The arena buzzed with excitement; thirty thousand voices reverberating off the rafters as sport fans waited for the first official match of All In. Victor Cross had already made his entrance and now he was standing in the middle of the ring with his arms crossing, tauntingly sneering at the fans who were mercilessly booing him. His stout build and scowl made him look every bit like the powerhouse who had brutalized Diego Cortez a few weeks earlier.
Then the lighting changed, and their music became a pulse.
Diego Cortez stepped out from behind the curtain in bright green tights with silver trim, bouncing on his toes as the crowd erupted into cheers. He didn't run down to the ring like he had always did. Instead, he walked down to the ring – giving high five after high five to the fans at ringside, letting the ovation sink in. Yet, his eyes never lost their focus on Victor.
Noah's commentary voice broke through. "This is the rematch that everyone has been waiting for. Diego Cortez – the high flyer, the underdog – against Victor Cross – the bruiser who has been trying to take away the embarrassment of losing to Diego weeks ago."
"Victor doesn't believe Diego belongs in the same ring as him. But Diego has already proven him wrong once. Can he do it again?" Irvin added with a light chuckle.
At ringside, Luke Hart had leaned forward over the barricade, starring at the entrance ramp, "Come on, Diego. You can do this."
Tony reclined back, arms crossed and grinning, "I don't know, dude. Victor looks pissed. And pissed off wrestlers usually win."
"You will see," Luke retorted. "Diego is quicker. He is doing this for a reason."
Not far away in a row of premium seating, sat Michael Myers, who was sitting stiff, watching IRW live for the first time. He had purchased the ticket the night Mason Brooks fell awkwardly on his arm, believing he had to see the chaos in person.
The energy of the crowd around him was surreal. He could feel it pushing against his chest, completely different from watching wrestling on television.
Diego slid into the ring and climbed up the turnbuckle, hands raised for another cheer before hopping back down; the bell rang, and the match commenced.
The pace of the match opened slow, measured. Victor did not hurry; he stalked Diego, arms out like a predator sizing up its meal. Diego circled around him, staying on the outside, occasionally darting in with a feint or a quick kick to the thigh before darting back out. The fans murmured, waiting for something explosive, as both men stayed cautious.
Victor finally lunged and Diego ducked under, quickly bouncing off the ropes for momentum. Diego leapt into a crossbody, but Victor caught him in mid-air and slammed him right down. The thud echoed and vibrated the canvas.
Boos rained down. Victor smirked, dragging Diego up by hair and throwing him into the corner. He delivered a slow, deliberate series of shoulder thrusts into Diego's ribs that were all met with ooohs and aaahs from the fans.
Noah grimly observed, "Victor Cross is a methodical wrestler tonight. He is not making the same mistakes as he did last time. He is grinding Diego down."
Irvin interjected, "It's smart Noah. The best thing he can do is not let the high flyer breathe. Keep him on the mat, keep him hurting."
Luke winced at each impact, quietly muttering, "Get out of there Diego."
Tony grinned, "I told you, Victor is not messing around."
Diego tried to fight back and threw a few desperate elbows to Victor's gut. He ran the ropes again; this time, he caught Victor in the chest with the dropkick. The big man staggered but he didn't go down. Diego tried the dropkick again; a second, a third. Finally voraciously staggering back against the ropes, the crowd started to clap, feeling something was happening.
Diego tore across the ring again and jumped into an impressive hurricanrana that sent Victor sprawling to the mat at last. The crowd exploded, thirty thousand voices all chanting his name. "DIE-GO! DIE-GO!"
Luke jumped up with his fists up in the air. "Yes! That's it!"
Tony rolled his eyes but clapped his hands once. "Okay… that was good."
Diego climbed the ropes, and rather than stop on the turnbuckle, he inched his way, carefully balanced, and climbed not just to the turnbuckle but the ring post itself. The crowd gasped. The post was smaller and higher than the turnbuckle, and led to much more of a risk.
Michael's mouth opened in horror. "Wait a minute! He's not seriously..."
Diego got into his position with both arms extended like wings and jumped. The leap was incredible, circled in the air while twisting several times as he crossed the ring. He landed right on Victor with a flying crossbody that took them both to the mat.
The audience lost their minds.
Noah exclaimed, "He jumped off of the post! The post! That's not just high-flying— that's changing the game!"
Diego crawled to the corner clutching his ribs, but pointed back to the ropes again. He aimed to hit his finisher—the 450 Splash. The audience got to their feet as he climbed. He steadied himself, when he suddenly twisted in midair—
And Victor rolled out at the very last moment.
Diego slapped the mat chest-first; the air sucked out of his lungs. He rolled back in pain as Victor staggered to his feet, intense anger in his face. Boos rained down as he pulled Diego to his feet and hooked him into the Cross Breaker—a sit-out powerbomb.
He lifted Diego high, slammed him onto the mat, and hooked the leg. One! Two! Diego's shoulder came up at the last second. The arena erupted, the fans exploding to their feet. Luke was nearly screaming himself hoarse. "YES! He kicked out!"
Tony blinked, surprised. "I thought that was it..."
Michael was sitting on the edge of his seat. The crowd's eruption gave him goosebumps. He had seen some big promotions featuring bigger stars, but had not seen thirty thousand people scream like their lives depended on it.
Victor was furious, punching the mat with fists! He brought Diego up again, smashed him into the corner, pounding him with fists and knees. The referee tried to get in the way, but Victor shoved him out of the way and dragged Diego out to attempt another Cross Breaker.
This time, Diego twisted in the air while Victor had him up, slipped out, and landed direct behind Victor. The crowd went bananas, Diego kicked Victor square on the jaw. Victor stumbled back before Diego gave him a hurricanrana.
Diego wasted no time at all. He climbed the ropes with lightning speed and with every single fan on their feet chanting for Diego, he found his spot, steadied himself, twisted in mid-air—
And this time, Victor didn't roll.
Diego crash landed on top of him with the 450 Splash.
Diego hooked the leg.
One!
Two!
Three!
The bell rang and all hell broke loose in the arena. A frenzy of thirty thousand fans screamed and clapped, chanting Diego's name, as Diego rolled to his knees, exhausted but victorious and the referee held up his arm to signal the winner. Fireworks popped above the rafters.
Noah could be heard shouting, "He's done it again! Diego Cortez has defeated Victor Cross, not once but twice! This is not a fluke; this is destiny!"
Irvin chimed in and said, "Victor threw everything he could at Diego but in the end Diego's heart, resilience and will helped him do it. What a way to begin All In!"
And backstage, Vince Maston watched the monitor with his arms crossed, a faint smile tugging at his lips. His revolution had only just begun, but the people were already all in.