Ascension #389
TOP THREE MOMENTS:
1.
2.
3.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
MY FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK:
HAVE YOUR SAY:
TOP THREE MOMENTS:
1. And Doom is your new OSW World Champion: What a shocker just goes to show anything can happen in OSW. Congrats to Doom! Great promo, and Felix, you crushed it too. This felt like a truly epic return main event.
2. Lost Sheep: This was incredibly well written. The Killer King is one of my favourite characters, and I’m super excited to see where this story goes. Top-tier storytelling. Excited for more of this
3. Strange Bedfellows: I’m really intrigued to see how Nero and Graves come together in a tag match. So many layers to explore.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
Can Graves and Nero put their differences aside?
Has El Dragón Caído become something sinister?
How dominant will Doom’s reign be?
How will Nero react to The Killer King eavesdropping on his personal life?
MY FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK: The Course That Belongs: Super pumped to see Jordan getting a shot at the World Title amazing storytelling.
HAVE YOUR SAY:
I started reading the results as soon as I got to work I was super pumped since they kicked off with fire. Then, of course, work got in the way… yuck, haha.
But seriously, once I finished them, I was blown away. Everything felt elevated and smooth, even with the break.
What’s going on with Graves is wild I’m really digging the tag team storyline. I’ve never been part of a tag team before in a e fed, and this one’s completely dysfunctional, but the storytelling potential is insane.
TOP THREE MOMENTS:
1. Invasion – Twice in a year we get Invasion. This was a huge treat. It was a brutal affair, Nox getting in the use of the poison mist on Tombstone (I would love to know what his thoughts would look like on one of Knox’s chemicals). I must applaud Heyden getting the W with Mr. Sunshine, well-earned my friend.
2. The Heir I & II – Just fantastic way to start and end the show. The tension was palpable with everything here. Jackson stepping up to defend George and showing Zeus that the passion still exists to see the door open. Plus, what did Zeus mean that Jackson must take his birthright?
3. Kindred Spirits – I like the idea of Destructo and Michaela being kindred spirits. Michaela’s had to see her adopted family murdered at the hands of psycho in Klaus Way and Destructo has had to do the same with Nox. I can’t wait to see how Harold falls in the scheme of things.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
What will Harold think of Destructo having eyes for his daughter?
Will Jackson have to kill Zeus to take his “birthright”?
How deep do the games that Nox is playing with Doom go?
Can Tombstone reap Slade?
How will Graves and Nero co-exist?
MY FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK:
Turkeys in the Rain – I loved the premise, rain used a framing device. How Hayden built it up and how he used the Briefcase as the solution that would be Sunshine’s saving grace. Brilliant piece of work.
HAVE YOUR SAY:
Harold: I love how Harold is still trying to teach The Night and steer him in the right direction. I cannot wait to see how he ties in with Michaela, Klaus, and Destructo, I mean he eventually has to cross paths into that right?
Nox: Man, Nox is a prick am I right? He is still messing with Felix and Doom. I cannot wait to see what he does next with these two. This is going to be a fantastic match when it all comes to a head. I am loving how Nox has become what he is right now.
TOP THREE MOMENTS
1. The Invasion Match - This isn’t the sort of spectacle we see every week for obvious reasons, so getting a second helping of one of my favourite OSW events here was a real treat. Huge credit to Hayden/Sunshine for overcoming a seriously stacked field. After that showing, I know my road to advancing in the Ring King tournament this week just got a whole lot tougher.
2. The World Title Match - It’s a rare occasion to see the top championship change hands on a regular show, and when it happens, it feels genuinely special. I still remember winning my first on an episode of FTW as it was back then. The shock in the air was real and this week carried that same electricity - especially with Mel on fire and Frank freshly back in the mix. Speaks volumes for Frank’s ability to return from a hiatus and score a win over one of our most consistent writers - especially at a time when he’s operating at the top of his game.
3. War Weathered - Tombstone has been the dominant force of any volume we’ve had here in OSW, with maybe only Scarecrow or Sandman otherwise in the conversation. Kincaid might not have the ominous aura of the Ferryman, but he made his presence felt here - 100%. He went toe-to-toe with Tombstone in both words and action, and that’s something we haven’t really seen before. Definitely a name to watch.
BURNING QUESTIONS
- Can Nero and Graves keep it together until Ring King?
- What’s the real history between Tombstone and Kincaid?
- Why is Jasper Redgrave targeting Nero by kidnapping his family - and what’s driving him?
FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK
I didn’t get through many this week, but The Truth Hurts by Doom really stood out. It was raw, personal, and full of emotion. Frank seemingly hasn’t lost a step since taking some time out. Fantastic work.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Beyond the will they/won’t they drama of Nero and Graves’ ongoing rivalry, it was Jasper Redgrave’s calculated strike that truly stunned me this week. I didn’t realise what I was witnessing until the camera pulled back to reveal him playing the recording for Nero’s kidnapped family. This wasn’t about physical violence, it was pure psychological warfare - forcing Lucien’s wife and son to confront the man he’s become… A man seemingly losing everything to the path he’s chosen.
TOP THREE MOMENTS:
- Red Light sits here not only because of the really interesting interactions between Night, Gemini and Attano, but also a little bit just because I love that the scene ended bathed in red light, given the events that led us here.
- War Weathered left me with questions. Firstly, on who this Slade Kincaid fella is, and secondly how he got himself into this mess with Tombstone. But finally, how he managed to convince the Ferryman to give him longer in this plane?
- The invasion match. I always simultaneously love and hate reading these kinds of matches when I am involved with them. Top notch work yet again as everyone got their moment in the spotlight.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
- Seeing what happens next not only for Jackson Cade but also for Zeus is a big question mark for me. Will we see them co-exist or are they bound to clash for all eternity?
- How on earth will Graves and Nero work together in a tag match!?
- Are we going to get any more Mariachi's crawling out of the woodwork?
- IS Ayame part of the Kingdom?
- Why does Redgrave have Nero's family?
MY FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK:
Doom's Truth Hurts. Great promo, and a worthy winning piece.
HAVE YOUR SAY:
Interesting. When I first saw the image and read the title "Kindred Spirits" I thought that Desctructo and Klaus might find some common ground due to their respective dead parents via fire. And maybe that might be the final outcome, but right now having Destructo see himself in Michaela is fun, and I can't wait to see where that leads and if/how Attano becomes involved.
TOP THREE MOMENTS:
- War Weathered was a fun segment. The opening line is pretty hilarious and I think as an introductory segment for Kincaid he couldn't have asked for a better one. Showing how absolutely powerful he is has him immediately going to the top of the list of people to watch out for. Anyone who can go toe to toe with Tombstone like that is a force to be reckoned with. Looking forward to seeing big meaty men slapping meat. Should be interesting to see unfold going forwards.
- Invasion deserves a massive shout out. Was sad not to take home the win but the match was beautifully written and I think the writer deserves recognition for pumping out a PPV quality match on a weekly show like this.
- Kindred Spirits has me very interested in the direction it's going. Bryno said it above but at some point we have to see Destructo, Attano, and Klaus cross paths due to Michaela being at the center. My only question is if Destructo Boy can survive getting in Klaus' way until then.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
- Is Ayame part of the Kingdom?
- What's the backstory with Tombstone and Slade?
- How will Graves and Nero work together?
- What's next for Cade and Zeus?
MY FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK:
Giving this to The Truth Hurts for Doom this week. I think what draws me to it is the emotional take that we get from it. It's interesting to see Doom being vulnerable like this and I think Frank used that emotion beautifully against Foley.
HAVE YOUR SAY:
Jackson Cade: Man, I'm still reeling from learning that Cade is Zeus' son. I think the Heir segments were fantastic and I love that Jackson will always defy authority at this point, even to the point of telling Zeus he doesn't want Arcadia. I'm dying to see just where this goes and I want Dean to know I'm so incredibly thankful to be in this storyline.
TOP THREE MOMENTS:
- Shudddup, I won the Briefcase?! I'm not often selfish here, but screw it, I'm going to be. The talent in that match was freaking insane. After submitting my promo and then reading the others, I never thought mine was coming out on top. Some awesome writers, and a helluva match written as well. Awesome stuff. Characterwise, seeing Sunshine carry that briefcase after everything he's been put through and everything he's put others through is great!
2. The Heir II - Stop it... Stop making me care for Zeus's feelings. That's not fair. Thank you so much for having Cade rebut by calling bullshit on the whole story. I don't think I could handle a world where Zeus becomes the good guy. We end on a really interesting note here. Cade not wanting his birthright. Zeus calling it his destiny... and then doubling down on what he's always said about that fucking door, that it's sealed for a reason. The moment though, is Cade playing the part of John the Revelator, the same type of line that JTR said when the door was opened. that Zeus KNOWS what is behind it, and that is his own personal hell, so that's why it was sealed. Afraid of the outside, this is going to be freaking HUGE!
3. STRANGE BEDFELLOWS - I love a good forced team matchup, and the history that Nero and Graves have now definitely falls in that category. There's no way they're getting along as a team. So that works perfectly as a storyline. Scott Sterling is an evil mastermind booking this. That moment where we find out NEro is the partner, you can FEEL Graves heart sink. Awesome stuff.
Honourable Mention: Anton Savor is the #1 Contender - It was understated, but could have a massive impact!
BURNING QUESTIONS:
- It's not really a question, but what if Zeus is actually right?
- Why did Redgrave capture Lucien's family?
- What does the Mariachi powers mean, and Caido being the Mariachi of life mean for Arcaid and for EMM?
MY FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK:
THE COURSE THAT BELONGS - Anton Savor
I loved the analogy used here. It came delicately, but packed a precision punch. Like using a blowdart instead of a sledgehammer to take down a foe. It set up Narcissa at the same time that it tore her down. Comparing her to a course of fine dining that doesn't belong on the menu, all garnish and no substance.
It tackles Redgrave beautifully, the tartare steak - but lacking acid and restraint. A bleeding steak is a great picture for Redgrave.
The writing was well handled and the dissections of the characters fit the analogy beautifully.
HAVE YOUR SAY:
EMM
Mariachi of Life was a cool segment. I love going back in time retrospectively to offer a new perspective on events that have occurred. That's such a great and not often used device to show depth to a story. It really paints Caido in a different light and gives his character more depth. He becomes more of a watchful force (pun intended) by the wheelings and dealings he had with Vida back then. But the impact of those dealings could be so much bigger than simply inconvenient for EMM.
So, lorewise, EMM was always the Mariachi of death. Vida held the mantle of the Mariachi of life.
Vida made it seem like she passed that power on to EMM at Red Snow before she died... but she gave that power to Caido? So, EMM still believes he's the Mariachi of both life and death, but he still only holds the death mantle? That distinction could really come back and bite him in the ass. It's great world-building.
SUNSHINE
I love the direction here. The sad single rose, crumpled under Narcissa's foot. The symbol of what the Sunshine Club once meant to Arcadia, now lying in tatters. This is such poetic writing.
Then she sets fire to the set, and Sunshine just stands and smiles.
Not the reaction one would expect... of a normal kinda guy. It makes one raise a little eyebrow and wonder. I love that the description of him smiling was almost just tucked away in the end of the segment, like if you were skimming over it you probably wouldn't have even noticed. Not made a big deal of, just there.
But that smile could mean something, I have no idea what, something cool characterwise... and I'm definitely here for that.
EDIT: I forgot to mention, thanks to Zac for the Invasion match. I've been meaning to add to Sunshine's MWA. There were some awesome new moves that I'm going to add in to his moveset. Good stuff mate
TOP THREE MOMENTS:
1. Mariachi of Life is the type of segment I'm a complete sucker for, going back to a past segment or story and recontextualizing it into something much bigger down the line with elements that weren't there before. The whole Dr Death murdering every Mariachi up until Vida and El Muerte himself was a brilliant story back in the day and adding in this new twist that Vida didn't give Muerte the Mantle of Life but gave it back to Caido is brilliant. Plus adds that much more stake to the story as a whole with not only being the rogue Mariachi against the leader of them all but Death versus Life once more. Amazing stuff and I cannot wait to see what happens next here.
2. War Weathered. As far as debuts go, this was a huge one for Kincaid. First portraying him like an absolute badass beating the shit out of a dozen men and then not only standing toe to toe with Tombstone but overpowering him even. It might have been just for a moment but it truly put over Kincaid instantly and left so many questions about the history between the Ferryman and Kincaid.
3. The Heir I and II. Above everything else, the Cade that turned out to be the son of THE God is the most fascinating to me. From the beginning with Jackson and Zeus just staring at one another like it had been this way for hours, to showing Jackson still cares for his dad in his fury at Ares hurting George to the whole story of Jackson's birth, Jackson calling bullshit on the sob story to talks of destiny and whats right. This is very clearly the final arc of Arcadia brewing hard here and Jackson Cade being front and centre just feels right.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
How long will Nox play mind games with DOOM and how will Savor and Foley factor into this little war?
Will Lucien and Ezekiel be able to work together against another hated rival team in Jackson and Jasper?
How far will the Night go to make Gemini suffer for what she did?
What exactly do the powers of Life and Death mean for the Mariachi's and is Life the only one El Mariachi Grande stole before Dr Death could take it?
Is Cap paranoid or could Ayame have been recruited by Boswick?
What exactly is the past between Kincaid and Tombstone and how many times has Kincaid escaped being collected?
Who is right between Jackson and Zeus and will Jackson be forced to take up his destiny?
MY FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK:
It's gotta be The Truth Hurts. An absolutely sublime heartwrenching promo by Frank there who came back absolutely swinging with a very foreign promo from DOOM, one brutally honest and raw with vulnerability we never truly saw from Stubbins in the past. Amazing work and easy to see why he's the new World Champion.
HAVE YOUR SAY:
I'll admit, as soon as the death of the Freaks and Michaela being forced to keep by Klaus's side on fear of her own death, I had a curiosity if James would come across her path and I'm very glad he did. It absolutely makes sense he'd be drawn to her with the shared experiences and despite the clear threat from Klaus, there's no way he's not going to fall back on his young, dumb and incredibly stupid ways and try and save her any way he can. Great stuff here and very excited to see what happens next, especially given that Klaus may not be the only one Destructo gets on his radar by trying to save Michaela.
TOP THREE MOMENTS:
1. Invasion- Congrats Hayden first of all but that was just a fun match to read, big spot after big spot like Invasion deserves. Sunshine will be an interesting character to have the briefcase and if successful will be a really interesting champion.
2. The world title match, Frank/Doom has come back with a vengeance and I'm excited for multiple reasons. One, love reading a good Frank promo and two, this a feud that needs to happen especially with the title potentially on the line in the rematch that's bound to happen with these two.
3. The Heir 2, this is the storyline I was wanting to see the most come out of and resisting the role of Zeus' heir is an interesting one, He's a Cade in his heart and mind and I wonder what Zeus will do to try and make him take his birthright.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
When will Sunshine cash in?
Is Cade going to accept it eventually and become Perseus?
Will the strange bedfellows team actually work?
MY FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK:
Savors for me I read it after I wrote my promo and wenr fuck, I think I lost and yep I was right. Good job man, you earned it with one, I loved the comparisons and they ran perfect with the character.
HAVE YOUR SAY:
Narcissa back to her wicked ways, stomping the rose and burning the set down, I wonder what Sunshine is thinking behind that smile of his. Is it genuine or a way to unnerve Narcissa before he breaks and attacks? I love the portrayal of her this week and I want to see her push it even further.
TOP THREE MOMENTS:
1. Doom becoming the new world champion a week after Felix Foley's Ring of Dreams victory. Holy shit, I was not expecting that. It just goes to show what a force he can be. It was a hard fought match too. Both promos were great and it wasn't obvious to who was gonna take it to me, so to see Doom's first match back resulting in him winning the big belt was the biggest shock I had that day, if I'm being honest. Congrats, Frank. Here's to a long and fruitful reign!
2. Heir 1 and 2 take this spot collectively. It feels weird seeing Jackson Cade getting the royal treatment, not gonna lie. Especially when he still considers George Cade his father and threatening Ares for manhandling him in the opening. And the ending with Jackson lashing out against his biological dad like Hercules did way back when... Hoo boy, bad memories of what happened to him after he sided against his dad are surfacing. Let's hope Cade is able to withstand what'll come after crossing his real dad's line like that.
3. War Weathered takes the last spot. Wow, this was quite the debut segment for Slade. Being able to outmatch Tombstone's strength is incredible, especially when the Ferryman comes to collect. The Poisoner of Peace clearly ain't ready to die just yet. With that said, I'm wondering just how he'll manage to evade Ezra's grasp when strength alone will no longer be enough. Can't wait to find out!
BURNING QUESTIONS:
Will Nero and Graves be able to get along well enough to take the tag titles from another unlikely duo in Redgrave and Cade? What does he mean by "let it all burn" when asking if it was a trial by fire? Does that mean he's not going to take part in the match at all, or actively sabotage it for Nero?
Speaking of Nero, what does Jasper Redgrave have planned for Lucien's family? Was the wife coerced into sending the message by the Artist, or was that prior to her being taken? Does the Cyberhound even care about them at this point?
MY FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK:
Doom's The Truth Hurts takes it here. Damn, this one hit home. This promo told a tale of a man who had come to regret his choices in the past that led him to where he is now. This promo told the tale of a man who received real love and didn't know what to do with it, so he shattered it into a thousand pieces before running away. Absolutely heartstring tugging stuff. I can see why this won out in the end, but goddamn it must've been close, given the caliber of these two writers.
HAVE YOUR SAY:
Night: I see Attano got in the way of Night's revenge against Gemini. I thought those two were finished after Night whispered whatever it was in his ear at Ring of Dreams. However, since he pointed a gun at my guy, I guess there's some fuel in the fire regarding that feud; especially if he's going to make the save for the Rogue like he did. I will admit, I'm concerned about what the red light that we left her on at the end of the segment means for her. Is it possible that we might see her transform back into Nergal? I can only imagine what would happen when Night and Attano cross paths with that form of her again.