The scene opens up on Ria Lockhart. She’s standing alone, sideways towards the camera. Her posture would suggest she’s on the phone. Ria appears to be heavily invested in the call.
Eryk Masters: This is the first time we’ve seen Ria Lockhart in awhile! Seems like she’s got something important going on.
Other Guy: Does she even know we’re filming right now?
Ria: So did you get a hold of the office?… Okay, and?… What?… The hell does that mean?!… Are you gonna get me booked or what?… What the hell do you mean there’s nothing you can do?!… Not marketable?!… Too bland?!… Listen, I don’t get paid, you don’t get paid. That’s how this works!… Oh really?! Is that so?!
Ria is visibly irritated at this point. She angrily whips the phone away from her ear and holds it at arms length to scream into it. But it’s not a phone… It’s a banana.
Ria: You don’t get it! I have pull! I know people! I’m an influential person! I’ll make it so you never work in this town again!
Ria throws the banana down in a mixture of anger and disgust. After a few seconds of huffing and puffing, Ria looks down at her feet.
Ria: Oooh, banana!
Ria bends down and picks the fruit up off the ground. She peels it, takes a bite and then chucks it down the hallway. She walks off-screen, still chewing.
Eryk Masters: O…kay, moving on.
Other Guy: The hell was that?! We’ve gotta get started! Proper Villainz take on Martial Law!
Martial Law Vs. Proper Villainz
The ominous, opening chords to “Put ‘Em in the Grave” by Jedi Mind Tricks blasts through the speakers as a raucous ovation from the SHOOT Project Faithful heralds the Queen of the Ring to the stage. Once the first verse kicks in, Lindsay Troy strolls out amidst a shower of pyro and cannon blasts, already dressed for her match against Dan Stein later in the evening.
Eryk Masters: This is a bit unexpected, folks; our next match was about to kick off here but instead, it seems like the Queen of the Ring has something to say first.
Other Guy: She and Dan Stein had a little back and forth in the lead-up for tonight’s show, so I can only wonder what else she has on her mind before all of that comes to a head.
Troy marches down the ramp to the ring, blowing right by the camera in the aisle, looking focused. Spotlights follow her path as she makes her way up the steps and in-between the ropes. She’s handed a microphone by Dennis Heflin, then waits for her music to fade out before speaking.
Lindsay Troy: I’m not out here to talk any more about what’s to come later on tonight. I’ve said all I needed to say to, and about, Dan Stein. Instead, I’m here to talk about my intentions as it pertains to the man who started something with me after my very first match in SHOOT Project: Arthur Pleasant.
The crowd BOOOOOOs at the mention of the Provocateur’s name. Somewhere in the back, his ears have most certainly perked up.
Eryk Masters: Lindsay Troy and Teddy Palmer had themselves one heck of a fight against Arthur and his brute of an enforcer, Yuri, at Iron Will, and in the end the good guys were able to win the day.
Other Guy: it was just one of a number of matches that featured an unprecedented amount of bloodshed, Eryk. The SHOOT Project Warriors kept our ring crew busy a few weeks ago, that’s for sure.
Back in the ring, Troy lets the fans have their say for a moment before continuing.
Lindsay Troy: Arthur, you know as well as I do that our tag match at Iron Will wasn’t the end of anything. It was just the conclusion to one part of the story, but now it’s time for the other part to begin. I may have brought Yuri to heel, and exacted a measure of revenge for what the two of you did to Daryn Thompson, but the time is coming for you to feel the full weight and measure of what you started with me. Whenever the next pay-per-view is, you and I are gonna have that one-on-one encounter that we’ve both been dying for. And it doesn’t matter to me how we go about it. Steel cage. Street fight. Fans bring the weapons…
YEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHHHH~!
Eryk Masters: Oh the fans certainly like that idea!
Other Guy: Everyone in the Epicenter getting a chance to bring the violence to Arthur? Doesn’t sound like a half-bad idea.
Lindsay Troy: …whatever it is, know this: when it’s all said and done, I’m not only going to put you in an early grave, I’m going to have your head mounted on a fucking pike.
On that final, portentous note, “Put ‘Em in the Grave” cues up again. Troy drops the microphone and hops out of the ring, slapping a few hands along the way as she storms back up the ramp and through the curtain.
Kenneth Casper Vs. Anthony Moretti
Maria Brink’s incredible vocals hit the Epicenter and the fans come unglued as “My Roots” from In This Moment hit.
Eryk Masters: Whoa! It’s the SHOOT Project Shut Up and FIGHT Champion!
Other Guy: It sure is, Eryk, and these fans fucking LOVE her!!
As Courtney Hatchett emerges from Gorilla, she laughs at the adulation she receives. Moments later, after taking it all in, Courtney begins making her way down to the ring. She wears a pair of faded wash shortie shorts, grey and white Chucks, and a black “GODDESS OF SUAF” hoodie. Her hair is worn down for a change, emphasizing her long blonde flowing locks that might not be evident given the pony tail she usually has it tied in during her matches.
Eryk Masters: Aside from a quick blurb on Spitter trying to give Reform some props, Courtney has been radio silent since successfully retaining her title against Dr. Ned Reform, and sending him packing from the SHOOT Project at Reckoning Day!
Other Guy: You have to wonder if these past few months fending off Ned has taken it’s toll on her both physically and emotionally.
Grabbing a microphone en route to the ring from the timekeeper’s table, Courtney hops up onto the apron and looks out at the sea of SHOOT Projectonians, sticking her tongue out playfully as she unstraps the gorgeous, blue Shut Up and Fight Championship from her slender and fit waist.
Stepping through the ropes, her music cuts once she gets to the center of the ring. Looking around, she nods her head at the capacity crowd.
Courtney Hatchett: So, I guess it’s safe to assume that I won’t be receiving any Christmas or Birthday cards from Ned this year? Crud. What a shame.
The audience laughs.
Courtney Hatchett: But you know, it was his own doing. I’m not this bully type where I only defend my title against people if they put their careers on the line. That was his own stupid ego getting in the way of his own progress. I mean, he was so cocksure that he’d beat me and get the monkey off his back that he HIMSELF put there, that he was willing to put a career that was only JUST starting out. I mean, seriously?! That has to be the dumbest, most absurd decision a “Doctor” has made on television since the final couple of seasons of ER.
Again, they laugh at this and Courtney herself shares a smile with them.
Courtney Hatchett: Ah well. Them’s the breaks, I suppose. Good luck trying to succeed in DEFIANCE, Ned. Can’t wait until you throw a fit over there and put your career on the line and we see you begging to come back to SHOOT. Should we all just set our watches now or…. ?
The audience “Ooooooh’s” at the eviscerating nature of her words.
Courtney Hatchett: It’s whatever, though. Ned is in the past… again… and I am looking towards the future… again. After nearly 100 days, I am STILL your Shut Up and FIGHT Champion!
The audience pops at this.
Courtney Hatchett: Now, that may not s-
“COURT-NEY!”
“COURT-NEY!”
“COURT-NEY!”
“COURT-NEY!”
Courtney smiles and holds up the microphone to capture the endearing chants of the Epicenter. Something she never thought in a million years she would experience ever since she first saw the likes of Donovan King and Jester Smiles lace up a pair of boots. She waits until the chant dies down before continuing.
Courtney Hatchett: Thanks, guys. I can’t tell you all how much I appreciate that. But, as I was saying, those 100 days may not seem like a long time when you compare how long champions like Buck Dresden held the World Heavyweight Title, or X-Calibur held the Iron Fist Championship, or the Badass Brotherhood held the World Tag Team Titles. For a championship that is defended much more than the ones I just listed, those 100 days of being your Shut Up and FIGHT Champion might as well have been 1,000 days.
She pauses, letting all of that sink in for the capacity crowd on hand.
Courtney Hatchett: But I will be the first to tell you… I’m not ready to relinquish it. Not by a LONG shot! If I have to defend this title for another 100 days? Then 500 days after that?! And then another 1,000 days after THAT?! So be it. As long as I am standing… as long as I am breathing… I. WILL. FIGHT.
The fans erupt into cheers as Courtney shows a fire and determination.
Courtney Hatchett: And my next fight? I’ve been looking at a whole bunch of different competitors. Do I give Dan Stein another shot at capturing the one title he hasn’t managed to in his long and storied SHOOT career? Maybe. Do I give Lindsay Troy a shot at the title and fight an absolute LEGEND in this business. I would love that, honestly. In fact, I would cherish the thought of defending my title in ANY of those matches. But to be frank? There’s someone else who I would actually love to shut up and force into a fight me.
Courtney Hatchett: NC-17.
“BOOOOOOOOO!!”
She giggles.
Courtney Hatchett: I know, I know. It’s… it’s not the match any of you were expecting. Right? But hey, let’s take a look at WHY I want this match and maybe, just maybe, you’ll all change your minds.
She looks directly into the camera as the audience listens intently..
Courtney Hatchett: All this guy does is talk. [flapping her fingers open and shut] Talk, talk, talk, talk. And cuss. And talk. And cuss some more. And talk some more. And cuss even MORE like a petulant child who just discovered the f-bomb in third grade and realized he could say it when his parents weren’t around and become the coolest little rebel in his own mind. This man-bun wearing NC-17-in-name-but-PG-Rated-Game havin’ moron stands there and calls himself everything in the book (but a winner), and it’s time somebody called him out on it and put him to the test. And that’s precisely what I’m doing right here and now.
The fans rally behind Courtney and her decision.
Courtney Hatchett: So I’m calling my next Shut Up and FIGHT shot against NC-17. Real Deal? Make it happen, cap’n. Next week. I don’t care if it’s Ruination, Revolution, or Throwback Wednesday Night Oblivion. I want this one-dimensional, stuck in the 90s piss stain standing across the ring from me so I can show him what it’s like to be a REAL SHOOT Project Soldier.
She winks into the camera..
Courtney Hatchett: God. I can’t even describe how good it’s gonna feel when I kick this douchebag’s empty head off his sloped little shoulders.
Courtney drops the microphone as “My Roots” begins to blare across the Epicenter’s sound system. She raises her Shut Up and FIGHT Championship and the audience gives her an appropriate ovation.
Eryk Masters: WELL then! Strong words from our Shut Up and FIGHT Champion.
Other Guy: I’ll say. Whether she can back up her words or not is the real question, though.
Eryk Masters: Courtney has been nothing but impressive since joining SHOOT Project. From defeating NEMESIS to Dan Stein, In my opinion, she’s earned the title of “GODDESS of Shut Up and FIGHT”.
Other Guy: Perhaps. One thing’s for sure, NC-17 is going to have a lot to say about one of SHOOT Project’s top ranked Soldiers challenging him to a match.
Courtney begins making her way to the back, slapping hands with the audience. Spotting a “Marry Me Courtney!!” sign being held by a twenty-something man, Courtney motions for him to come to the guard rail. He excitedly does and Courtney motions for him to hold out his phone for a selfie. She plants a kiss on him just before we cut to a commercial break.
Kayden Paulton Vs. Clemson Dean
YOU’VE GOT THE TOUCH!!
YOU’VE GOT THE POWAAAAAAAH!!
The camera opens up on the stage as Dan Stein walks out from the back in his hot pink and sky blue wrestling gear and a matching black “The Lights” t-shirt. Stein walks out with a purpose, microphone in hand. The music cuts as he puts the microphone to his mouth.
Dan Stein: So, yesterday, Molly and I got to the arena to watch the show because we enjoy watching wrestling even when I’m not on the card. We made it to our locker room and we noticed the door slightly ajar, you all saw it.
Stein makes his way up the stairs and into the ring, walking quickly over to the ropes in front of the hard camera. Stein leans over the ropes with the microphone up to his mouth.
Dan Stein: Immediately, I thought it was that asshole Thane because of the Spitter spat we got into last week, but it turns out I was wrong. Then, I thought maybe Lindsay did it, playing mind games before our match – but that’s not Lindsay Troy. Now, I’m down in the ring for one match tonight with Troy, but if whoever let themself into my locker room last night wants to come down and make themself known, I’m willing to make it two.
Stein holds up two fingers at the end of his sentence.
Dan Stein: So, if you’ve got the balls to come out here and show yourself, I’ll make it a night you won’t forget. You’ve got to the ten count. Clark?
Stein steps back from the ropes, puts the microphone on the mat, takes his shirt off and throws it into the crowd. Thankfully, nobody throws it back. Ref Clark Feldman steps up to the middle of the ring and begins to count.
Ref Clark Feldman: ONE…
TWO…
THREE…
Quickly, the count gets up to three. Stein bounces on his feet, back and forth, waiting for someone, anyone, to come through the curtain.
Ref Clark Feldman: FOUR…
FIVE…
SIX…
Stein starts to look around the arena, becoming weary of an attack from behind.
Ref Clark Feldman: SEVEN…
EIGHT…
Stein walks to the middle of the ring, arms outstretched to his side, begging for someone to come down.
Ref Clark Feldman: NINE…
Stein leans over the ropes nearest the ramp.
Ref Clark Feldman: TEN!
Stein shakes his head. He pops up off of the ropes and over to the microphone, picking it up one last time.
Dan Stein: Chickenshit.
Stein drops the microphone outside of the ring and turns back to the ramp to wait for Lindsay Troy.
Dan Stein Vs. Lindsay Troy
The scene in the arena focuses the lights down on the entrance. Cory Marks’ “Outlaws and Outsiders” begins to play. Smoke begins to emanate from the entrance as the singing begins.
Got a gypsy soul, I’m a rebel and rogue
And I’m always on the run
With a fire inside, I ain’t ever gonna die
I’m a locked and loaded gun
When the matches strike and the gasoline lights
It’s only just begun
One thing I learned is you can watch it all burn
But the flame ain’t ever done
Ah-ooh
Raise ’em up a little higher, your lighters
Outlaws and outsiders
Ah-ooh
As the chorus comes in, out from the back comes BUCK DRESDEN. He stands there and lets the chorus play as he looks at the fans cheering wildly on.
Eryk Masters: It’s the former World Champion, OG. He looks damn good, let me tell you!
Other Guy: He’s about ten pounds lighter though and I bet that stings like a bitch.
Some call me a renegade, the enemy
Throw your hands up if you feel the same
Whoa, living life at the edge
Just say what you wanna say or walk away
I’ll stand tall when there’s hell to pay
Ain’t no power higher
We’re the outlaws and outsiders
Mmm, yeah
Buck is dressed in a faded burnt orange shirt and black leather jacket. He has on a pair of faded grey cargo work pants. He isn’t speaking, but he is tapping elbows with a few fans as he marches down the ramp to the ring.
I was born in the dark with a fearless heart
And a taste for the other side
I was crazy ass kid, all the shit I did
I’m amazed that I’m still alive
They thought I’d change with a little bit of age
But you know I never will
Takes too much time to walk a straight line
I don’t have time to kill
He enters the ring and stands there for a moment in the center of the ring. The referee hands him a microphone and he nods his head as his new theme song continues to play.
Ah-ooh
Raise your fist up higher, you fighters
Outlaws and outsiders
Ah-ooh
He walks over to the corner and stands up on the middle rope as the chorus kicks in once more. He runs his fingers through his hair and glares at the cheering fans.
Some call me a renegade, the enemy
Throw your hands up if you feel the same
Whoa, living life at the edge
Just say what you wanna say or walk away
I’ll stand tall when there’s hell to pay
Ain’t no power higher
We’re the outlaws and outsiders
Buck Dresden: Alright, alright, that’s enough.
“Outlaws and Outsiders” dies down. He drops from the middle rope and walks back to the center of the ring.
Buck Dresden: I’m not gonna take up a lotta time here tonight. There’s a ton of talented people in the back lookin’ to continue their stories an’ tell ‘em for alla y’all so let me get right down to it.
He nods his head as he prepares to speak. The words are there, he knows them, but he still struggles to find them.
Buck Dresden: At Iron Will, I proved that despite how strong my will is an’ how tough I am…therer’s always somebody stronger’n filled up with more will than me.
He pauses to reflect on that night.
Buck Dresden: I didn’t have what it took to keep the World Championship that night outta the hands of somebody new. Hell, I didn’t have it in me to withstand the Iron Fist match. Nah, on that night Azraith DeMitri proved why he is one of the best in the business and then Nate Robideau proved why he might just be the scariest sumbitch I’ve ever faced. I’m a man that never had to tap out in his career but damned if the future champions didn’t have my number.
He inhales and sighs deeply, his mind stuck on that night.
Buck Dresden: I make no excuses. I pretend nothin’. I couldn’t get it done. I couldn’t withstand the Iron Will Classic. Everybody knows how I feel about Azraith. That man is an icon and I look up to him like damn near nobody else. Nah, this message goes directly to our new World Heavyweight Champion Nate Robideau.
The reaction is slightly mixed.
Buck Dresden: Nate, when I first met you I was hungry trying to get through a tournament to get to the end. You were fresh in this business comparatively, and I was trying to make my mark on my own in this company. I defeated you in the first round of the tournament and that was essentially it for a while. We tasted glory, defeat, alla that. You were face to face with a monster in CK Butcher, I was face to face with a revelation like Charlie Jay Hitchens. After that foe got vanquished, I was able to beat back CK Butcher and send him limpin’ on down the road. Our careers have mirrored one another in more ways than one, man, and I gotta tell you: if my hope to be the greatest World Champion this place ever saw came to an end at your hands…I’m alright with it.
He chuckles softly to himself.
Buck Dresden: I’m not at peace with it, don’t get me wrong. My dream to be the best champion this place has ever seen will continue to grow. Fact is, Nate, that’s your throne right now. Your title. Your dream. Make of it what you will. But never forget a couple things.
He holds up one finger.
Buck Dresden: If you need me, I’m a phone call away.
He holds up a second finger.
Buck Dresden: If you’re ready to lose that title, I’m a phone call away.
He smirks.
Buck Dresden: Congratulations, champ. You deserve it.
He nods his head, coming to terms with what happened at Iron Will.
Buck Dresden: I’m proud to have been your champion, SHOOT Project. Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise…I will be again. In the meantime, I’m gonna prepare for the next fight. Learn from my defeats. Get stronger. Get better. No matter what happens tomorrow or what happens tonight, I will always be proud of each and every one of you in the audience, each an’ every person in the back, and if you think the ride is over…buckle up, mother fuckers.
“Outlaws and Outsiders” kicks in again as the fans ERUPT. A “THANK YOU BUCK” chant revs up in the audience as Buck drops the microphone and rolls from the ring.
Eryk Masters: A class act through and through. The bulwark of this company, the measuring stick that he is. He’s going to pick himself up and just keep going. OG, that’s what a champion is. Not a belt, not an accolade, not an award. That right there.
Other Guy: No argument here. Thank you, Buck. Like the fans are saying right now. Thank you.
Buck stands at the entrance to the arena and nods his head once again before he disappears to the back.
