MWE Presents: When The Sun Goes Down

Opening a show like this is never easy, but Warblade 42 surely knew how to work a crowd. Valkyrie and Niko Yua never hid the fact that they’d love to be the ones ending K2O’s reign, but the line to dethrone the current champions, or really just to beat them up, A win tonight would’ve been a first step in the right direction, and the Dane/Japanese duo seemed determined to accomplish that in the shortest time possible. With quick tags and their usual fast paces, hard hitting style of offense, Warblade 42 didn’t take long to set the course of the match toward what looked to be an easy and quick win against opponents who, in all fairness, didn’t seem to be on the same page. A few miscommunications were affecting The Steele’s performance, only making the job easier for Vee and Niko. A somewhat lucky break for Teddy came when his right hand connected accidentally on Yua’s eye, hindering her vision momentarily. The man took the chance to showboat as usual, knocking Niko down on her ass with his You Ain’t So Bad. Kate took the tag and climbed to the top rope, catching the Blade Maiden Of Tokyo with a Silence Is Golden top rope blockbuster. She hooked the leg for a quick cover but Valkyrie broke up the pinning predicament. That was the closest they got to three, and the only near fall as well. When Niko managed to make the tag and Valkyrie entered the ring, the tides changed one last time, getting to the inevitable ending. Knockout Junction and this one was in the books.

WINNERS: Warblade 42
BY: Pinfall (Knockout Junction), 9:26

Both competitors were looking for a win after the setbacks suffered at Glory Horizons where they came up short in the respective matches against Chris Sanderson and Lowri Moss. In Faizah’s case you had to wonder if the thought that her rival Faith Savell might succeed later tonight in what she failed to accomplish would affect her performance. Jada’s aggressive start immediately put the Original BAE on the backfoot, but the most surprising thing was that for the first four minutes, she looked completely out of her game, totally at the Backwoods Braggart’s mercy, somehow confirming that theory. Eventually Faizah figured it out and turned things around. Her class and talent emerged, and she managed to contain Jada’s power, slowing down the pace and keeping her on the ground. Jada’s size and strength allowed her to power out of the headlock, but the Best At Everything quickly regained control with a drop toe hold. Faizah put on a clinic, perhaps even becoming too complacent at some point, leaving the opponent the chance to escape her grasp and make her comeback. Jada scored two near falls with a terrific powerbomb and her pump kick, but nothing was keeping Marshall down. Desperate to get that win, Hashford whipped the opponent in the corner and hit her with a splash, sitting Faizah on the top rope to finish her with the Super Shut Out, But the Best At Everything fought back and knocked her down, jumping off the top rope with a double foot stomp that earned her the win.

WINNER: Faizah Marshall
BY: Pinfall (Double Foot Stomp), 10:14

This one wasn’t a match for the grapple maniacs, or those who love the spectacular, fast paced action the cruiserweights bring to the table. But those who loved a hard hitting contest were surely in for a threat. Ever since the opening bell, neither Joey nor Raynes held anything back, firing off those hard strikes without caring too much about the defensive side of things. The near falls kept coming right away, a huge bicycle kick from the Embracer Of Hate sent Leclair on his back but the Prodigy showed great ring awareness and put his foot on the ropes. Leclair’s reaction didn’t come much later, and it came in the form of a thunderous Prodigal Elbow Strike. The fans were shocked to see Andrew kicking out from that one, and so was Joey. But he quickly shook that off, getting back to work with knee strikes in the corner. The two competitors reached the ten minutes mark and they were barely able to stand, giving the impression that they were one big move away to win this contest. But things don’t always go the way they are supposed to go, and this match ended with controversy as Summer Collins came out looking for revenge on Raynes. And she got it, at the expense of Joey Leclair who saw a possible victory being ripped away from him and turned into a DQ loss when the former Tag Team Champion flattened Andrew with a superkick. Joey took this rather wall, knocking the woman down with a Prodigal Elbow. The old Leclair, the Pale Blood version of the longest Chicago Way champion would have done much, much worse.

WINNER: Andrew Raynes
BY: DQ, 12:19

First match back after winning the Battle For The Briefcase tournament for BROOKFORD and it was against a man looking to get his career back on track. The former Invictus champion Dean Smith on his best day can be a handful for anyone in the roster, and tonight was definitely the case. BROOKFORD wasn’t expecting this kind of intensity from an opponent who, in all honesty, hadn’t been impressive in his most recent performances. Relying heavily on his boxing background, Dean backed the Briefcase Holder in the corner, continuing his offense with more punches and elbow shots. After the referee commanded the break, BROOKDORD tried to slip away but he received a huge uppercut that sent him back into the ropes. Dean tied him up there and mocked him with a series of boxing combos, once again bringing the referee on the verge of disqualifying him. What was worse though was the fact that his actions pissed BROOKFORD off. The big man began to fight back, and he was hitting hard. Dean took the challenge head on, a brave but probably not as smart decision since BROOKFORD, inevitably, got the best of the long exchange. He whipped the rocked opponent into the ropes and caught him with a spinning side slam, but Dean kicked out in two. Smith was determined to get that W tonight, getting close to it with an impressive Backslide Driver. The Problem Solver rolled out of the ring and for a moment everybody believed he was using the Briefcase to change the stipulation of the match. But that wasn’t the case, BROOKFORD was actually just taking a moment to regroup before entering the ring and unleashing all his power on the opponent, blocking his punches and connecting with hard strikes on the ribs. A brainbuster took him very close to the three, the definitive three count was only one minute away, and it came with the Problem.. Solved (Dragon Screw Neck Whip)

WINNER: BROOKFORD
BY: Pinfall (Problem... Solved), 11:07

A rivalry started at Glory Horizons when Echo was looking to put Tiana Petrova-Hammond on the injury list and Trinity “dared” preventing her and rescue her friend. One month later, at Summer Hits, Echo cost Team Trillie the title match against K2O. With that in mind, All the prerogatives for an intense and violent fight were there and the two girls didn’t disappoint, beginning the match on the ramp! What surprised the fans was that Thompson was the one attacking the opponent as she was making her way to the ring with a jumping knee to the back that sent Echo flat on her chest. Trinity added a few stomps and dragged the Australian to her feet, throwing her into the apron. Echo countered the Irish whip and Trin was the one colliding back first against the edge of the ring. Not even time to process that kind of pain and the Junior Heavyweight champion reinforced the message with a big boot to the face. Before taking the match inside the ring where the contest could officially start, Echo made sure she’d get an advantage and dropped her on her head with an apron brainbuster. The match went on similar tracks, the two spared no effort in trying to tear each other apart, really testing the referee’s patience by constantly ignoring his warnings and refusing to acknowledge rope breaks. Despite the implications a win tonight could have for the former Academy student, Trinity didn’t seem as interested in chasing the win and earning a shot at the title as she was in hurting Echo. And the Aussie surely felt the same way, wanting to add the young girl to the list of her victims. Between an attempt to maim the opponent and the other, the match eventually reached its conclusion. A beautiful springboard enziguri from Thompson stunned Echo and brought her to one knee. Thompson followed with a series of five kicks to the chest and then went for the Death Kick but Echo was able to dodge it and grabbed Trin’s foot, putting her in the heel hook. Thompson put up a decent fight, but eventually had to tap out. Not that it made any difference to the Junior Heavyweight champion, who kept the hold locked in even after the sound of the bell. The referee tried to convince her to let go, obviously to no avail. The fans who were booing the champion began to cheer as Tiana Petrova-Hammond came to rescue her friend, but even that was short lived as Nine van der Hoek blasted the first ever Gold Star from behind. Trinity was literally crying in pain, the referee reversed his decision and declared her the winner of the match. Not that it was any comfort to Trinity, or that it bothered Echo at all. Before the Australian snapped Thomspon’s leg, an unexpected help came from none other than Yulia Kirilenko who jumped the barricade and entered the ring. Echo let go of Trinity and prepared to take on her former mentor, but Yulia struck first with the same Sambo Casting Punch she taught Nina. A terrific blow that knocked Echo out cold, allowing Yulia to be the first to check on Trinity. And she immediately understood the gravity of the situation.

The russian called the attention of the ringside personnel and demanded that a doctor came out, and quickly. Damian joined her, a quick look at Trinity’s leg was quickly followed by a shake of the head. Tiana joined the Chicago Fight Lab staff and tried to comfort her friend, though you could see on her face how worried she was. Trinity’s sister, Tiff, came out as well, and Millie was with her. The doctor finally arrived, along with two paramedics and a stretcher. They put Trinity on it and carried her backstage, a round of heartfelt applause accompanied the crying young girl on her way out. Yulia and Damian remained inside the ring, the former Riot General Manager looked at Echo who, in the meantime, had been helped out by Nine. “What have you done?” She asked. The answer came quick and cold. “It’s on you.” Said Echo as she walked away.

WINNER: Trinity Thompson
BY: DQ, 14:38

Sophie and Neil looked focused despite the various attempts made by Karen and Olly to get under their skin in the weeks leading up to this match and on this night as well. The Glorious Golden Era didn’t have time for mind games, knowing better than falling for the duo’s tricks. Though Olly and Karen really tried to get a rise, taunting Newman and O’Brien, breaking the rules at any given chance, double teaming them even when no tags were made. A typical K2O match, indeed. The challengers stuck to what they knew best, wrestling, They dominated the first part of the match, but eventually the tag team champions began acting as such, showing that once you eliminate the arrogant attitude, their natural predisposition to take any and every shortcut and how generally annoying they could be, they actually make a solid tag team. The match entered its critical part, the action remained intense with continuous changes of momentum that kept the fans on the edge of their seats. Olly’s fireman’s carry into a knee strike almost got his team the win, but Newman was there to break it up. Sophie’s Ode To Braddock got as close as one can get to the three but Karen dragged the foot of her partner under the bottom rope and drew the ref’s attention on that detail, interrupting the three count. Newman caught Eldon in the EGV until Olly hit him from behind with a steel chair, ending the match with a DQ that allowed K2O to hold on to their gold for a little longer. The "backup on call" promptly showed up, but it all happened too fast for Glory to do anything about it. She couldn't even give chase to the tag champions because they were so quick to flee the scene, laughing and taunting the Glorious Golden Era by raising their titles in their face.

WINNER: Glorious Golden Era (STILL MWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS K2O)
BY: DQ, 15:55

The final chapter in one of the most intense and long rivalries in Riot history, at least for a few months. Henri Black and Pierce Manning aren’t strangers to one another and it showed since the first moments of this match. A first technical phase saw the two competitors trading holds, but neither of them could get a decisive advantage. Henri seemed to get the upper hand, switching into a waistlock and attempting the first of his three german suplexes but the attempt was frustrated by the challenger who rocked the Blackstar with an elbow to the side of the face and quickly spun around for a discus lariat. Henri saw that coming and ducked, grabbing the Man by the wrist and pulling him into a ripcord clothesline. Another counter thwarted the attempt, a quick kick into the guts from Pierce who then nailed the first big move of the match, a quick ddt. The match picked up from there, the two paying less attention to the defensive phase and focusing more on the attack with hard striking combinations. A huge bicycle kick from the champ earned him a long count of two, while Manning’s jumping knee at the end of a barrage of forearm strikes busted Henri’s lips open, but couldn’t keep him down for the three. Henri spat some blood on the canvas and congratulated Pierce for the shot. The two went back to moving in circles and eventually locked horns, trading hold in a similar way to what they did before. Henri went for another waistlock, but this time he was much faster with his movements and executed the German successfully. With a little more struggle he connected the other two as well, holding the bridge to pin the Man for another count of two. Henri tried a shy protest, or perhaps just a way to put pressure on Charles, but the referee stood by his decision, and rightfully so. Truth being told Charles was refereeing perfectly, endorsing the rules with determination whenever one of them tried to bend them and, surprisingly, imposing his authority on the two men he knowingly had a rocky past with. Not to mention he made some great calls, like spotting Pierce pulling the trunks during a pinning predicament or Henri using closed fists on multiple occasions. Flawless refereeing, despite Henri’s protests after Charles told him the Black Sacrament only gave him a two count. Henri argued, asking the official if Manning bribed him, or threatened him. Both were viable and possible scenarios considering the history, but in this case Charles’ call was irreprehensible, as confirmed by the reply. Questioning the referee’s was a mistake Henri paid the ultimate price for, a distraction that allowed Manning to set him up for his TBTM and take the title from the Blackstar, ending an over a year long rivalry and becoming the second two time Riot champion, equaling Henri’s record.

WINNER: Pierce Manning (NEW RIOT CHAMPION)
BY: Pinfall (TBTM), 19:03

All eyes were on The Rhythm, the former CWC World Champion definitely made an impact at Summer Hits interfering in a match that involved the two gentlemen he was sharing the ring with tonight. Tank and Dusty apparently still had a score to settle from that ladder match, the two behemoths ignored Cutler and began throwing punches at each other instead, picking up from where they left one month ago. At first Dante seemed to be cool with it, leaning back into his corner to enjoy the two men fighting. But soon he started missing the spotlights and decided to take the stage. With a pinpoint dropkick he sent Douglas out of the ring, focusing on the staggered Tank and scoring the first near fall with a spectacular capoeira kicks combo. For a few minutes The Chief reminded everyone why he’s considered one of the best in the world, keeping the ring clean of one of his opponents so he could focus fully on the other one. His speed and agility were too much for both the Murder Train and Tank, unable to catch the leader of the Tribe or land a single shot on him. The turning point of the match was when Dante climbed to the top rope to jump with a double foot stomp on Tank’s damaged knee. He took a moment too long and that allowed Herr Steiner to quickly get up and climb to the middle rope, initiating a fight at height with Dante. As the two kept battling for supremacy in an unsteady balance, the Big Nasty recovered and slid between Tank’s legs, powerbombing him into the mat for a classic tower of doom. He made the cover on Tank and got a two, did the same on Cutler and obtained the exact same outcome. It was Dusty’s moment to shine, the former Lockdown champion pulled another impressive and dominating performance, almost taking ‘Te’s head off with the Hyper Beam. In that circumstance Tank broke up the pin, saving the match. One minute later, he almost ended it with his Das Boot on the Murder Train, but Cutler interrupted the pinning predicament. In the chaotic last moments of the match, Dante came close to the win several times, which led to Dustin and Tank putting their differences aside for a moment to eliminate the threat. Things were turning to the worse for the former Rebellion superstar, but the Tribe was lurking and ready to intervene. And they did, attacking the two Dante’s opponents. The match ended in a no contest, but the brawl continued for a little longer. And in the end, the Tribe Called Conquest was standing tall, two more illustrious scalps added to their collection.

WINNER: No Contest
BY: Outside Interference, 11:40

The Chicago Way champion was standing in the middle of Diagon Alley, wearing a Hogwarts shirt for the occasion. The redhead, whose look vaguely reminded that of Emma Watson in the role of Hermione complete of wand, was impatiently waiting to start the match, apparently not caring too much about who she will be facing. Even though she looked a bit surprised when, from one of the shops, the Geek Gladiator Kenzie Garrett walked out, paying homage to the Harry Potter Saga as well by wearing the wizard’s glasses and a fake lighting scar on her forehead. The two stood in front of each other, the referee reminded them that while there were no rules in a street fight, some areas of the studios were restricted. None of them seemed to be listening, Garrett wsa telling Williams that it was HER title she was wearing and it was time for it to come home while the champion was waving her wand in the air, repeating some random words as if she was casting a spell. The official started the match, Kimberly’s face lit up as if she finally remembered the correct words.As she finally pronounced them the wand, technically an extendable baton, stretched enough for Kim to hit the opponent on the head. The unexpected blow caught Kenzie off guard and stunned her, offering Kimberly an opening to go for the Shadowblade. Garrett luckily managed to grab a trash can and use it as a shield, avoiding an impact that could’ve very well been fatal and managing to injure the Woman Scorned’s leg. The two fought down the famous street, using the surrounding environment to take each other down. That meant, and it wouldn’t be a street fight without it, that someone was meant to fly through a shop window. It happened to Kimberly who flew across the glass thanks to a belly to belly suplex from the Soulknife. Kimberly emerged moments later, bleeding on her back and with the Monster Book Of Monsters in her hands. She threw it at Kenzie, catching her right on the face and breaking her glasses. Before she could recover, Williams attacked her with a perfect replica of the Nimbus 2001 broom, swinging it into her stomach and pushing it around her neck as she stepped next to the challenger to drop her down with a russian legsweep. The match continued, the momentum of the fight took the two women to the Jurassic World area, bringing the wave of destruction among the dinosaurs. Kimberly even tried to talk one of them into attacking Kenzie, claiming that the Lizard Queen ordered them to. But those weren’t real lizards, and her plan almost backfired as Garrett pushed the statue with both legs onto the champion who barely avoided getting squashed by the fiberglass dinosaur. Her legs got stuck under the fake lizard’s arm, offering Kenzie a golden opportunity to grab a chair from the nearby restaurant and smashing it on the champ’s back. She tried to pin her right away, but Kim was somehow able to free her leg from under the dinosaur and kick out in time. The same leg was targeted later on as the two moved back to the Harry Potter area, near the “Flight Of The Hyppogrif” roller coaster. Kenzie stuck the leg on the rails and so that not Kimberly was hanging upside down and the unnatural way the knee was bent put pressure on that leg. After a dropkick to the face freed the champion, Garrett went for an ankle lock but Kim managed to escape it by roling forward and sending Kenzie face first into the rails.
They were now ready for the grand finale, taking place, and it couldn’t be otherwise, in the area where the Special Effects show usually took place. Which, by the way, was one of the areas the referee warned them not to enter. Oh well. Needless to say that the two had fun using all kinds of props the stuntmen usually work with, some of those to ridiculous effects. The ending though was far from funny as the two reached an area set up for an explosion stunt. Somehow, someone triggered the pyros and the whole set blew off with Kimberly and Kenzie in. And when the spectacular explosion finished, both women were laying down. The referee immediately stopped the match and called the paramedics. After a moment of apprehension, both Kimberly and Kenzie slowly started getting up to their feet. Battered, bruised and slightly charred, but all things considered, they both looked fine.

WINNER: // (STILL CHICAGO WAY CHAMPION KIMBERLY WILLIAMS)
BY: Referee Stoppage, 21:30

The fans in the Bowl were still buzzing about the Chicago Way championship match and its explosive ending when Aspen Eisley entered the ring to announce the main event of the evening. Opposite reactions for the two women who will battle it out for the prestigious title, held by the likes of Melissa Reeves, Anastasia Starling and Tiff Rollins before the Welsh. Four champions in two years and half that elevated the title as one of the most prestigious championships in the business. The clash of styles and attitudes was clear from the early moments, Lowri came out swinging with her dangerous kicks immediately backing Faith into the ropes. The Valedictorian was quick to stretch her upper body out of the ring to interrupt the flurry, obtaining a clean break from Moss. As the fight was brought back in the middle of the ring Lowri went for a middle kick but Savell blocked it, taking the champion down with a dragon screw, transitioning right away into a knee bar. Lowri reached the ropes rather quickly, but Faith refused to let go, fully exploiting the five count and receiving a shower of boos for her actions. Faith might have an irritating attitude, but she could back it up with her undoubted skills shown since the day she stepped into the Academy. What was even more impressive was the fact that she seems to be constantly improving, developing a greater confidence in her ability, giving Lowri a run for her money. Faith was able to contain the Cloud Gate champion, keeping the pace slow and the opponent on the floor, avoiding those dangerous strikes. But it wasn’t only a matter of controlling the pace, those prolonged holds and submission really did a number on Lowri. It was clear that the champion was in difficulty, perhaps even caught off guard by the maturity of her opponent. Despite the young age and the lack of experience, Faith was wrestling like a veteran, sticking to the game plan she carefully prepared before the match. Eventually Moss found the opening and surprised Savell with her Slice Of Heaven (springboard enziguri), knocking down the young and talented Valedictorian. Lowri took a moment to regroup into the corner rather than going for the pin, baiting Faith into the first mistake of her match, a running elbow that found nobody home. Lowri moved out of the way and the challenger found herself back against the ropes, right where the champion wanted her. The fans knew what was coming next, and probably Faith did as well, but she couldn’t avoid or protect herself from the Scarlet Barrage. Lowri regained control, obtaining several near falls in the following minutes. The tables had turned, now Faith was the one looking in great difficulty, barely hanging in there. Lowri knew she had her on the ropes and went for the killing blow, her trusted Breuddwydion Melus. Savell showed, if anything, great reflexes by grabbing the ref’s shirt and pulling him in the trajectory of the champion’s superkick. The impact was inevitable, the official went down like a ton of bricks. Lowri immediately looked concerned and sorry for what she inadvertently did and checked on the referee. Faith instead didn’t share the champion’s worries and took advantage of the situation with a knee to Lowri’s head and her patented bridging northern lights suplex. It would’ve probably been a three, if someone was there to count it. But with the ref still out, the two had no chance but to keep fighting until the man woke up from the nap, or another official came out to replace him. Someone did come out, but it wasn’t a referee. Olly, one half of the tag team champions K2O and Faith’s boyfriend rushed down the ramp, right after Lowri flattened Savell with the Breuddwydion Melus. Olly entered the ring, ducking Lowri’s clothesline and lifting her over his shoulders in a fireman’s carry position, dropping her down onto a knee strike. Faith slowly made the cover, the referee finally recovered and started to slowly make the count.

One…
Two…
Three…

The boos were deafening as Faith was announced as the new Cloud Gate champion. They got even worse when Olly joined her to celebrate in the ring as the referee handed her over the prestigious title.

WINNER: Faith Savelll (NEW CLOUD GATE CHAMPION)
BY: Pinfall (Not OK), 20:44