Eryk Masters: What a way to kick off Day 2 of Reckoning Day!

Other Guy: I can’t think of two other guys on this entire roster that could possibly get anymore physical than Jonas Coleman and Kenji Yamada.  And the fact that they’re FACING each other?!  MAN.

"DIM Scene" by the GazettE hits and Kenji Yamada walks out from the back to a very ominous, incredibly menacing spotlight shining down on him that’s enshrouded in a scarlet haze.  As the rest of the Epicenter remains in total darkness – aside from their cell phones and Johnny Napalm glowsticks of course –  Kenji Yamada walks slowly down the ramp to the ill-omened hymn of the violins.

Samantha Coil: Making his way to the ring first… from Kyoto, Japan… weighing in at 220lbs… he is Project: SCAR’s Scarlet Demon… KENJI YAMADA!

Other Guy: Kenji has NEVER looked more focus in the SHOOT Project than he does right now.  If I were Jonas?  I would be worried.

Eryk Masters: I might agree with you… had Kenji not pissed the Butcher off.

Once Kenji rolls inside of the ring, he retreats to the corner of the ring and sits there… unmoving.

Soon, a high tempo metal beat kicks in, and a guitar picks up.  Killer drums follow!

“This man came to me he was looking for action!

Pulling a blade to my neck”

Images of Jonas Coleman take over the PA, where various shots of him in various modes of violence show, all from his complete decimation of Akuma Satsui.  The crowd comes alive!

Eryk Masters:  I love this song!

“He said, ‘Call me THE BUTCHER cause that’s my trade

And you know that I’ve come to collect.”

White strobes begin flashing over the arena, and then return to the rhythm of the music, as the crowd begins to clap along with it, rocking along with the beat!

Jonas Coleman sprints through the smoke, into the spotlight.  The incredibly popular superstar is wearing his usual gear of boots, black tights, and his wrists are wrapped in tape, as are his hands.  Coleman is wearing a black T-shirt with a logo across the chest that is identical to the one above on the screen. Coleman charges into the aisle and begins exchanging enthusiastic high fives with as many fans as he can reach. The reaction continues to be almost overwhelming.

Samantha Coil: Now making his way toward the ring, hailing from Houston Texas, and weighing in at 200 pounds, this is THE DEFENDER OF FAITH…JONAS “THE BUTCHER” COLEMAN!!!

As soon as the bell sounds, Jonas rushes at Kenji!  Kenji sees it coming, though, and simply extends a foot forward, thwarting a double leg takedown attempt with an echoing SMAAAAACK through out the Epicenter!

His eyes vacant, Jonas remains standing only until Kenji pushes him down, cradling his leg for a deep cover in one fluid motion!

ONE!

TWO!

Jonas shoulders out; his eyes glazed over as Kenji smirks, despite the pin attempt failing.  Bringing Jonas to his feet, Kenji spins around with lightning quick speed and connects right in the back of Jonas’ head with ANOTHER resounding SMACK! 

Eryk Masters: Quick early pinfall there! Kenji’s speed coming into play…

Other Guy: Did you hear that shot to the back of Jonas’s skull? Sounded like a rifle crack!

As Jonas begins stumbling forward, Kenji runs into the ropes facing Jonas’ back.  Gaining incredible velocity, Kenji leaps forward and RIPS Jonas’ head down into the canvas with a rough as nails looking bulldog.

Other Guy: WOW! Face meets canvas, and there was nothing pretty about that meeting.

Eryk Masters: When you’re dealing with a man like The Sociopath Pioneer, you can expect offense just as ugly as that hideously scarred face of his.

Rolling Jonas over, Kenji hooks another deep leg..

ONE!

TWO!

But still, Jonas shows an unyielding capacity for head trauma and kicks out of the pin attempt.  Trying to shake away the concussion inducing strikes Kenji has been throwing, Jonas rolls away from Kenji, who simply chuckles at the site of Jonas fleeing.  Reaching down to grab a hold of Jonas’ head, Kenji attempts to guide him to his feet, but Jonas greets him with STIFF forearm shots to the gut, chest, and finally the face!

Forearm shot after forearm shot, Jonas repeatedly bashes Kenji’s face in!  One after ANOTHER, the fans rally behind their Defender of Faith!  After the tenth blow Kenji is STAGGERED!  Jonas spins around… BUT KENJI SMASHES THE BRIDGE OF JONAS’ NOSE IN WITH A SICKENING HEAD-BUTT!

Eryk Masters: Incredible barrage of forearms from Jonas Coleman, but that assault ended with a GROTESQUE finale!

Other Guy: No kidding. Jonas’s nose looks RUINED. I can’t shake that horrifying crunch sound….it literally sent tingles up my spine.

Jonas’ nose is CLEARLY broken as the bridge of it is disturbingly misaligned with the rest of his face.  The crowd winces at the site of Jonas’ face… and then SCREAM AS KENJI BEGINS BACKHAND CHOPPING THE CRUSHED BRIDGE OF JONAS’ BROKEN NOSE!!!!!

Other Guy: SERIOUSLY?? First the headbutt, and now just blatant chops into the inflamed meat of Coleman’s nose….

Eryk Masters: Yamada doesn’t have a remorseful bone in his body. If this keeps up, Jonas won’t even be able to snuffle oxygen into that nose for much longer…

Yelling out in agony, Jonas all but screams as Kenji attacks the broken nose like a shark circling a wounded swimmer.  As Jonas falls to a knee, Kenji pulls Jonas in with a front chancery… and SNAPS back to the canvas with a DDT!

Kenji rolls Jonas over, digging his forearm into Jonas’ nose, smearing some of the blood that has begun to ooze out of Jonas’ increasingly swollen face.

ONE!

TWO!

JONAS KICKS OUT!

Eryk Masters: Only a two count for now, but Kenji just continues to wear the man down bit by bit.

Other Guy: The claret is flowing too. If that blood loss continues, then Coleman’s body is going to become weaker and weaker.

Kenji sits back… and smiles.

Dragging Jonas to the corner of the ring, Kenji starts laying knees right into Jonas’ face.  One after another…

After the fourth or fifth knee, Kenji backs up all the way across the ring to the opposite turnbuckle.  Letting out a primal war cry, Kenji SPRINTS as fast as he can and delivers a SKULL SHATTERING KNEE SHOT!

Jonas Seemingly unconscious, Kenji covers him again with both legs hooked deeply…

Eryk Masters: Kenji’s not one of the biggest guys we have on the roster, but he makes up for that with pure tenaciousness.

Other Guy: Can’t argue that. He barreled across that ring like a rhinoceros…

ONE!

TWO!

THREE- NO!  JONAS SHOULDERS OUT!

This time… Kenji isn’t smiling.

Bringing Jonas to his feet, Kenji grabs both sides of Jonas face, presses his forehead up against Jonas’ and SCREAMS,“WELL AREN’T YOU JUST FUCKING BEAUTIFUL?!”.

Then he head-butts him.

Jonas’ legs buckle, but Kenji refuses to let him fall to the mat… and head-butts him AGAIN.

And AGAIN.

And AGAIN.

AND AGAIN.

Other Guy: ENOUGH! Good GOD…does Yamada have not even a shred of humanity in him?? Coleman’s face is started to look like a mangled slab of butcher’s meat!

Eryk Masters: The man is warped, OG. He won’t be satisfied until he’s transformed Jonas into a repulsive work of art.

Finally, Kenji releases Jonas, who simply collapses to the mat like a crash test dummy.

HO-LY-SHIT!

HO-LY-SHIT!

HO-LY-SHIT!

HO-LY-SHIT!

Wiping Jonas’ blood off of his own face, Kenji measures up Jonas’ downed frame… with his arms out at his sides, Kenji drops to the mat with a standing diving head-butt that connects right in Jonas’ smashed nose!

Eryk Masters: Another headbutt! Kenji just continues to use that skull as a weapon. He has no problem sacrificing his own body to do damage to an opponent…

Other Guy: And if you don’t believe that, just take a look at the patchwork of scars that decorates Kenji’s body.

Hooking a leg again, Kenji yells at Willie Dean to count.

ONE!

TWO!

THR- JONAS KICKS OUT!

Other Guy: Gotta admit, I’m impressed with Jonas’s resilience. The man has this uncanny ability to absorb INSANE amounts of damage.

Eryk Masters: That’s one of his strong suits, OG. That threshold for pain is what helped Jonas to bring down Akuma Satsui last year.

Kenji’s face, once brimming with confidence, is clouded in disbelief.  Standing up off of the mat, Kenji backs away from Jonas, who appears to be trying to get up again.

Once he does, Kenji shakes his head.  Almost… pitying him.  Jonas turns to face Kenji, and the Sociopath Pioneer runs in for a Yakuza Kick… BUT JONAS PIVOTS AND SWEEPS KENJI’S LEG OUT FROM UNDER HIM!  Kenji is back up… BUT JONAS SENDS HIM BACK DOWN WITH A SPINNING HEEL KICK!

JO-NAS!

JO-NAS!

JO-NAS!

JO-NAS!

Eryk Masters: The crowd is coming to LIFE, and Coleman’s doing the same!!

Face half-swollen, nose crooked, blood seeping out of his partially closed right eye, Jonas looks out at the audience.

Then, with the twist of one hand, Jonas Coleman pushes the cartilage inside his nose back into its original place.

Other Guy: WHAT?!?! This shit is worse than a SAW movie!

Eryk Masters: It takes a legitimate badass to be able to do that, OG. Jonas might be jacked up, but just look into his eyes, and you’ll see that there is NO quit there.

The pain brings him to his knees momentarily, but Jonas stands back up just in time to see Kenji coming at him again.  Ducking a lariat, Jonas grabs the back of Kenji’s neck and pulls him down for a falling neck breaker! 

Jonas doesn’t stop there though.  Wiping the blood from his readjusted nose, Jonas guides Kenji to his feet.  Jonas presses the top of his head against Kenji’s face, reaching around Kenji’s neck while he does so.  Before Kenji can even prepare himself, Jonas SNAPS to the mat in a sit-out position, CRUSHING KENJI’S NOSE WITH A MODIFIED JAW-BREAKER!

Blood immediately begins POURING out of Kenji’s nose as he rolls around on the mat.  Feeling a sense of retribution watching Kenji flop around like a fish, clawing at his nose, Jonas runs into the ropes.  On the rebound, as Kenji gets to one knee, Jonas lets fly a frontward extending dropkick, burying the soles of his boots right into Kenji’s bloodied mug!

Eryk Masters: YES! Let that sick son a whore get a taste of his own medicine for once. This SCAR Architect deserves every ounce of punishment that can EVER be bestowed upon him.

Other Guy: That was one hell of a dropkick. Almost caved Yamada’s ugly mug in on itself!

Mounting Kenji, Jonas reaches back and punches Kenji right in the face.  Fist after fist, Jonas aims to misalign the bridge of Kenji’s nose just the same as Kenji did he.  After nearly fives shots, Jonas stops.  Shrugging, he stands up… and CURB STOMPS RIGHT THE FUCK DOWN ON KENJI’S FACE!!!

Eryk Masters: DAMN! Listen to the crowd, OG!! That sent a TREMOR through the Epicenter!!

Other Guy: That’s the type of ultraviolence that only Reckoning Day can provide!   

Following the curb stomp, Jonas drives his knee into Kenji’s face, making an unorthodox cover while simultaneously trying to reciprocate Kenji’s torturous methods.

ONE!

TWO!

THR- Kenji shoulders out!

Eryk Masters: It’s always a treat watching Jonas find his stride and really go to work. He’s giving as good as he got right now.

Other Guy: By the time this match ends, these guys might look like mutilated twins…

Removing his knee from Kenji’s face, Jonas stands up straight before DRIVING it back down into Kenji’s nose.  Standing up again, Jonas does it again!  And AGAIN!  AND AGAIN!

Bringing Kenji up into a sitting position, Jonas stands up again… and DELIVERS A STRAIGHT KICK RIGHT INTO KENJI’S FACE!!!

Seating him up again… HE DOES IT AGAIN!!!

AND AGAIN!!

THIS-IS-SICK!

THIS-IS-SICK!

THIS-IS-SICK!

THIS-IS-SICK!

Eryk Masters: The fans are LOVING this! And to be perfectly honest…so am I!

Other Guy: I hope Kenji likes the taste of wrestling boot, because he’s eating his fair share of it right now!

Dropping down, Jonas makes a lateral cover by DIGGING the knuckles of his FIST into Kenji’s face..

ONE!

TWO!

THR- as Kenji lifts a shoulder, he straightens Jonas’ arm out and pushes him to the mat in a cross-face position.  But instead of wrenching back on it… HE JAMS HIS BLOODIED KNUCKLES INTO JONAS’ FACE!!!

Shot after shot, Kenji opens a gash on Jonas’ forehead with the razor sharp tips of his knuckles.  Refusing to let Jonas’ arm slip out of his grapevine, Kenji continues to bury his fist into Jonas’ head, alternating between charged straight punches and short hammering jabs.  All of which erode the skin from both Jonas’ forehead and Kenji’s knuckles.

Other Guy: It’s getting hard to watch at this point, Eryk. This is a brawl in every definition of the word.

Eryk Masters: No shortage of blood and emotion between these men, and I expected nothing less. 

As Jonas begins fading from the perpetual punches, Kenji releases the grapevine and rolls away, clutching at his OWN bloodied and broken nose.  Shaking the cobwebs away, Kenji tries to pull himself together.  Looking down at Jonas, whose forehead now matches his nose, Kenji lifts Jonas to his feet.  But before he can try anything, Jonas knees him in the gut!

Lifting Kenji up into a power bomb, Jonas balances him across his shoulders in a Canadian Backbreaker position.  As the blood drains from his nose, Jonas rolls Kenji off as if he were going for a Yokosuka Cutter… BUT LIFTS A KNEE AND DRIVES IT DIRECTLY INTO KENJI’S FACE!!!!

HO-LY-SHIT!

HO-LY-SHIT!

HO-LY-SHIT!

HO-LY-SHIT!

Eryk Masters: BRUTALITY, ladies and gentlemen! Drink it in!! Yamada HAS to be done at this point…

Jonas collapses on top of Kenji, Willie Dean administers the count, and the entire Epicenter counts along with him!

ONE!

TWO!

THR- NO!  KENJI KICKS OUT!  KENJI KICKS OUT OF THE YOKOSUKA KNEE TREMBLER!

Other Guy: Tell me, Eryk…how in the BLUE HELL did Kenji kick out of that???

Eryk Masters: He’s an ANIMAL, OG. It’s just that simple…

Exhausted, but adamant in his resolve, Jonas brings Kenji up to his feet.  Whirling around like a merciless cyclone, Jonas connects across Kenji’s nose with a spinning back fist!  Reeling him back, Jonas retreats into the ropes.  Upon launching himself off the ropes, Jonas jumps up and attempts to take down Kenji with a hurricanrana… BUT KENJI COUNTERS WITH A SIT-OUT POWERBOMB!

Holding onto Jonas for the pinning combination, Willie Dean is right there…

ONE!

TWO!

THR- JONAS KICKS OUT!

Eryk Masters: Both men showing incredible feats of endurance here, these are the types of high impact moves that can end careers…

Other Guy: It’s like watching gladiators in the coliseum. Am I calling a Reckoning Day match…or is this an episode of Spartacus: Vengeance? Either way…I’m loving it!

Collapsing back to the mat, Willie Dean checks on Kenji to see if he is too out of it to continue, but Kenji assures him that he can.  Jonas meanwhile, is still flat on the mat.  Pulling on Jonas’ foot, Kenji wraps his leg around Jonas’ so that Jonas’ knee-cap is turned sideways.  Pushing his hips forward, he straightens Jonas’ leg, hyperextending it into a Hizajujigatame!

Other Guy: Kenji’s is shaking that leg back and forth like a hyena shaking a carcass…I can only imagine the excruciation Jonas is suffering through right now…

Eryk Masters: My knee hurts just watching this…

Jonas cries out in agony as Kenji twists and contorts his leg in an unnatural way.  Dean asks if he wants to submit, but Jonas adamantly refuses.  Soon, after he realizes Jonas will not quit that way, Kenji relinquishes the hold.  Getting to his feet, Kenji wipes the blood from his nose and face, looking like a Scarlet Demon.  He patiently waits for Jonas to get to his.

Once Jonas is up, he turns to face Kenji.  Kenji boots him in the gut and places one of Jonas’ arms between his legs, looking like he is preparing for a pump handle slam  Lifting Jonas halfway up, Kenji folds him forward slightly and as Jonas drops, Kenji drapes a leg over Jonas’ throat!

As Jonas lays there, almost stillborn in nature, Kenji hooks a leg…

ONE!

TWO!

THREE- NO!  JONAS KICKS OUT OF THE PROMINENT SCAR!!

Eryk Masters: HE KICKED OUT!!! Jesus Christ…I don’t know HOW he did it, but Jonas keeps himself alive!!

Other Guy: That move is devastating, Eryk. Jonas shocked the hell out of me by kicking out of that. What do these men even have left?

Eryk Masters: God only knows. This canvas is starting to look like an abattoir…

CLAWING at Jonas’ broken nose, he RIPS him up to the mat.  From there, he throws him between the ropes to the outside!

Other Guy: Uh oh.

Eryk Masters: Just when we thought this one couldn’t get anymore physical… they take it to the outside?

Smiling out at the crowd, Kenji peels away the outside mat… exposing the concrete.

Eryk Masters: Wait… I’ve seen this before.

Other Guy: Master of the Mat?

Eryk Masters: Master of the Mat.  When Kenji interfered during the World Heavyweight Title match and, as some would think, cost Jonas Coleman the championship.

Lifting Jonas up from underneath the jaw, Kenji begins setting him up in a power bomb position.

Other Guy: Oh no…. oh my GOD.  He couldn’t be going for the Everlasting Scar.

Eryk Masters: He hits this on the exposed concrete, Jonas won’t only be out of this match… he’ll be out of a career as well.  Guaranteed.

Just before Kenji lifts up on Jonas, Jonas reaches out and grabs the ring apron, causing Kenji to lose his grip.  Lifting up underneath Kenji, Jonas sends him FLYING into a back body drop!

Eryk Masters: Jonas countered!  He’s still in this!!!

Looking out at the crowd, Jonas turns around and waits for Kenji to get up.  As he does, he signals something to the crowd.

Eryk Masters: Cataclysm’s Edge?!

Setting Kenji up for a full-nelson, Jonas puts one foot in front of Kenji and falls forward, SMASHING KENJI’S FACE INTO THE CONCRETE!!

Other Guy: REVELATOR!  JONAS HIT THE REVELATOR ON THE CONCRETE!

With Kenji seemingly out… Jonas looks down at the pool of blood forming around Kenji’s face.  Suddenly, the Butcher’s lips quiver with rage… and he begins lifting Kenji back to his feet.

Eryk Masters: Come on, Jonas… don’t do it.  Kenji’s had enough!

Other Guy: Jonas is… gone right now.  Look at his face.  Look at his MANGLED, DERANGED FACE, ERYK.

Lifting Kenji up so that he is seated on the edge of the ring apron, Jonas hops up next to him.  Guiding him to his feet from behind, Jonas wraps his arm around the back of Kenji’s head… and in one fluid motion… DELIVERS A ROLLING CUTTER OFF OF THE RING APRON DOWN TO THE BARE CONCRETE BELOW!!!!

Eryk Masters: JESUS GOD NO!!!!!! KENJI IS DEAD!!!!!  KENJI IS DEAD!!!

Other Guy: LORD ALMIGTY… JONAS IS DEAD!!!!!!   DID YOU SEE THE WAY HIS HEAD HIT THE CEMENT?!

HO-LY-SHIT!

HO-LY-SHIT!

HO-LY-SHIT!

HO-LY-SHIT!

But amidst the audience’s chants… neither men move.  Seeing this, Willie Dean climbs down to the outside of the ring with a genuine look of concern strewn about his face.  Raising the arm of Kenji, he watches it fall limply to the ground.

Eryk Masters: It’s over!  Kenji is out!!!

Willie Dean decides to do the same thing to Jonas, and when he raises his arm… it falls just as limply to the ground.

Immediately after, Willie Dean stands up, waves his hands and calls for the bell.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Eryk Masters: Wow… Willie Dean has stopped this match.

Other Guy: I hate to say it, considering this is Reckoning Day and all… but he made the right choice stopping this one.  There was NO WAY this match could continue after that one.  Their faces have been brutalized this ENTIRE match…

Eryk Masters: Not only their faces, but their heads entirely.  Who the hell KNOWS what kind of head trauma both of these competitors have received here tonight.

Samantha Coil: Ladies and gentlemen, due to both competitors being unable to continue, the referee has stopped this match!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Stretchers are soon rushed down the ramp-way as a medical team files out from the back.  All of them have concerned looks plastered on their faces as they see Kenji and Jonas remain unmoving in a pool of blood.  Right in the same spots they landed in after the Cataclysm’s Edge from the apron.

Other Guy: I… I really don’t know what to say now.  Jonas… Kenji… this could be bad.

Eryk Masters:  I can’t believe I’m saying this but… Jonas took this too far.

We open up on a tight camera shot that simply features the face of SHOOT World Heavyweight champion X-Calibur on the left and Azrael Goeren on the right. The two Hierarchy members simply stare at one another in silence before the camera slowly pulls back and reveals both men to be sitting down in folding chairs in The Hierarchy’s private dressing room. 

X-Calibur: You ready for this? 

Goeren:  Damn straight. You ready? 

X-Calibur:  Absolutely. Nobody dominates like The Hierarchy dominates. 

Goeren:  Trey Willett doesn’t stand a chance against you. He’s a poser, a faux-hero who went out of style with fanny packs and slap bracelets. 

X-Calibur: You’re going to ruin Kidd tonight. He’ll never be the same after this. You’ll carve him up and spit him out. 

Goeren:  Everyone loves us. 

X-Calibur:  Adults. Kids. Grandmas. Canadians. 

Goeren:  Nobody in the world is better in that ring than we are.  

X-Calibur:  Nobody in the universe. Aliens aint got shit on us. 

Goeren:  In some countries the reverence for us is so great that it’s actually a state crime not to watch our matches. 

X-Calibur:  They wanted to write a book about how amazing we are but the logging industry couldn’t provide enough trees to make the paper. 

Goeren:  We are wrestling’s equivalent to the Renaissance. A breath of fresh, invigorating air in a smog-filled hellhole. 

X-Calibur:  A wrestling card without us is as sad as a clown dying of AIDS or a "Best of Loco Martinez" DVD box set. 

Goeren: The best. 

X-Calibur:  Ever. 

Goeren:  Now punch me. 

X-Calibur: What? 

Goeren:  Like Raging Bull. Punch me! It’ll psyche me up! 

X-Calibur, never one to turn down a friend’s request, leans back and socks Goeren in the side of the face, sending the demented German to the ground. Azrael pops back to his feet and spits out a wad of blood onto the floor. 

Goeren:  Beautiful. Don’t worry about the blood, Yuri will clean it up. That’s about all that man-tard is good for these days. 

X-Calibur:  Where is that waste of space anyways? 

Goeren:  He’s picking up my son from the villa, should be arriving here at the arena any moment now. 

X-Calibur:  You’re going to let your son watch your match? 

Goeren:  Naturally. The sooner we wean him off of his weakness for Kidd, the sooner he’ll realize his potential for greatness. 

X-Calibur:  I’m glad you’re back to normal Azzy, I got to admit…I was worried about you the last few weeks. 

Azrael waves off X’s concern, grabbing his CWC World Heavyweight Championship strap from the back of the chair he was sitting on. 

Goeren:  No worries mein freund. Patrick Kidd tends to…agitate me. He always has. Once I get done with him in our little match tonight though, I’ll be back on track. Nothing centers me more than a good sternum crushing. 

Azrael walks towards the door, stopping momentarily to slide on a pair of fingerless leather gloves. 

Goeren:  Don’t worry about me. I got this. 

X-Calibur:  I’m sure you do buddy.  

X pats Azrael on the shoulder as Goeren heads for the doorway, getting ready for his upcoming no disqualification match against Patrick Kidd. The sound of the door closing can be heard as the camera focuses back on X-Calibur who has a look of apprehension on his face. 

X-Calibur:  I’m sure you do.

Samantha Coil: The following contest is a Triple Threat Elimination match, and is for the SHOOT Project’s Sin City Championship!

There is a blast of white noise as the video screen comes to live with static. The static fades away, revealing the man with the bandaged face. He stares at the screen, the ball with one superstars name in his hand. He is about to turn the ball around to reveal the name when the screen goes to static again.

The crowd pops as they are getting set to watch a fast and furious title match, but that dies away as the first part of "Omen" by Crossfaith begins to play, and the cheers are replaced by boos, as Tyrone "Crazy Boy" Smith has arrived.

Samantha Coil: Introducing first, the challenger, accompanied to the ring by Cassie, weighing in at 227 pounds, Craaaaazy Boy!

Crazy Boy leads Cassie to the ring, hand in hand. When they get to the ring, he holds the ropes open for her, and she steps between then, quickly followed by CB, who is focused on becoming Sin City Champion tonight.

Eryk Masters: For those who don’t know, this lady is Crazy Boy’s wife, Cassie. They’ve decided to come down to the ring together, and she is here to support her husband’s efforts to become Sin City Champion here at Reckoning Day!

Other Guy: Only time will tell if she’ll be a good luck charm or a distraction for Tyrone here tonight.

"Crucify Me" shuts off, and the boos seem louder now, since there’s nothing else to cover it up. Crazy Boy holds open the ropes again, allowing Cassie to exit the ring, which she does. She stands strong in CB’s corner, as the second challenger is set to come out.

She Will Sing, Til Everything Burns While Everyone Screams Burning In Their Lies Burning My Dreams

The lights dim down for a moment and the video wall springs to life showing various images of SHOOT Project competitors each image being burned away in sequence as if someone was burning a stack of photos.

As Everything Burns continues to play the arena explodes into boos as Tanya Black emerges out of the back, her head hanging down solemnly until she gets to the end of the ramp at which point she looks up at the ring and grins like a cat sizing up it’s prey. Standing at ringside Tanya watches as her song dies down the last words echoing through the arena

All of this hate

And all of this pain

I’ll burn it all down

As my anger reigns

Till everything burns

With that Tanya slides into the ring with a surprising burst of speed given her slow walk to the ring catching those in the ring off-guard.

Samantha Coil: Introducing next, the other challenger! From Boston, Massachusets, weighing in at 165 pounds, representing the Sinister Syndicate, Tanyaaaaaaa Black!

Other Guy: Tanya Black is looking to become a three time Sin City Champion, and I think we all know by now, she definately has the skills to make that dream a reality here tonight.

Eryk Masters: The look on Crazy Boy’s face is enough to tell you there’s no love lost between himself and Black, based upon her constant interference in his previous bids to become Sin City Champion. As if Tanya cares. Look at her, she’s oozing confidence.

"Everything Burns" fades out, and the crowds booing slowly turns to cheers of anticipation. The two challengers are in the ring, and that means that Sin City needs it’s champion. The lights begin to dim slowly, lowering nearly to blackness, but not quite. The Tron fires up, a gray sort of static, and a voice is heard over the house PA system.

Greetings, citizens of Las Vegas!

A large portion of the crowd recognizes the voice, and begin to laugh and cheer. The rest continue to listen, wondering what is going on.

Tonight is the night.

This is the moment you’ve all been waiting for. My nephew, your Sin City Champion, will finally wrestle with evil, and put these no-good-niks behind bars, where they belong! What’s that?

There is some undistinguished murmuring, as if the voice, and someone we can’t make out, are having a hurried discussion. All of a sudden, the screen on the Tron changes, and we follow a shadow moving down a darkened hall. A shadow with pointed ears. The fans are putting two and two together, as the owner of the voice now makes his way onto the stage, being covered by a single spotlight.

Eryk Masters: Um, is that who I think it is?

Other Guy: I can’t believe it! THAT is Lunatikk Crippler’s Uncle Adam? THAT’S BATMAN!!

He’s half right. Decked out in a blue suit with a red tie, is Lunatikk Crippler’s Uncle, Adam West! The crowd cheers, and West acknowledges them with the wave of his hand! Portions of the crowd have begun singing the theme to his hit televions show, Batman. Chouruses of "Na na na na na na na na-BATMAN!" are breaking out across the arena. The scene on the Tron, however, has shifted down to a new screen, and the image of Batman sulking down a dark alley is shown. With each step, he’s getting closer and closer to the screen.

Adam West: A night watchman, roams about town, fighting crime, stopping evil, not realizing that tonight, he is not the hunter. He is the prey.

Tonight, the Caped Crusader meets his match!

All of a sudden, Batman literally bursts through the new screen! He stands there, looking out into the crowd, most of which knowing what is coming next. The lights cut completely out now, with the exception of the faint glow of the Tron. Some fighting sound effects are heard now, and the words "BIFF! POW! KABOOM! BLAMMO!" flash in turn on the screen.

Other Guy: Okay, I just saw two Batmans on the stage. Are they fighting each other now?

Eryk Masters: I think I have a good idea what this is.

The fighting stops, and the lights come back on in full. Adam West is gone from the stage, and the man dressed as Batman is now on his stomach, face down in the steel. Standing over him, with one foot on his back is none other than Mr. Sin City himself, Lunatikk Crippler! The fans ERUPT in cheers, as this cheesy show has seemingly come to an end, and now "I Wupped Batman’s Ass" by Wesley Willis begins to play.

Other Guy: Well, now I guess it’s not just the name of the song. He really DID whoop Batman’s ass!

Eryk Masters: I’m just glad it’s over.

The Crippler begins making his way to the ring, the Sin City Championship secured around his waist. He is wearing a sleeveless black t-shirt, that bears the Batman logo, with "T.W.F.U.S" spraypainted over it. As cheesy as this is, the crowd is loving it. Crippler is too, based on the ear to ear grin on his face. He slaps a couple of hands on his way down to the ring.

Samantha Coil: And now, he is the reigning Sin City Champion, now residing in Las Vegas, Nevada

The cheap pop works to full effect.

Samantha Coil: weighing in at 238 pounds, Luuuuuunatikk Criiiippler!

Eryk Masters: There’s no doubt in the fans’ minds here tonight, just exactly who the favorite is here tonight! The SHOOT Project faithful are behind their soldier, the Honor Guard member, Lunatikk Crippler.

Other Guy: And sucking up to an entire city while getting your famous uncle to assist in your introduction probably didn’t hurt, either.

The Crippler’s grin slides off his face once he steps between the ropes, shifting his eyes between his two opponents. He unstraps the Sin City Championship and hands it off to referee Dennis Heflin without taking his eyes off of either Crazy Boy or Tanya Black. Crazy Boy is jumping in place, ready to start the action while Tanya is relaxed in a corner, a smirk across her face.

Eryk Masters: You can cut the tension in the ring with a knife. This thing has been boiling over between these three for some time now, and it comes to a head right now!

The Sin City Championship is placed on the timekeeper’s table, and the bell has rung, signifying the start of the match! Immediately, Tanya Black and Crazy Boy swarm on the champion, peppering him with fists and feet.

Other Guy: And the challengers are showing, even though this is elimination rules, that the champion is STILL at a disadvantage! Double team offense by both challengers!

Eryk Masters: Even if Crippler is pinned here, this match will continue. We are going until we have one winner, and one undisputed Sin City Champion!

Crippler buckles under the assault from his two foes, backed up into the corner. Crazy Boy grabs a hold of the top rope and begins laying his boot into the chest of Crippler repeatedly, followed up by a blatant choke with his foot! Tanya steps back and watches it unfold, as Dennis Heflin steps in, reminding CB that choking, is still, in fact, illegal. Crazy Boy lifts his foot of Crippler’s windpipe, and grabs his hair, pulling LC to his feet. Crazy Boy chops Crippler hard in the chest. Tanya moves back in now, and shoves CB out of the way, delivering a chop of her own. Crazy Boy pulls her back, and then begins laying in boots to Crippler’s midsection again. Tanya comes back and whips Crazy Boy around, catching him flush in the face with a right hand. Tanya switched between right hands and chops, backing Crazy Boy into another corner.

Other Guy: Well, that alliance didn’t last long. If they were smart, they’d continue to work over Lunatikk Crippler in the corner, instead of going at each other tooth and nail! The sooner someone is eliminated, the other two will have better odds at winning this whole thing!

Tanya drives a back elbow into the collar bone of CB, and then a second. Crazy Boy stumbles forward, clutching at his shoulder, and Tanya hooks him up with a vertical suplex. She doesn’t relax her grip, however, as she pops her hips and rotates, still clutching Crazy Boy. She pulls herself and CB to their feet and delivers another suplex. She rolls through again this time, but instead of looking for the third Amigo, she plants Crazy Boy with a solid facebuster.

Eryk Masters: Crazy Boy face first into the mat, things aren’t looking good for him.

Other Guy: Or for Tanya! She left herself wide open, and Lunatikk Crippler took advantage!

Crippler got himself a running start and planted a stiff kick right to her cheekbone. Tanya flies backward, landing flat on her back, and now Lunatikk Crippler is the only man standing! Crippler grabs a handful of Tanya’s hair and pulls her to her feet. He whips her into the ropes and catches her in a gutwrench on the way back, planting her straight back on her head in a tombstone!

Other Guy: The Cross! He nailed it, Tanya may be finished!

Crippler hooks the leg, and Heflin slides into position.

ONE!

TWO!!

Tanya gets a shoulder up at two! Crazy Boy leaps in, dropping a double axehandle on Lunatikk Crippler, as Tanya Black rolls her way to the ring apron.

Eryk Masters: That’s a mistake, OG. Crazy Boy needs to focus on Black right now. She’s still reeling from that piledriver from The Crippler, a much easier target.

Other Guy: I don’t think CB cares much about that right now. He wants to stick it to The Crippler, by beating him himself. The last two times these two met, the endings were inconclusive.

Crazy Boy loads up a right hand, delivering a solid uppercut to the jaw of the champion. Crippler staggers back as if shot, leaning on the top rope. He uses the momentum of hitting the ropes to bounce back, firing off a right hand to Crazy Boy. CB answers with another right, followed by a Crippler right hand once again. CB gets drastic, though, and rakes the eyes right out of the head of Crippler. Crippler turns, with CB going after him, but they walk right into Tanya Black, who has just springboarded into the ring!

Eryk Masters: Tanya Black out of nowhere! Both men are down, and Tanya is standing tall!

Tanya shakes her head, trying to clear the cobwebs out from that piledriver, before turning her attention to Crazy Boy. She lifts him up, only to bring him back down with a one arm DDT. That puts pressure on the arm as well as the impact on the head. Crippler is to his feet now, and she doubles him up with a kick to the gut.

Other Guy: And a stunner from Tanya Black! She’s rolling right now!

Tanya pulls Crippler back to the center of the ring and covers him, holding his left shoulder down with both hands.

ONE!

TWO!

Crippler kicks out. Tanya complains that the count was slow, to which Heflin replies that she should hook the leg next time. Crippler is to his knees now, and Tanya gets behind him, tying him up in an abdominal stretch, right in the center of the ring.

Other Guy: Crippler’s just suffered a trauma to his neck, and now Tanya adding a bit more pain to the dinner menu of Lunatikk Crippler with this abdominal stretch.

Eryk Masters: I haven’t seen anyone win a match with this move for years, but it can really wear a man down very quickly. What, with the pressure on the neck and abdomen, not to mention the arm Tanya’s got lodged behind her.

Crazy Boy is to his feet now, and he moves behind Tanya…and hooks her in a version of an abdominal stretch, while she STILL hangs on to the move on Lunatikk Crippler. The crowd, surpisingly, pops for this.

Other Guy: A DOUBLE abdominal stretch! This is offense you’ll only see in a Triple Threat match!

Crazy Boy’s grip isn’t the best, so Tanya’s able to shake out of it, and hiptosses Crazy Boy over. Crippler, meanwhile, takes this distraction as a chance to flip Tanya Black over his hip, and she lands atop of Crazy Boy, crushing his ribcage. The fans cheer in earnest now, as Crippler takes control. Crazy Boy is first to his feet, clutching his stomach. Crippler doesn’t make things easier for him, delivering a gut buster to Tyrone Smith.

Eryk Masters: Tanya may be down, but she’s not out! A drop toe hold brings Crippler down to the mat. Tanya pulls herself to her feet, usint the middle rope, and runs CB down with a clothesline. CB falls into the corner, snapping his head off the bottom turnbuckle. Tanya pulls him to his feet, and starts lighting his chest up with chops.

Other Guy: Those things are blistering! I can see the welts already forming on the chest of Crazy Boy!

Tanya plants a headbutt right into the sternum of CB, and then quickly steps aside. Crippler just came charging in, avalanching Crazy Boy in the corner. Crippler staggers backward from the force of the impact, and Tanya siezes the moment, catching Crippler with a German Suplex. And there’s a bridge!

ONE!!

TWO!!

Crippler breaks the bridge, by rolling his body over, getting his left shoulder off the ground. Crippler clutches at the back of his neck, as Tanya then turns to Crazy Boy. CB tries a lariat, but Tanya ducks. CB’s momentum spins him around, and she grabs him around the waist. She bridges back, with another German Suplex! And another bridge!

One!

TWO!!

Crazy Boy rolls his shoulder up! Tanya cannot believe that suplex has failed her twice! She pulls Crazy Boy back to his feet and tries a go behind, catching him around the waist. Before she can do anything else, Lunatikk Crippler is behind her, arms wrapped around her waist! The crowd buzzes with anticipation, as ALL THREE combatants go backwards, with Tanya catching Crazy Boy and Crippler catching Tanya with a double decker German Suplex! Dennis Heflin checks all three pairs of shoulders, and it looks like they’re all down!

ONE!!

TWO!

Simultaneously, all three roll their left shoulder up! The fans applaud the spot.

Eryk Masters: What a double suplex! I don’t know what would have happened if Heflin would have counted the three.

Other Guy: It probably would have ended the match. Good thing they all were smart enough to get out of that.

All three struggle to their feet, and make it there. CB strikes first, landing a right hand to The Crippler. Tanya stops his momentum, catching CB off guard with a right of her own. Crippler shakes his head, and fires a right hand at Tanya Black, catching her flush in the face. Now CB is back, catching another right hand on Crippler.

Other Guy: It’s a three way slugfest!

Tanya slugs CB, and the fans chant "BOO!" Crippler nails Tanya, and the fans chant "YAY!" CB hits Crippler in the face, and the fans chant "BOO!" again!.

Tanya "BOO!"

Crippler "YAY!"

CB "BOO!"

Tanya "BOO!"

Crippler "YAY!"

Crippler with a right to CB "YAY!"

Crippler with a right to Tanya "YAY!"

Crippler then looks to his left and sees Tanya, and to his right and sees CB, both staggered. He punches with both hands simultaneously, connecting with both challengers, to a pop from the crowd. He then grabs both their heads, and pulls them together.

Other Guy: Double noggin knocker! It’s a meeting of the minds!

Tanya stumbles into a corner, and CB drops to a knee. Crippler advances on Black, chopping her in the chest one time before muscling her up to the top turnbuckle. He steps up the turnbuckles himself, lifting her into a standing position.

Eryk Masters: Superplex coming up from the defending champion! Tanya’s in a lot of trouble!

Other Guy: So is The Crippler! He’s left himself wide open!

Crazy Boy is to his feet, and he maneuvers himself on the other side of The Crippler, holding onto his quads. Crippler may have figured out what was happening a second too late, as he powers Tanya over his head, and CB uses Crippler’s own momentum to pull him down into a version of a powerbomb!

Eryk Masters: A variation on the tower of doom! Crippler superplexed Tanya Black, but paid for it was Crazy Boy hit him with the powerbomb!

All three are down, as Crazy Boy is still trying to shake off the impact from Black’s skull crashing into his own. The fans are on their feet, and they are cheering like mad, trying to will The Crippler to his feet. The Sin City Champion is on his hands and knees, but falls back to the mat, unable to pull himself up. Tanya Black is flat on her back, motionless, a look of pain etched on her face. Crazy Boy is trying desperately to get to his feet, but he settles for a dive, going into a cover on Tanya!

One!!

Two!!

Th-Tanya gets her shoulder up in time! CB cannot believe that. He rolls Crippler to the center of the ring, and hooks BOTH legs!

ONE!!

TWO!!

TH-Crippler powers out as well! CB slaps the mat with both hands out of frustration, as both pinfall attempts were unsuccessful.

Eryk Masters: Tyrone needs to watch himself, he’ll find himself out of this one if he doesn’t keep his cool.

Other Guy: Oh yeah, there’s NO possible way that Crazy Boy won’t keep his cool. It’s not like he hears voices in his head…Oh wait, he does. He’s gonna blow his stack, Eryk!

Crazy Boy looks deranged as he gets to his feet, facing both Tanya and The Crippler. They are both trying to get to their feet, but both wrestlers’ legs are understandably wobbly. Crippler and Tanya end up using each other for support as they get to their feet in the center of the ring, and Crazy Boy charges, and Crippler and Tanya make identical movements, each trapping an arm of Crazy Boy and slamming him down to the mat. Once on the ground, they trap the arm between their legs and both grip Crazy Boy’s chin and pull upward. The crowd goes insane at the double counter.

Eryk Masters: Double Crossface, right in the center of the ring! Crazy Boy has nowhere to go!

Other Guy: Tanya is trying to make Crazy Boy Tap Out, while Crippler is busy Bitchifying CB! You’re right, Eryk, I don’t see how he can escape!

Crazy Boy is SCREAMING in pain right now, trapped in the same deadly submission on both sides. Heflin is right there, looking for the submission.

Heflin: Do you submit? Have you had enough?

Crazy Boy: Ahhhhhhhh!

That’s about all Crazy Boy can get out with two sets of hands clamped around his jaw, trying to yank it back towards the third row. Neither Crippler nor Tanya look like they are about to let up any time soon, as the veins are popping out of their necks with the amount of pressure they are applying. Heflin is right there still, right in front of Tyrone Smith.

Heflin: Crazy Boy! Do. You. Give. Up?

Crazy Boy: YAAAAAAAAASS.

Heflin signals the timekeeper, but neither Crippler nor Tanya relinquish the hold.

Samantha Coil: At the time of 18 minutes and 41 seconds, by way of double submission, Crazy Boy HAS BEEN ELIMINATED!

The crowd roars as one of the challengers has been officially removed from this match. Both Tanya and Crippler let go of the hold now, and try to tie each other up in the same hold!

Eryk Masters: Crazy Boy is out of here, and now it’s down to two!

Crippler and Tanya jockey for position, neither able to lock in their fatal submission hold. Finally, they break apart, and quickly get to their feet. They begin to circle each other as another referee and Cassie support Crazy Boy on his way back up the ramp. The fans are buzzing, more than that. They are on the edge of an eruption as the tension continues to build between the champion and his remaining challenger. Suddenly, they strike, firing off on each other with right hands, simultaneously connecting with the face of the other.

Other Guy: This is it, E. This is what it all boils down to, and they know it!

Crippler drops to his knees and lifts Tanya over his head with a fireman’s carry. Tanya snaps to her feet, and snaps off a kick right to the chest of Lunatikk Crippler that echoes throughout the arena. She kicks Crippler again, and he goes backwards, landing flat on his back. Tanya wastes little time dropping a quick elbow to the heart of The Crippler, and going for the cover.

ONE!

Two!!

Crippler kicks out before the three!

Tanya sits The Crippler up and plants the point of her boot right into the chest of Lunatikk Crippler, snapping him back to the canvas. She covers again.

ONE!

TWO!!

Crippler rolls his shoulder up again.

Eryk Masters: Crippler keeps kicking out of pin after pin, but Tanya is relentless. She wants this Sin City Championship.

Crippler tries to get back to his feet, but Tanya is right there with another kick, this time to the face. Crippler clutches at his face before hitting the mat like a rock.

Other Guy: Jeez! That kick nearly took Crippler’s nose off!

Tanya hooks the leg for another pin.

ONE!!

Tanya grabs the bottom rope with her free hand for added leverage!

TWO!!

THR-

The ref sees her using the rope for leverage and stops the count!

Eryk Masters: You’re not going to win the title like that! You gotta earn it tonight, no shortcuts!

Other Guy: That was a popular call for everyone. Everyone except Tanya Black, she’s PISSED!

That’s an understatement. She gets in Dennis Heflin’s face, screaming at him to finish the count. He’s explaining to her that she can’t use the ropes to make her pinfall attempt, but she’s not having it. She slaps her hands together three times, and the message is loud and clear, "Count the three". Heflin warns her again about the ropes, and she brushed him off. She wraps Crippler up in another pinning combiniation.

ONE!

Tanya sticks her feet out on the bottom ropes, but Heflin sees this IMMEDIATELY and calls her on it again!

Eryk Masters: And Heflin refusing to count the three! He’s not going to cheat anyone tonight! You want the title? Do it the right way!

Tanya is LIVID as she gets to her feet, demanding again that he count Crippler out.

Other Guy: Heflin not backing down, kicking at the ropes, reminding her not to touch them during the pin.

Tanya loses her cool, and shoves Heflin in the chest. He shoves her back, and she falls to her ass! The crowd cheers as Heflin asserts his authority, refusing to count someone out when the ropes are used for leverage! If Tanya was mad before, she’s even madder now. She gets to her feet to tell Heflin off, but Crippler reaches between her legs and pulls her to the mat with a school boy rollup!

ONE!!

TWO!!

Tanya gets out of it in time!

Eryk Masters: Tanya willing to do whatever it takes to win here tonight, but her short handed tactics and short temper nearly cost her!

Other Guy: You can’t blame Tanya! Everything she’s ever wanted is on the line tonight: the Sin City Championship! She’s willing to do ANYTHING!

Tanya is the first to her feet after the pinfall attempt, and she grabs Crippler in a front facelock while he’s on his knees, and snaps back with a vicious DDT.

Eryk Masters: Tanya Black firmly in control here. Crippler’s title reign is definately in danger.

Tanya pulls Crippler to his feet and whips him into the turnbuckles. He hits hard, chest first, and bounces back, right into a backcracker from the challenger! Crippler instinctively rolls towards the ropes, frustrating the challenger. He pulls the middle rope, trying to get to his feet, but Tanya stands over him and grabs the top rope, and she uses it as leverage to propel herself upward, landing in a sitting position on Crippler’s back!

Other Guy: Good strategy by Tanya. Take Crippler’s back out, that will take out a lot of his opportunity for offense.

The camera gets a good close up shot of Crippler’s face, contorted in pain, before Tanya pulls him by the leg, bringing him off the ropes, right into the center of the ring. She hooks LC’s legs under her arms and then leans back toward his head.

Eryk Masters: Boston Crab executed in the middle of the ring by Tanya Black. This move punishes the back, not to mention the legs as well.

Tanya rocks back on the hold, putting more pressure on the back of the champion. Heflin is in position, right in front of Crippler, who is in obvious pain. He’s reaching out for the ropes, but they are too far away to grab! Tanya has a smile on her face as she wrenches back even more. Crippler’s face is etched with severe pain as he tries to fight this hold, but to no avail.

Other Guy: This is it! It’s gonna be over soon! New champion!

Crippler plants his fists on the mat, gritting his teeth through the pain, and raises off the mat. Tanya is forced into a standing position, but still holds on to Crippler’s legs, keeping the hold applied. Crippler puts one hand forward, and somehow is able to pull himself forward, towards the ropes. Tanya’s smile is gone, as she looks disbelieving at what’s taking place.

Eryk Masters: It’s not over yet! Crippler still has some fight left in him!

Crippler puts his left hand forward and pulls himself forward a little more! He slumps back down to the mat as Tanya yanks back hard on his legs, Tanya now elevating his legs, putting the pressure solely on the back of LC. For extra pressure, she drives her knee in the small of Crippler’s back.

Other Guy: There’s gonna be no more moving for Crippler! His neck is pressed against the mat, he’s got nowhere to go!

Heflin is right there, asking Crippler if he wants to submit! Crippler yells out "NO!", and the fans are in a frenzy. They are clapping in unison, trying to will Mr. Sin City on, but it looks bleak. The Crippler raises his right hand, palm out flat.

Other Guy: Here it is! Crippler’s gonna tap!

The Crippler has his hand raised as high as it will go, and Tanya is relishing this moment, the moment she’s about to become Sin City Champion for a third time! The fans are cheering, still behind The Crippler, still trying to support him, and Crippler’s hand comes down!

Eryk Masters: He’s got the rope! Crippler stretched his arm out as far as it will go, and he’s got the bottom rope!

Other Guy: I thought for sure this one was over! Dennis Heflin right there, telling Tanya she has to break the hold! She lets go of Crippler’s legs and raises her hands in the air! she thinks she’s won!

Eryk Masters: She’s going to be in for a horrible surprise!

Heflin lowers her hands, explaining that the match isn’t over, and Crippler got to the ropes. Crippler, meanwhile, is struggling to his feet, pressed against the ropes in a near standing position. Tanya is incensed, and she turns her frustrations back to The Crippler. She stalks towards him, and from nowhere, he drops her with a superkick! The fans explode as Tanya falls to her back, and Crippler falls face first to the mat as well.

Eryk Masters: That kick was right on the chin of Tanya Black! she may be out, and Crippler needs to capitalize!

Crippler is slowly crawling towards Tanya as Heflin is making his double count!

ONE!

TWO!!

Crippler is nearly there!

THREE!

FOUR!!

Tanya is starting to stir, her arms out in front of her, trying to focus her eyes.

FIVE!

Crippler uses his hands to push Tanya down on the canvas, and Heflin slides into position for the pin!

ONE!!

TWO!!

Tanya gets a shoulder up!

Other Guy: Crippler couldn’t get there in time, and he didn’t hook the leg. He’s not going to get the duke with a lax cover like that.

Eryk Masters: He’s got to pick his spots. Who knows how much damage has been done to Crippler’s back at the hands of the challenger?

Crippler is up to his knees, still in a lot of pain, as he grabs the hair of Tanya Black. He brings her to her feet as well, only to catch an elbow to the gut. Crippler doubles up and Tanya shakes her head and hits the ropes. Crippler catches her and lifts her up on his shoulders.

Eryk Masters: You know Crippler’s back has to be bothering him, and if Tanya Black didn’t weigh what she did, there’s no way he’d be able to do that right now.

Crippler pushes off Tanya’s legs, swinging her around with an F-5! Tanya connects face first with the mat, and Crippler rolls her over, hooking the far leg.

ONE!!

TWO!!

Tanya kicks out! Crippler is trying to mount his comeback here, and so far, he’s successful. He brings Tanya back to her feet, and sets her up for a suplex! Tanya slides out behind Crippler, and tries to go for a German suplex of her own, but Crippler rushes forward to the ropes! Crippler uses the ropes to throw Tanya backwards, holding his balance by keeping hold of the ropes himself. Tanya rolls backwards, however, and ends up on her feet, and Crippler turns and attempts a clothesline, but Tanya ducks, and hooks Crippler’s neck for a Side Effect.

Eryk Masters: Crippler with a well placed elbow, blocking the attempt by Tanya Black! There’s still fight in the challenger, and the champion!

Crippler yanks Tanya’s hair back and sets her up for a reverse DDT, but Tanya spins, now facing Crippler, her head still tucked under his arm. Crippler is vaulted over Tanya’s back, and over the top rope, with a variation of a Northern Lights suplex! Crippler crashes hard on the outside while Tanya collapses to her knees in the ring!

Other Guy: Neither wants to quit, but Tanya Black reasserts her control in this match, refusing to yield it to The Crippler!

Eryk Masters: She should pay a little more attention though! She isn’t going to win this title if Crippler is counted out!

Heflin is calling down to Crippler to get back in the ring, trying not to start the count. Tanya is trying to shake the cobwebs loose from Crippler’s short offensive flurry.

ONE! Crippler is flat on his back outside the ring, and Tanya is still on her knees inside the ring.

TWO! No movement from The Crippler, but Tanya is slowly getting to her feet.

THREE! Tanya realizes what’s happening here, and she dives at the leg of Dennis Heflin! He stops the count, arguing with Black, trying to get her to let him go.

Eryk Masters: I think…I think Tanya is BEGGING Heflin to stop the count!

Other Guy: I don’t blame her! The Sin City title is on the line, I’d probably do the same thing!

The tactic works, though, as Heflin is too busy trying to get free of Tanya’s grip to count Crippler out. He’s using the time to pull himself to his feet, and now he’s slumped against the apron, trying to slide in the ring. Tanya releases the ref, and pulls Crippler into the ring. She picks Crippler up, facing away from him, hooking her arm under his chin, and leaps up, landing behind Crippler, driving his head to the ground.

Eryk Masters: TOUGH LOVE! Tanya nailed it!

Other Guy: I don’t care what you say, this match is OVER!

Tanya takes a moment to savor the apparent victory. Crippler is out next to her, and she’s sitting there, on her knees, grinning ear to ear. She grabs Crippler by the arm and drags him away from the ropes. Then, slowly drops back to her knees, and presses both hands against Crippler’s chest. Heflin gets down for the count.

ONE!!

TWO!!

TH-Crippler gets a shoulder up!

Other Guy: WHAT?

Eryk Masters: Tanya’s confidence just bit her in the ass right there! She took too long to make the cover, and Crippler was able to save his title!

Other Guy: I think it’s safe to assume that Tanya doesn’t like the call. She’s trying to intimidate Heflin again!

Tanya is indeed in the referee’s face once again, complaining about a slow count. Heflin can’t do much more than tell her to get back to the match, but she’s having none of it. She is visibily upset, grabbing her hair, trying not to do something that will get her disqualified. She takes a deep breath, still pretty angry, and turns back to her victim…WHO LEAPS UP AND SPIKES HER TO THE MAT WITH THE LUNATIKK SWEET!

Other Guy: WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM?

Eryk Masters: I’d like to know that myself! The fans are blowing the roof off this place, while Crippler and his near impossible burst of energy just put Tanya Black down for the count!

Crippler is unable to capitalize however. Tanya is down on the mat, and Crippler is on his back next to her. He begins to turn over, the fans cheering him on.

"LET’S GO CRIPP-LER!" *clap clap clapclapclap*

"LET’S GO CRIPP-LER!" *clap clap clapclapclap*

"LET’S GO CRIPP-LER!" *clap clap clapclapclap*

The Crippler’s arm is shaking, straight up in the air, and finally, he falls, arm draped across the chest of Tanya Black! Dennis Heflin slides back into position!

ONE!!

TWO!!

THREE!! NO! NO!

Eryk Masters: NO! Tanya gets her shoulder up at the last second!

The fans applaud the effort of both competitors here, as both lay on the mat, exhausted. Crippler rolls to his stomach and pushes himself to his knees, look of disbelief on his face. Tanya rolls to her stomach, clutching her head after the impact of the Lunatikk Sweet, so she can’t be feeling too good at the moment.

Crippler pulls down deep and gets to his feet, moving slowly towards Tanya Black. Tanya backs into the corner and picks herself up using the turnbuckles. Crippler corners her, and tries to put a hold on her, but she is clutching the ropes with all the strength she can muster. Heflin moves in, trying to seperate the two, and doesn’t see Tanya shoot her leg out backwards, catching a low blow on The Crippler. Crippler doubles up and then falls backwards hard on the mat.

Eryk Masters: A cheap, underhanded tactic from the challenger! What lengths won’t she go to to win the Sin City Championship?

Other Guy: Answer: there is nothing she wouldn’t do. Tanya Black is obsessed with the Sin City title, and will do absolutely ANYTHING to get it.

Crippler is able to get back to his feet, still in obvious pain after that nut shot, and Tanya goes to bulldog him to the ground, but Crippler steps to the side and snaps Tanya to the ground by her arm, in an all too familiar way.

Other Guy: BITCHIFIED! TANYA BLACK IS BEING BITCHIFIED IN THE CENTER OF THE RING!

Eryk Masters: And she may very well tap out right here! Tanya knows how devastating this submission is, she’s used it time and time again herself!

The Crippler is locking it in on Tanya now, screaming at her.

Crippler: TAP OUT, BITCH! TAP OUT!!

Crippler is pulling back, his face going red from all the pressure he is applying. He’s putting everything into this hold, but Tanya is not relenting to the champion. Tanya is pushing up with her free hand, trying to allieviate the pressure on her neck and back, but it’s not of any use, Crippler just pulls back even harder! Tanya slumps back to the mat, but tries to push herself out of it!

Eryk Masters: Crippler is still holding on, though Tanya is trying anything to escape!

Tanya slumps again, and once again pushes back up with as much force as she can muster. Crippler hangs tough, still holding on to the move. Black’s feet are flailing as LC yanks back on her chin. Tanya slumps to the ground, and with everything she has in her, pushes back upward, and causes her and Crippler to roll backward!

Other Guy: What a move to try and counter the Crossface, but Lunatikk Crippler HANGS ON TO THE HOLD! He’s hell bent on retaining the Sin City title, and he’d rather die than let go!

Tanya is still trapped, but she is closer to the ropes, which is what she was aiming for! She is reaching out with her free hand, trying to latch on to the ropes to break the hold. Heflin is right there, asking Black if she can continue. Tanya isn’t giving up, she’s still trying to grab that rope, but Crippler yanks back hard, and now Tanya is bent nearly backwards, almost at a right angle! Tanya reaches blindly out for the ropes, since they are no longer in her line of sight.

Eryk Masters: Tanya hanging tough, but Crippler is a madman! Tanya trying desperately to get to the ropes to-

Other Guy: TANYA TAPS! SHE’S TAPPING OUT, THIS IS OVER!

Sure enough, Tanya Black is weakly slapping her hand on the canvas, and Heflin hurries to get the bell rung. Crippler collapses, exhausted, on top of Black, releasing the hold as Black’s face thumps the mat. The fans LOSE IT as the bell is rung and "I Wupped Batman’s Ass" starts playing again. Dennis Heflin reaches through the ropes and grabs the Sin City Championship from Samantha Coil, as she makes the official announcement.

Samantha Coil: At the time of 47 minutes, 12 second, your winner….and STILL *The crowd pops all over again.* the SHOOT Project’s Sin City Champion, Luuuunatikk Criiiiiiiippler!

Crippler raises to his feet, holding the Sin City Championship high above his head. Tanya Black rolls out of the ring, sitting on the apron, a dejected look upon her face. She is disbelieving that she let what she’s worked so hard to attain has slipped through her fingers, she’s almost comatose as she makes her way back up the ramp.

Eryk Masters: Take nothing away from Tanya Black, she gave everything she had.

Other Guy: On this night, however, it’s all Lunatikk Crippler. What a performance by all THREE competitors.

Crippler has ascended the top turnbuckles, holding the Sin City title in his right hand, pointing out to the crowd with his left. The fans are crazy for him as he celebrates his Sin City Championship defense. He leaps down from the turnbuckle, grin on his face, when his music cuts out.

The crowd has begun to finally die down when, once again, the white noise blares through the arena. The video screen comes to live again with the static, which transitions into the man with the bandaged face. He is, once again, holding the ball. He finally turns it around, slowly, revealing the letters.

The man throws the ball behind him and begins to remove the bandages. He slowly unravels the bandages until we can see a grin on his face. Suddenly, the feed dies, leaving the arena without any light at all. When the lights come on, we see Lunatikk Crippler standing in the ring, staring at the screen, the Sin City title on the ground at his feet. The crowd begins to boo loudly, because directly behind Lunatikk Crippler…

Is Jester Smiles. He is simply wearing jeans and a green t-shirt. Lunatikk Crippler never even sees who is behind him as Jester locks him in a half nelson, half chicken wing and SLAMS Crippler with the Half and Half Suplex.

Eryk Masters: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? JESTER SMILES?!?

Other Guy: The bandages are off, and Jester Smiles is the man behind them! And it’s no longer a secret whom his newest target is going to be!

Eryk Masters:I just…I can’t….JESTER SMILES?!

Other Guy: Eryk isn’t usually at a loss for words, but I can’t really blame him! Jester Smiles leaving the ring now, but the clear message has been sent: If you’re Lunatikk Crippler, your days are numbered. He may be ready to kiss the Sin City Championship goodbye.

As the crowd continues to buzz waiting for the next match to begin; the arena goes completely dark.  After a few seconds of anticipation, “Full Nelson” by Redman begins to blare through the speakers causing a huge explosion at the top of the entrance ramp. A mixture of red and white lights flash throughout the arena, but despite all of the fanfare no one has come out from behind the curtain. After a few more seconds a figure steps out, but the stage isn’t illuminated enough to make out who it is.  A spotlight hits the figure and reveals it to be…

Rande’ Johnson, the man known as Pestalance.

The arena explodes with cheers as he scans the area with a huge smile on his face.  Rande’ nods in approval and begins making his way to the ring. Fans reach out to grab at / slap hands, but Rande’ is focused on getting to the ring.  He slides under the bottom rope and stands soaking in the cheers. As his music dies down a loud “Firestarter” chant can be heard throughout the arena.  Rande’ waits for the crowd to calm before putting the mic to his lips and speaks. 

What…the fuck…is up SHOOT Project!

Once again the crowd goes crazy. 

Wow! I almost forgot what this place felt like. 

Rande’ looks around in awe for a few seconds before getting back to the task at hand. 

Alright, alright…look.  There’s a lot of stuff going on tonight and I’m not gonna take up too much time.  So here’s the thing, I’ve been gone for a minute, we all know that.  And some things have changed…lot of things. 

Rande’ thinks for a second. 

But a lot of shit here in SHOOT is exactly what it was when I left. And that makes it easier for me to come back here and continue to be one of the most feared and dominate men to ever step into this ring. So plain and simple, I’m back. And I’m not back to fuck around.  I’m not back here to bullshit.  I’m back to slap dick to the mouth of anyone that wants to step into this ring with me. It’s about to go down ladies and gentlemen.  Cause The Firestarter is back.  Holla at ya later bitches. 

“Full Nelson” begins to play as Rande’ drops the mic and makes his way out of the ring; this time slapping hands with the crowd as he walks to the back.

 

We cut back to ringside as the arena lights dim and a single spotlight is cast for the always lovely Samantha Coil. 

Samantha Coil: The following contest is scheduled for one fall and is a NO DISQUALIFICATION MATCH! Introducing first… 

Before Samantha can get the next few words out, the spotlight goes out and the entire arena is cast into darkness. A few cell phones pop up from amongst the sold-out SHOOT faithful before the opening strings of George Frederic Handel’s melodic "Sarabande" composition piece flows over the arena’s loudspeakers. Slowly fading in and accompanying this delicate classical piece is a still photo of Patrick Kidd on the video screens…his face a mangled mound of battered, swollen flesh and his body collapsed in a pool of his own blood. The image then shifts to another photograph of Kidd, this time his skin charred a disgusting red and black after his infamous Human Torch match against Dropkick Murphy. 

Eryk Masters: Fans of SHOOT and professional wrestling in general obviously know about Patrick Kidd’s numerous injuries throughout his legendary career, but this is just wrong. We’ve actually had to blur some of these graphic photos in the past, looks like someone didn’t get that memo. 

The video rolls on as equally disturbing images of a battered Patrick Kidd stream in quick succession spanning his entire career. Clips from the DIWF, NAPW, OPW, LEGACY and of course SHOOT are shown, all documenting a different disgusting image. Finally, the music starts to fade out and we’re left with a single unforgettable image: Patrick Kidd lying on the concrete in front of a burning building, bloodied and unconscious.  

The aftermath of his OPW street fight against Azrael Goeren. 

That image quickly gives way to a very familiar and soul crushing countdown. 

5%     

23%     

43%  

Eryk Masters: Of course he’s behind this. Whenever I think of the phrase "poor taste", Azrael Goeren is usually my next thought. 

Other Guy: Spoken like a man who is not going to get an officially licensed Azrael Goeren "Juicegasm!" juicer for Valentine’s Day. 

Eryk Masters: I’ll survive. 

66%     

84%  

Eryk Masters: How awesome would it be if Kidd uses Goeren’s crappy merchandise as weapons in this match? 

Other Guy: Awesome? Try horrible! I’ve still got my last three t-shirts on layaway, I can’t have them covered in blood!    

92%  

…100%     

BUFFERING…     

…BUFFERING…     

…BUFFERING…     

…INITIALIZE.  

"Sieben" by Subway to Sally hits over the arena speakers and the crowd explodes into earth-shattering boos. Stepping out from behind the curtain with a smug smile on his face is Azrael Goeren, his black sleeveless hoodie pulled back as he gloats out at the Epicenter. Across his right shoulder is his CWC World Heavyweight Championship that he confidently pats before he starts to move. He takes a few steps down the ramp, trying to slap a few hands with fans at ringside and attempts to lead them all in a raucous "Go Go Goeren!" chant while he approaches the ring. 

Other Guy: Listen, I know you hate the guy but he’s got to be pretty damn confident going into this match. 

Eryk Masters: How do you figure? If anything we’ve seen Azrael seemingly deteriorate over the last couple of months as Kidd keeps putting the screws to him. Even X-Calibur noticed it earlier! 

Other Guy: Yeah but as Goeren pointed out in that video package, Kidd’s body has been through Hell over the years. The man has fought some of the most brutal wars ever fought in a wrestling ring but he’s still human. At this point in Kidd’s career, he can’t take much more without looking forward to the rest of his life as a burden of the state. 

Eryk Masters: It’s a known fact that Kidd has gone through numerous back and knee surgeries. Heck, at one point doctors told him he’d never walk again but he ended up proving them wrong. I’d like to think Kidd is ready for this match. 

Other Guy: You’re always such a positive guy Eryk, thats what I kinda…sorta…not really…respect about you. 

Azrael approaches the ring apron and holds his arms out wide, playing in to the fans’ absolute hatred for him. He closes his eyes and lifts his head up to the rafters, basking in their loathing…before a dull cheer starts up from somewhere in the crowd. 

Eryk Masters: Are people actually cheering for this lunatic?! 

Other Guy: I would… 

Eryk Masters: WAIT! LOOK THERE! COMING OUT OF THE CROWD! 

A few feet behind Goeren, PATRICK KIDD bolts out from amongst the fans at ringside and jumps the guardrail, clutching a three foot light tube in his right hand. He moves behind Goeren, takes aim and…CRACK! A plume of white dust and smoke explodes as the tube breaks apart across Goeren’s back, sending the German collapsing to the arena floor as the fans pop big time! 

Eryk Masters: Kidd came in through the crowd! Referee Linam hasn’t even had a chance to start this match yet! 

Kidd grabs Goeren by the hair and yanks him to his feet, violently throwing a series of jabs right to the face of a still stunned Goeren. Azrael tries to cover up but Kidd grabs him by the forearm and whips him into the nearest ring post, causing Goeren to slam face first into the steel. 

Eryk Masters: The hatred between these two men goes back many, many years and is FAR from professional. When you take a man’s child away from him like Goeren did to Kidd, you aren’t going to get a mat wrestling classic. 

Other Guy: Uh, hello? Earth to Eryk? It’s Goeren’s child! Patrick Kidd practically stole him from Azrael for five whole years! 

Kidd continues his assault on the outside of the ring, delivering a stiff knee to Goeren’s gut. Azrael doubles over in pain and Kidd hooks Azrael’s head underneath his arm, appearing like he’s going for the Crimson Tide DDT but Goeren rams Kidd against the ring apron to break the hold. Azrael stumbles away, clutching his face while he makes his way over towards timekeeper Mark Kendrick’s position.  

Eryk Masters: What’s he doing now? He’s looking for a microphone I think…WAIT! Azrael Goeren just clotheslined Mark Kendrick completely out of his chair! What the hell did he do that for? 

Other Guy: He’s pissed that Kidd got the jump on him…and speaking of, here comes Kidd! 

Patrick Kidd makes a bee line for Goeren, but Azrael takes off in the other direction after grabbing a microphone from ringside. Kidd follows in hot pursuit with Azrael backing up the ramp towards the entrance, trying to put some distance between himself and Kidd. 

Goeren: Kidd you repulsive swine, stop. STOP!  

Kidd continues his stalking of Goeren, grabbing the steel chair that Kendrick was sitting on as SHOOT officials at ringside check on the dazed timekeeper.  

Goeren: I should have expected that from you, you’re always looking for the cheap victory any way you can get it.  

Eryk Masters: Oh please. Get him Kidd! 

Azrael continues to back up the ramp, glancing behind him as Kidd is only a few feet from him now. 

Goeren: I suppose I’ll have to be the one to keep order in this match then. Since it looks like we’re down a timekeeper, I guess I’ll have to appoint one. Monsieur Baptiste?  

Patrick Kidd stops, staring back up at the ramp and tightening his grip on the steel chair. Out from the back is fellow Hierarchy member and former Sin City Champion Monsieur Baptiste, smiling broadly as he stands next to Goeren with his arms crossed. 

Eryk Masters: Oh come on! This isn’t fair! 

Other Guy: No disqualification baby! I know Kidd is an idiot, but even he couldn’t have been dumb enough to expect this to be a fair fight. 

Azrael nods over at Baptiste before getting on the microphone again. 

Goeren: I’m not done yet, Kidd. Why let the great SHOOT fans suffer through another horrible Samantha Coil butchering of the English language after this match concludes? Allow me to introduce to you your special ring announcers for this match…T. REX AND ARCH ANGEL…ANARCHY!  

Eryk Masters: WHAT? These two stooges? The Hierarchy’s friggin mascots? 

Other Guy: Lunatic mascots, thank you very much! I love it! 

Bounding out from the back are the two crazed young competitors, high fiving each other and slapping Azrael on the back. It’s now four on one staring Kidd down from the ramp as Goeren smiles back at Kidd. He then turns his attention towards the ring and tilts his head slightly. 

Goeren: Not. Done. Yet. Referee Linam? You are relieved of your duties for the rest of the night. See, as SHOOT continues to expand, the company has a need for more…shall we say…experienced referees? And luckily for SHOOT, I happened to know of a seasoned official who was currently out of a job. Even Jason Johnson himself couldn’t pass up a chance to add a referee with over ten years of experience to his crew.  

Referee Austin Linam holds his arms out to his side, glancing around ringside as the SHOOT officials checking on Mark Kendrick give a shrug of their shoulders, seemingly as much in the dark as Linam is. He stands his ground for the time being, until Azrael gets back on the microphone. 

Goeren: Linam…get out of that ring right now or be carried out on a stretcher later. Those are your choices.  

Referee Linam shakes his head and weighs his options before slowly exiting the ring. The crowd, of course, hates this as Linam can only stand by in disbelief. 

Goeren: Now then, everyone on your feet and welcome to SHOOT the newest member of the SHOOT referee team…he is the former head official for Outlaw Professional Wrestling…Michael Robinson!  

Other Guy: Love it! 

Eryk Masters: This is insane! Robinson’s been on Goeren’s payroll for a decade! He’s the guy’s personal assistant for God’s sake! 

Other Guy: Hey, Robinson refereed some of the greatest OPW matches of all time. I’m sure he’ll be unbiased and fair. Besides it’s a no disqualification match, all he has to do is count to three! 

Making his way out from the back is Michael Robinson, wearing a brand new SHOOT Project referee shirt. He doesn’t look too happy with his predicament but stands alongside the rest of the Hierarchy. Kidd stares back at the grouping of men and slowly backs up, still holding the steel chair out in front of him. Kidd slides into the ring and glares over at Goeren who is walking back towards the ring with his twisted entourage. Baptiste takes Kendrick’s place at ringside as the Anarchy boys each take a spot on the outside of the ring. Goeren is the last to enter the ring, taking his time as the boos rain down on him and his little charade. 

Goeren: Now then. Let’s start this match the proper way. First, the match hasn’t started yet so please Mr. Robinson, remove Mr. Kidd’s weapon.  

More booing from the fans. Referee Robinson walks over to Kidd and shakes his head as the two exchange inaudible words. Kidd finally tosses his steel chair down and backs up into the corner, keeping an eye on Goeren’s cohorts in the process. 

Goeren: Monsieur Baptiste? If you will?  

Baptiste nods and delicately hits the bell with the timekeeper’s hammer. The moment that sound rings out, Azrael charges Kidd and slams the microphone into his face, knocking him down into the corner. Azrael starts putting the boots to him, grinding the heel of his boot down into Kidd’s eye socket. 

Eryk Masters: This is an absolute travesty of a match, Goeren has stacked the deck in his favor in every way imaginable. How does Patrick Kidd fight through all of this? 

Azrael grins out at the crowd as he pulls Kidd to his feet and throws him into the opposite corner. Azrael takes off and nails Kidd with a stiff clotheslines from the front and then swings his arm back around and clotheslines the back of his head, sending Kidd sprawling to the mat. 

Eryk Masters: Goeren goes for our first cover of the match! 

ONE! 

TWO! 

Eryk Masters: THR…NO! Kidd kicks out! Did you see that, though? That had to have been one of the fastest counts I’ve ever seen! 

Azrael exchanges an icy glance with his handpicked referee before standing Kidd up against the turnbuckle. He grabs hold of the tag rope that hangs in each corner and wraps it around Kidd’s throat, viciously pulling back on it as Goeren situates himself on the top turnbuckle for leverage. 

Other Guy: Oh man, Kidd’s face is turning purple here…Goeren is pulling back on that rope as hard as he can. 

Eryk Masters: Kidd’s fighting out of it though! 

Kidd, more out of desperation than anything else, swings his elbow back and connects with Goeren’s jaw. Azrael tries to pull back even farther as retribution, almost falling out of the ring as he tries to choke Kidd into unconsciousness. Kidd slams his head back as hard as he can, connecting with Goeren’s midsection as Azrael lets go of the rope and clutches his ribs.  

Eryk Masters: I think Kidd hurt Goeren there! Azrael is holding the left side of his sternum, I think he busted a rib! Go get him Kidd! 

Azrael recoils in pain on the top rope as Kidd gets to his feet, hitting a huge uppercut on a prone Goeren. Azrael nearly falls out of the ring as Kidd glares at him with absolute hatred, climbing to the second rope, wrapping his arms around Goeren’s waist and tossing him up and over with a picture perfect release suplex! 

Eryk Masters: Kidd scurrying over for the cover! I can’t believe it! 

ONE! 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

TWO! 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

Azrael kicks out and rolls over onto his stomach, clearly favoring his left side as he heaves violently into the apron. Kidd pounds his fists on the mat and yells at Referee Robinson who clearly took his time with that count. 

Eryk Masters: Seriously? You could have driven a truck between the gaps of those two counts! Mike Robinson should be ashamed of himself for this! 

Other Guy: He’s clearly rusty. Don’t worry, he’ll get it back. 

Eryk Masters: I really do hate you sometimes. 

Kidd, looking to continue his assault, leans back and connects with a hard kick to Goeren’s ribs. He then reaches down and grabs hold of Azrael’s arms, pulling them back and forcing Goeren’s head into the mat with a brutal curb stomp. The crowd absolutely loves all of this as the Hierarchy members at ringside exchange nervous glances. Not wasting any time, Kidd hauls Goeren to his feet and brings him to the corner of the ring. He picks Goeren up and sits him on the top rope so he’s facing out towards the crowd, only to yank him down by his hair into a tree of woe position. 

Other Guy: Kidd’s got Goeren all lined up…he’s taking aim from across the ring…here he comes! 

Eryk Masters: BASEBALL SLIDE RIGHT INTO GOEREN’S FACE! DID YOU HEAR THAT SOUND?! That, my friend, was a thing of beauty! 

Azrael slowly slumps to the mat as Kidd gets to his feet and stares down at his longtime rival in disgust. Not content with the punishment just yet, he pulls a dazed Goeren to his feet and yanks him up into a vertical suplex, swinging Goeren’s legs into the top rope for momentum and crashing him back down into the mat! 

Eryk Masters: Childe’s Play from Patrick Kidd! Here’s the cover! 

ONE! 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

TWO! 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

Before Referee Robinson can make his painfully exaggerated count to three, Kidd is pulled violently from the ring by T. Rex who starts swinging wildly at him. Kidd drops T. Rex with a short armed lariat before a steel chair cracks him upside the back of his head, courtesy of Arch Angel. Monsieur Baptiste leaves his timekeeper’s table and joins the fray as T. Rex gets to his feet and holds Kidd’s arms out to his side with his brother.  

Eryk Masters: If this were a legitimate match, with a legitimate referee, this would already be over. Kidd is trying to fight his way out of this but it’s a three-on-one mugging out there! 

Kidd tries to kick at Baptiste who takes a step back and lines up his shot. He takes the steel chair from Arch Angel and swings it like a golf club, connecting with Kidd’s surgically repaired knee! 

Eryk Masters: MY GOD! THESE LUNATICS REALLY ARE LOOKING TO CRIPPLE PATRICK KIDD! Kidd’s kneecap looked like it just exploded! 

Kidd writhes around in agony on the floor as the three Hierarchy members gang up, pouring punches and kicks down upon him. Kidd clutches his knee in pain as Azrael manages to get to his feet in the ring and calls for his associates to toss Kidd back to him. Baptiste and Anarchy do just that as Azrael sneers down at him, slapping him on the back of his head. He kneels down next to Kidd and pulls him back by his hair, screaming right in his face. 

Goeren: HE WAS NEVER YOURS! HE THINKS YOU’RE PATHETIC! PATHETIC! 

Eryk Masters: Goeren clearly talking about Kidd’s son…this is just…insane. 

Other Guy: You mean Goeren’s son. 

Eryk Masters: I meant what I said. Goeren has no right to raise a hamster, let alone a child. 

Azrael slams Kidd’s face down into the mat and calls for Baptiste to fish him out something from underneath the ring. Baptiste obliges and pulls out the first thing he can find, a heavy metal fire extinguisher. Azrael’s face lights up with glee as he grabs hold of it, raising it high above his head and eyeing Kidd’s damaged knee. 

Eryk Masters: NO! NO! NO! 

Before Azrael can swing it down, Kidd mule kicks up towards Goeren’s stomach with his good leg, slamming into the same spot that Goeren injured earlier in the match. Azrael groans in pain and drops to his knees, the fire extinguisher rolling into the corner as the fans erupt with a chorus of cheers. Kidd hobbles onto one leg and drives his good knee right into Azrael’s face, collapsing in a heap next to him. 

Other Guy: How in the world is he doing this?  

Eryk Masters: The spirit of wrestling lives on!  

Kidd reaches over and wraps his arm across Goeren’s face, driving his good knee directly into Goeren’s back and pulling him into a modified STF submission hold! Azrael screams out in pain, his injured ribs cracking from the pressure as he waves his hand frantically for help. Referee Robinson, to his credit, actually asks Azrael if he wants to submit. Azrael shakes his head no and lunges for the ropes, draping his hand across the bottom rope.  

Eryk Masters: Goeren should go back and read his rule book. No break of the hold in this type of match! Kidd is pulling back as hard as he can, he’s trying to tear Goeren in two! He’s…NO! Here comes The Hierarchy again! 

Swarming into the ring to save Azrael again are Baptiste and Anarchy, looking to break the hold. Instead, Kidd lets go early and meets T. Rex with his patented Gallow Drop backbreaker on his good knee, followed by perfectly hitting the Crimson Tide DDT! T. Rex collapses in a heap to the mat as Kidd ducks an incoming Arch Angel who wildly swings the steel chair from earlier at Kidd’s head. The chair instead ricochets off the top rope and smacks Arch Angel back in the face, sending him sprawling to the mat as well! 

Other Guy: I don’t believe it! Both members of Anarchy are down in less than ten seconds! 

Eryk Masters: Its Kidd and Baptiste now, exchanging a flurry of lefts and rights…Baptiste kicks at Kidd’s knee, going after that earlier injury. 

Kidd holds onto the ropes, trying to keep himself steady as Baptiste moves in for the kill. He grabs hold of Kidd’s leg, leaving Kidd hopping on his good leg… 

Eryk Masters: ENZIGURI! OUT OF NOWHERE! 

Other Guy: WHAT?! I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kidd pull that one off! 

Eryk Masters: Even after all of these years, he can still find a way to amaze us. Unbelievable! 

Monsieur Baptiste slumps to his knees, but Kidd is not done with him yet. He pulls him to his feet and positions him over the steel chair that Arch Angel dropped and slams him down onto it with another Crimson Tide double-armed DDT! The crowd absolutely explodes as Kidd gets back to his feet, all three of Goeren’s cronies taken out in one fell swoop. 

Eryk Masters: LOOK OUT! GOEREN IS BACK UP! 

In all of the chaos, Azrael managed to get back to his feet and charges Kidd from behind, ramming his shoulder into Kidd’s damaged knee with a disgusting chop block. Kidd crumples and clutches his knee in obvious pain as the cheers quickly turn to boos. Azrael smirks out at the hostile crowd before turning his attention to the fire extinguisher he brought in earlier. 

Eryk Masters: Goeren’s got that fire extinguisher again…this is too much, Kidd’s knee looks like it’s ripped apart already…no…NO! NO! 

With malice burning in him, Azrael literally THROWS the heavy metal fire extinguisher down on Kidd’s knee, causing a gut-churning sound of broken bone meeting dense metal. Kidd lets out a feral scream as Azrael dives for the cover. 

ONE! 

TWO! 

THR… 

Eryk Masters: KICK OUT! KICK OUT! MY GOD, PATRICK KIDD KICKED OUT! 

Other Guy: I can’t believe it! Kidd got his shoulders off the mat even with that ridiculously fast count! 

Eryk Masters: So you’re admitting it now? 

Other Guy: If anyone asks after this match, I’ll deny it. 

A look of complete bewilderment comes across Azrael’s face as he grabs hold of Referee Robinson’s shirt collar and pulls him into the corner, verbally berating him over the count. The referee looks just as shocked as Azrael, holding his hands up in dismay before Azrael turns his attention back towards Kidd. He grabs hold Kidd’s injured leg and violently kicks it before pulling both of his legs back and sitting down into the Officially Licensed Azrael Goeren Cloverleaf submission hold! 

Eryk Masters: Goeren with the cloverleaf! Goeren with the cloverleaf! He’s pulling on that injured knee as hard as he can, look at how he’s twisting it! 

Other Guy: This is over. Right here, this is over. Kidd’s got to give up. 

Azrael lets out a visceral scream and pulls back as hard as he can, looking like he’s going to bend Kidd in two. Kidd is in absolute agony as Referee Robinson asks if he wants to give up. Kidd shakes his head and screams no, only causing Goeren to sit down farther. 

Eryk Masters: Give it up Kidd! Just give it up! This can’t be worth it, he’s got to live to fight another day. 

Other Guy: These two guys absolutely detest each other though, Eryk. Always have, always will. Do you think Goeren would give a second thought to making Kidd use a wheel chair for the rest of his life? 

Azrael is practically seething at the mouth, screaming for Kidd to give up. Patrick Kidd shakes his head no again and slams it against the mat, trying to fight off the pain. Azrael, looking for the kill shot, is almost sitting directly on Kidd’s back now, his legs bent up and back in a horrifying position. 

Eryk Masters: The referee is right there and…and…NO! NO SUBMISSION! KIDD IS SHAKING IT OFF AND GOEREN CAN’T BELIEVE IT! 

Azrael brutally releases the hold by slamming Kidd’s legs back into the mat, kicking the ropes out of frustration. He grabs hold of Kidd’s hair again and pulls his head up from the mat, getting in his face one more. 

Goeren: WHY WON’T YOU STOP?! WHY?! WHY?! 

Kidd looks back at Goeren and spits directly in his face, causing Azrael to drive his head back into the mat. He wipes the spit off as Kidd slowly crawls to the ropes, trying to pull himself up. Goeren measures him up, runs against the opposite ropes and with a full head of steam looks to connect with a diving drop kick right to Kidd’s injured knee… 

Eryk Masters: HERE COMES GOEREN…WHOA! KIDD MOVED OUT OF THE WAY AND GOEREN GOES RIGHT THROUGH THE ROPES AND SPILLS TO THE FLOOR! KIDD IS STILL ALIVE IN THIS ONE! 

Goeren stumbles to his feet on the outside of the ring, trying to shake the cobwebs loose from his nasty fall. Fighting through the pain, Kidd slides underneath the bottom rope after him…the steel chair in hand. Goeren turns to face him and…CRACK…the chair across his face knocks Azrael flat on his back! Kidd tosses the chair down in disgust and lifts up the ring apron, seemingly looking for something in particular. 

Eryk Masters: What is Kidd going for now? Is that…? 

Other Guy: Duct tape? 

Using his mouth, Kidd tears off long strips of the duct tape and starts wrapping his fists with them, sticky side up. The crowd starts buzzing in anticipation as a chant starts echoing through the Epicenter, starting from the cheap seats all the way down to ringside. 

KIDD! 

KIDD! 

KIDD!  

Patrick leaves Azrael where he is, moving back towards the ramp slowly. He stops where he first jumped Goeren to start the match and looks down at the broken pieces of glass from the light tube…a smile suddenly stretching across his face. 

Eryk Masters: No…way… 

Other Guy: Too far! I don’t care what Goeren did, he doesn’t deserve this! 

Right on cue, Kidd kneels down and dips his fists in the broken pieces of glass, rolling them around on the arena floor to pick up as many shards as he can. He holds his fist up to the crowd which is going absolutely crazy before making his way back to Azrael. Goeren has managed to pull himself up to his knees, weakly swinging at nothing as the chair shot clearly knocked something loose. His eyes widen with terror as he spots Kidd making his way over to him, trying to get to his feet but collapsing due to the earlier chair shot. Kidd stands over him, waiting for Azrael to get back to his knees before he leans in close and yells right in Azrael’s face. 

Kidd: This is for MY son! 

With that, Kidd leans back and slams his fist right into Goeren’s head as sharp pieces of glass tears through Azrael’s face. Azrael falls to the arena floor, but Kidd isn’t finished with him yet. He pulls him back up to a kneeling position and hits him with another hard right, Azrael’s face streaming drown streaks of crimson. Azrael weakly starts waving towards the entrance ramp, looking like he’s dead weight in Kidd’s grip. 

Eryk Masters: Azrael looks like he’s calling for Baptiste and Anarchy again, but they haven’t moved since Kidd took them out earlier! Azrael is all alone and he’s…wait…oh God. Look! Look at the ramp! 

Other Guy: It’s Goeren’s bodyguard Gavrilovich Mikael Yurinov and is that…oh no…its Goeren’s son Mikey! 

Eryk Masters: You mean Kidd’s son! What a despicable act of cowardice on Goeren’s part! Bringing Kidd’s son down to the ring in a match like this, its inhuman! 

Azrael weakly looks up at Kidd with a bloodied smile as Kidd throws Goeren back into the ring. Kidd follows him but keeps his eyes fixated on his son as the massive Russian bodyguard holds his small hand, leading him down to ringside. Kidd looks down at his wrapped hands jutting out with glass and Goeren’s blood…before slowly removing the tape with a shake of his head. 

Other Guy: What’s he doing? All he had to do was keep hammering on Goeren with those makeshift weapons and even our biased ref here would have been forced to stop this one. 

Eryk Masters: Isn’t it obvious? He doesn’t want his son to watch him do those horrible things. He doesn’t want his son to turn out like…well…Goeren. 

Kidd strips the last piece of the duct tape away and moves back to Goeren, hooking him around his waist and slamming him back down to the mat with a very traditional belly to belly suplex. He glances over at his son who reaches out for him, only to have Yuri pull his hand back down at his side. Kidd pulls Goeren back up and wraps his arm around his head, using his momentum to nail a beautiful swinging DDT. 

Eryk Masters: Man, I know why he’s doing this but this is a very traditional moveset from Kidd. Goeren may be a depraved sociopath, but he’s tough as nails. Moves like that won’t keep him down. 

Other Guy: Looks like Kidd is going to put that to the test, here’s a cover! 

ONE! 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

TWO! 

Azrael easily kicks out, albeit with the extended count once more.  Azrael starts laughing while he’s prone on the mat as Kidd glance back at his son. He quietly says something to Lil Mikey that the cameras don’t pick up, but his son nods his head quickly and tries to fight back the tears. Kidd yanks Goeren to his feet and wraps an arm around his head once more, this time dropping down with an ace crusher that sends Goeren to the canvas again.  

Eryk Masters: Kidd is going for another cover, hoping that was enough to… 

Other Guy: WHAT IS YURI DOING OUT THERE?! 

Before Kidd can make the cover, he looks over to his son and sees that Yuri has wrapped his huge forearm across Lil Mikey’s throat. There is no pressure, but the image alone is enough to drive Kidd into a rage. He moves towards the ropes and screams for Yuri to let go of his son! 

Eryk Masters: Kidd is about ready to kill Yurinov and I cannot blame him one bit. Just the sight of that monster with his arm across that boy’s throat was absolutely disgusting to me! 

Other Guy: He didn’t do anything, Kidd is completely overreacting on this one. He needs to focus on…GOEREN! 

A hand pulls Kidd back towards the center of the ring, as Azrael is there to greet him. In one fluid motion, Azrael hits Kidd squarely with a double knee facebreaker and gets a huge "Ooooooooooo" reaction from the crowd. Goeren gets to his feet and motions for Kidd to get up. Kidd slowly moves, getting back to his knees… 

Eryk Masters: BLITZKRIEG! BLITZKRIEG! GOEREN NAILED IT! 

The buzzsaw sidekick hits Kidd right in the temple as Kidd collapses in the corner of the ring in a heap, his forehead busted open from the impact of the earlier facebreaker. Kidd lays in a bloody heap on the mat as Goeren looks around for another way to continue the punishment. He spots the steel chair from earlier and slides out of the ring to get it, proudly holding it up to the fans at ringside. 

Eryk Masters: This is the problem with these two men. This isn’t about wins or losses, this is something personal and neither man is satisfied until they absolutely break the other! 

Back in the ring, Kidd struggles to push himself up with his arms as Azrael methodically climbs the steps, taking his time to savor the position he’s in. 

Other Guy: Both of these guys move like they’ve just been through a train wreck, and to be honest they really have been. Look at the bodies strewn about the ring, it looks like a war zone! 

Kidd, amazingly, has turned over to face Goeren by resting his head against the bottom turnbuckle. Blood cascades down the faces of both men as Kidd waves Goeren on, looking like he’s ready for the next rush. Before anything can happen however, Lil Mikey manages to squirm free from the massive mitts of Yuri and runs up the ring steps! Yuri tries to grab his foot but he’s too slow as Mikey runs crying into the ring and lies over the body of his bloody fallen father. 

Eryk Masters: Mikey is in the ring, and he’s thrown himself onto Kidd trying to protect him from Azrael! This…this needs to stop now before this young boy gets caught in the crossfire! We need people from the back to get down here and stop this! 

Other Guy: Agreed! 

Azrael freezes in confusion, staring down at his son protecting his most hated enemy. Patrick weakly lifts one arm up and over Mikey’s back, holding him against him as he stares coldly back at Goeren. Azrael’s mood turns from confusion to anger as he screams for Mikey to move. When he receives no response, Azrael raises the chair higher and takes a step towards both of them, screaming yet again for his son to move. 

Eryk Masters: Referee Robinson is now in there, begging for Azrael to put down the chair! 

Goeren grabs hold of the ref’s shirt and screams right in his face. 

Goeren: CALL FOR THE GOD DAMNED BELL! CALL FOR THE BELL OR I SWEAR TO CHRIST I’M USING THIS CHAIR AGAIN! I DONT CARE IF HE’S THERE, I’LL DO IT! 

Referee Robinson turns to look at Kidd and Mikey in a moment of sympathy, but when he turns around Goeren steps past him and lifts the chair even higher. He turns and angles it away from his son, aiming it right at Kidd’s prone head. 

Eryk Masters: He’s going to do it! THAT PSYCHO IS GOING TO CRUSH KIDD’S SKULL IN WITH HIS OWN CHILD IN THE WAY! 

Patrick takes one last glance up at Goeren before mustering all of the energy that he has left and pulls Mikey up and over, rolling on top of him and exposing his back to Goeren while sheltering his son in the process. He then slowly reaches out with one arm and gently taps the mat three times. Referee Robinson can’t call for the bell any faster as Goeren simply smiles and drops the chair behind him. 

Samantha Coil hesitates for a moment before making the announcement. 

Samantha Coil: The winner of the match, via "submission"…AZRAEL GOEREN!  

Eryk Masters: He had to do it, he just had to. If Kidd didn’t give up there…oh man…I don’t want to even imagine what would have happened. 

Other Guy: Goeren wouldn’t really have done it, would he? 

Eryk Masters: You seriously have to ask? Azrael would have gone through his own flesh and blood just to make Patrick Kidd suffer. This man needs to be institutionalized, what a disgusting human being! 

The crowd boos loudly as Goeren reaches down and grabs Mikey’s arm and pulls him away from Kidd. Mikey screams as Goeren pulls him under the bottom rope and heads for the ramp. Yuri meanwhile has gathered the rest of the Hierarchy from ringside as the entire crew flank Goeren and make their way back up the ramp. Referee Robinson dejectedly follows them, trotting a few paces behind but not wanting to make eye contact with anyone.  

Patrick tries to crawl after Mikey, dragging himself to the ropes and trying to pull himself to his feet. He reaches up and grabs the middle rope before falling back to mat, his body betraying him. Goeren keeps a grip on Mikey’s arm as he wails and tries to pull away to go back to his father. Goeren screams back towards the ring, loud enough where everyone at ringside can hear him. 

Goeren:Stay where you are, Kidd! That court order states you can’t physically touch me outside of a match, and THIS match is now officially over. You lay one finger on me now and I will make sure you never see my son ever again! 

Goeren storms off and yanks Mikey behind him, the cameras catching Yuri and Referee Robinson sharing a look of disgust with one another. Kidd pulls himself across the mat, blood and tears streaming down his face. He rolls out of the ring to make his way after his son, but his injured knee buckles and he falls face first to the floor. Officials and medics rush down to attend to him, taking a few moments to try and brace him to walk on his own. Finding he can’t, Kidd throws his arms over the shoulders of two officials and is helped from ringside. 

Eryk Masters: A standing ovation from the SHOOT Project faithful as they just witnessed one of the most emotional matches in recent history. Patrick Kidd proved yet again why he’s considered the conscience of wrestling here tonight and we all saw what type of amazing man he truly is. 

The fans start another "Kidd" chant as the officials help him back up the ramp. Even as Kidd passes through the curtains, the chant still remains. 

KIDD! 

KIDD! 

KIDD!

As the Aston Martin rolls down the ramp and enters the parking area below the arena, it slows to safely avoid hitting anything. Finding a parking spot, it comes to a rest. Inside, Rob Belote shuts down the engine and turns and looks at the passenger. Husky but not fat, the 19 year old guy in the front seat looks excited but nervous. He straightens his bowtie and pulls down the front of his sweater vest, pulling the back in line with the collar of his white shirt.

Rob Belote: So, you nervous, Henry?

Henry: A little bit, but that’s normal, right? My mom said I would be, that it would be weird if I wasn’t.

Rob gives a nod and grins.

Rob Belote: That sounds like my sister… though I’m not so sure she was ever nervous for anything. Not that she ever showed anyone.

A laugh starts from Henry and then Rob laughs a couple times before unbuckling his seatbelt.

Rob: Let’s do this.

As Rob cracks open his door, his nephew follows suit. Once both doors are shut, Rob clicks a button on the keychain and the doors lock. Henry catches up to his uncle and the duo walk through the backstage area. Every ten steps, the teen glances over his shoulder, then scurries to keep up.

Rob: See anything interesting, Hank? I would’ve thought after all those LEGACY shows you got to come backstage to watch back in the day would’ve made you comfortable with all this.

Henry: Uh… yeah, I mean, it all seems pretty standard, I guess.

Glancing around as he walks, Rob shakes his head and agrees.

Rob: Yep, not too many different ways to run this part of things.

As they keep walking, Rob looks back and notices the look on Henry’s face.

Rob: You know no one’s going to attack you on your first day, right? I mean, I know there’s a lot of people who don’t like me, but I’m guessing most of the hard feelings aren’t that serious enough anymore where they’d hold it against you. At least, not until you do something to piss them off.

Henry’s eyes grow a little wider and he nods with a little smile forming.

Rob: I give it a three shows. Four, tops.

We see the streets of Las Vegas completely empty.  There is a low howl of wind as pieces of paper fly through the air.  The strains of “Shadow on the Sun” by Audioslave begins to play.  We focus quickly on a single man…3M.  He stands in the middle of the street, his trench coat whipping behind him in the wind. 

Once upon a time

I was of the mind

To lay your burden down 

We focus on his feet as flashes of Mirage winning the SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Championship are juxtaposed with flashes of X-Calibur scarring his face.  He begins his march down the street. 

And leave you where you stood

And you believed I could

You’d seen it done before 

We see him slowly pull the mask of 3M over his face as we see him standing over the body of Donovan King. 

I could read your thoughts

Tell you what you saw

And never say a word 

3M stuns the world as we catch the briefest of glimpses of him defeating King with the Kingbreaker. 

Now all that is gone

Over with and done

Never to return 

King is forced to listen as we can only see 3M telling the world of King’s son.  King’s head drops in shame. 

I can tell you why

People die alone 

3M marches past a fire as we see the sky darkening behind him.  The sky itself is licked by the flames as he marches. 

I can tell you I’m

A shadow on the sun 

We focus quickly on 3M’s face as the screen itself goes black for the briefest of moments. 

Staring at the loss

Looking for the cause

And never really sure 

Donovan King cradles the picture of his son, knowing it is the closest he’ll ever come to touching him. 

Nothing but a hole

To live without a soul

And nothing to be learned 

King’s head snaps up, his eyes locked on us.  His eyes are intense, the flames of his fury flashing through his pupils.  We zoom quickly to his eye and back to Las Vegas’  burning skyline. 

I can tell you why

People go insane

I can show you how

You could do the same 

As see the two Mirages holding King up as 3M tortures him. 

I can tell you why

The end will never come 

King standing with a sea of Mirages blocking him from getting his hands on 3M. 

I can tell you I’m

A shadow on the sun 

3M stops walking as he sees Donovan King standing on the other side of the empty street now.  The two of them stand still, glaring at one another.  Then…we finally hear words as they echo over Tom Morello’s guitar. 

3M:  You’re gonna have to destroy me… 

King clenches his fist and begins to march toward 3M. 

Donovan King:  You take my family…you take my life…you tear it all from me… 

His march picks up its pace. 

3M:  It’s the only way…even you can see that… 

Every drop of flame

Lights a candle in 

3M:  All you have left…is this moment… 

King breaks out into a dead sprint.   

Memory of the one

Who lives inside my skin 

3M slowly turns his back on King as King runs flat out at him. 

SHADOW ON THE SUN 

Donovan King:  All this…to make me the next OutKast? 

SHADOW ON THE SUN 

King reaches for the masked head of 3M. 

SHADOW ON THE SUN 

3M:  All this…to make you the next…Mirage. 

King rips the mask away to reveal…nothing.  King is alone.  The song dies down back to the opening now.  King stands there, looking down at the mask which looks right back up at him.  The music stops and all that is heard is the howling of the wind until we hear the ghostly echo…of 3M. 

3M:  We tend to save ourselves…though we never say why.  Some think it’s because we’re saving it for a day when we truly need it…but in reality, it doesn’t matter the excuse. 

King looks up to the camera…the words resonating through him. 

3M:  So I want you to know…I no longer know about tomorrow.  All I know…is today. 

He looks back down at the mask, his eyes hollowed with doubt. 

Mirage:  When we meet in that ring…I won’t be saving anything for tomorrow.  I’m going to go to a place I’ve never been…a place where there is no coming back from.  If you survive…you’ll know what to do… 

…You can never pin me, you can never make me submit, it will never be over if you do that.  No, Donovan…you’re going to have to destroy me. 

We end on the mask in his hands, glaring up with empty, evil eyes. 

Black.

Forsaken by destiny

Forsaken by my own mind

I must remove my skin

To see belief in your EYYYYYYYYYYES! 

The fans almost completely drown out Fear Factory’s “Resurrection” with boos as out from the back comes…3M. 

Eryk Masters:  I tell you what, OG, he might not have won many awards in his career, but Marcus Mirage…Mirage…3M…whatever you wanna call him…is without a doubt a foundation of hatred in professional wrestling. 

3M wears his 3M full body costume with his tribal patterned trench coat covering a vast majority of it from the masses, his shimmering mask pulled tight over his face.  He walks dead ahead, ignoring the fans who jeer him.  He stops at the entrance of the ringside area and stares in front of him, slowly turning his head left…and then slowly turning his head right.  After that, he begins his walk to the ring steps. 

Other Guy:  I don’t care who you are or what you think you know, Mirage has been the architect of so many world shattering and life changing moments in so many eras of professional wrestling, it’s no wonder The Hierarchy hired him to do their mercenary work against Donovan King. 

3M walks up the ring steps and enters the ring. 

Eryk Masters:  The fact of the matter is that 3M has long been heralded in certain circles and hated in others, so tonight he’s here to put all his cards on the table.  He’s flipped off The Hierarchy, flipped off the fans, flipped off SHOOT Project, and has given Donovan King the challenge of a lifetime: either destroy a legend…or suffer the consequences. 

3M does not stretch and he does not budge while the referee does his standard check for illegal weaponry, despite the match itself not having rules illegalizing such things.  “Resurrection” dies down and he slowly turns his head towards the entrance.  Already, the fans begin to cheer. 

There is silence.  The fans are buzzing…waiting…listening.  They continue to get louder and louder when suddenly…the lights go out.  The excitement builds higher and higher. 

Eryk Masters:  Wow…listen to these fans… 

Suddenly, a bell sounds, not unlike a church bell.  The fans cheer a bit until a second bell sounds, bringing the cheers even louder.  Finally, a third bell hits and gives way to a throbbing bass drum thumping again and again and again, over and over until all eyes go up to SHOOTTron where we see an out of focus fighter in the middle of a ring, a foe fallen at his feet.  The fans start cheering as “Victory” by Puff Daddy, Notorious B.I.G., and Busta Rhymes begins to play… 

Yo the sun don’t shine forever

But as long as we’re here then we might as well shine together

Better now than never, business before pleasure

P Diddy and the Fam, who you know do it better? 

We see out of focus images of a blurry fighter suplexing his opponent, then DDTing his opponent. 

Yeah, right, no matter what we air tight

So when you hear somethin’, make sure you hear it right

Don’t make an ass outta yourself by assumin’

Our music keeps you movin’, what are you provin’? 

The blurred fighter hits a super kick and the scene shifts to him lifting the weary opponent on his shoulders. 

You know that I’m two levels above you baby

Hug me baby, I’mma make you love me, baby

Talkin’ crazy ain’t gonna get you nothin’ but choked

An’ that jealousy is only gonna leave you broke 

The fighter whips his opponent into the ropes and nails him with an Arn Anderson-style spinebuster. 

So the only thing left now is God for these cats

An’ BIG, you know you too hard for the cats

I’mma win cuz I’m too smart for these cats

While they makin’ up fact, you rakin’ up plats 

The fighter hits a Dealbreaker, bringing the fans to cheer even louder.  The last line of “Victory” echoes in the Epicenter until we go back to the out of focus fighter standing above his fallen foe.  We look at his face and the camera shifts into focus…on Donovan King.  The fans pop BIG when the SHOOTTron goes black again and silence pervades again until… 

ALL OF THE LIGHTS

 

The fans continue to cheer as the trumpet sounds, bringing whoever isn’t standing to their feet. 

Turn up the lights in here, baby

Extra bright I want y’all to see this

Turn up the lights in here, baby

You know what I need

Want you to see everything

Want you to see ALL OF THE LIGHTS 

The arena EXPLODES in bright white light as DONOVAN KING appears, standing on the entrance ramp.  He stands there wearing a pair of white biker trunks, the Crown on the front with KING written on the back in his distinctive green.  He also wears a pair of matching white kneepads and white boots, “KING”  written down the outsides of the boots.  He also presumably has his matching elbow pads and his fists are taped in white tape.  He walks down to the ring with his matching white hoodie unzipped with the hood pulled off of his head.   He looks at the fans and removes it as he walks to the ring. 

Eryk Masters:  He’s doing his best to keep it all together but you can see it…you can just SEE it…Donovan King is SEETHING inside! 

Other Guy:  Mirage did everything he could to ruin King’s life for the better part of a year and now, it’s time for Donovan King’s vengeance! 

King stands there for a second before he runs at the ring and slides in head first, quickly getting to a kneeling position as he looks out to the sold out crowd.  He gets to his feet and stands in his corner as the referee comes over to check him out as well.  “All of the Lights” fades out. 

Other Guy:  Oh man oh man oh man oh man oh man… 

The referee looks at the Mirage and then back to King before he finally looks over to Samantha Coil. 

Samantha Coil:  The following contest is an I QUIT MATCH!  In this bout, the only way to secure a victory…is to FORCE your opponent to say the words I…QUIT! 

The fans pop big as we see 3M standing deathly still while it switches to King as he slowly rocks back and forth from one foot to the other. 

Samantha Coil:  Introducing first…from Chicago, Illinois…weighing in at 231 pounds…he is the Deceiver…he is the Zeitgeist…he is the Architect…he is…MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE!! 

The boos rain down HARD as 3M stands there, still just as deathly still as before. 

Samantha Coil:  And his opponent…from Charlotte, North Carolina…weighing in at 245 pounds…he is The Last Scion and the SHOOT Project 2011 HERO OF THE YEAR…DONOVAN…KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!!!  

The fans POP for King as he looks out to the sea of fans who, at long last, fully support him.  Dennis Heflin takes Samantha Coil’s microphone as she exits the ring.  He summons the two men to come closer. 

Dennis Heflin:  The both of you know the rules, correct?  No pinfall, no submission, no knock outs, just a good, old fashioned fight.  First one to announce they quit lose the match, understood? 

Mirage nods as he slowly removes his coat.  Heflin looks to King who also nods as he slowly removes a piece of cloth from the pocket of his hoodie.  King lifts the cloth up for all to see and the fans begin to cheer as they see what it is. 

Eryk Masters:  That’s the mask Mirage made King wear when he was abusing him all those weeks ago! 

Other Guy:  Mirage was sending King a message that King would become just like him…but it looks like Donovan King’s got other plans! 

King makes sure Mirage sees the tattered mask before he takes a few steps back and THROWS it into the crowd.  The fans claw at one another to get to the tattered mask, and the camera goes back to King, who removes his hoodie and slides it from the ring.  Mirage inhales deeply and finally takes a few steps back himself as Dennis Heflin calls for the bell! 

Other Guy:  And the match is ON! 

Dennis Heflin quickly tucks the microphone into his pants pocket as Donovan King wastes no time SPRINTING across the ring at 3M!  King almost catches 3M unawares and SPLASHES him into the corner!  The fans are eating it up as 3M gets dazed, King balling up both fists and WAILING on 3M’s head!  3M tries to block, but King slaps the hands away and punches him in the face AGAIN.  3M gets rocked back and King headbutts him HARD, forehead to forehead and 3M slumps down to the mat, clutching his masked head. 

Eryk Masters:  OG, three words my friend! 

Other Guy:  CASA…EN…FUEGO! 

The fans are eating it up as King picks 3M up and whips him against the ropes.  3M ducks a clothesline attempt and comes back with a HARD elbow to send King rocking backwards.  King wastes little time, however, and immediately hits 3M with an elbow right back!  But before 3M can stagger away, King grabs him by his costume and pulls him right back in and NAILS a Dealbreaker! 

Eryk Masters:  WHAT?!  Donovan King is wasting NO time! 

3M is half out on the mat, cradling his head.  King, meanwhile, slides from the ring and begins looking underneath for weaponry.  He slowly pulls out from underneath the ring with a look of grim determination…a length of steel chain.  The fans POP as he SLAMS the chain against the ring steps, their CLANG echoing throughout the arena.  He walks up those ring steps and looms over 3M’s slowly waking body, the fans going wild for his intended carnage. 

Other Guy:  These fans want 3M’s blood tonight, and I think King is going to give it to them! 

King begins to swing the chain around at his side as he paces around 3M’s prone form.  3M slowly rolls over onto his back and King BRINGS THE CHAIN DOWN ONTO 3M’S STOMACH!  3M instantly cradles himself from the pain as King lets 3M roll to his side…and DOES IT AGAIN.  King lets him roll to his stomach and King wraps the chain around 3M’s…face…and sprawls over his back to perform a camel clutch WITH the chain around 3M’s face! 

Eryk Masters:  Good…GOD. 

Dennis Heflin:  Do you want to ask him? 

Donovan King:  NO. 

3M calls out in pain as King continues to tighten the chain around 3M’s head, squeezing with all of his might until he sees 3M’s hands begin to shake from the pain.  King releases the chain and unravels it from 3M’s head.  3M immediately cradles his head, breathing heavily.  King picks the chain up and walks around the ring, staring at all of the ravenous and excited fans.  He drops the chain in the ring and walks over to 3M, picking him up.  He slaps 3M HARD in the face and THROWS 3M OVER the top rope! 

Eryk Masters:  Donovan King in almost complete control thus far.  I can’t imagine what 3M’s body…or even his head is gonna look like underneath all that costume of his. 

Other Guy:  Donovan King has been waiting to get his hands on 3M proper for months now…it only stands to reason that he’s gonna want this to end on his terms and his terms only! 

King glares down at 3M, who is struggling to get back to his feet.  He exits the ring and picks 3M up…and 3M NAILS him with a low blow!  King grimaces in pain as 3M slinks away to tend to his wounds and buy himself some time.  The fans boo as 3M grabs the guardrail in front of the announcer’s table to pull himself up to his feet.  He looks at King and then to the announcers. 

Eryk Masters:  Um…what is he doing? 

3M scales over the guardrail and stares at the two of them.  Then, he points to Other Guy. 

3m:  Give me your belt. 

Other Guy:  I don’t have a belt! 

Eryk Masters:  You don’t have a belt?  Why aren’t you wearing a belt?! 

3M slowly turns his head to Eryk. 

Eryk Masters:  Oh come on… 

Masters gets up and unbuckles his belt.  Before he can remove it, 3M does it for him, whipping it away from Masters.  He turns and limps away from them, scaling back over the guardrail and walking towards King, who is now up to one knee.  3M looks down at King and cocks his head to the side, clutching King by his cheeks so the two of them can look eye to eye.  He shakes his head, almost disappointingly and quickly boots King back down to the ground!  He takes Masters belt, wraps it up in his hands…and WHIPS King’s back, a welt immediately forming! 

Eryk Masters:  That…man…that’s a Gucci belt! 

Other Guy:  You wear Gucci?  Fag. 

3M:  Son…you’ve been…a REAL disappointment… 

He kicks King upside his head. 

3M:  A truly…sickeningly…disappointment. 

He quickly wraps the belt around King’s throat and loops it around his hand and he begins…to DRAG King around the ringside area.  The fans boo HARD as 3M motions to Dennis Heflin to follow along behind and ask King if he quits. 

Dennis Heflin:  King!  King!  Do you quit?  DO YOU QUIT?! 

King gags, trying to respond, and 3M makes a motion with his free hand that he realizes King cannot actually talk.  He loosens the belt and motions to Heflin to ask him again. 

Dennis Heflin:  Donovan King, do…you quit? 

King, breathing heavily, says nothing.  He merely shakes his head no.  3M immediately tightens his grip on the belt and starts to drag him again, but King has a hold of the belt and rolls to his stomach, picking himself up to alleviate the choking.  King quickly yanks back on the belt and 3M loses the tug of war, the belt flying from his hands!  The fans cheer as King unravels the belt quickly and 3M looks around the ringside area for something…anything.  King pulls himself up to stand and the two of them look at one another for a very long moment.  Then, 3M leaps over the guardrail into the fans and King gives chase! 

Eryk Masters:  Donovan King has evened the odds once again and 3M doesn’t like that at all! 

Other Guy:  He left your belt…do you want me to go get your belt and matching handbag? 

Eryk Masters:  Shut up!  And no…I’m fine. 

3M rushes up the steps, tripping and falling over himself as King gives chase.  3M yanks a fan from his aisle seat and hurls him at King, King stopping the fan from tumbling down the steps.  King looks up and sees 3M running to the concession area.  He shakes his head and runs after him.  He steps out to the concession area and sees nothing but some fans buying shirts and food. 

Fan 1:  Hey, that’s Donovan King! 

Fan 2:  Holy shit! 

Suddenly, King gets swarmed by fans who recognize who he is.  He looks around and over their heads, trying to see if he sees 3M anywhere.  He tries to wade through the sea of fans who have abandoned their snacks and beer and shirts until he gets a look at the merchandise table.  He looks around slowly, trying to see any sign of where his foe has gone.  King makes it to the merchandise table and sees the actual merchant standing very still.  King stares at her as her eyes go wide, looking at him.  He says nothing as papers are put in his face to sign.  He notices her looking down as he shoves a fan back right as 3M tips the table over, having hidden underneath!  King staggers away from the table. 

Donovan King:  GET BACK! 

He turns in time to see 3M’s fist careening with his face.  It rocks him and he steps back as the fans start to separate to allow the fight room to continue.  3M rushes at King and drags him back over to the merchandise table and HURLS him over the table into the boxes of shirts and programs.  Fans are scrambling to loot the goods as 3M steps into the booth area and glares the sales clerk down until she scurries away. 

3M:  This…is your offense, boy? 

He kicks King in the midsection. 

3M:  Where is your fighting spirit? 

He kicks him again. 

3M:  Your passion? 

He grabs King by the face and points to the fans. 

3M:  They gave you an award for being a hero.  Here…now…one way or another…that dies…TONIGHT. 

He picks King up and SLAMS his head into the merchandise table before he throws him into it yet again.  3M stalks his prey as he takes a look around him for more makeshift weapons.  3M walks over to the concession stand and continues his hunt.  Meanwhile, King slowly rolls to his stomach as fans start circling around him.  Some pat him to touch him, some still wave papers at him to autograph, but an alarming amount of them…pick him up from the ground.  His head rocks back and forth as they get him to his feet.  3M turns as he hears the fans and their cheers growing.  He turns and sees King, who is out on his feet, being supported quite literally by the fans who stand behind him. 

3M:  Oh…how poetic. 

3M marches over to King, who shakes off the attacks from before just enough to strike 3M first!  3M is rocked as King hits him again!  3M tries to rally, but King hits him again!  And again!  And again!  King feels the adrenaline kicking him and he picks 3M up, looking him face to masked face. 

Donovan King:  Do you…even know…who you are? 

He drags 3M around over to a door marked “Employees Only”.  He SLAMS 3M into it, 3M landing in a stairwell.  King marches through the door and turns to lock it behind him.  He looks down at 3M, who takes the time to notice that his costume has been torn.  3M shakes his head as King stands over him. 

Donovan King:  You’re a man. 

He grabs 3M by the throat and punches him in the face. 

Donovan King:  You’re not a monster. 

He punches him again. 

Donovan King:  You’re not a weapon. 

He picks 3M up and holds him by his costume. 

Donovan King:  You…are…a…MAN. 

With that…King THROWS 3M down the stairs!  3M does his best to roll down and avoid serious injury, but he lands at the bottom with a THUD and a crack.  King stands at the top of the stairs and inhales deeply. 

Donovan King:  And a man…can be beaten. 

King walks down the steps of the stairs as 3M starts to…laugh?  3M looks up at King, his mask slightly torn, revealing part of his mouth. 

3M:  Come on, then…finish it. 

3M holds his arms out. 

3M:  FINISH IT! 

King picks 3M up and throws him through another door!  King lets 3M roll to the ground and out into a hall way.  He sees people running around, trying to get out of the way as the two Soldiers continue their battle.  Behind King comes Dennis Heflin, who is clearly out of breath.  3M picks himself up against a table and sees a cart with folding chairs stacked on top of it.  King marches after 3M, but 3M trips him up by spilling folding chairs in front of him!  King scurries over the chairs and gets NAILED in the face with a HARD chair shot! 

Eryk Masters:  These two are going all over the Epicenter tonight! 

Other Guy:  I can’t believe it, now they’re near the locker room area! 

Blood trickles from King’s busted lip and nose as 3M throws the chair down on the ground.  He looks around and sees a table set up with snacks for production staff set up.  He limps over and picks King up, dragging him over to the table.  He SLAMS King’s head into the table and throws everything off of the table that he can.  3M picks King up and hoists King up HIGH…AND NAILS A SPINEBUSTER THROUGH THE TABLE!  3M cries out in sheer AGONY as he cradles his rib cage area. 

Other Guy:  King just went THROUGH a table, but 3M is looking like that tumble down the stairs might have broken a rib or something. 

3M looks over at King, who is trying his best to come to, and picks himself up, one arm hugging himself.  He leans against a nearby wall, breathing extremely heavily, trying to see what he can do next. 

Eryk Masters:  3M looks to be in an enormous amount of pain right now, because he is not rushing to find a way to do King further harm. 

King starts to roll himself away from the broken table as 3M notices the box of light tubes left over from the insane Patrick Kidd/Azrael Goeren match.  He limps, nearly dragging one foot, over to the box and starts to pull one out.  He chuckles and looks at King as King starts to get to his stomach.  King puts his hands under him and starts to push up as 3M aims for King’s head with the light tube.  He cocks back as if he were golfing and goes for the swing…BUT KING CATCHES IT!  The fans in the arena watching on the SHOOTTron pop as King looks at 3M, his brow furrowed in pure rage, blood coming out of his nose and mouth now, dripping on the ground.  He quickly yanks the tube away and gets to his feet. 

Eryk Masters:  YES!  GET HIM! 

3M turns to grab another light tube, but King SHATTERS the tube over the back of 3M’s head!  3M stumbles forward and King grabs him and DROPS him onto the hard concrete floor with a Side Russian Leg Sweep!  King rolls away and rolls through the dust from the tube, pulling himself to one knee.  He grabs the box and empties them out onto the floor.  He picks himself up and picks 3M up, 3M apparently in enough pain he can’t guard against King’s offense.  King picks 3M up and looks him in the face, clutching 3M by his lower jaw. 

Donovan King:  Take…a…look. 

King points to the light tubes. 

Donovan King:  You…do…NOT…fuck…with…ME. 

He quickly yanks 3M around and BULLDOGS 3M FACE FIRST INTO THE TUBES.  King shouts out in pain as he clearly has glass in his back from catching some of the light tubes.  3M, meanwhile, can only call out in pain as well as he has a mask full of glass.  Blood starts to come from the mask now as he tries to pull himself away from the carnage. 

Eryk Masters:  GOOD LORD! 

Other Guy:  Donovan King is sending a SOLID message to 3M…The Hierarchy…hell, the WHOLE ROSTER!! 

King grimaces, gritting his teeth as he pulls himself up.  He sees 3M pulling himself into a seated position, the mask torn and tattered now, revealing one of 3M’s eyes and almost his entire lower jaw.  King stands up and slowly picks 3M up yet again. 

Donovan King:  Don’t…want you…quittin’…yet… 

King drags 3M through the hall way until he gets to the production table the producers and road agents are gathered around near the entrance to the arena.  King looks at the table and then looks at 3M for a moment, deciding against it.  He continues on until 3M shoves him forward!  King turns around and 3M charges him and catches him with a shoulder block, RAMMING him into the side of the table!  King has his breath torn from his lungs as 3M drops to one knee in front of him, spitting blood onto the floor.  3M grabs a iPad from one of the producers…AND NAILS King in the head with it!  King falls to the floor in a heap as 3M, one handed, KEEPS ON SLAMMING THE IPAD INTO KING’S HEAD.  3M throws the near shattered iPad away as the side of King’s head and face begins to swell.  3M looks at Dennis Heflin. 

3M:  Ask him. 

Dennis Heflin:  What?  He’s out! 

3M grabs the microphone from referee Dennis Heflin. 

3M:  WAKE UP, DONOVAN. 

He NAILS King in the head with the microphone, King’s blood now staining the microphone. 

3M:  SAY IT! 

He NAILS him again. 

3M:  SAY IT, GOD DAMN IT, SAY IT!!!!!! 

He throws the microphone down on the ground and starts punching King in the head as hard as he can with his one free hand.  He gets off of King and slides over to the microphone. 

3M:  YOU…FOOLISH…BOY. 

3M wipes his mouth of his blood. 

3M:  You…can’t…beat me, boy!  You CAN’T!  Just like you couldn’t beat Trey Willet!  Just like you couldn’t beat Thomas Manchester Black!  Give…UP! 

King is still out from the iPad attack. 

Eryk Masters:  I’m beginning to think we need to get some EMTs over there to check on Donovan King. 

3M picks himself the rest of the way up and holds his ribs with one arm and the microphone with the other. 

3M:  Just like I thought. 

He shakes his head as an EMT rushes to King’s side. 

3M:  See this, SHOOT?  This?  THIS?!  THIS is your Hero of the Year?!  WHO IS HE?! 

3M laughs as he steps over King’s body and walks up the steps to the entrance. 

3M:  So…sorry to have to tell you this, SHOOT Project…but I’m…more…than a man.  More than a man, more than an architect, I…AM…MORE. 

The fans see him as he walks out to the entrance stage, the fans booing HARD as he stands there, completely torn up and bloodied. 

3M:  And THIS… 

He points to his mask. 

3M:  THIS…IS…MY…LEGACY.  THIS is what I leave to ALL of you!  Do you SEE it?!  DO YOU SEE IT?! 

We go back to the production area where we see where King…was? 

3M:  I wanted…I really and truly wanted…Donovan King to be the man capable of beating me…of…FINALLY…destroying me.  But…as it turns out…like so many of your heroes and so many who have come close to my shadow before…he was…a disappointment. 

The fans ERUPT into cheers as KING APPEARS LIMPING BEHIND 3M!  3M turns and sees King, his one uncovered eye growing wide as King yanks the microphone from his grasp. 

Donovan King:  Hey…Mark… 

He takes a step away from 3M. 

Donovan King:  …it sounds…like you…need…a…REALITY CHECK!! 

King SNAPS off A REALITY CHECK SUPER KICK TO 3M, SENDING HIM OVER THE STAGE AND DOWN TO THE LIGHTS BELOW! 

Eryk Masters:  OH MY GOD!!  OH MY GOD!!!  OH MY GOD!!! 

Dennis Heflin appears behind King who pops his jaw as he looks down at the once illuminated area turned dark from 3M’s fall.  King slowly hands the microphone to Heflin and walks down the ramp gingerly. 

HOE-LEE-SHIT

HOE-LEE-SHIT

HOE-LEE-SHIT

HOE-LEE-SHIT 

Other Guy:  Did he…did he kill him?! 

Eryk Masters:  King looks to be in an intense amount of pain right now…hitting the move made famous by The Real Deal is NOT gonna do him any favors…but…3M…I just don’t know…did he kill him? 

King drops off the side of the ramp and continues his walk over to where 3M fell.  He in unmoving.  King feels the shards of broken glass under his feet as he walks to him.  He bends down and picks up a long enough shard and holds it up, examining it. 

Other Guy:  Hold up…what is he gonna do with that sharp ass piece of glass? 

King grabs the costume of 3M and STABS the shard in…and begins to CUT.  He cuts a hole into the fabric, being careful not to slash into 3M himself.  He grabs the costume and RIPS it the rest of the way, leaving only the bottom half on 3M’s legs, the mask, and exposing 3M’s chest and part of his arms.  He reaches up and grabs the mask of 3M.  He picks him up to a seated position and TEARS the mask from 3M’s head! 

Eryk Masters:  Oh…WOW.  Look at his…face! 

The camera gets a good look at the nearly bludgeoned face of Mirage.  The scars from the attacks by X-Calibur, the bruised and bloodied attacks from this match, are all visible.  King picks Mirage up and throws him back down to the ground, Mirage barely starting to move.  The EMT who had taken care of King before rushes to Mirage’s side, but King ignores him, opting instead to pick Mirage up and throwing him onto the entrance ramp.  He rolls onto the ramp with Mirage now, picking himself up off of the ground yet again.  He stares down at Mirage as he still clutches the bloodied and nearly destroyed mask of 3M.  King motions for Heflin to hand him the microphone. 

Donovan King:  Wake up. 

King lightly taps the side of Mirage’s head. 

Donovan King:  Wake up, Mark! 

Mirage’s eyes flutter open as he sees King standing over him.  King holds the mask so that Mirage can see it. 

Donovan King:  See…this?  See this here mask? 

King throws it into the audience. 

Donovan King:  It’s THEIRS. 

The fans POP. 

Donovan King:  Who you ARE…WHAT…you ARE…is THEIRS. 

The fans continue to cheer as Mirage looks at the audience now, starting to finally come to. 

Donovan King:  Without them?  You’re…Mark Mirra…from Chicago. 

Mirage winces as he starts sliding away from King. 

Donovan King:  You want me to walk away?  You want…me to be a disappointment?  You…want me to…tell THEM… 

King points to the fans as he stalks behind Mirage, who is still dragging himself down the ramp. 

Donovan King:  …that I’m willin’ to walk AWAY from a fight?  To walk OUT on a match against a guy who…just wanted…to make an impact in his career?! 

King stops as Mirage bumps against the ring itself. 

Donovan King:  It’s time…you faced your worst nightmare, Mark Mirra from Chicago. 

King stands there, lording over the bloody Mirage. 

Donovan King:  It’s time…you faced…life without…this. 

King points out to the fans. 

Donovan King:  Go…home.  Go home to your family.  Go home to your…safe…an’ sound…family.  I’m willin’…to give you that. 

Mirage grits his teeth as he pulls himself up, trying to claw his way back into the ring, but he slips…and he falls down to a seated position again.  He looks out at the cheering fans, his eyes slowly glossing over. 

Donovan King:  No more…games.  No more…armies.  Just…Donovan King…and…Mark Mirra. 

King kneels so that he is bloody face to bloody face…black eye to black eye. 

Donovan King:  Let…go. 

Mirage looks him in the eyes as King slowly tilts the microphone in his direction.  Mirage reaches up and grasps it from King, obviously in pain. 

Mirage:  You…you’re…going to stop…them? 

King nods. 

Mirage:  God… 

Mirage leans his head back, looking up at the ring he can’t pull himself into and inhales deeply. 

Mirage:  I…quit. 

The last word escapes his mouth like a whisper as he exhales a death rattle.  The word hisses out as his shoulder slump and his head drops.  He closes his eyes as Dennis Heflin calls for the bell and the fans ERUPT!! 

Samantha Coil:  LADIES AND GENTLEMEN…YOUR WINNER…DONOVAN…KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!! 

The fans are cheering, the announcers are cheering, and King stays still as he looks at Mirage’s still form.  EMTs rush out to tend to both men, but King shrugs them off, opting to still watch as they see to Mirage.  “All of the Lights”  kicks up. 

Eryk Masters:  WOW!  He did it!  My God…Donovan King DID IT!  He made 3M…I’m sorry…MIRAGE…quit! 

Other Guy:  He stopped the unstoppable!  He destroyed 3M! 

A stretcher is brought out for Mirage as the EMTs lay him out.  King continues to say nothing and do nothing, only watching as Mirage slowly tilts his head over and the two men lock eyes one final time.  Mirage can only smile slightly at his foe.  King simply nods his head before they strap Mirage to the stretcher and start walking him up the ramp.  King stands there and watches until their eye contact is finally…broken.  He shakes Dennis Heflin’s hand as he starts to walk behind the EMTs.  He turns his head and looks at the fans over his shoulder as they cheer him. 

Eryk Masters:  Time will tell what this must all mean for Marcus Mirage…but for Donovan King…this war is over! 

King slowly turns his head back and limps to the backstage area.  A new war…is just beginning.

The camera cuts to the backstage area, Dan Stein and Molly his Assistant walking arm in arm, talking back and forth to each other with smiles on their faces – totally ignoring the roadies in the hall as they try to get Stein’s attention. The audio fades in just as Dan is finishing his story.

Dan Stein: …and that was the FIRST time I won the Iron Fist Championship.

Stein laughs, grabbing Molly’s arm as he throws his head back.

Suddenly, Stein stops in his tracks, mouth opening wide. His chest protrudes, arching up toward the ceiling. Molly squirms her arm free, throwing herself against the wall away from Stein, who stands on the top of his tippy-toes, mouth still agape for what seems like minutes. Stein collapses against the nearest production box, looking around confused. Molly rushes to him, grabbing him to see if he’s okay.

Molly the Assistant: What the hell was that?!

She asks with worried confusion. Stein looks around, then to her.

Dan Stein: I… I don’t know… but I have the strangest desire to put on a suit vest and smoke a cigar.

Stein looks around, down the hall and at Molly.

Dan Stein: Let’s get out of here. This place is creeping me out.

Samantha Coil: Ladies and gentlemen… the following contest is schedule for one fall… and it is for the SHOOT Project World… Heavyweight… Championship!!

Eryk Masters: This is it, ladies and gentlemen.  Our main event of Reckoning Day.  For those of you watching at home, I can only wish that one day you can experience what we are here live.

Other Guy: Couldn’t have said it any better myself, Eryk.  As I sit here right now and listen to these fans… man.  There’s nothing else like it.  NOTHING

Eryk Masters: The intensity is palpable.

Other Guy: The LONGING to see Trey Willett get his hands on X-Calibur with the SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Championship hanging in the balance… is real.  VERY real.

Eryk Masters: If you haven’t already, folks.  Make sure you set your DVRs, because I have a feeling you’re about to witness a classic!

Other Guy: Crap.  Doesn’t “Luck” premier tonight?!

Eryk Masters: I’m not sure… why?

Other Guy: Dammit.  I think forgot to record this show.

Eryk Masters: …

CARRY ON MY WAYWARD SON

The arena lights cut off.  A single spotlight is aimed at the entrance ramp.  The crowd erupts in applause awaiting the arrival of the challenger.  The Wayward Warrior.  Their hero, Trey Willett.

THERE’LL BE PEACE WHEN YOU ARE DONE

The ovation continues, even though there is no sign of Trey from the ramp.

LAY YOUR WEARY HEAD TO REST

DON’T YOU CRY NO MORE…

The crowd awaits the opening riff to “Carry on Wayward Son” but nothing comes.  They sit in anticipation for what seems like an eternity.  In reality, the silence has gone on for little more than thirty seconds.  Trey emerges from the curtain, head held high, his arms folded in front of him.  He seems to be taking everything in as the crowd erupts at his entrance.  

Simultaneously, a purple mist of pyro showers over Trey, and the opening riff to his theme music kicks over the speakers of the SHOOT Epicenter.  He raises his hands as the fans erupt once more.  He makes his way down the ramp, shaking hands with as many fans as possible before sliding into the ring and immediately climbing the nearest turnbuckle.  

He raises a fist in the air and smiles as the fans continue to shower him with praise.  He jumps down from the turnbuckle as the lights come back up on the house. 

Static.

A familiar electrical whirring.

Lights out.

Momentary high-pitched laughter transcends into an intense screaming.

The SHOOTron turns to an all white background while a reddish fluid oozes down the screen forming the familiar percentages we’ve all come to know and hate.

13%.

24%.

35%.

46%

57%.

68%.

79%.

88%.

96%.

100%.

TR0LL1N_U.LOL

“Change(in the house of flies)” DUBSTEP Remix Feat. CLAW by the Deftones explodes onto the house speakers and X-Calibur emerges from the back on a… throne?  

“I’ve watched you change…”

…Into a fly.”

Yuri, T. Rex, Arch Angel, and Bryan Harris all lift a corner of the platform and awkwardly carry it down the ramp-way, with X-Calibur sitting sideways, feet draped over golden arm rest, and a ceremonial head mask complete with slightly tilted, shimmering King’s crown. 

“I looked away…”

…You were on fire.”

The audience boos them all as they make their way down the ramp.  Sitting in X-Calibur’s lap is his customized SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Championship. 

“I watched a change…”

…In you.”

Eryk Masters: Now I’ve seen everything.

Other Guy: Odd.  For some reason I expected him to come out on an endangered Black Rhino.

Eryk Masters: Well, I wonder what that mask and crown are made out of?

Other Guy: Good point.

“It’s like you never…

…Had wings.”

As they finally make their way to the ring, each of them kneel as they place the edge of the platform on the edge of the ring apron, creating a makeshift raised ramp for their Hierarchy leader.  X-Calibur stands up from the throne, and removes the ceremonial mask and crown… to reveal red and black face paint covering his entire mug.  

“Now you feel…

…So Alive."

Eryk Masters: Holy hell.  As if this bastard wasn’t evil enough!

Removing the King’s cape from his back, X-Calibur reveals a pair of red and black wrestling pants that correspond with his war paint.  Suddenly, he waves about a “scepter” to the crowd.  Uncorking the top, he dumps a curious looking “dust” onto the front row.

Eryk Masters: What the hell is THAT?!

Other Guy: My money is on anthrax.

Eryk Masters: I was thinking the ashes of little babies, but that works too.

Other Guy: Definitely could be baby dust, for sure.

“I look at the cross…”

“…Then I look away.”

Making his way into the ring from the raised platform being carried by his fellow Hierarchy members, the Redeemer smiles as he looks into the ring at Samantha. 

“Give you the gun…”

…Blow me away.”

Stepping between the ropes, X-Calibur raises the SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Championship high above his head for the world to see. 

As his music cuts off and the “throne” is carried back by three of the four Hierarchy members that brought it down, Trey Willett and X-Calibur walk to the center of the ring with Tony Lorenzo standing between them.

Samantha Coil: Ladies and gentlemen, introducing first, he is the CHALLENGER…from Staten Island, New York, weighing in at 191lbs… he is SHOOT Project’s Wayward Son… he is…TREEEEEEY WIIIIIIIILLETTTTTT! 

The crowd pops HARD at this, as Trey Willett raises his hands for the Las Vegas crowd.  Chants of, “LET’S GO TREY!  LET’S GO TREY!” pierce the night air.

Samantha Coil: Annnd introducing second, he is the SHOOT Project WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION…from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, weighing in at 247lbslbs… he is The REDEEMER of the SHOOT Project… he is…the 2011 WRESTLER OF THE YEAR… he is… X-CAAAAAAAAAAALIBUUUUUUUUUUR!!!!

With the championship draped over his shoulder, X drops to one knee in his “WOTYing” pose, and embraces the venom that the Epicenter throws at him.

Eryk Masters: Of course he’s going to “Tebow”.  Ugh.  Is there anything this man does that ISN‘T disgusting?!

Other Guy: Well, I like Tim Tebow so…

Tony Lorenzo holds X-Calibur’s SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Championship high in the air.

Trey looks to his right in appreciation of the fans. 

X-Calibur looks to his left at them in utter disdain.

Finally, their eyes meet in the center of the ring, and Tony Lorenzo motions for them to back up into their respective corners.

Trey makes a “belt motion” around his waist.

X-Calibur “digs a grave” with a phantom shovel.

The bell sounds.

The crowd roars.

Eryk Masters: Here we go!  World Heavyweight Title!

Other Guy: Not a single solitary soul is sitting right now.  THIS is what the SHOOT Project is all ab-

Bryan Harris: HOWDY FELLAS!

Other Guy: -out.  Hi.

Eryk Masters: Just when I thought we were going to have a Harris-free broadcast…

Bryan Harris: Sorry to poop in your cheerios Eryk, but the Hierarchy and all our wonderful fans need me!

X-Calibur and Trey Willett charge towards the center of the ring.  Hard lefts from X.  Lightning quick rights from Trey.  Finally, Trey is rocked back as X-Calibur winds up for a clothesline.  Trey ducks.  X spins around.  Spinning heel kick from Trey connects across X’s face, sending him to the canvas with dizzying speed!

The audience LOSES IT as Trey screams, “WHAT, BITCH, WHAT?!”, to X-Calibur, who simply sits on his ass, dumbfounded, looking up at Trey.

Eryk Masters: Point… Trey!

Bryan Harris: Now we’re handing out points?!  What is this, the NCAA?!

Other Guy: I’m a little surprised… nay… a LOT surprised that Trey was able to win the first close-quarters exchange in this match.  With X being decidedly stronger and bigger, I expected X to swat him like a fly!

Looking out at the crowd, X smiles while on his knees.  Trey motions for the Champion to get up and retreats into a corner, giving him ample enough room to get up.  X promptly obliges the challenger.  Making his way to the center of the ring again, both men waste zero time flaring their tempers.  X delivers a HARD shove to Trey.  Trey reciprocates this with a deafening SLAP.  X goes one step further by reaching down to the recesses of his lungs and HACKS up a nasty wad of phlegm right into Trey’s unsuspecting face!

Eryk Masters: Ewww…

A FURIOUS Trey unleashes a flurry of punches and kicks that forces X to cover-up in the turnbuckles.  

Other Guy: With all the cigarettes, booze, and… bodily fluids… this man puts in his mouth on a daily basis, God knows what kind of diseases Trey just contracted!

Bryan Harris: Rest assured, Mr. Van Warren has regular check-ups, OG.

Stepping to the second turnbuckle, Trey looks down at X, screaming at him with his fists clenched.  Head SHOOT Project official Tony Lorenzo steps in between Trey and X and begins counting to five.  At four, Trey frustratingly hops back down and backpedals to the center of the ring.  A smirking X-Calibur simply flips Trey off and rolls to the outside to a loud chorus of boos.

Bryan Harris: What a clown Tony is… he should have disqualified him at one!!

Eryk Masters: Technically?  He doesn’t have to disqualify ANYBODY in the Reckoning Day main event… but he still needs to maintain order somehow.  Trey Willett needs to remember that or he could very well fall into one of X’s many traps.

Other Guy: Yeah.  I… don’t see Lorenzo disqualifying Trey for getting pissed that X SPIT IN HIS FACE, B-HAIR.

After taunting a couple of people in the front row, X finally rolls back in.  Without warning, Trey rushes forward, attempting to take X down with a spear, but X side-steps it, sending Trey into the turnbuckles.  Rather than crash to the turnbuckles chest first, Trey nimbly jumps to the second turnbuckle.  Turning around, he locks eyes with X; who is a bit hesitant to charge at Trey.  Finally deciding to take a few steps forward, Trey utilizes this opportunity to dive over X with an elevated sunset flip, rolling him up and pinning his shoulders to the mat!

ONE!

TWO!

X kicks out, the force of which sends Trey back to his feet and causes X to roll back to his own.        

Eryk Masters: Point… Trey!  2-0, Bry!

Bryan Harris: Shut your FACE, Masters…

Other Guy: Haha, look at Bryan.  He can dish it out but he can’t take it!  Anyway, Trey is looking GREAT thus far.  He seems to have X scouted at every turn!

X cranks his neck in both directions.  Trey hunkers down, ready for absolutely anything.  They circle.  In the center of the ring, they lock up in a collar and elbow tie-up.  X viciously seizes Trey’s head in a standing head-lock, grinding his forearm against Trey’s temple, leaning on him with all of his body weight.  Trey falls to a knee.  X wrenches it in even tighter and Trey cusses aloud.  Back up on both feet, Trey goes to push X-Calibur away, but X grabs a handful of hair to hold on, drawing MASSIVE boos from everyone in attendance. 

Bryan Harris: Yes!!

Eryk Masters:  Why am I not surprised X would resort to such tactics?

Bryan Harris: If it’s there, it’s legal.  Just sayin’.

From the head-lock position, X secures Trey’s head and slams him with a head-lock takedown.  Immediately however, Trey kicks his feet up and wraps them around X’s head.

Other Guy: Excellent head-scissors from the grounded position.  Trey really has his bearings on tight in this match!

Kipping up from the head-scissors, X escapes the move with astonishing agility, even surprising Trey.  Turning around, X flips forward into a jack-knife pinning predicament!

ONE!

TWO!

THR- Trey barely escapes, drawing great worry from the crowd in the form of a prolonged  "TWOOOOO!"

Both men get to their feet… and simply stop.  Both with fists at the ready, the capacity crowd applauds both men for their display of technical prowess.  Looking out at the crowd, Trey nods with acknowledgment as X simply scoffs.  Once again, they collide with a collar and elbow tie-up, but X head-butts Trey right across the bridge of his nose!

Eryk Masters: Oh come on!  That was uncalled for!

Bryan Harris: This ain’t no octagon, Eryk.

Other Guy: I actually agree with Bryan on that one.  That said?  Now I suddenly have the urge to take a shower.

Stunning Trey momentarily, X dips underneath Trey’s arm, grabbing him by the waist with both arms.  Lifting upwards, X bridges back into a perfectly executed bridging Northern Lights Suplex! 

Lorenzo is right there…

ONE!

TWO!

Trey shoulders out, and X quickly gets to his feet.  Looking out at the audience, X motions something to the crowd.

Eryk Masters: Is he calling for the X-Terminator already?!

Other Guy: I believe he is!

Bryan Harris: Prepare to be X-Terminated, gentlemen!

EM & OG: …Wow

As Trey gets to his feet, X begins wrapping Trey’s neck up in a three-quarter necklock, but as X turns his back Trey leaps up with his legs, tucking them underneath X’s arms as he rolls backwards in one fluid motion for a luchadore styled roll-up!

ONE!

TWO!

X kicks out of the hold like a beast, sending Trey forward and into the ropes.  With a leg extended, Trey jumps for a flying calf kick, but X pivots, swatting away the attempt.  As Trey gets to one knee, X swings with one of his tree trunks, connecting right in the temple of Trey, generating a loud "OHHHHH!" from the capacity crowd! 

Eryk Masters: Good God!  That kick to the skull ECHOED through out the Epicenter!

X makes a lateral press..

Other Guy: This could be it for Trey..

ONE!

TWO!

THR-

Trey manages to get a shoulder up, but X uses this to his advantage and rolls Trey the rest of the way over… LOCKING HIS ARM AND HEAD INTO A CAROLINA CROSS-FACE!

Other Guy: Holy hell!  That’s… that’s Donovan King’s submission hold!

Bryan Harris: Oh don’t act surprised… after the way King stole the X-Terminator, I’m the only thing you should be surprised about is why it took X this long to "answer back".

Trey struggles in the hold for a few moments before making an attempt to reach the ropes.  Realizing Trey is closer to the ropes than he wants him to be, X rolls off of Trey, stands up, and delivers a straight stomp to the back of the Wayward Warrior’s head.  Trey clutches the back of his head and X drags him by the feet to the center of the ring.  Delivering ANOTHER stomp X drops down across Trey’s frame, interlocking his leg around Trey’s and pulls back underneath Trey’s chin with a painful STF submission!

Eryk Masters:  What a series of submission holds!  X showing GREAT technical ability tonight, folks!  Love him or hate him!

Bryan Harris: He doesn’t call himself a Technical GOD for nothing, Eryk.

Trey WRITHES in pain as X pulls back even harder, adding an incredible amount of torque to Trey’s spine and legs in such an unnatural way.  Lorenzo checks to see of Trey wants to give it up, but Trey adamantly refuses, almost pie facing Lorenzo out of the way.

Other Guy: Trey having NONE of that right now!

Digging a palm into the canvas, Trey desperately tries crawling towards salvation, but halfway there X once again removes the hold and stands up.  Snatching Trey’s legs up and turning him over into a supine position, X bends down closer to Trey’s face, talking trash like it was nobody’s business.

Suddenly, Trey reaches up and cradles X’s head while pulling on the back of his leg, bringing him down to the mat with a quick and unexpected small package!

Eryk Masters: SMALL PACKAGE!

ONE!

TWO!

THR- X kicks out just in time!

Eryk Masters: OH MY G- that was REALLY close…

Bryan Harris: Are you blind?! That wasn’t even ONE!  His shoulders weren’t even down!

Other Guy: That was definitely a close call, but you’re not going to get X this early with a simple roll-up. No way, no how.

Thinking for the slightest of moments that he got the three count, Trey looks pleadingly at Lorenzo.  This is all the opportunity X needs to get up and blindside Trey back down to the mat with a stiff lariat.

Bryan Harris: Annnn welcome to reason #4,567 why you DON’T turn your back on Eryk Van Warren.

Proud of his handiwork, X looks out into the audience, taunting them without hesitation.  Bringing Trey to his feet, X boots him in the gut.  Doubled over, X sets him up for a piledriver… but Trey lifts up for a back body drop!

Eryk Masters: Nice counter by Trey!  X didn’t see it coming!

X is up right away, swinging for the fences with another lariat, but Trey sees it coming, ducks, and in one fluid motion lays X out with a swinging neck breaker!

Other Guy: Great move!  Trey might be able to rebuild some momentum after that one!

Guiding X to his feet, Trey delivers several chops to the chest that rock him back.  Leaning X into the ropes, Trey tries to launch him forward with an Irish whip, but X reverses it.  With Trey sent off into the ropes, X ducks, but rather than jump over X, Trey snatches up X’s head, jumps into the air, spins, and CRUSHES X’s cranium with a tornado DDT!

Eryk Masters:  Right in the center of the ring!  He has him!

ONE!

Bryan Harris: No!  Kick out, X!

TWO!

THR- X shoulders out!

Trey guides X back to his feet once again, but knees him in the gut!  Trey ducks under X’s closest arm and wraps his arm around X’s waist.  Looking out at the crowd, Trey smiles just before flipping forward, sweeping X’s leg out from under him and dropping him on the back of his neck with a SICK cradle pin and slam combination!

Eryk Masters: WOW!  Trey Willett with the RANHEI!  Or S.O.S.!  Or… whatever one wants to call it!

Other Guy: I’m gonna go ahead and call that thing SPECTACULAR!

With Lorenzo right there, he administers the count!

ONE!

TWO!

THR- X kicks out of the pinning combination, spilling Trey awkwardly to his side!

Bryan Harris: Yes!  Thank God!  I need some Tums after that one… ugh.

Once both men get to their feet, Trey greets X with a high elevated dropkick that sends him back down to the mat.  A little slower to get up this time, as soon as Trey moves – rather aggressively, too – X drops back down and rolls out of the ring, much to the chagrin of Las Vegas.

Eryk Masters: Haha… X is looking OVERWHELMED all of a sudden!

Pointing to his head as if to say "I R SMART", X mocks the front row as Trey charges towards the ropes. When X turns around, he spots Trey coming at him full speed ahead.

Bryan Harris: LOOK OUT, X!!

X dives out of the way, desperately trying to avoid the collision, but Trey simply slows down and changes course.  Springing to the top rope, Trey recklessly shrugs to the audience as he leaps forward into a diving senton flip, clipping X in the forehead with his right calf as they both crash harshly to the outside mat in a massive SPLAT!

Other Guy: SWEET MOTHER OF GOD!!  TREY COULD BE DEAD!!!

Refusing to count both men out of the match, Lorenzo shouts at both men to get a grip on themselves and get back into the ring!  X slowly begins stirring first.  Making it to his feet, X faces Trey who hasn’t moved since he crashed to the outside floor.  Picking his nearly lifeless body up, he drives him back against the guard rail harshly, crushing his ribs against the SHOOT Helmet emblem on the thin black padding.  Trey melts down into a sitting position, holding his ribs in absolute agony.  X backs up towards the ring apron… AND LUNGES FORWARD WITH A RUNNING KNEE TREMBLER RIGHT TO TREY‘S JAW!!

Eryk Masters: JESUS!!!! TREY’S JIB WAS ABSOLUTEY MASHED WITH THAT BUTTON MASHER!!!

Peeling Trey off of the padded guard rail like a chewed piece of gum, X rolls him into the ring.  Through gritted teeth, Trey forces himself to try and get up on his own, but X guides him the rest of the way up.  Grabbing him by the mid-section, X lifts him up and slams him back down with a release overhead belly-to-belly suplex!

Other Guy: Beautiful suplex!

Not even giving him enough time to recover, X grabs him by his mane and rips him to his feet, setting him up into position and connecting with a SECOND release overhead belly-to-belly suplex!

Eryk Masters: Wow, X-Calibur is a man POSSESSED with these suplexes!

Once again, X rips him up off of the mat and to his feet, but instead of setting him up for a third overhead release belly-to-belly, he lifts Trey’s left leg up, catches it, and pulls Trey towards him.  Using his free arm to reach behind Trey’s neck, X lifts Trey up and over with a CAPTURE SUPLEX!

Dropping to his knees, he makes a lateral press!

ONE!

TWO!

THR- Trey kicks out and X slams his hands on the mat out of sheer anger!

Bryan Harris: It’s okay, Champ!  You got this!

Eryk Masters: X showing a lot of frustration here.. I think Trey’s resilience is beginning to get under X’s skin.

As he gets to his feet, he lays anger filled boots down onto Trey‘s upper torso and head region.  Boot after boot X unleashes a bona fide flurry of stiff kicks and harsh knees to the ribs and head of Trey. Eventually flattening him on the mat, X jumps up into the air and crashes down across Trey’s forehead with the point of his knee.  Making another lateral cover, X shouts at Lorenzo to "count it!"..

ONE!

TWO!

THR- NO!  Trey gets a shoulder up!  But immediately after X locks in a reverse chin lock, grounding the challenger expertly.

Other Guy: X-Calibur is working Trey over like a MASTERFULLY here.  I have to say, going into this match, I didn’t think we’d see anything like this from X.  I thought we’d see the Hierarchy interfering at every opportunity and X taking the cheap way out at every turn similarly to how he won the Redemption Rumble.

Bryan Harris: This is why I never jumped ship and joined SHOOT Project when LEGACY was still around.  You guys pride yourselves in being broadcast journalists, and you editorialize at every opportunity.  Talk about unprofessional.  NOW LET’S WIN THIS BITCH, X!!!

Eryk Masters: Riiight.  WE’RE the unprofessional ones.

Trey grimaces from the pressure that X applies to his neck.  He reaches out for the ropes but finds none.  X cranks it back as if he were popping the cork from a bottle of wine, and every so often he blasts Trey in the head with a vicious forearm shot.  Keeping Trey grounded, X brings Trey back to the mat, transitioning the reverse chin lock into a side headlock.  Kicking his legs up into the air as straight as an arrow, X DRIVES both knees back down to the canvas, right into Trey’s ribs.

Floating over, X buries a forearm into Trey’s mug and makes a lateral press.

ONE!

TWO!

THR- Trey shoulders out again!  

Eryk Masters: The will to survive that Trey Willett is showing is unreal.

Other Guy: Considering this very well could be Trey Willett’s last shot at World Heavyweight Championship glory, I am not surprised at all at what we’re seeing from Trey.

As X attempts another transition from the shoulder lift into a Carolina Cross-Face, Trey rolls through, flipping X up and over into a face-up side-headlock!

Bryan Harris: Aww that’s bullsh-

Eryk Masters: (interrupting) Great reversal!!

Other Guy: What’s he going for here?

TREY BENDS X’S ARM BACKWARDS, LOCKING IN AN ANACONDA VICE!!!

Bryan Harris: NO!! THAT’S… THAT’S…. THAT’S ILLEGAL!!!  OR SOMETHING?!

X screams with agony as Trey holds onto the submission hold with a vice-like grip and the audience comes UNGLUED as Trey screams at X to give up!

X raises his free arm as if he’s about to tap on Trey’s shoulder, but he balls it up into a fist and screams, trying to stifle the pain coursing through his body.

Other Guy: He’s gonna break X’s arm with that move!  Look at the angle he’s bending his arm…

Bryan Harris: Hahaha! Ropes!  Ropes, ref!  ROOOOPES!!

Lorenzo slaps Trey on the back as X’s foot just reaches underneath the bottom rope, causing the break. After a modest count of three and a light admonishing, Trey breaks the hold and rolls to his feet.  Rolling his neck and shoulders, Trey slaps himself in the face to try and shake the cobwebs, as well as the stiffness in his ligaments caused by X’s persistent ground game.

Eryk Masters: Trey’s not looking so good, but he has a chance to even the odds here!

Lifting X to his feet, Trey reaches underneath him and lifts him up, slamming him down across his knee for an inverted atomic drop, stunning X momentarily.  From this, Trey hops to the middle rope, springboards off in a one-eighty motion and connects WITH A KICK RIGHT ACROSS THE FACE, KNOCKING X OUT COLD TO THE CANVAS!!!

Other Guy: SPRINGBOARD JUMPING ROUNDHOUSE!!! 

Bryan Harris: DAMMIT!!!

Trey wastes no time whatsoever hooking a leg!

ONE!

TWO!

THREE- NO!  X kicks out!

Eryk Masters: I thought this one was OVER!

Feeling the momentum in his favor, Trey brings X up to his feet… but cautiously so.  Peppering X in the abdomen with stiff punches, he finishes the flurry with an uppercut that sends X reeling backwards.  Before he even knows what hit him, Trey leans back into the ropes, charges forward, and leaps into the air.  On the way down he catches X’s head in a snapping falling hangman’s neckbreaker delivered with surgical precision!

Eryk Masters: Trey’s really riding a huge wave of momentum now.  If he can just follow this up with something big, I think he can put away X here!

Bryan Harris: Come on, X!  Don’t let Trey start building momentum now…

Other Guy: Why are you even in the commentary booth?  Shouldn’t managers accompany their clients at ringside?

Bryan Harris: I don’t know WHAT you’re talking about, OG.  I am just an announcer.

Pointing to the heavens, Trey exits the ring and begins his ascent up the turnbuckle. As the fans wait with baited breath, Trey measures X up in the center of the ring, and somersaults forward into a 450 splash… BUT X POPS UP FROM THE MAT JUST BEFORE THE SECOND ROTATION AND CATCHES TREY IN A JUMPING CUTTER!!!!!!

Eryk Masters: X-TERMINATOR!!! X-TERMINATOR OUT OF FRIGGIN’ NOWHERE!!!!!l

Other Guy: HE JUST TURNED THE TREY-FIFTY INTO A DAMN X-TERMINATOR!!!

Bryan Harris: (beaming) Need I say anything?

HO-LEE-SHIT! 

HO-LEE-SHIT!

HO-LEE-SHIT!

HO-LEE-SHIT!

Trey Willett is OUT… but the impact from which the height of the X-Terminator was hit sent Trey Willet bouncing into the center of the ring on his stomach while X tries to recover from the previous offensive onslaught.

As the crowd intermixes their previous chants with "Let’s-Go-Trey!", X begins stirring, trying to locate Trey Willett’s wreckage.

Eryk Masters: All he needs to do is cover him and it’s all over…

Finding him, the SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Champion crawls on top of Trey Willett, leaning on him while looking up at the rafters in a lazy cover.

ONE!

TWO!

THREE- NO!

Other Guy: TREY KICKS OUT AT THE LAST POSSIBLE SECOND!!!!!!

Eryk Masters: My God.  The look on X’s face says it all.

Bryan Harris: Damn it!  What does he have to do?!

Nearly pulling his hair out, X stands up and looks out at the audience, as if it was all their fault.  Shaking his head, he pulls Trey back up to his feet.  But in the blink of an eye, Trey boots X in the gut, sets up both arms with a double underhook, jumps… AND DRIVES X’S FACE INTO THE CANVAS WITH DEVASTATING FORCE!!!

Eryk Masters: DAWN OF A NEW ERA!!!!  THAT’S IT!!!

Other Guy: OUT OF NOWHERE!!!  WOW!!!

Bryan Harris: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, X!!!  GET UP!!!

Barely able to hold himself up on his knees, Trey falls forward on top of X… who is laying on his stomach.

Eryk Masters: HE NEEDS TO TURN HIM OVER!!!

As if he heard Eryk, Trey turns X over and hooks a leg, the fans counting along with Lorenzo!

ONE!

TWO!

THREE- NO!  X SHOULDERS OUT!

Eryk Masters: How the hell did he kick out of THAT?!

Other Guy: How are any of these guys kicking out of ANYTHING at this point?!

Bryan Harris: I feel like I’m gonna puke…

Both men appear to be exhausted as Trey collapses into the ring ropes.  X remains sprawled out on the floor as the audience rallies behind Trey, clapping their hands and stomping their feet for motivation.  With the crowd solidly behind him all the way, Trey is back to his feet, albeit groggily, turns his back to X, but looks over his shoulder to measure the man up.  As X slowly… VERY slowly gets to his own feet… Trey continues watching him. Once

X fully stands.  Trey uses the middle rope as a launchpad to springboard off into a moonsault, straight at X!

But rather than take him down, he simply lands on X’s shoulders as the Redeemer braces his legs and… CATCHES THE WAYWARD WARRIOR! 

Eryk Masters:  HOLY SH-

Positioning Trey up for a tombstone piledriver, X SPIKES TREY DOWN INTO THE MAT WITH SEVERE CONCUSSIVE FORCE!!!!

Bryan Harris: PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS!!

Eryk Masters: INCREDIBLE!!!!

Other Guy: TREY IS OUT!!!

Rather than cover him, X collapses to the mat having spent every bit of energy he had in catching Trey Willett from the Asai moonsault!

THIS IS-AWE-SOME!

Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap

THIS IS-AWE-SOME!

Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap

Slowly making his way to Trey, the fans PLEAD with Trey to get up.  But eventually, X drapes an arm over Trey.

ONE!

TWO!

THREE- NO!  TREY GETS A SHOULDER UP!!!

Eryk Masters: This is amazing.  The sheer determination of BOTH of these guys.  My hat is off to them.

Other Guy: Without a doubt, Eryk.

Bryan Harris: I don’t know what match you guys are watching, but X has carried Trey’s pathetic ass through this thing!

Eryk Masters: STOP.

Slowly lifting Trey to his feet, X begins latching his arms around Trey’s neck for an X-Terminator, but Trey senses danger immediately and shoves X off into the ropes!

Other Guy: Another failed X-Terminator attempt! 

As soon as X turns around, Trey leaps forward with a foot extended, connecting with a super kick that sends X up and over to the outside!

Eryk Masters: REALITY CHECK!  TREY WITH A REALITY CHECK!

Other Guy: But X went over the ropes!

Bryan Harris: Might as well let Trey win via count out! Go ahead and count, ref!

Eryk Masters: Tony Lorenzo is not an IDIOT, Bryan. He would never play into the Hierarchy’s games and let X walk out of RECKONING DAY with the title because of a count out loss.

Exiting the ring, Trey lifts X’s near unconscious frame up from the outside mat and rolls him onto the announce table right in front of Bryan Harris.

Bryan Harris: What the hell do you think you’re doing?!

Ignoring Bryan’s question, Trey belts X across the face for good measure… and then turns his attention to the turnbuckles up in the ring.

Climbing back into the ring, Trey Willett looks out at the Epicenter and shrugs before ascending to the top rope.

As Trey fully stands on the tippy top turnbuckle, Bryan Harris and the rest of the announce team throw down their head-sets. But unlike Eryk Masters and Other Guy, Bryan Harris actually covers X.  To… "protect him".

Without an ounce of hesitation, Trey throws caution to the wind once more and leaps into the air… AND WITH DEATH-DEFYING RECKLESS ABANDON, BACKFLIPS INTO A PICTURE PERFECT SHOOTING STAR PRESS RIGHT ACROSS BRYAN’S BACK, SHATTERING THE ANNOUNCE TABLE AND SENDING X-CALIBUR TO ITS RUBBLE BENEATH!!!! 

HOL-LEE-SHIT!

HOL-LEE-SHIT!

HOL-LEE-SHIT!

HOL-LEE-SHIT!

Uncovering X-Calibur from underneath Bryan Harris and the rest of the table debris, Trey Willett nearly foams at the mouth as he lifts X up and awkwardly rolls him into the ring.

Looking back at Bryan Harris and the destroyed table, Trey Willett grabs the gaudy looking personalized SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Championship and drapes it over Bryan Harris’ corpse, much to the roar of the audience!

Eryk Masters: That was the craziest goddamn thing I have seen in a long, long time OG!

Other Guy simply looks down at Bryan Harris with a smile as he whips out his iPhone and snaps a photo of Bryan Harris’ contorted body.

Eryk Masters: OG?

Other Guy: Sorry, I was, uh, just enjoying the moment!  

Focusing his attention back on X-Calibur, Trey Willett once again points to the heavens and begins a climb to the top rope.

Measuring X-Calibur up, Trey stands tall on the top rope and once again flips forward in a 450 degree motion… LANDING RIGHT ON X’S KNEES!!!

Eryk Masters: OH MY GOD!!!! X GOT HIS KNEES UP!!!

Other Guy: LOOK!  LOOK!  LOOK!

With Trey’s body pressed against his knees after the hard landing, X maneuvers his shin into place just below Trey’s windpipe.  Criss-Crossing his foot with his other leg, X rips down across the back of Trey’s head!

Eryk Masters: BITE OF THE BASILISK!!!!  BITE OF THE BASILISK!!

Other Guy: Oh no… no one has ever escaped this before!!

Trey’s free limbs flail in every direction like a wild gazelle caught in the clutches of a lion.  X continues to apply the pressure, and before Trey can get a foot on the rope X gator rolls to the center of the ring!

Eryk Masters: Center of the ring!!!  Trey has nowhere to go!!!!

As he tries to fight the devastating submission hold, he gradually stops flailing as the energy drains from his heart.  SCREAMING at Trey to give it up, X pulls back as far and as hard as he can on Trey’s head without decapitating him.

Moments later, Trey raises his hand.

Just as the audience tries to start a “LET’S GO TREY!” chant… TREY SLAPS HIS HAND ON X’S KNEE, TAPPING OUT!

Eryk Masters: No… Oh my God… no…

Other Guy: He did it.  The son of a bitch did it.

The bell sounds and the deflated, demoralized, and all around devastated crowd sits in silence as “Change” hits over the PA system.  Trash begins filling the ring as X-Calibur sits up, his arm raised in victory. 

Samantha Coil:  LADIES AND GENTLEMEN… HERE IS YOUR WINNER…AND STIIIIIILL… SHOOT PROJECT WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION …X…CAAAAAAAAAAAALIBUUUUUUUUUR!!!

Nobody can believe it. 

Not a single soul in the Epicenter can believe what just happened.

Trey Willett gets to his knees, looking absolutely crushed as X-Calibur gets to his, kneeling right across from the man he just beat.  Trey’s face is as white as a ghost, the defeat evident in his façade as Lorenzo slowly drapes his customized SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Championship over X-Calibur’s shoulders.

To everyone’s surprise, though… X-Calibur reaches out with his hand, looking for a handshake from Trey Willett.  Sweat POURING from the both of them, the pain of war obvious in their eyes… Trey extends his hand to shake X’s as everyone rejoices in the moment.

But as quickly as he extended it, X retracts his hand and SPITS right into the face of Trey Willett.

Eryk Masters: Oh my God… talk about kicking a man when he’s down.  Jesus Christ.  What a sick human being X-Calibur is.

Other Guy: I feel ill, Eryk.  Legit ill.

X stands, holding the SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Title amidst the trash being thrown into the ring.  Extra large soda cups, hot dogs, popcorn buckets, and bags of candy are being thrown at the man who just ruined everyone’s night. 

But he embraces it.  Like a champion.

As X exits the ring, he holds both of his hands high in the air clutching his personalized SHOOT Project World Heavyweight Championship.  Looking at it for a moment, X shakes his head and simply laughs.  Looking back at Trey, who continues to sit on his knees and stare disconsolately at the fans, X aims the same “finger gun” he aimed at Trey during the start of this rivalry and once again pulls the trigger.

Blowing the “smoke” from his “barrel”, X turns his back on Trey and continues up the ramp.

Meanwhile, Trey continues to sit there on his knees like a stone, with X’s wad of phlegm sliding off of his cheek amongst a look of utter dejection.  A single tear falls out of the corner of his eye as the SHOOT Project Helmet logo comes up and the screen fades to black.