(EAW Intro plays…)
(RECAP–Last week’s Showdown took place from the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. The show starts off with footage after last week’s Showdown showing that Adam Lucas bailed Ms. Extreme out of jail and explaining why he did so. The first match of the evening has Drake Armstrong defeating Lucas Johnson. Then we have a face to face meeting with Specialists Champion ARIA and her challenger Lexi. The two declare that may the best person win at King of Elite. The next match has Major Michael Scott Connor picking up the win over Katherine Helle. We go backstage to see POTARA talking about their plans for King of Elite and their respective matches. Then we see Harley Lewis defeating Komatsu Ogawa in singles action. )
(The recap continues with Kyra Phillips interviewing Jon Kelton backstage saying that he is confident that he is going to the finals and it doesn’t matter who he faces in the semifinals. The next match of the evening has Veena Adams defeating Ashlynn Quinn by submission. After the match, National Elite Champion Donovan Duke enters the ring and lays out Veena. Backstage, Kennedy and Heidi are talking before Jack Ripley comes in and wants his opportunity, which Kennedy says he will get after King of Elite. Then Adam Lucas defeats Alex Myers to advance to the Semifinals of the King of Elite tournament after the referee stops the match when ARIA throws in the towel on behalf of Alex. Backstage, Krya Phillips interviews Kassidy Heart and Kass says that after everything she has accomplished, she is the true and real Ms. Extreme. After that, Ms. Extreme appears out of nowhere and just beats Kassidy to a pulp leaving her beaten and bloodied after the assault. The main event of the night has Seattle’s own Impact defeating a very game Hans Grayson. After the match, Impact and Jake Smith stare each other down as the recap ends…)
(“Brick Wall” by A Day to Remember is playing throughout the Spokane Arena in the great city of Spokane Washington. The crowd knows that this music is signifying the start of another great edition of Saturday Night Showdown. The crowd immediately gets to their feet and starts to cheer when they hear the music. The EAW faithful in attendance are holding their signs and wearing the gear of their favorite EAW Elitists. After scanning the crowd for a minute, the camera settles at the commentary table where the trio of Deadprez, Eve, and Gavin Kirkland will be calling all the Showdown action.)
Deadprez: Hello everybody and welcome again to another wonderful edition of SATURDAY! NIGHT! SHOWDOWN! We are live in the awesome city of Spokane, Washington and we are only one week away from the King of Elite event. As always, I am Deadprez and alongside Eve and Gavin Kirkland, we will be calling all the Showdown action. What a show this is going to be tonight!
Eve: You better believe it! We are on our way to King of Elite and things are still heating up. I heard tonight that our General Manager Kennedy Street will have something to say tonight! I also heard that we will be hearing from Alex Myers tonight on how they are doing after their match last week. Their neck took some major damage and I hope things are alright.
Gavin Kirkland: Alex is a fighter and they will be back real soon. We will also be hearing from Lexi as she cruises on towards her Specialists Championship match against ARIA. We also know that Harper Lee has invited Madison Kaline and Sheridan Muller to Showdown. Three former World Champions in the ring at the same time? Good thing Mikaela Street will be there to moderate.
Deadprez: Good thing! We also have another rivalry brewing and it’s about to reach a boiling point. Ms. Extreme is here and she no doubt has something to say to Kassidy Heart. Kassidy didn’t have anything nice to say last week and Ms. Extreme made her pay. Tonight, we will hear Ms. Extreme as she calls Kassidy Heart tonight.
Gavin Kirkland: It’s time! IT’S TIME!!! Can I say it now, Prezzy?
Deadprez: Say what?
Gavin Kirkland: You know what?
Deadprez: Alright, go ahead.
Gavin Kirkland: THE MATCHES!!! It’s what makes Showdown SHOWDOWN!! I LOVE THE MATCHES!!! Especially this one. A GM Kennedy Street original. Action is on the horizon as Katherine Helle, Thomas Fresnedi, Lucas Johnson and Komatsu Ogawa compete in a fatal four way match with a very interesting stipulation. The loser of the fall LOSES THEIR JOB!! Big time risk in this match.
Eve: You hate to see it, but someone will be losing their job tonight. Also on the card is the undefeated Drake Armstrong. He will be taking on Roberto De La Rosa in singles action. Roberto will have La Familia at ringside. Will the numbers game be too much for the rookie or will Drake Armstrong continue his undefeated roll? That will be tonight/
Gavin Kirkland: We also have an interesting tag team match tonight. Opponents at King of Elite, but can they coexist tonight as partners? National Elite Champion Donovan Duke and his challenger Veena Adams will be taking on the team of Hans Grayson and Major Michael Scott Connor. Hans and Scotty we know can work together and they have a tag team victory already together. Can they use that and defeat two tough competitors? That is tonight.
Eve: Also tonight we have a match involving the current and a former Answers World Champion. Answers World Champion Jake Smith in non title action against Jack Ripley. Jake wants to build momentum heading towards King of Elite, but if Jack can knock off Jake in non title action, he will shoot himself right into the Number One Contender position. That match is tonight.
Deadprez: What a match that will be. But the biggest match of the night is our main event. Tonight is the Semifinal match of the Showdown bracket. Adam Lucas will face Jon Kelton and the winner will be advancing to next weekend’s King of Elite finals. We also just found out that Dynasty’s finalist Bronson Daniels and Voltage’s finalist Drake King will be at ringside. Who will join them in the finals? We will find out, but right now let’s take it to the ring with the lovely Gina Romano.
Gina Romano: SPOKANE, WASHINGTON! PLEASE GIVE A WARM WELCOME TO OUR SEXY FLAWLESS GENERAL MANAGER…. KENNEDY STREET!
(“Her” by Megan Thee Stallion kicks in over the PA system, the arena immediately letting their feelings known.)
Deadprez: What an introduction by Gina Romano! Looks like we are going to get an appearance from our General Manager!
Gavin Kirkland: WOOOOO!!! What a way to kick off the show!
Eve: Listening to the noise from this crowd, I’d say you are the only one Gavin.
(That noise level intensifies still further as Kennedy Street walks through the curtain, dressed every bit like the Sexy Flawless Diva she is. She pauses, a smirk on her face as Heidi Huxley joins her. Kennedy then looks over her left shoulder at an almost 7-Foot man stepping out in a smart suit and standing with her, clasping his hands at the front.)
Eve: Who the heck is that?
Deadprez: That Eve is Maximillian, Kennedy’s bodyguard who she has no doubt brought back due to what happened a couple of weeks ago.
Gavin Kirkland: Yes, a heinous attack that has yet to be adequately punished.
(Kennedy begins the walk down to the ring, her two companions following her. She walks with the confidence she has in herself and her abilities, and steps up, pausing on the apron to once again take in the reaction of the crowd. Maximillian also gets up and opens the strands for her, Kennedy stepping into the ring and nonchalantly holding the mic limply by her face. She then holds up a hand, and her music fades out, allowing us to get the full negative effect of the arena that obviously does not like Kennedy.)
Deadprez: We do not have a loved General Manager that’s for sure.
Gavin Kirkland: I love her… every delectable piece.
Eve: Put your tongue away Gavin, you’re dribbling.
(Eventually, and with that grin still on her face, she straightens the mic so it sits under her mouth.)
Kennedy Street: Thank you for that warm reception. Kennie knows that you all love her honey.
(Boos ring out again, but Kennedy doesn’t pay them any attention.)
Kennedy Street: It warms my heart, truly it does. To know that you all support me in my mission to make Showdown the number one brand in all of EAW.
Eve: What?
Deadprez: That is not what I heard
Gavin Kirkland: Because you guys are only listening to the noise piped in by the crew. Open your ears.
Deadprez: I know what I heard. Kennedy obviously didn’t.
Kennedy Street: The one thing you will have all realized by now is that Kennie sees and hears everything. I’m the closest to a deity you all have honey and accept offerings.
(Heidi nods, as Maximillian just stands stoic.)
Kennedy Street: But for instance, I saw Adam Lucas bail Camille out of jail to get a rise out of Kennie and make her even more angry. Adam Lucas has a bee in his bonnet right now, but you can rest assured that I will soon have him right back in place. He wants to think himself lucky that he is on a tear right now and it is too good for me to fire him.
Eve: Despite you, rather than because of you.
Gavin Kirkland: Don’t tell me you are taking Adam Lucas’ side?
Eve: No Gavin… he’s not perfect either, but Kennedy has made it personal.
Kennedy Street: But I cannot let Adam be the example honey. And I can’t allow others to try and follow his lead. So, I am warning the entire roster, right now, that I will not tolerate any kind of rebellion against me, or indeed Disney. Kennie was given the keys to the kingdom so that she could do a job, and I fully intend doing that job. You, the roster should follow MY lead, because you are paid to COMPETE. No matter the circumstance.
Deadprez: Seems Kennedy is laying down the law. Can’t blame her for that.
Gavin Kirkland: Doing her job… others would do well to follow suit.
Kennedy Street: As an Elitist, you should always strive to do your best and make Showdown the number one brand, and it is not lost on me that tonight, two Elitist’s get the opportunity to do precisely that. Jon Kelton and Adam Lucas will compete right now for the honor to represent Kennie’s brand at King of Elite, and I won’t accept anything other than victory honey. The winner, whether he likes it or not, better be all in with Kennie and what I want, because I will not accept a coup on my brand. I see any signs of resistance towards me, or my staff, and I promise you…
Voice: Yeah, yeah… we get it Kennedy, will you just stop flapping your gums already?
(The arena erupts as Adam Lucas steps out at the top of the ramp, Donovan Duke stood one side and Ms. Extreme on the other. The camera cuts to Kennedy’s face, her making no attempt to hide just how angry she is right now. Heidi whispers something in her ear, which seems to calm her down a little, and she takes a moment, going through some steps, as Adam just chuckles to himself.)
Adam Lucas: What’s the matter Kennedy? The job getting to you? You could always walk away ‘honey’.
(Kennedy’s eyes narrow, but then she forces a smile onto her face.)
Kennedy Street: Adam… how good to see you. Thank you for coming out here as it gives me the opportunity to say this to your face.
Adam Lucas: You’ve never been short of words
Kennedy Street: No, and if you listened, you would realize that I speak a lot of sense.
Ms. Extreme: That’s debatable… how’s the nose by the way? Hope you got the surgeon on a retainer.
Kennedy Street: Kennie did not have surgery honey
Ms. Extreme: Wouldn’t be the first time, right?
Donovan Duke: Didn’t know you could have surgery implant a personality.
(Adam laughs, he liked that joke. Heidi Huxley most certainly did not.)
Heidi Huxley: You will show your General Manager respect, or so help me…
Adam Lucas: You’ll do what Heidi? Act like the lapdog you’ve been ever since she took over. Go stand in the corner sweetheart, the adults are talking.
(It is now Heidi’s turn to look incensed, Kennedy taking back the lead.)
Kennedy Street: Honey, look around you. Showdown is Kennie’s, it is under my control. You can either fall in line and succeed, or you can continue down this path, and fail. One thing I can assure you honey… my patience is running thin. Up until now, I have been more than helpful towards your hopes of becoming World Champion…
Eve: By costing him the Elimination Chamber, and almost doing the same in the first round.
Gavin Kirkland: It’s tough love… he should stop being a baby.
Ms. Extreme: I think this entire arena knows that the only person you want to succeed is you
Donovan Duke: Stacking the odds against us every single time… forcing a man to fight his own wife.
Kennedy Street: I did that for the greater good… can’t you see Adam, it’s the only reason you are here. That fire… I lit it.
Deadprez: Classic… She’s taking credit for Adam being on the verge of something massive.
Adam Lucas: Partially right… it was always lit, but your actions turned it into an inferno. Look, this is where we are Kennedy… call it a pivotal moment in your career. You can either stop with this bull [BLEEP] or you can face the consequences. Because Camille, Donovan and I aren’t going anywhere. And if we can find a way to remove you from power, you can be [BLEEP]ing sure that we will.
(The arena explodes with cheers, Adam not diverting his gaze from Kennedy until he turns to Donovan and Camille who both nod their heads.)
Deadprez: Wow, we apologize for the language Ladies and Gentlemen, but Adam Lucas made it clear. These three-want rid of Kennedy Street.
Gavin Kirkland: This is an act of war. Damn you, Adam Lucas.
(Kennedy waits for a moment, allowing the noise to die down, before then eyeing Adam.)
Kennedy Street: Really honey… OK, have it your way. But why don’t you come down here to this ring and say that to Kennie.
(The crowd roars again, as Maximillian stands in front of Kennedy, almost daring Adam.)
Eve: Well, I think this plan is as transparent as they come. The most obvious trap I’ve seen.
Deadprez: And Adam doesn’t care… he’s heading to the ring.
(Cheers fill the arena but are instantly replaced by boos as Donovan places a hand on Adam shoulders, stopping him in his tracks.)
Donovan Duke: You got a huge semi-final tonight bro… there will be another time.
(Adam looks back to the ring, and smirks.)
Kennedy Street: What’s the matter honey? Scared?
Adam Lucas: Nah, not scared Kennedy… but I want to win King of Elite, and tonight, you’re nothing but a distraction.
Ms. Extreme: Nice try… but you’ll keep
(Adam turns on his heels and heads back up the ramp, Donovan and Ms. Extreme following him, Kennedy still wearing the smile of someone who believes she has laid down a marker and made her point.)
Kennedy Street: That’s it, run away Adam. Kennie will be watching later. Good luck Honey.
Deadprez: Adam Lucas was more than willing to go face to face with Kennedy, but cool heads prevailed. Kennedy might not like Adam, but she knows that either he or Jon Kelton will represent Showdown, and you can bet winning King of Elite is more important to her right now.
Eve: I’m not sure you know… Kennedy wants to win, but does she hate Adam Lucas, Donovan Duke and Ms. Extreme even more?
Gavin Kirkland: She want’s what is best for Showdown, why can’t you people see that?
Eve: If you were thinking with your brain and not your…
Deadprez: Even so Eve, poking the hornet’s nest is never a good idea, and now Kennedy has Maximillian by her side, does that mean even more trouble for that trio?
(“Her” kicks in again, Kennedy giving the crowd an almost regal wave, before leaving the ring, as the scene cuts away to a commercial break.)
(As the commercial break ends, ‘Get Going’ by the Muddy Apes plays through the arena, as Komatsu Ogawa and his manager, Yoshiaki Tanaka come out to boos. They walk down the ramp with confidence, as they’re the first opponent to make their way into the ring and are able to walk with a strong aura. As they enter the ring, Tanaka waits on the outside as he pauses for a little.)
Gina Romano: THE OPENING MATCH OF SHOWDOWN IS SCHEDULED FOR ONE FALL WITH A THIRTY MINUTE TIME LIMIT! INTRODUCING FIRST, FROM TOKYO, JAPAN— THE DRUNKEN HEEL KING, KOMATSU OGAWA!
(‘Ready to Die’ by Notorious B.I.G. plays and replaces ‘Get Going’, as the crowd provides a series of boos again, but not as intense. Alone, Lucas walks down the ramp and enters the ring, giving Ogawa a handshake, and a nod to his manager.)
Gina Romano: AND HIS OPPONENT AND TRIANGLE OF TERROR COLLEAGUE, THE WRESTLING MACHINE, LUCAS JOHNSON!
(‘You’re Not Here’ by Akira Yamaoka plays as Katherine Helle comes out to boos. She’s not as familiar with the audience as her other two opponents are, but they give her some reaction. As she enters the ring, she eyes down her opponents and smiles in their face menacingly.)
Gina Romano: AND HIS OPPONENT, FROM LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, THE HELLRAISER, KATHERINE HELLE!
(‘Fearless’ by Amaranthe plays through the arena as Thomas Fresnedi walks out to mixed reactions, The crowd doesn’t really know him, most of them fairly silent. He knows he has to make a splash, and walks into the ring, posing to the best of his ability.)
Gina Romano: AND HER OPPONENT, FROM SORRENTO, ITALY, THE ITALIAN STALLION, THOMAS FRESNEDI!
(DING! DING! DING!)
Deadprez: This match has a lot on the line for these men and women! It’s time to see whether or not they can keep their jobs in EAW’s Showdown, or if they get sent right out the front door! Both Fresnedi and Helle are the not-so-favourites in this match, and the Triangle of Terror colleagues are both fired up and ready for action! Fresnedi and Helle are still not as alert as they should be, and they take advantage of that as Lucas and Komatsu begin going after them! Komatsu attacks Helle, and Lucas takes Fresnedi for a spin!
Eve: Fresnedi is taking heavy lefts to the jaw here from one of EAW’s best strikers, and this is something he’s not used to! Fresnedi is incredibly inexperienced, especially when compared to veterans like Ogawa and Johnson! He’s taking shots to the ribs, as Lucas decides to go for the body! Fresnedi is in pain, and Lucas immediately spins and follows up with a heavy shot to the stomach! Thomas is down, and Lucas is waiting for him to get up! Maybe this is a good idea, maybe it isn’t! Fresnedi rolls out of the ring! He knows he can’t lose it right here, otherwise he can’t earn any more!
Gavin Kirkland: Lucas isn’t showing any emotional response to this! He’s circling as Thomas walks around the ring, but he realizes he might lose by disqualification! Fresnedi rolls back into the ring, and Lucas is there to meet him with a stomp! Fresnedi isn’t experienced enough to roll away from that, so he ends up taking a heavy boot to the jaw! On the other end, Ogawa is battering Helle, but Helle’s durability is giving her a better shot here! Komatsu uses his power here, latching onto Katherine for a belly-to-belly suplex! Lucas and Komatsu are eyeing each other down, and they’re clashing heads!
Deadprez: Like literally, they’re clashing heads, as a sign of respect! The friends headbutt each other to fire each other up, as Katherine and Thomas are at a clear disadvantage here! Lucas turns towards Katherine, as Komatsu decides to toy with Thomas! Lucas is using his superior knowledge of striking to bring Katherine’s defense to zero, and Komatsu’s strength is allowing him to prevent Fresnedi from being slick and rolling out! Katherine is eating repeated kicks to her ribs and liver, as Fresnedi is being slammed face first with an STO!
Eve: Not good for either of them, as Lucas and Komatsu nod at each other! They know that their opponents don’t stand a chance, and it’s possible that the both of them could get fired! However, both Lucas and Ogawa know that one must go home, so they decide to try to get it over with as soon as possible! They’re teeing off on each other! Komatsu lands a devastating headbutt, but Lucas staggers back, does a handstand and forward rolls into a Pele Kick! He takes Komatsu down to a knee, and he sends several knees to his head!
Gavin Kirkland: Komatsu grabs a hold of his main knee leg, and he lifts him up in the air, sending him crashing into the mat with a Smirnoff Drop Snap Piledriver! Lucas manages to hold his weight and rolls Komatsu off him with a Frankensteiner, but Komatsu attempts a wild haymaker, to which Lucas dodges! Lucas is feeling that confidence come back to him, and they both nod to each other! Thomas and Helle both wake up at the same time, and Thomas sends a right hook smashing into Komatsu’s face, with Helle trying a big boot to Lucas’!
Deadprez: Bad idea! Komatsu takes the punch and smiles, proceeding to send a right hook of his own, turning Fresnedi around as he lifts him up over his head for a Deadlift German Suplex! Fresnedi got sent head first, and he didn’t even have time to break his fall! Katherine tried a big boot, but Lucas dodged it and he swept her off her feet! They’re really showing a contrast of styles, with Lucas being more swift and agile and Komatsu having more power in his attacks! Komatsu and Lucas decide to resume beating each other up, but this time, nobody is able to dodge! Komatsu grabs ahold of Lucas, and he attempts a Hirai-Goshi Judo Throw!
Eve: And Lucas got sent on the mat! He managed to break his fall and slam the mat as hard as he possibly could, with Komatsu lifting him up with ease and transitioning into a Dragon Suplex! Ogawa rolls in again, as he tries to suplex Lucas, but Lucas flips and sends a big boot into the Japanese powerhouse’s face! Ogawa is stunned, and he tries to regain his composure, as Lucas proceeds to strike him with a Shining Wizard! He takes advantage of Ogawa’s position, and drops him onto the mat for a DDT— no! Ogawa manages to lift him up and the both of them are in a stalemate position!
Gavin Kirkland: However, Helle and Fresnedi are up and about, as Ogawa is sent flying into Lucas’ head with the force generated from a swinging elbow from Helle, and Lucas is sent head first as Thomas sweeps him forward! They both clash heads, and now, Helle and Fresnedi decide to fight it out! Neither of them want to get fired, so they have to eliminate their competitors in order to win! Helle and Fresnedi are fairly equally tall, and they decide to have a grappling bout! Fresnedi easily manipulates Helle’s arms, putting her in a wristlock, sending her to the ground!
Deadprez: At least the kid’s got one thing going for him. Maybe if he went MMA, he could just fight without the need to really have a major presence in the promotional scene! Fresnedi uses his palm to pull Helle’s face in for a crossface, but no! Helle manages to throw him over her head for a makeshift Judo Throw! Katherine decides to try to use her power to take him out here, and she attempts to throw him over her head for a German— but Thomas kicks her in the knee! Thomas sends her to a knee, and rebounds off the ropes, but he’s met with a massive boot to the face by Katherine Helle! Thomas is sent crashing down onto the mat, and Katherine is out for blood!
Eve: Katherine tries to pick him up, but no! Ogawa comes from behind and he grabs ahold of her! Katherine managed to grab Fresnedi in the nick of time for a German Suplex position, Ogawa doing the same to Katherine, but no! Lucas manages to wrap his arms around Ogawa’s waist, and is he trying to do something here? He lifts the three of them up in the air, and he throws them over his head! He has strength, but that didn’t come without a cost! Johnson is holding his left shoulder in pain, and that might be a target that future opponents could possibly attack if they so wish to!
Gavin Kirkland: Which is exactly what Fresnedi does! He uses this opportunity as the lighter opponent to have backflipped over, and he simply runs towards Lucas’ shoulder, sending a dropkick into it! Fresnedi is on a roll, and he manages to pull Lucas’ shoulder in an uncomfortable position, but not for long! Ogawa catches wind of this, and puts Fresnedi in a sleeper hold! Fresnedi is shocked, but look who’s in the air! It’s Katherine Helle, doing things she’s not used to doing in order to avoid being fired! She leaps off the air, and sends her body’s weight into them with a Diving Crossbody! Both of them are on the ground, and Lucas tries to pull himself up!
Deadprez: Katherine is enjoying this, but Lucas leaps off the top rope and sends a shotgun kick to the back of her head! Katherine just headbutted Thomas’ chest, as he felt that and groaned in pain! Lucas sees all three of them on the ground, and he takes in some of the crowd’s cheers, no matter how small they may be! Lucas needs their support, and he knows that! He front flips into a 450 SPLASH! 450 SPLASH ONTO THREE OPPONENTS, AND HE’S GOING FOR THE PIN! HE’S GOING TO TAKE THEM ALL OUT AT THE SAME TIME! WHAT A MANEUVER!
OOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEE!
TWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOO!
THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—
Eve: ALL THREE OF THEM RAISE THEIR HANDS IN TIME! Lucas was sent flying into the turnbuckle, visibly shocked by this! He didn’t expect that at all, and Lucas is smiling! Ogawa tries to pull himself up, but Fresnedi grabs his ankle and pulls him down! Katherine decides to go for Lucas, and she stomps a mudhole into his face! Ogawa’s leg is locked in a heel hook position, and the tables have turned about 15 minutes into this match! What a match it has been so far, and this will possibly continue on as we head into the part where it matters, the middle game!
Gavin Kirkland: Fresnedi and Helle know that they have to take the two biggest threats out, but Lucas manages to dodge a boot and Helle’s foot is crashing against an exposed turnbuckle, which Lucas had ripped earlier! He pushes her into Fresnedi’s head, freeing his partner! Komatsu nods, as Lucas and Komatsu begin teeing off on their opponents from a mounted position! They are just going absolutely wild here, and this match has been a banger from the start! Lucas pulls Helle’s arm into a tucked position, and Ogawa puts one of Fresnedi’s arms in a hammerlock!
Deadprez: Is he going to do what I think he’s going to do? Ogawa uses one hand to pull on Katherine’s arm, as he lifts Fresnedi with one arm and sends Fresnedi’s full weight onto Katherine’s elbow, and clearly, that might’ve hurt! Ogawa and Lucas aren’t showing love to each other just yet, as the both of them resume the beatdown they were giving each other a few minutes before all of this madness! Ogawa manages to get the upper hand, as Lucas’ arm was also partly hurt by that attack, the same arm that he hurt during the suplex! Ogawa takes advantage of this, and he twists the arm, proceeding to boot Lucas in the spine!
Eve: Lucas smiles! He knows his partner won’t hold back, but neither will he! Lucas goes for a Double Leg Takedown, catching Ogawa off guard! Ogawa tries to pull him off, but Lucas is too skilled! He goes for a cross-armbreaker, and he might pull Komatsu’s arm off right here! They’re all fighting to keep their place in Showdown, and rightfully so! This is an opportunity people would die for! Let’s see if they’re willing to put their bodies on the line for years of profit and experience! Can Lucas take out his friend?
Gavin Kirkland: Komatsu rolls over, and he lifts him up! Lucas experienced this with Drake Armstrong, and he knows what to do! He pulls his weight down, getting Komatsu in an omoplata! Not for long though, as Fresnedi proceeds to put Lucas in a leg submission of his own! He puts him in a Boston Crab, with Katherine Helle rolling off the ropes and delivering a running neckbreaker to Fresnedi! Lucas’ back was abruptly pushed over, and he felt that! He’s not injured, though— he keeps on fighting! This is a match for the ages right here! Can Katherine capitalize on this opportunity that all of her opponents are hurt?
Deadprez: Katherine pulls them onto each other, with Ogawa being left as a reserve! She lifts him up into a powerbomb position! She sends Ogawa into their flat bodies, but no! Thomas sat up, and he abruptly put down! That was not a good fall at all for him, and this may take off a few years off his lifespan, not wrestling career! Katherine is breathing it all in, and she knows that this is her moment right here, but no! Ogawa had managed to break his fall just slightly, and he rolls over, putting Katherine on his face for a powerbomb on the outside!
Eve: No! Lucas jumped as well, and Komatsu catches him! Thomas tries to pull them both down, but he ends up being caught as well! Ogawa uses all his strength as Tanaka clears a table with Spanish translation commentators, as Ogawa sends all three of them crashing onto a table! Christ almighty, that was a move! Thomas had managed to roll, and he uses the momentum to put in a neckbreaker of his own! Tanaka and Ogawa are nodding here!
Gavin Kirkland: Ogawa decides to take a leap of faith, and he gets on the top rope! He breathes it in, and he leaps off for a Moonsault Press onto all of them, as Tanaka had previously taken the broken commentary cover and placed it on them! Komatsu sends his weight down onto all of their bodies, and all four of them are out! This isn’t a wrestling match, it’s a group of people fighting to stay the hell alive! Can this work? Komatsu pulls each of them into the ring, and Lucas uses his body to pull himself up! Komatsu and Lucas know that they have an opportunity here, and they should take it while they still can!
Deadprez: Lucas nods, and so does the Drunken Heel King! Lucas pulls Fresnedi up and gets him into a kneeling position! He rebounds off the ropes, and sends his boot into his face for the FINAL CALL! THE PUNT KICK CONNECTS! HE’S NOT PINNING HIM YET, AND OGAWA NODS! Fresnedi is out cold here, and he puts Helle into an Over-The-Shoulder position, dropping her down on Fresnedi’s chin for an Irish Car Bomb! They both pull their opponents off each other, as the both of them decide to pin their opponents at the same time!
OOOOOONNNNNNNEEEEEEEE!
TWWWWWWWWWOOOOO!
THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
DING! DING! DING!
Gina Romano: AND YOUR WINNERS, AND STILL STAYING IN EAW’S SHOWDOWN DIVISION, LUCAS JOHNSON AND KOMATSU OGAWA!
Eve: What a match. We expected a fight, but we got more than that. We got people trying to secure their spot, but ultimately, it was Komatsu and Lucas who pulled it off.
Deadprez: But that’s not writing the table off for Katherine and Thomas! They can continue their wrestling careers, and when they feel like they can really make a splash and they are ready, they can come back!
(‘Ready to Die’ by Notorious B.I.G. plays in conjunction with ‘Get Going’ as Komatsu and Lucas share an embrace in the ring. The audience claps in ovation considering how hard they fought, as their bodies are red and tired. Tanaka congratulates the both of them in staying, as Katherine and Thomas are tended to and sent out on a stretcher, possibly to check for concussion protocols before they are given the walking papers.)
[SCREEN BAR — Seattle, Washington, Last Week After Showdown Went Off The Air.]
(The Scene would fade into a backstage exclusive clip, one that had taken place after Showdown had gone off the air just last week. In the camera frame, it shows Alex Myers, who had hurt their neck in a match against Adam Lucas earlier in the night in the second round of the King Of Elite tournament, and they are being helped by medics as they are clearly walking to a medics room. You can tell that they are hurting after their grueling match, but the emotions being shown by them tells a whole other identifying story to the equation.)
(Meanwhile, someone is seen by the other side of Alex, as it is clear to be their girlfriend, ARIA. ARIA had been the one who called for the match that Alex had to compete into an end, after throwing the towel in, and you can see as much of the displeasure and upset expression on her face, as she is helping Alex as well, worried about their well being for what is the first time in not only their relationship, but the time they have known each other. She is obviously very apologetic about what she did, trying to get Alex to speak to her.)
ARIA: Alexis, please… I know that you didn’t want me to do what I did. I know that you wanted to keep fighting, but I was so scared… and so worried for you. I didn’t want anything to come to an end as soon as it began. Please talk to me.
(But Alex doesn’t respond, just keeps walking as ARIA continues to follow. After a couple of moments, Alex would stop in their tracks, looking towards the medics and waving them off, letting them know that they can walk there under their own power, as they go away, and Alex and ARIA continue to walk.)
ARIA: I’m sorry my love, I promise, nothing like that will happen again. I don’t know what got into me, I really don’t, it was just a scary sight seeing someone who I love with all my heart in a situation like that, seeing it up close. You mean everything to me, and I know how much you wanted that win, and how much you wanted to win that tournament. Just… I…
(ARIA continues to hold onto Alex, placing her head on their shoulder as they continue to walk down the hallway. Alex is still not speaking, and it looks like tears are starting to flow from ARIA’s eyes.)
ARIA: …I’m sorry-
(Suddenly, Alex would cut ARIA off, lifting her head off of their shoulder and placing their lips onto hers, for a long and passionate kiss. ARIA doesn’t resist whatsoever, as it goes for a moment before Alex would break it, wiping her tears away before finally speaking to her.)
Alex Myers: Aria, love, don’t apologize. Don’t cry. Don’t do any of that. You don’t need to. I know what happened in that ring, and I have been thinking about it for the past while since it ended. I understand your moment of fear, and I know why you did what you did. You’re right, you knew how much I wanted to win that tournament… how much I wanted to make history… and how much I would have put myself through to get it. But… you did nothing wrong. I don’t want you to blame yourself for this.
ARIA: But… Alexis…
Alex Myers: Listen, no buts. I make a lot of promises to you that I know to keep, so I am going to make one more. I promise that you don’t need to feel guilty about what happened out there in that ring. I’m not mad at you, and I never will be. If it has to be like this… it’s okay if my dream isn’t meant to be if it means I can make sure you are kept away from the fear you went through tonight.
(ARIA is left speechless after what Alex tells her. All she can do is lean back towards Alex and giving them another passionate kiss. She breaks away, shivers being sent down her spine as a vague smile is painted on her face through the tears.)
ARIA: Don’t say that, trust me. Tonight… it was just a one off. Again, I won’t let it happen again, alright? I love you so much, always remember that babe. Let’s just worry about getting you checked on right now, okay? I know your neck must be hurting a lot. Let’s do that.
Alex Myers: Alright.
(Alex would take ARIA by the hand, as they lock hands and begin to walk down the hallway towards the medic room, and the scene would fade from there.)
…
…
…
…
…
(The Camera would then fade back to the ring in present time, as ‘Manners’ by BAND-MAID begins to play throughout the speakers, everyone in attendance exploding in cheers as Alex Myers would slowly, but surely, walk through the curtain and onto the stage. It’s clear that they are still very much hurting, and it’s evident by how gentle Alex’s movements are, as they make their way down the ramp and towards the ring.)
Gavin Kirkland: :lupe: I am certainly interested in what Alex is going to say here.
Deadprez: We all saw how the match between Alex Myers and Adam Lucas ended just last week, and we know just how much Alex had wanted to win that match as well as the whole tournament. They hurt their neck clearly in the match, and in the end, it was their girlfriend who ended up getting involved, throwing the towel into the ring in the end and giving Adam a forfeit win over them, and I’m sure they weren’t happy about that result.
Eve: Well we all know that even though they may not had been happy about how the match came to an end, and they are feeling even worse due to the pain to the neck, as well as the fact that their hopes and dreams was of winning the King Of Elite tournament was crushed and went down the drain… we all know that Alex wouldn’t be mad at ARIA. They love each other, and it’s clear. But Alex is out here tonight as they have an update on their condition, which we will hear right now.
(Alex would cautiously enter into the ring, taking a deep breath as they are given a microphone. They move to the center of the ring, looking around at the standing ovation, the love, and the support they are being given right now. ‘Manners’ would fade out from there, as Alex looks up at the ceiling, pain in their eyes as they look back down at the camera, lifting the mic up to speak.)
Alex Myers: …
Crowd: :lupe:
Alex Myers: …Hey.
Alex Myers: The last time that you guys saw me was just last week. I was fighting in the second round of the King Of Elite tournament, against a man who I have come to know very well; Adam Lucas. And I don’t think anyone realizes really just how much I wanted to win that match and move forward into the tournament… no, needed to win. Everything felt like it was finally going to go my way – I thought I was going to be able to make history… but I didn’t get to be able to do that. Adam Lucas beat me, he hurt me, badly, and in the end… I ended up losing… by forfeit. Because a towel got thrown in… yeah…
Alex Myers: You guys all saw what happened, and I don’t really want to get too much into it. I know why she did what she did, and I’m not upset with her, nor will I ever be mad at her. I love her a lot, that is never going to change. She changed me for the better, and even though my hopes and dreams on that night came to an end… it doesn’t mean that I ain’t going to keep fighting. Because I am going to, no matter what. Trust me, if anything, what happened last week has only pushed my drive more than ever before. To become one of the very best that this company has to offer, and to be a World Champion, and the Elite’s Archangel.
(Alex would smirk vaguely as they receive another loudly positive reaction. But they feel a sudden pain shoot up their neck, as they immediately grasp at it, before letting out a very loud and audible sigh.)
Alex Myers: But… I’m out here tonight to give you guys an update on my medical condition, and if I am cleared to compete in any way, shape, or form. And I am here to tell you all… yes, I am cleared to compete, and it isn’t as bad as some may expect. I ended up straining my neck during the match against Adam and the doctors had told me that if the match continued any longer than it did and I took one more high impact move, it could have been way worse than it was. Even though it hurt that the match ended the way it did… it would feel selfish of me not to thank Aria for at least preventing that from happening… even if it was at the cost of my dream I was fighting so hard for.
Crowd: :wow:
Alex Myers: But as you all know, I’m not going to just stop fighting. I’m not just going to step away and back up because of the minor injury that I have suffered. It’s only that; minor. The doctors gave me the ok to compete, and I know the possible risks of doing so with the injury that I have, but I really could care less about those risks. I know what I am getting myself into, and if there is one thing that I never do; it’s stop fighting. I will continue to fight, no matter if it’s through an injury, or anything else that is put in front of me. I won’t stop fighting until one day, somehow, some way, Alex Myers is known as a legend of the business, and I achieve everything I have ever wanted.
(Alex giggles softly, looking up into the camera.)
Alex Myers: So everyone wants to know where Alex Myers goes next from here, right? After a devastating loss in the King Of Elite tournament, after going through hell and back just to get nothing in return, where does Alex Myers quite possibly go next? And my answer to that, is very simple… I don’t know. I don’t know where I am going to go next, what I am going to do next, but whatever it may be, whoever it is that wants to step up to me, I am going to fight, just like I always do. And I am going to make sure that one day, I will be World Champion, and I will achieve everything that I set out to do, because I know if I put my mind to it, I can accomplish exactly that. This is not any different.
Alex Myers: I love each and everyone of you. Those who support me, those who love me, and those who continue to always be by my side. Through all the ups, and all the downs. I am talking from my heart right now. This isn’t the Alex Myers that I know you guys are used to hearing… this is just… Alexis. And I promise you, that the next time you guys see me, and I’m saying this knowing that it isn’t going to be very long until I’m back, even as soon as after King Of Elite, you guys are going to see a way better version of Alex Myers, much like you always do. I may be beaten up right now and mentally drained from the past couple of weeks, but believe me, I’m not backing down. As long as you guys stick with me on this long, long, ride… I will continue to push forward.
Alex Myers: Today is a new day. I know that last week… you guys saw me at my most vulnerable, and you guys are seeing my vulnerability again now, but I am going to make sure that I grow from it. I promise to each and every one of you, that the next time you see me, I am going to be better than ever before. I may be in pain right now, but that’s temporary. Alex Myers is still very much the Guardian Angel that you guys love, and I will always be that way. Thank you everyone, truly.
(A single tear flows down Alex’s eye, as they would give everyone in attendance a bow. They set the microphone down in the center of the ring, as ‘Manners’ begins to play once more. A standing ovation is given for Alex, the crowd pouring down cheers for them as they would cautiously exit the ring, and begin to make their way up the ramp.)
Gavin Kirkland: (wiping tears away) So emotional, so beautiful… YOU’RE MY GUARDIAN ANGEL, ALEX!!!
Deadprez: It’s not like they’re retiring, Gavin :wtf:. But nonetheless, you are right about how emotional Alex was in that ring as they were speaking, and it shows. They said they were cleared to compete, and that they are going to fight even through the injury, but you just know how much they are hurting right now. Physically, mentally, emotionally. But that is what makes them stronger, and better.
Eve: You got that right, Prez. We all know how much of a fighter that Alex is, and it has shown even more here tonight. I’m sure they are going to take the defeat last week as a way to better themself even more, and make them even more dangerous to everyone who steps into the ring with them. We’re hoping for a speedy recovery for Alex, and we can’t wait to see what is next for them.
(As Alex is walking up the ramp, they suddenly stop in their tracks, as their focus sets onto someone who they see standing front and center in the crowd. It looks like the same exact mysterious woman who has been seen in recent months appearing for Alex’s matches and promos, and this isn’t any different. She is taking notes, as Alex would just look confused.)
???: Don’t worry about me.
(The words from the mysterious woman echo in Alex’s ears. All they can do is nod, as they start to walk back up the ramp once more, the woman going back to her notetaking as the camera would fade to a commercial break.)
(As Showdown comes back from commercial break, it cuts to Gina Romano in the ring to announce the next match.)
Gina Romano: Ladies and Gentlemen, the following contest has a twenty-minute time limit, and is scheduled FOR!
Crowd: ONE FALL!!
( ‘Soy’ by Santa Fe Klan starts playing as Roberto De La Rosa enters the arena to loud boos from the crowd. De La Rosa isn’t coming alone as he is flanked by La Familia. He looks over to both sides before heading to the ring.)
Gina Romano: INTRODUCING FIRST! Accompanied to the ring by La Familia. From Hidalgo, Mexico. Weighing in at 225 pounds! He is “EL PADRASTRO” ROBERTO DE LA ROSA!!!!!
Deadprez: Here Comes La Familia! Roberto’s last match dates New Year’s Eve when he suffered a loss against Adam Lucas in the main event of the show. Since then, he has been busy against the likes of Hans Greyson and Major Michael Scott Connor.
Gavin Kirkland: Tonight will be a different challenge as El Padastro will be looking to gain a solo victory and I am willing to bet that the Familia at ringside will have a thing or two to do with it should he emerge victorious. We will see!
( ‘Pride and Arrogance’ by Takeru Kanazaki would begin to play, the boos only getting even louder, as Drake Armstrong would then make his way out onto an EAW stage for the first time in his career. He looks around confidently, as he struts his way down to the ring, before climbing up onto the apron and entering the ring, posing in the middle of the ring before backing into his corner.)
Gina Romano: AAAAAAAND HIS OPPONENT! From Scarsdale, New York! Weighing in at 260 pounds. He is ‘The FUTURE’ DRAKE ARMSTRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Deadprez: This promising young talent has so far been undefeated in his first two matches here on Showdown, leaving quite the impression and labeling himself as the Future of this industry no less! I’ve seen my share of ego-driven elitists in my time here as a commentator and it will be fascinating to see if he will be everything he markets himself to be.
Gavin Kirkland: How can he not make it? He comes from money, is built like a Greek god, and up to this point is currently undefeated! I feel like he earned his nickname and we haven’t seen anything yet from that guy! Be on the lookout for this one folk!
( Ding! Ding! Ding! )
Deadprez: AND HERE WE GO! This match is officially underway! Both men begin by circling each other in the center of the ring before going for a quick clinch! Roberto powers his opponent into a corner but Drake manoeuvers them into the ropes bouncing them both back to the center of the ring. De la Rosa moves behind Armstrong taking him to his knees with a quick takedown but Drake goes back vertical quickly! Headlock by Roberto but Drake slips out quickly trying to gain an advantage but both are going back and forth trying to grabble the other they hop and turn over one other rapidly before both ends up letting go of one another and stand up staring at one another!
Gavin Kirkland: Some lucha libre-inspired stuff to start this contest folks as Drake scoffs looking down on Roberto who isn’t impressed himself with the man standing before him. Both men once again circling each other, who will make the first move? Who will gain the upper hand in this bout? They lock horns but quickly once more Roberto moves behind his opponent who’s trying to pry RDL’s hands off of him. Roberto tries for a headlock but Drake reverses it into a wristlock!
Eve: Drake has the move locked in tightly on Roberto who’s trying to power his way out of it but to no avail! He tries different avenues but Armstrong is simply too perfectly locked with the move to the point of actually grinning at this point. But that is short-lived as Roberto finally manages to reverse the hold and now has Drake’s wrist locked behind his back! Drake moves things into a hammerlock and manages to get Roberto down swinging him overhead with a takedown followed by a headlock! Roberto strikes back with leg scissors which Drake kicks out of with haste!
Deadprez: Both men go back to their feet and Drake gets taken down with a snap mare which he himself chains up with a pair of leg scissors this time the move sticks and Roberto is stuck! De La Rosa manages to slip out and tries to grapple up to Drake who himself moves to evade! Both men are quick to try and counter the other early on in this bout before moving away from each other once again and staring holes at one another. This is a stalemate thus far folks neither men are able to gain the upper hand over the other right now.
Gavin Kirkland: A clinch is attempted a third time, now Drake has the lock around Roberto’s head but he gets pushed into the ropes AND SHOULDER TACKLED ON THE WAY BACK BY DE LA ROSA! Roberto stares down at his opponent a second before dashing to the ropes, Drake rolls under him quickly getting up he hops into the air expecting Roberto to duck under but De la Rosa stopped and quickly moved in for an armlock behind Drake’s back quickly followed by a headlock but Drake counters with an armbar taking down Roberto!
Eve: The crowd boos massively toward Drake as he prances with his arms to his sides and mouthing off that he is the Future of this company! He goes back to De la Rosa who throws a punch to the gut followed by an elbow stunning Armstrong BEFORE TAKING HIM DOWN WITH A CLOTHESLINE!!!
Deadprez: De la Rose with a double ax handle to the back of Armstrong before picking him up by the side and SLAM him down with a Side Suplex! Drake rolls with the slam moving moving back to a vertical base BUT THEN GETS THE BIG BOOT FROM ROBERTO!!
Gavin Kirkland: I feel like the print of his boot could stick to Drake’s face with the impact of the hit! But Drake shows resiliency as he is working to get his way back on his feet BUT IS MET WITH A RUNNING KNEE FROM DE LA ROSA!!!!
Eve: Drake gets a bit slower to get up this time, now on one knee and Roberto doesn’t give him much of a break as he moves behind the Scarsdale native AND SENDS HIM OVERHEAD WITH A GERMAN SUPLEX!!! Drake lands on the top of his neck and is holding it while Roberto plays up the crowd that boos him on! The Familia down at ringside is rooting him on.
Deadprez: Drake rolls to the outside of the ring actually looking back to Roberto with a frown.
Drake Armstrong: Fuck this! I’m leaving!
Deadprez: Is he ACTUALLY leaving this match?? The gall on that guy BUT LOOK AT LA FAMILIA WHO IS REACHING UP TO HIM AND FORCING HIM BACK TOWARDS THE RING!! Three against his lonesome he doesn’t stand a chance and he is pushed and shoved inside the ring. He quickly gets up, irrate to have been forced back into this back and he lets him know as he barks at them leaning against the ropes.
Gavin Kirkland: He spits at them before turning to get back into the fight AND WALKS RIGHT INTO A CLOTHESLINE FROM HELL!!! ROBERTO WAS READY AND WAITING BEHIND HIS OPPONENT WHO HAD NO CLUE ABOUT IT WHATSOEVER!!! DOWN GOES DRAKE AND ROBERTO MAKES THE COVER!!!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
Gavin Kirkland: And Drake Kicks Out Of That One!
Eve: Drake is on the receiving end of a beating right now at the hand of De La Rosa who then scoop slams him onto the floor outside of the ring. Armstrong looking in a lot of pain as Roberto quickly hops on the apron AND HOLY COW DOES A MOONSAULT FROM IT AND LANDS SQUARE ATOP OF DRAKE!!!
Deadprez: Drake is moving slowly as the official is ordering them back inside the ring BUT NOT BEFORE ROBERTO GOES FOR LASSO FROM EL PASO ON ARMSTRONG!! Down goes Drake but he then gets whipped inside the ring.
Gavin Kirkland: De La Rosa slides inside right behind him as Armstrong gets back to his feet BUT HE ENDS UP FLAT ON HIS FACE FOLLOWING A DROPKICK TO THE BACK! He turns around only to be met by Roberto who drops to a knee and throws some MMA punches down on his opponent who manages to shove him away. Drake scoots to a corner, Roberto follows and begins to throw some big elbows against his rival under the cheers of his Familia!
Eve: Roberto throws a series of boots to the chest of Drake before helping him to his feet and sending him into the ropes. A knee to the gut stops the Future AND THEN HE SENDS HIM FOR A RIDE WITH A SAITO SUPLEX!! Drake gets back to his feet, taken down with a Judo throw perfectly applied by De La Rosa!
Deadprez: A back elbow stuns Drake before he gets taken down with a double-leg takedown from his opponent. Roberto with a kip up before taunting his opponent telling him to get into this fight! Drake powers his way back up to a vertical base, looking lost trying to locate his opponent WHO SETS HIM UP FOR THE FLATLINER MOMENTS LATER!! IT LANDS!!! RDL quickly to his feet hops to the ropes AND LANDS ON DRAKE WITH A PERFECT SPRINGBOARD MOONSAULT!!
Gavin Kirkland: COVER BY ROBERTO!!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
Gavin Kirkland: And Armstrong powers out at two!!
Eve: La Familia is protesting on the outside and so is Roberto who goes in the official’s face and confirms this was but a two count and this match must continue.
Deadprez: RDL seems a bit angry now as he gives a few smacks to the face of Drake before hoisting him up for a backbreaker! Down does the young man who is then hoisted up and LANDS INTO AN ATOMIC DROP! That one is never pleasant folks I don’t want to be Armstrong right now.
Gavin Kirkland: Roberto keeps the pressure on the thus-far undefeated opponent he has tonight as he jabs him in the mouth a few times, Drake is staggering on his feet AND GOES DOWN UNDER A SPRINGBOARD REVERSED DDT BY DE LA ROSA!!!!
Eve: Time for a commercial break folks! Who will emerge victorious in this match? The continuation and conclusion of this intense battle will be known after these messages!
( A finely edited commercial plays summing the rivalry between National Elite Champion Donovan Duke and number one contender Veena Adams ahead of the title fight which will take place next week during King of Elite! The first major event of 2023 is tri-branded and will happen LIVE from Rogers Arena in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia! Don’t miss this match and all of the incredible action to take place February 10 and 11th EXCLUSIVELY on Disney +! )
Eve: We’re back ladies and gentlemen and thank you for making this episode of Showdown your entertainment of choice this evening! For those tuning in we are in the middle of a match between Roberto de la Rosa and newcomer Drake Armstrong in what was an intense encounter up until now! During the break, the tides turned, and now Drake is in command of the match!
Deadprez: Drake now on the offensive with a stiff-looking hammer fist transitioned into a wrist-locked arm putting RDL under control as he did earlier in the match. He twists the arm, Roberto winces hard under protest from his family on the outside but Drake couldn’t care less before taking down their leader with a lariat! RDL moves to his feet quite quickly but gets brought down with a punch! He gets up and gets punched down! And it happens again! Roberto keeps getting up and throws a sudden clothesline at Drake who ducks, slips behind him, AND APPLIES A REAR NAKED CHOKE!!
Gavin Kirkland: Roberto is struggling for dear life trying his most damn not to give in and tap out to the pain BUT SUDDENLY HE GETS LIFTED AND PROJECTED OVER DRAKE’S HEAD WITH A GERMAN SUPLEX!! De la Rosa lands almost on his head as he crashes behind Armstrong who moves quickly to his opponent and then applies the shoulder claw the moment Roberto is on his knees! He puts everything he has into the grip, putting his other hand over for extra leverage!
Eve: Roberto attempts to free himself from the manoeuver but ends up getting whipped into the ropes by Drake AND THEN HOISTED UP BEFORE BEING BROUGHT DOWN WITH A WHEELBARROW FACEBUSTER!!! ROBERTO FALLS HARD And Drake doesn’t seem to be done as he positions De la Rosa for a powerbomb AND THE MOVE LANDS!!! Roberto is in trouble now as Armstrong quickly gets him to his feet, throws a few punches to his face, and then sets him up FOR A FRONT POWERSLAM FOLLOWED BY A COVER!!!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
Eve: De la Rosa Lifts The Shoulder Up!!! Close call but this match continues!!
Deadprez: The Familia is yelling at Drake who looks at them with spite before going back on the attack on their leader. A few fists to the top of the head followed by helping him up if we can consider that helping and then whip Roberto to the ropes before taking him down with a hard clothesline! Roberto moves to his feet on his own power this time and gets sent to a corner harshly by Drake WHO THEN RUSHES TO SLAM AN ELBOW TO DE LA ROSA’S FACE!!!
Gavin Kirkland: RDL drops on his ass against the corner when Drake applies a boot against Roberto’s neck which prompts a Familia member to climb on the apron to argue with the official! WHILE ANOTHER GOES ON ANOTHER SIDE AND BLINDSIDES DRAKE WITH A SMACK TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD!!! Drake backs away from Roberto while both members of the Familia remove themselves from play and Roberto tries to strike back at Drake with a clothesline from hell BUT DRAKE COUNTERS WITH AN ALABAMA SLAM!!!
Eve: Quick thinking from this young man showing his talent under pressure and when the odds are stacked against him!
Drake Armstrong: THAT’S ALL YOU’VE GOT? Really? You’re Pathetic! You and your family all of them!
Eve: Roberto is riled up by those comments and goes to try and hit back physically at Drake for those words but is ducked and then taken down with a waist lock takedown followed by a smack behind the head for an added insult to injury. De la Rosa gets back up BUT SUDDENLY FINDS HIMSELF ON THE RECEIVING END OF A HAMMERLOCK BACKSTABBER!! He follows it up with a double knee arm breaker transitioned into a wrist-locked arm AND THEN FINISHES THE SEQUENCE WITH A SPINEBUSTER!!! COVER BY ARMSTRONG!!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
Eve: AND ROBERTO KICKS OUT AT TWO!!!
Deadprez: Armstrong shrugs seeing he didn’t put away his opponent with that move but it doesn’t deter him as he moves to a half-guard position and begins to throw head punches at De la Rosa until the official orders him to back away from the man. Drake doesn’t give Roberto much time to breathe as he THROWS A SUPERKICK SQUARE IN THE MOUTH AS ROBERTO WAS TRYING TO GET UP! Down he goes AND THEN DRAKE TRIES FOR THE ANKLE LOCK!!!
Gavin Kirkland: IT’S LOCKED IN!!! ROBERTO IS SCREAMING AT TOP OF HIS LUNGS WHILE ARMSTRONG IS TWISTING HIS ANKLE!!! THERE IS QUITE SOME SPACE BETWEEN HIS ARM AND THE ROPE IS HE GOING TO BE ABLE TO REACH IT BEFORE HE CAN’T HANDLE THE TORTURE ANYMORE AND ABDICATE?? HE’S ALMOST PULLING HIS HAIR OUT TRYING TO DEAL WITH THE PAIN!! HIS LEAD ARM RAISES UP BUT HE TRIES TO POWER HIS WAY THROUGH! CRAWLING AND CLAWING HIS WAY TOWARD THE BOTTOM ROPE WHILE DRAKE TRIES TO KEEP HIM AT A DISTANCE!!!
Eve: The official is checking closely on Roberto asking him if he wants to give up and he screams NO! MEANWHILE, THEY DON’T SEE A MEMBER OF LA FAMILIA PUSHING THE BOTTOM ROPE TO HELP ROBERTO GRAB AT IT!!!! THEY JUST SAVED THEIR LEADER!!!
Deadprez: The official is yelling at them to keep away from the ropes while Drake is by his side doing the same telling them to get lost and get the Eff out of here but they don’t listen obviously and are shouting what I assume is insults in Spanish.
Gavin Kirkland: Drake goes back to Roberto and begins applying an abdominal stretch to him then, locking it in tight he begins to apply an abdominal claw as well!! He calls it the Bourgeois Bite and Roberto is suffering from it much as he did earlier with the shoulder claw!
Eve: Roberto is not giving up this fight but he might end up being forced to give in under the different pressure tyles provided by Armstrong who now goes for Natural Talent! The bridging half-nelson into a half=chickenwing suplex!!! COVER!!!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
Gavin Kirkland: Roberto kicks out again!! Drake is getting irritated, going to argue with the official who tells him he’s at two but Armstrong doesn’t want to hear it.
Eve: Drake calls for the end of the match, moving to Roberto and setting him up for The Death Penalty! His patented Gotch-style piledriver! ROBERTO IS UPSIDE DOWN AND FLAILING HIS LEGS MADLY!! ARMSTRONG TRIES TO APPLY THE MOVE BUT ENDS UP FALLING BEHIND AND GETS FLIPPED AS ROBERTO LANDED ON HIS FEET AND GETS DRAKE INTO HIS OWN PILEDRIVER HE CALLS THE CALLING CARD!!!
Deadprez: IT LANDS!!!!! COVER BY ROBERTO!!!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!
( DING! DING!! DING!!! )
( ‘Soy’ by Santa Fe Klan starts playing as Roberto gets his lead arm raised by the official to signal he is the match winner. He rolls out of the ring to join up with the rest of La Familia while back inside the ring Drake is looking irate that he lost. )
Gina Romano: Ladies and gentlemen the winner of this match: ROBERTO DE LA ROSA!!!!!!!!!!!
Gavin Kirkland: What a match ladies and gentlemen between a promising rising star in Drake Armstrong and the powerhouse in growth that is Roberto and his Familia! Drake delivered a stellar performance against a more experienced opponent but unfortunately, tonight’s luck was not on his side!
Deadprez: Drake deserves credit for a great performance and he will bounce back from this I am convinced of it BUT tonight was not meant to be against a more seasoned opponent. Congratulations to Roberto on a well-earned victory tonight.
( The final shot is of Roberto and the Familia making their way up the ramp with smiles and smirks on their lips while back in the ring Drake is throwing a fit trying to cope with the loss. It fades to a commercial break.)
(As Showdown returns from a commercial break, ARIA is already sitting with the commentators outside the ring as “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers is playing throughout the arena, Lexi is in the ring with a mic in hand as the music starts to fade.)
Deadprez: Welcome back and we are here with the Specialist Champion, ARIA and it is a pleasure to be here with you, at the request of Lexi.
ARIA: It is a joy to be sitting with you Prez, along with Eve and sure even Gavin Kirkland. I’m really excited to get the chance to be back on Showdown where it all started for me. Lexi asked me to come and well, I am here.
Eve: Welcome and before we get to Lexi, how do you feel about the match stipulation?
ARIA: I love it. She has really tried her best to change and while I am always cautious of that, I still can see this is not the same woman when we faced each other last year.
Gavin Kirkland: Lexi has improved in every way, and she is about to show us something special!
(Lexi paces the ring some as her theme finally dies down. She smiles, sticking her tongue out to the side a little before waving, then turning to face ARIA at the commentary table.)
Lexi: ARIA, thank you so much for being here and coming at my invitation. After winning the Beat the Clock Challenge last week on Voltage and was able to pick the match stipulation, part of me needed to make sure the method behind the madness, because usually that is not my style, but it is a technique I have been taught by some of the very best in the EAW including the likes of my brother and even my ex-fiancé, Dr. Bethany Blue. I really wanted you to see that there is a reason I chose PURE rules for our match, this in the end is all about wrestling and that is what I wanted it to be between us, a show of respect and at the same time come King of Elite next week, we go to war in the purest of fashions, Professional Wrestling. I really am truly excited to get this opportunity and I thank you for it.
(ARIA nods.)
ARIA: Thank you, Lexi.
Lexi: With that said though, I get this feeling that maybe you don’t think I can wrestle you in this style and go toe to toe, I think there is some doubt, and it is not just you, ARIA, I think a lot of the fans out there are thinking the same thing. So what I wanted to do was invite any wrestler to come out and wrestle me in an PURE match, so that I can prove to you that I am capable of defeating you without any excuses.
(ARIA again nods.)
Deadprez: That sounds like a challenge, and she feels like there is something to prove here, Champ.
ARIA: And I respect that. I really like that she wants to do this and showcase her talents.
Eve: Lexi wants to be taken seriously and this is the one way she knows how, by showing off her skills. It’s gutsy but if she wants ARIA to take her as a major threat, this is one way of doing it.
Gavin Kirkland: It is always a treat to see Lexi wrestle!
(Lexi continues to pace when she finally looks at the backstage area….)
Lexi: I will give any local talent the opportunity to come out here and make a name for themselves.
(She waits patiently when suddenly some generic rock entrance theme comes one. A woman steps out from the back dressed in a black mask with a pretty elaborate outfit. Lexi looks on nodding as she makes her way toward the ring.)
Gina Romano: Ladies and Gentlemen, I have just been informed, Lexi’s opponent is from Spokane, Washington!
(The crowd roars at the homegrown talent.)
Gina Romano: Weighing in at 120 pounds…. She is LA MARIPOSA!
(La Mariposa slides into the ring and waves to the cheering crowd, she then looks at Lexi and nods. The referee gets in the ring.)
Lexi: La Mariposa, let’s do this! PURE rules.
(The two ladies shake hands and then they wait as the referee calls for the bell and the start of the match.)
(DING!!!!!!!!! DING!!!!!!!!!! DING!!!!!!!!!!)
(The two ladies circle the ring, they lock up, Lexi with a quick arm drag, but holds on, wrenching it back, La Mariposa, though is back up on her feet, she then flips over, this time dragging the arm of Lexi but she is able to cartwheel, she then kicks off the arm of Mariposa, before performing a hip toss, La Mariposa gets up, another hip toss by Lexi and then as Mariposa gets right back up, Lexi with a quick headlock flipping her over onto the back of Mariposa. The crowd cheers.)
Deadprez: Great technical skill by Lexi here so far, she is quick as a hiccup.
Eve: That she is and while ARIA is fast, speed will definitely be a concern with Lexi at King of Elite.
ARIA: It will be, so far she is very impressive and showing her raw skills.
Gavin Kirkland: Mariposa means butterfly, I wonder what she looks like under the mask.
(Mariposa turns Lexi over having her shoulders down to the mat.)
ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TWO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Deadprez: Lexi is able to turn upright again, still holding that headlock and not letting go but Mariposa is forcing Lexi to get to her feet, Mariposa pushes her off, Lexi bounces off the ropes, shoulder tackle and it send Mariposa down, she gets back on her fours and LA MAGISTRAL CRADLE by Lexi for the cover!
ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TWO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eve: Mariposa is able to kick out! Lexi is right back up and Mariposa with a back breaker! She caught Lexi good and runs against the ropes, a springboard Moonsault and lands hard on Lex! She doesn’t go for the cover, instead picking up Lexi, setting her up with a suplex, NO! Lexi blocks it, she does one of her own and Snaps it!
Good Kirkland: The quickness behind it! Lexi is back up and she hops off the ropes, textbook knee to the face of Mariposa and Lexi goes for the cover!
ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TWO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THRE…
ARIA: She has her foot on the rope! The referee is now telling Mariposa that she only has two left because in PURE matches there is only allowed to be three rope breaks. Another twist to this style of match, no closed fists either.
Deadprez: It is definitely a dynamic brought back from before the title became a Hardcore Championship! Lexi is trying to show another dimension to her game as she lifts La Mariposa and whips her into the turnbuckle, charging in…. NO! La Mariposa with a boot and Lexi is stunned! She stumbles back and La Mariposa comes running out from the corner with a huge clothesline….. NO! Lexi with a Matrix move and La Mariposa misses!
Eve: Lexi with her athleticism really showed out there and La Mariposa turns right into… LIGHTS OUT! LA MARIPOSA FALLS TO THE MAT WITH A HUGE THUD AND THAT KICK WAS PRECISE AND RIGHT ON THE MONEY!
ARIA: I have to admit, that was vicious.
Gavin Kirkland” That could be the end of your reign if she hits that! Lexi is in total control and now she picks up La Mariposa and ….. she points right at you ARIA!
ARIA: I love it. Show me girl.
(Lexi gets Mariposa somewhat on her feet before the turns and locks in the Lexi Lock.)
Deadprez: THE LEXI LOCK IS APPLIED AND LA MARIPOSA HAS NOWHERE TO GO…. SHE….. SHE….. SHE….)
(TAP…. TAP…. TAP….)
Eve: SHE TAPS OUT!
(DING!!!!! DING!!!!! DING!!!!!)
Gina Romano: Here is your winner by submission….. LEXI!!!!
(“Mr. Brightside” by The Killers starts to play throughout the arena as Lexi lets go of the hold. Mariposa drops to the mat but Lexi is right there to help her up, they shake hands as La Mariposa rolls out of the ring and leaves while Lexi looks over at ARIA and smiles.)
Deadprez: Are you impressed that Lexi wrestled this way tonight?
ARIA: I totally am. Good job Lexi. You showed me a lot and next weekend will e a huge challenge for me and this Specialists Championship.
(ARIA claps before holding up the Specialists Championship. Lexi nods and points at it.)
Eve: The stage is set, this is going to be a fast paced match, both women have defeated each other in the past, the question will be who comes out on top in a PURE rules match!?
Gavin Kirkland: Nice sales pitch! Tune in next week to King of Elite and find out!
(ARIA and Lexi continue to stare at each other as Saturday Night Showdown fades into a commercial for Teremana Tequila, starring the newest spokesperson the Answers World Champion Jake Smith! He hypes up the tequila while various pictures and videos are seen with him interacting with the founder, The Woogieman!)
( The scene fades back to the show when ‘The Leaving Song Pt. 2’ by AFI starts playing throughout the arena. Hans Grayson making his way out to the ring with a confidence then ‘Sweet Emotion’ by Aerosmith replaces his theme as Major Michael Scott Connor follows him from behind. The camera then pans to Gina Romano standing in the middle of the ring with a microphone in her hand and a huge smile on her face. )
Gina Romano: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE FOLLOWING CONTEST IS A TAG TEAM MATCH WITH A TV-TIME LIMIT AND IT’S SCHEDULED FOR ONE FALL! INTRODUCING FIRST, FROM VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA!… WEIGHING IN 216 POUNDS!…. ‘FIRE HEART’ !!!!… HANSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!…. GRAYSONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!… AND HIS PARTNER FROM LONDON, OHIO!… WEIGHING IN AT 210 POUNDS!…. MAJOR MICHAEL SCOTT!… CONNORRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!….
Gavin Kirkland: Scottie and Hansy connection! :blessed: Last week, Hans proved his worth to the legend himself, Impact and Scottie managed to defeat Katherine Helle. These two did a great job last week and tonight, they are going to do it again!
Eve: Absolutely. Last week, Hans impressed a lot of people out there in Seattle and tonight, he’s going to do it again with his partner, Scottie.
( Hans and Scottie enter the ring as Scottie’s theme music replaces by ‘7 Rings’ by Ariana Grande as Veena Adams looks ignorant and careless in everybody surrounding her as always making her way to the ring. She enters the ring as ‘The Outsiders’ by Eric Church starts playing. The current National Elite Champion, Donovan Duke coming out with EAW National Elite title around his waist. Donovan looks focused on his match as always then making his way to enter the ring. )
Gina Romano: THEIR OPPONENTS, FIRST, FROM GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT!!.. WEIGHING IN AT 121 POUNDS!… SHE’S “THE PRINCESS OF PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING”!!.. VEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!… AND HER PARTNER FROM STILLWATER, OKLAHOMA!… WEIGHING IN AT 212 POUNDS…HE IS EAW NATIONAL ELITE CHAMPION ‘THE OKLAHOMA GENTLEMAN’… DONAVANNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!! DUKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!
Gavin Kirkland: Right now, these two definitely don’t seem to be able to work together as Veena Adams has her next goal, and that’s to become the National Elite champion. Donovan knows deep down that Veena Adams is coming for him but tonight, at this moment, he needs to pick up a win for his team first before going down with his business with his next challenger.
( DING DING DING! )
Gavin Kirkland: Donovan and Hans are getting this match underway as legal men! Hey guys, I think this ‘Can They Co-Exist?!’ Tag team match is going to be super fun! I know people hate the concept but I can’t wait to see the tension between these two teams! Donovan and Hans meet each other in the middle of the ring as Donovan charges Hans’ legs, looking to turn it into some sort of a submission move. Seems like an early-onset Ankle Lock there. Hans manages to grab Donovan by his hands, tossing them away and goes for a cover immediately!
Deadprez: Donovan quickly kicks out, tripping Hans by his right foot and going for a cover on his own but Hans also does the same. Both men get upon their feet. Hans throws a right hand but Donovan cuts it off quickly with a lariat!… Hans turns back around and looks for a second attempt but Donovan ducks under. Donovan turns around but Hans TAKING HIM OUT THIS TIME WITH A PELE KICK WITH QUICKNESS!
Eve: Donovan falls and rolls down to the outside. Donovan holds down his head, pushing the apron’s surface and getting back to his feet…. HANS LOOKS FOR A TOP ROPE CROSSBODY ON DONOVAN!
Gavin Kirkland: Donovan moves out of his way up to the apron as Hans lands on both feet luckily. Hans runs in at full speed… INTO A SUPERKICK BY THE NATIONAL ELITE CHAMPION! Hans falls to both knees as Donovan grabs and sends him back inside through the ropes. Hans rolls down and starts coming back to his knees. Donovan heads to the top while Hans makes his recovery… FLYING OFF THE TOP AND TAKING HANS OUT WITH A CROSSBODY!
Deadprez: HANS ROLLS OUT OF HIS WAY AS THE CHAMPION LANDS AND ROLLS BACK TO HIS FEET SAFELY!…. HANS REACHES BOTH FEET, HEADS DOWN TO THE ROPES, BOUNCES OFF AND A HANDSPRING ROUNDHOUSE KICK BRINGING DONOVAN DOWN TO THE GROUND!
Eve: Wow, Hans just took down the National Elite Champion and now it’s his chance to make a move! Hans gets back to his feet and goes all the way up to the top! Donovan is still dazed by the move but he puts some effort into getting back to both feet… HANS GOES OFF THE ROPE AND PLANTS DONOVAN WITH A DIVING BLOCKBUSTER! Donovan moves down to the corner in front of him as Hans rolls back to both feet.
( Donovan turns back around and both men end up staring down at each other. The crowd gives both men a round of applause for an early great exchange between these two. Hans locks his eyes on Donovan while kneeling before slowly coming back to his feet. Hans puts his left hand behind and throws down his right hand, asking the National Elite champion for a handshake. )
Gavin Kirkland: :oh: Interesting move from ‘Fire Heart’ there, I wonder what’s in his mind here.
( Donovan walks down and about to accept the handshake. )
Gavin Kirkland: OH, HE GOES BEHIND, LOCKING HANS UP FOR A GERMAN SUPLEX! THE CHAMP DOESN’T SEEM IN NEED FOR SOME RESPECT AT THIS MOMENT! DONOVAN TAKING HANS DOWN WITH A GERMAN SUPLEX AND HOLDS HIM ON, PROCEEDING FOR A COVER!
ONEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
…..
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
…..
Gavin Kirkland: Close! Hans kicks out before the count of three!
( Donovan slowly comes back to his feet. He looks back to Veena and seems like he’s going to make a tag. )
Donovan Duke (Off-Mic): Alright, your turn.
Veena Adams (Off-Mic): *Ignores Donovan*
Donovan Duke (Off-Mic): Fine.
Deadprez: Well, I guess Veena doesn’t like to contribute to the match today but Donovan isn’t going to be bothered either. Donovan starts picking Hans back to his feet before sending him over to the corner. Hans’ back hits the corner…. HE BURSTS OUT OF THE CORNER AND TAKES DOWN DONOVAN WITH A HURRICANRANA! DOWN GOES THE CHAMPION! HANS CRAWLS DOWN OVER TO HIS TEAM’S CORNER. SCOTTIE REACHES OUT!….
( TAG! )
Eve: A tag is made and Scottie is now a legal man! Scottie runs in and picks Donovan back to both feet from behind. Scottie lifts the champion up onto his shoulders and falls backwards, slamming him onto the mat back-first! A German Suplex connects! Scottie proceeds to get Donovan back to his feet… seizing him up, using his own momentum to throw Donovan over their head and onto the mat with a Standing Suplex!
Gavin Kirkland: Donovan is in trouble at this point. Scottie has been dominating so far once he entered the ring. Donovan tries to work things out but Scottie keeps him under his control there! Scottie cries out like a warrior before picking Donovan up, LOOKING FOR A DOUBLE UNDERHOOK DDT THAT HE CALLED IT ‘TAPS’ !!!!!
Deadprez: Donovan struggles while in the air. He wiggles, causing Scottie to let him land upon both feet. Donovan connects Scottie with a Savate kick to his arm… follows by a Pele Kick to the top of his head! Scottie falls back to the ground!
Eve: Donovan rolls over to the corner-
( TAG! )
Donovan Duke: ???
Eve: Well Veena just tapped Donovan without a notice to make a tag there. :lupe: Donovan doesn’t seem to be very pleased but he decides not to do anything about it before goes behind the ropes. Scottie places his hands on the mat, palms down, next to his shoulders as he starts using his arms to push up and lift his upper body off the mat. Veena walks in and a Palm Strike puts Scottie back down to the ground! Veena grabs Scottie by his head, rotating her own body and extends her arm, using the point of her elbow as the striking surface as she goes for an elbow smash!
Gavin Kirkland: She doesn’t seem to be done there though! Veena is repeatedly using the technique in a fight! Veena tries to wear down her opponent’s defense, working on perfecting the technique there! Veena keeps it going but the referee tries to stop her before her team gets disqualified. Veena pushes the referee away and gets off Scottie. Veena drags Scottie down to the corner next to her…. SLAMMING HIS FACE RIGHT INTO THE MIDDLE TURNBUCKLE!
Deadprez: Veena stepping back away from her target… RUNS IN AND PUSHES SCOTTIE’S FACE RIGHT BACK INTO THE CORNER WITH A BOOT!
Gavin Kirkland: :damn: what the hell is her issue today?
Eve: I mean, she always has an issue. Veena isn’t backing away from brutalizing her opponent as she hooks Scottie by the back of his neck, sprinting out of the corner and dropping him to the ground face-first with a Running Bulldog!
( The crowd starts booing as Veena gets back upon her feet and taunts Hans. Hans tries to get inside the ring with rage but the referee stops him from that. Hans keeps his eyes on Veena then slowly getting behind the ropes. )
Deadprez: Hans was just going to enter the ring and beat her up right away. Unfortunately, the referee stopped him from that since he isn’t a legal man in this match at the moment. Veena starts smiling before picking Scottie up-
Gavin Kirkland: BOOM! A RIGHT HAND FROM SCOTTIE SENDING VEENA STUMBLING AWAY FROM HIM! Veena turns back around with heat all over her face… TRYING TO GET HER PAYBACK BUT SCOTTIE DUCKS UNDER HER ARM, CATCHES IT AND PUTS HER IN A SUPLEX POSITION…. BOUNCING VEENA OFF THE TOP ROPE WITH A SLINGSHOT SUPLEX
Eve: Scottie just took down the Golden Niece there! Hand reaches out this time to make a tag while she crawls down over to the corner to tagging Donovan….
( TAG! )
Deadprez: Hans tags in and here comes the Fire Heart himself! Hans goes across the ring to the opposite side, taking the National Elite Champion down right away with a Running Dropkick! Avoiding his tag partner to make a tag! Donovan gets dropkicked by Hans as he falls down to the outside and crashes into the barricade!
Gavin Kirkland: My boy is on fire! Hans shifts his focus back to Veena…. KEEPING HER DOWN TO THE GROUND WITH A STANDING MOONSAULT! VEENA IS DOWN! HANS ROLLS HER OVER AND GOES FOR A COVER THERE!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
…..
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
…..
THR-
Eve: Veena Adams manages to get her shoulder off the mat at the last second!
( Hans yells at Scottie and calls him to inside. )
Hans Grayson (Off-Mic): Come here, bro!
Major Michael Scott Connor (Off-Mic): I gotchu!
Eve: Both men start working like a team. Hans picks Veena up and goes for a Knife Edge Chop! Scottie chops the back of her head! An armdrag by Hans taking Veena down!
( Hans starts kneeling while facing Scottie. )
Hans Grayson (Off-Mic): Alright… GO!
Gavin Kirkland: Hans opens both of his palms and SCOTTIE STEPS ON THEM… JUMPING OVER HIM AND CONNECTING VEENA WITH A SENTON! GREAT TEAMWORK SKILL BY BOTH MEN! HANS SLIDES BACK IN AND GOES FOR A COVER ON VEENA AGAIN!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
…..
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
…..
THREEEEEE!!!!
….
…….
…..
…..
Deadprez: 450!!!!!!! 450 SPLASH BY THE NATIONAL ELITE CHAMPION OUT OF NOWHERE BREAKING THE PINFALL JUST IN TIME! Donovan landed on Hans’ back before rolling underneath the bottom rope to the outside. I think it might hurt Veena a bit there but regardless, Donovan successfully made a save there.
Gavin Kirkland: Veena shifts her weight from her hands before pushing herself back to both feet while Hans slowly gets up despite the splash he just took from Donovan. Veena goes behind Hans quickly and DRIVING HIM TO THE GROUND WITH A DEADLIFT GERMAN SUPLEX!…
Gavin Kirkland: HANS LANDS ON HIS FEET! VEENA DOESN’T KNOW THAT! HANS MEETS VEENA FROM BEHIND AND SPIKES HER WITH A SUDDEN POISONRANA! WHAT A MOVE BY HANS!
Eve: Donovan slides back inside the ring to attack Hans but here comes Scottie, taking down Donovan in MMA style and quickly locks Donovan up. Scottie grabs Donovan’s arm at the wrist, rotates his own arm as Donovan’s hand is positioned behind the opponent’s elbow joint. Scottie uses his other arm to reach over and grab his own wrist, effectively trapping Donovan’s arm in place! A hammerlock keeps Donovan away from his tag team partner!
Deadprez: Hans nods at Scottie before going back down to the corner behind him. The crowd is at the edge of the seat. This may be Hans’ moment to shine there! Hans charges for it. Veena is in the place where he wanted her to be!…. HANS RUNS DOWN AND ‘FLAMING PUNCH’ DROPPING VEENA TO THE GROUND!
Gavin Kirkland: SPEARRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!! A WICKED SPEAR BY VEENA ADAMS PAYING TRIBUTE TO HER UNCLE, OUR GREAT BOSS, MR. DEDEDE !!!!!! HANS IS OUT AND VEENA GOES FOR A COVER!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
…..
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
….
THREEEEE!!!!!
….
…….
….
Eve: SCOTTIE THROWS DONOVAN IN TO BREAK THE PINFALL! SMART MOVE! Both sides come out with a lot of energy, throwing punches and kicks with precision. Hans and Scottie look to overthrow the veteran’s side while Donovan and Veena work out to save themselves from the embarrassment. All four start picking themselves back to both feet….
Gavin Kirkland: Scottie starts off by throwing a forearm right across Veena’s face! Veena turns back around and gives Hans an elbow smash! Hans moves to Donovan and drives a kick right to his gu- Donovan catches his leg, turning him around it and going for a Dragon Suplex! Scottie attacks Donovan from behind, picking him up instead and looking for a German Suplex on his own! Veena pulls Scottie away from her tag partner and throws him down to the ground. Scottie rolls back to both knees…. AND VEENA KNOCKS HIM OUT COLD WITH A JUMPING KNEE STRIKE! Veena starts coming back to his feet. Hans tries to take her down with a Backdrop but here comes Donovan…. PULLING HIM OUT AND…. A SITOUT FACEBUSTER PLANTING HANS TO THE GROUND!
Deadprez: Donovan picks Hans back to both feet with him and throws him to Veena. Veena catches him, connecting Hans with a Butterfly Suplex!…. Transitioning into a Cross Armbreaker! ‘Float like a Butterfly’! Hans is in trouble there! This could be over for his team if Hans tapping out, Ladies and Gentlemen! Scottie tries to make his way to save his partner but Donovan blocks him, preventing him from stopping Veena making Hans tapping out! Hans tries to use those feet to reach the bottom rope but Veena puts more pressure into the move, compelling Hans to tap out!
Eve: Hans fights for his life there while Veena is doing her best to pick up a victory for her team! Hans shows the reason why they called him ‘Fire Heart’. Hans does everything to put his foot on the bottom rope! He tries to throw it but that’s no use! Veena keeps torturing Hans’ arm at this moment and this may be it for Hans….
Gavin Kirkland: HANS TAP- Wait no! He’s not! He raises his hand up instead, showing that he isn’t going anywhere soon! Veena gets tired of this as she rolls off Hans and picks him back to his feet. Veena grabs the same arm and setting Hans up for ‘Snapped’ !….
Gavin Kirkland: VEENA JUMPS FOR DOUBLE KNEE ARMBREAKER BUT HANS GRABS HER WHILE SHE’S IN THE AIR, DROPPING HER TO THE GROUND WITH A SPINNING MICHINOKU DRIVER II!!!!!! HANS HOOKS HER LEG AND SCOTTIE STOPS DONOVAN FROM MAKING A SAVE THIS TIME!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
…
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
…..
THRE-
Deadprez: VEENA ADAMS KICKS OUT! This is Hans’ chance to keep moving! Veena is still down and Donovan struggles fighting his way out from Scottie. Hans goes behind the ropes down to the apron, waiting for Veena to reach both feet…. VEENA COMES UPON HER FEET AND HE GOES FOR IT! ‘BURNING SHOT LARIAT’ !!!! BUCKSHOT LARIAT BY HANS GRAYSON-
Eve: JUMPING CLOTHESLINE TAKING HANS OUT IN THE MID-RUN! DONOVAN MANAGES TO ESCAPE AND SAVES VEENA IN TIME! Scottie starts getting back and tries to take Donovan down to the outside but Donovan manages to duck under and scoop him over the ropes. Scottie lands both feet on the apron. Donovan runs in and tries to take him down but Scottie catches him and pushes Donovan back inside with a forearm smash! Hans crawls down over to the corner…
( TAG! )
Gavin Kirkland: Scottie makes a tag on his own to make a move. Scottie grabs Donovan quickly and sends him over the ropes to the outside. Scottie turns back around to Veena…. A CARTWHEEL KICK TAKING SCOTTIE DOWN TO HIS KNEES! VEENA COMES BACK QUICKLY AND SHE PUTS SCOTTIE DOWN… ‘SKULL FRACTURE’ !!!!! A RUNNING PUNT KICK BY VEENA ADAMS!!!!!!!
Deadprez: NO, SCOTTIE MOVES OUT OF HIS WAY, CATCHING VEENA FROM BEHIND AND LOCKING HER UP WITH ‘DD214’ !!! A DRAGON SLEEPER THAT HE USES IT AS HIS FINISHER! VEENA QUICKLY WITH A RIGHT KNEE TO HIS FACE! Veena heads down over to her team’s corner….
( TAG! )
Deadprez: Donovan reaches the apron to make a tag as he does. Donovan jumps upon the top rope, TAKING SCOTTIE DOWN WITH A MISSILE DROPKICK! Donovan rolls back to his feet and grabs Scottie by his head, wrapping one arm around Scottie’s neck and applying pressure to his carotid artery, cutting off blood flow to the brain…. Oh he’s going for ‘Bankrupt’! The Guillotine Choke version of Donovan Duke that put Jon Kelton down last year at Dead Men Tell No Tales!
Gavin Kirkland: Donovan goes for his finisher but Scottie doesn’t let his arm wrap around his neck yet! Scottie tries to fight back and get his way out of there! Scottie manages to lift Donovan up and tosses him away- CHOP BLOCK BY VEENA ADAMS TAKING SCOTTIE DOWN FROM BEHIND! HANS GOES INSIDE THE RING AND TRIES TO SAVE HIS PARTNER BUT VEENA CATCHES HIM WITH A HARD ELBOW… GRABBING HIM FOR ‘A DARK TURN’ !!!!! A SPINNING HEADLOCK ELBOW DROP BY VEENA ADAMS!
( Veena turns back around to Scottie and tries to find a way to make a bigger impact on him. Veena snatches Scottie by his head and tries to punch him repeatedly without listening to the referee. )
Gavin Kirkland: Veena Adams doesn’t care anymore! She’s absolutely furious!
Referee: Stop! You’re going to get disqualified!-
( Donovan gets back into the match and pushes Veena away from Scottie. Veena looks up to Donovan who doesn’t seem to enjoy her action towards Scottie. )
Donovan Duke (Off-Mic): Enough! You’re going to make us lose!
Veena Adams (Off-Mic): K.
( Veena gets up to her feet and goes behind the ropes. She sits, turning back around for Donovan. Donovan shakes his head in disappointment before turning around to his opponent…. )
Eve: A ROLL- UP BY SCOTTIE! HE’S GOING TO MAKE IT!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!
….
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
…
THREEEEEEE!!!!
…
……
…
…….
Deadprez: DONOVAN DUKE KICKS OUT! BOTH MEN GET BACK TO THEIR FEET. SCOTTIE RUNS IN TO TAKE DONOVAN DOWN BUT DONOVAN JUMPS IN QUICKLY AND GOES FOR ‘BANKRUPT’ ONCE AGAIN! THE SAME GUILLOTINE CHOKE SUBMISSION AND THIS TIME…. HE APPLIES! HE DOES IT! SCOTTIE HAS NOWHERE TO RUN AND HE’S IN TROUBLE! DONOVAN LOCKS HIM UP TIGHTLY AND SCOTTIE STARTS FADING! SCOTTIE IS GOING TO PASS OUT! HANS TRIES TO GET UP TO SAVE HIS PARTNER! HIS PARTNER SLOWLY GOING DOWN TO BOTH KNEES….
Gavin Kirkland: BUT HE’S STILL ALIVE! SCOTTIE THROWS HIS HAND TO THE AIR, SHOWING THAT HE ISN’T GIVING UP YET! HE’S STILL UP TO FIGHT FOR ANOTHER DAY! DONOVAN PUTS ALL THE PRESSURE INTO THE MOVE! DONOVAN TRIES TO PUT DOWN SCOTTIE AND SCOTTIE TRIES TO FIGHT TO RESIST THE MOVE ITSELF! SCOTTIE KEEPS FIGHTING! HE’S A RETIRED SOLDIER FOR A REASON! THE NATIONAL ELITE CHAMPION PUTS IN THE WORK TO TAKE DOWN SCOTTIE THERE!
Eve: SCOTTIE ISN’T GOING DOWN BUT DONOVAN IS TIRED OF PLAYING AROUND! DONOVAN LETS HIM OFF GO AND GETS HIM ON HIS SHOULDER!….
FIREMAN’S CARRY BACK TO BELLY PILEDRIVER! ‘DUKE OF HAZARD’ DROPS SCOTTIE RIGHT THERE! DONOVAN COVERS AND HANS IS STILL TRYING TO MAKE A SAVE!
ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
….
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
…..
THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
Gavin Kirkland: THREE! IT’S TOO LATE! DONOVAN PICKS UP A WIN FOR HIS TEAM! THE MATCH IS OVER! DONOVAN DUKE AND VEENA ADAMS ARE THE WINNERS!
( DING DING DING! )
Deadprez: What a surprise! I don’t really expect these two to be able to work together and lead themselves to a victory but well, due to their high level talent, I think that is pretty much enough for them to win this match!
Eve: Let’s say that two teams are working pretty well but as the result, it shows that Donovan and Veena can work better together.
Gavin Kirkland: Now it’s over. From now, these two are going to crash at King of Elite 2023 and we can’t wait to see how it goes!
( ‘The Outsiders’ by Eric Church starts playing throughout the arena as Donovan receives the National Elite title from the referee and raises his hand up to the air. Veena refuses to raise her hand with Donovan and instead, she goes face-to-face with the champion. The final shot shows Donovan raises the National Elite title up in the air while Veena looks straight right into his eyes before the scene fading to the commercial break. )
( Returning from a commercial break, we are greeted with the sight of Mikaela Street who is situated in the middle of the ring and— wait a second, didn’t this happen last week?! All jokes aside, it was so nice Showdown had to do it twice! Mikaela is wearing a plunging gown and is standing next to a table with a black cloth on it. This time however, instead of three chairs we have four tucked beneath the table. ‘Sweet Dreams’ by Eurythmics, Annie Lennox & Dave Stewart blasts through the P.A. system, signaling the arrival of Harper Lee! Her appearance earns a mixed response from the crowd. Since the Hawaiian Christmas Show Spectacle we have seen a change in attitude from Harper, she’s arguably a lot more tolerable now than she was throughout her time as the Universal Women’s champion. And while some fans in the Spokane Arena recognise that, it’s almost a perfect fifty-fifty split! As she begins to walk on down to the ring we cut over to the commentary table and Deadprez begins to speak! )
Deadprez: What’s about to go down was announced ahead of time but it doesn’t make the energy in the Spokane Arena any less palpable! Last week, we saw ARIA and Lexi talk in this format and it went so well that Showdown decided to run it again! Mikaela Street is moving up in the world and she looks stunning as always. Harper Lee is the first woman out, which makes sense as she was the one who asked for this to happen, wasn’t she? At King of Elite we have a big match on our hands, but it seems Harper isn’t satisfied with what’s occurred so far and feels like there’s more to be said. Gavin, what do you make of this?
Gavin Kirkland: I remember back at the Hawaiian Christmas Show Spectacle we saw that backstage confrontation between Harper and Sheridan Müller. Who thought that a little back-and-forth would have led to this? Look, I’m usually one who has Harper’s back. I remember when she cashed-in her Iconic Cup on Andrea Valentine, while the world vilified her I praised her for her intelligence in doing so! Harper didn’t want to wait around. But here? I don’t know if I can have her back. Since losing the Universal Women’s Championship, she’s gone a little soft in her thinking. Teaming with Holly Arrow, approaching Sheridan backstage and trying to extend an olive vine? What happened to the good ol’ Harper that I used to love?
Eve: Do you ever rest, Gavin? Come on now, Harper Lee lost her Universal Women’s Championship to Sienna Jade, the woman who also beat Sheridan! She just wanted to see how Sheridan’s mind-set was following that match. Was it an appropriate time? Who’s to say? But she clearly had the best intentions and has been trying to turn a new leaf of late. In truth I’m excited that this match is going to be happening at King of Elite. Harper, Sheridan— and let’s not forget Madison Kaline, are three of the best in the business! They’re all dangerous and will be looking for an uptick in momentum, what better chance to get that than at King of Elite?
( Harper Lee ascends the steel steps and slips into the ring. She shakes Mikaela’s hand and proceeds to take a seat as the audience begins to bubble down. But as ‘Amerika’ by Rammstein begins to play through the P.A. system, their energy levels peak once again! As Sheridan walks out onto the entrance ramp, it’s another mixed reaction— unlike Harper however, Showdown is very much not Sheridan’s home, so the jeers and boos are a lot more vocal. Naturally, she ignores them and begins to walk down to the ring, with her eyes dead-set on Harper who is staring right back at her King of Elite opponent. Back to the commentary desk we go! )
Deadprez: I’m not all too surprised that Sheridan is ignoring the fans tonight. What does surprise me is the somewhat disappointing run she has been on since dropping the Unified Tag Team Championships alongside her partner, Dr. Bethany Blue. A loss to Sienna Jade, her match with Hikari Kanno going to a no contest— granted, that was completely out of her hands with Madison’s interference. Things would appear to have fallen apart for “German Efficiency” and King of Elite provides a great chance for her to turn things around! Gavin, let’s come to you first because you said Harper was wrong to approach Sheridan following her loss to Sienna. So does that mean you think Sheridan is in the right here?
Gavin Kirkland: I wouldn’t necessarily say that. Look, we all know Sheridan takes herself a little too seriously in this sport. I can see her perspective, training for a big championship fight and not getting the result you want. The last thing you want is for Harper Lee to get in your face rambling and asking a million questions. I’m not a subscriber to her philosophy, and I think she was wrong for pursuing that match with Sienna in the first place given she was on the cusp of defending her belts alongside Elite Answers Wrestling’s resident doctor! In this instance Harper needed putting in her place. But honestly, all three of these women have done things in the last few weeks which I personally wouldn’t have done.
Eve: Sheridan overreacted at the Hawaiian Christmas Show Spectacle. I understand it was a heat of the moment thing, but speaking to Harper how she did and then doubling down on it in the weeks after was not the right direction to take! We’ve seen these two women talk, we’ve also seen them as well as Madison brawl. But with Mikaela moderating, I hope that tempers don’t get the better of these girls and we hear their genuine thoughts ahead of this match as I’m curious to see what Sheridan especially has to say! What we do know is, on Voltage last week she managed to submit Korey Gaines. So she’s heading into King of Elite off a win!
( Opting to roll into the ring, Sheridan props herself onto her feet. She walks over to Mikaela and gives her a handshake, but the same courtesy isn’t extended to Harper. “The Captain” mocks Sheridan with a funny facial feature and Sheridan simply shrugs it off. She takes her seat opposite Mikaela, choosing not to have her back to Madison Kaline, who is quick onto the entrance ramp as ‘O Fortuna’ by Carl Orff plays through the speakers. It’s another mixed reaction in the Spokane Arena tonight, they cannot make their mind up! Madison arrives with a gleeful little smile on her face. This time, we don’t cut to the commentator’s desk, but Deadprez, Gavin Kirkland and Eve speak as the footage switches between Madison making her entrance and Harper, Mikaela and Sheridan waiting for her in the ring. )
Deadprez: Madison Kaline is very much a wildcard in this match. Harper and Sheridan’s issues were already established. Then, as Sheridan was facing off against the Hardcore champion in Hikari Kanno, Madison Kaline swooped in and gave the boots to her. What’s become established as this match has gotten closer, is that all three of these women are recent victims of Sienna Jade. But you could make the argument that Madison’s season so far hasn’t been as successful as Harper or Sheridan’s. Gavin, do you blame Madison for the attitude she has shown towards the women she’ll be competing against at King of Elite?
Gavin Kirkland: Not at all, Prez! Let’s be candid here, Madison Kaline’s return to this company has not been as successful as we all thought it would be, especially her! So she saw an opening to get a big, big match at King of Elite which could set her up nicely as we tread closer to Pain for Pride and she took it! Harper and Sheridan can criticize, but it’s the nature of the beast. Sometimes we have to step on others to get to the top, you remember I mentioned Harper taking Andrea out with a lead pipe to take the Universal Women’s Championship, right? It’s survival of the fittest, especially in a company this prominent.
Eve: For once, I don’t completely disagree with Gavin. But I will say this, Madison could have found a million avenues into getting a match at King of Elite. She didn’t necessarily have to take the road that she has! But, I do have to admit it shows ambition. There was a point of her career, in wrestling generally, that Madison Kaline was the star of the show, the top women’s professional wrestler alive. Sometimes you have to do drastic things to achieve your dreams, that’s something these three women know all too well. So with Madison, she may have piggy-backed her way into this one. But imagine if she manages to pin or submit either Harper or Sheridan in Vancouver, both who have been champions in this season already?
( Madison makes her way into the ring, not letting the daggers being stared at by both of her opponents come King of Elite bother her. She greets Mikaela Street with a smile and proceeds to take a seat, taking a little too long to sit down causing Harper to puff out a strained sigh. Once her theme song cuts off, Mikaela raises a microphone to her lips and brings us in. The tension in the arena is on a knife’s edge, Madison, Harper and Sheridan all look as if they’re one bad comment out from things dissolving into an all-out brawl here. )
Mikaela Street: Thank you all for joining me. Ladies, over the past four weeks, we have seen issues between the three of you bubble. What started out as a backstage confrontation all the way back in Hawaii has evolved and churned into something much more than the three of you surely anticipated. At King of Elite, we’ll see all of these pressing issues resolved. Before we get into the more detailed questions, I just want to ask for a one-word summary. One word that explains how you’re feeling as we get closer and closer to King of Elite. Harper, let’s start with you. Given you’re the woman who invoked this discussion, what’re your thoughts?
Harper Lee: Excited.
Sheridan Müller: Confident.
Madison Kaline: Nervous.
( Madison’s answer causes Harper and Sheridan’s heads to prick up. It’s not the answer they nor Mikaela was expecting, so, Mikaela is keen to press further. )
Mikaela Street: Nervous, what do you mean by that, Madison? That you’re nervous at the thought of facing Harper and Sheridan?
Madison Kaline: A little, I suppose. We all know that the first-half of this season hasn’t been kind to me. I’ve had opportunities to fight against some of the best talent in the world, but against the likes of Andre Walker and Sienna Jade— I’ve been outclassed. I look at the things that I’ve accomplished and they’re all in the past. Nothing recent, like Harper or Sheridan. So I’ve been questioning a lot of things lately, that’s all. If I belong, if I have the skill and the potential to keep up with the fighters in this era. Because so far, it doesn’t look like I do.
Madison Kaline: What bugs me is that I’m training as hard as I can. I’m doing everything to evolve my game and to shake the labels that the fans, as well as my colleagues, put on me. But nothing has lined up for me since coming back. It’s been one foot in the right direction and then two steps back and as much as I can put on a brave face, it’s difficult not to admit that maybe I’m slipping and grabbing onto whatever ledge presents itself. But I want to prove myself, I do. That’s why I did what I did. I know I am better than I was before, back when I became the Women’s champion, or even held the Vixens Championship. So the next step for me is winning the Universal Women’s Championship, meaning a win here would be incredible.
Harper Lee: May I interject?
Mikaela Street: I don’t see why not.
Harper Lee: Great. Madison, I know where you’re coming from. I know what it’s like to work really, really hard and for things not to work out. But you talk about trying to survive in a different era and there is no woman better who personifies that new era than I do. While you and Sheridan were gone, I was the one scratching-and-clawing to work my way up the ladder. And I did, I won the Specialists Championship. I won the Universal Women’s Championship and I did all of these things. I used to be desperate for the limelight, for the attention. But now I know I’m one of the best and I don’t need anybody else to tell me that. I do want people to respect me for the mark I’ve left on this business, beating you and Sheridan at King of Elite would be a great start in working towards reclaiming what is mine.
Harper Lee: You can talk about having to work like a dog to survive, but the general perception is anything other than that. You’re in the Hall of Fame when everybody says you shouldn’t be and even if you’re having a bad season, or have had a bad return to Elite Answers Wrestling, you’re still getting championship shots by your own admission. Meanwhile when I lost the Universal Women’s Championship, Sienna Jade didn’t bother to extend the option of a rematch to me. But that’s fine, that’s fine because I know that I’m the cusp. I’m going to win at King of Elite and I’m going to come gunning for that title again, be it Sienna or Bethany wearing it.
Sheridan Müller: You make it sound so simple.
Harper Lee: I’m sorry?
Sheridan Müller: Everything will just fall your way, yeah? You’ll just win at King of Elite and show the world that Madison and I don’t belong? Look, I hate to take her side, really. I was this close to beating Hikari Kanno and Madison decided to interject herself into our problems, Harper. But we can’t control what management does, can we? Madison earned her opportunities and I earned mine, so I don’t want to hear this conversation about you scratching-and-clawing. When I came back, I faced Lisa Wren in my first match. I hardly started at the top and stole someone else’s spot like you’re making out. You’re a hell of an athlete, Harper. But for all this good press you’re trying to get and emphasizing you’re a changed woman, I’m still hearing the warped mindset and the selfishness that the old Harper Lee would thrive off of.
Sheridan Müller: You may be fooling the rest of the world with this new attitude. But I know what I saw at the Hawaiian Christmas Show Spectacle. You were itching to get under my skin, to leave a lasting impression. Personally, I think that we’ve all spoken enough. It’s clear we’re all a little annoyed with how the year ended. Madison and I lost to Sienna, you lost your shot to compete for the National Championship. Let’s not make this more than anything it has to be, we’re all just trying to get back on the wagon after falling off. That’s why I’m going to win at King of Elite, because the two of you have been so focused on the drama. This is just a match, a match I’ve been training for intensely to win. So I’m confident that’ll be the case.
Mikaela Street: Madison, is what Harper and Sheridan are saying fair?
Madison Kaline: To an extent, sure. They’re right to criticize me. But they also need to give me my flowers and recognize all the hard work I put in. That’s reflected in me being here today, it’s reflected in my accolades. There are not many people who would go through what I have been through and come out the other side. I’m fine holding my hands up and admitting the last few months have been rocky. I failed at Territorial Invasion and then I failed again at Road to Redemption when I fought Sienna. But that isn’t it for me, no. How come these two women are so keen to get a shot at the belt again, but when I say the same it’s suddenly abhorrent?
Madison Kaline: I need this more than they do. Harper just talked about all of the success she has had in the last twelve months, and as we know Sheridan has been doing fine riding Bethany’s coattails since the season started. But me? I’m labeled a nostalgia act, I’m labeled as someone who was brought back just to fill out the roster. But I know that isn’t the case and I need to prove that now. Especially if Harper wants to make this an us-versus-them thing. Wouldn’t she do the same if she was let go and then offered a chance to come back? It’s just stupid, narrow-minded thinking. Both of them are dumb.
Sheridan Müller: Give me a break. This isn’t life-or-death, you’ve been losing for the last ten months and have been fine, what’s another loss going to change? You had one win over Amber Keys after that silly little partnership fell apart. Where is she now? It really annoys me when people try to do that, pull the wool over their eyes. If you needed this, if you wanted to be here you’d simply put in more work. Harper and I aren’t stupid, you’re not going to sneak this woe-is-me act past either of us. You’re here for the attention and the fame, not for the glory that comes with professional wrestling. You attacked me, you’re going to talk-the-talk, but at King of Elite you’re ending the night staring at the lights or tapping out. We all know it.
Harper Lee: Oh please, you can try and play it down but you said earlier we’re all on a bad run of form and need the win. That’s not even applicable to me, might I add. I am simply wanting to have another shot at the title. Nothing has changed for either of you, whereas I’ve undergone a whole attitude change and now have a different approach to wrestling. I know that I could step into the ring with either Sienna or Bethany and win. Whereas Madison Kaline chokes, whereas Sheridan Müller chokes. You both had your chance at the Battle of Egypt and lost. You both had matches against Sienna Jade just last month and lost. At least I’ve been consistent, at least I’ve held the championship you’re both desperate to win. I had an amazing year last year and I wasn’t given the credit I deserve. At King of Elite, I start my path to becoming a two-time World champion of this promotion.
Mikaela Street: Maybe we should wrap things up here, let’s go to you, Sheridan, what’re your final thoughts ahead of the match at King of Elite?
Sheridan Müller: My thoughts are simple, I need to throw everything I can at preparing for this match-up. What’s been demonstrated here is they’re both dangerous and hungry, hungry to chase down the same thing that I want— the Universal Women’s Championship. Beating them at King of Elite takes them out of the picture, it’s two less women who can get in my way and take their shot, be it a rematch against Sienna or setting-up a trilogy with Bethany. I’m trying not to take this personally, in spite of their comments. Harper I’ve beaten before, the same goes for Madison, so it can be done. But I do not rest on my laurels. I slipped-up once and Sienna made her legacy all-the-more solid off of it. That won’t happen again.
Mikaela Street: How about you, Harper?
Harper Lee: This whole thing started because of a miscommunication. But Sheridan had to take things too far like she always does because she’s an insensitive cow. Then, Madison saw an opportunity to get some relevancy and hopped onto the train. I want to win, I want to go on and win big championships and cement my legacy. Specialists champion, Universal Women’s champion and Iconic Cup winner, I’ve done a lot. Yet I have no respect, yet people look at me in this ring and see me as an underdog. I simply cannot allow that perception to keep happening, I need that marquee match against Sienna or Bethany.
Mikaela Street: Let’s finish off with you, Madison.
Madison Kaline: I just hope that Harper and Sheridan don’t sleep on me. I can hear it in their tone and they’re focused on each-other. The thing is, I’m the only one here with a Hall of Fame ring to their name. I’ve proven that I go into matches like this and win. Sure, maybe my bad form has been ticking over for a while now. But all it takes is one moment, right? One opportunity and their lights are shut out.
( Mikaela thanks the three women for their comments, as Harper, Madison and Sheridan exchange glares and make the occasional comment. We’re left with them still in the ring as the cameras transition elsewhere for our next segment of the night. )
(The camera cuts back to the ringside area after an ad for King of Elite as Gina Romano is seen standing with a mic in her hand.)
Gina Romano: THE FOLLOWING CONTEST IS SCHEDULED FOR ONE FALL!
Crowd: ONE FALL!
(‘M3tamorphosis’ by Playboi Carti ft. Kid Cudi is heard playing up through the speakers to a loud negative reception from the audience as Impact is seen making his way out to the stage with a confident facial expression on his face. It doesn’t take so long before he starts making his way down to the ringside area, before sitting down on his chair on commentary, putting a headset on.)
Gina Romano: PLEASE WELCOME, EAW HALL OF FAMER, IMPACT!
(‘Blue World’ by Mac Miller is heard replacing ‘M3tamorphosis’ as the rain of boos pouring down on the arena by the crowd get no quieter, instead louder, as a not-so-happy Jack Ripley is seen making his presence felt as he makes his way out to the stage, wasting no time after as he then makes his way down to the ring.)
Gina Romano: INTRODUCING FIRST… FROM LAS VEGAS, NEVADA… WEIGHING IN AT 205 POUNDS… ‘STRAIGHT SHOOTER…’ JAAAAAAACKKKKKKK RIIIIIPLEEEEEEEYYYYY!!!!
Deadprez: Here comes Jack Ripley! Ever since losing the Coffin Match to Alex Myers at Road to Redemption, Jack Ripley has been on a different level, which has been proven with his victory over the current National Elite Champion, Donovan Duke recently, and now he’s looking to continue riding that wave of momentum with a victory here tonight!
Eve: Yeah, but let’s not forget who Jack’s opponent actually is here tonight, either. He’s facing a man who’s holding what probably makes him what he claims to be, and that’s ‘The Face of Showdown,’ which is quite the threat here…
(As Jack Ripley is seen in the ring waiting for his opponent, ‘WAR’ by grandson is heard replacing ‘Blue World’ as the crowd’s emotions immediately shift, starting to cheer for the Answers World Champion and chant his name at the top of their lungs, as Jake Smith makes his way out to the stage with a huge smirk on his face spreading his arms wide in the air, before pointing at the Answers World Championship belt around his waist proudly, before starting to walk down the ramp.)
Gina Romano: AND HIS OPPONENT… FROM VENICE, CALIFORNIA…. WEIGHING IN AT 210 POUNDS… HE IS THR ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION… ‘THE PROCESS…’ JAAAAAAKEEEEEE SMIIIIIITHHHHHHH!!!!
Eve: As said, Answers World Champion Jake Smith is here and he looks absolutely ready for the challenge he has ahead of himself here tonight, which is a former holder to the title he’s currently holding in the Answers World Championship, Jack Ripley.
Gavin Kirkland: Things have been getting even more heated one night after the other between Jake Smith and Impact, and as right now, they’re literally ONE week away from clashing for the Answers World Championship at King of Elite, defeating a former Answers World Champion in Jack Ripley would be the perfect method for Jake Smith to get his point across ahead of their battle. Will Jack Ripley make it easy for him if even possible though? No idea, but we’re about to see!
(DING! DING! DING!)
Deadprez: Here we go ladies and gentlemen, this match is officially underway now between the former Answers World Champion Jack Ripley and the CURRENT Answers World Champion, Jake Smith! OH, BUT JAKE SMITH QUICKLY RUNS AT JACK RIPLEY AND DROPS HIM DOWN WITH A BIG LARIAT! BUT JACK DUCKS UNDERNEATH AS HE QUICKLY TURNS HIM AROUND, FAZING HIM WITH A JAWBREAKER, BEFORE IRISH WHIPPING HIM INTO THE CORNER! JAKE’S BACK HITS THE TURNBUCKLES, BUT JACK DOESN’T STOP HERE! JACK RIPLEY WITH A SLAP ACROSS THE FACE OF JAKE SMITH! AND NOW A HUGE PUNCH RIGHT TO THE SKULL, FOLLOWED UP BY A POWERFUL FOREARM SMASH!
Eve: HE’S GOING INSANE! THIS MATCH JUST STARTED, BUT JACK RIPLEY ISN’T GIVING JAKE SMITH A CHANCE TO BREATHE ALREADY! AND NOW HE NAILS HIM WITH A CORNER SPEAR! AND ANOTHER! ANOTHER! AND AGAIN! AND HE KEEPS RAPIDLY DOING NOT SHOWING ANY SIGNS OF WILLING TO STOP! JACK RIPLEY KEEPS DELIVERING THOSE CORNER SPEARS TO JAKE SMITH ONE AFTER THE OTHER, AND THERE’S NOTHING JAKE CAN DO TO SAVE HIMSELF! JACK FINALLY STOPS THOUGH! BUT NOT FOR GOOD REASONS APPARENTLY, NOT FOR GOOD REASONS! JACK RIPLEY BACKS AWAY FROM THE CORNER HEADING INTO THE OPPOSITE ONE AS HE CHARGES, BEFORE NAILING JAKE WITH A CORNER RUNNING KNEE STRIKE!! CORNER RUNNING KNEE STRIKE!!! CORNER KNEE STRIKE CONNECTS BY JACK RIPLEY-
Gavin Kirkland: FINALLY, THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION IS ABLE TO SAVE HIMSELF AND STAY ALIVE AS HE QUICKLY CATCHES JACK RIPLEY MID RUN WITH A SUPERKICK! SUPERKICK TO JACK RIPLEY CONNECTS! JAKE SMITH FROM ABSOLUTELY OUT OF NOWHERE WITH THE SUPERKICK, AND JACK RIPLEY IS SENT BACK DOWN! WHAT A MANUEVER BY JAKE SMITH! WHAT A MOVE! WHAT A COMEBACK! JAKE SMITH IS BACK IN THIS MATCH!
Impact: Which started a bit ago. He’s been getting (BELEP) on since the match started and was only just able to hit ONE move. That’s your Answers World Champion? The bar is too low. 🗣️
Deadrez: As Jack Ripley is seen slowly starting to back up to his feet, Jake Smith is seen charging at him, clearly not looking to give him the slightest bit of time or the slightest chance to do so– AS HE NAILS HIM WITH A HUGE BASEMENT DROPKICK! JACK RIPLEY WAS BARELY ON HIS KNEES, BUT THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION WAS ABLE TO SEND HIM BACK DOWN WITH A HUGE BASEMENT DROPKICK! BASEMENT DROPKICK BY JAKE SMITH CONNECTS! WHAT A MANUEVER!
Eve: And now Jake Smith is seen climbing his way up to the top turnbuckle, which he quickly reaches as Jack Ripley is seen trying to grab the bottom rope and slowly get the chance to stand back up on his feet! But what does Jake Smith have in mind? And the bigger question, will it even give him the chance to recover? The answer is more than likely to be no, but we’re moments away from getting the confirmation we need from the Answers World Champion! Jack Ripley is finally back up to his feet, just barely, and not even totally balanced though, AS JAKE SMITH OFFICIALLY STATES TO BE DONE WAITING AS HE TAKES HIS SHOT DIVING UP FROM THE TOP TURNBUCKLE HIGH IN THE AIR, CONNECTING WITH A DIVING CROSSBODY! DIVING CROSSBODY BY JAKE SMITH CONNECTS ON JACK RIPLEY! JAKE SMITH TAKES HIS SHOT AND NAILS JACK RIPLEY WITH THE DIVING CROSSBODY! AND NOW HE GOES FOR THE COVER!
OOOOOOOOOONNNNNEEEEEEEEE!
TTTTTWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
Gavin Kirkland: SHOULDER UP BY THE FORMER WORLD CHAMPION! JAKE SMITH TOOK HIS SHOT AND NAILED JACK RIPLEY WITH TWO BACK TO BACK STRONG MANUEVERS, BUT JACK RIPLEY WAS STILL ABLE TO SURVIVE, NOT EVEN CLOSE! JAKE SMITH SMIRKS A BIT, AS HE KNOWS FULL WELL THAT TO TAKE OUT SOMEONE OF JACK RIPLEY’S CALIBER, IT’S GOING TO TAKE MUCH MORE, AS HE STANDS BACK UP TO HIS FEET, AND STARTS STOMPING THE HECK OUT OF JACK RIPLEY! THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION IS SEEN RAPIDLY GOING AT IT WITH THE CONTINUOUS STOMPS AT THE CHEST OF HIS OPPONENT, AND THE REF PULLS HIM AWAY WITH NO CHOICE!
Impact: If it actually is taking him *that* long to get rid of (BLEEP) Jack Ripley or EVEN get a pinfall attempt on him to at least two counts, then how is it rational to believe that he will be able to get past me at King of Elite 🤔? Make it make sense.
Deadprez: The Answers World Champion is now staring down at Jack Ripley as he grabs him before slowly starting to pick him up to his feet, and Irish Whip him into the corne- BUT JACK RIPLEY REVERSES, **TOSSING** HIM INTO THE CORNER HIMSELF AS JAKE SMITH CRASHES INTO IT IN FULL SPEED, OUCH, I’M SURE THAT THIS HURT! JAKE SMITH LEANS AGAINST THE CORNER A BIT TRYING TO HOLD HIS SHOULDERS AND REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF PAIN, BUT JACK RIPLEY GIVES HIM NO CHANCE TO DO SO AS HE IMMEDIATELY NAILS HIM WITH A BRUTAL HELLUVA KICK! HELLUVA KICK BY JACK RIPLEY NAILS JAKE SMITH! WHAT A MANUEVER! WHAT A COMEBACK!
Eve: STILL ANYTHING BUT DONE THOUGH, THE LOOK ON THE FACE OF JACK RIPLEY IS CLEAR TO TELL THAT HE’S ANYTHING BUT DONE! JACK RIPLEY BACKS AWAY A BIT, AS HE THEN SMASHES THE SKULL OF THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION WITH A JUMPING KNEE STRIKE RIGHT INTO THE FACE! THAT IS A DISPLAY OF BRUTALITY, A DISPLAY OF RUTHLESSNESS! JACK RIPLEY IS LITERALLY GOING ALL OUT RIGHT NOW, AND IT IS ALL AT THE EXPENSE OF JAKE SMITH! HE ONCE AGAIN BACKS AWAY WITH THAT SINISTER SMIRK ON HIS FACE, JUST TO DO IT AGAIN! ANOTHER JUMPING KNEE STRIKE BY JACK RIPLEY! ANOTHER ONE CRASHING JAKE SMITH’S SKULL! THE FORMER ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION IS SIMPLY BEATING THE HECK OUT OF THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION!
Gavin Kirkland: WILL HE EVER STOP THOUGH? IT’S ONLY GETTING WORSE! JACK RIPLEY NOW GRABS JAKE SMITH, PICKING HIM BACK UP TO HIS FEET, AND THEN TOSSING HIM INTO THE CORNER BEFORE TURNING HIM AROUND, AND STARTING TO RUTHLESSLY START A NONSTOP ASSAULT OF BASICALLY SLAMMING JAKE’S HEAD ON THE TOP TURNBUCKLE! HE DOES IT AGAIN! AND AGAIN! AND AGAIN! AND NOT ONLY DOES HE KEEP GOING QUICKER, BUT ALSO MORE BRUTAL! I’M SLOWLY STARTING TO THINK THAT THE DESTINATION JACK RIPLEY IS TRYING TO REACH HERE IS NOT EVEN BEATING THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION, IT’S GETTING HIM OUT OF ACTION! JACK RIPLEY IS FOCUSED ON INJURING JAKE SMITH AND GETTING HIM HURT RATHER THAN ON PICKING UP THE VICTORY RIGHT HERE! WILL JAKE SMITH ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN THOUGH? WELL, PROBABLY NOT! I MEAN, HOPEFULLY NOT AT THIS POINT!
Deadprez: INDEED NOT*, GAVIN! INDEED NOT! JAKE SMITH STARTS COUNTERING AS HE NAILS JACK RIPLEY WITH A HUGE ELBOW STRIKE RIGHT TO THE STOMACH! AND AGAIN! AND AGAIN! JACK RIPLEY TRIES HIS BEST TO HANG ON AND KEEP THE ASSAULT GOING, BUT JAKE SMITH HAS SIMPLY HAD ENOUGH, AS JACK RIPLEY FINALLY LETS GO, HOLDING HIS STOMACH IN AGONY, BUT JAKE SMITH TAKES ADVANTAGE OF THAT BY NAILING HIM WITH A SUPERKICK TO THE ABDOMEN AREA, FOLLOWED UP BY A SUPERKICK TO THE GUT WHICH KEEPS HIM IN A SEATED POSITION! AND A FINAL SUPERKICK RIGHT TO THE CHIN WHICH SENDS JACK RIPLEY DOWN THE RING MAT! JACK RIPLEY HOLDS HIS FACE IN PAIN, BUT JAKE SMITH DOESN’T STOP!
Eve: NOR WILL HE EVER! NEITHER OF THESE COMPETITORS IS GOING TO STOP UNTIL EITHER IS OFFICIALLY DECLARED AS THE WINNER OF THIS CONTEST HERE TONIGHT, AND AS WELL-KNOWN ABOUT BOTH OF THEM WHETHER IT’S JACK OR JAKE, WINNING A BATTLE WHERE YOUR OPPONENT IS ONE OF THESE TWO IS ONE OF THE HARDEST TASKS! JAKE SMITH GRABS JACK RIPLEY, GETTING HIM BACK UP TO HIS FEET BEFORE APPLYING A HAMMERLOCK, AND I THINK WE KNOW WHAT’S NEXT! HAMMERLOCK DDT! HAMMERLOCK DDT BY JAKE SMITH CONNECTS! THE HAMMERLOCK DDT CONNECTS AND PLANTS THE HEAD OF JACK RIPLEY DOWN THE RING MAT!
Gavin Kirkland: AND NOW JAKE SMITH LOOKS TO FINISH BUSINESS AS HE- WAIT, JACK RIPLEY ALL OF A SUDDEN WITH AN INSIDE CRADLE! THE ROLL-UP BY JACK RIPLEY! FROM OUT OF NOWHERE! PIN ATTEMPT! PIN ATTEMPT! JACK RIPLEY MIGHT JUST CATCH THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION OFF GUARD RIGHT HERE! SHOULDERS ARE DOWN! THE INSIDE CRADLE BY JACK RIPLEY, JAKE SMITH DEFINITELY DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! AND THE REF DIVES TO START THE COUNT! COVER BY JACK RIPLEY! COVER BY JACK RIPLEY!
OOOOOOOOOONNNNNEEEEEEEEE!
TTTTTWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Impact: Yeah, he kicked out, but at TWO. At **TWO.** “Answers World Champion”, yet can be easily caught off guard? I’m not buying it.
Deadprez: AND RIGHT AFTER THE KICK OUT BY THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION AT TWO, BOTH COMPETITORS QUICKLY SHOOT BACK UP TO THEIR FEET AS IT’S JAKE SMITH WHO PROBABLY CAPITALIZES AS HE RUNS AT JACK RIPLEY– BUT JACK OUTSMARTS JAKE, DROPPING HIM DOWN WITH AN ARM DRAG! ARM DRAG BY JACK RIPLEY SENDS JAKE SMITH DOWN THE RING MAT! AND THAT’S NOT ALL AS JAKE SMITH QUICKLY SHOOTS BACK UP TO HIS FEET FROM THE IMPACT OF THE MOVE, BUT THAT’S ALL FOR JACK RIPLEY TO DROP HIM BACK DOWN WITH A THUNDEROUS SNAP SUPLEX! THE SNAP SUPLEX BY JACK RIPLEY CONNECTS AND ALLOWS HIM TO KEEP GETTING THE BETTER OF JAKE SMITH!
Eve: AND NOW JACK RIPLEY QUICKLY REBOUNDS OFF THE ROPES AS JAKE SMITH IS SEEN SLOWLY GETTING BACK UP TO HIS FEET, BEFORE CONNECTING WITH A WONDERFUL TORNADO DDT! WOW! WHAT A MANUEVER BY JACK RIPLEY DELIVERED TO THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION! WHAT A MOVE! WHAT A MOVE! TORNADO DDT BY JACK RIPLEY PLANTS THE HEAD OF JAKE SMITH DOWN THE RING MAT! THE TORNADO DDT CONNEC-
Gavin Kirkland: IT DOESN’T LAND; IT DOESN’T CONNECT! LOOKS LIKE THE EXPECTATION YOU MADE ENDED UP BEING WRONG, EVE, AS JAKE SMITH WAS ABLE TO COUNTER, CATCHING JACK RIPLEY MID AIR WITH A DOUBLE KNEE FACEBREAKER! DOUBLE KNEE FACEBREAKER BY JAKE SMITH CONNECTS ON JACK RIPLEY! THE DOUBLE KNEE FACEBREAKER CONNECTS, THAT’S YOUR OWN FINISHING MOVE, IMPACT! THE DOUBLE KNEE FACEBREAKER CONNECTS, WHICH WAS PROBABLY DESIGNED BY JAKE SMITH TO MOCK HIS OPPONENT FOR KING OF ELITE, WHICH HAPPENS TO BE YOU! WHAT A MANUEVER BY JAKE SMITH!
Impact: :madstare:
Deadprez: Though, still apparently not quite enough for Jake Smith yet as he deep inside feels like it will take more to go through an opponent headed into this match with the intention of basically killing him, as Jake Smith quickly rolls out into the ring apron, before slowly starting to make his way up to the top turnbuckle, starting to balance himself, AND TAKING HIS SHOT DIVING HIGH IN THE AIR, AND CONNECTING WITH A HUGE FROG SPLASH!!! FROG SPLASH BY JAKE SMITH!!! THE FROG SPALSH CONNECTS AND ABSOLUTELY NAILS JACK RIPLEY!!! THAT WAS A GREAT MOVE!!! THAT WAS A WONDERFUL MANUEVER BY JAKE SMITH!!! WHAT A MANUEVER TO JACK RIP-
Eve: YOU SURELY MEAN WHAT A MANUEVER *BY* JACK RIPLEY – WHO WAS JUST ABLE TO ROLL AROUND AND HAVE THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION CRASH ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE RING MAT – RIGHT? JACK RIPLEY ROLLS OUT OF THE HARM’S WAY AS JAKE SMITH GOES CRASHING INTO THE CANVAS, AND AS A MATTER OF FACT, HE GETS BACK UP TO HIS FEET DOING NOTHING FOLLOWING IT BUT GRAB HIM, AND THEN NAIL HIM WITH A FOREARM SMASH, BEFORE TOSSING HIM OUT OF THE RING OVER THE TOP ROPE! AND NOW JACK RIPLEY ROLLS OUT OF THE RING HIMSELF, AND FOLLOWS HIM!
Impact: :mjliol:
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
Gavin Kirkland: As Jake Smith is seen slowly trying to get back up to his feet using the barricade, it’s Jack Ripley who prevents him from enjoying any chance to recover or regroup… AS HE NAILS HIM WITH A RUNNING KNEE STRIKE RIGHT INTO THE BARRICADE! JAKE SMITH ALMOST FALLS DOWN THE FLOOR, BUT THE FORMER ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION PREVENTS THAT FROM HAPPENING AS HE TIES HIM UP AGAINST THE BARRICADE BY SIMPLY PLACING BOTH OF HIS ARMS BEHIND IT KEEPING THAT SINISTER SMIRK ON HIS FACE WHICH HE’S HAD EVER SINCE THE START OF THIS MATCHUP, BEFORE NAILING HIM WITH A HUGE CHOP! THE CHOP BY JACK RIPLEY RIGHT INTO THE CHEST OF JAKE SMITH! THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION IS HELPLESS AS HE STARES AT THE EYES OF JACK RIPLEY WITH NOTHING IN HIS FACE BUT UNTIED ANGER JACK RIPLEY IS PREVENTING HIM FROM LETTING OUT, AND HE NAILS HIM WITH ANOTHER CHOP STRAIGHT INTO THE CHEST! ANOTHER CHOP BY JACK RIPLEY AS JAKE SMITH SCREAMS IN AGONY! AND JACK RIPLEY KEEPS DOING IT MULTIPLE TIMES AS JAKE SMITH KEEPS HELPLESSLY HOPING FOR A CHANCE TO UTTERLY CHANGE THE TIDES, BUT FOR NOW IT’S JACK RIPLEY WHO HAS FULL CONTROL OVER THIS MATCHUP!
FOUR!
FIVE!
SIX!
Deadprez: WILL THAT REMAIN AS THE CASE FOR LONG THOUGH? JACK RIPLEY CHARGES AT JAKE SMITH WHO’S TRAPPED AGAINST THE BARRICADE, BEFORE RUNNING AT HIM, AND CONNECTING WITH YET **ANOTHER** RUNNING KNEE STRIKE!! RUNNING KNEE STRIKE BY JACK RIPLEY!!! RUNNING KNEE STRIKE TO JAKE SMITH CONNEC— JAKE SMITH MOVES AWAY IN LITERALLY THE LAST SECOND AS JACK RIPLEY’S KNEE CRASHES INTO THE BARRICADE! WOW! WHAT A REVERSAL! JAKE SMITH WAS SECRETLY ABLE TO UNTIE HIMSELF, AND HE ENSURED TO MAKE JACK RIPLEY’S PLANS BACKFIRE AT HIM AS HE NOW GRABS HIM TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS SITUATION BEFORE LIFTING HIM UP, AND DROPPING HIM DOWN WITH A MICHINOKU DRIVER!!! MICHINOKU DRIVER BY THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION!!! MICHINOKU DRIVER BY JAKE SMITH CONNECTS, IT CONNECTS!! THAT MUST’VE HURT, THAT CONNECTED RIGHT INTO THE FLOOR! WHAT A MANUEVER BY JAKE SMITH! WHAT A COMEBACK!
SEVEN!
EIGHT!
(Jake Smith stands fully back up on his feet, as his attention completely shifts from his opponent, instead being on Impact, who’s seen sitting down on commentary watching everything happening with an unimpressed expression on his face. Jake Smith would walk past the grounded, half-conscious body of Jack Ripley, as he then gets in Impact’s face, who stands up on his feet with nothing but a huge smile which shows nothing but confidence…)
Impact: You know what happened the last time you shifted your attention to me when I’m simply on commentary watching you wrestle, right? :mjgrin: Just stay focused on your opponent, prepare for what’s coming your way at King of Elite.
Jake Smith: (off-mic) You’re literally the last person I could bother allowing to tell me what to do what not to do, and you know that. Try to observe every single thing you need to know from this match because when King of Elite comes around, you’re going to need every single advantage. Now sit back down, old man. :ufdup:
Impact: Well…
Eve: FROM BEHIND, JAKE, FROM BEHIND! JACK RIPLEY TAKES DOWN JAKE SMITH WITH A LARIAT FROM BEHIND AS JAKE SMITH FALLS ALL THE WAY DOWN THE FLOOR! AND JACK DOESN’T WASTE MUCH TIME FOLLOWING THAT WHATSOEVER, AS HE GRABS JAKE, PICKING HIM BACK UP TO HIS FEET, AND ROLLING HIM BACK INSIDE THE RING, BEFORE SIMPLY ROLLING BACK IN HIMSELF! AND THIS MATCHUP IS OFFICIALLY BROUGHT BACK TO THE RING!
Impact: :francis:
Gavin Kirkland: AND JACK RIPLEY WITH A STOMP INTO THE ABDOMEN OF JAKE SMITH! AND ANOTHER STOMP! AND NOW JACK RIPLEY GRABS THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION QUICKLY PICKING HIM RIGHT BACK UP TO HIS FEET, BEFORE NAILING HIM WITH A HUGE FOREARM SMASH TO KEEP HIM IMBALANCED, BUT JAKE STILL DUCKS UNDERNEATH THOUGH! JAKE SMITH DUCKS UNDERNEATH! JACK RIPLEY TURNS AROUND, ALL FOR JAKE SMITH TO NAIL HIM WITH A SUPERKICK!!! SUPERKICK BY JAKE SMITH, BUT NO, I WAS WRONG, JACK RIPLEY IS ABLE TO DUCK UNDERNEATH AS WELL, BEFORE QUICKLY JUMPING OVER THE TOP ROPE AND STANDING ON THE APRON, BUT JAKE SMITH DOES NOT WASTE ANY TIME FOLLOWING THAT HOWEVER, AS HE QUICKLY TRIES TO KNOCK JACK OFF THE APRON WITH A BIG BOOT, BUT JACK REVERSES WITH AN ENZUIGURI RIGHT TO THE EAR! JAKE SMITH IS FAZED! AND A SLINGSHOT DDT!!! SLINGSHOT DDT BY JACK RIPLEY, THAT’S THE SIGNATURE MOVE!!! SLINGSHOT DDT BY JACK RIPLEY TO THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION!!! WHAT A DISPLAY OF ATHLETICISM!! WHAT A MANUEVER!! WHAT A MANUEVER!! THE SLINGSHOT DDT CONNECTS, AND JACK RIPLEY DROPS DOWN FOR THE COVER!! THE LEG IS HOOKED!! THE COVER ON THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION!!!
OOOOOOOOOONNNNNEEEEEEEEE!
TTTTTWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
TTTTTHHHHH-
Deadprez: THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION FORCERS THE SHOULDER UP, NOT YET!!! JAKE SMITH WITH THE KICK OUT STATING THAT TO KNOCK HIM OFF AND PICK UP THE VICTORY OVER THE REIGNING ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION, IT’S GONNA ACTUALLY TAKE MUCH MORE! JACK RIPLEY DOESN’T *ENTIRELY* LOOK SHOCKED AT THIS POINT THOUGH, BUT HE *DOES* LOOK FRUSTRATED! JACK RIPLEY GETS BACK UP TO HIS FEET AS HE BACKS AWAY TOWARDS THE CORNER, BEFORE STARTING TO CHARGE AT JAKE SMITH WHO’S SEEN SLOWLY GETTING BACK UP TO HIS FEET USING THE BOTTOM ROPE, JUST BARELY I MIGHT ADD! BUT IT MEANS NOTHING TO HIM HOWEVER! ‘DAYLIGHT SLAYING TIME!!!’ ‘DAYLIGHT SLAYING TIME’ BY JACK RIPLEY!!!! ‘DAYLIGHT SLAYING TIME’ KNOCKS THE HEAD OF THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION OFF!!! THE RUNNING KNEE STRIKE CONNECTS TO THE HEAD OF JAKE SMITH AS HE GETS SENT BACK DOWN!! AND JACK RIPLEY GOES FOR THE COVER!! HE HOOKS THE LEG YET AGAIN!! ANOTHER PIN ATTEMPT BY THE FORMER ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION!!
OOOOOOOOOONNNNNEEEEEEEEE!
TTTTTWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
TTTTTHHHHHHRRR-
Eve: ANOTHER KICK OUT BY THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION, JAKE SMITH JUST KICKED OUT FOR THE SECOND TIME IN A ROW!! KICK OUT BY JAKE SMITH!! JACK RIPLEY STARTS PUNCHING THE CANVAS IN ANGER, BUT JAKE SMITH KEEPS THIS CONTEST ALIVE NONETHELESS!! THERE’S NO DOUBT THAT JACK RIPLEY IS TRIGGERED RIGHT NOW, BUT HE STILL LOOKS TO FINISH THIS ONE OFF NONETHELESS!! JACK RIPLEY ROLLS OUT OF THE RING INTO THE APRON AS HE STARTS CLIMBING HIS WAY UP TO THE TOP ROPE— BUT LOOK, JAKE SMITH, NO MATTER HOW HURT HE IS, QUICKLY SHOOTS BACK UP TO HIS FEET, AS HE DIVES INTO THE ROPES SHAKING THEM, AS JACK RIPLEY’S PRIVATE AREA LANDS STRAIGHT ON THE TURNBUCKLE!! THAT HURT!!! AND NOW JAKE SMITH KNOCKS HIM OFF THE TOP ROPE WITH A SUPERKICK AS JACK RIPLEY FALLS ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE CANVAS!
Gavin Kirkland: WHICH IS BEFORE HE PICKS HIM BACK UP TO HIS FEET– BUT JACK TRIES TO COUNTER, NAILING HIM WITH A FOREARM STRIKE, BUT JAKE DUCKS UNDERNEATH, BEFORE GOING BEHIND, AND NAILING JACK RIPLEY WITH A HUGE FOREARM SMASH TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD WHICH TURNS HIM AROUND, AND THEN THE ‘BROKEN WINGS!!!’ ‘BROKEN WINGS’ BY JAKE SMITH!!! THE ‘BROKEN WINGS’ FROM OUT OF NOWHERE!!! THE SNAP SWINGING NECKBREAKER CONNECTS, IT CONNECTS, AND JAKE GOES FOR THE COVER!!!
OOOOOOOOOONNNNNEEEEEEEEE!
TTTTTWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
TTTTTHHHH-
Deadprez: KICK OUT!! JACK RIPLEY FORCES THE SHOULDER UP FROM THE MAT, AS JAKE SMITH STOMPS HIS FEET IN ANGER AT THE FACT THAT JACK RIPLEY WAS JUST ABLE TO STAY ALIVE!! JAKE SMITH DOES NOT WASTE SO TIME FOLLOWING THAT WHATSOEVER AS HE PICKS JACK RIPLEY RIGHT BACK UP TO HIS FEET, BEFORE DROPPING HIM BACK DOWN WITH THE ‘PROPHETIC!!!” ‘PROPHETIC’ BY JAKE SMITH!!! JAKE SMITH PICKED JACK RIPLEY UP TO HIS FEET, BUT ONLY TO DROP HIM BACK DOWN WITH THE ‘PROPHETIC!!!’ THE ROLLING CUTTER CONNECTS, IT CONNECTS!! THE ROLLING CUTTER CONNECTS AND PLANTS THE HEAD OF JACK RIPLEY DOWN THE RING MAT!! AND THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION GOES FOR THE COVER!! THE COVER ON JACK RIPLEY! THE LEG IS HOOKED!!
OOOOOOOOOONNNNNEEEEEEEEE!
TTTTTWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
TTTTTHHHHHRRR-
Eve: STILL NOT A THREE, STILL NOT A FULL THREE COUNT! JACK RIPLEY FORCES THE SHOULDER UP! THE FORMER WORLD CHAMPION KICKS OUT STILL, JACK RIPLEY IS STILL ABLE TO KEEP THIS MATCHUP ALIVE!!! THE SHOULDER UP BY JACK RIPLEY, AND JAKE SMITH CAN’T BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED!!
Impact: 🥱 All those ‘main’ moves yet still unable to pull out the win. I almost fell asleep watching him continue to fail.
Gavin Kirkland: Jake Smith grabs Jack Ripley right after, picking him right back up to his feet, clearly looking to put an end for this which can be told from the expression he has on his face, BUT JACK RIPLEY PUSHES HIM OFF CONNECTING WITH THE SUPERKICK!!! ‘YOU’LL FLOAT TOO-‘ BUT JAKE SMITH DUCKS UNDERNEATH, JAKE SMITH DUCKS UNDERNEATH SAVING HIMSELF AT THE LAST MOMENT, GOING BEHIND, AS JACK RIPLEY TURNS AROUND IN CONFUSION, ALL FOR JAKE SMITH TO KNOCK HIM OFF WITH THE ‘STARMAKER!!!’ ‘STARMAKER!!!!’ THAT’S IT!! THAT’S IT!! THE JUMPING CUTTER CONNECTS FROM OUT OF NOWHERE, AS JAKE SMITH GOES FOR THE COVER!!
OOOOOOOOOONNNNNEEEEEEEEE!
TTTTTWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
TTTTTTHHHHHHHHRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
…
…
…
Deadprez: WHAT? JACK RIPLEY STILL KICKS OUT, JACK RIPLEY STAYS ALIVE! THIS CAN’T BE REAL, HOW ARE THEY STILL DOING THIS!!! JACK RIPLEY IS SURPRISINGLY ABLE TO KEEP THIS MATCH ALIVE LEAVING JAKE SMITH IN UTTER DISBELIEF!!! JAKE SMITH CAN’T BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED, BUT ALTHOUGH COMPLETELY SHOCKED, HE STILL TENDS TO END IT ONCE AND FOR GOOD!! JAKE SMITH GRABS JACK RIPLEY, PICKING HIM BACK UP TO HIS FEET, AND NOW—
(**CRASH!**)
Eve: ‘YOU’LL FLOAT TOO!!!!’ ‘YOU’LL FLOAT TOO!!!’ FROM OUT OF NOWHERE, FROM OUT OF NOWHERE!! THE SUPERKICK CONNECTS AND IMMEDIATELY KNOCKS JACK RIPLEY DOWN THE RING MAT!!! JACK RIPLEY WAS JUST ABLE TO CONNECT WITH THE ‘YOU’LL FLOAT TOO’ SUPERKICK, AND HE MIGHT’VE JUST KNOCKED THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION OUT COLD!! JACK RIPLEY DROPS DOWN FOR THE COVER!! THE COVER!!
OOOOOOOOOONNNNNEEEEEEEEE!
TTTTTWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
TTTTTTHHHHHHHHRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
…
…
…
Gavin Kirkland: :damn: :damn: :damn: HE’S THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION FOR A REASON, HE’S THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION FOR A REASON!!! JAKE SMITH FORCES THE SHOULDER UP FROM THE MAT!! JAKE SMITH POPS THE SHOULDER UP!!! JAKE SMITH STAYS ALIVE TO THE SURPRISE OF MANY!!! THE KICK OUT BY JAKE SMITH!!! TO MY RECOLLECTION, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME SOMEBODY KICKS OUT FROM A ‘YOU’LL FLOAT TOO’ IN A GOOD WHILE IF NOT AT ALL, BUT IT’S WHAT MAKES THIS MOMENT THE SHOCKER IT IS!!! JACK RIPLEY IS BEYOND SHOCKED, HE’S BEYOND SURPRISED, BUT ALL HE WANTS RIGHT NOW IS TO EITHER PUT AN END FOR THIS MATCHUP, OR PUT ONE TO JAKE SMITH HIMSELF!! JACK RIPLEY GRABS JAKE SMITH PICKING HIM BACK UP TO HIS FEET, BEFORE TOSSING HIM OUT OF THE RING, BUT JAKE REVERSES TOSSING HIM OUT HIMSELF!!!
Deadprez: AND JACK RIPLEY FALLS STRAIGHT INTO THE RINGSIDE AREA, CRASHING INTO THE BARRICADE, AND GETTING BACK UP TO HIS FEET FROM THE IMPACT OF THE CONNECTION JUST BARELY! THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION THEN TAKES ADVANTAGE AS HE RUNS OFF THE ROPES, REBOUNDING, AND CONNECTING WITH THE SUICIDE DIVE!! SUICIDE DIVE TO JACK RIPLEY!! THE SUICIDE DIVE AS BOTH MEN FALL DOWN THE FLOOR SHOWING NO SIGNS OF LIFE!!
Crowd: THIS IS AWESOME! 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 THIS IS AWESOME! 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 THIS IS AWESOME! 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 THIS IS AWESOME! 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
FOUR!
Eve: BOTH COMPETITORS START SLOWLY GETTING BACK UP TO THEIR FEET AS IT’S JAKE SMITH WHO’S ABLE TO CAPITALIZE FIRST, GRABBING JACK RIPLEY, AND TOSSING HIM INTO THE BARRICADE! WHAT A MOVE!
FIVE!
SIX!
SEVEN!
(Suddenly, Impact takes off the headset he had on as he then leaves commentary, slowly starts to sneak his way into the scene without anybody from the match realizing, clearly looking like he has a plan in mind which he isn’t willing to apply just yet…)
Gavin Kirkland: Umm.. what’s Impact doing? He just took off his headset and left commentary, what could he have in mind? Well, the answer is something only he knows for now, but Jake Smith doesn’t recognize it anyway and neither does Jack Ripley, which makes it perfectly fine for this match to keep going this way as long as, well, something doesn’t happen! Jake Smith grabs Jack Ripley, and he tosses him back in the ring!
EIGHT!
NINE!
Deadprez: And now The Answers World Champion gets on the apron looking to roll back inside before the final count, BUT LOOK, IT’S JACK RIPLEY WHO TRIES TO KNOCK HIM OFF THE APRON AS HE RUNS AT HIM ATTEMPTING TO STRIKE WITH A BIG BOOT, BUT JAKE MOVES AWAY, STRIKING WITH AN APRON ENZUIGURI OF HIS OWN WHICH SENDS JACK STUMBLING BEFORE FALLING DOWN, AS THE REFEREE CHECKS ON HIM! JAKE IS ABOUT TO ROLL BACK IN THE RING…. WAIT WHAT? IT’S IMPACT, IT’S IMPACT! IMPACT PULLS JAKE SMITH FEET OFF THE APRON AS HE LANDS WITH HIS FOREHEAD STRAIGHT INTO THE APRON!!! OUCH!! AND HE TAKES A FEW STEPS BACK AS THE REFEREE SEES NOTHING AFTER TURNING AROUND; NOTHING BUT AN UNCONSCIOUS JAKE SMITH WHO CAN’T ROLL BACK IN THE RING JUST A FEW SECONDS BEFORE HE SHOULD COUNT THE FINAL COUNT! COME ON, THIS IS UNFAIR! THIS IS ILLEGAL! THIS IS DISGUSTING!
…
…
…
TEN!!!
(DING! DING! DING!)
Crowd: :patrickboo:
Deadprez: :patrickboo:
Eve: :patrickboo:
Gavin Kirkland: :patrickboo:
Cameraman: :patrickboo:
Gina Romano: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN… HERE IS YOUR WINNER BY COUNT-OUT… JAAAAAAAAAACKKKKKK RIIIIIIPLEEEEEEYYYYYYYY!!!!
(‘Blue World’ blasts through the speakers once again to a thunderous negative reception from the audience which grows to a point where it can no longer get louder. Jack Ripley, who has nothing on his face but a huge smirk right now, gets helped up to his feet by the referee, who holds his arm up in victory, thus acknowledging him as the winner.)
Deadprez: I mean… wow! Jack Ripley was just able to pick up the victory over The current Answers World Champion! Although not through the most dominating method, that was HUGE! And on a second thought, what a match that one was! What a contest! Regardless of the way it ended… that was a masterpiece!
Eve: Credit to Impact here though, who did what he did for what seemed to be no convincing reason, either. But all in all, it was the only possible way to get his final message ahead of King of Elite across. Jake Smith is the Answers World Champion for a reason, and there is no doubt that he will be able to recover from this. He seemed like he was on his way towards the victory, but the circumstance that popped up at the end was what didn’t allow him to do so, understandably nevertheless.
Gavin Kirkland: But as for Jack Ripley though, at least he was finally able to break out of a streak of tough losses, as he was able to beat the National Elite Champion recently, and now THE ANSWERS WORLD CHAMPION! There was no doubt that Jack Ripley was always going to figure out a way to get back on track, and tonight he’s shown us exactly why he never lost a single bit of it. Congratulations to Jack Ripley!
(As Jack Ripley is seen on the top turnbuckle celebrating his victory with a huge evil grin on his face, Jake Smith is seen sitting against the barricade looking quite angry, tired, hurt and dissatisfied as also finally, Impact is seen making his way to the back with a huge smirk on his face. From there, Saturday Night Showdown fades elsewhere.)
(‘They Call Me a God’ by NEFFEX hits over the PA, Ms. Extreme immediately stepping out onto the ramp to a huge ovation. She stands there, taking in the noise, nodding her head in appreciation.)
Deadprez: Busy night for Ms. Extreme, she was out here with Adam Lucas and Donovan Duke earlier, but seems like she has even more to say.
Eve: Not surprising considering the huge match taking place at King of Elite. Two legendary women going head-to-head with so much more than bragging rights on the line.
(Having milked the reaction for all she is worth, Ms. Extreme then makes her way down to the ring, high fiving some of the fans at ringside before sliding under the bottom rope.)
Deadprez: One of the most popular Elitists on Showdown now, her opposition to both Disney, and Kennedy Street gaining her quite a following.
Eve: She was always a legend, but now she’s stepped it up a level for sure.
Gavin Kirkland: Yes, at the expense of my wife being Kennedy Street. Didn’t you see what she did to her?
Eve: I did… and many loved it.
(Ms. Extreme, holds up her hand, lifting the mic to her lips with her other hand.)
Ms. Extreme: Cut my music!!!
(A roar accompanies the request, but Ms. Extreme isn’t hanging around tonight.)
Ms. Extreme: How lucky are you people… a double dose of Extreme filling up your eyeballs. You know, some people were surprised by my appearance earlier with Adam Lucas and Donovan Duke… well you shouldn’t be, because we all want the same thing. It’s funny you know, when I got injured all those months ago, Adam Lucas was nothing but a wet blanket, and look at him now. Taking it to the ‘man’. I’m soooo proud. But I’m not here to talk about Adam, that’s for another time I reckon. No, I’m here to talk about another change, something I’m not so proud of. See, whilst I was gone, recuperating after breaking my ankle in three places, and going through all the hardships that kept me out of action for six horrible months. Whilst everyone well tells me that I wasn’t going to get back to the place I loved, and I would never compete at the level I was before. Whilst I spent that time, enduring some of the most emotionally draining times of my life, the company I loved was being sold to the devil. Supposedly a ‘family’ brand, but one of the most corrupt in the world. A company that wants to dilute everything that made EAW. Everything that made ME.
(She looks straight at the camera and gives a mischievous grin.)
Ms. Extreme: They think that they are going to censor me. They think I can be controlled.
(She laughs)
Ms. Extreme: Well [BLEEP] Disney, and [BLEEP] anyone that thinks that Ms. Extreme is for changing. That goes for Kassidy Heart, who last week found out firsthand just how much this company means to me, and how I won’t let her corporate sell-out like her ever out-fight the true Extreme, when I knocked her out with my bare fists. Kassidy thinks that because she sucks the [BLEEP] of another corporate sell-out in her husband she can walk around this place as if she owns it. Well not on my watch, not while I have breath in my body.
(She paces the ring like a caged tiger, her body almost shaking with adrenaline.)
Deadprez: I’ve seen Ms. Extreme angry so many times over the years, but this is something different. She hates what is going on here and is determined to do something about it.
Ms. Extreme: I didn’t go through all that physical therapy to come back and be a corporate pussy cat, bowing to my paymasters because they hold my job like a gun to my head. I didn’t dream of standing here in front of you all as a dumbed down version of myself. When it comes to King of Elite, I’m not only going to defeat Kassidy Heart, and embarrass her in front of the eyes of the world. No, I’m going to leave her in a pool of so much blood, the guys in the truck out back won’t be able to censor it all. I’m going to decimate her, destroy her, rip her limb from limb and THEN the torture will begin. And when I’m done, when I am satisfied… THEN, Kennedy Street, I’m coming for you. And believe me, it’s going to take more than a mask to disguise how much I [BLEEP] you up.
Eve: I think she means it.
Gavin Kirkland: I am genuinely scared. Give her five more of those bodyguards right now.
Deadprez: Ms. Extreme has shown so many times that she is not to be messed with, but so has Kassidy Heart. One thing is for certain, we are in for an absolute classic.
Ms. Extreme: That said… I didn’t quite get enough last week. So, Kassidy, get your sorry bitch ass out here right NOW.
Eve: Camille isn’t waiting, she wants some of Kassidy tonight.
(Ms. Extreme looks up the ramp way, and then paces the ring a little, waiting and waiting.)
Ms. Extreme: Come on Kassidy, I won’t bite… well, that’s a lie I might.
(She continues staring up the ring, but Kassidy doesn’t come, boos starting to roll around the arena.)
Ms. Extreme: Aww, it looks like Kassidy is a little shy. Not to worry… I love a game of hide and seek. I’ll come and find you.
Deadprez: Ms. Extreme sliding out the ring and up the rope… this cannot be good.
Eve: You got to think that if Kennedy is seeing this, she’s having kittens.
Gavin Kirkland: She doesn’t have kittens, she has rainbows and unicorns
(Ms. Extreme storms up the rampway, cheers ringing in her ears as she does. Until…)
‘CRACK’
(A chair appears through the curtain, and Ms. Extreme falls backwards from the shot, Kassidy Heart stepping through with a huge grin on her face.)
Deadprez: Kassidy is here… she just nailed Ms. Extreme with a steel chair
Gavin Kirkland: Quite literally, Camille walks straight into that!
(Kassidy starts to slam the chair on Camille’s back over and over, trying to do some serious damage and get some retribution for last week. Finally, referees and officials pour from the back and try to stop Kassidy, who threatens them with the chair.)
Eve: Kassidy has lost it; someone needs to stop her or we won’t have a match at King of Elite.
(Kassidy drops the chair, and turns Camille over, dropping on top of her and pummeling an almost unconscious Ms. Extreme in the face, one shot really hitting home and Camille’s nose busting open.)
Deadprez: This is awful!!!
(Finally, the officials manage to pull Kassidy away, as others try to help a dazed Ms. Extreme to her feet.)
Eve: Thank God that is over. Kassidy was looking to do serious…WAIT!!!
(Kassidy escapes, and again starts throwing hammer shots, Ms. Extreme doing her best to fight back with punches of her own. Kassidy is rocked by a huge right hand from Ms. Extreme, but she steadies herself and then flies forwards, cutting Ms. Extreme in half with a devasting spear. Kassidy drops again, and squeezes her throat, screaming at the top of her lungs looking like she intends to kill Ms. Extreme there and then, until eventually she is pulled away again, still screaming, and out through the curtain. Finally, the assault is over, and EMT’s come through the curtain to check on Camille.)
Deadprez: I honestly can’t believe what I just witnessed. Kassidy was almost feral!
Eve: I know… and just think, these two are going to share a ring in seven days’ time!
Deadprez: I don’t know what to think anymore. This has gone beyond hate and is something else. I dread to think what will happen at King of Elite.
(The crowd cheers as Camille is helped to her feet, still groggy.)
Deadprez: One thing that’s for certain… Neither of these women will settle on anything other than destruction. And if it’s Ms. Extreme that emerge from the wreckage, Kennedy Street had better watch out.
(The camera pans back to Camille, as she shrugs off the help, and staggers through the curtain, the scene fading to the last commercial break.)
(The camera cuts back to the ring, where ring announcer Gina Romano is standing for the final time tonight ready to make the introductions for tonight’s main event.)
Gina Romano: Ladies and gentlemen! The following contest is scheduled for ONE FALL!!
Crowd: ONE FALL!
Gina Romano: …is set for TV TIME REMAINING and is a SEMIFINAL MATCH in the KING OF ELITE TOURNAMENT!
(“You Know My Name” by Chris Cornell starts to play as Adam Lucas enters the arena. The crowd is cheering him on as he is laser focused on this match as he heads to the ring.)
Gina Romano: Introducing first and making his way to the ring. He is from New York State! Weighing in at 231 pounds! Here is “THE NEXT LEVEL” ADAM LUCAS!
Deadprez: Here comes Adam Lucas for Semifinal action! The winner of this match will join the two gentlemen seated at ringside in the King of Elite finals next weekend.
(The camera cuts to Dynasty’s Bronson Daniels and Voltage’s Drake King who are both sitting at ringside and interested to see who their final opponent will be in the final round.)
Eve: Adam Lucas has shown so much determination in this tournament. He eliminated Roberto De La Rosa in the first round and Alex Myers last week in the quarterfinals in what I consider one of my favorite 2023 matches thus far. Adam showed almost scary intensity last week. If he does it again, Jon Kelton might be in for a long night.
Gavin Kirkland: We already know that Kennedy Street does NOT want Adam Lucas to advance to the Finals, but even she has to admit that he is one of the best today. Adam has all the tools in the world to win this match, but he needs to keep his focus in this match or his momentum comes to a screeching halt.
(Adam pays Bronson and Drake a quick passing glance before entering the ring. Adam quickly takes his corner and keeps his mind focused on the upcoming task as his music fades off. Seconds later, “Heart-Shaped Box” by Nirvana starts playing as Jon Kelton enters the arena to a mixed reaction from the crowd. He is paying the crowd no mind at the moment as he also heads to the ring.)
Gina Romano: Introducing his opponent! Making his way to the ring from Dallas, Texas. Weighing in at 210 pounds! Here is “THE CHOSEN ONE” JON KELTON!
Eve: Here comes the opposition and Jon Kelton has had a miraculous run in the Showdown brackets this year. He eliminated Jack Ripley in the first round and Ryan Joseph Wilson in the quarterfinals to make it to tonight’s match.
Gavin Kirkland: This is almost the Cinderella story of the Showdown bracket. Last year, he was eliminated in the first round of the tournament. Now he is only one match away from going to next weekend’s finals!
Deadprez: Jon Kelton has shown that sometimes it takes more than just raw power to win a tournament. Look at what he did against Jack Ripley and Ryan Wilson. Will Kelton be able to make it three in a row tonight and find his first trip to the King of Elite Finals. He can certainly get the job done. We’re about to find out who will represent Showdown in the King of Elite finals!
(Kelton also takes a second to glance at Drake and Bronson before he enters the ring and takes his corner as his music fades away. The referee checks both competitors before calling for the bell.)
(DING! DING! DING!)
Deadprez: Here we go! This is it! This is the Showdown Semifinals. The winner advances to King of Elite next weekend. The loser is gone. Adam and Jon are right now in a staredown. Neither one is making any sudden moves. One wrong move at any point in this match could cost them the finals.
Gavin Kirkland: Now they lockup and they are at an impasse. Neither man is budging an inch right now. Both men are trying to overpower the other in order to get the advantage, but they are both still in the middle of the ring.
Eve: THERE WE GO! Adam Lucas uses his power advantage to start muscling Kelton over to the ropes, BUT JON IS POWERING BACK TO STOP ADAM! Jon is starting to try and push Adam over to another set of ropes, but it doesn’t work.
Gavin Kirkland: Adam regains the advantage and gets Jon backed into the ropes. The referee is going over to make sure there is a clean rope break and that’s what we get. Kelton walks back to the center of the ring and he is asking for a test of strength.
Eve: Interesting strategy by Kelton, but Adam is more than happy to oblige and we have a knuckle lock. WE HAVE ANOTHER STANDOFF! Neither man is able to overpower the other! When one starts to get the advantage, the other powers back.
Deadprez: Now it looks like Adam is getting the advantage over Jon. Adam has control of the test of strength–
Gavin Kirkland: KELTON WITH A KICK TO THE GUT AND ADAM IS DOUBLED OVER! Kelton takes advantage of his handiwork and he starts throwing forearms in Adam’s face and sending him back.
Deadprez: Jon has Adam backed into the ropes and whips Adam to the opposite side, BUT ADAM IS ABLE TO REVERSE IT! Jon goes for the ride and ADAM GOES FOR A HIP TOSS, BUT KELTON MANAGES TO LAND ON HIS FEET!
Eve: Kelton hits the ropes once again AND BOTH MEN GO FOR CLOTHESLINES AND THEY BOTH HIT RIGHT UNDER THE CHIN! Both men are now down on the mat–
Gavin Kirkland: STEREO KIP UPS BY KELTON AND LUCAS! Both men are back to their feet AND LISTEN TO THIS CROWD! LISTEN TO THE CHEERS! It’s only the first few minutes of the match and this crowd is loving this match.
Deadprez: These two are strictly business in this match and they want to be called King of Elite. Both men go to lockup again, but Adam quickly transitions into a side headlock. These two are working a much slower paced match because the major importance this match holds.
(The camera cuts to Bronson and Drake watching the match intently, almost like they are taking visual notes on their possible opponent.)
Eve: Bronson and Drake are no doubt watching very carefully so they can get all the ins and outs of the Showdown bracket winner. Adam has that side headlock in tight, BUT JON STARTS TO LIFT HIM UP FOR A BACK SUPLEX–
Deadprez: ADAM FLIPS BACK AND LANDS ON HIS FEET BEHIND JON! ADAM TRIES FOR AN EARLY SLEEPER HOLD, BUT JON SLIPS OUT OF IT! Jon on the mat and he lifts his legs up and wraps them around Adam!
Gavin Kirkland: KELTON LOOKING TO PULL ADAM OVER FOR A ROLLUP, BUT ADAM BLOCKS IT! Adam has hold of Jon’s legs and hoists him up in the wheelbarrow position. Kelton isn’t up for long as ADAM JUST TOSSES JON DOWN TO THE MAT!
Eve: Kelton landed face and chest first on the mat and Adam has control of the match and he is delivering boots to Kelton’s back and Kelton makes it to the ropes and he rolls out onto the apron.
Deadprez: As quick as that, Kelton is on the ropes. Literally and figuratively. Kelton slowly gets back to his feet, BUT HERE COMES ADAM WITH A LOW DROPKICK TO THE ANKLES AND THAT SENDS KELTON TO THE FLOOR AND HE GOES FACE FIRST INTO THE APRON!
Gavin Kirkland: Kelton’s nose met the mat he staggers back as Adam now gets on the apron. Adam takes a look at Jon BEFORE JUMPING OFF THE APRON AND TAKING KELTON DOWN TO THE FLOOR WITH A CLOTHESLINE!
Deadprez: This is how Adam’s match with Alex went. It turned in his favor when he and Alex went outside the ring. Adam glances over toward where Drake and Bronson are sitting and motions to keep their eyes on him.
Drake King: (off-mic) Don’t worry about us. Worry about winning this match.
Eve: Drake King is as vocal as always. The referee is starting the count as Adam pulls Kelton back to his feet. Adam tries to whip Kelton, BUT KELTON COUNTERS AND ADAM CRASHES RIGHT INTO THE BARRICADE!
Gavin Kirkland: Kelton quickly follows that up with a knee to the ribs and just like that Kelton is now in control. Kelton wants this match badly. He wants to be the King of Elite. Kelton pulls Adam off the barricade–
Eve: BUT KELTON QUICKLY WHIPS ADAM RIGHT BACK INTO THE BARRICADE!! That was not a good meeting, but Kelton grabs Adam and rolls him back into the ring. Kelton pushes Adam away from the ropes AND DROP HIS KNEE ACROSS THE RIBS BEFORE GOING FOR THE COVER!
ONNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEE!
TWWWWWWWWWOOO–
Deadprez: One count for Jon Kelton as Adam quickly pulls that shoulder off the mat. It’s going to take a lot more than that to put Adam down for the three count. Actually it is going to take a lot to put either one of them down. They are going to use any energy they can muster to fight and to win.
Eve: Right now, Kelton brings Adam back to his feet, BUT ADAM COUNTERS WITH A JAWBREAKER AND THAT STAGGERS KELTON! Kelton tries to come back with a forearm, but Adam was ready for it. It’s Adam now firing forearms into the face of Jon Kelton.
Gavin Kirkland: Kelton once again sent back into the ropes before being whipped to the other side. Kelton holds onto the ropes and Adam rushes Kelton, BUT KELTON CATCHES HIM IN THE HEADSCISSORS POSITION BEFORE COMING OFF THE ROPES!
Deadprez: Kelton got the headscissor takeover on Adam, BUT ADAM ROLLS THROUGH AND HE IS BACK ON HIS FEET! Kelton gets back up and he catches Adam back up on his feet. Kelton runs for Adam-
Gavin Kirkland: BUT KELTON RUNS RIGHT INTO A DISCUS PUNCH FROM ADAM LUCAS! RIGHT ON THE JAW! KELTON LOOKS TO BE ON DREAM STREET AFTER THAT SHOT! Kelton as his back to Adam AND ADAM LIFTS HIM UP AND DROPS HIM WITH A BACK SUPLEX!
Eve: Kelton landed hard on the back of his head as Adam hits the ropes AND CATCHES KELTON ACROSS THE NECK WITH A LEG DROP! Kelton is down and Adam goes for the cover!
ONNNNNNNNNNNNNEEE!
TWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
THHHRRRRREEEEE—-
Deadprez: KELTON KICKS OUT AT TWO! Adam isn’t going to let Kelton breathe for even a second as he adjusts position and applies a rear chinlock. Adam is slowing the pace of the match down, but it’s exactly what he wants to do right now.
Gavin Kirkland: Especially since it looks like Adam is trying to do further damage to Kelton’s neck like he did to Alex last week. We all know what that means. Adam wants to lock in that triangle choke when the time is right.
Deadprez: Kelton is aware of that and he is trying to get free of the hold, but Adam has it on tight. BUT KELTON IS FIGHTING IT! Kelton is starting to make it back to his feet. Kelton is up and he starts throwing right hands into Adam’s side.
Eve: THEY WORKED! Enough of those punches caused Adam to release the hold. Jon is free and he hits the ropes. Adam goes for a clothesline, but Kelton ducks it and hits the ropes on the other side.
Gavin Kirkland: Adam puts his head down and Kelton stops in his tracks. Kelton takes his boot back AND HE JUST KICKS ADAM RIGHT IN THE FACE! Adam flies back after getting the boot in the face and immediately after is met with a powerful lariat from Kelton taking back down to the mat.
(Kelton takes a second to look over at Bronson and Drake who are still watching the match intently from their chairs at ringside.)
Jon Kelton: (off-mic) Enjoy hearing King Kelton all year long!
Bronson Daniels: (off-mic) Yeah. Yeah. Get back to your match.
Eve: Little bit of trash talk between possible opponents. Maybe Kelton is trying to get into their heads a little bit before King of Elite. Better be careful, Jon. You haven’t won this match yet. But Kelton goes back to Adam to bring him back to his feet–
Deadprez: BUT ADAM WAS PLAYING POSSUM! THAT SHORT JAW JACKING SESSION COST JON AND ADAM HAS ROLLED HIM UP WITH THE INSIDE CRADLE! SHOULDERS ARE DOWN! IS ADAM GOING TO STEAL IT HERE?
ONNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEE!
TWWWWWWWOOOOOOOO!
THHHHHHRRRRRREEEEEE–
Gavin Kirkland: NEAR FALL FOR ADAM LUCAS! Boy that was sure close. Kelton almost got caught right there. If he would have lost right there, he would be kicking himself all year about that. Good thing he doesn’t have to worry about that.
Deadprez: What he does have to worry about is Adam Lucas. Both men are back to their feet and Adam is locking eyes with Kelton AND DOES NOT LOOK HAPPY! I don’t think Adam appreciated that kick to the face very much. He’s still holding his nose AS HE RUNS RIGHT TOWARDS KELTON—
Gavin Kirkland: ADAM WITH A DOUBLE LEG TAKEDOWN AND NOW THE FISTS ARE FLYING! This match has been a technical marvel thus far, but right now we have a fight. Adam is throwing lefts and rights as Kelton does his best to block the shots.
Eve: BUT KELTON QUICKLY CHANGES POSITION AND IT IS HIS TURN TO START THROWING PUNCHES! These men want to win this match and they are willing to throw everything they’ve got at each other… LITERALLY!
Deadprez: Kelton getting some good shots in this exchange, but Adam is breaking free AND HE MAKES IT TO THE ROPES!! Adam gets a breather, BUT KELTON IS TRYING TO YANK HIM OFF THE ROPES, BUT ADAM KICKS HIM IN THE KNEE!
Eve: Adam is back up to his feet AND ADAM GOES FOR ANOTHER DISCUS PUNCH, BUT KELTON CAUGHT IT! Kelton catches the punch and spins him around before locking his head AND DROPPING HIM WITH THE ROLLING CUTTER!
Deadprez: Adam’s face once again meets the mat as Kelton rolls Adam back over and hooks his leg for another cover!
ONNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEE!
TWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOO!
THHHHHHHHHRRRRRRREEEEE—
Gavin Kirkland: ADAM POWERS OUT AT TWO! Broken or bruised, neither one is willing to give the other any extra advantage in this match. If Jon Kelton wants to win this match, he is going to have to make Adam fall… FOR GOOD!
Deadprez: Kelton is completely fine with that. Kelton wants to make a statement and if it means beating up Adam Lucas within an inch of his life, then he is going to do that. No questions asked.
Gavin Kirkland: Adam is still down and Kelton decides to change things up and leave his ground attack. Kelton climbs all the way up to the top rope! Kelton is perched and ready for Adam to get to his feet so he can hopefully hit a high impact move.
Eve: Adam is back up to his feet and he turns around in just enough time TO WATCH KELTON FLY FROM THE TOP ROPE! KELTON WAS LOOKING FOR THAT CROSSBODY AND I THINK HE GOT IT ALL–
Gavin Kirkland: NOT SO FAST THERE, EVE! ADAM ROLLED THROUGH! ADAM MANAGED TO ROLL THROUGH THE CROSSBODY AND HE IS ALSO BACK ON HIS FEET! ADAM HAS A HOLD OF KELTON AND ADAM PUTS HIM ON HIS SHOULDER!
Eve: Adam now runs full speed towards the corner and SENDS HIM BACK FIRST INTO THE CORNER, BUT HE ISN’T DONE! ADAM STILL HAS HOLD OF KELTON AND HE RAMS HIM INTO THE CORNER AGAIN! ADAM TAKES HIM BACK AND HE DOES IT A THIRD TIME!
Deadprez: What power being shown by Adam Lucas as he still has Jon on his shoulder, but now he wraps his feet around the turnbuckle and he has Jon in the proverbial Tree of Woe position. This can’t be good.
Gavin Kirkland: It can’t be good and it won’t be good, Prezzy. Adam walks all the way over to the opposite corner before running full speed back to Kelton AND KELTON IS MET WITH A BASEMENT DROPKICK RIGHT TO THE FACE! AT THAT SPEED HE LOOKED ALMOST LIKE A TORPEDO OR SOMETHING!
Deadprez: Did you see the way his neck snapped back on impact? That’s exactly what Adam wanted to do is to cause more damage to the head and neck area as Jon Kelton’s feet get free from the turnbuckles and he flips backwards out of the corner and crashes to the mat. Adam rolls him over and goes for the cover!
ONNNNNNNNNEEEEEEE!
TWWWWWWOOOOOOOO!
THHHHRRRRRREEEEEEE!
Eve: ANOTHER NEAR FALL FOR ADAM LUCAS AS JON KELTON KICKS OUT AT TWO! Kelton might be a little woozy from that dropkick but he still has the awareness to get that shoulder up. That is the strong instinct of a veteran competitor.
Gavin Kirkland: Adam is keeping his cool and composure as he lifts Kelton back up to his feet and whips him to the ropes. Adam was expecting the rebound as he goes for a dropkick, BUT KELTON HELD ONTO THE ROPES AND ADAM CRASHES AND BURNS ONTO THE MAT!
Deadprez: Jon sees this as a golden opportunity as he JUMPS ONTO THE SECOND ROPE AND LANDS THE LIONSAULT RIGHT ACROSS ADAM’S LOWER BACK! Kelton wasn’t going for the victory there. He was going for maximum damage.
Eve: That has been the name of the game since the opening bell. These two have had two different styles to reach the final round. Adam with his power and determination and Jon with his cunning and opportunistic attitude. Both admirable and both successful. Now it’s all or nothing. Leave nothing to chance.
Deadprez: Adam is holding his lower back after that lionsault and Kelton quickly brings him back to his feet and whips him into the corner. No time wasted time as KELTON CRASHES BACK FIRST AGAINST ADAM IN THE CORNER!
Gavin Kirkland: Adam drops and he is sitting in the corner and it’s Kelton’s turn to run full speed into the corner AND KELTON CRASHES AGAINST ADAM WITH THAT METEORA IN THE CORNER! BOTH KNEES RIGHT INTO THE FACE! ADAM HAS A GLAZED LOOK IN HIS EYES AS KELTON GOES FOR THE COVER!
ONNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEE!
TWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOO!
THHHHHRRRRRREEEEEEEE!
Eve: THIS MATCH IS NOT OVER YET! ADAM GETS THE SHOULDER UP RIGHT BEFORE THE REF COUNTED THREE! WE WERE ALMOST A SECOND AWAY FROM JON KELTON ADVANCING TO THE FINALS!
(The camera cuts to Drake and Bronson as Drake makes a gesture that Jon Kelton was so close to winning the match.)
Drake King: (off-mic) Kelton, you were so close.
(Kelton heard that remake and he walks over to the ropes to tell Drake King off.)
Jon Kelton: (off-mic) Sit down and shut up. That’s going to be you next week when I become King.
Gavin Kirkland: Was Drake King just throwing up obscene gestures at our Showdown Elitists. That was completely uncalled for. He is a guest on Showdown and he should be respectful.
Deadprez: No, he didn’t. It’s Drake King. I don’t think he knows how to be obscene. His idea of talking dirty is telling somebody to sweep the floor. Anyways, Kelton was distracted for that moment in time giving Adam time to recover–
Gavin Kirkland: ADAM COMES UP FROM BEHIND WITH THE WAISTLOCK AS HE LOOKS TO TAKE KELTON DOWN WITH A GERMAN SUPLEX, BUT KELTON LANDS BEHIND ADAM AND GRABS HIS HEAD! KELTON LOOKING TO DRIVE ADAM DOWN WITH THE AVADA KEDAVRA–
Deadprez: BUT ADAM GETS FREE AND GETS BEHIND KELTON ONCE AGAIN AND GETS THE WAISTLOCK AGAIN! THIS TIME THE GERMAN SUPLEX WORKS AND KELTON’S HEAD IS DRIVEN INTO THE MAT AS ADAM BRIDGES UP FOR THE COVER!
ONNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEE!
TWWWWWWWOOOOOOO!
THHHHHHHHREEEEEEEEE!
Eve: KELTON ROLLS THE SHOULDER UP! HOLY GUACAMOLE THIS MATCH HAS BEEN AMAZING! Both men have taken tremendous damage in this match and are still finding the strength and grit to keep fighting.
Gavin Kirkland: Adam gets back up to his feet and goes back onto the apron.
Adam Lucas: (off-mic) Make sure you two keep watching.
Bronson Daniel: (off-mic) Oh we’re watching to make sure what NOT to do.
(Adam rolls his eyes after that remark and goes back to watching Jon.)
Eve: A few words being exchanged between Adam and Bronson. Adam is waiting for Jon to get back to his feet. It was slow, but Jon is back up AS ADAM SPRINGS UP TO THE TOP ROPE AND LOOKS FOR THE SPRINGBOARD FOREARM–
Deadprez: KELTON DUCKS AWAY AT THE LAST SECOND TO AVOID THE FOREARM, BUT ADAM LANDS ON HIS FEET! KELTON COMES RUNNING AT FULL SPEED TO ADAM! ADAM THROWS A CLOTHESLINE, BUT KELTON DUCKS IT!
Eve: NOT ONLY DOES HE DUCK IT, HE GRABBED THE ARM TO FLOAT OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE AND IN THE SAME MOTION, GRABS ADAM’S HEAD AND DRIVES IT INTO THE MAT! THERE’S THE AVADA KADAVRA THAT KELTON WAS LOOKING FOR EARLIER!Gavin Kirkland: Only this time, he hits the Headlock Driver and Adam Lucas is not moving. Kelton rolls Adam and hooks the leg. Could this be it? Is Jon Kelton advancing to King of Elite?
ONNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEE!
TWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOO!
THHHHHHHHHHRRRRRREEEEE!
Deadprez: HE GOT I- NO! NO HE DID NOT! THE REFEREE IS SAYING THAT ADAM BARELY AND THEY MEAN BARELY GOT THE SHOULDER UP! KELTON IS A LITTLE SHOCKED THAT ADAM IS STILL IN THIS MATCH!
Gavin Kirkland: But Kelton isn’t too worried as Adam is barely moving and Kelton goes right back to the corner and crouches down. This can only mean one thing! We might be about to witness the Final Atonement of Adam Lucas.
Eve: We very well might be. If Jon hits this spear, this match is all but over. Kelton is calling for him. He is calling for Adam to get back to his feet to finish this match. Adam has got to be feeling the effects of the driver still as he is looking groggy.
Deadprez: Groggy indeed, but Adam is slowly making it back to his feet. There we go! Adam is back up and standing AND HERE COMES JON KELTON! HERE COMES THE FINAL ATONEMENT SPEAR! THIS IS OVE–
Gavin Kirkland: HOLY [BLEEP]! Sorry about that, BUT ADAM CAUGHT THE FINAL ATONEMENT AND COUNTERED INTO ICONIC! THERE’S THAT TRIANGLE CHOKE WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS MATCH! THIS IS THE SUBMISSION THAT HELPED ADAM LUCAS ADVANCE TO THE SEMIFINALS!
Deadprez: Will that Triangle choke be the final call two times in a row for Adam Lucas. Adam has that submission tight.
Eve: But Jon is still fighting it. He’s trying to do whatever he can to get free because he knows if he submits, this match is over.
Gavin Kirkland: LOOK AT ADAM! THIS IS ALMOST DEJA VU OF LAST WEEK! ADAM IS KICKING THE BACK OF JON’S NECK WITH THE HEEL OF HIS BOOT!
Eve: The referee is right there to check and see if Jon will submit, but those kicks are starting to make this look very dangerous.
Drake King: (off-mic) Need someone to throw in the towel?
Deadprez: That’s uncalled for but of course he’s going to reference how last week’s match ended when the towel was thrown in.
Gavin Kirkland: BUT LOOK AT JON! HE IS STILL PUTTING UP A HECK OF A FIGHT! AS LONG AS HE HAS A SAY, JON WILL NOT TAP OUT!
Deadprez: Unfortunately, Jon is nowhere near close enough for a rope break and he looks to be fading. Is this it? Is Jon going to pass out?
Gavin Kirkland: NO! LOOK! HE’S DOING MORE THAN JUST FIGHTING BACK! HE HAS SOMEHOW MADE IT BACK TO HIS FEET! THIS IS INCREDIBLE! I MEAN THIS IS HARD TO BELIEVE!
Eve: ADAM IS STILL KICKING THE BACK OF HIS NECK, BUT JON HAS TAPPED INTO SOME HIDDEN ENERGY! HE IS STARTING TO ACTUALLY LIFT ADAM UP!
Deadprez: ADAM IS TRYING TO FIGHT IT WHILE STILL HAVING THE ICONIC LOCKED IN BUT HE IS UP! WHAT POWER BY JON KELTON RIGHT NOW ON DISPLAY!
Eve: I think Adam realizes he’s about to be in a world of trouble as Kelton gets him in the air a little more before DROPPING HIM DOWN WITH A SPINE RATTLING POWERBOMB!
Deadprez: BUT KELTON DOESN’T LET HIM GO! Adam is rattled but Jon Kelton is still showing that amazing power as he picks Adam Lucas back up AND DROPS HIM DOWN WITH ANOTHER POWERBOMB! THAT POWERBOMB GETS LUCAS TO LET THE TRIANGLE CHOKE GO!
Gavin Kirkland: LOOK, PREZZY! KELTON WILL STILL NOT LET ADAM GO! HE IS PICKING HIM AGAIN! ADAM IS BACK UP IN THE AIR ONCE AGAIN AND JON KELTON DROPS HIM DOWN AGAIN WITH A THIRD POWERBOMB! TRIPLE POWERBOMB COMBO BY JON KELTON AS HE STACKS ADAM UP FOR THE COVER!
ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEE!
TWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOO!
THHHHHHHHRRRRREEEEEEEE!!
Deadprez: HE KICKED OUT! ADAM LUCAS KICKED OUT! OH MY GAWD! I THOUGHT IT WAS OVER AND EVEN JON KELTON THOUGHT THE MATCH WAS OVER, BUT ADAM LUCAS IS STILL IN THIS MATCH AND I DON’T THINK ANYBODY CAN BELIEVE IT!
Crowd: THIS IS AWESOME! *clap clap clap clap clap* THIS IS AWESOME! *clap clap clap clap clap*
Eve: This match is still going on and the crowd is absolutely loving this match. Like or hate these two competitors, they are putting on an amazing match tonight.
(The camera cuts back to Drake and Bronson and even they can’t keep the look of surprise off their faces… no matter how subtle.)
Deadprez: I agree, Eve. This has been a very amazing matchup on Showdown. Jon can’t believe Adam is still in this match. Either way, Jon brings Adam back to his feet.
Eve: Jon looks to whip Adam into the ropes, BUT ADAM MANAGES TO REVERSE! WAIT! KELTON REVERSES BACK! It’s Adam who is sent for a ride to the ropes as Adam rebounds.
Gavin Kirkland: LEAPFROG MOVE BY KELTON AS HE JUMPS OVER ADAM! BUT ADAM STOPS IN HIS TRACKS AND HE IS RIGHT BEHIND KELTON! Adam grabs Kelton’s waist and he tries to lift Kelton into the German Suplex, BUT KELTON IS FIGHTING IT!
Eve: Kelton with some elbows to the side of the head frees him from the German Suplex attempt. Kelton turns around and a kick to the midsection doubles Adam over and he grabs his head. Kelton swings around as he looks to plant Adam with the Twist of Fate.
Deadprez: ADAM ROLLS OUT OF THE TWIST OF FATE! Adam catches Kelton with a kick and he hits the ropes. Adam comes off the ropes and HE RUNS RIGHT INTO THAT KNEE STRIKE FROM JON KELTON! RIGHT ON THE JAW! THAT HAD TO LOOSEN SOME TEETH!
Gavin Kirkland: ADAM IS STAGGERED AS KELTON COMES OFF THE ROPES AT FULL SPEED! HE LEAVES HIS FEET AS HE GOES FOR “HAKAI”! THE SPINNING HEEL KICK ON THE WAY!
Eve: LEVEL UP! POP UP POWERBOMB OUT OF NOWHERE! WHAT A COUNTER BY ADAM LUCAS! KELTON DID NOT SEE THAT ONE COMING AT ALL! JON KELTON IS DOWN AND HE MIGHT POSSIBLY BE OUT!
Deadprez: DID YOU SEE THE WAY ADAM COUNTERED? ADAM WAITED UNTIL KELTON LEFT HIS FEET FOR THE KICK BEFORE DUCKING ONE LEG AND TOSSING KELTON IN THE AIR AND HITTING THE POWERBOMB! ADAM LOOKS TO BE COMPLETELY OUT OF ENERGY AS HE FALLS RIGHT DOWN INTO THE COVER! HE BARELY MANAGES TO HOOK THE LEG!
ONNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEE!
TWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOO!
THHHHHHHHHRRRRREEEEEE!
(DING! DING! DING!)
(“You Know My Name” starts playing again as Adam slowly gets off of Jon and sits on the mat for a second to catch his breath.)
Gina Romano: Ladies and gentlemen, here is your winner, and your SHOWDOWN FINALIST FOR THE KING OF ELITE TOURNAMENT… ADAM LUCAS!!
Deadprez: What a match we witnessed here tonight. The heart. The fire. The desire that these two men showed all for the sake of advancing to the King of Elite Finals.
Eve: You better believe it. Adam and Jon put it all on the line in this match for the opportunity to be called King of Elite. They fought tooth and nail this entire match, but it was “The Next Level” who took it to the next level in order to win this match.
(Adam has slowly made it back to his feet and the referee is right there to raise his arm in victory as the crowd cheers for this hardworking competitor.)
Gavin Kirkland: This entire tournament, Adam Lucas has shown that his tenacity and fighting spirit was able to pull him through all the way to the finals. Even though at the beginning, the odds were horribly stacked against him.
Eve: Even looking blatant biases in the face did not stop Adam Lucas from working his way through the rounds to reach this moment. Congratulations to Adam Lucas.
Deadprez: With this win, Adam Lucas finds himself in his second as well as back to back King of Elite finals. He just missed out on the crown last year, but this year, he is once again a very viable threat to take it all.
(Adam can’t keep the smile off of his face as he starts to celebrate before exiting the ring. The camera then cuts backstage to GM Kennedy Street’s office and Kennedy does NOT look happy at all. She pinches the bridge of her to control her temper and not let out a scream as the camera returns to Adam celebrating.)
Eve: You can tell from the look on our GM’s that this is NOT the result that she wanted to happen. This thing has been brewing between Adam and Kennedy for a long time and now the one person she didn’t want to win is representing HER brand in the King of Elite finals.
Gavin Kirkland: Personal issues aside, to compete against Drake and Bronson, Adam Lucas is a very good choice to have representing the Blue Brand. Heck, ANY of the competitors in the Showdown bracket would have been a good choice.
(Bronson and Drake are watching Adam celebrate and they now know that he will be the third man in the match. Jon is now starting to come around as he slowly rolls over to the side of the ring and the referee helps him out.)
Eve: You gotta give it up to Jon Kelton. He has stepped up his game so much since King of Elite last year. He went from being eliminated in last year’s first round to just missing out on the finals by just a hair.
Gavin Kirland: He honestly shouldn’t feel bad at all. He worked his heart out and left it all in the ring. He might not have won, but he showed that he is most definitely a person to watch out for in the future.
Deadprez: Ladies and gentlemen, we once again offer our congratulations to Adam Lucas and our King of Elite finals are set. Adam Lucas from Showdown will take on Drake King from Voltage and Bronson Daniels from Dynasty to determine the 2023 King of Elite. The whole event is shaping up to be a miraculous and possibly historic event. Unfortunately, we are almost out of time for tonight. For Gavin Kirkland and Eve, I am Deadprez. Good night everyone and we will see you at King of Elite.
(The final shot shows Bronson and Drake looking up at Adam, who has stopped halfway up the entrance ramp in the midst of his celebration. Adam looks down at Bronson and Drake as well knowing that these are his two opponents in the King of Elite finals. The trio lock eyes knowing that one of them will win it all before Adam goes back to celebrating as the scene fades to black.)
(EAW Logo Buzzes…)
