Millennium XCI

Here in Glendale, Arizona we are backstage where we witness the Tag Team Champions entering the building. Both still in their street clothes, their match not until later tonight. Karen leads the way with a black dress and her title over her shoulder as Olly follows not far behind with his belt over his shoulder as well. Their bags are being carried by a staffer, who seems to be struggling a tad with both of them. Karen stops shaking her head as she looks back at Olly.

Karen Eldon:
Is it not a bit ridiculous that we are facing Fabulous? I mean what have they done lately to earn a title shot? Management is just giving them away at this point.

Olly shrugs his shoulders, the tone of his answer just a tad careless.

Olly:
They probably cried with management, you know how these things work…

Turning around for a moment, he glances at the staffer, seeing him having some troubles with their bags. Rather than trying to help him, he lets out a light chuckle and turns back.

Olly:
Then again, we beat every single team in MWE, it was just a matter of time before they started scraping the bottom of the barrel… And that’s where they found Fabulous.

Karen Eldon:
True I just thought I’d moved past these types of losers. Whatever, we’ll just keep doing our thing. Taking belts after belts. You know people didn’t understand why the two of us work together, it’s simple. We’re both just winners!

Karen smiles having a laugh, tooting their own horns as the staffer adjusts the bags some sweat at this point coming down his brow.

Olly:
You know what the best part of all this is, Karen? How people keep overlooking us, thinking we are nothing but jokes.. And constantly get proven wrong. Two matches in MWE and we were champions, third match in Valiant this Sunday and, make no mistake, we will be the number one contenders. DeathGraps? We were one of the less credited teams on the fallback tournament and we made it to the semi-finals of the real deal, only losing to the champions because of the Tribe’s cowardly attack.

He rolls his eyes.

Olly:
Do you think people learned their lesson this time?

Karen Eldon:
Of course not. But tonight? In the main event, where we belong. We will put down Summer and Jessica for good. Because they claim to be fabulous, but we are levels above that. We are perfect.

The two smugly enter the building, seeming fully confident in their abilities against Fabulous tonight.

The scene opens backstage. Kyle Butler is leaning against a wall in the hallway. The Lockdown Championship is around his waist. The fans cheer.

Kyle Butler:
Leia LeBeau. That’s a blast from the past.

Kyle offers a smile.

Kyle Butler:
Back in the not so glorious days when I admit I was a tad judgemental, I crossed paths with Leia. I was guilty of levying the typical she is a stripper narrative. For a guy like me who came up through the ametur ranks to the pros, seeing a woman who pretty much got into MWE based on how great she looks didn’t set right with me. In the golden era of wrestling you needed to actually put in the work to get on television, to Leia’s credit she did put the work in. Became a champion along the way. Did well in the Battle of the Briefcase tournament. She is more than just a pretty face.

BUT.

Kyle holds up one finger.

Kyle Butler:
Leia still has a long way to go, fair to say? Not saying she can’t beat me. She has proven she can beat a top talent in this company on any given night. Any given night won’t include tonight. Quite frankly, MWE deserves a better standard of champion. When I look at the tag team title scene, GO FABULOUS by the way--

Kyle winks.

Kyle Butler:
The Riot Championship scene. The IC and the Cloudgate, it makes me sad we have champions in this company, despite how talented they may or may not be, who aren’t the greatest human beings in the world. Big shock, douches have dominated pro wrestling since day one. I feel content knowing I am a good guy who has done everything right, standing by the principles this sport was founded on. I hope every time I go out there, all of you feel the same way about me. About Neil. Sophie and Glory. We are the GLORIOUS Golden Era for a reason. Duh, being champion helps. For the past couple years we have been the standard, in the ring, out the ring. On social media, you name it.

It’s my goal to be YOUR champion. I can’t do anything about the K20’s, the Pierce Manning’s and the Matt Stone’s of the world. What I can do is go out there, give you my all, respect whoever stands in front of me. Be the shining example professional wrestling needs.

Kyle nods. The fans cheer. He offers a chuckle.

Kyle Butler:
Oh, it wouldn’t be a Kyle speech without me saying--

He clears his throat.

Kyle Butler:
ROLL TIDE, BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYE BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

He thumps his chest as the fans cheer in unison. He walks off as the scene fades.

Standing on some random, nondescript part of theGila River Arena is former MMA champion and new MWE signee, Jordan Parker-Kane. The youngest member of the Kane wrestling family is dressed in his ring gear for his match against Dustin Douglas. A plain black t-shirt covers his upper body. He’s sat on a random rolling box, used to haul equipment around.

Jordan Parker-Kane:
The last several weeks have been… Cathartic for me. After spending months dealing with family drama and proving to the world who the superior member of my family is, I was left wondering "what next". That's when I came across a contract offer I had from ole Millennium Wrestling Entertainment. At the time I had received it, I very much wanted to focus on things over in LA at Valiant. When I said I wanted to be a tag team champion with my brother, that was honestly the truth. I always knew Chris looked at himself at the head of the family all that, but I didn’t really care. That was till he got a big head and I had to put him in his place.

Jordan offers a small shrug.

Jordan Parker-Kane:
So I signed up, to be honest partly just to pissed Chris off and continue to show I’m better. I suppose he got the message and has run off. That leaves me in a bit of a spot, unsure what happens next. That was until the powers that be put me against the Murder Train himself. I’ve stood in the ring or cage against some of the greatest fighters in the world and Dustin is right there among them. The size agvantage alone is nearly unfathomable on its own. However, I'm not your average small wrestler.

A small confident smirk spreads across Jordan's face.

Jordan Parker-Kane:
I have great respect for Dustin, and I know this match will be fun. However, the time is coming for me to rise.

The screen fades away to black.

Backstage we see the trusty and loyal Dalek gliding into view. Dalek is pulling what appears to be a large sleigh; large enough to hold an actual throne, but a throne unlike any other. It is dark gray, dirty, and the armrests have what appear to be barbed wire wrapped around them. Seated on the throne is “The Woman Scorned” Kimberly Williams. The deranged ginger is dressed in torn denim jeans, sandals, and a plain black t-shirt. She has a crown atop her head. The SCW Underground Championship title belt and the MWE Chicago Way Championship title belt rest in her lap.

Kimberly Williams
Dalek! Halt!

The Dalek comes to a stop. Kimberly turns to face the camera and smirks.

Kimberly Williams
Tonight is my 199th day as Chicago Way Champion. Tomorrow will mark two-hundred days as the champion of this violent, hardcore division in MWE. And just last week I picked up another promotion’s hardcore championship.

She chuckles.

Kimberly Williams
I am not one to gloat. I just like to enjoy myself and spread my own unique form of cheer and joy. Granted my idea of cheer and joy involved blood, guts, and brutality. But hey, at least someone is happy, even if that one person is just me! And I am not done spreading my unique form of cheer and joy. I am already the second longest reigning Chicago Way Champion and I am quickly approaching the record for longest reign, currently held by Joey Leclair.

She waves at the camera.

Kimberly Williams
Hi, Joey! Apologies in advance for breaking you record! I’ll send you a fruitcake as a consolation! But hey, if anyone wants to try and stop me, they are more than welcome to try. This Chicago Way Championship is going nowhere. And anyone who does try and take this from me will learn one very harsh truth that everyone else has already learned.

She reaches down and picks up the Infinity Gauntlet. She puts it on her hand.

Kimberly Williams
I am…Kimevitable!

She snaps her fingers. Immediately the Dalek starts gliding again, dragging Kim and her throne off screen.

We cut backstage where we find “The British Bombshell” Glory Braddock. The blonde beauty looks sleek in a black pantsuit, black blouse, and a matching black jacket. She is wearing black patent leather high heeled pumps and a black fedora over her head. A stoic, emotionless gaze is etched across her face.

Glory Braddock
You know, I have been very patient for a very long time. Like I have been saying the past few weeks, it has been a long time since I have held championship gold. The last time I had any championship gold was when I was Riot Champion. My good friend Henri Black took that away from me. Did I ever get another opportunity to regain the gold? No, I didn’t. But I was patient. I kept working hard, I kept fighting. Eventually I earned an opportunity to become MWE World Champion. Despite becoming number one contender did I get a one on one opportunity? No, it was a mutli-person clusterfuck. And I still came so close to winning it all.

She shakes her head.

Glory Braddock
But you won’t hear The British Bombshell make excuses. I lost and I moved on. I learned from my mistakes, I kept fighting, I kept working, waiting patiently for the next opportunity to present itself. That opportunity was set before me one week ago. Duke Andrews and Brookford against Henri Black and yours truly. It was a war, it was a fight, but in the end I took full advantage of the opportunity I was given. I dropped Duke on his head. I pinned the MWE World Champion in the center of the ring.

She chuckles lightly.

Glory Braddock
Duke, you say you are disappointed? Hell, I’m disappointed that you don’t have an opponent. After pinning you last week I think you and I should have had a match right here tonight with your title on the line. Do you truly want a worthy competitor, Duke? Do you really want someone to have the guts to step up and challenge you? Let me spell this out as clearly as I can, mate…I am Glory Braddock, a fifteen time former world champion, the woman who beat you last week on Millennium, and I am challenging you to a one on one match for the MWE World Championship.

Braddock nods her head.

Glory Braddock
I know I can beat you. All I need is one opportunity and just like last week, I will take full advantage of that opportunity. I will beat you for a second time and this time become MWE World Champion. All I need is one shot, one opportunity. So if you don’t want to be disappointed, if you want a real fight, then accept my challenge. I promise you that you won’t be disappointed. I will take you to your limits. And God willing I will take your championship. Just name the time and place. Let’s make this match happen.”

A camera finds Lowri Moss sitting on a crate somewhere backstage, dressed in her ring attire, ready for her forthcoming match. She is sat with her head bowed, but she soon raises it and looks to the camera, a smile on her face.

Lowri Moss:
What’s occurring, Glendale?

That greeting of course elicits a pop from the audience.

Lowri Moss:
Two weeks have passed since I last got to set foot inside an MWE ring, two weeks since I got the payback that I wanted for Olly’s actions at When The Sun Goes Down, and with that all taken care of, now I can move on to other things. I told Paisley Dawn that there’s someone in particular on the roster who I want to have a match with-- someone who I’ve wrestled previously, but not in MWE-- and I’ve begun to think that he and I might actually be in the ring together even sooner than I had anticipated, in one form or another. That’s for another night though, because tonight I have an opponent who I’ve never been in the ring with previously, in the shape of Siobhan Mahoney.

Lowri leans forward, gripping the edge of the crate with her hands.

Lowri Moss:
I think I’m right in saying that this will be Siobhan’s first appearance on Millennium, so I guess I’ll be playing the role of the welcoming committee for my fellow Celt-- although I’m going to be welcoming her to the green brand with a kick or twelve, rather than a mere “hello.”

She then leaps off the crate.

Lowri Moss:
While I’ve never fought Siobhan before, I have been in the ring at least once with one of her cousins, Fraser Flanagan, and from what I’ve seen of Siobhan, she might have an even shorter temper than her cousin does. She certainly seems to love a good scrap, no matter the size of the opponent, and that’s what I’m expecting from her here tonight, especially as we’re the same height as one another… although she’s a bit lighter than me, not quite as hench as I am.

Lowri does an intentionally poor imitation of a bodybuilder performing a most muscular pose.

Lowri Moss:
Seriously though, I know that Siobhan will give as good as she gets, and I also know that she is more than simply a brawler, as she has shown already in the half a dozen months since she made her debut in MWE. In fact, in that debut, she came quite close to winning a thirty man battle royale, something that I know a thing or two about, before then going on to win the MENTV Championship just a couple of months later, so she’s definitely capable of making an impact when an opportunity arises, and a victory tonight against the former Cloud Gate Champion would likely do her no end of good.

She takes a couple of steps forward, towards the camera.

Lowri Moss:
The pressure is probably all on me in this match, almost everyone probably expects me to win it-- which is absolutely fine with me, as that says a lot about how I’m viewed. And while I’m not chasing after a title right now, nor am I after a pound of flesh, that doesn’t mean I’m any less motivated than I would’ve been before now-- I still want to win this match, I plan on winning this match, so whether it’s with a swift kick, or with a roll of the dice, I’ll put Siobhan down for a count of three, and for tonight at least, that’ll be my impact.

Lowri then walks off, out of shot, and the camera cuts away.

A faint voice can be heard from somewhere in this house:

“You took one of those friends…”

Shots from a couple of rooms follow; as if someone is trying to find the source for the disembodied voice. The camera moves frantically, and the sound of gasping can be heard from the man holding the camera, no doubt handling the camera and running from room to room should be a daunting task… then the voice again:

“No, you also gained my attention…”

Again the camera runs from room to room, but there’s no body to be found; no source for these voices. The search becomes more and more frantic as the camera closes in on the last few rooms in this house.

“You should have done your research, if you had then you would have known what a revenant is…”

Only three doors are left for the cameraman… in the first two rooms, silence… in the third, a snappy-looking young man awaits. A walking cane on his right hand; his left hand up scratching the back of his head. He turns around revealing a rather confused-looking Gareth Prichard Jr… who breaks the silence by simply saying:

Gareth Prichard Jr:
I think I heard something… Did you?

He then gestures with his left hand as if to say “don’t worry about it” and continues.

Gareth Prichard Jr:
I guess it must’ve been my imagination. See, lately, I’ve been hearing lots of noises coming from bottom dwellers who think of themselves more than simple rats scavenging for a spot that doesn’t belong to them. Nothing new, I suppose. After all, I’ve been singing the same song for the past few months and it doesn’t seem as if anyone has noticed.

Gareth rolls his eyes before taking a deep breath and continuing his diatribe.

Gareth Prichard Jr:
It’s as if I’ve been preaching to the choir and my thinking isn’t obvious to them. See, I don’t care about your vendettas or personal revenge or whatever. I don’t care about any of you, as a matter of fact. You never say anything new, so I don’t need to waste my time addressing you. Because time is money and all of that junk. Yet, time and again you assholes manage to get a hold of someone, like this poor chap here…

Gareth gestures to the cameraman behind the scenes as he continues.

Gareth Prichard Jr:
And send them my way because you NEED me to speak. I don’t get it, I’m willingly giving my allotted time to ANYONE else on the roster. I don’t care to speak and yet… here I am. Being begged upon to address some moron who doesn’t understand the meaning of… “I DON’T CARE”

Gareth sighs and rests both of his hands on the cane before looking back up and continuing.

Gareth Prichard Jr:
Henri… I see you have some trouble with understanding stuff. Let me make it as clear as if you were a kindergarten kid… The reason I did what I did to your so-called ‘friend’... wasn’t because I WANTED or NEEDED my name etched as the man who took her out. She just was THERE. I had a briefcase I had to get rid of, and she just so happened to be the one holding the belt at the time. If it was you, I would’ve done the same… but don’t feel special, just yet. See, this is just a… let’s call it… happy coincidence. She is out and I got something out of it. Furthermore, what I got wasn’t the fact I took her out… no, Henri… what I took out was the fact that now I’m above that belt.

All who carry that belt after her will have the thought of ME in the back of their mind. Because they didn’t beat ME… and they know I would’ve had that title… if I CARED ENOUGH… but I don’t.

Prichard moves closer to the camera and shrugs as he lets out a sigh.

Gareth Prichard Jr:
But I guess your brain won’t process that and think that I’m just stalling… and to be fair, I might as well because I’d love to see what you do. Considering the only way you could -quote- harm -unquote- me is by attacking someone who is more than capable of crushing your dreams worse than a Dalek… but alas, since I’m here. I’ll just let you know, your hubris and eagerness I’ve seen elsewhere and they will cost you in the end. But again… if you want to inflict self-harm by stepping against me… I DON’T CARE.

Pre-recorded…

Voiceover/Narrator
The following has been paid for by Collins Incorporated, reminding you to be absolutely FABULOUS!

Gold sparkles rain down from the heavens as a lovely soothing piano chord starts to play in the background. The scene opens in a luxurious living room area, specifically in front of an expensive marble fireplace. Summer Collins enters from stage right, dressed in a tight, form fitting forest green cocktail dress. Her best friend and tag team partner, “The Archangel” Jessica Lasiewicz, enters the scene from stage left. She is wearing a tight, form fitting red cocktail dress. The Fabulous duo have confident smirks upon their faces.

Summer Collins
You know Jess, I have heard people say some really dumb stuff in my time.

Jessica Lasiewicz
You mean like when people say that they are fans of the North Carolina Tar Heels? Because that really is a dumbass thing to say.

Summer Collins
Worse. Apparently there are a couple of idiots who think that they split up the two of us, they think that they split up Fabulous.

Jessica stares at Summer for a few moments. Then she starts bursting into laughter. Summer follows suit and the two laugh for a few moments before Summer continues.

Summer Collins
A little advice from me to Karen and Olly, educate yourselves before talking crap on social media and proving yourselves to be utter fools. Jess and I never split up. Not once did we ever stop being a tag team. Sure, we have been booked as singles competitors in MWE, but not one time did we cease to be a tag team. In Global Championship Wrestling we are still one of the most dominant tag teams in their division. In GCW we pick up tag team victory week in and week out. We never split up, we never stopped teaming. We just happened to get booked as singles competitors in MWE.

Jessica Lasiewicz
And that’s fine with us. You know why? We’re not just one trick ponies. Unlike the pair of you whose only claim to fame is tag team success, Summer and I have notable achievements across the board. Our reputation as a great tag team is known. Remember Pro-Wrestling Frontier? Summer was one of the longest reigning PWF Commonwealth Champions in history. And me? I am a two time WORLD CHAMPION. So this whole singles scene isn’t new to us. We have been there, we have done that. Tag team wrestling…been there, done that. Can we do both? You damn right we can. Because we are that damn good. Did we request it from management? No, but we don’t mind it because we are multi-faceted when it comes to wrestling.

Summer Collins
And we sure as hell didn’t start as singles competitors in MWE because of you two idiots. We don’t make the matches. We fight whoever management puts in front of us; it is as simple as that. And as I already spelled it out for you earlier, if you weren’t paying attention, we never stopped being a tag team. While we were competing as individuals here in MWE, we were competing as a tag team in GCW. We have been keeping up our practice, our chemistry has never been better. Quite frankly, we haven’t lost a beat. We have been very active as a tag team since June and we have only been beaten once. Do your homework and you might learn something.

Lasiewicz nods her head.

Jessica Lasiewicz
Now your mouth has written a check your ass can’t cash. You talked a big game about how great you are; well now you have to put up or shut up on Millennium when you defend those MWE World Tag Team Championships against me and Summer. And you know what kind of a team me and Summer are?

Summer Collins
Fabulous?

Jessica Lasiewicz
Yes, that. But besides that we are also tough. We prove how great we are not simply by crowing about it to anyone who will listen but by kicking ass inside the ring week in and week out. We prove our toughness by facing the best tag teams and beating them. And even the few times we lose, we still make damn sure that they know they have been in a war. When we were last champions, we held the MWE and GCW Tag Team Championships at the same damn time. Yet you say when we held the belts the division was nothing, meaningless, crap? I’ll tell you the truth right here and now, and the truth is that the division has become a joke since the two of you got the titles. Summer and I never needed cheap ass disqualifications to retain the titles, we never needed outside interference to retain the titles, and yet you two can’t seem to do a damn thing on your own. You can’t win a damn match without help.

Summer Collins
You are lame. Pathetic. The laziest human beings I have ever met in my entire life. I will give credit where credit is due, you have been good enough to win and keep the belts this long. But you run your mouths, and now Jess and I are going to shut your damn mouths by kicking your asses all over the arena. The championships are on the line, so I fully expect you to pull out any and every cheap tricks and shenanigans you can think of to keep the belts. We’re fine with that. This isn’t about the championships for us. This could be a non-title match as far as we’re concerned. This is about one thing and one thing only…beating some respect into you.

Jessica Lasiewicz
I would end this by saying Fabulous is back, but that would be wrong because the fact is Fabulous has gone nowhere. It is going nowhere. We want to be a tag team, we want to own this division, and if tonight is the night our domination begins again then so be it. But one thing I can say is that shutting you up will be absolutely FABULOUS!