the Fantasy Wrestling Alliance proudly presents…
A VERY
CROSSFIRE
CHRISTMAS!
Live from the 折扇 [the Folding Fan] in Beijing, China.
Sunday 14th January, 2024. Only on the WCNetwork.
This special edition of FWA programming begins with a brief highlight video of the Winter Wasteland Pay-Per-View which took place on December 30th, concluding with Jeremy Best celebrating with his newly-won FWA World Championship. Following that, the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing is shown as being at full capacity with an elaborate stage set up. The colour scheme is mainly comprised of red, as symbolism for Christmas (which we are almost three weeks late for) as well as what this colour means to the people of China as a sign of good fortune.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Nín hǎo, huānyíng dàjiā! This is 2024 and this is the Fantasy Wrestling Alliance wishing you all a joyous festive period, regardless of how you choose to celebrate it.
“Tonight will serve as something of a palette whetter; just a morsel of what you can expect from this historic company in the year to come. We are of course figure headed by the proponent of friendship, Jeremy Best as our new world champion and eight competitors are gearing up to compete in the second annual F1 Climaxxx. We have a number of matches for you tonight, including the return of the Secular Spectacular.
Jean-Luc Watkins at your service this evening and here to guide you safe passage through all of the weird and wonderful happenings of an FWA show, joined by my colleagues from Meltdown, Rod Sterling and Anzu Kurosawa. Glad tidings to you both!”
Rod Sterling: “A terrific introduction, Jean-Luc - Happy New Year to you and everyone else over on Fallout, too. You’re absolutely right about tonight being a previous for the year to come. That Secular Spectacular match has some championship implications… and … someone is going to start this year off in the worst way possible with a pink slip.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “Not only that, but I think we could be in for some appearances from some unannounced individuals tonight… I’ve seen a lot of them backstage hanging around and with some of these characters, you know that they’ll have some things they want to say about the year ahead.”
Rod Sterling: “Well, here we go. Guess we’re kicking things off tonight with the North American Champion.”
The crowd boos loudly as Big Bryan Bastard walks out from the back, holding the aforementioned North American champion in his left hand by on of the straps, letting it hang down. Wearing his “BASTARD” embroidered red letterman jacket, Bryan lifts the championship high up on the stage to ruckus heat from the fans. BBB is all alone tonight, no sign of any Friendship Wrestling Alliance cohorts.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Winter Wasteland was a bit of deja vu. Another pre-match attack to Bryan Baxter’s opponent that lead to another title defense. He certainly lives up to the Bastard name.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “To be fair, we never saw who attacked Chris Crowe backstage before the match.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Come on Anzu, we all know if it wasn’t Bryan Bastard… it was probably one of those masked weirdos that hang out with him.”
Rod Sterling: “And despite that prematch attack, it was those masked men from the Friendship Wrestling Alliance - Sir Stache and Mejor Amigo - who still got involved to help Baxter during the match itself too.”
Baxter walks down to the ring, climbing up onto the apron and then steps through the middle ropes to enter the ring and takes the microphone.
Bryan Baxter: “Everybody kept sayin’ it… they all kept sayin’ it… just wait. Just wait until Chris Crowe came back. Just want until Chris Crowe came back and took back the belt he never lost. Your days are numbered, Bryan! You’re just holdin’ that belt til Chris Crowe comes back.”
Bryan smirks, looking down at the North American championship in his hand.
Bryan Baxter: “Well, what happened? Chris Crowe came back. And yeah, I’ll give him credit… he earned his shot. But guess what…”
“I’M STILL HERE.”
“I AM STILL THE FWA NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION!”
Big Bryan Bastard lifts the North American title up into the air to resounding boos from the crowd.
Bryan Baxter: “Like it or not, I took down yet another obstacle. Yet another person who thought they deserved the title more than me. Over four hundred days now… and no one has been able to stop me. You have to wonder… who can stop me? Can it even be done? Because so far, everyone that has lined up has been knocked right back down. One by one they’ve shown up and one by one I’ve destroyed the competition.”
“And quite honestly… it’s getting a little boring.”
More boos as Baxter smirks, now lifting the title up and draping it over his shoulder.
Bryan Baxter: “Don’t get me wrong, I love this belt and am not about to give it up. Not a damn chance. A few months ago… I was actually loosing sleep at night. I was actually stressing out about all the people who wanted to come after me for this belt. I was worried about this huge target on my back…. But boy… I was wrong. I was wrong to be so worried. Because I’m starting to think there’s no one on my level. There’s not a damn person in that locker room that I have to worry about! This belt is where it belongs and I can assure you… it ain’t goin’ ANYWHERE!”
Big Bryan Bastard pauses as he gets another wave of boos from the fans.
Bryan Baxter: “Which is why I wanna make things interesting. Like I said… these whole one at a time beatdowns… are getting a little old, don’t ya think? So… let’s spice things up. I’m in this little F1 thing again this year… you know, the thing I shoulda won last year? Where I beat now former chump Chris Peacock AND Cyrus Truth? Remember that? I know there’s already some high stakes in this baby… but let’s up them some more. I ain’t scared of Chris Peacock. I beat his ass last year in this event. Halloween Knight? Don’t make me laugh. Xavien Marshall? Just some punkass kid who needs his mouth punched in to teach him a lesson. XX… he can take the beating I’ve given his little Undisputed Alliance buddies. Konch Hao… happy to beat him down once again. Weaseldreamer… well, we have some unfinished business from last year, I do believe. And then.. Mike Parr… I think Back in Business speaks for itself.”
“I’m so confident I’m going to crush this F1…”
“That I’m putin’ the North American Title on the line!”
The boos suddenly turn to cheers as the fans get pumped.
Rod Sterling: “Wait, is he saying what I think he is?”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Sure seems that way. I think his four-hundred plus day title reign has gone to his head!”
Bryan Baxter: “You heard me right. When all is said and done in this tournament…. Whoever walks out with the 2024 F1 will also walk out with this belt… and don’t worry, I’ll spare you the drama… it’s gonna be…
“BIG.”
“BRYAN.”
“BASTA–”
Rod Sterling: “Well, this could be about to get interesting..”
The crowd let out an audible gasp as their attention turns away from Bryan Baxter and towards the entrance, where from the backstage area indeed emerges “The Prodigy” Mike Parr. No custom made suit or hair slicked today for Parr, it is a customer t-shirt and taped fists.
Rod Sterling: “Back in Business was mentioned not too long ago, and that of course was the last time we saw Mike Parr until a couple of weeks ago on Fallout. Worth noting, however, that since his return he hasn’t exactly set the world alight. A closely contested loss to Konchu Hao followed by a time limit draw with Johnny Johnson at Winter Wasteland isn’t the return that he would’ve had planned.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “He did manage to get a spot in the upcoming F1 though, so I doubt he is too upset.”
It is a fairly positive reaction for Parr, who hasn’t done a whole bunch to appeal to the crowd since his return. However, positive or negative, you wouldn’t know by looking at Mike’s face. His jaw is clenched, and his glare has not moved from Baxter in the ring. Baxter, for his part, far from being upset about being interrupted, has a wry grin spread across his face. Bringing his hand to his face, The Prodigy fidgets he tries to gather the words, the words that adequately explain how he feels encountering the man who nearly ended his FWA career.
Mike Parr: “You couldn’t have thought that I was just going to let it slide, could you?”
A few audible ‘ooooh’s’ from the audience, the majority remain relatively silent awaiting Mike’s next few words.
Mike Parr: “I’m not going to stand up here and bitch and moan about taking the…shall I say…morally questionable….route in terms of how you got things done at Back in Business. In my time, I’ve been known to be a very big advocate of the ends justifying the means. I’m plenty of things Bryan, plenty, but I’m not a hypocrite. But….what you must not do is mistake my avoidance of hypocrisy and think that it somehow results in letting bygones be bygones, what you must not think is that somehow because I begrudgingly respect the moves that you have made that I accept them…..not for a second.””
The fans cheer, as Bryan starts to mouth back at Prodigy, the camera not quite fast enough to pick up the right angle to make out exactly what his retort was.
Mike Parr: “ If The Prodigy was going to come back to FWA, you bet that he was going to come straight after the man that took him out and embarrassed him on the biggest show of the year, right? It’s was an absolute guarantee ... .but I didn’t. And I wasn’t. I was playing the long game Bryan, I was going to come back here and have some fun for what feels like the first time in forever. I was going to get some wins, remind everyone of exactly who I am and then, just when you thought that it was safe and clear to stop glancing over your shoulder in case I was there, I was going to strike. I was going to strike, and strike again and again and again until you really finally got the message, until you understood both the reality and gravity of your situation. The gravity is that you crossed me, you crossed Mike Parr, and the reality is that the North American Championship is my property and my legacy and you’ve been holding onto my property for far too long.””
The crowd cheer, the sort of intensity you don’t often see in a public setting from The Prodigy. He usually operates in the shadows, a man of many words but really few reads. But here, it seems abundantly clear what he is after.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Not that I would expect much less, but it sounds like Baxter has just given Parr some extra motivation in the F1!”
The camera pans to Baxter, who lets out an exaggerated exhale.
Mike Parr: “In saying that though, I won’t lie to you and say I'm not really disappointed, because it is so underwhelming. I thought I was coming back here to slay the one that everyone thinks is indomitable, the one that swatted aside challengers for over 400 days. The one who came within a whisker of winning the F1 last year. I’m disappointed because when I do what I said I was going to do, it just doesn’t mean as much when instead of beating some indomitable monster I’m beating on some coward little bitch.””
Baxter, for the first time since Parr walked out,visually appears to be taking Parr seriously. No longer mouthing or overexaggerating a reaction, he is now stony-faced, his glare narrowed as he stares up at the only man to hold the North American Championship longer than he has done.
Mike Parr: “I haven’t explained to you yet why I couldn’t just play the long game with you, have I? It’s because I couldn’t sit back there and watch and listen to any of this any longer. You wanted to show up tonight and have everyone talk about how amazing the greatest North American Champion of all time is, voluntarily putting his championship on the line in a tournament between 8 of the best that the company has to offer. You wanted the narrative to be about whether or not Baxter can bulldoze through this tournament like he has done every other challenger that he has faced over the last 400 days. Not on my watch, Baxter. Not on my watch.
You taught me a couple of things when you attacked me at Back in Business ahead of our match, one of them obvious. One of them is that you are someone to be respected, that will do whatever it takes to win. The other….the other thing you taught me is that you’re scared. Look at the size of you, you don’t need to go attacking people from behind to win but you choose to do it because you are scared that someone might just be that much too fast for you or that much more intelligent than you. You mitigate the chance of defeat where you can because you are afraid that you just don’t have it, you just don’t have what it takes to get it done.””
There is another silence in the arena, as Parr’s words reverberate around the arena. Baxter looks quizzically up at Parr, almost still trying to assess exactly what he is hearing.
Mike Parr: “And that is what tonight is Bryan, I see you. I don’t know how many people see you, but I do. You aren’t out here showcasing your almighty strength, you are out here exposing your weakness. You aren’t putting your championship on the line in this tournament to prove how dominant you are or to put another exclamation mark on that reign of yours, you are putting it on the line in the tournament so it’s tied up for another…oh, I don’t know….40 days at least?””
Another telling reaction from the crowd, as they begin to converse with each other and work out exactly what Prodigy is referencing. Our commentary team take a couple of moments to get there.
Rod Sterling: “That would take Baxter to his 454th day as North American Champion, which would tie the record held by the man with the microphone currently held to his mouth”
Mike Parr: “Prove me wrong, Bryan. While those couple of errant brain cells in that dome of yours click together and try and process what I’m saying to you, let me remove any potential obstacles that you try to erect. The North American Championship will be awarded to the victor of this tournament regardless. We both can remain in the tournament, I don’t need a Fallout. Hell, I don’t even need a Meltdown or a Fight Night.”
I need a ring, and on February 22nd I need you to bring my belt and after 453 days of misery you’re going to turn up and I’m going to take back what is mine.””
The crowd erupts as the challenge is laid out for the current holder of the North American Championship. Parr plays into the emotions of the crowd and extends both arms to either side and riles them up even further, giving Baxter the opportunity to collect his thoughts before responding.
Bryan Baxter: “You gotta lotta nerve Mikey… comin’ out here… havin’ proven nothin’ since last time I beat your ass… but you know what… I enjoyed it the first time… and trust me… I’m not a coward… I have no problem kickin’ your ass again. I’ll send you on yet another hiatus… and this time… this time Mike… you ain’t comin’ back!”
Baxter tosses the microphone down as the two go toe to toe for a staredown.
Rod Sterling: “How about that?! It appears we have a challenge accepted by Baxter! Before he breaks the North American title record… he has one more hurdle in the way.. The man who owns that record!”
We rejoin the arena with Kurt Harrington standing in the middle of the ring, a microphone in his hand.
Kurt Harrington: “Ladies and gentlemen, the following is the Secular Spectacular match! In this contest, a pole has been mounted onto each of the four turnbuckles, with a present at the top. Competitors must climb the poles and retrieve the presents, which contain: two spots in an FWA Television Championship #1 contendership match, a shot at the FWA Trios Championships with two partners of the winner’s choosing, and… a pink slip! Introducing…”
There’s a cheer in the Beijing National Indoor Stadium as the first competitor for the night’s opening contest walks out onto the stage.
Kurt Harrington: “First… from Sitka, Alaska and weighing in at 185 lb…he is X…YYYYYYYY... ZZZZZZZZ!”
X is surprisingly not flanked by the Menage, instead choosing to appear alone. He has lost some of the swagger we usually see on the way to the ring, neglecting to high-five the outstretched hands of those on the front row.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “It’s been a rough few weeks for XYZ, culminating in a disappointing loss to Vengador two weeks ago at Winter Wasteland.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “Maybe this match will be the turnaround in fortunes that he needs! I believe in him…”
X stands in the ring as his music fades out, soon replaced by…
The cheering continues for the next entrant, though some boos can also be heard as he appears on the stage.
Kurt Harrington: “Next… from Savannah, Georgia… SAWYER XAVIER!!”
Rod Sterling: “Unlike XYZ, things have been looking good for Sawyer Xavier recently. He’s picked up a few victories, including a big one in singles competition against Jason Randall at Winter Wasteland.”
Sawyer climbs into the ring and loosens up in a corner, staring up at the four presents hanging at various corners of the ring. His music fades out…
There’s a muted reaction for the next participant, owing to the unfamiliarity of the debuting wrestler.
Kurt Harrington: “Next, from la Ciudad de las Sombras… LA SOMBRA FILOSA!!”
Anzu Kurosawa: “Who knew Kurt knew Spanish?!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “This is a debut that I’ve been looking forward to, guys. La Sombra Filosa certainly has an aura, and I’m looking forward to seeing if he can back it up in the ring.”
The debutant waits on the outside of the ring, eyeing up the two men already waiting on the inside of it. Next…
The reaction is bemused for the fourth competitor, who shares fist bumps with Juan Tothrefor and Halloween Knight on the stage before they disappear to the back. He tries to high-five the fans on the front row but they want none of it.
Kurt Harrington: “Next… from the Dumpster Out Back… Mamifero De Basura!!”
Anzu Kurosawa: “More Spanish!”
Rod Sterling: “Slander from Kurt! I have eaten at several Outback restaurants, and find those quality establishments to be nothing like a dumpster.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “... I’m surrounded by morons.”
Trash Mammal, not backing down from the oncoming fight, slides into the ring and brushes past both Sawyer and X on his way to a corner. Then we hear…
There’s a mixed reaction for the next combatant, with some cheers and some boos as ‘the Young Lioness’ enters the arena.
Kurt Harrington: “Next… from Portsmouth, England… MADISON… GRAY!!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “You mentioned Xavier’s big victory at Winter Wasteland, Rod, and this young woman had one of her own in Istanbul. She managed to vanquish long-time rival Blake Taylor, and now she’ll hope to kick things up another gear and hunt down some gold.”
Gray joins the three men in the now over-populated ring, with La Sombra Filosa still watching curiously from the outside. Madison is pacing, clearly ready for the match to get started, as her music fades out…
Deafening boos as a brooding Blake Taylor appears on the stage.
Kurt Harrington: “Introducing next… from Las Vegas, Nevada… BLAKE TAYLOR!!”
Rod Sterling: “Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear…”
Anzu Kurosawa: “I thought you said Madison was ready to move on, Jean-Luc? Has she run that by Blake Taylor?”
With Blake Taylor electing to remain outside the ring for the timebeing, his music fades out. It is replaced by…
Another wrestler who is relatively unknown to the FWA fans comes out to a muted reaction. He surveys the arena before making his way down to the ring.
Kurt Harrington: “And hailing from ‘the City of Champions’... Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania… COLBY SOL!!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Another of our exciting debutants, Colby Sol makes his arrival here in front of the FWA Cosmos.”
Rod Sterling: “And already, both he and La Sombra Filosa have a chance to fight themselves into championship contention. Would be a hell of a way to make a splash.”
Colby stops his march at the base of the ramp and, with the ring looking somewhat crowded, chooses to stay on the outside, reasonably close to Blake Taylor by the commentary position. He loosens up his joints whilst looking at each of the competitors already in the ring, as…
There’s a long and ominous wait as the music plays before the final man to enter the arena appears. There is mostly booing, but also an ample helping of awe-struck respect from the man who defeated Gerald Grayson at Winter Wasteland.
Kurt Harrington: ”Introducing next… from the depths of HELL… DEATH WALKER!!”
Rod Sterling: “Fresh from asserting his dominance over the Daredevil in Istanbul, there really seems to be no ceiling to what Death Walker can achieve here in the FWA. He’s had a bad mix of ill luck and inconsistency at times, but this Death Walker seems more focussed than ever.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “A frightening thought. I’m terrified, Rod!”
Death’s walk to the ring is slow, and he pauses at the base of the ramp to look at each competitor in turn for what feels like an eternity. Eventually, his eyes fall upon one man - the most prominent in a group of three - that has not yet been introduced. As if on cue, Kurt takes to the microphone again.
Kurt Harrington: “And finally… already at ringside, accompanied by Jiggy Jon and Jugem Jugem… this is Jobber Jimbo.”
The stand-off between Death Walker and Triple J Security lingers for a while, and it appears that Jiggy Jon and Jugem Jugem are trying to whisper words of encouragement into their partner’s ear. It can be assumed that Jugem’s utterances are repetitive. Eventually, Jimbo nods his head, lets out a battle cry, and charges at Death…
Rod Sterling: “AXE KICK!!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Jobber Jimbo would do better than to listen to the advice of his teammates, apparently. He is wiped out by Death Walker!”
Jugem and Jiggy glance at each other, gulp, and then leap to their partner’s defence, charging at Walker in unison. Death is equal to it, though, turning both of his assailants (who aren’t actually in the match) inside out with a double clothesline!
Three men are down around Death, who casually climbs into the ring. The three officials at ringside look at each other, shrug, and then call for the bell…
FIRST MATCH (-/30).
Blake Taylor vs. Colby Sol vs. Death Walker vs. Jobber Jimbo vs. La Sombra Filosa vs. Madison Gray vs. Sawyer Xavier vs. Trash Mammal vs. XYZ.
Secular Spectacular Match.
<< 00:00. >>
The contest gets way with carnage inside the ring, with the half-dozen(ish) combatants within it all converging with one another. Meanwhile, on the outside, Blake Taylor attempts a sneak attack on Colby Sol, but Sol ducks beneath the clothesline, proceeding to throw Blake down on the outside with a t-bone suplex! Sol rises, to find La Sombra looming over him, with Filosa proceeding to back him up into the ring apron with a series of hard knife-edge chops. FIlosa tries to Irish whip Sol into the barricade, but Colby reverses and sends LSF into it instead! The front row fans wince at the knee-trembling impact! And then they’re forced to disperse as Filosa reverses an attempted clothesline from Sol, sending him into the second row with a HUGE back body drop!!
Meanwhile, in the ring, Madison Gray has XYZ in a wristlock, but X is able to reverse out of it with a peculiar rotation of his irregular body, before he’s able to take her down with a leg sweep…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "And XYZ usually follows it up with… yes, there’s the standing elbow drop!"
Rod Sterling: "X is building up some momentum here as he looks to bounce back from disappointment at Winter Wasteland."
The crowd are behind him, but then…
There’s a pop in the arena as the Television Champion walks out into the arena, his championship belt in his hand. He surveys the fans in the Folding Fan as he makes his way down to the ring.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "It seems the Television Champion wants to keep an eye on this match. Not surprising, as it will decide the two wrestlers who will compete in a number one contendership bout for that prize."
Anzu Kurosawa: "I heard that Brooklyn was going to be out here tonight. I also heard that he might be joining us at the booth."
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Oh? Where did you hear that?"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I have lots of friends, Jean-Luc. I hear things."
Rod Sterling: "It seems you heard right, Anzu. Brooklyn Steiener takes a wide circle of the ring, keeping a close eye on the opening chaos on his way towards the desk…"
XYZ - momentarily alone in the ring, with a lot of the action having spilled out onto the floor - watches Brooklyn and specifically the belt on his shoulder. Steiner steps over Jobber Jimbo’s prone body on his way to the booth.
Brooklyn Steiner: "Gentlemen… Anzu…"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "To what do we owe this honour?"
Brooklyn Steiner: "The honour is all mine, Watkins! I heard my first challenger is amongst this field, so I thought I’d come and lend you my thoughts."
X still has his eyes fixed on Brooklyn, but eventually drags them away and turns around… straight into an enziguri from Sawyer! XYZ rolls under the bottom rope, getting to his feet near the ramp. Madison Gray, Trash Mammal, and Blake Taylor are all nearby, and the four of them brawl at the base of the ramp, whilst Sawyer Xavier scales the turnbuckles inside the ring.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Is Sawyer Xavier going for a present already?! Maybe not… he’s shaping up with the pack behind and below him…"
Rod Sterling: "Moonsault! To the outside! Sawyer takes out four at once with the aerial attack. Brooklyn -- lend us your thoughts..."
Brooklyn Steiner:
Sawyer Xavier gets to his feet, pumping his fist as a majority of the audience get behind him… until he’s taken out by a clothesline to the back of the head from Death Walker! Boos rain down in Beijing as the match rolls on…
***
<< 04:18. >>
We rejoin as Colby Sol hits a reverse DDT on La Sombra Filosa in an otherwise empty ring. The audience are booing the cocky Sol, and he takes his time to hoist Filosa back to his feet. Brawling ensues around the ring as Colby places LSF in a front facelock…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Colby maybe looking for a falcon arrow, but La Sombra Filosa slips behind… German suplex! Colby Sol dropped at a high angle on the back of his head!"
Rod Sterling: "These two have been targeting one another almost exclusively since this match began."
Brooklyn Steiner: "These two newcomers are showing some fight, which is important, but I think they’re focussing on one another a little too much, at the expense of those presents."
Anzu Kurosawa: "Well, maybe that’s deliberate. A title shot is all well and good, but one of them contains a pink slip! They don’t want to get fired after their first match and their first win!"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "It’s pro wrestling, Anzu. There’s always loopholes."
Meanwhile, Death Walker works over Blake Taylor with hard forearms on the outside, near the steel ring steps. Taylor manages to back Death up with a kick to the knee followed by a rake of the eyes. Taylor looks to follow up with a clothesline, but Death ducks beneath it…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "BACKDROP DRIVER!! On the outside!"
Death rises slowly, before continuing the fight by taking it to Trash Mammal. In the ring, Sawyer Xavier and Madison Gray stand in the centre of it. They both look at the same present, before fighting over towards that turnbuckle with exchanged strikes.
Brooklyn Steiner: "Why don’t they just go to opposite corners?"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Drama, Brooklyn!"
Sawyer and Madison both begin a climb, but are cut off at the pass by a resurgent Triple J Security! Jimbo, Jon, and Jugem slide into the ring and blindside the pair with repeated double axe handles..
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Gray and Xavier do their best to fight them off, but Triple J Security use the numbers to their advantage."
Rod Sterling: "And we should remind you that two of them - Jiggy Jon and Jugem Jugem - are not in this match."
Anzu Kurosawa: "I don’t think they care, Rod. They want that Trios Championship shot, I imagine."
Triple J Security scarper, though, when they see Death Walker climbing up onto an apron, deciding to bide their time rather than climb a turnbuckle and seek a present now…
***
<< 07:45. >>
XYZ is climbing a turnbuckle, and then sizes up the pole for further ascent. He doesn’t get to travel further, though, with XYZ arriving on the scene and dragging X away from the corner…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Powerbomb!! XYZ is spiked by Death Walker, a man with whom he has quite the history…"
Brooklyn Steiner: "Seems like Death Walker has a history with lots of people. Natural for such a violent character."
Walker thinks he’s alone again and stares up the nearby pole at one of the presents. He appears to be considering a climb, but he is caught unawares by a surprise shotgun dropkick from Sawyer Xavier! Walker is knocked off-balanced, through the ropes, and to the outside!
Rod Sterling: "Sawyer Xavier accomplishes what has thus far seemed unthinkable in this match! He knocks Death Walker off his feet, and even out of the ring!"
Xavier points at the prize above him, the portion of the crowd that is on his side cheering him on. He makes it to the second turnbuckle before someone else slides into the ring. He doesn’t notice that Trash Mammal is there until it is too late, with the Tr1ck or Tr4sh member dragging him away from the corner…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Spinning blue thunder bomb!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I think he calls that the Rabies Shot, Jean-Luc!"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "I’m not calling it that, but it was begrudgingly impressive…"
And it also clears the way for Trash Mammal to ascend the same corner that Sawyer was climbing. We see shots of others brawling on the outside - most noticeably La Sombra Filosa and Colby Sol, with LSF hitting a running European uppercut - referred to by the announcers as the Umbra Uppercut - followed by a snap DDT on the ramp. This gives the Mammal room to climb, and - with a mixed reaction (though mostly amused cheers) - he scales the pole, kicking an approaching Madison Gray away before unhooking the first gift!
Trash Mammal falls to the ring, clutching the present to his chest. Madison looks disappointed, but realises it’s pointless going after TM as he’s out of the match. She instead moves to another corner, but now Blake Taylor has recovered enough to cut her off at the pass with a lariat.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Trash Mammal rolls out of the ring, and it looks like he wants to open up that present right now."
Anzu Kurosawa: "Why wouldn’t he?! Christmas is exciting!"
Brooklyn Steiner: "Not to be a stickler, Anzu, but it’s January 14th."
Anzu Kurosawa: "It’s come late for Trash Mammal! A Christmas miracle!"
The officials stop Trash Mammal from opening his gift, instead directing him to the top of the ramp. He still clutches his gift tightly to his chest as he acquiesces.
***
<< 10:36. >>
Two tables have been set up - by Sawyer Xavier and Death Walker respectively - near the same corner of the ring, on opposite sides of the steel ring steps. Meanwhile, XYZ and Blake Taylor are on adjacent aprons. They climb the same corner from opposite sides, eventually exchanging strikes when on the second one. Blake Taylor lays into X with right hands, who fires back with chops.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "A perhaps precarious position for both men, such are the stakes of this Secular Spectacular match."
As if on cue, Death Walker appears on the apron behind Blake, dragging him away from the exchange with Blake…
Rod Sterling: "POWERBOMB! Death Walker powerbombs Blake Taylor from the apron, through a table!!"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "And has that left an opening for XYZ?"
XYZ steps up onto the top turnbuckle… but Xavier has collected one of the prop candy canes from around the ring, which he cracks across X’s back!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Not very festive…"
Brooklyn Steiner: "… but pretty effective."
Sawyer drags XYZ out from the corner in a fireman’s carry… and nails him with a Death Valley Driver!! The crowd are divided, with many of them clearly pulling for XYZ, but Xavier is able to start climbing at the same time as Death Walker, the two again electing to attempt the same corner. They exchange blows, but the thudding forearms from Walker are too much for Sawyer. Death is able to collect him in a front facelock, whilst standing on the second turnbuckle and rope (on the outside of the ring).
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Death Walker just drags Sawyer Xavier up! Deadlift vertical suplex!! Through the other table!!!"
The crowd pop for the move, but it takes a lot out of Walker, too. He is unable to follow up immediately, instead lying amongst the debris with the man he drove through the table. We cut away to Colby Sol and La Sombra Filosa, who are now high in the crowd!! Filosa has Sol in a modified octopus hold!!
Jean-Luc Watkins: "He calls this version of the octopus stretch the Tenebrous Lock! And some lucky fans are getting a front row view!"
LSF only lets Colby go to drag Sol into position between his legs. He hoists Sol up, looking for maybe a spinning powerbomb, but Sol fires down with right hands. La Sombra Filosa is forced to drop him, with Colby catching him in a front facelock on the way down…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "A Good Ol’ DDT! La Sombra Filosa is spiked on his head, high in the arena!"
Brooklyn Steiner: " They’re a long way away from those poles…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I don’t think they care anymore."
Sol is slightly slower to get to his feet, noticeably so, but then collects LSF by the scruff of the neck and throws him through a nearby turnstile! The two disappear from view as the match rolls on…
Jobber Jimbo, still feeling the effects of the match so far, is rolled into the ring by Jugem Jugem and Jiggy Jon. He is slow to get up, but when he realises that he stands alone in the middle of the ring he gets hyped. He marches to a corner, beginning his climb towards…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "The idiot is climbing the wrong corner. Trash Mammal already took that prize."
Anzu Kurosawa: "I guess he really wanted that one."
Jimbo eventually realises, laments his mistake, and climbs back down. He rushes to the opposite corner, stumbling as he goes, before climbing that one instead. He only gets to the second one, though, with Madison Gray reappearing in the ring…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "‘The Young Lioness’ with a triangle dropkick! Madison Gray knocks Jobber Jimbo out of the ring…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "And her path is clear!"
With nobody in sight, Madison Gray shimmies up the pole and takes the second gift down!
***
<< 14:10. >>
Death Walker has Sawyer Xavier by the scruff of the neck on the outside of the ring, where he proceeds to run him into the steel ring steps!
Rod Sterling: "That impact was sickening! We’re only a few feet away from Death Walker… who now turns his gaze on the current FWA Television Champion…"
Not being one to back down, Steiner stands up from behind the table, taking his headset off. This doesn’t ward Death off, instead it spurs him on, and he offers Brooklyn a smirk as the champion comes around the table to engage in a stand-off. Brooklyn hoists his championship belt into the air whilst nose-to-nose with Walker.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "You have to respect Brooklyn’s spunk, but I’m not sure this is wise considering the dominance we’ve seen from Death Walker so far in this match…"
As Brooklyn lowers his championship, Death’s smirk re-emerges, and he seems to turn away… before grasping a water jug from the top of the commentary desk, and smashing it over the side of Steiner’s head!! The champion immediately drops, and his belt comes loose from his grasp, landing a metre or so away from him.
Rod Sterling: "Death Walker just clocked the FWA Television Champion with a water jug! Brooklyn Steiner was not a part of this match, but holds the gold that two of those presents promise a path to."
Jean-Luc Watkins: "You think this is about the Television Championship? I’m not sure."
Anzu Kurosawa: "You’ve got a theory?"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Absolutely not -- but Death’s motivations here hardly seem centred around gold."
Death looms above Steiner, his eyes drawn to the championship belt. He takes a step towards it… as a quartet of FWA officials descend, attending to Brooklyn Steiner, who just seems to be coming to. Walker attempts to reach through the black-and-white barrier to collect Brooklyn, but two of the officials grab him around the waits…
Rod Sterling: "Death Walker throws one of those referees into the ring apron! The other looks petrified…"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "He should be! Walker needs to be careful, these are FWA officials, and any more violence against them could turn a fine into a suspension…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Are you going to issue him with it, Jean-Luc?"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Once more: absolutely not."
With a doctor and security arriving on the scene, a now laughing Death Walker decides to think better of it. The security team tell him his match is over, and - with a shrug - Death turns away from the carnage he’s created. He marches up the ramp, refusing to even glance at Trash Mammal and Madison Gray - who wait on the stage - as he exits the arena.
***
<< 16:38. >>
Rod Sterling: "We’ve got only two wrestlers in the ring here, with Blake Taylor and Sawyer Xavier exchanging strikes. Weren’t there nine people in this?! Where did everybody go?!"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Colby Sol and La Sombra Filosa haven’t been seen since their fight spilled into the backstage area, and Death Walker was escorted from the arena by security. I’m pleased to hear that, according to backstage medical staff, Brooklyn Steiner is generally fine, other than needing a couple of stitches. Death Walker, meanwhile, will be dealt with personally by Jon Russnow."
Rod Sterling: "Terrifying."
Anzu Kurosawa: "And don’t forgot Trash Mammal and Madison Gray, who’ve already claimed their prizes."
Jean-Luc Watkins: "With XYZ and the entirety of Triple J Security down on the outside of the ring, that leaves only Sawyer Xavier and Blake Taylor…"
Taylor thuds into Xavier with three consecutive right hands, and then winds up for a discus lariat… which Sawyer is able to duck beneath, and nails the turning Blake with a standing dropkick. Xavier drags Blake up to his feet…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Sawyer Xavier with the Emerald Flowsion!! He’s come close to collecting a present on multiple occasions already, and now he’s once more alone in the ring!"
Sawyer climbs as fast as he can up a corner, but Jobber Jimbo slides back in and approaches, trying to cut him off at the pass again. Xavier lashes out with a boot, knocking Jimbo backwards… and then he takes him down with a meteora from the top rope!! Sawyer lands near a different corner, deciding to climb that one instead, and he collects the third present from the top of the pole!
With Jobber Jimbo down from the meteora, XYZ slides back into the ring and looks up at the last remaining present. He takes a deep breath, and then begins to climb, making good progress on his way to the top. He stands on the top turnbuckle, holding onto the pole.
Rod Sterling: "Blake Taylor is still down on the outside, which means Jobber Jimbo is the only man that can stop XYZ getting that final present…"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Don’t bank on it."
Anzu Kurosawa: "You shouldn’t underestimate Jimbo, Jean-Luc! He’s getting to his feet!"
Jimbo climbs up the same corner of the ring as XYZ, the two of them eventually standing together on the same top turnbuckle, holding onto the pole for stability. They exchange right hands and chops, XYZ’s peculiar strikes eventually gaining him the upper hand…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "XYZ has him in a front facelock… from all the way up there?! SUPERPLEX!!!"
Rod Sterling: "A HUGE superplex from XYZ, and I think Jobber Jimbo might be broken in half!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "But, more importantly, the coast is clear for Blake Taylor…"
With the crowd booing, ‘the Prodigal Son’ drags himself to his feet on the apron. He stares up at the fourth and final present, breathing heavily, and starts his ascent of the corner. He is quick enough, with X only just rolling onto his front and realising what is happening when it is too late… Blake Taylor mounts the pole, reaches up, and unfastens the fourth present!!
Blake Taylor drops to his knees in the middle of the ring, holding the present up in the air above his head. He is nodding his head and beating his chest as the other three winners march back down the ramp to join him in the ring. XYZ and Jobber Jimbo, meanwhile, rolls under the bottom rope to give the victors their space.
Kurt Harrington: "Here are your winners: Trash Mammal, Madison Gray, Sawyer Xavier, and Blake Taylor!!"
The other three winners join Blake Taylor in the ring, their glances at one another uneasy as they each hold their presents at their sides. There is no music initially, with some confusion as to whose entrance music should be playing, until…
The crowd are mostly booing as Jon Russnow appears on stage, dressed from head to toe in a Santa Claus suit. He appears to be smiling but we can’t really be sure beneath the big white beard.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "That’s certainly a look for Russnow…"
Rod Sterling: "It’s something…"
Russnow is flanked by two FWA workers, who bring out a large contraption that is hidden under a black sheet. Jolly Old St. Russnow has a microphone in his hand.
Jon Russnow: "Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!"
Russnow says the words, but it’s clear his heart isn’t in it. He takes a few steps down the ramp as he continues.
Jon Russnow: "No, I can’t do it. It’s too much. Too hot. The beard, the hat. I can’t do it."
He suddenly halts to remove his beard and his hat, throwing them onto the ramp and continuing down the ramp.
Rod Sterling: "Did he just ruin Santa Claus?"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Grow up, Rod."
Jon Russnow: "Now, I know what you’re thinking: it’s not Christmas anymore. That may be true… but if I understand timezones - which I don’t - then it’s Christmas somewhere! And that’s why each of you have a gift in your hands. But before we get to that, I’ve brought with me one of my own Christmas presents this year, if you’ll indulge me. I thought we’d buck the SecSpec trend, children, and have a little twist. Let’s play Black Christmas!"
There’s mostly confusion in the Beijing crowd, with the cultural references missed by a large portion of the audience. Russnow ploughs on regardless.
Jon Russnow: "But it will be my own special version of Black Christmas, winners. Only one of you will have the opportunity to swap, or - if you want to be boring - that person can choose to keep their gift. So, without further adieu, stage-servants…"
Those that have been wheeling Russnow’s contraption - his Christmas gift - remove the black sheet from it, revealing a regulation size dart board. Four bits of paper have been stuck onto the quadrants, with a close-up revealing scrawled labels: GRAY, TAYLOR, SAWYER, and TRASH.
Jon Russnow: "I may be a little old to be getting into pro darts, apparently, but I do enjoy a throw. And it helps with difficult decisions. It gave us the bounty, afterall, and for that I know we are all thankful! Well, maybe around forty to sixty percent of us. Regardless, this dart will decide who will have the opportunity to steal a present, if they so wish…"
Russnow throws the dart in the board, and it sticks into the dead centre of the section marked as ‘TAYLOR’. Blake doesn’t hesitate for a moment, immediately snatching Madison Gray’s present out of her hands and thrusting his own into her grasp. He smirks at her as he retreats across the ring.
Jon Russnow: "Very well then. The four presents are roughly the same size, containing various documents pertaining to your reward… or your punishment. For three of you, it's good news, with your gifts containing plane tickets. Two of the boxes are flights to Hong Kong, the location of Fallout 037. There, you will face each other for the chance to challenge Brooklyn Steiner for his FWA Television Championship at Fight Night."
The winners - particularly Blake, Madison, and Sawyer - have a hopeful look about them.
Jon Russnow: "The third plane ticket will instead take you directly to Tokyo, the site of our Fight Night supershow. There, you and two partners of your choosing will go up against the current FWA Trios Champions, the Coven."
It's Trash Mammal’s turn to pray to whatever God trash mammals believe in.
Jon Russnow: "And the fourth? Well, a pink slip is no substitute for a plane ticket, but it is roughly the same size when folded. So, on with the unboxing! Trash Mammal, seeing as you collected your present first, you can open yours."
Trash Mammal obliged, ripping the paper off like a child on Christmas morning (or January 14th). He eventually collects his document and reads it - his face turning to excitement - he holds it up to the camera - the destination reading TOKYO.
Rod Sterling: "That means Trash Mammal will be challenging for the FWA Trios Championships, and you'd have to think he will be doing so as part of Tr1ck or Tr4sh."
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Jesus…"
Jon Russnow: "Congrats, Trash Mammal! I’m sure you’re thrilled. But we’ve no time to waste. Lord knows we’ve all wasted enough of it already. Madison, I believe you were next, let’s see where you’re going: Hong Kong, or home…"
Gray takes a deep breath and then, with a lot more trepidation than Trash Mammal showed, she begins to open her gift. Eventually, with relief painted on her face, the camera reads the destination of her plane ticket over her shoulder: HONG KONG.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Meaning that Madison will be going to Hong Kong to compete at Fallout 038, for the chance to challenge Brooklyn Steiner for the FWA Television Championship. But who against?"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I think we’re about to find out…"
Jon Russnow: "And I’m sure you’ll love it there! Young Master Xavier -- you’re up!"
Xavier unwraps his present without hesitation. His face is unchanging as he reads the document. The camera has to almost creep in behind him to find out that it is indeed also a plane ticket, with HONG KONG again typed upon it.
Rod Sterling: "Madison Gray will be facing Sawyer Xavier at Fallout 038! That is the match that will decide Brooklyn Steiner’s first challenger."
Anzu Kurosawa: "Which means…"
Blake Taylor looks down at his present. Madison Gray stares at him, then points, then begins to crackle. After a moment of this, Trash Mammal begins to laugh too, though it is not clear if he really understands. Sawyer shakes his head, bored by all of this, and leaves the ring. We fade to black.
The scene opens in a brightly-lit hallway. The starch-white walls look like a hospital, but upon further inspection, it appears to be a museum. There are sleek, modern picture frames hanging on each side of a long hallway.
The first picture we see is dated November 18, 2007. Inside the frame, there is a picture of Lt. Wyoming becoming the inaugural FWA X Champion. The camera moves down the hallway, zooming in on pictures of other former FWA X Champions like Alexx, Wolf, and Baphomet.
At the end of the long hallway, there is a tall figure standing in front of a frame that is shrouded with a large black sheet. The man is wearing all black, a sharp contrast against the sterile white environment. The black cowboy hat and long, flowing leather duster make it relatively obvious that it’s current FWA X Champion, Tommy Bedlam.
Tommy Bedlam: “For nearly 17 years, the X Championship has been both the best and worst thing to happen to the careers of people in this company. For 17 years, it has been the source of dreams and nightmares. For 17 years, it has made careers and ruined lives.”
A black and white video clip of “The Golden One,” Devin Golden, winning the vacated X Championship plays with the date, May 17, 2009, written across the bottom of the screen. It’s replaced by another black and white clip, this one of Ryan Rondo defeating Golden for the title behind the date, January 17, 2010.
Tommy Bedlam: “It’s never been lost on me that some of the names who built this company, some of the people who laid the foundation that I now stand on, have held this title, MY TITLE.”
We see a black and white clip of Saint Sully winning his first FWA X Championship as “July 5, 2013” is sprawled across the screen. Then, there’s a clip of “The Wildcard” Jason Randall defeating Lord Vincent Takaab Blackbird on April 16, 2017.
Tommy Bedlam: “People I’ve stood in the ring with, people who I’ve defeated, people who’ve defeated me, they all etched their names into history by raising this championship over their heads.”
The black and white shots from the past begin to appear faster, beginning with Saint Sully claiming his fourth FWA X Championship from the top of a ladder on July 15, 2018. We see Michelle von Horowitz claiming her first X Championship as “February 29, 2020” sprawls across the screen. We see a clip of Gerald Grayson pinning Eli Black behind the date, “June 26, 2020.” That shot quickly fades into a clip of “Cosmic Horror” J.J. JAY! pinning Grayson
The camera begins to move down the long hallway closer to Tommy, taking the time to zoom in on some of the large black frames that cover the walls of the seemingly endless hallway. There is a picture of Konchu Hao winning a triple threat for the X Championship on March 6, 2021 beside a shot of “Disco’s Last Warrior,” Chris Peacock pinning Hao on April 9, 2021.
The camera pans to the other side of the hallway, where we see a picture of Kayden Knox beating J.J. JAY! for the title on September 17, 2021 beside a picture of Nate Savage defeating him on October 3 of the same year.
The screen flashes to video footage of Alyster Black beginning his legendary 520-day reign on November 5, 2021. The footage of black fades out as we see Cornelius Augustus Caesar pinning Jeffry Mason on April 8, 2023, in the second annual King of the Deathmatch.
The camera stops for a moment in front of a black-and-white photo of Shawn Summers raising the FWA TV Title and the X Title over his head at Rupert Watkins’ private granary, after he pinned Caesar on April 30, 2023.
We’re now at the end of the long hallway where Tommy is still standing in front of the largest frame, which still has a black sheet over it. He reaches up, and tugs on the corner of the sheet, pulling it away from the frame. There, above a bronze plate that bears the date July 23, 2023, there is a picture of a bloodied and battered Tommy Bedlam standing over Shawn Summers with the FWA X Championship held high over his head.
Tommy Bedlam: Jul 23, 2023. The day I etched my name in stone alongside some of the greatest names in the history of this company.
Tommy sits down in front of a chair under the framed photo of his victory, the X Championship draped carefully over his shoulder.
Tommy Bedlam: “This title, this piece of gold and leather, has been carried around by members of the Hall of Fame and underdogs. It belonged to Dreamers and Daredevils, Emperors and Saints.
Tommy stands up from the chair as the camera backs down the long corridor. Suddenly, blood begins to flow from the frames that hang on the wall as the glass in each picture shatters, creating a chaotic scene on the pristine marble floors. As his boots crunch the shattered glass that lies on the floor, he begins to leave a bloody trail of footprints as he walks toward the camera.
Tommy Bedlam:Disco Warriors and Cosmic Horrors have all walked to the ring with this belt wrapped around their waists.The FWA X Championship has changed the lives of Mad Wizards, Wildcards, Savants, Monsters, Emeralds, and Wolves. And, for nearly 200 days now, it has changed my life.”
Tommy Bedlam: Six months ago, I stood in the ring with a man who I absolutely hated, and I took EVERYTHING THAT HE COULD THROW AT ME! I bled, I sweated, I scratched, and I clawed, because nothing mattered more than winning the championship that so many of the greats who came before me have won.
Tommy Bedlam: For the better part of the last six months, I’ve defended this championship every time I’ve been asked to. I’ve gone against the wicked, and I’ve squared off against the weird. Now, I want to do something that has never been done. I want to defend my FWA X Title in the King of the Deathmatch.
Tommy takes the championship from his shoulder and lays it on the ground carefully among the mixture of blood and broken glass.
Tommy Bedlam: March 9, 2024. King of the Deathmatch III. You have your chance to etch your name into the same hallowed stone that so many others have carved their names into. There’s just one problem. You have to go through me to do it.
Tommy walks away, leaving the FWA X Championship in the middle of the chaotic scene of the hallway as the camera fades to black.
The reaction for the next entrance theme is muted through unfamiliarity, with the Beijing audience politely applauding the next three people to walk out onto the stage.
Kurt Harrington: “Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is a tag team match scheduled for one-fall, with a twenty minute time limit. Introducing first, accompanied to the ring by El Hijo de Garbage Von Truck… they are Sir Marmaduke Whistle and Kenji Marufuji… CTRL… ALT… REPEAT!”
Marmaduke and Kenji high-five the front row fans as they make their way to ring, doing their utmost to stir up the atmosphere before their match.
Rod Sterling: “Here comes another set of debutants, this time looking to make a splash in the tag team division here in the FWA. Let's see how Ctrl Alt Repeat get on in their maiden voyage…”
The camera cuts to the ring, where some more familiar faces greet us.
Kurt Harrington: “And their opponents… accompanied by In-Sync… the Backstreet Boy and Mike Stand… the Bad Boys Boy Band!!”
Marafuji and Whistle enter the ring whilst In-Sync leaves it, after issuing some final words of encouragement to his partners. The match referee conducts his final checks and then calls for the opening bell…
SECOND MATCH (1/20).
Ctrl Alt Repeat (Sir Marmaduke Whistle and Kenji Marufuji) w/ El Hijo de Garbage Von Truck vs. The Bad Boys Boy Band (Backstreet Boy and Mike Stand) w/ In-Sync.
Tag Team Match.
<< 00:00. >>
As the referee would officially begin the match by calling for the bell to be rung, at ringside El Hijo de Garbage Von Truck would walk up to In-Sync and offer his hand almost as if to say good luck. In-Sync would offer his hand back, only to be caught off guard as Ej Hijo would reveal a glass bottle in his other hand and proceed to smash it over his opposite valet's head and then be quick to push In-Sync underneath the ring apron and underneath the ring itself. The referee was none the wiser of this taking place, as he had been surrounded on both sides by Whistle and Marufuji who had been very insistent that match official check their gear for contraband a second time and Harold White was buying the distraction hook, line and sinker.
Jean Luc Watkins: “Our first introduction to this new tag team and one thing is already clear, this manager… whoever he is exactly. Let me look at my notes. El Hijo de Garbage Von Truck, ah yes. This guy isn’t scared to break the rules to give his team an advantage.”
The match would then begin as normal with Sir Marmaduke Whistle and Mike Stand electing themselves as the representatives to start the match for their respective teams. Whistle, making his FWA debut would find himself caught off guard, as he would be slapped hard across the face by Mike Stand before he was irish-whipped into the Bad Boys’ corner where he would proceed to stomp down on the uniquely dressed Englishman before tagging in Backstreet Boy. Backstreet Boy would launch himself off the bottom rope to leap over the ropes and crash down on top of Whistle with a heavy double footed stomp that had Whistle already looking in trouble as Double B goes for a cover early on.
ONE…TW- KICKOUT!
<< 03:12. >>
The first three minutes had very much seen the Bad Boys Boy Band controlling the match with Backstreet and Mike keeping Whistle in their corner and using quick tags to control the match and prevent Kenji from being brought into the contest, with it having been recognised that the more experience member of Ctrl Alt Repeat served the real threat to them. El Hijo de Garbage Von Truck the whole time had been slapping down on the canvas and demanding that his two employees try harder and not embarrass themselves on their first outing in the FWA. Frustration seemed to get the better of him though, as he would leap up onto the aron. This immediately would result in the referee coming over to speak to the team’s manager.
On cue, Kenji Marufuji would clamber through the ropes and charges forward and crash into Backstreet’s neck with a Lariat that dropped him down to the canvas. Mike Stand tries to react, but Marufuji rails him with a forearm smash knocking him off the apron before grabbing hold of Whistle and dragging him towards his corner.
Jean Luc Watkins: “That certainly is one way of doing things, and just like that Mr. Marufuji is now the legal man in the contest and has totally reversed the fortunes of the contest.”
Kenji shouts Whistle to stand back up at his more clumsy partner. Sir Marmaduke drags Backstreet Boy up onto his feet and then raises him up into the air with a Flackjack as Kenji leaps up and to connect with a Cutter as the pair look to finish the contest with High Bubble Tea (Dudley Death Drop) with Marufuji rolling on top for the cover.
ONE…TWO…THREE!
Rather than celebrate their victory, Kenji Marufuji forcefully pushes Backstreet Boy out of the ring with his feet, pushing him underneath the bottom rope. Harold White attempts to summon the winners to raise their hands, but instead, Sir Marmaduke Whistle starts pushing the referee towards the ropes and insists that he leaves. The pair’s manager makes his way up the ring steps and enters the ring, microphone in hand. The man, noticeably taller than both members of Ctrl Alt Repeat, bangs on the microphone a couple of times to check if it works before walking towards the middle of the ring. He is joined on his left side by Marufuji and on his right by Whistle, with both dropping to one knee.
El Hijo de Garbage Von Truck: ”My name is El Hijo de Garbage Von Truck, and yes, if you recognize the name, then that is because you are educated. I am indeed the son of Kommander Garbage Von Truck, one of the most distinguished men to ever work in the world of professional wrestling. And it is my job to carry on his legacy and keep the command going. The High Command can never be killed, and with these fine soldiers, we will achieve true glories as we wash in the blood of our enemies.”
El Hijo looks around and is only met with a few jeers, as it is clear that almost everyone has no idea what he is talking about.
El Hijo de Garbage Von Truck: ”We are the second coming of The High Command; you could call us THC². But the two men kneeling by my side, Kenji Marufuji to my left and Sir Marmaduke Whistle to my right, are Ctrl Alt Repeat, and they are the future of this industry. They do as I instruct them because my word is law—the only law that is worth anything. That is why I look to the back when I say this.”
El Hijo pivots himself to look up towards the entrance ramp.
El Hijo de Garbage Von Truck: ”I don’t care if you're part of the Stupid Alliance, Dark Roid Allies, The Runny Bummy System, Sleeping With Aunties, or whatever other stupid gimmicks you guys have been running around with. You are all amateurs, and sooner or later, you will grovel before my feet and ask for my mercy. It doesn’t matter if it's technical wrestling or deathmatch style; we welcome all comers. This isn’t about titles or bathing in golden glory. This is about education, and from what I have already seen, most of you are incredibly stupid.”
El Hijo doesn’t say another word and disrespectfully tosses his microphone across the canvas as he and his two minions make their way slowly towards the back, doing their best to get negative reactions from the onlooking fans.
Crossfire returns from a break where we find “Mister Europe” Derek Hunter already in the ring as he awaits his opponent…
Kurt Harrington: “The next match is scheduled for one fall with a twenty-minute-time-limit! Introducing first, from London, England and weighing in at 235 lb…he is Mister Europe…Derek Hunter!”
Hunter receives a smattering of applause as he waves it off and starts to loosen up…
The familiar theme song fills the building and The Wildcard comes out to a mixed reaction and stands on stage to look out at the crowd and bobs his head to the music. Once the song gets going, Randall makes his way down to the ring.
Kurt Harrington: “His opponent, from San Diego, California and weighing in at 234 lb…he is The Wildcard…Jason Randall!”
Once Randall gets in the ring he asks for a microphone from Kurt and waits for his music to fade out, but Derek Hunter on the other hand is in no mood to wait and wants to start the match already yet Randall holds his hand out and motions for him to hold on…
Jason Randall: “Wait a second there big fella, I know you’re eager to get this thing going and believe me when I say I’m looking forward to beating the living piss out of you, but first there’s something I want to say so hold your horses…”
Hunter is irate by this but referee Matthew Dean keeps him at bay.
Jason Randall: “I’ll do my best to make this short and sweet, and to be honest, I was actually a bit hesitant at first. I was sorely considering sitting it out. I almost wasn’t going to enter in this year’s King of the Deathmatch, but then I saw the announcement earlier this evening from the X Champion, Tommy Bedlam. After I heard what he said about defending his championship in the King of the Deathmatch, well, that made my decision a helluva lot easier.”
“You see, the X Championship was something I held near and dear to my heart when I had it. I took great pride in holding that title and bringing it back to its roots that it was missing for so long. It’s been far too long since I’ve held gold in this company, as a matter of fact, the only title I’ve ever held in FWA was the X Championship so it’s about time I get it back. I will be entering this year’s King of the Deathmatch, and I will be walking out of it as the new X Champion!”
The crowd pops for this announcement and Randall seems fired up.
Jason Randall: “I want anyone else that’s thinking about entering this tournament to watch this match as a preview of what’s to come. Oh yeah, Derek, I don’t know if anyone told you, but this is now a deathmatch…”
Derek Hunter looks confused as he was expecting a normal match, but Randall clocks him over the head with the microphone, causing a loud thud to echo in the building! Matthew Dean shrugs his shoulders and calls for the bell…
THIRD MATCH (1/20).
Jason Randall vs. Derek Hunter.
Deathmatch.
DING! DING! DING!
<< 00:00 >>
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Well, wrestling fans, it appears we have an impromptu deathmatch on our hands!”
Anzu Kurosawa: “Oh yeah, that’s what I’m talking about!”
Rod Sterling: “Also, big news, The Wildcard has announced himself as a participant in this year’s KODM!”
Randall has mounted Hunter and he’s laying into him with a barrage of stiff forearm strikes straight to the dome! Randall hops off of Hunter and postures a little to the crowd, who respond with cheers. Randall slides out of the ring and searches underneath the ring for some weapons, and he tosses in a plethora of steel chairs as well as a barbed wire baseball bat, a bag of unknown contents, and anything else he can get his hands on that can cause bodily harm to his opponent…there’s a loud pop from the fans after he retrieves a table from underneath the ring…but before he can slide it in the ring it’s knocked into him after Hunter kicks it into Randal with a baseball sliding kick!
Randall dropped the table as he was knocked back against the announcer’s desk. Hunter is outside of the ring now and pummels Randall up against the announce desk with a few punches, much to the dismay of the fans, and then Hunter tosses Randall back inside the ring…
Hunter plays up to the jeering fans and lets him know how he feels with a crude gesture toward them. Hunter re-enters the ring and he’s met with a brutal lariat from Randall! Randall stomps the holy hell out of Hunter, much to the delight of the fans. Hunter is still downed and Randall wallops him with a steel chair! He continues to batter Hunter’s back with the steel chair repeatedly before he tosses it aside…
Anzu Kurosawa: “This is what I like to see but it could use more blood!”
Rod Sterling: “Jesus, Anzu.”
Randall hoists Hunter up in a suplex position but then immediately drops him down onto a pile of steel chairs!
Rod Sterling: “Wildcard Special onto the chairs! Hunter is going to be feeling that one in the morning!”
<< 05:02 >>
Randall has the barbed wire baseball bat in his hands and he begins to wail away at Hunter with it, who is still writhing in agony on the pile of scattered chairs, and now trying to cover up from the barbed wire bat. Randall has Hunter in a seated position and starts to grind away at Hunter’s forehead with the barbed wire bat, while Hunter howls in pain and blood begins to trickle from his forehead…
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Randall must’ve heard your request Anzu because here comes the blood!”
Anzu Kurosawa: “Oh yeah!”
Randall searches for more goodies in his pile of weapons and finds a cheese grater!
Rod Sterling: “Where did he get that from?!”
Anzu Kurosawa: “He found it underneath the ring, Rod. You saw it yourself, he was right in front of us!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “I think the better question is what was that doing under the ring?”
Randall starts to grind again on Hunter’s forehead, but this time with the cheese grater, and the crowd is enjoying this thoroughly…
Rod Sterling: “That’s one way to use a cheese grater…”
Anzu Kurosawa: “If you ask me it’s the only way.”
Rod Sterling: “Are you okay, Anzu?”
Randall retrieves the table from the outside and slides it into the ring, and he slides in after but gets stomped on by Hunter for his troubles. Hunter continues to stomp a hole into Randall while blood pours from his forehead. Hunter drags Randall to a corner and continues to stomp on him there while the crowd begins to get heated with Hunter, and Hunter backs up a little before charging at Randall, but Randall moves out of the way and Hunter hits the corner sternum first!
Hunter stumbles out of the corner…HAIL MARY! Randall with the cutter and now a pin…
One…two…THR--NO!
<< 08:57 >>
Randall rolls out of the ring and searches underneath there for even more weaponry, and eventually he finds the light tubes! He re-enters the ring with his new weapons and swings for the fences with a light tube right to the midsection of Hunter! Shards of glass shatter all over and Hunter hunches over, clutching at his midsection but that leaves his back open for more punishment as another light tube is shattered across his back! Randall tosses the rest of the tubes down on the mat, and then he brings Hunter in close…WILDCARD SPECIAL ONTO THE LIGHT TUBES!
Anzu Kurosawa: “Hell yeah!”
Rod Sterling: “I don’t know who is more bloodthirsty, you or these fans, Anzu!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Probably both equally, why are you so surprised by this, Sterling? It's not some shocking revelation, it's well documented that Anzu enjoys violence."
Hunter writhes in agony on the mat in the broken shards of glass while Randall sets up the table and then pours a bunch of glass christmas ball ornaments on top of the table. Randall takes Hunter in position and lifts him up…POWERBOMB THROUGH THE TABLE OF ORNAMENTS! Randall hooks the leg for the pin…
One…two…THREE!!!
Randall has his hand raised after he’s helped to his feet and then he exits the ring without looking back while the referee tends to Derek Hunter…
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Message sent loud and clear by The Wildcard to anyone else that dares to enter the KODM. There’s more action on the way, wrestling fans!”
Katie Lynn Goldsmith is backstage with microphone in hand for Crossfire. She smiles warmly to the camera as it pans out to show the full force of The Menage, with the caped crusader XYZ front and center.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Well, the show is taking a turn to the make-believe world of XYZ and The Menage. You'd think we saw enough of his antics during the Secular Spectacular, but n..."
Anzu Kurosawa: "XYZ is a national treasure! I know times have been tougher but he always keeps his spirit intact."
Jean-Luc Watkins: "How anyone is not tired of his shtick by now, I will not understand."
He's flanked by Frank, Sierra, Lizzy, PacMan Bert, and Christian Howard, who all either force smiles or have a naturally pleasant vibe about them. However, in the very back of the group is a seemingly disgruntled Wild Jerry, who has his arms folded across his chest and a general look of "I don't want to be here" discontent.
Katie Lynn Goldsmith: "XYZ, it has been a rough patch for you and The Menage lately. You lost to El Vengador after trying to recruit him to The Menage, and then you lost in the Secular Spectacular match earlier tonight. What's next for The Menage and XYZ in 2024?"
XYZ, in his usual way of dramatization, looks at Katie and then closes his eyes as he turns his head in a nondescript direction. He then opens his eyes dramatically and stares into the camera intensely.
“I know … it feeeeeeeels … like the world is on a spiral. … Discouragement presides … in the absence of success, and it’s … understandaaaaable.
But … even in the hours of defeat … there are reasons … for us … to hold our heads high. We can spot progress … through the weeds. The grip of the stone god loosens with each experience … of leeeearning.”
Jean-Luc Watins: "None of this means anything! He just strings words together."
Anzu Kurosawa: "I understand and I AM a believer."
“And our hour … is nearing. We are close. Our ranks have stagnated, but The Menage is strong. It is powerful. El Vengador was not our man. He was not fit for us. He does not have the heart needed for our purpose! And that is okay! I wish him peace and tranquility in the foredom of his breathing experience.
And as we move beyond our training exercise with El Vengador … the Avenger … as we move beyond our battles with Bedlam of the Tommies for the XYZ Championship … we must look to the bright moon for guidance, to the waves of the lost oceans for the road’s next turn. And the next turn is …”
"Nah, nah. Hold up."
An accented voice from behind XYZ speaks up and you can see Wild Jerry push his way through the rest of The Menage to the front, standing next to XYZ but not with him. His posture is tense.
“Nah, gringo. I gotta speak up.”
XYZ pauses and watches as Wild Jerry squares his shoulders to him.
“This shit wack, yo. I can’t keep listenin’ to this rabble-rabble without no damn wins. What we doin’ here, y’all? Y’all good with this? Just loss after loss after loss? I put up with it for a while and played the good guy and went with the flow. I kept my voice shut to keep the peace in the bus, but the magic is gone, y’all. It ain’t even was much there to begin with!
Nah, man. I’m sorry, X. This ain’t it. I can’t sit back and watch my friends waste away. Me, Frank, PacMan … we came with ya’ because that old man Golden told us to. He said we needed you and you needed us, but it seems this ain’t a balanced thing no more. We ain’t gettin’ shit from it and you out here talkin’ jibberish after every damn loss.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Finally! Someone in this group shows some reason!"
XYZ tries to interject and defend himself, but Wild Jerry's voice is louder in the room.
“We ain’t gettin nothin’ from you, gringo! What have you done for us?! What have you given us? How has Frank gotten better?! What his purpose in this shit?! He just sittin’ back! I’m sittin’ back! We all sittin’ back!
I think it’s time for a change, so I’m bouncin’. I know the rest of y’all are softies, but I hope y’all man up eventually and come on through. It’s time, mudas. It’s been time.”
Wild Jerry walks off, leaving the scene of the conflict. Suddenly, another body in the sea of The Menage moves away. For the first time in months, PacMan Bert lifts his face up from his handheld Pacman video game and moves timidly across the group from right to left in the direction Wild Jerry went. He hesitates to fully leave, looking at the group with sorrow, but finally puts his head back down and follows after the insurrectionist.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "XYZ finally has someone push through and away from him! The Menage is splintering amid the pressure! The wheels of progress are slow, but Wild Jerry is the gas pedal speeding that wheel up tonight!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "What a shame, man. I feel for XYZ. He isn't a confrontational person, especially within his family."
There is a largely negative reaction from the fans watching as it is time for the main event of the Crossfire Christmas Special, and Johnny ‘The Legend’ Johnson saunters out from the back with his arms outstretched and a smirk on his face.
Kurt Harrington: “The following contest is your main event of the evening and it is set for one fall with a twenty-minute time limit! Introducing first, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and weighing in at two-hundred and thirty pounds… JOHNNY ‘THE LEGEND’ JOHNNNNSONNNNNNNNN!!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Johnny Johnson back here in the FWA after a few months away, returning at Winter Wasteland where he made an open challenge which was answered by ‘The Prodigy’ Mike Parr.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “It was a battle of two former North American Champions and a winner couldn’t be decided as they played out a time limit draw! It seems that Johnson’s performance in that match was enough to impress the right people because at Fallout 037 in Hong Kong, he will compete for a shot at becoming the number one contender for the FWA World Championship!”
Rod Sterling: “What we saw at Winter Wasteland definitely merits his inclusion for sure, but first he has to focus on a man that he got to know reasonably well last year and has a bit of a bone to pick with him, if you ask me.”
Johnson enters the ring and stands in the middle of it with his arms out once more but then he picks a fight with a fan in the front row and starts a shouting match with them. As he does this, his music fades out.
Despite the upbeatness of his entrance music, Juan Tothrefor walks out from the back with purpose. Both Halloween Knight and Trash Mammal are with him, and they pat him on the back in support before sending him on his way down to the ring. Juan forgoes any sort of showmanship, with his focus squarely on Johnson in the ring.
Kurt Harrington: “His opponent, representing Tr1ck or Tr4sh… from Mexico City, Mexico and weighing two-hundred and twenty-nine pounds… JUAN TOOOOTHREEEEEEFOOOOOOOOOORRR!!!”
Anzu Kurosawa: “We’re used to seeing Tr1ck or Tr4sh enjoying themselves together - their undefeated run as a group speaks to that - but before joining up with Trash Mammal and Halloween Knight, Juan Tothrefor had his fair share of run ins with Johnny Johnson.”
Rod Sterling: “Johnson looked to belittle the Mexican star as much as he could and I don’t think Juan has let any frustration he felt from that situation go, which is why he asked for this match here tonight.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Juan has trained under CWA legend Chubby Carlos in Mexico as part of the Art of Lucha promotion, where he is a four-time former Television Champion. Gold could be in his future here in the FWA too, with Trash Mammal securing a shot at the FWA World Trios Championships earlier on in the Secular Spectacular.”
Juan enters the ring and he shakes his head at the sight of Johnny Johnson taunting him and sarcastically waving at him. The referee in the middle is Richard Davis, and he completes his checks on both competitors and then calls for the bell!
FOURTH MATCH (1/20).
Johnny Johnson vs. Juan Tothrefor.
Singles Match.
As soon as the bell rings, Juan has the crowd on their feet as he charges straight at Johnson and knocks him down with a running Cross Body! Johnson attempts to roll out of harm’s way, but Juan picks him up and then shoots him across the ring. Johnson rebounds off of the ropes and comes back at Juan, who stands firm and knocks him down to the mat with a Shoulder Block. Johnson rises up once more and Juan takes him over with an Arm Drag, and the momentum sends ‘The Legend’ sprawling under the bottom rope and down to the floor.
Johnson rises to his feet at ringside with a shocked look on his face, but he does not have much time to realign as Juan slingshots himself over the top rope and takes him down with a Plancha at ringside! The fans are firmly in support of the numerical luchador and he claps his hands together four times, before rolling Johnson into the ring once more. Juan slides back in and as Johnson is getting up, Juan knocks him flat down on his back with a Basement Dropkick! Juan then goes for a cover;
ONE… TW-NO!!
Rod Sterling: “You can tell just how much Juan Tothrefor doesn’t like Johnny Johnson - he’s started off quickly and almost had him right there. How embarrassing that would have been for ‘The Legend’.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “The important thing now is for Juan to build on this hot start. The last thing that he can afford to do is allow Johnson a way into the match. Not allowing your opponent to even get started is a surefire way to secure a victory in a match like this.”
It seems as if Juan is ready to take Anzu’s advice onboard, as he picks Johnson up and walks him over to the corner and bounces his head off of the top turnbuckle! Juan then stands on the middle turnbuckle and starts punching Johnson on the top of the head… four times! Juan then jumps down, lifts Johnson up… AND PLANTS HIM WITH A FALCON ARROW!! Juan grabs Johnson’s legs and Davis counts;
ONE… TWO… NO!!!
Jean-Luc Watkins: “You really do have to consider whether Johnny Johnson does indeed have one eye on his match on Fallout 037 and perhaps he came into this match overlooking Juan Tothrefor. It would be a bad note to begin the year on for ‘The Legend’, especially going into that five-way in Hong Kong.”
It is not enough to get the win for Juan, but he is straight back up to his feet and he measures Johnson. A kick to the midsection follows, and Juan hooks Johnson up… and takes him over with a Suplex! The crowd knows what is coming next as Juan rolls his hips and delivers a second Suplex! Johnson can be heard panting and groaning as he is brought up once more. Juan gives Johnson another Suplex! Juan holds a finger up and rolls his hips once more. He prepares to give Johnson the fourth of the FOUR AMIGOS - BUT JOHNSON BLOCKS THE SUPLEX!
He hooks Juan’s leg to stop him from being able to take him over, and then adjusts his hips… and delivers a venomous Snap Suplex to the luchador! The look on Johnson’s face makes it clear that he knows he underestimated Juan and was paying for it, but he wipes his mouth and gets to his feet. Juan sits up on the mat and Johnson stomps on his face to knock him down. The crowd are unhappy, but Johnson waves them off and ignores them. Another stomp to Juan’s chest follows from ‘The Legend’.
Almost in an instant has the early advantage obtained by Tothrefor dissipated and Johnson brings him up to his feet by his mask. After a few cross words, Johnson traps Juan’s arms and begins to deliver some strong and repeated Headbutts to Juan’s face. Johnny grits his teeth with every blow and after a few, Juan’s body falls limp, allowing Johnson to slam him down to the mat.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “I may have spoken slightly prematurely before, as now we see that Johnny Johnson has taken this match by the scruff of its neck. We know that the disdain between these two men goes both ways and now is the chance for Johnson to asset his will.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “Juan failed to follow through from that highlight reel of a start to the match. After holding onto this need to beat Johnson and prove himself for months, a loss here would be devastating for him.”
On the mat, Juan attempts to get back up but a stomp to the back of his head from ‘The Legend’ puts an end to that. Johnson hits the ropes and comes crashing down on top of Juan with a Running Back Senton! Johnson flips him over onto his back and hooks a leg;
ONE… TWO… THR-NO!!
The kick out from Juan only increases the anger in the response from Johnson. Johnny punches Juan on the head several times before smearing his hand on his face and grabbing at the mask, causing a slight tear. Some of Juan’s black hair pokes through the torn seam and Juan instantly goes to cover up his face. This leaves him susceptible and open for Johnson to attack him some more, which he does with more punches to the head.
The referee orders Johnson away, and Juan edges towards the ropes to create a bit of separation… but Johnson charges across the ring to punt him the ribs! Juan holds his side whilst Johnson lifts him up from the mat once more. There is some impressive strength on show by Johnson as he elevates Juan up above his head, before driving him into the mat with a BRAINBUSTER!!!
Jean-Luc Watkins: “BRAINBUSTAAAAAAAH! Johnson could have him here!”
Johnny with the lateral press;
ONE… TWO… THRE-NO!!!
Rod Sterling: “Some impressive resilience being shown by Juan Tothrefor here tonight in the main event. However, if you’ll pardon the pun, his days could be numbered.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “The guy doesn’t want to give up on this match and hey, you’ve got to give him some credit for that.”
This time following the kickout, Johnson turns his attention to the referee. He is not happy with the speed of Richard Davis’s counting and demands that he counts faster next time. The time taken for Johnson to tell off the official is crucial for Juan, though, as it enables him to get to his knees where he can mount a bit of offence with a couple of punches to the midsection of Johnson. The crowd start to rally behind Juan once more as he fights his way up to his feet.
The luchador is able to land a couple more punches to Johnson, but ‘The Legend’ quickly cuts him off with a knee to the midsection. As Juan is doubled over, Johnson stands over him. Johnson clasps his hands around Johnson’s waist, attempting a Gutwrench, but Juan lands on his feet behind him. Juan applies a Full Nelson, looking to lift Johnson up with it, but Johnson spins around and gets behind Juan… AND TRIES TO APPLY THE GREATEST SUBMISSION!
Juan, however, does not allow Johnson to apply the Cobra Clutch and Snapmares Johnson forwards out of it! Johnson seems incredibly frustrated as he sits on the mat, pounding it with his fist.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “When you consider how long Juan Tothrefor has been waiting for this match, it should come as no surprise that he has one of Johnson’s most important moves scouted. He’s got a reputation for being a student of the sport back in Mexico and we’ve seen that in his FWA career thus far.”
When Johnson gets up, Juan catches him with a kick to the midsection. This doubles Johnson over and Juan follows up with another kick to the shin! Another kick to the knee takes it out from underneath Johnson and after some crowd encouragement, Juan cracks Johnson with a SUPERKICK TO THE FACE! The Counting Stars sequence complete, Juan does a little shimmy for the crowd before ducking through the ropes and settling on the ring apron.
Juan points four fingers in the air and steadies himself… LOOKING FOR THE SENOR SENTON… NO ONE HOME!! Johnson rolls out of the way of the springboard, and Juan rises from the mat holding his lower back. This allows Johnson to think fast, planting Juan on the mat with THE LEGEND’S END!!! Johnson hooks both legs;
ONE… TWO… THREE!!!
Kurt Harrington: “Here is your winner… JOHNNY ‘THE LEGEND’ JOHNSON!”
There is not much enthusiasm from the crowd as Johnson rises to his knees in victory, finally putting an end to the issues he has had with Juan Tothrefor. He gets his arm raised by the referee and then demands that he get out of his limelight. Juan rolls out of the ring and holds the back of his head on the floor.
Anzu Kurosawa: “A valiant effort from Juan Tothrefor is not enough to stop Johnny Johnson here tonight on Crossfire and well, at least he has that Trios Championship match to look forward to!”
Rod Sterling: “Juan can head home tonight with his head held high, despite the result. Johnny Johnson looked pretty good in there, as much as I hate to admit it.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Perfect timing as well of course, wrestling fans. Johnny Johnson will compete against Cyrus Truth, Jay Kenny, Trixie Bordeaux and Gabrielle Montgomery on Fallout 037, with the winner becoming the number one contender for the FWA World Championship at The Grand March.”
Johnson is now on the middle rope, motioning around his waist and nodding his head. The message has been sent to his four competitors in Hong Kong.
There’s a largely mixed reaction from the fans, but mostly leaning towards the boos, as the familiar music plays and instead of seeing Chris Peacock in person, attention is drawn to the side of the stage. A car horn is heard and then a white Cadillac appears into view, reversing towards the side of the entrance ramp.
Rod Sterling: “Well, I do recognise that vehicle and of course we do know this music. My question is simply, why is Chris Peacock coming out here on Crossfire? Why is his car here?”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “I could speculate about some sort of paranoia and fear of car theft so he wants to keep it in clear sight. Although, I never know what is going through this lunatic’s head, so it is anyone’s guess, really.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “You don’t think he is going to be driving a certain impeded individual around, do you? I mean, this is a former FWA World Champion… he’s not going to be chauffeuring Allen Price around, is he?”
Chris Peacock exits the car from the driver’s door and he looks around at the crowd for a moment. He slams the door shut behind him and climbs up onto the ramp where he walks towards the ring. He’s dressed similarly to how he was at Winter Wasteland, in a black tank top and trousers, but his hair is not tied back tonight and flows freely.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “All joking aside, it seems that Chris Peacock has something that he wants to say. We’ve yet to properly hear from him since he lost the FWA World Championship to Alyster Black at Lights Out and he only properly returned at Winter Wasteland where he - along with Black - were unable to recapture the FWA Tag Team Championships.”
Rod Sterling: “That was thanks in part to a certain weasel, who Peacock may end up facing in the latter stages of the F1 Cllimaxxx.”
As Peacock enters the ring, he is passed a microphone and also asks for a steel chair which he waits on for a moment. Once in the ring, he opens up the chair and places it in the middle of the ring, and sits down. His music cuts out and he is left mulling for a moment.
Chris Peacock: “Feels like it has been a while since I’ve done something like this… but hey, it is a new year, right? A chance for new beginnings and fresh starts. We’ve all had a couple of weeks since Winter Wasteland to think about the year that just went by and what we hope to achieve in 2024 and if you’re me, there’s a lot to think about on both counts.
“2023 was the year that I finally put that marker down and told the world that I’m the kind of guy that needs to be taken seriously. I won the world title, the tag titles… I got the Triple Crown after less than three years in this company. I don’t give a shit about your special New Year you guys have got over here with all the animals or whatever but let me tell you something… 2023 was the Year of the Peacock.”
The fans boo Peacock’s ignorance, but he doesn’t react to it at all.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “For those unaware, 2023 was actually the Year of the Rabbit.”
Chris Peacock: “Now, as for what is still to come… I could sit here and talk about how 2024 is going to be the same for me. I’m in the F1 Climaxxx, I’ll be free for Carnal Contendership and I’m sure for someone with my credentials another shot at the FWA World Championship shouldn’t be off the cards. After all, if Cyrus Truth can con his way into another contendership match…
“The Truth is though… is that this might be a new year, but I don’t feel like a new me. There are all of these opportunities open to me, but I’m really not sure I’m motivated enough to take them. The success that I achieved in 2023 can’t be replicated at the moment, because there’s just too many other things occupying my time right now.
“I can talk about championships and opportunities but right now, all of my roads lead to one place… to one man. Randy Ramon.”
A big cheer goes up for the mention of the ‘Rockstar’, and this seems to bug Peacock slightly, but he keeps his composure.
Chris Peacock: “All paths lead to Ramon, but I can’t walk any of them right now because that piece of crap just picks and chooses when he comes to work!”
There is no sense of Peacock picking up on the irony of that statement after doing the same thing for two months.
Chris Peacock: “Randy, I’m going to be right here. Every show, every country and every night until you grow the balls to look me in the eye and fight me like a man. No more sneak attacks, no more disguises… the next time I see you, Ramon, we’re doing this thing. So whenever you’re ready to end this thing once and for all, you come and find me.”
After staring intensely into the camera when delivering those lines directly to Randy Ramon, Peacock allows his face to relax a bit and then rises from the chair. He paces slowly around the ring as he talks.
Chris Peacock: “Until then, though, I need to find some things to occupy my time and my brain. There’s the F1 Climaxxx, sure, and of course, when Alyster does come back we’re going to be taking our tag titles back and then take down Jeremy and the rest of those pricks… but all of that stuff takes time. The thing is though, I’m not a very patient man.
“I don’t see any results from the Climaxxx for months and I don’t know when Alyster is coming back. I’m giving him the same space that he afforded me and as soon as he’s ready, I’m there for him. So, I thought about what is something that I can do now. Without the need for waiting… what is something I can do now to tell myself that I can start this year off on the right foot? Do something a bit proactive?”
A grin forms on Peacock’s face, making some in the crowd slightly uneasy as he has clearly been ‘up to’ something.
Chris Peacock: “I’ve done something. Now, I don’t expect all of you to understand why, but I’m pretty proud of myself. I didn’t understand the Christmas branding of this show but it makes a bit more sense now… because I have a gift for you all!”
Like an excited child in late December, after placing the microphone on the chair, Peacock tiptoes towards the ropes. Once he is out of the ring, he gleefully jogs towards his car and once he is there, he pops the trunk.
Anzu Kurosawa: “Do either of you two feel a bit uneasy about all of this? I have no idea what Peacock is doing…”
Rod Sterling: “I gave up trying to anticipate what his next move was a while back, Anzu. All I know is that whatever he has concocted, it isn’t good.”
Peacock reaches into the trunk and pulls out a large object and slings it over his shoulder. It is grey and covered in fur and hangs limply down his back as he shuts the trunk of the car. People nearby gasp when they realise what it is.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “THAT’S WEASELDREAMER! We alluded to it earlier, but it arguably was weaseldreamer that cost FTN the tag titles at Winter Wasteland and it seems like Chris Peacock didn’t want to wait for Alyster Black to return in order to exact his revenge!”
When Peacock reaches the bottom of the ramp, he rolls weaseldreamer into the ring and it is clear that she is not in a good way whatsoever as her body is completely limp. When Peacock gets back into the ring himself, he has to prop up the lifeless body against the bottom turnbuckle. It is at this point it is visible that he has affixed a red bow and a gift tag to the front of the weaselperson costume, reading “TO ALYSTER, FROM CHRIS.” He grabs the microphone once more.
Chris Peacock: “Surprise! I know that Alyster isn’t here to open his present himself, but this won’t be the first thing we’ve shared together, if you know what I mean. What? Oh, I’m talking about the tag titles and our FWA Awards! FTN - Tag Team of the Year… that one must have pissed you off, huh?”
Peacock kicks weaseldreamer’s foot and laughs and then gets down in front of the masked face and talks in a slower and more hushed tone.
Chris Peacock: “Now, you’ve been bothering my friend for quite some time now, Michelle. I’m calling you that because I refuse to go along with this bullshit, by the way. You’ve been coming after someone I care about quite a lot and well, usually I’d just let Alyster fight his own battles. But at Winter Wasteland… well, you kind of got in my business, too.
“We’re not strangers to each other, Michelle. I haven’t forgotten that. You must have hated it when I beat you last year at The Grand March, and then when me and Alyster won the titles from you and your little friend… that one must have stung, right? The thing is, we chased your friends away and this company has been a better place for it. That one must be a hard pill to swallow too, right? I am the Dreamer’s Nightmare, after all!
“Look, if there’s anyone who understands revenge, it’s me, Michelle. I mean, look at us right now! I must admit though, I find it amusing that you decided to just focus on Alyster, though. I’m sure you’re probably going to paint it as me not being worth your time, but I think we both know the truth, Michelle. You went after Alyster because you know that if you tried going after me, this is what was going to happen. The thing is though, you did fuck me over at Winter Wasteland.
“I was supposed to celebrate being reunited with my best friend and you ruined it. I can’t let that kind of thing slide, Michelle. Now, like I said, I’m not a very patient man, so I don’t feel like waiting until the other end of the Climaxxx to get my hands on you. So maybe, you can go and join your little buddy wherever he’s gone and… hang on. I can’t speak into this mask anymore. I want to see the look in your eyes-”
Peacock rips the mask off of weaseldreamer’s face and recoils when he sees something that he wasn’t expecting. The crowd lets out a cheer upon the reveal, although they are not pleased to see who was actually under the weaselperson mask…
Jean-Luc Watkins: “MADISON GRAY?! That’s not Michelle von Horrowitz, but it is her partner from the Buddy Bowl! What’s going on here?!”
The sight of an unconscious Madison Gray in the weaselperson costume causes Peacock to drop the microphone in confusion and he looks down into the mask for a moment, before turning around…
STRAIGHT INTO A BUSAIKU KNEE STRIKE!!!
There’s another mixed reaction as over Chris Peacock stands MICHELLE VON HORROWITZ!! ‘Dreamer’ looks down at Peacock, who starts to stir on the mat.
Anzu Kurosawa: “I can’t quite explain how, but MvH saw this coming and Madison Gray ended up in the weaselperson costume! Maybe ahead of the F1 Climaxxx, von Horrowitz wanted Peacock’s attention after all and what happened at Winter Wasteland wasn’t just about Alyster Black.”
Rod Sterling: “It looked like Peacock wanted to send a message to the rest of the field in the F1 Climaxxx and to MvH, but she’s about to send one of her own with that steel chair!”
MvH casts a look at Madison Gray briefly and ‘The Young Lioness’ slowly opens her eyes but is still very much groggy. With the chair in her hand and folded back up, MvH waits on Peacock to rise up from the mat slightly and then SMASHES HIM ON THE TOP OF THE HEAD WITH THE STEEL CHAIR!!!
Peacock crumples down to the mat and Michelle drops the chair down next to him as he looks up at the ceiling, confused with blood trickling down his head and face onto the mat. Michelle then rolls out of the ring under the bottom rope and drags Madison Gray out with her, helping Gray up the ramp herself.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “The winner of the 2023 F1 Climaxxx has sent a clear message to the rest of the field by taking out another of the favourites to win the whole thing in 2024 and this year has started just as badly as the previous one ended for Chris Peacock…”
Anzu Kurosawa: “If there’s one thing that we know about Peacock, it is that he is not going to take this one lying down. Michelle must know to expect some sort of retribution, but she’s going to be ready for it.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Look at the look on Chris Peacock’s face. He said before that he was struggling to find some motivation for 2024 and I think that Michelle von Horrowitz just gave him some.”
Peacock has regained some sort of awareness and having crawled to the ropes and with his head and arm slung over the bottom rope, he watches MvH leave along with Gray with a vengeful look on his bloodied face as the show comes to an end.
A VERY
CROSSFIRE
CHRISTMAS!
Live from the 折扇 [the Folding Fan] in Beijing, China.
Sunday 14th January, 2024. Only on the WCNetwork.
This special edition of FWA programming begins with a brief highlight video of the Winter Wasteland Pay-Per-View which took place on December 30th, concluding with Jeremy Best celebrating with his newly-won FWA World Championship. Following that, the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing is shown as being at full capacity with an elaborate stage set up. The colour scheme is mainly comprised of red, as symbolism for Christmas (which we are almost three weeks late for) as well as what this colour means to the people of China as a sign of good fortune.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Nín hǎo, huānyíng dàjiā! This is 2024 and this is the Fantasy Wrestling Alliance wishing you all a joyous festive period, regardless of how you choose to celebrate it.
“Tonight will serve as something of a palette whetter; just a morsel of what you can expect from this historic company in the year to come. We are of course figure headed by the proponent of friendship, Jeremy Best as our new world champion and eight competitors are gearing up to compete in the second annual F1 Climaxxx. We have a number of matches for you tonight, including the return of the Secular Spectacular.
Jean-Luc Watkins at your service this evening and here to guide you safe passage through all of the weird and wonderful happenings of an FWA show, joined by my colleagues from Meltdown, Rod Sterling and Anzu Kurosawa. Glad tidings to you both!”
Rod Sterling: “A terrific introduction, Jean-Luc - Happy New Year to you and everyone else over on Fallout, too. You’re absolutely right about tonight being a previous for the year to come. That Secular Spectacular match has some championship implications… and … someone is going to start this year off in the worst way possible with a pink slip.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “Not only that, but I think we could be in for some appearances from some unannounced individuals tonight… I’ve seen a lot of them backstage hanging around and with some of these characters, you know that they’ll have some things they want to say about the year ahead.”
Rod Sterling: “Well, here we go. Guess we’re kicking things off tonight with the North American Champion.”
The crowd boos loudly as Big Bryan Bastard walks out from the back, holding the aforementioned North American champion in his left hand by on of the straps, letting it hang down. Wearing his “BASTARD” embroidered red letterman jacket, Bryan lifts the championship high up on the stage to ruckus heat from the fans. BBB is all alone tonight, no sign of any Friendship Wrestling Alliance cohorts.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Winter Wasteland was a bit of deja vu. Another pre-match attack to Bryan Baxter’s opponent that lead to another title defense. He certainly lives up to the Bastard name.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “To be fair, we never saw who attacked Chris Crowe backstage before the match.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Come on Anzu, we all know if it wasn’t Bryan Bastard… it was probably one of those masked weirdos that hang out with him.”
Rod Sterling: “And despite that prematch attack, it was those masked men from the Friendship Wrestling Alliance - Sir Stache and Mejor Amigo - who still got involved to help Baxter during the match itself too.”
Baxter walks down to the ring, climbing up onto the apron and then steps through the middle ropes to enter the ring and takes the microphone.
Bryan Baxter: “Everybody kept sayin’ it… they all kept sayin’ it… just wait. Just wait until Chris Crowe came back. Just want until Chris Crowe came back and took back the belt he never lost. Your days are numbered, Bryan! You’re just holdin’ that belt til Chris Crowe comes back.”
Bryan smirks, looking down at the North American championship in his hand.
Bryan Baxter: “Well, what happened? Chris Crowe came back. And yeah, I’ll give him credit… he earned his shot. But guess what…”
“I’M STILL HERE.”
“I AM STILL THE FWA NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION!”
Big Bryan Bastard lifts the North American title up into the air to resounding boos from the crowd.
Bryan Baxter: “Like it or not, I took down yet another obstacle. Yet another person who thought they deserved the title more than me. Over four hundred days now… and no one has been able to stop me. You have to wonder… who can stop me? Can it even be done? Because so far, everyone that has lined up has been knocked right back down. One by one they’ve shown up and one by one I’ve destroyed the competition.”
“And quite honestly… it’s getting a little boring.”
More boos as Baxter smirks, now lifting the title up and draping it over his shoulder.
Bryan Baxter: “Don’t get me wrong, I love this belt and am not about to give it up. Not a damn chance. A few months ago… I was actually loosing sleep at night. I was actually stressing out about all the people who wanted to come after me for this belt. I was worried about this huge target on my back…. But boy… I was wrong. I was wrong to be so worried. Because I’m starting to think there’s no one on my level. There’s not a damn person in that locker room that I have to worry about! This belt is where it belongs and I can assure you… it ain’t goin’ ANYWHERE!”
Big Bryan Bastard pauses as he gets another wave of boos from the fans.
Bryan Baxter: “Which is why I wanna make things interesting. Like I said… these whole one at a time beatdowns… are getting a little old, don’t ya think? So… let’s spice things up. I’m in this little F1 thing again this year… you know, the thing I shoulda won last year? Where I beat now former chump Chris Peacock AND Cyrus Truth? Remember that? I know there’s already some high stakes in this baby… but let’s up them some more. I ain’t scared of Chris Peacock. I beat his ass last year in this event. Halloween Knight? Don’t make me laugh. Xavien Marshall? Just some punkass kid who needs his mouth punched in to teach him a lesson. XX… he can take the beating I’ve given his little Undisputed Alliance buddies. Konch Hao… happy to beat him down once again. Weaseldreamer… well, we have some unfinished business from last year, I do believe. And then.. Mike Parr… I think Back in Business speaks for itself.”
“I’m so confident I’m going to crush this F1…”
“That I’m putin’ the North American Title on the line!”
The boos suddenly turn to cheers as the fans get pumped.
Rod Sterling: “Wait, is he saying what I think he is?”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Sure seems that way. I think his four-hundred plus day title reign has gone to his head!”
Bryan Baxter: “You heard me right. When all is said and done in this tournament…. Whoever walks out with the 2024 F1 will also walk out with this belt… and don’t worry, I’ll spare you the drama… it’s gonna be…
“BIG.”
“BRYAN.”
“BASTA–”
Rod Sterling: “Well, this could be about to get interesting..”
The crowd let out an audible gasp as their attention turns away from Bryan Baxter and towards the entrance, where from the backstage area indeed emerges “The Prodigy” Mike Parr. No custom made suit or hair slicked today for Parr, it is a customer t-shirt and taped fists.
Rod Sterling: “Back in Business was mentioned not too long ago, and that of course was the last time we saw Mike Parr until a couple of weeks ago on Fallout. Worth noting, however, that since his return he hasn’t exactly set the world alight. A closely contested loss to Konchu Hao followed by a time limit draw with Johnny Johnson at Winter Wasteland isn’t the return that he would’ve had planned.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “He did manage to get a spot in the upcoming F1 though, so I doubt he is too upset.”
It is a fairly positive reaction for Parr, who hasn’t done a whole bunch to appeal to the crowd since his return. However, positive or negative, you wouldn’t know by looking at Mike’s face. His jaw is clenched, and his glare has not moved from Baxter in the ring. Baxter, for his part, far from being upset about being interrupted, has a wry grin spread across his face. Bringing his hand to his face, The Prodigy fidgets he tries to gather the words, the words that adequately explain how he feels encountering the man who nearly ended his FWA career.
Mike Parr: “You couldn’t have thought that I was just going to let it slide, could you?”
A few audible ‘ooooh’s’ from the audience, the majority remain relatively silent awaiting Mike’s next few words.
Mike Parr: “I’m not going to stand up here and bitch and moan about taking the…shall I say…morally questionable….route in terms of how you got things done at Back in Business. In my time, I’ve been known to be a very big advocate of the ends justifying the means. I’m plenty of things Bryan, plenty, but I’m not a hypocrite. But….what you must not do is mistake my avoidance of hypocrisy and think that it somehow results in letting bygones be bygones, what you must not think is that somehow because I begrudgingly respect the moves that you have made that I accept them…..not for a second.””
The fans cheer, as Bryan starts to mouth back at Prodigy, the camera not quite fast enough to pick up the right angle to make out exactly what his retort was.
Mike Parr: “ If The Prodigy was going to come back to FWA, you bet that he was going to come straight after the man that took him out and embarrassed him on the biggest show of the year, right? It’s was an absolute guarantee ... .but I didn’t. And I wasn’t. I was playing the long game Bryan, I was going to come back here and have some fun for what feels like the first time in forever. I was going to get some wins, remind everyone of exactly who I am and then, just when you thought that it was safe and clear to stop glancing over your shoulder in case I was there, I was going to strike. I was going to strike, and strike again and again and again until you really finally got the message, until you understood both the reality and gravity of your situation. The gravity is that you crossed me, you crossed Mike Parr, and the reality is that the North American Championship is my property and my legacy and you’ve been holding onto my property for far too long.””
The crowd cheer, the sort of intensity you don’t often see in a public setting from The Prodigy. He usually operates in the shadows, a man of many words but really few reads. But here, it seems abundantly clear what he is after.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Not that I would expect much less, but it sounds like Baxter has just given Parr some extra motivation in the F1!”
The camera pans to Baxter, who lets out an exaggerated exhale.
Mike Parr: “In saying that though, I won’t lie to you and say I'm not really disappointed, because it is so underwhelming. I thought I was coming back here to slay the one that everyone thinks is indomitable, the one that swatted aside challengers for over 400 days. The one who came within a whisker of winning the F1 last year. I’m disappointed because when I do what I said I was going to do, it just doesn’t mean as much when instead of beating some indomitable monster I’m beating on some coward little bitch.””
Baxter, for the first time since Parr walked out,visually appears to be taking Parr seriously. No longer mouthing or overexaggerating a reaction, he is now stony-faced, his glare narrowed as he stares up at the only man to hold the North American Championship longer than he has done.
Mike Parr: “I haven’t explained to you yet why I couldn’t just play the long game with you, have I? It’s because I couldn’t sit back there and watch and listen to any of this any longer. You wanted to show up tonight and have everyone talk about how amazing the greatest North American Champion of all time is, voluntarily putting his championship on the line in a tournament between 8 of the best that the company has to offer. You wanted the narrative to be about whether or not Baxter can bulldoze through this tournament like he has done every other challenger that he has faced over the last 400 days. Not on my watch, Baxter. Not on my watch.
You taught me a couple of things when you attacked me at Back in Business ahead of our match, one of them obvious. One of them is that you are someone to be respected, that will do whatever it takes to win. The other….the other thing you taught me is that you’re scared. Look at the size of you, you don’t need to go attacking people from behind to win but you choose to do it because you are scared that someone might just be that much too fast for you or that much more intelligent than you. You mitigate the chance of defeat where you can because you are afraid that you just don’t have it, you just don’t have what it takes to get it done.””
There is another silence in the arena, as Parr’s words reverberate around the arena. Baxter looks quizzically up at Parr, almost still trying to assess exactly what he is hearing.
Mike Parr: “And that is what tonight is Bryan, I see you. I don’t know how many people see you, but I do. You aren’t out here showcasing your almighty strength, you are out here exposing your weakness. You aren’t putting your championship on the line in this tournament to prove how dominant you are or to put another exclamation mark on that reign of yours, you are putting it on the line in the tournament so it’s tied up for another…oh, I don’t know….40 days at least?””
Another telling reaction from the crowd, as they begin to converse with each other and work out exactly what Prodigy is referencing. Our commentary team take a couple of moments to get there.
Rod Sterling: “That would take Baxter to his 454th day as North American Champion, which would tie the record held by the man with the microphone currently held to his mouth”
Mike Parr: “Prove me wrong, Bryan. While those couple of errant brain cells in that dome of yours click together and try and process what I’m saying to you, let me remove any potential obstacles that you try to erect. The North American Championship will be awarded to the victor of this tournament regardless. We both can remain in the tournament, I don’t need a Fallout. Hell, I don’t even need a Meltdown or a Fight Night.”
I need a ring, and on February 22nd I need you to bring my belt and after 453 days of misery you’re going to turn up and I’m going to take back what is mine.””
The crowd erupts as the challenge is laid out for the current holder of the North American Championship. Parr plays into the emotions of the crowd and extends both arms to either side and riles them up even further, giving Baxter the opportunity to collect his thoughts before responding.
Bryan Baxter: “You gotta lotta nerve Mikey… comin’ out here… havin’ proven nothin’ since last time I beat your ass… but you know what… I enjoyed it the first time… and trust me… I’m not a coward… I have no problem kickin’ your ass again. I’ll send you on yet another hiatus… and this time… this time Mike… you ain’t comin’ back!”
Baxter tosses the microphone down as the two go toe to toe for a staredown.
Rod Sterling: “How about that?! It appears we have a challenge accepted by Baxter! Before he breaks the North American title record… he has one more hurdle in the way.. The man who owns that record!”
We rejoin the arena with Kurt Harrington standing in the middle of the ring, a microphone in his hand.
Kurt Harrington: “Ladies and gentlemen, the following is the Secular Spectacular match! In this contest, a pole has been mounted onto each of the four turnbuckles, with a present at the top. Competitors must climb the poles and retrieve the presents, which contain: two spots in an FWA Television Championship #1 contendership match, a shot at the FWA Trios Championships with two partners of the winner’s choosing, and… a pink slip! Introducing…”
There’s a cheer in the Beijing National Indoor Stadium as the first competitor for the night’s opening contest walks out onto the stage.
Kurt Harrington: “First… from Sitka, Alaska and weighing in at 185 lb…he is X…YYYYYYYY... ZZZZZZZZ!”
X is surprisingly not flanked by the Menage, instead choosing to appear alone. He has lost some of the swagger we usually see on the way to the ring, neglecting to high-five the outstretched hands of those on the front row.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “It’s been a rough few weeks for XYZ, culminating in a disappointing loss to Vengador two weeks ago at Winter Wasteland.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “Maybe this match will be the turnaround in fortunes that he needs! I believe in him…”
X stands in the ring as his music fades out, soon replaced by…
The cheering continues for the next entrant, though some boos can also be heard as he appears on the stage.
Kurt Harrington: “Next… from Savannah, Georgia… SAWYER XAVIER!!”
Rod Sterling: “Unlike XYZ, things have been looking good for Sawyer Xavier recently. He’s picked up a few victories, including a big one in singles competition against Jason Randall at Winter Wasteland.”
Sawyer climbs into the ring and loosens up in a corner, staring up at the four presents hanging at various corners of the ring. His music fades out…
There’s a muted reaction for the next participant, owing to the unfamiliarity of the debuting wrestler.
Kurt Harrington: “Next, from la Ciudad de las Sombras… LA SOMBRA FILOSA!!”
Anzu Kurosawa: “Who knew Kurt knew Spanish?!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “This is a debut that I’ve been looking forward to, guys. La Sombra Filosa certainly has an aura, and I’m looking forward to seeing if he can back it up in the ring.”
The debutant waits on the outside of the ring, eyeing up the two men already waiting on the inside of it. Next…
The reaction is bemused for the fourth competitor, who shares fist bumps with Juan Tothrefor and Halloween Knight on the stage before they disappear to the back. He tries to high-five the fans on the front row but they want none of it.
Kurt Harrington: “Next… from the Dumpster Out Back… Mamifero De Basura!!”
Anzu Kurosawa: “More Spanish!”
Rod Sterling: “Slander from Kurt! I have eaten at several Outback restaurants, and find those quality establishments to be nothing like a dumpster.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “... I’m surrounded by morons.”
Trash Mammal, not backing down from the oncoming fight, slides into the ring and brushes past both Sawyer and X on his way to a corner. Then we hear…
There’s a mixed reaction for the next combatant, with some cheers and some boos as ‘the Young Lioness’ enters the arena.
Kurt Harrington: “Next… from Portsmouth, England… MADISON… GRAY!!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “You mentioned Xavier’s big victory at Winter Wasteland, Rod, and this young woman had one of her own in Istanbul. She managed to vanquish long-time rival Blake Taylor, and now she’ll hope to kick things up another gear and hunt down some gold.”
Gray joins the three men in the now over-populated ring, with La Sombra Filosa still watching curiously from the outside. Madison is pacing, clearly ready for the match to get started, as her music fades out…
Deafening boos as a brooding Blake Taylor appears on the stage.
Kurt Harrington: “Introducing next… from Las Vegas, Nevada… BLAKE TAYLOR!!”
Rod Sterling: “Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear…”
Anzu Kurosawa: “I thought you said Madison was ready to move on, Jean-Luc? Has she run that by Blake Taylor?”
With Blake Taylor electing to remain outside the ring for the timebeing, his music fades out. It is replaced by…
Another wrestler who is relatively unknown to the FWA fans comes out to a muted reaction. He surveys the arena before making his way down to the ring.
Kurt Harrington: “And hailing from ‘the City of Champions’... Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania… COLBY SOL!!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Another of our exciting debutants, Colby Sol makes his arrival here in front of the FWA Cosmos.”
Rod Sterling: “And already, both he and La Sombra Filosa have a chance to fight themselves into championship contention. Would be a hell of a way to make a splash.”
Colby stops his march at the base of the ramp and, with the ring looking somewhat crowded, chooses to stay on the outside, reasonably close to Blake Taylor by the commentary position. He loosens up his joints whilst looking at each of the competitors already in the ring, as…
There’s a long and ominous wait as the music plays before the final man to enter the arena appears. There is mostly booing, but also an ample helping of awe-struck respect from the man who defeated Gerald Grayson at Winter Wasteland.
Kurt Harrington: ”Introducing next… from the depths of HELL… DEATH WALKER!!”
Rod Sterling: “Fresh from asserting his dominance over the Daredevil in Istanbul, there really seems to be no ceiling to what Death Walker can achieve here in the FWA. He’s had a bad mix of ill luck and inconsistency at times, but this Death Walker seems more focussed than ever.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “A frightening thought. I’m terrified, Rod!”
Death’s walk to the ring is slow, and he pauses at the base of the ramp to look at each competitor in turn for what feels like an eternity. Eventually, his eyes fall upon one man - the most prominent in a group of three - that has not yet been introduced. As if on cue, Kurt takes to the microphone again.
Kurt Harrington: “And finally… already at ringside, accompanied by Jiggy Jon and Jugem Jugem… this is Jobber Jimbo.”
The stand-off between Death Walker and Triple J Security lingers for a while, and it appears that Jiggy Jon and Jugem Jugem are trying to whisper words of encouragement into their partner’s ear. It can be assumed that Jugem’s utterances are repetitive. Eventually, Jimbo nods his head, lets out a battle cry, and charges at Death…
Rod Sterling: “AXE KICK!!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Jobber Jimbo would do better than to listen to the advice of his teammates, apparently. He is wiped out by Death Walker!”
Jugem and Jiggy glance at each other, gulp, and then leap to their partner’s defence, charging at Walker in unison. Death is equal to it, though, turning both of his assailants (who aren’t actually in the match) inside out with a double clothesline!
Three men are down around Death, who casually climbs into the ring. The three officials at ringside look at each other, shrug, and then call for the bell…
FIRST MATCH (-/30).
Blake Taylor vs. Colby Sol vs. Death Walker vs. Jobber Jimbo vs. La Sombra Filosa vs. Madison Gray vs. Sawyer Xavier vs. Trash Mammal vs. XYZ.
Secular Spectacular Match.
<< 00:00. >>
The contest gets way with carnage inside the ring, with the half-dozen(ish) combatants within it all converging with one another. Meanwhile, on the outside, Blake Taylor attempts a sneak attack on Colby Sol, but Sol ducks beneath the clothesline, proceeding to throw Blake down on the outside with a t-bone suplex! Sol rises, to find La Sombra looming over him, with Filosa proceeding to back him up into the ring apron with a series of hard knife-edge chops. FIlosa tries to Irish whip Sol into the barricade, but Colby reverses and sends LSF into it instead! The front row fans wince at the knee-trembling impact! And then they’re forced to disperse as Filosa reverses an attempted clothesline from Sol, sending him into the second row with a HUGE back body drop!!
Meanwhile, in the ring, Madison Gray has XYZ in a wristlock, but X is able to reverse out of it with a peculiar rotation of his irregular body, before he’s able to take her down with a leg sweep…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "And XYZ usually follows it up with… yes, there’s the standing elbow drop!"
Rod Sterling: "X is building up some momentum here as he looks to bounce back from disappointment at Winter Wasteland."
The crowd are behind him, but then…
There’s a pop in the arena as the Television Champion walks out into the arena, his championship belt in his hand. He surveys the fans in the Folding Fan as he makes his way down to the ring.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "It seems the Television Champion wants to keep an eye on this match. Not surprising, as it will decide the two wrestlers who will compete in a number one contendership bout for that prize."
Anzu Kurosawa: "I heard that Brooklyn was going to be out here tonight. I also heard that he might be joining us at the booth."
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Oh? Where did you hear that?"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I have lots of friends, Jean-Luc. I hear things."
Rod Sterling: "It seems you heard right, Anzu. Brooklyn Steiener takes a wide circle of the ring, keeping a close eye on the opening chaos on his way towards the desk…"
XYZ - momentarily alone in the ring, with a lot of the action having spilled out onto the floor - watches Brooklyn and specifically the belt on his shoulder. Steiner steps over Jobber Jimbo’s prone body on his way to the booth.
Brooklyn Steiner: "Gentlemen… Anzu…"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "To what do we owe this honour?"
Brooklyn Steiner: "The honour is all mine, Watkins! I heard my first challenger is amongst this field, so I thought I’d come and lend you my thoughts."
X still has his eyes fixed on Brooklyn, but eventually drags them away and turns around… straight into an enziguri from Sawyer! XYZ rolls under the bottom rope, getting to his feet near the ramp. Madison Gray, Trash Mammal, and Blake Taylor are all nearby, and the four of them brawl at the base of the ramp, whilst Sawyer Xavier scales the turnbuckles inside the ring.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Is Sawyer Xavier going for a present already?! Maybe not… he’s shaping up with the pack behind and below him…"
Rod Sterling: "Moonsault! To the outside! Sawyer takes out four at once with the aerial attack. Brooklyn -- lend us your thoughts..."
Brooklyn Steiner:
Sawyer Xavier gets to his feet, pumping his fist as a majority of the audience get behind him… until he’s taken out by a clothesline to the back of the head from Death Walker! Boos rain down in Beijing as the match rolls on…
***
<< 04:18. >>
We rejoin as Colby Sol hits a reverse DDT on La Sombra Filosa in an otherwise empty ring. The audience are booing the cocky Sol, and he takes his time to hoist Filosa back to his feet. Brawling ensues around the ring as Colby places LSF in a front facelock…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Colby maybe looking for a falcon arrow, but La Sombra Filosa slips behind… German suplex! Colby Sol dropped at a high angle on the back of his head!"
Rod Sterling: "These two have been targeting one another almost exclusively since this match began."
Brooklyn Steiner: "These two newcomers are showing some fight, which is important, but I think they’re focussing on one another a little too much, at the expense of those presents."
Anzu Kurosawa: "Well, maybe that’s deliberate. A title shot is all well and good, but one of them contains a pink slip! They don’t want to get fired after their first match and their first win!"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "It’s pro wrestling, Anzu. There’s always loopholes."
Meanwhile, Death Walker works over Blake Taylor with hard forearms on the outside, near the steel ring steps. Taylor manages to back Death up with a kick to the knee followed by a rake of the eyes. Taylor looks to follow up with a clothesline, but Death ducks beneath it…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "BACKDROP DRIVER!! On the outside!"
Death rises slowly, before continuing the fight by taking it to Trash Mammal. In the ring, Sawyer Xavier and Madison Gray stand in the centre of it. They both look at the same present, before fighting over towards that turnbuckle with exchanged strikes.
Brooklyn Steiner: "Why don’t they just go to opposite corners?"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Drama, Brooklyn!"
Sawyer and Madison both begin a climb, but are cut off at the pass by a resurgent Triple J Security! Jimbo, Jon, and Jugem slide into the ring and blindside the pair with repeated double axe handles..
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Gray and Xavier do their best to fight them off, but Triple J Security use the numbers to their advantage."
Rod Sterling: "And we should remind you that two of them - Jiggy Jon and Jugem Jugem - are not in this match."
Anzu Kurosawa: "I don’t think they care, Rod. They want that Trios Championship shot, I imagine."
Triple J Security scarper, though, when they see Death Walker climbing up onto an apron, deciding to bide their time rather than climb a turnbuckle and seek a present now…
***
<< 07:45. >>
XYZ is climbing a turnbuckle, and then sizes up the pole for further ascent. He doesn’t get to travel further, though, with XYZ arriving on the scene and dragging X away from the corner…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Powerbomb!! XYZ is spiked by Death Walker, a man with whom he has quite the history…"
Brooklyn Steiner: "Seems like Death Walker has a history with lots of people. Natural for such a violent character."
Walker thinks he’s alone again and stares up the nearby pole at one of the presents. He appears to be considering a climb, but he is caught unawares by a surprise shotgun dropkick from Sawyer Xavier! Walker is knocked off-balanced, through the ropes, and to the outside!
Rod Sterling: "Sawyer Xavier accomplishes what has thus far seemed unthinkable in this match! He knocks Death Walker off his feet, and even out of the ring!"
Xavier points at the prize above him, the portion of the crowd that is on his side cheering him on. He makes it to the second turnbuckle before someone else slides into the ring. He doesn’t notice that Trash Mammal is there until it is too late, with the Tr1ck or Tr4sh member dragging him away from the corner…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Spinning blue thunder bomb!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I think he calls that the Rabies Shot, Jean-Luc!"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "I’m not calling it that, but it was begrudgingly impressive…"
And it also clears the way for Trash Mammal to ascend the same corner that Sawyer was climbing. We see shots of others brawling on the outside - most noticeably La Sombra Filosa and Colby Sol, with LSF hitting a running European uppercut - referred to by the announcers as the Umbra Uppercut - followed by a snap DDT on the ramp. This gives the Mammal room to climb, and - with a mixed reaction (though mostly amused cheers) - he scales the pole, kicking an approaching Madison Gray away before unhooking the first gift!
Winner: Trash Mammal collects the first present at 08:52.
Trash Mammal falls to the ring, clutching the present to his chest. Madison looks disappointed, but realises it’s pointless going after TM as he’s out of the match. She instead moves to another corner, but now Blake Taylor has recovered enough to cut her off at the pass with a lariat.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Trash Mammal rolls out of the ring, and it looks like he wants to open up that present right now."
Anzu Kurosawa: "Why wouldn’t he?! Christmas is exciting!"
Brooklyn Steiner: "Not to be a stickler, Anzu, but it’s January 14th."
Anzu Kurosawa: "It’s come late for Trash Mammal! A Christmas miracle!"
The officials stop Trash Mammal from opening his gift, instead directing him to the top of the ramp. He still clutches his gift tightly to his chest as he acquiesces.
***
<< 10:36. >>
Two tables have been set up - by Sawyer Xavier and Death Walker respectively - near the same corner of the ring, on opposite sides of the steel ring steps. Meanwhile, XYZ and Blake Taylor are on adjacent aprons. They climb the same corner from opposite sides, eventually exchanging strikes when on the second one. Blake Taylor lays into X with right hands, who fires back with chops.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "A perhaps precarious position for both men, such are the stakes of this Secular Spectacular match."
As if on cue, Death Walker appears on the apron behind Blake, dragging him away from the exchange with Blake…
Rod Sterling: "POWERBOMB! Death Walker powerbombs Blake Taylor from the apron, through a table!!"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "And has that left an opening for XYZ?"
XYZ steps up onto the top turnbuckle… but Xavier has collected one of the prop candy canes from around the ring, which he cracks across X’s back!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Not very festive…"
Brooklyn Steiner: "… but pretty effective."
Sawyer drags XYZ out from the corner in a fireman’s carry… and nails him with a Death Valley Driver!! The crowd are divided, with many of them clearly pulling for XYZ, but Xavier is able to start climbing at the same time as Death Walker, the two again electing to attempt the same corner. They exchange blows, but the thudding forearms from Walker are too much for Sawyer. Death is able to collect him in a front facelock, whilst standing on the second turnbuckle and rope (on the outside of the ring).
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Death Walker just drags Sawyer Xavier up! Deadlift vertical suplex!! Through the other table!!!"
The crowd pop for the move, but it takes a lot out of Walker, too. He is unable to follow up immediately, instead lying amongst the debris with the man he drove through the table. We cut away to Colby Sol and La Sombra Filosa, who are now high in the crowd!! Filosa has Sol in a modified octopus hold!!
Jean-Luc Watkins: "He calls this version of the octopus stretch the Tenebrous Lock! And some lucky fans are getting a front row view!"
LSF only lets Colby go to drag Sol into position between his legs. He hoists Sol up, looking for maybe a spinning powerbomb, but Sol fires down with right hands. La Sombra Filosa is forced to drop him, with Colby catching him in a front facelock on the way down…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "A Good Ol’ DDT! La Sombra Filosa is spiked on his head, high in the arena!"
Brooklyn Steiner: " They’re a long way away from those poles…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I don’t think they care anymore."
Sol is slightly slower to get to his feet, noticeably so, but then collects LSF by the scruff of the neck and throws him through a nearby turnstile! The two disappear from view as the match rolls on…
Jobber Jimbo, still feeling the effects of the match so far, is rolled into the ring by Jugem Jugem and Jiggy Jon. He is slow to get up, but when he realises that he stands alone in the middle of the ring he gets hyped. He marches to a corner, beginning his climb towards…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "The idiot is climbing the wrong corner. Trash Mammal already took that prize."
Anzu Kurosawa: "I guess he really wanted that one."
Jimbo eventually realises, laments his mistake, and climbs back down. He rushes to the opposite corner, stumbling as he goes, before climbing that one instead. He only gets to the second one, though, with Madison Gray reappearing in the ring…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "‘The Young Lioness’ with a triangle dropkick! Madison Gray knocks Jobber Jimbo out of the ring…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "And her path is clear!"
With nobody in sight, Madison Gray shimmies up the pole and takes the second gift down!
Winner: Madison Gray collects the second present at 12:00.
***
<< 14:10. >>
Death Walker has Sawyer Xavier by the scruff of the neck on the outside of the ring, where he proceeds to run him into the steel ring steps!
Rod Sterling: "That impact was sickening! We’re only a few feet away from Death Walker… who now turns his gaze on the current FWA Television Champion…"
Not being one to back down, Steiner stands up from behind the table, taking his headset off. This doesn’t ward Death off, instead it spurs him on, and he offers Brooklyn a smirk as the champion comes around the table to engage in a stand-off. Brooklyn hoists his championship belt into the air whilst nose-to-nose with Walker.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "You have to respect Brooklyn’s spunk, but I’m not sure this is wise considering the dominance we’ve seen from Death Walker so far in this match…"
As Brooklyn lowers his championship, Death’s smirk re-emerges, and he seems to turn away… before grasping a water jug from the top of the commentary desk, and smashing it over the side of Steiner’s head!! The champion immediately drops, and his belt comes loose from his grasp, landing a metre or so away from him.
Rod Sterling: "Death Walker just clocked the FWA Television Champion with a water jug! Brooklyn Steiner was not a part of this match, but holds the gold that two of those presents promise a path to."
Jean-Luc Watkins: "You think this is about the Television Championship? I’m not sure."
Anzu Kurosawa: "You’ve got a theory?"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Absolutely not -- but Death’s motivations here hardly seem centred around gold."
Death looms above Steiner, his eyes drawn to the championship belt. He takes a step towards it… as a quartet of FWA officials descend, attending to Brooklyn Steiner, who just seems to be coming to. Walker attempts to reach through the black-and-white barrier to collect Brooklyn, but two of the officials grab him around the waits…
Rod Sterling: "Death Walker throws one of those referees into the ring apron! The other looks petrified…"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "He should be! Walker needs to be careful, these are FWA officials, and any more violence against them could turn a fine into a suspension…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Are you going to issue him with it, Jean-Luc?"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Once more: absolutely not."
With a doctor and security arriving on the scene, a now laughing Death Walker decides to think better of it. The security team tell him his match is over, and - with a shrug - Death turns away from the carnage he’s created. He marches up the ramp, refusing to even glance at Trash Mammal and Madison Gray - who wait on the stage - as he exits the arena.
***
<< 16:38. >>
Rod Sterling: "We’ve got only two wrestlers in the ring here, with Blake Taylor and Sawyer Xavier exchanging strikes. Weren’t there nine people in this?! Where did everybody go?!"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Colby Sol and La Sombra Filosa haven’t been seen since their fight spilled into the backstage area, and Death Walker was escorted from the arena by security. I’m pleased to hear that, according to backstage medical staff, Brooklyn Steiner is generally fine, other than needing a couple of stitches. Death Walker, meanwhile, will be dealt with personally by Jon Russnow."
Rod Sterling: "Terrifying."
Anzu Kurosawa: "And don’t forgot Trash Mammal and Madison Gray, who’ve already claimed their prizes."
Jean-Luc Watkins: "With XYZ and the entirety of Triple J Security down on the outside of the ring, that leaves only Sawyer Xavier and Blake Taylor…"
Taylor thuds into Xavier with three consecutive right hands, and then winds up for a discus lariat… which Sawyer is able to duck beneath, and nails the turning Blake with a standing dropkick. Xavier drags Blake up to his feet…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Sawyer Xavier with the Emerald Flowsion!! He’s come close to collecting a present on multiple occasions already, and now he’s once more alone in the ring!"
Sawyer climbs as fast as he can up a corner, but Jobber Jimbo slides back in and approaches, trying to cut him off at the pass again. Xavier lashes out with a boot, knocking Jimbo backwards… and then he takes him down with a meteora from the top rope!! Sawyer lands near a different corner, deciding to climb that one instead, and he collects the third present from the top of the pole!
Winner: Sawyer Xavier collects the third present at 17:30.
With Jobber Jimbo down from the meteora, XYZ slides back into the ring and looks up at the last remaining present. He takes a deep breath, and then begins to climb, making good progress on his way to the top. He stands on the top turnbuckle, holding onto the pole.
Rod Sterling: "Blake Taylor is still down on the outside, which means Jobber Jimbo is the only man that can stop XYZ getting that final present…"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Don’t bank on it."
Anzu Kurosawa: "You shouldn’t underestimate Jimbo, Jean-Luc! He’s getting to his feet!"
Jimbo climbs up the same corner of the ring as XYZ, the two of them eventually standing together on the same top turnbuckle, holding onto the pole for stability. They exchange right hands and chops, XYZ’s peculiar strikes eventually gaining him the upper hand…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "XYZ has him in a front facelock… from all the way up there?! SUPERPLEX!!!"
Rod Sterling: "A HUGE superplex from XYZ, and I think Jobber Jimbo might be broken in half!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "But, more importantly, the coast is clear for Blake Taylor…"
With the crowd booing, ‘the Prodigal Son’ drags himself to his feet on the apron. He stares up at the fourth and final present, breathing heavily, and starts his ascent of the corner. He is quick enough, with X only just rolling onto his front and realising what is happening when it is too late… Blake Taylor mounts the pole, reaches up, and unfastens the fourth present!!
Winner: Trash Mammal, Madison Gray, Sawyer Xavier, and Blake Taylor (collecting the fourth present) at 18:41.
Blake Taylor drops to his knees in the middle of the ring, holding the present up in the air above his head. He is nodding his head and beating his chest as the other three winners march back down the ramp to join him in the ring. XYZ and Jobber Jimbo, meanwhile, rolls under the bottom rope to give the victors their space.
Kurt Harrington: "Here are your winners: Trash Mammal, Madison Gray, Sawyer Xavier, and Blake Taylor!!"
The other three winners join Blake Taylor in the ring, their glances at one another uneasy as they each hold their presents at their sides. There is no music initially, with some confusion as to whose entrance music should be playing, until…
The crowd are mostly booing as Jon Russnow appears on stage, dressed from head to toe in a Santa Claus suit. He appears to be smiling but we can’t really be sure beneath the big white beard.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "That’s certainly a look for Russnow…"
Rod Sterling: "It’s something…"
Russnow is flanked by two FWA workers, who bring out a large contraption that is hidden under a black sheet. Jolly Old St. Russnow has a microphone in his hand.
Jon Russnow: "Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!"
Russnow says the words, but it’s clear his heart isn’t in it. He takes a few steps down the ramp as he continues.
Jon Russnow: "No, I can’t do it. It’s too much. Too hot. The beard, the hat. I can’t do it."
He suddenly halts to remove his beard and his hat, throwing them onto the ramp and continuing down the ramp.
Rod Sterling: "Did he just ruin Santa Claus?"
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Grow up, Rod."
Jon Russnow: "Now, I know what you’re thinking: it’s not Christmas anymore. That may be true… but if I understand timezones - which I don’t - then it’s Christmas somewhere! And that’s why each of you have a gift in your hands. But before we get to that, I’ve brought with me one of my own Christmas presents this year, if you’ll indulge me. I thought we’d buck the SecSpec trend, children, and have a little twist. Let’s play Black Christmas!"
There’s mostly confusion in the Beijing crowd, with the cultural references missed by a large portion of the audience. Russnow ploughs on regardless.
Jon Russnow: "But it will be my own special version of Black Christmas, winners. Only one of you will have the opportunity to swap, or - if you want to be boring - that person can choose to keep their gift. So, without further adieu, stage-servants…"
Those that have been wheeling Russnow’s contraption - his Christmas gift - remove the black sheet from it, revealing a regulation size dart board. Four bits of paper have been stuck onto the quadrants, with a close-up revealing scrawled labels: GRAY, TAYLOR, SAWYER, and TRASH.
Jon Russnow: "I may be a little old to be getting into pro darts, apparently, but I do enjoy a throw. And it helps with difficult decisions. It gave us the bounty, afterall, and for that I know we are all thankful! Well, maybe around forty to sixty percent of us. Regardless, this dart will decide who will have the opportunity to steal a present, if they so wish…"
Russnow throws the dart in the board, and it sticks into the dead centre of the section marked as ‘TAYLOR’. Blake doesn’t hesitate for a moment, immediately snatching Madison Gray’s present out of her hands and thrusting his own into her grasp. He smirks at her as he retreats across the ring.
Jon Russnow: "Very well then. The four presents are roughly the same size, containing various documents pertaining to your reward… or your punishment. For three of you, it's good news, with your gifts containing plane tickets. Two of the boxes are flights to Hong Kong, the location of Fallout 037. There, you will face each other for the chance to challenge Brooklyn Steiner for his FWA Television Championship at Fight Night."
The winners - particularly Blake, Madison, and Sawyer - have a hopeful look about them.
Jon Russnow: "The third plane ticket will instead take you directly to Tokyo, the site of our Fight Night supershow. There, you and two partners of your choosing will go up against the current FWA Trios Champions, the Coven."
It's Trash Mammal’s turn to pray to whatever God trash mammals believe in.
Jon Russnow: "And the fourth? Well, a pink slip is no substitute for a plane ticket, but it is roughly the same size when folded. So, on with the unboxing! Trash Mammal, seeing as you collected your present first, you can open yours."
Trash Mammal obliged, ripping the paper off like a child on Christmas morning (or January 14th). He eventually collects his document and reads it - his face turning to excitement - he holds it up to the camera - the destination reading TOKYO.
Rod Sterling: "That means Trash Mammal will be challenging for the FWA Trios Championships, and you'd have to think he will be doing so as part of Tr1ck or Tr4sh."
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Jesus…"
Jon Russnow: "Congrats, Trash Mammal! I’m sure you’re thrilled. But we’ve no time to waste. Lord knows we’ve all wasted enough of it already. Madison, I believe you were next, let’s see where you’re going: Hong Kong, or home…"
Gray takes a deep breath and then, with a lot more trepidation than Trash Mammal showed, she begins to open her gift. Eventually, with relief painted on her face, the camera reads the destination of her plane ticket over her shoulder: HONG KONG.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Meaning that Madison will be going to Hong Kong to compete at Fallout 038, for the chance to challenge Brooklyn Steiner for the FWA Television Championship. But who against?"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I think we’re about to find out…"
Jon Russnow: "And I’m sure you’ll love it there! Young Master Xavier -- you’re up!"
Xavier unwraps his present without hesitation. His face is unchanging as he reads the document. The camera has to almost creep in behind him to find out that it is indeed also a plane ticket, with HONG KONG again typed upon it.
Rod Sterling: "Madison Gray will be facing Sawyer Xavier at Fallout 038! That is the match that will decide Brooklyn Steiner’s first challenger."
Anzu Kurosawa: "Which means…"
Blake Taylor looks down at his present. Madison Gray stares at him, then points, then begins to crackle. After a moment of this, Trash Mammal begins to laugh too, though it is not clear if he really understands. Sawyer shakes his head, bored by all of this, and leaves the ring. We fade to black.
The scene opens in a brightly-lit hallway. The starch-white walls look like a hospital, but upon further inspection, it appears to be a museum. There are sleek, modern picture frames hanging on each side of a long hallway.
The first picture we see is dated November 18, 2007. Inside the frame, there is a picture of Lt. Wyoming becoming the inaugural FWA X Champion. The camera moves down the hallway, zooming in on pictures of other former FWA X Champions like Alexx, Wolf, and Baphomet.
At the end of the long hallway, there is a tall figure standing in front of a frame that is shrouded with a large black sheet. The man is wearing all black, a sharp contrast against the sterile white environment. The black cowboy hat and long, flowing leather duster make it relatively obvious that it’s current FWA X Champion, Tommy Bedlam.
Tommy Bedlam: “For nearly 17 years, the X Championship has been both the best and worst thing to happen to the careers of people in this company. For 17 years, it has been the source of dreams and nightmares. For 17 years, it has made careers and ruined lives.”
A black and white video clip of “The Golden One,” Devin Golden, winning the vacated X Championship plays with the date, May 17, 2009, written across the bottom of the screen. It’s replaced by another black and white clip, this one of Ryan Rondo defeating Golden for the title behind the date, January 17, 2010.
Tommy Bedlam: “It’s never been lost on me that some of the names who built this company, some of the people who laid the foundation that I now stand on, have held this title, MY TITLE.”
We see a black and white clip of Saint Sully winning his first FWA X Championship as “July 5, 2013” is sprawled across the screen. Then, there’s a clip of “The Wildcard” Jason Randall defeating Lord Vincent Takaab Blackbird on April 16, 2017.
Tommy Bedlam: “People I’ve stood in the ring with, people who I’ve defeated, people who’ve defeated me, they all etched their names into history by raising this championship over their heads.”
The black and white shots from the past begin to appear faster, beginning with Saint Sully claiming his fourth FWA X Championship from the top of a ladder on July 15, 2018. We see Michelle von Horowitz claiming her first X Championship as “February 29, 2020” sprawls across the screen. We see a clip of Gerald Grayson pinning Eli Black behind the date, “June 26, 2020.” That shot quickly fades into a clip of “Cosmic Horror” J.J. JAY! pinning Grayson
The camera begins to move down the long hallway closer to Tommy, taking the time to zoom in on some of the large black frames that cover the walls of the seemingly endless hallway. There is a picture of Konchu Hao winning a triple threat for the X Championship on March 6, 2021 beside a shot of “Disco’s Last Warrior,” Chris Peacock pinning Hao on April 9, 2021.
The camera pans to the other side of the hallway, where we see a picture of Kayden Knox beating J.J. JAY! for the title on September 17, 2021 beside a picture of Nate Savage defeating him on October 3 of the same year.
The screen flashes to video footage of Alyster Black beginning his legendary 520-day reign on November 5, 2021. The footage of black fades out as we see Cornelius Augustus Caesar pinning Jeffry Mason on April 8, 2023, in the second annual King of the Deathmatch.
The camera stops for a moment in front of a black-and-white photo of Shawn Summers raising the FWA TV Title and the X Title over his head at Rupert Watkins’ private granary, after he pinned Caesar on April 30, 2023.
We’re now at the end of the long hallway where Tommy is still standing in front of the largest frame, which still has a black sheet over it. He reaches up, and tugs on the corner of the sheet, pulling it away from the frame. There, above a bronze plate that bears the date July 23, 2023, there is a picture of a bloodied and battered Tommy Bedlam standing over Shawn Summers with the FWA X Championship held high over his head.
Tommy Bedlam: Jul 23, 2023. The day I etched my name in stone alongside some of the greatest names in the history of this company.
Tommy sits down in front of a chair under the framed photo of his victory, the X Championship draped carefully over his shoulder.
Tommy Bedlam: “This title, this piece of gold and leather, has been carried around by members of the Hall of Fame and underdogs. It belonged to Dreamers and Daredevils, Emperors and Saints.
Tommy stands up from the chair as the camera backs down the long corridor. Suddenly, blood begins to flow from the frames that hang on the wall as the glass in each picture shatters, creating a chaotic scene on the pristine marble floors. As his boots crunch the shattered glass that lies on the floor, he begins to leave a bloody trail of footprints as he walks toward the camera.
Tommy Bedlam:Disco Warriors and Cosmic Horrors have all walked to the ring with this belt wrapped around their waists.The FWA X Championship has changed the lives of Mad Wizards, Wildcards, Savants, Monsters, Emeralds, and Wolves. And, for nearly 200 days now, it has changed my life.”
Tommy Bedlam: Six months ago, I stood in the ring with a man who I absolutely hated, and I took EVERYTHING THAT HE COULD THROW AT ME! I bled, I sweated, I scratched, and I clawed, because nothing mattered more than winning the championship that so many of the greats who came before me have won.
Tommy Bedlam: For the better part of the last six months, I’ve defended this championship every time I’ve been asked to. I’ve gone against the wicked, and I’ve squared off against the weird. Now, I want to do something that has never been done. I want to defend my FWA X Title in the King of the Deathmatch.
Tommy takes the championship from his shoulder and lays it on the ground carefully among the mixture of blood and broken glass.
Tommy Bedlam: March 9, 2024. King of the Deathmatch III. You have your chance to etch your name into the same hallowed stone that so many others have carved their names into. There’s just one problem. You have to go through me to do it.
Tommy walks away, leaving the FWA X Championship in the middle of the chaotic scene of the hallway as the camera fades to black.
The reaction for the next entrance theme is muted through unfamiliarity, with the Beijing audience politely applauding the next three people to walk out onto the stage.
Kurt Harrington: “Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is a tag team match scheduled for one-fall, with a twenty minute time limit. Introducing first, accompanied to the ring by El Hijo de Garbage Von Truck… they are Sir Marmaduke Whistle and Kenji Marufuji… CTRL… ALT… REPEAT!”
Marmaduke and Kenji high-five the front row fans as they make their way to ring, doing their utmost to stir up the atmosphere before their match.
Rod Sterling: “Here comes another set of debutants, this time looking to make a splash in the tag team division here in the FWA. Let's see how Ctrl Alt Repeat get on in their maiden voyage…”
The camera cuts to the ring, where some more familiar faces greet us.
Kurt Harrington: “And their opponents… accompanied by In-Sync… the Backstreet Boy and Mike Stand… the Bad Boys Boy Band!!”
Marafuji and Whistle enter the ring whilst In-Sync leaves it, after issuing some final words of encouragement to his partners. The match referee conducts his final checks and then calls for the opening bell…
SECOND MATCH (1/20).
Ctrl Alt Repeat (Sir Marmaduke Whistle and Kenji Marufuji) w/ El Hijo de Garbage Von Truck vs. The Bad Boys Boy Band (Backstreet Boy and Mike Stand) w/ In-Sync.
Tag Team Match.
<< 00:00. >>
As the referee would officially begin the match by calling for the bell to be rung, at ringside El Hijo de Garbage Von Truck would walk up to In-Sync and offer his hand almost as if to say good luck. In-Sync would offer his hand back, only to be caught off guard as Ej Hijo would reveal a glass bottle in his other hand and proceed to smash it over his opposite valet's head and then be quick to push In-Sync underneath the ring apron and underneath the ring itself. The referee was none the wiser of this taking place, as he had been surrounded on both sides by Whistle and Marufuji who had been very insistent that match official check their gear for contraband a second time and Harold White was buying the distraction hook, line and sinker.
Jean Luc Watkins: “Our first introduction to this new tag team and one thing is already clear, this manager… whoever he is exactly. Let me look at my notes. El Hijo de Garbage Von Truck, ah yes. This guy isn’t scared to break the rules to give his team an advantage.”
The match would then begin as normal with Sir Marmaduke Whistle and Mike Stand electing themselves as the representatives to start the match for their respective teams. Whistle, making his FWA debut would find himself caught off guard, as he would be slapped hard across the face by Mike Stand before he was irish-whipped into the Bad Boys’ corner where he would proceed to stomp down on the uniquely dressed Englishman before tagging in Backstreet Boy. Backstreet Boy would launch himself off the bottom rope to leap over the ropes and crash down on top of Whistle with a heavy double footed stomp that had Whistle already looking in trouble as Double B goes for a cover early on.
ONE…TW- KICKOUT!
<< 03:12. >>
The first three minutes had very much seen the Bad Boys Boy Band controlling the match with Backstreet and Mike keeping Whistle in their corner and using quick tags to control the match and prevent Kenji from being brought into the contest, with it having been recognised that the more experience member of Ctrl Alt Repeat served the real threat to them. El Hijo de Garbage Von Truck the whole time had been slapping down on the canvas and demanding that his two employees try harder and not embarrass themselves on their first outing in the FWA. Frustration seemed to get the better of him though, as he would leap up onto the aron. This immediately would result in the referee coming over to speak to the team’s manager.
On cue, Kenji Marufuji would clamber through the ropes and charges forward and crash into Backstreet’s neck with a Lariat that dropped him down to the canvas. Mike Stand tries to react, but Marufuji rails him with a forearm smash knocking him off the apron before grabbing hold of Whistle and dragging him towards his corner.
Jean Luc Watkins: “That certainly is one way of doing things, and just like that Mr. Marufuji is now the legal man in the contest and has totally reversed the fortunes of the contest.”
Kenji shouts Whistle to stand back up at his more clumsy partner. Sir Marmaduke drags Backstreet Boy up onto his feet and then raises him up into the air with a Flackjack as Kenji leaps up and to connect with a Cutter as the pair look to finish the contest with High Bubble Tea (Dudley Death Drop) with Marufuji rolling on top for the cover.
ONE…TWO…THREE!
Winner: Ctrl Alt Repeat via pinfall at 04:28.
Rather than celebrate their victory, Kenji Marufuji forcefully pushes Backstreet Boy out of the ring with his feet, pushing him underneath the bottom rope. Harold White attempts to summon the winners to raise their hands, but instead, Sir Marmaduke Whistle starts pushing the referee towards the ropes and insists that he leaves. The pair’s manager makes his way up the ring steps and enters the ring, microphone in hand. The man, noticeably taller than both members of Ctrl Alt Repeat, bangs on the microphone a couple of times to check if it works before walking towards the middle of the ring. He is joined on his left side by Marufuji and on his right by Whistle, with both dropping to one knee.
El Hijo de Garbage Von Truck: ”My name is El Hijo de Garbage Von Truck, and yes, if you recognize the name, then that is because you are educated. I am indeed the son of Kommander Garbage Von Truck, one of the most distinguished men to ever work in the world of professional wrestling. And it is my job to carry on his legacy and keep the command going. The High Command can never be killed, and with these fine soldiers, we will achieve true glories as we wash in the blood of our enemies.”
El Hijo looks around and is only met with a few jeers, as it is clear that almost everyone has no idea what he is talking about.
El Hijo de Garbage Von Truck: ”We are the second coming of The High Command; you could call us THC². But the two men kneeling by my side, Kenji Marufuji to my left and Sir Marmaduke Whistle to my right, are Ctrl Alt Repeat, and they are the future of this industry. They do as I instruct them because my word is law—the only law that is worth anything. That is why I look to the back when I say this.”
El Hijo pivots himself to look up towards the entrance ramp.
El Hijo de Garbage Von Truck: ”I don’t care if you're part of the Stupid Alliance, Dark Roid Allies, The Runny Bummy System, Sleeping With Aunties, or whatever other stupid gimmicks you guys have been running around with. You are all amateurs, and sooner or later, you will grovel before my feet and ask for my mercy. It doesn’t matter if it's technical wrestling or deathmatch style; we welcome all comers. This isn’t about titles or bathing in golden glory. This is about education, and from what I have already seen, most of you are incredibly stupid.”
El Hijo doesn’t say another word and disrespectfully tosses his microphone across the canvas as he and his two minions make their way slowly towards the back, doing their best to get negative reactions from the onlooking fans.
Crossfire returns from a break where we find “Mister Europe” Derek Hunter already in the ring as he awaits his opponent…
Kurt Harrington: “The next match is scheduled for one fall with a twenty-minute-time-limit! Introducing first, from London, England and weighing in at 235 lb…he is Mister Europe…Derek Hunter!”
Hunter receives a smattering of applause as he waves it off and starts to loosen up…
The familiar theme song fills the building and The Wildcard comes out to a mixed reaction and stands on stage to look out at the crowd and bobs his head to the music. Once the song gets going, Randall makes his way down to the ring.
Kurt Harrington: “His opponent, from San Diego, California and weighing in at 234 lb…he is The Wildcard…Jason Randall!”
Once Randall gets in the ring he asks for a microphone from Kurt and waits for his music to fade out, but Derek Hunter on the other hand is in no mood to wait and wants to start the match already yet Randall holds his hand out and motions for him to hold on…
Jason Randall: “Wait a second there big fella, I know you’re eager to get this thing going and believe me when I say I’m looking forward to beating the living piss out of you, but first there’s something I want to say so hold your horses…”
Hunter is irate by this but referee Matthew Dean keeps him at bay.
Jason Randall: “I’ll do my best to make this short and sweet, and to be honest, I was actually a bit hesitant at first. I was sorely considering sitting it out. I almost wasn’t going to enter in this year’s King of the Deathmatch, but then I saw the announcement earlier this evening from the X Champion, Tommy Bedlam. After I heard what he said about defending his championship in the King of the Deathmatch, well, that made my decision a helluva lot easier.”
“You see, the X Championship was something I held near and dear to my heart when I had it. I took great pride in holding that title and bringing it back to its roots that it was missing for so long. It’s been far too long since I’ve held gold in this company, as a matter of fact, the only title I’ve ever held in FWA was the X Championship so it’s about time I get it back. I will be entering this year’s King of the Deathmatch, and I will be walking out of it as the new X Champion!”
The crowd pops for this announcement and Randall seems fired up.
Jason Randall: “I want anyone else that’s thinking about entering this tournament to watch this match as a preview of what’s to come. Oh yeah, Derek, I don’t know if anyone told you, but this is now a deathmatch…”
Derek Hunter looks confused as he was expecting a normal match, but Randall clocks him over the head with the microphone, causing a loud thud to echo in the building! Matthew Dean shrugs his shoulders and calls for the bell…
THIRD MATCH (1/20).
Jason Randall vs. Derek Hunter.
Deathmatch.
DING! DING! DING!
<< 00:00 >>
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Well, wrestling fans, it appears we have an impromptu deathmatch on our hands!”
Anzu Kurosawa: “Oh yeah, that’s what I’m talking about!”
Rod Sterling: “Also, big news, The Wildcard has announced himself as a participant in this year’s KODM!”
Randall has mounted Hunter and he’s laying into him with a barrage of stiff forearm strikes straight to the dome! Randall hops off of Hunter and postures a little to the crowd, who respond with cheers. Randall slides out of the ring and searches underneath the ring for some weapons, and he tosses in a plethora of steel chairs as well as a barbed wire baseball bat, a bag of unknown contents, and anything else he can get his hands on that can cause bodily harm to his opponent…there’s a loud pop from the fans after he retrieves a table from underneath the ring…but before he can slide it in the ring it’s knocked into him after Hunter kicks it into Randal with a baseball sliding kick!
Randall dropped the table as he was knocked back against the announcer’s desk. Hunter is outside of the ring now and pummels Randall up against the announce desk with a few punches, much to the dismay of the fans, and then Hunter tosses Randall back inside the ring…
Hunter plays up to the jeering fans and lets him know how he feels with a crude gesture toward them. Hunter re-enters the ring and he’s met with a brutal lariat from Randall! Randall stomps the holy hell out of Hunter, much to the delight of the fans. Hunter is still downed and Randall wallops him with a steel chair! He continues to batter Hunter’s back with the steel chair repeatedly before he tosses it aside…
Anzu Kurosawa: “This is what I like to see but it could use more blood!”
Rod Sterling: “Jesus, Anzu.”
Randall hoists Hunter up in a suplex position but then immediately drops him down onto a pile of steel chairs!
Rod Sterling: “Wildcard Special onto the chairs! Hunter is going to be feeling that one in the morning!”
<< 05:02 >>
Randall has the barbed wire baseball bat in his hands and he begins to wail away at Hunter with it, who is still writhing in agony on the pile of scattered chairs, and now trying to cover up from the barbed wire bat. Randall has Hunter in a seated position and starts to grind away at Hunter’s forehead with the barbed wire bat, while Hunter howls in pain and blood begins to trickle from his forehead…
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Randall must’ve heard your request Anzu because here comes the blood!”
Anzu Kurosawa: “Oh yeah!”
Randall searches for more goodies in his pile of weapons and finds a cheese grater!
Rod Sterling: “Where did he get that from?!”
Anzu Kurosawa: “He found it underneath the ring, Rod. You saw it yourself, he was right in front of us!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “I think the better question is what was that doing under the ring?”
Randall starts to grind again on Hunter’s forehead, but this time with the cheese grater, and the crowd is enjoying this thoroughly…
Rod Sterling: “That’s one way to use a cheese grater…”
Anzu Kurosawa: “If you ask me it’s the only way.”
Rod Sterling: “Are you okay, Anzu?”
Randall retrieves the table from the outside and slides it into the ring, and he slides in after but gets stomped on by Hunter for his troubles. Hunter continues to stomp a hole into Randall while blood pours from his forehead. Hunter drags Randall to a corner and continues to stomp on him there while the crowd begins to get heated with Hunter, and Hunter backs up a little before charging at Randall, but Randall moves out of the way and Hunter hits the corner sternum first!
Hunter stumbles out of the corner…HAIL MARY! Randall with the cutter and now a pin…
One…two…THR--NO!
<< 08:57 >>
Randall rolls out of the ring and searches underneath there for even more weaponry, and eventually he finds the light tubes! He re-enters the ring with his new weapons and swings for the fences with a light tube right to the midsection of Hunter! Shards of glass shatter all over and Hunter hunches over, clutching at his midsection but that leaves his back open for more punishment as another light tube is shattered across his back! Randall tosses the rest of the tubes down on the mat, and then he brings Hunter in close…WILDCARD SPECIAL ONTO THE LIGHT TUBES!
Anzu Kurosawa: “Hell yeah!”
Rod Sterling: “I don’t know who is more bloodthirsty, you or these fans, Anzu!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Probably both equally, why are you so surprised by this, Sterling? It's not some shocking revelation, it's well documented that Anzu enjoys violence."
Hunter writhes in agony on the mat in the broken shards of glass while Randall sets up the table and then pours a bunch of glass christmas ball ornaments on top of the table. Randall takes Hunter in position and lifts him up…POWERBOMB THROUGH THE TABLE OF ORNAMENTS! Randall hooks the leg for the pin…
One…two…THREE!!!
Winner: Jason Randall via pinfall at 10:37.
Randall has his hand raised after he’s helped to his feet and then he exits the ring without looking back while the referee tends to Derek Hunter…
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Message sent loud and clear by The Wildcard to anyone else that dares to enter the KODM. There’s more action on the way, wrestling fans!”
Katie Lynn Goldsmith is backstage with microphone in hand for Crossfire. She smiles warmly to the camera as it pans out to show the full force of The Menage, with the caped crusader XYZ front and center.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Well, the show is taking a turn to the make-believe world of XYZ and The Menage. You'd think we saw enough of his antics during the Secular Spectacular, but n..."
Anzu Kurosawa: "XYZ is a national treasure! I know times have been tougher but he always keeps his spirit intact."
Jean-Luc Watkins: "How anyone is not tired of his shtick by now, I will not understand."
He's flanked by Frank, Sierra, Lizzy, PacMan Bert, and Christian Howard, who all either force smiles or have a naturally pleasant vibe about them. However, in the very back of the group is a seemingly disgruntled Wild Jerry, who has his arms folded across his chest and a general look of "I don't want to be here" discontent.
Katie Lynn Goldsmith: "XYZ, it has been a rough patch for you and The Menage lately. You lost to El Vengador after trying to recruit him to The Menage, and then you lost in the Secular Spectacular match earlier tonight. What's next for The Menage and XYZ in 2024?"
XYZ, in his usual way of dramatization, looks at Katie and then closes his eyes as he turns his head in a nondescript direction. He then opens his eyes dramatically and stares into the camera intensely.
“I know … it feeeeeeeels … like the world is on a spiral. … Discouragement presides … in the absence of success, and it’s … understandaaaaable.
But … even in the hours of defeat … there are reasons … for us … to hold our heads high. We can spot progress … through the weeds. The grip of the stone god loosens with each experience … of leeeearning.”
Jean-Luc Watins: "None of this means anything! He just strings words together."
Anzu Kurosawa: "I understand and I AM a believer."
“And our hour … is nearing. We are close. Our ranks have stagnated, but The Menage is strong. It is powerful. El Vengador was not our man. He was not fit for us. He does not have the heart needed for our purpose! And that is okay! I wish him peace and tranquility in the foredom of his breathing experience.
And as we move beyond our training exercise with El Vengador … the Avenger … as we move beyond our battles with Bedlam of the Tommies for the XYZ Championship … we must look to the bright moon for guidance, to the waves of the lost oceans for the road’s next turn. And the next turn is …”
"Nah, nah. Hold up."
An accented voice from behind XYZ speaks up and you can see Wild Jerry push his way through the rest of The Menage to the front, standing next to XYZ but not with him. His posture is tense.
“Nah, gringo. I gotta speak up.”
XYZ pauses and watches as Wild Jerry squares his shoulders to him.
“This shit wack, yo. I can’t keep listenin’ to this rabble-rabble without no damn wins. What we doin’ here, y’all? Y’all good with this? Just loss after loss after loss? I put up with it for a while and played the good guy and went with the flow. I kept my voice shut to keep the peace in the bus, but the magic is gone, y’all. It ain’t even was much there to begin with!
Nah, man. I’m sorry, X. This ain’t it. I can’t sit back and watch my friends waste away. Me, Frank, PacMan … we came with ya’ because that old man Golden told us to. He said we needed you and you needed us, but it seems this ain’t a balanced thing no more. We ain’t gettin’ shit from it and you out here talkin’ jibberish after every damn loss.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Finally! Someone in this group shows some reason!"
XYZ tries to interject and defend himself, but Wild Jerry's voice is louder in the room.
“We ain’t gettin nothin’ from you, gringo! What have you done for us?! What have you given us? How has Frank gotten better?! What his purpose in this shit?! He just sittin’ back! I’m sittin’ back! We all sittin’ back!
I think it’s time for a change, so I’m bouncin’. I know the rest of y’all are softies, but I hope y’all man up eventually and come on through. It’s time, mudas. It’s been time.”
Wild Jerry walks off, leaving the scene of the conflict. Suddenly, another body in the sea of The Menage moves away. For the first time in months, PacMan Bert lifts his face up from his handheld Pacman video game and moves timidly across the group from right to left in the direction Wild Jerry went. He hesitates to fully leave, looking at the group with sorrow, but finally puts his head back down and follows after the insurrectionist.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "XYZ finally has someone push through and away from him! The Menage is splintering amid the pressure! The wheels of progress are slow, but Wild Jerry is the gas pedal speeding that wheel up tonight!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "What a shame, man. I feel for XYZ. He isn't a confrontational person, especially within his family."
There is a largely negative reaction from the fans watching as it is time for the main event of the Crossfire Christmas Special, and Johnny ‘The Legend’ Johnson saunters out from the back with his arms outstretched and a smirk on his face.
Kurt Harrington: “The following contest is your main event of the evening and it is set for one fall with a twenty-minute time limit! Introducing first, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and weighing in at two-hundred and thirty pounds… JOHNNY ‘THE LEGEND’ JOHNNNNSONNNNNNNNN!!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Johnny Johnson back here in the FWA after a few months away, returning at Winter Wasteland where he made an open challenge which was answered by ‘The Prodigy’ Mike Parr.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “It was a battle of two former North American Champions and a winner couldn’t be decided as they played out a time limit draw! It seems that Johnson’s performance in that match was enough to impress the right people because at Fallout 037 in Hong Kong, he will compete for a shot at becoming the number one contender for the FWA World Championship!”
Rod Sterling: “What we saw at Winter Wasteland definitely merits his inclusion for sure, but first he has to focus on a man that he got to know reasonably well last year and has a bit of a bone to pick with him, if you ask me.”
Johnson enters the ring and stands in the middle of it with his arms out once more but then he picks a fight with a fan in the front row and starts a shouting match with them. As he does this, his music fades out.
Despite the upbeatness of his entrance music, Juan Tothrefor walks out from the back with purpose. Both Halloween Knight and Trash Mammal are with him, and they pat him on the back in support before sending him on his way down to the ring. Juan forgoes any sort of showmanship, with his focus squarely on Johnson in the ring.
Kurt Harrington: “His opponent, representing Tr1ck or Tr4sh… from Mexico City, Mexico and weighing two-hundred and twenty-nine pounds… JUAN TOOOOTHREEEEEEFOOOOOOOOOORRR!!!”
Anzu Kurosawa: “We’re used to seeing Tr1ck or Tr4sh enjoying themselves together - their undefeated run as a group speaks to that - but before joining up with Trash Mammal and Halloween Knight, Juan Tothrefor had his fair share of run ins with Johnny Johnson.”
Rod Sterling: “Johnson looked to belittle the Mexican star as much as he could and I don’t think Juan has let any frustration he felt from that situation go, which is why he asked for this match here tonight.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Juan has trained under CWA legend Chubby Carlos in Mexico as part of the Art of Lucha promotion, where he is a four-time former Television Champion. Gold could be in his future here in the FWA too, with Trash Mammal securing a shot at the FWA World Trios Championships earlier on in the Secular Spectacular.”
Juan enters the ring and he shakes his head at the sight of Johnny Johnson taunting him and sarcastically waving at him. The referee in the middle is Richard Davis, and he completes his checks on both competitors and then calls for the bell!
FOURTH MATCH (1/20).
Johnny Johnson vs. Juan Tothrefor.
Singles Match.
As soon as the bell rings, Juan has the crowd on their feet as he charges straight at Johnson and knocks him down with a running Cross Body! Johnson attempts to roll out of harm’s way, but Juan picks him up and then shoots him across the ring. Johnson rebounds off of the ropes and comes back at Juan, who stands firm and knocks him down to the mat with a Shoulder Block. Johnson rises up once more and Juan takes him over with an Arm Drag, and the momentum sends ‘The Legend’ sprawling under the bottom rope and down to the floor.
Johnson rises to his feet at ringside with a shocked look on his face, but he does not have much time to realign as Juan slingshots himself over the top rope and takes him down with a Plancha at ringside! The fans are firmly in support of the numerical luchador and he claps his hands together four times, before rolling Johnson into the ring once more. Juan slides back in and as Johnson is getting up, Juan knocks him flat down on his back with a Basement Dropkick! Juan then goes for a cover;
ONE… TW-NO!!
Rod Sterling: “You can tell just how much Juan Tothrefor doesn’t like Johnny Johnson - he’s started off quickly and almost had him right there. How embarrassing that would have been for ‘The Legend’.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “The important thing now is for Juan to build on this hot start. The last thing that he can afford to do is allow Johnson a way into the match. Not allowing your opponent to even get started is a surefire way to secure a victory in a match like this.”
It seems as if Juan is ready to take Anzu’s advice onboard, as he picks Johnson up and walks him over to the corner and bounces his head off of the top turnbuckle! Juan then stands on the middle turnbuckle and starts punching Johnson on the top of the head… four times! Juan then jumps down, lifts Johnson up… AND PLANTS HIM WITH A FALCON ARROW!! Juan grabs Johnson’s legs and Davis counts;
ONE… TWO… NO!!!
Jean-Luc Watkins: “You really do have to consider whether Johnny Johnson does indeed have one eye on his match on Fallout 037 and perhaps he came into this match overlooking Juan Tothrefor. It would be a bad note to begin the year on for ‘The Legend’, especially going into that five-way in Hong Kong.”
It is not enough to get the win for Juan, but he is straight back up to his feet and he measures Johnson. A kick to the midsection follows, and Juan hooks Johnson up… and takes him over with a Suplex! The crowd knows what is coming next as Juan rolls his hips and delivers a second Suplex! Johnson can be heard panting and groaning as he is brought up once more. Juan gives Johnson another Suplex! Juan holds a finger up and rolls his hips once more. He prepares to give Johnson the fourth of the FOUR AMIGOS - BUT JOHNSON BLOCKS THE SUPLEX!
He hooks Juan’s leg to stop him from being able to take him over, and then adjusts his hips… and delivers a venomous Snap Suplex to the luchador! The look on Johnson’s face makes it clear that he knows he underestimated Juan and was paying for it, but he wipes his mouth and gets to his feet. Juan sits up on the mat and Johnson stomps on his face to knock him down. The crowd are unhappy, but Johnson waves them off and ignores them. Another stomp to Juan’s chest follows from ‘The Legend’.
Almost in an instant has the early advantage obtained by Tothrefor dissipated and Johnson brings him up to his feet by his mask. After a few cross words, Johnson traps Juan’s arms and begins to deliver some strong and repeated Headbutts to Juan’s face. Johnny grits his teeth with every blow and after a few, Juan’s body falls limp, allowing Johnson to slam him down to the mat.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “I may have spoken slightly prematurely before, as now we see that Johnny Johnson has taken this match by the scruff of its neck. We know that the disdain between these two men goes both ways and now is the chance for Johnson to asset his will.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “Juan failed to follow through from that highlight reel of a start to the match. After holding onto this need to beat Johnson and prove himself for months, a loss here would be devastating for him.”
On the mat, Juan attempts to get back up but a stomp to the back of his head from ‘The Legend’ puts an end to that. Johnson hits the ropes and comes crashing down on top of Juan with a Running Back Senton! Johnson flips him over onto his back and hooks a leg;
ONE… TWO… THR-NO!!
The kick out from Juan only increases the anger in the response from Johnson. Johnny punches Juan on the head several times before smearing his hand on his face and grabbing at the mask, causing a slight tear. Some of Juan’s black hair pokes through the torn seam and Juan instantly goes to cover up his face. This leaves him susceptible and open for Johnson to attack him some more, which he does with more punches to the head.
The referee orders Johnson away, and Juan edges towards the ropes to create a bit of separation… but Johnson charges across the ring to punt him the ribs! Juan holds his side whilst Johnson lifts him up from the mat once more. There is some impressive strength on show by Johnson as he elevates Juan up above his head, before driving him into the mat with a BRAINBUSTER!!!
Jean-Luc Watkins: “BRAINBUSTAAAAAAAH! Johnson could have him here!”
Johnny with the lateral press;
ONE… TWO… THRE-NO!!!
Rod Sterling: “Some impressive resilience being shown by Juan Tothrefor here tonight in the main event. However, if you’ll pardon the pun, his days could be numbered.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “The guy doesn’t want to give up on this match and hey, you’ve got to give him some credit for that.”
This time following the kickout, Johnson turns his attention to the referee. He is not happy with the speed of Richard Davis’s counting and demands that he counts faster next time. The time taken for Johnson to tell off the official is crucial for Juan, though, as it enables him to get to his knees where he can mount a bit of offence with a couple of punches to the midsection of Johnson. The crowd start to rally behind Juan once more as he fights his way up to his feet.
The luchador is able to land a couple more punches to Johnson, but ‘The Legend’ quickly cuts him off with a knee to the midsection. As Juan is doubled over, Johnson stands over him. Johnson clasps his hands around Johnson’s waist, attempting a Gutwrench, but Juan lands on his feet behind him. Juan applies a Full Nelson, looking to lift Johnson up with it, but Johnson spins around and gets behind Juan… AND TRIES TO APPLY THE GREATEST SUBMISSION!
Juan, however, does not allow Johnson to apply the Cobra Clutch and Snapmares Johnson forwards out of it! Johnson seems incredibly frustrated as he sits on the mat, pounding it with his fist.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “When you consider how long Juan Tothrefor has been waiting for this match, it should come as no surprise that he has one of Johnson’s most important moves scouted. He’s got a reputation for being a student of the sport back in Mexico and we’ve seen that in his FWA career thus far.”
When Johnson gets up, Juan catches him with a kick to the midsection. This doubles Johnson over and Juan follows up with another kick to the shin! Another kick to the knee takes it out from underneath Johnson and after some crowd encouragement, Juan cracks Johnson with a SUPERKICK TO THE FACE! The Counting Stars sequence complete, Juan does a little shimmy for the crowd before ducking through the ropes and settling on the ring apron.
Juan points four fingers in the air and steadies himself… LOOKING FOR THE SENOR SENTON… NO ONE HOME!! Johnson rolls out of the way of the springboard, and Juan rises from the mat holding his lower back. This allows Johnson to think fast, planting Juan on the mat with THE LEGEND’S END!!! Johnson hooks both legs;
ONE… TWO… THREE!!!
Winner: Johnny Johnson via pin fall at 10:31.
Kurt Harrington: “Here is your winner… JOHNNY ‘THE LEGEND’ JOHNSON!”
There is not much enthusiasm from the crowd as Johnson rises to his knees in victory, finally putting an end to the issues he has had with Juan Tothrefor. He gets his arm raised by the referee and then demands that he get out of his limelight. Juan rolls out of the ring and holds the back of his head on the floor.
Anzu Kurosawa: “A valiant effort from Juan Tothrefor is not enough to stop Johnny Johnson here tonight on Crossfire and well, at least he has that Trios Championship match to look forward to!”
Rod Sterling: “Juan can head home tonight with his head held high, despite the result. Johnny Johnson looked pretty good in there, as much as I hate to admit it.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Perfect timing as well of course, wrestling fans. Johnny Johnson will compete against Cyrus Truth, Jay Kenny, Trixie Bordeaux and Gabrielle Montgomery on Fallout 037, with the winner becoming the number one contender for the FWA World Championship at The Grand March.”
Johnson is now on the middle rope, motioning around his waist and nodding his head. The message has been sent to his four competitors in Hong Kong.
There’s a largely mixed reaction from the fans, but mostly leaning towards the boos, as the familiar music plays and instead of seeing Chris Peacock in person, attention is drawn to the side of the stage. A car horn is heard and then a white Cadillac appears into view, reversing towards the side of the entrance ramp.
Rod Sterling: “Well, I do recognise that vehicle and of course we do know this music. My question is simply, why is Chris Peacock coming out here on Crossfire? Why is his car here?”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “I could speculate about some sort of paranoia and fear of car theft so he wants to keep it in clear sight. Although, I never know what is going through this lunatic’s head, so it is anyone’s guess, really.”
Anzu Kurosawa: “You don’t think he is going to be driving a certain impeded individual around, do you? I mean, this is a former FWA World Champion… he’s not going to be chauffeuring Allen Price around, is he?”
Chris Peacock exits the car from the driver’s door and he looks around at the crowd for a moment. He slams the door shut behind him and climbs up onto the ramp where he walks towards the ring. He’s dressed similarly to how he was at Winter Wasteland, in a black tank top and trousers, but his hair is not tied back tonight and flows freely.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “All joking aside, it seems that Chris Peacock has something that he wants to say. We’ve yet to properly hear from him since he lost the FWA World Championship to Alyster Black at Lights Out and he only properly returned at Winter Wasteland where he - along with Black - were unable to recapture the FWA Tag Team Championships.”
Rod Sterling: “That was thanks in part to a certain weasel, who Peacock may end up facing in the latter stages of the F1 Cllimaxxx.”
As Peacock enters the ring, he is passed a microphone and also asks for a steel chair which he waits on for a moment. Once in the ring, he opens up the chair and places it in the middle of the ring, and sits down. His music cuts out and he is left mulling for a moment.
Chris Peacock: “Feels like it has been a while since I’ve done something like this… but hey, it is a new year, right? A chance for new beginnings and fresh starts. We’ve all had a couple of weeks since Winter Wasteland to think about the year that just went by and what we hope to achieve in 2024 and if you’re me, there’s a lot to think about on both counts.
“2023 was the year that I finally put that marker down and told the world that I’m the kind of guy that needs to be taken seriously. I won the world title, the tag titles… I got the Triple Crown after less than three years in this company. I don’t give a shit about your special New Year you guys have got over here with all the animals or whatever but let me tell you something… 2023 was the Year of the Peacock.”
The fans boo Peacock’s ignorance, but he doesn’t react to it at all.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “For those unaware, 2023 was actually the Year of the Rabbit.”
Chris Peacock: “Now, as for what is still to come… I could sit here and talk about how 2024 is going to be the same for me. I’m in the F1 Climaxxx, I’ll be free for Carnal Contendership and I’m sure for someone with my credentials another shot at the FWA World Championship shouldn’t be off the cards. After all, if Cyrus Truth can con his way into another contendership match…
“The Truth is though… is that this might be a new year, but I don’t feel like a new me. There are all of these opportunities open to me, but I’m really not sure I’m motivated enough to take them. The success that I achieved in 2023 can’t be replicated at the moment, because there’s just too many other things occupying my time right now.
“I can talk about championships and opportunities but right now, all of my roads lead to one place… to one man. Randy Ramon.”
A big cheer goes up for the mention of the ‘Rockstar’, and this seems to bug Peacock slightly, but he keeps his composure.
Chris Peacock: “All paths lead to Ramon, but I can’t walk any of them right now because that piece of crap just picks and chooses when he comes to work!”
There is no sense of Peacock picking up on the irony of that statement after doing the same thing for two months.
Chris Peacock: “Randy, I’m going to be right here. Every show, every country and every night until you grow the balls to look me in the eye and fight me like a man. No more sneak attacks, no more disguises… the next time I see you, Ramon, we’re doing this thing. So whenever you’re ready to end this thing once and for all, you come and find me.”
After staring intensely into the camera when delivering those lines directly to Randy Ramon, Peacock allows his face to relax a bit and then rises from the chair. He paces slowly around the ring as he talks.
Chris Peacock: “Until then, though, I need to find some things to occupy my time and my brain. There’s the F1 Climaxxx, sure, and of course, when Alyster does come back we’re going to be taking our tag titles back and then take down Jeremy and the rest of those pricks… but all of that stuff takes time. The thing is though, I’m not a very patient man.
“I don’t see any results from the Climaxxx for months and I don’t know when Alyster is coming back. I’m giving him the same space that he afforded me and as soon as he’s ready, I’m there for him. So, I thought about what is something that I can do now. Without the need for waiting… what is something I can do now to tell myself that I can start this year off on the right foot? Do something a bit proactive?”
A grin forms on Peacock’s face, making some in the crowd slightly uneasy as he has clearly been ‘up to’ something.
Chris Peacock: “I’ve done something. Now, I don’t expect all of you to understand why, but I’m pretty proud of myself. I didn’t understand the Christmas branding of this show but it makes a bit more sense now… because I have a gift for you all!”
Like an excited child in late December, after placing the microphone on the chair, Peacock tiptoes towards the ropes. Once he is out of the ring, he gleefully jogs towards his car and once he is there, he pops the trunk.
Anzu Kurosawa: “Do either of you two feel a bit uneasy about all of this? I have no idea what Peacock is doing…”
Rod Sterling: “I gave up trying to anticipate what his next move was a while back, Anzu. All I know is that whatever he has concocted, it isn’t good.”
Peacock reaches into the trunk and pulls out a large object and slings it over his shoulder. It is grey and covered in fur and hangs limply down his back as he shuts the trunk of the car. People nearby gasp when they realise what it is.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “THAT’S WEASELDREAMER! We alluded to it earlier, but it arguably was weaseldreamer that cost FTN the tag titles at Winter Wasteland and it seems like Chris Peacock didn’t want to wait for Alyster Black to return in order to exact his revenge!”
When Peacock reaches the bottom of the ramp, he rolls weaseldreamer into the ring and it is clear that she is not in a good way whatsoever as her body is completely limp. When Peacock gets back into the ring himself, he has to prop up the lifeless body against the bottom turnbuckle. It is at this point it is visible that he has affixed a red bow and a gift tag to the front of the weaselperson costume, reading “TO ALYSTER, FROM CHRIS.” He grabs the microphone once more.
Chris Peacock: “Surprise! I know that Alyster isn’t here to open his present himself, but this won’t be the first thing we’ve shared together, if you know what I mean. What? Oh, I’m talking about the tag titles and our FWA Awards! FTN - Tag Team of the Year… that one must have pissed you off, huh?”
Peacock kicks weaseldreamer’s foot and laughs and then gets down in front of the masked face and talks in a slower and more hushed tone.
Chris Peacock: “Now, you’ve been bothering my friend for quite some time now, Michelle. I’m calling you that because I refuse to go along with this bullshit, by the way. You’ve been coming after someone I care about quite a lot and well, usually I’d just let Alyster fight his own battles. But at Winter Wasteland… well, you kind of got in my business, too.
“We’re not strangers to each other, Michelle. I haven’t forgotten that. You must have hated it when I beat you last year at The Grand March, and then when me and Alyster won the titles from you and your little friend… that one must have stung, right? The thing is, we chased your friends away and this company has been a better place for it. That one must be a hard pill to swallow too, right? I am the Dreamer’s Nightmare, after all!
“Look, if there’s anyone who understands revenge, it’s me, Michelle. I mean, look at us right now! I must admit though, I find it amusing that you decided to just focus on Alyster, though. I’m sure you’re probably going to paint it as me not being worth your time, but I think we both know the truth, Michelle. You went after Alyster because you know that if you tried going after me, this is what was going to happen. The thing is though, you did fuck me over at Winter Wasteland.
“I was supposed to celebrate being reunited with my best friend and you ruined it. I can’t let that kind of thing slide, Michelle. Now, like I said, I’m not a very patient man, so I don’t feel like waiting until the other end of the Climaxxx to get my hands on you. So maybe, you can go and join your little buddy wherever he’s gone and… hang on. I can’t speak into this mask anymore. I want to see the look in your eyes-”
Peacock rips the mask off of weaseldreamer’s face and recoils when he sees something that he wasn’t expecting. The crowd lets out a cheer upon the reveal, although they are not pleased to see who was actually under the weaselperson mask…
Jean-Luc Watkins: “MADISON GRAY?! That’s not Michelle von Horrowitz, but it is her partner from the Buddy Bowl! What’s going on here?!”
The sight of an unconscious Madison Gray in the weaselperson costume causes Peacock to drop the microphone in confusion and he looks down into the mask for a moment, before turning around…
STRAIGHT INTO A BUSAIKU KNEE STRIKE!!!
There’s another mixed reaction as over Chris Peacock stands MICHELLE VON HORROWITZ!! ‘Dreamer’ looks down at Peacock, who starts to stir on the mat.
Anzu Kurosawa: “I can’t quite explain how, but MvH saw this coming and Madison Gray ended up in the weaselperson costume! Maybe ahead of the F1 Climaxxx, von Horrowitz wanted Peacock’s attention after all and what happened at Winter Wasteland wasn’t just about Alyster Black.”
Rod Sterling: “It looked like Peacock wanted to send a message to the rest of the field in the F1 Climaxxx and to MvH, but she’s about to send one of her own with that steel chair!”
MvH casts a look at Madison Gray briefly and ‘The Young Lioness’ slowly opens her eyes but is still very much groggy. With the chair in her hand and folded back up, MvH waits on Peacock to rise up from the mat slightly and then SMASHES HIM ON THE TOP OF THE HEAD WITH THE STEEL CHAIR!!!
Peacock crumples down to the mat and Michelle drops the chair down next to him as he looks up at the ceiling, confused with blood trickling down his head and face onto the mat. Michelle then rolls out of the ring under the bottom rope and drags Madison Gray out with her, helping Gray up the ramp herself.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “The winner of the 2023 F1 Climaxxx has sent a clear message to the rest of the field by taking out another of the favourites to win the whole thing in 2024 and this year has started just as badly as the previous one ended for Chris Peacock…”
Anzu Kurosawa: “If there’s one thing that we know about Peacock, it is that he is not going to take this one lying down. Michelle must know to expect some sort of retribution, but she’s going to be ready for it.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Look at the look on Chris Peacock’s face. He said before that he was struggling to find some motivation for 2024 and I think that Michelle von Horrowitz just gave him some.”
Peacock has regained some sort of awareness and having crawled to the ropes and with his head and arm slung over the bottom rope, he watches MvH leave along with Gray with a vengeful look on his bloodied face as the show comes to an end.
