SHOWCASE #103 – PIECE BY PIECE

FROM THE FRYING PAN TO THE FIRE
SOMEWHERE ELSE

[Click.] [Static covers the screen as a Play ► symbol appears in the bottom right-hand corner.] [In a beautifully clear night’s sky, only the stars twinkle above. The pitch black is soon invaded by smoke, seeping carefully into our screen. The longer we watch, the more overcome our once beautiful picturesque open becomes.] [We lower downwards, stopping at a beautiful home, a fire raging from within. Something terrible has happened but it isn’t before the front door almost flies off its hinges that we understand what. Mike Lane rushes out, baby Michaela cradled in his arms, held tightly to his chest to avoid inhalation of the smoke.] [His face is ash black, his eyes watering and blood shot. He’s coughing and spluttering as the ambulance and fire crews show up, almost on cue. Mike stumbles over to the ambulance, handing his crying daughter over to them for a check-up; she’s fine, but he’s extremely shaken.] [Just then, a limousine pulls up.] [The Shadow King barely has a chance to turn his head before Errol Flint and two armed bodyguards are upon him. There’s no rest bite. There’s no time to think. Before he can move, Flint thrusts paperwork into the palm of his hand.]

“You’re not capable of raising my Granddaughter,” [he fumes.] “Look at this,” [Flint says looking back at the firefighters tackling the blaze.] “You’ve put her life at risk once again.”

“I-I-I don’t know what happened,” [Lane stutters and stammers.] “We were asleep, then the alarms went off and the whole house was ablaze. I just.. I…,” [he suddenly pauses, something dawning on him.] “How did you know?!”

[Flint looks taken back by the question.]

“How did you know this was going to happen, Flint? You wouldn’t have just been in the area. Did you do this?” [He says, approaching angrily. The guards cut him off, quickly.] “Did you put my fucking daughters life at risk you son of a bitch?!”

[Spare firefighters quickly rush over to help the bodyguards in getting between both men. Lane is furious, struggling despite his clear difficulty to get through to Flint.]

“I wouldn’t need to Lane,” [Errol screams back at him.] “You do a good enough job of that for the both of us! I’ll see you in court!”

[The camera backs away, leaving both of them to be separated. As we carefully pan out, we notice a hooded figure standing across the street, his head titled.] [We close in on him, revealing his smiling face.] [Smiley.] [Cut.]

THE DOCTOR & JOHN SHEPPARD VS. BLACK MAGIC
TAG TEAM MATCH

[Just moments before these two are about to lock up, the arena darkens.] [Smoke begins to fill the entrance ramp, before the sounds of drums echo loudly. Just then, it all abruptly stops. The lights return and stood inside the ring, Makena Jakande and Voodoo stand united. The latter has a microphone.]

“Tonight, the world is introduced to Black Magic.”

[He hisses at The Doctor and John Sheppard before handing the microphone to Makena.]

“And you will be the first victims.”

[Wow. Makena and Voodoo set themselves up as Sheppard and The Doctor look at each other awkwardly, realizing that this once singles match is now a Tag Team battle.] [John Sheppard approaches Voodoo, and The Shooter with a HARD RIGHT to start off this match-up. Voodoo stumbles a bit before regaining his balance once more, another HARD RIGHT! Sheppard taking control at the start of this contest, one half of Black Magic still recovering from the two hard punches. The Shooter rebounding off of the ropes now as he attempts a Lariat! SMACK! The Shooter falling to the floor as The Voodoo Knight hits a massive running shoulder block! Sheppard climbs back to his feet but is met with a vicious uppercut! Voodoo laying waste to John Sheppard in the early going of the match here.] [The Voodoo Knight proceeds to lift The Shooter up into a RELEASE DEADLIFT GERMAN SUPLEX! NO! Sheppard holding onto his arm as he flips him over and FUJIWARA ARMBAR! What a reversal! He has to tap! His arm bending as The Shooter twists it! NO! The Voodoo Knight reaches the ropes and signals for the referee to get The Shooter off him, making the tag! 1! 2! 3! 4- John Sheppard letting go! He proceeds to stand up now, fire in his eyes, but here comes Makena, nailing him with a big Clothesline! She gets him up and throws him into the ropes. He bounces off and comes back.. LARIAT! MAKENA DUCKS! She spins under and NECKBREAKER! She goes for the cover… One! Two! THR- NO! Kickout from Sheppard!] [John Sheppard rolls away and heads to the corner, tagging in The Good Doctor. Makena gets up and he charges towards her! DROP TOE HOLD INTO THE CORNER! The Doctor catches her, slamming him into the corner with full first. Makena stumbling to her feet once more as The Good Doctor calls for it! PUNZECCHIARE! NO! MAKENA BLOCKS.. BIG PUMP KICK TO THE CHEST! THE DOCTOR SPINS AROUND AND INTO VOODOO AND SOUL STEALER! HE HOLDS THE GOOD DOCTOR OVER HIS KNEE.. RUNNING LEGDROP BY MAKENA! JESUS CHRIST! THEY CALL THAT THE PINCUSHION! MAKENA COVERS… ONE…. TWO… VOODOO CLEARS SHEPPARD OFF THE APRON.. THREE! THEY WIN, BLACK MAGIC WIN! ] [What a debut of this NEW TAG TEAM! Black Magic pick up a huge win here tonight, and they’re not finished. Later on, they go into a Trio’s Match against Gable, Evil and The Sheriff. Can they make it 2 for 2?]

SIDE EFFECTS I
BACKSTAGE

[We cut to find Bruce Van Chan, alone, wandering seemingly aimlessly through the backstage halls. He is sweating profusely, panting and wavering all over the hallway as he walks. Clearly, the man is in bad shape. He half stumbles, half collapses into a laundry trolley, tipping it over and spilling the contents all over the floor. The sound is enough to alert some of the backstage crew who rush to his aide.] [Before long, one of the OSW doctors rushes into view and kneels at Van Chan’s side. After checking him over for a few moments, he shakes his head.]

“He’s burning up, running a high fever. Somewhat delirious and confused. This man should be on bed rest, he’s in no shape to compete.”

[True to form, the doctor’s words seem to spark something in Bruce. He tosses away the doctor’s thermometer and shrugs the hand off his shoulder. Van Chan refuses the support of the backstage hands and staggers back to his weary and shaky feet himself.]

“Like hell I’m going to be bed-riddled. It’s just those damned pills. The side effects… I’ll be fine. Get out of my way, I’ve got a match and I need to prepare.”

[He pushes past the stunned doctor, who stammers his rebuttal.]

“But… Bruce. You’re clearly not in…”

[He stops mid sentence. Another figure had appeared in view. A more imposing figure now blocking the path of BVC. Muerte stands, holding a familiar looking bottle of pills. His voice is edged with what could be mistaken for a slight amusement.]

“Your pills…” [He hands the bottle back to Bruce, who reluctantly takes them.] “… Your suffering only leads you closer to my door. Time keeps ticking, your heart won’t last forever.”

[Van Chan pushes past without a word, staggering his way down the hallway and out of sight.]

SOMETHING OF HIS
BACKSTAGE

[Click, click, click, click, click.] [Clicks rings out and we see feet. Woman’s feet in high heels. As the camera pans up, we see Esperanza walking with a scowl across her beautiful face. Falling in next to here is Angel de la Muerte in his full wrestling gear. He has a white, sweaty towel over his shoulder. They are backstage getting ready for the big Trios match. They seem all business as they round a corner. That is interrupted as they run headlong into the Voodoo Knight. Esperanza, shocked at first, smiles.]

“Senor Voodoo! We meet again! Have you come to face death like a man?”

[Voodoo scoffs.]

“Voodoo Knight told you before, and he tell you again. He fear not death. He face death head on and laugh. Voodoo conquer death.”

[Esperanza smiles again and then puts her first two fingers on his chest and walks them up.]

“Is that right? Then how can we help you today?”

[Voodoo smiles, grabs Esperanza’s wrist and removed it from his chest.]

“You’re whorish actions not distract Voodoo. Voodoo come to tell so-called Angel of Death that he will not injure the Angel during their match tonight, though the Angel deserves it. He will not hurt him…. Yet.”

[Esperanza seems taken aback by Voodoo’s offensive words. Angel de la Muerte steps up and speaks these words:]

“No haré la misma promesa.”

[Voodoo looks for Esperanza to translate.]

“Angel de la Muerte says ‘He will not make the same promise”.] [Voodoo seems angered, but then Muerte throws his sweaty towel across his face as the pair walks away. Voodoo slowly pulls the towel off of his face, but instead of looking angry, he smiles.]

THE SHARKMAN & DOUBT VS. NEVILLE SHELDON & VIKTOR NORTH
TAG TEAM MATCH

[We have great tag team action here tonight as the blood feud between the Skull Splitter and Emotion as it drags in two somewhat heroes into their war. Will the momentum of the underdog be what North needs to begin regaining his revenge or will the history with the vigilante be all Doubt needs?] [The bell sounds as Doubt seems to begin for his team but the moment North gets into the ring, the Emotion tags out, leaving a very frustrated North who rushes forward right into a dropkick to the chest that staggers North back. He shakes off the pain but the Sharkman is already on him, delivering a series of hard knees to the chest, all targeted at the still injured ribs before a Snap Suplex has North yelling out in pain. The Sharkman lifts North up, as Viktor tries to fight back with a series of strikes as a hard knee to the jaw stuns The Sharkman] [North rushes to the ropes, running right into another hard dropkick that sends him crashing to the mat. The Sharkman quickly climbs up to the top rope, sizing North up for a moment, SHARK DIVE…MISSES! North rolls away, quickly tagging in Neville who comes in like a house on fire. Clothesline, a second clothesline, before a dropkick of his own sends The Shark into his corner as Doubt blind tags in. Neville lifts The Shark high, BODYSLAM! He rushes to the ropes, running right into a kick to the gut, END OF WISDOM!] [Neville slowly gets to his feet as he walks right into a knee to the jaw before Doubt double underhooks him as he tries for the EOA. Sheldon struggles out, N.E.R.D OUTTA NOWHERE! Sheldon is spent however as he drags himself towards his corner, tagging in North just before Doubt can stop him. North rushes in as Doubt backs away, nearly taking the Emotion’s head off with a massive Lariat. Doubt slowly gets up as North rushes forward, The Shark blind tagging right before North hits the GUNGIR! He drops down to cover but the Shark spins him around, RECKONING! The Shark plants North as the referee covers, ONE..TWO…THREE!!!] [The Emotion and the Sharkman scrape out a victory tonight as North is again denied the glory he craves. But how long can Doubt avoid fighting the Skull Splitter and survive?]

THANKSGIVING
RINGSIDE

[After a very scintillating tag team contest, the competitors seem poised to leave the ring. All except one.] [Sharkman has grabbed a microphone, and stands in the middle of the ring.]

“Neville!” [He calls out, causing the Underdog to turn around.] “Can you come back in here?”

[Having been betrayed in the past, Sheldon is wary, but he heads for the ring regardless. As he climbs between the ropes, he keeps his distance from the Double Feature Champion. Sharkman seems to not notice, or care even, as he starts to address Sheldon.]

“I just wanted to thank you, Neville. You came out here last week and stopped Lux Bellator from ripping out all my teeth. And what good is a Shark without teeth.”

[Sharkman rubs his mask where the new replacement teeth seem to shine a little brighter than those ripped out by Lux Bellator last week. Neville Sheldon seems to be more comfortable as he nods and tries to mutter that it was nothing.]

“Thanks, uh… Sharkman?” [Neville begins.] “I wish I could say it was purely altruistic for me to come out and make the save, but the fact is that Lux Bellator came after me too. He broke my glasses and stole part of them. So it was less helping you out and more going after him.”

[Sharkman nods in response.]

“The why of it doesn’t matter, Neville. What matters is what you did.” [Sharkman responds.] “And rest assured, I’m not done with Lux Bellator. But I want to make you an offer first.”

[A raised eyebrow is the response from the wary Sheldon.]

“At Over Kill, I want you to have a shot at this Double Feature Championship.” [Sharkman begins.] “It’s the least I can do after you helped me out last week. You’re a hell of a competitor, and I think we can go out there and tear the house down.”

[The crowd pops at the offer, and Neville lets a smile cross his face.]

“You’ve got a deal, Sharkman.”

[They shake hands in the center of the ring as the crowd pops.]

LOCKBOX
BACKSTAGE

[Bright yellow eyes, full of fury.] [The camera pans, revealing their owner; Ethan Earhart. He is furiously storming down the corridor backstage to where he believes Edward Newton will be. He wants his Championship back and who could blame him?] [Earhart barges into a locker room, only to be startled by what he sees.] [In front of him is the Showcase Championship, locked in a large wooden box. There’s five intricate padlocks keeping it shut, five keys on a clasp hung nearby and a note attached to the front.] [Earhart snatches it and reads it aloud.]

“Schrodinger’s cat. Have you heard of that, Mr. Earhart? Whilst your Championship sits within this box, and you cannot see it; does it truly exist? Does it exist and not exist at the same time? Without being able to see, how do you know? Does that mean you’re not a Champion, after all?”

[Ethan angrily screws the paper up, tossing it to one side. He looks over the wooden box and picks it up, throwing it as hard as he can against the nearest wall. The wooden splinters and breaks, dropping to the ground with padlocks flying in each and every direction.] [He walks over and sifts through the wreckage, only there’s no Showcase Championship.] [Only another note.]

“If you’re reading this, you accessed the lockbox. If you did so correctly, you’d have a clue about where to go next,” [Earhart says, almost kicking himself for simply smashing it.] “If you did not, you would exit this room exactly how you entered it; lacking vision and foresight.”

[The Showcase Champion angrily kicks the broken box at his feet and throws the paper down, storming off.] [Meanwhile, we look to the corner of the room where a small-unnoticed camera sits attached to the wall. Zooming on the lens, we suddenly appear on the other side, where Edward Newton sits with his feet up on a wooden desk, smiling.] [The Showcase Championship draped over his shoulder.]

EVIL, SHERIFF & GABLE VS. JAKANDE, VOODOO & MUERTE
TRIOS MATCH

[Before the match Johnny Evil and Cael Gable go back and forth over who should start out, but Sheriff Law is more than happy to settle the argument. He’ll begin against Makena Jakande. And there’s the bell!] [Law charges “The African Assault” and LUNGES with a clothesline BUT MAKENA DODGES! LEAPS! JAKANDE POSITIONS HERSELF ON LAW’S SHOULDERS AND DELIVERS A FLURRY OF PUNCHES DOWN ON “THE LAW’S” SKULL!! The Sheriff stumbles forwards and backwards, the shots showing their effect and suddenly DROPS TO THE CANVAS! Sheriff Law did about the only thing he could and Makena Jakande came smashing to the canvas with him. Both are stunned as Law crawls for a tag. HE GETS IT and Johnny Evil is in the ring. Jakande is up BUT SHE CATCHES A FLYING KNEE AND IS RIGHT BACK DOWN!!] [Evil going for the pin. ONE… that’s all he gets and he is not happy about it. Jakande is pulled to her feet and sent to the ropes. SHE MAKES A TAG TO Angel de la Muerte BUT ON THE RETURN CATCHES A BOOT TO THE MIDSECTION! Evil going for the Fall From Shangri-La!!! RUNNING DROP KICK FROM ANGEL AND EVIL DOESN’T KNOW WHAT HIT HIM! There’s a cover. ONE… TWO… NO! Johnny Evil kicks out just in time! Angel de la Muerta will bring Evil to LOOK OUT! LOW BLOW from Evil and stumbles over to tag in Gable.] [Gable rushes in as Angel tries to recover and DOUBLE LEG TAKE DOWN FROM GABLE OFF THE RUN! He goes for the pin. ONE… TWO…. NOT YET! Cael brings Angel to his feet and The Voodoo Knight has his attention. He’s calling Gable out. He wants Gable to allow a tag AND GABLE WILL! The Voodoo Knight enters the ring and he and Gable exchange lefts and rights. It’s an irish whip that sends Voodoo Knight into the ropes AND HE COLLIDES WITH ANGEL DE LE MUERTE! ANGEL WAS ON THE APRON AND VOODOO KNIGHT RAN INTO HIM! HE MADE THE TAG! Voodoo rolls to the outside and nods at Makena, both of them hopping off the apron and WALKING AWAY! Muerte looks shocked, turns around and “The Olympian” takes control with a grapple and PUGHPLEX! PUGHPLEX! Into a cover! ONE… TWO… THREE! HE GOT IT!] [Gable comes to his feet having his hand raised as Sheriff Law enters the ring, keeping a close eye on Black Magic who escape towards the entrance. A big win tonight for the trio of Johnny Evil, Cael Gable, and Sheriff Law.]

WELCOME TO THE PROS
RINGSIDE

[What an exciting trios match!] [Johnny Evil quickly rushes to take the spotlight, making all others leave the ring so that he can pose for the crowd. The Mouthpiece of Mayhem hasn’t done a very good job in making friends in OSW, and one man remains in the ring.] [Cael Gable.] [Evil takes notice, and pokes his finger in the chest of Gable.]

“Didn’t you get the message last week, amateur?” [Evil sneers.] “Let the pros handle the pro business. You’ll get another match next week where you can strut your stuff.”

[Evil waits for Gable to leave, but the Olympian merely shakes his head in the negative.]

“Have it your way.”

[Evil goes to kick Gable, but the gold medalist grabs the leg and uses the momentum to get into suplex position.] [PUGHPLEX TO JOHNNY EVIL!!] [Gable looks down at the fallen Johnny Evil with a grin on his face before picking up the microphone that Evil dropped.]

“Maybe if you watched some video tape, Johnny, you’d realize that I strut my stuff every time I step between the ropes.”

[The Olympian takes a moment to look around his surroundings.]

“And last I checked, we’re still in the middle of the wrestling ring. So as far as I’m concerned, we can finish this issue between us right now!”

[Gable is hyped up as he walks around the ring, but Evil slides out to the ground. He grabs another mic from staff and laughs into it.]

“Sorry Gable, you still don’t get how this works.” [Evil says as he rubs the back of his head.] “You want me in that ring, then we’re going to do it on the big stage. Over Kill. You can bring your best stuff, watch all the video tape you want, but when its all said and done, amateur hour will be over!”

[Cael nods in agreement with the challenge and drops his microphone as Evil walks backstage.] [The match is on for Over Kill!]

EDWARD NEWTON VS. MUERTE
SINGLES MATCH

[Riddle me this, can Newton outsmart Death itself?] [Muerte advances towards Newton as soon as the bell rings, The Riddler slipping outside of the ring to avoid him! Muerte follows quickly, chasing Newton around the ring until he slips back in, hitting a running kick Muerte’s temple as he moves to the apron! Muerte takes the blow and hangs onto the ropes! Newton tries for another kick but Muerte grabs the foot and pulls Edward out of the ring, hitting SNAKE EYES ONTO THE APRON! Newton is stunned, allowing Muerte to hit a harsh headbutt that floors the Riddler! Muerte grabs Newton by the head and hauls him into the ring.] [Muerte tosses Newton across the ring! The referee tries to calm Muerte but the Reaper knocks the referee to the side! With the referee down, Newton reaches into his coat pocket and as he plays possum! Muerte leans in- BRASS KNUCKLED PUNCH TO THE JAW! Muerte stumbles backward and Newton gets to his feet, connecting with another wild right before tossing the knuckles to the side! He tries to pin Muerte but the referee is still down. Just as he looks to get up, Muerte throws the Riddler off of him! Somehow he’s still conscious despite the hard blows to the skull!] [Newton turns to face Muerte in surprise, being forced to duck a haymaker only to be caught with a wild left hand! He holds his jaw in pain before Muerte pulls him close to deliver a barrage of hard knees to the chest! He whips Newton to the ropes, catching the Riddler with a clothesline! Newton looks worse for wear, but he is able to roll away from Muerte and upon rising he… Puts a finger up towards Muerte. The Reaper stops in his tracks- THE QUESTION IS! Muerte doubles over in pain! NEVERMIND! THE REAPER GETS PLANTED INTO THE GROUND! Newton covers! One! Two! Three!] [The answer is yes! Newton brings down the Reaper in impressive fashion!]

SIDE EFFECTS II
BACKSTAGE

[The Tap Room toilets may not be the cleanest of places, but on this particular occasion, the bathroom seems empty and peaceful… that is until the door to the bathroom swings open with the force of a hurricane. The door smashes back against the wall as it swings open and Bruce Van Chan staggers into the room. He barely makes it to the toilet before the unmistakable sound of a human vomiting violently fills the air.] [After three decent hurls into the porcelain, Bruce lays beside the toilet on the cold floor, sweating and gasping for air. The sound of the door swinging open once more isn’t even enough to move him. Nor is the sound of a familiar voice, speaking directly to him. Muerte.]

“Do you really think those pills are doing you good?” [He kneels beside Van Chan, inside the toilet stall.] “They only seem to be making you worse. Regardless, there is nothing that you can do that will prolong your fate. The sand in your hourglass is running out Bruce Van Chan. Your efforts are futile.”

[He stands, heading back towards the exit door once more. Muerte stops only to address Van Chan one final time.]

“Stop trying to fight the unwinnable fight and embrace your death. My cold grasp will find you either way.” [He chuckles.] “Now, clean yourself up. You had better get out to that ring where I will be watching. Death is always watching.”

[Bruce puts his head back into the toilet bowl and proceeds to lose whatever fluids remain in his body, before pushing himself to his feet and staggering wearily towards the entrance. In the background… the sound of his entrance theme hits, announcing his impending arrival within the Tap Room.]

‘Shot through the heart, and you’re to blame.
You give love a bad name.’

[Never before has Bruce Van Chan seemed more ‘shot through the heart’.]

BRUCE VAN CHAN VS. LUX BELLATOR
[Tonight it is Bruce Van Chan VS Lux Bellator but Bruce’s health issues are impacting him tonight more so than usual. Can he push through his pain or will his heart break along with the table?] [Bruce Van Chan and Lux Bellator face each other in the ring; they tie up and push each other around the ring, both of them trying to get the advantage. All of a sudden, Bruce lets go of Bellator’s arms and drops to his knee, weakness has overcome. Bellator realizing what’s going on yells “you don’t have to do this!” Bruce shakes his head no and motions Bellator to come here, Bellator walks over and Bruce starts punching him in the stomach! Bellator backs up, shakes his head in remorse, and delivers a hard YAKUZA KICK to Bruce!] [The crowd can hear the impact that move made!] [Lux Bellator rolls out of the ring, shaking his head, hating how has to do this. He screams, “We can stop this anytime!” Bruce shakes his head no. Lux knows he has no choice and grabs a table out from under the ring. He is still shaking his head, mumbling “what I have to do…” He starts to set up the table… As he is doing this, Bruce is starting to get back up, mustering all the energy he has left. He gets back up, starts to run across the ring, jumps over the ropes and hits a SOMERSAULT PLANCHA onto Lux Bellator!] [The crowd is loving this!] [Both men are down, Bruce used all of his energy for that move. He also hit part of the table doing that. Lux gets up first and his mannerisms have gone from remorse to determination, he goes back to the table and starts setting it up. Once he has it set up, he goes back to Bruce to pick him up. As he does this, Bruce throws some more punches at Lux. This time lux grabs Bruce, lifts him up and hits him with the CRADLE DDT! Lux picks him up and puts Bruce’s head between his legs, signals it’s over and hits the DISCIPLE MAKER THROUGH THE TABLE! IT’S ALL OVER!] [Lux makes a catholic cross, thankful for his victory but shows sadness that he had to do that to Bruce]

RIDE OUT
RINGSIDE

[Lux Bellator and Bruce Van Chan just tore the house down, but as he heads up the aisle, Lux Bellator is seemingly already beyond the match that just transpired.]

“Then I watched as the Lamb opened one of the Seven Seals,” [Bellator says, his voice dripping with malice.] “and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a thunderous voice…”

[Lux pauses and bows his head as the lights go out in the arena and darkness takes hold.]

“Come!”

[The echoing voice of Lux Bellator shouts to the heavens as a single spotlight comes on. Inside of this spotlight is the white horse from one week ago. Upon this white horse, Lux Bellator now sits. He looks out to the arena as the horse kicks his legs up in the air and neighs loudly.]

“So I looked and saw a white horse,” [Lux boasts as he rubs the fur of the steed beneath him.] “and its rider had a bow.”

[A flash of lightning seems to flow from the heavens to hit Lux Bellator’s now outstretched hand. The lightning seems to slowly form itself into a long shooting bow. The string forms last, yet the thing that catches our eye is the arrow itself. The arrow seems to be carved with ornate markings, but the head of the arrow is formed out of the broken shards of Neville Sheldon’s glasses!] [Bellator makes sure everyone sees that detail before continuing.]

“And he was given a crown.”

[The lightning flies from the sky once more, this time hitting Lux Bellator directly in the head. It slowly swirls around his mask until it forms into a silver crown. The crown has some of the same ornate markings, but the focus on this one is to the tips of the crown. Circling his head, each upward facing tip is adorned with a red tooth from the mask of the Sharkman.] [Lux Bellator lets it all sink in before finishing his sermon.]

“And he rode out to conquer and defeat.”

[With those words, Bellator rears back with the horse, and they leave in the same smoky haze they arrived in one week ago.] [Bellator made it clear, he is coming to conquer and defeat Neville Sheldon and Sharkman.] [But to what end?]

ASCEND
BACKSTAGE

[North finds himself moving around the backstage, his chest still heavily bandaged as bruises and discoloration show all across his body. He looks completely out of it, the pain causing agony with every step. He finally comes to rest at the door to one of the many locker rooms, taking a breath before opening it and blindly walking inside of it. As he looks around, the door slams closed behind him, locking shut.] [The room has been changed. It’s no longer a locker room.] [Walls and ledges have been erected. North is standing in a pit with nowhere to go but up.]

“Welcome, Viktor.”

[The Emotion’s voice echoes in the room. North looks towards the top of the pit, Doubt’ standing at the entrance of it, staring down towards North.]

“Why must you choose to fight this? What drives you to destroy your body over something you will never receive?”

[You can almost see the vein pulse in North’s head as he grits his teeth.]

“It’s what I do, coward. I must fight, I must prove my worth. And you, you must fall by my hand before I reach Valhalla.”‘

[Doubt sighs, turning away from the hole.]

“If you wish. Climb up here, North. If you want to prove that you can ascend, you must do it yourself.”

[The Emotion walks away as North grabs onto the nearest ledge, hoisting himself up slowly, pain visible on his face every step of the way. As he slowly scales the sides of the pit, a fire in his eyes, he shouts towards Doubt.]

“I will get my hands on you, creature! And when I do, I will send you to the depths of Hel that spewed you out!”

[The scene fades out as North climbs up, ignoring the pain, determined to not let Doubt best him.]

BRENT KERSH VS. MIKE LANE
SINGLES MATCH, I QUIT MATCH

[The Shadow takes on the Enforcer here, two of the most decorated and toughest men out there. Only one way to win, by making the other say the sacred words… I Quit. Will the Shadow Endure, or will the Enforcer prove that he fights until he can fight no more?] [The beginning of the match is calculated, paced and somewhat respectful. A few attempts at a test of strength go awry when either one of the men squirrel out of the tie-up before they eventually lock horns for the first time. It is the Enforcer who gains the early advantage, forcing Lane down before transitioning into a HEADLOCK TAKEOVER… Lane quickly pops back up to his feet only to be met by a SCOOP SLAM that takes him back to the canvas. A GRECO-ROMAN GRAPPLE ensues, both men showing off their technical skills. Kersh picks the advantage up in this encounter as well, locking in a HEADLOCK to try and wear the former World Champion down.] [Lane manages to break the hold and goes on the offensive, a shot to the back of the knee hits home and staggers the Enforcer. DROP TOE HOLD takes down Kersh… LANE QUICKLY FOLLOWS UP WITH A TIGHT STF! He calls for Kersh to yield, but no dice. Brent uses the ropes for support in breaking the hold, rolling out of the ring for a moment. Mike follows him to the outside, looking to continue targeting the knee, when KERSH GRABS HIM… RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP INTO THE BAR! A dazed and confused Lane doesn’t have time to gather his thoughts… KERSH WHIPS HIM INTO THE STEEL STEPS!] [With the fight now spilling out into the barside area, Kersh looks set to continue his barrage of Lane. He picks the Shadow up into a FULL NELSON, tossing him around like a rag doll until Lane can break the hold. Mike drops to the floor and begins to crawl away, gathering himself before Kersh sets off after him. ROLLING IN THE FAST LANE TAKES KERSH DOWN! Knowing the resolve of the Enforcer, Lane doesn’t let up. DEGENERATION SUPLEX DRILLS KERSH INTO THE BAR ITSELF! Kersh looks decidedly worse for wear when Lane locks in the STF ONCE MORE! He has nowhere to go… inevitably spitting out the words as though they tasted of vinegar… KERSH QUITS!] [Mike Lane gets himself back on the winning path here tonight in an impressive fashion, taking down OSW’s Enforcer and making him quit.]

GHOSTS
RINGSIDE

[The match is over and Lane has left the ring when the lights suddenly cut out. We hear the fluttering of crows, followed by the horrific cackling of an evil woman…before a much more human voice booms throughout the Tap Room.]

“He thrusts his fists against the post, and still insists he sees the ghosts.”

[The lights come back on, revealing the source of the voice as Cody Greer is stood outside the ring, a nasty smirk on his face.]

“Damn, man. Here I thought you were a brave little Enforcer, but I think I just saw what kind of man you really are.”

[Kersh is incensed at this as Greer steps closer to the ring.]

“What are you gonna about it, Kersh? You gonna fight me? I said I wanted your respect, but I’m not afraid to beat it out of you.”

[Greer jumps onto the apron, egging Kersh on to attack him…but Kersh just shakes his head.]

“You want to make light of the hell I went through, you say you would’ve handled things differently if you were in my shoes…but the fact of the matter is, you’ve never been in my shoes and you never will be. I’m not going to fight you over this, Cody…I have too much respect for myself to sink to your level.”

[Greer’s smirk turns into a snarl, and he enters the ring to face off against The Enforcer. They stare each other down, when Greer backs away with a smile on his face as he leaves the ring, leaving a confused Kersh standing there as he heads out. What is Greer trying to get at with The Enforcer?] [Cut.]

CONFISCATED
BACKSTAGE

[We cut to the backstage area to catch up with Makena Jakande as she rounds the corner of one of the many hallways in the backstage area of the Tap Room.] [Her movement is suddenly halted and a look of surprise and panic comes over her.]

“What is the meaning of this?”

[Jakande speaks in concern as she steps forward allowing us to see none other than Sheriff Law.] [“The Corrupt” has a sly grin upon his lips as stands back watching a group of uniformed handlers carefully finish loading Colossus, Makena’s oversized Savannah cat, into a steel cage.]

“Sorry foreigner” [Law chuckles.] “I told you in this country we have laws and if you don’t follow them there are consequences!”

[Makena angrily pushes forward into the group of handlers, her hands gripping the cage door and struggling to pull it open, but it has already been locked.]

“YOU CANNOT DO THIS!” [Jakande shakes the cage.] “I demand that you let Colossus go IMMEDIATELY!”

“Now hold on just one second you damned illegal immigrant!” [Sheriff Law raises his hands.] “You can have your little kitty back… as soon as you provide the proper permits to have an exotic animal like this! Or of course, you could just do it the old fashioned way and pay me to go away!”

[Shaking with rage, Jakande actually finds a moment of peace. Her hands release the bars and she steps back, looking into the cage.]

“I will be back for you my friend!”

[With that, Makena turns her attention to Sheriff Law.]

“You will get no payment from me, American!” [Jakande snarls.] “If that is not an insult to the people of this country!”

[Makena turns to walk away.]

“I have the permits and when I return with them you had better be ready to set Colossus free!”

[Law snickers.]

“Better hurry. There’s a lot of people out there that think ole Colossus here would look real good mounted on their cabin wall!”

[Jakande stops in her tracks, peering menacingly back at “The Corrupt”]

“You better hope that does not happen because if it does… the law will not be able to save you!”

[And with that, she continues on, leaving Sheriff Law to take exception to the comment.]

“The law save me??? I AM THE LAW!!! I AM SHERIFF LAW!!!”

[We fade with Makena disappearing around the corner and Law regaining his composure and he glances down at Colossus with a smile.]

SMILEY VS. ETHAN EARHART
BURIED ALIVE MATCH

[The match started personal with a quick tussle for dominance in the ring. After Smiley gave a desperation eye gouge to Ethan Earhart it quickly spilled outside of the ring where Smiley hit a DDT off of the apron to get there. Smiley followed up by bringing the use of weapons into the match, placing steel chair over Ethan’s face and delivering a heavy leg drop across it. As the momentum started to grow in Smiley’s favor the match spilled over the barricade where Smiley hit Ethan in the face with an audience members soda. Looking to put Ethan out of commission, Smiley rushed forward to hit the ‘SHOCK THERAPY’!] [NOOO… Showing great awareness, Earhart ducked out of harms way, causing Smiley to crash into a line of audience members and chairs!! Earhart would bring the fight back ringside and shift momentum in his favor by unloading a trio of German suplexes to Smiley across the concrete floor after pulling back the floor mat. After unleashing a brutal barrage of chair shots to Smiley’s back Ethan would go in for the kill and lift Smiley into the air before lunging him forward with a sit out, giving him ‘BACK SURGERY’!] [Earhart began to drag Smiley upon the ramp, heavy with the trash talk as he made his way to the burial site on the left side of the entrance. By the time they made it there, Smiley was playing possum and grabbed a handful of dirt, tossing it into Earhart’s eyes. With Earhart blinded, Smiley took advantage and grabbed the wooden shovel, breaking it over his back. As Ethan buckled and stumbled around in pain, Smiley devastated him with ‘CHELSEA’S GRIN’!!] [Still with too much pride to go down, Smiley rushed forward with a second attempt, this time drilling Earhart with ‘SHOCK THERAPY’, causing both men to fall into the grave. It was Smiley who climbed out first, feeling the job was done he began to grab another shovel and exhaustively toss dirt into the grave upon Ethan. One scoop turned to two, two turned to ten…] [WAIT, NOOOO… HOW IN THE HELL!!] [Earhart’s hands emerged from the grave as he gripped them into the dirt, painfully pulling himself from the grave below. Smiley letting off a wicked laugh, pulled him from the grave and tossed him forward, causing Ethan to collide back first with the gravestone!] [As Ethan rolled around the grave site in pain, Smiley reached into the dirt to uncover a small spool of barbed wire, hidden under the grain, unseen to the naked eye. Smiley began to unwrap it, reaching out toward Ethan’s body in attempts to mummify him with it, only to be caught in the face with an elbow as Ethan stood up. SO CLOSE, YET SO FAR!!]

Staggering backward Smiley dropped the barbed wire spool down into the grave. Giving a hard kick to Smiley’s stomach, Ethan locked him up and lifted him into the air, driving him back with a Northern Lights Suplex! As Smiley tried to stand, Ethan locked him up again and lifted him into air, packaged up… THE COST OF IMMORTALITY!!!] [Releasing the move would cause Smiley to fall backwards into the grave. Exhausted and beaten, Earhart climbed to his feet and moved over to the gravestone, ramming into a couple times, knocking it down into the grave on top of Smiley. With Smiley pinned and tangled in barbed wire, Ethan would grab the shovel himself and begin to bury Smiley…] [ONE SHOVEL…] [TEN SHOVELS…] [FIFTEEN SHOVELS…] [The official signalled for the bell as Ethan dropped the shovel and dropped to his knees earning a hard fought victory!]

BURIED ALIVE!
RINGSIDE

[Ethan Earhart slowly gets back to his feet, stumbling backstage, absolutely exhausted after that complete and utter brawl.] [The camera zooms in on the grave.] [Suddenly, a hand bursts through the dirt.] [It’s Smiley! He may be buried, but he’s far from dead. The Lunatic suddenly clambers from within the dirt, freeing himself. The fans boo, but he doesn’t care, climbing out of the grave, covered in mud.] [He turns around.] [SHADOWKICK!] [The crowd explodes as Mike Lane appears as if out of no-where, catching Smiley under the jaw with a brutal Shadowkick. The Lunatic falls straight back into the grave, collapsed in a heap.] [Lane grabs the shovel and stands over him, the big metal edge raised high into the air. Oh God, he’s going to end this now.] [With the shovel raised…] [SPEAR!] [HOLY FUCK WHAT A FUCKING SPEAR!] [WAIT A MINUTE… THAT’S… THAT’S DOUBT! WHAT THE FUCK?!] [The Emotion gets back to his feet, tilting his head at Mike Lane who writhes in agony on the floor. No-one can quite believe this. Doubt walks back over to Smiley, reaching down into the pit and pulling him from it.] [They embrace right in front of a crowd seething by their alliance.] [Ignoring the audience, they walk over, grabbing Lane by a leg each and dragging him to the grave. Violently, they kick him over the edge into it, and Doubt grabs the shovel, handing it back to his friend.] [Smiley doesn’t hesitate. He shovels pile upon pile of dirt onto the writhing carcass of Mike Lane, burying him before our eyes.] [Showcase comes to an end with Smiley having finished, both men standing atop the grave of Mike Lane, their arms raised into the air.] [Knock Knock have reunited!] [May God have mercy on our souls.] [Cut.]