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Things Get Personal For UWE Champion and #1 Contender

Posted: Jul 6th 2011 By: CMBurnham

SRPW Tag Team Champion Fuel treated UWE Champion (and SRPW Tag Team Champion) Jon Cross like a brother. And for that he got betrayed. Thus began the issue that has sparked into one of the most intense rivalries that wrestling has seen.

There was an agreement that dated back to high school days saying the two of them would never come into conflict. They would always look out for each other. They've tagged together as the Ring Intruders and been successful that way. But somewhere along the way, Cross developed an intense jealousy of Fuel. And that jealousy is now leading to conflict.

The two men were scheduled to have a match on April 30 for Cross' UWE Title. Prior to the match, both men appeared on the screen talking about their opponent. Cross said that he wanted the fans to know that he was bigger and better than them and that he has defended the title more times than anyone in UWE history. He promised to successfully defend the belt against Fuel. He also brought up how some very personal information was revealed at the previous show, but there would be no promises broken this night against family members. They would just be defending themselves. He said he'd been best friends with Fuel since 2007, but claimed Fuel became jealous. He just wanted the fans to know that Fuel broke the promise, so he promised to break Fuel that night.

Right before their match, Fuel came on the screen and essentially mocked Cross' interview. He promised that Cross' reign as champion was comeing to an end and the only thing broken would be Fuel's foot in Cross' mouth.

It was a Match of the Year candidate. Incredible intensity from both men as they vied for the belt they both wanted to leave with. Eventually the referee got caught up in things and knocked out. Cross motioned for UWE Tag Team Champion Brett Taylor to come out. Before he could do anything, Tyson Armstrong appeared and dragged Taylor away. ComPro Showtime Champion Brandon Walker then appeared and grabbed Princess Brittany, taking her to the back. This left Cross and Fuel all alone with each other. Cross wanted nothing to do with that situation, so he left the ring and ran to the back. Fuel followed and dragged the champion back to the ring. Cross regained the advantage and connected with a Death Valley Driver, but the revived referee only made it to a 2 count. Fuel then hit a leaping Superkick, but again, it was only good for a 2-count. Fuel tried the Superkick again, Cross grabbed the foot, yanked Fuel over, hooked the other leg and applied a Boston Crab. Fuel fought out of that and managed to turn it over into a Sharpshooter. He was in the middle of the ring with no where for Cross to go and the champion had no choice but to tap. But right before he began, the bell rang, signalling the end of the match. It was just too late. Time had expired and the referee ruled it a time limit draw. The fans, though, knew what had happened and chanted "You Tapped Out!" as UWE Tag Team & United States Champion Ray Martinez helped Cross to the back. Fuel then announced that he was officially entering the Sooner Stampede next month.

Those plans changed, due to the UWE Commissioner Princess Brittany. She barred Fuel from being an entrant in the Stampede. Instead, 30 other people would enter the ring, one at at time and the last man not thrown over the top rope would earn a shot at the UWE Championship on October 22. The winner of the match was something of a shock: Blue Thunder. While Thunder has had success in tag team competition, he's not been a high profile guy at this point. But after winning, Thunder took off his mask, revealing Fuel!! Despite being banned, Fuel found a way to get in the match and earn his title opportunity.

That brought us to this past Friday. Fuel arrived and said last month, he was jumped from behind and taken to the hospital. While there, Blue Thunder threw him his mask, providing him with a way in. On October 22, he is coming for Cross and the UWE Title. Cross had told everyone that he could get to Fuel's family, but the only thing he'll get is a foot in his throat. He then told the crowd that he had an announcement from the UWE executives that Jon Cross needed to hear. Cross came out and Fuel promise not to beat him up (although he had his fingers crossed behind his back). As the fans chanted "Little Jonny", Fuel snuck up and faked a Superkick to Cross, making him flinch.

Fuel told everyone that on this night, there would be 2 Pick Your Poison/Beat the Clock Challenges. Each person would pick the others' opponent. Whoever had the fastest win woudl pick the stipulation in the UWE Title match in October. If both men tie, then the fans would decide. Cross went on to list his accolades in the federation. He said everyone wanted to be champion. Anarchy 2nd, Brandon Walker and Big Smooth all couldn't keep the title. He was sure that Fuel couldn't handle being success with all the extra pressure added to it. Fuel reminded Cross that he made him tap out, but Cross rebounded by saying Fuel ruined everything. Fuel said that he had Superkicked Cross' teeth down his throat before and would do it again.

Cross began to grow tired of the verbal interchange and demanded to know who his opponent was. Fuel said that, since this issue started around "family", it would be a family member. Fuel's brother Anarchy 2nd arrived. The very first UWE Champion took on the current UWE Champion and the clock was ticking. Both men understood that the best thing to do was score an early pinfall and they went for covers at a near-record pace in those opening 3 or 4 minutes. 9 minutes into the match, Chris Fury came out and began to cut a promo to the crowd about how he was their saviour and they should model themselves after him. Fury had been responsible for an attack on Anarchy a couple of months before and his appearance at ringside resulted in Anarchy being distracted long enough for the pin. The official time was logged as 10:59, which stood as the time to beat by Fuel.

When the main event came, Fuel awaited his opponent and Jon Cross didn't disappoint. Cross brought out the tallest and most experienced member of the UWE roster, Bobby Burns. While Cross & Anarchy both wanted to score a quick fall, Burns knew he didn't have to win the match, he just had to make sure that Fuel didn't win. So he could be slow and methodical, which is much Burns' style. Fuel, on the other hand, had a larger opponent to chop down like an oak tree and he went to work doing so. Referee Bryan Jodoin, who has made some suspicious calls in the past, came out to observe the action. After about 6 minutes, Jodoin, snuck in the ring and lowblowed referee Al Carter, then threw him out. Fuel superkicked Jodoin. Jon Cross then came out and tried to interfere, but got thrown into Burns' knee, taking him down. Fuel then again locked on the Sharpshooter and Bobby Burns tapped (and was declared the winner by a 3rd referee.) The time of the match was announced as 10:58, allowing Fuel to be in control of the stipulation forthe title match.

Fuel already had a plan in mind. While the crowd threw out various ideas, Fuel exited the ring and began digging under the apron, pulling out a ladder. He set the ladder up in the ring, climbed it and delivered a thunderous leg drop from the ladder to the champion. On October 22, 2011, UWE's very first Ladder Match will take place. Between now and then, both men only have to make it through one more UWE event before they can get their hands on each other. If they can wait that long, then perhaps this deeply personal issue can finally be resolved and both men can move on to the next stage of their career...and their lives.