turning in his head as he’s formulating a new strategy, and he tentatively gets to his feet while keeping an eye on Majima pulling himself to his feet with the aid of the ring ropes, and once Majima is upright Bisley leaps up and connects with an enzuigiri to Majima’s shoulder, and with Majima momentarily stunned he hauls Majima partway through the ropes before dropping him to the mat with a single arm DDT through the ropes that spikes him onto his shoulder
Kris Cruise: Having born the brunt of Majima’s chops, it appears Bisley is now looking to take out Majima’s arm to lessen the effect of his strikes
Once he has Majima on the mat, Bisley locks in a grounded hammerlock to hold him in place, at which point he rears back and drives a knee into Majima’s shoulder, but rather than repeat the move a second time instead he keeps hold of the arm and makes his way to his feet, and with Majima’s arm firmly in his grasp Bisley rains down a series of stomps to the shoulder as he continues to try and take out the limb
Stephy Auger: Good luck chopping somebody without an arm to do it with, ShiMa.
Still keeping hold of the arm, Bisley looks to transition into a cross armbreaker, locking the arm and rolling into place - but Majima rolls through with him, turning it into a pinning predicament
ONE!
.
.
TWO!
.
.
Bisley kicks out, or at least tries to, as Majima uses the momentum to heave Bisley off the canvas before slamming him back-first into the turnbuckles, following up with a series of shoulder thrusts to Bisley’s midsection. When he’s finished, however, Majima clearly favours the shoulder, having used the same shoulder Bisley’s been working over due to muscle memory, and with Majima trying to rub feeling into the shoulder Bisley quickly capitalises by hitting the Ace Kick to the shoulder, following up by making a cover of his own
ONE!
.
.
TWO!
.
.
Majima kicks out
Stephy Auger: Whenever Majima tries to gain momentum, Bisley is right there to cut it off. He really is The New Ace.
Kris Cruise: Shouldn’t he win something before proclaiming himself that?
Stephy Auger: Pfft,semantics…
Rather than make the immediate follow-up, Bisley waits for Majima to stir, standing behind him as he gets to his feet gesturing for him to get on with it as he doesn’t have all day, and once Majima is on his feet Bisley quickly grabs hold of the arm in a wrist clutch, and letting anticipation build for a fraction of a second he spins Majima around...and then takes rolls through with a grip on the leg, catching Majima unawares and allowing him to lock in L'Étoile du Nord
Stephy Auger: Just when Majima and everyone else in the arena was expecting one thing, Bisley flips the script and goes right back to the leg.
Applying as much torque as he can muster, Bisley has the hold cinched in as Majima grits his teeth and clenches his fists as he tries to tough out the immediate pain for long enough to find a way to break the hold. The referee asks if he wants to give up, only for Majima to shake his head - which leads to Bisley wrenching on the leg to see if he can change Majima’s mind. The ref asks again, and once more Majima shakes his head and presses his hands to the mat and pushes up, relieving some of the pressure while loosening Bisley’s grip, and with this small window of opportunity Majima uses his free leg to kick Bisley in the back of the knee to further relieve the pressure and knock Bisley off balance, which allows Majima to use the leg a second time to unceremoniously kick Bisley in the backside to push him away
Kris Cruise: Majima breaks the hold, but who knows how much long-term damage it did?
Clearly put out by Majima’s escape, Bisley regroups and backs up a few steps as he plans his next line of attack. As Majima slowly begins to lift himself off the mat, Bisley thinks he’s found it as he theatrically flexes his fingers before rolling them into a fist and he extends his arm while using his spare arm to beckon Majima back to his feet
Kris Cruise: Oh no, he can’t be thinking of…?
Stephy Auger: I think he is, Cruise. I think he’s looking to put Majima away with his own move!
Bursting forward the second Majima gets to his feet, Bisley swings the extended arm towards Majima and at the very moment of impact…
Nothing
Not quite able to comprehend what just happened, Bisley looks dumbfounded while looking at Majima standing his ground even with Bisley’s arm pressed against his upper chest, and then he looks towards Majima whose eyes are as wide as they can possibly go and a murderous intent burns within his eyes
Stephy Auger: Errm, Bisley? I think you may have pissed him off...
THUD
Majima responds to Bisley’s blatant show of disrespect by cracking him with a brutal headbutt that sends him crashing to the mat
Kris Cruise: There was nothing honourable about
that!
Incensed by Bisley’s attempt at humiliating him, Majima grabs Bisley by the scruff of the neck and pulls him into a kneeling position before teeing off with a series of Kawada kicks to the face
...SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN...
Once Bisley is barely able to even stand, Majima grabs a handful of hair and pulls him into a standing position where he tags him with a stiff forearm to the jaw that causes Bisley’s legs to buckle, so Majima lets him drop to the mat so he can make a cover
ONE!
.
.
TWO!
.
.
Bisey barely manages to kick out
Kris Cruise: Once again Bisley thought he had carved out an unassailable advantage, but Majima quickly closed the gap with his striking ability and threw Bisley off his gameplan?
Stephy Auger: “Threw him”? He kicked his gameplan into the middle of next week!
Peeling Bisley off the canvas, Majima pulls him into a front facelock and hooks the arm, lifting him into position for the Kurimuzon Jigoku - but Bisley has just enough wherewithal to knee Majima in the head to try and prevent the move from connecting, followed by another that staggers Majima and causes him to drop to a knee while holding Bisley up, yet when Bisley tries for a third knee Majima catches the leg and quickly gets to an upright position and drops Bisley to the mat with a fisherman’s buster before making the cover
ONE!
.
.
TWO!
.
.
Bisley kicks out, but Majima is quick to pick him off the mat and hit a bridging German suplex
ONE!
.
.
TWO!
.
.
Bisley kicks out again
Kris Cruise: Two quick covers from Majima, he’s looking to put this to bed right now.
Majima picks up Bisley again and is quick to hit the Tora O Rirīsu, hurling Bisley across the ring until he lands near the turnbuckles - but rather than make the cover, Majima heads the the opposite corner where he stands, watching and waiting as Bisley pulls himself to his feet, and once Bisley is upright Majima charges across the ring looking to hit the Kao No Nai, only for Bisley to dodges at the last second and, with Majima off his game for a split second Bisley hits him with a leaping forearm smash and runs the ropes looking to hit a chop block...only to get driven into the canvas with the Uragaeshi
Once again Majima makes his way to the opposite corner and waits for Bisley to get to his feet, waiting to drive his foot into his face with the Kao No Nai, and again he charges forward - but this time Bisley simply ducks under and back body drops Majima over the top rope to the ring apron, and as Majima tries to maintain his balance on the apron Bisley dropkicks him in the knee to send him to the floor
Kris Cruise: Majima went to the well twice, and both times he came up dry.
Stephy Auger: Dry? He got hit upside the head with the bucket both times!
Majima gets to his feet at ringside, favouring the knee as he does so, to the point he doesn’t even see Bisley until he crashes into him with a suicide dive that drives him back into the crown barrier, and without wasting a second Bisley hooks both of Majima’s arms and hits a double arm suplex before rolling through to lock in a front guillotine choke
Stephy Auger: You can see why he calls this the Bisley Special, because how many of the FGA roster have the awareness and the timing necessary to combine these two moves?
Kris Cruise: But I can’t see why he’s locking in a submission move on the outside of the ring. Pinfalls and submissions take place inside the ring only!
Stephy Auger: That’s the genius part, Cruise: he’s not looking for the win, he’s looking to wear down Majima, and there’s no ropes around for Majima to try and break the hold with.
Pulling back as he keeps the hold locked in firmly, Bisley blocks out the crowd willing Majima to recover as his focus is entirely on watching Majima for the moment he begins to fade, knowing full well it's a matter of time before he does so
Once Majima’s struggles start to visible weaken, Bisley transitions out of the choke into a kimura on the arm he targeted earlier, looking to pull the arm out of the socket if that’s what it takes to nullify Majima’s striking game
Stephy Auger: Get him in the ring, Bisley! He wants to tap!
Rather than take Stephy’s advice, instead Bisley releases the hold and climbs onto the ring apron, gesturing for Majima to get back to his feet as he crouches down waiting to strike, biding his time until Majima ets to his feet and Bisley launches himself off the apron with a shooting star plancha…
...only to get swatted out of the air with the Kurimuzon Kasai!
Kris Cruise: Majima’s got him! All he has to do is get Bisley back in the ring and he’s won!
Stephy Auger: Has he Cruise? Has he?
Instead of rolling Bisley into the ring to make the pin, Majima drops to a knee and clutches at his shoulder, gritting his teeth in pain shooting through his arm caused by the impact of his great equaliser, and he almost seems unaware that Bisley is out of it barely two feet from him
Kris Cruise: Come on, ShiMa, dig down and get this match over with!
Regaining a sliver of composure, Majima uses his uninjured arm to pick Bisley off the arena floor and shoves him under the ropes to get him back into the ring, sliding in the ring after him and making the cover
ONE!
.
.
TWO!
.
.
THREE…
.
.
NO! Bisley kicks out at the last possible moment!
Stephy Auger: Bisley’s still alive!
Kris Cruise: But for how long?
Stephy Auger: Look at what’s in front of you, Cruise: Majima can’t hit his big finish with a bum arm. Bisley’s defanged the Kurimuzon Kasai!
Disbelief is etched upon Majima’s face: he was sure he had the match won, but the delay between hitting the Kurimuzon Kasai and rolling Bisley back into the ring has cost him, and he needs to follow up
Looking around the ring, Majima sees the turnbuckles and has an idea. He drags Bisley across the ring by his hair into the corner and heaves him onto his shoulder to place him on the top rope, yelling something in Japanese to Bisley before following him up, where he hooks the head
Stephy Auger: Oh no.
Oh no!!!Kris Cruise: Majima can’t be thinking of hitting the Kurimuzon Jigoku from the top rope...can he?
Majima tries to lift up Bisley, but Bisley hooks his feet on the ropes to block Majima’s intentions, and when Majima tries to brute force Bisley off of the ropes Bisley manages to hit him with a forearm shot to stall his momentum, followed by a series of rapid-fire forearms to stun him before he unceremoniously shoves Majima down to the canvas, and once Majima’s on the mat Bisley steadies himself before flying off the top with a frog splash directly onto Majima’s knees
Kris Cruise: Bisley catches nothing but knees off that frog splash attempt!
Stephy Auger: I know this sounds weird, but I think Bisley
meant to do that, he sacrificed his own body to do further damage to his opponent!
Clutching at his ribs, Bisley gets back to his feet first with a smirk on his face to say, yeah, that was intentional - and so’s this, as he drags Majima off the mat and holds his head in place as he looks to hit the MOTY, but as he approaches the corner he’s pushed away, coming to a stop just before he hits the turnbuckles and his shoulders sag
Turning around, Bisley raises a finger in Majima’s direction and tells him to give up as he’s got nothing…
SMACK
Only for Majima to crack him with an open-hand slap to the face using the arm that Bisley
hasn’t been focusing on, a slap which damn near knocks Bisley off his feet
Kris Cruise: Bisley’s just learned that his former partner is ambidextrous!
SMACK
Majima hits Bisley with a second, even harder open-hand slap to the face that sends him staggering
Stephy Auger: No, Majima, go back to smacking him in the chest as hard as you can, leave his face out of it!
Needing no further encouragement, Majima unleashes a flurry of open-hand palm strikes to Bisley’s face to push him back into the corner followed by a discus chop that catches Bisley square on the jugular. With Bisley stunned, Majima once more backs away to the opposite corner of the ring and charges forward, absolutely levelling Bisley with the Kao No Nai, and when Bisley slumps down into the corner Majima rushes back across the ring before charging in a second time to drill him hard in the face with the Noshinto, but once again clearly favour the knee as he drags Bisley out of the corner to make the cover
ONE!
.
.
TWO!
.
.
Bisley gets a foot on the bottom rope to break the count
Majima slowly gets back to his feet, clutching at the knee once more as the side effects of that Noshinto bite down hard, and as he gets to an upright position there’s no sign of Bisley, right up until he comes flying across the ring with a springboard lariat attempt - which Majima blocks at the last possible second and uses the opening to damn near drive Bisley through the canvas with a Uranage and makes another cover
ONE!
.
.
TWO!
.
.
...Bisley gets a shoulder up
Kris Cruise: Majima keeping on the pressure, and Bisley can’t find a way to stop it!
Stephy Auger: He will, Cruise. He had to!
Once again Majima backs up, but this time he’s flexing his fingers and extending his arm, preparing to hit Bisley with a second Kurimuzon Kasai, watching him as he gets to his feet with a stony-faced determination knowing it will all be over in a second, closing the distance with speed - only to be met with a running dropkick to the knee
Stephy Auger: Majima didn’t see that coming!
Shaking out the cobwebs out of his head, Bisley stalks Majima as he nurses his knee on the canvas, pulling him into a kneeling position and connecting with a shoot kick to the chest, then another, and another, and another, telling Majima to stay down as he rears back for another - yet as he looks to strike, Majima catches the leg and a surge of adrenaline allows him to get to his feet and hurl Bisley across the ring with a capture suplex
Once Bisley hits the canvas the adrenaline leaks out of Majima’s body, as he limps across the ring once again favouring the knee as he looks to follow up, eventually making his way to Bisley and grabbing hold of his arm and looks to yank him out of the corner into Akuma-fu, but Bisley wraps an arm around the bottom rope to prevent Majima from being able to do so, so in his frustration Majima stomps on Bisley a few times to weaken his resistance while still holding the arm before pulling Bisley out of the corner and flattening him with a shortarm clothesline, picking him off the mat to hit a second, and picking him off the mat for a third time - but instead of hitting the third clothesline as we’ve seen many times before, instead he chucks Bisley over the top rope to the arena floor
Stephy Auger: Majima seems to have forgotten how that combo finishes, Cruise.
Kris Cruise: I don’t think it’s that, I think he’s letting Bisley wear himself out getting back in the ring as he lets his knee rest up.
After a few moments lying in a heap on the arena floor Bisley begins to stir, dragging himself up to a kneeling position and looking around to try and stop Majima but he cannot see him, not until he looks in the ring and sees Majima resting up in a corner trying to shake some feeling into his knee, and once he sees this a smug look crosses Bisley’s face as he rises to a standing position and gestures “Come and get me” to Majima
Kris Cruise: Bisley trying to goad Majima into following him, but it doesn’t look like Majima’s interested in his games.
Having waited for a few seconds without Majima budging an inch, Bisley reluctantly sighs and slides under the ropes into the ring, quickly getting to his feet as Majima comes to meet him, and when they come face-to-face Bisley connects with an open-hand chop to Majima’s chest
Stephy Auger: What are you doing Bisley? You know you can’t match Majima chop-for-chop! Nobody can!
At first Majima’s response is to look at Bisley as if to ask if he really just did that, a look that’s confirmed when Bisley throws a backhand chop to Majima’s chest before goading him to strike back - which Majima gladly does, hitting a backhand chop directly to Bisley’s face to knock him off his feet, but Bisley quickly gets back to his feet and connects with a knife-edge chop and once again goads Majima into responding, so Majima goes for a Mongolian chop...but Bisley steps out of the way, and with Majima vulnerable for a fraction of a second he is quick to lock in a cravat and unleash Iko Uwais onto Majima, driving a series of knee strikes into Majima’s face to stun him, and once he;s satisfied he ducks behind and quickly takes Majima over with a German suplex, holding on and bringing him to his feet so he can hit a second, and finally bringing him to his feet for a third time and looking to hook the arms so he can finish the Majima-Killer Combo...yet Majima has just enough wherewithal to uck behind Bisley and hits the GOJU50, as both men are down on the mat
Kris Cruise: Both men are trying to hit their best shots, but they’re so familiar with one another that they know what’s coming and can respond to it!
Stephy Auger: Majima’s just lucky, and you know what they say about luck? It runs out.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the two men begin to stir, dragging themselves off the mat before crawling towards one another, pulling themselves onto their knees where Majima throws a hard forearm to Bisley’s face
YAY!
Bisley returns fire with a forearm of his own
BOO!
Majima connects with another forearm
YAY!
Bisley looks to hit a forearm, but pulls out just as Majima readies for impact and blindsides him with a forearm using the other arm
BOO!
Majima responds with a couple of quick forearms in succession...
YAY! YAY!
...followed by an open hand chop to Bisley’s welt-covered chest
YAY!
Getting to his feet, Majima goads Bisley to follow him, and when Bisley gets to his feet Majima cracks him with another forearm
YAY!
Leading to Bisley hitting a forearm of his own
BOO!
Majima readies to hit another forearm - but Bisley’s had enough of this nonsense and hits a superkick directly to Majima’s injured leg to take him back to a kneeling position where he hits a second superkick to the shoulder Bisley’s worked over throughout the match, and with Majima incapacitates Bisley has a surge of adrenaline as he grabs Majima and loads him up into a Canadian backbreaker rack before connecting with Blind Destiny, and is right back on his feet at the moment of impact so he can grab hold of Majima’s legs and he locks him in the Minnesota Cloverleaf!
Stephy Auger: That’s it! That’s it! Majima’s got to tap!
Kris Cruise: He doesn’t have to, but given the damage his knee’s taken throughout this match he’s in a dire predicament right now.
Majima lets out a guttural yell of pain as Bisley puts every last ounce of strength he has left into torquing Majima’s legs while he grinds his knee into the lower back, demanding Majima swallow his pride and slaps the mat to make the pain end, while all Majima can do is grit his teeth and clench his fists as he desperately tries to hang in there and find a way out of this hold
The ref asks Majima if he wants to give up but he shakes his head, trying to find a way out of this situation but the ropes feel like they’re miles away, and while he tells the ref he won’t quit his body is telling him to, as he visibly fades as the darkness overcomes him until he flops onto the mat, and a moment later the ref picks up Majima’s hand to see if he can still go
He lets go, and it lifelessly drops to the mat
The ref lifts his arm a second time, lets it go, and once again it falls to the mat
With a rueful shake of the head, the referee lifts Majima’s arm a third time and lets gravity to its work as it falls to the mat - but mere inches before it hits the mat for the third and final time Majima has enough in him to stay in this match!
Kris Cruise: Majima’s not done! Majima’s not done!
Stephy Auger: Just give up you idiot!
Struggling to regain his composure, Majima lets out a primal roar as he tries to force his way out of the hold, pushing his fists into the mat to try and raise himself off the mat, which does just enough to nudge Bisley’s knee out of the small of his back and allow him to lift his torso off the canvas as he begins to crawl towards the ropes, flailing as he tries to inch his way to safety while Bisley refuses to let go of the legs to keep him locked in a standard cloverleaf
With Majima getting closer and closer to the ropes the crowd begin to roar him on, begging him to get out of the hold as he drags Bisley along with him, finally getting within touching distance of the ropes as he makes one final lunge and gets his fingertips to the ropes and causes the ref to demand Bisley break the hold
One… Two… Three… Four… Fi…
And Bisley does so, with about half a second his his mandatory five count remaining
Kris Cruise: Oh come on! He’s supposed to break the hold!
Stephy Auger: He has a full five count, Cruise, and he was making sure he got as much of it as he could.
As Majima clings to the ropes Bisley tries to grab the legs so he can lock in the Minnesota Cloverleaf a second time, only for the ref to intervene and get in Bisley’s face telling him to back off, which Bisley obliges...for about a second, before trying again to get hold of Majima’s legs, forcing the ref to place himself between Bisley and Majima and raise a finger in Bisley’s face warning him not to pull that again, leading to Bisley talking back to the ref for getting in his business - just long enough before Majima hurls himself over the ropes and flattens Bisley with the Hakai Tsuchi
Stephy Auger: Where is Majima getting this from? He’s done, can’t he just accept it?
Kris Cruise: He refuses to accept it, Stephy, he refuses to let Bisley get the best of him no matter what he has to put himself through.
Drenched in sweat and needing to use the ropes to get himself back to a standing position, Majima uses his free hand to pull Bisley off of the canvas and, with some effort, he lifts him onto his shoulder into position for the Kurimuzon Taki...but Bisley slip down behind him and spins Majima around, hooking the head and running up the turnbuckles and connects with the MOTY
Stephy Auger: That’s it! It’s over, it’s done.
Crawling over to his opponent, Bisley drapes an arm over Majima as the ref makes the count
ONE!
.
.
MAJIMA KICKS OUT!!!Stephy Auger: WHAT????Bisley retreats across the ring with a look of sheer horror etched upon his face, coming to a stop seated in the corner as he tries to work out what the hell he needs to do to put his opponent down
Kris Cruise: Majima’s still fighting!
Stephy Auger: That’s not fighting, that’s becoming one of the living dead! I mean, a one count???
Slowly Majima stirs, rolling onto his stomach and looking across the ring to see Bisley still sat in the corner looking like he’s seen a ghost, and with his eyes locked on his former partner Majima wearily lifts himself into a kneeling position and, across the ring, Bisley reciprocates as hey prepare to come face-to-face once more, and the crowd noise rises as Majima gets to his feet and begins to walk towards Bisley…
...but after a couple of steps he collapses back to his knees, his body having spent every last ounce of energy left in kicking out of the MOTY
Stephy Auger: Come on, Bisley. Finish it! FINISH IT!!!
Looking at his former partner, at first Bisley looks ready to unleash whatever hell he has in mind to end this match once and for all, but after a moment he looks at Majima with sympathy in his eyes, knowing full well that whatever he does next will run him out of the company and he relents
Kris Cruise: The reality just hit home with Bisley, as he isn't about to beat an opponent, he’s about to cost a long-time friend and partner his livelihood!
Stephy Auger: Screw friendship, FINISH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bisley lets out a deep sigh about what he has to do, yet when Majima looks up to his former partner he doesn’t have regret on his face, he’s yelling at his former partner to get this over with, words which snap Bisley out of it as his focus returns and he rushes out of the corner and damn near takes Majima’s head off with a Busaiku knee to the face before making the cover
ONE!
.
.
TWO!
.
.
THREE!
“Storms End” blasts throughout the arena as the crowd boos Bisley.
J.A. Aldridge: Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this bout... MARK BISLEY!
The ref raises Bisley’s arm as the crowd continue to boo as he leaves the ring
Kris Cruise: Both men were determined to prove they have what it takes to remain here in FGA, and after the war it was Mark Bisley who came out victorious.
Stephy Auger: I told you he was the New Ace, Cruise, but you didn’t believe me.
Kris Cruise: Whatever the merits of what he wants to call himself, there’s no denying that Mark Bisley will remain in Frontier Grappling Arts - but as for his former partner…
As the music dies down Majima starts to get to his feet in the ring, initially drawing a round of applause from the crowd which soon becomes a full-blown ovation as the crowd pay respect for everything he’s done during his time in the various parts of FGA
THANK YOU SHIMA! THANK YOU SHIMA!
Grateful for the show of respect, Majima bows to the crowd he’s facing, before turning to face another section of the crowd and bowing to them, and faces the third section to bow, before finally turning towards the crowd nearest the ramp to bow…
...but Bisley’s back in the ring, catching Majima’s head as he bows and connecting with the MOTY to leave him laying in the ring, while Bisley rolls into a kneeling position and looks down on his former partner while caressing the canvas with his hand to remind
everybody of one thing: this is
my ring
Kris Cruise: Oh come on! There’s no need for that! You already cost the man his job, and now you’re not letting him leave on his terms?
Stephy Auger: It’s his ring, Cruise, he can do whatever the hell he likes.
Boos rain down from all corners of the arena as Bisley makes his way back up the ramp, but he ignores them completely until he reaches the very top of the ramp and turns back to the ring and bows in Majima’s direction before giving a sarcastic golf clap in appreciation to the crowd as he heads to the back
