WARZONE #391
THORNS
This week, Felix Foley finds himself in a whole world of trouble but he's not the only one. How did Nox and Doom find themselves bound together in the Lab? What happens next in the Ring King Quarter Finals and will Jackson Cade succumb to the draw of power? All this, one week before Ring King.
The Strings of Deceit
Click.
Static covers the screen as a Play â–º symbol appears in the bottom right-hand corner.
The fluorescent lights hum overhead, sterile and unforgiving. Felix Foley sits at a cold metal table, handcuffed, his world championship dream feeling further away than ever. Across from him, a stone-faced police officer flips through a thin file.
“You’re under arrest for assault,” the officer says flatly. “Your victim—Anton Savor, a well-renowned chef—is pressing charges.”
Foley’s head snaps up, incredulous. “This is a joke,” he spits. “That ‘well-renowned chef’ is a murderous scumbag. He’s been accused of putting human flesh into his dishes!”
The officer raises an eyebrow. “That’s a heavy claim. Do you have evidence to prove it?”
Foley looks away, jaw tight. Silence.
The officer leans back, about to continue, when a sharp knock rattles the door.
It swings open.
In strides Scott Sterling, OSW Commissioner, wearing authority like armor.
“This interview is over,” Sterling commands, his voice slicing through the tension. “Executive order. From Zeus himself.”
He turns, glaring at the two-way mirror.
“And Anton… stop hiding. Get in here. Now. I know you’re watching.”
The room chills. Slowly, reluctantly, the door creaks open again—Anton Savor steps inside, his smug grin lighting up the space.
Sterling doesn’t waste a second. “This entire thing is a farce. The fact that Savor is sitting in a room watching this proves it.” He jabs a finger toward Anton. “So let’s cut the bullshit.”
He paces, turning to Foley.
“At Ring King, it’s settled. Foley—you deserve a shot at the title you lost. Savor—you’re the number one contender. Which means it’ll be Doom defending his OSW Championship against both of you…”He pauses, letting the weight settle. “…and Nox. In a fatal four way match.”
The air grows thick. Foley rises slowly from his chair, chains clinking, and stares Savor down. Face to face. Nose to nose. The detective quickly unlocks his handcuffs, allowing him to freely go nose to nose with Savor, without restraint.
“You want to meet the real me so badly?” Foley growls. “Fine. At Ring King… you’ll meet him. But you won’t like who you meet.”
Savor smirks, leaning in.
“Revenge,” he whispers, “is a dish best served with my boot in your ass… and the world title strapped around my waist.”
The two glare, unblinking, as Sterling signals for the guards to separate them.
Fade out.
Cut.
Do You Know?
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Ladies and gentlemen, I’m being told we have a tense situation backstage.
MATT RUBY: Is it Gemini? I can get all the tension out.
Nero and Jackson Cade are stood backstage facing one another. Nero steps forward, arms crossed.
“You’re the one who showed me I could stand for something other than revenge,” he says. “When you made me a Seeker.”
Cade doesn’t answer.
Nero’s voice sharpens. “But now? Now you’re the son of Zeus, and suddenly everything’s changed.”
A beat. Nero studies him.
“Do you even know what Redgrave’s done?”
MATT RUBY: Oh he damn sure does!
Cade doesn’t speak, but his eyes darken. That’s all Nero needs.
“Yeah,” Nero says, disgusted. “You know. And you’ve done nothing. Just like him.”
Cade pushes Nero, hard enough to stagger him.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Jackson Cade has heard enough!
“You don’t know what the fuck I’m going through,” Jackson snaps. “You want to talk about family? Yours got taken—but you left them long before that. You abandoned them.”
Nero’s breath catches.
“I don’t respect men who walk away from their family,” Cade says. “Not then. Not now.”
Silence pulses between them.
“You’ve become him,” Nero says quietly. “You’ve become exactly who he wants you to be.”
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Who is the him he is referencing? Zeus or Redgrave?
MATT RUBY: He’d be a winner either way!
Nero turns and walks off, boots echoing through the hall. Cade doesn’t follow. He runs a hand through his hair, jaw clenched.
“Fucking Redgrave,” he mutters.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: We’ll stay tuned to this situation, as I don’t think we’re done with this.
MATT RUBY: Can I check on Gemini still?
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Up next, we have the Death Dodging Soldier Slade Kincaid taking on the Hero of Arcadia, Captain Arcadia in what’s sure to be a fantastic contest.
MATT RUBY: Maybe the Soldier can actually get Captain Arcadia into shape after breaking him down tonight.
Referee Demi Sky calls for the bell, and we’re underway with Arcadia darting at Kincaid looking for the Spinning Superman Punch – PUNCH OF THE – DODGED! Palm Strike from the Right Hand of the Soldier to the cheek of the Hero of the People...
Left!
Right!
Left-Right-Left-Right! Rapid Fire and capping it off with a Brutal Elbow to the Point of the Jaw as Slade lays down – SUPPRESSING FIRE!
Stunning the Arcadian Vanguard, who stumbles a bit before PUNCH OF BROTHERS! Arcadia leaps into the air in desperation, hitting the Spinning Superman Punch after staggering off the ropes, rocking Kincaid. The Soldier stumbles himself back into the ropes, his head catches the top rope as he tilts over, and the Soldier just misses getting his neck snapped between the top and bottom ropes.
MATT RUBY: Not today! Slade Kincaid evades death once more!
Slade slips to the floor, landing on his feet only to have Captain Fly-Fucking Arcadia follow behind him with a
SUICIDE DIVE!
But Slade catches Acadia, pivots, and delivers an Overhead Belly-To-Belly Suplex, throwing Arcadia back into the ring between the Top and Bottom Ropes.
Slade follows.
INSIDE CRADLE! NO! Kincaid holds the middle rope, causing Arcadia to slip off. Slade sets up Captain Arcadia!
Ripcord-Lariat – PEACEKILLER! Turns Arcadia inside out as The Soldier drops into the cover and Demi makes the count!
ONE!
...
...
TWO!
...
...
THREE!
MATT RUBY: Kincaid’s out thinking Death and Arcadia in this match all at once!
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: I hate to agree with you, Matt, but that appears to be true!
A Wolf's Revenge
After a grueling match, Captain Arcadia limps his way towards the entrance ramp. However, before he can leave, the howling of a wolf is heard reverberating throughout the arena. Cap instantly gets on edge and begins looking around Olympus for the source.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: We've received reports that Arcadia had attacked Ayame in the Groves some time ago. Judging by that wolf howl we just heard, we might be seeing her get revenge.
MATT RUBY: You don't know that for sure, BB! A wild dog could be roaming around in Olympus for all you know!
As he's searching for the source of the noise, Wolf Fang Ayame sneaks up from behind and scratches the Hero from behind with her claw like nails! He arches back and screams in pain as she ramps up her offense with punches and kicks.
Cap is led back to the ring with her strikes. He eventually hits the ring apron, opening him up for Ayame's ON THE HUNT enzugiri! Captain Arcadia falls face first on the ringside floor, knocked out cold from the force of the kick.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: I hate to say it, but the Captain kind of deserved this for attacking her for having Wolf in her name.
MATT RUBY: Kind of? This was entirely his fault for starting something to my wild woman in the first place! If he wasn't such a paranoid nutter, he wouldn't have started shit to begin with!
Ayame looks down at the fallen superhero, breathing heavily and enraged at her fallen foe. She bends down and grabs the hero by the chin and stares at him dead in the eye.
"Ring King," she says to his unconscious face. "You will be there, and you will feel the wrath of a wolf without a kingdom." She then throws the unconscious face back down onto the mat and walks back up the entrance ramp.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: I really hope the Captain comes to his senses once Ring King comes around, otherwise there will be one less man to take care of the Zookeeper!
MATT RUBY: I hope Ayame tears that jackass a new one. The asshole needs to learn not every Titan with an animal in their name is related to the Kingdom.
Cut.
Death's Gift, I
Previously Recorded.
The screen fades in from black. Dust swirls in shafts of light, and the first pluck of a guitar string echoes like a memory trying to survive. The voice of El Mariachi Muerte breaks through. Quiet. Reflective. Wounded.
“I was nineteen when they chose me.”
A young man stands before a gathering of masked elders, his hands trembling as they place the guitar in his grasp. The Mariachi of Death. The instrument hums like it already knows the shape of his soul.
“It was the highest honor. The greatest burden. The start of everything.”
The young man lowers his head, humbled.
“But you don’t understand what it means to be given a gift like that. Not truly.”
Cut to a dusty alley. A man kneels, weeping, unaware of what’s coming. El Mariachi Muerte raises the guitar, his fingers dancing across the strings. A single glowing note leaves the guitar, slow and deliberate, and passes through the man’s chest like silk through skin. He slumps forward.
Muerte doesn’t flinch.
“I remember the first time I played the song. It wasn’t murder. It wasn’t revenge. It was release. That man was suffering. Sick. Alone. No way out.”
He exhales.
“It was a mercy.”
A montage of El Mariachi Muerte over the years:
A cartel soldier brought to his knees by a final chord.
A sick child held close, soothed by a lullaby that ends with silence.
A masked warlord unraveling into ash under the sound of a sorrowful waltz.
Muerte never celebrates. He only plays, then leaves. One step ahead of the darkness.
“I believed I was saving them. That my gift, poisoned though it was, could still do good. That maybe, just maybe, I could shape death into something… kind.”
His voice lowers.
“But you carry poison long enough…”
Red Snow.
La Mariachi Vida kneels in the center of the ring, smiling. Muerte stands over her, holding the guitar like it weighs a thousand regrets.
She nods once.
He plays. Her eyes flutter. She breathes out.
And she’s gone.
“…and eventually, it spreads.”
Cut.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: We've got an all star six man tag lined up for you next, folks! Doom, Muerte, and Sunshine are going up against Narcissa, Nox, and Caido!
MATT RUBY: Three stars and three soon to be stains in the ring, you mean. No way are my Narcy and her loyal teammates going to lose to these goons.
As soon as Demi Sky calls for the bell, all hell breaks loose. Doom charges at Nox, taking him down with THE SPLITTER! The Chemist rolls out of the squared circle, causing the Scientist to follow suit.
Cheery Charlie and Hera meet in the middle to trade fists. Sunshine gains the upper hand and locks in a Full Nelson, attempting to sweep her leg out from under her for a BROKEN SMILE, but Narcissa slips out!
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: UPRISING! That knee knocked him to the outside!
MATT RUBY: Good. I hope that smiling doofus lands on his head when falling outside.
The Designer follows Charlie to the outside, leaving Caido and Muerte to battle it out in the ring. The Mariachi attempts a kick to the gut, but the Dragon catches it and throws the leg back to the mat.
Draco wraps both hands around EMM's throat, hoisting him up in the air and slamming him down for FIRE BREATH! The Fallen Dragon signals for the end as he hooks Muerte in an iron claw, forcing him up to his feet.
Before the slam can connect, Doom runs back in the ring after brawling with Nox at ringside. His hover boots activate and he nails Caido with the HOVER NO BOTHER, knocking the Mariachi free in the process!
The Chemist follows Doom into the ring, and drops him with a snap PARALYTIC PLEX! Cheery Charlie slides under the bottom rope and grabs Nox from behind, dropping him face first with THE SUNSHINE CLUB!
Before Sunshine can pin the Chemist, Narcissa ripcords Charlie around and hits him with REVOLUTION! Hera attempts to cover, but Muerte spins her around and traps her in a package piledriver!
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: FADE TO BLACK! Narcissa's dumped on her head!
Caido rushes to prevent a pin, but Muerte sees it coming! He tosses Draco head over heels with WHISKEY LULLABY! Muerte covers the downed Narcissa!
ONE!
...
TWO!
...
THREE!
MATT RUBY: This is bullshit! The match should be restarted so the stars can win!
Something More
We find Destructo backstage, alone with his thoughts.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Last week, we almost saw a breakthrough between Destructo and Michaela.
MATT RUBY: Until he fucked up and scared her away, then got the shit kicked out of him BB.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Yeah, that. But Destructo seems to have withdrawn inside himself. He’s been seething all week.
“That’s the last fucking time.” He thinks aloud while taping himself up ready for his match. “I let somebody in, and look what happens.”
He checks the bandages from his wound last week, scars hidden beneath, shaking his head.
“I tried to be something more, but she pulled away from me.” He lets out a growl of frustration. “I tried to be everything she needs, but she can’t even see the light. I told her…”
He stands.
“I told her that I needed to control what I can, but she wouldn’t let me. She… rejected me.”
His voice catches, but he steels himself in his anger.
“Fuck her. I don’t need her. I don’t need anybody. I’m alone, always have been it seems.”
He resolves himself to the road ahead alone, taking a step towards the door. But he freezes, stopping himself in his tracks.
Anger gives way to something more, something broken.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: He’s hurting. Destructo has lost so much already.
MATT RUBY: Boo freaking hoo. She doesn’t want you kid, cut your losses.
Destructo is torn.
“I just wish I could get you out of my head.”
His fist balls tightly, as he comes to a realisation.
“There’s one more thing he can do to free Michaela and help her see the light… End Klaus Way.”
Cut.
Smile for the Camera
PREVIOUSLY RECORDED
The new and improved Sunshine Club set is a mockery.
Oversized props. Twisted mascots with dead eyes. A flickering neon sign:
“SUNSHINE REBORN.”
Everything is too bright, too plastic, too fake.
Narcissa stands centre stage in a white designer suit, surrounded by former criminals dressed as cartoon parodies. One wears a giant cardboard mask of Mr. Sunshine, labelled “SMILE FREAK.”
“Welcome back to the Sunshine Club, kids. Arcadia asked for a revival so I built one. Brighter, bolder more honest”
Canned applause plays. The set doors creak open.
Mr. Sunshine enters. His smile is forced and under his coat a pistol. He looks around. The lights. The props. The insult.
The actor in the fake Sunshine mask waves and laughs.
BLAM!!!
The gunshot echoes. The actor crumples.
Blood splashes across a painted rainbow.
Screams erupt as the mascots scatter.
Sunshine steps forward. Slowly. Calmly.
He raises the still-smoking barrel and presses it against Narcissa’s cheek. She winces at the heat but doesn’t move.
“Fix it… or Ring King becomes your last show.”
Narcissa spits in Sunshine’s face.
“Then cut the cameras. Let’s go live.”
Sunshine lingers, his smile twitching, before he lowers the gun. His hand trembles as he turns and walks off.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Two dangerous vigilantes, one ring, one chance at the crown. Can Destructo shine his way through the darkness?
The bell rings and both competitors immediately rush one another down! Punches fly on both ends before they hit the ropes, coming back with a massive double crossbody that takes both men out as they collide in the center of the ring!
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Neither man cares for his own well being!
MATT RUBY: I know! Pass the popcorn!
Night is first to his feet, kipping up and nailing Destructo with a jaw breaking kick that puts him on his ass! He nails one more to the ribs before rushing the ropes and going for a springboard!
SHATTERED JUSTICE! DESTRUCTO BOY LEAPS ONTO THE ROPES AND NAILS A BACKDROP DRIVER TO NIGHT!
The second rope driver plants Night head first! The Kamikaze Kid doesn't let up as he crawls back to his feet, lining Night up from the corner and bum rushing him!
SEE NO EVIL! SHINING WIZARD- NO!
NIGHT CAP! LEAPING SHOULDER TACKLE TO DESTRUCTO!
Destructo kips up into a second Night Cap that puts him on his ass! The Night forces Destructo up by his hair, whipping him to the corner as he follows with a stinger splash!
MATT RUBY: Nothing but corner!
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: PENDELUM KICK BY DESTRUCTO!
Night stumbles out of the corner as Destructo rises to the top rope! He leaps!
YOUR FINAL BREATH! SHOOTING STAR- NO!
YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE! CROSSFACE! NIGHT CATCHES HIM AND LOCKS IN THE CROSSFACE!
Destructo is in the center of the ring with nowhere to go! Night wrenches back with all of his might!
He taps! He taps!
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Both men were as resilient as they were dangerous but in the end only can can win. Advancing to the next round... Is The Night!
Nothing More
A discrete, undisclosed location. Somewhere prying eyes would never find.
Klaus Way enters, dragging a struggling Michaela behind him, he tosses her to the concrete floor.
“You’ve been a bad girl.” He states, a hint of playfulness in his voice.
MATT RUBY: Oh, kinky…
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: No, Ruby, just no. The poor girl.
Klaus tuts a finger at her.
“You betrayed my trust. I thought you knew where your alliances lay, but it seems that you need a little… reminding.”
Michaela cries, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“No, please… I didn’t do anything. I refused him.”
Her pleads fall on deaf ears, Klaus flashing a moment of anger before returning to an even more sinister calm.
“It’s not a matter of what you did, it is what you could do. What you want to do, that is the problem, nothing more. Those that cannot be trusted don’t get the freedom to express themselves.”
Klaus grabs her by the wrist, locking it into a metal cuff. Her second wrist is locked up with as much ease as the first. Then he hooks a large chain to heavy fastenings on the plain concrete wall.
“You’re going to need to stay where you are, where I can see you from now on. At least until such a time that I’m satisfied that you’ve earned my trust back.” He brings himself close to her, as she shakes in a mixture of fear and distraught sadness. “And after the way things ended between you and Destructo, I don’t think he’s going to come kicking down any doors like the hero he used to be. Daddy sure isn’t saving you anytime soon.”
He backs away, leaving her alone.
“Looks like it’s just you and me against the world. Just the way it’s meant to be.”
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Klaus Way has Michaela locked away, somewhere only he knows.
MATT RUBY: Oh the mind boggles with the thoughts of what he’s going to get her doing to earn his trust back in that dark dungeon.
Cut.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: The Rogue versus The Rogue Code. Can Gemini survive this hound or will she find herself rebooted?
MATT RUBY: Oh, I'd reboot her all right.
Nero and Gemini meet in the center of the ring with The Cyberhound forcing a test of strength! Gemini finds herself overpowered only to lock a wrist! She chops him in the chest before landing a massive arm drag! Nero rolls to his feet as Gemini runs forward!
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: FIREWALLED THAT! SUPERKICK BY NERO!
MATT RUBY: Did her lips survive?
Gemini stumbles to the ropes and Nero nails a clothesline that takes both competitors to the apron! He unloads with a kick to the ribs before lashing out with a flurry of strikes! Gemini ducks a blow and catches a fist!
THE LAST DANCE! GEMINI WITH A SPRINGBOARD HURRICANRANA!
BOTH ROGUES LAND IN A HEAP OUTSIDE!
Gemini is first to her feet, cracking Nero with an aggressive knee to the skull before hauling him up and chopping him in the chest! She goes to whip him but Nero follows through!
AND SENDS GEMINI RIGHT INTO THE STEEL STEPS!
The Photog is in dire straits as Nero grabs her by the collar and rolls her into the ring! He climbs up and leaps over the ropes, snatching up Gemini as she gets to her feet!
LOCKING IN A GUILLOTINE CHOKE!
Gemini fights for her life, throwing punches to Nero's ribs over and over as the Cyberhound tightens his hold!
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: RED REBOOT! HE DROPS GEMINI WITH A NASTY DDT!
MATT RUBY: Teach this man how safe words work!
Nero hooks the leg!
ONE!
...
...
TWO!
...
...
THREE!
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Gemini has found herself rebooted and Nero has found himself one step closer to gaining the crown!
Not Left to Fate
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Slade Kincaid has been living day to day since the collapse of his dwelling.
MATT RUBY: He never lived comfortably at the best of times, but this is next level squalor.
Each night, Slade has been finding temporary accommodation wherever he can find it. Enough to lay one’s head and nothing more. He finds himself in a shelter, shared with a collection of other down-on-their-luck folk.
He makes no conversation with the others, as they seem to with each other. He sits, watching. Scanning and surveying.
One man reaches his hand towards the pull chain on the overhead light, and that’s when Slade sees it. The cord connecting the light to the chain dangles on its last thread, a connection frayed and worn. A disaster waiting to happen.
“Wait.” Kincaid calls out, but the man doesn’t hear.
He pulls the chain and a spark erupts from the loose connection… Yet the light goes on without trouble.
Slade exhales in relief.
But the light begins to get brighter, and brighter and brighter. Uncontrollably so.
Until it bursts. Shards of glass are sent flying in one single direction, straight at Kincaid… nobody else.
Each one misses his head by mere inches.
Sparks fly from the busted lightbulb, and soon they catch and the tinderbox of a shelter that he is staying in is soon engulfed in flame.
“Get down. Get out!” Slade calls to the others, pulling folks from their beds to safety.
Moments later, he crawls out into the night, smoke billowing out after him. Safely outside, he begins to pull himself to his feet, only noticing now the boots that stand before him.
Familiar boots, belonging to a familiar figure.
Tombstone himself glares down at him.
“I’ve been willing for fate to do its job and for death to claim you.” The Ferryman states, without emotion. “But like it has been for too long now, you seem a step ahead of fate.”
Slade, now risen to his feet, meets eye to eye with Tombstone. The Ferryman is not fazed in the slightest.
“Your soul needs ferrying. Your time is nigh. I’m just going to have to step in and do the job myself, lend fate a helping hand.”
Slade smirks.
“I thought you’d never ask. You can try all you like.”
Tombstone clenches a fist.
“By my own hands. I will prepare the way.”
Flutter.
Darkness.
And Tombstone is gone.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Tombstone has run out of patience, watching Slade make a mockery of death.
MATT RUBY: Slade doesn’t seem to care, but it’s going to be different when he finds himself face to face with the Ferryman himself. Surely, his luck has to run out soon.
Cut.
Family Drama
The torches burn low along the marble walls, shadows crawling like snakes across the chamber. Zeus stands at the window, his golden robe draped over his broad frame, the city of Arcadia glittering in the distance.
Behind him, the heavy doors creak open. Ares enters. His hands are wrapped tight, knuckles raw from training, eyes burning with purpose.
“Once I’m finished with Cade,” Ares growls, his voice low and controlled, “I’ve got a family issue of my own to take care of.”
Zeus turns, studying him. His brow furrows.
“I looked into it,” he admits slowly. “And I don’t understand how it happened. The Golden Tickets are issued only to the best and brightest. I review every list myself. But that name…” His eyes narrow. “…name wasn’t on it.”
Ares smirks bitterly, crossing his arms. “There’s good reason for that.”
Zeus waits, but Ares doesn’t elaborate. He steps forward, shoulders squared, his voice cutting sharp.
“And I’ll take care of it. In due time.”
The silence between them is thick, loaded with unspoken history. Zeus studies him, as if trying to peel away the layers Ares refuses to reveal.
Finally, Zeus nods once, curt. “See that you do.”
Ares turns to leave, the echo of his boots pounding against the marble floor.
Fade out.
Cut.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: We have a huge Ring King Quarter Finals matchup here folks, as Anton Savor takes on the man he tried to dethrone many a time in Jackson Cade. Can Savor finally get that victory to move onto the Ring King Semi-Finals or will Perseus move on one step closer to that Kings crown?
The bell sounds as Cade rushes forward, taking Savor by surprise with a hard leaping clothesline that takes him off his feet. Anton staggers up into a flurry of lefts and rights before he's lifted up high into the air.
MASTER KEY BRAINBUUSTTTAHHH! Cade drills Savor into the mat but he's not covering, instead sprinting to the ropes before leaping up to the top in one swift motion. He opens his arms out wide, the crowd screaming out his name before he dives off.
MATT RUBY: Swing and a miss ya mook. As always Cade takes too much time sucking up to the fans and now look at him
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: From the cries and how he's holding it, Jackson may well have badly damaged his elbow there.
Anton gets to his feet before immediately stunning Cade with a hard kick to the jaw, rolling through onto the rocked Jackson and locking in a Fujiwara Armbar.
Jackson screams out in pain, Savor pulling back with all his might as Jackson refuses to tap. Demi Sky leaning in to check as Cade manages to turn himself around, wrapping a leg around the bottom rope and breaking the hold.
MATT RUBY: The Nepo baby gets free but that has to be it. Savor has this in the bag BB.
Savor pulls Cade up to his feet, rocking him hard with an elbow before lifting him up onto his shoulders. Savor parades Jackson around for a moment
THE FINAL....NO! Jackson slips out the back, pulling Savor back down into a schoolboy as Demi Sky slides in to count
ONE
..............
TWO
...........
...............
THREE!!!
MATT RUBY: And the nepotism runs wild. Told you it wouldn't take long before Jackson started throwing his weight around and now he steals one of the final four spots from a much more deserving man.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: You see cheating, I see an Anton Savor that got caught by a better man tonight as Jackson Cade moves onto the Ring King Semi-Finals.
See You Never
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Anton Savor and Jackson Cade just took each other to the limit, Matt.
MATT RUBY: Hell of a match.
Jackson Cade is still in the ring, chest heaving. He doesn’t hear the footsteps until the impact comes.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Watch out—
NERO HITS CADE FROM BEHIND LIKE A MISSILE!
A spear to the ribs slams Cade into the corner, followed by a barrage of fists, wild and merciless. Cade tries to cover up, but Nero doesn’t let him breathe with elbows to the jaw, a forearm across the throat, a boot to the gut.
The crowd roars, but it’s not cheers.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: The crowd doesn’t like what Nero’s doing right now, but wait a second—Oh this guy…
MATT RUBY: The Reverend is here!
Ezekiel Graves slides under the ropes, passing a glance at Nero, before he grabs Cade by the hair, yanks him upright, and forces him to face Nero.
“Do it,” Graves growls. “He stood by while they suffered. Let him feel what they’re feeling.”
Nero roars, driving a knee into Cade’s side. Cade coughs, collapsing to one knee.
Graves circles Cade like a predator. “Where were you, Jackson Cade? When that poor woman begged? When the boy cried out?”
Nero rears back for another shot—BUT JASPER REDGRAVE IS HERE!
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: What the hell is happening!?
Redgrave crashes into Nero, shoulder first, sending him flying into Graves. Both men tumble over the top rope in a heap.
Redgrave drops beside Cade, gripping his shoulder. “You alright?”
Cade shoves him away, face twisted with rage. He staggers to his feet, eyes locked on Redgrave.
“You did this,” he spits. “This is your fault.”
Redgrave doesn’t budge. “And you’re my partner, Champ. So right now? You’re with me.”
The tension crackles between them.
A referee enters the ring. Graves pulls himself up on the outside, eyes burning.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: I almost forgot, Redgrave is going to be taking on Ezekiel Graves RIGHT NOW!
MATT RUBY: Cade and Nero haven’t left ringside!
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: We have a big time hoss battle here between two former OSW World Champions as only one of them will gain the right to move onto the final four in the 2025 Ring King Tournament.
MATT RUBY: I can't decide here BB, do I want God's Chosen King or do we get a repeat Killer King? Either way whoever wins this is my pick to be this years Ring King.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Will either of their partners get involved here though? Cade is still feeling that heavy beatdown before and Nero would love to cost Redgrave a chance at Ring King for what he's done.
The bell sounds as both men rush forward, pounding down one another with heavy lefts and rights, neither man getting the advantage. Jasper nails a headbutt that slightly staggers back Graves who responds with a Boot to the jaw that slightly splits his lip open to a sickening smile from Redgrave.
Both men close in one another again, hard elbow from Redgrave, stiff knee from Graves before both men lock up, trying to jostle for position. Neither man can grab it before Jasper points behind Graves, Ezekiel letting his focus waver for a second
POKE TO THE EYE!
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: And there's that devious tactics from the Artist. Any shortcut possible.
Graves staggers back, slightly blinded leaving him vulnerable to a stiff superkick to the jaw, sending him staggering back into the ropes as Redgrave spins around.
COLLAGE OF VIOLENCE! Brutal Spinning Elbow leaves Graves out on his feet as Jasper lifts him up high,
BEFORE SHOWING HIM THE PORTRAIT OF A KILLER WITH THE NIGHTMARE PENDULUM!
MATT RUBY: Told ya BB, Killer King II Electric Boogaloo about to happen soon.
Redgrave is all smiles as he slowly pulls Graves up, kicking him hard in the gut and double underhooking him. He lingers though, taunting Nero at ringside, much to the annoyance of Jackson who screams at him to finish it.
ALLOWING GRAVES TO BACKDROP OUT OF THE PEDIGREE!
Redgrave stumbles up into a hard Lariat, then another before he's violently spinebustered nearly through the mat. The Reverend is furious as he makes a quick sign of the cross before pulling Redgrave up
GOOZLE!
BOTH HANDS AROUND REDGRAVES THROAT!
Graves stares daggers into the Artist, trying to choke the air out of his throat before Redgrave smirks
LOW BLOW!
The force loosens the grip as Jasper slips behind,
THE BRUSH STROKE! FORWARD RUSSIAN LEGSWEEP OUT OF NOWHERE!
Redgrave smiles, dropping down as he hooks the leg of the unconcious Graves, Cole Holt sliding in to count
ONE
...........
TWO
...........
.................
THREE
MATT RUBY: YES! Jasper with that trademark cunning picks up the victory and one step closer to the very first repeat Ring King. I love it BB.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: A very dubious victory but like you said, trademark for the Artist who moves onto the Ring King semi-finals.
All the Power
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: It’s chaos out here, Ruby!
MATT RUBY: We’ve got two tag teams that want to get it on right now!
The bell has barely stopped ringing before Nero storms the ring like a shot. Redgrave barely has time to cover up before the chaos erupts.
LARIAT FROM GRAVES!
Nero pounces, fists crashing down in a frenzy. Redgrave rolls, covers up, but there’s no escape.
HOSTILE DOWN TO GRAVES! JACKSON CADE IS HELPING REDGRAVE!
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: I never thought I’d see the day!
Nero hauls Redgrave to his knees by the collar, but Redgrave grits his teeth through the pain.
“You lay another fucking hand on me and your precious little family pays the price!”
Nero freezes. Graves comes to a knee as Jackson Cade comes to stand by his tag team partner.
Redgrave spits blood on the mat, breathing heavy.
“You think you’ve got the upper hand?” he sneers. “You think you hold justice? I own your leash, Lucien. I own the woman who begged for your soul, and the boy who’ll grow to hate you.”
Graves shakes his head, stepping past Nero.
“You think you hold all the power here, sinner, but it is God who holds the scales!”
Redgrave laughs.
“Fuck your God,” he hisses. “I’m the only god you two need to be praying to right now.”
Graves and Nero exchange a look, but Redgrave continues.
“You’ll get them back,” he promises. “At Ring King. After I’ve humiliated you both. I’ll turn over the whore… and her bastard.”
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: That’s enough.
“But if you lay one goddamn,” Redgrave says smirking, “hand on me or my partner Jack here, you’ll get them back in pieces.”
Graves clenches his jaw. Nero's fists tighten. But they step back, seething, and leave the ring in silence.
Redgrave straightens, triumphant.
HOSTILE DOWN!!
Cade’s boot crashes into Redgrave’s jaw, sending him sprawling.
MATT RUBY: What the hell was that? He’s your partner, dumbass!
Jackson Cade stands over his partner’s body, cold and furious.
Then walks away without a word.
Death's Gift, II
Previously Recorded.
The sound of quiet guitar strings. A mournful, lingering tune.
The screen fades in on scorched earth, remnants of what once was a Mariachi hideout. A shattered mask rests in the dirt, blood soaking into the soil beneath it. El Mariachi Muerte kneels beside the body.
“This one was called Sombra del Viento. He used to laugh like thunder in the rain.”
A hand on the fallen’s shoulder. A final goodbye.
“I found him like this. Then another. Then another. One by one, our song was silenced.”
Cut to a montage of Muerte walking through ruins, stepping over broken instruments, scattered feathers, and dying embers. Always too late.
“I thought it was Dr. Death. I thought it had to be. But I was wrong. It wasn't truly the doctor. He was the symptom.”
He pauses.
“It was the last man I ever expected.”
The screen fades back, going further back this time. A young Muerte and an even younger Vida sit on the steps of a grand stone plaza in Anestheria, eyes wide as they watch a man in golden robes and a flawless mask strum a guitar in the square, surrounded by Watchers and dreamers alike.
El Mariachi Grande.
“He stood like a monument. El Mariachi Grande, the founder, the fire, the soul. I wanted to be him. I didn’t know I would be burying the ones he abandoned.”
The chords vanish into silence.
Present day.
El Mariachi Muerte stands before a wall of altars and marigolds in Anestheria. Sugar skulls. Photos. Masks. One in the center:
La Mariachi Vida.
Her smile lives there now.
“I told you I’d rebuild the Mariachi,” he says, voice barely above a whisper. “But how can you rebuild with poison? How can you drink from a well that kills everything it touches?”
He looks down at the guitar in his hands.
“This gift I was given… this curse… it’s taken so much from me. From us. From everyone. But still… I believe. I believe in death.”
A long silence.
“There are still people who need it. Not vengeance. Not cruelty. Not showmanship. Relief. Mercy. Silence.”
He steps forward and places a candle beneath Vida’s portrait.
“Maybe I need to give death’s gift one more time. To the one I never thought I’d have to.”
He turns from the altar now, shadows dancing across the mask he wears.
“If El Mariachi Grande wants my power, if he wants the last note of his broken song…”
He stops.
“…then he’ll have to come take it himself.”
Cut.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: An incredibly personal matchup here, Harold spent years thinking his daughter was gone only to find out she was in the ward of Klaus Way. Attano walked away at Michaela's insistance but given what Way has done these past few weeks, do you think Attano regrets doing so?
MATT RUBY: Once a dead beat, always a dead beat. Attano had his chance, and now he's got no right to butt into Klaus or Michaela's lives. But knowing Attano, he's still going to try.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Hey if your daughter was being held captive by a psychopathic murderer, would you just sit back and do nothing?
MATT RUBY: Difference between me and Attano, I'm perfectly fine not being in the lives of my kids.
The sounds of a radio tuning echo throughout the arena as the lights dim. As the radio settles on the bouncy carnival stylings of his theme song, a single spotlight shines atop the ramp, and Klaus Way steps into it. "Welcome to the Freak Show! Let us show you the Way!" rings out, followed by the creepy laugh "Ha ha hee ha ha ha".
RUNNING SPEAR OUT OF NOWHERE!
The freaks don't even get to join their Ringmaster as Attano bumrushes past them all, driving his full weight into the back of Klaus and slamming him face first onto the metal ramp.
Attano barely lets Way hit the metal, leaping onto him and pounding down with heavy lefts and rights, sending Way's face into the steel over and over again. Klaus manages to kick upwards, driving his heel into Attano's thigh to stop his attack for a moment.
Way barely gets up to his feet though before he's grabbed by the back of the head
AND BIEL TOSSED HEAD OVER HEELS DOWN THE ENTRANCE RAMP!
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Harold Attano all over Klaus Way here, no hatred has been lost since the last time these two fought that's for sure.
Way rolls down the ramp, barely managing to stop himself slamming head first into the ring. Breathing hard and groggy, he manages to turn himself around, eyes wide as he rolls out of the way just in time
TO AVOID THE LAST GASP OF A DYING MAN! ATTANO JUST TRIED TO KILL KLAUS WITH FIRE!
Way staggers to his feet, Attano trembling with anger as he stares at the shaken Way who begins to run. Attano is in hot pursuit as Way tries to leap over the barricade, Attano trying to grab him but Klaus slips out
DRILLING ATTANO THROAT FIRST ONTO THE BARRICADE
Nobody staggers back, holding his throat in pain as Way leaps back over, kicking him hard in the face
BEFORE DELIVERING A HARD DDT onto the concrete floor.
The Ringmaster isn't done as he leaps onto the barricade, waiting for Attano to slowly rise to his feet before diving off
RIGHT INTO A SNAP POWERSLAM, SENDING WAY BACK FIRST ONTO THE CONCRETE
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Heavy back and forth here, neither man letting up as this is allready getting dangerous.
MATT RUBY: These two are fighting for Michaela here and proving why the other doesn't deserve to be in her life.
Way screams out in pain, Attano slowly getting up stretching out his neck before lifting Klaus up to his feet. He nails Way with a few hard hits to the ribs before gripping him around the head and trying to rush forward
KLAUS SLIPS OUT, GOING BEHIND AND SENDING ATTANO HEAD FIRST INTO THE RING POST!
Harold looks out, slumping head first down onto the steel steps as a wicked grin crosses the Ringmaster. He leaps up onto the apron, diving forward
CURBSTOMPING ATTANO ONTO THE STEEL STEPS!
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: LORD IN ZEUS HAROLD ATTANO HAS TO BE DEAD!
Blood pools down the ring steps, Attano busted wide open as he slumps down to the concrete floor. Klaus embracing the pain as he kneels down, grabbing Nobody by the hair and throwing him forcefully into the ring before sliding in himself as Demi Sky calls for the bell
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: And this match has just officially started now. How can Attano have anything left to even last more then a minute here?
Way slowly stalks Attano, Nobody pulling himself up by the ropes as blood pours down his face. Way peppers the back of his head with light jabs, almost taunting him into swinging. Attano does wildly, Way easily ducking underneath before rushing to the ropes, leaping off
RUNNING ENZIGURI TO THE BACK OF ATTANO'S HEAD!
Harold slumps down to the canvas, dropping down face first as Way slowly climbs up to the top, taunting the crowd and Attano theatrically before leaping off
SEATED SENTON TO THE BACK OF ATTANO'S HEAD!
MATT RUBY: That's it, done and dusted. One more dead beat dad shown for the loser he is.
Way turns Attano over, grinning wide as he drops back for the cover, Demi sliding in to count
ONE
................
TWO
................
................. ATTANO KICKS OUT!
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Not going to be that easy, Nobody has resilience like Harold Attano does.
Way scowls, pulling Attano up to his feet but he gets pushed away. Attano wobbling on his feet, blood dripping to the canvas but he's still got fight left in him. Klaus smirks, rushing to the ropes again
ATTANO DUCKS UNDERNEATH THE ENZIGURI THIS TIME!
Way stumbles up, Attano dodging the clothesline attempt
SCORPION KICK!
SUPERKICK TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD!
VENNNNOOMMM SHOT!
Way stumbles up to his feet right into a flurry of lefts and rights, Attano stunning him with a headbutt before grabbing him in the facelock
ONE SHOT ONE...NO!
Way slips out, NORTHERN LARIAT!
Brutal Lariat to the back of the head nearly snaps Attano's neck, slumping him over as Klaus wraps him up before rushing to the ropes
AND DELIVERING HIM A BIZZARO UNPRETTIER!
MATT RUBY: Done and dusted, told ya Attano was a deadbeat.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: I don't think Way is done though.
The Ringmaster doesn't cover, instead sliding out of the ring and lifting up the apron. He looks for a few seconds before grabbing not one steel chair
But two.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Oh no, I don't think Way just wants to beat Attano.
Klaus throws one steel chair in the ring before sliding in with the other. Harold reaches over, trying to grab the fallen chair but he gets the steel into his spine for his trouble. Way slamming it down over and over into Nobody, delivering agonizing pain before a final shot leaves him battered and broken on the mat.
Way drops the chair, lifting Attano's head before sliding it underneath on the mat. Klaus picks up the other chair, swinging it in the air with a murderous look in his eyes.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Someone has to stop this, we can't have what happened at Ring of Dreams again.
Klaus lifts the chair up high, poised ready to slam it down hard
ONE SHOT ONE KILL!
DIAMOND CUTTER OUT OF NOWHERE ON THE FALLEN STEEL CHAIR!
Harold Attano kips up by pure instinct, putting Klaus down with that Diamond Cutter onto the chair, immediately collapsing onto Way as Demi Sky slides in to count
ONE
...............
TWO
..............
.....................
..................
THREE!!!
MATT RUBY: How in the hell did he do that? Klaus had to have messed up somewhere, he had him dead to rights and a terrible monster was about to be put out of his misery here.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Harold Attano has gone through hell and back several times before, that man has more sheer will then any other man and somehow, someway, he survived Klaus Way here tonight.
MATT RUBY: It doesn't matter though, Klaus has won in the end because Michaela picks him even after what he did rather then her deadbeat dad.
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Maybe so but maybe this victory showed how hard he'll fight for her and maybe it'll be a deterrent for Klaus Way and his murderous ways.
Redemption?
The match is over, Klaus is gone, and as Harold Attano rises to his feet the lights flicker, the ring cascading into darkness.
Bzzzzzt.
"Redemption." The word hangs ominously in the air, echoing from the shadows. A scuffle is heard and as the slowly dim back to life they reveal Harold Attano on his knees, The Night holding a blade to his throat. "What the fuck do you know about redemption?" Night's words are like needles as he presses the knife to Harold's skin.
"Everyone deserves-"
"No." Night's voice stops Harold in his tracks. "You want redemption. So badly do you want to be forgiven for your sins. But it just doesn't work that way."
BRONCO BLACKWOOD: Someone needs to get out here and stop this!
MATT RUBY: Hold on, BB. I think Night might be onto something for once.
"Redemption isn't sought, Harry. It's earned. Something you'll never earn so long as you keep selfishly searching it out." He places the tip of the blade at Harold's heart, a single tear rolling down his cheek. "Why couldn't you have just told me the truth?"
"No, sir
Well, I don't wanna be the blame, not anymore
It's your turn
So take a seat we're settling the final score!"
The opening lyrics to Paramore's "That's What You Get" blare through the arena as Gemini storms the ring! Night immediately flees to the outside, the Rogue keeping him at bay as she produces a mic. "I'm done with this!" Her voice is filled with determination as she speaks. "Done with the fighting, the stalking."
She looks to Attano, rebuking him as he tries to thank her. "This isn't for you, Harold. Not you, not Night. For months I've dealt with the pain of knowing what I did yet knowing I had no control over myself when I did it. Yet I still fought for what was right. I fought alongside both of you because I believed it was for the better of Arcadia... And now it's all come to this?"
Gemini pauses, looking at Night, the shadow still seething with rage at ringside. "No more. No running, no hiding. At Ring King this ends. If you want your revenge..." She glances to Harold. "You're redemption. Then earn it."
The Rogue drops her mic, the crowd cheering her on as she leaves the ring. Night, meanwhile, escapes into the stands.
Leaving us to look on at Harold Attano as he stands speechless in the center of the ring.
Cut.
For Old Times Sake II
Flash Forward.
The green glow of bubbling vats reflects off cold steel. Doom and Nox sit bound to chairs, sweat and blood trickling down their faces. Their breaths echo hollow in the sterile silence.
The heavy iron door creaks. Boots strike against concrete.
Ares enters.
“Between the two of you,” he says, voice low but sharp as a blade, “you nearly orchestrated the death of Zeus. And now—” his lips curl into a sneer “—you will pay.”
He turns to the shadows.
“Join me.”
From the darkness, Jackson Cade steps forward. Reluctant. Uneasy. The man who only recently learned the truth of who he is.
Ares presses a dagger into his hand. “Do it,” Ares commands. “Kill them both. That’s what a leader does.”
Cade stares at the blade, trembling. His eyes flick between Doom, between Nox. Neither man pleads. Neither man looks away.
Then Cade’s jaw tightens. He hurls the knife across the room—it clatters against the concrete wall.
“I’m no murderer,” Cade snarls. “And I’m no leader. Not yours. Not anyone’s.”
He storms off, the slam of the door reverberating through the lab.
Ares smirks, unfazed. He snaps his fingers. Guards release Doom and Nox, who stand stunned, rubbing their wrists.
“You’re free… for now,” Ares says coldly. “Because Zeus isn’t finished with you yet.”
He steps close, staring straight into Doom’s masked eyes.
“But first—you’ll defend that title. A four-way match. Survive it… and then…” He leans back, voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “…we’ll see.”
The screen cuts to black.
Cut.