Sunday 9th April, 2023.
LIVE! from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
After a huge display of red and gold pyrotechnics and a cursory scan of a packed and excited United Centre, we cut to Kurt Harrington in the ring…
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Welcome, wrestling fans, to Chicago, Illinois… for the Grand March 2023! And we're diving straight into the action! Kurt…"
Kurt Harrington: “Ladies and gentlemen, this opening match is a tag team match, scheduled for one fall and a 30 minute time limit!”
The opening beats to “Invasion” echo through the United Center as the camera shows Joe Burr exiting his locker room with multiple security guards. He is in his black trunks and boots. His head is down, curly hair going down to his shoulders. There is a look of focus on his face as the Chicago crowd chant along to the tune of his theme-
“JOOOOOOEEEEE BUURRRRRRRRRRR!”
“JOOOOOEEEEE BURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!”
Kurt Harrington: “Introducing the participants… First, from Brooklyn, New York and weighing in at one-hundred and twenty-five pounds… ‘The Giant Killer’ JOOOOOOEEEEE BURRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!”
Stepping through the curtains, Joe Burr gets to the stage as sparks of pyro shoot around him and he stands in the middle of the fiery display. As the pyro stops, he throws his hands multiple times in tunes to more bursts of pyro as he makes his way down the ramp.
Allen Price: “Opening match here as we have Joe Burr teaming with Lizzie Rose in an attempt to take a stand against a new force in FWA which has had a very keen interest in the former North American Champion, Eternal.”
Rod Sterling: “Joe Burr is known for finding unique ways to get a pinfall victory over someone, but this match isn’t so much about the result. Point is, Eternal is dangerous. Those two “sisters” are absolutely twisted in the head and we saw them chop down the Lumberjacks who are DOUBLE their size. Then add Nova’s deep performance in the tag team elimination match.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “However, much to the detriment of a good number of his past opponents, Joe Burr has the ability to surprise almost any opponent. That roll-up… is certainly something.”
Getting to the end of the ramp, Joe Burr looks around the packed arena, a small sense of unease is on him. His harsh defeat recently is in the back of his head, but this time if he fails, he also fails his friend. Heading to the steps, Joe goes up them and steps into the ring, going under the middle rope because of his size. His theme music fades and is replaced by Lizzie’s.
Drawing a positive reaction from the fans is the theme music of “The Rave” Lizzie Rose. The lights of the stage flash a mix of fun colours to her theme music but Lizzie doesn’t make her way out right away.
Allen Price: “And Lizzie making her first match since Back in Town after being mentally preoccupied for obvious reasons and the fans are excited to see her return to the ring!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “In a way, I can understand why Eternal has taken a keen interest in Lizzie. If we take account of the most improved wrestlers in FWA from signing to now, she ranks up there and still has a higher ceiling.”
Rod Sterling: “A former North American Champion already, the sky truly is the limit for Lizzie Rose, but it could be contingent on how much she allows this Eternal to interfere.”
Her music plays for a bit longer and finally, Lizzie makes her way out, but she looks back, tapping her ear, saying something to a producer. Something is off.
Kurt Harrington: “His tag team partner, also from Brooklyn, New York, she is ‘The Rave’ LIZZZZZZZZZZZIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSEEE!!!”
Lizzie Rose makes her way down the ramp, but she isn’t having her normal energy for her entrance. Something is off for her. The popular former champion high fives a couple fans on her way down the ramp, but continually looks back, tapping her ear again.
Allen Price: “And Lizzie Rose, lacking some of the same energy we have seen from her before. We know Eternal has been heavy in their mind-games and likely have a mental edge going into this match, but I’m confused.”
Rod Sterling: “It’s strange. We know Lizzie has had confidence issues before. She’s overcome a lot to even make it to here, but… She doesn’t seem like her right now.”
Rolling into the ring, Lizzie Rose looks around, her lights are flashing but nothing. Her theme music fades as Joe goes up to her and talks to his tag partner, trying to get her head checked. The camera can’t make out much of what is said, except for one… small exchange. “Where was my music?” Lizzie asks… The commentators pick up on this.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Music? It was playing-”
Rod Sterling: “-Are here ears plugged or-?”
The lights cut to a mix of gold and violet as the theme music of Eternal plays, drawing a mostly negative reaction from the Chicago crowd. Two masked individuals with Crow masks walk out with flower baskets under their arm, gently throwing rose petals around. Both Keres and Princess Nova make their way out, with Keres being carried by two individuals and Princess Nova walking out with her long frilly flowing skirt.
In each of their hands is a bouquet of flowers. Princess Nova curtsies on the stage as Keres looks forward coldly.
Kurt Harrington: “And their opponents, hailing from The Residence, are the team of the TORN Angel, Princess Nova, the Daughter of Demise, Keres, they… are…EEEEEEEEEEETTERRRRRNNNAAAALLLLLLLL!!!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Waltzing to the ring in a field of flowers, Eternal, Princess Nova and Keres. The mind games continue.”
Rod Sterling: “They have a flair for the dramatic, that’s for sure, but there is a bite to it. Take Princess Nova. Even before Keres joined her, from the brief glimpses we have seen of her and those who know her career prior to FWA know she has what it takes to be a singles star.-”
Allen Price: “But with Keres, now they’re a deadly duo.”
Heading down the ramp, the two followers with the flower baskets continue to throw petals around as if it was a wedding, covering the ramp and floor with flowers. At ringside, they continue to walk around the ring, spreading flowers. Keres continues to be carried. At ringside, Princess Nova turns to the steps and goes up them.
Wiping off her boots, she enters the ring between the middle and bottom rope as Keres is gently placed on the apron, her feet not touching the ground. Nova raises the middle rope so her sister may enter. Both of them immediately walk to the corner with Joe Burr and Lizzie, looking both of them dead in the eyes.
Rod Sterling: “Joe Burr and Lizzie Rose, face to face with Lizzie’s tormentors.”
And- both of them hand the flowers to Lizzie and Joe. Princess Nova skips back to their team’s corner as Keres walks backwards, not taking her eyes off them. Joe Burr immediately throws his flowers down while Lizzie… stares at them a moment, still confused over them.
Joe rips them from Lizzie’s hands and tosses them down to ringside. He looks her in the eyes, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t let them get to you.” He tells her, easier said than done. But, she knows at least she has his support. The referee, Richard Davis, motions for both teams to step back into a corner each. There seems to be some form of discussion taking place between the sisters of Eternal over who is going to start the match, whilst Joe Burr takes it upon himself to get things going for the Brooklyn natives.
As the match begins, Joe Burr is going to be kicking things off alongside Keres of Eternal. The crowd are firmly in support of the young and diminutive New Yorker, and loud chants boom through the United Center.
“JOE IS GONNA KILL YOU!
JOE IS GONNA KILL YOU!”
Joe has to check on Lizzie for a moment to ensure that she is with it enough to take part in the match, but this proves to be a costly mistake as it allows Keres to ambush him from behind and knock him down onto the mat. The crowd boos and Lizzie Rose is shown watching on in an almost trace-like state as Keres picks Burr up from the mat and then stings his chest with a Knife Edge Chop across his pectorals.
This does not take Burr down from his feet and he attempts to return fire with an open-handed slap to Keres, but she catches it and wrings his arm and gets behind him. She attempts to rush him forward into one of the corners, but Burr gets his boot up and uses it to stop the impact and he pushes backwards, causing Keres to fall down onto her back. Burr is able to roll through; and the referee drops down and the referee makes the count;
ONE… TWO… NO!!
Keres and Princess Nova wear a look of shock on their faces as they almost become the next victims to the quick finishes utilised by Joe Burr in his matches. Keres, set on making Burr pay, gets up immediately and looks to meet Burr with a kick to the midsection, but Burr catches the leg as it is fed into him. He holds Keres still for a moment and then sweeps her other leg, and brings down an elbow across her chest! The crowd cheers and Joe is able to see some levity in the situation and he jumps back up and flexes his muscles for a moment, but this proves costly as it permits Keres to reach her partner and bring Princess Nova into the match.
Allen Price: “Princess Nova into the match for the first time, looking to make it two wins from two in Pay-Per-View appearances in the FWA after winning a ladder match at Back in Town back in February.”
The crowd reacts negatively towards Nova as she waits for Burr to turn back around, and Lizzie does not warn him of the looming danger. Once Joe turns around, Nova charges forward and cracks him in the forehead with a Running Forearm Smash! Princess Nova curtsies to the crowd and then again to a confused Lizzie Rose, and she then turns her attention back to Joe Burr. Joe is in the process of picking himself up, but a stomp to his ribs causes him to fall to the side and he shuffles across the mat to the nearest corner, which happens to be the one which Keres is occupying.
Nova stalks Burr and measures another stomp to his ribs and then goes to work on stomping Joe out some more whilst he is in the corner. Princess Nova then places both feet on Burr’s throat and face and uses the top rope to create some leverage, all the while giggling uncontrollably at the position she has her opponent in. Davis initiates a count, but Keres tags in before Nova can reach five and draw a disqualification. Keres does not get straight into the ring though; she reaches through the ropes and brings Burr up and applies a Sleeper Hold.
With Burr trapped in the corner by Keres, he is easy pickings for Nova to run in and connect with a Running Dropkick in the corner! Keres reaches over the ropes and tags Nova, making her legal once again, and Nova rises up and delivers a Snapmare to Burr, before she tags Keres back in. Keres enters through the ropes and strikes Burr with a Penalty Kick to the back, and Burr slumps onto his back. Princess Nova ignores the referee’s demands for her to leave the ring and she leaps into the air with a Moonsault Knee Drop onto Burr’s chest!
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Some more excellent tandem offence being displayed by Eternal here, gentlemen. They’re bending the rules slightly, which I don’t think we can hold against them too much, but they are being effective.”
Allen Price: “As long as you don’t mind me bending the rules a little bit in our match later, Jean-Luc. I might even let you get more involved in the match than Lizzie Rose is choosing to be.”
Finally, Princess Nova leaves the ring, and Keres quickly jumps on top of Burr and goes for a cover!
ONE… TWO… NO!!
The crowd are pleased that Burr kicked out, but they realise that this means only more punishment for ‘The Giant Killer’ and Keres aggressively pulls Joe up to his feet and she drags him towards Lizzie Rose, who simply watches on. Keres holds Burr’s arm out for Lizzie to tag, but ‘The Rave’ is extremely hesitant to get involved in the match. Keres’s taunting and mocking actually allows Burr a chance to get a bit of offense in with some elbows to Keres in the ribs region and he then gets his head underneath her arm and takes her over with a Back Suplex!
Both Burr and Keres remain on the mat for a few moments, and Burr reaches up towards Rose… but he finds himself being dragged away by Princess Nova! Nova yanks Burr back across the ring by his boot and then gets back in her corner, ignoring the jeers from the crowd. The impact of this is that Burr now has to get past Keres once again in order to reach his partner and he rises back up and cracks Princess Nova with a forearm to the chest, which causes her to drop down to a knee on the apron.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Got to give some credit to Joe Burr, here. He’s not prepared to give this up and not at least without putting up a fight first.”
Rod Sterling: “Having had the pleasure of calling almost every match of this young man’s career, I can confirm that is just not his style, ‘Baby’.”
That received a positive response from the crowd and Burr sees that Keres is advancing back up to her feet and he charges in and jumps over her head… CODE RED!! The crowd marvels as Burr pulls out the complicated move and he keeps Keres’s shoulders pinned down to the mat!
ONE… TWO… NO!!!
Despite this effectively being a Handicap Match, Joe Burr is showing how much fight he has in him by continuing to bring as much fight as he can to Eternal. Joe quickly gets back to his feet and he runs towards Princess Nova and connects with a Dropkick which knocks her down onto the floor from the apron.
Keres is back up too and she looks to run into Burr with a splash in the corner, but Burr sees her coming at the last second, and she collides with the turnbuckles, which allows Burr to roll her up - but he does not keep her shoulders pinned to the mat. Instead, Burr allows Keres to roll through all the way back and BURR CATCHES KERES WITH AN RKO AS SHE GETS BACK UP!! The finishing move of Burr’s former tag team partner and mentor Saint Sully gets a cheer from the crowd, and Burr once again goes for a pin attempt on Keres…
ONE… TWO… THR-NO!!
It is broken up by a returning Princess Nova! The crowd are not happy as Nova saves the match for Eternal, but then once again oversteps her boundaries by grabbing Burr and throwing him through the turnbuckles into the ring post! Burr slumps back down into the ring as Nova returns to her corner and she accepts the tag from Keres, who then places Burr up onto her shoulders as Nova runs the ropes and then comes back with a Springboard Cutter of her own!
Jean-Luc Watkins: “The Elevate and ReNovate from Eternal, and well, Joe Burr could be done here. He got back into the match but it was only a matter of time before the numbers caught up to him again, especially with Lizzie Rose so off her game tonight.”
Allen Price: “Joe needs Lizzie here, Jean-Luc. Joe Burr has been there for Lizzie Rose at every step of the way, helping her through these mind games, and she really needs to return the favour if these two have any hopes of winning this match.”
With Eternal now in a stage of simply toying with Joe, the attention of the crowd turns to Lizzie Rose on the ring apron, still yet to see any sort of action in this match due to her current state. They chant for her; booming shouts of “LIZ-ZIE! LIZ-ZIE!! fill the United Center, and the crowd are willing the former North American Champion on and whether it is this that seems to change the demeanour in Lizzie Rose, but she widens her eyes for a moment and then seems to snap into action.
She sees that Princess Nova is giggling and laughing as she applies a Bow and Arrow Hold to Joe, and she starts clapping her hands, attempting to encourage Joe to find the strength inside of himself to allow an escape. Despite this though, Joe Burr is in a bad way and he is trapped in a hold where there is no easy escape. Lizzie claps her hands and stomps her feet but it is too much for Joe to hold on, and he seems to be about to submit when Lizzie Rose takes a look at the pain etched on his face.
There was only so much of this she could take just standing by. Lizzie takes it upon herself to enter the ring and she bundles into Nova to break the submission and then continues her press forwards by hitting the ropes adjacent to Keres on the apron and she hits The Shuffle! The Triangle Dropkick knocks Keres to the floor and then has to deal with Princess Nova once again - but Lizzie puts her down with the Brooklyn Flash!
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Lizzie Rose has arrived in this match! Out of the frying pan and into the fire, she’s seen enough of the punishment endured by Joe Burr and she could really turn the tide in this match.”
The Chicago crowd have come alive with Lizzie Rose taking it to Eternal, showing some resistance to their attempts to court her, and she resumes her position on the ring apron and extends her hand in waiting for Joe Burr to finally reach her. Joe crawls on his belly as much as he can and then leaps forward, and gets the tag to Lizzie, who now enters the match legally!
As Lizzie gets into the ring, she finds herself standing face-to-face with Princess Nova and without Joe Burr being in peril anymore, she all of a sudden seems less willing to fight and is again thrown off of her game, it would seem. This confusion plays into Eternal’s hands, as it allows another illegal intrusion by Keres - back from being downed on the outside - and she clubs Lizzie from behind!
Eternal lay into Rose with some punches and stomps, and then pick her up so Nova can strike with a Spinning Heel Kick to the midsection, and Keres follows up with a Knee Lift and then drops down onto her hands and knees, and Nova Dropkicks Lizzie, knocking her back over Keres and onto the mat. The referee seems to have given up on ensuring the non-legal competitors remain out of the match, and Keres now lifts Rose from the mat and drops her across her knee with a Backbreaker.
Keres keeps Lizzie in that position as Princess Nova now seeks to go to the top rope where she can put the finishing touches on Lizzie… AND PRINCESS NOVA LEAPS ONTO ROSE WITH A DOUBLE FOOT STOMP - THE ETERNAL DEMISE! The ‘sisters’ take great pleasure in hitting that move, and they take a moment to taunt the fans before Nova drops to her knees with a devious smile on her face, ready to make the pin;
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Regrettably, it is going to be too little, too late for Lizzie Rose in this match; as this is surely academic.”
ONE… TWO… THREE-NO!!!
JOE BURR BREAKS THE PIN UP!
The crowd cheer as Burr keeps himself and Lizzie in the match with the last-millisecond save to break up the pin, managing to weave past Keres to break the fall. Burr though is still completely spent from the beatings he has taken throughout the match and as a result of this is he unable to defend himself as Keres picks him up and bundles him out of the ring, where she follows. A very angered Keres then launches Burr into the ring barricade, and Princess Nova cheers her partner on from inside of the ring as Keres continues her assault on Burr on the outside.
Rod Sterling: “Speaking of regret, Jean-Luc… Joe Burr may be regretting breaking that pin up as he is really getting it from Keres now as a result on the outside.”
Inside the ring, Princess Nova applauds Keres’s handiwork, but she does not notice someone rising to their feet behind her. Nova’s back is turned on Lizzie Rose… AND THIS ALLOWS LIZZIE TO HOOK HER UP FROM BEHIND AND THEN HIT HER WITH THE SLICED LIZ!! Lizzie quickly gets on top of Nova, hooking both legs!
ONE… TWO…
NOVA KICKS OUT…
JUST AFTER THREE!!!
Lizzie Rose and Joe Burr steal it! Princess Nova is convinced that she kicked out in time and she is immediately joined in her protests by Keres after she puts one final boot to Burr on the outside, and Lizzie rolls out of the ring immediately to escape any potential wrath from her opponents and to check on Joe.
Kurt Harrington: “Here are your winners… JOE BURR and LIZZIE ROSE!”
Allen Price: “It just goes to show you that you can never write an underdog out; Lizzie Rose finally came to her senses towards the end of that match and she made the most of the opportunity presented to her.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Definitely a big win for Lizzie Rose and Joe Burr here over Eternal, in what was a match that could have easily gone either way. I don’t know about you guys, but a run at the FWA World Tag Team Championships isn’t out of the realms of possibility, is it?”
Rod Sterling: “That may have to wait, because I’m not certain that Eternal will let this go just yet; they’ve invested a lot into Lizzie Rose already and they might not be content until they’ve had some sort of return. Look, they want Lizzie and Joe back in the ring.”
Having seemingly come to terms with the result of the match, Eternal beckon the winners back into the ring and after exchanging a nervous look with Joe, Lizzie’s curiosity gets the better of her and soon enough she finds herself standing in front of Keres, who sizes her up for a moment. Princess Nova is in the corner of the ring, guarding her face it would seem.
From the outside Joe Burr notices that Lizzie is back in the ring and despite his beaten state, he pulls himself up and slides back into the ring, where he gets in between Lizzie and Keres. Nova puts something back into her top and then rejoins the scene. Nova makes it clear that they come in peace, and she offers a hand out to Lizzie Rose.
Allen Price: “A show of respect?”
Joe initially tells Lizzie not to accept, but Lizzie brushes off his concerns and then accepts the handshake to a very kind reaction from the crowd. Keres then extends her hand to Lizzie, which Lizzie also shakes. Now, Lizzie is telling Joe to do the sportsmanlike thing as well and begrudgingly, he shakes Keres’s hand too. Joe shares eye contact with Princess Nova for a second and then accepts her handshake… BUT NOVA PULLS JOE IN FOR A KISS!
Allen Price: “THAT’S MORE THAN RESPECT!”
The crowd cheers initially and Joe’s eyes widen as he is obviously into it… BUT BURR THEN DROPS TO THE MAT, KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS! Lizzie is immediately alarmed, as a chuckle emanates from Princess Nova, and she uses a tissue to dab away the black lipstick on her lips. Nova then curtsies right in front of Lizzie before Eternal take their leave from the ring and Lizzie frantically shouts for medical assistance for Joe.
Rod Sterling: “There’s that damned lipstick again! We’ve seen Princess Nova use this before and the effect of this shade is to have knocked Joe Burr out - I think this is their way of telling Lizzie Rose that they can take Joe Burr out of the equation at any time they want to!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “What that tells me, Rod, is that this is far from over between Lizzie Rose and Eternal. What could they have in store for her next?”
Eternal depart up the ramp and they take a final look back at Lizzie, who kneels over Joe’s body with a very conflicted look on her face. Almost as if she is torn.
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…
Cornelius Aurelius Caesar [c] vs. Shawn Summers. FWA X Title.
The Connection [c] vs. The Buddy System. FWA Tag Titles.
The 30-person Carnal Contendership Match. FWA World Title - #1C.
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”We’re one match in and it’s already been an eventful evening, and the action will continue as we’ll see “The Prodigy” Mike Parr take on Jackson Fenix in a number one contender’s match for the North American Championship.”
Rod Sterling: ”That’s right, Jean-Luc. Both men have had success in prior singles outings, which has earned them this opportunity tonight. Mike Parr will be looking to recapture the North American for a fifth time, while Fenix will be looking for his first reign.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”We’ll see the North American Championship defended later tonight when the current champion Bryan Baxter will defend it against a mystery opponent. You have to suspect that Baxter and whoever the mystery opponent is will be keeping a close eye on this match.”
Rod Sterling: ”No doubt about that, Jean-Luc”
The theme blares throughout the arena and after a few seconds we see The Prodigy step out on stage. Parr is getting a mixed reaction but mostly positive. He takes it all in and briskly walks down to the ring.
Kurt Harrington: ”The next contest is scheduled for one fall with a thirty-minute-time-limit! Introducing first, from Toronto, Canada and weighing in at 240 lb…he is The Prodigy…Mike Paaaaarrrrrrrrr!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Mike Parr is fresh off victories over Kayden Knox at Back in Town and Reagan Cole at Meltdown XXVI. Parr appeared on the next cycle at Fallout 027 where he made it known that he was open to all comers for tonight’s event. Subsequently this match was offered to Mike Parr and he accepted.”
Rod Sterling: ”We touched on it already, but Mike Parr is no stranger to the North American Championship. He not only has the record for the most reigns with four, but he also holds the record for the longest reign with 454 days. A win tonight would make Parr one step closer in achieving his fifth reign, and if were to successfully recapture the title he would be on his way to breaking WOLF’s record of 602 days of combined reigns with the belt.”
Allen Price: ”An accolade I’m sure Mike Parr would love to achieve, but surely he’s not thinking about that and he’s solely focused on tonight’s match. He has to get through tonight if he wants to make it to the title match.”
Another mixed reaction for the next man to enter the match and once the theme music kicks into high gear, Jackson Fenix appears on stage and not far behind him is his friend and tag team partner, Nate Savage. Fenix does a little posturing for the fans but Savage motions for him to focus and Fenix heeds his partner’s advice. Savage is about to walk down with Fenix but Fenix says something to him, and Savage looks unsure but Fenix assures him it’s okay and Savage nods and heads back through the curtain as Fenix walks down to the ring by himself.
Kurt Harrington: ”Making his way down to the ring, currently residing in Los Angeles, CA and weighing in at 210 lb…representing The Undisputed Alliance…Jackson Fenix!”
Rod Sterling: ”Wow, Jackson Fenix is opting to go at it alone tonight without Nate Savage in his corner. That is unusual and unexpected.”
Allen Price: ”Perhaps he wants to prove he doesn’t need help and that he can do this on his own. If that’s the case I can respect that, that’s a commendable move on Fenix’s behalf.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Fenix is coming off wins over Celestia Ravenwood and Dan LuPone in a triple threat match a number of weeks back, and then most recently on Meltdown XXVII he scored a win over Trevor Walker. Those victories, coupled with the nature of the Undisputed Alliance’s consecutive losses over The Connection, invariably due to nefarious skullduggery by The Nephews, contributed to Fenix being awarded this huge opportunity tonight.”
Rod Sterling: ”It’s been a number of years since the last time Fenix held any gold here in FWA. Tonight he could be one step closer to changing that, but it’ll be no easy feat. Fenix has had a shift in attitude as of late, and while it’s commendable as Allen pointed out, I’m still not buying it and I don’t know if it’ll be enough to get past Mike Parr.”
Fenix is in the ring and does some more posturing for the fans. Parr on the other hand is more stoic and focused in his corner. Referee Tommy Palmer checks both men and then he calls for the bell…
“JOE IS GONNA KILL YOU!
JOE IS GONNA KILL YOU!”
Joe has to check on Lizzie for a moment to ensure that she is with it enough to take part in the match, but this proves to be a costly mistake as it allows Keres to ambush him from behind and knock him down onto the mat. The crowd boos and Lizzie Rose is shown watching on in an almost trace-like state as Keres picks Burr up from the mat and then stings his chest with a Knife Edge Chop across his pectorals.
This does not take Burr down from his feet and he attempts to return fire with an open-handed slap to Keres, but she catches it and wrings his arm and gets behind him. She attempts to rush him forward into one of the corners, but Burr gets his boot up and uses it to stop the impact and he pushes backwards, causing Keres to fall down onto her back. Burr is able to roll through; and the referee drops down and the referee makes the count;
ONE… TWO… NO!!
Keres and Princess Nova wear a look of shock on their faces as they almost become the next victims to the quick finishes utilised by Joe Burr in his matches. Keres, set on making Burr pay, gets up immediately and looks to meet Burr with a kick to the midsection, but Burr catches the leg as it is fed into him. He holds Keres still for a moment and then sweeps her other leg, and brings down an elbow across her chest! The crowd cheers and Joe is able to see some levity in the situation and he jumps back up and flexes his muscles for a moment, but this proves costly as it permits Keres to reach her partner and bring Princess Nova into the match.
Allen Price: “Princess Nova into the match for the first time, looking to make it two wins from two in Pay-Per-View appearances in the FWA after winning a ladder match at Back in Town back in February.”
The crowd reacts negatively towards Nova as she waits for Burr to turn back around, and Lizzie does not warn him of the looming danger. Once Joe turns around, Nova charges forward and cracks him in the forehead with a Running Forearm Smash! Princess Nova curtsies to the crowd and then again to a confused Lizzie Rose, and she then turns her attention back to Joe Burr. Joe is in the process of picking himself up, but a stomp to his ribs causes him to fall to the side and he shuffles across the mat to the nearest corner, which happens to be the one which Keres is occupying.
Nova stalks Burr and measures another stomp to his ribs and then goes to work on stomping Joe out some more whilst he is in the corner. Princess Nova then places both feet on Burr’s throat and face and uses the top rope to create some leverage, all the while giggling uncontrollably at the position she has her opponent in. Davis initiates a count, but Keres tags in before Nova can reach five and draw a disqualification. Keres does not get straight into the ring though; she reaches through the ropes and brings Burr up and applies a Sleeper Hold.
With Burr trapped in the corner by Keres, he is easy pickings for Nova to run in and connect with a Running Dropkick in the corner! Keres reaches over the ropes and tags Nova, making her legal once again, and Nova rises up and delivers a Snapmare to Burr, before she tags Keres back in. Keres enters through the ropes and strikes Burr with a Penalty Kick to the back, and Burr slumps onto his back. Princess Nova ignores the referee’s demands for her to leave the ring and she leaps into the air with a Moonsault Knee Drop onto Burr’s chest!
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Some more excellent tandem offence being displayed by Eternal here, gentlemen. They’re bending the rules slightly, which I don’t think we can hold against them too much, but they are being effective.”
Allen Price: “As long as you don’t mind me bending the rules a little bit in our match later, Jean-Luc. I might even let you get more involved in the match than Lizzie Rose is choosing to be.”
Finally, Princess Nova leaves the ring, and Keres quickly jumps on top of Burr and goes for a cover!
ONE… TWO… NO!!
The crowd are pleased that Burr kicked out, but they realise that this means only more punishment for ‘The Giant Killer’ and Keres aggressively pulls Joe up to his feet and she drags him towards Lizzie Rose, who simply watches on. Keres holds Burr’s arm out for Lizzie to tag, but ‘The Rave’ is extremely hesitant to get involved in the match. Keres’s taunting and mocking actually allows Burr a chance to get a bit of offense in with some elbows to Keres in the ribs region and he then gets his head underneath her arm and takes her over with a Back Suplex!
Both Burr and Keres remain on the mat for a few moments, and Burr reaches up towards Rose… but he finds himself being dragged away by Princess Nova! Nova yanks Burr back across the ring by his boot and then gets back in her corner, ignoring the jeers from the crowd. The impact of this is that Burr now has to get past Keres once again in order to reach his partner and he rises back up and cracks Princess Nova with a forearm to the chest, which causes her to drop down to a knee on the apron.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Got to give some credit to Joe Burr, here. He’s not prepared to give this up and not at least without putting up a fight first.”
Rod Sterling: “Having had the pleasure of calling almost every match of this young man’s career, I can confirm that is just not his style, ‘Baby’.”
That received a positive response from the crowd and Burr sees that Keres is advancing back up to her feet and he charges in and jumps over her head… CODE RED!! The crowd marvels as Burr pulls out the complicated move and he keeps Keres’s shoulders pinned down to the mat!
ONE… TWO… NO!!!
Despite this effectively being a Handicap Match, Joe Burr is showing how much fight he has in him by continuing to bring as much fight as he can to Eternal. Joe quickly gets back to his feet and he runs towards Princess Nova and connects with a Dropkick which knocks her down onto the floor from the apron.
Keres is back up too and she looks to run into Burr with a splash in the corner, but Burr sees her coming at the last second, and she collides with the turnbuckles, which allows Burr to roll her up - but he does not keep her shoulders pinned to the mat. Instead, Burr allows Keres to roll through all the way back and BURR CATCHES KERES WITH AN RKO AS SHE GETS BACK UP!! The finishing move of Burr’s former tag team partner and mentor Saint Sully gets a cheer from the crowd, and Burr once again goes for a pin attempt on Keres…
ONE… TWO… THR-NO!!
It is broken up by a returning Princess Nova! The crowd are not happy as Nova saves the match for Eternal, but then once again oversteps her boundaries by grabbing Burr and throwing him through the turnbuckles into the ring post! Burr slumps back down into the ring as Nova returns to her corner and she accepts the tag from Keres, who then places Burr up onto her shoulders as Nova runs the ropes and then comes back with a Springboard Cutter of her own!
Jean-Luc Watkins: “The Elevate and ReNovate from Eternal, and well, Joe Burr could be done here. He got back into the match but it was only a matter of time before the numbers caught up to him again, especially with Lizzie Rose so off her game tonight.”
Allen Price: “Joe needs Lizzie here, Jean-Luc. Joe Burr has been there for Lizzie Rose at every step of the way, helping her through these mind games, and she really needs to return the favour if these two have any hopes of winning this match.”
With Eternal now in a stage of simply toying with Joe, the attention of the crowd turns to Lizzie Rose on the ring apron, still yet to see any sort of action in this match due to her current state. They chant for her; booming shouts of “LIZ-ZIE! LIZ-ZIE!! fill the United Center, and the crowd are willing the former North American Champion on and whether it is this that seems to change the demeanour in Lizzie Rose, but she widens her eyes for a moment and then seems to snap into action.
She sees that Princess Nova is giggling and laughing as she applies a Bow and Arrow Hold to Joe, and she starts clapping her hands, attempting to encourage Joe to find the strength inside of himself to allow an escape. Despite this though, Joe Burr is in a bad way and he is trapped in a hold where there is no easy escape. Lizzie claps her hands and stomps her feet but it is too much for Joe to hold on, and he seems to be about to submit when Lizzie Rose takes a look at the pain etched on his face.
There was only so much of this she could take just standing by. Lizzie takes it upon herself to enter the ring and she bundles into Nova to break the submission and then continues her press forwards by hitting the ropes adjacent to Keres on the apron and she hits The Shuffle! The Triangle Dropkick knocks Keres to the floor and then has to deal with Princess Nova once again - but Lizzie puts her down with the Brooklyn Flash!
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Lizzie Rose has arrived in this match! Out of the frying pan and into the fire, she’s seen enough of the punishment endured by Joe Burr and she could really turn the tide in this match.”
The Chicago crowd have come alive with Lizzie Rose taking it to Eternal, showing some resistance to their attempts to court her, and she resumes her position on the ring apron and extends her hand in waiting for Joe Burr to finally reach her. Joe crawls on his belly as much as he can and then leaps forward, and gets the tag to Lizzie, who now enters the match legally!
As Lizzie gets into the ring, she finds herself standing face-to-face with Princess Nova and without Joe Burr being in peril anymore, she all of a sudden seems less willing to fight and is again thrown off of her game, it would seem. This confusion plays into Eternal’s hands, as it allows another illegal intrusion by Keres - back from being downed on the outside - and she clubs Lizzie from behind!
Eternal lay into Rose with some punches and stomps, and then pick her up so Nova can strike with a Spinning Heel Kick to the midsection, and Keres follows up with a Knee Lift and then drops down onto her hands and knees, and Nova Dropkicks Lizzie, knocking her back over Keres and onto the mat. The referee seems to have given up on ensuring the non-legal competitors remain out of the match, and Keres now lifts Rose from the mat and drops her across her knee with a Backbreaker.
Keres keeps Lizzie in that position as Princess Nova now seeks to go to the top rope where she can put the finishing touches on Lizzie… AND PRINCESS NOVA LEAPS ONTO ROSE WITH A DOUBLE FOOT STOMP - THE ETERNAL DEMISE! The ‘sisters’ take great pleasure in hitting that move, and they take a moment to taunt the fans before Nova drops to her knees with a devious smile on her face, ready to make the pin;
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Regrettably, it is going to be too little, too late for Lizzie Rose in this match; as this is surely academic.”
ONE… TWO… THREE-NO!!!
JOE BURR BREAKS THE PIN UP!
The crowd cheer as Burr keeps himself and Lizzie in the match with the last-millisecond save to break up the pin, managing to weave past Keres to break the fall. Burr though is still completely spent from the beatings he has taken throughout the match and as a result of this is he unable to defend himself as Keres picks him up and bundles him out of the ring, where she follows. A very angered Keres then launches Burr into the ring barricade, and Princess Nova cheers her partner on from inside of the ring as Keres continues her assault on Burr on the outside.
Rod Sterling: “Speaking of regret, Jean-Luc… Joe Burr may be regretting breaking that pin up as he is really getting it from Keres now as a result on the outside.”
Inside the ring, Princess Nova applauds Keres’s handiwork, but she does not notice someone rising to their feet behind her. Nova’s back is turned on Lizzie Rose… AND THIS ALLOWS LIZZIE TO HOOK HER UP FROM BEHIND AND THEN HIT HER WITH THE SLICED LIZ!! Lizzie quickly gets on top of Nova, hooking both legs!
ONE… TWO…
NOVA KICKS OUT…
JUST AFTER THREE!!!
Winners: Lizzie Rose and Joe Burr by pin fall at 11:14.
Lizzie Rose and Joe Burr steal it! Princess Nova is convinced that she kicked out in time and she is immediately joined in her protests by Keres after she puts one final boot to Burr on the outside, and Lizzie rolls out of the ring immediately to escape any potential wrath from her opponents and to check on Joe.
Kurt Harrington: “Here are your winners… JOE BURR and LIZZIE ROSE!”
Allen Price: “It just goes to show you that you can never write an underdog out; Lizzie Rose finally came to her senses towards the end of that match and she made the most of the opportunity presented to her.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Definitely a big win for Lizzie Rose and Joe Burr here over Eternal, in what was a match that could have easily gone either way. I don’t know about you guys, but a run at the FWA World Tag Team Championships isn’t out of the realms of possibility, is it?”
Rod Sterling: “That may have to wait, because I’m not certain that Eternal will let this go just yet; they’ve invested a lot into Lizzie Rose already and they might not be content until they’ve had some sort of return. Look, they want Lizzie and Joe back in the ring.”
Having seemingly come to terms with the result of the match, Eternal beckon the winners back into the ring and after exchanging a nervous look with Joe, Lizzie’s curiosity gets the better of her and soon enough she finds herself standing in front of Keres, who sizes her up for a moment. Princess Nova is in the corner of the ring, guarding her face it would seem.
From the outside Joe Burr notices that Lizzie is back in the ring and despite his beaten state, he pulls himself up and slides back into the ring, where he gets in between Lizzie and Keres. Nova puts something back into her top and then rejoins the scene. Nova makes it clear that they come in peace, and she offers a hand out to Lizzie Rose.
Allen Price: “A show of respect?”
Joe initially tells Lizzie not to accept, but Lizzie brushes off his concerns and then accepts the handshake to a very kind reaction from the crowd. Keres then extends her hand to Lizzie, which Lizzie also shakes. Now, Lizzie is telling Joe to do the sportsmanlike thing as well and begrudgingly, he shakes Keres’s hand too. Joe shares eye contact with Princess Nova for a second and then accepts her handshake… BUT NOVA PULLS JOE IN FOR A KISS!
Allen Price: “THAT’S MORE THAN RESPECT!”
The crowd cheers initially and Joe’s eyes widen as he is obviously into it… BUT BURR THEN DROPS TO THE MAT, KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS! Lizzie is immediately alarmed, as a chuckle emanates from Princess Nova, and she uses a tissue to dab away the black lipstick on her lips. Nova then curtsies right in front of Lizzie before Eternal take their leave from the ring and Lizzie frantically shouts for medical assistance for Joe.
Rod Sterling: “There’s that damned lipstick again! We’ve seen Princess Nova use this before and the effect of this shade is to have knocked Joe Burr out - I think this is their way of telling Lizzie Rose that they can take Joe Burr out of the equation at any time they want to!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “What that tells me, Rod, is that this is far from over between Lizzie Rose and Eternal. What could they have in store for her next?”
Eternal depart up the ramp and they take a final look back at Lizzie, who kneels over Joe’s body with a very conflicted look on her face. Almost as if she is torn.
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…
Cornelius Aurelius Caesar [c] vs. Shawn Summers. FWA X Title.
The Connection [c] vs. The Buddy System. FWA Tag Titles.
The 30-person Carnal Contendership Match. FWA World Title - #1C.
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”We’re one match in and it’s already been an eventful evening, and the action will continue as we’ll see “The Prodigy” Mike Parr take on Jackson Fenix in a number one contender’s match for the North American Championship.”
Rod Sterling: ”That’s right, Jean-Luc. Both men have had success in prior singles outings, which has earned them this opportunity tonight. Mike Parr will be looking to recapture the North American for a fifth time, while Fenix will be looking for his first reign.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”We’ll see the North American Championship defended later tonight when the current champion Bryan Baxter will defend it against a mystery opponent. You have to suspect that Baxter and whoever the mystery opponent is will be keeping a close eye on this match.”
Rod Sterling: ”No doubt about that, Jean-Luc”
The theme blares throughout the arena and after a few seconds we see The Prodigy step out on stage. Parr is getting a mixed reaction but mostly positive. He takes it all in and briskly walks down to the ring.
Kurt Harrington: ”The next contest is scheduled for one fall with a thirty-minute-time-limit! Introducing first, from Toronto, Canada and weighing in at 240 lb…he is The Prodigy…Mike Paaaaarrrrrrrrr!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Mike Parr is fresh off victories over Kayden Knox at Back in Town and Reagan Cole at Meltdown XXVI. Parr appeared on the next cycle at Fallout 027 where he made it known that he was open to all comers for tonight’s event. Subsequently this match was offered to Mike Parr and he accepted.”
Rod Sterling: ”We touched on it already, but Mike Parr is no stranger to the North American Championship. He not only has the record for the most reigns with four, but he also holds the record for the longest reign with 454 days. A win tonight would make Parr one step closer in achieving his fifth reign, and if were to successfully recapture the title he would be on his way to breaking WOLF’s record of 602 days of combined reigns with the belt.”
Allen Price: ”An accolade I’m sure Mike Parr would love to achieve, but surely he’s not thinking about that and he’s solely focused on tonight’s match. He has to get through tonight if he wants to make it to the title match.”
Another mixed reaction for the next man to enter the match and once the theme music kicks into high gear, Jackson Fenix appears on stage and not far behind him is his friend and tag team partner, Nate Savage. Fenix does a little posturing for the fans but Savage motions for him to focus and Fenix heeds his partner’s advice. Savage is about to walk down with Fenix but Fenix says something to him, and Savage looks unsure but Fenix assures him it’s okay and Savage nods and heads back through the curtain as Fenix walks down to the ring by himself.
Kurt Harrington: ”Making his way down to the ring, currently residing in Los Angeles, CA and weighing in at 210 lb…representing The Undisputed Alliance…Jackson Fenix!”
Rod Sterling: ”Wow, Jackson Fenix is opting to go at it alone tonight without Nate Savage in his corner. That is unusual and unexpected.”
Allen Price: ”Perhaps he wants to prove he doesn’t need help and that he can do this on his own. If that’s the case I can respect that, that’s a commendable move on Fenix’s behalf.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Fenix is coming off wins over Celestia Ravenwood and Dan LuPone in a triple threat match a number of weeks back, and then most recently on Meltdown XXVII he scored a win over Trevor Walker. Those victories, coupled with the nature of the Undisputed Alliance’s consecutive losses over The Connection, invariably due to nefarious skullduggery by The Nephews, contributed to Fenix being awarded this huge opportunity tonight.”
Rod Sterling: ”It’s been a number of years since the last time Fenix held any gold here in FWA. Tonight he could be one step closer to changing that, but it’ll be no easy feat. Fenix has had a shift in attitude as of late, and while it’s commendable as Allen pointed out, I’m still not buying it and I don’t know if it’ll be enough to get past Mike Parr.”
Fenix is in the ring and does some more posturing for the fans. Parr on the other hand is more stoic and focused in his corner. Referee Tommy Palmer checks both men and then he calls for the bell…
DING DING DING!
The crowd is split in favor of both of the competitors and the two of them begin to circle each other before locking up. Parr transitions Fenix into a side headlock and Fenix shoves Parr off toward the ropes, and a leap frog from Fenix as Parr hits the opposite ropes and off the rebound he ducks underneath a spinning back fist from Fenix. Parr drills Fenix with several forearm strikes, and Parr has Fenix staggered and sends Fenix off the ropes and then catches Fenix with a hip toss! Fenix hits the mat hard with a slight grimace but he’s quickly back on his feet and ducks a clothesline from Parr. Fenix has Parr set up for a backdrop suplex and he goes for it, but Parr flips out of it in time and Parr drills Fenix in the back of the head with a forearm before locking in a rear waistlock on Fenix and he hits Fenix with a belly-to-back suplex! Fenix winces after hitting the mat and he starts to rise up on one knee but Parr strikes with a shining wizard that knocks Fenix right back down and Parr drops down for the pin…
One…TWO-NO!
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”A fairly evenly matched contest thus far but now Parr shifts the control in his favor.”
Parr peppers Fenix with a few stomps for good measure and then he brings Fenix up in a front facelock, and Parr lays in a few more forearm strikes on Fenix before he hoists him up for a suplex, but Fenix still manages to flip out behind Parr and he clips Parr on the back of his left leg. Parr drops down to one knee and this allows Fenix to strike with a running knee strike to the back of the dome! This time Fenix drops down for the pin…
One…TWO-NO!
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Now Jackson Fenix is in the driver’s seat and he’s starting to slow down the pace with a rear chinlock.”
Rod Sterling: ”Fenix is wisely digging his knee into Parr’s lower spine as well for extra added pressure.”
Allen Price: ”I know that can’t feel good for Mike Parr, look at the pain etched on his face!”
Fenix wrenches back with the chinlock and he keeps his knee dug deep into Parr’s lower spine area. One half of the crowd that’s in favor of Mike Parr begins to rally him back in the match, and Fenix tries to shake them off as he wrenches back some more while the referee checks on Parr. Soon enough, the fans rally and Parr starts to rise up while still locked in the hold but he fights out of it with several back elbows right into Fenix’s stomach! Fenix eventually releases the hold and Parr unleashes several uppercuts to Fenix that have him wobbly and Parr sends Fenix over with a snapmare and Parr drives his boot straight into the spine of Fenix with a sharp soccer-like kick! Fenix winces and as he’s slowly rising up, Parr strikes with a flying knee to the face! Fenix is down and out but Parr isn’t through with him yet as he runs the ropes and leaps off and hits a picture perfect lionsault on Fenix into the pin!
One…two…NO!
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Parr has regained control and he’s taking it to Fenix now!”
Parr sends Fenix to the corner with an irish whip and he hits a running corner clothesline! Parr climbs up and mounts Fenix and drives down fist after fist to Fenix’s head while the fans count along with each strike! After the count reaches ten, Parr leaps off and he sends Fenix into the opposite corner and Parr strikes with a running knee strike right into a running bulldog out of the corner and Parr drops down again for the pin!
One…two…THREE-NO!
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Parr is feeling it now and he senses that this may be his chance to close the book on Jackson Fenix!”
Parr has Fenix locked in position for the Rolling Cutter, but Fenix spins out of it and he has Parr by the wrist and strikes with a ripcord lariat! Parr is down and Fenix runs the ropes and hits a running single leg drop to Parr! Fenix starts to feed off the energy from his side of the crowd as he positions himself on the second rope, and he waits as Parr is slowly rising up and Parr turns around…SMD! Fenix with the diving meteora from the second rope right into a pin as he hooks both legs while he’s on top of Parr…
One…two…THREE-NO!
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Fenix executed that crudely named meteora with precision and he almost had it there, but Parr keeps on ticking!”
Fenix stomps down on Parr’s legs before expertly applying the figure four leglock submission! Fenix has it locked down in the center of the ring with nowhere for Parr to go, but Parr musters up enough strength and he turns the tables on Fenix with the figure four now on Fenix! Fenix is trying to counter but Parr won’t let up! Fenix is fighting off the urge to submit and he slowly inched his way toward the rope and he’s able to break the hold! Parr releases it and he rises up while Fenix nurses his leg. Parr stalks his prey and lays into him with more stomps, mainly focused on the leg that Fenix uses for the superkick. Parr pulls Fenix away and now locks in an inverted sharpshooter on Fenix! Parr wrenches back on the hold and Fenix has nowhere to go as he desperately reaches out for that bottom rope!
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Mike Parr has Fenix where he wants him! That leg has taken a lot of damage!”
Allen Price: ”That’s Fenix’s super kicking leg! Parr is doing his best to ensure that Fenix doesn’t hit that super kick!”
Fenix is able to inch his way closer to the ropes and he’s finally to break the hold, but the damage may be done as Parr releases it and Parr drops down for the pin…
One…two…THREE-NO!
Parr spreads out Fenix’s leg and drops an elbow down on it! Fenix nurses his leg some more but Parr brings him and goes to whip Fenix in the corner, but Fenix counters and sends Parr to the corner. Fenix unloads on Parr with several knife-edge chops in the corner. Fenix drags Parr out of the corner and sends him toward the ropes and then catches Parr with a sling blade! Fenix limps around the ring and starts to size up Parr for his super kick, but he’s still feeling the effects from all the damage Parr has done to his leg. Fenix realizes he’s wasting precious time and he does his best to fight through the pain and he shakes it off. Parr is up and Fenix goes for the super kick, but Parr senses danger and side steps it and he quickly grabs Fenix in position…Rolling cutter!
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”This is it, Parr is closing in on the victory!”
Parr then proceeds to ascend to the top…X Marks the Spot! Parr with the pin…
One…two…THREE!
Kurt Harrington: ”The winner of the match, Mike Parr!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”That was a highly competitive contest that could’ve easily gone either way, but Mike Parr is the one walking away with the victory!”
Rod Sterling: ”You’re right, Jean-Luc. I do think Fenix could’ve put away Parr had it not been for his leg taking the brunt of the punishment in this match. Parr was wise to focus on that leg and in the end it paid off for him.”
Parr has his hand raised in victory and he quickly exits the ring while Jackson Fenix is now joined by Nate Savage, and Savage assists a distraught Fenix out of the ring as the show rolls on.
A hush falls over the crowd as we cut backstage to see a smartly dressed Todd Salum staring straight into the camera. The shot slowly grows wider to show his guest to his immediate left - Danny Toner. The sudden appearance causes the Chicago crowd to explode into a cacophony of noise. The backstage interviewer has been doing this for a long time, and he doesn’t miss a beat as he begins talking the moment the loud, mixed reaction subdues.
Todd Salum: ”Standing by with me right now, a man that doesn’t need an introduction… Danny-”
FUCKING!
Salum keeps a poker face other than a slight grimace but Danny’s face immediately lights up.
Todd Salum: “Toner. For those watching at home I would apologise for the colorful language you just heard but it seems a rather moot point given my guests usual… distasteful language so I’ll just get strai-”
Danny Toner: “I’m gonna cut ya off right there, Todd! I’ve been in this game a long fuckin’ time and I know what you’re fixin’ to ask old Danny fuckin’, so let me save you some time - this shit with me and Alyster? That’s just what the boys around Tonerville call “gettin’ even”, that’s personal, that ain’t no reflection on what the drop really is. That sloppy bastard injured me, cut short the only noteworthy world title reign in two years, and - worst of all - cost me nearly half a year of my career. It might not be what people wanna hear but I’m nothin’ if not a straight shooter and I’m givin’ it the real one here; what I did to ol’ blue eyes was simply me returnin’ the favour. Don’t look into it any more than that - you know why? Ya don’t? I’ll tell ya why! ‘Cause as much as it killed me to give up that championship belt, the time out from FWA put shit into perspective. Made me realign, find myself, and figure out why it is that I put myself out there to piss, sweat, and bleed all over that ring… it wasn’t to be champion of the world… it was for - don’t go doin’ me for copyright infringement now Baby! - the wrestling fans. For the people that shell out their hard-earned bread to come and see me. For the people that set alarms to go off at ungodly times on the other side of the world, just to tune in and check out what their boy Danny is doin’. For the cats that cough up for every PPV and help make me what I am today - the biggest god-damn draw in FWA history. I do it all for you, the people… and by god let me tell ya - I FUCKIN’ MISSED YOU ALL!”
The crowd pops loudly at this declaration, and Danny Toner allows himself the briefest of smiles before contributing.
Danny Toner: “I’m dead serious when I tell ya this next little anecdote; every night I sat at home and nursed myself back to health, praying to my deity, that I would give absolutely everything to hear the roar of the fans again. Every main event, every title, every pay-check. I’d give every motherfuckin’ bit back if I could just hear that chant one last time-”
DANNY!
DANNY!
DANNY FUCKING TONER!
This time it’s not a quick smile but a full-blown chuckle of laughter as Danny throws his head back, face beaming. He grins at the camera showing his pearly whites before cheekily asking a question.
Danny Toner: “Did ya miss me?”
A large cheer from the Chciago crowd seems to be the answer.
Danny Toner: “I can’t fuckin’ hear you! I said: DID YA MISS ME?”
The crowd grows even louder as Danny nods his head with a pursed lip.
Danny Toner: “Ya know what, Todd? Interview over. This ain’t fuckin’ good enough, this ain’t what the people paid for, this ain’t what they want. A message like this deserves better. They deserve better. It’s high time - no pun intended - that I go fuckin’ out and stand in MY ring again and tell the people what they want to hear.”
A rumble begins amongst the crowd that is growing with anticipation. Danny takes a deep breath before speaking.
Danny Toner: “I’ve been waitin’ for this - HIT MY FUCKIN’ MUSIC!!!”
The crowd roars as Danny makes his way to the gorilla position with the opening riffs of his infamous theme music beginning to kick in.
Rod Sterling: “Do not adjust your sets or computers, foks, your ears do not deceive you! That is the music of former World Champion, Danny Toner and he is here live on pay-per-view at The Grand March.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “We haven’t seen this man since Lights Out last year and I for one cannot wait to hear what he has to say, wrestling fans!”
Allen Price: “Well, I can wait! This guy is bad news, we all know that! We seen him return at Night 1 of King or the Death Match to continue his heinous string of attacks against now-former X Champion, Alyster Black! Attacks he’d been committing for weeks may-”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Here he is!!!”
Baby’s excited tone is matched by the outpouring of noise from the crowd as Danny Toner steps out onto the FWA stage wearing Stone Island cargo pants, a matching Stone Island jumper, and white Air Max 95’s. He spreads his arms as he nods his head at the adoring fans on the way down to the ring.
Kurt Harrington: “Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming back to the FWA at this time… DANNY-”
FUCKING!
Kurt Harrington: “TONERRRRR!!!”
The crowd cheers loudly as Danny hops over the top rope and into the ring. He motions to Kurt and whispers something to the ring announcer before turning around with his arms spread as his music dies out. He is still holding the microphone from the interview and wastes no time getting into it.
Danny Toner: “Chicago, lemme hear ya!”
The crowd cheer loudly in response.
Danny Toner: “Fuck me, you boys don’t take much pumpin’ up! Lemme tell ya, neither do fuckin’ I! I’m back, lookin’ as good as ever and READY TO FUCKING GO!”
DANNY!
DANNY!
DANNY FUCKING TONER!
Danny Toner: “That chant… all you standing in unison bellowin’ it out… that’s why. That’s the reason. It makes me… it makes me feel something…”
DANNY!
DANNY!
DANNY FUCKING TONER!
Danny Toner: “It makes me feel… fuckin’ sick to my stomach.”
The crowd goes quiet as Danny’s face shows that he’s deadly serious.
Danny Toner: “Those chants… they piss me off. Ya know why? It shows me just how freakin’ fickle you all are. What’s with all the shocked faces? You motherfuckers are all the same, ya turn on a god-damn dime, and ya just accept the new flavour of the month like it’s nothin’, no big deal. ‘Mon now wrestling fans, don’t act like ya all weren’t sheddin’ fuckin’ tears and actin’ like you cared so much about me when it was announced I was gonna be out of action. Talkin’ smack about how much of a pity it was that I was forced to drop my championship, but… then you all screamed that little bitch Alyster Black on to winnin’ MY motherfuckin’ belt! The man you all thought was responsible for puttin’ me on the shelf. That fuckin’ nobody was the champion and every single one of you all forgot about poor, little Danny.”
DANNY!
DANNY!
DANNY FUCKING TONER!
There are still some chants from the more hopeful and optimistic fans in Chicago but they’re growing weaker by the second.
Danny Toner: “I may be Danny fuckin’ Toner, but guess what? You simple bastards don’t get to call me that anymore. You’ve lost the privilege. Kurt, if you’d please inform these dumb animals…”
An uneasy looking Kurt Harrington clears his throat before stepping up.
Kurt Harrington: “It appears I made an error in my introduction. Let me reintroduce the man in the ring…”
Pockets of the crowd have begun to lightly boo at this point, but Harrington continues on.
Kurt Harrington: “Please welcome back… THE LAST DRAW IN THE SKY-”
Immediate booing from the boisterous Chicago fans and Danny breaks into a shit-eating grin.
Kurt Harrington: “Danny Toner.”
The booing turns up a notch but Danny doesn’t care, he laughs before speaking harshly into the microphone, looking fairly jacked up while doing so.
leDanny Toner: “You simple motherfuckers hear that? You’re looking at the main fuckin man, the most marketable guy in FWA history, the boss, the don, The Last Draw in the Sky. Yo, if the meaning of that is lost on this so-called “new wave” in the back - read a fuckin’ history book, you fuckin’ jerk-offs. Let me teach you a harsh lesson, right out the gate - you don’t mean fuckin shit, you’re just paddin’ out the roster, an extra fuckin’ body for me to put in a damn bag. That goes for every single one of you borin’, try-hard, assholes that made the sorry decision to sign on the dotted line in my motherfuckin’ company. There ain’t nobody that moves the needle like me - when I was out the ratings tanked, attendances fell, and people lost interest in the boring, old, merry-go-round that the big circus runs with the same, poxy, shit that they force down your all-too-eager throats.”
Allen Price: “That’s not true!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “He was doing remarkably big numbers as champion…”
Rod Sterling: “Be that as it may, I think we have to chalk this one up to mere speculation, folks.”
Danny allows the noise to somewhat subdue - not that there wouldn’t be a constant backdrop of some booing as he continued down this path.
Danny Toner: “Lemme clear somethin’ up before I delve any further… I ain’t aimlessly shootin’ my mouth out here but if someone is accidentally gonna catch a stray and get offended, remember this: I know exactly what I’m doin’ and this gun ain’t loaded to cause offence - it’s loaded to fuckin’ kill.”
This more or less being silence to the arena. As much as they are despising what Toner is saying right now, every wrestling fan in the FWA Cosmos wants to hear what Toner’s plan is with Back in Business fast approaching.
Danny Toner: “Now I’ve got your attention, eh? Wel then, let’s get right freakin’ into it! You wanna talk bullshit motherfuckers that ain’t ever gonna be over like me? I mean do you really think anybody gives a fuck about Jezza B and that fat sack of shit he runs with once they see my name on the billing? As for fuckin’ Krash? Motherfucker should’ve stayed dead.”
The crowd begins booing and shouting obscenities as Toner lowers himself to the canvas and sits against the bottom turnbuckle in a familiar fashion.
Danny Toner: “What about my girl M-v-H winnin’ the Climax? She only won the damn thing because I couldn’t compete. That’s three times now she’s managed to get out of our overdue dance. Why would anybody give a fuck anymore about that JANA bitch?”
As Danny pulls himself to his feet a fan in the front row with a beer shouts out, “What is JANA!?”. Danny’s eyes widen a bit as he addresses the fan directly, leaning over the top rope.
Danny Toner: “Oh, you didn’t know? Just another nasty ass BITCH!!!”
The crowd let him have it, though MvH’s unpopular standing with the crowd definitely tampers with it somewhat. Danny climbs onto the second turnbuckle and looks out at the crowd and with no emotion on his face, continues his spiel.
Danny Toner: “How about the looonnng overdue shot at the World Championship for Cyrus Truth tonight?”
The crowd get momentarily excited for that one. Truth/Toner is a road not often travelled and they can’t hide their feelings over that potential showdown, no matter their feelings for the man perched on the second turnbuckle.
Danny Toner: “The only thing that’s overdue is my size ten foot caving your skull in so that we can be rid of your ramblin’, old ass once and for all, you washed up, geriatric, prick. The last time somebody turned on the television looking’ to check out Cyrus was way back when we were being treated to Saint’s illustrious reign.”
That’s enough to kickstart the booing again as Danny hops down and walks over to the opposing turnbuckle, climbing that in a similar fashion.
Danny Toner: “What about the dollar store Danny Toner? Gotta admire that bleached hair, fuckin’ pussy trying to follow in my path but here’s a little spoiler for ya, Summers - it ain’t what you’re doin’ that gets people talkin’, it’s who is doin’ it. Lesson from The Don. Take heed, Shawn, listen to Daddy.”
The crowd are growing louder and barely have time to react before Danny is mounting the third ringpost and going off on yet another FWA star.
Danny Toner: “Et tu, Caesar? If rumblings in the back are true, then I believe you have a bone to pick with me over the fate of your dirt-fuckin’, shit tag team partner? Listen, son, you may have spent the weekend staring death in the face and lived to tell the tale but you haven’t stared me in the face. That’d be the last thing you ever do so why don’t you run along and play nice with that soft boy belt that I wouldn’t even wipe my damn ass with!”
Rod Sterling: “You have to take all this with a pinch of salt from Danny when you consider just about everyone he’s called out has either a massive match coming up tonight or are recovering from one from the weekend!”
Allen Price: “For my money, he’s the most horrible person I’ve ever met.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “But there’s no denying he’s an absolute star! The crowd are in the palm of his hand right now!”
The crowd are really letting Danny have it as he struts across the ring and climbs the final turnbuckle he has yet to acrnd and spew venom from.
Danny Toner: “And that brings me to everyone’s favourite indy star - Aly Black! He ain’t nothin’ to fuck with, right? Well your boy fucked him up real good.”
ALY’S GONNA KILL YOU!
ALY’S GONNA KILL YOU!
ALY’S GONNA KILL YOU!
Danny Toner: “You brain-dead idiots, you really bought that shit they fed you? Black didn’t injure me, that G can’t touch me, that slow clown can’t lay a damn finger on me. You all want the truth? I took some time off to deal with shit that, frankly, is a hell of a lot more important than the FWA. See, I knew I could come and fuck FWA up and take my championship back anytime I damn well pleased, but some shit, some shit has a timeline on it and I had to strap up and roll out to deal with some real business. When I saw Aly win my belt - sloppy little motherfuker that he is had to do it in a damn clusterfuck - I thought to myself; I’m gonna come back to end this paper reign that holds no weight and slap that masked bitch right in the goddamn mouth. Buuut… before your little indy darlin’ could even hold onto the belt for the length of time it takes to have a Tonerville-style bender… he lost it to Devin Golden. I mean of all the pathetic ways to drop a strap that ain’t yours… losin’ to that emo, wrist-slittin’ fraud has to be the dirt worst. I was fuckin’ embarrassed for both of them. Management was even worse; they tried to dress it up in some bullshit Winter Wasteland match but the hard facts are simple: no Danny, no interest. Are they so naive? Do they not know what people think of Goldie?”
GREATEST EVER!
clap-clap-clap-clap-clap
GREATEST EVER!
clap-clap-clap-clap-clap
Danny hops down off the turnbuckle, shaking his head with a look of amazement on his face.
Danny Toner: “Gimme a break. That top-hat wearing freak had to wait for me to go to try and make one last move to cling onto relevancy. I even considered coming back to put him out of his misery but then…”
Danny stops in his tracks and actually lets out a “Hah!”. He looks like he barely believes the next part.
Danny Toner: “Then he lost it to Chris Peacock and to put it bluntly… I just couldn’t be assed pummellin’ Disco to the ground and having my with him again. That pussy fuckin’ loose from me ridin’ him and now it’s just like any other old [*bleep*].”
The crowd reacts extremely loudly to that one.
Allen Price: “Get this foul-mouthed thug out of there! Security? SECURITY!?”
Danny doesn’t seem to care as he leans over the top rope to specifically give Allen Price the middle finger.
Danny Toner: “You like watchin’ you dirty, old paedo, don’t ya?”
The crowd explodes and a couple of beer cups and balled up bits of trash begin hitting the ring. It only causes Danny to laugh.
Danny Toner: “Yo, get me a freakin’ chair, I ain’t going anywhere yet folks; there’s another few chapters to this story.”
The booing intensifies as Danny gets handed a chair from a ringside attendant, sets it up, and produces a big blunt from his cargo pants side pocket. He sits down and lights it as some more trash litters the ring around him. He takes a big hit, blowing smoke in the air before continuing his tirade.
Danny Toner: “I decided that I’d revert to plan A, namely, smoking Aly Black. Sure, he hadn’t got the world title but to be honest? That has already been slung through the shit so much that I really don’t give a fuck about it anymore, but one things for certain; I’m a man of my word. Cast your minds back to before I had to jet off… I promised Black’s mask and while I got a bit of it when I ripped him to shreds at Lights Out… I didn’t deliver. That’s a debt that I owe, and it’s one I planned to pay. But wait ‘til you get a load of this…”
Danny takes another toke to create a pause and build suspense.
Danny Toner: “I hit the motherfucker too hard! He aint cleared to compete, and knowin’ what my right knee is packin’, he probably won’t for a long time. No sane doctor on this freakin’ planet would give him the A-okay, ‘specially if they heard he was lookin’ to come dance with me. See, “Blue Eyes”, when Inwanna hurt someone… I fucking hurt someone. Ya can ask Rondo that, ain’t no lies when you’re staring at Danny Toner.”
Heavy booing rains down as Danny continues to yoke on his joint.
Rod Sterling: “Uh… unfortunately there is an element of truth to what Danny is saying. Alyster Black is out for an indefinite amount of time due to injuries sustained this past weekend.”
Danny Toner: “So, with Aly added to the list of people victimised and brutalised beyond repair by yours truly, what do I do now? Do I keep an eye on the main event tonight? Do I fuck off for a nice beer to go with this fat joint? Do I win the Carnal Contendership for a second year in a row?”
The loud negative reaction from the crowd indicates they don’t want Danny to do anything of the sort.
Danny Toner: “Don’t worry that all sounds boring as fuck. Though I do have an idea. How about this: I’ll give anybody in the fuckin’ world a chance to shut me up AND get in the ring with the only guy worth a damn dime left in this business… at Back in Business. The show I main evented two years in a row. The PPV that I broke all box office records at. The biggest gate in pro-wrestling history. You’ll get the biggest rub of your life just from being on the same damn promotional poster as me. I’lol be at Carnal Contendership to see if anybody is crazy enough to take me up on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Maybe somebody is tapped enough to walk out here right fuckin’ now?”
Danny laughs his head off in the ring but doesn’t exactly give a lot of time for a response.
Danny Toner: “Heh, I didn’t think so. There ain’t a real one left in this company so on that sad note, I think that’ll be all for now from The Last Draw in the Sky, Chicago. Until then, you can all get on your motherfuckin’ knees and never forget…”
Danny stands up from the chair and with a big grin on his face, shouts over all the booing in the arena.
Danny Toner: “KEEP THE EYES!!!”
He laughs and takes a long toke on his joint as we fade to commercial with the crowd chanting relentlessly.
FUCK YOU DANNY!
FUCK YOU DANNY!
FUCK YOU DANNY!
The scene shifts back to inside the United Center in Chicago and a shot of the commentary table, which Rod Sterling is currently manning the desk on his own.
Rod Sterling: “Well, ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to The Grand March, where we have already witnessed some fantastic action already but I do regret to inform you that the next match may be lacking in technical prowess when you compare it to what has already come tonight. I’m going to be calling the action on this one on my own as my commentary partners for tonight are about to be tag team partners in this next contest.”
There is a collective groan from the capacity crowd as they realise which match is coming up next and well, they do not get any kinder when Ratin Mikichin bops out from the back once his music picks up. Ratin seems very pleased to gain the exposure of appearing on Pay-Per-View and celebrates by exposing rather too much of himself in his lime green mankini.
Kurt Harrington: “The following contest is a tag team match scheduled for one fall! Introducing first… from Kazakhstan, Ratin Mikichin!”
Rod Sterling: “Whilst I would usually be biased towards my fellow commentators, part of me is pulling for their opponents tonight; if Ratin Mikichin and Steve the Techno Vampire lose, they will be banned from appearing on Fallout in any capacity, which means that we’ll be seeing a lot more of them on Meltdown. Although, I’m not sure it is possible to see much more of Ratin than I am right now!”
Ratin does a small shimmy on the stage, almost causing his junk to make an unscheduled appearance, but then settled as his music fades out.
The reception for Ratin’s partner is kinder, with Steve the Techno Vampire being the clear more popular one out of the pair of rivals. Steve walks out with his cape wrapped tightly around him and he takes a position next to Ratin on the stage. He opens his cape out and a plethora of plastic bats drop to the ground, some landing on Ratin’s feet, which he kicks away.
Kurt Harrington: “Introducing his tag team partner… from Trancesylvania, he is STEVE THE TECHNO VAMPIRE!”
Rod Sterling: “Here is the slightly more bearable one of the two; Steve the Techno Vampire, who has shown some decent ability in the ring, compared to his opponent at least. Oh, wait, what is this?”
The oddball pairing of enemies do not make their way down to the ring together and instead wait for someone else, who is revealed to be none other than Greg, who began appearing alongside Ratin and Steve a few weeks ago. Greg carries a microphone in his hand and Steve’s music cuts out as he walks onto the stage.
Greg: “Hi, I’m Greg!”
As Greg beams out to the Chicago crowd, they make it abundantly clear what they think of him with ferocious boos. Greg does not acknowledge this, and he begins to walk down the ramp, tripping on one of the plastic bats as he does so before composing himself once again.
Greg: “What a great evening to be with friends, huh? Well, my friends here, Steve and Ratin might not see eye-to-eye on everything, but one thing they can agree on is that they have been subjected to repeated disrespect and ridicule on Fallout for the last several months.”
The crowd continue to boo as Greg accompanies both Ratin and Steve into the ring, where they stand side by side.
Greg: “Tonight, Jean-Luc Watkins and Allen Price are going to feel the full extent of the power that these two men possess. We have been selected by a higher purpose - a ’Higher Power’ - to be here tonight and we will show you what we are capable of.
And when Steve the Techno Vampire and Ratin Mikichin win tonight, not only will they be allowed to appear on Fallout as much as they desire, but I will also be petitioning Jon Russnow for a SIXTY minute Iron Man Match to take place on Fallout 028 - uninterrupted!”
Some crazy folks in the crowd actually seem to get behind that proposal, but the overwhelming opinion is that such a match would be an unprecedented disaster.
Greg: “Thank you everyone, I’ve been Greg.”
There are few circumstances which would result in Allen Price receiving an almost-standing ovation, but The Grand March is one of those occasions as his arrival means the end of Greg’s spiel. Price looks every bit of a non-wrestler, dressed in an ill-fitting singlet (though not as garish as Ratin’s mankini), and he does some shadow boxing as he waits at the bottom of the ramp.
Kurt Harrington: “Their opponents… first, from Greenwich, Connecticut, he is the self-proclaimed ‘Voice of Fallout’.... ALLLLLEENNNNNNNN PRRRIIIIIIICCEEEEE!!”
Rod Sterling: “You will note that Kurt said ‘self-proclaimed’, and that is accurate, as absolutely no one else would call Allen Price that. Allen certainly almost looks the part, at least. This is actually his second match on Pay-Per-View, after losing to TxR and Christian Quinn alongside Chris Peacock and Sauce Man at Lights Out 2021. How things change!”
Price ponders getting into the ring with his opponents, but he pauses on the steel steps, deciding to wait for his commentary partner - who for tonight is his tag team partner.
The fans seem even more delighted to see Jean-Luc Watkins emerge from the back, dressed to compete in much more traditional wrestling attire. Despite looking ready for a match in long Fallout purple tights and white boots, it is clear from JLW’s face that he does not want any part of this, but he meets Price with a fist bump before both enter the ring.
Kurt Harrington: “His partner, from Albany, New York and weighing in at two-hundred and ten pounds… ‘Baby’ JEAN-LUUUUUCCCC WAAAAAAAAATTTKKKINNNSSSSSSSSSS!!!”
Rod Sterling: “The wrestling purists will be very grateful that Jean-Luc has agreed to be a part of this match, but I think he would not have done were it not for the prize on offer; should he and Allen Price win, he will not have to endure Ratin, Steve or Greg on Fallout ever again. Also a chance for a little stat-padding; since returning to the FWA as part of Fallout, Jean-Luc’s infrequent in-ring appearances have ended in losses to Alyster Black and Chris Peacock.”
JLW does not even get into the ring after Allen Price, instead making it clear to his partner that he has got it, and Price all of a sudden seems to lose a bulk of his confidence. In the opposite corner, Ratin and Steve seem to have entered into a small debate over who gets to start, and it is finally settled that Steve will be doing the honours. Referee DJ Franchise calls for the bell to ring, and one of the strangest matches ever booked on an FWA Pay-Per-View gets underway.
The crowd is split in favor of both of the competitors and the two of them begin to circle each other before locking up. Parr transitions Fenix into a side headlock and Fenix shoves Parr off toward the ropes, and a leap frog from Fenix as Parr hits the opposite ropes and off the rebound he ducks underneath a spinning back fist from Fenix. Parr drills Fenix with several forearm strikes, and Parr has Fenix staggered and sends Fenix off the ropes and then catches Fenix with a hip toss! Fenix hits the mat hard with a slight grimace but he’s quickly back on his feet and ducks a clothesline from Parr. Fenix has Parr set up for a backdrop suplex and he goes for it, but Parr flips out of it in time and Parr drills Fenix in the back of the head with a forearm before locking in a rear waistlock on Fenix and he hits Fenix with a belly-to-back suplex! Fenix winces after hitting the mat and he starts to rise up on one knee but Parr strikes with a shining wizard that knocks Fenix right back down and Parr drops down for the pin…
One…TWO-NO!
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”A fairly evenly matched contest thus far but now Parr shifts the control in his favor.”
Parr peppers Fenix with a few stomps for good measure and then he brings Fenix up in a front facelock, and Parr lays in a few more forearm strikes on Fenix before he hoists him up for a suplex, but Fenix still manages to flip out behind Parr and he clips Parr on the back of his left leg. Parr drops down to one knee and this allows Fenix to strike with a running knee strike to the back of the dome! This time Fenix drops down for the pin…
One…TWO-NO!
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Now Jackson Fenix is in the driver’s seat and he’s starting to slow down the pace with a rear chinlock.”
Rod Sterling: ”Fenix is wisely digging his knee into Parr’s lower spine as well for extra added pressure.”
Allen Price: ”I know that can’t feel good for Mike Parr, look at the pain etched on his face!”
Fenix wrenches back with the chinlock and he keeps his knee dug deep into Parr’s lower spine area. One half of the crowd that’s in favor of Mike Parr begins to rally him back in the match, and Fenix tries to shake them off as he wrenches back some more while the referee checks on Parr. Soon enough, the fans rally and Parr starts to rise up while still locked in the hold but he fights out of it with several back elbows right into Fenix’s stomach! Fenix eventually releases the hold and Parr unleashes several uppercuts to Fenix that have him wobbly and Parr sends Fenix over with a snapmare and Parr drives his boot straight into the spine of Fenix with a sharp soccer-like kick! Fenix winces and as he’s slowly rising up, Parr strikes with a flying knee to the face! Fenix is down and out but Parr isn’t through with him yet as he runs the ropes and leaps off and hits a picture perfect lionsault on Fenix into the pin!
One…two…NO!
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Parr has regained control and he’s taking it to Fenix now!”
Parr sends Fenix to the corner with an irish whip and he hits a running corner clothesline! Parr climbs up and mounts Fenix and drives down fist after fist to Fenix’s head while the fans count along with each strike! After the count reaches ten, Parr leaps off and he sends Fenix into the opposite corner and Parr strikes with a running knee strike right into a running bulldog out of the corner and Parr drops down again for the pin!
One…two…THREE-NO!
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Parr is feeling it now and he senses that this may be his chance to close the book on Jackson Fenix!”
Parr has Fenix locked in position for the Rolling Cutter, but Fenix spins out of it and he has Parr by the wrist and strikes with a ripcord lariat! Parr is down and Fenix runs the ropes and hits a running single leg drop to Parr! Fenix starts to feed off the energy from his side of the crowd as he positions himself on the second rope, and he waits as Parr is slowly rising up and Parr turns around…SMD! Fenix with the diving meteora from the second rope right into a pin as he hooks both legs while he’s on top of Parr…
One…two…THREE-NO!
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Fenix executed that crudely named meteora with precision and he almost had it there, but Parr keeps on ticking!”
Fenix stomps down on Parr’s legs before expertly applying the figure four leglock submission! Fenix has it locked down in the center of the ring with nowhere for Parr to go, but Parr musters up enough strength and he turns the tables on Fenix with the figure four now on Fenix! Fenix is trying to counter but Parr won’t let up! Fenix is fighting off the urge to submit and he slowly inched his way toward the rope and he’s able to break the hold! Parr releases it and he rises up while Fenix nurses his leg. Parr stalks his prey and lays into him with more stomps, mainly focused on the leg that Fenix uses for the superkick. Parr pulls Fenix away and now locks in an inverted sharpshooter on Fenix! Parr wrenches back on the hold and Fenix has nowhere to go as he desperately reaches out for that bottom rope!
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Mike Parr has Fenix where he wants him! That leg has taken a lot of damage!”
Allen Price: ”That’s Fenix’s super kicking leg! Parr is doing his best to ensure that Fenix doesn’t hit that super kick!”
Fenix is able to inch his way closer to the ropes and he’s finally to break the hold, but the damage may be done as Parr releases it and Parr drops down for the pin…
One…two…THREE-NO!
Parr spreads out Fenix’s leg and drops an elbow down on it! Fenix nurses his leg some more but Parr brings him and goes to whip Fenix in the corner, but Fenix counters and sends Parr to the corner. Fenix unloads on Parr with several knife-edge chops in the corner. Fenix drags Parr out of the corner and sends him toward the ropes and then catches Parr with a sling blade! Fenix limps around the ring and starts to size up Parr for his super kick, but he’s still feeling the effects from all the damage Parr has done to his leg. Fenix realizes he’s wasting precious time and he does his best to fight through the pain and he shakes it off. Parr is up and Fenix goes for the super kick, but Parr senses danger and side steps it and he quickly grabs Fenix in position…Rolling cutter!
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”This is it, Parr is closing in on the victory!”
Parr then proceeds to ascend to the top…X Marks the Spot! Parr with the pin…
One…two…THREE!
Winner: Mike Parr by pinfall at 18:22.
Kurt Harrington: ”The winner of the match, Mike Parr!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”That was a highly competitive contest that could’ve easily gone either way, but Mike Parr is the one walking away with the victory!”
Rod Sterling: ”You’re right, Jean-Luc. I do think Fenix could’ve put away Parr had it not been for his leg taking the brunt of the punishment in this match. Parr was wise to focus on that leg and in the end it paid off for him.”
Parr has his hand raised in victory and he quickly exits the ring while Jackson Fenix is now joined by Nate Savage, and Savage assists a distraught Fenix out of the ring as the show rolls on.
A hush falls over the crowd as we cut backstage to see a smartly dressed Todd Salum staring straight into the camera. The shot slowly grows wider to show his guest to his immediate left - Danny Toner. The sudden appearance causes the Chicago crowd to explode into a cacophony of noise. The backstage interviewer has been doing this for a long time, and he doesn’t miss a beat as he begins talking the moment the loud, mixed reaction subdues.
Todd Salum: ”Standing by with me right now, a man that doesn’t need an introduction… Danny-”
FUCKING!
Salum keeps a poker face other than a slight grimace but Danny’s face immediately lights up.
Todd Salum: “Toner. For those watching at home I would apologise for the colorful language you just heard but it seems a rather moot point given my guests usual… distasteful language so I’ll just get strai-”
Danny Toner: “I’m gonna cut ya off right there, Todd! I’ve been in this game a long fuckin’ time and I know what you’re fixin’ to ask old Danny fuckin’, so let me save you some time - this shit with me and Alyster? That’s just what the boys around Tonerville call “gettin’ even”, that’s personal, that ain’t no reflection on what the drop really is. That sloppy bastard injured me, cut short the only noteworthy world title reign in two years, and - worst of all - cost me nearly half a year of my career. It might not be what people wanna hear but I’m nothin’ if not a straight shooter and I’m givin’ it the real one here; what I did to ol’ blue eyes was simply me returnin’ the favour. Don’t look into it any more than that - you know why? Ya don’t? I’ll tell ya why! ‘Cause as much as it killed me to give up that championship belt, the time out from FWA put shit into perspective. Made me realign, find myself, and figure out why it is that I put myself out there to piss, sweat, and bleed all over that ring… it wasn’t to be champion of the world… it was for - don’t go doin’ me for copyright infringement now Baby! - the wrestling fans. For the people that shell out their hard-earned bread to come and see me. For the people that set alarms to go off at ungodly times on the other side of the world, just to tune in and check out what their boy Danny is doin’. For the cats that cough up for every PPV and help make me what I am today - the biggest god-damn draw in FWA history. I do it all for you, the people… and by god let me tell ya - I FUCKIN’ MISSED YOU ALL!”
The crowd pops loudly at this declaration, and Danny Toner allows himself the briefest of smiles before contributing.
Danny Toner: “I’m dead serious when I tell ya this next little anecdote; every night I sat at home and nursed myself back to health, praying to my deity, that I would give absolutely everything to hear the roar of the fans again. Every main event, every title, every pay-check. I’d give every motherfuckin’ bit back if I could just hear that chant one last time-”
DANNY!
DANNY!
DANNY FUCKING TONER!
This time it’s not a quick smile but a full-blown chuckle of laughter as Danny throws his head back, face beaming. He grins at the camera showing his pearly whites before cheekily asking a question.
Danny Toner: “Did ya miss me?”
A large cheer from the Chciago crowd seems to be the answer.
Danny Toner: “I can’t fuckin’ hear you! I said: DID YA MISS ME?”
The crowd grows even louder as Danny nods his head with a pursed lip.
Danny Toner: “Ya know what, Todd? Interview over. This ain’t fuckin’ good enough, this ain’t what the people paid for, this ain’t what they want. A message like this deserves better. They deserve better. It’s high time - no pun intended - that I go fuckin’ out and stand in MY ring again and tell the people what they want to hear.”
A rumble begins amongst the crowd that is growing with anticipation. Danny takes a deep breath before speaking.
Danny Toner: “I’ve been waitin’ for this - HIT MY FUCKIN’ MUSIC!!!”
The crowd roars as Danny makes his way to the gorilla position with the opening riffs of his infamous theme music beginning to kick in.
Rod Sterling: “Do not adjust your sets or computers, foks, your ears do not deceive you! That is the music of former World Champion, Danny Toner and he is here live on pay-per-view at The Grand March.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “We haven’t seen this man since Lights Out last year and I for one cannot wait to hear what he has to say, wrestling fans!”
Allen Price: “Well, I can wait! This guy is bad news, we all know that! We seen him return at Night 1 of King or the Death Match to continue his heinous string of attacks against now-former X Champion, Alyster Black! Attacks he’d been committing for weeks may-”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Here he is!!!”
Baby’s excited tone is matched by the outpouring of noise from the crowd as Danny Toner steps out onto the FWA stage wearing Stone Island cargo pants, a matching Stone Island jumper, and white Air Max 95’s. He spreads his arms as he nods his head at the adoring fans on the way down to the ring.
Kurt Harrington: “Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming back to the FWA at this time… DANNY-”
FUCKING!
Kurt Harrington: “TONERRRRR!!!”
The crowd cheers loudly as Danny hops over the top rope and into the ring. He motions to Kurt and whispers something to the ring announcer before turning around with his arms spread as his music dies out. He is still holding the microphone from the interview and wastes no time getting into it.
Danny Toner: “Chicago, lemme hear ya!”
The crowd cheer loudly in response.
Danny Toner: “Fuck me, you boys don’t take much pumpin’ up! Lemme tell ya, neither do fuckin’ I! I’m back, lookin’ as good as ever and READY TO FUCKING GO!”
DANNY!
DANNY!
DANNY FUCKING TONER!
Danny Toner: “That chant… all you standing in unison bellowin’ it out… that’s why. That’s the reason. It makes me… it makes me feel something…”
DANNY!
DANNY!
DANNY FUCKING TONER!
Danny Toner: “It makes me feel… fuckin’ sick to my stomach.”
The crowd goes quiet as Danny’s face shows that he’s deadly serious.
Danny Toner: “Those chants… they piss me off. Ya know why? It shows me just how freakin’ fickle you all are. What’s with all the shocked faces? You motherfuckers are all the same, ya turn on a god-damn dime, and ya just accept the new flavour of the month like it’s nothin’, no big deal. ‘Mon now wrestling fans, don’t act like ya all weren’t sheddin’ fuckin’ tears and actin’ like you cared so much about me when it was announced I was gonna be out of action. Talkin’ smack about how much of a pity it was that I was forced to drop my championship, but… then you all screamed that little bitch Alyster Black on to winnin’ MY motherfuckin’ belt! The man you all thought was responsible for puttin’ me on the shelf. That fuckin’ nobody was the champion and every single one of you all forgot about poor, little Danny.”
DANNY!
DANNY!
DANNY FUCKING TONER!
There are still some chants from the more hopeful and optimistic fans in Chicago but they’re growing weaker by the second.
Danny Toner: “I may be Danny fuckin’ Toner, but guess what? You simple bastards don’t get to call me that anymore. You’ve lost the privilege. Kurt, if you’d please inform these dumb animals…”
An uneasy looking Kurt Harrington clears his throat before stepping up.
Kurt Harrington: “It appears I made an error in my introduction. Let me reintroduce the man in the ring…”
Pockets of the crowd have begun to lightly boo at this point, but Harrington continues on.
Kurt Harrington: “Please welcome back… THE LAST DRAW IN THE SKY-”
Immediate booing from the boisterous Chicago fans and Danny breaks into a shit-eating grin.
Kurt Harrington: “Danny Toner.”
The booing turns up a notch but Danny doesn’t care, he laughs before speaking harshly into the microphone, looking fairly jacked up while doing so.
leDanny Toner: “You simple motherfuckers hear that? You’re looking at the main fuckin man, the most marketable guy in FWA history, the boss, the don, The Last Draw in the Sky. Yo, if the meaning of that is lost on this so-called “new wave” in the back - read a fuckin’ history book, you fuckin’ jerk-offs. Let me teach you a harsh lesson, right out the gate - you don’t mean fuckin shit, you’re just paddin’ out the roster, an extra fuckin’ body for me to put in a damn bag. That goes for every single one of you borin’, try-hard, assholes that made the sorry decision to sign on the dotted line in my motherfuckin’ company. There ain’t nobody that moves the needle like me - when I was out the ratings tanked, attendances fell, and people lost interest in the boring, old, merry-go-round that the big circus runs with the same, poxy, shit that they force down your all-too-eager throats.”
Allen Price: “That’s not true!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “He was doing remarkably big numbers as champion…”
Rod Sterling: “Be that as it may, I think we have to chalk this one up to mere speculation, folks.”
Danny allows the noise to somewhat subdue - not that there wouldn’t be a constant backdrop of some booing as he continued down this path.
Danny Toner: “Lemme clear somethin’ up before I delve any further… I ain’t aimlessly shootin’ my mouth out here but if someone is accidentally gonna catch a stray and get offended, remember this: I know exactly what I’m doin’ and this gun ain’t loaded to cause offence - it’s loaded to fuckin’ kill.”
This more or less being silence to the arena. As much as they are despising what Toner is saying right now, every wrestling fan in the FWA Cosmos wants to hear what Toner’s plan is with Back in Business fast approaching.
Danny Toner: “Now I’ve got your attention, eh? Wel then, let’s get right freakin’ into it! You wanna talk bullshit motherfuckers that ain’t ever gonna be over like me? I mean do you really think anybody gives a fuck about Jezza B and that fat sack of shit he runs with once they see my name on the billing? As for fuckin’ Krash? Motherfucker should’ve stayed dead.”
The crowd begins booing and shouting obscenities as Toner lowers himself to the canvas and sits against the bottom turnbuckle in a familiar fashion.
Danny Toner: “What about my girl M-v-H winnin’ the Climax? She only won the damn thing because I couldn’t compete. That’s three times now she’s managed to get out of our overdue dance. Why would anybody give a fuck anymore about that JANA bitch?”
As Danny pulls himself to his feet a fan in the front row with a beer shouts out, “What is JANA!?”. Danny’s eyes widen a bit as he addresses the fan directly, leaning over the top rope.
Danny Toner: “Oh, you didn’t know? Just another nasty ass BITCH!!!”
The crowd let him have it, though MvH’s unpopular standing with the crowd definitely tampers with it somewhat. Danny climbs onto the second turnbuckle and looks out at the crowd and with no emotion on his face, continues his spiel.
Danny Toner: “How about the looonnng overdue shot at the World Championship for Cyrus Truth tonight?”
The crowd get momentarily excited for that one. Truth/Toner is a road not often travelled and they can’t hide their feelings over that potential showdown, no matter their feelings for the man perched on the second turnbuckle.
Danny Toner: “The only thing that’s overdue is my size ten foot caving your skull in so that we can be rid of your ramblin’, old ass once and for all, you washed up, geriatric, prick. The last time somebody turned on the television looking’ to check out Cyrus was way back when we were being treated to Saint’s illustrious reign.”
That’s enough to kickstart the booing again as Danny hops down and walks over to the opposing turnbuckle, climbing that in a similar fashion.
Danny Toner: “What about the dollar store Danny Toner? Gotta admire that bleached hair, fuckin’ pussy trying to follow in my path but here’s a little spoiler for ya, Summers - it ain’t what you’re doin’ that gets people talkin’, it’s who is doin’ it. Lesson from The Don. Take heed, Shawn, listen to Daddy.”
The crowd are growing louder and barely have time to react before Danny is mounting the third ringpost and going off on yet another FWA star.
Danny Toner: “Et tu, Caesar? If rumblings in the back are true, then I believe you have a bone to pick with me over the fate of your dirt-fuckin’, shit tag team partner? Listen, son, you may have spent the weekend staring death in the face and lived to tell the tale but you haven’t stared me in the face. That’d be the last thing you ever do so why don’t you run along and play nice with that soft boy belt that I wouldn’t even wipe my damn ass with!”
Rod Sterling: “You have to take all this with a pinch of salt from Danny when you consider just about everyone he’s called out has either a massive match coming up tonight or are recovering from one from the weekend!”
Allen Price: “For my money, he’s the most horrible person I’ve ever met.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “But there’s no denying he’s an absolute star! The crowd are in the palm of his hand right now!”
The crowd are really letting Danny have it as he struts across the ring and climbs the final turnbuckle he has yet to acrnd and spew venom from.
Danny Toner: “And that brings me to everyone’s favourite indy star - Aly Black! He ain’t nothin’ to fuck with, right? Well your boy fucked him up real good.”
ALY’S GONNA KILL YOU!
ALY’S GONNA KILL YOU!
ALY’S GONNA KILL YOU!
Danny Toner: “You brain-dead idiots, you really bought that shit they fed you? Black didn’t injure me, that G can’t touch me, that slow clown can’t lay a damn finger on me. You all want the truth? I took some time off to deal with shit that, frankly, is a hell of a lot more important than the FWA. See, I knew I could come and fuck FWA up and take my championship back anytime I damn well pleased, but some shit, some shit has a timeline on it and I had to strap up and roll out to deal with some real business. When I saw Aly win my belt - sloppy little motherfuker that he is had to do it in a damn clusterfuck - I thought to myself; I’m gonna come back to end this paper reign that holds no weight and slap that masked bitch right in the goddamn mouth. Buuut… before your little indy darlin’ could even hold onto the belt for the length of time it takes to have a Tonerville-style bender… he lost it to Devin Golden. I mean of all the pathetic ways to drop a strap that ain’t yours… losin’ to that emo, wrist-slittin’ fraud has to be the dirt worst. I was fuckin’ embarrassed for both of them. Management was even worse; they tried to dress it up in some bullshit Winter Wasteland match but the hard facts are simple: no Danny, no interest. Are they so naive? Do they not know what people think of Goldie?”
GREATEST EVER!
clap-clap-clap-clap-clap
GREATEST EVER!
clap-clap-clap-clap-clap
Danny hops down off the turnbuckle, shaking his head with a look of amazement on his face.
Danny Toner: “Gimme a break. That top-hat wearing freak had to wait for me to go to try and make one last move to cling onto relevancy. I even considered coming back to put him out of his misery but then…”
Danny stops in his tracks and actually lets out a “Hah!”. He looks like he barely believes the next part.
Danny Toner: “Then he lost it to Chris Peacock and to put it bluntly… I just couldn’t be assed pummellin’ Disco to the ground and having my with him again. That pussy fuckin’ loose from me ridin’ him and now it’s just like any other old [*bleep*].”
The crowd reacts extremely loudly to that one.
Allen Price: “Get this foul-mouthed thug out of there! Security? SECURITY!?”
Danny doesn’t seem to care as he leans over the top rope to specifically give Allen Price the middle finger.
Danny Toner: “You like watchin’ you dirty, old paedo, don’t ya?”
The crowd explodes and a couple of beer cups and balled up bits of trash begin hitting the ring. It only causes Danny to laugh.
Danny Toner: “Yo, get me a freakin’ chair, I ain’t going anywhere yet folks; there’s another few chapters to this story.”
The booing intensifies as Danny gets handed a chair from a ringside attendant, sets it up, and produces a big blunt from his cargo pants side pocket. He sits down and lights it as some more trash litters the ring around him. He takes a big hit, blowing smoke in the air before continuing his tirade.
Danny Toner: “I decided that I’d revert to plan A, namely, smoking Aly Black. Sure, he hadn’t got the world title but to be honest? That has already been slung through the shit so much that I really don’t give a fuck about it anymore, but one things for certain; I’m a man of my word. Cast your minds back to before I had to jet off… I promised Black’s mask and while I got a bit of it when I ripped him to shreds at Lights Out… I didn’t deliver. That’s a debt that I owe, and it’s one I planned to pay. But wait ‘til you get a load of this…”
Danny takes another toke to create a pause and build suspense.
Danny Toner: “I hit the motherfucker too hard! He aint cleared to compete, and knowin’ what my right knee is packin’, he probably won’t for a long time. No sane doctor on this freakin’ planet would give him the A-okay, ‘specially if they heard he was lookin’ to come dance with me. See, “Blue Eyes”, when Inwanna hurt someone… I fucking hurt someone. Ya can ask Rondo that, ain’t no lies when you’re staring at Danny Toner.”
Heavy booing rains down as Danny continues to yoke on his joint.
Rod Sterling: “Uh… unfortunately there is an element of truth to what Danny is saying. Alyster Black is out for an indefinite amount of time due to injuries sustained this past weekend.”
Danny Toner: “So, with Aly added to the list of people victimised and brutalised beyond repair by yours truly, what do I do now? Do I keep an eye on the main event tonight? Do I fuck off for a nice beer to go with this fat joint? Do I win the Carnal Contendership for a second year in a row?”
The loud negative reaction from the crowd indicates they don’t want Danny to do anything of the sort.
Danny Toner: “Don’t worry that all sounds boring as fuck. Though I do have an idea. How about this: I’ll give anybody in the fuckin’ world a chance to shut me up AND get in the ring with the only guy worth a damn dime left in this business… at Back in Business. The show I main evented two years in a row. The PPV that I broke all box office records at. The biggest gate in pro-wrestling history. You’ll get the biggest rub of your life just from being on the same damn promotional poster as me. I’lol be at Carnal Contendership to see if anybody is crazy enough to take me up on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Maybe somebody is tapped enough to walk out here right fuckin’ now?”
Danny laughs his head off in the ring but doesn’t exactly give a lot of time for a response.
Danny Toner: “Heh, I didn’t think so. There ain’t a real one left in this company so on that sad note, I think that’ll be all for now from The Last Draw in the Sky, Chicago. Until then, you can all get on your motherfuckin’ knees and never forget…”
Danny stands up from the chair and with a big grin on his face, shouts over all the booing in the arena.
Danny Toner: “KEEP THE EYES!!!”
He laughs and takes a long toke on his joint as we fade to commercial with the crowd chanting relentlessly.
FUCK YOU DANNY!
FUCK YOU DANNY!
FUCK YOU DANNY!
The scene shifts back to inside the United Center in Chicago and a shot of the commentary table, which Rod Sterling is currently manning the desk on his own.
Rod Sterling: “Well, ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to The Grand March, where we have already witnessed some fantastic action already but I do regret to inform you that the next match may be lacking in technical prowess when you compare it to what has already come tonight. I’m going to be calling the action on this one on my own as my commentary partners for tonight are about to be tag team partners in this next contest.”
There is a collective groan from the capacity crowd as they realise which match is coming up next and well, they do not get any kinder when Ratin Mikichin bops out from the back once his music picks up. Ratin seems very pleased to gain the exposure of appearing on Pay-Per-View and celebrates by exposing rather too much of himself in his lime green mankini.
Kurt Harrington: “The following contest is a tag team match scheduled for one fall! Introducing first… from Kazakhstan, Ratin Mikichin!”
Rod Sterling: “Whilst I would usually be biased towards my fellow commentators, part of me is pulling for their opponents tonight; if Ratin Mikichin and Steve the Techno Vampire lose, they will be banned from appearing on Fallout in any capacity, which means that we’ll be seeing a lot more of them on Meltdown. Although, I’m not sure it is possible to see much more of Ratin than I am right now!”
Ratin does a small shimmy on the stage, almost causing his junk to make an unscheduled appearance, but then settled as his music fades out.
The reception for Ratin’s partner is kinder, with Steve the Techno Vampire being the clear more popular one out of the pair of rivals. Steve walks out with his cape wrapped tightly around him and he takes a position next to Ratin on the stage. He opens his cape out and a plethora of plastic bats drop to the ground, some landing on Ratin’s feet, which he kicks away.
Kurt Harrington: “Introducing his tag team partner… from Trancesylvania, he is STEVE THE TECHNO VAMPIRE!”
Rod Sterling: “Here is the slightly more bearable one of the two; Steve the Techno Vampire, who has shown some decent ability in the ring, compared to his opponent at least. Oh, wait, what is this?”
The oddball pairing of enemies do not make their way down to the ring together and instead wait for someone else, who is revealed to be none other than Greg, who began appearing alongside Ratin and Steve a few weeks ago. Greg carries a microphone in his hand and Steve’s music cuts out as he walks onto the stage.
Greg: “Hi, I’m Greg!”
As Greg beams out to the Chicago crowd, they make it abundantly clear what they think of him with ferocious boos. Greg does not acknowledge this, and he begins to walk down the ramp, tripping on one of the plastic bats as he does so before composing himself once again.
Greg: “What a great evening to be with friends, huh? Well, my friends here, Steve and Ratin might not see eye-to-eye on everything, but one thing they can agree on is that they have been subjected to repeated disrespect and ridicule on Fallout for the last several months.”
The crowd continue to boo as Greg accompanies both Ratin and Steve into the ring, where they stand side by side.
Greg: “Tonight, Jean-Luc Watkins and Allen Price are going to feel the full extent of the power that these two men possess. We have been selected by a higher purpose - a ’Higher Power’ - to be here tonight and we will show you what we are capable of.
And when Steve the Techno Vampire and Ratin Mikichin win tonight, not only will they be allowed to appear on Fallout as much as they desire, but I will also be petitioning Jon Russnow for a SIXTY minute Iron Man Match to take place on Fallout 028 - uninterrupted!”
Some crazy folks in the crowd actually seem to get behind that proposal, but the overwhelming opinion is that such a match would be an unprecedented disaster.
Greg: “Thank you everyone, I’ve been Greg.”
There are few circumstances which would result in Allen Price receiving an almost-standing ovation, but The Grand March is one of those occasions as his arrival means the end of Greg’s spiel. Price looks every bit of a non-wrestler, dressed in an ill-fitting singlet (though not as garish as Ratin’s mankini), and he does some shadow boxing as he waits at the bottom of the ramp.
Kurt Harrington: “Their opponents… first, from Greenwich, Connecticut, he is the self-proclaimed ‘Voice of Fallout’.... ALLLLLEENNNNNNNN PRRRIIIIIIICCEEEEE!!”
Rod Sterling: “You will note that Kurt said ‘self-proclaimed’, and that is accurate, as absolutely no one else would call Allen Price that. Allen certainly almost looks the part, at least. This is actually his second match on Pay-Per-View, after losing to TxR and Christian Quinn alongside Chris Peacock and Sauce Man at Lights Out 2021. How things change!”
Price ponders getting into the ring with his opponents, but he pauses on the steel steps, deciding to wait for his commentary partner - who for tonight is his tag team partner.
The fans seem even more delighted to see Jean-Luc Watkins emerge from the back, dressed to compete in much more traditional wrestling attire. Despite looking ready for a match in long Fallout purple tights and white boots, it is clear from JLW’s face that he does not want any part of this, but he meets Price with a fist bump before both enter the ring.
Kurt Harrington: “His partner, from Albany, New York and weighing in at two-hundred and ten pounds… ‘Baby’ JEAN-LUUUUUCCCC WAAAAAAAAATTTKKKINNNSSSSSSSSSS!!!”
Rod Sterling: “The wrestling purists will be very grateful that Jean-Luc has agreed to be a part of this match, but I think he would not have done were it not for the prize on offer; should he and Allen Price win, he will not have to endure Ratin, Steve or Greg on Fallout ever again. Also a chance for a little stat-padding; since returning to the FWA as part of Fallout, Jean-Luc’s infrequent in-ring appearances have ended in losses to Alyster Black and Chris Peacock.”
JLW does not even get into the ring after Allen Price, instead making it clear to his partner that he has got it, and Price all of a sudden seems to lose a bulk of his confidence. In the opposite corner, Ratin and Steve seem to have entered into a small debate over who gets to start, and it is finally settled that Steve will be doing the honours. Referee DJ Franchise calls for the bell to ring, and one of the strangest matches ever booked on an FWA Pay-Per-View gets underway.
Once the bell rings, Allen Price turns back around to JLW in his corner to seek some sort of approval, but Watkins motions for him to get on with it so as a result, Price is left to contend with Steve the Techno Vampire in the middle of the ring. Somehow, Price reacts quicker and applies a headlock on Steve. He is not able to hold it for very long, and Steve turns out of it and holds Price’s wrist and flattens him with a Clothesline!
Price drops down like a sack of potatoes and Steve pulls him up once again and he knees him in the gut and then drops a sledge down across his back. With Price’s neck exposed, Steve unconsciously gravitates towards it with his fangs exposed, but Price ducks down to avoid it, literally screaming in fear.
Rod Sterling: “Oh, come on, Allen! Show some fight in there, isn’t being bitten by a vampire supposed to make you stronger anyway?”
Price finds himself in the corner and he puts his fingers in a cross as Steve approaches him, but this unsurprisingly has no effect, and Steve grabs him around the neck and sends him into the corner where Ratin is waiting and Ratin reaches out for Steve to tag him in.
The crowd express their displeasure as Ratin enters the ring and Steve helpfully Snapmares Price out of the corner and Ratin pushes him down onto his back from the resultant seated position and gets on top of him for a pin attempt;
ONE… TWO… NO!!!
Rod Sterling: “Well, this one may be more within Allen’s capabilities and here comes Ratin Mikichin! There you see Jean-Luc Watkins showing little enthusiasm to get into this match.”
On the apron, JLW is almost completely apathetic to the situation his partner finds himself in, and Ratin follows up with a stomp on Allen’s chest, which causes him to wheeze and splutter on the mat. Price backs up into the corner and sits against the bottom turnbuckle where Steve steps aside to allow Ratin some room. The fans begin to loudly react as Ratin smirks and hitches his mankini upwards and begins to back up towards Allen Price… AND ALLEN PRICE RECEIVES A STINKFACE FROM RATIN!
Once Ratin has finished up, Allen is shown retching from the stench, the taste, the feel - all of it. He gets on his hands and knees and crawls across the ring to where Jean-Luc is waiting for him and it seems that ‘Baby’ has now seen enough and he agrees to tag into the match to a good response from the crowd. JLW enters and immediately runs through Ratin with a Running Dropkick! The force behind the kick sends Ratin barrelling into the corner.
Steve does not tag in, but enters the ring regardless, and he jumps at JLW, who catches him and JLW takes Steve over with a T-Bone Suplex! JLW rises to his feet and the crowd cheers enthusiastically.
Rod Sterling: “Jean-Luc Watkins turning things up a notch!”
Ratin rises to his feet and he swings at JLW, but Watkins ducks it and gets behind Ratin and he applies a Full Nelson - and then he takes Ratin over with the GLASGOW SMILE!! Ratin is planted on the back of his head and JLW rises to his feet quickly and sees that Steve has scaled the turnbuckle, but JLW rushes over and knocks the top rope which causes Steve to lose his balance.
Climbing up in the corner himself behind Steve, JLW brings him up and puts Steve up onto his shoulder and JEAN-LUC DRIVES STEVE DOWN ONTO RATIN WITH THE PARISIENNE WALKWAYS!! After the Second Rope Powerbomb which leaves both of his opponents stacked on top of each other, he neglects to go for the cover. Instead, JLW walks across the ring and slaps Price’s hand, tagging him in!
Rod Sterling: “Hey! Price is back in the match - and what great timing!”
Allen Price is initially confused but JLW motions for him to get a move on, and Watkins jumps out of the ring and approaches the announce table. In the ring, Price runs across as quickly as he can, and he gets on top of Ratin!
ONE… TWO… THREE!!!
The fans cheer loudly and Greg is shown with his head in his hands given what the result of the match now means for him and his allies. Allen Price jumps into the air and has his arm raised by the referee. JLW is shown being back at the commentary table.
Kurt Harrington: “Here are your winners, Allen Price and Jean-Luc Watkins!”
Rod Sterling: “Victory for Fallout! Allen Price gets the victory here tonight for his team, meaning that you’re free of these guys, J-L!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Well, commiserations to you, Rod, but well, I thought I might as well give Price the spotlight. I haven’t gotten much out of that. Let him have his fun.”
Rod Sterling: “Allen Price looks like the king of the world, and probably feels like it too. Well, Anzu and I will look forward to entertaining Ratin, Steve, Greg and whoever this ‘Higher Power’ is… more to come, probably.”
As Allen Price continues to celebrate, the losers are shown to be upset by their defeat and Greg helps both Ratin and Steve back up to their feet.
Blender advert.
‘Animals’ by Nickleback begins to blast as the crowd immediately begin to boo. The reigning North American Champion- Big Bryan Baxter- emerges from behind the curtain- alone- with the North American title raised high in the air. The big man takes his sweet time heading down the entrance way, soaking in the jeers from the raucous Chicago crowd. Baxter slides into the ring and lets out an animalistic roar while holding his title high above his head!
The reigning North American Champion along with the anxious crowd wait in anticipation for the mystery opponent…
But before we get a sight of who this mystery opponent is, a group of perhaps a dozen dancers - all dressed in fine suits or fancy cocktail dresses - walk out onto the stage, which is still shrouded in darkness. We can just about make out the outlines of these figures, and of a small orchestra that has appeared on the left hand side of the stage. Shortly after, we notice a choir of about the same size on the other flank. Whilst the singers remain silent, the orchestra begins to play - but the music is off-tempo and discordant.
Still, the dancers begin their dance, and as they are slowly (and only partially) illuminated by a host of candles around the stage, we realise that all is not as it seemed with this group. Their clothing, which in the cover of darkness seemed immaculately pristine, are actually in tatters, and their faces are scarred, bruised, bloody… on some of them, in some areas, their flesh is tearing off the bones. But still, they appear almost elegant as they move through their dance, the orchestra building, until, to accompany them…
'Army of the Night' begins to play as THE ROOF BLOWS OFF the United Center! The orchestra embellish the metal back-in track, the choir joining in for the vocals, as KONCHU HAO emerges from behind the curtain! The dancers clear a path as ‘the Mad Wizard’ marches through them. Baxter looks on from inside the ring, knowing he is going up against one of the more heralded members of the FWA roster, and will be doing so ALONE tonight!
Emerging behind Konchu, right at his heels, is his trusted confidant EPSILON! The duo walk with a purpose down to the ring, ready to kick things off!
Kurt Harrington: "The next contest is scheduled for one fall with a sixty minute time limit for the NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP! First, the challenger…weighing in at 215 pounds…THE MAD WIZARD…KONCHU HAOOOO!"
The crowd is still amped up from the surprise mystery of Konchu Hao and give 'The Mad Wizard' a thunderous ovation.
Kurt Harrington: "And, to my left….hailing from Hickory, North Carolina…weighing in at 312 pounds…he is the North American Champion…BIG BRYAN BAXTERRR!"
The crowd boos at Baxter who holds his title up high while walking right up to Konchu Hao! The referee separates the two as he takes the title from Baxter. The referee holds the prestigious North American title high in the air for the world to see…
Price drops down like a sack of potatoes and Steve pulls him up once again and he knees him in the gut and then drops a sledge down across his back. With Price’s neck exposed, Steve unconsciously gravitates towards it with his fangs exposed, but Price ducks down to avoid it, literally screaming in fear.
Rod Sterling: “Oh, come on, Allen! Show some fight in there, isn’t being bitten by a vampire supposed to make you stronger anyway?”
Price finds himself in the corner and he puts his fingers in a cross as Steve approaches him, but this unsurprisingly has no effect, and Steve grabs him around the neck and sends him into the corner where Ratin is waiting and Ratin reaches out for Steve to tag him in.
The crowd express their displeasure as Ratin enters the ring and Steve helpfully Snapmares Price out of the corner and Ratin pushes him down onto his back from the resultant seated position and gets on top of him for a pin attempt;
ONE… TWO… NO!!!
Rod Sterling: “Well, this one may be more within Allen’s capabilities and here comes Ratin Mikichin! There you see Jean-Luc Watkins showing little enthusiasm to get into this match.”
On the apron, JLW is almost completely apathetic to the situation his partner finds himself in, and Ratin follows up with a stomp on Allen’s chest, which causes him to wheeze and splutter on the mat. Price backs up into the corner and sits against the bottom turnbuckle where Steve steps aside to allow Ratin some room. The fans begin to loudly react as Ratin smirks and hitches his mankini upwards and begins to back up towards Allen Price… AND ALLEN PRICE RECEIVES A STINKFACE FROM RATIN!
Once Ratin has finished up, Allen is shown retching from the stench, the taste, the feel - all of it. He gets on his hands and knees and crawls across the ring to where Jean-Luc is waiting for him and it seems that ‘Baby’ has now seen enough and he agrees to tag into the match to a good response from the crowd. JLW enters and immediately runs through Ratin with a Running Dropkick! The force behind the kick sends Ratin barrelling into the corner.
Steve does not tag in, but enters the ring regardless, and he jumps at JLW, who catches him and JLW takes Steve over with a T-Bone Suplex! JLW rises to his feet and the crowd cheers enthusiastically.
Rod Sterling: “Jean-Luc Watkins turning things up a notch!”
Ratin rises to his feet and he swings at JLW, but Watkins ducks it and gets behind Ratin and he applies a Full Nelson - and then he takes Ratin over with the GLASGOW SMILE!! Ratin is planted on the back of his head and JLW rises to his feet quickly and sees that Steve has scaled the turnbuckle, but JLW rushes over and knocks the top rope which causes Steve to lose his balance.
Climbing up in the corner himself behind Steve, JLW brings him up and puts Steve up onto his shoulder and JEAN-LUC DRIVES STEVE DOWN ONTO RATIN WITH THE PARISIENNE WALKWAYS!! After the Second Rope Powerbomb which leaves both of his opponents stacked on top of each other, he neglects to go for the cover. Instead, JLW walks across the ring and slaps Price’s hand, tagging him in!
Rod Sterling: “Hey! Price is back in the match - and what great timing!”
Allen Price is initially confused but JLW motions for him to get a move on, and Watkins jumps out of the ring and approaches the announce table. In the ring, Price runs across as quickly as he can, and he gets on top of Ratin!
ONE… TWO… THREE!!!
Winners: Jean-Luc Watkins and Allen Price by pin fall at 3:36.
The fans cheer loudly and Greg is shown with his head in his hands given what the result of the match now means for him and his allies. Allen Price jumps into the air and has his arm raised by the referee. JLW is shown being back at the commentary table.
Kurt Harrington: “Here are your winners, Allen Price and Jean-Luc Watkins!”
Rod Sterling: “Victory for Fallout! Allen Price gets the victory here tonight for his team, meaning that you’re free of these guys, J-L!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Well, commiserations to you, Rod, but well, I thought I might as well give Price the spotlight. I haven’t gotten much out of that. Let him have his fun.”
Rod Sterling: “Allen Price looks like the king of the world, and probably feels like it too. Well, Anzu and I will look forward to entertaining Ratin, Steve, Greg and whoever this ‘Higher Power’ is… more to come, probably.”
As Allen Price continues to celebrate, the losers are shown to be upset by their defeat and Greg helps both Ratin and Steve back up to their feet.
Blender advert.
‘Animals’ by Nickleback begins to blast as the crowd immediately begin to boo. The reigning North American Champion- Big Bryan Baxter- emerges from behind the curtain- alone- with the North American title raised high in the air. The big man takes his sweet time heading down the entrance way, soaking in the jeers from the raucous Chicago crowd. Baxter slides into the ring and lets out an animalistic roar while holding his title high above his head!
The reigning North American Champion along with the anxious crowd wait in anticipation for the mystery opponent…
But before we get a sight of who this mystery opponent is, a group of perhaps a dozen dancers - all dressed in fine suits or fancy cocktail dresses - walk out onto the stage, which is still shrouded in darkness. We can just about make out the outlines of these figures, and of a small orchestra that has appeared on the left hand side of the stage. Shortly after, we notice a choir of about the same size on the other flank. Whilst the singers remain silent, the orchestra begins to play - but the music is off-tempo and discordant.
Still, the dancers begin their dance, and as they are slowly (and only partially) illuminated by a host of candles around the stage, we realise that all is not as it seemed with this group. Their clothing, which in the cover of darkness seemed immaculately pristine, are actually in tatters, and their faces are scarred, bruised, bloody… on some of them, in some areas, their flesh is tearing off the bones. But still, they appear almost elegant as they move through their dance, the orchestra building, until, to accompany them…
'Army of the Night' begins to play as THE ROOF BLOWS OFF the United Center! The orchestra embellish the metal back-in track, the choir joining in for the vocals, as KONCHU HAO emerges from behind the curtain! The dancers clear a path as ‘the Mad Wizard’ marches through them. Baxter looks on from inside the ring, knowing he is going up against one of the more heralded members of the FWA roster, and will be doing so ALONE tonight!
Emerging behind Konchu, right at his heels, is his trusted confidant EPSILON! The duo walk with a purpose down to the ring, ready to kick things off!
Kurt Harrington: "The next contest is scheduled for one fall with a sixty minute time limit for the NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP! First, the challenger…weighing in at 215 pounds…THE MAD WIZARD…KONCHU HAOOOO!"
The crowd is still amped up from the surprise mystery of Konchu Hao and give 'The Mad Wizard' a thunderous ovation.
Kurt Harrington: "And, to my left….hailing from Hickory, North Carolina…weighing in at 312 pounds…he is the North American Champion…BIG BRYAN BAXTERRR!"
The crowd boos at Baxter who holds his title up high while walking right up to Konchu Hao! The referee separates the two as he takes the title from Baxter. The referee holds the prestigious North American title high in the air for the world to see…
The reigning North American Champion wastes no time once the bell rings, delivering a huge knee to the sternum of Konchu! Baxter follows it up with another big knee, followed by a toss into the corner! Baxter runs full speed ahead but at the last minute Konchu gets up an elbow that connects with the big man in the side of the head. Konchu then spins underneath, taking out Baxter with a legsweep which knocks the big man to the mat!
Allen Price: "Konchu knows what he has to do in order to win this match-cut the big man down like a redwood tree!"
Baxter slides to the outside, slamming the mat in frustration. 'The Mad Wizard' isn’t here to play games tonight and once Baxter looks up…
KONCHU DARTS THROUGH THE MIDDLE ROPE LIKE A HEAT-SEEKING MISSILE ONTO BAXTER!
Baxter falls back into the guard rail, jamming his back right up against the steel! Konchu continues his assault with rights, lefts, chops and elbows until Baxter is able to successfully cover up. Konchu goes for a big right hand but Baxter blocks it and connects with a HEADBUTT! The force of the big man’s head crashing into Konchu’s face is enough to knock "[/b][/color]The Mad Wizard"[/b][/color] back onto the ringside floor. Baxter slides into the ring and then back out to avoid the countout. Baxter then stomps on Konchu’s hand and twists, bringing all of his weight onto the powerful right hand of Konchu!
Rod Sterling: "Big Bryan Baxter with a very successful strategy right now. Putting all of his 300 plus pounds right on top of one of Konchu Hao’s most important assets- his hand!"
Baxter finally releases and taunts Epsilon who cheers on his main man Konchu from a distance. Baxter slides Konchu back into the ring and follows suit. Baxter hits a few more lethal stomps on the right hand of Konchu for good measure before playing into the crowd, who tell Baxter just how they feel. Baxter lifts Konchu up to his feet and goes to toss him off the ropes but Konchu attempts a reversal, but Baxter doesn’t budge. Instead of playing tug of war with the 300 plus-pounder, Konchu rears back and delivers a SAVATE KICK right to the chin of Baxter! Baxter staggers back, but is still on his feet. Konchu darts off the ropes…LEAPING LARIAT! The move knocks Baxter down to one knee…bicycle kick right to the nose of Baxter! The big man is finally down as Konchu goes for the first pinfall of the match…
1...2….NO!!
Baxter kicks out! Konchu stays on the offensive with swift kicks to the side of Baxter. Konchu then lifts Baxter to his knees before delivering crushing knee strikes to the head of the North American Champion! Baxter seemingly becomes enraged with each kick and catches Konchu’s last kick. Baxter shows off his brute strength as he muscles Konchu up in the Powerbomb position…
RUNNING POWERBOMB INTO THE TURNBUCKLES!!
Baxter waits for 'The Mad Wizard' to fall in the corner as he races full speed ahead…
AND DELIVERS A RUNNING KNEE RIGHT INTO THE FACE OF THE FALLEN KONCHU HAO!
Baxter signals for the end as he walks around the ring, zeroing in on his opponent.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Big Bryan Baxter showing everyone that he doesn’t need any help after all! He can take care of business all by himself!"
Baxter waits for the beaten-up Konchu Hao to use the ropes to get to his feet. Baxter runs full speed ahead and goes for the DISCUSS LARIAT…
BUT KONCHU DUCKS…
INVERTED DDT FROM KONCHU!!!
Konchu hooks the leg!!
1…2…NO!!
Konchu can’t put the big man away quite yet! Konchu knows he is within striking distance as Baxter slowly gets to one knee…Konchu races behind Baxter…
AND LOCKS IN THE BLACK LOCUST BITE!!!!
Baxter is stuck in the middle of the ring with nowhere to go!! Konchu tries his hardest to get his legs around in a body scissors position but Baxter is just too big. Nevertheless, 'The Mad Wizard' has his submission finisher locked in tightly and Baxter is slowly fading in and out of consciousness. Baxter slowly begins his best to loosen the grip of Konchu while simultaneously attempting to get to one knee to relieve the pressure of the move. Baxter is successful and grabs a hold of Konchu…
Baxter uses his brute strength to lift Konchu up and over his shoulder! Baxter runs forward but Konchu slips out behind. Konchu quickly grabs a hold of Baxter from behind…
RASPUTIN’S REVENGE!!!
Konchu with the cover!!
1…..2….NOO!!
Baxter is able to kick out of one of the most devastating finishers in FWA!
Both men are down. Both men are exhausted. Escaping the Black Locust Bite and then taking a Rasputin’s Revenge from 'The Mad Wizard' took a lot out of Baxter, and just staying in the ring with the punishing North American Champion has exhausted Konchu Hao! Epsilon slams on the mat from ringside as the crowd as Konchu slowly gets to his feet. Baxter is also slowly getting to his feet. Baxter rears back and delivers a vicious Open Hand Chop to the chest of Konchu. Konchu responds with a ridiculously loud chop of his own! Baxter with another chop…Konchu with another chop…The chops grow louder and quicker from each man until they are face to face chopping the ever-living shit out of each other! The crowd eats it up as the two men chop at each other’s chest with such force you could feel it in your living room! Baxter falls back, bent over after one last vicious chop from Konchu…
DISCUSS LARIAT!!!
Baxter didn’t miss this time, and nearly takes Konchu’s head off! Baxter wastes no time lifting the motionless Konchu up…
BAXTER DRIVER!!!
It’s all elementary from here…
1…2……NOOOO!!
At 2.999 Konchu gets his shoulder up! Whether it was just muscle memory or reflex, somehow, some way, Konchu Hao kicks out! Baxter is infuriated and doesn’t know what else to do. He drags the motionless Konchu over towards the turnbuckles and lifts him up onto the top buckle. Baxter, not known for being a high flying climbs up with Konchu and in another show of the strength of Baxter, he lifts Konchu up in a Vertical Suplex position….
AVALANCHE BAXTER DRIVER!!!
Baxter hooks both legs for good measure…
1…2…3!!!
Kurt Harrington: ”Here is your winner… and STILL the FWA North American Champion… BRYAN BAXTER!!”
Baxter is slow to get to his feet after the exertions of the match, and allows the official to lift his hand in victory before promptly snatching it away. Konchu, meanwhile, rolls out of the ring following the devastating avalanche finisher, where Epsilon meets him on the outside to check on and console his master.
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”An incredible fight put up by Konchu Hao, our mystery opponent here at the Grand March... but it’s Bryan Baxter who marches on…”
Rod Sterling: ”Towards both the Carnal Contendership and Back in Business. Baxter’s opponent for the grandest stage of them all will no doubt soon reveal themselves, but Baxter may be one to watch in that battle royale…”
Baxter celebrates on the second rope with his championship belt as we cut to the commentary booth, Jean-Luc, Rod, and Allen sitting behind it with smiles on their faces…
Rod Sterling: ”After our first of three championship matches of the evening, it’s time to switch pace to a team making their debut as a tandem here in the FWA: Aka Manto.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Indeed, our audiences will already be well aware of one of these competitors in Aka Yurei, who is a former FWA World Tag Team Champion, but they may be less… Hirabayashi… … … prepares to … … for the… … time….”
As JLW struggles to speak, the picture keeps loosing its clarity, at times shifting to black and white static, at others to distorted images of the commentators, and occasionally to different pictures all together. Then, we cut away form the commentators completely…
…
…
Suddenly, we are back to the commentators, who are conversing hurriedly whilst adjusting their notes…
Rod Sterling: “Um, it appears that we experienced some technical difficulties there… I think we’re back with you, and apologise for the interruption! Now… how about that match?!”
The duo of MIDNIGHT Mustang and SUNRISE Stallion, known as PONI BOI, make their way out to a solid positive ovation from the sold out crowd in The United Center. MIDNIGHT and SUNRISE rush down to the ring and pose for the fans once they’re inside.
Kurt Harrington: ”The following contest is set for one fall with a twenty-minute-time-limit! Introducing first, from Seoul, South Korea and weighing in at a combined weight of 271 lb…MIDNIGHT Mustang…SUNRISE Stallion…PONI BOI!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”It’s not often we get to see PONI BOI in action but they’ve been presented with a big opportunity to showcase their abilities tonight in front of a large, sold out audience!”
There's a mood shift as the unfamiliar theme plays but fans are not unfamiliar with who this music is accompanying. It’s the return of Aka Yurei and she’s brought a new face to the FWA audience with her, Keiko Hirabayashi. Their theme song and blinking lights that come on and off at each beat would give off the sensation of watching something in slow-motion, or a strobe effect to best put it.
Kurt Harrington: ”Their opponents, first from Seattle, Washington and weighing in at 127 lb…she is The Crimson Ghost…Aka Yurei! Introducing next, from Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan and weighing 119 lb…she is The Mistress in Blue…Keiko Hirabayashi! Together they are known as…Aka Manto!”
Aka Yurei is in red attire while Keiko is in blue and Aka chooses to slide underneath the bottom rope to enter the ring, while Keiko opts to enter normally as their opposition seem a bit taken aback by the antics on display.
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Aka Yurei is making her long awaited return to FWA after being out a number of months after being driven face first through a cinder block courtesy of Jeffry Mason and TYLER. Aka hasn’t come alone though, she’s brought an old friend in Keiko Hirabayashi.”
Rod Sterling: ”I’ve done some research and this isn’t the first time Yurei and Hirabayashi have teamed up, but this will be the first time they’ve teamed stateside. They were a deadly force in Japan before they had a falling out and Aka made her way here to the US. It seems they’ve reconciled and Keiko will bring her talents to FWA along with Aka.”
Aka removes her mask and she opts to start for her team while SUNRISE will start for PONI BOI….
Allen Price: "Konchu knows what he has to do in order to win this match-cut the big man down like a redwood tree!"
Baxter slides to the outside, slamming the mat in frustration. 'The Mad Wizard' isn’t here to play games tonight and once Baxter looks up…
KONCHU DARTS THROUGH THE MIDDLE ROPE LIKE A HEAT-SEEKING MISSILE ONTO BAXTER!
Baxter falls back into the guard rail, jamming his back right up against the steel! Konchu continues his assault with rights, lefts, chops and elbows until Baxter is able to successfully cover up. Konchu goes for a big right hand but Baxter blocks it and connects with a HEADBUTT! The force of the big man’s head crashing into Konchu’s face is enough to knock "[/b][/color]The Mad Wizard"[/b][/color] back onto the ringside floor. Baxter slides into the ring and then back out to avoid the countout. Baxter then stomps on Konchu’s hand and twists, bringing all of his weight onto the powerful right hand of Konchu!
Rod Sterling: "Big Bryan Baxter with a very successful strategy right now. Putting all of his 300 plus pounds right on top of one of Konchu Hao’s most important assets- his hand!"
Baxter finally releases and taunts Epsilon who cheers on his main man Konchu from a distance. Baxter slides Konchu back into the ring and follows suit. Baxter hits a few more lethal stomps on the right hand of Konchu for good measure before playing into the crowd, who tell Baxter just how they feel. Baxter lifts Konchu up to his feet and goes to toss him off the ropes but Konchu attempts a reversal, but Baxter doesn’t budge. Instead of playing tug of war with the 300 plus-pounder, Konchu rears back and delivers a SAVATE KICK right to the chin of Baxter! Baxter staggers back, but is still on his feet. Konchu darts off the ropes…LEAPING LARIAT! The move knocks Baxter down to one knee…bicycle kick right to the nose of Baxter! The big man is finally down as Konchu goes for the first pinfall of the match…
1...2….NO!!
Baxter kicks out! Konchu stays on the offensive with swift kicks to the side of Baxter. Konchu then lifts Baxter to his knees before delivering crushing knee strikes to the head of the North American Champion! Baxter seemingly becomes enraged with each kick and catches Konchu’s last kick. Baxter shows off his brute strength as he muscles Konchu up in the Powerbomb position…
RUNNING POWERBOMB INTO THE TURNBUCKLES!!
Baxter waits for 'The Mad Wizard' to fall in the corner as he races full speed ahead…
AND DELIVERS A RUNNING KNEE RIGHT INTO THE FACE OF THE FALLEN KONCHU HAO!
Baxter signals for the end as he walks around the ring, zeroing in on his opponent.
Jean-Luc Watkins: "Big Bryan Baxter showing everyone that he doesn’t need any help after all! He can take care of business all by himself!"
Baxter waits for the beaten-up Konchu Hao to use the ropes to get to his feet. Baxter runs full speed ahead and goes for the DISCUSS LARIAT…
BUT KONCHU DUCKS…
INVERTED DDT FROM KONCHU!!!
Konchu hooks the leg!!
1…2…NO!!
Konchu can’t put the big man away quite yet! Konchu knows he is within striking distance as Baxter slowly gets to one knee…Konchu races behind Baxter…
AND LOCKS IN THE BLACK LOCUST BITE!!!!
Baxter is stuck in the middle of the ring with nowhere to go!! Konchu tries his hardest to get his legs around in a body scissors position but Baxter is just too big. Nevertheless, 'The Mad Wizard' has his submission finisher locked in tightly and Baxter is slowly fading in and out of consciousness. Baxter slowly begins his best to loosen the grip of Konchu while simultaneously attempting to get to one knee to relieve the pressure of the move. Baxter is successful and grabs a hold of Konchu…
Baxter uses his brute strength to lift Konchu up and over his shoulder! Baxter runs forward but Konchu slips out behind. Konchu quickly grabs a hold of Baxter from behind…
RASPUTIN’S REVENGE!!!
Konchu with the cover!!
1…..2….NOO!!
Baxter is able to kick out of one of the most devastating finishers in FWA!
Both men are down. Both men are exhausted. Escaping the Black Locust Bite and then taking a Rasputin’s Revenge from 'The Mad Wizard' took a lot out of Baxter, and just staying in the ring with the punishing North American Champion has exhausted Konchu Hao! Epsilon slams on the mat from ringside as the crowd as Konchu slowly gets to his feet. Baxter is also slowly getting to his feet. Baxter rears back and delivers a vicious Open Hand Chop to the chest of Konchu. Konchu responds with a ridiculously loud chop of his own! Baxter with another chop…Konchu with another chop…The chops grow louder and quicker from each man until they are face to face chopping the ever-living shit out of each other! The crowd eats it up as the two men chop at each other’s chest with such force you could feel it in your living room! Baxter falls back, bent over after one last vicious chop from Konchu…
DISCUSS LARIAT!!!
Baxter didn’t miss this time, and nearly takes Konchu’s head off! Baxter wastes no time lifting the motionless Konchu up…
BAXTER DRIVER!!!
It’s all elementary from here…
1…2……NOOOO!!
At 2.999 Konchu gets his shoulder up! Whether it was just muscle memory or reflex, somehow, some way, Konchu Hao kicks out! Baxter is infuriated and doesn’t know what else to do. He drags the motionless Konchu over towards the turnbuckles and lifts him up onto the top buckle. Baxter, not known for being a high flying climbs up with Konchu and in another show of the strength of Baxter, he lifts Konchu up in a Vertical Suplex position….
AVALANCHE BAXTER DRIVER!!!
Baxter hooks both legs for good measure…
1…2…3!!!
Winner: Bryan Baxter by pinfall at 15:05
Kurt Harrington: ”Here is your winner… and STILL the FWA North American Champion… BRYAN BAXTER!!”
Baxter is slow to get to his feet after the exertions of the match, and allows the official to lift his hand in victory before promptly snatching it away. Konchu, meanwhile, rolls out of the ring following the devastating avalanche finisher, where Epsilon meets him on the outside to check on and console his master.
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”An incredible fight put up by Konchu Hao, our mystery opponent here at the Grand March... but it’s Bryan Baxter who marches on…”
Rod Sterling: ”Towards both the Carnal Contendership and Back in Business. Baxter’s opponent for the grandest stage of them all will no doubt soon reveal themselves, but Baxter may be one to watch in that battle royale…”
Baxter celebrates on the second rope with his championship belt as we cut to the commentary booth, Jean-Luc, Rod, and Allen sitting behind it with smiles on their faces…
Rod Sterling: ”After our first of three championship matches of the evening, it’s time to switch pace to a team making their debut as a tandem here in the FWA: Aka Manto.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Indeed, our audiences will already be well aware of one of these competitors in Aka Yurei, who is a former FWA World Tag Team Champion, but they may be less… Hirabayashi… … … prepares to … … for the… … time….”
As JLW struggles to speak, the picture keeps loosing its clarity, at times shifting to black and white static, at others to distorted images of the commentators, and occasionally to different pictures all together. Then, we cut away form the commentators completely…
…
…
Suddenly, we are back to the commentators, who are conversing hurriedly whilst adjusting their notes…
Rod Sterling: “Um, it appears that we experienced some technical difficulties there… I think we’re back with you, and apologise for the interruption! Now… how about that match?!”
The duo of MIDNIGHT Mustang and SUNRISE Stallion, known as PONI BOI, make their way out to a solid positive ovation from the sold out crowd in The United Center. MIDNIGHT and SUNRISE rush down to the ring and pose for the fans once they’re inside.
Kurt Harrington: ”The following contest is set for one fall with a twenty-minute-time-limit! Introducing first, from Seoul, South Korea and weighing in at a combined weight of 271 lb…MIDNIGHT Mustang…SUNRISE Stallion…PONI BOI!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”It’s not often we get to see PONI BOI in action but they’ve been presented with a big opportunity to showcase their abilities tonight in front of a large, sold out audience!”
There's a mood shift as the unfamiliar theme plays but fans are not unfamiliar with who this music is accompanying. It’s the return of Aka Yurei and she’s brought a new face to the FWA audience with her, Keiko Hirabayashi. Their theme song and blinking lights that come on and off at each beat would give off the sensation of watching something in slow-motion, or a strobe effect to best put it.
Kurt Harrington: ”Their opponents, first from Seattle, Washington and weighing in at 127 lb…she is The Crimson Ghost…Aka Yurei! Introducing next, from Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan and weighing 119 lb…she is The Mistress in Blue…Keiko Hirabayashi! Together they are known as…Aka Manto!”
Aka Yurei is in red attire while Keiko is in blue and Aka chooses to slide underneath the bottom rope to enter the ring, while Keiko opts to enter normally as their opposition seem a bit taken aback by the antics on display.
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Aka Yurei is making her long awaited return to FWA after being out a number of months after being driven face first through a cinder block courtesy of Jeffry Mason and TYLER. Aka hasn’t come alone though, she’s brought an old friend in Keiko Hirabayashi.”
Rod Sterling: ”I’ve done some research and this isn’t the first time Yurei and Hirabayashi have teamed up, but this will be the first time they’ve teamed stateside. They were a deadly force in Japan before they had a falling out and Aka made her way here to the US. It seems they’ve reconciled and Keiko will bring her talents to FWA along with Aka.”
Aka removes her mask and she opts to start for her team while SUNRISE will start for PONI BOI….
DING DING DING!
The two competitors circle each other and Aka gives off creepy vibes in an attempt to throw off SUNRISE, but the young man does his best to not show fear. SUNRISE suddenly bolts at Aka but Aka avoids danger with a leapfrog, and Aka then catches SUNRISE with an arm drag! SUNRISE pops up to his feet but he gets a roundhouse kick to the face for his troubles! The kick knocks him back and Aka sends him toward the ropes again and she strikes with a jumping hip attack! Aka tosses SUNRISE in her team’s corner and she connects with another hip attack before tagging in Keiko.
Keiko and Aka keep SUNRISE in the corner and they unload on him with a barrage of kicks and stomps until the referee forces a break. Keiko drags SUNRISE from the corner and she hits a snap suplex on him! SUNRISE sits up but Keiko nails him in the lower back with a kick! Then Keiko takes him down with a headscissor submission and she uses her leg strength to bounce his head off the mat a few times before she releases the hold…
Allen Price: ”SUNRISE is in dire need of a tag to MIDNIGHT! Keiko held nothing back with that headscissors…”
Keiko takes SUNRISE by the legs but SUNRISE kicks her away and he uses this opportunity to quickly scatter to his corner to tag in MIDNIGHT. MIDNIGHT charges in at Keiko but she ducks underneath him and she strikes with a drop toe hold! She climbs the Bret’s rope and hits an elbow drop for the pin…
One…two…NO!
Keiko tags in Aka and the two women set up MIDNIGHT in position before hitting a double team suplex on him! MIDNIGHT in trouble now as he tries to reach out to tag in SUNRISE but Aka bumps SUNRISE off the apron and he takes a spill to the outside! MIDNIGHT charges at Aka but she moves out of the way and MIDNIGHT crashes sternum first in the corner! Aka drags him away from the corner and strikes with a tiger suplex! Aka lies in wait as MIDNIGHT stumbles to his feet…VENGEFUL STRIKE! POISONED FRANKENSTEINER FROM AKA! Aka tags Keiko and Keiko climbs up top…GRACEFUL CHARITY! DIVING ELBOW DROP TO MIDNIGHT! Keiko hooks the leg and Aka with a baseball slide kick to SUNRISE that prevents him from making the save…
One…two…THREE!
Kurt Harrington: ”The winners of the match…Aka Yurei and Keiko Hirabayashi…Aka Manto!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”An impressive debut for Aka Manto and unfortunate for PONI BOI that couldn’t get going.”
Rod Sterling: ”Aka Manto will be a force to be reckoned with in the tag team division. A decisive victory tonight will have the rest of the division put on notice.”
Keiko and Aka have their arms raised in victory and they relish their win as they exit the ring while SUNRISE has joined his partner in the ring and he tends to him as the show fades out to an advert for the WCNetwork.
Interrupting the dead space between matches, a theme music that has not been played in FWA since Back in Town plays, drawing a positive response from the FWA fans. After being in her native Japan over the past month and a half to recharge and wrestle elsewhere, Vampyra is here to address the fans. The lights of the arena have a light purple glow as we see Vampyra make her way out. She is a touch dressed up, wearing a black dress which goes down to her knees and black boots. Putting her elbows to her side and having her arms out, she poses before doing a small throat slash with her finger, but after a little time away, you can tell she is emotional.
Allen Price: “And welcome back, Vampyra! The former FWA Television Champion, after her sabbatical, is back on American soil and the Chicago crowd are giving her a warm welcome!”
Rod Sterling: “To say her first several months were unique is an understatement. We have had people rise to champion status early, but few new signees, especially so young, get thrown into the fire that quickly and she’s had some set-backs, but she continually raised her game each step.”
Heading down the rampway, Vampyra isn’t rushing, maybe showing some unease after being away from FWA crowds for a respectable time, long enough where her physical presence was missing. But, weeks of reflecting and soul searching for the young rising star, what is going through her mind?
Allen Price: “The real question which I have is her mental state? In the ring, she’s a calm force, but she’s young, she’s got a lot on her plate, and she made it clear she’s not pursuing the FWA Television Championship despite not even being pinned to lose it. I'm sorry, what!?”
Rod Sterling: “It’s a strange choice, especially given the expected collision course for the title. If I was in her position, I’d be gunning for a rematch as soon as possible, BUT few can argue against the fact she may be destined for more if she continues where she left off. In fact, if she did not go home, I’d imagine she would have been in a prominent place on the card tonight, or a favourite in the King of the Deathmatch.”
Going up the steps, the Dark Huntress takes her time before stepping into the ring under the middle rope. A ringside attendee reaches between the ropes to hand her a microphone which she accepts. Her theme music fades.
And she doesn’t talk right away. Vampyra looks around at the The Grand March crowd. There are cheers and they have been growing for the past while, but this time it seems a little bit different. Absence makes the heart grow fonder as they say, even if it is just about two months. But, there are no mixed reactions. The young Joshi star, after a turbulent start to her American career, has begun to break down some barriers and is starting to connect with the US fans. Then, a chant.
“Welcome back! Welcome back!”
A smile appears on her face. She takes a deep breath in as the chants die down enough for her to speak.
Vampyra: “Arigatō… Thank you.”
She politely thanks the crowd, doing a small nod as several of them cheer and clap.
Vampyra: “Forgive me if I make mistakes, I am not quite used to speaking in front of an audience in this way in front of such a large crowd, especially in my second language. I have run through my head what I would say for weeks now, but I feel as though I would be better served to be open.”
Taking a few moments, Vampyra tries to search for where to begin and likely translates it back to herself to make sure she does her message justice in English. So, she goes with the most important thing. The beginning.
Vampyra: “When I went to FWA and America I had this idea of how I would present myself. Who Vampyra is, but deep down I was not quite as prepared as I thought I would be. I was not sure how you, the fans, would treat me. Am I your hero? Am I despised? What place would this young lady from Japan find herself in? And this environment, a loud and vocal crowd, let alone one of the loudest, was foreign to me.”
Stepping forward, Vampyra further explains.
Vampyra: “While much of the world has been eager to escape the effects of the pandemic, for Japan we have moved much slower. We are a country that values your duty to another and one which is densely populated. At times it is frustrating, but we make sacrifices. I suppose you could say I am used to wearing a mask.”
She has a wink, and a couple fans give a chuckle.
Vampyra: “But if there was one thing that always was heart wrenching was the limits that fans could do. Fans were not allowed to shout or cheer during shows, only clap. As a wrestler, we feed on the energy of a crowd, whether to fuel our hate, or fill our hearts with a fighting spirit. But, that was missing. It has been that way for three years. Even when fans were allowed to make noise…”
Rubbing her neck, Vampyra feels uncomfortable.
Vampyra: “I was not winning any popularity awards because of people I was associated with at the time. I never had the fans cheer for me. FWA was different. I was not used to the environment, the characters, personalities, or travel. I went from Japan and a place where your unit, or a stable, was a key part of your identity to being alone again for the first time since I started my career. I went from a place where a stable or unit would stay together for years with it taking something major like a stipulation or a complete breakdown of trust for a unit to leave… To America where stables are mostly temporary and if one stays together for a long time it wears thin on some people. The only blessing was that I knew there were people who wanted me to succeed, even if it was hard to focus on it.”
The normally loud Chicago crowd is somewhat silent. Though not out of disrespect, but listening. For the first time, Vampyra is showing her vulnerabilities to a live audience. Raising her voice, Vampyra follows it up.
Vampyra: “And despite every hurdle, everything weighing me down, what I could do in the ring shined through! My passion, my desire to be a wrestler and push myself to be better!”
Vampyra points to her mask.
Vampyra: “If it was not for this mask, I would not have wrestled in the first place. It takes so much to even enter wrestling, especially where I am from. Many start young like me, but with how rough it is on their bodies and mentally, by 26 plenty retire. But not me, I will not. That is what you should expect from me. And yet, all that only got me so far. I rushed in and ascended fast only to run into a concrete ceiling. I needed to take a step back.”
Stepping forward, the masked wrestler leaps on the ropes towards the hard camera.
Vampyra: “That decision is not, nor will ever be a sign of weakness. It should be a strength. It takes self-control to know when you need to take a moment to look back and reflect to BE better. Remember that. I needed to go home. I needed to wrestle elsewhere for a moment and change scenery. Being home revitalized me because I got to see everyone I have touched and who inspire me and-.”
Looking down, we can see a small grin on Vampyra’s face.
Vampyra: “For the first time, I got to hear my hometown fans cheer for me. For the first time I heard them shout my name. It is something I will never forget and I hope one day I may come there with FWA.”
The fans clap, happy for her to have a moment like that. Her eyes moving towards the camera, Vampyra steps back towards the middle of the ring. She is still a bit uneasy, emotional.
Vampyra: “I remembered why I went into wrestling over any other path in life. It was something I forgot about long ago. I shall not forget it this time as I return to FWA. I returned after having a taste of FWA. A taste of America. I still have a lot to learn, but I’m better prepared. This is a chance for a reset in FWA and I know what I want from here-”
Voice trailing off, Vampyra looks around. Her voice is calm as she proclaims-
Vampyra: “I want to belong. I am not a fake. I am not a liar. It is no fluke I have gone this far in my career. I am not a new toy or an international attraction. I… I KNOW I have what it takes to compete with the best in FWA even with what hangs over my head.”
Allen Price: “Hangs over her head?”
The commentator notices the unique word choice from the young wrestler. Holding her hand up, Vampyra holds two fingers up.
Vampyra: “Two curses are cast on me. Not one of magic but inside. One that at times makes even waking up a challenge. An overwhelming feeling of distress, fear of failure and doubt. To those who share it with me, your struggles are not in vain. Sadly, that is one which will likely hang over me for years to come. But I am aware of it. I know it, and that is already a start. The other…”
She stops herself. Taking a breath in, she looks down at the mat, some nerves return. But she powers through them, looking up at the crowd.
Vampyra: “I will cleanse myself very soon of it…”
A small confident smirk appears on her face.
Vampyra: “The next time you will see me will be Carnal Contendership. It should be no surprise that I will be in it. Thirty competitors fighting for a chance to compete for the FWA World Championship at Back in Business. The last time I was in a Battle Royale, I was in it for the sake of it then I made a costly error, one I learned from. This time, I have a greater reason. That is to move forward, to make sure that there is not a single doubt that I not just belong in FWA, but that every opportunity I have received before and after will have been earned!”
There are some cheers from the crowd. Vampyra, in her in person return to FWA, has opened up to the fans, and has made her intentions clear, Carnal Contendership. Looking dead into the camera, she says one final line…
Vampyra: “Carnal Contendership… is my new beginning.”
Before dropping the microphone in the ring. Her theme music begins to play again as she stands in the ring, confident smirk. Putting down MAYHEM’s “M” hand gesture, she slides out of the ring.
Allen Price: “A lot of emotion from Vampyra with a heart-filled announcement for Carnal Contendership. As we are turning the corner towards Back in Business, she is looking to make a splash, show her place in FWA.”
Rod Sterling: “I think some members of the FWA fans might have a greater appreciation for her. I can imagine how much of a leap it was for her to go from her environment to here. But, mentally, I think she’s prepared for Carnal Contendership.”
Allen Price: “What are her odds?”
Rod Sterling: “It’s going to be a deep pool. It always is. But a motivated Vampyra, I think she might be a dark horse pick. She is willing to rise to the occasion whenever she's faced with a new challenge. Regardless, I think she’s got the potential for a memorable performance.”
Vampyra heads to the stage and stands in front of the curtains. Then, she does something curious. She loosens her mask. Bowing her head down… and takes it off. The fans gasp as she keeps her head turned away, keeping her face hidden. She drops her mask on the stage and heads through the curtains, keeping her face covered.
Rod Sterling: “W-What did I just see? Did Vampyra remove her mask and drop it?”
Allen Price: “I have no idea why, but removing a mask is something which is a drastic move for a masked wrestler, especially one who respects the traditions related to it like her. What’s going on?”
The fans are left confused as the camera zooms in on the mask as we cut to a brief break
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”The show moves on, wrestling fans and coming up next is a match that will see the FWA TV Championship but it’s become much more personal, and more than just about the championship. Shawn Summers is coming off one defense over Joe Burr and he’ll be looking to extend his success in defense but he’ll have to contend with a motivated and fired up Cowboy, Tommy Bedlam.”
Rod Sterling: ”Bedlam has had a string of bad luck in recent weeks and he hasn’t been able to find the same success he had when he returned. Bedlam took Summers up on the open challenge, and since then it’s become personal with Summers attacking the Cowboy with a chair and even going as far as shoving the Cowboy’s pregnant girlfriend, Randi.”
Allen Price: ”It’s no surprise that Summers has made this personal, he seems to thrive off that type of thing. It can’t just be about a title with him; he has to go the extra length to make his opponent’s life a living hell.”
The lights dim and the familiar tune echoes throughout the United Center and after Bon Jovi’s opening lyrics hit, the Cowboy steps out on stage to a loud, positive ovation. Bedlam’s girlfriend, Randi Francis is at his side and she claps for him while the crowd sings along to the popular song that accompanies Bedlam to the ring.
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Tommy Bedlam faces quite possibly one of his toughest tests to date since his arrival in FWA. Tommy has dealt with some tough opponents in his time, but I don’t believe he’s dealt with someone like Shawn Summers.”
Allen Price: ”I’m sure he’s aware of that, Jean-Luc. He knows what’s at stake and he knows how personal Summers has made this. He wants that TV title, but there’s no doubt that he wants to even the score and make Summers hurt for his actions as of late.”
Rod Sterling: ”That’s all well and fine, but he can’t let all of the personal stuff get in the way of the ultimate goal and that’s the TV title. I get he’s upset and he wants to rip off Summers’ head, but at the same time, Summers wants Bedlam fired up like this. It’s all mind games by Summers, and Bedlam isn’t careful he could fall right into that trap.”
Bedlam shares a kiss with the lovely Randi and then trots up the steel steps and enters the ring. Randi stays at ringside and she continues to clap and cheer for her man, and she gets the crowd to cheer along with her while they sing along with Bon Jovi and Tommy paces around the ring as he removes his vest. Soon though, karaoke time for the fans comes to an end as the song fades out and the crowd begins to boo because of what is coming next…
Shawn slowly rises through the stage with his head down and eyes closed. The lights strobe between white and red to the drums of the song as fog rises underneath him and we see the TV Title wrapped around his waist. Shawn tilts his head up, his face void of emotion as the camera pans around him. He stands in place taking in the moment until the chorus of "Cola" kicks in. He begins to make his way down the ramp mouthing the words to the song, ignoring the hands and verbal assault from the fans as he does. Halfway down the ramp, he takes a visual survey of the arena before slowly walking up the ring steps and slowly ascending the turnbuckle. His eyes closed, his head tilted high - he's fully taking in the moment before hopping down into the ring and he unlatches the title from his waist and holds it up high and taunts Bedlam with it. Shawn makes his way to his corner and crouches down as he awaits the announcements.
Kurt Harrington: ”The following contest is scheduled for one fall with a thirty-minute-time-limit, and it is for the FWA TV Championship! Introducing first, the challenger, he is accompanied by Randi Francis and he hails from Sweetwater, Texas and weighs in at 244 lb…he is The Cowboy…Tommy Bedlam!”
More loud cheers for The Cowboy, who is the clear fan favorite for this match. Randi continues to clap and cheer for Tommy along with the crowd, while Tommy keeps his gaze firmly set on the man across from him.
Kurt Harrington: ”And his opponent, from Laguna Beach, California and weighing in at 225 lb…he is the current reigning and defending FWA TV Champion…Der Basterd…Shawn Summers!”
The booing from the fans rains down on Summers and he rises up from his seated position and opens his eyes. Summers remains stoic and unphased by the negativity. He takes one last look at his title before handing it off to referee Matthew Dean, and Dean shows it to Bedlam and then holds it aloft before handing it off to the ringside area and Dean calls for the bell.
The two competitors circle each other and Aka gives off creepy vibes in an attempt to throw off SUNRISE, but the young man does his best to not show fear. SUNRISE suddenly bolts at Aka but Aka avoids danger with a leapfrog, and Aka then catches SUNRISE with an arm drag! SUNRISE pops up to his feet but he gets a roundhouse kick to the face for his troubles! The kick knocks him back and Aka sends him toward the ropes again and she strikes with a jumping hip attack! Aka tosses SUNRISE in her team’s corner and she connects with another hip attack before tagging in Keiko.
Keiko and Aka keep SUNRISE in the corner and they unload on him with a barrage of kicks and stomps until the referee forces a break. Keiko drags SUNRISE from the corner and she hits a snap suplex on him! SUNRISE sits up but Keiko nails him in the lower back with a kick! Then Keiko takes him down with a headscissor submission and she uses her leg strength to bounce his head off the mat a few times before she releases the hold…
Allen Price: ”SUNRISE is in dire need of a tag to MIDNIGHT! Keiko held nothing back with that headscissors…”
Keiko takes SUNRISE by the legs but SUNRISE kicks her away and he uses this opportunity to quickly scatter to his corner to tag in MIDNIGHT. MIDNIGHT charges in at Keiko but she ducks underneath him and she strikes with a drop toe hold! She climbs the Bret’s rope and hits an elbow drop for the pin…
One…two…NO!
Keiko tags in Aka and the two women set up MIDNIGHT in position before hitting a double team suplex on him! MIDNIGHT in trouble now as he tries to reach out to tag in SUNRISE but Aka bumps SUNRISE off the apron and he takes a spill to the outside! MIDNIGHT charges at Aka but she moves out of the way and MIDNIGHT crashes sternum first in the corner! Aka drags him away from the corner and strikes with a tiger suplex! Aka lies in wait as MIDNIGHT stumbles to his feet…VENGEFUL STRIKE! POISONED FRANKENSTEINER FROM AKA! Aka tags Keiko and Keiko climbs up top…GRACEFUL CHARITY! DIVING ELBOW DROP TO MIDNIGHT! Keiko hooks the leg and Aka with a baseball slide kick to SUNRISE that prevents him from making the save…
One…two…THREE!
Winner: Aka Manto by pinfall at 5:18.
Kurt Harrington: ”The winners of the match…Aka Yurei and Keiko Hirabayashi…Aka Manto!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”An impressive debut for Aka Manto and unfortunate for PONI BOI that couldn’t get going.”
Rod Sterling: ”Aka Manto will be a force to be reckoned with in the tag team division. A decisive victory tonight will have the rest of the division put on notice.”
Keiko and Aka have their arms raised in victory and they relish their win as they exit the ring while SUNRISE has joined his partner in the ring and he tends to him as the show fades out to an advert for the WCNetwork.
Interrupting the dead space between matches, a theme music that has not been played in FWA since Back in Town plays, drawing a positive response from the FWA fans. After being in her native Japan over the past month and a half to recharge and wrestle elsewhere, Vampyra is here to address the fans. The lights of the arena have a light purple glow as we see Vampyra make her way out. She is a touch dressed up, wearing a black dress which goes down to her knees and black boots. Putting her elbows to her side and having her arms out, she poses before doing a small throat slash with her finger, but after a little time away, you can tell she is emotional.
Allen Price: “And welcome back, Vampyra! The former FWA Television Champion, after her sabbatical, is back on American soil and the Chicago crowd are giving her a warm welcome!”
Rod Sterling: “To say her first several months were unique is an understatement. We have had people rise to champion status early, but few new signees, especially so young, get thrown into the fire that quickly and she’s had some set-backs, but she continually raised her game each step.”
Heading down the rampway, Vampyra isn’t rushing, maybe showing some unease after being away from FWA crowds for a respectable time, long enough where her physical presence was missing. But, weeks of reflecting and soul searching for the young rising star, what is going through her mind?
Allen Price: “The real question which I have is her mental state? In the ring, she’s a calm force, but she’s young, she’s got a lot on her plate, and she made it clear she’s not pursuing the FWA Television Championship despite not even being pinned to lose it. I'm sorry, what!?”
Rod Sterling: “It’s a strange choice, especially given the expected collision course for the title. If I was in her position, I’d be gunning for a rematch as soon as possible, BUT few can argue against the fact she may be destined for more if she continues where she left off. In fact, if she did not go home, I’d imagine she would have been in a prominent place on the card tonight, or a favourite in the King of the Deathmatch.”
Going up the steps, the Dark Huntress takes her time before stepping into the ring under the middle rope. A ringside attendee reaches between the ropes to hand her a microphone which she accepts. Her theme music fades.
And she doesn’t talk right away. Vampyra looks around at the The Grand March crowd. There are cheers and they have been growing for the past while, but this time it seems a little bit different. Absence makes the heart grow fonder as they say, even if it is just about two months. But, there are no mixed reactions. The young Joshi star, after a turbulent start to her American career, has begun to break down some barriers and is starting to connect with the US fans. Then, a chant.
“Welcome back! Welcome back!”
A smile appears on her face. She takes a deep breath in as the chants die down enough for her to speak.
Vampyra: “Arigatō… Thank you.”
She politely thanks the crowd, doing a small nod as several of them cheer and clap.
Vampyra: “Forgive me if I make mistakes, I am not quite used to speaking in front of an audience in this way in front of such a large crowd, especially in my second language. I have run through my head what I would say for weeks now, but I feel as though I would be better served to be open.”
Taking a few moments, Vampyra tries to search for where to begin and likely translates it back to herself to make sure she does her message justice in English. So, she goes with the most important thing. The beginning.
Vampyra: “When I went to FWA and America I had this idea of how I would present myself. Who Vampyra is, but deep down I was not quite as prepared as I thought I would be. I was not sure how you, the fans, would treat me. Am I your hero? Am I despised? What place would this young lady from Japan find herself in? And this environment, a loud and vocal crowd, let alone one of the loudest, was foreign to me.”
Stepping forward, Vampyra further explains.
Vampyra: “While much of the world has been eager to escape the effects of the pandemic, for Japan we have moved much slower. We are a country that values your duty to another and one which is densely populated. At times it is frustrating, but we make sacrifices. I suppose you could say I am used to wearing a mask.”
She has a wink, and a couple fans give a chuckle.
Vampyra: “But if there was one thing that always was heart wrenching was the limits that fans could do. Fans were not allowed to shout or cheer during shows, only clap. As a wrestler, we feed on the energy of a crowd, whether to fuel our hate, or fill our hearts with a fighting spirit. But, that was missing. It has been that way for three years. Even when fans were allowed to make noise…”
Rubbing her neck, Vampyra feels uncomfortable.
Vampyra: “I was not winning any popularity awards because of people I was associated with at the time. I never had the fans cheer for me. FWA was different. I was not used to the environment, the characters, personalities, or travel. I went from Japan and a place where your unit, or a stable, was a key part of your identity to being alone again for the first time since I started my career. I went from a place where a stable or unit would stay together for years with it taking something major like a stipulation or a complete breakdown of trust for a unit to leave… To America where stables are mostly temporary and if one stays together for a long time it wears thin on some people. The only blessing was that I knew there were people who wanted me to succeed, even if it was hard to focus on it.”
The normally loud Chicago crowd is somewhat silent. Though not out of disrespect, but listening. For the first time, Vampyra is showing her vulnerabilities to a live audience. Raising her voice, Vampyra follows it up.
Vampyra: “And despite every hurdle, everything weighing me down, what I could do in the ring shined through! My passion, my desire to be a wrestler and push myself to be better!”
Vampyra points to her mask.
Vampyra: “If it was not for this mask, I would not have wrestled in the first place. It takes so much to even enter wrestling, especially where I am from. Many start young like me, but with how rough it is on their bodies and mentally, by 26 plenty retire. But not me, I will not. That is what you should expect from me. And yet, all that only got me so far. I rushed in and ascended fast only to run into a concrete ceiling. I needed to take a step back.”
Stepping forward, the masked wrestler leaps on the ropes towards the hard camera.
Vampyra: “That decision is not, nor will ever be a sign of weakness. It should be a strength. It takes self-control to know when you need to take a moment to look back and reflect to BE better. Remember that. I needed to go home. I needed to wrestle elsewhere for a moment and change scenery. Being home revitalized me because I got to see everyone I have touched and who inspire me and-.”
Looking down, we can see a small grin on Vampyra’s face.
Vampyra: “For the first time, I got to hear my hometown fans cheer for me. For the first time I heard them shout my name. It is something I will never forget and I hope one day I may come there with FWA.”
The fans clap, happy for her to have a moment like that. Her eyes moving towards the camera, Vampyra steps back towards the middle of the ring. She is still a bit uneasy, emotional.
Vampyra: “I remembered why I went into wrestling over any other path in life. It was something I forgot about long ago. I shall not forget it this time as I return to FWA. I returned after having a taste of FWA. A taste of America. I still have a lot to learn, but I’m better prepared. This is a chance for a reset in FWA and I know what I want from here-”
Voice trailing off, Vampyra looks around. Her voice is calm as she proclaims-
Vampyra: “I want to belong. I am not a fake. I am not a liar. It is no fluke I have gone this far in my career. I am not a new toy or an international attraction. I… I KNOW I have what it takes to compete with the best in FWA even with what hangs over my head.”
Allen Price: “Hangs over her head?”
The commentator notices the unique word choice from the young wrestler. Holding her hand up, Vampyra holds two fingers up.
Vampyra: “Two curses are cast on me. Not one of magic but inside. One that at times makes even waking up a challenge. An overwhelming feeling of distress, fear of failure and doubt. To those who share it with me, your struggles are not in vain. Sadly, that is one which will likely hang over me for years to come. But I am aware of it. I know it, and that is already a start. The other…”
She stops herself. Taking a breath in, she looks down at the mat, some nerves return. But she powers through them, looking up at the crowd.
Vampyra: “I will cleanse myself very soon of it…”
A small confident smirk appears on her face.
Vampyra: “The next time you will see me will be Carnal Contendership. It should be no surprise that I will be in it. Thirty competitors fighting for a chance to compete for the FWA World Championship at Back in Business. The last time I was in a Battle Royale, I was in it for the sake of it then I made a costly error, one I learned from. This time, I have a greater reason. That is to move forward, to make sure that there is not a single doubt that I not just belong in FWA, but that every opportunity I have received before and after will have been earned!”
There are some cheers from the crowd. Vampyra, in her in person return to FWA, has opened up to the fans, and has made her intentions clear, Carnal Contendership. Looking dead into the camera, she says one final line…
Vampyra: “Carnal Contendership… is my new beginning.”
Before dropping the microphone in the ring. Her theme music begins to play again as she stands in the ring, confident smirk. Putting down MAYHEM’s “M” hand gesture, she slides out of the ring.
Allen Price: “A lot of emotion from Vampyra with a heart-filled announcement for Carnal Contendership. As we are turning the corner towards Back in Business, she is looking to make a splash, show her place in FWA.”
Rod Sterling: “I think some members of the FWA fans might have a greater appreciation for her. I can imagine how much of a leap it was for her to go from her environment to here. But, mentally, I think she’s prepared for Carnal Contendership.”
Allen Price: “What are her odds?”
Rod Sterling: “It’s going to be a deep pool. It always is. But a motivated Vampyra, I think she might be a dark horse pick. She is willing to rise to the occasion whenever she's faced with a new challenge. Regardless, I think she’s got the potential for a memorable performance.”
Vampyra heads to the stage and stands in front of the curtains. Then, she does something curious. She loosens her mask. Bowing her head down… and takes it off. The fans gasp as she keeps her head turned away, keeping her face hidden. She drops her mask on the stage and heads through the curtains, keeping her face covered.
Rod Sterling: “W-What did I just see? Did Vampyra remove her mask and drop it?”
Allen Price: “I have no idea why, but removing a mask is something which is a drastic move for a masked wrestler, especially one who respects the traditions related to it like her. What’s going on?”
The fans are left confused as the camera zooms in on the mask as we cut to a brief break
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”The show moves on, wrestling fans and coming up next is a match that will see the FWA TV Championship but it’s become much more personal, and more than just about the championship. Shawn Summers is coming off one defense over Joe Burr and he’ll be looking to extend his success in defense but he’ll have to contend with a motivated and fired up Cowboy, Tommy Bedlam.”
Rod Sterling: ”Bedlam has had a string of bad luck in recent weeks and he hasn’t been able to find the same success he had when he returned. Bedlam took Summers up on the open challenge, and since then it’s become personal with Summers attacking the Cowboy with a chair and even going as far as shoving the Cowboy’s pregnant girlfriend, Randi.”
Allen Price: ”It’s no surprise that Summers has made this personal, he seems to thrive off that type of thing. It can’t just be about a title with him; he has to go the extra length to make his opponent’s life a living hell.”
The lights dim and the familiar tune echoes throughout the United Center and after Bon Jovi’s opening lyrics hit, the Cowboy steps out on stage to a loud, positive ovation. Bedlam’s girlfriend, Randi Francis is at his side and she claps for him while the crowd sings along to the popular song that accompanies Bedlam to the ring.
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Tommy Bedlam faces quite possibly one of his toughest tests to date since his arrival in FWA. Tommy has dealt with some tough opponents in his time, but I don’t believe he’s dealt with someone like Shawn Summers.”
Allen Price: ”I’m sure he’s aware of that, Jean-Luc. He knows what’s at stake and he knows how personal Summers has made this. He wants that TV title, but there’s no doubt that he wants to even the score and make Summers hurt for his actions as of late.”
Rod Sterling: ”That’s all well and fine, but he can’t let all of the personal stuff get in the way of the ultimate goal and that’s the TV title. I get he’s upset and he wants to rip off Summers’ head, but at the same time, Summers wants Bedlam fired up like this. It’s all mind games by Summers, and Bedlam isn’t careful he could fall right into that trap.”
Bedlam shares a kiss with the lovely Randi and then trots up the steel steps and enters the ring. Randi stays at ringside and she continues to clap and cheer for her man, and she gets the crowd to cheer along with her while they sing along with Bon Jovi and Tommy paces around the ring as he removes his vest. Soon though, karaoke time for the fans comes to an end as the song fades out and the crowd begins to boo because of what is coming next…
Shawn slowly rises through the stage with his head down and eyes closed. The lights strobe between white and red to the drums of the song as fog rises underneath him and we see the TV Title wrapped around his waist. Shawn tilts his head up, his face void of emotion as the camera pans around him. He stands in place taking in the moment until the chorus of "Cola" kicks in. He begins to make his way down the ramp mouthing the words to the song, ignoring the hands and verbal assault from the fans as he does. Halfway down the ramp, he takes a visual survey of the arena before slowly walking up the ring steps and slowly ascending the turnbuckle. His eyes closed, his head tilted high - he's fully taking in the moment before hopping down into the ring and he unlatches the title from his waist and holds it up high and taunts Bedlam with it. Shawn makes his way to his corner and crouches down as he awaits the announcements.
Kurt Harrington: ”The following contest is scheduled for one fall with a thirty-minute-time-limit, and it is for the FWA TV Championship! Introducing first, the challenger, he is accompanied by Randi Francis and he hails from Sweetwater, Texas and weighs in at 244 lb…he is The Cowboy…Tommy Bedlam!”
More loud cheers for The Cowboy, who is the clear fan favorite for this match. Randi continues to clap and cheer for Tommy along with the crowd, while Tommy keeps his gaze firmly set on the man across from him.
Kurt Harrington: ”And his opponent, from Laguna Beach, California and weighing in at 225 lb…he is the current reigning and defending FWA TV Champion…Der Basterd…Shawn Summers!”
The booing from the fans rains down on Summers and he rises up from his seated position and opens his eyes. Summers remains stoic and unphased by the negativity. He takes one last look at his title before handing it off to referee Matthew Dean, and Dean shows it to Bedlam and then holds it aloft before handing it off to the ringside area and Dean calls for the bell.
DING! DING! DING!
The bell has rung and Tommy Bedlam explodes out of his corner and pummels Summers in his corner! Bedlam is laying into Summers with explosive lefts and rights to Summers, and Bedlam then tosses Summers across the ring like a shot put ball! Summers takes a hard landing and he’s in the opposite corner, and Summers holds his hands up but Bedlam doesn’t care and he hits a corner clothesline on Summers! Bedlam unloads on Summers with a barrage of corner stomps until Summers is slumped down in a prone position. Bedlam pulls Summers up and into his waiting arms and Bedlam hits Summers with a belly-to-belly suplex! Summers winces upon hitting the canvas, and he’s on his knees now and he’s pleading with Bedlam to reconsider but Bedlam is having none of it as he drives his boot straight into Summers’ chest!
Bedlam drags Summers up to his feet with a front facelock and he whips Summers toward the opposite rope, and Bedlam catches Summers in a powerslam position but before he can drop him, Summers fights out of it with rapid fire elbows to the back of Bedlam’s head that force Bedlam to let go and Summers drops down. Summers unleashes a flurry of well placed punches that has Bedlam reeling on the ropes. Summers is relentless with his strikes and he has Bedlam on the ropes, literally, and he sends Bedlam off into the opposite side but Bedlam ducks underneath a clothesline and Bedlam hits the other ropes and comes back with a shoulder tackle that takes Summers down! Summers pops back up though and he charges at Bedlam, but Bedlam is ready and catches Summers with a ring rattling spinebuster! Bedlam quickly hooks the leg…
One…TWO-NO!
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Summers had some brief momentum, but it quickly swung back in Tommy Bedlam’s favor.”
Allen Price: ”Yeah, so far this has been all Tommy Bedlam. If he can keep it up we may see a new champion crowned tonight.”
Rod Sterling: ”Let’s not get hasty now, Price. Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”
Summers tries to roll away to the ring apron for a reprieve, but Bedlam will not let up and he will not let Summers off the hook that easily. Bedlam drags Summers up by the head and as they’re face to face, Summers clocks Bedlam with a stiff headbutt! Summers locks in position to where they’re still face to face and Summers unloads with repeated headbutts, and Bedlam is in a daze. Summers has him set up still and Summers sends Bedlam halfway across the ring with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex!
Rod Sterling: ”Wipe Out! Summers hits Bedlam with the Wipe Out and just like that Summers turns the tide!”
Summers pounces on top of the downed Bedlam and he lays into Bedlam with a barrage of mounted punches and elbow strikes incorporated throughout…
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Summers with the Blitzkrieg on Bedlam now and Summers is not holding back with those punches!”
Referee Matthew Dean forces Summers off of Bedlam, and Summers adheres the official’s warning and he removes himself from the situation. Dean checks on Bedlam and with his back turned to Summers, Shawn uses this opportunity to unstrap the protective padding from one of the turnbuckles much to the dismay of the fans. Summers goes back to Bedlam and he takes Tommy by the legs, and flips him upward and Bedlam is sent face first into the exposed steel!
Allen Price: ”Summers bends the rules and now Bedlam is busted open!”
Bedlam is slumped face first in the corner and the blood begins to pour from his head. Summers sneaks up behind Bedlam, and he locks in a rear waist lock…bridging german suplex!
One…TWO-NO!
Bedlam kicks out but that doesn’t stop Summers from continuing his onslaught of punishment. He drags Bedlam to the corner and Bedlam is slumped in a prone position with blood still pouring from his head, and Summers charges at Bedlam and strikes with the Bees Knees! Summers starts to lay into Bedlam with vicious stomps, specifically targeting Bedlam’s head with each stomp and Summers responds to booing from the crowd…
”This is your hero, huh?! This is the man you cheer for?! If you only knew the truth about this man, he’s no hero!”
Summers then places Tommy’s head back on the bottom turnbuckle and he starts to choke out Bedlam with his boot placed firmly on Tommy’s throat. Randi is nearby at ringside and she’s watching on with great concern and she’s doing everything she can to will Tommy on. Summers takes notice of Randi nearby and he has some words for her…
”This is the father of your child, huh?! This is the kind of man you want raising your child?! You’re just as bad as he is!”
Randi does her best to ignore Summers and Summers is backed off by the official. Summers curses at the official, and Summers starts to argue with Dean.
Allen Price: ”Summers is risking disqualification here but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s intentional on his part knowing him!”
Summers brushes past Dean and goes back to Bedlam and he drags Bedlam up, but Tommy finds a second wind and counters by sending Shawn’s head bouncing off the turnbuckle! Tommy unloads with clubbing blows to Summers’ back as Shawn is trapped in the corner before Tommy drags him out and hits a picture perfect saito suplex! Tommy wipes some blood out of his eyes and turns his focus back on Summers. Tommy brings Summers in position and lifts him up and sends him crashing down with a sitout powerbomb into a jackknife cover…
One…two…NO!
Summers kicks out and he rolls through while Tommy is sizing him up and Summers staggers back to a vertical base…The Buckshot! Tommy gets all of that superkick but before he can get the pin, Shawn wisely rolls to the ring apron, much to the dismay of the fans because they knew Tommy could’ve gotten the win right then and there with his superkick. Tommy makes his way over and he starts to pull Shawn up by the hair, but Shawn counters and drops Tommy's neck first across the first rope and Tommy falls down in an instant. Tommy is clutching at his neck and gasping for air while Summers revels in his handy work while the crowd boos him. Summers notices Randi nearby again and he hops off the apron and he starts to stalk her. Randi is slowly backing away in terror…
”Do you see what I’m doing to your baby daddy in there, huh?! After I’m finished with him he won’t even be able to care for you or that little brat!”
Bedlam has come to and he sees Summers getting near Randi, and Bedlam looks absolutely overcome with rage and with good reason! Bedlam slides out of the ring and he spins Summers around and clocks him with a right hand! Bedlam takes Summers by the head and he bounces Shawn’s head off the ring apron several times! Tommy then holds Shawn in place and tells Randi to let him have it, and Randi slaps Summers across the face to the delight of the fans! Bedlam then sends Summers face first into the steel steps!
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Randi with a measure of revenge with that slap and Summers is sent face first into that steel!”
Allen Price: ”Summers’ detestable actions came back to bite him and now he’s bleeding!”
Bedlam tosses a bloody Shawn Summers back inside the ring and Summers is crawling on all fours now after he’s back in the ring. Bedlam stalks his prey and as Summers is up, Bedlam strikes him down with a discus lariat! Bedlam is quick on the attack and he applies a Boston crab submission! Bedlam cranks back on the hold and Summers is howling in pain as he tries to reach for the bottom rope…
Summers is refusing to give up and he’s fighting through the pain as much as he can. Summers manages to twist out of it and with his boots he shoves Tommy away. Summers scrambles back to a vertical base and Tommy turns around right into a headbutt from Summers! Summers doubles Bedlam over with a kick to the gut and sets him…sitout double underhook powerbomb into a pin!
One…two….THREE-NO!
Summers attempts to go for his patented figure four leg lock, but Bedlam kicks him away before he can apply it. This time it’s Tommy scrambling up to his feet and he catches a charging Summers with a falling powerslam! Tommy is feeling it now and he’s calling for it. He goes to lift Summers up for The Rough Ride, but Summers slips out behind and he drills Tommy with a forearm to the back of the head! Summers then hits the ropes…Lights Out! Springboard knee strike to Bedlam! Summers drapes his arm over Bedlam…
One…two…THREE-NO!
Bedlam stays alive and Summers can’t believe it. Summers is starting to grow irate now and he slides out of the ring and he grabs the TV title from the ringside attendant while in the ring Bedlam is tended to by the referee. Summers re-enters the ring and the referee sees Summers with the belt, and he tries to stop him but Summers charges past him and he clocks Bedlam right across the head with the title! The referee immediately calls for the bell!
Kurt Harrington: ”The winner as a result of a disqualification is Tommy Bedlam, but STILL the FWA TV Champion, Shawn Summers!”
Allen Price: ”Of all the low down dirty things to do! Summers couldn’t put Bedlam away so he took the easy way out!”
Rod Sterling: ”You said it yourself earlier Price that you wouldn’t be surprised if Summers would purposely get himself disqualified, so don’t act surprised that it actually happened!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Sterling is right, Price, but you are as well. Summers did take the easy way out and he’s not done yet by the looks of it!”
Summers continues to assault Bedlam after the match has been called and more referees and other personnel arrive on the scene to break it up. Summers is eventually pried away from Bedlam and he’s held back as Randi enters the ring to check on Tommy. Randi then looks up at Shawn and stares scornfully at him. Summers looks emotionless as he stares at Randi and the fallen Bedlam before he exits the ring as the show fades out elsewhere…
An advert for Back in Business XVII airs. Night One is planned for Saturday 15th July and Night Two for Sunday 16th July, with both shows to air in Mexico City. Each of the three competitors in the upcoming main event - Peacock, Truth, and von Horrowitz - are shown holding the FWA World Championship as part of the hype package. This is followed by an ad for the 18th Anniversary Show, scheduled for Sunday 20th August in Bridgetown, Barbados. This is advertised as a beach show, with the Golden Opportunity - to feature those placing second through seventh in the Carnal Contendership - featuring prominently.
There is a sense of excitement in the United Center as the crowd knows that there is just one match remaining, and it is the main event of the night. We go to the commentary table, where Jean-Luc Watkins takes a moment to address the camera before the competitors make their entrances.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Well, wrestling fans, it is time for the main event! Chris Peacock will be defending the FWA World Championship in a Three Way Dance against two very dangerous threats in Cyrus Truth and Michele von Horrowitz.
The rules of a Three Way Dance are such that this match is two falls to a finish, with two competitors being eliminated before a winner is declared. In addition, Jon Russnow has stipulated that disqualifications can result in an elimination in this match. This ruling has been made in light of Michelle von Horrowitz’s recent actions and the likelihood of interference by Cthulhu’s Nephews.”
Allen Price: “Good. The Nephews have helped Michelle von Horrowitz get this far through blatant CHEATING, and it is about time that Michelle reminds everyone how capable she is without their help. She doesn’t need to take the low road.”
There is a concurrence through nodding from Watkins and Sterling after Price’s assertion about MvH’s abilities and the lights in the arena dim down.
The lights inside the arena begin to flicker and there are uproarious cheers from the FWA fans inside the United Center as the first of the three competitors taking part in tonight’s main event makes their entrance. Cyrus Truth takes a deep and steady breath when he comes into view on the stage and the reception for him gets even louder as he does so. ‘The Exile’ begins to slowly walk down to the ring, stretching his wrists out on the way after he unzips his grey hoodie.
Rod Sterling: “For so many and for so long, Cyrus Truth has been the standardbearer for excellence here in the Fantasy Wrestling Alliance, and CWA prior to that. A four-time FWA World Champion but without a reign in over three years. In that time, both of his opponents tonight have made their respective FWA debuts and won the championship three times between them. Cyrus Truth’s long and winding road back to the top of the mountain could end tonight.”
Allen Price: “Tonight we get the definitive answer to the question of whether Cyrus’s time has come and gone. Can he prove to us, the FWA fans and most importantly, himself, that he is still capable of competing at the highest level in this industry. No more Gabrielle, no more Devin Golden, no more PAJ; Cyrus is the last bastion of a generation gone by.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “For so long, Cyrus has desired this opportunity; a match for the FWA World Championship. He has not gotten here in the most conventional way. It has been tough, it has been tormenting. All of that could be worth it though, if he can outlast both Chris Peacock and Michelle von Horrowitz here tonight.”
Cyrus pauses at the top of the steel steps, with his hand resting on the ring post and he takes a look around at the crowd and speaks some reaffirmations to himself. The importance of this moment has not been lost on the veteran and he psyches himself up some more before entering the ring through the ropes in an emphatic manner.
He moves to the middle of the ring an extends his arms to a thunderous cheer from the crowd; one of their two favourites in this match. The adoration for Cyrus and Chris Peacock only matched by their disdain for the other third of the equation…
Instantly, the United Center is a cacophony of boos, all for Michelle von Horrowitz. The camera focuses on the stage but no one appears, and it is only when the crowd is scanned, it becomes clear where ‘Dreamer’ is arriving from. Unsurprisingly, she is not alone, either. MvH walks down the steps from one of the openings in the crowd and the rest of Ctulhu’s Nephews file out from behind her - all are present with the exception of Thomas West, which is unsurprising given the events of the King of the Deathmatch tournament last night.
MvH wears her half of the FWA World Tag Team Championships on her left shoulder, with the other in the possession of the Nephew directly behind her - Gerald Grayson. The Connection members are the only two making their way towards the ring through the crowd with any earnest, as Uncle and the others are signing as many autographs as they can.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Well, it would seem that the threat of disqualification resulting from outside interference is not enough to sway the Nephews against coming out here to support Michelle von Horrowitz as she looks to win back the title which she last won at The Grand March last year.”
Rod Sterling: “Last year she had Gerald Grayson in the match too - a friendly face. There will be no such luxury for the F1 Climaxxx winner tonight as both Cyrus Truth and Chris Peacock detest Michelle and the Nephews, for good reason. Of course it was Cyrus that Michelle and the Nephews cheated in the finals of the F1 Climaxxx at Back in Town.”
As Michelle reaches the barricade, she hops over it and advances towards the ring, whilst Grayson and the others hang back behind the partition. Uncle J.J. JAY! files his way to the front of the pack and makes a motion to everyone in the front row on the hard camera side, and they all rise from their seats and begin to leave!
Allen Price: “Uncle bought out the front row?”
Rod Sterling: “I suppose you cannot be accused of interfering if you are present as a paying fan - they’ve even got tickets! Despite this though, the mere presence of the Nephews could be enough to take Cyrus and Peacock off of their games… Chris Peacock, especially.”
MvH enters the ring and holds her title by her side and looks at Cyrus with a smug grin and Larry Stevens preemptively gets in front of ‘The Exile’ just in case he cannot wait until the match to begin before going after ‘Dreamer’. As Roy Orbison fades out, there is just one more entrance left to make.
Attention turns to the stage for the third time and the majority fans are on their feet and some are even throwing a few shapes down, and the FWA World Champion runs out backwards onto the stage and then stops himself in place before spinning into a Night Fever pose. Chris Peacock spins back around and pats the championship around his waist with his free hand; the other holding onto the Singapore Cane slung back over his shoulder.
He steps forward and holds the cane up into the air, releasing a massive burst of white pyro from around the large screen. Peacock struts towards the ring, dressed in different gear than usual; tonight in a white and purple outfit which would not look out of place on the Las Vegas strip being worn by an Elvis impersonator or as an extra in Blades of Glory.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Peacock by name and by nature, it would seem for at least tonight, gentlemen. There’s a lot going on in the world of the Fantasy Wrestling Alliance at the moment, but the man at the helm for the moment at least is the one they call ‘Disco’s Last Warrior’ and he definitely looks the part tonight.”
Allen Price: “I know for a fact that Chris Peacock has looked into himself a lot in the last few weeks and put a lot of things into perspective. He has been calling himself a champion and simply repeating a face by doing so. Tonight is his opportunity to dance the dance and prove to everyone just why he is the pinnacle of this industry right now.”
Rod Sterling: “Chris Peacock was derided for so long for not being able to get the victories when it matters, but he is doing everything in his power to reverse that course of thinking. Victories in his last three Pay-Per-View appearances at Back in Business, Lights Out and Back in Town… we’re definitely looking at three big game players in this match.”
Peacock walks around the right and makes a point of ignoring the Nephews in the front row sarcastically applauding him, before he gets up onto the apron and then enters the ring where he raises the championship in the air after unclipping it from around his waist. He stands in front of both Cyrus and MvH, showing off his championship in their face and then takes a spot in one of the two remaining unoccupied corners.
The FWA World Champion presses his forehead against the nameplate on the title and then kisses it before handing it to Larry Stevens, clearly understanding that this could be the final time that he has the belt in his possession. Kurt Harrington steps forward and clears his throat into his microphone.
Kurt Harrington: “Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is your main event of The Grand March, and it is a Three Way Dance scheduled for two falls with a sixty minute time limit… and it is for the FWA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP!”
The announcement gets a big cheer from the crowd, and the camera shifts to the concentrated and stern expression on the face of the first challenger, Cyrus Truth.
Kurt Harrington: “Introducing first, the challengers. First, from The Long and Winding Road and weighing in at two-hundred and twenty-seven pounds… he is ‘The Exile’ CYYYYYYYYRRRUUUUSSSSSS TRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTHHH!!!”
Another loud response from the crowd for Cyrus, who glares at both Peacock and von Horrowitz in turn, and the focus then shifts to the other challenger and the crowd begin loudly booing as a result of this.
Kurt Harrington: “Next, the second challenger; representing Ctulhu’s Nephews… from Rotterdam in the Netherlands and weighing in at fifty-four kilograms… she is ‘Meltdown von Horrowitz’, ‘The 1 in 9 and 1’ and one half of the FWA World Tag Team Champions… she is ‘Dreamer# MIIIIIIIIICCHHHELLLLLEE VONNNNNNN HOOOOOORRROOOOOWWWWIIITTTZZZZZZZ!!!”
The crowd have whipped themselves into a “FUCK YOU DREAMER!” chant, but this is met with mild amusement from the target of the chants. Instead, MvH continues her preparations for the match. Lastly, the man who has the marbles is highlighted, and Chris Peacock jumps up and down on the spot as he waits for his introduction.
Kurt Harrington: “Finally… from Boogie Wonderland by way of Brooklyn, New York City and weighing in at two-hundred and ten pounds… he is the current, reigning and defending Fantasy Wrestling Alliance World Champion, ‘Disco’s Last Warrior’ CHRISSSSSSSSSS PEEEEEAAAACCCOOOOOOOOOOCCCKKKK!!!”
Peacock shoots a finger up into the air and then strums a fake guitar a few times, playing up his Elvis-like look, and grins at the positive reaction from the crowd. Kurt Harrington exits the ring to leave just the competitors and the referee, who sets about completing his final checks on all three competitors.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Well, wrestling fans, it has been a historic long weekend for the FWA and it all comes to a head right now. Who will be leaving Chicago tonight as the FWA World Champion?”
The bell has rung and Tommy Bedlam explodes out of his corner and pummels Summers in his corner! Bedlam is laying into Summers with explosive lefts and rights to Summers, and Bedlam then tosses Summers across the ring like a shot put ball! Summers takes a hard landing and he’s in the opposite corner, and Summers holds his hands up but Bedlam doesn’t care and he hits a corner clothesline on Summers! Bedlam unloads on Summers with a barrage of corner stomps until Summers is slumped down in a prone position. Bedlam pulls Summers up and into his waiting arms and Bedlam hits Summers with a belly-to-belly suplex! Summers winces upon hitting the canvas, and he’s on his knees now and he’s pleading with Bedlam to reconsider but Bedlam is having none of it as he drives his boot straight into Summers’ chest!
Bedlam drags Summers up to his feet with a front facelock and he whips Summers toward the opposite rope, and Bedlam catches Summers in a powerslam position but before he can drop him, Summers fights out of it with rapid fire elbows to the back of Bedlam’s head that force Bedlam to let go and Summers drops down. Summers unleashes a flurry of well placed punches that has Bedlam reeling on the ropes. Summers is relentless with his strikes and he has Bedlam on the ropes, literally, and he sends Bedlam off into the opposite side but Bedlam ducks underneath a clothesline and Bedlam hits the other ropes and comes back with a shoulder tackle that takes Summers down! Summers pops back up though and he charges at Bedlam, but Bedlam is ready and catches Summers with a ring rattling spinebuster! Bedlam quickly hooks the leg…
One…TWO-NO!
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Summers had some brief momentum, but it quickly swung back in Tommy Bedlam’s favor.”
Allen Price: ”Yeah, so far this has been all Tommy Bedlam. If he can keep it up we may see a new champion crowned tonight.”
Rod Sterling: ”Let’s not get hasty now, Price. Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”
Summers tries to roll away to the ring apron for a reprieve, but Bedlam will not let up and he will not let Summers off the hook that easily. Bedlam drags Summers up by the head and as they’re face to face, Summers clocks Bedlam with a stiff headbutt! Summers locks in position to where they’re still face to face and Summers unloads with repeated headbutts, and Bedlam is in a daze. Summers has him set up still and Summers sends Bedlam halfway across the ring with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex!
Rod Sterling: ”Wipe Out! Summers hits Bedlam with the Wipe Out and just like that Summers turns the tide!”
Summers pounces on top of the downed Bedlam and he lays into Bedlam with a barrage of mounted punches and elbow strikes incorporated throughout…
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Summers with the Blitzkrieg on Bedlam now and Summers is not holding back with those punches!”
Referee Matthew Dean forces Summers off of Bedlam, and Summers adheres the official’s warning and he removes himself from the situation. Dean checks on Bedlam and with his back turned to Summers, Shawn uses this opportunity to unstrap the protective padding from one of the turnbuckles much to the dismay of the fans. Summers goes back to Bedlam and he takes Tommy by the legs, and flips him upward and Bedlam is sent face first into the exposed steel!
Allen Price: ”Summers bends the rules and now Bedlam is busted open!”
Bedlam is slumped face first in the corner and the blood begins to pour from his head. Summers sneaks up behind Bedlam, and he locks in a rear waist lock…bridging german suplex!
One…TWO-NO!
Bedlam kicks out but that doesn’t stop Summers from continuing his onslaught of punishment. He drags Bedlam to the corner and Bedlam is slumped in a prone position with blood still pouring from his head, and Summers charges at Bedlam and strikes with the Bees Knees! Summers starts to lay into Bedlam with vicious stomps, specifically targeting Bedlam’s head with each stomp and Summers responds to booing from the crowd…
”This is your hero, huh?! This is the man you cheer for?! If you only knew the truth about this man, he’s no hero!”
Summers then places Tommy’s head back on the bottom turnbuckle and he starts to choke out Bedlam with his boot placed firmly on Tommy’s throat. Randi is nearby at ringside and she’s watching on with great concern and she’s doing everything she can to will Tommy on. Summers takes notice of Randi nearby and he has some words for her…
”This is the father of your child, huh?! This is the kind of man you want raising your child?! You’re just as bad as he is!”
Randi does her best to ignore Summers and Summers is backed off by the official. Summers curses at the official, and Summers starts to argue with Dean.
Allen Price: ”Summers is risking disqualification here but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s intentional on his part knowing him!”
Summers brushes past Dean and goes back to Bedlam and he drags Bedlam up, but Tommy finds a second wind and counters by sending Shawn’s head bouncing off the turnbuckle! Tommy unloads with clubbing blows to Summers’ back as Shawn is trapped in the corner before Tommy drags him out and hits a picture perfect saito suplex! Tommy wipes some blood out of his eyes and turns his focus back on Summers. Tommy brings Summers in position and lifts him up and sends him crashing down with a sitout powerbomb into a jackknife cover…
One…two…NO!
Summers kicks out and he rolls through while Tommy is sizing him up and Summers staggers back to a vertical base…The Buckshot! Tommy gets all of that superkick but before he can get the pin, Shawn wisely rolls to the ring apron, much to the dismay of the fans because they knew Tommy could’ve gotten the win right then and there with his superkick. Tommy makes his way over and he starts to pull Shawn up by the hair, but Shawn counters and drops Tommy's neck first across the first rope and Tommy falls down in an instant. Tommy is clutching at his neck and gasping for air while Summers revels in his handy work while the crowd boos him. Summers notices Randi nearby again and he hops off the apron and he starts to stalk her. Randi is slowly backing away in terror…
”Do you see what I’m doing to your baby daddy in there, huh?! After I’m finished with him he won’t even be able to care for you or that little brat!”
Bedlam has come to and he sees Summers getting near Randi, and Bedlam looks absolutely overcome with rage and with good reason! Bedlam slides out of the ring and he spins Summers around and clocks him with a right hand! Bedlam takes Summers by the head and he bounces Shawn’s head off the ring apron several times! Tommy then holds Shawn in place and tells Randi to let him have it, and Randi slaps Summers across the face to the delight of the fans! Bedlam then sends Summers face first into the steel steps!
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Randi with a measure of revenge with that slap and Summers is sent face first into that steel!”
Allen Price: ”Summers’ detestable actions came back to bite him and now he’s bleeding!”
Bedlam tosses a bloody Shawn Summers back inside the ring and Summers is crawling on all fours now after he’s back in the ring. Bedlam stalks his prey and as Summers is up, Bedlam strikes him down with a discus lariat! Bedlam is quick on the attack and he applies a Boston crab submission! Bedlam cranks back on the hold and Summers is howling in pain as he tries to reach for the bottom rope…
Summers is refusing to give up and he’s fighting through the pain as much as he can. Summers manages to twist out of it and with his boots he shoves Tommy away. Summers scrambles back to a vertical base and Tommy turns around right into a headbutt from Summers! Summers doubles Bedlam over with a kick to the gut and sets him…sitout double underhook powerbomb into a pin!
One…two….THREE-NO!
Summers attempts to go for his patented figure four leg lock, but Bedlam kicks him away before he can apply it. This time it’s Tommy scrambling up to his feet and he catches a charging Summers with a falling powerslam! Tommy is feeling it now and he’s calling for it. He goes to lift Summers up for The Rough Ride, but Summers slips out behind and he drills Tommy with a forearm to the back of the head! Summers then hits the ropes…Lights Out! Springboard knee strike to Bedlam! Summers drapes his arm over Bedlam…
One…two…THREE-NO!
Bedlam stays alive and Summers can’t believe it. Summers is starting to grow irate now and he slides out of the ring and he grabs the TV title from the ringside attendant while in the ring Bedlam is tended to by the referee. Summers re-enters the ring and the referee sees Summers with the belt, and he tries to stop him but Summers charges past him and he clocks Bedlam right across the head with the title! The referee immediately calls for the bell!
Winner: Disqualification at 22:57.
Kurt Harrington: ”The winner as a result of a disqualification is Tommy Bedlam, but STILL the FWA TV Champion, Shawn Summers!”
Allen Price: ”Of all the low down dirty things to do! Summers couldn’t put Bedlam away so he took the easy way out!”
Rod Sterling: ”You said it yourself earlier Price that you wouldn’t be surprised if Summers would purposely get himself disqualified, so don’t act surprised that it actually happened!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: ”Sterling is right, Price, but you are as well. Summers did take the easy way out and he’s not done yet by the looks of it!”
Summers continues to assault Bedlam after the match has been called and more referees and other personnel arrive on the scene to break it up. Summers is eventually pried away from Bedlam and he’s held back as Randi enters the ring to check on Tommy. Randi then looks up at Shawn and stares scornfully at him. Summers looks emotionless as he stares at Randi and the fallen Bedlam before he exits the ring as the show fades out elsewhere…
An advert for Back in Business XVII airs. Night One is planned for Saturday 15th July and Night Two for Sunday 16th July, with both shows to air in Mexico City. Each of the three competitors in the upcoming main event - Peacock, Truth, and von Horrowitz - are shown holding the FWA World Championship as part of the hype package. This is followed by an ad for the 18th Anniversary Show, scheduled for Sunday 20th August in Bridgetown, Barbados. This is advertised as a beach show, with the Golden Opportunity - to feature those placing second through seventh in the Carnal Contendership - featuring prominently.
There is a sense of excitement in the United Center as the crowd knows that there is just one match remaining, and it is the main event of the night. We go to the commentary table, where Jean-Luc Watkins takes a moment to address the camera before the competitors make their entrances.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Well, wrestling fans, it is time for the main event! Chris Peacock will be defending the FWA World Championship in a Three Way Dance against two very dangerous threats in Cyrus Truth and Michele von Horrowitz.
The rules of a Three Way Dance are such that this match is two falls to a finish, with two competitors being eliminated before a winner is declared. In addition, Jon Russnow has stipulated that disqualifications can result in an elimination in this match. This ruling has been made in light of Michelle von Horrowitz’s recent actions and the likelihood of interference by Cthulhu’s Nephews.”
Allen Price: “Good. The Nephews have helped Michelle von Horrowitz get this far through blatant CHEATING, and it is about time that Michelle reminds everyone how capable she is without their help. She doesn’t need to take the low road.”
There is a concurrence through nodding from Watkins and Sterling after Price’s assertion about MvH’s abilities and the lights in the arena dim down.
The lights inside the arena begin to flicker and there are uproarious cheers from the FWA fans inside the United Center as the first of the three competitors taking part in tonight’s main event makes their entrance. Cyrus Truth takes a deep and steady breath when he comes into view on the stage and the reception for him gets even louder as he does so. ‘The Exile’ begins to slowly walk down to the ring, stretching his wrists out on the way after he unzips his grey hoodie.
Rod Sterling: “For so many and for so long, Cyrus Truth has been the standardbearer for excellence here in the Fantasy Wrestling Alliance, and CWA prior to that. A four-time FWA World Champion but without a reign in over three years. In that time, both of his opponents tonight have made their respective FWA debuts and won the championship three times between them. Cyrus Truth’s long and winding road back to the top of the mountain could end tonight.”
Allen Price: “Tonight we get the definitive answer to the question of whether Cyrus’s time has come and gone. Can he prove to us, the FWA fans and most importantly, himself, that he is still capable of competing at the highest level in this industry. No more Gabrielle, no more Devin Golden, no more PAJ; Cyrus is the last bastion of a generation gone by.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “For so long, Cyrus has desired this opportunity; a match for the FWA World Championship. He has not gotten here in the most conventional way. It has been tough, it has been tormenting. All of that could be worth it though, if he can outlast both Chris Peacock and Michelle von Horrowitz here tonight.”
Cyrus pauses at the top of the steel steps, with his hand resting on the ring post and he takes a look around at the crowd and speaks some reaffirmations to himself. The importance of this moment has not been lost on the veteran and he psyches himself up some more before entering the ring through the ropes in an emphatic manner.
He moves to the middle of the ring an extends his arms to a thunderous cheer from the crowd; one of their two favourites in this match. The adoration for Cyrus and Chris Peacock only matched by their disdain for the other third of the equation…
Instantly, the United Center is a cacophony of boos, all for Michelle von Horrowitz. The camera focuses on the stage but no one appears, and it is only when the crowd is scanned, it becomes clear where ‘Dreamer’ is arriving from. Unsurprisingly, she is not alone, either. MvH walks down the steps from one of the openings in the crowd and the rest of Ctulhu’s Nephews file out from behind her - all are present with the exception of Thomas West, which is unsurprising given the events of the King of the Deathmatch tournament last night.
MvH wears her half of the FWA World Tag Team Championships on her left shoulder, with the other in the possession of the Nephew directly behind her - Gerald Grayson. The Connection members are the only two making their way towards the ring through the crowd with any earnest, as Uncle and the others are signing as many autographs as they can.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Well, it would seem that the threat of disqualification resulting from outside interference is not enough to sway the Nephews against coming out here to support Michelle von Horrowitz as she looks to win back the title which she last won at The Grand March last year.”
Rod Sterling: “Last year she had Gerald Grayson in the match too - a friendly face. There will be no such luxury for the F1 Climaxxx winner tonight as both Cyrus Truth and Chris Peacock detest Michelle and the Nephews, for good reason. Of course it was Cyrus that Michelle and the Nephews cheated in the finals of the F1 Climaxxx at Back in Town.”
As Michelle reaches the barricade, she hops over it and advances towards the ring, whilst Grayson and the others hang back behind the partition. Uncle J.J. JAY! files his way to the front of the pack and makes a motion to everyone in the front row on the hard camera side, and they all rise from their seats and begin to leave!
Allen Price: “Uncle bought out the front row?”
Rod Sterling: “I suppose you cannot be accused of interfering if you are present as a paying fan - they’ve even got tickets! Despite this though, the mere presence of the Nephews could be enough to take Cyrus and Peacock off of their games… Chris Peacock, especially.”
MvH enters the ring and holds her title by her side and looks at Cyrus with a smug grin and Larry Stevens preemptively gets in front of ‘The Exile’ just in case he cannot wait until the match to begin before going after ‘Dreamer’. As Roy Orbison fades out, there is just one more entrance left to make.
Attention turns to the stage for the third time and the majority fans are on their feet and some are even throwing a few shapes down, and the FWA World Champion runs out backwards onto the stage and then stops himself in place before spinning into a Night Fever pose. Chris Peacock spins back around and pats the championship around his waist with his free hand; the other holding onto the Singapore Cane slung back over his shoulder.
He steps forward and holds the cane up into the air, releasing a massive burst of white pyro from around the large screen. Peacock struts towards the ring, dressed in different gear than usual; tonight in a white and purple outfit which would not look out of place on the Las Vegas strip being worn by an Elvis impersonator or as an extra in Blades of Glory.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Peacock by name and by nature, it would seem for at least tonight, gentlemen. There’s a lot going on in the world of the Fantasy Wrestling Alliance at the moment, but the man at the helm for the moment at least is the one they call ‘Disco’s Last Warrior’ and he definitely looks the part tonight.”
Allen Price: “I know for a fact that Chris Peacock has looked into himself a lot in the last few weeks and put a lot of things into perspective. He has been calling himself a champion and simply repeating a face by doing so. Tonight is his opportunity to dance the dance and prove to everyone just why he is the pinnacle of this industry right now.”
Rod Sterling: “Chris Peacock was derided for so long for not being able to get the victories when it matters, but he is doing everything in his power to reverse that course of thinking. Victories in his last three Pay-Per-View appearances at Back in Business, Lights Out and Back in Town… we’re definitely looking at three big game players in this match.”
Peacock walks around the right and makes a point of ignoring the Nephews in the front row sarcastically applauding him, before he gets up onto the apron and then enters the ring where he raises the championship in the air after unclipping it from around his waist. He stands in front of both Cyrus and MvH, showing off his championship in their face and then takes a spot in one of the two remaining unoccupied corners.
The FWA World Champion presses his forehead against the nameplate on the title and then kisses it before handing it to Larry Stevens, clearly understanding that this could be the final time that he has the belt in his possession. Kurt Harrington steps forward and clears his throat into his microphone.
Kurt Harrington: “Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is your main event of The Grand March, and it is a Three Way Dance scheduled for two falls with a sixty minute time limit… and it is for the FWA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP!”
The announcement gets a big cheer from the crowd, and the camera shifts to the concentrated and stern expression on the face of the first challenger, Cyrus Truth.
Kurt Harrington: “Introducing first, the challengers. First, from The Long and Winding Road and weighing in at two-hundred and twenty-seven pounds… he is ‘The Exile’ CYYYYYYYYRRRUUUUSSSSSS TRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTHHH!!!”
Another loud response from the crowd for Cyrus, who glares at both Peacock and von Horrowitz in turn, and the focus then shifts to the other challenger and the crowd begin loudly booing as a result of this.
Kurt Harrington: “Next, the second challenger; representing Ctulhu’s Nephews… from Rotterdam in the Netherlands and weighing in at fifty-four kilograms… she is ‘Meltdown von Horrowitz’, ‘The 1 in 9 and 1’ and one half of the FWA World Tag Team Champions… she is ‘Dreamer# MIIIIIIIIICCHHHELLLLLEE VONNNNNNN HOOOOOORRROOOOOWWWWIIITTTZZZZZZZ!!!”
The crowd have whipped themselves into a “FUCK YOU DREAMER!” chant, but this is met with mild amusement from the target of the chants. Instead, MvH continues her preparations for the match. Lastly, the man who has the marbles is highlighted, and Chris Peacock jumps up and down on the spot as he waits for his introduction.
Kurt Harrington: “Finally… from Boogie Wonderland by way of Brooklyn, New York City and weighing in at two-hundred and ten pounds… he is the current, reigning and defending Fantasy Wrestling Alliance World Champion, ‘Disco’s Last Warrior’ CHRISSSSSSSSSS PEEEEEAAAACCCOOOOOOOOOOCCCKKKK!!!”
Peacock shoots a finger up into the air and then strums a fake guitar a few times, playing up his Elvis-like look, and grins at the positive reaction from the crowd. Kurt Harrington exits the ring to leave just the competitors and the referee, who sets about completing his final checks on all three competitors.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Well, wrestling fans, it has been a historic long weekend for the FWA and it all comes to a head right now. Who will be leaving Chicago tonight as the FWA World Champion?”
As the bell rings, the crowd reaches a fever pitch and all three competitors approach the centre of the ring but none of the three make an initial move straight away. There is a clear attempt from each of them to size the other two up. There is a very obvious dislike from all parties towards one another and as a result, a decision on who to target first for each of them is difficult to make. Peacock raises a hand in the direction of MvH, considering a lock-up, but then reverts and does the same thing to Cyrus as well which also results in nothing.
It is eventually Cyrus Truth that decides to get things going when he feigns a lunge for MvH, but changes course at the last second and almost caves Peacock’s chest in with a Knife-Edge Chop! This takes Peacock completely by surprise, and he stumbles backwards towards the ropes and uses the momentum from them to attempt a Clothesline on von Horrowitz, but MvH ducks under it and allows Peacock’s momentum to take him to the other ropes, where Cyrus then jumps back in and knocks the champion down with a Clothesline of his own!
With Peacock momentarily down on his knees, MvH seizes control of the moment and connects with a rising European Uppercut on ‘The Exile’, which knocks him back towards the ropes. Michelle then looks to shoot Cyrus off across the ring, but Cyrus cuts her off by pivoting into a Discus Elbow! With MvH dropped down to a knee, Truth spots Peacock rushing towards him and he catches Peacock with an Arm Drag as he approaches, and is quickly in position to take MvH over with one as well once she has returned to her feet. The crowd takes a moment to applaud Truth for this.
Rod Sterling: “A strong start to the match from Cyrus Truth; he will want to be the one to set the pace of this match as he knows first hand how dangerous the explosive offences of both Peacock and von Horrowitz can be if left unchecked.”
Allen Price: “Doing that will be important, Rod. Competitors like Peacock and Michelle can really get away from you if you do not do anything about them early.”
What is not noticed or appreciated by ‘The Exile’ is that Chris Peacock slid under the bottom rope after the Arm Drag and he finds himself on the apron, which makes it easier for him to scale the turnbuckle from the outside. After the Arm Drag to Michelle, Truth turns around and sees that Peacock is already in mid-air, looking for the Glitterball Drop - but Truth moves out of the way! In his stead, Michelle von Horrowitz accepts Peacock landing on her shoulders, but she stands strong and is not taken down by the Seated Senton.
What this does allow is for Peacock to execute a Hurricanrana to MvH which sends her into Truth, who scoops her up on his shoulders in a Fireman’s Carry, but MvH shuffles from his back and down into a Crucifix Pin!
ONE… TWO-NO!!
In kicking out of the move, Truth shifts his weight across and makes it so Michelle’s shoulders are on the mat;
ONE… TWO-NO!!
Not wanting to be left out, Chris Peacock stands to the side of Truth who is on his hands and knees and reaches under before rolling through with an Oklahoma Roll;
ONE… TWO-NO!!
Truth gets the shoulder up, and Peacock is unable to prevent MvH from jumping over him and grabbing his waist, down into a Sunset Flip, and she keeps his shoulders down with her legs into a Sitout Pin;
ONE… TWO-NO!!
As he kicks out, Peacock grabs MvH’s legs and then shifts the weight so she is down and he is on top of her for a Rana pin;
ONE… TWO-NO!!
As all of these pin falls are being attempted and exchanged, the crowd are rising to their feet and their wowing continues as Truth plucks Peacock out from on top of Michelle and traps him in an Inside Cradle;
ONE… TWO-NO!!
Again, Peacock shifts his weight to kick out and has the Small Package turned the other way with Cyrus’s shoulders now down;
ONE… TWO-NO!!
After Truth kicks out, both he and Peacock pop out of the Small Package and are on one knee each, and they see that Michelle von Horrowitz is as well and once again the three competitors find themselves in the stalemate they were in which began the match.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Absolutely brilliant stuff from all three here in Chicago; in a match like this it is best to just allow pins to occur as there is no need to break them up, but catching an opponent by surprise could be an effective way of advancing and ultimately winning.”
The United Center is very appreciative of what they have seen so far, and the Nephews are shown applauding as well.
All three return to their feet and it is a case of who will strike first and the answer to that question proves to be Michelle von Horrowitz, who gives Chris Peacock another chop in the same vein as the one received from Cyrus at the very beginning of the match. Truth decides to double down and deliver a chop of his own to Peacock, and this second strike puts the champion on the ropes once again.
Truth shoots Peacock across the ring and then stands in the middle, ready to receive him, but instead he elevates Chris over his head, who once again looks for the Glitterball Drop on MvH, but Michelle sees it coming and adjusts her footing so that she can catch Peacock with an Inverted Atomic Drop on the way down!
Jean-Luc Watkins: “I felt that one.”
Rod Sterling: “Some very quick thinking from von Horrowitz there; and the champion is taking a bit of a pounding in this match so far from the challengers.”
Allen Price: “They’re not working together, though! Given how these three feel about each other, I think the likelihood of any teamwork happening is very low.”
Peacock holds his groin area after the impact, but his hands are soon torn away and placed above his head as Cyrus Truth hooks him up in a Full Nelson, and then drops him on the top of his head with a Dragon Suplex! Peacock holds his head and rolls away to the side as Truth rises back to his feet, and is immediately met with another European Uppercut from MvH, who cradles ‘The Exile’s head and then delivers another one with enough force to knock him back a few paces towards the turnbuckle.
Sensing that he is about to be backed into a corner, Truth comes forward and meets von Horrowitz with an Elbow Smash to the face, which puts Michelle on the back foot instead. Truth grabs her by the trapezius muscles around her neck and then puts her back first against the turnbuckle, before fiercely giving her one of the chops as well. Truth picks MvH up and places her on the top rope and then paintbrushes her with his hand, but this causes MvH to kick out at him and knock him backwards away from the corner. She steadies herself on the top turnbuckle for a moment and then jumps onto the top rope to her left and then takes flight with a Springboard Crossbody which takes Cyrus Truth down!
MvH rises to her feet defiantly and sees that Cyrus Truth has moved towards the ropes on all fours, so a Dropkick to the ribs is enough to send him tumbling through the bottom and middle ropes and down to the outside. She watches on as he starts to pick himself up on the outside and to ensure that Peacock does not interfere in what she is planning to do next, she gives him a couple of stomps to keep him down, before returning to the ropes near where Cyrus is positioned on the outside. Michelle grabs onto the top rope and then pulls herself up onto the top rope… SPRINGBOARD SHOOTING STAR PRESS TO THE OUTSIDE!!!
Jean-Luc Watkins: “BRILLIANT!”
Rod Sterling: “Listen to these fans! They can’t stand Michelle or the Nephews but you just have to appreciate something like that when you see it.”
Both Cyrus Truth and Michelle von Horrowitz lay in a heap at ringside and despite their feelings towards Michelle and the Nephews, the crowd cannot resist breaking out into a “HOLY SHIT!” chant due to the athleticism that she displayed and it takes her a few moments to rise to her feet before she celebrates her feat with a grin out at the fans.
What is unaccounted for though at this moment by MvH is the third person in the match, as Chris Peacock is on the apron behind her and he waits for her to turn around before lighting up her chest with a running kick. Peacock spins around with grace and then jumps from the ring apron and takes Michelle down at ringside with the Glitterball Drop on the third time of asking!
Peacock gets up straight away and he brings Michelle with him and bounces her head off of the ring apron, which gets the approval of everyone in the arena aside from the Nephews. Peacock keeps his hand around the back of her head, bringing her around to the other side of the ringside area close to where the Nephews are sitting. He sees a chair set up next to the timekeeper’s area and decides to throw Michelle towards it, and she collides with the barrier before settling in the chair.
Allen Price: “Sitting down? At a time like this?!”
The FWA World Champion takes a glance at the Nephews and flips them the bird before he starts hammering down on the top of MvH’s head with some punches.
“ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! FIVE! SIX! SEVEN! EIGHT! NINE! TE-”
The counting along by the crowd stops abruptly as Peacock instead reverts to biting the top of Michelle’s head! She attempts to force him to stop by pushing away his face but he stops on his own accord and then kicks her in the chest with the bottom of his boot to keep her at bay. The FWA World Champion then offers a middle finger to each one of the Nephews sitting at ringside, knowing that they cannot do anything about it at risk of disqualifying MvH from the match.
In his excitement though, Peacock forgets about the existence of Cyrus Truth, who spins him around and then puts his hand around Peacock’s throat and then DRIVES HIM INTO THE FLOOR WITH THE MEMENTO MORI!
The Nephews are all out of their seats and express their enjoyment of Peacock being caught out by Truth and the back of his head being forcefully driven onto the floor on the outside. They attempt some sort of thanks to Truth, but his glare is far more stifling of their enjoyment than any middle finger from Chris Peacock could be. Cyrus ignores Peacock for the time being and turns his attention back to MvH, who is still sitting on the chair. ‘The Exile’ appears to be lining her up for something and he charges in… but Michelle lunges forward and catches Truth with a Drop Toe Hold - and Truth lands face-first onto the seat of the chair!
Allen Price: “Hey! He used a steel chair!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “I think this one goes down to the referee’s discretion, Price, and Larry Stevens isn’t going to jeaopardise this match for something like that.”
Larry Stevens shakes his head over any disqualification for that, as it is the use of the environment which is permitted and Michelle did not actually strike Cyrus with a foreign object of any kind. Seeing this, MvH decides to see how far she can take this and she picks Peacock up from the floor as well and drags him over to the same outside corner as Truth rolls away and MvH lines up next to Peacock and SHE DROPS THE BACK OF PEACOCK’S HEAD ONTO THE CHAIR WITH A RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP!
The FWA World Champion holds the back of his head once again, and Michelle lifts him from the floor with a bit of difficulty, and then rolls him back into the ring. She hooks a leg and the referee goes down to make the count;
ONE… TWO… NO!!!
MvH appears almost impressed with Peacock that he was able to kick out of such a move, but the FWA World Champion finds himself in a dangerous place now, that being alone in the ring with Michelle von Horrowitz. Michelle stands over Peacock after the kick out and flips him onto his front and she takes care in hooking his arms after getting on top of him and striking him in the back of the head a couple of times with her elbows before she hooks him up properly and applies the Cattle Mutilation! Peacock starts shouting out immediately after being trapped in the hold.
Allen Price: “This one looks like it hurts. Lucky neither of us found ourselves in one of these earlier, J-L!”
The referee comes down to check on Peacock, asking him if he wants to submit, but the FWA World Champion is adamant that he will not, no matter what happens, and MvH increases the torque on the hold as much as she can by lowering the bridge that she has created. Peacock’s legs writhe about as he looks for the ropes, but the positioning of the hold by MvH is perfect, as to be expected. Instead, he tries to bring his knees up underneath his body, but doing so only increases the pressure on the hold.
Instead, Peacock’s reprieve comes in an unlikely form, as Cyrus Truth is back in the equation and he stands over MvH and then drives his forearm down, directly into her face, causing a break in the hold and allowing Peacock to escape. Full of anger and vitriol, Cyrus grabs Michelle and puts her against the bottom turnbuckle and starts stomping on her head for the First Five Steps! With each stomp to Michelle’s head and neck, the Nephews in the front row seem to grow in concern for their comrade.
Truth then turns his attention to the FWA World Champion, who is still on the mat in some considerable pain following the Cattle Mutilation. Truth waits for him to get up to his knees, and then runs through him with a knee to the face which causes Peacock to collapse down onto his back and then ‘The Exile’ measures him for a moment before jumping up into the air and dropping a knee down across Peacock’s face as well - The Wanderer’s Wrath! Truth drops down and tightly hooks Peacock’s legs, trying to eliminate the defending champion from the Three Way Dance;
ONE… TWO… NO!!!
Rod Sterling: “Chris Peacock displaying some of that resilience that he is known for, there.”
Allen Price: “There’s no way that he is going to let this title go without dying in that ring, Rod. I know how much this means to him.”
Peacock rolls out of Cyrus’s grasp and towards the ropes, which causes Truth to turn his attention back to MvH, who is still trying to detach her face from the bottom turnbuckle. Truth picks her up in the corner once more, this time ensuring that he strikes her several times with some harsh elbows before he does so to keep her at bay, and Cyrus places her on the top rope before climbing up to the second rope himself and he then brings both of them onto the top rope, and Truth appears to be looking for a Superplex!
However, before he can take MvH over and down to the mat for the big damage, Chris Peacock is back up and he clubs Truth on the back, causing him to lose his balance slightly and unable to execute the move. What this does allow though is for Peacock to position himself underneath Cyrus, and Larry Stevens warns Peacock from the middle of the ring. This does not stop the FWA World Champion though and he forces Cyrus backwards… TOWER OF DOOM!!!
The crowd are on their feet and all three competitors are down, with Peacock taking out both of his challengers in one move. What is also strange is that the referee is down too; replays show that Michelle’s boot caught Stevens on the top of the head on the way down and the referee is out of it! Peacock slumps to the outside of the ring, with both Cyrus and MvH down in the middle of the ring; Michelle having gotten the worst of that move.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Well, when the cat's away, the mice will come and play!”
A hushed silence fills the United Center, before a very loud amount of boos as they know what this means. The Nephews in the front row all rise to their feet and they hop the barricade and begin to swarm the ringside area; it is the opportunity that they have been waiting for. Uncle leads the group into the ring, where some tend to MvH and move her into one of the corners to try and keep her as fresh as they can, whilst the others round on Cyrus Truth… and Alphonse is the first to start stomping out ‘The Exile’ as revenge for that chairshot back on Meltdown XXVI!
The rest of the Nephews join in, until Quiet silently instructs them to hold Truth up, which Kha’rina and Sting Ray do - and Quiet cracks Truth across the jaw with a Spinning Back Fist! Truth drops to the ground and Uncle starts to preach to the crowd whilst the Nephews once again bundle Truth on the mat with MvH watching on, grinning, next to a conflicted Gerald Grayson. The cameras though focus on Chris Peacock, who is back to his feet on the outside, just watching what is happening to Cyrus Truth in the ring and seems to be contemplating intervening.
Rod Sterling: “Come on, Peacock! Get in there and help!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “I don’t think it is that simple, Rod. Put yourself in his shoes; the Nephews are doing some serious damage to one of his challengers, it may serve him better to just let this play out.”
Allen Price: “Peacock has had Cyrus’s back a couple of times with the Nephews already, but there’s been no reciprocation or gratitude shown by ‘The Exile’... I wouldn’t blame Chris for not wanting to help out, but I know him well enough to know that there’s no way he’ll let this go on for much longer.”
It would seem that the Price is right, because Chris Peacock picks up his Singapore Cane from the timekeeper’s area and then slides into the ring with it. Uncle cuts his spiel short and freezes in place as he has Peacock in front of him with the weapon and Peacock gives a goofy smile towards his ultimate nemesis and raises the cane - and Uncle manages to just get out of dodge before Peacock almost takes his head off with the swing!
The Nephews realise the new threat, and they attempt to scatter away from Truth and most manage to get out unscathed. Quiet though stands up to Peacock and gets cracked on the top of the head with the cane for his troubles, and Sting Ray takes a shot to the back as he attempts to flee. Alphonse the Swiss Sherpa remains the sole Nephew on top of Truth, still, absconding his neutrality to gain revenge on the man who blasted him in the head with a chair. What this means instead though is that he is left for Peacock to grab him around the waistband and turn him around… AND PEACOCK SMASHES HIM IN THE FACE WITH THE CANE!
With Alphonse rolling out of the ring and joining the Nephews on the outside once again, there is a moment where Peacock looks down at Truth with the cane still in his hand. Truth looks at Peacock and then the cane, and his expression changes to one of defiance.
Rod Sterling: “Well, Cyrus Truth isn’t anyone’s damsel in distress, but I think he is wondering right now whether Peacock is going to use that cane against him. Here comes Michelle, though!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “BUSAIKU KNEE TO PEACOCK!”
Whilst Peacock and Truth were busy focusing on each other for a moment, the third participant in the match was able to line up her shot and she absolutely wrecks Peacock with the Busaiku Knee! Peacock falls onto his back and the Singapore Cane is released from his hands and falls to the floor, and this is just as the referee is beginning to come around once again - unaware of the Nephews ever getting involved in the match as they’re now all back in their seats at ringside. The end result of their involvement though is that both Cyrus and Peacock are in worse states than before.
With Peacock temporarily out of the equation, MvH turns her attention back to Cyrus Truth, and she grabs both of his wrists and begins to stomp through onto his face, giving him a taste of his own medicine from before. She continues stomping until she is satisfied that Truth is out of it enough for her to be able to exit the ring onto the apron where she climbs up the turnbuckle and then steadies herself as the crowd boos loudly. ‘Dreamer’ smirks out towards them smugly and then sets herself and takes flight…
450 SPLASH - BUT THERE’S NO ONE HOME!!
The crowd cheers as somehow, Cyrus Truth rolls out of the way at the last possible moment to avoid the contact and Michelle is left clutching her ribs on the mat whilst Cyrus pulls himself up in the corner behind her and he stomps on the back of her knee and then runs the ropes and runs through MvH with a running Big Boot - The Broken Path! Not content with the damage done to Michelle just yet, though, Truth picks her up from the mat and then places her up on his shoulders in an Argentine Rack… EXILE’S EDGE!!
The crowd cheer loudly as Truth crawls over to MvH and drapes an arm across her chest, and Larry Stevens is in position to count the pin;
ONE… TWO… THR-NO!!!
Michelle rolls out of the ring to the outside following the kick out. Truth sits up after the unsuccessful pin attempt, but he sees an incoming Chris Peacock who is looking for THE STRUT - BUT TRUTH DODGES AND SCHOOLBOYS THE CHAMPION!!
ONE… TWO… THREE-NO!!!
Peacock rolls back through after kicking out and both he and Truth get to their feet at the same time, and Peacock kicks Truth in the midsection, looking to follow up with the Disco Thriller Stunner - Truth blocks it! Cyrus spins Peacock around and then scoops him up into a Fireman’s Carry… JOURNEY’S END - BUT PEACOCK ROLLS THROUGH INTO A VICTORY ROLL!!
ONE… TWO… THREE-NO!!!
Cyrus kicks out with such force that Peacock springs up into the air and lands on top of the referee who was counting the pin, and Truth gets up and leans back against the ropes… AND MVH CRACKS TRUTH IN THE BACK WITH PEACOCK’S CANE!!!
Jean-Luc Watkins: “MvH with the cane - and the referee didn’t see it! He can’t disqualify what he doesn’t see!”
Rod Sterling: “Another rule bent by Michelle von Horrowitz, but her involvement could allow Chris Peacock to take advantage!”
The use of the weapon causes Cyrus’s back to arch and he stumbles forwards, and it was missed by both Peacock and the referee as they were busy negotiating themselves out of the bundle they had found themselves in. What Peacock does see is Truth in a vulnerable position as he rises to his feet AND PEACOCK CHARGES AT TRUTH AND THEN RUNS HIM INTO THE TURNBUCKLE BEFORE PLANTING HIM DOWN ON THE MAT WITH THE ROLLER DISCO!!! Peacock stacks Truth up after the Spinebuster, and Larry Stevens counts the pin;
ONE… TWO… THREE!!!
Rod Sterling: “Just like that, we are down to two. Chris Peacock and Michelle von Horrowitz remain.”
Allen Price: “Chris didn’t know that Michelle had used the cane; what else would someone do in that situation?”
The crowd are displeased at the elimination, which gives Peacock some cause for confusion, as he was unaware of Michelle von Horrowitz’s involvement in it! Cyrus Truth is helped out of the ring by Larry Stevens and Peacock watches as Michelle gets up onto the ring apron and he acknowledges the task in front of him now that just one challenger remains. The FWA World Champion rises to his feet as MvH steps through the ropes and they have a staredown for a moment - before meeting and coming to blows in the middle of the ring!
Neither champion nor challenger hold back from throwing bombs at the other, with the crowd firmly behind Peacock despite him eliminating Cyrus Truth, who now looks at the action in the ring ruefully before leaving. Peacock manages to string a couple of punches together on MvH and he does a small shimmy before going for a third, but Michelle cuts him off by biting him on the forehead! Peacock is now the one to get a taste of his own medicine from MvH and he then shoves her away and she stands against the ropes.
Peacock charges forward and Clotheslines Michelle over the top rope with enough force that he also drops down to ringside with her. They spill on the outside, and Peacock actually lands in such a way that he is half under the ring. Michelle grabs him by the boot, and in his attempts to free himself from her as she has a hold of him, the champion actually disappears under the ring.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “This is a strange tactic.”
Allen Price: “Come on, Chris! Where are you going?”
MvH uses the ring apron to pick herself up and she lifts the skirting up where she sees Peacock and is able to pull him out from under the ring, and she then gets on top of him and begins to punch him on the top of the head several times with a closed fist on the outside. At the referee’s insistence, she gets up off of him and then lifts him up… and sends him straight into the steel steps! Peacock winces, with the impact seemingly doing more damage than he thought, and Michelle drives her knee into his face, wedging his head against the steel.
A shot of Peacock reveals that he has been busted open by either the punches or the steps, and blood trickles down his forehead. The challenger takes a moment to taunt the fans as she asserts her dominance over the champion, and she rolls him back into the ring. MvH then joins Peacock back inside and stomps on his chest as he lays on the mat. She then backs into the corner and waits for him to get up. As Peacock picks himself up to his knees, Michelle does a small dance, mocking him… AND THEN SHE RUNS THROUGH HIM WITH A BUSAIKU KNEE!!
The FWA World Champion is down and out on his back, unable to offer any sort of resistance to Michelle’s offence now that it has come down to the two of them. MvH holds her arms out and walks around the downed champion before she heads over to the turnbuckle and begins to pull herself onto the top rope.
Rod Sterling: “Well, it could be the end for Chris Peacock’s reign as the FWA World Champion; Michelle von Horrowitz is going to be looking for that 450 Splash, and if she hits it, Peacock is going to be done.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “I am surprised that Peacock has withered like this; ever since he eliminated Cyrus, Michelle has just steamrolled him. This could be the end right here.”
Allen Price: “NO! Not if I have anything to do with it!”
The sound of headphones clunking is heard and the camera shows Allen Price leaving the commentary table, and he runs around the ring and then pulls himself up onto the apron where he grabs MvH’s foot! This obviously prevents her from being able to execute the 450 Splash on Peacock.
Michelle manages to shake him off, but the Nephews have once again left their seats and are back over the barricade to confront Allen Price. MvH watches on as Price quickly realises his mistake and he hops down from the apron and starts backing up the ramp, with the entire Nephews contingent in front of him. There is a look of nervousness on his face as the group gets closer to him.
Rod Sterling: “That wasn’t the smartest thing to do, Allen. Peacock isn’t able to help you right now!”
Suddenly, the lights go out!
The crowd starts cheering and Michelle drops down from the turnbuckle and looks on as the lights return to normal and RICK VANCE IS WALKING DOWN THE RAMP FROM THE STAGE WITH A STEEL CHAIR IN HAND!
Rod Sterling: “It looks like Allen Price has some back up after all! That’s ‘Slick’ Rick Vance - one half of the Diamond Dogs! Where is Santino Dongarelli, though?”
‘Slick’ Rick runs his mouth as he walks down the ramp as someone else with plenty of history with the Nephews due to his association with Chris Peacock. He positions himself in front of the Nephews and holds the chair over his shoulder, showing that he is prepared to use it if needs be as the Nephews goad him on.
In the ring, Michelle waves off the happenings on the outside and turns her attention back to Chris Peacock, who has turned over to lie on his front on the mat, still out of it from the battering he has taken from Michelle in the last several minutes. Michelle turns Chris over and reaches down… BUT PEACOCK CAPTURES HER IN A TIGHT SMALL PACKAGE!!
ONE!
…
TWO!!
…
THREE!!!
The crowd go wild as Peacock’s music begins to play and the Nephews turn around to see what happened and what they see is a celebrating Chris Peacock standing over an absolutely stunned Michelle von Horrowitz! Allen Price and Rick Vance push themselves through the Nephews and join Peacock in the ring, hugging him as he is handed his championship by the referee and holds it close to his chest.
Kurt Harrington: “Here is your winner and STILL the FWA World Champion… CHRIS PEEEEEAAAACCOOOOOOOCKKKK!!”
Rod Sterling: “Chris Peacock has done it! Against all expectations, he has managed to retain the FWA World Championship here at The Grand March in this Three Way Dance! Not many people can say that they have pinned both Cyrus Truth and Michelle von Horrowitz in the same night, but he can!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “He seemed like he was completely out of it, Rod. Michelle von Horrowitz had him dead to rights, and even with the involvement of Price and Vance, it looked like MvH was in complete control, right up until the end there. Wasn’t he bleeding as well?”
Strangely, the blood that was on Peacock’s face and chest has disappeared as he raises the championship in the air… but the mystery is soon solved as a figure emerges from underneath the ring. This man looks exactly like Chris Peacock and is dressed the same, and he wears the blood that the champion was thought to.
Rod Sterling: “Hey! That’s Drew Peacock - Chris’s twin brother! They must have switched themselves out during the match and that is why MvH was having such an easy time with Peacock - they switched back when Rick Vance’s music was playing! Chris Peacock and friends have completely played Michelle von Horrowitz and the Nephews here tonight!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Well, some may feel like it is justice being served in this instance after months of watching Michelle use the Nephews to cheat her way through the F1 Climaxxx, including the manner in which she won that tournament and even in this match itself, how she caused Cyrus Truth’s elimination. Chris Peacock played the Nephews at their own game and he won. I do not think that the Nephews are going to take this one lying down, though.”
Once the initial shock has dissipated, Michelle rises to her feet and stands in front of Peacock and his friends. She is speechless, but at the same time seems like she wants to scream at the top of her lungs. Peacock adjusts the championship on his shoulder and then begins to grin. He looks at Michelle and asks “Am I a real champion now?”, which irks MvH even more.
The Nephews begin to circle the ring as Peacock’s music stops; something is about to happen. Peacock gets in front of his brother as the Nephews stand on the apron, seemingly waiting for the signal to pounce on their long-time rivals… but the fans begin to cheer loudly and attention turns back to the stage…
CYRUS TRUTH IS WALKING BACK OUT!
Rod Sterling: “Cyrus Truth? The first person eliminated in this match is back out here, and we know that he detests both the Nephews and Chris Peacock - where does he fit into all of this?”
Cyrus picks up the chair dropped by Rick Vance in his celebrations and approaches the nearest Nephew on the apron - it is Alphonse once again - and he pulls him down AND BOUNCES THE CHAIR OFF OF HIS SKULL! The crowd pops again and this gets the attention of the rest of the Nephews, who all scatter back into the crowd, not wanting any part of an angry Cyrus Truth!
The only two that remain are Michelle von Horrowitz and Gerald Grayson, who joins her in the ring. He hands her her FWA World Tag Team Championship and seems to be convincing her out of staying and fighting further. She takes one last look at the belt on Chris Peacock’s shoulder, and shakes her head before leaving the ring, not paying any attention to Cyrus Truth as she does so. Grayson hangs back for a moment and looks at Peacock and then at the ground, and offers him a “Congratulations.”, before also taking his leave.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “The Connection have a big match against The Buddy System at Carnal Contendership to worry about, so I’m not surprised that Grayson is trying to preserve his partner for that match.”
Peacock breathes a sigh of relief as The Connection leave, and he looks through the ropes at Cyrus Truth and offers a nod with a “Thank you.”, and Truth simply nods back whilst retaining his intensity before dropping the chair and leaving. Peacock’s music resumes and he raises the championship up in the air.
Rod Sterling: “Whilst Chris Peacock and Cyrus Truth are never going to be drinking buddies, I think we can at least say that there is some respect present between the two of them.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Wrestling fans, it has been a momentous weekend; the return of Danny Toner to the FWA, Caesar hailed as the new X Champion, Allen Price won a Pay-Per-View match but the big headline is that Chris Peacock is still your FWA World Champion and he will be facing the winner of the Carnal Contendership match at Back in Business. Goodnight, everyone.”
The closing moment of The Grand Match 2023 is Chris Peacock on the middle rope in one of the corners, raising holding the FWA World Championship in the air.
It is eventually Cyrus Truth that decides to get things going when he feigns a lunge for MvH, but changes course at the last second and almost caves Peacock’s chest in with a Knife-Edge Chop! This takes Peacock completely by surprise, and he stumbles backwards towards the ropes and uses the momentum from them to attempt a Clothesline on von Horrowitz, but MvH ducks under it and allows Peacock’s momentum to take him to the other ropes, where Cyrus then jumps back in and knocks the champion down with a Clothesline of his own!
With Peacock momentarily down on his knees, MvH seizes control of the moment and connects with a rising European Uppercut on ‘The Exile’, which knocks him back towards the ropes. Michelle then looks to shoot Cyrus off across the ring, but Cyrus cuts her off by pivoting into a Discus Elbow! With MvH dropped down to a knee, Truth spots Peacock rushing towards him and he catches Peacock with an Arm Drag as he approaches, and is quickly in position to take MvH over with one as well once she has returned to her feet. The crowd takes a moment to applaud Truth for this.
Rod Sterling: “A strong start to the match from Cyrus Truth; he will want to be the one to set the pace of this match as he knows first hand how dangerous the explosive offences of both Peacock and von Horrowitz can be if left unchecked.”
Allen Price: “Doing that will be important, Rod. Competitors like Peacock and Michelle can really get away from you if you do not do anything about them early.”
What is not noticed or appreciated by ‘The Exile’ is that Chris Peacock slid under the bottom rope after the Arm Drag and he finds himself on the apron, which makes it easier for him to scale the turnbuckle from the outside. After the Arm Drag to Michelle, Truth turns around and sees that Peacock is already in mid-air, looking for the Glitterball Drop - but Truth moves out of the way! In his stead, Michelle von Horrowitz accepts Peacock landing on her shoulders, but she stands strong and is not taken down by the Seated Senton.
What this does allow is for Peacock to execute a Hurricanrana to MvH which sends her into Truth, who scoops her up on his shoulders in a Fireman’s Carry, but MvH shuffles from his back and down into a Crucifix Pin!
ONE… TWO-NO!!
In kicking out of the move, Truth shifts his weight across and makes it so Michelle’s shoulders are on the mat;
ONE… TWO-NO!!
Not wanting to be left out, Chris Peacock stands to the side of Truth who is on his hands and knees and reaches under before rolling through with an Oklahoma Roll;
ONE… TWO-NO!!
Truth gets the shoulder up, and Peacock is unable to prevent MvH from jumping over him and grabbing his waist, down into a Sunset Flip, and she keeps his shoulders down with her legs into a Sitout Pin;
ONE… TWO-NO!!
As he kicks out, Peacock grabs MvH’s legs and then shifts the weight so she is down and he is on top of her for a Rana pin;
ONE… TWO-NO!!
As all of these pin falls are being attempted and exchanged, the crowd are rising to their feet and their wowing continues as Truth plucks Peacock out from on top of Michelle and traps him in an Inside Cradle;
ONE… TWO-NO!!
Again, Peacock shifts his weight to kick out and has the Small Package turned the other way with Cyrus’s shoulders now down;
ONE… TWO-NO!!
After Truth kicks out, both he and Peacock pop out of the Small Package and are on one knee each, and they see that Michelle von Horrowitz is as well and once again the three competitors find themselves in the stalemate they were in which began the match.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Absolutely brilliant stuff from all three here in Chicago; in a match like this it is best to just allow pins to occur as there is no need to break them up, but catching an opponent by surprise could be an effective way of advancing and ultimately winning.”
The United Center is very appreciative of what they have seen so far, and the Nephews are shown applauding as well.
All three return to their feet and it is a case of who will strike first and the answer to that question proves to be Michelle von Horrowitz, who gives Chris Peacock another chop in the same vein as the one received from Cyrus at the very beginning of the match. Truth decides to double down and deliver a chop of his own to Peacock, and this second strike puts the champion on the ropes once again.
Truth shoots Peacock across the ring and then stands in the middle, ready to receive him, but instead he elevates Chris over his head, who once again looks for the Glitterball Drop on MvH, but Michelle sees it coming and adjusts her footing so that she can catch Peacock with an Inverted Atomic Drop on the way down!
Jean-Luc Watkins: “I felt that one.”
Rod Sterling: “Some very quick thinking from von Horrowitz there; and the champion is taking a bit of a pounding in this match so far from the challengers.”
Allen Price: “They’re not working together, though! Given how these three feel about each other, I think the likelihood of any teamwork happening is very low.”
Peacock holds his groin area after the impact, but his hands are soon torn away and placed above his head as Cyrus Truth hooks him up in a Full Nelson, and then drops him on the top of his head with a Dragon Suplex! Peacock holds his head and rolls away to the side as Truth rises back to his feet, and is immediately met with another European Uppercut from MvH, who cradles ‘The Exile’s head and then delivers another one with enough force to knock him back a few paces towards the turnbuckle.
Sensing that he is about to be backed into a corner, Truth comes forward and meets von Horrowitz with an Elbow Smash to the face, which puts Michelle on the back foot instead. Truth grabs her by the trapezius muscles around her neck and then puts her back first against the turnbuckle, before fiercely giving her one of the chops as well. Truth picks MvH up and places her on the top rope and then paintbrushes her with his hand, but this causes MvH to kick out at him and knock him backwards away from the corner. She steadies herself on the top turnbuckle for a moment and then jumps onto the top rope to her left and then takes flight with a Springboard Crossbody which takes Cyrus Truth down!
MvH rises to her feet defiantly and sees that Cyrus Truth has moved towards the ropes on all fours, so a Dropkick to the ribs is enough to send him tumbling through the bottom and middle ropes and down to the outside. She watches on as he starts to pick himself up on the outside and to ensure that Peacock does not interfere in what she is planning to do next, she gives him a couple of stomps to keep him down, before returning to the ropes near where Cyrus is positioned on the outside. Michelle grabs onto the top rope and then pulls herself up onto the top rope… SPRINGBOARD SHOOTING STAR PRESS TO THE OUTSIDE!!!
Jean-Luc Watkins: “BRILLIANT!”
Rod Sterling: “Listen to these fans! They can’t stand Michelle or the Nephews but you just have to appreciate something like that when you see it.”
Both Cyrus Truth and Michelle von Horrowitz lay in a heap at ringside and despite their feelings towards Michelle and the Nephews, the crowd cannot resist breaking out into a “HOLY SHIT!” chant due to the athleticism that she displayed and it takes her a few moments to rise to her feet before she celebrates her feat with a grin out at the fans.
What is unaccounted for though at this moment by MvH is the third person in the match, as Chris Peacock is on the apron behind her and he waits for her to turn around before lighting up her chest with a running kick. Peacock spins around with grace and then jumps from the ring apron and takes Michelle down at ringside with the Glitterball Drop on the third time of asking!
Peacock gets up straight away and he brings Michelle with him and bounces her head off of the ring apron, which gets the approval of everyone in the arena aside from the Nephews. Peacock keeps his hand around the back of her head, bringing her around to the other side of the ringside area close to where the Nephews are sitting. He sees a chair set up next to the timekeeper’s area and decides to throw Michelle towards it, and she collides with the barrier before settling in the chair.
Allen Price: “Sitting down? At a time like this?!”
The FWA World Champion takes a glance at the Nephews and flips them the bird before he starts hammering down on the top of MvH’s head with some punches.
“ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! FIVE! SIX! SEVEN! EIGHT! NINE! TE-”
The counting along by the crowd stops abruptly as Peacock instead reverts to biting the top of Michelle’s head! She attempts to force him to stop by pushing away his face but he stops on his own accord and then kicks her in the chest with the bottom of his boot to keep her at bay. The FWA World Champion then offers a middle finger to each one of the Nephews sitting at ringside, knowing that they cannot do anything about it at risk of disqualifying MvH from the match.
In his excitement though, Peacock forgets about the existence of Cyrus Truth, who spins him around and then puts his hand around Peacock’s throat and then DRIVES HIM INTO THE FLOOR WITH THE MEMENTO MORI!
The Nephews are all out of their seats and express their enjoyment of Peacock being caught out by Truth and the back of his head being forcefully driven onto the floor on the outside. They attempt some sort of thanks to Truth, but his glare is far more stifling of their enjoyment than any middle finger from Chris Peacock could be. Cyrus ignores Peacock for the time being and turns his attention back to MvH, who is still sitting on the chair. ‘The Exile’ appears to be lining her up for something and he charges in… but Michelle lunges forward and catches Truth with a Drop Toe Hold - and Truth lands face-first onto the seat of the chair!
Allen Price: “Hey! He used a steel chair!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “I think this one goes down to the referee’s discretion, Price, and Larry Stevens isn’t going to jeaopardise this match for something like that.”
Larry Stevens shakes his head over any disqualification for that, as it is the use of the environment which is permitted and Michelle did not actually strike Cyrus with a foreign object of any kind. Seeing this, MvH decides to see how far she can take this and she picks Peacock up from the floor as well and drags him over to the same outside corner as Truth rolls away and MvH lines up next to Peacock and SHE DROPS THE BACK OF PEACOCK’S HEAD ONTO THE CHAIR WITH A RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP!
The FWA World Champion holds the back of his head once again, and Michelle lifts him from the floor with a bit of difficulty, and then rolls him back into the ring. She hooks a leg and the referee goes down to make the count;
ONE… TWO… NO!!!
MvH appears almost impressed with Peacock that he was able to kick out of such a move, but the FWA World Champion finds himself in a dangerous place now, that being alone in the ring with Michelle von Horrowitz. Michelle stands over Peacock after the kick out and flips him onto his front and she takes care in hooking his arms after getting on top of him and striking him in the back of the head a couple of times with her elbows before she hooks him up properly and applies the Cattle Mutilation! Peacock starts shouting out immediately after being trapped in the hold.
Allen Price: “This one looks like it hurts. Lucky neither of us found ourselves in one of these earlier, J-L!”
The referee comes down to check on Peacock, asking him if he wants to submit, but the FWA World Champion is adamant that he will not, no matter what happens, and MvH increases the torque on the hold as much as she can by lowering the bridge that she has created. Peacock’s legs writhe about as he looks for the ropes, but the positioning of the hold by MvH is perfect, as to be expected. Instead, he tries to bring his knees up underneath his body, but doing so only increases the pressure on the hold.
Instead, Peacock’s reprieve comes in an unlikely form, as Cyrus Truth is back in the equation and he stands over MvH and then drives his forearm down, directly into her face, causing a break in the hold and allowing Peacock to escape. Full of anger and vitriol, Cyrus grabs Michelle and puts her against the bottom turnbuckle and starts stomping on her head for the First Five Steps! With each stomp to Michelle’s head and neck, the Nephews in the front row seem to grow in concern for their comrade.
Truth then turns his attention to the FWA World Champion, who is still on the mat in some considerable pain following the Cattle Mutilation. Truth waits for him to get up to his knees, and then runs through him with a knee to the face which causes Peacock to collapse down onto his back and then ‘The Exile’ measures him for a moment before jumping up into the air and dropping a knee down across Peacock’s face as well - The Wanderer’s Wrath! Truth drops down and tightly hooks Peacock’s legs, trying to eliminate the defending champion from the Three Way Dance;
ONE… TWO… NO!!!
Rod Sterling: “Chris Peacock displaying some of that resilience that he is known for, there.”
Allen Price: “There’s no way that he is going to let this title go without dying in that ring, Rod. I know how much this means to him.”
Peacock rolls out of Cyrus’s grasp and towards the ropes, which causes Truth to turn his attention back to MvH, who is still trying to detach her face from the bottom turnbuckle. Truth picks her up in the corner once more, this time ensuring that he strikes her several times with some harsh elbows before he does so to keep her at bay, and Cyrus places her on the top rope before climbing up to the second rope himself and he then brings both of them onto the top rope, and Truth appears to be looking for a Superplex!
However, before he can take MvH over and down to the mat for the big damage, Chris Peacock is back up and he clubs Truth on the back, causing him to lose his balance slightly and unable to execute the move. What this does allow though is for Peacock to position himself underneath Cyrus, and Larry Stevens warns Peacock from the middle of the ring. This does not stop the FWA World Champion though and he forces Cyrus backwards… TOWER OF DOOM!!!
The crowd are on their feet and all three competitors are down, with Peacock taking out both of his challengers in one move. What is also strange is that the referee is down too; replays show that Michelle’s boot caught Stevens on the top of the head on the way down and the referee is out of it! Peacock slumps to the outside of the ring, with both Cyrus and MvH down in the middle of the ring; Michelle having gotten the worst of that move.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Well, when the cat's away, the mice will come and play!”
A hushed silence fills the United Center, before a very loud amount of boos as they know what this means. The Nephews in the front row all rise to their feet and they hop the barricade and begin to swarm the ringside area; it is the opportunity that they have been waiting for. Uncle leads the group into the ring, where some tend to MvH and move her into one of the corners to try and keep her as fresh as they can, whilst the others round on Cyrus Truth… and Alphonse is the first to start stomping out ‘The Exile’ as revenge for that chairshot back on Meltdown XXVI!
The rest of the Nephews join in, until Quiet silently instructs them to hold Truth up, which Kha’rina and Sting Ray do - and Quiet cracks Truth across the jaw with a Spinning Back Fist! Truth drops to the ground and Uncle starts to preach to the crowd whilst the Nephews once again bundle Truth on the mat with MvH watching on, grinning, next to a conflicted Gerald Grayson. The cameras though focus on Chris Peacock, who is back to his feet on the outside, just watching what is happening to Cyrus Truth in the ring and seems to be contemplating intervening.
Rod Sterling: “Come on, Peacock! Get in there and help!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “I don’t think it is that simple, Rod. Put yourself in his shoes; the Nephews are doing some serious damage to one of his challengers, it may serve him better to just let this play out.”
Allen Price: “Peacock has had Cyrus’s back a couple of times with the Nephews already, but there’s been no reciprocation or gratitude shown by ‘The Exile’... I wouldn’t blame Chris for not wanting to help out, but I know him well enough to know that there’s no way he’ll let this go on for much longer.”
It would seem that the Price is right, because Chris Peacock picks up his Singapore Cane from the timekeeper’s area and then slides into the ring with it. Uncle cuts his spiel short and freezes in place as he has Peacock in front of him with the weapon and Peacock gives a goofy smile towards his ultimate nemesis and raises the cane - and Uncle manages to just get out of dodge before Peacock almost takes his head off with the swing!
The Nephews realise the new threat, and they attempt to scatter away from Truth and most manage to get out unscathed. Quiet though stands up to Peacock and gets cracked on the top of the head with the cane for his troubles, and Sting Ray takes a shot to the back as he attempts to flee. Alphonse the Swiss Sherpa remains the sole Nephew on top of Truth, still, absconding his neutrality to gain revenge on the man who blasted him in the head with a chair. What this means instead though is that he is left for Peacock to grab him around the waistband and turn him around… AND PEACOCK SMASHES HIM IN THE FACE WITH THE CANE!
With Alphonse rolling out of the ring and joining the Nephews on the outside once again, there is a moment where Peacock looks down at Truth with the cane still in his hand. Truth looks at Peacock and then the cane, and his expression changes to one of defiance.
Rod Sterling: “Well, Cyrus Truth isn’t anyone’s damsel in distress, but I think he is wondering right now whether Peacock is going to use that cane against him. Here comes Michelle, though!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “BUSAIKU KNEE TO PEACOCK!”
Whilst Peacock and Truth were busy focusing on each other for a moment, the third participant in the match was able to line up her shot and she absolutely wrecks Peacock with the Busaiku Knee! Peacock falls onto his back and the Singapore Cane is released from his hands and falls to the floor, and this is just as the referee is beginning to come around once again - unaware of the Nephews ever getting involved in the match as they’re now all back in their seats at ringside. The end result of their involvement though is that both Cyrus and Peacock are in worse states than before.
With Peacock temporarily out of the equation, MvH turns her attention back to Cyrus Truth, and she grabs both of his wrists and begins to stomp through onto his face, giving him a taste of his own medicine from before. She continues stomping until she is satisfied that Truth is out of it enough for her to be able to exit the ring onto the apron where she climbs up the turnbuckle and then steadies herself as the crowd boos loudly. ‘Dreamer’ smirks out towards them smugly and then sets herself and takes flight…
450 SPLASH - BUT THERE’S NO ONE HOME!!
The crowd cheers as somehow, Cyrus Truth rolls out of the way at the last possible moment to avoid the contact and Michelle is left clutching her ribs on the mat whilst Cyrus pulls himself up in the corner behind her and he stomps on the back of her knee and then runs the ropes and runs through MvH with a running Big Boot - The Broken Path! Not content with the damage done to Michelle just yet, though, Truth picks her up from the mat and then places her up on his shoulders in an Argentine Rack… EXILE’S EDGE!!
The crowd cheer loudly as Truth crawls over to MvH and drapes an arm across her chest, and Larry Stevens is in position to count the pin;
ONE… TWO… THR-NO!!!
Michelle rolls out of the ring to the outside following the kick out. Truth sits up after the unsuccessful pin attempt, but he sees an incoming Chris Peacock who is looking for THE STRUT - BUT TRUTH DODGES AND SCHOOLBOYS THE CHAMPION!!
ONE… TWO… THREE-NO!!!
Peacock rolls back through after kicking out and both he and Truth get to their feet at the same time, and Peacock kicks Truth in the midsection, looking to follow up with the Disco Thriller Stunner - Truth blocks it! Cyrus spins Peacock around and then scoops him up into a Fireman’s Carry… JOURNEY’S END - BUT PEACOCK ROLLS THROUGH INTO A VICTORY ROLL!!
ONE… TWO… THREE-NO!!!
Cyrus kicks out with such force that Peacock springs up into the air and lands on top of the referee who was counting the pin, and Truth gets up and leans back against the ropes… AND MVH CRACKS TRUTH IN THE BACK WITH PEACOCK’S CANE!!!
Jean-Luc Watkins: “MvH with the cane - and the referee didn’t see it! He can’t disqualify what he doesn’t see!”
Rod Sterling: “Another rule bent by Michelle von Horrowitz, but her involvement could allow Chris Peacock to take advantage!”
The use of the weapon causes Cyrus’s back to arch and he stumbles forwards, and it was missed by both Peacock and the referee as they were busy negotiating themselves out of the bundle they had found themselves in. What Peacock does see is Truth in a vulnerable position as he rises to his feet AND PEACOCK CHARGES AT TRUTH AND THEN RUNS HIM INTO THE TURNBUCKLE BEFORE PLANTING HIM DOWN ON THE MAT WITH THE ROLLER DISCO!!! Peacock stacks Truth up after the Spinebuster, and Larry Stevens counts the pin;
ONE… TWO… THREE!!!
Eliminated: Cyrus Truth by Chris Peacock by pin fall at 22:18.
Rod Sterling: “Just like that, we are down to two. Chris Peacock and Michelle von Horrowitz remain.”
Allen Price: “Chris didn’t know that Michelle had used the cane; what else would someone do in that situation?”
The crowd are displeased at the elimination, which gives Peacock some cause for confusion, as he was unaware of Michelle von Horrowitz’s involvement in it! Cyrus Truth is helped out of the ring by Larry Stevens and Peacock watches as Michelle gets up onto the ring apron and he acknowledges the task in front of him now that just one challenger remains. The FWA World Champion rises to his feet as MvH steps through the ropes and they have a staredown for a moment - before meeting and coming to blows in the middle of the ring!
Neither champion nor challenger hold back from throwing bombs at the other, with the crowd firmly behind Peacock despite him eliminating Cyrus Truth, who now looks at the action in the ring ruefully before leaving. Peacock manages to string a couple of punches together on MvH and he does a small shimmy before going for a third, but Michelle cuts him off by biting him on the forehead! Peacock is now the one to get a taste of his own medicine from MvH and he then shoves her away and she stands against the ropes.
Peacock charges forward and Clotheslines Michelle over the top rope with enough force that he also drops down to ringside with her. They spill on the outside, and Peacock actually lands in such a way that he is half under the ring. Michelle grabs him by the boot, and in his attempts to free himself from her as she has a hold of him, the champion actually disappears under the ring.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “This is a strange tactic.”
Allen Price: “Come on, Chris! Where are you going?”
MvH uses the ring apron to pick herself up and she lifts the skirting up where she sees Peacock and is able to pull him out from under the ring, and she then gets on top of him and begins to punch him on the top of the head several times with a closed fist on the outside. At the referee’s insistence, she gets up off of him and then lifts him up… and sends him straight into the steel steps! Peacock winces, with the impact seemingly doing more damage than he thought, and Michelle drives her knee into his face, wedging his head against the steel.
A shot of Peacock reveals that he has been busted open by either the punches or the steps, and blood trickles down his forehead. The challenger takes a moment to taunt the fans as she asserts her dominance over the champion, and she rolls him back into the ring. MvH then joins Peacock back inside and stomps on his chest as he lays on the mat. She then backs into the corner and waits for him to get up. As Peacock picks himself up to his knees, Michelle does a small dance, mocking him… AND THEN SHE RUNS THROUGH HIM WITH A BUSAIKU KNEE!!
The FWA World Champion is down and out on his back, unable to offer any sort of resistance to Michelle’s offence now that it has come down to the two of them. MvH holds her arms out and walks around the downed champion before she heads over to the turnbuckle and begins to pull herself onto the top rope.
Rod Sterling: “Well, it could be the end for Chris Peacock’s reign as the FWA World Champion; Michelle von Horrowitz is going to be looking for that 450 Splash, and if she hits it, Peacock is going to be done.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “I am surprised that Peacock has withered like this; ever since he eliminated Cyrus, Michelle has just steamrolled him. This could be the end right here.”
Allen Price: “NO! Not if I have anything to do with it!”
The sound of headphones clunking is heard and the camera shows Allen Price leaving the commentary table, and he runs around the ring and then pulls himself up onto the apron where he grabs MvH’s foot! This obviously prevents her from being able to execute the 450 Splash on Peacock.
Michelle manages to shake him off, but the Nephews have once again left their seats and are back over the barricade to confront Allen Price. MvH watches on as Price quickly realises his mistake and he hops down from the apron and starts backing up the ramp, with the entire Nephews contingent in front of him. There is a look of nervousness on his face as the group gets closer to him.
Rod Sterling: “That wasn’t the smartest thing to do, Allen. Peacock isn’t able to help you right now!”
Suddenly, the lights go out!
The crowd starts cheering and Michelle drops down from the turnbuckle and looks on as the lights return to normal and RICK VANCE IS WALKING DOWN THE RAMP FROM THE STAGE WITH A STEEL CHAIR IN HAND!
Rod Sterling: “It looks like Allen Price has some back up after all! That’s ‘Slick’ Rick Vance - one half of the Diamond Dogs! Where is Santino Dongarelli, though?”
‘Slick’ Rick runs his mouth as he walks down the ramp as someone else with plenty of history with the Nephews due to his association with Chris Peacock. He positions himself in front of the Nephews and holds the chair over his shoulder, showing that he is prepared to use it if needs be as the Nephews goad him on.
In the ring, Michelle waves off the happenings on the outside and turns her attention back to Chris Peacock, who has turned over to lie on his front on the mat, still out of it from the battering he has taken from Michelle in the last several minutes. Michelle turns Chris over and reaches down… BUT PEACOCK CAPTURES HER IN A TIGHT SMALL PACKAGE!!
ONE!
…
TWO!!
…
THREE!!!
Winner: Chris Peacock by pin fall at 29:44.
The crowd go wild as Peacock’s music begins to play and the Nephews turn around to see what happened and what they see is a celebrating Chris Peacock standing over an absolutely stunned Michelle von Horrowitz! Allen Price and Rick Vance push themselves through the Nephews and join Peacock in the ring, hugging him as he is handed his championship by the referee and holds it close to his chest.
Kurt Harrington: “Here is your winner and STILL the FWA World Champion… CHRIS PEEEEEAAAACCOOOOOOOCKKKK!!”
Rod Sterling: “Chris Peacock has done it! Against all expectations, he has managed to retain the FWA World Championship here at The Grand March in this Three Way Dance! Not many people can say that they have pinned both Cyrus Truth and Michelle von Horrowitz in the same night, but he can!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “He seemed like he was completely out of it, Rod. Michelle von Horrowitz had him dead to rights, and even with the involvement of Price and Vance, it looked like MvH was in complete control, right up until the end there. Wasn’t he bleeding as well?”
Strangely, the blood that was on Peacock’s face and chest has disappeared as he raises the championship in the air… but the mystery is soon solved as a figure emerges from underneath the ring. This man looks exactly like Chris Peacock and is dressed the same, and he wears the blood that the champion was thought to.
Rod Sterling: “Hey! That’s Drew Peacock - Chris’s twin brother! They must have switched themselves out during the match and that is why MvH was having such an easy time with Peacock - they switched back when Rick Vance’s music was playing! Chris Peacock and friends have completely played Michelle von Horrowitz and the Nephews here tonight!”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Well, some may feel like it is justice being served in this instance after months of watching Michelle use the Nephews to cheat her way through the F1 Climaxxx, including the manner in which she won that tournament and even in this match itself, how she caused Cyrus Truth’s elimination. Chris Peacock played the Nephews at their own game and he won. I do not think that the Nephews are going to take this one lying down, though.”
Once the initial shock has dissipated, Michelle rises to her feet and stands in front of Peacock and his friends. She is speechless, but at the same time seems like she wants to scream at the top of her lungs. Peacock adjusts the championship on his shoulder and then begins to grin. He looks at Michelle and asks “Am I a real champion now?”, which irks MvH even more.
The Nephews begin to circle the ring as Peacock’s music stops; something is about to happen. Peacock gets in front of his brother as the Nephews stand on the apron, seemingly waiting for the signal to pounce on their long-time rivals… but the fans begin to cheer loudly and attention turns back to the stage…
CYRUS TRUTH IS WALKING BACK OUT!
Rod Sterling: “Cyrus Truth? The first person eliminated in this match is back out here, and we know that he detests both the Nephews and Chris Peacock - where does he fit into all of this?”
Cyrus picks up the chair dropped by Rick Vance in his celebrations and approaches the nearest Nephew on the apron - it is Alphonse once again - and he pulls him down AND BOUNCES THE CHAIR OFF OF HIS SKULL! The crowd pops again and this gets the attention of the rest of the Nephews, who all scatter back into the crowd, not wanting any part of an angry Cyrus Truth!
The only two that remain are Michelle von Horrowitz and Gerald Grayson, who joins her in the ring. He hands her her FWA World Tag Team Championship and seems to be convincing her out of staying and fighting further. She takes one last look at the belt on Chris Peacock’s shoulder, and shakes her head before leaving the ring, not paying any attention to Cyrus Truth as she does so. Grayson hangs back for a moment and looks at Peacock and then at the ground, and offers him a “Congratulations.”, before also taking his leave.
Jean-Luc Watkins: “The Connection have a big match against The Buddy System at Carnal Contendership to worry about, so I’m not surprised that Grayson is trying to preserve his partner for that match.”
Peacock breathes a sigh of relief as The Connection leave, and he looks through the ropes at Cyrus Truth and offers a nod with a “Thank you.”, and Truth simply nods back whilst retaining his intensity before dropping the chair and leaving. Peacock’s music resumes and he raises the championship up in the air.
Rod Sterling: “Whilst Chris Peacock and Cyrus Truth are never going to be drinking buddies, I think we can at least say that there is some respect present between the two of them.”
Jean-Luc Watkins: “Wrestling fans, it has been a momentous weekend; the return of Danny Toner to the FWA, Caesar hailed as the new X Champion, Allen Price won a Pay-Per-View match but the big headline is that Chris Peacock is still your FWA World Champion and he will be facing the winner of the Carnal Contendership match at Back in Business. Goodnight, everyone.”
The closing moment of The Grand Match 2023 is Chris Peacock on the middle rope in one of the corners, raising holding the FWA World Championship in the air.
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