Revolution 100: YAY!

The scene opens to the figure known to all as JASON JOHNSON standing tall in the center of the Revolution arena! The crowd starts of AMAZINGLY loud!

Jason Johnson: I’m not going to stay out here long, guys, and I’m not going to give a big heartfelt thank you speech for allowing us to get to this MONUMENTAL OCCASION, but I will say this… Revolution 100… that’s a HUGE step for the SHOOT Project, and as we move into our twelfth year of existence I can only hope that you’ll allow us to stick around for 100 more!

The crowd pops!

Jason Johnson: There’s A LOT going on tonight, ladies and gentlemen. We’re going to have a new Iron Fist or Rule of Surrender Champion crowned… we’re going to see the Tag Team Champions in action… and we’re going to find out who goes on to Redemption to face Donovan King for the World Heavyweight Championship, so here’s my question! Are you ready for me to shut the fuck up and get on with the show?

The crowd ponders for a very brief moment given the confusing nature of the question, and eventually pops!

Jason Johnson: Haha, don’t worry, I’m not upset. *I* want to shut up and get on with the show, so let’s get to it!

HIT THE VIDEO!

The scene opens with a wide shot of the capacity crowd, the energy level among the fans at a maximum thanks to the importance of Revolution 100.

The lights in The Epicenter cut out.

“HORIZON” by D’espairsRay starts to play, and spotlights begin to dance through the crowd. “Can you feel the new WORLD?” blazes across the SHOOT Video Wall in calligraphy. There’s an explosion of light in the arena, and a huge spotlight falls at the top of the ramp as Maya Nakashima emerges from behind the curtains.

The fans shower Maya with adulation, and he responds by nodding his head and smiling out at the SHOOT Project fanbase. Maya adjusts the Rules of Surrender championship draped across his shoulder, and he begins to make his way down the ramp towards the ring, tagging hands with as many people as he possibly can.

Eryk Masters: Here he is, ladies and gentlemen! Maya Nakashima making his return to in ring competition here tonight, and the expression on that man’s face is one of absolute determination.

Other Guy: I’d expect nothing less, Eryk. We can only imagine what Nakashima suffered at the hands of Project: SCAR. This man was held against his will for SIX MONTHS, treated like an animal….any another human being would be mentally shattered after going through something like that.

Eryk Master: Not Maya Nakashima. If anything, his will seems strengthened by the atrocities that he’s had to endure. But I have to admit, OG….he’s got a tall order here tonight. He chose his opponent. He chose living, breathing Hell on earth. If Maya’s incarceration wasn’t bad enough, tonight he’s facing off alone against one of the most dominating forces SHOOT Project has EVER seen.

Other Guy: Consider the implications too, Eryk. There is SO much on the line for both of these men. It came down straight from Jason Johnson…two championships on the line in this match, Rules of Surrender AND Iron Fist!

Eryk Masters: That’s what a milestone like Revolution 100 is all about. Raising the stakes and leaving it all in the ring, OG.

Maya enters the ring, and he goes over to one of the turnbuckles, climbing it high to display his Rules of Surrender title for all to see.

Once again, the lights go out. This time no spotlights are seen in the crowd. Only cold, ominous darkness.

“Red Pyramids” by Akira Yamaoka starts to play in The Epicenter, filling the arena with harsh, industrial tones and haunting, operatic vocals.

Isaac Entragian steps out from behind the curtains with Elizabeth Gaunt at his side, and walls of towering flame burst forth on either side of him at timed intervals. Entragian has the Iron Fist Championship locked proudly around his waist, and his white hair frames his face into the visage of something that just crawled forth from a darkened abattoir.

Other Guy: Holy hell, this MUSIC. It sounds like someone taking a chainsaw to an animal while a chorus sings in the background. It’s fucking chilling…

Eryk Masters: New theme song for Entragian. I’ve come to expect nothing less than blood-curdling from him. You can always mark his arrival when the children in the stands hide their faces and hold their parents close.

Entragian just stands stoic for a moment, his head sweeping from left to right to stare out at the crowd. Liz Gaunt stands at his side, wearing her black latex bodysuit and a silver cane in one hand with a serpent’s head.

Eryk Masters: You chose this, Maya. This is what you wanted. Seven feet of pure, unadulterated evil. This man has cut through the ranks of SHOOT Project like a biblical plague ever since his debut, and although I admire Maya for his courage, I do not envy him tonight…

Other Guy: I think Maya knows what he’s getting himself into. This young man has suffered so very much at the hands of Entragian and his brood, and if not for a rare act of kindness perpetrated by Kenji Yamada, he might still be rotting in a cell somewhere out in the Nevada badlands.

Entragian and Liz begin to make their way down the ramp….when out of nowhere, a cameraman SLAMS a heavy video camera into Isaac Entragian’s back!!

Entragian doesn’t even grunt, seemingly unaffected by the shot. He turns around slowly to face the cameraman. The man has messy brown hair, a nearly comical looking moustache, and big thick coke-bottle glasses.

Other Guy: What the hell was that? Who is that guy?

Entragian darts forward, grabbing the man by the throat…when his brown wig suddenly falls off! Isaac cocks his head to the side, then he reaches out to pull the glasses from the man’s face…and then he RIPS the fake moustache from the man’s upper lip!

Eryk Masters: THAT’S DEREK SHANE!! I guess we really are in for a few surprises here tonight at Revolution 100!

Shane is shaking in his boots at this point, and Entragian proceeds to haul him up and place him atop his shoulders…only to hit him with The Disemboweler right there on the ramp! Shane rolls off of Isaac’s knee while cradling his stomach, and Isaac wastes no time scooping him up and tossing him out into the crowd like a piece of discarded trash. Shane makes a quick exit, crawling and staggering his way through the crowd.

Other Guy: That was surreal. For those in the dark here, Entragian ended Shane’s wrestling career years ago in LEGACY. Since then, Shane seems to pop up once every few years to try and gain vengeance against Entragian.

Eryk Masters: He tried in the Redemption Rumble last year. Dressed up as Diamond Del Carver and Greyson Blade…only to be crushed by Entragian on those occasions too. He’s kinda like the Wile E. Coyote of SHOOT Project.

Liz stares out after Shane while shaking her head and chuckling, and Entragian just cracks his neck to the side while staring into the ring at Maya.

Eryk Masters: Well thanks for coming, Derek Shane!

Other Guy: We probably won’t see him again for another couple years. I hear he landed a role playing Pete Rose in a made for TV movie.

Entragian climbs up onto the apron and steps over the top rope, and Liz slides into place next to him. She stands on her tiptoes to place a kiss on her man’s pallid cheek before leaving the ring. Entragian never takes his eyes off of Maya, only moving to unsnap the Iron Fist championship from his waist to raise it up high, much to the chagrin of the crowd.

Maya moves back to his corner, and Entragian does the same, both men holding their respective championship belts.

Samantha Coil: Ladies and gentlemen, this match will be determined under RULES OF SURRENDER and IRON FIST rules! The only way for Maya Nakashima to win is by knocking Isaac Entragian out for a ten count, and the only way for Isaac Entragian to win is submit Maya Nakashima! The winner of this match will become the Rules of Surrender AND Iron Fist champion!

Entragian hands off his belt to an official, and Maya does the same across the ring.

Samantha Coil: Introducing first, hailing from Nagasaki, Japan…he weighs in at 120lbs….the RULES OF SURRENDER CHAMPION, MAYA NAKASHIMA!!!

The crowd is on their feet for Maya’s announcement, cheering to be heard on all sides of the stands. Maya nods his head while bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Samantha Coil: Introducing second, hailing from Mideon, Nebraska…he weighs in at 320lbs…representing PROJECT: SCAR…THE IRON FIST CHAMPION, ISAAC ENTRAGIAN!!!

Entragian grins, his filed teeth on display, and The Epicenter fanbase wastes no time in booing with all the volume they can put forth.

Other Guy: Can you believe that weight difference? Entragian literally has 200lbs on Maya.

Eryk Masters: Isaac is way more powerful, no doubt about that…but Maya has the speed advantage. He moves like a lightning bolt in that ring.

The bell sounds, and both men begin to circle each other.

Entragian is the first to move, making a beeline towards Maya in an attempt to grab him, but Maya ducks underneath and runs the ropes, proceeding to bounce off and head right back towards Entragian.

Entragian tries for a big-time clothesline, but Maya avoids the contact yet again, and this time when he bounces off the ropes and he SLAMS both feet into Isaac’s chest with a high speed running dropkick. Isaac staggers backwards, but he doesn’t fall.

With Isaac momentarily stunned and rubbing a hand against his chest to ease the pain, Maya gets in close and starts to send a flurry of chops into Isaac’s pallid chest. Maya’s hands are moving so fast that it’s like watching a movie on fast forward, his strikes lightning quick and LOUD, loud to the point where each chop that lands sends a nasty, fleshy sounding impact through The Epicenter.

Isaac’s had enough of this after a moment, and he palms Maya’s head and pushes him away….but Maya gets right back into it, this time darting behind Entragian to send karate style snapping kicks into the back of the monster’s knees. Entragian stumbles towards the center of the ring, and finally he falls to his hands and knees after enduring several of the kicks.

Isaac starts to rise back up to his feet, but Maya locks him up around the neck and spins his body down to the canvas with a perfectly executed tornado DDT.

Isaac’s head gets SPIKED against the canvas, and he rolls over onto his back while breathing heavily.

Eryk Masters: That’s what I was talking about earlier, OG. Maya moves around that ring like a hummingbird…it’s almost impossible to catch him!

Other Guy: That’s the strategy Maya needs to stick to in this match. He’s gotta keep moving, he can’t afford to get caught up in Entragian’s grasp. If Maya controls the pace of this match, then he keeps Isaac out of his comfort zone.

Just as quickly as he was put down, Isaac is getting right back up. Entragian makes it up to his knees, pausing for a moment to gather his breath…and this is all the opening Maya Nakashima needs. Maya leaps up onto the second rope and springboards…only to SNAP a midair shining wizard into the side of Isaac’s temple. Isaac is flung to the side by the impact, spit flying from the corner of his mouth…and he barely manages to catch himself with one hand.

Meanwhile Maya runs to the other side of the ring, springboards off the second rope yet again…and this time he PLANTS a flying forearm into Isaac’s face! Isaac’s white hair whips back, and he falls back to the canvas, the back of his skull touching down with a sickening crunch.

The crowd is pumped at this point, people rallying behind the fully energized Rules of Surrender champion.

LET’S GO MAYA!!!

LET’S GO MAYA!!!

LET’S GO MAYA!!!

Entragian is laid out flat on his back, and Maya races over towards the nearest turnbuckle, taking literally seconds to scale his way up to the top. Maya marks his man, and then he LEAPS, proceeding to CRUSH Isaac’s ribcage with a double stomp! Entragian’s eyes almost bug right out of his head, and he rolls onto his side and begins to cough violently.

Eryk Masters: Talk about IMPACT! Maya is running circles around The Ivory Terror. He’s picking his spots perfectly, and these high velocity maneuvers have got to be taking their toll on the Iron Fist Champion.

Other Guy: Who would have guessed that danger came in such a small package? Maya’s proven himself in the past against world-class competitors like Mason Pierce, and it looks like he’s doing the same with Entragian here tonight!

Maya nods his head at Dennis Heflin, and the official begins his first ten count of the evening.

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

FOUR!

Maya is bouncing on the balls of his feet near one turnbuckle, on high alert for any movement from Entragian.

FIVE!

SIX!

Entragian rolls to his side and then he begins to stand, and this prompts Maya to waste no time springboarding up onto the second rope yet again, aiming to cut the monster down once more…but this time ISAAC BLASTS MAYA RIGHT OUT OF THE SKY WITH AN UPPERCUT TO THE JAW!!!

Maya’s little body twists and flips through the air before CRASHING down to the canvas, both hands immediately going up to the back of his neck.

Other Guy: JESUS. I guess that’s what it looks like when a lion swats a hummingbird out of the sky…

Eryk Masters: Maya went back to the same well one too many times, and now he’s finding that the water went stagnant. Maya simply CANNOT afford to take too many big shots like that from Entragian, because The Ivory Terror can break a man down in record time once he controls the pace of the match.

Isaac scrapes Maya’s body up off the canvas, and then he just PLOWS Maya across the ring and spears him directly into one of the turnbuckles. Maya starts to retch as his small frame is contorted, and Isaac grabs him right back up and turns him around…only to race across the ring and spear Maya up against ANOTHER turnbuckle post.

The Ivory Terror then drags Maya to the very center of the ring, and he locks him up into a bearhug. Isaac tightens his gigantic arms around Maya’s torso, pressing as hard as he possibly can against his ribcage. Maya howls in pain, his hair already plastered across his face with sweat.

The official gets into Maya face, asking if he wants to quit, but he screams out “NO” while struggling in the monster’s grasp.

Other Guy: This is exactly where Maya does NOT want to be. Entragian is as powerful as it gets in SHOOT Project; Maya must feel like a steel vice is clamped around his ribs right now.

Eryk Masters: I’ll tell you this, if Maya doesn’t maintain a safe distance from Entragian, then he’s already doomed. Entragian thrives in a close quarters scenario where he can use that uncanny strength to bend human bodies in a variety of new and horrible shapes…

Maya manages to squeeze one of his arms free, and from there he starts to piston elbows down against Isaac’s forehead, one after another. Entragian finally breaks his grip, and Maya performs a vertical leap and locks his legs around Isaac’s neck, only to FLIP the big monster down to the canvas with a frankensteiner! Maya lands on Isaac’s chest, and instead of attempting a pinfall, he begins to pepper Isaac’s face with a barrage of quick, nasty looking punches.

Entragian absorbs a few of these before throwing Maya off of him, the smaller competitor rolling across the ring from the velocity of Isaac’s throw.

Isaac climbs laboriously back up to his feet, and Maya is right back into the fray with an attempted dropkick, but Isaac swats him to the side like a bothersome gnat. Maya pops right back up, but he runs right into a pallid hand as Entragian LATCHES himself onto Maya’s throat.

Maya struggles for a moment, trying to pry Isaac’s hands free….but Isaac ROCKETS Maya up into the air with ease, crushing him down to the canvas with a one-handed chokeslam. Once Maya touches down, Isaac LATCHES that same hand onto Maya’s face, digging his fingers into his cheeks and forehead, and he hauls the Rules Of Surrender champion up to his feet and begins to apply even more pressure to the iron claw.

Eryk Masters: The iron claw is one of the most agonizing moves in the business. Imagine what it feels like to have one of Isaac’s big paws digging down into your face.

Other Guy: He could easily crack a cheekbone or dislocate a jaw, there’s no doubt in my mind about that. Is Maya gonna give it up here?

The fans are stomping their feet and clapping their hands, trying to will Maya Nakashima to get back into it. The cameras zoom in as Isaac presses down even harder, and suddenly Maya drops down to both knees while weakly pawing at Isaac’s massive forearm. In a truly frightening moment, we see a little runnel of blood dripping down Maya’s cheek between Isaac’s pallid fingers.

Entragian smiles, licking his lips, but suddenly Maya seems to fire up, his feet struggling against the canvas until he makes his way up to a vertical base again. Once vertical, Maya begins to lash out with blind kicks aimed at Isaac’s knees, and after several of these land, Isaac staggers backwards and releases the iron claw.

Maya falls backwards to the canvas while struggling to tear fresh oxygen into his lungs, and we see an ugly laceration on Maya’s cheek where Isaac’s fingernail actually dug down into his flesh. Maya reaches up to wipe blood from his cheek, rolling to his side and struggling to get back up.

Eryk Masters: It’s really a testament to Maya Nakashima’s willpower that he was able to break out of that predicament. As you can see by that cut on Maya’s cheek, the pressure against his skull had to be excruciating.

Other Guy: Both men have a moment to gather themselves and plan for the next move….who’s gonna take the advantage here?

Isaac stalks towards Maya yet again, but Maya sets his feet and DRILLS Isaac in the side of the face with a spinning wheel kick. This knocks the Iron Fist Champion way off balance, and Maya moves right in and caps the assault off with a beautiful russian legsweep. Isaac starts to get back up while holding his back in pain…but Maya hits the ropes and crushes Isaac’s head right back down against the canvas with a running bulldog!

After this succession of moves, Maya backs up so that the official can start a ten count.

ONE!

 

TWO!

THREE!

FOUR!

FIVE!

Entragian claws his way back up to his feet, his malevolent gaze spinning around to find Maya.

Eryk Masters: Maya Nakashima is all about sportsmanship and he’s not the type to pick up a weapon to expedite a victory…but with that being said…how the hell does Maya plan on keeping Isaac down for a ten count if he doesn’t use weapons?

Other Guy: That might be a mistake on his part, Eryk. Maya is competing for the Iron Fist Championship…he has the option to use whatever he can get his hands on to keep Entragian down. He can choose to take the high road, but it might prove to be a road paved only in defeat.

Maya runs forward and attempts an irish whip on Entragian, but Isaac reverses it in the very center of the ring…..Isaac tries for a punch, but Maya LEAP FROGS right over Isaac’s head. Isaac spins around, and just as Maya bounces back off the ropes at high speed…ENTRAGIAN PRACTICALLY BEHEADS HIM WITH A JUMPING BICYCLE KICK!!!

Maya flips TWICE through the air, his limbs tangling together before he finally smashes down to the canvas. The cameras zoom in on Maya’s face, and we see that his bottom lip has been split wide open, blood oozing down from the fresh wound.

HOLY SHIT!!!

HOLY SHIT!!!

HOLY SHIT!!!

Eryk Masters: Did you HEAR that, OG?? It sounded like a cleaver smacking up against a carcass in a butcher’s shop!

Other Guy: That’s something else about Entragian, Eryk. He’s deceptively quick when he wants to be. He definitely doesn’t fit the slow big man archetype.

Isaac stalks over to Maya’s body, and he lowers himself to the canvas and LOCKS onto Maya’s neck. Entragian then throws his own weight down to the canvas and grapevines his big legs around Maya’s torso, squeezing and choking with every amount of force he can muster.

Eryk Masters: Guillotine choke, ladies and gentlemen. This is the perfect way to choke a man out and leave him unconscious.

Other Guy: I gotta admit, I wasn’t sure how Isaac would transition from competing under Iron Fist rules to the Rules of Surrender rules. I’m finding that his submission game is pretty damn proficient thus far.

Eryk Masters: That’s the scary thing about Entragian, OG. He doesn’t really need weapons to beat you. This man’s BODY is a wrecking machine all by itself.

Maya begins to sputter and struggle, his arms pin-wheeling and reaching for any kind of relief….little specks of spittle staring to spray out through his lips. Isaac draws his bicep in deeper under Maya’s jaw, making sure the choke is as tight as it can possibly be. Entragian begins to scream “GIVE IT UP!” into Maya’s ear as he shakes him from side to side with the chokehold.

Dennis Heflin drops down close to Maya, asking if he wants to quit, and Maya just manages to shake his head back and forth, his eyes becoming wide and bloodshot.

Maya starts to try and roll himself back and forth, and finally after much expended effort, he rolls himself onto his side. From there Maya starts to whip his head back violently, bashing the back of his own skull into Entragian’s face. Entragian holds steady to the choke for a few more seconds, absorbing the headbutts, but finally Maya manages to knock himself free.

Maya gasps, one hand on this throat, but even though he’s hurting he’s already on the move. Maya hits the ropes, bouncing back towards Isaac and using his momentum to grab Isaac by the neck and SLING BLADE him down to the canvas!

Once the monster is down, Maya performs a forward flip and leg drops Entragian right across the throat! Maya doesn’t waste even a heartbeat, because right after the leg drop he springboards up onto the second rope and DIVES, pistoning an elbow drop right into the black heart of Isaac Entragian!

A growl of pain escapes Isaac’s lips, both hands crisscrossing over the wounded flesh of his chest.

Maya doesn’t even stop there…he leaps up onto the top rope, walking across it and holding out his arms for balance…ONLY TO FLY OFF THE ROPE AND CRUSH ENTRAGIAN WITH A CORKSCREW MOONSAULT!!!

THIS IS AWESOME!!!

THIS IS AWESOME!!!

THIS IS AWESOME!!!

Eryk Masters: WOW! Not only did Maya find a way out of that guillotine choke, he just strung together one hell of an assault against this monster!

Other Guy: I’m starting to think I need bifocals….Maya flies around the ring so fast sometimes it seems like there are four or five versions of him in there all attacking Entragian simultaneously.

Dennis Heflin moves in for the ten count while Maya hops up onto the turnbuckles and seats himself there, taking a breather.

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

FOUR!

FIVE!

Isaac is barely moving on the canvas, one arm held tightly against his torso.

SIX!

 

SEVEN!

EIGHT!

Entragian snaps up into a sitting position at eight, his teeth gritted together in a snarl. He starts back up to his feet as Maya hops down from the buckles to continue the attack.

Other Guy: That would have been a perfect time for Maya to pick up a steel chair and just finish Entragian off for good. He needs to take every advantage he possibly can to put The Ivory Terror down.

Eryk Masters: I agree, OG. Entragian is not a normal human being….he’s damn near impervious to pain, and on top of that he’s batshit crazy. I understand that Maya respects the rules, but if there was ever a competitor you’d want to pull out ALL the stops for, Isaac Entragian is that man.

Maya hits the ropes for another assault, but Isaac has it scouted…the big man hits the ropes on the opposite side of the ring and SMASHES right into Maya with a high knee that spins the smaller wrestler down to the canvas.

Entragian then leans down and scrapes Maya right back up by the hair, and he locks onto his neck and proceeds to lift Maya perfectly vertical in the air. Entragian holds Maya there in the suplex position for a few moments, letting the blood rush to his head as he spins in circles around the ring…and then he falls downward and SLAMS Maya Nakashima into the mat with a brutal jackhammer!

Other Guy: White Death! That’s one hell of an impact, shook the very ring!

Eryk Masters: Entragian looks like he’s just getting started…

With Maya down in the center of the ring, Entragian makes his way over to the nearest turnbuckle and begins to ascend. When the albino reaches the top he perches there like an ivory dragon, waiting patiently for Maya to reach his feet.

Maya finally fights his way up to a vertical base, but at the very moment when he turns around Isaac LEAPS from the buckles and BARRELS into Maya with a flying clothesline right across the throat!!

Maya is flung back at least five feet from the impact, his body rolling across the canvas, his limbs looking like the limbs of a broken doll.

Other Guy: First White Death….and now he hits Wings of War! Things aren’t looking so good for the Rules of Surrender champion right about now.

Eryk Masters: Ever wonder what happens when a little dove gets hit by a 747 jet plane? Well…we just saw firsthand.

Isaac stalks over to Maya, and he flips him over with the toe of his boot and just falls down on top of him, proceeding to lock both of his pale hands around Maya’s throat in what can only be called a blatant choke.

Entragian’s stringy white hair frames his face into a mask of pitch black insanity, and froth can be seen bursting from the corners of his mouth as he presses his fingers as deeply into Maya’s neck as he possibly can.

Maya is gasping, his face beet red, his tongue protruding between his lips…and Maya’s struggling seems almost to incense Isaac further, causing him to tighten his grip even more.

Entragian: DO YOU SEE THE GOOD IN ME, LITTLE MAYA?? DO YOU SEE IT????

Eryk Masters: I guess Maya’s realizing now that there just isn’t much of anything good inside of Isaac Entragian. There’s ugliness, there’s hatred, and there’s plenty of black, swirling rage. Ever hear that old adage about the nastiness of a person’s soul corrupting their outward appearance? Isaac is a perfect example. He’s horrible on the inside AND the outside…

Other Guy: Maya Nakashima looks like his head is about to burst like an overripe cherry. He needs to give it up and live to fight another day…

Entragian: I’ll help you…to see.

Entragian finally breaks the choke, and he pauses for a moment while studying Maya with a strange leer on his face…and then he begins to DIG his thumbs down against Maya’s eyeballs, pushing and gouging with everything he has. Maya begins to scream….shrill, spine-tingling screams that travel all the way through the Epicenter.

Eryk Masters: GET IN THERE, HEFLIN! HE’S TRYING TO GOUGE THE MAN’S EYES OUT!!

Other Guy: Oh my god….I can’t watch this. This is making me sick to my stomach…

In total desperation, Maya starts to ram forearms into the side of Isaac’s face, and after several of these Isaac’s hands finally pull away as he rolls to the side. Maya staggers up to his feet, hands kneading at his eyes…and when he looks up we see red tears weeping out of one eye, the whites of that eye now crimson thanks to multiple burst blood vessels.

Eryk Masters: Maya’s lucky, OG. Very lucky. I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach that if Maya didn’t find a way out of that, Isaac would have kept digging and gouging until the sockets of Maya’s eyes were raw and ruined.

Other Guy: Now Maya’s gonna be operating on limited vision for the remainder of this match…his right eye is weeping blood…there could be damage to the cornea…we literally have no idea this point.

The pallid monster stumbles back up to his feet…but Maya bellows at him in defiance and he runs forward, leaping into the air and grabbing Isaac’s shoulders….ONLY TO FALL BACKWARDS AND DRILL ISSAC IN THE FACE WITH BOTH KNEES!!

Isaac flops to the side violently, his eyebrow split wide open by Maya’s kneecap!

Eryk Masters: ODE TO SHINYA!!!! MAYA HIT IT!!!

Other Guy: Count, Heflin!! Count as fast as you possibly can!

Maya falls back into the turnbuckles, breathing hard, and Dennis Heflin begins his ten count.

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

FOUR!

FIVE!

SIX!

Isaac is still motionless, and the fans are screaming Maya’s name over and over again in the anticipation of victory.

SEVEN!

EIGHT!

NINE!

Entragian sits up.

He stands slowly, his eyes locked on Maya….a vile rictus grin spreading across his mouth.

Eryk Masters: How….in the hell….

Other Guy: I…I don’t get it, Eryk. Maya hit that flush…that move has put away some of the best on this roster time and time again. How is Entragian getting up?!?

Maya digs his hands through his hair, his handsome features streaked with blood from several wounds on his face…and he seems utterly confounded by the fact that Isaac is standing. After a long moment, Maya’s paralysis breaks and he races towards Entragian at full speed…

BUT ISAAC CATCHES MAYA AND THROWS HIM UP INTO THE AIR, ONLY TO FLAPJACK HIM DOWN AGAINST THE CANVAS WITH AUTHORITY!

A horrible, dull thud echoes through The Epicenter, Maya’s body curled up into a ball of pain.

Entragian drops down to the canvas, and he RIPS open the leg of Maya’s wrestling tights, tearing the material to the point where his bare flesh is exposed.

Entragian then lifts up Maya’s leg….and he whips his head down and BITES into the meat of Maya’s calf muscle!!! Maya howls in agony, his entire body seeming to tremble as Isaac’s teeth sink deeper and deeper.

And just as quickly as can be, Isaac withdraws, his filed fangs dripping with Maya’s blood. The Iron Fist Champion then wraps his arm around Maya’s leg, constricting the calf and ankle with every bit of hellish power he has at his disposal.

Eryk Masters: Oh god…Isaac’s got Brittle Be Thy Bones locked in. Entragian’s ankle lock is one of the most brutal I’ve ever seen applied in all of my years as a commentator.

Other Guy: Bear in mind too, Eryk…he just bit into the man’s leg like it was a KFC chicken dinner…that was a calculated maneuver on Isaac’s part, just devious right down to the bone marrow…

LET’S GO MAYA!!!

LET’S GO MAYA!!!

LET’S GO MAYA!!!

The fans chant with all the force they have, trying to will Maya to break out of the ankle lock, but Maya looks like he’s starting to drift, his movements becoming slowed by pain and exhaustion.

Dennis Heflin drops down to ask if Maya’s wants to quit, and he whispers out “NO” in a dry rasp.

Entragian grinds back with all of his power, twisting and contorting Maya’s ankle to point where it must be inches away from snapping. Isaac’s hair hangs lank and wet about his face, his eyes merciless and cold.

Maya begins to shudder, and then his entire body goes limp, his eyelids slowly closing. Dennis Heflin grabs Maya’s arm and raises it up…

It drops.

He raises it again…it drops.

The official raises Maya’s hand one final time, and with the entire Epicenter looking on at the grand stage of Revolution 100…Maya’s arm drops for the third and final time.

The bell rings with dark finality.

Samantha Coil: HERE IS YOUR WINNER BY SUBMISSION, STILL THE IRON FIST CHAMPION, AND YOUR NEW RULES OF SURRENDER CHAMPION….THE IVORY TERROR….ISAAC ENTRAGIAN!!!

Eryk Masters: Just watching that unfold…it feels like my heart just became very hollow. I was hoping for a very different conclusion to this match…and damn it, Maya Nakashima put on the performance of a lifetime here tonight.

Other Guy: He never tapped, Eryk. He never quit. Maya fought this pale horror bitterly until his body literally had no choice but to just…shut down. His spirit never broke, but unfortunately…flesh has its limits.

Entragian finally lets Maya’s leg drop from his grasp, taking a step back. Liz Gaunt is already rushing into the ring with both championship belts in her hands, her face beaming with pride for her man.

Isaac stands with his arms held outward, and Liz snaps the championships belts into place on Isaac’s chest, crisscrossing them like gunbelts. The Rules of Surrender Championship on one side, the Iron Fist Championship on the other side.

Most of the fans are booing, but the great majority have lapsed into that sullen silence that seems to follow most of Entragian’s victories. It’s a silence that seems to say “How do you stop this man?”

Once his championship belts are secure around his chest, Isaac moves towards the closest turnbuckle…and he reaches up and RIPS down a navy blue SHOOT Project: REVOLUTION 100 flag that’s adorned with the SHOOT helmet.

Entragian takes the flag over to Maya’s broken, bleeding body…and he gently wraps Maya up in the SHOOT flag. Once this is done, he lifts Maya up like he weighs no more than a child…and he exits the ring and carries him over to the announce table, laying him out on top of the table almost like one would display a corpse just before a funeral.

The Iron Fist & Rules of Surrender champion then picks a microphone up…his strange, poison-colored eyes scanning the crowd.

Entragian: Jason Johnson…SHOOT Project…

Isaac pauses, staring down at Maya’s ruined body wrapped up in the SHOOT Project flag.

Entragian: This is my gift to you.

Isaac lets the mic slide from his fingers and drop to the floor…and then he and Liz begin to stalk their way up the ramp towards the back.

Eryk Masters: Soulless, OG. That man is soulless.

Other Guy: And the scary thing, Eryk? That man is now our Iron Fist Champion…AND our Rules of Surrender Champion. His accolades just grow and grow every time we see his hideous face…

Eryk Masters: That was a direct message to Jason Johnson and SHOOT Project as a whole, ladies and gentlemen. That’s a call to arms if I’ve ever heard one. Entragian wants a war. He’s tyrannical….he’s heartless…and he’s calling his twisted kin to the frontlines.

Other Guy: We need to get some EMTs out here for Maya….right now. He’s bleeding right through that flag…it’s all over the announce table…

The final shot shows Isaac Entragian marching up the ramp with both championship belts crisscrossed at his chest.

The camera opens up on Dan Stein, walking through the backstage area in a suit black with blue pinstriped suit. Stein rubs his wrists, angrily, huffing through his nostrils as he seemingly paces back and forth through the area around the water tank.

Voice: Hey, Dan?

Stein spins, quickly, to the voice, shouting.

Dan Stein: WHA-oh…

Stein’s eyes look her up and down. His scowl quickly turns to a smirk as the camera reveals the masked woman the fans caught wind of with this week.

Minxy Jones: Are you alright? You…seem a little frustrated.

Stein looks around, rubbing the edge of his lips as he walks over to Minxy, putting his hand on the wall next to her. He smirks, again looking her up and down before speaking.

Dan Stein: Well, for a while there it was a little touch and go, but… Hey, wait a minute…

Stein looks puzzled for a moment.

Dan Stein: Did a little research on the place, did ya? How did you know my name, Sweetheart?

Minxy looks up at him and bats her eyelashes. Her purple contacts might make it disconcerting, so she stops and gives him a big grin. 

Minxy Jones: You’re famous, goofball, of course I knew who you were. 

She rolls her neck, maintaining eye contact the entire time.  

Minxy Jones: So I take it you’re feeling better, Handsome?

Stein smirks, enjoying the eye contact from the woman in leather.

Dan Stein: Never better, Pumpkin.

He pauses, taking a moment to glance at her figure.

Dan Stein: So, I don’t know if you know it or not, but I’m on the SHOOT Project Welcoming Committee and I just don’t feel like you’ll get the full understanding here in the locker room. Why don’t you come back to my place and I’ll give you a proper introduction over some drinks?

She shakes her head immediately, but she keep smiling at him. If he had been one millimeter more subtle, she wouldn’t be turning him down outright. 

Minxy Jones: Don’t take this too personally, Dan… But I’d rather not do anything to compromise my anonymity. 

The fact that she hasn’t run away screaming into the night is probably a good hint that she doesn’t mind the flirting. 

Minxy Jones: We’ll just have to stay work friends. You understand, don’t you? Of course you do, you’re a doll.

Stein smirks.

Dan Stein: They always want to stay work friends, and somehow they always end up becoming more than that…besides Tanya Black, but that was my idea.

Stein shudders, looking around the arena quick.

Dan Stein: But for a girl like you?

Minxy Jones: Like me, Mr. Stein?

When Minxy calls him Mr. Stein, she doesn’t sound like a 16 year old ring rat, but a sassy secratary who has a thing for her boss. Stein hover hands his way down her figure, then back up to her leather mask, moving away before rubbing the cheek.

Dan Stein: ‘Good things come to those who wait’.

Stein smiles at her.

Minxy Jones: Glad to hear you’ve got better taste than that. I look forward to waiting for good things to…  

She looks down to his feet, and slowly pulls her eyes back up to look at his face.

 

Minxy Jones: …come.

 

With that said, Minxy stands on the tips of her toes and kisses his cheek. She does an about face and begins to walk away, humming to herself. Stein watches her walk away, hips swaying. Stein bites his lower lip before standing up and taking his suit jacket off, tossing it on an equipment box.

Dan Stein: She looks awfully familiar from this angle.

Stein smirks as Minxy disappears down the hall.

Voice 2: Mr. Stein! Interview for the Desert Dispatch?

Dan Stein: The WHAT?!

And that smirk again becomes a scowl.

Isaac Entragian leans back against the wall in one of the numerous backstage corridors of The Epicenter. He chews a toothpick nonchalantly between his razor sharp teeth, and he appears to be waiting for someone. The shadows paint his pallid face in harsh tones, and his eyes look particularly cold tonight.

He listens intently as the footsteps approach from farther down the hallway, and then his quarry rounds the corner while heading towards his locker room.

Cronos Diamante.

Cronos stops in his tracks when he sees Isaac. Entragian steps out from the shadows, and he flicks his toothpick down at the feet of his old friend. The albino steps within a few feet of Cronos, seeming to examine him from head to toe in utter silence. After a long, pregnant pause…Isaac speaks.

Entragian: Do you know what I used to see when I looked at you?

Isaac wets his lips, cocking his head slowly to the side.

Entragian: A dangerous entity. A soulless devil. A cerebral ring tactician that would go to any and all lengths to shred a man’s mind and body just to get a three count. A man….that I was proud to call a friend.

Isaac’s jaw tightens, his eyes becoming like glowing orbs inside of his head.

Entragian: Do you know what I see now? A wet nurse to a hobbled warhorse. A turncloak. A mere…SHADE…compared to what you once were. Indulge me, old friend….what in the blue fuck do you hope to accomplish by throwing in your lot with Alejandro? I could have given you power…influence…blood-brothers to stand at your side via SCAR…together we could have torn SHOOT Project in half and feasted on her fucking ENTRAILS.

Isaac leans closer to Cronos, the breath practically fuming from his nostrils.

 

Entragian: What will Jaime give you? I’ll tell you. He has….nothing to give. He’s a burden. Nothing but a sack of rotten, mangled flesh that still walks and talks only because I ALLOW him to do so. Why do you stand behind a man who is destined to FALL and FAIL? Tell me, Cronos. I think I deserve that much from you…

Cronos stares into Isaac’s eyes, meeting his fury with what one can only describe as pity. 

Cronos Diamante: If he was destined to fall and fail then why is he still walking around The SHOOT Project, “brother”?

Cronos lets that sink in for a moment before he continues, a temper of his own beginning to flare up. 

Cronos Diamante: What you did to him, Isaac… burning his uniform… that’s unacceptable. I was a soldier too and if you had done that to me, God help you because the Devil won’t have you. I stand behind him because he will rise above the masquerade of Project: SCAR and destroy it. Not because he’s a better fighter than some of you. Not because he’s a better person. Because he has heart and he has something that none of you will ever have. Hope. 

Cronos smirks as he notices the flare in Isaac’s eyes, his anger growing by the second. 

Cronos Diamante: And let me tell you something about your little mission to tear down The SHOOT Project, Isaac. And you pay very close attention to me when I say this. 

Cronos pauses. Isaac’s upper lip is starting to rise and fall in an unconscious dog-like snarl. 

Cronos Diamante: I helped build this place. Without me there would be no SHOOT Project. And I’m not just saying that to be some cocky old fool either. I was a founding member. The man I fight tonight was also part of building this place up.  We bled for this company. I won’t let you tear it down. I’d rather see you and all of your SCAR brethren dead before I let that happen and it starts with me helping a Saint. Are you getting the message?

The blood appears to be boiling in Isaac’s veins at this point, but he still manages to favor Cronos with a vicious smile.

Entragian: Hope? This is your answer? You’ve been blinded, old-timer. All the injuries…all the soul searching you’ve gone through…it’s left you bedraggled and confused. You’re backing the wrong pony in this race…and it’s clear to me now that you’re so far gone that nothing I say will ever reawaken the infernal fire that used to burn inside of you. The Devil…is dead. All I see looking at me now is a man of honor…nobility…all the old attributes that I used to HATE you for back in LEGACY.

Isaac suddenly lashes out both hands and GRABS Cronos by the collar, pulling him forward until they’re foreheads are pressing together. The albino’s teeth are gritted together, his fingers digging deeply into the material of Diamante’s shirt.

Entragian: You’re right, though. You are a SHOOT Project…founding father. A legend among legends in this company. I have a particular skill for….obliterating legends, Cronos. Diamond Del Carver could tell you all about it. But rest assured…I get the message. Now here’s a little message for you: Nothing…and no one…will stop me from finishing the job with Jaime Alejandro. I’m gonna make it slow…intimate…I want to drag out his suffering to the point where he BEGS me to put him out of his misery….so keep coaching him, legend. Keep giving him pointers. Because if you build him up….it’s gonna make it so much sweeter for me when I finally step in to tear him down for good…

Cronos pries Isaac’s hands off of him and he RIPS himself free of Isaac’s grasp, pushing himself away from the albino while taking a step back and shaking his head at Entragian.

Cronos Diamante: He’s going to wreck you, Isaac. That’s a fact. And you wanna know why?

Isaac leans forward, smirking.

Entragian: Oh please….do tell.  

Cronos Diamante: Because it took all of Project: SCAR to break him down. You swarmed on him like cowards. You didn’t break him. One man didn’t do it. You all did. And that is why I’m here. It takes a whole group to break him down and it takes one legend to build him back up again. You’re going to fight him one on one like a man for as long as this little blood feud continues or you, my old friend, aren’t the so called legend killer you say you are. That and this legend is going to back him up if I see any one of your bitch followers helping you attack him. And make no mistake about it, Isaac… I’m no Diamond Del Carver or Greyson Blade. I’m the legend you couldn’t and can’t beat and what’s more is you know it… 

Cronos points to the area where Isaacs black heart rests. 

Cronos Diamante: …in there. You wouldn’t be talking to me if you weren’t worried. I know you well enough to know that. You knew our friendship was over the moment you got disinvited to my wedding. This was never about friendship. This was about seeing where my head was at. And now you know.  

Cronos steps dangerously close to Issac and in a slow, angry whisper he speaks. 

Cronos Diamante: Now get out of my sight, coward.

For a long moment, Isaac’s face remains expressionless. Then all at once, he begins to laugh. A long, hearty laugh that’s choked with malignant good cheer.

Entragian: The one legend I can’t beat, huh? You cling to that old forgotten victory, Cronos. It nourishes you….it allows you to sleep at night. But deep down…in YOUR heart….you know for a fact that I’ve changed so very much since then. We only danced one time….back when I was a green rookie…but I can see in your eyes you’re not so sure about what might happen if we were to dance again. I think I’ll make it my business to find out….once I finish beating the blood and the shit out of your boy, that is.

Entragian begins backing up, showing Cronos that repulsive, arrogant smile of his with each step that he takes.

Entragian: Word of advice, Cronos. It’s good to have friends in SHOOT Project. My friends…are especially violent. You were always on my “list”…so that kept you safe. But now…all I have to do is point my finger at you, pull the trigger….and the wolves descend on you too, boy scout. Five on one might be tough to deal with even for a legend like yourself….and since I wipe my ass with what you call honor….I’m more than happy to tip the odds in my favor whenever the chance presents itself.

Entragian continues to chuckle, and he forms one hands into a pistol before dropping his thumb towards Cronos to symbolize how easy it would be.

Entragian: I’ll be seeing you real soon, best friend forever.

Cronos Diamante: Count on it.

The albino vanishes around the corner after the exchange, leaving Diamante there in hallway with a steadfast and determined expression on his face.

Samantha Coil: The following contest is scheduled for one fall. Introducing first… accompanied to the ring by Leona.. from Manchester, England… MASON…. PIERCE!

The frenetic synthesized intro of James LaBrie’s “Mislead” resonate throughout the arena as Leona and Mason Pierce emerge from behind the curtain to a roar from the crowd. Mason removes his sunglasses, surveying the capacity audience and nodding as he follows Leona toward the ring.

Eryk Masters: What a matchup for our one hundredth episode. While all the hype was being built for our huge main event and the other marquee matchups, this one comes in under the radar.

Other Guy: Yeah. Go figure. From fighting five other guys at RISE to dealing with Kenji Yamada last week, you gotta give this guy some serious props. He’s showing he’s willing to fight anyone, anytime.

Mason follows Leona into the ring and hands his sunglasses to her, giving her what appear to be pre-match instructions out of the range of the microphones. Leona nods and climbs out of the ring.

Samantha Coil:  And introducing his opponent…

“Bullet the Blue Sky” by U2 comes on over the loudspeaker.  As it does, we see Jaime Alejandro emerge out of the back with his blue and white Maripoza capoeira pants and kickpads over his feet.

Samantha Coil:  From San Antonio, Texas.  He is “The Saint” JAIME ALEJANDRO!

Jaime moves out to the arena floor slowly.  As he does, the crowd starts snapping pictures of his attire.  He then dashes and slides in under the ring.  All Mason can do is chuckle at this scene.  Jaime stands up and nods at Mason.

Eryk Masters:  This is probably the dream match of SHOOT, people.  The Green Beret vs The Pride of the Special Air Service.

Other Guy:  That last part is probably stretching it…  We’re not sure how the SAS feels.  They don’t really talk much.

Jaime and Mason, then lock hands in that warrior’s handshake.

Other Guy:  Both men showing respect to each other.  But how long is that gonna last?

Eryk Masters:  Who knows?  But we’ve always fantasy booked and wondered how this match would go.  Now, it’s time to see.

Dennis Heflin moves to the middle of the ring.  As he does, he looks over at Alejandro, who’s not moving an inch.  He moves his gaze over to Pierce, who also has not moved from his starting position.  With a wave of the hand, the match begins with the bell ringing.  Both men are not moving from their positions at all.

Eryk Masters:  A bit of an auspicious start to this match, as neither man has decided to budge an inch from where they started, OG…

Other Guy:  No, they haven’t.  It’s almost as if they’re trying to size each other up for the inevitable war that’s about to start the second one of them decides to so much as blink.

Jaime puts his right hand up in the open position, almost as if he wants Mason to try to meet his hand…  From here, Mason smirks and puts his hand up to meet Jaime.

Eryk Masters:  This is something… different.

Other Guy:  What the…  What is this?

Eryk Masters:  For those of you who don’t watch martial arts movies…  This is the common sparring position for Wing Chun.

Other Guy:  Wing what?

Eryk Masters:  Kung Fu.

Other Guy:  Gotcha.  You mean, we’re about to see the flippy Matrix stuff… and here I thought you were talking about the place that catered last night’s dinner.

Both men meet with the backs of their hands in the center of the ring.  The crowd looks at them, almost waiting for the first move.  Mason moves just slightly, and Jaime attempts to come up with a quick strike.  The Fixer meets this with a quick block and a strike of his own to Jaime’s jaw.  As this happens, both men meet again.  This time, Mason attempts a strike of his own.  As he does, Jaime blocks it and smacks the Brit with two strikes of his own to the jaw. The crowd is getting fired up as this leads to a full-blown exchange of strikes between the two, crowned by Jaime blocking a right hand and driving Mason to the mat with a short-arm clothesline!

Other Guy:  I thought this was going to be Matrix like?!!

Eryk Masters:  They’re not done yet.  And for God’s sake, put the popcorn away.

Other Guy:  I can’t help it, Eryk!  I need popcorn with my movies.

Eryk Masters:  Maybe Dan, Steve and Mike need to come back…

Mason quickly rolls himself along and moves back to his feet to meet Jaime again in the middle of the ring. He shakes his head and smirks, daring Jaime to come closer.. as he approaches, Mason fakes a left, causing an instinctive block that Mason uses to duck underneath and slam Jaime in the ribs with an elbow, following up with a DDT! He goes for a cover, but the count doesn’t even make one before the kickout. Jaime gets to his feet and shakes out the cobwebs- and as Mason closes the distance, he’s caught with a knee to the midsection and an axhandle to the back of the neck that sends Mason to the mat.. Jaime is right behind him, dropping an elbow and clamping on a headlock.

Eryk Masters:  And we’re seeing some excellent showings from the Pride of Manchester and the Saint.

Other Guy:  I don’t know if this is heart peeing level yet.  But we could be close!

Eryk Masters:  As Jaime uses his size and muscle against Mason.  You can’t help to think that Pierce doesn’t have an escape plan.

As they say that, Mason is moving his legs around to jockey for position.  He gets a firm plant on the ground and pulls himself up.  Jaime is trying everything he can to keep his opponent to the ground.  But Pierce isn’t content to stay down.  As the Saint tightens his grip, Mason gets to his knees and swings back a hard elbow to the solarplexus.  Alejandro simply shrugs off the first blow.  Mason hits him again.  And again Jaime tries to shake it off.  All of a sudden, Mason fires a series of elbows into Jaime’s gut and gets an arm under his neck.  Then, he pulls himself downward and carries Jaime over into a one armed snap mare.

Other Guy:  What did we just witness here.  Alejandro’s got the size advantage against Pierce, but the former SAS man just threw him over like a crash test dummy.

Eryk Masters:  Not many can say that did that easily.  Pierce using his knowledge of momentum and leverage to carry the big man through.

Other Guy:  Hold up!  Look at Pierce!

Mason maneuvers Jaime’s arm into a keylock, planting his free hand under the arm and squeezing. Jaime’s shaking his head as he tries to get to his feet, but the pain from the nerve hold is definitely taking its toll… until he gets a knee underneath and uses his momentum to get back vertical, bringing his free hand back and slamming Mason right on the bridge of the nose, stunning him just enough to get the hold released. Jaime quickly turns around and whips Mason into the ropes, taking him down with a perfect powerslam! He’s got the cover… but Mason kicks out just at the one count!

Other Guy:  How did Mason kick out of that one?!!

Eryk Masters:  I don’t know, OG.  Jaime got the right amount of speed on that powerslam.  But it seems Pierce isn’t going to let Jaime get the easy W over him.

Other Guy:  I think we’re getting ready to see an actual fight now!

Jaime hits the mat with his fists hard, yelling out an audible “FUCK!”  Mason looks over at him and smirks.  Leona looks in the ring, worried about what Mason’s getting into.  Both men back off for a moment.  They’re looking for an opening.  All of a sudden, Mason holds his fists up in a Muay Thai position.  Jaime realizes what’s going on and he joins in.

Eryk Masters:  This is the point in the show where we advise all parents to move their children to the next room if they are below the age of 13.

Other Guy:  What’re we telling them to move for?  It’s gonna get fun.

Eryk Masters:  It’s gonna have more blood in two minutes than…  That’s your line, isn’t it?

Other Guy:  Yeah, but I ain’t going there.

Both men drop the fists and come up with kicks aiming for the head.  As they kick at the same time, the shins connect with a slight pop.  The audience cringes as both men start trading kicks back and forth, connecting, but not getting a single hit in a vital area.

Other Guy:  Those sickening shots, Eryk…  No matter if Alejandro has kick pads or Pierce with his shin guards under his pants….

Eryk Masters:  Protective gear doesn’t help against two men with powerful legs…

Both men are wobbling a little.. Jaime gets in close and ducks under a Mason right, locking his arms and delivering a thunderous belly-to-back suplex, floating over and starting to rain down some forearm shots, the bulk of which Mason manages to block… but a few of them are getting through and it looks as though Mason’s being worn down somewhat..but one right hand goes slightly off-target and Mason is ready to pounce, locking the arm and trying to maneuver his legs into a head scissors….

Eryk Masters: Oh, crap.. we’ve seen this before. From his friend and sparring partner. If she taught him the Goodridge..

Other Guy: If she did, Jaime’s screwed.

Mason carries him over and locks it in!  Jaime’s unable to break out, as Mason’s got the head scissors sinked in.  Leona is screaming at him, “HOOK THE ARM!! GET THE ARM!!” but before he can execute the maneuver, Jaime lashes out with his free hand and grabs the rope. Heflin calls for the break, but Mason is cranking on the arm and putting the pressure from the legs right on the neck. Heflin’s warning him and starts the count, but Pierce shouts “I’VE GOT TO FIVE!” Heflin shakes his head and counts.. 1… 2… 3… 4… right before the five, he breaks the hold and scrambles to his feet.

Other Guy:  So close to the Goodridge…  If Pierce got the other arm, his good eye might have been out in the front row.

Eryk Masters:  Probably lucky he didn’t…  I don’t think Laura wants a boyfriend she needs to feed through a straw.

Other Guy:  Straw…  He’d have to eat with a tube, man!  A tube!

Jaime pulls himself up with his right arm.  As Mason’s scouted out the left handed nature of Jaime, he’s making sure to keep the left arm aggravated with a quick armbar.  Jaime tries to slap away the pain, but the Fixer wrenches up on the arm.  As he does, Jaime screams out in a bit of pain.  From here, Mason keeps cranking upward and pulls him back into a simple hammerlock.Jaime is struggling, trying to get the opening he needs to relieve some of the pain in his arm, but Mason snakes an arm around his neck, releasing the hammerlock just as he brings Jaime down hard across his knee with a vicious backbreaker!

Eryk Masters:  That one looked like it took a lot out of the big man!

Other Guy:  I think the Fixer might come out on top of this one, Eryk!  Alejandro’s not one hundred percent after his battles with SCAR, nor will he ever be.

Eryk Masters:  And Mason’s going for the cover!

Mason goes for the count… 1… Jaime gets his shoulder up just before the two count, and that brings the crowd level up even higher. Mason pulls Jaime to his feet and tries to get him back into another armbar, but Jaime blocks the leg and takes him over with a hiptoss.

Eryk Masters:  And pulling that move from Judo!  The hip toss also known as the Harai Goshi…

Other Guy:  So we’ve went from China to Thailand.  And then back to Japan.  What other races are we covering up in this contest?!!

Mason sits up from the hiptoss, and as he does, Jaime comes up and plants him with a hard soccer kick to the back.  The Fixer holds his back in pain. Jaime pounces and drives his knee into the back, hooking Mason’s arm and cranking back… as Mason tries to reach for the ropes, Jaime pulls him away and keeps the hold locked on! Leona is screaming at Mason not to give up, but the toll of this painful hold is really starting to show on Mason’s face. Mason’s trying to get a knee underneath in order to try and regain his vertical base… he’s struggling, but he manages to get back to his feet and he slowly backs Jaime to the ropes, pushing him off and rebounding with a knee to the midsection that doubles Jaime over! Mason follows through with an elbow to the back of the head…

Eryk Masters:  That’ll wake up someone in the morning!

Other Guy:  Mason Pierce reminding Jaime that he’s dealing with a man just as dangerous as he is.

Eryk Masters:  I don’t think the elbow fest is over, either.

Mason pulls up his opponent and pulls an arm back for a chicken wing.  As he does, Jaime tries to fight out of it.  Instead, Mason wrenches back even harder and starts delivering hard elbow shots to the side of Jaime’s head.  Heflin sees this and checks to make sure nothing illegal is happening.  For a split moment, Mason is distracted as Heflin keeps watching.  All of a sudden, a foot reaches the ropes.  And the ref starts yelling at Mason.

Eryk Masters:  How did…  How did Alejandro even get to the ropes on that one?!!

Other Guy:  A better question.  How much do these two have left to give?

Heflin is yelling at Mason to relent, and finally the Manchester brawler gets to his feet, pulling Jaime up and whipping him into the corner, following up with a running elbow to the head and a bulldog! He goes for a cover… 1…. .2… KICKOUT!! The crowd is roaring as Mason clamps on a headlock and cranks the neck.. Jaime’s on slightly rubber legs, but he does manage to get back to his feet and he locks his arms around Mason’s waist, lifting him up and taking him over HARD!! He flows though for a cover.. 1… 2.. KICKOUT!! 

Eryk Masters:  And another kickout in the match!  What else can these two pull out?!!

Other Guy:  Well, when Jaime’s not on rubber legs, we’re about to find out…

Jaime gets back to his feet slowly, and Leona sees the look on his face.  She’s now yelling for Mason to get up and stay away.  However, our resident Fixer is unable to run when he gets pulled up to his feet the hard way.

Other Guy:  Oh no…  Mason Pierce is about to experience the one ride that nobody in SHOOT wants to get on?

Eryk Masters:  You mean the YVUP experience?

Other Guy:  No, people have fun with that.  It’s like SHOOT’s version of “Are You Serious?” but with less talent and people we don’t care about normally…

Eryk Masters:  Wait, you don’t mean?

Other Guy:  Yeah, I do mean.

From here, Jaime crosses Mason’s arms together.  Leona’s screaming at Mason to get out of it.  And then, here we go…  The Saint pulls his opponent into a Straight Jacket Suplex.  But he doesn’t let go!  He pulls both arms into a double Chicken Wing and drops Mason into a Tiger Suplex.  And then, he pulls a chicken wing and Half Nelson, dropping Mason into a King Buster!

Eryk Masters:  Oh no!  This match already was bad…  This is taking it to dangerous levels!

Other Guy:  And Leona’s screaming out there, she’s studied this before!

Jaime pulls Mason into a Full Nelson, and then he drives him back with a huge Dragon Suplex!  After all of this…  Mason’s nearly dead weight.  Jaime rolls over, with the waist still clenched and deadlifts him up into a hard way German Suplex.  He locks it in…  1…  2…  KICKOUT! The crowd is roaring right now as Jaime puts his hands to his forehead, eyes wide as if to say “What the hell do I have to DO??” He pulls Mason to his feet, sending him into the ropes and setting himself for a lariat, but Mason ducks underneath and hits the brakes, catching Jaime in a Russian leg sweep! He mounts Jaime and starts to lay down a series of hard forearms, but Jaime catches an arm and rolls through, locking in an armbar.. but before he can cinch it in, Mason gets back vertical and sends Jaime toward the ropes… he’s setting himself for an elbow to the midsection…

Eryk Masters: We’ve seen this look before.. he’s gunning for the AES!!

Other Guy: And right now Jaime’s got to be primed for it. Both of these guys have dished out the punishment on the other- right now Mason’s looking to end it!

Mason spots the perfect opportunity and slams the double axhandle down across the back, sending Jaime to the mat! Leona is screaming outside the ring, “FINISH IT!! FINISH IT!!” Mason nods and pulls Jaime to his feet, hooking his arms.. lifting…

Eryk Masters: PAYROLL!! PAYROLL!!

Mason hooks the leg as Heflin counts… 1…. 2… 3!!!!

The crowd is on its feet as Heflin calls for the bell.

Samantha Coil: Here is your winner… MASON… PIERCE!!!

Heflin raises Pierce’s hand in victory as Leona slides through the ropes. Mason looks over at Jaime, who is getting back to his feet slowly. Mason walks over to him and extends his hand… and the handshake is accepted! The two men exchange words and a quick embrace before Mason raises Jaime’s hand in a sign of mutual respect, eliciting an even bigger roar from the capacity crowd in attendance.

Eryk Masters: Now there’s something you don’t see everyday, OG. These two beat the hell out of each other, and when it’s all said and done, there’s still some respect there.

Other Guy: In all honesty, I can’t say I’m surprised. Always good to see.

We cut back to ringside as the festivities continue on SHOOT’s 100th episode of Revolution. The camera does a slow pan over the packed house with the SHOOT faithful all cheering wildly and waving their signs.

Eryk Masters:  What a show we’ve had already here at Revolution 100, you’ve got to wonder what else is in store for…

Other Guy: Hey Eryk, sorry to interrupt your shameless pandering but did you know anything about this?

Eryk Masters: About what?

Other Guy: Check out the ring.

The camera cuts to ringside as several SHOOT Project employees are transforming the ring into what appears to be an interview set. A 42" LED screen is being positioned on a fake brick wall backdrop while two ultra-modern black leather chairs are quickly being propped up. Another employee sets up a metal oval table in the center of the ring and places two microphones on each chair seat.

Eryk Masters: Nobody tells me anything around here.

Other Guy: Looks swanky.

Eryk Masters: It looks hideous. What’s with those sculptures they’re setting up in the corners of the ring?

Other Guy: Duh. Clearly its post minimalist metalwork inspired by the Soho artists of the late 90s.

Eryk Masters: How in world would you know that?

Other Guy: DONT MAKE FUN OF MY ART HISTORY DEGREE! I GOT IT FROM AN ACCREDITED ONLINE COLLEGE!

The fans in the arena watch in awkward silence, not sure what to make of the SHOOT ring being transformed in front of their very eyes as one worker drops off two coffee mugs on each side of the oval table and quickly exits the ring.

Eryk Masters: Well there goes the last backstage worker…anyone want to clue us in here on what’s going on? Anyone? Any…

Before Eryk can finish his thought, "Sieben" by Subway to Sally blares over the arena’s loudspeakers.

Eryk Masters: …No…

Other Guy: YES!!!

Eryk Masters: Hell no.

Other Guy: ERMAHGERD!!!

The crowd, momentarily stunned by the opening riffs of the song, go right into a chorus of deafening boos as stepping out from behind the curtain in a fluorescent lime green suit is…

Eryk Masters: God damn it. Goeren’s back.

Azrael Goeren holds his arms stretched out to his side and makes his way down the ramp, smiling broadly as he attempts to slap hands with fans at ringside that recoil away from him. He makes his way towards the ring steps, only to stop and do a victory lap around the ring while trying to high five everyone at ringside. The only one who does so willingly is Other Guy.

Other Guy: How can you just sit there Eryk?! After five months our Megastar is back! He touched me!

Eryk Masters: The only reason you liked him so much was because he used to pay you to talk about how great he was.

Other Guy: How great he IS.

Eryk Masters: Man, these last few months were the best months of my life. Back to the bottle for me.

Azrael, after thoroughly milking it, rolls into the ring and waves out to his "adoring" fan base. He blows each section of the arena a kiss before picking up one of the microphones from the hideously uncomfortable chairs. The demented German tries to speak, but gets immediately drowned out by the fans. He grins and continues after a few moments of intense jeering.

Goeren: Mutter Gottes, I missed you all too!

More thunderous boos.

Goeren: It’s okay mein kinder, you can let it all out now. Papa has returned to your miserable little lives. Ach, how horrible it must have been for all of you. To go so long without getting an update on where your Megastar was and how he was doing.

Eryk Masters: I was actually content thinking he was dead.

Other Guy: Shush!

Goeren: Truth is, after my unceremonious departure several months back at the hands of that disgusting inhuman Patrick Kidd, I realized that if I continued down the life path of drugs and alcohol, I would never get to see my offspring dominate this sport the way their father did. I was sick and I truly needed to get better. Mentally. Physically. Emotionally. Somewhat sexually.

Azrael digs into his coat pocket and pulls out a circular chip, holding it high in the air.

Goeren: This here is a 3 month sober chip that I received from the rehab clinic in North Las Vegas a few days ago. I know how much all of you look up to me and I could not bring myself to appear publically until I had this wonderful piece of plastic in my possession. I did it for all of you!

Other Guy: Good for you Azrael. Good for you.

Eryk Masters: Is that…oh come on! Look closer OG, that’s a casino chip from the roulette table in the lobby!

Other Guy: STOP RUINING THIS BEAUTIFUL MOMENT!

Azrael slides his chip back into his pocket and sits down, crossing his legs as he smiles out at the audience like a cheshire cat.

Goeren: You see my children, after ridding myself of the devil’s nectar, I naturally thought I would be welcomed back into SHOOT with open arms. I mean…SHOOT without its Megastar? That’s like aspirin without codeine or a German film haus without a snuff flick! Imagine my surprise when I was informed by that dastardly villain Jason Johnson’s lawyers that I had been suspended indefinitely for leaving all of those months ago! How wretched of a human being is that man to punish me for trying to get sober?

Other Guy: JASON JOHNSON IS THE DEVIL!

Eryk Maters: Will you sit down?

Azrael takes a few deep cleansing breaths and continues.

Goeren: So, after visiting Herr Johnson in his office over the span of the last several days, we reached an amiable agreement. I would be allowed back on SHOOT programming but would not be reinstated to active duty until my "probationary" period ended.  Knowing that idle hands are the tools of Satan, I convinced Johnson to give me interview time on each episode of Revolution in exchange for an exorbitant amount of sponsorship money.  So that brings me to the here and now…welcome everyone to the very first production of "Zeitgeist!" featuring Azrael Goeren!  Your ol’ pal Azrael will have his finger on the pulse of everything that is SHOOT with surprise guests and cutting commentary on every episode of Revolution!

Eryk Masters: And there goes my last semblance of hope for mankind.

Azrael puts down the microphone for a moment and reclines further in his seat, looking completely relaxed on his ridiculous set as the boos continue to cascade down.

Goeren: Now then kiddies, let’s get started. I knew I had to have an incredibly special guest for the first episode of Zeitgeist!, so naturally I aimed high. My people called his non-existent people, I Facebook messaged him, I tweeted him, I sent inappropriate carrier pigeon messages to his house…and finally, I got an answer.  Ladies and Gentlemen…please welcome my first guest…he is the SHOOT PROJECT WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION…DONOVAN KIIIIIIINNNNGGGG!!

Eryk Masters: Whoa!

Other Guy: Awesome!

“Gladiator” by Bun B kicks in as the green and white spotlights shine down on the entrance to the arena.  The fans erupt into cheers as out from the back emerges DONOVAN KING.  King is wearing his new ALL HAIL black hoodie, ALL HAIL written on the back in golden calligraphy.  The hood is pulled tight over his head as he marches down to the ring, wearing dark blue jeans and black leather shoes.  On his right shoulder is the SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Championship belt.

Eryk Masters: This could prove to be most interesting.  It’s been months since we’ve seen Azrael Goeren and it’s been even longer since King has been in the same place as him.

Other Guy: King best not lay a finger on those cherubic locks that adorn Goeren’s beautiful head!

Eryk Masters: Now I know why you’re so late to staff meetings, since it’s obvious you’re elbow deep in some Goeren ass.

The moment that King steps through the ropes, Azrael goes in for an overly enthusiastic hug. Goeren pats King on the shoulder and motions for him to sit down on one of the outlandish chairs and grab a microphone.

Goeren: Mein Gott, it is absolutely wonderful to see you again mein freund! First off, let me get something out in the open. Something I’ve wanted to say to you for a long time. I’ve always admired you, Herr King.

The crowd responds with groans and boos.

Goeren: Nein! Nein! It’s true. That X-Calibur guy? I never liked him. Always scheming that one. I hope you realize that he was the reason you got kicked out of Sovereign and that I had nothing to do with that. Attacking you in this ring a year ago? Totally his idea! I was out buying scones at the time, I had no idea what he was planning on doing to you. I told that swine X-Calibur how great of a person you are, how wonderful your posture is and how shiny your teeth are. But would he listen? NEIN! You did us all a favor by taking the World title away from him at Rise. Bravo sir!

Before King can respond, Azrael reaches underneath the oval table and pulls out what appears to be a gift basket and continues rambling.

Goeren: And just to show there are no hard feelings between us, I’ve brought you a gift basket of eternal peace and love. Lookie! We got officially licensed Azrael Goeren body wash, officially licensed Azrael Goeren vegetable peeler…Oo! Look! Some malt liquor and gold jewelry! Your favorites!

More groans from the audience. King acts like he is about to speak but once again gets interrupted by Goeren.

Goeren: Wait! One last thing…I had these made just for us. Ever since Pestalance left my life I’ve been looking for another…shaded…friend. Get ready for the best tag-team ever!

Azrael pulls a wadded up t-shirt out from the gift basket and holds it high for everyone to see. It features Azrael’s smiling face with King’s somber expression along with the words "Black & Tan II: Electric Boogaloo" scrawled underneath their faces.  King looks at the shirt as Goeren starts to move to put the shirt over his hooded head, obviously hoping to see if he has the right size.

Donovan King:  Hold up.

King puts his hand out to stop Goeren.

Donovan King:  Against my better judgment, I’m out here with you.  You, who led the charge to get me kicked outta Sovereign.  You, who helped get Mirage here.  I waited forever for this.  No Stellar Insanity.  No Van Warren.  No Kidd.  Just me…an’ you.

King smirks.

Donovan King:  Ask away.

Azrael exhales nervously and continues with his bluster.

Goeren: Well, let’s not molest this corpse any longer. I’ve got some hard-hitting questions for you that I know everyone wants to have answered. Let’s begin with X-Calibur. How did it feel to take out that horrible, twisted man? A man who, as I stated earlier, I always hated right alongside with you.

Donovan King:  Right.

They share a moment, King glaring at Goeren while Goeren grins back.

Donovan King:  That trash don’t deserve to even get his name mentioned.  He don’t deserve to have his names in any history books.  He don’t deserve a single damn thing besides a good damn riddance.  You ask me how it felt?  How I feel?  I feel like the goddamn garbage man.  I did what I had to do.  He’s out in some landfill now, where he belongs.

Goeren: Well let me just say dankeschön for doing that deed, I never liked him from the start. Have I mentioned that yet?

Donovan King:  You keep mentionin’ him, I mean he’s—

Goeren ignores him, continuing.

Goeren: X-Calibur is the past though King, let’s look…to the future!

Donovan King:  But you’re the one that keeps bringin’ him—

Goeren continues, ignoring King completely.

Goeren:  Later tonight we’re going to have a #1 contender’s match to determine who gets a crack at that gold around your waist. Any preference between Jonas Coleman and Lunatikk Crippler as your challenger?

Donovan King:  I…

King stares at Goeren.

Goeren:  Hmm?  Go ahead, I wasn’t going to say anything.

Donovan King:  Frankly, I don’t give a damn who it is.  Crippler deserves it, Jonas deserves it.  I’ve come too far to fall to either one of them now.  Are they good?  Sure.  Are they good enough?

King smirks.

Goeren: I think it’s safe to say though King no matter who wins, they won’t be the only people gunning for you backstage. Project: SCAR looks to be stronger than ever after last Revolution. Do you view them as a threat to you? I’ve heard it through my well-placed sources that it’s only a matter of time before they focus entirely on you.

Donovan King:  I know the levels them cats can go to.  Entragian, Yamada, Obsidian, Corazon…even Gaunt.  If that little skinny bitch wants in, she can get it.  Yamada grows a set, he can get it.  Obsidian’s the man who trained me, dude knows me like no other…but he can step up just the same.  Corazon?  Entragian?

King motions to the camera.

Donovan King:  I’m waitin’.

Goeren: The good news is you won’t have to fight them alone. Team Black & Tan II: Electric Boogaloo Forever!

Azrael enthusiastically holds up his hand for a high five. It’s promptly ignored.

Goeren: You’re right. We’ll save the team bonding for brunch tomorrow. So Donovan, let’s have ourselves a little fantasy session here. If you could fight one person currently on the SHOOT roster that you have never faced before, who would it be?

Donovan King:  Eryk Masters.

The fans laugh.

Eryk Masters: Bring it, I’ll make your heart pee.

Goeren: Same question, except we broaden it to include anyone who has ever competed in a wrestling ring at any time.

Donovan King:  That one’s easy…the last member of the Hierarchy I haven’t put hands on.

King gets in Goeren’s face.

Donovan King:  You.

The fans pop BIG.  Goeren swallows hard as he tries to carry on with a nervous laugh.

Goeren: Ha!  Always the kidder.  Ha!  Wh…wh…

Azrael composes himself.

Goeren:  Excuse me…what does the next year hold in store for Donovan King? By that I mean there is a swelling of fresh blood around here as SHOOT continues its expansion, do you think we’ll be sitting here a year from now and you’ll still be at the top?

Donovan King:  I can only hope, Heimlich.  Fact is…anybody at any time can get at me an’ maybe put hands on me to the point that I can’t get up.  Can’t deny, bein’ the best don’t mean it’s a concrete thing.  But I don’t lay down.  I don’t walk away.  I show up.  I fight.  I don’t care if you got big tits, big boots, or a big ego…I ain’t here to be your friend.  I’m here to be your Champion.

The fans cheer at that.

Goeren: Now, I saved the most important question for last. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being barely noticeable to 10 being the obvious answer, how badly have you missed yours truly? Be honest. Future tag-team champions like us have to be honest with one another.

Donovan King:  Ever since you ducked me, ran behind your partner’s shadow, an’ got ran the hell outta here by Pat Kidd, I’ve been waitin’ to see you again.  I knew all I had to do was be patient, an’ when the day came that your sycophantic ass shows up here again, you’d try to kiss up to me, you’d annoy me, an’ you’d try to make a deal with me.

Azrael, apparently oblivious to the insults hurled at him, stands up from his chair and eagerly addresses King with a hard slap on the back.

Goeren: I knew it! I knew it! I’ve missed you too! Ach, Herr King. It’s so good to be back in SHOOT and united with such a well-spoken member of your breed.

The crowd lets out a collective "OoooOoooOoo" as Goeren continues; blissfully unaware that King has stood up from his chair as well.

Goeren: Ladies and gentlemen, give it up one more time for your World Heavyweight Champion Donovan King…and me! Your future tag-team champions! Black & Tan! Black & Tan! Black &…

DEALBREAKER!!  King LEVELS Goeren with the Dealbreaker, SNAPPING Goeren to the mat!  King stands over Goeren’s prone form for a moment before he reaches down and picks up the microphone once again.  The fans are cheering LOUDLY as he stands above Goeren’s body.

Donovan King:  Welcome back to SHOOT Project, Azrael Goeren.

King looks up to the fans.

Donovan King:  Long live the King, bitches.

He drops the microphone on Goeren’s head, eliciting a loud THUMP on the PA system as “Gladiator” by Bun B kicks up once again.  The fans ERUPT as King readjusts the hood on his head as he hoists the World Heavyweight Championship in the air for all to see.  He exits the ring, leaving Goeren sprawled out and lying still.

Immediately, or after a few moments, I can’t tell time, we cut backstage. We are walking behind the masked man of Amazing, the LEGENDARY LUCHADORE OF MEXICO, I mean, VERMONT, El Asso Wipo!!! He is chatting with Silas Mitchell, whom, as usual, nods and (I think) smiles.

El Asso Wipo: I don’t care WHAT you say. Leonardo DiCaprio’s career peaked with his role in Critters. It was Growing Pains with Alan Thicke and Kirk Cameron, then a huge step up with the Critters, and then nothing but abject failure since!

Silas: ….

El Asso Wipo: No, I didn’t see it. A ship hits an iceberg, we see Kate Winslet’s bush, and Billy Zane shoots a guy? It’s cliff notes for me.

They get to a dressing room. Wipo swings the door open, and stops in his tracks. The dimly lit set of El Luchador, if the show had been overrun by a zombie apocalypse. Fitting with that horror motif we see a skeleton splayed across a folding table. Sitting behind the table gnawing at a rib, BBQ sauce dripping down an incredibly shaggy beard, Loco Martinez looks up surprised, squinting as if he hadn’t seen light in months.

El Asso Wipo: Senor Loco?!? Are-Are-Are…. are you eating Mr Belding?

Loco looks to the skeleton laying before him and to the rib in his hand.

Loco: No… you see-

El Asso Wipo: Sir, I cannot condone this action! Belding was a national treasure! Now El Asso will not get the chance to pitch "Saved by the Bell: The Unemployed Years". I had a script –

He pauses and looks to his mute friend. Silas, I think, looks displeased.

El Asso Wipo: Sorry. WE had a script.

Loco: Wipo, this *taps skeleton*-

El Asso Wipo: Stop disturbing the dead! What’s most appalling, is… if you’re going to consume TV’s greatest actor? How can you not save some for El Asso Wipo?!

Loco sighs.

Loco: Dude, you’ve been gone for… like… MONTHS. We had nothing else to do.

From behind we hear a familiar voice, as Dennis Haskins, aka Mr. Belding walks in carrying a box of wet naps.

Mr. Belding: Loc’, I got the wet naps!

If you could see EAW’s face, it’d be painted with relief, followed by horror.

El Asso Wipo: SO you ate one of the El Luchador contestants?! For SHAME! … Is the meat of the young different, like eating veal?

Loco: Jesus, dude. We didn’t eat anyone. Your little contestants left. Production crew left. Shit, dudeman… YOU… LEFT!

El Asso Wipo: So, why did you two stay?

Belding and Loco look at each other. Before Loco looks back at EAW with a smirk.

Loco: We didn’t have anything better to do.

“Not Going Away” by Ozzy Osbourne starts up, sending a raucous cheer through the crowd. Cronos Diamante steps out from the back, gazing out at the SHOOT fans while nodding his head.

Samantha Coil: Introducing first…from The Bronx, New York City….CRONOS DIAMANTE!!!

Eryk Masters: It’s great to see Diamante making his return to the roster. This man is a legend in SHOOT Project, and our milestone show would not be the same without him.

Other Guy: You can call him The Honorable Man…The Devil….The Crow…he’s a man of many monikers, a man who’s evolved numerous times over the years, but whatever you decide to call him…you can’t help but respect him. A true veteran of this game if I’ve ever seen one…

Diamante stalks down the ramp and enters the ring, thrusting both fists up towards the heavens, much to the delight of the crowd.

Other Guy: We’ve seen Cronos playing a bit of mentor role lately in Jaime Alejandro’s career…seems he’s chosen to support Jaime in his war against the monster Entragian.

Eryk Masters: Well if anyone knows Entragian, it’s Cronos. Those two have had some wars in the past…plus they’ve been allies on many occasions too. Cronos Diamante just might be Jaime’s ace in the hole as that feud continues.

“Symphony of Destruction” starts to blast out through The Epicenter, giving the SHOOT Project fanbase a taste of nostalgia. Skull steps out from behind the curtains, wearing his signature forest green trench coat and his matching fingerless gloves.

Samantha Coil: Introducing second, hailing from Parts Unknown….SKULL!!!

The fans give up a great amount of respect for the veteran, people in the stands rising up to their feet in honor of his return to SHOOT.

Eryk Masters: Talk about a blast from the past here tonight! It’s been ages since we’ve seen Skull step foot into a SHOOT ring…and I can’t think of a better time for that to happen than Revolution 100.

Other Guy: I’m just remembering all the epic wars Cronos & Skull have been in over the years…it’s the type of feud that will always stand the test of time. This is a real treat tonight for the fans…it feels like for this one match…time is standing still!

Skull has a microphone in his hand, and he speaks into it while stalking his way down towards the ring.

Skull: Damn, Cronos. This brings back memories. You and I have had some wars, haven’t we? Tonight we write a new chapter in the story. It might be the final chapter….but I want it to be the type of chapter that people will REMEMBER!

Skull nods his head, entering the ring through the middle rope.

Skull: So here’s what I’m thinking…in the past you and I left it all in this ring. We held nothing back, and we recognized no rules. When it was you and me…it was always a war…the kind of war that got bloody and brutal…with no restrictions. So tonight, Cronos…I say we make this a NO DISQUALIFICATION match! You with me??

Cronos takes a step forward, grinning, and he nods his head while mouthing the words “hell yes.”

Eryk Masters: Hear that, OG?? Looks like this match is gonna be no DQ!!

Other Guy: In honor of all the battles that have come before in this rivalry…I wouldn’t want it any other way!

Skull tosses the microphone out of the ring, and the bell rings with a loud clang, signaling that we are OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY!

Cronos & Skull begin to circle each other in the ring, seeming to feel each other out as they’ve done so many times in the past. The two finally lock up in the center of the ring, and Skull shoots around Cronos with a waistlock and takes him down to the canvas with a side slam.

Cronos is already getting back to his feet, working to remove Skull’s hands from around his waist. Once vertical, Cronos pumps an elbow into Skull’s face, and he hits the ropes and BARRELS into Skull with a flying shoulder tackle. Skulls gets back up to his feet, rubbing his shoulder…and he boots Cronos in the midsection.

Cronos doubles over, and Skull locks onto Cronos’s neck and DRILLS his head into the canvas with a quick DDT. Skull then goes for a cover.

ONE!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Cronos shoulders out just as quick as can be.

Eryk Masters: These two certainly haven’t lost any ability during their time away from the squared circle. I’m seeing no ring rust at all tonight!

Other Guy: If you ask me, athletes like these guys age like a fine wine. They seem to get better as they grow older!

Skull pulls Cronos back up to his feet, but Cronos swats Skull’s hands away and PISTONS a throat punch right into his adam’s apple. Skull staggers back while gagging, and Cronos presses him into the ropes and irish whips him across the ring. Diamante tries a clothesline, but Skull ducks underneath, bouncing off the ropes on the opposite side of the ring….but Cronos catches him this time around and SMASHES him into the canvas with a spinning powerslam!

Cronos follows it up by pulling back on one of Skull’s legs.

ONE!

TWO!

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Skull kicks out with authority, pushing Cronos’s body away from his own to gain some separation.

Eryk Masters: The funny thing is…Cronos and Skull know each other SO well. It’s almost like two siblings fighting against each other.

Other Guy: Nothing quite like a showcase of the old guard. My headsets are buzzing right now…the Revolution 100 crowd is loving this!

Skull stumbles back up to his feet…and he SLAMS a haymaker into the side of Diamante’s head!

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!

Cronos stumbles forward, and he whips a knife-edge chop into Skull’s chest.

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!

The two begin to exchange big-time punches, neither man giving even an inch in the center of the ring. The fans are going apeshit in the stands, people screaming out for the veterans.

Cronos lands a punch, socking his knuckles right into Skull’s orbital bone.

LET’S GO CRONOS!!!

Skull stumbles back against the ropes, but he gets right back into it with a forearm smash to Cronos’s nose!

LET’S GO SKULL!!!

Eryk Masters: Listen to these fans! They can’t decide who they want to be victorious in this one!

Other Guy: I don’t think they care, Eryk! The SHOOT Project faithful have nothing but respect for these men…I think they’re just enjoying the show of sportsmanship.

Diamante gets right back into it, scoring with a barrage of throat punches that knocks Skull WAY off balance. Skull falls back into the ropes and uses them to keep himself from falling…but as Diamante goes to continue the attack Skull DUMPS him out of the ring!

Skull then races across the ring and DIVES through the middle rope, lawn darting himself into Cronos with an insane suicide dive!! Both men slam up against the security railing, a mess of broken humanity.

HOLY SHIT!!!

HOLY SHIT!!!

HOLY SHIT!!!

Eryk Masters: SERIOUSLY??

Other Guy: That’s how the veterans do it, Eryk! Go big or go home!!

Already, Cronos & Skull are picking themselves up, seeming to climb all over each other to get back up to a vertical base. Once they’re up, Cronos GORES Skull and runs forward only to spear him into the steel ring steps!

Skull falls to the side while groaning in pain, but he wastes no time reaching under the ring and coming out with a kendo stick. Diamante marches towards his opponent, but Skull fights up to his feet and begins to WHIP the kendo stick into Cronos’s torso over and over again.

Cronos staggers backwards while gasping, and Skull jumps up onto the steel steps and LEAPS forward…ONLY TO CRUSH DIAMANTE ATOP THE HEAD WITH THE KENDO STICK, SPLINTERS FLYING EVERYWHERE!!!

Cronos collapses in a heap on the outside, and Skull hauls him back up by the tights and tosses him back into the ring under the bottom rope. Skull then starts digging for weapons like a madman, and he comes up with two steel chairs that he throws into the ring….and a wooden table that he quickly slides in….and a bright red fire extinguisher.

Skull rolls back into the ring while holding the fire extinguisher, and he waits patiently while Cronos uses the ropes to pull himself back up to his feet. Cronos turns around, blood seeping down his face from the kendo stick assault, and Skull runs forward and tries to smash the fire extinguisher into Cronos’s face…but Cronos blocks it!

Cronos then begins to kick the living hell out of Skull, sending major kicks into his thighs, his torso, even a heavy kick into Skull’s pectoral muscles! Cronos then RIPS the fire extinguisher from Skull’s hands…and HE NAILS SKULL FLUSH IN THE FACE WITH IT!!!

Eryk Masters: That was like a modified version of Countdown to Extinction…with just a little fire extinguisher surprise at the end!

Other Guy: That’s why I hate surprises…

Skull falls back into the ropes, blood starting to flow from a freshly busted eyebrow…and Cronos SPRAYS SKULL IN THE FACE WITH THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER!!!

Skull falls to the canvas while kicking his feet and scrubbing at his eyes, and Diamante drops down for a cover.

ONE!

TWO!

THREE-NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Skull just manages to kick out while continuing to rub his eyes.

Eryk Masters: So close!

Other Guy: Diamante almost had him there, no doubt about it.

Cronos throws himself to the side and scrapes up a steel chair, and he turns towards Skull and raises the chair up over his head…but when Cronos goes to slam the chair into Skull’s head, Skull grabs up the second steel chair in the ring and deflects the blow!

Skull then staggers his way up to his feet, and the two battle-tested veterans begin to circle each other, both of them wielding steel chairs.

Cronos goes for another attack, bringing the chair in low, but Skull deflects the blow yet again, the sound of steel clashing against steel roaring through The Epicenter.

Other Guy: Both of these gladiators have steel in hand….who’s gonna blink first??

Eryk Masters: I feel like I’m watching a medieval sword fight. Game of Thrones ain’t got nothing on this!

Skull lashes out with the side of his steel chair, trying to slam it into Cronos’s ribs…but Cronos sidesteps and SMACKS his steel chair into Skull’s thigh. Skull groans in pain, but he doesn’t release his chair, moving in wildly he begins to just THRASH his chair down multiple times against Cronos’s own chair, until finally a piece of metal breaks and Cronos’s chair drops from his hands…

This gives Skull the only opening he needs, and he CRUSHES the steel chair into Diamante’s stomach…and once he doubles over…Skull WHIPS the chair down against Cronos’s back as hard as he possibly can!!

Skull then tosses the bent remains of his chair to the side, and he falls atop of Diamante for the pinfall.

ONE!

TWO!

THREE-NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Cronos gets a shoulder up at the very last moment.

Skull growls in frustration and rises back up to his feet, and he slowly begins to set up the wooden table on one side of the ring. Once this is done, Skull goes to scrape Diamante up…but Cronos connects with Skull’s throat via a lethal-looking uppercut!

Skull falls to the side while holding his throat, and Cronos promptly grabs him around the waist and DRILLS him into the canvas with a german suplex.

Cronos doesn’t let go though…helping Skull back up to his feet…only to smash him down again with a second german suplex!

Just when it seems Cronos’s grip may falter, he starts to haul Skull back to his feet one last time…both men breathing hard…and then Cronos fall backwards with all of his might and DESTROYS Skull with a release german suplex!!

Cronos then crawls over to his old rival and pulls hard back on a leg.

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

The very last millisecond before the three count, Skull manages to get his foot up on the bottom rope, effectively breaking the count.

Eryk Masters: I thought it was over on that exchange! Skull didn’t even have the strength the kick out…what saved him was getting his foot on that bottom rope.

Other Guy: These guys are starting to feel the grueling effects of this match at this point. Lots of damage has been done to the human anatomy here tonight!

Diamante staggers back up to his feet, and he brings Skull with him…proceeding to the lift the man up and lay him across his shoulders. Cronos then makes his way over to the table set up on the side of the ring, and he looks like he’s setting his feet to throw Skull through it.

Eryk Masters: Are we about to see Lucifer’s Honor?

Diamante tries to follow through with the move, but Skull starts to kick his feet…and he manages to slide out of Diamante’s grasp and fall back to the canvas! Skull then grabs Cronos up onto his own shoulders, and he turns towards the table, pauses for a moment while the flashbulbs click across The Epicenter…

AND THEN HE CRUSHES DIAMANTE THROUGH THE TABLE WITH A BURNING HAMMER!!!!

The sound of the wood cracking travels all the way through the arena, and Skull quickly throws all of his weight onto Cronos’s chest before he has any time to recover.

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

Samantha Coil: HERE IS YOUR WINNER……….SKULL!!!!

Eryk Masters: WOW! Talk about impact!! Skull did it!

Other Guy: This has got to feet GREAT for Skull, OG. Skull has never won the big one when matched up against Diamante, but at long last, he manages to get some retribution and get himself a win over Cronos.

Skull stumbles and staggers to his feet, barely able to stand, and the official grabs his wrist and raises it up high.

The fans continue to roar with approval, the Revolution 100 crowd at their most energetic.

THANK YOU SKULL!!

THANK YOU CRONOS!!

THANK YOU SKULL!!

THANK YOU CRONOS!!

Eryk Masters: That chant says it all, ladies and gents. These battle-tested warriors have sacrificed so much for this sport…and tonight the fans are happy to show their appreciation.

Other Guy: Winning the match is one thing, Eryk…but the true victory is coming out here on this milestone show and etching a new SHOOT Project moment into the history books. Skull & Cronos have both succeeded in doing that.

Shockingly, Cronos is stirring in the rubble, managing to find his feet while wiping blood from his face. Skull & Cronos lock eyes for a moment, then Cronos embraces his opponent and proceeds to raise his wrist up high in victory. Skull grins and nods, helping Cronos to stand as both veterans support each other’s weight.

Eryk Masters: I wish we could see more moments like this in SHOOT. Just pure sportsmanship and respect on display…gotta love that.

Other Guy: This is what Revolution 100 is all about. Showing passion and desire for this industry, and giving our fans one hell of a show every single night….hopefully for one hundred more episodes to come!

The scene fades out on Skull & Cronos standing tall in the center of the ring.

Eryk Masters: Well we are getting ready for one of the rematches from RISE, as Thomas Manchester Black will face Corey Lazarus in that should be a slugfest espically after the end of the match at RISE…

Eryk is cut off, as the lights go off in the arena which means only one thing.

Other Guy: Did we forget to pay the light bill again?

Eryk Masters: Not that I know of?

Immediatly after he says that we start hearing sound through the Epicenter

Perhaps you better start from the beginning

Perhaps you better start from the beginning

Perhaps you better start from the beginning

Perhaps you better start from the beginning

Perhaps you better start from the beginning

Then, the rest of the intro begins as the screen sparks to life. We’re seeing a man sitting on a bench with what seems to be a sledgehammer in his hand. He stands up as we see drops of something fall off this man’s face. The scene shows the floor as color shows up, showing blood. As the scene SHOOTs up to the face, the start of White Zombie’s "Electric Head Pt.1" kicks in, showing the face of Johnny Napalm.

Eryk Masters: Well, he said that he would be here for Revolution 100, but apparently no one got the memo of the open challenge he laid out a few weeks ago.

Other Guy: Is this guy serious? He got almost destroyed at RISE, and now he’s demanding a challenge?

Eryk Masters: We have not seen hide nor hair of Piper Fury much since RISE either. I think you’re selling Napalm short a little.

Napalm walks out wearing a black shirt and wrestling tights. It seems he is still going to call someone out, and the crowd gives him a mixed reaction. However, Napalm does not care. He looks pissed, and what’s stranger yet, Sakura Lee is not by his side.

Napalm just looks around and shakes his head as he gets to the ring. He walks around a bit at ringside, giving both announcers a very evil glare. He grabs a mic from one of the ringside attendants, and slides into the ring as the music fades.

Napalm: OK, for anyone who may not have been paying attention, a couple weeks ago I issued an open challenge. For some reason, no soldier in the back got the damn memo.

Napalm pauses, staring out into the crowd.

Napalm: DOES IT LOOK I WAS JOKING!!!

The boos start getting a little heavier, though there are a few cheers mixed in.

Napalm: When I got here tonight, almost no one looked me in the face. Everyone back there I guess decided to write me off after RISE, since I was carted off in a Meat Wagon. It’s going to take alot more than that to shut me up, And apparently, it seems alot of you here wrote me off as well!

Boo’s start getting a little louder still, as Napalm slides out of the ring and grabs a steel chair. He slides back in, sets the chair up and sits down on it.

Napalm: So, the challenge is still out there, and I’m not going ANYWHERE until someone comes out here and tries his luck! Until then?

I’m holding this show hostage!

That did it. The few fans who were on Napalm’s side have left, a chorus of boos rain down on Napalm, who doesn’t seem like he is making an empty threat. He drops the microphone and it pops and fizzles out, then crosses his arms across his chest.

Eryk Masters: This is….Insane!

Other Guy: It may be a cheap way to get a reaction from the crowd, but Johnny Napalm wants his voice heard, and he’s not leaving until someone answers his challenge. And who knows how long that’s going to take?

Eryk Masters: He’s got a lot of balls holding up this show the way he is, just because nobody got his open challenge memo?

The opening of "Wonderboy" by Tenacious D kicks in, and the Tron springs to life, showing a masked man, standing tall, in a Superman pose, cape floating delicately behind him.

The crowd? Yeah, they cheer. And HARD.

Eryk Masters: I never thought I’d hear myself say this but…THANK GOD FOR EL ASSO WIPO!

Other Guy: I say it every night before I go to sleep. I always keep my Vermontian heroes in my prayers!

"Wonderboy" continues to play, and El Asso Wipo himself comes through the curtain, to a surprisingly loud pop, the force of which, seems to knock him backwards. Wipo mimes walking through a heavy wind, and comes to a halt at the top of the ramp, Supermanning for the crowd. He then points to Johnny Napalm, and then makes a breaking motion with his hands.

Crowd: TCHA!!

Eryk Masters: I seriously can’t believe how happy the SHOOT Epicenter is to see El Asso Wipo. But let’s see if he can get Johnny Napalm out of the ring.

Wipo begins to stomp down to the ring. Literally. He is lifting his feet high, making sure people see that he is stomping HARD. Napalm is shaking with fury, but he has not left his seat. Wipo seems to be enjoying the love he is getting from the Las Vegas crowd. Wipo rolls into the ring, and quickly gets to his feet again, with a bit of a hop in his step. He picks up the microphone that Napalm dropped. and offers it to the man. Napalm just stares, drilling his gaze through the SHOOT Project’s LEGENDARY LUCHADORE.

Eryk Masters: Wipo is having some fun, but Napalm is SEETHING.

Wipo shrugs and takes the mic for himself. The music shuts off, and Wipo begins to speak with words from his mouth!

El Asso Wipo: VIVA LAS VEGAS!!

The crowd reacts to the cheap pop as you knew they would. They cheer, and loudly, at the mention of their city.

El Asso Wipo: It’s been quite a long time since I’ve been here in Sin City…

Eryk Masters: Two weeks. He was here for Revolution 99.

El Asso Wipo: But it feels like only yesterday, or at the very least, a couple of weeks ago that I saw your smiling faces!

Napalm has had enough of the snub. He leaps off the chair, upending it, and clotheslines Wipo HARD from behind. The cheers turn quickly to jeers.

Eryk Masters: That’s disgusting! He wanted the challenge, and it was answered! Why jump the man from behind like that?

Other Guy: Who knows? Maybe he’s a Pisces?

Eryk Masters: And that has to do with what?

Other Guy: The Pisces Horoscope says you’re going to have a very sandy vagina today.

Napalm puts the boots to Wipo, who sells it like he’s been shot. Napalm grabs the collar of Wipo’s top, and yanks, pulling the Luchadore to his feet. Napalm squeezes the sides of Wipo’s head, and yells right into his face.

Napalm: YOU WANNA MAKE FUN OF ME? HUH?

Napalm headbutts Wipo, and El Asso falls back to the mat, crawling towards the corner. Wipo is able to get to his feet, but Napalm quickly squashes him in the corner with an avalanche.

Eryk Masters: This is bullcrap! El Asso Wipo has had NO chance to defend himself from this vile attack!

Other Guy: Looks like you have a little bit of love for the big lug, huh?

Eryk Masters: He may not be the smartest, but the kid’s got guts. And Napalm seems intent on showing us what they look like.

Napalm is choking Wipo in the corner with his boot. The crowd is booing Napalm, but a chant is erupting in the crowd.

"LIKE-SO-TCHA!"

"LIKE-SO-TCHA!"

"LIKE-SO-TCHA!"

Napalm releases his foot from the windpipe of the man from Vermont. Wipo struggles to get out of the corner, and Napalm helps him to his feet. He lifts Wipo up, an impressive feat in itself, and drops him side first on his knee!

Other Guy: Napalm delivers a backbreaker to El Asso Wipo! DID ASHTON KUTCHER STEP ON A DAMN BUTTERFLY?

The crowd begins to boo, and then quickly roars to life with cheers, and Wipo snaps up, looking in all directions, alert as ever.

Eryk Masters: Be still, OG’s beating heart. Take it away, partner..

Other Guy: He’s….he’s….HE’S WIPO-ING UP!

And he is! Wipo gets to his feet, shaking his arms and his head like mad, pacing around Napalm in circles. Napalm doesn’t know what to think, until he fires a right hand.

Eryk Masters: No effect!

El Asso Wipo does stop in his tracks, and points dramatically at Johnny Napalm, and the entire crowd, and Other Guy, shout…

Other Guy and the Crowd: TUUUUUUUUUUU!

But before Wipo can mount any offense, Napalm winds up and punts El Asso Wipo right in the juevos! Wipo collapses, grabbing his grapes and coughing in obvious pain.

Other Guy: I’m going to be honest here. I felt that.

Napalm is through messing around, and he grabs Wipo and pulls him to his feet. He hooks Wipo’s arms behind his back, while Wipo’s head is between his legs.

Eryk Masters: Napalm Bomb! Dammit!

Napalm asks for a damn mic as he lays another boot into EAW face as he grabs him by the throat.

Eryk Masters: Come on, Napalm! That’s enough! You made your damn point!

Other Guy: This wasnt a match, this was a damned ambush! Napalm didn’t care who came down that ramp!

Napalm gets a mic and looks at the camera showing EAW’s masked face in pain, maybe.

Napalm: YOU SEE THIS SHOOT!? This is only the beginning and from now on everyone is on notice. I tried to be the nice guy. So, do I have your attention now, Soldiers?

Boo’s echo all over the place

Napalm: Maybe next time someone will take my challenge, rather than let everyone’s favorite masked moron get dismantled.

You have been warned, now the only question now is… Who is next?

Your call SHOOT Project, Don’t go silent again.

Napalm drops the mic and releases Wipo. White Zombie kicks in as the fans continue to boo as Napalm leaves the ring.

Eryk Masters: We need some help for El Asso Wipo out here! Johnny Napalm made a statement all over him tonight.

Eryk Masters: Up next, fans, we have…wait, what?

Other Guy: What are they saying?

Eryk Masters: I guess…I guess there’s some commotion going on backstage right now. Let’s see if we can get a camera back there…

The scene cuts to the back, displaying the events for all in the arena to see on the VideoWall. A few members of SHOOT Security and some of the sound crew work around the pair of Corey Lazarus and Gregory Price, both jawing with SHOOT President Jason Johnson.

Gregory Price: Yeah, Jason, we understand that, but the last time Core entered first saw Thomas come out from the crowd and attack him from behind. We can’t have that tonight, not after the threats that TMB’s made to the both of us.

Johnson seems less than thrilled about the last-second demands, but things take a turn for the worse as security crowds up, forming a barrier between Corey and Price and the charging, enraged Thomas Manchester Black. Black spouts of a slew of profanities as Price hides behind Corey and Lazarus is taken aback.

Gregory Price: See? THIS is what we’re talking about, Mr. Johnson! Since we can’t be guaranteed a safe entrance with Black not already in the ring? All we’re demanding is that Black enter first so that we know where he is.

Corey Lazarus: See, J-Dubs, it’s not that we’re afraid of Tommy boy…okay, Gregory may be, but me? No. Not in the slightest. Price does have a valid point, though, and if you want this match to go off without a hitch and, more importantly, without the potential for a lawsuit over an extremely unsafe work environment?

Black takes a swing at Corey who, in turn, replies by spraying a mouthful of Fiji water at him. Johnson sighs, nods, and then turns to the sound guys.

Jason Johnson: Alright, Black enters first.

Both Price and Laz celebrate quickly as Black, donning his First Recon Marine fatigues, shrugs.

Thomas Manchester Black: It’s all just fine, boss. I don’t need to jump this son of a bitch from behind to take care of him.

Laz gives Black a wink as Cage the Elephant’s "Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked" cues up, causing quite a bit of the crowd to POP.

Eryk Masters: Can you believe all of that?

Other Guy: I can, actually.

Black marches out from behind the curtain, drawing another POP from the crowd and a HUUUUUUGE reaction from the troops in attendance at his choice of entrance gear.

/=I was walking down the street when, out the corner of my eye, I saw a pretty little thing approaching me=

/=She said, "I never seen a man who looked so all alone, could you use a little company?"=

Samantha Coil: Introducing first, he weighs in tonight at 245 pounds…

/="If you could pay the right price your evening will be nice, or you can go and send me on my way"=

TMB walks down the ramp, shadow boxing a little, and slaps a few high fives before snapping off quick salutes to other men (and, of course, women) in uniform.

Samantha Coil: …and stands at 6 feet, 5 inches tall…

/=I said "you’re such a sweet young thing, why did you do this to yourself?" She looked at me and this is what she said=

Black jumps onto the ring apron and pulls on the top rope as he leans back, using the momentum to slingshot himself over, landing on his feet with ease.

Samantha Coil: Hailing from Tokyo, Japan by way to Charlotte, North Carolina, he is THOMAS…

/=Well, there ain’t no rest for the wicked=

/=Money don’t grow on trees=

Samantha Coil: …MANCHESTERRRRRRRRRRRRR…

/=I got bills to pay, I got mouths to feed=

Samantha Coil: …BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!

/=Ain’t nothin’ in this world for free=

"Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked" dies as Black quickly slides his First Recon gear off, finishing up just in time for the lights in the arena to be replaced by a sole spotlight on the entrance curtain as an old fashioned, black and white film countdown rolls on the VideoWall.

A trio of drumrolls cue up Slayer’s "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," the song cutting immediately to the first verse as Corey Lazarus and Gregory Price burst out from behind the curtain.

~~In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, baby~~

~~Don’t you know that I want you?~~

Laz slides off his gold-rimmed Ray Bans as Price hands him a bottle of Fiji water, pouring some of its contents over his head and brushing excess off of his brow and away from his eyes as he stops, looks deep into the crowd, and takes a sip, his trademark devilish grin forcing itself out from behind his neatly trimmed beard.

~~In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, honey~~

~~Don’t you know that I’ll always be true?~~

The Hollywood Kid and his agent continue walking down the entrance ramp, pausing to point out a fan in the front row wearing a piece of official LV-138 merchandise before making it all the way to ringside.

Other Guy: They’re printing LV-138 merch already? Where can I get some?!

Samantha Coil: Introducing first, he hails from New York City, New York, by way Hollywood, California…

~~Oh, won’t you come with me~~

~~And take my hand?~~

Samantha Coil: COREEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY LAAAAAAAAAZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAARRRRRUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Laz smacks the ring apron and points into the center of the ring…

~~PLEASE, TAKE MY HA–~~

…but gets caught entirely off guard as Thomas Manchester Black hits the ropes…

Eryk Masters: BLACK WITH AN ELBOW SUICIDA!!!

Corey rolls backward up the ramp as TMB bursts back to his feet, the fans POP, and both spotlight and song cut quickly. Laz stumbles up to his feet and then backs up against the barricade, allowing Black to throw boots into his midsection and a few rights and forearms into his face. Price rushes over and makes the mistake of actually getting TMB’s attention…

Other Guy: Gregory, I don’t think that’s too good of an idea.

…which allows Corey to blindside Black with a desperation forearm to the jaw. Thomas rocks back a few steps from the impact, giving Laz enough time to remove his entrance jacket, and then gets whipped towards the steps. TMB reverses the whip and sends Corey into the steps, but Lazarus jumps onto the top one and flies off with a crossbody attempt.

Eryk Masters: Black catches him, charges to the ring…OHHH!!!!

TMB just SLAMS Corey with a HUGE powerslam onto the ring apron, the impact sending Laz flying off and landing hard on the ringside floor. Corey crawls away, desperately clawing at the barricade to get to his feet, but TMB offers no remorse as he stalks in, peppering in some jabs to the head and boots to the ribs here and there. Black grabs Corey’s legs and lifts him up for a Wheelbarrow Suplex, drawing a MASSIVE ROAR OF APPROVAL by the crowd, but Corey breaks free via a blind back elbow to TMB’s temple that breaks the hold, allowing Corey to land on a knee and roll away. Lazarus gets to his feet and charges in with a Yakuza Kick attempt, but THOMAS DUCKS THE KICK…!!

Eryk Masters: HUUUUUUUUGE Capture Suplex on the floor by Black!!!

Other Guy: Corey just landed on the back of his HEAD!!

Fans: T-M-B!! T-M-B!! T-M-B!!

Referee Willie Dean rushes over to TMB as he rises up to his feet, re-filling his air tank, and pleads for the former LEGACY No Limit champion to bring it into the ring, but Black just swats him away and measures Corey up. Dean checks on Laz as Price runs over to do the same, drawing the ire of Black.

Other Guy: It’s like Price has forgotten all about the threats that Thomas sent his way these past few weeks!

Black gives chase and Price leaves a dust cloud as they run around the ring. Black grabs Gregory by the coat but Price quickly slides it off in one fluid motion, pivoting around and then darting back the other way.

Eryk Masters: It’s like a damn Bugs Bunny cartoon…

Price passes Willie Dean and grabs him, gaining his attention just as Black rounds the corner, allowing Laz to jump up with a dropkick…

Other Guy: HUUUUUUUGE low blow!!!

…directly into TMB’s crotch. Black falls down, clutching at his groin, and Laz pulls himself to his feet with the aid of the apron, catching his breath and holding the back of his head.

Willie Dean: What the hell happened?

Corey turns to Dean, his trademark devilish grin on his face.

Corey Lazarus: It looks like he tripped and landed on his pecker. That kinda sucks, eh?

Corey gives Dean a knowing wink before Price hands him a bottle of Fiji water to take a sip out of.

Fans: FUCK YOU, COR-EY!! **clap, clap, clapclapclap** FUCK YOU, COR-EY!! **clap, clap, clapclapclap**

Corey spits some water into the front row before blowing one of the fans a kiss. He rolls into the ring as TMB forces himself up to his feet, limping as he tries to walk away the strike.

Eryk Masters: Black’s looking to get into the ring so the match can officially start…oh, COME ON!!!

Corey rushes in and delivers a warning kick to the ropes in front of Black, prompting Thomas to step back and stay on the floor. TMB goes to get in again and finds the same warning kick sent his way…and a nice big chunk of spit sent in his direction.

Eryk Masters: That’s just disgusting. Let him in the ring!

Other Guy: Why? Black didn’t let Corey get into the ring when he wanted to!

Black manages to get onto the apron in a pounce, adjusting himself, but eats a forearm to the jaw that sends him back down to the floor. Willie Dean finally has enough of this nonsense and holds Corey back, allowing TMB to slide under the bottom rope. Thomas stretches out quick as Corey takes one last sip of Fiji water before handing it off to Price. Dean calls for the bell…

**DING DING DING**

Eryk Masters: Now this match can really start!

…and both men rush out with rights and lefts, throwing everything they have at each other to an EXTREMELY appreciative crowd. Corey gets the edge with a surprise uppercut before following it with some clinch knees to the face, but TMB catches Corey’s leg and trips him down to the canvas, immediately rushing into side guard and trying to secure an armbar as Laz fights against it.

Eryk Masters: It looks like some of that MMA training that Laz has mocked TMB for is coming into play.

Other Guy: Because Corey was tackled? That’s not MMA, that’s basic defense when somebody’s going blitzkrieg on you.

Black throws a few elbows into the side of Corey’s head, buying himself enough time to roll Laz over and lock on a jujigatame.

Willie Dean: Do you give up?

Corey screams in pain, a mix of grunts and random obscenities, and forces himself off of the mat just enough to roll forward and alleviate pressure, immediately locking TMB into a guillotine attempt.

Eryk Masters: Black’s got his hands placed perfectly to avoid it…he spins out…JUJIGATAME AGAIN!!!

Other Guy: But Laz is on the ropes!

Willie Dean: Break it up! 1! 2! 3! 4!

TMB unlocks the jujigatame and grabs Corey’s ankle, dragging him away from the ropes. He drops down with a kneebar, cranking the hold on, but Corey quickly rolls away and fires off a pair of kicks to TMB’s shoulder, forcing him to break the hold. Black, though, quickly shakes out his arm and dives onto Laz’s back.

Other Guy: He’s given up his back! Corey, why would you give up your back?!

Thomas locks his legs around Corey’s waist and drops fist after fist into his back, prompting Corey to desperately reach for the ropes. He manages to finger the bottom one and then grab it during the barrage – punch after punch after punch after punch to his lower back – and Willie Dean forces the break. Black grabs Corey by the hair and brings him to his feet, but Corey shoves his thumb into TMB’s eye.

Fans: BOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Eryk Masters: Well, that’s one way to stop getting beaten down.

Corey takes a breath, shakes out his leg and then stretches his back out over the top rope, nods, and then goes after TMB with forearms to the jaw. He continues the assault, forcing TMB into the corner with forearm after forearm after forearm, and then switches to knife edge chops to the chest.

Fans: WOOO!!! WOOO!!! WOOO!!! WOOO!!!

Other Guy: WOOO!!!

Willie Dean yells for Corey to get TMB off of the ropes, allowing enough of a pause in the barrage for Black to shove Corey out and then charge in with a Jawbreaker lariat.

Eryk Masters: Chin Check…NO!!!

Other Guy: END CREDITS…NOO!?!?

Black catches Corey’s leg and drops down, locking Laz into an ankle lock. The fans POP as Corey screams, desperately reaching for the ropes. Corey suffers for a few more moments as Price tries to cheer him on from outside, prompting Corey to push himself up and try for a kick. TMB releases Corey’s leg, causing the momentum to send Laz down on his back, and TMB quickly grabs Corey’s leg again, turning him back over and locking in an STF.

Other Guy: Black once AGAIN has the advantage on the mat!

The missed kick moved Corey closer to the ropes, though, allowing Price to reach in, grab his hands, and help him reach the bottom rope. Willie Dean yells at Price, who backs away and pleads innocence, but then start the count.

Willie Dean: 1! 2! 3! 4!

Black breaks the hold and then rolls out of the ring, charging at Price.

Eryk Masters: Gregory Price is getting more of a workout tonight than he probably has in years!

Price dives under the bottom rope and bounds across the ring, jumping through the ropes to get back to the floor as TMB gets back into the ring and charges towards him. Laz, however, intercepts him, back body dropping him over the top rope and onto the apron. Corey turns and surprises TMB with a forearm to the jaw, nearly sending Black down to the floor. Laz hits the ropes and charges in, looking for a running elbow to send Black to the floor…

Eryk Masters: Black blocks it with a shoulderblock to the midsection, he locks him up…

Other Guy: Oh shit…!

TMB throws Corey face-first against the top turnbuckle pad from the apron, sending the Hollywood Kid flopping back. TMB re-enters the ring and drops down with a cover, hooking the leg.

ONE!

TWO!!

Corey kicks out at two, which seems to be just what TMB wanted as he quickly drags Laz to his feet, goes behind, hooks his leg…

Eryk Masters: TARHEEL SUPLEX!!!

Other Guy: Laz is back up!!

Black hits the ropes and comes back with the CHIN CHECK, sending Corey flipping over TMB’s arm and landing on his chest on the mat. The force causes Laz to pop up to his knees and hunch over, allowing TMB to position him for a powerbomb.

Other Guy: What the hell is he doi…!!

Thomas hoists Corey up for a powerbomb but then drops to a knee as he forces Corey down onto it.

Eryk Masters: POWERBOMB BACKBREAKER!!!!

ONE!

TWO!!

THRE…LAZ KICKS OUT!!!

Again it’s as if Black predicted it, locking Corey in a front facelock, dragging him up to his feet, and then lifting him up vertically and holding him there as the fans count along.

Fans: 1! 2! 3! 4! 5! 6!

Other Guy: How the hell is he holding him up this long?!

Thomas spins Laz around and drops down with a Falcon Arrow…ONTO HIS KNEES!!!!

Eryk Masters: FALCON!! ARROW!! BACK!! BREAKER!!!

Before Thomas can cover, though, Corey rolls out of the ring and onto the apron, clutching at his back and seething through his teeth. TMB reaches over the top rope and looks to pull Laz to his feet, but Corey surprises him with a knee to the face, sending him sprawling back. Corey forces himself to his feet and looks for a springboard but TMB nails him with a right hand, sending him back to a knee on the apron.

Eryk Masters: Black off the ropes…Yakuza Kick…COREY PULLS DOWN THE TOP ROPE!!

Black desperately tries to put on the brakes but can’t, tumbling over the top rope and onto the apron. He rises up just as Corey does but can’t block the incoming high roundhouse kick from Corey, dazing him on the apron. Laz quickly enters the ring, hits the ropes, and then makes Black eat a BRUTAL YAKUZA KICK to the face, sending TMB off of the apron and onto the floor.

Other Guy: Never count Corey out!

Corey immediately drops down to his knees, clutching at his back and grunting through gritted teeth. He looks to Price, nods, and Gregory slides a chair into the ring.

Eryk Masters: Oh, what the hell is this?!

Willie Dean goes to grab it and throw it out as TMB gets to his feet on the floor, using the barricade for leverage as he checks his teeth. Corey rips the chair away from Dean, sets it up, hits the ropes, kicks off of the chair…

Other Guy: HOLLYWOOD AIRLINES IS CLEARED FOR TAKE OFF!!!

…and then SOARS over the top rope with a swan-dive somersault plancha onto TMB, sending both men sprawling onto the bottom of the entrance ramp.

Fans: HOLY SHIT!! HOLY SHIT!! HOLY SHIT!!

Eryk Masters: What the HELL was that?

Other Guy: I take it you don’t read people’s profiles, Eryk, because that’s known as Hollywood Airlines.

Dean starts the count for both men being on the outside when he realizes they’ve come to, even if neither man is moving particularly far from where they landed.

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

Corey pulls himself to his feet, clutching at his back, and then drags Black up to his.

FOUR!

Corey whips Black towards the corner post…

FIVE!

…BUT TMB REVERSES IT, SENDING COREY BACK-FIRST INTO THE STEEL RING POST!!!

Eryk Masters: Did you HEAR that impact?!

SIX!

Price rushes over to his client, helping him to his feet, and Black just smiles as he marches in. Price runs away and Black positions Corey tight against the post…

SEVEN!

…and then swings for a high roundhouse kick…

EIGHT!

…but Corey ducks!! TMB’s knee connects with the steel post!!

Other Guy: Remember when people said that Black didn’t think ahead too often?

Lazarus takes the time to roll in and out of the ring, breaking the count. TMB writhes in agony on the mat, prompting Laz to just limp over and kick him in the hurt knee, stomping on it to get Thomas to lean forward to try to protect it before booting TMB in the face. Corey backs up, holds his arms out to his side, and then drops to a knee, smiling wide.

Eryk Masters: It’s still awfully early to celebrate, in my opinion.

Laz hops to his feet, holding his lower back, and then brings Black up, rolling him into the ring. Corey pulls himself up onto the apron and springboards in…

Other Guy: Double Stomp…NO!!

…but lands casually next to TMB, scrapes the bottom of his shoe across TMB’s face, and then hits the ropes, springboarding off of the middle rope and turning in mid-air to land a Double Stomp on TMB’s hurt knee.

Fans: FUCK YOU, COR-EY!! **clap, clap, clapclapclap** FUCK YOU, COR-EY!! **clap, clap, clapclapclap**

Laz takes a bow and then quickly locks a kneebar onto TMB’s hurt leg, wrenching the hold in. TMB, though, is close to the ropes, grabbing the bottom one.

Willie Dean: Break it up! 1! 2! 3!

Corey relinquishes the hold as he backs off and rises to his feet, still holding his lower back, and then drives a pair of stomps into TMB’s knee before grabbing his ankle, dragging him away from the ropes, and then locking on a NagataLock.

Other Guy: It’s odd, isn’t it?

Eryk Masters: What is?

Other Guy: Thomas Manchester Black would definitely prefer a ground game, at least against Corey Lazarus, but Laz is the one in control on the mat right now.

Eryk Masters: That’s because TMB missed with the high roundhouse kick earlier and hit the post.

Other Guy: Exactly.

TMB sits up and tries to re-arrange his and Laz’s legs to alleviate pressure on his hurt knee, but Laz sits up and slaps him across the face before falling back, wrenching the hold in tighter. Corey sits up and breaks the hold of his own volition…

Eryk Masters: Is Corey trying to show some mercy?

…before bringing TMB up to his feet, grabbing his injured leg, and then taking him back down to the mat with a Dragon Screw.

Other Guy: Nope.

Corey quickly locks on an Achilles Leg Lock, wrenching both TMB’s ankle and his injured knee, but Black is close enough to the ropes to grab the bottom one.

Willie Dean: He’s got the ropes!

Corey Lazarus: So?

Willie Dean: Break the hold!

Corey counts along with Dean, smiling the whole time…

Willie Dean AND Corey Lazarus: 1! 2! 3! 4!

…and then releases TMB, backing away as Black clutches at his knee. Dean admonishes Corey for not immediately breaking the hold as Corey rises to his feet, but Laz brushes him aside. Corey grabs TMB’s leg and brings him back to his feet, looking for another Dragon Screw, but TMB sends an enzugiri his way.

Other Guy: Laz ducks the enzugiri…

Eryk Masters: …BUT NOT THE GAMENGIRI!!!

The top of TMB’s boot meets Corey’s face, sending Laz reeling back into the corner, clutching at his eye. Thomas pulls himself to his feet and charges in with a Yakuza Kick attempt, but Corey quickly rolls under it. TMB’s leg goes over the top rope and Laz wastes no time, nailing a forearm to the back of TMB’s head before lifting him up and locking him in the Tree of Woe.

Eryk Masters: Oh, what the hell is going on now?

Corey backs up across the ring into the opposite corner, taking a breath before pulling his kneepad down, exposing his knee.

Other Guy: REEL…TO…

Laz charges across the ring, nailing his trademark CORNER BUSAIKU KNEE onto THOMAS MANCHESTER BLACK’S INJURED KNEE.

Other Guy: …REEL!!!

Black screams out as Corey backs away, limping slightly and still favoring his lower back. TMB manages to sit up and free himself from the Tree of Woe, crumpling down into a pile in the corner. Corey fixes his kneepad before walking back over to TMB, grabbing his leg and dragging him out of the corner.

Eryk Masters: He could be going for a Half Crab…NO!!!

TMB manages to reach up and grab Corey by the back of the head (and likely some of his hair) and pulls him down into an Inside Cradle.

ONE!

TWO!!

THR-NOOO!!!

Corey pops out of the hold and grabs Willie Dean by the collar of his shirt, yelling in his face.

Corey Lazarus: THAT WAS TWO!! THAT WAS FUCKING TWO!!

Willie Dean: I KNOW!! IT WAS ONLY A TWO-COUNT!!

Corey releases him just as Dean begins admonishing him for touching a referee (as TMB pulls himself to his feet in the corner with the aid of the ropes), warning him not to do it again, and Corey smiles as he re-adjusts Dean’s collar. Lazarus turns…

Eryk Masters: YAKUZA KICK!!!!

…and gets booted in the face so hard that he does a backflip with a nice twist, landing on his stomach. TMB wastes little time, wrapping Corey’s legs around his own good one before reaching forward and grabbing his arms. He pulls Laz up…

Eryk Masters: Surfboard…QUEEN CITY STOMP!!!!

…and then stomps Laz’s face into the canvas with his hurt leg, immediately collapsing and rolling away, clutching at his knee.

Other Guy: There’s no way that Black could have gotten all of the impact he wanted out of that. Not with what Corey’s done to his leg in just the last five minutes alone.

TMB rolls around, clutching at his knee, and Corey lies face-down on the mat, motionless. Dean checks on TMB quick and then on Laz before making the count.

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

Price reaches into the ring, grabbing Corey by the ankle…

FOUR!

…and then pulls him out to the floor, pouring the rest of the Fiji water over his client’s head. Willie Dean rushes over to the ring, leaning out of it with some choice words for Price.

Eryk Masters: Gregory Price may have just saved the match for his client.

Other Guy: There’s a reason why he’s been employed by Corey for so long.

Dean shouts at Price and Gregory ignores him until the words "ejected from ringside" are heard. Price jumps up onto the apron, getting into Willie’s face and arguing back and forth with him (allowing TMB to roll out of the ring unnoticed, limping towards Price).

Eryk Masters: Price should probably be paying better attention.

TMB grabs Gregory by the ankle and yanks him off of the apron, slamming his face into it on the way down. Gregory, dazed, turns and falls against TMB before realizing who he is, and then tries to run, but Black hooks him by the waist of his slacks as the fans cheer in approval.

Fans: FUCK HIM UP, THOMAS, FUCK HIM UP!! **clapclapclap** FUCK HIM UP, THOMAS, FUCK HIM UP!! **clapclapclap**

Black whips Price into the barricade, the thud gaining its own BIG POP, and then nails him with the CHIN CHECK as he stumbles away, getting ANOTHER big pop.

Other Guy: After two weeks of promising that he’d get to him, Thomas Manchester Black has finally got his hands on Gregory Price.

Black turns around and eats a surprise and STIFF Face Chop from Corey, the impact sending him turning around just in time to eat a BIG ROLLING ELBOW to the back of his head. Corey doesn’t stop, though, and wraps his arms around TMB’s waist, nailing him with a Backdrop Suplex…ONTO THE RING APRON!!!

Fans: HOLY SHIT!! HOLY SHIT!! HOLY SHIT!!

Other Guy: …holy SHIT…

TMB falls down into a fetal position on the floor as Corey crumbles against the ring steps, holding his back. Dean, remembering that both men are outside of the ring, starts the count.

ONE!

TWO!

Price crawls over to Corey, using the ring apron to pull himself up to his feet.

THREE!

FOUR!

Gregory helps Corey to his feet as TMB starts pulling himself up with the ring apron.

FIVE!

SIX!

Price and Laz both bring TMB to his feet and roll him into the ring…

SEVEN!

…with Corey following in after him, immediately making the cover.

ONE!

TWO!!

THR-NOOO!!!

Eryk Masters: TMB JUST KICKED OUT WITH TOTAL AUTHORITY!!

Corey barely rolls off of TMB as Black crawls to the ropes, leaning against them. Lazarus crawls over to him, slapping him across the face.

Corey Lazarus: Why the hell won’t you just stay down? Huh?!

Slap.

Corey Lazarus: JUST STAY DOWN!! JUST!

Slap.

Corey Lazarus: STAY!

Slap.

Corey Lazarus: THE!! FUCK!!

Slap. Slap.

Corey Lazarus: DOWN!!!

SLAP!! Corey gets to his feet and brings TMB to his, setting him up for a powerbomb.

Other Guy: Corey could be going for the running LygerBomb he likes to use so much…

Laz hoists TMB up and charges towards the corner, but Black reverses and lands in front of Laz, driving an elbow into his ribs to send him back a few steps. Corey charges in with a lariat, but TMB ducks under it…

Eryk Masters: EXPLODER SUPLEX INTO THE CORNER!!!!

Fans: T-M-B!! T-M-B!! T-M-B!!

Black grabs Corey’s arm and drags him out of the corner, covering and hooking both legs.

ONE!

TWO!!

THR-NOOO!!!

Other Guy: COREY KICKED OUT!! COREY KICKED OUT!!

The fans’ roar builds and builds as TMB rubs his knee, wincing every moment he touches it. He stops, though, and looks dead ahead.

Other Guy: I don’t like that look in his eye…

Black quickly drags his thumb across his throat, drawing a HUGE POP…

Eryk Masters: He’s going for it…

…before turning Laz over and locking on a front arm triangle, throwing some shots from his good knee into the crown of Corey’s skull. KNEE! KNEE! KNEE! KNEE! After the fifth one (KNEE!), TMB rolls forward with the bridge…

Eryk Masters: DEATH ROW STRETCH!! HE’S GOT THE DEATH ROW STRETCH LOCKED ON!!!

…but his hurt leg gives out, forcing him to break the hold and roll away, clutching at it.

Other Guy: He couldn’t hold it! His leg just gave out because of all the work that Laz has done to it!

Corey crawls to the center of the ring as TMB pulls himself to his feet with the ropes in the corner, slamming his fist into his hurt knee to try to numb the pain a little, and Black then charges after Corey, locking him in another front guillotine.

Eryk Masters: He’s going for it again!!

Other Guy: No! Laz breaks free!

Corey pushes himself out, leaps up, and…

Other Guy: END CREDITS!!!

The sickening SNAP of Corey’s kickpad hitting the back of echoes throughout the arena, and neither man moves when they land on the canvas. Dean checks on both men, and then starts up the 10-count again.

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

No movement.

FOUR!

Other Guy: We should just call this the Night of a Hundred Knockouts. There’s been three or four in this match alone…

FIVE!

Other Guy: …and it doesn’t even feature the Iron Fist championship!

Corey stirs…

SIX!

…and then pulls himself to the ropes as, across the ring, TMB rolls onto his stomach…

Eryk Masters: You just have to believe that neither man has much left in the tank!

SEVEN!

…Corey pulls himself to his feet, leaning against the ropes, as Black crawls on his belly into the corner…

EIGHT!

…TMB pulls himself to a knee…

NINE!

…and then gets to his feet. Corey turns, sees TMB in the corner, and then charges across the ring. TMB steps out and ducks under it, prompting Laz to quickly skid and turn around. He goes for another, but Black catches him in a spinning side slam…

Eryk Masters: WAKE 2 NIGHTMARE!!!

Other Guy: NO!!!

…but Corey spins his legs up and latches them onto Black’s arm, dragging him down with a crucifix pin.

ONE!

TWO!!

TMB kicks out at two and rolls to his feet as Laz gets to his, rushing in with a Jawbreaker Lariat…

Eryk Masters: CHIN CHECK!!

…but Corey ducks under it, kicking Black in his bad leg to drop him to a knee. Corey hits the ropes and kicks off of Black’s raised knee, using it to hit a STIFF corkscrew knee to the back of Black’s head…

Other Guy: COMING ATTRACTIONS!!!

…before bringing Black to his feet and dumping him with a VICIOUS RegalPlex, bridging his back for the pinfall.

ONE!

TWO!!

THR-NOOO!!!

Eryk Masters: JESUS CHRIST!!!!! THOMAS MANCHESTER BLACK JUST KICKED OUT OF THE CINEPLEX!!!

Corey sits up, completely in disbelief, holds up three fingers.

Corey Lazarus: THAT WAS THREE!! THAT WAS FUCKING THREE!!!

Dean holds up TWO fingers, prompting Corey to turn and grab TMB by the head to bring him to his feet. He hooks his head and leg…

Other Guy: Box Office Bomb…

Eryk Masters: INSIDE CRADLE!!!

ONE!

TWO!!

THR-NOOO!!!

Corey DEFIANTLY kicks out of the inside cradle and both men rush to their feet, but it’s Laz who gets the immediate advantage with COMBO #5, stunning Black long enough to turn him around and lift him up in an Argentine Rack…

Eryk Masters: Oh God…!!!

…before dropping Black down on the top of his head with a kneeling piledriver.

Other Guy: MERCURY DRIVER!!! THE MERCURY DRIVER!!!

ONE!

TWO!!

THREE!!!

**DING DING DING**

Corey jumps off of Black and backs up to the corner, falling down and holding his lower back as he tries to regain his breath. Willie Dean rushes over to him, holding his arm up in victory as Price slides into the ring. "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" cues back up at the first verse, finding Price producing a fresh bottle of Fiji water for Corey.

Samantha Coil: The winner of the match…COREEEEYYYYYY LAAAAAAAZZZZAAAAARRRRRUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eryk Masters: Both men just put everything on the line tonight, and all just to settle a score.

Other Guy: Sometimes, Eryk, a personal score can matter more than anything to some people.

Lazarus takes a few sips of water and limps over to TMB’s unconscious body, pouring some water on him.

Corey Lazarus: Thirsty?

He and Price laugh as they exit the ring and EMTs rush down to the ring.

The RevoluTron comes to life as we see a familiar motif: the silhouetted movie theater setup. Our three amigos are watching Revolution as we speak. Which means, of course, that they are watching themselves, watching themselves, watching themselves, all the way to infinity. It’s somewhat disorienting.

Left: Woah, it’s us!

Right: Recursive Revolution. This is pretty cool.

Left stands up, waving his hands.

Left: That’s me! Woo!

Right: This is kinda like that scene in Spaceballs… we’re at now, but we need to see then. Or something. I got kinda confused the first time.

Left: So… why are we watching ourselves, forever

Center looks at his watch.

Center: Oh, shit, it’s time for our reveal.

Left and Right glare at him.

Left: Really? You forgot when our reveal was supposed to be? I should beat you.

Right: Well, let’s get out there before the fans forget that we’re coming.

As they step out of their seats and out of frame, the RevoluTron lights up with a different image. Four letters, looking like they came from a dial display, show in the middle of the screen.

YVUP

Eryk Masters: Well, OG, it looks like we’re finally going to find out who’s been wreaking havoc on SHOOT Project promos for the last month!

Other Guy: I’ll be honest, Eryk, I’m getting kinda excited!

The opening of Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back In Town” starts to play, and we can hear one strain of the lyrics as the letters start to spin.

Guess who just got back today

Them wild-eyed boys that had been away

The song abruptly cuts off, and the letters finally stop, one by one.

LIHC

Two pyro shots fire off across the entranceway in an X, as another Thin Lizzy classic, “Bad Reputation,” blares through the PA, and our three amigos walk through the curtain! The crowd absolutely explodes as CJ Nelson, Jared Walsh, and Ryan Cuddihy stand on the stage!

Eryk Masters: LONG ISLAND HARDCORE IS HERE, OG! THREE-TIME SHOOT Project Tag Team Champions! Former OPW Tag Team Champions!

Other Guy: And another former SHOOT Tag Champ with them! Is your heart peeing yet?

Eryk Masters: Get out of my head!

CJ and Jared are holding replicas of the SHOOT Project Tag Team Championship belts, raising them for the crowd to see! CJ, like the other two, is dressed in SHOOT Project’s newest LIHC merchandise: a SHOOT logo T with the theater silhouette across the bottom. He slings his belt on one shoulder, slapping hands with fans on the way to the ring! Jared Walsh steps over to a camera, pointing at the belt, with “Long Island Hardcore – 2008” etched on the plate.

Other Guy: Looks like they brought their replica belts with them, for some reason.

Eryk Masters: I don’t even care! LIHC is back!

Ryan strokes his massive blond beard, making his way toward the announce table in much quicker time, as CJ and Jared drag out their entrances. Jared starts to gallop, Gangnam Style, toward the ring, slinging the belt over his shoulder as well. Ryan slips an extra headset on.

Ryan Cuddihy: You guys hear me OK through my beard?

Other Guy: You have a license for that thing?

Ryan Cuddihy: Must’ve left it in my other bag.

Eryk Masters: Joining us at the announce table, former SHOOT Project Tag Team Champion Ryan Cuddihy. Some people might remember you as a member of The LAW.

Ryan Cuddihy: Yep, won the belts with Greg Allocca in ’05. Glad to see you guys had an extra mic. I really didn’t want to throw OG out.

CJ and Jared pose with the belts in the middle of the ring for a second, before they finally get microphones.

Jared Walsh: What’s up, SHOOT Project?

The cheers are deafening, and Jared and CJ look at each other, nodding.

Jared Walsh: So… seen any good promos lately?

The cheers get even louder.

CJ Nelson: Now, before any of you start thinking SHOOT’s gone into reruns, no, these are not the real SHOOT Tag belts.

Other Guy: Of course not. The BAB’s got those.

Eryk Masters: And are putting them on the line against the Sinister Syndicate later tonight.

Ryan Cuddihy: Waste of time, if you ask me, but I’m a little biased.

Jared Walsh: No, they’re not. What they are, SHOOT, is a symbol. A symbol of what tag team wrestling in SHOOT Project used to be. Let’s drift on back a bit to 4 years ago, when a certain pair of amazingly handsome and skilled wrestlers ditched OPW after some… differences of opinion.

CJ Nelson: At that time, there was no tag division in SHOOT Project. Not in the metaphorical sense, but in the real one. The belts were vacant.

Jared Walsh: And people thought that was sad. After all, these were the titles made famous by such greats as Hardcore Style…

The crowd, expectedly, cheers loudly for the nostalgia.

CJ Nelson: Instant Heat…

More cheers.

Jared Walsh: The Beautiful People…

CJ Nelson: And, who could forget, Club EC.

Ryan Cuddihy: Oh, fuck you guys.

Jared Walsh: Now there were a couple of tag teams here or there, but nothing too special.

CJ Nelson: Just a pair of literal Irish twins, and a couple of super-hero wannabes, sniping back and forth at each other with nothing to show for it.

Jared Walsh: So this duo from Long Island leaves North Carolina, and they think, hey, maybe we can bring some excitement to SHOOT Project. Maybe make people care about tag team wrestling again.

CJ Nelson: And with that, the true missing piece of the puzzle, a tag division was born. Suddenly, people cared. Suddenly, there was something exciting happening in tag team wrestling.

Jared Walsh: And at Malice, March 30, 2008, Long Island Hardcore was named SHOOT Project Tag Team Champions. You all remember that match, right? An Irish Table Dance, with the Collins brothers, and the Flying Avengers?

Other Guy: Who could forget it? It was brutal.

Eryk Masters: I think I remember CJ pulling off one of the strangest and most amazing German suplexes I have ever seen.

Ryan Cuddihy: Four men, Eryk. Both Avengers, Jared, and Michael Collins, in one suplex. Who else has done that?

CJ Nelson: And with that win, we catapulted the SHOOT Tag belts from complete invisibility, into a show-stealing storm. Match after classic match, we fought, we defended, we won.

Jared Walsh: We held those belts for 210 days. At the time, that was the longest anyone has held those belts. We broke the seemingly-unbreakable record of the Beautiful People.

CJ Nelson: And during that 210 days, we defended our titles 9 times, against anyone who stood against us. And when TRES BIEN beat us on that 9th defense? We stepped up and took ’em back the next week.

Jared Walsh: And see, that’s when things took a turn for the worse. Some fuck-ups had paraded around with fake belts, causing all sorts of confusion for everybody with an IQ below 15.

CJ Nelson: And someone didn’t like that we were consistently schooling their darlings in our matches. So our belts were stripped from us, and put up for grabs in a tournament.

Jared Walsh: But we’re not bitter. Say what you will about that tournament, but let’s face facts: SHOOT Project closed two months after our belts were stripped.

Other Guy: They aren’t really saying that that’s why SHOOT closed?

Ryan Cuddihy: I think it was a contributing factor, but hey, I wasn’t in SHOOT at the time.

CJ Nelson: Fast forward to today. Later on tonight, the SHOOT Project Tag Team belts will be put up for grabs as the Bad Ass Brotherhood takes on the Sinister Syndicate, and quite frankly, I don’t know anyone who cares.

Jared Walsh: How depressing is that, SHOOT? What happened to the tag division? What happened to the excitement and energy that used to permeate it? At one time, people were falling over themselves to be the tag champs. Now? Does anyone know how many times the Bad Ass Brotherhood have defended their titles?

Ryan Cuddihy: I do!

Eryk Masters: You do?

Ryan Cuddihy: C’mon, I did the research. What did you expect?

Other Guy: Good point.

CJ Nelson: Anyone? Six.

Jared Walsh: Six, huh? Let’s see… if we compare it to our record… they’ve been champs for… 4 months, right?

CJ Nelson: Uh, no.

Jared Walsh: Oh, right, we do shows once every two weeks now, so… 8 months?

CJ Nelson: Try again.

Jared Walsh: Is it 12 months?

CJ Nelson: 21. Twenty-one months.

Other Guy: How many days is that?

Ryan Cuddihy: I didn’t do that research. I do have a life, you know.

Eryk Masters: You do? 

Other Guy: I wasn’t going to say it.

Ryan Cuddihy: I’m bigger than both of you. Just throwing that out there.

Jared Walsh: Let that sink in, SHOOT Project. The Bad Ass Brotherhood claims that they’re fighting champs, and yet, they have defended their titles less in nearly TWO YEARS, than we did in less than one.

CJ Nelson: And their opponents tonight… well, let’s be honest, the Syndicate has had more than enough chances to get the job done against the BAB and failed. Why should we expect that they’re going to do any different tonight?

Jared Walsh: The fact remains, SHOOT Project, that no matter who wins the tag championship match tonight, we all lose. Me, CJ, and you as the fans, will still have to suffer with a champion that isn’t worth the time.

CJ Nelson: But all that’s about to change. These here are our legacy. These belts symbolize our past. SHOOT’s past. A better time.

Jared Walsh: And now, when things look at their darkest, your knights in shining armor are back to save the day.

CJ Nelson: This is the moment all you tag team fans out there have been waiting for!

Jared Walsh: THE SINGLE most dominant force in SHOOT tag history is BACK!

CJ Nelson: And I think I speak for everyone when I say I’m glad that the tag division… just got Hardcore.

The crowd’s cheering is deafening, but suddenly, the PA systems kicks back to life.

AND YOUR WORLD WILL BURN!

As Cliff Lin’s “And Your World Will Burn” hits, the cheers turn to boos as Jester Smiles and Sammy Rochester emerge from the back. Jester and Sammy are wearing matching green and purple suits, green coats with bright purple shirts, with bright yellow ties and white dress shoes. Sammy looks incredibly uncomfortable, but Jester walks with some serious swagger. 

Other Guy: You’ve got to be kidding me, right?

Eryk Masters: My heart just stopped peeing, OG.

Ryan Cuddihy: Those may be the worst suits I have ever seen.

Jester has a microphone in his hand, but he says nothing. He just walks to the ring with Sammy, ignoring the boos and simply smiling at LIHC, specifically Jared Walsh. CJ and Jared, for their part, don’t look too intimidated by the giant on his way to the ring, but Jared looks steamed. Jester climbs up the stairs and leaps over the top rope, while Sammy simply steps over it.

Jester Smiles: Woah, this is…uhhhh…this is exciting, isn’t it? I mean, check it out. Long Island Hardcore! Give a round of applause everyone!

Instead of cheering, the fans boo Jester. Jester frowns. 

Jester Smiles: They don’t seem to like you guys much. Listen to those boos. Wow. It’s fine, you’ll get used to it, I’m sure.

CJ Nelson: Oh, hey, cool, you guys found the Joker’s consignment shop. Good for you.

Jared Walsh: Hey, everybody, look, it’s Jester Smiles, siphoning off of someone else’s attention, as usual. So, Smiles… y’know, that name doesn’t really fit anymore, huh? 

CJ Nelson: I don’t get a warm fuzzy from him these days.

Jared Walsh: I’ll call you Jester Slimes. Got a nice ring to it.

Ryan Cuddihy: It’s an anagram. I thought of it.

Other Guy: You would.

Jared Walsh: So, Slimes, what brings you out here where real men are talking?

Jester frowns mockingly. Sammy just stares a death glare at CJ while Jester mostly stays focused on Jared.

Jester Smiles: Awww…you don’t like the suits? Cuz, I got the Steve Harvey seal of approval for them. Dressed like an old school pimp or, you know, something. Whatever the kids are saying these days. Slimes, though, that’s clever. All the letters are the same. It’s an anagram.

Ryan Cuddihy: I just said that!

Jester Smiles: I like that a former porn star is calling me slime, but, I mean, hey, whatever man. I don’t get all the hate, dudes. We used to be thick as thieves, right? Buddies, pals, amigos. I guess that was a long time ago, though. See, I just came out here because, while I’m perfectly willing to admit that Long Island Hardcore is a well established and “legendary” team-

Jester is sure to put up the quotation fingers for that line.

Jester Smiles: -I would like to take a moment to just make a little point. I, uhhh, I think that there is another recently debuted tag team that deserves a little love and attention, especially in regards to a certain pair of championship belts. I mean, far be it from me to take away credit from people who established themselves in SHOOT against the…The Collins Brothers? Yeah, that’s a, uhhh, that’s a tough one. But, yeah, I would like to point out that, aside from the Bab and The League of Extraodinary Gentlemen and/or women, there is a tag team in SHOOT Project that is part former SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Champion and Master of the Mat mixed with one of the largest, scariest men in the history of…anything. So, you know, it’s cool that you guys are back, but I want to just say two things.

One: We all REALLY wish it had been the Beautiful People like many had guessed.

Two: We want those belts too.

Jared looks at CJ, slightly confused.

Jared Walsh: Former? 

CJ Nelson: Jared, focus. So you guys were talking about you

Jared Walsh: I know, I was thinking they meant Jonny Johnson and Rufio, at first.

CJ Nelson: Well, at least they got seven-foot and clown, anyway.

Jared Walsh: You know, Jester, you’re right. You’re legitimately talented, and I loved how you spent the last month or so fucking with the voice of Fry from Futurama. 

Ryan Cuddihy: Billy West is so talented, isn’t he, OG?

Eryk Masters: Wait… are we talking about the voice actor or Crippler?

Ryan Cuddihy: Well, obviously the voice actor. Duh.

CJ Nelson: And your debut last Revolution with Sammy… an impressive showing against two ring legends like Mat Mullins and El Asso Wipo.

CJ and Jared: TCHA!

Jared Walsh: So you’ll have to forgive us for, regretfully, leaving you out of the rant. See, we were doing our best to focus on teams that matter. But, since you were ever so kind to shed light on our mistake, allow us to rectify this issue.

Jared clears his throat, loudly.

Jared Walsh: “And then there’s Jester Slimes and Sammy Rochester, two men who up until recently were not part of the tag team race, but have finally decided to slither their way in. It’s a damn shame that to do so, they interrupted the re-debut of the greatest tag team SHOOT Project has ever seen in its entire history, because now we have to send them back to whatever hole Sammy crawled out of and, even scarier, Richmond.” 

CJ Nelson: Do you feel validated now, Jester? Have we massaged your ego enough? I mean, I wouldn’t want to get Big Baby here too upset, Lotso.

Sammy moves forward, but right before he can get in CJ’s face, Jester holds his hand out and stops Sammy. Sammy stops, but he’s practically snarling at CJ.

Jester Smiles: For the moment, cooler heads will prevail. But, being that I am a genius, an idea has popped into my head. Hey, it’s Long Island Hardcore, men of ACTION! So, here’s what I think should happen. At Revolution 101, how would all you lovely people like to see a match involving LONG ISLAND HARDCORE!

Despite the words coming from Jester Smiles, the crowd actually erupts at this thought.

Jester Smiles: I’ll make it easy for you, what with the ring rust and all, because it’s been…2009 since you guys have been in the ring? Hey, whatever, porn isn’t going to make itself. And…you know, whatever it is that CJ does. I’m not gonna say it’s steroids but…anyway. I’ll give you the simplest match possible. Even you guys shouldn’t fuck this one up. LIHC will be in action against…Sammy Rochester.

Just Sammy Rochester. Handicap match, tag team style. Sound fun, gentlemen?

Eryk Masters: And Jester throws down the gauntlet! 

Ryan Cuddihy: I’d say it was more of a glove, really.

Jared Walsh: So… lemme see if I got this straight. You waltz your miserable ass out here, shit all over our return, crack a few jokes, generally act like a douchebag, and then offer to throw your tag partner to the wolves? That sound about right, CJ? 

CJ Nelson: I think it sounds absolutely wrong.

Jared Walsh: I’m not talking ethically speaking. Was my statement accurate? 

CJ Nelson: In that case, yeah, I think that about covers it. If that’s what you want, Slimes, then fuck, you got it.

The crowd explodes at the news, and CJ and Jared look confident.

Other Guy: And LIHC has picked up the gauntlet! 

Ryan Cuddihy: Glove, OG. Weren’t you listening? 

Jared Walsh: We never back down from a challenge. And we rarely fail to overcome a challenge. 

CJ Nelson: You think your giant’s gonna be the one to do it? We’re in Vegas. Play those odds. 

Jared Walsh: Just don’t be too upset when you lose. And let’s get one thing straight, Slimes. 

CJ Nelson: We’re better than you. We know you know that. You have never been able to get the upper hand on us before. 

Jared Walsh: And you haven’t yet. You stole our spotlight and threw a dark cloud on our return. 

CJ Nelson: And we aren’t the type to forgive and forget. So yeah, we’ll take the bait. We’ll fight your big scary monster. And when we’re done with him? You’ve put yourself at the top of the short list. 

Jared Walsh: For your sake, I hope you can keep your leash on him. 

Jared and CJ smile, and Jared makes a move like he’s gonna attack Sammy, and backs off, like he’s teasing an angry dog. Jared chuckles. Sammy reacts as expected, and, snarling, throws Jester out of the way, and LEVELS Jared with a clothesline! Jared flips over 270 degrees and hits the mat hard! 

Ryan Cuddihy: Jesus Christ! This is gonna get bad. 

Ryan throws his headset off, and runs to the ring! CJ charges Sammy, and the pair start trading fists! Jester tries to get between them, but to no avail! Ryan jumps up onto the apron, hefting CJ back, and giving Jester the opportunity to calm the savage Sammy! 

Jester Smiles: Save it for the match, Sammy! 

Sammy Rochester: HURT THEM! HURT THEM SO MUCH! 

CJ Nelson: Bring it, bitch!

Ryan’s barely holding CJ back, and Sammy’s pulling Jester forward! Ryan throws CJ back once more, standing in front of him! Jester tugs on Sammy’s arm, shaking his head fervently! Jared hasn’t moved!

Ryan Cuddihy: Check on your partner!

CJ flips off Ryan once, but runs to Jared’s side! Jester leads Sammy out of the ring, and backstage, all the while trying to keep him calm! Sammy keeps looking over his shoulder, snarling, and CJ stares him down from the ring!

Other Guy: LIHC is back, and they’ve got themselves an uphill battle against Sammy Rochester next Revolution! 

Eryk Masters: I don’t think either of these teams knows what they’re getting into! This could be a brutal war, OG!

Other Guy: One the one side, Long Island Hardcore has a history with brutality, but they’ve never been on the opposite side of the ring from Sammy Rochester!

Eryk Masters: No matter what, OG, the tag division just got a huge shot in the arm!

Eryk Masters: Welcome back to ringside, fans. At Revolution 98 we saw the continuance of the principles RISE established – with new SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Champion Donovan King issuing a statement that certainly had the fans fired up. 

 

Other Guy: Absolutely. It takes balls to stand up as the Champion. These guys have worked their asses off to get where Donovan has been TWICE now, and King is showing NO signs of being a stagnant champion. 

 

Eryk Masters: Also at Revolution 98, we saw former SHOOT Project Sin City Champion and two time former Iron Fist champion, Dan Stein, extract a measure of revenge against Jaime Alejandro, the boyfriend of the woman whom Ste- 

 

As Eryk mentions the word ‘woman’, the sounds of  Katy Perry and Kanye West’s “E.T.” blare over the PA system, cutting him off. 

 

Other Guy: Speak of the devil. 

 

Stein hurries out to the stage, microphone in hand, making the ‘cut the music’ gesture quickly. Stein’s face looks visibly upset. 

 

Eryk Masters: Looks like Stein is in a great mood today. 

 

Other Guy: But as always, dressed to impress! 

 

Stein wears black slacks and a white dress shirt with a baby blue tie. His hair is gelled neatly and his trademark boyish good looks never fade, even though his face is contorted. Stein puts the microphone to his mouth, looking down at Eryk Masters. 

 

Dan Stein: That’s right, Eryk. I did lose to Laura Seton at RISE, didn’t I? Absolutely, I did. The fans all remember that, don’t you? 

 

Stein moves the microphone away from his mouth, letting the fans cheer at the thought of Stein’s defeat. Stein nods, walking slowly down to the ring. 

 

Dan Stein: Yeah, everyone remembers that loss, Eryk. Thank you for reminding me, and the fans, and everyone around the world that Dan Stein… is a loser.  

 

Stein looks around the ring as the fans begin to cheer. He pauses in the middle of the ramp, looking at the fans on either side of him. Stein points at a gentleman in the front row, turning back to stare down at Eryk Masters from a distance. 

 

Dan Stein: Oh, yeah. Dan Stein, SHOOT Project Golden Boy – big loser. More of a loser than that guy with the stained t-shirt, carrying a beer in one hand and his four year old in the other, the same guy who is about to get into his busted down POS car, pull out onto Las Vegas Blvd and clip an innocent young woman because Daddy here can’t hold his liquor, and he’s too much of a winner to call a cab – or better yet, get a high class hotel room here at the SHOOT Project Epicenter. 

 

Nah, Dan Stein is the loser. Dan Stein is the guy that evvverryonneee hates, that eevveeerrryyonneee despises. Never mind the Iron Fist Championships. Never mind the Sin City Championships. Never mind the Sky High championship. Never mind everything in my short career that I’ve been successful at, Dan Stein is a loser.  

 

Stein looks at the gentleman, and the young child he holds in his arms, about to be in tears. Stein shakes his head. 

 

Dan Stein: Why do you bring up my failures, Eryk Masters? Why does anyone bring up my failures?  

 

Eryk responds, though just to the broadcast fans, not the arena. 

 

Eryk Masters: Well, that’s not what I was trying to do, but if you want my honest opin- 

 

Dan Stein: I can’t fucking hear you, Masters. I’m not in front of a TV anymore. Someone grab him a live microphone, I want to hear this.  

 

A man walks over to Masters, handing him a microphone. Masters stands up, grabbing the microphone and putting his headset down on the table. 

 

Eryk Masters: I said, ‘that’s not what I was trying to do’. 

 

Dan Stein: Oh. So you weren’t about to remind the entire world that I lost to a woman at RISE?  

 

Eryk Masters: She’s more than jus- 

 

Dan Stein: Yeah, yeah yeah. More than just any woman, I’ve heard the rhetoric, Masters, quit boring everyone. You know DAMN well that I am retiring soon… 

 

The fans erupt as Stein mentions his impending retirement. Stein drops the microphone from his mouth, looking around the arena as it blows up. Stein sighs, shaking his head. He moves towards the ring again, putting the microphone back to his mouth. 

 

Dan Stein: And you, along with everyone else in SHOOT Project, are doing your best to make it as horrible for me as possible – is that right?  

 

Stein looks at Masters, who slowly shakes his head. 

 

Eryk Masters: No… I was just trying to show how you rebo- 

 

Dan Stein: How I rebounded? How I fucking REBOUNDED? Get in the ring, Eryk. Talk to me face-to-face.  

 

Stein walks to the ring and up the steps. He steps in between the top and middle rope, continuing to look at Eryk. Stein gestures for him to get in, but Eryk shakes his head. 

 

Eryk Masters: I-I’d rather not. 

 

Stein stands in the middle of the ring. 

 

Dan Stein: Wait. Wait, hold on. The Great Eryk Masters wants to talk shit about Dan Stein, but doesn’t want to get in the ring to defend himself?  

 

Eryk Masters: It’s been a long, long time since I’ve been in that ring, Stein. Like hell, you think I’m going to jump in there with a pissed off man with nothing to lose. There’s a reason I left my boots in the back. 

 

Stein sighs, walking over to the ropes nearest to Eryk. He leans forward, dropping the microphone with one arm and supporting himself with the other. Stein looks at Masters, very agitated. After a few seconds, Stein’s head drops to his chest, and he shakes his head briefly.  

 

Dan Stein: Sit down, Masters.  

 

Stein gestures for Eryk to put the microphone away and sit back at his spot on the table. Stein walks back to the center of the ring, looking at the cameras. 

 

Dan Stein: Fine. You all want to label Dan Stein as a loser – go  ahead. You want to forget all of the things I did when I was on the good side of the line, go right ahead.  

 

When Adrian Corazon was stabbing Del Carver with screwdrivers and maintaining a yearlong hold on the Iron Fist Championship – who was the one that freed the SHOOT Project fans from his reign? I was. And when Roland Caldwell was boring everyone to tears, who was the first man to make Caldwell count his lucky stars for a time limit draw? 

 

I was. 

 

And when the Sons of Liberty needed another body in their war against Jonny Johnson and everything that was wrong in SHOOT Project, who was the one they turned to?  

 

Stein paused. 

 

Dan Stein: I was. I was the one that gave my body up for a cause that I wasn’t even a part of. I was the one that stood up for SHOOT Project whenever it needed me. I was the one that SHOOT Project TURNED TO in its hour of NEED.  

 

I brought back excitement, charisma and entertainment to a SHOOT Project that was succumbing to violence, gratuitous violence that only dooms federations. I brought back SHOOT Project from the depths of its darkest hour and I showed it the Lights.  

 

You were tired of the same ol’ reruns of Del Carver and Roland Caldwell, I brought you Maddog. You got bored of a tired, worn out Iron Fist division – I brought it life.  

 

You had enough of the obscenely large, obscenely slow power wrestlers? I brought you high flying, death defying moves that even Benjamin Biggs couldn’t pull off.  

 

But, I lose the Sin City Championship, I fail to capture a World Heavyweight Championship that I have always dreamed of, and I’m deemed a loser. A failure. I’m on my way out of the door here in SHOOT Project, and all I get from anyone – Jaime Alejandro, Eryk Masters, the fans, anyone – is a bunch of shit. Because I didn’t live up to YOUR expectations of me. 

 

You hate me… because I didn’t get put on the path to a championship – because I don’t go out of my way to be involved in the lives of every star of SHOOT Project.  

 

You hate me because I wasn’t gifted an opportunity that other men fucked away. Guys like Mason Pierce, Kenji Yamada… Trey Willett. You hate me because I don’t let my family get involved in my SHOOT Project career, like Adrian Corazon brought Trey’s, or Entragian brings Alejandro’s. 

 

You hate me, when all I’ve ever done is stay true to the sport of wrestling.  

 

Stein looks around at the fans. 

 

Dan Stein: Fine. Awesome. You’ve won, SHOOT Project. You’ve officially broken the man that defended you until it made him blue in the face – literally.  

 

I give up.  

 

Stein looks at the fans, then to Eryk Masters. 

 

Dan Stein: Fuck retirement. I qu-

The fans BLOW the roof at the word. Stein removes the microphone from his mouth, looking at the fans with a scowl. Stein drops his chin, looking down at the mat. The fans begin to chant at him. 

“NA NA NA NA, HEY HEY! GOOD-BYE!”

Stein’s head remains down for several seconds, the chant picking up louder and louder until the entire arena is in chorus. Stein looks around, through the ropes to Eryk Masters.

Dan Stein: You hear this? You hear how eager they are for me to be gone? Because of assholes like you shitting all over everything I’ve done.

Stein looks back to the fans.

Dan Stein: You want me gone right now? Before my contract expires? Would that make you happy?

Stein turns the microphone to the fans, their collective ‘YES!’ echoing through the arena and the audio in the feed. Stein brings the microphone back to his mouth.

Dan Stein: Too damn bad.

Stein throws the microphone down on the mat, walking out of the ring as the mic hisses.

Other Guy: What? What does that even mean?

Standing in the middle of the ring, Samantha Coil looks around before raising the microphone to her lips.

Samantha Coil:  The following contest is scheduled for ONE FALL and is a LAST CHANCE MATCH for the WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP! 

The fans begin to boo as “Let The Madness Begin” by Fozzy as Tanya Black emerges from the curtain, her smile a mix of anticipation and evil intent. Taking one step to the side she points to the entrance as Chance Ryan emerges looking ready for a fight. Giving him a slap on the chest, Tanya leads Chance down the ramp as the fans boo louder seeing that a few paces behind Cade Sydal and Cassi Ryan begin walking out from the back as well. 

Samantha Coil: Ladies and Gentlemen, representing the Sinister Syndicate…as led by Cade Sydal and Cassi Ryan…the challengers for the SHOOT Project Tag Team Titles, “The Alpha Female” Tanya Black and Chance Ryan!

 

Eryk Masters: That crippled manipulator doesn’t need to be here! 

Other Guy: True, but at least Cassi doesn’t have a microphone this time. You have to know the Brotherhood had to expect this and have a plan.  

Hopping up on the apron Chance Ryan hold the ropes open and Tanya Black slips in and basks in the attention being given her, not caring it’s almost universal boos.

BAD. ASS.

The opening chords of “Back in the Saddle Again” by Aerosmith bring the fans to their feet. Out from the back emerges none other than the SHOOT Project World Tag Team Champions THE BAD ASS BROTHERHOOD. The fans cheer loudly as CHARLES BRANDON MAGNUS and BUCK DRESDEN. The duo stand there for a long moment.

Eryk Masters: And here they are! The World Tag Team Champions!

Buck Dresden wears his World Tag Team Championship on his waist with his normal tights and boots. He wears a black BAB biker vest with a white shirt with the sleeves torn off. Magnus stands behind him wearing the same white t-shirt and matching tights and boots, as well as his World Tag Team Championship belt. Their white shirt has blood stains resembling a butcher’s apron splattered all over with the word BUTCHER across the front.

Other Guy: The Brotherhood showing respect for the third member of this team who is in our main event tonight.

Eryk Masters: No doubt and we all wish Jonas Coleman the best of luck. With two wins by these guys tonight we could be looking at a whole new Bad Ass Era here in SHOOT Project. This match will be the final encounter between these two teams and Jonas Coleman will, of course, compete for the coveted World Title Contender position.

Magnus ascends the ring steps while Buck slides underneath the bottom rope. Buck pushes himself up and rests on his knees, the belt still around his waist. Magnus stands behind him and stares at the Sinister Syndicate, nodding his head to the two of them. Buck, however, maintains a stern face as he glares at the two of them. “Back in the Saddle Again” dies down.

Eryk Masters: Folks, it looks to me like the battle is about to be joined in earnest!

Samantha Coil: And their opponents, they are the SHOOT Project WORLD Tag Team Champions….Buck Dresden and Charles Brandon Magnus….The BAD….ASS….BROTHERHOOOOOOD!

The two teams hesitate to begin as they discuss who is going first. Magnus decides to start for the champions right as Tanya decides to begin. Walking up to the larger man with no fear in her heart Tanya faces off with Magnus before reaching up and bitchslapping him as hard as she can. The fans let out a collective OOOOH as Magnus’s head is rocked back.  He turns his head to lock eyes with Tanya with…a smirk on his face.  He nods his head and his smirk disappears…and he BITCHSLAPS her right back!  Tanya staggers backward as the fans POP!  Tanya gets ready to attack, but Magnus wastes no time and kicks Tanya in the gut as hard as he can sending her falling backwards onto her ass. Magnus yanks her up by the hair and easily lifts Tanya up holding her in the air with a one-arm vertical suplex, turning so Magnus is facing Chance as he drops Tanya onto the mat with a loud THUD!

Eryk Masters: Tanya Black has clearly awoken the beast in Magnus tonight. The Bad Ass Brotherhood want to finish this thing tonight once and for all!

Other Guy: Charles Brandon Magnus hasn’t always been a fun-loving guy like Buck. He has a genuine mean streak in him when folks piss him off.  He’s also gone on record as saying he has absolutely no problem knocking a girl on her ass if she crosses him.  Clearly, he’s Tanya Black’s wet dream for competition and she doesn’t even know it.

Magnus looks down at her and motions for the Scorched Earth, bringing the fans to their feet.  Cade slaps the mat in frustration as Magnus lifts her limp body up.  He grabs her by her waist and brings her up…however as soon as she gets up to the top Tanya slams her fists into the top of Magnus’ skull to stun him for the couple seconds she needs to shift her body around. Facing the same direction as Magnus now, Tanya locks her legs around his neck and slides down his back, her leglock choking out Magnus as Tanya hangs upside down and slams her elbows into the kidneys of Magnus. The referee looks a bit confused for a moment but decides it’s an illegal choke and warns Tanya who assaults the internal organs of Magnus one more time before slipping down off his back before leaping up into a backcracker before Magnus can recover from the last attack.

Eryk Masters: Dear Lord what a move! Magnus got his neck, kidneys, and back assaulted in a matter of moments. That is a veteran combo, even I can’t recall seeing that before.

Other Guy: If Tanya does that again Magnus will be pissing blood tonight. Tanya Black knows how to fight larger opponents but Magnus only needs one hand on her to end it.

Catching her own breath Tanya gets a couple quick stomps in on the chest of Magnus before he begins rising, looking more upset than ever as Buck pleads for a tag. Magnus ignores him as Tanya blows the big man a kiss, causing Magnus to charge. At the last moment Tanya ducks into a drop toe hold causing Magnus’ face to slam into the turnbuckle of the Syndicate corner. Tanya smiles and tags in Chance who quickly lifts Magnus up for a sidewalk slam dropping him as Tanya hits the leg drop sandwiching Magnus’ body onto the mat as the fans boo.

Dragging Magnus up and setting him in the corner Chance glares and unleashes a series of body shots assaulting the sides that Tanya softened up before the referee admonishes Chance who opens his fists then elbows Magnus in the sternum for good measure before backing off for the referee who checks on Magnus as Cade and Cassi cheer on from the floor. Getting himself out of the corner Magnus slams into Chance with a stiff forearm fighting back with a pure adrenaline rush. Whipping Chance into the corner he hits a HUGE SPINEBUSTER as the fans come alive!  Magnus staggers to his feet and slowly cocks an imaginary shotgun in the direction of his partner.  The fans pop HUGE as Buck tags in!

BOOM!

Other Guy: HOT TAG! Buck Dresden is in the match!

Eryk Masters:   AND HE IS READY FOR WAR!!!

Buck floors Chance with a clothesline followed by a second clothesline after Buck runs the ropes to build up steam. Hearing the fans chant his name Buck smiles and lines up Chance in the crosshairs hitting a big boot as Chance staggers to his feet. Dragging Chance to the Brotherhood corner, Buck gestures for Magnus who comes in and the two hook up Chance for the Near Death Experience. The fans hold their breath but Cassi reaches in and grabs Magnus’ ankles causing him to stop mid-move as Buck yells at Cassi. This gives Tanya a chance to run the apron and kick Buck in the back making him fall into the ring on his head as the referee forces Magnus out as the illegal man. Crawling away from Buck, Chance makes the tag just as Tanya gets back to her corner. Slinking in as Buck sees the tag Tanya smiles and blows him a kiss.

Eryk Masters: This is what we all wanted to see. This all started with Buck Dresden and Tanya Black, it may very well end with them.

Other Guy: Tanya looks confident though. She has planned for this moment no doubt.

Facing off Tanya ducks the first swing from Buck and chops his chest to no avail. He smirks and CHOPS HER!  Tanya grabs her chest, causing Buck to smirk and blush slightly. Buck turns to Magnus who nods his head to his partner.  Buck shrugs his shoulders and levels her with a hard running elbow!  Crawling to a neutral corner Tanya suffers a body kick that drops her back into the corner. As Buck hauls back for the knockout punch Tanya screams and cowers like a small girl scared of the bogeyman. Hesitating out of gentlemanly instinct Buck is caught by a stiff kick to the knee followed by a headbutt to the sternum. Sliding around Buck, Tanya laughs wickedly before nailing kick after kick to Buck’s stomach wearing him down until he is sitting in the corner as Tanya was. Smiling she backs up a couple steps and hits the Bronco Buster causing Buck to sit there stunned as the fans boo, getting louder as Tanya hits the double knees to Buck’s face.

Other Guy:  OH…EWWWWW.

Taunting Magnus ,Tanya basks in the middle of the ring as Buck pull himself up.

Eryk Masters: What kind of game is Tanya playing with Buck? She’s letting him recover.

Other Guy: Outsmart and outmove. Buck is frustrated and every member of the Syndicate is aware of that.

Buck snorts like a mad bull before he takes a look at Magnus, who is focused on his partner.  The two of them share a moment, and Magnus slaps the turnbuckle to rally the fans.  Buck charges Tanya and…HE CONNECTS WITH A SIDE RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP!

Eryk Masters:  WHOA!  Buck Dresden…knows a wrestling move!

Buck rallies to his feet quickly as he is stunned to see Tanya kip up!  She staggers into the ropes when she gets to her feet.  Leaning against the ropes, she grins at Buck through her hair and Buck begins to reassess his prey.  She starts to circle around him as he tries to circle her, the two of them sizing one another up.  Buck goes for a clothesline, but Tanya ducks the clothesline and goes for a Backcracker, only for Buck to reach behind him and lock his arm around one of her legs!  Off balance, she tries to regain composure until Buck begins to spin in a circle!  She instinctively grabs a hold of his throat and wraps his legs around his waist, trying to lock in a rear naked choke, only for Buck to rush backwards into the Brotherhood turnbuckle!  Tanya gets FLATTENED as Magnus takes the tag!  Buck keeps a hold of her and SLAMS her to the mat, landing on top of her!  Magnus is in quickly and climbs the turnbuckle…and hits a middle rope elbow drop onto her sternum!

Eryk Masters:  This is the teamwork that the Brotherhood has utilized for nearly two years as tag champions.  Tanya and Cade struggled with it, Chance and Kid Lightning struggled with it, Chance and Cade…and it looks like Buck and Magnus are going to put Tanya and Chance through the motions now, too!

Magnus picks her up and whips her to the rope as Buck charges Chance and knocks him off the ring apron!  Tanya is alone!  Magnus turns to Buck, and gets her onto his shoulder!

Other Guy:  Here we go!

Cassi Ryan quickly gets on the ring apron to argue with the referee as Cade slides into the ring!  Buck turns to Cade and chases him from the ring, but Chance is in the ring and NAILS Magnus in the back with Cade’s cane!  Magnus drops Tanya, who QUICKLY hits the Backcracker and locks in the Tap Out Bitch!  Chance throws the cane from the ring and exits, as Cade and Cassi all regroup on the outside!

Eryk Masters:  Magnus is in trouble!

Magnus cries out as Tanya sinks the hold in deeper and deeper, begging for a submission victory here tonight!  Magnus reaches out in vain, and the look on his face is of desperation.  Buck gets into the ring, but the referee stops him!  The fans are booing as Tanya lets the hold go just as Chance slides into the ring and lifts Magnus up to his feet.  He hoists Magnus up to pancake him to the mat, but Tanya catches him with a jawbreaker!  Magnus is OUT!  Cade immediately chastises the referee to turn his attention to the match as he also taunts Buck to exit the ring.  The referee turns to Tanya covering Magnus!

ONE!

TWO!

KICK OUT!!

Tanya picks Magnus up and tags Chance Ryan into the match now.  Chance whips Magnus into the ropes, Tanya goes to the ring apron, Chance lifts Magnus up, Tanya leaps up to the middle of the top rope…and she CONNECTS with a ELEVATED NINJAGUIRI!  The fans boo HARD as Cade claps his hands at his team’s homage to his greatness.

Eryk Masters:  Magnus’s head and back are taking a serious pounding!  I just do not know how much longer he can put up with this relentless assault!

Chance covers Magnus!

ONE!

TWO!

BUCK SAVES MAGNUS!

Buck rolls from the ring as Magnus is lifted up and Magnus manages to duck the Hammer of Justice!  Chance seems stunned as Buck reenters the ring, spins Chance around…AND LEVELS CHANCE RYAN WITH THE BUCK SHOT!!!  Magnus crumbles onto Chance as Buck quickly neutralizes Tanya!

Other Guy:  HE GOT HIM!  The Buck Shot is Buck’s move!  He’s taken down SEVERAL Soldiers with that one!

Magnus lays onto Chance for the pin and the win!

ONE!

TWO!

TH…KICK OUT!!!

Buck gets ready to celebrate when he turns to see Chance’s shoulder off of the mat!  The fans are…STUNNED.  Buck is STUNNED.  Magnus is too weary to be stunned, so he instinctively crawls over to his corner, which Buck rushes over to so he can legally be tagged in.  Buck reaches out his hand and Magnus dives…and Buck is IN!  Buck reaches down and grabs a hold of Chance, setting him up for a second Buck Shot!  He locks Chance in tightly and looks at the fans, just in time to see Cassi BACK up on the ring apron to distract the referee!

Eryk Masters:  COME ON!  When is the ref just gonna send the Syndicate to the back?!

Buck throws Chance to the mat and NAILS Cassi with a LARIAT!  Cassi FLIES off of the ring apron, hitting the guardrail HARD!  She cries in pain as Cade hobbles over to her, cursing at Buck, a LOUD “BUCK!  BUCK!  BUCK!” chant coming out of the audience!

Other Guy:  It’s about time Buck realized he’s in a damn war!

Buck turns back to Chance, only to find Tanya Black there with a reverse bulldog!  Buck falls to the mat and Tanya scurries to get to Chance’s side, slapping him in the face, trying to get him to come to all the way so they can win this match!  All of a sudden, Magnus is in the ring and he grabs Tanya from behind!  Tanya quickly elbows him in the head to break the hold, right as Buck LEVELS her with a Lariat, flipping her onto her back! 

Eryk Masters:  The Bad Ass Brotherhood are in control!

Other Guy:  This HAS to be it!

Magnus shakes off the cobwebs as he picks Tanya back off of the mat.  He sees how limp she is from the hard ass Lariat from Buck.   He picks her up and throws her to the ring apron.  Buck picks Chance up now, but Chance swings his arm violently, slapping the referee in the face!  Buck throws Chance away to check on the referee as Magnus realizes far too late that Chance is playing possum!  Chance LEVELS Magnus with a shoulder block!  Chance drops to his knees and LOW BLOWS Buck from behind!  He schoolboys Buck over as the referee makes the blind count!

ONE!

TWO!

THR…KICK OUT!!!

The fans ERUPT as Chance slaps the mat in frustration!  He points to Tanya, who is clearly not all the way in the world after that Lariat.  She turns her head to see Cade marching back to her side.  Cade calls to the referee to demand the referee bring out some EMTs to take care of Cassi, which the referee complies.  Two EMTs scurry to the ringside to check on Cassi as Magnus rolls from the ring to hunt down Cade Sydal!  Meanwhile, in the ring, Chance nods his head to the booing fans as Buck is slowly coming to from the low blow.  Chance makes the tag to bring Tanya Black back into the ring.

Eryk Masters: Magnus looks ready to even these numbers once and for all!

Buck charges Tanysa, but she drop toe holds Buck to the mat.  She tags Chance in, who lifts Buck up quickly for a sidewalk slam that Tanya finishes with a leg drop!  Tanya leaves the ring and Chance stops himself, laughing.  He points to Buck again and then to Tanya, and he tags her back in!  Chance picks Buck up, letting Tanya look Buck in the face.  Magnus, on the outside, spots Cade and stalks up behind him as Chance exits the ring, hunting Magnus.

Other Guy:  Uh oh!

Cade spots Magnus behind him and his eyes go wide!  The fans are popping as Cade swings his cane, but Magnus catches it!  Magnus quickly removes the cane from Cade’s grasp and measures the former World Heavyweight Champion for a Louisville Slugger style KO swing!  Suddenly, as Magnus arches back, Chance grabs the cane!  Magnus turns around  AND CHANCE CRACKS THE CANE IN HALF OVER MAGNUS’ HEAD!  MAGNUS IS DOWN!

Eryk Masters:  Buck Dresden is all alone!

Tanya cups Buck’s woozy head and starts whispering to him, causing him to chuckle.   She pulls back and looks at him, rather confused.  Buck slowly points to the fans and Tanya looks…and sees a poster of Laura Seton.  She turns to Buck, who the camera picks up speaking to Tanya.

Buck Dresden:  How’s it feel…you ain’t no Alpha Female…you a Beta Bitch!

Eryk Masters:  I’m not sure what kind of insult Buck was aiming for there…

Other Guy:  I dunno, but Laura Seton’s picture seems to have made Tanya lose her focus!

Tanya kicks Buck’s knees out from underneath him and RAMS her knee into his temple!  Buck is stunned, and Tanya FLATTENS Buck with a dropkick to the back of the head!  Tanya mounts Buck, attacking the back of his head with a vengeance!  Buck casually reaches out and grabs the bottom rope as the referee tells Tanya she needs to get off of Buck or risk losing the title shot!

Eryk Masters:  Tanya’s not listening!  Buck’s pushed all her buttons!  She’s not thinking anymore!

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

FOUR!

Chance slides into the ring and THROWS Tanya off of Buck!  Tanya is shaking violently as Cade DEMANDS she tag Chance in!

Other Guy:  Buck’s trying to come to, and the EMTs are looking at the head of Magnus on the outside, ladies and gentlemen…Magnus is OUT.  Blood is all over his head and Buck’s on his own out there!

Tanya tags Chance in, who quickly picks Buck up and NAILS him with a Hammer of Justice!  Buck falls against the turnbuckle, deep in enemy territory.  Magnus on the outside shoves the EMTs off of him!  He falls against the ring apron as the referee rushes to him to see if he can continue.  Cade throws the broken bottom half of the cane in to Chance.  Chance RAMS Buck in the midsection with the cane before he JAMS the splintered end into Buck’s LEFT EYE!

Eryk Masters:  OH MY GOD!!!

Buck cries out in agony as Chance throws the cane from the ring, a bit of blood coming out of Buck’s eye!  Chance grabs Buck by the midsection and LIFTS him into a powerbomb position!  Tanya Black ascends the ropes and hooks Buck’s bloody face in a reverse DDT!

Eryk Masters:  NO!  ICONICIDE!

TANYA AND CHANCE NAIL THE ICONICIDE!!!  BUCK IS LEVELED WITH THE ICONICIDE!!!  Chance makes the pin!

ONE!

Magnus is in, BUT CADE HAS WRAPPED HIS ARMS AROUND MAGNUS’ LEG, DRAGGING HIM FROM THE RING AND WRAPPING HIMSELF AROUND MAGNUS’ LEG!!

TWO!!

Magnus kicks Cade free!

THREE!!!!

Eryk Masters:  NO!!!!!!  NO!!

The fans RIP into boos as “Let The Madness Begin” by Fozzy kicks in!

Other Guy:  I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!!

Magnus lays in the ring and stares at Buck, who is bleeding from around his eye from the open wound caused by Chance.  Meanwhile, Cade has grabbed the SHOOT Project World Tag Team Championship belts and rolled into the ring, not nursing his wounded leg as much as he was.

Eryk Masters: I can’t believe…the Sinister Syndicate…have ended the near two year reign of the Bad Ass…Brotherhood…

Other Guy:   Did they cheat?  Did they steal?  You damn right they did!  And NOW…there’s nothing the Brotherhood can do about it!  Cade Sydal is a damn GENIUS!

Samantha Coil: Your winners…and NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW SHOOT PROJECT WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS…Tanya Black and Chance Ryan, THE SINISTER SYNDICATE!

Tanya Black is handed Buck’s World Tag Team Championship belt as Chance is handed Magnus’.  The two of them look at one another, the shock slowly being overtaken by their cocky pride.  Tanya kisses her new title belt over and over again, the fans booing LOUDLY as Magnus crawls past their celebration to check on Buck.

Eryk Masters:  Buck Dresden, who has not been pinned EVER…is the man who found his shoulders on the mat for the three count to end the reign of the Bad Ass Brotherhood.

Other Guy:  And after all that love they sent the Bad Asses of old…it looks like Buck Dresden might have just cost himself his eye in the process like Diamond Del Carver!

Chance buckles the SHOOT Project World Tag Team Championship around his waist as Tanya Black holds her up for the disapproving fans to see.  The Sinister Syndicate smiles and celebrates on the ramp as the large man who showed up last week emerges from the back and stands next to them, Tanya showing him her new belt as Chance talks excitedly with Cade who congratulates both of them.  Meanwhile, in the ring, the EMTs are checking on and bandaging Buck’s bloodied eye socket as Magnus leans back on his knees, watching their World Tag Team Championship belts…walking away from them with the new Champions.

Eryk Masters:  What will Magnus and Dresden do next?  Where will the Brotherhood go now?

Other Guy:  For now…it won’t be to the number one contendership!  Cade Sydal saw to that!

Eryk Masters:  Let’s…let’s go look at something else.  This is despicable.  Terrible.  The Sinister Syndicate…Tanya Black and Chance Ryan…are the NEW SHOOT Project…World…Tag…ugh…

Other Guy:   …go ahead!  Say it!  NEW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS!

Eryk Masters:  Go to something else.  This is terrible.

THE FOLLOWING IS A PAID ADVERTISEMENT FROM AZRAEL GOEREN AND GOEREN ENTERPRISES. ANY OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THE FOLLOWING VIDEO ARE THAT OF MR. GOEREN AND DO NOT REPRESENT ANY OFFICIAL OPINION FROM THE SHOOT PROJECT. HOWEVER MR. GOEREN WOULD LIKE TO STATE FOR THE RECORD THAT HE HAS ALWAYS KNOWN WHAT’S BEST FOR THE SHOOT PROJECT AND HIS EXPRESSED OPINIONS SHOULD ALSO BE THE SHOOT PROJECT’S OFFICIAL OPINION.

The video slowly fades in with delicate piano music accompanied by a montage of a father and son playing catch in the warm afternoon sunshine. The video fades to a family eating a picnic under a large oak tree and then transitions to a young couple holding each other in the moonlight.

Narrator: This is the America that we all live in. Founded on the understanding that every individual can live his or her own life the way they choose to.

More video footage of happy families fishing on a peaceful lake and then hiking up a steep mountain.

Narrator: This is the America of warm apple pie, stories around a campfire and always rooting for the underdog. This is the America of courage, integrity and honor.

The video fades to an open meadow with the gentle autumn breeze swaying large strands of wheat across the field.

Narrator: This is Azrael Goeren’s America.

Walking into the shot is Azrael Goeren, dressed in a glittering neon pink and yellow sequin suit. Azrael has the sparkling jacket slung over his right shoulder as he suddenly stops strolling across the meadow and acknowledges the camera with a smile.

Goeren: Ach, Guten tag! I didn’t see you there mein freunds. It’s your old friend Azrael Goeren here. By this point in Revolution 100, you should have already witnessed my triumphant return to SHOOT with my soon-to-be award winning talk show, Zeitgeist! with Azrael Goeren.

The camera continues to follow Azrael through the meadow, revealing a strangely placed chair just sitting amidst the wheat. Azrael straddles it backwards in a relaxed and friendly pose.

Goeren: Now, I know what all of you are thinking. You’re thinking "Golly Azrael, it sure was nice to see you again…but we want you competing in the ring! We want to see our Megastar breaking femurs and dislocating jaw bones again!"

Azrael lets out a fatherly chuckle and wipes a loose strand of blond hair away from his face.

Goeren: Trust me friends, if I had any say over the matter, I would be wrestling in SHOOT as soon as possible. Unfortunately, it’s not up to me. Nein…as I’m sure I mentioned during my appearance in the arena tonight, that decision rests solely with that wicked neanderthal Jason Johnson. He has the power to reinstate yours truly to active competition. He’s the one who holds the future of not only Azrael Goeren…but America…in his hands.

Azrael looks off-camera for dramatic effect, cupping his outstretched hands to hammer home his point.

Goeren: So, what can be done to speed up the process?

Goeren stands up from the chair and puts his hideously garish jacket back on. His smile has returned to him as he continues to walk through the meadow. He stops by a running brook and puts one foot on a large boulder protruding from the water, dramatically staring out into the distance.

Goeren: I’ll be on my best behavior in order to be reinstated faster, and I just wanted to take this time to address you, my loyal fans, and advise to you to do the same. However, for those of you who truly love this country and won’t stand for bullies like Jason Johnson pushing me around…

Azrael turns towards the camera and points towards the bottom of the screen.

Goeren: Below is Jason Johnson’s personal email address, phone numbers, home address and next of kin. Let him know how much you need Azrael Goeren in your life! Call him at all hours of the night! Feel free to graffiti my name across his mobile home! I’m not going to condone kidnapping his loved ones…but everyone who does will receive a free $20 gift certificate that can be redeemed until the end of December on www.GoerenGear.com

The information that Azrael mentioned flashes across the screen in bright white lettering, staying on the screen as Azrael continues.

Goeren: Together, we can make a difference mein freunds. Be sure to log onto www.GoerenGear.com after Revolution 100 and join the "Reinstate Azrael Goeren" social media club. While you’re there, make sure to pick up your brand new "Reinstate Azrael Goeren" t-shirt! Only $29.95 for members of the social media club only!

After the image of his t-shirt fades, Azrael takes a few steps towards the camera.

Goeren: You need me in SHOOT. The fans know it. The wrestlers know it. Deep in his twisted, black heart…even Jason Johnson knows it. We can bring me back…together.

The crazed German turns away from the camera, staring out at the vast expanse in front of him. Without turning around, he speaks once more.

Goeren: Thank you for your time mein freunds. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you all again very, very soon.

The video slowly fades out with Azrael’s hands heroically resting on his hips before the video fades completely to black.

“Bullet The Blue Sky” by U2 starts to play overhead, and Jaime Alejandro storms out from behind the curtains with a microphone in hand. The Saint makes a beeline for the ring, and once inside the squared circle he barks into the microphone, rage and frustration boiling through his voice.

Alejandro: ALBINO! At Revolution 98…you pushed me to my breaking point. What you did…there’s no forgiveness for that. No mercy. You don’t blatantly disrespect a man’s legacy and expect to get away with it.

Jaime paces back and forth in the ring, his dark eyes positively fuming.

Alejandro: You were right about one thing. It is past time we finished this…and that’s why I’m out here right now, because I’m ready to….

The SHOOT Video Wall begins to buzz with static, cutting Jaime off as his attention is drawn to the big screen.

The scene depicted on the screen is a fair-sized room somewhere in the back corridors of The Epicenter. There’s a huge silver mural of the SHOOT Project helmet painted onto a white wall, and a leather chair and round wooden table occupy the center of the room.

There’s something else in the far back of the room, some large piece of furniture, perhaps, covered in a black cloth.

A man is already present there, sitting in a wheelchair across from the leather chair. The man looks to be in his late thirties, his light brown hair tied back into a ponytail. He has a blue eyes and a well-trimmed moustache, and he’s wearing a dark green US military shirt and camouflage shorts. A dark green blanket is draped over his legs, but we can see just a bare glimpse of the scarred stumps of his knees where the rest of his legs should be.

The man is fingering the dog tags around his neck, seemingly awaiting the arrival of someone.

The sound of a door opening is heard out of frame, and a familiar figure steps into the room.

Isaac Entragian.

Entragian wears a perfectly tailored navy blue suit with a slim red tie, and a pair of spectacles rests across the bridge of his nose. His hair is tied back into a professional half-ponytail, and a closed mouth smile is resting easily on his face.

He approaches the man in the room with his hand outstretched, and he offers the soldier a courteous handshake before seating himself down in the leather chair across from the man’s wheelchair.

Entragian: Lukas Ausems, may I just say that it’s an absolute pleasure to have you here tonight. As I’m sure you’re already aware, this is a big night for SHOOT Project. A legitimate milestone for us. I couldn’t think of a better venue for us to sit down and hear YOUR story. Our fans are going to be absolutely THRILLED.

Lukas offers Isaac a humble smile.

Lukas: Ah, you give me too much credit, Mr. Entragian! It’s great to finally meet you. When I got the call from the SHOOT Project public relations representative…Elizabeth Gaunt, I think her name was….I just couldn’t wait to do this. It’s awesome to hear how SHOOT supports our fighting men and women overseas. I’ve really been looking forward to this all week long.

Lukas reaches over to the table, taking a drink from a glass of water provided for him. This brings a slight smirk to Isaac’s lips, the reason for the smirk…as of yet, unknown.

Lukas: My wife and I recently had a baby, so times have been kind of hectic at home, but for an occasion like this…I just had to clear a spot in my schedule.

Entragian nods fervently, taking his clipboard into one pallid hand.

Entragian: Fantastic to hear. Elizabeth is a very patriotic young woman, and we’re lucky to have her on board. Before we start the interview, I assume Miss Gaunt informed you about my affliction? I just didn’t want you to be startled when we met, because your comfort is my #1 priority here tonight.

Lukas waves a hand at that, nodding his head in understanding.

Lukas: Think nothing of it, sir. I can only imagine the obstacles you’ve had to face in life…being born with albinism. I guess in a way, we’re just two disabled fellas sitting down for a chat, ya know?

Entragian laughs long and hard at that, even taking a moment to slap his knee.

Entragian: That’s rich, Lukas! Too true. I have a few questions prepared, so you just give the word…and we’ll get started.

Lukas: Shoot, partner.

Entragian: First off, how about you tell us a little bit about yourself. Give our fans an opportunity to get to know….Lukas Ausems.

Lukas: Okay…I can do that. I’m originally from Austin, Texas. I’ve been married to my wife for seven years now, and we recently had a baby boy. Now to get to the reason I’m here tonight…I served two tours of duty in Afghanistan with the United States military. Once a soldier, always a soldier…at least that’s what they say, right? I’d probably still be out there in the desert right now fighting for our country if I had my way, but my accident cut my military career short.

Entragian nods, his eyes utterly sympathetic behind his glasses.

Entragian: If it’s not too painful for you, can you describe to the world how you lost your legs?

Lukas swallows deeply; his eyes becoming glassy as he thinks back to that dark moment in his life.

Lukas: It was during my second tour of duty. My squad was moving through Kandahar on orders that there was an insurgent camp on the outskirts of the city. The convoy I was riding with was rolling down a small dirt track, and that’s when our jeep hit the IED. All I remember is fire everywhere, people screaming…my mouth full of dirt, and I couldn’t feel my legs. I looked down at myself…and they just weren’t there anymore.

Entragian reaches over, patting Lukas reassuringly on the shoulder.

Entragian: You’re a brave man to share that with us. What you’ve sacrificed for the United States of America…words alone cannot describe. While on this subject, let’s move towards a more positive topic. I understand you have a longstanding friendship with one of the wrestlers we have contracted to SHOOT….a man by the name of Jaime Alejandro?

Lukas perks up at the mention of that name, a warm smile appearing on his face.

Lukas: He’s more than just a friend. He’s like a brother to me. The godfather to my little boy. That man…is the reason I’m sitting here with you today. Staff Sergeant Alejandro…he’s the one that saved my life that day in Kandahar. He ran out into the middle of that firefight…and he dragged me away from the wreckage. Even though bullets were whizzing past his head…he risked his own life to save mine. I’ll never forget that.

Entragian: A selfless individual, right down to his core. I know him personally. Tell me, Lukas…do you watch SHOOT Project? Ever seen our programming before?

Isaac reaches up slowly, removing the glasses from his face to fold them up and place them on the table.

Lukas: I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, but no…I’ve never seen the product before. My wife’s not big on wrestling, and she usually controls the remote. I heard Jaime was working here though, so that’s another reason why I agreed to this interview…was hoping to catch up with him later tonight.

Isaac starts to loosen his tie, and then he takes a moment to point to the camera that’s filming them.

Entragian: He’s watching you right now, Lukas. Wave to him.

Entragian leans towards Lukas Ausems, and for the first time in the whole interview, he smiles wide. A smile of dripping, saliva-coated fangs…the smile of a great white shark.

Lukas stares at Isaac’s mouth, his eyes growing large and confused…and just when he’s about to form a question…Entragian lashes out with both hands and grabs Lukas by the head….only to RIP him up out of his wheelchair and SMASH the man face first into the SHOOT Project helmet on the wall.

The plaster cracks, and as Lukas falls down to the floor we see blood splattered across the SHOOT Project helmet, and a little piece of broken tooth enamel impaled into the wall.

Lukas is crawling across the floor, his mouth bleeding profusely…most of his front teeth now nothing more than broken shards. Isaac leans down, flips him onto his back…and begins to ram fists down against his face, one deliberate punch after another.

Entragian: Fight me, war hero. Stand up on your stumps…and fight me like a man.

Lukas is gasping, blood bubbles forming in the corners of his mouth. He tries to get his arms up to cover his face, but his movements are sluggish and feeble.

Entragian stands back up, and he STOMPS down on the scar tissue of Lukas’s stumps, first the left stump, and then the right. This forces screams out of the veteran’s mouth…shrill, bird-like screams.

Entragian: Look at you. I guess they’ll give a Purple Heart to ANYONE these days…

Isaac walks over to the large object near the back of the room, and he pulls the black silk cloth free. What’s underneath is a long board set up on two sawhorses with a big steel bucket sitting below it. Inside of the bucket, there’s a thick white towel and a jug of water.

Entragian: I brought you here tonight, Lukas, because I wanted to personally thank you for your service. Are you familiar with waterboarding, by any chance?

Isaac leans down to cup Lukas’s head in one hand, proceeding to pull him up to a sitting position.

Entragian: You spent years in Afghanistan, fighting the sand roaches. I’m sure you’ve at least heard of it. This is the part of our program where the interview becomes an aggressive interrogation. I can’t really call it TORTURE…because that’s just not politically correct, ya know?

Isaac grabs Lukas by the dog tags, and he drags him by his throat over to the elevated board. He lifts the handicapped man up like he weighs less than a child, and he plants him on the board, proceeding to lock his wrists into shackles.

Isaac then lifts up the towel and the jug of water, holding them in separate hands.

Entragian: Here’s how it works, Lukas. You don’t tell me what I want to know…you get waterboarded. If you do tell me what I want to know…you get waterboarded. Fair enough?

Lukas is struggling, the veins protruding along his neck…his eyes like the eyes of a calf before the slaughter. Isaac drapes the towel over Lukas’s mouth and nose, and then he begins to pour water down against the towel. Lukas starts to kick his stumps, and when Isaac finally removes the towel, he coughs up a mouthful of water.

Entragian: I want you to say…”Save me, Jaime.”

Seeing how desperate his situation is, Lukas doesn’t hesitate. He screams out, SAVE ME….only to have Isaac replace the towel across his face, and pour more water down against it. Lukas’s hands curl into fists, and his entire body begins to shake.

Isaac finally removes the towel, staring down at Lukas. There is actual FIRE in Isaac’s eyes, the type of reflection seen when a little boy uses a magnifying glass to burn ants.

Entragian: I want you to say…”This is your fault, Jaime. You’ve done this to me.”

Water oozes out of Lukas’s mouth, and he’s trying so hard to twist himself so that he’s resting on his side to relieve some of the pressure.

Lukas: Please….please….this is your fault, Jaime. You’ve….done this to me.

Entragian nods, and he leans down and removes the shackles from Lukas’s wrists. He takes him by the hair…and he THROWS Lukas clear across the room, his face smacking right up against the camera lens with a wet, fleshy impact.

The lens cracks, and blood is splattered across the frame now. Isaac goes over to the fallen soldier, and he props him up so that they’re both staring into the camera, their faces inches away from the lens.

Entragian: This next part is important, Lukas. If you stutter…slur your words…or come across as unintelligible, I flip open my cell phone, and I call my brother Obsidian into the room. He’ll bring his machete with him, and he’ll lop your hands off at the wrist. Then you won’t just be a cripple…you’ll be a gimp…with no limbs at all. You believe me when I tell you that?

Lukas nods, green snot dripping down from his nose to mingle in with the blood from his torn, bleeding gums. Isaac leans over, and whispers something into his ear.

We cut back to Jaime in the ring for a moment, and The Saint literally looks like his sanity is hanging by a mere thread. His hands are dug down into his black hair, his eyes are bugging out of his head…and he’s literally ROARING into the microphone.

Alejandro: LEAVE HIM ALONE, YOU HEARTLESS FUCK! YOU WANT ME! STOP IT! IT’S ME YOU WANT!!! HE HAS A LITTLE BOY, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!

Lukas: He wants me to tell you…that war…is harsh. There are casualties…in every war. Innocent people…get hurt.

Lukas begins to cough through his broken teeth before finally composing himself.

Lukas: He says…I’m the first. He says…you can’t win this war. He says….don’t make me say that…please….okay…okay…he says….he’ll fuck your life and everyone in it like a greasy, fat whore…and you’ll smell his residue on everything you touch…forever..and ever…and ever…

Isaac finally leans back, his whispers at an end. He pats Lukas on the head, and allows the soldier to slump down to the floor.

Entragian: You did well. Better than I ever could have expected.

Entragian stands straight up, as straight as he possibly can. His eyes bore into the broken camera lens. Those eyes are soulless…inhuman…black pits filled with poison and flame.

Isaac Entragian snaps off a salute, and then he strolls out of frame.

Meanwhile back in the ring, Jaime Alejandro throws the microphone down and LEAPS out of the ring through the ropes, proceeding to run as fast as he possibly can towards the back. He bursts his way through the curtains and vanishes into the back.

A wide shot of the crowd shows hundreds of stunned, shocked faces.

Eryk Masters: Ladies and gentlemen….I cannot even begin to apologize enough for what we just saw. That was deplorable. That was…quite possibly the most disgusting, barbarous thing that I have ever seen done during a SHOOT Project broadcast.

Other Guy: That man…needs to be institutionalized. He needs shackles on his wrists, leg irons on his ankles, and a cell to rot in for the rest of his days.

Eryk Masters: That wasn’t a mean thing to do. That wasn’t…a cowardly trick. That wasn’t arrogance…or poor sportsmanship…or anything else that makes a bad apple bad in SHOOT. That…was evil. Shameless, uncaring, calculated evil.

Other Guy: It’s about damn time that SHOOT Project wakes up. The battle lines NEED to be drawn. THAT….fucking abomination…is the REAL threat. He and the fiends he surrounds himself with. It was never X-Calibur. It was never The Hierarchy. Those clowns were small potatoes compared to Entragian and his boys. Something has to be done….this HAS to stop…

The scene finally cuts out on these final, cryptic words.

Samantha Coil: The following contest is set for one fall….and it is to determine the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship!

Eryk Masters: This is it..

Other Guy: Oh, man, I can’t wait any longer!

"Isolate" by Sybreed kicks in, and the fans in the SHOOT Project Epicenter erupt. Jonas Coleman, "The Butcher" himself, steps from behind the curtain, a grin on his face as he looks out to the crowd.

Samantha Coil: Introducing first, representing the Bad Ass Brotherhood, weighing in at 200 pounds…..he is The Butcher….JONAAAAAAAAAS COOOOOOOOOOLEMAAAAAAAN!

The grin starts to leave Coleman’s face as he makes his way down to the ring, preparing himself for what is sure to be a physical war.

Eryk Masters: There’s no frills when it comes to Jonas Coleman. What you see is what you get.

Other Guy: And what you get is heart, determination, and a wrestling game that is hard to combat.

Eryk Masters: But if there was anyone that COULD, well, it would be the man Jonas is about to step into the ring with.

Coleman slides into the ring under the bottom rope, his grin now completely replaced with a look of calmed determination. You can tell he wants this very badly, and is willing to lay it all on the line tonight. The fans are still in a frenzy as Coleman ascends the turnbuckles, perching himself on the middle one, staring straight ahead at the entrance ramp, awaiting his opponent for the evening. The music shuts off, but it doesn’t stop the fans from making as much noise. Jonas adverts his gaze, as he looks out to the sea of humanity, chanting for him.

"JO-NAS! JO-NAS! JO-NAS!"

Coleman jumps down from the turnbuckles, and continues to loosen up, pulling on the ropes, making sure they are tight enough. Just as we think that the crowd noise is lessening…

"The Pretender" by the Foo Fighters starts up, and the cheers re-intensify, signaling the second man to do battle for the title shot here tonight. Lunatikk Crippler makes his appearance from the curtains, also sporting a slight grin, looking out to the crowd that is welcoming him with open arms.

Samantha Coil: And his opponent! He weighs in at 238 pounds…he is "The Whole Fucked Up Show"…..LUUUUUUUNATIIIIIIIKK CRIIIIIIIIIIPPLERRRRRRRR!

Eryk Masters: A lot of the things we can sit here and say about Jonas Coleman, they also ring true for Lunatikk Crippler.

Other Guy: Coleman made his bones as a singles competitor facing the monster Akuma Satsui. Lunatikk Crippler most recently dealt with his own monster, silencing Jester Smiles at RISE. These men are ready. They have been ready their entire LIVES for a night like this.

Eryk Masters: I can’t think of a better way to close out this milestone Revolution, than with two men who stand for what the word "Soldier" means. These two are about to go to war, and hanging in the balance is a shot at Donovan King and the World Championship.

Crippler also slackens his grin, staring straight at Jonas from the arena floor. Crippler nods, and Jonas inclines his head as well. Crippler pulls himself to the apron using the middle rope, and swiftly enters the ring. He starts motioning to the crowd, getting them riled up even further, as if he needed to. He turns, and Coleman is there, right in his face. Crippler stops short, and stares down "The Butcher".

Eryk Masters: I cannot wait for this. This is going to be physical. These two are not going to quit. They are not going to stop until that final bell rings.

Other Guy: Just ring the bell already! Get this started!

The music shuts off, leaving Crippler and Coleman standing face to face in the center of the ring, the sounds of the rabid crowd echoing in their ears. The bell rings, but neither man even flinches. Neither man breaks his gaze from the other. The crowd, once rabid, are even more so, and we can hear jumbled chants coming from different sections of the audience.

"LET’S GO CRIP-PLER!"

"LET’S GO JO-NAS!"

"LET’S GO CRIP-PLER!"

"LET’S GO JO-NAS!"

Eryk Masters: The crowd is torn. Both of these men are favorites in the SHOOT Project, and they don’t want to have to choose who to root for!

Other Guy: Neither do I, but let’s see who gets the advantage first, and we’ll see.

Crippler and Jonas are having words mid-ring, but it’s inaudible due to the crowd noise. Tony Lorenzo is there, but he’s not trying to get in the middle of this.

Eryk Masters: You can feel the tension radiating off both men in the ring. The chance of a lifetime hangs in the balance, and the only person standing in their way, is the one they are locked eyes with right now!

Crippler doesn’t wait any longer. He rears back, and fires off a forearm that rocks Jonas backwards. The fans erupt, as the physicality has begun, and Crippler keeps at his man, firing off a second forearm, and then a third, backing Jonas into the ropes. Before Tony Lorenzo can seperate the two, Jonas himself fires off a right hand, a closed fist right to the face of Crippler. Crippler staggers, leaving himself open for a boot right to the gut that doubles him over. The fans are even louder, as Coleman fights back, sending a chop whizzing into the bare chest of Lunatikk Crippler, causing him to clutch at the point of impact and spin in place, turning into a right hand that sends Crippler to the canvas!

Eryk Masters: And Jonas Coleman scores the first knockdown!

Other Guy: JONAS COLEMAN IS GOING TO WIN THIS MATCH!

Eryk Masters: A minute into the action and you’re calling it? Just like that?

Other Guy: Wait. Maybe.

Crippler slides away, but Jonas doesn’t advance. Crippler keeps his eyes on the Butcher as he gets to his feet, wary about that right that sent him sprawling. The two step forward into the middle of the ring again, but this time, they lock up, with Crippler quickly slapping on a side headlock. He wrenches once on the head of Coleman, and then Jonas tries to shove him off into the ropes, and is successful. Crippler bounces off the ropes and Jonas gets ready to hip toss The Crippler, but The Whole Fucked Up Show sees it coming, and reverses the hip toss, into an attempt of his own. Jonas blocks, and smacks Crippler in the abdomen, doubling him over. Jonas puts his leg on the back of Crippler’s neck, and gets flipped backwards, landing on his feet. Jonas turns, and walks right into a lariat by Lunatikk Crippler, and this time, Jonas Coleman finds himself on the mat.

Other Guy: THAT’S IT! LUNATIKK CRIPPLER IS GOING TO BE VICTORIOUS!

Eryk Masters: The match has barely started! You can’t count either man out until the bell has rung!

Crippler takes a step back, allowing Jonas Coleman to get back to his feet. He does just that, not taking his eyes off Crippler. Both men are back up, and they begin circling one another. They both lunge forward, and lock up, collar and elbow style. Crippler quickly takes control, slapping a side headlock on Coleman, but it doesn’t last long. Jonas quickly shoves Crippler off, and just as fast, grabs hold of Crippler around the waist. Crippler swings back with an elbow, but Jonas ducks, and takes Crippler off his feet over head. Crippler bounces off the canvas, but is on his feet in no time, and advances back on Coleman, who quickly takes Crippler down again, with a lightning fast arm drag. The crowd cheers, and Crippler uses the momentum to regain his footing, and catches an incoming Coleman with an arm drag of his own. The crowd cheers that one, as well, as they still back both men in this contest.

Eryk Masters: Both men refusing to give the other an inch. They seem to be matching each other, step for step.

Coleman is back on his feet and moves towards Crippler, who sidesteps and goes behind Jonas with a waistlock. Jonas with a back elbow, this one connects. Crippler is a bit dazed, leaving time for Coleman to grab a handful of hair and bring Crippler over his shoulder with a snapmare. Tony Lorenzo quickly warns Jonas about grabbing the hair, but he’s too busy staying on The Crippler. Jonas has LC in a seated position, and tries to drop the point of his elbow on the top of head, but Crippler moves out of the way and Coleman connects with the apron. Crippler drops an elbow of his own, which connects, and he makes a quick cover!

One!

Jonas is out at one, and he quickly rolls Crippler up in a small package!

One!

Crippler is fast to break that pinning combination this time. Both men get to their feet, and Crippler is able to take Coleman down with a drop toe hold. Jonas’ face bounces off the canvas, and Crippler wastes no time in turning Coleman over, and somersaulting over him, holding Jonas’ legs, and up in a pinning combination with a bridge!

One!

Two!

Jonas smacks Crippler hard in the ribs, breaking the bridge, and is able to leverage Crippler over onto his back, coming up with a makeshift sunset flip!

One!

Two!

Crippler rolls backward, escaping the pin, and he grabs Jonas’ legs and forces them back towards Coleman’s own head, pinning Jonas’ shoulders to the mat!

One!

Two!

Jonas pushes Crippler’s head down, and reverses THAT into another Sunset Flip!

One!

Two!

Crippler rolls forward, pulling Coleman’s legs with him in a pinning combination!

One!

Two!

Jonas grabs Crippler around the waist and bridges straight up, drawing a pop from the crowd! He spins around, hooking Crippler in a backslide!

One!

Two!

Crippler pushes off as much as he can, luckily raising his shoulders off the mat. Crippler hits canvas, but is quick to his feet, as is Jonas. Crippler runs at Jonas, who ducks, and forces Crippler to leapfrog The Butcher. Crippler on the rebound tries to clothesline Coleman out of his boots agian, but Jonas ducks. Crippler stops his momentum on the ropes, and turns to face Coleman, and fires off a dropkick, but Coleman has the same idea, and both men’s legs collide with the other, and they are quickly up, and to their knees, facing one another before stopping dead, staring straight ahead at their foe. The fans light up with cheers, in appreciation for the action thus far.

Other Guy: It’s like you said, these two are going hold for hold. Nobody has been able to get the advantage.

Eryk Masters: Plenty of pinfall attempts already, these men know what is at stake here.

Both men slowly rise to their feet, and meet again in the center of the ring. They are in each others face now, jawing again. This time, Crippler throws not a forearm, but an open right hand to the face of Coleman, who staggers back. Another right by Crippler sends Coleman into the ropes. Jonas bounces off and puts his boot right into the kneecap of Lunatikk Crippler, who’s leg buckles. Coleman follows up with a clubbing blow to the back of the neck, sending Crippler down to the canvas. He lands face first, and immediately clutches at the middle of his face.

Eryk Masters: Crippler opted not to wear his protective mask here tonight, and because of that, it seems Jonas Coleman now has the advantage.

Crippler turns over, and Jonas quickly rakes his foot across the bridge of Crippler’s nose. Crippler squirms in pain, clutching again at his face. Jonas reaches down and picks Crippler up, and whips him into the ropes. Crippler ducks a clothesline attempt, but Jonas catches him coming on the way back with a huge belly to belly suplex, and Crippler ends up falling hard, flat on his back. You can see the pain etched in Crippler’s face, as Jonas grabs his hair again, whipping his head down to the canvas and hooking the leg!

One!

Two!

Crippler gets his shoulder up. The fans are cheering madly still, but it’s unsure whether its for Coleman, Crippler, or the match continuing. Coleman picks Crippler up again and whips him hard into the corner. Lunatikk Crippler collides with the turnbuckles hard, arcing out after the impact. He nearly slumps to the ground, but Jonas Coleman is there, with a running knee to the face! Crippler definitely falls now, in a seated position in the corner. Jonas gets another running start, and drives his feet into the face of Lunatikk Crippler!

Eryk Masters: Running dropkick by Jonas Coleman! Crippler is in pain, as Jonas pulls him back to the center of the ring! There’s another cover!

One!

Two!

Crippler rolls the shoulder up again. Jonas clamps down on the nose of Lunatikk Crippler, causing him to let out an audible gasp of pain. Coleman twists his knuckles quickly, putting more pressure on that healing nose of Crippler. Crippler moves quickly away, desperate to escape the wrath of Coleman here. Jonas goes to follow, but Crippler makes it to his feet. He throws a right hand blindly, and Jonas is easily able to sidestep, and grabs Crippler by the back of the head, driving his face down into the mat with both hands.

Other Guy: A huge facebuster from Coleman! Crippler’s taking a lot of punishment to that face!

Jonas rolls Crippler over, and lays across his chest.

One!

Two!

Crippler kicks out, displacing Coleman from his resting area. Jonas fires a quick forearm shot, finding its mark right between the eyes of Lunatikk Crippler. The Butcher sets his sights now on the arm of Lunatikk Crippler, grabbing it and yanking it nearly out of socket. Crippler rolls on the mat in pain, but Coleman isn’t done. He grabs Crippler again, and wraps his arm around his leg, with Coleman’s own knee pressed in the elbow joint of Lunatikk Crippler, and then Jonas drives his knee into the canvas, forcing his weight into the left elbow of the former Sin City Champion.

Eryk Masters: First the face, and now the arm. Jonas Coleman is systematically trying to tear Lunatikk Crippler apart!

Jonas brings Crippler back to his feet, and whips him into the turnbuckles again. Crippler bounces off the corner, and begins staggering towards center ring, while Jonas bounces off the ropes, and hits a superb looking bulldog that pops the crowd. Crippler flips over after the impact, and Jonas hooks the leg, and for good measure, drives his forearm into the jaw of Crippler.

One!

Two!

Crippler rolls out, taking the point of Jonas’ elbow right across his mouth as he does.

Eryk Masters: I would say I don’t know how much Crippler can take, but I know better. These two men are built to absorb punishment.

Other Guy: And by the looks of Jonas Coleman thus far, programmed to dish it out.

Jonas traps the arm of Crippler between his legs now, and locks in a cross armbreaker.

Other Guy: Submission move right there! Crippler is in trouble!

Jonas pulls back on the arm of Lunatikk Crippler as Crippler is forced to turn his head sideways from the position of Coleman’s legs on his face and chest. We can see his face is contorted in pain, and he’s reaching in vain out for the bottom rope, for escape.

Eryk Masters: This is a smart move by Jonas Coleman! Not only is it damaging the arm, which is the intended target, but it’s putting pressure on the face of Lunatikk Crippler as well, with his legs covering the better half of his jaw!

Crippler struggles against Coleman, but it seems to only make it worse. Jonas has good leverage on this hold, and Crippler’s struggling allows him to lift Crippler’s left shoulder higher off the ground, bending it at a disgusting angle. Everytime Crippler seems to try and pull himself at Jonas closer towards the ropes, Jonas is able to yank back, and you can nearly see where Coleman is close to at the very least, dislocating that left shoulder.

Other Guy: The Crippler has got to be in a tremendous amount of pain right now. I don’t think he can last much longer.

The fans are shouting support and encouragement to both men, but a large core of the crowd have began clapping in unison, trying to will Lunatikk Crippler out of this hold. His arm shoots nearly straight up in the air, his fingers clenched together in a fist, shaking with the pain and his determination. The fans are cheering loudly, as Crippler again tries to inch closer to the ropes, but Jonas sees this, and lifts his leg up, only to slam it back down across the face of Lunatikk Crippler! The lifting of the leg is enough for Crippler to wrench his arm from Coleman’s grasp and slip out of the hold, but the damage is done. Crippler rolls to his side and gets to his feet clutching his arm. Jonas gets up as well, and it seems he is waiting for Crippler to get to his feet. Crippler shakes his arm, trying to get some feeling to it, as he turns around and catches a boot that Jonas Coleman had planned for Crippler’s midsection! Jonas is hopping on one foot, and the place has not quieted down once since this match began. However, before Crippler can react, Jonas swings his free foot upward, hooking the back of Crippler’s head with a powerful enziguiri.

Eryk Masters: That’s it! Lights out for the Crippler! Jonas Coleman is going to Redemption!

Coleman rolls Crippler onto his back, and hooks the leg!

One!

Two!

Th-Crippler gets his bad shoulder up! Jonas is starting to show a bit of frustration at this point, but it’s obvious why. Crippler will not stay down. He grabs two big handfulls of hair, and brings Crippler to his feet. He grabs the left arm and twists it, Crippler grunting loudly in pain behind gritted teeth, but is able to somehow find it in him to bury his boot into the midsection of Jonas Coleman! Coleman releases Crippler’s arm, and doubles over, allowing Crippler to grab Jonas by the head and whip him backwards!

Eryk Masters: The Crippler is still alive in this!

Other Guy: For now! Coleman has really been putting a hurting on him! Crippler says he’s the best technical wrestler in SHOOT, but Jonas has been outwrestling him thus far!

Crippler shakes out his arm again, and he bends down to pick Jonas coleman off the mat, but The Butcher grabs the waistband of Crippler’s tights, and maneuvers him out of the ring through the ropes! Crippler crashes down to the mats outside, and the fans in the front stand up to get a better view of Crippler on the ground. Coleman rolls under the bottom rope, following his prey to the outside. Crippler is trying to get to his feet, but Coleman is already on his and intercepts him. Coleman fires a right hand, connecting with the temple of Lunatikk Crippler, staggering him back. Crippler is able to get up, but he’s not out of the woods yet. Coleman follows, but Crippler turns suddenly and buries a boot into the midsection of Jonas Coleman, and follows up with a huge right hand that knocks the Butcher backwards. Before Jonas can recover, Crippler sprints at him, taking him down on the outside with a spear!

Eryk Masters: The Blood Drive! On the outside and Jonas Coleman is down!

The crowd responds, and it starts to get mixed now. But the reaction is loud nonetheless, and Crippler rises to his knees, looking out at the crowd. He gets up to his feet, and the reaction turns from mixed to more positive.

Eryk Masters: There’s a lot of people here that support both men, but there’s a lot that support either man just a little more. Some of these fans didn’t enjoy watching Jonas Coleman getting speared like that.

Other Guy: I’m sure Jonas Coleman didn’t appreciate it, either, but it’s happened, and Lunatikk Crippler needs to take control!

Crippler shakes out his arm again, and seems to have a bit of feeling in it again. Tony Lorenzo hasn’t even started the ten count, as he obviously doesn’t wish to count these men out. He does, however shout down to The Crippler to bring it back into the ring. Crippler obliges, bending down to pick Jonas Coleman off the ground and rolls him underneath the bottom rope. Crippler climbs up onto the apron and enters the ring after him. He sees Jonas starting to get to his feet, and Crippler runs at him and extends his knee, connecting with the side of Jonas’ head!

Eryk Masters: Huge knee trembler by Lunatikk Crippler, and he hooks the leg!

One!

Two!

Jonas kicks out before the three. Crippler stays on his man, hooking in a half nelson, using the hold to help Jonas to his feet while still inflicting damage to the arm of Coleman. Crippler throws The Butcher into the corner shoulder first. Lunatikk Crippler begins to open up on Jonas, throwing hands and trying to connect where ever he can. A right hand finds it’s mark in the jaw of Coleman, while a left finds a home buried in his ribs. Crippler throws his knee and the full force of it catches Jonas in the stomach, nearly knocking the wind out of him! Coleman goes to fall, but Lunatikk Crippler pushes him back into the corner, keeping him on his feet. Crippler drives his elbow into the jaw of Jonas Coleman, and then executes an irish whip to the opposite corner. Coleman hits with such an impact, he hits the turnbuckles and bounces to the canvas, right on his face. Jonas tries to push himself up, but Crippler is right there with a leg drop to the back of Jonas’ head! Crippler gets back to his feet, and he’s bringing Coleman with him.

Crippler hooks Jonas’ arm behind his head, and then hooks his leg, taking him over the head with a fisherman’s suplex! Crippler’s hands are locked, and Coleman’s shoulders are down!

One!

Two!

Th-Jonas kicks out! The crowd seems to be enjoying this match, and are shouting themselves hoarse. Crippler gets to his feet, as does Jonas, who turns around, right into a T-Bone suplex!

Other Guy: Crippler is showing off some of that technical skill that got him to this point. Nice suplex!

Crippler doesn’t go for the cover. Instead, he goes to the top rope and perches himself there, waiting for Jonas to get to his feet.

Eryk Masters: This is new, we don’t see Crippler going to the top rope very often, and these men have basically kept it all on the ground until now!

Jonas staggers to his feet slowly, and the moment he turns around, Crippler leaps, snaring his legs around the neck of Coleman, and spinning him around with a hurriconrana! The fans pop, and Crippler gets up to his knees, all smiles.

Eryk Masters: Crippler enjoyed that one, but he needs to keep on the Butcher!

Other Guy: Agreed. You can’t let up on Jonas Coleman for a second!

Crippler scoots over to where Coleman is, but before he can react, Jonas hooks his head and takes him over with a small package!

One!

Two!

Crippler powers out of the hold! He gets up to his feet, followed by Coleman. Jonas charges, but Crippler leaps up, and nails a Thesz Press on The Butcher! Crippler gets back up and brings Coleman up as well, and nails a BEAUTIFUL standing dropkick, that send Jonas crashing back to the canvas! Crippler crawls into the cover!

One!

Two!

Jonas shoulders up, and Crippler now starting to show signs of frustration.

Other Guy: Jonas Coleman is still fighting, but Crippler regains control!

Eryk Masters: And now he’s getting a taste of the same medicine that Jonas felt earlier when Crippler refused to stay down. These men don’t know how to stop!

Crippler gets up, and Jonas is trying to as well. Crippler pulls him up by his arm, and kicks him right underneath his armpit, right in the ribcage. Jonas grasps at it, but Crippler puts another boot in the same spot, hitting ribs and hand alike. Crippler twists Coleman’s arm, trapping it behind his back, and ducks his head underneath Jonas’ other arm, and then floats over, executing another suplex, this time, the Northern Lights variety.

Eryk Masters: Another suplex from Crippler, and he keeps the bridge!

One!

Two!

Th-Jonas rolls out, breaking the bridge and successfully getting his shoulder up! A lot of the fans are in the arena are on their feet, trying to get the best view of the ring as Crippler gets to his feet. He’s looking a little fatigued, but less so than Coleman does right now. Jonas remains on the ground, but Crippler seems like he’s getting an idea. He backs up into a corner, and takes a running start, jumping over Jonas to the turnbuckles, then using the momentum to propel himself up and outward, looking for a Vader Bomb, but Coleman gets his knees up! Cheers ring out in the crowd, and Crippler rolls on the mat, in pain, clutching his stomach, and Coleman is down as well. Tony Lorenzo is checking on Crippler now, and now to Jonas. Both men are on their back and as reluctant as he is, he has not choice but to begin the ten count!

ONE!

TWO! Crippler has rolled from his back to his stomach, and is moving towards a corner.

THREE!

FOUR! Jonas is in the opposite corner, his hand grasping the middle rope, trying to shake the cobwebs so to speak.

FIVE!

SIX! Coleman is to one knee, and Crippler is just reaching the corner.

SEVEN! Jonas get to his feet now, and Lorenzo stops the count. Crippler is on one knee, facing away from The Butcher.

Eryk Masters: Jonas catching his breath, and Crippler now has gotten back to his feet.

Crippler turns around, still holding his abdomen, and locks eyes with Jonas Coleman across the ring. Coleman is hurting himself, but he doesn’t break the gaze with Lunatikk Crippler. It’s a staredown from across the ring, and the crowd is loving it.

Eryk Masters: These two have been tearing into each other for a good half hour, at least, and now..We’re back where we started!

Other Guy: I think both of these guys have realized that it’s going to take a lot to put the other down. I…I don’t know what’s gonna happen here!

The two men walk towards each other, but this time, it’s Jonas that fires the first shot, a chop right to the chest of Lunatikk Crippler. Crippler takes the shot, but is able to respond with a European uppercut! Jonas is rocked, but he recovers and fires off a right hand. The crowd cheers, and chants "YAY!"

Crippler touches his face, as if checking for blood, and fires a right hand of his own. The crowd responds favorably as well, shouting "YAY!" for Crippler as well!

Jonas with another right. "YAY!"

Crippler retaliates. "YAY!"

BAM! Jonas punches Crippler again. "YAY!"

Crippler shoots a big forearm to the side of Jonas’ head. "YAY!"

Coleman thrusts his hand into the throat of Lunatikk Crippler, effectively ending the slugfest. Crippler stumbles, grasping his throat, and Coleman follows. Crippler fires a big elbow, finding it’s mark in the chin of Jonas Coleman. The Butcher backs up, and Crippler turns, and charges. Jonas catches him, however, underneath the arms, lifting Crippler up off his feet, and slamming him to the ground.

Eryk Masters: A high impact powerbomb variation by Coleman! He’s got the pin!

One!

Two!

Crippler rolls his shoulder up! Jonas pushes Crippler’s legs off him, and gets to his feet. Crippler is trying to, but Jonas aids him in his effort, only to be met by another right hand from Jonas. Crippler staggers and Jonas advances, but Crippler traps Coleman by the arm and takes him down to the canvas.

Eryk Masters: The crossface! Crippler is Bitchifying Jonas Coleman!

Almost. Crippler has the arm trapped, but Jonas is able to block Crippler from locking his hands around his face. Crippler is struggling, but in the struggle, Jonas is able to free himself from Crippler’s grasp, and roll away. Both men are not quick to get to their feet anymore. Fatigue and pain have slowed them down. Crippler is up first, followed by Jonas, who executes a double leg takedown on Lunatikk Crippler, and then grapevines Crippler’s legs, turning him quickly onto his stomach and sitting down onto his lower back. The crowd pops loud. At this point, nobody is sitting down.

Eryk Masters: The Grip of the Viper! Jonas has it locked in!

Other Guy: Crippler has nowhere to go! He’s in the center of the ring, and Jonas is pulling back hard! I don’t see how he can escape!

Crippler is struggling greatly, but Coleman just continues to lean back, pulling on Crippler’s legs and putting more pressure on the lower back of Lunatikk Crippler. Jonas grits his teeth, trying to finish of Crippler right here. Crippler’s face is contorted in agony, as he continues to reach out for the ropes that are just way too far away.

Jonas starts rocking up and down, causing Crippler spine to start feeling more pressure, the bending under the weight of The Butcher. Crippler clenches his teeth, seemingly to stop himself from screaming out in the pain he is in. Crippler balls up his fists, and punches the mat, placing his fists flat on the canvas. He pushes up and he is able to bring himself off the mat a little bit, alleviating a little of the pain, but Coleman isn’t letting go. Crippler is, however successful in pushing Coleman off his back a little, and he uses his arms and upper body to try and pull himself closer to the ropes.

Eryk Masters: Crippler moves himself about an inch closer to the ropes. That’s not going to do it.

Other Guy: Slow and steady might just win that race, but if he can’t find a way to break this hold, to get Coleman to release him, he’s not going to finish it.

Crippler pounds the mat again, and once again he brings himself a little closer to the ropes. Coleman looks over his shoulder, and sees Crippler is making a bit of progress. Crippler puts a colossal effort into moving towards the ropes, and he makes a fair amount of distance. Coleman jerks back on the legs of The Crippler, and Lunatikk Crippler falls flat on his chest again, back to being flat on the canvas. He reaches his arms out, but he’s still a few inches away from the bottom rope. Crippler tries to push himself up again, but Jonas stands, still hooked into Crippler’s legs, and tries to pull him away from the ropes. Crippler, however, is able to lunge forward and snag that bottom rope!

Eryk Masters: I can’t believe it! He’s got the ropes!

Tony Lorenzo informs Coleman he’s got to break the hold. Jonas doesn’t like it, but he does. Crippler clutches at his back, as Jonas stalks him. Jonas drops a knee into the small of the back of Lunatikk Crippler, causing him to let slip a cry of pain. Crippler is trying to use the ropes to get to his feet, but he’s not having much luck due to the amount of damage the Grip of the Viper caused his back and legs. Jonas drives another knee into the back, causing Crippler to hit the mat once again. Jonas reaches down and grabs Crippler by the head. He pulls Crippler to his feet, and yanks his head back, tucking it under his arm, with Crippler facing the sky. He pulls him into the center of the ring.

Other Guy: This is it! If Jonas hits the Cataclym’s Edge, Lunatikk Crippler can kiss the number one contendership goodbye!

Jonas signals to the crowd, and he rotates, but Crippler is able to shove him away! Jonas attempts to move back in position, but Crippler leaps as high as he can, and grabs hold of Coleman’s neck, driving him face first into the canvas! The crowd EXPLODES.

Eryk Masters: LUNATIKK SWEET! How the hell’d he get the strength for that?

Other Guy: I don’t know, but he needs to capitalize! Jonas is OUT!

Coleman ends up on his back after the impact, as does Crippler. The fans are absolutely rabid, cheering for either Crippler or Coleman. Crippler is the first to move, but it’s just a twitch. Then he slowly raises his arm in the air, and the cheering intensifies in some areas of the Epicenter. Slowly, his raised arm begins to turn in the air, and he begins to twist his body towards Jonas Coleman, who is still motionless on the mat. Crippler’s arm hangs in the air for a moment, then he collapses, his arm stretched across the chest of Jonas Coleman, and Tony Lorenzo slides into position!

ONE!

TWO!

THREE! NO!

Eryk Masters: I can’t believe it! Jonas Coleman kicked out of the Lunatikk Sweet!

Other Guy: Crippler is in a lot of pain after being in the Grip of the Viper for so long! He wasn’t able to immediately capitalize, and Coleman was able to escape the pin attempt!

Eryk Masters: What has to be going through the mind of Lumatikk Crippler right now?

Other Guy: Probably, "What do I have to do to beat this guy?"

Crippler’s face says it all. Shock mingled with frustration. Both men are still moving slowly, but Jonas has rolled onto his stomach. He’s moving slowly to the ropes as Crippler is attempting to get to his feet, but as he is about to get to his knee, he grabs at his back, which is still hurting from Jonas Coleman’s submission hold. Coleman, however, has found the ropes, and is pulling himself up.

Other Guy: If Jonas Coleman gets to his feet before the Crippler, after taking Lunatikk Sweet? There’s no chance Crippler will beat him.

Jonas is to one knee, as is Crippler. Coleman uses the ropes as leverage to pull himself up, but falls back to the mat. Crippler is successful in getting to his feet first, but he’s still in obvious pain. Coleman is still grasping at the ropes, but still on the ground. Crippler turns around and sees Coleman struggling and moves forward, but with a sudden movement, Coleman turns the tide, spiking Lunatikk Crippler to the ground with his very own hold.

Eryk Masters: Oh my GOD! Lunatikk Sweet by Jonas Coleman!

Other Guy: That’s gotta hurt more than physically, if Coleman beats Crippler with his own move!

Coleman doesn’t bother getting to his feet. He rolls Crippler over, and hooks both legs! Tony Lorenzo is there!

ONE!!

TWO!

THRE-NO! Crippler gets his shoulder up!

Other Guy: Crippler avoids losing to his own finisher! But now Jonas has to be thinking the same as Crippler. What do I have to do?

Jonas rolls to a seated position and painfully pushes himself to his feet. Crippler is barely moving, and now Jonas looks down at what seems to be easy pickings. He moves forward and lifts Crippler gingerly off the canvas, his head tucked under Jonas’ arm. And then, all of a sudden, Jonas rotates, and Crippler once again ends up face first on the ground.

Eryk Masters: Cataclysm’s Edge! That’s it!

Other Guy: It better be! I don’t know how much more my heart can take!

Jonas hooks the near leg, and leans way back on Lunatikk Crippler. Lorenzo slides down for the count!

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

Eryk Masters: WAIT! Lunatikk Crippler got his foot on the bottom rope!

Other Guy: Tony Lorenzo saw it, and this match is going to CONTINUE! Oh, I can’t take this anymore!

Jonas is not happy. He gets up, and now he’s waiting on Lunatikk Crippler to get to his feet. Crippler is moving slowly, having taken two powerful shots to his already injured face. Jonas gets tired of waiting quickly, and moves in for the kill, but Crippler surprises him, rolling him up in a small package!

ONE!

TWO!

TH-Jonas breaks it up! Coleman gets to his feet and Crippler ends up in a seated position. Jonas kicks Crippler right in the spine! Crippler cringes, teeth gritted in pain, and Jonas kicks him again! Crippler yells out in agony, and Jonas moves forward and picks him up. Jonas sets up for a DDT, but Crippler SOMEHOW is able to shove Jonas backwards into the turnbuckles!

Other Guy: Where’s he getting it from?

Eryk Masters: Pure adrenaline. He’s got to be what? Second wind? Third, fourth, fifth?

Coleman feels the pain of the turnbuckles in his back, but he clubs Crippler in the back nonetheless. Crippler responds with a shoulderblock to the gut. Coleman has the air driven out of him, and Crippler shoulder tackles Coleman one more time. The force of the blow pushes him up to a seated position on the top turnbuckle. Crippler is groggy, but he looks out at the crowd, then back up at Coleman. He begins to ascent the turnbuckles, facing Jonas. Coleman quickly fires a right hand to the midsection of The Crippler, but Crippler replies with a vicious headbutt.

Other Guy: Oh, man. This isn’t going to end well!

Crippler is perched on the middle rope, and he begins to hook Jonas up for a suplex! Jonas grasps the top rope and holds on, blocking the attempt. Jonas uses his free hand to fire off a HUGE right hand on Lunatikk Crippler that nearly sends him spilling to the canvas. Coleman fires off a second right, and this time, Crippler DOES fall. He hits the mat and rolls toward the center of the ring.

Eryk Masters: Coleman remains on the turnbuckles, but now he’s crouched on the top rope. What’s he going to do here?

Jonas Coleman stands up straight on the top turnbuckle now. He almost loses his balance, due to how exhausted he must be, but he regains it. Jonas leaps.

In the blink of an eye, Crippler kips up, and catches Jonas around the neck, turning the splash attempt into something far, far more devastating.

Other Guy & Eryk Masters: LUNATIKK SWEET!!!

The fans are absolutely in losing it. They gasp in surprise as Coleman’s head meets the canvas one more time.

Other Guy: I can’t believe I just saw that!

Crippler somehow has the ability to roll Jonas Coleman towards him, away from the ropes. He hooks both legs deep, nearly folding Jonas coleman in half!

ONE!!!

TWO!!

THREE!!!

The bell rings, and the arena shakes with the sound of the cheering fans.

Eryk Masters: Crippler did it! We have a new number one contender!

Samantha Coil: At the time of forty-six minutes and five seconds, your winner and the NEW Number One Contender…..LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNATIKK CRIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPLERRRRRRRRRR!

"The Pretender" begins to play, and Crippler is crouched in the middle of the ring, head in his hands in the moment.

Eryk Masters: Through all of the punishment that both men had dished out, that both men had absorbed, Lunatikk Crippler has defeated Jonas Coleman!

Other Guy: That was just a fantastic, brutal contest! Both men wanted it, both men needed it, but in the end, Lunatikk Crippler got the one shot in that proved to be the difference maker.

Jonas Coleman has found himself in a seated position, holding his head. Crippler has risen to his feet, and Tony Lorenzo raises his arm in the air, and the fans reintensify their cheering. Jonas pushes himself up, and is staring dead at Lunatikk Crippler. Crippler starts to celebrate, but he stops short, as he turns and sees Jonas Coleman. The two have another stare down.

Eryk Masters: Jonas Coleman deserves all the credit in the world. That man left it all in the ring tonight to try and earn a Championship opportunity.

Other Guy: I don’t know if Jonas can believe what happened himself. It looks like these two could come to blows again!

Jonas balls up his fist and takes a step toward Crippler. Crippler looks a tad confused, but he doesn’t back down. Jonas steps forward once more, and extends his hand. It’s no longer balled into a fist, but open, inviting Crippler to shake.

Eryk Masters: I like it! What a display of sportsmanship!

Crippler doesn’t hesitate. He reaches out and takes Jonas’ hand and they shake. The fans give that the loudest pop of the night, as Jonas turns the handshake into raising Crippler’s arm in the air.

Other Guy: That’s respect right there. If these two didn’t respect each other before the bell rang, they damn sure do now.

Jonas releases Crippler’s arm and motions to the turnbuckles as if to give Crippler permission to celebrate. Jonas steps out of the ring as Crippler climbs the turnbuckles and points out at the crowd.

Eryk Masters: Without a doubt, Jonas Coleman showed here tonight that he DESERVES a title shot, but the night belongs to Lunatikk Crippler!

Crippler motions around his waist in the shape of a title belt as Jonas makes his way up the ramp. Before he makes it to the curtain, another man steps out from it. Jonas looks at Donovan King, the SHOOT Project’s World Heavyweight Champion. He nods, and continues on his way, head held high.

Eryk Masters: And there he is. The man Lunatikk Crippler has earned the right to face at Redemption.

Other Guy: If tonight was any indicator? I cannot WAIT for that showdown!

Crippler crosses the ring and climbs the other turnbuckle, looking out at King. Crippler points at himself, and then at King. Donovan’s response is to hold the World Heavyweight Championship high in the air, to a massive pop. He grins up at Crippler, who has a similar look on his face.

Eryk Masters: Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for 100 editions of Revolution!

Other Guy: we look forward to bringing you 100 more!

Eryk Masters: For The Other Guy, I’m Eryk Masters. Good night, everybody!

The Foo Fighters continue to play as Crippler and King keep their eyes locked on one another as the crowd cheers them on. This is the final shot we see, before the screen fades to black.