Brian immediately noticed when Jason began speaking to him. The young man certainly appreciated the advice of his best friend, especially when he knew he was certainly more knowledgeable of the business than he himself was. His opponent, Ramone Ramirez was on his way to the ring. While he wasn't one of the BWF's big names, he was well known as a second generation wrestler, his father having been a big name In the industry for several years. Of course, backstage politics always become relevant, and as such, he was beginning to get his push. Most of the locker room was pretty accepting of it, figuring that his name would only carry him so far, and he'd wear out his welcome eventually.
"Thanks, man. Don't you worry, I'll show them that I belong in this business, and I'll keep that energy going for the main event."
With that said, he returned the gesture, hugging his friend before heading to the curtain. The booming voice of the announcer came on just after the music started, building to the intensity that he loved.
"...and his opponent, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, weighing in at 215 pounds, Brother Blood!"
Brian hopped up and down, bouncing in anticipation like a boxer before a title fight before bursting out from the curtain, onto the ramp. He held his arms out to the side, moving down the ramp enthusiastically. As usual he was highly mobile, brimming with energy, yet still subdued enough that he was able to take his time making his way to the ring. His dark blue pants with the golden design running up the legs were almost recognizable even now on his debut. Seeing him clothed, you may not realize how built he was, especially Considering his fairly short stature. But, his definition was sculpted specifically for explosive power and propulsion in a compact frame. Perfect for high flyers.
Upon making it to the ring, he jumped up onto the apron before leaping over the ropes, moving around the ring in measured steps, raising his arms almost heroically to the crowd, who was cheering for him. Truly a shame that he was losing here tonight. He had a feeling that a lot of these folks would be disappointed. However, that didn't mean he couldn't give them a show. The bell rang, and the action started right away, Ramone charging after him with a determined intensity. Ramone "Rampage" Ramirez earned his nickname by being highly aggressive in his style while prioritizing power moves. His large frame, standing about 6'4" and weighing in at 231 pounds certainly worked in his favor in this regard.
As Ramone neared him, Brian ducked under a left arm clothesline, turning around to catch a back fist to the face. As always, Ramone was throwing his punches stiff, which meant each hit was gonna hurt. At least it made selling easier. Brian snagged back as his opponent moved forward to grapple him, leaning in to whisper;
"Sell for me, Rookie."
While he didn't appreciate the attitude, he knew full well that it was best to play along. So, when Ramone lifted him up for a suplex and brought him down hard, Brian arched his back off the mat, rolling over a couple of times to get a bit of distance. The young man was beginning to get the impression that this may turn into a shoot here before long. Otherwise it'd be a squash. Brian quickly got to his feet, throwing a low kick, then a mid kick, followed by a back kick to the head. The combo hit perfectly, timed just right to give Ramone the proper timing to sell and go down just right.
Once the large man Ramone rose again, he turned to face the rookie just as he had performed a springboard off of the middle rope, landing a perfect cross body against him, slamming him down onto the mat. This was where Blood shined, being able to move quickly and explosively from maneuver to maneuver. He rolled off his opponent, quickly to his feet before his opponent could. At this rate, the momentum would build up, then Ramone would broadcast his strength with a couple power moves to end it. So be it, but at least he would be able to broadcast his own talents. Ramone growled in his throat, pulling himself to his feet.
Unfortunately for him, Blood was intent on keeping his momentum going, measuring and counting in preparation for his next move. Once he was standing, Blood moved quickly, leaping up to strike his chest with a perfectly executed dropkick. The sound, that smack flesh from a good dropkick, was one of the most satisfying sounds in the world to Brian. Ramone would likely disagree, especially once he began flipping over the ropes, falling to the mat outside the ring. Brian grinned, taking a moment to pander to the crowd, raising his arms up and down in a gesture to urge the crow to get up and raise the volume. He moved back to the far rope, watching Ramone stumble to his feet. Blood raised his right hand, pointing his index and middle fingers to the sky, pausing before moving forward, leaping and clearing the ropes as he rotated his body around, bringing his feet together in a sort of roundhouse style dropkick.
The crowd came alive, from its cheering to practically screaming. That was one for the highlight reels. The blow hit home, tagging Ramone in the chest and knocking him back against the barricade before crumbling to the mat. Brian landed in a roll, stopping in a crouch to catch his breathe, his grin returning with a vengeance. He moved to lift his opponent who seemed dazed, rolling him into the ring to go for a cover. At one, Ramone kicked out, rolling his opponent over top of him to slowly get to his feet. It was time for the comeback.
Brian looked at Ramone, who clearly wasn't pleased. He was expecting this to be a squash, just because he was going over. The heavyweight moved towards him, giving him a few measured strikes to the head before kneeing him in the stomach. Once he was kneeling over, he set him up for a big powerbomb.
"You're gonna pay for that, Rookie."
That didn't sound good. Ramone lifted his opponent over his head, taking a step forward before dropping to his knees, slamming Brian down shoulders first. A little more he called "The Stampede." This is one of those moves that hurts quite a bit no matter what. Of course, the meant selling was easy. Brian landed hard on his front, bring rolled over for the cover.
"One! Two! Three!"
The bell rang, the crowd seemed a little reserved for a victory, but, there was still plenty of applause. Brian's breathing was expectedly heavy, his eyes half closed as he looked around at the crowd. His opponent had gotten to his feet, raising his arms with a roar. It wasn't all bad, though. Brian was able to smile to himself, knowing that his short segment was still a good show. For the most part at least. And if that move of his didn't warrant some attention, he didn't know what would. From there, the ring was to be emptied to make way for the next match, the two men moving back to the locker room. This time, the winner went back first. As usual, Ramone didn't speak to anyone on the way back. Just took a towel and went back to his own little area.
Brian moved with a tired yet methodical step, limping up the ramp to sell his injuries. Even though he lost, several of the audience members were really supportive. Giving him high fives and pats on the back and shoulders. The cheering was quite pleasant. It didn't take long though for Brian to get backstage again, smiling as he passed through the curtain.
