Show VI: Gauntlet for the Gold

[Dustin Smith]

SINGLES MATCH
Heretic w/ Scourge vs. Dragon King

Dragon King may have come off remorseful and emotional in his fued with his former friend Jaguar, but now that he's put an end to that we now get to see him in true form. Dragon King looked like a different person, showing off his great wrestling ability. Black Heart would step out from the curtain again watching the match arms folded. Heretic scored with the schwein but couldn't get the match ended, Heretic was stunned that his schwein didn't capture the match. Later in the bout Dragon King hit the dragon suplex but Heretic would kick out this time. Dragon King followed up immediatly applying the dragon sleeper wrapping Heretic in a body scissors forcing Heretic to submit as Black Heart would quietly slip into the back again.

SINGLES MATCH
Claw vs. Mongrel

The silent psycho Claw looked to have a bit of a limp from his battle with Powder Keg, where Claw would lose the title, and going into the NWA era of Independent Union. The Deathmatch championship will now become a yearly tournament with the champion getting the bye to the main event yearly. The heroic hound, Mongrel would come out, a beacon of justice. Tonight however he faced off against a sick individual that would man handle the beast, who would keep coming at Claw like his kindred animal. Mongrel would leap at Claw over and over trying to bring the 300lbs. monster down. Claw would shrug off Mongrel battering him with hard shots, before working over Mongrel with simple but brutal holds, wearing him down. Claw would bend Mongrel violently with a backbreaker pushing down on the thigh and neck of Mongrel stretching him further before tossing him off like a child. Mongrel tried to claw and chop at Claw, but Claw would fire back with headbutts before squeezing the skull of Mongrel slamming him to the mat with a brain claw for the victory. Claw may have lost the deathmatch title to Powder Keg, but he now has his sights on the Independent Crown, and that could make him much more dangerous!

SINGLES MATCH
Paladin vs. Powder Keg

This was a clash of styles, and cultures as both men obviously come from different backgrounds. Paladin is looking to extinguish some of the evil in the Union but Powder Keg is a man who lives and breathes anarchy. Keg is a guy who was thrown out of American wrestling promotions for being "too violent" Independent Union is his home, and on top of being the Deathmatch champion, he was looking to add the Crown to his achievements. These two men have actually met in the ring before in a deathmatch, that Powder Keg came out the winner of. This time it was a normal match and Paladin fared a lot better than last time as he was able to match power with Keg and didn't have to worry about getting battered with random things. Powder Keg doesn't rely on weapons he just "enhances" himself with them, so he held his own in this match as he matches power with Paladin. These two guys locked up like two bulls, with Paladin trying to press slam Keg but just couldn't control it and Keg hit a big spear for a near fall! Paladin looked to be in trouble but Claw would step back out towards the ring and Powder Keg would try to intercept Claw, but Paladin would regain his composure and batter Keg with axe handle smashes. Claw would just watch tilting his head creepy as he watched Paladin drive Keg to the mat with a burning hammer to score the win.


Claw tried to rush the ring to pick apart the scraps of PK, but Paladin would step in and try to protect his opponent. Claw would batter Paladin with headbutts, rag doll whipping Paladin around the ring, but it gave Powder Keg the time to get up helping Paladin. The two men would team up to fight back against Claw, double clotheslining him out of the ring. Claw would skulk off knowing that he's going to have to pick his next spot more carefully.

GAUNTLET FOR THE GOLD MATCH
Mizuchi vs. Thunder Horse vs. Abispa vs. Shaolin vs. Scourge vs. Jaguar

Mizuchi and Thunder Horse are new to the Independent Union so they were the first two men in the ring, when one of them is eliminated another member of the match will come out until only one man is left standing. "The Beast from the Bottom of the Sea" Mizuchi is very unique, squatting a bit to keep a center of balance to allow him to get more control with kicks. His head darting around like a bird, or fish scanning for a predator. Thunder Horse was in his element here in IU, hailing from Canada, he grew up studying japanese wrestling. Thunder Horse was an avid tape trader as a child, training for the chance to compete finally here in the Independent Union. These two guys put on an incredible match, it may not have been the smartest move as they left everything in the ring against each other. Mizuchi took a tombstone piledriver from TH and almost got the win, but Mizuchi wasn't going down without a serious fight. Mizuchi was able to hit a cartwheel into a jumping enziguri, trying for the ocean cyclone suplex but Thunder Horse would roll through holding Mizuchi down long enough to get the pin. Thunder Horse looked exhausted, and Abispa would slide into the ring immediatly battering TH!

Abispa tried for the quick win slapping on the anaconda vice, but Thunder was able to get to the ropes to get the break. Thunder Horse would fight off Abispa with chops and kicks trying to get himself back into the match but Abispa would cut him off. Abispa snapped off a butterfly suplex, following up with a buffalo sleeper but TH was able to fight free. Thunder Horse scored with another tombstone piledriver but couldn't put Abispa away with it either, TH tried to follow up with the canadian cloverleaf but Abispa was able to get to the ropes. Abispa went for a clothesline but TH would duck and hit a brutal hooking clothesline to the back of Abispa's head. TH would pick up and spike Abispa with another tombstone eliminating him from the match.

Thunder Horse was dripping with sweat having competed already for almost 45 minutes. Jaguar entered the ring and Thunder Horse tried his best not to, but got roped into chain wrestling with Jaguar who was trying to gas out TH even further. Jaguar would not only win the exchange but follow up with a standing moonsault driving his knees into the chest of Thunder Horse brutally. Jaguar looked in firm control as he went for a moonsault off the top rope but Thunder Horse would put his knees up fighting for his life, trying to apply the cloverleaf on Jaguar who would fight out and after an exchange of holds Jaguar would drop TH violently with the Tiger Driver 98!

Shaolin entered the match cautiously as Jaguar was still pumped from putting down Thunder Horse, but you could tell that TH did take a toll on Jag during the encounter. Shaolin would pick apart Jaguar with low kicks and overhand chops, Shaolin is so methodical in his approach, wresling with quiet intensity. Jaguar went for a few kicks that Shaolin would counter with a leg whip causing Jaguar to rethink things, Shaolin tried to walk the ropes but Jaguar would rip him down and plant him with a quick belly to belly suplex. Shaolin looked to be in pain as Jaguar would continue his attack by stepping on and twisting his boot into the face of Shaolin. Jaguar wanted to finish off the match with the Tiger Driver but Shaolin would back drop his way out of it putting the heavenly lock on Jaguar in the middle of the ring forcing Jag to submit to the painful hold.

The final competitor was Scourge, and he was pumped for this one. Earlier in the night his friend and ally Heretic was eliminated from the tournament to find the next IU champion. Now was his chance to bring some gold home to DoA! Scourge loves to rush and his fighting style is so erratic, if he actually got focused he'd be scary dangerous. Shaolin was still suffering from the battle with Jaguar but wasn't going to go down easily. Black Heart would again make his appearance at the top of the entry way watching on as Scourge would rake the eyes of Shaolin. Scourge would flash a sadistic grin enjoying putting Shaolin through hell, as the Jr title would hang in the balance. The man to get the next pinfall or submission would become the first ever IU jr. champion, with so much at stake blood was eventually spilling down the face of both men. Scourge enjoyed mutilating Shaolin to the point that he wouldn't go for the pin, but instead inflict more punishment as the ring announcers pleased that the ref end the match mercifully. Shaolin would shock the world as he rolled up and stacked up Scourge just long enough to get the three as he'd shoot out of the ring as Scourge stomped around the ring livid. Scourge would go onto throw the ref out of the ring attacking anyone that tried to get him out of the ring as the show ended.

[Deleted]

Thunder Horse looked awesome in his debut in the gauntlet, I must say. The match as a whole was well written and exciting. Scourge and Shaolin was a nice contrast of styles in the finale of the gauntlet, and I think Shaolin pulling it out was a big surprise and a nice one at that. Nice to see Dragon King come out on top early, too, as he has a lot of upside, I think.