Post by Rick Majors on Apr 12, 2019 20:39:51 GMT -5
Pure Class Wrestling Trauma
Thursday April 11th, 2019
The show opens backstage, specifically the halls of the Pure Class Arena. Standing in the brightly lit corridor is Shane Dodge, accompanied by the King of the Underground Champion, David Hunter. David is dressed in his ring gear with his crown around his waist.
Shane raises the microphone to his lips and begins to speak.
Shane Dodge: Ladies and gentlemen, my guest at this time, the King of the Underground Champion, David Hunter.
David cracks a smirk while the crowd in the arena release a mixed reaction.
Shane Dodge: David, tonight you will go one-on-one with Sicko in a rematch from Mass Destruction. At that event, it took you five Thrill of the Hunts to claim the victory. With your opponent now peeved and knowing what to expect, what's on your mind going into tonight's match?
Shane points the mic towards David, who begins to speak.
David Hunter: Another week. Another Trauma. Another day in the Pure Class Arena. Another match for the peasants to try and usurp my crown. The only difference is that Kyle Shane, Grimm, and Stormm have decided to grace us with their presence, and lo and behold, they're the main event. That's fine.
David shakes his head, the smirk on his face becoming flat.
David Hunter: You boys have fun out there. Enjoy the main event spotlight. It must be nice to finally claim the last match of the show. Watch out for that ref, he's known to screw people over if he feels obligated. But while those three are figuring out who's the best of the losers, I find myself in the same position once again.
David takes the title off from around his waist, moving it up over his right shoulder. He pats it a couple times.
David Hunter: Underground Rules. King of the Underground Championship. David Hunter, the champion. Somebody else, the challenger. It's the same damn story every time. The only thing that ever makes a difference is my opponent. Sure, some guys like Muscles Malone or Tyler Scott might get lucky, and I have no doubt Sicko could very well find himself amongst their ranks, but at the end it all, the only person left wearing this crown...is me.
David points to himself to prove the...point.
David Hunter: I'm the only champion to leave Mass Destruction with their championship. I'm the only one who's consistently main evented for the past six months. I'm the only talent who has the balls to say that I'm down for double duty. The Icemann Invitational's coming up, I'd really love that precious Golden Ticket, or whatever they're calling now-a-days. Nobody else on this roster has stepped up and kept their word. I don't wanna make guarantees, even I'm not that stupid...but I've made it perfectly clear: I don't take second chances for granted.
David adjusts his title, getting into the groove of things.
David Hunter: Sicko's a tough opponent. Trust me, I know first hand. But while our match at Mass Destruction was partially about avenging Razor Blade, tonight it's all about one thing: keeping this crown and planting my ass on my throne. Sicko is pissed and he now knows how far I can go. Sicko's got a lot of strength, but for all of his pros, the guy's still on the other end of 40. I'm young. I'm hungry. And dammit...I love where I'm at.
David cracks his neck.
David Hunter: Sicko wants this championship so he can prove some messed up point that the division has grown weak. I want this championship because I've proved I can survive anything this company puts up against me. And that includes you, Sicko. Because as big and strong and powerful as you are, you know for a fact that I can beat you. And as you'll find out tonight...I can beat you again. And if the company decides you're my only worthy opponent--not that I'd blame them--I'll beat you again at the next Trauma. That's the difference between us. You want this crown because you think it proves everyone else is weak. That's what makes you a damn fool.
The pause in the speech allows some cheers from the crowd to shine through.
David Hunter: This crown symbolizes you can survive any obstacle, no matter how vicious, no matter how sadistic, and as we saw on the last show, no matter how blood-thirsty. And when the night's over, and your head is once again in the guillotine, and that blade is coming down to chop that head clean off...I want you to remember that it isn't Razor Blade...it isn't Holden Ross...it isn't Cory Steel or Tyler Scott, no no no...Sicko...the man that beat you twice...is David Hunter.
David starts jumping around while the crowd in the arena continue their mixed reaction.
David Hunter: Because while you sit there and brood and think, I'ma stand here, gettin ready, gettin antsy, ready to roll. I love this power too damn much to let it go! Know why that is Shane?
Shane takes the mic back.
Shane Dodge: Because it's good to be th--
David claims the mic back again.
David Hunter: Cause it's good to be the king! Whoo!
David hoops and hollers as he skips off-camera. Shane stares on, a bit confused at the turn of events. The camera cuts from this to the live crowd that is, of course, on their feet as PCW Trauma hits the airwaves for another exciting episode.
Jerry Andrews: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Trauma! I'm Jerry Andrews joined by Ace Anderson, as always, and what a great show we have for you tonight!
Ace Anderson: I'm pumped, Jerry. PUMPED! Let's get down to the ring!
Sasha Greene: The following match is scheduled for one fall! Introducing first.
Can you feel it coming? Can you feel it coming?
'Switchblade Smiles' by Kasabian gradually rises in volume to announce the arrival of Tyler Scott. The lights dim and flicker as the crowd react with alternative waves of boos and cheers.
Move back this wrecking ball,
Rips through the blackest hole,
Violence is coming. It's coming. It's coming
However, as Tyler Scott appears through the curtain, the boos surpass the cheers. He pauses at the top of the ramp and takes a moment to adjust the strapping around his wrists and direct a few abusive words to the front row crowd. A quick turn of the wrist and crack of the knuckles and Tyler continues his descent down the ramp.
Sasha Greene: Now, making his way to the ring, weighing 225lbs, from London, England. TYLER SCOTT!!!
He heads to the ring, climbs through the ropes and walks to the centre where he stands and stares intensely into the crowd. He mouths a few obscenities before beginning warming up for the upcoming contest.
Sasha Greene: And his opponent!
A school bell rings....the crows claps along with the clapping of the song matching its beat. A motorcycle emerges from the back with Cory Steel on the back, the outlaw stops at the top of the ramp where he holds a fist up in the air. The massive man also lays down on the accelerator drowning out the music and the crowd!
Sasha Greene: From New York, New York. He weighs 300 lbs, CORY STEEL!
Cory smiles and then launches himself down the ramp on his motorcycle. He takes a few laps around the ring before coming to a stop and rolls into the ring. The large man lumbers to his corner turning his rage into focus on his opponent.
Singles Match
Tyler Scott vs Cory Steel
Referee: Tyrone Little Jr.
Tyler Scott vs Cory Steel
Referee: Tyrone Little Jr.
The lights start going out as if with a rolling blackout, flickering and struggling to maintain power as the first guitar chords of "Fixxxer" by Metallica starts playing over the PA. As the lights come fully up, a battered, dilapidated ice cream truck, it's paint and decals peeling in a sinister manner rumbles up on stage, it's axles shaking with effort. The entrance ramp is backlit with a hellish red lighting as the ice cream truck pulls into a spot just to the left of the entrance ramp, making this vessel seem like some demonic harbinger.
Jerry Andrews: Oh no.
Ace Anderson: Not again.
Jerry Andrews: Seriously, what is his problem???
Ace Anderson: I have no idea, but I'm getting out of here.
Ace Anderson drops his headset and retreats from the ringside area. Jerry Andrews soon follows. Sicko enters the ring, and he's immediately jumped by both Scott and Steel. Unfortunately for both of them, Sicko has picked up a steel chair on his way down to the ring. He clocks both en with devastating chair shots, and then takes turns unloading on them as they remain crumbled on the canvas.
PCW officials rush out, but it doesn't matter. Sicko pulls Tyler Scott from the mat and destroys him with a brutal Under The Big Top! Cory Steel suffers the same fate. He finally leaves the ring, and EMTs rush in to check on the fallen competitors.
Sicko moves with aggressive purpose towards the commentary table. He flings the table off the floor like it was nothing, halting any chance that Jerry Andrews and Ace Anderson may have had in returning to commentary for the next little while..
Sicko spots them nearby and sizes them up like they were intrusive flies. His eyes narrow. His teeth touch in a most unnerving smile. He advances on them and in one motion, makes a lunge, trapping them between his keg and the barricade. Sicko puts his face close enough that his breath can be smelled. He sniffs around the two frightened commentators, smelling their fear and liking it.
"Hopes and Dreams/Save the World" by GaMetal starts blaring on the PA speakers. The lights in the arena all go out, barring the spotlights on the stage. David Hunter walks out with a sledgehammer and somebody's ice cream truck in direct sight.
He does exactly what you think. Not a single spot is looked over as dents and breaks become as identifiable as the rust and smell of fresh blood featured on the vehicle. Sicko charges out of the darkness with violent speed, crushing him against the grill and leaving indentations on his torso. He gains possession of the sledgehammer, using it on David's hands like he had the spirit of Gallagher in him. Hunter is fraught with pain, soon silenced with a well placed shot to the throat.
PCW Underground Championship
Underground Rules Match
David Hunter (PCW Underground 👑) vs Sicko
Referee: Charles Lim
Underground Rules Match
David Hunter (PCW Underground 👑) vs Sicko
Referee: Charles Lim
Sicko drops the weapon so Hunter can be pulled up by the neck and held in place against the truck. The psychotic clown reaches back with a closed left hand and sends it square to the face of Hunter. Over and over until it becomes a mess. Sicko then licks his knuckles clean and sends Hunter down the ramp with a mighty hiptoss. The lights return revealing the only people left on the scene are champion, challenger and the referee. Sicko rips Hunter's Hawaiian shirt off, tearing it into pieces.
The champion crawls on his limbs in a feeble attempt to get away. Sicko picks him up like a piece of luggage and then runs him head first into the apron of the ring. Sicko dumps him inside and wastes little time climbing in. The sound of the bell ringing means he's officially on the clock to winning what he feels is rightfully his. Sicko takes Hunter to the corners, crushing him with avalanche after avalanche. Hunter isn't allowed the chance to breathe before Sicko levels him with an FCS! There's no further movement from David...
Sicko drags him to the middle of the ring. He sticks his giant foot on his heart. The referee is broken out of his fright by a death glare. Sicko shifts his eyes as if to say "count." His wish is granted.
1.
2.
Sicko stomps ON the heart instead of finding out whether or not that victorious three would come down. His cold, remorseless serial killer look leaves a chill so cold you'd think Antarctica was running his vital systems. Sicko squeezes Hunter's head like it were stuck in a vice, lifting him off of his feet. With eyes ready to pop out of their skull, Sicko delivers a MASSIVE slam. This time the legs are hooked for the second pin.
1.
2.
Sicko rolls over him like a grotesque rolling pin. Back and forth he goes with wicked laughter. He sits up and shakes his head. Hunter finds his broken hands stepped on. Sicko rips David up by the legs, stretching them like they were made of taffy. Fans are shown cringing in agony. Sicko steps off the hands and with one fell swoop, David Hunter is now sitting on Sicko's massive shoulders.
ONE POWERMBOMB - AH AH AH.
TWO POWERBOMBS - AH AH AH.
THREE POWERBOMBS - AH AH AH.
FOUR POWERBOMBS - AH AH AH.
FIVE POWERBOMBS - AH AH AH.
Sicko's last one comes directly on the top turnbuckle with enough force to nearly dislodge it. As Hunter is left nearly comatose in a seated position, Sicko barrels across the ring and comes back with a running hip attack. Hunter is slowly pulled away and pinned for a third time.
1.
2.
3.
The referee calls for the bell as this one is surprisingly over.
Sasha Greene: Here is your winner and the NEW PCW UND---
The arena lights go out. The microphone is cut off. The faint glimpse of genuine happiness from Sicko is extinguished. Everything is awesomeuncertain inside of the PCW arena. That is until Sicko is very audibly heard bellowing out a primal roar into a microphone. The lights come on...A BARB WIRE BASEBALL BAT has been embedded into the back of Sicko...by David Hunter?!
Hunter DRAGS the weapon down Sicko's body to further open him up. He leaves it there to come around with a dropkick to further drive him onto the barbs. Hunter goes to the man who had just been defeated. He rips off the tightly secure wig, revealing him as nothing but a stunt double sent out to lull Sicko into a sense of accomplishment. He suckered the clown into thinking he won the very thing he wants most, only to show up and deny him of it. With the revelation revealed, the referee waves his decision off and orders the match RESTARTED!
DING!
DING!
DING!
...went the bell. Zing, zing, zing went my heart strings...back to the action of the match. Hunter has found his inner Randy Savage by scoring with a top rope elbow drop! Sicko rips the barb wire back from his flesh without a second thought about losing skin or more blood. After he does this, Hunter penalty kicks him in the chest to knock him back over.
David mounts him and unloads a torrent of harsh forearms. Each one is buried to that painted mug of Sicko. David taunts him during the assault. Sicko throws him off, showing not only his high tolerance for pain, but also his ability to absorb damage. A well placed running knee further inflicts some. Sicko is laid on his side from the impact.
Hunter somehow drags the near four-hundred pounder to the ropes, positioning Sicko's head in a way that it sticks out past the bottom rope. Hunter sits himself on the top turnbuckle, leaps off the middle rope, and comes down with a double stomp which sandwiches the back of Sicko's head against the ring apron.
Sicko partially leans outside of the ring while Hunter collects a steel chair. The metal seat is introduced to the top of the head, leaving a massive dent from the impact. Hunter turns it around so that the warped back can get used for the same purpose.
CRACK!
The sound of metal to skull makes an unforgettable sound. Hunter discards the weapon and then shoves Sicko back inside of the ring. The freakish grin returns while he stares at the lights. Hunter re-enters and lands a devastating ODE TO FRANK! Hunter goes for the pin.
1.
2.
Sicko presses him into the air and catches him on the way down. Hunter squirms with all he's got, looking to free himself with some well placed elbows. Sicko flings him over onto his shoulders, looking for a samoan drop, but Hunter pushes his feet off the ropes and gets himself a tornado DDT instead. Sicko sits right back up on his knees with an emotionless glare on his face.
ODE TO FRANK is delivered a second time with whiplashing effect. Sicko adjusts his head so that he's facing David again. Hunter backs up, ready to hit again, but Sicko falls face first into the canvas. Hunter exits for a brief pause. When he returns, he brings a filled burlap sack back with him. Scattered mouse traps are spilled. Hunter gets each of them set-up and then turns back to Sicko...who is standing on his own two feet!
A missile headbutt only scoots him against the ropes, but otherwise does little. A running big boot corkscrews his body around, but again, Sicko is barely affected. He lunges for David's throat, but grasps air instead. Hunter springboards off the middle rope, hitting HUNTER SUITE on the rebound. Sicko is toppled this time and David wastes no time going for the pin.
1.
2.
Sicko presses him off, but this time Hunter is flung into the mouse traps. Each one snaps into his skin. Through the pain Hunter takes them off as quick as he can. He pays the price in the form of an FCS that knocks him silly into the buckles. Sicko leans Hunter in the corner, backs up, then spears him in half. This leads into a DARK TOOTH CHEW. Sicko gets a pin from it.
1.
2.
Kickout. Sicko's evil smile returns. The kick-out just means he can continue to be violent. Sicko goes corner to corner, ripping off the protective padding of the top turnbuckles. Hunter is pulled up and brought for a personal introduction to each one. At the last, he pries David's mouth open, forcing him to bite down on the steel connector.
Remembering what happened at Mass Destruction, Sicko mocks Razor Blade and then attempts his own Superman punch. Hunter slips down which causes Sicko to punch the steel connector instead. The challenger painfully studies his knuckles. He turns around and has that very fist put back in his face. "Stop hitting yourself!"
Hunter jams his right shoulder a series of ten times just under the massive keg of Sicko. He shifts his left shoulder up so that the midsection is worked over as much as he feels like. Capping it off is a well placed kick in the family jewels because why not? Sicko is left exasperated in the corner and looking spaghetti legged. Hunter collects his signature weapon. He swings it like things were batting practice. Hunter points the bat at him and then comes charging.
Sicko catches the bat, barb wire and all, in his hands! Sicko shakes his head from side to side. He moves his left hand behind David's head, forcefully pushing his face closer to those barbs. It's a ruse for PAGLIACCI! Hunter has his body arched from the impact. Sicko drags himself up with the assistance of the ropes. He gathers his thoughts and when turned back around, THRILL OF THE HU---NO---Sicko muscles a counter around into UNDER THE BIG TOP. But Hunter twists and turns while hanging upside down so that when he lands, Sicko is pulled down with him in a THRILL OF THE HUNT variant.
HOLY SHIT! Goes the faithful as in some strange turn of events, both men hit the other with their finisher at the same time! Hunter has an arm over Sicko. Sicko has an arm over Hunter. Both men's shoulders are down. The referee slides for the count, keeping a watchful eye on things.
1!
2!
3!
The bell is called for. The match is officially over.
Sasha Greene: Here is your winner...
She pauses as the referee comes over to not only retrieve the Underground Title, but to inform her of the outcome. Somebody got their shoulder off the mat before three and the other got theirs a split second after.
Sasha Greene: Your winner...and...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Sasha Greene: NEW Underground Champion, Sicko!!
"Fixxxer" by Metallica starts playing over the PA to a rousing sea of boos. Sicko is awarded the title belt after he's able to get back on his feet. David Hunter makes sure he doesn't get a second to enjoy the moment as he kicks it square back in his face. Sicko is caught off balance, staggering into the ropes, and then taken over them with a strong bull rush. Chaos returns for a trilogy as Hunter pummels his foe. Sicko fires back, turning this into a full brawl. Officials, agents and available superstars descend to the scene to try and get things under control. It's a scene that plays itself well past what the cameras pick up as nothing feels settled tonight.
As Trauma returns, Ace Anderson and Jerry Andrews are finally back at a new table, but both men look a little rattled.
Jerry Andrews: We're back, phew, I don't know what to say about what's already happened here tonight.
Ace Anderson: It's better that we don't talk about it. I prefer to forget.
Jerry Andrews: Good idea. Let's talk about the next time we're going to join you for Trauma instead. It's going to be a very special night!
Ace Anderson: That's right, Jerry, the Trauma 250th Episode Spectacular!!!
Jerry Andrews: And we've already got a massive main event lined up for you. Non-title, champion versus champion versus champion! Gerard Angelo vs Dominator vs the new Underground King Sicko! One fall to a finish!
Ace Anderson: Woo! That should be great!
Jerry Andrews: Plus, PCW President Loki will be on hand to announce the details of the 2019 Icemann Invitational Tournament, including the full brackets!
Ace Anderson: What a night that's going to be, coming in in two weeks!
Suddenly, the lights go out. The crowd cheers instinctively before eventually falling silent. Suddenly the sound of guitars pierce through the silence. "Wastelands" by Linkin Park begins to boom throughout the arena, the lights in the building flashing along with the drum beat of the song. Then, from the entrance way, steps Rick Majors.
Wearing a black denim military jacket, a grey t-shirt, and jeans, Rick Majors pauses for a moment and looks down briefly. He then looks up and starts to make his way to the ring. He enters the ring and calls for a microphone.
Rick Majors: "I'm still here."
He gets a mixed reaction.
Rick Majors: "I survived Seromine's brainwashing, I survived a beating from Holden Ross. I survived an even more brutal beating from Sicko. I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere. Not until I decide my time is up. And it's not yet."
Slightly more cheers this time.
Rick Majors: "I'm going to continue to take on on the biggest, toughest, and scariest guys that PCW has and I'm going to continue to survive. I want to show the world that I'm not broken. Seromine did not kill me. I am..."
The lights shift to a sickly shade of yellow. A pale glow, as if the arena has been cast in the harvest moon’s reflection off the season’s first killing frost. With the sound of a sharp nib scratching across a ragged sheet of parchment, a sepia-toned cursive scrawls grimm across the PCW-Tron. The name flickers in the guttering candle light.
Thump. Clap. Thump. Clap. An incessant electric tremolo. The deep end of a piano. The ebb and flow of a dissonant wail builds to a wall of noise as Zeal and Ardor’s “You Ain’t Coming Back (Instrumental)" breaks forth upon the masses, heralding the arrival of Grimm.
A lone silhouette steps out onto the entry way, and as it begins the long walk to the ring, candle wax drips onto the parchment. The lights fall into a pestilential throbbing, in and out of time with the discordance raging from the speakers. The Hangtown Horror remains deadset on the ring, steadfast in his approach. He climbs onto the apron and slides between the ropes, taking the microphone from Rick's hand.
Grimm: "You want to take on the toughest? You want to survive? You want to prove something? I'm right here."
The crowd cheers.
Grimm: "You survived Seromine. I destroyed him."
Majors nods as the crowd cheers again.
Grimm: "Trauma 250?"
Grimm hands the mic to Majors.
Rick Majors: "Trauma 250."
There's a brief staredown before the show heads to commercial.
We cut backstage. Shane Dodge is standing outside of a door that we assume to be a locker room. On the door is a sign that says GERARD ANGELO.
Dodge: “Ladies and gentleman, I’m Shane Dodge and I’m here to get a word with the World Champion.”
Shane go to knock on the door but before he does, the door opens. The Faithful cheer loudly for the World Champion as he stands there, dressed in a black suit and designer shades, the PCW Championship over his shoulder.
Angelo: “What can I do for you, Shane?”
Dodge: “I wanted to get your thoughts on the huge main event of Trauma tonight. With Grimm facing off against Kyle Shane and Stormm in a triple threat match, it seems like the winner of this would seemingly be the next contender for the World title.”
Gerry smirks at Shane.
Angelo: “It would seem to be that way, huh? Truth be told though the only person in the match that has a claim of being the number one contender is Grimm. Ya know ‘cause he actually won his match at Mass Destruction.”
Dodge: “So you’re saying Kyle Shane and Stormm don’t have any claim to being your next challenger?”
Angelo: “That’s exactly what I’m saying, Shane. We shouldn’t reward failure here. But it seems that we do this all the time. I was trying got be the bigger man last week. It should have been all about me, but I went out of my way to put Kyle Shane over. And what does he do? Typical Kyle Shane shtick where he tries to paint himself as this amazing and wonderful person while throwing me under the bus. He makes excuses for himself losing against me and tries to say I don’t care about being champ for anything other then the fame. Well here’s a message for you, Kyle….”
Gerard turns and stares at the camera.
Angelo: “… you lost bro. No amount of excuses or backtracking is going to change the fact that I beat you, and took this from you.”
He motions to the World title on his shoulder.
Angelo: “You couldn't beat me at Collision Course and you couldn’t beat me at Mass Destruction. You can talk about being the best in there world or remastering your stupid games all you want, it’s not going to change the result. I don’t care if you come back as Kyle Shane, Game of the Year Edition. The result is going to be the same. Beaten and put back on the shelf to collect dust.”
“Now this brings me to Stormm. The guy gets his ass handed to him by Dominator. So what does he do? Come try to steal my fucking spotlight after I just won the World title. Don’t think I forgot about that stunt you pulled, Justin. You’re the least deserving person to get a title shot out of the three. Sure you had a ‘historic’ reign as North American Champion, but lets be honest. You spent most of that time playing side kick to your brother in law and dressing up as a scarecrow for no reason. And you have the nerve to try and ruin my moment.”
Gerard laughs.
Angelo: “I get what you’re trying to do. Trying to skip the line and all. Think you’ll get me to lose my composure and gift you a title shot. For a man who considers himself this wise old vet, you sure are a moron. Earn an opportunity like everyone else. In the ring, not by coming out at the end of shows like we owe you something. I could give two shits about how many dues you paid or main events you’ve had. Gift title shots stops in the Era of Angelo. Earn ‘em like a real man, Stormy.”
He adjusts the title over his shoulder and turns back to Shane.
Angelo: “And this brings me to Grimm. The Hangtown Horror. The one man everyone in Pure Class is suppose to fear. Now I don’t have any personal problems with you, Phinehas. But I know you are a legend around here. In more ways then one. If I had my choice, I would pick you as my challenger. Now I know there is probably a portion of the audience that is asking, ‘why would you do that?!?!’ And my answer is simple. I want to go down as the best of all time. And the only way to do that is to face the best, and beat the best. I ended the greatest title reign in PCW history. And now I want to beat the greatest wrestler in PCW history.”
He turns back to Shane Dodge.
Angelo: “So yeah, I’ll be watching the main event. Very, very, carefully. Nice to see you, Shane.”
Gerard re-enters his locker room and shuts the door.
Dodge: “Strong words from the Champion. Can’t wait for the exciting main event tonight!”
Sounds of rumbling in the night sky give birth to flashes of lightning and pouring rain. The focus isn't intended to be on the storm. Or even the orange tree (or is it trees...?) glimpsed.
A four pane window has its glass highlighted by a lamp. Braced against its maple base is a Mickey Mouse mask. The eyes are mesh and the material is a flexible hard plastic. Some of the paint appears aged, potentially from finding years worth of residence in storage. Its leather straps have been neatly tucked behind.
Soothing humming can be heard now. Lucy Willard is shown gently moving back and forth on a wooden rocking chair. Positioned on her lap is Seromine. Mother is comforting her son with loving care, just as she had when he was growing up. Just as she always will.
A loud thunderclap is heard, but Lucy is unfazed. She gently kisses Seromine on his head and then resumes what she was doing. Off to the side on the floor, an unimportant pile of charred debris is gathered. What had been burned was his former ring attire and a hospital gown.
The preacher was dead and gone for good.
Seromine has his face hidden against his mother's head. There's a very slight turn forward, but not enough to show anything. His body is kept warm underneath a large blanket. Lucy smiles at him and then shifts her eyes forward, before turning the light off.
Her humming continues. The storm outside presses on. The whole video wraps up with a four letter word in bold white lettering against a black screen.
SOON.
The show goes to the ring.
Sasha Greene: The following is scheduled for ONE FALL, introducing first, he weighs in at 217 lbs... "The Hangtown Horror"... GRIMM!!
The lights shift to a sickly shade of yellow. A pale glow, as if the arena has been cast in the harvest moon’s reflection off the season’s first killing frost. With the sound of a sharp nib scratching across a ragged sheet of parchment, a sepia-toned cursive scrawls grimm across the PCW-Tron. The name flickers in the guttering candle light.
Thump. Clap. Thump. Clap. An incessant electric tremolo. The deep end of a piano. The ebb and flow of a dissonant wail builds to a wall of noise as Zeal and Ardor’s “You Ain’t Coming Back (Instrumental)" breaks forth upon the masses, heralding the arrival of Grimm.
A lone silhouette steps out onto the entry way, and as it begins the long walk to the ring, candle wax drips onto the parchment. The lights fall into a pestilential throbbing, in and out of time with the discordance raging from the speakers. The Hangtown Horror remains deadset on the ring, steadfast in his approach. He climbs onto the apron and slides between the ropes. Hopping upon a turnbuckle, he casts his gaze out over the crowd with his arms at his side, eyes shifting to take in the sea of faces spread out before him. Grimm then drops down. And waits.
Jerry Andrews: Spine tingling entrance, the Lord of Misrule is out here to set a mark, and stands there as a warning, a harbinger of what's to come for his opponent.
Ace Anderson: He's just standing there, Jerry. Maybe a little bit menacingly and OH shit, okay, he looked over here, be cool, man, be cool.
Jerry Andrews: You were saying?
Ace Anderson: I... was saying Grimm is a force to be reckoned with every time he steps in the ring.
Sasha Greene: And his first opponent, weighing in at 218 lbs... the "GOD OF GAME"... KYLE SHANE!!
The opening notes of "In The Morning And Amazing" by Circa Survive begins to play. A video game drop down menu opens and the cursor hovers over the options, "LOAD GAME, SAVE GAME" before coming to the first option, "START GAME" and highlighting it. Kyle Shane steps slowly out onto the stage, wearing a full length pirate waistcoat, matte black with red trim, and a hood reminiscent of Shay Cormac from Assassin's Creed: Rogue. Shane tilts his head back, holding his arms out. The distinctive voice of Anthony Green hits the bridge:
"And how could anyone
You are in my dreams
Half human, half machine
You with someone else that I have felt and seen
I cannot rest, or my consciousness contest
Looking right through the lens
From winter brings the spring again"
There are some that react negatively, annoyed by the flippy, arrogant, self-absorbed so-called Game Changer, but the vast majority of the fans in the aisle, having seen what he can do, rise to their feet in appreciation. Some on the sides of the aisles even make a fanning bow motion as Kyle walks by. 1/2 the way down the aisle, Kyle pivots, holding his arms up to either side of him. He climbs onto the apron. Kyle balances on the ropes for a moment, as he pulls the hood off, his normal, infuriating, arrogant smirk spreads across his face and he raises his eyebrow. He fluidly slips between the ropes, pirouettes towards the entrance ramp and extends his arm fully out, his first finger and thumb pointed out in a pantomime of a cocked pistol, before he mouths the word "Bang" and lets the hammer down. Then he turns, removes the waistcoat and begins stretching for the match.
Jerry Andrews: What an ovation for the former World Champion!!
Ace Anderson: You just said the word that has been eating Kyle Shane alive since Mass Destruction - former. After 450 plus days, Kyle Shane has to walk out here and start all over again.
Jerry Andrews: Well, you saw Kyle last week make a bold promise, that he was going to be starting over and even better than the last time when he started. That his rise to the top is going to be Remastered.
Ace Anderson: Time will tell on that one, because he has two opponents right now that are very much not willing to let that happen.
Without warning, the lights in the arena go out in a flash, and the sounds of rhythmic drums began to beat like an oncoming war. Very subtle orange lights illuminate the ramp way as the strings begin to accompany the percussion, and the tron flickers back on with black and white aerial shots of the Kansas City metro area. The faithful are left in total darkness, and their cell phone screens and flashlights begin to sporadically light up the crowd, like stars in the night, as a dense fog has risen, covering the ramp. Despite how little time has passed, the beat has brought the crowd to their feat.
Then, as the crescendo reaches its peak, a spotlight hits the entrance to accompany the climax of "Land of Shadows" by Audiomachine, and Stormm instantly comes into view.
Sasha Greene: Making his way to the ring, weighing in at 252 pounds...
The Force of Nature looks out into the crowd from underneath a black hood attached to an ankle length, black leather trench coat. The coat is covered in straps and buckles all left dangling about as the open coat sways with his movements. The crowd's reaction rivals that of the music volume, and Stormm acknowledges, looking left and then right, with a nod. His stare turns back to the ring, and he makes his way down the ramp with a black, wooden bat in his left hand.
Sasha Greene: The Force of Nature... STORMM!
Having made it to ringside, Stormm patrols around to the opposite side of the ring in typical fashion before nodding towards Ace and Jerry, and tapping the announce desk with his bat. In one fluid motion, he hops up onto the apron, leans back onto the ropes, and points the bat out into the crowd, which draws in another pop from those in attendance. Climbing through the middle and top rope, he immediately scales to the second turnbuckle of the nearest corner, and raises his arms, and out towards the crowd, as the arena lights slowly come back on as the spotlight fades out.
Stormm hops down, and throws the hood of his coat off of his head as he walks with purpose to the opposite corner, holding his title high for everyone to see once more, as the overwhelming adulation continued. No smile. No mouthing off. All business. The battle music fades out well before the reaction of the crowd does, but the Force of Nature waits patiently, perched from the top turnbuckle, waiting for the match to begin.
Jerry Andrews: And here we see the former North American Champion, who also, without his title, is now looking for a new and fresh start.
Ace Anderson: Stormm and Shane both won their titles on the same night. They held them for over a calendar year. And then they both lost, and they have to pick up the pieces and recover their lost momentum, get back to what brought them to the top of their divisions.
Jerry Andrews: Yes, but, Grimm is fresh from a grueling war with Seromine, where he made a definitive statement. Could it be Grimm that has the edge tonight?
Triple Threat Match
Kyle Shane vs Grimm vs Stormm
Referee: Manny Cruz
Kyle Shane vs Grimm vs Stormm
Referee: Manny Cruz
As the bell rings, all three men are standing equidistant from each other in the middle of the ring. The crowd is hot for them already, as Grimm looks at Stormm, Stormm looks at Shane, and Shane flips Stormm the bird as Grimm watches. Grimm looks nonplussed, but the arrogant Shane laughs at him and says "Oh yeah fuckstick? Here's one for you too." Stormm and Grimm stare at each other for a split second, then nod in agreement, and they both rush Kyle and begin beating him down with right hands and clubs.
Jerry Andrews: Perhaps not the smartest move for Kyle to antagonize both of his opponents, and serve as an irritant, but maybe he has a strategy to let them fracture on their own.
Ace Anderson: If any one man could piss off Grimm enough into working with Justin Michaels, I'd bet on Shane.
Stormm and Grimm each grab an arm of Kyle, whip him to the ropes, and then take him down with a double back body drop. Stormm and Grimm lift Kyle up and punish him with a double vertical suplex. Stormm drops an elbow across Kyle's chest, then backs up as Grimm comes in and gives him a leg drop across the throat. Kyle rolls around on the mat in pain. Stormm lifts Kyle up, applying a modified abdominal stretch so Grimm has a clear shot at him, and Grimm lays into Kyle's stomach with a few stiff kicks. Finally, Grimm punishes Kyle with a knee lift to the side of the head, and Kyle flops to the mat. Grimm grabs a leg of Kyle, Stormm grabs a second one, and then they fall back, doing the wishbone and splitting Kyle. Kyle rolls around on the mat, holding his groin. Grimm then pulls Kyle out into the corner as he climbs out, and he ties Kyle's legs around the ringpost in a sort of figure four, inviting Stormm to come in and stomp the life out of Kyle for a moment. The referee immediately tells them to watch it and get back in the ring. The crowd is booing. Grimm releases the hold on Shane's legs and Stormm lets Shane stagger up to his feet slowly. Stormm then whips Shane into the corner. Grimm gets in the ring, and he grabs Stormm's hand and irish whips him into the corner to nail the God of Game with a corner clothesline. Shane slumps limply into the canvas.
Jerry Andrews: We can't forget that a few months ago these two were enemies and facing off for the North American title, but they've put their differences aside for a moment to seriously put a beating on Kyle Shane.
Both men lift Kyle up and punish him with a double vertical suplex. Stormm, not to be outdone, pulls Kyle up and gives him a corkscrew neckbreaker, and then Stormm taunts the crowd, eliciting a heavy flow of boos from the front row. Grimm tilts his head at Stormm for a second, then he nods, and he pulls Kyle over to the ropes, lays him on the middle rope, and then he motions Stormm to help him out. Grimm gets out of the ring and pulls down on Kyle's head and neck, choking him on the middle rope, as Stormm stands on Kyle's back and shoulders, pressing down and holding the ropes for leverage, and they both choke him out. The referee begs Grimm and Stormm to relinquish the hold.
Jerry Andrews: As with most triple threat matches, anything goes, and these two men are taking complete advantage of that.
Ace Anderson: But this match has been all those two. Shane hasn't been able to get out of the gate with Stormm and Grimm working together.
Stormm laugh and celebrates over the downed Kyle, but Grimm just looks on stoically. The hardy God of Game slowly starts to make his way back to his feet... and he spots Grimm first. Seeing his hated rival in front of him, Kyle heads towards Grimm, Stormm spins him around… big right hand! Stormm clobbers Kyle, unloading with a quick pair of rights, but Shane fires back, a brief slugfest breaking out. Eventually Stormm gets the upperhand, and this prompts Grimm to make his move, trying to get in on the action… but Stormm turns… right hand to Grimm. The alliance fractures, as Grimm's eyes blaze with quiet hatred and contempt. Stormm beats Grimm to the punch, drilling him into the corner with a succession of right hands… only for Kyle to club Stormm from behind. A pair of forearms lands, then he sends Stormm off the ropes, and meets him with a dropkick!
Jerry Andrews: Shane is still in this!
Ace Anderson: He was just waiting for those two to start slugging it out.
Shane takes a breather on the mat, but looks up at the crowd, smiling despite the fatigue of the last few minutes. Kyle is quickly back up, but Stormm stomps him and gives him a right hand before nailing a knee facebuster. Stormm senses someone coming from behind, but before Grimm can get his move in, again Stormm beats him to the punch, tagging Grimm with right hands before he too goes down to a saito suplex. Stormm then pulls Grimm off the mat, and then drives Kyle into the opposite corner with right hands. An Irish whip sends Shane across… crashing into Grimm! Stormm lines the two up… then charges across and executes a double Stinger splash. Stormm just hurls his body into Shane, squashing Grimm behind him, with both men slumping out of the corner. Stormm rolls Grimm over and goes for an early cover…
The referee: One… Grimm kicks out strongly.
Stormm is back up, but he’s caught by Kyle, snapping off a string of right hands to the face, before a big right knocks the champion down. Grimm is back up, with Shane now rocking him with rights too, before he grabs him by the head, runs him to the ropes… and launches Grimm over them… but he hangs on, dangling out in the aisle and holding on to the top rope. Shane turns his attentions to Stormm now, lighting the bigger man up with stinging kicks the the hamstring before he goes for an Irish whip… just as Grimm skins the cat… catching Stormm… and taking him outside the ring with a headscissors takedown.
Jerry Andrews: What a maneuver!
Ace Anderson: Grimm, as always, pulling out unexpected athleticism in his unorthodox way.
Grimm then pulls himself back into the ring, and he catches Kyle off-guard with a stiff chop to the chest. More knife edge chops land against the ropes, before Grimm goes for the Irish whip. Kyle reverses, sending the Hangtown Horror to the ropes. Grimm runs under a clothesline, and he turns, thinking he's going to catch Kyle off guard but Kyle is already in light speed motion, floating behind Grimm and taking him down with a sling blade. Kyle drops into the leg hook cover.
The referee: One... Kickout.
Grimm is reeling, as Kyle sends him off the ropes once more… Stormm reaches up… low bridges the top rope… and Grimm hits the floor! Kyle gets to his feet and turns as Stormm goes for a clothesline, but Kyle ducks and locks onto his back with a sleeper hold. Stormm flails his arms around, as Kyle tightens the hold, and the ref asks if he gives up, but Stormm shakes his head no. His face is starting to turn red. He immediately runs backwards and drives Kyle back first into the turnbuckles with force. He squashes Kyle into the corner again and again, and finally Kyle releases the hold enough for Stormm to shift him around, grip him by the side and walk him out into the center of the ring for a sidewalk slam. The match has started at an electric pace, and Stormm looks to quicken it further as he yanks Shane up and fires him to the corner up and over the ropes. Meanwhile Grimms slide back into the ring and blasts Stormm from behind. Now Grimm unloads with a few right hands on his former North American title opponent but he attempts a sleeping neckbreaker that's blocked from Stormm, allowing Stormm to send him into a corner following in with a running shoulder thrust. Stormm then runs in, and gives Grimm a brutal running face wash in the corner.
Jerry Andrews: This match has kept a berserk pace since the opening bell, and they've all done all they can to take control.
Grimm rolls out of the corner, and lays on the mat, blinking blearily and momentarily stunned. Checking around him, Stormm looks for his second opponent, but then an idea seems to cross his mind as he looks to the top rope behind him and he starts pulling himself up. Grimm is still down on the mat, and Stormm, of all people is now ascending to the top. Stormm sets himself and gets ready to stand on the top rope, but before the big man can fly, Shane hops up onto the apron, and shoves Stormm off the top rope all the way to the floor!
Jerry Andrews: Oh my god, what a spill Stormm took there.
Stormm lands with bone-crushing force, with Shane abandoning Grimm in the ring to take the fight to Stormm, shoving him against the barricade. Kyle hauls back, lighting Stormm up with a stiff knife edge chop, followed by a second, then a third against the guardrail. Seeing the action on the floor, Grimm rolls under the bottom rope… just as Kyle lands another chop to the chest… then turns, as Grimm runs through Kyle with a clothesline. Grimm quickly moves in on Stormm, tagging him with well-placed rights against the barricade. Stormm’s head snaps back with each shot. The feared Lord of Misrule seems in his element as he batters Stormm at ringside. Just when all seems well in Grimm's hands, from behind Kyle Shane with a low blow sends Grimm to a knee. The God of Game takes Grimm’s head, walks him over quickly a few paces, and then dashes Grimm face first into the steel ringpost. Grimm pinballs off and falls to the floor. Kyle then grabs a handful of Stormm’s hair, walks towards the ringpost as well… then smashes him off the steel ring steps. Stormm slumps to the floor, and Kyle now turns his focus away from Stormm… to the announce desk. Shane pulls the top of the desk off, monitors are hurled aside, Jerry and Ace take a powder. Looking to take one of his opponents out of the match early, Shane turns back to Stormm and rolls him onto the desk. Shane joins him, dragging Stormm up… then he calls for the Caress of Steel intending to smash them both through the announce table… NO! Stormm counters with a back body drop onto the arena floor! Stormm pulls off a great counter, saving himself and sending Kyle crashing to the floor. Hopping down, he drags Kyle back up, rocking him with a pair of uppercuts. As all this is going on, neither of the bitter rivals see that Grimm has climbed to the top rope of the nearby corner… but the crowd has spotted the Hangtown Horror and is coming alive as Kyle and Stormm turn towards him... and wild, unruly dive from Grimm takes all three men down.
Ace Anderson: Have you ever seen Grimm attempt that?!
Jerry Andrews: Grimm just flew like a proverbial bat out of hell and knocked both men down and possibly out!
The crowd is giving a raucous "THIS IS AWESOME" chant. All three men are down, breathing heavily in the aisle, having to take a rest from the breakneck pace of the first quarter of the match. Grimm, on top of the bodies of Kyle Shane and Justin Michaels, extricates himself and crawls over, taking in a few quiet breaths and centering himself. Grimm slowly picks Shane up by the hair and back of his pants and throws him across the aisle into the guardrail, sending him crashing brokenly down to the concrete. Grimm then lifts Stormm up, clubbing him over the back from a facelock position, and he rolls him into the ring. He covers Stormm...
The referee: One...
Two... Kickout.
Grimm lifts Stormm up and begins hitting rapid fire knee lifts to the face. He plants Stormm with a vertical suplex. He goes to lift Stormm up again but Stormm gives him a European that makes him stumble back. Stormm gets to his feet and nearly takes Grimm's head off with a big boot, as he notices a winded Kyle Shane is rolling painfully into the ring. Stormm turns to Kyle, giving him a few clubbing blows to the back, and then he drops Shane with a back suplex. Grimm gets to his feet, and then Stormm grips his arm and whips him with force into the corner, following it up by charging in and hitting a nasty looking corner spear. Grimm is doubled over nearly in half, his eyes open wide in pain, and Stormm pulls him out and hits a short DDT. Stormm lifts Grimm up and hits an inverted STO, then drops into the cover.
Jerry Andrews: Flash Flood connects to Grimm, this may be it!
The referee: One...
Two... Kickout.
Stormm lifts Grimm up, when suddenly Grimm rakes his eyes. Stormm turns away, scrubbing at his eyes, and Grimm takes a moment to stumble away. He finds Kyle, and he lifts the God of Game up up. He applies a headlock on him, then he drops Shane with a running bulldog. He starts to go for a cover, but Stormm dives at him to break it up. Grimm has it spotted and moves, letting Stormm sandwich Kyle. Stormm gets up to his knees, and Grimm punts him in the side of the head. Stormm flops back to the mat. Grimm has an inscrutable look on his face as always, but he doesn't waste time mocking his opponents. Grimm then walks over to Kyle. He punishes Kyle with a backbreaker over his knee. Then, he grips the arm and twists it back with a Fujiwara armbar. Kyle screams in pain. Grimm yanks back on the arm. Shane flails his free arm, and the referee asks him if he is going to give up. Shane refuses, and Grimm pulls back on the arm at an angle that makes everyone at ringside start getting squeamish for the next few moments. Kyle begins fighting back by flinging elbows into Grimm's temple, repeatedly, until he finally loosens the hold. Grimm clubs Shane over the back of the head. He whips Kyle to the ropes. Shane catches himself on the ropes as he approaches and stops himself. And Grimm comes running in, but Shane meets him by flaring an elbow out. Grimm turns away, holding his cheek, and as Kyle has Grimm's back for that split second he takes advtange by cupping Grimm's chin with both hands and landing a falling single leg backstabber. Shane's knee and shin are buried deep between Grimm's shoulder blades and he bounces off, falling onto his stomach. Shane greedily pulls Grimm over, goes for a cover.
Jerry Andrews: Shane raises a Black Flag, this is his opportunity -
The referee: One...
Two... Stormm breaks it out, throwing Shane between the middle and bottom rope to the outside. The crowd boos loudly.
Jerry Andrews: Oh, come on, Stormm is blatantly trying to steal this match!!
Ace Anderson: This is the thinking man's strategy that made Stormm a champion for so long, Jerry. He let Shane do all the work and then he capitalized.
Jerry Andrews: Then how do you account for Kyle Shane holding the World Title for an equal amount of time?
Ace Anderson: Dumb luck?
Stormm, not letting Grimm get up, pushes down on him and tries for a cover with his feet on the ropes, but the referee notices. Stormm gets to his feet, protesting, but the referee motions he sees Stormm cheating. Stormm, aggravated, threatens the referee and tells him to do his job. Then he turns back to Grimm. Grimm, having taken enough time to recover, jabs Stormm in the stomach with a boot, then rises to his feet. He comes behind a staggered Stormm and crushes him with a sleeping neckbreaker, then he paces over to the corner and seems to be readying himself for a Harvest, but he turns and spots Shane on the apron, and Shane grabs his hair and drops off the apron right quick and hangs Grimm up by the throat on the top rope. Grimm goes falling back, holding his throat. The crowd pops as Shane enters the fray again.
Shane slithers into the ring again and meets a rising Stormm with a kick to the gut.Shane knocks down Stormm with a head butt as Grimm waits behind Shane stomping his feet. Shane turns around and Grimm runs at him for a splash. Shane ducks and Grimm runs into the turnbuckle and staggers back towards him as Shane goes for a clothesline. Grimm ducks and locks onto his back and sends him flying with one German suplex. As he drags Shane back up and goes for a second Stormm gets up, and before Grimm can pull off the second suplex he is poked in the eye by Stormm. Grimm breaks the hold as Shane and Stormm run at Grimm with a double clothesline and knock him down. They pick Grimm up and hit a double snap suplex. Now the crowd is going nuts because Kyle Shane and Stormm of all people are working together.
Jerry Andrews: Here's something I never thought I'd see in my life.
Kyle lays several more boots to Grimm, then he pulls Grimm over to the turnbuckle and begins pushing his face into it with his boot. He backs up to the opposite side of the ring, then flies in with a dropkick to the back that makes Grimm arch his back in pain and fall backwards. Stormm tries to go for the cover, but Kyle stops him, turns him around and doubles him over with a boot to the gut, then hits a t-bone suplex. Then Shane begins climbing the turnbuckle. Grimm is laid out on the apron as Shane blasts Stormm with a missile dropkick from the top rope. Both men are down, but then Grimm comes back into play and rolls into the ring. Grimm goes for the pin but Kyle Shane breaks it up with a stomp to the back of the head. Grimm and Shane go eye to eye, and Shane swings at Grimm with a right hook and Grimm fires back with a right of his own. Back and forth Grimm and Shane trade hits until Stormm puts Grimm to his knees with a low blow and throws him into the corner. Kyle turns around, and Stormm hits a jawbreaker. Kyle flops back, and begins holding his mouth in agony. Grimm, meanwhile, is pulling himself up. Stormm lifts a limp Kyle up and plants him with a belly to belly suplex. He then starts calling for a spinning fisherman buster, but Kyle pulls his head free, spins out of it and drags Stormm down with a single knee facebuster.
Jerry Andrews: This match has been all about the three best wrestlers in the world going crazy and bringing their A-game.
Shane takes a moment to rest, taking several deep lungfuls of air before pulling himself to his feet. He lifts goes to pick Grimm up. He dumps Grimm out of the ring, letting Grimm fall to the outside. Now Kyle turns back to Stormm. Stormm fires right hands at Kyle's midsection rather than be picked up, and Kyle tries to put a stop to it but Stormm is firing up. He fights his way to his feet, landing a few back elbows until Shane staggers away. Kyle up, running a thumb across his throat, and calling again for the Force of Nature. Kyle is able to spin out of it, and then she hits Stormm with a spinning back kick to the midsection, doubling him over, then he runs off the ropes and hits a running codebreaker, dropping Stormm's face down on his knees. Kyle runs to the ropes, jumps up to the second rope and hits a hands free Asai moonsault. Kyle stays on top for the cover.
The referee: One...
Two... Kickout.
Stormm throws Kyle off him with force. With pitbull tenacity Kyle gets to his feet, giving a rising Stormm a few kicks, but on his last attempt he catches his foot. He gets to his feet, holding his leg, and then spins him around, and when he fully turns Stormm knocks him into next week with a clothesline. Stormm lifts Kyle up and whips him into the corner. Kyle at the last second is able to spring up to the top turnbuckle, set himself, and he attempts to fly off with a moonsault. Stormm gets up, catching him across his shoulder in midflight, and then he turns and plants him with a running powerslam. Kyle arches his back in pain. Stormm drops down for a cover.
The referee: One....
Two... Kickout.
Stormm peels Kyle up. He puts his head between his legs, motioning that it's over. Stormm lifts him up, going for a powerbomb, but Kyle begins pounding on his head, making Stormm stagger over towards the ropes with Kyle on his shoulders. When they get to the ropes, Kyle performs a sort of hurricanrana, pulling Stormm down throat first across the top rope. Stormm staggers away, holding his throat, and then he drops to his knees. Shane lifts him up in a vertical hold and then is able to drop him into a brainbuster on his knee!
Jerry Andrews: Shane with another new move to his repertoire!
Kyle holds his arms out to the crowd, getting a huge "SHANE, SHANE, SHANE" reaction and then he begins climbing the turbuckle. Suddenly, Grimm comes up from under him and, even though Kyle tries kicking him off, Grimm clubs him over the back and pulls him off the turnbuckle, and decks him. He throws Kyle into the corner and unloads on him with several right hands, then runs back and gives him a corner clothesline until Kyle is hanging limply in the corner. Grimm drops Kyle with a falling reverse DDT. Stormm is pulling himself up to his feet and Grimm turns to him, then he nails a right hand to Stormm. Grimm and Stormm are fighting on either side of the apron, as Kyle begins pulling himself and goes for a spear. Both Stormm and Grimm duck out of harm’s way and Kyle goes flying through the ropes to the outside, crashing and burning!
Ace Anderson: That was the stupidest move I've ever seen from him!
Jerry Andrews: The carnage we've seen in this match is unbelievable!
Grimm gets up and looks at Stormm and points to Shane lying on the floor lifeless. Stormm shakes his head as he drops down to the floor, stalking Shane. Stormm beats on the head of Shane as Grimm stomps on his feet. He stalks Stormm as the lifeless Shane grabs onto to Grimm's feet. Grimm turns around and points at Shane and is about to nail Shane with a right, but Stormm produces something from the pocket of his pants, quickly donning them and nailing a big right hand to the jaw, dropping Grimm like a stone. The crowd reacts with a nuclear heat as Stormm holds his hands up, basking in his betrayal. Stormm stands over Grimm and gets right next to his face with brass knuckle as he starts talking trash to him.
Jerry Andrews: Stormm couldn't even let the alliance get too far into beating down Kyle before he turned and decked Grimm with a loaded fist!
Ace Anderson: Triple threat rules, Andrews, every man for himself!
Stormm is standing over Grimm, pointing and gesticulating down at him. Suddenly, Grimm kicks Stormm right in the groin, doubling him over and allowing Grimm to lift him up and drill him with a DDT onto the concrete aisle. He goes to pick up Stormm, but then seems to think better of it. Seeing Kyle still laid out, he then picks Shane up and throws him into the ring.
The referee: One...
Two...
Thre - Kickout.
Grimm looks down at Shane with as much shock and annoyance as you could ever discern from Grimm's face, and he slowly starts to pull himself up. He lifts Shane up. Stormm is also getting up on the outside. Stormm, holding his groin, grips on to the apron, staring with uncomprehending confusion. Grimm lays in a few right hands to the senseless and dazed Shane. They don't pay much attention to Stormm trying to get in the ring. Grimm whips Shane off the ropes, and he goes for a running clothesline at the same time Stormm also tries to run in and clothesline Shane, BUT... the wily God of Game ducks both of them, slipping through, and Grimm and Stormm just clothesline each other. Both men are laid out and winded from impact. Kyle gets up slowly, taking a breather. Grimm gets up, shaking the cobwebs out. Grimm turns into a series of chops and slaps from Kyle as Stormm comes walking up behind them. Kyle finishes the series by going for a step-up enziguri that Grimm ducks. Kyle’s leg actually connects with Stormm, who is in the path of the kick. Grimm pushes Shane into Stormm and Stormm, holding the back of his head, boots Kyle in the gut. Grimm runs and jumps on both of them as he throws punches left and right hitting anything he connects with. Shane, Stormm and Grimm just start throwing punches to each other left and right. Shane slaps Grimm across the face. Grimm swings for a clothesline, which Kyle ducks, and it takes Stormm down.
Jerry Andrews: With all three men attacking at the same time, they’re all laying into each other!
Grimm turns right into a rising uppercut from Kyle Shane! The crowd pops huge for the Shoryuken, and start a "Shane, Shane, Shane" chant.
Jerry Andrews: There's the Shoryuken, can Shane capitalize?!
Before Shane can take advantage with a pin, Stormm reaches in and drags Shane to the mat, then under the bottom rope. Once again on the outside, Stormm strikes with right hands, but when he goes for an Irish whip towards the barricade, Kyle reverses… Stormm GOES UPSIDE DOWN AGAINST THE BARRICADE! Sensing a chance to weaken one of the competitors, Shane looks to target the back of Stormm as he yanks Stormm up and drives the big man's spine first into the ring… just as Grimm arrives with a baseball slide! Stormm takes the impact, but it’s Shane who is sent tumbling to the concrete. Looking to gain a measure of control, Grimm tosses Stormm back into the ring, the frantic pace of the opening moments now a little more sedate as Grimm unloads with another trio of chops to the chest in the corner, before he pummels Stormm to the mat with hard right hands. He then grabs a handful of hair, yanking Stormm from the corner… then shooting him right back in, shoulder first in the ringpost! Stormm grimaces in pain in the corner, with Grimm turning him around, climbing to the second rope to rain down with right hands. The crowd count along with Grimm, all the way up to seven… until Stormm grabs Grimm’s legs, walking forward… then drops Grimm face first on the top turnbuckle! Grimm staggers away from the corner, but here comes Stormm off the ropes with a one handed bulldog! He shoots Grimm over, hooking a leg…
The referee: One...
Two...
Thre- Kickout!
Looking to build on his advantage, Stormm drags Grimm back up, striking with kicks to the chest that back him into the corner. Stormm drives a shoulder to the midsection, and again, before he handsprings back… and charges in for the third shoulder thrust… but out of nowhere Grimm bursts from the corner with a stone headbutt, the Dead Reckoning! Stormm is ROCKED. Both men are on their feet only for a split second, but then they fall, Grimm out of exhaustion, Stormm because headbutt to the face. The referee starts checking on both men. And it's only about a minute later that they start showing signs of life. Both Stormm and Grimm on the mat for a few seconds, until Grimm returns to his feet, as Stormm is back on his knees, not sensing the Grimm is pulling himself onto the second rope, waiting patiently for the opportunity to present itself, and Grimm flies off the top rope, catches Stormms head and spikes it right into the mat with a tornado DDT! The crowd comes unglued as the Harvest connects.
Suddenly, The lights go out. The crowd cheers instinctively before eventually falling silent. The sound of guitars pierce through the silence. "Wastelands" by Linkin Park begins to boom throughout the arena, the lights in the building flashing along with the drum beat of the song. Then, from the entrance way, steps Rick Majors.
Majors walks slowly, looking out around the arena as he continues his way down to the ring.
Jerry Andrews: WHAT IS RICK MAJORS DOING OUT HERE?!
Ace Anderson: We saw him and Grimm had some words earlier!
Grimm is getting to his feet, and he stares daggers at Majors. Majors is making a beeline for ringside, not taking his eyes off Grimm, and while Grimm is aware that he would be making the pin on Stormm off the Harvest, he can't let Majors presence not be address. Majors stares at him as he comes towards the apron, and then suddenly Shane comes from behind, shoving Grimm into the turnbuckle chest first and coming behind him with a Chaos theory German suplex into a pin, reminiscent of his series with Gerard Angelo.
Jerry Andrews: Shane just took advantage of the distraction by Majors!
Ace Anderson: Majors is out here to act like a thorn in Grimm's side, and it's working.
The referee: One....
Two....
Thre - Stormm MAKES THE SAVE!!
A double axe-handle to the stomach breaks up the cover, and now Stormm is back up, landing right hands to Shane as he struggles back to his knees. Suddenly Kyle lands a shot to the gut, then bursts to his feet to rattle Stormm with right hands, backing him to the ropes. He then goes for the Irish whip… but Stormm reverses, and lowers his head... but too early, Shane meets him with a kick right to the jaw! Stormm stumbles backwards, but quickly returns with a clothesline… that Shane ducks… lifts Stormm up, and crushes him with a Last Ride powerbomb. Kyle takes control, but here comes Grimm back into things… running clothesline… no! Grimm runs into a boot to the gut… but he catches it… and nails the Foddershock! Shane is down, and Grimm peels him back up, hooks him for a sleeping neckbreaker. He hits it!!
Grimm gets all of it, and now he’s headed for the corner, the Dome coming alive in anticipation as Grimm fires himself to the ropes again to go for a Harvest on Shane… but Rick Majors is on that side of the ring, and Grimm's attention is taken by Majors. Grimm, having had enough, drops down off the top rope. He motions a warning to Majors, who backs away from ringside, but not enough for Grimm. Grimm stalks around the ring, the match temporarily forgotten because he's trying to chase Rick Majors away from ringside. Seeing that Grimm was distracted by Rick Majors, an opportunistic Stormm lifts a barely conscious Kyle up, and hits an implant DDT. He cranes his head to look to see where Grimm is. Grimm is outside, face to face with Rick Majors, and Majors is taunting Grimm. Stormm is good, he guesses, so he goes for the cover.
Jerry Andrews: This may be Stormm's moment to shine!!
The referee: One...
Two...
Three - KICKOUT!!
There's a thunderous reaction for Kyle Shane, who's looking too dazed to move. Stormm can't believe it. He shakes his head, and demands the ref tell him it was three, but alas that's not to be. He pulls Shane back up, looking around at the crowd who are booing him loudly Stormm grits his teeth, and he seems to sense the match is getting away from him. He runs his hands through his hair. The crowd is chanting, loud enough to go up into the rafters, "SHANE, SHANE, SHANE," and Stormm screams at them to shut their mouths. Stormm starts to go for the cover, but then he thinks better of it. Instead, he walks over and stands on top of Kyle, then he applies a modified crossface. Kyle's eyes bug out of his head. His arms flail around in the air, but he can't reach the ropes. Stormm yells for the referee to ring the bell, but the referee is outside, trying to defuse the situation between Rick Majors and Grimm is still down on the mat, trying to clear the cobwebs out of his head. After a moment, a frustrated Stormm gets to his feet, and stands there by the ropes, yelling at the ref to pay attention. Suddenly, Kyle comes back to life, nipping up, setting his feet and when Stormm turns, Kyle makes him pay with a spinning roundhouse kick right to the side of the head.
Jerry Andrews: Stormm and the referee both were paying too much attention to the drama between Grimm and Majors, and Shane capitalized with a Dead Eye!!
Shane, completely spent, is on all fours, but he punches his fists into the mat, willing himself to get back into it. The crowd is getting behind him with a motivating clap, and Shane rises, holding his arms out to the crowd, then he makes a crossed wrist motion and extends his arm, wrist out, to motion that he's brought out his Hidden Blade. Stormm is on his back, but is in the process of getting into a seated position, holding his head where Shane kicked it. Shane rockets off the ropes past Stormm, and he flies in, blasting the seated Stormm in the back of the neck with a roaring elbow! The crowd erupts in a huge way for the new finisher!
Jerry Andrews: And Shane unleashes a Hidden Blade, straight into the skull of Stormm!!
Shane, using all of his strength, rolls Stormm onto his back and hooks the leg. On the outside, referees and officials have come to keep the peace between Grimm and Majors, who are about to come to blows.
The referee spots Shane in the cover off the Hidden Blade, and he drops down for a count.
The referee and the crowd: ONE...
TWO...
THREE!!
Ding Ding Ding
Sasha Greene: Here is your winner... KYLE SHANE!!
"In The Morning And Amazing" by Circa Survive hits on the PA and Shane gets to his feet, shouting triumphantly and holding his arms up. Grimm, having finally realized he screwed himself by being distracted by Majors, looks on from outside, as much upset as he could ever seem. Majors, on the other side of the officials separating them, taunts Grimm.
Jerry Andrews: Well you have to give an assist to Majors...
Ace Anderson: He's just petty, he just wanted to cost Grimm the match!
Grimm, having had enough of Majors taunting, throws a punch, furiously breaking through the officials separating them, and rocking Majors. Majors falls back, and Grimm comes in with several more furious punches as referees are holding him back. Majors recovers now and he goes after Grimm, getting his shots in and laying in to Grimm's head and face, despite people trying to hold them back. The wild brawl starts breaking down. In the ring, Shane is standing on the top rope, taking in the reaction of the crowd.
Jerry Andrews: Things are chaotic to say the least, but regardless, Kyle Shane picks up a big win tonight.
Ace Anderson: You know that Kyle meant it when he said he was going to do whatever it took to get back on top.
Kyle Shane, standing on the top rope, looks down into the hard camera. He makes a title sign around his waist and says, clearly enough for the camera to pick up his words, "Kyle Shane Remastered is going to get his trophy. I'm coming for it. The Icemann Invitational Tournament. All of you get ready."
- CLICK -