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Post by supinesnake on May 28, 2024 18:44:08 GMT
Originally posted by TGO.
Most therapist offices look similar in design: a room if not perfect in square shape, then pretty close to perfect. Along one wall is a shelf filled with psychology books, most with a tint of mental health to them. Along another wall is a desk, usually pretty small, because the room is small.
Let’s also establish that most therapists rent office space from an office park. They don’t have standalone buildings for their business. So the actual office space is usually limited to just that one room. Maybe they share a suite with other therapists or other medical professionals. So there’s a common room in the middle of the suite that serves as a waiting room for all of the businesses.
Anyways, back to the design of the therapist office. After establishing the book shelf and tiny desk, there’s usually one couch and a pair of standalone chairs. If there’s no couch, then there are up to four chairs all positioned in a diamond shape facing one another. You’d assume only two chairs are needed, but you’d be forgetting couples counseling or family counseling sessions.
That makes up three of the four walls. The last is for the door in and out of the room. On the wall near the door are often two features: the therapist’s licensed certificate in a frame; and a calendar, usually featuring dogs or cats. The vibe is dim and bland. The walls are either white or gray. There isn’t much lighting. If there are windows, the blinds are down.
Those are the usual features of a therapist office. However, XYZ’s new therapist – ordered by the FWA after his recent incident on Fallout – does not have the usual office design. Hers looks like a converted bathroom. The walls are uneven. The corners stick out in pillars. One side of the room is slanted back to make a corner deeper in depth. The ceiling isn’t flat.
And there aren’t any windows.
“I know you don’t want to be here. Your employer requested it after … what happened. Do you want to talk about it?”
Dr. Christine Brown does not have a dog calendar hanging on the wall. Her certificate is laying on her black desk. She takes up most of the room in her office with a love seat for herself and a pleather couch for her clients/guests. There is a tiny bookshelf next to the desk. The other walls in the office are exposed and old – with red paint chipping off. Yes, red paint. The room is colored red.
“Not really.”
“You’ve done therapy a few times before, right?”
“Yes.”
The point of describing her office is not to make fun of her paint or design choices. It is to note that Dr. Mackall likely chose a room for the cheapest price in an office park that doesn’t have many other businesses and needs to fill space for rent. Dr. Mackall took this room because she can make the most profit for her few clients, which includes the FWA, which does not pay much for mental health support for its wrestlers.
The FWA will look for a therapist meeting criteria of working with athletes, but that criteria doesn’t necessarily work for all of the wrestlers. The second criteria is price tag.
“I can see it in your file. You were constantly in therapy and with different therapists throughout childhood. Did any of them seem to help?”
“No. They told me what was wrong and why I was the way … I was.”
Dr. Mackall nods her head as she absorbs what XYZ says. Despite the off-putting design and vibe of her office, Dr. Mackall is a good therapist. The FWA hired her due to good reviews and a history of working with athletes. XYZ is a particular case, though.
“You developed schizophrenia as a small child. It stemmed from a traumatic event. The schizophrenia manifested itself in hallucinations and a personality disorder.”
XYZ continues staring blankly towards the wall across the room from where he’s sitting. Dr. Mackall continues her spiel.
“You already know this, I imagine. Do you want to talk about that night?”
A pause before XYZ responds, as if he’s either not paying attention fully or not capable of truly listening. Probably a combination of the two.
“What night?”
Dr. Mackall looks down at the floor before continuing. She’s getting a little impatient, but she tries to understand what her patient has gone through.
Dr. Mackall received a degree in counseling from a local university. Her goal was to be a counselor at school. She has not reached this goal yet, instead working off loans by holding a private practice. It does the job, but she’d rather be helping kids make difficult decisions about school work and extracurriculars and college applications.
She feels most athletes are brutes and unintelligent. XYZ, though, seems different from others.
“The night … your mom left you on the side of the road. You were only 9 years old. You had nothing but a duffle bag and your do…”
“I know what I had.”
The snappiness of XYZ’s reply startles Dr. Mackall, who leans back against the back of her chair. She then crosses one leg over the other.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
After about two seconds of nothing, XYZ swallows and absorbs as much oxygen as he can before releasing it back into the room.
“I remember it was chilly. Not cold, but chilly. Colder than you’d expect for the month of May. I remember it was also wet on the ground. It had rained earlier. The tail lights from the car lit up the ground, so I remember two puddles of water that had gathered at the edge of the road, right next to the curb. They were separate puddles of water. One had a stray leaf floating in it. There also was a really small stick or branch next to the leaf, almost on top of it.
The other puddle had a few dead ants and some dirt. I remember how I could tell between the dead ants and the dirt.
I remember the car was wet, too. Rain was still on the windows and the back windshield. The tires seemed slick. Like, you could see a shine to them from the rain water. There was a bit of a mist coming from the brake lights in the back.
I remember the car wasn’t even in park. It was … just stopped. He had his foot on the brakes. I could tell from the brake lights shining and that red mist hovering in the air.”
Dr. Mackall finds the details in XYZ’s depiction illuminating. She wasn’t expecting the length of his story.
“He? Who was ‘he’?”
“He was the guy my mom was with.”
“He was driving?”
“And my mom was in the passenger’s seat. She didn’t even sit in the back seat with me. She sat in front. Didn’t talk the entire car ride. I didn’t know where we were going. She just told me to go into the car. She packed a bag for me without me knowing. She got Bi …”
XYZ pauses as his voice cracks just trying to say the name.
“She … sh … she got Bi … Big Al …”
XYZ sniffles as he swipes his right hand and wrist across both of his eyes. Then he takes a deep breath to continue. Dr. Mackall tries to put on as inviting and warm of a face as possible, but she usually is in cruise control by this time of her appointments. So this is outside of her usual temperament.
“Got him into the car with his leash on.”
“Did you know something was wrong?”
“I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what. I didn’t like him, so I didn’t try and talk to him. Like, ever. I just talked to Big Al the whole time. I didn’t talk to my mom because I didn’t know what was going on. I was a little scared. Nervous.
When the car stopped, my mom turned to me and asked me to get out of the car. She said to grab Big Al’s leash and bring him out with me. I remember getting out on the driver’s side, because that’s the side closest to the curb. There weren’t any other cars on the road. I didn’t know where we were, either. I’d never seen this road before.
I got out with Big Al. I thought maybe it was for him to use the bathroom. My mom then got out and was carrying the duffle bag. She walked behind the car, which was still in drive but had the brakes pressed, and handed me the bag.”
“And what did she say?”
XYZ wipes his hand across his face again. Dr. Mackall again reminds herself to appear inviting and warm.
“Don’t you have that in there already?”
“I do, but …”
“Well … maybe I don’t want to answer that.”
“I’d rather if you did.”
XYZ takes another deep, long breath before he continues.
“She said a few things. She said to take care of Big Al. She said to follow the stars and moon in the sky. She said they’d give me the light to help me even though it was dark.”
“What was the last thing she said to you?”
Another long pause as XYZ continues looking at the wall on the other side of the room. He lets his eyes dart to glance at Dr. Mackall, but it’s only for a moment.
“She said, ‘You’re still my superhero.’”
The therapist nods her head and looks down at her feet on the floor. She wants to give XYZ some time before following up.
“You were wearing a cape at the time, yes?”
XYZ nods once, slightly.
“You two liked to play a superhero game together?”
XYZ doesn’t respond, but he doesn’t say “no” in any way. He just looks at Dr. Mackall – for longer than last time – as he sniffles every three or four seconds.
“You do realize, XYZ, that you’re not a superhero, right?”
XYZ has been told this before – by many therapists. He was in therapy from age 9 – right after these events happened – until age 18, when the state of Alaska no longer was responsible for him. At age 18, he was no longer in foster care and no longer under the thumb of the Alaska state government. He no longer had the benefits associated with being under that thumb, either.
He was on his own, and he felt therapy was unnecessary. But in his teenage years, he had many therapists tell him many times that he was not a superhero.
“You realize your bus isn’t real. That your trips to other planets and dimensions and galaxies weren’t real. That this war you’re fighting against evil and darkness – and for the light of the world – isn’t real.
And that your friend, Big Al … wasn’t real. All of this is a combination of hallucinations and a personality disorder stemming from the night your mom left you on the side of the road.
You were wearing a cape. She called you her superhero. She said to follow the light of the stars and moon to guide you through the darkness. Your dog, Big Al, was your only companion and your best friend through this whole experience.”
Dr. Mackall pauses as she sort of leans forward in a seemingly empathetic and caring manner. XYZ again glances at her momentarily before darting his eyes back to the wall.
“You do realize all of this … right?”
XYZ opens his mouth to respond, but nothing immediately comes out. He’s frozen in place for about four seconds before he closes his mouth and thinks back to that night – then the foster care experience, all of the therapy appointments, the medication, the trouble in school. Everything.
“I don’t know what I believe anymore. But I do know that Big Al …”
XYZ’s voice shifts from soft and slow to stern and almost forceful.
“I know that Big Al was my friend. And I know he was there for me. And I saw how no one helped him. I saw him lay on that floor, coughing up blood, wheezing, struggling to breathe, until he stopped breathing and stopped moving.
I know that I watched him die a few feet from me, and NO ONE DID ANYTHING ABOUT IT!”
XYZ yells the last part, closing his eyes and clenching his fists. He leans his upper body forward, like he’s restrained to the chair. Then he looks at Dr. Mackall with bulging eyes and red cheeks.
The doctor doesn’t flinch. She doesn’t waver.
“But he … wasn’t … real. Reagan Cole, someone like him, is real. You wrestle him on the next show and he is real. I need you to understand the difference between the two: real and not. Big Al … wasn’t real. I need you to understa…”
“Real. Fake. Real. Fake. REAL FAKE REAL FAKE! WHAT IS REAL AND WHAT IS FAKE?!?! YOU TELL ME!”
“Well, I wi…”
“I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT I DON’T WANT SOMEONE TO TELL ME WHAT I’M DOING IS POINTLESS I DON’T WANT SOMEONE TO TAKE BIG AL FROM ME!”
“XYZ … I’m not taking anything from yo…”
“Yes … yes you are. And I need you … to stop.”
XYZ folds his arms across his chest like a little child throwing a tantrum. Dr. Mackall leans forward even more to express a level of security and empathy. She is growing tired and impatient, but she also refuses to quit.
“What do you think about Reagan Cole?”
“What about him?”
“I don’t know. Just trying to change the subject a bit.”
“Reagan Cole took the easy way out. Instead of fighting the dark forces coming for him, he joined them. It’s the easy way to handle problems. I won’t do it. I WON’T I WON’T I WON’T I WON’T!”
XYZ’s fists are clenched as he bangs his wrists against the arm rests of the chair. A few of the blows hurt, but the third and fourth ones feel like nothing.
“X … X … it’s okay. It’s okay. I don’t want you to do what Reagan did.”
X takes a deep breath and looks once more at the blank wall on the other end of the room.
“It’d be so easy to do that, wouldn’t it?”
Dr. Mackall smiles softly.
“Yeah, it would. But that’s not you.”
“No, no, it’s not me. It’s Reagan Cole. He gave up. I won’t.”
“What is ‘giving up’ to you?”
XYZ looks into the eyes of Dr. Mackall, who asked quite the intriguing question.
“Simple. Not being a guiding light for the listless and fruitless. Not being a source of hope for the hopeless. Not being an example for the people who feel they are alone.”
Dr. Mackall wants to ask one really heavy and thoughtful question, but she has only known XYZ for about 45 minutes. Is it too soon for this?
“You’re talking about …”
X looks at the therapist, who stops the question there.
“I think I know what you mean. I just don’t know if Reagan Cole … well … I don’t know if he stopped being that source of hope for the hopeless … just because he sided with his bullies.”
“It’s a slippery slope. Reagan wants to be someone good, but he gave in to be someone else. And he will live with that decision."
This particular case is the most interesting she has had in her 6 years as a therapist. Before her is an adult who developed childhood schizophrenia and continues to have a form of it emanating as hallucinations and a personality disorder. She has never had a patient like this, and she’s realizing that just telling him what is happening isn’t going to work.
“You’ve faced so many difficulties. I’m glad you haven’t given in. But I want you to know those difficulties, these challenges, and how you are … it’s not your fault. You know that, right?”
X doesn’t respond.
“X … you were just a kid. I get it. You were just a 9-year-old boy. And you were abandoned by the one person who should never abandon you.”
“It wasn’t only her. Big Al … died … a little bit later.”
“Your dog?”
XYZ sniffles and wipes his arm across his nose once. He then looks up at the therapist with big puffy bloodshot eyes. The redness gathers at the bottom and in the corners.
“How did he die?”
“He had cancer. L...lung cancer.”
“Right. And … you told the FWA medical staff after … your incident that … Big Al … your friend … he also had lung cancer. But he treated it and was better?”
“He had surgery and chemotherapy. It didn’t work for my dog, but it worked for Big Al this time.”
Dr. Mackall offers a gentle smile.
“You see how this is connect…”
“I don’t want to hear it. I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT! I FELT IT! I SAW IT!”
Dr. Mackall sits back in her chair, sensing that she’s not making any real progress in the conversation. So, she tries another approach.
“How are you planning to move on?”
“Wh … what do you mean? Move on?”
“Move on. When people die, there’s usually some sort of service or memorial. It’s a way for people to move on and … say their goodbyes. It’s a chance to get closure maybe.
I … you don’t have to do it. It’s just … I wanted to know how you’re going to … say goodbye? I know … well … I can tell that Big Al meant a lot to you.”
“He did. He was my closest friend. My ... only friend.”
“Your only friend? You don’t have any others?”
XYZ shuffles in his seat and places his hands on his lap.
“Jeremy Best … is a friend. Yes, he has been a friend to me.”
“Do you think … you could stay with him? Maybe stay at his house for a while?”
“I don’t need to stay with anyone. I am fine on my own … in my Magic School Bus.”
Dr. Mackall looks concerned, especially at the last part.
“I think it would be best for you to stay with your friend right now. Just for a few days. Can you do that for me? Please?”
XYZ is a stubborn mule, but he’s also a sucker for someone throwing out a “please” when requesting something from him. He feels “please” is a sign of sincerity, and in this case, sincere care. When someone seems to express sincere care, XYZ usually bends for them.
“I’ll ask, but I don’t know if he’ll say yes.”
That’s not true. In the brief friendship XYZ has built with Jeremy Best, he knows Jeremy will agree to any ask for help.
“Just ask. I’m worried about your mental health. You’re in a difficult situation, XYZ. You believe your best friend died and you’re going through the trauma of someone abandoning you again. These types of experiences chip away at our psyche. They chip away at our stability. Our ability to keep going, step by step and day by day.”
XYZ is listening intently now. He’s taking in the advice from the therapist. He’s truly concerned that she might just be right.
“I need you … to take care of yourself. I need you to ask your friend, Jeremy, to help you. Please just ask.”
XYZ nods his head once and looks again at the wall on the other side.
“Time is up. I don’t mind giving you a few more minutes, if you want. I want you to know that none of this is your fault. Not what happened when you were 9 years old. Not the personality disorder or the hallucinations or Big Al dying. None of it.”
“I know none of it is my fault. It still happened to me.”
XYZ then sniffles – and repeats himself.
“It still happened to me.”
Dr. Mackall looks at XYZ and nods her head. She closes her eyes for a brief second. Then she opens them.
“I know. I know. And … I don’t know if anyone has said this to you yet … but I’m sorry. I’m sorry for your friend dying. Even if I don’t believe he was real. I truly am sorry.”
She really is sorry. It’s not just therapist-speak right now. Dr. Mackall has sincere empathy for XYZ. She has real care for his mental health. She feels for him. She recognizes that XYZ is far from the usual FWA wrestler.
She’s a fan.
“Thank you.”
XYZ gets up from his seat and heads for the door. All he can hear is Dr. Mackall’s words – “even if I don’t believe he was real” – playing back in his head. XYZ wants to turn back around and tell her, again, that yes, Big Al was real. He was real.
But he doesn’t. He closes his eyes and fights back tears. Then he puts his hand on the door knob and turns it to reveal the waiting room.
Behind him, Dr. Mackall watches and hopes … truly hopes … that XYZ will return for his second appointment. There's just something about him.
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Post by supinesnake on May 28, 2024 18:44:27 GMT
Originally posted by PheTomenal. A look through time
Phillip A. Jackson stands in front of a mirror after the worst week of his career. Another Climaxxx loss and losing his Television title. Jackson still covered in sweat and standing in his wrestling gear backstage straight after the show. Jackson shakes his head and just look at what he has become. There are bags under his eyes and any joy based emotion has been wiped from his face.
Phillip A. Jackson: I need some help.
Jackson still overcome with emotion starts seeing something weird happening with the mirror. His reflection is no more and stood in front of him is PAJ. Phillip A. Jackson is confused. He is looking at himself ten years ago.
PAJ: You're a weak, pathetic old man. There is nothing redeemable about you.
Phillip A. Jackson: I don't want to be. I'm not you any more.
PAJ: That is why you will never be successful. I used to feast on guys like you. I used to annihilate them with my words and with my in-ring ability. You can do neither. You're just a husk. A corpse. Fading into nothing in disgrace and destroying what I created.
Phillip A. Jackson thinks deeply about the words of the young PAJ. Deep in thought he knows the words are true. He will never be the man he used to be. He will never be the dominating force he used to be. Jackson bows his head in shame and looks at himself in disgust.
Phillip A. Jackson: Maybe you're right.
PAJ: Of course I am, I am never wrong. I was the greatest wrestler in FWA. I was as vicious in the ring and I was with the microphone. I was the most sought after wrestler in the world. I was the name of everyone's lips and now you have ruined that. You are just a welcome mat and are just walked over by everyone. What have you done to me?
Phillip A. Jackson: I'm sorry.
PAJ: Sorry?! You're apologising to me?! I am so many levels above you that I can't even bring myself to acknowledge we are the same person. You think Bryan Baxter fears you?! You think anyone cares about you any more? You're just a ratings boost and a free victory for someone in need of beating a big name. Beating me used to be a massive accomplishment, but beating you? Well, why don't you tell me? You are not the dressing down I would give you.
Jackson drops his head in shame and leans his hands against the mirror, thinking long and hard.
Phillip A. Jackson: It means nothing. It's just the norm now. I remember those times back then. Where I didn't care, where legacy wasn't my focus. Where I just wanted to kick ass and run through the world but now I am so obsessed with my legacy. I am so obsessed with my story. I am arrogant and lazy with the only focus being on the story I want to tell. I've stopped caring about who stands across from me.
PAJ claps slowly.
PAJ: Is there a zombie across from me? Because maybe there is life in the corpse after all. No-one cares about the story you want to tell. The story is in the ring. If you can't produce there, no-one will care about you. At our best, we only cared about who was in front of us and everything else figured itself out but now the last guy you beat is in such disbelief that he is trying to take legal action. You've lost the killer instinct. You can no longer look at someone across from you and see the fear in their eyes. They pity you. I pity you and I am you. They are trying not to laugh at how you destroyed yourself. You had one iconic moment in the Carnal Contendership and you should have smiled and waved and disappeared again forever but it is far too late for that. If I could slap the hell out of you, I would. I would beat you all over Europe, like the FWA roster has been doing with you.
Phillip A. Jackson: I need to focus on Bryan. Who cares about the cleanser? Who cares about the past or the future. It is time for the present. This is the greatest shame of my career. The lowest point I've ever been at and I have no-one to fall back on, no friends and at this point no enemies.
PAJ: YES! YES! You finally get it. I am not here be your friend by the way. I am here to stop you shredding the last bit of respect that anyone had for us. Tell me about what you want to do to Bryan and why?
Phillip A. Jackson settles himself and slowly his mouth turns up into a smirk.
Phillip A. Jackson: Vengeance. That's what I want against Bryan. Not just for beating me, but for all the crap I've had since I came back. For all the embarrassment that I have suffered. The Climaxxx has become the greatest failure in my career. I came into it as a champion and I will leave with nothing. If there is one shred of ability left in me then I will stand across from Bryan Baxter. I will look up at the big man, stare him in the eyes and remind him of why I am an FWA legend. I don't want to go out like this. I will throw everything I have at him because I have nothing left to lose, not even dignity at this point. I've spent so long turning my nose up at this new era of wrestlers, that I realised I know nothing about them.
PAJ tuts and shakes his head.
PAJ: You used to know everything about everyone. You could pinpoint weaknesses that even they didn't know about. Now you are the elitist snob that you used to smile with pure joy as you destroyed. You grew up and became everything you vowed you would never become. Remember how hard I worked for us. Remember how I would handle everything that came my way. That was through hard work and sheer desire. Through having a clear head that focused purely on the next one, not the story or the bs you want to peddle. You have become lazy and arrogant and it makes me sick to even look at you right now. I hate you and everything you have made me. This isn't even a motivation thing. I genuinely hate you. You changed your name to sound like an asshole, you changed your style to try and fit in. You compromised everything that made me great. You have spat in my face and I don't want to look at you at all. You haven't told me anything about Bryan and what you're going to do, so do that old man.
PAJ turns away from Phillip A. Jackson. The smirk is wiped from Jacksons face.
Phillip A. Jackson: I am going to kick the crap out of Bryan Baxter. The big man is slow and has achieved nothing in this company. He is a loser in the purest sense of the word. Just like me. Bryan is probably licking his lips believing that I am done. That this is over and I have lost every last ounce of fire that I have in me but I am not dead yet. You are not dead yet and I have to be the one to prove it. Bryan is the man who will suffer the wrath of Phillip A. Jackson as I realign myself with PAJ. I am not interested in making friends, I am not interested in the cleanser. I am not going back home. Wrestling is simple, so let's keep it simple. I want to win. I will do EVERYTHING in my power to do that and I will run through Bryan Baxter quicker than the alcohol that destroyed him back in the day. You see Bryan you are the lucky one, I've done my research on you. You are weak, you are not shy in giving into temptation. Just look at you, just see what you used to be and just see how you operate. You will do anything that might give you another high. That might help you feel the rush of anything. You must be devoid of any feeling because you are lost and stuck in the shadows of a more successful best friend who you once betrayed. That must eat away at you and make you sick. Even trying to ride your way to success has failed because you are the loser of the duo. Jeremy has the right surname between the two of you. Jeremy is the best of you two. That's your failure. I would never leave the opportunity for anyone to come back from a betrayal. I saw off many men who tried. I destroyed men when they no longer held any value to me. They never came back. They never again stood at my side because I never forgive and I never forget. You just became the little brother of the man who you tried to leap frog. I might have not had the best time in FWA but at least I can admit that I never had a failure that bad.
PAJ starts to turn back around. Phillip A. Jackson starts to smirk again and can see his own confidence grow.
Phillip A. Jackson: How can you look at yourself in the mirror and have any pride about who you are?! I couldn't do it. Having to go crawling back and now even trying to help them? Do you have no pride in what you can accomplish? You are a loser. I've made that clear. Devoid of any hope of any real success in your career because you lack the mentality of a killer. The story of FWA cannot be told without me but you are just a bug on the wind-shield of FWA. You're along for the ride but you are just squashed and destroyed by the biggest and the fastest things in your way, just like all the other little bugs that got squashed along the way. I've already acknowledged my shortcomings and I have hit rock bottom in my career. This is the lowest I have ever been and Bryan, I will throw everything I have left in the tank at you. Size has never, ever mattered to me. I can chop down any man of any size. I don't need to be the most powerful, I don't need to be the quickest and I don't need to a high flyer. I need to use the weapon I have been forgetting to use. My brain. I have been in this industry for over a decade. I might have had a break but recently found an old friend that has helped me turn the lights back on. I don't care about all the noise. I was making most of the noise around me. I'm not trying to be the smartest man in the room. I'm not throwing about a bunch of obscure FWA knowledge. I am focusing on the most important thing. The man in front of me. Just like I should have done from the beginning. I can't turn FWA back into my image but what I can do is give them the image of what I used to be. One last glimpse at their hero and their legend. The man who carried the company on his back and it is time to stop speaking about what I used to be and showing the world that I am still that man. Bryan, you have drawn this short straw. I am enlightened and I know the steps I must take next. This climaxxx climax is all I have now and I will not go out on my back. I will see Bryan soon and FWA will finally see Phillip A. Jackson again.
PAJ fully turns back around and has a smile on his face. PAJ nods in approval at Phillip A. Jackson.
PAJ: My job here is done.
PAJ fades away and the normal reflection of Phillip A. Jackson returns. Jackson has a smile on his face and also nods. Jackson touches the mirror with his hand, hoping to re-connect with the man 10 years his junior as if there is some magic power in the mirror. Jackson lets out a deep, relieving breath and walks back down the hall. He stops halfway down the hall and looks back at the mirror before continuing on his way. |
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Post by supinesnake on May 28, 2024 18:46:28 GMT
Originally posted by CBK. Shawn Summers in
Chat! Chat! Chat!
A Standalone Episode The scene opens in an auditorium-style room that houses four chairs in the center, all facing one another in a circular motion. A hologram displaying the "Fantasy Wrestling Alliance" (FWA) logo appears on a column stretching from the ceiling to the center of the table. Surrounding the table and four chairs are multi-leveled bleachers with various spectators evenly spread out, waiting patiently for the event to begin.
A datastream materializes in one of the chairs before transforming into a young man who is probably in his late teens or early twenties dressed in a black shirt emblazoned with the FWA logo on it, a pair of blue jeans, and Chuck Taylor shoes (@wrestlefactz). Across from him, another datastream materializes and transforms into an older man with a thick, unkept beard, long greasy hair that is visibly receding, and large wire-framed glasses (@fwanumb1fan). Two more datastreams materialize in the empty chairs and transform into an adult male and a young woman. The male has short-cut blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and other facial features that many call handsome. As opposed to his counterparts, he looks to have an athletic build, but it's hard to verify due to his wearing a hooded shirt that is both slightly big and small (@thompsonjulez27). The young woman has a filter that blurs her face. She wears pink bunny ears and an oversized 'Shawn Summers' shirt that covers her knees (@summerbunny31)."Alright, we are LIVE," he shouts as lights dim and cast a blue overtone over the audience while putting a white spotlight on the four individuals at the table. "Thank you all for joining the stream tonight. As always, I'm WrestleFactz, and I've invited three guests to join me here tonight to discuss just what the hell has been going on with the FWA. We just finished Fallout 23, and there is a lot to talk about, but we're going to jump right into discussing Shawn Summers. Guys, what the hell is going on with Summers?"
"That guy makes no sense to me," says the older man. The young woman with the blurred face's body language reveals that she is none too pleased with what the older man is about to say. "He did all this protesting and hemming and hawing about how the officiating in his match with PAJ was biased and takes the issue all the way to the state athletic commission only to drop the idea once officials give him a match against the referee," he says with confusion."
"Shawny has a good reason for what he's doing," the young woman screams, drawing everyone's attention. "That official, and almost everyone in the FWA, have it out of him. They hate him simply because he has different beliefs than them and is confident in his abilities in the ring. He can't help it that he has the chivalry of a white knight and the athletic prowess of an Olympic God."
"Oh, cut it out. You sound just as ridiculous as you look," he says before smirking at the young woman. "You should unblur your face so everyone can see how ridiculous you look defending a misogynistic loser like Summers. He and you may think that he is a great wrestler but the stats are against him. Shawn has an absolute abysmal win-loss record and is a known choke artist as evidenced by the comments from the world champion himself."
"I think it's foolish to discredit Summers simply based on his win-loss record," says the athletically built man. "Shawn Summers has proven that he can hang with the big dogs of wrestling with some of the wins that he has under his belt. If Summers wasn't so cocky, he would be in the F1 Climaxxx right now, and he'd be doing better than PAJ, Bedlam, and Vampyra."
"Do you think so, Julez? I mean, we heard from Alyster Black how terrible of a year Summers has had. He lost in Canada, was the quickest elimination in history from the Carnal Contendership, lost at Back in Business, lost at the anniversary show, and then went on to lose the television championship. It could be argued that had Shawn Summers entered the F1 Climaxxx he would have been an easy layup against the more game upper mid and main event caliber wrestlers competing."
"You're looking at things as if Shawn Summers has not proven himself to be on their levels and then some in the past. We're looking at an unmotivated and quite honestly distracted Shawn Summers. Let us go back to the CWA Gold Rush tournament. Everyone had counted Shawn Summers out and then what happened? He ended up in the finals and overcame former world champions who were STILL at the top of their games." This response elicits numerous murmurs from the members of the audience and a squeal of excitement from the bunny-eared Summers fan on the panel. "There are levels to this thing and we have seen the FWA continuously disrespect Shawn Summers by putting him up against groups of individuals who are not on his level. As an athlete, I can tell you that I would be unmotivated too."
"But wouldn't it better if Shawn Summer actually went out and proved that these people he's been facing aren't on his level or worth being booked against him? In each of his matches, minus this match we just saw, Shawn has found himself in a bigger fight than he anticipated and has squeaked by with victories. Do you think that Alyster Black would have had to deal with that? Chris Peacock would have ripped off those opponents' heads. Shawn Summers barely managed to survive."
"Speaking of Summers opponents, can we talk about what he did to both PAJ and Vampyra to end the show?" he says while rubbing his hands together. "Let's relive that moment once more because man was Summers in full douchebag mode."The center hologram comes to life and we are shown a replay of the events that occurred at the end of Fallout 23. The young girl with bunny ears watches with wide eyes, visibly enjoying the assault from Der Basterd. The older man rolls his eyes and calls for the clip to stop before starting."This is just typical Shawn Summers. Attack your opponent when they're not expecting it and then stand tall as if you've done something. What happens when Shawn is standing across from an opponent who is ready to face him? Let's take Jason Randall - Shawn's opponent for next week's Fallout."
"They're not in the same league," Julez says as he pounds his fist on the table. "Shawn Summers shouldn't even be competing with these people. Jason Randall is a lower-card wrestler who is only popular because he's willing to sacrifice his body doing garbage wrestling for the enjoyment of the casual fans. Put Randall up against Reagan Cole and sure you'll have a competitive match because it's two losers facing one another. Putting Jason Randall up against Summers in a one-on-one wrestling contest is a no-brainer - Shawn Summers easily picks up the win."
"Are we really overlooking, Jason Randall? He's a former champion in his own regard and has faced some tough opponents."
"Tough opponents FOR HIM. If Shawn Summers faced some of the guys that Randall has faced they would be a walk in the park for him. Shawn Summers is a better wrestler than Jason Randall and if we're being honest with one another he could do the whole garbage style better than him too. There's a reason that Summers was in the main event of Back in Business and Jason Randall was doing something forgettable.""I tend to agree with this take. Shawn Summers is not someone to take lightly in the ring and will be a serious challenge for Randall to overcome. This is the biggest opponent that Randall has probably faced to date and much like SUmmers Randall has proven that he tends to choke during those big moments. If Randall were able to defeat Shawn he could be next in line for a shot at the television championship but losing would keep him in the exact spot that he's been in for much of his career - the bottom of the card fighting to remain relevant."There is a hush in the room for a moment as @wrestlefactz words linger in the air."This has been some stirring conversation, but we need to take a slight break to clear the cache, and we'll get into discussing the upcoming Mile High Massacre matchup!" |
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Post by supinesnake on May 28, 2024 18:47:34 GMT
Originally posted by Sully. |
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Post by supinesnake on May 28, 2024 18:48:06 GMT
Originally posted by rawr. The Grand Pugilist Hotel
Budapest, Hungary
The Grand Pugilist Hotel was a staple of Budapest. An institution dating back to the late 1800s that has seen its fair share of world travellers walk through its hallowed halls. Originally opened by Hungary’s self proclaimed “toughest man” using up the ample estate he had built on the back of a wildly successful career as a boxer. Hungary’s “toughest man”, named Albert Vadászrepülőgép, attracted guests with a spectacular challenge. He would stake ownership of the hotel in fights against any who considered themselves the strongest. Fighters travelled from every corner of the globe to partake in Albert’s challenge, all falling to his superior talents.
After an impressive streak of 143 victories and at the tender age of 54 Albert would suffer his first and only loss, as well as his death at the hands of the hotel’s second owner. For fifteen years Albert Vadászrepülőgép could comfortably call himself the world’s toughest man.
The second owner of the Grand Pugilist Hotel would quickly do away with Albert’s challenge, he was far too greedy and money obsessed to wager the hotel on a fight. Many considered his victory over Albert to be the result of mere luck rather than due to his own merits as many witnesses to the fight claimed that Albert had succumbed to a heart attack rather than to the coward’s fists.
The second owner of the hotel earned the title of world’s most cowardly man. Scores of challenges would appear at the hotel to try and claim ownership for themselves, they were all turned away. Until one day in the early 1900s, shortly before the war, did Albert’s son appear at the hotel his father had built.
Istvan Vadászrepülőgép has followed in his father’s footsteps. He had built a reputation as a pugilist, world renowned and on track to becoming a world champion like his father. But his boxing dreams were put on hold when he was informed of how the hotel’s reputation had been tarnished. Istvan returned home to Hungary to challenge the man who had defeated his father. Istvan was incensed when the hotel’s new owner refused his challenge. He gathered a lynch mob and was prepared to take the hotel by force if the owner refused to meet his demands.
The authorities ignored the hotel’s new owner’s pleas for aid. The entire city of Budapest was loyal to the Vadászrepülőgép family and were eager to see Istvan claim his birthright.
Istvan and the coward who had killed his father fought in the hotel lobby on January 4 1913. The coward was soundly defeated and his life spared. His name was expunged from all records as he was quickly exiled from Budapest. Istvan claimed ownership of the hotel and for a time neglected his pugilist goals in favour of honouring his father’s challenge.
Out of fear of time repeating itself, desperate to prevent another owner taking over the hotel like the second had, Istvan eventually did away with his father’s challenge. The fighting would still occur, the title of world’s toughest man was still up for grabs, but ownership of the hotel would be passed down from one generation of Vadászrepülőgép to the next. Additionally the hotel would host a yearly Kumite tournament, the participants of which would be personally selected and invited by the hotel’s owner.
The hotel still stands today, having survived two world wars and being passed down to two additional generations of Vadászrepülőgép before the family’s bloodline died out. Its current owner was once the concierge and protege of the last Vadászrepülőgép.
“As you know that man is I, Monsieur Allard.” M. Allard raised his glass of wine to his lips. He breathed in the aroma of the Earthy pinot noir before drinking and then savouring the taste.
M. Allard was a man in his late forties. Lightly tanned, suffering the early stages of male pattern baldness, with a well kept beard and sharp squared features. He was in tremendous shape as all owners of the Grand Pugilist Hotel are. A trained fighter in a variety of disciplines, of which his favourite is karate. Monsieur Allard was unlike the hotel’s previous owners who employed the best staff possible to take care of the day to day operations of the hotel so that they could focus on combat, he personally saw to the day to day operations of the hotel, combat was second to the institution of which he’d devoted his entire life.
“Isn’t the history of this hotel simply wonderful?” He smirked toward his dinner guest who was busy cutting into a medium rare ribeye.
“It’s enlightening to say the least. Who’d have thought a place like this actually existed? It’s some fight club-esq stuff.” An unmasked Alyster Black was enjoying his time at the hotel. Having been invited to stay personally by the man sitting across from him. Whilst the FWA was touring through Europe, it’s next stop being Budapest, it made sense to take up M. Allard on his offer.
“I’m not a fan of that one, it’s far too…cynical. Fighting should be about self expression and the beauty of competition. Not an excuse for mediocre worms to feel alive.”
Alyster picked up his wine glass. Swirling the contents as he mulled over Allard’s observation, “I believe that the beauty of fighting is that anyone can do it.”
“Sure, so long as the best are afforded the opportunity to rise to the top. Unfortunately so few are willing to embrace destiny. At the advent of this institution thousands of warriors sought us out themselves. Now? Our reputation is hushed, we attract the local colour, but as far as our international clientbase? Only the best of the best know what we truly offer.”
“Is that why you invited me to stay Monsieur? Am I the best of the best?”
“Perhaps. You’re the first of your kind to step foot in these hallowed halls since the sixties.”
“And by my kind you mean?”
“A professional wrestler of course.”
The unmasked man grumbled.
“Don’t be like that, if you weren’t impressive then I wouldn’t have sent you the invitation. And I must say, your first few nights here have not been disappointing.”
Alyster Black had been staying at the Grand Pugilist Hotel for the better part of five days now. His invitation promised excitement and did not disappoint. Alyster had gone incognito for his first few nights, not wearing his mask as he soaked in the hotel’s amenities. On his first night while drinking in the bar he was challenged to no less than three fights.
Three fights. Three knockouts. Three victories for the unmasked man.
By Alyster’s count there were ten fights in the bar that night. The hotel staff expertly attended to each combatant. Quickly offering medical assistance to both victor and loser. The first man Alyster fought was carried away by a team of four waiters while the bartender readied a rum and coke for the victor of the fight.
On the second night, whilst soaking in the bathhouse, Alyster met Monsieur Allard. At the time Alyster wasn’t aware of Allard’s identity, but Allard knew who Alyster was.
Sitting across from one another in the sauna Allard couldn’t help but to compliment Alyster’s fights from the previous evening.
“I watched you in the bar last night. That was a wonderful display. There’s a certain artistry to your fighting style. Like watching a great composer in action.”
“Thank you friend, you’re too kind.”
“I wondered if you may fight me tomorrow evening in the gymnasium? There’s a boxing ring just begging for someone of your calibre to fight in it.”
“I’ve never been much of a boxer.”
“Nor I. I’ve always favoured karate. But this is the Grand Pugilist Hotel, you can’t leave without at least putting on a pair of gloves and throwing hands.”
There was no arguing with that logic. The next night Alyster found himself sitting on a stool in his corner of the ring, boxing gloves on, headguard being affixed by one of the hotel staff whilst Monsieur Allard sat across from him being attended to similarly.
The bell rang and both men exited their corners and began pacing around. An official referee from the hotel officiated the match.
To say that Alyster Black wasn’t much of a boxer was an understatement. He found himself being overwhelmed from the get go. Eating punch after punch after punch. But no matter how hard and how often Monsieur Allard struck Alyster Black he could not put him down. In the third round Allard was exhausted whilst Alyster Black was still eager to fight. Alyster was relentless, unloading on Monsieur Allard like he was a walking-talking punching bag.
Allard had kept up the tradition of boxing from the Vadászrepülőgép family. In honour of his predecessors Allard had maintained an undefeated streak inside the boxing ring. Alyster Black was threatening to break that streak. Seeing white and without thinking, Allard threw a roundhouse kick that finally put Alyster Black down on the mat.
But not for long, as the referee was about to end the fight and disqualify the hotel’s current owner, Alyster Black sprung to his feet and threw a hook punch that put Allard down for the count.
Monsieur Allard reached up to his left eye, checking that his makeup was still concealing the massive shiner Alyster had given him. “No other man can claim to do what you’ve done in your short time here. Of course I’ve lost many fights since taking ownership of this hotel, but to honour the great family who had built this establishment I had never taken a loss inside that boxing ring.”
“If I had known I was allowed to kick then I’d have knocked you out sooner and spared you the shiner there.” Alyster flashed a toothy grin at his dinner companion.
“I honestly cannot express enough how embarrassed I am by my actions.”
The unmasked man waved Allard’s comment off, “Happens to the best of us. I just appreciate a good scrap.”
“Regardless, thank you for indulging me. We will have to have a rematch following your wrestling commitments.”
“Oh totally, can we drop the boxing thing and just go at it though? I’m a shite boxer.”
“I was always partial to karate.”
The FWA World Champion perked up, spitting out bits of steak as he spoke. “Speaking of which! You’ve got to tell me more about the Kumite!”
A wide grin formed over Monsieur Allard’s face. “And pray tell, why do you want to hear about our boring Kumite?”
“Let’s not beat around the bush here. You invited me to stay here to see if a lowly wrestler had the chops to participate, and regardless of whether you think I do or not, I want in.”
“Two men enter the arena, one walks out. There are no weapons allowed, and fights end when one fighter can no longer move. Our staff officiates and takes care of the medical side of things, intentional killing is not allowed. This is a recurring tournament, not a deathmatch.”
“This year’s tournament has already occurred. You’ve missed it by a month. And you’re right, part of why I invited you here was to see if a wrestler was worthy of participating. The last time we opened our hotel to one of your kind they were soundly defeated in the first round by a martial artist. The story is that the wrestler attempted to take his opponent down to the ground and was kneed in the face so hard that his nose was destroyed beyond repair. This occurred two seconds after the commencement of the match.”
“I can only imagine how disappointing that was to the previous owner.”
“Tremendously so, a professional wrestler hasn’t been allowed to fight in this hotel since.”
“So I’m the first?”
“At the risk of inflating your ego, yes, you’re the first professional wrestler to fight here since the sixties. However, you’re not the first to have been invited here. I sent invitations to two of your compatriots before I sent one to you.”
“No shit? Who’d you invite? Not Danny, please don’t say Danny Toner. It had to have been Michelle though. Come on Allard, who was it?”
“I cannot reveal that information. Just know that while you weren’t my first choice you’ve still exceeded expectations.”
“Enough to earn an invite to next year’s tournament?”
“Are you aware of the identity of this year’s winner?”
“Can’t say I am.”
“He was a complete unknown, a local boy who forced his way into the tournament. A simple Hungarian farmer who absolutely destroyed his competition. He introduced himself simply as Andre. He was a regular in the bar. Having been visiting the hotel for years. I’d never paid much attention to the local talent in Budapest.”
Allard’s voice trailed off. His attention turned to his wine glass as he swirled the wine inside.
“Andre had escaped my attention. I would not have been able to identify his talent even if I had witnessed it beforehand. He’d never fought anyone of consequence, to the average observer he was a simple farm boy, tough as nails, who was good in a bar fight.”
Alyster perked up, something had just clicked for him. “Sorry, did you say that he was a local boy?”
“Good in a bar fight was an understatement. If his talents were refined and directed toward competition, well, he’d be the second coming of Albert Vadászrepülőgép himself. Ferocious, barbaric, unstoppable. A juggernaut who is now able to call himself the undisputed toughest man in the world.”
“Listen Allard, that’s cool and all. But if the winner of this year’s Kumite is a local boy then I need to know where the hell he is and I need to know right now.”
Allard’s attention was snapped from his wine to Alyster Black, it was as if he was just woken from a trance. “I doubt you’d survive the confrontation, but… Andre will be here tomorrow evening, enjoying a few beers in the bar.” His voice trailed off once again, “I’m serious Mr. Black, do not try to confront Andre, he will tear you in half.”
Alyster was content, he thanked Allard for the information and the warning before the pair continued their meal. Trading stories, tales about travelling, and of fighting.
In the late night Alyster explored the hotel. The commotion had died down, the bar was empty, almost every guest had retired to their room. It was hauntingly beautiful. Alyster was immersed in the rich history of the Grand Pugilist. Everywhere he turned was a memorial to a great fight that had occurred. In the lobby he happened upon a bust of Albert Vadászrepülőgép and his descendents who’d owned the hotel. He noticed the similarities in their facial features, particularly one distinguishing feature they all shared which was a slight bump on the left side of their forehead just under their hairline. Every Vadászrepülőgép shared this feature.
Beyond the lobby Alyster found a memorial to the Kumite. Scrolls hanging off the walls detailing the history of the tournament which had a near 100 year history. In the centre of the room was a large book detailing the past winners.
Alyster skimmed through the book. The first winner bore that familiar forehead bump, no doubt it was the Vadászrepülőgép that had started the yearly tradition. Toward the end, after the beginning of the new millennium was a younger and less follically challenged Monsieur Allard, who had won the tournament three years in a row.
Andre’s page was the freshest, having been recently immortalised in the book. His picture was taken on his farm. Standing on the edge of a lush green field, barn in the background, leaning against a picket fence and shaking hands with Monsieur Allard.
“Big fucker…” Alyster grumbled. Andre was almost a foot taller than Monsieur Allard who was only a few inches shorter than Alyster was. Andre was built, he looked like he’d toiled on the farm every day for the last thirty years. The hand he used to shake Monsieur Allard’s was as big as a frying pan, Alyster was sure that if he wanted to he could crush the hotel owner’s head in the palm of his hand.
The FWA World Champion had found exactly what he was looking for. He took a picture of the book with his phone and some reverse image searches had given him Andre’s address. He would be visiting the world’s toughest man in the morning, then we’d see who really was tougher.
A farm boy was sure to be up at the crack of dawn, at least Alyster was betting. He slept in his rental car on the edge of Andre’s property. He was woken by the sound of a rooster crowing and exited the car. He put on his signature mask as he walked down the gravel laneway toward the house. He slammed his fist on the door rapidly, eager to meet and to beat the fuck out of Andre as soon as possible.
There was no answer.
Alyster sighed and began to wander around the property toward the barn. Andre was out in the pasture, holding a cow in a headlock and wrestling it down to the ground. Wearing a cowboy hat, plaid shirt and jeans. He looked like a good ol’ boy. A real cowboy.
“Come on Bessie.” His voice was deep and gravelly, “Do we have to do this every day?”
He let the cow up and escorted it inside the barn. When he came out he noticed Alyster Black up on the pasture fence watching him.
“Howdy cowboy.” Alyster greeted him with a salute.
“What the hell do you want, stranger?” Andre took an aggressive stance, puffing his chest out and closing his fists by his sides.
“Woah there, I just heard that you’re supposed to be the toughest man in the world. Well, that’s simply not true because I’m the toughest man in the FWA, and thus the toughest man in the world.”
The big man scoffed, “Wrestling?” He laughed heartily before spitting on the ground. “You seem to know who I am. I’m a fair man, I’m going to give you a chance to turn around and walk away before you get hurt.”
Alyster hopped over the fence and began marching toward Andre. Andre in turn marched toward Alyster, when they were within three paces of one another they began to circle.
“I told ya mate, I’m the toughest man in the world. I can’t sit around letting you call yourself that. Not without going through me first.”
“You’ve got a deathwish.”
“Nah fuckface, you got one the moment you tried to claim my title for yourself.”
“Whatever. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Andre lunged for Alyster. For a man of his tremendous size he was quick. Alyster stepped back and caught Andre with a knee right to the nose. A normal man would have had his nose shattered beyond repair, but Andre was the toughest man in the world and shrugged off the knee strike without so much as a grunt.
Alyster pounced on Andre, holding him down in a front facelock and laying into him with wild haymakers.
Andre simply stood upright, lifting Alyster high into the air with only his neck strength. Alyster kicked his legs rapidly, trying to take Andre down with a DDT but Andre wouldn’t budge.
The kumite winner charged toward the pasture fence and lept, tackling Alyster Black clean through the wooden frame without effort. Andre mounted Alyster and began raining down punches to the head. The masked man covered up as best as he could but the big man was doing damage regardless.
Alyster reached up, clawing at Andre’s face. He reached under the hairline on the left side of Andre’s forehead and felt a bump. Hesitating for just a moment the big man took advantage, grabbing Alyster’s hand and biting into the side of his palm.
Alyster howled in pain but finally managed to push Andre off of him. He batted at Andre, kicking him in the neck and face before he finally released Alyster’s hand from his clenched jaw. Alyster got up to his feet, checking on his hand. Thankfully there was no blood, but the bite marks were deep.
Andre chuckled as he stepped to Alyster and kicked him right in the face, booting him with ease. Alyster stumbled back then ducked a follow up left hook. He elbowed Andre in the face then again in the ribs. Andre grunted from pain. Alyster immediately grabbed him around the waist and threw him over head, tossing him onto the gravel path with a German suplex. Andre landed on the back of his head, his huge frame folding in half. Alyster was sure he’d broken the man’s neck.
Nope. Andre stood back up, gritting his teeth and growling while brushing pieces of gravel off his clothes. Alyster swore under his breath as Andre charged him again. Alyster absorbed the impact, wrapped his arms around Andre’s neck as he was taken back down to the ground, and squeezed for dear life. Andre struggled.
“Come on cowboy, show me how tough you are? That’s all you’ve got? Huh? Huh?!”
Alyster squeezed tighter, arching his back and hyperextending Andre’s neck. The giant began to go limp.
“Yeah that’s what I thought fuckhead.”
When Andre finally stopped moving Alyster released him from the chokehold. He pushed the big man off of him and slowly rose to his feet.
Shaking his hand and hissing in pain, he turned around and lifted his mask slightly, enough so that he could spit on the ground beside Andre. “Who the fuck bites in a fight? God damn dude.”
Alyster kicked some gravel at Andre before limping up the gravel laneway to his car.
He slept off the fight in his hotel room and was back up for an evening drink in the bar. Tonight Alyster Black wore his mask outside his room. Inviting more than just a few looks. He found Monsieur Allard sitting in the back of the bar and enjoying a nice pinot noir.
“Who’s the toughest man in the world?” Alyster bellowed with outstretched arms as he approached Allard’s table.
“Andre, the last victor of the Grand Pugilist Hotel’s kumite tournament.” Allard responded without even a moment’s hesitation.
“Let’s say hypothetically a certain professional wrestler happened upon a certain cowboy this morning and beat him half to death?”
“Speaking hypothetically?”
“Well, let’s say it wasn’t a hypothetical.”
“I’d ask if he was sure about that.”
“What do you mean?”
Allard pointed behind Alyster. The FWA World Champion turned just in time to see the beer bottle smash over the side of his head, being swung by Andre himself.
The giant was pissed.
Alyster went down in a heap but Andre wasn’t finished, he picked Alyster up by the neck and arm and tossed him overhead, throwing him through one of the bar tables.
The masked man gasped for air as he stared up at the ceiling. Andre stepped on his chest, crushing him, preventing him from breathing.
“Okay Andre, that’s more than enough now. You can stop, you’ve won.”
“It ain’t over.” Andre growled. He and Alyster locked eyes, they understood each other as only gladiators of their calibre could. This fight was far from over.
Alyster picked Andre’s ankle and tripped him up, that wrestling training came in useful at times.
The FWA World Champion scrambled to his feet, sucking in air desperately as Andre also rose to his feet.
“You suckered me you bastard, you broke a goddamn bottle over my head.”
“So what, it’s a bar fight! Now right me you bitch!”
“Yeah yeah, I’ve just got a question first. Do you have to wrestle those cows down because they’re just not into being fucked by an overgrown redneck cunt like you or what?”
Andre screamed in frustration and charged Alyster. The masked man side stepped Andre and gave him an extra push, sending the giant stumbling head first into the bar wall, putting his head clean through the drywall. Alyster grabbed Andre and threw him back, headfirst into a metal column decorating the bar. Andre’s head bounced off the metal with a sickening thud. Alyster dropped down on Andre, putting a neck to his neck as he rained down with punches that were unprotested.
Alyster continued the barrage until he knew for sure that Andre would not be able to get up again. Until he knew for sure that he was victorious. Until this entire fucking hotel was forced to acknowledge him as the toughest man in the world.
It was his title for fuck’s sake. He’d won it when he became the FWA World Champion. He wasn’t about to let some chump in Budapest claim it for himself, let alone some asshole cowboy.
“Alright fuckheads, who’s the toughest man here?”
The bar had grown silent as Alyster stood victorious over Andre.
“Monsieur Allard!” Alyster screamed.
“You are the toughest man here Mr. Black.”
“Who’s the toughest man in the world?”
“You are.”
“And most importantly…who’s the toughest man in the FWA?”
“You.”
“Ain’t no multi-generational cowboy gonna take that away from me. You all hear me? This fuckhead,” Alyster bent over, brushing Andre’s hair out of his face. The distinct Vadászrepülőgép head bump was visible, clear as day. The crowd inside the bar gasped at the revelation. “I don’t give a fuck who this man’s family is, I don’t give a fuck where he came from. I don’t give a fuck what he’s won. I don’t give a fuck about who he hangs out with. He isn’t Alyster Black. None of you are!”
Alyster stepped off of Andre and limped over to the bar where a rum and coke was waiting for him. He rolled his mask up over his mouth and took a long drink.
“I’ll be back next year Monsieur Allard. You’d better find better competition than that piece of trash for me. But til then, I’ve got a way more important tournament to win first. The F1 goddamn Climaxxx.”
- Fin |
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Post by supinesnake on May 28, 2024 18:48:24 GMT
Originally posted by Death Walker. Broken (Part 1)
The scene fades in 20 feet away with Darius standing with his back turned and a running taxi right behind him. The taxi pulls off, leaving Darius right in front of the dungeon doors in Nuremberg, Germany. He takes a few seconds and then reaches out to grab one of the door handles. But before he can open a door, it's pulled open by none other than The Dark Guardian.
The Dark Guardian: “So I saw your match… and honestly-”
Darius walks past his advisor with a smug expression on his face. There's that demonic smirk once again as he doesn't look to be bothered by hardly anything. Darius continues his walk to his favorite cell that he's made his sleeping quarters. The Dark Guardian approaches the cell that Darius is sitting in. He tries to establish some fresh conversation once again as he sees Darius hang his head down.
TDG: “Hey man, you went to that ring and gave that match everything you had. You should be proud of that alone… Darius? Darius?!”
Just then, Darius raises his head up and still has his smirk on that face. The Dark Guardian recognizes the expression and tries to make sense of it. It takes a few seconds but then The Dark Guardian speaks again.
TDG: “Oh I see… you're in another mind state, a whole other time huh? Yeah, you're thinking back in the days… when The Dark Traveler was inflicting pain and leaving broken souls at his feet. Yes, I can see it all now… just like it's yesterday!”
The camera shot goes for a profile close-up of our dark warrior as he still doesn't say a word. Then it switches to the hooded character that only provides from his mustache down to his clavicle, to be seen. Then the shot quickly switches back to Darius but a closer one than the previous. Then back to The Dark Guardian's black gap where his eyes would possibly be. And then the same for when the shot switches back over to Darius’ eyes… finally fading out this scene.
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In a hazy fade in, the scene brings us to a 4 years old Darius Wright playing with his action figure. The child is knelt in a room which appears to be his bedroom. The boy takes one of his hands and caresses the nearby electrical outlet while never taking his eyes off his toy in his other hand. Instantly in an electrical zap effect and blinding white screen, the scene changes to one with a teenage Darius playing with more action figures… but this time he also has a backpack filled with some things. The young man takes the several action figures and spreads them out across the hardwood floor. Then he unzips the backpack and pulls out a spray can of black paint, a serrated edge pocket knife, a Bic lighter, a cordless drill, a claw hammer and a handful of finishing nails. He picks up the hammer, gripping it with both hands and striking the toys over and over as he attempts to smash each into pieces.
After some of the toys shatter into smaller pieces, he sets the hammer down and picks up the pocket knife and then whips out the blade from within its handle. Taking the knife, Darius begins to saw into the wrists and ankles on a few of these action figures and removes the hands as well as feet from the limbs. Then he grabs a finishing nail and hammers one after another into the plastic torsos, arms and legs. While working on his own destructive artwork, a foster teen creeps up behind young Darius and gives some disparaging remarks.
Foster Teen 1: “Well look at this shit here… little dumbass still playing with his dolls. What's the matter? The Barbies weren't attractive enough?”
The bigger and older young man chuckles, drops to a knee and pushes Darius aside.
FT1: “Ayyy Anthony, check it out… this little freak is into some death and mutilation fetish. Come look!”
Anthony: “Yo Paul, what are you hollering about? Oh… what the hell is this?”
Anthony, one of Darius' other tormentors, approaches the broken pieces amongst Paul and Darius. He squats down and picks up a detached muscular arm.
A: “Hmmm… well, well. Looks like we've got us a future psychotic killer in the making. Ha! Darius The Deranged!"
He laughs for a second as he shakes his head in disbelief that someone so weak and small could ever be something dangerous and feared.
A: “Yeah not today, you little shrimp.”
Anthony immediately delivers a strong slap to the side of his daily punching bag named Darius. He pins down the young Darius and now throws punches to the ribs and face. Meanwhile, Paul laughs hysterically as he enjoys the sight of the bullying. He taints and cheers his friend on as Anthony puts a beating on Darius.
P: “That's right! Get that little weird fuck!”
But soon, Anthony screams out in agony as he holds his lower back. Apparently Darius was able to reach for the claw hammer and drive the claw end a half of an inch into his lower back. Anthony hops off of his pinned victim and yanks the hammer from his back as he crawls to the nearest wall away from Darius.
A: “AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! HE STABBED ME WITH THE HAMMER! THE LITTLE MANIAC STABBED ME WITH A HAMMER!!!”
Darius wears a devilish grin as he sits up and both Anthony and Paul look at him with horror. Paul carefully but quickly gets over to Anthony, keeping his eyes on the twisted little guy. Darius turns away from them and goes back to working on his project. And he speaks…
Darius Wright: “Oh don't run off just yet… I want you to see what I can do.”
He proceeds by picking up the pieces with nails, holding them up to the sunlight coming from the dirty bedroom window. Wright gives the piece a good once-over before nailing it to the footboard of his twin bed. One by one, Darius nails the plastic body parts all over the footboard. With the remaining action figures, he beheads them using the serrated blade of his pocket knife. The bullies get up to go tattletale but again Darius makes it clear that he would rather have them stay.
DW: “Ay come on fellas, there’s no need to rush off and go tell… I’m almost done anyways.”
A: “Look Darius, you win! So you can knock off the whole crazy act!”
P: “Yeah you damn freak! Just stay away from us!”
Darius goes silent again as he flickers the Bic lighter and melts the faces of the decapitated plastic heads. And then he drills one deep hole from ear to ear of each plastic head. Then he picks up the can of black spray paint and shakes it up. Spraying the nailed pieces as well as the heads, he turns his head to his bullies. They appear to be a little shaken but more so on the edge about what he might do next. Darius gets up from the floor with blackened hands, cut up and bloodied as he was somewhat careless in creating his project. He smirks directly at them and then he changes his expression to one of surprise as he shouts out…
DW: “Oh how could I possibly forget about that?”
He rushes over to his nightstand, snatches the top drawer open and digs around for something. Both bullies divert their eyes on any of the available weapons that Darius had been using to create artwork. Darius smiles as he finds the last essential material to what he was making. He goes back to the tools and remaining toy parts, threading a ball beaded chain through the recent hole in each of the figures’ heads. And closing the chain’s ends with a connector clasp, he has made his own personal necklace. He slides it over his head and around his neck then goes back to talking to Paul and Anthony.
DW: “Ahhh… ok so Paul, Anthony, have you learned anything today?”
Taking a squat, Darius grabs his claw hammer and tests the weight of it as he lightly swipes the air with it. There's a moment of complete silence before Darius demands a response.
DW: “Yes? No? What will your answer be? Have you learned anything?”
Paul tries to dash out of the room as his wounded buddy is still on the floor in some pain. However, Darius is too quick and he throws the claw hammer at the back of one of Paul’s legs. This causes the young man to lose control of that leg and sends him soaring face first into the wall next to the staircase. Paul has knocked himself out unconsciously as body slides down to the floor.
DW: “I’m sorry… I'm gonna have to take that as a no.”
Darius takes his time walking over both guys and a frightened Anthony tries to crawl down the stairs as he hollers for their foster mom who they already know isn't home at this minute.
A: “MISS TONYA?! MISS TONYA!!!! HEEEEEEELLLLLPPPP!!!”
DW: "Hey, relax, Tony. You'll have plenty of time to whine and cry for weeks… while you're recovering."
A: “WAIT! PAUL, WAKE UP!!! WAKE UP BRO!!! WAAAAAKEEEEE UUUUPPPPP!!!”
An angry Darius with rage in his eyes, grabs Anthony by the collar of his polo shirt. As a fighting Anthony, swings viciously with hard punches that Darius blocks and retaliates with his own to the panicking bully. A lot of smacks, thuds and even cracks can be heard while the view zooms in on Anthony trying to plead with his new threat around their foster home. Darius busts up Anthony's face with cuts and bruises from his strikes. Unconscious like his partner in crime, Anthony gurgles on the blood coming from his undoubtedly broken nose and busted mouth. And just when you think Darius got enough retribution from a few of his tormentors, he isn't…
DW: “I will break you… you hear me? I WILL FUCKING BREAK YOU!!!! PHYSICALLY!!! SPIRITUALLY!!! MENTALLY!!!”
The attack dog within our young dark child won't let up, he can't. Not because he wants to kill these boys but just to give them about 8 years worth of the pain they had graciously given him. Darius continues to throw rights and lefts to the jaw and head while Anthony can't even try to fight back any more. After a few minutes, the camera backs up to give a shot of the laid out bodies and The Dark Traveler catching his breath. Deep inhales and exhales, and then he latches a headlock around Paul's neck. Darius locks it in firmly as he takes his time to smash Paul's face with snappy right uppercuts. This of course awakens Paul as the pain is certainly shooting over his face. As pissed off yet focused as Darius is right now, he just mutters under his breaths the same sentiment as before about breaking this individual. And the camera pans backwards very gently and slowly then it fades out.
Fading back in, we see a much older Darius with his coach ringside to one of his many fights.
Coach: “Alright, kid. Just keep your guard up and take your time. We already know you’ve got this fight won. Just take your time!”
Darius (in a pair of black silk shorts, oiled up, taped up hands and feet) bounces from side to side as the referee rings the bell to this underground fight. The crowd of about 50 criminals and businessmen take up the background of the darkened room with one light swaying over this large ropeless, circular ring. Darius steps forward hastily with his hands up to each side of his face. Then the other fighter meets him in the center of the circle and they trade blows. Body shots, headshots, uppercuts, kicks, knee strikes… all rain out as the two fighters go round after round. After about an hour and finishing 4 rounds, Darius gets more advice from his coach as he takes a brief resting period until the 5th and final round.
C: “Ay ay ay ay, where's my fighter at, huh? Where's Darius Wright at? Are you paying attention to your opponent? Are you finding weak points and openings?”
DW: “Man, fuck all that! I wanna bury this fool for good.”
C: “Darius! We’ve been over this before… you can't just make your own rules.”
DW: “Why the fuc-”
His coach gives him an upset look for doing all this swearing and Darius chooses his words more cautiously.
DW: “I mean why the hell I can’t? This is my world, coach. MINE! And I ain't about to just be a pu-... a wimp to no ugly ass, oversized baboon. You know what! I GOT THIS!”
C: “Darius, we have been over this! You are not to-”
And just then as the coach was going to complete his remark, the bell rings to start off the final round. Darius scurries off to the center of the ring along with the other fighter. They trade off kicks and punches just like the other rounds but this time when Darius gets him to the mat, he keeps a strong hold on him. Maneuvering from one hold to the next, the fighters get into each other's minds. Then as the other fighter rolls out of a hold, Darius pins him face down to the mat and drives a heavy knee onto the guy's left arm. The arm breaks, the guy cries out in agony as a determined Darius raises to his feet with a smirk.
C: “WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE?!? THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR!”
DW: “I was just… finishing what I started.”
C: “... you make me sick right now, I swear.”
The coach stares at his fighter angrily as there's a medical team in the ring with the other fighter as well as the promoter. Darius stands tall with confidence that he still won the way he wanted to.
DW: “Watch… we still won. It doesn't even matter what I did to homie.”
C: “That is not the point, the point is… every fight can't be won by breaking your opponent's limbs or other body parts. These are fights that still deserve some honor and decency even amongst thieves.”
DW: “Spare me the good samaritan crap, will ya? I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to make money and nightmares. That's my goal!”
Abruptly the scene gets hazier and hazier as the voices from the crowd and the ring announcer become drowned out by shouting in Darius’ ear.
TDG: “Darius? Darius? HELLLOOOOO?!? Earth to Darius?!”
The current version of Darius Wright sits up as he finds himself and The Dark Guardian riding on a charter bus. Traveling amongst the people as they head for Belgrade, Serbia. Darius realizes where he is now and that he had multiple flashbacks as they got ready to leave for his next upcoming match at FWA Fallout. He shakes off the odd feeling that he just had reflecting on his past and gives his guardian a confused look… I mean since he's still not talking. The Dark Guardian notices without even turning his head to look and speaks again…
TDG: “There you are, I think you're ready to make more of a big impact in your next match. Wouldn't you say?”
Darius looks ahead of them as the charter bus keeps rolling on. He thinks before he can show any sign that he's on the same page.
TDG: “I saw the look in your eyes when you returned… you're holding back those evil thoughts. I say… don't. Don't hold back any of them, well at least not the non homicidal ones. We wanna harm, not necessarily kill, right? Right?”
Darius shows a smirk again as The Dark Guardian goes on talking.
TDG: “Now I didn't get much information about your next opponent. Only that he's quite large and I'm sure you can handle dealing with BIG opponents without going too far… Right? Right? Right?!”
The scene fades out with a smirking Darius never giving any sign of a response, just a straight face stare to the front of the bus. And we can hear echoed sounds of The Dark Guardian still asking if Darius understands him. |
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Post by supinesnake on May 28, 2024 18:48:46 GMT
Originally posted by Gip. Christmas
Reagan has a complicated history with Christmas. Money was tight the first couple of years of his life plus it’s not like the presents are really that important when you’re like one year old, you really gonna remember anything from “your first Christmas”? No. So Reagan simply got the basics in toys and you know what? He was happy with all that, toddlers really do have the amazing ability to make anything they get their hands on immediately entertaining. Even if it’s just entertaining to them. But then the years go by and that ability grows so he has to find new things to do and the wonder grows and grows. Before it finally shuts itself down all suddenly.
After the accident with Reagan’s uncle, Christmas started to become less about kindness and togetherness and more about how it was a capitalist holiday, how it was just a day designed to get more money into the government’s greedy hands like every other “stinking” holiday and that Santa was just a made up fairytale into guilting parents and that his kid wasn’t gonna be trick. Rough stuff to tell a 8 year old but there ya go. But Reagan always held out hope. So on Christmas Day, Reagan always tried his hardest to stay in line but no matter what his father would find a way to start an argument. Christmas at the Cole’s was always ruined, or really close to ruined and then his mom would stay up with him and make cookies or let him open one secret gift she hid from her husband. She usually kept the peace, did what she could not allowing anyone to go too far (whatever too far was, they were well past that, but that’s besides the point) but it was never the same.
And then he got out. He ran. Out in the wilderness. There his hope of Christmas died a bit more because how do you celebrate Christmas when most days you don’t even know how many days there are until the big day. The only real indication you get (other than the town clock which commonly freezes over around this time of year anyway) is when Reagan sees the advent calendars in the shop windows slowly get cheaper and cheaper as they become more irrelevant. The first winter was always gonna be the most difficult and it was. Holy fuck it was. Reagan still remembers, sitting huddled on the side of the pavement, his knees drawn up into his chest, his frame only visible from the light of a street lamp. The boy wore several layers of clothing, dirty and torn from months of tear at this point. His hair was long, greasy and unwashed, hanging in his face as he curled into himself for warmth. An old baseball cap sat out in front of him. He had been sitting there for hours at this point, his eyes slowly falling upon the gathering crowd across the street, scanning the hardened, weary faces that converged at a singular toy shop, the promise of the new famous shiny toy that is being desired. It’s definitely a sight to see. He sees a few people look around in the chaos maybe catch the eye of the freezing child before turning around like they saw nothing. A small smirk appeared on his face. Yeah that makes sense. At this point he was used to being unseen, blending into his surroundings. It sometimes helped when his nerves got the better of him, when he needed to move through the city unseen, waiting for the cover of darkness of if he just didn’t want to have a conversation with people. It’s funny, actually in hindsight. All this watching and maybe getting some type of entertainment and he didn’t even realize the person prodding the boy with the tip of his glove.
???: “Hey, kid, you shouldn't be resting here,"
Reagan immediately reacts to the random stranger, jumping up, feeling the cold air slipping through the holes in the fabric of his tattered sneakers as he does so. Reagan then gets into a certain fighting stance that modern day Reagan would openly mock followed by teaching the person how to do a actual fighting stance because Reagan back then….Chin up, legs together, fists way too close to the face, Reagan looked more like a human pencil than a person who actually knew how to fight anything. Even a fly.
The man stares almost a bit confused at the boy infront of him before rolling his eyes.
???: "What are you trying to do?”
Reagan stands his ground, fists remaining where they are, still in a terrible position.
Reagan: “What are you trying to do?”
Reagan at this point has only dealt with hate for the most part so this isn’t really surprising, hell you can still see the slowly healing black eye on his left presumably from one of the attacks from random teenagers. The mystery man really doesn’t do anything other than rubbing his forehead a bit trying to figure this out.
???: “Jesus Christ alright, listen, this, over here. Is a dangerous place to be camping out or whatever you’re doing, trust me when I say you'll probably be killed if you stay the night, it's way too fucking cold for street kids especially tonight. Why aren't you in a shelter anyway?”
Reagan: "I don't really trust them to be honest.”
Reagan responds honestly, his voice is very deep, a little raspy as he is quite thirsty but he speaks the truth. Reagan at this point in time that if he goes even close to a shelter and they find out that Reagan is just a freaking runaway, they’ll send him back. Send him back to his “home” and he obviously can’t risk that. Under any circumstances.
???: "Well they're probably all filled up anyway for the night now….shit, you know what? Follow me, I'll help you out."
Reagan squints at him.
Reagan: "and why should i trust you?"
???: "listen, I'm glad you're at least trying to watch out for yourself, I respect that but I'm offering you a semi-warm place to bunk so I don’t show back up here tomorrow and see a dead body in front of me. So take the offer, kid."
The man turns to start walking away, when the future British Apprentice speaks up.
Reagan: "Reagan."
The guy turns around and quirks a brow.
???: "what?"
Reagan: "My name. it's Reagan. Just thought you might wanna know."
Reagan moves slowly, hand pocketed and a slope in his shoulder to protect himself from the cold as he slowly walks up to his new found friend it seems as Reagan offers the small man a small smile.
Reagan: "So what's yours?"
???: “Rockwell. now c'mon, we ain’t got all day, let's get out of the cold."
It takes them like half an hour to get to the hut. Well it's not actually a hut, I guess. Small house situation but that name is what is spray painted on the side as they walk up so I guess it’s a hut.
The man we now know as Coy Rockwell knocks on the door repeatedly until he hears footsteps approaching, then steps back and simply nods at Cole. the massive grey door opens and a man stands there, dark hair tucked under a beanie and brown eyes rimmed red.
???: "Rockwell? And who the fucks this?”
This random guy asks, cocking his head. his eyes flit to the boy next to him and narrow.
Rockwell: "Just some fucking runaway i found in an alley, his name is Reagan. you gonna let us in, Dalton, or are we supposed to freeze out here?"
Dalton: "Alright, hurry up, then. you're gonna let all the warm air out."
Coy leads Reagan in by a hand on his elbow.
Reagan: “Where are we, exactly?”
Coy; “This, my boy, is the perfect place for people like us. Old home office of some photography business that was merged with a bigger photography place which left this place in a kind of limbo situation since the big boys do own it but they don't care about it otherwise they would have showed up at some point over the last like 3 fucking years.”
Reagan looks around and erm…Yeah it's definitely not in great shape. But what Reagan wouldn't know is that this would eventually become his home for a lot of time. Of course he always had to share it with multiple “regulars” that turned up every now and then, most of who just loved a chat and a poorly made coffee with someone willing to listen so they didn’t have to be lonely. Dalton unfortunately lasted a couple of months before he left, we never really saw him again. The conversations he had with the reps at this shelter flowed as sound as water. He even filmed some promos here back in the day. But Reagan always remembers this Christmas, despite it not actually being Christmas. As the day he finally found his first actual home and his longest friend to date, the ever grouchy Coy Rockwell.
And then years later, Reagan finally graduated from the strange warehouse straight into The Gibson Gym, his second actual home and his first actual wife as we see Jason dashing down the stairs followed by Reagan and Sarah both very obviously still waking up, timeline wise we are looking at Reagan around 3 years before FWA? Sarah, you can’t even tell, she might be a time traveler from now because there is like no difference in the aging department and I say bravo. Reagan on the other hand, you can definitely see it. This was also during the time when he was like semi retired so that’s also fun, doesn’t mean he’s retired from his normal duties though.
Jason: “Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Can I open them now? Can I open now?”
Reagan: “Sure, bud.”
Jason runs through all the presents, scratching through them all like he’s Taz from the Looney Tunes. All of the presents he finds that are from either one of his parents, gets each of them a thank you and a hug because manners and shit. But before Jason can actually open up one of his presents, there is suddenly a knock at the door.
Reagan: “Oh come on, already? Really?”
Reagan slowly and still slightly sleepily walks over to the staff entrance and opens it.
Reagan: “It’s too early, bud and it’s also the wron-“
Harrows: “ITS CHRISTMASSSSSSSS!”
“The Top Star” Aaron Harrows rushes in, pausing for what I’m assuming is him imagining a sit-com audience cheering him on for showing up as guest star? Some people may recognise him from the short time that the 24/7 Championship was a thing but that’s about it. Meanwhile Sarah groans.
Sarah: “Do you have to be so loud? Like seriously?”
Harrows: “Sorry. but I do bring gifts!”
Harrows whistles back outside as suddenly a guy rolls in a massive box on a two wheeler before carefully placing it on the ground in front of Jason’s shocked and amazed face as Reagan and Sarah look more confused than anything.
Reagan: “…Aaron what did you get Jason?”
Harrows: “Nothing much, you told me to keep it cheap!”
Reagan: “That doesn’t look cheap…Don’t tell me you got anot-“
Harrows: “I didn’t! God, you mispredict the age range of puberty one time!”
Reagan: “You got a five-year-old, a stripper for his birthday.”
Harrows: “And in my defence, the stripper, who’s called Ashley by the way, loved playing connect 4 with the kid.”
Jason: “Dad!”
Reagan and Harrows turn to see the massive black and grey life-size Iron Man suit replica.
Jason: “It’s War Machine!”
Reagan stares back at Aaron, not knowing the character but obviously alarmed at the fact that the word “war” is in the title. See, the thing about Aaron Harrows and people like Xyz is that when you’re so….over the top, you kinda fail to see the evil that lurks below.
Harrows: “What? You said go cheap so I went for the sidekick. Plus he’s patriotic! Full U-S-A vibe!”
Reagan: “…Aaron nobody here is American! Including you!”
Harrows: “You guys ruled over America for a bit didn’t ya? It still counts.”
Reagan: “…..”
Harrows is paying you to train him, Harrows is paying you to train him, Harrows is paying you to trai-
Reagan: “….Okay.”
But enough reflecting on memories. It’s just a mental strategy to take Reagan’s mind off what is currently happening. Him standing in the front of his door with his black key in hand. He knows what’s about to happen, he knows what choice he made….Sigh. Gotta face the beast i guess. Reagan turns the lock into the staff entrance of the club. He enters and is straight away met with a frosty atmosphere. Perfect for Christmas, I guess.
Reagan: “….So I’m assuming you saw the show?”
Sarah: “What the fuck do you think?”
Reagan: “Okay….Listen, I’m not doing this infront of Jason, where is he?”
Sarah: “He’s on a play date with Crystal’s kid.”
Reagan: “Alright. So where do you wanna start?”
Sarah: “I don’t fucking know, Reagan, where do you think we should go? You tell me exactly where to fucking go because I’ll be honest, I’m a bit confused on how you are now making a partnership with the man you literally keep calling the Devil? Care to explain?”
Reagan: “This is the onl-“
Sarah: “No. No it isn’t. We can still fight this! We can still fight hi-“
Reagan: “And how many people, how many FRIENDS have already gone down because we keep endlessly fighting him? It has been 9 months! Yurei is still in the hospital! Xavier still isn’t at one hundred percent! Tyler has decided to switch sides for no real fucking reason! Roy ha-“
Sarah suddenly shoots up from her chair not having any of that.
Sarah: “Don’t you fucking dare. DO NOT Bring my father into this when you know exactly what he would say right now! He was the one that stood his ground! He was the one who physically fought until he couldn-“
Reagan: “Are you saying I fucking didn’t? Do you not remember the deathmatch I was in? Do you not remember the fucking hell I had to go through just to put him down and THAT WASNT EVEN ENOUGH! He just comes back like he didn’t even fucking feel anything there! Well I fucking did! I tried my hardest for you! For my family!
Sarah: “And you failed so you went to the “can’t beat them so join them” strategy!? You’re saying all this stuff like you think it’s all just gonna poof into dust well it’s not! You are under his control, what happens if he just makes you do everything he’s done to you but to someone else!”
Reagan: “It won’t.”
Sarah: “Are you gonna promise me that?”
Reagan: “….”
Sarah: “That’s what I thought. I can protect myself, I always have protected myself even before you showed u-“
Reagan: “And what happens if you can’t protect yourself ENOUGH huh? What happens then? You haven’t been in the same ring, hell you haven’t been in the same vicinity as Jeffry, you don’t know who he is.”
Sarah: “Oh I know fucking plenty. He fucking stabbed my father in the leg and also threatened my kid. I also know that if I ever am in the same vicinity, I won’t run, I won’t make excuses, I will charge directly at him and take the revenge you never fucking could because unlike you, I’m not a coward who backs down, I’m a damn Gibson. And I thought you were one too.”
Sarah and Reagan stare straight at each other before Sarah walks past him. Reagan’s eyes don’t follow Sarah, they stay now targeted at the ground.
Sarah: “I’ll give you Christmas with Jason purely because I care about him. But after that…I don’t really want you here until you sort out whatever the fuck this is.”
Sarah walks into her bedroom and out of the frame as Reagan just stands there, hand now slightly raised as the ring on his finger shines a bit. Reagan remembering all the moments of his marriage all zooming past in his mind, hard to really focus on where everything’s going so fast in Reagan’s brain. Okay maybe the cockroach poker memory pokes out a bit. Reagan Cole, TYLER, Sarah Cole, Xavier DeCollins, Crystal Kalinowski all around that table set inside the cage as Roy sits out reading his book. Oh how Reagan wishes he could go back to that moment right now as he sits on the couch and covers his face with his hands, just in a state of not knowing what to do.
And then his phone gets a notification. Reagan reluctantly checks it, it’s FWA reminding him of his match against XYZ. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. First match back after a one week hiatus and this is who Reagan’s facing? Fantastic….
Reagan doesn’t even want to do this. He really doesn’t. Xyz and Reagan are a weird “Friend of a friend of a friend” situation, it’s a 6 degrees situation. Xyz is a ally of Jeremy Best, Jeremy Best is a ally of Lizzie Rose, Lizzie Rose is a very broad definition of a ally to Reagan Cole. And Reagan respects XYZ. Respects him a lot. His imagination is something Reagan Cole at 8 years old, envied. But he also saw what happened on Fallout. He saw it with his own eyes, he was backstage at the event, second guessing himself and his decision. And maybe just maybe seeing the look on his face, the look he’s seen so many times. I don’t know maybe that was the last straw, who knows? But Reagan does believe that in Xyz’s mind, he saw someone. But if this is some weird way of Xyz’s imagination turning on him? Then Reagan’s gotta stop it right? He’s gotta be the big bad villain to take down the hero?
Well…It’s not like the people he cares about don’t already see him that way. |
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Post by supinesnake on May 28, 2024 18:49:02 GMT
Originally posted by OMB. [USER=14128]@gacy[/USER] P.O.W.
We open up to an empty arena, there is not a soul in any of the seats. You can hear the sound of a light flickering as it starts to shine in the middle of the ring where there is someone whose head is covered in a black hoodie his back turned from the camera. The hooded figure holds a piece of paper in their right hand the light slowly flickering in and out. You can hear the sound of crying coming from this figure. The camera pans over to the front of the figure whose head is still down and tears hitting the paper before falling to the canvas. A flurry of fast forward images now surrounds the ring when they stop you can see all of them crystal clear. There is The Coven, The sister Ravenwood, The towering presence of The Lumberjacks, and the LuPone twins. Then there are of course the vandals, the ever-boastful Nate Savage and Jackson Fenix of The Undisputed Alliance. There are the FWA Tag Team Champions of the world Gerald Grayson and MVH of The Connection, and finally through all of this standing to the left side of the figure is Gabrielle Montgomery. Gabrielle is standing all alone as the other wrestlers surround her until one more figure slides into the ring.
That person is Kayden Knox.
The other half of Bad Reputation and a former FWA Tag Team Champion, more than that he is Gabrielle’s partner. He slides into the ring on the left side of the figure and you can see the look on Knox’s face something is about to go down. The images pause and you can hear the sound of sobbing again before it stops. The figure regains its composure and begins to speak as the camera pans to the image of Kayden Knox in the ring. The voice belongs to Kayden Knox.
Kayden Knox: It was always going to end up like this wasn’t it?
Kayden’s voice is cracking in between every word the camera panned over his shoulder overlooking Gabi and himself sitting in the middle of the ring his head down. There is an eerie silence that takes over as time passes by. Kayden is trying to piece his words together. This was as if he was trying to avoid something.
Kayden Knox: We were always destined to be in a car crash, always on our way to a head-on collision. We tried, we tried to swerve from one crash and put ourselves in danger of another time after time. This was always our fate. This was always our destiny. Gabi, this relationship was never good for either one of us, was it?
Kayden Knox: One of us was always going to break the other’s heart.
Kayden's words fall out for another passing moment. You can't see his face you can't really read his body language either.
Kayden Knox: Truth be told… in the back of my mind, I always thought you would just leave. I thought I would wake up one day and you be gone. That is the story of my life everyone leaves one way or another I am always alone. Now in some cases that is on me, that is due to this sickness in my head this thought that I am never good enough. Gabi every second I was with you, every moment whether you realized it or not I felt as if I was never good enough for you. I always felt as though you had to carry my baggage and that wasn’t fair to you. I know Gabi, you had your own demons, you have demons you are fighting with right now. Gabi these are the same demons that run through my head every fucking night. These are the same demons that I have spent my career trying to get rid of to no avail. All of my life, I have had to deal with this sense of everlasting dread, the kind of dread that seems to pull you down. I tried to move but, life had different plans for me. Life had different plans for us.
Kayden sobs; You can see his back as he inhales and exhales go rather rapidly. He regains his composure and talks.
Kayden Knox: Gabi, even at the highest point when we defeated MOOT for the FWA Tag Team Championship. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I knew I would fail you, I would fail us. I just didn’t realize how quickly it would come. I didn't understand at the time that the very foundation that Executive Excellence was being built had cracked from the start.
Kayden pauses again and this time it was like he was waiting for something. There was nothing, there was just the empty arena and the dead silence that came with it.
Kayden Knox: Reagan Cole & Aka beat us, on our first defense; They should have never and that is on me. We had a chance to win it back, but my self-inflicting wounds, my affliction, started to infect you like a virus. You started to have your own, You started to doubt yourself. That was my fault, not yours. The foundation of what was being built those cracks left Executive Excellence, lying broken a shattered fraction of what it was. I am to blame for that. I should have known, I could have done something then.
Kayden goes to speak as two pairs of footsteps in the darkness are heard. Kayden doesn't say anything, he then quickly changes tune. There in the distance, a flicker of a light coming from a cigar is seen. This quickly fades out and Knox goes on.Kayden Knox: The promise we had; Danny Toner… FWA World Heavyweight Champion, Mike Parr North American Champion, Gabrielle Montgomery & Kayden Knox. Bad Reputation. FWA Tag Team Champions. We had all the gold. We had the money, the power, and the fame. I sat at the top of a multi-million dollar suite, I was overlooking my hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, and should have felt like a King. In the end, I was no king. I was just a fool. I still felt like a peasant; no amount of that money, power, or fame was going to change that.
Kayden Knox: You see my doubts were a part of the Bad Reputation that fell by the wayside. Executive Excellence still had to cling to hope even after Danny Toner and Mike Parr departed. We had to hold so tight onto it not for what it was. No, we had to hang on to what for the promise of what it could be. Toner & Parr were gone but, they were going to be back.
Kayden Knox: The two of them were not the means to the end, I was. One way or another, I was going to bring it down from the start it was my fault. I don’t just mean because of my own self-doubts.
Kayden’s voice cracks again as the camera pans back to him sitting in the middle of the ring. The piece of paper crumbled up in his hand. In the letter, you can see the law offices of Maxwell Lester written on it followed by Dear Mr. Knox. Kayden pauses taking a moment before speaking.
Kayden Knox: It’s crazy to think about how one piece of paper can bring down a whole empire. The saying goes that Rome wasn’t built in a day. The thing is it did burn in one. When Fallout split from Meltdown…
Kayden goes to speak and from the shadows, a hand reaches out to him. The hand is clouded and we can't see who it is; a muffled voice speaks to Kayden who still has his head down.
Kayden Knox: I understand… I know… I get it but, they deserve to know. She deserves to know the truth. She deserves to know how one piece of paper brought all of this down.
Kayden yells at the top of his lungs and it echoes throughout the arena. The hand tightens its grip on Kayden’s shoulder tightly. Kayden’s head still down sighs and shakes his head from side to side. He speaks but, he sounds defeated.
Kayden Knox: Fine.
The hand leaves the shoulder of Kayden and we can now see that the image of Kayden in the ring to the right side of him starts to flicker and then the rest of the images start to play. The image of Kayden’s eyes lock on to Gabrielle as she still had her back turned Kayden lunges one step forward, and the image stops. The camera pans over to Gabrielle and we hear Kayden’s voice again.
Kayden Knox: Gabi, you mean the world to me. I know I said earlier that I doubted myself and my abilities. You always tried to make me a better man, You always were there to pick me up when I needed it the most. You believed in me, even when I was someone who didn’t believe. You saw what happen though, you felt what happen I am not a better man. No matter how much I wanted to be that for you Gabi, to be the better man that you saw. I wanted to be that partner, that friend you could always rely on, I was never going to be a good man.
Kayden can hear a muffled voice behind him speak. He pauses as if trying to eavesdrop on the conversation but, he starts talking again as soon as he is made. His voice sounds defeated as he speaks.
Kayden Knox: I let people down, I always do. You can go back and look at my life and read it like a roadmap where time after time and chance after chance I let everyone down. Nate Savage hit the nail right on the head. I am a zebra who can never change his stripe. I am a loser and I brought it all down on myself. I am a one-way ticket to rock bottom. I am broken and truth be told I am tired of fighting, I can’t change, and I am not going to change.
The image of Kayden Knox starts to fast-forward again this time you can see him running at Gabi. You can see Kayden sitting on the chair his head down as it plays out behind him. Kayden is shaking and just as the image shows Kayden leaping in the air to deliver a stomp to the back of Gabi’s next it freezes. You can hear Kayden scream again. He still hasn’t let his head up from the seated position on the chair. You can see him shake his head violently back and forth. Kayden finally stands up his head still down as another hand reaches out and grasps his shoulder. The chair is turned around by a different hand now with Kayden forced to watch as he stomps the back of her head. There is a pause the room grows silent and we hear Kayden again.
Kayden Knox: This is all my fault, I am so sorry Gabi. I didn’t have a choice.
The image plays again as Gabrielle Montgomery is driven head first into the mat the way her head twist is almost inhuman and she is out cold. Kayden stands over her for a second before he drops to his knees tears running down his face. The rest of the wrestlers are all frozen in shock at what had just happened. Kayden puts Gabi in his arms holding her he is rocking back and forth tears running down her body.
Kayden Knox: I am sorry… I didn’t have a choice.
This plays over and over the sound of Kayden saying I am sorry, I didn’t have a choice distorted the image fades in and out as we flash back over to Kayden on the chair he is pulled by the two hands into the darkness. The distorted words I didn’t have a choice playing as we fade to black. |
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Post by supinesnake on May 28, 2024 18:50:04 GMT
XXIV: “ÓBUDA.”
Live from Óbudai-sziget in Budapest, Hungary.
Thursday 22nd December, 2022.
The coverage starts with a high, aerial shot from the back of a helicopter as we sweep high above an island. This island is in the middle of a river, the Danube to be specific, and in the background we can see the picturesque city of Budapest: the colossal houses of parliament, the peculiar fisherman's bastion, and the castle looming on the hill, all lit up for this breathtaking opening shot.
Rod Sterling: "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Hungary, for the twenty-fourth episode of FWA: Meltdown. We're coming to you live from Obuda Island in Budapest for a night of F1 action!"
We cut from our helicopter shot to one of the stage as a series of hot pink and gold rockets are sent up into the night's sky. The crowd are loud and hyped for the show, Meltdown's opening theme continuing to play in the background as the pyro ends and we sweep across the audience.
Anzu Kurosawa: "We're finishing with Pool A tonight, with two huge matches that could seal the fate, one way or the other, for Vampyra and Alyster Black. The Dark Huntress prepares to take on Michelle von Horrowitz, whilst the world and X champion will hope to run the board with a win over Tommy Bedlam in our main event."
Rod Sterling: "But we're starting off in Pool B here tonight. Later on, Cyrus Truth and Gerald Grayson will face off with their futures in the tournament hanging in the balance, but first…this!"
The camera settles on the stage again, just in time for…
{HE'S THE GREATEST DANCER || SISTER SLEDGE}[MEDIA=youtube]TDwutKpVyas[/MEDIA]
There's a mixed reaction on the island as Chris Peacock's music hits, and shortly afterwards Disco's Last Warrior walks out onto the stage. He looks confident and assured as he begins his walk down to the ring.
Katie-Lynn Goldsmith: "Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is scheduled for one-fall, with a thirty minute time limit, and is a Pool B match in the F1 Climaxxx tournament… introducing first, from Boogie Wonderland by way of New York City, and weighing in at two hundred and ten pounds… CHRIS PEACOCK!!"
Rod Sterling: "After a strong start with back-to-back wins, Peacock tasted his first defeat in the F1 last time out when he was defeated by Bryan Baxter. That leaves Peacock in a dangerous position, where another loss here tonight could take things out of his hand going into the Climaxxx's climax in the new year."
Anzu Kurosawa: "He looks confident this evening, though. But then again, Chris Peacock it is a confident guy generally speaking. I'm sure our Golden Opportunity briefcase holder recognises the high stakes heading into this crunch encounter."
Peacock slides into the ring and takes a moment to pose on the second turnbuckle, his briefcase clutches in his hands. He takes a look over the crowd assembled upon the island, his music fading out as he hops down from the turnbuckles and nods his head self-assuredly. Then, we hear…
{THE KEY THE SECRET || URBAN COOKIE COLLECTIVE}[MEDIA=youtube]2wyv52Ahry0[/MEDIA]
There's a huge cheer on the island as Lizzie Rose walks out onto the stage, and she's backed up tonight by her partner-in-crime Joe Burr. Rose waves excitedly at the audience before beginning her walk down the ramp, where she high-fives the front row fans as she goes.
Katie-Lynn Goldsmith: "And his opponent… accompanied to the ring by Joe Burr… from Brooklyn in New York City… she weighs in tonight at ninety nine pounds… this is 'The Rave'... LIZZIE… ROOOOOOSE!!"
Rod Sterling: "A typically loud and positive reaction here for Lizzie Rose, who goes into this match-up holding a 1-2 record. Her losses to Cyrus Truth and Bryan Baxter counteract her win against Phillip A. Jackson, although a win here tonight will draw her level with Chris Peacock."
Anzu Kurosawa: "And, perhaps importantly, it'll put her ahead of Disco's Last Warrior according to their head-to-head record. Lizzie Rose is very much still in the hunt for a spot in those semi-finals."
Lizzie climbs into the ring whilst Joe Burr waits on the outside, applauding his friend as she takes her moment amping up the fans from the second rope. The Hungarian crowd seem to be firmly on her side, raining down adulation as she hops down from the corner. Her music fades out as she locks eyes with her opponent, the official making his final checks and - when he's content that we're good to go - calls for the opening bell…As soon as the bell rings, Lizzie Rose lets out an astoundingly loud battle cry and charges across the ring at her opponent, looking to take his head off with a massive lariat… which Peacock wisely ducks beneath, going into a rear waistlock. He bundles Lizzie forward into a nearby set of ropes, looking to take her backward with an O'Conner Roll. Rose has other ideas, though, and hooks onto the top rope with her arms to check her momentum, causing Peacock to roll back without her… and then he eats a spinning heel kick!! Peacock goes down clutching his face, and Lizzie immediately hoists him back up. She reels off a quartet of knife edge chops, and then gets into position for a back suplex. She attempts to heave Peacock up… but he doesn't budge at all!
Rod Sterling: "Lizzie can't lift Peacock up here, I'm not sure this is the most intelligent strategy for the Rave."
Anzu Kurosawa: "A few too many mince pies this festive period for Peacock, eh?!"
Peacock has regained his wherewithal after the spinning heel kick, and realising Lizzie can't lift him he transitions into a side headlock, and then takes Rose down with a headlock takedown. Chris still has his grounded headlock in, and Rose momentarily spends a few moments trying to reach the ropes with her legs, but when she realises she's too far away she instead brings both legs up to Peacock's head and yanks him off the headlock with a head-scissors! The hold from Rose is tight, and Peacock finds that he can't escape, so instead he has to drag Lizzie over to the ropes and place a foot on the bottom one. The official asks for a break and Lizzie (obviously) does so immediately. Peacock gets back up to his feet and looks to start circling the ring, but Rose lets out another ear-splitting battle-shriek and charges right at him again, taking Peacock off his feet with a shotgun dropkick! Chris rolls under the bottom rope, maybe hoping to take a few moments to catch his breath, but Lizzie is in perpetual motion now. She hits the ropes… and takes Peacock out with a suicide dive! Rose goes between the bottom and middle rope and takes Peacock to the ground, getting up to a huge cheer from her adoring fans.
Lizzie Rose throws Peacock back into the ring and begins to climb up to the top rope. She notices that her opponent is already getting back to his feet, and so perches on the top rope as he does. Once Chris has regained his vertical base and turns to face her, Rose leaps off the top turnbuckle and takes him down with a shoulder block!! The extra impact from coming off the top is enough to knock the bigger man off his feet! Not for long, though, with Peacock once more struggling up to his vertical base… only to be wiped out again by a spinning back elbow!! Peacock drops to the mat, and Rose nails him with a senton splash before hooking the far leg.
ONE… TWO… NO!
Kickout from Peacock! Rose tries to contort the arm that Peacock used to kick out into an arm bar, but Peacock immediately scrambles over to the ropes and hooks onto the bottom one again. Once more, the official enforces a break, and Lizzie releases straight away. Peacock rolls beneath the bottom rope to catch his breath, but Lizzie is on her feet and tries a slingshot plancha to the outside…
Rod Sterling: "Chris Peacock steps out of the way!!! An ugly landing there for Lizzie Rose!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I think Chris Peacock is the only person on this island who enjoyed that… listen to the boos! And look at Joe Burr! He's getting right in Chris Peacock's face!!"
Peacock laughs at Burr, and then - with the small man puffing out his chest and challenging him to throw hands - Peacock just pushes Burr backwards. Joe stumbles and then falls over Rose, who is on all fours behind him! Burr sprawls to the ground, eliciting more laughter from Peacock, who then picks Lizzie up and throws her back into the ring. He follows her in, hosting her onto her feet in a front facelock and then connects with a snap suplex! Followed by a standing leg drop! Pinfall attempt by Peacock…
ONE… TWO… NO!
Lizzie thrusts the shoulder up! Peacock looks momentarily frustrated, but this levels out into amusement when he sees that Joe Burr is up on the apron giving him an ear-full. Peacock listens to the small man and nods his head, a snide little smile on his face, as Burr sticks his finger in Chris' face in admonishment.
Rod Sterling: "Joe Burr has gotta be careful here… if he gets too agitated he could end up costing Lizzie Rose this match!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Looks like Peacock's got a little back-up himself… Allen Price is currently striding down the ring ramp with a face like thunder!"
Rod Sterling: "Get back to Fallout, Allen!"
The audience are giving Price a negative reaction as he storms down the ramp, seemingly to negate the influence that Joe Burr is having on the match-up. He reaches the ring apron where Burr is standing and, without Joe realising he's there, Price pulls his leg so that the smaller man falls down from the apron… and then Price slugs him with a right hand!! The audience can't believe it, and neither can Joe Burr… who promptly takes Allen down with a double leg takedown, and then he's on him with right hands!!
Rod Sterling: "This… isn't the fight that we want to see here, folks! Chris Peacock is keeping a close eye on his associate and the brawl going on outside the ring… and seems to be a little amused by it!"
Indeed, Disco's Last Warrior has a half-smirk as he watches Price and Burr go at it. The smile matures to a chuckle as Peacock watches a trio of security staff racing down the ramp with the intention of breaking it up. He shakes his head as one of them drags Burr away from Allen…
… and doesn't see that Lizzie is now up to her feet behind him…
Rod Sterling: "SCHOOLBOY ROLL-UP!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "That's Allen Price's favourite move!!"
ONE… TWO… THREE!!
{RESULT}Winner: Lizzie Rose via pinfall at 08:12.
Rod Sterling: "She got him!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Chris Peacock kicks out shortly after the three is counted, but it's too late! Lizzie gets the W!!"
Lizzie rolls out of the ring as Peacock fumes in the official's direction, reuniting with Joe Burr as The Key, The Secret hits again.
Katie-Lynn Goldsmith: "Here is your winner… LIZZIE ROSE!!"
Joe Burr has a massive shit-eating grin on his face as he backs up the ramp with Lizzie, holding her arm up in recognition of the victory.
Rod Sterling: "And that win blows Block B wide open, folks! Lizzie Rose joins Chris Peacock on a 2-2 record, hot on the heels of Cyrus Truth, who is due to face Gerald Grayson in our next contest."
Anzu Kurosawa: "Truth has the chance to put daylight between him and the chasing pack, or Grayson could make it a four-way tie on 2-2. The race to the semi-finals is heating up!!"
The camera shows one more shot each of Lizzie Rose celebrating on the stage with Joe Burr, and then one of Chris Peacock berating both the match's official and Allen Price for his intervention. We fade on the image of a frustrated Peacock staring up the ramp at a victorious Lizzie Rose.
We cut to the back, and to a close-up of Todd Salum. But it's not the usual chipper and professional Todd Salum that we all know and sort of like. Instead, it is a very frustrated, tired, and generally pissed off looking Todd Salum. He is currently massaging his temples, as if he's trying to relieve some tension from just behind his eyes, and stares past the camera blankly.
Todd Salum: "I'm not supposed to be doing this. It's in my contract. They know I'm not supposed to be doing this."
Cameraman: "Um, Todd… we're live."
Salum attaches his game face, and looks down the lens with the slightly stern expression of a respected and knowledgeable reporter. The camera pans back to reveal his guests as he introduces them.
Todd Salum: "Ladies and gentlemen, I was asked at this time to conduct a brief interview with the current FWA World Tag Team Champions, but as you can see I am only joined by one of them… as well as a large number of hangers-on. Please welcome at this time Cthulhu's Nephews."
He almost sighs the last word, and by now the camera has planned back enough to reveal the Nephews standing in a horseshoe around Michelle von Horrowitz, who is holding her belt on her shoulder. We can see Uncle, Thomas, Harry, Quiet, the Avatar, the Maid… even Alphonse the Swiss Sherpa has made the short trip, given that the show is in Central Europe. But as alluded to by Todd, there's no sign of Gerald Grayson.
Todd Salum: "So, I guess my first question is the obvious one… where's Gerald?"
MvH: "Yes, Todd, your first question is the obvious one. And I imagine your second and third ones will be just as obvious, too. Gerald is preparing for his match, of course. He's up next. I wish him all the best. The idea of another Cyrus Truth match in the knockout stages isn't exactly mouth-watering."
Uncle J.J. JAY!: "Dreamer and the Daredevil are just getting a little space from one another right now, Todd. It's needed in any relationship. Like ours, remember? We were perhaps a little too forward in expressing our admiration for you, and you needed a little bit of space. Now, not everyone feels the need to get a court of law to grant them that space, but you do you, Todd. I just think it's wonderful that we can work together again."
Todd stares back at Uncle, blankly.
Uncle J.J. JAY!: "Go on, ask your next question."
Todd Salum: "Well, you mentioned that Michelle and Gerald are spending some time apart right now but… is that really a wise thing to do just forty eight hours before Mile High Massacre?"
Thomas West: "What do you suggest? They spend a load of time apart after the match, like all the teams in last year's Mile High Massacre did? Because none of them survived more than three months after the match. Cabin fever is real, especially when you're locked in a cage together."
Uncle J.J. JAY!: "The Nephews are an open book, Todd. An extremely interesting, one-of-a-kind, instant classic, self-published episodic weekly periodical of tremendous worth and value."
Maid of Death: "Worth and value mean the same thing."
Uncle J.J. JAY!: "You're right, Nephew. Let me start again. The Nephews are an open book, Todd. An extremely interesting, one-of-a-kind, instant classic, self-published episodic weekly periodical of tremendous value and worth."
Maid of Death: "You said the same two words again."
Uncle J.J. JAY!: "Ah, but I switched their order! What a cunning orator I am. But let me make my point. We Nephews don't try to hide our lives. We live them out in the open, for we have no secrets. Everyone has the capacity to be a Nephew, and as such I wish to hold nothing from them. Michelle and Gerald's recent difficulties are but a chapter in this open book… strife and tension to add to the drama, to increase the spectacle of their eventual and inevitable triumph."
All eyes turn to Michelle, who has been listening to her stable-mates with a passive expression.
MvH: "Don't worry about Gerald and I, tulip. We've been here before, and I don't doubt that we'll be here again. We have heard these questions and answered them in the ring time and time again, like we'll do again on Saturday night. There's no team left here that have been through what Gerald and I have. What exists between us is stronger than any of you know, and doesn't shake or weather as the season changes."
Von Horrowitz folds her arms, and it's clear that she's done. Todd tries anyway.
Todd Salum: "Any word on your opponent tonight, or the teams who will challenge you on Fallout?"
Michelle just shrugs. Harry reaches over and pulls the microphone in his direction.
Harry the Sane Wizard: "I've got something to say about one of those flimsy Fallout challengers, and it's a simple one… Blair, Celestia: this town ain't big enough for the both of us. And I say both, because I'm considering you as a unit. I hearby challenge these inferior mages to a Conjuring! You pretenders pick the time, pick the place… I'll show you how we do things in the dimension I was kidnapped from…"
Todd cocks an eyebrow.
Todd Salum: "What exactly do you mean by that last part?"
Uncle J.J. JAY!: "No time for that, Todd! Our beloved GiGi wrestles soon, and it'd crush him if we didn't watch…"
With that, he bundles Harry out with an arm around him, and each of the Nephews follow in turn. Salum doesn't bother passing it back to the announcer's booth, instead just dropping the microphone and walking out of shot in the opposite direction.
Anzu Kurosawa: ”Meltdown moves on with yet another match in the F1 Climaxxx. This time around we will see Cyrus Truth take on Gerald Grayson. Truth moved up 2-1 in the Climaxxx with a win over Lizzie Rose last round while Grayson recorded his first win in the tournament when he defeated Phillip A. Jackson.”
Rod Sterling: ”This is a must win situation for Grayson because he faces possible elimination. Meanwhile, a win for Truth will move him one step closer to the semi-finals of the tournament.”
Anzu Kurosawa: ”Grayson has his plate full this week with not only this match, but defending his tag team championships alongside Michelle von Horrowitz in a Mile High Massacre match on Fallout in just two days. Surely that’s weighing on Grayson’s mind but he’ll have to not think about that and focus on Truth if he wants any chance of moving on in the tournament.”
Rod Sterling: ”That’s easier said than done for Gerald given who his opponent is, Anzu. Cyrus Truth is hellbent on winning this entire tournament, and if Gerald loses focus for a second then Truth will do anything he can to take advantage as long as it benefits him..”
{THE SOUND OF TRUTH || AS I LAY DYING}[MEDIA=youtube]K91qwxCWmrs[/MEDIA]
Katie Lynn-Goldsmith: ”The following contest is scheduled for one fall with a 30-minute-time-limit! Introducing first, from The Long & Winding Road and weighing in at 227 lb…he is The Exile…Cyrus Truuuuuuth!”
Truth makes his way out as his theme music plays out loud for all to hear and Truth looks as focused as ever. Perhaps more focused than usual given the circumstances at stake in regards to the result of this match.
{CORNFLAKE || PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS}[MEDIA=youtube]f60kHMYRsq8[/MEDIA]
Gerald Grayson makes his way out on stage and he seems hyped up as he tries to get the fans hyped up as well. The fans oblige him and cheer as they groove along with his catchy theme music.
Katie Lynn-Goldsmith: ”And his opponent, from Raleigh, North Carolina and weighing in at 220 lb…he is one half of the FWA Tag Team Champions…FWA’s Resident Daredevil…Gerald Graaaaaayson!”
Anzu Kurosawa: ”Grayson is certainly fired up for this match and he’s got the fans rallying behind him as well.”
Rod Sterling: ”He’s going to need a lot more than that, Anzu, and don’t discount the fan support for Cyrus Truth. If I were to make a guess, I’d say that the fan support will be pretty evenly split between the two. DING! DING! DING!
Grayson and Truth don’t miss a beat and they immediately lock horns while the crowd is buzzing with excitement. Grayson backs Truth into a corner and he goes for a chop, but Truth ducks it and he switches spots by putting Grayson in the corner. Truth wastes no time driving a few forearm smashes to Grayson’s skull, but Grayson manages to block a strike and swaps places with Truth this time. Grayson unloads on Truth with a barrage of european uppercuts that leaves Truth in a slight daze, and Grayson mounts Truth in the corner and rains down 10 consecutive forearm strikes to Truth’s head while the fans count along with each strike.
Grayson hops down off of Truth and he removes a dazed Truth from the corner and sends him flying across the ring with a monkey flip! Truth lands hard on his lower back, causing him to wince while clutching at it but Grayson keeps him down with a low running dropkick to the face, and then Grayson follows that with a running shooting star press into a pin!
One…two…NO!
Truth rolls over on his side to try to regain his wits about him but Grayson doesn’t give him time for a reprieve and he brings him up in a front facelock, but Truth had the wherewithal to trip up Grayson by taking him down by the legs and flipping him over into a pin!
One…two…NO!
Grayson kicks out and looks like his life just flashed before his eyes after nearly getting caught with a nearfall like that. He shakes that off though as he rolls through and springs back up on his feet, and so does Truth, who charges toward Grayson but Grayson is able to duck underneath a clothesline and he sends Truth off to the ropes with an irish whip but instead Truth returns with a stiff discus punch that nearly knocks Grayson off his feet! Grayson is still stunned though and Truth takes him down with a bridging fishermans suplex!
One…two…NO!
Grayson gets a shoulder up and Truth grabs that arm and he begins to wrench back on it! Grayson winces as he does his best to fight free, and he turns the tables on Truth as he counters into a roll-up while Truth still has that arm bar locked in…
One…two…NO!
Anzu Kurosawa: ”Truth had Grayson where he wanted him, but smart play by Grayson that forces Truth to relinquish the hold by kicking out!”
Rod Sterling: ”All of these back and forth nearfalls will do more harm than good in the long run. Both of them will be running low on stamina sooner or later if they keep it up.”
Truth is on his knees catching his breath after kicking out and after taking in some lungfuls of air, he rises up as Grayson is as well and Truth charges toward Grayson but Gerald catches him with a powerslam! Truth cringes upon impact from the powerslam and he slowly crawls over to the nearest corner for refuge, but it’s short lived as Grayson levels him with a high knee into a running bulldog! Grayson hits the ropes with a springboard and lands a picture perfect lionsault to Truth and into the pin!
One…two…NO!
Grayson brings Truth to a vertical base and looks to send him to the ropes, but Truth counters with an arm drag! He follows up with another arm drag and then as Grayson is rising up, Truth takes him down the Broken Path with a stomp to the back of the knee followed by a running big boot to the dome!
Grayson rolls underneath the bottom rope to the apron and Truth reaches over to bring him up, but Grayson knocks him back with a forearm strike! Truth stumbles backward a little while Grayson sizes him up and he leaps off with what looks like a springboard crossbody, but Truth manages to catch him mid-air and he hoists up Grayson on his shoulders…
Rod Sterling: ”Cyrus has Exile’s Edge on his mind for Grayson!”
Grayson scrambles out however as he slips behind Truth and he applies a rear waistlock and he hits a bridging german suplex!
One…two…THREE-NO!
Anzu Kurosawa: ”Truth escapes defeat after a nice counter by Grayson! This is still anyone’s match to win!”
Rod Sterling: ”Grayson isn’t wasting time though it seems because he’s ascending to the top rope, perhaps aiming to put Truth away with Sky High!”
Grayson leaps off the top rope…but Cyrus Truth gets his knees up in time! Grayson rolls over in clear agony after getting knees to the midsection. Meanwhile, Cyrus gathers his bearings, and shakes off lasting effects from the previous german suplex before lifting up a vulnerable Grayson…Journey’s End! Truth hooks the leg for the pin…
One…two…THREE!
{RESULT}Winner: Cyrus Truth at 12:58
Katie Lynn-Goldsmith: ”The winner of the match, Cyrus Truth!”
Anzu Kurosawa: ”A much needed win for Cyrus, who moves up a notch in the standings and he’s now 3-1!”
Rod Sterling: ”While Gerald Grayson drops down to 1-3 and I think it’s all said and done for Grayson in the tournament unfortunately”
Anzu Kurosawa: ”The loss is disappointing but Gerald can’t let that get him down for too long because he has a big title defense coming up in just two days over on Fallout with Michelle von Horrowitz.”
The screen flashes through various news reels, keeping a picture of various current events. News shows have various talking heads in suits, trying to give a summary of the latest headlines.
“Breaking News, inflation reaches new highs.”
“We have ongoing updates of the War in Eastern Europe. We will give you the latest of recent casualties as millions are displaced.”
“Another shooting in the United States today, targeting a school. 17 are pronounced dead, more are wounded. This attack, according to authorities was-”
And so on and so forth. The feed slowly becomes fuzzy with the image quality and the audio footage becomes distorted. Zooming out, we see a flat-screen television on the wall of a cozy room which hangs over a fireplace. The television plays through the newsreel. The hand of a woman gently touches the side of the screen. It is covered with a silver satin glove. A delicate and childish voice speaks. Princess Nova.
Princess Nova: “The world’s a scary place, isn’t it? So much dread and bad news. Reality can be harsh, can it?”
She has a giggle. The hand moves down towards one of the buttons on the screen.
Princess Nova: “Over time it can be quite tiring, very draining. Don’t you wish that at some point you can just-”
She presses the button and the television feed fades.
Princess Nova: “-tune it out.”
Going on the screen, we see Princess Nova standing in the light. As usual, she has a lavish appearance with a long, flowing dress. It has a dark blue design with a golden trim, a bow around her waist. Her long black charcoal hair flows down to her shoulders as a golden tiara rests on her head. She has a slight tilt of her head, her lipstick a soft pink.
Princess Nova: “Imagine. Imagine a place where you tune out the noise. Your self hate fades, the pain from your loved ones disappears. The injustice in the world can become just a distant memory and you won’t feel guilt. You won’t feel guilt over a problem you alone can’t solve. The cruelty of the world will no longer be a weight on your shoulders. Reality is bleak, merciless, vile. So I…"
She has a gentle laugh before the smile on her face fades. WIth a hint of coldness under her voice, the TORN Angel proclaims…
Princess Nova: “I reject it.”
Then she changes back to her more whimsical self, letting out a giggle.
Princess Nova: “Instead I choose a world of my design. One where I make the rules. Instead of being what others want of me I can be anything I want. I have become my ideal self. I can be happy. I can be safe. The power comes to me, instead of letting it be beyond me. I can invite my friends and create new ones. Best of all, I never need to leave and why would I?”
The Princess lets out a giggle. She moves her hands to the side.
Princess Nova: “So, go head. Reject pain. Reject suffering. Reject weakness. Reject reality. Embrace happiness. Embrace warmth. Embrace your strength.”
Showing a devious smirk, Princess Nova leans her head down.
Princess Nova: “Embrace… your greatest fantasy.”
The feed cuts to static.
{IN DREAMS || ROY ORBISON}[MEDIA=youtube]MVRunwyoTMA[/MEDIA]
There's a positive reaction on the island as Michelle von Horrowitz walks out onto the stage, alone and with her championship belt on her shoulder. She surveys the setting approvingly before beginning at a stride down the long ramp, a look of focus about her as she walks.
Katie-Lynn Goldsmith: "Ladies and gentlemen, the following Pool A contest is scheduled for one-fall, with a twenty minute time limit… introducing first, representing Cthulhu's Nephews… from Rotterdam in the Netherlands, she is one half of the current FWA World Tag Team Champions… Michelle von HORROWITZ!!!"
Rod Sterling: "MvH will look to bounce back tonight after that loss to FWA World Champion Alyster Black last week on Fallout 023. She's in a precarious position, with one win and one loss now in the F1."
Anzu Kurosawa: "Another loss here tonight would leave Dreamer on the precipice of elimination, which probably explains the look of focus on Michelle's face as she heads to the ring."
Rod Sterling: “But once more, von Horrowitz finds herself booked on both shows this week, with that huge tag team Mile High Massacre match scheduled for in just forty eight hours in Belgrade. We'll see just how focused she is on tonight's encounter when the bell rings, I'm sure."
Von Horrowitz climbs into the ring and holds her championship belt above her head in one hand, eliciting another cheer from the Hungarian audience. She hands her belt out to the timekeeper's area before taking her customary seat in the corner with her head propped up against the second turnbuckle. Her music fades out and is replaced by…
{VAMPIRE || VERSAILLES}[MEDIA=youtube]4runjD3c3-s[/MEDIA]
The dramatic opening to "Vampire" by Versailles plays and the lights of the arena dim. After about fifteen seconds, the camera zooms towards the entranceway as the lights start flashing different shades of purple, red, and pink. We see a masked woman, cape flowing behind her. Vampyra has arrived. A noticeable feature, though, is the knee brace upon her knee. Her hands are out with her elbows on her hips. Covering her regular mask for matches is a more elaborate entrance mask with horns. Hanging almost like a sash across her shoulder is the FWA Television Championship. Puffs of fire shoot up on both sides of the stage.
Katie-Lynn Goldsmith: "And introducing her opponent, representing MAYHEM's YOKAI Death Squad, from Osaka, Japan, the FWA Television Champion, the Dark Huntress, Vampyra!"
Putting her hand down, the YOKAI Queen holds out three fingers to form an M then does a small throat slashing gesture with her pointer finger. She walks slowly down the ramp, once again putting her hands to her side. The fire on the stage continues to spark up occasionally, adding a glow in the arena. At the end of the ramp, Vampyra motions for the camera to come near here. She takes off her extra entrance mask, holding it in her hand. Vampyra shows a wicked smirk before doing another small throat slash and walking around the ring.
Rod Sterling: "Here comes Vampyra for her penultimate match in the F1, and she is looking for her first points in that tournament… but despite that, her confidence and momentum are both high following her victory over Phillip A. Jackson for the FWA Television Championship on Fallout 023…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "It's not only that championship belt that she earned in that match, the knee brace is also a result of the persistent targeting of that body part from PAJ during the match, and who could forget the vicious assault from Shawn Summers and his slugger following the main event?"
Rod Sterling: "I'm sure Vampyra won't be forgetting that any time soon…"
Unclipping her cape, she slides onto the apron, taking her championship belt off of her shoulder to place it on the apron. Hooking her legs on the top she hangs upside down, arms crossed like a bat, placing her extra mask next to her. After a few moments, she swings herself into the ring, grabbing her FWA Television Championship. goes up to the corner turnbuckles. Putting one foot on the top rope, she does another "throat slash" with her finger, sticking out her tongue, before she puts down the MAYHEM "M" and holds up her championship belt.
Concurrently, MvH uses the top rope to pull herself up from her seated position in the corner, Versailles fading out as the two women eye each other up from across the ring. The official makes his final checks as the two champions size each other up in silence, and then he calls for the bell… The match looks as though it is going to kick off with the obligatory collar and elbow tie-up, with both women looking for an opening as they close in on one another… until MvH lashes out with a slap across the face! The surprise of it more than anything caused the masked woman to stumble, and Dreamer follows up with a trip of forearm strikes, backing Vampyra up into a corner. She tries to whip her into the opposite set of turnbuckles, but the TV champion is able to reverse it and send MvH across the ring instead. Vampyra charges across the ring, looking to hit a cornered clothesline, but von Horrowitz ducks beneath it and lifts her over onto the apron with a back body drop… before connecting with a triangle dropkick, knocking Vampyra off the apron!
Michelle watches Vampyra rise to her feet and then hits a baseball slide, sending the masked woman into the announcer's table. Michelle takes Vampyra by the scruff of the neck and throws her down face first onto the desk! Vampyra slumps into a heap, allowing Michelle to hit a series of stomps whilst she's in a seated position.
Rod Sterling: "An aggressive start to this match from Michelle von Horrowitz, who rolls in and out of the ring to break up the ten, perhaps hoping to keep things on the outside where she feels quite comfortable…"
MvH lifts Vampyra up and connects with a European uppercut, before taking her by the wrist and attempt an Irish whip into the steel steps… only for the television champion to reverse! Dreamer is sent into the steps instead, hitting them hip first and landing on a head on the other side!
Anzu Kurosawa: "But the momentum shifts quickly! I don't imagine Vampyra is a stranger to battling on the outside, either…"
Vampyra hoists Michelle up before planting her on the outside with a scoop slam. She then backs up around the steel steps, charging up them before leaping off to meet the rising MvH with a head-scissors takedown! She throws MvH under the bottom rope before following her in for a pinfall attempt…
ONE… TW – NO!
Michelle kicks out, and the TV champion instantly goes back to work, first hitting a standing moonsault before transitioning from that smoothly into a grounded head-scissors. Michelle at first struggles to move at all in the move, but ignores the official's verbal enquiries as to whether she wants to submit. She eventually manages to perform a headstand, before escaping the head-scissors and hitting a dropkick to the seated Vampyra! Both women scramble to their feet, and Michelle is able to connect with a spin kick to the gut. She hits the ropes, maybe looking for a swinging neckbreaker… but Vampyra explodes towards Michelle and hits her with a shotgun dropkick! Michelle slumps down, but the masked wrestler hoists her up immediately, and turns her around with a roundhouse kick… followed by a rear waistlock and a German suplex! Vampyra bridges for the cover…
ONE… TWO… NO!
Michelle is able to kick out again! Vampyra rolls off her and grabs both of Dreamer's legs, perhaps looking to turn MvH over with a Boston crab. Von Horrowitz has other ideas, and fights out with a series of forearm strikes from her grounded position. She wriggles a leg free and lashes out with a boot to the face, connecting with Vampyra flush in the face and taking her back. MvH rolls backwards and onto her feet, and looks to run through her opponent…
Rod Sterling: "MvH going for a busaiku knee kick… but Vampyra sidesteps it, and she has that rear waistlock again…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Vampyra going for the German again here, but it's back to the same well too many times. MvH over rotates and lands on her feet, and Vampyra turns into a discus forearm!"
Vampyra is staggered, and Dreamer throws a headbut at her! The masked woman goes to one knee, but Michelle wrenches her up in a front facelock…
Rod Sterling: "MvH with the brainbuster!! Vampyra is dropped on her skull, and MvH goes for the cover…"
ONE… TWO… T - NO!
Vampyra kicks out! But she's seemingly able to do little more than that, and Michelle gets up before focussing a series of stomps on the knee that has a brace on it. The masked wrestler winces at each strike, which spurs Dreamer on, as she follows Vampyra around the ring almost with stomps to the knee. Vampyra grabs onto the ropes to try and enforce a break, but Michelle grabs both of her legs and drags her into the middle of the ring. She steps through, and turns her over with a sharpshooter!!
Rod Sterling: "MvH beginning to hone in now on that injured knee, now! The work of both PAJ and Der Basterd two weeks ago used to her advantage here!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Vampyra cries out in pain! Michelle is wrenching back on that sharpshooter, Rod, and she's sundered in the middle of the ring!"
It seems as though she's a long way from the ropes, but incrementally Vampyra is able to crawl towards the bottom one… until she reaches it, garnering a reasonable pop from the crowd in recognition of her resilience. Dreamer wastes no time, though, and lifts Vampyra up to her feet and then into a fireman's carry… before connecting with a Death Valley Driver! MvH hooks the far leg…
ONE… TWO… NO!
Vampyra throws a shoulder up! Michelle doesn't let it bother her, and lifts Vampyra up and backs her to the ropes with knife edge chops, before whipping her into the opposite set. Von Horrowitz goes beneath and then leapfrogs, then attempting a standing dropkick on the masked woman… only for Vampyra to hook onto the ropes with her arms, checking her momentum and sending MvH crashing to the mat! MvH staggers to her feet… but Vampyra connects with a spiking hurricanrana driver!!
Rod Sterling: "She calls that one Death-Strike! But no cover attempt from Vampyra, instead she's going up to the top…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Maybe thinking about her Nightfall finisher already? But that knee is making it slow going for the masked wrestler already… Dreamer is on the rise before she can find her footing…"
Rod Sterling: "And von Horrowitz connects with a forearm, knocking the Television Champion off balance! Michelle follows her up, applying a front facelock, maybe looking for a superplex…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Or even a top rope brainbuster? Either way, the Dark Huntress senses her peril and begins to fight out with right hands to the side… and then a headbutt of her own causes some separation!"
Indeed, MvH teeters, almost seems as though she might fall off… but Vampyra grasps her and then shifts her so that Dreamer is seated on the top turnbuckle. Vampyra is standing on the second rope, then springboards up to the top, jumps and turns…
Rod Sterling: "Hurricanrana! All the way from the top!!"
Michelle does her best to fight up to her feet using the ropes to help her, but the masked woman hits her in the chest with a roundhouse kick, and then a step up enziguri sends MvH down with her throat draped over the second rope. Vampyra immediately hits the opposite set, connecting with a tiger feint kick that sends Michelle sprawling back into the middle of the ring.
Anzu Kurosawa: "MOONLIGHT KICK!! Vampyra is building up a head of steam, here!"
Rod Sterling: "MvH struggles up to a vertical base in the ring whilst Vampyra sizes her up from the apron… springboard cross-body!!! The Dark Huntress connects, and now she hooks the far leg…"
ONE… TWO… T – NO!
Michelle's shoulder comes off the mat! Vampyra grabs both legs, looking for the Boston crab for the second time in the match, but Dreamer again lashes out with a boot to the face, causing separation. She tries to scramble up to her feet, but the Huntress is there waiting. She charges in with a jumping clothesline! And then a running dropkick! MvH thinks better about getting up a third time, instead rolling beneath the bottom rope and shaking loose the cobwebs there. Vampyra, though, is perpetual motion. She hits the ropes, and takes Michelle down with a suicide dive!! She goes through the middle and top ropes, but lands on her feet with Dreamer at her feet.
The crowd applaud Vampyra's aerial antics, and with Dreamer trying to crawl away the Huntress follows her with a series of stomps that chase her onto the ramp. Then, Vampyra hoists Michelle up in a front facelock, looking out over the crowd on the island… and taking Dreamer down with a lightning spiral!!
Rod Sterling: "DARK LIGHTNING! On the ring ramp!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "But the official is already on five, here, the last thing Vampyra wants to do is get counted out… and note that she's dragging Dreamer to the ring, also. I think she wants to beat the two-time world champion properly here tonight."
Rod Sterling: "Would send a message… but dragging Michelle to the ring isn't an easy task with an injured knee. The official reaches eight!"
Vampyra throws Michelle in and then rolls in after her. She clutches her knee for a moment before limping over to Dreamer, finally thinking about a cover…
… But Michelle rolls her up with a small package!!
ONE… TWO… THR – NO!
Kickout from Vampyra!! The masked woman is first up, but only just, and Dreamer is able to duck the first clothesline attempt. Vampyra catches Michelle's boot when MvH goes for a superkick and throws it to one side, turning Michelle around. The Huntress attaches a rear waistlock, looking for another German, but von Horrowitz anchors her weight down. Vampyra changes tact and bundles Michelle forward into the ropes, and then an O'Connor roll! Michelle's shoulders are down!
ONE… TWO… THR – NO!
Dreamer kicks out! She thinks twice about charging in again, instead backing herself up to the ropes, positioning her torso behind the top one as Vampyra comes at her. The official is between them to force a break, and the Huntress lifts up her hands as if to observe the clean break…
Rod Sterling: "Rake of the eyes from Michelle!!"
The official admonishes Michelle for her underhanded tactics, but she sidesteps him and proceeds to double Vampyra over with a boot to the midsection. She hoists Vampyra up into a powerbomb position, standing in one corner…
Anzu Kurosawa: "RUNNING LIGER BOMB!! Vampyra's shoulders are down!!!"
ONE… TWO… THRE – NO!!
Rod Sterling: "SHOULDER UP!! VAMPYRA WITH THE SHOULDER UP!"
Michelle immediately goes back to the knee that is braced up, lashing out at it with a trio of stomps, before sliding out of the ring. She reaches under the bottom rope to collect Vampyra’s boot, proceeding to drag her towards the steel ring post by it. Emulating PAJ during the Fallout 023, she wraps Vampyra’s knee around the post… not once, not twice, but three times! Each time the official tells Michelle to get it back into the ring, and more pained yelping is heard from the Huntress. Michelle finally heeds the officials call, rolling back in and dragging Vampyra back into the ring by her injured leg. She holds her by the boot whilst repeatedly kicking the injured knee, a half-dozen times… and then she drops the elbow onto it!
Anzu Kurosawa: "STRETCH MUFFLER!! Michelle has got the stretch muffler locked in, and Vampyra's body - and most pertinently her knee - are contorted to despicable angles! Surely she'll tap?!"
For a moment, it looks like the Huntress is going to. She has her hand outstretched over the mat, palm towards it, thinking about giving in… and then she makes a defiant fist, before beginning to drag herself again out of the centre of the ring! The crowd are mixed, most probably just about wanting her to tap, but there's a sizeable contingent who are on Vampyra's side in the struggle…
… And then MvH begins to rain down stomps onto the back of Vampyra's head! She still has the stretch muffler locked in, and the additional strikes paint a sorry picture for the Huntress… but she grits her teeth, and continues on, and makes it to the bottom rope!! MvH utilises all of the five count, managing to get in three more stomps before finally letting go.
Vampyra is very slow in using the ropes to help herself up to her feet, and von Horrowitz comes at her again… only for the TV champ to drop down again, yanking the top rope down too and sending Michelle tumbling out onto the outside! This gives Vampyra some much-needed time to rest, with her staying on the inside in a seated position, adjusting her knee brace. She is finally able to get up again, and watches on as MvH slowly rises on the outside, shaking loose the cobwebs and finally rolling into the ring at seven.
Von Horrowitz stands to her feet but is clocked with alternating forearms and knife edge chops from Vampyra, who is almost hopping around on one leg. The strikes succeed in backing MvH up into the corner, and Vampyra takes her by the wrist and whips her HARD across the ring, the impact with the turnbuckles causing the tag champion to stumble back into the middle of the ring. Vampyra, meanwhile, has quickly hopped out onto the apron, and she steadies herself as MvH staggers into position…
Rod Sterling: "Vampyra with a springboard flying forearm smash!!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "And she uses just one leg on the springboard, incredible poise on display from Vampyra!"
Rod Sterling: "But there's no pinfall attempt here… Boston crab!! We've seen Vampyra going for this several times during this match-up, and she's finally got MvH turned over!"
Michelle is sundered in the middle of the ring, and Vampyra is sat high on her back at an ugly angle. The official is in close, asking von Horrowitz if she wants to give in. She says no but there is pain etched all across the face… but she defiantly begins to drag herself across the ring… almost at the ropes, only centimetres away…
… And Vampyra drags her back into the middle of the ring!!!
Rod Sterling: "The tables have really turned, here! It's seemed on more than one occasion that Michelle von Horrowitz was close to a submission victory over Vampyra… but now Dreamer is seriously close to tapping!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Those ropes seem a long way away, now! Michelle is going to have to think of something else… she's going for that knee brace, Rod!!"
Indeed, Michelle is reaching back and yanking down Vampyra's knee brace, the masked woman looking panicked but deciding to keep the hold locked in… until MvH succeeds in uncovering Vampyra's knee, and then unleashes with back elbow strikes from her position in the crab! The fifth forces Vampyra to finally relinquish, and she limps over to the corner to sort out her brace whilst von Horrowitz drags herself up. Vampyra has to abandon her re-positioning of the knee brace when she sees MvH charging towards her with a discus forearm attempt… but the Huntress ducks beneath it and Dreamer bounces off the ropes chest-first, and Vampyra hits her with a deadlift German suplex!!
Michelle struggles up to her knees, and doesn't see Vampyra charging at her from behind…
Rod Sterling: "THE BITE!!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Vampyra adapts the move into a single knee strike to the back of the head!! Equally devastating!!"
Vampyra struggles to push von Horrowitz over onto her back, and hooks the leg.
ONE… TWO… THRE – NO!!
Rod Sterling: "MvH kicks out!! Vampyra can't believe it!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I think it's going to take one more killer blow!"
Rod Sterling: "Vampyra senses that, too! She points to the top turnbuckle!! Up she goes!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "But the progress is slow, Rod! Vampyra has taken more damage to that knee during this match-up, and climbing up those ropes looks like a difficult business for her…"
It does indeed seem to take an age for Vampyra to get up to the top, but eventually she manages it, and she steadies herself on the top rope. She takes a deep breath, and then flies through the air with her twisting frogsplash attempt…
Rod Sterling: "Knees up from Michelle von Horrowitz!! Vampyra crashes and burns on the Nightfall attempt!!"
The Huntress skids off Michelle and into the centre of the ring, but to their credit she does her best to stagger up. Only, she's facing the wrong way, allowing MvH to come from behind for a vicious chopblock!! To the injured knee!! Vampyra is doubled over, and Michelle turns her round and pulls her head into position between her legs. She hooks both arms and hoists Vampyra up…
Anzu Kurosawa: "TIGER DRIVER '98!!"
Rod Sterling: "Vampyra spiked onto the top of her head!! And now Michelle hooks the leg…"
ONE – NO!!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "VAMPYRA KICKS OUT!!"
Rod Sterling: "AT BARELY EVEN ONE!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Michelle is dumbfounded!! And Vampyra's portion of the crowd comes alive again!!"
Von Horrowitz watches on as the Dark Huntress slowly endeavors to rise again, but the going is difficult for her. She is slow, and by the time she turns to face MvH, the tag champion has already hit the ropes…
Rod Sterling: "BUSAIKU KNEE KICK!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Incredible resilience from Vampyra… but von Horrowitz taking control, now!"
And MvH's sections of the crowd win out, too, as Dreamer drags Vampyra up and puts her in pumphandle position. She hoists the Huntress up…
Rod Sterling: "PYSCHO DRIVER #2!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Gotta be it…"
ONE… TWO… THREE!
{RESULT}Winner: Michelle von Horrowitz at 16:51.
Michelle rolls off Vampyra, but doesn't get to her feet immediately. It's clear that the match has taken its toll on her, too, and she takes a few laboured breaths in a seated position before finally dragging herself up.
Katie-Lynn Goldsmith: "Here is your winner… Michelle…von… HORROWITZ!!"
Dreamer allows the official to lift her hand in victory, but snatches it away when she sees her tag team championship being offered to her from outside the ring. She takes the belt and climbs to the top rope, lifting it up to applause for the fans. Meanwhile, we see Vampyra roll under the bottom rope, the official checking on her and judging that she might need some help from the back with her knee…
Rod Sterling: "Vampyra's wheel looks in a bad way, with MvH adding her name to the list of people that have targeted it this month… but the outcome of this story is that Michelle von Horrowitz comes out with the two points."
Anzu Kurosawa: "That takes her record to 2-1, and moves her to second position in Group A behind the undefeated Alyster Black. The world champion faces Tommy Bedlam later tonight, who will hope to match Michelle's record by causing the upset in that main event."
Rod Sterling: "Vampyra, meanwhile, slumps to 0-3, but the record isn't indicative of this young woman's performances since her debut in the FWA. She's come up short against Tommy Bedlam, Alyster Black, and now Michelle von Horrowitz… and the FWA Television Championship we see being handed to her now is a clearer sign of Vampyra's bright future here in the FWA."
Anzu Kurosawa: "She'll none-the-less be disappointed with her winless record in the tournament, Rod. But she has one more chance to change that when she goes up against Gabrielle in the final week of the F1 pool stage."
We see that von Horrowitz has now climbed out of the ring and walks up the ramp with a smile on her face, pleased with the outcome of the night…
The coverage of Meltdown resumes, but we are not upon the island in the Danube where the rest of the show has been held. Instead, we find ourselves on a white-sand beach, the camera pointed towards the azure ocean. The waves gently break into foaming crescents that encroach upon where we, the viewer, are situated. All that we can hear is the gentle waves and a distant birdsong.
The footage cuts away from this idyllic setting for just a second, and those quick on the pause button would note quite a different scene depicted. Inside what seems like the basement of a nightclub or some similar venue, there's a crush against a steel barrier as the loud sounds of German metal is heard. This lasts only a moment, and then…
We are back on the beach, the camera slowly sweeping across the sand. We begin to notice footprints. We think nothing of this at first, until we realize that the imprints in the sand are coated with a thin layer of blood. The birdsong is now accompanied by distant heavy breathing.
Another splice of footage from the basement, where a man falls down onto his knees. The shot is in and out of focus. As the man slumps to the ground, the image is taken up by three turnbuckles in a column and the baying fans in the audience. We hear grunts of exertion, and then the smashing of glass.
On the beach, the sound of heavy breathing is a lot closer now, and the footprints are accompanied by large splatters of blood. We continue to sweep across the white sand, a metre above it, the pace of our movement slowing as the sound of breathing does alongside it.
The camera finally comes to rest on a Crown of Thorns, half-hidden in the sand.
And, next to it, a gold championship belt, a Black X on its plate.
The image fades out, and we see the text:
THE KING OF THE DEATHMATCH.
Saturday 25th March, 2023.
{WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE || BON JOVI}[MEDIA=youtube]8SiS9ZWaCLY:21[/MEDIA]
There’s a generally positive reaction from the fans in Budapest as Tommy Bedlam trots out from the back decked out in his cowboy hat, vest, denim blue jeans and cowboy boots. Bedlam is fired up as he throws his arms up to the crowd.
Katie-Lynn Goldsmith: "Ladies and gentlemen, the following Pool A contest is scheduled for one-fall, with a thirty minute time limit… introducing first, from Sweetwater, Texas... weighing in at two-hundred forty-four pounds... TTTTOOOOMMMMMYYYYYYY BBBBBBBEDDDDDLAM!"
Rod Sterling: "It’s main event time and this is a huge opportunity for Tommy Bedlam here tonight! Not only is this a crucial F1 match to keep pace with the win by MvH earlier tonight, but its a chance for Tommy to go toe to toe with the FWA World…”
Anzu Kurosawa: "And X!”
Rod Sterling: "Champion. That’s right, Anzu. I think it’s safe to say this is both the biggest match in Tommy’s career but should be his toughest!”
Anzu Kurosawa: "It was a tough F1 loss last time for Tommy against Gabrielle and what better way to bounce back than scoring a HUGE win over Blacky Dos Belts? I dunno Rod, I’m feeling a bit crazy tonight… I think… I think we could witness an upset!”
Tommy makes his way down the aisle, high fiving some of the fans along the way before he climbs up the ring steps to the apron, stepping through the middle ropes to enter the ring. He ascends the turnbuckles and waves his cowboy hat to the cheering crowd before hopping down, removing his vest and awaiting his opponent.
{SONNE || RAMMSTEIN}[MEDIA=youtube]YtEWoavDlcM[/MEDIA]
The crowd nearly blows its lid as the notes of Sonne hit the speakers, signaling the entrance of the FWA World and X Champion to the arena. Alyster Black slowly emerges from the entrance, wearing each of his championship belts around one of his shoulders. Black walks out and stands solemnly on the stage as the Budapest crowd is electric.
Katie-Lynn Goldsmith: "And introducing his opponent, from San Dimas, California... weighing in at two-hundred twenty pounds... he is the REIGNING FWA X Champion... AAANNND the reigning FWA WORLD CHAMPION... he is BLACK JESUS... he is BLACKY... DOS.. BELTS... this is... AAAAAALLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYSTER........ BLACK!"
Rod Sterling: "What a reaction for our champion! The fans all around the world, no matter where we go, all have come to love Alyster Black especially during his recent bitter feud with Danny Toner.”
Anzu Kurosawa: "I don’t think there’s a tougher man in this business, Rod, so who can blame the fans for loving this guy! And he just continues to rack up win after win! His rise to the top of FWA has been one for the ages…”
Rod Sterling: "And a win tonight would give him a stranglehold on the F1 Climaxxx Pool A standings… and remember, if he wins the whole thing, HE gets to name his opponent for Grand March!”
Anzu Kurosawa: "And I know I called for an upset… but realistically, I’m not sure there’s anyone who can stop this man right now!”
Rod Sterling: "Flip flopping on your prediction already, Anzu?”
Anzu Kurosawa: "No, no! Don’t get me wrong… anything can happen here in the FWA! And Tommy Bedlam is one tough SOB himself… so this should be a fun one!”
Alyster slowly walks down to the ring, climbing into the ring… keeping his eyes locked on Tommy Bedlam, who in turn is completely focused on the champion as he enters the ring. Alyster walks to the center of the ring and lifts up BOTH titles while continuing to stare Tommy down. Referee Richard Davis retrieves the belts from Alyster as the match prepares to get underway. The bell rings and both competitors walk to the center of the ring, going toe to toe. They exchange some words before Black seems to point to his face, perhaps daring Tommy to strike first. Bedlam looks up for the challenge tonight as he answers Black’s challenge by hitting a right hand to the champ! Black staggers back but gets back to a firm vertical base. He gives Bedlam a simple finger wag in response. A snarl crosses the cowboy’s face as he swings another right hand - but Aly blocks it and responds with a stiff knife edge chop across Bedlam’s exposed chest. Bedlam comes back with another blow… and another, while Black retaliates with some forearm shots. Back and forth they go, the crowd enjoying every minute of watching these two tear into each other to start the match.
Rod Sterling: “These are a couple guys who just love to fight! I think we’re going to be in for a real treat for this one!”
The two continue to exchange blows - Bedlam throwing punches and Black throwing forearms until the champ breaks the pattern by hitting a surprise headbutt to Bedlam that rocks the cowboy backwards! Black takes advantage as he runs in with a big rolling elbow strike that sends Bedlam backwards into the corner. Aly heads into the corner and continues on the attack, delivering a trio of knife edge chops to Bedlam’s check that send a chorus of “OOOOOs” through the crowd and leave big red hand prints right across the chest of Tommy Bedlam.
Anzu Kurosawa: “Ow! Look at those marks! I bet Tommy’s family back in Sweetwater, Texas felt those chops!”
But the chops seem to fire up Bedlam and he begins to fight his way out of the corner with some punches to create some separation before he reverses Alyster into the corner instead! He unloads with a flurry of right hands to Alyster before transitioning into some shoulder thrusts into Black’s midsection.
Tommy backs away from the cornered Black before charging back in for a clothesline, but Black moves out of the way! Bedlam collides with the turnbuckles before staggering backwards as Black surprises him with a leaping enziguri! Black staggers and falls over, falling through the middle ropes and down to the ringside floor! Tommy begins to pull himself back up on the outside… but Alyer runs to the opposite ropes and dives through the ropes…
ELBOW SUICIDA! It connects and the crowd roars in approval.
Anzu Kurosawa: "Alyster Black is not afraid to put his body on the line and he takes flight there!”
Rod Sterling: “And now outside the ring… things could get dangerous but this is not an X Rules match so both need to keep that in mind out there!”
Black goes to work on Bedlam on the outside of the ring, first stomping across the back of Bedlam’s head as it rests against the safety rails. He then pulls Bedlam up to his feet and goes to whip him towards the opposite rails, but Bedlam reverses it and sends Black crashing into the railing instead! Bedlam charges in with a running clothesline onto the railing and then shows off his size advantage over the champ as he lifts Black up onto his shoulders… runs with him and then drops him chest first across the railing on the other side of the ringside area!
Rod Sterling: “Outside the ring is usually Alyster’s domain… but Bedlam is no stranger either and he’s getting the upper hand on Black Dos Belts out there!”
Some fans at ringside actually start to give the usual fan favorite Bedlam some boos due to the overwhelming popularity of Black, and Bedlam exchanges some words with one fan at ringside in an Alyster Black mask, but this just allows Black to start to pull himself up on the outside… but Bedlam charges in at the champ…
SPEAR INTO THE SAFETY RAILING!
Those few scattered boos go away as the crowd responds with a roar of cheers, giving their appreciation for the spot as Tommy is slow to recover himself. Referee Richard Davis’s count was up to seven, so Tommy staggers over and rolls back in and out to reset the count before heading back over to Black. Bedlam grabs the recovering Black. He wears Black back down with a couple more right hands before lifting the champ up into his arms, carrying Black around the ringside area…and then hitting a POWERSLAM onto the floor!
Anzu Kurosawa: "A Powerslam onto the hard ringside floor! Tommy Bedlam has the champ in trouble!”
Rod Sterling: “Bedlam has taken firm control of this match now as he sends Alyster back into the ring.”
Rolling back into the ring after sending Black in through the bottom ropes, Bedlam made the cover.
One… Two… Kickout!
Tommy continues on the offensive, dropping a pair of elbows down across the back of Black before locking in a Camel Clutch submission! Richard Davis is there to check in on Black, who shakes his head definitely that he’s not giving up. Bedlam will eventually release the hold but as he does, he jumps up and brings all his weight down across Black’s back!
Bedlam grabs hold of Alyster’s mask to pull him back to his feet… and Black strikes with a forearm shot but Bedlam immediately comes back with a knee to the midsection to slow the champ back down. Irish Whip into the ropes… Black DUCKS a clothesline from Bedlam! Black bounces back off the opposite ropes and charges back in… but Bedlam catches him off the ropes.. SPINEBUSTER drills Black right into the center of the ring!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Spine on the pine! Bedlam is going for another pinfall attempt! We could have an upset here!”
ONE… TWO… THR… NO!
Tommy sits up on his knees, wiping away the sweat as Black clearly isn’t going down that easily. He gives Black a few stomps before pulling him back to his feet and trying to continue his impressive offensive outting as he sets up Black in the powerbomb position. He lifts him up… and Aly flips over Bedlam’s head, landing on his feet behind the cowboy! He comes in, hooks the arms of Bedlam..
DRAGON SUPLEX! Black bridges for the pin!
ONE… TWO… NO!
Bedlam rolls back to his feet but Black is up first and spins around with a rolling elbow to rock Bedlam! Tommy shakes it off and spins around and strikes with a discus lariat! Down goes Black once again!
Rod Sterling: “I thought Alyster Black had turned the tables on Tommy Bedlam but just like that, the cowboy slams the door shut back on Black!”
Tommy pulls Aly up by the mask once again, this time holding onto the mask to score with a swinging neckbreaker to take the champion back down to the mat! Bedlam rolls over and hooks the far leg for the pinfall.
ONE… TWO… THR- NO!
Despite another kickout, Bedlam is undeterred as he goes back on the attack. He brings Black back up to his feet and drives a knee back into his midsection again and he goes for the Rough Ride… but Black flips over and lands on his feet! Tommy turns around into a stiff HEADBUTT from Black. Tommy stumbles backwards but charges back in looking for a clothesline…
But Black ducks and lifts Tommy up onto his shoulders into a fireman’s carry and DROPS HIM WITH A DEATH VALLEY DRIVER!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Death Valley Driver out of almost nowhere by Alyster Black! What a difference maker and a way to change the momentum of the match!”
Rod Sterling: “It felt like a desperation move from Black as he is unable to immediately take advantage!”
Alyster Black is slow to recover but he does finally roll over and get the cover on Tommy.
ONE.. TWO.. SHOULDER UP!
Black begins to get to his feet but Tommy was stirring as well but Aly strikes with a kick to the midsection, hooking Bedlam for a DDT… but Bedlam drives some elbows into the side of Black and pushes him back into the corner, sandwiching Aly into the turnbuckles to counter the DDT.
Tommy backs up, shaking off the cobwebs before charging in looking to SPEAR Black in the turnbuckles… BUT BLACK DODGES IT! Tommy sails through the middle turnbuckles and his shoulder collides with the ring post!
Black stumbles over and pulls Tommy away from the ring post and pushes him back first into the corner. Black plays to the crowd, garnering support…
Anzu Kurosawa: "“Are you ready for this, Rod? It’s time for a… VIOLENCE PARTY!”
Black unleashes his flurry of corner combination attacks that eventually sends Bedlam down onto his butt in the corner of the ring and Black finishes it off with a running fasewash to the seated Bedlam!
Rod Sterling: “What a furious comeback by Alyster Black! And now Tommy is the one in a world of hurt in the corner!”
Bringing Tommy away from the corner, Black scores with a Russian Leg sweep to plant Bedlam back on the mat before Black looks to get aerial. He heads to the corner, climbing up to the top turnbuckle…
DIVING MOONSAULT TO BEDLAM!
But TOMMY GETS HIS KNEES UP!
Alyster rolls over onto the canvas, clutching his midsection as Bedlam slowly begins to pull himself up to try and take advantage. He grabs Black as he is trying to get to his feet..
SITOUT POWERBOMB with pinning attempt!
ONE… TWO… THREE - NO! Shoulder up by Alyster!
Some frustration begins to set in as Tommy punches the mat but he gets back to his feet and leans against the ropes, catching his breath while letting Black begin to pull himself up. Tommy begins to measure up Black before moving in for THE BUCKSHOT - but Black ducks! He hooks Tommy from behind and scores a release German Suplex!
Rod Sterling: “Tommy keeps throwing everything he can at the champ but Alyser Black just takes it and battles back!”
Black drops to a knee and is slow to go back on the offensive, but he does get to Bedlam as he’s trying to pull himself up. Black pulls back on Tommy’s head and brings him down to the mat with the Saka Otoshi and transitions it into the Bulldog Choke submission!
Rod Sterling: “He’s got the Bulldog Choke locked in! This might be it!”
Anzu Kurosawa: “It was a valiant effort by Bedlam but it looks like he’ll be coming up just short on Alyster Bla…wait no, look at the strength of Bedlam! He’s going for the ropes!”
Tommy pulls himself up onto his forearms, using his power to muscle his way over to the ropes… and inch by inch while Black yanks back more on the neck, trying to apply more pressure… but Tommy finally reaches out and is able to grab the bottom rope! Richard Davis is there to break up the hold, warning Black with a five count as Black releases.
But once releasing the hold, Black runs to the ropes and as Tommy is getting up to his knees at the ropes, Black hits a running forearm smash to Bedlam. He then pulls Tommy up by his ahir and hooks him by the head…
SATAN’S SPIKE…
NO! Tommy fights free and turns the tables on Alyster and locks Black’s arms into a double underhook…
THE BULLSEYE…
NO! Black fights free with a series of forearms to Tommy’s midsection! Tommy staggers backwards…
ONE SHOT KILL OUT OF NOWHERE!
BUT TOMMY DUCKS IT AS WELL!
Tommy comes back with the BUCKSHOT superkick to respond!
BUT BLACK DUCKS IT!
ONE SHOT KILL!
This time… IT CONNECTS!
Bedlam drops to the mat as Alyster immediately drops down and hooks Bedlam’s far leg..
ONE.. TWO… THREE!
{RESULT}Winner: Alyster Black at 16:32.
Alyster Black sits up, breathing heavily as he assesses the fallen Tommy Bedlam, who himself begins to stir. Alyster climbs up to his feet and throws his arms up in the air to a big reaction from the supportive crowd.
Katie-Lynn Goldsmith: "Here is your winner… Alyster… BLACK!”
Rod Sterling:“What a closing exchange between these two and what way to close out Meltdown tonight!”/color]
Anzu Kurosawa: “Tommy Bedlam put it all on the table tonight and was so close on multiple occasions of pulling off an upset over our FWA World and X Champion… but Alyster Black continues to be on one of the most remarkable runs we’ve ever seen here in FWA!”
Rod Sterling: “We can take a look at the updated standings but with this win tonight… we can guarantee that we will be seeing Alyster Black in a semifinal showdown on Fight Night!”
Rod Sterling: “But before we can get to Fight Night… Alyster Black has something even bigger on his plate… he has a date with Devin Golden with that FWA World Championship AND Golden’s career ON THE LINE!”
Anzu Kurosawa: "But for tonight at least, Alyster Black can celebrate. The double-champion is through to the final four!"
Alyster Black holds up both championships – the FWA World Championship and FWA X Championship – shining under the lights of the venue and the subject of hundreds of cell phone cameras snapping pictures.
Then, there’s a crackling sound, like a TV cable not connected correctly.
“ZOOOOOOOMBIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE”
{ZOMBIE || THE CRANBERRIES}[MEDIA=youtube]6Ejga4kJUts[/MEDIA]
“Zombie” by The Cranberries grabs the entire audience’s attention away from our dual champion in the ring to the stage. Aly Dos Belts also darts his neck and eyes 45 degrees to the right to look at the entrance.
The expected figure slowly emerges from the black of the backstage to the light of the arena. “The Rotten Gold” Devin Golden offers a trademark slow strut with each step dramatic and lengthy, like a member of a marching band high-stepping, but much slower.
Golden has a black top hat, a handlebar mustache, a 5 o’clock shadow, a black T-shirt with a black tie around his neck, and a walking cane he does not need gripped in his right hand.
Rod Sterling: “Here we goooo. It’s ‘The Rotten Gold’ and the next challenger to Alyster’s World Championship."
Anzu Kurosawa: “I’ve been waiting for this all night! You can’t have an Alyster Black celebration ending without Golden coming to ruin it! He always brings the fireworks, whether you love or hate him."
Golden stops at the top of the stage this time, waiting for his music to end. The crowd begins trading off with “ALY-STEEER! ALY-STEEEER!” and “GOOOOO-LDEN! GOOOOO-LDEN” chants.
Golden has a microphone ready as he plants the walking cane into the metal floor of the stage.
“The Rotten Gold” Devin Golden: “Aaaaaaalyster BbbbbLACK! Ha-HAAAAAAAAH!"
The crowd cheers as Golden smiles widely.
“The Rotten Gold” Devin Golden: “I’d be rude … if I did noooooot … begin with a thank you. Thank yoooooou … for accepting my chaaaaallenge. I am … thrilled … that we’ll dance … one more tiiiiiiime."
Golden twirls the cane in his right hand as he struts atop the stage.
“The Rotten Gold” Devin Golden: “But I have … oooooooone … ameeeeendum … for you."
Golden smirks as he turns and looks towards the ring at Alyster.
“The Rotten Gold” Devin Golden: “There is … a match … of loooooore … in the hiiiiiistory … of the FWA. And there is another match … of loooooore … in the hiiiiiistory … of … me … siempre.
A steel cage … many feet high … but that’s not all. Atop that caaaaage … a second one … many feet high … and atop THAT cage … a third one. And hanging … above that thiiiiird cage … the prize."
The crowd begins buzzing.
“The Rotten Gold” Devin Golden: “The infamous … triple cage match … has only happened two other tiiiiiimes. Jillian de Silva … won the first … and Shane McLean … won the second. It has been nearly a decade, but Alyster, I can think of no better time to bring it back … than my last dance with you.
But … it would not be fitting … for us … to not implement the other match."
A pause.
“The Rotten Gold” Devin Golden: “Theeeeere’s … a scar over your heart … Alyster … a scar that I gave you … with a shard of glass. Shaaaaaards … of glass … have symbolized me … siempre … at times. So … you, Alyster Blaaaack … will face this past … and this embodiment … of Devin Golden … one more time.
We will taaaaaape up our hands … and dip … our hands … in a bucket of glue."
The crowd’s volume rises as some fans catch on.
Rod Sterling: “Oh no…"
“The Rotten Gold” Devin Golden: “And in that bucket of glue … will be … huuuuuuundreds … of glass shards…"
Anzu Kurosawa: “OH YES!"
“The Rotten Gold” Devin Golden: “And then … we will punch one another … with FIIIIIISTS … COOOOOOVERED … in GLAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSS!!!"
The crowd is aghast at the suggestion.
“The Rotten Gold” Devin Golden: “A taipei … death … triple … caaaaaaaage … match.
Let’s call it … Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinter … Waaaaaaaaaaaastelaaaaaaaaaaaand.
And let it be knoooooooown … there is no … cooooooming … baaaaaaack … from this."
Golden lowers the microphone as Alyster Black raises both the FWA World Championship and FWA X Championship belts in the air. The crowd cannot believe what has been proposed, and neither can Rod Sterling nor Anzu Kurosawa, although they have a dichotomy of reactions from petrified to thrilled.
The scene ends with Golden holding up his walking cane – the one he does not need – pointed to the heavens and smiling at Alyster Black, who holds his double-title pose.
“HA-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” |
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Post by supinesnake on May 28, 2024 18:50:34 GMT
 024: “SEA LEVEL SADISM.”
Live from Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade, Serbia.
Saturday 24th December, 2022.
The show opens with Shawn Summers pacing back and forth in his locker room. His arms are folded, and he looks as though he is in deep thought as he walks forward for a bit before turning on his heels and marching in the opposite direction. He repeats until stoping and points at the camera. His eyes are narrow, and his face is scrunched with a sly snarl.
Shawn Summers: "No one ever cares about Shawn Summers and his motives until the bat starts swinging. That's always been funny to me. No one gave a damn about me signing with the FWA until I smacked a bat against that massive cranium of Mike Parr. Then, well, everyone wanted to know why. Everyone wanted to know my motives. How could I be so cruel and mean to a guy that was one of the most hated figures in all professional wrestling? As if he hadn't deserved it."
He laughs to himself before beginning to pace back and forth again. He looks disheveled, almost as if he's preoccupied with something else that is fighting for his attention. He eventually stops and returns to his thought.
Shawn Summers: "The only time you want to know about me is when I'm doing some of the vilest shit this industry has ever seen. That says a lot about you, sadists. Doesn't it? It also says a lot about your intelligence, seeing how you can't figure out why I would attack Phillip and Vampyra. Are you all that dumb? Are you that stupid that it isn't clear to you? The reason I went to the ring and swung that bat like I was playing in a Wild Card game, there were two outs, and I was the last at-bat, was beca-"
As he attempts to complete his thought, there is a knock at the door and a low murmur from a production assistant informing him that his match is next. Shawn looked annoyed with the interruption, but his annoyance quickly turned to a smirk of satisfaction.
Shawn Summers: "Another time, I guess."
Shawn says with a wink at the camera as he exits, and the scene fades to black.
We see a beautiful shot of the Rajko Mitic Stadium, and then we get a good look at the fans in attendance for this sold out event. Many signs on hand for various superstars and personalities, and the usual “Allen Price sucks” sign has made its way here. Speaking of Allen, the camera pans over to the commentary table at ringside where we join Allen and Jean-Luc. Watkins is dressed professionally in a nice suit while Price is wearing a suit as well, but an elf hat to celebrate the holiday even though it clashes with his suit.
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Good evening wrestling fans and welcome to this Christmas Eve edition of Fallout 024 as we come to you live from Belgrade, Serbia in the Rajko Mitic Stadium!”
Allen Price: ”Merry Christmas Jean-Luc!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”It’s not Christmas yet, Price.”
Allen Price: ”It’s close enough, don’t be such a grinch!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”I prefer Scrooge, anyway, moving on, we have a big show in store for you tonight wrestling fans and it’s all topped off with that blockbuster main event, the Mile High Massacre match!”
Allen Price: ”That’s right Jean-Luc, and much like the name of the match suggests, it will be a massacre for all involved! I don’t see anyone having much of a merry Christmas after going through that match!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”First though, we’re kicking things off with what should be a hard-hitting singles match between The Wildcard and Der Basterd, take it away Natalie!”
The camera pans to the inside of the ring where Natalie Rosenberg is standing by wearing a festive dress fitting for the time of the year…
Natalie Rosenberg: ”Tonight’s opening contest is scheduled for one fall with a 20-minute-time-limit!”
[MEDIA=youtube]r2GEb4MrkvU[/MEDIA]
A few seconds after the song plays and the opening lyrics ring out, The Wildcard emerges from behind the curtain. The Serbian fans give him a mixed greeting but Randall isn’t concerned with that as he’s more focused on heading down to the ring.
Natalie Rosenberg: ”Introducing first, from San Diego, California and weighing in at 234 lb…he is The Wildcard…Jason Randaaalll!”
Randall is quick to enter the ring and he tosses aside his entrance vest and paces around the ring…
[MEDIA=youtube]lBakG7KtVZE[/MEDIA]
Natalie Rosenberg: ”And his opponent, from Laguna Beach, California and weighing in 225 lb…he is Der Basterd…Shaaaaaawn Suuummmers!”
Shawn slowly rises through the stage with his head down and eyes closed. The lights strobe between white and red to the drums of the song as fog rises underneath him. Shawn tilts his head up, his face void of emotion as the camera pans around him. He stands in place taking in the moment until the chorus of "Cola" kicks in. He begins to make his way down the ramp mouthing the words to the song, ignoring the hands and verbal assault from the fans as he does. Halfway down the ramp, he takes a visual survey of the arena before slowly walking up the ring steps and slowly ascending the turnbuckle. His eyes closed his head tilted high - he's fully taking in the moment before hopping down into the ring. Shawn makes his way to his corner and crouches down as he awaits the signal of the bell from the referee.
Allen Price: ”We’ve seen a shift in attitude from The Wildcard that has not gone over well with most fans, but judging by the reaction for his opponent, he seems like the lesser of two evils.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Judging by both of their facial expressions, I don’t think either man cares one way or another, Price.DING! DING! DING! Right out of the gate and Randall charges toward Summers and he has Summers back in the corner as he pummels him with hard-hitting forearm strikes! Randall is showing no mercy as he lays into Summers, but Shawn manages to block a strike and trades places with Randall. Now, Randall is in the corner and Shawn is laying it in thick on Randall with his combination of strikes until Randall is slumped down in a prone position… BEES KNEES! Charging knee strike to Randall and Summers isn’t finished just yet as he hits another set of Bees Knees on Randall! Summers drags Randall’s carcass out of the corner and he mounts him and unloads on him with more punches… Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Shawn Summers with Blitzkrieg on The Wildcard and it looks like Randall is already busted open as blood is pouring from his nose!”Allen Price: ”I think it came from the Bees Knees, which struck Randall in the face on the second go around when Summers usually aims for the chest, but these punches certainly are not helping!”Summers is forced off of Randall and he postures some for the booing fans while Randall is tended to by referee Richard Davis, but The Wildcard brushes off the referee and just as Summers turns around he’s tripped up by Randall with a double leg takedown and it’s Randall turn to deliver wildly thrown punches to Summers, even going as far as busting Shawn’s upper lip and Summers’ lip is leaking as he does his best to block the strikes… Summers blocks a punch and takes Randall by the arm and slowly transitions into a cross armbreaker submission! Summers cranks back on the hold and for good measure he kicks at Randall’s face, busting open his upper lip as Randall is able to get a hold of the ropes… Randall is on his side near the ropes and he spits out blood and wipes some of it away from his nose. Summers meanders over to Randall and helps him up and he locks in a rear waistlock, but Randall throws back a few elbows that send more blood flying from Shawn’s bloody lip. Randal turns the tables on Summers as he takes him by the wrist and levels Summers with a ripcord lariat! He keeps a tight grip around the wrist as he brings Summers back to his feet and this time strikes with a ripcord knee! Randall then takes Summers up and drops him down with a twisting suplex! Randall isn’t through yet though as he takes Summers up once more and this time drops him with a saito suplex! This time Randall drops down for the lateral press while hooking the far leg… One…two…NO! Summers rolls over on his side and tries to escape to the apron, but Randall prevents him from doing so with some well-placed stomps. Randall drags Summers up and sends him off to the ropes, but Summers hangs on and he flips an incoming Randall overhead where Randall gingerly lands on the apron. Randall clubs Summers in the back of the head, and he tries to lift him up with a suplex to the outside but Summers doesn’t budge and turns the tables on Randall with a suplex that brings The Wildcard back inside the ring! Randall winces as his spine meets the mat and Summers delivers some vicious looking stomps for good measure on Randall. The Wildcard is crawling on all fours now but Summers drives a boot straight to the gut! Randall coughs up some blood on the mat from the kick and he’s taking his time getting up on his feet but just as he’s up…LIGHTS OUT! Springboard knee strike from Summers and Shawn drops down for the pin… One…two…THREE-NO! Summers drags Randall near the ropes and drapes his legs over the first rope before dropping down on Randall’s legs with a seated senton! Summers then drags Randall away from the ropes and he’s looking for Charlotte’s Web, his signature figure four leg lock, but Randall has the wherewithal to kick him away and Shawn stumbles forward toward the corner where he stops himself from crashing sternum first into the corner. Randall limps his way up and wipes away some more blood from his nose, and he charges toward Summers but Shawn catches him with a spinning back fist! Summers places the stunned Randall in the corner and mounts him with corner punches but the crowd refuses to count along with Summers. Shawn is holding nothing back with these punches, but eventually Randall manages to block a punch and he rakes Shawn’s eyes and with Shawn temporarily blinded, Randall gets Shawn in position for what looks like a powerbomb as he slowly walks out of the corner with Shawn in his grasp…powerbomb lungblower! Shawn crumbles to the mat and Randall falls back and lays on his back for a second to catch his breath and shake off any lasting effects from the mounted corner punches before he jumps on top of Shawn for the pin… One…two…THREE-NO! Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Randall took one second too long to make that cover and Shawn remains in this fight.”Randall stays on top of Summers and attempts to apply the bulldog choke on Summers, but Shawn won’t allow Randall to get it properly locked in and he flips Randall off of him. Randall rolls away, shakes that off, and looks for the Kill-Shot knee trembler but Summers catches Randall by the boot and locks in an ankle lock! Summer expertly grape vines around Randall’s leg to add extra pressure, and Randall looks like he’s in trouble now as he’s fighting back the urge to quit and trying to reach out to grab the first rope… Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Shawn is so deadly with that ankle lock, he has nearly ended careers with it!”Allen Price: ”Randall is in a bad spot right now but I don’t see him giving up so easy!”Randall is trying to reach out for that rope while still fighting back the urge to submit. He’s gritting his teeth and with all that he could muster he inches himself closer and closer to the rope until he’s barely able to grab the rope to break the hold! Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Randall saved himself but I think the damage is done on his ankle.”Summers reluctantly relinquishes the hold but he chooses to target that same leg with more well-placed stomps that cause The Wildcard to roar out in pain. Randall is clinging onto the ropes, trying to bring himself back up, and Summers sneaks up behind him with a rear waist lock but Randall spins around and drills Shawn with a roaring elbow smash! More blood flies out from that elbow smash out of Shawn’s mouth, and Randall takes Summers by the wrist and drills him with a ripcord bitch-slap! Allen Price: ”Randall slapped the taste out of his mouth with that!”Randall unloads on Summers with more forearm smashes and Summers is reeling back into the corner. Randall takes his time as he sizes up Shawn and charges forward with a clothesline in the corner, but Shawn moves out of the way and Randall hits the corner hard sternum first! Summers doesn’t miss a beat as Randall stumbles into him…WIPE OUT! Overhead belly-to-belly suplex! Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Randall took too much time again and it cost him…Summers is sizing him up now…”MIDSOMMAR! Shawn drops down for the pin… One…two…THREE! Winner: Shawn Summers at 14:02 Natalie Rosenberg: ”The winner of the match, Shawn Summers!”As Shawn Summers stands up, we hear the fans begin to cheer. The Bastard of FWA smiles, expecting the reaction to be for him, but instead zooms out to see, sliding into the ring, the FWA Television Champion, Vampyra with a kendo stick in hand, championship around her waist! Jean-Luc Watkins: “Vamprya’s rushing the ring! Payback is on her mind!”One second too late, Shawn Summers turns around and is met with the weapon to his ribs from the masked champion! Allen Price: “And the crack of the kendo stick!”Vampyra unloads with a second shot of the kendo stick to the back of the man who attacked her and Phillip A. Jackson after their championship match! The fans are behind her, rabid at the thought of Summers getting some karma. Vampyra swings for a third time, hitting Der Bastard in the leg, but that is all she gets as Shawn Summers rolls out of the ring to avoid a similar fate as Vampyra. The fans jeer in response. Allen Price: “And Shawn Summers slithers his way out of the ring, Vampyra not quite getting her revenge yet.”Jean-Luc Watkins: “Hey, two wrongs don’t make a right, Price. You still shouldn’t attack someone after a match like that.”Allen Price: “Sometimes you need to do unto others what they do to you, especially in the case of Shawn Summers.”Vampyra, with her knee still in a brace, is unable to pursue Summers as he heads up the ramp. Holding his ribs which have a red mark on them from the kendo stick, blood still on his face, the blonde haired inaugural Television Champion shouts obscenities at the current champion. Putting the kendo stick over her shoulder, Vampyra shouts in the direction of Shawn. Watching this unfold, we forget the man who just faced Shawn Summers, Jason Randall. He keeps out of the business of the champion and her new rival, but his glance goes towards something else. Vampyra looks behind her and the Wildcard gets her attention. Jean-Luc Watkins: ”And now Vampyra and Wildcard are being formally introduced for each other.”Not a word is said between the two. Jason Randall’s glance goes down to the FWA Television Championship around the waist of Vampyra. He has a subtle smirk on his face under the crimson from the fight before he lightly taps the center plate with his hand. The FWA Television Champion takes a step forward, looking up at now another potential future challenger to her newly won championship. Allen Price: ”And now Vampyra’s getting her first lesson as champion in FWA, be careful of all contenders.Jason Randall rolls out of the ring with a limp, making a small statement with the new champion. The FWA Television Champion’s music plays through the speakers as she glances back and forth between an angry Shawn Summers on the stage and the wiley Wildcard, Jason Randall at ringside. Jean-Luc Watkins: ”With the new champion, Shawn Summers getting under her skin in an attempt to get back the title he believes he was screwed out of, Jason Randall now showing interest, the FWA Television Championship scene is becoming more intriguing.Allen Price: ”And that doesn’t even include the former champion, Phillip A. Jackson and if he wants to reclaim his title he lost so soon after winning it. Ladies and gentlemen, we will cut to break before more Fallout comes to you.”Cut to the backstage area where we see Jeremy Best exiting the locker room and waiting outside of the door is Big Bryan Baxter in a Santa Claus outfit, beard and all. Jeremy looks unamused while Bryan puts his hands on his belly and leans back. Bryan Baxter: “Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas Jeremy!”Jeremy tries to stop Bryan but Bryan speaks up again before Jeremy can retort. Bryan Baxter: ”I made a list and checked it twice, and I see that you’ve been a very good boy this year, Jeremy!”Jeremy tries to speak up again but Bryan cuts him off. Bryan Baxter: ”I bet you’d like something special for Christmas, right? Like what about tickets to Sesame Street on Ice? Or would you like some money? Hey, what about a title shot at the North American Championship? Yeah, I think that’s the best gift idea yet for you!”Jeremy Best: ”Bryan, enough!”Bryan Baxter: ”Who is Bryan? I’m your old pal Santa Claus! Ho! Ho! Ho!”Jeremy Best: ”No, your Bryan Baxter, now take that ridiculous outfit off right now!”Although his face is covered by the fake beard, Bryan frowns at Jeremy. Bryan Baxter: ”Jeremy, listen man, I’m sorry. I just wanted to try to cheer you up, that’s all. Hey, would a title shot help?”Jeremy Best: ”No, I don’t want a title shot or any of those gifts, but if you’re handing out title shots all willy-nilly, and you really want to give me a gift, then why don’t give Lizzie Rose a rematch.”Before Bryan can respond, Jeremy walks off in the opposite direction down the hall. “SANTA?!”Jackson Fenix begins to walk up as Bryan angrily rips off the beard and throws it on the ground before storming off down the hall. Jackson Fenix: ”Hey, that wasn’t Santa!”Nate Savage shakes his head at his friend and sighs. Nate Savage: ”I told you that wasn’t him! Come on, we have a match to get ready for!”Nate leaves Jackson alone and Jackson is about to leave but he picks up the beard, and he looks at it before scurrying off with the beard to catch up with Nate. [MEDIA=youtube]jausD8qsnKU[/MEDIA] Returning to Fallout, the fans let their disdain become known for the living caricature that is Ratin Mikichin, who is once again wearing his candy cane mankini and shows little sign of being bothered by the cold. What his attire does show signs of is not being washed. Natalie Rosenberg: “The following contest is a tag team match scheduled for one fall, with a ten minute time limit! Introducing first, Ratin Mikichin!”Jean-Luc Watkins: "Well, we have some tag team action up next, which will likely not serve as any sort of prelude for tonight’s main event, where the FWA World Tag Team Championships will be on the line in Mile High Massacre. I think I might actually keep the headset on for this one, Price, despite the match featuring this..."Allen Price: "That is Ratin Mikichin… who I must have to remind you is on a two-match winning run! He beat Steve the Techno Vampire on Fallout 022 and shared a victory with Steve in a Triple Threat match on Fallout 023."Ratin does his raising the roof dance move as he reaches the bottom of the ramp and he pulls himself onto a knee on the ring apron before he ducks in between the middle and bottom rope to enter the ring. [MEDIA=youtube]0ydRhwnwk-s[/MEDIA] The reception for Ratin’s partner was more positive than that for himself, and this caused the Kazakh to bristle in the ring and he watched on as Steve the Techno Vampire emerged from the back with his cape wrapped tightly around his body. Steve showed off his fangs whilst bopping down the ramp towards the ring. Natalie Rosenberg: “His tag team partner… Steve the Techno Vampire!”Allen Price: "Just listen to this reception for Steve the Techno Vampire! He’s definitely beginning to form a connection with the crowd, especially with the fans here on Fallout. Wasn’t Dracula from Serbia or somewhere around here?"Jean-Luc Watkins: "Where on Earth did you get that from?"Steve rolls under the bottom rope and then springs to his feet in the ring and stretches his arms out, opening his cape to reveal himself underneath. Fake bats drop to the mat, and Ratin is forced to push past Steve’s cape to get himself visible on screen once again. Jean-Luc Watkins: "We know that these two are going to be teaming up tonight, but we have no idea who it is going to be against…"[MEDIA=youtube]mgn5roohu-g[/MEDIA] There’s a hush as the unfamiliar song plays whilst the arena is plunged into darkness as the song starts off slowly… “Oh she may be weary
Them young girls they do get wearied
Wearing that same old miniskirt dress
But when she gets weary
You try a little tenderness
I know shes waiting
Just anticipating
The thing that you'll never never never NEVER possess
But while she there waiting
Try just a little bit of tenderness
That's all you got to do
Now it might be a little bit sentimental no
But she has her greavs and care
But the soft words they are spoke so gentle
And it makes it easier EASIER to bear
Oh she wont regret it
Them young girls they don't forget it
Love is their whole happiness
But its all so easy
All you got to do is try
TRY A LITTLE TENDERNESS!”The music kicks off in earnest and two spotlights shine down onto the stage, and the crowd ROARS when they see the two men occupying both of the spotlights. Jean-Luc Watkins: "What?! How?!"The man on the left has something slung over his shoulder in his right hand and his left holds a golden briefcase in his left hand. The man on the right has two championship belts slung over both of his shoulders, his face obscured by a black and green mask. Jean-Luc Watkins: "CHRIS PEACOCK AND ALYSTER BLACK?!"Allen Price: "I don’t understand…"Peacock and Black approach each other at the top of the ramp and offer each other a nod before the lights return to normal and the FWA World and X Champion leads the way with the Golden Opportunity holder a couple of paces behind them. The two of them do everything they can to get the crowd going, and with the lights on it can be seen that they have even co-ordinated their gear, with Peacock’s trousers being black and green to match Black’s mask. Natalie Rosenberg: “Their opponents… the holder of the Golden Opportunity briefcase CHRIS PEACOCK and the FWA World and X Champion… ‘BLACK JESUS’ ALYSTERRRRRRRR BLAAAAAACCKKKK!!”Jean-Luc Watkins: "I’m honestly stunned by this, Price. We’d heard rumblings that these two have formed some sort of bond based on mutual respect in the last few weeks but is the FWA World Champion really teaming up with a man who can cash in an opportunity at one of his championships at a moment’s notice. I know Peacock punched you in the face on last Fallout, but this must really sting, Price."Allen Price: "I know Chris has been struggling in the F1 Climaxxx but he’s teaming up with someone who he should be fighting…"Peacock and Black deposit their belongings on the ring apron after posing with them for a moment in the ring, with both of their opponents being stunned by who they have to face. Ratin shoos Steve off onto the apron and after a quick discussion, Peacock and Black decide that it will be ‘Disco’s Last Warrior’ starting things off for their brand new team. As soon as the bell rings, the crowd let themselves be heard with loud chants in support of Peacock and Black. Peacock circles the ring with Ratin, who seems to want to show off some familiarity with Peacock and the Kazakh even extends a hand to Peacock… AND PEACOCK RESPONDS BY SLAPPING THE TASTE OUT OF HIS MOUTH WITH A PIMP SLAP!! Mikichin recoils towards the corner and Peacock follows him in, nailing him with a punch to the head that dizzies his opponent. Peacock climbs up onto the second rope and holds his fist into the air before bringing it down onto Ratin’s head nine times and instead of the tenth punch, he bites down onto Ratin’s forehead! Peacock quickly stops though and splutters, spitting out of the ring in disgust due to the terrible hygiene of his opponent likely causing a vile taste in his mouth. This is enough for Peacock to want to tag out and he grabs Ratin by the hair and drags him towards Black and holds his hand out, with Alyster then tagging himself in. The dual champion gets a monstrous roar from the crowd as he enters the ring and he delivers a gut-busting punch to Ratin as Peacock holds him in place, before Peacock evacuates himself from the ring. Jean-Luc Watkins: "Let’s not pretend that the level of opponent is going to cause these two any sort of trouble in a competitive environment, but they have clearly thought about this and seem to be on the same page. Black doesn’t want much to do with Mikichin - and I don’t blame him, actually - and he motions that he wants a piece of the techno vampire!"Black does offer Ratin a chance to tag out of the match and the cowardly mankini enthusiast takes him up on the offer and allows Steve to tag himself in, to a mild pop from the fans. Black and Steve the Techno Vampire then lock up in the middle of the ring, and Black easily overpowers Steve, slamming him face first into the mat. With Steve down on his face, Black approaches him from the side and brings both of his arms backwards and places his boot on the back of Steve’s head… AND CURBSTOMPS HIM INTO THE MAT! Steve checks that his fangs are still there as he writhes on the mat in pain and Black flips him over onto his back and goes for a pin… ONE… TWO… THRE-NO!!! The pin was broken up by Ratin Mikichin! The stomp to the back of Black’s head was enough to break the count, but it did not cause any significant harm to the FWA World Champion. Instead, Ratin drew Black’s ire and is frozen in place as Alyster stands before him, and he knocks him backwards with a Headbutt directly to the face, sending him into the corner… AND BLACK BEGINS TO HAVE A VIOLENCE PARTY!! The life slowly begins to drain from Ratin as he is peppered with strikes from the best striker in the company; Black repeatedly hitting him being the only reason he has not fallen down. Allen Price: "This is barbaric…"There is a small pause in the mauling as Black motions for Peacock to emerge from the corner and as Peacock comes through the ropes, Black sends Ratin across the ring with an Irish Whip… AND PEACOCK CUTS HIM IN HALF WITH A SPEAR!! Ratin rolls under the bottom rope onto the apron and Peacock and black bump fists as Chris returns to the corner. Black then approaches him and tags Peacock back into the match and Peacock lines Steve up, who was just picking himself up… PEACOCK CRACKS STEVE IN THE FACE WITH THE STRUT!! Peacock hooks the leg… ONE… TWO… THREE!!! Winners: Alyster Black and Chris Peacock via pin fall at 3:27 The fans rise to their feet to celebrate the convincing victory by the debuting team, and Peacock is joined by Black in the ring, who puts a hand on his shoulder before the duo bump fists once again and have their arms raised. Natalie Rosenberg: “Here are your winners… ALYSTER BLACK and CHRIS PEACOCK!!”Jean-Luc Watkins: "I do not think that anyone was expecting to see these two teaming up tonight on Fallout, but stranger things have happened, I guess! Peacock and Black had the cohesiveness and talent that their opponents did not, and the outcome was a very convincing victory for a team which I regrettably admit has the potential to make some serious waves in the tag team division."Allen Price: "I still do not understand why Chris Peacock is doing this… his focus should be on that right there on Alyster Black’s shoulder, the FWA World Championship… this is not what he should be doing right now."Jean-Luc Watkins: "It looks like he’s enjoying himself though, Price. Perhaps your advice has been holding him back on account of you not knowing anything about the wrestling business."Allen Price: "Chris… come on… let’s talk!"The desperate plea from Price came as Peacock’s gaze momentarily drifted towards him, but Allen’s attempt at reconciliation was promptly ignored by his now former client. Peacock regroups with Black in the ring and they collect their things before leaving the ring, showing some appreciation for the fans in attendance. As we return from a commercial break, we find ourselves in a dimly lit room, with the sole light revealing an FWA backdrop and a single stool. Sat on the stool, a young woman that looks to be in her early twenties. Her attire consists of a white Popeye’s Looney Tunes t-shirt, an unbuttoned grey and black plaid shirt that looks to be 3 sizes too big, ripped black skinny jeans and a dirty pair of white Chuck Taylors. The young woman has a nervous expression plastered on her face as a male-sounding voice coming from off camera can be heard. ???: “Alright Trixie, we’re gonna turn the TV on now and you’re gonna read what it says, alright?”With a shaky voice, the girl seemingly named Trixie responds. Trixie: “Uh, o-okay….”???: “Good. Any questions before we start?”Trixie: “Uh, y-yeah… c-can I go to the bat-”???: “Okay great! She’s ready! We’re switching the teleprompter on now!” A different, female voice, interrupts. Trixie:“W-what’s a telepropter?” Trixie asks, but is completely ignored as the female that’s seemingly directing traffic continues barking instructions. ???:“Right, lighting’s good! We look good to go! Okay, ready Trix? We go in 5, 4…”Trixie: “I really need to go pee,” Trixie states in a panicked voice, bouncing a little on her stool as the count continues. ???: “3, 2…”Trixie: “I really don’t wanna do this...” Trixie pleads, but to no avail. ???: “1…”Trixie: “Bret please, I don’t wanna-”Trixie says with a desperate tone in her voice, before she is interrupted with… ???: “ACTION!”Trixie, startled by the excessively loud and sudden shouting of the word “action”, quickly jumps out of her seat and lands in an extremely overexaggerated fighting stance, with her legs spread wide and her hands looking ready to deliver a barrage of karate chops. After a couple of moments of near silence, with the only thing audible being Trixie’s rapid breathing, the female voice off camera chirps up. ???: “Uh, Trixie…what are you doing?”The male voice heard previously responds. ???: “She gets jumpy when in wrestling settings ever since we were jumped by some prick-ass Canadians, who tried drowning her in the pool in Club La Vela in Florida,” There is a tinge of rage in his voice that quickly dissipates as he continues, ???: “Just gimmie a sec….”Walking into view of the camera for the first time, we are greeted with the sight of an athletic looking man in his mid-to-late twenties, who’s face shares similarities with that of Trixie. The man walks over and gently lowers the still battle-ready Trixie’s hands with his own. He speaks in a soft, warm voice. ???: “Alright, Trix, calm down. No one’s coming after you, you’re safe. Just take a deep breath, and relax…”Doing as she’s told, Trixie takes in a deep breath and exhales shakily. ???: “And again.”And once more she takes a deep breath and exhales, this time a little less shaky. The man speaks again, with a warm smile on his face as Trixie responds with a simple nod, before he continues. ???: “Good, better now? No one’s gonna dare try to hurt you, okay? Because if they did, I’d beat the fucking life out of them. You’re completely safe, alright?”Again, Trixie nods, before taking one more deep breath to calm herself down. Having successfully calmed the on-edge trixie down, the man asks, ???: “Alright, you ready to do this thing?”Trixie, although having calmed her fighting instincts, immediately shows a little of the nerves she had previous to being startled. Trixie: “D-do I have to?” The man responds bluntly. ???: “Well, the FWA want you to do a video showcasing who you are as a person. If you don’t do this video, they probably won’t wanna work with you, so, if you wanna make some money, then yes, you have to do this. So, ready to give it a shot?”After a moment of thinking it over, Trixie nods in agreement, and after a gesture to sit from her consoler, Trixie plants herself back on the stool and looks towards the camera. ???: “Alright, remember, just read what’s on the teleprompter, okay?”The man removes himself from the view of the camera. Trixie: “Uh, Bret…what’s a ‘telepropter’?”Bret: “It's the TV looking thing, Trix. Words will appear on the TV, and it’s your job to read them. Understand?”Trixie: “Umm, I think so…” Bret, seemingly not wanting to waste any more time speaks to the female director, Bret: “Alright, she’s as ready as she’ll ever be, let’s get it done.”Heeding Bret’s words, the female voice says, Director: “Alright, take two! Ready?... ACTION!”Trixie’s body jumps a little on her stool, but this time she manages to keep her composure, and after a brief pause where she collects herself, she begins her monologue in an extremely monotonous voice. Trixie: “Ladies and gentlemen my name is B-Bellatrix Bordeaux FWA Wrestling’s newest and soon to be greatest professional wrestler there ain’t nobody tougher than me in the wrestling business I’m the-”Before she can continue her monologue, she’s interrupted by the voice of Bret. Bret: “Uh Trix…why’re you reading that like a drowsey robot?”Trixie: “I’m reading the telemucpropter thingy like you said!”Bret: “Yeah I know, but you need to do it with a little panache, you get me?” There is a hopeful undertone to his voice. Trixie: “What’s a ‘panache’” Bret: “Ya’ know, give it a bit of flair.”Trixie: “But I don’t have a flare.” Trixie is becoming increasingly confused with each passing second. An audible sigh can be heard from out of shot, followed by the astonished voice of the female director. Director: “Are you thick or something? Like, seriously fucking stupid?” Trixie has a furious expression forming on her face. Trixie: “I’m not stupid! Or fat! You’re just a big meanie!”Director: “I never called you fat!” The female voice responds, matching Trixie’s tone and pitch, before continuing, Director: “Look, all your brother’s asking is for you to read what’s on the fucking screen with a bit of attitude! Read it like you mean it! Read it in a way that makes it sound like you’re not reading! It ain’t fucking hard!”Bret: “Alright, that’s enoug-” Bret’s voice attempts to interject, before it is completely shouted over by an irate Trixie. Trixie: “STOP SHOUTING AT ME! I’m trying my hardest!”Bret: “Alright guys, let’s calm it do-” Director: “Yeah, well your ‘hardest’ ain’t good enough, you fucking idiot!” Bret once again attempts to lessen the hostilities, before he’s interrupted by the female voice, and with that, Trixie snaps… Bursting off of her stool, Trixie charges at the camera, and presumably the person the female voice belongs to. Trixie: “WRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”She is quickly intercepted by and lifted over the shoulder of her brother Bret, who in the process, knocks the camera over, leaving us with a sidewards view of a flailing Trixie, kicking and shouting as she’s carried out of shot as the scene fades, abruptly ending the video.
[MEDIA=youtube]DLYwwtPA49w[/MEDIA]]
Boos begin to fill the arena as the FWA North American Champion Big Bryan Baxter walks out onto the stage wearing a glossy red "Buddy System" jacket over top his black trunks. Baxter stops to put his hands on his hips and waits as Mr. Scorpane joins him. Natalie Rosenberg: “The following contest is a Pool B match in the F1 Climaxxx, and it is scheduled for one fall with a thirty minute time limit. Introducing first, being accompanied to the ring by Mr. Bill Scorpane... from Hickory, North Carolina... weighing in at three-hundred two pounds... he is the reigning FWA North American Champion... BBBBIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG BRYAN BAAAAAAAAAAAAAXTER!Jean-Luc Watkins: "Here's a man who has been on an absolute TEAR in the last few weeks and it can't be a coincidence that it's all happened since he's had less association with that wet blanket, Jeremy Best!"Allen Price: "Yeah, a lot of it has to do with that influence of Mr. Scorpane... I just don't like that guy, J-L!"Jean-Luc Watkins: "Like it or not, there's no denying the success it's having. Not only has he picked up the North American Championship along the way but he's in the driver's seat right now in Pool B after his huge win over Chris Peacock. I believe you had a front row seat for that one..."Allen Price: "Yeah... let's not talk about that..."Bryan Baxter steps up onto the apron and through the ropes to enter the ring. He lifts his arm up and receives another big round of boos from the Serbian fans. He unstraps the North American championship from around his large waist and hands it off to Mr. Scorpane at ringside. [MEDIA=youtube]KznDgHkalhs[/MEDIA] It's more boos from the crowd, as neither one of these mean have endeared themselves with the FWA fans. Out walks Phillip A. Jackson, now sans the TV Title he lost last time to Vampyra. But Jackson looks poised and as confident as ever as he makes his way out. Natalie Rosenberg: “And his opponent, from Toronto, Canada... weighing at two-hundred thirty-five pounds... PPPPPHHHHILLLLLIP A. JJJJJJJAAAAAAAAAAACKSON!Allen Price: "Man, oh man, it's been a rough few weeks for PAJ."Jean-Luc Watkins: "Yes, after the high of winning the Television Championship at Lights Out, PAJ has had some bad luck here in the F1 Tournament and then it was a double whammy the last couple shows when he also lost the Television Championship to Vampyra."Allen Price: "Unfortunately, his F1 hopes are probably left to just playing spoiler at this point. And if I know anything about Phillip A. Jackson, he'd love to spoil someone else's good time."Jean-Luc Watkins: "And if there's any way to get back on track than to pick up a win over the North American champion! Jackson looks like he's ready for this one and is determined to turn his luck around tonight!"Jackson rolls into the ring, popping back up and extending his arms out to the less than adoring crowd. He begins to take off his white and gold ring jacket... but Bryan Baxter blindsides him from behind ahead of the bell! Having jumped Jackson before the bell rang with a big lariat to the back of the head, Baxter quickly gets PAJ into the corner where he slams Jackson’s head repeatedly into the top turnbuckles before continuing to do so on the middle turnbuckles and then the bottom turnbuckles.He then flips Jackson over in the corner and begins to blatantly choke Jackson with his boot to the throat right in front of referee Richard Davis! Jean-Luc Watkins: “Bryan Baxter is in a foul mood tonight it seems and he’s wasting no time taking it out on Phillip A. Jackson!”Allen Price: “It seems like the longer he’s been without Jeremy in the corner… the meaner and nastier he’s getting each week!”Despite not particularly liking PAJ, the crowd really lets Baxter have it for the way he has started the match while he finally releases the choke in order to avoid being disqualified. Baxter backs off at the request of Richard Davis as Jackson begins to get up to his feet… only for Baxter to charge in with a big running splash to his back in the corner! Out of the corner, Phillip A. Jackson staggers right into the waiting arms of Bryan Baxter who LIFTS HIM UP into the GORILLA PRESS… Baxter shows off his power as he walks around the ring with PAJ AND TOSSES HIM OVER THE TOP ROPE TO THE FLOOR! Allen Price: “By the beard of Zeus, he almost sent Jackson into the front row!”Jean-Luc Watkins: “Bryan Baxter is one of the largest members of the FWA roster and he’s really showing off that size advantage in the early goings here!”Baxter sits back, leaning against the ropes and allows Richard Davis to begin a ten count on Jackson… but Jackson pulls himself up using the ring curtain and rolls back into the ring at eight… actually garnering a scattered amount of cheers from the fans as he gets back up to his feet in the ring. Baxter heads over and takes a swing at PAJ, but Jackson ducks the attack from Baxter! Jackson delivers a pair of swift kicks to the large midsection of Baxter that barely phases BBB and he then leaps onto the ropes with a springboard, but Baxter catches him in the air, positioning him onto his shoulder and then drops him face first across the top turnbuckle! Snake Eyes! Jackson staggers backwards from the corner into the waiting arms of Baxter who lifts him up.. BUCKLE BOMB sends Jackson back first across the top turnbuckles and down to the mat! With Jackson now seated in the corner, Baxter backs up to the opposite corner and rushes back in with a running hip attack to the head of the seated PAJ! Jean-Luc Watkins: “What a one-sided affair so far! Jackson has to find a way to avoid this powerful offense of Bryan Baxter if he wants to last much longer!”Baxter grabs Jackson by the hair and pulls him back up out of the corner, manhandling his opponent as he lifts him up for another power bomb… but Jackson begins to battle back! Right hand after right hand to the forehead of Baxter! He manages to switch positions, now sitting on Baxter's shoulders and driving elbows into the top of BBB’s head. But Baxter continues to stay standing, absorbing the blows from PAJ and then brings him down to the mat with an Electric Chair Facebuster! Baxter sits down on Jackson’s chest, grabbing his far leg for a pin. ONE.. TWO… THRE- Shoulder up by Jackson! Jean-Luc Watkins: “Jackson JUST BARELY gets his shoulder up there to stay alive in this match.”Allen Price: “And I’m hearing more and more support for PAJ believe it or not! The fans must really dislike Bryan Baxter if they’re starting to get behind Jackson!”BBB ignores the crowd as he pulls Jackson back up by his hair once again and then Irish Whips him hard into the turnbuckles. Baxter backs up to the opposite corner once again and rushes in for a corner splash… BUT JACKSON MOVES OUT OF THE WAY and all 300-plus pounds of Bryan Baxter crashes into the turnbuckles! Baxter staggers out of the corner as PAJ rushes in, leaping up and scoring a one handed bulldog to take Baxter down to the mat! Baxter isn’t down long, already pulling himself up but Jackson was riding a wave of sudden momentum and surprising fan support as he springboards off the ropes and scores an INVERTED DDT to Baxter! PAJ quickly goes for the pin! ONE.. TWO.. KICKOUT! Jean-Luc Watkins: “There’s life in Phillip A. Jackson and for the first time in the match, Baxter is the one reeling!”Allen Price: “He’s gotta keep on it though! Baxter kicks out there so don’t take your foot off the pedal yet! He’s got to use that speed to his advantage!”Baxter begins to pull himself up but PAJ scores with a dropkick to the knee of the bigger man to drop him down and PAJ follows it up with an enziguri! Baxter falls over into the ropes. PAJ shows off his agility as he climbs up to the top turnbuckle then walks the ropes and hits a knee right to the head of Baxter! The North American Champion drops to a knee as Jackson now rushes in with a heel kick that takes him down! Springboard Moonsault by Jackson and he goes for the pin! ONE.. TWO… NO! Baxter powers out! Bryan rolls back to his feet and goes for a Discus Lariat to PAJ but PAJ ducks and grabs Baxter in a waist lock…and with all the strength in his body he’s able to lift up Baxter and drop him with a GERMAN SUPLEX! PAJ can’t hold onto the bridge however, but he rolls to his feet and makes his way to the corner, climbing up to the top… Jean-Luc Watkins: “Jackson wants to try to end it here! He’s going for The Amazing Splash!”Allen Price: “But wait just a minute, Mr. Scorpane is up on the apron! Not this again!”Mr. Scorpane has, in fact, climbed onto the apron and provides a momentary distraction for Jackson, as he yells at Baxter’s agent to get down - which also draws the attention of Richard Davis. As the referee dealt with the situation, Jackson flies in with THE AMAZING SPLASH! IT CONNECTS! Jackson has the pin! But the referee is out of position with Mr. Scorpane! Allen Price: “Come on ref! Get Scorpane outta here! Jackson might’ve just had this one!”PAJ gets up to his feet and pushes his way past Richard Davis and confronts Scorpane. When confronted, Scorpane quickly throws his arm up and indicates he “didn’t want any trouble” as he steps down off the apron. But that distraction has allowed Baxter to recover, and when PAJ turns back around towards his opponent… he is hit with a running high-impact shoulder block, sending him crashing down to the mat. Jean-Luc Watkins: “Not only did that distraction from Mr. Scorpane keep Jackson from being able to go for the pin after the Amazing Splash, it has given Baxter the time he needed to get back up and strike back again!”Baxter wastes no time going back on the attack as he grabs Jackson and lifts him up… going for the BAXTER DRIVER… but Jackson escapes down Bryan’s back instead! Bryan turns around into a running pump kick from Jackson! Baxter is staggered as Jackson springboards off the ropes and goes for a springboard headscissors… But Baxter reverses it into a POWERBOMB BACKBREAKER! Baxter is back up and pulls Jackson up by his hair… lifting him up… BAXTER DRIVER! Baxter reaches forward and pulls back on both of PAJ’s legs to make the pin. ONE.. TWO… THREE! Winner: Big Bryan Baxter at 11:31 With a confident smirk on his face, Bryan gets to his feet and looks down at the fallen Phillip A. Jackson, proudly admiring his handiwork while Mr. Bill Scorpane enters the ring to celebrate with him, the North American championship in his hands. Natalie Rosenberg: "Here is your winner… BBIIIIIIIGGG BRYAN BBBBBAAXXXXTER!”Jean-Luc Watkins: “Big Bryan Baxter continues his recent success and remains undefeated in singles competition in FWA! And he will assuredly be competing in the Fight Night semi-finals, but next week’s matchup with Cyrus Truth will determine who can tout being Pool B winner! Here’s a look at our updated standings.” Allen Price: “There’s still a lot on the line in the final week of pool play… Cyrus Truth can control his own destiny, so to speak, next time when he takes on Bryan Baxter… win and he’s definitely in the semi-finals! Jean-Luc Watkins: “…While Chris Peacock and Lizzie Rose will find themselves in the unusual position of actually rooting for Bryan Baxter… which is certainly an awkward position for both of them after the past few weeks… but both will need to win their own respective matches and hope Baxter beats Truth if either of them want a chance to be in the semi-finals!”Satisfied with their victory, Baxter and Scorpane walk to the back as Phillip A. Jackson begins to stagger to his feet in the ring, clearly dejected by the loss but surprisingly finds himself receiving some applause for his efforts tonight against Baxter. Katie Baxter stands backstage with a microphone in hand, standing outside one of the locker rooms. The door slowly opens and out comes XYZ, wearing a green cloth around his neck. XYZ’s curly hair hands down past his ears and onto his neck. Rather than the upbeat and energetic persona we usually see, XYZ looks lethargic. Katie Baxter: “XYZ … XYZ … I was hoping to get a word before your match with Reagan Cole. Particularly … just … how are you doing?”XYZ stops his walk towards the arena’s central part for his match. He slowly turns his face and neck to look at Katien – not in an intimidating way, but just somber and emotional. Katie Baxter: “We’re all … worried about you. What happened on Fallout was tough to watch.”XYZ is unresponsive verbally. He nods his head. Katie Baxter: “XYZ … I’m just very sorry but I think all of your fans want to know what’s happening. Everyone is concerned about you after knowing you had this imaginary friend.”XYZ sniffles a bit at the mention – even a nameless one – of the late Big Al. But he takes a deep breath and then looks up to Katie for a response. XYZ: “It’s tough. And all I can think now is … what is real? Who is real? Are you real, Katie? Or are you all in my mind? Am I hallucinating Reagan Cole? Is he real?”Katie Baxter: “Well … yeah … Reagan Cole is real. So am I. So is everyone here.”XYZ: “Yeah … you would say that.”A pause. XYZ: “I’m lost. I don’t know what’s real and what’s just … my creation. I’ve never felt more alone, and I feel stuck.”Katie Baxter: “I think you just need to be grounded. Find the ground.”XYZ: “I can’t find the ground, because I don’t even know if the ground is real.”XYZ then walks away, leaving Katie with her mouth open and lacking any sort of response to the last statement. She then turns to the camera and shakes her head in an empathetic manner, obviously feeling for X. Natalie Rosenberg: ”The following contest is scheduled for one fall with a 20-minute-time-limit!”[MEDIA=youtube]PZdWLDKISp8[/MEDIA] The familiar theme plays out and the crowd gives out a fairly positive reaction for the man that accompanies the music, and Reagan Cole emerges from behind the curtain. Cole tries to hype himself up a little before walking to the ring. Natalie Rosenberg: ”Making his way to the ring, from Essex, England and weighing in at 215 lb…The British Apprentice…Reagan Coooooole!”Allen Price: ”Reagan Cole looks like he has a lot on his mind right now and that’s probably because he does. It stems from his dealings with Jeffry Mason, a man that Cole has aligned himself with, I think?”Jean-Luc Watkins: ”You know what they say Price, if you can’t beat them, then join them and that’s what Reagan Cole did.”[MEDIA=youtube]Zzyfcys1aLM[/MEDIA] Natalie Rosenberg: ”And his opponent, from Sitka, Alaska and weighing in at 180 lb…XYZ!”XYZ steps out on stage and looks around and behind him before turning his attention toward the ring, and he slowly walks down to the ring while the crowd gives him a positive reception. Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Here’s another man that’s had his fair share of personal issues as of late but not with anyone in particular other than himself.”Allen Price: ”I don’t even know what to think of that, Jean-Luc, but XYZ and Cole will have to put their respective issues aside and focus on this match tonight.”DING! DING! DING! Cole is ready to lock up but XYZ seems a bit hesitant about locking up with Cole. Cole looks confused and lunges forward to lock up, but XYZ side steps him and he walks to the corner of the ring. Cole seems a bit flustered by all of this and looks at the referee for any sort of help, but the referee is just as confused. Cole shrugs and charges toward XYZ and leaps forward with a splash, but XYZ moves out of the way yet Cole catches himself but XYZ decides to roll him up from behind! One…TWO-NO! Cole kicks out and he seems a bit taken aback by that as XYZ is showing some fight now, and XYZ runs toward Cole but Cole catches him by the hand and takes him down with an arm drag! Cole follows up with another arm drag and this time he tries to apply an arm lock but XYZ is wise enough to grab the nearest rope. Cole shakes his head and picks up XYZ but X takes Cole by surprise with a standing dropkick that knocks Cole back several steps. Cole shakes that off and runs toward XYZ, who leapfrogs over Cole and Cole hangs on to the ropes but XYZ catches Cole on the ropes and unloads on him with vicious kicks to shins and thigh area for about 20 seconds. XYZ then sends Cole off into the opposite ropes and off the rebound he catches Cole with a head-scissors takedown after spinning 360 degrees in the air! Allen Price: ”I don’t think Reagan Cole was expecting this from XYZ after how the match had started.”Cole rolls to the apron and he rises up in time to find XYZ approaching him and he throws a few forearm strikes to keep XYZ at bay, and then he wrenches XYZ neck first across the rope and XYZ falls flat on the mat. Cole readies himself before launching back inside of the ring with a slingshot senton and he makes the pin… One…TWO-NO! Cole takes XYZ by the leg and holds it before dropping an elbow across it. Then Cole locks in a single leg lion tamer on XYZ! Cole is wrenching back on the hold and XYZ is wincing while reaching out to the ropes. XYZ inches his way to the rope to the first rope and he manages to grab hold of it to break the hold, much to Cole’s chagrin. Cole approaches XYZ but before he can bring him up, XYZ trips him up and flips him on his back for a jackknife pin! One…two…THREE-NO! Cole kicks out and rolls through and pops back up on his feet and catches XYZ with a running knee lift! XYZ is stunned and drops down to one knee and Cole hits him with a shining wizard and another pin… One…two…THREE-NO! Cole drags XYZ up and into the corner and he unleashes repeated headbutts to XYZ, who sits stunned in the corner while Cole is now sizing him up before charging forward but XYZ gets a boot up that stops Cole in his tracks. XYZ props himself up on the top rope before leaping off, hitting Cole with double knees to the chest! XYZ isn’t finished yet though as he’s on the apron now before leaping up…springboard moonsault into a pin! One…two…THREE-NO! Jean-Luc Watkins: ”XYZ has thrown just about everything he has at Cole, but Reagan Cole still has some fight left in him, wrestling fans!”Cole rolls over to the apron and after he shakes off the effects of that moonsault, he begins to slowly climb up to the top but XYZ is there to try to stop him but Cole knocks him off and XYZ falls backward onto his feet. Cole finds his footing and leaps off, hitting XYZ with a leaping clothesline! XYZ pops back up but Cole hits another clothesline for good measure and he begins to feed off the energy of the crowd. Cole sizes up XYZ and goes for the Cole-Breaker but XYZ has the wherewithal to slide out of the way and quickly catches Cole with a roll-up! One…two…THREE-NO! Cole kicks out and he’s quickly back to his feet but just as quick as he was up, he’s back down with a leg sweep by XYZ and XYZ hits a leaping elbow drop for good measure. XYZ then ascends the top rope and does a tightrope walk before hitting his front-flip springboard leg drop on Cole and XYZ makes the cover… One…two…THREE! Winner:XYZ at 10:56 Natalie Rosenberg: “The winner of the match, XYZ!”XYZ exits the ring before he can have his arm raised and he hastily makes his way back up the ramp while Cole watches on with disappointment at having suffered a loss. Jean-Luc: ”A tough loss for Reagan Cole, who seemed to have things going his way until he didn’t and XYZ pulled out the win.”Allen Price: ”I think it could’ve gone either way, Jean-Luc. Anyway, we’ll have more Fallout coming at you after this short break, stay tuned!”In what appears to be the medical area backstage, there are two beds next to each other. On the bed on the left side of the frame, checking his fangs are still in place, is Steve the Techno Vampire. On the right, covered in ice packs, is Ratin Mikichin. After their shared experience of being battered by Chris Peacock and Alyster Black earlier on tonight, the two rivals are clearly worse for wear and both suffer in silence as perhaps moving or speaking would cause too much pain for them. After a few seconds, though, Ratin breaks the silence. Ratin Mikichin: “You cost me my win streak, vampire. Ratin had won two matches in a row before tonight. You are the worst tag team partner ever!”Upon the accusation, Steve sits up on his bed and grimaces as he turns to face Ratin. Steve the Techno Vampire: “Me? You were useless out there!”Ratin sits up too, causing ice packs to fall to the floor at his feet next to the bed. He points his finger at Steve and shakes his head. Ratin Mikichin: “It was YOU that got pinned by the crispy cock! Your fault, vampire!”Steve the Techno Vampire: “No! Your fault… exhibitionist!”That clearly crossed some sort of line, as Ratin roars out and lunges at Steve, putting his hands around the techno vampire’s throat, and Steve does the same. The world’s most pathetic fight falls to the floor of the trainer’s room before the scene fades on the stalemate that quickly formed. As things flip back to the ring on Fallout 024, we see that The Boulder is standing in the ring with a referee and Natalie Rosenberg, and tonight the unluckiest man in the FWA is dressed as Santa Claus. Natalie Rosenberg: "The following contest is scheduled for one fall, with a twenty minute time limit… Introducing first… THE BOULDER!"There is not much reaction for The Boulder but the fans soon find themselves confused with the lights in the arena cutting out quickly. It is not limited to just the main lights; any source of electricity into the arena is seemingly cut off. [MEDIA=youtube]o9L_uKs-6s8[/MEDIA] The lights return to normal momentarily and then start to flicker as Darius Wright menacingly emerges from the back onto the stage. His clothes are severely worn and ‘The Dark Traveler’ has his eyes firmly set on his opponent as he slowly walks towards the ring. Natalie Rosenberg: "His opponent… from Los Angeles, California and weighing in at two-hundred and forty-three pounds… ‘The Dark Traveler’ DARIUSSSSSSSS WRIIIIIIGGGGHHHHHHTTT!!"Allen Price: "J-L, this man is positively haunting. Darius Wright is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. His attire and even his shoes are absolutely tattered and those eyes look like they’ve never seen anything resembling love. I think this guy is an absolute ticking time bomb."Jean-Luc Watkins: "I am not envious of The Boulder at the best of times, Price, but I think right now there is some serious cause for concern to be had if you were the FWA’s resident cosplayer. Darius Wright is coming off of defeat in his FWA debut against XYZ, and I think poor Boulder could be about to get seriously hurt in there."Allen Price: "This man looks like he has nothing to lose, and any man like this is a dangerous one… and I think that goes double or even triple for Darius Wright. I’d be running for the hills if I was The Boulder right now."Wright enters the ring and then blankly surveys the crowd in attendance tonight before he raises his arms above his head and crosses them into an ‘X’. The lights flicker once again and his music fades out. Wright backs into a corner and turns his attention back to his nervous opponent, who removes his Santa hat momentarily to use it to wipe some sweat from his forehead. The bell rings and Wright slowly emerges from the corner and waits for The Boulder to meet him in the middle of the ring. Despite giving up a lot of size to his opponent, Wright shows absolutely no sign of intimidation towards the giant in front of him. Boulder attempts to grapple Wright, but ‘The Dark Traveler’ is much quicker and he winds The Boulder with a punch to the ribs, which causes the larger man to duck down holding his gut. This leaves him in prime position for Wright to connect with a hook right across the face that knocks his opponent down onto one knee and also knocks his hat clean off of his head. Wright backs into the ropes and picks up a bit of speed before he comes back with a running knee strike to the side of Boulder’s head, which knocks him down onto his side on the mat. The beard is spun around to the back of Boulder’s head, and Wright rips it straight off and examines it for a moment before tossing it to one side. Wright then grabs the red jacket and tears it clean off as well, and forces the red trousers to come off too, leaving Boulder in just a singlet as he tries to pick himself up from the mat. Allen Price: "Well, I think we know how Darius Wright feels about The Boulder choosing something festive from his dress up box tonight."‘The Dark Traveler’ shows absolutely no sign of caring that the crowd are booing him for his treatment of jolly old Saint Nick. Wright uses the ropes to force Boulder underneath the bottom rope and out to the floor, and he follows him outside. With Boulder down on one knee, Wright stands over him and lands some very heavy punches down onto the top of his head, and he pushes him backwards so he is leaning against the ring steps. Wright then charges in and drives his knee into Boulder’s face, crushing it against the steps. Some stomps follow, targeted at the head and chest of his opponent. Showing some impressive strength, Wright manages to pick up his larger opponent from the floor and he forces him back into the ring. Wright makes a point of slowly walking up the steps and walking onto the apron before stepping through the ropes back into the ring. With Boulder on a knee, still trying to get back up, Wright runs through him with a Clothesline that knocks him most of the way down, so he follows up with another one after getting some more momentum behind him and this one does knock Boulder down to the mat. Jean-Luc Watkins: "You can almost feel the disdain coursing through Wright as he lands each one of these strikes on The Boulder. This is a man with some deep-rooted issues and I think hurting people in the ring is his way of working through them."Allen Price: "It is the strangest form of therapy that I’ve ever seen, Jean-Luc. The Boulder is not looking in a good way right now, I think his face is about to be rearranged!"With The Boulder down on the mat, Wright uses this as a chance to get on top of him and he begins to relentlessly drive his fist into Boulder’s face with some hammer punches, and referee Larry Stevens needs to intervene and he warns Wright away as Boulder managed to drape his fingers over the bottom rope to cause a break. Wright does step away upon being instructed to and he waits for Boulder to get back to his feet with the help of the ropes and he then steps forward INTO A HUGE DISCUS CLOTHESLINE THAT LOOKS TO KNOCK BOULDER OUT!! Jean-Luc Watkins: "He calls that Pitch Black… and I think that could be what The Boulder is seeing right now!"Boulder is flat out on his back and Wright drops to his knees before pressing his hands down on his opponent’s chest for the pin… ONE… TWO… THREE!!! Winner: Darius Wright via pin fall at 3:55 Wright’s music plays once again and ‘The Dark Traveler’ slowly rises back to his feet and has his arm raised by the referee. After this, he doesn’t hang around in the ring and immediately climbs out of the ring and starts walking towards the back. Natalie Rosenberg: "Here is your winner… DARIUS WRIGHT!"Allen Price: "That was nothing short of dominant, Jean-Luc. The Boulder is a big guy, and Darius Wright has just absolutely annihilated him tonight."Jean-Luc Watkins: "A truly ferocious display from a man that definitely intrigues me, Price. I want to learn more about what has made him this way and watching him tear people apart definitely contributes to the appeal, too."With his back to the ring and The Boulder now firmly in his past, the camera follows Darius Wright as he reaches the top of the ramp. He pauses for a moment and then looks out at the crowd once more, before walking out of frame and to the back. Jean-Luc Watkins: "Up next is what you have all been waiting for, wrestling fans - it is Mile High Massacre! First though, Todd Salum is standing by… Todd?"In the interview area, Todd Salum has his trusty microphone in hand and he slowly nods his head as he picks up the feed from JLW at ringside. Todd Salum: “Thank you, Jean-Luc. I am here at this time before tonight’s main event with someone that has requested this time… he is the holder of the Golden Opportunity briefcase… ‘Disco’s Last Warrior’... Chris Peacock.”After a couple of seconds, Chris Peacock walks into the frame and shares a nod with Todd. He has his briefcase in his hand although has left his cane somewhere else at this time given its absence. Todd Salum: “Chris… what is on your mind?”Chris Peacock: “Thanks, Todd. I wanted a chance to speak because to me, it feels like I haven’t had a chance to address the FWA fans for a while. I think it would be fair to say that I’ve been a bit all over the place recently and I could use this time to just share where my head is at right now.”Salum nods, and motions for Peacock to continue. Chris Peacock: “Now, if not clear after Fallout 023, my professional and personal relationship with Allen Price is over. People spent the best part of two years telling me to drop his ass and after him costing me two matches in the F1 Climaxxx, I finally realised that they were right all along. Allen, I want to thank you for all you’ve done for me, but from now on, stay the fuck out of my business.”Peacock does seem slightly conflicted as he talks, but he composes himself after a brief slip and then looks down the camera. Chris Peacock: “If you don’t… a punch is the best that you’ll come away with. If you need help understanding that, maybe you can ask that little prick Jean-Luc what happens when you piss me off.”A snort of amusement from Peacock, and his demeanor brightens up and he holds his arms out. Chris Peacock: “But when one door closes, another opens. Everyone saw that door open earlier on tonight when I did manage to walk out of this cycle with something in the win column. That’s right, Chris Peacock and Alyster Black have taken our relationship to the next level. He’s now more than just one of the few people around here that is actually worth the time of day. He’s my new partner.”Todd Salum: “Chris… if you don’t mind. How is that relationship going to work? You hold the key to taking Alyster Black’s FWA World Championship away in your hand with that briefcase. Can any trust truly be formed because of that?”Chris Peacock: “That’s a fair question, Todd, and one that I expected to be asked. Can Alyster trust me? Is this all just a ploy to get closer to him to strike? I’ve got an answer to all of that… it is a pretty simple one. I’m not the guy to cash in this briefcase cheaply. You think after everything I’ve been through to get to this point I’m going to take the easy way out?! Fuck that. When I decide to cash in, if Aly is the champion, he’ll be the first person to know. Until then, I’m supporting him to beat that piece of crap Golden and send his ass packing. What happens after that is between me and Alyster.”Salum nods, accepting the answer. Before he can ask any follow up question, a grin forms on Peacock’s face and on the other side of the interviewer, Alyster Black appears. Peacock and Black share a nod. Todd Salum: “Alyster… welcome. Now I’ve got you both and you’re part of the tag team division together, I’ve got to ask you both your thoughts on the upcoming Mile High Massacre…”The microphone is hovered between Black and Peacock for a moment and Alyster then leans in. Alyster Black: “Fuck the Nephews.Black pats Peacock on the shoulder and then walks off and Todd points the microphone at Peacock who smirks and shrugs his shoulders. Chris Peacock: “What he said.”After a beat, Peacock offers Salum another nod and then walks out in the direction of his new tag team partner. Salum grins to himself. Todd Salum: “Couldn’t have put it better myself.”As we return to the arena, we are shown that the cage has already descended into position around the ring. The audience cheers as an establishing shot of the steel structure is shown, signalling that it's time for the Mile High Massacre match to get underway. [MEDIA=youtube]f4UhdgBVtVc[/MEDIA] There's a moderately positive reaction as the three women that make up The Coven appear on the stage, two of them dressed for battle and the third a step behind, applauding the sisters in front of her. Celestia and Blair each turn to Kleio and share a fistbump with her, before the Boa Constrictor turns and leaves the stadium. The Ravenwoods begin their walk down the ramp. Jean-Luc Watkins: "You know what that means, wrestling fans: it's time for your main event! And the FWA World Tag Team Championships are on the line!"Allen Price: "Here come the first of a series of challengers in what will be only the second ever tag team Mile High Massacre match in history… and the Coven look focussed ahead of what is certainly the most important, high-profile match of their young FWA careers."Jean-Luc Watkins: "They have a lot of momentum after a couple of two-on-two wins to kick off their FWA runs, even if the Nephews were able to overcome them on Meltdown XXIII in a twelve-person bout."Allen Price: "They'll be able to focus on themselves tonight, J-L, and not impromptu partners who they've never wrestled as part of a team with before."Jean-Luc Watkins: "I'm not sure they'll be able to focus on very much in this match, Price! I expect nothing short of absolute carnage!"Blair and Celestia have walked through the cage doors, inspecting the meshing carefully before they finally climb up the steps and into the ring. They look up, the camera for the first time picking up the championship belts hanging up on the underside of the cage roof. The Ravenwoods behold the prize as their music fades out, soon replaced by… [MEDIA=youtube]n2EjeMx4bSg[/MEDIA] Booing is heard amongst the Belgrade crowd as the next duo make their way out onto the stage. Jackson Fenix has a grin on his face as he taunts the audience, whereas Nate Savage looks focussed and stares down the ramp at the giant structure before him. Jean-Luc Watkins: "Here comes a team that we last saw compete in a winning effort against XYZ and Jeremy Best. They successfully leveraged that victory into a spot here in this match, with the Undisputed Alliance looking to add another tag team title reign to their impressive career here in the FWA."Allen Price: "That's right, J-L. The Undisputed Alliance are multiple time world tag team champions, both here and in the CWA. But their most recent success when it comes to silverware has been Nate Savage's run with the FWA X Championship last year. They'll hope to refocus their attention on the tag team division, capitalising on the carnage and chaos you alluded to earlier."Nate ignores the steel that now surrounds him as he rolls into the ring and stares down the Coven. Jackson is looking up at the belts hanging high above him. Their music fades out, and next we hear… [MEDIA=youtube]7fI81r4psz4[/MEDIA] The Belgrade crowd comes alive with cheers again as the LuPone brothers walk through the curtain. The Canadian duo march straight for the ramp, an impressive pace shown that only lets up so that they can high-five some of the front row fans on their way to the ring. Jean-Luc Watkins: "Here comes another of the tandems who lost to six-strong force of Nephews sixteen days ago on Meltdown XXIII, but who picked up a victory two weeks before in order to earn their place in this championship match. It's another team who will doubtlessly see this as the biggest match of their careers so far."Allen Price: "Whilst the Undisputed Alliance have been here before - although not in Mile High Massacre, it is true - the Lumberjacks, and indeed the Coven, will challenge for those tag belts for the very first time. They don't seem low on confidence, or to be phased by the structure now surrounding them."Indeed, Dan and Doug LuPone have marched through the cage doors and into the ring, which they now share with the Undisputed Alliance and the Coven. They beat their chests and pose for the crowd as their music fades out, and next we hear… [MEDIA=youtube]Z8e5oU6_2uA[/MEDIA] There's a mixed reaction for Gabrielle and Kayden Knox as they appear on the stage and survey the audience in Belgrade. The Goddess offers him a nod, which Knox doesn't reciprocate. He has eyes only for the cage directly ahead of him. Gabrielle leads the way down the ramp. Jean-Luc Watkins: "Here comes a pair that we last saw in a cage when they competed in the Golden Opportunity Steel Roulette match, and fortunes have been up and down for Bad Reputation since then. Gabrielle can still qualify for the F1 finals if she defeats Vampyra next time out and other results go her way… but we last saw Kayden Knox being dragged away by a security detail following that twelve-man tag on Meltdown XXIII."Allen Price: "We're still none the wiser as to who was responsible for that strange interlude, but here Kayden Knox is tonight, ready to go to war again with Gabrielle by his side."Knox and Gabrielle enter the cage door but remain outside of the ring, perhaps deeming it a little crowded with six people already in there. Their music fades out as the former tag team champions glance at each of their opponents in turn. Then, we hear… [MEDIA=youtube]LvFHa9MnQsU[/MEDIA] The audience don't immediately know how to react to the unfamiliar music, with the lights going down and slow spotlights tracking over the crowd before, as the vocals kick in, the tag team champions walk out onto the stage. They don't have their belts, but they are together, seen for the first time as a pair in over a month now. Before they begin their walk to the ramp, they are joined on the stage by more of Cthulhu's Nephews: Uncle J.J. JAY!, Quiet, and Thomas West emerge through the curtain and stand behind the Connection. There's a mostly positive reaction for Gerald Grayson and Michelle von Horrowitz, who behold the now-full cage in front of them before they walk towards it. Jean-Luc Watkins: "And here comes the champions, even if they don't currently have their belts in their possession, and are entering to new, unfamiliar music. The championships have already been handed to FWA officials and hanged, as you have seen, from the roof of that cage. The Connection will have to climb a ladder and retrieve them if they want to continue their reign."Allen Price: "That reign is still in its infancy, with von Horrowitz and Grayson only winning those titles a couple of months ago at Lights Out. Almost the entirety of the FWA tag team division is out to take those championships away from them tonight, and it's also true that the champions haven't exactly been seeing eye to eye as of late."Jean-Luc Watkins: "Maybe not, but as a team they've continued to win. This team hasn't lost as a pair since the final of The Division Tag Team Classic, now more than two years ago, when they were defeated by Golden Rock. Perhaps their toughest task awaits, though, with four hungry teams already assembled in the cage."The champions join these hungry challengers, entering through the door and taking a wary look around their new surroundings. They share a look and a nod, and then they slide into the ring. Bad Reputation remain on the outside, and the other three teams climb out of the ring to allow Grayson and MvH to ascend to opposite turnbuckles and amp the crowd up some more. The accompanying Nephews have remained outside the steel, and many of the match's participants look through the mesh suspiciously as they circle the perimeter. Inside the ring, the Connection have hopped down from the turnbuckles and their music fades out. We see Natalie Rosenberg climb through the ropes, followed by all four of the other teams, who look around at the rest of the combatants in turn, sizing up the night's task. Natalie Rosenberg: "Ladies and gentlemen… the following is your Fallout main event, with no time limit, and is a Mile High Massacre match! The only way to win is to retrieve the championship belts, which are currently suspended high above the ring…"We get one more shot of the belts, amidst a clamour for the match to begin, the audience's anticipation building. Natalie Rosenberg: "Introducing first, the challengers… first, representing Executive Excellence… at a combined weight of three hundred and fifteen pounds… Kayden Knox… Gabrielle… BAD… REPUTATION!!"A mixed reaction for the former tag team champions as their introduction is made. Natalie Rosenberg: "Next, at a combined weight of four hundred and seventy six pounds… Jackson Fenix… Nate Savage… the UNDISPUTED ALLIANCE!!"Boos rain down from the arena as Jackson Fenix lifts his hands cockily into the air. Natalie Rosenberg: "Thirdly, at a combined weight of two hundred and twenty pounds… Blair and Celestia Ravenwood… they are the Sisters… of… THE COVEN!!"Cheers are heard in the stadium for the sisters, who simply stare ahead of themselves, waiting for the match to begin. Natalie Rosenberg: "And the final set of challengers… from the Yukon in Canada and at a combined weight of six hundred and twenty five pounds… Dan and Doug LuPone… the LUMBERJACKS!!"More positivity in Belgrade as the Lumberjacks raise their fists in unison as their name is called. Natalie Rosenberg: "And finally… the current FWA World Tag Team Champions… representing Cthulhu's Nephews… from Raleigh, North Carolina, 'the Daredevil' Gerald Grayson… and from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 'Dreamer' Michelle von Horrowitz… the CONNECTION!!"The champions are cheered well, too, as they step forward from their corner and, for a moment, are in the middle of the other teams. Michelle glances up at the belts one final time as Natalie climbs out of the ring. The cage door is opened for her and, with all ten competitors in the ring, the referee calls for the bell… There’s a moment of pause as each of the ten wrestlers look around the ring at one another, and then the camera picks up Kayden Knox looking sidewards at his partner, Gabrielle… the Goddess walks towards the ropes, bending over to slide her Bad Reputation jacket beneath the bottom one and out of ring... … and, to a stunned and shocked reaction from the audience, then Kayden Knox hits Executive Execution on Gabrielle Montgomery! There is a sudden silence that has overtaken the arena as Gabrielle head lands awkwardly on the mat. Her head snaps back and she lays out cold. Kayden stands over her before pacing back and forth and then taking a seat against the turnbuckle in the corner. He has his hands in his face and is muttering something. All around Kayden Knox, who still watches the Goddess amidst the stunned silence, the other eight competitors in the ring seem locked in the moment, staring at the implosion of Bad Reputation and the remnants of Executive Excellence. Even the three Nephews on the outside of the ring stare up at the sudden and strange turn of events with a dumbfounded look on their faces. Allen Price: "What the hell just happened? Jean-Luc! Kayden Knox just curbstomped his own partner's face into the mat!"Jean-Luc Watkins: "..."Kayden gets up and walks towards her. He drops to his knees and grabs Gabrielle. He is holding her in his arms as the rest of the world looks on, stunned. Meanwhile, around the Goddess and Knox, all hell breaks loose, the other combatants remembering that the bell has rung and the match has started. Doug LuPone charges at both members of the Coven, who both duck his double clothesline and bundle him over the top rope with a big back body drop. Michelle charges at Nate and bowls him backwards with some chops and forearms, whilst the Ravenwoods now direct their attention on Dan LuPone. Grayson, meanwhile, is chopped by Jackson Fenix, and then whipped against the ropes. GG ducks Savage’s attempt at a lariat and continues his momentum… to hit a suicide dive on Doug LuPone! LuPone was getting up to his feet on the outside, but the Daredevil takes him out with the move! The camera cuts back to the Executive Excellence episode, and specifically to Knox's face and you can see tears running from his eyes, his nose is leaking. He runs his hands through her hair. Jean-Luc Watkins: "Gabrielle Montgomery hasn't moved at all since taking that curb-stomp... it looked like she landed at an ugly angle there, Price. We need some help..."Allen Price: "I think we're getting it, J-L. Here comes a team of EMTs and a stretcher. The official checking on Gabrielle has signified that she needs some attention..."Jean-Luc Watkins: "And this match has already started, Price! Will Gabrielle even be able to continue?!"Allen Price: "Doesn't seem that way, Jean-Luc! And I'm not sure Kayden Knox even wants tp."Kayden Knox: "I am so sorry Gabi. I am so sorry."He holds her, rocking back and forth. He's sobbing uncontrollably. Kayden Knox: "I had no choice. I had to do it. There wasn't anything I could do. I am so sorry Gabi. I didn't have a choice."0o He let's go of her as EMTs, who have emerged through the open cage door, take a look over Gabrielle. They roll the Goddess beneath the bottom rope and onto the outside, where they lay her out next to a stretcher. Kayden has walked out of the open cage door, not daring to look back. Meanwhile, in the ring, MvH is currently trading blows with Nate Savage, who has the better of the exchange and backs Dreamer into a corner, where he proceeds to lay in some stomps that force her into a seated position. He continues the onslaught, the image evoking their history at the end of her CWA tenure. Blair Ravenwood, meanwhile, dropkicks Dan LuPone so that he is backed up to the ropes. She attempts to charge in and clothesline him over onto the outside, but Dan ducks it and back body drops her over instead, just as the Ravenwoods did to his brother at the very start of the match… and Blair lands on top of her sister Celestia and Jackson Fenix, who were brawling on the outside! Jean-Luc Watkins: "It's absolute carnage, here! The EMTs are still working on Gabrielle, getting her onto that stretcher, whilst Kayden Knox is now walking away through the crowd… and around them a Mile High Massacre is just getting going!"Allen Price: "You can't expect the other eight competitors to slow down whilst the Executive Excellence melodrama plays out, J-L. Or should I call it a death scene?"The camera is watching the EMTs getting Gabrielle onto a stretcher on the outside, but in the background of the shot we see MvH pull herself out of the ring beneath the bottom rope to avoid Nate's incessant stomping. Von Horrowitz has to duck as Doug LuPone tries to run through her with a big boot, and then as the Lumberjack turns she nails him with a step-up enziguri! Doug sprawls backwards and tumbles over one of the crouched EMTs! Michelle turns around and gets nailed with a kick to the midsection from Jackson Fenix, followed by a snap suplex! Meanwhile, in the ring, we have Nate Savage and Dan LuPone trading haymakers in a mini-hoss match within the match, as most of the action taking place on the outside around them. Nate holds his own for a while, throwing a combination of chops and straight right hands, but before long Dan is able to overpower him, backing him up into a corner with some stiff overhand chops. He takes Nate by the wrist and hurls him across the ring with force with an Irish whip. Savage hits the turnbuckles hard and bounces back towards Dan, who takes him down with a flapjack!! On the outside, Kayden has made use of the open door (which has remained open to let the EMTs in) to leave the cage, and is now in the process of walking through the crowd. The audience is hurling abuse at him as he goes, but the camera cuts to the Goddess, who is being taken from the cage upon a stretcher by the medical staff. Allen Price: "This looks like a frightening situation for Gabrielle, here. You look like you're in shock, J-L!"Jean-Luc Watkins: "I think the world is, Price! What was going through Kayden Knox's mind?!"Allen Price: "We'll have to address that in due course, because a Mile High Massacre match is underway! And Michelle von Horrowitz is thrown head-first into that open door!"Indeed, just after the paramedics have removed Gabrielle and before the officials have managed to close the door, MvH spills out of the cage after Jackson Fenix throws her headfirst into it. Fenix follows her out, taking her by the scruff of the neck and throwing her over the barricade into the crowd! The officials remonstrate with the tandem to get it back inside the cage, but don't notice that behind them both Ravenwood sisters have Doug LuPone in a double headlock, and they run him head-first like a battering ram into the open door! LuPone rolls out of the door and onto the outside of the cage, where the Ravenwood sisters follow him with a series of stomps. In the ring, meanwhile, Dan LuPone continues to throw Nate Savage about, at first with a delayed vertical suplex and then with a fallaway slam. Gerald Grayson, meanwhile, who has been busy with Doug LuPone and then the Ravenwoods on the outside, is back up on the apron, and as Dan turns towards him he takes the big man off his feet with a springboard dropkick! What follows is an unlikely temporary alliance between Nate Savage and Gerald Grayson, as they first hit a double suplex on the larger man, followed by an Irish whip into the ropes and a double back body drop! Outside of the cage, meanwhile, Celestia and Blair Ravenwood continue to take the assault to Doug LuPone, hitting the Lumberjack with alternating kicks to the midsection and chest as he reclines on his knees, wincing at each one. The camera picks up MvH and Jackson Fenix, who are fighting through the crowd! Fenix is threatening a German suplex on some steps leading up through the arena, but von Horrowitz lashes out with a few elbow strikes to the side of the head before going behind into a rear waistlock of her own. She attempts a German herself but Jackson is too heavy, so she changes tact, hitting a Russian leg sweep instead! Back nearer ringside, Blair Ravenwood has Doug in a front face lock, and Celestia boots him in the sternum before Blair takes him down with a DDT! The Ravenwoods get to their feet… but any celebration is short-lived, as the ringside Nephews descend! Uncle hits Celestia with a lariat, whilst Thomas West knocks Blair off her feet with a shoulder block!! The audience boos the Nephews freely as Quiet levels the rising Doug with a running knee strike! Allen Price: "The Nephews aren’t even in the match!"Jean-Luc Watkins: "They’re not… but who couldn’t predict that they’d involve themselves in some way? Uncle, Quiet, and West have capitalised on the drama between Bad Reputation and the fact that the action has spilled out of the cage… which, of course, would’ve otherwise kept them out."In the ring, Nate and Gerald take turns in hitting knife edge chops on Dan in the corner, and then they Irish whip the big man into the opposite set of turnbuckles. Nate takes Grayson by the wrist, and tries to whip him across for a clothesline… but Dan ducks beneath, and charges out of the corner to take Savage down with a clothesline! And then he has a big boot for Grayson! Allen Price: "Dan LuPone is building up a head of steam, here! He has the Daredevil up on his shoulder…"Jean-Luc Watkins: "Running power slam! But watch out - Nate Savage is on the charge… and he eats a scoop powerslam from the big Canadian! Momentum shifting inside the ring into the Lumberjack's favour!"LuPone slides beneath the bottom rope and notices the open door, and more importantly sees the Nephews' ongoing attack on his brother (as well as the Ravenwoods) outside of the cage. Quiet is working on Blair with chops on the barricade, whilst Thomas West attempts to run Celestia into the outside of the cage… only for the young woman to reverse and throw West face first into the steel instead! Celestia finds herself with a moment to charge Quiet, but the masked man is able to take her out with a kick to the knees. Uncle, meanwhile, has Doug LuPone in an octopus hold, and upon seeing this his brother steps towards the open door. The official there, though, slams it shut, and temporarily locks it in an act of damage limitation. Dan instead turns away from the scenes outside of the cage and looks under the ring for a ladder. He collects one and begins to slide it beneath the bottom rope, but Gerald Grayson charges and hits a baseball slide, sending the ladder into Dan's face! Grayson slides out to take the ladder and throw it into the ring, then he hops into the apron, willing Nate to his feet… but before he can do anything, Dan LuPone yanks him down from the apron and knocks him over with a shoulder block! LuPone goes back beneath the ring and collects not one, not two, but THREE tables! He leaves two of them on the outside, folded up, but throws the third one beneath the bottom rope and into the ring. He rolls in, meaning to set the table up, but before he can Nate Savage - the third and final man enclosed in the cage - charges over and connects with a low dropkick! He drags Dan up in a reverse face lock and connects with an inverted DDT! On the outside, the Ravenwoods have turned the tide on the Nephews, and after hitting Quiet with a double flapjack onto the barricade they tee off on Thomas with stiff kicks, the last of which is a superkick from Celestia that flattens him. Uncle relinquishes the octopus hold that he's had on Doug for quite some time as the Coven approach… Jean-Luc Watkins: "PINK MIST! Uncle with the pink mist to Blair Ravenwood!"Allen Price: "And Celestia looks momentarily dumbfounded! Her sister is blinded… and JAY! takes Celestia Ravenwood down with a spear on the ramp! The Nephews need to be ejected! I know this is No Disqualification, but… the officials have to get these participants back into the cage!"Jean-Luc Watkins: "Given your exploits on Meltdown this week, Price, I’d think you’d understand the Nephews’ desire to get involved…"Allen Price: "…"The intervention by Uncle has allowed Thomas and Quiet to recover, with the podcast host hitting a spin kick to the gut of Blair, followed by a swinging neckbreaker from the masked man! The crowd have generally been greeting these antics with loud, hostile boos, but that suddenly abates, cheers resounding in Belgrade as… Allen Price: "KLEIO DE SANTOS! KDS is here to even out the odds!!"De Santos meets Quiet on the ramp with a spinning elbow strike to take him down, and then a roundhouse kick for Thomas West. Uncle is backing away from the Boa Constrictor, who charges him down with a flurry of forearm strikes! Uncle throws up a hasty guard and, after being backed up all the way to the cage, manages to connect with a thumb to the eye! KDS is momentarily staggered, allowing Uncle to take her down with an STO! JAY! stands to his feet, and sees Doug LuPone glaring back at him, now up to his own vertical base after being restrained for a lengthy period in Uncle's octopus hold. Uncle turns away from him as if to scarper, but finds himself face-to-face with the cage… which he has no real choice but to begin climbing! … And Doug LuPone is in pursuit of him!! The big man climbs up after him, slower than Uncle - and indeed than KDS, who has also begun the endeavour in pursuit of COSMIC HORROR - but intent on following anyway! Jean-Luc Watkins: "This is bad… we’ve got three wrestlers - only one of whom is in this match - scaling this twenty five foot cage. This can only end badly…"Across the cage and still in the crowd, we cut to Jackson Fenix, who has MvH up in a powerbomb position. Von Horrowitz is trying to fight out of whatever Fenix is doing, and lashes out with right hands to the top of his head. Jackson charges with her up in position anyway, and hurls her with a powerbomb into the barricade!! Jackson collapses too, the effort of the fight with Michelle having taken its toll on him too. We cut back to the ring, where Nate Savage has set up a ladder. Dan LuPone is grounded in a corner, but GG is up on the apron without Savage realising. The Daredevil springboards onto the top rope and then onto the ladder! Allen Price: "Gerald Grayson trying to sneak in the back door, here!"Jean-Luc Watkins: "He really will try Anything Springboard!"Nate Savage is having none of it, though. He yanks GG down from two thirds of the way up from the ladder, with Grayson landing on his feet. Nate winds up for a discus clothesline, but Gerald ducks beneath it and then doubles Savage over with a boot to the midsection. He applies a front face lock, runs up the ladder, and hits a tornado DDT on Savage! The ladder topples with the move, and Gerald has no time at all to think about following up. Dan LuPone bundles the Daredevil back into the turnbuckles with what amounts to little more than a bodycheck, and then grasps Grayson by the throat in a single handed chokehold. He manhandles him up into a gorilla press, before slamming GG down onto the toppled ladder!! The crowd communally winces at the impact, but Dan goes to work setting up the table he slid in earlier, angling it in a slanted position in the corner. On the outside, Michelle is up to her feet in the crowd but next to the barricade, and Fenix charges at her with a boot that sends her over to the ringside area next to the cage. She lands in a heap, but is somewhat close to Thomas, who has just taken a combination legsweep/STO from the Coven, and West rolls something to her. Jackson hops the barricade… and gets blinded with some sort of spray!! Jean-Luc Watkins: "Is that… mace?!"Allen Price: "That's bear spray, J-L! Take it from a man who is terrified of bears."Jackson Fenix goes down clutching his face, and several of the fans in the vicinity are showing their displeasure, too. Michelle, though, looks upwards… where, on the top of the cage, Uncle is trying to fend off KDS and Doug LuPone as they mount the lip of it with alternating stomps, but soon enough KDS is able to get to her feet and hit a mule kick to send Uncle stumbling back. From an aerial shot, we see the layout of the cage roof: it is a large square, made up of a 5x5 grid of smaller panels, with the belts hung up on the underside of the middle one. Uncle has stumbled onto one of the inner panels (which is what we'll call those that aren't on the perimeter or the centre panel), allowing Doug and Kleio to both rise. They take it in turns to hit strikes on JAY!, KDS with forearms or elbow strikes and LuPone with overhand chops. When Uncle finally takes a knee, Doug hoists him up and hits a body slam on top of the cage! The roof, and particularly the inner panel he impacted, rattles after the move. Upon seeing the two-on-one occurring atop the cage, Michelle begins her own climb up the side of it, the camera watching her uneasily finding a foothold to begin the ascent… Allen Price: "Make that four heading towards the top! MvH spots Uncle’s plight and begins to climb the cage, too…"Jean-Luc Watkins: "Perhaps short-sighted, Price. Von Horrowitz could’ve allowed Uncle to deal with Doug LuPone and whichever other challengers get drawn towards that battle atop the cage, whilst getting herself back inside of it to help her partner retrieve those titles. Looks like Dreamer’s getting distracted, in my opinion…"Inside the ring, Dan has finished setting up his table in the corner and proceeds to dump GG unceremoniously over the top rope and onto the outside. He hoists Nate up onto his shoulder, perhaps looking for another running power slam and this time through the table in the corner, but Savage kicks his legs and slips out the back. Dan turns around and gets a kick to the gut from Nate, followed by a European uppercut that turns him around. Nate applies a rear waist lock and backs up towards the angled table in the corner, perhaps looking for a German suplex through it, but Dan LuPone fights out with elbows to the side of the head, the fourth of which creates some separation. Nate charges in at Dan, but the bigger man cuts him off with a HUGE forearm strike. Nate is backed up to the ropes and Dan hits a clothesline, knocking him over them onto the apron. LuPone turns around, trying to locate the ladder, but he doesn’t see Grayson on an adjacent apron. The Daredevil springboards in, and takes Dan LuPone down with a hurricanrana! All three men are down and strewn around the ring! The Coven have been busy outside the cage. After taking down West and Quiet, we see them collecting some tables that have been left by the ring ramp - four in total - and setting them up in a two-on-two stack at the base of the ramp, in the shadow of the cage. Then, Blair insists that the referee allows her inside, reminding him that she's in the match, and he unlocks the door, allowing her in. He holds it open for Celestia, too, but she shakes her head and instead begins to scale the cage… At the top of it, KDS has connected with a DDT onto the same inner panel that Uncle was body slammed onto earlier, with COSMIC HORROR now sprawled out on top of it. They are joined on the roof, though, by Dreamer, who mounts the lip on the other side of it. She is already charging towards them by the time they know she's there, and she's able to duck beneath LuPone's attempted big boot before taking out KDS with a busaiku knee kick!! Michelle follows up with a mule kick to Doug, whilst Uncle positions himself behind the Lumberjack in a rear waist lock. Michelle hits a superkick, and Uncle wrenches Doug up and over with a deadlift German suplex!! Doug lands on the centre panel, the cage rattling again upon the impact! Allen Price: "I don’t like the look of this… the cage is showing that it’s not beyond wear and tear, and we have a lot of people on top of it right now… I think you were right, J-L. This could end very badly."In the ring, Blair has entered and finds Gerald Grayson climbing to his feet. She hits a running high knee on the Daredevil to take him down. She then notices Dan LuPone in the corner, proceeding to choke him out with the soul of her boot. On the outside, meanwhile, we see Nate Savage shouting through the cage to his partner, who is still reeling from the bear spray. He tells Jackson to get in the cage, and his partner nods his head whilst rubbing his eyes. Savage busies himself setting up one of the tables on the outside of the ring, and is soon reunited with Fenix. The pair watch as Blair hits Grayson with a Yakuza kick, the door opening again and Jackson entering the fray. They throw the other table into the ring, which gets Blair's attention, finally noticing that Jackson and Nate are both now in the cage. They hop up onto the apron on opposite sides of the ring, Blair struggling to pick a strategy, before she bundles into Jackson and knocks him off the apron. Nate is on her in an instant, though, first hitting her with a trio of hard forearm strikes, and then a backdrop driver!! Fenix is in the ring now, too, and he hoists Grayson up to hit him with a fisherman's buster. Nate is setting up the ladder beneath the belts, which he succeeds in doing whilst Jackson clears the ring of Blair and Gerald. Fenix then hoists Dan up, positioning him for a back suplex, which Nate joins him in to make it a double when it proves apparent that Jackson can't shift his weight. Dan LuPone has other ideas, though, and he throws the Undisputed Alliance's heads together! Allen Price: "Meeting of the minds for Fenix and Savage!"Dan follows up with a big shoulder block on Nate, and then a spinning big boot on Jackson!! Blair is back in the ring, and we notice Gerald has rolled in, too. Blair charges Dan but eats a massive back body drop, sending her halfway across the ring!!! Gerald is up to his feet on the apron, and tries to springboard in with a cross-body… but Dan LuPone catches him in midair! He throws him onto his shoulders and then slams him to the mat with a Samoan drop!! Jean-Luc Watkins: "Dan LuPone is building up a serious head of steam again, here! He could be about to lead the Lumberjacks to their first taste of gold in the FWA!"Allen Price: "He’s still got to climb that ladder…"Jackson is somehow back to his feet, and he throws a clothesline at Dan… but LuPone blocks it with his head! And then he smashes into Fenix’s skull with a crushing headbutt!! Jackson collapses onto his knees, but Dan applies a front face lock and drags him over to the corner where the table is set up… Jean-Luc Watkins: "Dan looking for a DDT or maybe a suplex through the table he set up earlier in the match… but I think Jackson is out already!"Allen Price: "But watch out! Here comes Nate Savage! SPEAR!!"Jean-Luc Watkins: "NATE SAVAGE SPEARS DAN LUPONE OUT OF HIS BOOTS AND THROUGH THE TABLE!!"The crowd explodes alongside the table for the move, but all five participants that are inside the cage (Dan LuPone, Nate Savage, Jackson Fenix, Blair Ravenwood, and Gerald Grayson) are down in various states of disrepair. We see in a wide shot that they won’t be moving any time soon… but also that Celestia Ravenwood has reached the top of the cage! She climbs up over the edge, in time to see Michelle von Horrowitz hitting a Death Valley Driver on KDS on the same cage panel that Uncle took two moves onto earlier, and there’s a noticeable dent in it when De Santos rolls off it. Celestia charges at Michelle and first hits a heel kick, followed by a Northern Lights suplex, taking Michelle up and over and landing her on the centre panel. Uncle, meanwhile, has gone back to his octopus hold, again keeping Doug in position with it, off on another corner of the cage roof. Celestia looks over at this, but decides to instead focus on Michelle. She lists her up and slams her back down again with an exploder suplex… only to notice, as she’s rising, that Quiet and Thomas West are also now beginning their own ascent of the cage. She decides that Uncle needs to be addressed, but JAY! relinquishes his hold of Doug as she approaches, attempting a double-discuss lariat, which Celestia telegraphs and ducks beneath. She follows up with a pair of Mongolian chops on Uncle, before stamping on his foot, and then knocking him off his feet with a dropkick. As the two land on separate panels, we watch from an aerial angle as the roof again shakes under the weight of the impact. In the ring, Nate Savage is setting up the ladder underneath the championship belts, and catches a glimpse of the chaos that is happening up on the roof. Jackson, meanwhile, is busy with the table that they slid in earlier, which he puts up near the corner (but away from it, with both legs folded out properly). Nate then begins to climb the ladder, with Jackson standing guard beneath it. Allen Price: "You've got to think that maybe the Undisputed Alliance have got this the wrong way around…"Jean-Luc Watkins: "And you can see Gerald Grayson is back to his feet on the apron. He springboards up and OVER THE TOP OF JACKSON FENIX, connecting with a knee strike on Nate Savage!"Savage is knocked down from the ladder, but Fenix immediately turns towards Grayson… Allen Price: "Looks like Blair Ravenwood wants to get in on the act! She's up on the apron, too…"Jean-Luc Watkins: "Springboard crossbody on Jackson Fenix!"Blair maybe thinks it's time to climb the ladder, but she forgets about Gerald Grayson. GG turns her round and collects her in a bearhug, before throwing her over the top rope with a belly-to-belly suplex!! Blair lands in a heap on the outside!! Gerald wants to follow up, but immediately he is cornered by the Undisputed Alliance. Jackson is out on the apron, and Nate boots Gerald in the midsection before hoisting him up for a buckle bomb! Compounded by an enziguri from Jackson from the apron! Gerald stumbles out from the corner… right into a Nasty Bomb from Nate Savage!! Back on top of the cage, we see Celestia rousing KDS, and the two face off with Thomas and Quiet. The exchange is even, but soon enough the numbers game catches up when Dreamer re-enters the fray alongside the other Nephews. She is able to break up an attempt at a suplex from Celestia on Quiet, and then her and the masked man take Ravenwood down with a double clothesline. De Santos is backing West up towards the edge of the cage, near where the double stacked tables are that the Coven set up earlier… but she doesn't see Uncle sneak up behind her with a clothesline to the back of the head! Thomas follows up with a uranage slam, planting Kleio down on the cage roof. Back in the ring, Jackson is half way up the ladder with Nate standing guard, but Dan LuPone is back to his feet, and Savage tries to fend him off with a flourish of knife edge, Mongolian, and overhand chops… only for Dan to fire back with straight right hands, and then a big clothesline that sends Nate to the mat. He pulls Jackson off the ladder in powerbomb position, and walks over towards where the table is set up in the ring… but Fenix fights him off with right hands, and then takes him over with a code red!!! Dan rolls beneath the bottom rope as Jackson thinks about climbing the ladder… but Grayson hits him with a cutter! He decides to rearrange some furniture, dragging the ladder to the edge of the ring and the table into the middle of it. Gerald yanks Fenix up by the hair and hits him with some right hands, positioning him so that he's lying down on the table… Jean-Luc Watkins: "Gerald Grayson maybe got some ideas, here? The Daredevil has been known to take big risks in matches like this…"Allen Price: "Sort of how he got the nickname, J-L."Meanwhile, on the outside, Blair has Nate by the wrist and throws him with an Irish whip into the steel steps. She then fishes under the ring for a chair, which she proceeds to bring down over Nate's back.. In the ring, Gerald has climbed to the top rope, and has his hands on the top of the ladder… he takes a deep breath, the crowd on their feet and willing him on… and leapfrogs over the top of the ladder, coming down on Jackson on the table with a big frogsplash!! The pair crash through it, the crowd popping for the aerial display, but Gerald is in no condition to follow up… Atop the cage, Quiet has Celestia and hits her with a piledriver, and then watches on as MvH hits KDS with a Tiger Driver '98 on a different panel. Not to be outdone, Thomas collects Doug LuPone and hits the big man with a Gotch-style piledriver onto the centre panel!! And immediately the centre panel bows under their weight!! Thomas rolls off quickly, a look of shock and terror on his face… … he stares down at the dent that he just made in the seemingly flimsy roof… … and then he begins to climb back down the side of the cage to safety!! Jean-Luc Watkins: "Thomas West deciding that such great heights are maybe not for him after all…"Meanwhile, back in the ring, Blair has climbed in with her chair, and to his credit Gerald is up too. The Daredevil is holding his ribs after his frogsplash through the table, though, and Ravenwood throws the chair at him. Grayson catches it… but then also catches a dropkick! The chair is sent back into his face and Grayson crashes to the mat! Blair engages in the task of clearing the debris from the smashed table so that the ladder can be set up again… Whilst on top of the cage, Michelle seems to be aiming for a Psycho Driver #2 on Celestia, but the challenger fights out with elbow strikes to cause separation, only for Uncle to then send her down with a wild lariat. Kleio has some success on COSMIC HORROR with a roundhouse, but is quickly overwhelmed by an enziguri from MvH and then a bicycle knee strike from Quiet! In the ring, Blair has finally succeeded in moving the debris and setting up the ladder, but now Dan LuPone is back to his feet, and he pulls Ravenwood from the ladder in powerbomb position. He walks over to the side of the ring, maybe looking to powerbomb Blair out of it and through the table on the outside, but Blair fights out with right hands to the top of the head… and then hurricanranas him over the top rope! She's maybe looking to send him through the ringside table, but only succeeds in bringing him out onto the apron alongside her. Blair follows up with a knee strike, and then a clobbering series of forearm strikes… Meanwhile, atop the cage, MvH, Quiet, and Uncle have backed Celestia across the cage with a series of strikes, towards the edge overlooking the announcer's desks. Quiet hoists Celestia up and takes her over near the very edge with a saito suplex, and then Uncle waits patiently for her to rise to her feet. When she does, he takes him in a single-handed chokehold… Jean-Luc Watkins: "Is he looking to chokeslam her over the edge?! Towards us?!"Allen Price: "Better get out of the way!!"We hear the headsets being set down as the commentators scatter below, and Celestia is (nearly) out of options for escape, and so connects with a low blow to Uncle, breaking out of the chokehold! Michelle quickly takes Celestia down with a discus forearm, but KDS is on Quiet, sending him down with a jumping roundhouse!! The cage again rattles… and continues to do so as Doug LuPone re-enters the fray, charging at Michelle… and connecting with a HUUUGE big boot!! Michelle sways on the edge… and then she falls… all the way from the top of the cage and through the announce table, which implodes in on itself upon impact!! The announcers have dispersed, so can't say anything over the ensuing replays, but the audience are going wild enough to provide a sufficient soundtrack. We finally cut back to the ring, where Dan LuPone has fought his way back into his battle on the apron with Blair Ravenwood, delivering some overhand chops that drive the air from her. Nate Savage, meanwhile, has pulled Gerald Grayson out of the ring and thrown him head-first into the nearby steel ring post. He then goes under the apron, fishing for more weaponry and producing another ladder. Rather than throwing it into the ring, though, he sets it up between the apron and a horizontal bar on the inner cage side, perhaps conveniently positioned for this purpose. He then turns back to Gerald, but the Daredevil fights out with right hands to the gut, and then he throws Nate face first into the steel meshing of the cage! Dan has overwhelmed Blair in the battle on the apron, and he applies a front facelock, maybe looking for a suplex on the hardest part of the ring. Ravenwood drops to one knee to block it, and then breaks out of the facelock with a European uppercut… followed by three stiff kicks to the side. Blair hops up onto Dan's shoulders, looking for a hurricanrana… but Dan blocks it by sheet size alone, and then hoists Blair back up before throwing her off the apron with a powerbomb, through the adjacent table!!! The crowd roars again for the move, the camera focusing in on Blair's limp form amongst the debris! Gerald, after throwing Nate into the cage, quickly hops up onto the apron, and then ascends towards the top turnbuckle. He has his back to Nate, and allows himself a brief look back over his shoulder to Savage before he steadies himself on the top rope… Jean-Luc Watkins: "Moonsault! Gerald Grayson with the moonsault… and we’re just about getting ourselves re-settled here at the commentary booth… or what's left of it! Gerald Grayson crashes down onto Nate Savage, but Michelle von Horrowitz took a much more serious tumble just moments before…"Allen Price: "She hasn’t moved an inch since coming down from the top of the cage and crashing through our table, J-L, which comes as no surprise… that’s twenty, maybe twenty five feet! I think Michelle von Horrowitz is out of this match-up… and still the drama continues on the top of the cage…"Up top, following the big boot that sent Michelle off it, Doug LuPone is swarmed by Quiet and Uncle, who go so far as to hit a double back body drop on the big man, putting another large dent in another panel of the cage roof. Celestia and KDS try to come back at the Nephews still on the roof, but it's a DDT for Celestia from JAY! and a tiltawhirl backbreaker for De Santos from Quiet. Doug has struggled to his feet, and Uncle boots him in the midsection before applying a single-handed chokehold, perhaps looking for a chokeslam. Doug breaks out of it, though, by throwing a double axe handle down into Uncle's arm. Doug applies his own choke hold but with two hands, lifting him into the air off the cage… but Quiet grabs Uncle's legs and pulls him down again, before UNLEASHING A FIREBALL INTO DOUG'S FACE!! Doug stumbles back, clearly blinded at least temporarily… Allen Price: "JESUS CHRIST!"Jean-Luc Watkins: "Out of hand, Price…"In the ring, meanwhile, Gerald Grayson has rolled into the ring, and starts to collect the nearby toppled ladder. He's probably shaping up to set it up below the belts, but before he can, Jackson Fenix rolls into the ring and hits him with Superkick Me Baby One More Time! Grayson drops the ladder (which slides beneath the ropes) and hits the mat, staring up at the ceiling of the cage, but Jackson can do little to follow up. He slumps into the corner, catching his breath… And on the ceiling, Quiet rouses Uncle and the two of them focus on Doug. They take turns to hit him with chops that back him up towards the most dented panel on the roof, and then Uncle re-applies his single-handed chokehold. He glances over at Quiet, who joins him with a single-handed chokehold with his gloved hand. They both lift an arm of Doug's over their own. Jean-Luc Watkins: "This… this might be bad for Doug LuPone! I don't think that roof panel is going to take much more punishment, and the Lumberjack is a big boy…"Allen Price: "Up he goes!"Quiet and Uncle hoist Doug up and double chokeslam him onto the bowing roof panel… which immediately gives way beneath his weight!!! Doug LuPone falls through the hole in the roof he just created, and plummets down to the ring! AND THEN RIGHT THROUGH THE RING, TOO!!! Jean-Luc Watkins: "… OH MY GOD!!"Allen Price: "DOUG LUPONE JUST CRASHED THROUGH THE RING ITSELF!!"Jackson Fenix, who was in the corner sucking in oxygen, looks on with a shocked expression on his face. He stands up and slowly walks over to the hole in the ring, where Doug's legs are hanging over the edge, the rest of him other than his boots not visible. Jackson gets right up to the hole… and then jumps back, startled, as a figure emerges from the newly-formed hole… Allen Price: "Harry the Sane Wizard!! Harry the Sane Wizard just came through the hole that Doug LuPone made in the ring!!"He hops out of the hole, and Fenix saunters back up to him… only for Harry to punch him HARD in the dick!! Jackson stumbles backwards, and Harry levels him with a superkick…also to the dick! Fenix falls to the mat and rolls beneath the bottom rope. Harry celebrates his accomplishment in the ring for a moment, but he doesn't notice that Dan LuPone is standing behind him. He turns around and gets a kick to the midsection, and then Dan manhandles him up onto his shoulders… he turns towards the side of the ring where the ladder is propped up between the apron and the ledge across the cage. And then he hurls Harry out of the ring with a crucifix bomb! Jean-Luc Watkins: "Harry crumbles through the ladder!! I think he's dead!"Meanwhile, atop the roof, Uncle and Quiet back Celestia up towards the edge of the cage, overlooking the double stacked tables below. They apply another double chokehold, perhaps looking for another double chokeslam… but Kleio arrives to save the day for Celestia! She dives into the back of Uncle with a chop block to the knee! Quiet collects her in a front facelock, maybe going for a brainbuster, but before the masked man gets a chance to hoist her up Kleio is backing up her partner by joining her on the other side of Quiet, and then they take the masked man over with a double suplex! Kleio and Celestia focus on Uncle, who is staggered near the very edge of the cage. De Santos starts off with a spin kick to the gut, and then Celestia hits a trio of forearms, followed by a pump kick from Kleio! A quartet of European uppercuts follow from Celestia, and then she glances to De Santos, Uncle dead on his feet in front of them… Kleio hits a low dropkick to the knees, whilst Celestia hits one to the chest, sending Uncle tumbling back off the edge!! He flies off the side of the cage as we watch him in wide shot, the fans on their feet - and Thomas West watching on from below with his head in his hands - as he crashes through the double-stacked tables on the outside!! Jean-Luc Watkins: "This is carnage!! Uncle flies off the roof of the cage, too… and he's not even in the match!!"The camera shows Uncle sprawled out amongst the exploded tables with West checking on him for a moment, the audience losing their minds for the high spot. And then we cut to the ring, as Dan LuPone carries a ladder towards the center of the ring… but he notices that Celestia Ravenwood is above, climbing down through the hole made on the roof by Doug's tumble! She's trying to crawl across the underside of the roof like a spider, towards the title belts… and Dan has to fold the ladder back up and thrust it upwards into her! After the first bash, Celestia's feet lose their hold on the roof, and now she's just hanging there… so Doug hits her in the legs and sternum with the ladder, knocking her down! She lands in a heap on the mat and rolls away. Jean-Luc Watkins: "And now Dan LuPone can finally get around to setting that ladder up, being careful to avoid that hole where his brother crashed through earlier on…"Allen Price: "Dan LuPone is on his way up!! The Lumberjacks are gonna do it!"Jean-Luc Watkins: "Don't be so sure! Here comes Nate Savage! He's climbing up the other side of the ladder!"Allen Price: "It's come down to the Lumberjacks and the Undisputed Alliance! It's a race to the top!!"Nate is a little quicker, but Dan had a headstart, and they arrive at the top at the same time. They begin to trade blows, going back and forth atop the ladder… Nate teeters, but then comes back with a huge right-hand, causing LuPone to lose his grip, but the big man catches himself, and fires back! And down below, Gerald Grayson has climbed up on the apron. He takes a deep breath, and then springboards up and lands on Dan LuPone's back! Jean-Luc Watkins: "Grayson jumps the queue! He climbs up over Dan LuPone… and knocks Nate Savage off the other side of the ladder with a clubbing forearm!"Allen Price: "The Daredevil's reaching up! He has hands on the gold!"Jean-Luc Watkins: "HE'S GOT 'EM! GERALD'S GOT THE BELTS!!"Winner: The Connection at 36:62. Gerald Grayson falls down from the ladder, the belts clutched to his chest. After a few disappointed breaths, Dan LuPone does the same, before rolling out of the ring. Natalie Rosenberg: "Here are your winners… and STILL the FWA World Tag Team Champions… Gerald Grayson… Michelle von Horrowitz… the CONNECTION!!"There are some cheers for the Connection's win, and some boos as well. Some are clearly out off by the heavy Nephews involvement in the match, but more applaud the spectacle they just saw. Grayson only lies on the mat, the belts on top of him. Jean-Luc Watkins: "I'm not exactly sure what we just saw, Price. Several FWA competitors may never be the same after what we just saw… but one thing that IS the same is that Cthulhu's Nephews are still the tag team champions…"Allen Price: "Neither of them looks like champions eight now, J-L. Michelle is only now getting some medical attention, and Grayson is unable to stand in the ring."Jean-Luc Watkins: "But he's got those belts in his hands…"Quiet has seemingly climbed down from the top of the cage, because he and Thomas are now in the ring. West offers a hand to the Daredevil and pulls him up into a seated position. The masked man lingers a few paces behind. Thomas and Gerald share some words that we don't hear. We sweep around the carnage… Dan is dragging his brother out of the hole in the ring… Kleio has climbed down, too, and her and Celestia are scooping Blair out of the debris of a smashed table… Jackson and Nate have left the cage, and begin to leave up the ramp, frustrated at the loss… both Uncle and Michelle are being helped onto stretchers on opposite sides of the ring, whilst a separate team of EMTs is with Harry inside the cage… But in the ring, Thomas and Quiet help Gerald up to his feet. They lift him onto their shoulders, the Daredevil holding both tag team championships up into the air, a hurricane of noise - both positive and negative - surrounding him as Fallout 024 goes off the air |
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