Post by gvb on Oct 24, 2020 18:25:24 GMT -6
MWE Presents: Anniv3rsary (night 1)
Live from Enterprise Arena in Chicago, IL
Saturday, October 24th, 2020
Cold blue lights barely illuminate the giant number three dominating the entrance stage. The fans are already buzzing, their excitement for the first night of the much anticipated third Anniversary of Millennium Wrestling Enterprise and even though the show is far from sold out due to the current limitations for the obvious reasons everybody knows, those who managed to get a ticket are making their entusiasm heard. Among them, sitting in the front row, we find the first class of The Academy, the developmental brand of MWE. Tiana Petrova-Hammond, Trinity Thompson, Olly, Faizah Marshall, Amelia Marx, Dez Ali, Millie Smith and Braxton, they're all there accompanied by one of the Team Leaders Michael Ali. Two of them are missing, Faith Savell and the kid simply known as The Kid. They were sitting in one of the VIP lounges, along with two familiar faces for the MWE fans. The first Millennium Champion Eliza Valentine and the Shieldmother, Nora Foley.
A voice suddenly comes out of the PA system, barely audible at first but growing in volume.
"I don't know what you had in mind
But here we stand on opposing sides
Let's go to war"
The drums and guitar kick in, the lights suddenly break through the semi-darkness and pyros go off on the stage as "Go To War" by Nothing More blares from the loudspeakers. On the tron, a clip shows images of how we got to tonight's matches, showing Nina's attack on Dreadnought's girlfriend, Kimberly hitting Donovan and Jay with her stuffed penguin and Nightfall Rising leaving with Wasley at the end of the last Riot. We see Neil Newman costing Henri Black his shot at becoming the number one contender for the Riot championship and the Revenant's retaliation, moving then to Lowri Moss preventing Freddie Hjalmar from using the chair in his match against Melissa Reeves back at Drums In The Night. And of course, the controversial ending to the Intercontinental Championship match between Megan Monroe and BROOKFORD was there as well.
The camera finally cuts to ringside, where we find the four commentators ready to call the action.
Peyton Holland:
Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Three Year Anniversary show!
Amy Maynard:
You all know the story, from the company's origins as Pride Pro to the Chuck Matthews era, the war with Vengeance Pro and the subsequent move to Chicago. And eventually Grace van Beek's takeover, on the first anniversary show two years ago.
Sir Figgles:
We don't have time for the history lesson Amy. And most importantly, nobody cares. People want to see the fights, the blood and the broken bodies. And this first match might give them enough of that already. It's a shame, I liked Nina when she was our Twitter intern.
Ambra Monroe:
It's definitely going to be a huge challenge for the Chicago born girl, but don't count her out so easily.
Peyton Holland:
The no holds barred rule definitely adds unpredictability to this match. Sure, Dread is pretty much twice the size of The Viper, but with weapons thrown on the mix, she might actually have a chance.
We cut to a dark portion of the arena backstage, the only things we were able to see were two red bars floating and moving in the air. The unusual sight goes on for almost a minute before the spectacular dance stopped and the lights were turned on. Standing there with a lightstaff similar to the one used by Darth Maul in Star Wars was Nina, dressed to compete minutes prior to her match.
Nina:
Y'all think I'm going to need to pull some Jedi shit to beat that giant pile of dollar store redbull and muscles, don't ya? Or even better, I should give up to the Dark Side Of The Force to get what I need to put him down for good...
She let out a chuckle, twirling the staff in front of herself with surprising skills.
Nina:
Y'all think I got crazy, challenging a behemoth like him one day before my Junior Heavyweight championship opportunity.
A shrug of her shoulders before she continued.
Nina:
Y'all couldn't be farther from the truth. Believe it or not, I know what I'm doing. I'll worry about tomorrow once this is all set and done, becuase since the moment that overgrown bitch attacked me, the Junior Heavyweight championship was no longer my priority. The title shot I EARNED by pinning the champ one, two, three without any shadow of a doubt was not on top of my list anymore.
Revenge took its place.
The camera zoomed in with a close up, you could see how focused and determined she was, you would notice that fire burning in her eyes.
Nina:
"It's not personal." Said the idiot who made it personal for me. I ain't here to discuss the moral, or the lack of, behind the decision to make a living out of other people's battles. But save the "It's just business" bit, that's straight up bullshit and you know it.
Just business is what I did to Luna, pushing her to get a match I knew I would have won. But attacking someone who did shit to you, someone you don't even know... That sounds quite fucking personal to me.
I wanted this match because I know I have a chance, Dreaddy. I can lose, sure, but bet your big ass that if that's the case, I'm taking a piece of you with me. It's a no holds barred match, sugar. Means that anything goes. And I got a couple of aces up my sleeve.
Turning on the lightstaff, she flaunted her technique some more, laughing at the end of her showing.
Nina:
This? No... This is but a toy I bought for Owain's birthday. That kid would kill me if i don't bring it back home in one piece.
Smiling, she tossed it to someone out of frame, most likely her fiancèe Camari. Turning back, Nina picked up a kendo stick from the floor.
Nina:
This is my weapon of choice, Dread. And believe me when I say I can use it just as well.
With a confident smile on her face, Nina walked into her match.
A voice suddenly comes out of the PA system, barely audible at first but growing in volume.
"I don't know what you had in mind
But here we stand on opposing sides
Let's go to war"
The drums and guitar kick in, the lights suddenly break through the semi-darkness and pyros go off on the stage as "Go To War" by Nothing More blares from the loudspeakers. On the tron, a clip shows images of how we got to tonight's matches, showing Nina's attack on Dreadnought's girlfriend, Kimberly hitting Donovan and Jay with her stuffed penguin and Nightfall Rising leaving with Wasley at the end of the last Riot. We see Neil Newman costing Henri Black his shot at becoming the number one contender for the Riot championship and the Revenant's retaliation, moving then to Lowri Moss preventing Freddie Hjalmar from using the chair in his match against Melissa Reeves back at Drums In The Night. And of course, the controversial ending to the Intercontinental Championship match between Megan Monroe and BROOKFORD was there as well.
The camera finally cuts to ringside, where we find the four commentators ready to call the action.
Peyton Holland:
Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Three Year Anniversary show!
Amy Maynard:
You all know the story, from the company's origins as Pride Pro to the Chuck Matthews era, the war with Vengeance Pro and the subsequent move to Chicago. And eventually Grace van Beek's takeover, on the first anniversary show two years ago.
Sir Figgles:
We don't have time for the history lesson Amy. And most importantly, nobody cares. People want to see the fights, the blood and the broken bodies. And this first match might give them enough of that already. It's a shame, I liked Nina when she was our Twitter intern.
Ambra Monroe:
It's definitely going to be a huge challenge for the Chicago born girl, but don't count her out so easily.
Peyton Holland:
The no holds barred rule definitely adds unpredictability to this match. Sure, Dread is pretty much twice the size of The Viper, but with weapons thrown on the mix, she might actually have a chance.
We cut to a dark portion of the arena backstage, the only things we were able to see were two red bars floating and moving in the air. The unusual sight goes on for almost a minute before the spectacular dance stopped and the lights were turned on. Standing there with a lightstaff similar to the one used by Darth Maul in Star Wars was Nina, dressed to compete minutes prior to her match.
Nina:
Y'all think I'm going to need to pull some Jedi shit to beat that giant pile of dollar store redbull and muscles, don't ya? Or even better, I should give up to the Dark Side Of The Force to get what I need to put him down for good...
She let out a chuckle, twirling the staff in front of herself with surprising skills.
Nina:
Y'all think I got crazy, challenging a behemoth like him one day before my Junior Heavyweight championship opportunity.
A shrug of her shoulders before she continued.
Nina:
Y'all couldn't be farther from the truth. Believe it or not, I know what I'm doing. I'll worry about tomorrow once this is all set and done, becuase since the moment that overgrown bitch attacked me, the Junior Heavyweight championship was no longer my priority. The title shot I EARNED by pinning the champ one, two, three without any shadow of a doubt was not on top of my list anymore.
Revenge took its place.
The camera zoomed in with a close up, you could see how focused and determined she was, you would notice that fire burning in her eyes.
Nina:
"It's not personal." Said the idiot who made it personal for me. I ain't here to discuss the moral, or the lack of, behind the decision to make a living out of other people's battles. But save the "It's just business" bit, that's straight up bullshit and you know it.
Just business is what I did to Luna, pushing her to get a match I knew I would have won. But attacking someone who did shit to you, someone you don't even know... That sounds quite fucking personal to me.
I wanted this match because I know I have a chance, Dreaddy. I can lose, sure, but bet your big ass that if that's the case, I'm taking a piece of you with me. It's a no holds barred match, sugar. Means that anything goes. And I got a couple of aces up my sleeve.
Turning on the lightstaff, she flaunted her technique some more, laughing at the end of her showing.
Nina:
This? No... This is but a toy I bought for Owain's birthday. That kid would kill me if i don't bring it back home in one piece.
Smiling, she tossed it to someone out of frame, most likely her fiancèe Camari. Turning back, Nina picked up a kendo stick from the floor.
Nina:
This is my weapon of choice, Dread. And believe me when I say I can use it just as well.
With a confident smile on her face, Nina walked into her match.
No Holds Barred Match
Nina VS DreadnoughtAsking for a match against a behemoth like Dreadnought, and forcing him to accept it by attacking his girlfriend and making it personal sounds like suicide. But Nina wanted this, and she came prepared entering the ring with a kendo stick. And she definitely knew how to use it, twirling around the opponent to dodge his rage driven strikes and hit him with rapid swings aiming mostly at his flanks and ribs. And even though the red marks began to appear on his skin, Dread seemed to barely feel any pain, too focused in trying to grab the elusive Viper who kept ducking his blows. Nina wasn’t missing a bit, now adding some low kick to her offense, trying to take down the big man. The gun for hire was growling, visibly frustrated by this situation. He finally caught her with a punch, sending her staggering backward. He charged in for a clothesline but Nina wielded the stick as a sword and sunk the shot, stabbing Dread with absolute precision and catching him in the pit of the stomach, leaving him breathless. Then she positioned next to him, pressing the cane against Dread’s throat and taking him down with a russian legsweep. And now that she had him on the floor, she went berserk, swinging the stick on his chest, side and even back when Dreadnought rolled over to protect his already bruised chest from further damage. Eventually the kendo stick broke in half, and at that point Nina made the cover. A wise use of weapons leveled the playing field for Nina who dominated the first part of the match. She brought a chair inside the ring and used it on Dread’s leg, slamming it down on his knee several times. She even trapped his ankle in it and stomped onto the chair, with a clear gameplan in mind. If he can’t stand, he can’t hurt her, right? Besides, this was an excellent way to prepare the ground for her kneebar submission. But Dreadnought wasn’t going down without a fight, using his free leg to kick Nina away. He slowly stood back up to his feet, taking a couple of more kicks to the injured leg before managing to block her leg. Nina swung a couple of punches but the big man remained out of reach, eventually lifting her in a powerbomb position and dropping her onto the chair she used moments ago. He immediately dragged her up to her feet, doubled her over with a couple of hard punches to the stomach and lifted her for a second powerbomb, this time dropping her straight against the turnbuckle. Nina was tossed outside by the Sandstorm Inc. powerhouse, who left the ring to pursue his revenge on the outside. The Chicago born was thrown against the steel post, her head smashed against it twice so that Dreadnought had enough time to grab a table and set it up outside the ring. He was going to put Nina through it with a third powerbomb, but the Viper avoided disaster and slipped away. Despite all the punishment she took in the match, including a violent chair shot straight to the head that busted her skull open, Nina was still fighting. Retrieving a brass knuckle she hid inside her boot, she caught Dread flush on the jaw with The Sting, her Fedor casting punch. This gave her an opening to continue her assault and even though her strikes were less quick than they were before, their precision and force were unchanged, And finally Dreadnought was down on his knees, and Nina hit him with a running knee to the side of the head. She made a first cover attempt, but Dreadnought kicked out in two. The Snakebite climbed up to the top rope, waiting for her opponent to get up. He did, immediately launching himself against the ropes and causing her to lose her balance. The big man stepped over the top rope, walking the apron and reaching the corner. He picked Nina on his shoulders, Amy Maynard on commentary gasping as she realized what the PSC had in mind. The fans in attendance bursted in a “Holy Shit” chant as Dreadnought put himself and his opponent through the table with a Tidal Wave (olympic slam) from the top rope. It took a while before any of them started moving, but Dreadnought eventually rolled Nina back in the ring and made the cover. The look of shock on his face when the Viper kicked out was priceless. The fans went wild, rallying behind Nina hoping that their support could help her pull the upset. But their hopes ended with the click of the handcuffs Dread closed around Nina’s wrist, tying her to the ropes. He then picked up the expandable baton he walked to the ring with and began hitting Nina. And again. And again. She wasn’t moving anymore, bleeding from her head and covered in bruises, but Dread wasn’t stopping. Not until the referee stepped in and ordered for the bell to ring, declaring him as the winner of the match. WINNER: Dreadnought BY: Referee stoppage, 14:21 |
Amy Maynard: "Somebody go check on Nina, please!"
Sir Figgles: "I guess the Force was stronger in Dreadnought tonight."
Amy Maynard: "How can you joke about it? This started as a match, but it ended as an execution."
Sir Figgles: "She knew what she signed up for. Actually, she asked for it. She made the bed, now she' lying in it. For quite some time I would say."
Amy Maynard: "Now the big question is if she'll be able to compete tomorrow night.."
We cut to the backstage area, finding the one and only Echo holding up a shredded Chicago Fight Lab banner. She tossed it to the side and stared into the camera, shrugging her shoulders.
Echo:
It’s truly a night of celebration, yeh? The three year anniversary show, wow. Titans have risen, titans have been slain, and the wheels just keep on turning, and turning, and turning… Being just another spoke, that wasn’t for me. That was what Yulia wanted for me, what Damian wanted for me. They thought their way was the best way, the only way, and I’m not going to apologize for telling them to fuck off.
I’m not going to apologize for what I did to Alex Andrews. Poor girl didn’t know what she was walking into, but her blood isn’t on my hands. No. What happened to her is on you, Yules. What’s about to happen to Kristina tonight, that’s on you, Yules. If you find it hard to watch, you’ll know how I felt these last few months. Watching tape back, watching someone else parading around with my name, my face, my everything.
??:
G’day, mate!
The very faux Aussie accent came from behind Echo, who turned to face them with a scowl. In walked Zoe Rian, one half of Strip Search and overall...idiot. She stepped up to Echo with her ever present goofy grin, leaning against a crate.
Zoe Rian:
You look angry there, sheila!
Echo stared down at the interruption, her scowl turning into a small smile.
Echo:
Come to enjoy the show, yeh? Can’t seem to catch a break without your partner backing you up, she the reason you didn’t manage to get on the card?
Zoe Rian:
Prolly, yeah. That or I was too high to get the call for a booking and just showed up to watch anyway. One of the two surely. We can’t allllllll be big bad Eeeeeeeeccccchooooooooooo with legions of no longer so adoring fans. Super scary there lately, mate!
Zoe gave a half hearted laugh and held her fist out toward Echo, who promptly bumped it with her own.
Echo:
You’re right, we can’t all be me.
Zoe pursed her lips and nodded before turning to walk off from where she came. As quickly as she took her first step, she was dragged back by Echo, who took her down with a massive clothesline. Zoe landed with a thud, the breath escaping from her lungs as she laid there staring up at Echo, who proceeded to rain down stomp after stomp. Zoe managed to roll to her side but there was no escaping the raging Australian who leaned over to deadlift Zoe from the ground, tossing her against the wall with a loud crash.
Officials and security came running around the corner, spearheaded by Echo’s former striking coach Damian Carter. He pushed her back as she just smiled at him, nodding her head and backing down with her hands up.
Echo:
You pushed for this. Enjoy the show!
She walked off down the hall, as the officials checked on Zoe who was finally managing to situp on the floor.
We go to the back where Kristina Spencer and her manager Veronica Chandler are standing by
Veronica Chandler:
Three Years. For Three years Millennium has graced the wrestling world with their brand of entertainment and tonight they celebrate those three years.
Veronica and Kristina give a mocking golf clap for this
Veronica Chandler:
Now of course Backdoor Gracie went ahead and demanded the best matches this show could have such as Kristina versus Kelsey Hell In A Cell 2 right?
Veronica shakes her head
Veronica Chandler:
Nope. However surely they booked the match that people have been wanting such as Kristina versus Christian Michaels in a First Blood last man standing match or a First one to drown their opponent match right?
Kristina snarls and gives a thumbs down
Veronica Chandler:
Nope. Instead of those great matches that would make this event the spectacle that it should have been, we instead got Christian and Javen in some tag team turmoil match. Hopefully Javen is ready since we all know CM will drop the ball if Javen does not take control of things. I mean CM doesn’t even want us training his daughter Gabby since he would rather her get beat up so you tell me if you think CM is on the ball these days? Now Kelsey faces Devin Hearst and while a match with her cousin would have been much better I get why Kelsey is facing Devin considering he needs a butt whooping and Kelsey is all about butt whoopings right?
Veronica and Kristina look at each other and shrug
Veronica Chandler:
Now my client gets to face off with Echo….Echo….echo….echo…..
Veronica snickers to herself over her “great” joke on the name Echo
Veronica Chandler:
Well Echo tonight you are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Kristina is looking for a fight and looking to hurt somebody and because of Backdoor Gracie you are the one who will be sent to intensive care tonight. Nothing personal against you as I am sure you are a great person and upstanding citizen it's just bad luck that you face Kristina tonight.
Veronica looks at Kristina smiling
Kristina Spencer:
DIE ECHO DIE!!!!!!!
Kristina gives a throat slash as we fade out
Singles Match
Kristina Spencer VS EchoKristina surprised Echo as the match started with her fast paced offense, coming out strong off the gate with a flurry of kicks. The Australian backed down against the ropes in an attempt to escape this relentless assault, but there was no break for her tonight. Not even the referee was able to keep Kristina away for longer than a second before she would push him aside and get back on the attack. The former Junior Heavyweight champion’s career seemed to have been spiraling down since losing her title, and what better opportunity to bounce back than to beat another former champion? She kept Echo at the ropes, kicking her on the ribs and even choking her with her boot, leaving her leaning against them as she hit the ropes on the opposite side and charged back. Echo bent forward and sent her flying on the outside with a back body drop, causing her to land hard on her back. The blonde girl then left the ring, and that was when trouble started for Spencer. As Echo left the ring, she had a wicked smirk on her face. She saw this not only as an opportunity to wear down the opponent, but as a way to unleash that darker side she showed last week. She took her sweet time punishing Kristina, throwing her against the barricades and dropping her on the floor with suplexes and powerbombs. Three times she slid back in the ring to interrupt the count and buy herself some more time to continue demolishing the Wicked One. Finally satisfied with what she had done, she rolled her back under the bottom rope and entered the ring as well, going straight for the cover. Spencer kicked out as well, clawing at the canvas dragging herself to the ropes. Ruthless in her actions, Echo stomped her on the back, wrapping her arms around the waist and lifting her for a german suplex. Another lateral press, without hooking the legs or putting much weight on the opponent, almost as if she WANTED her to kick out. And she did, a little closer to the three this time. If until now Echo looked like she was enjoying hurting Kristina rather than actually trying to win the match, her refusal to stay down seemed to be frustrating the Australian, which made her strikes even more stiffer. She whipped Spencer into the ropes, but she springboarded off, looking for a crossbody. Echo caught her in mid air and adjusted the opponent on her shoulders in a fireman’s carry position. Spencer slipped away and grabbed a handful of hair, pulling the former Invictus champion into a backbreaker, hooking the leg but barely getting a two count out of it. Driven by the force of desperation Kristina was pouring everything she had left in an attempt to pick up a win that, for how the match went so far, seemed to be a mission impossible a few minutes ago. And yet Echo was now standing groggily in the middle of the ring, courtesy of a roundhouse kick that caught her right on the side of the head. Kristina moved behind her and grabbed her for the Handful Of Fun, her patented boob plex. Echo didn’t seem too happy with being fondled like that and simply tipped her head back, catching Spencer right on the bridge of the nose. As soon as Kristina lost her grip, Echo turned around and kicked her in the stomach with a push kick, sending her against the nearby ropes. When Spencer came bouncing back, she lifted and drove her down on the canvas with The Reverb, obtaining another win. WINNER: Echo BY: Pinfall (The Reverb), 7:43 |
Peyton Holland: "Another impressive win for the Australian. It looks like she's definitely back to her winning ways."
Ambra Monroe: "She lost Yulia and Damian though. Not to mention a plethora of fans. I don't remember her ever being booed before."
Peyton Holland: "You're right, but guess what? She doesn't seem to care."
Ambra Monroe: "She lost Yulia and Damian though. Not to mention a plethora of fans. I don't remember her ever being booed before."
Peyton Holland: "You're right, but guess what? She doesn't seem to care."
The scene opens up with Alex Andrews stretching, trying to get herself loosened up a bit before her match. She notices the camera and stands up and rolls her neck as she composes herself.
Alex Andrews:
I know I haven't had the most stable path here in MWE. But, I'm trying. God knows, I'm trying.
Alex looks skyward for a split second before speaking again.
Alex Andrews:
I could talk about how hard it is to prepare against someone I don't know if they are going to show up motivated or not. But, that's in the past, and I'm trying to move forward, one step at a time. And now I have Brien Storm in front of me, and at the biggest show I can think of, too.
She lets out a bit of a smile.
Alex Andrews:
I know that Brien hasn't had the best of luck lately either. And I know how he feels, it's soul draining not being able to pull it all together. To keep getting in your own head and getting in your own way. I totally relate. Heck, I'm dealing with similar issues. But one of us has to win, right? I gotta believe its going to be me. I need this. You might be an instant threat and the most technically proficient wrestler in the world Brien, but you've won titles and spanned the globe. I haven't. Outside of a few glimmers of hope here and there, I have had that breakthrough moment. And while I may be new, that also makes me an unknown commodity, something you can't quite prepare for. I can go, baby, you just watch me dig deep.
She smiles a bit bigger, that confidence coming out in her.
Alex Andrews:
I know what I'm willing to do to get my moment, can you say the same?
The camera them fades to black.
Singles Match
Alex Andrews VS Brien StormAs the match started it seemed clear that Alex walked into it with a clear strategy, targeting the Captain’s right arm, the one he hurt in his recent match in Valiant. She grabbed it by the wrist and twisted into a wristlock, pulling Brien toward her and hitting him with a shoulder block. Even with Storm down, she kept the pressure on the arm, bending it and dropping a knee to the shoulder. Perhaps he underestimated the opponent, but Brien was off to a rough start. The rookie was showing all her technical prowess, keeping the expert fighter grounded with armbard and other submission maneuvers to damage his already hurting shoulder. Her irish whip attempt was countered and she ended up in the corner. Storm was quickly onto her and used his left arm to drop some hard chops across her chest. When he went for another irish whip, Andrews held onto the ropes and while Brien was dealing with the whiplash effect hurting his shoulder, she went for a bicycle kick, running right into a spinning spinebuster from the Favorite Worst Nightmare. That big move allowed him to take control, and he didn’t go easy on the rookie, With her in the corner, Brien charged and hit her with a jumping knee to the face. He then set her ep on the top rope, preparing himself for a superplex. Alex grabbed the ropes and blocked the move, using a couple of headbutts to knock Brien down. She was ready to jump with a double axe handle but the Captain reached her with a stiff punch to the ribs. Andrews sat back onto the top rope and took her on his shoulders, running toward the centre of the rig and dropping her to the canvas with his electric chair drop, but he only got a two count out of it. More high impact moves followed, but Andrews managed to kick out from moves like the dragon suplex and a sit down powerbomb. Having been in firm control for so long turned to be the cause of Brien’s demise. He became too confident, seemingly more focused on taunting the opponents and the fans who supported her rather than going for the kill. And exploiting one of these moments Andrews began building her comeback, driving her elbow in his mid section to break free and then quickly hitting the ropes to knock him down with a clothesline. She went back to work on that right shoulder, opting for impact maneuvers such as an arm ddt and a shoulder breaker rather than try to submit him. Storm used his experience to turn things around and, after a snap ddt, hauling up the opponent in a fireman’s carry position. Alex elbowed his head to get free and immediately caught him with an ace crusher, and followed up with a senton. Brien was on his knees, right where Alex wanted him for the Brain Death. Storm ducked the step up axe kick and lifted her over his shoulders for the Unforecasted Storm. Andrews managed to slip away, landing behind Brien’s back and quickly pulled him in for the Rainmaker. She made another cover, and this time it earned her a prestigious victory. WINNER: Alex Andrews BY: Pinfall (Rainmaker), 8:15 |
Amy Maynard: "She did it! Alex Andrews beat Brien Storm!"
Sir Figgles: "To Brien's defense, he was in a title match just two days ago in Valiant, and we all saw how that shoulder was bothering him."
Amy Maynard: "A matche he won, though not without some controversy.. And yes, the shoulder definitely affected him, but that doesn't take anything away from Alex. Actually, it speaks volume about the rookie, able to identify the opponent's weakness and exploiting it for the biggest win of the career, at least in Millennium."
Sir Figgles: "To Brien's defense, he was in a title match just two days ago in Valiant, and we all saw how that shoulder was bothering him."
Amy Maynard: "A matche he won, though not without some controversy.. And yes, the shoulder definitely affected him, but that doesn't take anything away from Alex. Actually, it speaks volume about the rookie, able to identify the opponent's weakness and exploiting it for the biggest win of the career, at least in Millennium."
We cut backstage where we see Kimberly Williams with a somewhat deranged look on her face. She is dressed in her typical wrestling gear but what is unusual about her attire is the Freddy Kreuger glove she sports on her right hand.
Kimberly Williams:
One, two, Kimmy’s coming for you…three, four, better lock your door...five six, grab your crucifix…
A sinister laugh escapes her lips.
Kimberly Williams:
...seven, eight, better stay up late...nine, ten never wrestle again.
She stops a point one of the razor claws at the camera.
Kimberly Williams:
I warned you two pieces of shit, but you wouldn’t listen. You had to go poke the bear. You had to go kidnap Wasley. That’s fine. I have a plaything right here and, who knows, I may use her tonight against the pair of you! Saki and I could make use of Betty White when we gut you like a couple of pathetic flopping fish!
She laughs nastily.
Kimberly Williams:
That’s right, this glove’s name is Betty White. You may come to know her rather well tonight, or will you?
She takes the glove off and tosses it to the side.
Kimberly Williams:
The thing you have failed to realize about Kimberly Williams is that NOTHING is certain when it comes to Kimberly WIlliams. Just when you think you have me figured out, I reveal a brand new layer to the beauty that is The Woman Scorned. Don’t think your bragging and constant gloating about your oh so brilliant plans have gone unnoticed. As smart as you two think you are, I’m smarter. I’m always playing chess while a couple of idiots like you are playing checkers. You think you have one up over me because you have my penguin? You’re deluding yourselves. You won’t harm Wasley. And having possession of him doesn’t give you any advantage over Saki and myself. Saki and I will still maim you, seriously injure you, or kill you…
She smirks nastily.
Kimberly Williams:
...oh and speaking of which, the voters are still deciding whether Saki and I should maim, injure, or kill you two. It really is a close vote. I’ll keep you updated as to the outcome, trust me. You may have the penguin now but tonight, I guarantee that I will have him back. Because your plans are stupid and mine, mine are oh so brilliant. And Saki and I have something in store for you that you will never ever see coming.
The Woman Scorned glares angrily into the camera with hatred.
Kimberly Williams:
You will NEVER...see it...coming…
Singles Match
Keelan Jayce VS Matt StoneIn his second MWE match Matt Stone took on Keelan Jayce, soon realizing that the former Intercontinental championship contender was on a whole other level than his past opponent, the rookie Zoe Rian. Matt quickly went for a wristlock, but Keelan easily got free, and he did it with style, using cartwheels and flips to reverse the maneuver. Stone tried to use his technical background to escape the hold but Jayce wasn’t letting him go. Stone then reached the ropes and obtained a clean break from the Australian, thanking him with an elbow to the jaw. He turned around and kicked him in the stomach, lifting him for a slingshot suplex, floating right into a cover. Jayce kicked out easily and reversed an irish whip to send Matt back first into the corner. KJ put in the boots, four kicks to the midsection before he flipped backwards with a cartwheel and charged in with a jumping back elbow to the face. From that position he put Matt to set in the middle of the ring and, from the middle rope, dropkicked him to the back of his head. The cover came after a standing moonsault, but all he got out of it was another two. Eleven year in this business and you can tell Stone never met anyone quite like Keelan, his athleticism and innovative style threw him off whatever plan he made before. It was all Jayce in this part of the match, controlling the match, his tricking kicks combined with more orthodox moves such as a beautifully executed belly to belly suplex that threw Stone into the turnbuckle. To stop his offense Matt hid himself behind the referee, blindsiding the opponent with a quick jab to the jaw from over the official’s shoulder. Keelan staggered back and Stone quickly attacked him with a kick to the stomach, followed by an uppercut to send Keelan into the corner. Ignoring any and every warning the referee had to repeat to stop him from his ruthless assault. Shoulder blocks, kicks and even chokes attempts in the corner left Keelan defenseless against his MLG 360 No Scope (Elevated Ace Crusher). Matt made a cover but the Australian raised his shoulder before the three. In the final minutes of the match the action was at a fever pitch. Matt was growing more and more frustrated as Keelan just kept getting up from his moves, kicking out from the Stone Cutter and even saving himself from the move that gave him so many wins in his career, the C-c-c-c combo Breaker (codebreaker). When he saw Keelan’s foot on the bottom rope, Matt was livid, beginning to stomp his knee with incredible ferocity, focusing now on that part of the body. Stone definitely did his homework and watched how taking out the leg helped Sophie get the win against Jayce three weeks ago, and he was going for the same strategy. But KJ learned from his mistakes, protecting the knee at any cost, even taking a break on the outside to escape Matt’s offense. At first the Canadian seemed to be granting him the break,, but he only waited until Keelan picked himself up and was ready to enter the ring to charge at him with a Yakuza kick. He dodged it, taking a lateral step on the apron to move out of the trajectory and rocking Matt with a kick to the head. Keelan hit him with a springboard blockbuster, but that wasn’t enough to keep Matt down. Back and forth they went, a hard hitting exchange until Matt decided to take the low road, going for Keelan’s eyes and leaving him blinded. Then he hit a second C-c-c-c combo Breaker, picking up the second consecutive win in MWE. WINNER: Matt Stone BY: Pinfall (C-c-c-c combo Breaker), 11:23 |
Ambra Monroe: "Stone just pinned the former contender to the Intercontinental championship in his second match in MWE. You must ask yourself how this will affect his future in the company."
Peyton Holland: "It's definitely a big win, but not a surprise. That's not a dig at Keelan, far from it. But Stone has been champion in every company he set foot in, and he didn't come to MWE to grow as a competitor. He came here for the gold, and he'll do anything in his power to achieve his goal."
Ambra Monroe: "And he proved it tonight, showing no qualms in bending a few rules."
Jay and Donnie are in gorilla position, ready for their upcoming tag match.
Jay Gallagher:
You sure this will work?
Donnie shakes his head.
Donovan Keane:
Of course it will. It's my plan after all. Look, Jay...
He rests his hand on his partner's shoulder.
Donovan Keane:
I know you're freaking out, those two crazy cunts are scary, but inisde that ring? We got nothing to fear. We're better than them and if you stick to my plan, we should have no problem sending the girl from The Ring back into the well she crawled out from.
Jay nods, not too convinced.
Donovan Keane:
Look, if you don't believe me, let's ask Wasley.
Donnie raises the penguin in front of his face, talking to the stuffed animal.
Donovan Keane:
Hey, Was, buddy... Tell Jay about the plan!
Changing his tone of voice, he addressed his partner pretending it was Wasley talking.
Wasley:
The plan? it's fucking brilliant dog! They'll never see it coming, I swear! Penguin's Scout Honor!
Donovan Keane:
Thank you Wasley. See Jay? There's nothing to worry ab...
Wasley:
Donnie please, I don't wanna go back with that bitch... She's crazy! You guys have to win this match.. SAVE ME!
Donovan looked at the stuffed animal in his arm, seemingly concerned for what he just heard.
Donovan Keane:
Don't worry, little buddy. We got you.. Right, Jay?
Jay Gallagher:
YES! Let's go Donnie, we got two crazy bitches' ass to kick.
Peyton Holland: "It's definitely a big win, but not a surprise. That's not a dig at Keelan, far from it. But Stone has been champion in every company he set foot in, and he didn't come to MWE to grow as a competitor. He came here for the gold, and he'll do anything in his power to achieve his goal."
Ambra Monroe: "And he proved it tonight, showing no qualms in bending a few rules."
Jay and Donnie are in gorilla position, ready for their upcoming tag match.
Jay Gallagher:
You sure this will work?
Donnie shakes his head.
Donovan Keane:
Of course it will. It's my plan after all. Look, Jay...
He rests his hand on his partner's shoulder.
Donovan Keane:
I know you're freaking out, those two crazy cunts are scary, but inisde that ring? We got nothing to fear. We're better than them and if you stick to my plan, we should have no problem sending the girl from The Ring back into the well she crawled out from.
Jay nods, not too convinced.
Donovan Keane:
Look, if you don't believe me, let's ask Wasley.
Donnie raises the penguin in front of his face, talking to the stuffed animal.
Donovan Keane:
Hey, Was, buddy... Tell Jay about the plan!
Changing his tone of voice, he addressed his partner pretending it was Wasley talking.
Wasley:
The plan? it's fucking brilliant dog! They'll never see it coming, I swear! Penguin's Scout Honor!
Donovan Keane:
Thank you Wasley. See Jay? There's nothing to worry ab...
Wasley:
Donnie please, I don't wanna go back with that bitch... She's crazy! You guys have to win this match.. SAVE ME!
Donovan looked at the stuffed animal in his arm, seemingly concerned for what he just heard.
Donovan Keane:
Don't worry, little buddy. We got you.. Right, Jay?
Jay Gallagher:
YES! Let's go Donnie, we got two crazy bitches' ass to kick.
Tag Team Match
Wasley On A Pole
Wasley On A Pole
Nightfall Rising VS Kimberly Williams & Saki
In one of the most bizarre stipulations in MWE, if not the most bizarre, Wasley was hanging from the pole. Kimberly’s stuffed penguin, filled with lead weights, has been used by Williams to assault both members of Nightfall Rising in the past two weeks, became the object the teams had to retrieve and use as a weapon. With Tornado Rules in effect and considering the chaotic nature of the four wrestlers involved, this had every ingredient to be an explosive and highly entertaining contest, and that much was clear from the first minutes. Nightfall Rising’s chemistry was the boy’s greatest weapon, and the key to take control in the first part of the match. The way they worked together, isolating one opponent and exploiting the numbers game was a great strategy, their natural ability to work together with creative team maneuvers the means they used to successfully dominate the contest. Saki and Kimberly tried to swing the momentum back in their favor, but as determined and violent they were, they always found themselves in a 1 on 2 situation, unable to coordinate their attacks in an effective way. With Kim out of the ring, the boys hit Saki with the Nightshot, cleaning their way to Wasley. Donnie stayed in the middle of the ring, checking on both Saki and Kimberly, ready to attack them as soon as they even moved. Williams climbed onto the apron and Donnie charged at her with a running big boot. The Woman Scorned sidestepped and his foot got caught onto the rope, Kim kicked his head and, as he stumbled back, jumped on the top rope hitting him with a springboard missile dropkick. Saki was getting up as well, joining her partner as they stomped Donnie to the mat. Jay saw his partner in trouble and ignored the penguin, jumping on Saki and Kim instead with a crossbody. He only got one of them as the Kawaii Deathmachine moved out of the way in time, wasting no time to strike Gallagher with a nasty kick to the head. Donnie just got up and he was hit by a flurry of strikes from the Singapore Mauler, looking now like a woman possessed. She finished him with a roundhouse kick, turning back to hit a superkick from Jay. He didn’t even have the chance to catch a breath after that and he immediately got floored by Kimberly’s Shadowblade, Donovan then knocked the Wildcard down with a superkick of his own, collapsing to the mat still dazed by Saki’s stiff shot. All four were down, the fans clapping their hands spurring them to get up, eager to see more. Nightfall Rising were no longer able to use the same tactic they applied in the first minutes, stuck in one on one exchanges with the opponents in two opposite sides of the ring. Saki was controlling Donovan, unleashing a series of rapid fire headbutts that left both of them dizzy. Jay was taking the fight to Williams, until she drove his face into the turnbuckle and followed with the Morrigan’s Wrath to the back of the head. Nobody was stopping her from rejoining with her Wasley. Standing on the top rope she reached for the penguin and unhooked it from the pole. “THIS IS NOT HIM!” she screamed as soon as she held it in her hands. And from how she was handling it, it looked way more lighter than the real Wasley. Donnie tossed Saki out of the ring, charging to the opposite corner and jumping on the middle rope, using it as a springboard to catch Williams with a codebreaker. He made the cover but the referee told him that he needed to use the penguin as a weapon before the pinfalls became legal. Donnie shrugged, launching Wasley against Saki’ catching her right on the face. Of course, this didn’t hurt her but she never saw Jay’s J-Kick coming. With her down, the duo performed another Nightshot (Donnie’s STO into Jay’s Jumping Enziguri) on Williams, making the pin and picking up another win against the rivals. WINNER: Nightfall Rising BY: (Nightshot), 12:58 |
Sir Figgles: "Someone make these guys take an IQ Test because I'm telling you, they're freaking GENIUS!"
Amy Maynard: "That was an... interesting way to win the match. They switched the penguins..."
Sir Figgles: "Now that's something I never thought I'd hear in a wrestling match!"
Amy Maynard: "Me either. But that's what they did, they brought another penguin into this match and hung it on the pole. And when Kimberly grabbed it, they exploited their obvious shock to pick up the win."
Sir Figgles: "Like I said, it was brill... WHAT THE FUCK!"
As Jay and Donnie were walking backwards up the ramp, watching the opponents standing in the middle of the ring, a female figure sneaked them up from behind and took them down with... A penguin shot? The camera zoomed in to reveal the woman as... Kimberly Williams? And she had the real Wasley in hand? What the hell was going on?
Amy Maynard: "That was an... interesting way to win the match. They switched the penguins..."
Sir Figgles: "Now that's something I never thought I'd hear in a wrestling match!"
Amy Maynard: "Me either. But that's what they did, they brought another penguin into this match and hung it on the pole. And when Kimberly grabbed it, they exploited their obvious shock to pick up the win."
Sir Figgles: "Like I said, it was brill... WHAT THE FUCK!"
As Jay and Donnie were walking backwards up the ramp, watching the opponents standing in the middle of the ring, a female figure sneaked them up from behind and took them down with... A penguin shot? The camera zoomed in to reveal the woman as... Kimberly Williams? And she had the real Wasley in hand? What the hell was going on?
The scene opens backstage. With the MWE logo in the backstage, Neil Newman stands all by himself with his hands behind his back. He is standing erect like a soldier awaiting his orders from this superior. The all business gaze he gives the camera is outright chilling.
Neil Newman:
A little different ain’t it? Me standing on an island all by myself. Heh. You MWE fans aren’t used to that prospect.
I’m not.
I am a collegiate All American in Greco Roman Wrestling.
Long before the Golden Era became an institution in tag team wrestling, I was a former SWC Heavyweight Champion. Former GCW International Champion. My singles pedigree is not barren.
But I get it.
We exist in a society where the onance is on what you have done for me lately. Normally it is a mistake to live off your past. I’m not doing that. I am merely stating my record to remind the world I am not a novice when it comes to singles success.
Again, I get it.
Henri Black will be seen as the overwhelming favorite in our match tonight. He has every right to be perceived as that. Lucky for me I am not driven by what you nayers claim. My confidence doesn’t derive from you people...
Neil allows the “you people” reference to hang in the air before continuing.
Neil Newman:
I know beyond a shadow of a doubt what I am capable of. YOU people may not be believers. Henri may not be a believer. In fairness to him, whether it was me or some other person on the roster, his attitude would be the exact same.
Henri, don’t think I wasn’t listening to your conversation with Glory. You touted the example you made of Pierce as a shining beacon. As a deterrent for why people shouldn’t cross you. Last I checked, Pierce is the current MENTV Champion. Some example you made bud.
That attitude right there speaks to a problem in professional wrestling. This idea that fear can be used as a weapon. The ‘example’ you made of Pierce hasn’t stopped all your opponents since from coming after you. Didn’t stop Glory from winning your Best of series. Didn’t stop me from blocking your chance to challenge for the Riot Championship. Didn’t stop Hearst from going toe to toe with you.
I have no doubt you are a fine performer, Glory speaks highly of you. This isn’t our first time battling it out. Those tag matches we had months ago, those were fun. Make no mistake, you may be a badass in your own right. Do yourself a favor, evolve with the times, bud. Your fear tactics. Your sociopathic attitude is not going to rattle anyones cage. Hell, you should take it as an honor. I opted to come at your doorstep, I could have opted to test my mettle against anyone on the roster. I choose you. If I am going to continue to evolve I need to fight the best. And you are one of them.
Neil nods, tipping his metaphorical cap to Henri Black.
Neil Newman:
I don’t care you attacked me last Riot. I expected it. We’re even.
I am coming down to that ring to have the time of my life. Hope you’re truly ready. I am.
Neil cracks a smile as the scene fades.
We open backstage and we see Kimberly Williams and...is that another identical Kimberly Williams? Certainly looks like it. From the wrestling gear to the hairstyle and everything. It’s like looking into a mirror. They even have similar expressions upon their faces. The only difference is one is holding the penguin lovingly known as Wasley.
Kimberly Williams:
Surprise!!!!! Y’know, boys, I did warn you that you would never see it coming. I did warn you that just when you thought you knew everything about me I would reveal a beautiful new layer to The Woman Scorned! In fact, you two losers are probably the only morons in this entire fucking building who haven’t figured it out yet, so allow me to introduce to you my IDENTICAL TWIN SISTER Marie Annabelle Jones!
Marie waves politely at the camera.
Marie Jones:
Hi there! Normally I don’t condone my sister’s actions but, in this case, you were rather rude to her and Saki. You definitely had this coming.
Kimberly Williams:
Yeah, Marie is a bit of a prude, but…
Marie Jones:
Prude? Seriously?
Kimberly Williams:
I meant it in a loving fashion, sis.
Marie rolls her eyes.
Kimberly Williams:
So Nightfall, I hope you two boys have learned a very valuable lesson. And remember, remember and never forget...one, two, Kimmy’s coming for you…
Singles Match
Neil Newman VS Henri BlackNo room for talk anymore, the two competitors firing forearm strikes to one another as soon as the match started. None of them was giving up an inch, blows kept flying back and forth in an intense exchange that fired up the already excited crowd. Each and every strike delivered by Henri was followed by a roar of approval, while every punch landed by Neil resulted in loud boos. Nonetheless the Glorious Golden Era member got the upper hand, hitting a few uppercuts that sent Henri back and back and back into his corner. Newman then followed with shoulder tackles to the mid section, connecting two of those before Black countered with a knee to the face. He then jumped off the middle rope with a double axe handle to the back, dropping him down. Holding him in a front facelock, Henri drove his knee on Neil’s face several times before lifting and planting him on his head with a brainbuster. As Newman kicked out, Henri dragged him up to his feet but the former Tag Team champion hit a couple of punches to the ribs and then sent him staggering with a headbutt, taking his head off with a lariat right after. The minutes passed but the intensity never dropped. The match was as physical as it gets, hard hitting offense with little to none room for holds or other technical pleasantries. Newman seemed to be controlling this phase of the contest, obtaining a near fall after a gutwrench suplex. Another flurry of uppercuts before he went for an irish whip, reversed by Black who then caught him on the rebound with a scoop powerslam. The Australian shoved Newman in the corner and drove his knee into his midsection, climbing on the middle rope to hit him with a series of ten punches. The fans counted with him; one, two, three, four, five, six seven… And then Neil managed to slip between Henri’s legs and pick him up on his shoulders in a powerbomb position, taking a short run toward the center of the ring where he dropped him on his knees for a lungblower. Another pinfall attempt and another two count for the former tag team champion. Over twelve minutes in what happened to be an absolute war between the two competitors, perhaps even harder than what Henri thought it would be. Neil was kicking out from everything, including his trademark spike ddt and the Black Diamond V-Trigger knee. But now, things were looking ugly for the Golden Era member, on his knees after a devastating jumping knee strike. And the Blackstar was ready to catch the opportunity and put an end to this match with the Black Sacrament, charging from the right to drive his foot against his temple. Newman was able to dodge it and grab his ankle, catching him in an ankle lock! The pain was excruciating, Black desperately crawling toward the ropes only to get pulled back by the opponent when he almost reached them. Time passed, incredibly slowly for Henri who was trying to resist the urge to tap out to the excruciating submission. And it looked like he was going to, his hand raised, his muscles tensing as he kept fighting the pain, digging down deep to find the energy necessary to roll forward and send Neil head first into the corner. Newman was the first to react and attacked Henri with a kick to the leg. Black faltered, but he didn’t fall. Instead he hit the opponent with all his strength with a stiff elbow to the head.Visibly dazed, Newman stumbled around before eventually dropping on his knee- And Black was quick to strike. knocking the GGE member down with his Black Sacrament. This time it connected and, although hurting pretty badly and taking a relatively long time to get in position for the cover, Henri obtained a hard fought win against Newman. WINNER: Henri Black BY: Pinfall (Black Sacrament), 14:23 |
Peyton Holland: "Congratulations to Newman for an outstanding performance, but in the end Black got the win."
Ambra Monroe: "Neil surely gave him a run for his money. I wonder if it was enough to earn Henri's respect."
Peyton Holland: "Black loves a good fight, and Newman definitely gave him one. As far as respect goes? I don't have an answer to that question."
Ambra Monroe: "Neil surely gave him a run for his money. I wonder if it was enough to earn Henri's respect."
Peyton Holland: "Black loves a good fight, and Newman definitely gave him one. As far as respect goes? I don't have an answer to that question."
As has become custom over the past couple of Riot shows, we are invited into the luxury suite of Pierce Manning. The MENTV Champion is sitting on the black plush leather couch as relaxed as can be. His feet are on the coffee table in front of him. His MENTV Championship is resting on his lap. Sitting to his right in a black armchair is his Establishment cohort Jenni Anderson. She is not dressed to compete tonight. Her attention is focused on whatever she is looking at on her cellphone. Pierce doesn’t pick up on Jenni’s attention is diverted elsewhere.
Pierce Manning:
Jenni, can you feel it?
Jenni doesn’t answer Pierce’s direct question. The self proclaimed Man of the Riot brand continues to stammer on.
Pierce Manning:
Ten months ago we made our MWE debuts looking to make a statement. We have done pretty well for ourselves don’t you think? I am the MENTV Champion. Lets face it, you should be Riot Champion by now. Things may not have gone in your favor. Marathon, not a sprint, ya know. I believe in you. Don’t worry about Liv Mercer tomorrow night. You got this.
Again Jenni doesn’t say anything. Her non response forces a sigh out of Pierce. He looks over in her direction to notice she is staring at her cellphone. He snaps his fingers.
Pierce Manning:
Earth to Jenni. Hello.
Jenni briefly pulls her attention away from the phone to look at him.
Jenni Anderson:
I can multitask, hun.
Pierce sighs.
Pierce Manning:
Fine. I’ll just talk to myself.
Tilting her head to the side, she looks at Pierce stoically.
Jenni Anderson:
What’s wrong?
Pierce clears his throat.
Pierce Manning:
I don’t know Jenni... how about you being distant for starters? I defended the MENTV Championship twice on the summer tour. You weren’t there.
Jenni Anderson:
I had some loose ends to take care of.
Pierce Manning:
And what about Hearst and his Sandstorm lackeys trying to get a leg up on me. You couldn’t even be there to celebrate me and Kelsey’s main event victory. I expected you to help even up the odds. Now you’re acting like you can’t be bothered.
Jenni sighs.
Jenni Anderson:
Hun, you got this. Didn’t think you needed my help with Megan being unable to keep her eyes off you.
Pierce glares at Jenni.
Pierce Manning:
Keep Megan out of this. Please. Look, we have a great thing going. Or I thought we did. All I’m saying Jenni is I wish you were a lot more invested. Give me Jenni Anderson. Not The Queenpin. We came in here together. We have a job to finish. When I beat Andrew Wilkow that will be my third successful defense. I move one step closer to trading the MENTV Championship in for a Riot Championship opportunity. What we worked so hard for will be in The Establishment’s hands is about to come to pass.
Jenni wrinkles her nose.
Jenni Anderson:
You’re welcome for that by the way.
Pierce raises his eyebrow.
Pierce Manning:
What is that supposed to mean?
Jenni Anderson stands up. She puts her phone in her purse. She walks off without saying another word leaving Pierce confused about what she meant by her chilling cold response.
MENTV Championship Match
Pierce Manning (c) VS Andrew WilkowIn his third defense out of the five required to cash the MENTV Championship in for a shot at the Riot title, Pierce Manning found himself one on one against the man who beat him two weeks ago on the first Riot back after the break. Sure, he defeated Wilkow one week later in a tag match characterized by a chaotic and in some way controversial ending, but that loss still stings. And, judging by the first minutes, it still affected him more than he’d admit on a psychological level. Wilkow, instead, was all business tonight, quickly taking over the match using his brute strength to trap Pierce in the corner and shatter his chest with some of the hardest chops Manning ever took. With a Biel toss, Wilkow brought the fight back to the center of the ring beginning to stomp him hard on the chest. He then grabbed his foot and began to kick him hard on the knees, twisting the leg in an unnatural way. Amy highlighted how odd it was to see Andrew going for what looked like a poorly executed submission move, and Figgles simply replied that he was probably taking Devin’s order to bring him his kneecaps a tad too literally. Whatever Wilkow was doing, it was at least effective, the look of pain on Pierce’s face leaving no doubt about that. But it also left plenty of room for Manning to move, and the MENTV champion caught him with an inside cradle, almost stealing the win. The match continued and the champ was in a bad spot, totally overwhelmed by Wilkow’s strength. With a running big boot he almost took Manning’s head off, rushing into a cover for another two. Once again they were going blow-for-blow in the middle of the ring, with Andrew unsurprisingly coming out on top. Pierce turned the tables when he stomped his foot, firing a series of quick punches to the sides forcing Andrew back against the ropes. Here, with a clothesline, he dropped him out of the ring, letting the referee count him out as he took that time to recover. Wilkow tried to bring a chair inside the ring, the referee obviously stopped him and reminded him that he would be disqualified if he’d use it. And while the ref turned his back to the action to toss out the chair, Wilkow returned the courtesy from last week kicking Manning down low, dropping him on the mat with a sitout powerbomb. By the end of the match Pierce ducked an incoming clothesline from Andrew, tossing him around the ring with an impressive German suplex. The fans were still shocked by the feat of strength when Pierce applied a front facelock and tried to suplex Wilkow. This time the Sandstorm employee countered his attempt and went for one of his own, but The Man didn’t make things easy for him, blocking the attempt by hooking his leg with his. Wilkow wore him down with some shots to the ribs, finally lifting him upside down. Shifting his bodyweight, Pierce landed once again on his feet, surprising the opponent with a headbutt. Andrew stumbled back and received a high knee for his troubles, staggering a bit more but refusing to go down. Again Andrew found himself with the back against the ropes, helpless against Manning’s strikes. The time was ticking, the fifteen minutes mark quickly approaching and Pierce knew he had to finish this fast to make it count as his third defense. He dropped the big man on his head with a ddt, barely enough to keep someone like him down. But resting both feet on the middle rope as he pinned his shoulder to the canvas gave him enough leverage to get the three as Wilkow kicked out one moment too late. WINNER: Pierce Manning (STILL CHAMPION) BY: Pinfall (DDT), 14:52 |
Amy Maynard: "Eight second from the time limit! Eight second later and this wouldn't have counted as Pierce's third defense."
Sir Figgles: "He still got it though, and that's all that matters."
Amy Maynard: "Sure, with a little help from the ropes..."
Sir Figgles: "Two to go, Amy... You could be looking at the next Riot champion, show some respect!"
Amy Maynard: "Speaking of Riot championship and cashing in the MENTV title. What do you think Jenni meant earlier?"
Sir Figgles: "Do I look like I'm her PA? How the hell would I know?"
Amy Maynard: "Whoa, calm down my dude. A little jumpy, aren't we?"
Sir Figgles: "Shut up..."
Sir Figgles: "He still got it though, and that's all that matters."
Amy Maynard: "Sure, with a little help from the ropes..."
Sir Figgles: "Two to go, Amy... You could be looking at the next Riot champion, show some respect!"
Amy Maynard: "Speaking of Riot championship and cashing in the MENTV title. What do you think Jenni meant earlier?"
Sir Figgles: "Do I look like I'm her PA? How the hell would I know?"
Amy Maynard: "Whoa, calm down my dude. A little jumpy, aren't we?"
Sir Figgles: "Shut up..."
The scene fades in on BROOKFORD’s face amidst a black background. He stares stone faced into the camera.
BROOKFORD:
We all make mistakes, including me. Shocking, right? It is what it is. We live. We learn. Learning from our mistakes in theory makes us better. That is the practical approach that has led me to being one of the most dangerous men in the business. I don’t need to speak about it ad nauseam. I don’t need to flap my gums or work my Twitter muscle, unlike some people. Right Megan?
BROOKFORD rolls his eyes.
BROOKFORD:
It’s funny, you telling me it doesn’t matter if I don’t make any mistakes you are still going to walk out champion. On what planet Megan do you live on? Did you watch the tape back? You were helpless. I powerbombed your ass straight to hell, it was only a matter of time before I became Intercontinental Champion. Your boy Seth came out. Maybe I should have ignored him. That briefcase he has control over, even if I had went in for the kill, he had the power to alter the fate of that match. He may speak glowingly of me, he ain’t in my back pocket. He’s in yours. So who are we kidding Megan, you, telling me of all people you are gonna beat some respect into me when we both know, the tape doesn’t lie, that I had you dead the rites if it wasn’t for Seth coming down to the ring to rescue you.
That’s where my respect was lost. The mistake I made was transferring the respect I have for Seth onto you. Seth would have been resourceful enough to beat me on his own. Already proved it. You needed someone else, that doesn’t shock me at all. The handful of times I have gotten pinned this year in HKW, it was always two on one. Only one person had the stones to finish me without the reliance on others. That person isn’t you, Megan. Go ahead. Laugh it up. Tell me and everyone else you are still going to be the ETERNAL Intercontinental Champion, I like that. Pump yourself up. Give yourself hope. Believe this victory is inevitable. I have a strange feeling Meg that Seth won’t save you this time. We’ll see if you can exist on an island all by yourself.
BROOKFORD scoffs. He continues to glare menacingly into the camera as the scene fades to black.
BROOKFORD:
We all make mistakes, including me. Shocking, right? It is what it is. We live. We learn. Learning from our mistakes in theory makes us better. That is the practical approach that has led me to being one of the most dangerous men in the business. I don’t need to speak about it ad nauseam. I don’t need to flap my gums or work my Twitter muscle, unlike some people. Right Megan?
BROOKFORD rolls his eyes.
BROOKFORD:
It’s funny, you telling me it doesn’t matter if I don’t make any mistakes you are still going to walk out champion. On what planet Megan do you live on? Did you watch the tape back? You were helpless. I powerbombed your ass straight to hell, it was only a matter of time before I became Intercontinental Champion. Your boy Seth came out. Maybe I should have ignored him. That briefcase he has control over, even if I had went in for the kill, he had the power to alter the fate of that match. He may speak glowingly of me, he ain’t in my back pocket. He’s in yours. So who are we kidding Megan, you, telling me of all people you are gonna beat some respect into me when we both know, the tape doesn’t lie, that I had you dead the rites if it wasn’t for Seth coming down to the ring to rescue you.
That’s where my respect was lost. The mistake I made was transferring the respect I have for Seth onto you. Seth would have been resourceful enough to beat me on his own. Already proved it. You needed someone else, that doesn’t shock me at all. The handful of times I have gotten pinned this year in HKW, it was always two on one. Only one person had the stones to finish me without the reliance on others. That person isn’t you, Megan. Go ahead. Laugh it up. Tell me and everyone else you are still going to be the ETERNAL Intercontinental Champion, I like that. Pump yourself up. Give yourself hope. Believe this victory is inevitable. I have a strange feeling Meg that Seth won’t save you this time. We’ll see if you can exist on an island all by yourself.
BROOKFORD scoffs. He continues to glare menacingly into the camera as the scene fades to black.
MWE Tag Team Championship Match
APE (REDD Thunder & Alan Envy) VS Rhett Adelson & Qiyara Singh
Alan and Qiyara started the match for the respective teams, the Lonestar cockily telling the opponent that they won’t take the title away from them and that they’re about to get their… A wheel kick from Qi silenced the APE member, instantly knocking him down. The indian immediately made the cover, the fans on their feet for what seemed to be a shockingly quick win but REDD was able to make the save. It took Alan quite some time to recover from that kick to the head, and Singh’s constant offense didn’t make it any easier. But eventually he managed to catch her with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker as she was charging at him, creating the opening he needed to get to his corner and make the tag to the Thunder. The Walking Disaster prevented Qiyara from making the tag, catching her with a german suplex. Singh stumbled back in the APE’s corner, unable to defend herself from three hundred pounds of humanity coming at her at full speed. As REDD squashed the poor girl, Alan tagged himself in, getting on one knee in front of his partner who now lifted Qi over his head in a gorilla press position, dropping her on his partner’s extended knee for an elevated assisted gutbuster. Envy hooked the leg but Qiyara kicked out. Rhett Adelson was now inside the ring, taking the fight to the texan. The speed and agility of the Nightfall graduate were no match for Alan, who rolled out of the ring after a tilt-a-whirl headscissor from Adelson. Sure Rhett wouldn’t waste a chance to delight the fans with one of his aerial moves. With this being the most important match of their career on the biggest stage in MWE history, he awed the crows with an incredible fosbury flop, wiping out the opponent and landing on his feet. He took his eyes off for a second to look at the cheering fans and he got blasted with a clothesline to the back by REDD Thunder, who then helped Alan back to his feet. Envy pushed the opponent back inside the ring and lifted him for his patented gourdbuster, but it wasn’t enough to keep Rhett down. Another tag brought REDD back inside the ring, the powerhouse started tossing Adelson around, getting very close to the win with a belly-to-belly suplex running senton combination. This time, Singh broke up the pin, saving her boyfriend and tag team partner. The final moments of the match were all Rhett & Qiyara, the duo finally able to work together as a team, wearing down REDD and keeping him isolated in their corner. The big man was in difficulty as we rarely saw him, failing to get any offense in for several minutes now, completely at the mercy of the challengers. Quick tags to keep themselves fres, the couple kept hammering the Walking Disaster with swift and hard kicks. They never tried the pin, choosing to stick to their plan and keep constant pressure on Thunder, Alan tried to get his partner to react, but REDD was stuck in the enemy corner, completely at Rhett and Qiyara’s mercy. The end of APE’s reign was nigh, Qiyara taking a look at the giant in front of her and measuring him up, kicking him on the face with her 540 spinning hook kick. The Walking Disaster was down, Rhett immediately made the tag and climbed to the top rope, diving on him with the Nightfall Splash, the five star frog splash tribute to his mentor Chris Night. The fans counted along with the referee, ready to celebrate the end of APE’s reign with the new champions. Alan Envy spoiled the party, breaking up the pinfall… With a steel chair to the back of Rhett! The boos were deafening as the referee had to call for the disqualification, Rhett & Qiyara pleading their case to the official but there was nothing the referee could do to change the decision. WINNER: Rhett Adelson & Qiyara Singh (APE STILL CHAMPION) BY: DQ, 13:10 |
Ambra Monroe: "This is getting ridiculous..."
Peyton Holland: "It must be frustrating for Rhett and Qiyara. They... WHOA!"
Alan and REDD were slowly making their way backstage, the Lonestar holding up the heavy partner who was visibly dazed from all the kicks received. BROOKFORD was standing on the stage, Alan never saw him until it was too late, busy as his was talking to REDD. The sound of BROOKFORD's footseps charging in his direction caught his attention, but at that point it was impossible for him to avoid the double clothesline that took both APEs down. BROOKFORD grabbed one of the title belts and smacked REDD's face with it, knocking the big man donw. He then focused on Alan, pushing him against the barrier and hitting him with savage strikes to the ribs. He then launched him against the big 3 decorating the stage, the impact causing some of the lights that were illuminating it to explode, the shards of glass cutting Alan's back. But BROOKFORD was not done yet, picking him up and powerbombing him on the steel stage. Alan was not moving, his chest rising and falling with every breath the only signs of life he was showing. BROOKFORD put his foot on Alan's chest and pushed him off the stage.
Ambra Monroe: "Another brutal assault from BROOKFORD."
Peyton Holland: "I guess he didn't appreciate Envy calling him out like that yesterday."
Ambra Monroe: "Can't say the response was proportionate to the offense, but BROOKFORD was never known for being one to take it easy."
Peyton Holland: "It must be frustrating for Rhett and Qiyara. They... WHOA!"
Alan and REDD were slowly making their way backstage, the Lonestar holding up the heavy partner who was visibly dazed from all the kicks received. BROOKFORD was standing on the stage, Alan never saw him until it was too late, busy as his was talking to REDD. The sound of BROOKFORD's footseps charging in his direction caught his attention, but at that point it was impossible for him to avoid the double clothesline that took both APEs down. BROOKFORD grabbed one of the title belts and smacked REDD's face with it, knocking the big man donw. He then focused on Alan, pushing him against the barrier and hitting him with savage strikes to the ribs. He then launched him against the big 3 decorating the stage, the impact causing some of the lights that were illuminating it to explode, the shards of glass cutting Alan's back. But BROOKFORD was not done yet, picking him up and powerbombing him on the steel stage. Alan was not moving, his chest rising and falling with every breath the only signs of life he was showing. BROOKFORD put his foot on Alan's chest and pushed him off the stage.
Ambra Monroe: "Another brutal assault from BROOKFORD."
Peyton Holland: "I guess he didn't appreciate Envy calling him out like that yesterday."
Ambra Monroe: "Can't say the response was proportionate to the offense, but BROOKFORD was never known for being one to take it easy."
We then cut to a dark room deep in the backstage area where we start to see one of the most intimidating figures in professional wrestling alone seemingly with his thoughts. There’s a frown etched on his face with his arms crossed. He has switched to his wrestling attire for the evening...a black and red variation of his tights. As he isn’t in the company the FGA World title is absent from this picture but the decorated veteran grappler seems like he has something to say this evening.
Seth Iser:
Chris…
He says his opponent’s name in a low, menacing tone. He uncrosses his arms as he steps toward the camera.
Seth Iser:
Chris...Constantine Jr. I want you to listen...and listen real close to what is being said tonight. Because I’ve heard a lot of barking from you and your stable for months. And it ranges from you’re on top and running the roost...to complaining about not being in the tournament and I was to complaining about being on a show run by a very good friend of mine because you have this brand loyalty crap going on...to hell...even posting yourself as a King or a Godly figure…
The last part kind of brings half of a chuckle to the son of a preacher as he states all of this and reaches behind him and picks up that briefcase that gives him a certain level of power.
Seth Iser:
Be very careful who you play those kinds of games with...because it could create more people who will commit various resources to humble you. To...humiliate you for their own enjoyment. Hell...there are some people who if you cross wrong playing that card...they’ll aim to fire off that shot to end you once and for all. Someone like me has a little bit of a history of firing certain shots that leave long lasting and damaging after effects. Ask your buddy Al Envy if his body still remembers some of those wars...if he isn’t dealing with some PTSD of dealing with BROOKFORD.
And after he lets that last sentence out, a low chuckle escapes from his lips that’s very sinister and evil in tone. For the faintest of moments we got a glimpse into what made him one of the most dangerous human beings on the planet if he ever went down that path more often. The stern look of his that’s far more common with him now is the one that’s there.
Seth Iser:
But I am someone who remembers actions...all of them. And everyone has to pay the price for everything they’ve ever done in their life in one form or another. Some say this match tonight is part of you paying a certain price as there always is a price for either knowledge or success. But tonight we’re at least getting an answer to a very important question. Who knows more ways to manipulate a situation to their advantage...hell, who knows more quasi legal to illegal moves to move the needle? The leader of APE or the leader of the School of Tradition? It’s a question that many people have asked over the last couple of years as you’ve built up your reputation making those people sour with those antics of yours...and well...I’m the person who makes people like Melissa sound like petulant children with some of the things I’ve done in that ring. If only she realized that spouting off like that is why she doesn’t have the respect she craves from some of the older types like me…
He shakes his head, some genuine disappointment coming from him.
Seth Iser:
But I know you’re willing to try that kind of thing with me Chris. To look for that advantage...to weasel your way out of a situation. It’s part of what makes you a special competitor...because your mind is always attune to that kind of situation. As much as you’re an ass...someone like me can appreciate that. Just...you’re starting to realize as we’re getting closer to that bell ringing that your usual array of tricks aren’t going to work against someone like me. And are you really going to risk sending in the group and push all in just to try to defeat someone of my qualifications? Because even your ego knows that someone like me...really isn’t someone you’d want as a full blown enemy.
There's a particular menace when he states that last sentence as he palms that briefcase in his good hand. He finally releases his left hand from his fist to reveal his middle finger is indeed taped thanks to an encounter with Owen Gonsalves.
Seth Iser:
What’s this match mean to you and what tricks and tactics are you going to employ to make sure you’re in a better position to maybe have a chance to challenge Kelsey? And is it worth the price in the end? You’ve been doing that math all day. I know your type...but it doesn’t matter how you crunch it out in the end as far as I’m concerned. You can’t do anything that surprises me...I’m not like most of the people in this locker room. I take pride in being the old man of the locker room who just knows. But I have to warn you of one other thing Chris…
And then there’s a semblance of a smirk creeping onto his face.
Seth Iser:
I’m armed with a few little tricks even YOU can’t do for one reason or another. And it might bring a particular kind of joy when it registers in your brain just how trapped you actually are when we wrestle because...between you and me...I’m the game’s greatest rule breaker. You’d just be surprised how I can change and break the rules in the context of a match. You might have to think of what rules you’re willing to bend with me. I’ve already calculated that ruffling your feathers, as risky as that might seem for most, seems like a fun exercise. Good luck Chris...you’re going to need it tonight...because I have a point to prove.
The veteran narrows his eyes for a brief moment.
Seth Iser:
And there won’t be a damn thing you can do about it.
With that last warning he palms his briefcase and starts to walk away from the camera as it seems like he is heading toward the ring to go wrestle his match.
Singles Match
Seth Iser VS Chris Constantine Jr.Two of the dirtiest players in the game in the same ring, but you could tell neither of them was as nervous as the referee, well aware that this was going to be a nightmare for him. And the prediction, far from hard to guess, proved to be true since the opening bell, when the two challengers started trading blows in the middle of the ring and Seth, who easily got the upper hand, rocked CCJ with a closed fist. He gave him a first warning, trying his best to enforce the rules the two wrestlers were so keen to break. Nodding his head, Seth walked past him, getting kicked on the thigh by the leader of APE who then threw a couple of forearms shots to Seth’s face, pushing him back a few steps. Iser grabbed him by the wrist and tossed him against the ropes, catching him with a sidewalk slam but Chris kicked out in two. Seth picked him up and the former World champion went for his eyes right away, raking them and leaving him momentarily blind. Another warning that fell on deaf ears, Constantine was too focused on exploiting this opening to inflict as much damage as he possibly could to the new FGA World champion, unleashing a flurry of kicks and elbows. Seth stumbled back, getting doubled over by a kick to the stomach from CCJ who then hit the ropes and rocked him with a running knee to the side of the head. After the strong start, the pace of the match slowed down. The main reason was Seth switching to a less energy consuming style, relying mostly on his vast arsenal of submission and holds. He worked mainly on Chris’ right arm and shoulder, but he didn’t shy away from going for the leg as well or try to choke him out. Right now he was squeezing the life out of Constantine locking him in a tight sleeper hold. Gasping for air, CCJ tried to break free with a couple of elbow strikes to the ribs, but Iser didn’t lose his grip. His best option now was to reach the ropes, and he eventually got there. Seth, it goes without saying, fully exploited the five count before letting him go. And when he did, the veteran lifted his arm in the air, raising his thumb. Chris looked at him perplexed and then charged with another flurry of kicks, this time aiming at Seth’s right leg. The two competitors were just hammering one another with their hardest shots, and you would think that challenging Iser in a brawling contest wouldn’t be the smartest idea. But Constantine had a plan b, he always does. A stomp to the left foot, and while Seth was cursing and jumping on one leg, CCJ hit the ropes and took him down with a chop block. The former champion locked him in his Red White And Tap Out figure four. He had the submission perfectly applied, Seth visibly in pain, trying to fight through it. Chris wasn’t letting him go, pounding his knee with some punches to increase the pain and force the tap out. Iser gritted his teeth, focusing all his energy in pushing through the pain. Then when Chris least expected it, he rolled to a side, reversing the pressure and putting the former champion through that same pain. Constantine screamed, clawing at the canvas as he dragged himself toward the ropes, eventually reaching them. Less dramatically than before, Iser repeated the same gesture he did a couple of minutes earlier, this time with two fingers raised. Between tights being held, feet on the ropes for leverage and all that jazz the referee had to interrupt a record number of pinfalls. It almost looked like the two competitors made it a matter of principle trying to out-cheat the opponent, as if this contest was meant to determine the ultimate dirty player. Kudos to the referee who didn’t miss a bit, spotting every single shortcut they tried to take and keeping the match somehow under control. Constantine came close to the win with a jumping knee strike followed by a neckbreaker but Seth kicked out again. He attempted his American Strong Piledriver but Seth was able to counter it with a back body drop, catching the former champion with a superkick to the face as he was rising up to his feet. Instead of making the cover, he went for another submission, this time a dragon sleeper. A mistake on Seth’s hand as he was way too close to the ropes, and Constantine broke free almost immediately. “Three.” said the veteran as he called Rumchata Ayano, whispering something to her ear. A moment later and the ring announcer declared that the match was now to be contested under Pure rules. And then it all made sense, Chris had already used all three his rope breaks. Furious, the former champion charged at Seth, who sidestepped and pushed him against the ropes, catching him with a snap german suplex as he bounced back. And then he locked him in his Dream Eater, the Rings Of Saturn submission move. Instinctively Constantine went for the ropes, but the they couldn’t save him anymore, leaving him no choice but to tap out. WINNER: Seth Iser BY: Submission (Dream Eater), 14:19 |
Amy Maynard: "They call him Wrestling's Greatest Mind for a reason..."
Sir Figgles: "Gotta give the old man credit, he played this one to perfection."
Amy Maynard: "And this just sums it up how dangerous that briefcase is in the hands of someone like Seth Iser."
Sir Figgles: "He knows the game and how to beat it. And on top of that, he's patient."
Amy Maynard: "Yup. And while Kelsey could be safe from him, whoever takes the title from her better get ready to what could be a long, exhausting game of shess against one, if not the, dirtiest player in the game."
Sir Figgles: "Gotta give the old man credit, he played this one to perfection."
Amy Maynard: "And this just sums it up how dangerous that briefcase is in the hands of someone like Seth Iser."
Sir Figgles: "He knows the game and how to beat it. And on top of that, he's patient."
Amy Maynard: "Yup. And while Kelsey could be safe from him, whoever takes the title from her better get ready to what could be a long, exhausting game of shess against one, if not the, dirtiest player in the game."
The cameras cut somewhere backstage to find Lowri Moss and the sight of the popular young woman from Wales draws a loud cheer from the fans that are present inside the venue. Dressed in her ring attire, a backwards snapback, and one of her Irish Whip Clothing branded t-shirts, a smiling Lowri begins by greeting the camera and everyone watching in a way that will instantly be familiar to anyone who has seen her wrestle elsewhere.
Lowri Moss:
What’s occurring, Chicago?
The mention of the “Windy City” of course earns a cheap pop.
Lowri Moss:
You know, in the past, whenever I’ve been about to compete in a new promotion for the first time, I would usually start by introducing myself. However, judging by the reaction that I just received - thank you all for that, by the way - not to mention the reaction that I received when I made an appearance last week, and before that when I appeared at Drums In The Night, it seems that my reputation has preceded me. But… just in case there’s anyone watching who doesn’t know who I am, my name is Lowri Moss, and I’m glad to be here right now with you all.
Following the briefest of pauses, she continues.
Lowri Moss:
I suppose then that I should go ahead and talk about what happened five weeks ago at Drums In The Night, and what has led to me finding myself in a match tonight with Freddie Hjalmar. When I attended the show, I didn’t do so with the intention of getting involved in the Cloud Gate Championship match-- or any other match, for that matter-- I was simply there to support my other half, Neal Durden, something that he has done for me countless times previously. But… as I watched that match unfold, and I saw the referee inadvertently get knocked down by Melissa Reeves, followed by Freddie rolling out of the ring and grabbing a chair, I felt like I had to do something.
Lowri puts her hands on hips.
Lowri Moss:
My relationship with Melissa has been a complicated one at times-- she and Freddie have something in common in that they have both struck me with a baseball bat on more than one occasion. Despite that though, there has remained a mutual respect between the two of us, so seeing what was about to happen, and after already having seen her be screwed out of one championship recently, I knew that I couldn’t just sit idly by and let her be cheated out of another.
The championship that Lowri referred to Melissa having been screwed out of recently is the HKW North American Championship, a championship that Lowri herself once held.
Lowri Moss:
And so I did what I did. Not because I’m a “hateful, jealous Welsh bitch,” as Freddie has referred to me, but because it was the right thing to do.
A small sigh escapes her lips.
Lowri Moss:
But then Freddie decided he wanted “retribution.” He begged Elsa McCarthy to arrange a match between me and him, here in MWE, where I’m not even part of the roster, when it would’ve been much easier, much more straightforward, for him to request a match with me over in Underground - you know, the promotion that we’re both actually part of. And it wouldn’t even have needed to be for the title that he currently holds in Underground. After all, I’ve already secured myself the title shot that I want, in FGA - a shot at a legitimate world title, not a sham title like the one that Freddie has.
She lets out another sigh.
Lowri Moss:
However, I appreciate that my actions at Drums In The Night put Elsa in a bit of a difficult position, so not wanting to make things any harder for her than they needed to be, as well as not wanting to pass up a chance to kick Freddie’s arse, I agreed to the match, signing a contract for this match and this match only, and now MWE and its third anniversary show is the setting for the latest encounter between me and Freddie. By the end of it though, Freddie may well be wishing that I hadn’t signed that contract.
The smile on Lowri’s face now resembles more of a smirk.
Lowri Moss:
You see, Freddie, there’s a lot of rubbish that comes out of your mouth-- or from your fingertips, where Twitter is concerned-- but there is one thing that I saw you get right a few days ago, which is that this match is going to be a lesson; you’re going to learn that you should be careful what you wish for.
Her smirk broadens further.
Lowri Moss:
No one is going to be coming to your aid this time, sticking their nose in where it doesn’t belong, nor are you going to be able to get away with taking any shortcuts. You think this is going to be retribution for you?
Lowri scoffs at that notion, before then shaking her head.
Lowri Moss:
No, Freddie, it’s going to be retribution for me - I’m going to finally get some retribution for all of the times that I have been on the receiving end of your bullshit; two years ago now, I said that you would eventually get your comeuppance, and while it might’ve taken longer than I would’ve liked, tonight is finally going to be the night for it.
She removes her hands from her hips and takes a step forward, towards the camera.
Lowri Moss:
The Anarchist may not be in action tonight, but The Striker is, and she’s ready to take down the promised prick.
With a confident stare on the face of Lowri, the camera then cuts away.
Singles Match
Freddie Hjalmar VS Lowri MossPeyton Holland: “One of the most anticipated matches of the entire card, the Grandprince Of Wrestling taking on the FGA Gold Rush rumble winner.” Ambra Monroe: “What Lowri did a few days ago was just the last of a series of incredible accomplishments in her phenomenal career. WCS World Cup winner, longest reigning Underground North American champion, multi-time tag team champion… Quite the resume.” Peyton Holland: “Without a doubt. But Freddie is no slouch either, and he’s proving it here in MWE as well as in HKW Global and Liberty Pro.” Ambra Monroe: “Well, the wait is over, both competitors are in the ring, the Royal Guard and anyone else is barred from ringside… Lowri Moss versus Freddie Hjalmar, and it starts now.” Freddie started the match with some trash talk, saying that Lowri wasn’t worth sharing the ring with him, and the only reason she ever got on this stage was because HE asked for it, because HE wanted to make an example out of her. Moss shrugged her shoulders, staying focused on his movements and not letting his words get to her. When he sunk the first shot, she quickly moved to her right and took the Promised down with an arm drag. Both were back on their feet, Lowri smirking at the opponent and taunting him to give it another try. He did, charging right into another armdrag from the Welsh. Peyton Holland: “Not really the start Freddie was hoping for..” The fans were totally behind the guest, to nobody’s surprise. Lowri was using Hjalmar’s aggression against him, keeping her guard up and letting him take the initiative. His frustration and the eagerness to hit her did the rest, making his attacks easy to read and therefore to counter for the opponent. Not only she blocked and dodged all the punches and kicks he tried to hit her with, but even when Freddie tried to speed up the pace and try something new, namely a springboard crossbody, the Welsh countered it with a superkick, knocking the Promised down. Before she could make a cover, Freddie rolled out of the ring, laying on the apron. Moss had other plans, picking him up and trying to drag him back on the ring but she ended up bouncing neck first on the top rope when Hjalmar jumped down off the apron, dragging her down. With the Gold Rush rumble winner catching her breath, Freddie had all the time to climb back up on the apron, jump on the top rope and launch himself toward the opponent, driving her face first on the mat with a springboard bulldog. He then quickly hooked the leg, but all he got out of it was barely a two. Ambra Monroe: “This is just how dangerous Freddie is. You leave the slightest opening and rest assured he’s going to take it.” The momentum was now on Freddie’s side, the swedish-canadian finally able to show his striking ability and speed, wearing Lowri down with swift kicks and punches combinations and taking her down with a running facebuster. He tried for another cover, getting another two count out of it. Trying to put some pressure on the referee, he accused the official of trying to screw him over with his slow counts. Lowri was back on her feet, Freddie quickly turned around with a discus punch, but Moss ducked it and positioned himself back to back with the Promised, hooking both arms and pinning him with a backslide. Freddie kicked out, only to eat a jumping knee to the face by Lowri. The World Cup winner attempted a cover of her own, but Hjalmar raised his shoulder. Peyton Holland: “These two are definitely living up the hype.” Ambra Monroe: “There’s no love lost between them, their history in The Underground is well documented. The premises for a hard hitting contest were all there, and they are not disappointing. The match continued, the momentum kept swinging back and forth between the two of them in an evenly matched and exciting contest. With a dropkick Freddie sent Lowri in the corner and charged him, hitting her with a double knee to the chest. He went then for an irish whip, countered by the welsh woman who gave him a taste of his own medicine, hitting the same move on him. She then smiled and pleased the fans who were asking for the Scarlet Barrage, delivering a flurry of knife edge chops and forearms to the cornered opponent. No stranger to that kind of feats of strength, she hoisted him up on the top rope, driving him down with a superplex floating right into a lateral press for another cover. Hjalmar once again kicked out in time. Lowri was now in the driver’s seat, connecting a swinging neckbreaker and a discus clothesline. With the fans chanting her name, Lowri took a moment to soak in their adulation, giving Freddie time to get up before knocking him back down with a springboard enziguri. Ambra Monroe: “That’s the Slice Of Heaven! Could this be it?” Hjalmar got the shoulder up and the match continued. The near fall lit a fire under Freddie and he came back with a volley of strikes, taking Moss by surprise. He finished his sequence with a running front dropkick, following with a picture perfect springboard moonsault to obtain another near fall. Freddie’s frustration reached an all time high when, a couple of minutes later, he connected The Thorn, but Lowri incredibly kicked out of his patented bicycle knee strike, for the joy of all the fans in attendance. Hjalmar was fuming, grabbing the referee by his shirt and demanding how it was possible that the welsh kicked out from his best move. The official simply answered that she raised her shoulder before the three, rejecting every accusation of counting too slowly. After dragging herself to the ropes, Lowri used them to get up to her feet, taking a moment to recover. But Freddie immediately charged and dropped her over the top rope with a clothesline. The welsh landed on the apron and from there rolled onto the floor. Slowly, she picked herself up once again seeing out of the corner of her eye that Freddie was charging in ready to fly through the ropes for his suicide ddt. It took her a fraction of a second to coordinate and catch him in mid air with the Breuddwydion Melus, her patented superkick. It took her much longer instead to lift Freddie’s dead weight and roll him inside the ring, hooking the legs for another pinfall attempt. But all the time wasted allowed Hjalmar to kick out. Peyton Holland: “How are they still going?” Ambra Monroe: “They hit one another with their best shot, but not even that was enough to end this great battle.” They went on and on for several minutes, pulling every move in their arsenal to try and put down the opponent. Lowri went for the cradle piledriver and even tried to submit the Promised with her Severn Bridge (Tiger suplex transitioned into a Bridging double chickenwing), but Freddie was able to escape the painful submission. The Grandprince instead came close to the win with a diving senton and a spinning neckbreaker. But the turning point of the match came when Lowri went for a second Breuddwydion Melus, but rather than Freddie, she hit the referee, used as a shield by the Promised who dragged him in the trajectory of Lowri’s kick. Ambra Monroe: “The ref is down! Get someone out here!” Peyton Holland: “Look at Freddie’s face, this doesn’t bode well for Moss.” As Lowri checked on the official, trying to make him come back to senses, Freddie left the ring, grabbing the scepter that was part of his entrance gear. The boos were deafening, but they caught Lowri’s attention just in time for her to roll away and avoid a fate she already suffered in the past. Hjalmar losted his grip on the object that rolled close to Lowri’s position. He went to pick it up once again but the welsh hit him with a kick to the shoulder from the ground as he was inches away from gaining control of it again. And now, Lowri was the one wielding it, threatening Hjalmar who crawled back toward the ropes. It could have been sweet revenge for Lowri, and for a moment she fooled the fans raising the weapon over her head. But then she just threw it out of the ring, shaking her head no. The fans appreciated the integrity of the welsh wrestler. Freddie, instead kicked her knee and caused her to end up hanging on the middle rope. He put his knee against her back and pushed down. The fans cheered as a referee was running down the ramp, immediately breaking up the illegal choke. Freddie raised his hands, apologizing with the official. He then dragged Lowri up to her feet and pinned her with an inside cradle. The official moved in position and started to count. Too damn quickly. Lowri would have kicked out in two if this was a normal count, but tonight, it happened to be a moment too late. WINNER: Freddie Hjalmar BY: Pinfall (Inside Cradle), 18:25 |
Amy Maynard: "What was that? Did Freddie pay off the referee? Did he set up all this?"
Peyton Holland: "We probably won't ever know.. What we know though, is that Lowri deserved better."
The Welsh woman had a bitter smile on her face, clearly disappointed by how the match ended. But probably, not really surprised, despite Elsa's promises that nobody would have interfered in their match. Consolation prize at the end of a night she surely pictured ending on a much higher note, Lowri received the standing ovation from the entire Enterprise Arena. A "Thank You Lowri" chant rose, loud and proud and mate this pill a little less bitter for the last FGA Gold Rush Rumble winner. On her way out, she thanked back the fans who supported her throughout her, unfortunately, losing effort.
Peyton Holland: "We probably won't ever know.. What we know though, is that Lowri deserved better."
The Welsh woman had a bitter smile on her face, clearly disappointed by how the match ended. But probably, not really surprised, despite Elsa's promises that nobody would have interfered in their match. Consolation prize at the end of a night she surely pictured ending on a much higher note, Lowri received the standing ovation from the entire Enterprise Arena. A "Thank You Lowri" chant rose, loud and proud and mate this pill a little less bitter for the last FGA Gold Rush Rumble winner. On her way out, she thanked back the fans who supported her throughout her, unfortunately, losing effort.
The scene cuts backstage to Megan Monroe standing in front of a camera and she had the Intercontinental Championship on her shoulder and a serious demeanor sketched across her face.
Megan Monroe:
Brookford… You lost against me already but yet, they’ve decided to gift you another shot at my championship. It’s almost like they’re playing favoritism towards you. Maybe the powers that be are tired of seeing me as the Intercontinental Champion and they are going to do whatever it takes to dethrone me. But guess what? I’m going to do whatever it takes to stay champion. Are you willing to go to the depths that I am, Brookford?
Megan scoffed and shook her head.
Megan Monroe:
You aren’t. Hardly anyone is because nobody wants this like I do. Nobody knows how to be a champion like I do! There’s a reason I’ve had this for six months! There’s a reason someone like Seth Iser has taken me under his wing and there’s a reason someone as handsome and talented as Pierce Manning enjoys spending time with me… it’s because I’m the real deal.
Meg paused and nodded her head.
Megan Monroe:
I still have my detractors and haters though. The Devin Hearsts of the world. But it doesn’t deter me, all it does is motivate me to be better than all of you. As for you, Brooky-boy? I know what you bring to the table. Seth has prepared me for everything you got. I have the playbook on you and I’m going to show the world that you just can’t keep up with me. I’m going to show the world why I’m the reigning and defending Intercontinental Champion and why I’ll continue to be for the foreseeable future. See you out there.
Meg nods and walks past the camera and it fades away.
We cut now inside Elsa's office, the General Manager watching the show with the owner, Grace van Beek. Ryen Riekert was, as always, a few steps away from them. A discreet yet constant presence watching over the two young women like a badass guardian angel.
Grace van Beek:
You were mentioning a possible signing earlier. Any update?
She let out a sigh, looking up at the owner.
Elsa McCarthy:
I didn't want to bother her today, I assume she had quite the busy day.
Grace van Beek:
You sound worried now. Did something change?
Elsa turned her glance away from Grace, staring at the TV screen absentmindedly.
Elsa McCarthy:
I would hope not...
Grace van Beek:
I am confident you will finalize this deal. You have come a long way since you accepted this position, positively surprising me in several occasions.
The owner's nice words, a rare commodity around here, brought a smile on Elsa's face.
Grace van Beek:
I probably do not need to say it...
Grace's voice broke the silence that followed her compliment to the General Manager, and that lasted for a few long moments.
Grace van Beek:
Regarding the next match, I would hate to see the same outcome thier first match had.
Elsa McCarthy:
You mean... But Iser holds the briefcase, I can't forbid him...
Grace van Beek:
We won't. But let him know that we highly advise against it. Unless, of course, he decides to cash in his briefcase.
Elsa was about to reply something, but she soon realized that there was no point in aguing.
MWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Megan Monroe (c) VS BROOKFORDAmy Maynard: “Here we are, ladies and gentlemen, the Intercontinental Championship on the line, Megan Monroe defending her title once again against BROOKFORD.” Peyton Holland: “This is a rematch from Millennium LXVI, when BROOKFORD was this close to capturing the gold. Then a distraction provided by Seth Iser allowed Meg to steal a win.” Ambra Monroe: “I don't think we'll see him out here tonight, not after Grace advised him against. Unless, of course, he decised to use the briefcase.” Amy Maynard: “Which is highly unlikely to happen, considering his alliance with Megan.” Sir Figgles: “Not to mention that nobody sane would waste the briefcase on anything but the World Championship.” The match started and BROOKFORD was the early aggressor, using that weight and size advantage against the Intercontinental champion. He easily lifted Monroe after rocking her with a series of palm strikes and drove her down with a powerslam, but his early pinfall attempt was unsuccessful. He kept the pace slow in the early minutes, using several rest holds to keep Megan grounded knowing all too well how dangerous the IC champion can be. Then suddenly he decided to change the pace, firing the young girl in the corner and charging at her with a running back elbow. He took a step forward only to throw himself back, squashing her a second time. Ambra Monroe: “BROOKFORD is oozing confidence tonight. He wants the gold, he knows he can beat Megan and he’s not taking any chance.” Monroe was still trapped in the corner, trying to defend herself from the barrage of strikes BROOKFORD was throwing at her. He put such force in those knees that he literally lifted Megan from the ground, as she was pretty much sitting on the middle turnbuckle now. From there, the Problem Solver hoisted her up on the top rope, looking for a superplex. Monroe desperately tried to fight back, hitting the big man with headbutts and punches to the ribs. She managed to push him back down and quickly jumped with a crossbody, right into BROOKFORD’s arms. Shaking his head, he adjusted her on his shoulder in a fireman’s carry position. Megan slipped away and clung onto his shoulders, taking him down with a rear mat slam. She then took out all her frustration by stomping BROOKFORD to the ground, until the big man blocked her foot and slowly got up to his feet. He taunted Megan, still holding her foot. The Intercontinental Champion seemed to be begging him to let her go, but it was just a pretense. luring him into lowering his attention striking him with an enziguri. Amy Maynard: “All she needed was an opening and look at Meg going now!” The Intercontinental Champion was finally showing all his talent, relying on her striking ability to wear down BROOKFORD. Kicks to the legs, to the sides, all building up to the crescent kick that sent the Problem Solver once again on his back. As he tried to pull himself up, Monroe hit him with a shining wizard, following with a standing moonsault into a cover. BROOKFORD powered out in two. The challenger seemed a bit dazed after the kick to the face, using the ropes to get back to a vertical position and leaning against the corner to recover a bit. Megan charged at him with a splash, but he caught her in mid air and slammed her into the canvas. Sir Figgles: “Wow! Just like that BROOKFORD killed any momentum the opponent had built so far. And he’s not done y… Oh MY GOD!” BROOKFORD walked out of the corner, holding his head from the previous blow he suffered. Then, all of a sudden, he sprinted against the rope and jumped on Megan with a senton, crushing the Intercontinental Champion with his entire bodyweight. The Problem Solver then made the cover, but with the ropes so close it was too easy for Megan to lift her foot and rest it on the bottom one, interrupting the count. BROOKFORD went back to work, clubbing the young girl with heavy shots to the back, dropping her on her knees and hands. He ruthlessly kicked her in the ribs, Megan started rolling on the mat in pain, holding her side. Slow and methodical in his movements, the Problem Solver stalked the champion, giving her the chance to stand up to her feet only to hit her with a knife edge chop. And a second one, and a third. The force and frequency of his strikes kept growing, Megan stepping backward as the wind was knocked off her chest by those violent strikes. Soon she found herself back against the ropes, trying to catch her breath. BROOKFORD charged full head of steam, Megan was quick to drop down and pull the top rope, causing the big man to fly out of the ring. Megan stepped out on the apron, waited until he got up to his feet and jumped on the middle rope catching BROOKFORD with a springboard tornado ddt on the outside Peyton Holland: “What a move!” Sir Figgles: “Yeah, some nice flippy stuff there. But now, how is she going to drag him back in the ring?” Ambra Monroe: “She doesn’t have to. A countout win is still a win.” And in fact Meg rolled back inside the ring, smiling as the count reached four and BROOKFORD hadn’t moved yet. The fans were still cheering, if not Megan at least her feat of agility. The Intercontinental Champion sat down, recovering while BROOKFORD was trying to beat the count. And he did, barely, lifting himself on the apron and stepping through the ropes. He only had his head and shoulders in, just enough to stop the count. Then he was hit by the Mega Kick, and fell back on the outside. Megan asked the referee to count again, but this time BROOKFORD was up at five. She hit the ropes and launched herself against him with a suicide dive. She quickly went back in the ring and went for a second one. BROOKFORD wasn’t staying down and Megan hit a third suicide dive. “Stay down you big f…” The camera caught Monroe cursing before she slid back in the ring, took a dash at the ropes on the opposite side and went for a fourth dive to the outside. This time BROOKFORD saw it coming and simply moved to the side, causing Meg to crash against the barricade. Amy Maynard: “One too many risks for Monroe, and now she finds herself in a bad, bad spot.” BROOKFORD showed no mercy, ramming the Intercontinental champion against the plexiglass barrier. He then picked her up in a powerbomb position, throwing her against the edge of the apron. Unlike Megan, he couldn’t afford the luxury to win via countout, having to pin or submit the champion to take the title from her. And so he slid her inside the ring, making a cover. Somehow, the champion raised her shoulder in time. The Problem Solver was taking his time, knowing he had the match in his pocket. He connected a brainbuster, a spinning side slam and a samoan drop, but he never made the cover. This excess of confidence almost cost him as Megan surprised him with an inside cradle, almost getting the three. The Intercontinental champion tried a reaction, trusting once again her long legs to deliver shoot kicks to the challenger. Chopping him down with kicks to the thighs, she forced him on his knees, dropping him down with a hurricanrana driver. She made the cover, but once again BROOKFORD kicked out. Ambra Monroe: “Both competitors are exhausted, who wants it more? Who will be able to push themselves over the limit and walk out with the title?” None of them was giving up an inch, Megan coming close to the win with the Fly-Dell phoenix splash after connecting a scissor kick to knock BROOKFORD down. But in the end, the challenger brute strength tipped the scale in his favor. He dropped Megan on the mat with a sitout full nelson atomic drop, quickly locking her in his half nelson choke with body scissors. Peyton Holland: “He locked her in! Meg is trapped in the Lights Out! with nowhere to go! We could be crowning a new champ!” And then the lights actually went out. For a few long seconds the entire Enterprise Arena was plunged in darkness. When they came back BROOKFORD was laying flat on his back. Megan was laying motionless next to him, most likely passed out in the submission. But her hand had been placed on BROOKFORD’s chest, and the referee moved into position to count the one, two, three. WINNER: Megan Monroe (STILL CHAMPION) BY: Pinfall, 21:31 |
Ambra Monroe:
Survey says, one more for Megan Monroe.
Sir Figgles:
I gotta ask, are you two related?
Ambra Monroe:
Nope.
Amy Maynard:
Really, Figgles? Who cares about that, didn't you see what happened a moment ago?
Sir Figgles:
Absolutely not, and neither did you. Unless you were wearing those night vision goggles...
Amy Maynard:
I give up...
Peyton Holland:
Stay strong, Amy... We're almost through. Summing up, Megan was passing out from BROOKFORD's Lights Out, when the whole Arena plunged into darkness. When the lights came back, the Problem Solver was out as well, and Megan's hand was resting on his chest.
Ambra Monroe:
The question is, who did it? Was is Seth Iser? Was it Alan Envy or anyone of APE taking their payback on BROOKFORD? Or did Megan have a plan B, someone else willing to help her?
Sir Figgles:
Pierce Manning, perhaps? They seem to be quite close.
Peyton Holland:
I'd love to stay here and listen to all your theories, but we're really out of time. Night one is over, tune in tomorrow for another freat night of wrestling. And hopefullly to find an answer to this mystery. Good night, ladies and gentlemen!
Survey says, one more for Megan Monroe.
Sir Figgles:
I gotta ask, are you two related?
Ambra Monroe:
Nope.
Amy Maynard:
Really, Figgles? Who cares about that, didn't you see what happened a moment ago?
Sir Figgles:
Absolutely not, and neither did you. Unless you were wearing those night vision goggles...
Amy Maynard:
I give up...
Peyton Holland:
Stay strong, Amy... We're almost through. Summing up, Megan was passing out from BROOKFORD's Lights Out, when the whole Arena plunged into darkness. When the lights came back, the Problem Solver was out as well, and Megan's hand was resting on his chest.
Ambra Monroe:
The question is, who did it? Was is Seth Iser? Was it Alan Envy or anyone of APE taking their payback on BROOKFORD? Or did Megan have a plan B, someone else willing to help her?
Sir Figgles:
Pierce Manning, perhaps? They seem to be quite close.
Peyton Holland:
I'd love to stay here and listen to all your theories, but we're really out of time. Night one is over, tune in tomorrow for another freat night of wrestling. And hopefullly to find an answer to this mystery. Good night, ladies and gentlemen!