Post by Steven Brody, CEO on May 6, 2018 14:24:51 GMT -8
Prior to the show's "Scream" intro, the telltale sign of static serving as the opening shot starts off the video segment. After the static, the camera slowly closes in on a figure sitting in a chair under a dim, green light. An exerpt from Godspeed You Black Emperor's "The Sad Mafioso" serves as the background music for the scene. As the angle draws closer, we hear the voice of Vincent Stone. Low and grim in his words....
“I wasn’t always successful. I wasn’t always...noticed. Most people in this business start as fodder....”
A grainy black and white series of clips shows Stone in his beginner days of wrestling. An eighteen year old jobber in generic gear getting powerbombed to hell by Baphomet. Receiving the Art of Ruin by Andrew Payne. Taking a Slapshot from Max LeBrun. The shot cuts back to zooming in on Stone in the chair.
“I’ve been beaten by...jokes...in this business....”
Another grainy shot of Stone shows him being pinned by Weasel Man. He immediately sits up with a confused, dejected look on his face.
Tenay: “Are you kidding me?!”
Lawler: “HAH! That was hilarious!”
Tenay: “I can’t believe it and neither can Stone!”
Cut back to Stone in his chair.
“But I rose up...I persevered...I moved on....”
A clip of Stone shows him walking down a long ramp, hardened eyes. We cut to him in the ring for the same match.
“Kangei shite kudasai...VINCENT...STOOOOONE!!!!”
A series of quick cuts shows Stone dominating overseas. Stiff kicks and technical rolls.
In his chair, Stone chuckles darkly. “I thought my idols would get me where I wanted to be.”
In another grainy shot, Keiji Mutoh enters the ring to congratulate an exhausted Stone clutching a championship belt. Stone bows low to the legend. Mutoh raises Stone’s arm to the delight of the crowd and points to him.
“But that only got me so far....” Stone’s narration continues. “When I came to the New Frontier...I realized that I was still that lost little boy...a child without guidance....”
Next, we see Stone’s scattered defeats from the opening weeks of his time in the current N*FW.
“But then...*she*...found me....”
Another grainy shot shows the first meeting between he and Rosemary. The latter leaning over the stereo system. “Hi, sweetie!”
Stone rolling his eyes in the shot. “What the hell do you want, Rosemary?”
Stone’s narration continues.
“Like most children...I didn’t always want to listen. I thought I knew better....”
Cut again to a grainy recap of the time Rosemary introduced the idea of selling merchandise to him. She hops up onto the table next to him and tries to look at his phone. “What are we laughing at?” He steps away from her.
“But I realized...like all children eventually do...that mother knows best....”
Hard, grainy cut to Stone’s first downfall when he snapped and struck Adam Cole, followed by handcuffing and savagely beating him.
“She knows what’s best...for me....”
Intercutting shots of his matches with Colt Shields, Connor K and Ryan Steele. The brutality of all three, all ending with his new Disasterpiece finisher.
“She keeps away the distractions....”
Cut to recaps of Rosemary delivering the Red Wedding to Erin Mercer one week and tagging her with a cattle prod the week after. Stone gives an unhinged laugh in his narration. “It’s like a wise man once said....”
We cut to a recap of Stone’s bloodied face grinning at the camera as Rosemary kneels behind him and strokes his freshly, mangled, buzzed head lovingly. With it, an audio clip of Hollywood Actor, Anthony Perkins is heard.
“A boy’s best friend is his mother....”
“And like all good boys...I just wanna make mother proud.”
We finally cut back to Stone, sitting in the chair under the green light. Only this time, he’s looking directly at us through the camera with those yellow eyes.
“That’s why I’m going to show her how much I’ve learned from her. That’s why I’m declaring myself an entrant in the World Championship Tournament! And if there isn’t a spot open for me...? Rest assured...I will MAKE ONE!!”
Stone starts to laugh. It echoes at first then becomes eerily distorted. His laugh then becomes intermixed with that of Rosemary’s before the Mother of the Hive’s face flashes across the screen with a demonic shriek and the shot cuts to static again.
Suddenly the angle changes to show the static coming from a TV screen in a locker room. Panning back, we see a distraught Erin Mercer watching the video, trying to contain herself. She doesn’t. Instead, she loses her cool and starts throwing around everything she can pick up around the locker room. Flipping benches, kicking lockers and finally shoving the television over so that it shatters on the floor. “Mother-FUUUUUUUCK!!!!!” She screams before storming out of the locker room as we fade to black....
Cut to the intro of the show and the pyro show on the stage.
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Mia Hayashi defeated Kid Cthulu by pinfall in 17:10 after giving her The Dead Scream (Destino).
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The crowd erupted into a chorus off boos as the opening strains of Danzig's "Circle of Snakes" began to play, signalling the arrival of Abaddon and his followers. Black & white paint covering his face, he extended his arms outward, as Tyler Grey and Chris Wolfe walked out to flank him on either side, their faces painted in a similar fashion to his. Behind them all walked the gargantuan TV Champion, the undefeated Belphegor. Decked out in black and red ring gear with his bearded face painted to look almost demonic, his championship belt looked more like a toy slung across his massive shoulder.
Stepping out from behind Belphegor and coming into view of the crowd, the female addition of the Circle, Apocalypta, face painted while being dressed in leather pants that hugged every inch from the waist down and a cropped Circle of Snakes shirt and one of her own beanie caps over her head, came to stand with the four; her title held in one hand at her side.
Casting an eerie, white glare upon the crowd, she joins Belphegor, Grey and Wolfe in following Abaddon to the ring. She even slithers in under the bottom rope with a sense of agility that most often forget she has given her strong yet still effeminate physique.
Hilariously, the final person to walk out was the "intern" of the group, if you will, Mia Hayashi. Shaking her head in seeming embarrassment of the group's theatrics, she muttered to herself and placed her palm over her face before following Apocalypta into the ring, this week dressed in what appeared to be the costume of Scarlet Witch, from the Avengers movies.
Once the entire group was standing in the ring, Abbadon took the microphone.
"Week after week... The Circle of Snakes arrives, conquers, and leaves ruin in their wake. Were it not so satisfying... it would be almost boring by this point. Nobody can defeat us. Even a fluke, like Shelley Silver's victory over our dear Apocalypta last week, will not go unavenged. There is no room for anything but the future in this ring. And The Circle *is* the future. We do not rely on the reputation of others, or on ghosts of the past, to guide us. No, with my guidance, these acolytes of mine will blaze their own trail through this promotion, and will not stop until we have made it our own."
As the crowd attempted to drown out the words with their boos, Apocalypta lifted a second mic to her mouth. “SHUT UP!!!!” Surprisingly, it did it’s job to silence the crowd. The woman’s shriek sounding not unlike something one might hear in a female metal band.
Clearly steaming after last week’s loss, Apocalypta circled the ring around her brothers and master. Her more unhinged side beginning to show. “Shelley!” She says, finally, turning towards the stage, addressing the woman backstage. “Congratulations....”
Hanson: “...What?”
Reynolds: “The hell does she mean—?”
“Congratulations, Shelley!” Apocalypta continues. “You helped me find what I was looking for here. You showed me that my search for what I crave the most wasn’t in vain in this company. I thought it was, at first...” She extends her other arm out, clutching her title. “Let’s face it! Any other woman in that locker room, isn’t a match for me! Angel...I made an example of my first week here. The following week, I went through the ENTIRE—DIVISION and ever since then THIS—“ she raises her title, “—has been mine!”
She lowers the belt. “Moving on to more specifics: I called Kid Cthulhu’s bluff. She’s no ancient god...she’s no monster...just a little girl in a mask. And then there’s her...your little friend Lara. Each time she’s stepped into the ring with me I have broken her. I...have...*crushed* her!” She leans against the ropes again, giving an eerie smile. “But then you came along...and you awoke something in me. You made me feel something last week that I didn’t think anyone on the roster could. You made me feel *alive* Shelley!” She lowers the mic away from her mouth. Her shoulders shaking as she gives an inaudible laugh.
“I owe you. I need to return the favor, ‘Shells’.” She addresses Silver by her nickname; voice thick with sarcasm. “That’s why you’re in my sights now. I’m coming for *you*! As for Lara?” She grins, pointing to Mia with her championship hand before stepping over to hang the arm around the smaller girl’s shoulders. “My little mouse can handle that. I know she’s capable....” In another suggestive, uncomfortable display, Apocalypta turns towards Mia, grinning and leaning in to brush her nose across the woman’s cheek...before flicking her tongue out on the girl’s face as well.
Regardless of Mia’s reaction, Apocalypta turns towards the stage again. “I’m gonna make sure that I crush you within an inch of your last breath, Silver...and then...you can lie there in a broken heap and watch as little baby Lara gets ripped apart...with no one to come to her aid. And when all’s said and done...the Circle will rise...and the Blackheart legacy...will...BUUUURRRNN!!!”
Mia flailed a little when Apocalypta licked her, to the laughter of the crowd. "Oh my GOD you weirdo! You are creepier than a level four sex offender with a rickety white van anymore!!!" Giving an adorably aggravated look, she shook her head and looked back at the crowd. "We're all tired of you, Lara. You're only 19 years old, and we're already TIRED of you. So you're the daughter of a "legend". Oh god, enough with that! He was washed up and irrelevant by the time he carked it, and if he was still alive? Nobody would give two shits about you, babe." The crowd "ooo"ed there, as Mia smirked at Lara Chastain, who was once again in the front row. "And speaking of washed up... check it out. Mommy Blackheart, trying to make herself mildly relevant again. Honey, that ship sailed fifteen years and two facelifts ago. In fact, even before that, the only noteworthy things you ever did were have sex on camera and pop that little brat out of your clearly well-used cootch."
Annnnnd that did it. After spending weeks watching her daughter be beaten up and her late husband disrespected, Lara Chastain scowled, and climbed over the guardrail. The crowd cheered loudly as she walked into the ring, and got right into Mia's face.
"I don't know who the hell you think you are... my husband trained you, fed you, gave you a place to stay... and this is how you show gratitude? Really, Mia? You're proud of the way you're acting? Well.... Vlad obviously can't be here to defend himself. So let me do it for him." And with that, she wound back and slapped Mia, hard, across the face.
However... that's where absolute mayhem would break loose. The moment Lara slapped Mia, Abbadon stepped between them, instantly grabbing a handful of the older woman's hair.
Hanson: “WHAT’S HE DOING?! LET HER GO, RIGHT NOW!”
Reynolds: “SHE’S RETIRED! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING THROUGH HIS HEAD!! DON’T YOU DARE! DON’T YOU D—“
Sneering at her, the leader of The Circle said nothing.... but then shocked and immediately silenced the crowd by harshly headbutting her, the sick sound of their skulls colliding almost as shocking as the sight of the widow of an NFW legend crumbling to the mat with blood spilling from her forehead.
Reynolds: “YOU SON OF A BITCH!!”
Hanson: “OH MY GOD!!”
Before anything else could happen, the locker room literally poured out to the ring, some of the wrestlers and officials running to look after Lara, while others made a show of getting between the victim and The Circle, making sure they couldn't inflict any more damage.
Hanson: “I CAN’T BELIEVE WHAT WE JUST WITNESSED!”
Reynolds: “THAT MOTHERF—“
We hear the rustling of Jim Reynolds’ headset as he rips it off his head and rushes into the ring to lend a hand with the mass of staff and talent in keeping the Circle back.
As the paramedics carefully put the woman onto a stretcher, Lara Blackheart knelt beside her, tears spilling down her cheeks, as Shelley Silver first attempted to dive over the wrestlers in the ring to get to Abbadon, then finally rushing to her friend's side once that proved futile. With absolute DEATH in her eyes, Lara walked up the aisle beside her mother's stretcher, looking like a person about to finally snap...
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Vincent Stone defeated Scott Leroux by pinfall in 22:08 after a top-rope dragon suplex. While Leroux was lifting himself up onto his hands and knees, Stone came off the ropes on one side and drove his face into the mat with the Disasterpiece, before covering him for the pinfall.
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Rosemary defeated Lara Blackheart by forefeit when Lara failed to show up to her match, due to accompanying her mother to the hospital.
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Satoru Shade III defeated El Piso Mojado by way of countout. While their match was going particularly well and had the crowd on the edges of their seats, everything was cut to an abrupt halt at 5:06 when Jackyl's "The Lumberjack" suddenly blasted throughout the ringside area. Just like the music left to be expected, Rick Dickulous' massive form came walking out onto the stage, pointed at Piso for a second time and hit the ring running. Just like before, El Piso Mojado slid out of the ring, absolutely terrified and hit the crowd running with Rick pulling a rather impressive leap over the barrier for a man his size and chased him into the backstage area.
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Candi Brodeur defeated Kennedy Campbell by submission in 14:52 with The Crippler Crossface.
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Mannheim and Pitt are talking in the parking garage of the arena*
"So, when should we tell him, tall, dark, and stupid? I mean, you know he's gonna shit himself, it's something he always wanted."
*Pitt scrunches his face and bobs his head from side to side*
"We should wait. I mean, it's not for a few weeks yet anyways, right? So, let's make it a surprise. I always loved surprises, except that one time the babysitter put peanut butter on my weiner and called the do--"
*Mannheim pushes Pitt*
"Dude. Oversharing. So, we'll make it a big surprise! Maybe I'll even get a cake specially made with some special icing."
*Mannheim winks at Pitt. Suddenly, as the two walk, a car’s headlights come on and it roars out of it’s hiding space in the entrance tunnel. It heads right for Mannheim and Pitt, but the two dive out of the way. The driver side mirror snaps off as it clips Pitt on the way by. The car continues on, Pitt looks at Mannheim, then they both look over to the car stopped fifty feet away.
The driver’s side door opens and the driver gets out - a man in blue jeans, converse sneakers and a black long sleeve shirt with a red and blue luchadore mask bearing a large red ‘R’ on the forehead. He makes no motion to apologize for nearly killing the two; rather he stands there and taps the side of his head tauntingly before turning and sprinting off down the hallway with Willy and Pitt giving chase.
Reynolds: "Who the hell was that?!"
Hanson: "I don't know, but I think those two should be calling the police instead of trying to handle it themselves!"
Reynolds: "That asshole could have killed somebody!"
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“I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT JUST FUCKIN’ HAPPENED!!”
Returning from a commercial break, the camera finds Morgan Payne in the McKeesport Mafia’s locker room. She’s not in her ring gear this evening but she’s still present to support the others. Instead, she’s wearing an old Lamb of God tee, knee high leather boots with thigh high leggings, and a black mini-skirt.
Morgan paces back and forth; a burning Marlboro in one hand and a bottle of Sam Adam’s in the other. She sips and drags on her two stress relievers as her father Andrew Payne comes into the frame. “Morgan....” It looks as if he’s about to start reprimanding her for her current behavior but, seemingly knowing it’s pointless, he shakes his head. Morgan even stares at him, sipping her beer in wait. “Look, that out there...? I’m pissed off, too, alright? But I know you better than anyone else. Do NOT do anything stupid!”
“The fuck ya talkin’ ‘bout, Willis?” Morgan asks, huffing out some cigarette smoke.
"He's saying don't go charging in trying to kick Abbadon's ass, dipshit." Marissa said as she walked into the frame, clearly shaken up. "And I agree with him. Until we know if Ms. Chastain's gonna press charges or anything, we can't do anything. Fuck.... I can't believe that just happened. And the look on Lara's face afterward scared the shit out of me. That wasn't grief, or sadness.... that was MURDER."
“Shit, I don’t blame her.” Morgan said with raised eyebrows. “I mean, they’ve been fuckin’ wit ‘er week after week. Not to mention, obviously Mia, but fuckin’ Adrianna too? The hell happened there?”
Morgan plops down into a chair and huffs, taking a swig of her beer. I don’t know too much ‘bout Mia but seeing Adrianna pull shit like this? Hearing that shit come outta ‘er mouth? This fuckin’ hurts. I know Lara’s got the worst of it, though. Fuck, Shrimp just had two best friends turn their backs on ‘er and watched her Ma get ‘cahted’ off on a gurney. But y’know? Much as I’d like t’get my hands on ‘em, I say Auntie Chas should press ‘chahges’. Maybe that’ll teach ‘em not to fuck with people. Ruin their careers an’ shit.”
Just as Morgan finished though, Marissa's cell phone made a pinging noise. Looking at it, the redhead's eyes went immediately wide. "Ohhhhhhhhhh, balls." She looked up, back to Morgan, clearly stunned. "Um... Mor? I don't think we're gonna have to worry about retaliating. In fact, I think it might be time to start worrying about covering our OWN asses..."
She turned the phone so that Morgan (and the camera) could see it. On it was a text from Lara Blackheart: "Fuck these jerks. I'm done. Fuck everything... nuclear solution engaged."
Morgan’s face went completely pale as she looked at the screen. The Punisher’s daughter shaking her head in disbelief. “Nah...nah no way. Is she fuckin’ nuts?! This whole company’s gonna be up the crick wit’out a paddle!”
“What are you girls...?” Andy steps in and takes Marissa’s phone from her to read the message. A mixture of concern yet grim understanding comes over his face as he hands the phone back to his niece. “It’s like that, huh?” Morgan, looking more scared than anything looks up at her dad. “Pop...what are *we* gonna do?”
The Punisher pinches the bridge of his nose. “Jesus.... What *can* we do?” He sighs and pulls out his phone. “Alright. You two, don’t worry about it. Mari; you keep your head in the game. You got a big match tonight, kiddo.” He kisses his niece’s forehead and hugs her. “And you.” He turns to his daughter. “You either stick by her—“ he points to Marissa, “—or you stay back here. Do NOT pull anything on the Snakes. Better yet, stay away from them. As far as you can. I gotta call your dad.” He says the last line to Marissa as he dials and puts the phone to his ear. “I’m gonna go find Shelton. If he comes in here while I’m out, keep him here until I get back.”
As Andy walks out of the locker room, we hear him on the phone. “D! Hey, brother. We got a fucking problem.” His voice trails off as he leaves the locker room with Morgan looking at Marissa. “Are we gonna be ‘arright’, sis?”
"If that message means what I think it means?" Marissa said, whistling nervously as she looked one last time at that message on her phone. "All I can think is that first? The Circle finally pushed that girl too damn far.... and by doing it, they mighta fucked ALL of us."
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Lamb of God's "Desolation" began to play over the soundsystem, announcing the entrance of Marissa Payne. However, rather than her usual energetic and frantic entrance, the tall redhead just walked to the ring, still looking a bit shaken up from earlier.
Grabbing the mic before sliding into the ring, she leaned against the ropes and ran a hand through her hair.
"Jesus... fucking.... CHRIST." She began, eyes wide as she shook her head. "Abaddon.... you dumb son of a bitch. You seriously have no idea what you've done. You think this is some kind of game? Messing with Lara, humiliating her, making her life hell? We promised her we'd stay out of it. And we have. But dammit.... you really fucked ALL of us this week. You may not know what I'm talking about.... but from the message Lara sent me earlier? Trust me... you pushed that girl too damn far this time. And now we're ALL going to pay for it."
She pointed to the back, trying to keep her calm. It was clearly hard for her, especially having just watched the mother of one of her best friends assaulted.
"So... here's where I find a loophole. Lara honey... I promised you I wouldn't get involved. And I'm not. PHYSICALLY, at least. But I gotta do something. If not for you, than for your mom. Shelley Silver? You are probably the toughest bitch I've ever seen. And you've had Lara's back through all of this. And tonight, you and I are supposed to beat the shit out of each other, with the winner taking on Apocalypta for the Women's Title in three weeks at Reckoning Day. And you know what? Whichever one of us wins... we're gonna end up a lot worse for wear. And that shit ain't gonna fly if either of us is gonna have a chance with that nutbag. So, Shelley?"
She grabbed the referee, pulling him to her and whispering something in his ear, causing him to run to ringside.
"Here's my way of helping. I forfeit. Now go to Reckoning Day, and kick... that.... bitch's... ASS."
Reynolds: "Wait, WHAT?! We're not gonna have a #1 contender's match?!"
Hanson: "Guess not, Jimmy! But we *DO* have a #1 contender for the NFW Women's Championship and her name is SHELLEY...SILVER!!"
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With Adelita’s Way’s “Bad Reputation” playing in the background, the camera finds Adam Cole in the backstage area. Already in his gear, an ‘Adam Cole Bay-Bay’ t-shirt, and the Silver Mountain Championshio slung over his shoulder, he smiles smugly at the camera.
“Hello, boys and girls. Welcome to another edition of story time with your Silver Mountain Champion, Adam Cole...bay-bay.” He winks and cracks his gum between his teeth. “Tonight, your defending champ puts his coveted prize against another delusional soul by the name of, none other than, Shelton Benjamin. Ya see, Shelton, this is one of those stories of a guy like you trying to remain relevant by taking on the hottest athlete in this business. That makes the ending predictable. As much as you cling onto your fame, you think you can go toe to toe with me. I am the *best* these people have ever seen. I am the *greatest* wrestler, ever to set foot inside a wrestling ring. You? People forgot who you were until you decided to show up with the rest of the old dad bods that are looking for a way to make sure the fans don’t forget their irrelevant names. Just like those two crackpots who brought in that bumbling idiot in half a Sailor Moon. Not gonna mention any names —“ He coughs “—Rick Fucking Dickulous.”
“So, I’m gonna do you a favor. Since, I see you and your crew are dealing with escaped residents of the nuthouse, I’m giving you full permission to not show up for our match, tonight. I completely understand. After all, I’m sure you guys need all the manpower you can get against those freaks. So do your fans a favor, do *yourself* a favor...hang back here while I go out and show everyone what a true champion looks like. Because, mark my words, if you walk out there, thinking that you can beat me and take this—“ He nods towards and pats the title belt on his shoulder, “—you’re gonna get a sore reminder of why it is I have this belt. Because I can go against anybody, anywhere and anytime! Nobody matches up to me and this title isn’t-going-*anywhere*!”
Smirking, he lifts the title off of his shoulder and raises his fingers in the form of a gun as the shot fades out.
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Despite Adam Cole's jeering and teasing at Shelton Benjamin being among the "older" talent, the veteran absolutely took it to the champion in their match. Cole was practically eating his words as Benjamin proved that he could still move around the ring like he did in his twenties. Cole barely made it out of numerous close calls with a variety of Shelton Benjamin's various finishing moves, Cole was eventually shaken up with his opponent smirking and tapping his temple, knowing he was getting into his head.
Things took a sudden turn, however, when Rick Dickulous reappeared again, making his way down the ramp.
Reynolds: "The fuck is he doing down here? He's not in this match!"
Hanson: "I have to agree with you! He's got no reason to be out here."
Faintly over the crowd, Rick could be heard, as he hopped up onto the apron, yelling to Shelton Benjamin. "YO! B-MONEY! AIN'T NO STOPPIN' ME NOOOOOOW!"
This served enough to distract Shelton Benjamin as Rick started dancing and gyrating at ring side. The competitor mouthing "what the fuck" in absolute confusion. While the referee was yelling at Rick to leave ringside, this left an opening for Adam Cole to recover to his feet and Benjamin turned around right into a stiff superkick that resonated through the crowd. It did enough to even make the referee turn around just in time to see Cole lifting Benjamin up and dropping him with the Last Shot, retaining the Silver Mountain Championship after 15:05.
After the bell, Adam Cole snatched his belt from the referee and hoisted it into the air.
"ADAM COLE, BAY-BA---" Until Rick Dickulous, who had slid back into the ring, whipped him around, kicked him in the abdomen and drilled him into the mat with the Misery Whip. Grabbing the title off the mat, Rick hoisted it up.
"SORRY NOT SORRY, BAY-BAY!!!!" The Lumberjack then played through the speakers as he tossed the championship over Cole and left the ring.
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Returning from the commercial break, we join Jim Reynolds and Nick Hanson at ringside.
Hanson: "Ladies and gentlemen, we thank you for joining us tonight, and we've had quite an emotional thrill ride this evening. We're just about set for our main event but first, we'd like to take you to Mr. Steven Brody who has a special announcement for the locker room and the fans, as well.
Cutting to inside the ring, we see Brody standing next to a small table with a microphone in his hand. On the table is something concealed underneath a red velvet cloth. A smile on his face as he looks around at the crowd.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen; and as Mr. Hanson and Reynolds said, thank you so much for joining us this evening for arguably the best professional wrestling there is to offer. Now, through the years, there have been many great competitors who have made a name for themselves as singles competitors. However, just as well, there have been numerous pairings of superstars who are known for their impeccable teamwork. The Fabulous Freebirds, the Four Horsemen, the Von Erichs and my personal favorite...the Road Warriors." He pauses, unable to contain a smirk as the crowd cheers each mention of the tag teams. "That's why, without further adue, before we give you our main event, it is my distinct pleasure to announce that starting next week will be the first of three matches. Next week, we will see the Rebel Rousers facing off against the McKeesport Mafia. The week after that, we will see the team of Tyler Grey and Chris Wolfe from the Circle of Snakes, against the Young Bucks. The winners of those matches will then go onto the following week and compete against one another at Reckoning Day. And the winner of that final match will be crowned the first ever Tag Team Champions of the New Frontier!" Brody yanks the cloth away from the table, to reveal a pair of gleaming championship belts, much to the crowd's delight.
Smiling bigger, Brody raises a hand to ask for silence. "Oh but make no mistake. This is the New Frontier of professional wrestling. So since there's only one match keeping each team away from the pay-per-view, we're gonna amp things up. Because both of these belts, you see before you here -- they're not gonna be waiting at ringside -- oh, no. They're gonna be suspended twenty feet above the ring...." The crowd begins to cheer.
Hanson: "Ohhhhh man, I know where this is going!"
Brody continues. "Because the match for the N*FW Tag Team Championships...will be a LADDER MATCH!!"
Reynolds: "FUCK YES!!!!'
Hanson: "OHHH, I CAN'T FRIGGIN' WAIT! Reckoning Day is gonna be sick!"
"NOW!" Brody continues again. "Without taking up anymore time...let's get that main event under way!"
As Brody hands the microphone off to the ring announcer, Lamb of God's "The Duke" begins to play over the speakers. As the commissioner exits the ring, the crowd pops for the challenger in the next match -- The Punisher, Andrew Payne -- as he comes walking down the ramp. He fist bumps Brody on the way by, pointing with a smirk at the belts as they're taken out of the ring.
Hanson: "Yeeeaaah, he sees those titles. He's got a shot at that ladder match when his partner returns next week!"
Reynolds: "I...cannot...fucking...wait, Nicky!"
Hanson: "Me, neither pal! But right now, Payne has something much bigger to focus on...."
Hanson says, as Samael's "Hagemony" signals the arrival of the TV Champion, Belphegor almost immediately after The Punisher makes it into the ring.
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The fight started before the match started, technically. As Belphegor was halfway down the ramp, Andrew Payne had already exited the ring and came rushing him with a vicious assault of lefts and rights, much to the crowd's delight. The referee had to follow the two up and down the crowd aisles as Andrew Payne stayed on the offensive, hitting Belphegor with everything he had. It looked, for the most part, that he had the bigger man's number, for the most part.
Hanson: "I'VE NEVER SEEN BELPHEGOR TAKE PUNISHMENT LIKE THIS FROM ANYONE! IF ANYBODY CAN TAKE THAT BELT OFF OF HIM, IT'S GOTTA BE PITTSBURGH'S OWN PUNISHER!!"
Reynolds: "I know we're supposed to stay unbiased, buddy, but after what the Circle did earlier tonight, all I have to say is...KICK HIS FUCKING ASS ANDY!!!!"
Hanson: "He's doing jiust that!!!! Look at this!!!!"
Crowd: "PU-NISH-MENT! PU-NISH-MENT! PU-NISH-MENT!"
Andrew: "COME ON, MOTHERFUCKER!! I HOPE ABADDON'S WATCHING!!!"
The vicious brawl finally made it back to ringside as Andrew Payne continued to lay into Belphegor; eventually throwing him into the ring under the bottom ropes. Here, Belphegor managed to quickly make it to his feet and ducked under an attempt at The Faded Line. As Payne came off the opposite ropes, he ran right into a savage punch to the face from the Circle's giant that knocked him to the mat. After that, the tables immediately turned and it was Belphegor on the attack, countering anything that Andrew Payne threw at him for the most part.
For a brief moment, Andrew did manage to fight back, going for the Faded Line again but Belphegor countered with a brutal spear before picking him up and finishing him off with the Ninth Circle. After an official match of about 3:45, Belphegor pinned The Punisher to retain the N*FW TV Championship.
“I wasn’t always successful. I wasn’t always...noticed. Most people in this business start as fodder....”
A grainy black and white series of clips shows Stone in his beginner days of wrestling. An eighteen year old jobber in generic gear getting powerbombed to hell by Baphomet. Receiving the Art of Ruin by Andrew Payne. Taking a Slapshot from Max LeBrun. The shot cuts back to zooming in on Stone in the chair.
“I’ve been beaten by...jokes...in this business....”
Another grainy shot of Stone shows him being pinned by Weasel Man. He immediately sits up with a confused, dejected look on his face.
Tenay: “Are you kidding me?!”
Lawler: “HAH! That was hilarious!”
Tenay: “I can’t believe it and neither can Stone!”
Cut back to Stone in his chair.
“But I rose up...I persevered...I moved on....”
A clip of Stone shows him walking down a long ramp, hardened eyes. We cut to him in the ring for the same match.
“Kangei shite kudasai...VINCENT...STOOOOONE!!!!”
A series of quick cuts shows Stone dominating overseas. Stiff kicks and technical rolls.
In his chair, Stone chuckles darkly. “I thought my idols would get me where I wanted to be.”
In another grainy shot, Keiji Mutoh enters the ring to congratulate an exhausted Stone clutching a championship belt. Stone bows low to the legend. Mutoh raises Stone’s arm to the delight of the crowd and points to him.
“But that only got me so far....” Stone’s narration continues. “When I came to the New Frontier...I realized that I was still that lost little boy...a child without guidance....”
Next, we see Stone’s scattered defeats from the opening weeks of his time in the current N*FW.
“But then...*she*...found me....”
Another grainy shot shows the first meeting between he and Rosemary. The latter leaning over the stereo system. “Hi, sweetie!”
Stone rolling his eyes in the shot. “What the hell do you want, Rosemary?”
Stone’s narration continues.
“Like most children...I didn’t always want to listen. I thought I knew better....”
Cut again to a grainy recap of the time Rosemary introduced the idea of selling merchandise to him. She hops up onto the table next to him and tries to look at his phone. “What are we laughing at?” He steps away from her.
“But I realized...like all children eventually do...that mother knows best....”
Hard, grainy cut to Stone’s first downfall when he snapped and struck Adam Cole, followed by handcuffing and savagely beating him.
“She knows what’s best...for me....”
Intercutting shots of his matches with Colt Shields, Connor K and Ryan Steele. The brutality of all three, all ending with his new Disasterpiece finisher.
“She keeps away the distractions....”
Cut to recaps of Rosemary delivering the Red Wedding to Erin Mercer one week and tagging her with a cattle prod the week after. Stone gives an unhinged laugh in his narration. “It’s like a wise man once said....”
We cut to a recap of Stone’s bloodied face grinning at the camera as Rosemary kneels behind him and strokes his freshly, mangled, buzzed head lovingly. With it, an audio clip of Hollywood Actor, Anthony Perkins is heard.
“A boy’s best friend is his mother....”
“And like all good boys...I just wanna make mother proud.”
We finally cut back to Stone, sitting in the chair under the green light. Only this time, he’s looking directly at us through the camera with those yellow eyes.
“That’s why I’m going to show her how much I’ve learned from her. That’s why I’m declaring myself an entrant in the World Championship Tournament! And if there isn’t a spot open for me...? Rest assured...I will MAKE ONE!!”
Stone starts to laugh. It echoes at first then becomes eerily distorted. His laugh then becomes intermixed with that of Rosemary’s before the Mother of the Hive’s face flashes across the screen with a demonic shriek and the shot cuts to static again.
Suddenly the angle changes to show the static coming from a TV screen in a locker room. Panning back, we see a distraught Erin Mercer watching the video, trying to contain herself. She doesn’t. Instead, she loses her cool and starts throwing around everything she can pick up around the locker room. Flipping benches, kicking lockers and finally shoving the television over so that it shatters on the floor. “Mother-FUUUUUUUCK!!!!!” She screams before storming out of the locker room as we fade to black....
Cut to the intro of the show and the pyro show on the stage.
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Mia Hayashi defeated Kid Cthulu by pinfall in 17:10 after giving her The Dead Scream (Destino).
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The crowd erupted into a chorus off boos as the opening strains of Danzig's "Circle of Snakes" began to play, signalling the arrival of Abaddon and his followers. Black & white paint covering his face, he extended his arms outward, as Tyler Grey and Chris Wolfe walked out to flank him on either side, their faces painted in a similar fashion to his. Behind them all walked the gargantuan TV Champion, the undefeated Belphegor. Decked out in black and red ring gear with his bearded face painted to look almost demonic, his championship belt looked more like a toy slung across his massive shoulder.
Stepping out from behind Belphegor and coming into view of the crowd, the female addition of the Circle, Apocalypta, face painted while being dressed in leather pants that hugged every inch from the waist down and a cropped Circle of Snakes shirt and one of her own beanie caps over her head, came to stand with the four; her title held in one hand at her side.
Casting an eerie, white glare upon the crowd, she joins Belphegor, Grey and Wolfe in following Abaddon to the ring. She even slithers in under the bottom rope with a sense of agility that most often forget she has given her strong yet still effeminate physique.
Hilariously, the final person to walk out was the "intern" of the group, if you will, Mia Hayashi. Shaking her head in seeming embarrassment of the group's theatrics, she muttered to herself and placed her palm over her face before following Apocalypta into the ring, this week dressed in what appeared to be the costume of Scarlet Witch, from the Avengers movies.
Once the entire group was standing in the ring, Abbadon took the microphone.
"Week after week... The Circle of Snakes arrives, conquers, and leaves ruin in their wake. Were it not so satisfying... it would be almost boring by this point. Nobody can defeat us. Even a fluke, like Shelley Silver's victory over our dear Apocalypta last week, will not go unavenged. There is no room for anything but the future in this ring. And The Circle *is* the future. We do not rely on the reputation of others, or on ghosts of the past, to guide us. No, with my guidance, these acolytes of mine will blaze their own trail through this promotion, and will not stop until we have made it our own."
As the crowd attempted to drown out the words with their boos, Apocalypta lifted a second mic to her mouth. “SHUT UP!!!!” Surprisingly, it did it’s job to silence the crowd. The woman’s shriek sounding not unlike something one might hear in a female metal band.
Clearly steaming after last week’s loss, Apocalypta circled the ring around her brothers and master. Her more unhinged side beginning to show. “Shelley!” She says, finally, turning towards the stage, addressing the woman backstage. “Congratulations....”
Hanson: “...What?”
Reynolds: “The hell does she mean—?”
“Congratulations, Shelley!” Apocalypta continues. “You helped me find what I was looking for here. You showed me that my search for what I crave the most wasn’t in vain in this company. I thought it was, at first...” She extends her other arm out, clutching her title. “Let’s face it! Any other woman in that locker room, isn’t a match for me! Angel...I made an example of my first week here. The following week, I went through the ENTIRE—DIVISION and ever since then THIS—“ she raises her title, “—has been mine!”
She lowers the belt. “Moving on to more specifics: I called Kid Cthulhu’s bluff. She’s no ancient god...she’s no monster...just a little girl in a mask. And then there’s her...your little friend Lara. Each time she’s stepped into the ring with me I have broken her. I...have...*crushed* her!” She leans against the ropes again, giving an eerie smile. “But then you came along...and you awoke something in me. You made me feel something last week that I didn’t think anyone on the roster could. You made me feel *alive* Shelley!” She lowers the mic away from her mouth. Her shoulders shaking as she gives an inaudible laugh.
“I owe you. I need to return the favor, ‘Shells’.” She addresses Silver by her nickname; voice thick with sarcasm. “That’s why you’re in my sights now. I’m coming for *you*! As for Lara?” She grins, pointing to Mia with her championship hand before stepping over to hang the arm around the smaller girl’s shoulders. “My little mouse can handle that. I know she’s capable....” In another suggestive, uncomfortable display, Apocalypta turns towards Mia, grinning and leaning in to brush her nose across the woman’s cheek...before flicking her tongue out on the girl’s face as well.
Regardless of Mia’s reaction, Apocalypta turns towards the stage again. “I’m gonna make sure that I crush you within an inch of your last breath, Silver...and then...you can lie there in a broken heap and watch as little baby Lara gets ripped apart...with no one to come to her aid. And when all’s said and done...the Circle will rise...and the Blackheart legacy...will...BUUUURRRNN!!!”
Mia flailed a little when Apocalypta licked her, to the laughter of the crowd. "Oh my GOD you weirdo! You are creepier than a level four sex offender with a rickety white van anymore!!!" Giving an adorably aggravated look, she shook her head and looked back at the crowd. "We're all tired of you, Lara. You're only 19 years old, and we're already TIRED of you. So you're the daughter of a "legend". Oh god, enough with that! He was washed up and irrelevant by the time he carked it, and if he was still alive? Nobody would give two shits about you, babe." The crowd "ooo"ed there, as Mia smirked at Lara Chastain, who was once again in the front row. "And speaking of washed up... check it out. Mommy Blackheart, trying to make herself mildly relevant again. Honey, that ship sailed fifteen years and two facelifts ago. In fact, even before that, the only noteworthy things you ever did were have sex on camera and pop that little brat out of your clearly well-used cootch."
Annnnnd that did it. After spending weeks watching her daughter be beaten up and her late husband disrespected, Lara Chastain scowled, and climbed over the guardrail. The crowd cheered loudly as she walked into the ring, and got right into Mia's face.
"I don't know who the hell you think you are... my husband trained you, fed you, gave you a place to stay... and this is how you show gratitude? Really, Mia? You're proud of the way you're acting? Well.... Vlad obviously can't be here to defend himself. So let me do it for him." And with that, she wound back and slapped Mia, hard, across the face.
However... that's where absolute mayhem would break loose. The moment Lara slapped Mia, Abbadon stepped between them, instantly grabbing a handful of the older woman's hair.
Hanson: “WHAT’S HE DOING?! LET HER GO, RIGHT NOW!”
Reynolds: “SHE’S RETIRED! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING THROUGH HIS HEAD!! DON’T YOU DARE! DON’T YOU D—“
Sneering at her, the leader of The Circle said nothing.... but then shocked and immediately silenced the crowd by harshly headbutting her, the sick sound of their skulls colliding almost as shocking as the sight of the widow of an NFW legend crumbling to the mat with blood spilling from her forehead.
Reynolds: “YOU SON OF A BITCH!!”
Hanson: “OH MY GOD!!”
Before anything else could happen, the locker room literally poured out to the ring, some of the wrestlers and officials running to look after Lara, while others made a show of getting between the victim and The Circle, making sure they couldn't inflict any more damage.
Hanson: “I CAN’T BELIEVE WHAT WE JUST WITNESSED!”
Reynolds: “THAT MOTHERF—“
We hear the rustling of Jim Reynolds’ headset as he rips it off his head and rushes into the ring to lend a hand with the mass of staff and talent in keeping the Circle back.
As the paramedics carefully put the woman onto a stretcher, Lara Blackheart knelt beside her, tears spilling down her cheeks, as Shelley Silver first attempted to dive over the wrestlers in the ring to get to Abbadon, then finally rushing to her friend's side once that proved futile. With absolute DEATH in her eyes, Lara walked up the aisle beside her mother's stretcher, looking like a person about to finally snap...
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Vincent Stone defeated Scott Leroux by pinfall in 22:08 after a top-rope dragon suplex. While Leroux was lifting himself up onto his hands and knees, Stone came off the ropes on one side and drove his face into the mat with the Disasterpiece, before covering him for the pinfall.
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Rosemary defeated Lara Blackheart by forefeit when Lara failed to show up to her match, due to accompanying her mother to the hospital.
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Satoru Shade III defeated El Piso Mojado by way of countout. While their match was going particularly well and had the crowd on the edges of their seats, everything was cut to an abrupt halt at 5:06 when Jackyl's "The Lumberjack" suddenly blasted throughout the ringside area. Just like the music left to be expected, Rick Dickulous' massive form came walking out onto the stage, pointed at Piso for a second time and hit the ring running. Just like before, El Piso Mojado slid out of the ring, absolutely terrified and hit the crowd running with Rick pulling a rather impressive leap over the barrier for a man his size and chased him into the backstage area.
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Candi Brodeur defeated Kennedy Campbell by submission in 14:52 with The Crippler Crossface.
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Mannheim and Pitt are talking in the parking garage of the arena*
"So, when should we tell him, tall, dark, and stupid? I mean, you know he's gonna shit himself, it's something he always wanted."
*Pitt scrunches his face and bobs his head from side to side*
"We should wait. I mean, it's not for a few weeks yet anyways, right? So, let's make it a surprise. I always loved surprises, except that one time the babysitter put peanut butter on my weiner and called the do--"
*Mannheim pushes Pitt*
"Dude. Oversharing. So, we'll make it a big surprise! Maybe I'll even get a cake specially made with some special icing."
*Mannheim winks at Pitt. Suddenly, as the two walk, a car’s headlights come on and it roars out of it’s hiding space in the entrance tunnel. It heads right for Mannheim and Pitt, but the two dive out of the way. The driver side mirror snaps off as it clips Pitt on the way by. The car continues on, Pitt looks at Mannheim, then they both look over to the car stopped fifty feet away.
The driver’s side door opens and the driver gets out - a man in blue jeans, converse sneakers and a black long sleeve shirt with a red and blue luchadore mask bearing a large red ‘R’ on the forehead. He makes no motion to apologize for nearly killing the two; rather he stands there and taps the side of his head tauntingly before turning and sprinting off down the hallway with Willy and Pitt giving chase.
Reynolds: "Who the hell was that?!"
Hanson: "I don't know, but I think those two should be calling the police instead of trying to handle it themselves!"
Reynolds: "That asshole could have killed somebody!"
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“I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT JUST FUCKIN’ HAPPENED!!”
Returning from a commercial break, the camera finds Morgan Payne in the McKeesport Mafia’s locker room. She’s not in her ring gear this evening but she’s still present to support the others. Instead, she’s wearing an old Lamb of God tee, knee high leather boots with thigh high leggings, and a black mini-skirt.
Morgan paces back and forth; a burning Marlboro in one hand and a bottle of Sam Adam’s in the other. She sips and drags on her two stress relievers as her father Andrew Payne comes into the frame. “Morgan....” It looks as if he’s about to start reprimanding her for her current behavior but, seemingly knowing it’s pointless, he shakes his head. Morgan even stares at him, sipping her beer in wait. “Look, that out there...? I’m pissed off, too, alright? But I know you better than anyone else. Do NOT do anything stupid!”
“The fuck ya talkin’ ‘bout, Willis?” Morgan asks, huffing out some cigarette smoke.
"He's saying don't go charging in trying to kick Abbadon's ass, dipshit." Marissa said as she walked into the frame, clearly shaken up. "And I agree with him. Until we know if Ms. Chastain's gonna press charges or anything, we can't do anything. Fuck.... I can't believe that just happened. And the look on Lara's face afterward scared the shit out of me. That wasn't grief, or sadness.... that was MURDER."
“Shit, I don’t blame her.” Morgan said with raised eyebrows. “I mean, they’ve been fuckin’ wit ‘er week after week. Not to mention, obviously Mia, but fuckin’ Adrianna too? The hell happened there?”
Morgan plops down into a chair and huffs, taking a swig of her beer. I don’t know too much ‘bout Mia but seeing Adrianna pull shit like this? Hearing that shit come outta ‘er mouth? This fuckin’ hurts. I know Lara’s got the worst of it, though. Fuck, Shrimp just had two best friends turn their backs on ‘er and watched her Ma get ‘cahted’ off on a gurney. But y’know? Much as I’d like t’get my hands on ‘em, I say Auntie Chas should press ‘chahges’. Maybe that’ll teach ‘em not to fuck with people. Ruin their careers an’ shit.”
Just as Morgan finished though, Marissa's cell phone made a pinging noise. Looking at it, the redhead's eyes went immediately wide. "Ohhhhhhhhhh, balls." She looked up, back to Morgan, clearly stunned. "Um... Mor? I don't think we're gonna have to worry about retaliating. In fact, I think it might be time to start worrying about covering our OWN asses..."
She turned the phone so that Morgan (and the camera) could see it. On it was a text from Lara Blackheart: "Fuck these jerks. I'm done. Fuck everything... nuclear solution engaged."
Morgan’s face went completely pale as she looked at the screen. The Punisher’s daughter shaking her head in disbelief. “Nah...nah no way. Is she fuckin’ nuts?! This whole company’s gonna be up the crick wit’out a paddle!”
“What are you girls...?” Andy steps in and takes Marissa’s phone from her to read the message. A mixture of concern yet grim understanding comes over his face as he hands the phone back to his niece. “It’s like that, huh?” Morgan, looking more scared than anything looks up at her dad. “Pop...what are *we* gonna do?”
The Punisher pinches the bridge of his nose. “Jesus.... What *can* we do?” He sighs and pulls out his phone. “Alright. You two, don’t worry about it. Mari; you keep your head in the game. You got a big match tonight, kiddo.” He kisses his niece’s forehead and hugs her. “And you.” He turns to his daughter. “You either stick by her—“ he points to Marissa, “—or you stay back here. Do NOT pull anything on the Snakes. Better yet, stay away from them. As far as you can. I gotta call your dad.” He says the last line to Marissa as he dials and puts the phone to his ear. “I’m gonna go find Shelton. If he comes in here while I’m out, keep him here until I get back.”
As Andy walks out of the locker room, we hear him on the phone. “D! Hey, brother. We got a fucking problem.” His voice trails off as he leaves the locker room with Morgan looking at Marissa. “Are we gonna be ‘arright’, sis?”
"If that message means what I think it means?" Marissa said, whistling nervously as she looked one last time at that message on her phone. "All I can think is that first? The Circle finally pushed that girl too damn far.... and by doing it, they mighta fucked ALL of us."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lamb of God's "Desolation" began to play over the soundsystem, announcing the entrance of Marissa Payne. However, rather than her usual energetic and frantic entrance, the tall redhead just walked to the ring, still looking a bit shaken up from earlier.
Grabbing the mic before sliding into the ring, she leaned against the ropes and ran a hand through her hair.
"Jesus... fucking.... CHRIST." She began, eyes wide as she shook her head. "Abaddon.... you dumb son of a bitch. You seriously have no idea what you've done. You think this is some kind of game? Messing with Lara, humiliating her, making her life hell? We promised her we'd stay out of it. And we have. But dammit.... you really fucked ALL of us this week. You may not know what I'm talking about.... but from the message Lara sent me earlier? Trust me... you pushed that girl too damn far this time. And now we're ALL going to pay for it."
She pointed to the back, trying to keep her calm. It was clearly hard for her, especially having just watched the mother of one of her best friends assaulted.
"So... here's where I find a loophole. Lara honey... I promised you I wouldn't get involved. And I'm not. PHYSICALLY, at least. But I gotta do something. If not for you, than for your mom. Shelley Silver? You are probably the toughest bitch I've ever seen. And you've had Lara's back through all of this. And tonight, you and I are supposed to beat the shit out of each other, with the winner taking on Apocalypta for the Women's Title in three weeks at Reckoning Day. And you know what? Whichever one of us wins... we're gonna end up a lot worse for wear. And that shit ain't gonna fly if either of us is gonna have a chance with that nutbag. So, Shelley?"
She grabbed the referee, pulling him to her and whispering something in his ear, causing him to run to ringside.
"Here's my way of helping. I forfeit. Now go to Reckoning Day, and kick... that.... bitch's... ASS."
Reynolds: "Wait, WHAT?! We're not gonna have a #1 contender's match?!"
Hanson: "Guess not, Jimmy! But we *DO* have a #1 contender for the NFW Women's Championship and her name is SHELLEY...SILVER!!"
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With Adelita’s Way’s “Bad Reputation” playing in the background, the camera finds Adam Cole in the backstage area. Already in his gear, an ‘Adam Cole Bay-Bay’ t-shirt, and the Silver Mountain Championshio slung over his shoulder, he smiles smugly at the camera.
“Hello, boys and girls. Welcome to another edition of story time with your Silver Mountain Champion, Adam Cole...bay-bay.” He winks and cracks his gum between his teeth. “Tonight, your defending champ puts his coveted prize against another delusional soul by the name of, none other than, Shelton Benjamin. Ya see, Shelton, this is one of those stories of a guy like you trying to remain relevant by taking on the hottest athlete in this business. That makes the ending predictable. As much as you cling onto your fame, you think you can go toe to toe with me. I am the *best* these people have ever seen. I am the *greatest* wrestler, ever to set foot inside a wrestling ring. You? People forgot who you were until you decided to show up with the rest of the old dad bods that are looking for a way to make sure the fans don’t forget their irrelevant names. Just like those two crackpots who brought in that bumbling idiot in half a Sailor Moon. Not gonna mention any names —“ He coughs “—Rick Fucking Dickulous.”
“So, I’m gonna do you a favor. Since, I see you and your crew are dealing with escaped residents of the nuthouse, I’m giving you full permission to not show up for our match, tonight. I completely understand. After all, I’m sure you guys need all the manpower you can get against those freaks. So do your fans a favor, do *yourself* a favor...hang back here while I go out and show everyone what a true champion looks like. Because, mark my words, if you walk out there, thinking that you can beat me and take this—“ He nods towards and pats the title belt on his shoulder, “—you’re gonna get a sore reminder of why it is I have this belt. Because I can go against anybody, anywhere and anytime! Nobody matches up to me and this title isn’t-going-*anywhere*!”
Smirking, he lifts the title off of his shoulder and raises his fingers in the form of a gun as the shot fades out.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Despite Adam Cole's jeering and teasing at Shelton Benjamin being among the "older" talent, the veteran absolutely took it to the champion in their match. Cole was practically eating his words as Benjamin proved that he could still move around the ring like he did in his twenties. Cole barely made it out of numerous close calls with a variety of Shelton Benjamin's various finishing moves, Cole was eventually shaken up with his opponent smirking and tapping his temple, knowing he was getting into his head.
Things took a sudden turn, however, when Rick Dickulous reappeared again, making his way down the ramp.
Reynolds: "The fuck is he doing down here? He's not in this match!"
Hanson: "I have to agree with you! He's got no reason to be out here."
Faintly over the crowd, Rick could be heard, as he hopped up onto the apron, yelling to Shelton Benjamin. "YO! B-MONEY! AIN'T NO STOPPIN' ME NOOOOOOW!"
This served enough to distract Shelton Benjamin as Rick started dancing and gyrating at ring side. The competitor mouthing "what the fuck" in absolute confusion. While the referee was yelling at Rick to leave ringside, this left an opening for Adam Cole to recover to his feet and Benjamin turned around right into a stiff superkick that resonated through the crowd. It did enough to even make the referee turn around just in time to see Cole lifting Benjamin up and dropping him with the Last Shot, retaining the Silver Mountain Championship after 15:05.
After the bell, Adam Cole snatched his belt from the referee and hoisted it into the air.
"ADAM COLE, BAY-BA---" Until Rick Dickulous, who had slid back into the ring, whipped him around, kicked him in the abdomen and drilled him into the mat with the Misery Whip. Grabbing the title off the mat, Rick hoisted it up.
"SORRY NOT SORRY, BAY-BAY!!!!" The Lumberjack then played through the speakers as he tossed the championship over Cole and left the ring.
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Returning from the commercial break, we join Jim Reynolds and Nick Hanson at ringside.
Hanson: "Ladies and gentlemen, we thank you for joining us tonight, and we've had quite an emotional thrill ride this evening. We're just about set for our main event but first, we'd like to take you to Mr. Steven Brody who has a special announcement for the locker room and the fans, as well.
Cutting to inside the ring, we see Brody standing next to a small table with a microphone in his hand. On the table is something concealed underneath a red velvet cloth. A smile on his face as he looks around at the crowd.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen; and as Mr. Hanson and Reynolds said, thank you so much for joining us this evening for arguably the best professional wrestling there is to offer. Now, through the years, there have been many great competitors who have made a name for themselves as singles competitors. However, just as well, there have been numerous pairings of superstars who are known for their impeccable teamwork. The Fabulous Freebirds, the Four Horsemen, the Von Erichs and my personal favorite...the Road Warriors." He pauses, unable to contain a smirk as the crowd cheers each mention of the tag teams. "That's why, without further adue, before we give you our main event, it is my distinct pleasure to announce that starting next week will be the first of three matches. Next week, we will see the Rebel Rousers facing off against the McKeesport Mafia. The week after that, we will see the team of Tyler Grey and Chris Wolfe from the Circle of Snakes, against the Young Bucks. The winners of those matches will then go onto the following week and compete against one another at Reckoning Day. And the winner of that final match will be crowned the first ever Tag Team Champions of the New Frontier!" Brody yanks the cloth away from the table, to reveal a pair of gleaming championship belts, much to the crowd's delight.
Smiling bigger, Brody raises a hand to ask for silence. "Oh but make no mistake. This is the New Frontier of professional wrestling. So since there's only one match keeping each team away from the pay-per-view, we're gonna amp things up. Because both of these belts, you see before you here -- they're not gonna be waiting at ringside -- oh, no. They're gonna be suspended twenty feet above the ring...." The crowd begins to cheer.
Hanson: "Ohhhhh man, I know where this is going!"
Brody continues. "Because the match for the N*FW Tag Team Championships...will be a LADDER MATCH!!"
Reynolds: "FUCK YES!!!!'
Hanson: "OHHH, I CAN'T FRIGGIN' WAIT! Reckoning Day is gonna be sick!"
"NOW!" Brody continues again. "Without taking up anymore time...let's get that main event under way!"
As Brody hands the microphone off to the ring announcer, Lamb of God's "The Duke" begins to play over the speakers. As the commissioner exits the ring, the crowd pops for the challenger in the next match -- The Punisher, Andrew Payne -- as he comes walking down the ramp. He fist bumps Brody on the way by, pointing with a smirk at the belts as they're taken out of the ring.
Hanson: "Yeeeaaah, he sees those titles. He's got a shot at that ladder match when his partner returns next week!"
Reynolds: "I...cannot...fucking...wait, Nicky!"
Hanson: "Me, neither pal! But right now, Payne has something much bigger to focus on...."
Hanson says, as Samael's "Hagemony" signals the arrival of the TV Champion, Belphegor almost immediately after The Punisher makes it into the ring.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The fight started before the match started, technically. As Belphegor was halfway down the ramp, Andrew Payne had already exited the ring and came rushing him with a vicious assault of lefts and rights, much to the crowd's delight. The referee had to follow the two up and down the crowd aisles as Andrew Payne stayed on the offensive, hitting Belphegor with everything he had. It looked, for the most part, that he had the bigger man's number, for the most part.
Hanson: "I'VE NEVER SEEN BELPHEGOR TAKE PUNISHMENT LIKE THIS FROM ANYONE! IF ANYBODY CAN TAKE THAT BELT OFF OF HIM, IT'S GOTTA BE PITTSBURGH'S OWN PUNISHER!!"
Reynolds: "I know we're supposed to stay unbiased, buddy, but after what the Circle did earlier tonight, all I have to say is...KICK HIS FUCKING ASS ANDY!!!!"
Hanson: "He's doing jiust that!!!! Look at this!!!!"
Crowd: "PU-NISH-MENT! PU-NISH-MENT! PU-NISH-MENT!"
Andrew: "COME ON, MOTHERFUCKER!! I HOPE ABADDON'S WATCHING!!!"
The vicious brawl finally made it back to ringside as Andrew Payne continued to lay into Belphegor; eventually throwing him into the ring under the bottom ropes. Here, Belphegor managed to quickly make it to his feet and ducked under an attempt at The Faded Line. As Payne came off the opposite ropes, he ran right into a savage punch to the face from the Circle's giant that knocked him to the mat. After that, the tables immediately turned and it was Belphegor on the attack, countering anything that Andrew Payne threw at him for the most part.
For a brief moment, Andrew did manage to fight back, going for the Faded Line again but Belphegor countered with a brutal spear before picking him up and finishing him off with the Ninth Circle. After an official match of about 3:45, Belphegor pinned The Punisher to retain the N*FW TV Championship.
