Match of the Millennium

Description: It's the never before scene Armored Giant vs the newly returning Mayor of SLAM in a colossal clash between two larger than life men. Face to face in the squared circle, this brutal bout showcases just how devastating a match can be when two muscular monoliths bend their mind toward the unsurpassable art of SLAM!

[POTEMKIN]
The arena begins to shake with the roaring sounds of Rock. <<DISCORD! PRESIDES! IN SOCIETY! YOUR SOCIETY!!>> thunders to flashing light and a raging drum beat and guitar riffs. There's an explosion of smoke and fireworks. The sound of military cannons discharging..and Potemkin explodes into view, lunging into the air clear over the barriers that seperate the Ring of Destruction from the rest of the arena, and then thundering down into a superheroic landing pose that rips a shockwave out from him upon landing. The superhuman giant remains crouched low and then straightens up again, lifting both of his arms up to flex them thunderously. Biceps the size of Buicks ballooning titanically under the restraining garbs of his Zepp Uniform/Pressure Suit. His already oversized upper body seemingly expanding in size more and more, as if it were absorbing the screams and hollars of the crowd.

<<ONE TAKES! BREAKS IN TWO! SOCIETY! YOUR SOCIETY!!>> Continue the lyrics and all Potemkin can think of is: "How did I get talked into volunteering for this again...?"

Needless to say, he's here now and cuts an impressive sight. Easily the largest competitor. All 2672, and growing, pounds of him.

"Code 4595605381-Potemkin: Reporting for action. Mission: TO SLAM!"

COMBATSYS: [ Neil Young - Rockin' in the Free World ] Lights flash and pyrotechnics boom as classic rock begins to grind its way through the arena. 'There's colors on the street, Red, white and blue. People shufflin' their feet, People sleepin' in their shoes.' A classic song for a classic wrestler. Making his triumphant return to sweep the competition like the streets of Metro City, Big Mayor Mike Haggar is Ready, To, SLAM!!!

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Haggar           0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Potemkin enters the arena, to the roar of the crowd!

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Haggar           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0         Potemkin

[HAGGAR]
The roar of the crowd pulses through the arena in cacophonous waves, a deafening throb so powerful it can be felt all the way down to the bone. Slam Masters, the greatest wrestling tournament in the world, held here, in the grandest arena in the world, or so any true wrestling fan would claim.
And at the center of it all a truly monstrous mountain of metal and muscle. a titan among men. Who in all of the CWA could hope to face such a colossus? Is this meant to be a joke? Maybe a David and Goliath match with some plucky superflying cruiser weight?
The heavy, thrumming grind of classic rock roars through the speakers.
The volume of the crowd dips for a moment as confusion sweeps through their ranks. There are some here too young to know. But others, many others, can hardly believe their ears.
Surely it couldn't be...
But as the American folk rock vocals kick in, an enormous hulk of a man comes strolling out onto the stage, dark green suit subdued in the brilliant glare of the spotlights, dark hair slicked back and thick mustache bristling. He is not a young man by any means. His face is stern and lined, eyes holding a bit of the weary jadedness of all aging men. But through that, through the age and the time away, through the years of campaigning that would have ground down any lesser man, His vigorous, furious energy still burns bright.
The crowd loses their minds.
Pausing at the top of the ramp, Mayor Mike Haggar gazes out at the sea of faces, chin tilting up as he takes in the energy. Basks in the glory of the people. Of HIS people. Then, face breaking out into a broad grin of pearly white teeth, dark eyes beaming, he spreads his tree-trunk arms wide and flexes with literal explosive power, muscles surging with such strength that his suit jacket, shirt, tie, and one suspender explode off of his body into shreds of multi-colored confetti. Left in only his forest green suit pants, dark boots, belt, and right suspender, the Mayor of Metro City lowers his arms into a forward flex, then a left, beginning his lumbering stroll down the ramp over the discarded shreds of his outfit.
In no time at all Haggar reaches the stairs of the ring and clomps up them with great dignity, planting one foot on the bottom rope and stepping up those as well until he stands braced with both feet on the top rope, gazing out at the crowd with his arms spread, bulky form on full display. And though he is a giant of a man at 6'10, built like a bear made out of other bears, he appears comparatively tiny with the unreal form of Potemkin looming across from him.
Dark gaze finally falling on the armored colossus, Haggar drops down from the ropes with a thud that sets the ring to vibrating and tromps forward to meet him half way, looking him up and down with a critical eye.
"I hope you don't have a cannon stored somewhere in that suit, son!" Haggar bellows up at the hulking figure with rough good cheer, voice stern and gravely. "The last time I had to fight a tank it didn't go well. For the tank!"

[POTEMKIN]
The glowing gaze of the giant soldier seems to brighten ever so slightly as the anticipation of the battle rumbles into him. Though he appears to be a robot or some sort of artifical form given his immense size and the gunmetal and red armor on various parts of his uniform, not to mention his helmet and feature hiding mask and glowing eyes..he's fully red blooded and human. Not even a cyborg....and he feels the roaring call of battle and a test of strength all to well. It's impossible to not feel it with someone like Haggar rolling up on you.

"Mayor Mike Hagger." he rumbles, deep voice vibrating through the room with impossible deepness. "I hope I will glean much from this match..though I think you will find me more then even a simple tank to deal with..!"

[HAGGAR]
Having to strain to hear even Potemkin's rumbling response through the roar of the crowd, Haggar retreats a step and lifts one big hand to gesture an easy OK in response, saving his shouts for later when they can really count. Feet spread, the Mayer of Muscle lowers himself into a wrestler's crouch, arms held out wide and ready to grab any unsuspecting punk who might try anything, even if that punk does weigh more than a ton.
Smile fading from his mustached visage and a look of stern resolve coming over him, Haggar accepts the big man's challenge for what it is. Hopefully the armored bruiser is tougher than a tank, because when you tell the Mayor of Metro City to come at you, you're going to get exactly what you asked for.
Once more the ring begins to quiver and shake as Haggar throws himself forward into a thundering charge toward the bigger man, closing on him with all the unbound power of a run away train. As he closes the distance he dips his right shoulder low, twisting his body and propelling himself the last three feet like an olive-skinned missile of meat, attempting to hammer his upper back into Potemkin's middle and rush him off of his feet, right arm hooking in between his legs and left stretching up, and up to hook incredibly powerful fingers around the huge man's near invisible neck. Then, with a surge of Mayoral power, he attempts to hoist the titan off his feet and drape him across his flexing shoulders, his forward charge grinding to a sliding halt just shy of the two men barreling out through the ropes.
Then, and only then, will Haggar gather his mighty bulk, flex his knees, and propel both himself and Potemkin a good 15 feet into the air with sheer unbound muscular strength, sending the pair of them soaring up and back toward the center of the ring. In mid air he will heave the hulking monster off of his back and yank his bulky upper half downward, reorienting him upside down as they drop out of the sky like a comet of meat and steel, impacting the ring together with a thunderous crash. However, Haggar aims to do so knees first, while if all goes to plan, Potemkin will come down squarely on his helmeted head.

COMBATSYS: Potemkin blocks Haggar's Flying Piledriver.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Haggar           0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0         Potemkin

[POTEMKIN]
The impact is like the explosion of a bomb. The impact wave is contained by the ring - barely - and the reinforcements and protective elements keep it from sending the first few rows of spectators flipping upside down and out of their seats. Haggar is indeed the Mayor of Muscle and all that the reports and rumors say he is as the ring itself ripples like the waves of a lake disturbed by some immense boulder being dropped into the middle of a it.

Potemkin seems to barely blink. He weathers the impact, body tensing and muscles enlarging like some monstrous bas-relief sculpture emerging within his pressure suit. He twists, monster body turning -just- enough to take the impact more onto his back then directly onto his head and the shockwave ripples up through the adamant crushing physique possessed by the monster man and seems to barely rattle him.

"Impressive." he rumbles..now close enough to be heard clearly by Haggar though his deadpan tone may make it uncertain if he is -actually- impressed or just trying to be polite.

Either way there's not enough time to determine that as Haggars entire body becomes shadowed by Potemkins immense and oversized Gauntled hand. The monsterous man rolls up, swinging his limb around to reach for and literally try and pancake Haggar to the ground beneath his palm with all the finesse and multiple times the power of a hydraulic press on steroids.

COMBATSYS: Haggar barely endures Potemkin's Hammer Smash.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Haggar           0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0         Potemkin

[HAGGAR]
Planting one boot on the canvas beside the enormous form of his downed opponent, the Mayor is half way to his feet when Potemkin's rumble reaches him, the heat of the spotlights eclipsed by a massive shape descending from on high. Brown eyes locked on the glowing substitutes set in the other man's helmet, he ignores the oncoming portent and makes to lunge forward toward the rolling figure, only to be caught in the head, shoulders, and back by the oversized gauntlet descending upon him. Such is the force of the press that he is thrown completely off of his feet, face and chest striking the mat with a thunderous boom, as if the ring were a drum and he the mallet. But even that isn't enough to more than temporarily halt the returning legend's rampage.
Bracing his clinched fists against the canvas, he pushes back against the pressure crushing down from above and powers back to his feet, shrugging out from beneath the hydraulic press of the palm. Unfortunately, being smacked face-first into the mat has rumpled the neatly appointed hairs of both his head, and his mustache. Fortunately, the long arm that helped perpetrate such a crime is still within Haggaring distance. Reaching up with his right hand, he grabs for the elbow joint of Potemkin's oversized limb, rough fingers digging in for a grip even as he pauses for just a moment to run the fingers of his other hand neatly across his mustache, smoothing the ruffled hairs back into place.
Important work done, Haggar joins his free hand to the first and throws himself backward, heaving at Potemkin's arm in an attempt to drag the huge man off the ground and execute a neat 180 degree turn, using a combination of his own lesser mass and no small amount of raw power to swing him through the air and send him hurtling toward the quadruple reinforced ropes of the ring with enough force to stretch them taught, then slingshot the metal-clad brute back toward the Mayor, right into his wide spread arms and the backward heave that should send him tumbling over Haggar's head and smashing to the mat behind him.

COMBATSYS: Potemkin barely endures Haggar's Rebound Throw.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Haggar           0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0         Potemkin

[POTEMKIN]
Well now, things are starting to heat up a tad. Potemkin's surprise at being able to be hurtled and tossed so powerfully into the ropes is well masked by his uniform and helm, but he is surprised nevertheless. He's little time to contemplate this turn of events as Haggar has soon grasped him as best he can, and Potemkin finds himself tumbling up, over and then down again into another meteoric slam that rocks the arena and resounds an impact even louder then the roar of the crowd. This time he doesn't have the time or space to adjust his incoming torso and he ends up taking a much of the full impact ont his body, forcing a grimace and a mild grunt from the forc of the successful attack.

He doesn't stay down long though. An intant later and he's rolled to his feet like some sort of boulder. "HEat. KNUCKLE!" he roars, lunging out a gigantic arm to once more attend to Haggar. A successful grip sees Haggar lifted high, caught in the grasp of the behemoth, and then the giants gauntlets opening, the wrist technology discharging ki-shells as a combo of explosive energy and brute strength rushes forth into the grasped Mayor. A shocking explosion would then disloge the Mayor, sending flying backwds and hurtling acros the stage.

COMBATSYS: Potemkin successfully hits Haggar with Heat Knuckle.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Haggar           0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0         Potemkin

[HAGGAR]
In the wake of his successful toss of the enormous tank of a man, Haggar lifts both arms overhead and beckons to the crowd, flexing his already impressive pecks and glowering sternly out at them with all the weighty conviction of his mayoral stare. That done, he begins to turn, rounding once more upon the foe he left piled into the mat behind him.
Potemkin's hand gets to him first.
Jerked off of his feet and locked into the powerful grip of the genetic monster before him, Haggar flexes back against the crushing pressure of the squeeze, lips pulling back from his teeth and veins standing out across his body as he prepares to bust free and give this presumptuous man a good drubbing. However, before he can, the armored man's gauntlets chamber open and a fusillade of chi-infused shells are blasting into the Mayor's torso. Flames roar, smoke bellows, and the thunderous booms are accompanied by the whizzing twang of shattered metal humming off in all directions. And through all of it, the suddenly enraged bellow of Haggar, full of pain and surprise.
Sent tumbling free of Potemkin's grip by the final explosion, the Mayer of muscle bounces out of the ring, up the ramp, and crashes into the scaffolding holding up one of many oversized screens scattered throughout the arena. For a moment he lies there, shrouded in the smoke that still wafts from his well-shot torso. But then, silhouetted through the haze of steam and gunpowder, the big man rises up, a hunched shadow ominous in its obscurity.
The crowd roars.
Haggar roars.
"Young man!" come the words of the Mayor, bellowed which such volume that they slice through the crowd even at a distance of several meters. "I hope you have a permit for that CANNON!"
As he shouts, the shadowy form of the Mayor reaches over to grip one of the large metal support struts of the structure and heaves, tearing it free with a protesting squeal of metal. Perhaps 9 feet tall and as thick around as a fat man's leg, Haggar wields the pilfered girder like a club as he comes rampaging out of the smoke and back down the ramp toward Potemkin, mustache bristling and dark eyes aflame with rage. Though several cannon shells were just unloaded into his chest at point blank range, the only signs of damage are some light cuts across his pecks and stomach, as well as the slowly reddening skin of someone suffering from a pretty nasty sun burn.
This time there is no slow walk, no showmanship. Approaching the ring at a thundering run, Haggar leaps the ropes and dives through the air toward the armored man, girder slicing around in a devastating two-handed swing aimed right for the side of his head. Soon after, Haggar's boots slam to the canvas and he follows the first swing with a second, third, fourth, and fifth, raining blows down upon the soldier's head, chest, and shoulders with astounding force.

COMBATSYS: Potemkin blocks Haggar's Random Weapon+.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Haggar           0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0         Potemkin

[POTEMKIN]
Each impact resounds against Potemkin's monster body like the mother of all traffic pileups. His towering form leans one way, then the other way, then back again and then again as he rocks with the force of the blows..and damage cracks and dents its way through the Zeppian Chi-Tek attached to his gauntlets and upon his helmet. He then tightens up suddenly and the girder slams home a final time and practically bends itself into a pretzel shape against the unyielding body of the monster-titan, coiling itself around and against his vast chest like a flimsy straw which then shatters from a simple heave of the gigantics monstrous pectorals, the motion threatning to rip asunder his pressure suit from the simple flex.

Potemkin then lunges, sending his hand forward to grasp for Haggar and to close his fist around the Mayor's head and shoulders as if he were grasping for a ragdoll. A normal person might find themselves completely enveloped but such is Haggar's impressive size that only a portion is gripped but a portion is all he needs.

"Diplomatic Immunity." is his anwer to Haggar's previous question..audible even though it may be muffled by his grasp..and then he leaps, dragging Haggar skywards with him. At the apex of the jump he comes tumbling downward, a full three sixty which ends with Haggar hurtling for the mat with Potemkin's arm driving him downward for another thunderous, foundation warping impact.

COMBATSYS: Haggar counters Brutal Powerbomb from Potemkin with Giant Swing.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Haggar           0/-------/-------|=======\=====--\1         Potemkin

[HAGGAR]
Shards of metal ping off of Haggar's gloriously gleaming pectorals and scatter to the ground as the girder comes apart in his hands, the mighty Mayor's mustache bristling as he glowers up at the now cracked helmet looming over a foot above him. Tossing the last scraps of metal aside, he stands firm, boots planted, as Potemkin reaches out to grab him.
"Not in my ring." Haggar grumbles back, words mostly swallowed by the roar of the crowd.
It is not difficult for the oversized soldier to get the grip he is searching for. However, when grabbing the likes of Mike Haggar, one must be careful that he does not grab back.
As Potemkin's powerful legs carry the pair into the sky, Haggar's powerful hands close around the huge man's wrist and squeeze, compressing the armored flesh with enough force that the grip on him loosens, giving the Mayor control of the grapple. Then, head thrown back and muscles straining, he throws his arms hard to the right and whips the big man around in one heavy circle, then another, then a another, each rotation slightly faster as they rise higher and higher into the sky.
Yes, it should be technically impossible for a man with less mass to swing around one with greater mass with no point to push off from, especially when trying to build up circular rotation, but the laws of physics are just that, laws, and Haggar is the Mayor. He decides the legislation in the ring, whether those laws were put in place by the universe or otherwise. Besides, the universe still remembers what happened to Mad Gear.
Faster and faster the pair spin, until Potemkin is whipping through the air with enough speed that great gusts of wind blow back the hair of the audience, tossing hats and popcorn in all directions. Faster and faster, until with a roar Haggar swings the metal-clad meteor up over his head and down, sending him plummeting toward the ring.
The resounding impact is enough to fold the quadruple-reinforced canvas around the armored bulk of the fighter, the ring straining, groaning, but springing back into shape and flinging the brute back into the sky, right back into the Mayor's waiting arms.
Catching Potemkin out of the air, Haggar tumbles him upside down, plants his oversized head squarely between his thighs, and clamps them together belly to belly with his strong arms, cradling him there as they descend once more from the heavens, spinning in an ever quickening spiral. From the heavens they descend as Haggar finishes the slam with his signature move. The technique by which he is known, and that Zangief has been borrowing for these many long years.
The Screw Piledriver!

[POTEMKIN]
Well that didn't go so well. A miscalculation that resulted in considerable redirection of the momentum of this fight, clearly in the direction of the Mayor of Muscles and the master of the ring. Potemkin barely has time to even register what is going on before hes' thundering into the ring from an impossible height and the sheer brutality of the force sends his eyes bulging and pieces of his pressure suit blasting apart, shredding and falling to pieces as the Zeppian technology yields to the raw power and wrestling techniques of Haggar. By some stroke of miracle, his helmet does manage to stay on.

But the damage to his suit is another matter and Potemkin's eyes flash with restrained outrage at Haggar, and especially himself. "I did not want to do this.." he grumbles, wishing he didn't have to but only having to because of his own mistakes. Nevertheless, victory must be obtained. At all costs.

An an instant later he's up. Rolling forward like a boulder, out of the crater that was created by the previous impact and then pivoting, fist raising at the same time as he moves. His gauntlet shatters, revealing his massive fist and the ripple continues up along his arm and into his torso. A gigantic flex that presses out against the pressure suit and then shreds the armored fabric into countless threads of reinforced chi-tek garments. His arm is revealed, leaving no question as to the flesh and blood nature of the colossus .. save the inhumanity of it as he cocks the fist back and an enormous flex rolls through him, bulking the arm up such that the scale dwarfs the Mayor infront of him..

"Magnum..OPERA!!!"

The swing that emerges sends pressurized force roaring out as, limiter removed, Potemkin's uninhibited strength comes hurtling forth through the air. A force blast whips out that pushes the reinforced ring and the barriers beyond to their breaking point..and perhaps Potemkin yet holds back for the sake of the audience.. But the force blast is just the effect of the fist incoming as it barrels down on Haggar with its building demolishing force.

COMBATSYS: Haggar blocks Potemkin's Magnum Opera.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Haggar           0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0         Potemkin

[HAGGAR]
The crowd is on their feet. The arena shakes with the rise and fall of the simple chant they have been repeating ever since the Screw Piledriver planted Potemkin into the cratered center of the ring.
'May-or, Ha-ggor! May-or, Ha-ggor!'
Lumbering to his feet, Haggar strides a couple paces away from the colossus while he gathers himself, throwing one arm wide in a flex while his other hand grabs his suspender, stretches it out, and allows it to snap back against his chest with a crack. All the while his face is stern and no-nonsense, expression locked in the steady glower of the Mayor of SLAM, the bringer of street justice.
Feeling the shift of the ring more than hearing anything, Haggar turns about to watch as Potemkin rolls to his feet, pivoting his enormous form with surprising speed as that massive, all-destroying punch is chambered. The Mayor can feel it, sense the pressure as it washes out. Feel the vibration of space in his bones as the fist closes in. Flexing his own bicep, he brings his arm up and turns into the blow, catching the punch just in the crook of his arm, spread out across bicep, forearm, and chest. A wave of force washes out from the impact, Haggar's booted feet skidding backward across the ring until his back strikes the corner with a heavy thud. Already the flesh across his chest and arm is beginning to darken toward the lurid purple of a bruise. But the mighty Mayor remains on his feet, shaking out his arm and rolling his shoulder to insure nothing was broken.
His glower returns to Potemkin.
Battered, cut, lightly singed, the mustachioed wrestler comes barreling out of the corner with the same relentless vigor he has shown throughout the match, trampling over the destruction and hurling himself toward the enormous, mostly unarmored form of the titan, uninjured left arm swinging out and up to try and take him in the throat and club him flat to the ground once more as he thunders passed.

COMBATSYS: Haggar successfully hits Potemkin with Heavy Clothesline.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Haggar           0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0         Potemkin

[POTEMKIN]
The tearing of the pressure suit continues, rippling across Potemkin's torso and freeing his physique more to the air. His upper body seems to enlarge even more, physical presence increasing like some sort of nightmarish cartoon as he plods forward, walking towards the incoming strike without hesitation. And so the impact. It slams thunderously into him like an incoming freight train. But Potemkin does not move. Like some juggernaut he remains upright, forward motion intact and though his body shakes violently, it absorbs the force of the blow, causing the body of the mighty mayor to slam full bore into him instead of passing over him, a brief moment of the smaller figure plastered against the semi truck cab dwarfing torso of the colossus.

"This is not over yet." intones the goliath. A warning and taunt to the mayor but also a subtle reminder to himself.

Again both of his huge arms lunge forward, wrapping about Haggar and closing him off to the world. His legs crouch and he leaps once more, hauling Haggar up and overhead as Potemkin spins. The force of his leap causing the ring to lurch violently and wildly, reinforcements giving way finally from the struggles of the two titans.

He sails upwards, body straight and looking to straddle Haggar across his shoulders..and then down he drops, as his huge hands begin glowing, channeling roaring chi alongside his vast strength.

"POTEMKIN..BUSTEEEEER!!!"

COMBATSYS: Potemkin successfully hits Haggar with Potemkin Buster.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Haggar           0/-------/-======|=======\===----\1         Potemkin

[HAGGAR]
There is the briefest grunt of surprise from the mighty Mayor as he smashes into Potemkin and the bigger man doesn't move. Not an enduring thing, there then gone in a flash, but clearly that wasn't the result he was expecting.
He certainly wasn't expecting the big man to then scoop him up and return them both to the air, channeling another wash of blazing chi through is body as they come smashing down to demolish yet another section of the ring, Haggar roaring out in pain and bouncing off of the huge hulk's shoulders to tumble through the wreckage, large red burns now showing angrily across his olive skin.
Teeth gritted with dogged, bloody determination, mustache plastered down with sweat, the Mayor rolls back to his knees, reaching over for the first thing that comes to hand. In this case, a good sized chunk of cement that made up part of the ring's foundation,, an irregular shaped hunk roughly four feet to a side.
Gripping the cement in one meaty hand, Haggar powers to his feet and heaves it one armed, turning half a circle before winging the heavy hunk squarely toward the huge man's chest like the world's largest shot put. He even grunts properly as he throws it, sending the improvised projectile roaring through the air as the crowd looks on with bated breath.

COMBATSYS: Haggar successfully hits Potemkin with Large Thrown Object.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Haggar           1/-------/=======|=======\===----\1         Potemkin

[POTEMKIN]
It's not over yet, indeed. Though battered and bruised, Potemkin seems to have obtained, even if temporarily, some level of durability that gives the appearence of him being beyond pain and beyond damage. He thunders forward, lunging into a leaping assault to follow after Haggar to try and keep the pressure on. The ruined ring shaking and trembling further sundering from his steps as he dashes in, practically chasing down the mayor like some sort of out of control military trawler.

The boulder sized chunk of reinforced concrete and steel thunders right into his chest, explodes into rebounding sharpnel, and doesn't even slow the behemoth down. His vast chest barrels right through it and Potemkin himself comes forward, practically sliding now and skidding across the remaining distance with both of his massive arms pulled back.

An instant later and they come swinging around, both of his fists attempting to come falling inward on either side of the Mighty Mayor to attempt to slam together with him caught between them with all the force of a demolition team at work.

COMBATSYS: Haggar counters Hammer Fall from Potemkin with Hammer Thru.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Haggar           1/----===/=======|=======\====---\1         Potemkin

[HAGGAR]
Brown eyes narrowing as he witnesses the brute plough through yet another attack with no sign of pain, something inside Haggar's slam-fogged brain seems to click. The sternness of his glower radiating disapproval, he lumbers forward to meet the oncoming pain train that is Potemkin, thick arms lifting and final step turning into a lunge that sees him slip through the closing grasp of the larger man's hands and catch hold of either wrist, slamming his shoulder hard up into the huge man's guts to bring his forward momentum to a halt.
"You're done." Haggar growls sternly up to the huge figure, holding him clinched in place for the moment by his grip on the huge man's wrists. "Keep pushing yourself like this and something is going to break, and it won't be me, son."
Wisdom given, the caring Mayor of Metro City does his best to enforce it by turning sharply to the left and jerking the hulking soldier off of his feet, whipping him around by the grips on his wrists to send him skidding across the rubble-strewn ground.

[POTEMKIN]
"To fall in the effort of completing my mission, would be an honor. However, there is wisdom in your words." rumbles Potemkin as he pushes back up to his feet, rising up out of the rubble like some sort of monolith, "As I said before.. It's not over yet.."

Battered and bruised but limiters released.. his body begins to slowly emit another round of burning discharging chi. Potemkin leans back, spreading his massive arms wide as chi builds up between his exposed outstretched hands. "After all..we are here to give them a show, are we not!?"

A flash of light and a sudden wall of pure chi erupts from the behemoth, spreading out infront of him like a widening screen as it races at Haggar. Potemkin then goes down to an almost football player like crouch - and then with a lurching of the ground that triggers seismometers elsewhere, he charges forward and barrels through the wall of chi. This seems to accelerate him almost like a bullet and he comes roaring down onto Haggar, shoulders incoming first for a final thunderous push.

COMBATSYS: Potemkin can no longer fight.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  <
Haggar           1/----===/=======|

COMBATSYS: Potemkin knocks away Haggar with Giganter Bullet Kai.
+=+=!= Power Slam! =!=+=+

[                            \\  <
Haggar           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|

COMBATSYS: Haggar takes no action.

[                         \\\\\  <
Haggar           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|

COMBATSYS: Haggar has reached second wind!

[                         \\\\\  <
Haggar           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|

[HAGGAR]
The stern paternal glower does not fade from Haggar's rugged sturdy features as he watches the enormous man rise again, the aging wrestler's body protesting with every shift of his right shoulder, skin throbbing with the steady obnoxious pain of burn blisters. Well, obnoxious for Haggar. Lesser men would be sobbing on the ground right now, but Haggar has been at this business for far too long to be dissuaded by a little pain.
"Hmh." Haggar grunts, his tone seeming to say, 'suit yourself then, kid.' Narrowing his eyes at the steadily growing barrier of energy, he half raises his arms as if considering a forearm block, or perhaps an intercepting grab.
It is the former that Haggar chooses as Potemkin comes hurtling through the wall of energy toward him, feet bracing against the rubble and muscles flexing, but this time it is not enough. The bigger man hammers right through his defenses and smashes into his middle hard enough to force a spray of foamy spittle out of his mouth, the mighty Mayor thrown backward from the explosive impact.
ONE!
TWO!
A Mayor-shaped trench is ploughed through two piles of ring rubble, dust and bits of construction material spraying in all directions, before his backward flight ends in a head-first collision with one of the solid steel barricades set up to protect the audience. The back of his scalp split open, a steady flow of blood begins to drip out and puddle beneath his suddenly still body, eyes closed and face gone slack with lack of consciousness.
Could that 'It won't be me' talk have just been that? Talk? Is Mayor Mike Haggar breakable after all?
'May-or, Ha-ggar. May-or, Ha-ggor. May-or, Ha-ggor.'
Eyes snapping open, Haggar lunges to his feet and takes two staggering steps, shaking his head like an irritable boar. He probably has a concussion, and he's certainly going to have a head ache in the morning, but as he stares around, massive physique flexed, the roar of the crowd behind him, his brown eyes clear and he stands up just that little bit straighter. Tall and unbroken, one of the true legends of the ring has returned, and he isn't going to stay down without one hell of a kicking.

[POTEMKIN]
By contrast, Potemkin's efforts to stagger to his feet fail him. His knees buckle and he goes down, using his fists to support his vast weight long enough to see Haggar rebound back to his feet. He grunts, at a loss for words. His respect for the other man is immense but it makes the sting of his loss no less painful.

Speaking of pain, his body finally gives way. Limiters off or no, and really that could be contributing given him being unused to the added stress, he goes down. His body initating a final earthquake just as Haggar begins his victory stare and the roar of the crowd rises to a crescendo.

Log created on 12:26:24 01/19/2020 by Haggar, and last modified on 19:01:56 01/19/2020.