We open on a sunrise above the desolate desert. The baron landscape is only broken up by a tall mountain in the east, above which the sun appears. As it climbs, a dozen large trucks and as many buses branded with FWA insignia arrive at the scene. We watch the footage speeded up a thousand times as a small army appears and - within the space of the day, the sun reaching its apex and then retreating again on the opposite side of the picture - erects the necessary apparatus for a wrestling show. A small stage comprising of steel mesh and barbed wire backs onto a large, temporary warehouse. A ramp runs from the stage to the ringside area, where an array of hardware has been left for the use of the men and women who will arrive tomorrow. A steel barricade separates a large area around the ring from nothing but desert. There are no seats or benches. One by one, the trucks and buses fill up with excess materials and workers and disappear.
The sun sets and darkness reigns. We cut to a close-up of the ring. There is no music over the scene. We can hear only the whistling of the wind. Across the FWA logo in the centre of the squared circle, a scorpion slowly scuttles under the pale moonlight. We cut away from it to spools of barbed wire stacked by the steel ring steps. Then to bundles of lighttubes that are propped up against the opposite barricade. Tables are stacked against one another next to the ring ramp. A podium stands on the stage, but at the moment it is empty.
Back in wide shot, the sun rises again. All is quiet.
A series of vehicles drive into the scene, each parking near the temporary warehousing unit erected by the stage. A 2023 Buick rental… a silver Toyota Corolla… a yellow ‘magic’ school bus… a black Ford Ranger…. Another montage shows a sequence of doors opening and boots being planted in the sand. We see none of their faces by design, but see the full profile of the last of them. He is wearing a mask and has his FWA X Championship on his shoulder. He looks around at the empty ring and the general desolate landscape that surrounds him. He sighs deeply and enters the warehousing unit to prepare.
The last to arrive are the roughly three hundred fans that are bused in from eighteen different locations spanning North America. Those that have been keeping up with the dirtsheets will know that none of them really knew where they were going when they boarded the transportation, as was the case last year. They are a combination of friends of the FWA and competition winners, the journey to the desert undertaken in the middle of the night, blindfolded, and with all GPS-enabled devices strictly prohibited. The fans file out of their buses, synchronised to arrive at the same time, just shortly before opening bell, and fan out to surround the ring and the ramp. Most are carrying cool-boxes and open containers. The silence of the desert is punctured by the general din and occasional chanting of the fans, as well as a small pop when Anzu Kurosawa walks out onto the stage and takes up position at the announcer’s booth.
Finally, the small screen above the entrance on the stage stirs into life. It displays four letters.
And then…
There’s a pop of excitement at first as the speaker system around the stage breaks out into song, but this descends into a decidedly mixed reaction as Thomas West, last year’s tournament winner, walks out onto the stage. He has the Crown of Thorns positioned delicately upon his head.
Anzu Kurosawa: "Welcome, friends, to the 2023 edition of the King of the Deathmatch, from an undisclosed location here in the United States of America… and we’re kicking things off with the introduction of last year’s winner…"
Natalie Rosenberg: "Please welcome at this time… the 2022 King of the Deathmatch… Thomas West!!"
Thomas has something of a wistful look on his face as he walks towards the ramp, pausing as he reaches the currently empty podium at the top of it. He looks at the ring, tapping the top of the podium hesitantly, and then after a resolute shake of the head he takes the crown off his head. He rests it carefully on the podium, checking that it is positioned perfectly on the centre before turning away from the ramp.
Anzu Kurosawa: "Thomas West is of course here to join me at the announcer’s booth for what I’m sure will be an incredible Stage One of action… Thomas, it’s great that you could be here in some capacity, even if you’re not going to compete in the ring."
Thomas West: "Don’t put any ideas into my head, Anzu! I’m already on the fence. I just might jump you yet and take your place in this tournament!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "No need. At the rate people have been added to and removed from KODM2, I’m sure all you need to do is ask. Speaking of which: an expanded field of eighteen competitors are entering the fray here beneath this oppressive midday sun. As someone who has gone all the way in this tournament before, who do you fancy?"
Thomas West: "That’s something of a difficult question to answer, Anzu, when just under half of the field is currently unknown to us going into the competition. With seven mystery competitors it’s difficult to pick a clear forerunner. Who knows, maybe we’ll see a Nephew or two pop up over the course of today, in which case I’ll most likely switch my choice. But I think we’re destined to see Alyster Black and Kleio De Santos go at it during this tournament. Potentially in the final if the allegedly random draw doesn’t serve it up in an earlier round."
Anzu Kurosawa: "Hurtful, Thomas."
Thomas West: "You’re my pick for the CIBERNETICO! of Death."
Anzu Kurosawa: "I don’t think we’re doing that this year."
Thomas West: "So much change…"
We cut away from the commentators and to the stage, just in time for…
There’s another mixed reaction around the desert as the music of Sawyer Xavier plays, and this mixture of cheers and boos continues when the young man walks out onto the stage. He makes his way down the ramp, looking anxiously at the various hardware that has been left around it.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Ladies and gentlemen, the following is your King of the Deathmatch 2023 opening contest!!"
A huge cheer, a roar really, momentarily breaks out over the mixed reaction for Xavier.
Natalie Rosenberg: "… and is your first of nine X Rules Deathmatches! Introducing first, from Savannah, Georgia and weighing in at one hundred and seventy six pounds… SAWYER… XAVIER!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "An uneven run towards this tournament in the preview matches for Sawyer Xavier. He triumphed in a trios match back on Fallout 026, but in Detroit on 027 he was defeated by Death Walker in a triple threat match, where it was his shoulders that were pinned to the mat."
Thomas West: "But I’ve always seen something in Sawyer Xavier. We got a taste of it back at the Anniversary Show when he was instrumental in Meltdown’s success, and this weekend could very well be his weekend. Last year it was Kleio De Santos that had the star-making turn… this year, why not Sawyer Xavier?"
Sawyer waits patiently in the ring, at first leaning against the corner and adjusting his pads. As this wait goes on, though, he grows a tad more impatient, beginning to pace a little in the ring whilst loosening up his joints and staring up the ramp at the stage.
Thomas West: "This is the beauty of blind bracketing, Anzu: we’ve no idea who’s going to be coming out of that curtain right now. And with so many mystery participants, it could be literally anyone…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I just hope they don’t all make us wait this long. Between that and the clean-ups, this could be a long day."
Just like Xavier in the ring, the fans in attendance are also staring at the stage, assuming that the next participant will emerge from the traditional outlet. Their anticipation grows and grows and grows as we wait and wait and wait…
And then, from the distance, we begin to hear a low rumble. So do the fans, and even Sawyer Xavier, and they are bemused that it doesn’t seem to be emanating from the speaker system on the stage, or in fact from the stage altogether. Indeed, from the other side of the ring, and seemingly from over the brow of a hill, the rumbling noise grows and grows and grows… until appearing over the top of the slope are a dozen men, spread out in a wide line and with thick ropes upon their shoulders. They are not alone: from behind them, a second dozen men appear, each clutching the same rope as the one in front of them, still spread out but a little closer together. Their movement is slow, especially as they struggle to reach the brow of the hill, but eventually more and more of these workhorses appear, each pulling the same rope as the man in front of them in seemingly unending toil…
Finally, way behind these forerunners and in the centre of them all, what appears to be a crow’s nest appears, rising above the lip of the landscape. Standing within it is a young woman, holding a telescope. The camera strains to zoom and focus…
Anzu Kurosawa: "… is that …?!"
Suddenly, the speakers on the stage stir into life…
There’s a huge pop for the music, which only sustains as - lugged over the brow of the desert slope by over a hundred burly men tugging on long, thick ropes tied to the ship - a large pirate ship appears on the crest of the hill. Upon the stern are the familiar figures of Salvador Medoza, Oliver Corsair, Peg Leg Ned, Bad Henry, and the rest of the crew, whilst now more clearly upon the crow’s nest we see none other than ‘the Last Great Adventurer’ herself…
Anzu Kurosawa: "IT IS! SHE’S HERE!"
Thomas West: "She sailed a ship through the desert! That’s commitment, Anzu…"
Natalie Rosenberg: "And his opponent, accompanied to the ring by the Crew of Friendship… from Tokyo, Japan by the way of the Isle of Tortuga… weighing in at one hundred and fourteen pounds… ‘the Last Great Adventurer’... YUNA… FUNANORI!!"
The ship reaches the apex of the hill and, as it begins to more easily slide down the other side of it, the men pulling it on ropes drop their burden and disperse either side of the vessel. From the hull, a wide and flat wooden base emerges to give the boat additional stability as it negotiates its way through the sand.
Anzu Kurosawa: "What an entrance for the first ever FWA Gauntlet Champion, who returns here for her second appearance in the King of the Deathmatch tournament. She’ll be hoping to go further than she did in the first instalment when she went out in the first round to Kayden Knox… in a match that also featured, according to my notes, Randy Ramon, although I don’t quite remember that."
Thomas West: "It was him, Anzu! Look it up!"
The fans standing at the base of the hill that the ship is sliding down also get out of the way, and even Sawyer seems momentarily worried that the ship might career right into the ring itself, but a sophisticated system of brakes halt its momentum a few metres from the steel ring steps. The cameras now have a close-up of Yuna, Patches on her shoulder, as she surveys the ring with her hands on her hips. She has a smile on her face as she begins to climb down from the crow’s nest.
Meanwhile, in the ring, Xavier is pacing again, aiming to stay loose during the lengthy entrance. He watches as Yuna climbs down a ladder on the side of the ship, touching down upon the desert sand in the middle of a large group of fans that have garrisoned to welcome her warmly. With the red parrot still on her shoulder, Yuna hops the barricade, climbs up the steel ring steps, and then into the ring through the ropes.
With both competitors finally in the ring, the match official can make his customary checks, and then - the audience suitably pumped for the first battle of the night - is able to call for the bell.
MATCH ONE
Sawyer Xavier vs. Yuna Funanori.
X Rules Deathmatch.
Round One.
<< 0.00 >>
With the standing crowd baying for the start of the match, especially hyped after Yuna’s big entrance, Sawyer hopes to channel this adrenaline in his favour. He charges at Yuna… trying to knock her head off with a massive clothesline. It’s ducked by Yuna, though, who hoists him up and over the top with a BIIIIIIG back body drop… and right through a pair of tables that have been thoughtfully set up on the outside!!
Thomas West: "INSTANT CARNAGE!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Isn’t it wonderful?!"
Thomas West: "I’m sure Sawyer Xavier would have other opinions, but I think this crowd are firmly in agreement!!"
Indeed, the audience is firmly on Yuna’s side as she looks down at Xavier, rolling amongst the debris, and shrugs her shoulders. She quickly climbs out of the ring and collects a bundle of lighttubes, a half-dozen of them tied up into a tight cylinder, and then begins her ascent towards the top rope.
Thomas West: "In all honesty, Sawyer Xavier may be done already! I don’t think Yuna Funanori needs to do anything more, but I believe she’s going to… and most likely just for the fun of it! She’s always been a little bit unhinged!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I love it! Yuna steadies herself on the top rope, carrying that bundle of lighttubes under her arm… here she goes… DAVY JONES’ ELBOW DROP!!!"
The bundle of lighttubes explodes upon impact as Yuna crashes down atop Sawyer, amongst the table debris!! She’s cut herself open under her right arm, but it’s quite clear that Xavier has got the worse of the exchange. After clutching her arm in pain, Funanori fights through it to hook the far leg…
ONE… TWO… THREE!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "‘The Last Great Adventurer’ gets us off to a lightning quick pace here at KODM2, with a victory in just under a minute in our opening contest! Unbelievable!!"
Thomas West: "I’m gobsmacked, Anzu! Gobsmacked! I had Sawyer Xavier marked out as a potential dark horse in this tournament, but Yuna Funanori makes light work of him to book her place in Stage Two!"
Funanori has climbed up to her feet and offers her good arm to the referee, which the official lifts high into the air. Swarming around Yuna is her crew: Oliver Corsair, Salvador Mendoza, Bad Henry, Peg Leg Ned, and ‘Jolly’ Roger, all of whom conspire to lift Yuna up onto her shoulders. Patches the Parrot lands on her shoulder.
Thomas West: "I guess Yuna didn’t get the memo that she was meant to come alone today… although, I imagine it would be a lot to expect her to man that ship all by herself..."
Yuna doesn’t head back to her boat, instead allowing her crew to carry her off up the ramp whilst the crowd cheers her name. The ship remains in its position, on the opposite side of the ring to the ramp and stage area, for the rest of the weekend. The Crew of Friendship pauses on the stage, Yuna looking down from her perch at the Crown of Thorns sitting upon the podium. She nods her head as the midday sun beats down upon her and we fade from the scene.
We cut to footage from earlier in the day as a 2023 Buick rental car with some significant damage to the front fender arrives in the desert setting and parks up near the large temporary warehousing unit being used for a backstage area. The door with a cracked window opens and Kleio De Santos steps out of the vehicle, alone and with her kitbag slung over her shoulder. She surveys the area as Todd Salum, a microphone in his hand, approaches her.
Todd Salum: "Kleio, welcome to the King of the Deathmatch… a stage that you, of course, know very well, given that you made it all the way to the finals at last year’s tournament. Any recollections of that barbaric and, for you at least, marathon day at the Granary last year?"
Kleio De Santos: "Recollections? Yeah, my recollection is the same as everyone's. The time Kleio De Santos almost broke out and made it, but fell just short. The last time that Kleio De Santos in fact had a big moment. Can you name a bigger moment for me since I became runner up last year?"
Todd Salum: "…"
Todd’s silence speaks volumes..
Kleio De Santos: "I didn't think so. Because since then I haven't been able to get my footing back. It's been a hard year with a lot of obstacles. "
Kleio seems reflective, and as the awkward silence lingers Todd decides to change tact slightly.
Todd Salum: "You will, of course, be hoping to go one better here this weekend. What have you done differently in the run up to this year’s tournament? Have the Ravenwood sisters, who weren’t on the scene this time twelve months ago, contributed at all to your preparations?"
De Santos seems brighter when talking about a more hopeful topic…
Kleio De Santos: "Let me tell you Todd, I feel better than I did last year going into this tournament. I feel stronger, I feel faster, and I feel more focused and determined. And unless Thomas West is one of the surprise entrants tonight, I can say that I have more experience than anyone in this tournament. And yes, Blair and Celestia have been with me the entire way. I have more support from them than I have ever had from anyone my entire life. They turned down an offer to fight against that new tag team with Aka and what's her face, in order to make sure they can stay with me and help me prepare. That's the kind of sacrifice a good team makes for one another. For all of those reasons alone...they all better watch out, because I am coming."
Todd Salum: "Last week on Fallout, we saw you pick up an old rivalry with XYZ. You were denied the opportunity to get your hands on XYZ in a one-on-one match-up last year. Are you hoping the brackets shape up differently this time out? Who else amongst the field have you got your eye on?"
KDS is almost bored by the repeated question about her old foe.
Kleio De Santos: "I don't have anything more to prove against XYZ, Todd. If you recall, I beat both him and Krash in the first round of last year's tournament. He may have gotten a jump on me at Back in Business thanks to my concussion, but the doctors have cleared me of all symptoms ahead of this one. I am 100% healthy and good to go. I don't see XYZ as any sort of threat…"
There’s an air of confidence about the young woman, even without the Coven at her side.
Todd Salum: "Who do you see as a threat?"
Kleio De Santos: "Of the competitors we know are in this one? To be honest, none of them. Alyster Black is probably the closest thing to it, and that's only because he's coming in as the champion. But there's two things about Alyster that should lower his odds in this one, Todd. The first thing is the fact that, as champion he is going to pretty much have a huge target on his back in every round. The second thing? Alyster Black wanted one thing. To break that record. You could tell that the last stretch of his run here he was out of gas. He barely made it through the Gerald Grayson match, and the jobber they threw him on the last show was nothing more than a PR stunt to shut up all the Saint Sully fans on twitter who were mad about him not having one last reign. The simple fact is? Alyster Black is someone who needs motivation to win a fight. The record was his motivation, and without it? He's gassed, he's done. The hungriest person is going to win this tournament, and I don't think that person is Alyster Black."
Salum cocks an eyebrow, wondering what Alyster Black would have to say about these comments… especially if they happen to be drawn together in the oncoming tournament.
Todd Salum: "Is there anyone you are worried about?"
Kleio De Santos: "I'm worried about the 8 mystery opponents, Todd. Not too much, but more so than anyone else. All the names that were announced on the card...I could prepare for. I've studied who I could, but...the ones I don't know about? They have an advantage over me. Personally, I think they're cowards. All of us that had our names on the card put ourselves out there. We've got nothing to hide. You can study my tape and prepare for me all you want, it's not going to matter. I don't need some sort of element of surprise to win this tournament. Those 8 mystery competitors? They obviously think they need that. So go ahead and keep hiding in the shadows...you won't be able to hide for long."
With that, and a long, hard glare down the camera lens, it appears that KDS is through talking. She leaves the interviewer and heads into the warehousing unit, her bag slung over he shoulder, ready to prepare for the wars to come.
***
Also earlier in the day, XYZ’s magic yellow school bus careers through the sand and eventually comes to a halt a few metres away from the interview team. His driving is erratic, and for a moment genuine concern creeps over Salum as the ship gets closer and closer, finally slowing down abruptly and suddenly. Todd clears his breath and brushes some of the disrupted sand from his suit as XYZ - also alone and without the Menage to back him up - emerges from the bus.
Todd Salum: "XYZ, another person very familiar with the King of the Deathmatch. I was earlier talking to KDS, who said - and I quote - I don't have anything more to prove against XYZ and that she doesn’t see XYZ as any sort of threat…. Any thoughts in response?"
XYZ: "Oh, Kleio… I remember our adventures through last year’s tournament and all the way to Back in Business well! Such a serious girl… such an angry girl… I only wished to help the young lady in not being so darn glum all the time! But you can only lead the horse to water… is that the saying? I think that’s the saying. It appears that young Kleio remains as hard and as closed as she was this time last year… she doesn’t see XYZ as any sort of threat? Rude! Rude and dismissive! But do you know what I have to say to that, Todd? Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me! Is that the saying? I think that’s the saying…"
X is caught in ponderous thought for a moment, with Todd picking up the slack.
Todd Salum: "Your battles with Kleio De Santos straddled the King of the Deathmatch and ran all the way to Back in Business, but this year it’s been Death Walker that’s been a thorn in your side. Death has constantly targeted you in the run up to this tournament, and we - as the viewers - have no real indication as to why. Is that a question that you can answer as the victim of these targeted attacks?"
XYZ: "Ah: DEATH WALKER! What a name! He walks on death! He walks with death! Ominous! Foreboding! Perfect name. Yes, me and Death have had our run-ins over the past few weeks. Why, you ask? Why is never a question that is easy to answer. What? No problem! Who? Sure! Where? Easy! But why...? With Death Walker, it is difficult to know if there even is a why. Some people are just nasty, you know? But it’s easy to choke a man out when his back is turned, his guard is down, and his spirit is low. Easy and deplorable! The Walker Of Death’s schemes speak of a low cunning, perhaps even a lack of confidence. I do not fear the Death Walker, for I am XYZ, THE LIFE RUNNER, the LIGHT to cancel out the DARKNESS! I ask that the hands of fate throw me and my new, random nemesis together this weekend, so that I may for once look him in the eye."
Todd has followed enough of the thread to be impressed by X’s confidence. He nods his head approvingly at his words.
Todd Salum: "How far can you go in this tournament, X? Last year, you fell in the first round, but won the CIBERNETICO! Of Death Match and earned a shot at Alyster Black’s X Championship. Twice you’ve gone up against Alyster Black, and twice you’ve come up just short… what have you learned from that pair of defeats to the now record-breaking X Champion as you hope to go into the trilogy fight this weekend?"
XYZ: "These old wars with Alyster still linger in the mind as well as upon the body. It was he who defeated me in the final of the X4 at Back in Business, after poor Kleio had been dispensed of. What have I learned? One can learn a lot about the depths of man’s depravity from Alyster Black… about man’s inhumanity to man. But this dark and gloomy X Champion will shrink before the glorious light of our new XYZ Champion! I may have fallen down upon this path before, but an old friend…"
A brief pause, almost a hesitation… as if the memory stirs something in him.
XYZ: "… an old friend taught me that strength lies in picking yourself back up again. That way, the dream… never... dies."
XYZ walks out of shot, a look of grim focus on his face.
***
A 2022 black Ford F-150 arrives and Death Walker steps out of it, looking around himself at his bleak and desolate surroundings. It seems to almost please him. He is, just like the others that we’ve already seen arrive, alone, which seems a common trend. Those that have been keeping up with press releases about the tournament will know that all competitors have been asked to come alone, which is why we’ve seen Kleio without the Ravenwoods, XYZ without the Menage, and now Death Walker without the Dark Guardian. As he begins to stride towards the warehousing unit, Todd Salum uneasily approaches and clears his throat. He looks slightly less comfortable with this interview subject, probably due to the proclivity towards violence that we’ve seen from Death Walker already in his brief FWA career.
Todd Salum: "Um, excuse me, Death… eh, Mr. Walker… have you got a minute or two for some thoughts ahead of the tournament?"
Death Walker halts and turns towards Salum. He cuts an intimidating figure as he looms over the interview. He nods his head.
Todd Salum: "When you were first announced for the King of the Deathmatch, many were saying that this tournament seemed tailor made for you… and you’ve certainly done your best to live up to that expectation in the weeks that followed. Many in the FWA audience have been asking why you’ve been targeting XYZ so frequently since you were both announced to be here today?"
Death Walker: "…"
Death Walker begins to breathe deep but slow while staring out over the empty space surrounding them. Then suddenly, he snaps out of it by snatching ahold of Todd's shirt collar and pats down his pants pockets. Upon finding something, he pulls it our of Todd's back pocket and frees the shirt collar from his grasp. The Dark Traveler goes to flip through Todd's notepad to get to a blank page. And now takes a pen from the interviewer's shirt pocket as he gets ready to write some things down. Within a few minutes, he has written how he feels in a very aggressive manner and slaps Todd's chest with the notepad within his palm. Todd nervously takes the time to read out the response...
Todd Salum: "Umm... ok... uh, you put here... ‘I did what was necessary to make a statement to all who thought I was just a fluke as I made my return. My first match in about 6 or 7 years and it just simply ends in a clean victory?! Nope... not on my watch it doesn't. So I waited for the right moment to send my messages and then chose to relay the same for Jason Randall... and next is sweet Trixie Bordeaux.’"
Taking a moment to readjust himself and fix his outfit, Todd Salum thinks about the next question he had in mind to ask The Death Walker as he seems to be calm again. Walker folds his arms and stares down Todd face to face upon the rest of this interview.
Todd Salum: "I had some time to speak with XYZ earlier today about this developing situation, and he said… hmm, let me quote: I do not fear the Death Walker, for I am XYZ, THE LIFE RUNNER, the LIGHT to cancel out the DARKNESS! I ask that the hands of fate throw me and my new, random nemesis together this weekend, so that I may for once look him in the eye. Any thoughts? Are you hoping to settle the score once and for here this weekend, should the brackets throw you together?"
Death Walker takes another breath and snatches the notepad again from Todd so he can write out the response. He writes just as aggressive before but pausing once or twice as if to gather the right words to put down. Then he smacks the interviewer on the chest with his own notepad once more. Again Todd goes into a shaky reaction as he looks down at the big hand pressing a notepad to his chest before taking the notepad slowly to read. And he reads the following...
Todd Salum: "Ok... so you said here, ‘My concerns are not about making XYZ fear me... because that will come in due time. XYZ just happens to be one of my examples as everything that unfolds. Many may have not noticed but encountering me alone has done its work... for I am a plague on humanity. I get under the skin and into the minds of those who oppose me, my acts of terror aren't short term but ones that are long and tedious expeditions. Think about it... why am I called The Dark Traveler? It is because I travel under the veil of darkness but more importantly, it is due to bringing catastrophic misfortune... whether providing some long overdue Dark Clouds or turning worlds inside out, making them... Pitch Black. And now... that I've been to HELL and back, I'm going to crumble everyone who thinks that they can shine at my expense. So XYZ and whomever else can bring their brightest lights to cut through my darkness but first they must ask themselves this. What's to stop me from eventually turning off those lights for good? What happens when there's no light source for them to find their way through the darkness? How much will it take to overcome this darkness... before it closes in and buries them alive?... So yes, I am pleased to encounter XYZ in this dreadfully repulsive and heinous series of battles... because I am determined to blacken the souls that believe they are safe... at night.’"
There's complete silence between the two individuals before Todd Salum goes into one final question to sum things up.
Todd Salum: "The tournament, though, obviously doesn’t begin and end with XYZ. There are eighteen other combatants here today other than yourself and X, some of whom you’re acquainted with through the preview matches we’ve seen on Fallout 026 and 027, whilst others remain a mystery. Who do you think poses the biggest threat to your hopes of taking the Crown of Thorns and the FWA X Championship home with you?"
Walker grabs the notepad nice and easy this time from out of Todd Salum's hand then he quickly writes his answer. He doesn't wait for Todd to read out his last response but rather goes to walk away as he tosses both the ink pen and pad at the face of Todd. The demon in human form turns around and heads off, throwing on the hood to his cloak as he trudges through some sudden gusty winds in this beautiful wasteland. Todd watches Death Walker leave his presence before reading what he wrote last.
Todd Salum: "Uhhh... let's see what he put down...
‘Death... itself.’"
There’s a decidedly mixed reaction for Kleio De Santos as she walks out onto the stage, loosening up and staring at the empty ring in front of her. Those booing have no doubt been keeping up with her exploits with the Coven, where she’s been drawing very much outside the lines. Others remember her exploits at last year’s tournament, and can’t help but cheer.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Introducing your first competitor in this second X Rules Deathmatch of the day… weighing in at one hundred and fifteen pounds… from Rio De Janiero, Brazil… ‘The Boa Constrictor’... KLEIO DE SAAAAANTOOOOOOOS!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Last year’s defeated finalist is here at KODM2, and is no doubt looking to go one step further than she was able to in the inaugural tournament. Kleio De Santos makes her way to the ring for the opening contest."
Thomas West: "And, as the man who defeated her last year at that ‘inaugural tournament’, I know exactly how tough KDS can be."
Anzu Kurosawa: "She’s shown that she’s focussed on success this year, leaving the Coven to deal with their business and impressing in 027’s preview match, picking up a big tag team win alongside Trixie Bordeaux. Let’s see who Kleio is up against in this first round contest."
KDS is as interested in the answer to this question as anyone, and paces back and forth in the ring whilst staring at the stage…
The crowd has their curiosity piqued by this semi-familiar music… and then go crazy when none other than ‘the Heretic’ Dan Maskell appears on-stage! The initial reaction is of surprise and excitement, but this quickly descends into boos when Maskell walks out onto the stage with a scowl on his face.
Natalie Rosenberg: "And her opponent… from Essex, England and weighing in at 234 pounds… ‘the Heretic’... DAN… MAAAAASKEEEELL!"
The Heretic surveys the audience and then spits derisively onto the floor. He begins his walk down the ramp, loosening up with his eyes fixed upon the woman in the ring.
Anzu Kurosawa: "Dan Maskell is here at the King of the Deathmatch tournament!! One of only two triple crown winners in CWA history is making his way to the ring! And just listen to this noise - a maelstrom of hate - being conjured up by just a few hundred people!"
Thomas West: "Yuna Funanori in match one, and now Dan Maskell in match two! The surprises keep on coming!"
Maskell wastes no time in sliding beneath the bottom rope, getting in KDS’ face to offer some barbs whilst the official tells him to get back into his corner. After he finally acquiesces, the referee issues some final instructions, and then finally calls for the bell…
MATCH TWO
Dan Maskell vs. Kleio De Santos.
X Rules Deathmatch.
Round One.
<< 00:00 >>
The two circle the ring, Maskell laughing and shaking his head to himself at a private joke, and then bring it in for a collar and elbow tie-up…
***
<< 04:10 >>
After an initial feeling out process which KDS got the better of and promptly rolled out of the ring to find some weaponry, we see Dan Maskell follow her out and hit a boot to the midsection as she reaches for a table. Maskell takes her out at the knees with a dropkick, applies a front facelock, and connects with a snap DDT onto the hard desert floor on the outside! He finishes the job for Kleio, collecting the table she was reaching for and throwing it under the bottom rope to be set up later. He goes fishing under the ring, collecting a steel chair wrapped in barbed wire, much to the enjoyment of the watching fans…
Thomas West: "Here comes the hardware! Dan Maskell taking things hardcore in the opening exchanges!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I was wondering how long it would be until the more creative weaponry made an appearance… a steel chair wrapped in barbed wire! How delightful!!"
Maskell throws the steel chair into the ring after the table, and then refocuses on Kleio. She has been busy recuperating, and has a lighttube in her hands… Maskell reaches for her, and she ducks beneath his grasp, the Heretic backed up against the barricade. She attempts to bring the tube down over his head, but Maskell dives out of the way! The lighttube smashes against the barricade, shards of light flying in every direction! The front row fans shield their eyes as Maskell collects Kleio by the scruff of the neck and throws her into the steel ring steps!! She hits them shoulder-first with a crunch, and Maskell collects an adjacent lighttube… bringing it down over Kleio’s forehead with a crunch and a smash!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "First blood! Kleio is busted open!"
Thomas West: "She’s used to it!"
Not content with this, Maskell throws KDS back into the ring beneath the bottom rope and slides in afterwards. With De Santos licking her wounds on the mat, Maskell first looks at the table, and then at the barbed wire wrapped chair… before slapping on a reverse chin lock!!
***
<< 07:25 >>
Dan Maskell has been driving his advantage, though it's fair to say that he has mostly indulged in restholds since we last saw him, but now he has KDS grounded after a powerslam followed by a rope-hung DDT. He has already set the table up in the corner, and now he gets his hands on the barbed wire chair. He holds it aloft, the fans booing him as he tees KDS up. De Santos, already a bloody mess from her exploits so far, gets to her feet and stumbles round to face the Heretic… who brings the chair crashing down over KDS's head!
Anzu Kurosawa: "A sickening this! Kleio De Santos has taken a lot of punishment over the last five minutes or so, and Dan Maskell isn't done there!"
Indeed, the Heretic holds Kleio's face off the mat by the hair with one hand, and then with the other he begins to grind the barbed wire around the chair across her forehead! This exacerbates the wounds even further, blood now flowing freely from the gash. Maskell drops the chair to the floor and then drags De Santos up to her feet…
Thomas West: "Dan Maskell with a cutter! Right onto the barbed wire chair!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "That move hurt Maskell too, whose shoulder and back landed on that barbed wire as well… but it's Kleio who gets the worst of it! And now The Heretic goes for the cover…"
ONE… TWO… THR – NO!
Kleio gets a shoulder up, and Maskell - hesitant to let her rest - goes right back to his reverse chin lock…
***
<< 10:52 >>
Dan Maskell has transitioned his rest hold into a sleeper, and for a while it seemed as though KDS might have been fading out. But she gets a second wind with the audience cheering her on and begins to fight up to her feet. She reels off with a series of elbows, looking to gain separation, but Maskell clings on and transitions to a side headlock, and then a rear waistlock. He backs up towards the table set up at an angle in the corner, maybe thinking about hitting a German suplex on Kleio through the roof…
… but De Santos stamps down on his foot!! Maskell is forced to relinquish the hold, and Kleio turns to face him…
Anzu Kurosawa: "She's biting him!! Kleio De Santos is biting Dan Maskell!!"
Maskell wrenches his forehead from between KDS' teeth, almost stumbling backwards through the table in the process, and then turns to face De Santos. She nearly bowls him over with a torrent of strikes: forearms, elbow strikes, a jumping roundhouse kick, and then a Superman punch that backs Maskell up towards the table.
Thomas West: "Kleio De Santos backs away slightly, and - despite the loss of blood - is looking very nimble on her feet… SPEAR!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "But Kleio isn't going for the cover! She instead drags Maskell out of the debris and applies a front facelock. She's backing up towards that barbed wire chair…"
Thomas West: "Letters to Kleio!! Onto the barbed wire!! But still no cover!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "That's a kimura lock!! Kleio De Santos has a kimura lock on Dan Maskell in the middle of the ring!!"
The crowd are going crazy, KDS a sudden fan favourite as The Heretic squirms and writhes in the submission…
… and then he taps out!!!
Thomas West: "She got him! Dan Maskell submits!! Kleio De Santos is through to Stage Two!"
As Dan Maskell rolls out of the ring to lick his wounds, Kleio rises to her feet - her face a crimson mask - and allows her hand to be raised in victory by the official.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Here is your winner… Kleio De Santos!!"
KDS snatches her hand back and climbs out of the ring, where she walks - with a little bit of staggering after the blood loss - up the ramp.
Anzu Kurosawa: "KDS is our second combatant through into the latter stages of KODM2, but that was a bloody and brutal way for her to start her campaign."
Thomas West: "I said it before the match and I'll say it again now: she's used to it. Kleio De Santos has been through this before in last year's tournament, and although it didn't quite work out for her in 2022, she's likely not to come up against an utter freak of nature like she did in last year's final. Kleio knows how to deal with pain, and I don't see this pursuit coming to an end any time soon."
De Santos pauses at the top of the ramp, next to the podium, where she observes the Crown of Thorns. We fade away from the scene.
We once again cut to footage from earlier in the day as a black Land Rover Discovery arrives in the desert. The back door opens, and none other than Bellatrix Bordeaux comes rushing out, pulling a black sack off her head, before leaning forward and vomiting her guts up. After a few moments of violent sounding spewing, Trixie seems to have gotten it all out, as she stands with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Eventually, Trixie stands up straight and wipes her mouth in her sleeve. Looking extremely anxious and on edge as she looks around at her surrounding, seeing the wrestling ring set up nearby. She stares at the ring for a moment with a look of trepidation as her over-imaginative mind mulls over all of the possible, and likely painful outcomes of the coming conflict. She takes another deep breath, before noticing FWA interviewer Katie Baxter standing nearby with a microphone in hand and a pleasant smile on her face as she waves to Trixie, before gesturing for her to come over. With Katie seeming like a nice enough person, Trixie answers her summon..
Katie Baxter: "Hello, Trixie!"
Katie cheerfully greets the young woman as she arrives at the interview area.
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "Uh, h-hello…"
Trixie says nervously.
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "… what’s your name?"
Katie Baxter: "My name’s Katie. I’m an interviewer for FWA. Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions about the tournament and whatnot?"
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "Um, I-I guess so…"
Trixie responds, her voice a little shaky from the nerves, and the fact that she just spewed her guts up.
Katie Baxter: "Great. So, just stand here, next to me, and we’ll begin, alright?"
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "O-okay…"
Trixie says as Katie grasps her biceps with her hands and gently manoeuvres Trixie into position, before turning to face the camera as it zooms in on Katie’s face.
Katie Baxter: "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my guest at this time…Bellatrix Bordeaux."
The camera zooms out, revealing the nervous young woman as she’s trying to figure out if she should look and Katie or the camera.
Katie Baxter: "So, Trixie, first off, welcome to the King of the Deathmatch Tournament! We’ve known that you were due to compete in this tournament ever since Back in Town, and you’ve had a lot of success in the KODM preview matches we’ve seen on Fallout 026 and 027. Your victories in both of those matches, though, were perhaps a little overshadowed by events after the match, with both of those tag team contests seeing XYZ and Death Walker engaged in altercations. You have also been embroiled in these after-the-bell incidents, often standing with X against the advances of Death Walker. Are you worried that these sideshows may have distracted you from your preparations for the tournament?"
As Katie directs the microphone towards Trixie, the young woman flinches slightly, before realising that Katie in fact isn’t trying to hit her in the face with it. Taking a second to compose herself, she begins to answer.
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "Oh, um…I-...uh, I think that…Mr Walker is a big meanie, and…he should stop bullying my friends."
Trixie says, a matter of factly.
Katie Baxter: "Okay, that seems fair, I suppose…"
Katie says, glossing over the fact that Trixie hadn’t really answered her question.
Katie Baxter: "Another man who will be entering the tournament is one you know very well, particularly as you went one-on-one with him at Back in Town. I’m talking about Reagan Cole, who came out on top of that particular encounter. Hoping for any revenge over ‘The British Apprentice’ here in the desert?"
Hearing the name of the man who beat her up a few months ago, and has since taken part in bullying her backstage, Trixie’s eyes widen with anger, overriding her nerves slightly.
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "I’m going to punch him in the pee-pee."
Trixie says bluntly, as Katie chuckles slightly at Trixie’s word choice.
Katie Baxter: "Yup, I suppose that would be a good measure of revenge…okay, I have one more question. As you’ve shown on several occasions during your time in FWA, you seem to value friendship above pretty much everything, and so I ask…what does Bellatrix Bordeaux do if she were put in a situation where she would have to fight someone that she considers a friend, like, say…XYZ, or Kleio De Santos, or Sawyer Xavier?"
Hearing this, Trixie’s nerves and trepidation returns in full force as she imagines the scenario that Katie had just laid out.
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "U-uh, I-..."
Trixie stops, unable to find the words as her heartrate and breathing quickens, looking as though she’s about to go into a panic.
Katie Baxter: "Uh, are you alright, Trixie?"
The interviewer asks, concerned.
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "I-...Uh, I’v-..."
As she attempts to speak, we hear a wretching noise coming from the young lady, before her hand shoots to her mouth and her eyes widen in panic, before…
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "BLARGHHHHH!"
…and Katie Baxter is covered in what used to be the contents of Trixie’s stomach.
Seeing that she’d just spewed all over Katie, who had been perfectly nice to her since the moment they met, all those 2 or 3 minutes ago, Trixie attempts to apologise…
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "I’m Sorr-..."
…
Katie Baxter: "BLARGHHHHHHH"
…and Katie, her face in utter shock, is hit by another batch of puke.
Trixie, not wanting to bury the poor interviewer in Trixie juice, makes a b-line for any area that Katie isn’t, before we hear more ‘BLARGHs’ coming from off camera. Katie, spew covered and looking as though she’s about to throw up herself, raises the mic, which as also felt the wrath of Trixie’s stomach, to her mouth.
Katie Baxter: "I-..."
She says, as the scent wafts up her nose, causing her to heave slightly, but doing a better job that Trixie at holding it back.
Katie Baxter: "B-back to r-r-ringside."
Katie says, professional to the last, as the scene fades…
Katie Baxter: "BLARGHHHH!!!"
***
Once more, we are in the desert and under the late morning sun, this time as a red ‘88 Toyota Tercel rolls into shot. Katie is still here and clutching her microphone (her face re-applied following the incident with Trixie), and watches on as both the front driver and passenger side doors open. Reagan Cole steps out first, and appears to be psyching himself up as he surveys the makeshift arena in the wilderness. Out of the opposite side of the car emerged Jeffry Mason, who appears to be the first to notice the interviewer standing by.
Jeffry Mason: "Have you been here all morning? I hope you're wearing sunscreen."
Katie Baxter: "Reagan Cole… Jeffry Mason… welcome to the King of the Deathmatch tournament. We expected to see 'the British Apprentice' here today, but a company memo dictated that all tournament entrants are to come here alone. Care to explain your presence here at Reagan's side?"
Mason allows himself a smirk at the interviewer's question. He doesn't seem the least bit concerned about company memos.
Jeffry Mason: "Reagan told me. I'd like to know exactly who it is that thinks they're going to stop actual deathmatch royalty from being at the King of the Deathmatch. I intend to witness Reagan's big moment on this grand, bloody stage. We are a team, after all…"
Baxter doesn't seem to be quite convinced by Mason's response but, ever the pro, she goes on with the show.
Katie Baxter: "Reagan, this might be your first appearance at a King of the Deathmatch tournament, but it's certainly not your first deathmatch experience here in the FWA. I intended to ask you about this classic Back in Business encounter and its implications for the KODM, even when I thought you'd be coming here alone. With both of you here, I'm curious to know if that match-up, as well as Jeffery's extensive deathmatch experience on the whole, has helped prepare you for this tournament?"
Reagan looks as though he’s about to respond, but Mason beats him to it.
Jeffry Mason: "Do you actually think I would have pushed for him to be in King of the Deathmatch if I didn’t know he’d be ready for this shit?"
Reagan Cole: "Yeah, you know I’m ready for this because I beat YOU at Back in Business."
Jeffry Mason: "And what a glorious war we had. On that night, you beat THE deathmatch god. How many people in this tournament besides Reagan Cole can say that in their list of accomplishments? No one. Hell, I’ve been doing this shit for longer than most of these competitors have been alive, and you bet your sweet ass the amount of ultraviolent knowledge I’ve passed on to Reagan is more than half these people will learn in their pathetic lives."
Baxter is slightly taken aback by Mason’s vitriol, but - professional as ever - she brushes it off and continues.
Katie Baxter: "One woman who will also be here today for Stage One is Trixie Bordeaux, a woman you know very well, Reagan, both inside and out of the FWA. Most recently, you triumphed over Bordeaux at Back in Town. I had the chance to speak to Trixie earlier today, and asked her about her run-ins with you, Reagan Cole. She said, and I quote… ‘I’m going to punch him in the face’. Any thoughts in response?"
Even Reagan has a sneer for this quote. Mason winces at the perceived idiocy, shaking his head as Reagan responds.
Reagan Cole: "I think I know now to avoid getting punched in the face? I don’t know, what do you want from me? I’ve beaten her before and if it comes down to it tonight, I’ll beat her again, so she better hope that she doesn’t even have the chance to punch me in the face. Simple as that."
Cole folds his arms, content with his response and not willing to offer any more.
Katie Baxter: "Three weeks ago on Fallout 027, Reagan, we saw you compete in a losing effort against Chris Peacock. Many were impressed by your performance, even in defeat. What has eighteen and a bit minutes in the ring with the FWA World Champion taught you, especially going into this tournament for a different prize, one currently held by Peacock's partner in Alyster Black?"
Reagan Cole: "What’s the old saying? You learn more through one loss than from a hundred wins? If I learned anything from facing the World Champ, it’s that it’s where I belong. Reagan Cole is a main event star. Over the past five-hundred or so days, Alyster Black has arguably turned the X Championship into an even greater prize than the World Championship. I won’t kid myself or you Katie, it’s not going to be an easy road. But at the end of Stage 2, not only am I gonna stand tall with that crown and title, but it will be the beginning of an even more prestigious run than the one Alyster has had."
Jeffry Mason: "Damn right. Now enough questions, Katie. Reagan has some preparing to do. And I need to find out what kind of catering they have in this place so I can enjoy this night of bloodshed in style. Maybe some desert desserts, even!"
Cole and Mason walk out of the shot, leaving Katie alone to be disgruntled at the conversation’s trajectory.
The Fantasy Wrestling Alliance proudly presents…
CARNAL CONTENDERSHIP, 2023.
LIVE! … Sunday, April 30th, 2023 …
… from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee …
- only on the WCNetwork -
featuring…
The Connection [c] vs. The Buddy System. FWA Tag Titles.
The 30-person Carnal Contendership Match. FWA World Title - #1C.
There’s a loud cheer around the make-shift arena as the wildly unconventional but wildly popular XYZ appears on the stage. He looks around at his audience appreciatively before beginning his strut down towards the ring.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Introducing your first wrestler in today’s third X Rules Deathmatch… weighing in at one hundred and eighty pounds… from Sitka, Alaska… X… Y… Z!!"
Thomas West: "Another veteran of KODM tournaments, XYZ - like Kleio De Santos - was involved in last year’s bloody extravaganza on the Granary. I wonder what happened to that island?"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I imagine it’s still there. XYZ was in fact eliminated from last year’s tournament by KDS, and - with the Boa Constrictor safely through to Stage Two - will no doubt be hoping to settle that score in 2023’s later stages."
Thomas West: "This year, though, that stolen interview time hasn’t been XYZ’s main priority. Instead, he’s been plagued by Death Walker, who has seemingly taken something of a shine to XYZ. That’s right, Anzu. I did my research."
X stands in the ring, limbering up in the corner with a boot cocked up on the top rope whilst he stretches. His music fades out, and his attention turns to the stage, just in time for…
Anzu Kurosawa: "… seemed almost inevitable!!"
Death Walker walks out onto the stage, alone, to a chorus of boos from those present in the desert. He pays them no mind. They are of no consequence to him. He instead marches down the ramp, his focus directed at the man in the ring and him alone.
Natalie Rosenberg: "… weighing in at two hundred and forty three pounds… from the depths of HELL… he is ‘The Dark Traveller’... DEATH WALKER!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "You mentioned Death Walker’s fixation on XYZ, with the newcomer going so far as to choke X out on Fallout 026 in Washington DC. XYZ attempted to extract a modicum of revenge three weeks ago in Detroit, but tonight he’ll finally get the opportunity to do that in this match… where anything is legal!"
Thomas West: "That works both ways though, Anzu! Death Walker has shown himself to be a dab hand when it comes to violence, and I dread to think what we’ll see from him in this sort of match-up. XYZ has his hands full. Shame. Any space adventurer gets a thumbs up from me."
Death Walker climbs through the ropes and, completely ignoring the referee, charges across it to smash XYZ in the corner with a clothesline! Death lays in with right forearms and then kicks to the midsection, the official forced to call for the opening bell after the impromptu start to the match…
MATCH THREE
Death Walker vs. XYZ.
X Rules Deathmatch.
Round One.
<< 03:01. >>
After opening exchanges that seem even, Death Walker utilising his heavy hands and XYZ his unconventional strikes, Death manages to get the upper hand what he knocks the tightrope walking X off his perch as he attempts to traverse the top rope. Death accomplishes this by throwing himself into the ropes, causing X to land split legged over the top one. Death proceeds to roll under the bottom rope and collect a chair. With XYZ still straddling the top rope, Walker throws his chair at him, connecting with X's head with a sickening thud!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Death Walker just hurls that steel chair at XYZ, who falls into a heap at Death Walker's feet!"
Thomas West: "Not where he wants to be…"
Death goes under the ring and collects a pair of lighttubes and proceeds to stalk XYZ around the ring. When X is crawling on his hands and knees, Death brings the first tube down over his back! X writhes in pain but fights up to his feet on adrenaline alone… which allows Death to bring the second tube down over his forehead!! XYZ stumbled and falls down at the foot of the ramp, with Death following up with a backdrop suplex onto the steel structure!
Not content there, Death Walker searches under the ring, producing a black canvas bag. The audience cheers as he places it into the ring.
Anzu Kurosawa: "I think the audience knows exactly what is in that bag! Things aren't boding well for XYZ!"
Thomas West: "This Death Walker really holds a grudge, huh?"
***
<< 06:15. >>
Death Walker has followed XYZ up the ramp with steps, and then hoists him up on the stage before rocking him with a pair of headbutts. Death hoists X up to his feet before throwing him across the stage with a capture suplex!
Anzu Kurosawa: "I get the impression that Death Walker could probably go for the pin right now and get pretty close… but he has more in store for XYZ."
Thomas West: "Well, he did bring out a bag of thumb tacks. Would be odd for him to pin X before he uses them."
Death seems to agree, and he proceeds to drag XYZ up to his feet in a front face lock, perhaps looking to hit a spike DDT on the stage… but X drops to knee to block it, and then hoists Death up and over with a Northern Lights suplex! XYZ bridges for the cover!
ONE… TWO… NO!
Death Walker gets the shoulder up, but X tries to seize the shift in momentum. He hoists Death up by the scruff of the neck and hurls him down the ramp, Death stumbling and falling as XYZ collects a large ladder from nearby. He puts it up on his shoulder as Walker fights back to his feet… and X runs through him with the ladder!! The end of it clatters with Walker's head and he's sent sprawling to the bottom of the ramp!
Thomas West: "A bludgeoning impact for Death Walker! But XYZ isn't pressing home his advantage, instead deciding to set that ladder up on the ramp."
Anzu Kurosawa: "Perhaps that's precisely how XYZ intends to press home his advantage!"
Once he's got the ladder, which appears to be a fifteen footer, set up on the ramp, he proceeds to climb up one side of it, sitting on the top of it with his feet a few rungs down. Death Walker has staggered up to his feet, far down below, as XYZ stands up straight… and then decides to climb up one more ring... before leaping off the top with a flying cross-body!! He crashed into XYZ as the ladder teeters and falls, the fans beneath it by the ramp scattering out of its path. The rest of them are losing their mind as XYZ drapes an arm over Death in a cover…
ONE… TWO… THR – NO!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Unbelievable aerial attack from XYZ… but Death Walker is still in it!"
XYZ rolls away from Death Walker, clutching his ribs, sucking in oxygen as he prepares to continue…
***
<< 10:41. >>
The action has returned to the ring, where XYZ has collected a pair of lighttubes as well as a bundle of them (the same half-dozen arrangement that we saw earlier in the day). He returns the favour from previously in the match, bringing the two individual lighttubes down over Death Walker's head! Both men are bloody, X from the tubes and Death from the ladder, but Walker defiantly remains on his feet!
Thomas West: "Death Walker is showing some resilience and some moxey, here, but I'm not sure what that's going to do against a bundle of lighttubes…"
X has collected said bundle and props it up against Death, who is still on his knees and unable to move… before running through the tubes and Death with a vicious knee strike!! The bundle of tubes explodes on impact as Death crumples to the mat! X slumps into a cover…
ONE… TWO… THR – NO!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Still, Death Walker finds a way to kick out!"
Thomas West: "Is this guy even human?!"
X, whilst staring down at Death's bloody and bruised body amongst the broken shards of glass, senses he might need one more move to finish him off. He climbs up to the top, movement slow after the hard-fought match, before once again beginning a tightrope walk across the top rope. X goes for his somersault leg drop… NOBODY HOME!! XYZ lands on the broken shards! Death Walker is up to his feet, and he quickly boots X in the midsection before planting him into the shards with a snap DDT!
Thomas West: "Brutal!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Gloriously so!"
Thomas West: "But still we see no cover attempt from Death Walker… he's collecting his little black bag!"
Despite the dynamic in the match, the crowd cheers as Death Walker opens up his bag and, onto the pile of scattered shards of broken lighttubes already on the mat, he pours out thousands upon thousands of thumbtacks!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Death Walker is NOT messing around!!"
X, to his credit, is up to his hands and knees, and Death helps him up the rest of the way. He places XYZ in a sleeper before dragging him towards the tacks and glass…
Anzu Kurosawa: "BEDTIME STORY!! INTO THE TACKS!!"
Thomas West: "An ugly high angle sleeper suplex for XYZ! His face and chest land in that barbaric debris! But still no cover!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Death Walker has a rear naked choke locked in!! I think he's trying to put XYZ out again!"
Thomas West: "I think he already has! The referee is calling for the bell!!"
After the brutal end to the match, Death keeps the move locked in for a few more seconds before rising to his feet. He unceremoniously kicks X beneath the bottom rope and into a heap on the floor.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Here is your winner… DEATH WALKER!!"
The official considers raising Death Walker's hand in victory, but the glare that he receives from the winner stops him from doing so.
Thomas West: "Do you think Death Walker will now finally see this particular score as settled?"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I think it was settled weeks ago, Thomas. This rivalry between these two has been utterly one-sided, and Death just put the exclamation mark on things here today."
Thomas West: "And, perhaps most importantly, progresses to Stage Two. Quite a few of the tournament's entrant's have had run-ins with Death Walker recently, but I'm not sure many will be hoping to be drawn against him in the quarter finals…"
As Death Walker stalks up the ramp, we fade away from the scene.
We once again cut to earlier in the day, as yet another vehicle arrives in the desert. This time, we see an Uber pull up near Todd Salum, who waits patiently with his microphone. Madison Gray emerged from the vehicle, a serious look on her face that suggests she has some understanding of the gravity of her current situation. She nods in the direction of Salum, who positions himself within the frame next to her.
Todd Salum: "Madison, you have only been a part of the Fantasy Wrestling Alliance for two short months, but already you've taken part in a ladder match and now have been preparing to enter this bloodbath of a tournament. Something of a baptism of fire for the start of your pro-wrestling career?"
There is a stern and focused countenance on Madison's face as she addresses Salum’s question.
Madison Gray: "I feel like I've walked through scorched earth. This company - this has been a real shock to system, and I've accepted that this journey is going to really hurt. If I was to compare my career to climbing up Everest, I haven't even left base camp and already I am bleeding in my boots."
After listening carefully and nodding along thoughtfully to Gray’s response, Salum shapes up for his follow-up question.
Todd Salum: "Three weeks ago in your second King of the Deathmatch preview match, you tasted defeat in a triple threat, with Death Walker pinning Sawyer Xavier to pick up the win. Given that you weren't involved in that climactic pinfall, are you hoping for revenge here in this tournament? Or perhaps you have your sights on Trixie Bordeaux, who pinned you last month on Fallout 026 in trios action?"
Madison Gray: "This tournament is about proving to everyone else - that I can stand on my own two feet. Do I have my eyes set on Trixie? Honestly, I don't think I can even come close to comparing myself to her. Nor someone like Death Walker either. Sawyer Xavier though? Sausage X. I wouldn't mind finding myself standing opposite him when this tournament kicks off and if I can leave with just one win - I'd like it to be against him. And if I don't get to face him - maybe management will get me a future match with that little fella."
The thought of getting her hands on Sawyer seems to please her, even if we - the audience - know that this won’t be possible at this tournament. She walks out of shot, Salum watching her leave before we fade out.
***
We cut to more footage from earlier in the day, as we watch from over Katie Baxter’s shoulder in a wide shot of the desert. Upon the horizon, we can see a lonely and distant figure, which looks as if it might be walking towards us but it’s so remote that we can’t really be sure. A series of jump cuts follow, the figure getting larger and larger until we can make out the tall, slender frame of weaselperson. He is foregoing the various forms of transportation that the other arriving combatants have favoured in earlier similar segments, instead apparently walking across the desert to the competition, perhaps in the hopes of warming up (or staying warmed up) ahead of his first bout. He doesn’t seem particularly out of breath as he finally comes to a halt next to Baxter, who is holding her microphone at the ready.
As weaselperson waits patiently for his first question, Katie lets out a deep and reluctant sigh.
Katie Baxter: "weaselperson, you made it somewhat clear three weeks ago on Meltdown XXVII that your intention was to become the fastest Grand Slam champion in FWA history, and on Fallout two days later you announced for this very tournament. Is the X Championship the first step on that path you alluded to?"
weaselperson: "Bark."
A pause for Katie, as she thinks through her next steps. She’s been here before. She’d tried to be prepared. Asked for an animal interpreter ahead of time. It was disappointing to find out that such a thing didn’t exist. She didn’t really have much of a choice but to proceed in much the same way as she had previously, ignoring Einstein’s advice about insanity.
Katie Baxter: "You overcame Logan Darwin in Detroit in your debut match here in the FWA, and we know that ‘the Reaper’ will also be in attendance here this weekend for the KODM. Bark if you’re hoping that you and Darwin will be afforded the chance to rekindle your rivalry."
weaselperson says nothing. He blinks at Baxter, who holds the microphone in front of him for a few moments of stony silence.
Katie Baxter: "Are we to understand that you’re looking to expand your horizons here in the FWA? To face new competition in your pursuits of legendary status as the fastest Grand Slam champion in history?"
Once more, a momentary silence lingers between the pair. weaselperson continues to stare rather blankly at the interviewer.
Katie Baxter: "Am I to infer that it doesn’t matter who stands between you and the Crown of Thorns and, perhaps more importantly, the FWA X Championship tonight? The array of men and women who you will face in the four rounds on your path to glory is interchangeable, but the result is a rare constant?"
weaselperson: "Bark. Bark… Bark. Bark. Bark."
Baxter, after nodding along thoughtfully, turns to face the camera.
Katie Baxter: "Well, you heard it here first."
*****
Later on but still earlier in the day, we see a silver Toyota Corolla arrive at the desert and pull up near the temporary warehousing unit being used for the backstage area. Todd Salum is lingering nearby and watches on as the door opens and 'the Wildcard' Jason Randall emerges from it. Randall surveys the makeshift arena in this desolate place, sighs, and then collects his gear bag from the trunk. He notes Salum and nods in the interviewer's direction, who takes this as permission to begin.
Todd Salum: "Jason Randall, welcome to the King of the Deathmatch tournament… a setting that many have pointed out may be very well-suited to you and your particular talents – how are you feeling ahead of your debut in FWA's deathmatch extravaganza?"
Randall, unlike the majority of the participants that we’ve already seen arrive today, looks somewhat comfortable with his current surroundings.
Jason Randall: "How am I feeling? I don't know. I guess I feel like I'm at home. Which would sound odd to the average person, but as we know, I'm far from the average person. I guess I feel like I belong here. Last year I didn't get to participate due to some bullshit reasoning, but this year I get to right that wrong and show everyone what was missing."
Admiring his interviewee’s confidence, Salum smiles at Randall as he asks his (rather long-winded) follow-up question.
Todd Salum: "We last saw you on pay-per-view as part of ‘Back in Town’, where you challenged for the FWA Television Championship alongside Death Walker, something of a rival of yours, who is also expected here in the desert for this weekend’s tournament. Since then, you’ve also tangled with Bellatrix Bordeaux and Kleio De Santos, with XYZ as your partner, in one of the preview matches on Fallout 027. Trixie scored the pinfall over yourself in that one, but Death Walker again made his presence felt in the aftermath. Are you hoping to get your hands on any of these opponents - or indeed partners - that have accompanied your path to this tournament?"
Jason gives the question some thought, the field - and particularly those he has (recent) history with - passing through his mind.
Jason Randall: “Death Walker is one man in particular that I have some unfinished business with. The man tried to take away my livelihood when he locked me in that submission, and damn near ripped my leg off. He didn't finish the job though, I'm still standing, barely but I'm standing and that's unfortunate for Death Walker. That's unfortunate for anyone that stands in my way of winning this tournament and walking away with the big prize."
‘The Wildcard’ traces the line of an invisible championship belt around his waist, signifying his intent for the weekend.
Todd Salum: "We’ve mentioned that this is your first King of the Deathmatch tournament, and therefore your first run at the Crown of Thorns… but it’s not your first experience of this weekend’s other prize. The FWA X Championship is a belt you’ve held and know very well: what does that championship mean to ‘the Wildcard’, and do you have any thoughts on current champion Alyster Black’s now record-breaking run with the title?"
Jason Randall: “I'd be lying if I said I didn't respect Alyster Black. There's not many people in this company I respect, as a matter of fact it's a pretty short list, but fortunately for Alyster he's on that list. That being said, I'd love nothing more than to be the one to end this historic run he's been on. I am no stranger to the X Championship, it was a championship I held very near and dear to my heart once upon a time. It was the last time I ever held gold in this company. I saved that championship from obscurity after I pried it off the hands of that scumbag Vincent Blackbird and I'd love nothing more than to hold it again. I don't just want to win this, I need this. I need this as if my life depended on it, because honestly the way I see it, my life does depend on it."
For Jason Randall, the time for talk is over. He walks out of shot and we fade to black as Salum watches his exit.
We cut to an area of the back, somewhere near the medical bay, where Katie Baxter is standing by with one of our early winners of the day. ‘The Boa Constrictor’ Kleio De Santos stands next to her, bandages stained with blood around her shoulder and stitches clear upon her head.
Katie Baxter: "One of three competitors already through to Stage Two of the King of the Deathmatch is the woman standing next to me right now. Kleio, you will compete in tomorrow’s quarter-finals, and a victory in that round will see you become the person with the most wins in KODM history. You wear the battle-wounds of your earlier match plainly… is this where that deathmatch experience will come in handy?"
De Santos lets a silence linger. She looks at Baxter with narrowed eyes. It appears that she isn’t really in the mood for discussing the history books, despite the suggested topic being her place within it.
Thomas West: "I’m not sure I like that record…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Should’ve entered, buddy."
Kleio De Santos: "Deathmatch experience... so, because I’ve bled before, you all know that I can bleed again? I guess there’s some truth in that. I know what it is to battle through. I knew that before I ever set foot on The Granary. This year’s tournament has started off at quite the pace. I told you that I feared the unknown competitors in this tournament, and already that has been validated. Dan Maskell is a horrible human being… but his propensity towards and skill at violence is well-known. It is the mark he’s left on this industry. But that mark is small and insignificant. Blotted out by my own. Katie, this has only just begun…"
Despite the war-wounds evident on her body, KDS is smiling.
Katie Baxter: "Earlier today, you told me that you have nothing to fear from XYZ… and this was vindicated by his first round exit against Death Walker. Death has been impressive since his debut here in the FWA, you have to be wondering about a potential encounter in the latter stages…"
De Santos’ smile persists. It appears news of her old rival’s demise pleases her.
Kleio De Santos: "Unsurprising, really. Part of me had hoped I could’ve settled the score for Rio. That experience still burns, you know? But that will have to be another –"
* SQUAWK! *
Kleio’s momentum on the microphone is abruptly halted by the rather obnoxious noise of a rather obnoxious bird. This interruption is compounded by the red parrot’s arrival upon De Santos’ shoulder, and then compounded further still by the entrance into the shot of a steady line of people. As you may have guessed, we see Yuna Funanori, Oliver Corsair, Salvador Mendoza, Peg Leg Ned, Bad Henry, and ‘Jolly’ Roger, all of whom are beholding Kleio with wide smiles (many displaying gold teeth, or gaps where teeth should have been).
Yuna Funanori: "We come with congratulations, matey! Already, the chance of a Queen of the High Seas has grown great! I can smell it in the water, hear it on the wind, taste it in the muffins. Have you tried the muffins in catering? Good muffins."
Oliver Corsair: “Good muffins."
Salvador Mendoza: ”Not bad at all."
Kleio, up to this point, has remained silent and unmoved but for a few perplexed blinks.
Kleio De Santos: "Careful, matey. The last person who interrupted my interview time lived to regret it!"
Yuna lets out a burst of laughter, and then throws an arma round Kleio. With her hand on her shoulder, Patches squawks again and flutters out of the way, coming to rest once more on De Santos’ other shoulder.
Yuna Funanori: "Nonsense! Time is to be shared! That’s what this weekend is all about! The friends we make, and the time we share with them."
Still perplexed by the entire scene, Kleio wrenches herself away from Yuna’s grip. Funanori, only now, takes the hint. KDS glares at her with fire in her eyes.
Kleio De Santos: "I hope we get to spend some time together tomorrow."
With that, KDS skulks out of the scene. Yuna turns to her crew.
Yuna Funanori: "What exactly do people do for fun on land?"
There’s a mixed reaction for Madison Gray as she walks out onto the stage. It is quite clear that she is plagued by apprehensions as she takes a deep breath. Ignoring the fans and the assembled weaponry around her, Gray walks down the ramp and towards the ring.
Natalie Rosenberg: "The first competitor in your fourth X Rules Deathmatch is from Portsmouth, England… weighing one hundred and twenty five pounds… ‘the Young Lioness’... MADISON… GRAY!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Madison Gray put in impressive performances, indicative of one improving, in her KODM preview matches, tasting defeat in 026’s trios match and 027’s triple threat, where Death Walker covered Sawyer Xavier. Hopefully the former ‘the Young Lioness’ - now known as ‘PARASITE’ - can use these valuable learning experiences here in the desert."
Thomas West: "Madison Gray was the first to point out that this tournament is out of her comfort zone, but perhaps she can use the chaos of the deathmatch to her favour. Literally anything can happen, as we’ve seen already tonight. And chaos can be a rookie’s best friend."
Gray, still looking nervous but warming up nonetheless, waits in her corner and stares at the stage as her music fades out. Soon enough, it’s replaced by…
There’s a groan in the desert as Reagan Cole walks out onto the stage… and, unlike every other combatant so far tonight (with the exception of Yuna, whose peculiar travel arrangements, perhaps, can explain that), he is not alone. He is flanked by Jeffry Mason, who pats Reagan on the shoulder before returning through the curtain and into the backstage area.
Natalie Rosenberg: "And her opponent… weighing in at two hundred and fifteen pounds… from Essex, England… ‘the British Apprentice’... REAGAN COLE!!"
Thomas West: "Reagan Cole and Jeffry Mason have already flouted the rules by having him here in the desert for moral support, and now he retreats to the back and expects us to believe that? Mason isn’t far away, mark my words."
Anzu Kurosawa: "Isn’t that a little like the pot and the kettle thing?"
Thomas West: "I never said there’s anything wrong with it… it stands the Apprentice in good stead, I’m sure. He made a good show of things against Boogie Baby on 027, and Mason’s advice will have no doubt been invaluable going into this tournament."
Anzu Kurosawa: "You think Reagan will win today?"
Thomas West: "God no."
Reagan Cole slides into the ring and keeps his eyes on Madison across it. He loosens up as his music fades out and the official conducts his final checks (for some reason, considering anything is legal) and then calls for the opening bell…
MATCH FOUR
Madison Gray vs. Reagan Cole.
X Rules Deathmatch.
Round One.
<< 02:21. >>
After the opening exchanges, Reagan Cole seizes control of the match when he throws Madison Gray into the turnbuckles with an exploder suplex, Gray landing at an ugly angle on the back of her head. The British Apprentice rolls under the bottom rope, collecting two steel chairs from ringside: one normal, and one wrapped in barbed wire (and, it seems, stained with Kleio’s blood from the earlier contest). He throws them both into the ring and follows in after them, lifting the recovering Gray to her feet and hurling her down onto the (barbed wire) chair with a tornado snap suplex!
Thomas West: "Reagan Cole is wasting absolutely no time at all here in the early going of this match. This is a mean streak I’m not sure we’re used to seeing from Cole…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Perhaps the influence of Jeffry Mason that you mentioned before the match?"
Reagan, like a man possessed, drags Madison into position so that her head is atop the barbed wire chair, and then grasps the other one his hands. He looks down at Gray’s prone body, takes a few deep breaths, and then lifts the chair up, intending to bring it down onto Gray’s head… but Madison darts out of the way! Cole’s fingers get trapped between the chair and the barbed wire, forcing him to drop his weapon. The opening allows Madison to dive into the back of his knee with a chop block!
Reagan Cole fights up to his feet, and Madison picks up the discarded normal steel chair. She tosses it to Reagan, who instinctively catches it, only to eat a dropkick from Madison!! Reagan drops the chair and also drops to his knees, and Madison quickly picks up the other chair (the one wrapped in barbed wire) and simply flings it into Cole’s face!! He slumps to the mat, and Gray dives on him, hooking the far leg.
ONE… TWO… NO!
Cole gets the shoulder up, but the flurry of offence allows Madison Gray to take control of the match…
***
<< 05:44. >>
The action has spilled out onto the outside, and the Apprentice gets the better of an (ill-advised, for Madison) exchange of right hands. He connects with a dragon screw leg whip and then goes searching underneath the bottom rope. He produces a kendo stick, which he - along with the audience - doesn’t seem all that interested in, but next produces a staple gun that garners a fair bit more excitement. He leaves that on the apron and, with Gray using the barricade to support her weight, brings the kendo stick crashing down upon her a half-dozen times! The crowd winces with every strike, and Madison attempts to roll into the ring beneath the bottom rope.
Thomas West: "Madison Gray perhaps looking to escape Reagan here, at least for a few moments, but Cole won’t let her out of his sights…"
Indeed, Reagan grabs her when she is on the apron, and drags her legs behind the apron. He hits Madison with a headbutt and then collected the nearby staplegun… before stapling the apron onto Madison’s body!! He puts a dozen or so staples into her thighs and abdomen, attaching the apron to her! Reagan holds the gun up triumphantly, and then turns to try and put another staple into Gray’s head… but she rakes the eyes! Cole drops the gun, and Gray wrenches the apron away from her body, pulling all of the staples out. She collects the gun as Cole regains his vision… just in time for him to see her empty a half-dozen staples into his forehead!! He writhes around in agony, and Madison throws him beneath the bottom rope.
Anzu Kurosawa: "Reagan Cole getting a taste of his own medicine, and now it is Madison Gray’s turn to search beneath that ring apron - which was only a moment ago part of her clothing - for yet more weaponry!"
Madson first produces a steel chair, and then - to a gasp and then a cheer from the audience - a large glass pane about the size of the door. She slides this into the ring and then carefully sets it up in the corner, before teeing Reagan up for a huge chairshot across the top of the dome! Gray goes for the cover…
ONE… TWO… TH – NO!
Cole gets the shoulder up, and Madison goes back to work…
<< 09:25. >>
Gray is attempting a snap underhook suplex through the angled glass pane, but Reagan - close to the ropes - hooks onto the top one with an outstretched arm. Madison is forced to give up on her endeavour, and Cole quickly capitalises on the opportunity by firing into her with a half-dozen hard forearms… and then a neckbreaker onto his knee! He collects the two normal chairs introduced earlier in the match and sets them up in the middle of the ring, Madison still incapacitated following the neckbreaker, and then he sets up the glass pane atop the two folded out chairs.
Thomas West: "Now we’re talking creative! Reagan Cole is setting up for something nasty, here."
Cole takes Gray by the hair and places her near the glass pane in a front face lock, perhaps going for a snap suplex or brainbuster through the glass, but Gray drops to her knee to block it… and then fires into Cole with a trio of headbutts! Reagan is staggered, and it’s Madison’s turn to apply a front facelock.
Anzu Kurosawa: "Looks like Madison Gray is going for Her Majesty’s Naval Base here… if she hits HMNB through that glass pane, this one is over!"
Thomas West: "Doesn’t look like she can get him up, though…"
Indeed, and Reagan capitalises on the delay with some hard right hands to the ribs, the fourth of which causes separation… and then Cole slams into her with a bunch of headbutts of his own!! Madison is staggered, and turns around to face the glass. Reagan hits the ropes…
Anzu Kurosawa: "The Rhino’s Rage!!! Through the glass!!"
Cole hits the kitaro crusher, the sound of the glass smashing rising above the boisterous crowd. Gray lies face-down amongst the shards, and Reagan struggles to push her over onto her back to hook the leg…
ONE… TWO… THRE – NO!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "SHE KICKS OUT!! HOW DID MADISON GRAY KICK OUT?!"
Reagan Cole seems to be asking himself the same question. He looks at the official with a flabbergasted expression… before grabbing Gray’s leg and placing her in his patented heel hook!
Thomas West: "Fire In The Hole! Fire In The Hole!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "It’s the Fire of Cole..."
Thomas West: "Mine’s better! And either way, Madison Gray is tapping! This one’s over!!”
Reagan Cole lets go of the submission immediately and climbs to his feet. There is blood on him, but it appears to be the blood of his opponent. He allows the official to lift his hand in victory.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Here is your winner… Reagan Cole!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "The British Apprentice progresses through to Stage Two at the expense of PARASITE, with Cole looking impressive in that first round victory."
Thomas West: "Indeed he did. Cole seems to have been learning from a master, and speak of the Devil…"
Jeffry Mason walks out onto the stage as Cole walks up the ramp. The Saviour of Death has a smile on his face, and he welcomes the British Apprentice with an arm around his shoulder when he arrives on the stage. The two disappear through the curtain as we fade to black.
Once more, we cut to footage from earlier on in the day, with Todd Salum standing by as a black rented Ford Ranger arrives and comes to a halt in his vicinity. From out of the vehicle emerges Alyster Black, dressed in his (all black) street clothes and with his FWA X Championship slung over his shoulder. Black notices the interviewer loitering and approaches, as if resigned to the certain fate of being subjected to his questions.
Todd Salum: "Alyster, the tournament is finally upon us. You accepted this quite staggering challenge willingly: nineteen men and women all descending on this very place to try and take that championship away from you. With the record for the longest run with the X Championship now under your belt - a record that many thought would never be broken - what is your motivation to keep going, especially in the face of such overwhelming competition?"
Before answering, Alyster looks down at the championship belt sitting proudly upon his shoulder.
Alyster Black: "Record-breaking. It's been five hundred and fourteen days since I defeated Nate Savage in my hometown to win this belt. In some ways, that feels like only yesterday. In others, every single one of those twenty four hour periods felt like a lifetime. I don't need to stand here and list the names of people who have tried and failed to take this championship away from me. Other people have recited that list quite frequently as of late, every since my status as a record breaker became official. I'm more interested in the list of names that will come here tonight, to launch their own challenge. Death Walker and Trixie Bordeaux and Madison Gray. The future of X Rules here in the FWA."
A pause. Alyster glances across at Todd.
Alyster Black: "And they've all come here to find me, Todd. If that's not enough motivation, then I don't know what is."
Black adjusts his belt on his shoulder. Grips his gym bag in his right hand. It's clear that he wants to go and get ready. He's impatient. But Salum doesn't allow him to go just yet.
Todd Salum: "Whilst you’ve tried to keep a watchful eye on the multiple KODM preview matches in the run up to this event, that process has often been disrupted by the presence of an interloper who bears more than a strong resemblance to, well, you. This masked and anonymous assailant went as far as to attack you following the culmination of one such trios match on Fallout 026, laying you out in the backstage area. Can you help the FWA audience make sense of the appearance of this mystery man?"
Alyster lets the silence longer for a moment. It's not clear whether he thinks very much of the question.
Alyster Black: "Your guess is as good as mine, Salum. I'm hoping that this weekend will shed a little light on that."
Todd raises an eyebrow.
Todd Salum: "You think this imposter will be here in the desert? As an entrant in the tournament?"
Beneath the mask, we can tell that Alyster is smiling.
Alyster Black: "You said yourself that this man, assuming that it's a man, has been hounding me over the past couple of months. You think this coward would be able to stay away? He knows I'm here. He knows that this tournament is built around me. And he knows that I'll probably be a little worse for wear throughout these two days. I'd be surprised if we didn't see our masked friend here tonight."
Black's fists clench, perhaps involuntarily.
Alyster Black: "I sort of hope we do."
Sensing the champion's eagerness for violence, along with his reputation for it, Salum decides to move on.
Todd Salum: "We are aware that you will be competing in your first round match in our main event here at Stage One, and with the blind bracketing structure - coupled with a vast and varied field to choose from - is there anyone in particular that you hope walks out to face you later on today? Who’s caught your eye in those preview matches?"
Alyster Black: "I've already mentioned that I hope we'll see the future of X Rules here at the King of the –"
This thought remains unfinished as, in a sudden flourish of activity, another figure enters the frame and brings a lead pipe crashing down between Alyster Black's shoulder blades!
Anzu Kurosawa: "That's the imposter! The fake Alyster Black is here!!"
Thomas West: "Perhaps a little sooner than the champion anticipated!!"
The camera pans out to show the open door of a nearby black Corolla, which the assailant must have been waiting in to launch his assault, as the mystery man - dressed identically to black except for the blue detailing around the eyes of his mask - drags Alyster up to his feet. The X Champion tries to fight back with right hands, but the imposter thrusts the end of the pipe into his ribs before bringing it down once more over the top of his back!
Anzu Kurosawa: "A vicious assault! We need some help back there!"
Thomas West: "This is earlier today, Anzu! These woes are trapped in the past!"
Not quite done with Alyster yet, the imposter proceeds to wrap his legs around Black's in a deliberate manner before grasping his arms. He pulls the champion's face up away from the sand… before driving it down into the ground with a vile curbstomp!!
With Alyster Black seemingly unconscious, the doppelganger crouches down over his championship belt. He regards it carefully before walking out of the shot.
Anzu Kurosawa: "Oh! Looks like that’s my cue!"
We hear the noise of a headset being placed down and the camera cuts to Anzu Kurosawa as she emerges from behind the booth in full ring gear. The crowd is cheering the woman as she walks across the stage (which the announce desk is set up on) and to the top of the ramp.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Your first competitor in this, the fifth X Rules Deathmatch of the day, weighs in at ninety six pounds… from Hiroshima, Japan… Anzu… Kurosawa!!"
Thomas West: "I guess I’ll be riding solo, hopefully just for this one match today and - of course - a few more tomorrow. This is Anzu’s second appearance in the KODM, after succumbing to Mike Parr in the first round of last year’s tournament. Anzu is one of the few pre-announced competitors going in cold with no appearances in the run-up preview matches… let’s hope her trademark exuberance is enough to shake off that ring rust."
Anzu is in the ring, smiling at the referee and offering him a thumbs up as her music fades out. All eyes, including Kurosawa’s, turn towards the stage, just in time for…
There’s a roar in the desert as the rousing opening notes of Caesar’s theme music play, sustained as the former FWA World Tag Team Champion appears on the stage.
Natalie Rosenberg: "And her opponent… from inside the sacred Pomerium of The Glorious Roman Empire and weighing in at three hundred and nineteen libra… he is Cornelius… Aurelius… CAESAR!!"
Cornelius Aurelius Caesar looks out at his adoring public approvingly before making his way down the ramp.
Thomas West: "There’s pandemonium here in the desert! I’m not exactly sure why… all I see is a traitor who Uncle showed up to be the delusional hack that he is! Cornelius Aurelius Caesar is here at King of the Deathmatch 2023, and I can’t wait to see Anzu send him packing back to Ancient Rome!"
Caesar enters the ring and offers a nod to Anzu, who he has always had respect for, and then waits in his corner as his music fades out and the official conducts his final checks.
MATCH FIVE
Anzu Kurosawa vs. Cornelius Aurelius Caesar.
X Rules Deathmatch.
Round One.
<< 04:31. >>
After Caesar dominates the opening technical exchanges, Anzu manages to bowl him over with a series of stiff kicks to the sides, followed by a headscissors takedown. Caesar slides out of the ring and out of dodge, with Anzu exiting it from the other side. She takes a moment to admire Yuna’s ship approvingly, which is still banked in the sand nearby, before searching under the ring. She produces a pair of tables to the fans’ delight, and sets them up on the outside of the ring, next to each other. She’s not done there, though, collecting a twenty foot ladder from ringside and beginning to set that up, too…
Thomas West: "Those that followed Anzu’s career in Japan will know that she is synonymous with this particular weapon, and is known as the Queen of the Deathmatch throughout much of that country… hey, that’s a neat tournament idea. Someone get me Russnow’s number!"
With the ladder set up, Anzu notices Caesar charging at her with a lighttube – which she manages to duck beneath the swing of. She connects with a spin kick to the gut, Caesar dropping the lighttube, which remains in tact…. and Anzu follows up with a snap DDT on the outside! Anzu picks up the discarded lighttube and waits patiently for the Roman to climb to a vertical base. It's Kurosawa's turn to charge at her opponent with the tube, but Caesar stymies her momentum with a low drop kick to the knees! Anzu drops the tube, which skids across the floor (but again remains unbroken).
Caesar takes Anzu by the hair and tries to throw her face first onto the apron, but she puts her hands out to block it, and then strikes with a series of elbows. With Cornelius staggered, Kurosawa hops up onto the apron and runs through him with a kick to the chest! Caesar manages to stay on his feet, but not what Anzu leaps off the apron with a hurricanrana! Kurosawa follows up with the cover….
ONE… TWO… NO!
Caesar kicks out!
***
<< 08:08.>>
After a lengthy period on the outside (involving, incidentally, lots of attempts to use weaponry and the general environment to both of their advantage, with no success), the pair find themselves back in the ring and in opposite corners. Essentially where they started, except for now both of them are holding a chair. Anzu makes the first move, flinging her chair across the ring in Caesar's direction… and the Roman uses his chair to bat the missile away! The crowd are impressed with the impromptu display of baseball skills (good for an Ancient Roman, they say), except for the handful who have to get out of the way of Anzu's chair as it plummets to the ground.
Cornelius realises he's the only only now holding a chair, and he charges in an attempt to swing for the fences… but Kurosawa ducks beneath the strike. Now, standing behind Caesar, she tries to leap up onto his shoulders, with Cornelius dropping his chair in favour of holding her legs and resisting…
Thomas West: "Anzu is going for a poisonrana here, but the Roman is having none of it! He drags her back up onto his shoulders… electric chair drop!!"
Cornelius collects the unbroken lighttube from earlier in the match and waits for Anzu to climb to her feet… and brings it down over her head with a dull thud!! But STILL the lighttube remains in one piece!!
Thomas West: "What is that thing made out of?! Is it gimmicked?!"
Caesar looks down at the tube in confusion before discarding it. It rolls out of the ring, by the tables on the outside, as he changes tact and drags Kurosawa up to her feet. He hoists her up and steps towards one of the chairs, but as he does he accidentally kicks it out of the way, so his Michonoku driver only sends Anzu to the mat rather than onto the steel. Nonetheless, Caesar goes for a cover…
ONE… TWO… NO!
Kickout from Anzu! A little frustration showing, Caesar locks on a grounded side headlock.
***
<< 10:41. >>
After ten hard forearms delivered to Anzu in the corner, Caesar whips her across the ring and into the opposite set of turnbuckles. The Roman charges across the ring at her, going for a cornered clothesline, but Anzu ducks and uses Caesar's momentum against him, sending him up and over the top rope and crashing in a heap on the outside! Anzu waits inside the ring as he gets to his feet, using the barricade to help support his weight… and attempts to springboard from the inside to the outside with a cross-body!!
Thomas West: "… Caesar catches her!! He plucks Anzu out of midair!! My broadcast colleague may weigh less than a hundred pounds, but an impressive feat nonetheless from Cornelius Aurelius Caesar!"
The Roman holds Anzu in his arms for a moment as she struggles, a devious little smile on his face. He tries to throw Anzu up and onto his shoulders in a fireman's carry… but Anzu shifts her momentum and takes him down with a tiltawhirl DDT!! Caesar is spiked onto the hard desert ground and rolls towards the tables and ladder set up earlier in the match. Anzu is on him immediately, dragging him to the tables and, after a series of clubbing forearms, lays him on top of them…
Thomas West: "Anzu got this idea into her head earlier in the match, and it appears she thinks Caesar is now incapacitated enough to take a risk! Anzu is going right to the very top of that fifteen foot ladder!"
The audience cheer Kurosawa as she makes her ascent, and as she steadies herself on the top of it she offers the fans all a thumbs up.
Thomas West: "SENTON ATOMICO!! … BUT NOBODY’S HOME!!"
Caesar indeed dives out of the way, causing Anzu to crash through the two tables. They explode beneath her and she lies in the debris as the crowd launches into a ‘HOLY SHIT’ chant. Caesar is still worse for wear, too, but shakes loose the cobwebs and grabs the nearby indestructible lighttube. He drags Anzu up, standing behind her, and places the lighttube across her throat… before delivering a vile backstabber!
Thomas West: "Et Tu, Caesar?! And FINALLY the lighttube breaks!!"
The crowd applauds as the the tube smashes into pieces, the shards cutting Anzu open around the chest and neck after the backstabber. Caesar discards the pieces and hooks the leg…
ONE… TWO… THREE!
Cornelius is slow to get to his feet, but eventually he does and - leaning against the ring apron for some support - he allows the official to lift his hand into the air.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Here is your winner… Cornelius Aurelius Caesar!!"
Caesar climbs back into the ring, wishing to revel for a little while with an audience appreciative of his efforts.
Thomas West: "A hell of an effort from Anzu, who really put it all on the line, but it’s the Roman who progresses to tomorrow’s Stage Two. He’s enjoying the proverbial giving of flowers at this contest’s culmination, climbing up to the second rope to bask in the crowd’s admiration."
But, just as Caesar is getting comfortable…
Caesar’s eyes turn towards the screen, just as do everyone else’s in the arena…
Thomas West: "We’ve already heard this man’s music once tonight… but what business does he have out here now?!"
Cornelius hops down from the second turnbuckle to occupy a position in the middle of the ring. He is exhausted from his match with Anzu, but he wills this new apparent assailant out nonetheless…
Thomas West: "I guess Death Walker intends to make Caesar’s business his own… look out, Cornelius! He’s behind you!"
Caesar, though, is fixated on the stage area, his fists raised and ready for a fight… but he’s blindsided from behind by Death Walker, who runs through him with a clothesline to the back of the head! Cornelius falls into a heap and begins the arduous task of dragging himself back up, but Death is already reaching for a nearby chair. He allows Caesar to get to his feet… only to bring the chair down over his head with a sickening crunch! A dent the size and shape of the Roman’s head is left in the chair as Death throws it to one side, inspecting his handiwork in the form of a thin trickle of blood emerging from Cornelius’ forehead.
Thomas West: "Death Walker is, of course, already safely through to the second round of this tournament, owing to his victory earlier in the night against XYZ… perhaps he’s looking to take out the opposition before we even get to Stage Two?!"
Death Walker looms over his fallen prey, the crowd booing him ferociously as we fade away from the scene.
The Fantasy Wrestling Alliance proudly presents…
LIVE! … this Sunday, April 9th, 2023 …
… from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois …
- only on the WCNetwork -
featuring…
Eternal vs. Joe Burr & Lizzie Rose.
Jackson Fenix vs. Mike Parr. FWA NA Title - #1C.
Ratin Makitchin and Steve the Techno Vampire vs. Allen Price and Jean-Luc Watkins.
Bryan Baxter [c] vs. ???. FWA NA Title.
Shawn Summers [c] vs. Tommy Bedlam. FWA TV Title.
Chris Peaock [c] vs. Cyrus Truth vs. Michelle von Horrowitz. FWA World Title.
We cut to the backstage area, somewhere near Gorilla position, where Katie Baxter is standing by with ‘the British Apprentice’ Reagan Cole, along with his mentor and advisor for the weekend in Jeffry Mason. ‘The Saviour of Death’ stands behind Cole, his arms folded and a smirk on his face, as the interviewer acknowledges the audience and then his charge. We note that Reagan still has a couple of staples in his forehead following his match with Madison Gray earlier on in the evening.
Katie Baxter: "I’m standing by at this time with Reagan Cole, along with Jeffry Mason, who is fresh from his impressive victory over Madison Gray earlier on today. Reagan, any thoughts about the manner in which you progressed into tomorrow’s latter stages?"
If anything, Reagan seems a little perplexed by the question.
Reagan Cole: "Impressive? It was a win, which is a good thing, but I’m not sure I’d go that far Katie. Madison is still improving, still green… for her, every match - including this one - is a learning curve. But I’m not here to be a training module. The real competition starts tomorrow."
Jeffry lets out a snicker.
Jeffry Mason: "Reagan is being far too kind. Madison Gray calls herself a parasite, and I happen to agree. And today, the parasite got squashed, which is an inevitability."
Katie Baxter: "You’ve already mentioned tomorrow, when you’ll go into Stage Two along with a few other wrestlers who’ve already won their first round matches today. Has anyone caught your eye? Are you looking out for anyone who hasn’t yet competed during Stage One?"
Cole looks somewhat impatient. He’s only just finished with medical following his match, and the lingering pains from it are making him irritable.
Reagan Cole: "It’s like a jungle out there. Sometimes, I wonder how I –"
Cole’s thought is interrupted, and both he and Jeffry Mason stiffen up, their eyes drawn to something off-camera. We zoom out and pan around to reveal… Death Walker, recently returned through the curtain following his exploits following the Caesar vs. Anzu match-up. Death Walker slowly saunters closer to the other two, cutting a somewhat intimidating figure even if he is outnumbered by Mason and Cole.
The interviewer, meanwhile, is shrinking into the corner whilst listening to a message through her earpiece. Nervously, she punctures the silence…
Katie Baxter: "Um, Death Walker… you really mustn’t shoot the messenger, but… the KODM Committee have informed me that any further physicality from yourself towards tournament competitors tonight will result in your disqualification from Stage Two…"
Death affords himself a smirk. He clenches his fist.
Death Walker: "…"
Even though there’s two men opposite from him, Death still seems to fancy his chances… until, in what would seem like a coincidence but for the fact that this interview is happening at Gorilla position and her match is next, Trixie Bordeaux enters the scene. The camera pulls back further still to reveal her standing a few metres apart from Cole and Mason. She glares at Death, the recent history between the pair running through her mind.
Death Walker, now staring at three wrestlers (of varying experience) apparently opposing him, not to mention the threat of removal from the tournament, lets out a low chuckle before returning to the backstage area.
Trixie is left with Jeffry and Reagan, and turns her glare in their direction now that the more immediate threat has left. Her music begins to play, and we hear the muffled sounds of it through the walls of the warehouse.
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "I’ll see you tomorrow, maybe."
Bordeaux walks through the curtain. Jeffry Mason has a smile on his face.
Jeffry Mason: "Maybe…"
Mason and Cole leave Katie Baxter alone, who lets out a huge sigh of relief.
Cheers are heard in the desert as Trixie Bordeaux appears on the stage, still slightly green-faced and queasy after her eventful interview with Katie Baxter earlier in the day. She looks awkward and anxious on the stage, surveying the audience with fear plain upon her, before beginning her descent of the ramp.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Introducing your first competitor in this sixth X Rules Deathmatch… weighing in at one hundred and twenty five pounds… from Baton Rouge, Louisiana… BELLATRIX BORDEAUX!!"
Thomas West: "I’m afraid it’s still only me, wrestling fans! We’re just waiting for Anzu to re-find her feet… but allow me to introduce Trixie Bordeaux, a woman who has made waves in the last couple of matches, picking up big tag team wins on both 026 and 027. Bordeaux will be hoping that collaborative success can translate into singles success, as she eyes a place in Stage Two… or maybe just hopes to keep her lunch down."
Trixie does indeed look like she’s about to be sick again, crouched in the corner of the ring. Fortunately it all came back up earlier in the day. After a few dry heaves, she stands up and stares at the stage, waiting for her opponent’s music to play…
There’s a subdued reaction in the desert - the sun getting closer and closet to setting behind the mountains - for weaselperson as the bizarre competitor walks out onto the stage. They look around themselves at the assembled audience in silence… no words, no barks, just silence.
Natalie Rosenberg: "And introducing her opponent… from Montreal, Quebec in Canada and weighing in at one hundred and eighty pounds… weaselperson!!"
Thomas West: "It’s fair to say that this audience doesn’t exactly know what to make of weaselperson. Figures: people are always scared of what they don’t understand. If you ask me, weaselperson has real NP. That stands for Nephew Potential, which weaselperson possesses in bucketloads. First and foremost, they’re a winner. weaselperson started off their career here by sending Logan Darwin, and now they’ve come for the rest of the FWA!"
weaselperson climbs into the ring and stands across from it from Trixie, staring listlessly at the young lady with their mouth ajar and their tongue hanging out. Bordeaux returns the gesture, only without the tongue hanging out. The official, content that we are ready to begin, calls for the bell…
MATCH SIX
Trixie Bordeaux vs. weaselperson.
X Rules Deathmatch.
Round One.
<< 02:15. >>
After knocking Trixie down with a clothesline, weaselperson scurries out of the ring and collects some hardware from under the ring, notably a stop sign and a trash can. They throws them under the bottom rope and proceeds to whack Trixie a trio of times with the stop sign, denting it over her head, and then places the trashcan over her head! Trixie is blinded with her torso inside the trashcan and stumbles around the ring. weaselperson hits her a further time with the stop sign, knocking her off her feet, but Bordeaux is still firmly stuck inside the can! weaselperson offers her their hand to help her get to her feet, but then bodyslams her! Trixie is still in the trashcan as weaselperson goes for the cover…
ONE… TWO… NO!
Thomas West: "How could the official possibly see if her shoulders are down?! The poor woman is inside a trash can!!"
weaselperson waits in the corner, perhaps teeing Bordeaux up for a spear, but when Trixie gets to her feet she walks in completely the opposite direction! It’s an accidental evasive manoeuvre, with weaselperson unable to hit his spear but Trixie (still in the trashcan) walks into the turnbuckles first and then the ringropes, losing her balance the second time and again falling to the mat.
weaselperson utters a few barks, which Trixie seems to understand mean she should wait. She remains still as weaselperson, rather than simply helping her out of the trashcan, leaves the ring and looks underneath it. They produce a toolbox (which the camera picks up has Jason Randall’s name on it), and from it they retrieve a short, sharp knife.
Thomas West: "Woah… did we do enough background checks on this weaselperson? I know anything is legal but this seems a bit much!"
weaselperson’s intentions are less sinister, though, and they use his knife to quickly cut a pair of rough eye holes in Trixie’s trashcan! She gets up to her feet, seemingly moving around a little better now… but then weaselperson knocks her back off her feet with a spear! They go for the cover…
ONE… TWO… NO!
Trixie kicks out!
***
<< 05:51. >>
In the ring, weaselperson has a door, which they have set up on two folded out chairs. They lift Trixie up to her feet (the young woman is still, you guessed it, stuck inside her trashcan, though the eyeholes at least give her half a chance) and drag her towards the door, applying a front facelock (around the entire trashcan).
Thomas West: "weaselperson is looking for a DDT through that door… but Trixie is desperately fighting out! She rams that trashcan into weaselperson’s side… and then a sit-out jawbreaker!! How did she manage that!"
weaselperson stumbles around after the desperation move from Trixie, which caused their chin to jam off the edge of the trashcan’s base, and Trixie follows up with a kick to the groin!! weaselperson yelps, and Bordeaux knocks them into a seat position in the corner with a standing dropkick! Trixie is still in the can, but backs away from weaselperson nonetheless, and then charges across the ring with a cannonball!
Thomas West: "Bundle of Fun! Trixie Bordeaux connects, and weaslperson is on Dream Street!"
Indeed, weaselperson is stumbling around the ring again, and Trixie follows up with a drop toe hold, sending weaselperson face down onto the door that they set up earlier in the match. Trixie heaves weaselperson’s prone body up onto the door before climbing up towards the top rope. She steadies herself on the top turnbuckle, cutting an odd figure with two around forty percent of her body hidden inside the trashcan… before leaping off with a coffin drop!!
Thomas West: "Whistling Trixie!!! Through the door!! That’s got to be it!!"
The canned Trixie lies down atop weaselperson…
ONE… TWO… THREE!
The official finally helps Trixie out of her trashcan, and then raises her hand in victory…
Natalie Rosenberg: "Here is your winner… Bellatrix Bordeaux!!"
Bordeaux is breathing heavily, and there’s an expression on her face that suggests that she can’t quite believe that she’s won.
Thomas West: "Trixie marches on into Stage Two at weaselperson’s expense – and what’s more, she’s just picked up her very first singles victory here in the FWA! A big moment for Bordeaux!"
Trixie seems to be aware of this, too, but the disbelief continues. She stands for a while awkwardly in the middle of the ring, her music blaring around her and a considerable proportion of the fans cheering her name. Finally, she walks over - almost in a daze - to the trash can that became her temporary home for just under five minutes. She picks it up and climbs out of the ring with it. We fade out on this somewhat confused image.
We cut to an external shot in the desert, near the warehousing unit being used for the backstage area but away from the prying eyes of the fans. Next to the talent entrance, Katie Baxter is standing by with one of tonight’s winners in Bellatrix Bordeaux.
Katie Baxter: "I’m joined at this time by Trixie Bordeaux, fresh from her triumph in the opening round of the King of the Deathmatch, when she eliminated weaselperson to progress to Stage Two. Trixie, how are you feeling after your big debut win?"
Trixie seems a little shellshocked, and only slightly less pale than she was when we last saw her. She is still clutching her trashcan with eye holes.
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "Well, I don’t know if I’d call it a big win, Katie. It was only against a meme character after all, and I only just barely won. I had a trashcan on my head for most of the match, I don’t know if you saw. That’s not generally considered traditional for professional wrestling. I guess you could say a lot of it was luck. Things fell for me right at the right time, you know? I’m thankful for it, but I don’t think I can afford to get too many trashcans stuck on my head in Stage Two. Maybe I’ll try and get a trashcan stuck on one of my opponent’s head instead. Learn from my mistakes, maybe! Can’t rely on luck forever."
Trixie is skittish and anxious. Katie attempts to put her at ease.
Katie Baxter: "Trixie, calm down… you did well."
Bordeaux takes a deep breath, as if hearing somebody say that has done something to relax her. She doesn’t have a chance to respond, however, because the camera pans out to show that another has entered the scene. None other than ‘the Wildcard’ Jason Randall is standing nearby. He finishes smoking his cigarette, flicking the end into a nearby drain.
Jason Randall: "You’re both right. You did well today, Trixie. But you’re going to have to do a lot better tomorrow."
With that, the Wildcard walks through the talent entrance. Trixie stares blankly into space.
Katie Baxter: "… Trixie?"
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "Um, sorry, I can’t stay, I gotta go hide. Wait, not hide. Did I say hide? I gotta go train. See you tomorrow, Katie."
With a nervous smile and a wave, Trixie leaves the frame. Baxter looks at the lens, says nothing, and we fade to black.
Heavy boos are heard around the arena as Jeremy Best’s music begins to play. There’s a few awkward moments of inactivity as we wait for Jeremy to appear, but eventually he does - without, of course, Bill Scorpane and Bryan Baxter. Best looks somewhat nervous as he makes his way towards the ring.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Introducing the first combatant in your seventh X Rules Deathmatch of the evening… from Friendship, North Carolina… weighing in at one hundred and eighty pounds… JEREMY… BEST!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "It’s good to be back, Thomas… what a thrill! And just in time, it seems!"
Thomas West: "… you missed a whole match, Anzu."
Anzu Kurosawa: "I did?"
Thomas West: "Indeed, but you’re back just in time for Jeremy Best, who I’m sure many are relishing the idea of seeing battered with lighttubes and barbed wire. He hasn’t made too many new friends or new fans since Back in Town..."
Jeremy has a microphone in hand, and stops the music when he’s half way down the ramp.
Jeremy Best: "Well, tonight truly has been eye-opening. I am sure that, through all the blood and the violence and the barbarism, you have all learned a lot! I have learned one thing, whilst watching all of this play out from the back… and that’s that I’m not cut out for this!"
Best climbs into the ring and lifts the microphone up to his lips again, as if he means to go on. Before he can, though, he is quickly cut off…
The crowd erupts as Violet Dreyer walks out onto the stage, a face like thunder as she surveys the makeshift arena. She has a cricket bat with a few spikes nailed into it in her grasp.
Natalie Rosenberg: "And his opponent… from Sydney, Australia and weighing in at one hundred and forty one pounds… ‘That Dastardly Dreyer’... VIOLET… DREYER!!"
Anzu Kuorsawa: I think that, as they say, business is about to pick up!"[/b][/color]
Dreyer’s eyes fix on Jeremy Best and, with a smirk, she clutches her bat before striding down the ring. Jeremy turns even paler, if that is possible, and quickly climbs out of the ring as she slides into it…
Jeremy Best: "Wait, wait, wait, wait, WAIT!!"
Jeremy quickly circles the ring and retreats to the ramp, which he stumbles up backwards. Violet, prepared for the match which she believes about to begin, clutches her bat and waits in the ring, barking at Best to climb back in and face her. Her music fades out as Jeremy continues to speak…
Jeremy Best: "I wasn’t finished! You didn’t let me finish!"
The crowd continue to boo as Jeremy, who is coming across very cowardly in this moment, continues to back up the ramp and onto the stage.
Jeremy Best: "As I was just saying, I’ve decided that my skills aren’t necessarily the best suited to deathmatch wrestling, afterall… and so I’m out here to announce that I am withdrawing from this tournament! Sorry! All a big misunderstanding, really. But, fortunately for all of you, I found a replacement skulking around in the back, who leapt at the opportunity to throw his name into the hat. Jim…"
Best lowers the mic and turns to the stage, just in time for…
There’s a huge cheer from the crowd… but this is somewhat tempered, gradually as the realisation dawns, when the masked man walks out onto the stage. He is a pretty good impersonator but for the lack of championship belt and the cobalt blue detailing around the eyes of his mask. As he walks past Best and down the ramp, we vaguely recognise his gait but can’t place it, other than to say that it doesn’t belong to Alyster Black. Natalie Rosenberg, after listening to instructions coming through her earpiece, makes the introductions…
Natalie Rosenberg: "And introducing her opponent… currently residing in … San Dimas, California and … weighing in at two hundred and twenty pounds… … ‘ALYSTER’… ‘BLACK’!!""[/b][/color]
Anzu Kurosawa: "Can Jeremy Best do that?!"
Thomas West: "Looks like he has, Anzu! Best is out of here, and we have a new opponent for Violet Dreyer… somebody bearing a striking resemblance to one Danny Toner."
Anzu Kurosawa: "A striking resemblance, yes… but not the real deal. This is the man who has been plaguing the actual FWA X Champion over the last couple of months, and now he inserts himself into KODM2. Perhaps looking to get his hands on the champion in a sanctioned match?"
Thomas West: "Perhaps, but he has a big challenge ahead of him here in Stage One before it comes to that… and Violet Dreyer looks livid! I imagine she wanted to get her hands on Jeremy Best, the man who betrayed her former mentor in ‘the White Wolf’ Krash, but now she’ll have to settle for this impersonator…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I wouldn’t want to be in his borrowed boots, right now…"
The imposter slides into the ring… and immediately Violet tries to take his head off with a swing of her spiked bat!! ‘Alyster’ ducks beneath it and doubles Dreyer over with a boot to the midsection, the masked man applying a front facelock as the official calls for the opening bell…
MATCH SEVEN
’Alyster Black’ vs. Violet Dreyer.
X Rules Deathmatch.
Round One.
MATCH WRITE-UP
<< 00:00. >>
Anzu Kurosawa: "The Fake Black attempting a Satan’s Spike here immediately in this match?!"
Violet, though, has other ideas, immediately driving ‘Black’ back into the corner and then repeatedly thrusting her shoulder into his gut. Violet takes him by the wrist and whips him HARD into the opposite set of turnbuckles, the imposter hitting them with such force that he rebounds back towards her… and Dreyer runs through him with a shoulder block!!
Thomas West: "You think Violet is aware that this is only a fake Alyster Black?"
Anzu Kurosawa: "She’s taking out some frustrations here, regardless…"
Violet attempts to stay on ‘Black’, but he slides out beneath the bottom rope to avoid her advances. She comes on, though, following him out of the ring and nailing a trio of forearms, before hurling him shoulder-first into the steel ring steps!! She takes a moment to walk around the ring and collect her spiked bat, which slid out of it amidst the commotion at the start of the match, before stalking ‘Black’, who is still draped over the steel ring steps.
Thomas West: "This could end very badly for whoever it is underneath that mask…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Serves them right for the duplicity!"
Violet lifts her bat over her head and tries to bring it down onto the imposter’s back, but at the last moment her mysterious opponent throws himself out of the way! The bat is stuck in the top of the steel steps by its spikes, and as Dreyer attempts to yank it out she’s rocked by a superkick from ‘Alyster’!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "I don’t think I’ve ever seen Alyster Black hit a superkick! A desperation move, perhaps."
Regardless, Violet is rocked by the move, allowing ‘Black’ to hoist her onto his shoulders and nail her with a Death Valley Driver on the outside!
Thomas West: "A little more in keeping with the mimicry, there… and now ‘Alyster’ goes for the cover…"
ONE… TWO… T – NO!
Violet forces a shoulder up, but the imposter has the upper hand…
***
<< 04:12. >>
In the ring, ‘Alyster’ is working away at Violet in the corner with right hands, but Dreyer throws up a hasty guard, and when the onslaught momentarily abates she throws a big headbutt into the imposter! ‘Black’ stumbles backwards, allowing Dreyer to grab him in a front facelock before hitting a tornado DDT!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Those familiar with Violet Dreyer’s work on the indies will know that she calls that the Molotov Cocktail… but rather than going for a pinfall, she rolls out of the ring and is looking for some hardware!"
Indeed, Violet searches under the ring, first producing a fire extinguisher, which she rolls into the ring (it hits the mat with a dull thunk), and then secondly a huge wooden board that has tight spools of barbed wire attached to one side of it. She has a sinister grin on her face as she slides it beneath the bottom rope, the crowd cheering her on as she hops up onto the apron… only to get sprayed with the smog from the fire extinguisher!! Dreyer stumbles around on the apron, holding the top rope to keep her footing even though she’s blinded… and ‘Alyster’ brings the fire extinguisher down over her head!! The impact gives off a nasty thud and Dreyer falls down onto the apron! ‘Black’ follows her out onto the apron, once more hoisting her up into a fireman’s carry.
Thomas West: "You think he’s going for a Death Valley Driver again?"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Maybe, but Violet is wise to it, now! She fights out desperately with elbow strikes to the side of the imposter’s head…"
‘Alyster’ is forced to drop Dreyer and she lands behind him, and when the masked man turns she attempts to tee off on him with a big headbutt… only for ‘Black’ to block it with a big forearm! Violet is rocked, but the imposter has to take a moment to shake some activity back into the nerves in his hand. When he’s ready, he hoists Dreyer to her feet and delivers a devastating Saito suplex on the ring apron! Violet lands at an ugly angle on her head and neck and then falls into a heap on the floor, with ‘Black’ prompt in rolling off the apron and into a cover…
ONE… TWO… THR – NO!
Once more, Violet kicks out!
***
<< 09:13. >>
‘Alyster’ has caught Violet on the top rope, and has followed her up in an attempt to hit her with a superplex or, perhaps, an Avalanche Satan’s Spike… Dreyer, though, is doing her best to fight out of it, and unloads on ‘Black’ with forearm strikes and headbutts, eventually succeeding in having the masked man teeter on the second turnbuckle. One more forearm sends him down into a heap on the mat. Violet steps up to the top turnbuckle, perhaps looking for her ‘Rooftop Riot’ senton atomico… but she takes a moment too long to steady herself, and ‘Alyster’ scrambles up. He charges over and knocks Violet off the top rope with an axe handle! She loses her footing, first falling onto the apron and then down onto the sand.
Anzu Kurosawa: "A desperation move from this Alyster Black cosplayer, there! He sensed that Violet was shaping up for something big, and did anything he could to throw her off track…"
‘Black’ shakes off the cobwebs in the centre of the ring, and prepares to follow Dreyer back out of it, when…
The crowd goes crazy when the opening notes of the song play, and only get more excited when the FWA X Champion appears on the stage. He drops his belt and, although he is moving gingerly after the attack earlier in the night, he begins to march down to the ring…
Anzu Kurosawa: "Alyster Black is here!! And he’s had just about enough of this charade!"
Thomas West: "But we’re in the middle of a match! What would Violet Dreyer say about all of this?!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "X Rules, Thomas!"
The fake Alyster Black throws up his fists as the real one slides into the ring, with ‘Alyster’ attempting a discus lariat as the X Champion charges him. Black Jesus ducks beneath it, and then runs through his impersonator with a rolling elbow! The crowd are going wild as Alyster lifts up his doppelganger and hoists him up into a fireman’s carry…
Anzu Kurosawa: "Death Valley Driver! The real deal!"
Black looks down at his foe for a moment, and specifically at his mask. Perhaps he is thinking about revealing this imposter’s identity, but for some reason he doesn’t. Instead, he collects the barbed wire board that Violet introduced earlier in the match and drags it into position in the centre of the ring. He hoists his impersonator up in a front facelock…
Thomas West: "SATAN’S SPIKE!! INTO THE BARBED WIRE!!"
The real Alyster lands in the barbed wire, too, but he drags himself out of it and - if there is any pain - he doesn’t let it show. He looks down at the doppelganger, writhing in agony, and then slides out of the ring. The camera watches as he retreats up the ramp…
… and then, when we cut back to the ring, we see Violet Dreyer climbing up to the top turnbuckle!
Thomas West: "Violet Dreyer is looking to take advantage of this situation!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "And why not?! This is her dream! Violet is closing in on a place in Stage Two!"
She steadies herself upon the top rope…
Thomas West: "ROOFTOP RIOT!!"
‘Alyster Black’ is driven further into the barbed wire board by the seton atomico, and Dreyer covers him, her own arms and back cut up by the impact…
ONE… TWO… THREE!
Dreyer takes in some hard-fought breaths following the contest, the exhaustion plain upon her. She drags herself to her feet and, when the referee tries to lift her hand in victory, she glares at him to warn him away…
Natalie Rosenberg: "Here is your winner… Violet Dreyer!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Well, exactly how much Violet Dreyer knew about the circumstances that led to her opponent suddenly finding himself tangled in barbed wire remains to be seen… but the important fact is that she’s through to Stage Two of the King of the Deathmatch."
Thomas West: "At the expense of our resident Alyster Black impersonator… hopefully she takes his mask off. He’s right there!"
Dreyer looks down at ‘Black’ for a moment, and it appears the thought is perhaps crossing her own mind… but she instead turns away and climbs out of the ring.
Thomas West: "Oh, come on! I might go and do it myself…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Be my guest."
Thomas West: "Commitments, Anzu."
We see Violet approach the steel ring steps and plant a boot on the top of them. She wrenches her bat out of the top, inspects the damage, shrugs, and then walks up the ramp as we fade away from the scene.
We cut to Gorilla position, where Cornelius Aurelius Caesar is standing near the entrance to the medical bay with Todd Salum. The Roman is wearing his injuries - both from his match with Anzu Kurosawa and the post-match attack from Death Walker - plainly. He massages his neck, targeted by Death's kimura lock, as Salum opens.
Todd Salum: "I'm here with Cornelius Aurelius Caesar, for whom it's been a mixed day here in the desert. Caesar, you triumphed over Anzu Kurosawa - who I’m led to believe you were treated alongside and bonded with in the medical bay - but then fell to a brutal and seemingly random attack from Death Walker after the bell. Any thoughts on this extra-curricular from one of your fellow quarter finalists?"
Caesar smiles to himself before he begins.
Cornelius Aurelius Caesar: ”You know, I am quite used to knives in the back… but it never makes it any more regrettable. Just once, I wish someone would draw their blade whilst facing me. Death Walker, you are no different to a thousand of history’s other rogues, right down to the spooky name. It’s not all that intimidating. We’ll see how brave he is if fate throws us together on the battlefield. No fight is fair, but I like to look a man in the eyes as he meets his end."
It’s quite clear that the Roman means business. Salum retracts the microphone, intending to ask a follow-up question, but before he can Caesar’s attention (and then the interviewer’s, too) is drawn away by someone else entering the scene. Jeremy Best has been skulking around Gorilla position, watching the Violet Dreyer match on the monitors, and has stumbled into Caesar’s shot on his way towards the exit.
Jeremy Best: "Oh, are you recording something? Don’t mind me… I’m just leaving. Didn’t mean to get in anyone’s way."
The Roman’s eyes narrow in the direction of this intruder.
Cornelius Aurelius Caesar: ”I have mentioned certain betrayals already, Todd. These men, whose knives are sharp and keen, are those I once considered friends. I have tasted betrayal in different millenia. And there was a time when I may have shrugged my shoulders, if there wasn’t a knife in between them, and deem this an inevitable part of life. But I have learned in the more recent past that this does not have to be the way. I do not consider myself an expert in the art of friendship. Not anymore. But you do. Which makes your failings all the more repugnant. I do not like you, Jeremy Best."
With that, Caesar leaves the shot. Jeremy is left with the interviewer.
Jeremy Best: "Which way is the exit?"
The Fantasy Wrestling Alliance proudly presents…
KODM.
STAGE TWO.
… this Saturday, April 8th, 2023 …
… from an undisclosed location in the United States …
- only on the WCNetwork -
featuring…
QFs.
Match #10: 10,000 lighttubes Can’t Be Wrong Deathmatch.
Match #11: Clockwork Orange House of Fun Deathmatch.
Match #12: Lumber-Nephew Fans Bring The Weapons Deathmatch.
Match #13: No Ropes Barbed Wire Deathmatch.
SFs.
Match #14: Schism in the Prison Deathmatch.
Match #15: Lahore Lockdown Deathmatch.
F.
Match #16: Barbed Wire Spider’s Web Exploding Ring Deathmatch.
There’s a mixed reaction, probably fifty/fifty, as ‘the Wildcard’ emerges onto the stage. He usually enjoys a more negative response from audiences, but the deathmatch setting and Randall’s reputation for violence means he has more fans amongst this crowd than most. Randall has a trashcan filled with weapons in his hands and begins his walk down the ramp.
Natalie Rosenberg: "… from San Diega, California… he weighs in at two hundred and thirty four pounds… ‘the Wildcard’... JASON RANDALL!!"
Thomas West: "Looks like Jason Randall has come prepared here tonight, bringing his own weapons to the ring… this is exactly the sort of thing that people were talking about when it was said that The Wildcard was perfect for the King of the Deathmatch."
Anzu Kurosawa: "He’s earned that nickname over the years, West. He tangled with Death Walker throughout much of the Winter, and we’ve already seen Death safely qualify for Stage Two with that impressive knockout victory against XYZ. Perhaps The Wildcard will be eyeing up a future meeting with his old rival in tomorrow’s latter stages."
Randall climbs into the ring and places his trashcan down next to him, occupying a central position within it as he stares up the ramp at the stage. His music fades out, a long pause following, the audience creeping to the edge of their seats (metaphorically speaking, as they’re standing) as the hesitation lingers…
And lingers…
Then…
There’s a huge pop in the arena, but soon enough the excitement turns into derision as Jeffry Mason - wearing a white t-shirt with ONE MORE FUCKING TIME scrawled onto it with marker pen - appears on the stage carrying a trashcan of weaponry of his own!! He stands at the top of the ramp, his eyes momentarily on the Crown of Thorns on its podium… before his eyes lock onto Jason Randall. He holds his trashcan into the air, points at The Wildcard, and then begins marching towards the ring.
Natalie Rosenberg: "… from Calgary, Alberta, Canada and weighing in at two hundred and sixty two pounds… ‘the Saviour of Death’... JEFFRY MAAAAASOOOOOOON!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "We knew that he was here, and this explains exactly why Jeffry Mason was allowed to accompany Reagon Cole to the desert today… he’s allowed to be here because he’s part of KODM2! The Saviour of Death is actually here!!"
Thomas West: "This man is widely renowned as a deathmatch legend, and we had a taste of that at 2022’s Back in Business, when he and the British Apprentice stole the show with their bloodbath. And it looks like he intends to fight fire with fire! Both men have the same idea here with their bring-your-own-arsenals!"
Mason throws his trashcan of weapons into the ring and then rolls underneath the bottom rope. He stands opposite from The Wildcard, the two sharing a tense stand-off, Mason’s music fading out and the audience’s anticipation building further still. The referee, somewhat nervous himself about the two men standing either side of him and what they might do to him, doesn’t bother with final checks or last minute instructions, instead immediately calling for the opening bell.
MATCH EIGHT
Jason Randall vs. Jeffry Mason.
X Rules Deathmatch.
Round One.
<< 00:00. >>
Both men stand in their respective with their trashcans of weaponry next to them. They each reach into them: Jeffry collects a pair of lighttubes, whilst randall produces a baseball bat with a dozen nails in the end of it! The audience is already hyped for the match, the two circling the ring with their weapons of choice in their hands. It’s Randall who lunges first with a heavy overhead swing of his bat, but Mason evades, causing the bat to get tangled in the ropes. The Wildcard quickly wrenches it out, but Mason is quicker, bringing the first of his tubes crashing down across Randall’s back! The Wildcard drops his bat and turns to face Jeffry, who brings the second tube down over Randall’s head! The Wildcard drops to his knees and Mason pushes himself behind him with the two broken lighttube ends still in his grasp, which he proceeds to grind the jagged edges of against Randall’s forehead!!
Thomas West: "Jeffry Mason is wasting no time at all taking things to the extreme! This is why they call him ‘the Saviour of Death’!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "My kind of match! My kind of saviour!"
Jeffry Mason drops the tube ends down into the middle of the ring, where they join the rest of the broken shards, and then collects Jason Randall in a front facelock… delivering a snap DDT down onto the glass! Already, the Wildcard is busted open, and Mason goes for the cover…
ONE… TWO… NO!
Randall kicks out!
***
<< 02:51. >>
Mason has produced and used more goodies from his trashcan: he has placed a large gusset board in position near a corner, and is now going to work stapling a trio of dollar bills onto Jason Randall’s forehead. Randall cowers in the corner, and Mason begins to squeeze his nose so that the Wildcard opens his mouth, into which the Saviour of Death forces the staplegun…
Thomas West: "Is he trying to staple his tongue?!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Looks that way, buddy…"
Randall seems to sense Mason’s intentions, too, and stamps down hard on his foot, causing him to drop the staplegun, and then a kick to the shins backs Jeffry up. This allows Randall to run through him with a discuss lariat! Jason picks up the discarded staplegun as Mason retreats into a seated position in the corner. Incensed, the Wildcard rips the dollar bills off his forehead and proceeds to staple two of them onto Mason’s… before he repeats Mason’s gesture, holding his nose until Jeffry is forced to open his mouth…
Thomas West: "No, please… no! God! OH MY GOD!! Jason Randall just stapled a dollar bill onto Jeffry Mason’s tongue!!"
The bill doesn’t hold its position but the pain is severe, Mason rolling around the ring in agony as he rips the remnants off. Randall holds the staplegun up to cheers from the crowd before hurling it at Mason, the Saviour of Death throwing up a guard to deflect it. The Wildcard then approaches his own trashcan, collecting from it barbed wire wrapped two-by-four! Mason sees the weapon, and quickly rolls beneath the bottom rope, but Jason Randall is in hot pursuit. He charges at the ropes…
Anzu Kurosawa: "SUICIDE DIVE!! With a barbed wire wrapped two-by-four in hand!!"
Mason sprawls to the ground and the fans pop for the move, but Jason Randall doesn’t let up for a moment. He drags Jeffry’s face up from the sand and begins to grind the barbed wire across his forehead, bringing a trickle of blood from Mason’s head too…
***
<< 07:14. >>
Both men are back in the ring, with Randall on the ascendancy after a lengthy sleeper hold and then a side suplex. He returns to his trashcan and from it produces a set of brass knucks, which he puts into place. He waits in his corner for Mason to get to his feet, but Jeffry sees him coming and responds with a forearm strike… then a straight right hand… then a headbutt! Randall is rocked by the move, and Mason drags him into position near the gusset board he set up in the corner…
Anzu Kurosawa: "Jeffry Mason going for maybe an exploder suplex here on those gusset boards, but Jason Randall wants none of it… he throws elbows into the side of the Saviour’s head…"
This tactic causes some separation, with Mason throwing his head in for a BIG headbutt… only for Randall to meet it with a right hand! With the brass knucks!!
Thomas West: "Mason might be out cold! BIG right hand from Jason Randall!"
Randall goes for a cover…
ONE… TWO… THRE – NO!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Two point nine recurring!"
Thomas West: "That’s mathematically incorrect, but I get your point."
***
<< 11:31. >>
Both men now fighting on their reserves, both Mason and Randall exchange right hands in the middle of the ring. Their exhaustion is clear, each blow - both given and received - clearly taking it out of them as they continue to trade off… Randall, after seemingly an eternity, gets the better thanks to a combination of a straight right, a roaring elbow, and then - after Mason has sunk to his knees - a ripcord knee strike. Mason is on jelly-legs, and with a primal roar the Wildcard charges off the ropes, looking to take Jeffry’s head off with a discus lariat… only for Jeffry to duck beneath it, and then respond with a headbutt, then a second… then a massive King Kong lariat turns Jason Randall inside out!! The crowd are going absolutely ballistic as both men lie face down in the ring…
Thomas West: "A heavy exchange there between the Wildcard and the Saviour of Death… and neither man comes out on top of it!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Neither man is even standing! This is every bit the slugfest we expected it would be!!"
Eventually, with the crowd cheering them on (mostly Randall, it seems, but with pockets of support for the deathmatch legend amongst fans of the artform), the two men get back to their feet. They are standing in their respective corners, next to the trashcans they brought with them at the start of the match. Both of them reach for the cans and lift them up, but it seems that both are empty, at least of large objects.
Thomas West: "Well, I guess now they’re empty, they just intend to beat each other with the cans themselves?"
Not quite… Jason Randall moves first, and much to the fans’ delight he pours thousands upon thousands of thumbtacks into the middle of the ring. This delights nobody more than it does Jeffry Mason. After Randall discards his can by throwing it out of the ring, Jeffry pours his out on top of the Wildcard’s… shards of glass, large and small but all of them jagged and deadly, scatter amongst the thumb tacks that Randall introduced. The crowd continue to go wild as Mason throws his trashcan out of the ring, too.
Anzu Kurosawa: "Things just turned up a notch…"
The two immediately charge through the shards and tacks, glass crunching underfoot, and Randall goes for a clothesline. Mason ducks beneath it and shifts into a rear waistlock, looking to German suplex the Wildcard into the glass and tacks… Randall overrotates, though, and is able to land on his feet!
Thomas West: "Jeffry Mason sends himself into the tacks, and Randall remains somewhat unscathed!"
Jeffry winces but drags himself up, where Randall is waiting for him with a series of stiff open hand palm strikes. Mason recoils into the corner (the one, unbeknownst to him, where he left the gusset board earlier in the match), and after a trio of hard forearm strikes and a discuss elbow, Randall takes him in a reverse facelock…
Anzu Kurosawa: "Inverted DDT!! Onto the razor sharp spikes of that gusset board!!"
Mason writhes in agony and rolls away from the gusset board, accidentally rolling through the glass and tacks in an effort to get away from it. Randall, though, picks the board up, along with the discarded bat from earlier in the match. With Mason getting respite in the corner, the Wildcard forces the board into his forehead, forcing the razor sharp edges into his skin with the end of his baseball bat!! When Randall backs away, the gusset board stays in position on Mason’s head!
Randall hoists Jeffry Mason up to his feet and onto his shoulders with a fireman’s carry, most likely looking for a Death Valley Driver onto the glass and tacks, but Mason senses his peril and thuds into the Wildcard’s head with elbow strikes. Randall loses his balance and stumbles into the ring ropes, both men flying over the top of them and landing in a heap on the outside…
Thomas West: "Neither man is able to follow up, and this one rolls on!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Mason has managed to get the gusset board out of his head, at least…"
***
<< 16:58. >>
Inside the ring, Mason has Randall up in a seated position on the top rope, and begins to follow him up, all-the-while connecting with right hands whilst making his ascent. Mason looks unsteady, as does Randall, and the Saviour of Death struggles to keep the Wildcard from teetering off altogether. Eventually, Mason gets into position on the second rope and applies a front facelock…
Anzu Kurosawa: "Jeffry Mason going for a superplex here, and the ringmat below is a warzone… shards and tacks await their fall… this is surely a bad idea for both men!"
Mason means to see it through, though. He hooks the arm and attempts to wrench Randall up, but Jason holds the top rope with one hand and, on adrenaline alone, lays into Mason’s ribs with the other. Eventually, this causes enough separation for the Wildcard to follow up with a big headbutt of his own, rocking Jeffry and almost causing him to fall back into the ring. Randall catches him before he does, though, and - with Mason still standing on the second ropes - he steps up onto the top turnbuckle. The Wildcard leaps over the top of Jeffry Mason and drives him down onto the glass and tacks with a sunset flip powerbomb!! The crowd collectively winces at the move, and Randall sinks into a cover…
ONE… TWO… THRE - NO!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Somehow! Someway! Jeffry Mason kicks out and stays in this match-up!"
Thomas West: "This is that deathmatch experience we talked about… this isn’t Jeffry’s first rodeo! He’s used to glass! He’s used to tacks!"
Randall knows this, too, and he goes back to work. He picks Mason up and applies a front facelock, shaping up for his Wildcard Special, a favoured move when thumb tacks are in play. Mason, though, senses it’s coming, and fights out of the facelock with a European uppercut… before hurling a handful of glass and tacks into Randall’s face!! The Wildcard recoils, and the momentarily blindness is enough for Mason. He doubles Randall over with a boot to the midsection and crunches him with a piledriver!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Each and every move is made more devastating by what these men have collectively done to the ringmat… Jason Randall was spiked into glass and thumb tacks with that piledriver!"
You get the sense that Mason could, perhaps, pin Randall right there… but instead, he places him in the dragon clutch!
Anzu Kurosawa: "That’s ‘Lock of Ages’!"
Thomas West: "Lock of Ages... I like that."
Jeffry Mason wrenches hard with his patented submission, giving Jason Randall no choice but to tap!
Jeffry Mason rolls off Jason Randall and gets to his feet, but spits blood at the match official when he comes close to him in an attempt to raise his hand.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Here is your winner… Jeffry Mason!!"
Thomas West: "Well, these two men came here to fight and did exactly that… an absolute war between Jason Randall and Jeffry Mason, but at the end of it it’s ‘the Saviour of Death’ who comes out on top."
Anzu Kurosawa: "Both men showed why they’re renowned as experts in this type of match-up, but ‘the Wildcard’ comes up short. Jeffry Mason, who surprised us with his participation in this tournament, has not surprised anyone with that display of violence in Stage One."
Thomas West: "And now Stage Two awaits…"
The camera watches a bloody Jeffry Mason walk up the ramp as we fade away from the scene.
We cut to the backstage area, and specifically to a corridor that leads to a door marked as the 'EXIT'. Walking down the corridor is Jeremy Best, who - despite his belief that he's managed to get out of the tournament - still looks a little jumpy. His unease has him looking over his shoulder as he matches towards the exit, his gear bag - seemingly larger and more full than usual - slung over his shoulder.
As Jeremy emerges outside the building, it is noticeable (probably because of the wide, vast, expansive desert surrounding him) that he is alone. No Scorpane, who is currently engaged with Cthulhu's Nephews, and no Baxter, who wasn't allowed to accompany him. No Krash, either. At least the driver that he'd been assigned was still here, waiting inside the car he'd been assigned.
Also present, and only detected by the wrestler after a few brief moments, is Katie Baxter. She's holding a microphone and waves at Jeremy after he notes her presence. Best looks longingly at the vehicle that would, if he could only get into it, take him far away from this place, before letting out a regretful groan and allowing the interviewer to approach.
Katie Baxter: "Jeremy, it's surprising to find you back here in the parking area. You can barely hear the fans from back here. Shouldn’t you be getting ready for your match?"
Jeremy Best: "I think you’re mistaken, Katie. Haven’t you been watching the show?"
Katie Baxter: "No… I don’t think I’m mistaken…"
Jeremy Best: "I got out of the tournament. I found a very nice gentleman who was willing to stand in for me, and now I very much intend to leave this place. Maybe go back to Friendship for a few days. Do something to settle my nerves."
Baxter (and a decidedly less friendly Baxter than one Jeremy would’ve enjoyed conversing with at this moment) smiled nervously. An awkward silence lingered.
Katie Baxter: "Umm… I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, especially given your recent history, but… I'm afraid the Alyster Black imposter was already in the tournament. By giving him your spot, all you did is open up his, which the KODM Committee is now insisting you take."
Jeremy turns white as a sheet, somewhat flabbergasted by Baxter's proclamation.
Jeremy Best: "The 'KODM Committee'? I've never even heard of this before."
Baxter just shrugs.
Katie Baxter: "Apparently that's a thing. Cheer up, though: you’re going to be in the main event."
Jeremy gulps.
Jeremy Best: "Main event? But… that means…"
Baxter can’t help but smile.
Katie Baxter: "Yep... And the Committee also asked me to inform you that, if you aren't ready to go when your music plays later tonight, you'll be stripped of your opportunity at the FWA World Tag Team Championships at the Carnal Contendership show…"
Best says nothing for a moment as despair descends over him. He glares at the camera lens and then at the interviewer.
Jeremy Best: "Fake Alyster could've told me he was already in the tournament. That wasn't very friendly."
Katie Baxter: "Every wrestler who's here is here for the tournament, Jeremy. So unless you can convince Todd or I to take your place, I think you're out of look."
Best offers her an anxious smile.
Jeremy Best: "So, how about it? Ever dreamt of being a Queen?"
Katie Baxter: "I think you should probably go and get ready."
With one more thoroughly despondent sigh, Jeremy heads back inside the building.
We cut to the backstage area, specifically the now-familiar Gorilla position, where Todd Salum is ready with his trusty microphone. Standing next to him, pacing back and forth in what seems to the viewer to be almost nervous excitement, is ‘the Saviour of Death’ Jeffry Mason. His face and his torso is still covered in blood from his match. He clearly hasn’t yet been to the medical bay and it’s not obvious whether he will at all. He seems to be in his element. He’s been joined backstage by Reagan Cole, who stands to one side awkwardly, perhaps less pleased about his alleged mentor’s participation in the tournament.
Todd Salum: "Ladies and gentlemen, I have the opportunity to get a word now with one of tonight’s surprise entrants, and two of the combatants safely through to Stage Two. Jeffry, Reagan… congratulations on your wins tonight."
Mason stops pacing to let out a low chuckle.
Jeffry Mason: "Todd, there’s so much wrong with that introduction. Firstly: ladies and gentlemen? It’s 2023. Secondly, this is a deathmatch tournament… the King of the Deathmatch... and you are surprised that ‘the Saviour of Death’ is here? Thirdly: nobody is safe in this tournament… and there should be no congratulations! Tomorrow will bring only more blood and more pain - you should be commiserating our opponents, Todd… not congratulating them for prolonging their own miseries."
Salum offers the microphone across to the other man…
Reagan Cole: "Um, thanks, I guess."
Todd Salum: "Both of your participation in KODM2, as well as your progression into the latter stages, begs the question as to what you will do if you meet in the final, or on the road to it? You can’t both become the FWA X Champion…"
More chuckles from Jeffry.
Jeffry Mason: "The FWA X Championship... who cares? Reagan can have it. Or, if he has any sense and doesn’t want it, I’ll throw it in the trash. Dethroning Alyster Black has some worth, and that Crown of Thorns will look good atop my head… but I’m not here for physical heirlooms. A title is much more than that, especially one won with blood."
The ominous and graphic imagery of Jeffry Mason is undercut, somewhat, when Randy Newman’s You’ve Got a Friend in Me - albeit a bastardised version thereof - begins to play in the makeshift arena. We can hear the muffled sound of it in Gorilla, and a moment later we see a petrified-looking Jeremy Best wandering through the room. He walks right past Jeffry Mason and Reagan Cole on his way to the curtain.
Jeffry Mason: "Good luck out there, kid."
Jeremy turns to face Jeffry and can’t help but notice the pints of blood that he’s covered in. He grows paler still, his mouth more agape, before he slaps himself twice across the face and heads for the curtain. Mason and Cole are left with the interviewer.
Jeffry Mason: "Until tomorrow, Todd…"
The two quarter finalists leave, and Salum looks at the camera.
Todd Salum: "Well… it’s time… for the main event!"
The first time we heard this music today, there was a short but noticeable pause between its opening notes and the appearance of the wrestler it heralds. This second time, that pause lasts until the first chorus, Best eventually appearing on stage and looking a little worse for wear. He seems extremely unsure of himself as he surveys the audience (who aren’t even booing him – they’re cheering for his oncoming demolition) and then his eyes fall upon the ring. Once more, we see Jeremy take an audible gulp before he begins down the ramp.
Natalie Rosenberg: "… from Friendship, North Carolina… weighing in at one hundred and eighty pounds… JEREMY… BEST!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Well… Jeremy tried to get out of his commitments here at KODM2 once this evening, but it looks like those obligations have caught up to him. And what’s more, he’s traded an uncomfortable and doubtlessly barbaric encounter with Violet Dreyer for an uncomfortable and doubtlessly barbaric encounter with Alyster Black. I think that’s quite a pointless deal."
Thomas West: "I don’t think it’s the one that Jeremy Best thought he was making… but you’re right, our Best Friend doesn’t look like he’s relishing the opponent that is about to appear. The other seventeen have already been introduced… it’s time we got to the champion."
Jeremy Best stands awkwardly in the ring, again rotating on the spot to look around himself, perhaps even looking for an exit. His music fades out, and then we hear…
There’s a deafening roar in the desert as Alyster Black walks out onto the stage, his championship belt in tow. He looks to be moving quite gingerly, perhaps as a result of the attack we saw earlier in the day, as he wanders across the stage under the moonlight. He arrives at the platform, already housing the Crown of Thorns. He picks this object up and inspects it… and then looks at his belt.
Anzu Kurosawa: "Five hundred and eighteen days… that’s how long Alyster Black has held that championship. Longer than anyone else in the belt’s sixteen year history. But this weekend he knows he faces perhaps his toughest challenge yet."
Thomas West: "Or his biggest opportunity. That Crown of Thorns means something, too! And Alyster should be careful handling it until he’s earned it…"
Black carefully places his FWA X Championship upon the podium, positioning the Crown of Thorns on top of it. He takes a deep breath, and then turns to face Jeremy Best in the ring.
Natalie Rosenberg: "… currently residing in San Dimas, California and weighing in at two hundred and twenty pounds… he is the current, reigning, and defending FWA X Champion… ALYSTER… BLACK!!"
In silence, Alyster begins his walk down the ramp.
Anzu Kurosawa: "It’s been a long road to this point for Alyster, both in terms of that gargantuan reign with the X Championship and the arduous weeks leading up to the tournament. Black has been repeatedly targeted by an imposter, dressed up exactly like him, the latest of these assaults occurring earlier on today as he prepared for this championship defence."
Thomas West: "Speaking of championship defences: it’s worthy of note that the title is NOT on the line in this individual match-up, or in any in the tournament. If Black were to lose before the final, the belt would remain vacant between that point and the crowning of a new champion at its climax."
Anzu Kurosawa: "A technicality that Ayster, no doubt, will hope proves irrelevant."
Black climbs into the ring and stands in his corner, his eyes fixed upon Best in the opposite one. Jeremy is white as a sheet, leaning against the turnbuckles to create the maximum amount of distance between himself and the champion. Black continues to glare at him in foreboding fashion.
For the last time today, with the moon now high above the desert, the referee calls for the bell.
MATCH NINE - MAIN EVENT
Alyster Black vs. Jeremy Best.
X Rules Deathmatch.
Round One.
<< 00:00. >>
As soon as the match kicks off, Jeremy Best scampers through the ropes and onto the outside, where he looks up at Alyster with plain fear, his hands on his hips and his knees trembling. He begins to circle the ring, eyes fixed on his looming opponent, who remains stationary in his corner.
Thomas West: "Jeremy Best looks more than a little anxious about this main event match-up… though he has faced and beaten Alyster Black in the past."
Anzu Kurosawa: "In the past, maybe. And not under X Rules. This is undeniably Alyster’s world, and Jeremy is not best pleased about being trapped in it."
After making a full circuit of the ring, Jeremy climbs back in. He circles it this way and that, but Alyster remains unmoved. Jeremy thinks about coming forward… and then retreats again, electing instead to climb back out of the ring. Jeremy Best is pacing outside of the ring, going back and forth, his head bowed and muttering frantically to himself. Nobody can hear it, but it is mostly gibberish, the internal monologue of a man plagued by fear…
… but it’s enough to distract him, as Alyster charges across the ring and takes Best out with a Fosbury flop!! The crowd pops for the move, and Black immediately climbs to his feet, grabs Best by the scruff of the neck, and fires into him with right hands and forearms. Best does his best to throw up a guard, but Black picks him up and hurls him into the steel ring steps! It’s not an Irish whip, just an ugly throw by the straps of Best’s singlet, and Jeremy collides with the steps with his shoulder and stays there in a seated position. Alyster continues the onslaught, nailing him with a dozen stomps, driving Best’s head against the steel. He backs away, charging in with a facewash against the steel steps!! And then a running knee strike!! Black slumps to the ground as the crowd goes wild…
Thomas West: "I think Best is out…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I think Best is dead…"
Black isn’t content with a pin just yet, instead collecting two tables that are propped up against a nearby barricade. He slides one into the ring and sets up the second on the outside. When he’s done, he goes back to find Best… and finds his boot beneath the ring apron. Alyster shakes his head and drags Best out by the boot, hoists him up to his feet, and runs him first head-first into the steel post, before Irish whipping him into the barricade. He follows up with alternating forearms and right hands, each one thudding into Jeremy Best to the delight of the fans close around it…
<< 05:03. >>
The one-sided attack continues, with Alyster Black dragging Jeremy up onto the apron and then hoisting him up onto his shoulders in a fireman’s carry… before delivering a devastating Death Valley Driver on the ring apron!
Thomas West: "You think that’s a message to the imposter, Anzu? We saw the other Alyster Black hit a DVD earlier on today…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I think Alyster Black is just going about his business… and maybe working through some of his own issues along the way."
Black is far from done. He hoists Jeremy up again, and once more lifts him onto his shoulders, hitting a second Death Valley Driver on the apron! This time, Best (perhaps wisely) rolls off the apron and away from Black, but Alyster follows him. He drags Best’s head into position between his legs and picks him up, perhaps going for a powerbomb onto the ring apron… but Best begins to fight out with straight right hands, and then he rolls Alyster up with a sunset flip! Black’s shoulders are down outside the ring!
ONE… TWO… NO!
Alyster kicks out, and both men scramble to their feet. Best looks for a clothesline, but Alyster ducks beneath it and then connects with a high knee! Jeremy is staggered, almost falling backwards into the table, but Black grabs him by the hair, throws him chest-first into the ring apron, and then connects with a dragon suplex on the outside! After taking a few deep breaths, most of his exertion involving his sustained offence, Black rolls Jeremy back into the ring…
<< 08:12. >>
Alyster now has the other table set up at an angle in the corner, and - with Jeremy laid out after a pendulum backbreaker - he climbs out of the ring to again search underneath it. He looks in a very specific position and produces a black, leather gym bag, which he pushes into the ring.
Anzu Kurosawa: "Looks like Alyster Black brought something with him…"
Thomas West: "I dread to think what that maniac packs for a deathmatch tournament."
Alyster doesn’t yet climb into the ring, instead looking beneath it again to produce a large, pale grey cinder block. The crowd’s excitement grows as he pushes that into the ring next to his bag. He climbs into the ring and saunters over towards Best, who is still spread-eagled in the middle of the ring… but is playing Possum! Jeremy with the small package!
ONE… TWO… NO!
After both men climb up to their feet, Jeremy attempts to scramble backwards and out of the ring. Alyster catches him when he’s on the apron, though, and has a fist full of his hair. He drags Jeremy into a front facelock, attempting to bring him into the ring the hard way with a suplex. Best grips onto the ropes to block it, and then rakes Black’s eyes! He follows up by bringing Alyster down throat-first over the top rope, causing Alyster to stumble into the middle of the ring. Best sizes him up, springboarding to the top rope and going for a cross-body…
Anzu Kurosawa: "ROLLING ELBOW!! Effective anti-air from Alyster Black!!"
Once more, Jeremy tries to roll out of the ring, but Alyster catches up with him on the apron. It just so happens to be the one overlooking the table that they set up earlier. Black drags his opponent up to his feet and manoeuvres him into position…
Thomas West: "SAITO SUPLEX!! From the apron, through the table!!"
The move seems to have had some effect on Alyster, too, but eventually he drags himself up to his feet, the crowd cheering him on as he continues the attack…
<< 12:15. >>
After some time whipping and choking Best with a long length of television wire, Alyster leaves Jeremy in a seated position against the barricade whilst he collects his gym bag. There’s a slight hush amongst the crowd as he opens it, the fans creeping closer to get a better look of what’s inside… and Alyster produces a shard of glass! It’s a piece of broken mirror, in fact, which becomes clear when he holds it up beneath the moonlight.
Thomas West: "Alyster Black isn’t content with beating Jeremy Best here… looks like he wants to disfigure him!"
That does indeed seem to be the intent… Black begins to bring the jagged edge of his broken mirror-glass down across the forehead of Best, instantly cutting him open with each and every strike! He manages four in total, blood beginning to flow freely from Jeremy Best’s head, before his opponent unloads with a desperation strike… Best lifts his knee up into Black’s crotch, the crude move causing enough respite from the attacks with the glass for him to get to his feet and connect with some Friendly Fire… the rapid kicks back Black up enough for Jeremy to lock his arms at his sides with a tight hug, before he throws him onto the hard desert sand with a belly-to-belly suplex! Best with the cover…
ONE… TWO… T – NO!
Alsyter gets the shoulder up! Best, thinking that his best chance, throws Black underneath the bottom rope and climbs up to the top turnbuckle. He waits patiently for Alyster to get to his feet before steadying himself on the top rope…
Anzu Kurosawa: "Jeremy Best going for a top rope hurricanrana… but Alyster Black catches him! Impressive display from Alyter Black!"
Alyster jerks Jeremy back up into an inverted, seated position on his shoulders, and then turns towards the angled table in the corner. He takes a couple of steps towards it before throwing him through the wood with a powerbomb!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Surely, now, Alyster Black can finish this match… Jeremy Best has had enough!"
Thomas West: "That point is debatable, Anzu."
Alyster seems to be debating this very point himself, and eventually he grabs Jeremy by the boot and drags him into the middle of the ring. He glances over at the cinder block that he retrieved from under the ring earlier in the contest, and then reaches down to collect Jeremy…
But the crowd’s suddenly heightened intensity alerts him to the presence of another in the ring. Now standing behind him is a carbon copy of the man himself… a familiar doppelganger, with his recognisable variant: cobalt detailing around the eyes of his mask.
Anzu Kurosawa: "He’s here! The fake Alyster Black is in the ring!"
The X Championship realises that something is up and throws Best’s almost lifeless form down to the mat. He turns around…
… and the imposter runs through him with a One Shot Kill!! The thudding clothesline sends Alyster down to the mat, next to Jeremy Best, and for a moment the fake ‘Alyster Black’ looms above both of them.
Anzu Kurosawa: "This business isn’t finished! This is Alyster Black’s FWA X Championship reign! His record-breaking reign!"
Thomas West: "Whoever this is, I don’t think they care."
‘Alyster’ lifts up his original and puts him in a front facelock, dropping him to the mat with a high-angle Satan’s Spike. This, alone, should be enough, but the unwanted interloper is not finished. He collects the cinder block and pulls it into position in the middle of the ring. He is able to drag the lifeless Alyster into position, stomach-done with his face upon the brick.
Anzu Kurosawa: "We saw this earlier today in the desert… once was insulting enough… CURBSTOMP! Onto the cinder block!!"
Thomas West: "That’s enough for anyone…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I’m just…"
‘Alyster’ rolls Alyster over onto his front and then, casually, climbs out of the ring, awaiting the match’s conclusion.
Amidst a torrent of boos, which get only louder when they see what is happening in the ring, Jeremy Best crawls towards Alyster, draping an arm over him.
ONE…
TWO…
THREE!!
For a moment, there is a shocked silence. The commentators don’t speak. Neither does the ring announcer. Even the fans are muted. Inside the ring, Jeremy Best still lays atop Alyster Black. The official is on his knees, a look of shock on his face.
Then, Jeremy’s music begins to play, and the storm of derision begins. The fans let their feelings be known as the official works on helping Best up to his feet.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Here is your winner… Jeremy Best!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I can't believe it's over… and I can't believe it ended in that way… Alyster Black's historic reign with the FWA X Championship concludes after five hundred and fourteen days."
Thomas West: "Jeremy Best may not yet be the champion, but he can now boast about being the man to have ended Black's incredible run."
Anzu Kurosawa: "I think he'll have to share the credit…"
With Best just about back up to his feet, the official lists his arm into the air, signalling his victory. The audience is as dumbstruck as Anzu, staring at the man in the ring with shock, confusion, and outrage on their faces…
… and then there's something of a commotion, as all eyes turn towards the stage.
Thomas West: "That's Violet Dreyer! Is she here to rescue Alyster Black?"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I think she's just after Jeremy Best's head, buddy!"
Violet matches directly for the ring, and as soon as Jeremy realises this he scarpers out of it. He clambers over the barricade and heads off through the crowd and across the desert, with Violet Dreyer in hot pursuit!
Which leaves Alyster Black in the ring, but he is not alone. The imposter is standing in the corner, leaning up against the turnbuckles, inspecting his handiwork. The FWA X Champion - no: the former FWA X Champion now, although that doesn't sound right - has remained unmoved since the culmination of the attack. Only now, he begins to stir, his arms moving only slightly at first, and then at length he pushes himself up onto his hands and knees…
… and sees this mirror image of himself, standing over him, gloating almost.
Anzu Kurosawa: "If this interloper intends to continue this attack, I fear that will prove only redundant and deeply unpopular… Alyster Black is in a bad way… I don't even know if he realises he's lost his championship yet!"
Black forces himself up onto his knees. He looks at his assailant defiantly, and lifts both middle fingers up in his direction.
After a deep breath, the mirror image runs through the former champion with a bicycle knee strike!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "… wait!"
Thomas West: "… no!"
Whilst standing over the fallen and brutalised body of the real Alyster Black, the imposter removes his mask…
Anzu Kurosawa: "IT'S HIM!! DANNY TONER IS BACK IN THE FWA!!"
Thomas West: "And has been for weeks, apparently! Danny Toner has returned, and the destruction of Alyster Black seems his only goal!!"
With the crowd losing their mind around him, Danny reaches down towards his adversary's mask… but as his fingers brush against it, he notices the army of security and officials charging to the ring. He thinks that, perhaps, today is not the day, and climbs out of the ring.
We fade out on Stage One.
The sun sets and darkness reigns. We cut to a close-up of the ring. There is no music over the scene. We can hear only the whistling of the wind. Across the FWA logo in the centre of the squared circle, a scorpion slowly scuttles under the pale moonlight. We cut away from it to spools of barbed wire stacked by the steel ring steps. Then to bundles of lighttubes that are propped up against the opposite barricade. Tables are stacked against one another next to the ring ramp. A podium stands on the stage, but at the moment it is empty.
Back in wide shot, the sun rises again. All is quiet.
A series of vehicles drive into the scene, each parking near the temporary warehousing unit erected by the stage. A 2023 Buick rental… a silver Toyota Corolla… a yellow ‘magic’ school bus… a black Ford Ranger…. Another montage shows a sequence of doors opening and boots being planted in the sand. We see none of their faces by design, but see the full profile of the last of them. He is wearing a mask and has his FWA X Championship on his shoulder. He looks around at the empty ring and the general desolate landscape that surrounds him. He sighs deeply and enters the warehousing unit to prepare.
The last to arrive are the roughly three hundred fans that are bused in from eighteen different locations spanning North America. Those that have been keeping up with the dirtsheets will know that none of them really knew where they were going when they boarded the transportation, as was the case last year. They are a combination of friends of the FWA and competition winners, the journey to the desert undertaken in the middle of the night, blindfolded, and with all GPS-enabled devices strictly prohibited. The fans file out of their buses, synchronised to arrive at the same time, just shortly before opening bell, and fan out to surround the ring and the ramp. Most are carrying cool-boxes and open containers. The silence of the desert is punctured by the general din and occasional chanting of the fans, as well as a small pop when Anzu Kurosawa walks out onto the stage and takes up position at the announcer’s booth.
Finally, the small screen above the entrance on the stage stirs into life. It displays four letters.
And then…
There’s a pop of excitement at first as the speaker system around the stage breaks out into song, but this descends into a decidedly mixed reaction as Thomas West, last year’s tournament winner, walks out onto the stage. He has the Crown of Thorns positioned delicately upon his head.
Anzu Kurosawa: "Welcome, friends, to the 2023 edition of the King of the Deathmatch, from an undisclosed location here in the United States of America… and we’re kicking things off with the introduction of last year’s winner…"
Natalie Rosenberg: "Please welcome at this time… the 2022 King of the Deathmatch… Thomas West!!"
Thomas has something of a wistful look on his face as he walks towards the ramp, pausing as he reaches the currently empty podium at the top of it. He looks at the ring, tapping the top of the podium hesitantly, and then after a resolute shake of the head he takes the crown off his head. He rests it carefully on the podium, checking that it is positioned perfectly on the centre before turning away from the ramp.
Anzu Kurosawa: "Thomas West is of course here to join me at the announcer’s booth for what I’m sure will be an incredible Stage One of action… Thomas, it’s great that you could be here in some capacity, even if you’re not going to compete in the ring."
Thomas West: "Don’t put any ideas into my head, Anzu! I’m already on the fence. I just might jump you yet and take your place in this tournament!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "No need. At the rate people have been added to and removed from KODM2, I’m sure all you need to do is ask. Speaking of which: an expanded field of eighteen competitors are entering the fray here beneath this oppressive midday sun. As someone who has gone all the way in this tournament before, who do you fancy?"
Thomas West: "That’s something of a difficult question to answer, Anzu, when just under half of the field is currently unknown to us going into the competition. With seven mystery competitors it’s difficult to pick a clear forerunner. Who knows, maybe we’ll see a Nephew or two pop up over the course of today, in which case I’ll most likely switch my choice. But I think we’re destined to see Alyster Black and Kleio De Santos go at it during this tournament. Potentially in the final if the allegedly random draw doesn’t serve it up in an earlier round."
Anzu Kurosawa: "Hurtful, Thomas."
Thomas West: "You’re my pick for the CIBERNETICO! of Death."
Anzu Kurosawa: "I don’t think we’re doing that this year."
Thomas West: "So much change…"
We cut away from the commentators and to the stage, just in time for…
There’s another mixed reaction around the desert as the music of Sawyer Xavier plays, and this mixture of cheers and boos continues when the young man walks out onto the stage. He makes his way down the ramp, looking anxiously at the various hardware that has been left around it.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Ladies and gentlemen, the following is your King of the Deathmatch 2023 opening contest!!"
A huge cheer, a roar really, momentarily breaks out over the mixed reaction for Xavier.
Natalie Rosenberg: "… and is your first of nine X Rules Deathmatches! Introducing first, from Savannah, Georgia and weighing in at one hundred and seventy six pounds… SAWYER… XAVIER!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "An uneven run towards this tournament in the preview matches for Sawyer Xavier. He triumphed in a trios match back on Fallout 026, but in Detroit on 027 he was defeated by Death Walker in a triple threat match, where it was his shoulders that were pinned to the mat."
Thomas West: "But I’ve always seen something in Sawyer Xavier. We got a taste of it back at the Anniversary Show when he was instrumental in Meltdown’s success, and this weekend could very well be his weekend. Last year it was Kleio De Santos that had the star-making turn… this year, why not Sawyer Xavier?"
Sawyer waits patiently in the ring, at first leaning against the corner and adjusting his pads. As this wait goes on, though, he grows a tad more impatient, beginning to pace a little in the ring whilst loosening up his joints and staring up the ramp at the stage.
Thomas West: "This is the beauty of blind bracketing, Anzu: we’ve no idea who’s going to be coming out of that curtain right now. And with so many mystery participants, it could be literally anyone…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I just hope they don’t all make us wait this long. Between that and the clean-ups, this could be a long day."
Just like Xavier in the ring, the fans in attendance are also staring at the stage, assuming that the next participant will emerge from the traditional outlet. Their anticipation grows and grows and grows as we wait and wait and wait…
And then, from the distance, we begin to hear a low rumble. So do the fans, and even Sawyer Xavier, and they are bemused that it doesn’t seem to be emanating from the speaker system on the stage, or in fact from the stage altogether. Indeed, from the other side of the ring, and seemingly from over the brow of a hill, the rumbling noise grows and grows and grows… until appearing over the top of the slope are a dozen men, spread out in a wide line and with thick ropes upon their shoulders. They are not alone: from behind them, a second dozen men appear, each clutching the same rope as the one in front of them, still spread out but a little closer together. Their movement is slow, especially as they struggle to reach the brow of the hill, but eventually more and more of these workhorses appear, each pulling the same rope as the man in front of them in seemingly unending toil…
Finally, way behind these forerunners and in the centre of them all, what appears to be a crow’s nest appears, rising above the lip of the landscape. Standing within it is a young woman, holding a telescope. The camera strains to zoom and focus…
Anzu Kurosawa: "… is that …?!"
Suddenly, the speakers on the stage stir into life…
There’s a huge pop for the music, which only sustains as - lugged over the brow of the desert slope by over a hundred burly men tugging on long, thick ropes tied to the ship - a large pirate ship appears on the crest of the hill. Upon the stern are the familiar figures of Salvador Medoza, Oliver Corsair, Peg Leg Ned, Bad Henry, and the rest of the crew, whilst now more clearly upon the crow’s nest we see none other than ‘the Last Great Adventurer’ herself…
Anzu Kurosawa: "IT IS! SHE’S HERE!"
Thomas West: "She sailed a ship through the desert! That’s commitment, Anzu…"
Natalie Rosenberg: "And his opponent, accompanied to the ring by the Crew of Friendship… from Tokyo, Japan by the way of the Isle of Tortuga… weighing in at one hundred and fourteen pounds… ‘the Last Great Adventurer’... YUNA… FUNANORI!!"
The ship reaches the apex of the hill and, as it begins to more easily slide down the other side of it, the men pulling it on ropes drop their burden and disperse either side of the vessel. From the hull, a wide and flat wooden base emerges to give the boat additional stability as it negotiates its way through the sand.
Anzu Kurosawa: "What an entrance for the first ever FWA Gauntlet Champion, who returns here for her second appearance in the King of the Deathmatch tournament. She’ll be hoping to go further than she did in the first instalment when she went out in the first round to Kayden Knox… in a match that also featured, according to my notes, Randy Ramon, although I don’t quite remember that."
Thomas West: "It was him, Anzu! Look it up!"
The fans standing at the base of the hill that the ship is sliding down also get out of the way, and even Sawyer seems momentarily worried that the ship might career right into the ring itself, but a sophisticated system of brakes halt its momentum a few metres from the steel ring steps. The cameras now have a close-up of Yuna, Patches on her shoulder, as she surveys the ring with her hands on her hips. She has a smile on her face as she begins to climb down from the crow’s nest.
Meanwhile, in the ring, Xavier is pacing again, aiming to stay loose during the lengthy entrance. He watches as Yuna climbs down a ladder on the side of the ship, touching down upon the desert sand in the middle of a large group of fans that have garrisoned to welcome her warmly. With the red parrot still on her shoulder, Yuna hops the barricade, climbs up the steel ring steps, and then into the ring through the ropes.
With both competitors finally in the ring, the match official can make his customary checks, and then - the audience suitably pumped for the first battle of the night - is able to call for the bell.
MATCH ONE
Sawyer Xavier vs. Yuna Funanori.
X Rules Deathmatch.
Round One.
<< 0.00 >>
With the standing crowd baying for the start of the match, especially hyped after Yuna’s big entrance, Sawyer hopes to channel this adrenaline in his favour. He charges at Yuna… trying to knock her head off with a massive clothesline. It’s ducked by Yuna, though, who hoists him up and over the top with a BIIIIIIG back body drop… and right through a pair of tables that have been thoughtfully set up on the outside!!
Thomas West: "INSTANT CARNAGE!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Isn’t it wonderful?!"
Thomas West: "I’m sure Sawyer Xavier would have other opinions, but I think this crowd are firmly in agreement!!"
Indeed, the audience is firmly on Yuna’s side as she looks down at Xavier, rolling amongst the debris, and shrugs her shoulders. She quickly climbs out of the ring and collects a bundle of lighttubes, a half-dozen of them tied up into a tight cylinder, and then begins her ascent towards the top rope.
Thomas West: "In all honesty, Sawyer Xavier may be done already! I don’t think Yuna Funanori needs to do anything more, but I believe she’s going to… and most likely just for the fun of it! She’s always been a little bit unhinged!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I love it! Yuna steadies herself on the top rope, carrying that bundle of lighttubes under her arm… here she goes… DAVY JONES’ ELBOW DROP!!!"
The bundle of lighttubes explodes upon impact as Yuna crashes down atop Sawyer, amongst the table debris!! She’s cut herself open under her right arm, but it’s quite clear that Xavier has got the worse of the exchange. After clutching her arm in pain, Funanori fights through it to hook the far leg…
ONE… TWO… THREE!!
Winner: Yuna Funanori by pinfall at 00:57.
Anzu Kurosawa: "‘The Last Great Adventurer’ gets us off to a lightning quick pace here at KODM2, with a victory in just under a minute in our opening contest! Unbelievable!!"
Thomas West: "I’m gobsmacked, Anzu! Gobsmacked! I had Sawyer Xavier marked out as a potential dark horse in this tournament, but Yuna Funanori makes light work of him to book her place in Stage Two!"
Funanori has climbed up to her feet and offers her good arm to the referee, which the official lifts high into the air. Swarming around Yuna is her crew: Oliver Corsair, Salvador Mendoza, Bad Henry, Peg Leg Ned, and ‘Jolly’ Roger, all of whom conspire to lift Yuna up onto her shoulders. Patches the Parrot lands on her shoulder.
Thomas West: "I guess Yuna didn’t get the memo that she was meant to come alone today… although, I imagine it would be a lot to expect her to man that ship all by herself..."
Yuna doesn’t head back to her boat, instead allowing her crew to carry her off up the ramp whilst the crowd cheers her name. The ship remains in its position, on the opposite side of the ring to the ramp and stage area, for the rest of the weekend. The Crew of Friendship pauses on the stage, Yuna looking down from her perch at the Crown of Thorns sitting upon the podium. She nods her head as the midday sun beats down upon her and we fade from the scene.
We cut to footage from earlier in the day as a 2023 Buick rental car with some significant damage to the front fender arrives in the desert setting and parks up near the large temporary warehousing unit being used for a backstage area. The door with a cracked window opens and Kleio De Santos steps out of the vehicle, alone and with her kitbag slung over her shoulder. She surveys the area as Todd Salum, a microphone in his hand, approaches her.
Todd Salum: "Kleio, welcome to the King of the Deathmatch… a stage that you, of course, know very well, given that you made it all the way to the finals at last year’s tournament. Any recollections of that barbaric and, for you at least, marathon day at the Granary last year?"
Kleio De Santos: "Recollections? Yeah, my recollection is the same as everyone's. The time Kleio De Santos almost broke out and made it, but fell just short. The last time that Kleio De Santos in fact had a big moment. Can you name a bigger moment for me since I became runner up last year?"
Todd Salum: "…"
Todd’s silence speaks volumes..
Kleio De Santos: "I didn't think so. Because since then I haven't been able to get my footing back. It's been a hard year with a lot of obstacles. "
Kleio seems reflective, and as the awkward silence lingers Todd decides to change tact slightly.
Todd Salum: "You will, of course, be hoping to go one better here this weekend. What have you done differently in the run up to this year’s tournament? Have the Ravenwood sisters, who weren’t on the scene this time twelve months ago, contributed at all to your preparations?"
De Santos seems brighter when talking about a more hopeful topic…
Kleio De Santos: "Let me tell you Todd, I feel better than I did last year going into this tournament. I feel stronger, I feel faster, and I feel more focused and determined. And unless Thomas West is one of the surprise entrants tonight, I can say that I have more experience than anyone in this tournament. And yes, Blair and Celestia have been with me the entire way. I have more support from them than I have ever had from anyone my entire life. They turned down an offer to fight against that new tag team with Aka and what's her face, in order to make sure they can stay with me and help me prepare. That's the kind of sacrifice a good team makes for one another. For all of those reasons alone...they all better watch out, because I am coming."
Todd Salum: "Last week on Fallout, we saw you pick up an old rivalry with XYZ. You were denied the opportunity to get your hands on XYZ in a one-on-one match-up last year. Are you hoping the brackets shape up differently this time out? Who else amongst the field have you got your eye on?"
KDS is almost bored by the repeated question about her old foe.
Kleio De Santos: "I don't have anything more to prove against XYZ, Todd. If you recall, I beat both him and Krash in the first round of last year's tournament. He may have gotten a jump on me at Back in Business thanks to my concussion, but the doctors have cleared me of all symptoms ahead of this one. I am 100% healthy and good to go. I don't see XYZ as any sort of threat…"
There’s an air of confidence about the young woman, even without the Coven at her side.
Todd Salum: "Who do you see as a threat?"
Kleio De Santos: "Of the competitors we know are in this one? To be honest, none of them. Alyster Black is probably the closest thing to it, and that's only because he's coming in as the champion. But there's two things about Alyster that should lower his odds in this one, Todd. The first thing is the fact that, as champion he is going to pretty much have a huge target on his back in every round. The second thing? Alyster Black wanted one thing. To break that record. You could tell that the last stretch of his run here he was out of gas. He barely made it through the Gerald Grayson match, and the jobber they threw him on the last show was nothing more than a PR stunt to shut up all the Saint Sully fans on twitter who were mad about him not having one last reign. The simple fact is? Alyster Black is someone who needs motivation to win a fight. The record was his motivation, and without it? He's gassed, he's done. The hungriest person is going to win this tournament, and I don't think that person is Alyster Black."
Salum cocks an eyebrow, wondering what Alyster Black would have to say about these comments… especially if they happen to be drawn together in the oncoming tournament.
Todd Salum: "Is there anyone you are worried about?"
Kleio De Santos: "I'm worried about the 8 mystery opponents, Todd. Not too much, but more so than anyone else. All the names that were announced on the card...I could prepare for. I've studied who I could, but...the ones I don't know about? They have an advantage over me. Personally, I think they're cowards. All of us that had our names on the card put ourselves out there. We've got nothing to hide. You can study my tape and prepare for me all you want, it's not going to matter. I don't need some sort of element of surprise to win this tournament. Those 8 mystery competitors? They obviously think they need that. So go ahead and keep hiding in the shadows...you won't be able to hide for long."
With that, and a long, hard glare down the camera lens, it appears that KDS is through talking. She leaves the interviewer and heads into the warehousing unit, her bag slung over he shoulder, ready to prepare for the wars to come.
***
Also earlier in the day, XYZ’s magic yellow school bus careers through the sand and eventually comes to a halt a few metres away from the interview team. His driving is erratic, and for a moment genuine concern creeps over Salum as the ship gets closer and closer, finally slowing down abruptly and suddenly. Todd clears his breath and brushes some of the disrupted sand from his suit as XYZ - also alone and without the Menage to back him up - emerges from the bus.
Todd Salum: "XYZ, another person very familiar with the King of the Deathmatch. I was earlier talking to KDS, who said - and I quote - I don't have anything more to prove against XYZ and that she doesn’t see XYZ as any sort of threat…. Any thoughts in response?"
XYZ: "Oh, Kleio… I remember our adventures through last year’s tournament and all the way to Back in Business well! Such a serious girl… such an angry girl… I only wished to help the young lady in not being so darn glum all the time! But you can only lead the horse to water… is that the saying? I think that’s the saying. It appears that young Kleio remains as hard and as closed as she was this time last year… she doesn’t see XYZ as any sort of threat? Rude! Rude and dismissive! But do you know what I have to say to that, Todd? Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me! Is that the saying? I think that’s the saying…"
X is caught in ponderous thought for a moment, with Todd picking up the slack.
Todd Salum: "Your battles with Kleio De Santos straddled the King of the Deathmatch and ran all the way to Back in Business, but this year it’s been Death Walker that’s been a thorn in your side. Death has constantly targeted you in the run up to this tournament, and we - as the viewers - have no real indication as to why. Is that a question that you can answer as the victim of these targeted attacks?"
XYZ: "Ah: DEATH WALKER! What a name! He walks on death! He walks with death! Ominous! Foreboding! Perfect name. Yes, me and Death have had our run-ins over the past few weeks. Why, you ask? Why is never a question that is easy to answer. What? No problem! Who? Sure! Where? Easy! But why...? With Death Walker, it is difficult to know if there even is a why. Some people are just nasty, you know? But it’s easy to choke a man out when his back is turned, his guard is down, and his spirit is low. Easy and deplorable! The Walker Of Death’s schemes speak of a low cunning, perhaps even a lack of confidence. I do not fear the Death Walker, for I am XYZ, THE LIFE RUNNER, the LIGHT to cancel out the DARKNESS! I ask that the hands of fate throw me and my new, random nemesis together this weekend, so that I may for once look him in the eye."
Todd has followed enough of the thread to be impressed by X’s confidence. He nods his head approvingly at his words.
Todd Salum: "How far can you go in this tournament, X? Last year, you fell in the first round, but won the CIBERNETICO! Of Death Match and earned a shot at Alyster Black’s X Championship. Twice you’ve gone up against Alyster Black, and twice you’ve come up just short… what have you learned from that pair of defeats to the now record-breaking X Champion as you hope to go into the trilogy fight this weekend?"
XYZ: "These old wars with Alyster still linger in the mind as well as upon the body. It was he who defeated me in the final of the X4 at Back in Business, after poor Kleio had been dispensed of. What have I learned? One can learn a lot about the depths of man’s depravity from Alyster Black… about man’s inhumanity to man. But this dark and gloomy X Champion will shrink before the glorious light of our new XYZ Champion! I may have fallen down upon this path before, but an old friend…"
A brief pause, almost a hesitation… as if the memory stirs something in him.
XYZ: "… an old friend taught me that strength lies in picking yourself back up again. That way, the dream… never... dies."
XYZ walks out of shot, a look of grim focus on his face.
***
A 2022 black Ford F-150 arrives and Death Walker steps out of it, looking around himself at his bleak and desolate surroundings. It seems to almost please him. He is, just like the others that we’ve already seen arrive, alone, which seems a common trend. Those that have been keeping up with press releases about the tournament will know that all competitors have been asked to come alone, which is why we’ve seen Kleio without the Ravenwoods, XYZ without the Menage, and now Death Walker without the Dark Guardian. As he begins to stride towards the warehousing unit, Todd Salum uneasily approaches and clears his throat. He looks slightly less comfortable with this interview subject, probably due to the proclivity towards violence that we’ve seen from Death Walker already in his brief FWA career.
Todd Salum: "Um, excuse me, Death… eh, Mr. Walker… have you got a minute or two for some thoughts ahead of the tournament?"
Death Walker halts and turns towards Salum. He cuts an intimidating figure as he looms over the interview. He nods his head.
Todd Salum: "When you were first announced for the King of the Deathmatch, many were saying that this tournament seemed tailor made for you… and you’ve certainly done your best to live up to that expectation in the weeks that followed. Many in the FWA audience have been asking why you’ve been targeting XYZ so frequently since you were both announced to be here today?"
Death Walker: "…"
Death Walker begins to breathe deep but slow while staring out over the empty space surrounding them. Then suddenly, he snaps out of it by snatching ahold of Todd's shirt collar and pats down his pants pockets. Upon finding something, he pulls it our of Todd's back pocket and frees the shirt collar from his grasp. The Dark Traveler goes to flip through Todd's notepad to get to a blank page. And now takes a pen from the interviewer's shirt pocket as he gets ready to write some things down. Within a few minutes, he has written how he feels in a very aggressive manner and slaps Todd's chest with the notepad within his palm. Todd nervously takes the time to read out the response...
Todd Salum: "Umm... ok... uh, you put here... ‘I did what was necessary to make a statement to all who thought I was just a fluke as I made my return. My first match in about 6 or 7 years and it just simply ends in a clean victory?! Nope... not on my watch it doesn't. So I waited for the right moment to send my messages and then chose to relay the same for Jason Randall... and next is sweet Trixie Bordeaux.’"
Taking a moment to readjust himself and fix his outfit, Todd Salum thinks about the next question he had in mind to ask The Death Walker as he seems to be calm again. Walker folds his arms and stares down Todd face to face upon the rest of this interview.
Todd Salum: "I had some time to speak with XYZ earlier today about this developing situation, and he said… hmm, let me quote: I do not fear the Death Walker, for I am XYZ, THE LIFE RUNNER, the LIGHT to cancel out the DARKNESS! I ask that the hands of fate throw me and my new, random nemesis together this weekend, so that I may for once look him in the eye. Any thoughts? Are you hoping to settle the score once and for here this weekend, should the brackets throw you together?"
Death Walker takes another breath and snatches the notepad again from Todd so he can write out the response. He writes just as aggressive before but pausing once or twice as if to gather the right words to put down. Then he smacks the interviewer on the chest with his own notepad once more. Again Todd goes into a shaky reaction as he looks down at the big hand pressing a notepad to his chest before taking the notepad slowly to read. And he reads the following...
Todd Salum: "Ok... so you said here, ‘My concerns are not about making XYZ fear me... because that will come in due time. XYZ just happens to be one of my examples as everything that unfolds. Many may have not noticed but encountering me alone has done its work... for I am a plague on humanity. I get under the skin and into the minds of those who oppose me, my acts of terror aren't short term but ones that are long and tedious expeditions. Think about it... why am I called The Dark Traveler? It is because I travel under the veil of darkness but more importantly, it is due to bringing catastrophic misfortune... whether providing some long overdue Dark Clouds or turning worlds inside out, making them... Pitch Black. And now... that I've been to HELL and back, I'm going to crumble everyone who thinks that they can shine at my expense. So XYZ and whomever else can bring their brightest lights to cut through my darkness but first they must ask themselves this. What's to stop me from eventually turning off those lights for good? What happens when there's no light source for them to find their way through the darkness? How much will it take to overcome this darkness... before it closes in and buries them alive?... So yes, I am pleased to encounter XYZ in this dreadfully repulsive and heinous series of battles... because I am determined to blacken the souls that believe they are safe... at night.’"
There's complete silence between the two individuals before Todd Salum goes into one final question to sum things up.
Todd Salum: "The tournament, though, obviously doesn’t begin and end with XYZ. There are eighteen other combatants here today other than yourself and X, some of whom you’re acquainted with through the preview matches we’ve seen on Fallout 026 and 027, whilst others remain a mystery. Who do you think poses the biggest threat to your hopes of taking the Crown of Thorns and the FWA X Championship home with you?"
Walker grabs the notepad nice and easy this time from out of Todd Salum's hand then he quickly writes his answer. He doesn't wait for Todd to read out his last response but rather goes to walk away as he tosses both the ink pen and pad at the face of Todd. The demon in human form turns around and heads off, throwing on the hood to his cloak as he trudges through some sudden gusty winds in this beautiful wasteland. Todd watches Death Walker leave his presence before reading what he wrote last.
Todd Salum: "Uhhh... let's see what he put down...
‘Death... itself.’"
There’s a decidedly mixed reaction for Kleio De Santos as she walks out onto the stage, loosening up and staring at the empty ring in front of her. Those booing have no doubt been keeping up with her exploits with the Coven, where she’s been drawing very much outside the lines. Others remember her exploits at last year’s tournament, and can’t help but cheer.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Introducing your first competitor in this second X Rules Deathmatch of the day… weighing in at one hundred and fifteen pounds… from Rio De Janiero, Brazil… ‘The Boa Constrictor’... KLEIO DE SAAAAANTOOOOOOOS!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Last year’s defeated finalist is here at KODM2, and is no doubt looking to go one step further than she was able to in the inaugural tournament. Kleio De Santos makes her way to the ring for the opening contest."
Thomas West: "And, as the man who defeated her last year at that ‘inaugural tournament’, I know exactly how tough KDS can be."
Anzu Kurosawa: "She’s shown that she’s focussed on success this year, leaving the Coven to deal with their business and impressing in 027’s preview match, picking up a big tag team win alongside Trixie Bordeaux. Let’s see who Kleio is up against in this first round contest."
KDS is as interested in the answer to this question as anyone, and paces back and forth in the ring whilst staring at the stage…
The crowd has their curiosity piqued by this semi-familiar music… and then go crazy when none other than ‘the Heretic’ Dan Maskell appears on-stage! The initial reaction is of surprise and excitement, but this quickly descends into boos when Maskell walks out onto the stage with a scowl on his face.
Natalie Rosenberg: "And her opponent… from Essex, England and weighing in at 234 pounds… ‘the Heretic’... DAN… MAAAAASKEEEELL!"
The Heretic surveys the audience and then spits derisively onto the floor. He begins his walk down the ramp, loosening up with his eyes fixed upon the woman in the ring.
Anzu Kurosawa: "Dan Maskell is here at the King of the Deathmatch tournament!! One of only two triple crown winners in CWA history is making his way to the ring! And just listen to this noise - a maelstrom of hate - being conjured up by just a few hundred people!"
Thomas West: "Yuna Funanori in match one, and now Dan Maskell in match two! The surprises keep on coming!"
Maskell wastes no time in sliding beneath the bottom rope, getting in KDS’ face to offer some barbs whilst the official tells him to get back into his corner. After he finally acquiesces, the referee issues some final instructions, and then finally calls for the bell…
MATCH TWO
Dan Maskell vs. Kleio De Santos.
X Rules Deathmatch.
Round One.
<< 00:00 >>
The two circle the ring, Maskell laughing and shaking his head to himself at a private joke, and then bring it in for a collar and elbow tie-up…
***
<< 04:10 >>
After an initial feeling out process which KDS got the better of and promptly rolled out of the ring to find some weaponry, we see Dan Maskell follow her out and hit a boot to the midsection as she reaches for a table. Maskell takes her out at the knees with a dropkick, applies a front facelock, and connects with a snap DDT onto the hard desert floor on the outside! He finishes the job for Kleio, collecting the table she was reaching for and throwing it under the bottom rope to be set up later. He goes fishing under the ring, collecting a steel chair wrapped in barbed wire, much to the enjoyment of the watching fans…
Thomas West: "Here comes the hardware! Dan Maskell taking things hardcore in the opening exchanges!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I was wondering how long it would be until the more creative weaponry made an appearance… a steel chair wrapped in barbed wire! How delightful!!"
Maskell throws the steel chair into the ring after the table, and then refocuses on Kleio. She has been busy recuperating, and has a lighttube in her hands… Maskell reaches for her, and she ducks beneath his grasp, the Heretic backed up against the barricade. She attempts to bring the tube down over his head, but Maskell dives out of the way! The lighttube smashes against the barricade, shards of light flying in every direction! The front row fans shield their eyes as Maskell collects Kleio by the scruff of the neck and throws her into the steel ring steps!! She hits them shoulder-first with a crunch, and Maskell collects an adjacent lighttube… bringing it down over Kleio’s forehead with a crunch and a smash!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "First blood! Kleio is busted open!"
Thomas West: "She’s used to it!"
Not content with this, Maskell throws KDS back into the ring beneath the bottom rope and slides in afterwards. With De Santos licking her wounds on the mat, Maskell first looks at the table, and then at the barbed wire wrapped chair… before slapping on a reverse chin lock!!
***
<< 07:25 >>
Dan Maskell has been driving his advantage, though it's fair to say that he has mostly indulged in restholds since we last saw him, but now he has KDS grounded after a powerslam followed by a rope-hung DDT. He has already set the table up in the corner, and now he gets his hands on the barbed wire chair. He holds it aloft, the fans booing him as he tees KDS up. De Santos, already a bloody mess from her exploits so far, gets to her feet and stumbles round to face the Heretic… who brings the chair crashing down over KDS's head!
Anzu Kurosawa: "A sickening this! Kleio De Santos has taken a lot of punishment over the last five minutes or so, and Dan Maskell isn't done there!"
Indeed, the Heretic holds Kleio's face off the mat by the hair with one hand, and then with the other he begins to grind the barbed wire around the chair across her forehead! This exacerbates the wounds even further, blood now flowing freely from the gash. Maskell drops the chair to the floor and then drags De Santos up to her feet…
Thomas West: "Dan Maskell with a cutter! Right onto the barbed wire chair!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "That move hurt Maskell too, whose shoulder and back landed on that barbed wire as well… but it's Kleio who gets the worst of it! And now The Heretic goes for the cover…"
ONE… TWO… THR – NO!
Kleio gets a shoulder up, and Maskell - hesitant to let her rest - goes right back to his reverse chin lock…
***
<< 10:52 >>
Dan Maskell has transitioned his rest hold into a sleeper, and for a while it seemed as though KDS might have been fading out. But she gets a second wind with the audience cheering her on and begins to fight up to her feet. She reels off with a series of elbows, looking to gain separation, but Maskell clings on and transitions to a side headlock, and then a rear waistlock. He backs up towards the table set up at an angle in the corner, maybe thinking about hitting a German suplex on Kleio through the roof…
… but De Santos stamps down on his foot!! Maskell is forced to relinquish the hold, and Kleio turns to face him…
Anzu Kurosawa: "She's biting him!! Kleio De Santos is biting Dan Maskell!!"
Maskell wrenches his forehead from between KDS' teeth, almost stumbling backwards through the table in the process, and then turns to face De Santos. She nearly bowls him over with a torrent of strikes: forearms, elbow strikes, a jumping roundhouse kick, and then a Superman punch that backs Maskell up towards the table.
Thomas West: "Kleio De Santos backs away slightly, and - despite the loss of blood - is looking very nimble on her feet… SPEAR!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "But Kleio isn't going for the cover! She instead drags Maskell out of the debris and applies a front facelock. She's backing up towards that barbed wire chair…"
Thomas West: "Letters to Kleio!! Onto the barbed wire!! But still no cover!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "That's a kimura lock!! Kleio De Santos has a kimura lock on Dan Maskell in the middle of the ring!!"
The crowd are going crazy, KDS a sudden fan favourite as The Heretic squirms and writhes in the submission…
… and then he taps out!!!
Winner: Kleio De Santos by submission at 12:59.
Thomas West: "She got him! Dan Maskell submits!! Kleio De Santos is through to Stage Two!"
As Dan Maskell rolls out of the ring to lick his wounds, Kleio rises to her feet - her face a crimson mask - and allows her hand to be raised in victory by the official.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Here is your winner… Kleio De Santos!!"
KDS snatches her hand back and climbs out of the ring, where she walks - with a little bit of staggering after the blood loss - up the ramp.
Anzu Kurosawa: "KDS is our second combatant through into the latter stages of KODM2, but that was a bloody and brutal way for her to start her campaign."
Thomas West: "I said it before the match and I'll say it again now: she's used to it. Kleio De Santos has been through this before in last year's tournament, and although it didn't quite work out for her in 2022, she's likely not to come up against an utter freak of nature like she did in last year's final. Kleio knows how to deal with pain, and I don't see this pursuit coming to an end any time soon."
De Santos pauses at the top of the ramp, next to the podium, where she observes the Crown of Thorns. We fade away from the scene.
We once again cut to footage from earlier in the day as a black Land Rover Discovery arrives in the desert. The back door opens, and none other than Bellatrix Bordeaux comes rushing out, pulling a black sack off her head, before leaning forward and vomiting her guts up. After a few moments of violent sounding spewing, Trixie seems to have gotten it all out, as she stands with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Eventually, Trixie stands up straight and wipes her mouth in her sleeve. Looking extremely anxious and on edge as she looks around at her surrounding, seeing the wrestling ring set up nearby. She stares at the ring for a moment with a look of trepidation as her over-imaginative mind mulls over all of the possible, and likely painful outcomes of the coming conflict. She takes another deep breath, before noticing FWA interviewer Katie Baxter standing nearby with a microphone in hand and a pleasant smile on her face as she waves to Trixie, before gesturing for her to come over. With Katie seeming like a nice enough person, Trixie answers her summon..
Katie Baxter: "Hello, Trixie!"
Katie cheerfully greets the young woman as she arrives at the interview area.
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "Uh, h-hello…"
Trixie says nervously.
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "… what’s your name?"
Katie Baxter: "My name’s Katie. I’m an interviewer for FWA. Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions about the tournament and whatnot?"
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "Um, I-I guess so…"
Trixie responds, her voice a little shaky from the nerves, and the fact that she just spewed her guts up.
Katie Baxter: "Great. So, just stand here, next to me, and we’ll begin, alright?"
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "O-okay…"
Trixie says as Katie grasps her biceps with her hands and gently manoeuvres Trixie into position, before turning to face the camera as it zooms in on Katie’s face.
Katie Baxter: "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my guest at this time…Bellatrix Bordeaux."
The camera zooms out, revealing the nervous young woman as she’s trying to figure out if she should look and Katie or the camera.
Katie Baxter: "So, Trixie, first off, welcome to the King of the Deathmatch Tournament! We’ve known that you were due to compete in this tournament ever since Back in Town, and you’ve had a lot of success in the KODM preview matches we’ve seen on Fallout 026 and 027. Your victories in both of those matches, though, were perhaps a little overshadowed by events after the match, with both of those tag team contests seeing XYZ and Death Walker engaged in altercations. You have also been embroiled in these after-the-bell incidents, often standing with X against the advances of Death Walker. Are you worried that these sideshows may have distracted you from your preparations for the tournament?"
As Katie directs the microphone towards Trixie, the young woman flinches slightly, before realising that Katie in fact isn’t trying to hit her in the face with it. Taking a second to compose herself, she begins to answer.
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "Oh, um…I-...uh, I think that…Mr Walker is a big meanie, and…he should stop bullying my friends."
Trixie says, a matter of factly.
Katie Baxter: "Okay, that seems fair, I suppose…"
Katie says, glossing over the fact that Trixie hadn’t really answered her question.
Katie Baxter: "Another man who will be entering the tournament is one you know very well, particularly as you went one-on-one with him at Back in Town. I’m talking about Reagan Cole, who came out on top of that particular encounter. Hoping for any revenge over ‘The British Apprentice’ here in the desert?"
Hearing the name of the man who beat her up a few months ago, and has since taken part in bullying her backstage, Trixie’s eyes widen with anger, overriding her nerves slightly.
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "I’m going to punch him in the pee-pee."
Trixie says bluntly, as Katie chuckles slightly at Trixie’s word choice.
Katie Baxter: "Yup, I suppose that would be a good measure of revenge…okay, I have one more question. As you’ve shown on several occasions during your time in FWA, you seem to value friendship above pretty much everything, and so I ask…what does Bellatrix Bordeaux do if she were put in a situation where she would have to fight someone that she considers a friend, like, say…XYZ, or Kleio De Santos, or Sawyer Xavier?"
Hearing this, Trixie’s nerves and trepidation returns in full force as she imagines the scenario that Katie had just laid out.
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "U-uh, I-..."
Trixie stops, unable to find the words as her heartrate and breathing quickens, looking as though she’s about to go into a panic.
Katie Baxter: "Uh, are you alright, Trixie?"
The interviewer asks, concerned.
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "I-...Uh, I’v-..."
As she attempts to speak, we hear a wretching noise coming from the young lady, before her hand shoots to her mouth and her eyes widen in panic, before…
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "BLARGHHHHH!"
…and Katie Baxter is covered in what used to be the contents of Trixie’s stomach.
Seeing that she’d just spewed all over Katie, who had been perfectly nice to her since the moment they met, all those 2 or 3 minutes ago, Trixie attempts to apologise…
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "I’m Sorr-..."
…
Katie Baxter: "BLARGHHHHHHH"
…and Katie, her face in utter shock, is hit by another batch of puke.
Trixie, not wanting to bury the poor interviewer in Trixie juice, makes a b-line for any area that Katie isn’t, before we hear more ‘BLARGHs’ coming from off camera. Katie, spew covered and looking as though she’s about to throw up herself, raises the mic, which as also felt the wrath of Trixie’s stomach, to her mouth.
Katie Baxter: "I-..."
She says, as the scent wafts up her nose, causing her to heave slightly, but doing a better job that Trixie at holding it back.
Katie Baxter: "B-back to r-r-ringside."
Katie says, professional to the last, as the scene fades…
Katie Baxter: "BLARGHHHH!!!"
***
Once more, we are in the desert and under the late morning sun, this time as a red ‘88 Toyota Tercel rolls into shot. Katie is still here and clutching her microphone (her face re-applied following the incident with Trixie), and watches on as both the front driver and passenger side doors open. Reagan Cole steps out first, and appears to be psyching himself up as he surveys the makeshift arena in the wilderness. Out of the opposite side of the car emerged Jeffry Mason, who appears to be the first to notice the interviewer standing by.
Jeffry Mason: "Have you been here all morning? I hope you're wearing sunscreen."
Katie Baxter: "Reagan Cole… Jeffry Mason… welcome to the King of the Deathmatch tournament. We expected to see 'the British Apprentice' here today, but a company memo dictated that all tournament entrants are to come here alone. Care to explain your presence here at Reagan's side?"
Mason allows himself a smirk at the interviewer's question. He doesn't seem the least bit concerned about company memos.
Jeffry Mason: "Reagan told me. I'd like to know exactly who it is that thinks they're going to stop actual deathmatch royalty from being at the King of the Deathmatch. I intend to witness Reagan's big moment on this grand, bloody stage. We are a team, after all…"
Baxter doesn't seem to be quite convinced by Mason's response but, ever the pro, she goes on with the show.
Katie Baxter: "Reagan, this might be your first appearance at a King of the Deathmatch tournament, but it's certainly not your first deathmatch experience here in the FWA. I intended to ask you about this classic Back in Business encounter and its implications for the KODM, even when I thought you'd be coming here alone. With both of you here, I'm curious to know if that match-up, as well as Jeffery's extensive deathmatch experience on the whole, has helped prepare you for this tournament?"
Reagan looks as though he’s about to respond, but Mason beats him to it.
Jeffry Mason: "Do you actually think I would have pushed for him to be in King of the Deathmatch if I didn’t know he’d be ready for this shit?"
Reagan Cole: "Yeah, you know I’m ready for this because I beat YOU at Back in Business."
Jeffry Mason: "And what a glorious war we had. On that night, you beat THE deathmatch god. How many people in this tournament besides Reagan Cole can say that in their list of accomplishments? No one. Hell, I’ve been doing this shit for longer than most of these competitors have been alive, and you bet your sweet ass the amount of ultraviolent knowledge I’ve passed on to Reagan is more than half these people will learn in their pathetic lives."
Baxter is slightly taken aback by Mason’s vitriol, but - professional as ever - she brushes it off and continues.
Katie Baxter: "One woman who will also be here today for Stage One is Trixie Bordeaux, a woman you know very well, Reagan, both inside and out of the FWA. Most recently, you triumphed over Bordeaux at Back in Town. I had the chance to speak to Trixie earlier today, and asked her about her run-ins with you, Reagan Cole. She said, and I quote… ‘I’m going to punch him in the face’. Any thoughts in response?"
Even Reagan has a sneer for this quote. Mason winces at the perceived idiocy, shaking his head as Reagan responds.
Reagan Cole: "I think I know now to avoid getting punched in the face? I don’t know, what do you want from me? I’ve beaten her before and if it comes down to it tonight, I’ll beat her again, so she better hope that she doesn’t even have the chance to punch me in the face. Simple as that."
Cole folds his arms, content with his response and not willing to offer any more.
Katie Baxter: "Three weeks ago on Fallout 027, Reagan, we saw you compete in a losing effort against Chris Peacock. Many were impressed by your performance, even in defeat. What has eighteen and a bit minutes in the ring with the FWA World Champion taught you, especially going into this tournament for a different prize, one currently held by Peacock's partner in Alyster Black?"
Reagan Cole: "What’s the old saying? You learn more through one loss than from a hundred wins? If I learned anything from facing the World Champ, it’s that it’s where I belong. Reagan Cole is a main event star. Over the past five-hundred or so days, Alyster Black has arguably turned the X Championship into an even greater prize than the World Championship. I won’t kid myself or you Katie, it’s not going to be an easy road. But at the end of Stage 2, not only am I gonna stand tall with that crown and title, but it will be the beginning of an even more prestigious run than the one Alyster has had."
Jeffry Mason: "Damn right. Now enough questions, Katie. Reagan has some preparing to do. And I need to find out what kind of catering they have in this place so I can enjoy this night of bloodshed in style. Maybe some desert desserts, even!"
Cole and Mason walk out of the shot, leaving Katie alone to be disgruntled at the conversation’s trajectory.
The Fantasy Wrestling Alliance proudly presents…
CARNAL CONTENDERSHIP, 2023.
LIVE! … Sunday, April 30th, 2023 …
… from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee …
- only on the WCNetwork -
featuring…
The Connection [c] vs. The Buddy System. FWA Tag Titles.
The 30-person Carnal Contendership Match. FWA World Title - #1C.
There’s a loud cheer around the make-shift arena as the wildly unconventional but wildly popular XYZ appears on the stage. He looks around at his audience appreciatively before beginning his strut down towards the ring.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Introducing your first wrestler in today’s third X Rules Deathmatch… weighing in at one hundred and eighty pounds… from Sitka, Alaska… X… Y… Z!!"
Thomas West: "Another veteran of KODM tournaments, XYZ - like Kleio De Santos - was involved in last year’s bloody extravaganza on the Granary. I wonder what happened to that island?"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I imagine it’s still there. XYZ was in fact eliminated from last year’s tournament by KDS, and - with the Boa Constrictor safely through to Stage Two - will no doubt be hoping to settle that score in 2023’s later stages."
Thomas West: "This year, though, that stolen interview time hasn’t been XYZ’s main priority. Instead, he’s been plagued by Death Walker, who has seemingly taken something of a shine to XYZ. That’s right, Anzu. I did my research."
X stands in the ring, limbering up in the corner with a boot cocked up on the top rope whilst he stretches. His music fades out, and his attention turns to the stage, just in time for…
Anzu Kurosawa: "… seemed almost inevitable!!"
Death Walker walks out onto the stage, alone, to a chorus of boos from those present in the desert. He pays them no mind. They are of no consequence to him. He instead marches down the ramp, his focus directed at the man in the ring and him alone.
Natalie Rosenberg: "… weighing in at two hundred and forty three pounds… from the depths of HELL… he is ‘The Dark Traveller’... DEATH WALKER!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "You mentioned Death Walker’s fixation on XYZ, with the newcomer going so far as to choke X out on Fallout 026 in Washington DC. XYZ attempted to extract a modicum of revenge three weeks ago in Detroit, but tonight he’ll finally get the opportunity to do that in this match… where anything is legal!"
Thomas West: "That works both ways though, Anzu! Death Walker has shown himself to be a dab hand when it comes to violence, and I dread to think what we’ll see from him in this sort of match-up. XYZ has his hands full. Shame. Any space adventurer gets a thumbs up from me."
Death Walker climbs through the ropes and, completely ignoring the referee, charges across it to smash XYZ in the corner with a clothesline! Death lays in with right forearms and then kicks to the midsection, the official forced to call for the opening bell after the impromptu start to the match…
MATCH THREE
Death Walker vs. XYZ.
X Rules Deathmatch.
Round One.
<< 03:01. >>
After opening exchanges that seem even, Death Walker utilising his heavy hands and XYZ his unconventional strikes, Death manages to get the upper hand what he knocks the tightrope walking X off his perch as he attempts to traverse the top rope. Death accomplishes this by throwing himself into the ropes, causing X to land split legged over the top one. Death proceeds to roll under the bottom rope and collect a chair. With XYZ still straddling the top rope, Walker throws his chair at him, connecting with X's head with a sickening thud!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Death Walker just hurls that steel chair at XYZ, who falls into a heap at Death Walker's feet!"
Thomas West: "Not where he wants to be…"
Death goes under the ring and collects a pair of lighttubes and proceeds to stalk XYZ around the ring. When X is crawling on his hands and knees, Death brings the first tube down over his back! X writhes in pain but fights up to his feet on adrenaline alone… which allows Death to bring the second tube down over his forehead!! XYZ stumbled and falls down at the foot of the ramp, with Death following up with a backdrop suplex onto the steel structure!
Not content there, Death Walker searches under the ring, producing a black canvas bag. The audience cheers as he places it into the ring.
Anzu Kurosawa: "I think the audience knows exactly what is in that bag! Things aren't boding well for XYZ!"
Thomas West: "This Death Walker really holds a grudge, huh?"
***
<< 06:15. >>
Death Walker has followed XYZ up the ramp with steps, and then hoists him up on the stage before rocking him with a pair of headbutts. Death hoists X up to his feet before throwing him across the stage with a capture suplex!
Anzu Kurosawa: "I get the impression that Death Walker could probably go for the pin right now and get pretty close… but he has more in store for XYZ."
Thomas West: "Well, he did bring out a bag of thumb tacks. Would be odd for him to pin X before he uses them."
Death seems to agree, and he proceeds to drag XYZ up to his feet in a front face lock, perhaps looking to hit a spike DDT on the stage… but X drops to knee to block it, and then hoists Death up and over with a Northern Lights suplex! XYZ bridges for the cover!
ONE… TWO… NO!
Death Walker gets the shoulder up, but X tries to seize the shift in momentum. He hoists Death up by the scruff of the neck and hurls him down the ramp, Death stumbling and falling as XYZ collects a large ladder from nearby. He puts it up on his shoulder as Walker fights back to his feet… and X runs through him with the ladder!! The end of it clatters with Walker's head and he's sent sprawling to the bottom of the ramp!
Thomas West: "A bludgeoning impact for Death Walker! But XYZ isn't pressing home his advantage, instead deciding to set that ladder up on the ramp."
Anzu Kurosawa: "Perhaps that's precisely how XYZ intends to press home his advantage!"
Once he's got the ladder, which appears to be a fifteen footer, set up on the ramp, he proceeds to climb up one side of it, sitting on the top of it with his feet a few rungs down. Death Walker has staggered up to his feet, far down below, as XYZ stands up straight… and then decides to climb up one more ring... before leaping off the top with a flying cross-body!! He crashed into XYZ as the ladder teeters and falls, the fans beneath it by the ramp scattering out of its path. The rest of them are losing their mind as XYZ drapes an arm over Death in a cover…
ONE… TWO… THR – NO!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Unbelievable aerial attack from XYZ… but Death Walker is still in it!"
XYZ rolls away from Death Walker, clutching his ribs, sucking in oxygen as he prepares to continue…
***
<< 10:41. >>
The action has returned to the ring, where XYZ has collected a pair of lighttubes as well as a bundle of them (the same half-dozen arrangement that we saw earlier in the day). He returns the favour from previously in the match, bringing the two individual lighttubes down over Death Walker's head! Both men are bloody, X from the tubes and Death from the ladder, but Walker defiantly remains on his feet!
Thomas West: "Death Walker is showing some resilience and some moxey, here, but I'm not sure what that's going to do against a bundle of lighttubes…"
X has collected said bundle and props it up against Death, who is still on his knees and unable to move… before running through the tubes and Death with a vicious knee strike!! The bundle of tubes explodes on impact as Death crumples to the mat! X slumps into a cover…
ONE… TWO… THR – NO!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Still, Death Walker finds a way to kick out!"
Thomas West: "Is this guy even human?!"
X, whilst staring down at Death's bloody and bruised body amongst the broken shards of glass, senses he might need one more move to finish him off. He climbs up to the top, movement slow after the hard-fought match, before once again beginning a tightrope walk across the top rope. X goes for his somersault leg drop… NOBODY HOME!! XYZ lands on the broken shards! Death Walker is up to his feet, and he quickly boots X in the midsection before planting him into the shards with a snap DDT!
Thomas West: "Brutal!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Gloriously so!"
Thomas West: "But still we see no cover attempt from Death Walker… he's collecting his little black bag!"
Despite the dynamic in the match, the crowd cheers as Death Walker opens up his bag and, onto the pile of scattered shards of broken lighttubes already on the mat, he pours out thousands upon thousands of thumbtacks!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Death Walker is NOT messing around!!"
X, to his credit, is up to his hands and knees, and Death helps him up the rest of the way. He places XYZ in a sleeper before dragging him towards the tacks and glass…
Anzu Kurosawa: "BEDTIME STORY!! INTO THE TACKS!!"
Thomas West: "An ugly high angle sleeper suplex for XYZ! His face and chest land in that barbaric debris! But still no cover!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Death Walker has a rear naked choke locked in!! I think he's trying to put XYZ out again!"
Thomas West: "I think he already has! The referee is calling for the bell!!"
Winner: Death Walker by knockout at 13:56.
After the brutal end to the match, Death keeps the move locked in for a few more seconds before rising to his feet. He unceremoniously kicks X beneath the bottom rope and into a heap on the floor.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Here is your winner… DEATH WALKER!!"
The official considers raising Death Walker's hand in victory, but the glare that he receives from the winner stops him from doing so.
Thomas West: "Do you think Death Walker will now finally see this particular score as settled?"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I think it was settled weeks ago, Thomas. This rivalry between these two has been utterly one-sided, and Death just put the exclamation mark on things here today."
Thomas West: "And, perhaps most importantly, progresses to Stage Two. Quite a few of the tournament's entrant's have had run-ins with Death Walker recently, but I'm not sure many will be hoping to be drawn against him in the quarter finals…"
As Death Walker stalks up the ramp, we fade away from the scene.
We once again cut to earlier in the day, as yet another vehicle arrives in the desert. This time, we see an Uber pull up near Todd Salum, who waits patiently with his microphone. Madison Gray emerged from the vehicle, a serious look on her face that suggests she has some understanding of the gravity of her current situation. She nods in the direction of Salum, who positions himself within the frame next to her.
Todd Salum: "Madison, you have only been a part of the Fantasy Wrestling Alliance for two short months, but already you've taken part in a ladder match and now have been preparing to enter this bloodbath of a tournament. Something of a baptism of fire for the start of your pro-wrestling career?"
There is a stern and focused countenance on Madison's face as she addresses Salum’s question.
Madison Gray: "I feel like I've walked through scorched earth. This company - this has been a real shock to system, and I've accepted that this journey is going to really hurt. If I was to compare my career to climbing up Everest, I haven't even left base camp and already I am bleeding in my boots."
After listening carefully and nodding along thoughtfully to Gray’s response, Salum shapes up for his follow-up question.
Todd Salum: "Three weeks ago in your second King of the Deathmatch preview match, you tasted defeat in a triple threat, with Death Walker pinning Sawyer Xavier to pick up the win. Given that you weren't involved in that climactic pinfall, are you hoping for revenge here in this tournament? Or perhaps you have your sights on Trixie Bordeaux, who pinned you last month on Fallout 026 in trios action?"
Madison Gray: "This tournament is about proving to everyone else - that I can stand on my own two feet. Do I have my eyes set on Trixie? Honestly, I don't think I can even come close to comparing myself to her. Nor someone like Death Walker either. Sawyer Xavier though? Sausage X. I wouldn't mind finding myself standing opposite him when this tournament kicks off and if I can leave with just one win - I'd like it to be against him. And if I don't get to face him - maybe management will get me a future match with that little fella."
The thought of getting her hands on Sawyer seems to please her, even if we - the audience - know that this won’t be possible at this tournament. She walks out of shot, Salum watching her leave before we fade out.
***
We cut to more footage from earlier in the day, as we watch from over Katie Baxter’s shoulder in a wide shot of the desert. Upon the horizon, we can see a lonely and distant figure, which looks as if it might be walking towards us but it’s so remote that we can’t really be sure. A series of jump cuts follow, the figure getting larger and larger until we can make out the tall, slender frame of weaselperson. He is foregoing the various forms of transportation that the other arriving combatants have favoured in earlier similar segments, instead apparently walking across the desert to the competition, perhaps in the hopes of warming up (or staying warmed up) ahead of his first bout. He doesn’t seem particularly out of breath as he finally comes to a halt next to Baxter, who is holding her microphone at the ready.
As weaselperson waits patiently for his first question, Katie lets out a deep and reluctant sigh.
Katie Baxter: "weaselperson, you made it somewhat clear three weeks ago on Meltdown XXVII that your intention was to become the fastest Grand Slam champion in FWA history, and on Fallout two days later you announced for this very tournament. Is the X Championship the first step on that path you alluded to?"
weaselperson: "Bark."
A pause for Katie, as she thinks through her next steps. She’s been here before. She’d tried to be prepared. Asked for an animal interpreter ahead of time. It was disappointing to find out that such a thing didn’t exist. She didn’t really have much of a choice but to proceed in much the same way as she had previously, ignoring Einstein’s advice about insanity.
Katie Baxter: "You overcame Logan Darwin in Detroit in your debut match here in the FWA, and we know that ‘the Reaper’ will also be in attendance here this weekend for the KODM. Bark if you’re hoping that you and Darwin will be afforded the chance to rekindle your rivalry."
weaselperson says nothing. He blinks at Baxter, who holds the microphone in front of him for a few moments of stony silence.
Katie Baxter: "Are we to understand that you’re looking to expand your horizons here in the FWA? To face new competition in your pursuits of legendary status as the fastest Grand Slam champion in history?"
Once more, a momentary silence lingers between the pair. weaselperson continues to stare rather blankly at the interviewer.
Katie Baxter: "Am I to infer that it doesn’t matter who stands between you and the Crown of Thorns and, perhaps more importantly, the FWA X Championship tonight? The array of men and women who you will face in the four rounds on your path to glory is interchangeable, but the result is a rare constant?"
weaselperson: "Bark. Bark… Bark. Bark. Bark."
Baxter, after nodding along thoughtfully, turns to face the camera.
Katie Baxter: "Well, you heard it here first."
*****
Later on but still earlier in the day, we see a silver Toyota Corolla arrive at the desert and pull up near the temporary warehousing unit being used for the backstage area. Todd Salum is lingering nearby and watches on as the door opens and 'the Wildcard' Jason Randall emerges from it. Randall surveys the makeshift arena in this desolate place, sighs, and then collects his gear bag from the trunk. He notes Salum and nods in the interviewer's direction, who takes this as permission to begin.
Todd Salum: "Jason Randall, welcome to the King of the Deathmatch tournament… a setting that many have pointed out may be very well-suited to you and your particular talents – how are you feeling ahead of your debut in FWA's deathmatch extravaganza?"
Randall, unlike the majority of the participants that we’ve already seen arrive today, looks somewhat comfortable with his current surroundings.
Jason Randall: "How am I feeling? I don't know. I guess I feel like I'm at home. Which would sound odd to the average person, but as we know, I'm far from the average person. I guess I feel like I belong here. Last year I didn't get to participate due to some bullshit reasoning, but this year I get to right that wrong and show everyone what was missing."
Admiring his interviewee’s confidence, Salum smiles at Randall as he asks his (rather long-winded) follow-up question.
Todd Salum: "We last saw you on pay-per-view as part of ‘Back in Town’, where you challenged for the FWA Television Championship alongside Death Walker, something of a rival of yours, who is also expected here in the desert for this weekend’s tournament. Since then, you’ve also tangled with Bellatrix Bordeaux and Kleio De Santos, with XYZ as your partner, in one of the preview matches on Fallout 027. Trixie scored the pinfall over yourself in that one, but Death Walker again made his presence felt in the aftermath. Are you hoping to get your hands on any of these opponents - or indeed partners - that have accompanied your path to this tournament?"
Jason gives the question some thought, the field - and particularly those he has (recent) history with - passing through his mind.
Jason Randall: “Death Walker is one man in particular that I have some unfinished business with. The man tried to take away my livelihood when he locked me in that submission, and damn near ripped my leg off. He didn't finish the job though, I'm still standing, barely but I'm standing and that's unfortunate for Death Walker. That's unfortunate for anyone that stands in my way of winning this tournament and walking away with the big prize."
‘The Wildcard’ traces the line of an invisible championship belt around his waist, signifying his intent for the weekend.
Todd Salum: "We’ve mentioned that this is your first King of the Deathmatch tournament, and therefore your first run at the Crown of Thorns… but it’s not your first experience of this weekend’s other prize. The FWA X Championship is a belt you’ve held and know very well: what does that championship mean to ‘the Wildcard’, and do you have any thoughts on current champion Alyster Black’s now record-breaking run with the title?"
Jason Randall: “I'd be lying if I said I didn't respect Alyster Black. There's not many people in this company I respect, as a matter of fact it's a pretty short list, but fortunately for Alyster he's on that list. That being said, I'd love nothing more than to be the one to end this historic run he's been on. I am no stranger to the X Championship, it was a championship I held very near and dear to my heart once upon a time. It was the last time I ever held gold in this company. I saved that championship from obscurity after I pried it off the hands of that scumbag Vincent Blackbird and I'd love nothing more than to hold it again. I don't just want to win this, I need this. I need this as if my life depended on it, because honestly the way I see it, my life does depend on it."
For Jason Randall, the time for talk is over. He walks out of shot and we fade to black as Salum watches his exit.
We cut to an area of the back, somewhere near the medical bay, where Katie Baxter is standing by with one of our early winners of the day. ‘The Boa Constrictor’ Kleio De Santos stands next to her, bandages stained with blood around her shoulder and stitches clear upon her head.
Katie Baxter: "One of three competitors already through to Stage Two of the King of the Deathmatch is the woman standing next to me right now. Kleio, you will compete in tomorrow’s quarter-finals, and a victory in that round will see you become the person with the most wins in KODM history. You wear the battle-wounds of your earlier match plainly… is this where that deathmatch experience will come in handy?"
De Santos lets a silence linger. She looks at Baxter with narrowed eyes. It appears that she isn’t really in the mood for discussing the history books, despite the suggested topic being her place within it.
Thomas West: "I’m not sure I like that record…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Should’ve entered, buddy."
Kleio De Santos: "Deathmatch experience... so, because I’ve bled before, you all know that I can bleed again? I guess there’s some truth in that. I know what it is to battle through. I knew that before I ever set foot on The Granary. This year’s tournament has started off at quite the pace. I told you that I feared the unknown competitors in this tournament, and already that has been validated. Dan Maskell is a horrible human being… but his propensity towards and skill at violence is well-known. It is the mark he’s left on this industry. But that mark is small and insignificant. Blotted out by my own. Katie, this has only just begun…"
Despite the war-wounds evident on her body, KDS is smiling.
Katie Baxter: "Earlier today, you told me that you have nothing to fear from XYZ… and this was vindicated by his first round exit against Death Walker. Death has been impressive since his debut here in the FWA, you have to be wondering about a potential encounter in the latter stages…"
De Santos’ smile persists. It appears news of her old rival’s demise pleases her.
Kleio De Santos: "Unsurprising, really. Part of me had hoped I could’ve settled the score for Rio. That experience still burns, you know? But that will have to be another –"
* SQUAWK! *
Kleio’s momentum on the microphone is abruptly halted by the rather obnoxious noise of a rather obnoxious bird. This interruption is compounded by the red parrot’s arrival upon De Santos’ shoulder, and then compounded further still by the entrance into the shot of a steady line of people. As you may have guessed, we see Yuna Funanori, Oliver Corsair, Salvador Mendoza, Peg Leg Ned, Bad Henry, and ‘Jolly’ Roger, all of whom are beholding Kleio with wide smiles (many displaying gold teeth, or gaps where teeth should have been).
Yuna Funanori: "We come with congratulations, matey! Already, the chance of a Queen of the High Seas has grown great! I can smell it in the water, hear it on the wind, taste it in the muffins. Have you tried the muffins in catering? Good muffins."
Oliver Corsair: “Good muffins."
Salvador Mendoza: ”Not bad at all."
Kleio, up to this point, has remained silent and unmoved but for a few perplexed blinks.
Kleio De Santos: "Careful, matey. The last person who interrupted my interview time lived to regret it!"
Yuna lets out a burst of laughter, and then throws an arma round Kleio. With her hand on her shoulder, Patches squawks again and flutters out of the way, coming to rest once more on De Santos’ other shoulder.
Yuna Funanori: "Nonsense! Time is to be shared! That’s what this weekend is all about! The friends we make, and the time we share with them."
Still perplexed by the entire scene, Kleio wrenches herself away from Yuna’s grip. Funanori, only now, takes the hint. KDS glares at her with fire in her eyes.
Kleio De Santos: "I hope we get to spend some time together tomorrow."
With that, KDS skulks out of the scene. Yuna turns to her crew.
Yuna Funanori: "What exactly do people do for fun on land?"
There’s a mixed reaction for Madison Gray as she walks out onto the stage. It is quite clear that she is plagued by apprehensions as she takes a deep breath. Ignoring the fans and the assembled weaponry around her, Gray walks down the ramp and towards the ring.
Natalie Rosenberg: "The first competitor in your fourth X Rules Deathmatch is from Portsmouth, England… weighing one hundred and twenty five pounds… ‘the Young Lioness’... MADISON… GRAY!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Madison Gray put in impressive performances, indicative of one improving, in her KODM preview matches, tasting defeat in 026’s trios match and 027’s triple threat, where Death Walker covered Sawyer Xavier. Hopefully the former ‘the Young Lioness’ - now known as ‘PARASITE’ - can use these valuable learning experiences here in the desert."
Thomas West: "Madison Gray was the first to point out that this tournament is out of her comfort zone, but perhaps she can use the chaos of the deathmatch to her favour. Literally anything can happen, as we’ve seen already tonight. And chaos can be a rookie’s best friend."
Gray, still looking nervous but warming up nonetheless, waits in her corner and stares at the stage as her music fades out. Soon enough, it’s replaced by…
There’s a groan in the desert as Reagan Cole walks out onto the stage… and, unlike every other combatant so far tonight (with the exception of Yuna, whose peculiar travel arrangements, perhaps, can explain that), he is not alone. He is flanked by Jeffry Mason, who pats Reagan on the shoulder before returning through the curtain and into the backstage area.
Natalie Rosenberg: "And her opponent… weighing in at two hundred and fifteen pounds… from Essex, England… ‘the British Apprentice’... REAGAN COLE!!"
Thomas West: "Reagan Cole and Jeffry Mason have already flouted the rules by having him here in the desert for moral support, and now he retreats to the back and expects us to believe that? Mason isn’t far away, mark my words."
Anzu Kurosawa: "Isn’t that a little like the pot and the kettle thing?"
Thomas West: "I never said there’s anything wrong with it… it stands the Apprentice in good stead, I’m sure. He made a good show of things against Boogie Baby on 027, and Mason’s advice will have no doubt been invaluable going into this tournament."
Anzu Kurosawa: "You think Reagan will win today?"
Thomas West: "God no."
Reagan Cole slides into the ring and keeps his eyes on Madison across it. He loosens up as his music fades out and the official conducts his final checks (for some reason, considering anything is legal) and then calls for the opening bell…
MATCH FOUR
Madison Gray vs. Reagan Cole.
X Rules Deathmatch.
Round One.
<< 02:21. >>
After the opening exchanges, Reagan Cole seizes control of the match when he throws Madison Gray into the turnbuckles with an exploder suplex, Gray landing at an ugly angle on the back of her head. The British Apprentice rolls under the bottom rope, collecting two steel chairs from ringside: one normal, and one wrapped in barbed wire (and, it seems, stained with Kleio’s blood from the earlier contest). He throws them both into the ring and follows in after them, lifting the recovering Gray to her feet and hurling her down onto the (barbed wire) chair with a tornado snap suplex!
Thomas West: "Reagan Cole is wasting absolutely no time at all here in the early going of this match. This is a mean streak I’m not sure we’re used to seeing from Cole…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Perhaps the influence of Jeffry Mason that you mentioned before the match?"
Reagan, like a man possessed, drags Madison into position so that her head is atop the barbed wire chair, and then grasps the other one his hands. He looks down at Gray’s prone body, takes a few deep breaths, and then lifts the chair up, intending to bring it down onto Gray’s head… but Madison darts out of the way! Cole’s fingers get trapped between the chair and the barbed wire, forcing him to drop his weapon. The opening allows Madison to dive into the back of his knee with a chop block!
Reagan Cole fights up to his feet, and Madison picks up the discarded normal steel chair. She tosses it to Reagan, who instinctively catches it, only to eat a dropkick from Madison!! Reagan drops the chair and also drops to his knees, and Madison quickly picks up the other chair (the one wrapped in barbed wire) and simply flings it into Cole’s face!! He slumps to the mat, and Gray dives on him, hooking the far leg.
ONE… TWO… NO!
Cole gets the shoulder up, but the flurry of offence allows Madison Gray to take control of the match…
***
<< 05:44. >>
The action has spilled out onto the outside, and the Apprentice gets the better of an (ill-advised, for Madison) exchange of right hands. He connects with a dragon screw leg whip and then goes searching underneath the bottom rope. He produces a kendo stick, which he - along with the audience - doesn’t seem all that interested in, but next produces a staple gun that garners a fair bit more excitement. He leaves that on the apron and, with Gray using the barricade to support her weight, brings the kendo stick crashing down upon her a half-dozen times! The crowd winces with every strike, and Madison attempts to roll into the ring beneath the bottom rope.
Thomas West: "Madison Gray perhaps looking to escape Reagan here, at least for a few moments, but Cole won’t let her out of his sights…"
Indeed, Reagan grabs her when she is on the apron, and drags her legs behind the apron. He hits Madison with a headbutt and then collected the nearby staplegun… before stapling the apron onto Madison’s body!! He puts a dozen or so staples into her thighs and abdomen, attaching the apron to her! Reagan holds the gun up triumphantly, and then turns to try and put another staple into Gray’s head… but she rakes the eyes! Cole drops the gun, and Gray wrenches the apron away from her body, pulling all of the staples out. She collects the gun as Cole regains his vision… just in time for him to see her empty a half-dozen staples into his forehead!! He writhes around in agony, and Madison throws him beneath the bottom rope.
Anzu Kurosawa: "Reagan Cole getting a taste of his own medicine, and now it is Madison Gray’s turn to search beneath that ring apron - which was only a moment ago part of her clothing - for yet more weaponry!"
Madson first produces a steel chair, and then - to a gasp and then a cheer from the audience - a large glass pane about the size of the door. She slides this into the ring and then carefully sets it up in the corner, before teeing Reagan up for a huge chairshot across the top of the dome! Gray goes for the cover…
ONE… TWO… TH – NO!
Cole gets the shoulder up, and Madison goes back to work…
<< 09:25. >>
Gray is attempting a snap underhook suplex through the angled glass pane, but Reagan - close to the ropes - hooks onto the top one with an outstretched arm. Madison is forced to give up on her endeavour, and Cole quickly capitalises on the opportunity by firing into her with a half-dozen hard forearms… and then a neckbreaker onto his knee! He collects the two normal chairs introduced earlier in the match and sets them up in the middle of the ring, Madison still incapacitated following the neckbreaker, and then he sets up the glass pane atop the two folded out chairs.
Thomas West: "Now we’re talking creative! Reagan Cole is setting up for something nasty, here."
Cole takes Gray by the hair and places her near the glass pane in a front face lock, perhaps going for a snap suplex or brainbuster through the glass, but Gray drops to her knee to block it… and then fires into Cole with a trio of headbutts! Reagan is staggered, and it’s Madison’s turn to apply a front facelock.
Anzu Kurosawa: "Looks like Madison Gray is going for Her Majesty’s Naval Base here… if she hits HMNB through that glass pane, this one is over!"
Thomas West: "Doesn’t look like she can get him up, though…"
Indeed, and Reagan capitalises on the delay with some hard right hands to the ribs, the fourth of which causes separation… and then Cole slams into her with a bunch of headbutts of his own!! Madison is staggered, and turns around to face the glass. Reagan hits the ropes…
Anzu Kurosawa: "The Rhino’s Rage!!! Through the glass!!"
Cole hits the kitaro crusher, the sound of the glass smashing rising above the boisterous crowd. Gray lies face-down amongst the shards, and Reagan struggles to push her over onto her back to hook the leg…
ONE… TWO… THRE – NO!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "SHE KICKS OUT!! HOW DID MADISON GRAY KICK OUT?!"
Reagan Cole seems to be asking himself the same question. He looks at the official with a flabbergasted expression… before grabbing Gray’s leg and placing her in his patented heel hook!
Thomas West: "Fire In The Hole! Fire In The Hole!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "It’s the Fire of Cole..."
Thomas West: "Mine’s better! And either way, Madison Gray is tapping! This one’s over!!”
Winner: Reagan Cole by submission at 11:15.
Reagan Cole lets go of the submission immediately and climbs to his feet. There is blood on him, but it appears to be the blood of his opponent. He allows the official to lift his hand in victory.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Here is your winner… Reagan Cole!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "The British Apprentice progresses through to Stage Two at the expense of PARASITE, with Cole looking impressive in that first round victory."
Thomas West: "Indeed he did. Cole seems to have been learning from a master, and speak of the Devil…"
Jeffry Mason walks out onto the stage as Cole walks up the ramp. The Saviour of Death has a smile on his face, and he welcomes the British Apprentice with an arm around his shoulder when he arrives on the stage. The two disappear through the curtain as we fade to black.
Once more, we cut to footage from earlier on in the day, with Todd Salum standing by as a black rented Ford Ranger arrives and comes to a halt in his vicinity. From out of the vehicle emerges Alyster Black, dressed in his (all black) street clothes and with his FWA X Championship slung over his shoulder. Black notices the interviewer loitering and approaches, as if resigned to the certain fate of being subjected to his questions.
Todd Salum: "Alyster, the tournament is finally upon us. You accepted this quite staggering challenge willingly: nineteen men and women all descending on this very place to try and take that championship away from you. With the record for the longest run with the X Championship now under your belt - a record that many thought would never be broken - what is your motivation to keep going, especially in the face of such overwhelming competition?"
Before answering, Alyster looks down at the championship belt sitting proudly upon his shoulder.
Alyster Black: "Record-breaking. It's been five hundred and fourteen days since I defeated Nate Savage in my hometown to win this belt. In some ways, that feels like only yesterday. In others, every single one of those twenty four hour periods felt like a lifetime. I don't need to stand here and list the names of people who have tried and failed to take this championship away from me. Other people have recited that list quite frequently as of late, every since my status as a record breaker became official. I'm more interested in the list of names that will come here tonight, to launch their own challenge. Death Walker and Trixie Bordeaux and Madison Gray. The future of X Rules here in the FWA."
A pause. Alyster glances across at Todd.
Alyster Black: "And they've all come here to find me, Todd. If that's not enough motivation, then I don't know what is."
Black adjusts his belt on his shoulder. Grips his gym bag in his right hand. It's clear that he wants to go and get ready. He's impatient. But Salum doesn't allow him to go just yet.
Todd Salum: "Whilst you’ve tried to keep a watchful eye on the multiple KODM preview matches in the run up to this event, that process has often been disrupted by the presence of an interloper who bears more than a strong resemblance to, well, you. This masked and anonymous assailant went as far as to attack you following the culmination of one such trios match on Fallout 026, laying you out in the backstage area. Can you help the FWA audience make sense of the appearance of this mystery man?"
Alyster lets the silence longer for a moment. It's not clear whether he thinks very much of the question.
Alyster Black: "Your guess is as good as mine, Salum. I'm hoping that this weekend will shed a little light on that."
Todd raises an eyebrow.
Todd Salum: "You think this imposter will be here in the desert? As an entrant in the tournament?"
Beneath the mask, we can tell that Alyster is smiling.
Alyster Black: "You said yourself that this man, assuming that it's a man, has been hounding me over the past couple of months. You think this coward would be able to stay away? He knows I'm here. He knows that this tournament is built around me. And he knows that I'll probably be a little worse for wear throughout these two days. I'd be surprised if we didn't see our masked friend here tonight."
Black's fists clench, perhaps involuntarily.
Alyster Black: "I sort of hope we do."
Sensing the champion's eagerness for violence, along with his reputation for it, Salum decides to move on.
Todd Salum: "We are aware that you will be competing in your first round match in our main event here at Stage One, and with the blind bracketing structure - coupled with a vast and varied field to choose from - is there anyone in particular that you hope walks out to face you later on today? Who’s caught your eye in those preview matches?"
Alyster Black: "I've already mentioned that I hope we'll see the future of X Rules here at the King of the –"
This thought remains unfinished as, in a sudden flourish of activity, another figure enters the frame and brings a lead pipe crashing down between Alyster Black's shoulder blades!
Anzu Kurosawa: "That's the imposter! The fake Alyster Black is here!!"
Thomas West: "Perhaps a little sooner than the champion anticipated!!"
The camera pans out to show the open door of a nearby black Corolla, which the assailant must have been waiting in to launch his assault, as the mystery man - dressed identically to black except for the blue detailing around the eyes of his mask - drags Alyster up to his feet. The X Champion tries to fight back with right hands, but the imposter thrusts the end of the pipe into his ribs before bringing it down once more over the top of his back!
Anzu Kurosawa: "A vicious assault! We need some help back there!"
Thomas West: "This is earlier today, Anzu! These woes are trapped in the past!"
Not quite done with Alyster yet, the imposter proceeds to wrap his legs around Black's in a deliberate manner before grasping his arms. He pulls the champion's face up away from the sand… before driving it down into the ground with a vile curbstomp!!
With Alyster Black seemingly unconscious, the doppelganger crouches down over his championship belt. He regards it carefully before walking out of the shot.
Anzu Kurosawa: "Oh! Looks like that’s my cue!"
We hear the noise of a headset being placed down and the camera cuts to Anzu Kurosawa as she emerges from behind the booth in full ring gear. The crowd is cheering the woman as she walks across the stage (which the announce desk is set up on) and to the top of the ramp.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Your first competitor in this, the fifth X Rules Deathmatch of the day, weighs in at ninety six pounds… from Hiroshima, Japan… Anzu… Kurosawa!!"
Thomas West: "I guess I’ll be riding solo, hopefully just for this one match today and - of course - a few more tomorrow. This is Anzu’s second appearance in the KODM, after succumbing to Mike Parr in the first round of last year’s tournament. Anzu is one of the few pre-announced competitors going in cold with no appearances in the run-up preview matches… let’s hope her trademark exuberance is enough to shake off that ring rust."
Anzu is in the ring, smiling at the referee and offering him a thumbs up as her music fades out. All eyes, including Kurosawa’s, turn towards the stage, just in time for…
There’s a roar in the desert as the rousing opening notes of Caesar’s theme music play, sustained as the former FWA World Tag Team Champion appears on the stage.
Natalie Rosenberg: "And her opponent… from inside the sacred Pomerium of The Glorious Roman Empire and weighing in at three hundred and nineteen libra… he is Cornelius… Aurelius… CAESAR!!"
Cornelius Aurelius Caesar looks out at his adoring public approvingly before making his way down the ramp.
Thomas West: "There’s pandemonium here in the desert! I’m not exactly sure why… all I see is a traitor who Uncle showed up to be the delusional hack that he is! Cornelius Aurelius Caesar is here at King of the Deathmatch 2023, and I can’t wait to see Anzu send him packing back to Ancient Rome!"
Caesar enters the ring and offers a nod to Anzu, who he has always had respect for, and then waits in his corner as his music fades out and the official conducts his final checks.
MATCH FIVE
Anzu Kurosawa vs. Cornelius Aurelius Caesar.
X Rules Deathmatch.
Round One.
<< 04:31. >>
After Caesar dominates the opening technical exchanges, Anzu manages to bowl him over with a series of stiff kicks to the sides, followed by a headscissors takedown. Caesar slides out of the ring and out of dodge, with Anzu exiting it from the other side. She takes a moment to admire Yuna’s ship approvingly, which is still banked in the sand nearby, before searching under the ring. She produces a pair of tables to the fans’ delight, and sets them up on the outside of the ring, next to each other. She’s not done there, though, collecting a twenty foot ladder from ringside and beginning to set that up, too…
Thomas West: "Those that followed Anzu’s career in Japan will know that she is synonymous with this particular weapon, and is known as the Queen of the Deathmatch throughout much of that country… hey, that’s a neat tournament idea. Someone get me Russnow’s number!"
With the ladder set up, Anzu notices Caesar charging at her with a lighttube – which she manages to duck beneath the swing of. She connects with a spin kick to the gut, Caesar dropping the lighttube, which remains in tact…. and Anzu follows up with a snap DDT on the outside! Anzu picks up the discarded lighttube and waits patiently for the Roman to climb to a vertical base. It's Kurosawa's turn to charge at her opponent with the tube, but Caesar stymies her momentum with a low drop kick to the knees! Anzu drops the tube, which skids across the floor (but again remains unbroken).
Caesar takes Anzu by the hair and tries to throw her face first onto the apron, but she puts her hands out to block it, and then strikes with a series of elbows. With Cornelius staggered, Kurosawa hops up onto the apron and runs through him with a kick to the chest! Caesar manages to stay on his feet, but not what Anzu leaps off the apron with a hurricanrana! Kurosawa follows up with the cover….
ONE… TWO… NO!
Caesar kicks out!
***
<< 08:08.>>
After a lengthy period on the outside (involving, incidentally, lots of attempts to use weaponry and the general environment to both of their advantage, with no success), the pair find themselves back in the ring and in opposite corners. Essentially where they started, except for now both of them are holding a chair. Anzu makes the first move, flinging her chair across the ring in Caesar's direction… and the Roman uses his chair to bat the missile away! The crowd are impressed with the impromptu display of baseball skills (good for an Ancient Roman, they say), except for the handful who have to get out of the way of Anzu's chair as it plummets to the ground.
Cornelius realises he's the only only now holding a chair, and he charges in an attempt to swing for the fences… but Kurosawa ducks beneath the strike. Now, standing behind Caesar, she tries to leap up onto his shoulders, with Cornelius dropping his chair in favour of holding her legs and resisting…
Thomas West: "Anzu is going for a poisonrana here, but the Roman is having none of it! He drags her back up onto his shoulders… electric chair drop!!"
Cornelius collects the unbroken lighttube from earlier in the match and waits for Anzu to climb to her feet… and brings it down over her head with a dull thud!! But STILL the lighttube remains in one piece!!
Thomas West: "What is that thing made out of?! Is it gimmicked?!"
Caesar looks down at the tube in confusion before discarding it. It rolls out of the ring, by the tables on the outside, as he changes tact and drags Kurosawa up to her feet. He hoists her up and steps towards one of the chairs, but as he does he accidentally kicks it out of the way, so his Michonoku driver only sends Anzu to the mat rather than onto the steel. Nonetheless, Caesar goes for a cover…
ONE… TWO… NO!
Kickout from Anzu! A little frustration showing, Caesar locks on a grounded side headlock.
***
<< 10:41. >>
After ten hard forearms delivered to Anzu in the corner, Caesar whips her across the ring and into the opposite set of turnbuckles. The Roman charges across the ring at her, going for a cornered clothesline, but Anzu ducks and uses Caesar's momentum against him, sending him up and over the top rope and crashing in a heap on the outside! Anzu waits inside the ring as he gets to his feet, using the barricade to help support his weight… and attempts to springboard from the inside to the outside with a cross-body!!
Thomas West: "… Caesar catches her!! He plucks Anzu out of midair!! My broadcast colleague may weigh less than a hundred pounds, but an impressive feat nonetheless from Cornelius Aurelius Caesar!"
The Roman holds Anzu in his arms for a moment as she struggles, a devious little smile on his face. He tries to throw Anzu up and onto his shoulders in a fireman's carry… but Anzu shifts her momentum and takes him down with a tiltawhirl DDT!! Caesar is spiked onto the hard desert ground and rolls towards the tables and ladder set up earlier in the match. Anzu is on him immediately, dragging him to the tables and, after a series of clubbing forearms, lays him on top of them…
Thomas West: "Anzu got this idea into her head earlier in the match, and it appears she thinks Caesar is now incapacitated enough to take a risk! Anzu is going right to the very top of that fifteen foot ladder!"
The audience cheer Kurosawa as she makes her ascent, and as she steadies herself on the top of it she offers the fans all a thumbs up.
Thomas West: "SENTON ATOMICO!! … BUT NOBODY’S HOME!!"
Caesar indeed dives out of the way, causing Anzu to crash through the two tables. They explode beneath her and she lies in the debris as the crowd launches into a ‘HOLY SHIT’ chant. Caesar is still worse for wear, too, but shakes loose the cobwebs and grabs the nearby indestructible lighttube. He drags Anzu up, standing behind her, and places the lighttube across her throat… before delivering a vile backstabber!
Thomas West: "Et Tu, Caesar?! And FINALLY the lighttube breaks!!"
The crowd applauds as the the tube smashes into pieces, the shards cutting Anzu open around the chest and neck after the backstabber. Caesar discards the pieces and hooks the leg…
ONE… TWO… THREE!
Winner: Cornelius Aurelius Caesar by pinfall at 12:38.
Cornelius is slow to get to his feet, but eventually he does and - leaning against the ring apron for some support - he allows the official to lift his hand into the air.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Here is your winner… Cornelius Aurelius Caesar!!"
Caesar climbs back into the ring, wishing to revel for a little while with an audience appreciative of his efforts.
Thomas West: "A hell of an effort from Anzu, who really put it all on the line, but it’s the Roman who progresses to tomorrow’s Stage Two. He’s enjoying the proverbial giving of flowers at this contest’s culmination, climbing up to the second rope to bask in the crowd’s admiration."
But, just as Caesar is getting comfortable…
Caesar’s eyes turn towards the screen, just as do everyone else’s in the arena…
Thomas West: "We’ve already heard this man’s music once tonight… but what business does he have out here now?!"
Cornelius hops down from the second turnbuckle to occupy a position in the middle of the ring. He is exhausted from his match with Anzu, but he wills this new apparent assailant out nonetheless…
Thomas West: "I guess Death Walker intends to make Caesar’s business his own… look out, Cornelius! He’s behind you!"
Caesar, though, is fixated on the stage area, his fists raised and ready for a fight… but he’s blindsided from behind by Death Walker, who runs through him with a clothesline to the back of the head! Cornelius falls into a heap and begins the arduous task of dragging himself back up, but Death is already reaching for a nearby chair. He allows Caesar to get to his feet… only to bring the chair down over his head with a sickening crunch! A dent the size and shape of the Roman’s head is left in the chair as Death throws it to one side, inspecting his handiwork in the form of a thin trickle of blood emerging from Cornelius’ forehead.
Thomas West: "Death Walker is, of course, already safely through to the second round of this tournament, owing to his victory earlier in the night against XYZ… perhaps he’s looking to take out the opposition before we even get to Stage Two?!"
Death Walker looms over his fallen prey, the crowd booing him ferociously as we fade away from the scene.
The Fantasy Wrestling Alliance proudly presents…
LIVE! … this Sunday, April 9th, 2023 …
… from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois …
- only on the WCNetwork -
featuring…
Eternal vs. Joe Burr & Lizzie Rose.
Jackson Fenix vs. Mike Parr. FWA NA Title - #1C.
Ratin Makitchin and Steve the Techno Vampire vs. Allen Price and Jean-Luc Watkins.
Bryan Baxter [c] vs. ???. FWA NA Title.
Shawn Summers [c] vs. Tommy Bedlam. FWA TV Title.
Chris Peaock [c] vs. Cyrus Truth vs. Michelle von Horrowitz. FWA World Title.
We cut to the backstage area, somewhere near Gorilla position, where Katie Baxter is standing by with ‘the British Apprentice’ Reagan Cole, along with his mentor and advisor for the weekend in Jeffry Mason. ‘The Saviour of Death’ stands behind Cole, his arms folded and a smirk on his face, as the interviewer acknowledges the audience and then his charge. We note that Reagan still has a couple of staples in his forehead following his match with Madison Gray earlier on in the evening.
Katie Baxter: "I’m standing by at this time with Reagan Cole, along with Jeffry Mason, who is fresh from his impressive victory over Madison Gray earlier on today. Reagan, any thoughts about the manner in which you progressed into tomorrow’s latter stages?"
If anything, Reagan seems a little perplexed by the question.
Reagan Cole: "Impressive? It was a win, which is a good thing, but I’m not sure I’d go that far Katie. Madison is still improving, still green… for her, every match - including this one - is a learning curve. But I’m not here to be a training module. The real competition starts tomorrow."
Jeffry lets out a snicker.
Jeffry Mason: "Reagan is being far too kind. Madison Gray calls herself a parasite, and I happen to agree. And today, the parasite got squashed, which is an inevitability."
Katie Baxter: "You’ve already mentioned tomorrow, when you’ll go into Stage Two along with a few other wrestlers who’ve already won their first round matches today. Has anyone caught your eye? Are you looking out for anyone who hasn’t yet competed during Stage One?"
Cole looks somewhat impatient. He’s only just finished with medical following his match, and the lingering pains from it are making him irritable.
Reagan Cole: "It’s like a jungle out there. Sometimes, I wonder how I –"
Cole’s thought is interrupted, and both he and Jeffry Mason stiffen up, their eyes drawn to something off-camera. We zoom out and pan around to reveal… Death Walker, recently returned through the curtain following his exploits following the Caesar vs. Anzu match-up. Death Walker slowly saunters closer to the other two, cutting a somewhat intimidating figure even if he is outnumbered by Mason and Cole.
The interviewer, meanwhile, is shrinking into the corner whilst listening to a message through her earpiece. Nervously, she punctures the silence…
Katie Baxter: "Um, Death Walker… you really mustn’t shoot the messenger, but… the KODM Committee have informed me that any further physicality from yourself towards tournament competitors tonight will result in your disqualification from Stage Two…"
Death affords himself a smirk. He clenches his fist.
Death Walker: "…"
Even though there’s two men opposite from him, Death still seems to fancy his chances… until, in what would seem like a coincidence but for the fact that this interview is happening at Gorilla position and her match is next, Trixie Bordeaux enters the scene. The camera pulls back further still to reveal her standing a few metres apart from Cole and Mason. She glares at Death, the recent history between the pair running through her mind.
Death Walker, now staring at three wrestlers (of varying experience) apparently opposing him, not to mention the threat of removal from the tournament, lets out a low chuckle before returning to the backstage area.
Trixie is left with Jeffry and Reagan, and turns her glare in their direction now that the more immediate threat has left. Her music begins to play, and we hear the muffled sounds of it through the walls of the warehouse.
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "I’ll see you tomorrow, maybe."
Bordeaux walks through the curtain. Jeffry Mason has a smile on his face.
Jeffry Mason: "Maybe…"
Mason and Cole leave Katie Baxter alone, who lets out a huge sigh of relief.
Cheers are heard in the desert as Trixie Bordeaux appears on the stage, still slightly green-faced and queasy after her eventful interview with Katie Baxter earlier in the day. She looks awkward and anxious on the stage, surveying the audience with fear plain upon her, before beginning her descent of the ramp.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Introducing your first competitor in this sixth X Rules Deathmatch… weighing in at one hundred and twenty five pounds… from Baton Rouge, Louisiana… BELLATRIX BORDEAUX!!"
Thomas West: "I’m afraid it’s still only me, wrestling fans! We’re just waiting for Anzu to re-find her feet… but allow me to introduce Trixie Bordeaux, a woman who has made waves in the last couple of matches, picking up big tag team wins on both 026 and 027. Bordeaux will be hoping that collaborative success can translate into singles success, as she eyes a place in Stage Two… or maybe just hopes to keep her lunch down."
Trixie does indeed look like she’s about to be sick again, crouched in the corner of the ring. Fortunately it all came back up earlier in the day. After a few dry heaves, she stands up and stares at the stage, waiting for her opponent’s music to play…
There’s a subdued reaction in the desert - the sun getting closer and closet to setting behind the mountains - for weaselperson as the bizarre competitor walks out onto the stage. They look around themselves at the assembled audience in silence… no words, no barks, just silence.
Natalie Rosenberg: "And introducing her opponent… from Montreal, Quebec in Canada and weighing in at one hundred and eighty pounds… weaselperson!!"
Thomas West: "It’s fair to say that this audience doesn’t exactly know what to make of weaselperson. Figures: people are always scared of what they don’t understand. If you ask me, weaselperson has real NP. That stands for Nephew Potential, which weaselperson possesses in bucketloads. First and foremost, they’re a winner. weaselperson started off their career here by sending Logan Darwin, and now they’ve come for the rest of the FWA!"
weaselperson climbs into the ring and stands across from it from Trixie, staring listlessly at the young lady with their mouth ajar and their tongue hanging out. Bordeaux returns the gesture, only without the tongue hanging out. The official, content that we are ready to begin, calls for the bell…
MATCH SIX
Trixie Bordeaux vs. weaselperson.
X Rules Deathmatch.
Round One.
<< 02:15. >>
After knocking Trixie down with a clothesline, weaselperson scurries out of the ring and collects some hardware from under the ring, notably a stop sign and a trash can. They throws them under the bottom rope and proceeds to whack Trixie a trio of times with the stop sign, denting it over her head, and then places the trashcan over her head! Trixie is blinded with her torso inside the trashcan and stumbles around the ring. weaselperson hits her a further time with the stop sign, knocking her off her feet, but Bordeaux is still firmly stuck inside the can! weaselperson offers her their hand to help her get to her feet, but then bodyslams her! Trixie is still in the trashcan as weaselperson goes for the cover…
ONE… TWO… NO!
Thomas West: "How could the official possibly see if her shoulders are down?! The poor woman is inside a trash can!!"
weaselperson waits in the corner, perhaps teeing Bordeaux up for a spear, but when Trixie gets to her feet she walks in completely the opposite direction! It’s an accidental evasive manoeuvre, with weaselperson unable to hit his spear but Trixie (still in the trashcan) walks into the turnbuckles first and then the ringropes, losing her balance the second time and again falling to the mat.
weaselperson utters a few barks, which Trixie seems to understand mean she should wait. She remains still as weaselperson, rather than simply helping her out of the trashcan, leaves the ring and looks underneath it. They produce a toolbox (which the camera picks up has Jason Randall’s name on it), and from it they retrieve a short, sharp knife.
Thomas West: "Woah… did we do enough background checks on this weaselperson? I know anything is legal but this seems a bit much!"
weaselperson’s intentions are less sinister, though, and they use his knife to quickly cut a pair of rough eye holes in Trixie’s trashcan! She gets up to her feet, seemingly moving around a little better now… but then weaselperson knocks her back off her feet with a spear! They go for the cover…
ONE… TWO… NO!
Trixie kicks out!
***
<< 05:51. >>
In the ring, weaselperson has a door, which they have set up on two folded out chairs. They lift Trixie up to her feet (the young woman is still, you guessed it, stuck inside her trashcan, though the eyeholes at least give her half a chance) and drag her towards the door, applying a front facelock (around the entire trashcan).
Thomas West: "weaselperson is looking for a DDT through that door… but Trixie is desperately fighting out! She rams that trashcan into weaselperson’s side… and then a sit-out jawbreaker!! How did she manage that!"
weaselperson stumbles around after the desperation move from Trixie, which caused their chin to jam off the edge of the trashcan’s base, and Trixie follows up with a kick to the groin!! weaselperson yelps, and Bordeaux knocks them into a seat position in the corner with a standing dropkick! Trixie is still in the can, but backs away from weaselperson nonetheless, and then charges across the ring with a cannonball!
Thomas West: "Bundle of Fun! Trixie Bordeaux connects, and weaslperson is on Dream Street!"
Indeed, weaselperson is stumbling around the ring again, and Trixie follows up with a drop toe hold, sending weaselperson face down onto the door that they set up earlier in the match. Trixie heaves weaselperson’s prone body up onto the door before climbing up towards the top rope. She steadies herself on the top turnbuckle, cutting an odd figure with two around forty percent of her body hidden inside the trashcan… before leaping off with a coffin drop!!
Thomas West: "Whistling Trixie!!! Through the door!! That’s got to be it!!"
The canned Trixie lies down atop weaselperson…
ONE… TWO… THREE!
Winner: Trixie Bordeaux by pinfall at 07:15.
The official finally helps Trixie out of her trashcan, and then raises her hand in victory…
Natalie Rosenberg: "Here is your winner… Bellatrix Bordeaux!!"
Bordeaux is breathing heavily, and there’s an expression on her face that suggests that she can’t quite believe that she’s won.
Thomas West: "Trixie marches on into Stage Two at weaselperson’s expense – and what’s more, she’s just picked up her very first singles victory here in the FWA! A big moment for Bordeaux!"
Trixie seems to be aware of this, too, but the disbelief continues. She stands for a while awkwardly in the middle of the ring, her music blaring around her and a considerable proportion of the fans cheering her name. Finally, she walks over - almost in a daze - to the trash can that became her temporary home for just under five minutes. She picks it up and climbs out of the ring with it. We fade out on this somewhat confused image.
We cut to an external shot in the desert, near the warehousing unit being used for the backstage area but away from the prying eyes of the fans. Next to the talent entrance, Katie Baxter is standing by with one of tonight’s winners in Bellatrix Bordeaux.
Katie Baxter: "I’m joined at this time by Trixie Bordeaux, fresh from her triumph in the opening round of the King of the Deathmatch, when she eliminated weaselperson to progress to Stage Two. Trixie, how are you feeling after your big debut win?"
Trixie seems a little shellshocked, and only slightly less pale than she was when we last saw her. She is still clutching her trashcan with eye holes.
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "Well, I don’t know if I’d call it a big win, Katie. It was only against a meme character after all, and I only just barely won. I had a trashcan on my head for most of the match, I don’t know if you saw. That’s not generally considered traditional for professional wrestling. I guess you could say a lot of it was luck. Things fell for me right at the right time, you know? I’m thankful for it, but I don’t think I can afford to get too many trashcans stuck on my head in Stage Two. Maybe I’ll try and get a trashcan stuck on one of my opponent’s head instead. Learn from my mistakes, maybe! Can’t rely on luck forever."
Trixie is skittish and anxious. Katie attempts to put her at ease.
Katie Baxter: "Trixie, calm down… you did well."
Bordeaux takes a deep breath, as if hearing somebody say that has done something to relax her. She doesn’t have a chance to respond, however, because the camera pans out to show that another has entered the scene. None other than ‘the Wildcard’ Jason Randall is standing nearby. He finishes smoking his cigarette, flicking the end into a nearby drain.
Jason Randall: "You’re both right. You did well today, Trixie. But you’re going to have to do a lot better tomorrow."
With that, the Wildcard walks through the talent entrance. Trixie stares blankly into space.
Katie Baxter: "… Trixie?"
Bellatrix Bordeaux: "Um, sorry, I can’t stay, I gotta go hide. Wait, not hide. Did I say hide? I gotta go train. See you tomorrow, Katie."
With a nervous smile and a wave, Trixie leaves the frame. Baxter looks at the lens, says nothing, and we fade to black.
Heavy boos are heard around the arena as Jeremy Best’s music begins to play. There’s a few awkward moments of inactivity as we wait for Jeremy to appear, but eventually he does - without, of course, Bill Scorpane and Bryan Baxter. Best looks somewhat nervous as he makes his way towards the ring.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Introducing the first combatant in your seventh X Rules Deathmatch of the evening… from Friendship, North Carolina… weighing in at one hundred and eighty pounds… JEREMY… BEST!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "It’s good to be back, Thomas… what a thrill! And just in time, it seems!"
Thomas West: "… you missed a whole match, Anzu."
Anzu Kurosawa: "I did?"
Thomas West: "Indeed, but you’re back just in time for Jeremy Best, who I’m sure many are relishing the idea of seeing battered with lighttubes and barbed wire. He hasn’t made too many new friends or new fans since Back in Town..."
Jeremy has a microphone in hand, and stops the music when he’s half way down the ramp.
Jeremy Best: "Well, tonight truly has been eye-opening. I am sure that, through all the blood and the violence and the barbarism, you have all learned a lot! I have learned one thing, whilst watching all of this play out from the back… and that’s that I’m not cut out for this!"
Best climbs into the ring and lifts the microphone up to his lips again, as if he means to go on. Before he can, though, he is quickly cut off…
The crowd erupts as Violet Dreyer walks out onto the stage, a face like thunder as she surveys the makeshift arena. She has a cricket bat with a few spikes nailed into it in her grasp.
Natalie Rosenberg: "And his opponent… from Sydney, Australia and weighing in at one hundred and forty one pounds… ‘That Dastardly Dreyer’... VIOLET… DREYER!!"
Anzu Kuorsawa: I think that, as they say, business is about to pick up!"[/b][/color]
Dreyer’s eyes fix on Jeremy Best and, with a smirk, she clutches her bat before striding down the ring. Jeremy turns even paler, if that is possible, and quickly climbs out of the ring as she slides into it…
Jeremy Best: "Wait, wait, wait, wait, WAIT!!"
Jeremy quickly circles the ring and retreats to the ramp, which he stumbles up backwards. Violet, prepared for the match which she believes about to begin, clutches her bat and waits in the ring, barking at Best to climb back in and face her. Her music fades out as Jeremy continues to speak…
Jeremy Best: "I wasn’t finished! You didn’t let me finish!"
The crowd continue to boo as Jeremy, who is coming across very cowardly in this moment, continues to back up the ramp and onto the stage.
Jeremy Best: "As I was just saying, I’ve decided that my skills aren’t necessarily the best suited to deathmatch wrestling, afterall… and so I’m out here to announce that I am withdrawing from this tournament! Sorry! All a big misunderstanding, really. But, fortunately for all of you, I found a replacement skulking around in the back, who leapt at the opportunity to throw his name into the hat. Jim…"
Best lowers the mic and turns to the stage, just in time for…
There’s a huge cheer from the crowd… but this is somewhat tempered, gradually as the realisation dawns, when the masked man walks out onto the stage. He is a pretty good impersonator but for the lack of championship belt and the cobalt blue detailing around the eyes of his mask. As he walks past Best and down the ramp, we vaguely recognise his gait but can’t place it, other than to say that it doesn’t belong to Alyster Black. Natalie Rosenberg, after listening to instructions coming through her earpiece, makes the introductions…
Natalie Rosenberg: "And introducing her opponent… currently residing in … San Dimas, California and … weighing in at two hundred and twenty pounds… … ‘ALYSTER’… ‘BLACK’!!""[/b][/color]
Anzu Kurosawa: "Can Jeremy Best do that?!"
Thomas West: "Looks like he has, Anzu! Best is out of here, and we have a new opponent for Violet Dreyer… somebody bearing a striking resemblance to one Danny Toner."
Anzu Kurosawa: "A striking resemblance, yes… but not the real deal. This is the man who has been plaguing the actual FWA X Champion over the last couple of months, and now he inserts himself into KODM2. Perhaps looking to get his hands on the champion in a sanctioned match?"
Thomas West: "Perhaps, but he has a big challenge ahead of him here in Stage One before it comes to that… and Violet Dreyer looks livid! I imagine she wanted to get her hands on Jeremy Best, the man who betrayed her former mentor in ‘the White Wolf’ Krash, but now she’ll have to settle for this impersonator…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I wouldn’t want to be in his borrowed boots, right now…"
The imposter slides into the ring… and immediately Violet tries to take his head off with a swing of her spiked bat!! ‘Alyster’ ducks beneath it and doubles Dreyer over with a boot to the midsection, the masked man applying a front facelock as the official calls for the opening bell…
MATCH SEVEN
’Alyster Black’ vs. Violet Dreyer.
X Rules Deathmatch.
Round One.
MATCH WRITE-UP
<< 00:00. >>
Anzu Kurosawa: "The Fake Black attempting a Satan’s Spike here immediately in this match?!"
Violet, though, has other ideas, immediately driving ‘Black’ back into the corner and then repeatedly thrusting her shoulder into his gut. Violet takes him by the wrist and whips him HARD into the opposite set of turnbuckles, the imposter hitting them with such force that he rebounds back towards her… and Dreyer runs through him with a shoulder block!!
Thomas West: "You think Violet is aware that this is only a fake Alyster Black?"
Anzu Kurosawa: "She’s taking out some frustrations here, regardless…"
Violet attempts to stay on ‘Black’, but he slides out beneath the bottom rope to avoid her advances. She comes on, though, following him out of the ring and nailing a trio of forearms, before hurling him shoulder-first into the steel ring steps!! She takes a moment to walk around the ring and collect her spiked bat, which slid out of it amidst the commotion at the start of the match, before stalking ‘Black’, who is still draped over the steel ring steps.
Thomas West: "This could end very badly for whoever it is underneath that mask…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Serves them right for the duplicity!"
Violet lifts her bat over her head and tries to bring it down onto the imposter’s back, but at the last moment her mysterious opponent throws himself out of the way! The bat is stuck in the top of the steel steps by its spikes, and as Dreyer attempts to yank it out she’s rocked by a superkick from ‘Alyster’!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "I don’t think I’ve ever seen Alyster Black hit a superkick! A desperation move, perhaps."
Regardless, Violet is rocked by the move, allowing ‘Black’ to hoist her onto his shoulders and nail her with a Death Valley Driver on the outside!
Thomas West: "A little more in keeping with the mimicry, there… and now ‘Alyster’ goes for the cover…"
ONE… TWO… T – NO!
Violet forces a shoulder up, but the imposter has the upper hand…
***
<< 04:12. >>
In the ring, ‘Alyster’ is working away at Violet in the corner with right hands, but Dreyer throws up a hasty guard, and when the onslaught momentarily abates she throws a big headbutt into the imposter! ‘Black’ stumbles backwards, allowing Dreyer to grab him in a front facelock before hitting a tornado DDT!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Those familiar with Violet Dreyer’s work on the indies will know that she calls that the Molotov Cocktail… but rather than going for a pinfall, she rolls out of the ring and is looking for some hardware!"
Indeed, Violet searches under the ring, first producing a fire extinguisher, which she rolls into the ring (it hits the mat with a dull thunk), and then secondly a huge wooden board that has tight spools of barbed wire attached to one side of it. She has a sinister grin on her face as she slides it beneath the bottom rope, the crowd cheering her on as she hops up onto the apron… only to get sprayed with the smog from the fire extinguisher!! Dreyer stumbles around on the apron, holding the top rope to keep her footing even though she’s blinded… and ‘Alyster’ brings the fire extinguisher down over her head!! The impact gives off a nasty thud and Dreyer falls down onto the apron! ‘Black’ follows her out onto the apron, once more hoisting her up into a fireman’s carry.
Thomas West: "You think he’s going for a Death Valley Driver again?"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Maybe, but Violet is wise to it, now! She fights out desperately with elbow strikes to the side of the imposter’s head…"
‘Alyster’ is forced to drop Dreyer and she lands behind him, and when the masked man turns she attempts to tee off on him with a big headbutt… only for ‘Black’ to block it with a big forearm! Violet is rocked, but the imposter has to take a moment to shake some activity back into the nerves in his hand. When he’s ready, he hoists Dreyer to her feet and delivers a devastating Saito suplex on the ring apron! Violet lands at an ugly angle on her head and neck and then falls into a heap on the floor, with ‘Black’ prompt in rolling off the apron and into a cover…
ONE… TWO… THR – NO!
Once more, Violet kicks out!
***
<< 09:13. >>
‘Alyster’ has caught Violet on the top rope, and has followed her up in an attempt to hit her with a superplex or, perhaps, an Avalanche Satan’s Spike… Dreyer, though, is doing her best to fight out of it, and unloads on ‘Black’ with forearm strikes and headbutts, eventually succeeding in having the masked man teeter on the second turnbuckle. One more forearm sends him down into a heap on the mat. Violet steps up to the top turnbuckle, perhaps looking for her ‘Rooftop Riot’ senton atomico… but she takes a moment too long to steady herself, and ‘Alyster’ scrambles up. He charges over and knocks Violet off the top rope with an axe handle! She loses her footing, first falling onto the apron and then down onto the sand.
Anzu Kurosawa: "A desperation move from this Alyster Black cosplayer, there! He sensed that Violet was shaping up for something big, and did anything he could to throw her off track…"
‘Black’ shakes off the cobwebs in the centre of the ring, and prepares to follow Dreyer back out of it, when…
The crowd goes crazy when the opening notes of the song play, and only get more excited when the FWA X Champion appears on the stage. He drops his belt and, although he is moving gingerly after the attack earlier in the night, he begins to march down to the ring…
Anzu Kurosawa: "Alyster Black is here!! And he’s had just about enough of this charade!"
Thomas West: "But we’re in the middle of a match! What would Violet Dreyer say about all of this?!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "X Rules, Thomas!"
The fake Alyster Black throws up his fists as the real one slides into the ring, with ‘Alyster’ attempting a discus lariat as the X Champion charges him. Black Jesus ducks beneath it, and then runs through his impersonator with a rolling elbow! The crowd are going wild as Alyster lifts up his doppelganger and hoists him up into a fireman’s carry…
Anzu Kurosawa: "Death Valley Driver! The real deal!"
Black looks down at his foe for a moment, and specifically at his mask. Perhaps he is thinking about revealing this imposter’s identity, but for some reason he doesn’t. Instead, he collects the barbed wire board that Violet introduced earlier in the match and drags it into position in the centre of the ring. He hoists his impersonator up in a front facelock…
Thomas West: "SATAN’S SPIKE!! INTO THE BARBED WIRE!!"
The real Alyster lands in the barbed wire, too, but he drags himself out of it and - if there is any pain - he doesn’t let it show. He looks down at the doppelganger, writhing in agony, and then slides out of the ring. The camera watches as he retreats up the ramp…
… and then, when we cut back to the ring, we see Violet Dreyer climbing up to the top turnbuckle!
Thomas West: "Violet Dreyer is looking to take advantage of this situation!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "And why not?! This is her dream! Violet is closing in on a place in Stage Two!"
She steadies herself upon the top rope…
Thomas West: "ROOFTOP RIOT!!"
‘Alyster Black’ is driven further into the barbed wire board by the seton atomico, and Dreyer covers him, her own arms and back cut up by the impact…
ONE… TWO… THREE!
Winner: Violet Dreyer by pinfall at 12:56.
Dreyer takes in some hard-fought breaths following the contest, the exhaustion plain upon her. She drags herself to her feet and, when the referee tries to lift her hand in victory, she glares at him to warn him away…
Natalie Rosenberg: "Here is your winner… Violet Dreyer!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Well, exactly how much Violet Dreyer knew about the circumstances that led to her opponent suddenly finding himself tangled in barbed wire remains to be seen… but the important fact is that she’s through to Stage Two of the King of the Deathmatch."
Thomas West: "At the expense of our resident Alyster Black impersonator… hopefully she takes his mask off. He’s right there!"
Dreyer looks down at ‘Black’ for a moment, and it appears the thought is perhaps crossing her own mind… but she instead turns away and climbs out of the ring.
Thomas West: "Oh, come on! I might go and do it myself…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Be my guest."
Thomas West: "Commitments, Anzu."
We see Violet approach the steel ring steps and plant a boot on the top of them. She wrenches her bat out of the top, inspects the damage, shrugs, and then walks up the ramp as we fade away from the scene.
We cut to Gorilla position, where Cornelius Aurelius Caesar is standing near the entrance to the medical bay with Todd Salum. The Roman is wearing his injuries - both from his match with Anzu Kurosawa and the post-match attack from Death Walker - plainly. He massages his neck, targeted by Death's kimura lock, as Salum opens.
Todd Salum: "I'm here with Cornelius Aurelius Caesar, for whom it's been a mixed day here in the desert. Caesar, you triumphed over Anzu Kurosawa - who I’m led to believe you were treated alongside and bonded with in the medical bay - but then fell to a brutal and seemingly random attack from Death Walker after the bell. Any thoughts on this extra-curricular from one of your fellow quarter finalists?"
Caesar smiles to himself before he begins.
Cornelius Aurelius Caesar: ”You know, I am quite used to knives in the back… but it never makes it any more regrettable. Just once, I wish someone would draw their blade whilst facing me. Death Walker, you are no different to a thousand of history’s other rogues, right down to the spooky name. It’s not all that intimidating. We’ll see how brave he is if fate throws us together on the battlefield. No fight is fair, but I like to look a man in the eyes as he meets his end."
It’s quite clear that the Roman means business. Salum retracts the microphone, intending to ask a follow-up question, but before he can Caesar’s attention (and then the interviewer’s, too) is drawn away by someone else entering the scene. Jeremy Best has been skulking around Gorilla position, watching the Violet Dreyer match on the monitors, and has stumbled into Caesar’s shot on his way towards the exit.
Jeremy Best: "Oh, are you recording something? Don’t mind me… I’m just leaving. Didn’t mean to get in anyone’s way."
The Roman’s eyes narrow in the direction of this intruder.
Cornelius Aurelius Caesar: ”I have mentioned certain betrayals already, Todd. These men, whose knives are sharp and keen, are those I once considered friends. I have tasted betrayal in different millenia. And there was a time when I may have shrugged my shoulders, if there wasn’t a knife in between them, and deem this an inevitable part of life. But I have learned in the more recent past that this does not have to be the way. I do not consider myself an expert in the art of friendship. Not anymore. But you do. Which makes your failings all the more repugnant. I do not like you, Jeremy Best."
With that, Caesar leaves the shot. Jeremy is left with the interviewer.
Jeremy Best: "Which way is the exit?"
The Fantasy Wrestling Alliance proudly presents…
KODM.
STAGE TWO.
… this Saturday, April 8th, 2023 …
… from an undisclosed location in the United States …
- only on the WCNetwork -
featuring…
QFs.
Match #10: 10,000 lighttubes Can’t Be Wrong Deathmatch.
Match #11: Clockwork Orange House of Fun Deathmatch.
Match #12: Lumber-Nephew Fans Bring The Weapons Deathmatch.
Match #13: No Ropes Barbed Wire Deathmatch.
SFs.
Match #14: Schism in the Prison Deathmatch.
Match #15: Lahore Lockdown Deathmatch.
F.
Match #16: Barbed Wire Spider’s Web Exploding Ring Deathmatch.
There’s a mixed reaction, probably fifty/fifty, as ‘the Wildcard’ emerges onto the stage. He usually enjoys a more negative response from audiences, but the deathmatch setting and Randall’s reputation for violence means he has more fans amongst this crowd than most. Randall has a trashcan filled with weapons in his hands and begins his walk down the ramp.
Natalie Rosenberg: "… from San Diega, California… he weighs in at two hundred and thirty four pounds… ‘the Wildcard’... JASON RANDALL!!"
Thomas West: "Looks like Jason Randall has come prepared here tonight, bringing his own weapons to the ring… this is exactly the sort of thing that people were talking about when it was said that The Wildcard was perfect for the King of the Deathmatch."
Anzu Kurosawa: "He’s earned that nickname over the years, West. He tangled with Death Walker throughout much of the Winter, and we’ve already seen Death safely qualify for Stage Two with that impressive knockout victory against XYZ. Perhaps The Wildcard will be eyeing up a future meeting with his old rival in tomorrow’s latter stages."
Randall climbs into the ring and places his trashcan down next to him, occupying a central position within it as he stares up the ramp at the stage. His music fades out, a long pause following, the audience creeping to the edge of their seats (metaphorically speaking, as they’re standing) as the hesitation lingers…
And lingers…
Then…
There’s a huge pop in the arena, but soon enough the excitement turns into derision as Jeffry Mason - wearing a white t-shirt with ONE MORE FUCKING TIME scrawled onto it with marker pen - appears on the stage carrying a trashcan of weaponry of his own!! He stands at the top of the ramp, his eyes momentarily on the Crown of Thorns on its podium… before his eyes lock onto Jason Randall. He holds his trashcan into the air, points at The Wildcard, and then begins marching towards the ring.
Natalie Rosenberg: "… from Calgary, Alberta, Canada and weighing in at two hundred and sixty two pounds… ‘the Saviour of Death’... JEFFRY MAAAAASOOOOOOON!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "We knew that he was here, and this explains exactly why Jeffry Mason was allowed to accompany Reagon Cole to the desert today… he’s allowed to be here because he’s part of KODM2! The Saviour of Death is actually here!!"
Thomas West: "This man is widely renowned as a deathmatch legend, and we had a taste of that at 2022’s Back in Business, when he and the British Apprentice stole the show with their bloodbath. And it looks like he intends to fight fire with fire! Both men have the same idea here with their bring-your-own-arsenals!"
Mason throws his trashcan of weapons into the ring and then rolls underneath the bottom rope. He stands opposite from The Wildcard, the two sharing a tense stand-off, Mason’s music fading out and the audience’s anticipation building further still. The referee, somewhat nervous himself about the two men standing either side of him and what they might do to him, doesn’t bother with final checks or last minute instructions, instead immediately calling for the opening bell.
MATCH EIGHT
Jason Randall vs. Jeffry Mason.
X Rules Deathmatch.
Round One.
<< 00:00. >>
Both men stand in their respective with their trashcans of weaponry next to them. They each reach into them: Jeffry collects a pair of lighttubes, whilst randall produces a baseball bat with a dozen nails in the end of it! The audience is already hyped for the match, the two circling the ring with their weapons of choice in their hands. It’s Randall who lunges first with a heavy overhead swing of his bat, but Mason evades, causing the bat to get tangled in the ropes. The Wildcard quickly wrenches it out, but Mason is quicker, bringing the first of his tubes crashing down across Randall’s back! The Wildcard drops his bat and turns to face Jeffry, who brings the second tube down over Randall’s head! The Wildcard drops to his knees and Mason pushes himself behind him with the two broken lighttube ends still in his grasp, which he proceeds to grind the jagged edges of against Randall’s forehead!!
Thomas West: "Jeffry Mason is wasting no time at all taking things to the extreme! This is why they call him ‘the Saviour of Death’!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "My kind of match! My kind of saviour!"
Jeffry Mason drops the tube ends down into the middle of the ring, where they join the rest of the broken shards, and then collects Jason Randall in a front facelock… delivering a snap DDT down onto the glass! Already, the Wildcard is busted open, and Mason goes for the cover…
ONE… TWO… NO!
Randall kicks out!
***
<< 02:51. >>
Mason has produced and used more goodies from his trashcan: he has placed a large gusset board in position near a corner, and is now going to work stapling a trio of dollar bills onto Jason Randall’s forehead. Randall cowers in the corner, and Mason begins to squeeze his nose so that the Wildcard opens his mouth, into which the Saviour of Death forces the staplegun…
Thomas West: "Is he trying to staple his tongue?!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Looks that way, buddy…"
Randall seems to sense Mason’s intentions, too, and stamps down hard on his foot, causing him to drop the staplegun, and then a kick to the shins backs Jeffry up. This allows Randall to run through him with a discuss lariat! Jason picks up the discarded staplegun as Mason retreats into a seated position in the corner. Incensed, the Wildcard rips the dollar bills off his forehead and proceeds to staple two of them onto Mason’s… before he repeats Mason’s gesture, holding his nose until Jeffry is forced to open his mouth…
Thomas West: "No, please… no! God! OH MY GOD!! Jason Randall just stapled a dollar bill onto Jeffry Mason’s tongue!!"
The bill doesn’t hold its position but the pain is severe, Mason rolling around the ring in agony as he rips the remnants off. Randall holds the staplegun up to cheers from the crowd before hurling it at Mason, the Saviour of Death throwing up a guard to deflect it. The Wildcard then approaches his own trashcan, collecting from it barbed wire wrapped two-by-four! Mason sees the weapon, and quickly rolls beneath the bottom rope, but Jason Randall is in hot pursuit. He charges at the ropes…
Anzu Kurosawa: "SUICIDE DIVE!! With a barbed wire wrapped two-by-four in hand!!"
Mason sprawls to the ground and the fans pop for the move, but Jason Randall doesn’t let up for a moment. He drags Jeffry’s face up from the sand and begins to grind the barbed wire across his forehead, bringing a trickle of blood from Mason’s head too…
***
<< 07:14. >>
Both men are back in the ring, with Randall on the ascendancy after a lengthy sleeper hold and then a side suplex. He returns to his trashcan and from it produces a set of brass knucks, which he puts into place. He waits in his corner for Mason to get to his feet, but Jeffry sees him coming and responds with a forearm strike… then a straight right hand… then a headbutt! Randall is rocked by the move, and Mason drags him into position near the gusset board he set up in the corner…
Anzu Kurosawa: "Jeffry Mason going for maybe an exploder suplex here on those gusset boards, but Jason Randall wants none of it… he throws elbows into the side of the Saviour’s head…"
This tactic causes some separation, with Mason throwing his head in for a BIG headbutt… only for Randall to meet it with a right hand! With the brass knucks!!
Thomas West: "Mason might be out cold! BIG right hand from Jason Randall!"
Randall goes for a cover…
ONE… TWO… THRE – NO!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Two point nine recurring!"
Thomas West: "That’s mathematically incorrect, but I get your point."
***
<< 11:31. >>
Both men now fighting on their reserves, both Mason and Randall exchange right hands in the middle of the ring. Their exhaustion is clear, each blow - both given and received - clearly taking it out of them as they continue to trade off… Randall, after seemingly an eternity, gets the better thanks to a combination of a straight right, a roaring elbow, and then - after Mason has sunk to his knees - a ripcord knee strike. Mason is on jelly-legs, and with a primal roar the Wildcard charges off the ropes, looking to take Jeffry’s head off with a discus lariat… only for Jeffry to duck beneath it, and then respond with a headbutt, then a second… then a massive King Kong lariat turns Jason Randall inside out!! The crowd are going absolutely ballistic as both men lie face down in the ring…
Thomas West: "A heavy exchange there between the Wildcard and the Saviour of Death… and neither man comes out on top of it!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Neither man is even standing! This is every bit the slugfest we expected it would be!!"
Eventually, with the crowd cheering them on (mostly Randall, it seems, but with pockets of support for the deathmatch legend amongst fans of the artform), the two men get back to their feet. They are standing in their respective corners, next to the trashcans they brought with them at the start of the match. Both of them reach for the cans and lift them up, but it seems that both are empty, at least of large objects.
Thomas West: "Well, I guess now they’re empty, they just intend to beat each other with the cans themselves?"
Not quite… Jason Randall moves first, and much to the fans’ delight he pours thousands upon thousands of thumbtacks into the middle of the ring. This delights nobody more than it does Jeffry Mason. After Randall discards his can by throwing it out of the ring, Jeffry pours his out on top of the Wildcard’s… shards of glass, large and small but all of them jagged and deadly, scatter amongst the thumb tacks that Randall introduced. The crowd continue to go wild as Mason throws his trashcan out of the ring, too.
Anzu Kurosawa: "Things just turned up a notch…"
The two immediately charge through the shards and tacks, glass crunching underfoot, and Randall goes for a clothesline. Mason ducks beneath it and shifts into a rear waistlock, looking to German suplex the Wildcard into the glass and tacks… Randall overrotates, though, and is able to land on his feet!
Thomas West: "Jeffry Mason sends himself into the tacks, and Randall remains somewhat unscathed!"
Jeffry winces but drags himself up, where Randall is waiting for him with a series of stiff open hand palm strikes. Mason recoils into the corner (the one, unbeknownst to him, where he left the gusset board earlier in the match), and after a trio of hard forearm strikes and a discuss elbow, Randall takes him in a reverse facelock…
Anzu Kurosawa: "Inverted DDT!! Onto the razor sharp spikes of that gusset board!!"
Mason writhes in agony and rolls away from the gusset board, accidentally rolling through the glass and tacks in an effort to get away from it. Randall, though, picks the board up, along with the discarded bat from earlier in the match. With Mason getting respite in the corner, the Wildcard forces the board into his forehead, forcing the razor sharp edges into his skin with the end of his baseball bat!! When Randall backs away, the gusset board stays in position on Mason’s head!
Randall hoists Jeffry Mason up to his feet and onto his shoulders with a fireman’s carry, most likely looking for a Death Valley Driver onto the glass and tacks, but Mason senses his peril and thuds into the Wildcard’s head with elbow strikes. Randall loses his balance and stumbles into the ring ropes, both men flying over the top of them and landing in a heap on the outside…
Thomas West: "Neither man is able to follow up, and this one rolls on!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Mason has managed to get the gusset board out of his head, at least…"
***
<< 16:58. >>
Inside the ring, Mason has Randall up in a seated position on the top rope, and begins to follow him up, all-the-while connecting with right hands whilst making his ascent. Mason looks unsteady, as does Randall, and the Saviour of Death struggles to keep the Wildcard from teetering off altogether. Eventually, Mason gets into position on the second rope and applies a front facelock…
Anzu Kurosawa: "Jeffry Mason going for a superplex here, and the ringmat below is a warzone… shards and tacks await their fall… this is surely a bad idea for both men!"
Mason means to see it through, though. He hooks the arm and attempts to wrench Randall up, but Jason holds the top rope with one hand and, on adrenaline alone, lays into Mason’s ribs with the other. Eventually, this causes enough separation for the Wildcard to follow up with a big headbutt of his own, rocking Jeffry and almost causing him to fall back into the ring. Randall catches him before he does, though, and - with Mason still standing on the second ropes - he steps up onto the top turnbuckle. The Wildcard leaps over the top of Jeffry Mason and drives him down onto the glass and tacks with a sunset flip powerbomb!! The crowd collectively winces at the move, and Randall sinks into a cover…
ONE… TWO… THRE - NO!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Somehow! Someway! Jeffry Mason kicks out and stays in this match-up!"
Thomas West: "This is that deathmatch experience we talked about… this isn’t Jeffry’s first rodeo! He’s used to glass! He’s used to tacks!"
Randall knows this, too, and he goes back to work. He picks Mason up and applies a front facelock, shaping up for his Wildcard Special, a favoured move when thumb tacks are in play. Mason, though, senses it’s coming, and fights out of the facelock with a European uppercut… before hurling a handful of glass and tacks into Randall’s face!! The Wildcard recoils, and the momentarily blindness is enough for Mason. He doubles Randall over with a boot to the midsection and crunches him with a piledriver!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Each and every move is made more devastating by what these men have collectively done to the ringmat… Jason Randall was spiked into glass and thumb tacks with that piledriver!"
You get the sense that Mason could, perhaps, pin Randall right there… but instead, he places him in the dragon clutch!
Anzu Kurosawa: "That’s ‘Lock of Ages’!"
Thomas West: "Lock of Ages... I like that."
Jeffry Mason wrenches hard with his patented submission, giving Jason Randall no choice but to tap!
Winner: Jeffry Mason by submission at 19:42.
Jeffry Mason rolls off Jason Randall and gets to his feet, but spits blood at the match official when he comes close to him in an attempt to raise his hand.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Here is your winner… Jeffry Mason!!"
Thomas West: "Well, these two men came here to fight and did exactly that… an absolute war between Jason Randall and Jeffry Mason, but at the end of it it’s ‘the Saviour of Death’ who comes out on top."
Anzu Kurosawa: "Both men showed why they’re renowned as experts in this type of match-up, but ‘the Wildcard’ comes up short. Jeffry Mason, who surprised us with his participation in this tournament, has not surprised anyone with that display of violence in Stage One."
Thomas West: "And now Stage Two awaits…"
The camera watches a bloody Jeffry Mason walk up the ramp as we fade away from the scene.
We cut to the backstage area, and specifically to a corridor that leads to a door marked as the 'EXIT'. Walking down the corridor is Jeremy Best, who - despite his belief that he's managed to get out of the tournament - still looks a little jumpy. His unease has him looking over his shoulder as he matches towards the exit, his gear bag - seemingly larger and more full than usual - slung over his shoulder.
As Jeremy emerges outside the building, it is noticeable (probably because of the wide, vast, expansive desert surrounding him) that he is alone. No Scorpane, who is currently engaged with Cthulhu's Nephews, and no Baxter, who wasn't allowed to accompany him. No Krash, either. At least the driver that he'd been assigned was still here, waiting inside the car he'd been assigned.
Also present, and only detected by the wrestler after a few brief moments, is Katie Baxter. She's holding a microphone and waves at Jeremy after he notes her presence. Best looks longingly at the vehicle that would, if he could only get into it, take him far away from this place, before letting out a regretful groan and allowing the interviewer to approach.
Katie Baxter: "Jeremy, it's surprising to find you back here in the parking area. You can barely hear the fans from back here. Shouldn’t you be getting ready for your match?"
Jeremy Best: "I think you’re mistaken, Katie. Haven’t you been watching the show?"
Katie Baxter: "No… I don’t think I’m mistaken…"
Jeremy Best: "I got out of the tournament. I found a very nice gentleman who was willing to stand in for me, and now I very much intend to leave this place. Maybe go back to Friendship for a few days. Do something to settle my nerves."
Baxter (and a decidedly less friendly Baxter than one Jeremy would’ve enjoyed conversing with at this moment) smiled nervously. An awkward silence lingered.
Katie Baxter: "Umm… I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, especially given your recent history, but… I'm afraid the Alyster Black imposter was already in the tournament. By giving him your spot, all you did is open up his, which the KODM Committee is now insisting you take."
Jeremy turns white as a sheet, somewhat flabbergasted by Baxter's proclamation.
Jeremy Best: "The 'KODM Committee'? I've never even heard of this before."
Baxter just shrugs.
Katie Baxter: "Apparently that's a thing. Cheer up, though: you’re going to be in the main event."
Jeremy gulps.
Jeremy Best: "Main event? But… that means…"
Baxter can’t help but smile.
Katie Baxter: "Yep... And the Committee also asked me to inform you that, if you aren't ready to go when your music plays later tonight, you'll be stripped of your opportunity at the FWA World Tag Team Championships at the Carnal Contendership show…"
Best says nothing for a moment as despair descends over him. He glares at the camera lens and then at the interviewer.
Jeremy Best: "Fake Alyster could've told me he was already in the tournament. That wasn't very friendly."
Katie Baxter: "Every wrestler who's here is here for the tournament, Jeremy. So unless you can convince Todd or I to take your place, I think you're out of look."
Best offers her an anxious smile.
Jeremy Best: "So, how about it? Ever dreamt of being a Queen?"
Katie Baxter: "I think you should probably go and get ready."
With one more thoroughly despondent sigh, Jeremy heads back inside the building.
We cut to the backstage area, specifically the now-familiar Gorilla position, where Todd Salum is ready with his trusty microphone. Standing next to him, pacing back and forth in what seems to the viewer to be almost nervous excitement, is ‘the Saviour of Death’ Jeffry Mason. His face and his torso is still covered in blood from his match. He clearly hasn’t yet been to the medical bay and it’s not obvious whether he will at all. He seems to be in his element. He’s been joined backstage by Reagan Cole, who stands to one side awkwardly, perhaps less pleased about his alleged mentor’s participation in the tournament.
Todd Salum: "Ladies and gentlemen, I have the opportunity to get a word now with one of tonight’s surprise entrants, and two of the combatants safely through to Stage Two. Jeffry, Reagan… congratulations on your wins tonight."
Mason stops pacing to let out a low chuckle.
Jeffry Mason: "Todd, there’s so much wrong with that introduction. Firstly: ladies and gentlemen? It’s 2023. Secondly, this is a deathmatch tournament… the King of the Deathmatch... and you are surprised that ‘the Saviour of Death’ is here? Thirdly: nobody is safe in this tournament… and there should be no congratulations! Tomorrow will bring only more blood and more pain - you should be commiserating our opponents, Todd… not congratulating them for prolonging their own miseries."
Salum offers the microphone across to the other man…
Reagan Cole: "Um, thanks, I guess."
Todd Salum: "Both of your participation in KODM2, as well as your progression into the latter stages, begs the question as to what you will do if you meet in the final, or on the road to it? You can’t both become the FWA X Champion…"
More chuckles from Jeffry.
Jeffry Mason: "The FWA X Championship... who cares? Reagan can have it. Or, if he has any sense and doesn’t want it, I’ll throw it in the trash. Dethroning Alyster Black has some worth, and that Crown of Thorns will look good atop my head… but I’m not here for physical heirlooms. A title is much more than that, especially one won with blood."
The ominous and graphic imagery of Jeffry Mason is undercut, somewhat, when Randy Newman’s You’ve Got a Friend in Me - albeit a bastardised version thereof - begins to play in the makeshift arena. We can hear the muffled sound of it in Gorilla, and a moment later we see a petrified-looking Jeremy Best wandering through the room. He walks right past Jeffry Mason and Reagan Cole on his way to the curtain.
Jeffry Mason: "Good luck out there, kid."
Jeremy turns to face Jeffry and can’t help but notice the pints of blood that he’s covered in. He grows paler still, his mouth more agape, before he slaps himself twice across the face and heads for the curtain. Mason and Cole are left with the interviewer.
Jeffry Mason: "Until tomorrow, Todd…"
The two quarter finalists leave, and Salum looks at the camera.
Todd Salum: "Well… it’s time… for the main event!"
The first time we heard this music today, there was a short but noticeable pause between its opening notes and the appearance of the wrestler it heralds. This second time, that pause lasts until the first chorus, Best eventually appearing on stage and looking a little worse for wear. He seems extremely unsure of himself as he surveys the audience (who aren’t even booing him – they’re cheering for his oncoming demolition) and then his eyes fall upon the ring. Once more, we see Jeremy take an audible gulp before he begins down the ramp.
Natalie Rosenberg: "… from Friendship, North Carolina… weighing in at one hundred and eighty pounds… JEREMY… BEST!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "Well… Jeremy tried to get out of his commitments here at KODM2 once this evening, but it looks like those obligations have caught up to him. And what’s more, he’s traded an uncomfortable and doubtlessly barbaric encounter with Violet Dreyer for an uncomfortable and doubtlessly barbaric encounter with Alyster Black. I think that’s quite a pointless deal."
Thomas West: "I don’t think it’s the one that Jeremy Best thought he was making… but you’re right, our Best Friend doesn’t look like he’s relishing the opponent that is about to appear. The other seventeen have already been introduced… it’s time we got to the champion."
Jeremy Best stands awkwardly in the ring, again rotating on the spot to look around himself, perhaps even looking for an exit. His music fades out, and then we hear…
There’s a deafening roar in the desert as Alyster Black walks out onto the stage, his championship belt in tow. He looks to be moving quite gingerly, perhaps as a result of the attack we saw earlier in the day, as he wanders across the stage under the moonlight. He arrives at the platform, already housing the Crown of Thorns. He picks this object up and inspects it… and then looks at his belt.
Anzu Kurosawa: "Five hundred and eighteen days… that’s how long Alyster Black has held that championship. Longer than anyone else in the belt’s sixteen year history. But this weekend he knows he faces perhaps his toughest challenge yet."
Thomas West: "Or his biggest opportunity. That Crown of Thorns means something, too! And Alyster should be careful handling it until he’s earned it…"
Black carefully places his FWA X Championship upon the podium, positioning the Crown of Thorns on top of it. He takes a deep breath, and then turns to face Jeremy Best in the ring.
Natalie Rosenberg: "… currently residing in San Dimas, California and weighing in at two hundred and twenty pounds… he is the current, reigning, and defending FWA X Champion… ALYSTER… BLACK!!"
In silence, Alyster begins his walk down the ramp.
Anzu Kurosawa: "It’s been a long road to this point for Alyster, both in terms of that gargantuan reign with the X Championship and the arduous weeks leading up to the tournament. Black has been repeatedly targeted by an imposter, dressed up exactly like him, the latest of these assaults occurring earlier on today as he prepared for this championship defence."
Thomas West: "Speaking of championship defences: it’s worthy of note that the title is NOT on the line in this individual match-up, or in any in the tournament. If Black were to lose before the final, the belt would remain vacant between that point and the crowning of a new champion at its climax."
Anzu Kurosawa: "A technicality that Ayster, no doubt, will hope proves irrelevant."
Black climbs into the ring and stands in his corner, his eyes fixed upon Best in the opposite one. Jeremy is white as a sheet, leaning against the turnbuckles to create the maximum amount of distance between himself and the champion. Black continues to glare at him in foreboding fashion.
For the last time today, with the moon now high above the desert, the referee calls for the bell.
MATCH NINE - MAIN EVENT
Alyster Black vs. Jeremy Best.
X Rules Deathmatch.
Round One.
<< 00:00. >>
As soon as the match kicks off, Jeremy Best scampers through the ropes and onto the outside, where he looks up at Alyster with plain fear, his hands on his hips and his knees trembling. He begins to circle the ring, eyes fixed on his looming opponent, who remains stationary in his corner.
Thomas West: "Jeremy Best looks more than a little anxious about this main event match-up… though he has faced and beaten Alyster Black in the past."
Anzu Kurosawa: "In the past, maybe. And not under X Rules. This is undeniably Alyster’s world, and Jeremy is not best pleased about being trapped in it."
After making a full circuit of the ring, Jeremy climbs back in. He circles it this way and that, but Alyster remains unmoved. Jeremy thinks about coming forward… and then retreats again, electing instead to climb back out of the ring. Jeremy Best is pacing outside of the ring, going back and forth, his head bowed and muttering frantically to himself. Nobody can hear it, but it is mostly gibberish, the internal monologue of a man plagued by fear…
… but it’s enough to distract him, as Alyster charges across the ring and takes Best out with a Fosbury flop!! The crowd pops for the move, and Black immediately climbs to his feet, grabs Best by the scruff of the neck, and fires into him with right hands and forearms. Best does his best to throw up a guard, but Black picks him up and hurls him into the steel ring steps! It’s not an Irish whip, just an ugly throw by the straps of Best’s singlet, and Jeremy collides with the steps with his shoulder and stays there in a seated position. Alyster continues the onslaught, nailing him with a dozen stomps, driving Best’s head against the steel. He backs away, charging in with a facewash against the steel steps!! And then a running knee strike!! Black slumps to the ground as the crowd goes wild…
Thomas West: "I think Best is out…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I think Best is dead…"
Black isn’t content with a pin just yet, instead collecting two tables that are propped up against a nearby barricade. He slides one into the ring and sets up the second on the outside. When he’s done, he goes back to find Best… and finds his boot beneath the ring apron. Alyster shakes his head and drags Best out by the boot, hoists him up to his feet, and runs him first head-first into the steel post, before Irish whipping him into the barricade. He follows up with alternating forearms and right hands, each one thudding into Jeremy Best to the delight of the fans close around it…
<< 05:03. >>
The one-sided attack continues, with Alyster Black dragging Jeremy up onto the apron and then hoisting him up onto his shoulders in a fireman’s carry… before delivering a devastating Death Valley Driver on the ring apron!
Thomas West: "You think that’s a message to the imposter, Anzu? We saw the other Alyster Black hit a DVD earlier on today…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I think Alyster Black is just going about his business… and maybe working through some of his own issues along the way."
Black is far from done. He hoists Jeremy up again, and once more lifts him onto his shoulders, hitting a second Death Valley Driver on the apron! This time, Best (perhaps wisely) rolls off the apron and away from Black, but Alyster follows him. He drags Best’s head into position between his legs and picks him up, perhaps going for a powerbomb onto the ring apron… but Best begins to fight out with straight right hands, and then he rolls Alyster up with a sunset flip! Black’s shoulders are down outside the ring!
ONE… TWO… NO!
Alyster kicks out, and both men scramble to their feet. Best looks for a clothesline, but Alyster ducks beneath it and then connects with a high knee! Jeremy is staggered, almost falling backwards into the table, but Black grabs him by the hair, throws him chest-first into the ring apron, and then connects with a dragon suplex on the outside! After taking a few deep breaths, most of his exertion involving his sustained offence, Black rolls Jeremy back into the ring…
<< 08:12. >>
Alyster now has the other table set up at an angle in the corner, and - with Jeremy laid out after a pendulum backbreaker - he climbs out of the ring to again search underneath it. He looks in a very specific position and produces a black, leather gym bag, which he pushes into the ring.
Anzu Kurosawa: "Looks like Alyster Black brought something with him…"
Thomas West: "I dread to think what that maniac packs for a deathmatch tournament."
Alyster doesn’t yet climb into the ring, instead looking beneath it again to produce a large, pale grey cinder block. The crowd’s excitement grows as he pushes that into the ring next to his bag. He climbs into the ring and saunters over towards Best, who is still spread-eagled in the middle of the ring… but is playing Possum! Jeremy with the small package!
ONE… TWO… NO!
After both men climb up to their feet, Jeremy attempts to scramble backwards and out of the ring. Alyster catches him when he’s on the apron, though, and has a fist full of his hair. He drags Jeremy into a front facelock, attempting to bring him into the ring the hard way with a suplex. Best grips onto the ropes to block it, and then rakes Black’s eyes! He follows up by bringing Alyster down throat-first over the top rope, causing Alyster to stumble into the middle of the ring. Best sizes him up, springboarding to the top rope and going for a cross-body…
Anzu Kurosawa: "ROLLING ELBOW!! Effective anti-air from Alyster Black!!"
Once more, Jeremy tries to roll out of the ring, but Alyster catches up with him on the apron. It just so happens to be the one overlooking the table that they set up earlier. Black drags his opponent up to his feet and manoeuvres him into position…
Thomas West: "SAITO SUPLEX!! From the apron, through the table!!"
The move seems to have had some effect on Alyster, too, but eventually he drags himself up to his feet, the crowd cheering him on as he continues the attack…
<< 12:15. >>
After some time whipping and choking Best with a long length of television wire, Alyster leaves Jeremy in a seated position against the barricade whilst he collects his gym bag. There’s a slight hush amongst the crowd as he opens it, the fans creeping closer to get a better look of what’s inside… and Alyster produces a shard of glass! It’s a piece of broken mirror, in fact, which becomes clear when he holds it up beneath the moonlight.
Thomas West: "Alyster Black isn’t content with beating Jeremy Best here… looks like he wants to disfigure him!"
That does indeed seem to be the intent… Black begins to bring the jagged edge of his broken mirror-glass down across the forehead of Best, instantly cutting him open with each and every strike! He manages four in total, blood beginning to flow freely from Jeremy Best’s head, before his opponent unloads with a desperation strike… Best lifts his knee up into Black’s crotch, the crude move causing enough respite from the attacks with the glass for him to get to his feet and connect with some Friendly Fire… the rapid kicks back Black up enough for Jeremy to lock his arms at his sides with a tight hug, before he throws him onto the hard desert sand with a belly-to-belly suplex! Best with the cover…
ONE… TWO… T – NO!
Alsyter gets the shoulder up! Best, thinking that his best chance, throws Black underneath the bottom rope and climbs up to the top turnbuckle. He waits patiently for Alyster to get to his feet before steadying himself on the top rope…
Anzu Kurosawa: "Jeremy Best going for a top rope hurricanrana… but Alyster Black catches him! Impressive display from Alyter Black!"
Alyster jerks Jeremy back up into an inverted, seated position on his shoulders, and then turns towards the angled table in the corner. He takes a couple of steps towards it before throwing him through the wood with a powerbomb!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "Surely, now, Alyster Black can finish this match… Jeremy Best has had enough!"
Thomas West: "That point is debatable, Anzu."
Alyster seems to be debating this very point himself, and eventually he grabs Jeremy by the boot and drags him into the middle of the ring. He glances over at the cinder block that he retrieved from under the ring earlier in the contest, and then reaches down to collect Jeremy…
But the crowd’s suddenly heightened intensity alerts him to the presence of another in the ring. Now standing behind him is a carbon copy of the man himself… a familiar doppelganger, with his recognisable variant: cobalt detailing around the eyes of his mask.
Anzu Kurosawa: "He’s here! The fake Alyster Black is in the ring!"
The X Championship realises that something is up and throws Best’s almost lifeless form down to the mat. He turns around…
… and the imposter runs through him with a One Shot Kill!! The thudding clothesline sends Alyster down to the mat, next to Jeremy Best, and for a moment the fake ‘Alyster Black’ looms above both of them.
Anzu Kurosawa: "This business isn’t finished! This is Alyster Black’s FWA X Championship reign! His record-breaking reign!"
Thomas West: "Whoever this is, I don’t think they care."
‘Alyster’ lifts up his original and puts him in a front facelock, dropping him to the mat with a high-angle Satan’s Spike. This, alone, should be enough, but the unwanted interloper is not finished. He collects the cinder block and pulls it into position in the middle of the ring. He is able to drag the lifeless Alyster into position, stomach-done with his face upon the brick.
Anzu Kurosawa: "We saw this earlier today in the desert… once was insulting enough… CURBSTOMP! Onto the cinder block!!"
Thomas West: "That’s enough for anyone…"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I’m just…"
‘Alyster’ rolls Alyster over onto his front and then, casually, climbs out of the ring, awaiting the match’s conclusion.
Amidst a torrent of boos, which get only louder when they see what is happening in the ring, Jeremy Best crawls towards Alyster, draping an arm over him.
ONE…
TWO…
THREE!!
Winner: Jeremy Best by pinfall at 16:58.
For a moment, there is a shocked silence. The commentators don’t speak. Neither does the ring announcer. Even the fans are muted. Inside the ring, Jeremy Best still lays atop Alyster Black. The official is on his knees, a look of shock on his face.
Then, Jeremy’s music begins to play, and the storm of derision begins. The fans let their feelings be known as the official works on helping Best up to his feet.
Natalie Rosenberg: "Here is your winner… Jeremy Best!!"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I can't believe it's over… and I can't believe it ended in that way… Alyster Black's historic reign with the FWA X Championship concludes after five hundred and fourteen days."
Thomas West: "Jeremy Best may not yet be the champion, but he can now boast about being the man to have ended Black's incredible run."
Anzu Kurosawa: "I think he'll have to share the credit…"
With Best just about back up to his feet, the official lists his arm into the air, signalling his victory. The audience is as dumbstruck as Anzu, staring at the man in the ring with shock, confusion, and outrage on their faces…
… and then there's something of a commotion, as all eyes turn towards the stage.
Thomas West: "That's Violet Dreyer! Is she here to rescue Alyster Black?"
Anzu Kurosawa: "I think she's just after Jeremy Best's head, buddy!"
Violet matches directly for the ring, and as soon as Jeremy realises this he scarpers out of it. He clambers over the barricade and heads off through the crowd and across the desert, with Violet Dreyer in hot pursuit!
Which leaves Alyster Black in the ring, but he is not alone. The imposter is standing in the corner, leaning up against the turnbuckles, inspecting his handiwork. The FWA X Champion - no: the former FWA X Champion now, although that doesn't sound right - has remained unmoved since the culmination of the attack. Only now, he begins to stir, his arms moving only slightly at first, and then at length he pushes himself up onto his hands and knees…
… and sees this mirror image of himself, standing over him, gloating almost.
Anzu Kurosawa: "If this interloper intends to continue this attack, I fear that will prove only redundant and deeply unpopular… Alyster Black is in a bad way… I don't even know if he realises he's lost his championship yet!"
Black forces himself up onto his knees. He looks at his assailant defiantly, and lifts both middle fingers up in his direction.
After a deep breath, the mirror image runs through the former champion with a bicycle knee strike!!
Anzu Kurosawa: "… wait!"
Thomas West: "… no!"
Whilst standing over the fallen and brutalised body of the real Alyster Black, the imposter removes his mask…
Anzu Kurosawa: "IT'S HIM!! DANNY TONER IS BACK IN THE FWA!!"
Thomas West: "And has been for weeks, apparently! Danny Toner has returned, and the destruction of Alyster Black seems his only goal!!"
With the crowd losing their mind around him, Danny reaches down towards his adversary's mask… but as his fingers brush against it, he notices the army of security and officials charging to the ring. He thinks that, perhaps, today is not the day, and climbs out of the ring.
We fade out on Stage One.
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