Post by Rick Majors on Feb 15, 2018 23:22:57 GMT -5
While the PCW Faithful make their last second concession stand runs and potty breaks, Phinehas Dillinger stands high above them all in the press box. Up there removed from distraction and inconvenience, he stands decked out in…you know what, he’s been around long enough. Use your imagination. Though keep in mind it’s probably a little nicer than you’re picturing. Shame on you.
Phinehas stands with arms crossed. And, as he is wont to do, Shane Dodge slides into the box and sidles up to the Lord of Misrule. Mr. Dodge is not in official interviewer mode just yet, so the usual formalities are abandoned for the moment. They both look out over the crowd and the ring.
“Phinehas.”
“Shane.”
A pause. They watch the usual latecomers trickle in and, with their sheepish grins and apologies, step over those who arrived on time.
“I’m surprised to see you here. I figured you’d take advantage of a rare night off.”
“Oh, Shane. I’m always up here on the nights I’m not booked. You know this.”
“Ah ha. Up here scouting, are we? Or scheming the Hangtown Horror’s next big move, perhaps?”
“Or just watching. Waiting to see what nonsense a certain Mr. Jason Willard has planned for tonight.”
“Seromine? He’s not booked, either.”
Phinehas shrugs.
“That’s never stopped him before. The man can’t go a single event without making an appearance in some form or another.”
Phinehas wrinkles his nose at mental images from the last several months.
“Truth be told, when you boil it down, it’s his numbers game that aggravates me. He brings down, what, 12 people with him every time?”
Shane makes a quick count on his fingers of all the masks he can picture surrounding the ring.
“More like 16, I believe.”
A scoff, and a nod of the head.
“Hmph. Sixteen strong at ringside. An entire band of followers at his beck and call. And yet, even with that, even with the chaos of a triple threat match going on, he wasn’t able to win last week. What a shame.”
“Well, Kyle Shane did come down…”
A quick glance from the frozen depths of Grimm’s eyes.
“Kyle Shane inserted himself in my match. I don’t take kindly to that, no matter the outcome.”
“Some would argue he helped you when he put your foot on the ropes.”
“Are you suggesting I don’t have the wherewithal to do that myself?”
Phinehas turns and extends his right hand.
“Hi, I’m Grimm. Have we met?”
Dodge waves him off.
“Yeah, yeah. I know. But Kyle Shane is the World Champion. And it looked like you two were about to throw down at the end of the show. Was that a glimpse of things to come? Possibly? Maybe?”
“I’m not the #1 contender, Shane…am I? I don’t even know who is right now”
Phinehas scowls as he thinks.
“Eh, who knows. Anyway, I’ve held that title six times. Six. And I believe the record books will show I’ve some semblance of success against The God of Game. I’ve got nothing to prove. Forcing myself into the title picture wouldn’t accomplish anything, other than make me look desperate. Besides, Kyle Shane is a tolerable World Champion. Let him have his fun.”
“But do you think…”
“I think it’s time you got ready for the show, Dodge. Don’t you?”
Shane Dodge has been in this business long enough to know when he’s outstayed his welcome. More or less. And so he tips an imaginary hat and strolls out, the roar of the crowd raising in volume as he opens the door, then dropping to a dull roar when he shuts it.
Grimm stands, and watches.
The crowd is now in their seats following the show opening or, more accurately, on their feet in front of their seats ready for the show to begin.
Jerry Andrews: Welcome everyone to Pure Class Wrestling Trauma, I'm Jerry Andrews and we are rapidly approaching MASS DESTRUCTION!
Ace Anderson: I'm Ace Anderson and, wooo, I can't wait!
Suddenly, Sasha Greene starts to speak in the ring, seemingly surprising the announce team.
The local talent is as vanilla as it gets from an appearance standpoint. His ring attire consists of long green tights with white boots. His wrists are taped. He goes about 5’9-10” in height and looks like he is happy just getting the exposure. He is clean shaven and sports shaggy blonde hair.
Jerry Andrews (confused): This wasn’t our scheduled match…
Ace Anderson: Who cares, Jerry. An audible has been called, so sit back and enjoy it.
...is someone just talked about.
The arena plunges into darkness. It feels longer than it really is, but the point is driven home. What exactly is going on? The lighting of twelve candles answers that.
The pipe organ beginning of “Be Still for the Presence of the Lord” welcomes the faithful. Sitting on the stage in a custom wooden pew is SALVATION. As the angelic choir begins to sing the hymn, Seromine and his wife Destiny stand. Seromine, dressed in preacher’s garb straight out of the 1800’s, begins to slowly walk arm-in-arm with his wife. His wide brimmed black hat and black coat lend a severity to his appearance. She is in a very conservative, black dress (with same color leggings) that has a white collar and matching long bow tie and white cuffs. On her feet are black heels. She is also holding a bible close to her heart.
Flanking in stride are his Followers. The light from their candles shines the way to the ring. Each member of the menacing congregation is wearing a different animal mask. Their attire is best described as something inspired by Little House on the Prairie. Seromine stops to “bless” some of those close to the barrier as a mostly negative reaction churns from the crowd. The Followers make their way up the steps. They walk along the apron, and in three groups of four, surround the ring from the top and sides. Seromine lends his wife a gentlemanly hand up the stairs, holding the ropes for her as she enters, following quickly behind.
The cult spread their arms out to welcome GOD to the proceeding. Seromine and Destiny are brimming with pride as they do this. Joyed that the faithful can also share in the moment. Everyone lowers their arms in unison. Seromine removes his hat and coat, handing them to his dutiful wife, while leaving his white button-up shirt and black ribbon bowtie on. Following a kiss, he holds the ropes as Destiny exits to ringside, joining the Followers. They place their candles into metal candle stands. Seromine watches and waits for the sinner(s) to come to the ring.
DING!
DING!
DING!
Seromine stands stoic as he eyes his inferior opponent. Blake frantically looks around at the unfriendly people surrounding the ring. Seromine makes his move. With a warm smile he offers a handshake to the referee. He looks confused by the gesture, but obliges. Seromine can be heard telling him to make sure everything is called down the middle and within the rules. He then moves over to Blake to offer him the same greeting.
“God wants me to save you, brother!”
Blake cautiously extends his hand forward. Seromine keeps his free left hand high in the air to show he comes with good intentions. They shake hands and Seromine backs himself up. His smile drops. He yells “SINNER!” as the Followers point at Blake. Seromine charges and LEVELS him with a discus forearm smash. The impact turns him face first into the top turnbuckle. He remains highly aggressive as he throws shot after shot at the trapped jobber. Seromine grinds Blake’s face against the bottom turnbuckle while using his knees to assault his neck and back. Initially ignoring the referee’s count, Seromine relents and moves away with his arms held out.
Jerry Andrews (sarcastically): Always a class act. Seromine should never be trusted.
Ace Anderson: You just haven’t accepted him into your heart. How do you expect to get into Heaven without doing so?
Jerry Andrews: Have you been donating to the collection plate, again?
Blake is pulled into a capture suplex. Seromine transitions into a leaping brainbuster. He sits up to pose in unison with his followers. He yells “God is great, brothers and sisters!” to a mostly negative reception. Blake is yanked up by the hair. He has no recovery time before he finds himself being sent to the ropes and put back down with a spinebuster that is so picture perfect, Arn Anderson would approve. Seromine returns to his feet. He watches the pain unfolding through Blake’s body, evident by his expressions. Seromine makes a gesture. The followers start pacing around the ring, slapping the mat as they do. The tempo picks up. Seromine is almost trance like now. For her part, Destiny has the bible raised in the air. Blake is up on spaghetti legs. Seromine pulls him into a STIFF short-arm clothesline. The kind that you not only hear but feel yourself. It’s met with a loud OOOH. Blake is muscled into a disgusting DDT, spiking his head and neck in jarring fashion. ASHES TO ASHES. Seromine rolls him over, plants a knee on his chest, and bends his arms at a ninety degree angle. The ref is there to make the count.
1.
2.
3.
He calls for the bell. Seromine is seen ‘thanking’ God for his blessings before lowering his head and returning to his feet. His arm is raised in the air while “Be Still For the Presence of the Lord” plays.
The Serpentine Sermonizer requests the microphone from the lovely announcer. She hands it over and quickly gets out of the ring as the remaining members of Salvation enter. His music is temporarily stopped. Seromine crouches down and looks at the fallen Blake Hawes.
“Lamentations 3:22-23. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” He smiles and continues “I am the Lord and Savior, Blake. I am here to save people from themselves. From the harms and ill will of society. To bring them to SALVATION! Sin has no value. It is Satan’s greatest trap.”
Seromine stands up. He scans HIS faithful in attendance tonight like they were seated in his church to hear one of his powerful sermons. Seromine nods. “Let us pray.”
And so they do. Silently. The entire group bows their head, joined hand in hand to form a prayer circle. The negative reception far outweighs the positive. When they finish, Seromine crouches down once more. He grabs a handful of Blake’s hair. He forces him to look up.
“The thing about cults, Blake, is they can expand.”
The faithful begin to make commotion over the announcement. “God spoke to me. He wants you to meet a few people...”
Seromine releases Blake’s head and stands up. He motions for everyone to move back. Out of nowhere, four new followers hit the ring and pounce all over the fallen jobber. The two males are wearing Lion and Rat masks. The two females are wearing that of an Elephant and Raccoon. Seromine nods. The other twelve jump in on the action while he and Destiny watch with sinister glee. After seconds of this, he orders them to stop. The cult welcome the newcomers with a hug. They are then ushered out of the ring. But their leader has a final message.
“Praise Seromine. Praise the Lord.”
Pure Class officials come to the ring to check on the fallen Blake Hawes. Seromine drops the microphone. He exits shortly after. Salvation depart for the locker room.
Jerry Andrews: I’m not even going to comment.
Ace Anderson: That is a first time in history moment, folks! We’ll be right back.
Jerry Andrews: Hey! That was my line.
Ace Anderson: Oh so now you want to comment?
Jerry Andrews: Ladies and gentlemen, we are back and - woah - we haven't even had a scheduled match yet and tonight has already been full of surprises!
Ace Anderson: Well, we did just have that Seromine match.... if you could call it a match.
Jerry Andrews: Exactly.
Ace Anderson: Well, you're in luck Jerry, because first competitor for a scheduled match is already in the ring!
Jerry Andrews: Derek Cosmos, the cosmic man of tomorrow, is seeking his next adventure.
Ace Anderson: Andrews you talk about this man as if he's the next coming of David Bowie and not some reject who wandered in high off bath salts talking weird shit about aliens.
Jerry Andrews: Well let me ask you this, Ace, how do we know he's not on the level? Have you never heard of the X-Files?
Ace Anderson: You God damn nerd.
NOW IS THE TIME! FOR ME TO RISE TO MY FEET! WIPE YOUR SPIT FROM MY FACE! WIPE THESE TEARS, FROM MY EYES!!
Hatebreed explodes through the speakers as Braddock steps through the curtain. He pauses at the top of the ramp and thrusts his right fist into the air.
Sasha Greene: Making his way to the ring, he hails from Santa Cruz, California. Standing six feet, two inches tall and weighing in at two hundred and sixty-three pounds.....
He is.... Brrrraaad-ddddooooocccckkkkk!
He strolls down to the ring before climbing the ring steps. He wipes his feet before entering the ring and holds a fist in the air.
Before the music can even end, before any bell can sound,Braddock is on Cosmos, attacking him behind with a multitude of forearm shots, axe handle blows, and elbows across the back as Cosmos stumbles towards the ropes. The music abruptly stops and the bell rings as the referee quickly jumps on Braddock for the sneak attack, as Derek Cosmos groans and holds his chest, breathing heavily. Braddock holds his arms up in an aggressive manner, shouting that he'll do whatever he wants to do. However, he makes a little too much time to play to the crowd as Derek Cosmos catches him and begins unloading some vicious punches, backing him up into the ropes. Braddock slides between the top and middle rope with his upper body, complaining to the referee. The ref makes Cosmos back off.
Jerry Andrews: Whoa, just when I thought Braddock was showing some aggressive fire, Cosmos shows off his own mean streak. Where has that been before?
Ace Anderson: You'll probably say some stupid stuff like he got signals beamed to him to be aggressive.
Jerry Andrews: Again, we don't know if he didn't...
Cosmos clinches Braddock around the neck and moves him to the nearest set of buckles and plants him there with a couple of hard closed fist punches. He backs up across the ring and takes off, nailing a calf kick that sandwiches Braddock against the buckles. Braddock falls into a seated position, still against the buckles, whereas Cosmos again backs up across the ring and launches a running low dropkick right to the head of Braddock.
Jerry Andrews: Ouch, Cosmos nearly decapitated Braddock with that move!
Cosmos reaches his knees where he laughs at the pain he's inflicted before rolling Braddock away from the buckles. He reaches his feet before dropping a standard elbow drop. He stays in place as the ref makes the first count of the match.
The ref: One...
Braddock kicks out easily, but Cosmos responds by shoving his thumbs into Braddock's eyes. Braddock kicks wildly as the ref reaches the count of five before Cosmos gives up on the cheap tactic. Cosmos gets to his feet and waits as Braddock reaches his. Still doubled over, Braddock is forced to eat a knee lift from Cosmos. Cosmos quickly follows up by catapulting himself off the ropes, nailing a flying forearm smash that takes the off balance Braddock off his feet. Cosmos lays over Braddock for another quick pin attempt. Braddock sits up after the kickout, but Cosmos angrily locks in a rear naked chin lock designed to wear down the hardcore brawler.
Ace Anderson: Cosmos hoping to sap the bigger man of all energy here. He's moving fast, he's moving slow, he's going big, he's being methodical.
Braddock tries to break Cosmos grip, but he can't get a good enough grip himself. He starts to roll his hands at the crowd, who comes alive with cheer, supporting their All-American hero. Braddock starts to kick his legs, and starts to work on Cosmos grip again, finally finding enough room to force Cosmos' hands from under his chin. Cosmos doesn't wait around for the rest of this predictable little sequence though. He jerks his hands away from Braddock and unloads with a sharp downwards elbow that lands right over the collarbone of Braddock, stopping his momentum before it even gets started. Cosmos gets back to his feet and soccer kicks Braddock right across the back with a sharp crack that echoes across the whole arena!
Jerry Andrews: That sounds like it hurts.
Ace Anderson: Then it probably did, you idiot.
Braddock rolls over, slowly working his way to his feet, but Cosmos is ready for him when he gets there. Cosmos drills Braddock with a knee to the midsection, followed by another one. Cosmos bounces off the ropes, coming back with a spinwheel kick, but Braddock ducks underneath. Cosmos is unfazed, and when Braddock turns around, Cosmos throws a boot into his midsection, but this time, Braddock catches Cosmos legs! The crowd cheers as Braddock nods with Cosmos throwing his hands out and begging for Braddock to release. The tactic is just a stall, however, as Cosmos gets enough bounce in his step to launch an enziguri that catches Braddock right on the temple! Braddock collapses to one knee before falling flat on his face. Cosmos climbs to the ring apron before ascending the turnbuckles until he reaches the top. He balances himself, looking down at Braddock who remains flat on his face, before launching himself off with a shooting star press!
Ace Anderson: What a beautiful move by Cosmos!
Cosmos looks as if he's hurt his ribs a little bit, clutching them in pain, before dragging himself over to Braddock, rolling him over, and hooking the leg.
The ref: One...
Two... Kickout.
Cosmos waits as Braddock reaches his feet before doubling him over with yet another knee to the midsection. He follows it up with a fameasser attempt, but Braddock holds his ground and actually makes Cosmos do a backflip where he lands on his feet. As soon as he does, however, Braddock follows through with a clothesline! Both men go down!
Jerry Andrews: What a clothesline from Braddock! Now the hardcore master is showing some of his power.
The crowd cheers as both stars as slow to work their way up to a vertical base. They both get there about the same time, with Cosmos throwing the first punch, blocked by Braddock! Braddock follows up with another clothesline attempt, but he's a tick too slow as Cosmos ducks underneath it this time. Braddock spins around to find Cosmos delivering another punch, again blocked by Braddock! Braddock fires back a punch of his own that staggers Cosmos! Cosmos fires back another punch, AGAIN blocked by Braddock, before Braddock lands another punch that staggers Cosmos even more! Braddock throws one more punch that knocks Cosmos all the way back against the ropes, before Braddock launches Cosmos across the ring. Cosmos comes running all the way back where Braddock lifts Cosmos up with a hip toss, sending Cosmos all the way to the outside floor! Braddock holds his arms out and yells animalistically. He exits the ring, grabbing hold of Cosmos, and irish whipping him with force into the steel ring steps. Cosmos hits back and shoulder first with a giant crash.
Jerry Andrews: Brutal power shown by Braddock.
Ace Anderson: This guy showed last Trauma when he went toe to toe with Hiroshi Yukio. He has a ruthlessness and a mean streak. He's a natural fit for the Underground division.
Braddock doesn't waste time, he gets a bull charge going and sprints across the aisle, plowing into the ring steps and sandwiching Cosmos in with his boot. Cosmos is flattened and his face is crushed between the boot of Braddock and the steel steps. The steps make the loudest crash possible. Braddock shouts, fired up, and he lifts the lifeless Derek Cosmos up by his hair and the back of his pants and throws him in the ring, climbing in and stalking him before nearly breaking him in half with a spear while Cosmos is still on all fours. Braddock, not to be done so quickly, peels Cosmos up off the mat, holding on to him by one wrist, and he walks him around the ring. Cosmos is on spaghetti legs, showing none of the fire that defined the first few minutes of the match, he appears to be out for the night. Braddock remorselessly pulls Cosmos in to a devastating shortarm clothesline. Cosmos does a spin in mid air.
Ace Anderson: Well... I don't know about Cosmos communicating with aliens, but damn sure all he's seeing is the stars for a little while.
Braddock starts to go for a pin, but then he pulls off of it before the referee can even crouch into position, showing Cosmos the utmost disdain. He pulls Cosmos up with both hands and steadies him as he's unable to stand on his legs, flipping him over his shoulder into position for a powerslam. He runs Cosmos the full length from side to side into the next corner, crushing Cosmos into the turnbuckles from the powerslam position so Cosmos's back is crushed mercilessly, then he pulls him back out in one smooth motion and drives him into the mat with a ring shaking Oklahoma Stampede.
Jerry Andrews: That is just a scary indicator of the power Braddock has, he ran Cosmos across the ring and drove him into the turnbuckles and then planted him.
Ace Anderson: I'm a believer.
The referee makes the count.
The referee: One...
Two...
Three!!
Ding Ding Ding
Braddock snatches his arm away from the referee and raises his own hands to the crowd, snarling and posing. Derek Cosmos is laid out and not moving.
Jerry Andrews: Impressive win for Braddock tonight, as he builds momentum. Truly a scary man to get in the ring with.
Ace Anderson: I wanna see where Braddock goes from here.
Both competitors are barely standing. Braddoc is breathing heavy having got a decisive win in the end.
Suddenly a disturbance can be heard at ringside and the camera pans around quickly to capture what is going on.
Ace Anderson: Sorry folks looks like we've got an over zealous fan at ringside who is trying to jump the barrier.
Jerry Andrews: Just cos you pay for a ticket doesn’t mean you can go anywhere in the arena. The ring is off limits to non PCW people.
The camera catches two PCW security staff trying to detain what can only be described as an AMAZON of a woman at ringside.
The two security guards are not small men either but this lady makes them look like toothpicks.
They try to direct the lady back to her seat but she is steadfastly refusing to do so. She continues to argue with them and when one of them tries to forcibly take her back she quickly becomes enraged and slams a huge right hand into his face knocking him down and out!
Ace Anderson: Good lord she cleaned his clock!
Jerry Andrews: That's a very large lady I wouldn't want to mess with her!
The second guard tries to retreat but it's too late as the mystery fan grabs him by the throat throttling him before lifting him up and slamming him like an NBA basketball.
Jerry Andrews: What a chokeslam! I haven't seen someone get that high since the 80's!
Ace Anderson: We need more security out here quick or this is going to get very ugly!
Having crushed the security she then walks up the steps and between the ropes entering the ring.
Both Braddock and Cosmos look her up and down not quite sure what to do exactly.
Ace Anderson: What will she do?
Cosmos being the nice guy he is decides the friendly approach will be fine . He strides over with a big smile and puts out his hand standing berfoe the stranger who only glares at him
"Hi I'm Derick Cosmos!"
He puts his hand out again for a handshake and there is a pause at the faithful wonder what will happen
They get their answer a few seconds later when,
BANG!
Cosmos gets his head superkicked almost off his shoulders and crumples to the mat below.
Ace Anderson: So much for being a nice guy..
Jerry Andrews: He may need a dentist after that kick.
She shoots a stare at Braddock who puts both his hands up in an “I don’t want any” way before moving away to a neutral corner as far away as possible.
Dragging Cosmos’s near unconscious carcass to the corner she props him up and then proceeds to the opposite side before charging full steam ahead and slams into him, whiplashing his head like a pinball with a crushing hip smash.
Braddock points and laughs clapping applause . He is clearly enjoying this. The crowd seeing this give a loud round of boos in his direction.
Ace Anderson: Look at that jerk laughing. There is nothing funny about this savage assault. Poor Cosmos has been destroyed.
Jerry Andrews: What a douche. He may be a weirdo but he didn’t deserve this.
The stranger hoists the now limp Cosmos over her shoulder and into position.
Ace Anderson: Oh come on that’s enough God damn it! He isn’t even able to fight back anymore. Somebody stop this!
She drops down spiking him on his head with a nasty Belly To Back Piledriver.
Cosmos falls to the mat and doesn’t move.
Jerry Andrews: For god's sake someone get out here NOW!
Suddenly four more security guards and two PCW officials rush the ring and stop her from doing any more damage.
The security forces her out of the ring and to the back.
Ace Anderson: I don't know who the hell that was but she did some major damage here tonight.
The lights in the arena go dark, momentarily pitch black, before the pinlight LEDs of cellular and mobile devices rippled like waves on a sea of “Notorious” t-shirts, replica “Kyle Shane” engraved “N” defaced championship belts and “Johnny Matthews” foam middle-fingers.
The distinct sound of a Zippo lighter snapping open, tobacco sizzling and a deep breath in…
“NO TOR I OUS!”
“They are on their feet!” Jerry Andrews shouts.
While the giant red letters slammed onto the PCWTron, the roar of the crowd overwhelmed the echoing into the rafters.
“What?” Anderson yells back.
Billows of smoke escape from under the stage and ramp. Johnny Matthews doesn't leave his heathens waiting long before he explodes through the curtain and out onto the stage.
“After their victory last week,” Andrews comments, “here comes Notorious!”
Matthews stands, for several minutes, at the top of the ramp. From the black Harley•Davidson Badlands tucked under his dark Timberland jeans with the PCW official “Notorious: widely, yet unfavorably, known” T-shirt, professional wrestling's Man in Black remained steadfast, locked on the ring through his dark sunglasses.
He burns down more than half of his Insignia, smoking with his right hand and tipping back a brown paper sacked bottle of Jack Daniels with his left. He does so just long enough that he nearly loses the entire crowd before he points up into the rafters above the ring. As the PCW World Championship is lowered, Matthews starts down the ramp.
“No,” Anderson corrects, “here comes Johnny Matthews.”
Matthews stops frequently, on each side of the ring to bump fists and shake hands with fans along the ramp. Puffing like a freight train all the way to ringside, he finishes his cigarette, spits it out of his mouth and snuffs it under his boot. He throws the ring skirt up onto the apron and reaches under the ring, retrieving a ladder.
“That has to be a twelve-foot ladder,” Andrews comments.
With the ladder completely pulled out from under tell ring, Matthews returns to ringside and lifts the legs up onto the apron. Back to the ramp he pushes the ladder into the ring.
“More than enough to reach that title,” Anderson suggests.
Matthews ascends the ring steps, wipes his Badlands on the apron and ducks, between the top and middle rope, entering the ring. He takes to setting the ladder up, directly under the dangling World Championship. He locks the security tabs on each side, takes four steps up, shakes it a bit and then drops down.
“The truck has confirmed,” Andrews interjects, “that is the genuine Pure Class Wrestling World Championship.”
Matthews circles the ring, his back to the ladder, looking out into the crowd. The lights above the ring reflect brightly from the dark shades over his eyes. He tilts the paper sack back one final time and then bowls it under the bottom rope out of the ring. Reaching into his back pocket, he retrieves a microphone and brings it up into his shaded glare.
“Here you go, Chump,” his tone is direct, “my fight is with Dominator.”
The production truck changes angles, far to the left, as he takes his glasses off and hangs them from the neck of his T-shirt.
“I'm fucking done with this,” the closeup, his emerald greens and the camera locked on one another.
With that said he turned the microphone off and tossed it over his shoulder, leaving it behind him in the ring with a ladder under his dangling title.
The opening notes to “In The Morning And Amazing” by Circa Survive hits on the PA, and Kyle Shane comes out. The real champ is wearing skater shoes and skinny jeans, a knit beanie, and a pair of spectacles, looking slightly more to the hipster side in his Neck Deep tee. He’s got the replica championship that he taunted Notorious with last Trauma over his shoulder. And he has a bemused look on his face as he lifts another mic to his lips..
“So let me get this straight Johnny Vag, you’re done playing games like you’re in the fourth grade? Or, and I have a more interesting theory: it bothers you that I’m ultimately unperturbed by the fact that you tried to maintain your relevance by attacking me behind like the cheapshotting bitches you are?”
If Kyle was expecting a reaction to his taunts, Matthews doesn’t give him one, but that doesn’t stop Kyle.
“Because I think both you and your partner seemed to miss some subtext when I said what I said last Trauma. I never said that I wasn’t pissed off by you doing this, in fact I think you’ll recall I said the exact opposite. I said that it does not matter. That YOU, don’t matter. No matter how much you try to bring the show’s focus around you. But I wasn’t about to let it go and shrug it off. In fact, if you weren’t going to return my properly soon, I was going to get impatient, probably charge the ring after your match tonight and cave Stormmy Daniel’s head in yet again with a VATS. ”
Matthews gives a mockingly frightened, nail biting look, but he still maintains his posture of leaving the immediate vicinity of the belt as Kyle, obviously on the lookout for yet another sneak attack, circles the ring.
Before they can engage, TRIVIUM’S cover of “Losing My Religion” begins blaring across the PA System. Here comes The Underground King himself, being led out onto the stage by Horacio Mortimer. Dominator looks ready for a fight, although it is Horacio who is holding the microphone in his hand, ready to sing his client’s praises. Kyle Shane and Johnny Matthews stare up the length of the entrance ramp towards the hulking monster at its apex, although a lack of trust forces them to focus their attention momentarily to one another as well.
“Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen,” Horacio chortles in a sarcastic attempt to diffuse the tension. “I appreciate that the current situation with the PCW World Championship is truly problematic and I can sympathise with Kyle’s predicament. However, Kyle, your fight is with Stormm. My client, The Zenith himself, Dominator, has unfinished business with the man sharing that ring with you. So, might I suggest that you step aside, less you are prepared to be caught up in the crossfire.”
With that, Dominator marches down the ramp to ringside, reaching up to grab the top rope and using it to haul himself up onto the apron. In spite of Horacio’s warning, Kyle does not move as Dominator throws one leg over the top rope, his other soon following. He towers over the competition. The staredown is tense
“You’re a dead man walking, Johnny Boy,” Horacio taunts. “You sealed your fate the moment you chose so poorly to try and provoke my client, as if poking a grizzly bear with a stick, he is ready to maul you, to maim you, to make you reflect on your poor choices. Surely you must have realised that your actions would not pass without consequence? Maybe THAT’S why you refuse to call yourself Johnny Vivacious anymore. Vivacious; cheery, pleasant, happy… you can’t be pleased about the onslaught coming your way…”
Dominator continues to stare at Matthews, stepping closer and closer to him until their chests are pressed against each other. The size difference is unbelievable, yet Matthews does not back down. Dominator jerks his head back to deliver a huge headbutt to Matthews, but before it can connect, Matthews rolls out of the ring, shaking his head and wagging his finger dismissively before staring up the ramp towards Horacio Mortimer. Matthews begins pacing towards Mortimer, who rolls his eyes and folded his arms, clearly not impressed that Matthews seems to want to use him as bait to lure Dominator from the ring. Echoing his manager’s example, Dominator remains calmly in the ring as Matthews approaches Mortimer. Dominator seems to nod towards Kyle, perhaps as some form of mutual respect, yet The Catalyst remains wary. Before Matthews can initiate whatever plan of attack he has, Horacio holds out one arm, showing Matthews the palm of his hand before pointing back towards the ring.
Matthews turns around, his face is agog.
Kyle, keeping a keen eye on Dominator, who he also doesn’t have the best history with, but more so on the ringside vicinity in case of a Notorious sneak attack, gingerly puts a foot up onto the rung of the ladder, then he begins to climb. He makes his way to the third from the top step, with the belt swaying overhead. He stretches his fingertips out, and has to readjust his footing, then he reaches up to try again. Matthews slides back into the ring, but Dominator stands between him and the latter.
With Kyle nearing the top of the ladder, and the belt just outside of his grasp, it appears to raise up ever so slightly, just out of the Catalyst’s reach. He takes another step up the ladder, and once again, just before he grabs it, the championship belt moves just above his fingertips. Matthews, pleased with the situation, despite Dominator’s presence, continues to watch on. Kyle Shane has the unamused look on his face, tongue rolling around on the inside of his lips, that says this is the lowest quality finish and yet it was one he should have expected.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d imagine this was the plan all along Ace.” Jerry mentions from ringside.
“No doubt Stormm is involved somehow, even without his presence in the ring.” Ace confirms.
“You may be right on that one.”
Kyle gives it one last shot, but doesn’t even reach for the belt before it goes shooting up at a brisk pace. “You didn’t think I’d let it be that easy, did you?” The Force of Nature’s voice blasts over the sound system, but is nowhere to be seen.
The cameras change angles several times trying to locate him before finally catching a glimpse. “He’s in the rafters!” Andrews is both shocked and excited at the same time.
“No matter how much doubt your actions and hollow speeches have put into my partner’s head the last few weeks, you’re not fooling me!” The crowd all have their gaze pointed towards the roof as the camera crew work their way to find a good shot of the other half of Notorious. “You can come out here and try to fool everyone into thinking that us stealing the belt doesn’t bother you, but the fact that you feel the need to say anything tells me a different story.”
The crew finally gets a good angle, and Stormm appears on the big screen holding the painted World title belt over his left shoulder. He also appears to be the old International title over his right shoulder, and for maybe the first time ever in PCW, his current championship belt, the North American title, around his waist.
“Hell, the fact that you were insecure enough to go and get yourself a replica in the meantime only adds to that.” Stormm smiles and shakes his head. “No, you can have the real thing back, not because I really want you to have it, and not because Johnny suggested we give it back.” He pauses with a sigh. “You can have it back so we can stop making you look like the child you still are every week. Your excuses and attempts at showing apathy towards the situation are just really phoned in, and I can’t bare to watch how much it’s really been tearing you up since Collision Course anymore.”
Stormm sets the microphone down on the catwalk next to him, along with the deactivated International title belt, and dangles the world title over the side of the railing. A distant “look out below” can still be picked up by the mic, and he releases his grasp on the belt as it falls towards the ring. Kyle Shane, Dominator, and Johnny Matthews all move about nervously as the belt comes crashing down into the center of the squared circle, and the center plate pops off of the leather strap.
“Oh my God, he could have killed someone!” Anderson exclaims.
“This may have been the most reckless act the Force of Nature has ever committed in Pure Class Wrestling, Ace, and I’m concerned right there with you!” Jerry agrees with his cohort.
Stormm picks the International title belt and mic back up, and unstraps the North American title from around his waist. Putting both titles over his right shoulder, the North American over the top of the International, he presses on. “Stealing it from Seromine may have been the plan initially, but keeping it from you was just as fun.” The Force of Nature admits. “Now that you have it back, try not to lose it again so quickly, maybe I can come take it from you again, for real the next time!”
With that, he drops the mic over the side of the catwalk, and it plummets down to the ring, and Stormm walks out of the camera shot, and all attention is back to the middle of the ring.
Kyle, smiling, lifts his mic up to his mouth as he calls after the retreating Stormm. “At this point I think you’re going to read childish into anything that I do. Every word out of my mouth whether I’m saying I do want the belt back or if I’m going to carry the replica is going to measure up to me being childish. Two plus two equals Kyle Shane is childish in your world. And yet, here you are, a grown man, playing keep away so please tell me, who’s fucking childish, Stormm?”
Kyle looks over at Dominator, who just shakes his head at the sad state of this dude.
Kyle gets more fired up as he grips onto the ropes. “I look at you Stormm and I see someone who can’t let go of the past. I see you as old, outdated and pathetic as you think I am childish. You’re over there, clinging on to some International title you won in Two Thousand and Who The Fuck Knows When. Hanging belts from rafters and playing games using tactics that were crusty and overdone in 1997. You think I’m afraid of you? Stormm I’m going to come kick you right in the nuts, watch you shit mummy dust and all you’re gonna do is act like you’re still relevant to this company. You’re not.”
Kyle walks over, picking up the title, even with it’s broken pieces. “You didn’t steal this and hide it because you wanted to have fun, you took it because you were mad you were - and ARE - second place. I kicked your ass to win this title. And you had to take that scrap of tin as a consolation prize and now you have your International Title so you can pretend you’re a special star. You’re not. You are second place to me, Stormm. You have been since the first time we met in the ring and you still are. Thanks for returning the belt, though, chump.”
Kyle hands the mic to Dominator, exiting the ring, carrying his replica title, and the broken World title belt, satisfied. All this time, Dominator and Matthews have been glaring at each other.
“Kyle’s right,” Dominator snarls. “The two of you act like children in order to get your own way. It is painfully obvious that you want a shot at my Underground Championship… right?” Matthews says nothing, although his eyes do seem to light up by what Dominator is getting at. “We’ll both be getting what we want. You get your match, and I get to beat the crap out of you…” he pauses for a moment. “I’ll make you a deal,” he smiles. “You walk out of this ring right now, you go to the back, you think long and hard about this… and maybe… JUST MAYBE… you’ll get your wish.”
The crowd roars. Matthews nods with a grin, slowly backing up towards the ring ropes, not letting his eyes leave Dominator…
...leaving him wide open to a low blow from Horacio Mortimer!
Dominator immediately grabs the ladder and snaps it shut. He waves it around like a cane, holding it high above his head, when the ring is suddenly swarmed by security personnel. They try to grab the ladder off him and force him to one corner as Matthews rolls out of the ring. With that, Dominator goes berserk. He begins swatting security personnel with the ladder like flies. One by one, they fall. As Matthews scrambles up the entrance ramp, Dominator launches the ladder over the top rope like a javelin. Matthews dives to one side of the ramp as the steel ladder clatters forcefully to the ground. The crowd gasp at the distance that Dominator launched the ladder. He roars with a battle cry in the middle of the ring, staring at the destruction around him as we fade to commercial.
The lights in the arena go dark, momentarily pitch black, before the distinct sound of a Zippo lighter snapping open, tobacco sizzling and a deep breath in.
Distant thunder rolls, then closer before every fan is jolted out of their seat by a flash of bright white light and a crack that rattled the empty steel chairs.
“NO TOR I OUS!"
With each syllable, the giant red letters slam onto the PCWTron and echo into the rafters. As the music kicks in, a multicolored light show with spotlights, beams of light and lazers above the stage, the ring and the rowdy fans.
“SO NOTORIOUS!”
Michaels is the first through the curtain. He immediately goes to the right of the ramp, taking in the scope of the crowd before being blown past by his partner, Johnny Matthews, smoking like a paper mill and headed directly to the ring. Unlike Matthews, he doesn't stop to bump fists, shake hands or kiss babies on his march down the ramp.
As the song hits the chorus, Michaels makes his way down the ramp. Making up for his partner's passing them by, quite contrary for the North American Champion, he gives the fans the attention they need on his way to the ring.
Matthews had already ascended the ringsteps, wiped his Badlands on the apron and ducked through the ropes before Michaels got to ringside and dove in under the bottom rope. He was up to his feet with a quickness and both he and Matthews stood on the second turnbuckle of opposite corners.
Michaels tappped the North American title belt resting on one shoulder, then the defunct International Title on the other. Matthews gestured the big swing of the Underground title. They both amped the crowd until Notorious faded.
Jerry Andrews: Come on, why is Stormm carrying the International Title around!?
The lights slowly fade to black. Flashes of cameras give intermittent glimmers of the darkened surroundings. There is a moment of silence as the crowd awaits with anticipation. The Tron slowly illuminates with the image of a ticking clock as the opening drum beats to Breaking Benjamin’s “Evil Angel” echo throughout the arena. The crowd suddenly comes alive as the guitars make themselves heard. As the first verse begins to play, he finally appears on the top of the stage…
…DOMINATOR…
The Zenith glares towards the crowd massed to his left, then to his right before slowly raising his left arm into the air, revealing a gold plated watch that envelopes his wrist. A shower of orange sparks begin to fall from the top of the Tron, briefly masking the Entrance Video as Dominator shows off his bulging biceps to the crowd.
He slowly walks down the ramp with a gleam in his eye, a wicked and arrogant smirk spread amidst his dark stubble. He makes no attempt to slap hands with the fans. He reaches the ring apron, grabbing the middle rope to haul him onto the side of the ring. He pushes down the top rope with his right hand, throwing one foot over the top before the other follows. He slowly makes his way to the center of the ring, turning a full three hundred and sixty degrees to admire the capacity crowd before raising his arms in the air in the exact same manner as he had done atop the entrance ramp, lifting them with malicious purpose to display the watches covering his wrists.
He cricks his neck back and forth before swinging his arms in preparation for the impending fight. All the while, that devious smile is still on his face and he looks to make eye contact with his opponent without a single hint of intimidation. The music slowly fades, the lights returning to a more average level of illumination as Dominator waits with masked enthusiasm for the start of the match.
Ace Anderson: Look at those daggers passing between Dominator and Notorious, they are looking at each other like they want to kill one another!
Jerry Andrews: Well why wouldn't they? Johnny Matthews made his intentions plain to Dominator, quite distinctly.
Ace Anderson: Oh, I know. Plus the fact that Stormm and Matthews beat Dominator last week in that insane three way match, now they're forced to co-exist.
Jerry Andrews: Last week Dominator was paired with Crazy Boy. This time around he has even more unreliable help, I don't believe for a second Dominator can trust Stormm or Johnny.
"Welcome To The Jungle" by Guns and Roses starts playing and Wasp, Trouble, and High Tide all walk out onto the stage as one unit. The Wasp may be a bit older, but he certainly likes to get right into things. The Wasp walks tall and quickly and motions for the fans to get even louder, even though they are booing. High Tide swaggers alongside him, holding his spyglass, and Arica Lewitt is holding her arms up and rocking out to the song. They climb all up onto the apron from intersecting sides. Wasp, taking the lead, hops over the ropes and goes straight to a corner and climbs the turnbuckle and gives the fans the finger, as the booing has usually reached a deafening level.
Jerry Andrews: This group has certainly taken Pure Class Wrestling on it's ear, they caused a lot of havoc last Trauma.
Ace Anderson: That they did, yet another in a long string of attacks by this group laid out the Underground champion. No matter what Dominator's feeling about Notorious, he has to be looking to dish out some payback on these three.
Jerry Andrews: They have all made references to some kind of PCW Order, and you have to wonder just what their agenda is, and how Razor Blade figures into it. Are they ever going to get on the mic and tell us what, exactly, they want? Or is chaos their only goal?
Ace Anderson: I think these are three underutilized competitors who have it in their minds that they need to make a statement. So they will.
Dominator does some last minute stretches as he and Wasp circle around, then lock up in a collar elbow tie up. Dominator shoves Wasp to the mat. Dominator flexes his muscles at High Tide and roars. Wasp looks perturbed for a second, then he gets a look on his face a la "You know, on second thought" and he comedically tags in Arica Lewitt. Trouble has a look on her face like she can't believe Wasp did that to her. Both High Tide and Wasp shoo their arms and tell Trouble to go on in. Trouble still looks annoyed at her partners, but on the other side of it, Johnny Matthews is smiling lasciviously and practically hanging over the top rope with his hand out, begging for a tag. Dominator looks at Johnny with the utmost disdain. Not believing he's doing this, Dominator tags Johnny in with a stinging, hard slap. Johnny scoots in, and proffers his hand to Trouble, who looks bemused by his antics. She refuses to shake his hand, and slaps him across the face. Johnny smirks, and says she's a fighter, very creepily saying "I like that,"
Ace Anderson: It's a lot grosser when he could be her older uncle or dad's age.
Jerry Andrews: Notorious aren't that old! Don't let Kyle Shane's words influence you.
Ace Anderson: He's certainly not in her age demographic.
Trouble meets Matthews and grips his head in a side headlock. Johnny gives it one second of struggling in the hold before he notices he's pressed up against Trouble's side and takes a moment to grope her. On the apron, Stormm, annoyed at his Notorious partner, shouts "Come on, what are you doing!" And Trouble releases the hold. She goes for a clothesline, but Matthews ducks underneath the swing, and he gives her a very playful swat on the buttocks. Trouble is getting flustered due to how outraged she's getting, which seems to be part and parcel to Johnny's plan.
Ace Anderson: This girl does not want to let Johnny get into her head, not only because it would be the type of dirt that wouldn't wash off, but because it takes her out of her game.
Jerry Andrews: Say what you will about Notorious, but they have a very cerebral game plan at all times.
Johnny turns his head to smirk at High Tide and Wasp, taunting who he sees as Trouble's older brothers, and Trouble is able to catch him off guard with a head scissors that flips Matthews over and onto his butt. Matthews, taken off guard, crawling over and getting taken down by a leg lariat from Trouble. Trouble shouts to the crowd and gets fired up, and she goes for the Super Trouble kick quite early, but Johnny V, having had enough of the harassment and enough of the playing around, ducks the kick and when Trouble turns she eats one of the cringiest backbreakers you could have seen, an STO backbreaker onto his knee with such force that Trouble's back arches and she slides off to the mat. Now Johnny has a gritted teeth look set on his face and you can see the anger radiating off. He walks over and tags in Stormm. Stormm and Johnny V lift Trouble up, punishing her with a double suplex. Johnny goes back to his corner and Stormm continues kicking the bejesus out of Trouble with stomps. The tag team continuity doesn't extend to Dominator, as Stormm ignores his massive outstretched hand. Stormm instead flings Trouble into their team's corner and tags in Johnny Matthews again, and holds Trouble by the side so Matthews can fold her up with a kick. Smart tag strategy. Johnny Matthews pushes Trouble down, grinding his forearm bone against her throat aggressively.
Ace Anderson: Man... I know Wasp, Tide and Trouble have been stealing the spotlight, but Matthews is showing an aggression that's off the charts in his own right.
Jerry Andrews: I can only imagine he doesn't take too kindly to these guys trying to take the spotlight from what he perceives as his Underground title shot.
The referee starts counting Johnny Matthews out because that's kind of a choke, a 5-count to a disqualification. Matthews breaks at 3, and stands up, dragging Trouble by the arm back to the corner. Again, Dominator holds his big paw out for a tag, and again, Johnny Matthews looks right at him, rubbing it in by tagging in Stormm. Stormm drops a knee across the forehead of Trouble, then goes for a pin.
The referee: One... Kickout.
Stormm gets up, lifting a limp Arica Lewitt with him, and goes to vertical suplex her. He does lift her into the air, straight as an arrow, but as she's being hoisted, she drives a knee down into the side of the head of Stormm a few times until he loosens his grip. Trouble wiggles enough that she can twist out of the grip, flowing behind Stormm. She pushes him into the ropes chest first. They both stumble back, and Trouble attempts an O'Connor roll out of this. The referee starts counting...
The referee: One... Kickout.
Stormm, annoyed that Trouble countered him like that, gives her an axehandle to the back of the head. Stormm mounts Trouble and begins and he tee’s off, on her, but Trouble counters the positioning, trying to straddle the bigger Stormm and lay into him with mounted right hands, only to be gouged in the eyes by Stormm. The crowd boo loudly as Michaels is back to a vertical base where he starts stomping away at Trouble. Michaels reaches down picking Trouble up off the mat before taking her back into the rope, where he looks to fire the young girl across the ring. Trouble counters the whip and it is Michaels who bounces off the ropes and into a reverse elbow that sends him to the mat. Stormm is quickly to his feet where Trouble scoops him up and body slams. Trouble looks to drop a elbow, Stormm rolls out of the way before beating Trouble to her feet where he’s able to catch Trouble with a knee to the midsection followed by a butterfly suplex into a backbreaker. Again, Trouble clutches at her back and yells in pain.
Jerry Andrews: Trouble has taken a serious amount of punishment in this match, she needs to get to her corner and tag in a fresh partner.
Stormm reaches his feet where he picks Trouble up off the mat before throwing him out through the ropes and directly at the feet of Johnny Matthews. The crowd boos loudly as Matthews reaches down picking Trouble up before driving her lower back first into the ring apron! Matthews then tosses Trouble back into the ring. Stormm lays several boots to Trouble before picking her up and driving him back into a neutral corner. Stormm lays several shoulder blocks to the midsection before hurling Trouble across the ring and into the opposite buckles. Stormm charges in after Trouble who throws up her right boot connecting to the face of Stormm. Trouble comes out of the corner with a boot to the midsection before taking Stormm and hurling him out to the floor at the feet of WASP! The crowd roars as Wasp starts stomping away at Stormm before being restrained by the referee, trying to restore some order . Wasp and High Tide pick Stormm up before tossing him back into the ring. Trouble picks Stormm up and drives him back into the corner that houses her partners as they get back in the apron. The pirate tags into the match and enters the ring where he jabs Stormm in the jaw before Trouble exits the ring. High Tide brings Stormm out to the center of the ring with a snapmare before kicking Stormm straight across the shoulder blades. Stormm curses explosively and High Tide waits for him to get up before crushing him with a running double footed dropkick that blasts Stormm back into the neutral corner like a cannonball!
Jerry Andrews: High Tide has come into this match full of pure maniacal energy!
Stormm, holding his back, contorts around after being kicked into the turnbuckles. He crawls to his corner, but the first one to get the tag isn't the intended Johnny Matthews, but instead Dominator gets up again and locks up again with Dominator, who then grabs one of High Tide's arms and throws him down with an armdrag. High Tide gets to his feet as Dominator grips his arm and wrings it out a little. High Tide reverses by rolling through athletically, and performing a cartwheel to escape the pressure of the armwringer. He sweeps Dominator's legs. Dominator backs up, and then as he tries to plead with the ref to keep High Tide away, High Tide advances to pull Dominator up again. Dominator gives High Tide a nasty thumb to the eye. Dominator then gives High Tide a headbutt that makes High Tide stumble away in pain. He backs High Tide up to the ropes and gives him a few forearm shots, then goes to whip High Tide to the opposite rope. High Tide runs off the ropes and on the return, he hits a running double footed dropkick to bring Dominator down. High Tide then drops an elbow on Dominator’s chest and then another. He starts to go for a cover, but Dominator shoves him away. High Tide quickly cranks Dominator's head in a neck vice submission, twisting Dominator's head painfully. Dominator yells in pain and tries to get to his feet. Slowly, he pulls himself up and begins levelling elbow shots at High Tide's midsection.
Jerry Andrews: Dominator is trying to find momentum to make it back to his corner.
Finally, Dominator is able to fight his way free. He starts crawling towards his corner, but instead of reaching his hand out for a tag, Johnny Matthews, an uncaring, angry sneer on his face, has procured a pack of smokes from his pocket and is lighting one up. Dominator turns and lays an uppercut in to High Tide, making the pirate stumble backwards a few steps. If Dominator isn't going to get help from his partners he'll do it himself, he guesses. He starts to run off the ropes, but High Tide leapfrogs over him on the return. Dominator turns around as High Tide runs off the opposite side, but High Tide ducks under a clothesline. Dominator turns around, confused, and gets a boot to the gut and receives a snap suplex. Dominator shouts, holding his back. He gets up. High Tide, pacing around, starts to run off the ropes, but Johnny shoves him from behind. High Tide stumbles a few steps, and then turns around to glare at Matthews. High Tide turns back, and Dominator gives him a European uppercut. Now, Dominator walks over to Johnny. Johnny takes the cigarette out of his mouth as the big man glares down at him. Johnny blows smoke in Dominator's face. Dominator responds by tagging in with a slap on the chest so hard that it can be clearly heard, but Johnny just looks dissatisfied, not finished with his smoke break. He grinds the cig out on the apron with his heel, and enters the ring.
Ace Anderson: Always a class act, that Matthews.
Johnny, getting his head back in the game, gives a few short and angry stomps at High Tide’s head. The ref yells at Johnny not to do that, but Johnny just shrugs him off and gives High Tide a few more good stomps. Johnny then picks up High Tide and throws him into the ropes, when High Tide comes back, Johnny leapfrogs over him. When High Tide runs back off the ropes again, Johnny comes up with a spinning heel kick to the face. Johnny sits up and smiles at the people at ringside who give him a round of boo's.
Jerry Andrews: He’s looking for constant praise to stroke his damn ego.
Ace Anderson: There isn't anything really wrong with stroking your ego. You just need to have something to stroke. Maybe you don't know about that.
Johnny looks back at Wasp, giving him a few choice words and picks up High Tide, only to get hit with a jawbreaker. Johnny falls to his knees as then High Tide lifts him up, backing him into the corner, as he nails knife edge chops away at Johnny’s chest. After a few good chops, High Tide walks Johnny over to his corner and tags in Wasp, who gives Johnny a few rights and lefts, then a spinning back fist to the face. Johnny falls back against the ropes, covering up, as Wasp gives him a boot to the gut and a gutwrench suplex. Wasp lands a leg drop across the throat, and goes for a cover.
One... Kickout.
Wasp lifts Johnny up, walking him back into their corner, and tagging in High Tide. He stretches Johnny out to expose his side and allows High Tide to nail a few quick kicks, then he goes back into their corner without arguement from the referee. High Tide gives Johnny Matthews a snapmare, then follows it up with a flipping neck whip from a seated position. He goes for a springboard leg drop, but Matthews rolls out onto the apron. High Tide hits the mat butt first. He rolls to his feet and goes over to the ropes to lift up Matthews, but Johnny meets him with a shoulder thrust through the middle rope. Matthews gives High Tide a second shoulder thrust, then he grips High Tide's head and snaps it down across the top rope. High Tide flings back into the middle of the ring, contorting and holding his throat.
Jerry Andrews: Borderline illegal move by Johnny.
Johnny Matthews then walks over and tags in Stormm. Stormm picks up High Tide and body slams him hard onto the ground. Stormm grabs High Tide by the hair as he lifts him up, giving him clubs to the back, and throws him into the ropes, when High Tide comes back, Stormm catches him with a scoop powerslam. Stormm smiles at Johnny Matthews, who simply smiles back approving, and telling him to stay on him. Stormm picks up High Tide, who then gets a surge of engery. High Tide hits Stormm several times with right hands and goes to jump to his corner to Wasp, but Stormm grabs High Tide’s arm and shortarms him back for a stiff knee in the gut. Then Stormm grabs High Tide and slams him down with a snap suplex. Stomm stands on High Tide’s neck using the rope for leverage, choking him, as Wasp runs in, but the ref stops Wasp from entering in the ring. Meanwhile, with the ref distracted by an enraged Wasp, Johnny Matthews runs in and he and Stormm lay several boots to High Tide, before Matthews turns around and he jumps out of the ring, while Stormm lets go of the chokehold. Stormm then hooks High Tide's leg and goes for the pin.
Jerry Andrews: Those damn Notorious thugs are using a mugging mentality, keeping High Tide isolated and picking him apart.
Ace Anderson: Oh, but when High Tide, Wasp and Lewitt all gang up and beat someone down, it isn't shady tactics? What about that?
Jerry Andrews: I... don't have a good answer for that. They're all in the wrong, at certain points of time.
The referee: One …
Two… Kickout.
High Tide kicks out and Stormm shakes his head with disgust. Stormm brings High Tide up and throws him into the ropes, but High Tide comes roaring back with a huge clothesline, which makes the North American champ go down hard. Stormm then gets to his feet, as High Tide is able to fling the bigger man over his head with a back drop. Stormm gets up once again and High Tide takes him down with a belly to belly suplex, then he starts to crawl to his corner and makes the tag with Wasp. Stormm gets to one knee, but only to receive both hard rights a few knee lifts from an energetic Wasp. When Stormm doesn’t go down, Wasp gives him a hard chop to the chest. Wasp chops again and again, then he grips Stormm's arm and whips him into the corner. Stormm is laid out across the turnbuckles. Wasp then runs in and delivers a jumping double high knee right to the sternum in the corner. Stormm holds his chest as he stumbles out. He flops to his knees, holding himself. Wasp measures him with a martial arts stance, and as Stormm starts to pull himself up, Wasp nearly beheads him with a drive-by boot to the head. Wasp goes for a cover.
The referee: One...
Two... Dominator dives in, breaking the count!
Jerry Andrews: Dominator saves it for the team.
Ace Anderson: It has to be killing him to help out Stormm and Matthews at all, ever.
Shaking with intensity, Dominator gets to his feet, and mauls Wasp with a clothesline. He runs into the corner to nail High Tide and knock him loose, and High Tide tries getting into the ring to attack his rival. But the ref holds High Tide back! Behind the ref's back, Stormm and Matthews are viciously choking and stomping Wasp with his boot. The ref turns back in lieu of High Tide' frantic pointing. Stormm takes a few lungfuls of air to recover as Johnny goes back to the corner, but he stops in his tracks when Dominator tags himself in from behind. Stormm has a wide eyed look of annoyance. Dominator walks over, ignoring the shouts and taunts from his partner, lifts Wasp up and gives him a pancake slam that flattens him, truly flat as a pancake, then covers.
The referee:One...
Two... Kickout!
Dominator lifts Wasp up and gives him a fallaway slam, then tags in Johnny, who hops up top and follows it up with a double foot stomp right to the midsection that had previously been pancaked! Wasp rolls around holding his midsection, and Johnny pulls him over into a pin.
The referee: One...
Two... Kickout!
Johnny slaps the mat, then he pulls Wasp up, lifts his dead weight ass up to his shoulders and nails a pumphandle brainbuster suplex, the Bartender Special. Wasp falls back, and Matthews points to Dominator, teasing tagging him back in, but he laughs it off. Wasp is trying to get back to his corner as Trouble and High Tide cheer him on. Johnny straddles Wasp over his lower back, and then drops down with a butt bump to injure the lower back. He gives Wasp a few more stomps, then he lifts Wasp up, giving him an inverted exploder suplex. Wasp is laid out in the middle of the ring.
Jerry Andrews: First the Bartender Special, now the Center Ring Screwdriver. Johnny Matthews is determined to put Wasp down.
Johnny covers, hooking the leg.
One...
Two...
Th- Kickout!
Matthews shouts angrily, yelling "Come on!" to the referee. He snarls and walks over, tagging in Stormm, while telling Dominator "Show your ass how it's done". They each grab a leg of Wasp and perform a double team wishbone, pulling each leg to the side and snapping down. Wasp howls and holds his midsection. He rolls onto his stomach and kicks his legs in pain. Stormm walks over and picks up Wasp. He goes for a lifted reverse STO, with extra delay as he walks Wasp around from the side. But suddenly, Wasp pulls his head loose, and he pushes Stormm forward. Dominator holds his head in his hands as he yells, because Stormm's blown it for their team again.
Jerry Andrews: The lack of cohesion between Notorious and Dominator, and both Stormm and Matthews showboating has been big handicaps in this match.
Ace Anderson: You said it. Lewitt, Wasp and High Tide certainly have a bond.
Wasp crawls over as fast as he can and tags in Trouble, who meets Stormm with a running crossbody. Trouble shoots to her feet and runs across the ring, kicking Dominator in the kneecap and knocking him off the apron. She's all energy as she turns back to Stormm, stalking him, and then Stormm gets crushed with a jumping cutter.
Jerry Andrews: Trouble with the Troublicious!
Trouble covers Stormm.
The referee: One...
Two...
Thre- Kickout!
Stormm shoots a shoulder up off the mat to a loud gasp from the crowd. Trouble cuts his eyes towards the referee who shows her how close he came. Trouble reaches a vertical base before picking Stormm back up off the mat. Trouble laces Stormm across the chest with a knife edge chop that sends Stormm back into a corner. Trouble charges in after Stormm with a clothesline that smashes Stormm back into the buckles. Trouble looks to follow up with a running bulldog only to have Stormm counter with a side suplex! Stormm works his way back to his feet where he picks Trouble up before hurling him into the corner that houses Dominator and Johnny Matthews. Johnny tags into the ring and starts unloading with boots to the chest and body of Trouble while Stormm exits to the ring apron. Johnny delivers a stiff European Uppercut to the jaw of Trouble which rocks her back into the ropes. Johnny fires him across the ring and as she bounces off the ropes High Tide makes the blind tag. Johnny drops down to the mat causing Trouble to leap over his body and bounce off the near side. Johnny is quickly to his feet where he swings with a clothesline, Trouble ducks under and baseball slides out to the floor as High Tide spring boards off the top rope with a blockbuster to a massive ovation from the crowd!
Jerry Andrews: Amazing continuity and precision timing from Trouble and High Tide!!
Ace Anderson: His scurvy riddled brain came up with that idea?! I wouldn't have believed it!
High Tide scurries into the cover on Johnny, he hooks the near leg.
The referee: ONE…..
TWO…..
THRE - Kickout!
Johnny kicks out to a massive gasp from the crowd. High Tide is back to a vertical base where he picks Johnny up off the mat before locking in a front face lock! High Tide looks to deliver a snap suplex only to have Johnny block and counter as he hoists High up in the air before dropping him gut first across the top rope! High bounces gut first off the ropes and back into the ring where he lands on his back. Johnny takes a few deep breaths... and again, Dominator, seizing the opportunity away from his partner, tags in to the match. Now, Johnny Matthews has had it. He squares up to the big man, perhaps unwisely since they don't really meet eye to eye. But he gives Dominator an earful, and the Underground champion just smiles. Matthews shoves him, and Dominator, with one hand, shoves him back just as hard. Matthews looks like he wants to take a swing, but he keeps his head, saying to Dominator "You want it? Whatever" and bowing graciously. Dominator turns back to High Tide and lifts him up, turning to face Matthews as he plants him with a one handed side slam. He covers, smiling in Matthews face the entire time...
The referee: ONE...
TWO...
THRE - Kickout!
Dominator is embarassed, and his cheesing grin in Johnny Matthew's face has turned to an outraged expression. To cover up his chagrin, he aggressively gets in the referee's face. He argues about the call, while behind him High Tide is starting to stir. Dominator threatens the cowardly little striped shirt for a moment, and then turns back to pick up High Tide, but High Tide stops him with a jawbreaker. High Tide springs over and tags in Wasp. Wasp charges the ring, meeting Dominator and hitting him with a running knee. Dominator is taken off guard. picks up Dominator, struggling with the dead weight, and gives him a German suplex, sending him crashing hard down on to the mat. Wasp hits a quick leg drop and covers...)
The referee: ONE...
TWO...
THR- Kickout.
Wasp lifts Dominator and flings a few kicks into his side, before whipping him towards the ropes, but Dominator reverses going for a clothesline but Wasp ducks and as Dominator turns Wasp lifts him on his shoulders looking for a Death Valley Driver but the weight seems to hurt Wasp's midsection as Dominator slides right off and Wasp clinches his back in pain. Dominator then floors Wasp with a clothesline. Dominator then paces to the opposite corner, and starts charging a dazed and rising Wasp for a Gore, but Wasp sidesteps and Dominator goes flying foreward, almost moving the ring as he connects with the turnbuckle between the top and middle ropes! Ouch. Almost in one swift motion, as Dominator gingerly picks himself out, Wasp pulls him down, going for a crossface. Dominator is screaming frantically until Johnny comes charing in breaking it up with a boot to Wasp's head. High Tide then springboards into the ring tagging Johnny with a knee to the face. High Tide then charges off the ropes looking for a lionsault but Johnny flares his knees up and High Tide bounces to his feet gripping his sternum. Johnny then steps back, gets a running start and BOOM, dropkick to High Tide. The impact of the dropkick sends High Tide back through the ropes. Johnny looks to the crowd, then to High Tide, out in the aisle, and as High Tide starts to get up Johnny runs and hits a suicide plancha that knocks High Tide back into the security guardrail, and ends with Johnny landing on his feet. In the ring, Wasp and Dominator are both getting to their feet, and exchange right hands. The more powerful Dominator is throwing some bombs, backing Wasp up to the ropes, but Wasp ducks one, and boots Dominator in the kneecap, and runs off the ropes. He comes back, only to get caught around the throat... CHOKESLAM!! Dominator covers.
The referee: ONE...
TWO...
THRE- Kickout!
The crowd can't believe it. Dominator is running his hands over his hair in extreme agitation. Wasp is starting to crawl towards his corner, as High Tide is slowly getting onto the apron. Wasp reaches for a tag. Johnny dives into the ring to break it up, but he's too late, and he gets taken down by a dropsault from High Tide.The legal man, Dominator, charges at High Tide, only to have a clothesline ducked, and High Tide kicks back with a Pele kick! Dominator is wobbly but he does not go down! High Tide goes up to the top rope, calling for the shooting star DDT. However, Stormm comes across the apron, grabbing the foot of High Tide, and distracting him. Stormm hangs on to the foot for several moments. Finally, High Tide boots him off, and flings his foot so hard that Stormm flies off the apron! Stormm hits the aisle with a thud! Dominator has woken up and he walks over to pluck High Tide off the top rope, lifting him over his head with a gorilla press and dumping him back first onto the mat!
Jerry Andrews: Things are breaking down into chaos!!
Dominator goes to lift High Tide up. He hooks High Tide on his shoulders, attempting to lay him across that thick neck and pull both ends into a torture rack. However High Tide is scrambling and wiggling too much and trying to get off Dominator's shoulders. From on top of Dominator's shoulders, High Tide pulls over to the ropes, where Arica Lewitt hangs on to High Tide's arms, trying to pull him off and keep him from getting pulled into the torture rack. With Trouble as an assist, High Tide isn't fully hooked into the Rip in Time torture rack, and Trouble grabs Dominator by the hair, pulling Dominator down throat first on the top rope that High Tide had been gripping on to. Dominator flings back, holding his throat, and he falls to the mat. High Tide sits on his butt for a second, gasping wildly. Trouble notes the assist she just gave him, then tells him to go up top. High Tide doesn't waste a second in scrambling up the ropes, and as Dominator still lays prone High Tide comes off the top rope, coming down across his chest with a frog splash.
Jerry Andrews: Man Overboard!!
Ace Anderson: Trouble and High Tide worked incrediby well together, they countered that submission and Trouble hung Dominator up on the top rope, leaving him in position for that move.
Jerry Andrews: Are you going to wax philosophical about the power of teamwork?
Ace Anderson: Well, it gets results, I mean, Dominator and the Notorious boys could at least try it...
High Tide scrambles into the cover, hooking a leg.
The referee: ONE...
TWO...
THREE- NO Matthews breaks it up!
Ace Anderson: I'm no expert, but I think Matthews just saved Dominator's ass! Oh wait. I AM an expert!
Wasp whips Johnny around, and he goes to pull him down into the ankle lock. It's pandemonium! But Matthews resists, and uses his leg strength to throws Wasp both out of the ring to the outside. While he does, in the ring, Dominator is getting to his feet, and so is High Tide. Dominator rakes High Tide's eyes, lifts him up for the Rip In Time. High Tide yells in agony as the move is appled, and he grabs for the ropes, hanging on to the top rope and snaking an arm and a free leg around it. Finally, the ref makes Dominator let go of the hold. Dominator tries to peel High Tide off the ropes, but the ref gets between them to allow James to get out of the rope himself. Before Dominator can react, High Tide grips Dominator's head as he comes off the ropes and takes him down with a huge DDT. High Tide gasps for air, and he reaches out to his corner. Trouble reaches her hand out and gets the tag. Trouble paces around the ring, making motions to get the crowd fired up.
Jerry Andrews: The PCW Order, if that's what they want to be called, are clearing the decks!
Trouble waits until Dominator is on all fours and she rushes in, meeting him with a superkick! Dominator falls back to his back, staring straight up at the lights.
Jerry Andrews: And a Super Trouble to the Underground champion!!
Trouble holds her hands up to the crowd. Suddenly, Johnny Matthews attempts to get onto the apron. The referee knows he's not the legal man and attempts to bar his entry. Trouble gets in his face, shouting "Oh yeah, what, what you wanna do" and throwing her hands. Johnny smirks at her. Trouble swipes at him, but Johnny ducks and drops off the apron. Johnny taps his temple, signifying he's smarter than her, and Trouble stands on the bottom rope to lean over, mocking Johnny. The beaten Dominator , meanwhile, is still insensate and unable to stand. The referee, however, does not miss his partner, Justin Michaels, tagging himself in. Trouble does, still preoccupied with Johnny on the outside. Stormm waylays the distracted Trouble, hammering her in the back of the head. He pulls her out of the ropes, tormm then grabs Trouble's left leg, lifting it up close to wrestler's own torso, and then lifts wrestler up into the cradle suplex position. Stormm then jumps a little, twirls about two hundred and seventy degrees, and falls on his stomach while Trouble is forced to land on her neck, shoulders, and upper back.
Jerry Andrews: Aw come on... Trouble kept her eye off Stormm thanks to the distraction from the outside.
Ace Anderson: Stormm connects with the Force of Nature!
Johnny gets in the ring and runs to the opposite ropes, booting Wasp in the face as Wasp is attempting to crawl over. Wasp rolls back to the outside. Johnny stands guard at the ropes, stepping around to make sure that Wasp and High Tide don't try to get in. The referee counts the pin.
The referee and the crowd: ONE...
TWO...
THREE!!
Ding Ding Ding
"NOTORIOUS" plays on the PA as Dominator is trying to pull himself up on the ropes. Wasp rolls in to the ring, gathering up Trouble and trying to revive her. Dominator looks discombobulated and disheveled, as Stormm parades around the other side of the ring, holding his hands up. Dominator marches over to Stormm, shoving him. Stormm turns, and he and Dominator go face to face, Dominator demanding answers what happened.
Jerry Andrews: Ohhhh my. The match may be over, but the combustible elements remain in the ring.
Stormm and Dominator jaw jack at each other and have a heated confrontation, coming nearly nose to nose. Trouble, High Tide and Wasp are collecting themselves out in the aisle. Suddenly, Johnny Matthews comes running in behind Dominator, clocking him with the Underground championship belt.
Jerry Andrews: Oh come on!!
Ace Anderson: Another sneak attack!!
Matthews has swarmed all over Dominator with a vicious, and angry assault. He beats Dominator down with right hands and stomps. Stormm, after a moment of complete uncertainty, joins in and they boot Dominator, beating him down. The referee orders the bell rung again and again.
Jerry Andrews: Come on, you won the match already!
Ace Anderson: Matthews doesn't care. Their partnership only extended between rings of the bell. Now all bets are off.
Matthews' face is turning red with apopleptic anger as he shouts choice words at Dominator. A team of referees has emptied out, and they begin to pull Matthews off. Matthews is like an animal, thrashing and trying to break free as he shouts at Dominator. The Underground champion, groggy and beaten, looks up from a seated position as Matthews screams tenets of hate at him.
Jerry Andrews: This has gotten bitterly personal in a hurry.
No sooner has the personal nature of this blood feud been noted than Dominator rises to his feet. Not put down, he angrily wades into the swath of referees and begins throwing bombs. Matthews hands are pinned too well to fend off the blows. Dominator pegs him with some good ones. The wild brawl escalates as Stormm jumps into the fray to help his partner, throwing punches at Dominator's side. The bell sounds again. And again. And again.
Jerry Andrews: This has turned into a free for all!!
Every referee, trainer, and empty hand comes running from the back as they empty out to the ring, trying to pull Matthews, Dominator and Stormm away from each other. It takes a lot of doing to usher them to opposite sides of the ring, and a lot of doing to pull Matthews out of the ring. Dominator, held back by five men himself, stands in the ring and roars defiantly at Matthews. Matthews and Stormm, being escorted away by a veritable SWAT Team, point and shout some key phrases at Dominator.
Jerry Andrews: The Underground division has turned into a powder keg, and it's primed to explode.
Jerry Andrews: Ladies and gentlemen, we're back and we have some HUGE news for you regarding Mass Destruction!
Ace Anderson: That's right, we've just received word that two massive matches have been added to the Mass Destruction card.
Jerry Andrews: In addition to the intense Underground Title match between champion Dominator and Johnny Matthews - which we saw a little preview of earlier - Pure Class Wrestling officials have also booked Seromine versus Brenna Gordon for the show!
Ace Anderson: Of course, those two have a heated history that goes back quite a while, and we saw them battle it out in the crowd on the last episode of Trauma, so it will be exciting to see them finally face off one-on-one!
Jerry Andrews: The only possible wrench in this plan is that no one has seen Brenna Gordon since she disappeared into the crowd after the show!
Ace Anderson: I hate to think that one of Seromine's followers got her, and I sincerely hope all is well with her and that she'll be there to face Seromine in the ring at Mass Destruction!
Jerry Andrews: And, we also have news about the Pure Class Wrestling World Championship!
Ace Anderson: That's right... now, we saw him open the show saying that he won't be "forcing himself" into the world title picture, but apparently PCW staff has other ideas, because Grimm will be challenging Kyle Shane for the most important title in this business at Mass Destruction!
Jerry Andrews: You have to think the fact that he lost the title without being pinned or made to submit was a factor in that decision, right Ace?
Ace Anderson: That's right. Seromine claimed the gold by pinning Whitey Ford in a triple threat match, not Grimm.
Jerry Andrews: And now he's getting his championship rematch under the bright lights of Mass Destruction!
Ace Anderson: So now we have THREE huge match-ups officially signed and we're about to get a fourth!
Jerry Andrews: North American Champion Justin "Stormm" Michaels will be defending his title against either Hiroshi Yukio or Tyler Scott, and we're going to find out who it will be... RIGHT NOW!
The crowd looks to the entrance way as Rising Sun roars out and they know who is coming out from backstage and they start booing loudly almost drowning out the music.
Hiroshi Yukio steps through the curtain his face lit up with an evil smile followed closely by Alexa Black who loudly proclaims his greatness to the camera.
He walks slowly down the ramp as the booing intensifies as the PCW faithful don't hold back for the mountain man from Japan.
Sasha Greene: From Tokyo, Japan standing 6”6 and weighing in at 500 lbs accompanied by his manager Alexa Black, He is “The Destroyer” Hiroshi Yukio!
He waves mockingly to the crowd which pisses them off even more as he walks and when he sees a kid at ringside and holds up his sign and rips it in half then laughs.
Jerry Andrews: I have just received word that Braddock has been BANNED from ringside! That won't make little miss anger issues very happy.
Jerry is almost giddy at announcing the surprise.
As he continues to walk down to the ring as the crowd grows louder and louder so even the announcers can't get a word in over the booing.
He goes up the ring steps and steps over the top rope and into the ring After he does he does a purification ritual by throwing salt in the ring to cleanse it before the match.
The music fades out as Hiroshi stays in the ring waiting for the bell.
DING!
DING!
DING!
For the second time in as many shows, it’s Yukio vs Scott. But unlike before, there is championship stakes on the line here. WHO will move on to Mass Destruction for a showdown with Justin “Stormm” Michaels? Well, Tyler is wasting no time in introducing violence. He sprints across the ring and before Yukio is able to properly react, is blasted in the nose with a high knee. The former Yokozuna is driven backwards to the corner. Scott charges in and hits a second knee just under the chin. Scott brings his shoulder into the rotund gut of Yukio for repeated shoulder thrusts. Scott stands back up to meet Hiroshi with a stinging European uppercut. His attempt at an Irish whip is blocked, however. Yukio recovers to reverse Tyler into the buckles. He meets the same after finding no one home with an attempted corner splash.
Tyler hits the far ropes and on the return, paint brushes Yukio’s face with a running big boot. Yukio falls to his knees. He protects his face, leaving his body open to random strikes. Tyler takes a second to yell a few unflattering words towards Alexa, who up to that point had been screaming instructions at her dangerous sumo ally. Tyler attempts to bring Hiroshi up. He takes a sudden karate chop to the adam’s apple. It turns him so that his back is towards Yukio. Tyler spins around and is pushed up and driven down HARD with a pop-up powerbomb. With the ropes directly behind him, Yukio takes advantage to squash his smaller adversary with a quick trademark, The Bombs Away! Yukio is quick to hook the legs as the referee is in to make the count.
1!
2!
Tyler manages to get his left shoulder off the mat before the three could come down. Alexa slams her hands on the mat, challenging that Yukio had the three count.
Jerry Andrews: This one could have been over just like that! Does Tyler have any air left in his lungs after that massive splash?
Ace Anderson: Tyler Scott is one tough son of a bitch. It will take more than turning him into a human pancake to keep him down. Just remember, he DEFEATED Hiroshi the last time.
Jerry Andrews: That was then, this is now.
Ace Anderson: I didn’t know your name was S.E. Hinton.
Tyler finds himself being powered up in a bearhug. He’s having none of it. He quickly gets his thumbs into the eyes of Hiroshi to free himself. With Yukio temporarily blinded, Scott hits a springboard dropkick. Then a second. A third. He finally takes him off his feet for the first time with a flying clothesline! Tyler kips up. He leaps in the air with some impressive hang time. Down comes the point of his elbow into the chest of Yukio. He lifts Yukio’s head up, bringing him into a knee lift. Yukio shoves him on his heels as he finds an escape to the outside of the ring. He is shown favoring his nose while taking verbal abuse from front row fans. Alexa checks on the matter and finds time to make some very descriptive threats to anyone near her. Her attention is diverted as Scott comes flying at them like a third-dimensional projectile via suicide dive. It connects. But Yukio wraps his massive arms around his back.
Belly to back suplex on the floor! The splat is very audible. Yukio powers him in the air with ease. He spins the hips and sends him flying into the faithful with a release belly to belly suplex. It’s not a good landing for The Transgressor. Yukio breaks the referee’s count at six. Rather than wait for his prey to come to him, he takes the fight behind the rail. Fans scatter from the imposing sumo. Showing he is faster than people think, he sprints into a diving spear that pushes the fifth row back into the fifteenth! Tyler clutches his ribs while buried under flattened seats. Neither one of these men are exactly loved by the fans, but the fans love the action being close to them. The PCW officials may not. In order to keep the count broken, Alexa distracts the ref on Yukio’s behalf. Meanwhile, Tyler is the proud recipient of a samoan drop onto the cold cement.
Jerry Andrews: Would someone get that bitch the hell out of here? She isn’t the one wrestling.
Ace Anderson: She has a managerial license. Besides, are you TRYING to stack the odds against Stormm?? I’m sure he would love a triple threat. NOT.
Tyler is shown being pulled back to ringside now. He’s sent over with a hip toss. He lands on his feet! Yukio doesn’t take kindly to it. He gets a leg over the railing. Scott fights through his pain to blast him with a palm strike. Yukio is slightly knocked off balance, putting his leg back on the opposite side. Tyler leaps into the air to bring Yukio face first into the railing. Yukio is then assisted over on “his” side of things. While still clutching his ribs, Tyler unloads a flurry of stiff kicks to Hiroshi, forcing him to cover up. He yanks him by the hair. Yukio is left propped against the rail as fans pat his shoulders. Alexa WANTS to get involved, but knows she can’t, and it is eating away at her black hearted soul. Tyler hears the count of eight. He’s in and out to stop that much to the referee’s annoyance. Here he comes...SPEAR THROUGH THE RAIL! Goodbye first three rows. That’ll be extra work for the crew when the scene clears.
Tyler slowly picks himself up. He trades f-bombs with Alexa and then makes his way back into the ring. Finally. Furious, but determined, she helps aid Hiroshi back to his feet and eventually into the ring. Tyler wastes no time in pulling him (slowly) away. Yukio pushes him into a seated position with one massive resistance of his leg. He’s undeterred. Yukio blocks an attempted elbow strike. Tyler is brought onto his back with a sudden sweep of the leg. The moment he sits up, Yukio nails him with a headbutt to the face. Tyler is powered to his feet and sent with authority to the corner. He drops prone, grasping his lower back. Hiroshi repeats this to the opposite side. Tyler flings in the air, landing seated against the corner, but with more damage done to his back. Yukio senses blood. Running hip attack in the corner! Tyler is knocked loopy as his carcass is drug to the middle of the ring. Yukio pins.
1!
2!
3—Kickout!
The fans are mixed. Yukio is angered. You don’t want a five-hundred pound behemoth mad. It won’t end well. Alexa again challenges the count. The ref can be heard sarcastically asking if she’d like to see the instant replay? Alexa shoots him a murderous stare. Yukio goes for the bearhug a second time. This time he cinches it in. Yukio squeezes with his overwhelming strength advantage, targeting the worked over lower back in particular. Tyler is seen agonizing. His arms are trapped at his sides, so he’s unable to free himself the same way he did before. Yukio demands he gives up. There is a boasting laugh behind those words. Tyler struggles to find a way out of this. But he won’t tap. The Destroyer is destroying his back like it were a building in Tokyo and he was a human earthquake. Tyler is practically rag dolled and hoisted higher in the air. The referee asks him several times if he wants to submit.
“FUCK NO!” is the fiery response.
“YES YOU DO!” Alexa replies.
The fans may have no choice but to do something they may regret later. They start to get behind Tyler Scott. LET’S GO TYLER! It isn’t well received by him, Yukio, or Alexa. Back to the booing it is. Yukio, growing board, throws Tyler like a small child. But the damage has clearly been done. Yukio backs himself up against the corner. He watches and waits. Tyler slowly drags himself away from danger. He pounds the canvas with teeth gritting determination to stand. Here comes Yukio! Ole! The rushing bull is sidestepped where he cracks the ring post shoulder first. Tyler doesn’t move swiftly, but he has enough speed to dropkick Yukio in the back to push him shoulder first once again into the post. Action moves away from the corner with a bulldog. Both Tyler and Yukio are down and saying hello to the bright lights inside of the arena.
Jerry Andrews: What action these men have brought tonight! Both want to get the title opportunity. Alexa is a former North American champion, herself, so she no doubt has passed her knowledge to Hiroshi.
Ace Anderson: Don’t forget that Tyler himself is also a former champion. He knows what it takes to reach that summit, and if he has to climb over Mt. Yukio to weather the STORMM, he’ll do it!
Tyler is up first. He starts to pepper the chest of Yukio with stinging knife-edge, BY GAWD, chops. Yukio shoves him against the ropes. HE HITS A DROPKICK. Tyler snaps the back of his head hard into the canvas, obviously caught by complete surprise. A small faction of HOLY shit chants pop up, but ultimately go nowhere. Yukio shakes his head from side to side. He then drags Tyler to the corner by the wrist. Alexa instructs him to finish things. Yukio gets his feet on the middle ropes. He centers himself for the start of his Mt. Fuji Drop. Tyler finds a new life! He “inadvertently” (wink wink) uppercuts Yukio between the pillars. POWERBOMB! Tyler rolls himself over for his first pin attempt of the match.
1!
2!
3! NO!
Yukio PRESSES Tyler sky high between two and three. The jarring land causes Tyler to once again favor his back. He knows he is going to have to push the pain aside the rest of the way. If Hulk Hogan can tear a hole in his back bodyslamming Andre the Giant and still continue, he can certainly push through and put Yukio down again, brother. Flying back elbow drops Yukio in the corner. Tyler nails a forearm smash to the face. He barrel rolls out of the way, taunting Yukio with disparaging remarks. Alexa angrily barks orders for him to get back into things. He shows off his fighting spirit! Yukio shakes the punishment off the best he can. Here he comes...SWITCHBLADE SUPERKICK from Tyler Scott!
IS CAUGHT BY HIROSHI!!
Scott is spun around and before he knows it, is drilled with a Yokohama Driver!! Alexa is beside herself with joy. She can practically book a front row seat to her client becoming the NEW North American Champion after his devastating finisher. Yukio covers Scott for the pin.
1!
2!
3!
HE KICKS THE FUCK OUT!
Alexa Black is left speechless for the first time in her life. Yukio slowly sits up, looking ANGRY. His focus is wavering. Hiroshi is up and physically grabbing the referee by the shirt. Naturally there is fear in his eyes. He frantically explains the kickout occurred. Alexa leaps onto the apron to not only contest that, but also to try and get Yukio back on track. She succeeds with the latter, but is deadlocked on the former. Hiroshi notices what she is doing for him and takes full advantage of the distraction. Off comes the turnbuckle pad to reveal the steel connecter underneath. The booing is at a fever pitch now. Hiroshi throws the sweat off his brow in the direction of Tyler. He is pried up by the hair. Yukio side eyes the exposed corner. They widen. He roars and runs him to the corner. Tyler reverses and slams Yukio face first into the steel! Switchblade Superkick! He’s still standing! ANOTHER Switchblade Superkick! Wobbly, but NOT down. A THIRD! WAIT...Straitjacket DDT!! Tyler Scott has dropped the Japanese Nightmare. He rolls through. Alexa misses grabbing the referee by mere inches. Her effort partially catches her over the top rope. Here’s the count.
1!
2!
3!
And that WILL do it!! The fans aren’t exactly pro-Tyler Scott, but are DEFINITELY anti-Alexa anything, so they find a middle ground to at least applaud Tyler Scott.
The Transgressor has his arm raised in the air. Before any foul play can come his way, he makes a retreat out of the ring, albeit gingerly. Alexa is fire and fury once she's able to get herself into the ring. She checks on the fallen Hiroshi Yukio while staring daggers at the official. You can bet she's already plotting her revenge.
Jerry Andrews: Well, there you have it folks, the match is set! Justin Michaels versus Tyler Scott for the PCW North American Championship at Mass Destruction!
Ace Anderson: The Mass Destruction card is certainly taking shape and - wow - what a show it will be!
Jerry Andrews: But, before we get there, we've got one more episode of Trauma! We'll see you in two weeks!
Ace Anderson: Wait... what!?
Out of nowhere, Johnny Matthews rushes down to the ring with a steel chair! He clocks Tyler Scott with it! Then he clocks Yukio just as the sumo is getting to his feet!
Jerry Andrews: What the hell is going on here!?
Ace Anderson: I mean, at first I thought Matthews might have been going after Scott to help Stormm, but now he's attacking Yukio too!?
PCW officials rush out before any damage can be done and Johnny Matthews is forcefully escorted to the entrance way.... where he comes face-to-face with Dominator!
Jerry Andrews: OH MY! No! We're out of time folks! Have a good night!
Phinehas stands with arms crossed. And, as he is wont to do, Shane Dodge slides into the box and sidles up to the Lord of Misrule. Mr. Dodge is not in official interviewer mode just yet, so the usual formalities are abandoned for the moment. They both look out over the crowd and the ring.
“Phinehas.”
“Shane.”
A pause. They watch the usual latecomers trickle in and, with their sheepish grins and apologies, step over those who arrived on time.
“I’m surprised to see you here. I figured you’d take advantage of a rare night off.”
“Oh, Shane. I’m always up here on the nights I’m not booked. You know this.”
“Ah ha. Up here scouting, are we? Or scheming the Hangtown Horror’s next big move, perhaps?”
“Or just watching. Waiting to see what nonsense a certain Mr. Jason Willard has planned for tonight.”
“Seromine? He’s not booked, either.”
Phinehas shrugs.
“That’s never stopped him before. The man can’t go a single event without making an appearance in some form or another.”
Phinehas wrinkles his nose at mental images from the last several months.
“Truth be told, when you boil it down, it’s his numbers game that aggravates me. He brings down, what, 12 people with him every time?”
Shane makes a quick count on his fingers of all the masks he can picture surrounding the ring.
“More like 16, I believe.”
A scoff, and a nod of the head.
“Hmph. Sixteen strong at ringside. An entire band of followers at his beck and call. And yet, even with that, even with the chaos of a triple threat match going on, he wasn’t able to win last week. What a shame.”
“Well, Kyle Shane did come down…”
A quick glance from the frozen depths of Grimm’s eyes.
“Kyle Shane inserted himself in my match. I don’t take kindly to that, no matter the outcome.”
“Some would argue he helped you when he put your foot on the ropes.”
“Are you suggesting I don’t have the wherewithal to do that myself?”
Phinehas turns and extends his right hand.
“Hi, I’m Grimm. Have we met?”
Dodge waves him off.
“Yeah, yeah. I know. But Kyle Shane is the World Champion. And it looked like you two were about to throw down at the end of the show. Was that a glimpse of things to come? Possibly? Maybe?”
“I’m not the #1 contender, Shane…am I? I don’t even know who is right now”
Phinehas scowls as he thinks.
“Eh, who knows. Anyway, I’ve held that title six times. Six. And I believe the record books will show I’ve some semblance of success against The God of Game. I’ve got nothing to prove. Forcing myself into the title picture wouldn’t accomplish anything, other than make me look desperate. Besides, Kyle Shane is a tolerable World Champion. Let him have his fun.”
“But do you think…”
“I think it’s time you got ready for the show, Dodge. Don’t you?”
Shane Dodge has been in this business long enough to know when he’s outstayed his welcome. More or less. And so he tips an imaginary hat and strolls out, the roar of the crowd raising in volume as he opens the door, then dropping to a dull roar when he shuts it.
Grimm stands, and watches.
Pure Class Wrestling Trauma
Thursday, February 15th, 2018
Thursday, February 15th, 2018
The crowd is now in their seats following the show opening or, more accurately, on their feet in front of their seats ready for the show to begin.
Jerry Andrews: Welcome everyone to Pure Class Wrestling Trauma, I'm Jerry Andrews and we are rapidly approaching MASS DESTRUCTION!
Ace Anderson: I'm Ace Anderson and, wooo, I can't wait!
Suddenly, Sasha Greene starts to speak in the ring, seemingly surprising the announce team.
Sasha Greene: The following match is scheduled for one fall. Currently in the ring, from Greenville, South Carolina. He weighs two-hundred and five pounds. Here is Blake Hawes!”
The local talent is as vanilla as it gets from an appearance standpoint. His ring attire consists of long green tights with white boots. His wrists are taped. He goes about 5’9-10” in height and looks like he is happy just getting the exposure. He is clean shaven and sports shaggy blonde hair.
Jerry Andrews (confused): This wasn’t our scheduled match…
Ace Anderson: Who cares, Jerry. An audible has been called, so sit back and enjoy it.
Sasha Greene: And his opponent!
...is someone just talked about.
The arena plunges into darkness. It feels longer than it really is, but the point is driven home. What exactly is going on? The lighting of twelve candles answers that.
The pipe organ beginning of “Be Still for the Presence of the Lord” welcomes the faithful. Sitting on the stage in a custom wooden pew is SALVATION. As the angelic choir begins to sing the hymn, Seromine and his wife Destiny stand. Seromine, dressed in preacher’s garb straight out of the 1800’s, begins to slowly walk arm-in-arm with his wife. His wide brimmed black hat and black coat lend a severity to his appearance. She is in a very conservative, black dress (with same color leggings) that has a white collar and matching long bow tie and white cuffs. On her feet are black heels. She is also holding a bible close to her heart.
Sasha Greene: From Anaheim, California. He weighs Two-hundred and forty pounds. He is the leader of Salvation, SEROMINE!
Flanking in stride are his Followers. The light from their candles shines the way to the ring. Each member of the menacing congregation is wearing a different animal mask. Their attire is best described as something inspired by Little House on the Prairie. Seromine stops to “bless” some of those close to the barrier as a mostly negative reaction churns from the crowd. The Followers make their way up the steps. They walk along the apron, and in three groups of four, surround the ring from the top and sides. Seromine lends his wife a gentlemanly hand up the stairs, holding the ropes for her as she enters, following quickly behind.
The cult spread their arms out to welcome GOD to the proceeding. Seromine and Destiny are brimming with pride as they do this. Joyed that the faithful can also share in the moment. Everyone lowers their arms in unison. Seromine removes his hat and coat, handing them to his dutiful wife, while leaving his white button-up shirt and black ribbon bowtie on. Following a kiss, he holds the ropes as Destiny exits to ringside, joining the Followers. They place their candles into metal candle stands. Seromine watches and waits for the sinner(s) to come to the ring.
DING!
DING!
DING!
Seromine stands stoic as he eyes his inferior opponent. Blake frantically looks around at the unfriendly people surrounding the ring. Seromine makes his move. With a warm smile he offers a handshake to the referee. He looks confused by the gesture, but obliges. Seromine can be heard telling him to make sure everything is called down the middle and within the rules. He then moves over to Blake to offer him the same greeting.
“God wants me to save you, brother!”
Blake cautiously extends his hand forward. Seromine keeps his free left hand high in the air to show he comes with good intentions. They shake hands and Seromine backs himself up. His smile drops. He yells “SINNER!” as the Followers point at Blake. Seromine charges and LEVELS him with a discus forearm smash. The impact turns him face first into the top turnbuckle. He remains highly aggressive as he throws shot after shot at the trapped jobber. Seromine grinds Blake’s face against the bottom turnbuckle while using his knees to assault his neck and back. Initially ignoring the referee’s count, Seromine relents and moves away with his arms held out.
Jerry Andrews (sarcastically): Always a class act. Seromine should never be trusted.
Ace Anderson: You just haven’t accepted him into your heart. How do you expect to get into Heaven without doing so?
Jerry Andrews: Have you been donating to the collection plate, again?
Blake is pulled into a capture suplex. Seromine transitions into a leaping brainbuster. He sits up to pose in unison with his followers. He yells “God is great, brothers and sisters!” to a mostly negative reception. Blake is yanked up by the hair. He has no recovery time before he finds himself being sent to the ropes and put back down with a spinebuster that is so picture perfect, Arn Anderson would approve. Seromine returns to his feet. He watches the pain unfolding through Blake’s body, evident by his expressions. Seromine makes a gesture. The followers start pacing around the ring, slapping the mat as they do. The tempo picks up. Seromine is almost trance like now. For her part, Destiny has the bible raised in the air. Blake is up on spaghetti legs. Seromine pulls him into a STIFF short-arm clothesline. The kind that you not only hear but feel yourself. It’s met with a loud OOOH. Blake is muscled into a disgusting DDT, spiking his head and neck in jarring fashion. ASHES TO ASHES. Seromine rolls him over, plants a knee on his chest, and bends his arms at a ninety degree angle. The ref is there to make the count.
1.
2.
3.
He calls for the bell. Seromine is seen ‘thanking’ God for his blessings before lowering his head and returning to his feet. His arm is raised in the air while “Be Still For the Presence of the Lord” plays.
Sasha Greene: Here is your winner, Seromine!
The Serpentine Sermonizer requests the microphone from the lovely announcer. She hands it over and quickly gets out of the ring as the remaining members of Salvation enter. His music is temporarily stopped. Seromine crouches down and looks at the fallen Blake Hawes.
“Lamentations 3:22-23. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” He smiles and continues “I am the Lord and Savior, Blake. I am here to save people from themselves. From the harms and ill will of society. To bring them to SALVATION! Sin has no value. It is Satan’s greatest trap.”
Seromine stands up. He scans HIS faithful in attendance tonight like they were seated in his church to hear one of his powerful sermons. Seromine nods. “Let us pray.”
And so they do. Silently. The entire group bows their head, joined hand in hand to form a prayer circle. The negative reception far outweighs the positive. When they finish, Seromine crouches down once more. He grabs a handful of Blake’s hair. He forces him to look up.
“The thing about cults, Blake, is they can expand.”
The faithful begin to make commotion over the announcement. “God spoke to me. He wants you to meet a few people...”
Seromine releases Blake’s head and stands up. He motions for everyone to move back. Out of nowhere, four new followers hit the ring and pounce all over the fallen jobber. The two males are wearing Lion and Rat masks. The two females are wearing that of an Elephant and Raccoon. Seromine nods. The other twelve jump in on the action while he and Destiny watch with sinister glee. After seconds of this, he orders them to stop. The cult welcome the newcomers with a hug. They are then ushered out of the ring. But their leader has a final message.
“Praise Seromine. Praise the Lord.”
Pure Class officials come to the ring to check on the fallen Blake Hawes. Seromine drops the microphone. He exits shortly after. Salvation depart for the locker room.
Jerry Andrews: I’m not even going to comment.
Ace Anderson: That is a first time in history moment, folks! We’ll be right back.
Jerry Andrews: Hey! That was my line.
Ace Anderson: Oh so now you want to comment?
Jerry Andrews: Ladies and gentlemen, we are back and - woah - we haven't even had a scheduled match yet and tonight has already been full of surprises!
Ace Anderson: Well, we did just have that Seromine match.... if you could call it a match.
Jerry Andrews: Exactly.
Ace Anderson: Well, you're in luck Jerry, because first competitor for a scheduled match is already in the ring!
Jerry Andrews: Derek Cosmos, the cosmic man of tomorrow, is seeking his next adventure.
Ace Anderson: Andrews you talk about this man as if he's the next coming of David Bowie and not some reject who wandered in high off bath salts talking weird shit about aliens.
Jerry Andrews: Well let me ask you this, Ace, how do we know he's not on the level? Have you never heard of the X-Files?
Ace Anderson: You God damn nerd.
NOW IS THE TIME! FOR ME TO RISE TO MY FEET! WIPE YOUR SPIT FROM MY FACE! WIPE THESE TEARS, FROM MY EYES!!
Hatebreed explodes through the speakers as Braddock steps through the curtain. He pauses at the top of the ramp and thrusts his right fist into the air.
Sasha Greene: Making his way to the ring, he hails from Santa Cruz, California. Standing six feet, two inches tall and weighing in at two hundred and sixty-three pounds.....
He is.... Brrrraaad-ddddooooocccckkkkk!
He strolls down to the ring before climbing the ring steps. He wipes his feet before entering the ring and holds a fist in the air.
Before the music can even end, before any bell can sound,Braddock is on Cosmos, attacking him behind with a multitude of forearm shots, axe handle blows, and elbows across the back as Cosmos stumbles towards the ropes. The music abruptly stops and the bell rings as the referee quickly jumps on Braddock for the sneak attack, as Derek Cosmos groans and holds his chest, breathing heavily. Braddock holds his arms up in an aggressive manner, shouting that he'll do whatever he wants to do. However, he makes a little too much time to play to the crowd as Derek Cosmos catches him and begins unloading some vicious punches, backing him up into the ropes. Braddock slides between the top and middle rope with his upper body, complaining to the referee. The ref makes Cosmos back off.
Singles Match
Braddock vs Derek Cosmos
Referee: Joseph Buckland
Jerry Andrews: Whoa, just when I thought Braddock was showing some aggressive fire, Cosmos shows off his own mean streak. Where has that been before?
Ace Anderson: You'll probably say some stupid stuff like he got signals beamed to him to be aggressive.
Jerry Andrews: Again, we don't know if he didn't...
Cosmos clinches Braddock around the neck and moves him to the nearest set of buckles and plants him there with a couple of hard closed fist punches. He backs up across the ring and takes off, nailing a calf kick that sandwiches Braddock against the buckles. Braddock falls into a seated position, still against the buckles, whereas Cosmos again backs up across the ring and launches a running low dropkick right to the head of Braddock.
Jerry Andrews: Ouch, Cosmos nearly decapitated Braddock with that move!
Cosmos reaches his knees where he laughs at the pain he's inflicted before rolling Braddock away from the buckles. He reaches his feet before dropping a standard elbow drop. He stays in place as the ref makes the first count of the match.
The ref: One...
Braddock kicks out easily, but Cosmos responds by shoving his thumbs into Braddock's eyes. Braddock kicks wildly as the ref reaches the count of five before Cosmos gives up on the cheap tactic. Cosmos gets to his feet and waits as Braddock reaches his. Still doubled over, Braddock is forced to eat a knee lift from Cosmos. Cosmos quickly follows up by catapulting himself off the ropes, nailing a flying forearm smash that takes the off balance Braddock off his feet. Cosmos lays over Braddock for another quick pin attempt. Braddock sits up after the kickout, but Cosmos angrily locks in a rear naked chin lock designed to wear down the hardcore brawler.
Ace Anderson: Cosmos hoping to sap the bigger man of all energy here. He's moving fast, he's moving slow, he's going big, he's being methodical.
Braddock tries to break Cosmos grip, but he can't get a good enough grip himself. He starts to roll his hands at the crowd, who comes alive with cheer, supporting their All-American hero. Braddock starts to kick his legs, and starts to work on Cosmos grip again, finally finding enough room to force Cosmos' hands from under his chin. Cosmos doesn't wait around for the rest of this predictable little sequence though. He jerks his hands away from Braddock and unloads with a sharp downwards elbow that lands right over the collarbone of Braddock, stopping his momentum before it even gets started. Cosmos gets back to his feet and soccer kicks Braddock right across the back with a sharp crack that echoes across the whole arena!
Jerry Andrews: That sounds like it hurts.
Ace Anderson: Then it probably did, you idiot.
Braddock rolls over, slowly working his way to his feet, but Cosmos is ready for him when he gets there. Cosmos drills Braddock with a knee to the midsection, followed by another one. Cosmos bounces off the ropes, coming back with a spinwheel kick, but Braddock ducks underneath. Cosmos is unfazed, and when Braddock turns around, Cosmos throws a boot into his midsection, but this time, Braddock catches Cosmos legs! The crowd cheers as Braddock nods with Cosmos throwing his hands out and begging for Braddock to release. The tactic is just a stall, however, as Cosmos gets enough bounce in his step to launch an enziguri that catches Braddock right on the temple! Braddock collapses to one knee before falling flat on his face. Cosmos climbs to the ring apron before ascending the turnbuckles until he reaches the top. He balances himself, looking down at Braddock who remains flat on his face, before launching himself off with a shooting star press!
Ace Anderson: What a beautiful move by Cosmos!
Cosmos looks as if he's hurt his ribs a little bit, clutching them in pain, before dragging himself over to Braddock, rolling him over, and hooking the leg.
The ref: One...
Two... Kickout.
Cosmos waits as Braddock reaches his feet before doubling him over with yet another knee to the midsection. He follows it up with a fameasser attempt, but Braddock holds his ground and actually makes Cosmos do a backflip where he lands on his feet. As soon as he does, however, Braddock follows through with a clothesline! Both men go down!
Jerry Andrews: What a clothesline from Braddock! Now the hardcore master is showing some of his power.
The crowd cheers as both stars as slow to work their way up to a vertical base. They both get there about the same time, with Cosmos throwing the first punch, blocked by Braddock! Braddock follows up with another clothesline attempt, but he's a tick too slow as Cosmos ducks underneath it this time. Braddock spins around to find Cosmos delivering another punch, again blocked by Braddock! Braddock fires back a punch of his own that staggers Cosmos! Cosmos fires back another punch, AGAIN blocked by Braddock, before Braddock lands another punch that staggers Cosmos even more! Braddock throws one more punch that knocks Cosmos all the way back against the ropes, before Braddock launches Cosmos across the ring. Cosmos comes running all the way back where Braddock lifts Cosmos up with a hip toss, sending Cosmos all the way to the outside floor! Braddock holds his arms out and yells animalistically. He exits the ring, grabbing hold of Cosmos, and irish whipping him with force into the steel ring steps. Cosmos hits back and shoulder first with a giant crash.
Jerry Andrews: Brutal power shown by Braddock.
Ace Anderson: This guy showed last Trauma when he went toe to toe with Hiroshi Yukio. He has a ruthlessness and a mean streak. He's a natural fit for the Underground division.
Braddock doesn't waste time, he gets a bull charge going and sprints across the aisle, plowing into the ring steps and sandwiching Cosmos in with his boot. Cosmos is flattened and his face is crushed between the boot of Braddock and the steel steps. The steps make the loudest crash possible. Braddock shouts, fired up, and he lifts the lifeless Derek Cosmos up by his hair and the back of his pants and throws him in the ring, climbing in and stalking him before nearly breaking him in half with a spear while Cosmos is still on all fours. Braddock, not to be done so quickly, peels Cosmos up off the mat, holding on to him by one wrist, and he walks him around the ring. Cosmos is on spaghetti legs, showing none of the fire that defined the first few minutes of the match, he appears to be out for the night. Braddock remorselessly pulls Cosmos in to a devastating shortarm clothesline. Cosmos does a spin in mid air.
Ace Anderson: Well... I don't know about Cosmos communicating with aliens, but damn sure all he's seeing is the stars for a little while.
Braddock starts to go for a pin, but then he pulls off of it before the referee can even crouch into position, showing Cosmos the utmost disdain. He pulls Cosmos up with both hands and steadies him as he's unable to stand on his legs, flipping him over his shoulder into position for a powerslam. He runs Cosmos the full length from side to side into the next corner, crushing Cosmos into the turnbuckles from the powerslam position so Cosmos's back is crushed mercilessly, then he pulls him back out in one smooth motion and drives him into the mat with a ring shaking Oklahoma Stampede.
Jerry Andrews: That is just a scary indicator of the power Braddock has, he ran Cosmos across the ring and drove him into the turnbuckles and then planted him.
Ace Anderson: I'm a believer.
The referee makes the count.
The referee: One...
Two...
Three!!
Ding Ding Ding
Sasha Greene: Here is your winner... BRADDOCK!
Braddock snatches his arm away from the referee and raises his own hands to the crowd, snarling and posing. Derek Cosmos is laid out and not moving.
Jerry Andrews: Impressive win for Braddock tonight, as he builds momentum. Truly a scary man to get in the ring with.
Ace Anderson: I wanna see where Braddock goes from here.
Both competitors are barely standing. Braddoc is breathing heavy having got a decisive win in the end.
Suddenly a disturbance can be heard at ringside and the camera pans around quickly to capture what is going on.
Ace Anderson: Sorry folks looks like we've got an over zealous fan at ringside who is trying to jump the barrier.
Jerry Andrews: Just cos you pay for a ticket doesn’t mean you can go anywhere in the arena. The ring is off limits to non PCW people.
The camera catches two PCW security staff trying to detain what can only be described as an AMAZON of a woman at ringside.
The two security guards are not small men either but this lady makes them look like toothpicks.
They try to direct the lady back to her seat but she is steadfastly refusing to do so. She continues to argue with them and when one of them tries to forcibly take her back she quickly becomes enraged and slams a huge right hand into his face knocking him down and out!
Ace Anderson: Good lord she cleaned his clock!
Jerry Andrews: That's a very large lady I wouldn't want to mess with her!
The second guard tries to retreat but it's too late as the mystery fan grabs him by the throat throttling him before lifting him up and slamming him like an NBA basketball.
Jerry Andrews: What a chokeslam! I haven't seen someone get that high since the 80's!
Ace Anderson: We need more security out here quick or this is going to get very ugly!
Having crushed the security she then walks up the steps and between the ropes entering the ring.
Both Braddock and Cosmos look her up and down not quite sure what to do exactly.
Ace Anderson: What will she do?
Cosmos being the nice guy he is decides the friendly approach will be fine . He strides over with a big smile and puts out his hand standing berfoe the stranger who only glares at him
"Hi I'm Derick Cosmos!"
He puts his hand out again for a handshake and there is a pause at the faithful wonder what will happen
They get their answer a few seconds later when,
BANG!
Cosmos gets his head superkicked almost off his shoulders and crumples to the mat below.
Ace Anderson: So much for being a nice guy..
Jerry Andrews: He may need a dentist after that kick.
She shoots a stare at Braddock who puts both his hands up in an “I don’t want any” way before moving away to a neutral corner as far away as possible.
Dragging Cosmos’s near unconscious carcass to the corner she props him up and then proceeds to the opposite side before charging full steam ahead and slams into him, whiplashing his head like a pinball with a crushing hip smash.
Braddock points and laughs clapping applause . He is clearly enjoying this. The crowd seeing this give a loud round of boos in his direction.
Ace Anderson: Look at that jerk laughing. There is nothing funny about this savage assault. Poor Cosmos has been destroyed.
Jerry Andrews: What a douche. He may be a weirdo but he didn’t deserve this.
The stranger hoists the now limp Cosmos over her shoulder and into position.
Ace Anderson: Oh come on that’s enough God damn it! He isn’t even able to fight back anymore. Somebody stop this!
She drops down spiking him on his head with a nasty Belly To Back Piledriver.
Cosmos falls to the mat and doesn’t move.
Jerry Andrews: For god's sake someone get out here NOW!
Suddenly four more security guards and two PCW officials rush the ring and stop her from doing any more damage.
The security forces her out of the ring and to the back.
Ace Anderson: I don't know who the hell that was but she did some major damage here tonight.
The lights in the arena go dark, momentarily pitch black, before the pinlight LEDs of cellular and mobile devices rippled like waves on a sea of “Notorious” t-shirts, replica “Kyle Shane” engraved “N” defaced championship belts and “Johnny Matthews” foam middle-fingers.
The distinct sound of a Zippo lighter snapping open, tobacco sizzling and a deep breath in…
“NO TOR I OUS!”
“They are on their feet!” Jerry Andrews shouts.
While the giant red letters slammed onto the PCWTron, the roar of the crowd overwhelmed the echoing into the rafters.
“What?” Anderson yells back.
Billows of smoke escape from under the stage and ramp. Johnny Matthews doesn't leave his heathens waiting long before he explodes through the curtain and out onto the stage.
“After their victory last week,” Andrews comments, “here comes Notorious!”
Matthews stands, for several minutes, at the top of the ramp. From the black Harley•Davidson Badlands tucked under his dark Timberland jeans with the PCW official “Notorious: widely, yet unfavorably, known” T-shirt, professional wrestling's Man in Black remained steadfast, locked on the ring through his dark sunglasses.
He burns down more than half of his Insignia, smoking with his right hand and tipping back a brown paper sacked bottle of Jack Daniels with his left. He does so just long enough that he nearly loses the entire crowd before he points up into the rafters above the ring. As the PCW World Championship is lowered, Matthews starts down the ramp.
“No,” Anderson corrects, “here comes Johnny Matthews.”
Matthews stops frequently, on each side of the ring to bump fists and shake hands with fans along the ramp. Puffing like a freight train all the way to ringside, he finishes his cigarette, spits it out of his mouth and snuffs it under his boot. He throws the ring skirt up onto the apron and reaches under the ring, retrieving a ladder.
“That has to be a twelve-foot ladder,” Andrews comments.
With the ladder completely pulled out from under tell ring, Matthews returns to ringside and lifts the legs up onto the apron. Back to the ramp he pushes the ladder into the ring.
“More than enough to reach that title,” Anderson suggests.
Matthews ascends the ring steps, wipes his Badlands on the apron and ducks, between the top and middle rope, entering the ring. He takes to setting the ladder up, directly under the dangling World Championship. He locks the security tabs on each side, takes four steps up, shakes it a bit and then drops down.
“The truck has confirmed,” Andrews interjects, “that is the genuine Pure Class Wrestling World Championship.”
Matthews circles the ring, his back to the ladder, looking out into the crowd. The lights above the ring reflect brightly from the dark shades over his eyes. He tilts the paper sack back one final time and then bowls it under the bottom rope out of the ring. Reaching into his back pocket, he retrieves a microphone and brings it up into his shaded glare.
“Here you go, Chump,” his tone is direct, “my fight is with Dominator.”
The production truck changes angles, far to the left, as he takes his glasses off and hangs them from the neck of his T-shirt.
“I'm fucking done with this,” the closeup, his emerald greens and the camera locked on one another.
With that said he turned the microphone off and tossed it over his shoulder, leaving it behind him in the ring with a ladder under his dangling title.
The opening notes to “In The Morning And Amazing” by Circa Survive hits on the PA, and Kyle Shane comes out. The real champ is wearing skater shoes and skinny jeans, a knit beanie, and a pair of spectacles, looking slightly more to the hipster side in his Neck Deep tee. He’s got the replica championship that he taunted Notorious with last Trauma over his shoulder. And he has a bemused look on his face as he lifts another mic to his lips..
“So let me get this straight Johnny Vag, you’re done playing games like you’re in the fourth grade? Or, and I have a more interesting theory: it bothers you that I’m ultimately unperturbed by the fact that you tried to maintain your relevance by attacking me behind like the cheapshotting bitches you are?”
If Kyle was expecting a reaction to his taunts, Matthews doesn’t give him one, but that doesn’t stop Kyle.
“Because I think both you and your partner seemed to miss some subtext when I said what I said last Trauma. I never said that I wasn’t pissed off by you doing this, in fact I think you’ll recall I said the exact opposite. I said that it does not matter. That YOU, don’t matter. No matter how much you try to bring the show’s focus around you. But I wasn’t about to let it go and shrug it off. In fact, if you weren’t going to return my properly soon, I was going to get impatient, probably charge the ring after your match tonight and cave Stormmy Daniel’s head in yet again with a VATS. ”
Matthews gives a mockingly frightened, nail biting look, but he still maintains his posture of leaving the immediate vicinity of the belt as Kyle, obviously on the lookout for yet another sneak attack, circles the ring.
Before they can engage, TRIVIUM’S cover of “Losing My Religion” begins blaring across the PA System. Here comes The Underground King himself, being led out onto the stage by Horacio Mortimer. Dominator looks ready for a fight, although it is Horacio who is holding the microphone in his hand, ready to sing his client’s praises. Kyle Shane and Johnny Matthews stare up the length of the entrance ramp towards the hulking monster at its apex, although a lack of trust forces them to focus their attention momentarily to one another as well.
“Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen,” Horacio chortles in a sarcastic attempt to diffuse the tension. “I appreciate that the current situation with the PCW World Championship is truly problematic and I can sympathise with Kyle’s predicament. However, Kyle, your fight is with Stormm. My client, The Zenith himself, Dominator, has unfinished business with the man sharing that ring with you. So, might I suggest that you step aside, less you are prepared to be caught up in the crossfire.”
With that, Dominator marches down the ramp to ringside, reaching up to grab the top rope and using it to haul himself up onto the apron. In spite of Horacio’s warning, Kyle does not move as Dominator throws one leg over the top rope, his other soon following. He towers over the competition. The staredown is tense
“You’re a dead man walking, Johnny Boy,” Horacio taunts. “You sealed your fate the moment you chose so poorly to try and provoke my client, as if poking a grizzly bear with a stick, he is ready to maul you, to maim you, to make you reflect on your poor choices. Surely you must have realised that your actions would not pass without consequence? Maybe THAT’S why you refuse to call yourself Johnny Vivacious anymore. Vivacious; cheery, pleasant, happy… you can’t be pleased about the onslaught coming your way…”
Dominator continues to stare at Matthews, stepping closer and closer to him until their chests are pressed against each other. The size difference is unbelievable, yet Matthews does not back down. Dominator jerks his head back to deliver a huge headbutt to Matthews, but before it can connect, Matthews rolls out of the ring, shaking his head and wagging his finger dismissively before staring up the ramp towards Horacio Mortimer. Matthews begins pacing towards Mortimer, who rolls his eyes and folded his arms, clearly not impressed that Matthews seems to want to use him as bait to lure Dominator from the ring. Echoing his manager’s example, Dominator remains calmly in the ring as Matthews approaches Mortimer. Dominator seems to nod towards Kyle, perhaps as some form of mutual respect, yet The Catalyst remains wary. Before Matthews can initiate whatever plan of attack he has, Horacio holds out one arm, showing Matthews the palm of his hand before pointing back towards the ring.
Matthews turns around, his face is agog.
Kyle, keeping a keen eye on Dominator, who he also doesn’t have the best history with, but more so on the ringside vicinity in case of a Notorious sneak attack, gingerly puts a foot up onto the rung of the ladder, then he begins to climb. He makes his way to the third from the top step, with the belt swaying overhead. He stretches his fingertips out, and has to readjust his footing, then he reaches up to try again. Matthews slides back into the ring, but Dominator stands between him and the latter.
With Kyle nearing the top of the ladder, and the belt just outside of his grasp, it appears to raise up ever so slightly, just out of the Catalyst’s reach. He takes another step up the ladder, and once again, just before he grabs it, the championship belt moves just above his fingertips. Matthews, pleased with the situation, despite Dominator’s presence, continues to watch on. Kyle Shane has the unamused look on his face, tongue rolling around on the inside of his lips, that says this is the lowest quality finish and yet it was one he should have expected.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d imagine this was the plan all along Ace.” Jerry mentions from ringside.
“No doubt Stormm is involved somehow, even without his presence in the ring.” Ace confirms.
“You may be right on that one.”
Kyle gives it one last shot, but doesn’t even reach for the belt before it goes shooting up at a brisk pace. “You didn’t think I’d let it be that easy, did you?” The Force of Nature’s voice blasts over the sound system, but is nowhere to be seen.
The cameras change angles several times trying to locate him before finally catching a glimpse. “He’s in the rafters!” Andrews is both shocked and excited at the same time.
“No matter how much doubt your actions and hollow speeches have put into my partner’s head the last few weeks, you’re not fooling me!” The crowd all have their gaze pointed towards the roof as the camera crew work their way to find a good shot of the other half of Notorious. “You can come out here and try to fool everyone into thinking that us stealing the belt doesn’t bother you, but the fact that you feel the need to say anything tells me a different story.”
The crew finally gets a good angle, and Stormm appears on the big screen holding the painted World title belt over his left shoulder. He also appears to be the old International title over his right shoulder, and for maybe the first time ever in PCW, his current championship belt, the North American title, around his waist.
“Hell, the fact that you were insecure enough to go and get yourself a replica in the meantime only adds to that.” Stormm smiles and shakes his head. “No, you can have the real thing back, not because I really want you to have it, and not because Johnny suggested we give it back.” He pauses with a sigh. “You can have it back so we can stop making you look like the child you still are every week. Your excuses and attempts at showing apathy towards the situation are just really phoned in, and I can’t bare to watch how much it’s really been tearing you up since Collision Course anymore.”
Stormm sets the microphone down on the catwalk next to him, along with the deactivated International title belt, and dangles the world title over the side of the railing. A distant “look out below” can still be picked up by the mic, and he releases his grasp on the belt as it falls towards the ring. Kyle Shane, Dominator, and Johnny Matthews all move about nervously as the belt comes crashing down into the center of the squared circle, and the center plate pops off of the leather strap.
“Oh my God, he could have killed someone!” Anderson exclaims.
“This may have been the most reckless act the Force of Nature has ever committed in Pure Class Wrestling, Ace, and I’m concerned right there with you!” Jerry agrees with his cohort.
Stormm picks the International title belt and mic back up, and unstraps the North American title from around his waist. Putting both titles over his right shoulder, the North American over the top of the International, he presses on. “Stealing it from Seromine may have been the plan initially, but keeping it from you was just as fun.” The Force of Nature admits. “Now that you have it back, try not to lose it again so quickly, maybe I can come take it from you again, for real the next time!”
With that, he drops the mic over the side of the catwalk, and it plummets down to the ring, and Stormm walks out of the camera shot, and all attention is back to the middle of the ring.
Kyle, smiling, lifts his mic up to his mouth as he calls after the retreating Stormm. “At this point I think you’re going to read childish into anything that I do. Every word out of my mouth whether I’m saying I do want the belt back or if I’m going to carry the replica is going to measure up to me being childish. Two plus two equals Kyle Shane is childish in your world. And yet, here you are, a grown man, playing keep away so please tell me, who’s fucking childish, Stormm?”
Kyle looks over at Dominator, who just shakes his head at the sad state of this dude.
Kyle gets more fired up as he grips onto the ropes. “I look at you Stormm and I see someone who can’t let go of the past. I see you as old, outdated and pathetic as you think I am childish. You’re over there, clinging on to some International title you won in Two Thousand and Who The Fuck Knows When. Hanging belts from rafters and playing games using tactics that were crusty and overdone in 1997. You think I’m afraid of you? Stormm I’m going to come kick you right in the nuts, watch you shit mummy dust and all you’re gonna do is act like you’re still relevant to this company. You’re not.”
Kyle walks over, picking up the title, even with it’s broken pieces. “You didn’t steal this and hide it because you wanted to have fun, you took it because you were mad you were - and ARE - second place. I kicked your ass to win this title. And you had to take that scrap of tin as a consolation prize and now you have your International Title so you can pretend you’re a special star. You’re not. You are second place to me, Stormm. You have been since the first time we met in the ring and you still are. Thanks for returning the belt, though, chump.”
Kyle hands the mic to Dominator, exiting the ring, carrying his replica title, and the broken World title belt, satisfied. All this time, Dominator and Matthews have been glaring at each other.
“Kyle’s right,” Dominator snarls. “The two of you act like children in order to get your own way. It is painfully obvious that you want a shot at my Underground Championship… right?” Matthews says nothing, although his eyes do seem to light up by what Dominator is getting at. “We’ll both be getting what we want. You get your match, and I get to beat the crap out of you…” he pauses for a moment. “I’ll make you a deal,” he smiles. “You walk out of this ring right now, you go to the back, you think long and hard about this… and maybe… JUST MAYBE… you’ll get your wish.”
The crowd roars. Matthews nods with a grin, slowly backing up towards the ring ropes, not letting his eyes leave Dominator…
...leaving him wide open to a low blow from Horacio Mortimer!
Dominator immediately grabs the ladder and snaps it shut. He waves it around like a cane, holding it high above his head, when the ring is suddenly swarmed by security personnel. They try to grab the ladder off him and force him to one corner as Matthews rolls out of the ring. With that, Dominator goes berserk. He begins swatting security personnel with the ladder like flies. One by one, they fall. As Matthews scrambles up the entrance ramp, Dominator launches the ladder over the top rope like a javelin. Matthews dives to one side of the ramp as the steel ladder clatters forcefully to the ground. The crowd gasp at the distance that Dominator launched the ladder. He roars with a battle cry in the middle of the ring, staring at the destruction around him as we fade to commercial.
Sasha Greene: The following is a six man tag team match scheduled for one fall! Introducing first, the Pure Class Wrestling North American Champion Justin "Stormm" Michaels and Johnny Matthews... they are... NOTORIOUS!!
The lights in the arena go dark, momentarily pitch black, before the distinct sound of a Zippo lighter snapping open, tobacco sizzling and a deep breath in.
Distant thunder rolls, then closer before every fan is jolted out of their seat by a flash of bright white light and a crack that rattled the empty steel chairs.
“NO TOR I OUS!"
With each syllable, the giant red letters slam onto the PCWTron and echo into the rafters. As the music kicks in, a multicolored light show with spotlights, beams of light and lazers above the stage, the ring and the rowdy fans.
“SO NOTORIOUS!”
Michaels is the first through the curtain. He immediately goes to the right of the ramp, taking in the scope of the crowd before being blown past by his partner, Johnny Matthews, smoking like a paper mill and headed directly to the ring. Unlike Matthews, he doesn't stop to bump fists, shake hands or kiss babies on his march down the ramp.
As the song hits the chorus, Michaels makes his way down the ramp. Making up for his partner's passing them by, quite contrary for the North American Champion, he gives the fans the attention they need on his way to the ring.
Matthews had already ascended the ringsteps, wiped his Badlands on the apron and ducked through the ropes before Michaels got to ringside and dove in under the bottom rope. He was up to his feet with a quickness and both he and Matthews stood on the second turnbuckle of opposite corners.
Michaels tappped the North American title belt resting on one shoulder, then the defunct International Title on the other. Matthews gestured the big swing of the Underground title. They both amped the crowd until Notorious faded.
Jerry Andrews: Come on, why is Stormm carrying the International Title around!?
Sasha Greene: And their partner, he is the Pure Class Wrestling Underground Champion... DOMINATOR!!
The lights slowly fade to black. Flashes of cameras give intermittent glimmers of the darkened surroundings. There is a moment of silence as the crowd awaits with anticipation. The Tron slowly illuminates with the image of a ticking clock as the opening drum beats to Breaking Benjamin’s “Evil Angel” echo throughout the arena. The crowd suddenly comes alive as the guitars make themselves heard. As the first verse begins to play, he finally appears on the top of the stage…
…DOMINATOR…
The Zenith glares towards the crowd massed to his left, then to his right before slowly raising his left arm into the air, revealing a gold plated watch that envelopes his wrist. A shower of orange sparks begin to fall from the top of the Tron, briefly masking the Entrance Video as Dominator shows off his bulging biceps to the crowd.
He slowly walks down the ramp with a gleam in his eye, a wicked and arrogant smirk spread amidst his dark stubble. He makes no attempt to slap hands with the fans. He reaches the ring apron, grabbing the middle rope to haul him onto the side of the ring. He pushes down the top rope with his right hand, throwing one foot over the top before the other follows. He slowly makes his way to the center of the ring, turning a full three hundred and sixty degrees to admire the capacity crowd before raising his arms in the air in the exact same manner as he had done atop the entrance ramp, lifting them with malicious purpose to display the watches covering his wrists.
He cricks his neck back and forth before swinging his arms in preparation for the impending fight. All the while, that devious smile is still on his face and he looks to make eye contact with his opponent without a single hint of intimidation. The music slowly fades, the lights returning to a more average level of illumination as Dominator waits with masked enthusiasm for the start of the match.
Ace Anderson: Look at those daggers passing between Dominator and Notorious, they are looking at each other like they want to kill one another!
Jerry Andrews: Well why wouldn't they? Johnny Matthews made his intentions plain to Dominator, quite distinctly.
Ace Anderson: Oh, I know. Plus the fact that Stormm and Matthews beat Dominator last week in that insane three way match, now they're forced to co-exist.
Jerry Andrews: Last week Dominator was paired with Crazy Boy. This time around he has even more unreliable help, I don't believe for a second Dominator can trust Stormm or Johnny.
Sasha Greene: And their opponents, coming to the ring together, they represent the PCW Order... HIGH TIDE, JULES "THE WASP" MARTENS, AND ARICA "TROUBLE" LEWITT!!
"Welcome To The Jungle" by Guns and Roses starts playing and Wasp, Trouble, and High Tide all walk out onto the stage as one unit. The Wasp may be a bit older, but he certainly likes to get right into things. The Wasp walks tall and quickly and motions for the fans to get even louder, even though they are booing. High Tide swaggers alongside him, holding his spyglass, and Arica Lewitt is holding her arms up and rocking out to the song. They climb all up onto the apron from intersecting sides. Wasp, taking the lead, hops over the ropes and goes straight to a corner and climbs the turnbuckle and gives the fans the finger, as the booing has usually reached a deafening level.
Jerry Andrews: This group has certainly taken Pure Class Wrestling on it's ear, they caused a lot of havoc last Trauma.
Ace Anderson: That they did, yet another in a long string of attacks by this group laid out the Underground champion. No matter what Dominator's feeling about Notorious, he has to be looking to dish out some payback on these three.
Jerry Andrews: They have all made references to some kind of PCW Order, and you have to wonder just what their agenda is, and how Razor Blade figures into it. Are they ever going to get on the mic and tell us what, exactly, they want? Or is chaos their only goal?
Ace Anderson: I think these are three underutilized competitors who have it in their minds that they need to make a statement. So they will.
Six-Person Tag Match
Dominator (Pure Class Wrestling Underground 🤴), Justin "Stormm" Michaels (Pure Class Wrestling North American ©) & Johnny Matthews vs Arica "Trouble" Lewitt, Wasp & High Tide
Referee: Nigel Gale
Dominator (Pure Class Wrestling Underground 🤴), Justin "Stormm" Michaels (Pure Class Wrestling North American ©) & Johnny Matthews vs Arica "Trouble" Lewitt, Wasp & High Tide
Referee: Nigel Gale
Dominator does some last minute stretches as he and Wasp circle around, then lock up in a collar elbow tie up. Dominator shoves Wasp to the mat. Dominator flexes his muscles at High Tide and roars. Wasp looks perturbed for a second, then he gets a look on his face a la "You know, on second thought" and he comedically tags in Arica Lewitt. Trouble has a look on her face like she can't believe Wasp did that to her. Both High Tide and Wasp shoo their arms and tell Trouble to go on in. Trouble still looks annoyed at her partners, but on the other side of it, Johnny Matthews is smiling lasciviously and practically hanging over the top rope with his hand out, begging for a tag. Dominator looks at Johnny with the utmost disdain. Not believing he's doing this, Dominator tags Johnny in with a stinging, hard slap. Johnny scoots in, and proffers his hand to Trouble, who looks bemused by his antics. She refuses to shake his hand, and slaps him across the face. Johnny smirks, and says she's a fighter, very creepily saying "I like that,"
Ace Anderson: It's a lot grosser when he could be her older uncle or dad's age.
Jerry Andrews: Notorious aren't that old! Don't let Kyle Shane's words influence you.
Ace Anderson: He's certainly not in her age demographic.
Trouble meets Matthews and grips his head in a side headlock. Johnny gives it one second of struggling in the hold before he notices he's pressed up against Trouble's side and takes a moment to grope her. On the apron, Stormm, annoyed at his Notorious partner, shouts "Come on, what are you doing!" And Trouble releases the hold. She goes for a clothesline, but Matthews ducks underneath the swing, and he gives her a very playful swat on the buttocks. Trouble is getting flustered due to how outraged she's getting, which seems to be part and parcel to Johnny's plan.
Ace Anderson: This girl does not want to let Johnny get into her head, not only because it would be the type of dirt that wouldn't wash off, but because it takes her out of her game.
Jerry Andrews: Say what you will about Notorious, but they have a very cerebral game plan at all times.
Johnny turns his head to smirk at High Tide and Wasp, taunting who he sees as Trouble's older brothers, and Trouble is able to catch him off guard with a head scissors that flips Matthews over and onto his butt. Matthews, taken off guard, crawling over and getting taken down by a leg lariat from Trouble. Trouble shouts to the crowd and gets fired up, and she goes for the Super Trouble kick quite early, but Johnny V, having had enough of the harassment and enough of the playing around, ducks the kick and when Trouble turns she eats one of the cringiest backbreakers you could have seen, an STO backbreaker onto his knee with such force that Trouble's back arches and she slides off to the mat. Now Johnny has a gritted teeth look set on his face and you can see the anger radiating off. He walks over and tags in Stormm. Stormm and Johnny V lift Trouble up, punishing her with a double suplex. Johnny goes back to his corner and Stormm continues kicking the bejesus out of Trouble with stomps. The tag team continuity doesn't extend to Dominator, as Stormm ignores his massive outstretched hand. Stormm instead flings Trouble into their team's corner and tags in Johnny Matthews again, and holds Trouble by the side so Matthews can fold her up with a kick. Smart tag strategy. Johnny Matthews pushes Trouble down, grinding his forearm bone against her throat aggressively.
Ace Anderson: Man... I know Wasp, Tide and Trouble have been stealing the spotlight, but Matthews is showing an aggression that's off the charts in his own right.
Jerry Andrews: I can only imagine he doesn't take too kindly to these guys trying to take the spotlight from what he perceives as his Underground title shot.
The referee starts counting Johnny Matthews out because that's kind of a choke, a 5-count to a disqualification. Matthews breaks at 3, and stands up, dragging Trouble by the arm back to the corner. Again, Dominator holds his big paw out for a tag, and again, Johnny Matthews looks right at him, rubbing it in by tagging in Stormm. Stormm drops a knee across the forehead of Trouble, then goes for a pin.
The referee: One... Kickout.
Stormm gets up, lifting a limp Arica Lewitt with him, and goes to vertical suplex her. He does lift her into the air, straight as an arrow, but as she's being hoisted, she drives a knee down into the side of the head of Stormm a few times until he loosens his grip. Trouble wiggles enough that she can twist out of the grip, flowing behind Stormm. She pushes him into the ropes chest first. They both stumble back, and Trouble attempts an O'Connor roll out of this. The referee starts counting...
The referee: One... Kickout.
Stormm, annoyed that Trouble countered him like that, gives her an axehandle to the back of the head. Stormm mounts Trouble and begins and he tee’s off, on her, but Trouble counters the positioning, trying to straddle the bigger Stormm and lay into him with mounted right hands, only to be gouged in the eyes by Stormm. The crowd boo loudly as Michaels is back to a vertical base where he starts stomping away at Trouble. Michaels reaches down picking Trouble up off the mat before taking her back into the rope, where he looks to fire the young girl across the ring. Trouble counters the whip and it is Michaels who bounces off the ropes and into a reverse elbow that sends him to the mat. Stormm is quickly to his feet where Trouble scoops him up and body slams. Trouble looks to drop a elbow, Stormm rolls out of the way before beating Trouble to her feet where he’s able to catch Trouble with a knee to the midsection followed by a butterfly suplex into a backbreaker. Again, Trouble clutches at her back and yells in pain.
Jerry Andrews: Trouble has taken a serious amount of punishment in this match, she needs to get to her corner and tag in a fresh partner.
Stormm reaches his feet where he picks Trouble up off the mat before throwing him out through the ropes and directly at the feet of Johnny Matthews. The crowd boos loudly as Matthews reaches down picking Trouble up before driving her lower back first into the ring apron! Matthews then tosses Trouble back into the ring. Stormm lays several boots to Trouble before picking her up and driving him back into a neutral corner. Stormm lays several shoulder blocks to the midsection before hurling Trouble across the ring and into the opposite buckles. Stormm charges in after Trouble who throws up her right boot connecting to the face of Stormm. Trouble comes out of the corner with a boot to the midsection before taking Stormm and hurling him out to the floor at the feet of WASP! The crowd roars as Wasp starts stomping away at Stormm before being restrained by the referee, trying to restore some order . Wasp and High Tide pick Stormm up before tossing him back into the ring. Trouble picks Stormm up and drives him back into the corner that houses her partners as they get back in the apron. The pirate tags into the match and enters the ring where he jabs Stormm in the jaw before Trouble exits the ring. High Tide brings Stormm out to the center of the ring with a snapmare before kicking Stormm straight across the shoulder blades. Stormm curses explosively and High Tide waits for him to get up before crushing him with a running double footed dropkick that blasts Stormm back into the neutral corner like a cannonball!
Jerry Andrews: High Tide has come into this match full of pure maniacal energy!
Stormm, holding his back, contorts around after being kicked into the turnbuckles. He crawls to his corner, but the first one to get the tag isn't the intended Johnny Matthews, but instead Dominator gets up again and locks up again with Dominator, who then grabs one of High Tide's arms and throws him down with an armdrag. High Tide gets to his feet as Dominator grips his arm and wrings it out a little. High Tide reverses by rolling through athletically, and performing a cartwheel to escape the pressure of the armwringer. He sweeps Dominator's legs. Dominator backs up, and then as he tries to plead with the ref to keep High Tide away, High Tide advances to pull Dominator up again. Dominator gives High Tide a nasty thumb to the eye. Dominator then gives High Tide a headbutt that makes High Tide stumble away in pain. He backs High Tide up to the ropes and gives him a few forearm shots, then goes to whip High Tide to the opposite rope. High Tide runs off the ropes and on the return, he hits a running double footed dropkick to bring Dominator down. High Tide then drops an elbow on Dominator’s chest and then another. He starts to go for a cover, but Dominator shoves him away. High Tide quickly cranks Dominator's head in a neck vice submission, twisting Dominator's head painfully. Dominator yells in pain and tries to get to his feet. Slowly, he pulls himself up and begins levelling elbow shots at High Tide's midsection.
Jerry Andrews: Dominator is trying to find momentum to make it back to his corner.
Finally, Dominator is able to fight his way free. He starts crawling towards his corner, but instead of reaching his hand out for a tag, Johnny Matthews, an uncaring, angry sneer on his face, has procured a pack of smokes from his pocket and is lighting one up. Dominator turns and lays an uppercut in to High Tide, making the pirate stumble backwards a few steps. If Dominator isn't going to get help from his partners he'll do it himself, he guesses. He starts to run off the ropes, but High Tide leapfrogs over him on the return. Dominator turns around as High Tide runs off the opposite side, but High Tide ducks under a clothesline. Dominator turns around, confused, and gets a boot to the gut and receives a snap suplex. Dominator shouts, holding his back. He gets up. High Tide, pacing around, starts to run off the ropes, but Johnny shoves him from behind. High Tide stumbles a few steps, and then turns around to glare at Matthews. High Tide turns back, and Dominator gives him a European uppercut. Now, Dominator walks over to Johnny. Johnny takes the cigarette out of his mouth as the big man glares down at him. Johnny blows smoke in Dominator's face. Dominator responds by tagging in with a slap on the chest so hard that it can be clearly heard, but Johnny just looks dissatisfied, not finished with his smoke break. He grinds the cig out on the apron with his heel, and enters the ring.
Ace Anderson: Always a class act, that Matthews.
Johnny, getting his head back in the game, gives a few short and angry stomps at High Tide’s head. The ref yells at Johnny not to do that, but Johnny just shrugs him off and gives High Tide a few more good stomps. Johnny then picks up High Tide and throws him into the ropes, when High Tide comes back, Johnny leapfrogs over him. When High Tide runs back off the ropes again, Johnny comes up with a spinning heel kick to the face. Johnny sits up and smiles at the people at ringside who give him a round of boo's.
Jerry Andrews: He’s looking for constant praise to stroke his damn ego.
Ace Anderson: There isn't anything really wrong with stroking your ego. You just need to have something to stroke. Maybe you don't know about that.
Johnny looks back at Wasp, giving him a few choice words and picks up High Tide, only to get hit with a jawbreaker. Johnny falls to his knees as then High Tide lifts him up, backing him into the corner, as he nails knife edge chops away at Johnny’s chest. After a few good chops, High Tide walks Johnny over to his corner and tags in Wasp, who gives Johnny a few rights and lefts, then a spinning back fist to the face. Johnny falls back against the ropes, covering up, as Wasp gives him a boot to the gut and a gutwrench suplex. Wasp lands a leg drop across the throat, and goes for a cover.
One... Kickout.
Wasp lifts Johnny up, walking him back into their corner, and tagging in High Tide. He stretches Johnny out to expose his side and allows High Tide to nail a few quick kicks, then he goes back into their corner without arguement from the referee. High Tide gives Johnny Matthews a snapmare, then follows it up with a flipping neck whip from a seated position. He goes for a springboard leg drop, but Matthews rolls out onto the apron. High Tide hits the mat butt first. He rolls to his feet and goes over to the ropes to lift up Matthews, but Johnny meets him with a shoulder thrust through the middle rope. Matthews gives High Tide a second shoulder thrust, then he grips High Tide's head and snaps it down across the top rope. High Tide flings back into the middle of the ring, contorting and holding his throat.
Jerry Andrews: Borderline illegal move by Johnny.
Johnny Matthews then walks over and tags in Stormm. Stormm picks up High Tide and body slams him hard onto the ground. Stormm grabs High Tide by the hair as he lifts him up, giving him clubs to the back, and throws him into the ropes, when High Tide comes back, Stormm catches him with a scoop powerslam. Stormm smiles at Johnny Matthews, who simply smiles back approving, and telling him to stay on him. Stormm picks up High Tide, who then gets a surge of engery. High Tide hits Stormm several times with right hands and goes to jump to his corner to Wasp, but Stormm grabs High Tide’s arm and shortarms him back for a stiff knee in the gut. Then Stormm grabs High Tide and slams him down with a snap suplex. Stomm stands on High Tide’s neck using the rope for leverage, choking him, as Wasp runs in, but the ref stops Wasp from entering in the ring. Meanwhile, with the ref distracted by an enraged Wasp, Johnny Matthews runs in and he and Stormm lay several boots to High Tide, before Matthews turns around and he jumps out of the ring, while Stormm lets go of the chokehold. Stormm then hooks High Tide's leg and goes for the pin.
Jerry Andrews: Those damn Notorious thugs are using a mugging mentality, keeping High Tide isolated and picking him apart.
Ace Anderson: Oh, but when High Tide, Wasp and Lewitt all gang up and beat someone down, it isn't shady tactics? What about that?
Jerry Andrews: I... don't have a good answer for that. They're all in the wrong, at certain points of time.
The referee: One …
Two… Kickout.
High Tide kicks out and Stormm shakes his head with disgust. Stormm brings High Tide up and throws him into the ropes, but High Tide comes roaring back with a huge clothesline, which makes the North American champ go down hard. Stormm then gets to his feet, as High Tide is able to fling the bigger man over his head with a back drop. Stormm gets up once again and High Tide takes him down with a belly to belly suplex, then he starts to crawl to his corner and makes the tag with Wasp. Stormm gets to one knee, but only to receive both hard rights a few knee lifts from an energetic Wasp. When Stormm doesn’t go down, Wasp gives him a hard chop to the chest. Wasp chops again and again, then he grips Stormm's arm and whips him into the corner. Stormm is laid out across the turnbuckles. Wasp then runs in and delivers a jumping double high knee right to the sternum in the corner. Stormm holds his chest as he stumbles out. He flops to his knees, holding himself. Wasp measures him with a martial arts stance, and as Stormm starts to pull himself up, Wasp nearly beheads him with a drive-by boot to the head. Wasp goes for a cover.
The referee: One...
Two... Dominator dives in, breaking the count!
Jerry Andrews: Dominator saves it for the team.
Ace Anderson: It has to be killing him to help out Stormm and Matthews at all, ever.
Shaking with intensity, Dominator gets to his feet, and mauls Wasp with a clothesline. He runs into the corner to nail High Tide and knock him loose, and High Tide tries getting into the ring to attack his rival. But the ref holds High Tide back! Behind the ref's back, Stormm and Matthews are viciously choking and stomping Wasp with his boot. The ref turns back in lieu of High Tide' frantic pointing. Stormm takes a few lungfuls of air to recover as Johnny goes back to the corner, but he stops in his tracks when Dominator tags himself in from behind. Stormm has a wide eyed look of annoyance. Dominator walks over, ignoring the shouts and taunts from his partner, lifts Wasp up and gives him a pancake slam that flattens him, truly flat as a pancake, then covers.
The referee:One...
Two... Kickout!
Dominator lifts Wasp up and gives him a fallaway slam, then tags in Johnny, who hops up top and follows it up with a double foot stomp right to the midsection that had previously been pancaked! Wasp rolls around holding his midsection, and Johnny pulls him over into a pin.
The referee: One...
Two... Kickout!
Johnny slaps the mat, then he pulls Wasp up, lifts his dead weight ass up to his shoulders and nails a pumphandle brainbuster suplex, the Bartender Special. Wasp falls back, and Matthews points to Dominator, teasing tagging him back in, but he laughs it off. Wasp is trying to get back to his corner as Trouble and High Tide cheer him on. Johnny straddles Wasp over his lower back, and then drops down with a butt bump to injure the lower back. He gives Wasp a few more stomps, then he lifts Wasp up, giving him an inverted exploder suplex. Wasp is laid out in the middle of the ring.
Jerry Andrews: First the Bartender Special, now the Center Ring Screwdriver. Johnny Matthews is determined to put Wasp down.
Johnny covers, hooking the leg.
One...
Two...
Th- Kickout!
Matthews shouts angrily, yelling "Come on!" to the referee. He snarls and walks over, tagging in Stormm, while telling Dominator "Show your ass how it's done". They each grab a leg of Wasp and perform a double team wishbone, pulling each leg to the side and snapping down. Wasp howls and holds his midsection. He rolls onto his stomach and kicks his legs in pain. Stormm walks over and picks up Wasp. He goes for a lifted reverse STO, with extra delay as he walks Wasp around from the side. But suddenly, Wasp pulls his head loose, and he pushes Stormm forward. Dominator holds his head in his hands as he yells, because Stormm's blown it for their team again.
Jerry Andrews: The lack of cohesion between Notorious and Dominator, and both Stormm and Matthews showboating has been big handicaps in this match.
Ace Anderson: You said it. Lewitt, Wasp and High Tide certainly have a bond.
Wasp crawls over as fast as he can and tags in Trouble, who meets Stormm with a running crossbody. Trouble shoots to her feet and runs across the ring, kicking Dominator in the kneecap and knocking him off the apron. She's all energy as she turns back to Stormm, stalking him, and then Stormm gets crushed with a jumping cutter.
Jerry Andrews: Trouble with the Troublicious!
Trouble covers Stormm.
The referee: One...
Two...
Thre- Kickout!
Stormm shoots a shoulder up off the mat to a loud gasp from the crowd. Trouble cuts his eyes towards the referee who shows her how close he came. Trouble reaches a vertical base before picking Stormm back up off the mat. Trouble laces Stormm across the chest with a knife edge chop that sends Stormm back into a corner. Trouble charges in after Stormm with a clothesline that smashes Stormm back into the buckles. Trouble looks to follow up with a running bulldog only to have Stormm counter with a side suplex! Stormm works his way back to his feet where he picks Trouble up before hurling him into the corner that houses Dominator and Johnny Matthews. Johnny tags into the ring and starts unloading with boots to the chest and body of Trouble while Stormm exits to the ring apron. Johnny delivers a stiff European Uppercut to the jaw of Trouble which rocks her back into the ropes. Johnny fires him across the ring and as she bounces off the ropes High Tide makes the blind tag. Johnny drops down to the mat causing Trouble to leap over his body and bounce off the near side. Johnny is quickly to his feet where he swings with a clothesline, Trouble ducks under and baseball slides out to the floor as High Tide spring boards off the top rope with a blockbuster to a massive ovation from the crowd!
Jerry Andrews: Amazing continuity and precision timing from Trouble and High Tide!!
Ace Anderson: His scurvy riddled brain came up with that idea?! I wouldn't have believed it!
High Tide scurries into the cover on Johnny, he hooks the near leg.
The referee: ONE…..
TWO…..
THRE - Kickout!
Johnny kicks out to a massive gasp from the crowd. High Tide is back to a vertical base where he picks Johnny up off the mat before locking in a front face lock! High Tide looks to deliver a snap suplex only to have Johnny block and counter as he hoists High up in the air before dropping him gut first across the top rope! High bounces gut first off the ropes and back into the ring where he lands on his back. Johnny takes a few deep breaths... and again, Dominator, seizing the opportunity away from his partner, tags in to the match. Now, Johnny Matthews has had it. He squares up to the big man, perhaps unwisely since they don't really meet eye to eye. But he gives Dominator an earful, and the Underground champion just smiles. Matthews shoves him, and Dominator, with one hand, shoves him back just as hard. Matthews looks like he wants to take a swing, but he keeps his head, saying to Dominator "You want it? Whatever" and bowing graciously. Dominator turns back to High Tide and lifts him up, turning to face Matthews as he plants him with a one handed side slam. He covers, smiling in Matthews face the entire time...
The referee: ONE...
TWO...
THRE - Kickout!
Dominator is embarassed, and his cheesing grin in Johnny Matthew's face has turned to an outraged expression. To cover up his chagrin, he aggressively gets in the referee's face. He argues about the call, while behind him High Tide is starting to stir. Dominator threatens the cowardly little striped shirt for a moment, and then turns back to pick up High Tide, but High Tide stops him with a jawbreaker. High Tide springs over and tags in Wasp. Wasp charges the ring, meeting Dominator and hitting him with a running knee. Dominator is taken off guard. picks up Dominator, struggling with the dead weight, and gives him a German suplex, sending him crashing hard down on to the mat. Wasp hits a quick leg drop and covers...)
The referee: ONE...
TWO...
THR- Kickout.
Wasp lifts Dominator and flings a few kicks into his side, before whipping him towards the ropes, but Dominator reverses going for a clothesline but Wasp ducks and as Dominator turns Wasp lifts him on his shoulders looking for a Death Valley Driver but the weight seems to hurt Wasp's midsection as Dominator slides right off and Wasp clinches his back in pain. Dominator then floors Wasp with a clothesline. Dominator then paces to the opposite corner, and starts charging a dazed and rising Wasp for a Gore, but Wasp sidesteps and Dominator goes flying foreward, almost moving the ring as he connects with the turnbuckle between the top and middle ropes! Ouch. Almost in one swift motion, as Dominator gingerly picks himself out, Wasp pulls him down, going for a crossface. Dominator is screaming frantically until Johnny comes charing in breaking it up with a boot to Wasp's head. High Tide then springboards into the ring tagging Johnny with a knee to the face. High Tide then charges off the ropes looking for a lionsault but Johnny flares his knees up and High Tide bounces to his feet gripping his sternum. Johnny then steps back, gets a running start and BOOM, dropkick to High Tide. The impact of the dropkick sends High Tide back through the ropes. Johnny looks to the crowd, then to High Tide, out in the aisle, and as High Tide starts to get up Johnny runs and hits a suicide plancha that knocks High Tide back into the security guardrail, and ends with Johnny landing on his feet. In the ring, Wasp and Dominator are both getting to their feet, and exchange right hands. The more powerful Dominator is throwing some bombs, backing Wasp up to the ropes, but Wasp ducks one, and boots Dominator in the kneecap, and runs off the ropes. He comes back, only to get caught around the throat... CHOKESLAM!! Dominator covers.
The referee: ONE...
TWO...
THRE- Kickout!
The crowd can't believe it. Dominator is running his hands over his hair in extreme agitation. Wasp is starting to crawl towards his corner, as High Tide is slowly getting onto the apron. Wasp reaches for a tag. Johnny dives into the ring to break it up, but he's too late, and he gets taken down by a dropsault from High Tide.The legal man, Dominator, charges at High Tide, only to have a clothesline ducked, and High Tide kicks back with a Pele kick! Dominator is wobbly but he does not go down! High Tide goes up to the top rope, calling for the shooting star DDT. However, Stormm comes across the apron, grabbing the foot of High Tide, and distracting him. Stormm hangs on to the foot for several moments. Finally, High Tide boots him off, and flings his foot so hard that Stormm flies off the apron! Stormm hits the aisle with a thud! Dominator has woken up and he walks over to pluck High Tide off the top rope, lifting him over his head with a gorilla press and dumping him back first onto the mat!
Jerry Andrews: Things are breaking down into chaos!!
Dominator goes to lift High Tide up. He hooks High Tide on his shoulders, attempting to lay him across that thick neck and pull both ends into a torture rack. However High Tide is scrambling and wiggling too much and trying to get off Dominator's shoulders. From on top of Dominator's shoulders, High Tide pulls over to the ropes, where Arica Lewitt hangs on to High Tide's arms, trying to pull him off and keep him from getting pulled into the torture rack. With Trouble as an assist, High Tide isn't fully hooked into the Rip in Time torture rack, and Trouble grabs Dominator by the hair, pulling Dominator down throat first on the top rope that High Tide had been gripping on to. Dominator flings back, holding his throat, and he falls to the mat. High Tide sits on his butt for a second, gasping wildly. Trouble notes the assist she just gave him, then tells him to go up top. High Tide doesn't waste a second in scrambling up the ropes, and as Dominator still lays prone High Tide comes off the top rope, coming down across his chest with a frog splash.
Jerry Andrews: Man Overboard!!
Ace Anderson: Trouble and High Tide worked incrediby well together, they countered that submission and Trouble hung Dominator up on the top rope, leaving him in position for that move.
Jerry Andrews: Are you going to wax philosophical about the power of teamwork?
Ace Anderson: Well, it gets results, I mean, Dominator and the Notorious boys could at least try it...
High Tide scrambles into the cover, hooking a leg.
The referee: ONE...
TWO...
THREE- NO Matthews breaks it up!
Ace Anderson: I'm no expert, but I think Matthews just saved Dominator's ass! Oh wait. I AM an expert!
Wasp whips Johnny around, and he goes to pull him down into the ankle lock. It's pandemonium! But Matthews resists, and uses his leg strength to throws Wasp both out of the ring to the outside. While he does, in the ring, Dominator is getting to his feet, and so is High Tide. Dominator rakes High Tide's eyes, lifts him up for the Rip In Time. High Tide yells in agony as the move is appled, and he grabs for the ropes, hanging on to the top rope and snaking an arm and a free leg around it. Finally, the ref makes Dominator let go of the hold. Dominator tries to peel High Tide off the ropes, but the ref gets between them to allow James to get out of the rope himself. Before Dominator can react, High Tide grips Dominator's head as he comes off the ropes and takes him down with a huge DDT. High Tide gasps for air, and he reaches out to his corner. Trouble reaches her hand out and gets the tag. Trouble paces around the ring, making motions to get the crowd fired up.
Jerry Andrews: The PCW Order, if that's what they want to be called, are clearing the decks!
Trouble waits until Dominator is on all fours and she rushes in, meeting him with a superkick! Dominator falls back to his back, staring straight up at the lights.
Jerry Andrews: And a Super Trouble to the Underground champion!!
Trouble holds her hands up to the crowd. Suddenly, Johnny Matthews attempts to get onto the apron. The referee knows he's not the legal man and attempts to bar his entry. Trouble gets in his face, shouting "Oh yeah, what, what you wanna do" and throwing her hands. Johnny smirks at her. Trouble swipes at him, but Johnny ducks and drops off the apron. Johnny taps his temple, signifying he's smarter than her, and Trouble stands on the bottom rope to lean over, mocking Johnny. The beaten Dominator , meanwhile, is still insensate and unable to stand. The referee, however, does not miss his partner, Justin Michaels, tagging himself in. Trouble does, still preoccupied with Johnny on the outside. Stormm waylays the distracted Trouble, hammering her in the back of the head. He pulls her out of the ropes, tormm then grabs Trouble's left leg, lifting it up close to wrestler's own torso, and then lifts wrestler up into the cradle suplex position. Stormm then jumps a little, twirls about two hundred and seventy degrees, and falls on his stomach while Trouble is forced to land on her neck, shoulders, and upper back.
Jerry Andrews: Aw come on... Trouble kept her eye off Stormm thanks to the distraction from the outside.
Ace Anderson: Stormm connects with the Force of Nature!
Johnny gets in the ring and runs to the opposite ropes, booting Wasp in the face as Wasp is attempting to crawl over. Wasp rolls back to the outside. Johnny stands guard at the ropes, stepping around to make sure that Wasp and High Tide don't try to get in. The referee counts the pin.
The referee and the crowd: ONE...
TWO...
THREE!!
Ding Ding Ding
Sasha Greene: Here are your winners... JUSTIN "STORMM" MICHAELS, JOHNNY MATTHEWS, AND DOMINATOR!!
"NOTORIOUS" plays on the PA as Dominator is trying to pull himself up on the ropes. Wasp rolls in to the ring, gathering up Trouble and trying to revive her. Dominator looks discombobulated and disheveled, as Stormm parades around the other side of the ring, holding his hands up. Dominator marches over to Stormm, shoving him. Stormm turns, and he and Dominator go face to face, Dominator demanding answers what happened.
Jerry Andrews: Ohhhh my. The match may be over, but the combustible elements remain in the ring.
Stormm and Dominator jaw jack at each other and have a heated confrontation, coming nearly nose to nose. Trouble, High Tide and Wasp are collecting themselves out in the aisle. Suddenly, Johnny Matthews comes running in behind Dominator, clocking him with the Underground championship belt.
Jerry Andrews: Oh come on!!
Ace Anderson: Another sneak attack!!
Matthews has swarmed all over Dominator with a vicious, and angry assault. He beats Dominator down with right hands and stomps. Stormm, after a moment of complete uncertainty, joins in and they boot Dominator, beating him down. The referee orders the bell rung again and again.
Jerry Andrews: Come on, you won the match already!
Ace Anderson: Matthews doesn't care. Their partnership only extended between rings of the bell. Now all bets are off.
Matthews' face is turning red with apopleptic anger as he shouts choice words at Dominator. A team of referees has emptied out, and they begin to pull Matthews off. Matthews is like an animal, thrashing and trying to break free as he shouts at Dominator. The Underground champion, groggy and beaten, looks up from a seated position as Matthews screams tenets of hate at him.
Jerry Andrews: This has gotten bitterly personal in a hurry.
No sooner has the personal nature of this blood feud been noted than Dominator rises to his feet. Not put down, he angrily wades into the swath of referees and begins throwing bombs. Matthews hands are pinned too well to fend off the blows. Dominator pegs him with some good ones. The wild brawl escalates as Stormm jumps into the fray to help his partner, throwing punches at Dominator's side. The bell sounds again. And again. And again.
Jerry Andrews: This has turned into a free for all!!
Every referee, trainer, and empty hand comes running from the back as they empty out to the ring, trying to pull Matthews, Dominator and Stormm away from each other. It takes a lot of doing to usher them to opposite sides of the ring, and a lot of doing to pull Matthews out of the ring. Dominator, held back by five men himself, stands in the ring and roars defiantly at Matthews. Matthews and Stormm, being escorted away by a veritable SWAT Team, point and shout some key phrases at Dominator.
Jerry Andrews: The Underground division has turned into a powder keg, and it's primed to explode.
Jerry Andrews: Ladies and gentlemen, we're back and we have some HUGE news for you regarding Mass Destruction!
Ace Anderson: That's right, we've just received word that two massive matches have been added to the Mass Destruction card.
Jerry Andrews: In addition to the intense Underground Title match between champion Dominator and Johnny Matthews - which we saw a little preview of earlier - Pure Class Wrestling officials have also booked Seromine versus Brenna Gordon for the show!
Ace Anderson: Of course, those two have a heated history that goes back quite a while, and we saw them battle it out in the crowd on the last episode of Trauma, so it will be exciting to see them finally face off one-on-one!
Jerry Andrews: The only possible wrench in this plan is that no one has seen Brenna Gordon since she disappeared into the crowd after the show!
Ace Anderson: I hate to think that one of Seromine's followers got her, and I sincerely hope all is well with her and that she'll be there to face Seromine in the ring at Mass Destruction!
Jerry Andrews: And, we also have news about the Pure Class Wrestling World Championship!
Ace Anderson: That's right... now, we saw him open the show saying that he won't be "forcing himself" into the world title picture, but apparently PCW staff has other ideas, because Grimm will be challenging Kyle Shane for the most important title in this business at Mass Destruction!
Jerry Andrews: You have to think the fact that he lost the title without being pinned or made to submit was a factor in that decision, right Ace?
Ace Anderson: That's right. Seromine claimed the gold by pinning Whitey Ford in a triple threat match, not Grimm.
Jerry Andrews: And now he's getting his championship rematch under the bright lights of Mass Destruction!
Ace Anderson: So now we have THREE huge match-ups officially signed and we're about to get a fourth!
Jerry Andrews: North American Champion Justin "Stormm" Michaels will be defending his title against either Hiroshi Yukio or Tyler Scott, and we're going to find out who it will be... RIGHT NOW!
The crowd looks to the entrance way as Rising Sun roars out and they know who is coming out from backstage and they start booing loudly almost drowning out the music.
Hiroshi Yukio steps through the curtain his face lit up with an evil smile followed closely by Alexa Black who loudly proclaims his greatness to the camera.
He walks slowly down the ramp as the booing intensifies as the PCW faithful don't hold back for the mountain man from Japan.
Sasha Greene: From Tokyo, Japan standing 6”6 and weighing in at 500 lbs accompanied by his manager Alexa Black, He is “The Destroyer” Hiroshi Yukio!
He waves mockingly to the crowd which pisses them off even more as he walks and when he sees a kid at ringside and holds up his sign and rips it in half then laughs.
Jerry Andrews: I have just received word that Braddock has been BANNED from ringside! That won't make little miss anger issues very happy.
Jerry is almost giddy at announcing the surprise.
As he continues to walk down to the ring as the crowd grows louder and louder so even the announcers can't get a word in over the booing.
He goes up the ring steps and steps over the top rope and into the ring After he does he does a purification ritual by throwing salt in the ring to cleanse it before the match.
The music fades out as Hiroshi stays in the ring waiting for the bell.
Tournament Final to Name #1 Contender for the Pure Class Wrestling North American Championship
Singles Match
Tyler Scott vs Hiroshi Yukio
Referee: Ed Lane
Singles Match
Tyler Scott vs Hiroshi Yukio
Referee: Ed Lane
DING!
DING!
DING!
For the second time in as many shows, it’s Yukio vs Scott. But unlike before, there is championship stakes on the line here. WHO will move on to Mass Destruction for a showdown with Justin “Stormm” Michaels? Well, Tyler is wasting no time in introducing violence. He sprints across the ring and before Yukio is able to properly react, is blasted in the nose with a high knee. The former Yokozuna is driven backwards to the corner. Scott charges in and hits a second knee just under the chin. Scott brings his shoulder into the rotund gut of Yukio for repeated shoulder thrusts. Scott stands back up to meet Hiroshi with a stinging European uppercut. His attempt at an Irish whip is blocked, however. Yukio recovers to reverse Tyler into the buckles. He meets the same after finding no one home with an attempted corner splash.
Tyler hits the far ropes and on the return, paint brushes Yukio’s face with a running big boot. Yukio falls to his knees. He protects his face, leaving his body open to random strikes. Tyler takes a second to yell a few unflattering words towards Alexa, who up to that point had been screaming instructions at her dangerous sumo ally. Tyler attempts to bring Hiroshi up. He takes a sudden karate chop to the adam’s apple. It turns him so that his back is towards Yukio. Tyler spins around and is pushed up and driven down HARD with a pop-up powerbomb. With the ropes directly behind him, Yukio takes advantage to squash his smaller adversary with a quick trademark, The Bombs Away! Yukio is quick to hook the legs as the referee is in to make the count.
1!
2!
Tyler manages to get his left shoulder off the mat before the three could come down. Alexa slams her hands on the mat, challenging that Yukio had the three count.
Jerry Andrews: This one could have been over just like that! Does Tyler have any air left in his lungs after that massive splash?
Ace Anderson: Tyler Scott is one tough son of a bitch. It will take more than turning him into a human pancake to keep him down. Just remember, he DEFEATED Hiroshi the last time.
Jerry Andrews: That was then, this is now.
Ace Anderson: I didn’t know your name was S.E. Hinton.
Tyler finds himself being powered up in a bearhug. He’s having none of it. He quickly gets his thumbs into the eyes of Hiroshi to free himself. With Yukio temporarily blinded, Scott hits a springboard dropkick. Then a second. A third. He finally takes him off his feet for the first time with a flying clothesline! Tyler kips up. He leaps in the air with some impressive hang time. Down comes the point of his elbow into the chest of Yukio. He lifts Yukio’s head up, bringing him into a knee lift. Yukio shoves him on his heels as he finds an escape to the outside of the ring. He is shown favoring his nose while taking verbal abuse from front row fans. Alexa checks on the matter and finds time to make some very descriptive threats to anyone near her. Her attention is diverted as Scott comes flying at them like a third-dimensional projectile via suicide dive. It connects. But Yukio wraps his massive arms around his back.
Belly to back suplex on the floor! The splat is very audible. Yukio powers him in the air with ease. He spins the hips and sends him flying into the faithful with a release belly to belly suplex. It’s not a good landing for The Transgressor. Yukio breaks the referee’s count at six. Rather than wait for his prey to come to him, he takes the fight behind the rail. Fans scatter from the imposing sumo. Showing he is faster than people think, he sprints into a diving spear that pushes the fifth row back into the fifteenth! Tyler clutches his ribs while buried under flattened seats. Neither one of these men are exactly loved by the fans, but the fans love the action being close to them. The PCW officials may not. In order to keep the count broken, Alexa distracts the ref on Yukio’s behalf. Meanwhile, Tyler is the proud recipient of a samoan drop onto the cold cement.
Jerry Andrews: Would someone get that bitch the hell out of here? She isn’t the one wrestling.
Ace Anderson: She has a managerial license. Besides, are you TRYING to stack the odds against Stormm?? I’m sure he would love a triple threat. NOT.
Tyler is shown being pulled back to ringside now. He’s sent over with a hip toss. He lands on his feet! Yukio doesn’t take kindly to it. He gets a leg over the railing. Scott fights through his pain to blast him with a palm strike. Yukio is slightly knocked off balance, putting his leg back on the opposite side. Tyler leaps into the air to bring Yukio face first into the railing. Yukio is then assisted over on “his” side of things. While still clutching his ribs, Tyler unloads a flurry of stiff kicks to Hiroshi, forcing him to cover up. He yanks him by the hair. Yukio is left propped against the rail as fans pat his shoulders. Alexa WANTS to get involved, but knows she can’t, and it is eating away at her black hearted soul. Tyler hears the count of eight. He’s in and out to stop that much to the referee’s annoyance. Here he comes...SPEAR THROUGH THE RAIL! Goodbye first three rows. That’ll be extra work for the crew when the scene clears.
Tyler slowly picks himself up. He trades f-bombs with Alexa and then makes his way back into the ring. Finally. Furious, but determined, she helps aid Hiroshi back to his feet and eventually into the ring. Tyler wastes no time in pulling him (slowly) away. Yukio pushes him into a seated position with one massive resistance of his leg. He’s undeterred. Yukio blocks an attempted elbow strike. Tyler is brought onto his back with a sudden sweep of the leg. The moment he sits up, Yukio nails him with a headbutt to the face. Tyler is powered to his feet and sent with authority to the corner. He drops prone, grasping his lower back. Hiroshi repeats this to the opposite side. Tyler flings in the air, landing seated against the corner, but with more damage done to his back. Yukio senses blood. Running hip attack in the corner! Tyler is knocked loopy as his carcass is drug to the middle of the ring. Yukio pins.
1!
2!
3—Kickout!
The fans are mixed. Yukio is angered. You don’t want a five-hundred pound behemoth mad. It won’t end well. Alexa again challenges the count. The ref can be heard sarcastically asking if she’d like to see the instant replay? Alexa shoots him a murderous stare. Yukio goes for the bearhug a second time. This time he cinches it in. Yukio squeezes with his overwhelming strength advantage, targeting the worked over lower back in particular. Tyler is seen agonizing. His arms are trapped at his sides, so he’s unable to free himself the same way he did before. Yukio demands he gives up. There is a boasting laugh behind those words. Tyler struggles to find a way out of this. But he won’t tap. The Destroyer is destroying his back like it were a building in Tokyo and he was a human earthquake. Tyler is practically rag dolled and hoisted higher in the air. The referee asks him several times if he wants to submit.
“FUCK NO!” is the fiery response.
“YES YOU DO!” Alexa replies.
The fans may have no choice but to do something they may regret later. They start to get behind Tyler Scott. LET’S GO TYLER! It isn’t well received by him, Yukio, or Alexa. Back to the booing it is. Yukio, growing board, throws Tyler like a small child. But the damage has clearly been done. Yukio backs himself up against the corner. He watches and waits. Tyler slowly drags himself away from danger. He pounds the canvas with teeth gritting determination to stand. Here comes Yukio! Ole! The rushing bull is sidestepped where he cracks the ring post shoulder first. Tyler doesn’t move swiftly, but he has enough speed to dropkick Yukio in the back to push him shoulder first once again into the post. Action moves away from the corner with a bulldog. Both Tyler and Yukio are down and saying hello to the bright lights inside of the arena.
Jerry Andrews: What action these men have brought tonight! Both want to get the title opportunity. Alexa is a former North American champion, herself, so she no doubt has passed her knowledge to Hiroshi.
Ace Anderson: Don’t forget that Tyler himself is also a former champion. He knows what it takes to reach that summit, and if he has to climb over Mt. Yukio to weather the STORMM, he’ll do it!
Tyler is up first. He starts to pepper the chest of Yukio with stinging knife-edge, BY GAWD, chops. Yukio shoves him against the ropes. HE HITS A DROPKICK. Tyler snaps the back of his head hard into the canvas, obviously caught by complete surprise. A small faction of HOLY shit chants pop up, but ultimately go nowhere. Yukio shakes his head from side to side. He then drags Tyler to the corner by the wrist. Alexa instructs him to finish things. Yukio gets his feet on the middle ropes. He centers himself for the start of his Mt. Fuji Drop. Tyler finds a new life! He “inadvertently” (wink wink) uppercuts Yukio between the pillars. POWERBOMB! Tyler rolls himself over for his first pin attempt of the match.
1!
2!
3! NO!
Yukio PRESSES Tyler sky high between two and three. The jarring land causes Tyler to once again favor his back. He knows he is going to have to push the pain aside the rest of the way. If Hulk Hogan can tear a hole in his back bodyslamming Andre the Giant and still continue, he can certainly push through and put Yukio down again, brother. Flying back elbow drops Yukio in the corner. Tyler nails a forearm smash to the face. He barrel rolls out of the way, taunting Yukio with disparaging remarks. Alexa angrily barks orders for him to get back into things. He shows off his fighting spirit! Yukio shakes the punishment off the best he can. Here he comes...SWITCHBLADE SUPERKICK from Tyler Scott!
IS CAUGHT BY HIROSHI!!
Scott is spun around and before he knows it, is drilled with a Yokohama Driver!! Alexa is beside herself with joy. She can practically book a front row seat to her client becoming the NEW North American Champion after his devastating finisher. Yukio covers Scott for the pin.
1!
2!
3!
HE KICKS THE FUCK OUT!
Alexa Black is left speechless for the first time in her life. Yukio slowly sits up, looking ANGRY. His focus is wavering. Hiroshi is up and physically grabbing the referee by the shirt. Naturally there is fear in his eyes. He frantically explains the kickout occurred. Alexa leaps onto the apron to not only contest that, but also to try and get Yukio back on track. She succeeds with the latter, but is deadlocked on the former. Hiroshi notices what she is doing for him and takes full advantage of the distraction. Off comes the turnbuckle pad to reveal the steel connecter underneath. The booing is at a fever pitch now. Hiroshi throws the sweat off his brow in the direction of Tyler. He is pried up by the hair. Yukio side eyes the exposed corner. They widen. He roars and runs him to the corner. Tyler reverses and slams Yukio face first into the steel! Switchblade Superkick! He’s still standing! ANOTHER Switchblade Superkick! Wobbly, but NOT down. A THIRD! WAIT...Straitjacket DDT!! Tyler Scott has dropped the Japanese Nightmare. He rolls through. Alexa misses grabbing the referee by mere inches. Her effort partially catches her over the top rope. Here’s the count.
1!
2!
3!
And that WILL do it!! The fans aren’t exactly pro-Tyler Scott, but are DEFINITELY anti-Alexa anything, so they find a middle ground to at least applaud Tyler Scott.
Sasha Greene: Here is the winner of the match and the number one contender to the North American Title, Tyler Scott!!
The Transgressor has his arm raised in the air. Before any foul play can come his way, he makes a retreat out of the ring, albeit gingerly. Alexa is fire and fury once she's able to get herself into the ring. She checks on the fallen Hiroshi Yukio while staring daggers at the official. You can bet she's already plotting her revenge.
Jerry Andrews: Well, there you have it folks, the match is set! Justin Michaels versus Tyler Scott for the PCW North American Championship at Mass Destruction!
Ace Anderson: The Mass Destruction card is certainly taking shape and - wow - what a show it will be!
Jerry Andrews: But, before we get there, we've got one more episode of Trauma! We'll see you in two weeks!
Ace Anderson: Wait... what!?
Out of nowhere, Johnny Matthews rushes down to the ring with a steel chair! He clocks Tyler Scott with it! Then he clocks Yukio just as the sumo is getting to his feet!
Jerry Andrews: What the hell is going on here!?
Ace Anderson: I mean, at first I thought Matthews might have been going after Scott to help Stormm, but now he's attacking Yukio too!?
PCW officials rush out before any damage can be done and Johnny Matthews is forcefully escorted to the entrance way.... where he comes face-to-face with Dominator!
Jerry Andrews: OH MY! No! We're out of time folks! Have a good night!
- CLICK -
