A gothic choir bellows in the background, creating an atmosphere of fear. And this foreboding vibe is enhanced by a tombstone. One embedded into the giant mound of dirt just to the side of the stage, and situated at the head of an open grave.
The engraving is given the necessary close-up view.
Orlando Cruze RIP
1976-2014
Pyros, vacated seats, exuberant screams….all the customary sights and sounds expectant with the start of an IWC telecast.
Johnny Dollar: We are go from the home-base of operations. IWC is back in the Manhattan Center for our first event post Last Stand.
Susie Moore: Yay, we’re home, Johnny….and the frost bite is much better than sun burns I must say.
Dollar: Oh how I long for the IWC to move its shows to Universal Studios, just so we can get some time away from this blistering cold….Being in Florida for a week spoiled me.
Susie: Erm, Johnny, why is that tombstone and open grave here….again?
Dollar: I haven’t a clue, and I have no idea why Frankie Paradise is in the ring either.
Cameras immediately cut to Frankie looking dapper in his leather jacket and knotted tie, and as Johnny pointed out, he’s right there in the center of the ring, microphone ready.
Frankie: Hot-damn is it ever good to be back in Manhattan, surrounded by all you Frank-o-philes!
There are not nearly as many ardent Paradise supporters as he seems to believe.
Frankie: And we coast back into New York riding a wave….no….a mother-lovin TSSSUNAMI of momentum.
In spite of the dread exhibited by the audience, Frankie looks quite excited…too excited…perhaps having snorted some pixy stick powder directly up his nose before the show.
Frankie: Last Stand was an unquestionable and rousing success, brought to you by the Frankster himself.
Any opportunity to monger the spotlight will NOT be denied to Paradise.
Frankie: Frankie Paradise knows what’s mainstream, what’s HIP, what’s JIVING….unlike Borelando, in his stiff button down three piece and his bunched up tighty whities, Frankie Paradise is with the times….This club hopping, Hot Topic shopping, jaw dropping specimen knows how to entertain and keep you Frank-o-philes on the edge of your seats. I’m guessing that after the Rumble, a lot of washing machines were filled with a lot of saturated panties, and you have Frankie Paradise to thank for that.
A totally undeserved bow is taken…and although Frankie expects to find himself showered in roses and room-keys, he carries on undaunted when neither are tossed at his feet.
Frankie: Last Stand….yeah….it was the SHIZNIT….but Invictus is gonna blow it outta the water.
A pointed finger is directed to the huge Invictus banner hanging from the rafters.
Frankie: We’re just a few weeks shy of the biggie, and ya know it’s gonna be larger than Orlando’s forehead with Frankie Paradise at the helm, providing the WOW factor….
The finger drops back to his side as Frankie sways excitedly.
Frankie: And one of the LEGENDS that are going to help me make Invictus so mind-blowingly special…is the man that I….yes…that FRANKIE PARADISE….try not to swoon too loudly….personally signed to a contract. The hall of famer who debuted at Last Stand….the GAHD amongst mortal men…..the time transcending, twitter trending mega-star….who is gonna breath fresh air into this stuffy old company….
The ego-maniacal tirade ends rather unceremoniously when “ENEMY” is piped through the PA system. Frankie’s alarmed eyes avert to the stage presently occupied by Lukas Montgomery, Aaron Harrison and the Evolution Title sporting Mika Kozlov. The Trinity head to the ring amidst a chorus of jeers.
Dollar: It’s never good when we see the Blacklist, but even worse when we see them in a ‘disgruntled’ mood. They’ve actually interrupted our ‘esteemed’ General Manager/Presidential Advisor.
Susie: But I’m sure Frankie had about thirty five more minutes of hype for Lucas Knight.
Dollar: Indeed…deserved hype however, olatidering that Lucas Knight made his SHOCKING debut at Last Stand, returning to the ring…..but the Blacklist not about to give him his anticipated time in the spotlight.
As the Blacklist inches closer to the apron, Frankie draws nearer to the ropes, about to make an exit and a mad dash to the back. In spite of his desperate need for self-preservation, Frankie opts to stay in the ring and hear what the Blacklist has to say. A microphone has already founds its way to Harrison’s palm as he, Mika and Montgomery surround Paradise.
Harrison: Sorry Frank, but this little love affair with Lucas Knight is taking your mind off what matters most.
Frankie: Guys, seriously? Can’t we all shoot the breeze later?
Mika’s finger presses to Frankie’s lips.
Mika: Shoosh honey-bunny, shoosh.
Harrison: Couldn’t wait till later, Frank, we need this taken care of NOW.
Paradise buries his outrage over being interrupted to keep the Blacklist from turning him into a human torch.
Montgomery: Frankie….
Lukas speaks on behalf of his ‘family.’
Montgomery:….we’re just a tad disappointed in you.
How? This is obviously what Frankie is thinking, but he would never dare to speak up and openly question the lethal gaggle that surrounds him.
Montgomery: The Blacklist made some requests at Last Stand, and ummm, you haven’t been too forthcoming with answers.
It’s clear that Frankie has not a clue what is being eluded to here.
Montgomery: Mika Kozlov made a challenge to Taylor Chase for a Singapore Canes Are Legal Match…
Lukas says this while putting a palm to Mika’s shoulder.
Montgomery: And Aaron made a challenge to Orlando Cruze….
The palm moves to Aaron’s shoulder, patting it lightly.
Montgomery: Two HUGE matches that have not been signed off on.
Harrison: We’re getting more than a little impatient, Frank.
Montgomery: It’s obvious your head is in the clouds, or…up the ass of Lucas Knight…..And the Blacklist is starting to feel….
Lukas does not make eye contact with Paradise, instead looking at his own nails and tentatively making his utterance.
Montgomery:….a bit….neglected.
Frankie’s head can’t snap back fast enough without flying off his shoulders.
Harrison: We’ve put plans into motion for tonight….
With one hand Aaron takes the microphone, with the other he points to the grave at the side of the stage.
Harrison:….Plans for our illustrious Word Champion, and our conniving President…..
Montgomery: And we need to know if you’re going to help us fulfil those plans….
The tie around Frankie’s throat is tightened by Mika.
Montgomery:…or if your gonna stand in the way of those plans.
It takes a few moments before Frankie can even form thoughts….griped both figuratively and metaphorically by fear….so it takes an eternity to form sentences.
Harrison: Is my Mika getting her match against Taylor tonight…Singapore Canes are Legal?
The moment the tie is yanked by Kozlov, it seems to break the shackle on Frankie’s tongue.
Frankie: Oh….oh-oh-oh….yeah….yes…totes….totes….ya gotta it sugar-ti…..
It goes against every fiber of his being not to address a female via such a vulgar nickname.
Frankie: MIKA….the match is totes on tonight. Mika Kozlov versus Taylor Chase, Singapore Canes Are Legal.
A smile forms across the face of the lovely, yet ever so deadly young lady…..a smile that will no doubt widen once she hears the sound of the cane smashing against her ‘sister’s’ flesh.
Harrison: And now….regarding my challenge to Orlando Cruze….
The paralysis returns to Frankie’s tongue.
Harrison: Are you FINALLY going to give me my match against Orlando, with his hands shackled behind his back?
A set of handcuffs are removed from Lukas’ pocket, dangling like a set of keys in front of an enchanted infant’s face.
Harrison:…Or will you be just like everyone else and deny me the one thing….the only thing I’ve been asking for since day one?
Frankie opens his mouth to finally respond only to have the knot on his tie tightened to the point where it chokes him.
Harrison: Keep in mind all the favors that the Blacklist has done for you over the past few months. Don’t forget how much you owe us.
After the pitch has been made, the knot is loosened enough to give Frankie the ability to answer. Though he CAN talk, for once he doesn’t want to.
Frankie: Umm….uhhh….I’m sorry Aaron….but….ummmmm. I couldn’t get that match booked.
Aaron’s head kicks back and his eyes roll around in his sockets. In order to prevent being choked to death by the tie in Mika’s hand, Frankie scrambles to give a clearer explanation.
Frankie: I’m really….really…really sorry Bro….But after Desmond Drake grossly abused his powers to book Orlando in matches, the Board wanted to make sure I couldn’t do the same, so….like….yeah….I can’t force Orlando into any match he doesn’t want to compete in.
The hand of the monstrous Harrison moves towards Frankie, causing him to dribble just a little in his underpants. However, the lack of bladder control was unnecessary, as Aaron’s gesture is not violent, it’s actually quite playful. He puts his hand on Frankie’s head, tussling his spikey fro.
Harrison: I thought something like this might happen, Frank, so just relax.
His fist swings but not into a damaging blow…instead it taps against Frankie’s jaw.
Harrison: I’m sure by the end of the night that Orlando’s final match WILL happen.
Montgomery: We do have our way of getting what we want.
Harrison: Lukie…
Montgomery is already reaching into his pocket, knowing what’s being asked of him before the request can be made.
Harrison: Would you mind…?
Montgomery: I’m already dialing our lawyer….
Harrison: Good…
Frankie: Lawyer?
Harrison: But even if the threat of legal action can’t get Orlando to play ball tonight…well….
That same sneer Harrison wore at Last Stand consumes his face.
Harrison:…we have other bargaining chips.
Shaun: That you do, lady and gents, that you do.
To a truly uproarious response Shaun Cruze emerges from the back, brother of the esteemed President, and turncoat to the esteemed President. He makes his way down the ramp hearing a chorus of boos that would hurt his feelings, if he possessed feelings. Under the ropes he rolls and into a big bearhug from Mika he marches. Without even a hint of jealousy, Harrison watches his love embrace Shaun, and Shaun embrace Aaron’s love right back. Just because he feels neglected, Montgomery steps in and joins in on the cuddle, and while Mika reciprocates Lukas’ gesture, Shaun does not.
Dollar: There he is, the man who carries a heroic last name, but not a very heroic reputation.
Susie: Shaun went all bad and stuff….just like Bob when he transforms into Robert….He’s gone from cute and cuddly to mean-spirited. God help us all if he dies his hair red and grows it out.
Shaun: I’m sure Orlando will see the light by the end of the night and realize that everything he’s done to shamefully persecute the Blacklist have been acts of pure futility. In spite of all the roadblocks and obstacles he’s thrown in their ways, Kozlov, Montgomery and Harrison are still true to the cause, and will not stop under any circumstances until they get Orlando in this ring.
The crowd does not respond favorably to Orlando being described as some type of great Satan.
Shaun: Why keep running, Brother? Why try to avoid your fate? It’s inevitable, the Blacklist SHALL get you in the ring…so why not make it tonight?
Shaun gets a bit more impassioned.
Shaun: You’ve hidden behind your friends, you’ve used Gary Matt, you’ve used your own FIANCEE!….Come on now Orlando, the time has come for you to get your hands dirty and stop cowering behind Taylor’s skirt.
There is even more fire brazen in Shaun’s voice.
Shaun: People wonder why I turned from Orlando, and went to the Blacklist?
An arm wraps around Lukas’ neck and drags him in close to Cruze’s bosom.
Shaun: Because these three are genuine. They don’t hide who they truly are. They don’t attempt to masquerade themselves as heroes. My brother on the other-hand, he’s nothing but a liar. He feeds you people deception and you’re all eating right out the palm of his hand. You gobble up his act and keep coming back for more…and Orlando just keeps on forcing his ACT down your throat over and over and over again! It’s sickening….fucking disgusting! My brother makes you THINK he’s a righteous man?….
Shaun lowers and shakes his head, allowing Aaron to take over.
Harrison: What kind of righteous man allows his fiancée to fight his battles for him? Have I ever used Mika like Orlando uses Taylor? Nope. Have I ever sent Lukas after my enemies, like Orlando fed Nathan Creed to the lions? Absolutely not. Have I ever intentionally withheld the truth from you people, or masqueraded myself as something I’m not? NEVER. So ask yourselves, who is the true monster…who is the righteous, and who is the damned?
Harrison reaches out for Shaun, who drops to his knees in the middle of the ring as Aaron’s palm wedges to his forehead.
Harrison: How righteous can Orlando truly be, if even his own family is turning against him? His actions don’t even inspire loyalty from his very own blood. Instead Shaun is drawn to us, the Blacklist….for he is no longer blind to Orlando’s fictions, and is ready to embrace people who are REAL….
Shaun nods even with the palm cupping his forehead.
Yvonne: Are you done yet?
There is a definite change in attitude, adrenaline spiking at the sight of Yvonne Knight as she makes her way to the stage. Her gait is defiant and her purple eyes are imbued with intensity.
Yvonne: Can you whack-a-doos step down from your soapbox for just a second and join the rest of us here on planet earth?
She stoops down and lowers her open palm towards the stage.
Yvonne: I’m not the only one sick of sitting back and listening to this delusional tirade, but apparently, since Orlando, Taylor, and Kathryn aren’t here to defend themselves against your accusations, that burden falls on my shoulders….
Mika: How ARE your shoulders, sparkly eyes?
Salt rubbed in still fresh wounds.
Mika: Can’t imagine they feel very good after I almost snapped your neck at Last Stand. Hope you put a heat pack on it…If you want, I can give you a massage, might help you feel better.
Yvonne outright ignores these statements, her mind bent on one person, and one person alone.
Yvonne: Mika, adults are speaking, chime in when you have something intelligent or interesting to say.
A pouty face from Kozlov.
Yvonne: SHAUN….
Cruze was hoping Yvonne wouldn’t start in on him…as she represents the single thread to compassion and feelings he has yet to severe.
Yvonne:….It tears at my insides to see you stoop to this low. You’ve fallen so far….and I know, I know, you’ve had a rough time of things lately, what with your legal troubles, and your father’s pass…..
Shaun: Don’t you talk about my Father….Don’t you talk about him!
Spit is flying from the snarling teeth of a fire hydrant red Cruze, who now finds himself restrained by Harrison and Mika.
Shaun: You don’t know my father, and you sure as shit don’t know me!
Yvonne: That’s where your wrong, Shaun….
She is undeterred by this emotional explosion from Cruze.
Yvonne: I DO know you….better than anyone. In our short time together, I discovered more about who you are than I ever wanted to know…Which is how I know that what I see in that ring right now, isn’t you….it’s NOT Shaun Cruze. You talk about your brother masquerading himself as something he’s not, but here you are, hanging out with hyenas when you’re truly a lion at heart.
Shaun: Just stop, Ivy.
Yvonne: It’s fitting that this grave is set up tonight…
An open palm extends to the grave marked for Orlando.
Yvonne:….because standing beside Lukas, Aaron and Mika….is a total burial of any decency, honor, and credibility you once possessed.
Montgomery: That’s about enough of that, Ivy.
Harrison: Shaun doesn’t have to stand here and listen to Orlando’s words, coming out of your mouth.
Mika turns her hands into ear muffs, cupping both sides of Cruze’s head to muffle Yvonne’s testimonial.
Harrison: And why am I not surprised that once again Orlando sends someone else out here to fight his battles.
Yvonne: Orlando’s not even here tonight.
Montgomery: How convenient.
Yvonne: But he and Taylor will be here soon, and I’m sure the two of them will have no issue with putting the Blacklist in their past once and for all.
Harrison: Unlikely. But as long as we’re severing ties to past relationships, how about Shaun does what he FAILED to do at Last Stand….
A smile begins to take shape on Shaun’s face, replacing his look of hostility.
Harrison: Come to the ring, Yvonne, and discover even more about the man you CLAIM to know. Find out who he TRULY is….
Yvonne takes a moment to think about it…well….more like a second.
Yvonne: If that’s what SHAUN wants….then I’m game.
A microphone is extended to Shaun, who takes even less time to offer a rebuttal than Yvonne.
Shaun: You’re damn straight it’s what I want.
His eyes float over the faces of the Blacklist….who encourage him through bobbing heads.
Shaun: I want my NEW family to see me FINALLY cut away the last ties that have held me down and kept me back from accomplishing all I could accomplish here in wrestling. So get in this ring right now, Ivy, so I can reward the faith the Blacklist has shown in me.
Microphones are tossed aside just like inhibitions, Shaun getting in the defensive position and Yvonne going on the offensive. To the ring she marches, showing no trepidation regarding stepping into a ring surrounded by the Blacklist.
Frankie is normally happy to see any woman wearing tights, but he’s especially elated by Yvonne’s arrival, as it took the Blacklist’s focus off of him. To the back he scrambles, no longer lingering with any intent whatsoever to put the kibosh on this impromptu bout.
Dollar: Shaun Cruze versus Yvonne Knight, former flings collide and it’s gonna happen right now!
Susie: Well…NEXT…actually, we’ve got bills to pay Johnny. My Pet Pony addiction is a very expensive fetish.
Dollar: Your right, as soon as we’re done honoring the almighty sponsors, we WILL return with Yvonne versus Shaun. Don’t be an idiot, stay away from the remote.
Hype is building as the Blacklist vacates the ring and watches Yvonne stepping right into it on the verge of battling one of the few men she ever allowed to get close to her. The only way Shaun is going to get close with Ivy tonight, is when his fists connect with her truth spewing lips.
YVONNE KNIGHT VS. SHAUN CRUZE
The show is back and as promised Shaun and Yvonne are already going at it, just not in the same hot and heavy way they were accustomed to in the past. Currently Shaun is doing something he NEVER thought he would, putting closed fists into the cheek of a cornered Ivy.
Dollar Riot!, has returned right in the midst of Knight versus Cruze….and this match already got off to a hot start during the commercial break.
DURING THE BREAK
A frozen composite features Yvonne about to face Shaun.
Dollar: We were moments from seeing the match begin and then….
The footage starts to stream just to show Mika leaping to the apron, getting Yvonne’s attention for just the second Shaun needs to capitalize. Cruze rushes up behind Yvonne, grabs her hair and then drags her along face first into the top turnbuckle pad.
Dollar: Yvonne distracted by Mika, and then Shaun does the unthinkable by assaulting his former girlfriend from behind.
Susie: How do you know Shaun isn’t use to rear door entry when it comes to Ivy?
Dollar: Mmmm….did you really have to put that image in my head, now I can’t stand up for a good five minutes without embarrassing myself.
Back live to the images of Shaun delivering repeated jabs against Yvonne’s forehead. She slides down but Shaun pulls her right back up and uses the turnbuckle to prop her body. Her ribcage is then exposed to shots that do significant damage to her internal organs, Cruze turning her into a human punching bag.
By the wrist she’s lead out of the corner and into Shaun’s arms, before dropping back into a release overhead belly to belly suplex. Yvonne’s small stature allows her to catch tremendous height before ultimately plummeting to the ring with a truly heinous crash.
Dollar: Shaun just all over Yvonne with the type of aggression we haven’t seen out of him here in the IWC or over in SCW.
Susie: He’s as mad as his eyebrows are bushy.
Dollar: He’s got a lot motivating him tonight. Not only does he have the Blacklist watching him, but this is also Shaun’s very first match back in the IWC in years. He’s got to make an impression to the new IWC audience.
Yvonne struggles to get to her feet, hand wedged to her aching kidneys. Just as she gets up Shaun steps in, snatches her around the waist and falls back into yet another over-head belly to belly release suplex. Eventually Knight smashes into the canvas and her spine takes the brunt of the impact.
She manages to sit up but doesn’t get any further than that, reaching for her aggravated back just as Shaun zeroes in upon it.
Across the ring Cruze rushes before delivering a big running kick right to the small of her back. A groan emanates from Yvonne, refusing to give Shaun the pleasure of hearing her scream. Shaun then reaches down, takes her under the jaw and leads her along to her feet, determined to hear her cry out. Not feeling….gratified… He then heaves Ivy into the air before ultimately driving her down with a basic yet very effective scoop slam. Into the ropes he rushes, bounces off then scrambles into an elbow drop across the chest.
Lukas slaps the apron and tells shouts out to Shaun, at last getting his attention.
Montgomery: Come on BOY, you can do a little better than that.
And Shaun WILL do better than that. He stands up, steps to the turnbuckle, scales it, cups a hand around his wrist and dives off the middle rope into a Bret Hart style elbow drop into Knight’s breathtaking face.
And the face takes even worse punishment than that. Into the ropesShaun backs and to the middle one he rises, balling up his fist and paying homage to Jerry Lawler, via his dive across the ring and the dropping of his knuckles across Knight’s hairline.
Susie: Shaun is just all over Knight.
Dollar: I think Yvonne might be holding back a little bit here and its costing her dearly against Shaun, who is showing not an ounce of remorse over hurting Knight.
A bludgeoned Yvonne clutches at her pounding head as she sits up on the canvas and tries to put some distance between herself and Cruze. But the handful of hair that Shaun grips keeps her from getting very far.
Shaun: You’re not running from me anymore, Ivy.
Knight is pulled by her hair to her feet and then has her head pressed down by the hands interlocked behind it. A knee flies up into her face, followed by another, and then another, and then another, Shaun absolutely remorseless in regards to these bludgeoning strikes.
Shaun lowers his knees and uses forearms, ramming them over and over again into Yvonne’s temple and then leading her by the head towards the corner. It seems the match is going to proceed the same way it started, but this time Ivy does something to avoid the wrath of her ex beau.
She bends down and reaches up, grabbing Shaun’s wrist while diving through the ropes and using Cruze’s own momentum to drag his arm through the ropes and shoulder first into the exposed turnbuckle post.
Dollar: Ivy BACK in the match, and she does it by detaching Shaun’s arm from his shoulder.
Susie: Well Shaun is already pretty detached mentally, so it makes sense for his body to be detached to.
Shaun staggers back to the center of the ring stooping over his arm and squeezing his palm to get some feeling back into his limb. Ivy then rushes in behind him and grabs the very arm that she’s started to work over. But Cruze reaches down and grabs her by the ankle, lifting up on her legs and causing her to fall flat on her back. Shaun then turns around and reaches down for the legs just as Yvonne catches him by the wrist, twists her body and forces him down to the canvas, applying the crossface.
Dollar: Crossface by Yvonne, she’s got it locked in tight on Cruze….
Susie: She’s not holding anything back now….well, except for Shaun’s chin.
Dollar: Let’s try not to get too bogged down splitting hairs, Susie.
Susie: Good, because I do hate split ends.
Across the ring begins to slide a desperate Shaun, eager to avail himself of this predicament. Just then Aaron takes it upon himself to leap up to the apron and now threatens to enter the ring, capturing the referee’s attention. Lukas then slides into the ring in front of Ivy and rushes in, throwing a boot at her face.
Said boot gets caught right in Knight’s anticipating hands. She stands up and then performs an inside leg trip on the foot still planted to the canvas, putting Lukas on his back. The fans rejoice as Knight steps through the legs and makes a valiant attempt at the sharpshooter. Emphasis on the word ‘attempts,’ for Lukas manages to avoid the move by way of Shaun’s leaping back heel kick to Yvonne’s jaw. The stiff strike sends Knight spiraling down to the canvas, landing on her stomach with Shaun falling to his knees beside her.
Dollar: The Blacklist showing their strength in numbers.
Susie: Yeah, their taking full advantage of the fact that the rest of Unity, and Orlando Cruze aren’t in the building yet and as thus there’s no one to watch Yvonne’s curvey derriere.
Now that Shaun has Yvonne laid out in a truly apropos position and Montgomery has vacated the ring, there is nothing between Cruze and Knight but air and opportunity. He backs up the turnbuckle to the middle rope and then soars through the air into a flying headbutt, that fails to connect on account of the fact that Yvonne stands up, leaps into the air, catches Cruze by the arm and forces him down to the canvas into the fujiwara.
The fans leave their seats just as Shaun lands on his face and instantly finds himself the victim of this hold….one that threatens to pop the shoulder right out of its socket.
Dollar: Shaun going for another aerial move and Yvonne had it scouted!
Susie: I’ll take some Thin Mints.
Dollar: Sorry?
Susie: You said Yvonne was a scout.
Dollar: Not a GIRL scout.
Shaun roars in anguish as he lifts his free palm above the canvas and threatens to slap it in submission. But the Blacklist isn’t about to let that happen. Kozlov distracts the official once again by way of threatening to enter the ring, which allows Lukas to slide in behind Ivy, and dig his fingers into her nostrils, wrenching back on them. The fish hook causes Knight to break the fijiwara and try to blow the fingers out of her nose. But it isn’t until the official begins to turn back towards the action that Lukas releases Yvonne and rolls from the ring.
The damage has been inflicted and now Yvonne is back to square one, on the defensive against Shaun.
Cruze looks to capitalize on the hard work of his colleagues, stepping in, taking Ivy around the waist and heaving her up into a side suplex slam. Knight crashes rather gruesomely across the canvas, reaching instantly for that same area of her back that has been so maliciously targeted. Shaun steps in and instead of going after the back via a submission, decides to deliver more high impact moves to target it.
Yvonne is dragged along to her feet and then pulled into another side suplex slam, putting her down right across her kidneys.
Ivy’s suffrage is almost too much for her and the audience to bare alike. They watch with mortified expressions and increasing levels of dread as Shaun stands up, opens Yvonne’s legs….don’t get dirty thoughts…and stretches them out to her sides. A grin comes over his face, one that is absolutely aggravating to every last nerve in the bodies of the fans.
The reason for his snide smirk becomes evident as he steps through the legs, wraps them around his own and begins to twist Knight over to her stomach in order to apply the sharpshooter.
Dollar: And now Shaun is going for Yvonne’s own hold….Hasn’t he insulted her enough already tonight. And it’s gonna be a hold that implicitly targets Knight’s back.
Susie: Shaun probably hogged all the covers from Yvonne too…which is insulting enough….the bastard.
Shaun gets the leg through and begins to wrap Knight’s own around his knee, and just as he begins to roll her to her chest, Knight counters. She sits up, grabs Shaun’s arm and tries again to force him down into the fujiwara. But Shaun reaches down, hooks the crease of her knee and lifts up on it, sending Knight rolling over backwards to her feet. She then looks to continue catching Shaun off guard, charging in with great speed….but it’s gonna take a very early bird to catch this worm….Shaun grabbing her around the waist and setting up for another belly to belly suplex.
He begins to throw her up into the air only to have Yvonne suddenly wrap her legs around Shaun’s waist, reach over his back, catch his arm and bend it around into the Kimura Lock.
Dollar: STUNNING COUNTER into a friggin Kimura Lock by Knight.
Susie: She’s constantly pulling new moves out of her tight little bum.
Dollar: The hold is locked in, it’s locked in tighter than the bum you just described and I can’t stop staring at.
The excitement is surging to its zenith, fans vacating seats and clamoring around the barricade in the hopes of seeing Shaun submit. However, Cruze keeps his feet rooted to the canvas refusing to be dragged down where the inevitable will be just that, a submission. He then pushes himself forward, charging Yvonne across the ring and ramming her kidneys HARD into the turnbuckle, with enough force to get Ivy to break the hold.
Arms fall over the cables and her body goes limp against the corner. Shaun isn’t content with her just being limp, he wants her to feel, feel pain. He charges in and goes flying through the air and ultimately crashing down into the turnbuckle, Yvonne clearing from his path in the nick of time. She leaps through the ropes and waits for her opponent to come staggering out of the corner, almost tripping over his own feet.
But it’s Yvonne who LITERALLY trips when she tries to leap to the top rope only to find her foot snagged by the hands of Harrison.
Dollar: Shaun’s new family continuing to pay dividends.
Yvonne is pulled right back down onto her feet across the apron and just as she begins to kick at Aaron’s arms, Shaun comes charging in to debilitate her. Knight turns in time to be blasted to the jaw from Shaun, ALMOST knocking her from the apron to the mats. Then Cruze reaches through the ropes, takes her by the hair, drags her through the cables and wraps arms around her waist. He pulls her the rest of the way into the ring then heaves her up into the side suplex.
However, Ivy flips right out of it and lands on her feet to the delight of the crowd. She then turns towards Shaun who has rolled to his knees and steps in, grabbing his arm, folding it around behind his back and going for the Kimura lock once more. But Shaun stands up and back drops her over his shoulder, sending Knight plummeting from a great height right back down to her spine. But from her laid out position she manages to reach up and grab Shaun around the hips, trying to drag him down into the sunset flip.
That’s when Shaun drops down knees first across Knight’s shoulders and grabs the creases of her knees, going for a pin of his own.
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The seesaw bout continues as Knight not only kicks out but launches Shaun down to the canvas across his face, Yvonne rolling back and lifting his legs into the air. She starts to step through in order to apply the Knight Lock to a truly thunderous ovation. However, Shaun rolls to his back just before the hold can be applied, sitting up, wrapping his arms around Knight’s waist, then rolling her over backwards.
Knight ends up on the back of her shoulders with Shaun not only sitting on the back of her thighs, folding her up beneath him and holding the tights, but also holding the nearby middle rope for that little added leverage.
Dollar: He’s got the ropes ref! He’s got the ropes!
Susie: Shaun’s hands all over the cables….and the ref doesn’t even notice….big shock there.
The referee’s hand swings to the canvas and the reaction gets more high pitched with each slap.
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But a third slap goes unwitnessed as Knight manages to throw Shaun’s weight off of her and roll back in the process.
Dollar: But Shaun’s cheating did NOT pay off for him.
Knight rolls back through the ropes to the apron then stands up, grabs the top rope and goes for another springboard. She only hesitates a second in order to turn and nail the inbound Harrison to the forehead with a kick, knocking him back before he can interfere a second time. She then turns back to the ring and leaves her feet, lunging to the top cable and across the ring. But that mere moment’s hesitation gives Shaun all the time in the world to drop down out of the way, causing Knight to go flying over him.
She lands on her feet just as Shaun ricochets from the cables she just sprung from and barrels in behind her. A big lariat travels towards the back of her head just as Knight turns, ducks, hooks the inbound arm, leaps into the air, wraps legs around Shaun’s opposite shoulder then drops back into a crucifix pin.
Yet Shaun kicks out, rolling back off his shoulders….exactly what Yvonne was anticipating. She instantly rushes to her feet, grabs his arm, twists it around behind his back and then leaps into the air, wrapping legs around Cruze’s waist then dropping into the Kimura Lock.
Dollar: Kimura Lock applied AGAIN by Knight, focusing on the arm….she’s at last got the submission locked in….and locked in so tight it might just fracture Cruze’s arm at the elbow.
Susie: That might be what it takes to get Shaun to tap.
Apparently it WON’T take a shattered humerus to elicit the submission. Just as Harrison, Mika and Montgomery begin to leap to the apron, Shaun begins to slap the canvas, tapping to Knight’s hold.
Dollar: He tapped…he tapped….OH LORD Shaun just submitted to the Kimura Lock!
Susie: Balls to the yes.
The joint is jumping at this point as Shaun’s hand continues to smack against the ring over and over again until at last Knight breaks the hold. She releases Shaun just in time to avoid the inbound stomps of the Blacklist. The ring is vacated by Knight in a hurry, finding her way to the ramp and then up it.
Dollar: Not only does Yvonne get the submission, but she manages to avoid the Blacklist as well!
Susie: Guess Shaun truly has lost his heart and spirit.
Dollar: Yes, because the Shaun of old surely wouldn’t have tapped out like that.
The arm is aching, but it’s the least of Shaun’s plaguing ailments. It’s his loss before the eyes of the Blacklist that has his face so frozen with surprise. His eyes are opening so wide they threaten to burst from their sockets, and his face is totally striped of color. Montgomery is reacting worse than Shaun, by displaying some actual emotion, kicking the bottom rope and shouting at Knight.
Mika drops down and slides her hand across Shaun’s cheek before pulling his absolutely paralyzed face into her chest, trying so hard to soothe him. Harrison watches from his knees, not even given time to get to his feet before Ivy scrambled from the ring. He now just glares through the ropes at the grin forming on Yvonne’s face.
Dollar: A major win for Yvonne tonight, sending a message to the Blacklist and getting revenge for what happened at Last Stand.
Knight backs up the ramp in celebration while the Blacklist gathers and hovers around Shaun, trying their best to console him.
Cameras segue from the despondent Shaun in his perpetual state of shock to a contrastingly giddy Susie Moore and an indifferent Johnny Dollar. The fans seated behind the barricade over the commentators’ shoulders make faces and obscene gestures once they realize their on camera.
Dollar: Tonight already off to a hot start….and speaking of hot, let’s talk about Last Stand.
Susie: Yay.
A still shot from the chaotic pay-per-view provides but a mere glimpse of Legion’s victory at Last Stand while the event’s theme song plays in the background. Sweat, bruises, and hematomas liter the skin of the N.H.B Champion who kneels in the middle of the ring, plagued by physical exhaustion amongst so many other ailments. Blood is seen, but not oozing from the many raised areas of his flesh, instead it’s cascading from the rafters as part of his victory celebration.
Dollar: And after Last Stand, the main event is set….Legion overcame 50 or so entrants in the Rumble to emerge the victor….
Susie: And he’s gojng to Invictus….where he’ll challenge Taylor Chase for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Dollar: It’s going to be a HUGE match as part of a HUGE night. And in just a few moments, we’re going to relive the arduous road Legion had to take in order to emerge with this title opportunity.
Susie: But that’s not all, Johnny D….
Dollar: That’s right, because later tonight, we’re also going to hear from the Black Crusade regarding Legion’s victory, and their plans for the World Heavyweight Championship at Invictus.
This photograph from Last Stand remains affixed to the screen.
From the victorious to the deprived, footage transitioning to Katelyn Buehler. An indignant expression hangs over her face and a lust for revenge is embedded in her eyes. Through the corridor she steps….nay….STORMS….stopping only briefly to reach her cast covered hand out and grab a stagehand in mid conversation with his co-workers.
Katelyn: You.
The intimidated and meek little man turns and cowers in response to the intense gaze.
Katelyn: Tell me you know where Orlando Cruze is.
Stagehand: Errrrmm….
Katelyn: Donde estas Orlando de la Cruze….hablas englais?
Stagehand: I don’t know his exact whereabouts, did you try his office?
Katelyn: Duh’…..helloo McFly….
In true Bif fashion, she actually knocks on the stagehand’s forehead.
Katelyn: Been there, done that.
The only thing the ever so greasy worker can do is shrug….giving Buehler the same reaction he did Frankie Paradise multiple times at Last Stand. And much like Frankie, Buehler reacts with aggravation.
Katelyn: Why am I not surprised? Seems everyone is out to keep me from my World Title match. You’re just the latest in a long line of people out to shaft me….
The Stagehand tilts his head, looks her over, smiles and goes to say something….
Katelyn: Don’t EVEN!
Clearly Buehler knew precisely what the Staghehand was about to say, hence the urgency behind cutting him off before anything lewd and lascivious can be uttered.
Katelyn: I have to find Cruze….I have to get MY title shot…
Now it’s the Stagehand who emulates Frankie’s behavior, swept over by relief once Buehler parts ways. He then goes back to addressing his co-workers only to have a finger tap him on the shoulder. With a tentative turn the Stagehand is redirected to the face of P. Clarence Whitman III.
Whitman: Erm, pardon me good chap….
It’s unclear who’s more nervous, Whitman or the Stagehand, the two bumbling their way through their introductions.
Whitman: I was wondering if you were ah aware of uh, a MISTER Leeland Gaunt’s whereabouts?
How does the Stagehand respond…..take a moment and prognosticate, but you’ll probably need less than a moment…..why he shrugs….big shock!
Whitman: Ah, well then, that throws a bit of a hiccup into things.
Whitman is a bit more forthcoming with his motivations.
Witman: My need to facilitate a meeting between MISTER Gaunt and myself, is quite urgent…For I must convince him to call off his ‘monster’ tonight…
An increasingly alarmed Whitman drags on the collar of his shirt, feeling suffocated.
Whitman: P Clarence Whitman III versus the unstoppable behemoth….
The lower lip quivers and his eyebrows twitch.
Whitman: It….it….just doesn’t make sense…..And MISTER Gaunt must be made aware of that fact…..he must!
The Stagehand’s head bobs as if he’s actually listening, feigning sympathy for the man who’s face continues to lose its color.
Whitman: Ah, and before I forget, I took the liberty of purchasing this for you….
A tube of Proactiv is handed to the pimply Stagehand.
Whitman: That Adam Levine chap speaks very highly of it.
Doors swing open and through them pours a who’s who of mega-stars. Taylor Chase and Orlando Cruze are still in celebration mode as they step into the corridor, followed by the bearer of the X-Class Championship, Kathryn Pearson. Her fingers are busy sending a text message presumably to Marcus Mayfield, hence the giant smile on her face and rose colored tint of her cheeks. Taylor is equally as rosey as she leans her cheek to Orlando’s collar.
Taylor: God I forgot how cold New York is.
Kathryn: Yeah, I totally need a new hoody.
Orlando: Don’t worry, Tay, I’ll keep you warm.
His hand caresses her far arm, warming her bicep.
Kathryn: Awww…I wish I had someone to snuggle.
With grins Tay and Cruze turn sympathetically to Pearson.
Taylor: I’m sure Marcus can help you there.
Pearson grins and intentionally withholds her response while going back to text messaging.
Taylor: Looking forward to tonight?
Question directed to Cruze.
Orlando: Pfft….more like I can’t wait to get it over with.
Taylor: Not me. I’m going to savor every single moment of getting my hands on Mika tonight.
Orlando: Hands?
Taylor: Or…well…the cane.
Orlando: And I look forward to seeing you bash her over and over again.
Taylor: I’ve been waiting so long for this….
Montgomery: Kathryn Pearson is the Queen of Whores!
These words bring all three to a very abrupt stop, eyes drifting from each other’s faces, or from Kathryn’s I-Phone, to the monitor positioned a few inches away….a monitor airing footage from the ring. Lukas Montgomery is smack dab in the center of while going on a maniacal tirade.
Montgomery: She is an evil succubus….who manipulated me, who used me….
Kathryn is clearly quite vexed, hence the arched eyebrows.
Montgomery: That bitch enchanted me. She put me under a spell and convinced me that she was something more than a no good two-cent slut. She’s no better than you, Yvonne Knight….you used Shaun, just like Kathryn used me….We’ve treated you two like princesses and put you up on pedestals…but now it’s time to bring you high strung hussies back down to earth. Yvonne, you don’t deserve Shaun, and Kathryn, you are definitely not in my league.
This rant is obviously fueled by Pearson’s interference in the Steel Cage match at Last Stand, where Kathryn was influential in keeping Mika Kozlov from screwing Taylor out of the World Heavyweight Championship, an act that cost him the title.
Kathryn: Erm, Tay, Lando…
The two know what Pearson is going to say even before the sentence can be finished.
Kathryn: Looks like I have a personal matter to deal with.
Taylor: Want some help?
She contemplates it for a moment, but doesn’t want to share Montgomery’s beatdown, wanting him all to herself.
Kathryn: No….I think I’ll handle this one myself.
Lukas is still in the center of the ring, and is still unloading.
Montgomery: If it wasn’t for me, Kathryn wouldn’t have that X-Class Championship around her flabby gut. I made her champion! And how does she repay my act of valor, not with hugs, kisses or even blow-jobs, not even with a friggin Hallmark card….The bitch spits in my face and screws me out of the World Heavyweight Title!
The anger will not subside, erupting like magma from a volcano that has sat dormant for far too long.
Montgomery: Have I not been a loving boyfriend up until this point? Have I not shown Kathryn affection, and showered her with gifts, like the X-Class title? What more can she ask of me? What more could she possibly want?
The questions end, Lukas giving up on trying to understand the rubix cube that are women.
Montgomery: It doesn’t matter anymore, because Kathryn has went and committed the ultimate betrayal. She stabbed her man in the back….fitting….considering a lot of men have probably stabbed her in the back as well…..and yes, that’s a euphemism for Pearson allowing hordes upon hordes of sailors to go anal on her…..
The disgusting overture is given time to resonate.
Montgomery: And I’m not about to allow her whorish ways to go without consequence…..
CHANGE COMES AROUND
The building reverberates with a rather thunderous ovation as Marcus Mayfield steps through the curtains and steps up to the vile Montgomery.
Dollar: Looks like someone has heard enough of this.
Susie: Haven’t we all?
Montgomery is nonplussed by this interruption from Marcus, who amidst a roar from the crowd marches up the steps to the apron, through the ropes, and then straight up into Lukas’ face.
Marcus: Mr. Montgomery, I’ve seen far more of your face than I ever wanted to since my debut here in the IWC…and it’s a face no one should have to look at for very long…..
Lukas groans.
Marcus: And it’s a face that is going to look far worse if you continue to disparage the upstanding reputation of the lovely Kathryn Pearson ….
Montgomery: Ha!
Marcus is rather surprised by this chuckle from the always unpredictable Montgomery.
Montgomery: So let me guess, you’re going to fill that whole ‘white-knight’ character trope? You’re gonna come out here and stand up for Pearson? You want to be Mr. Chivalry? Pearson’s defender? WHY?
As if the laughter wasn’t enough to confuse Mayfield.
Montgomery: Oh….oh okay….suppose you’ve got nothing against sloppy seconds, huh? Well in Kathryn’s case I guess it be sloppy fifths, or sloppy hundredths….Anyway, you’re cool with being with a woman who’s been ridden more than a horse in a episode of Rawhide….
Marcus: That’s enough….
Mayfield grabs a handful of Lukas’ shirt and yanks him forward.
Marcus: I guess subtlety is wasted on a feeble mind like yours. So I’ll be blunt. If Kathryn’s name ever exits your lips again, I’ll make sure it’s the final name you ever say.
Montgomery: No need to threaten me, Marcus.
The shirt is torn free from Mayfield’s grips.
Montgomery: I’m through with Pearson. If you want David Helms’ cast off, and are ready to accept all that baggage Pearson drags around with her, fine….But be warned, Marcus…..
Lukas was on his way out of the ring but stops at Marcus’ side…speaking directly into Mayfield’s ear.
Montgomery:….in the end she’s gonna do to you, exactly what she did to me AND David Helms….she’ll chew you up and spit you out…And she won’t even suck your dick in the process.
A slap connects with Mayfield’s back.
Montgomery: Good luck with Pearson, and good luck in your match tonight too.
The ring is at last vacated by Marcus, who only glances over his shoulder to watch Lukas take his leave. He then refocuses himself, trying to take his mind off Montgomery and put it in on his opponent this evening.
Dollar: Montgomery sending a message to Mayfield…
Susie: How chivalrous of Marcus to come out here and stand up for Pearson.
Dollar: Unlike Montgomery, Marcus actually has some clas…..
The moment Marcus shifts focus to the pending confrontation, Montgomery capitalizes, rushing in behind Mayfield, catching the back of his head and throwing him through the ropes shoulder first into the exposed turnbuckle post. The clavicle instantly feels shattered by way of collision with the post, and his arm subsequently goes limp.
Dollar: And the second Marcus lowers his defenses, Lukas attacks….What was I saying about this guy being classless?
Susie: Well Marcus may have class, but now it looks like he’s got a broken shoulder too.
Everyone cringes, but Marcus’ is a bit more pronounced. His aggravated shoulder is pulled back towards his body only to have Lukas stretch it back out. Under the ropes rolls Lukas to the outside of the ring, grabbing the wrist of Mayfield and then swinging his bicep as viciously as he can against the ring post.
The shoulder feels detached from the arm at this point as Marcus’ knees buckle and he falls back into the squared circle.
Dollar: Montgomery absolutely demolishing Mayfield’s arm….
Susie: He’s been debilitated and yet he’s still got a match to compete in.
Dollar: Yes, and from what I’ve gathered, that match is scheduled to take place next.
Susie: And a match against Danny Darko is not a match you want to go into injured.
The crippled arm is cradled to Mayfield’s body as Montgomery marches around the ring and up the ramp, smirk extended from one ear to the other. The opening chords of Foo Fighters’ “All My Life” begin playing throughout the arena while at the same time every light shuts off.
All my life I’ve been searching for something
Something never comes never leads to nothing
Nothing satisfies but I’m getting close
Closer to the prize at the end of the rope
All night long I dream of the day
When it comes around then it’s taken away
Leaves me with the feeling that I feel the most
The feeling comes to life when I see your ghost
After that last verse, the next round of heavy guitars, bass and drums begin ringing out throughout the arena at full force while right red flames shoot off from each side of the stage and Darko slowly saunters down to the ring with a sinister look on his face. Once he steps into the ring he walks to the middle of the ring and stands there for a few seconds before bright red flames shoot out from each of the ringposts. Once the flames are finished, he climbs each corner of the ring and raises his right fist in the air and yells out to crowd to pump them up.
Susie: Danny Darko had a great debut a few weeks ago right here on Riot!, managing to force a former World Champion into submission.
Dollar: And now he’s got an injured gazelle right here in front of him, plum prey for the pickings.
Susie: A sticky spot….
Dollar: Indeed, Darko has a history of injuring wrestlers….such as our World Champion for instance.
Susie: I was actually talking about the gum under my seat.
Official Stuart Wright slides into the ring, after engaging in some discourse with a scantily clad female in the front row, and signals for the bell. He doesn’t even bother to ask Mayfield if he wants to continue, already knowing what the answer would be. Montgomery takes one last glance at the ring, his smirk more defined than ever, before stepping through the curtains.
Dollar: Injury or no injury, Mayfield about to collide with Darko.
MARCUS MAYFIELD VS. DANNY DARKO
The bell continues chiming in the background as Mayfield inches to his feet, rubbing at the swelling flesh around his shoulder and the bruises forming on his bicep. Danny stands back watching, head tilted, face void of much in the way of emotion. He doesn’t instantly leap at the arm and instead gives Mayfield more than sufficient time to work out the kinks that have formed in his damaged limb.
The two start to circle one another while Marcus swings his arm out to his side, but it isn’t helping, the swelling not subsiding. He then does the unthinkable, lunging forward into a collar elbow tie with Darko, an ill-advised move.
Just then Danny spins around under Mayfield’s arm and extends it out to his side before pulling back his fist, preparing to jab the injured shoulder. Suddenly he stops and slaps the shoulder playfully rather than pulverizing it.
The grip on the wrist is broken and Mayfield pulls the arm to his stomach, doubling over it.
Dollar: It looks like Darko is toying with Mayfield regarding that injured arm.
Susie: He could go right after it, but instead he’s playing a game of cat and mouse. Hmmm, wonder what kind of games a cat and a mouse play…..Do you think it’s Hungry, Hungry Hippos?
Marcus suspiciously eyes the grin on Darko’s face, while being a bit more protective of his arm. The two circle one another before Danny lifts his hand into the air, signaling for a test of strength which would force Mayfield to use his injured limb. A chuckle emanates from Darko, knowing full and well that Mayfield is in no condition to reciprocate the test of strength.
Therefore, Mayfield once again dispenses with formalities and goes straight for a more blunt response…the same approach he took with Montgomery moments earlier. He launches himself into a forearm….with his serviceable arm, and nails Darko to the chin, removing the smile.
Dollar: Looks like Marcus isn’t content with being the mouse.
Susie: Awww….but he’d have a really cute curly tail.
One forearm after another pops Darko in the chin before seguing into a series of knife edge chops across his sternum. Danny swings his own arms to remain upright but the ropes aid him in retaining his footing. Another chop blisters his sternum as he falls back first against the cables. A European Uppercut then blasts his opponent’s chin, followed by a second….wait….no, Darko side steps the inbound arm, wedges his spine to Mayfield’s, hooks his far arm and then drags him down to the canvas into a backslide.
Instead of going for the pin though, Darko stands up, grabbing the injured arm, swinging around under it and applying a ringer. He then pulls back his forearm, just about to drive it into the wounded anatomy of his adversary. Yet again he hesitates and instead reaches out, tussling Mayfield’s hair.
Marcus does not let himself get aggravated, reaching out, grabbing the heel of Darko’s foot and tripping him over backwards. Darko collapses to his back with Marcus standing up, grabbing the creases of his knees and flipping forward into a jackknife cover.
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Danny then sits up, flipping Marcus onto the back of his shoulders while Darko leans forward with his OWN shoulders into the creases of Marcus’ knees.
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Mayfield rolls all the way back onto his knees in order to prevent the pin, but in the process exposed his arm. A very quick Darko leaps to his feet and puts a foot down on the wrist of Mayfield, pinning his arm out to his side. He then lifts his other foot into the air, about to stomp down onto Marcus’ shoulder….but yet again….he hesitates.
Dollar: Darko just continues to toy with that injured arm instead of going right after it.
Susie: But why?
Dollar: Something about this guy is just not right.
Again the boot elevates and draws near to Marcus’ shoulder without connecting against it. He puts down his foot to the canvas and then swings it right up into Mayfield’s forehead. The kick connects with such force that it sends Mayfield rolling across the canvas into the nearby corner.
Marcus manages to wrap a hand around the top rope, using his banged up arm to drag himself up to his feet then grimacing in agony. Darko immediately closes the distance and lunges into a spear against Mayfield’s ribs, deflating his lungs.
Danny then steps back and pie faces Marcus before then taking his forearm and grinding it back and forth across Mayfield’s face.
Danny: Such misguided nobility. You see where that gets you.
Darko takes the forearm away from his opponent’s face the moment Wright interjects, commencing with a five count. He reaches four and Danny backs away, hands raised and smile returning to his face. This little bit of distance is closed when Marcus steps out of the corner and delivers another European Uppercut. He goes for a fourth that is dodged by Darko, hooking the inbound arm, wedging his spine to Mayfield’s and reaching out for the other elbow, going for a backslide. Suddenly Marcus lifts his legs, wedges them to the turnbuckle he just barreled out of, pushes off and flips back right over Darko’s head. He lands in front of Danny who suddenly reaches forward and grabs his stooped over opposition by the arm, hooking it around behind his back.
A version of a key lock is on the brink of being established only to have Mayfield swing around out of the predicament. He then draws back his forearm and swings it at Darko’s forehead only to have the blow side stepped as Danny catches him about the ankle and drop toe holds him down to the canvas.
Danny rushes to his feet and leaps into the air, coming down with a big stomp aimed at the arm stretched out over the canvas….the injured limb. Suddenly the arm is drawn back and out of the path of Darko’s boot, which collides with canvas instead of shatters bone.
Dollar: Darko finally going after the arm but Mayfield manages to avoid it at the last possible second.
Susie: Thank goodness for that…the arm probably would have broken in two had Darko connected with that stomp.
Darko thinks on the fly, spinning around and rushing into a knee strike aimed at the shoulder. Somehow Mayfield manages to avoid the shot, leaping around the inbound knee, catching Darko around the thigh and dragging him down into the school boy.
He gets a….
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A 2…
And perhaps a 3? No…Darko manages to not only kick out but roll back to his knees in the process. He then dashes across his hands and knees into a headbutt aimed at the injured shoulder. Marcus offers another counter though, catching Darko around the neck, placing him in a front chancery and then flipping forward into a bridging chinlock.
Dollar: Another amazing counter by Mayfield to prevent the dissection of his arm.
Susie: Into a submission no less.
Dollar: One he can’t hold onto given the state of his shoulder.
Marcus’ face twists into a picture of anguish, his mangled shoulder prompting him to break the hold and fall to his side. He rolls away from Danny and back to his feet while Darko utilizes the ropes to reach an upright base.
Mayfield then comes rushing in only to have Darko shoot a foot into the air, throwing a boot at his opponent’s banged up arm. But again, Mayfield prevents any further damage being done to his arm, catching the foot mere centimeters removed from his shoulder.
He then steps back and goes for a dragon screw leg whip but can’t connect, his shoulder in too bad of condition. He falls to his back but can’t swing his arm around into the crease of Danny’s knee. Therefore, he lays himself out with nothing to show for his efforts other than his ailing arm.
Danny takes advantage, leaping into the air and coming down with a knee drop across Marcus’ face. The knee drop connects with such force that it causes Mayfield’s body to go into convulsions, his brain rattled around in the confined structure of his skull.
Darko then stands up, ricochets from the ropes and comes down elbow first across his adversary’s forehead.
Susie: Marcus couldn’t fight Darko off forever.
Dollar: Not with his shoulder in the condition its in.
Palms rub against the bridge of Mayfield’s nose as he rolls away from the deranged one….only to have Darko close in on him. He dives from his knees into a forearm that drills Mayfield to the temple, knocking him into another roll.
Mayfield ends up in the cables, agonizingly drawing himself closer and closer to his feet just as Darko rolls under the ropes in front of him to the apron. He then reaches through the cables, grabs Marcus’ wrist and prepares to take advantage of the injured arm.
Just then Mayfield falls back, using Darko’s grip on his wrist to drag him forward throat first into the top rope. His head snaps back and he almost takes a tumble to the outside before Mayfield reaches over the cables, grabs Darko by the wrist and drags him back into the ring onto his shoulders. Marcus steps forward across the ring holding Danny in a fireman’s carry, but before he can deliver any move, his shoulder gives out on him.
Danny slides off as a result and lands behind Marcus, swooping in immediately and going after the arm. Yet again Marcus manages to step back, arm squirming from the clutches of his adversary. Darko then spins around and gets caught across Mayfield’s shoulders then heaved into the air just as Marcus lands on his back, launching knees into the air.
Darko comes down with a gut buster across the elevated knees, sending shockwaves of anguish through his body. The aggravated Darko turns away, doubled over his ribs just as Marcus rushes in behind him…catches him under the arm and goes for the face first full nelson drop. Into the air Darko is elevated only to have his adversary slip free, landing on his feet instead of his face.
He then spins around the arm, hooks it, and heaves, lifting the Magnificent Mayfield up into a uranage back breaker. The body of Mayfield bends awkwardly over Danny’s knee-cap and is then twisted around with his head ending up under Darko’s seat. Danny transitions fluidly from the back-breaker into a powerbomb predicament, hoisting Mayfield up and onto his shoulders then taking off across the ring before ultimately being thrown into the turnbuckle.
Dollar: Back-breaker followed by the buckle-bomb!
Susie: Danny doesn’t even need to target the arm to destroy yet another opponent.
Dollar: Those two high impact moves turning the tide of this back and forth match in Darko’s favor.
The back of Mayfield’s head is grabbed and used to force him down to the canvas, sending him rolling to the center of the ring. Darko then steps back anticipating the ascension of Mayfield.
An ailing Marcus begins to reach his feet when Darko rushes in, goes airborne and cracks him right to the temple with a leaping knee strike….that misses. Mayfield swings around out of position for the shot and then rushes in behind Darko, hooking both of his arms. It takes all of his uncanny fortitude to do it, but he blocks the pain in his arm long enough to heave Danny into the air then transition into the full nelson face plant.
Darko’s face hits the ring….HARD….and his body goes twisting to the canvas as a result….looking all together spent. Unfortunately for the Magnificent Mayfield, his shattered body doesn’t allow him to make the cover….his back and his arm all together debilitated at this point.
He turns painfully into a crawl, despondently drawing himself closer to Darko and beginning to throw an arm across the chest….
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The arm that Mayfield placed over Darko’s chest, just so happened to be his injured one….which serves to his detriment. Danny instantly sits up, resurrected like a biblical figure and catching said arm, swinging around and under it. He applies a crossface…or at least….ALMOST applies a crossface.
Dollar: He’s going for a crossface….a crossface….repeat and shout it louder….CROSSFACE!!
Susie: No-no, Mayfield is blocking it somehow….he’s got a hand up.
Marcus has his hand elevated and positioned in front of his face, blocking Darko’s fingers from interlocking under his jaw. This battle of wills continues to play out before Marcus pushes forward and breaks the hands apart. He then ducks his head and tries to roll forward out of the predicament only to end up on his back as opposed to his feet. Darko catches Marcus around the neck in mid-roll, and then bridges him up into a dragon sleeper.
Danny then spins him around into a front chancery and heaves him up into a vertical suplex position only to have Marcus crack him in the top of his noggin with a knee. The shots allow Mayfield to land back on his feet just as Darko spins around into a roundhouse kick that is narrowly avoided. Marcus, ducks, turns his back to Danny, and then hooks both of his arms from behind, yet again going for the backslide.
The injured arm is tensed, Darko pulling back on it and forcing Marcus to break the backslide attempt. He is sent spinning around to face Danny, who takes him by the wrist of his injured arm and drags him forward into a brutal STO.
The slam connects with enough force to send Marcus bouncing from his back over to his stomach while leaving his arm entirely exposed. Darko targets it, crawling in and grabbing him by the wrist….but somehow, even in his injured condition, Mayfield manages to interlock his hands and prevent the submission from being locked in.
So Darko stands up and transitions from submission into a move that will no doubt debilitate his opponent. He steps over Mayfield’s head, drags his skull into a front chancery and then hoists him up into a vertical suplex.
Mayfield goes to drive his knee into Darko’s head only to have Danny catch it and hook it. The crowd squeals as Danny steps forward going for a fisherman’s buster. With seconds to spare Marcus transitions his body, squirming out of the clutches of his adversary and twisting his body, landing across Danny’s shoulders before dragging him down into the crucifix pin.
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Darko rolls back out of the pinning predicament and catches the arm of Mayfield in the process. He just begins to step in and try to apply the crossface, descending towards his opponent’s shoulder when Marcus squirms free, stands up, and catches Darko around the neck. He bridges Darko up off of the canvas and has him bent over backwards into a reverse DDT predicament. Marcus then swings around with his bad arm and goes for a version of the eye of the hurricane only to bellow in pain as he attempts to use his injured shoulder.
It keeps him from delivering the move and allows Darko to slip out of the predicament, turning around to face Marcus’ back and then shoving him forward into the cables. Mayfield charges into the ropes, ricochets off and comes back in at Darko, who doubles over into position for a back drop. At the last second Marcus turns his back on Darko though and falls spine to spine with Danny, flipping over and landing on his feet behind his opponent. He then grabs Darko by the shoulder and bridges him over backwards into an inverted chancery before swinging around into the Spin Cycle….
Dollar: Spinning RKO connects.
Susie: It might get this sexy beast the victory.
Dollar: A major win for Mayfield here tonight over the man who just decimated a former World Champion on our last edition of Riot!
Mayfield has a lot of difficulty trying to go for the pin considering the decimation of his shoulder. But finally he starts to roll towards the prone Darko, starting to throw his injured arm across Danny’s chest.
Dollar: Nice milestone moment for May….HEEY!
Susie Mayhey? I like it.
Once again Montgomery manages to influence the match, grabbing the ref by his ankle and yanking him right under the ropes. The official plummets to the mats right at Lukas’ feet.
Dollar: It’s Montgomery again…The same man who attacked Mayfield’s shoulder before this match could even get started.
Susie: And he just found a way to screw Mayfield for a second time….I just hope Marcus had plenty of lubricant.
Marcus has no idea what has just happened, that his match has come to an unceremonious conclusion thanks to Montgomery’s interference. He finally does realize what happened when a boot sails into the back of his head, delivered by Montgomery.
Dollar: Now Lukas is all over Mayfield yet again!
Susie: Love does crazy things to people. Hence why I bought two truck-loads of ham to present to Bob on Valentine’s Day.
Dollar: This Lukas, he’s just…he’s just nuttier than a jar of Jiff.
Obviously the match has been thrown out at this point, but it’s no longer Mayfield’s concern, as he’s more preoccupied with defending himself from this onslaught by Montgomery. Lukas now grabs Mayfield by the hair, drags him up and takes position behind him. He then spins around into the Quieter only to have Marcus turn and side step the blow. He then bridges Montgomery over backwards and traps his head in position for the Spin Cycle.
Dollar: Mayfield is gonna hit it again!
The crowd is just about to cream in their undershorts before Montgomery drops out of the inverted chancery and drops right out of the ring. Marcus stands his ground, watching Lukas rush to the barrier and leap over into the crowd, trying to put as much distance between himself and the man who almost caught him with the Spin Cycle.
Dollar: Marcus was on the verge of delivering the Spin Cycle but Lukas escaped right before he could get his comeuppance.
A worn Marcus has rolled to his knees in the middle of the ring, cradling his injured shoulder and bruised flesh. It takes quite a bit of doing but he finally reaches his feet, all the while cautiously watching Darko seated in the corner. Sweat trickles down over the stunned features of Darko….wait….their actually not stunned at all….in fact, they look all together void of much emotion. He just sits there, stewing and watching, not even prompted to anger at the sight of Marcus recovering. From one dangerous adversary to the other, Marcus’ eyes cutting to the figure pushing through the crowd to escape Mayfield’s wrath. Lukas continuing to put distance between himself and the incredibly capable Marcus.
And things keep on rolling as Kathryn Pearson finally reaches the ring. The X-Class Champion slides into the ring, albeit a few minutes too late to prevent the damage that was inflicted on Marcus’ shoulder.
Dollar: And Kathryn arriving in time not to help Marcus, but to stand beside him.
Susie: I imagine that Pearson wouldn’t have handled Lukas nearly as politely as Marcus TRIED to do.
Her title may weigh her down, but nothing keeps her from joining Mayfield.
An ailing Mayfield puts aside his injuries in order to reach out and wrap his arms around Pearson’s waist. She leans in giving him a huge hug to some ‘aws’ from the crowd.
Susie: This is the cutest thing I’ve seen since the Care Bears Movie. The good one….not that mind raping sequel.
Dollar: Pearson celebrating with the new man in her life, Mayfield, after his very hard fought battle against Darko.
The hugging continues until both Mayfield and Pearson realize that they may have gotten a bit….over-zealous. They should back away and respect personal boundaries, but that isn’t easy once they make eye contact and find their lips parted by mere centimeters. Everyone watches and waits with baited breaths, especially Danny Darko.
Darko: So sweet.
Wide eyes….dilated pupils…..skin void of pigmentation…
Shaun is one hot mess.
He just sits there perpetually stunned, not looking at the wall, but past it. There is not even a response to the woman who normally manages to pull a reaction out of him. Mika drops down into a chair beside him, rubbing the small of his back.
Mika: Women….What more needs to be said.
Still no reaction whatsoever from Shaun….not to the touch, or to the words of Kozlov.
Harrison: You failed Shaun….
Harrison doesn’t exactly help soothe the unsettled heart. He crouches down in front of Shaun offering words that sound more judgmental than conciliatory.
Harrison: But it’s just like you said, we….the Blacklist…triumph in the face of adversity….and not even failure will disrupt our cause.
Mika: Yvonne stole a win from you out there, Shaun….
Shaun: Is that right? Is THAT what she stole?….
There’s more to it than that….much more.
Shaun: I embarrassed you guys…I let you all down.
There is nothing that can compel Shaun to overlook and overcome the magnitude of his failure.
Shaun: You put your faith in me….and I….and I….
Mika: Don’t worry Shauny…
The hand moves from his back to his cheek, pulling his face around to finally look into her diamond eyes.
Mika: We’re not like Orlando, we’re not like Taylor, we can accept people, even for their weaknesses.
Shaun: I’m not weak.
The hand is shoved aside and Shaun lunges to his feet, just as Aaron instinctively puts himself between Mika and the unstable Cruze.
Shaun: And I’ll prove it…..I’ll prove that I DESERVE to be part of this family, and that you weren’t wrong to put your faith in me.
The room reserved for the Blacklist is vacated by Shaun, just as Mika speaks up from behind Harrison.
Mika: Well Cowboy, I think we’ve created a monster.
Her arms fall over Harrison’s shoulders and interlock in front of his chin.
Harrison: We create one monster to fight another….
Harrison finally lifts his hands into the frame of the camera, bringing what’s in them, into view…..A kendo-stick. The shaft is handed to Mika as ceremoniously as a sword being bestowed unto a samurai.
Mika: And when one monster rises, another falls.
The monster in question, does not hail from the depths of a swamp, was not fabricated from diseased limbs and sprung to life by a surge of lightning, or resurrected by ancient Egyptian mysticism…She hails from Beverly Hills, she sprung from the testicles of Broderick Chase, and the World Title has resurrected her career….Taylor Chase is the monster, and Mika Kozlov tonight assumes the role of Van Helsing.
The crowd is overwhelmed at the sight of Andre Jordan, leaning against a wall with IPhone wedged to ear.
Andre: Yeah-yeah, relax Tabitha….it’s all gravy baby….totally understand your busy with that contract stuff. I mean, I’ve been pretty preoccupied with other matters too.
The Tag Team Title belt that he managed to procure at Last Stand is elevated into the air and then unto his shoulder.
Andre: Got tossed from the Rumble, but still managed to look like a champ….and now….maybe I literally WILL be a champ….
The gold that Andre stole from Gavin Taylor is closely examined, Jordan’s reflection bringing the scar in his forehead into view.
Andre: I’ll take care of Adams’ ‘client’ if he comes looking for his belt…I mean, if I can survive over an hour at the Rumble….I think I can manage to beat that pri….
Gavin: You walking canker-sore.
Into view steps Gavin Taylor AND his agent Adam Chase AND the legion of security guards who separate the pair from the man they’ve targeted.
Gavin: You give that baby back to his daddy, and you do it RIGHT THIS SECOND.
Gavin TRIES to reach over security to grab the belt, but they do a surprisingly good job of holding him at bay. A smile consumes Jordan’s face when he realizes the championship is well beyond Taylor’s grip.
Andre: OH…this little thing? You want this….is this what you want…is it….is it?
The Championship is dangled at this point just beyond Gavin’s finger tips.
Andre: Come on now, reach out for it, take it…if you really want it, just take your ‘baby.’
In spite of all his stretching, Gavin just cannot get to the title, it continues to JUST evade his grubby hand.
Gavin: You hand over that belt dammit…it’s mine….gimme!
The gold is so close, so close, Gavin’s fingers smudging its polished surface. Just then the gold is pulled back and tossed over Jordan’s shoulder, taking residency upon its NEW home.
Andre: Sorry, Gavin, the belt must not mean that much to you….so how about ya get to steppin’…. ugly.
Gavin’s face twists, hearing HIS words piped through Andre’s mouth.
Gavin: I’m not going anywhere…..
Adam: You either fork over that championship or we’ll be forced to pursue legal action.
Threatens Chase. All the while using his hands not to grab at the gold, but to send a text on his phone.
<PAndre: Awww…look at that…
His open hand extends and shakes.
Andre: You got me shivering.
Adam: There will be repercussions for this, Andre….you don’t want to go down this route, believe me, you don’t.
Proclaims Chase while periodically glancing up from the screen of his phone..
Gavin: So give me my God damned belt already!
Jordan contemplates…or at least pretends to contemplate.
Andre: Hmmm…..well if you put it that way…..
The gold starts to inch towards Gavin’s hand.
Andre: Naaaaahh.
The chucking Jordan turns away from the aggravated Gavin, and his equally as troubled agent.
Chase: Relax….
Gavin: Don’t tell me to fucking relax….have you any idea what I had to go through in order to get that championship?
Chase: We’ll get it back and the OTHER championship too….mark my words, Andre AND Robert will not walk out of here tonight with the belts.
Gavin: Good. And what about my Evolution Title match?
Chase: I’m working on that too….In fact….I’ve got quite a few things in the pipe-line.
The IPhone in Chase’s hand comes into view, with Alana Starr’s profile pic on the screen.
Marie Jones’ head is kicked back over the edge of the very chair she’s sunken into. In fact she’s slid down so far that most of her backside isn’t even on the cushion anymore, now hanging over the edge. The reason for her poor posture and even poorer manners becomes evident the moment Frankie Paradise opens his mouth.
Frankie: The gall…the gall I say!
The pacing Paradise addresses Jones from behind his desk, using it as a barrier should Marie decide to get uppity.
Frankie: First you’re big mouth gets me in trouble with the Blacklist, THEN you deliberately disobey my orders, then….THEN….you actually put your hands on me. And it was ABOVE the waist no less….
Marie blows a strand of hair out of her face and begins to slap the arms of the chair with both palms in a rhythmic fashion.
Frankie Are….are….you even listening to me?
Marie: Drifting in and out.
Frankie: How dare you, I’m Paradise, THE Frankie Paradise….look….I’m wearing a tie….
The business attire is elevated for Marie to see.
Frankie: Which COMMANDS respect! So you had best START showing me some.
Marie: Isn’t this a conversation you should be having with the Blacklist maybe?
The mere insinuation causes Paradise’s heart to palpitate.
Marie: Oh yeah….forgot you have to have a pair of balls first.
Frankie: How….how…DARE YOU!
Frankie swings the side of his fist into the surface of the desk then instantly regrets doing so as it feels like he just shattered every bone in his hand.
Frankie: I have balls…GIGANTIC balls….Balls bigger than my biceps….So you are never to call into question their existence…Are we understood?
Marie: Sorry, BOSS, just seems you should be having this conversation with the people who actually thumb their noses at your authority.
Frankie: Yeah….YOU! I make one request of you, Marie, one simple request and you act like I was asking you to take your top off. Which we both know you wouldn’t do…..would you?
Marie’s had her fill of Frankie and then some, lunging forth from her chair while Paradise turns his own chair into a shield.
Frankie: Where do you think you’re going, we’re not through yet.
Marie: I was through the second this meeting started.
Frankie: You put those slim hips right back in that chair, Missy!
Marie: Fraid not, Frankie.
She leans in over the desk.
Marie: I’m through doing as told. I only agreed to come back here in order to tell you…to your face….that I’m not your puppet, and I will NOT be used.
The statement couldn’t be any clearer if it were written out in Crayola. Just as Marie leaves, Frankie feels it’s safe enough to step around his chair and plop down upon it.
A lil birdie told me you were looking for me.
Paradise looks up and grins at the sight of the flesh that moves towards him…flesh belonging to recently signed Abigail Lindsey.
Frankie: Indeed I am….indeed I am.
KYLE BLACK VS. DAVID MILLER
The in ring portion of Riot returns with images of David Miller warming up in the squared circle, his entrance music playing through the PA system.
Dollar: Wait…wait….go back to Frankie’s office…stop leaving us with all these damned cliffhangers!
Susie: Yes….Sylvester Stallone would be furious if he realized we were infringing on his greatest movie since Demolition Man.
Dollar: What’s going on between Frankie and the newest member of the IWC roster, Abigail Lindsey backstage? What’s going on around here….PERIOD!?!
Susie: I’ve lost track of all the insanity….not that I had a grasp on it to begin with.
David throws a few shadow punches to get limbered up before tossing his knees up into the air and slapping them against his palms.
Dollar: And David Miller….yes THAT David Miller set to wrestle in a showcase match tonight against Kyle Black.
Susie: I remember the cups of coffee that David Miller had with IWC in the past.
Dollar: Yes….I think Ladder had a longer tenure in the IWC than Miller.
Susie: Well, he’s getting back in the BIZZ, Johnny D, and we all gots to start somewhere.
”I’m Alive” by Shinedown hits and Kyle Black steps to the stage, embracing the tempered cheers he receives from the crowd.
Walking to the ring confidently, he shakes hands with as many of the fans as he can truly enjoying the interaction with them as well.
Arriving at ringside, he takes off his black sunglasses and slips them on the face of a lucky youngster before handing his jacket to the ring attendant then getting in the ring.
Once inside, Kyle goes to the nearest corner and climbs to the second turnbuckle and encourages the fans to cheer as loudly as they can while his music continues to play.
When the music is over however, the smile is gone, and Kyle is all business when the bell rings, ready for competition, and relishing it.
Dollar: David’s gonna have his hands full here tonight if he’s out to make a statement.
Susie: That’s right, cause he’s facing the most handsome specimen I’ve ever seen since Richard Grieco made his first appearance on 21 Jump Street.
Dollar: Greasy Grieco? Seriously?
Susie: We all have our taste, Johnny.
Dollar: Yes, and apparently your taste is extremely poor.
Susie: Anyway, Mr. Yummy here, Kyle Black, brings some international fame along with him here to the IWC.
Dollar: Yes, as he made quite a splash down in Mexico.
Susie: Where the things they do to donkeys defies description.
Dollar: And wrestling is a religion. So Kyle obviously honed his skills in the right place.
Susie: We’ll find out how true that is, right now.
The bell chimes and Miller shuffles towards Kyle, fists raised at the ready and tongue licking his thumbs. Black does not back down from Miller, in spite of his dangerous MMA background. The moment Black steps up on David, a series of lightning fast punches connect with Black’s chin and cheeks, knocking him back into the ropes. Black covers up against this fury of fists that are only stopped when official Fitzpatrick interjects.
Miller backs up to the center of the ring and waits for Kyle to find the confidence to lock up with him. And that’s exactly what Black does, the two interlocking with a collar elbow. Suddenly Miller pushes forward and delivers an inside leg trip that puts Kyle on his back. David then drops to his side and attempts to establish an Anaconda Vice.
However, Kyle rolls away to his knees only to find David’s knees drilling him to the forehead and the chin. These knee strikes are delivered with furious impact and send Black spilling into the cables. Once again the official is forced to interfere, compelling David to back off of his opponent.
Dollar: Miller’s MMA skills really shining this evening.
Susie: And Black doesn’t have an answer for them thus far.
Miller backs to the center of the ring and then begins to pivot between feet, keeping himself limbered and warmed up. It takes a moment for Kyle to shake off the stiff strikes and approach Miller, who once again calls for a collar elbow. The two lock up and suddenly David pulls Kyle down into position for a knee strike that is BLOCKED….Black manages to put his hands in front of his face and catch the knee just before it blasts him to the nose.
He pushes down on the leg and now Miller begins to throw rapid fire punches that are shockingly ducked and dodged by Kyle. Black manages to wedge a shoulder to David’s ribs and tries to perform a double inside leg trip by grabbing the creases of Miller’s knees.
However, David reaches down, grabs Kyle around the waist then turns and throws him across the ring. Shockingly Black lands right on his feet just in time to catch an inbound David by the creases of his knees, pull them out from under his body and then flip forward into the jackknife cover.
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Miller wraps his arms around Kyle’s waist and then rolls over to his side, pulling Black along with him. The two reach their feet with David hooking both of Black’s arms and then dragging him up to his feet. His wrestling capabilities are displayed instead of his striking skills, snapping back into a bridging double underhook suplex.
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Black kicks out, reaches back with his arm, wraps it around David’s neck, then rolls over to his stomach, pulling Miller along with him. The two reach their feet and Kyle grabs David under the crease of his knee, snapping over into a fisherman bridging suplex.
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Not only does David kick out, but he rolls over backwards, ending up straddling the chest of Black and then firing down forearms and fists into the trapped face of his opponent. Just when it seems Miller is going to score a surefire knock out, Kyle escapes his plight, lifting his legs, sticking them under David’s arms and then sitting up and forcing the back of his shoulders down to the canvas with a roll up.
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David rolls over backwards out of the pinning predicament and grabs Kyle’s leg, elevating it into the air. The very aggressive Miller swings around into a buzzsaw kick aimed at Black’s leg only to have Kyle pull it out of his adversary’s grip by rolling over backwards.
Dollar: The pace in this match quickening….but these two are at an absolute standstill.
Susie: We’ve got a double checkmate here….and I don’t even like Chess….Chinese Checkers maybe, but definitely not Chess…Probably because I hate how boob shaped the queen’s head is.
Dollar: Another irrelevant yet interesting tidbit there, Susie.
Susie: Actually, I would call that a tit-bit.
A face off ensues between the standing Miller and the kneeling Kyle, but neither man remains in these postures for long. The dangerous MMA striker and grappler rushes in and throws his leg towards Kyle’s face only to have Black catch it right against his ribs. He hooks an arm around Miller’s leg while rising to his feet, causing David to hobble on one foot.
Kyle then swings around into the dragon screw leg whip only to have Miller reach out and catch the top rope with both hands, refusing to be taken down. As a result Black ends up on his back with nothing to show for his efforts, except for a lack of teeth in his mouth. Miller drops down onto Kyle’s chest and pulls back his fist to ram it down Black’s face only to have Black reach up with his legs. He hooks them around David’s shoulders and sits up, trying to roll him over into another pin.
Miller rolls right through though and onto his feet. He then steps in and goes for the knock out kick only to have Black duck, and shove the leg along into the ropes.
Miller’s leg ends up stretched over the middle cable while Kyle scrambles to his feet behind him, wrapping arms around his waist and then falls back, rolling him up. David ends up with his shoulders wedged to the canvas and Kyle seated across the back of his thighs.
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Miller then kicks out, launching Black forward into the ropes, which he ricochets from. Kyle then comes back in at Miller who swings around into a brutal roundhouse kick that FINALLY connects and sends Black collapsing to the canvas.
Dollar: David got it….he nailed Black with the kick….but it connected more with the chest than the head….which I think was Miller’s original target.
Susie: Thank God it didn’t touch that beautiful face. I mean he doesn’t exactly have the type of body that would make up for his face being covered by a mask.
Dollar: What are you talking about? Kyle has great definition.
Susie: He needs more of a BOB style physique….then he’d be perfect. Just imagine it, Kyle’s face on Bob’s body….what a wonderful combination.
The crowd is still cringing in regards to that sickeningly stiff kick that has laid Black out, putting him in perfect position for the next move in David’s arsenal…which happens to be ANOTHER kick. He sits Black up, steps in and delivers another roundhouse kick to the sternum that puts him on his back.
Miller isn’t through with the kicks yet. He grabs Kyle by the bangs, sits him up and goes for a third roundhouse kick that nails Kyle with even more force than the last, putting Black on his back yet again.
David then sits Kyle up for a fourth time, and then gets a running start into the cables, building serious momentum behind another running and perhaps match ending kick. He swings around into the roundhouse, and it connects….with Kyle’s ribs, and this time he CAN’T pull it back.
Kyle has caught the leg and now stands up to deliver the dragon screw leg whip only to have Miller reach out and grab the top rope with both hands.
Black goes for the leg whip again but can’t drag Miller away from the cables. So Kyle pushes the leg away and sends Miller spinning around with his limb ending up trapped over the middle rope. Kyle stands up behind him, wraps arms around his waist and goes to drop back into a roll up only to have a back elbow rattle his teeth.
The strike knocks Kyle backwards across the ring just as Miller turns around and twists into a spinning back fist….a spinning back fist that Kyle ducks. Miller spins completely around and then has his leg caught by a waiting Black, who elevates it and delivers a dragon screw leg whip. David is sent down hard to the canvas with Kyle standing up and stepping around the elevated limb.
He steps over the leg and prepares for a submission only to have Miller sit up, grab the waistband of Black and yank down. Kyle finds himself falling onto the chest of Miller, who reaches up and wraps arms around Black’s neck, going for a rear naked…..nyooo….Kyle flips over backwards, feet hitting the canvas while the back of his head and shoulders remain pressed to David’s chest.
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He CAUGHT HIM….out of nowhere Black has just managed to catch Miller completely off guard with this pin.
Dollar: YAAAHH! Roll up out of nowhere! Black did it….Kyle just pinned David Miller when he was going for that rear-naked choke.
Susie: The MMA offense of Miller actually came back to cost him tonight.
The fans are still stunned, as is Miller, who sits up on the canvas with eyes bulging from their sockets….finding himself completely caught unprepared with that roll-up.
Dollar: It was a nice showcase by both Black and Miller, but Kyle manages to turn the tide in his favor….victorious over David after both men hit some dazzling, fast paced offense.
Kyle and Miller are recovering from a hard fought bout, both men bringing their aggression. Just as they begin to recover, and the fans overcome a bout of hypoxia….
EVERYBODY
The Backstreet Boys have never been met with such dread, for the tunes will now forever be associated with the man making his way from the back, Porno Lad.
Dollar: Ah come on! Could we have one night….one damned night without this idiot showing up?
Suise: I know I couldn’t go a night without hearing the Backstreet Boys. That should so be changed to the National Anthem.
For now, the harmonic tones of the Backstreet Boys will have to make do being the anthem of Porno Lad and his Harem. Kordelia Price and Polly Norah stand in the shadow cast by the loud mouthed Porno Lad….and just how loud-mouthed is he….you’re about to find out thanks to the microphone someone was stupid enough to supply him backstage.
Porno Lad: Enough of the jobbers, time to give these people a reason to go on breathing….So stop sitting on your hands people, and throw them in the air like you just don’t care, cause the LAD IS HERE!
The self-proclaimed Mega-Face gets a reaction typically reserved for diarrhea. In spite of this, Polly Norah still holds up a marker board that has the word ‘APPLAUD’ scribbled upon it.
Porno Lad: And I’ve got a message, so even though I already had your undivided attention, I’m demanding more than that….I don’t want you to so much as ‘BLINK,’ and if you must break wind, hold it in, because I want no flatulence to disrupt your focus from every single solitary word that comes through these perfect lips.
Lad rolls into the ring and is followed by Price and Polly. At the same time Kyle is rolling from the ring but Miller is lingering behind. He looks up from his knee and Porno Lad gives him a big thumbs up.
Porno Lad: You’re a killer, bud….awesome work out here, but I’m sorry, the spotlight is on me now, and unfortunately, I don’t have time to give you and Kale the superstar rub.
Yes…Lad doesn’t even know Kyle’s name. David sighs and exits the ring, deeming Lad to be unworthy of his time.
Porno Lad: At the moment my efforts are needed elsewhere….
Lad’s attention is entirely focused on the entry way as if expecting someone’s arrival.
Porno Lad: I’m out here to right an injustice….one that was committed against me…against my fawning fans….against this whole industry as we know and love it. And that injustice occurred at Last Stand when I was thrown out of the Rumble.
The heckles are louder than anyone could anticipate.
Porno Lad: I know…I know…you people are just as upset by it as I am, because you all know what my elimination from the Rumble means….no Porno Lad in the main event at Invictus…..
The reaction changes to cheers.
Porno Lad: I SAID….no Porno Lad main eventing Invictus….
The reaction reaches a whole new decibel, prompting Lad to tap the microphone to make sure it’s working.
Porno Lad: Something wrong with this thing….I SAID PORNO LAD in main event es nada!
Somehow the fans manage to get louder without bursting their already oxygen depleted lungs.
Porno Lad: Okay, must be some type of communication error here…..and I trust that the IWC will fix it. Why? Because I have faith that management is capable of fixing their errors, no matter how egregious. And one error that definitely needs some looking into, is the way Porno Lad was CHEATED out of a World Title opportunity, costing you people and this company, the main event spectacle it deserves at Invictus.
Somehow Porno Lad manages to get even more delusional without his head exploding from his swelling ego.
Porno Lad: The fat-cats and head cheese in this company MUST realize that they can’t sell a pay-per-view with Legion and Taylor Chase in the main event. Who does that appeal to? Seriously? I’ll tell you who. Teenage girls who shop at Funky Fusion and watch Pretty Little Liars, and those creepy goth kids who drink from goblets and smoke cigarettes behind gymnasiums. Tiny groups representing not even one-tenth of our viewing demographic. They need someone with universal appeal….someone who can capture the imagination of the masses…They need a man who is tried and true….a legend who has proven capable of putting behinds in the seats and buyrates through the roof.
The ego is beyond out of control.
Porno Lad: I am that man. I am a PROVEN attraction. Desperate housewives love me…..children are mesmerized by my colorful shirts and fuzzy wrist-bands….I’m loved, adored and cherished by the smart marks. I’ve main evented the most successful Paranoia of all times…and the crowd wants PROVEN super-mega-stars in their main events….Not NEW talent that have only been around for what, all of six months or so? Just listen to them…..listen to them clamor and express their craving for Porno Lad at Invictus….LISTEN!
The message now scribbled on Polly’s sign reads ‘CHANT.’ And that’s just what the fans do….but they express themselves not in the terms that have been requested. Instead they join together in a chorus of ‘asshole.’
Porno Lad: See, their already alienated with you, Orlando Cruze and Frankie Paradise, and the last thing you want is to alienate your fanbase. You’ve got to give them what they want….and they want Porno Lad in the main event…not some chunky emo in a Halloween mask, and definitely not an anorexic bimbo. No one wants to see a WOMAN in the main event at Invictus. Ladies just don’t have the stamina or the talents of a man, they don’t have what it takes to carry a match of this magnitude and make it successful. They can’t put on a five star performance….it’s just proven fact….they suffer poor genetics….Seriously, it’s documented….you can probably look it up on Wikipedia…..And as thus, being the kind, gentle-hearted soul that I am, I’m not about to let poor little Tay-Tay go out there and embarrass herself, and ultimately leave you, my oh so loyal fans feeling let-down…..
Kyle Black can’t put enough distance between himself and Porno Lad. In spite of already making it to the back, he stands close enough to the curtains to still hear the Prankster’s delusional ramblings, and the heckles of the crowd echoing through the gorilla position. With a warm towel wrapped around the back of his neck, soothing any inflammation resulting from his bout with David Miller, Kyle looks to put miles rather than feet between he and the Prankster.
Mark Comeau: Kyle Black…
Kyle: Mark Comeau.
Unfortunately he didn’t make it very far before being cut off and hounded for questions. Though physically drained and in desperate need of some electrolytes, Kyle pauses out of kindness.
Comeau: Great effort out there tonight, Kyle.
Kyle: Muchas gracias….but there’s always room for improvement.
Comeau: Improvement? I might have something to help you there…..let’s see…let’s see what papa’s got in his brand new bag.
The fanny pack is searched, Mark looking through his many….MANY medicine bottles.
Comeau: I got a few performance enhancers in here I’m sure can be beneficial to you.
Kyle: Thanks hombre, but I’ll pass.
He gently taps Mark’s hand to get him to stop.
Comeau: Are you sure? I’ve got anabolic steroids….some amphetamine….some….
Kyle: Yeah, I’m good….
Comeau: Kyle, we just saw you put on a gutsy performance against David Miller….
Back to interview mode.
Comeau:…and now that you’ve properly introduced yourself to the xenophobic IWC fans, who are unaware there are wresting companies outside of the IWC, do you have anyone on your radar, anyone on the roster you want to face?
Kyle: Quite a few actually. There’s a very long list of guys I’d love to wrestle…..Who I’m sure I can put on a great match with…..
Lilly: Excuse me, sorry, didn’t want to interrupt.
A hand snatches Mark’s wrist and drags the microphone to the disgruntled expression of Lilly Lyman.
Lilly Hope you don’t mind, Kyle…..
Kyle: By all means.
Lilly: Are you two hearing this?
A gesture towards the ring where Porno Lad continues repulsing the fans.
Lilly: I’m not about to stand around listening to anymore of this horse-shit, and if no one else is going to do anything about it I WILL!
The wrist is released and Lilly’s feet are stomping towards the ring.
Kyle: Well anyway….yeah, got a litany of opponents I’d jump at the opportunity to face….
Interview mode once again established.
Kyle: But I’m also very interested in reconnecting with some old friends…like Andre Jordan and Alana Starr.
Comeau: Yikes….you know those two aren’t exactly reading from the same script right now.
Kyle: Yeah, I’ve heard they’ve been having some issues….but don’t worry about it….
Comeau: Oh I’m not….my anti-anxiety meds help in that department.
Kyle: I’m a regular Dr. Phil…..if anyone can help those two, it’s me. Lord knows I’ve done it in the past. So Andre and Alana, their gonna be just fine.
A good-natured slap is given to Mark’s shoulder as Kyle proceeds along…..finally getting out of range of Porno Lad’s voice.
Porno Lad: No one wants to see a woman main eventing Invictus. That’s FACT….
There is no harmony between Porno Lad’s beliefs and the opinions of the fans….the two not jiving at all.
Dollar: Why oh why is Porno Lad STILL out here talking?
Susie: I think the powers that be are just a little too wrapped up in their own affairs to do anything about this.
Porno Lad: There’s an old saying….behind every man is a subservient, docile woman….and that’s exactly where ladies like Taylor Chase and….and….
He can barely even bring himself to say it.
Porno Lad:….my ex-girlfriend, Katelyn…..grrrr….Buehler….should be standing…. in MY magnificent shadow! Not fighting for titles, and not main eventing Invictus…..Kordy knows her place….Polly now understands her role in this company…..They’ve accepted the fact that they are just NOT capable of holding championships, and that the only way they’ll ever be stars is by standing either behind me, or beneath me….
Lilly: Okay fuck-tards…no more!
The crowd would be happy if Justin Bieber interrupted Porno Lad, so their elated to see someone they actually can tolerate cutting off the Original Prankster. Lilly steps to the stage while Porno Lad’s jaw falls to the canvas.
Lilly: Everyone is sick to death of this chauvinism shit and your ego….
Porno Lad: Excuse me-excuse me-excuse me….but who gave you permission to breathe?
Lyman stews.
Porno Lad: And no one is interested in hearing such filth from your lips…..There are impressionable children in this audience who could be highly offended by your vulgarities. If you’re not careful, I’ll make you take the same vow of silence I forced on Polly when it became apparent that she couldn’t watch her mouth.
Lilly: You’re welcome to try, but I don’t think you’ll get very far….and besides, my words are the least of your concerns.
Kordy: How dare you….WHORE…
Why did Porno Lad allow Kordy to speak? Why couldn’t she take a vow of silence just like Polly?
Lilly: Kordy, do us all a favor and shut your cum guzzling trap.
Kordy: No….I won’t shut up….not while your slandering my Mastah, the man who is gonna make you a star.
Lilly: Awww….sweety, hate to burst your bubble, but that idiot isn’t gonna make you anything more than my punching bag.
The microphone drops and Lilly’s legs are bringing her towards the ring, dashing down the ramp.
Porno Lad: GET HER!
At once Kordy and Polly are sliding out of the ring and rushing up the ramp to cut off Lyman. A brawl between the ladies commences with Lilly surprisingly holding her own against the Harem.
Dollar: And big surprise here, Porno Lad hiding behind women….AGAIN…just like he did at Last Stand when he pulled BMW into the way of that shot with the baseball bat.
Susie: Yeah, Lad caused TPKid to inadvertently strike his own girlfriend with the bat, and if Kid wasn’t running late to the Manhattan Center tonight, he’d probably be doing something about this himself.
Dollar: But instead it’s Lilly, the woman who was eliminated from the Rumble by Polly Norah, who is trying to take a stand against Porno Lad.
The fisticuffs continue outside of the ring while Porno Lad goes on undaunted.
Porno Lad: These people deserve better than Taylor Chase, they need a marketable champion to main event Invictus…they need their Porno Lad…this company needs Porno Lad….the world needs Porno Lad…
Dollar: He’s STILL running his mouth.
Susie: Maybe during the commercial break someone will finally do something about this.
Dollar: God I hope so.
Kathryn: Still can’t believe we didn’t see it….
Taylor: Would have loved to see you make Shaun tap out.
Yvonne blushes, not use to so much praise, and being the center of attention….spots normally reserved for the two ladies who have entered the Unity dressing room and now stand with titles in tow at her sides.
Kathryn: Did he cry? Were their tears? I bet there were tears….DAMMIT I wish we didn’t get here so late.
Yvonne: Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll be replays.
Taylor: Just so satisfying to hear that that piece of garbage finally got what was coming to him.
Yvonne: Come on now, Shaun’s not all that bad.
Kathryn: Oh great….here we go AGAIN!
Yvonne: What?
Kathryn: Babe, you know Tay and I love you….but seriously, you need to stop trying to find the good in eeeeeevvveeryyyone.
Taylor: Especially when there’s none in the likes of Shaun.
Kathryn: Or Amanda Blayze.
Ivy stubbornly protests.
Yvonne: You just don’t know Shaun like I do…..he’s got a huge heart….He’s just….he’s just had some bad luck lately….and been influenced by the wrong people.
Kathryn: OH wow….Ivy, I can’t let you do this to yourself, not again.
Taylor puts a hand on Ivy’s shoulder and coerces her into the chair positioned behind her.
Taylor: You’ve GOT to stop this, Ivy. Not everyone is good….
Kathryn: Yeah, you went to bat for Amanda over and over and over again….and it cost you a potential title shot.
Taylor: So PLEASE just…..
Her phone begins to vibrate, bringing the intervention to a halt.
Taylor: Oh great….what timing….Sorry ladies, we’ll have to pick this up later.
Kathryn: Something wrong?
Taylor: Pfft, when isn’t there?
The phone is turned to reveal the caller.
Taylor: Had some scheduling issues with the wedding planner, so I had to meet him here…..
Kathryn: Seriously? Not exactly the best place to discuss wedding plans.
Taylor: I know….I know….but what else could I do? And I can’t keep the guy waiting, he gets temperamental.
Kathryn: Well you’re not going alone. Would be just like the Blacklist to try and attack you before that match with Mika tonight.
Taylor: Awww….are you gonna be my bodyguard?
Kathryn: I’ll totally be the Costner to your Whitney….
Yvonne: You want me to tag along?
Kathryn: No….you need to sit back and think about what we said to you.
Taylor: And you’ve done enough tonight, Ivy, just get some rest now.
The moment that Kathryn and Taylor exit, Ivy deflates the pressure in her lungs via a long exhale. But the comfort from being alone and as thus being able to shed inhibition is short lived. The door that was drifting shut behind the backs of Tay and Pearson is grabbed….the handle squeezed by the individual who cautiously steps around it. Shaun Cruze turns to make sure there are no witnesses before entering the dressing room.
Porno Lad: And reason number 57 that a woman should NOT be in the main event at Invictus….
Yep….he’s still at it….running his mouth while the Harem are ramming their fists into Lyman’s face. She sits propped against the barricade subjected to punches while Porno Lad stands in the ring, subjected to the heckles of the crowd.
Dollar: Ooooooh God….won’t somebody make him stop….Please….PLEASE!
Susie: How much longer can he go on? He’s been talking for like an hour straight.
Dollar: He’s giving Ted Cruz a run for his money. Actually, I’d sit through 24 straight hours of Cruz talking as opposed to one hour of Porno Lad’s bullshit.
Porno Lad: SHARKS….We all know they’re attracted to the smell of blood….And if weather reports call for a Sharknado….they could be drawn to Madison Square Garden by the odor of Taylor’s unchanged maxi-pad….putting every one of you in mortal jeopardy…..I can’t run that risk….
Dollar: How absolutely ridiculous….
Porno Lad: And then there’s Legion…..You seriously can’t let a guy in a mask wrestle in the main event of Invictus. It’s bad enough that he managed to manipulate the poor weak willed, easily seduced Katelyn….grrr….Buehler into doing his bidding, but to trick his way into the main event of the biggest pay-per-view of the year as well? That’s….
STATIC
Susie: Uh-oh…I think Lad just made a major mistake bringing up the name, Legion.
Dollar: God I hope so.
The arena lights dim just long enough for Silence, Mr. Hush and Al to slide into the ring and surround Porno Lad. This is revealed when the lights rise to bring to view a mortified Lad turning to acknowledge all three Black Crusade members presently amassed around him.
Dollar: Yes…..YES….the Black Crusade has Porno Lad in their sights.
Susie: You wanted him to get what was coming to him.
Dollar: And if anyone is capable of giving him a heaping bowl of comeuppance stew, it’s the Black Crusade.
Al….the far more verbose member of the trio, speaks up with the use of a microphone….though his voice is already so loud and boisterous that it doesn’t even require amplification from any device.
Al: YOU CLAY-BRAINED DEWBERRY! WE WILL NO LONGER TOLERATE YOUR SULLYING OF THE INVICTUS MAIN EVENT VIA YOUR SPITEFUL TONGUE.
A bold step is taken by Mr. Hush, one that has Porno Lad back peddling right into Silence. Her clawed fingers wrap around his shoulders before one is raised to stop the encroaching Hush.
Silence: Just a second, Hush, I have something I want to say to this pig-headed chauvinist before I use his flesh as a canvas for my insignias.
In spite of their desire to mutilate Lad, Mr. Hush and Al back away. Precisely at that moment, Kordy and Polly leap to the apron to lend aid to their master, but Mr. Hush puts the kibosh on these plans. After sliding under the ropes and between the feet of both ladies, he lands on the mats, catches their ankles and rips their legs out from under them, sending both Harem members crashing face first into the apron. He then begins to unload on them with strikes, and finds some assistance from Lilly, who has recovered just in time to be of use.
Dollar: Mr. Hush and Lilly Lyman fighting the Harem to the back!
Susie: Porno Lad is all on his own.
Dollar: Mwahahahaha.
That’s right, there’s only two people left in the ring at the moment, now that Al has followed Hush to the back….and they are Porno Lad AND Silence.
Silence: Porno-Geezer, did you forget to take your Namenda this evening? Don’t you know the heath-risk you run by skipping dosages? Before the end of the night you might be dry humping carpets and eating the stuffing from turnbuckle pads….it’s happened before.
Porno Lad doesn’t speak up, in spite of having a lot he’d like to say to the only female representative of the Black Crusade.
Silence: Clearly you’re not with it…..
The hypocricy of Silence to insinuate that someone else is unstable is not wasted on many of the chuckling fans.
Silence: If you think any of these people want to see YOU in the main event at Invictus, and if you think anyone wants to hear your quintessentially 1940’s pig-headed view on women then you must be skipping meds.
Porno Lad: These people hinge on my every word….
Silence: And it’s that outdated point of view of yours that would have led to me eliminating you from the Rumble if it had not been for the interference of the Coalition. Tonight, however, I intend on rectifying that failure to do away with you at Last Stand. For if you truly believe that women are so inferior….at the risk of going down a far too conventional route….how about you face me and validate your opinions.
Porno Lad: Their not opinions, their fact.
Silence is already sharpening her claws in anticipation of this match.
Silence: And if you really do represent the desires of these fans…why not give them what they really yearn for? Listen to them, Porno-Man…..
The fans endorse the idea of Silence versus Porno Lad and then some.
Silence: They want Silence versus Porno-Man, and they want it now. So, give it to them.
Dollar: Hells to the yes….give it to them Porno-Ass….let’s see it…..let’s see you prove how inferior women are.
The crowd is nearly frothing at the mouth in anticipation of this bout, but Porno Lad has not provided a response either for or against the confrontation. His eyes are still gauging the reactions of the crowd….feeling them out.
Porno Lad: These people don’t know what they want.
Lad rolls out of the ring and starts up the ramp without so much as a glance back towards the ring.
Dollar: Oooooh predictable….so damned predictable!
Susie: He’s walking away?
Dollar: Of course, the guy is beneath scum….scum is too good for him.
Susie: So no Silence versus Porno Lad tonight….how RUDE.
Silence does not give pursuit, allowing Porno Lad to dig himself into his own grave as opposed to doing so on his behalf…..only fitting since he’s presently passing the tombstone and open grave situated beside the ring on his way to the backstage area. As Porno Lad makes his exit, P Clarence Whitman III makes his entrance. While Lad walks up the ramp Whitman walks around it, descending rather frantically to the ring.
Dollar: And now we’re being joined by Whitman? Who next, the friggin Care-Bears.
Susie: Do you have any idea just how awesome that would be?
A panic stricken Whitman slides into the ring and eagerly dashes across it. Tentatively he reaches out for the wrist of Silence, taking it and leading her microphone gripping hand towards his lips.
Whitman: Oh thank heavens….thank merciful heavens….I never in a billion centuries thought I’d be so grateful to happen upon a member of the Black Crusade.
Silence: Oh?
Whitman: I know my timing is probably a tad off, but when an opportunity presents itself, I’m afraid I MUST make good use of it. So I’m here to implore you, to please dust off your Ouija boards, your scented candles, and your hexagrams….
Silence: Pentagrams?
Whitman: Those too…whatever you use to consult with the unearthly abomination that is Legion.
Silence: Why?
Whitman: I must convince him that calling off this match tonight is in his best interests….it does not bode well for either of us. So please, if you would be so kind as to deliver this message on my behalf, I’d forever be in your debt.
Silence: Absolutely not.
Whitman: Ah splendid….good day Madam.
Whitman exits just as quick as he enters, darting to the ropes and getting half way through.
Silence: WAIT!
Heart bursting through chest.
Silence: I will ABSOLUTELY NOT summon Legion….nor do I need to, for I am always in direct consultation with said unearthly abomination, and he is none too agreeable to calling off this match tonight. For you did suffer a plight of poor timing….the Black Crusade is not about to allow ANOTHER coward to flee from a match.
Whitman: But….this….match makes no sense. Surely Legion must recognize this fact. Have I not proven that I’ve changed? That I’ve grown? I stood beside him at Last Stand….
Silence: Only to see you now fleeing from a bout against him. You fail to realize Mr. Whitman, that tonight is your final test, and the final test the IWC must endure before the Black Crusade truly answers their SOS. Now good day to you, Mister.
Silence starts to take her leave only to find her leg bogged down. With agitation she turns to look down at Whitman with arms wrapped about her knee.
Whitman: PLEASE….you must help me….YOU MUST!
Silence: Unhand me, Whitman.
Silence drags Whitman across the ring as he remains intertwined about her limb.
Porno Lad puts as much distance between himself and the ring as possible. With a palpitating heart and labored breathing, the Original Prankster moves away from the curtains….the sounds of Silence’s argument with Whitman still filtering through into the gorilla position. A few glances are taken in the direction of the ring while Porno Lad moves along, walking blindly into Hurse.
Porno Lad: Are you trying to give me a heart-attack!?!
Lad leaps back and immediately takes solace in the sight of the cross armed Hurse standing before him.
Porno Lad: Oh thank God…it’s just you.
Hurse: Yes….just me.
Its unclear to Hurse how he should take this sigh of relief from his former tag team partner.
Porno Lad: So good to see you again, Steve….It’s been ages.
Arms stretch out to his sides for a hug, but a hand stretches out to Porno Lad’s chest to hold him back.
Hurse: Yeah, because I definitely didn’t see you sneaking up on me at Last Stand before you threw me out of the Rumble.
Porno Lad: Awww…come on….
It seems Porno Lad just can’t catch a break.
Porno Lad:….You’re not gonna hold that against me are you? It was every man for themselves.
Hurse: Yeah, I recognize that….and I don’t hold a grudge…but what I do take exception to is you attitude towards Katelyn.
Porno Lad: Kate….
A frown from the Original Prankster.
Porno Lad: Now Steven, you know you’re a new daddy, and you’re trying to build a stable home environment for your tot….so I don’t think screwing around with Katelyn on the side is gonna help….
Hurse: Excuse me?
Oh the outrage…OH THE OUTRAGE.
Hurse: My interest in Buehler does not extend to ‘screwing around.’
Porno Lad: Pfft….as if she’s good for anything else.
Hurse: She’s good for a lot of things, Ethan….including representing this company as a future World Heavyweight Champion.
Porno Lad: Ha!….Wait…you’re serious?
Hurse: Deadly?
Porno Lad: Aren’t you the one who said Buehler couldn’t become champion.
Hurse: I never said she couldn’t….I said she wasn’t ready.
Porno Lad: She’ll NEVER be ready, Steve-O….You know being my idol and all, that I respect your opinion, but your way….WAAAY off here. Cause no women should be the World Heavyweight Champion….least of all Katelyn Buehler. The woman is a nothing….a nobody….And it’s just like Ba’al said, she’s beyond redemption…..
Hurse: I don’t believe that.
Porno Lad: Believe what you want to believe, but facts are facts, Buehler is a whore….as are all the women on this roster. And not a one of them has the actual talents necessary to be on this roster taking spots from real Champions like ME….
Before Lad can go on another long diatribe, his mouth falls open but no words escape it. Instead his whole body tenses around the swollen genitalia that has just been given an uppercut from the woman kneeing behind him. And that woman just so happens to be BMW.
Black Magic Woman gets some oh so sweet comeuppance in the form of this shot to the Prankster’s most precious muscle….his love muscle. Porno Lad stoops over, cradling his crotch while BMW steps back smiling for the first time since her head was caved in by the bat at Last Stand.
BMW: That’s the closest any woman’s hand is ever gonna get to your balls, honkey!
Porno Lad is unable to verbalize anything other than pain as he cups his bruised gonads.
Hurse: What’s that Ethan….I’m sorry….You said you want me to escort you back to the ring for a match with Silence?
Hurse steps back and shrugs.
Hurse: SURE! Why not. I’m always up for helping out old friends.
Sacrilege is committed as Hurse grabs a handful of Porno Lad’s precious bangs and drags him into a side headlock. There is no defense from Lad as he’s dragged back towards the curtains.
BMW cannot help but to chuckle as she watches Porno Lad suffer.
Whitman: I am begging you….PLEASE come to your senses.
Silence has reached through the ropes but is unable to get through them thanks to the human anchor tied around her leg. She keeps trying to shake him off but Whitman’s grasp is unbreakable.
Whitman: I’ll do anything the Black Crusade requests of me if you just get me out of this match with Legion. I’ll…I’ll…even let you tweeze my mustache.
The offer is VERY tempting, butl will not sway Silence.
Silence: The answer is still no.
Dollar: Whitman remains out here trying to convince Silence to call off the match tonight.
Susie: It’s not happening, Whitman, just give it up.
Dollar: I don’t blame Whitman though, who WOULD want to face Legion? I’m pretty sure Legion wouldn’t even want to face Legion….the guy is unstoppable.
Silence is right on the verge of finally prying her leg out of Whitman’s clutches before her attention is redirected to the two figures making their way down the ramp. Hurse leads Porno Lad back to the ring via a handful of hair.
Dollar: And look at this…Porno Lad is being brought back to the ring by Hurse!
Susie: Even his best friends are turning against Porno Lad.
Just as Lad is rolled into the ring, Silence manages to shake Whitman free from her leg. Her eyes then cut briefly to Hurse, who with open palms gestures towards his offering.
Hurse: He’s all yours.
To say that Porno Lad is stunned would be putting it mildly….he’s absolutely beside himself as he scrambles to reach his feet, getting up just as a chop nails him to the throat, and then another connects with his forehead. Silence then delivers buzzsaw kicks to the creases of the knees and the back of his thighs, connecting with every limb on every piece of his anatomy.
Dollar: YES! ALRIGHT!
Susie: Somebody finally getting their hands on Porno Lad, and that someone is Silence.
Porno Lad doesn’t even know where he is, yet somehow manages to recoil and throw a right hand that is effortlessly blocked by Silence. She then steps to Porno Lad’s side and swings around into a buzzsaw kick right to his chest that staggers him back. He then throws another punch that Silence ducks, before stepping to his opposite side and now connecting with a spinning back fist to the cheek.
The strikes have Porno Lad spiraling across the ring and falling against one of the turnbuckles.
Susie: Silence is just ALL OVER Porno Lad in this….wait….is this even a match?
Dollar: I think there needs to be a referee for there to be a match.
Susie: Awww….
Porno Lad feeds on more brutality dished out by Silence, who is all too happy to give second helpings. She bakes a filet mignon of pain, with the next ingredient being a Mongolian chop to both of Porno Lad’s shoulders, bringing him to a knee. This provides her with a perfect position to deliver a buzzsaw kick that welts up his chest, followed by another, and then a third….the incredibly stiff strikes bruising the skin at this point.
She steps back and sets for another roundhouse only to have Porno Lad take a powder. Wisely he rolls to the exterior of the ring, dropping to the mats and blowing off the ring, never harboring any desire to face Silence in the first place.
Dollar: Porno Lad getting away from Silence as fast as what’s left of his body will carry him.
Susie: He doesn’t want any part of Silence, just like Whitman doesn’t want any part of Legion.
Dollar: Their both cowards.
Well it appears that one coward is about to cancel out another. Whitman seizes the moment, rushing up behind a distracted Porno Lad, grabbing him by the hair and the pants then dragging him back into the squared circle.
Dollar: Well look at this….maybe Whitman isn’t all bad after all….
Susie: That whipper snapper tossed Porno Lad back in the ring.
Dollar: Where he will no doubt face execution from the Black Crusade.
The moment Porno Lad rolls into the ring and gets to his knees, Silence almost beheads him via the buzzsaw kick she was looking for seconds earlier. The incredibly stiff shot knocks Lad unconscious and allows Silence a few moments of consultation with Whitman at ringside.
Whitman: We have an understanding now, yes? I helped you, now you help me.
The proposition is given a moment’s thought and only a moments.
Silence: Agreed.
Whitman’s face lights up.
Silence: I’ll help you by making sure you face your fears tonight.
Her whispers are thunderous in terms of their impact on Whitman….who loses any semblance of color in his skin. And Silence has lost any semblance of patience, going after Porno Lad in order to finish him off. Like a momma cat grabbing a kitten, Silence snatches the back of Lad’s neck and begins to drag him up to his feet only for him to stubbornly counter. He shoves aside Silence’s hands, catches her around the head and drops down into a sit-out jawbreaker.
Silence staggers back holding her mouth just as Porno Lad rises to his feet and rushes in for the Epic Fail. The spinning superkick connects….nah…it doesn’t….cause Silence decides to duck at the last second. She then twists around behind Lad, extends her sharpened nails and goes to embed them into Porno Lad’s flesh. He turns with just enough time to counter, side stepping the claws, wedging a shoulder to her spine, heaving her up and dropping her down with a modified back drop slam.
Silence ends up sprawled out in front of Porno Lad, who then steps over her and waves his hand before his face.
Porno Lad: You can’t see me….
Suddenly Silence spits yellow Asiatic mist directly into Porno Lad’s eyes, resulting in a deafening roar from the crowd. Hands urgently swipe at his retinas as Lad spins across the ring, trying his best to regain his vision.
Dollar: BRILIANT!
Susie: No Lad, now YOU can’t see Silence.
Porno Lad continues to spiral and thrash around the ring, but no amount of swipes at his eyes will undo the damage that has been done. Silence realizes this, hence why she prowls in anticipation of moving in for the kill….out to finally annihilate this egotistical Lad once and for all….under the watchful eye of Hurse…and the viewing eyes of thousands.
And Silence’s plans for destruction will not be disrupted, no force on earth compelling her to tear away from the Original Prankster, not even as the brawl between Mr. Hush and the Harem spills from the back and through the audience.
Dollar; Mr. Hush and Lilly Lyman coming back out here fighting with Kordelia Price and Polly Norah. That war continues to wage on.
Susie: So much chaos….all over the place….in the ring….in the stands…..in my intestines after eating an entire box of Fruity Pebbles in one sitting…..It’s total nuttiness.
Lilly parts the audience as she rushes between them and delivers a leaping leg lariat right on the throat to Norah, knocking both ladies up and over the barrier to the ringside area. In the meanwhile Mr. Hush has hold of Kordy’s wrist, whipping her into a wall.
The Harem fairs no better than their master Porno Lad, who goes stumbling right back into the waiting arms of Silence, an arm wrapping about his neck to be potentially set up for the Unholy Warcry. The surprisingly strong Silence begins to heave the egotistical Porno Lad into the air to drop him back down to reality….
STATIC
The predictable ensuing darkness.
Susie: No-no, not again….NOT AGAIN!
When the lights rise Silence no longer finds herself staring down Porno Lad…..she finds her eyes locked on….HERSELF. Standing before her is a woman wearing matching garb…only slightly ashen and far more tattered. Piercing eyes shoot through the holes of Jessica Wilde’s mask, focusing upon Silence, who does not break eye contact….The only thing broken may be Jessica’s face as Silence steps in to crack her masked features. Just as she cocks back her fist, she sees Jessica doing the same thing, both ladies stopping at the same time.
Silence then raises a foot only to see her actions mirrored precisely by Wilde.
Dollar: Okay…this is just BEYOND weird….
Susie: Jessica Wilde wearing the Silence mask and attire is pretty much just emulating everything that Silence is doing.
Dollar: What the hell has happened to the woman who use to just sit so happy go-lucky here at ringside announcing the matches?
Susie: She ate way too much Fruity Pebbles this afterno…oh wait….you mean Jessica.
Silence decides to test just how accurate Wilde can be when trying to reflect her behavior and gesticulations. She drops to her back and does a kip up only to see Wilde do the exact same thing. Silence back flips and finds herself somewhat surprised to see that Wilde pulls the move off as effortlessly as she does. Silence then busts out an electric slide, and Wilde does the same.
Susie: Looks like anything Silence can do, Jessica can do.
The bounds of Wilde’s flexibility are now tested as Silence lifts her leg up and over the back of her head. And low and behold, Jessica is able to do the exact same thing. Silence then lowers down to her rear across the canvas while keeping her leg hooked behind her head. Wilde is having some trouble copying this, grimacing beneath her mask as she sits down in front of her doppelganger, TRYING to keep her leg hooked around neck.
Silence then lifts her OTHER leg into the air, wrapping it too around the back of her head…..demonstrating just how double jointed and unbelievably flexible she can be.
Susie: Jeez, I wonder if Silence takes DDP Yoga.
Dollar: She is showing some unreal flexibility…and it looks like Jessica isn’t able to pull this off as easily.
A struggling Wilde fights to cross her own ankles behind her head but at last is able to fully reflect the contortion of Silence’s body. Just then Silence pushes herself up onto her knuckles and effortlessly frees herself from this very advanced yoga position into a headstand. She gently falls over onto her feet and stares down at Jessica, who cannot get out her incredibly twisted predicament.
Dollar: Oh…..wonderful…looks like Jessica could get herself into that yoga position….but she can’t get herself out of it.
Susie: And something tells me the Hellspeaker knew that.
It becomes painfully obvious…emphasis on the painful part….to Jessica that she is now entirely at the mercy of Silence, who slowly closes in upon her with finger nails protruded to her sides.
Jessica: You did this to me….you made me this!
Silence stops, doing her own reflection, mentally that is, as she stews over the words just uttered. She then bends down and brings her face mere inches from Jessica’s.
Silence: And you haven’t once thanked me.
At last Silence dives in with her boots connecting to the trapped face of Wilde via the basement dropkick. The stiff strike knocks Wilde onto her back with her legs STILL trapped behind her head. Silence continues to take advantage of this predicament, nailing buzzsaw kick to her exposed and elevated bum.
Dollar: Jessica really put herself in a bad spot here.
Susie: That game of monkey-see, monkey-do, has gone horribly awry.
Another well placed and vicious kick finally forces Wilde’s legs to break from this odd contortion, freeing her from the predicament. She goes rolling across the canvas as Silence follows her, prepared to do unspeakable things. But leave it to Porno Lad to ruin another good time vibe. Though he has very limited vision, Porno Lad makes out the form of Silence’s body and then rushes in behind her, delivering a swift forearm to her upper back. The blow knocks Silence on top of Wilde and the two begin to roll around exchanging shots with one another.
Dollar: Porno Lad STILL isn’t dead yet?
Susie: Not only does he stubbornly hang in there, but he manages to knock Silence out too!
Dollar: And right into Wilde no-less.
The forearm was delivered in desperation, Porno Lad now staggering away and throwing punches at other figures…albeit of the make-believe variety….his blurred vision causing hallucinations.
Mr. Hush’s preoccupation with Kordy ends when he turns to the ring and spots Silence and Wilde now on their feet in a collar elbow tie, the two ladies jockeying for positioning. He quickly scrambles towards the ring and leaps the barrier in order to aid his compatriot, only stopping briefly when Whitman cuts him off…and why….so that Clarence can hand a steel chair to the very man who has victimized him so in the past.
Dollar: Whitman giving Mr. Hush a chair?
Susie: Maybe this is payment for that temporary tattoo, Mr. Hush gave Whitman a few months ago.
Dollar: And let’s not forget the manicure.
The chair continues to be outstretched by an eager Whitman….insisting that Mr. Hush trust him and use it against one of Ba’al’s minions. Though hesitant, the Weirdo takes the chair and hurries to the ring. With an equalizer in hand Mr. Hush rolls under the ropes and cocks back the steel, on the verge of swinging upon the nefarious individual tussling with Silence…..only he pauses….for there is another obstacle beset against him….He seems to be having trouble figuring out WHO is said nefarious individual, and WHO is his teammate.
Dollar: Oh wait…..oh no…seriously?
Susie: Who is who? Alex Ingelson couldn’t figure this out at Last Stand….I wonder if Mr. Hush can?
Silence and Jessica turn simultaneously to stare down the chair on the verge of connecting with one of their heads….but Mr. Hush continues to pause. He has the steel raised over the skull of Wilde, only for her to speak out in a whispery tone that almost matches Silence tone for tone.
Wilde: You know me, don’t allow Mr. Lord of Flies to deceive you.
Mr. Hush lowers the chair, second guessing himself. The steel elevates over Silence’s head now.
Silence: Don’t be a fool.
Again Mr. Hush halts, the chair trembling up above his skull.
Wilde: She’s in league with the Lord of Flies….strike before it’s too late.
Silence: If you hit me with that chair I swear you’ll be walking funny for a month.
Mr. Hush hasn’t been this indecisive since he was asked to pick between renting Big Trouble in Little China or Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension….making this the second hardest decision of his life. And it’s not a decision he is comfortable with making, putting the weight on someone else’s shoulders instead. He turns towards Whitman at ringside and then gestures for him to climb to the apron. Clarence does as instructed and then tries to interpret Mr. Hush’s gesticulations.
Whitman: You….you want me….ME to pick?
A nod in the affirmative.
Whitman grimaces in response to such a tough….tough decision.
Whitman: Fine….but if I help you, you must help me.
Mr. Hush has been left without alternatives.
Wilde: Pick wisely and perhaps I shall free you from this match against Legion tonight.
Silence: No I won’t….for your bout is a necessity.
Whitman’s fatal decision isn’t made any easier….and now there seems to be only one method of properly deciding who is the TRUE Silence.
Whitman: Eenie meeni miney mo, catch a tiger by his toe….
Wilde: Are you serious?
Whitman: Quiet, I’m trying to concentrate….If he hollers let him go….
Silence: This is quite ridiculous.
Whitman: HUSH!
Mr. Hush lifts the chair and slams it violently over the head of his own partner, felling Silence to the canvas.
Whitman: NO!
Obviously there was a miscommunication, as Whitman was telling Silence to be quiet and not prompting Mr. Hush to action. He turns and looks confusingly back at Whitman, who says nothing more, teeth mashing his fingernails. Then Mr. Hush’s attention is redirected to the kneeling Wilde, who pries back her mask in order to ‘wink’ in his direction.
Dollar: Looks like Mr. Hush made the wrong choice.
Susie: Actually it seems to me that Whitman was the one who steered Mr. Hush in the wrong direction.
There is no further hesitance on Mr. Hush’s part, swinging the chair at the departing Wilde, who has cleared out of the way just in time to avoid a trashing. Mr. Hush follows her out though and chases her around the ring with the chair nipping at her heels. At the same time Kordelia and Polly have managed to successfully double team Lilly, catching her by the chest and throwing her spine first into the barricade with their combined mite.
After the back of her head cracks against the barricade, Lyman doesn’t have very much fight left…unable to stop either member of the Harem from rushing the ring, sliding in and then pouncing on Silence.
Dollar: And now the Harem is all over Silence.
Susie: God help us all if Porno Lad tries to pimp her out next.
Polly and Kordy continue to put boots to Silence’s body while Whitman just stands on the apron and watches. His face couldn’t be anymore distraught….wearing an expression of perpetual dread as it relates to his plight that has been interconnected with Silence’s.
Porno Lad: Get away from her!
Polly and Kordy are physically shoved away from a barely conscious Silence by an ENRAGED Porno Lad.
Porno Lad: That slut is MINE!
He drops down across the chest of Silence and begins to pummel her with closed fists.
Dollar: Jesus Christ…please…can we get an act of God to end Porno Lad?
Punch after punch after punch connects with Silence’s face, inflicted by an uncharacteristically infuriated Porno Lad. That is until there IS intervention….but it’s not divine in nature. Porno Lad’s shoulders are grabbed and his body is dragged away off of Silence’s, by Hurse.
Dollar: Hurse interfering in Porno Lads affairs AGAIN.
Susie: These two have a very long history with each other.
Dollar: Yes they do….but I’m hoping Hurse can make Porno Lad nothing BUT history.
Porno Lad: That is IT!
Hurse’s hands are shoved from his shoulders and then Porno Lad’s hands are shoved to Hurse’s chest.
Porno Lad: What’s wrong with you. You used to be someone that could be respected. And now look at you….you’re a joke….No…at least a joke is funny….I can’t even laugh at you….At what you’ve become.
Hurse: What I became, is someone with a conscious.
Porno Lad: Pfft….and it’s made you weak.
Just then Polly rushes in behind Hurse and nails him to the back of the neck via the yakuza kick. The stiff shot doubles the one eyed Parkwood over, putting him in a position Porno Lad HAS to take advantage of. He steps forth, catches his former mentor and partner around the neck then snaps back into an evenflow DDT.
The top of Hurse’s head slams the canvas HARD, and his neck bends at a truly gruesome angle.
Dollar: And now Porno Lad has broken the code between he and Hurse.
Susie: The friendship is all but dead.
Dollar: Maybe Lad’s last friendship here in the IWC.
The DDT leaves Hurse twitching on the canvas, but the pain he feels is nothing compared to what’s coming next.
Porno Lad: Get it on!
Kordy and Polly follow instructions, Norah dropping down behind Hurse and applying the Heel-Hook, while Price takes an arm and establishes the Hello Kordy!
A high angle arm-bar and heel hook are simultaneously locked in on a screeching Hurse, leaving him no other alternative to tap out, which is what he does….But not even submitting stops the Harem NOR Porno Lad. He was merely waiting, biding his time….
Dollar: The Harem making Hurse tap…..but wait….what is Porno Lad doing? What is he doing now?
The fans are shaking their heads, even as they stand up with unbreakable focus. But what is breakable is Hurse’s body, which Porno Lad demonstrates via his double-stomp…a double-stomp to a body currently trapped in the heel-hook and high-angle arm-bar.
Dollar: AAAAAHHH!
Susie: SHIIIIT.
The entire audience watches with open mouths and hands on heads as Hurse’s shattered body convulses and writhes across the canvas.
Dollar: Porno Lad and his Harem have just broken Hurse.
Just as Porno Lad CONTINUES to run his mouth, stooping over Hurse and berating his shattered prey, Katelyn Buehler comes racing down the ramp.
Dollar: Buehler….Katelyn Buehler to the rescue.
As Katelyn reaches the end of the ramp, Mr. Hush goes rushing past her with the chair in his hand. He is still pursuing Wilde….but won’t be hitting her with the chair anytime soon, because Buehler snatches it right out of his hands then rolls into the ring. She wildly swings at anything…anything with a heart-beat, indiscriminately striking at Lad and his Harem alike. However, the trio clears the ring before they can be caught in Katelyn’s crosshairs.
Dollar: Katelyn at long last reaching the ring, but NOT in time to save either Hurse, or the Black Crusade’s Silence.
Susie: The damage was done before she could get out here.
Once Lad and company have been cleared from the ring, Bueher is comfortable enough to lower her guard and check on the conditions of both Silence and Hurse. She stoops over the pair of wounded acquaintances and wonders how this could have happened right under her nose.
There are so many things for her to feast her furious eyes upon, be it the damage inflicted on her friends, the recovering Lilly at ringside, Jessica fleeing from a vengeful Mr. Hush, or the downtrodden face of Whitman, who lowers his head while elevating his position by marching up the ramp to the back. But there’s only one sight Buehler is captivated by, the Harem and Porno Lad…or more accurately, she’s drawn to the smiles on their faces.
Buehler: Silence….
She finally stops regarding the Harem in order to direct her attention to an ailing Silence.
Buehler: I need to speak with Legion.
Harrison: Oooooh Orlando…..OOOOORRRLLLLANDO!
Aaron leads the parade through the corridor, serving as grand marshal for all the festivities. And the man following behind him might not be holding down a float, but what he is clutching is a bloodied, mangled Yvonne Knight. She is tossed over his shoulder.
Harrison: Come out Orlando, come out and play!
The two….or two and a half…. pass the camera with blood secreting from Shaun’s knuckles.
Dollar: Wha……what have the Blacklist done to Yvonne Knight?
Susie: It looks like they’ve beaten her half to death.
Dollar: Good lord, what’s gonna happen next?
CATCH THE REPLAY ON PAY-PER-VIEW
Shaky camera affect time, leading to stomachs the world over becoming mildly unsettled. But it’s all worth it, for that little added dosage of realism. The unsecure framing of the camera perhaps serving as symbolism for Romeo’s disjointed and turbulent mind. However, at first glance one would be completely unable to tell that Romeo has even the slightest trace of instability….or anything in the way of feelings. What’s going on beneath the surface of the man standing in the gorilla position is an entirely different story.
Romeo: The world….weeps.
Romeo’s furrowed brow and shaking head remain evident signs of his aggravation.
Romeo: For at Last Stand an injustice was committed, and the perpetrator has yet to be brought to the gallows.
Romeo peers down at his hands, the ultimate tools for capital punishment.
Romeo: Lucas Knight, a man of notoriety….a legend…..a hero that had to stoop to the lows of delivering a boot to my testicular region…..he is the one who denied us all justice. Justice for Simon Cagero, a man who was robbed of his World Heavyweight Championship opportunity, one I promised to get back on his behalf.
Romeo’s eyes rise from the palms back to the camera.
Romeo: Lucas….you and everyone else will soon learn, that I am man who keeps his promises.
Cameras cut to the screaming fans, swept up into all the hustle and bustle of what has been a thoroughly wild edition of Riot!
Dollar: Ladies and gentlemen, we’re trying to stay on top of the Yvonne Knight situation, but in the meanwhile, as we search for answers, let’s do as we promised at the start of tonight’s show and relive some of the memorable moments from Last Stand.
Susie: Yes, anything to take your minds off the fact that a woman is being beaten half to death by a group of deranged psychopaths backstage.
Dollar: Exactly.
Dollar: Ladies and gentlemen, we are LIVE form the Amway Arena…
A compilation of clips are shown featuring Cassidy Haze lying on the ground and being assaulted by Alana Starr, Kathryn Pearson going nose to nose with Sophie James, Mika Kozlov swinging shut a steel cage door in slow motion and P Clarence Whitman III, Kateyn Buehler AND Leelend Gaunt occupying Orlando Cruze’s office as they select their numbers for the Rumble.
Dollar: This is gonna be guhd!
The music is far less full of frivolity and now takes a more harrowing turn to enhance the menace that is the Steel Cage Title match.
Thomas Boll: Lady and gentlefolk, following match is inside steel cage, and it for Heavyweight Title of the World.
The images suddenly become far more graphic as we see Chase catapulting Lukas Montgomery into a cage wall. We then see Montgomery throwing Taylor over his head via a fall-away slam into the cage.
Dollar: What other wrestling promotion would kick off their show with a World Title match INSIDE of the steel cage?
Some of the reasons this match was described as sheer barbarity, become evident when we see Taylor being tossed with a running powerbomb into the cage wall, and Chase delivering a hurricarana from the top rope, flipping the challenger the length of the ring.
Dollar: Lukas has got it…he’s got the championship.
Mika is shown pulling desperately on Montgomery’s wrists, trying to drag him through the cage door so that his feet can hit the mats. Just then Kathryn Pearson intervenes, delivering the COOL IT, BITCH on Mika and allowing Chase to drag her challenger back into the ring.
And now the highlights continue with footage of Lukas taking another route to winning the title, stepping over the ledge of the cage wall. He begins to climb down before Taylor scrambles up after him and catches his wrist, fidgeting with it. The two then try to drop simultaneously from the top of the cage to the mats below with both of Taylor’s feet hitting the mats, but Lukas’ dangling high above, finding his wrist shackled to the ledge of the cage.
Dollar: Taylor retains….she retains the IWC World Title in a barbaric match against Montgomery.
The celebration ends when Mika Kozlov kills the vibe, beating the holy hell out of Taylor with the cane. Ultimately Chase manages to reach her feet, go airborne and connect with the TKO on Kozlov, putting an end to her assault.
Now it’s time to rehash another of the selling points of Last Stand….the infamous Rumble match.
Thomas Boll: Now time for Rumble match, and winner go to Invictus to fight Heavyweight Champion of World.
The lyrics of Warrior’s Way by Volbeat blare in the background as we are treated to a hodgepodge of incidents at the Rumble.
Dollar: It’s Hellkat!
There are clips of Hellkat making her way to the stage and then tying herself to the turnbuckle to stave off elimination.
Dollar: It’s Pat Evans!
Evans is already shown in frozen composites applying the ankle lock on Legion.
Dollar: Johnny Kingdom has entered the 2014 Rumble.
The Exodus Finale is delivered by Kingdom on an unsuspecting Evans.
Susie: Desolation!….Desolation is here!
Hurse suffers the wrath of yet another unexpected entrant in the Rumble, via the Curb Stomp that crushes his face.
Dollar: This is UNREAL, Lukas Knight is back and he’s competing in the Rumble.
With a cricket bat in hand Knight unloads on anything that moves. We then see him hoisting Ba’al up into the Monarchy Rules as well as superkicking Kingdom out of the Rumble match.
Dollar: And who is the final entrant in the Rumble?
’Black Rose’ can be heard playing in the background while freeze-frames highlight Rose Savior’s descent upon the ring.
Dollar: Rose Savior….ROSE SAVIOR!!
Susie: The feeling here tonight is indescribable!
Rose is featured catching Aaron Harrison with the Black Rose….
Dollar: BLACK ROSE!
Red Dalek takes up the screen with one of his front panels opening and Desmond Drake stepping out of his hiding place.
Dollar: And what the hell? It’s Desmond Drake inside of Red Dalek!
Drake is thrown over the top rope and sent crashing into the announce table by Legion. Another high spot involves Legion chokeslamming Pat Evans from the top of Ladder onto a pile of bodies below. We then witness a post electrocution Rose lying on the canvas with Mika picking her up onto her shoulder.
Dollar: Goodbye Rose!
Kozlov rushes at the ropes and tries to throw her over with a powerslam only to have Rose catch her around the neck and deliver a snapmare…one that drags Mika over the top rope and sends her crashing to the mats.
Dollar: Mika eliminated!
And now Ba’al tries to toss Rose, loading her up into a vertical suplex, going for the Falcon’s Arrow. Yet she reaches out, takes him around the neck and drags him down over the cables while she safely lands on the apron.
Dollar: And now Ba’al is eliminated….we are down to TWO.
Legion is shown threatening to chokeslam Rose to the outside only to have the move countered into a diamond cutter.
Susie: Who’s going to the main event of Invictus!?!
Rose lunges into the air to connect with another Black Rose only to have Legion counter and push her over the top rope.
Dollar: AAAAAH!
Susie: Legion is going to challenge for the World Heavyweight Title at Invictus!
Legion kneels in the middle of the ring while wave upon wave of blood cascades down upon his body, replacing the customary confetti and pyrotechnics.
Back to Moore and Dollar planted at the announce table.
Dollar Last Stand was quite the night for the IWC, our most viewed pay-per-view event to date.
Susie: And now we know that Legion will be going on to face Taylor Case at Invictus in what will be a true test for both Champion and Challenger.
Dollar: But hold on, let’s go back and talk about another person who made a HUGE impact at the event, Rose Savior.
Susie: I didn’t think we’d ever see her again.
Dollar: And yet she showed up and managed to eliminate two of the biggest threats in the Rumble before ultimately being thrown out by Legion.
Susie: She came so close….so ubber close to getting her rematch against Taylor for the World Heavyweight Title…
Dollar: And it won’t be the last we see of Rose apparently, as cameras managed to catch up with her earlier this week.
EARLIER THIS WEEK
Rose Savior stands outside of a pet shop window at some random strip mall. She wears a grin while tapping on the glass patrician separating her from the yawning puppies on the other side
Sparkles: Hey….sweet cheeks….
Attention is pulled from one fuzzy creature to another. All the muscles in her face tighten at the sight of Sparkles and Greyson Lovejoy approaching.
Rose: How….how did you find me?
She peaks over her shoulder several times, keeping a watchful eye out for someone.
Sparkles: Wasn’t too hard. We just jimmied the lock to your front door with a crowbar, managed to hack your computer and saw you e-mailed some friends about going to the mall today.
Though she should be upset that a puppet just implicated himself in breaking and entering, Rose seems more concerned that she will be spotted with said puppet.
Rose: You two need to go…NOW.
Sparkles: Whoa…whoa…whoa….hold up there, honey-britches, we’ve got questions about your participation at Last Stand.
Rose: This is not the time nor the place for an interview….
Sparkles: Well you wouldn’t respond to my text messages.
Rose: And for damn good reason, for one they were just pictures of you flexing at the gym, and second….oh crap, just get out of here.
Christian: There a problem?
The door to a shop behind Rose pops open and Christian Savior exits.
Christian: Sparkles, Lovejoy, long time no see fellas. What brings you guys around here?
Rose: They were just leaving.
Sparkles: We were?
Greyson: Yes, Sparkles, we are leaving. Catch you two around.
The far more compassionate Greyson seems more capable of getting a hint than his clueless egotistical cohort.
Christian: Fat chance…but yeah, nice seeing you two again.
Once the pair makes a less than discreet exit, Christian free to put Rose under the interrogation lights that are his eyes.
Christian: What was that all about?
Rose Oh nothing.
She pulls on his coat to make sure its covering his neck, trying to keep him warm. Christian isn’t buying it….detecting that Rose is ‘FORCING’ her chill factor.
Christian: You haven’t been in contact with the IWC again have you?
Rose: Pfft….yeah right….
She rolls her eyes and tucks her hair behind her ear….obviously needing far better acting lessons.
Rose: Like I would ever go behind your back like that.
Christian: Good.
Savior pulls Rose in and gives her a squeeze.
Christian: Because we are NEVER to return to that place…..EVER!
Rose’s cheek leans against Christians shoulder while her entire face tenses, barely able to force words out from between her clinched teeth.
Rose: Absolutely….Wouldn’t dream of it.
Whitman remains downtrodden as he steps through the corridor, eyes lowered to the floor beneath his feet. He is unable to raise his head, unable to make contact with any of the judgmental glares directed his way.
Awwwww…..
The only thing that prompts Whitman to raise his eyes is the grave threat of Mika Kozlov. The dangerous import from Samara, Russian, both mirrors and exaggerates Whitman’s sullen disposition. She protrudes her lower lip over the upper, and has the most pronounced of frowns.
Mika: Poor widdle Whitman….
The quiver returns to Whitman’s body as he steps back, fists clinched but not raised, not wanting to send the message that he’s prepared for a fight……which he isn’t….not with the Blacklist. Mika DOES raise her hands, but her fingers slide over Whitman’s cheek rather than about his throat.
Mika: Back to your old ways, huh?
Whitman’s hands open and his head lowers once more.
Mika: Running from Legion, cowering from the Blacklist….You are the same Whitman we’ve come to adore.
Not only does Whitman refuse to throw a fist, but mutters not a word….well….not unless you count a ‘groan’ as a word….A groan resulting from the roaring elbow that smashes him to the back of his skull. Mika steps back just in time to avoid Whitman collapsing on top of her, and instead permitting him to take a nasty spill to the floor.
Lukas Montgomery steps to Whitman’s side and then bends at the knees so he can stoop down beside the former X-Class Champion.
Montgomery: How does it feel, P-Wiggy, to be attacked from behind? Not too good, huh? Now you know how Harrison felt when you eliminated him from the Rumble. You reap what you sew….
Mika: Do what you do best, Whitman.
She leans down behind Montgomery and drapes arms across his shoulders.
Mika: And stay down.
The other half of the Blacklist makes their presence felt in the ring as opposed to the backstage area. MONSTER is belted through the speakers and Shaun Cruze has assumed the lead role. He steps through the curtains with a bludgeoned, bloodied Yvonne stretched over his shoulder, limply hanging with no signs of life. Aaron steps out behind him and then runs across the stage and dives off onto the giant dirt mound amassed beside the stage. He ‘pretends’ that he’s on the verge of taking a tumble into the open grave, swinging his arms to remain upright. He then steps back, sighs with relief and swipes sweat from his brow.
Susie: We didn’t have to wait long to find out what the Blacklist had planned for the poor Ivy there.
Dollar: I’m guessing these two jumped Yvonne back in her dressing room….the numbers just too much for her to overcome after already having competed earlier in the night.
Susie: When she forced Shaun to tap.
Dollar: Which is why the Blacklist have turned her into the sacrificial lamb tonight. I’m guessing that this all has something to do with the challenge that Harrison has made to Orlando this evening…and we heard Shaun say it earlier, he was going to make sure that Harrison gets that match.
Susie: I have a feeling what happened to Yvonne, is going to be nothing compared to what Harrison does to Orlando.
Dollar: Well we all did see what the Blacklist did to Orlando the last time that grave was set up at ringside, and it was none too pretty.
There is no remorse, not a trace of it exhibited by Shaun as he lowers Yvonne down from his shoulder and onto her seat. The only thing that remains white on her bloodied face are the eyes surrounding her purple pupils. Shaun holds her blood soaked hairs by the bangs, propping her up and trying to keep her conscious enough to listen.
Harrison: If you’re expecting me to stand out here droning on and on and on like Porno Lad, you’re gonna be just a wee bit disappointed. I’ve said everything that needs to be said…..I’ve made it perfectly clear why I feel Orlando Cruze’s career HAS to be ended. I’m not going to bring up the shameless persecution the Blacklist has endured at Orlando’s hands. I’m not going to talk about the wedge that he’s tried to insert between the Blacklist family. And I’m through endlessly rambling about the nefarious ways Orlando has manipulated Taylor Chase….We’re past all that at this point….The time has finally come for me to rise up and do something about Orlando….
The vocals fans pooh-pooh on Harrison’s claims of vindication.
Harrison: So Orlando! This has run its course….and now the time is here for you to stand like a man and be held accountable for your actions. No more hiding behind Nathan, no more hiding behind Taylor….Justice at long last is going to be done….So come on Orlando…
There is no reaction from the back, the curtains are placid, and there are no familiar tunes blaring through the PA system. There is no sight of the Icon, or a sound, not even a whimper.
Harrison: Okay, Orlando, we predicted you might respond like this, which is why if you don’t get physical….Shaun is going to have to get physical with Yvonne here instead.
Shaun bends down and wraps an arm around the throat of Yvonne, which at this point bares the stability of a slinky.
Harrison: And if you think about sending Taylor or Kathryn out here to fight your battles for you, it’ll be Ivy who ends up going into this grave tonight. Now come on Orlando, just suck it up, form that stiff upper lip and at long last give me, and these people what they’ve been begging for….
In a House, in a Heartbeat results in a change in the crowd’s tune. Everyone is up and everyone is trumpeting the arrival of the Icon. The reaction swells with each passing second of Orlando’s entrance. The curtains no longer sit idle, and now part as through them passes the IWC President himself. His suit jacket has been tossed aside and replaced with a classic ‘Icon’ t-shirt, but he has yet to find some trunks, hence why he’s about to go to war wearing a pair of dress slacks.
Dollar: Orlando is doing it…at long last he is rising up to the challenge that is Aaron Harrison.
Susie: We’ve been waiting so long for this….so long….too long….longer than longer…as long as Porno Lad’s pen….
Dollar: I’m just gonna stop you there before you tell the biggest of fibs. As we just referenced, the issues between the Blacklist and Orlando Cruze have been building and building and building, ever since Harrison took a kendo-stick to Cruze’s skull and stole the World Title away from him.
Susie: And they’ve managed to take another title that means so much to him away too, the Evolution Championship.
It becomes obvious judging by the handcuffs swaying from Harrison’s fingers that he is about to take far more from Orlando than championships.
Harrison: Why look at this. You’ve FINALLY grown a backbone. I honestly never thought I’d see the day where you would stop putting your selfish ambitions over the greater good of the IWC. Maybe I’ve given you less credit than you deserve.
Orlando is surprised to hear this….but not surprised at the sight of the cuffs in Harrison’s palm, realizing that no bout against Aaron will ever be straight up.
Harrison: Now show these people….and your roster….how much you care about them. Stop me from hurting anymore of your ‘precious’ superstars in to order to lure you into the ring. Put on these handcuffs and let’s finish what we started the week before Upping the Ante….Put on the cuffs and accept your fate.
Dollar: Will Orlando go THIS far….Is he actually gonna put the cuffs on?
Susie: Those cuffs have played such a part in the history between Orlando and the Blacklist.
Dollar: Yes, he’s found himself shackled in those cuffs several times….But tonight, Aaron doesn’t want to give Orlando any chance of getting away, of fleeing from the fate he’s brought down upon himself.
Shaun: I’LL do the honors.
The cuffs are removed from Harrison’s hands as Orlando is forced to watch his own brother take him by the wrist and pin them around behind his back.
Orlando: It’s not too late, Shaun….
Shaun: That ship has sailed.
Now that Shaun has bound the wrists of the Icon behind his back, he steps away from the scene and allows Harrison to truly savor this moment. And the moment just wouldn’t be complete without the weapon he’s currently grabbing from the open grave, the kendo-stick.
Harrison: You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this, Orlando….waiting to see you finally do something noble….to finally throw yourself on your sword.
The cane twirls about Harrison’s knuckles before finding itself clutched in his palm. He tentatively approaches the Icon, who doesn’t step back and doesn’t even flinch as the cane nears his physique.
Harrison: You should be ashamed of yourself that it took you this long to finally accept my challenge. That it took the pursuit of legal action, and the destruction of Yvonne Knight to get you to embrace your fate.
Orlando: Aaron?
Harrison: Nothing you say is going to prevent what’s coming to you.
Orlando: Erm….are you sure? Even if I were to correct you.
Harrison: Correct me?
Orlando: Regarding Yvonne.
Harrison: What are you rambl….
Harrison’s spine suddenly stiffens as he can hearl the drastic change in the crowd’s tune….and the presence of an individual lingering behind him. That individual is Yvonne Knight, who has sprung back to her feet and is wiping fake blood from her brow.
Dollar: Wha….whoa….how did Yvonne manage to….how is she?
Harrison asks himself the same question as he turns to the menacing purple eyes burning a hole right through him. He then redirects his attention to the huge grin that has formed over Shaun’s face.
Shaun: I told you you can trust me…..Orlando.
A hand pats the Icon to the shoulder and now Yvonne’s fist finds its way into Harrison’s jaw. Just before Aaron can reconcile with this set-up, he finds himself reeling from the blows delivered by Yvonne, that send him twisting around into Orlando, who has a pair of handcuffs wrapped around his fist. Obviously Shaun never cuffed him, which is why Orlando can now use the steel to his advantage, swinging them directly into Aaron’s forehead.
Dollar: It was a SET-UP!?!
Susie: You mean to tell me that Shaun Cruze was a double agent this whole time?
The crowd is absolutely explosive regarding the reveal of Shaun’s true character….and true allegiances. The smile on his face only widens at the sight of Harrison falling to his knees, a dribble of blood streaming down his forehead. The kendo-stick that Harrison dropped is scooped up into Orlando’s hands….savoring this moment.
Orlando: I’ve been waiting just as long, Aaron….no….even longer to finally shut your God damned mouth.
Harrison’s glossy eyes overlook the faces of Orlando and Shaun, the younger of the Cruze brothers crouching down beside him.
Shaun: You should know better than anyone, Aaron, blood is thicker than water.
In a flash Harrison recalls Shaun shattering the Kendo-stick outside of the cage at Last Stand, which he thought was meant to keep it from Orlando’s hands….but now it becomes clear that he was taking it out of play so that Harrison couldn’t utilize the weapon against either the Icon or the Scarlet Socialite.
That very same weapon finds itself swinging right into Aaron’s forehead, cracking him like a bat trying to knock a ball into a grand-slam. Orlando steps back observing the weapon in his hand after it just bounced off Harrison’s increasingly bloodied scalp.
In another flash Harrison relives the image of Shaun holding up the lighter at Last Stand, trying to get Harrison to reach out over the ropes from the ring in order to take it from hin. At last it dawns on Harrison that the more he reached, the further Shaun drew the lighter away from his hand, making him lean completely over the rope and leave him susceptible to elimination.
All of this is realized…moments too late to prevent Harrison from being subjected to another shot from the kendo-stick delivered by Orlando. The Icon then steps to the side of Harrison’s bloodied skull and whispers into his ear.
Orlando: Is this what you wanted? Did I give you all you were anticipating?
Orlando steps back and delivers a thrust kick right on Harrison’s temple, knocking him over the edge of the grave and into the empty pit down below.
Dollar: Orlando putting Harrison in a shallow grave!
Susie: Sweet vindication for what the Blacklist did to him all those months ago.
Dollar: Turn-about is fair play.
This moment cannot be complete without the World Champion, Taylor Chase smiling wide as she steps to the stage and surveys the scene…..revealing that she too played a role in Shaun’s performance as the Inside-Man.
Dollar: And Tay knew about this too?
Susie: Orlando, Shaun, and Unity all played crucial roles in getting their revenge on Harrison and the Blacklist.
Taylor steps in and gives Shaun a kiss on the cheek, then moves her lips to Orlando’s, the two passionately embracing over the man lying in the grave beneath them. Yvonne then crouches down, grabs a handful of dirt and drops it down onto Aaron’s body.
Ivy: Ashes to ashes….dust to dust….
The reaction is thunderous for the World Champion, the Icon, Ivy, and Shaun, who all stand on the edge of the grave looking down into it. Just then Lukas and Mika come scrambling from the back with their own kendo-sticks in hand, breaking up the party.
Dollar: The rest of the Blacklist rushing to Aaron’s help, but too late….
With no hesitation Mika dives into the grave and cradles Harrison’s bloodied head to her chest while Lukas swings at anyone who would dare try to interfere. Tay, Yvonne, Orlando and Shaun are through though, having fulfilled their mission, successfully setting up Harrison and giving him a bittersweet taste of his own medicine.
Gary Matt: He won’t LISTEN to me….That’s why you HAVE to approach him.
A hand is wedged to Brooklyn’s shoulder and is lightly shoving her out of the locker-room and into the hallway. She then spins around and tries to re-enter the room only to find the door swinging shut in her face.
Brooklyn: Are you crazy, Gar?
The door stops mere inches from latching, Gary peeking out through the crack.
Brooklyn: If he won’t listen to you, why would you think he’d listen to me?
Gary: Because he’s not biased against you like he is against me. He’ll listen to you….Brook….
Brooklyn: Please, Gary, can’t we just talk about what happened at Last Stand.
Gary: There’s only one person I want to talk to right now….and his name is Orlando Cruze….now go and get him for me…PLEASE!
He asked nicely, although the forceful slam of the door isn’t all that polite.
MOMENTS AGO
A composite of Aaron Harrison staring down Orlando Cruze with Singapore Cane in hand while flanked by Shaun Cruze and a ‘seemingly’ unconscious Yvonne Knight.
Dollar: Stunning! That is the only way we can describe what happened mere moments ago when Aaron Harrison was about to battle Orlando Cruze one on one.
Susie: Yeah, that didn’t happen.
Dollar: The fix was in.
Just when it seems a shackled Orlando is about to suffer a heinous assault at the hands of the Blacklist, Yvonne rises like a Robert Kirkman style character. Harrison finds himself between a rock and a bald place, caught between Ivy, and Orlando, who was NOT shackled at all and instead uses the cuffs that were supposed to restrain him as a weapon.
After a gruesome assault Orlando delivers a thrust kick to a kneeling Harrison’s head and puts him into the interior of the grave. The final image features Shaun Cruze, Taylor Chase, Orlando and Yvonne Knight standing on the edge of the grave, staring down at the mangled body of Harrison below.
Dollar: It was revealed that Shaun was NOT a member of the Blacklist….that he was secretly working with Taylor and Orlando to set up Harrison and help them get revenge for Orlando’s brutal assault several months ago.
Susie: Secret agent man….secret agent man….
Dollar: Did I just hear dogs howling?
Susie: So Shaun was good all along? He wasn’t evil? Even with those eyebrows?
Dollar: Taylor and Orlando played this out perfectly and ended up giving Harrison just the comeuppance he deserved.
Mika: Speak to me Cowboy….speak to me!
Harrison hangs limp, tips of his toes dragging across the floor while his arms are draped over the shoulders of both Mika Kozlov and Lukas Montgomery. Blood flows down his face and drips off his chin to the floor of the corridor.
Lukas: Are you with us Aaron…..are you in there?
A couple of hard slaps nail Aaron across his cheek.
Lukas: Snap out of it, Cowboy.
Harrison: Put me down.
Mika: What?
Harrison: PUT ME DOWN.
They do as instructed, leading the bleeding and brain damaged Harrison onto a nearby crate. He almost falls over backwards, having no strength left in his back. However, Lukas catches him by the collar of his shirt, propping him up. Mika stoops beside him, running a finger across the blood oozing from the laceration in his scalp and then rubbing it between her fingers.
Mika: I’m sorry my Cowboy.
Lukas: If we weren’t so preoccupied with Whitman, we would have been out there to help you.
Harrison: It’s no big deal.
Harrison says this even while a huge welt starts forming on his forehead.
Lukas: The Cruze’s really thought they were clever, huh?
Mika: They have no idea what they’ve done. When I get my hands on those two I’ll….
Harrison: RELAX!
The demand is met with both shock and confusion.
Harrison: The night is yet young….We still have plenty of time….
The blood secreting from his forehead finds itself smeared down Harrison’s face by way of his own palm.
Harrison: If Orlando wants to play games, we’ll play.
Mika: And it starts with Tay tonight.
Lukas: No….Taylor ENDS tonight.
Back to the ring where Frankie Paradise is standing, microphone in one hand and IPhone in the other. ‘King Zero’ is cutting out in the background and the exhausted fans can barely bring themselves to react after the stunning turn of events they just witnessed.
Dollar: And Frankie’s back.
Susie: Guess we can never get enough of Frankie Paradise.
Dollar: Please don’t encourage him.
Paradise tries multi-tasking by simultaneously providing an introduction and at the same time chatting it up with the Board of Directors.
Frankie: So let me get this straight….you’re calling me away from NewAge….a show that couldn’t possibly function without the Frankie…..for some emergency meeting……Whhhhyyyyy?
He stops addressing the phone and shifts his words towards the fans.
Frankie: Alright super-smarks, it’s time for a pure mark out moment…Prepare for accelerated heart-beats and to pinch a tint in your underoos….cause the Frankie is going to introduce the greatest thing to happen to the IWC since my Mother picked up a phone and managed to pull all the right strings to make the Frankie you’re glorious General Manager and Presidential Advisor….
Focus redirected to the phone.
Frankie: What gives? Have I not been the best General Manager in like the history of all of professional wrestling? Unlike Orlando, I’ve managed to create an atmosphere of peace, stability, harmony, good times….plus, I have hair…beautiful hair…it’s spikey and scented and everything…..
Back to the crowd.
Frankie: Get ready to feast your eyes on the most stunning sight since a Kathryn Pearson wardrobe malfunction….
Back to the phone.
Frankie: I’ve acquired some of the greatest talents in wrestling….Countess Nevena, Danny Darko….and the man I’m on the verge of introducing….a legend who will make you regret calling me into a meeting that will force me to fight for my job.
Back to the crowd.
Frankie: He’s the one true Icon….the man that only I….THE Frankie Paradise could get to sigh on the dotted line….
Back to the phone.
Frankie: If I can get guys with HUGE egos like Lukas Knight to cooperate, that should demonstrate the power of my influence….That I’m the only one capable of keeping this roster on lock-down. But maybe you need further proof….so do what these gassy, hot-dog eating New Yorkers do, sit on your asses and watch Paradise turn on the charm. Time to flip the switch.
Back to the crowd.
Frankie: So it is the Frankie’s honor, no, the Frankie’s right, to make you fans weak in the knees…..as I have so many females in so many back allies….to announce the arrival of the ONE….the legend….the future World Heavyweight Champion….the man who will have each of you expressing your undying gratitude to the Frankie….and yes I accept out of state checks…..he is…..
The arena lights cut completely and an eerie glow emanates from the screens as the speakers burst into life with a creepy sounding version of a child’s nursery rhyme, sending shivers down the spines of those in attendance and probably those at home too.
“Ring… around… the ro…sie…
Pocket… full… of po… sies
Ash-es… Ash-es…
We all… fall… down…”
As the nursery rhyme comes to it’s disturbing end, crimson pyrotechnics explode on either end of the stage and “Gib Mir Deine Augen” by Rammstein replaces the nursery rhyme on the speakers as the name ‘Ba’al’ begins to slowly dissolve in on the screen in what appears to be blood. Smoke begins to bellow across the stage as the lights around the stage take on an eerie red hue. The curtains open and slowly, the silhouette of two individuals can be seen stepping through them onto the stage.
The lights on the stage raise back to their normal level as a wave of boos wash over the two individuals…..’The Crowned Prince of Sin’ Ba’al and his sister, Jaina Frost…..Conspicuous by her absence is the ‘Suicide Queen’ Rachel Foxx. Without Rachel by his side, Ba’al embarks towards the ring with Jaina following behind, hands interlocked behind back and eyes providing a judgmental gleam in Frankie’s direction.
Dollar: First the Blacklist interrupts Frankie when he was trying to introduce Lukas Knight, and now the Coalition cutting him off too.
Susie: And that’s not a good thing, cause Frankie is already sawed off at the knees. Seriously, the guy probably still has to shop at Baby Gap.
Frankie is trying as discreetly as possible to back towards the ropes, inching towards them as the Coalition draws near. Ba’al slithers into the ring while Jaina occupies the apron, continuing to beam a rather menacing stare towards the President’s official advisor.
Another microphone has found its way into the hands of the Prince of Sin, one he is about to put to insidious purposes, addressing the back peddling Paradise.
Ba’al: Frankie Paradise….our humblest apologies….THE Frankie Paradise….please excuse my faux pas.
Frankie: Totes excused bro, totes excused.
He even gives a thumbs up.
Frankie: Now that we’ve gotten past that miscue, I’ll take my leave and you can stand out here talking about justice, and sin, while using words I’ll have to look up on-line later, in between googling pics of Brooklyn Smith that is…
Despite his best attempts to make a quick exit from the ring, he finds his escape thwarted by the hand grabbing the collar of his coat. Ba’al keeps him from getting very far and just to make sure they cut off his escape, Jania steps up in front of him.
Frankie: Jesus Christ you’re one tall chick. Guess that’s where stepping stools come in handy.
Ba’al: I must request that you delay your departure, Franklin. For what I have to say directly effects you….and your latest talent acquisition.
Frankie: Why oh why must I make myself so damned desirable?
Ba’al: Desire….no….there’s a punishable sin if there ever was one. I harbor no desire, Franklin. Nor do I embody another sin that has corrupted you, and this one is a capital vice….a cardinal sin of the most reviled order…PRIDE.
Frankie: Pride? ME? Never.
His grin vanishes the moment he realizes that neither Jaina or Ba’al are capable of so much as a smirk.
Ba’al: You linger within this ring boasting endlessly, exalting the virtues of your influence, and praising your ability to sign talents….PRIDE….Franklin….PRIDE….And all should be familiar with the phrase that pride comes before the fall.
Paradise inches backwards across the ring before Ba’al reaches out and snatches hold of his jacket, keeping him from getting very far.
Ba’al: And in this case, Franklin, your pride shall lead to the ruination of this entire company….perhaps even this industry.
Frankie tries to squirm away only to have Ba’al hook an arm around his neck.
Ba’al: For your pride over your most recent acquisiton will undoubtedly culminate to the collapse of the IWC, especially if you’re planning to show favoritism to the recently acquired Lukas Knight.
There is a mixed reaction from the crowd in response to this accusation. Though Frankie would like to speak up, he finds it difficult given the squeezing of his neck by Ba’al’s arm.
Ba’al: Shoosh….shoosh….shoosh.
The back of Ba’al’s fingers stroke Paradise’s cheek….the blade ring about one of his digits creating friction upon Frankie’s skin.
Ba’al: You’re pride has blinded you to the truth regarding Lukas Knight….but the Frost family, we are very well acquainted with Mr. Knight….We peer through the mask….We see through this illusion….We are not blinded by the ‘HYPE.’
Ba’al eases the tension on Frankie’s neck and now pats him on the shoulder.
Ba’al: It is true that Lucas Knight is a former World Champion, that he is of ‘legendary’ status, but at the same time, he is a man morally corrupt and void of righteousness. He is not a legend of honor or distinction….He is a man of weak will….Blitzkrieg proved that over and over again….as Lucas lacked the courage to rise up and challenge the masked liege of the Frost family……
A hand slides over the nape of Frankie’s neck.
Ba’al: And Luca, he is the manifestation of sin…..Mortal sins such as lust and greed. He is driven primarily by selfish ambition….selfish ambitions YOU, Franklin, are prepared to endorse.
The hand tightens to a squeeze upon the back of Frankie’s neck.
Ba’al: You’re PRIDE would feed Lucas Knight’s GREED, and the Coalition must not allow that to happen. We cannot sit idle as you allow Lucas to move on and challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship, the ultimate satiation of sin. Our righteous undertaking would be an abysmal failure should Lucas be provided an opportunity to fight for the Title….it behooves the Coalition to ensure that does not happen.
That same bladed finger points to the curtains, or more accurately, what resides past them….namely the locker-room.
Ba’al: The Coalition should not allow ANY of these ‘greedy’ and ‘lustful’ talents the opportunity to indulge their sinful cravings. Which is why, Franklin, the Coalition requests that you name me, Kirian Frost, BA’AL, as the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship….that you permit me to challenge for the title post Invictus. For my motivations are not inspired by greed….I have far more noble reasons for capturing the title….It may be the one thing that spares this company the wrath of the Coalition’s judgment.
At last Frankie is released.
Ba’al: Now go….consider my offer….but do not consider it for too long. For the duration of time you leave me waiting, will be directly proportion to the veracity of the punishment we inflict on the harbingers of sin corrupting this federation.
Paradise is slow to make his exit…..ensuring that he doesn’t take his eyes off of either Jaina or Ba’al….not wanting to give them the opportunity to get the drop on him. He slides his leg through the ropes and then drops to the outside. Once out of range of the Frost family’s grip, Frankie accelerates, running as fast as his legs will carry him up the ramp.
Jaina: Now our efforts shift from a comprehensive to a limited scope. We move our focus from punishing this company as a whole, to a more myopic goal, the ruination of one corrupted soul….A man dominated by his envy and sloth…..that man being ‘The Maniac’ Gary Matt.
The crowd cheers for Gary, but not for the nefarious intentions the Coalition has planned for their precious Matt.
Jaina: It almost saddens us to have to do this to you, Gary….For your sins were not of your own creating. It was this company…a company intent on embracing rather than chastising corrupted spirits like Lucas Knight’s…..that made you into the shell of the former self you represent today. It was the manipulation of Taylor Chase and Orlando Cruze that have transformed you, Gary, from a warrior of honor, to a fiend of follies and fallacies.
By request the microphone finds its way back to Ba’al, who has decided to sit Indian style on the canvas.
Ba’al: I do not take joy in what must be done to you tonight, Gary. You could have stood at my side as we purged this federation of those who harbor sin….but instead, you’ve decided to count yourself amongst them and put yourself in opposition to the righteous undertaking. You lacked the will and the drive to see justice done. You refused to persecute the ones who have conspired to manifest sin….and it is your compliance, your lack of courage that shall be punished.
The anticipation builds for Gary Matt’s arrival and for the end to this war between he and Ba’al.
Dollar: Another challenge made. Is Gary Matt going to step up and accept it?
The door leading to Gary Matt’s dressing room comes into view as well as the fist knocking upon it. After three thuds the door pops open and an eager Gary peeks his head out into the hallway.
Gary: Orlando…..
Given the expression on his face, it’s clearly not Cruze standing in the hallway. The camera turns to find Rachel Foxx caught in Gary’s crosshairs. The Suicide Queen has her arms crossed and her head tilted as she sways from side to side.
Rachel: Hi there Gar….
Matt’s fingernails are already scraping the plaster on the other side of the wall, and his hand creates so much pressure on the doorknob that it threatens to burst in his palm.
Rachel: Your time has come.
Gary: Time….time for what?
Rachel: For your cleansing, of course.
Gary is growing all the more disgruntled.
Gary: Listen you little harpy. I’m waiting on someone at the moment, so why don….
Rachel: No, Ba’al is the one who is waiting….waiting for YOU….And I would not advice that you keep him waiting for too long.
Just as Rachel is about to take her leave she pauses, turns back to Gary and offers a parting comment.
Rachel: There will be no stay of execution, Gary, judgment has been made, time for your sentence to be delivered.
NOW Foxx leaves….leaves Gary biting his lower lip and overwhelmed by rage. He lifts his fist and swings it into the door, bursting a hole around his knuckles.
Dollar: Gary Matt being challenged to come out here and face the Coalition…is he going to accept Ba’al’s invitation?
Susie: We’re gonna find out after the commercial break….
That greasy Stagehand with a passion for shrugging shoulders and constantly aggravating Frankie Paradise, is walking down the corridor at an apropos time. Gary grabs him by the shirt and spins him around.
Gary: YOU….wait right here….and if Orlando shows up tell him to wait till I’ve dealt with some unfinished business.
GARY MATT VS. BA’AL
Ba’al continues to sit idle on the canvas with his back now propped against a turnbuckle, arms hanging lifelessly over the middle ropes.
Dollar: Ba’al and Jaina Frost, just like the rest of us, anticipating the arrival of Gary Matt. Is he going to come to the ring and face the Prince of Sin?
Susie: We’ve been waiting a long time to see these two go at it one on one….Their issues started a couple of months ago when Ba’al took on Brooklyn Smith.
Footage from the match that was just alluded to is provided, rehashing the events that unfolded between Ba’al and Brooklyn. We see Ba’al pulling Brooklyn up into a Curb Stomp that would drive her face down into a chair, while threatening Gary at ringside.
Dollar: In that match Gary was forced to watch Ba’al brutalize Brooklyn, before he finally had enough.
Gary goes after Ba’al only to get beat-down with a chair, but then, after a distraction from Leeland Gaunt, Matt and his cousin Brooklyn manage to hit a full nelson back breaker combination on the Prince of Sin and toss him from the ring.
Dollar: But that was not the last of the run-ins between Gary Matt and Ba’al. We saw this happen two weeks later at the End of the Year Special.
Gary is featured threatening Ba’al by way of griping his shirt and getting into his face….but the distraction proves devastating. A gavel is swung into the back of his skull, resulting in a concussion that would continue to come back and plague him for several weeks.
Back to Ba’al seated against the corner and Jaina whispering into his ear from the apron.
Susie: These two have put each other through a lot over the past few weeks.
Dollar And it all comes to a head right here, right now.
Suse: Yeah, but can he be torn away from his locker-room long enough to deal with Ba’al? I think he’s waiting on a pizza or something.
Dollar: Actually he’s waiting for Orlando Cruze….but if anything can pull him away from a meeting with the Icon, it’ll be a meeting with Ba’al.
The lights go out as “In Ashes They Shall Reap” by Hatebreed begins to play throughout the arena.
Born to bleed
Fighting to succeed
Built to endure what this world throws at me
Born to bleed
Fighting to succeed
Built to endure what this world throws at me
There is an explosion as the lights come back on, a spotlight on the entrance ramp, where “The Maniac” Gary Matt now stands. He wears dark blue tights and white boots, and is shirtless.
He looks around at the cheering crowd before making his way to the ring, slapping hands with some of these fans along the way. As he draws closer to the ring, he becomes more and more focused, especially when that focus is on the Prince of Sin.
Dollar: Gary Matt IS about to step into the ring with Ba’al….no force on earth is going to keep him from fighting the Prince of Sin this evening.
Susie: Yep, Gar-Bear is here, which means, we could be about to see something truly gruesome.
Dollar: After everything we’ve seen from these two, I think that’s a pretty fair assessment.
Gary pauses at ringside once his eyes make contact with the still seated Ba’al, who has yet to rise from his seat in the corner. The pause is very…very short lived….Gary waiting no longer. He rushes to the ring, slides in under the ropes and charges right at Ba’al, who STILL does not stand up. Instead he just sits there as boot after boot after boot is delivered to his chest and ribs.
Ba’al: Wrath Gary….ANOTHER SIN!
Matt doesn’t care if he’s good….bad…none of it matters when his boots provide him with the solace of inflicting damage on the member of the Frost clan. The boots keep on connecting, and are now followed by fists to the running lips of Ba’al. After each forceful punch, Ba’al manages to insert a word.
Ba’al: Sloth….
Another jab.
Ba’al: Wrath….
A third punch.
Ba’al: Envy…
A fourth swing that threatens to knock out teeth.
Ba’al: Lust….
If the fists won’t do it, or the boots, Gary steps back and opts to use his KNEE. He rushes in and delivers a face crushing knee strike that threatens to bust Ba’al’s lips.
He then grabs Ba’al by the wrist, drags him out of the corner and pulls him into a waist lock. Matt heaves Ba’al into the air, twists and drives him down with great force via a belly to belly slam.
Dollar: Gary is just punishing Ba’al right from the onset.
Susie: And thus far, Mr. Scary McBoo ain’t is doing nada to stop it.
Dollar: Which strangely seems to be Ba’al’s modus operandi….we saw him do the same thing in matches against Simon Cagero and Brooklyn Smith.
Gary pulls Ba’al up by the bangs and begins to drill him over and over again to the forehead with clinched fists.
Ba’a: To think you were once a righteous man.
More rapid fire punches.
Ba’al: Look at what Orlando and Taylor have turned you into.
The punches are quicker and fiercer.
Ba’al: Is that alcohol I smell on your breath, Gary…..does it even help anymore? Does it help you escape the truth?
Gary: Shut up! Shut you’re GOD DAMNED MOUTH!
Gary punches so hard and so quick that it threatens to turn Ba’al’s face into nothing more than a puddle of mush. Yet even when being subjected to such debilitating blows, Ba’al actually produces a chuckle.
Ba’al: Poor Gary….poor Gary.
Gary: I said shut up!
Hands wrap around the back of Ba’al’s head and are used to drag him up to his feet before throwing him half way across the ring. Ba’al ends up slamming against the turnbuckle spine first before Gary charges in and rams a shoulder forcefully against his ribs. The blow knocks all the air out of Ba’al’s ribs and has him doubled over, coughing up a lung.
Ba’al: Why are you lashing out at me, Gary, I’m not the one who used your affections against you.
Matt stands up and delivers a thunderous knife edge chop across Ba’al’s sternum.
Ba’al: Orlando…Taylor…they’re the ones who corrupted you….
A second equally as vicious knife edge chop almost collapses the Prince of Sin’s sternum and threatens to take his legs out from under him. Gary then wedges a forearm against the bridge of his nose, before grinding it across his eyes.
Ba’al: I would pity you, Gary, but I have no sympathy for those who do not help themselves.
Gary: STOP TALKING!
A back elbow connects against his mouth, which sends shockwaves of pain coursing through Ba’al’s body and almost causes his knees to buckle. Matt now takes him by the wrist, drags him out of the corner and into a lethal short arm clothesline that puts him to his back.
Gary keeps hold of Ba’al’s wrist and now tugs on the arm, pulling him back up to his feet. He then yanks his adversary into another stiff short arm lariat, taking him down to the canvas a second time.
Ba’al: Why do you embrace your wrath as opposed to your salvation.
Gary drags him up and into a third short arm clothesline.
Ba’al: Do you enjoy your misery? Do you live only to suffer?
Gary pulls the wrist and drags Ba’al along to his feet and then into a waist lock.
Ba’al: Maybe I can help you.
Open palms slap Matt’s ears, rattling his brain.
Ba’al: I can’t imagine that helps with your concussion.
The palms yet again strike Gary to the temples, finally forcing him to break the waist lock and double over. He suffers a horrid migraine that is exacerbated by the running knee strike that Ba’al unleashes to his face. The shot causes Gary to stand up straight, looking all out of sorts. Ba’al then rushes into the ropes in front of Matt, springs off the middle cable and twists around into a big roundhouse kick that nails Gary directly to the cheek. The stiff shot sends Matt spiraling across the ring and into the turnbuckle, which he falls against spine first.
Dollar: Ba’al finally getting in some offense after subjecting Gary to some psychological warfare.
Susie: I think Ba’al might ramble more than Dennis Leary.
The Prince of Sin narrows the space between himself and Gary, stepping in and delivering a vicious knife edge chop. Then a second knife edge chop almost shatters Matt’s sternum.
Ba’al: Amazing how one’s sins come back to haunt them.
Ba’al steps back and lunges forth into a spear to the ribs that has Matt bent forward. Then a European Uppercut blasts him to the jaw….Ba’al emulating all of the moves that Matt used against him moments ago.
Ba’al: Now it is the wrath of the righteous that you feel.
Ba’al backs to the center of the ring before getting a running start only to charge right along into the elevated boots of Gary. Said boots fail to connect however, considering that Ba’al has dropped into a baseball slide beneath them. He then ends up outside of the ring, reaching under and grabbing Gary’s ankles before tripping him forward. Matt lands on his face then rolls to his back just as Ba’al drags him in crotch first against the steel turnbuckle post. Gary sits up and grimaces from the pain that consumes his groin.
Ba’al: Do you feel that despair…that pain….you are no stranger to it, are you, Gary?
Ba’al begins to set up for a submission on the legs utilizing the post only to have Matt suddenly yank his legs back towards his body. As a result Ba’al’s body is pulled face first into the ring post as he urgently tried to maintain possession of the ankles. His face slams forcefully against the post with the bridge of his nose and his forehead taking much of the punishment.
Ba’al then staggers back, swiping palms down his face as Gary rolls to the exterior of the ring, takes him by the wrist and whips him with all of his strength into the barricade. Ba’al twists around, spiraling back first against the steel plating.
Matt swoops in and snatches up Ba’al onto his shoulder, twisting him around and powering him back first into the turnbuckle post in a spinebuster predicament.
The collision with the post has Ba’al rejoicing from the pain and sliding down the steel, somehow remaining upright even with his body in a crippled condition. Gary looks to inflict greater punishment, charging in for a clothesline only to have the wildly Ba’al side-step him and allow Matt’s own momentum to carry his shoulder into the post.
His collar bone takes the brunt of the impact and sends him twisting away from the Prince of Sin. It’s then that Ba’al tries to put some distance between he and his rival, falling into the announce table once his legs lose feeling. Just then Gary subjugates his anguish and rushes right in at the ultimate purveyor of justice, only to be caught by the ankle and hit with a drop toe hold into the surface of the announce table.
Dollar: AHHHH GOSH!
Susie: Why does everyone want to gang up on our announce table? It’s become more reviled than Ladder.
An indentation of Gary’s head is left across the surface of the announce table and remains wedged against the crater. His body has went numb and only his face to the table keeps him upright….which puts him in perfect position for Ba’al, who grabs the ring bell. He actually tears the time keeper out of their chair as they try to hold onto the bell and then throws the young man across the mats. He then turns back to his original target, heaving the bell above his head.
Ba’al: Your life is suffrage, Gary, you feed upon it….you nourish it….you CRAVE it.
The bell swings down at Gary’s skull but connects with only the surface e of the table, Matt rolling out of the path in the nick of time.
Dollar: Wow….that could have KILLED Gary.
Susie: I swear if we see one more concussion…
The bell cracks the table and Ba’al loses possession of it. He instead uses his fists, turning towards Matt who suddenly heaves Ba’al up into the air, twists and throws him down with a scoop slam right across the announce table. Ba’al slams into its surface with enough force to ALMOST fracture it.
Dollar: Now Ba’al into our table!
Susie: These two using every aspect of the ringside area to destroy one another.
The fired up Gary grabs the electrical cable from the canvas and wraps it several times around Ba’al’s throat, strangling the life from his adversary sprawled across the table’s surface. The strangulation persists with the crowd supporting Matt’s crucifixion of the Prince of Sin. Luckily for the pair, Michelle Blacker was selected to officiate this match, and given her passion for violence, she gives the combatants quite a bit of slack. With foam forming at her lips she watches from the interior of the ring as Gary continues to strangle Ba’al until he finally reaches up, digs a thumb into Matt’s eye and rakes the retina.
The jab to the cornea causes the Maniac to go twirling across the mats wedging a palm to his eyeball. Ba’al then stands up on the surface of the announce table and prepares to take flight just when Gary reaches down, grabs the electrical cable and yanks, flipping Ba’al off the surface of the table and sending him flipping over and ultimately hitting the mats via a devastating thud.
Dollar: And the cable comes back to haunt Ba’al yet again.
Susie: Gary just totally went Roy Rogers on Ba’al’s ass.
The impact with the mats leaves the Prince of Sin legitimately ailing for once, but still managing to crawl away from Gary with the cable remaining lassoed about his throat. Matt doesn’t let him get very far, only permitting him to pass the very turnbuckle post that has thus far played a crucial role in this match. He takes the excess slack of the wire and wraps it around his hand several times then yanks back, causing Ba’al to rise to his knees gasping for air.
Gary: Kind of hard to talk when you can’t breathe, huh?
Suddenly Ba’al falls forward and as a result provides enough torque on the cord to yank Gary forth face first into the ring post. The bridge of his nose SLAMS against the steel, almost fracturing it on impact.
Gary then tumbles to his back, grabbing at his nostrils which are spouting just a trickle of blood.
Dollar: What impact with the post….Gary’s head can’t take many more of these collisions.
Matt does go down but doesn’t stay there for long, urgently compelled to get back to his feet.
Even though a ten count isn’t being made by an orgasming Michelle in the ring, Ba’al rolls in and back out just in case. He then uses the cord to pull Gary along to his feet, Matt still finding his wrist snagged in the wiring. Ba’al then drags Gary forward into the ring post, slamming his shoulder against it, yet this time Matt isn’t permitted to go down. Instead Ba’al begins to tie the electrical cord around BOTH of the Maniac’s wrists.
Susie: Uh-oh, we saw someone almost shackled earlier, but now Gary is being tied to the turnbuckle.
Dollar: Not a position you want to find yourself in when facing a man as lethal as Ba’al.
With his wrists still bound together Gary fights, struggling to avail himself of this predicament. Just then Ba’al lunges into the air and nails a front dropkick to his elbow, driving it against the ring-post. The Prince of Sin then rolls back to his feet before stepping in and driving his forearm against Gary’s retina.
Ba’al: You don’t wish to hear my words because they do more damage than any blows I could ever deliver.
Ba’al then steps back and contradicts his own point by delivering a quick thrust kick to the bicep, crushing it between boot and post. Matt cannot even embrace the agony from the kick before finding himself subjected to a big splash to the back that drives his face and shoulder into the steel.
Just then Ba’al rolls into the ring and crawls to the center, eyes focusing upon the target that are Gary’s arms, looking to cripple them and remove perhaps his most potent weapons. From knees to feet he leaps before rushing across the ring and dropping into a baseball slide under the turnbuckle pads into the trapped arm of Gary…..but actually finds his feet connecting with nothing but steel.
Matt steps back and tears the cord away from his bound wrists in the nick of time to avoid the boots. Thinking on the fly, the improvisational Gary takes both of his opponent’s legs, wraps them around the post and then drops back, applying a figure four around the turnbuckle.
Dollar: Oh look at this, Ba’al went for that figure four earlier, and now he’s paying penance for it.
Susie: Ba’al’s going to have more trouble walking than Andy Dufresne after a prison shower with the Sisters.
Ba’al grinds his teeth as the agony surges through the legs wrapped about the post, Gary inflicting as much punishment as possible with the time allotted. Blacker FINALLY is compelled to start a five count, but it takes reaching four and a half before Gary will relinquish the submission. He drops to his back and then snatches the cord, leaping to his feet and wrapping the wiring around Ba’al’s ankles.
Dollar: The shoe on the other foot.
Susie: Hey….now Gary’s hog tying Ba’al.
The fans jump at the opportunity to celebrate as Gary snags his rival and then slides into the ring. Hands swat at Matt’s feet but cannot stop them from raining down against Ba’al’s face and chest. Matt is all over the maniacal Ba’al while he’s got him trapped and rather defenseless.
He now rushes into the cables, ricochets off and drops into a fist across the forehead of the Judge and executioner. Matt then scrambles to his feet and lunges into a gigantic boot that comes down across the forehead.
Gary then slides through the ropes and to the apron, grabbing the top cable and preparing to put on a rare display of aerial dare-devilry. Just as Matt is about to go over the cables, his attention deviates to Jaina rushing across the mats, trying to get her hands on him.
A stomp almost connects with her hands though, prompting Frost to leap back with palms raised defensively….insinuating that she was up to nothing….least of all no good. Matt’s focus then returns to the ring just as two boots sail into his chin, Ba’al delivering a dropkick that sends Gary flying from the apron, twisting and creating a new crater in the surface of the announce table.
His head ricochets off the surface of the table and his body twists into the mats with a thud.
Dollar: And yet another slam against the table!
Susie: It’s gonna have more fissures in its surface than a teenager’s acne face.
The collision with the announce table has Gary’s brain bouncing about the confines of his potentially split skull. Even with all this damage inflicted on his head and skull, Gary manages to crawl across the mats and towards the ring. Just as he pulls himself up with the use of the apron, he finds his wrist snagged and his body dragged into the ring by Ba’al. He then snaps his fingers and Jaina inserts the cord into the proceedings.
The Prince of Sin takes the wire, steps over Matt’s back and wraps it around Gary’s throat, yanking back. He has a modified camel clutch established with the cord grinding against Matt’s windpipe, depriving his brain of oxygen. Just as Gary’s face begins to go blue Ba’al steps back, interlocks legs around his own and takes his wrists. He pulls back on the arms and wedges a foot between Matt’s shoulder blades, going for the Curb Stomp.
He only stops when focus deviates to the individual at ringside. Towards the ring scrambles Brooklyn, who is compelled to lend aid to her cousin.
Ba’al: Hold it right there.
Insists the Prince of Sin.
Ba’al: Funny how history seems to repeat itself.
Brooklyn hesitates at ringside, glancing between the imperiled Gary and the man on the verge of inflicting grieves harm upon him.
Ba’al: Do you actually think you’re helping your Cousin? Do you believe he’ll appreciate this act of valor? He wants this….he yearns for this….he needs this….For he is not merely addicted to the drink…..he is hooked on the crank known as chaos…..he is dependent upon self-destruction….
Suddenly Gary twists his body and connects with a drop toe hold on Ba’al, managing to counter the curb stomp attempt. Ba’al loses his footing and Gary lunges to his own, stepping over his adversary’s back and looking to take advantage the same way Brooklyn did months ago when faced with the peril known as the Prince of Sin.
Just then Ba’al tugs on the wire wrapped about Matt’s neck, and flips him over. Gary goes rolling across the canvas to his seat just as Ba’al charges into the ropes in front of him. He ricochets off the cables and then lunges forward into a big and particularly heinous kick that knocks Gary’s head almost off of his shoulders. He falls to his back with Ba’al twisting into the lateral press….the first one in this very hard hitting back and forth confrontation.
1
2
And a shoulder evades the ring just before Gary could fall victim to a loss.
Dollar: Shockingly we just saw our first pinfall attempt made in this match…..but still not enough damage inflicted on Gary to keep him down.
Susie: Maybe Gary really is a glutton for self-destruction.
Ba’al gets himself set as he watches Matt struggle to his seat, trying to overcome the ringing in his head. After he’s allowed Matt to exhaust himself merely sitting up, Ba’al takes off into the ropes, ricochets off and launches a boot right at Gary’s face. The boot misses its intended target, Gary dropping out of position, catching Ba’al around the thigh and pulling him over into a school boy. He then stands up, hooks the legs around his own while twisting him over to his stomach, yanks back on the wrists and ultimately connects with a Curb Stomp.
Dollar: DEVASTATING curb stomp from the Maniac!
Susie: Mirror-mirror.
Now that the Prince of Sin’s skull implodes against canvas, Gary seemingly has victory within his grasp, forcing him over to his back and hooking his legs.
1
2
Will there be a three, can there be a three…..Not this time…..cause Ba’al manages to free his shoulder from the canvas JUST in time,
Dollar: And ANOTHER kick out by Ba’al…..as this battle just keeps on intensifying!
Susie: So much hate between these two.
The Curb Stomp leaves Ba’al motionless, not even running his mouth at this point. The Maniac looks to take advantage, grabbing his nemesis around the waist and then using all of his lower back strength to heave him up into the air. He grimaces from the exertion on his back but somehow manages to get Ba’al up from a dead lift and onto his shoulder. He then hooks the armpits of his rival and drops forward, THROWING him across the ring with a razor’s edge. The crucifix bomb lands with enough force to send Ba’al’s body springing off the canvas by the back of his head and shoulders…..no that wasn’t just a shameful plug for a Dandruff shampoo.
With limbs failing and body ravaged by pain, Gary somehow finds the strength to reach his feet and perhaps inflict further punishment on his adversary. But that’s when his eyes shift to the exterior of the ring where Brooklyn has planted herself. She gives her cousin a thumbs up, but Gary gives a metaphorical thumbs down, immediately expressing his disapproval.
Gary: Where is he?
Brooklyn: Where is who?
Gary: Where the fuck is Orlando!?!
Brooklyn: Oh….but…you need my help.
Gary: The only thing I need is to talk to Orlando. Why can’t you get that through your thick head!?!
He kicks the bottom rope to emphasize just how angry he is. Just before Brooklyn can explain she alters her tune to one that alerts rather than councils Matt.
Brooklyn: WATCH OUT!
Ba’al capitalizes on the distraction, rushing in behind Gary and going airborne, lunging into the Totalis. He catches Matt around the neck and drops back into the zig-zag….only to ultimately hit the canvas with absolutely nothing to show for his efforts, because Gary manages to grab the top rope and prevent being hit with the move.
The slam against the canvas has Ba’al writhing across the ring but not losing his focus. He rolls over backwards onto his knees just as Matt spins around and finds himself subjected to a discus forearm…..that MISSES its intended target. The forearm barely grazes the hair on the back of Gary’s head, but Matt connects with every bit of this Brain Damage. He hooks Ba’al’s arms from behind, heaves him up, drives him down and the crowd leaves its feet at the sight of the full nelson connecting.
Dollar: Brain Damage, BRAIN DAMAGE delivered….Could Gary at last be on the cusp of finishing this war with Ba’al?
Susie: The battle finally reaches its climax.
Which is fitting since it sounds like many of the fans are climaxing at the moment. Fatigue has taken hold of every one of Matt’s muscles, finding it difficult to use them in order to drag his body hand over hand, knee over knee, towards the laid out Ba’al. At long last, after a test of his endurance, he manages to throw an arm across Ba’al’s chest, victory within his grips.
The fans reconcile themselves to the fact that Gary is about to put Ba’al in his past once and at long last. Michelle hates doing it but she’s on the cusp of making the three count to end this chaos, just when Jaina hops to the apron, catching her attention.
Susie: Ah….naaaah….Jaina interfering.
Dollar: She’s got our resident sadomasochist distracted, Michelle unable to make the three count.
Blacker cuts off Jaina as she feigns getting into the ring, throwing a leg through the cables…..and her other leg is caught….caught in the clutches of Brooklyn. Smith yanks down on her foot and causes Jaina to crash into the apron jaw first.
Dollar: Brooklyn Smith cuts her off!
Susie: Somebody did that to me once in traffic….then I threw eggs at their car and sped away like the dickens….which was hard to do when peddling a Schwinn.
The fans indicate their excitement by leaping from their seats and throwing inhibitions aside. Everyone is expressing gratitude for Brooklyn’s removal of Jaina Frost…..everyone save for Gary.
The man who should be the most thankful, is the most outraged. He comes around just in time to see the referee shouting through the ropes at Brooklyn at ringside, never having witnessed Jaina’s involvement. His lower lip is bitten into as Gary TRIES to contain his rage.
Gary: God dammit Brook! Why can’t you just stop meddling in MY business!
Brooklyn’s confused eyes shift from Jaina at her feet to Gary on his knee. Michelle is now enchanted by the sight of Jaina suffering at ringside, a grin forming on her salivating lips. Just then the distracted Gary finds himself caught from behind, Ba’al leaping into the air and catching him around the neck.
Dollar: TOTALIS!
Susie: NYOOO.
Suddenly Gary spins right out of the reverse bulldog and right out of Ba’al’s clutches, causing him to land on his feet with the grace of a cat. He is then grabbed by the man standing behind him, who then drags Ba’al back into his shoulders, standing him up and placing him in the Maniac Rack.
Dollar: Gary manages to counter the Totalis a second time and now he has Ba’al up in the Maniac Rack!
Ba’al’s body is contorted at a truly disgusting angle, his spleen about to burst, his spine about to crack, his internal organs raptured. A submission victory is within Gary’s grasp….literally….when a helmeted figure slides into the ring before him and connects with a spinning back first of downright deadly proportions.
Dollar: WTF!?!
Susie: Who in the hell is that!?!
Dollar: Someone….someone in a helmet…..just…..what the hell?
The spinning back fist has connected with enough force to give Gary instant whiplash and force him to relinquish the torture rack on the very man who drops behind him, lunges into the air and connects with the Totalis.
Michelle can feel the vibration in the ring behind her back, prompting her to turn around just after the helmet clad individual has vacated the squared circle.
Dollar: And now the Totalis IS delivered.
Susie: After that guy with the HUGE head hit him with a back handed bitch slap.
Dollar: The guy….or whatever that was…was wearing a helmet, Susie.
Susie: Oh…..okay….I thought we had another Rocky Denison on our hands.
Promptly after delivering the Totalis, Ba’al crawls into the lateral press, hooking Gary’s leg.
Promptly after delivering the spinning back-fist, the masked individual leaps the barricade and evades the clutches of security.
Dollar: It’s not going to end this way….it cannot end this way!
The fans who were moments earlier cheering, and are now singing a different tune at the sight of Michelle’s hand hitting the canvas.
1
2
3!
The despair is overwhelming at the sight of Ba’al picking up a win, albeit under incredibly jaded circumstances.
Dollar: And Ba’al yet again finds a method of picking up the win.
Susie: We all thought that with Rachel backstage and with Jaina taken out that Ba’al had no other aces up his sleeve….
Dollar: Yes, but then he pulls out an ace of spades.
A brief replay showcases the closing moments of the match, rehashing the interference of the helmeted individual and the delivery of the Totalis. Back live we find Ba’al wisely vacating the ring before incurring the WRATH of a recovering Matt. Jaina has joined him at ringside as the two fall against and support one another on their way up the ramp.
Ba’al: Blame does not fall on me, Gary….it rests with you….For YOU are the one who refused to retaliate against the unjust….YOU are the one who allowed yourself to be no more than a tool for the damned!
Gary props himself on his elbow and clutches his addled skull. All the while a tentative Brooklyn is making her way through the ropes and into the ring, hesitantly approaching her cousin while offering her sincerest apologies.
She stoops over to check on Gary’s condition only to have her aid result in another hostile outburst from Gary.
Gary: Don’t touch me!
Matt rolls away from Brooklyn, who shows the same wisdom as Ba’al by backing away from her disgruntled cousin.
Gary: Don’t even look at me!
Trembling fingers rise and slide through Gary’s hair, finding himself a picture of instability. His knuckles grind against the flesh of his temples, on the verge of tearing away large chunks.
Brooklyn: I was….I was only trying to help….
Smith stoops down and cautiously reaches out for his shoulder.
Gary: You want to help me? Then do as I ask and bring me ORLANDO!
Just before he can feel her consoling touch, Gary rolls out of the ring and storms up the ramp, leaving a shattered Brooklyn behind.
Dollar: Gary Matt came so incredibly close to victory on multiple occasions against Ba’al, but in the end victory was torn from his clutches by the ego maniacal judge, jury and executioner.
Susie: And it looks like Gary is pinning the blame on his cousin for what happened.
Matt can’t even bring himself to look back at Brooklyn as he embarks up the ramp. A disheartened Smith brushes her hair back behind her ears and frets in reaction to her cousin’s loss…..
Frankie: That was a total misunderstanding!
A frantic Frankie….alliteration much?……pleads with those with the power to cast the ultimate judgment upon him….the Board of Directors holding his fate in their palms. Hence why he is so adamant, so resolute in saving face after the Coalition and the Blacklist have managed to ‘thumb their noses at his authority.’
Frankie: I know it looks like the Coalition had me shittin a kitten…..but I ensure you that like a cat, I always land on my feet…..
He pauses in both his step through the gorilla position, and in his speech directed at the Board via his IPhone.
Frankie: Yeah, I’m not sure what I meant by that either….But I THINK what I was trying to say is that I had the Coalition right where I wanted them. If they had tried to pull any stunts I would have brought the hammer down on their asses….especially Rachel Foxx’s….As she’s got an ass I wouldn’t mind hammering for a few weeks.
HONEY-BUNNY!
A light slap is given to Frankie’s posterior, but not via a palm. It’s a kendo-stick that connects with his rectum and sends Paradise lunging into the air, ALMOST dropping his phone in the process, while his head threatens to connect with the ceiling.
Frankie: WHAT!?!
The moment Paradise realizes who he’s talking to his tune changes, Mika Kozlov standing before him with the weapon stretched over her shoulders.
Mika: I have a request.
Frankie glances between the phone in his hand and the pronounced frown on Mika’s face.
Frankie: A request….
Again his eyes drift to the phone.
Frankie: Well submit it in writing and I’ll take it under consider…..
Mika: He….te-he…..
In spite of everything that’s happened with Harrison and the Cruze’s tonight, Mika manages to muster a chuckle.
Mika: You’re so cute when you pretend to be authoritative. Thank you, Honey-Bunny, for putting a smile on my face…..BUUUUT….
The cane finds itself across the back of another neck, Frankie’s, Mika using it to drag his face closer to her own. They now end up wedging foreheads against one another.
Mika: You can make me the happiest girl in the whole wide world if you allow me to announce my own referee for the match with Taylor tonight.
Frankie: Well…ummm….uhhhh….IIII….
Mika: Thanks so much Honey-Bunny!
She steps back and slaps Frankie on the cheek.
Mika: You really do know how to make a girl happy.
Mika is off and now Frankie is left uncomfortably stirring with the knowledge that the Board of Directors both heard and saw everything. The phone is quickly lifted to his rambling lips.
Frankie: Did you see how I played her? Did ya? I totes had her eating from the palm of my hand.
The ass-kissing continues….
Dollar: Did I just hear what I thought I heard?
Susie: Sorry, it’s the Fruity Pebbles….
Dollar: That’s NOT….forget it….did I just hear correctly? That Mika is going to announce her own referee for the match against Taylor tonight?
Susie: This is playing out exactly like what happened back at Upping the Ante.
Dollar: It’s like Ba’al stated moments ago, history is truly repeating itself this evening.
Comeau: Excuse me, Countess Nevena….
The Countess consumes the screen while giving instructions to her brutish bodyguard, Viktor Drugov. Instinctively Viktor spins around and keeps Comeau at arm’s length. An annoyed Nevena lingers behind him overlooking Comeau and the microphone in his hand.
Comeau: Just wanted to get words regarding your actions the past few weeks. What’s with the kleptomania?
Nevena now wears an amused smile.
Nevena: I’m not surprised your simple mind has misjudged my intents. I’m not a thief, Mark, I’m a collector….of rarities….
Brandy: HEY BITCH!
Nevena is still amused, even when her name is being sullied by an outraged Brandy-Danielle. Viktor steps between the Countess and this latest agitator.
Brandy: You took something that belongs to the End Effect….where is it…?
The Countess isn’t forthcoming with any particulars.
Brandy: Where’s Rain’s mask!?!
The smile on Nevena’s face is more pronounced than ever.
Nevena: Ohhh, I parted with that particular item. That is to say, I traded it for something of far more value.
Brandy: Traded it….traded it to who!?!
Nevena: I don’t know his name, but he was adamant about getting hold of the mask.
This latest revelation gives Brandy much cause for thought, lowering her chin to the fingers rubbing it. This moment of introspection allows Viktor the time he needs to grab the microphone out of Comeau’s hand and fork it over to Nevena, who seals it away in a briefcase. The two then walk away with another edition fo their collection.
Simon: Hmmmm…..it’s sweet…..
The fork is licked as Simon gets a second sampling of the cake on the plate in his hand. It’s just one of many slices spread across the table before the seated Cagero and Lois Prince.
Simon: But maybe a little TOO sweet.
Lois: Yeah, I think your right.
Another nibble of the pastry is inhaled by Lois.
Lois: How about we try the chocolate buttercream?
Simon: Oh that doesn’t sound too sweet at all.
There is obvious sarcasm in Simon’s voice that results in a good-natured chuckle from the pair.
Lois: I really appreciate this, Simon.
Simon: Hey, I LOVE wedding planning. I should so make a career of it.
Another bite is sampled as Simon winces from the taste.
Lois: I think you’d make a great wedding planner.
Simon: It’s just one of my many hidden talents.
Lois: I just hope this isn’t all in vain.
Simon: Hmmmmm?
He questions in between dabbing a napkin to his lips.
Simon: What’s that supposed to mean?
Lois questions rather to be entirely forthcoming with Cagero….but in the short time they’ve got to know one another, it seems they’ve developed a close enough relationship for her to feel comfortable discussing personal matters.
Lois: Well…..Clarence has been freaking out about his Mom the past few weeks.
Simon: His Mom, you say?
It takes everything to restrain the grin that fights to cut across his face.
Lois: Yeah, Percy told me she was having issues with the wedding, and wouldn’t be attending…It’s why we had to push back the wedding date and everything….Though, at this rate, if we can’t get his Mom to attend, I don’t think there will be a wedding.
Simon: Whitman is quite the Momma’s Boy isn’t he?
Lois: At first I thought it was sweet that he had such a close relationship with his mother, but now…..well…..
Simon: Go on?
Simon prods even with a fork full of cake in his mouth.
Lois:….his Mom just seems to control everything….every aspect of Percy’s life is spent trying to please his mother….trying to live up to her impossible standards…..I love him to death, but Jesus….it’s getting to be a little much to overlook. If he’s willing to postpone the wedding just to please his mother….
Simon: Yeah, that fucking sucks.
Lois: Sorry?
Simon: I said that’s positively dreadful.
Cagero corrects his speech to be a bit more ‘wholesome.’
Simon: P Wiggy should have far more appreciation for such a beautiful and loving woman.
His shoulder is offered up as a place to shed tears upon.
Lois: Awww….thank you, Simon.
Simon: I mean it….you’re truly something special……and not just because you’re a walking Taylor Chase clone.
Lois: Why do people keep saying that? I don’t think I look a thing like her.
A hand slides up and down Lois’ back before patting her on the shoulder.
Simon: Keep on telling yourself that, Dear.
Ahem….
Another area of Simon’s body suddenly stiffens when he hears a truly familiar tone. Eyes shift over his shoulder to the face of Leeland Gaunt. He leans against the handle of his cane and stares down at Simon with all together emotionless eyes.
Simon: I’ll be right back.
Lois: Everything okay?
Simon: It’s fine….just need a minute is all.
The chair is vacated and the many baked goods are left at Lois’ mercy, all so that Simon can have a secret consultation with Gaunt. He takes hold of Leeland’s wrist and tries to lead him away only to have the hand brushed aside, Mr. Gaunt moving along of his own accord.
Simon: What do I owe the honor, Mr. Gaunt?
Mr. Gaunt: I think you know.
Mr. Gaunt’s wandering eye focuses on the woman devouring a piece of wedding cake.
Simon: What?
Now Cagero’s eyes follow Leeland’s.
Simon: Are you trying to infer….?
Mr. Gaunt: I know what you’re up to, Mr. Cagero.
Simon: And what is it that I’m up to?
Mr. Gaunt: Your infatuation with this Taylor Chase doppleganger…..
Simon: Yeeeeaaah?
Mr. Gaunt: Continuing to play coy are we?
Simon: Seriously don’t know what you’re getting at.
Mr. Gaunt: Are you really so determined to regain your number one contendership that your willing to risk the happiness of two lovelorn individuals?
Simon: So what? Are you here to tell me to back off?
In spite of their general indifference to one another in the past, it seems that their missions have now brought them into direct opposition with one another.
Mr. Gaunt: On the contrary, Mr. Cagero, on the contrary.
Simon: What’s that supposed to mean?
Mr. Gaunt: Continue your attempts to woo, Mrs. Prince, and please do not allow the Black Crusade or any others to stand in your way.
Simon: Errrrm….oook…..
Mr. Gaunt: But….
The handle of Gaunt’s cane falls unto Simon’s shoulder.
Mr. Gaunt: Rest assured that the nuptials between Mrs. Prince and Mr. Whitman SHALL happen.
Simon: Oh?
Mr. Gaunt: For you can have your cake, Mr. Cagero, but you will eat it.
MOMENTS AGO
A frozen image of Gary Matt loading Ba’al up onto his shoulders consumes the screen.
Dollar: In just a few minutes we’re going to see what should be a very interesting confrontation between Abigail Lindsey and Marie Jones….but before we get to that one on one clash, let’s take you back to what happened before the commercial break.
Susie: It was ‘The Marmaduke’ Gary Matt versus ‘The Prince of Slim’ Ba’al….
Dollar: Erm…..close enough.
Susie:….in a violent match that it looked like Gary was on the verge of winning.
The video streams, capturing the torture of Ba’al, and the torturer that is Gary Matt. He bends the fractured body of his rival over his shoulders, seemingly on the cusp of winning the match before a distraction permits a mysterious masked man to slide into the ring and deliver the spinning back first to Gary’s cheek….ultimately leading to the Totalis for a Ba’al victory.
Dollar: Looked like Ba’al was going to do the inconceivable and tap out to the Maniac Rack….
Susie: But then Mr. Roboto got involved and cost Gary his retribution.
Dollar: It was a bizarre turn of events on what has already been a bizarre night here in the IWC.
Susie: Indeed….a night where we saw Porno Lad and the Harem possibly end Hurse’s fabled wrestling career, Shaun Cruze revealed that he was setting up the Blacklist, Romeo and Ba’al have made their intentions known for the World Heavyweight Championship….
Dollar: Plus Lukas Montgomery attacked Marcus Mayfield before his match against Danny Demento…and now we’re about to see the unusual half-sister of Brittany Lohan, Abigail Lindsey make her debut, AND it’ll be against Marie Jones.
MARIE JONES VS. ABIGAIL LINDSEY
Cameras suddenly cut to the entry way when
Abi looks around the arena and smiles as they she poses pointing to the air while the camera’s flash taking pictures of them. Maxine stands there stoically. Abi slowly walks down to ringside with Maxine following suit. Abi giggles and starts skipping to the ring while ruffling up her hair, she slides in and stays on her knees as she smirks looking around the arena.. She climbs to the second turnbuckle and points at the crowd and yells “Yeah!”. Abi leans against the turnbuckle. Maxine keeps as every vigilant eye from the outside
Dollar: And there is the woman who was meeting with Frankie Paradise just a few moments ago….the unorthodox and unpredictable enigma that is Abigail Lindsey.
Susie: She’s so pretty…..but where’s the huge shoulders and biceps? I thought to be a Lohan it was a prerequisite to have HUGE muscles.
Dollar: She’s a half-sister, Susie.
Susie: Ah, that explains it.
Abigail is walking around the ring preparing herself physically for the match that shall happen in just a few short moments just when “Haunted” filters through the PA system.
Dollar: And Marie Jones, who has been very dominant since her debut here in the IWC, about to face Lindsey in what will be the first singles match for BOTH ladies under the IWC initials.
The crowd continues to anticipate the arrival of Marie but will have to wait a few moments longer before they get a first-hand glimpse of the lovely Jones.
Comeau: Marie….HEY MARIE!
Marie Jones has dealt with more than her fair share of aggravations this evening, hence why she’s none too receptive to fielding questions from the drug addled Comeau. Nevertheless she pauses behind the curtains leading to the squared circle in order to indulge the insatiable Comeau.
Marie: Can I help you?
Mark: Just wanted to find out how your meeting with Frankie Paradise went a few minutes ago.
Marie smiles.
Marie: It went….well….
Mark: Glad to hear it….care to be forthcoming at all regarding the particulars of that meeting?
Marie: Not at all….because it was pretty standard fare…Frankie talking….and then talking….then staring at my cleavage….then talking again…then staring at my legs….and oh yeah…TALKING. I barely got a word in…other than to tell him I was no longer going to be his errand girl.
Mark: Fair enough.
Marie: In the midst of all that we didn’t even get the chance to discuss what really matters….My ambition of becoming the World Heavyweight Champion.
A moment is given for her decree to sink in.
Marie: And don’t be mistaken, that IS my goal here….it’s why I put my all into the Rumble, and why I’ll be giving my all to Abigail Lindsey here tonight. I’m not about to let Frankie hot shot his HUGE signee to a title bout over me….It’s not happening….I will be a champion.
With mind cleared and focus centered on making her case for a World Title match, Marie finally moves through the curtains on her way to the squared circle.
”Haunted” continues to blare through the Manhattan Center as Marie Jones finally arrives, but takes her time reaching the ring.
Dollar: Am I suffering a hypoxic attack, or did ANOTHER combatant just make their case for a World Title shot?
Susie: Yep…..looks like Marie Jones wants the World Title too.
Dollar: Just like Romeo, just like Ba’al…..and perhaps the man who eliminated Marie from the Rumble, Lucas Knight.
Once in the ring and once the bell has chimed, Marie and Abigail start to circle one another, about to begin that feeling out process.
Dollar: Marie had a phenomenal outing at the Rumble….she was in that match for over twenty minutes and managed to eliminate Amanda Blayze and Mark O’Brien….making a definitive case for a title opportunity as well.
Susie: And if it hadn’t been for Lucas Knight eliminating her, she might be going on TO a title match…..which isn’t happening a Invictus.
The bell has rung and now Abigail and Marie look to ring one another’s bells. They step in and interlock arms, applying a collar elbow tie, going with the basic fundamentals. Suddenly Lindsey twists around out of the collar elbow and then pulls Marie into a back elbow to the lips. The shot rattles her teeth and has Marie staggered, leaving her susceptible to the knife edge chop that Abigail then delivers.
Jones staggers back into the ropes, leaning back first against them while reaching for her blemished sternum. Abigail then steps in for another chop that Marie ducks under, stepping around behind Abigail and waiting for her to turn. The moment that Jones does, she gets a back elbow right to the mush, putting her on her ass and under the ropes to the outside.
Dollar: Just like in the match between Ba’al and Gary Matt, these two ladies going mirror, mirror with their offense.
And Abi suffers as a result, straightening her jaw in an animated fashion before turning to one of the fans in the front row.
Abigail: That one hurt….Want to kiss it and make it feel better?
The fan JUMPS at the opportunity, to the point where he has to physically be restrained by security.
Abigail: Better luck next time lover boy.
It takes Maxine’s insistence, but finally Abigail stops playing with the fans and slides into the ring, walking right into an attempted back elbow by Marie. But Jones stops right before her elbow could nail its target, a huge grin forming on her face when she hears Lindsey yelp, double over and protect her face with both palms.
She then forms a crack with her fingers, peeking through them at the smiling Jones.
Abigail: Why you lil scamp.
Jones’ smile vanishes and she now delivers a blistering knife edge chop, the impact of which taking Lindsey off her feet and sending her rolling to the exterior of the ring. Once safely behind the ropes, she shouts towards Marie.
Abigail: I said “SCAMP!”
Marie: Oh….apologies then.
After a brief consultation with Maxine, once again Abigail slides into the ring and tentatively approaches Marie, the two circling one another. They then end up back in a collar elbow tie before Abigail swings around into the back elbow that Jones ducks this time. She steps around in front of Abi, waiting for her to turn around before unloading with a knife edge chop. But Lindsey manages to side step the chop and swing her body around behind Jones, wedging hands to Marie’s back and shoving her forward into the ropes.
Marie bounces off the cables and then comes back in at Abigail, who bends down, catches the creases of Jones’ legs and pulls them out from under her body. She flips forward into a jackknife cover.
1
Marie manages to kick out by way of sitting up and sending Abigail rolling backwards onto her feet. She starts to reach out for Marie’s legs only to have feet wedged to her chest and to be kicked off, sent spiraling across the ring. She falls into the cables and waits, watching Marie struggle to her feet then rushing in to take advantage. Unfortunately she charges right into a knife edge chop delivered with such force that it sends her twisting to the canvas then rolling under the ropes to the outside.
Dollar: Yet another knife edge chop delivered by Jones leading to the same results, putting Abigail out of the ring.
Susie: Can you win a match by delivering one move repeatedly?
Dollar: Hey, if you can win a match by method of a finger-poke, you can probably do it by virtue of a chop.
Abigail turns towards the fans amassed behind the barrier while rubbing her welting sternum.
Abigail: That hurt TOO….someone want to kiss it?
More than a few fans are more than eager to motorboat Lindsey’s sternum. Marie now steps across the ring, reaches through the ropes and shows that she’s had enough of Lindsey’s delays. Her hair is snatched, leading to oa scream from Abi, who is then dragged up onto the apron. Suddenly Lindsey turns though, grabs Marie’s wrist and drops back off the apron, yanking Jones’ throat into the top cable and snapping her head back.
Jones stumbles back towards the center of the ring while Abigail rolls in and looks to take advantage. She charges in and gets leveled with a knife edge chop. The fans rejoice at the sight of Abi over-selling the impact of the chop that has sent her scrambling towards the exterior of the ring. Unfortunately for Lindsey, her ankle is caught and Jones is not about to let her vacate the ring. That’s when Abi ducks her head and rolls forward across the canvas, yanking Jones over her body thanks to Marie’s grip on her ankle, and sending her flying throat first into the middle cable.
Marie’s head snaps back yet again and she reaches for her carotid while stumbling back into the waiting arms of Jones, who catches her with a school girl before transitioning into a jackknife cover.
1
2
At the very least she got more than a one count from her pin attempt…..but Jones might get even more out of the pinning predicament. She wraps her arms around Abi’s waist and shows her tremendous leg and lower back strength by bridging both herself and Lindsey from the canvas. The two reach their feet and then swing around to face one another with Jones snatching hold of Abi’s wrist. She yanks her forward into a short arm lariat only to have Lindsey duck into a baseball slide through Jones’ legs. She then reaches up, grabs her opponent’s hips and pull her down into a sunset flip style pin.
That’s before Abi leaps to her feet maintaining possession of Marie’s legs before flipping forward into a jackni….noooo….Marie reaches up, and wedges her hands to the back of Abi’s head, pushing down on it while she sits up on the canvas. She counters an attempted jackknife cover by forcing Lindsey down onto the back of her shoulders while Marie sits up and wedges shoulders to the creases of Abigail’s legs.
1
2
Abigail kicks out and rolls over backwards in the process. With tremendous speed and gusto, Lindsey grabs her opponent’s ankle, lifts it and sends Jones rolling over backwards to her feet. She then swings around to the side of Marie and drops back into the Russian Leg sweep followed by a float over into the lateral press.
1
2
The pinfall is evaded, Marie getting her shoulder out from under her opposition.
Dollar: These two really going back and forth….because while this is a statement making match for Marie Jones, it’s also Abigail’s IWC debut….and she promises that she’s going to bring something truly unique to the IWC.
Susie: Both of these ladies really do need this win.
Abigail gets to her feet and approaches referee Wright, putting her hands on his shoulders and leaning in close to his blushing cheeks.
Abigail: Do you like me, Wright?
Wright: Depends? Are you over 18?
Abigail: Yeah.
Wright: Then I’m not interested.
Abigail doesn’t have a chance to call this revelation into question before she’s pulled over into the school girl….but wait…the roll up was just a set up for the spinning toe hold by Jones. Marie swings around the leg, applying a lot of pressure on the submission. She then swings around again but this time finds Abigail’s other foot nailing her to the cheek.
The kick causes Marie to be knocked loopy, turning her back on Abigail, who leaps to her feet and then into a side headlock before dragging her along into the springboard bulldog.
At the same second though, just as Abi begins to leap into the ropes with her feet extended, Marie turns her body, catches her opponent about the head and drags her down into a reverse neck-breaker.
Dollar: BEAUTIFUL counter by Marie Jones!
Susie: SHNIKIES!
Dollar: A reverse neck-breaker from the springboard bulldog position.
Jones keeps her arms wrapped around Abigail’s neck, and instead of going for the pin she rolls over backwards, dragging her opponent along with her. She drags Abigail to her feet trapped in a neck cravat before flipping over top of her head….a flip over neck cravat cutter connects to an implosion in the stands.
Jones then crawls into the cover, both legs hooked and hoping for a victory that will undoubtedly solidify her claims of deserving a World Title opportunity.
1
2
Abigail will not be used to help Marie validate her Championship ambitions, throwing her shoulder from the canvas in time to prevent the three. Jones then sits Abi up on the canvas, backs up, then dives into a sliding lariat to the throat. Lindsey collapses to her back and Marie rolls away to her feet, looking to continue pressing her advantage.
Briefly the camera cuts from the action in the ring to the curtains, which have parted only slightly to reveal the face of Cassidy Haze.
Dollar: Erm…is that Cassidy Haze?
Susie: Yeah….guess she couldn’t afford a front row seat, so she’s watching from entry way instead.
Haze continues to observe the action in the ring, seemingly enjoying the sight of Marie dominating Abigail. Lindsey fights valiantly to reach her feet just as Marie leaves her own in order to connect with a leaping lariat, which brings both ladies down to the canvas. Jones then spins around and crouches in anticipation of her opposition struggling to get back to her feet.
It takes all of her effort but Abigail regains her footing just in time to stagger into a boot right to the ribcage. She doubles over with Jones stepping across the back of her head and hooking her arms, setting for the Hot Shot. But Abigail proves a bit more resilient than Jones was anticipating. She spins around right out of the Pedigree predicament and then grabs hold of her opposition’s wrist, dragging her forward into a side headlock.
Abigail rushes across the ring, dragging Marie along with her and then leaps into the air, wedging her feet to the top rope. She pushes off, twists in mid-air and goes for the bulldog ony to be shoved off at the last second.
Abigail flies across the ring and lands right on her back, reaching for her kidneys and agonizing as a result.
Jones then turns her back on Abi, leaps to the middle rope and springs off into a lionsault that has the crowd elating. And their reaction only gets louder when the lionsault connects….with canvas. Abigail rolls out of the way just in time to cause Marie to crash into the canvas and now reach for her damaged ribcage.
Suddenly Lindsey rushes in, snatches her around the head, drags her all the way up to her feet then charges across the ring. She leaps into the air, kicks off the top rope and twists around into the springboard bulldog, FINALLY connecting.
Marie flips over to her back and Abigail scrambles into the cover, hooking a leg for the…..
1
The 2
And sadly for Abigail, there will be no three, because Marie manages to get a shoulder up at two and a half.
Dollar: Lindsey was looking for that springboard bulldog SEVERAL times throughout the course of this match but ultimately it still was not enough to finish off Jones.
Susie: Tranquilizers people….tranquilizers.
Pain shoots through Abi’s body, but she still manages to reach her feet….not only reach her feet but swoop in and apply a side headlock. Abigail then rushes at the ropes dragging Marie along and going for a second springboard bulldog only to be shoved off at the last second.
The result, Abigail flying through the air, landing on the middle rope and then springing off and twisting in mid-air before ultimately capping off the move with a roudhouse kick. The springboard roundhouse nails Jones to the face and puts her on her back with Abigail landing beside her….a little too winded to go for the pinfall.
Dollar: Another stunning counter from Abigail Lindsey as the action heats up.
Susie: And takes its toll on both of these athletes.
The fast pace continues as Abigail closes in on her opponent, snatches her around the skull and pulls her up into a front chancery. The determined Lindsey rushes at the turnbuckle and steps up it, reaching the top rope before having her arms swatted away from Marie’s neck. Abi ends up seated on the top rope, swinging her arms to keep from tumbling over the top rope.
Jones then reaches up to grab hold of her only to receive a boot to the jaw, sending her spiraling across the ring. Abigail then gathers herself and takes flight, soaring through the air into a cross-body that MISSES. Marie drops into a roll under the flying body of Abigail, allowing it to crash into the canvas.
The collision causes Abigail to flip over to her back reaching for her ribs and looking near comatose. And she wishes she was comatose so she wouldn’t have to feel the pain of the lionsault that connects across her stomach. Marie hits all the move before rolling AWAY from her opponent instead of towards her.
Dollar: The Divine Impact delivered but Marie hurting too much after that springboard roundhouse to make the cover.
The wills and endurance of both ladies are definitely being tested here tonight. Abigail and Marie have already put themselves through a lot thus far, hence why Lindsey has taken a wise roll to the outside in order to catch her breathe.
Marie is following, refusing to give Lindsey any further rest. She reaches through the ropes for Lindsey, who suddenly twists around and grabs Marie around the neck. Before Jones has time to react, she’s being pulled through the cables with her ankles draped over the bottom rope. Just then Abi drops back and DDTs her from the ring and skull first into the thin protective mats.
Dollar: OOOOH SHAT!?!
Susie: DDT from the ring and to the mats….good holey moley!
The DDT has bent Marie’s neck at a very awkward angle and has done significant damage to the brain…hence why she lies on her side in a near vegetative state….and she probably wishes she were in said vegetative state as she wouldn’t have to endure the suffrage of the next move by delivering by Lindsey. The official is already starting his ten count, reaching five as Abigail drags Jones to the edge of the ramp in a front chancery.
Abigail: Sorry sweety….nothing personal.
A snap suplex is now delivered on the steel ramp, driving Marie’s body against the steel with gruesome impact.
Dollar: And now a suplex on the ramp?
Susie: Not that I know Abigail on a personal level….but I was under the impression that she abhors violence.
Dollar: As I was led to believe as well…..so something is amiss here.
Referee Wright has now reached a count of seven, but Abigail isn’t in any rush to get back to the ring….in fact it actually looks like she has NO Intent of re-entering the squared circle. She’s too preoccupied pulling Marie to her feet and snapping her over into ANOTHER suplex on the steel.
Abigail: I really am sorry, Hon….
The ten count has been reached and the official has no other alternative at this point, turning and calling for the bell.
Dollar: A double count-out….seriously….all cause Abigail went mental?
Susie: But ummm….she looks pretty calm to me…..docile even.
Dollar: It’s almost like the count-out means absolutely nothing to her.
The brain splitting DDT coupled with the multiple suplexes on the steel leaves Marie looking crippled. She repeatedly reaches for her kidneys and bites her lower lip to keep from wailing in pain. And Abigail expresses neither delight or remorse regarding either the plight of her opponent or the count-out this evening. She looks towards the crowd shrugging her shoulders and twirling up the ramp towards the backstage area. Maxine follows behind, turning to glance back at the ailing Marie while shaking her head in disgusted fashion,
Abigail: Welp….what’s done is done….
She reaches down and grabs Marie’s hand, shaking it just before Jones can yank it free.
Abigail: Nice working with you, Babe. See ya around.
To the back jogs Abigail, rejoining Maxine as they leave a battered Jones and a confused crowd in her rearview mirrors.
Dollar: In spite of the count-out, Abigail has made an impression…..
Susie: Mission accomplished.
Dollar: Just not a particularly good impression.
Susie: She’s definitely an odd goose.
In spite of her aggravated neck and even further aggravated back, Marie manages to crawl across the mats and reach out for the steel steps, employing them to drag her brutalized body up and to a standing base. Even shouting hurts, but she still calls out to the ring announcer, Thomas Boll approaching with microphone extended.
Marie: So that’s how it’s going to be, huh?
Marie grinds her teeth as she reaches for her kidneys.
Marie: That was my punishment, right? For not being your tool, Frankie?
She falls down to her knees, legs losing their strength….yet even still she speaks
Marie: My back is killing me….My head is splitting from a migraine….and my toes are tingling from numbness, but I’m STILL on my feet, Frankie. And I’ll keep standing no matter what you throw at me….I will stand, and I will be the Word Champion.
The microphone drops from her palm while she ALMOST drops to her knees. Luckily she’s able to reach out and grab the bottom rope, keeping from collapsing to the mats.
Dollar: What a tough cookie.
Susie: I bet she’s oatmeal raisin.
Dollar: Erm….yeah…alrighty…..Anyway….Marie Jones just made a very deliberate statement to Frankie Paradise….Clearly she’s under the belief that he sent Abigail Lindsey out here to punish her….which makes sense.
Susie: Yeah, but Abigail doesn’t look like the type who responds well to marching orders.
Dollars: It should be interesting to follow up on this story.
Susie: I just wonder how much Marie can take.
Dollar: Someone we found out was quite endurable at Last Stand….was Rose Savior.
Susie: Yeah, she did look pretty cute.
Dollar: I said ENDURABLE not adorable. She shocked the world with her performance in the Last Stand Rumble….pulling out some noticeable highlights….
Susie: I hadn’t even noticed she had her hair done before the match.
Dollar: Please stop taking everything I say so literally….
LAST STAND
A freeze frame features Rose Savior seated on the steel steps with Katelyn Buehler kicking her over so that she lands across the mats on the back of her head and shoulders, feet elevated above her.
Dollar: Several times we thought that Rose was going to be eliminated from the Rumble, yet she consistently found some innovative ways to keep herself in the match.
Susie: Including in this sequence….
Rose’s legs are pushed by Buehler in an attempt to force them down to the mats and at last eliminate her from the Rumble. However, her legs land right on top of referee Ingelson’s shoulders as she does a headstand. She then walks across her palms with her feet elevated upon the shoulders of the official before at last reaching the steps, then the apron, and then the ring.
Susie: Where she used the referee to do a head-stand walk back into the ring and prevent elimination.
Dollar: It was just one of the many amazing moments we witnessed at Last Stand….And I haven’t even started to discuss my participation in the match….Which was THE highlight of the night.
Susie: I would say that’s a subjective view, Johnny D., but then I would have to look up the word subjective to see what it means.
EARLIER THIS WEEK
Christian: Ahhhh….how long has it been since we had a nice care-free night together.
Rose: Way too long.
Where has their ‘date night’ taken the Saviors’….to the local cinema-plex, where they are just cozying into their seats with a nice tub of artery clogging popcorn situated between them.
Christian: And being retired affords us a lot more opportunities just like these.
Rose: Erm….yeah.
She quickly fills her mouth with a handful of popcorn before she can say anything incriminating. Christian takes notice of her ‘jittery’ behavior but bites his tongue….well…actually his own palm of popcorn.
HAHAHAHAHA….AAAAHHH HAHAHAHAHA
Now Christian has taken notice of behavior that isn’t jittery, but absolutely obnoxious. The Saviors’ mirror one another’s expressions, eyebrows arched and lips turning down at the edges as the person seated before them creates an absolute scene.
HAHAHAHA….OHHHH GAWD….NO YOU DIDN’T!
As if his obnoxious laughter isn’t bad enough, the cigar smoke wafting through the air makes him even more of an intolerable annoyance.
Christian: What’s this jokers problem?
Rose: Relax Baby, don’t let it ruin the movie.
She tries her best to keep Christian calm….but it’s a far easier task said, than accomplished.
AAAAHHHH-HA-HA-HA….FUCKER IS CRAY-CRAY!
Christian: Okay, that’s enough….
Rose: Please don’t….
Christian: Hey PAL!
In spite of Rose’s pleas, Christian is just too aggravated to sit back and stay chilled. He lunges forward in his chair, reaches out and slaps the back of the seat in the row before him.
Christian: You’re kind of killing the ambience here…..and I dished out 13 bucks to see this piece of garbage…..Now kill the noise.
The figure in the chair before the agitated duo turns around, or more accurately is TURNED around by the individual holding Sparkles. Neither Christian nor Rose react fondly to the presence of the stogie holding puppet.
Christian: Are you kidding me?
Sparkles: Relax bud, this movie is pure shit anyways. Zack Efron has the emotional range of C3PO on Zoloft….and there are no tits whatsoever.
At least half the audience takes their leave, some responding to Sparkles’ unbearable personality, and others to the revelation that there will be no nudity.
Rose: What are you two doing here? I told you to leave us alone.
Sparkles: Sorry hotness….we had some follow up questions….
Greyson: WE!?!
At last Greyson, who was trying to go incognito, spins around and pulls back his hood to reveal his face.
Greyson: Don’t go incriminating me….I had absolutely NOTHING to do with this.
Sparkles: Would you stop bitching out, Greyson, and seriously, take that fucking hood off, you look like Pewee Herman at an X-Rated threater.
Christian: Why are you stalking us? We said our peace months ago, we’ve got nothing left to add.
Sparkles: Well home-skillet, the peeps want to know when they’re going to see more of Rose whoopin’ that Blacklist ass all over the hizzy!
Rose: Shooosh!
Christian: They saw the last of that back at Upping the Ante when she put Harrison out cold with the Black Rose….Now can we PLEASE get back to this horrible….HORRIBLE movie?
Sparkles: Upping the Ante? BOY, you’re totally out of the loop….
Christian: What you talkin bout, Sparkles?
Suddenly Rose’s excessively huge soda spills over and lands right on Christian’s lap.
Christian: What the hell!?!
As ice chips roll down his pants legs and soak his crotch, Christian leaps to his feet, reacting to the extreme cold introduced to his testicles.
Christian: Holy fuck that’s cold….Oh Jesus….
Rose: Hurry up and get to the bathroom before you get frost bite….Hurry….HURRY!
Christian doesn’t have to be told twice, scurrying up the isle and to the men’s room where he can presumably use the hand dryer to cleanse his saturated slacks. Once he’s out of range, Rose is free to unleash her wrath on the puppet. She grabs Sparkles around the neck and yanks him forward.
Rose: Did I not make myself clear the last time? I told you two to buzz off and stay the hell out of our lives.
Sparkles: No can do….
Rose: Why won’t you just leave us alone? I was fortunate enough that Christian had stopped watching the IWC, meaning he missed my participation in the Rumble…..but now you two are gonna ruin EVERYTHING….If he finds out I went back there and competed he’s going to be so pissed.
Sparkles: I can’t leave you be till you and Christian agree to come back to the IWC….
Rose: But….WHY?
Sparkles: Because after what that Russian chickadee did to me at Last Stand, it’s pretty damn obvious that Orlando and Tay just aren’t equipped to handle the Blacklist…You and Christian ARE. So you’ve got to come back, if for no other reason than to avenge Mika messing up my fro.
For a second and ONLY a second, Rose considers the proposition.
Rose: I’m sorry, but my performance at Last Stand was a one-time deal….
Sparkles: Sure it was….
If Sparkles could roll his eyes he probably would at this point.
Sparkles: The IWC needs your fine ass, and Christian’s mop top back in the ring dueling it out with the Blacklist….And you need the IWC, just as much as they need you.
Rose goes to respond but can’t find a rebuttal.
He sits alone backstage, at one end of a buffet table. His face seems rather blank, as per usual, at least the way it used to be. His long red hair cascades down his back, as he shoves a sandwich with way too much meat into his carnivorous maw. He chews loudly, and messily, getting a little bit of bread and meat on his chest. Seemingly deep in thought, he speaks through a mouthful. It’s a little muffled, as well as he’s spitting some out.
Robert: “They don’t believe ufff. They don’t believe meff-. They think of me like I’m some sort of speffial case, because I fffight for our cauffe. I can make perfect fenfe, and fffill…”
He swallows what he has in his mouth.
Robert: “Still, they believe me to be some sort of retard, a short-bus case…”
He throws the remainder of his sandwich on the ground.
Robert: “THEY STILL DO NOT BELIEVE!”
Robert stands up, and shoves all the food off the buffet table.
Robert: “THEY DO NOT BELIEVE ME!”
He winds up, and hits the table with his fist, breaking it in half, quite easily.
Robert: “Do you hear that, Mnooses?”
He starts laughing, much like Bob used to.
Robert: “Maybe it’s time for phase two.”
He punches the concrete wall, causing it to crack, slightly. His rather padded mitts seem almost unscathed.
Robert: “Destroy everyone in the IWC. Take what is MOST precious to them, and make it my own…”
He licks his lips, in excitement.
Robert: “The queen will be most pleased with her Lord for this one.”
He kicks some of the scraps of food underneath his feet, as he starts walking away.
Robert: “Take all the titles, and make them our own… SHOW THE ENTIRE WORLD THE POWER OF THE MNOOSE! “
He giggles again, like Bob, as he walks off into the distance.
JACKSON ADAMS VS BRANDY DANIELLE
The theme music for Jackson Adams is still blaring through the PA system even when he finds himself already in the ring, working his most valued body part, his mouth.
Jackson: MANHHHHAAAATAN!
Adrenaline is spiking thanks to one of the most controversial figures in the IWC, who doesn’t stand in the ring alone….for there is something else currently in the squared circle alongside him….a table slanted in the corner.
Dollar: We’re back live after that beyond weird Robert promo.
Susie: I fear for his opponents tonight. I’ve spent time with Robert….and now that I know his mission, I have to say all should be intimidated by this monstrous man.
Dollar: Something else we should be intimidated by is the fact that a table has been brought to the ring by Adams. A table that has played an instrumental role in his feud with the End Effect.
Susie: Really? That table must have underwent a lot of plastic surgery then.
The table remains slanted against the turnbuckle while Adams keeps on yapping.
Jackson: Jackson Adams is back in town, and he’s not riding alone….cause as you see, I’ve brought along a partner tonight that is even more wooden than Orlando Cruze’s personality.
Gestures are made towards the table.
Jackson: And for the first time in your life Brandy, you’re about to get wood without having to put a paper bag over your head first. Because I just got it signed, Jackson Adams ain’t just gonna woop on ya ass in a straight up match….naaaah, it’s gonna be Tables Are Legal!
Could the fans be any more excited? The answer….yep.
Jackson: I told you a few weeks ago that I thought you were special, Brandy, that you were different than the rest of the End Effect….Because you’re gonna get a whole different type of beating than the rest of the End Effect….You’re gonna get a SPECIAL ass-kicking personally delivered by Jackson Adams….and it’s gonna be your sacrifice that finally cracks Rain….
”Kick in the Teeth”…..
These lyrics catch Jackson’s tongue like a cat’s teeth.
Dollar: We just found out that Brandy and Adams about to go at in Tables Are Legal…..it adds a whole new wrinkle to what already promised to be a grueling grudge bout.
Susie: Rain went through the table a few weeks ago, Jackson went through the table on the last Riot!, who’s going through the table tonight?
Dollar: Somebody is getting some wood this evening.
Susie: Then I hope they have lubricant ready.
Rain and Brandy-Danielle arrive to a hailstorm of jeers from the crowd….a reaction that is outright ignored as Danielle comes barreling down the ramp. But like Adams she doesn’t slide into the ring alone….Rain entering right alongside her. The two take advantage of the lack of rules that a Tables Are Legal match permits, jumping Adams in tandem as opposed to one on one. Adams tries to cover up as fists fly into both sides of his body.
Dollar: Rain and Brandy all over Adams….The End Effect turning this into a handicap Tables Are Legal match.
Susie: If Adams, I don’t know, watched his mouth every once and a while, he probably wouldn’t be in this position.
Dollar: That’s like asking an elephant not to have a trunk, Susie.
Jackson tries to respond, but the onslaught is too much for him to overcome…the End Effect very fired up. The two grab Jacksons wrists and shoot him off across the ring in the direction of the table, already on the verge of throwing him through the wood. However, Adams at the last second steps up the table and then turns,, diving off into a crossbody onto both of his adversaries.
Dollar: Jackson narrowly avoiding going through the table!
Susie: A table that Jackson put Rain through about a month ago, when he revealed that he was playing the End Effect this whole time.
Dollar: All because he has zero tolerance for new-comers here in the IWC, even when they are past acquaintances.
Adams rolls off both of his opponents and continues to feed off the energy of the crowd. Rain is the first to his feet, but gets a big kick right to the chest, standing him up and staggering him back. Brandy then comes rushing in behind Adams, who side steps her and pushes her down shoulder first into Rain’s ribs. The collision knocks Rain spine first into the table, but neither he nor the woman stooped before him go through the table.
Adams then backs up before getting a running start for a big a splash to put both opponents through wood. But Rain and Brandy clear out ofhte way and open a path for Adams to go through the table…which doesn’t happen as Jackson reacts with near Spider-Man levels of agility. He reaches out and catches the table with both his hands and his feet, landing on top of it but not going through it.
He leaps off and twists into another crossbody, but Rain is the only individual he hits. And surprisingly Rain maintains his footing, keeping Adams stretched over his sternum. Brandy then approaches the table and pulls it down out of the turnbuckle, swinging it directly into Jackson’s kidneys. The table bounces off of Adams’ spine as he remains trapped and elevated across Rain’s chest. Brandy then pulls the table down into Jackson’s back again, and again.
She then puts the table back into position after flogging Adams with it, and gives Rain the perfect opportunity to power him through it. Rain pushes Adams up from his chest to his shoulders, and now looks prepared to put Jackson through the table with a Finley Roll. He charges towards the wood only to have Adams avoid disaster, sliding down his opponent’s back and landing right behind him. Rain is then shoved forward face first right into the table.
His skull bounces off and his body goes limp, leaning against the wood in a near comatose state. Brandy then rushes right at the man who put Rain in this predicament only to be caught against Jackson’s shoulders. Adams stands up and holds Brandy in position for the Finley Roll now, which will not only put her through the table, but Rain as well.
He rushes forward to spike her through the wood only to have Danielle slip off at the last second, land behind his back and shove him along right into Rain.
The masked End Effect member catches Adams by the leg and drop toe holds him face first into the surface of the table. His face bounces off the wooden surface and sends him staggering back, his legs buckling beneath him. His brain is rattled and now his body is giving out on him too, thanks in large part to Rain heaving him u onto his shoulders then flipping forward into the Finley Roll. Adams crashes across his back and Rain rolls along right to his feet with Brandy rushing right at her partner. Rain turns his back on Brandy, who uses his shoulders to leap frog his head and land with a double stomp right across Adams’ stomach.
Dollar: The End Effect number’s game too much for Adams at this point…but can they get him debilitated enough to put him through the table?
Susie: They’re working on it, but Adams is a stubborn as a wart….
Dollar: I’m sure you’re no stranger to warts, especially of the anal variety.
Despite that stubbornness, Rain and Brandy look to end this confrontation…..dragging the table out of the turnbuckle and situating it in the middle of the squared circle where it will undoubtedly conclude this war. Adams is then rolled onto the surface of the table by Rain, before Brandy climbs up and catches Adams around the neck. With Rain providing guidance, Adams’ head is pulled under Brandy’s seat and she is presently trapping his arms at his sides.
Susie: Anal warts or no anal warts, Adams is about to go through that table.
Dollar: Via the same package piledriver that Adams and Rain have used against one another these past few weeks. It was at the Rumble where Adams was dragged from the ring and put through the table by Rain to eliminate him.
Susie: Deja-vu.
Just when Brandy begins to exert all of her strength to heave Adams up and into the package piledriver, he suddenly stands up straight back dropping his adversary through the air. From a tremendous height Brandy comes crashing down right on top of Rain at ringside. The two hit the canvas, with Brandy sprawled across Rain’s sternum.
The elevated perch on the table is exploited by Adams, who turns his back on his adversary’s on the verge of delivering the moonsault across the bodies of his stacked up opponents.
Just then Brandy rushes to her feet and grabs Jackson’s ankle, rising his leg out from under him. As a result Adams comes plummeting down face first into the surface of the table, his head snapping back. The ensuing concussion and whiplash has Adams spiraling towards the center of the ring where Brandy takes advantage. She rushes into the ropes in front of Jackson, leaps the top cable to the apron and then springs to it before diving off into a big front dropkick.
The kick doesn’t send Adams to the canvas, but instead it causes him to suffer an even worse plight, twisting around into Rain’s clutches. He catches Jackson around the neck and snaps back into the Drowning Current, slamming Jackson’s face off the table surface.
Dollar: End Effect working in tandem to continue pulverizing Adams…..he just can’t overcome this tandem and their offensive barrage. They work so well as a team.
Susie: And it doesn’t help matters that Rain has gotten so much taller.
Dollar: It seems that Rain has been bulking up these past few weeks…I’ve noticed quite the size disparity since the night he was dumped on his head via the package piledriver a few weeks ago right here on Riot!
Susie: Probably getting himself into better shape to fight Adams.
The far more aggressive Rain approaches the ailing Adams and assists him to his feet before rolling him across the surface of the table. He then shouts at Brandy to crawl into the corner and go up top for a big splash.
Danielle does as instructed, proceeding towards the turnbuckle and then beginning to progress up it only to notice a particularly off putting image…..one that causes her whole body to go paralyzed. Her frozen predicament attributed to the sights filtering through the Cartel-tron.
Dollar: Now what?
Susie: I don’t even think God would want to know at this point.
Cameras and wrestlers have gathered around the back of a parked car, the trunk popped open and a figure having presumably fallen out of it.
Kyle: Did anyone see who was driving this lemon?
Kyle Black stoops over a bloodied individual who has been bound and gagged….and alarmingly that bloodied…that bound….that individual happens to be….RAIN!
Dollar: WHAT….THE…..HELL?
Brandy is asking herself the same question, her face contorted into her own mask….one of confusion. She slowly turns her heads towards the man standing in the ring behind her…..a man not bound….a man not bloodied….and an individual no longer masked. He pulls back on the garb hiding his face and reveals the smirking features of Axl Evermore.
Dollar: Its EVERMORE!
Susie: He was masquerading himself as Rain this whole time?
Dollar: Well this explains a lot….A LOT!
Susie: The End Effect put Evermore out of the IWC several weeks ago….this is revenge….bitter-sweet revenge.
Brandy grimaces and then rushes right at Evermore, who catches Danielle with a boot to the gut and then delivers the Fully Loaded Stunner. Danielle flies back after suffering the stunner and Evermore is charging back to his feet.
The second Axl stands up, he finds his back being given a congratulatory slap by Adams.
Jackson: Nice looking out bro.
With lightning fast speed Evermore reaches back, catches Adams around the head and drops to his seat, delivering a second Fully Loaded Stunner. Jackson’s jaw bounces off the shoulder and his body goes spiraling into the table, falling chest first across the table.
Dollar: Suspensions won’t keep Axl away….injuries won’t keep Axl away….what’s it gonna take to keep Axl away from an IWC telecast?
Susie: Evermore’s not going anywhere, any-time soon, and now he’s just got the drop on two of the individuals who put him on the shelf for so many weeks.
Axl rolls to the exterior of the ring after the damage has been done, leaving Adams and Brandy behind and wearing a grin of accomplishment on his face. But significant damage was not done on Brandy, at least not enough to keep her from rolling to the exterior of the ring and grabbing hold of a steel chair.
Dollar: As if the table isn’t enough, now Brandy’s got to bring a chair into play too?
Danielle rolls into the squared circle rather slowly and sluggishly…her body aching from the stunner coupled with the highly physical nature of this bout. It aggravates her body to do it, but she pushes herself up using the chair as a crutch. Her intense eyes then settle on Adams, who is still leaning with his cheek across the surface of the table.
The chair rises above her head and Brandy moves in, swinging the steel down at his cranium to potentially implode his skull. Though the weapon does not connect with Jackson’s skull, instead it slips right out of her palms. Brandy staggers forward and looks at her empty hands in disbelief. Her eyes then shift towards Tyson Galloway at ringside, with the chair in his hand and a menacing expression on his face. Arthur Cross is clapping at Galloway’s side, quite amused by his client’s actions.
Dollar: Tyson Galloway! That behemoth who debuted alongside his manager, Arthur Cross, has just taken that chair right out of Brandy’s hands!
Susie: Payback for the End Effect eliminating him from the Rumble.
Dollar: All of the End Effect’s chickens coming home to roost.
Brandy is beside herself with rage at the sight of Tyson and Arthur backing away from the ring with the chair in their possession. Danielle’s rage keeps her from spoting the individual who has snuck up behind her. She finally turns into a boot to the ribs before Adams hooks her arms, heaves her up and turns her into an Angel’s Wings that puts her right down through the table in the middle of the ring.
Dollar: Brandy through the table…she got put through the table!!
Susie: She got the wood!
The fans are beyond excited at the sight of Danielle going through the table as the bell chimes in the background. Adams rolls away from Brandy with a huge grin cutting across his exhausted and bruised face.
Dollar: Adams defeating Brandy Danielle tonight…..he’s vanquished yet another member of the End Effect.
Susie: After yet another stunning turn of events. First we found out that Axl was secretly masquerading himself as Rain….and had apparently abducted the REAL Rain….
Dollar: But not only that, Tyson Galloway also got some payback on the End Effect for eliminating him from the Rumble.
Susie: Cray-Cray all around people, total cray-cray!
The crowd is elated to say the least as Adams overcame the ‘apparent’ deficit he faces this evening and somehow summons the strength to celebrate his win.
It’s that feel good vibe, meaning it’s celebration time for the collective known as Unity, and the Cruze brethren. Taylor Chase has an arm over the shoulders of Yvonne, who is still busy scrubbing corn syrup off of her forehead, while Orlando is giving his brother a literal and figurative pat on the back. Obviously the four are in a congratulatory mood after they managed to successfully set-up the maniacal Aaron Harrison.
Taylor: Not to sound corny, but there’s nothing greater than a plan coming together.
Yvonne: Sure, YOU can say that, you’re not the one with corn syrup in your hair.
Shaun: And you’re not the ones who had to hang out with the Blacklist for months, and pretend to be turned on by Mika Kozlov. Talk about GROSS.
Taylor: Would you two stop belly-aching. Your sacrifices were so worth it.
Orlando: Watching Harrison take the tumble into the grave….feeling that Kendo-Stick cracking off of his skull…..It’s probably not going to win me any points with the Board of Directors, but damn if it didn’t feel good.
Confesses Cruze as he falls onto his seat across the desk. Taylor makes herself comfortable, snuggling up beside him and caressing his back with her palm.
Taylor: Well, if things keep going our way, you won’t have to ever worry about the Board again after NewAge. And you can finally start running this company the way it SHOULD be run. Without the Frankie Paradise’s….without the angry Lollipop Guild….and without the Blacklist.
Orlando: What a nice wedding present it would be to have full ownership of the company….and to have my brother back at my side.
Shaun: Awww…..does someone have a Kleenex?
Orlando: Alright….alright….excuse me for going all Hallmark channel on you.
The amused Shaun reaches out and slaps rather than caresses his brother’s back, as the alternative would probably be quite awkward.
Taylor: You two are so sweet I’m about to catch diabetes.
Yvonne: Something tells me that Mika and you aren’t going to be patting each other on the backs tonight and going all Lifetime movie of the week.
Taylor: No, it’s going to be more like a Dario Argento flick when the two of us get together.
Orlando: Good timing, Ivy, we actually need to start discussing that match.
Shaun: Yeah, because we all know the Blacklist is going to be in retaliation mode.
Yvonne: And word through the grapevine is that Frankie has let Mika name her own special referee for the match.
A unanimous groan and simultaneous face-palm is collectively shared.
Taylor: Why didn’t I take out Frankie when the opportunity presented itself?
Yvonne: And people accuse me of having too big a heart.
Shaun: Relax Tay….we all know that Mika’s gonna name Lukas Montgomery as the ref….and knowing is half the battle.
Orlando: Yeah, we’ll nip that in the bud….
Taylor: Good, don’t want there to be anything coming between Mika and I.
Orlando: And nothing will…..
Brooklyn: Excuse me, Orlando…
The four were in so deep in consultation that they hadn’t even noticed Brooklyn Smith tentatively entering the office, lingering in the doorway and waiting to be addressed.
Orlando: Brook….how can I help you?
Brooklyn: Ummmm….hi everyone.
Orlando: Hey Brook, been meaning to talk to you actually.
Brooklyn: Oh?
Orlando: Yeah, I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about the release of your friend, Ashley.
Taylor: How many times are you going to keep apologizing for what happened to my baby sister?
The back of her knuckles caress Orlando’s cheek.
Taylor: It was the Board that released Ashley, you had nothing to do with it.
Orlando: Well….the Board AND Frankie Paradise.
Taylor: Pardon?
Orlando: All that money Frankie spent on signing Lucas Knight had to come from somewhere. Hence why he got the Board to terminate Ashley’s AND Nathan’s contracts.
Taylor: I see….If only I had access to a Delorian so I could travel back in time and give Frankie’s mom a TKO right to her womb.
Brooklyn: I can’t think about Ash right now….
Confesses Brooklyn, who insists upon Orlando’s attention.
Brooklyn: I know you’re busy right now, but Gary is having an absolute freak out….
Taylor: What a surprise.
Brooklyn: And the only thing that’s gonna calm him down is meeting with you, Boss-Man.
Orlando: Little old me?
Brooklyn: Yes, little old you.
Smith wishes she could be as jovial as Orlando and the rest of the lot amassed in the office, but unfortunately, her night hasn’t gone nearly as well as their own.
Orlando: I guess I better handle this then.
As much as it pains him to do it, he leaves his comfort zone, trading being nestled up beside Tay, to conflict with the unstable Gary Matt.
Brooklyn: Thank you so much, Orlando.
Smith leads the way, Orlando following closely behind as the pair vacate the office. Now it’s just Yvonne and Shaun uncomfortably staring across the room at one another, with Taylor seated off to the side.
Taylor: AWWWWKWWWAARD.
The crowd is all abuzz when cameras return to find Marcus Mayfield and Kathryn Pearson occupying the backstage corridor in conversation.
Kathryn: So how is the shoulder feeling?
He swings his arm out to his side a few times and grimaces from the stiffness in his shoulder
Marcus: Wasn’t the first time my shoulder got bashed against a ringpost….won’t be the last.
Kathryn: If it’s any consolation to you, you’d probably make the world’s sexiest gimp.
Marcus: Thanks Love….I think.
Kathryn: I’m just, ya know, sorry and all, for getting you in the middle of all this crap with Lukas.
Marcus: I’m not one easily scared off by odd fellows like this Mr. Montgomery, chap.
Kathryn: I’m….happy to hear that.
Why must she feel so horribly awkward around Marcus? Why is it that things just don’t come naturally for her when in the company of Mayfield? Why does she have to overthink everything?
Kathryn: I’ll deal with Lukas though….
<PMarcus: Don’t give this scoundrel the time of day.
Kathryn: I don’t want anyone fighting my battles for me.
Marcus: But Dear….
A strand of her hair is taken and pulled back behind her ear by Marcus.
Marcus: This is one battle I wouldn’t mind fighting on another’s behalf.
Just as Kathryn prepares to swoon….yes…SWOON….that warmth in her heart is trumped by gut wrenching hostility.
Alana: Hey, Kate.
It aggravates Pearson to no ends to have to turn away from Marcus, especially when it brings her face to face with Alana Starr, the very woman responsible for Dawn Lohan’s tumble down the stairs at Last Stand.
Kathryn: Ohhhh-ho-ho, you’ve got some nerve.
Alana: Hey….take the tone out of your voice.
Kathryn: Bitch….the last thing you need to worry about is my tone.
Starr would have to be blind not to notice the clinched fists rising at Pearson’s sides.
Alana: Listen, I KNOOOOW your upset with me after Last Stand….pero you shouldn’t be blaming ME for what happened to Dawn….We both know who’s truly at fault.
Kathryn lets her talk out of sheer morbid curiosity, but nothing is going to spare her from the beating eventually coming her way.
Alana: You know the aggravation that is Brittany Lohan. You’ve had to deal with that chica loca for months, and she’s managed to avoid having that singles match against you that you’ve been requesting forever. So if anyone should know where I’m coming from, it’s you.
Kathryn DOES understand Alana’s aggravations.
Kathryn: Yeah, Brittany has a way of driving you cray-cray, but I’ve never let it get to me to the point where I lash out at innocent people and knock them down flights of stairs.
Alana: Dawn isn’t exactly innocent, by any stretch of the imagination. You’re cracked if you think she didn’t know Brittany was waiting to attack me and cost me the Rumble match… She knew….and she let it happen.
Kathryn: Do you even listen to yourself anymore? Your bubble-butt boyfriend was right about you, you’ve totally gone off the reservation.
Alana: Nah Chica, for the first time in my life I’m thinking clearly. I’m not the same naïve little girl that got jumped by that perra in the parking lot.
Kathryn: Good, because I might feel bad about kicking the shit out of a little girl….which is what I’m gonna do at NewAge.
Alana: Pfft…. Your just another piece of the machine keeping me from getting my hands on Lohan.
Kathryn shakes her head, and the smile on her face is anything but sincere.
Kathryn: You don’t need to fret about the Blue Eyed Bitch…the only reason your still standing here talking like some Oliver Stone conspiracy nut, is because I’m waiting till next week to get my revenge for Dawn.
Alana: You think I should worry about you?
Alana’s smile is totally sincere.
Alana: You are nothing to me….nothing but another roadblock….a simple minded chica who lets the system manipulate her. Who still thinks she can get what she wants through playing by the rules and doing everything right. I’ve gone down that road, and I still have nothing to show for all my time and patience. You need to wake up idiota, you need to stop being a little girl and grow up…..
Kathryn: And what’s that supposed to mean?
Alana: That you have to be as ruthless as Lohan to get what you want.
Chase: That’s right, Kate…..
As if Alana wasn’t an intolerable sight enough, now Adam Chase steps into Pearson’s view, throwing an arm across Starr’s shoulders.
Chase: And you need to surround yourselves with people who are not hindered by a need to do what’s on the up and up. You need people who are willing to do whatever is required of them to get the job done. That’s why Alana has signed on to become a member of the Chase Wresting Collective….and in a few short weeks, it won’t be the only thing she signs….
Alana smirks, knowing precisely what Adam is referencing.
Chase: I’m writing up a contract that is going to guarantee Alana the match she’s been asking for since the very day she set foot in this company. She’s not going to be like you, Kat, she’s not gonna wait around endlessly for a match against Brittany, hoping that guys like Frankie Paradise pull their heads out of their own assholes and finally give in to her demands. Alana IS going to have her match against Brittany, and it’ll happen at any cost.
The agent turns from Kathryn to the still grinning Alana.
Chase: We’ve still got some business particulars to discuss, Lovely.
Alana: Fine with me….as long as it gets me one step closer to facing Brittany.
The two walk along together, arm in arm. It’s a truly repugnant sight for Kathryn to endure, but at least it’s an image she can remove from her mind after she collides with Starr on NewAge.
Marcus: Everything okay?
Kathryn eagerly spins back to the object of her affections.
Kathryn: It will be….next week.
Marcus: Want to join me for a coffee.
Kathryn: Why I’d be delighted, Sir….
Now they’re arm in arm, no matter how much it pains Mayfield’s injured shoulder.
Kathryn: Just make sure mine has A LOT of cream, and A LOT of sugar.
Cameras are back and rolling, centered upon the man who has chewed up entirely too much screen time already, and now he continues to treat the airtime like it were his own personal all you can eat buffet.
Dollar: And we’re back with Frankie Paradise in the ring AGAIN!
Susie: He is a stubborn one isn’t he?
Dollar: The man is absolutely bound and determined to give the recently signed Lucas Knight the biggest of introductions.
Susie: He’s tried twice already tonight….maybe the third time will be the charm.
Dollar: He had the same trouble at Last Stand.
It’s pretty apparent that Frankie is BEYOND aggravated at this point as he once again juggles the introduction of Knight along with the stroking of the Board’s ego, microphone in one hand, and phone in the other.
Frankie: I don’t care what you guys tell me, I know you wouldn’t be calling this meeting unless my job were in jeopardy.
Lips turn to the microphone.
Frankie: Alright, now that we’re through with ALL the interruptions, now that the roster has gotten it out of their systems, it’s time for me to bring to you….
The phone becomes his focal point.
Frankie: You can’t trust Orlando….the guy is unstable…he’s unhinged…he’s loser than Paris Hilton’s…..
Back to the mic.
Frankie: A man of renown….a man of pure awesomenicity….a man who defies adjectives….
Back to the phone.
Frankie: If this has anything to do with certain wrestlers who I FORCED out of the ring for their own good….then I’m more than willing to be a flexible as Cassidy Haze when she….
Back to the crowd.
Frankie: He’s got moves that make your grandmothers groove. He’s got you weak in your knees like a nudie mag full of sleaze….
Back to the Board.
Frankie: So you see….I’m capable of compromise….Orlando isn’t. He should be the only one fighting to keep his job…..not this sexy beast….Not the only person in this entire company who’s been capable of controlling so many unstable elements…..
Back to the crowd.
Frankie: So the time is here…the time is now….here he is…the man responsible for your kids not getting that retainer or new sneakers cause you spent that cash to see him here live tonight….he is….
Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer plays through the speakers and leads to a reaction that is ear drum popping, lung bursting, and heart rate quickening. But in Paradise’s case, it all but stops his heart cold. Though one cannot hear his words, they can read his lips.
Frankie: Ooooh shit.
The fans are beyond hyped at the arrival of not only Leeland Gaunt, but the masked behemoth who towers behind him….the NEW number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship….the man who overcame a litany of game athletes, returning legends, and inanimate challengers, to emerge from the Rumble with the coveted opportunity to face Taylor Chase in the main event at Invictus. Legion and Leeland move down the ramp paying not the least attention to these explosive roars from the crowd.
Dollar: First it was the Blacklist…then it was the Coalition…and now the Black Crusade cuts off Frankie Paradise right in the middle of his announcement.
Susie: Are we EVER going to get to see Lucas Knight tonight?
Dollar: Who cares at this rate….We’ve got the man….and I use that term loosely to describe Legion….who won the Rumble and will now move on to face Taylor Chase for the title at Invictus.
Susie: In one of the most hotly anticipated matches I can remember in a LOOONG time.
It doesn’t take long for the conjurer and the creature his iniquitous powers have summoned to step into the ring. While Gaunt slides through the ropes, Legion steps over them with ease. This is followed by the two methodically approaching Paradise, who is all but too eager to relinquish the microphone at this point.
Mr. Gaunt: Wise decision, Mr. Paradise.
Mr. Gaunt says this after taking the microphone offered to him.
Mr. Gaunt: And if you wish to continue dazzling us with your intellect, you’ll take your leave this instant…
Frankie: Seriously? I can just go?
Mr. Gaunt: Indeed….we have no requests to make of you, Mr. Paradise, as we have everything we need.
Frankie doesn’t have to be told twice….eagerly departing the ring before he can get the same treatment from Legion that he’s dished out on Desmond Drake. Mr. Gaunt steps to the center of the ring and addresses the crowd who hang upon every syllable uttered.
Mr. Gaunt: Now that we’ve removed that irritation, our attention shifts to an individual who is truly of merit….and that individual may proudly hold the World Heavyweight Championship, but none amongst this roster our PROUD to have her as said World Heavyweight Champion. Taylor Chase….
Her name elicits quite the reaction, in spite of Mr. Gaunt’s attempts to degrade it.
Mr. Gaunt: Several weeks ago you called upon the embodiment of nightmares….the personification of fright….to join in a battle for the salvation of IWC’s soul….So it is no doubt ironic then that the one true method of saving this company, is by removing you as the holder of the Championship you have so shamefully exploited to get your face on the screen every ten to twenty seconds.
This statement is meant with mixed reactions…the more ardent of Taylor’s supporters rallying behind their champion.
Mr. Gaunt: Legion sees the Championship as more than just a trinket for TRENDING purposes. His desires extend beyond capturing the title merely for fame and shameful recognition. He does not need nor hunger for the spotlight. He is not compelled by the selfish needs for validation harbored by mortal men and women…..Legion transcends DESIRE, he is beyond NEED….he is past GLORIFICATION….Legion is driven by a purpose individuals such as Taylor Chase could never hope to understand. His crusade would even be difficult for the vast majority of those seated in the Manhattan Center, and on sofas around the world, to wrap their minds around. For his crusade is rather unorthodox, it is ‘taboo.’ He is urged to win the World Heavyweight Championship, on the basis that it would mean removing YOU, Mrs. Chase, as the Champion. A feat that would guarantee the establishment of a NEW BREED of champion. An accomplishment that would not service Legion’s ego, but instead provide this company what it has thus far lacked…a champion detached from emotion….far removed from ego….and willing to represent not themselves….but TRULY represent this company.
There a bit more cheers now from the more resistant fans.
Mr. Gaunt: All we’ve seen from Mrs. Chase since the very day she established herself as World Champion, is melodrama. Her familial issues have taken precedence over building the allure of the title. We can no longer tolerate the subjugation of the championship merely so Mrs. Chase can resolve her issues with adoptive sisters. The World Heavyweight Title should at all times be the flagship in which this company is built around, and under Legion’s reign, that is precisely what it shall be. After Invictus, we will no longer see title defenses based around not elevating the prestige of the championship, but resolving family dilemmas we have no interest in. The drama will end, and this company will finally begin to be seen as a WRESTING organization once again.
The silent Legion nods….only once…approvingly.
Mr. Gaunt: But what makes us so confident that Legion will dispel the notion that Taylor Chase has ever been deserving of holding the World Heavyweight Title? It has nothing to do with Chase’s sheer size disadvantage? Nor does our confidence stem from Taylor’s inadequate wrestling abilities when compared to Legion. Do we plan on taking the predictable route to this title match with Taylor, whereby we make many attempts to ‘soften’ her up, and debilitate her before our bout and give Legion an unfair advantage? No, for Legion already HAS all the advantages he’ll ever need to become Champion. And besides, we wish for there to be no mistaking Legion’s credibility as Champion, so as thus, we will ensure that Taylor goes into Invictus without so much as a blemish or a split end.
The crowd goes to cheer before pausing once they realize what has just been decreed….that Legion will presumably be watching Taylor’s back up until Invictus to ensure he gets her as fresh and capable as possible.
Mr. Gaunt: My confidence in Legion is derived from the fact that he is a MONSTER….and Mrs. Chase….is NOT. And monsters are not vanquished by socialites. To date, Mrs. Chase has only stood in opposition against individuals who masquerade themselves as monsters….those who believe glittery vampires with teenage angst are the true measuring sticks in which all other nocturnal terrors are to be compared. Legion is not one who prescribes to teenage angst, nor vampires who look as if they’ve just detected the aroma of diarrhea laden undershorts. No…..he is the first and only monster Taylor Chase has ever faced, and he will be the last.
The bold statements of Mr. Gaunt are interrupted the moment that Katelyn Buehler comes sliding into the ring. Almost immediately the hand cast wearing Katelyn expresses remorse for her untimely interruption.
Susie: Why is Katie-Boo out here?
Dollar: Give her time, and I’m sure we’ll get our explanation.
Susie: I’ll give her time….don’t know about Legion and Mr. Gaunt…but I’ll hear her out.
Dollar: It takes a lot of courage on Buehler’s part to interrupt the Black Crusade’s victory speech.
A microphone is requested by Buehler and its one request the IWC staff can fulfill.
Katelyn: Mr. Gaunt, I am so sorry to do this….
Mr. Gaunt: No need for apologies, I was through with my dissertation on Mrs. Chase and was merely going to wrap up with dissection of Legion’s performance in the Rumble.
Katelyn: That’s actually what I’m out here to discuss with you…with the both of you.
Mr. Gaunt: By all means, Dear…
Katelyn finds it difficult….
Mr. Gaunt: Show no restraint, Mrs. Buehler….there are no needs for filters between us.
Katelyn: You guys know that I have all the respect in the world for you….It’s like I said at Last Stand, you two changed my life. You opened my eyes and made me take a long hard look at myself, and for the first time in my life I didn’t like what I saw. You inspired me to be a better person, and to be a better athlete, to clean up my act and bust my ass to be a World Champion. But that opportunity was robbed from me by a couple of people you’re no stranger to.
Mr. Gaunt: Yes, we are quite familiar with the Frost family and all those brainwashed by their hypocrisy.
Katelyn: So you should know that I wasn’t eliminated from the Rumble….That THIS….
Her cast covered hand is raised.
Katelyn: Is why I’m not standing out here right now giving my own victory speech….no offense.
Mr. Gaunt: None taken.
Katelyn: If it weren’t for the EMTs forcing me out of that Rumble after my hand was assaulted repeatedly by the Coalition, I would be moving on to have my redemption against Taylor Chase at Invictus…..But….maybe you two can still help me accomplish that goal.
Mr. Gaunt: Oh?
Katelyn: I know what it would be asking of the two of you….but if you wouldn’t mind allowing me to participate in the main event…..
Whitman: Mr. Gaunt…Mr. Legion….thank heavens I’ve found you.
Now it’s Buehler who feels the outrage of being interrupted by another. Her pitch is cut off by another. The far more urgent Whitman slides into the ring, but nowhere near in the proximity of either Mr. Gaunt or Legion. The two look on with craned necks.
Whitman: Please accept my apologies….I realize my timing is yet again quite poor….but unfortunately I’m fit to be tied. I’m here to humbly request that the match between myself and Legion be either postponed or all together cancelled. I am neither in any shape, nor prepared for a bout with the No Holds Barred Champion. Besides, all together this match makes little in the way of sense. Did I not demonstrate my valor by standing along with Legion and the esteemed Mrs. Buehler to battle the Blacklist?
Buehler: Excuse me….Whitman!
Katelyn only gave Whitman a few seconds to address Legion and Mr. Gaunt, but even that was too long….patience failing the test.
Buehler: Nobody wants to see you standing out here pissing yourself….but everyone wants to hear Mr. Gaunt weigh in on a potential Katelyn Buehler World Title opportunity….A title opportunity the whole world knows I was screwed out of….
Whitman: Pardon my vulgarity….but as I understand it, you are no stranger to being ‘screwed.’
Buehler: Excuse me?
Whitman: I SAID pardon my vulgarity.
Buehler: Well in that case, please pardon my boot going up your ass.
Just as Buehler and Whitman find themselves on the cusp of battle, Mr. Gaunt assumes the role of moderator.
Mr. Gaunt: Mr. Whitman….Mrs. Buehler….I implore you both to remain calm and allow Legion and I the opportunity to respond to your….
STATIC
The Cartel-tron brightens only to bring us images of darkness….The scenes unfold from the shadowy den inhabited by the man presently seated on a throne with his leg hanging over the arm….Ba’al….And the lady seated on the opposite arm of the antiquated chair, with HER hands draped over Ba’al’s shoulders….Rachel Foxx.
Ba’al: What a familiar sight here in the IWC? A ring filled with disillusioned masses.
Rachel: Cowards, sluts and over-opinionated windbags….OH MY.
Ba’al: We’re growing bored with the ‘antics’ of your sinful minds, and can no longer tolerate your inane babble. All of this talk of future matches, be it main events tonight or at Invictus, is irrelevant, as the three of you will not make it to see these bouts unfold.
Rachel: There will be no Legion versus Taylor Chase at Invictus.
Ba’al: Nor will there be any Legion versus Whitman tonight.
Rachel: And Kate…really…you never had a chance of main eventing Invictus anyway.
Ba’al: Especially not now.
The house lights rise to reveal the trio gathered around the ring….the masked Executioner, the masked Jessica Wilde, and the masked Jacob Laymon.
Dollar: Well this probably isn’t gonna be good.
Susie: Probably?
Violence appears to be the only solution at this point as the standoff between these minions and the four athletes within the ring persists.
Ba’al: Taylor Chase will face a monster at Invictus for the World Heavyweight Championship, and that monster will be the Crowned Prince of Sin….
Just as the grin stretches across Ba’al’s face….
STATIC.
An intimidated Whitman spins in circles, observing the six callous eyes watching his every movement and gesticulation. Katelyn has her cast raised at the ready, prepared to inflict damage on the first thing that moves, and Legion, he just watches with the same stoicism one is accustomed to.
Mr. Gaunt: Why I believe an opportunity has just presented itself for us ALL to ameliorate our goals.
Obviously Whitman and Katelyn are not following the bouncing ball.
Mr. Gaunt: Mrs. Buehler, you wish to prove to Legion that you’re deserving of HIS title opportunity at Invictus? Mr. Whitman, you want Legion to see you as a man of distinction and note rather than a spineless wretch punishable for his cowardice? Then I suggest a change in plans this evening. I believe a six person tag team match is not out of the realm of possibilities.
Dollar: Oh no….what is Gaunt suggesting here?
Susie: Come on…even I can figure this one out, and yet I still consider Mom and Dad Save the World as high art in cinema.
Mr. Gaunt: Legion, Mrs. Buehler, and Mr. Whitman, set aside childish and petty differences, and allow us to work as one to remove this pestilence once and for all.
LEGION & BUEHLER & WHITMAN VS. LAYMON & EXECUTIONER & WILDE
Before an answer can even be given by either Buehler or Whitman, Mr. Gaunt is taking his exit and referee Fitzpatrick is making his entrance. Though Whitman would normally take this chance to flee, he finds all avenues of escape cut off by the three masked fiends climbing to the apron. The bell chimes and this six person tag is instantly underway. Predictably Executioner and Legion, the two biggest men in this match are in the process of delivering punches and chops, while Jessica and Katelyn are exchanging strikes, and Whitman is feebly covering up against the barrage of blows delivered by Laymon.
Dollar: And apparently it’s official rather all parties involved are willing or not. We’ve got Buehler, Whitman and Legion against the three individuals Ba’al transformed into his hellish beings. His Pestilence.
A kick is now delivered to Whitman’s ribs, knocking him back against one of the turnbuckles. At the same time Buehler ducks a lariat attempt by Wilde that sends her spinning into a boot across the jaw. The shot staggers Jessica back into the ropes, falling against them. And now Executioner has grabbed Legion by the throat, obviously intent on delivering the chokeslam.
Legion counters with ease, delivering an elbow to the forearm of his adversary and breaking the grip on his larynx. He then delivers a vicious left handed chop that sends Executioner twisting towards Buehler, who flies off a nearby turnbuckle into a Lou Thez Press. She ends up on top of the laid out heavy, delivering rapid fire punches with her left hand.
Laymon turns around at this point and spots Legion’s back exposed to him, rushing in and delivering a forearm between his shoulder blades. Legion staggers forward and ALMOST loses his footing, collapsing into the ropes and wrapping himself around the top one.
Jacob then comes rushing in only to have Legion throw him up into the air and deliver the Guiding Hand. The shot from Legion’s gauntleted fist has Jacob staggered, yet not going down….instead he turns with a stumble towards Whitman, who comes flying out of a corner….from the bottom rope, with a bionic elbow.
The move hits its target, drilling the top of Laymon’s head and dropping him to the canvas. He then goes rolling across the ring and spilling beneath the ropes.
Dollar: These three really need to regroup.
Suise: Pretty sure they didn’t think Whitman, Legion and Buehler would be working together like this.
Dollar: Yeah, when they showed up Buehler and Whitman were about to beat the tar out of one another.
Susie: If they ate more fruits and vegetables they’d probably have less tar in their bodies.
Buehler finally breaks away from Executioner just as Legion and Whitman vacate the ring, now occupying their team’s corner. Jessica and Laymon crawl into their corner as well, this match finally establishing some stability. Though said stability might be moot if Katelyn gets her own way, slapping her cast covered hand several times in anticipation of unleashing the KTFO.
Executioner drags himself up the ropes and has trouble planting his feet just as Buehler spins around into the roaring elbow. But the masked goliath manages to get a big boot up right into the inbound wrist of his adversary. A grimacing Buehler turns away from the gigantically proportioned former head of security and doubles over her already badly damaged wrist. She then turns back towards Executioner, who rushes in and takes her down with a shoulder block.
With Buehler down, Executioner steps over and into the turnbuckle, scaling to the middle rope and springing off into a vader bomb. However, Buehler manages to get her feet up and causes the masked giant to come down chin first into her elevated boots.
The hoss stumbles back, swinging his arms to remain upright while Buehler rolls away from him and slaps the thigh of Whitman, tagging him into the confrontation. Clarence looks like he just swallowed a chicken whole, asphyxiating on his fear. At first he refuses to budge from the corner but at last moves after making eye contact with Legion.
He enters the ring and with clinched fists turns towards Executioner, who suddenly reacts like he has a spring in his back…..standing up straight with menacing eyes burning a hole into Whitman’s soul. The moment they make eye contact, Whitman turns and tags out to Legion, before taking his leave. The N.H.B Champion sighs and Mr. Gaunt face-palms at ringside.
Dollar: Every time we think that Whitman has grown as a human being and developed a back-bone he reverts to his same old cowardly ways.
Whitman begins to explain things to Mr. Gaunt, citing that he is suffering swimmer’s ear at the moment and that his mother told him it could throw off his equilibrium. Gaunt seems a tad annoyed to hear Whitman once again bringing up his mother.
Legion’s only aggravation at the moment is Executioner, who dashes in and tries to cut him off before he can enter the ring. A nice open hand palm strike to the cheek thwarts that attempt, and sends Executioner twisting to the center of the ring. Legion then throws a leg over the ropes just as Executioner dives in and delivers a dropkick to the big man’s knee.
The shot drops Legion, sending him rolling to the middle of the ring grabbing at his damaged limb. In the process of Legion’s rare display of pain, Executioner is making his way towards Laymon, tagging him into the match. Jacob and his former bodyguard/head of security step to both sides of Legion’s leg, taking him around the ankle and heaving it high into the air. They simultaneously push down on the leg, slamming his knee gruesomely against the canvas.
Legion flops to his back and reaches out for his leg that is taken by Executioner and stretched straight out so that Laymon can dive into the crease of the knee with a shoulder block.
Dollar: Executioner and Laymon, two men who used to be nothing more than Legion’s punching bags have now turned up the intensity.
Susie: They’re definitely not the same two guys who consistently got their asses handed to them by the Black Crusade.
Dollar: And the Black Crusade is partially responsible for making these two, AND Jessica Wilde into the soulless individuals we now see them as today.
Executioner stretches out the leg out over the canvas and sits down on the ankle so that Legion can’t pull it back….not in time to prevent the running back first splash delivered by Laymon right across the knee. The N.H.B Champion rolls to his stomach grabbing at his leg that is finally released by Executioner, who at last takes his leave.
Stomp after stomp is then delivered by Laymon, connecting with the knee-cap and creating quite the aggravation. He now lifts Legion’s leg, tucks it under his armpit and drops back into a DDT on the leg.
The slam results in a groan from Legion, who instantly sits up, reaches out and digs his fingers right down Laymon’s and into his throat. Legion pushes himself up into a crab walk posture and eventually up to his feet, delivering a mandible claw variation that has Jacob gasping for air.
Dollar: Nothing anyone does can keep Legion down.
Susie: You heard what Mr. Gaunt said about him….he’s a monster, and without the aid of silver bullets, how do you intent to keep a monster down?
Just as pigment presumably fades from the skin of the masked Laymon, intervention comes in the form of a running dropkick by Wilde to the back of the knee. Legion tears his hand away from Laymon’s throat and turns away from the past GM, leaning down and clasping at his knee cap.
Jacob then steps in and delivers a kick right on point to the back of the leg. Legion limps across the canvas, growing more than a little flustered with this offensive barrage directed at his knee.
This aggravation is furthered by the running kick delivered to the crease of Legion’s knee, further stumbling the number one contender.
Dollar: Legion perhaps a little worn still after that grueling yet PHENOMENAL performance at Last Stand.
Susie: Yeah, pretty much the whole roster teamed up on him from the onset right up to the conclusion.
It takes some doing but Legion manages to straighten himself out just as Laymon comes rushing in from behind. Rushing right into a shuffle side kick that has Jacob’s head almost doing a complete 180 degree turn. Laymon spirals through the air and collapses to his back while Legion doubles over his knee, palming his damaged limb.
Just then Executioner rushes towards Legion, trying to catch him while his shield is lowered. But the number one contender manages to catch him coming in against his shoulders, heaving him up into position for the Alabama Slam. He then yanks down on the back of Executioner’s calves and flips completely over into a modified Alabama Slam. Executioner slams across his back with Legion landing on top of him, hooking the creases of the legs.
1
In rushes Jessica to break up the pinfall attempt, lunging into the air and coming down with a knee aimed at Legion’s face. Just then the number one contender rolls out of the way and as a result Wilde’s knee comes down right into Executioner’s crotch.
Dollar: Back fire!
Susie: It’s probably going to feel like Executioner is pissing fire.
Legion rolls across the canvas just as Wilde comes charging in only to receive a stiff uppercut from her kneeling target. The blow sends Wilde flying back across the ring and reeling from the blow. Just as Legion prepares to proceed with his dominance, a tag is made to his shoulder.
Katelyn enters the ring and races across it towards the legal man, being Laymon. A forearm drills him to the cheek, followed by another, and then a third. Buehler then takes him by the wrist and whips him across the ring into the turnbuckle before preparing herself for a big move. However, her focus is derailed by the attempted spinning heel kick by Wilde, one she manages to duck at the last second.
The momentum of the missed kick sends Wilde twisting into the ropes and falling against them. As Katelyn is about to inflict some punishment on Wilde, in rushes Executioner with a lariat that Katelyn manages to roll under. As a result the tree trunk thick limb of Executioner nails Jessica in the throat and sends her flipping over the cables to the outside.
Buehler then lunges into the air and dropkicks Executioner between the shoulder blades, flipping him to the exterior of the squared circle. The incredibly fast and fired up Katelyn at last sets her sight on her original target, rushing at Laymon who is still ailing in the corner. She leaps into the air only to have Jacob reach out and catch her across the chest then power her down to the ring with a standing STO.
The slam leaves Buehler in pretty poor shape, her back left in spasms. The injury is on further exacerbated by Laymon, who scoops her up onto his shoulder, heaves her into the air and then drops back, delivering a back suplex that slams Buehler down onto the turnbuckle.
Dollar: Katelyn came into this match with pure intensity…..but Laymon at last finding a way to shut her down.
Jacob grabs Buehler by the hair, pulling her along to her feet, grabbing her wrist and whipping her across the ring. Just then Executioner launches a boot over the ropes from the apron and drills Katelyn right to the forehead, putting her on her back. Then Wilde slides into the ring, grabs Buehler’s legs, lifts them up and traps them under her armpits and falls back, catapulting her across the ring face first into the turnbuckle.
Buehler does not instantly collapse out of the corner and instead remains wedged against it, working out perfectly for Laymon, who takes advantage. A big running spear connects with Katelyn’s lower back, inflicting punishment on the kidney region he had previously targeted. He then wraps an arm around Buehler’s neck, wedges her forehead against the top rope and grinds it across as he pulls her along the ring.
Katelyn grimaces as her eyes are raked against the turnbuckle and then has her body dragged to the middle of the squared circle. A half nelson is applied and utilized to heave Buehler into a back breaker across his elevated knee.
Katelyn rolls across the canvas clutching at said kidney region, in worse pain than she would be if she were passing stones through them. Jacob then takes her by the ankle, drags her across the ring and seems intent on trapping her in the enemy corner.
But Katelyn has a different idea. She bends her knees, bringing Laymon in close and then kicks off, sending Jacob spiraling into before at last spilling through the ropes. Buehler, who like Legion, is still suffering the onslaught from the very physical Rumble, is slow to reach her feet and employ them to reach her corner. Her broken hand reaches out for the tag but finds her spine in the same condition as her fist.
Jessica leaps into the air behind Buehler, wedges knees to her spine and delivers a back-stabber.
Dollar: AHHH, and just when it seemed that Buehler was going to make the tag, instead she gets tagged with a back-stabber.
Susie: From what I know, or what I’m making up in order to fill a huge gaping logic hole, Jessica Wilde came from the same independent market that Kordelia Price was discovered in.
Dollar: Yes, so she was quite the accomplished grappler before she ever became a ring announcer.
The back-stabber is only part one of Wilde’s maneuvers. She keeps her knees wedged to the arch of Buehler’s back and then falls to her side. Katelyn ends up stretched across her stomach with Wilde now straddling her back and pulling her up into a camel clutch….not just a camel clutch…but one with a few disfiguring forearms thrown in for good measure.
Referee Fitzpatrick threatens Wilde for her behavior, but disqualifications seem to be the least of her concerns, evident by the fact that she is now digging her nails into Katelyn’s nostrils, wrenching back on them. Buehler snorts and blows the fingers out of her over stretched nostrils while the freakish Wilde leaps into the air and comes down rump first across Katelyn’s kidneys.
She then pulls Buehler up into another modified camel clutch, now digging nails into the corners of her adversary’s eyes. She follows this up by leaping into the air and coming down rear end first into the small of Buehler’s back a second time.
Both of Buehler’s ears are snatched hold of and almost ripped from her skull as she’s pulled up into the camel clutch once more. But the time tested hold does not remain locked in for long….or more accurately….Wilde looks to make it a bit more painful. She lifts her elbow into the air and begins to grind it against the bridge and forehead of Katelyn’s face while yanking back on her jaw.
She takes advantage of the five count in order to grind her elbow into the eyes and the already tortured face of Buehler. Once the official reaches four, Wilde breaks the hold in favor of leaping into the air and launching her seat into the….raised boots of Buehler.
Katelyn turns and gets her feet up into the jaw….no….into the NOTHING….cause Wilde manages to step back and avoid the boots before they could have the same effect on her that they did on Executioner. And speaking of Executioner, now Wilde takes hold of Buehler’s ankle, heaves it up into the air and rolls her over backwards into the ropes where the giant Executioner’s knee waits to launch through the cables directly into her lower back.
Buehler bemoans the pain coursing through her spine and staggers forward in the process right into the waiting arm of Wilde. She rushes forward and catches Katelyn with a STO back breaker right across her knee.
Dollar: And this menagerie of mayhem continue to work over Buehler….who as I understand it….might have been coming into to tonight with more than just a hand injury.
Susie: Yep, speculation running wild about that all week long.
The many moves targeting Buehler’s back have definitely take their effect upon her…leaving her body twitching upon the canvas. She desperately tries to get up just as Wide makes the tag to Laymon, who wastes no time leaping into the ring then across it into a headbutt right to the kidneys of his opponent.
Katelyn bellows in anguish as she twists to the ring, continuing to clutch at her back. Jacob takes hold of something else though, her hand. He extends it out over the canvas then drops his knee right into the back of her knuckles.
Dollar: These three are trying to break down every part of Buehler’s body….they started with the back and now they’re going after the hand.
Susie: Their dissecting her piece by piece.
Buehler reaches for her hand that has now become the focal point of Laymon’s offense. He pulls Buehler up to her knees and then hooks the crease of her elbow before dropping back into a DDT on the HAND.
Dollar: What the hell was that!?!
Susie: A DDT on the hand! That was….weird.
Dollar: Everything about these three is just weird.
Howls of pain emanate from Buehler who flops to her back, then grimaces from landing on her injured spine, prompting her instead to land on her side. Her hand is then pulled out over the canvas once more with Laymon putting her broken fingers between his knees. He drops down and sandwiches the hand between his legs.
Before Katelyn can embrace the anguish, Laymon takes her by her injured, cast covered hand is uses it drag her knee over knee towards his corner. He reaches out and tags Executioner into the match. The big man steps over the ropes into the squared circle and then stands right on top of Katelyn’s hand, putting all of his weight down upon it.
Katelyn tries her best to pull her injured fist out from under the boots of Executioner, who now grinds back and forth across her fingers and knuckles. Finally he steps off and allows Buehler to roll away only so that he can step onto and stand upon her ribs.
Buehler kicks her legs and flails her good hand, trying to push the boots off of her collapsed ribcage.
Dollar: And now Executioner is focusing his assault on the ribs.
Susie: Piece by piece, Johnny D., piece by piece.
Dollar: There might not be enough of Buehler left to even earn a title shot after this type of assault from these three terrors.
Executioner steps off the ribs and then up the nearest turnbuckle before launching off into the move he was looking for earlier, the Vader Bomb, which connects this time. All of the fight and energy is knocked right out of Katelyn’s body, and significant damage is inflicted upon the ribs.
The damage is beginning to be a bit too much for Katelyn to grapple with….as her hand, back and ribs have all been targeted by these three masked harbingers of Ba’al’s will. And Executioner is only getting warmed up, stepping over Buehler, up the turnbuckle and then off the second rope into a second Vader Bomb across the ribs.
Katelyn curls into a fetal position, and seems to have nothing left…not even words for the man watching from ringside. Therefore, she cannot interrupt Leeland nor his inspirational speech.
Mr. Gaunt: You expressed gratitude for the Black Crusade’s assistance? Now show your gratitude. Prove that you and the company are not beyond redemption.
The words transform an expression….twisting Buehler’s face from one of agony to one of raw intensity. Her eyes flash white with rage, and her mouth opens to show her snarling teeth, embodying a true Nicholas Cage freak-out.
She then begins to rise to her feet only to have Executioner deliver a running punt kick to her ribs. The shot connects with such force that it sends Katelyn flying all the way up and into Executioner’s chest. He catches her and then throws her down with a modified scoop slam into the turnbuckle.
Susie: So much for Mr. Gaunt being the next Tony Robbins.
Dollar: His inspiration didn’t work too well to motivate Buehler…..who now finds herself in the absolute worst possible predicament you can find yourself in, the tree of woe.
Unfortunately Buehler’s leg has gotten snagged around the top cable, leaving her hung from the turnbuckle in the most unenviable position of unenviable positions. A position that the now tagged in Laymon looks to take advantage of. He rushes across the ring and retracts his fist, flinging it directly at the hung body of Buehler, looking to shatter her ribs. Suddenly Katelyn swings to the side though, causing Jacob’s fist to travel past her body and drive all five knuckles through the ropes into the turnbuckle post.
Laymon doubles over his possibly shattered hand and turns away from Buehler, who is still hanging in the tree of woe, her injured back making it impossible for her to pull herself up and out of this position.
Just then Executioner comes rushing at her and this time Buehler is able to sit up and avoid his inbound body. Executioner’s momentum causes him to spin around and crash into the turnbuckle spine first. He grimaces but then reaches back, takes Buehler under the jaw, pulls her down out of her seat and over his chest and has her hanging in the tree of woe, albeit with legs trapped around the top rope but with her back wedged to his sternum.
Just then Jessica comes rushing in to aid her partner, throwing herself into a crossbody aimed at the woman hanging down in front of Executioner. Once again Buehler sits up though, causing Wilde to nail Executioner in the RIBS with her running crossbody.
A stunned Wide stands up and wants to whisper apologies to the giant only to have her lips SILENCED the moment Buehler drops back off the turnbuckle, over Wilde’s shoulder, and then grabs both of them on the way down before connecting with a backstabber.
Dollar: Buehler back in this even when it looked like these three deviants had her in the worst possible predicament imaginable.
The back-stabber has sent shockwaves of pain coursing through Wilde’s body, which now writhes on the canvas beside Buehler. Yet Katelyn doesn’t stay down for too long, rising to her feet just as Laymon lunges through the air with a flying punch….one that Buehler steps out of the way of with seconds to spare. The fist then flies right into and connects with Executioner’s ribs. The impact with the mid-section also hurts Laymon’s hand, who spins away from his partner and into the KTFO.
Dollar: KTFO on Laymon!
Susie: Buehler is like Super-Man, only without the glasses, and the penis, and the alter-ego….and the super-powers….
Dollar: This is all about making a statement for Buehler tonight!
Susie:….And the Kryptonian heritage….and the family crest….And the….
The KTFO has knocked Laymon off his feet but has done the same to Buehler as well. She lands on her elbows and knees after delivering the roaring elbow, exhaustion setting in. The pain coursing through her hand and her mid-section is buried beneath rage…rage that compels her to crawl towards her corner where Legion and….okay…just Legion..is waiting for the tag. Whitman gets about as close to the end of the tag rope as humanly possible, technically standing on the steel steps as opposed to the apron.
Dollar: Buehler is gonna make the tag, she has to….she has to bring the behemoth Legion into this match!
Susie: Nor does she have Krypto, the Super Dog….plus she has no budding rivalry with Batman….
The Manhattan fans are watching as close as security will allow them to, as Buehler extends her injured hand and uses it to slap Legion’s palm. The N.H.B Champion steps over the ropes and immediately finds himself confronted by both Executioner AND Wilde. The two come charging in with Wilde taking flight, soaring into a big splash that only leads to her being caught…caught right across Legion’s shoulder. He then throws her up and across his sternum in a fall away slam position. Even while holding her in this position though, he manages to get his foot up and connect with the shuffle side kick to the jaw of the inbound Executioner, putting him on his back.
He then back-flips into the moonsault fall-away slam, putting all his weight across Wilde’s body.
font color= silver>Dollar: Legion picks up right where Buehler left off, destroying two members of his rogues gallery.
Susie: Nor does she have a fortress of solitude….and I don’t think she has job at the Daily Planet…..does she even hail from Metropolis?
Legion rises to his knees and then slaps his hand down around Wilde’s throat, strangling the very life from her body. Wilde tries to fight free but can’t….finding the life asphyxiated from her body.
Executioner then delivers a running boot right to the back of Legion’s skull, breaking up this illegal choke.
The blow has Legion’s head hanging and his eyes listlessly rolling to the back of his head, all giving Execuitoner a false sense of security.
He rushes in to take advantage only to be caught by the head and have his leg swept out from under him, delivering a CLAW STO.
Dollar: Everything this….man….again I use that term loosely…delivers is just the epitome of devastation.
Executioner knows this all too well, hence why he’s cradling his head in his arms and putting some distance between himself and the masked champion. The holder of the N.H.B gold approaches Jessica’s throat with his twiddling fingers, about to leave more than a red ring across her neck as he strangles her lifeless.
Only then does Laymon re-enter the ring, rush up behind Legion and catch him by the back of the head, delivering a two handed bulldog. Legion’s face crashes into the canvas and he’s just flopped to his back before Jacob is leaping to his feet, arms thrust out to his sides.
Dollar: No….ohhhh no…please noooo.
Susie: You know, I’m really starting to think that there’s no similarities between Superman and Buehler, besides super-human strength.
Laymon dances between feet before hopping and landing on one.
The crowd would normally respond with a ‘H’…but Laymon only gets boos.
He then lands on his foot a second time and instead of hearing a chorus of ‘U’….he gets even louder heckles.
Executioner and Jessica have crawled in and are now taking hold of Legion’s wrist and ankles, FORCING them down to the canvas and keeping him pinned to the ring.
Suddenly focus shifts to the one person who can stop the dreaded unleashing of the Worm….the one man who can prevent Legion’s suffrage….and that man is P Clarence Whitman III….and P Clarence Whitman III would rather be anyone BUT that man.
Dollar: This is your chance, get in there Whitman….help Legion…help him before its too late.
Whitman makes a step, down the stairs instead of up them…away from the apron instead of towards the ring. He then turns to find an exhausted Buehler staring up at him from across the mats.
Buehler: Your LEAVING!?!
Whitman gives no answer of a verbal variety….his departure doing all the talking for him.
Mr. Gaunt: Whitman, my Boy.
He peeks over his shoulder towards Mr. Gaunt.
Mr. Gaunt: Ask yourself how you wish to be remembered….or if you wish to be remembered at ALL.
At this point it might be too late for Whitman to act as Laymon is already doing a God awful rendition of the worm across the ring. He then leaps to his feet, swings arms around and drops a chop across Legion’s sternum.
The blow has the N.H.B Champion rolling to his side and now being subjected to stomps from all three opponents. Finally someone interferes on Legion’s behalf….Buehler sliding back into the ring. She throws herself into the pile of enemies, throwing a forearm into Executioner’s face and then delivering a dropkick to Laymon.
She then scrambles to her feet and charges shoulder first into the ribs of Wilde, spearing her through the ropes with both ladies crashing to the mats. It’s just then that Whitman act, stepping up onto the apron and stretching forth his hand towards Legion.
Whitman: I’m ready to be remembered!
The red orbs glaring through the slits in Legion’s mask rise to focus upon the extended hand of the proud Whitman.
To a loud and sustained ovation, Legion tags the hand.
Dollar: Whitman tagging into this match…in another display of rare courage.
Susie: One way or another Gaunt and Legion are making Whitman face his fears.
Whitman wears a proud smile to get the tag from Legion, but when he finds his hand unable to break away from the N.H.B Champion’s….that grin vanishes.
Legion yanks on Whitman’s trapped hand, sending him flipping over the ropes and landing right on top of the monsters shoulders. Legion then stands up with Whitman held up high, turning and throwing Clarence via a powerbomb into the bodies of both Executioner and Laymon.
Dollar: He fell for it again!
Susie: P Clarence Whitman III, the ultimate weapon!
The crowd is elated to see Whitman turned into a human weapon AGAIN by Legion. All three bodies are strewn across the canvas with Whitman crawling out of the wreckage. He crawls right along into the knees of the behemoth towering above him. Petrified eyes tentatively move up to glare at Legion.
The N.H.B Champion reaches down for Whitman who suddenly drops back and cries out.
Whitman: NO….that is enough….ENOUGH I say!
Legion seems surprised as Clarence, with his lip quivering, jumps up to his feet and steps right in front of the masked terror staring down at him.
Whitman: I am NOT your bloody weapon….and I demand to be treated with some respect….
Legion remains unmoved by this impassioned speech.
Whitman: If it’s not too much of a bother that is.
Suddenly Legion swats Whitman aside in time to catch the boot that was traveling towards the back of his head. Thanks to Legion’s sacrifice, Whitman is thrown from the big boot’s trajectory and instead suffers the shot on his own chin.
Executioner manages to fell Legion, and now turns towards the man who’s back is aimed in his direction. Whitman is using the ropes but doesn’t need them…..his whole body shivering and sweat streaming down his increasingly red flesh.
Dollar: Is it just me….or does it look like Whitman has kind of snapped here?
Susie: We saw him undergo a similar metamorphosis when he threw the brandy in Harrison’s face at the Rumble.
Dollar: Are we finally seeing a different side of Whitman?
Executioner only wants to see Whitman in pain, grabbing him by the shoulder, spinning him around and then snatching hold of his throat and tight. The crowd is in despair at the sight of Whitman’s nimble body being heaved high by Executioner into the chokesla…..or more accurately….a DDT delivered by way of his own volition. There is an instant change in the crowd’s tune when Whitman reverses the chokeslam into a DDT, dropping Executioner skull first into the ring.
Dollar: A DAZZLING counter by Whitman….how did he do that?
Susie: That little whipper snapper.
The fans continue to be highly emotional as Whitman not only delivers the DDT but finds himself so fired up that he’s climbing the nearest turnbuckle.
Dollar: And he’s going high risk? What’s gotten into Whitman’s head?
Susie: Lukas Montgomery’s forearm.
Whitman reaches the highest point of the turnbuckle and feeds off both his own emotion and the adrenaline surging through the crowd. In spite of all this hype and excitement, Laymon is about to kill the noise and the vibe, rushing towards Whitman just as Clarence takes flight.
Whitman soars over Laymon, who looks up instead of forward, which proves costly for the masked Jacob, as he absent mindedly charges into a SECOND KTFO.
Buehler’s roaring elbow cleans Laymon’s clock to the point where it may never chime again…and the frog splash that Whitman delivers on Executioner proves equally as devastating.
Dollar: Frog Splash! FROG SPLASH by WHITMAN!!
Susie: And the KTFO by BUEHLER!!
The whole building rumbles as Whitman hooks Executioner’s legs, bobbing his head along with each slap of the canvas.
1
2
3!
Dollar: Oh my God! HOLY SHIT! Whitman….P CLARENCE WHITMAN III….has just….he just…WHITMAN….
It’s Susie’s hand that is now instrumental in helping Dollar deal, walloping him on the back of his head.
Dollar: Whitman just pinned Executioner!
The crowd is electric at the sight of Whitman’s victory over the massive Executioner.
Even after the win Clarence continues to feed off this reaction from the crowd, rising to his knees with fists shaking out to his sides.
Dollar: Whitman with a HUGE win tonight…..First he eliminates Aaron Harrison from the Rumble, and now he’s just pinned one of Ba’al’s horsemen.
A Seattle style post Super-Bowl sized win commences as Whitman embraces the 12th man. The magnitude of the victory sinks in on Clarence, who rolls to the exterior of the rinhg and jumps the barricade, celebrating with the equally as enthusiastic crowd.
Buehler watches all of this while leaning against a corner, physically exhausted and mentally worn.
The reaction from the crowd, deafening to such an extent it be, springs Legion to life, the N.H.B Champion sitting up on the canvas. He twists his head slowly and observes Whitman’s celebration. It appears that a slight grin is beginning to form across Legion’s face.
Fingers interlock before the lips of Ba’al, who has slid down even further in his throne. With dreariness he observes the images within the ring and now listens to the words chimed by the lady seated on the arm of the chair beside him.
Rachel: How unfortunate that they couldn’t prove their worth.
Ba’al: Aus Fehlern wird man klug.
Rachel: They failed us….
Ba’al: No….Lady Liberty….they served their function this evening….and in the end they’ll be instrumental in the execution of our justice.
Whitman is still celebrating at ringside before his elation brings him face to face with Mr. Gaunt…who’s gaze instantly freezes the former X-Class Champion.
Dollar: And Whitman’s celebration continues. He, Katelyn Buehler and Legion have managed to defeat the trio of terror unleashed by Ba’al.
Susie: A big win for all three of these athletes tonight….Strange though isn’t it? Did you ever think after Buehler and Whitman ran away from Legion months ago that they’d be standing beside him tonight in victory over Ba’al’s minions?
Dollar: It is a surreal moment for the new number one contender, the cowardly Whitman, and the redeemed Buehler.
Mr. Gaunt’s eyes then turn to Katelyn, who pantomimes a title belt across her abs…and then his eyes finally settle upon the N.H.B Champion, who kneels amongst the bodies of all three of Ba’al’s henchmen.
Dollar: The war between these three and the Coalition continues to escalate….but one issue we will finally see come to a head this evening involves a family feud ages in the making.
Fear paralyzes Whitman when making eye contact with Mr. Gaunt, while Buehler shows absolutely no hesitation as she crouches beside Legion, imploring him to include her into his title bout at Invictus. Just in the midst of all these converging subplots we get hype for the match that may serve as the climax of a tonight’s twisted tale.
Mika: My sweet….sweet Malishka.
Distorted images reflect the deranged mind of the woman being featured. The images of Mika Kozlov look like a painting dipped in vinegar, the colors running and oozing into one another.
Mika: Our whole lives, I’ve protected you….
Old newspaper clippings flash in black and white before the screen, reporting the grizzly fates of any man who dared to take advantage of the World Champion through her more impressionable years.
Mika: I’ve been there….watching you.
The World Heavyweight Title glistens above Taylor Chase’s head as she rejoices around the ringside area. All the while Mika stands alongside Aaron and Lukas, watching with a smile from the stage.
Mika: Guiding you.
Mika has a firm grasp on Taylor’s hair, pulling back on it and FORCING her to watch as her fiancée is cracked over the head with kendo-stick shot after kendo-stick shot by Montgomery and Harrison.
Mika: All I want is family….
Taylor watches without the same glee exhibited the night she won the World Championship, for she now is coerced into viewing the Blacklist putting Katelyn Buehler on her knees and insisting that Taylor’s KNEE connect with Buehler’s face.
Mika: All I want is YOU.
Tears stream down Chase’s face as Mika makes her watch Orlando being shuffle side kicked by Harrison into an open grave.
Mika: All I want is for us to be ONE.
High-school yearbook photographs are shown of Taylor Chase hanging with the more popular clique and engaging in acts such cheerleading….but in every photo, in the background Mika’s adolescent face can be seen….watching….
Taylor: You don’t know what family is, Mika.
Clips highlight Chase taking a stand against Mika….dressing her down in the ring while a teary eyed Kozlov stands there and takes it.
Taylor: You are NOT my sister….
A selfie is shown with Taylor holding the phone out in front of both herself and Mika, who she wraps an arm around, dragging her in close.
Taylor: From this day forth, I disown you.
The picture of Taylor and Mika taken during their teenage years suddenly begins to burn. The flames filter into a scene of Mika gripping her hair and crying in the middle of the ring as Taylor walks away from her.
Mika: You took everything from me, everything!
A kendo-stick connects with Taylor’s back, being driven into her spine repeatedly by a ravenous Kozlov.
Mika: All I wanted was your love….
Mika is shown trying to pull Lukas Montgomery out of the cage while Taylor Chase is on the opposite side, dragging back on his ankle to prevent his escape and the loss of his World Championship.
Taylor: I could never love you.
Taylor side-steps an inbound Mika and pushes her along into the KTFO from Buehler.
Mika: All I wanted was family.
Mika watches Taylor being brutalized in the ring by Aaron, and tries to stifle her grin.
Taylor: We will never be family.
Taylor leaps through the air and cracks Kozlov in the cheek with the TKO.
A freeze-frame of Taylor Chase juxtaposed beside Mika Kozlov consumes the screen.
Dollar: And it all comes to a head tonight ladies and gentlemen…Taylor Chase versus Mika Kozlov….the second ever Singapore Canes Are Legal match.
Susie: So much history between these two….
Dollar: All coming full circle here in our main event.
Orlando: Gary…..Gary…..Gary….Please TRY to mellow out a bit, Bud.
Before we can get to that main event between Taylor Chase and Mika Kozlov, we have another bump in the road, that bump being Gary Matt….who thanks to Brooklyn, finally has his meeting with the Icon. The two are stand just outside of Gary’s locker-room, where he’s been waiting all night to chew Orlando’s ear….or more accurately, to chew Orlando out.
Gary: Mellow out….MELLOW OUT!?! Do I not look mellow to you?
Gary turns his head a bit to notice the huge hole he punched in the locker-room door, so he discreetly opens said door so it’s out of Orlando’s view.
Gary: I’m thinking clearly, but obviously, you’re NOT.
Orlando: You’re kidding right?
Cruze doesn’t even attempt to hide his grin.
Orlando: Did you not see what Shaun, Taylor and I did to the Blacklist tonight? How we played Harrison like a fiddle?
Gary: Yeah, and you know what that accomplished….NOTHING….All it did was make the Blacklist angry…Angry going into a match against Taylor tonight…Jesus Christ man, do you EVER think before you act, or are you really that fucking impulsive?
Orlando: Impulsive? You’re hardly one to talk about not thinking things out clearly, Gary. I mean, if you really love Taylor as much as you claim to, you wouldn’t have thought with your dick and would have used your brain….You wouldn’t have betrayed Tay by screwing some slut behind her back.
The flesh on Matt’s face begins to twitch and squirm.
Orlando: For all my ‘faults,’ at least I’ve always been loyal, and I’ve always been honest with Taylor….And unlike you, I’ve never willingly hurt her.
Gary: I need to make it up to her….
His skin is now getting clammy.
Orlando: Make it up to her? How? By going off on her repeatedly over Twitter? By going out of your way to rip our relationship apart every chance you get?
Sweat begins to trickle down Gary’s temples.
Orlando: I’ve always been there for Taylor….I’ve always watched out for her. And I’ll continue to be there to protect her….tonight and for always. The sooner you can reconcile with that, the sooner we can all get on with our lives and put all of this ug-li-ne…..are you okay?
Suddenly Gary unloads….with vomit….puke spewing from his stomach to Orlando’s shoes. Cruze jumps back with mouth agape, but what he produces is not vile.
Orlando: What in the fuc….GARY….
By involuntary muscle spasm alone Gary grabs his own wrist and begins to shake from head to toe, falling to the floor and suffering a seizure.
Orlando: GARY!?! Holy shit….HOLY SHIT!
A panic stricken Orlando’s eyes scramble from one end of the hall to the other.
Orlando: I need help….get some help back here now!
The politicking proceeds, Frankie trying his best to win over the Board and get their all-important seal of approval.
Frankie: Alright, it’s official….just to show that I’m a man of compromise, that I don’t hold grudges against Orlando and that my decisions aren’t biased….I’m bringing him back….and he’ll make his return on NewAge. But I think with this being the twilight of his career and thus that he be better off doing some interviewing rather than wrestling.
With every word rapidly spoken by the pacing Paradise in the gorilla position, the crowd watching this scene unfold grow increasingly excited.
Frankie: So see….this coupled with the way I just expertly handled the Black Crusade should more than demonstrate why I DESERVE to keep my….YEESCH!
Skin is almost left behind as Frankie jumps right out of it at the sight of Cassidy Haze.
Cassidy: Hey Cutie Patootie….
The palpitating heart of Paradise makes it difficult for him to focus.
Frankie: What….what…what do you want? I’m busy at the moment.
His finger taps the phone.
Cassidy: Awww….but you can take a minute for me can’t you? Your precious Wild-Card.
Her hands pinch both of Frankie’s cheeks like an overzealous aunt abusing a helpless and far too adorable ten year old.
Frankie: I gave you plenty of my time earlier tonight, and I’m not a one woman man….
Cassidy: Yep….and didn’t our time together prove so beneficial?
Frankie: Erm….well…I suppose it depends on your definition of beneficial. I’m stil a little backed-up if you catch my drift.
Cassidy: I’m talking about Abi….
Frankie: Then your speaking my language….the more the merrier.
Cassidy: I told you, Abi was the right person for the job. That there’s no low she wouldn’t stoop to in order to get what she wants.
Frankie: Yeah, she was pretty easily convinced to do a little dirty work for me regarding that whore-beast, Marie. Just had to promise her any match she wants down the line.
Cassidy: I’m sure she jumped at the opportunity…and you know why?
Frankie: Because she’s got brains to match those fantastic inverted camel humps?
Cassidy: Well there’s that….And the fact that Abigail has no honor whatsoever. She’s scum, Frankie P….the type of scum that will do anything to be successful…even if it comes at the expense of those who love her the most.
This intriguing statement leaves Paradise….well…intrigued…..Before being treated to the sight of Haze skipping away, his head tilting to get a better view. The only thing that could ruin his view, is the realization that he still has the Board on hold.
Frankie: Oh….ummm….sorry about that…..But I was errrm, finalizing the details behind Lucas Knight’s GRAND entrance this evening. When you see the way the peeps react to Knight’s arrival, and see the ratings shooting through the atmosphere….you’ll see that all the cash I convinced you guys to spend will be sooo worth it…..
A tap comes at Frankie’s shoulder only to have it brushed aside and ignored.
Frankie: The celebration for Lucas tonight will be so huge that .
Another tap, and another brush off.
Frankie: The celebration I have planned for Lucas’ arrival this evening is gonna be so so MEGA that New York might make this a national holiday….Frankie Paradise Day. Where wearing pants will definitely be optional.
Yet another tap that finally irritates Paradise enough to react.
Frankie: Stop touching the merchandize!
Paradise spins around and has the stagehand already intimidated. The individual with pimples on top of pimples on top of pimples…yes…three layers of pimples, back peddles from Paradise and stumbles over his words.
Stagehand: I’m really sorry, Boss…..
Frankie: Don’t be sorry, just get your face away from my eyes before I upchuck my lunch.
Stagehand: Okay, Sir, I just thought you’d like to hear the message I’ve been asked to deliver from Lucas Knight.
Frankie: Message? MESSAGE? Why would HE give YOU a message to give to ME?
The question even gives Paradise a migraine.
Stagehand: I don’t know…
Frankie: Just give me the message pepperoni face!
Stagehand: Lucas says that he’s leaving.
Frankie: LEAVING!?!
Stagehand: Yeah, he was really mad….
Frankie: About what!?!
Stagehand: He said he specifically requested 7-Up in his private dressing room, and instead he got Sierra Mist. So he said he’ll make his first public appearance since Last Stand at NewAge, where hopefully Kloe will get everything right.
Frankie wants to punch something, he needs to punch something, he has to punch something….but there’s nothing to punch, except for the greasy face in front of him, but he doesn’t want to contaminate his fingers through interaction with this pimply flesh.
Frankie: But Sierra Mist was on sale.
The face-off between Gary Matt and Orlando Cruze that went so horribly awry is relived.
Dollar: Just a few moments before the break, we saw Gary Matt and Orlando Cruze finally getting together to hash things out….
Susie: Which resulted in yet another 911 call.
Dollar: Yes, we can’t even have a simple conversation backstage without an ambulance being called.
Orlando is right in the midst of reaming Matt while Gary responds with a seizure. This leaves Cruze urgently calling out for EMTS with his cries going unanswered.
Dollar: As we understand it, EMTs are now on the scene are tending to Gary Matt.
Susie: The guy cannot catch a break. Every time he turns around he’s got another concussion.
Dollar: People might be asking why he hasn’t been suspended, like say, Axl Evermore, or Jackson Adams, when they presented with concussion related symptoms. From what I gather, every time he’s had impact testing, he’s passed. So he must be recovering from these concussions only to turn right around and suffer another.
Susie: I think John McClane is luckier than Gary Matt.
ANDRE JORDAN & ROBERT VS. GAVIN TAYLOR & TPKID
BOB, BOB, BOB, BOB, BOB, BOB
Dollar: Well let’s TRY to carry on here.
Susie: Already carrying, Johnny D, I’ve got my nine strapped to my thigh right now.
Dollar: That’s a squirt gun, Susie.
Susie: Yeah, but it’s filled with wasabi. And that’s not important right now because we’re about to behold the most amazing sight EVAH!
Through the curtains rolls Bob, who elicits a reaction that threatens to blow the roof off the Manhattan Center. His blubbery body gets to its knees with the Tag Team Title belt hanging from between his teeth. The gelatinous athlete finally reaches his bare feet and darts to the ring in his leathery pantaloons.
Dollar: Susie, are you speechless?
Susie: How are you not? This is the most amazing combination of things since peanut butter met chocolate…..Bob and a Sparkly together.
Dollar: Said sparkly actually belongs to Gavin Taylor…Bob stole it at Last Stand.
Susie: Bob did no such thing.
Dollar: Oh I’m sorry….ROBERT stole the belt….and it was supposed to be Robert competing here tonight, but I guess we’re seeing Bob instead.
Susie: You’ll get no complaints out of me.
Once in the ring Bob is licking the gold plate of the title.
Bob: Mmmmm….ham.
“We Own It” by 2 Chainz and Wiz Khalifa starts to play as everybody in attendance faces towards the stage area. They wait for the newest member of the IWC roster to make his appearance, yet there is nobody
It isn’t till we hear a loud commotion in the audience that a camera shifts over and we finally see Andre Jordan making his way through the people. He’s got on his no sleeve hooded vest, with the hoodie on his head AND a new addition to his wardrobe, the Tag Team Title belt.
The fans all clamor towards him as he slaps hands with as many fans as possible. The crowd begins cheering louder as the song is pumping them up.
Andre finally makes his way to the dasher board at ringside. The song begins to near the chorus as Andre stands on top of the dasher board. He has his head down and raises his hands up towards the hoodie and takes it off as he raises his head up
“See the people I ride with, this moment”
(He makes circular motions to the crowd with his arms)
“We own It!”
(He then points his fingers down to the ground demonstratively)
The crowd cheers louder as Andre stays standing on the dasher board. He soon jumps off the dasher board and onto the steel steps. He slowly makes his way up on to the ring apron and peers out to the crowd while walking along the ring apron
He stops when he gets right in the middle and spreads his legs out and stretches out his arms. He’s looking out to the crowd and nodding his head as the fans are pointing and cheering at him.
Once again the song reaches its chorus and we hear the same lyrics:
“See the people I ride with, this moment”
Andre keeps his arms outstretched during this part)
“We own it”
(Andre again points to the ground demonstratively but this time the crowd does it along with him)
Andre gives them a smile before turning around, grabbing the top rope, and slingshotting himself into the ring. He walks across the ring and hops up to the second rope and motions for the crowd to get louder.
He then unzips the vest and removes it. He bounces up and down in a corner while he waits for the match to begin
Dollar: Andre Jordan made his debut in the Last Stand Rumble, and good heavens what a debut it was.
Susie: He went over an hour and a half in the Rumble…..drawing the number two spot and lasting all the way up until the great eight.
Dollar: And he had a lot of memorable moments throughout that sheer testament of endurance….
Andre is shown holding Alana Starr on top of his shoulders as she pushes and fights with Katelyn Buehler loaded on top of Hurse’s shoulders.
Dollar Who will forget this memorable moment when Andre caught Alana before she could be eliminated and almost helped her re-enter the Rumble.
Susie: And who can forget the popcorn incident?
The popcorn bags wielded by Mr. Hush as weapons were deposited at ringside and proved quite invaluable for Andre. After he gets tossed over the ropes, Jordan is saved from hitting the mats when he lands on the popcorn bags, keeping his feet elevated from the mats.
Dollar: In one of the wackiest moments I’ve ever seen in a Rumble, Andre managed to land on a few bags of popcorn and keep from being eliminated.
Susie: And not only did he make the mother of all impressions during the Rumble, but he also made quite the splash on Gavin Taylor too.
Dollar: Yes, because Gavin tried to come out and steal TPKid’s tag strap then bash him in the skull with it only to have Andre Jordan take Taylor out and then later on take-off with the belt so he could rub it in Gavin’s face.
Andre is standing in the ring with the belt in hand, glancing between it and the strap hanging from Bob’s mouth. He pulls it away so that Bob can facilitate speech.
Bob: Bob and Andre, Tag Champions of the Mnooses…All hail the Ham World Order!
Bob flexes his pythons to the delight of the fans….and for Andre, who has yet to make up his mind how to handle having Bob as his partner.
Andre: Uhhh yeah, good luck with that.
The lights around the arena begin to flicker as “Whoa Is Me” by Down With Webster starts to play over the arena.
Whoa is me
I’m so whoa
See me decked out from my head to my toe
Whoa is me
I’m so whoa
Everywhere I go I’m a one man show
And the song continues…
Alongside the entrance ramp, an all-black Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, top down, is driven out. The crowd boos as “All Star” Gavin Taylor steps out from the drivers’ side of the car. As he pulls himself onto the hood of the car, posing with his arms outstretched, the chorus of the song plays.
Say whoa (whoa)
The more I feel it whoa (whoa)
The more I need it whoa (whoa)
You say whoa
Whoa is me
I’m so whoa
Andre’s focus instantly shifts to the entry way, eyes glaring upon the stage occupied by Gavin and Adam Chase….the only sight he finds more disturbing than Bob’s flexing.
Dollar: Gavin Taylor coming out to compete in SPITE of the fact that TPKid is apparently STILL not at the building tonight?
Susie: I was gonna wrestle a match and then I got a high…I was gonna team with Gavin but then I got high…..
Dollar: Who knows what’s keeping TPKid, but it doesn’t seem to be bothering Gavin Taylor in the slightest.
On his way to the ring Gavin stops and addresses a camera that has gotten WAY too close for comfort.
Gavin: All-Stars don’t team with greasy haired bitches who have never seen the inside of a shower. So stay gone, TPKid…keep sitting on your stoop drinking Keystone Light and listening to Lynard Skynard like a good little piece of trailer park trash.
Adam Chase endorses every egotistical syllable spoken by his client, clapping for Gavin as he rushes down the ramp and slides into the ring.
Dollar: It looks like Gavin’s going at it on his own after degrading the still absent TPKid.
Susie: Ya think he’s a little upset about TPKid eliminating him from the Rumble?
Dollar: I guess pulling Kid out of the Rumble as retaliation just wasn’t good enough revenge for Gavin.
The instant Gavin is in the ring he’s holding up his palms to stave off Bob and Andre….neither individual very big fans of the man with way too many aliases.
Gavin: It doesn’t have to be this way guys….We don’t have to face each other tonight, just hand over the Tag Team Titles, and I can forgive you both for touching them, and for being the most heinous looking specimens I’ve seen since Kathy Bates’ nude Jacuzzi scene with Jack Nicholson.
As tempting an offer as this is, Bob and Andre do not take Gavin up on it. This prompts Adam to get involved, leaping to the apron in order to get their attention.
Adam: Gentlemen….gentlemen….PLEASE! Gavin EARNED those tag team titles by the sweat of his brow and his undeniable charisma. Do you have no respect for that?
Adam’s play on the valor of Bob and Andre gets him about as far as Gavin’s insults.
Adam: Okay, if you won’t do what’s right just for the sake of doing what’s right, maybe monetary incentives will move you. Bob, I can supply you with more hams than you could ever eat in this or a THOUSAND lifetimes, and Andre….well, we can’t do anything about your face….but we can TRY to make it marketable. So how about you do what your gal-pal was smart enough to do, sign a contract and come over to my Wrestling Collective?
Andre shakes his head in the process of turning to Tabitha, who has climbed up onto the apron and is whispering into his ear.
Adam: That’s right Andre, I’m offering you an opportunity few have been afforded. And I wouldn’t do it if it weren’t for your meal ticket, Alana. So why don’t you ditch that dead weight over there….
He points to Tabitha.
Adam: …and sign with a winning team? A team that knows what it takes to get the job done.
Adam: Tabitha couldn’t get the job done for Alana, and she won’t do you any favors either…..So join up with winners, Andre….WINNERS!
Bob: Funny Nose Man has Bob convinced, Bob join Funny Nose Man’s Bum-Bum Collective. What boob does Bob sign?
Bob looks between both of Adams’ pecs and becomes increasingly difficult to ignore.
Adam: I’m not extending you any such offer. This opportunity is being presented to Andre and Andre alone.
Bob: Bob bring big things to Funny Nose Man’s Bum-Bum Collective. Bob bring power of the MNOOSES!
Adam: Adults are trying to speak here, you slobbering oaf!
Bob: Bob make great client….
Gavin: Back your God damned wiggy up you stinky mofo!
A finger wedges against Bob’s chest and shoves him back into the turnbuckle, Taylor getting frustrated with this annoyance.
Chase: Now as I was saying…join us Andre…come over to the side of the ALL-STARS.
Tabitha and Jordan are still in consultation.
Chase: And all you have to do, in an act of good faith, is return the Tag Team Title that you stole from……
Gavin: AAAAHHHHH!
Taylor’s roar results from the finger that was wedged to Bob’s chest, now being caught in Robert’s teeth. The wiggy is gone and long flowing red locks have fallen down Robert’s back, coinciding with a total change in character.
Dollar: The switch has been flipped!
Susie: Robert is back….Robert is back!
Dollar: And he’s eating Gavin’s finger.
Taylor pivots between feet roaring in pain as Robert chews on his finger before ultimately spitting it out.
Robert: EEEYYYYYAAAARR!
Robert drops into a log roll right into Gavin’s shins, taking out the legs and putting his face into the canvas.
Adam: What are you doing you ginger haired freak!?!
Robert steps menacingly towards Chase, who wisely drops from the apron to prevent any part of his anatomy falling into the chomps of this evil version of Bob.
Once both agent and client alike have been removed from the ring, Robert is free to address Andre.
Robert: You have yet to make the list, Mr. Jordan. So you and Robert, we can comprise the greatest Tag Team Champions in the history of the Mnooseville Charter. And with your aid, we can begin to rebuild the fabric of the shattered Mnoose-verse!
Andre and Tabitha wonder if they were supposed to make any sense out of any of that, but aren’t given much time to think it over.
Robert: Help me help the Mnooses, Andre….Do not force me to put you on the list.
Andre: What list?
Robert: You don’t even want to know….
Before he can prod any further, Andre’s ankle is caught and he’s tripped forward onto his face. Gavin then yanks on the ankle, slides Jordan out of the ring and the moment Andre lands, Taylor shoves him spine first into the barricade. Andre’s lower back hits the barrier with enough force to inflict significant damage.
Gavin then spins around and finds himself glaring at Tabitha.
Gavin: Pathetic.
Before Tabitha can lash out, someone else does it for her. Robert reaches over the ropes, grabs Gavin under the jaw and heaves him up onto the apron.
Robert: You just made the list, Sir.
A headlock is applied and a wiggy twiggle begins, the noogie inflicting grieves harm on Taylor. The only way he can save himself is to drop off the apron and as a result yank Robert’s throat dow into the top cable. His head springs back and his hefty body staggers back to the center of the ring. Just then Gavin leaps up to the apron then to the top rope, showing a rare display of aerial skill by taking flight via a missile front dropkick.
Finally the master of the Mnooseville charter is put on his ever widening rear-end by the aggressive Gavin.
And Taylor’s aggression doesn’t let up when he spots a figure leaping up to the apron, taking the spot of TPKid.
Porno Lad: Tag me in…quick…quick…
Gavin’s eyebrow predictably arches at the sight of Porno Lad requesting a tag be made.
Dollar: Oooooh coooomme oooooon! Haven’t we seen enough of Porno Lad tonight?
Susie: He’s here again, and he’s apparently taking the place of TPKid as Gavin Taylor’s partner.
Lad’s hand remains outstretched, yearning for the tag.
Porno Lad: Come on Gavin….you and I….we can finally show the world what we’re capable of…as the All-Star Mega-Faces! Waddaya say? Waddaya say? I can make you SHINE….!
Dollar: Somebody please give me a video-camera….PLEASE!
Susie: I don’t think the IWC can afford to lose another one.
Dollar: I’ll gladly cover the cost of another camera shattered against Porno Lad’s head.
Quite a bit of resistance is shown by Gavin.
Porno Lad: Make the tag! MAKE THE TAG! Do you want the rub or not?
Apparently Gavin doesn’t think he needs it, evidenced by his timeless ‘up-yours’ taunt in Lad’s direction.
Porno Lad: You little whore.
Taylor turns around just as Andre feels the gratification of nailing him in the jaw with a closed fist. Another punch then connects, and then a third, a fourth and a fifth, having Taylor all of out of sorts.
Dollar: Andre getting payback on Taylor….rearranging his face with those rapid fire shots.
As Gavin gets his comeuppance in the ring, Robert rolls to the exterior of the ring, dropping to the outside mats. He doubles over and cradles his chest in his arms….unaware that Porno Lad is rushing in behind him until it’s too late to react. Lad grabs the leathery pantaloons and the red hair, throwing Robert along right into the barricade. Robert’s big body twists and slams against the steel with enough force to take all the fight right out of his body.
Dollar: Now Robert just thrown into the barricade by this son of a…..
Susie: How many times do I have to warn you about the censors Johnny, the CENSORS!
Luckily referee Ingelson had his focus elsewhere, watching Andre unload on Gavin and not seeing Porno Lad putting Robert in the barricade. And now Porno Lad leaps to the space that should be occupied by Robert, his TEAM’S corner.
Porno Lad: Andre, Andre, Andre! Over here…..Make the tag, come on!
If his words weren’t obnoxious enough to get him noticed, Lad slaps his hands to get even more of the spotlight.
Porno Lad: Over here, Andre!
The fists stop pummeling Taylor and his eyes turn towards Porno Lad, who is stomping his foot on the steel steps to get some recognition.
Porno Lad: There we go….Tag me in, Chief.
Hands stop slapping and one opens for a tag.
Porno Lad: Here’s your chance Andre…forget the Rumble…this is your TRUE star making performance right here, right now. You’re not like the rest of these ingrates…I know you’ll accept my help….that you’ll jump at the chance to get that superstar rub from me by becoming my tag team partner and returning my Tag Team Title. I just don’t look right without it.
The open palm continues to stretch forth until Lad’s arm is almost detached from his shoulder.
Porno Lad: Come on…you know you want it….you know you need it.
The only thing Andre needs is an ice-pack, because Gavin now delivers a European Uppercut to his jaw. Jordan turns his back on Gavin, who wedges a shoulder to his exposed spine and heaves him up into the air. He’s going for the back drop over the top rope only to have Jordan catch said cable, flip over and land on the apron.
Taylor turns around and receives a forearm shiver to the cheek, sending him staggering back. Now that enough distance has been put between he and Gavin, Andre is free to grab the top cable and prepare to fly over. He is about to leap the cable just when Taylor lunges into the air and nails him to the temple with an enzugari variant.
The stiff strike knocks Jordan out of the air and to the mats below.
As Jordan falls, Porno Lad also takes a tumble. He finds his ankle dragged from the apron, landing right in front of the man who pulled it….TPKid.
Dollar: TPKid is here, and now he’s got Porno Lad in his sights.
Immediately Porno Lad begins to back up with hands defensively raised out in front of him. The only reason Lad is even talking is because TPKid is in too enraged to immediately lash out at him.
Porno Lad: Heeey bro…..you know what happened at Last Stand….that was a total misunderstanding. If your girlfriend’s head wasn’t so freakishy huge it never would have gotten in the way of your bat.
TPKid bites his tongue in favor of giving pursuit to Porno Lad, who is off and running. Surprisingly the safest place for Lad, might be the ring. He slides in with Kid rolling in after him. The horrified Porno Lad rushes right past Gavin, who looks to take out Kid with the Real Men Use Lariats….but it’s a move that TPKid has scouted.
Kid ducks and the bicep travels over his head, causing him to go into a full spin. Gavin turns a complete 180, spinning around to face TPKid, who manages to connect with a step up enzugari to the back of his skull.
The stiff shot knocks Taylor twisting to the canvas, clutching at his cranium. TPKid then stands up and looks for Porno Lad, who is nowhere in sight….why….because he’s presently occupying the corner where Gavin is now supposed to be standing, and as shocking as it may sound, he’s asking for Kid to tag him in.
Porno Lad: Let bygones be bygones, Bro. Nothing we’ve done can’t be undone. We can get past all of this, and we can go on to become the greatest Tag Team Champions ever….No relationship is perfect.
TPKid is about to respond, but not with a slap of Porno Lad’s hand, instead he’s about to react with a blow right to the side of his skull. Just before he gets caught from behind by Andre, who spins his opponent around and now scoops him up onto his shoulder. Before Kid can be hit with a scoop slam, he slides up and over Andre’s shoulder, landing behind his back. He then leaps into the air and lands a knee to the back of Jordan’s skull.
The stiff shot sends Jordan spiraling across the ring and falling through the ropes, but not before being slapped on the back by his partner Robert.
The compiler of the infamous list gets into the ring just in time to catch an inbound TPKid with a bionic elbow across the top of his head. The shot sends Kid spiraling across the ring before at last bracing himself. He then shakes off the bionic elbow then rushes at Robert again, lunging into the air for a big splash. However, Robert steps forward throwing all of his girth directly into TPKid’s aerial body, swatting him out of the air to the canvas below.
Dollar: TPKid went for a splash, but damn if Robert didn’t make him pay for it!
Susie: All because TPKid was distracted by Porno Lads request for a tag….
Dollar: How could be honesty expect TPKid to forgive him for everything he’s done? The guy is soooo delusional.
Robert now grabs TPKid’s wrist and begins to drag his ailing body towards his corner so he deliver the ever so devastating banzai drop. But he stops….stops cold….eyes directed to Lad now occupying the very corner he was approaching and outstretching his palm.
Porno Lad: I want to be taken off the list, Robert. I want to help the Mnooses. I think you can make me a better Porno Lad, and I know I can make you a household name. Hold the Tag Team Titles alongside me and our glorious fros will be the stuff of legends. Just tag me in and let’s make it official….The Mega-Mnooses unite!
Lad really does think he’s a marketing genius, but Robert doesn’t agree. He looks down at the open hand before putting something into it….the mangled remnants of a ham procured from within Robert’s leathery pantaloons. Porno Lad looks disgusted by the grease seeping through his fingers.
Porno Lad: What the hell is this?
Robert turns and rams his rectum right into Porno Lad’s body, sending him flying from the apron and crashing to the mats.
Dollar: It’s about damned time!
Susie: Behold the power of Robert’s bum.
A battered Porno Lad rolls across the mats clutching at his mangled body while in the ring a brutal Robert, charges into a splash aimed at TPKid in the corner.
A few inches removed from TPKid, we find Gavin Taylor crawling across the ring, trying to get back up. Surprisingly Kid helps him, grabbing his wrist and then dropping back through the ropes, as a result pulling Taylor up into the corner and causing him to take the splash from Robert.
The fans applaud the big splash on Gavin, but two individuals who haven’t noticed it, are Tabitha and Adam, the two bickering with one another.
Dollar: These agents getting into it with one another. Ever since Upping the Ante these two have been at each other’s throats.
Susie: They’ve been in a bidding war over a number of talents lately.
One of Adams’ talents isn’t fairing too well after the splash from Robert, who now pie faces him down to the canvas. Robert then leaps into the air and goes for a big bottom drop on Gavin only to have him squirm out of the way at the last second…As a result Robert lands on his posterior, and unfortunately, his testicles ended up getting caught under his rear.
His whole face twists into a cringe after this gruesome landing that leaves Robert in a bad position. Gavin rushes into the ropes in front of him, ricochets off and launches forward into the All-Star Maker. The shining wizard lands right across Robert’s cheek, putting him on his back and in position for the pin.
Dollar: All-Star Maker delivered on Robert!
Susie: No….please good god almighty no. Don’t let Robert fail…he can’t fail when the Mnooses are riding on this victory.
The kick has Robert barely clinging to consciousness and Gavin on the cusp of victory.
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A hand grabs Gavin’s ankle, dragging hm off of the cover.
Dollar: TPKid just broke up his own teammate’s cover!
TPKid slides into the ring in the nick of time to break up the pinfall.
An aggravated Ingelson has just washed his hands clean of the situation….what will be….will be. And another individual who has washed his hands of the situation is Porno Lad, who fills his palms instead with the Tag Team Titles left with the Time Keeper. He pulls them away from the young man’s clutches, and this time the Time Keeper isn’t about to put up resistance, not after what happened with Ba’al earlier in the night.
Dollar: Porno Lad has got the Tag Team Titles!
Susie: And it looks like he’s leaving with them.
Inside of the ring Gavin has had enough with Kid, delivering a swift kick right to his crotch that is caught. TPKid will not suffer the same move twice, pushing down on the foot and sending Gavin spinning into a full circle. He turns right into the Thrill Ride, the sitout spinebuster connecting from Andre.
TPKid doesn’t even turn to acknowledge the destruction inflicted on Gavin, his focus elsewhere, spotting Porno Lad leaving with the Tag Titles draped over his shoulders.
Porno Lad: Not a one of you are deserving of my efforts to make you stars, to give you the rub….You’re ALL pathetic.
The fans are all over Porno Lad as he steps up the ramp with the Tag Team Titles….leaving a particularly disgruntled TPKid in the ring.
TPKid: Get back here right now you mother-fu….
Suddenly Kid gets grabbed from behind.
Robert: Time to punish your wiggy.
Just as Robert drags TPKid back into position for the noogie, he manages to squirm right through the trap. He ducks down and slips around Robert, then pushes him off and turns away. Unfortunately, Kid’s stooped forward position puts him in perfect placement for the Opinion Changer. Jordan steps in, hooks his arms and leaps into the air, delivering the Pedigree.
Dollar: TPKid trades the twiggy wiggle for the Opinion Changer.
Susie: And it’s all Robert’s doing….what a diabolical mastermind.
Porno Lad doesn’t even turn back to acknowledge what’s happening as he heads to the back with his precious Tag Team Title belts skidding across the stage as they hang at his sides. And what’s happening in the ring is that Andre is currently hooking both of Kid’s legs for the three count….but will he get one….well…more like three?
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And the answer to that question is yes…Andre’s Opinion Changer catching Kid so off guard that he was incapable of reacting in time to kick out.
Susie: The greatest team ever assembled….second only to the tandem of Mr. Hush and Bob….have just picked up a major W.
Dollar: But in the process they’ve allowed Porno Lad to escape with the Tag Team Championships….and….WATCH OUT!
The shining wizard connects with the face of a kneeling Andre….Gavin nailing the move out of nowhere. He then rolls to his feet and grimaces in the direction of Jordan….
Gavin: You had the opportunity to do something smart for the first time in your life….but leave it to you to be such a perpetual dumbass.
Gavin leans in closer to add impact to his words.
Gavin: Ya let yourself down at the Rumble, you let your skanky agent down by not winning, and you failed your woman too….You’re as useless as tits on a bull….
Speaking of tits, Gavin finds himself motorboating a pair as Robert throws his heaving endowments into Taylor’s body. The impact of belly and chest to Gavin’s body sends him airborne, spiraling eventually into the canvas.
Susie: And our savior Robert comes to the aid of Andre….the one man perhaps on the whole roster who hasn’t made the list.
Dollar: What is that all about? What in the hell is this…is this list?
Susie: All you need to know is that you DON’T want to be on it.
The ovation is damn near Manhattan Center rocking as Robert looks down at the paralyzed Gavin.
Robert: You never assault a man of valor, Gavin….a man who upholds the principles of the Mnoose Charter.
Robert turns to offer his sympathies to Andre, who he mistakes for a kindred spirit, but there is no mistaking the blunt impact of bat to the side of his face. A recovered TPKid has been slid his weapon of choice by BMW, and it has now been put to good use, cracking Robert upside the jaw and putting him on his back.
TPKid: Porno Lad! Where the fuck are ya, BITCH!?!
Kid spins in circles looking everywhere for the Original Prankster, who has absconded with BOTH Tag Title belts.
Susie: No….have you any idea what you’ve just done?
Dollar: TPKid overwhelmed here tonight and he takes it out on Robert.
Susie: God help him if he just put himself on the list.
Behind TPKid’s back, Tabitha is helping Andre from the ring while Chase is helping Gavin out. The clients lean heavily on their agents, and the agents glare menacingly at one another. All the while Robert is now crawling across the canvas and painstakingy reaches out for his wiggy, sliding it over his long red mane.
Bob: Bob’s jaw hurt….Bob need healing power of ham.
Orlando: Can you guys possibly move any slower?
EMT: I’m really getting tired of you yelling at us, Mr. Cruze.
The same EMT who suffered the wrath of an impatient Cruze, finally retaliates, even if it is in vain. His primary focus however, remains on aiding his cohorts in pushing Gary Matt along on his stretcher towards the open doors of the ambulance a few feet away. Orlando tries to help as he follows along, but his condemning reviews of their performance is not a critique well received.
Orlando: Just get him in an ambulance PLEASE!
Gary: NO! Promise me you won’t let them take me out of here….
Gary takes hold of Orlando’s wrist.
Gary: I’ve got to stay here….I’ve got to make things right!
It takes all of his strength to wrench Orlando’s wrist out of Gary’s clutches.
Orlando: You’re in no condition to help anyone, Gary. YOU’RE the one who needs help…
Gary: Don’t let him do this, Cruze….PLEASE!
Orlando: My hands are tied….
Montgomery: Don’t worry Gar….
Orlando barely has time to react before he finds a cane slamming across his upper back, knocking him down on top of Gary and then to the floor below. The straps binding Matt to the stretcher leave him incapable of aiding Orlando. Lukas then steps in tightly gripping the cane.
Montgomery:….you’re not going anywhere.
Harrison: But Orlando on the other hand.
Aaron stumbles in, the blood tricking down his face now clotting thanks to going untreated.
Harrison: Looks to me like Lando here needs some medical help.
Montgomery: Then clear the way!
Lukas drags Orlando up by the back of his head and then charges him towards the ambulance, tossing him inside. Just as Cruze regains his faculties and tries to escape the vehicle, the doors slam shut right in his face and a pair of handcuffs are used to chain them together, trapping Orlando within.
Harrison, who is kneeling at this point, listens to the slamming and banging coming from the interior of the ambulance, but his eyes are focused on Gary fighting to free himself from the stretcher.
Harrison: Hmmm….deja-vu.
Tabitha: Another great performance out there tonight, Dre.
Jordan may be too exhausted to stand, hence why he occupies a chair while Tabitha hovers above him, but he’s not too winded to hear a little praise.
Tabitha: You’re really starting to turn heads around here.
Andre: Yeah….
He tries to smile, but finds it difficult to find joy even in his victory moments ago.
Tabitha: You don’t sound very happy even in victory.
Andre: Just….just got a lot on my mind is all.
Tabitha: I’m going to take a shot in the dark here and assume that this is about Alana.
Andre says nothing, but his silence says it all.
Tabitha: Not going to lie, you have every right to be worried about her, especially now that she’s hired Chase as her agent.
Tabitha is doing nothing to put Andre at ease.
Tabitha: But what if I were to tell you that hope isn’t all together lost.
Now she’s talking and Andre’s interest in piquing.
Tabitha: I took the liberty of drawing up ANOTHER contract…and this one cannot be ignored by Lohan.
Andre: Another contract, huh? Didn’t work out too well for us the last time….
Tabitha: Yeah, but neither Lohan nor Typhoid Mary are going to be capable of just taking this contract and tearing it to shreds. When she reads it, she WILL sign it….and that’ll put Alana back in OUR good graces.
Andre: I respect that and all….but….I don’t know….at this point a match against Alana and Brittany might not be the best thing for my jelly-bean.
Tabitha: It’s gonna happen Dre, and we’re going to be the ones who make it happen.
Andre is equal parts excited and apprehensive…hence his smile and his sigh.
Porno Lad: What a night ladies….what a night!
Porno Lad’s life couldn’t be any better….not only are his shoulders heavy with the Tag Team Titles, but he’s followed by two unbelievably gorgeous young ladies. Kordy and Polly are right behind Porno Lad every step of the way taken through the parking lot in the direction of the car.
Porno Lad: I single handedly demonstrated my dominance over the entire roster and proved there is truly not a man alive capable of measuring up to the Mega-Face in ALL departments…..
Kordy: OH yeah….but erm…Mighty-One….why are we running to the car?
Porno Lad: It’s good for cardio-vascular conditioning, now stop talking and get moving.
The demand is made while Porno Lad scans his surroundings to make sure no one is pursuing he and his Harem. At last they reach their car and the silent Polly begins to step behind the wheel….a very poor decision.
Porno Lad: Nah-nah-nah….
Her wrist is taken and she’s guided towards the backseat.
Porno Lad: You think I’m gonna let one of YOUR kind behind the wheel of a car? I think not.
Polly is subjugated to riding in the backseat as Porno Lad trusts himself and himself alone with the responsibilities of driving the car. As he sits behind the wheel and the vehicle begins to take off, the camera pulls back to reveal two silent sentinels, watching every move from the man baring the Tag Team Titles.
Mark O’Brian: So that idiot is the only thing standing between us and the Tag Team Titles?
Sophie O’Brian: Yes Brother….but he won’t be standing in our way for very long.
TAYLOR CHASE VS. MIKA KOZLOV
Cameras cut to the ringside area where several Singapore Canes are positioned either in, or around the squared circle.
”BOSS’S DAUGHTER” summons an explosive roar from the crowd….everyone instantly jumping to their feet and showing their appreciation for the World Heavyweight Champion.
Dollar: Ladies and gentlemen, we are finally here….We are at the moment this whole night has been building to….
Susie: Not just tonight, Johnny D, MONTHS.
Dollar: And in the case of the two ladies about to wage war here in mere moments….this match has been YEARS in the making.
Taylor Chase steps through the curtains continuing to generate an unfathomable amount of hype from the crowd. But for her, tonight isn’t about hype….it isn’t about tweeting or trending…it’s about settling a grudge that has been far too long in the making. Resolution is at last at hand….or at cane. With the World Title gracing her shoulder, Taylor comes down the ramp and readies herself for what might very well be her final battle with the Blacklist.
Dollar: In our second ever Singapore Canes are Legal match, Taylor Chase is about to collide with Mika Kozlov….in a match with so much history, so much drama….so much going into it….You just know we’re about to see brutality.
Susie: I say it a lot….but this is gonna be GUHD!
Obviously Taylor is in the dark concerning the fate befallen her fiancée, but she is well aware of words uttered earlier tonight, words spat by the venomous Leeland Gaunt. And they are words she will not overlook, even when on the cusp of battling Mika.
Taylor: How did we get to this, Mika?
Now that she has a microphone in hand, Taylor paces the ring and clears the burden from her chest.
Taylor: How did we go from sisters to enemies? I can’t wrap my mind around it….but something that I can sink my teeth into, are the statements made by that stick figure who makes Holocaust survivors feel fat….I’m talking about Leeland Gaunt….
The reaction is mixed…as there are just as many Black Crusade marks as Taylor smarks in attendance.
Taylor: Not to take away from what we’re about to see here in a few minutes, but Leeland and Legion….or maybe we should call them by their more familiar names….Zeke and Gimp….accuse me of being nothing but a Twitter trender….and media mongrel….It’s true….I DO trend, I do get a lot of recognition. But have either of them questioned WHY I trend, WHY I get so much airtime? It’s because I’m simply the BEST….And the fact that THIS….
The World Title rises high above her head.
Taylor:….is in MY possession, just proves my point.
The title lowers to her side and her words become far more impassioned.
Taylor: And you WILL get the best out of me at Invictus, NOT the best of me. At our biggest spectacle of the year, my hands will be used for more than posting tweets. In a mere few weeks, when our paths cross, I will use my body for more than just photo-shoots and selfies. I’ll put every inch of myself into this match at Invictus….into doing what you claim I’m incapable of, raising the prestige of the title and demonstrating my credibility as Champion.
The crowd is sold.
Taylor: And tonight your about to see that I CAN overcome monsters….MIKA….
Her intense eyes shift to the entry way.
Taylor: Let’s finish this….’Sis.’
The microphone is thrown aside and the gauntlet has been thrown down as well….Taylor and Mika at long last set to collide to the possible ruination of both their bodies, but the extreme elation of the crowd.
Dollar: Well we are set….Taylor Chase is ready…the fans are ready….we’re ready….and after this final commercial break, we’ll be seeing Chase versus Kozlov uninterrupted and until the bitter end.
The fans couldn’t express any more fervor regarding what may be the biggest main event ever seen on Riot! Taylor leans hands upon knees and stares through the curtains to the smiling face presumably watching from backstage.
Dollar: Mika Kozlov versus Taylor Chase….NEXT!
Where oh where has Brittany gone….oh where oh where could she be?
A small flame, created by the blazing match in her fingers, illuminates the body of Brittany Lohan….who AT LAST appears on screen. The hoody that shadows her face is pulled back slightly to reveal the blue eyes that have become so synonymous with this particular Devil.
Lohan: Where have I been? Why am I not on Riot!? Why did I pull myself from the Rumble? Why do I not presently stand at Taylor Chase’s side when she is about to face her single biggest challenge? Why? Why? WHY?
Brittany shows no emotion when referencing the slew of questions that have plagued her in both her limited public appearances, and hound her twitter account.
Lohan: Have I abandoned Taylor? Has my brutality crossed the line? Have I been suspended on account of my unpredictable and hostile nature? Did I crack the wrong person in the head with a crowbar?
The flame on the match in her hand has burned down to her fingertips, but Brittany still doesn’t let it go or even acknowledge the seering pain.
Lohan: People make assumptions….they think they know Brittany Lohan. They believe they’ve got me figured out. But they don’t….they can’t even begin to comprehend who or WHAT I am…
The flame continues into her fingers.
Lohan: Everyone sees me as some unstoppable monster, the nefarious Blue Eyed Devil….and for once….I wish they were right. But recently I learned that I’m anything but unstoppable, that unfortunately, I am human.
The flame suddenly dies out between Brittany’s fingers.
TAYLOR CHASE VS. MIKA KOZLOV
The lyrics of Boss’s Daughter continue to play over the speakers as Taylor paces the ring, getting more and more worked up the longer she has to anticipate Mika’s arrival.
Dollar: We are back on Riot!, and ladies and gentlemen, this is history, history on the brink of being made….
Susie: Taylor about to collide with Mika.
Suddenly the arena lights die down in conjunction with “Pop Goes the Weasel” playing over the PA system. The reaction for Mika is contrastingly different from the one that Taylor elicited from the crowd. But she doesn’t allow the reaction to hurt her feelings….after-all, hurt feelings are the least of her worries. And after tonight, Mika, will be worry free. With a Singapore Cane already in hand, Mika starts down the ramp….ready to openly engage her ‘sister’ in battle for the first time.
Dollar; And Mika, after some mind games, finally coming to the ring to settle this isssuuOOOOH!
The sudden alteration in Johnny’s pitch is attributed to Taylor’s loss of patience, evident by her mad dash up the ramp. Mika swings her cane at the inbound skull of the Champion, who ducks with more than enough time to keep from getting her brain’s scrambled.
The momentum of the missed swing sends Mika spinning completely around to face Tay, who drives her OWN kendo-stick right into Kozlov’s mid-section.
Dollar: Taylor BLASTING Mika with the cane.
Susie: No more waiting….No more hype….These two finally going at it and starting off with the canes already coming into play.
Dollar; And to think, it’s a stipulation KOZLOV requested.
Susie: I bet the welts on her skin are making her regret that now.
Another shot from the cane connects right against Mika’s back and sends shockwaves of pain reverberating through her spine. The blow almost causes her to lose her footing, but instead she goes spiraling into the apron. Her eyes turn to Tay just in time to see the cane traveling into her skull….but Kozlov spots it coming just in time to narrowly avoid the blow.
Mika steps out of the way and tries to put some distance between herself and Chase, who isn’t letting her get very far. She rushes in with the cane raised above her head, swinging it down at Mika’s body only to have Kozlov side step the shot and for the cane in Chase’s hand to shatter over the steel steps.
Mika then grabs Taylor by the back of the head and rushes her at the steps, throwing her into them. But at the last second Chase reverses this whip and instead sends Kozlov running skull first into the stairs which barely budge upon impact with her body.
Dollar: Wow….did you think we’d see this?
Susie: Taylor is the far more aggressive of the two.
Dollar: Aggressive doesn’t even begin to describe Taylor’s onslaught against Mika to open this match.
Taylor isn’t about to give Mika time enough to even blink an eye. She steps in, takes one of the canes and drives it into Mika’s throat, forcing it against her larynx. A gasping Kozlov tries to push the cane away from her throat, but has no luck, forced to rely ion Taylor’s more human limitations.
Chase eventually removes the cane before she can choke the life completely out of Mika’s body and now grabs her by the wrist. An addled Kozlov is dragged away from the stairs, turned and then whipped right back along into the steel. Her shoulder and the back of her skull nails the steps, almost knocking the upper half away due to the sheer unbridled impact.
In spite of this trauma inflicted on her body, Mika begins to drag herself up with the aid of the very stairs that have been so instrumental in her beat-down.
Taylor waits for Mika to stand up just so she can move in, place a kendo-stick under her jaw and wrench back on her throat. Kozlov’s legs kick above the mats as Chase elevates her into the air in order to strangle her. She then turns in a full circle and throws Kozlov into the apron.
Mika scrambles under the ropes, actually trying to evade Chase, who isn’t letting her get very far. With foam forming at the corners of her mouth, Taylor steps in and slams the kendo-stick viciously over Mika’s lower back, causing Kozlov to grimace in agony. She rises to her knees and scoots across them while trying to get away from the cane wielding psychopath she once called sister.
Taylor: You hurt my friends!
Mika staggers to her feet and turns just as Chase grinds the cane against her ribs.
Taylor: You hurt my family.
Taylor steps to Mika’s side and swings the cane down over her adoptive sister’s spine, bringing her to her knees.
Taylor: You hurt everyone I love!!
The blood red face of Taylor demonstrates her intensity as she stoops down in front of a now kneeling Mika. The crowd finds itself in shock at the sight of a teary eyed Mika looking up into the crimson cheeks of the World Champion.
Mika: I should be the one you love!
Taylor begins to lower the cane to her side, finding the sight of tears to be a sign that maybe Mika still possesses a semblance of humanity.
Mika: I’ve done everything for you…EVERYTHING…and it was never good enough? Why does Orlando deserve your love? Why does Gary deserve your love? They only want to use you….But I….I only want to protect you…..I’m the only one who cares about you.
The back of Kozlov’s fingers find their way to the cheek of the Unity member, gently stroking it rather than inflicting punishment upon it. Chase jitters when the hand embraces her flesh, but shockingly does not lash out to knock it away.
Mika: We’re sisters, Taylor….and nothing will ever change the love I feel for….
Taylor: Bitch, you don’t know how to love.
The tears in Mika’s eyes are sucked right back up into the ducts they originated from and now her caressing hand moves into Taylor’s retinas, racking them with enough force to partially blind her.
Chase turns away from the manipulative Mika and doubles over gripping at her wounded eyes.
Dollar: Mika just lured Taylor into the trap.
Susie: And almost took Chase’s eyes out in the process.
The fire burns in Kozlov and will now engulf the woman she claims to have some misguided affection for. She stands up and grabs a cane off the canvas before lifting the weapon over head.
Mika: Leeland Gaunt was wrong about you….You ARE a monster.
It now behooves Mika to destroy said monster, charging in with cane raised high above her head and then swiping it down over the dragon tattoo across Chase’s lower back. Taylor cries out in pain and stumbles forward, reaching out for bruised kidneys. She then turns just as Mika rushes in with the cane extended between her hands and drives it right into Taylor’s throat, knocking her to the canvas.
Once she has Taylor down, her aggressor is free to signal towards the back, Mika summoning the reinforcements.
Dollar: Uhhh fan-friggin-tastic….One can only assume who Mika is calling for here.
Susie: Maybe it’s the special referee.
Dollar: I hadn’t even noticed there was NO referee out here….your right…we could be about to see them right now.
What we do see is something totally unexpected, but also very familiar. Aaron Harrison, in spite of his blood loss, manages to push a stretcher towards the ring with a straped down Gary Matt on top of it, fighting valiantly but feebly to free himself. Lukas helps while also sporting a striped referee shirt.
Dollar: Looks like Lukas is revealing himself as the special referee, but that’s only half the story here.
Susie: Just like several months ago on the night when Taylor won the title, the Blacklist is forcing a victim out here tied to the stretcher and forcing him to watch powerless to help Tay.
Dollar: Which is HORRIBLE for Gary considering that he has pledged the past few months to doing anything in his power to protect Tay.
The crowd is all over the Blacklist like flies on trash. They are just as aggressive with words, as the two combatants in this match have been aggressive with their canes.
The stretcher stops at ringside with Gary still fighting to free himself from the straps, but having no such luck.
Aaron grabs Gary’s bangs and forces his head up, pointing towards the ring in the process.
Harrison: You NEED to see this, Gary.
He is coerced into watching Lukas straightening the wrinkles out of his referee jersey and then heading to the ring.
But just before Montgomery can officiate this chaotic foray and turn the advantage in Mika’s favor, Shaun, Brooklyn, Yvonne and Kathryn Pearson intervene, the foursome barreling down the ramp just in time to cut Montgomery off.
Dollar: Here comes the cavalry!
Susie: Thank God for Shaun and Unity.
Lukas spins around into a hailstorm of rights and lefts from Pearson, who is unloading on her stalker. Brooklyn pitches in, delivering a few kicks when the opportunity presents itself. At the same time Harrison is trading shots with Shaun and Yvonne, who are getting the better of the Blackist member. The crowd is at a fevered pitch at the sight of the Blacklist’s best laid plans going so horribly awry thanks to the intervention of Taylor’s friends.
Mika is not happy with what she’s witnessing….but still wears a grin, especially when she spots the straps tearing away from Gary’s body. Matt finds a way to utilize his strength to break the ropes that pin him to the stretcher and now finds the will to roll to his feet.
Dollar: Gary freed himself from the stretcher and now he’s actually headed for the ring.
Susie: Even after all these concussions?
Dollar: He is so bound and determined to keep his word and protect Taylor, even if it comes at the expense of his….OOOH MY!
And it might just come at the expense of Gary’s life, considering that he now has fallen victim to a running forearm to the shoulder blades delivered by Ba’al.
Susie: You were saying?
Dollar: Haven’t you done enough to him, Ba’al?
Susie: Apparently even defeating Gary earlier tonight wasn’t good enough for the Prince of Sin.
Apparently not given the numerous forearms connecting with Gary’s upper back and bringing him down into the apron. Ba’al then takes him by the eyelids and forces them back.
Ba’al: You WILL see justice done tonight. You WILL….
Someone finally manages to shut Ba’al up…and that someone is a man who has remained true to his word. Ba’al finds himself being spun around and his jaw being engulfed by the massive fist of Legion.
Dollar: And now Legion is out here and he’s all over Ba’al!?!
Susie: He promised he was going to have Taylor’s back headed into Invictus….and apparently big scary men in masks never lie.
If Ba’al or Harrison won’t do it, Mika will….reaching through the ropes and grabbing Gary’s hair. This grip is employed to drag Matt into the ring and then up into a double underhook.
Mika: You tried to take my Tay away from me….and now I’ll take you away from her….
Just like Ba’al, Mika finds herself silenced, by Taylor’s knee. The TKO connects to a reaction that is downright deafening.
Dollar: TKO! TKO FROM TAYLOR!
Susie: Nailing her own sister in the jaw.
The fans have so much to feast their eyes upon, rather it be Harrison battling it out with Shaun and Ivy…Lukas trying to fend off Pearson and Brooklyn…or Ba’al and Legion wrapping their hands around one another’s throats and strangling the life from one another’s bodies as they spiral around the ringside area….But all anyone truly wants to watch is Taylor standing over a vanquished Mika after dropping her via the TKO. And it’s not the only one she’ll be delivering this evening…as a single TKO just wasn’t good enough.
She steps back slapping her knee and anticipating the delivery of the kill move on the slowly rising Mika.
Kozlov looks to have the brain function of a reanimated corpse….blood dribbling from her nostril as she suffers from a possible hemorrhage. Even the prospect of inflicting potential brain damage will not stop Taylor though, who pivots between feet, eagerly waiting for Kozlov to put her injured head in position for the final definitive TKO.
Dollar: This is it….this is what you’ve been waiting for Taylor…do it…DO IT…take out Kozlov once and for all!
Susie: Come on Taylor…COME ON!!
Everything finally aligns itself perfectly for Taylor…Mika’s mangled head in just the right position as Chase rushes across the ring, leaps into the air and drives her knee into….
…nothing….
Just as Chase goes airborne, she finds her arms caught from behind and her body being driven down into the canvas with the full nelson slam….the Brain Damage delivered by Gary Matt.
Dollar: HEEEEY!
The crowd is absolutely disillusioned, jaws dropping and hands cupping the top of heads. No one can quite grapple with the image of a sneering Matt standing over the laid out Taylor and being the one responsible for her misery.
Dollar: Did that REALLY just happen?
And the crowd has an even harder time in dealing with the image of Gary ripping off his t-shirt to reveal the referee jersey on beneath it.
Dollar: I’ll ask again….is this REALLY happening!?!
Gary throws aside the t-shirt and then throws himself down to the canvas just as Mika absent mindedly crawls into the lateral press on Taylor. It takes all of her strength but Kozlov manages to use a Singapore Cane to hook Chase’s leg.
1
Gary’s hand slaps the canvas amidst the waves upon waves of shrill screams bombarding the ring.
2
The screams are even more piercing.
3!
YES….it did just happen….Mika Kozlov has just pinned Taylor Chase in the center of the ring, and Gary Matt was the man who made the count to declare her the victor.
Dollar: I….can’t….even….begin….
Suise: Johnny, you’re not alone…You’re soooo not alone here.
A sea of pale faces watch as Gary aids Mika up to her feet, raising her hand high in a display of victory.
Dollar: Mika Kozlov pins Taylor Chase tonight, and Gary Matt made sure it happened.
Susie: We were played, Johnny, we were played by the Blacklist this whole time.
Dollar: They promised us a new member….I just never in a million years thought it would be Gary Matt.
The celebration is not only commemorated with raised hands, but with the lifting of the World Heavyweight Championship. Mika stands over her unconscious sister with the title being handed to her by Gary, who looks fresh as a poesy, suffering no symptoms of a concussion whatsoever. Mika looks down at the championship, then into the face of her sister before smiling.
Mika: We’re only getting started, my Malishka.
The World Championship falls across Taylor’s waist while Mika staggers back and into Gary, who not only props her up but heaves her into the air so that she’s seated across his shoulder. The celebration only escalates.
Mika: I DID IT! I DID IT!! I DID IT!!
Gary’s twisted grin only widens as he gazes upon the unconscious Chase.
FADE TO BLACK
QUICK RESULTS: Yvonne Knight def. Shaun Cruze via submission Danny Darko vs. Marcus Mayfield no contest Kyle Black def. David Miller via pinfall Jackson Adams def. Brandy Danielle via Table Ba’al def. Gary Matt via pinfall Marie Jones vs. Abigail Lindsey no contest Katelyn Buehler & Legion & Whitman def. Executioner & Wilde & Laymon via pinfall Robert & Andre Jordan def. TPKid & Gavin Taylor via pinfall Mika Kozlov def. Taylor Chase via pinfall
IWC 