(Friday Night Dynasty intro plays. After a recap of last week’s show, the broadcast transitions to the live feed where the fans in the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. After several shots of the fans are showcased, the pyro goes off, lighting the arena up in red. More excitement pours out from the crowd before the camera shot transitions to the commentary table where Stew-O, Jake Mercer, and Flannery McCoy are on standby.)
Stew-O: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Friday Night Dynasty, live from the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska! The energy in this building tonight is electric, and for good reason—this is the go-home show before one of the most anticipated events of the year, King of Elite!
Jake Mercer: That’s right, Stew! We are on the cusp of crowning a King and Empress of Elite who will etch their name in the history books! And tonight, Dynasty sets the stage with a card packed with drama, action, and more than a few surprises. I mean, who else would kick off a show like this with a celebration of a new era led by Kensingten Calhoun-Astor and Richard Grant? You know they’re gonna try to make it all about them, right?
Flannery McCoy: As always, Jake, but don’t sleep on the rest of the night. From Brian Daniels facing off against Clayton Golde to the simmering tensions between Saori Aizen and Vincent Mondrian, every match tonight is pivotal. And let’s not forget the special spotlight on Milli Banks and Raven Roberts ahead of their clash for the Universal Women’s Championship. This card has it all!
Stew-O: Absolutely, Flannery. And speaking of drama, one of the most personal rivalries in recent memory reaches another boiling point tonight as the three stages for the war between Minerva and Drake King are officially set. What a showdown that’s shaping up to be at King of Elite!
Jake Mercer: You’ve got that right. And let’s talk about Rex McAllister! He’s stepping into the ring with Drake King tonight, and if I know Rex, he’s coming into this with a chip on his shoulder. The stakes couldn’t be higher for both men, especially with Drake juggling so many enemies ahead of his showdown with Minerva!
Flannery McCoy: And don’t forget about our main event! We will find out who will be representing Dynasty in the King of Elite tournament as Drake Armstrong and Kirk Redwood will face off in the semifinals as our main event for the evening!
Stew-O: It’s not just about the matches, though. The tension, the stakes, the passion—all of it comes to a head tonight as we prepare for King of Elite. But let’s not waste any more time and get things started as our general managers Kensingten Calhoun-Astor and Richard Grant are ready to kick things off with their so-called celebration of a new era! What’s that even supposed to mean? We’re about to find out!
(‘Sweet Home Alabama’ by Lynyrd Skynyrd continues to blare through the speakers. Kensingten Calhoun-Astor steps out first, a sly smirk plastered across her face, clad in a pearl-white pantsuit adorned with a massive golden brooch shaped like an eagle. Richard Grant follows closely behind, grinning ear to ear as he proudly adjusts an old Washington Redskins hat on his head, deliberately angled for maximum visibility. The duo waves with exaggerated enthusiasm.)
Stew-O: Oh dear. :lupe:
(The song continues to blare out as Kensingten Calhoun-Astor and Richard Grant strut on out, obnoxious and smug as can be.)
Flannery McCoy: This is going to be insufferable. I don’t even have to hear what they’re going to say to know it’s going to rub everyone the wrong way.
(The two make their way to the ring, ignoring the barrage of jeers, with Kensingten stopping briefly to wave to a particularly enraged section of the crowd. Richard climbs onto the apron, theatrically holding the ropes open for Kensingten as they step inside the ring. The music fades, but the boos persist, filling the arena with hostility. Richard grabs a mic and begins to pace the ring, taking in the noise with exaggerated amusement.)
Richard Grant: My, my, my… listen to all this passion! The good, hard-working folks of Lincoln, Nebraska! You just love to make yourselves heard, don’t you?
(The crowd boos even louder, a few fans holding up signs condemning Kensingten and Richard. Richard chuckles and adjusts his Redskins hat again, making sure everyone sees it.)
Kensingten Calhoun-Astor: Oh, y’all hush now. You’ll get your turn to speak. Or, well, maybe not. Because tonight is about celebrating winners, and wouldn’t you know it? This past week has been a monumental one for winners, hasn’t it, Richard?
Richard Grant: Absolutely, Kensingten. Let’s start with the biggest win of all: the return of America’s champion! The man who has proven time and time again that merit, hard work, and determination are what make this country great—Donald J. Trump, your President once more!
(The crowd erupts into a mix of deafening boos and scattered shouts of outrage. Kensingten places a hand on her chest, feigning shock.)
Kensingten Calhoun-Astor: Oh my stars, Richard! These folks don’t seem too happy about that. I guess not everyone appreciates the virtues of a merit-based society. You see, President Trump’s vision is simple: if you work hard, if you’re deserving, then you’ll rise to the top. And here on Dynasty, we’re going to embody that same principle!
Richard Grant: That’s right. No more handouts. No more undeserving underdogs trying to steal the spotlight. From this moment forward, Dynasty will reward those who truly deserve it. If you don’t have the talent, the drive, or the class to succeed, then you have no place in this ring, just like you have no place in America’s brightest future!
(The boos grow even louder, nearly drowning them out.)
Crowd: SHUT THE HELL UP! SHUT THE HELL UP! SHUT THE HELL UP!
Kensingten Calhoun-Astor: Now, now, y’all can boo all you want. But let’s not forget, this week wasn’t just a win for America, but it was a win for sports! Ladies and gentlemen, let’s talk about the Washington Commanders—oh, I’m sorry, I mean the Washington Redskins—showin’ everyone how it’s done! They beat those sorry Detroit Lions and are just one step closer to the Super Bowl.
Richard Grant: One step closer to bringing a true American institution back to glory! And before any of you try to correct us—yes, we’re callin’ them the Redskins. It’s tradition, it’s heritage, and it’s a name that represents strength and pride. Just like us!
(The fans grow even more hostile, with more not-so-nice chants that probably shouldn’t be recited here. Richard mockingly cups his hand to his ear, and Kensignten shakes her head, not at all moved by the hatred shown.)
Kensingten Calhoun-Astor: Oh, bless your hearts. I know it’s hard to be on the wrong side of history, but you’ll thank us someday when Dynasty is the shining beacon of success and excellence, just like this country is about to be again!
Richard Grant: That’s right, Kensingten! We’re ushering in a new era, an era of winners, of greatness, of dominance, and whether it’s Drake Armstrong or Kirk Redwood…
(Both of their faces scrunch up slightly upon uttering both their names.)
Richard Grant: … Dynasty WILL be bringing the King of Elite mantle home. For the second year in a row too, I might add!
Kensingten Calhoun-Astor: Granted, I’m not sure how much better our winner will be compared to last year’s, but hey, as long as Dynasty gets to show off its prowess once again, I suppose beggars can’t be choosers! Either way, things will go according to plan. I don’t see how those fools from Showdown or Voltage could ever match up to us—no offense to Kennedy or Captain Charsima, but our talent is the best for a reason, and those other Elitists, be it TLA, Cody Maverick, Solomon Stane or Akari Kyoko can’t compare to ours.
Richard Grant: Heh. At least two of them won’t be able to benefit from that EEO act much longer.
(The fans react loudly, absolutely gobsmacked by the gall shown by Richard with that poor-taste comment.)
Stew-O: Did he—did Richard Grant really just say that?!
Flannery McCoy: I can’t believe what I’m hearing. That comment wasn’t just out of line, it was downright disgusting.
Jake Mercer: Love them or hate them, they know exactly how to stir up the crowd… but even I can’t defend that one, Flan. :yikes: Yeesh.
(Kensingten holds her hand over her mouth, as if pretending to stifle laughter, while Richard adjusts his hat and looks into the hard camera with a grin that oozes smugness.)
Kensingten Calhoun-Astor: Y’all don’t have to be so sensitive! Richard here is just telling it like it is! That’s what makes us leaders, after all. Sometimes, the truth hurts.
Richard Grant: Exactly, Kensingten. If these folks don’t like it, maybe they should take a good hard look at themselves and ask why they’re so upset. Perhaps it’s because they know deep down that we’re right. Dynasty is the brand. The gold standard. And this year, King of Elite will only cement our dominance further.
Kensingten Calhoun-Astor: Mhm! And that’s not even going into what we already have planned, such as what we have lined up for Operation: Doomsday… provided that things go our way, of course.
(At least the mention of the upcoming Dynasty marquee event gets the crowd excited again, though not as much as before.)
Richard Grant: At least a couple of matches we know won’t be affected drastically. Still, we’re gonna keep a watchful eye over next weekend and plan around everything if need be. I’ve got a good feeling this may even be our best one yet!
Kensingten Calhoun-Astor: It will, and you all will be in for a treat as we plan to make this an absolute blockbuster. But, that is well over a month and some change away. For now, we hope y’all have a great time enjoying the show, and remember:
Richard Grant: Dynasty reigns supreme!
(‘Sweet Home Alabama’ hits once more. A smattering of uneasy cheers emerges. The two stand in the ring, looking pleased with themselves despite the divided reaction. Kensingten blows a kiss to the camera, while Richard tips his Redskins hat, their smugness palpable.)
Stew-O: Well, that was certainly… something.
Flannery McCoy: “Dynasty reigns supreme”? More like their arrogance reigns supreme.
Jake Mercer: Okay, come on guys! I know it’s easy to fret about the uncomfortable parts, but their spirits are in the right place! …right? :lupe:
Flannery McCoy: :francis:
(The broadcast fades to black, transitioning to a commercial break as the last shots show Kensingten and Richard exiting the ring.)
(A commercial plays for Cracker Barrel.)
Stephie Love: Ladies and gentlemen, the following match is scheduled FOR ONE FALL!
Crowd: ONE FALL!
(‘RUNITUP’ by Tyler, The Creator ft. Teezo Touchdown began blaring loudly to the speakers, causing the audience to react with boos; Cosmo Goldworthy swaggered out onto the stage, looking very full of himself as he did. He struck a flamboyant pose at the center of the stage before sauntering his way down the ramp, soaking in the boos and jeers as he made his way towards the squared circle.)
Stephie Love: INTRODUCING FIRST! Hailing from the Golden State, weighing in at 220 pounds… HE IS ‘THE GOLD STANDARD OF EAW’, COOOOOOOSMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! GOOOOOOOOOOOOLDWOOOOOOOOOORTHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!
Stew-O: One look at the way this elitist carries himself is all you need to know just how cocky he is! Cosmo Goldworthy is, in spite of his ego, a bright New Breed that debuted in EAW just a month ago; even though he only recently arrived, though, he’s already been putting in solid performances, getting a victory in his debut win and even managing to give the New Breed Champion a solid match in the first round of the King of Elite Tournament!
Flannery McCoy: He’s another one of those New Breeds that I want to root for, because you can see the talent clear as day, but his cockiness and brash attitude just ends up being so off-putting!
Jake Mercer: Oh come on Flannery, you just don’t get it; he’s GOLDWORTHY! The moment he stepped into this company, I for one already knew that he was destined for a championship; now it’s just a matter of getting the opportunity!
Stew-O: Well, that opportunity very well may be on its way, because Cosmo isn’t letting his career be a quiet one; just last week, he started instigating a fight with Clayton Golde and a former Interwire Champion in Vincent Mondrian! We’ll see what happens with that, but this week, Cosmo is looking to prove himself against a fellow New Breed who has recently beaten a champion in EAW himself!
(“Rise and Fall” by Starset began playing to loud cheers from the audience as Corey Hale slowly made his way out onto the stage with a calm expression on his face; he gazed out to the audience before looking up to the cosmos. A smile appeared on his face as he made his way down the ramp, tagging the fans at the front row of the ramp seats as he did.)
Stew-O: Here’s the Celestial Wanderer himself, Corey Hale! This young man has been making waves lately; not only did he have a very impressive performance at the Extreme Enigma Battle Royale at Road to Redemption, but he followed it up with entry into the King of Elite tournament!
Flannery McCoy: We saw him pick up perhaps the biggest win of his career in the first round of that tournament when he went up against the current Interwire Champion, Jay Jerry Johnson, and managed to pick up an upset victory over him!
Jake Mercer: Unfortunately for him, the King of Elite crown wasn’t… in the stars… because he was put up against Drake Armstrong in the quarter finals, where he was unable to pick up a victory against the Future.
Stew-O: Nevertheless, even that first victory was enough to put him on the Interwire Champion’s radar! Jay Jerry Johnson proclaimed that, while he accepted defeat for that match, it would not happen again; he even watched the match between Corey and Drake Armstrong last week, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had an eye on this match as well! Both of these New Breeds have big ambitions, but only one of them will be able to gather some momentum in this New Breed versus New Breed match up. Let’s see who gets the win!
(Ding! Ding! Ding!)
Stew-O: And the match is underway! Both wrestlers step out of the ring, but the stark contrast in their attitudes is apparent just from the way they carry themselves! The Gold Standard of EAW practically leapt out of the corner and immediately started talking trash, while the Celestial Wanderer, zen as ever, calmly steps out of the corner and begins circling the ring with Money Mo with a thoughtful expression on his face.
Cosmo Goldworthy: Think you’re a big man, huh? Got a win over the Interwire Champ and now you’re some hot shot? There ain’t a hotter shot than Money Mo!
Flannery McCoy: And Money Mo swings, going for a straight up knockout shot aimed at the jaw of the Celestial Wanderer– but Corey Hale intercepts it, backing up just as much as he needed to while shooting his own hand up to catch Cosmo by the wrist!
Corey Hale: Calm down.
Jake Mercer: And Corey just yanked him by the wrist, pulling it over his head before wrenching the twisted arm down!
Stew-O: And he yanks it down again, further damaging the arm of the Gold Standard of EAW before he wrenches it behind Money Mo’s back to implement a hammerlock! Corey Hale is showing some nice technical expertise here, and Cosmo is looking to be in some trouble as the pain is apparent on his face!
Flannery McCoy: But while Money Mo has one arm being wrenched behind his back, the other one is free, and he’s going to use it! He immediately launches his free arm back in the form of a back elbow colliding with the Celestial Wanderer, causing the wrenching to stop for a moment!
Jake Mercer: And another back elbow connects! Cosmo Goldworthy is launching a flurry of back elbows until Corey Hale is ultimately forced to release the hammer lock and stagger back in a daze!
Stew-O: But Cosmo Goldworthy isn’t done showing his ferocity, because he turns towards the Celestial Wanderer and lunges at him, only to spin himself around and connect with one final back elbow, this time with the added velocity of a spin to knock Corey back into the ropes!
Flannery McCoy: The Celestial Wanderer rebounds off the ropes and staggers back towards Cosmo, who immediately latches in a side headlock and wrenches the Celestial Wanderer into a bent over position with his head being painfully compressed!
Jake Mercer: Money Mo showing that he isn’t a pushover here; even against a more experienced opponent like Corey Hale, Cosmo shows that level of ruthless aggression that you need to go far in EAW! It’s like I said, Goldworthy is worthy of gold!
Stew-O: Using that side headlock as a tool, Cosmo wrenches Corey down and executes a side headlock takedown, bringing his opponent to the canvas with a headlock still locked in! It doesn’t take long for him to release it though, instead opting to leap on top of the Celestial Wanderer in a top mount and begin raining down on him with a flurry of fists!
Flannery McCoy: Corey Hale is doing his best to defend himself, but Money Mo has a level of fire that just can’t be stopped! Oh wait, can’t speak too soon, because Corey Hale just launched both of his legs up and hooked them underneath the arms of the Gold Standard of EAW!
Jake Mercer: He uses that to topple Cosmo down from that mounted position and into a sunset pin! Money Mo seems to have been caught off guard here, and the referee slides in for the sudden pin!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Stew-O: But Cosmo is able to kick out, snapping out of it quickly as he gets his shoulders up with a big kick of the legs! Nevertheless, Corey was able to achieve his goal of getting Cosmo off of him, and it looks like the Celestial Wanderer is getting up quicker than Money Mo!
Flannery McCoy: Cosmo gets up a few moments after Corey does, but those few moments were all it took for Corey to have him measured up and ready for a STRIKE! SUPER KICK CONNECTS RIGHT TO THE JAW! Cosmo didn’t see it coming and he staggers forward, looking as though he’s about to fall over back onto the canvas!
Jake Mercer: But Corey Hale catches him from underneath before immediately hoisting him up and arching himself back! The Celestial Wanderer PLANTS him with a northern lights suplex, and he’s able to keep it bridged to once again put Cosmo in a pinning predicament! Corey is in this match to WIN IT!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
TWOOOOOOOOO-
Stew-O: But even after those two consecutive attacks, Cosmo still refuses to stay down for too long, kicking out emphatically at the count of two, causing Corey to fall out of his bridged position!
Flannery McCoy: Both wrestlers begin to scramble up, with Corey once again taking the lead on making it to his feet first! Corey rushes over to where Cosmo is getting back to his feet and suddenly grabs hold of his wrist, yanking him back with an Irish whip before Money Mo knows what’s happening!
Jake Mercer: That Irish whip sends the Gold Standard of EAW into the nearby corner with his back to the top turnbuckle, and the Celestial Wanderer wastes no time in getting to his opponent with some impressive speed before catching him with a knife edge CHOP!
Stew-O: And now he’s adding more on top of it, lighting up the chest of Money Mo with a ruthless barrage of knife edge chops! Cosmo’s taking a real beating here, and– OH!
Flannery McCoy: A heavy teep kick from Cosmo Goldworthy connects right on the chest of the Celestial Wanderer, causing him to stagger back from the impact! Corey Hale stumbles for a second there, regathering his footing before he looks to charge right back at Cosmo, but he has to look up as Money Mo has jumped onto the middle ropes!
Jake Mercer: Corey Hale has no time to react as Cosmo Goldworthy launches himself off the middle ropes towards Corey, connecting with a middle rope European uppercut! That’s enough to take Corey Hale off his feet, landing on the canvas with a vicious thud, putting the momentum back in Cosmo’s favor!
Stew-O: And he doesn’t take the reins of momentum for granted as he immediately breaks out into a spring towards the ropes adjacent to the fallen body of the Celestial Wanderer– the moment he gets within range, Cosmo jumps forward and lands with his feet on the middle rope!
Flannery McCoy: It looks like the Gold Standard of EAW is a big fan of using the middle rope as he springboards off of it, showing some impressive athleticism as he performs a backflip in mid-air before landing right on top of Corey Hale with that springboard moonsault!
Jake Mercer: They should call it the Cosmo rope! But enough about that, after landing on the Celestial Wanderer, Cosmo goes for the pin as he hooks both of his legs! The referee goes in to count the pin!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Stew-O: BUT COREY HALE IS ABLE TO KICK OUT OF IT! Both of these New Breeds are highly driven, even with their vastly different approaches! Neither of them are willing to stay down for the three count because they both have the highest of highs in their sights and they feel the need to get this win to seize that momentum!
Flannery McCoy: But right now, Cosmo is on top and the more Corey Hale kicks out, the more Money Mo starts to get pissed off! He gives a few extra punches to the face of the Celestial Wanderer for good measure before dragging him back to his feet!
Jake Mercer: Corey is still dazed after the blitz of offense, and Cosmo Goldworthy doesn’t help the state of the Celestial Wanderer as he connects with a heavy knee smash to the midsection, causing Corey to double over in pain!
Stew-O: That doubled over position is right where Money Mo wanted him, though, as he performs a double underhook on both of Corey’s arms before arching himself back, connecting with a butterfly suplex!
Flannery McCoy: WOAH, not just a butterfly suplex – he transitioned the suplex right into an armbar! I think he calls that maneuver the Goldworthy special, and the armbar is locked in right as Goldworthy planned!
Jake Mercer: Yeah, that’s revenge for all that arm-targeting at the beginning of the match! Corey is feeling the burn now with Cosmo pushing away at the elbow joint as much as he can, trying to either hyper-extend it or force Corey to tap out… whichever comes first!
Stew-O: But he’s not able to keep the armbar locked in for long, as Corey pushes himself up as much as he can, leading to the legs of the Gold Standard folding over him and Corey executing a makeshift roll-up on Cosmo, who has been caught off guard!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEE!
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
THREEE-
Flannery McCoy: But he releases the arm and thrusts his legs up to get his shoulder up at the nick of time, keeping him in this match! Cosmo tries scrambling up as quickly as he can, but Corey knows the bad state he’s in and immediately takes advantage of the brief moment of vulnerability from Cosmo to lunge forward!
Jake Mercer: The Gold Standard of EAW just managed to get back to his feet before he saw Corey Hale running at him– IT’S TOO LATE TO REACT!
Stew-O: ZENBREAKER! ZENBREAKER CONNECTS! THE RUNNING SINGLE KNEE FACEBUSTER, A SIGNATURE MANEUVER OF THE CELESTIAL WANDERER, HITS RIGHT ON TARGET AND KNOCKS COSMO OUT ONTO THE CANVAS– BUT COREY USED UP HIS ENERGY TO CONNECT! HE CAN’T GO FOR THE PIN!
Flannery McCoy: Both men are on the ground in deep pain, stirring as they try to recuperate and get back to their feet before the other! This is the critical stage of the match where the tide can turn at a moment’s notice!
Jake Mercer: Both men are in a bad state right now, but their determination leads them to struggle and grit their teeth through the pain! They both slowly begin to stagger up in the ring, with Cosmo releasing some of that ego to focus purely on putting Corey down, and Corey letting loose some of that aggression to keep Cosmo pressed to the wire!
Stew-O: They’re both doing what they need to do to stay in the game, even if that means pushing against their natural instincts to maintain the pressure on their opponents! Right there in the middle of the ring, both wrestlers make it to a kneeling position, and Money Mo is the first to lash out with a strike to Corey Hale!
Flannery McCoy: But Corey Hale isn’t taking that lying down; he immediately returns the favor with a strike of his own to the Gold Standard of EAW, hitting him with a forearm smash to the side of the face!
Jake Mercer: Cosmo returns fire with another elbow smash, and Corey does the same! The adrenaline starts pumping through the veins of both wrestlers as it seem like the attacks of their opponents are only motivating them that much more to stay in the match and put the other down for the three count!
Stew-O: They both quickly rise to their feet as they go strike for strike, blow for blow, doing all that they can to knock the other one out cold! Cosmo Goldworthy looks to break the pattern as he lunges forward, going for a jumping high knee to REALLY knock Corey Hale out, but the Celestial Wanderer is able to sidestep it at the very last moment; maybe all that zen stuff really does make him more aware!
Flannery McCoy: Corey Hale goes further with the sidestep to end up behind Cosmo and immediately takes that opportunity to try to latch on a sleeper hold– but Cosmo was ready for it too, immediately keeping one hand against his neck to make sure that Corey can’t complete the hold! There’s nothing zen about that man, but he still had the ring awareness to see that coming, even with his relative inexperience!
Jake Mercer: It’s anyone’s game here right now as they both do everything they can! Cosmo Goldworthy has effectively prevented the attempted sleeper hold, and he ups the ante by throwing his head back, letting it collide with the face of the Celestial Wanderer! That was enough to break the attempt at the hold and cause Corey to let go, as he chooses instead to clutch his face in pain
Stew-O: Cosmo Goldworthy sees opportunity in his eyes as he looks back and sees Corey Hale dazed! Without a moment to waste, he sprints to the other side of the ring and rebounds off the ropes before rushing over to Corey Hale, LUNGING FORWARD FOR A–
Flannery McCoy: HE’S GOING FOR THE COLDEST WINTER! HE’S LOOKING TO SPEAR THE CELESTIAL WANDERER, HIS FINISHING MANEUVER!
Jake Mercer: BUT COREY HALE JUST BARELY MANAGED TO LEAP OVER IT! COSMO GOLDWORTHY ALMOST LAUNCHED HIMSELF THROUGH THE ROPES TO THE OUTSIDE, BUT JUST BARELY MANAGED TO STOP HIMSELF BY GRABBING THE MIDDLE ROPE!
Stew-O: COSMO GOLDWORTHY BACKS AWAY FROM THE ROPES; HE DIDN’T SEE THAT EVASION COMING AT ALL! WAIT–
Flannery McCoy: HE DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING EITHER! HEAVEN TO HALE! HEAVEN TO HALE! COREY HALE CONNECTS WITH HIS FINISHING ZIG ZAG MANEUVER, DROPPING COSMO TO THE CANVAS AND IMMEDIATELY TAKING THAT OPPORTUNITY TO ROLL HIM UP FOR THE PIN!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
(Ding! Ding! Ding!)
(“Rise and Fall” by Starset began playing once again to loud cheers by the audience as Corey Hale staggered up from the pin, getting his arm raised by the referee with a smile on his face.)
Stephie Love: HERE IS YOUR WINNER… THE CELESTIAL WANDERER, COOOOREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALE!
Stew-O: That was some excellent competition between two up-and-coming New Breeds in the industry! Both of them gave it their all in this match, but only one of them was able to come out with the win.
Flannery McCoy: Despite being unable to progress in the King of Elite Tournament, Corey Hale adds some more momentum to his record with this victory; with the Interwire Champion, Jay Jerry Johnson, looming around the corner… he can use every bit of momentum he can get!
Jake Mercer: Even though he took a loss, Cosmo Goldworthy definitely pushed Corey Hale to his limits tonight; he showed in this match that Money Mo is not a name to disregard, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw Goldworthy rise through the ranks even further going forward!
(The video feed lingered as Corey Hale continued to celebrate his victory, performing the title around the waist gesture, before fading elsewhere.)
(Transtioning backstage, Michael Belfort would be seen, microphone at hand he would speak.)
Michael Belfort: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my guest at this time: your New Breed Champion BRAE!
(BRAE walked into the scene with the gold around his waist, nodding his head as he looked at Michael Belfort.)
BRAE: Thank you for having me.
Michael Belfort: BRAE, you had a tough showing last week against Kirk Redwood, but it ultimately didn’t pan out the way you wanted. How do you feel about that?
BRAE: First and foremost, I have had a lot of struggles with these 2nd round of that tournament. I don’t know what it is. I struggle and am just a shell of myself every time I am in that position. But, I am not gonna allow that to overturn me. I was so focused on that King Of Elite tournament, that it sort of registered towards me afterwards. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise overall?
(BRAE shrugged, as he looked at the camera.)
BRAE: Not that what happened against Kirk Redwood was me accepting or settling for failure. But perhaps this just needed to happen, and this is exactly what had to happen. I need a complete compromise, and this is the universe giving me answers. Telling me that I NEED to be at the top of my game for my next title defense.
Michael Belfort: Speaking on title defenses, how do you feel you have been since becoming champion? What is your synopsis on your reign?
(BRAE nodded, as he took a moment. Looking down at that New Breed Championship, his immense pride and accomplishment stood out like none other. He nodded his head, as he just looked at the championship.)
BRAE: When I fought Michael Machina at Pain For Pride, something kept snapping in my head. Something that told me to go for the kill. So, I went for the kill. Since that moment, there hasn’t been a day in my life not represented by my New Breed Championship, I proudly represent and respect this title. Walking these grounds as a work horse. One of only two Elitists that won at Pain For Pride, that have been able to stretch their reign into the new year. That is history and legacy right there. Entering King Of Elite will not only mark another title defense, but this will make the 8th month of me as New Breed Champion. And whilst I am proud that I have managed to make it this far… I still like there is an opportunity for me to go even further. I can keep going, and really — only I can truly tell myself when to stop. It hasn’t gotten old yet, only better.
Michael Belfort: A dominant champion who stays prided on his ideologies, I wanna beg the question however. Effy Mcavoy enters the fray against you again. How does that victory you had against her prior, affect you moving forth? Her approach to your second match will be entirely different from the first go around.
BRAE: I wanna start by saying, don’t think for a moment that I am undermining her. I am not trying to brush her off and pretend, Effy knows what she is doing, and that is glaringly apparent over on Voltage. But I don’t know, something is registering in my head. I don’t think she has what it takes to piece the entire puzzle together, and that is just me staying to my opinion. She has been doing her thing, but I think she is too far from garnering it all. Effy has faltered in her own right consistently in big matches since her loss to me at Super Voltage, so what do we really think is going to be different about the result this time around? And I’ll even allude to the fact that she has been picking up the matches that she has had in front of her. And even a victory on Dynasty that I’ll applaud her for! But I am consistently leveling myself, and a few nice wins here and there on the weekly isn’t going to be the difference maker when it gets to King Of Elite.
“Oh yeah?!”
(All of a sudden at the end of BRAE’s sentence, it was as if Effy had some sort of cue. She made her presence known. She looks at BRAE, who just laughs.)
BRAE: You’re here again? Are you that desperate to get beaten by me once more?
(BRAE just looked at her as he shook his head. Effy was not phased at all however, as she just looked right back at BRAE.)
Effy McAvoy: You know BRAE, I really think that you want me to feel bad, terrible even. But it is so hard for you to phase me. You want to be this humble man, don’t you? You are never genuine, you are rightfully extremely egotistical deep down. I know that you are, and with the second change that I have been given at KoE, I cannot wait to walk up to you and directly knock you down. Just as I should have done originally the first time we met. My love Ahren has been there for me in these trying times, even when I have not made it easy for him…. But I have been dedicating myself! I have been learning from past mistakes!
(Shouted Effy as her confidence was bass boosted, the girl never looking more sure of herself.)
Effy McAvoy: And it is funny that you want to talk about failing in big matches all of a sudden. Because yeah what has happened to me — what has been happening to you lately? :mjpls: First you got dropped on your head at Road To Redemption, then the Christmas show, you got beat by someone who had not competed in years. Then you got eliminated from the KoE tournament :mjpls: :mjpls: :mjpls: not sure this is some kind of idea that we’re both having, but me thinks we’re in the same boat, buddy. :mjpls: :mjpls: :mjpls:
(BRAE was not happy at all, his aggravation at an all time high. He was annoyed immensely by what Effy had said, but he was trying to not show that.)
BRAE: If you speak with such tendencies, then I have no problem knocking you down a peg at KoE. Remember at the end of the day, I am the champion while you’re wishing to be. So please recognize that before you make an attempt to try and disrespect me, please. I am honest to those failures, but I don’t let them dictate me.
(Effy just giggled as she held her mouth, looking at BRAE whilst rolling her eyes.)
Effy McAvoy: Are all Lords this fragile..? So much for being this unshakable New Breed champion, BRAE! You are acting like one massive baby! But you know what, I’ll be heading on my way now! Farewell BRAE! Hopefully you are ready for what is in store on Voltage!! I think you are really going to enjoy it!
(Effy walked past BRAE as he just was annoyed, as much as he did not wanna display it. That annoyance really ran through him, the New Breed Champion held his titles whilst shaking his head… as Dynasty went elsewhere.)
(A commercial plays for King of Elite, where a rematch between BRAE and Effy McAvoy for the New Breed Championship will take place.)
(Friday Night Dynasty returns to show a shot of the Pinnacle Bank Arena, as the fans in attendance are met with the sounds of ‘Vortex’ by Jinjer, which begin to blast through the arena speakers. Responding with a huge negative reaction, the camera goes to the stage as Daniella Atlas is seen confidently strutting out from the backstage area. She has a smirk on her face as she takes a moment to scan around at the fans who are giving her a not-so-positive reaction before she then begins to make her way down the ramp and toward the ring.)
Stephie Love: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome… ‘THE BLACK FLAME’… DANIELLA ATLAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stew-O: The Empress of Elite tournament has come to a head as our finals matchup for the King of Elite Marquee Event was set up last week! While on the Voltage side of things, we saw Bea Valentine victorious against KASAI to move on, Daniella Atlas, on the other hand, came out on top against Brianna Hill to earn her spot in the climax of this tournament. Needless to say, winning the Empress of Elite would be a massive opportunity for Daniella, and she knows that especially against an opponent as tenured and talented as Bea, there is going to be no room for error.
Flannery McCoy: Well, we also know that Daniella has been on a warpath since the start of the season, and with one title reign under her belt as the Specialists Champion, we know that she’s going to be looking to do some more, and that’s where this tournament comes into play. As long as she has a choice, she’s not going to walk out without results, and who knows, maybe Bea might be more than she can handle, but at the same time, maybe Daniella might be the one who gives her more than she bargained for at the same time.
Jake Mercer: All I know is that this caters to a certain fanbase, and that fanbase is me! This match is going to be great I just know it! For reasons that pertain solely to wrestling and wrestling only!
Flannery McCoy: :comeagain:
(Daniella makes her way up the steps and onto the apron as she enters into the ring. She then heads over and takes a microphone from the ringside area while ‘Vortex’ begins to come to a close. Heading toward the center of the ring, she takes a moment to compose her words before then beginning to speak.)
Daniella Atlas: Embrassé par le désespoir.
(Daniella pauses, a small chuckle escaping her mouth before it grows into a smirk. She then raises her microphone again as she continues.)
Daniella Atlas: Oh, how brilliant this has all surely been. The highs never truly stop when you have been vested with the will of destiny. How fitting it is to stand here, basking in the dismay of every single one of you. Last week, I proved once again why I am the embodiment of inevitability. Brianna Hill thought her determination, her grit, and her sob story of overcoming obstacles would be enough to triumph over me. Yet in the end, it was her naivety that sealed her fate. She brought everything she had, and it still wasn’t enough to withstand the Black Flame. I didn’t just beat her, what I did was expose her. Her so-called journey of redemption? Crushed under the weight of her inferiority. Every strike I delivered, every calculated move I executed, was a reminder that she was never meant to stand where I stand. She fought with heart, but the problem with that is that it is too little, what I did was fight with destiny, and destiny… as always, wins. Now, here we are. One step away from immortality, one week away from the Empress of Elite finals, the King of Elite stage. The opponent that I am facing has made her way to the finals as well, who has the unfortunate displeasure of standing across the ring from me in Bea Valentine.
Daniella Atlas: She is a woman who has seemingly found herself after months of trudging through the lowest of lows. It’s inspiring for the weak, but for the strong, it’s a laughable thing. Right now, at this moment, she is someone who believes her talent, her experience, and her story will lead her to victory. Bea, I hope you’re listening carefully, because you need to understand what you’ve stepped into. This isn’t just a match, this is your reckoning. You’ve had a journey worth noting, I won’t deny that. Your victory over KASAI, although an easy feat in hindsight, was impressive. But make no mistake, your climb has only led you to a summit you cannot conquer. I am not Sally, I am not a nobody who will be gone from this company in a week. I am not Selina Reyes, I am most certainly not KASAI. The person I am is the one who will meet you face-to-face with your downfall, and I will have no remorse in doing so. Hope is such a fragile thing, isn’t it? They hoped Brianna Hill would stop me. She fell. They hoped Pandora Paisley would stop me. She fell. They hoped Ashlynn Quinn would stop me. She fell. And now, they hope for you. But what they fail to realize is that hope is meaningless when you stand against the embodiment of victory. I don’t just defeat my opponents, I destroy them. I don’t just win, I expose, I break, I conquer, and you will be no different. You don’t have the hunger, you don’t have the drive, and you certainly don’t have destiny on your side. Next week, the world will witness what has already been written in the stars. They will see Bea Valentine step into the ring with me, and they will see her hopes burn to ashes. Because I don’t just want to win, Bea, I need to. And there is no force on this earth, in this universe, that can stop me from claiming the crown that is rightfully mine.
(Daniella pauses for a moment before continuing.)
Daniella Atlas: Alors, toi aussi, tu dois périr. Le jour se lèvera sur vous… mais ce jour ne brillera jamais aussi fort que le feu noir.
(Daniella lowers her microphone, but before she can continue, ‘Gloria’ by Laura Branigan begins to play through the speakers to loud cheers emanating from the arena here tonight. The camera goes over as a determined Bea Valentine is seen making her way out to the stage. She has a confident expression on her face as she takes a moment to look around before walking down the ramp with a purpose toward the ring.)
Stew-O: Well, it seemed like it was only a matter of time, but we’re getting an appearance tonight from Voltage’s Bea Valentine! Certainly, her making it this far in the Empress of Elite tournament was a huge motivator to get to this point, and as she makes her way down to the ring, it doesn’t seem like she has any fear in the face of such adversity like Daniella.
Flannery McCoy: Bea doesn’t plan on backing down, and I certainly wouldn’t if I fought this long and got this far. King of Elite is going to be one hell of a battle, I’m sure of that, but one thing for certain is that Bea has been here before, she’s been in big match situations like this, and we’ve seen the magic that she can create, so we’re just going to have to wait and see.
Jake Mercer: Bea’s got a fire in her eyes, perhaps she wants to bring home an opportunity to become the Universal Women’s Champion and add it to the trophy case along with Machina’s EAW World Championship! #Vachina is still alive and well!
(Bea makes her way up the steps and onto the apron before entering into the ring. She heads over and takes a microphone from the ringside area while ‘Gloria’ then begins to come to a close. Then, heading over and meeting Daniella face-to-face, she begins to speak.)
Bea Valentine: Well, holy shit. You know, Daniella, as much as you love hearing yourself talk about your so-called “destiny”, it must be exhausting carrying around that ego of yours. But the only thing inevitable here isn’t your victory, it’s your humiliation. That’s what’s coming to you, certainly not winning this tournament, because I’ve seen it all already! Redemption? I’ve tasted it. Déjà vu? I’ve been living it. Every time I step into this ring, I’m reminded of where I’ve been, how far I’ve fallen, and how much harder I’ve had to claw my way back up. Unlike you, I don’t walk around acting like the universe owes me something, I earn it. And that’s the difference between us: I’m not here because I think I’m untouchable, I’m here because I’ve fought tooth and nail to be here. Every single match, every single loss, every single moment of doubt has been my fuel. You’re coasting on this nonsense like it’s a shield that’ll protect you from the truth, and the truth is that you’ve been handed everything you have. Oh sure, you’ve been dominant. I’ll give you that. But dominance and destiny are not the same thing. Destiny is earned, it’s forged in the fires of failure, pain, and resilience. And guess what, Daniella? I’ve lived in those fires. I’ve thrived in them. Do you think you’ve seen adversity? Do you think you’ve faced women who’ve pushed you to your limit? You’ve faced great competitors, sure. But you haven’t faced me, not this version of me.
Bea Valentine: Because this version of me isn’t just here to wrestle you, I’m here to rip the crown right out of your hands. The embodiment of inevitability? Pft, give me a fucking break. The only thing that’s going to happen is your so-called destiny going up in smoke because even if you think you know who I am in the slightest, you’ll find out that I’m a lot more than you bargained for. Trust me, I’ve heard all the talk, I’ve heard everyone talk about how you’re the very best and how you’re next up, but at the same time, it’s nothing new. You’re just the shiny new toy, and I’ve faced people just like you and watched them wither away, like the likes of KASAI, inevitably like Selina Reyes or whoever in the world you want to go ahead and mention. You’ve never been truly tested, not like I have. And when we face off at King of Elite, I’m going to show you what happens when someone who’s been through hell fights someone who’s just playing pretend. You’ve built your empire on the illusion of dominance, I’m going to tear it all down.
(Daniella chuckles at this, shaking her head as she eyes Bea momentarily, she then begins to respond to what she has to say.)
Daniella Atlas: Oh, how precious, the underdog story. The person who’s “been through hell”, coming to tear down the empire I’ve built. You sound like every single person who’s stepped in this ring with me and promised to be the one to stop me. You claim you’ve forged yourself in the fires of failure and resilience, but do you know what the truth is? Failure is a failure. It isn’t strength, it isn’t character, it’s just failure. And every time you’ve fallen, it’s because you weren’t good enough. Every loss, every moment of doubt you call your “fuel”, it’s just the reminder that you were never supposed to be at the top. You had to scrape and claw because you don’t belong here. But me? I was born for this, I was chosen for this. You’re right about one thing, though: you’re not like the others I’ve faced before. They didn’t have the delusion that they could beat me. But you’re special. You’re walking into this match with all the bravado of someone who has already forgotten the countless failures you’ve suffered. It’s cute, honestly. Admirable, even. But it’s also pathetic. Because when I stand across from you at King of Elite, when the bell rings and reality sets in, you’ll realize that this version of you that you’ve built up in your mind is nothing more than a facade, and that facade is going to crumble the moment you feel the fire of the Black Flame.
Daniella Atlas: You talk about earning things, about how you’ve worked for everything you’ve got. But working hard isn’t enough when you’re standing against someone like me. You can climb as many mountains as you want, but it means nothing when you’re staring up at someone who is at the summit itself. I don’t care if you think you’ve thrived in the fires of hell, I am the fire. I’m going to consume you and every ounce of hope you have, every dream of redemption you’re clinging to, it’s all going to burn away. Destiny isn’t something you fight for. It’s inevitable. My destiny is to wear the crown that has always been prophesied for me from the very beginning, from the moment I stepped into this company. Since everyone has surrounded you with delusion, I’ll be the one to knock you down a peg… You’re not winning Empress of Elite over me, mon cherie.
Bea Valentine: You say I’ve been through failure, that I’ve fallen, and that it somehow makes me weaker? You couldn’t be wrong, you stupid fool. Failure doesn’t define me, it refines me. I’ve faced a shit ton of losses, and has it brought me down? Absolutely, unlike you, I’m not ashamed to admit that. But what doesn’t change is the fact that I get back up to my feet. I learned, I adapted, and I kept fighting. I’m not saying that because I struggled more, I am better than you, I am saying that I am better than you because I fucking believe that without a shadow of a doubt. I’ve been broken and rebuilt so many times that I’ve lost count. You can’t break me, because I’ve already been through the fire, and I came out stronger. You? You’re far from that, you wouldn’t know the first damn thing about it. You’re not facing destiny, Daniella. You’re facing me. And when it’s all said and done, I’ll be the one who is the Empress of Elite. You can say whatever you want, say that destiny is in the palm of your hands, but just like you said, I’ve known from the very beginning exactly what I want, and I’m not going to let some fucking idiot take it away from me because she said so. In your dreams.
(Bea drops her microphone down to the ground as ‘Gloria’ begins to blast through the speakers of the arena again. She then turns around and makes her way out of the ring as Daniella watches on with a displeased expression, crossing her arms. She’s not very fond of what Bea said to her. The last shot seen is Bea storming up the ramp without a second glance as Friday Night Dynasty fades elsewhere.)
(‘Lacrimosa [EPIC REMIX]’ by Samuel Kim begins to sound through the speakers as Vincent Mondrian comes out from the back. He carries a serious demenour as he surveys his surroundings as makes his way down the ramp.)
Stephie Love: THE FOLLOWING MATCH IS SCHEDULED FOR ONE FALL!!!!!
Crowd: ONE FALL!!!!!!
Stephie Love: INTRODUCING FIRST…FROM LAREN, NETHERLANDS…WEIGHING IN AT 205 POUNDS… HE IS ‘THE PRINCE OF PAIN’….VINCENT MONDRIAN!!!!!!
Jake Mercer: Since losing the Interwire Champion at Road to Redemption, things have been quite quiet in the world with Vincent Mondrian. He looked to turn his luck around by using this King of Elite tournament, but found himself eliminated in the early stages of the tournament by Kirk Redwood, who is competing later tonight against Drake Armstrong and the winner of that match moving on to face the winners of TLA/Cody Marshall from Showdown and then, Solomon Stane/Akari Kiyoko on Voltage! I know, it really did not make him a happy camper!
Stew-O: It’s almost if Vincent Mondrian needs to rebuild himself from the ground up. The pressure at Road to Redemption may have gotten to him and led to Jay Jerry Johnson to captalize. He may have seen King of Elite as that shortcut to rebuild himself, but it wasn’t in the cards with him. Now, he could turn all of his luck around by this victory tonight? While things look unclear to him about his road, defeating Saori Aizen can turn it around!
Flannery McCoy: There is a part of me that hopes that Vincent Mondrian is able to take that aggression about Road to Redemption and channel that to his ‘mean streak,’ but he’s going to be dealing with someone who has a mean streak of her own.
(‘Let Me Hear’ by Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas begins to play throughout the speakers as Saori Aizen comes out from the back. Clearly, she has a focused look on her face. First, at Vincent Mondrian and then, to the ‘special guests’ at ringside – Nikki Kimura and Silas Mason.)
Stephie Love: AND….INTRODUCING HIS OPPONENT…FROM TOKYO, JAPAN…SHE IS ‘THE DEMON CHILD’…SAORI AIZEN!!!!!
Stew-O: Here is a woman who may feel like she was screwed out of becoming Empress of Elite due to Silas Mason! She had the opportunity to get further in the tournament, but one of Silas’ grand plans became the reason why we saw Brianna Hall in the semi-finals of the tournament to begin with. With that, Saori still vowed to leave King of Elite with something and she hopes that it’s going to be the Specialists Championship!
Flannery McCoy: It’s a situation that Saori Aizen is familiar with! She’s competed for the Unified Tag Team Championships! She’s competed for the Specialists Championship! She knows how it feels to compete in these high stakes matches, but win them? That’s another story that she looks to write with a happy ending!
Jake Mercer: Right now, she’s gotta overcome Vincent Mondrian to get some momentum on her side!
(DING! DING! DING!)
Stew-O: SAORI AIZEN MAKES A BEELINE FOR VINCENT MONDRIAN WITH A RUNNING DROPKICK AS THAT CAUSES VINCENT TO GO CRASHING BACK AGAINST THE CORNER! VINCENT TRIES TO HOLD HIMSELF UP BY THE ROPES AS SAORI BEGINS TO SWING SOME BIG PUNCHES TO VINCENT! THEN, WHEN SHE SEES THAT VINCENT IS SLIDING DOWN TO A SEATED POSITION, SHE TRADES THE PUNCHES FOR STOMPS TO THE RIBS BEFORE PLACING HER FOOT ON THE SIDE OF VINCENT’S FACE!
Referee: (off-mic) ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! FIVE! STEP BACK, SAORI!
(Saori Aizen looks back at ringside where Nikki Kimura is sitting. The Specialists Championship remains on her lap, glistening and providing a reminder about what Saori will be fighting for at King of Elite. Meanwhile, Silas Mason stands right behind Nikki. The wheels are turning in the back of his head.)
Flannery McCoy: Saori Aizen has to focus on Nikki Kimura, but if there is someone that I don’t clearly trust, it’s Silas Mason. Something about the guy just gives me the heeby jeebies.
Jake Mercer: He is nothing more than a promoter/manager/life coach/personal alarm clock who is looking back at his client. I can’t see to understand what’s wrong with that and it’s not like he’s done anything.
Stew-O: Well, it’s the beginning stages of this match! Saori Aizen looks to pick up Vincent Mondrian from the ground as she pauses before swinging forward, nailing him with a nasty knife-edge chop to the chest of the former Interwire Champion! She nails Vincent with another knife-edge chop to the chest as she looked at Nikki Kimura when she nailed that chop, almost like she’s telling her that’s the type of brutality that she should be expecting from her match up!
Flannery McCoy: But, it seems like Saori Aizen held her gaze on Nikki Kimura just a bit too long as Vincent Mondrian manages to throw a punch to the face of ‘The Demon Child,’ sending her back a bit! Saori is sent back to reality as she races forward and goes right after Vincent with a running forearm of her own, but Vincent manages to duck it, getting himself out of the corner as he manages to shove Soari to the corner, crashing to the turnbuckle as he connects with an O’Connor roll, looking to steal the victory early on!
OOOOOOONNNNNNNEEEEEEE!!!!!!
TTTWW–
Jake Mercer: NO! SAORI AIZEN MANAGES TO ROLL OUT OF THE WAY! VINCENT GETS TO HIS FEET AS SOARI RUNS RIGHT TOWARDS HIM, LOOKING TO NAIL HIM WITH A CLOTHESLINE! BUT, VINCENT MANAGES TO GRAB HER WITH THAT SAME ARM THAT SHE WAS LOOKING TO CLOTHESLINE VINCENT WITH AND CONNECT WITH BACKBREAKER AS SAORI’S SPINE CRASHES ONTO VINCENT’S KNEE! BUT, VINCENT DOESN’T LOSE GRASP OF THAT ARM! HE MANAGES TO SEND HER BACK WITH A FLATLINER! HE TAKES SOARI TO HIS BACK, BUT LOOK AT THIS! HE STILL MANAGES TO GRAB SAORI BY THE ARM! HE HASN’T RELEASED THE GRASP OF THAT ARM! BUT, HE GOES FROM THE ARM TO THE HAND OF THE NUMBER ONE CONTENDER FOR THE SPECIALISTS CHAMPIONSHIP!
(The crowd goes ‘oooh,’ in anticipation as Vincent Mondrian connects with a ‘Potrait of Pain’ or the infamous finger break which causes Saori Aizen to screech in pain.)
Stew-O: Saori Aizen manages to grab onto those fingers, making sure that Vincent Mondrian is not getting his hands on them! But, Vincent manages to pick up Saori from her waist! He manages to lift her up and take her back with a northern lights suplex, applying the bridge as he holds her there, hoping to get the three count!
OOOOOOONNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEE!!!!
TTTTTTWWWW–
Flannery McCoy: Saori Aizen manages to bridge herself out of the northern lights, twist herself back to her feet, but Vincent Mondrian manages to connect with a kick to the ribs! Then, he manages to get her into position. Almost like he’s going for a powerbomb, but instead, manages to hook her arms before taking her back with a butterfly suplex! This sends Saori back! Vincent looks to take advantage of this new found offense as he manages to pick up Saori from the mat, raise her up and connect with a back suplex! Saori is clutching her lower back in pain! She totally felt that! I would hate to be on the other end of one of those! She tries to get herself to her feet, but Vincent stops her mid way with a knee to the abdomen! Then, he manages to pull her into a powerbomb position before raising her up! I think that he might be looking for a sit-out powerbomb!
Jake Mercer: BUT, SAORI AIZEN BEGINS TO CONNECT WITH SOME PUNCHES TO THE TOP OF VINCENT MONDIRAN’S FOREHEAD! SHE SENSED THE TROUBLE THAT SHE WAS SLOWLY GETTING HERSELF IN AND THIS MAY BE ONE OF HER ONLY OPPORTUNITIES TO GET OUT OF IT! SAORI POSITIONS HER BODY AS – SHE CONNECTS WITH A POISONRANA AS THAT CAUSES VINCENT TO GET SPIKED ON THE TOP OF HIS HEAD! Now, Saori finds her way up before grabbing Vincent by the wrists and driving a knee to the skull of the former Interwire Champion! ‘Mirror Flower, Water Moon’ connects as Vincent is taken back! Saori goes for the cover, hoping that it’s enough to end this match!
OOOOOOONNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
TTTTTWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOO –
Stew-O: Vincent Mondrian with a kick out! Saori Aizen begins to climb on top of the turnbuckle! It seems like she has full intentions of making sure that this match ends as fast as possible! She is doing everything in her power to keep her energy saved for King of Elite! Saori looks to her side as –
(Silas Mason takes a step forward, almost like he wants to take a closer look at Saori Aizen. Saori looked to nip the situation in the bud before Silas could even consider sticking his nose where it didn’t belong. Literally, that man cannot be trusted at all.)
Flannery McCoy: Saori Aizen was more than ready for Silas Mason! Remember, it’s because of him – and Nikki Kimura – but mostly him that Saori did not advance to the next stage of the Empress of Elite tournament. The thing with Silas Mason is that he always has a plan for something.
(Silas Mason has his hands up, before taking a step back, almost like he wasn’t going to try funny business. But, that’s truly up to debate. Saori Aizen moves her body forward, almost like she was ready to jump him and that scares the hell out of Silas before he regains his composure.)
Jake Mercer: Hey, hey, now, Silas Mason is a former bare knuckle fighter, I hear! He can bench like 350. 400 on a good day! He is afraid of no one, Flann! But, it seems like Silas may have accomplished something as that provided Vincent Mondrian with enough time to recollect and get back to his feet! He manages to meet Saori Aizen on the top turnbuckle! This isn’t the most idealistic position for Saori or Vincent to find themselves in, but if it means to be one step closer to victory, that is exactly what both of these Elitists are willing to do! Saori with a forearm to Vincent! Vincent with a forearm to Saori! Saori with another forearm! Vincent with another forearm! These two are looking to teeter the other off the ropes!
Stew-O: Vincent Mondrian lands a nasty-looking headbutt to the skull of Saori Aizen! What in the world is Vincent looking to do as he manages to get Saori into a powerbomb position! But, where is there for him to powerbomb her off? He’s on the top turnbuckle! :wtf:
Flannery McCoy: I don’t think that he’s going for a powerbomb, Stew! 😐
Jake Mercer: OH MY GOD – HE’S GOING TO CONNECT WITH A GOTCH-STYLE PILEDRIVER FROM THE TOP ROPE! HE GOT HER UPSIDE DOWN BEFORE LAUNCHING HIMSELF OFF THE ROPE! SAORI AIZEN EATS THE BRUTAL PILEDRIVER! I THINK THAT SHE MIGHT BE OUT OF IT, GUYS! BUT, VINCENT IS NOT DONE THERE! I THINK THAT HE HAS INTENTIONS OF ENDING THIS MATCH FOR HIMSELF AND TO GET HIMSELF BACK ON TRACK!
(Silas Mason has a shit-eating grin on his face as he whispers a thing or two to Nikki Kimura, who has kept a focus and neutral expression on her face. Almost like he’s completely confident that Vincent has her there.)
Stew-O: Vincent Mondrian forces Saori Aizen back to her feet! He gets possession of the hand from Saori before whipping her to one of the corners! SAORI MANAGES TO SIT HERSELF ON THE SECOND TURNBUCKLE AS VINCENT RUNS RIGHT TOWARDS HER WITH A ‘GALICK GUN’ – HIS VARAITION OF THE YAKUZA KICK! THE FOOT COLLIDES WITH THE FACE OF ‘THE DEMON CHILD’ AS THAT SENDS HER FORWARD! SHE MANAGES TO FALL FORWARD INTO THE POSSESSION OF VINCENT AS HE MANAGES TO GET HER INTO POSITION FOR THE ‘VAN GOGH ASCENDENCY’ – HIS VERSION OF THE INVERTED HEADLOCK DROPPED INTO A DDT!
Flannery McCoy: BUT, SAORI AIZEN DROPS DOWN! SHE KNEW THAT IF VINCENT MONDRIAN WERE TO HAVE CONNECTED WITH HIS FINISHER, IT WOULD HAVE ENDED HER CHANCES OF GETTING MOMENTUM ON HER SIDE BEFORE KING OF ELITE! Vincent turns around, looking to get her back into position, but Saori rolls herself out of the ring! That’s wonderful ring awareness from Saori! Soari is looking for a breather monmentarly as she crosses paths with Silas Mason again! What was he looking to do here?
Jake Mercer: It seems Silas Mason was being an outstanding citizen by checking on Saori Aizen! Saori looks to be a bit ungrateful, honestly!
Stew-O: You gotta be an idiot to believe that Silas Mason cares about Saori Aizen! That man has no good intentions, but to benefit himself and himself only! I wouldn’t be shocked that he was looking to roughen up Saori before King of Elite!
(Before Silas Mason could be in a touching distance of Saori Aizen, Saori halts him and tells him to “fuck off” in Japanese because she is not going to deal with his bullshit tonight. Silas pretends to be taken back by the matter, believing that he’s done nothing wrong at all.)
Flannery McCoy: ONCE AGAIN, IT SEEMS LIKE VINCENT MONDRIAN IS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE OPENING PROVIDED BY SILAS MASON AS HE LAUNCHES HIMSELF THROUGH THE MIDDLE ROPE, TAKING SAORI AIZEN DOWN WITH A SUICIDE DIVE! The back of Saori’s head collides with the barricade! Vincent rises to his feet as he runs right towards her wiith a meteora as that causes Saori to collapse to the ground! Of course, Silas LOVED that! I think that he is finding great joy in Vincent softening up Saori for Nikki!
Jake Mercer: Vincent Mondrian picks up Saori Aizen by the back of her head as he points to the steel ring post! This only noteworthy reaction of that comes from Silas Mason, who seems to be clapping and energy for Vincent to do that! It’s not like Vincent was looking for the validation to do that! He was going to do that regardless! He manages to throw Saori into the steel ring post as Saori’s head goes bouncing from it! Vincent forces Saori back to her feet once more before grabbing her by the arm and sending her ribs-first to the edge of the apron! Saori is holding her ribs in pain as Vincent clubs the back of her head, sending her to her knees! Now, we see Vincent getting himself on top of the apron! He manages to pull Saori on top of the apron with him by her hair! What does Vincent have in store for Saori here?!??!
Stew-O: I have no idea, but it’s not going to be pretty! We have to take the mean streak of Vincent Mondrian seriously! Will it be too much for someone like Saori Aizen? HE PICKS HER UP AS HE GETS HER INTO POSITION FOR THAT REVERSE PILEDRIVER! VINCENT CONNECTS WITH THE ‘REIRYOKU’ ON THE APRON! SAORI FINDS HERSELF RECOVERING ON THE APRON AS VINCENT ROLLS HER BACK INSIDE THE RING! SILAS MASON AT RINGSIDE LOOKS TO BE QUITE CONFIDENT THAT VINCENT MAY HAVE HER HERE! HE’S ASSURING NIKKI THAT THIS IS THE END HERE!
OOOOOOONNNNNNNEEEEEEEE!!!!!
TTTTTWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Flannery McCoy: Saori Aizen kicks out! Silas Mason’s grin on his face at ringside, turns into complete shock as Nikki side-eyes him! Meanwhile, Vincent Mondrian still doesn’t lose that hint of confidence in his face! He picks up Saori and takes her up in position for the Falcon Arrow, but he rolls to an X-Plex! He calls that ‘Hell’s Paradise’ as Saori goes down! He begins to stalk Saori up to her feet before getting her into position for ‘Van Gogh Ascendancy!’
Jake Mercer: BUT, SAORI AIZEN MANAGES TO ESCAPE THE MOVE OUT OF THE LAST SECOND! She looks to connect with a kick to Vincent Mondrian! But, Vincent manages to catch her by the leg, but it seems to be a bit of a ruse from Saori as she manages to get him perfectly into position before countering by rolling over and taking down Vincent in the process and connecting with a capoeira kick to Vincent as that takes him down! Now, we see Saori looking to make sure that Vincent remains down by connecting with a basement dropkick!
Stew-O: Saori Aizen seems more than fired up! Her eyes go from Silas Mason at ringside to the Specialists Champion herself as she looks to see the ultimate message before their match at King of Elite! Saori goes back, rebounds herself off the ropes and looks to go for a straight elbow to the skull of Vincent! But, Vincent ducks it before connecting with a powerful forearm shot to the face! This stops Saori in her tracks as she looks to connect with her own strikes! She holds Vincent’s face there as she connects with her own set of punches! She looks to take back the former Interwire Champion! She backs him into the horizontal set of ropes before backing away! She rebounds off the set of ropes behind her before nailing Vincent with a meteora –
Flannery McCoy: BUT, VINCENT MONDRIAN MANAGES TO CATCH HER OUT OF COMPLETE NOWHERE WITH A ‘BIG BANG ATTACK’ AS SOARI AIZEN FALLS FLAT ON HER BACK! GUYS, I THINK THAT VINCENT MIGHT BE SECONDS AWAY FROM GETTING THE VICTORY HERE! SAORI FINDS HERSELF COMPLETELY DOWN AND OUT FOR THE COUNTER! VINCENT IS LOOKING FOR THAT ‘VAN GOGH ASCENDANCY’ FOR THE THIRD TIME IN THIS MATCH UP! IS HE GOING TO PROVE THAT THE THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM HERE?!?!
Jake Mercer: NO! SAORI AIZEN FALLS OUT OF POSITION WITH THE MOVE! I KNOW THAT MUST GET UNDERNEATH THE SKIN OF VINCENT MONDRIAN WHO MANAGES TO CATCH HER BY SURPRISE BY ‘FINAL EXPLOSION!’ HE IS ATTEMPTING TO APPLY THAT CONQUINA CLUTCH OUT OF COMPLETE NOWHERE, LOOKING TO GET A QUICK VICTORY! SOARI FINDS HERSELF IN THAT VULNERABLE POSITION! VINCENT IS DANGLING SOARI BY HER FEET AS HE LOOKS TO GO BACK AND FULLY EXECUTE THE MOVE!
Stew-O: BUT, THE GRASP THAT VINCENT MONDRIAN SEEMS TO HAVE ON SAORI AIZEN WASN’T TIGHT ENOUGH! THIS CAUSES ‘THE DEMON CHILD’ TO SLIDE OUT FROM UNDERNEATH AS VINCENT LOOKS TO CATCH HER ONCE MORE, BUT SAORI CONNECTS WITH ‘REIMEI HAKKE’ – HER VARIATION OF THE BICYCLE KNEE STRIKE CATCHES VINCENT BY SURPRISE AS HE FALLS STRAIGHT TO THE MAT! SAORI WITH THE COVER AS SHE LOOKS AT BOTH SILAS MASON AND NIKKI KIMURA AT RINGSIDE!
OOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
TTTTTTTWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
TTTTTTTHHHHHHHRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
(DING! DING! DING!)
(‘Let Me Hear’ plays once more as Saori Aizen rolls off of Vincent Mondrian, who is still clearly unconscious due to the ‘Reimei Hakke.’ Throughout all of that, Saori looks to be lazer-focused and ready to bolt towards Nikki Kimura and the Specialists Championship.)
Stephie Love: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN…THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH…SAORI AIZEN!!!!!!
Flannery McCoy: When it seemed like Vincent Mondrian was going to get himself a well-needed victory underneath his belt, Saori Aizen manages to turn the tide of the match completely around and nail Vincent with that ‘Reimei Hakee.’ That bicycle knee strike is something to worry about because no one could strike harder than a Japanese joshi.
Jake Mercer: It can be clearly up for debate that Vincent Mondrian had this match won. But, hey, I think that Silas Mason may be looking to expand his brand and looking to add more Elitists under his management. I think that by how Silas felt, Vincent should be another name!
Stew-O: I don’t think so, Jake. It seems like he may have his hands full with the Specialists Champion for the time being.
(Silas Mason places a hand on the upper back of Nikki Kimura, almost like he’s giving her a cue to stand up. Although, it’s not like Nikki needs to be asked about that. She stands up from her chair as she places the Specialists Championship on her shoulder. Saori Aizen sits on the middle rope, begging for Nikki to step into the ring. But, Silas tells her that “there’s a time and place for all of this fighting” and that “we leave them wanting more for the big fight.” Instead, Nikki settles with raising the Specialists Championship above her head, reminding everyone about what these two women will be fighting for next weekend. Saori gestured for the title on her waist, but Nikki said nothing. The title says enough.)
Flannery McCoy: Now, this could be one of those matches that we don’t expect to be one of the highlights outside of the Empress of Elite and King of Elite finals. But, Nikki Kimura will defend her Specialists Championship at Saori Aizen next weekend! This has the capabilities of being one of the most hard-hitting matches on the card!
(The scene pans to the backstage area on Voltage as Flannery McCoy can be seen. She stood in front of a table with a microphone at hand.)
Flannery McCoy: Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to have a very intense meeting between individuals. As Minerva & Drake King are here, face to face!
(She looked at both of them, first looking at Minerva. Both Minerva and Drake were seated at a table, both across from one another and the opportunity for violence was pretty low.)
Flannery McCoy: Minerva, thank you for being here.
Minerva: No problem, just doing what the job puts in front of me.
(She nodded, as she peered over towards Drake King now.)
Flannery McCoy: And thank you for being here! I really hope that we can have a very adequate and civil encounter… for the most part.
Drake King: You know Flannery, as nice as it is for me to be here. I do want to say, contract signing backstage? These can always be a little awkward, we are trying to make an attempt to minimize the chaos, which I do understand. But that is the thing—I think Minerva expects me to do something insane, by being in the ring with her. At least this is the idea that boils within my head. Does she really think that I will just snap and do something? I am tired of all this self victimization. Minerva thinking that I am the villain, when I beat her all the way back at House Of Glass. You should have gotten the memo, you were never good enough, and your quest for revenge is nothing more than a fool’s errand, & the more you continue to try, the worse it is going to get for you. Boo, hoo!
(Drake King laughed as he mocked her with a fake cry.)
Drake King: The branding iron brings back trauma, now doesn’t it? Well how do you think I feel? You are a psychopath, and you are insistent on beating me. You just aren’t letting it go, you continue to latch onto the idea of taking me down. And even though you try to beat me, I still prove myself to be superior to you. I continued to warn you. It wasn’t like this was some sort of free chance, Minerva. Continuing to go after me wasn’t a good idea, and that is why I did what I did to Constance. And this is why—
Minerva: That’s enough.
(Minerva took her time to chime in, she spoke quickly over the words of Drake.)
Minerva: Come on now, you are trying to justify things because of me being a.. “victim” are you joking with me? Are you really gonna try and play this game right now, saying that I am playing the victim? No one has played the victim in Elite Answers Wrestling more than you Drake King. You are the greatest hypocrite to ever stand on two feet. I don’t understand how you manage to do this, time and time again. This is more than the tiny picture you wish to paint, this is—
Drake King: No.
(Drake just spoke over her now, as Minerva looked entirely frustrated.)
Drake King: Look, I don’t think you understand for a moment what it is that is circling through your brain. I think you are listening to too many thoughts in a moment, can’t you see? All of your actions and your obsession with me is causing those close around you to get hurt! Minerva what is it that you aren’t getting from this?! Your willingness to not give up is only putting more & more in danger. Think about that for a moment, okay? You are putting so much in jeopardy. You are hurting yourself, you are your own self destructive time bomb. And the more you suppress the thing that is killing you, the more it is gonna hurt.
Minerva: Alright, if I have to sit here and listen to this again, I am going to lose it. You are hurting my head in various different ways first and foremost, Drake. Never in my life could I anticipate more ignorance being spewed from the human mouth. You are going to pay for absolutely everything that you have done. And if you think that anything else is going to happen otherwise, you can do me a favor and just miss me with that shit. You know for a fact what it is exactly that you are doing. Because you are a sadistic evil cunt and can’t stomach the fact that you don’t have the same stranglehold on this place like you did once before. And I am not talking about EAW, but the people over it. You have fed off everyone like a succubus. You have leeched the life out of so many great things, people buying into your power, but that fortune isn’t coming anymore. That time is finally fading away.
(Drake just let Minerva speak, he showed no resistance in wanting to chime in, but he simply chuckled as he listened to her.)
Minerva: I don’t think you really get it, as you sit here and laugh at me, you really think that you are breaking through and getting deep into the skin aren’t you? Your career is on its last legs, Drake. And I am going to allow you to find that out in the worst way that you possibly know. Just like how your livelihood is. And speaking of cutting through and getting the skin deep..
(Minerva took the pen in her hand, staring directly at Drake. She just STABBED HERSELF DIRECTLY IN THE HAND! She didn’t even flinch, but she was doing this to prove a significant point. She stared directly at Drake, as she signed the contract. Drake was a bit surprised, but he just laughed.)
Minerva: I am as genuine as one can possibly be for this match. I want you to know that I will be ready to bleed. I know that it is a guarantee in this warfare, but this is how serious I am, Drake. When you look me in the eyes, may you see the waking resemblance of vengeance. You opened this can of worms, and you should not panic when I go to pour them on you. So, now that you have all that I want to list off the first stage of our match. I thought deeply about the options that I had and well, it’s going to be…
(Minerva sharply exhales, allowing the blood to stream downward past her palm before exclaiming the first stipulation for their battle to come.)
Minerva: A Tables Match…
Minerva: Perfect for allowing every & any scrape of the wood to make your life all the more of a difficult stay for as long as you’ve got to face me. Then, sending you spiralling through those tables as I please, I will enjoy each & every single second that I have to ensure this is an experience you never forget. For all of the bullshit that has transpired due to all of your hand, that has become more than enough to leave me absolutely spearheading toward putting an end to your games. I am NOT the one putting themselves in jeopardy at King of Elite, you choose to see yourself as the sole candidate for victory here but you are sorely mistaken, Drake. Everything is vested within me to make sure that you suffer for every little bit of agony you’ve caused me, even then, there’s not enough strife in the world that I can’t find a way to endure through…
(Drake King nodded. He chuckled to himself as suddenly he took the pen.)
Drake King: You know what Minerva, what you did was absolute. It takes a true competitor to do what you did, only one of a kind. To stab themselves in the hand is something, it really shows just what type of journey you are on. If I did not see it before—I already know what I’m going into but regardless—then I guess I truly do now. Your hatred runs deeper for me more than anyone I could ever anticipate or imagine. That helped me see through to those ways, you are a tough woman, Minerva… And you know what? Why not join the party, yeah?
(SUDDENLY DRAKE STABBED HIMSELF IN THE HAND AND SIGNED THE CONTRACT TOO! Minerva smirked as she watched Drake King do the exact same thing that she did, with Drake slightly wincing, but able to mask the pain almost perfectly through a grin. The contract had blood on it from both competitors. Drake just looked at Minerva as he nodded his head.)
Drake King: The lengths that I have always been willing to go, they will be fully realized all the same. You are entering a realm of no escape for yourself, Minerva. Had the opportunity to let this all go beforehand, perhaps I would have even considered any slight reluctance from completely halting your career as a sign of mercy. Well, none of that matters now, does it? Not that you would’ve ever cared about getting to see that luxury through, ‘cause now I have every indication in the book to drag you further into the point of no return than you’ve ever experienced before…
(Drake proceeds to sign the contract with his own blood as well, briefly glancing down to the contract itself before taking his gaze back to an unfazed Minerva, who imposed her own glare against Drake King while he signed away. Drake’s grin slowly dissipates as he keeps his eyes directly on his opponent to come.)
Drake King: The second stage: Shock Collar.
Drake King: You will understand this much, Minerva. You are being brought down to a level that even you may not be familiar with, because I can bring just about anyone to their limits to the greatest of degrees. Sure, you can tell yourself that you’ve already been there & done that, have been able to do much of the same in your own right—but what I have been able to accomplish surmounts this much. Don’t let that put any damper on where you stand, because no one can truthfully compare to what I have done throughout these years where I have been able to stand out from just about every single elitist that could’ve ever tried to surpass me. I am prepared for the most trying of times, and when it’s expected of me to deliver on my own accord? I set things right. There are no lengths that I have not been willing to go if it means setting myself & this company on the proper path. Your career is closing in on itself and that’s the reality you honestly don’t have much of a choice for other than accepting. That’s where you stand, and unfortunately, that’s where it’ll end.
(Drake builds a small grin on his face as Minerva can only glare at him, staring daggers into him as Flannery McCoy takes a brief exhale before speaking.)
Flannery McCoy: Should a third stage be necessary in this match, with the both of you elitists evening the score & leading to a potential stalemate, the third stage will proceed as such…
Flannery McCoy: Hell, In A Cell…
(Drake’s grin suddenly grew even wider, as he has the most recent experience with the Hell In A Cell, but this did not phase Minerva whatsoever, as sheer determination continued to etch across her own expression regardless of the announcement.)
Flannery McCoy: And to finalize this contract signing, we have another announcement in order as the implications of this match continue to broaden toward a proper reward. The winner of this match, will receive a title match for the World Heavyweight Championship at Operation: Doomsday.
(The immense applause can be heard in the background for the announcement, as Drake nods to the last announcement with an ear-to-ear grin plastered on his own face as Minerva’s cold glance toward Flannery tells all of where she stands on the matter. The two EAW Hall of Famers remain eyeing one another, as one final shot of their bloodied palms can be seen before the scene slowly fades.)
(A commercial plays for King of Elite, where Minerva and Drake King will settle things once and for all in a Three Stages of Hell match.)
(‘Dragonborn’ by Jeremy Soule begins to play through the speakers as the crowd stands up in a positive reaction as Brian Daniels comes out, in his ring gear, all ready to compete. He looks around the crowd in the Pinnacle Bank Arena. The same crowd that had some doubts on whether they would accept him back. Brian soaks in the reception, taking it all in before making his way down the ramp.)
Stephie Love: THE FOLLOWING MATCH IS SCHEDULED FOR ONE FALL!!!!!
Crowd: ONE FALL!!!!!!!
Stephie Love: INTRODUCING FIRST…FROM NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK…WEIGHING IN AT 195 POUNDS…HE IS EAW HALL OF FAMER…BRIAN DANIELS!!!!!!
Jake Mercer: In just a matter of moments, we will watch Brian Daniels compete in a Dynasty ring in over a decade. But, right now, he’s requested some time to speak to the EAW Universe and most importantly, to Cy Henderson. Someone that’s clashed in the ring with in the past. Someone that he’s been tag team partners with. Someone that he considered a good friend until he kind of ruined that –
Stew-O: What do you mean that he “ruined” that, Jake? :wtf: If anything, Brian wasn’t mean with some of his criticism of Cy Henderson. He was speaking to Cy in a level of respect and Cy didn’t take it as respect, but as disrespect from Brian. Since then, these two haven’t been on the same page.
Flannery McCoy: Cy Henderson has not been the same Cy Henderson that he was when he returned back to this company. Something completely shifted from his match against Limmy Monaghan at Pain for Pride. Over the past six months, we’ve seen Cy completely transform to a different man. I don’t even recognize Cy at this point. It should be interesting to see what Brian has to say about everything.
(Brian Daniels accepts the microphone from the timekeeper before taking his place in the middle of the ring. ‘Dragonborn’ dies down and all that’s left is the crowd’s cheering and excitement in the air. Once again, Brian soaks in the reception of the crowd.)
Crowd: BRIAN DANIELS!!!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏 BRIAN DANIELS!!!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏 BRIAN DANIELS!!!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏 BRIAN DANIELS!!!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏 BRIAN DANIELS!!!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏 BRIAN DANIELS!!!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏
(Brian Daniels forms a grin on his face, completely taken back by the love of the crowd in Lincoln, Nebraska. He gently ‘shushes’ before gesturing for them to ‘simmer it down,’ so that he can begin to talk.)
Brian Daniels: I’m not going to be around the bush, but I’d rather much face Cy Henderson right about now. Unfortunately, we don’t always get what we want. That’s life, after all. It’s allowed me to sit back and really process the events that have fallen into place since the beginning of the year. One of the things that I didn’t anticipate was the demise of our friendship. A man who I have stood across the ring with and shared battles with it. A man who I have stood next to as we shared our countless wars, bled together, traveled together and someone that I considered one of my good friends in this sport. I knew Cy Henderson on a different level than what most people knew him. I knew what went on in his complex mind. I was able to see his doubts, his concerns and his fears. When I heard that he was returning to professional wrestling, I couldn’t be more than thrilled for him. I believed if there was someone who was more than worthy to redeem himself from his past, it was him. Still, I knew that he was going to be walking into the unknown. Everything was going to be different. The scenery had completely transformed. The locker room environment had taken a total 360° since the last time I stepped foot in 2017. I had no clue whether Cy was going to be welcomed back with open arms or if the locker room was going to embrace him. It was the same issue back in 2016. When management had completely turned his back on him, I never did. I was one of the few people that believed that he genuinely changed. I wanted to believe that he was not going to fall back and repeat the same patterns. He was not going to leave the company out of the blue with no explanation on his part. When he did that, I was disappointed. I was angry because I stuck my neck out for him and he stepped on all of that.
Brian Daniels: The same emotions from 2016 had completely crept up nine years later. I am angry and disappointed at Cy and the demise of our friendship. I could decide to mull over that, but it’s probably for the better that it’s led to this. I can’t see myself rekindling anything with Cy as he is now. He’s frankly an egotistical asshole and a complete mess. His mentality is just all the way fucked up and I don’t appreciate it. I don’t appreciate how he decided to start things with me when I had only wanted to catch up with him after so long. To be able to converse with someone who I consider one of my good friends and someone who I could be forward with without being rubbed the wrong way with what I had to say. The Cy Henderson that I knew would have been able to sit back and listen to my concerns. To be able to take any sort of accountability for his actions. The Cy Henderson I knew wouldn’t look at this opportunity to return to the company and completely make a mockery out of it —
(‘Saint Pablo’ by Kayne West cuts off Brian Daniels. Brian shakes his head, a bit amused, but not surprised at all. Cy Henderson comes out with a microphone already in his possession as he makes his way down the ramp. His entrance music dies down.)
Cy Henderson: Brian, just stop. You need to quit with this moral bullshit because if I – and everyone else – can recall, you aren’t an angel in your own right. I mean, you want to bring up my past, but let’s bring up yours, shall we? You ‘left’ the company one time before Shock Value 2013? Not only that, but you left as the World Heavyweight Champion! All because you didn’t want to face Kevin Devastation. Why was that? You thought it was beneath you, little buddy? You thought that you didn’t deserve that type of match up? If we were to discuss bag fumblers, you should be top five biggest bag fumblers in Elite Answers Wrestling history. You were World Heavyweight Champion. One of the top billings in EAW. Could have been the face of the company for all we know. You not only lost your title, but you had your contract terminated. All in one week. Yet, was the narrative: “fuck Brian Daniels. He’s a quitter. Totally unreliable.” Did EAW have the nerve to say all of that on live television? Nope, they didn’t. Instead, it was all: “Brian Daniels left EAW for an undisclosed reason, yada, yada”, you get the idea. You didn’t have the deal with the bridge being burned. The bridge was still in one piece. You were given the luxury to return when you pleased. Me? “Let’s all cut ties with Cy Henderson because he left EAW for an undisclosed reason that is no one’s business.” “Let’s burn the bridge that we created with Cy Henderson” – when I’m one of the people who had to pick up your mess when you quit – not left – quit EAW. Now, I don’t expect any of the Elitists who showed up in 2018 to present day to know any of this. None of you could be bothered to do any research on the past besides the narratives spewed by whoever is in charge. But, let’s recap Shock Value 2013.
Cy Henderson: Kevin Devastation was gloating and bragging about how he was the reason why you took your ball and went home. Andy Dominguez had to take the initiative and make a match on the spot – ‘The Legendary Sekaiichi’ versus lo and behold, Cy Henderson in a Four-Corner Shock Match. While it may have not been for any sort of World Championship, it was a match to fill the void that you left the company, Brian.
Brian Daniels: And, how did that match go for you, exactly?
(Cy Henderson stays silent as Brian Daniels takes it as a cue to continue on.)
Brian Daniels: You really shouldn’t be forgetting about your own unbecoming past, Cy. :mjpls:
Cy Henderson: All this energy is coming from the same guy who said out loud he was going to have his last match in EAW out of nowhere? 😭😭
Brian Daniels: This company doesn’t need Brian Daniels. I wasn’t entitled to a return to EAW. I wasn’t entitled for anyone to welcome me back with open arms. I came back at a time where various wrestlers who had burned bridges were pleading their case, trying to make a return. It was like: “would they accept me?” I’m not going to say that I was an angel, Cy. That wasn’t what I was trying to do. I know that I have tested the goodwill of management backstage. I ruffled a lot of feathers with how I was back in the day. Looking back, I wish I could slap that man across the face. I have tried not to dwell upon the past and I’m not going to make excuses for it. I know the man I was. I know that I can’t change the past, but I’m determined to make things better now. I am determined to make amends and more importantly, I want to ensure that this time, I’ll be able to have a run that’s remembered for good rather than all of the wrong ways. Meanwhile, you’re out here running your legacy down into the dirt.
(Cy Henderson chortles at Brian Daniels’ comment, almost like Brian is deflecting.)
Cy Henderson: You are trying so hard to be the good guy now to distract from the fact that your last run with EAW was an embarrassment. :mjlol:
Brian Daniels: I got nothing to hide. At least, I can handle criticism while you want to lash out at anyone who can clap back at him.
Cy Henderson: I really don’t listen to criticism of men who aren’t better than me. As it was reflected earlier, this isn’t the first time we’ve clashed throughout our careers.
Brian Daniels: I’m surprised that you remembered that, Cy. While we are on the topic of EAW history, you can look at our match on the EAW Network. A lot of good, little nuggets there. I’m not going to lie, but I reminded myself of things that I had forgotten that I did. No Regards 2013 is one of those things. Remember that match, little buddy? Remember what happened? I made you submit in the middle of the ring. Want another one? How about Territorial Invasion 2014? While it wasn’t your standard one-on-one, you were there when I won my very first World Championship and yeah, I took that reign for granted, but who could blame me? It’s Kevin Devestation. I wouldn’t have blamed anyone, if they decided to do the same thing as me. I wouldn’t pull as wild of a stunt in this day and age. It would never cross my mind. I am presented with an opportunity to end things on my terms. The way that I have been allowed to return to this company and it’s not something that I want to take for granted. I don’t want the last impression of anyone to be at me falling to Myles or me begging for Drake King to end my career. I don’t want for my wrong doing in the past to be my everlasting legacy. While I am no longer the man who won the World Heavyweight Championship or headlined Pain for Pride X, I want to be remembered as one of the greatest professional wrestlers in the world.
Cy Henderson: You’ll be remembered for who you truly are, Brian. You are a manipulator. You have managed to tug in the heartstrings of these EAW fans. You have managed to play the role as the hero in everyone’s story. The man had his soulfull journey, became a family man, but still felt he wasn’t a hero to them. He needed to come back to this company, step into the ring with the best that this company has to offer. He needed to test himself against some of the best. And, you think that he’d be alright? But, nope. Brian Daniels wants more. He wants more of the action. He was more of the adrenaline running through his veins. This is the same man who is easily obsessed with the feeling that professional wrestling gives us, he can’t watch a simple episode of EAW programming without him considering doing this full-time. Brian knows he can’t do that because he knows that it will be a gateway to becoming the man he claims that he no longer is. There are some veterans in the back who are looking at you through a magnifying glass, examining everything that you do. Hoping to catch a slip up. Most people who have been presented with an opportunity to return have always slipped up, so what is going to make you any more different?
Brian Daniels: I, for one, don’t need to call myself a ‘Justice Seeker’ to make me feel like the good guy here—
Stew-O: I DON’T THINK THAT CY HENDERSON LIKED THAT AS HE THROWS A FOREARM TO BRIAN DANIELS! BRIAN STAGGERS BACK, BUT HE THROWS A PUNCH TO CY! THIS STAGGERS CY A BIT, BUT HE MANAGES TO SPEAR BRIAN TO THE GROUND! HE CONNECTS WITH LEFT AND RIGHT PUNCHES TO BRIAN! BUT, BRIAN ROLLS HIMSELF ON TOP OF CY AS HE RETURNS THE FAVOR, THROWING PUNCHES OF HIS OWN! CY IS ABLE TO GET THE UPPER HAND AS HE MANAGES TO THROW HIS STRIKES TO THE SKULL OF BRIAN! BRIAN MANAGES TO KICK CY IN THE STOMACH, CREATING A BIT OF DISTANCE BEFORE KIPPING UP TO HIS FEET! THE TWO FORMER PARTNERS, FORMER FRIENDS AND CURRENT ENEMIES ARE STARING DOWN ONE ANOTHER! I THINK THAT WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A SNEAK PEAK OF KING OF ELITE RIGHT NOW! THE CROWD WANTS IT! BRIAN DANIELS WANTS THIS! THE ENERGY OF THE CROWD IN THE PINNACLE BANK ARENA IS ELECTRIFYING FLANN AND JAKE!
(The crowd’s electric reception is completely ruined by a storm of boos. The camera manages to catch a series of security guards, getting inside the ring and separating Cy Henderson and Brian Daniels. Cy seems more calm, cooperating with staying back in his respective corner. A smug look on his face. Meanwhile, Brian is the complete opposite. He is completely fired up, feeding off the reception of the crowd. It almost seems like the adrenaline, the feeling that the sport of professional wrestling could give anyone, is pumping through his veins as he manages to break away from the security –)
Jake Mercer: –’CAUSTIC ECHO!!!!!!!!!!!!!’ THE SPINNING ROUNDHOUSE KICK NAILS CY HENDERSON IN THE TEMPLE! CY TRIED TO BE ONE STEP AHEAD OF BRAIN, GOING AFTER HIM BEFORE BRIAN COULD! BUT, BRIAN BEAT HIM TO THE PUNCH! CY IS TAKEN DOWN AND ROLLS OUT OF THE RING! BRIAN DANIELS IS COMPLETELY FIRED UP, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!!!!
(Brian Daniels has the crowd in the palm of his hand. Brian is completely fired up. He is ready for King of Elite. Ready for Cy Henderson, but he needs to overcome Clayton Golde first. Meanwhile, Cy is completely taken out by ‘Caustic Echo,’ trying to pick himself up from the ground on the outside, but he can barely do so.)
Flannery McCoy: Brian Daniels is more than ready to go! While you can catch Brian Daniels facing Cy Henderson at King of Elite next weekend, you can see Brian Daniels in action in his first match on Dynasty in about a decade or so! That will be up next, so stay tuned!
(The last shot shows a downed Cy clutching his jaw as Brian stands tall in the ring, ready for his upcoming match against Clayton Golde…)
(A commercial plays for King of Elite, where former mates Brian Daniels and Cy Henderson face each other in a highly volatile matchup.)
(Back from commercials, Brian is in his corner warming up, still carrying the adrenaline and rage from laying out his former tag team partner and friend turned rival, Cy Henderson. (Betty (Get Money)!’ by Yung Gravy begins playing and it immediately prompts nothing but boos from the crowd, as Clayton Golde charges out with his paid valet and gold smoke filling the stage. Golde berates the booing fans, and makes his way down to the ring.)
Stephie Love: Introducing first, from An Undisclosed Location in Romania, weighing in at 210 pounds… He is “THE GOSPEL” CLAYTTTOOONNN! GOOOLLLDDDEEEEEE!!
Stew-O: Confident to a fault, Clayton Golde is still a huge believer in himself and operates under the belief that he can dominate Dynasty. For Clayton to do that, he’s gotta stop being in his own head and starting to accept reality. Tonight is definitely an indicator of where Clayton’s mind is at.
Jake Mercer: You’re deeply underselling the gravitas of the Modern Day Midas, the Clout-Shark, the Golden God!Clayton Golde remains to have a bright future here on Dynasty and he may have had some tough setbacks in recent weeks, it is a NEW YEAR and it is time for Clayton Golde to make something new of himself!
(DING DING DING!)
Stew-O: The bell rings and both men circle around the ring, eying one another. They engage in a tight collar and elbow tie-up and Brian Daniels easily takes the advantage. He transitions to a wristlock, wrenching it in on Clayton. Clayton reaches for the ropes, but Brian throws a swift kick to the back of the leg! He takes that arm and slowly brings Clayton down, bending him to his back… Clayton’s arm is up in a 90 degree angle as Brian leaps for a stomp on the elbow!
Jake Mercer: Clayton rolls out of the way and saves his arm from being stomped! Brian’s foot hits the canvas and Clayton trips him onto his stomach. He dives into a side headlock, and I’m not sure if this is the game you want to play. Regardless, Clayton has that headlock in tight and Brian slowly works his way up. He brings Clayton to the ropes and sends him off! Clayton bounces off for a shoulder block– no! Drop toe hold from Daniels!
Flannery McCoy: Brian works his way up and grabs the arm of Clayton. He pulls back, wrenching in a kneeling armbar. You can see the discomfort on Clayton’s face as he once again reaches for the ropes, but Brian is giving him very little to work with. Brian turns, continuing to crank on the arm! Clayton cries out as he is being tortured out there! Brian spins around to a grounded hammerlock! He presses a knee on the wrist of Golde, who is trying to scoot towards the ropes! But as he gets closer, Brian places a leg over his head and transitions into a kimura!
Jake Mercer: Some craftiness from Golde as he plants his knee on the mat. He doesn’t allow Brian to shift his weight ontop of him and really get that kimura in! Instead, Golde rolls over, pinning Brian’s shoulders to the mat! As Brian flails his legs in the air, Clayton gets both feet on the bottom rope for extra leverage! Is he already looking to steal the win this early in the match?!
OOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW–
Stew-O: Despite this, Brian kicks out! Golde rolls to his feet and given the reaction on Brian’s face, he is pissed! Clayton is shuffling away, backing to the ropes and forcing the referee to keep Brian away from him. Golde is now doing all he can to get away from Daniels. Brian simply steps up to the center and draws his line in the sand, demanding that Clayton come over and fight him! Reluctantly Clayton slowly approaches him with a collar and elbow tie-up…
Flannery McCoy: Instead of snapping it, Clayton kicks Brian right in the ribs! He duped him! A big forearm from Golde, and then he throws another. Daniels is on wobbly legs and Clayton takes him to the ropes, snagging the wrist and sending him across the ring with a big irish whip. But here comes Daniels off the ropes, taking Golde down with a fiery flying forearm! Golde pops up to his feet and Brian starts lighting him up with repeated chest kicks!
Jake Mercer: Clayton falls into the turnbuckles. And now it’s Brian who tries for an irish whip– only for Clayton to reverse with one of his own! But wait, Brian is running up the middle rope and looking to propel himself off the top with a backflip over, but Clayton kicks out the ropes! And Brian falls into a tree of woe! Brian is caught up on the ropes and Clayton wastes no time, stepping out to the apron. He makes his way to the top rope and points down at Brian, flying off the top with a TREE OF WOE DOUBLE FOOT STOMP! BRIAN GETS FLATTENED BY THAT! AND CLAYTON TO THE COVER!
OOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Stew-O: BRIAN DANIELS KICKS OUT! That was a very close one, though! Clayton is in a great position right now. He drags Brian up to his feet and hooks the head, scooping him up for a vertical suplex. Clayton rises to his feet and dusts his hands off. He sees Brian in a world of hurt and stomps right at the shoulder, and then the chest! Brian writhes in pain, desperately covering up. Clayton pulls him right back up to his feet and turns him around. He scoops him up high in the air for a back suplex!
Flannery McCoy: Clayton Golde is just having his way with Brian Daniels right now! He’s looking to prove a lot of people wrong and if he can keep it up, he will certainly find his way there. Clayton drags Brian up one more time and tucks his head in. He double underhooks the arms, for a BUTTERFLY SUPLEX- but Brian stalls the lift! Clayton tries again, but Brian wiggles out and spins, hooking the arm and bringing Clayton down for a big FUJIWARA ARMBAR!
Jake Mercer: YOU CAN HEAR THE SCREAMS FROM GOLDE ALL THE WAY OVER HERE! Brian Daniels has that armbar locked in tight! And now he’s digging his elbow into the shoulder blade of Clayton, while pulling back on the wrist! I know he has to be in pain right now! Clayton runs his hands through his hair, desperately reaching for the ropes! He’s struggling, doing his all to try and get free! But I don’t think it’s going to happen, Brian is pulling back on that arm with all of his might, and Clayton tries to roll over-
Stew-O: Only for Brian to shift his hips and JUST PUT MORE BODY WEIGHT on the arm! Clayton made a big mistake there! He’s screaming out and I think the fans just want to see him give up! He begins to scoot backwards, using his length to his advantage as he gets a foot on the bottom rope! Extremely close one, we could’ve been looking at the end of the match right there. And Clayton has no choice but to roll out and nurse on his arm.
Flannery McCoy: Meanwhile, Brian Daniels gets back up to his feet! He hits off the ropes and bounces off, DIVING THROUGH THE MIDDLE ROPES WITH A SUICIDE DIVE– no! Clayton sidesteps it! Brian has to land onto his feet and Clayton kicks him square in the ribs, scooping him up for a SIT-OUT POWERBOMB ON THE FLOOR! THE BACK OF BRIAN’S HEAD BANGS OFF THE CANVAS! HE MAY BE OUT OF IT AFTER THAT! Clayton staggers up to his feet, dragging Brian up with all of his might and rolling him into the ring! He just realized he may have struck gold!
Jake Mercer: Clayton leans against the apron, breathing heavily. He needs a moment to recover, and that arm has to be killing him! He makes his way onto the apron and rolls through the middle rope. Brian is still out of it, and Clayton drags him up! He scoops him up, ‘THE 304!’ HIP TOSS INTO THE TURNBUCKLE! AND BRIAN BOUNCES OFF THE TURNBUCKLES, FLIPPING ONTO HIS FACE! Clayton drags him to the center of the ring by the legs and rolls him over for the cover!
OOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
TTTTTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR–
Stew-O: BUT BRIAN DANIELS KICKS OUT ONCE AGAIN! It’s going to take a lot more than that to put him down! Clayton slaps the mat, pissed! He runs his hands through his hair, pacing around back and forth. Clayton steps out to the apron, making his way to the middle rope and then the top rope. He stands perched up, pointing down at Brian as he soars through the skies with the 450 LEG DRO–
Jake Mercer: DANIELS ROLLS UNDER! AND CLAYTON GOES ASS FIRST INTO THE MAT!! I KNOW THAT HAD TO HURT! Clayton holds at his spine, crying out in agony! He rolls to his fours, trying to recover … but Brian is up and he runs with a knee square into the ribs! He scoops Clayton up right after and tosses him across the ring with an exploder suplex! Clayton rolls over, holding his back. He slowly pulls himself up against the turnbuckles. Brian rises and hits off the turnbuckles for added momentum!
Stew-O: And he soars into a flying forearm against the turnbuckles! He then takes the head and arm of Clayton, tossing him with a half hatch suplex! And after that, he rises and steps out to the apron. Brian makes his way up to the top rope and points down to Clayton. HE LEAPS OFF THE TOP ROPE, SWAN DIVE HEADBUTT! NASTY SKULL TO SKULL COLLISION! GOLDE FLAILS AROUND THE RING, HOLDING AT HIS HEAD IN AGONY!
Flannery McCoy: Brian slowly rises, taking deep breaths. Clayton rolls over, still clutching at his head. Clayton slowly pushes up to his knees. He tries to get himself back into this, but I don’t know if it’s possible for him to do so! Meanwhile, Brian yells out, running UP the knee of Clayton and throwing his leg up high in the air, dropping back down into ‘KINGSLAYER!” THE AXE KICK LANDS FLUSH ON THE BACK OF THE HEAD! BRIAN ROLLS HIM OVER AND HOOKS THE LEGS!
OOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
TTTTTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEE–
Jake Mercer: CLAYTON GETS HIS FOOT ON THE BOTTOM ROPE AT THE LAST SECOND! EITHER HE WAS SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD OR THAT IS IMMACULATE RING AWARENESS FROM THE GOLDEN GOD! Clayton rolls over, draping his body around the bottom rope. I think Brian Daniels is still trying to figure out what happened.
Stew-O: He reaches down for Clayton, but now Clayton rolls to the apron. Brian remains persistent, climbing the middle rope to try and pull Clayton up, but CLAYTON SNAPS BRIAN OFF THE TOP ROPE WITH A HOT SHOT! Brian is draped across the top rope, out of it. Clayton is so hurt though, there’s no telling if he’ll be able to capitalize or not! He staggers up to his feet, stumbling to the turnbuckles. Clayton slowly makes his way up to the top. Oh, you don’t think– DIVING LEGDROP OFF THE TOP ROPE TO THE BACK OF BRIAN’S HEAD, SNAPPING HIM OFF THE TOP ROPE AND DRIVING HIM TO THE CANVAS!
Flannery McCoy: THE IMPACT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING! CLAYTON CRASHES TO THE APRON AFTERWARDS, BUT BRIAN DANIELS IS HOLDING AT HIS THROAT, COUGHING OUT IN AGONY! Clayton needs to find his way back in! And he slowly rolls in, holding at his hip! Brian is writhing and roling around in the ring and the referee tries to check on him! Clayton slowly pulls himself up, looking down at Brian in agony!
Jake Mercer: Clayton approaches Brian, but the referee steps up to hold him back! Clayton tries to push through, but the referee is insistent he check on Brian! Clayton paces around, trying to be patient. But patience is not for Golde who now reaches over to grab Brian— AND BRIAN YANKS HIM DOWN WITH AN INSIDE CRADLE! BOTH SHOULDERS PUSHED TO THE CANVAS!
OOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
TTTTTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEE–
Flannery McCoy: THAT WAS NEARLY IT! Golde barely gets out to his feet and HERE COMES BRIAN OFF THE TURNBUCKLES, HOLDING HIS THROAT THE ENTIRE TIME AS HE FLIES INTO VALAR MORGHULIS! THE FLYING KNEE PUTS HIM DOWN! BRIAN DANIELS PUTS CLAYTON OUT COLD! HE ROLLS HIM TO HIS STOMACH, NOT FINISHED, THOUGH!
Stew-O: And now Brian ties up the arm of Clayton in an omoplata! He elevates his body so he’s leaning over the back of Clayton, and then he reaches his hands around his mouth and he applies THE FOURTH SEAL! IT’S LOCKED IN TIGHT! THE CROSSFACE IS IN AND HE PULLS ON THE HEAD OF CLAYTON, CRANKING THAT NECK BACKWARDS! CLAYTON SCREAMS OUT, FEELING ALL OF THE DISCOMFORT FROM THIS CROSSFACE!
Jake Mercer: HE WANTS TO GET TO THE ROPES, BUT THEY’RE DEAD IN THE CENTER OF THE RING! BRIAN CONTINUES TO PULL BACK! AND CLAYTON’S GONNA HAVE TO THINK ABOUT HIS FUTURE HERE! HE DOESN’T HAVE MUCH OF A CHOICE! HE WAVES HIS HAND ABOVE THE CANVAS … BUT ALL CLAYTON CAN DO IS TAP OUT! THIS ONE IS OVER!
(DING DING DING!)
Stephie Love: Here is your winner of this match, BRRRIIANNNNN!! DAANNNIEEELLLSSS!!!
(‘Dragonborn’ by Jeremy Soule hits the PA speakers and Brian releases Clayton, nodding his head. He slowly pulls himself up, knowing that a message was sent to his opponent at King Of Elite. Clayton is helped out of the ring, whilst the referee takes Brian’s arm and raises it up high.)
Flannery McCoy: Statement made by Brian Daniels tonight! Clayton Golde absolutely gave him a fight, but Brian showed once again how crafty he is and what he’s willing to do in the pursuit of victory. Brian Daniels has a tough task awaiting him at King Of Elite!
Jake Mercer: But he’s just as good as ever. Cy Henderson is really going to have to keep that in mind going up against him. Congratulations to Daniels for leaving Dynasty with the victory!
(Brian nods his head, glad to have momentum on his side heading into King of Elite. From there, the broadcast fades momentarily.)
(Fading in from black, the scene opens with a dramatic orchestral piece playing softly in the background, with flickering shots of Milli Banks and Raven Roberts’ careers layered over a montage of EAW’s history. The screen shifts between their paths, showcasing the intersections of their journeys and the stark contrasts that define them.)
Narrator: History. It’s written by the victors, etched in stone by those who refuse to falter, and built by those who understand that greatness is not given—it’s earned. For two women, history is more than just a legacy. It’s a promise. A burden. And at King of Elite, it’s the prize.
(The screen fades into a shot of Milli Banks, sitting in a dimly lit room. Her Universal Women’s Championship is draped across her lap, the golden glow standing out against the shadows. Quick clips flash of Milli’s seasons seventeen and eighteen, recapping her highlights, including: her Specialists Championship reign, winning Iron Survivor at last year’s Operation: Doomsday, her victory at Pain for Pride to win the Universal Women’s Championship, winning War Games, and her defenses.)
(However, despite the triumphant shots, one becomes significant. A clip from House of Glass in 2023 plays, highlighting Milli Banks in the Glass Ropes fatal four-way match. Despite her determination, the match concludes with Bea Valentine securing the victory, a moment that cost Milli her chance to break the record for the longest-reigning Specialists Champion of all time. The memory is bittersweet, as can be seen on Milli’s face in the present day, recounting the experience.)
Milli Banks: That day still stings. I was one day—one day—away from making history. One match away from putting my name where no one could touch it. And I failed.
(The screen flickers between the visual of Bea holding the Specialists Championship up high and a close-up of Milli’s face in the aftermath, looking devastated. The camera cuts back to Milli now, her tone sharpening with resolve.)
Milli Banks: I told myself it was fine and that there were other chances, but deep down, I knew… I couldn’t let that happen again. This time, it’s different.
(The screen transitions to clips of Milli’s defenses as Universal Women’s Champion: fierce battles, decisive victories, and her raising the championship high after each win. From Harper Lee, to KASAI, the second-ever Extreme Elimination Chamber in the championship’s history, and Cleopatra, who is the longest-reigning champion in company history. Each one she was able to win, and the montage builds as her voice grows stronger.)
Milli Banks: I’ve built something no one can take from me. I’ve defended this title against anyone who’s stepped up, and I’ve proven why I deserve to hold it. Now, I’m on the edge of something bigger: breaking the record for the longest-reigning Universal Women’s Champion of all time. And I’m not letting that slip away. Not again.
(The camera cuts back to Milli, staring directly into the lens with fire in her eyes.)
Milli Banks: I always wanted this. Ever since I won this title, it was the main goal I had in mind, along with other milestones. I was able to knock them out one by one, but now, it’s time for the main course. We’re done with the appetizers. It’s time to eat at the table—and trust me, I’m one hungry motherfucker for this.
(The music grows heavier, and the screen transitions to Raven Roberts standing in front of a large window overlooking a city skyline at night. Her expression is calm but intense, her gaze fixed on the horizon. The visuals shift to a montage of Raven’s storied career: her time in the Crowe’s Nest, her Cash in the Vault victory at Pain for Pride, and her cash-in at Battle of Egypt 2019, where she won the Universal Women’s Championship. The screen freezes on her holding the title aloft in triumph.)
Raven Roberts: I’ve been at the top before. I know what it feels like to hold gold, to have the weight of the world resting on your shoulders. I’ve been the champion everyone chased, and I’ve been the one they all wrote off.
(The tone darkens slightly as clips from Raven’s struggles play: her losses, her moments of self-doubt, and the stretches of time where she couldn’t find her footing. A brief clip of her walking away from EAW in 2021 lingers on the screen before transitioning to her return in November 2023. Her voice hardens with resolve as recent highlights of her matches flash across the screen.)
Raven Roberts: I left this company once. I lost my way, and for a long time, I thought I’d never find it again. But I came back, not to relive my glory days, but to prove that I could be even better. I can keep up with everyone here, and just because I’ve had my rough patches doesn’t mean that my time is done.
(The screen cuts to Raven walking backstage before a match, her determined expression underscoring her words.)
Raven Roberts: Milli Banks is the it girl right now. She’s young, hungry, and she’s earned everything she has. But I’ve been her before. I know what it takes to stay on top, and I know what it feels like to lose it all. Trust me, it’s not fun at all. I get that she wants to accomplish this last major goal of hers, but at least when she loses, people aren’t going to doubt her credibility as much as they do with me. They aren’t going to be concerned with whether or not she can rebound. But me? The window for opportunity is going to get a bit slimmer. Another match of similar stature could find its way to me, but why should I relax and think that it’ll come to me eventually? I rather win this match, become a two-time Universal Women’s Champion, and once again make history in my own way than letting the world and its screwed-up machinations do it for me.
(The visuals shift to Raven training; her intensity and focus evident in every frame. The montage cuts back to her in the present, her voice filled with quiet strength.)
Raven Roberts: This match isn’t just about another championship. It’s about reclaiming my story. It’s about reminding the world, and myself, who I am. At first, I was content finding that same bit of success with Rex. Hell, I still do. I still see the two of us getting that moment where we’re both champions again. However, it’s clear that fate wants me to focus on myself despite how the circumstances have come about, and just like I told Milli already, I’m not going to fail again. I’ve had enough of that to last me a lifetime at this rate.
(The music swells as the screen splits in two: on one side, Milli Banks stands in the ring, holding her championship high with fire in her eyes. On the other, Raven Roberts walks down the ramp, her gaze laser-focused and unshakable. The Universal Women’s Championship appears between them, gleaming like a crown. The orchestral score crescendos as the camera zooms in on the title.)
(Then, Milli can be heard speaking once more.)
Milli Banks: I love my position as champion. As being the face of this place. I’ve worked so hard to get to this point, and I am the most motivated I have ever been despite all of the success I’ve had. I’m a lucky girl, but I’m a lucky girl who makes her own luck. uck didn’t get me here. Talent did. Drive did. The will to be the absolute best did, and come King of Elite, I’ll prove that yet again.
(The screen flashes back to Raven Roberts, standing in the middle of the ring, her arms outstretched as she surveys the crowd. Her voice cuts through next, steady and unyielding.)
Raven Roberts: Milli might love being the face of this place, but she’s going to learn something about the price that comes with it. I know what it feels like to have everything—and to lose it all. I’ve clawed my way back for moments like this, and that’s going to be displayed in full next weekend. Even if it comes at her expense, she’s gonna have to deal with it. She says she’s the most motivated she’s ever been? So am I. I’ve got nothing to lose, and that makes me dangerous. I’m not leaving Chicago unless I get that championship… and I mean it. I’m rewriting my history, and this time, I’m going to be at the top once I get to the ending that I want.
(Raven looks focused. As does Milli. One more montage shows both women posing for the cameras, ready as can be for this epic clash as the narrator’s voice booms out one final time.)
Narrator: Two women. Two paths. One championship. At King of Elite, history will be written—but only one will be able to have the pen in their hand to curate it themselves. Who will rise to author their desired ending in Chicago?
(The screen fades to black, leaving only the golden glow of the championship. The words “King of Elite” appear on the screen, followed by the tagline: “History Will Be Rewritten.”)
(With the vignette done, the live broadcast transitions back to the commentary team.)
Stew-O: If you weren’t excited about King of Elite before, then that should do it. Two of the greatest competitors in EAW right now, one of the most prestigious championships in the company, and a match with stakes that will echo through time. This is huge!
Jake Mercer: And even saying that feels like it’s putting it mildly! I can’t wait to see this one, guys!
Flannery McCoy: Me neither. This is definitely one of the biggest matches in that championship’s history, and next weekend is going to be insane.
Stew-O: A lot to look forward to, for sure—such as this next contest against two familiar foes who have shared paths all throughout this season!
Stephie Love: Ladies and gentlemen, the following match is scheduled for ONE FALL!
Crowd: ONE FALL!
(“Survivor” by The Score begins blaring through the speakers to a huge reaction of cheers as Rex McAllister marches out onto the stage with his classic track jacket; he flashes a grin at the cheers before raising his arms, making his way down the ramp and tagging the fans as he heads towards the squared circle.)
Stephie Love: INTRODUCING FIRST! Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, weighing in at 238 pounds… he is THE LIONHEART, RRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEX! MCAAAAAAAAAAAALLISTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!
Stew-O: It’s to be expected from a man of his caliber, but Rex McAllister has had a tremendous past few weeks! It’s been success after success, including his victory at Road to Redemption! While we saw what happened with his and Raven Roberts’ discussion with the administrative team of the Dynasty brand resulting in Raven getting the world championship opportunity, that hasn’t deterred Rex one bit!
Flannery McCoy: He’s gotten some big wins even after Road to Redemption, with an impressive victory over the current World Heavyweight Champion and his future challenger, Hans Grayson, and followed that up just last week with a singles victory over none other than the other challenger for the World Heavyweight Champion, Mister #10Reignz himself Karl Impact!
Jake Mercer: The distractions that his opponents have faced may muddy the waters a little bit, but nobody can deny that momentum is certainly on Rex’s side as he builds himself up even while he’s not actively chasing a championship like his wife currently is! Tonight, he faces another big challenge as he goes up against one of the most skilled competitors to ever set foot in a wrestling ring! Not one of the most beloved, though, of course…
(‘When Darkness Falls’ by Killswitch Engage begins to blare through the speakers to an equally loud reaction of boos as the Messiah himself, Drake King, saunters out from behind the stage curtains with a smug grin on his face. He spread his arms out and basked in his own glory, before strutting his way down the ramp, completely ignoring the fans.)
Stephie Love: AND HIS OPPONENT! Hailing from Heaven’s Gate, weighing in at 220 pounds… he is ‘GOD’, DRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE! KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!
Stew-O: Things have certainly gotten more and more out of control when it comes to Drake King and his blood feud with Minerva! After his heinous actions against Minerva’s old partner, Constance, Drake took a grudge that already seemed to be outright murderous and turned it into something that can’t be resolved with anything less than…
Flannery McCoy: Three Stages of Hell. One of the most gruesome matches imaginable, and he’s going to be partaking against a woman that may quite literally intend to tear him limb from limb! With that being said, there’s no love lost on EITHER side, because Drake King is just as sick of Minerva and aims to put her down.
Jake Mercer: We’re so close to what is going to be a horrific match without a doubt, but tonight, Drake King is going to be facing off against quite the frequent opponent of his in Rex McAllister; two legends in their own right, they’ve already clashed multiple times this season and it looks like that chain continues tonight!
(Ding! Ding! Ding!)
Stew-O: And the match is underway! These two highly experienced competitors are just as experienced with the ring itself as they are with each other’s style, and you can see the calculating look in both of their eyes as they try to read each other’s movements upon stepping out of their respective corners.
Flannery McCoy: We know that Rex McAllister prefers a more grounded, technical wrestling style that involves a lot more grappling, while Drake King is far more agile and light on his feet, leading him to prefer a mixture of high-flying and striking with some grappling maneuvers of his own mixed in!
Jake Mercer: Rex McAllister begins circling the ring with bent knees and his arms raised, looking to pressure and corner Drake King until he gets his arms on him and locks him down to where he wants him to be; on the other hand, the Messiah is quickly avoiding all attempts by Rex to pressure him into a compromised position!
Stew-O: Rex McAllister gets close enough to the point where he’s in range, and he immediately lunges forward and goes for it, aiming for Drake King’s legs as he attempts to execute a takedown– but Drake King had it scouted and jump back, causing Rex to land on his hands and knees!
Flannery McCoy: OH! Drake King IMMEDIATELY goes for the kill shot, attempting the JUDGEMENT DAY! But Rex McAllister had THAT scouted as he quickly scrambles back before Drake King is able to execute the stomp; the Lionheart makes it back to his feet, leading to both wrestlers ending right back where they started.
Jake Mercer: It’s like I said, these two wrestlers know each other inside out; it’ll be hard for one of them to really get the advantage over the other when they know each other’s tricks that well. Momentum can switch at a moment’s notice because they know how to counter pretty much everything the other has in their arsenal!
Stew-O: It looks like they’re going for another clash, though, as Rex McAllister takes the approach of aggression once again and lurches forward in an attempt to catch Drake King off guard and get him into a collar and elbow tie up; however, Drake is able to duck underneath the attempt and take a few steps away from the Lionheart before turning around!
Flannery McCoy: Rex McAllister turns around himself to get Drake King back in his view, but all he sees is a SUPERKICK COMING HIS WAY– BUT REX MCALLISTER CATCHES IT! Drake must’ve thought he really caught Rex off guard because he looks just as surprised as we are!
Jake Mercer: Rex McAllister doesn’t spend any time gloating, though, because he finally found his in! He yanks the leg of the Messiah as hard as he can, causing Drake to stumble forward and become vulnerable to a takedown, which Rex immediately executes using the captured leg!
Stew-O: Both wrestlers go down the Lionheart ending up on top of Drake King, and Rex wastes no time in making use of the mounted position! With ferocity, he unleashes three rapid-fire elbow smashes to the head of the Messiah, thoroughly dazing him as he does so, before dismounting and pushing on his opponent’s side to turn him over onto his abdomen!
Flannery McCoy: Now that Drake is in a prone position, Rex re-mounts him on top of his back, and grabs a hold of one of Drake’s arms to wrench back into a grounded hammerlock hold! The Lionheart is really showing off his technical chops here as he keeps his knee pressed on top of that hammer locked arm to keep it trapped in place before reaching further ahead with both of his arms and applying a crossface to the Messiah!
Jake Mercer: Drake King is in trouble now as he flails his body as much as he can under the pressure of Rex McAllister’s mounted weight; with one of his arms trapped, he’s only able to use his other arm and both of his legs as he tries to either get close enough to the ropes to grab hold of it or to flail hard enough to cause Rex to fall off!
Stew-O: Rex is doing his best to simultaneously keep balance and keep Drake away from the ropes using his free leg against the canvas, but the sheer amount of force with which Drake is writhing underneath him becomes too much for the Lionheart to bear, leading to him falling off and releasing both Drake King’s arm and his face from that combination submission maneuver!
Flannery McCoy: After falling off, Rex immediately looks to scramble up and reinitiate the process so he can reacquire the momentum in this match, but you have to remember that Drake King is one of the most DURABLE wrestlers in Elite Answers Wrestling! It takes a lot more than that to deal debilitating damage to him, and that’s clear because he’s already managed to scramble up faster than Rex did!
Jake Mercer: Rex barely gets a chance to react before Drake King flips himself over and connects with an OVERHEAD KICK right to the head of the Lionheart! It hits right on target, dazing Rex McAllister and causing him to stumble backwards!
Stew-O: He ends up stumbling back until he lands back-first against the turnbuckles over at the corner of the ring! Drake King is as quick as a cheetah as he kips himself back up to a standing position and immediately sprints over to where the Lionheart is!
Flannery McCoy: He leaps up into the air when he’s within range of his opponent before connecting right on target with a running high knee! It looks like he’s favoring blows to the head, which is understandable given the nature of some of Drake King’s most dangerous moves…
Jake Mercer: With that being said, the running high knee achieved its purpose as Rex McAllister looks worse for wear with his hand clutching his head! The Messiah is never one to shy away from capitalizing on a moment of weakness, and he senses that in Rex right now like a shark sensing blood!
Stew-O: He turns Rex McAllister around and perches him onto the middle ropes before sneaking his own way between his legs to pull him down in a powerbomb position! Clever little trick there by Drake, minimizing the amount of force he’d need to use to lift Rex up; things like that build up when you factor in the level of fatigue wrestlers begin to feel later in a match!
Flannery McCoy: But forget about fatigue, because Drake King is looking to inflict something a lot worse than that onto the Lionheart right about now! Drake sees his target all the way on the other side of the ring… the top turnbuckle! He begins running across the squared circle with Rex still in that powerbomb position before he LAUNCHES the Lionheart forward, executing a perfect buckle bomb when Rex’s back connects with the turnbuckle at full speed!
Jake Mercer: The impact causes Rex to bounce right off the turnbuckle and stagger forward in immense pain! It looks like he’s about to fall over on his own, but Drake King hits the ropes and rebounds himself towards Rex, looking to help him out with that whole ‘falling over’ thing!
Stew-O: ‘Help’ him he does, because he brings Rex crashing down to the canvas with a jumping neckbreaker, bringing the Lionheart down with a violent thud! With his arms in the vicinity, Drake quickly drapes them over the shoulders of the Lionheart and presses down for the pin!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEE!
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
Flannery McCoy: But Rex McAllister is able to emphatically kick out of the pin! Drake King scowls at the resilience of the Lionheart, but that’s to be expected as well; Rex McAllister has been through countless wars, and he’s still here standing while so many of his legendary peers have hung up the boots! Putting someone like Rex down is just as difficult as any champion, and Drake must realize that.
Jake Mercer: Drake looks to continue his offense, though, as he grabs Rex McAllister by the hair and starts dragging him back to a standing position, albeit with a heavy knee smash to the midsection to force him to double over!
Stew-O: Having done that, Drake tucks Rex’s head in with a front facelock before throwing the Lionheart’s arm over his shoulder and hoisting him up with a vertical suplex lift! A look in the eyes of that madman lets me know he has something far worse than just a suplex planned, though :lupe:
Flannery McCoy: You’re right, he’s not going for the suplex… he’s going for that kneecap brainbuster! But Rex McAllister just performed a knee lift while upside down, connecting with the roof of Drake’s head and stunning him!
Jake Mercer: That’s just what Rex needed to be able to loosen Drake’s grip enough to slip behind the legendary Messiah; almost at the very moment Rex’s feet touch down on the canvas, he shoots both of his arms forward and latches on a sleeper hold on Drake, capitalizing on that reversal perfectly!
Stew-O: Drake King is clawing at the arms of Rex McAllister, trying to pry them away from his throat, but the Lionheart’s grip is as tough as iron! He’s suffocating the life out of Drake, and the only thing the Messiah can do is flail his legs to try to loosen the grip, just as he did prior with the hammer locked crossface!
Flannery McCoy: But the flailing of his legs ends up with Drake kicking the legs of Rex behind him, and that’s actually causing Rex quite some pain as he tries to keep himself steady! Drake’s flailing becomes too much to bear, and it looks like Rex is about to loosen the grip–
Jake Mercer: OH! He didn’t loosen it, he completely released it… in the form of a sleeper suplex! He just used the sleeper hold as a grip to throw Drake King overhead with! The Messiah gets launched back, causing him to crash down on the canvas with a deafening thud!
Stew-O: Rex McAllister immediately crouches down to where Drake King is, turning him over to that he’s on his back– is he going for a pin off that?! Wait, no, he’s not… he was just setting the Messiah up for something even more on top of that!
Flannery McCoy: He rises up to his feet and turns his back to Drake King before– HE LEAPS INTO THE AIR, BACKFLIPPING BEFORE LANDING ON TOP OF THE MESSIAH WITH A STANDING MOONSAULT!
Jake Mercer: People focus so much on just how technically savvy Rex McAllister is when it comes to grappling that they forget that Rex is pretty damn agile himself! He’s showing that part of him off right here as he plays Drake King at his own game, and NOW he’s hooking the legs going for a pin!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Stew-O: But Drake King is able to kick out of it, leading to some frustration on Rex McAllister’s part as well now! He’s had a great streak of wins going, and he’s not looking to let Drake King put an end to that!
Flannery McCoy: Both wrestlers are starting to look a lot more weary now that the exertion and damage from the match start to pile up on them, but they are still determined to see this through to the end no matter what it takes to get the win!
Jake Mercer: Rex is looking to take things up a notch, it seems, as he begins hoisting Drake King up from that grounded position, and the way he’s doing it… oh Gawd, he’s going for–
Stew-O: HE’S GOING FOR AN OLYMPIC SLAM! HE’S ABLE TO COMPLETE THE LIFT, AND DRAKE KING IS AT THE TOP OF THE ARCH ABOUT TO CRASH DOWN–
Flannery McCoy: BUT HE MANAGED TO SLIP BEHIND, GRABBING REX’S HEAD IN THE PROCESS! The Messiah quickly turns around and switches the grip on the head to his other arm before lifting the Lionheart up and PLANTING him with an inverted DDT!
Jake Mercer: Yeah, that definitely stopped Rex right in his tracks; he was getting close to ending the match with how much offense he was getting in on Drake, but the Messiah is clever enough to get his way out of any bind that he finds himself in, even against an opponent as legendary and capable as Rex McAllister!
Stew-O: Now we see Drake King pulling Rex McAllister up, and I think he’s got malicious intent here, folks! He gives him a boot to the abdomen to bend him over, and then he proceeds to lock in the double underhook! WE’VE SEEN THIS BEFORE, HE’S GOING FOR ASCENSIOOOOOOOOOOOO-
Flannery McCoy: BUT REX MCALLISTER IS NOT HAVING IT! HE WRENCHES HIS ARMS BACK DOWN THROUGH SHEER FORCE! BEFORE DRAKE CAN PULL THEM BACK UP, REX GRABS DRAKE BY BOTH OF HIS LEGS AND HOISTS HIM UP–
Jake Mercer: THE LIONHEART PLANTS THE MESSIAH WITH A SPINEBUSTER! THAT’S GOING TO LEAVE A MARK FOR SURE, BUT REX IS STAGGERING AWAY FROM DRAKE, CLEARLY BADLY DAMAGED JUST AS MUCH AS DRAKE IS!
Stew-O: HE LOOKS TO DRAKE AND STARTS MEASURING HIM UP, CALLING FOR THE END HERE! DRAKE KING SLOWLY STAGGERS TO HIS FEET, CLUTCHING AT HIS BACK IN PAIN, AND REX MCALLISTER RUSHES TOWARDS HIM!
Flannery McCoy: HE FLOATS OVER, LOOKING TO FINISH THE MESSIAH OFF WITH THE REX EFFEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECT!
Jake Mercer: BUT HE WASN’T ABLE TO LAND THE DDT, DRAKE KING PUSHED HIM OFF MID-FLOAT OVER, CAUSING HIM TO LAND RIGHT IN FRONT OF DRAKE, FALLEN TO HIS HANDS AND KNEES–
Stew-O: JUDGEMENT DAY! JUDGEMENT DAY! JUDGEMENT DAY CONNECTS AS DRAKE KING CURB STOMPS THE HEAD OF REX MCALLISTER INTO THE CANVAS, AND THAT HAS TO BE IT! THAT HAS TO BE IT! DRAKE KING ROLLS HIM OVER AND HOOKS THE LEGS AS TIGHTLY AS HE CAN FOR THE WIN!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
(Ding! Ding! Ding!)
(‘When Darkness Falls’ by Killswitch Engage begins to blare through the speakers once again to loud boos as Drake King pushes himself off of Rex McAllister, looking down at him as he staggers back to his feet with a slight smirk on his face. The referee tries to raise his hand, but Drake King instead opts to spread his arms out wide and celebrate the victory himself.)
Stephie Love: HERE IS YOUR WINNER… HE IS ‘GOD’, DRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE! KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!
Stew-O: There’s certainly no love lost between Drake King and the fans here as we can tell by the reaction, but one thing that can never be said about Drake is that he is not a top-tier wrestler! He showed that tonight by cutting off Rex McAllister’s growing streak of wins at its tracks by putting him down for the three count!
Flannery McCoy: He narrowly averted disaster at the end there with that attempted Rex Effect, but Drake King may be one of the best wrestlers in the world at turning a bad situation around to benefit himself! Now, there’s nothing left standing in his way as he looks on to King of Elite…
Jake Mercer: And at King of Elite, Minerva will be waiting for him, as they both look to put each other through hell on earth in the form of the Three Stages of Hell match! It’s going to be brutal, and I’m ready to watch it!
(The video feed lingers as Drake King continues to celebrate his victory over the fallen Rex McAllister, basking in his own greatness, before the feed fades to black.)
(A commercial plays for King of Elite, where Myles faces off against Chris Elite.)
(Friday Night Dynasty returns to show a shot of the Pinnacle Bank Arena as the crowd here in Lincoln, Nebraska is electric to see what else is coming in an already jam-packed show. It’s not long before the sounds of ‘2024’ by Playboi Carti hit the speakers. The crowd is in an uproar as the camera goes over to reveal the World Heavyweight Champion, Joso, who leaves the backstage area. He has a serious expression on his face as he has his sights completely focused on the ring, then beginning to make his way down the ramp.)
Stephie Love: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome… the EAW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION!!!!!!!!! THE ‘STAR PLAYER’… JOSO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stew-O: Well here comes the Champion, and just a week away from King of Elite and his monumental title defense against Hans Grayson and Impact, I’m sure he has his focus completely set on what’s to come there. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m sure he didn’t expect that whatsoever and is up for the task just like he was at the Extreme Elimination Chamber.
Flannery McCoy: At the end of the day, Joso isn’t World Heavyweight Champion for no reason, he’s earned his spot here and you don’t have to like it, but the one thing you have to do is respect it and who knows, he might just very well force you to do that. He has been in the ring with both of these men before, and he knows how driven they both can be, but when it comes down to it, Joso’s looking to show why he has more going for him.
Jake Mercer: That’s why he’s the ‘Star Player’ right?! You don’t see either Hans or Impact being bestowed that honor, right? No, Impact just calls himself the ‘Quintessential Champion’ when he’s not even the Champion! Pft, get a load of that guy.
(Joso makes his way up the steps and onto the apron as he unhooks his title from his waist and raises it into the air, the crowd continues to be electric for the Champion as ‘2024’ then begins to come to a close. Joso then heads over and grabs a microphone from the ringside area, heading toward the center of the ring as he begins to speak.)
Joso: I didn’t expect 2025 to start the way that it did, but I’m not out here to complain about it, in case you didn’t realize, that ain’t how we do things around here. I’ve faced a couple of losses, and a couple of chips on my shoulder, but the truth is, sometimes this business throws some unexpected curveballs your way, and you either swing and miss, or you knock it out of the park. Me? Now you know damn well I don’t miss, I knock it out every single time. I closed out 2024 with a sour taste in my mouth when it came to the likes of Impact and Hans Grayson, and that bled over to the point that now we’re a week away from a clash at King of Elite. Two men I already dealt with at Road to Redemption, two men I’ve already beaten, two men who, for some reason, think they’ve got a better shot this time around. And let me tell y’all something… They don’t, not by a long shot. Not if I have something to say about it.
Joso: Because you see, the difference between me and them is simple. I’m not just here for the paycheck, I’m here for the legacy. I’m here to build my name so big that when people look back at this era of EAW, they don’t just call it the New Era, they look at my face and say that I AM the New Era. I’ve been adamant about this being the Joso Era, and each time I come out to this ring with this title around my waist I prove it. It’s why I stood tall over those two idiots last week when they tried to make it personal with me, I showed them exactly where that gets them, if they want to take it that way, I can take it that way. I can get active, anything as long as it means I walk out of here with this title in my hands. Look, I guess I have to give each of you your credit, y’all are great, no doubt about it. But this is my mountain, this is my company now, and no matter how hard you try, no matter how many times you step up, y’all will never take this from me.
(Joso lowers his microphone and takes a moment to embrace the crowd’s reaction toward him, but it’s not long after that before ‘Still D.R.E.’ by Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg begins to blast through the speakers of the arena. The crowd begins to boo loudly and give an overwhelmingly negative reaction while the camera goes over to reveal EAW Hall of Famer Impact as he makes his way out from the backstage area and toward the stage. He struts with an aura of confidence surrounding him, looking at the ring and the Champion with a look of quick dismissal. After some time, he then begins to make his way down the ramp.)
Stew-O: Well it was only a matter of time before one of his opponents made their presence felt, and here comes Impact to the ring now. He’s certainly done a good job playing the instigator, not only getting into the head of Hans, but Joso as well as made apparent last week. If there’s one thing we can say for sure, he’s coming for that World Title.
Jake Mercer: #11Reignz baby.
Flannery McCoy: Well that’s certainly the goal in mind when it comes to Impact, but it’s not going to be easy as we mentioned before. But Impact doesn’t have the legacy that he has for the show, he isn’t a multiple-time World Champion because those titles were handed to him, he’s been at those peaks before, the very same peak that Joso is at right now, and he knows what it takes to get there. Who knows if he’ll dig back down to that level once again?
(Impact makes his way up the steps and onto the apron as he enters into the ring. He takes a microphone from the ringside area as ‘Still D.R.E.’ and then begins to come to a close. Approaching Joso, he takes a moment to chuckle to himself before then beginning to speak.)
Impact: You’re probably standing there thinking, “Damn, how does he do it? How does he still sound so sharp, so precise, while I’ve been rehearsing the same tired lines for weeks now?” But that’s the difference between us, Joso. You keep bragging about being the Star Player or whatever you want to call yourself, but being a star doesn’t mean anything if you can’t back it up when the pressure’s on. At King of Elite, we’re going to find out what you’re made of, and I’ll let you know one thing, it’s not going to end well for you. While you expect it to end like Pain For Pride, it’s going to end the complete opposite. While you expect it to end like Road To Redemption, not even double the work you did then is going to amount to nothing when you’re face-to-face with crushing reality. You’re going to fold under the weight of your hype, just like all the others who came before you.
Joso: You done? Because honestly, unc, you’re out here talking like you’re still running the game like you’re the centerpiece of this company when in reality, you’re just a glorified museum exhibit. People look at you, they remember what you used to be, but nobody’s checking for you in 2025. You can run down your laundry list of accomplishments, and I’ll give you credit, you were great… were. But this ain’t your time anymore, this is my time, and if you think you’re walking into King of Elite and taking this title from me? You’re delusional. Straight up.
Impact: My time? My time doesn’t end, kid. It evolves. It adapts. That’s why I’m standing here, still relevant, still the measuring stick, while people like you come and go. Do you think you’re special because you’ve had a hot run for two years? Please, that’s a blip on the radar. I’ve done more in one calendar year than you’ll probably do in your entire career. And the fact that you can’t see that only proves how far out of your depth you are.
Joso: Nah, see, that’s where you’ve got me all the way twisted. I’m not out of my depth, I’m neck deep in the deep end and I’m not desperately paddling to shore, I’m staying afloat. You may think because it was never the case before that it’s the same now, but unfortunately, the reality is that you’re the one who’s drowning. You’re out here trying to prove you’re still relevant, still capable of hanging with the best, but deep down, you know the truth. You know that when we step into that ring at King of Elite, you’re not going to be able to keep up. I’m faster, smarter, hungrier, and yeah, I’m just better.
(Impact doesn’t look very happy as he looks to open his mouth to respond, but his mood isn’t improved as ‘The Leaving Song Pt. II’ by AFI hits. The crowd erupts into thunderous cheers as the camera goes over to show Hans Grayson as he makes his way out to the scene. He’s not only focused, he’s angry, and he immediately eyes both of his opponents in the ring before then beginning to make his way down the ramp and toward the ring.)
Stew-O: Well here comes the third man to finish this off. As we also saw last week, Hans and Joso both made their presence felt during Impact’s match against Rex McAllister and would ultimately cost Impact the match. While I’m sure Impact doesn’t pay much mind to it now, in Hans’ eyes what it could most definitely be is a taste of what is to come for both him and Joso heading into King of Elite.
Flannery McCoy: He’s more than focused, he’s more than determined, and he’s going to make sure that all of this work wasn’t for nothing. One way or another he’s going to walk out of this Marquee Event as the World Heavyweight Champion and although it must be a daunting task, by the looks of it, I don’t think he believes anyone is going to tell him otherwise.
Jake Mercer: As a true Graysonite, I believe this is the most motivated Hans has been. While I’m certainly not picking favorites, what I will say is watch out…
(Hans slides into the ring, a microphone already in hand as he signals for ‘The Leaving Song Pt. II’ to then begin to come to a close, getting in between Joso and Impact. This situation immediately gets heated, but Hans quickly begins to speak.)
Hans Grayson: You know what? I’ve had enough of this. Enough of the talking, the posturing, the back-and-forth bullshit. Enough of people thinking that I’m just here to play second fiddle in this whole saga. Joso, Impact, I need you both to understand one thing and one thing only, this isn’t your story. This is my moment, this is my time. Joso, you’ve been riding high ever since you won that title, and you just went out here and told the entire world that this is not just the New Era, but the Joso Era as well. You’ve been strutting around telling everyone you’re untouchable and hey, credit where it’s due, you’ve held your own. You’ve beaten some big names, and you’ve made this World Heavyweight Championship reign mean something. But let’s not forget one thing, my guy, you didn’t beat me. At Road to Redemption, I eliminated Impact. I was this close to taking that title from you, and if it wasn’t for all the bullshit interference, you wouldn’t be standing here right now as Champion. So yeah, you’re holding that title, but you’re holding it on borrowed time. I’m taking it. I’m not just talking about it anymore, I’m walking out of Chicago as the World Heavyweight Champion.
Joso: Oh, you’re taking it? Word? Do you think it’s gonna be that easy, Hans? Look, I get it, you’ve been grinding, you’ve been putting in the work, and yeah, you’re good. But you’re not me. You don’t have what it takes to carry this company, you’re just another dude who talks a big game but can’t back it up when it matters.
Hans Grayson: You think I can’t back it up? Joso, you’ve been playing it safe this entire time, acting like you’ve got this on lock. But deep down, you’re scared. You know that I’m coming for you, and you know that I’m not like anyone you’ve faced before. I’ve been through hell and back to get to this point. I’ve been disrespected, underestimated, and screwed over, but I’m still here. I’m going to show the world when the time comes why Hans Grayson isn’t just another challenger. I’m the next World Heavyweight Champion and everything that you’ve built? It won’t matter, because being the Dragon I am, I’m going to burn it all down.
(The tension between Joso and Hans begins to get heated up, but it’s quickly broken by the sound of laughter by Impact who has taken a few steps back, shaking his head in disappointment.)
Impact: Oh, would you two shut up already? I mean, seriously, listen to yourselves. Let me give you both a little history lesson, one that neither of you has bothered to study. While you two are out here playing tug-of-war with the title that is inevitably going to be mine next week, I’m the one who built the foundation you’re standing on. You’re both trying to claim this moment as your own, but this moment doesn’t belong to either of you. It belongs to me. It always has, and it always will. Joso, You’ve had a cute little run, but the truth is, you’re nothing more than a temporary Champion holding onto MY Championship. And Hans? You may think that this is a back-and-forth conflict between the two of us, but the truth is I’ve never thought of you beyond the times that I needed to, while I’m sure it’s certainly the opposite when it comes to you. Let’s not sugarcoat it, both of you are auditioning for a role in my story. The problem is, you’re both flops. At King of Elite, this entire farce ends. I will show both of you what a true World Heavyweight Champion looks like. And when the dust settles, when the curtain falls, the history books will read the same way they always do, Impact wins.
Joso: You’re good at this whole “living in the past” thing, aren’t you? Let me ask you something, what happens when you lose at King of Elite? What happens when this whole idea of your legacy comes crashing down because you can’t hang anymore? I’ll tell you what happens, you’ll be just another has-been who couldn’t keep up with the New Era. And when that happens, when you’re sitting at home with nothing but memories of the good old days, I’ll still be here, carrying this company on my back. Do you want to talk about longevity? Watch me. I’m going to redefine what that word even means.
Impact: Oh, I’m not losing. That’s the difference between me and you, kid, I don’t fail. Every time I’ve been counted out, every time someone like you has tried to take my spot, I’ve proven why I’m still here. You’re just another ELITIST who’s going to learn the hard way what it means to step into the ring with greatness. You’re not the first, and you won’t be the last. But you will be just another name on the long list of people who thought they could beat me, only to end up as just another win in the long list of wins I’ve already accumulated.
Hans Grayson: God, do you ever shut up, Impact? Every time you open your mouth, it’s the same tired speech about how great you think you are. You’re not the measuring stick anymore, you’re not the bar, you’re MY stepping stone. And I’m going to make sure that if it’s the last thing I do, I end this situation between the two of us and I end it with my hand raised high in the air in victory. You can say what you want to say, but I am completely and utterly over this. I’m done playing games with you and I’m done with these arguments that we have that lead to nowhere because you can’t listen to reason, I’m going to be the one that puts an end to this by beating both you AND Joso and walking out with my first World Championship.
Joso: Man, I’m done with this. Y’all can say what you want to say, but let it be on your own time. I’ve spent these past couple of weeks bickering with a fossil and a dude who I’ve already beaten, what more do I need to say or do? Both of y’all can suck my dick. Deadass. God-
Stew-O: OH! IMPACT JUST RUSHED FORWARD AND CLOCKED JOSO ACROSS THE HEAD WITH HIS MICROPHONE! JOSO DROPS DOWN TO THE GROUND AND HANS USES THIS OPPORTUNITY TO LAUNCH AT IMPACT AND BEGIN TO CONNECT WITH A BARRAGE OF FISTS TO HIS FACE! AND WE HAVE YET ANOTHER BRAWL ON OUR HANDS, FOLKS!
Flannery McCoy: JOSO QUICKLY SCRAMBLES UP TO HIS FEET AND DROPS HIS TITLE DOWN TO THE GROUND AS HE QUICKLY ATTACKS BOTH OF THEM! THEY’RE ALL GOING BACK AND FORTH AND I DON’T THINK THEY’RE GOING TO STOP! THIS HAS ALL COME TO A HEAD AFTER WEEKS OF ANIMOSITY AND YOU COULD VERY WELL CUT THIS TENSION WITH A KNIFE!
Jake Mercer: BUT ORDER IS QUICKLY BEING RESTORED! SECURITY IS RUSHING IN AND LOOKING TO BREAK THE THREE OF THEM APART! THEY’RE ALL SHOUTING AND TRYING TO BREAK FREE! BUT IT SEEMS THAT ORDER HAS BEEN QUICKLY RESTORED! THIS IS ONLY A TASTE OF WHAT WE’RE GOING TO SEE AT KING OF ELITE!
(Joso, Impact, and Hans are all shouting at each other as they’re getting broken apart. They get escorted toward different parts of the arena as it’s the last shot seen before Friday Night Dynasty then begins to fade to elsewhere.)
(A commercial plays for King of Elite, where Joso defends the EAW World Heavyweight Championship against Hans Grayson and Impact.)
(The camera cuts to Stephie Love in the ring.)
Stephie Love: The following main event contest is a King of Elite Semi-Final, scheduled for one fall!
Crowd: ONE FALL!
(‘Pride & Arrogance’ by Takeru Kanazaki can be heard across the speakers as the most polarizing reception can be heard throughout the arena tonight. Drake Armstrong emerges from the back with a cocky expression plastered on his face, amused by the negative energy revolving around his presence due in part to the crowd as he proceeds to step down the ramp.)
Stephie Love: Introducing first! From Scarsdale, New York, weighing in at 245 pounds…. DRAAAAKE, ARMSTRONG!!!
Stew-O: Drake Armstrong has been on quite the roll as he’s garnering much of the momentum he expects to. A victory tonight can properly accelerate him to the finals of King of Elite, as his opponent tonight is not someone that looks to simply gift wrap a win to Armstrong.
Flannery McCoy: Of course he will need to focus on the victory firsthand rather than believing it’s guaranteed. This is a main event against a very game opponent that truly doesn’t need much introduction, it would be best for Drake Armstrong to be well prepared.
(‘Sinister Purpose’ by Creedence Clearwater Revival can be heard blaring throughout the speakers as the audience reacts loudly in unison. Kirk Redwood makes his way from the back and to the entrance ramp, keeping his eyes set directly on the ring as he doesn’t linger too much before heading down the ramp.)
Stephie Love: Introducing his opponent! From Boston, Massachusetts, weighing in at 210 pounds… KIRRRRRK REDWOOD!!!
Stew-O: Kirk Redwood is experiencing quite the roll from this tournament, looking to be achieving victory in a big way as he is surely focused on the crown. He has competition in the form of a former Interwire Champion, as he will get to continue to challenge himself all the more.
Jake Mercer: Kirk will surely make room for as much of a war as he would like to tonight, especially with such a figure as Drake Armstrong who does not shy away from getting down & dirty in these bouts. A competitive landscape for both elitists to undergo just ahead!
(DING! DING! DING!)
Stew-O: And we’re off! The King of Elite Semi-Finals have officially arrived, as Drake Armstrong takes on Kirk Redwood right here on Dynasty! Now Armstrong & Redwood are both looking to prepare their careers for what can be the biggest win of their entire elitist tenures, but they must get past one another in order to find themselves on the prowl of history when heading into this great year of 2025! Armstrong is confident on his pursuit toward this crown, while Redwood of course has been able to get past every obstacle thus far and finds himself one step closer as he’s got his own threat ahead to face here. Now Armstrong & Redwood are circling around the ring as they are certainly focused on ensuring they are brought closer to their desired destination than they’ve ever been!
Flannery McCoy: As they both look to reach forward—but Kirk ducks under Armstrong’s aim to engage with the tie up as Drake turns back around INTO A SWIFT CHOP ACROSS HIS CHEST! AND ANOTHER CHOP FOLLOWS!!! Armstrong is being kept at bay early on as Kirk is ensuring there is no room for Drake to maneuver n anyway here, Redwood is laying in the strikes now! Each forearm being nailed across his jaw with authority as Drake was able to lead himself staggering into the corner! Now the referee is counting down on Kirk, but the competitor is still laying in as many of these strikes as he possibly can without slowing himself down, and Armstrong is suffering all the more for it!
Jake Mercer: Eventually, the count of five almost concluding causes Kirk to back away and keep his hands raised! He understands that there is far too much left in the way of this match that can be thrown away through disqualification, and the referee is now giving him a piece of his own mind while Redwood focuses back on his opponent. He motions himself over to Armstrong while trying to keep control in this match—BUT DRAKE WITH A KICK TO THE ABDOMEN! Kirk is suppressed for the moment as Armstrong is now able to emerge from the corner and send a clobbering blow over Redwood’s back! Drake continues to follow suit with another overhead strike over his upper back that leaves Kirk staggering over to the ropes!
Stew-O: As Armstrong only persists further with a chop of his own that follows directly across the chest of Kirk Redwood! This has not panned out all too remarkably for Kirk here, and now Drake is continuously applying his own measure of effort here by nailing kick after kick across Kirk’s abdomen, dropping Redwood into a seated state as Armstrong is keeping Redwood suppressed against those ropes, now driving his foot against his jaw and pushing into his jaw as much as he can while having his own grip onto those ropes! The referee is counting down as Armstrong is now making sure each second counts while placing all of his effort into keeping Kirk in the pressure!
Flannery McCoy: Now Drake has no choice but to back himself away, as he’s glaring over to the referee and ignoring every word that’s rising from his mouth as Armstrong looks to keep applying that pressure! He rushes back over to Redwood as he’s looking for an immense boot with Kirk still in this seated position—but Kirk moves out of the way with Drake being caught into the ropes! Redwood emerges and sends repeated clobbering strikes as his own across Armstrong’s back!!! The referee must make another count on the behalf of Kirk this time, and just before he can reach that five count.. KIRK LOOKS TO KEEP A HOIST OF DRAKE’S WAIST & LAUNCH FOR A GERMAN SUPLEX!
Jake Mercer: BUT DRAKE IS HOLDING ONTO THE ROPES! He’s refusing to let go as this can go terribly for himself if Kirk is able to commit to the suplex—YET KIRK SENDS A SWIFT KNIFE EDGE CHOP ACROSS THE UPPER BACK OF DRAKE ARMSTRONG! This causes Drake to immediately clutch his own upper back for a brief moment which makes him let go of the ropes… AND THAT’S ENOUGH FOR KIRK TO COMMIT TO THE GERMAN SUPLEX!! Drake is sent down onto the back of his own neck as Kirk was able to place a sizable amount of control for himself in this match!
Stew-O: And this suplex leads to Drake rolling himself away from the mat itself and onto the apron, looking to muster up as much of a breather as he possibly can after being sent for a bad time with that German Suplex! Kirk is back up to his feet however, and he’s not looking to slow down the pace any further than it needs to go in order to secure the win tonight! Redwood walks himself over and to Drake, now looking to remain on the attack as Armstrong is able to sit himself for a brief moment before Kirk grabs a hold of his head! Redwood is hoisting Drake upward & looking to bring him back into the ring with a STANDARD SUPLEX—
Flannery McCoy: BUT ARMSTRONG WITH WHAT APPEARS TO BE A BRIEF RAKE OF THE EYES! I don’t think the referee caught that from his own angle there! Now Kirk is temporarily blinded for the moment as Drake is now sending strikes downward onto his upper back in order to keep Kirk from mounting the odds of a retort to come here! Drake is now preparing to place Kirk through a whole world of hurt here, as he’s grabbing a hold of Redwood & looking to send him crashing onto the RINGSIDE FLOOR WITH A SUPLEX OF HIS OWN FROM THE APRON TO RINGSIDE—
Jake Mercer: BUT NO! REDWOOD WITH A SUDDEN KNEE ACROSS THE SKULL OF ARMSTRONG & HE’S ABLE TO LAND ON THE APRON! Now both elitists are here on the apron, and Armstrong has a hand over his own head before launching a swift punch across the jaw of Kirk! But Kirk is able to remain standing as he sends a right hook of his own across Drake’s jaw as well!!! Now Redwood is looking to take advantage as he’s pulling Armstrong over, and now he’s preparing to stake out for what can be an EXPLODER SUPLEX ONTO THE OUTSIDE HERE!
Stew-O: BUT DRAKE WITH HIS GRIP ON THE ROPE!!! Armstrong then proceeds to send a swift elbow right over the skull of Kirk to be let go! Redwood tries his best to shake off the elbow in order to remain focused here as Armstrong now grabs a hold of Kirk’s wrist to yank Redwood directly into himself—AND HOIST HIM UPWARD FOR A SPINEBUSTER ONTO THE APRON!!! Kirk took all of that and then some as the spinebuster is successful for Drake Armstrong! Kirk is unable to make any distinct movements as that knocked the wind out of his sails!
Flannery McCoy: As the struggle will have to be endured further for Kirk Redwood, Drake is now looking to bring himself back up to his feet after the spinebuster also left him having to reconfigure himself into a proper stance! Armstrong now pushes Kirk into the mat and rolls himself back in as well, just before crawling over to Kirk and hooking the leg as he’s looking to bring the victory over to his side!
ONEEEEE!!!
TWOOOOOOO!!!
Jake Mercer: NOT ENOUGH! Armstrong sits up and shakes his own head as he’s now looking to continue employing as much of this offense as he possibly can, situating himself over Redwood and sending clobbering strikes over and onto his skull while Kirk tries to defend himself to the best of his ability! But this doesn’t pan out too remarkably as Drake is now turning Redwood over and hoisting his legs around & onto his shoulders, leaving Kirk in a rather terrible position here as this can easily go sideways for Redwood much further than it already has! As Drake has stepped over to the corner with Kirk positioned vicariously FOR A TERRIBLE AWAKENING—
Stew-O: AS A REVERSE ALABAMA SLAM SENDS KIRK REDWOOD ONTO THE TOP TURNBUCKLE FACE FIRST!! Kirk has been placed through more than enough all at once as he’s now teetering in a stance that’s only being held up due to instinct at this rate! Redwood is slowly turning himself around while trying to shake off the Alabama slam, with a hand on his own head & all as that surely rocked him to his core after all that he’s being placed through at the hands of Drake Armstrong!
Flannery McCoy: As Armstrong himself is not relenting back when seeing Kirk making the turn back around to him, now wrapping his arm around Kirk & LOOKING TO SEND HIM CRASHING BACK DOWN ONTO THE MAT WITH A URANAGE!! The uranage sends Redwood onto the canvas, as now Armstrong is not wasting any amount of time here by hooking the leg! The referee slides to the count in response!
ONEEEEE!!!
TWOOOOOOO!!!
T—
Jake Mercer: NOT ENOUGH STILL! Redwood is able to shoot his shoulder up as Armstrong will have to do much more than that to put him down! Drake is shaking his own head as he’s now back on the prowl, quickly grabbing a hold of Kirk’s head and now pulling him backward & directly into this DRAGON SLEEPER! Kirk is quickly shifting his own legs outward so that he’s not entirely caught in the sleeper completely, but Drake has also made sure to shift all of his own weight back & keep his neck wrapped around his own arm as he maintains this submission!
Stew-O: Drake Armstrong is certainly looking to maintain this stranglehold that he’s garnered from the match since the spinebuster, as Kirk Redwood is now struggling even further to find himself back in a proper rhythm for this match that could bring him the victory! That seems far away at this moment, but Kirk is still refusing to submit or give in to the submission despite Drake yelling out to the skies for Kirk to give up!
Flannery McCoy: AS KIRK SUDDENLY SHIFTS ALL OF HIS WEIGHT UPWARD AND INTO DRAKE TO EMERGE OUT OF THE DRAGON SLEEPER—AND QUICKLY SHIFT INTO AN ARM BAR AFTERWARD!!! Drake thinks quickly to keep a hold of his hand as they’re now interlocked! Armstrong is shaking his head as Kirk is looking to snap Drake’s arm clean off and bring this win home in order to head into King of Elite with the crown just one more victory away!
Jake Mercer: Armstrong is trying to get himself out of this arm bar quickly before this turns into what can be a swift submission!! Drake is able to shift himself upward as he’s now got a sizable position, Kirk’s shoulders aren’t pressed against the mat so a pin cannot be made here—BUT DRAKE IS HOISTING REDWOOD UPWARD AND FROM OFF THE MAT HERE! SOME STRENGTH ON DISPLAY AS DRAKE MAY BE ABLE TO POWERBOMB KIRK ONTO THE MAT AS HE’S GOT HIM HOISTED UPWARD—
Stew-O: TILL KIRK SHIFTS HIMSELF AROUND AND LANDS ON HIS FEET BEHIND DRAKE—BEFORE CATCHING HIM WITH A BACK SUPLEX ONTO THE TURNBUCKLE!!! Drake lands onto the turnbuckle after all of us upper back took the brunt of that suplex as he’s now stumbling forward, left in a bad way here as Redwood has now found a way to shift this match into his own favor here! Redwood is now rushing the ropes while Drake is teetering with this stance of no return before rebounding back toward Drake Armstrong AS HE’S READY TO STRIKE—
Flannery McCoy: AS A FIERCE CLOTHESLINE IS ABLE TO DROP ARMSTRONG DOWN TO THE MAT!!! Kirk was able to take Drake off of his feet in emphatic fashion there as he’s now crawling himself over to his opponent and hooking the leg while he can! The referee makes that count!
ONEEEEE!!!
TWOOOOOOO!!!
T—
Jake Mercer: DRAKE STAYS IN THE MATCH! The shoulder is shot up as Kirk is now returning back to his feet, and he’s continuing to lay in the pressure as he’s now dragging Armstrong over to the corner, and proceeds to send repeated knees across Drake’s temple while the referee is counting down once more! Now Redwood is looking to place Drake through the ringer as he’s being dragged by the wrist up to his own two feet and into the position as WHAT CAN PUT HIM AWAY THROUGH THE ‘BASTARDPLEX’—
Stew-O: BUT DRAKE SQUIRMS FREE AND SENDS A SERIOUS LARIAT SPRAWLING ACROSS KIRK REDWOOD TO PUT HIM DOWN!!! Kirk is struggling here as he’s now shaking his own head repeatedly, looking to remain conscious as he’s not staying down on the mat for too long, but this allows Armstrong to return back to the fray with his own control to garner as he’s now dragged Redwood into position! AS HE’S GOT THE ‘BOURGEOIS BITE’ LOCKED IN!! The abdominal stretch has been applied as Kirk is now placed in trouble with this submission!
Flannery McCoy: As Drake is now sending repeated elbows sprawling across the abdomen of Kirk Redwood! Kirk is struggling immensely here as he’s really going through the ringer yet holding on!!! Armstrong is trying to hold out for as long as he possibly can despite everything that he has been placed through here, and Redwood is refusing to submit as he’s gotta find his way out of this—WITH A SUDDEN HEADBUTT THAT CAUSES DRAKE TO IMMEDIATELY LET GO OF THE SUBMISSION! Kirk was able to free himself in an instant although with a hand on his own abdomen!
Jake Mercer: As Armstrong’s trying to keep himself upward and moving, but he’s all too dazed from the headbutt to even find a sizable amount of consciousness here to focus on Redwood—AS KIRK GRABS A HOLD OF ARMSTRONG AND SENDS HIM SPIRALLING DOWNWARD WITH THE ‘BRAINDEAD BUSTER’!!! BUTTERFLY BRAINBUSTER CONNECTS AS DRAKE IS DOWN! Kirk is hooking the leg here, looking to move himself on to King of Elite!!!
ONEEEEE!!!
TWOOOOOOO!!!
THREE—
Stew-O: NO! NOT ENOUGH JUST YET! Armstrong is still capable of keeping himself in this match as Kirk sits himself up, having to find another way to put Drake away now! Redwood now finds himself standing back up, as he’s rolling himself over to the apron & finds himself lying in wait for Armstrong to rise! This can spell disaster for Drake! Armstrong is back up to his feet as KIRK LAUNCHES UPWARD & LEAPS FORWARD FOR THE ‘.50 CAL’—
Flannery McCoy: ARMSTRONG SIDESTEPS! Kirk is able to land onto his feet and roll through, now turning himself around to rush forward—BUT DRAKE WITH A FLAPJACK ONTO THE ROPES!!! KIRK’S COUGHING UP A STORM AS ARMSTRONG IS NOW BACK UP TO HIS FEET, AND HE PROCEEDS TO RUSH FORWARD FROM THERE!!!
Jake Mercer: ‘HALBERD FROM HELL’!!! ARMSTRONG DROPS KIRK AS HE RUSHES OVER AND PROCEEDS TO HOOK THE LEG!!!
ONEEEEE!!!
TWOOOOOOO!!!
THREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
(DING! DING! DING!)
Stephie Love: HERE IS YOUR WINNER, MOVING ON TO THE KING OF ELITE FINALS… DRAAAAAAKE ARMSTRONG!!!
Flannery McCoy: An immense match where they both tried to do all that they possibly could to garner the victory here, as Kirk absolutely showed that he can go the distance in this tournament!
Stew-O: Redwood absolutely presented himself as an incredible threat, yet Drake’s awareness & ability to think ahead kept him focused on the victory, as he moved on to King of Elite as Dynasty’s finalist. Congratulations to Drake Armstrong! Thank you for tuning in, and see you next week for KING OF ELITE!!
(‘Pride & Arrogance’ can be heard blaring throughout the speakers as the audience reacts negatively in waves, with Drake Armstrong rising up to his feet with his hand raised by the referee. Kirk retains a disgruntled look while shaking his head as he leans by the corner, with Drake smirking to himself as he makes a gesture of the crown over his head before the scene fades.)
(EAW logo buzzes.)
