(EAW intro plays.)
(The recap for last week’s Voltage is shown, highlighting the victors and major events before the video package comes to an end. After this, the camera opens up to the Arena COS Torwar in Warsaw, Poland, where Sunday Night Voltage will take place tonight. The fans in attendance cheer loudly, all shown to be excited for the upcoming show as the camera pans around the crowd. After this, the camera cuts to the commentary table where Rich Russillo, Thadd Blazevich and Persephone are all seen.)
Rich Russillo: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Sunday Night Voltage! Tonight we have some great matches lined up for you all, with not just tag team action, but also the Specialists Championship match between Saori Aizen and Delaney Rhodes!
Thadd Blazevich: And bros, if that’s not good enough we got Diamond Dixon and Drake Armstrong closing this out in the main event! This is gonna be a killer show, just what we need to get hype for Wicked Games!
Persephone: What we need is blood or at least weapons, but we don’t get anything good around here.
(Voltage opens to Shoi Miyazawa’s “The Promised Consort” ringing loudly inside Arena COS Torwar—reaching high enough decibels to faintly mask the negative reaction paired alongside the track.)
(Kai Rabeaux walks out on the stage, his eyes rather monotonous, with bags under them, and veins emerging along his skin. He was not dressed in the usual dress suit — but instead a simple sleeveless shirt over a pair of fitted pants. Today was not about anything “fancy” for Kai.)
Persephone: I wish Voltage would start with somebody I like for once.
Thadd Blazevich: Do you like anybody tho?
Persephone: …
Rich Russillo: Suffice to say, it has not been a great few weeks ever since Kai lost the Hardcore Title. A lot of people are saying he had it coming… and who am I to argue against that? Last week, an interview with Sofia Clarke did not go so well— somehow, that led to a small altercation with Auburn Ware… followed by a warning from Damon Lazarus.
Thadd Blazevich: Bro made sure to listen last week, question is, will he go and poke the bear again?
(Without any theatrical patience, Kai steps into the ring. The music inside of the arena fades, as a microphone is quickly handed to him.)
(Kai stares into the distance in the middle of the ring. After moments, he slowly begins to raise the microphone to his lips.)
Kai Rabeaux: The word “irate” does not even begin to describe the ordeals I am currently faced with!
(The crowd, already tired of the moaning, heaves a loud wave of boos towards Kai.)
Kai Rabeaux: SHUT! UP!! I do not need subhuman trash belonging to the lowest depths of the second-world to scream their WORTHLESS lungs out! I am ROYALTY!! I AM PERFECTION!!! MY MERE PRESENCE IS A PRIVILEGE TO BOW YOUR HEADS AT, WARSAW!!!
(The Polish crowd’s noise only grows louder in reaction. The last thing they needed in this escape from daily life was a whiny sore loser.)
(Kai takes a moment to exhale sharply, regathering his thoughts as he rubs his fingers harshly across his forehead. Naturally, the noise surrounding him eventually dwindles.)
Kai Rabeaux: There… There is NOTHING anybody can tell me… NOTHING! I am Voltage’s Overlord — what that means, is that I am an INHERENT superior to every lackwit roaming around MY place that dare call themselves “talents”! That old geezer, his saccharine, obedient followers, who had the gall to get in my face!? MEANINGLESS!! You stand as MY successors! LEMMINGS of a trail I have already marked! MY SALUTATIONS, YOU PEOPLE HAVE PROVEN CAPABLE OF FOLLOWING GIANT, ARROW-SHAPED WOODEN POSTS!!
Kai Rabeaux: A “thank you” would have sufficed, apropos…
(Kai shakes his head.)
Kai Rabeaux: The successes I have witnessed at Territorial Invasion for Voltage—all RUBBED in my face like another’s business is by some form humiliation, I see as merely a result of UTTER inadequacy in competition! Yet this place parades itself as the golden standard of professional wrestling—while the only piece who TRULY represents that standard is RENOUNCED by its leaders! CHAMPIONSHIP GOLD is handed out of PITY!! TRUE conquerors are OSTRACIZED, OUTCASTED, PUT ON BLAST!!! We are at the absolute HEIGHT of inanity!!
Kai Rabeaux: In which case, I have reached a simple conclusion. Regardless of all such strife… disrespect thrown my way by both Charisma and this entire roster alike… regardless of it all… I know where I belong.
Kai Rabeaux: And when I look at the place I am naturally drawn to…? I see patheticism in its truest form. This past week… as I had to… unwind myself… I sat and watched a pitiful World Champion APOLOGIZE that he outwrestled his opponent via the use of a school-boy. What a joke.
(Kai chuckles. It’s the only thing he could do at the thought.)
Kai Rabeaux: I’ve bore witness to Hans Grayson’s petulance first hand… The man should call himself lucky he earned the privilege to share a War Games victory with myself. Tiresome moral debates amidst wartime? Good grief! This EAW World Champion’s narcissistic “rebellion” came to affect me. As he flailed his arms like a child throwing a tantrum, I was left with no choice but to put up with that nonsense… until I could not. I made the EAW World Champion PAY for his actions, I defeated him the very same night of my advent to the Hardcore Championship took place! And, I am SICK of the pity enforced upon me over merely losing ONE match to a talentless hack and that imbecilic midget she calls a sister.
Kai Rabeaux: My superiority over Hans Grayson has, evidently, been proven. Ergo, I want what he is keeping warm. The EAW World Championship.
(Kai’s words carried a definitive tone, however…)
(“Once Then We’ll Be Free” by Wisp hits.)
(Jay Jerry Johnson steps out onto the stage, shaking his head as he eyes down Kai with clear disapproval over their newfound conflict of interest, merely another to the pile of blood in their water.)
Thadd Blazevich: Ooooohhhh this is getting exciting!! Kai’s sights seem to be elsewhere after last week’s “incident”, but there’s some high bidders in line for that EAW World Championship opportunity!
Persephone: Yeah, Jay was a sore loser last week. Now Kai is a sore loser. Why do these guys think another shot will suddenly change everything?
Thadd Blazevich: Well, we’ve seen things change in the blink of an eye before. That’s the fun part about this industry!
Persephone: “Fun”, my ass.
Rich Russillo: Jay was quite outspoken last week in regards to wanting another shot at Hans Grayson, and while he wasn’t denied it, nothing truly concrete was made. It certainly rubbed Daniella Atlas the wrong way, and I don’t think she’s happy herself that Kai seems to assert himself into the mix after the victory she scored at Territorial Invasion to earn the shot to begin with!
(Jay takes fairly patient steps among the apron, before he enters the ring. He eyes down Kai for long moments, before he reaches out for a microphone.)
Jay Jerry Johnson: Before your boyhood dreams run wild on themselves… as they often tend to do— I felt it was necessary to put an early halt on your proclaimed ambitions. Kai, I want to spare no more time than I must with you. You are repulsive to be around, after all, so I will be blunt, and clear: go find yourself something else to do.
Kai Rabeaux: Pardon?
Jay Jerry Johnson: Am I not…clear?
Kai Rabeaux: HAH!!
(Kai’s loud chuckle quickly turns into a stern expression.)
Kai Rabeaux: You are absolutely clear. And I wish to be just as clear in telling you: no.
Jay Jerry Johnson: Fine. Totally, fine! I reckon since just mere weeks ago, I pinned your shoulders to the mat, you are merely an additional factor. Not a threat. Simply an additional number.
Kai Rabeaux: Ah, of course. I am certain Miku Sakai will emerge to hand you victory once more, now will she not?
Jay Jerry Johnson: I am glad you have something to cushion your fall. That is the best you can do, after all. Alas, I know I am better than you. A man whose whole identity is a complete folly, could never wish to match up to a technical mastermind’s in-ring skills. That is not something results can dictate. That is simply an innate fact of life. I don’t want my continued venture towards the EAW World Championship to have more complications than it already has. So, Kai, how about you go and earn yourself an opportunity? Bide your time, stay out of my way while you still possess the chance. Why won’t you?
Kai Rabeaux: Fancy nothings, Jay. I should earn an opportunity? Coming from YOU? You are merely in this conversation because you could not hold Hans in a tight enough grip to drive his neck into the mat—you have excused yourself to the point that idiot felt guilt. To the point that FOOL could not turn you down, as every LOGICAL man would—
(“The Clincher” by Chevelle brings Kai’s words to an abrupt halt—as Daniella Atlas storms to ringside with a microphone already in hand, without any care for theatrics, simply getting down to business and resolving this matter that has seemingly brushed her to the side despite being the one to win her opportunity.)
(She quickly enters the ring, and gets in the middle of both Jay and Kai, giving both an eye-rolling look, before taking a calm breath into the microphone.)
Daniella Atlas: Such blaring discussion centered around the idea of earning an opportunity, and yet… I am the only who to actually have earned a rightful shot. You people… just how do you keep on piling up, while truly having nothing to your name; only hubristic ambitions and privileged talk. I sense the personal bond brewing, it is almost akin to the one of Drake Armstrong & Bronson Daniels, thus I wonder why your involvement begun in the first place? Resolve your matters, boys, and prove something inside of that ring before hotshotting yourselves to spots you only believe you belong in.
Daniella Atlas: I have had to defeat two former World Champions to earn this shot. Kai Rabeaux, in the meantime, has been left to adjust to life without a finger & a championship while he wallows in his unique brand of self-pity. Jay Jerry Johnson, meanwhile, has cried blood and tears on this mat, for naught— whether it was pride which was put on the line, or honor as a professional wrestler.
Daniella Atlas: Instead of the champion getting a sense of me, and I a sense of him, my post-Territorial Invasion high was spent hearing the whining of two men over the circumstances they put themselves in. I truly did not wish for such an aftermath to unravel… yet nonetheless… do not believe my intention changes. Your goals are irrelevant. In my mind, your actions are likewise, for as disgusting as you may both have proven to be. In such a cutthroat world, you may only see numbness beaten into you one way or another. My mind sets itself on the one thing we all have no choice but to do: hunt for glory, acclaim, championship spoils. Hans Grayson is MY challenge to undertake… and that championship is mine to grasp…
(Daniella drops the microphone affirmatively, her eyes more focused than ever. Jay remains frustrated over the whole ordeal. Kai has not an ounce of care to spare over everybody else’s cases—if he wants the shot, then he’s getting it.)
(As the three find themselves staring each other down, at intense conflict over the crossover of their respective ambitions… “The Leaving Song Pt. II” by AFI hits, and the crowd goes into a frenzy.)
(The whole ordeal centered around the EAW World Championship… suppose it was only a matter of time until its holder showed up.)
(Hans comes out on the stage, microphone already in hand, title wrapped neatly around his waist. He signals to cut the music, and gets right to business.)
Hans Grayson: Okay, okay. I think I’ve heard enough. I see the expressions on your faces. I’ve felt the tension in the air. All of these words have reached me loud and clear. I will keep this simple. I’m not a coward, and I’m not the type to tell a hungry opponent “no”, no matter what I think of them.
Hans Grayson: So, fine. You all want my title? Then have at it.
(Hans smirks.)
Hans Grayson: Wicked Games. Fatal 4-Way. Take your best shot at quenching my flame.
(The crowd explodes with cheers. Hans raises his title, while each of his challengers look on at the piece of gold… a reminder just who has all the cards. Kai’s anger has not relented—he would of course rather have a one-on-one shot. Likewise, Jay has a score to settle that is more intimate to the mat. Daniella, meanwhile, feels discounted after the efforts she’d gone through, only for everyone else to waltz forth.)
(But the fighting champion would never back down from a fight, no matter who it was against, or how grueling it would be.)
(With his arm and title raised high, Hans reminds the world who the man at the top is. With that being the last shot, Voltage fades elsewhere.)
(The camera cuts backstage to Captain Charisma, who stands in front of his desk with his hands clasped together, prepared to address the camera. A slight smirk forms on his face, growing wider as cheers from the audience can be heard upon seeing the Voltage Commissioner.)
Captain Charisma: Ladies and gentlemen, we are officially on the road to Wicked Games, and after everything that happened at Territorial Invasion, I think it’s safe to say that Voltage has entered this part of the season with a lot of momentum. We walked away with victories in both Brand Warfare and War Games, but beyond those two matches, I’ve been impressed by what I’ve seen from this roster throughout the season, which is why whenever one of our marquee events comes around, I want to make sure we’re putting together the best show possible. Wicked Games will be no different, and there are already some major matches beginning to take shape, including one surrounding the EAW World Championship. Last week, Hans Grayson stood in the ring following his successful defense at Territorial Invasion, and before long he had Daniella Atlas and Jay Jerry Johnson standing across from him. Daniella earned the right to become number one contender, while Jay made it clear that he isn’t willing to move on after coming as close as he did to defeating Hans.
Captain Charisma: There’s a lot surrounding that Championship right now, and at Wicked Games, all of it will come to a head when the EAW World Championship is defended in a Fatal Four Way match since Kai Rabeaux has decided he wants in on the action as well.
(The fans can be heard cheering loudly following the announcement.)
Captain Charisma: Hans will have three opponents standing between him and another successful defense, but that isn’t the only major match I have in mind for Wicked Games. Road to Redemption will follow, and with it comes the Extreme Elimination Chamber, where six Elitists will compete with the EAW World Championship at stake. There are plenty of people on this roster looking for the chance to take the next step, so at Wicked Games, there will be a match where the winner officially earns a spot in that Chamber. The full field will be announced in due time, but with an opportunity like that waiting for the winner, I’m expecting everyone involved to bring their best.
(A knock comes from the office door, causing Captain Charisma to turn his attention away from the camera.)
Captain Charisma: Come in.
(The door opens, and Cosmo Goldworthy walks into the office before approaching Captain Charisma.)
Cosmo Goldworthy: You called me in?
Captain Charisma: I did, and your timing couldn’t be better. I was just talking about the match I’ve put together for Wicked Games, where the winner earns a spot in the EAW World Championship Extreme Elimination Chamber. I’m not announcing the entire field tonight, but I already know the first Elitist that’ll be competing.
Captain Charisma: You.
(A grin forms on Cosmo’s face.)
Cosmo Goldworthy: See, now we talkin’. That’s the kinda shit I’ve been waiting to hear.
Captain Charisma: I thought you’d be interested.
Cosmo Goldworthy: Of course I’m interested. Shit, you know how things have been goin’ for me. Territorial Invasion didn’t end how I wanted it to. Diamond beat me, she got her shot at the Hardcore Championship, and I had to sit there afterward wondering where the hell I was supposed to go from there. I ain’t afraid to admit that bothered me. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t.
Cosmo Goldworthy: But what am I supposed to do, keep crying over it? I already lost. I can’t go back and change that shit, so all I could do was show up the next week and try to do better. I beat Reylin, and now you’re telling me I got a chance to get into the Chamber. I’d say things are lookin’ a little better.
Captain Charisma: You did beat Reylin, although Igon Mordren showing up certainly didn’t hurt your chances.
Cosmo Goldworthy: Man, come on. What was I supposed to do? Reylin saw Igon and took his eyes off me. I didn’t ask that motherfucker to come out there, but I wasn’t about to stand around waiting for Reylin to remember we had a match either. He gave me an opening and I took it. If he got a problem with how that went down, he can take that up with Igon.
Captain Charisma: I figured you’d see it that way.
Cosmo Goldworthy: I needed the win, dawg. I’m not gonna sit here and feel bad about how I got it.
Captain Charisma: Fair enough, but I do want to make one thing clear. I’m not giving you a spot in the Extreme Elimination Chamber. You’ll have to win at Wicked Games to get there, and whoever else enters that match will be fighting for the same thing.
Cosmo Goldworthy: That’s cool with me. I mean, if you wanna skip all that and put me in the Chamber right now, I ain’t gonna complain.
Captain Charisma: That’s not happening.
Cosmo Goldworthy: Worth a shot.
(Cosmo laughs.)
Cosmo Goldworthy: Nah, I get it. I know how this game works. You get an opportunity, you make the most of it. I haven’t exactly done that every time this season, either. I’ve had matches I should’ve won and didn’t, and after a while you gotta quit finding new ways to explain that shit and just fix it.
Captain Charisma: Last week was a good start, but this will obviously be a much bigger test.
Cosmo Goldworthy: No shit. I ain’t gonna throw a parade because I beat Reylin, but after Territorial Invasion, I needed that. I needed to leave for once without sitting around afterward thinking about what the fuck I did wrong. Now I got something bigger to work toward, and that’s exactly what I wanted.
Captain Charisma: You don’t know who you’ll be facing yet.
Cosmo Goldworthy: And I’m not worried about it. Whoever you pick is probably gonna be good because you ain’t putting a Chamber spot on the line for no reason. I’m sure they’re gonna have their own reasons for wanting this, and that’s fine. I got mine.
(Cosmo shrugs his shoulders.)
Cosmo Goldworthy: Besides, I still think I’m better than most of ‘em.
Captain Charisma: There it is.
Cosmo Goldworthy: What? I can admit I fucked up and still talk my shit. One don’t cancel out the other.
(Captain Charisma slightly shakes his head as Cosmo smiles.)
Cosmo Goldworthy: That’s the thing, though. I know what my season looks like. I know I haven’t done as much as I expected to, but that doesn’t mean I suddenly forgot who the fuck I am. I’ve shown before that I can hang with some of the best people here, and when I’m on my shit, I know how good I am. I just gotta make sure those nights happen a whole lot more often.
Captain Charisma: Which is exactly why you’re getting this opportunity. You’ve had your setbacks, but you responded last week, and now you have the chance to build on it. I can put you in the match, but after that, it’s on you.
Cosmo Goldworthy: That’s all I’m asking for. You ain’t gotta make it easy for me. Put whoever you think belongs in there and we’ll figure it out. They want the Chamber, I want the Chamber, somebody’s gonna have to take the L.
Captain Charisma: You seem pretty sure it won’t be you.
Cosmo Goldworthy: Man, I’ve taken enough of ‘em lately. I’m good.
(Cosmo’s smile fades slightly.)
Cosmo Goldworthy: For real, I came here because I wanted to be great at this shit. I don’t wanna spend my career being the dude everybody says has potential while I keep waiting for that potential to turn into something. I got people back home that would kill to be where I’m at, and my mom went through too much for me to get here just for me to settle. Wrestling is what I chose to do with my life, so I wanna have something to show for it. A few weeks ago, I didn’t know what was next for me, but now I got Wicked Games, and if I win there, I’m going into the Extreme Elimination Chamber with a chance to become EAW World Champion. That’s where my head’s at now. Diamond got what she wanted, and good for her. I gotta go get mine.
Captain Charisma: Then this is your chance.
Cosmo Goldworthy: Yeah. It is.
(Cosmo nods before turning toward the door.)
Cosmo Goldworthy: Announce whoever you want. I’ll be ready for ‘em, and next time you see me, hopefully we ain’t talking about all the shit that went wrong. We’ll be talkin’ about Money Mo going to the Chamber.
Captain Charisma: Win at Wicked Games and we will.
Cosmo Goldworthy: Bet.
(Cosmo exits the office, leaving Captain Charisma alone as the Commissioner turns his attention back toward the camera.)
Captain Charisma: Cosmo Goldworthy is officially the first participant, and in the coming weeks, we’ll find out exactly who will be joining him. Whoever wins at Wicked Games will earn their place in the EAW World Championship Extreme Elimination Chamber at Road to Redemption.
(The camera begins to fade away from Captain Charisma’s office and into a commercial break.)
(Commercial for Lanterns.)
(Sunday Night Voltage returns as the camera focuses on the backstage area of Arena COS Torwar, specifically inside the general locker room area. There, the shot focuses on Cynthia Valice, who is seen resting her chin in her hands. She doesn’t have her usual peppy attitude on her, as she looks visibly bummed out. She perks up as she notices two people slowly enter the room, Avril Williams and Carmen Sánchez, glancing at her as they awkwardly approach. The two of them look at one another, not exactly knowing what to do, before they slowly speak.)
Carmen Sánchez: Everything alright, chica?
(Cynthia doesn’t respond immediately, exhaling for a brief moment as she rubs the back of her head.)
Cynthia Valice: I wish I could say I was good… but I can’t. I mean, I’m happy for the two of you and the huge opportunity that you got. Fighting for the Unified Tag Team Championships is no joke, and especially against a team like La Farmacia? You’re going to have to be on your A-game. But… It’s left me on the outside looking in. And I’m not gonna say that I’m bummed out or anything; I’m just kinda confused, sitting here wondering what’s next for me. You guys got all this stuff going on; meanwhile, I’m sorta just… left out.
Avril Williams: :whoa: Hey, dude, don’t say that!
(Avril makes her way over and puts a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.)
Carmen Sánchez: Yeah, we know these past couple of weeks haven’t been the best for us, but I think if anything, we showed that it doesn’t define us. Don’t let this bring you down; it’s just a small little rough patch. This isn’t our first one.
(Carmen puts her hand on Cynthia’s other shoulder, as Cynthia looks up and chuckles at them, shaking her head.)
Cynthia Valice: Guys, it’s okay! I’ll be fine. It’s just… it took me by surprise how easy it was for the two of you to just go out there and get another opportunity for yourselves. And I really do think that you’re ready for it, and I hope that you can beat TLA and Bethany to become the new Tag Team Champions. But if you guys could help, I’m really looking for something inspiring right now to get me back on my feet. I mean, sure, we lost together, but last week was my fault. And I know you don’t really think that, but it’s demoralizing to me. Thinking that you’ve got it all figured out, trying to piece it together, just for it all to blow up in your face. So especially after what’s happened? I’m really sorry, guys…
Carmen Sánchez: Sorry for what, hermana? We aren’t upset about anything relating to you, we promise.
Avril Williams: Yeah, dude, last week was OUR loss. It’s OUR cross to bear, but you know what? It doesn’t even matter either, because that’s in the past. What we need to do is focus on the future and not just look at what’s next for the two of us… but what’s next for Cynthia Valice as well.
(Carmen nods along as both women still have their hands on Cynthia’s shoulders.)
Avril Williams: Nobody said it was ever going to be easy, and it’s going to be filled with struggle and pain that we’re going to have to overcome, and I think that we’ve done a helluva job doing it if you ask me. That’s why we got ourselves that title match. I wish I could tell you that it was anything more than a spur-of-the-moment decision, but I’m telling you, when we saw La Farmacia challenging anyone in the back to a match… we just knew.
Carmen Sánchez: We heard what they said; we wanted to prove ourselves, and that’s how things came to be, to be honest… Honestly, though, maybe we jumped the gun seeing the huge opportunity that Captain Charisma just announced!
Avril Williams: Absolutely, dude. I mean, having the opportunity to possibly qualify for the EAW World Title Extreme Elimination Chamber is a huge opportunity for anyone, as is… Maybe you, Cynthia, can go after that shot and qualify for the match at Wicked Games! Think about what that could mean for your career!
Cynthia Valice: You guys think I have a shot at winning that match?
(Both Avril and Carmen nod their heads in encouragement as the three women continue talking to one another.)
Carmen Sánchez: Absolutely! We may have lost at Territorial Invasion and Voltage last week, pero eso no importa! You showed that you’re capable of pushing past your limits, stepping up to the competition, and going all out when it matters, regardless of the result!
Avril Williams: Exactly! Think about what it could mean for your career, Cynthia. Not only would you qualify for a spot inside the Extreme Elimination Chamber if you win, but you could end up winning your very first singles championship here in EAW as well!
Cynthia Valice: Winning a world title as my first championship does sound really enticing too…
Avril Williams: That’s the spirit, dude! Just think how huge of an accomplishment you’ll be getting when you qualify for the match at Wicked Games, take on Cosmo Goldworthy, and whoever else is added to that match, beating them all to cement your name inside that Chamber match! If you can do that, just imagine your chances inside that structure, in a world title match at that!
Cynthia Valice: Maybe that’s what I’ve been missing. I’ve been so focused on the losses that I forgot what I was fighting for in the first place.
Carmen Sánchez: We know you have what it takes to get this done, so what do you say, Cynthia? You think about taking your shot and getting yourself that world title match, or what, hermana?
(Cynthia looks at both Carmen and Avril as she slowly nods her head up and down before speaking up again.)
Cynthia Valice: You know… After everything you two had to say, the encouragement you both have been showing me, and being here to comfort me when I was feeling down… I think you’re both right. You are absolutely right!
Avril Williams: Hell yeah! You’ve got this, dude!
Carmen Sánchez: You’re going to do great, Cynthia!
Cynthia Valice: Aw, thank you so much, you guys! I believe it. I’m ready to bounce back, and I guess the only way to do that is to get myself into this match and get myself one step closer to championship aspirations. Winning the World Championship… It’s a long shot. But it’s a shot that I want to take, and I’m going to bet on myself!
Carmen Sánchez: That’s the spirit, amiga. Taking the gamble is a part of the game, and that’s exactly what me and Avril did, so what’s stopping you from taking your shot as well? We’re both rooting for you.
Cynthia Valice: I can’t imagine a better way to bounce back from a horrible two weeks than to win the Unified Tag Team Championships AND get into the Extreme Elimination Chamber. We’re all here for one reason, and that’s because we are fighting to prove that we belong and that we can be champions. It’s easy to doubt yourself this early in the game, but you two changed my mind. Now, I am beyond pumped to prove my worth and make you both proud!
Carmen Sánchez: You’re already doing your part; just pick yourself up and go out there to give it your absolute best!
Avril Williams: You didn’t get this far in your career because of us, and we both know you’re going to do great as long as you keep yourself locked in! Do this for yourself, knowing we will be cheering for you on the side!
Cynthia Valice: You’re both so right, and that just means I have to do everything I can to qualify for this match, earn my spot in the Extreme Elimination Chamber, and start believing that I CAN become world champion! It really means a lot hearing all these kind words from both of you, but don’t let me stop you two from going to your match and picking up a huge win against ToXXXin here tonight, okay? Go out there and show La Farmacia that you mean business going after those tag titles!
Carmen Sánchez: Oh, don’t you worry, we’re about to pick up this win and show everyone why the possibility of new tag team champions is closer than they think!
Avril Williams: We can all agree on that! Well, Cynthia, we’re here if you need to talk again, but don’t you forget about looking into being added to that match at Wicked Games and get yourself that huge opportunity, alright?
(Cynthia nods her head at them as both Carmen and Avril head out of the locker room to prepare for their match against ToXXXin up next. Cynthia looks more determined after the conversation she had with her two friends as the scene fades elsewhere in the arena.)
(The camera highlights TLA and Bethany sat next to the commentary table, chatting amongst each other with the Unified Tag Team Championships over their shoulders before cutting to Bella Braxton in the ring.)
Bella Braxton: THE FOLLOWING CONTEST IS SCHEDULED FOR…ONE FALL!!
Crowd: ONE FALL!!
(‘The Best Damn Thing’ by Avril Lavigne plays to loud cheers as Avril Williams makes her way onto the stage, taking in the reaction before ‘Rompe’ by Daddy Yankee takes over and Carmen Sánchez joins her. The two dap each other up and pull into a quick hug before Carmen jumps onto Avril’s back, and Avril carries her down the ramp as they both high-five fans along the way.)
Bella Braxton: Introducing first! At a combined weight of 241 pounds… THE TEAM OF CARMEN SÁNCHEZ AND AVRIL WILLIAMS!!
Thadd Blazevich: Carmen and Avril have a big opportunity tonight, dude! They challenged La Farmacia last week, and with TLA and Bethany watching from ringside, this is their chance to show the champs what they can do!
Rich Russillo: They’ve quickly found some chemistry as a team, but they have a difficult test ahead of them tonight against two former Unified Tag Team Champions.
Thadd Blazevich: No doubt, bro. A win over ToXXXin would send one heck of a message to La Farmacia!
(“Duel” by JINJER plays as a red spotlight shines on the stage, revealing Daniella Atlas and Selina Reyes with Minerva standing between them. Minerva leads ToXXXin down the ramp with the Universal Women’s Championship over her shoulder, remaining noticeably stoic as Selina follows with a focused look on her face, while Daniella carries herself with confidence after her victory at Territorial Invasion.)
Bella Braxton: And their opponents! At a combined weight of 287 pounds, accompanied to the ring by the Universal Women’s Champion, Minerva… THE TEAM OF DANIELLA ATLAS AND SELINA REYES… TOXXXIN!!
Rich Russillo: On the other side, things are very different for ToXXXin. Daniella Atlas left Territorial Invasion as the number one contender to the EAW World Championship, but Selina Reyes came up short against Delaney Rhodes.
Thadd Blazevich: And we saw how Minerva felt about that last week. She made it pretty clear that she expects better from Selina, so there’s a lot of pressure on her tonight.
Persephone: Then she better win. Otherwise, I’m sure Minerva will have plenty more to say.
(The referee signals to the bell as both Avril and Selina start things off.)
(DING! DING! DING!)
Rich Russillo: There’s the bell, and this tag team match is officially underway between both teams!
Thadd Blazevich: Yeah, and it’s Avril starting things off against Selina. After what happened last week, I imagine she’s got plenty to prove here tonight. Selina, I mean.
Rich Russillo: It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Selina Reyes. First, she lost to Delaney Rhodes at Territorial Invasion in that triple threat number one contenders match, and then she was chewed out by Minerva over it.
Persephone: Rightfully so. It’s a bad look losing to a rookie. Selina had an opportunity to become number one contender and let it slip right through her fingers.
Rich Russillo: Speaking of Delaney Rhodes, we’ll see what she makes of that opportunity later tonight, so stay tuned for that. But right now, Avril and Selina begin circling each other before LOCKING UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RING! Selina quickly backs Avril against the ropes, keeping her pinned there until the referee steps in and begins a five count, threatening disqualification if Reyes doesn’t break!
Referee: ONE! TWO!
(Selina starts to separate from Avril slightly— before SHOVING HER while she remains leaned against the ropes! Selina backs toward the center of the ring afterwards, beckoning Avril to meet her there and bring it on. Avril stays put for a moment with one hand on the top rope, wearing an amused smile as she laughs to herself before LUNGING FORWARD to take Selina up on the challenge!)
Thadd Blazevich: AVRIL SWINGS WITH A RIGHT— BUT SELINA SAW IT COMING AND BLOCKED IT, FIRING BACK WITH A RIGHT OF HER OWN! Avril answers with a right! SELINA FIRES BACK! AVRIL! SELINA! AVRIL— OH! AVRIL GRABS SELINA AND PULLS HER INTO A STANDING SIDE HEADLOCK! But Reyes doesn’t stay trapped for long, quickly backing Avril against the ropes before BOUNCING HER OFF TO BREAK FREE!
Rich Russillo: AVRIL REBOUNDS BACK WITH A SHOULDER TACKLE THAT TAKES SELINA DOWN— BUT REYES KIPS RIGHT BACK UP TO HER FEET!
(Avril and Selina stand side by side, turning their heads to look each other directly in the eye as the crowd cheers the early stalemate. Selina brushes the hair out of her face as Avril starts to wind back—)
Rich Russillo: OH! AVRIL WAS WINDING UP FOR SOMETHING, BUT SELINA STRIKES FIRST WITH A FOREARM! Avril staggers into the corner, and Reyes quickly closes in, grabbing hold of Avril for an Irish whip toward the opposite corner— BUT AVRIL REVERSES IT AND SENDS SELINA INSTEAD! AVRIL CHARGES IN AFTER HER— BUT SELINA SENDS HER UP AND OVER HER SHOULDER! AVRIL MANAGES TO CATCH HERSELF ON THE APRON!
Thadd Blazevich: SELINA SPINS AROUND AND SWINGS WITH A RIGHT— BUT THIS TIME AVRIL STRIKES FIRST! Williams thrusts her shoulder through the middle rope and DRIVES IT INTO REYES’ GUT! Selina doubles over as Avril takes advantage— FRONT FLIP SLINGSHOT OVER THE TOP ROPE, ROLLING RIGHT OFF SELINA’S BACK! Avril staggers toward the center of the ring as Selina turns around and THROWS ANOTHER RIGHT HAND—
Rich Russillo: BUT AVRIL CATCHES THE FIST! Avril locks her hand with Selina’s before CRACKING HER ACROSS THE CHEST WITH AN OVERHAND CHOP FROM THE FREE HAND! And Avril still hasn’t let go! She keeps her hand locked with Selina’s as she heads toward the corner and RUNS UP THE ROPES!
(Avril briefly points toward Carmen Sánchez on the apron as she reaches the top rope before—)
Thadd Blazevich: WHOA! AVRIL COMES OFF WITH A SPRINGBOARD CORKSCREW ARM DRAG ON SELINA! Some lucha inspired offense there from Avril, dude! NO WONDER SHE GAVE CARMEN THAT LITTLE SHOUT-OUT BEFORE SHE DID IT!
Persephone: Aw, how cute. Kill me.
Rich Russillo: Selina rushes back to her feet— BUT RUNS RIGHT INTO A CORKSCREW BACK ELBOW FROM AVRIL! Reyes goes down and rises to a knee as Avril grabs hold of the back of her head with one hand, keeping her in place while reaching back with the other to tag Carmen Sánchez!
(TAG!)
Thadd Blazevich: Avril tags out to Carmen, who stays put in the center of the apron while Avril turns her full attention back to Selina! Williams pulls Reyes to her feet before CHUCKING HER TOWARD CARMEN— WHO THRUSTS HER SHOULDER THROUGH THE MIDDLE ROPE AND INTO SELINA’S GUT! Reyes doubles over, and Carmen takes a page out of Avril’s book by FRONT FLIP SLINGSHOTTING OVER THE TOP ROPE AND ROLLING RIGHT OFF SELINA’S BACK! Carmen lands on her feet and keeps that momentum rolling as she runs off the ropes!
Rich Russillo: AVRIL POPS CARMEN UP AND OVER HER HEAD AS SELINA TURNS AROUND— AND CARMEN TAKES REYES DOWN WITH A HURRICANRANA! Beautiful double team work by Carmen and Avril, attempting to show exactly why they deserve a shot at our Unified Tag Team Champions!
(Avril pats Carmen on the shoulder, getting her to turn around before pointing out Daniella as she rushes into the ring!)
Thadd Blazevich: DANIELLA TRIES TO SNUFF OUT THEIR MOMENTUM WITH A RUNNING DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE— BUT CARMEN AND AVRIL BOTH DUCK UNDERNEATH! Daniella turns around— AND CARMEN CATCHES HER WITH A SPINNING BACK KICK TO THE GUT! Daniella doubles over slightly, leaving her open for A SUPERKICK FROM AVRIL!
(Daniella reels from the kick, struggling to keep her balance as Carmen and Avril look toward each other and share a quick nod before—)
Rich Russillo: CARMEN WITH A STEP-UP ENZUIGIRI! AVRIL WITH A SUPERKICK! BOTH CONNECT AT THE SAME TIME!! Daniella timbers down to the mat and doesn’t even know what hit her before rolling out of the ring! That leaves Carmen and Avril alone inside with Selina, who is pulling herself back to her feet in the opposing team’s corner!
Thadd Blazevich: Avril rushes toward Selina— BUT GETS SENT UP AND OVER REYES’ SHOULDER AGAIN! Avril catches herself on the apron, but CARMEN COMES CHARGING IN WITH A RUNNING CLOTHESLINE IN THE CORNER! Carmen pulls Selina out of the corner, turns her back toward it, and DOUBLE LEGS REYES DOWN TO THE MAT!
(TAG!)
Thadd Blazevich: AND AVRIL TAGS HERSELF IN OFF CARMEN’S BACK! Carmen keeps both of Selina’s legs hooked and CATAPULTS HER TOWARD THE TOP TURNBUCKLE— OH! APRON ASSISTED GAMENGIRI BY AVRIL!! That kick knocks Selina backward, and REYES FALLS RIGHT ACROSS CARMEN’S KNEES! She’s draped across them, dude, and look at Avril!
Rich Russillo: AVRIL CLIMBS TO THE TOP ROPE! Williams looks down at Selina before DIVING OFF WITH A DOUBLE FOOT STOMP!! BOTH FEET CRASH DOWN ONTO SELINA WHILE SHE’S DRAPED ACROSS CARMEN’S KNEES! Reyes rolls off as Avril immediately crawls into the cover and HOOKS THE LEG DEEP!
ONNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
TWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
(TLA and Dr. Bethany Blue can be seen watching closely from beside the commentary table, taking notice of the chemistry Carmen and Avril have shown so far.)
Thadd Blazevich: TWO COUNT! Selina gets the shoulder up, but she’s already trying to create some space as she crawls into the corner! Reyes uses the ropes to pull herself back to her feet, BUT AVRIL STAYS RIGHT ON HER! Avril grabs Selina and sends her toward the opposite corner with an Irish whip— BUT SELINA REVERSES AND SENDS AVRIL INSTEAD! Reyes charges after her, but AVRIL GOES UP AND OVER SELINA IN THE CORNER! Selina gets her boot onto the bottom turnbuckle before she can crash into it, stopping her momentum! Reyes spins around and CHARGES BACK TOWARD AVRIL IN THE CENTER—
(CLACK!)
Rich Russillo: :yikes: OH, THEY JUST CRACKED HEADS! Both women seemingly went for a double leg at the exact same time, and neither one saw the other coming! Selina drops to all fours, struggling to shake out the cobwebs, while Avril staggers backward into the middle rope and leans against it, trying to clear her head as well!
Persephone: :mjlol2: I’ll admit, watching those two knock heads? THAT was funny! Best part of the match so far, hands down.
(Minerva pounds on the apron with one hand, staring Selina directly in the eyes as she looks up from all fours. Minerva wills her on as Selina uses the ropes to pull herself back to her feet, never breaking eye contact with her. Meanwhile, Avril bounces off the middle rope to get herself upright before shaking some of the final cobwebs loose and reaching out to tag Carmen Sánchez on the apron.)
(TAG!)
(Carmen enters the ring and immediately checks on Avril before helping her out through the middle rope. Avril sits on the apron for a moment before dropping to ringside and staggering toward the corner of the barricade, trying to walk things off as she remains a bit rattled from that head-on collision.)
Thadd Blazevich: Carmen’s attention is split between this match and making sure Avril is alright as she turns back around— AND REYES COMES RUSHING AT HER! BUT CARMEN SAW IT COMING AND TAKES SELINA DOWN WITH AN ARM DRAG! Carmen keeps control and bars the arm afterwards! Selina works her way back to her feet, but Carmen WRINGS THE ARM AND GAINS CONTROL OF THE WRIST! Sánchez looks toward her corner for the tag— but Avril still hasn’t made it back onto the apron!
(Carmen releases the wristlock and exits the ring to check on Avril at ringside. Avril insists that she’s good despite Carmen’s concern, but both women suddenly look up—)
Rich Russillo: LOOK OUT! SELINA SLINGSHOTS OVER THE TOP ROPE AND CRASHES DOWN ONTO BOTH WOMEN!! REYES WIPES OUT CARMEN AND AVRIL WITH THAT CROSSBODY! Selina immediately pulls Carmen back to her feet and rolls her into the ring! SELINA DIDN’T HESITATE TO CAPITALIZE ON THAT OPENING!
Thadd Blazevich: Selina slides back into the ring and pulls Carmen up from all fours— BUT CARMEN CATCHES HER WITH A JAWBREAKER! Reyes is stunned as Carmen fights back to her feet and CONNECTS WITH A RIGHT HAND! ANOTHER! AND ANOTHER RIGHT DROPS SELINA TO A KNEE! Carmen connects with a fourth before taking off toward the ropes— BUT DANIELLA DRIVES A KNEE INTO CARMEN’S LOWER BACK FROM THE APRON!
Rich Russillo: CARMEN IMMEDIATELY FAVORS HER BACK! Sánchez turns around and KNOCKS DANIELLA OFF THE APRON WITH A FOREARM! Atlas remains on her feet at ringside, but Carmen isn’t finished— SLINGSHOT CROSSBODY OVER THE TOP ROPE ONTO ATLAS!! Carmen quickly hops back onto the apron afterwards, and she has Selina Reyes in her sights! Sánchez is waiting for the referee to move out of the way while her back is turned checking on Selina—
Thadd Blazevich: BUT DANIELLA ATLAS IS ALREADY BACK UP, AND SHE YANKS CARMEN OFF THE APRON BY HER ANKLE!! CARMEN CRASHES FACE FIRST ONTO THE APRON! Sánchez barely has time to recover before DANIELLA DRIVES A KNEE INTO HER ABDOMEN AND CHUCKS HER SHOULDER AND HEAD FIRST INTO THE STEEL STEPS!! Atlas wastes no time afterwards, hurrying to drag Carmen up and roll her back inside the ring!
Rich Russillo: And Selina Reyes shoves past the referee! Reyes isn’t wasting any time picking the scraps as she pulls Carmen back to her feet and CRACKS HER ACROSS THE CHEST WITH A KNIFE EDGE CHOP! Carmen staggers backward into the corner, and Selina closes in, aggressively shoving Carmen’s head back before LIGHTING HER UP WITH ANOTHER KNIFE EDGE CHOP!
Thadd Blazevich: Selina grabs Carmen in a front facelock and drags her closer to the ToXXXin corner before reaching out for the tag!
(TAG!)
Thadd Blazevich: Daniella Atlas tags in legally for the first time tonight, and Selina keeps Carmen trapped in that front facelock to give Atlas A FREE SHOT TO THE ABDOMEN! Daniella takes over from there and SLAMS CARMEN FACE FIRST OFF THE TOP TURNBUCKLE! Atlas follows it with A KNIFE EDGE CHOP OF HER OWN! Dude, if Carmen thought those chops from Selina hurt, imagine the difference in power behind one from Atlas!
Rich Russillo: AND DANIELLA CONNECTS WITH ANOTHER KNIFE EDGE CHOP! NOW A FOREARM! Atlas starts alternating between the two, CHOP! FOREARM! CHOP! FOREARM! Carmen is getting overwhelmed as Daniella continues hammering away, BEATING SÁNCHEZ ALL THE WAY DOWN TO A SEATED POSITION IN THE CORNER!
(TAG!)
Rich Russillo: Selina Reyes tags back into this match, and BOTH MEMBERS OF TOXXXIN PRESS THEIR BOOTS AGAINST CARMEN’S THROAT! They’re choking Sánchez against the turnbuckles, and the referee immediately starts counting!
Referee: ONE! TWO! THREE!
Rich Russillo: Both women finally relent, and Selina pulls Carmen back to her feet. Reyes takes a moment to look directly at Avril on the apron before LIFTING CARMEN UP AND DROPPING HER ACROSS THE KNEE WITH A PENDULUM BACKBREAKER! Selina looks at Avril once again before dropping into the cover!
ONNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
TWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Rich Russillo: KICKOUT! Carmen gets the shoulder up, but Selina stays right on her! Reyes brings Sánchez back to her feet and leans her against the ropes before reaching out and tagging Atlas back into the match!
(TAG!)
Rich Russillo: Daniella is back in, and she joins Selina for a DOUBLE IRISH WHIP! Carmen rebounds off the opposite ropes— AND TOXXXIN FLOORS HER WITH A DOUBLE SHOULDER TACKLE! Carmen struggles up to a knee afterwards, reaching desperately toward Avril on the apron… BUT DANIELLA GRABS THAT OUTSTRETCHED HAND FROM BEHIND! Atlas uses it to yank Carmen back to her feet—
Thadd Blazevich: RIPCORD LARIAT!! THE INAMORATA!! DANIELLA TURNS CARMEN INSIDE OUT WITH THAT LARIAT! Dude, Sánchez got absolutely flattened, and Atlas immediately drops into the cover, hooking the leg!
Persephone: God, I hope so.
ONNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
TWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
THHHHHHHHHRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—
Thadd Blazevich: SHOULDER UP! CARMEN HAD ENOUGH LEFT TO GET THAT SHOULDER OFF THE MAT! But that isn’t a problem for ToXXXin. If Carmen keeps surviving, they’ll just keep inflicting punishment until she doesn’t.
Rich Russillo: Daniella grabs Carmen by the hair and drags her back to her feet before leaning Sánchez against the ropes again, allowing Atlas to reach out for another tag to Selina!
(TAG!)
Rich Russillo: Selina enters the ring and once again joins Daniella for a DOUBLE IRISH WHIP— BUT THIS TIME CARMEN HOOKS BOTH ARMS AROUND THE ROPES, STOPPING HERSELF FROM REBOUNDING! Selina sees it and immediately rushes in— BUT CARMEN CATCHES HER WITH A BACK ELBOW! Reyes is stunned! DANIELLA DASHES IN NEXT— BUT CARMEN SIDESTEPS HER, AND ATLAS TUMBLES OUT THROUGH THE MIDDLE ROPE!
Thadd Blazevich: Carmen’s reaching out for the tag to Avril, slowly making her way toward the corner while leaning against the ropes— BUT SELINA RUSHES OVER AND GRABS CARMEN’S HAND! Reyes pulls her away before IRISH WHIPPING SÁNCHEZ BACK INTO TOXXXIN’S CORNER! Selina rushes in after her— BUT CARMEN GETS BOTH BOOTS UP! Reyes stumbles backward as Carmen hops onto the middle rope! SELINA LUNGES FORWARD, BUT CARMEN LEAPS RIGHT OVER HER HEAD!
Rich Russillo: CARMEN LANDS ON HER FEET AND ROLLS THROUGH! Sánchez dives toward Avril with her hand outstretched— TAG IS MAD— NO!! DANIELLA YANKS AVRIL OFF THE APRON AT THE LAST POSSIBLE SECOND! Avril gets pulled right into the grasp of Atlas— INAMORATA!! DANIELLA SHORT ARMS AVRIL INTO THAT LARIAT AT RINGSIDE!
(The crowd rains down boos as Daniella leaves Avril down and starts heading back toward her corner. Carmen realizes what happened and turns around in the corner—)
Rich Russillo: CLOTHESLINE!! SELINA BLASTS INTO CARMEN WITH A RUNNING CLOTHESLINE IN THE CORNER! Sánchez gets knocked down to a seated position, and Selina immediately takes off toward the opposite corner before CHARGING BACK IN— KNOCKOUT SMASH!! RUNNING HIP ATTACK IN THE CORNER!!
Thadd Blazevich: CARMEN’S HEAD WHIPLASHED BACK HARD FROM THAT IMPACT! Sánchez starts struggling up to a knee, but look at her eyes, dude. She’s got a glazed over look after taking that hip attack right to the head.
Persephone: Oh, c’mon. Just give up already.
Rich Russillo: Carmen has taken plenty of punishment throughout this match, but she continues trying to push through it as Selina pulls her back to her feet in the vacant corner! Reyes grabs hold of Carmen and IRISH WHIPS HER TOWARD TOXXXIN’S CORNER— BUT CARMEN RUNS RIGHT INTO DANIELLA WITH A BACK ELBOW! Atlas staggers backward on the apron! SELINA COMES CHARGING IN— BUT CARMEN SLINGSHOTS HERSELF OVER THE TOP ROPE AND ONTO THE APRON! Selina can’t stop herself and CRASHES SIDE FIRST INTO THE CORNER! Reyes is stunned!
Thadd Blazevich: And Carmen sees an opening! CARMEN BLASTS DANIELLA WITH A BACK ELBOW ON THE APRON! Atlas gets knocked off, but remains on her feet at ringside! Carmen turns her attention back inside— AND TAKES SELINA DOWN WITH A CLOTHESLINE! Now Sánchez looks back toward Daniella— RUNNING CANNONBALL SENTON OFF THE APRON!! CARMEN WIPES OUT ATLAS AT RINGSIDE!
Rich Russillo: CARMEN IMMEDIATELY SLIDES BACK INTO THE RING! Sánchez starts crawling toward Avril, who is finally back on the apron and reaching as far as she can for the tag— BUT SELINA GRABS CARMEN BY THE ANKLE! AGAIN, REYES STOPS HER FROM GETTING THERE!
Rich Russillo: Selina pulls Carmen back to her feet and CONNECTS WITH A KICK TO THE GUT BEFORE WHIPPING HER TOWARD THE ROPES! Carmen hits the ropes— BUT SPRINGBOARDS OFF AND COMES BACK AT SELINA WITH A WHEELBARROW BULLDOG!! REYES GETS PLANTED FACE FIRST! Selina jolts up to both knees, favoring her mouth and nose before falling onto her back, AND NOW BOTH WOMEN ARE DOWN! This crowd is rallying behind Carmen, trying to will Sánchez toward that tag! Meanwhile, Selina crawls toward the ropes and uses them to pull herself up to a knee!
Thadd Blazevich: Carmen’s crawling toward Avril! Sánchez is getting closer with every inch, Avril has her arm stretched out as far as it’ll go— AND CARMEN GETS THE TAG!!
(TAG!)
Rich Russillo: TAG IS MADE! HERE COMES AVRIL!! Williams rushes into the ring, and Daniella rushes in herself despite not being legal! BOTH MEMBERS OF TOXXXIN ARE BACK ON THEIR FEET, BUT AVRIL IS READY FOR THEM! Selina swings with a right hand— AVRIL BLOCKS IT AND FIRES BACK WITH A RIGHT OF HER OWN! Daniella tries the same thing— AVRIL BLOCKS HER RIGHT AND CONNECTS WITH ANOTHER!
Thadd Blazevich: SELINA TRIES ANOTHER RIGHT— BLOCKED AGAIN! AVRIL STARTS UNLOADING WITH A FLURRY OF SHOTS, BACKING REYES ALL THE WAY INTO THE CORNER! Daniella comes marching toward her— BUT AVRIL BLASTS ATLAS WITH A BACK ELBOW! AND ANOTHER ONE! That second elbow staggers Daniella backward slightly! BACK KICK TO THE GUT BY AVRIL! Atlas doubles over before AVRIL JOLTS HER UPRIGHT WITH A PENALTY KICK TO THE CHEST!
Rich Russillo: DANIELLA IS REELING, BUT AVRIL ISN’T DONE! Williams turns back toward Selina in the corner and charges in— RUNNING STEP-UP KNEE STRIKE TO THE FACE! Avril immediately transitions into A RUNNING BULLDOG ON SELINA WHILE TAKING DANIELLA DOWN WITH A CLOTHESLINE AT THE SAME TIME!! Atlas rolls out of the ring while Avril pops right back to her feet, AND WILLIAMS IS FIRED UP! Avril marches toward the corner as this crowd comes alive!
Thadd Blazevich: AVRIL HAS SELINA IN HER SIGHTS! Reyes is slowly rising back to her feet, completely unaware of what’s waiting for her! Avril lines her up— AND CHARGES IN! “1, 2 STEP!!” AVRIL CLOCKS SELINA IN THE HEAD AND IMMEDIATELY DROPS INTO THE COVER!
ONNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
TWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
THHHHHHHRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—
Thadd Blazevich: THOUGHT SHE HAD IT— BUT NO!! SELINA GETS THE SHOULDER UP JUST BEFORE THREE! Avril came within a split second of putting this match away, but Reyes is still alive!
(Avril sits up, stunned by Selina’s resilience after that kickout. At ringside, Minerva can be seen clutching the title on her shoulder even tighter, staring into the ring with a look of almost disgust that Avril came so close to putting Selina away. Daniella notices Minerva’s reaction as she passes behind her, and clearly doesn’t like what she sees. Atlas quickly climbs back onto the apron, immediately turning her attention toward Selina and urging her partner to keep fighting!)
Daniella Atlas: (off-mic) Come, Selina! You are still in this! Do not allow her to take this from you!
Rich Russillo: Daniella is trying to will Selina back into this! Reyes has taken a beating, but Atlas is refusing to let her partner stay down!
Persephone: Why? She’s a lost cause. Just get this match over with already.
Rich Russillo: Selina starts stirring to all fours, slowly reaching out toward Daniella for the tag— BUT AVRIL SEES IT AND RUSHES OVER, KNOCKING DANIELLA OFF THE APRON WITH A RUNNING FOREARM! Avril’s back is still turned to Selina— AND REYES SUDDENLY JUMPS BACK TO HER FEET, CATCHING AVRIL FROM BEHIND WITH A POISONRANA!! SELINA SPIKES AVRIL ON HER HEAD! DANIELLA PROVIDED JUST ENOUGH OF A DISTRACTION, AND REYES TOOK FULL ADVANTAGE!
Thadd Blazevich: AVRIL GOT DROPPED RIGHT ON HER HEAD, DUDE! Williams is completely groggy as she tries rolling away from Selina, but Reyes isn’t letting her get far! Selina drags Avril back to her feet in the center of the ring and PULLS HER HEAD BETWEEN HER LEGS! REYES IS LOOKING FOR ORYX AWAKENING! IF SHE HITS THIS, IT COULD BE OVER!
Rich Russillo: BUT AVRIL STILL HAS ENOUGH WHEREWITHAL TO COUNTER WITH A BACK BODY DROP! SELINA GOES OVER— BUT REYES TURNS IT INTO A SUNSET FLIP! Selina tries pulling Avril down, but Williams desperately fights to keep her balance! AVRIL IS WAVERING— AND SHE DROPS DOWN ONTO SELINA’S CHEST! AVRIL HOOKS THE LEG WHILE SELINA DESPERATELY TRIES TO KICK HERSELF FREE!
ONNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
TWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Thadd Blazevich: DANIELLA IS TRYING TO GET BACK INTO THE RING— BUT CARMEN GRABS HER LEG! SÁNCHEZ IS TRYING TO HOLD ATLAS BACK— BUT DANIELLA KICKS HER AWAY! Atlas overwhelms Carmen with her power and dives into the ring! SHE’S GOTTA BREAK THIS UP!
THHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
(DING! DING! DING!)
Thadd Blazevich: SHE WAS TOO LATE!! DANIELLA COULDN’T GET THERE IN TIME! AVRIL CAUGHT SELINA, AND THAT’S THREE!
Bella Braxton: HERE ARE YOUR WINNERS… CARMEN SÁNCHEZ AND AVRIL WILLIAMS!
(‘The Best Damn Thing’ by Avril Lavigne begins to play as Avril releases the cover and quickly rolls out of the ring. Minerva slides inside almost immediately, marching toward Avril before being forced to stop at the ropes, throwing her arms down in absolute frustration over what just happened. Daniella and Selina remain stunned themselves, still struggling to believe that Selina was caught for the three count. Carmen joins Avril at ringside, and the two immediately embrace in celebration after pulling off the victory. TLA and Dr. Bethany Blue watch on, seemingly impressed by what they saw from Carmen and Avril tonight, while the mood inside the ring only continues to sour as ToXXXin grow increasingly upset and angry over the loss.)
Rich Russillo: Carmen Sánchez and Avril Williams just picked up a huge victory, and they did it against a team that pushed them to their limit from the opening bell!
Thadd Blazevich: Yeah, dude, Avril caught Selina at exactly the right moment! Daniella almost got there, but Carmen held her off just long enough, and now Carmen and Avril have some serious momentum behind them!
Persephone: Great. They won. Meanwhile, Minerva looks like she’s about five seconds away from killing somebody.
(TLA and Dr. Bethany Blue exchange looks before looking at their challengers, giving them a nod following their victory. Avril and Carmen nod back, continuing to celebrate with the crowd as they slowly make their way up the ramp. It isn’t long before La Farmacia does the same, having seen all they needed to tonight ahead of their Championship defense. However, as this goes on there’s commotion inside of the ring, as Selina Reyes looks both embarrassed and frustrated following that defeat, mumbling a few words to herself after such an unfortunate result. She’s sat against the ropes, staying there until Daniella kneels next to her and helps her up, trying to be there for her after all that’s happened.)
Daniella Atlas: (off-mic) It is alright, Selina. I’m not going anywher–
(However, Daniella feels herself suddenly getting dragged from Selina’s side. Daniella instinctively reacts, quickly turning only to see none other than Minerva herself, getting in the face of Selina with a face full of disapproval.)
Minerva: (off-mic) First it was Delaney Rhodes. Now it’s Avril Williams. Who is next, Selina? How many more failures must you suffer before you’ve had enough? Have you committed yourself to making ToXXXin look like a joke? This is not what I chose you for. This is not why ToXXXin exists. I thought you were better than this, but this is strike two!
Selina Reyes: (off-mic) I know, Minerva, and I understand. That wasn’t supposed to happen, I apolo–
(*SMACK!*)
(Before Selina can even finish speaking, she feels Minerva’s hand slapping her in the face. She holds the side of her face, almost in disbelief, while Minerva grabs her before she can even process it.)
Minerva: (off-mic) You understand? No, you clearly don’t.
(Quickly, Daniella Atlas springs into action. She grabs Minerva, spinning her around as Daniella stares right in the face of the Universal Women’s Champion, wide eyed after what she just witnessed. Minerva stares at Daniella, and she clearly isn’t pleased after Daniella just did that.)
Minerva: (off-mic) What do you think you’re doing?
Daniella Atlas: (off-mic) I offer you the same question. Selina is not our enemy. We are supposed to stand together, have you forgotten that!?
(Minerva just shoves Daniella back, creating distance between the two as tension fills the ring. Daniella stands her ground despite being forced a step back, keeping her eyes on the Champion as Minerva fires back.)
Minerva: (off-mic) You are not the leader of ToXXXin, Dani. Have *you* forgotten that? I will do what I see fit to do.
(These are the last words Minerva has to say, before finally she turns. Daniella doesn’t take her eyes off of Minerva as she begins to exit the ring, but as Minerva walks past Selina to leave the ring, Reyes can’t ignore her own frustrations. She steps forward looking to go after the leader of ToXXXin, but she is pulled back by Daniella. Selina immediately turns to glare at Daniella for stopping her, and Daniella just shakes her head. Selina just takes a breath, and Daniella whispers some words to Selina, hoping to calm her down as Minerva walks up the ramp. With this, Voltage fades from ringside.)
(Commercial for the new film Primetime.)
(Sunday Night Voltage returns as the camera focuses on the commentary desk, where we see Rich Russillo, Thadd Blazevich, and Persephone. Rich and Thadd look visibly concerned, while Persephone doesn’t really care, as she leans back in her chair with her feet on the table. After a moment, they begin to speak.)
Persephone: Why do we have to do so much coverage on this?! Shouldn’t we be happy that we got rid of Jake Smith and Caroline??? Ding dong! The wicked witch is dead! Hurray!
(Rich and Thadd give a side-eye, very similar to how last week went, before beginning to speak.)
Rich Russillo: Last week we tried to give an update on what transpired at Territorial Invasion with the sudden disappearance of Jake Smith. While that happened, our feed was cut, and we got a glimpse of the scene that was happening… down there between the two.
Thadd Blazevich: They fucked up, bro! They made a deal with the devil that they can’t escape from! What do we even do at this point??? I’m sure Captain Charisma is massively concerned about this, considering two of his roster members aren’t even on this plane of existence anymore.
Persephone: And I quite literally could not give a fuck either. Frankly, I wouldn’t give a fuck regardless of the roster member! The only way that I could possibly care is if they grabbed me by the ankle and sent me down to hell too, and I actually WANT them to so I can get the fuck away from this brand-
(Static…)
(White noise…)
(Television screens around the world go black…)
(Darkness…)
(Screams…)
(A sickening thud…)
(Welcome to the void.)
(It’s almost like a jail cell. Dim, perfectly square, with concrete walls surrounding it, Jake Smith stood in the middle of absolutely nothing, contained with no way to escape. He started getting antsy, his hands jittering knowing that the longer that he was contained like this… the more unpredictable things got. It unsettled him, because for someone who was always so in control, for what seemed like the first time of his career… he wasn’t. It ate him alive, and more importantly, it made him think of Caroline. It made him wonder what was happening to her right now.)
(He needed to get out of here.)
(Jake snapped forward, bringing himself to one of the walls as he slammed his fist against them repeatedly. Last week brought an innate power out of him when Caroline was put into danger, he thought that his rage in the moment would compel him forward again… but that was to no avail. After a moment, continuously slamming his fists against them until they turned pink, he staggered back. At this point he was disheveled, emotional, and distressed as he ran his hands through his sweaty hair, unable to come to grips with himself. He wasn’t afraid to admit it, he was a mess right now, and maybe that was his fault.)
(Jake Smith had come to the realization that an existence on Earth was meaningless if it was with Caroline. Belial had given him a choice, walk away and preserve his mortal being now at the cost of his lover, and the answer seemed obvious. In fact, if most other people were in his situation, they would have chosen it, but Jake didn’t. He chose Caroline over his own existence, a first for an extremely narcissistic man and a move that came to the surprise of Belial in the process. But that was the bed that he made for himself, he had to lay in it, yet still he found himself unsatisfied by it.)
(After letting all the anger, rage, and resentment build up inside of him, Jake closed his eyes… before yelling.)
Jake Smith: LET ME OUT!!!
(Jake ran forward, looking to collide into the wall again, but as he did…)
(Darkness.)
(Pitch black, an uncomfortable one that Jake was living in, and it lingered for a long moment, long enough to cause even more disarray in his mind. As everything came back to him… he hit the ground with a thud. As he tried to clench onto something with his fingers, he was met with coarse sand. It ran through his hands as he looked down at it, and as he glanced around, trying to familiarize himself with his surroundings, he realized… there was nothing. He was in the middle of a barren desert, but not the type that would burn you up and leave your skin on fire, no… it was a cold and dark desert.)
(The sky was completely black, with the space usually reserved for the moon and the stars… Now nothing was there. Jake looked around, almost frantically as he found himself in an even worse position than the one that he was in before. He slowly got back up to his feet, trying to come to his senses, trying to get a grip on himself, but he couldn’t. He still breathes heavily, desperately scrambling around, but again… he doesn’t have any control.)
(But now, at least, there was a sign. Deeply rooted into the sand… a small glowing orb appears in front of Jake. He glances down, taking a look at it, but before he can reach down and grab it… another one appears, and another, and another. Jake finally begins to get a grasp on what’s happening, realizing that a path is being lit for him. But why should he follow it? Questions raced through his mind, nothing that has happened down herehas remotely benefitted him, and for all he knows, this could be a sick game conducted by Belial in order to get him to fall into his hands.)
(But at this point, what does he have to lose? This is the most that he’s gotten the entire time that he was here, and if he doesn’t follow it… then what can he do? Leave himself here? Stranded with nowhere to go? That wasn’t optimal, and even he wasn’t foolish enough to fall for something like that. Eventually, he began to walk on the path, starting the long trek through the desert, without even knowing if there was an end in sight.)
(After what seemed like ages, Jake finally reached the top of a hill, he looked downward. It was vast and empty still, but something was different… there was a spek. Jake’s eyes narrowed, trying to sift through the darkness… before realizing that it was a body.)
Jake Smith: No…
(Jake quickly stumbled down the hill, not exactly concerned with grace as he tried to keep his feet to the ground. He made his way over and as he got closer, his suspicions became true. It was Caroline, in the same comatosed state as she was the last time that he saw her, only this time she had been discarded and left in the middle of nowhere, just like Jake. He sprinted like he had never sprinted before, reaching down and grabbing a hold of her as he gathers her into his arms.)
Jake Smith: Hey… hey! C’mon, wake up… you c- can’t leave me.
(There’s a skip in Jake’s words, a stutter, one that was out of unfathomable fear, even more than before. He shook Caroline lightly, wiping the strands of hair from her face, and maybe, even just maybe… a small tear began to form in his eye. Maybe it was because he finally found her, or maybe because he doesn’t even know that she’s going to wake up.)
(But…)
(Slowly, Caroline’s eyes flutter open. She looks up and sees Jake, who is visibly emotional right now, not even caring about how he looks right now. And somehow… that’s something that brings a very weak smile to the face of Caroline.)
Caroline: Are… you… crying…?
(Jake doesn’t even say anything in response to that, he knows that he is. Suddenly, it was as if the existential dread was ripped away from him. Being trapped down here, in the middle of nowhere… suddenly, it felt fine to him, and he couldn’t exactly describe how he was feeling about it right now.)
(Jake’s hand is shaky, he slowly brings it up, looking to place it on the side of Caroline’s face…)
(But in an instant, everything turns around. Caroline is suddenly ripped from his arms, disappearing into nothing, and as she does, a pair of feet stand in front of Jake, whose eyes widen in complete shock.)
Belial: Hm…
(Jake looks up, immediately overcome with anger, and as he lunges toward Belial, who now has Caroline in his arms, fire shoots out in front of them, a line breaking up the two of them.)
Jake Smith: LET HER GO!
Belial: Look at the shambolic state that you were left in. I was wrong about you, Jake, you do not deserve my gifts, you merely deserve my suffering-
Jake Smith: Let… her… GO!!!
(Belial chuckles, fire appearing behind him and Caroline.)
Belial: You must walk through fire in order to start the final battle.
(Belial turns as he brings himself and Caroline through, the two of them disappearing through the fire. Jake immediately gives a cry of anguish as he drops down to his knees, his fists balling up and slamming into the sand repeatedly, being put through a look of anger, torture, pain, and suffering…)
(All because of a girl. Funny how this works out.)
(One cruel, sick, joke.)
(Darkness…)
(White noise…)
(Static…)
(Television screens around the world flicker back to life…)
(Rich and Thadd are shocked by what they just saw, Persephone shrugs her shoulders, leaning back further into her chair.)
Rich Russillo: We’ll… be right back.
(Sunday Night Voltage quickly fades to a brief commercial break.)
(Promotional ad for Wicked Games, where Hans Grayson defends the EAW World Championship in a fatal four way.)
(As Voltage returns, the camera fades over to the stage. ‘Ghost Myself’ by DIAMANTE hits to a loud reaction, bringing out EAW Hall of Famer Raven Roberts. Raven has a microphone in her hand and walks down the ramp with a quicker pace, almost storming to the ring. It’s clear she has a lot on her mind given last week’s events, where Eris Morti cost her against Igon Mordren.)
Rich Russillo: Raven Roberts is here, and I don’t even think we need to take any time wondering why after last week. I for one still can’t believe that happened.
Thadd Blazevich: It was wild seeing Eris screw Raven over right after they teamed up in Brand Warfare. I still don’t know why she would do that, but I guess that’s just how she is.
Persephone: And unfortunately that means it’s our problem now, because thanks to whatever was running through her head, I have to watch Raven speak. Whatever. At least the attack was funny.
(Raven walks up the steel steps, entering the ring as her entrance music fades out. Once this happens Raven takes a moment, thinking to herself as she chooses not to look directly at the fans.)
Raven Roberts: I knew the risk. From the moment I approached Eris backstage on the same night I was given the opportunity to Captain the Brand Warfare team, I knew what kind of risk I was taking. I told Eris to her face how I felt about her. How I felt about her mindset, her beliefs, and just about everything that drives her to step into the ring. I wasn’t a fan, and I didn’t hide that. I actually said that when I saw her I saw a junkie, whose excuse was whatever pleasure she finds whenever she’s in the ring. I put that to the side though, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. Because I didn’t just understand the risks, I understood the potential that could come from having someone like that on my team, in a match where she was guaranteed to get exactly what she wanted.
Raven Roberts: I’m not out here to say she owes me for adding her to the team. Instead, I’m saying I shouldn’t even be shocked about what happened last week, because I knew that once Brand Warfare was over, so was this alliance. I know who I’m dealing with. This is the same person who betrayed her teammate on her first night in this company despite their victory. I shouldn’t even be mad about such an obvious outcome, but I can’t lie. Part of me is frustrated. Really frustrated, and you know why?
(Raven pauses for a moment, letting out a sigh before she looks towards the crowd.)
Raven Roberts: It’s because from the start our team was built on two things. Not just trust, but respect. I get it. She’s not like the rest of team Voltage, and she never was. She doesn’t have the same long-term goals that the rest of us do. She isn’t interested in Championships or rising up the ladder in the same way that we are. She wants chaos, but I respected that. We all did, and our ability to independently fight towards the same goal is exactly why we won. What I should’ve expected, but didn’t, is for any mutual respect between us to be pushed aside the moment the match was over. Eris had options. She had more freedom than ever given the favors we all got, and she didn’t just decide she wanted another fight, she didn’t just come to me hoping for another match, she decided I was just a sitting duck waiting for her to attack me in the middle of my own match– as if I don’t have goals of my own I still want to achieve. She thinks she can just drag me into her game however she sees fit, and now what? Do I look for her backstage, wherever she’s hiding? Do I walk out and get dragged into the crowd by her?
(Raven just shakes her head.)
Raven Roberts: No, we’re not doing this on her terms. I’ll wait.
(This causes some varied responses to come from the fans in attendance, curious as Raven continues.)
Raven Roberts: I could be stuck here for a while, and that’s fine. You could be coming from anywhere in this building hoping to repeat last week, and that’s fine, I’ll be ready. I know you’re here though, and I’m not moving until you walk out here and meet me in this ring face to face even if it means holding up the show and staying here all night. Now get out here, Eris. You have a lot to answer for.
(Raven lowers the microphone, fully prepared to wait as long as it takes for Eris to show up. She gets comfortable, beginning to slowly pace around the ring, as she keeps her eyes on the stage.)
(She’s not forced to wait for too long however, as ‘Burn Victim’ by Methwitch hits. Eris begins to walk out, maintaining a casual demeanor despite Raven’s words, as if last week’s actions weren’t that big of a deal. Raven waits for her inside of the ring, seemingly willing to also keep calm at least until Eris has joined her in the ring. Eris walks down the ramp with a microphone in hand.)
Rich Russillo: Well it looks like Eris got the message, and the kind of mindgames we saw months ago won’t work tonight. She’s here, and it’s time she says something.
Thadd Blazevich: Hopefully she gives us the details, man. I mean, she coulda gone for anyone. Why’d she do that to her own teammate?? Why then??
Persephone: Who cares?? Besides Raven I guess, but honestly her getting dropped on her head was the only good part of seeing her last week so I’m glad that happened to her.
(Eris steps into the ring, meeting Raven in the middle of the ring as her entrance music dies down. Once the two are left in the ring, a staredown commences, with the silence proving enough to fill the ring with tension.)
(Until…)
Eris Morti: Hahahaha… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
(Eris can’t help but laugh. The laughter goes on for some time, loud and hysterical enough for it alone to be an insult. Raven doesn’t budge, already familiar enough with Morti’s actions at this point and showing no intention of letting her get to her any further. She remains calm, choosing to keep her composure as she waits for Eris’ outburst to conclude. Eris does eventually calm down, until finally she’s able to begin speaking.)
Eris Morti: Oh Raven, what is this?? You walk out here distraught, complain that our partnership met such an explosive end, and threaten to hold this entire show up until I meet you in the ring. Sweet gesture, but what are you hoping for, hm? Are you waiting for me to explain why I did what I did, or why I chose you out of all the many people on the Voltage roster?
(Eris stops, putting her finger to her chin as if she’s thinking. Seconds go by, and a smirk returns to her face.)
Eris Morti: Or perhaps, you’re waiting for an apology. A reason to sympathize with me, or better yet, an excuse to continue hanging onto whatever foolish, overly sentimental value you have for the former team Voltage.
(Raven doesn’t answer this, though Eris treats the silence as an answer. She shakes her head and sighs, walking closer to Raven. She goes to put her hand on the Hall of Famer’s shoulder as she prepares to speak, but it’s immediately swatted away by Raven, amusing Eris as she continues.)
Eris Morti: How ridiculous. Respect, trust, surely you haven’t forgotten just where we were before the thought of winning Brand Warfare filled your mind. You said it yourself. There is hatred in your heart for me, so what need do you and I have for words at this point? You’re aware of what happened. I attacked you. Knocked your lights out and left you to die, all while Igon Mordren was left to reap the rewards in spite of that victory coming this close to falling right on your lap. As far as I am concerned that is a more than sufficient explanation of where you and I currently stand. You and I are not friends, Bird. We are enemies meant only for war, and now that our battle with the other brands is over, it is only natural our next is with each other. You’ve been engaged with this sport for quite some time now. You of all people should already understand that you can’t always decide how a war begins.
(Eris stops speaking after this, as the look on Raven’s face doesn’t change. Despite the tension in the ring, Raven just returns the favor, putting her hand on Eris’ shoulder and pulling her a bit closer as a gesture to make sure her next words are heard very carefully. She looks down for a moment, letting out a slight chuckle herself, which is almost enough to *really* say everything for her.)
Raven Roberts: Eris, I think we know each other well enough by now. No, I didn’t just call you out here expecting an actual explanation from you. I know better than that.
(Raven raises her head to stare at Eris, revealing a much more stern, almost cold expression on her face.)
Raven Roberts: I called you out here so I could tell you personally that if you’re going to start a war with me, I won’t just be part of it. I will end it, just like I did last time–
Rich Russillo: OH! BEFORE SHE EVEN FINISHED TALKING, RAVEN JUST THREW HER MICROPHONE AND PULLED ERIS INTO A HEADBUTT!!
Thadd Blazevich: ERIS STUMBLES, AND NOW RAVEN RUNS IN TRYING TO TACKLE HER– BUT ERIS BACKPEDALS INTO THE ROPES, CAUSING THE TWO TO FALL OVER THE MIDDLE ROPE AND FALL OUTTA THE RING!! BOTH ELITISTS TAKE A NASTY TUMBLE OUT TO RINGSIDE, AND I CAN’T SAY THIS WASN’T EXPECTED AFTER LAST WEEK, BROS!
Persephone: Both Eris and Raven rush to try and get up near the ramp– BUT RAVEN RUNS INTO ERIS, CAUSING ERIS TO BE RAMMED BACK FIRST INTO THE BARRICADE ON THE RAMP! Come on Eris, do something useful. I don’t like seeing Raven on top!
Rich Russillo: Eris doubles over after going into the barricade, and Raven grabs her– but Eris lands a few punches to the ribs! She’s trying to knock Raven off of her, BUT RAVEN SLAMS ERIS’ HEAD INTO THE BARRICADE! Eris drops to a knee, AND SHE LANDS A PUNCH TO RAVEN’S MIDSECTION, BUT RAVEN FOLLOWS WITH A CLUBBING BLOW TO THE BACK! A SECOND ONE, AND AFTER A THIRD SHE JUST SMASHES ERIS’ FACE DOWN ONTO THE RAMP! Raven is on fire now, making sure she gets revenge after last week!
Thadd Blazevich: Eris is trying to maybe bring Raven down with a takedown as she’s dragged back up, BUT RAVEN ISN’T HAVING IT! SHE PULLS ERIS UP AND SENDS HER INTO THE BARRICADE AGAIN, BEFORE TURNING AND THROWING ERIS UP THE RAMP! Eris stumbles onto the floor on the stage, before pushing and stumbling back up! She turns around–
Rich Russillo: RIGHT INTO A TALON!!!! Raven just kicked Eris’ head off, and Eris definitely had that coming after last week, that’s for sure!
(Raven pushes herself up to her feet, but she doesn’t even take any time to take in the moment. She immediately looks down at Eris, not satisfied just yet.)
Rich Russillo: WAIT, SHE ISN’T DONE!!! RAVEN JUST DRAGGED ERIS BACK UP, BEFORE THROWING HER INTO THE MINITRON ON THE STAGE!!
Thadd Blazevich: ERIS FALLS, BUT RAVEN DRAGS HER UP BEFORE SENDING HER FACE FIRST INTO THE MINITRON A SECOND TIME!! Raven grabs Eris as she falls back once again, and… WAIT, DUDE, HOLD ON A SEC–
(*CRASH!*)
Rich Russillo: RAVEN JUST THREW ERIS OFF THE STAGE AND INTO THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT!!!
(Smoke is seen rising from the area next to the stage where the electrical equipment is located. Sparks had flown out when Eris was thrown into the equipment, and after what was just done, Eris is completely motionless as she is left laid out in the rubble. The fans are extremely loud after that, unable to believe what they just saw after the explosion.)
Persephone: Well, hopefully she’s dead.
Rich Russillo: WOW! We already know how dangerous Raven Roberts is capable of being, but she didn’t hold anything back right there. She was out for blood, which to be fair, I think it’s only right given who she’s dealing with, and *what* she dealt with last week.
Thadd Blazevich: Raven didn’t come to play, that’s for sure. She wanted to send a message, and dudes, I think she did exactly that. Medics are on their way to make sure Eris is good, but she’s gotta be out for the night after that one, and that’s being generous.
Rich Russillo: I didn’t expect all of this, but after last week and now this, I think it’s safe to say there’s no telling what may happen between these two.
(Medical personnel rushes over to the scene as smoke continues to fill the stage. Raven takes a moment, watching as they tend to Eris Morti, trying to safely remove her from the destroyed equipment. Raven finally begins to leave, walking past the medics as her job is done, and she did what she planned to since she came out. With this, Voltage fades from ringside.)
(Commercial for Avengers Endgame: Encore.)
(Voltage returns to ringside.)
Bella Braxton: Ladies and gentlemen… The following contest is scheduled for ONE FALL!!!!
Crowd: ONE FALL!!!
Bella Braxton: AND IT IS FOR THE SPECIALISTS CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!
(‘Memory’ by Mercy Drive hits, bringing out cheers for the challenger and newcomer as Delaney Rhodes steps out to the stage. She takes a moment, processing the match she’s about to enter before greeting the fans with a smile on her face. She gives the fans some high fives on her way down the ramp, but as she gets to ringside she gets serious. A focused look appears on her face, preparing herself as she heads into the ring.)
Bella Braxton: Introducing the challenger… from Sioux Falls, South Dakota… weighing in at 118 pounds… DEEELLAAAAANNNEEYYY RRHHOOOOOODDDESSSS!!!!!
Rich Russillo: Delaney Rhodes is here from Dynasty, following the contendership match victory at Territorial Invasion that brought her here. I must say, this is bound to be a tough match for her, but with what’s on the line? I don’t think she can let that stop her.
Thadd Blazevich: ‘Course not, bro. Delaney’s been a real tough dudette since coming here and has already tangled with people like Kassidy Heart. This is a Championship match. Even if she’s a lil nervous about that, I don’t think it’ll break her focus.
(‘Let Me Hear’ by Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas follows, and immediately this song is hit with loud boos. Saori Aizen makes her way to the stage with her Championship around her waist, and she looks at her opponent tonight with a confident, slightly curious expression as she waits to see what Delaney has in store for her. Saori walks down the ramp, showing no doubt as usual as she ignores the loud boos on her way to the ring.)
Bella Braxton: And her opponent… from Tokyo, Japan… weighing in at 130 pounds… SHE IS THE SPECIALISTS CHAMPION, SAAAAAAOOOOORRRIIIIIIIII AAAIIIIIIIIIIZZZEEENNNN!!!!!!!
Rich Russillo: Now, the Specialists Champion is here. Saori is coming off of a War Games victory, so I don’t think it needs to be explained that she’s confident here. The only question will be whether that confidence borders into arrogance, or if she can put Delaney down tonight.
Thadd Blazevich: Well Saori’s a Voltage Elitist, so we already know how dangerous she can be. Saori is looking for another successful title defense tonight, and if she’s still at the top of her game like she has been lately, she might just get that.
(Ding! Ding! Ding!)
(The bell rings, and before either woman steps out of their corner, Delaney takes a moment to take a deep breath, looking to shake off her nerves knowing how big of a match this is. Of course, none of this goes unnoticed by Saori.)
Rich Russillo: AND HERE WE GO, THE SPECIALISTS CHAMPIONSHIP IS ON THE LINE!! Saori and Delaney circle the ring, both analyzing each other to see who’ll go for the first move! Delaney got this opportunity very early into her career, and you have to wonder just how that may affect her going into this. It wouldn’t be rare to be nervous in this position, and we did see that look on her face just now.
Thadd Blazevich: Good point bro, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS DELANEY WHO WENT IN FOR THE LOCK-UP! SAORI DUCKED THOUGH, AND GRABBED DELANEY FROM BEHIND WITH THE WRISTLOCK! Delaney with the standing switch though, quickly getting behind Saori as she seems to have her own idea–
Rich Russillo: But that doesn’t last long! Saori with a standing switch of her own before running Delaney into the ropes, AND NOW THERE’S THE O’CONNOR ROLL!!
OOONNNEEEE–
Rich Russillo: AND DELANEY IS OUT! Both Elitists rush back to their feet, BUT DELANEY SLIPS BEHIND SAORI BEFORE GOING FOR THE GERMAN SUPLEX!
Thadd Blazevich: WHICH SAORI IS ABLE TO FLIP OUT OF! Saori runs the ropes while Delaney gets back up, AND NOW THERE’S A HURRICANRANA BY THE CHAMP, SENDING DELANEY INTO THE CORNER! This match started at a hundred bros, and I’m loving it! Delaney is in the corner and now Saori runs in–
Persephone: But Delaney was able to roll out of the corner at the last second, causing Saori to hit the turnbuckles like an idiot.
Rich Russillo: Saori’s still in the corner, AND NOW DELANEY RUNS IN WITH A DROPKICK! She rushes back to her feet while Saori stumbles out, AND NOW A T-BONE SUPLEX DROPS THE CHAMPION! Delaney Rhodes is starting to get into this one, and that was a fantastic start for the challenger, who earned this opportunity at Territorial Invasion!
Thadd Blazevich: Saori stumbles to her feet near the ropes. Delaney comes charging in, BUT SAORI IS PREPPED AND GETS OUTTA THE WAY, SENDING DELANEY INTO THE ROPES!
Persephone: But Delaney jumps off the middle rope, springboarding off for an arm drag on Saori. Saori rolls to a knee and Delaney charges in–
Rich Russillo: BUT SAORI CATCHES THE LEG OF DELANEY AND PULLS IT OUT, BEFORE IMMEDIATELY DROPPING AN ELBOW ON IT! Saori pushes herself up before immediately heading out to ringside, and she grabs Delaney by the same leg before pulling her to the corner of the ring! Saori now pulling the leg away– BEFORE SWINGING IT INTO THE RING POST!! DELANEY SCREAMS OUT IN PAIN, AND I THINK ANY FIGHT MIGHT HAVE BEEN WIPED OUT OF HER AS SAORI IS TAKING THE TIME TO DISMANTLE HER!
Thadd Blazevich: We know how Saori can get, bro. She’s real mean, but she knows what she’s doing inside of the ring. Saori wraps Delaney’s leg around the ringpost, AND NOW SHE JUST BEGINS PULLING ON IT!! SAORI PULLS DELANEY’S LEG AGAINST THE POST, WHILE THE REF STARTS THE COUNT THANKS TO THE ROPES!
Referee: ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! FIVE–
Persephone: Saori unfortunately lets go, but only before sliding back into the ring. Saori has a real smug look on her face, probably because she knows sending some rookie into a title match against her was the dumbest idea ever.
Rich Russillo: Well Saori definitely seems sure of herself here, as Delaney has pulled herself into the corner and is holding her leg in pain. Delaney uses the ropes to try and pull herself up– BUT SAORI RUSHES INTO THE CORNER, ONLY TO KICK THE BAD LEG OUT FROM UNDER DELANEY!
Thadd Blazevich: Come on dude, that was just mean.
Rich Russillo: Well I don’t think Saori is all too remorseful about it. She just grins seeing the state of Delaney, BEFORE PULLING HER AWAY FROM THE CORNER AND INTO A KNEEBAR! Saori Aizen is toying with Delaney Rhodes here, but if she keeps applying pressure targeting the leg like this, she might simultaneously destroy any chance of Delaney becoming Champion tonight!
Thadd Blazevich: Delaney is yelling out in pain trying to reach out to any ropes, but Saori was smart and managed to pull Delaney into the middle of the ring! I don’t know if Delaney’s gonna be able to get out of this one, not unless she’s able to find a way to fight out of it without using the ropes!
Persephone: Perfect! That just means she needs to hurry up and tap out!
Rich Russillo: No, I don’t think she’s willing to do that! She’s sitting up and grabbing the leg of Saori, slowly pulling them off one by one! Delaney managed to push the legs off of her, AND NOW SHE TURNS AND GRABS SAORI BY THE LEFT LEG, APPLYING AN ANKLE LOCK TO FORCE SAORI TO RELEASE HER LEG!
Thadd Blazevich: SAORI DOES EXACTLY THAT, BUT IN THE PROCESS SHE PUSHES HERSELF UP, BEFORE ROLLING FORWARD TO FORCE DELANEY OFF OF HER! Delaney rolls back to her feet before turning and running back– BUT SAORI DROPKICKS DELANEY IN THE LEG, DROPPING HER TO THE MAT!
(Saori Aizen returns to her feet, looking down at Delaney as she just shakes her head. Delaney holds her leg once again, and for a moment the high stakes of the match set in, immediately catching the Champion’s attention.)
Saori Aizen: (off-mic) What is wrong? Have your nerves caught up to you?
(Delaney tries pushing herself up, but receives a kick to the face, almost for the sake of mocking her rather than damaging her.)
Saori Aizen: (off-mic) Insufficient. I should’ve known you’d disappoint.
(Saori drags Delaney Rhodes up by her head, cupping her chin as she looks down at her–)
Rich Russillo: OH! SAORI’S TOYING WITH DELANEY MIGHT’VE GONE A BIT TOO FAR, BECAUSE DELANEY JUST KNOCKED THE TASTE OUT OF SAORI’S MOUTH WITH A RIGHT HAND!
Thadd Blazevich: Saori steps back and holds her jaw, BEFORE KICKING DELANEY’S KNEE OUT FROM UNDER HER! Saori now running the ropes, AND SHE GOES FOR RAIMEI HAKKE!!
Rich Russillo: BUT DELANEY MOVES!! SAORI REBOUNDS OFF THE ROPES– AND RIGHT INTO A SNAP OVERHEAD BELLY TO BELLY!! Delaney turns and slaps the mat, and I think Saori may have riled her up! Delaney grabs Saori while Saori is getting up, AND THERE’S A GERMAN SUPLEX! Delaney gets up while holding onto Saori, AND SHE LANDS A SECOND ONE! Delaney is on fire, and it seems we may be looking for the trifecta!
Thadd Blazevich: BUT SAORI GOES DOWN AND PULLS OUT DELANEY’S LEG, DROPPING HER! Saori turns and looks to turn Delaney over for an ankle lock– BUT DELANEY TURNS BACK AROUND AND KICKS SAORI OFF OF HER! Delaney makes it back to her feet at the same time as Saori, AND DELANEY CATCHES SAORI AND TAKES HER TO THE MAT, APPLYING A FUJIWARA ARMBAR!
Persephone: Well I guess Delaney isn’t completely useless after all. I really want Saori to just tap out.
Rich Russillo: That’s not going to happen though, AS SAORI IS ABLE TO ROLL DELANEY OVER AND INTO A PIN!
OOOOONNNNEEEE!!
TTTTTWWWOOOOOO!!!
Rich Russillo: DELANEY IS OUT, BUT THE SUBMISSION IS BROKEN AS WELL! Both Elitists are back to their feet and Saori heads in– BUT DELANEY JUMPS, CATCHING SAORI AND PULLS HER INTO AN ARM BREAKER! Saori stumbles and holds her arm in pain while Delaney is back up, and now Delaney stomps on the mat a few times, shaking off the leg pain before rebounding herself off the ropes! Delaney now, CHARGING IN FOR THE DETOUR!!!!
Thadd Blazevich: BUT SAORI SLIDES UNDER DELANEY, PULLING THE LEG OUT BEFORE ROLLING BACK AND ONTO HER FEET! SAORI TURNS AND TURNS DELANEY OVER, BEFORE FALLING INTO THE GROUNDED SINGLE LEG BOSTON CRAB!! SAORI GOES BACK TO THE WELL, AND DELANEY IS IN A WHOLE WORLD OF TROUBLE RIGHT NOW AS THAT FIRE SHE JUST HAD MAY BE GETTING SNUFFED OUT!!
Persephone: Okay, THIS TIME someone’s gotta tap out, right!? Delaney still has her whole career ahead of her or something like that. She doesn’t need to risk losing her leg just to prove a point!
Rich Russillo: Thankfully for Delaney, she’s closer to the ropes now than she was in that kneebar! Delaney is frantically trying to pull herself forward, although it’s incredibly painful while Saori has the submission applied! Delaney is still fighting though, pulling herself closer to the ropes inch by inch, UNTIL FINALLY, SHE IS ABLE TO REACH OUT AND GRAB THE BOTTOM ROPE! Delaney forces the ropebreak, and Saori doesn’t even wait for the referee to count!
Thadd Blazevich: Saori is quick to drag Delaney back up, AND DELANEY SWINGS AT SAORI– BUT SAORI DUCKS AND HOOKS DELANEY’S LEG, ROLLING INTO A CALF SLICER–
Persephone: BUT DELANEY GRABS SAORI BEFORE SAORI COULD YANK BACK ON THE SUBMISSION, AND SHE SLAMS THE BACK OF HER HEAD INTO THE MAT!
Rich Russillo: She slams Saori’s head into the mat for a second time! A third, and after a fourth Saori is finally forced to release the submission! Both Elitists slowly find their way back up, and Delaney grabs the leg, immediately starting to limp as the pain is really beginning to set in! Saori holds the back of her head, but she sees the opportunity here with Delaney moving slow, AND SHE BOUNCES OFF THE ROPES AS SHE RUNS IN–
Thadd Blazevich: RIGHT INTO THE SPEED BUMP!!! DELANEY DIDN’T HAVE TO USE HER LEG TOO MUCH FOR THAT ONE! INSTEAD SHE USED SAORI’S MOMENTUM AGAINST HER, PLANTING HER WITH THE SPEED BUMP!!! THE CHAMP IS DOWN, AND AT THIS RATE WE MIGHT NOT BE CALLING HER “THE CHAMP” MUCH LONGER!!! DELANEY HOOKS THE LEGS, AND THIS MIGHT JUST BE THE END!!
OOOOONNNNEEEEE!!!
TTWWWWOOOOOOOO!!!
TTTHHRRREEEEEEEEE!!!
Rich Russillo: NO!! SAORI WAS ABLE TO KICK OUT JUST BEFORE THREE!!! THIS MATCH IS NOT OVER, AND DELANEY WAS NOT ABLE TO BECOME THE SPECIALISTS CHAMPION JUST YET!!
Thadd Blazevich: Ah man, that’s rough for Delaney, bro. She’s sitting up and holding her knee. At this point she mighta thrown nearly everything she had left at Saori, and I have no clue what she can even do next. This is really a good example of how tough Saori Aizen is, and why despite that attitude, she honestly has a right to have been so confident.
Persephone: Alright Thadd, we get it. Saori isn’t even that good, anyway. Delaney just sucks, and the fact that she sucks is why this match isn’t over and Saori still has a shot of winning.
Rich Russillo: Delaney slowly pushed herself back to her feet while Saori starts to stir, AND DELANEY DRAGS SAORI UP BEFORE SENDING HIM SHOULDER FIRST INTO THE RING POST! Delaney attacking the bad arm of Saori, but I don’t know if Delaney is gonna be able to put as much of her impressive ability on display with all that damage to her leg! Saori pulls herself away from the ring post while still in the corner, and slowly but surely Delaney starts to build up speed, running in towards the Specialists Champion!
Thadd Blazevich: BUT SAORI ESCAPES THROUGH THE ROPES, HEADING OUT TO THE APRON AS DELANEY COLLIDES WITH THE TURNBUCKLES!
Rich Russillo: Saori connects with a rope-assisted enzuigiri to knock Delaney back, and now Saori clutches at her arm for a moment, BEFORE LANDING A SPRINGBOARD MISSILE DROPKICK ON DELANEY RHODES!!! DELANEY IS TAKEN DOWN, AND SAORI KIPS UP TO HER FEET, SHOWING A LOOK OF AGGRESSION ON HER FACE AS SHE’S ABOUT READY TO END THIS!
Thadd Blazevich: Saori grabs her back in pain for a moment after the Speed Bump, but I don’t think she’s too worried, bro! She has a plan, and whatever it is might just be the end of Delaney!
Persephone: Saori pulls Delaney in before hooking both arms, AND SHE LIFTS HER FOR THE HYOKINDAMA!!!
Rich Russillo: NO!!! DELANEY WITH A HURRICANRANA TO COUNTER, ROLLING SAORI UP INTO A PIN AS SHE HOOKS THE LEGS!!
OOOOONNNNEEE!!!
TTTWWWOOOOOOO!!!
TTTHHRREEEEEEEE–
Rich Russillo: SAORI AIZEN IS OUT, BUT THAT WAS A CLOSE ONE!!! Both Elitists rush back to their feet! Delaney Rhodes stumbles, but she’s in a rush to try and capitalize on Saori being disoriented as she quickly turns and goes for her–
Thadd Blazevich: BUT SAORI CATCHES HER WITH THUNDERCLAP NOVA!!!!
Rich Russillo: DELANEY WAS COMPLETELY CAUGHT BY SURPRISE WITH THAT ONE, AND NOW SAORI FALLS IN FOR THE COVER, MAKING SURE TO HOOK THE BAD LEG!!
OOOOOONNNEEEEEEEEE!!!
TTTTWWWWOOOOOOOOOO!!!
TTTHHHRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
Thadd Blazevich: BUT DELANEY GETS THE SHOULDER UP!!! She couldn’t use the leg to kick out, but she was able to get the shoulder off the mat right before three! Bros, I think Saori is starting to get that challenge she asked Delaney for!! Might not help Saori’s case that she had to use the bad arm to land that strike on Delaney. She might not have been able to put everything into it, having to act so suddenly.
Persephone: Stop making excuses for her. Saori couldn’t get the job done, and as far as I’m concerned that’s all that matters.
Rich Russillo: Saori gets on top of Delaney now, AND SHE JUST HITS HER WITH A FOREARM! A SECOND ONE NOW! A THIRD, AND SAORI GETS UP BEFORE JUST STOMPING ON DELANEY’S MIDSECTION! Delaney sits up and grabs her stomach in pain, BEFORE SAORI QUICKLY GRABS DELANEY BY THE LEG! SAORI IS TRYING TO ATTACK THE BAD LEG ONCE AGAIN JUST AS SHE’S BEEN DOING ALL THROUGHOUT THE MATCH, BUT DELANEY IS TRYING AS HARD AS SHE CAN TO SCRAMBLE OUT OF HER GRASP!
Thadd Blazevich: Saori eventually has enough, AND SHE JUST STOMPS AT THE BACK OF DELANEY’S LEG! She lets go as Delaney clutches her leg in pain, and now she just stomps on Delaney’s head! Delaney looks like she might be out dude, and Saori just casually steps on and over her before scaling the ropes, making it up top with pretty much no delay! Delaney Rhodes is down and out on the mat, and Saori Aizen takes advantage of the situation, LOOKING TO END THIS WITH HORIZON OF THE CAPTIVATING SKANDHA!!!
Persephone: BUT SAORI JUST WENT CHIN FIRST INTO THE BOTTOM OF DELANEY’S FOOT!!
Rich Russillo: DELANEY WAS ABLE TO GET THE UNINJURED LEG UP, COUNTERING THE MOONSAULT!! THAT CAUGHT SAORI OFF GUARD AS SHE FALLS BACK HOLDING HER CHIN IN PAIN, AND DELANEY USES THE ROPES TO DRAG HERSELF BACK UP, USING BASICALLY ALL OF THE STRENGTH SHE HAS LEFT IN HER!!
Thadd Blazevich: SAORI RUNS BACK IN AS SHE SEES DELANEY BACK UP–
Rich Russillo: BUT DELANEY FLOATS OVER, TAKING SAORI TO THE MAT WITH THE DEAD END!!! THE DEAD END IS LOCKED IN ON THE BAD ARM, AND OUT OF NOWHERE I THINK DELANEY MIGHT’VE JUST SECURED HER TICKET TO BECOMING CHAMPION!!!
Thadd Blazevich: SAORI IS SCREAMING OUT IN PAIN, AND DUDES, I THINK NOW MORE THAN EVER SAORI IS ACTUALLY IN DANGER!! SHE HAS HAD THE UP THROUGHOUT THIS MATCH, BUT NOW THAT’S GONE!! SHE’S GONNA HAVE TO FIND A WAY OUT OF THIS, OR THAT TITLE REIGN IS DONE!! WE’VE ALREADY SEEN DELANEY WIN MATCHES WITH THIS SAME SUBMISSION!! WE KNOW IT GETS THE JOB DONE! WE KNOW IT’S DANGEROUS, AND BROS, WITH THE DAMAGE SAORI ALREADY TOOK TO THE ARM THIS COULD BE IT!!
Persephone: Well, that’s what Saori gets for underestimating the rookie. Yeah Delaney sucks, but she does too, so.
Rich Russillo: Saori is trying to reach out to the ropes, but they’re too far! She can’t grab them! Delaney knows she has Saori right where she wants her, AND NOW SHE YANKS BACK ON THE ARMBAR!! ARE WE GONNA SEE AN UPSET!?!? AT THIS POINT, I THINK ANY NORMAL HUMAN WOULD BE CONTEMPLATING TAPPING OUT!!
Thadd Blazevich: Saori knows what’s on the line though, so she’s not doing that just yet! She’s giving everything she’s got to avoid tapping, keeping her hands in fists as she frantically twists her body around!
Rich Russillo: Saori is able to slowly but surely turn to her side, WHICH GIVES HER JUST ENOUGH ROOM TO START PUSHING HERSELF FORWARD, PUSHING DELANEY’S SHOULDERS DOWN!!!
Thadd Blazevich: AND SHE MAKES SURE TO GRAB DELANEY’S BAD LEG IN THE PROCESS WITH THE FREE HAND, PUSHING IT DOWN INTO DELANEY TO FURTHER STRESS THE DAMAGED LEG!!! THE REF IS COUNTING!!
OOOOOOONNNNEEEE!!!!
TTTWWWWOOOOOOOO!!!
TTTT–
Persephone: UGH! DELANEY SOMEHOW KICKED OUT EVEN WITH THE PRESSURE ON THE LEG, RELEASING THE SUBMISSION!!
Rich Russillo: BUT SAORI WASTES NO TIME PUSHING HERSELF UP, JUMPING ONTO DELANEY WITH A DOUBLE FOOT STOMP TO THE HEAD!!! Saori grabs at the arm, and now I don’t think she has any room to stop “playing”, because this is no game! This is getting dangerously close, and Saori knows it!
Thadd Blazevich: Saori quickly locks the arms of Delaney with her legs, BEFORE STARTING TO PULL BACK ON THE ARMS, FINALLY LOCKING IN AIZEN’S RESTRAINTS!!!! AIZEN’S RESTRAINTS IS LOCKED IN, AND DUDES, DELANEY RHODES HAS NOWHERE TO GO!!
Persephone: Finally. I am so tired of these two going back and forth as if we can afford to sit here and watch them go at it all night.
Rich Russillo: SAORI HAS DELANEY TRAPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RING, AND SHE MADE SURE TO GO FOR THIS SUBMISSION SO SHE CAN TARGET THE BAD LEG!! SAORI HAD THIS ONE ALL FIGURED OUT, AND AT THIS POINT I DON’T KNOW IF THERE’S ANYWHERE DELANEY CAN GO!!
Thadd Blazevich: DELANEY IS SCREAMING OUT!! SHE DOESN’T WANNA QUIT, BUT DUDE, I DON’T THINK SHE’S GONNA HAVE ANY CHOICE! SHE LITERALLY CAN’T MOVE AT THIS POINT, NOT WITH SAORI KEEPING BOTH HER ARMS AND THE DAMAGED LEG TRAPPED!!
Rich Russillo: YOU’RE RIGHT, AND I’M AFRAID THAT’S IT!! DELANEY RHODES TAPS, AND THAT’S IT!! SAORI AIZEN RETAINS!!!
(Ding! Ding! Ding!)
Bella Braxton: Ladies and gentlemen, here is your winner via submission… AAAANNNNDDDD SSSSTTTIIILLLLL THE SPECIALISTS CHAMPION, SAAAOOOORRIIIII AAAAAAIIIIIZZZEEEENNNNNN!!!!!!
(Saori Aizen maintains the submission for a few more seconds after the bell, before finally letting Delaney go. ‘Let Me Hear’ begins to play once more, and the fans loudly boo as Saori pushes herself up. She clutches onto her arm for a moment, clearly still sporting damage after Delaney’s efforts, but she pushes it aside once the referee retrieves her Championship, snatching it out of the official’s hands before holding it up.)
Rich Russillo: WOW, WHAT A TITLE DEFENSE! At first that was starting to really look like it may have been all Saori once that leg was attacked, but the more Saori toyed with Delaney and tried to pick her apart, the more Delaney got fired up until eventually, she nearly forced Saori to tap out!
Thadd Blazevich: Unfortunately that damaged leg gave Saori an escape route, and bro, it’s not often we see Saori win with that submission, but I think that’s a testament to the kind of match these two had.
Persephone: Yeah. A boring, submission heavy one.
Rich Russillo: I wouldn’t say that. It was technical, but also ended up being very heavy hitting as these two really threw everything at each other. Unfortunately for Delaney, Saori Aizen is in amazing form right now, and doesn’t plan to be stopped just yet. Congratulations to Saori!
(Saori Aizen stands herself up onto the middle ropes before raising her Championship one more time. The camera pans backstage during this, and Candice Blair, ARIA and Ashlynn Quinn are all shown watching this on a monitor. They look at each other, clearly all with their own thoughts given what they just witnessed from Saori. However, they’re not the only ones with thoughts. Sayuri Himura is shown in another area backstage, and much like the trio, Sayuri is shown watching very closely, keeping a focused look on her face.)
(One more shot is shown of Saori celebrating her victory as Delaney slowly rolls out of the ring, before Voltage fades away from ringside.)
(Commercial for alarm clocks with Hans Grayson.)
(Sunday Night Voltage continues as we hear ‘Vordt of the Boreal Valley’ by Motoi Sakuraba begin to blast the P.A. System. The crowd in the arena begins to boo heavily towards the individual who steps out of the curtains as Igon Mordren arrives. He’s wearing a black tracksuit while also sporting a black eye, not looking too pleased with everything that has gone down recently, making his way down to the ring in frustration with the echoes of disapproval from the Poland crowd starting to rain in.)
Bella Braxton: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN… PLEASE WELCOME AT THIS TIME… IGON MORDREN!!
Rich Russillo: Igon isn’t too happy after the events of last week. Even though he got a huge win in the main event against Raven Roberts, it was marred by some inadvertent help from Eris Morti. And even after the fact, he found himself getting some major deja vu, where he got attacked by someone who has seemingly done everything to make his life a living hell since the start of the season.
Thadd Blazevich: Yeah, bro! Reylin Aloali’i dragged Igon’s feet from under him and brutally attacked him! It was goddamn gnarly, dude, and he left Igon bloody and brutalised. For someone like Igon, who thinks very highly of himself, for Reylin to leave him in a mess like that is embarrassing for him. Reylin and Igon have been at odds with each other since Bloodsport, and we can’t exactly blame Reylin for what he did to him, considering not just what Igon had done to him, not just what he did earlier that night when he distracted him, but also at Territorial Invasion.
Rich Russillo: You make a great point, Thadd. This may have been coming for Igon based on how he treated not only Reylin but also the rest of the New Breed competitors in the match at Territorial Invasion. It’s a heated situation, so we’ll see what Igon has to say right here tonight.
Persephone: Hopefully we can see Igon in a bloody heap again.
(Igon continues making his way down to the ring as he climbs up the steps, wiping his feet on the apron before entering, acknowledging how precious and sacred the ring is. He grabs a microphone from a ringside official as his music begins to fade out. The boos continue to pour on as Igon begins to speak.)
Igon Mordren: I am getting sick and tired of dealing with a damn delinquent! My victory last week over Raven Roberts should have been celebrated, being in the ring with a legitimate professional and not completely inexperienced new breeders. Those are the people I’m supposed to share the ring with, and guess what the result was? Getting my arm raised in victory! Of course, that delinquent Reylin almost ruined that, but I still managed to win even if other circumstances had come to fruition. Still… he attacked me after my victory and left me laid out with blood running down my face…
(The crowd cheers at this, which Igon isn’t happy about as he shouts…)
Igon Mordren: YOU THINK THAT’S FUNNY?? You imbeciles have no class whatsoever; nothing but barbarians fill these stands. I am the greatest professional wrestler of this century; I am greater than anyone who will ever admire me. I should not be stuck with a man who has been messing with my career since he made his debut. Reylin shouldn’t even be in the same ring with me, but he’s a cockroach that I just cannot kill, and he keeps finding a way back to me because he envies the greatness that I bring to this sport. Territorial Invasion should have proved my superiority over that amateur, and yet he cannot leave me alone, so I am ready to end things once and for all.
(As soon as Igon stops talking, ‘SAME SH!T’ by Isaiah Rashad begins to play as out comes Reylin Aloali’i, who gets a more positive reaction compared to Igon Mordren. He looks like he’s all business as he makes his way down to the ring while Igon looks on with disgruntledness on his face.)
Rich Russillo: Here comes Reylin now, and it was only a matter of time before he showed up to confront Igon with the way he has been talking about him tonight. Igon is staring a hole at Reylin, who looks just as pissed off as Igon is!
Thadd Blazevich: These two have had constant issues with one another, and Igon is determined to end this once and for all, so let’s see what Reylin has to say here.
(Reylin makes his way over to the steel steps and picks up a microphone as he climbs up and enters between the ropes. His music then fades out as he begins to speak to Igon.)
Reylin Aloali’i: If you want a fight, Igon… I am more than happy to give you one, and it will end just like it did last week. You’re over there running your mouth about me again and putting yourself on a pedestal of being the greatest wrestler on the planet when you’re the most complacent wrestler this company has ever seen. Does greatness involve being a whiny little bitch?
(The crowd gasps at this as Igon does not look happy with what Reylin just said as he continues.)
Reylin Aloali’i: You have been crying for weeks upon weeks. Whether that’s being in the same match at Territorial Invasion and being offended by sharing the ring with me and the rest of the competitors, or crying about my attack towards you to end the show when you yourself had interfered in my match earlier in the night. So if you really wanna end this whole thing, we can straighten this out right now.
(The crowd cheers for this, but Igon quickly responds.)
Igon Mordren: Oh, please… I’m not going to entertain you and finish this in front of these barbarians. I am not the Neanderthal that they want to cheer for. I am way too good to just fight you at this very moment, and instead I’m going to tell you that you are making a massive mistake. Getting involved with me on your first night to make some grand statement, to show you’re not one to mess around with… has made you nothing but a weakling! Your attacks on me have served you no purpose, so if you want to get some advice from the best wrestler on God’s green earth… the smartest thing you can do right now is apologise to me and get the hell out of this ring. You are not on my level, and you can leave this ring knowing your place.
(Igon is waiting for Reylin to respond, seeing if he’ll actually take his advice and apologise to him. He looks at Igon as he brings the microphone near his face…)
(However, he drops the microphone…)
(WHAM!)
Rich Russillo: REYLIN JUST SUCKER-PUNCHED IGON RIGHT IN THE MOUTH!! HE’S NOT APOLOGISING AT ALL AS THE CROWD ERUPTS!!
Thadd Blazevich: IT LOOKS LIKE THESE TWO ARE GOING TO THROW HANDS HERE AFTER ALL!!
Persephone: YES YES!!
???: HOLD ON FOR JUST A SECOND, BOYS!!
Persephone: NOOOO NOOO!!
(Reylin, Igon, and the crowd look towards the stage and see Eden Sinclair emerging from the backstage area and onto the stage with a microphone in her hand. Whatever fight that was going to break out has stopped momentarily as now she begins to speak to the both of them.)
Eden Sinclair: I advise you both not to fight right now, and for good reasons! You both will finally get the chance to end all of this for good!! The attacks, the interferences, even the complaints… It will all end… and it will end in a match between the two of you.
(Reylin and Igon have their eyes on the stage, hearing everything that Eden is saying as she continues on to say.)
Eden Sinclair: It will happen at Wicked Games, and with everything that has been going on between the two of you… to sweeten the deal of how big the stakes this match will be… The winner will get a future shot at the EAW Hardcore Championship!! So prepare yourselves for this fight because that’s where the issues between you two will finally end.
(Eden soon leaves the stage as Reylin looks quite content that he will get a match with Igon at Wicked Games for a shot at the Hardcore Champion hanging in the balance to whoever wins, but as he has his back turned to Igon…)
Rich Russillo: SLEEPER HOLD!! SLEEPER HOLD FROM IGON!!! REYLIN WAS DISTRACTED WITH EDEN SINCLAIR’S ANNOUNCEMENT, AND IGON TAKES ADVANTAGE!!! HE HAS THAT SLEEPER HOLD LOCKED IN TIGHT!!!! REYLIN IS TRYING TO ESCAPE, BUT IGON ISN’T LETTING HIM!!!
Thadd Blazevich: REYLIN’S EYES ARE FADING A BIT AS IGON LETS GO AND NAILS A CHOP RIGHT TO REYLIN’S BACK!!! HE TURNS HIM AROUND AND– DELIVERS WITH A DEVASTATING POWERBOMB!!!! REYLIN IS LEFT LYING ON THE FLOOR AS IGON IS THE ONE STANDING TALL!!
(Igon continues to trash-talk Reylin while he’s down and out before he rolls out of the ring as the segment soon fades out with a confirmation of another match set for Wicked Games as Igon Morden battles Reylin Aloali’i.)
(Sunday Night Voltage returns as the camera focuses on the backstage area of the Arena COS Torwar, and it’s a scene that we find ourselves quite accustomed to already. Auburn Ware is seen in an isolated part of the hallways, seated on a production crate, phone in hand, scrolling through it. There’s only one thing that she wanted after what’s been going on these past couple of weeks, and it’s something that she has not been afforded despite her cries of such… and that’s to be alone. Finally, she got it, and it was the one moment where everything just seemed to quiet down around her. The voices nullified; they stopped swarming her mind, infesting her as they had done. Nobody around to tell her shit; it was a nice feeling.)
(But ultimately, she realized that, especially on a brand like this, that was only fleeting.)
(Someone was in the distance, watching her from afar without her noticing, but Auburn knew. It was only customary that she felt a pair of eyes would continue to watch down on her no matter where she went; seemingly, anywhere around the world she would go, she couldn’t escape it. It was so familiar to her that she didn’t even need to look up from where she was right now to see who it was. A simple exhale escaped her lips as she spoke up, enough for the person to hear.)
Auburn Ware: Aren’t we through?
(Slowly, almost as if emerging from the darkness of the shadows, Damon Lazarus walks out. He wears a straight, unreadable expression, looking down at Auburn. He knew, despite the comment, that the two of them being through was frankly the *last* thing that she wanted; it’s something that brought him amusement… but not at this moment.)
Damon Lazarus: You promised.
(Auburn scoffed, realizing what this was about. What happened last week with Kai Rabeaux was something that she doesn’t regret whatsoever. The bald bastard caused an issue, and she resolved it, frankly, in a much kinder manner than she would usually reserve for no-good scum like him. But she knew that it wasn’t something that Damon received very well.)
Auburn Ware: What? And you just expected me to take shit from him? Knowing full well that this is *not* what this business is about.
Damon Lazarus: That’s not the point. Look at me when I’m talking to you.
(Damon approaches her further, taking Auburn’s chin and bringing it upward so that her eyes meet his.)
Damon Lazarus: I put my faith in you; trust that I wouldn’t have given anyone else. I know that means something to you, and it amounted to something at Territorial Invasion when we won War Games, when *you* won War Games. And like it or not, I’m not going to have my trust misplaced going forward. You know better.
(Auburn lightly turns her head away, nudging Damon’s hand away.)
Auburn Ware: And why the fuck would you even care? Territorial Invasion is done; you lost your reason to care about me. Can’t you just go worry about Saori or something? I can assure you that I can take care of myself.
Damon Lazarus: Doesn’t seem that way. You can’t seem to get yourself out of trouble, and look where that got you. At some point you’re gonna realize that you can’t fight yourself out of every situation. When you throw yourself into a hole, you can’t just pray that you climb out of it; you gotta know that you can, and right now it doesn’t seem like you do. Might I remind you of how you started the season?
Auburn Ware: Yeah, and who’s to blame for that?
Damon Lazarus: You may not like it now, but that was necessary. That was me testing you, and while you think that winning your dream match was you passing… it wasn’t.
Auburn Ware: Testing me, yeah… one cruel fucking test.
(Auburn laughs to herself as she looks away, unable to contain it. Damon continues to glare at her, not even moving, simply static as he allows her to speak.)
Auburn Ware: You ripped everything away from me, gave it back, and expected me to fall right back into your arms. So I’m sorry if I’m a little distant right now, but things aren’t gunna be the way that you think they are. And if I led you astray in your thinking, then sorry not sorry, but everything you wanted me to be was only a means of weaponizing me for your own benefit, and you completed the mission. Thank you for that, but fuck off.
Damon Lazarus: You’re not even gonna listen for a damn second before you lash out at me?
Auburn Ware: No thanks.
(Auburn turned and stormed off, but before she could, Damon, almost predictably, snatches her by the arm and turns her back.)
Damon Lazarus: If you wanted to walk away from this, then you would’ve done so from the very moment that you realized I was here, but you sat there, and you listened to me because you knew that there was nothing more that you wanted at that very moment. I’m not gonna let you continue to be a disobedient child just because you think that’s gonna get you somewhere. You benefited from following my lead, and that isn’t going to change. Do I make myself clear?
(Auburn gives a feeble attempt to slap his wrist away, before shouting in his face.)
Auburn Ware: WHY DO YOU EVEN FUCKING CARE, DAMON?! Are you looking for an excuse to have me back in your orbit so you can continue to fuck with me again? The one time I give you the benefit of the doubt, and you think that it gives you the right to continue pushing me around. We’re DONE! You have better things to worry about, and I do as well, so why don’t you just take the fucking hint and continue to further your own career, because that’s the only thing that you’re focused on anyway.
(Auburn turns her head, as if she’s trying to leave, but something continues to linger on her mind.)
Auburn Ware: You have nothing to offer me anyway other than your chastising words.
Damon Lazarus: You think I didn’t come to you if I didn’t have something to offer you?
(This shuts Auburn up for a moment. Her expression is frozen as she gazes at Damon, knowing that this could entail anything. His mind was truly an enigma, one that was unreadable, but it was long established from the moment that he entered the fray that it was one of the smartest ones in the company. He always knew what he was doing, every single step of the way.)
Damon Lazarus: That got you listening, huh? I thought long and hard about what I thought you deserved for winning War Games, and I concluded that the only thing that would satisfy you is an inescapable wrestling match. One against a person who will allow you to push yourself beyond your fear and present the bravery needed to survive through the mental and physical anguish.
(Auburn’s face is marred with a brief confusion as she listens to Damon, almost as if she doesn’t know what he’s getting at right now, but it’s clear that he’s building up suspense.)
Auburn Ware: Against who?
Damon Lazarus: Well, isn’t that obvious?
(A small smirk begins to form on the face of Damon, one that unsettles Auburn ever so slightly.)
Damon Lazarus: Me.
(There was a moment of tense silence between the two, Auburn almost taken aback by what Damon had suggested. But his smirk continues to linger.)
Damon Lazarus: I know this is something that you have to come to grips with, because I know that no matter how our situation deteriorated… you never wanted to be the one who stood across the ring from me. But this isn’t for my own enjoyment, no… this is your final test.
(Damon released her arm, his grip leaving a red mark on her forearm as he took a couple of steps back. Auburn seemed to be thinking to herself as she glanced back up at him.)
Auburn Ware: I…
Damon Lazarus: You don’t need to give me an answer now, even though I know quite well what you will choose for your own sake… but the next time you see me, I expect you to be certain. In fact, I expect you to be nothing but certain that this is what you want. And if you don’t know that without a goddamn shadow of a doubt… then I’ve failed.
(Damon turns his back, a brief pause while he does so to look back at her.)
Damon Lazarus: And you know how I treat failure.
(Damon disappears into the distance, through the darkness, as if he was never there in the first place. Auburn is left staring at where he left, her mind racing with a million questions, as she wonders to herself, for a brief, lingering moment, what she’s going to do next.)
(Through a shaky breath, she allows herself to exhale, plopping herself back down onto her seat, as she continues to think.)
(Think.)
(It was the very last shot seen before the camera completely faded out.)
(Promotional ad for Wicked Games, where a match will be held to determine an entrant into the EAW World Championship Extreme Elimination Chamber.)
(The camera cuts backstage to Sofia Clarke, who is standing by with Bronson Daniels for an interview, drawing a loud pop from the fans in attendance.)
Sofia Clarke: Bronson, last week we saw another confrontation between you and Drake Armstrong, and after everything that happened at Territorial Invasion, it seemed like you were finally ready to put your issues with him behind you. Instead, things ended with you striking Drake and walking away. Looking back on that now, do you still feel the same way?
(Bronson takes a moment before answering, his expression showing more exhaustion than anger.)
Bronson Daniels: Yeah, I do. I meant everything I said. I’m tired of this shit, Sofia. I’m tired of Drake, I’m tired of going in circles with him, and I’m tired of letting somebody like him take up this much space in my life. Territorial Invasion should’ve been the end of it. Neither of us won, Daniella did, and I was ready to accept that and figure out what the hell comes next for me. Then Drake comes around doing what Drake always does, trying to get under my skin because he can’t stand the idea that I might actually stop caring about him.
Sofia Clarke: But you did strike him before walking away.
Bronson Daniels: Yeah, because he grabbed me when I tried to leave. I wasn’t looking for a fight, but I’m not gonna stand there and let him put his hands on me either. I hit him, I walked away, and as far as I was concerned, that was it. Drake can be pissed about it all he wants, but I’m not chasing him anymore. I’ve got enough shit going on in my own head without wasting more time on—
(CRASH!)
(Before Bronson can finish, Drake Armstrong BLINDSIDES HIM FROM BEHIND and sends him FACE FIRST into a nearby production case! Sofia quickly backs away as Bronson drops to one knee, but Drake grabs him by the back of the head and SLAMS HIS FACE INTO THE CASE AGAIN!)
Drake Armstrong: YOU WANTED ME OUT OF YOUR LIFE?! THEN I’LL PUT YOU OUT OF MINE!
(Drake grabs Bronson and THROWS HIM BACK FIRST into another production case! Bronson crashes to the floor, and Drake immediately drops down beside him, raining right hands across his face before grabbing Bronson by the jaw and screaming at him!)
Drake Armstrong: YOU DON’T GET TO WALK AWAY FROM ME, BRONSON! NOT AFTER EVERYTHING YOU’VE COST ME!
(Drake gets back to his feet and spots a lead pipe resting on a nearby rolling utility cart. He grabs it as Bronson coughs on the floor, but Daniels still refuses to stay down, using the production case to slowly pull himself back to his feet.)
(BANG!)
(DRAKE DRIVES THE LEAD PIPE INTO BRONSON’S STOMACH! Bronson immediately drops to all fours before rolling onto his back, clutching his stomach as he struggles to breathe. Drake looks down at the pipe and considers another shot, but instead throws it aside before reaching into his trunks and pulling out the Armstrong Family Ring.)
Drake Armstrong: You should have learned your place when you had the chance. Now I shall BEAT IT INTO YOU!
(Drake slides the ring onto his finger before dropping down and mounting Bronson, DRIVING IT INTO HIS FOREHEAD WITH A RIGHT HAND! Bronson’s head snaps back against the floor, and Drake hits him AGAIN! AND AGAIN! AND AGAIN! Blood begins running down Bronson’s face, but Drake only becomes more vicious as he continues hammering him with the ring!)
Drake Armstrong: YOU WILL NEVER COST ME ANYTHING AGAIN!
(Drake continues POUNDING Bronson with the Armstrong Family Ring until Bronson can barely defend himself, leaving his face covered in blood. Sofia calls for help as officials and security rush into the area, grabbing Drake from behind and finally dragging him off!)
Official: THAT’S ENOUGH! GET HIM OUT OF HERE!
(Drake fights against them at first, trying to get back to Bronson, but more officials quickly get between the two. Bronson remains on the floor in a pool of his own blood as medical personnel rush over and begin checking on him.)
(Drake finally stops fighting against security and looks down at Bronson, breathing heavily with the blood-covered Armstrong Family Ring still on his finger. After a long stare, Drake wipes the blood from the ring onto his gear before turning away and marching toward the entrance area, leaving officials and medical personnel behind to tend to Bronson.)
(The camera cuts to Bella Braxton in the ring.)
Bella Braxton: THE FOLLOWING CONTEST IS SCHEDULED FOR… ONE FALL!!
Crowd: ONE FALL!!
(‘Pride and Arrogance’ by Takeru Kanazaki plays to loud boos as Drake Armstrong marches onto the stage, still fired up after his attack on Bronson Daniels moments ago. Drake pays no attention to the crowd and heads straight down the ramp toward the ring.)
Bella Braxton: Introducing first! Hailing from Scarsdale, New York, weighing in at 260 pounds… “HIS IMMACULACY”… DRAKE ARMSTRONG!!
Thadd Blazevich: Dude, after what we just saw backstage, I think Drake Armstrong has completely lost it! Bronson tried walking away from their issues last week, and Drake clearly wasn’t willing to let that happen.
Rich Russillo: Bronson embarrassed Drake when he struck him and walked away, and tonight Armstrong made him pay for it. After an attack like that, you have to wonder where this ends between those two.
Thadd Blazevich: Either way, Drake’s gotta focus now, because Diamond Dixon isn’t somebody you wanna overlook!
(“Nice To Meet Yah” by Asian Doll plays to loud cheers as Diamond Dixon steps onto the stage, looking confident as she takes in the reaction from the crowd. Diamond begins making her way down the ramp, keeping her eyes on Drake Armstrong as she heads toward the ring.)
Bella Braxton: And his opponent! Hailing from Houston, Texas, weighing in at 176 pounds… SHE IS “THE CROWN JEWEL”… DIAMOND DIXON!!
Rich Russillo: Diamond Dixon earned a Hardcore Championship opportunity at Territorial Invasion, and last week she wasted no time getting in the face of the new champion, Miku Sakai.
Thadd Blazevich: Diamond made it clear she isn’t intimidated by Miku at all, dude. Tonight’s another chance to build some momentum before that title match.
Persephone: Then she should probably worry about Drake first. He just left one person in a pool of blood tonight.
(Drake and Diamond stand in opposing corners, but Diamond’s attention quickly shifts toward the ramp as Miku Sakai comes strolling down with the Hardcore Championship draped over her shoulder. Diamond immediately points at Miku, yelling in her direction while Sakai acts completely innocent. Miku rounds the ringpost and heads toward the southwest barricade as the referee signals for the bell.)
(DING! DING! DING!)
Rich Russillo: The bell has rung, and this main event is officially underway— BUT DIAMOND DIXON IMMEDIATELY SNAPS BACK INTO IT AS SHE SEES DRAKE ARMSTRONG CHARGING TOWARD HER WHILE SHE’S DISTRACTED! Diamond shoots out of her own corner— AND TACKLES ARMSTRONG DOWN TO THE MAT WITH A DOUBLE LEG TAKEDOWN! DIXON STARTS RAINING DOWN RIGHT HANDS AS DRAKE DOES HIS BEST TO COVER UP, BEFORE DESPERATELY TRYING TO CRAWL AWAY!
Thadd Blazevich: Drake nearly manages to slither out underneath the bottom rope— BUT DIAMOND GRABS HIM BY THE ANKLE AND DRAGS HIM RIGHT BACK IN! Dixon turns Armstrong over before dropping to both knees— AND STARTS HAMMERING HIM WITH MORE RIGHT HANDS! Dude, Drake tried catching Diamond off guard, and it completely blew up in his face!
Rich Russillo: Perhaps Miku’s presence has done more harm than good here for Armstrong! DIXON IS ABSOLUTELY UNLOADING ON DRAKE, and you have to imagine that with every shot Diamond lands, she’s picturing Miku Sakai in her head right now!
(The referee tries to get Diamond to stop, but Dixon continues unloading until he finally pulls her off and forces her back to her feet. That gives Drake an opening to crawl away from Diamond and retreat into the corner, using the ropes to pull himself back up. The referee warns Diamond about keeping things under control, but she simply blows him off before turning her attention back to Armstrong and marching toward him in the corner.)
Persephone: I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for watching Drake Armstrong get his ass beat. Keep going.
Thadd Blazevich: Diamond stands Drake upright in the corner and BLASTS HIM WITH A FOREARM! AND ANOTHER! AND ANOTHER! Dixon switches gears and starts STOMPING ARMSTRONG DOWN TO THE SECOND TURNBUCKLE, before going right back to those forearms and hammering away! Dude, DRAKE HASN’T EVEN BEEN ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE GATE YET! Diamond has been all over him since the bell!
Rich Russillo: Diamond drags Armstrong back to his feet in the corner before SENDING HIM HARD INTO THE OPPOSITE CORNER WITH A HAMMER THROW! Drake hits those turnbuckles with force and grits his teeth in pain, barely able to stay upright as he favors his back! Armstrong decides he needs some separation and rolls out underneath the bottom rope! Diamond immediately goes after him, stepping out onto the apron— BUT DRAKE ROLLS RIGHT BACK INSIDE THE RING AS SHE DOES!
Thadd Blazevich: Armstrong quickly gets back to his feet and SWINGS FOR A RIGHT HAND— BUT DIAMOND SEES HIM COMING AND THRUSTS HER SHOULDER THROUGH THE MIDDLE ROPE INTO HIS GUT! Drake doubles over, and Diamond uses the opening to show off that athleticism! DIXON SLINGSHOTS OVER THE TOP ROPE AND LANDS BEHIND ARMSTRONG, LOOKING FOR A GERMAN SUPLEX!
Rich Russillo: BUT DRAKE BLOCKS IT! Armstrong drops his weight and refuses to budge before EXECUTING A STANDING SWITCH! Drake slips behind Diamond and locks in a rear waistlock of his own— BUT DIAMOND ANSWERS WITH ANOTHER STANDING SWITCH! Dixon is behind Armstrong again with the rear waistlock, and DRAKE SUDDENLY CHARGES TOWARD THE ROPES BEFORE DROPPING DOWN! DIAMOND’S MOMENTUM SENDS HER TUMBLING OUT THROUGH THE MIDDLE ROPE!
Thadd Blazevich: DIAMOND LANDS HARD ON HER SIDE AT RINGSIDE! Dixon stays down for a moment in pain while Drake rushes back to his feet inside the ring, standing guard and waiting for Diamond to make her way back inside.
Rich Russillo: Smart move by Drake Armstrong. He has the high ground now, and he isn’t going to compromise it by going after Diamond. Either Dixon stays outside and risks a count out, or she breaks the count by coming back inside, which gives Drake a free shot the second she re-enters the ring.
(Miku rounds the ring post as Diamond continues stirring on the floor, shouting at Dixon from ringside.)
Miku Sakai: (off-mic) AWWW, LOOK AT YOU! Get the fuck up, Diamond! THIS is the bitch that’s gonna beat me and take my title?! You’re already looking like SHIT! Come on, show me what I’m supposed to be scared of!
(Diamond rises to all fours, staring daggers at Miku with anger written all over her face. Miku recognizes the look immediately and begins backpedaling, creating some distance between herself and Dixon.)
Rich Russillo: Drake Armstrong exits the ring as Diamond rises to a knee, and he starts pulling her back to a vertical base— BUT DRAKE SUDDENLY GETS HOISTED ONTO DIAMOND’S SHOULDER! Armstrong starts thrashing around, trying desperately to break free, BUT IT’S NO USE AS DIAMOND CHARGES TOWARD THE BARRICADE— NO! DRAKE SLIPS OUT BEHIND HER AT THE LAST SECOND AND SHOVES DIAMOND RIB FIRST INTO THE BARRICADE!
(Diamond remains leaned against the barricade, immediately favoring her ribs after being sent into it. Drake takes a moment before turning to his left, where Miku Sakai is standing nearby. With Diamond finally kept at bay, Miku suddenly looks a lot more comfortable running her mouth, the confidence quickly returning now that Dixon isn’t in any position to do anything about it.)
Miku Sakai: (off-mic) There you fucking go! SEE, DRAKE?! Was that so hard?! Maybe don’t let her beat your ass for FIVE FUCKING MINUTES next time!
Thadd Blazevich; HEY!
(Drake suddenly snatches the Hardcore Championship from over Miku’s shoulder before charging toward Diamond, winding the title back as he looks to strike her with it!)
Rich Russillo: OH! DRAKE DROPS THE TITLE AS DIAMOND CATCHES HIM WITH A BOOT TO THE GUT, DOUBLING ARMSTRONG OVER! Diamond quickly stands him upright before spinning around— DISCUS PUNCH!! DIXON CLOCKS DRAKE WITH THAT SHOT, SENDING HIM TIMBERING DOWN TO THE FLOOR!
Persephone: Ugh. I was so close to ending my night early. If only Drake had actually connected with that title shot.
(Miku hurries over to retrieve her title as Diamond begins stalking after Drake, who tries crawling away to create some separation. Miku scoops the championship off the floor and clutches it tightly against her chest, clearly irritated that Drake took it from her in the first place as she yells out to Armstrong!)
Miku Sakai: (off-mic) DON’T TOUCH MY FUCKING TITLE, ASSHOLE!
Thadd Blazevich: Was Drake really about to get himself disqualified there?
Rich Russillo: Hey, he’s fresh off beating Bronson Daniels to a pulp backstage. I think that bloodlust is still lingering, but Diamond’s intensity has been unwavering as well! Dixon drags Drake back to his feet and HOISTS ARMSTRONG ONTO HER SHOULDER! Diamond takes off toward the ramp— AND SLAMS DRAKE DOWN ONTO THE DIAMOND PLATE WITH A RUNNING RELEASE POWERSLAM!!
Thadd Blazevich: Heh. Diamond using the diamond plate?
Persephone: Shut up.
Thadd Blazevich: :kyrie:
Rich Russillo: DRAKE HIT THAT DIAMOND PLATE HARD! Pain is etched across Armstrong’s face, and he is in a world of hurt right now! But Diamond Dixon remains unrelenting, pulling Drake up before rolling him back inside the ring!
(Drake rises to both knees as Diamond slides back into the ring, watching him closely from the corner. Armstrong slowly makes it back to his feet with both hands raised, desperately trying to beg Diamond off. The crowd warns Dixon not to buy it, but judging by the look on her face, she was never falling for it in the first place…)
Rich Russillo: DIAMOND BURSTS OUT OF THE CORNER WITH A CLOTHESLINE— BUT DRAKE BOOTS HER RIGHT IN THE ARM! Dixon spins around, immediately favoring that arm— AND ARMSTRONG LEAPS UP WITH A JUMPING NECKBREAKER!! DRAKE BAITED HER IN, AND IT WORKED!
Thadd Blazevich: Diamond is down, favoring the back of her head and neck while Armstrong sits up! Drake looks toward the middle rope, and I think he’s starting to get an idea here!
Rich Russillo: Naturally, there’s some reluctance from Armstrong… but Drake starts making the climb anyway! He reaches the middle rope, looking to take a chance— NO! DIAMOND DIXON IS BACK ON HER FEET, AND SHE RUSHES DRAKE IN THE CORNER WITH A JUMPING FOREARM TO THE CHEST, NEARLY SENDING DRAKE OVER THE TOP ROPE! ARMSTRONG IS STUNNED ON THE TOP TURNBUCKLE, AND DIAMOND CRACKS HIM ACROSS THE CHEST WITH A KNIFE EDGE CHOP! That keeps Drake seated up there!
Thadd Blazevich: Now Diamond climbs onto the middle rope, and SHE’S POINTING RIGHT AT MIKU! Dixon is giving Sakai a glimpse into her future before hooking Drake up for a superplex— BUT ARMSTRONG STARTS FIGHTING BACK! DRAKE UNLOADS WITH A FLURRY OF PUNCHES TO THE RIBS, DOUBLING DIAMOND OVER BEFORE HAMMERING HER ACROSS THE BACK WITH CLUBBING BLOWS!
Rich Russillo: DRAKE ARMSTRONG HAS HAD HIS HANDS FULL WITH DIAMOND SINCE THE OPENING BELL! And now there’s a mix of anger and intensity in Armstrong’s eyes as HE DROPS DOWN LOOKING FOR A SUNSET FLIP POWERBOMB! BUT DIAMOND HANGS ONTO THE TOP ROPE FOR DEAR LIFE! Drake lands on his feet underneath her and CONTINUES TRYING TO PEEL DIXON OFF THE MIDDLE ROPE WITH THAT POWERBOMB!
Thadd Blazevich: BUT DIAMOND STARTS RAINING DOWN PUNCHES RIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES! DIXON HAMMERS AWAY AT ARMSTRONG UNTIL DRAKE FINALLY LOSES HIS GRIP, DROPPING BACK DOWN TO THE MAT!
Rich Russillo: Drake crawls out of the corner and works his way back to his feet as Diamond turns around on the middle rope to face him— AND DRAKE LUNGES FORWARD, GRABBING DIXON BY THE ANKLE! ARMSTRONG YANKS DIAMOND OFF THE MIDDLE ROPE!! DIXON CRASHES HARD ONTO THE CANVAS! Diamond rolls away clutching the back of her head and neck, BUT DRAKE SCRAMBLES AFTER HER AND DROPS INTO THE COVER, HOOKING THE LEG DEEP!
ONNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
TWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Rich Russillo: KICKOUT! DIAMOND GETS THE SHOULDER UP!
Persephone: Ugh.
Thadd Blazevich: But look at this! DRAKE ARMSTRONG WASTES NO TIME GOING RIGHT BACK ON THE ATTACK, MOUNTING DIAMOND DIXON AND RAINING DOWN RIGHT HANDS! Armstrong is getting even more aggressive now— WRAPPING BOTH HANDS AROUND DIAMOND’S THROAT AND CHOKING HER AGAINST THE MAT!
Referee: ONE! TWO! THREE!
(Drake finally relents and rises to his feet, briefly getting in the referee’s face over the warning before turning his attention back to Diamond, who crawls toward the ropes.)
Rich Russillo: Diamond uses the ropes to pull herself up to a knee, but Armstrong grabs hold of her and stands Dixon upright— FOREARM! Diamond gets knocked backward against the ropes, groggily leaning against them before stumbling into the corner. Drake follows her with a smug grin on his face before bringing Diamond out toward the center of the ring, SNAPMARING HER DOWN AND LOCKING IN A REAR CHINLOCK!
Persephone: Oh, God. He couldn’t be more boring if he tried.
Thadd Blazevich: Drake’s aim isn’t to be flashy, it’s to win. It’s to outsmart his opponent, and right now, this is pretty smart. Diamond came out of the gate swinging, and Armstrong is trying to slow her down and wear her out with that chinlock.
Rich Russillo: Yeah, and it gives Drake an opportunity to catch his own breath as well. Armstrong has taken quite a beating himself tonight. But this crowd is rallying behind Diamond, trying to will Dixon back into this as she starts powering her way to a vertical base! DIAMOND DRIVES A BACK ELBOW INTO DRAKE’S GUT! AND ANOTHER! A THIRD BACK ELBOW CONNECTS! Dixon is trying to loosen Armstrong’s grip, and she’s getting close to breaking free— BUT DRAKE RELEASES THE CHINLOCK HIMSELF AND DRIVES A KICK INTO DIAMOND’S GUT!
Thadd Blazevich: Armstrong shuts Diamond’s momentum down just like that and SCOOPS HER UP ONTO HIS SHOULDERS IN A FIREMAN’S CARRY— BUT DIAMOND QUICKLY SLIPS OFF! Dixon staggers backward into the corner as Drake spins around and BARRELS TOWARD HER— BUT DIAMOND SIDESTEPS OUT OF THE WAY! Armstrong nearly crashes into the turnbuckles, BUT GETS HIS BOOT UP ON THE MIDDLE TURNBUCKLE TO STOP HIMSELF!
Rich Russillo: DIAMOND LUNGES AT DRAKE FROM BEHIND— BUT ARMSTRONG HAD HER SCOUTED AND THROWS HIS ELBOW BACK TO BLOCK HER! That back elbow catches Dixon, and Drake immediately climbs onto the middle rope with his back turned to her— BUT DIAMOND CLUBS ARMSTRONG ACROSS THE LOWER BACK! Drake is stunned as Dixon steps underneath him and PUTS HER HEAD BETWEEN HIS LEGS!
Thadd Blazevich: DIAMOND PULLS DRAKE OFF THE MIDDLE ROPE IN AN ELECTRIC CHAIR POSITION! Armstrong is perched high on Dixon’s shoulders as she carries him away from the corner— ELECTRIC CHAIR DROP!! DIAMOND PLANTS DRAKE IN THE CENTER OF THE RING!
Rich Russillo: And BOTH COMPETITORS ARE DOWN! That Electric Chair Drop took plenty out of Diamond as well, and the wear and tear of this main event is really starting to show on both sides!
Thadd Blazevich: Diamond begins stirring back to her feet in the center of the ring while Drake crawls toward the ropes, using them to pull himself back up. Armstrong wanders toward the center, favoring his ribs— AND DIAMOND CATCHES HIM WITH A FOREARM! Dixon follows with another from the opposite arm! A THIRD! ANOTHER ALTERNATING FOREARM! A FOURTH! NOW A FIFTH! FOREARM AFTER FOREARM FROM DIAMOND, AND DRAKE IS STUNNED, DOUBLING OVER SLIGHTLY AFTER THAT FLURRY!
Rich Russillo: Diamond backs Armstrong against the ropes and looks for an Irish whip— BUT DRAKE REVERSES AND SENDS HER ACROSS INSTEAD! Armstrong ducks down early, signaling for a back body drop as Diamond rebounds— BUT DIXON PUTS ON THE BRAKES! Diamond catches Drake’s head between her legs, LOOKING FOR A POWERBOMB— BUT ARMSTRONG DROPS HIS WEIGHT AND BLOCKS HER FROM LIFTING HIM!
Thadd Blazevich: DRAKE TWIRLS HIS WAY OUT OF THE POWERBOMB ATTEMPT AND SWINGS WILDLY WITH A CLOTHESLINE— BUT DIAMOND DUCKS UNDERNEATH! Dixon slips behind Armstrong and locks in a rear waistlock! DRAKE BURSTS TOWARD THE ROPES AND HOOKS BOTH ARMS AROUND THE TOP ROPE, FLINGING DIAMOND OFF OF HIM! Dixon goes rolling backward— BUT ROLLS RIGHT THROUGH TO HER FEET!
Rich Russillo: ARMSTRONG DASHES TOWARD DIAMOND WITH A CLOTHESLINE— BUT DIXON SLIPS BEHIND HIM AND LOCKS IN A FULL NELSON! Drake immediately throws his arms down and breaks her grip— BUT DIAMOND TRANSITIONS! BRIDGING STRAIGHT JACKET SUPLEX!! DIXON FOLDS ARMSTRONG UP AND HOLDS THE BRIDGE FOR THE COVER!
ONNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
TWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Rich Russillo: NO! ARMSTRONG STAYS IN IT! Drake gets out before three, but Diamond is starting to string some serious momentum together!
Thadd Blazevich: No kidding!
Persephone: Yeah, well, all that “momentum” means nothing if she doesn’t seal the deal soon. Seriously, chop-chop.
Rich Russillo: Diamond brings Drake back to his feet and WINDS BACK FOR A LARIAT— BUT DRAKE BLOCKS IT! ARMSTRONG FIRES BACK WITH A STEP-UP ENZUIGIRI— BUT DIAMOND DUCKS UNDERNEATH! Drake crashes onto the canvas and quickly pops up to all fours, favoring those ribs! Diamond takes off into the ropes in front of him— BUT DRAKE IS BACK TO HIS FEET AND CATCHES HER WITH A BIG BOOT TO THE FACE! That boot spins Diamond around, and Drake hooks her— NATURAL TALENT!! ARMSTRONG PLANTS DIXON AND HOLDS ON WITH A BEAUTIFUL BRIDGE FOR THE COVER!
ONNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
TWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
THHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEE—
Thadd Blazevich: KICKOUT! DIAMOND DIXON KICKS OUT!
Rich Russillo: Armstrong can’t believe it! Drake briefly checks with the referee to make sure that was only a two before turning his attention back to Diamond, who remains prone on the mat. Armstrong starts pulling Dixon up in a front facelock before HOISTING HER ONTO HIS SHOULDER FOR THE DEATH PENALTY— BUT DIAMOND SLIPS OFF HIS SHOULDERS AND LANDS BEHIND HIM! Dixon spins Drake around and SCOOPS HIM UP INTO A FIREMAN’S CARRY!
Thadd Blazevich: DRAKE STARTS THRASHING AROUND BEFORE SLITHERING DOWN DIAMOND’S BACK INTO A SUNSET FLIP! ARMSTRONG TRIES TO PULL HER DOWN— BUT DIAMOND STANDS HER GROUND! Dixon reaches down, grabs hold of Drake and DEADLIFTS HIM STRAIGHT OFF THE MAT INTO A VERTICAL SUPLEX POSITION! GOOD GRIEF, THE POWER!
Rich Russillo: DIAMOND DIXON IS SHOWING OUT RIGHT NOW— BUT DRAKE DRIVES REPEATED KNEES INTO HER TEMPLE! Those knees force Diamond to double over and let Armstrong back down, AND DRAKE IMMEDIATELY SHIFTS THE MOMENTUM BY HOISTING DIXON UP FOR A SUPLEX OF HIS OWN— PATELLA BRAINBUSTER!! DRAKE DROPS DIAMOND HEAD FIRST ONTO HIS KNEE BEFORE HOOKING THE LEG!
ONNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
TWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
THHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRR—
Rich Russillo: SHOULDER UP BEFORE THREE!
Persephone: For crying out loud, how many times am I gonna hear that?!
Thadd Blazevich: Drake is growing frustrated, but he’s trying his best to remain focused. Armstrong starts dragging Diamond back to her feet— BUT DIXON SUDDENLY EXPLODES WITH A CROSSFACE!! CROSSFACE BY DIAMOND! DRAKE IS CAUGHT— BUT ARMSTRONG QUICKLY SHIFTS HIS WEIGHT AND TURNS IT INTO A COVER!
ONNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
TWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Rich Russillo: KICKOUT AT TWO, AND DIAMOND HAD TO RELEASE THE HOLD! Drake immediately scrambles back to his feet in the corner as DIAMOND RACES TOWARD HIM— BUT ARMSTRONG SLIPS THROUGH THE MIDDLE ROPE AND ONTO THE APRON TO EVADE HER! Dixon can’t stop herself in time and collides sternum first with the top turnbuckle, staggering backward from the impact! Drake sees his opening and SLINGSHOTS OVER THE TOP ROPE—
Thadd Blazevich: BUT DIAMOND PUMP KICKS HIM RIGHT OUT OF MID AIR!! DRAKE GETS KNOCKED OUT OF THE AIR AND CRASHES DOWN TO THE FLOOR AT RINGSIDE!
(Diamond turns around as Miku hops onto the apron on the opposite side of the ring!)
Miku Sakai: (off-mic) HEY, DIAMOND! Over here, bitch! You still wanna—
Rich Russillo: OOH! CAN’T SAY MIKU DIDN’T HAVE THAT COMING AS DIAMOND KNOCKS HER RIGHT OFF THE APRON! Dixon turns her attention back to Drake, rolling out of the ring to retrieve Armstrong before sending him back inside…
Thadd Blazevich: Dixon is closing in on the biggest victory of her career as she stands Drake up for THE FACELIFT— BUT MIKU SLIDES BACK INTO THE RING WITH THAT HARDCORE CHAMPIONSHIP IN HAND! SAKAI TAKES AIM AT DIAMOND! :damn:
Rich Russillo: BUT DIAMOND SPINS AROUND AND JUMPS OUT OF THE WAY!
(CRACK!)
(Drake gets cracked with the Hardcore Championship instead, dropping to the mat from the impact! Miku freezes in shock as the referee immediately signals for the bell!)
(DING! DING! DING! DING! DING!)
Bella Braxton: HERE IS YOUR WINNER BY A RESULT OF DISQUALIFICATION… DRAKE ARMSTRONG!
(Miku remains frozen for a moment, staring down at Drake in complete shock and disbelief over what she just did. Armstrong groggily rolls underneath the bottom rope and drops to the floor at ringside, slowly sitting up as the referee exits the ring and raises his hand in victory. Drake looks completely dazed, visibly having no clue what just happened or why his hand is being raised.)
Rich Russillo: MIKU SAKAI JUST COST DIAMOND DIXON THIS MATCH! She was aiming for Diamond with that Hardcore Championship, but Dixon saw it coming, and Drake Armstrong took the shot instead!
Persephone: So Drake wins by getting knocked unconscious with a title. Somehow, that feels appropriate.
(Miku looks up at the titantron, which shows Diamond Dixon standing right behind her with both hands planted on her hips. Miku’s expression immediately changes as she realizes the position she’s put herself in. Still, Sakai decides screw it, turning around and wildly swinging the Hardcore Championship at Diamond again!)
Rich Russillo: KICK TO THE GUT! DIAMOND CAUGHT MIKU WITH A KICK TO THE GUT!
(Miku doubles over from the kick, dropping the Hardcore Championship directly beneath her as Diamond looks down at the title and suddenly gets an idea.)
Rich Russillo: …AND THE FACELIFT!! DIAMOND HITS THE FACELIFT, PLANTING MIKU RIGHT ON TOP OF THAT HARDCORE CHAMPIONSHIP!!
(Diamond quickly jumps back to her feet, fired up as she hurls trash talk down at Miku, who lies unconscious and sprawled out on the canvas. Diamond stands tall over the Hardcore Champion as “Nice To Meet Yah” by Asian Doll begins blasting throughout the arena to a loud reaction of cheers.)
Thadd Blazevich: Diamond might not have gotten the win tonight, dude, but LOOK AT HER! She just planted the Hardcore Champion onto her own title!
Persephone: After listening to Miku all night, that was pretty satisfying.
(Diamond picks up the Hardcore Championship and looks down at it for a moment before raising it high above her head, drawing another loud reaction from the crowd.)
Rich Russillo: Miku Sakai is still the Hardcore Champion, but Diamond Dixon is the one standing tall tonight! If this is a sign of what’s to come, Miku may have a serious problem on her hands!
(Diamond drops the Hardcore Championship beside Miku before climbing onto the middle rope, making a championship motion around her waist as “Nice To Meet Yah” continues to play. Miku remains laid out on the canvas, and with Dixon standing tall, Voltage fades to black.)
(EAW logo buzzes.)
