The Experts

Prologue: The Truth Shall Set You Free

We open inside the Siberian Prison, where Legion is being escorted by Russell White to see Jack Benevolence. Legion looks around at a seemingly untouched prison, marvelling at the relatively pristine condition it’s been in.

“You guys have done an amazing job rebuilding this place in five years.”

Russell simply chuckles at this as they make their way through the prison, the makeshift crew of natives doing various maintenance as the two men head up a set of concrete steps. They eventually reach the end of a cell block where Russell stops, motioning for Legion to wait.

“Let me have a word with Mr. Benevolence, he will see you shortly.”

Russell enters the cell block as Legion stands patiently. Moments later, Russell steps back out…but he isn’t alone, rather joined by the former True Expert himself, a smile on the face of Jack Benevolence.

“Welcome to Siberia, Legion…we have so much to talk about.”

Legion nods in agreement.

“Indeed we do. This place looks immaculate for being blown up five years ago, did you have your people work double time?”

Jack and Russell look at each other, eventually letting out a hearty laugh. Jack motions for Legion to follow him as they walk further down the hall. They reach a window, where Jack points to a burned-down building off in the distance.

“The beautiful thing about this corner of the world is all these run-down buildings look alike. Imagine being able to stage an explosion elsewhere, making it look so convincing that everyone believes it to be real…and The Experts is forced to close down in the ultimate act of damage control.”

Legion’s eyes widen with surprise as he stares at the remains. He lets out a chuckle as he nods, loving the idea.

“That’s what I’ve always liked about you, Jack. You’ve always had a flair for theatrics.”

“But I’ve also known when to get down to brass tacks…and that time has come. No more beating around the bush, no more pleasantries, let’s get right down to business.”

Legion turns back to Benevolence with another nod of agreement.

“Fair enough, Jack. I’d like to make you an offer…”

“I’m sure you would! I told you to bring me the title, but now I’m hearing you want to bring The Experts over here for another event. Why would I want all that, when I just want what belongs to me?”

Legion’s smile couldn’t possibly get any bigger at this point.

“Because I’m willing to give it all to you. More than just the True Expert Championship. I got what I wanted out of the power that comes with overseeing The Experts…I got to be the winner in a long-standing war with Jesse Gunn. With great power comes great responsibility, and frankly it’s not worth it for me to hold onto this power any longer. Why settle for just the title, when you can have the company?”

“Now you’re speaking my language.”

With that, all three men enter the cell block to arrange a deal…one that could change everything.

The Experts presents…

Arrival

Standing outside the prison is a large crowd, several of whom are instantly recognizable as those who are competing in the event being held within the walls. The natives doubling as guards have the pack separated by those competing and those visiting, having the latter escorted to a different entrance. As the groups go their separate ways, we see Rowyn Starr and Mason Daniel lock eyes with a nod of acknowledgement, and Arkia Fisk smiling at the sight of Georgie Nickles nearby. We cut to a wrestling ring inside the prison courtyard, and a makeshift announce table at ringside where the commentators are standing by.

Kyle Bacon: Hello everyone, and welcome to The Experts Invitational! I’m Kyle Bacon, along with P. Licken…

P. Licken: Go on, tell them what the P stands for.

Kyle Bacon: …no. Folks, we’re excited to present the return of The Experts coming to you LIVE…

P. Licken: …on a tape delay…

Kyle Bacon: …from the Siberian Prison, home of many moments in the history of this company. We’ve seen titles change hands, we’ve seen the rise and fall of many a legend, and tonight promises to be something special! We’re kicking things off right with the Golden Ticket Ladder Match, where seven competitors vie for the opportunity of a lifetime! Who will retrieve the Golden Ticket, and what will they cash it in for?

As the competitors make their way to the ring, we’re treated to a video package of what each of them have accomplished, from Alexia’s Experts Tag Title reign to Maverick’s underdog VWF World Title run, along with the TFWF run of AC Thunder and the dominance of Rex Evans and Tyler Graves. We end with a look at Mason Daniels and his Pulpit before heading back to ringside for our opening match of the night!

The bell rings for the match to begin, and all the wrestlers look up at the briefcase holding the Golden Ticket for a long moment. Then, as if a silent bell goes off in their heads, they all leave the ring to get the ladders that have been spread out in the ringside area. Everyone, that is, except Rex Evans, who moves into the center of the ring looking at everyone waiting with anticipation for the other wrestlers to get back in. Alexia is the first to climb back onto the apron and throws a small ladder into the ring, but Evans kick her off the apron with a boot to her pretty face. This sends her sprawling back on the floor holding her face. Evans grabs the ladder in the ring with both hands, holding the ladder in a ready position, looking to strike the next person he sees on the ring apron. Tyler Graves is the next person that jumps on the ring apron and Evans is there to meet him, smashing the ladder into Graves’s head hard, sending Graves down to the floor. Leander Apollo slides under the ropes and gets into the ring next to Evans, but before he can act, Evans slams the ladder into Apollo’s stomach, bending him over. He turns his back to Evans, who slams the ladder hard on the back of Apollo, causing him to scream in pain as he hits the mat before rolling out of the ring. Mason Daniels and Maverick Jones both jump on the apron at the same time in the far left corner, on opposite sides with Daniels on the right and Jones on the left. Evans is fast enough to get Jones and then Daniels in the face with the ladder, sending both men crashing to the floor. Jones rolls past Alexia, who’s still down holding her face. Evans plays to the crowd holding the ladder high above his head shouting, not noticing as AC Thunder rolls into the ring behind him with an even bigger ladder. Evans turns around and stares at Thunder holding the ladder with a smile on his face. Evans snarls at him, screaming “come on” at Thunder and charges from the across the ring with his ladder. Thunder nods his head and does the same, winning the joust of the the ladders because he happens to have the bigger one.

P. Licken: You see that, Bacon? Size DOES matter, sometimes.

Kyle Bacon: …(sigh)

Evans takes the ladder to the face, which spins him around and sends him right to the mat face down. Evans rolls across the ring moving toward the outside but before he could get there Thunder throws his ladder onto him. The ladder makes a crashing sound as it hits Evans’s body before he rolls out of the ring. Thunder goes to pick up the ladder, but quick as a cat, Alexia has slipped back into the ring and gone to pick up the ladder the Evans had drop after he got hit in the face. Thunder holds his ladder and turns to face Alexia, who is kind of bouncing on the balls of her feet holding the ladder. She seems to be waiting for Thunder to turn around and when he does she throws her ladder at him. The ladder crashes into Thunder’s ladder, sending it into Thunder’s face to send him down into the corner. Thunder is down and the ladder is on top of him. Alexia wastes no time as she grabs the ladder and heads to another corner. Outside the ring the other wrestler seem to have crawled to one area on the outside, all bunched up together trying to shake the cobwebs from their heads. We have Evans, Jones, Daniels, and Graves all in one spot fighting each other but for a second they all pause and look back to the ring, where Alexia is on the top turnbuckle with her back to them holding the ladder. At that moment she does a moonsault with the ladder, back flipping from the top and lands on all of them with the ladder taking everyone out!

Kyle Bacon: Everyone is laid on the outside like car crash just happened!

P. Licken: Is Alexia okay? Let me go check on her…

Kyle Bacon: P, it’s 2018.

P. Licken: Yeah, and I’m lonelier than ever.

Apollo is now back in the ring, kicking Thunder while he’s down. He leaves Thunder and gets a ladder to set up in the ring. He positions it in the center and starts to climb it to reach the briefcase…but Thunder is back up and hits Apollo in the back. Apollo screams, holding his back as he drops from the ladder. Thunder and Apollo start to trade blows back and forth, and Thunder grabs Apollo and throws him into the corner. Apollo comes out of the corner swinging, but Thunder ducks under the punch and grabs Apollo by both his legs. This sends Apollo to the mat back first. Thunder is now standing over Apollo, holding both legs under his arms and setting up to do a slingshot to Apollo, hoping to send him in the ladder that in the center of the ring. He does the Sling Shot, but instead of crashing into the ladder, Apollo lands on the ladder and starts to climb back up toward the briefcase. Thunder realizes what happens and hops back to his feet quickly and runs toward the ladder climbing it quickly behind Apollo and giving his arms around Apollo’s stomach like he’s going to back suplex Apollo off the ladder. Apollo blocks with back elbows to Thunder’s head, breaking Thunder’s hold on him and sending Thunder back down to mat. Thunder is still trying to stop Apollo when suddenly he takes a ladder to the face that sends him out of the ring!

Kyle Bacon: Alexia just slung that ladder right into Thunder’s face like it was nobody’s business!

P. Licken: After years of taking shots to the face, the Goddess is finally taking her revenge!

Kyle Bacon: Are you going to be like this all night?

P. Licken: …maybe.

Alexia’s now trading blows with Apollo on top of the ladder. Daniels comes into the ring, setting up a ladder next to the ladder, and starts to climb up and try to sneak by the other two and grab the briefcase while they are fighting. Both Alexia and Apollo start to swing at Daniels, sending him down from the ladder. Daniels re-adjusts the ladder to make it closer to the other ladder with Alexia and Apollo. Apollo get the upper hand on Alexia and slams her face several times on the ladder. It wobbles Alexia, but she doesn’t fall. Apollo sets Alexa up for a suplex…but before he can do it, Daniels uses this moment to jump from his ladder behind Apollo, setting up a powerbomb from the ladder. Apollo still has Alexia set up in a suplex, bringing her over the ladder to turn this into a triple tower of doom as they all go crashing to the mat below with a load crash. Alexia and Apollo are in pain as they roll out of the ring, leaving Daniels in the ring on his knees trying to catch his breath.

Kyle Bacon: Bodies are strewn around the ring, and Mason Daniels has a chance to grab the Golden Ticket!

P. Licken: What are you waiting for, kid? Go grab that cookie!

Daniels climbs up the ladder after taking a little rest, but he might have taken too long because here comes Maverick Jones to  stop him. He gets to the the other side and pushes the ladder toward the ropes, but Daniels thinks fast and sticks his feet toward the ropes to balance himself on the ropes, looking at Jones with a smile on his face. Jones has a look of shock on his face as Daniels pushes the ladder back into Jones face, who takes it as he stumbles in pain. Daniels jumps back on the ladder but it doesn’t hold, collapsing as it sends Daniels down to the mat in a heap of flesh and metal. Tyler Graves comes back into the ring to set up another ladder and try to climb up fast…but he’s met by Apollo who comes back into the ring, punching Graves in the leg and back to bring him down from the ladder. They exchange blows, Apollo using his fist and Graves throwing forearms. Graves blocks a punch and hits his right forearm smashes with more speed to send Apollo to the ropes, clotheslining Apollo over the top rope to send him to the outside. Graves goes back to climb the ladder, but Daniels is up from the mat and moves over behind Graves and pulls him down from the ladder, punching Graves in the face over and over before throwing him head first into the nearby corner. Graves is dazed in the corner as  Daniels starts to climb up the ladder, but Graves comes out of the corner and pulls Daniels from the ladder onto his shoulders…DEATH VALLEY DRIVER BY GRAVES! Daniels roll out of the ring as Graves goes to climb back up the ladder…but Apollo is back in the ring, and he punches Graves in the back and puts Graves on his shoulder. He yells and runs toward a ladder the laying on the mat…FORWARD SENTON TO GRAVES, SENDING HIM BACK FIRST INTO THE LADDER WITH A SICKENING THUD!

Kyle Bacon: Graves is in a world of hurt here, can Apollo capitalize?

P. Licken: Wait a second Kyle, Maverick Jones is sneaking his way back into this!

Maverick Jones is back in the ring as he starts to climb the ladder, just a few steps away from getting the case when suddenly. Rex Evans is back into the ring and up the ladder, punching Jones right in the face and sending him crashing back down to the mat. Evans is now in a good spot in the ring and goes to adjust the ladder better so he can climb and get the case.  Apollo comes over and tries to stop him, but Evans get the jump on him and kicks him in the face which sends Apollo out of the ring. Evans sees Jones in the corner and charges him for a mafia kick into the corner…but Jones recovers and moves out of the way! Evans misses and smashes into the corner leg first, hanging there in pain. Jones moves fast as he grabs a ladder and slams it into the other leg of Evans. Evans goes down hard, holding the back of his leg as he crawls. Jones is leaning against the ropes, shaking his right arm trying to get some feeling back into it. Jones walks over to the ladder and starts to climb. He’s nearly to the top and can reach the case when suddenly, Tyler Graves is back up and climbing up the ladder, smacking Jones in the back. This brings jones back down. Graves and Jones go toe to toe with an exchange of firearms and knees to the midsection. Graves gets the upper hand, which sends Jones back staggering to the ropes on the other side of the ring. Graves is impatient as he goes for a superkick, but Jones kicks the leg aside to block it. Graves uses the momentum of that and swings his leg all the way around and back with a kick that sounds like a gun shot at Jones, who takes the full brunt of it as he goes down face first to the mat.

Kyle Bacon: And now Graves sees his opportunity, moving slowly but surely towards that Golden Ticket! But wait, here comes Apollo!

P. Licken: This is gonna get ugly real quick!

Graves is now at the top of the ladder and is mere seconds away from getting the case, but stops and looks down back at Apollo at the bottom trying to tip it over. Jones is back up now as he comes over to the ladder to help Apollo tip the ladder over. Graves is looking down, shaking his head as the ladder starts to tip forward. There’s nothing for Graves to do as Apollo and Jones manage to get the ladder tip forward, sending Graves flying over the ropes and down to the outside of the ring…fifteen feet from the ladder, back first into a ladder that one of the wrestlers had set up between the ring apron and ring barricade like a bridge! Graves cracks the ladder into half and crumples to the mat, his body motionless on the outside. Jones is looking at the laid out Graves with a shocked express on his face, Apollo on the other hand is looking at the case hanging from the rafters. Jones catches him looking and starts to look himself, and they both start to climb up the ladder fighting with each other both trying to go up the same side. Fist and elbows start to fly as they fight as they climb up to the top of the ladder. Thunder is back into the ring now, and he climbs up the one side that has nobody on it until he reaches the top of the ladder. Now all three wrestlers are at the top, trying to reach the case and also trying to stop the others as Rex Evans comes in the ring and heads to the ladder. He yells as he gives a mighty shove that tips the ladder over, sending all three down crashing to the mat from the top of the ladder. They roll out of the ring, leaving Rex Evans alone in the ring with no one in sight.

Kyle Bacon: Rex is the last man standing in this match, and…OH MY, LADDER TO THE FACE BY ALEXIA!

P. Licken: That’s my girl! Show that big bully why you’re a Goddess!

Evans rolls out of the ring as Alexia moves the ladder out of the way, picking up the one that’s tipped over. She sets it up, climbing to the top. She almost has the case at her fingertips but is having a little trouble, it looks like she miscalculated the position of the ladder and case is just out of reach. She’s about to adjust when AC Thunder is back in the ring, climbing up behind her with some punches to the back. Alexis tries to kick him off, but it doesn’t work. She turns around on the rung of the ladder to face him, a few rungs higher than Thunder facing down on him. Thunder guts punches her a few times and manages to overpower her at the top, pushing her down on the ladder before locking in an inverted boston crab on the top of the ladder!

Kyle Bacon: What an excruciating hold! Alexia is screaming in pain as Thunder pulls the hold in tighter!

P. Licken: This isn’t fair, Kyle! A goddess shouldn’t be subject to this kind of torture, I’m gonna go save her…

Kyle Bacon: Sit down P, it looks like Apollo is up to something!

Apollo gets another ladder, setting it up next to the Thunder and Alexia. He starts to climb up the ladder and reach for the case at the top, prompting Thunder to release the hold on Alexia, who crumples as she falls from the ladder hard to the mat.. Thunder does a chop to Apollo chest that stops him cold. Thunder reaches for the case, getting his hand on it. Thunder stops him by punching him in the gut, and they start to exchange punches back and forth at the top of the ladder. Mason Daniels is back up, climbing the ladder that has Apollo on it and starts to exchange punches with Apollo. At the same time Maverick Jones does a springboard from the ropes, landing on the ladder that has AC Thunder and they start to fight it out. All four wrestler are at the top of the ladder, slugging it out with each other. Daniels grabs Apollo and hits a Rock Bottom that sends them both down hard to the mat. They are laid out as Thunder gets the upper hand, shoving Jones off the ladder…but Jones lands on his feet, mad as he moves to the other side of the ladder. Thunder is back at the top and ready to get the case when Jones climbs up behind Thunder, hitting him in the back and hitting a German suplex from the top of the ladder on Thunder. They both land to the mat hard, sounding like a car crash as both men roll out of the ring in pain.

Kyle Bacon: There are bodies everywhere! Everyone is down and out, who will be the first to take advantage of the situation?

P. Licken: I dunno about you Kyle, but I think I’m gonna need a drink and a smoke after this match. I haven’t been this exhausted since I was with your mother last week.

Kyle Bacon: My mom is dead, you son of a…wait a minute, Rex Evans is up and back in the ring!

Evans smiles at the sight of everyone else down as he goes to set up the ladder, but  out of nowhere with the quickness of a cat, Alexia is back in the ring and up the ladder as she punches Evans in the head, which doubles Evans over. Alexia grabs his head and jumps off the ladder landing a Cutter from the top of the ladder sending both down to the mat. Evan is knocked out as he rolls to the outside in a crumpled heap. Alexia is back up and folds the ladder up to reset it, but suddenly Daniels dropkicks the ladder into her, sending her into the corner with the ladder on top of her. Thunder back in the ring with a ladder of his own, slamming it into the gut of Daniels. Daniels goes down, laying across the ladder braced against the corner. Thunder slams his ladder into Apollo’s gut before trying to drive the ladder into Daniels, who moves out of the way. The ladder goes into the rung of the other ladder and gets stuck, the two ladders now forming a V-shape in the ring. At that moment, Jones jumps on Thunder and starts to beat on his back. Thunder goes down to one knee as Jones punches Thunder in the head. Thunder hits Jones in the gut and pushes him into the corner. Jones comes rushing out and Thunder side steps out of the way, lifting Jones up and slamming him down on the V-shape ladder, turning it into more of an L-shaped with one part standing straight up. Alexia sees her chance and climbs up the L-shaped ladder with a clear shot at the Case. Jones and Thunder see this and pick up the ladder, shaking it until Alexia loses her balance just as she gets a handle of the case and falls from the ladder, catching herself on the ropes and spinning off them to fall to the outside, writhing around in pain.

P. Licken: I must go now, my Goddess needs me…

Kyle Bacon: For the love of…

Thunder and Jones are fighting for the ladder that’s stuck into the rung. Thunder wins the fight, pulling out the ladder like a sword in the stone and hits Jones with it. Jones goes out of the ring as Thunder sets up the ladder and starts to climbs to the top for the case. Jones is back in the ring with a water bottle that he got from under the ring and throws the water into the face of Thunder, who falls from the ladder. He’s trying to get the water out of his eyes when Apollo comes up from behind and throws him out of the ring. Jones is climbing the ladder now, case in hand until Apollo comes up and pushes Jones, who falls back first into a ladder leaning against a corner and bounces off it. Apollo has the case in his hand, until he takes a small ladder to the face from Daniels throwing it like a spear. Apollo crumples to the mat and out of the ring. Daniels picks up the small ladder and turns right into a super kick from AC Thunder who is back in the ring. This sends Daniels over the top rope and out of the ring. Thunder now has a clear path to the case and is climbing to the top. Jones comes in and trying to stop him, shaking the ladder and starting to climb but Thunder is kicking him in the head. Jones refuses to quit as he keeps climbing the ladder. Thunder is yelling for him to give it up, to stay down…but Jones is not quitting. They fight each other to the top of the ladder, both men standing on the top rung. Thunder does one last ditch effort to knock Jones off the ladder, grabbing the case and swinging it at Jones who moves his head at the last second. The case swings past his head as Thunder slaps Jones in the face. Thunder gets his hand on the case and this time hits Jones in the head, which sends Jones down the ladder a few rungs. Thunder sees his chance now as he starts to unhook the case…but Jones will not be denied. He grabs Thunder’s left leg, pulling it into the rung of the ladder. Thunder falls back with his arms failing, his left leg now caught in the ladder. Thunder is hanging upside down on the ladder, watching Jones now scrambling up the ladder. Thunder is hanging from the tree of woe and is unable to stop Jones from getting the case in time. Jones unhooks the case and holds it up high in the air as the bell rings!

Tina Peterson: Here is your winner, Maverick Jones!

Kyle Bacon: Maverick Jones has overcome the odds, and he now holds the Golden Ticket! Congratulations to Maverick on earning a chance at…what are you doing, Licken?

P. Licken: I’m texting The Viking King, Maverick’s gunning for that World Title any day now.

Kyle Bacon: …dude, seriously? It’s been like three years since VWF closed down.

P. Licken: You’re right…maybe Maverick wants a trip to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Hopefully he gets stuck in a TV somewhere.

Kyle Bacon: (sigh)

P. Licken: Oompa Loompa, doompadee doo…

Three Simple Letters…

Outside the Prison, two of the locals acting as guards have a conversation in their native tongue that is quickly interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice.

“Going on about the local sports team, I presume?”

The men get riled up over this, but are quickly disengaged by a swift kick to their heads. Standing tall over them is MDK, a smirk on his face.

“At ease, gentlemen.”

“Danny boy, it’s so nice to see you again!”

MDK turns his attention to an approaching Legion, who chuckles at the sight of his old friend and rival.

“I see you’ve accepted my invitation after all.”

MDK just laughs at this.

“You can’t just go to an invitational without acccepting an invitation, can you? I wouldn’t miss this opportunity for the world.”

Legion smiles.

“I’m glad you feel that w–”

“You didn’t let me finish…I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to humiliate you for the world. As far as I’m concerned, you and I are through when this is all said and done. I can’t wait to shut you up for all the world to see.”

Legion just chuckles at this.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? I wouldn’t be so cocky, Danny. We’ll see if you can really put your money where your mouth is…and I were you, I’d consider bringing some backup. It’s gonna be a long night in the Siberian cold.”

Legion walks off, leaving MDK to ponder Legion’s suggestion as we cut back to commentary.

Kyle Bacon: It may be cold here in Siberia, but things are heating up between Legion and MDK!

P. Licken: Maybe they’re gonna kiss and make up at the end of all this.

Kyle Bacon: P!

P. Licken: What? You said yourself it’s 2018, I ain’t judging no one’s life choices.

Kyle Bacon: That’s…that’s actually a fair point.

P. Licken: See? That opening match got all my stupidity out of my system early. Onto the rest of the show!

Kyle Bacon: Folks, I’ve just been informed of a slight change of order here. It seems that Jose Ramon and Exile want to settle their issues right this minute…so up next, two men whose careers have interwined on several occasions are squaring off one more time! Who will settle the score, once and for all?

As the two men make their way to the ring, we get a video package highlighting the rivalry between Jose Ramon and Exile, including moments from both the TFWF and PWR. The video ends with a simple question: when will this come to an end? Is tonight the night Exile gets his revenge, or will Jose Ramon come out on top?

The bell rings, and the crowd surrounding the ring inside Siberia’s Facility begin to slow-clap, getting the two competitors into it. Ramon and Exile stare one another down before Ramon begins to clap his hands together, trying to get those around the ring more worked up; this is immediately met by a series of boos. Exile grins at the response as Jose turns to the fans and shouts at them. As he turns back Exile begins the same clapping tactic, this time successfully getting the crowd to go with him. He turns to face his fans with a smile and the angered Jose Ramon sprints at him, taking him down with an elbow to the back of the head. The fans boo as Exile holds onto the top rope and begins to stomp down on Ramon, who rolls from side to side trying to protect himself. Ramon then drags Exile to his feet, kicking him in his gut, before whipping him off to the ropes and taking him down with a hard clothesline, which he follows up with a leg drop right across Exile’s throat. Ex clutches his neck in pain and rolls to the side, using the ropes to help himself up as Ramon looks to close in.

Sensing an early victory Ramon runs at Exile, drops past him, and leaps off the ropes for his signature springboard moonsault - except Exile clocks it and dodges, and as Ramon unexpectedly lands on his feet Exile nails him with a leaping dropkick! Ramon crashes to the mat and the fans cheer as Exile keeps up the momentum, running off the ropes and drops into a sliding dropkick right into the side of Ramon’s head. Ramon rolls off to the side and uses the turnbuckles to haul himself up, turning round right into a bronco buster from Exile. Ramon is left clutching the top rope, and ever-wiley Exile immediately launches a barrage of elbow strikes into Ramon’s left shoulder, already working towards the submission victory from his signature crossface. He lets up briefly and turns it into a snapmare, dropping Ramon on his ass before he runs off the opposite ropes and comes flying back with a hard knee to Ramon’s face. Ramon clutches his jaw in pain as Exile raises a hand for the fans, and he crouches, looking to set up a running move - only for Ramon to roll under the bottom rope and shake his head, waving as if giving up the match. He leans against the apron and Exile shakes his own head, pointing at Ramon and climbing the nearest turnbuckle. Exile crosses himself, waiting for his nemesis to turn…

Kyle Bacon: Looks like Exile’s going high risk from the start - these two are fierce rivals and they’ll give everything to take the win here!

P. Licken: JOSE! JOSE LISTEN! TURN THE HELL AROUND - AT THE RISK OF SOUNDING LIKE A DAMN PANTOMIME - HE’S FUCKIN’ BEHIND YOU!

Ramon locks his jaw from side to side, clearly in pain from the knee strike, before he looks to head back to the ring. He turns around and Exile takes the chance, going for a flying crossbody off the top rope to the outside - BUT NO! RAMON’S CLOCKED IT AND IMMEDIATELY DROPS DOWN, LEAVING EXILE TO CRASH AND BURN! There’s a gasp from the crowd as Exile looks in absolute agony on the outside, and Ramon pushes to his feet. The referee inside the ring shouts at the pair to get back inside before re-starting his count now that Exile has joined the outside. Ramon smirks and hauls Exile up to his feet, immediately sending him with an irish whip into the metal stairs. Exile clutches his ribs after crashing into the unforgiving metal, and Ramon grasps the back of Exile’s head, smashing it off of the top of the stairs. Exile stumbles back and Ramon flips him the bird, running at him with a shoulder block sending Exile flying back into the metal railings around the ring. The fans boo as the referee’s count reaches five, and Ramon climbs back into the ring taking the chance to showboat. Exile slowly pushes himself to his feet, holding his ribs in pain from the missed crossbody and stairs/railings assaults. As the referee’s count reaches seven the fans begin to get nervous, and on eight Exile launches forward making it as far as the metal stairs before collapsing. The count hits nine and Exile just about finds the fire to launch himself again, this time making it under the bottom rope and keeping the match alive.

With a grin on his face Jose Ramon tastes victory and drags Exile from the ropes, going for the pin - one, tw– no! Exile throws a shoulder up quickly and Ramon shouts in his face, smashing his head off the mat a couple of times. He rolls his left shoulder, trying to shake something off, before he drags Exile up and brings him crashing down again with a snap suplex. Exile rolls to one side and Ramon hooks him again, this time with a delayed suplex, before he hauls Exile up and goes for a german suplex – only for Exile to throw an elbow back! Ramon’s grip is broken momentarily and he runs forward, going for a clothesline – only for Exile this time to catch him with a drop toe hold and send him crashing down face-first! The fans cheer as Exile climbs to his feet using the ropes and holding his ribs in pain. As Ramon is still on the mat he takes the opportunity to land a hard boot on Ramon’s left shoulder, before hauling him up and taking him down with an arm drag focusing on the left side. Exile then follows it up with a standing moonsault before covering for the pin - one, two– no, Ramon throws the shoulder up.

P. Licken: That was never gonna keep Ramon down, he’s a far better wrestler than that.

Kyle Bacon: We are neck and neck here, blow for blow, strike for strike these two are giving their all!

Ramon and Exile both make it to their feet, each throwing forward into the other and they end up in a lock-up. They struggle for dominance over the other before Exile hooks Ramon and drops him with a DDT, crashing him to the mat. He then hauls Ramon up and clutches his head, landing a seated face-drop and he rolls Ramon over for a pin attempt – but Ramon kicks out before the three. Exile drags Ramon up again and lands a couple of big elbow strikes, before he runs off the ropes and goes for a running hurricanrana – BUT BEFORE HE CAN JUMP RAMON CATCHES HIM WITH THE TAKE FIVE, A DEVASTATING SUPERKICK! Exile hits the deck and Ramon throws the cover – one, two, thre– no! Exile gets the shoulder up and Ramon shouts out in anger. He hauls Exile up and lands a straight kick to the injured ribs, before he runs for the ropes and springboards off of them, going for his signature moonsault - AND HE LANDS IT! HE COVERS - ONE, TWO, THRE– EXILE KICKS OUT AGAIN! Ramon’s frustration begins to show as he smashes his fists off the mat and turns to the referee, screaming in his face. Behind him Exile begins to push up and he spots and opportunity, going for the roll-up – ONE, TWO THRE– NO! RAMON ROLLS OUT OF IT JUST IN TIME!

But with the roll-up Exile has taken the upper-hand, and he crashes into Ramon with a heavy clothesline taking him down. Ramon springs back to his feet, and turns into a body slam from Exile, and as Ramon hauls himself up again Exile can be heard telling him to go to hell before landing – THE OUTCAST! AN STO OUT OF NOWHERE! EXILE COVERS – ONE, TWO THREE– NO RAMON THROWS A SHOULDER OFF! Exile takes it in his stride and steps back to the turnbuckle, locking a view on Ramon as he struggles to his feet. The crowd begin to clap along as Exile looks focused and Ramon is finally standing - EXILE RUNS AND LEAPS UP, CATCHING THE HURRICANRANA – ONLY FOR RAMON’S LEGS TO HIT THE REFEREE AS THEY GO! THE PAIR DON’T SPOT IT AS THE REFEREE GOES DOWN AND EXILE TWISTS IT INTO A CROSSFACE COMPLETING THE SOLITARY CONFINEMENT. RAMON’S LEFT ARM HIS TRAPPED AS EXILE PULLS BACK HARDER, HARDER, HARDER. THE CROWD ARE SCREAMING AND RAMON STRUGGLES BEFORE HE CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE – HE TAPS OUT! THE CROWD GOES WILD!

Kyle Bacon: NO! He’s tapped but the referee is down and Exile has no idea!

P. Licken: Amazing work from Ramon to protect himself there!

Kyle Bacon: I don’t think it was planned–

P. Licken: Shut up Kyle, Ramon is a genius in the ring, this was his game all along.

Exile has no idea the referee is down and leaps to his feet, raising a hand in victory. As he turns around he spots the referee laid on the mat, and realises what’s happened, the fans booing his non-victory. Exile begins trying to wake the referee, getting him to his feet as Ramon crawls along the mat to the corner, climbing to his feet using the turnbuckles. Ramon turns to see Exile’s back to him trying to wake the referee, and he grins, realising he didn’t lose. He looks around for any other match officials, before he spots the chance and unlaces his left boot, reaching inside for some brass knuckles! He slips them onto his right hand and stalks behind Exile, twisting him round – AND NAILING HIM WITH THE KNUCKLES! Exile hits the deck and Ramon goes to cover, but realises the referee is still down and out. Ramon looks around the tableau in front of him, referee and Exile both laid out on their backs, and he begins to formulate a plan.

First of all he slips the brass knuckles off and places them onto Exile’s right hand, before he walks to the nearest turnbuckle and un-ties the cover. He repeatedly checks over his shoulder to ensure both Exile and the referee are down, and then he turns back to the exposed metal. Ramon sighs and crosses himself – before headbutting the metal himself, cutting open his own forehead! Blood begins to trickle down his face and Ramon wipes some of it from his eyes. He then launches a boot into Exile, stirring his rival, and slaps the referee a few times to get him more awake. As the referee and Exile begin to come to Ramon finally wipes some of his own blood onto the brass knuckles in Exile’s hand and drops to the mat, acting unconscious. By the time Exile has come round enough to realise what’s happened the referee is also back in the game – and spots Ramon out cold, a face covered in blood, and Exile wearing blood-covered brass knuckles! Exile begins to plead his innocence but it falls on deaf ears as the bell is rung and it’s all over –

Tina Peterson: Here is your winner by disqualification, Jose Ramon!

P. Licken: That dirty cheater! Look with your eyes, ref, look with your special referee eyes!

Kyle Bacon: Ramon turns the tables on Exile and picks up a big win, but something tells me this feud isn’t quite over yet!

No Holds Barred

We cut backstage, inside the makeshift office of Timothy Kahrs, where the interim General Manager of The Experts is joined by the former True Expert and presumed “owner” of the Siberian Prison, Jack Benevolence. The two men are witnessing what just happened between Jose Ramon and Exile on a television, as Jack just shakes his head.

“You see that, Kahrs? That kind of thing can’t happen tonight when I face Doug E Fresh for the title. You know as well as I do, he’ll bend and break whatever rule he has to in order to hold onto my championship…so don’t you dare let him do it.”

Tim nods in agreement, but shrugs his shoulders.

“What do you want me to do about it, Jack? That’s just how wrestling goes, you win some you l–”

“I want you to make our match No Holds Barred, anything goes. That way, when I beat him in the middle of that ring, Doug won’t be able to make any excuses.”

Tim nods again, feeling somewhat dejected.

“That’s fair enough. I’ll let my people know.”

Jack pats Tim on the head, a big grin on his face.

“Good job, kid. You might just make it in this business.”

He leaves the room, where Russell White is waiting just outside the door.

“See what I mean?”

Jack nods with a chuckle as they walk down the hall.

“Total pushover. The kind of guy you could tell to jump and he’d ask how high…”

They share a hearty laugh over this as our attention shifts elsewhere…

Home Sweet Home

We cut to a location miles away from the prison, a deserted wasteland through which . The wind soon grows stronger as a huge portal opens, revealing planets and even galaxies far beyond our own…and falling out of that portal upon the earth is a large figure, landing on its feet. We get a closer look at what landed…and discover it is the Experts Hall of Famer, the former three-time True Expert himself, Black Death. He looks around, surveying his surroundings before noting the prison off in the distance.

“I’m home.”

He nods with a smile, raising up the Dragon’s Blade in his hand as he heads toward his destination. We cut to the top of the prison, where Legion happens to be keeping watch on what’s happening outside…and the sight of his old friend and rival brings a snarl to his face as we cut back to commentary.

Kyle Bacon: Black Death is back, and just in time from the looks of it! I don’t know what Legion’s got up his sleeve, but it seems he may be in for a rough night ahead.

P. Licken: I hope not, he’s signing our paychecks Kyle! I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose this job.

Kyle Bacon: P, you do realize it’s not Le–

P. Licken: Now now Kyle, don’t speak out of turn, I like you too much to lose your job too.

Kyle Bacon: Folks, up next is a match that looks to be extra violent as we watch four men go at it in a Fatal Four-Way Match where the falls count anywhere…wait a minute, I’m hearing that there’s a commotion down in one of the cell blocks…

We cut to the back, deep inside a cell block, where Dominator and Fnord have decided to get things started early as they tear into each other with punches and kicks. Suddenly, Dorling comes hurdling in with a hard lariat on Fnord! Dorling lays into Fnord with some hard right hands, picking him up and slamming him right into the wall with a sickening thud…but Dorling is turned around by Dominator, who hits a snap suplex onto the cold stone floor of the prison! Dominator goes for the cover:

ONE…TW–

The pin is broken up by Allister Black, who kicks Dominator square in the head before picking Dorling up. He goes for a suplex of his own, but Dorling reverses it into a neckbreaker…only to be hit in the head with a lead pipe by Fnord! Dorling is out cold, but before Fnord can follow up he’s hit hard with a dropkick by Black that sends him reeling as he drops the pipe. Black is quick to grab the pipe, taking a swing at Fnord…who dodges at the last second! Black gets nothing but air as Fnord kicks him in the gut, hitting a DDT onto the ground. Fnord picks him back up, glancing at a door as he throws Black through it…sending him out into the cold Siberian wilderness outside the prison! Fnord follows him out, and Dominator and Dorling are in hot pursuit.

Ringleader I

Backstage, we find Domingo Cruz stretching for his Brand Loyalty tag match later tonight when he hears a knock on the wall. He looks up from what he’s doing to see a smiling MDK standing next to him.

“Good to see you warming up, Cruz. Trippy and Ace are no pushovers, and I don’t know Joel’s status for tonight.”

“What do you want from me, man?”

“Just a minute of your time. I’m trying to…”

Cruz just shakes his head.

“I’m not interested. Whatever it is, I want no part of it.”

“But you haven’t even heard what I’m…”

Cruz gets to his feet, glaring at MDK with a snarl on his face.

“Look, being a part of your little Circus cost me my livelihood. After TFWF closed I couldn’t even find a job for a while, because no one trusted me. You’ve never had to worry about that, have you? You’ve always been comfortable in your lifestyle…but not me, I had to scrape by with whatever I could find for most of my life.”

MDK raises his hands in submission.

“That’s fair enough, mate. I’m not asking you to make a choice right now, anyway…I’m asking you to keep your eyes open. Weird things are happening around here, and I think Legion is at the heart of it. I’m gonna stop him, but I could use some help. If you see what’s going on, ask yourself if you want that to affect you or the ones you love…and if the answer is no, I know a way to put an end to it before it gets worse.”

MDK drops a card next to Cruz before walking off, and Cruz picks the card up to glance at it before going back to his prematch warmup as we cut back to commentary.

Kyle Bacon: We’ve lost track of the Fatal Four-Way melee at the moment, but we’ve gotta move on to the next match! Up next, Desert Sex have returned to the stage for their Desert Sex Reunion Tour and Stud Experience…

P. Licken: Or DeSeRT SEx for short…

Kyle Bacon: …and they’ve laid out the challenge to a pair of former True Experts and TFWF Legends in Georgie Nickles and Sandy Makel, who are also making a much-anticipated return to the ring!

We cut to a video package highlighting the wrestling careers of all four competitors, before focusing on the musical career of Desert Sex (with “Barnacles on My Butt” playing in the background, of course). Four legends of the rings making their return tonight at The Experts Invitational, the world watching with eager eyes and cautious ears!

Kyle Bacon: Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve just been handed a memo. By order of the award-winning Desert Sex, we’ve been asked to remain silent during this match, so that they can concentrate on giving us the performance of a lifetime.

P. Licken: I’m fine with that, gotta respect their artistry.

Kyle Bacon: Yeah, but…

P. Licken: Respect their artistry, Kyle!

The crowd’s rowdiness rises as Rebel Child and Sandy Makel appear in the entranceway to the ring together. The stamping of the crowd’s feet provides a beat as they slap hands with a few fans on the way down to the ring before rolling into the ring and posing on the opposing turn-buckles before Nickels hops down and checks on her partner who breathes deeply with nerves. As she does, the crowd get on their feet again as the top of the ramp, a single spotlight beams down on a stool. Sat on that stool is a figure bathed in blue light with a guitar in his hand. It is Aaron Roberts and he has a head microphone on as he strums a solitary chord before speaking.

Roberts: “Ladies and gentlemen of Mother Russia… Welcome, to the first day of the rest of your lives…”

He strums another chord and takes a deep sigh before playing the guitar and starting to sing…

Roberts: “I love myself, I want you to love me…”

There is a pop as they realise that he is singing the entrance theme to Scorpio… “I Touch Myself” by Divinyls. The Cobra continues…

Roberts: “When I feel down, I want you above me

I search myself, I want you to find me

I forget myself, I want you to remind me…”

At this point, Scorpio appears in a sequined catsuit which is cut like a tuxedo with feathers down the side like a peacock. He holds out his arms and two drag queens appear and take him by the arms and sashay with him down to the ring. Bringing up the rear is Creme de la Creme who is pushing a tinsel-clad shopping trolley full of assorted toys and weapons down to the ring. Roberts walks down with the guitar in his hand and continues to sing.

Roberts: “I don’t want anybody else,

When I think about you, I touch myself

Ooh, I don’t want anybody else

Oh no, oh no, oh no.”

Roberts hands the referee his guitar and tells him to be careful with it. The referee places it down carefully but just before he places it to the outside, Roberts tells him to stop before telling him that he has to be gentler. The referee tries again and once again, Roberts stops him again and tells him to be gentler still. The referee lays down beside the guitar and rests it on the ground as softly as possible and again Roberts stops the referee and begins to chastise the referee about the value of the guitar and how he should treat it. While the referee deals with Roberts, Makel and Nickels talk tactics in the corner with the New Jersey man calling for the start before dropping to his knees in pain as Scorpio stands over him with the shattered remains of the guitar in his hands. The Cobra points at Scorpio and explains the the referee that that is how he should have handles the guitar. As the strike came before the bell, there’s no harm and no foul and the referee calls for the bell to start the match at the behest of Desert Sex. Rebel Child protests to the referee as Scorpio puts the boots into Makel before taking a few steps backwards as the referee admonishes him. He brushes him aside though and charges forwards and hits a step up enzughiri and follows through with a slap to the face of Rebel Child as well who tries to charge into the ring only to be held back by the referee.

Scorpio drags Makel towards his corner and tags in Roberts to a nostalgic pop from the crowd. The Cobra measures Makel up before delivering a boot to his jaw before taking Makel by the head and dragging him to his feet before backing him into the corner and drives his shoulder into mid-section of The Dice and as he doubles over in pain, Roberts meets him with a European uppercut and tags Scorpio back in. The more flamboyant member of Desert Sex calls on Roberts to drag Makel back up and The Cobra whips The Dice across the ring, inverts it at the last minute and whips Makel into the path of a standing hurricanrana courtesy of Scorpio! Scorpio rolls through a blows a kiss to Rebel Child who is riled up again and charges the ring only to be held back by the referee!

While the official argues with Nickels, Scorpio and The Cobra both put the boots into Makel who struggles to cover up before Scorpio slaps his backside to simulate a tag and steps out of the ring as Roberts drags Makel to his feet again and drives him back into the mat with a snap suplex. Meanwhile Scorpio hops off of the apron and grabs a sequinned loud-hailer from the shopping cart. He hops back onto the apron as Roberts synches in a rear chin-lock and bellows into the megaphone.

Scorpio: “Hey Sandy! I BET you can’t get out of this predicament… I’d WAGER you don’t last five minutes with us… Hey Sandy… I’ll give you a scratchcard if you give up now!”

Rebel Child hops off the apron as Makel struggles to break free from Roberts’ grip. Scorpio continues to talk trash as Nickels appears behind him and sweeps the feet away of Scorpio who smashes chin-first into the ring apron. The referee looks over but just misses the action! Scorpio screeches into the megaphone that he still clutches in his hands.

Scorpio: “ASSAULT! ABUSE! VIOLATIONS AT THE HANDS OF A HERMAPHRODITE!”

He goes to pursue Georgie and stomps around the ring to her corner but his eyes widen in horror as Nickels charges towards him along the ring apron and hits a running senton onto the onrushing Scorpio that flattens him to the delight of the crowd. RC looks down at the megaphone that is down by her feet and kicks it away from the hand of the former TFWF Champion.

Makel meanwhile, has managed to get to a vertical base and is now in a headlock courtesy of the Cobra. Makel pushes Roberts off of him and into the ropes and as The Cobra returns, Makel hits a drop toehold onto his adversary and immediately leaps upon his downed foe and locks in a side headlock which he turns into a judo takeover. Roberts kicks out his feet and is able to get to his feet but into a side headlock. He tries to roll through to his a side suplex but Makel rolls with him and back into the original position before hitting a face-buster which causes Roberts to recoil back in horror clutching his face as he does.

Roberts: “MY FACE! MY BEAUTIFUL FACE!”

The referee goes to check on Roberts as Makel heads over to his corner and tags Nickels into the match to a rapturous response from the crowd. Nickels grabs the arm of her adversary and the referee intervenes and pushes her back to her corner and explains that she’s not legal as The Cobra makes a miraculous recovery with a smirk plastered across his face as he drags a dazed Makel back over to his corner and makes an obvious tag to Scorpio who gestures to Nickels as if to demonstrate how to tag properly.

Desert Sex team up to haul Makel up with a stalling vertical suplex and they parade around the ring for a moment before dropping him in free-fall but catch him with their knees in unison as they both drop to their backs in tandem in a glorified double code-breaker! Scorpio drapes himself across The Dice to make a cover!

1!

2!

But Makel pops the shoulder up and Scorpio shrugs casually. He pulls Makel up to an all fours position and backs into the ropes before hitting a front flipping leg drop across the back of Makel’s head. Scorpio stands up and poses for the crowd and sashays around his downed foe before reaches over and tagging in Roberts again who climbs onto the top turnbuckle as Scorpio locks Makel up to deliver a side-Russian leg-sweep which is completed with a flying clothesline for a huge impact double team manoeuvre.

Roberts drags Sandy up and sets in another side headlock to which he adds a few straight rights to the temple before being pushes off and into the ropes. He returns and drops Makel with a shoulder tackle and runs straight through to the opposite ropes, charges into them and runs towards the rising Makel who is able to hit a big back body drop onto the onrushing Roberts and send the crowd to their feet as The Dice drops to one knee and breathes heavily!

Scorpio picks up the megaphone and now a reggae beat plays as he talks into it as both legal men struggle to recuperate.

Scorpio: “Do you head this Georgina? Your senseless assault of my communication enhancer has left me with a permanent Jamaican beat mon…”

He then turns to Roberts who is crawling towards his corner.

Scorpio: “Come on mon! Aye and aye!”

He looks at the megaphone in disgust and as Nickels stretches out to make the tag, Makel staggers on the spot as the megaphone is hurled across the ring and Scorpio tries to look innocent as Sandy falls to one knee and holds his head with a wince the referee turns to Scorpio as he makes a clear tag in and charges over to Rebel Child but once again, the referee drags Nickels backwards as he didn’t see the tag and the crowd groan restlessly as Makel is hauled backwards by one foot hopping and weary as Desert Sex haul him up for a double back suplex!

Makel shifts his weight in mid-air though and drives back down to the mat forwards and takes both men with him with a double bulldog that sends the crowd to their feet once again. Nickels holds her arms out desperately for a tag as Makel breathes heavily on one knee.

The Dice slowly drags himself over to the corner as Nickels hammers the turnbuckle in support and the crowd soon join in with the beat as Makel edges closer as Scorpio gets to one knee and flutters his eyes to regain his composure but that composure soon fades as he witnesses Makel tag in Rebel Child and everyone is on their feet in anticipation as Nickels launches herself at Scorpio with a leaping cross-body as quick as lightning.

Roberts is back to his feet but so is RC and she flattens The Cobra with a cross-body for him as well before meeting the rising Scorpio with a standing dropkick with one for The Cobra as he too tries to get to his feet. Scorpio is met with a roundhouse kick as he made it to one knee and Roberts is then met with hands around the back of his head before being unceremoniously tossed over the top rope and to the outside! RC then snaps her head back to the legal man still in the ring and her eyes narrow. Scorpio’s smug grin is gone as he makes it to his knees and pleads for leniency but Rebel Child doesn’t bow to begging and stalks her kneeling, retreating foe. He holds up his hand for a time out and Rebel Child laughs with the referee as Scorpio slyly leans into his costume and has something in his hand. Suddenly there is a howl from the outside as Aaron Roberts is hauled up by a recovering Makel and lifted into the air and back down with a back suplex onto the shopping trolley of tricks!

Various dusters, toys, and chains are scattered as Roberts clutches his back in agony and bounces around on the ground and Makel slumps backwards and breathes heavily to recover. Rebel Child looks back to Scorpio and - with the referee distracted - Scorpio unfurls his hand from his pocket and blows a kiss which sprays glitter into the eyes of Nickels! She stumbles backwards and Scorpio surges forwards and Lou Thesz presses Rebel Child to the mat and straddles her and simply stays in place. He looks down at her, stretches and rubs his chest seductively. Nickels looks horrified and spins away but into a rear naked choke from Scorpio!

Rebel Child is going red in the face and continues to try and blink rapidly to regain her vision as the referee checks on RC and whether she submits. She refuses and battles to her feet and delivers an elbow to the mid-section of Scorpio who relinquishes his grip and RC turns to face her foe and leathers him with a right hand that leaves the The S Factor stunned. He goes to return a shot but Nickels ducks the slap attempt and RC wraps up the arm of Scorpio, locks up the head as she spins around and drops him with a DDT! Scorpio convulses and flops to his back and Rebel Child hooks the leg!

1!

2!

But Scorpio bursts out of the pinfall attempt! Rebel Child sits up, drags The People’s Camp to his feet and whips him into the turnbuckle and follows up with a leaping splash. As Scorpio stumbles out, Rebel Child follows up with a bulldog that drives him into the mat! Rebel Child looks up and sees Makel picking himself up on the outside and she checks up on him. He nods to her and she turns back to be met with a boot to the stomach from Scorpio. He follows up with a clubbing shot to the back of her head and turns his back on the Windy City native and hits a backflip kick to the back of Nickels head! RC catches him though and turns it into a momentum assisted sit-out driver! She hooks the leg!

1!

2!

But Scorpio kicks out and RC rolls to her feet. As Scorpio gets to his knees, Rebel Child backs into the ropes and charges forwards and delivers a running dropkick to the side of Scorpio’s head! He slumps forwards and Nickels rolls backwards, back into the ropes and hits a somersault senton across the back of Scorpio and then grabs the neck and feet of The S Factor and turns it into a seated surfboard!

Meanwhile on the outside, Makel has Roberts by the head and delivers a couple of forearm shots and then drives him into the ring apron. Makel maintains his grip of the waist of The Cobra and hits an inverted atomic drop. Makel steps backwards onto a seat set out for him by Creme de la Creme and looks confused as he starts to massage the shoulders of The Dice who looks up and narrows his eyes as the valet of Desert Sex points out how tense he is. He brushes Creme away as Roberts charges forwards, capitalises on the distraction and hits a running kick to the face of Makel that sends him crashing from the chair!

In the ring, Nickels roars at Scorpio to give up but he refuses to give in and starts to rock his body back and forth and as a result, rocks a confused RC with him. With one big swing, he manages to somersault both of them over and RC into a roll up!

1!

2!

But Rebel Child bursts out and to her feet and charges at Scorpio and levels him with a huge lariat that turns The People’s Camp inside out but he manages to land on his feet. The crowd roar as Nickels realises what has happened and turns around only to be met with a Pele kick from Scorpio that drops her to one knee. Scorpio eyes her carefully before using the knee to step up and onto the top rope only to flip backwards to hit a flipping, springboard DDT onto Georgie Nickles whose head spikes into the mat! Scorpio sits up and laps up the applause of appreciation from the crowd.

Roberts is still going toe to toe with Makel on the outside and has bundled The Dice into the trolley full of tricks and charges it towards the ring steps but Makel reaches into the trolley and grabs the first thing to hand - a can of “Spray on Lube” and squirts it into the eyes of The Cobra who releases the trolley and it overturns sending Makel crashing to the floor sending an assortment of adult paraphernalia tumbling across the floor!

Roberts blindly reaches out and wraps his hand around a large black sex toy and it flops about menacingly like a medieval mace as he smirks and climbs to his feet only to be faced with Sandy Makel who is already at a vertical base and armed in his own right; with a rubber fist! Roberts attempts a fencing position with the onyx coloured phallus and it flops down as Makel adopts a Victorian gentleman’s boxing stance with the rubber fist and the pair duel with vulcanised sex toys! Roberts presses a button on the dildo and it begins to twirl wildly. Aaron struggles to control it as Makel retreats away. Creme de la Creme moves across to meet his charge and is met with a wild willy to the face as it is now like an unattended fire-hose the way it is spiralling out of control! Creme drops down out for the count as The Cobra tosses the phallus away where it lands at the feet of two of the guards. The first recoils in horror while the second guard stamps on it and while holding his foot in place, withdraws his gun and unloads several bullets into it to render it still once more. Roberts and Makel both look fearfully at the guard who nonchalantly shrugs his shoulders and kicks the rubbery remains away. Makel takes advantage of the distraction, drops the fist and spins around The Cobra and hits a rolling neck-breaker that drops Roberts hard!

Back inside the ring and Scorpio has Nickels in a front face-lock but the Windy City native battles her way back to her feet and in one fluid motion, hits a fisherman’s suplex on The S Factor and hooks the leg!

1!

2!

But Scorpio bursts out and onto his front and Nickels lets the first grunt of frustration out. She drags Scorpio up by his arm and whips him into the corner and follows up with a springboard back elbow that sends Scorpio down to a seated position in the corner. Nickels moves to the centre of the ring and raises her arm to feed off of the crowd before charging at The S Factor and hitting a bronco busters onto the face of Scorpio who flails and as Rebel Child bounces away, Scorpio scratches at his face in horror and rolls to the outside and crawls over to the overturned shopping cart where he pulls out a large box marked as “STI Test Kit” and swaps at his face before snatching a bottle of water from a fan to wash his face with a sense of urgency as Rebel Child looks unimpressed inside the ring. The referee checks on Scorpio on the outside and fails to see The Cobra slithering into the ring! He grabs the arm of RC and spins her around and hits an AGR out of nowhere but Nickels catches him and tosses Roberts away onto his backside with a bump as RC puts up her fists for a fight with Roberts who gets up to his feet with a wince. He charges at Nickels and the pair lock up in the centre of the ring as the referee has pretty much lost complete control of the match!

Roberts cuts off RC’s momentum with a knee to the mid-section and follows it up with a big toss of Nickels into the air but before she can clatter onto the canvas, Sandy Makel slides into the ring and catches his partner. Roberts turns to see RC on the shoulder of Makel and his eyes widen in fear as Makel charges forwards and uses Nickels as a weapon to spear Roberts almost out of his skin and the crowd go wild! They drag Roberts to his feet and haul him into the air for a double vertical suplex and The Cobra crashes to the mat heavily! Both Makel and Nickels then back into opposite ropes and run towards the prone body of Roberts in the middle of the ring and they hit tandem elbow drops across the chest of The Cobra whose legs pop into the air on impact! Rebel Child makes the cover on Roberts and the referee - having lost control and count of who is the legal people in the ring - makes the cover!

1!

2!

But Scorpio dives into the ring and breaks the count at the last moment before rolling to his feet and identifying himself to the referee as the legal man and as he does, Nickels grabs him from behind and rolls him up for a pin!

1!

2!

But this time it’s Roberts who makes the save for his partner with a stamp onto the chest of Rebel Child. Makel immediately reacts though and grabs The Cobra and brawls with him into the corner and the pair exchange blows as Nickels clutches her chest and Scorpio rolls to his feet and looks enraged. He grabs the arm of Nickels and whips her into the corner but she baseball slides to the outside, around the post and charges in back at Scorpio but The S Factor is alert and catches Rebel Child with The Paparazzi Flash (Ranhei)!

Before Scorpio can go for a cover though, Makel is on him with a clubbing blow to the back of the head. Scorpio turns and the pair trade blows as Nickels rolls to the outside to recover. Roberts pulls the referee to the side and requests that he gets this fight under control as Scorpio drops to his knees and headbutts Makel in the groin! The Dice drops to his knees in pain and both The S Factor and The Cobra put the boots into Makel and back him up into the corner. Roberts holds his foot across the throat of Roberts and reaches into his tights with a smile. Scorpio looks at him confused and then smiles as he withdraws a handful of scratchcards!

Makel writhes in defiance as both members of Desert Sex scratch the scratchcards over the face of Makel and then dumping them on him before swaggering again laughing. Roberts then turns and hits a brutal stiff kick to the chest of The Dice and then looks over to Scorpio and drags his thumb across his throat to indicate that it’s time to end this.

They drag Makel to his feet and his lip is now bloodied as they pretend to photograph him before leaping up to hit a Double AGR but Sandy manages to push both of them away and they stumble into the middle of the ring. They both turn and are met with a leaping split-legged kick to the chest! Makel gets fired up as he connects with alternating chops to the chests of Scoprio and Roberts as the fight back continues! Roberts takes a big swing at The Dice who ducks, wraps up the arms of The Cobra and launches him backwards with a Seven Out (Dragon Suplex)! He pops to his feet and Scorpio leaps across with a lariat which Makel ducks and hits the turnbuckle chest-first and The Dice grabs him and delivers a Seven Out to Scorpio as well!

Makel breathes heavily as the crowd get fired up by this fighting spirit and The Dice climbs the turnbuckle as both members of Desert Sex lay side by side in the middle of the ring. Makel leaps off and hits the Shoot The Moon (Moonsault Diving Headbutt) onto both men! He hooks the leg and looks at the referee as he waves the pinfall attempt away! He explains that Makel isn’t the legal man and the boos rise up as Makel shakes his head in bemusement and composes himself.

Rebel Child is on one knee on the outside and Sandy rolls out of the ring to help her and points to the downed adversaries and encourages her to climb into the ring. She does with a little help from Makel and they both drag a member of Desert Sex into position and hi-five into the middle of the ring as they climb to opposite turnbuckles. Makel hits a second Shoot The Moon on Roberts while Rebel Child hits a Revolutionary Revolution (Double Back-Flip Moonsault) on Scorpio but both members of Desert Sex pop to their feet in unison and each hit an AGR (RKO) on their respective assailants out of nowhere!

Scorpio flops onto Rebel Child and makes the cover!

1!

2!

3!

DING! DING! DING!

A fatigued Scorpio and Roberts look stunned at picking up the win out of nowhere and hold their hands up in celebration. They embrace as Makel and RC hold their heads in pain at what might have been…

Tina Peterson: Here are your winners…Desert Sex!

Kyle Bacon: What an amazing match, and after all is said and done Desert Sex pick up the win over a very game Nickles and Makel!

P. Licken: Yeah, I’m sure Georgie and Sandy will be crying in their piles of money when they get home.

Kyle Bacon: And what will you be crying in?

P. Licken: Shut up, you filthy casual.

Discordia

Deep inside one of the cell blocks, we find Legion down on one knee, his head bowed in reverence as he speaks.

“Oh, sweet Eris…what am I to do? My enemies are knocking at the gates, ready to put me out of my misery. All my plans are falling apart at the seams, and I don’t know how to stitch them up.”

Legion’s pleas are met with silence…until we hear a woman’s voice from behind.

“It is time, then…time to bring the Eternal Circle out of the shadows.”

The woman rests her hand on Legion’s shoulder, drawing a smile from him as he looks up at his goddess, his muse…Ariana London.

“Prepare the paperwork for Jack to sign, it’s time to put an end to The Experts.”

Legion nods in response, rising to his feet before running off. In the distance, we see someone else keeping a close eye on the events unfolding…a concerned Black Death, checking the Dragon’s Blade in case he needs to use it on this evening.

Ringleader II

Elsewhere, Georgie Nickles is heading down the hallway, looking more than a little angry about how her match turned out when she’s stopped by a familiar voice in the distance.

“Tough break out there, Georgie.”

Georgie lets out a heavy sign as she turns to face MDK.

“What do you want, Danny?”

“Just a few minutes of your time, my dear.”

Georgie raises a hand to cut him off, shaking her head.

“I don’t have time to talk, the sooner I can get my stuff together and get out of here the better. I’ve been through too much to put up with any more nonsense, least of all from you.”

MDK points at the local keeping guard of the exits.

“Do you really think the security around here will let you out so easily? We’re stuck here until the events of tonight unfold. Just hear me out, Georgie…I need your help.”

Georgie just shakes her head.

“You still hurting from that blow to the head after all these years? That was a different time, a different life. I’m still trying to make up for my time in the Circus…I lost my way back then, but I know who I am now. You’d do well to remember that, or I’ll make you remember.”

“That’s fair enough, Georgie. I won’t pretend to make things up to you, but I will say this…there’s something bigger than both of us at play here, and if we don’t stop it now, it’s gonna be way worse than just bad memories.”

MDK hands Georgie a card before walking off, leaving the Rebel Child to glance at it in curiosity as we cut back to commentary.

P. Licken: Again, I don’t know what’s happening but I hope nothing bad happens to my boy Legion.

Kyle Bacon: It’s actually Timothy Kahrs that pays us, by the way.

P. Licken: Oh thank God, I can’t stand that Legion dude.

Kyle Bacon: Speaking of Mr. Kahrs, I’ve just received word from him that Zach Rizza missed his flight and will not be able to join us for this next match coming up.

P. Licken: That son of a bitch! I loaned him fifty bucks at Legacy Tower, he said he’d pay me back tonight. I want my money back, Rizza!

Kyle Bacon: Mark Mania and James Raven are already in the ring, the ref explaining the situation to them. In just a moment, we will have the two squaring off for the honor of The Experts!

The bell rings, and both men immediately lock up. Whip to the ropes by Mania, who catches Raven with a dropkick and follows it up by laying into Raven with some lefts and rights. Raven absorbs much of the damage, managing to get Mania off of him before hitting him with a high knee to the face that sends Mania reeling against the ropes.  Raven follows up by whipping Mania against the ropes this time, hitting a dropkick of his own in the process before quickly locking in a guillotine choke. The ref begins to count, getting to three before telling Raven to break the illegal hold. Raven obliges, stepping away from Mania as he recovers. The two begin exchanging lefts and rights, and Raven catches Mania off-guard with a judo throw before he goes for the cover.

ONE…TW–kickout by Mania, who refuses to go down that easily. Mania’s back up to his feet, locking up once again with Raven before transitioning to a sleeper hold. Raven is quick to get out of the hold though, sending Mania against the ropes  before he goes for a clothesline, but Mania Ducks under, hitting a neck breaker out of nowhere! both men are down as the rest begins to count.

1…

2…

3…

4…

Mania comes to, as does Raven. They’re both back up to their feet by the time the ref hits 5, going right back to an exchange of blows. This time Mania gets the upper hand, surprising Raven was a DDT! Mania goes for the cover:

1!

2!

THR–kickout by Raven! Both men are back up to their feet again, the crowd buzzing over the standoff these two men are having. neither man is quite sure how to get the best of the other  as they begin to circle around, looking for an advantage of some sort. Mania strikes first with the right hand, but Raven respond to the right hand of his own that sounds mean you taking a step back.

Kyle Bacon: These two men seem to be evenly matched! Aside from the experience between them, they’re practically mirror images of each other!

P. Licken: Yeah, but all it takes is one mistake Kyle…one small slip-up that will cost you the match!

Maniac goes on the attack now, hitting a flurry of offense that sends Raven into the ropes before cloheslining him over the top, sending both men to the floor. Mania focuses on laying into Raven with some more rights and lefts as though he’s a man possessed. His anger soon gets the best of him, however, because Raven gets back to his feet and send Mania into the steel steps with a sickening thud.  The ref has started his count as the two men battle it out on the outside.

1…

2…

3…

Neither man seems to care about the referee’s count as they continue to battle it out, Raven now sending Mania into the crowd of locals and fellow wrestlers that were invited to join in the proceedings as spectators. Raven notices one man in the crowd, Rowyn Starr, and motions to him.

Raven: How’d you like to get a free shot at the man that calls himself the Face of The Experts?

Rowyn nods with a smile as he walks over, winding up before hitting Mania hard with a big punch to the skull! Meanwhile, the referee is still counting:

4…

5…

6…

Raven realizes the gravity of the situation and brings Mania back to ringside, throwing him into the ring before sliding in after. Raven taunts Mania to get to his feet, and Mania obliges…only to walk right into the Flight of The Raven! Raven goes for the cover:

1!

2!

THR–Mania kicks out! The crowd is on their feet and Raven is shocked that Mania had the energy to kick out of that move! Raven checks with the referee to make sure that that was just a two-count osmania slowly gets to his feet. Raven with a hard right hand to Mania as a crowd chants “Yay,” Mania responds with a right hand of his own as the crowd chants “Boo,” and back and forth the two men go until Raven gets the upper hand to send Mania into the corner. Mania bounces off the turnbuckle as he stumbles toward Raven, who sets up for the F.Y.S.–ROUNDHOUSE KICK! Mania just dodged the F.Y.S. and hit Raven with a jumping roundhouse kick to the face!

Kyle Bacon: Mark Mania just turned the tide of this match in his favor with that desperation move!

P. Licken: That’s what all those years of experience will do for ya, Kyle…they smarten you up for situations like this!

Both men are down again, but Mania is quickly coming to. Mania’s on his feet as Raven begins to stir…but Mania won’t give him the chance to recover! He’s setting Raven up for the Pedigree…MANIA MADNESS! MANIA JUST LIFTED RAVEN UP, SPINNING HIM 180 DEGREES BEFORE LANDING HIM RIGHT ON HIS HEAD! Mania slowly drags himself over to Raven, draping an arm over him for the cover:

1!

2!

3!

The bell rings as Mania slowly gets to his feet, allowing the ref to raise his arm in victory!

Tina Peterson: Here is your winner…Mark Mania!

Kyle Bacon: A close, hard-fought battle between these two men as Mark Mania picks up the win after letting out his frustrations on James Raven. Great effort from the man familiar to fans in and out of the Experts circle, but the self-proclaimed Face of the Experts manages to get the victory tonight!

P. Licken: Congrats to Mark Mania on a big win and–wait a minute…

Fatal Four-Way II

We’ve managed to get a camera outside as all four men continue to battle it out! Dominator is laying into Dorling hard as Fnord focuses on Allister Black. Dominator lays Dorling out on the ground before going for a leg drop, but Dorling dodges it in the nick of time! Meanwhile, Black has turned the tables on Fnord by hitting a Virtue Punch combo followed by the Vice Kick! Black gets the cover on Fnord as a ref finally shows up to make the count:

1!

2!

But the count is broken up by Dorling with a dropkick to the head of Black! Dorling picks Black up, slamming him into the outer wall of the prison with a nasty smack of flesh meeting stone. Meanwhile, Dominator has turned his attention toward Fnord as he charges at him with a spear that slams him against the wall! Both men are worse for wear as we go back to Dorling and Black, who have made their way to the courtyard. They come in through the crowd, brawling back and forth until Black lands a nasty kick to the head of Dorling, sending him straight into the ringside area!

Kyle Bacon: It looks like this match is finally reaching its conclusion, P! This Fatal Four-Way has come down to Allister Black and Dorling, who will survive?

Black and Dorling get right back at it, raining down on each other with heavy strikes until Dorling takes the advantage with a drop toe hold that sends Black right into the steel steps! Dorling picks him up, rolling Black into the ring and sliding in right after. Dorling’s in the corner, looking ready to hit that superkick. Black’s on dream street as he gets to his feet, Dorling goes after him with the DORbreaker–BLACK DUCKS OUT OF THE WAY AND HITS HIM WITH A DROP TOE HOLD TO STAY ALIVE! Black is up on his feet now, as is the crowd as Dorling is coming to–ATTITUDE DRIVER ON DORLING! Black just knocked Dorling out cold with that Attitude Driver, as he goes for the cover:

1!

2!

THRE–NO! Dorling wills himself to kick out of that Attitude Driver, much to the shock of the crowd…and the dismay of Allister Black! Black is beyond frustrated now as he slides out of the ring, reaching underneath to grab whatever weapons he can find and throwing them into the ring. He sends a steel chair, a kendo stick, and a sledgehammer flying into the ring before sliding in a table and getting back in the ring. He sets the table up in the corner before turning his attention back to Dorling, who grabs the kendo stick as he gets to his feet. He takes a wild swing at Black, who easily dodges it before whipping Dorling onto the table set up in the corner. He picks up the steel chair, takes a look at it, takes a look at Dorling prone on the table…and with a sick smile on his face, he throws the chair right at Dorling, who catches it at the last second–ONLY FOR BLACK TO COME DIVING AT HIM WITH A SENTON THAT SENDS BOTH MEN THROUGH THE TABLE! The crowd, or at least those who can speak English, start chanting “Holy shit!” as both men fall out of the ring, laying motionless on the floor below. The ref can do nothing here but check on the well-being of both men here, as Dorling slowly comes to. Black follows suit, and Dorling wills himself to go for another DORbreaker…this time connecting square on the jaw of Black, who falls right back down. Dorling lets out a guttural yell of pain and anger as he grabs the bent chair from the ring, glaring with eyes of ill intent at Black before he takes a swing with the chair right onto the skull! Black is out cold, his face a crimson mask as Dorling can’t help but smile…but that smile quickly goes away, because Dominator has managed to crawl his way back to ringside, finally getting the energy to get back into this match!

Kyle Bacon: I don’t believe it, Dom is back in the hunt after all that!?

P. Licken: It’s a survival instinct, Kyle! A man like Dominator doesn’t make strategy, he just follows his gut!

Dorling can’t believe his eyes either, shaking his head before taking a big swing at Dominator–SPEAR! SPEAR! SPEAR BY DOMINATOR ONTO DORLING, FOLDING THE MAN IN HALF ON THE OUTSIDE! Allister is finally coming to, his face still a bloody mess as he gets to his feet. He’s wobbly as he makes his way to where Dorling and Dominator are at. He stares at the carcasses of Dominator and Dorling, deciding which of these men to finish off for the win…and DRIVES DOMINATOR’S HEAD INTO THE STONE FLOOR WITH AN ATTITUDE DRIVER! The crowd is electric as Allister manages to get just one hand on the chest of Dominator, as the ref comes over to make the count:

1!

2!

3!

The bell rings as the ref helps Allister Black to his feet. He’s still out cold, but something inside him coerces his body to allow the ref to raise his hand in victory.

Tina Peterson: Here is your winner, Allister Black!

Kyle Bacon: He’s done it, P! Allister Black has come out on top in a brutal match, and can put his career to rest!

P. Licken: Oh my God, what a match! I still can’t believe after all that carnage, Allister Black came out on top.

Kyle Bacon: And now his career can end on a high note, as he takes his place amongst the legends of The Experts!

P. Licken: Now what, though? Where does Black go from here? Maybe he can start up a podcast or something.

Kyle Bacon: Why must you always be this rude, P?

P. Licken: That’s why they pay me the big bucks, kid.

Executive Decision

[Earlier tonight.]

We find ourselves not inside the prison, or even near it…but rather, inside the boardroom at Legacy Tower. The members of the board have convened, embroiled in a very important discussion. We overhear one of them, a tone of concern in her voice.

“So that’s it, then? We just sit back and do nothing?”

“What choice do we have in the matter? Even if Mr. Tenegra succeeds, what are we to do with the prison?”

The woman who spoke up slams her fist on the table, shocking the rest of the board.

“We have to do something, damn it! Even if we have to shut the whole thing down, we have to stop whatever Xander is up to.”

After a moment of silence, one of the men speaks up.

“That’s what we do, then. We’ll need to alert the authorities, let them know there’s been a break-in…”

The rest of the board nod in agreement, realizing the measures they’ll have to take to handle the situation.

The Next Step

Backstage we see Sara McKenzie chasing someone down a hallway. There are shouts ahead of her as she rounds a corner and confronts Maverick Jones, jumping up and down, hollering and hooting, pumping his fists as he stands in front of the Golden Ticket briefcase.

“I just can’t…wow…I won! I won!”

Maverick gives off a loud ‘woooo’ as he continues to celebrate while catching his breath.

“Mr. Jones, you’re bleeding.”

Maverick stops jumping and turns around apparently startled. He puts a hand on his head and withdraws a little blood.

“Yeah, I just…wow. I blew right past the trainers. I should probably go back…but Oh My God I won! I got my hand on this, I pulled it down…what the heck!”

Maverick continues to pump his fist and pace around.

“Maverick, everyone wants to know. What are you doing with the Golden Ticket?”

Maverick stops hopping and pacing and turns back to her. He runs a hand over his head, realizes he is still bleeding, and wipes his hand on his pants.

“I…I haven’t really thought about it.”

Maverick shakes his head.

“No..no…that’s a lie. I have thought plenty about it. I haven’t stopped thinking about it. I really…really want to challenge for the Title of True Expert.”

A few onlookers cheer and Sara smiles.

“Wow you heard it here first, Maverick is going to-”

Maverick holds up his hands and waves them.

“Whoa, whoa. Wait, that’s not what I’m going to do. At least not yet. I want to wait until I am certain that I can get a one on one opportunity, no interruptions, no one else with a claim to the title. Plus…I need to prepare.”

“Oh, okay. Prepare how?”

“There’s this guy. Three time True Expert. I know he’s out there watching. HI!”

Maverick waves energetically at the camera.

“They can have the Extreme Tournament. I am, here and now, challenging…Black Death! Come on out to the middle of nowhere and face me!”

Sara nods her head.

“Okay! Maverick Jones has challenged former three time True Expert Black Death to a match! Big announcement. Congratulations again Maverick, good luck on your journey.”

Maverick shouts 'wooooo’ again, grabs the briefcase, and wanders off as we cut back to commentary.

Kyle Bacon: It’s official, folks! Maverick Jones wants a shot at the True Expert, but first he’ll take on one of the biggest legends in the business! It’ll be Maverick Jones taking on Black Death at our next event…

P. Licken: Whatever that might be.

Kyle Bacon: But right now we’re right back to the action, as two of the biggest federations in pro wrestling finally settle their differences in the ring…

P. Licken: …despite it being five plus years since both have closed…

Kyle Bacon: It’s TFWF vs VWF in a battle of brand loyalty, as Trippy and Ace Andrews take on Domingo Cruz and Crazyman!

As all four competitors make their way to the ring we get a video package highlighting the best of the TFWF and the VWF before focusing on the careers of Trippy, Ace Andrews, Domingo Cruz, and Crazyman. The video ends asking a very simple question: what would happen if the TFWF and VWF faced off?

The four competitors stand in the ring, paired off and face to face after the referee calls for the bell. None of them move a muscle as they’re prompted to send two out to the apron, and soon the referee has to insert himself between the two teams and bark in their faces that it’s time to get underway. Slowly Team TFWF backs away and begins to discuss who should start, and feeling safe Team VWF turns around and heads to their own corner to do the same. Without warning Crazyman lunges forward and charges Trippy and Ace Andrews from behind! Crazyman drives a forearm into the base of Trippy’s skull before grabbing her and hurling her over the top rope to the floor below! Domingo Cruz steps through the ropes with his hands held up innocently, telling the referee that he’s playing by the rules and staying in his designated area.

Crazyman turns his focus to Ace Andrews, apparently having decided FOR the VWF who will be starting this bout off. He shoves Ace hard into the ring post and follows him with a barrage of knife-edged chops and kicks to the thigh. Ace does his best to cover up, but Crazyman grabs him around the waist and hurls him into the corner with a belly to belly suplex that rocks the entire ring!

Kyle Bacon: What impact from the former TFWF superstar, I think I felt that all the way over here!

P. Licken: Crazyman’s playing to his strengths here, from the looks of it!

On the outside Domingo Cruz has dropped from the apron to the floor and is making his way around the ring to where Trippy is still laying on the floor. The referee is too focused on Ace and Crazyman to notice as Domingo lifts Trippy to her feet and drives her head off the apron before turning and sending her hard into the barricade with an irish whip. He backs away from Trippy carefully, making sure not to draw any more ire from the fans in case it leads to the ref taking notice.

Ace Andrews climbs slowly to his feet, shaking his head from side to side to clear the cobwebs as Crazyman rushes him once more. This time Ace sees it coming and drops to the mat with a toe hold that sends Crazyman skidding across the canvas. Ace leaps to his feet to capitalize on his well-timed counter and hits a picturesque dropkick just as Crazyman reaches a vertical base. Crazyman stumbles back into the ropes but catches himself before going down. Ace rolls to his feet and sees his foes predicament before sprinting like a linebacker lining up a touchdown saving tackle! Ace tries to unleash a hellacious clothesline, but Crazyman drops to the mat and pulls the top rope with him sending Ace over the top and to the floor where Trippy is still laying prone. Crazyman throws his arms up in the air and plays to the crowd as Domingo Cruz claps in approval from the TFWF corner. Slowly Ace begins to stand on the outside, doing his best to revive and lift Trippy to her feet as well. Sensing an opportunity Crazyman bounces off the far ropes for momentum before launching himself to the outside of the ring with a suicide dive! The biggest man in the match is taking to the air!

THUUUUUUU-uuuuu-UUUUUUUUUUUUUUDDD!!!

“HO-LY SHIT!”

“HO-LY SHIT!”

“HO-LY SHIT!”

The crowd explodes as Ace Andrews saw Crazyman hurtling towards him and shoved Trippy out of the way, taking the brunt of the impact himself and slamming back into the barricade! His head may have bounced off the wall pretty hard there, who knows what kind of shape he’s in!

Kyle Bacon: Ace Andrews just sacrificed his own body to save his wife, P!

P. Licken: I can’t say that I blame him, either…have you taken a good look at her, Kyle?

Kyle Bacon: P!

P. Licken: I’m just sayin’, she’s someone you take a dive for.

The referee watches the chaos outside from the ring, shouting at Crazyman and Ace Andrews to get back between the ropes. Trippy sits up slowly and takes in the carnage, Crazyman and Ace Andrews each looking like they’ve been put through a car wreck and neither moving a muscle as the referee has no choice but to begin counting them out.

ONE!

TWO!

Trippy crawls over to Ace, slapping him gently on the face to try and bring him around and get him back into the ring. Crazyman stirs first and rolls away from Andrews and Trippy. He army crawls across the floor towards the ring steps, wincing every time he moves his right shoulder and neck. Crazyman may have taken the worst of that high risk maneuver!

THREE!

FOUR!

Crazyman pulls himself up the ring steps and rolls himself under the bottom rope and back into the ring. He doesn’t wait to see what Ace does, but instead immediately begins to struggle across the canvas towards Domingo Cruz who’s waiting anxiously for a tag!

FIVE!

SIX!

Trippy doesn’t waste any more time trying to revive Ace, and instead wraps his arm around her neck and over her shoulders and begins dragging him to the edge of the ring. The fans cheer her tenacity wildly as she does her best to hoist Ace to his feet, struggling slightly as Ace’s knees give out and he collapses to the floor once again.

SEVEN!

EIGHT!

Trippy finally gets Ace’s upper body draped over the apron then shoves his legs up and under the bottom rope, rolling him into the ring to break the count! She climbs up to her ring post as quickly as she can, watching as Crazyman finally reaches Domingo Cruz on the other side of the ring and makes his tag! Ace Andrews pulls himself up to the middle rope! Trippy reaches over the top rope and into the ring, slapping him on the shoulder to make the tag and the referee sees it! Trippy is legal and hops into the ring just as Domingo reaches the VWF corner and she catches him with a well timed elbow! Domingo was looking to steamroll Ace, but Trippy stepped in the way and flies back into the ropes for her trouble! Too much momentum from Domingo, but she definitely evened the score with Ace by taking the brunt of that shot to protect him!

Kyle Bacon: These two have been through a lot together, and it seems that chemistry they share outside the ring is translating into perfect chemistry in the ring tonight!

P. Licken: Which is great until they start making out in the middle of the ring. Ew.

Kyle Bacon: …

Trippy bounces off the ropes and catches Domingo with spear to the midsection! Domingo is down, and Trippy hooks the leg for the cover! The referee slides into position to make the count as Ace Andrews rolls out to the apron, his hand held high in the air victoriously as he counts along with the fans and hopes this one ends quickly!

ONE!

TW-

A kickout by Domingo, who shoves Trippy off of him and sits up. Assuring himself he wont be caught with something like that again he stands and circles Trippy slowly before locking up. He gains the advantage, whipping Trippy across the ring and standing in the center of the mat waiting for her to rebound before hitting a scoop slam and rushing to the corner to climb to the top rope! Trippy is stunned but gets up slowly only to be caught with a flying lariat off of the top rope! Domingo rolls effortlessly to his feet, really feeling the momentum as Trippy tries to recover and regain control for Team VWF! The two competitors stand face to face, Trippy looking for a leg sweep to catch Domingo off guard, but Cruz hops over her leg and drills her flush with an enziguri that echoes through the entire arena!

Trippy is expressionless as her eyes roll into the back of her head and she falls limply to the floor!

Domingo Cruz is looking to end this! He makes the cover!

ONE!

TWO!

T-

Ace Andrews lunges through the ropes and into the ring, dropping an axe handle across the back of Domingo to break up the count! Domingo tries to kick at Andrews in retaliation but eats a few heavy right hands for his trouble. The referee screams at Ace to get out of the ring and back to his corner, which Andrews does slowly. Trippy and Domingo each try and regain their breath before standing, bumps and cruises from tonights mayhem displayed clearly on their faces. Domingo moves first, booting Trippy in the gut and doubling her over before hooking her head for a snap DDT that plants her head first like a lawn dart. Domingo looks for another quick cover!

ONE!

TWO!

Trippy is alert enough to kick out herself this time, squirming out from underneath Domingo and trying to lunge for her corner to tag Ace Andrews back into the match! Domingo catches her from behind before she can make her leap and hurls her in the opposite direction, straight into the corner of Team TFWF! Crazyman is waiting with a lifted knee which he drives into Trippy’s spine, dropping her to a single knee as Domingo sprints across the ring and drills a knee into Trippy’s jaw!

Kyle Bacon: Trippy is left sprawled out in the TFWF corner, and I’m not sure she even knows where she is right now!

The referee shouts at Crazyman not to get involved, and he shrugs his shoulders. He stands back and watches as Domingo works over Trippy with a series of stomps and kicks! Ace Andrews is screaming at the referee to break up the assault, but Domingo uses the full five count to his advantage and inflicts as much pain as he can before stepping away. Domingo waits for Trippy to stand, pulling herself up with the ring ropes, then charges her again. Trippy has it scouted, and decimates Domingo Cruz with a big boot! Before she can capitalize, or escape and make a tag, Crazyman grabs her by the neck and drops from the apron to the floor snapping Trippy’s head off the top rope in the process! Trippy slingshots halfway across the ring as a result, and Crazyman laughs hysterically on the floor outside the ring! He has no idea that Ace Andrews is on the floor as well and sprinting full speed around the outside of the ring to get his hands on the TFWF stalwart!

Crazyman sees Ace!

It’s too late!

Ace smashes Crazyman with a shoulderblock that probably knocked a few teeth loose, absolutely crushing the same arm that Crazyman injured on his suicide dive at the beginning of the match! Crazyman is rolling around, clutching his arm, and Ace Andrews leaps atop him and begins to pummel him wildly as the crowd rises to their feet!

“TF! WF!”

“V! W! F!”

“TF! WF!”

“V! W! F!”

The crowd splinters into two factions, screaming support for their favorite company at the top of their lungs! Crazyman manages to kick Ace Andrews away and retreat, seated with his back against the barricade! Ace Andrews gets to his feet, as does Crazyman! Ace Andrews charges…

… and …

A SPINEBUSTER FROM CRAZYMAN! He was able to catch Ace Andrews coming in and smash him to the floor with an incredible slam! It looks like that did even more damage to his own neck and shoulder though, as he’s not moving! He and Ace Andrews are both down after that!

Kyle Bacon: I don’t think Ace Andrews is getting up after that, P!

P. Licken: I don’t think either of them are getting up after that, Kyle. That’s not something you just brush off and carry on about your day, man!

Back in the ring, Domingo Cruz begins crawling over to Trippy, desperate to capitalize on the moment and put the VWF away once and for all. He drapes a hand over her shoulders as the referee slides into position!

ONE!

TWO!

THR-

KICKOUT!

KICKOUT BY TRIPPY! She refuses to give up tonight, and crawls away from Domingo as he stares out at the crowd in absolute horror! He thought he had the win there for sure! Trippy crawls desperately to her corner but Ace Andrews is nowhere to be found! She has no idea that he went after Crazyman, and it looks like she’s all alone against Domingo! She stands and turns to face Cruz as he advances on her and the two begin to trade wild blows in the middle of the ring! Both of them look like they’re out on their feet, but neither is going down! Domingo looks for a vertical DDT but Trippy deadweights him and throws a punch to the ribs before twisting the grip until she has Domingo in a hammerlock! She shoves him into the ropes and he backpedals back into Trippy… exploding suplex! Domingo reflexively pops to his feet and…

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCKKKKKKKKKKKK!

DOMINGO CRUZ GETS ROCKED WITH A SUPERKICK! DOMINGO GOES DOWN!

Trippy tries to scramble over to the fallen TFWF representative, collapsing on top of him and hooking the leg! The fans are convinced this one is over!

ONE!

TWO!

TH-

KICKOUT BY DOMINGO CRUZ! His eggs look scrambled, but he still managed to kickout there and keep himself alive, but who knows how much Trippy has left in the tank! She looks absolutely exhausted after everything she’s been through tonight! She looks to her corner again, but there’s still nobody for her to tag. She climbs to her feet and lands a standing elbow drop on Domingo before turning him over to try and lock in a heel hook. Domingo boots her away and into the ropes, staggering to her feet as she bounces back at him and catching her with a clothesline from hell that sends Trippy flipping backwards and smashing hard to the mat!

Domingo is too disoriented to make the cover! Trippy and Cruz are both laying in the center of the canvas after that incredible collision!

“OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

The crowd explodes as Ace Andrews breaks away from Crazyman outside of the ring and sprints back to the Team VWF corner, leaping up to the apron and grabbing the tag rope as he screams loudly for Trippy to tag him in and let him finish this! Crazyman climbs up to his own apron, shouting for Domingo to hurry up and get him into the match before VWF can make their switch!

Trippy and Domingo are stirring!

They’re each on their way to their corners!

Domingo dives and makes the tag! Crazyman leaps through the ropes, still nursing his injured arm and rushing Trippy to stop her from reaching Ace! Trippy manages to fight free of his grip and dives…

P. Licken: Come on, Trippy! I believe in you, girl! Make that hot tag!

Ace Andrews is in! Trippy collapses on the apron outside of the ring, trying desperately to catch her breath as Ace and Crazyman begin hammering away at each other once again! Crazyman tries to grab Ace and lift him into a firemans carry, but he can’t get him all the way up with the injured shoulder! Ace elbows Crazyman in the wide of the head, then elbows him again in the strained side of his neck! Crazyman releases the grip and Ace knees him in the gut and shoves him backwards into the TFWF corner! Andrews charges and leaps into the air with a flying knee, but he shoots past Crazyman and connects straight into the chest of Domingo Cruz and sends him flying from the apron to the floor! Crazyman has nobody to help him now!

He swings at Ace Andrews, who ducks the blow and grabs his wrist and sends him hurtling across the ring into the VWF turnbuckle where Trippy is back on her feet and sends a brutal forearm crashing into Crazymans jaw! Ace Andrews charges after Crazyman and hits him with a body splash in the turnbuckle!

Trippy tagged herself in, and she’s climbing the turnbuckle as Ace drags Crazyman into the center of the mat!

THE TRUMPCARD!

ACE ANDREWS SMASHES CRAZYMAN TO THE MAT WITH THE TRUMPCARD AND ROLLS OUT OF THE WAY!

TRIPPY THROWS HERSELF FROM THE TOP ROPE!

DANCE IN THE DARK!!! DANCE IN THE DARK!!!

TRIPPY MAKES THE COVER!

THE REFEREE IS IN POSITION!

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

The bell rings as the ref raises the arms of Trippy and Ace Andrews in victory.

Tina Peterson: Here are your winners, representing the VWF…Ace Andrews and Trippy!

Kyle Bacon: What an amazing match we had, with Trippy and Andrews taking the win after a close battle with Crazyman and Domingo Cruz! All the credit in the world to the representatives of TFWF, they really showed just how tough they w–

P. Licken: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Kyle Bacon: What are you laughing about, P?

P. Licken: I just texted The Viking King the result of this match, and he just gave us both huge bonuses since VWF beat TFWF!

Kyle Bacon: But we haven’t been on his payroll in years…

P. Licken: I know, but the bonus is right here in my bank account!

Licken shows Kyle his phone, which draws a chuckle from the usually straight-laced man as we cut backstage…

Ringleader III

…where we find MDK pacing back and forth when he hears a knock at the door. Before he can respond, the door opens…revealing Georgie Nickles and Domingo Cruz, much to the delight of a smiling MDK as they enter.

“Good to see you two have thought it over.”

They both shake their heads, Georgie speaking up first.

“Let’s make one thing clear, Danny…this isn’t about you.”

Cruz nods in agreement.

“We’ve both been dealing with the aftermath of siding with you once upon a time. We should’ve known better than to trust you back then…so why should we trust you now?”

MDK nods, a look of concern on his face.

“I know, I know, but…”

A voice from behind them cuts MDK off.

“Georgie’s right, this isn’t about you Danny…”

Georgie and Cruz turn to face the source of that message, to find Black Death stepping in.

“…it’s about keeping the balance. Legion wants to turn The Experts over to Jack Benevolence, and we can’t let that happen.”

Georgie, Cruz, and MDK all nod in agreement as MDK speaks up.

“We won’t let that happen.”

Black Death nods with a slight smile, happy to see some allies in the war that approaches. From the distance we see someone watching the newly-formed Circus with a stoic look of curiosity…the man whose blade is in Black Death’s possession, the right-hand man of Ariana London, and the brute force of the Eternal Circle.

Dragon.

Pen on Paper I

Somewhere in his own little makeshift dressing room, Jack Benevolence begins his preparations for the main event when the door opens. Jack is thrown off by this, an angry snarl on his face as he starts to yell.

“Haven’t you heard of knocking!? I’ll have your h–oh good, it’s you.”

This draws a nod of response from Russell White, who shows Benevolence a stack of papers.

“Legion’s asked me to present you with the contract that turns control of The Experts over to you as of tonight. You can have it all, Jack…the title, the power, the control…and all you have to do is put pen to paper and sign off on it.”

This brings a big smile to the face of the Once and Future King as he takes the pen from Russell’s hand, taking a glance through every page before quickly scribbling his signature on the contract. He hands the stack back to Russell, who simply nods in response.

“Let our friend know I look forward to getting the keys to the kingdom from him. Now go, I have a title to win back tonight.”

Russell gives another nod before leaving the office, allowing Jack to resume his warmup as we cut back to commentary.

Kyle Bacon: Up next is a match that’s been quite a few years in the making, as MDK takes on Legion! Legion’s been telling everyone that will listen to him about how badly he was wronged by MDK, but will he have a chance to get revenge tonight?

We cut to the ring, where Legion is already waiting with a microphone in hand, laughing maniacally before he finally starts to speak.

Legion: You know something, when I laid this challenge out for MDK, I didn’t actually think he was going to accept it! I know you all too well, Danny. I know about all the stuff you’ve been doing for other promotions, and you know what I see? I see a man trying way too hard to atone for the sins of his past…when you should embrace it. I tried for years to run away from the chaos that was trying to consume me, but I finally learned to accept it…and that’s when the Eternal Circle came knocking. They offered me something no one else could, a chance to spread a little chaos into the order of things. That’s why I brought all these people out in the middle of nowhere, trapped inside the Siberian prison, so I could finally put this whole system out of its mis–

MDK has heard enough, running in through the crowd to attack Legion from behind! The bell rings and this match is on!

MDK is a man possessed as he lays into Legion with some heavy lefts and rights, but Legion slowly manages to get back to his feet and drive MDK off with a desperation neckbreaker. Both men are down, but Legion is quick to his feet as he motions to someone in the back…and four men dressed in hooded robes slowly make their way to the ring, each carrying a familiar weapon from Legion’s past.

Kyle Bacon: Oh my God, they’ve got the chained railroad spikes! Legion used to love these back when he was the right-hand man of James Onlee, and it looks like the Reverend’s teachings still run deep in his protege!

P. Licken: It’s like they used to say, Kyle…the Onlee Way is the only way!

The hooded druids slide into the ring as Legion sets MDK up in the corner. The ref is admonishing Legion, who yells at him to stay out of the way. Legion speaks to the druids, pointing at MDK with a look of murder in his eyes until three familiar faces run down to the ring!

Kyle Bacon: Georgie Nickles, Domingo Cruz, and Black Death are all out here to tip the scales back in MDK’s favor! They’re actually helping a man who made their lives miserable back in the day!

They rush in, taking the druids down before sending them over the ropes as MDK turns his attention back to Legion, who swings at him with a spike…but MDK ducks out of the way, hitting his Hellshot STO on Legion in a flash! He goes for the cover…

1!

2!

3!

The bell rings as MDK gets back to his feet, staring down at Legion while the ref raises his hand in victory.

Tina Peterson: Here is your winner…MDK!

Kyle Bacon: What a quick affair that was! Seems like Legion overestimated his once rival tonight, even after sending out some goons from the Eternal Circle.

P. Licken: Right, but I think that’s the bigger story Kyle…the Eternal Circle is back, after years of radio silence. I dunno about you kid, but I’m scared as hell now.

Breakout

We cut backstage, where several of the wrestlers who have already competed tonight are getting restless near the exits guarded by locals. Leading the pack is an angry Scorpio, flanked by Aaron Roberts and Creme de la Creme as he shouts at one of the guards.

“We’ve been cooped up in this hellhole long enough, we’re ready to go home right this minute!”

The guard shrugs at this, but nevertheless the S-Factor persists.

“Did you not hear me? We want out, right now!”

“No one out, no one in. By order of Benevolence.”

Desert Sex all scoff at this, when suddenly we hear a yell from the pack…who all charge at the guards! Chaos ensues as the guards and wrestlers come to blows, slamming each other into the walls and doors of the prisons. In the midst of this insanity, a single door opens as a hooded figure calmly sneaks its way past the seeing eyes of the brawl. It stops for just a moment, looking on at the rampage nearby with a chuckle.

“What a cute little uprising. Shame I can’t be a part of it, but I have bigger fish to fry.”

The voice sounds familiar, but before we can get a lock on it the figure disappears into the shadows. Meanwhile, the prime suspects in all this have finally been apprehended and sent back to their cells as we cut back to commentary.

P. Licken: What the hell is going on around here, Kyle? What kind of scheme did you sign me up for?

Kyle Bacon: I have no idea what you’re talking about, P. Whatever’s happening, it looks like we’re reaching the climax…

P. Licken: Ha, climax…

Kyle Bacon: …but the show must go on, and what a match we have up next! The anticipation is lingering within this audience, folks! Two of Viking Wrestling Federation’s favorite sons in the same squared circle and they are ready to see this one last time. Cedrone. DiBiase. One-on-one!

P. Licken: C’mon boys, go for the throat from the start. No nice guy nonsense!

The bell rings and the air gets a little heavier as the gravity of the situation hits those in attendance in the hellish environment as both Jonny Cedrone and Scott DiBiase begin to circle around the ring, neither men taking their eye off the other as they let years and years of their rivalry slowly return to them with each movement inside of the squared circle, every single memory of past encounters for championship gold, pride and the status of VWF’s top wrestler gradually coming back from hazy memories to being clear as day as both men suddenly advance to the center of the ring, locking up in the traditional collar-to-elbow tie-up. The test of strength between both men doesn’t go unnoticed by the crowd, as seconds to it, they realize that neither men is giving an inch and the struggle continues for a few more seconds before DiBiase finally manages to slip through and place Cedrone in a headlock. Jonny is quick to step backwards until he feels his back hitting the ropes, using newfound momentum to slip out of the headlock and send Scott running towards the opposite end. As DiBiase bounces off the ropes, Cedrone is waiting for him, lowering his body and elevating Scott up in the air in an attempted back body drop…but DiBiase manages to turn into a sunset flip. The referee goes down to the mat to count Cedrone’s shoulders to the mat but DiBiase has other ideas as he rolls off the pinning attempt and grabs onto Jonny’s legs, promptly trying to lock him into a cloverleaf albeit to no avail, as Cedrone keeps his legs moving and eventually reaches up to pull DiBiase into a small package hold and the referee gets down to the mat this time around:

ONE…

TWOOOO…

DiBiase, however, does get his shoulders up before the referee’s hand leaves the mat after the second count.

Kyle Bacon: A close one here for Cedrone in the early going but both men showing that deep knowledge they have of one another as rivals.

P. Licken: Too much of the wrestling holds, not enough violence. We’re in Siberia, Bacon, not some kindergarten class where the children touch each other all nicely.

Both men return to their feet gradually and they don’t stop to take any sort of adulation from the crowd, as the two opt to stand their ground on the center of the ring as Cedrone lands with knife-edged chop to Scott’s chest and DiBiase returns the favor with an open hand chop of his own to Jonny. Both men continue to exchange chops, one after the other, neither one giving an inch as the bloodlust is woken within their surroundings and those witnessing this display along with the chests of both men getting redder with each chop cheer for the violence they’re witnessing, something that comes to a close end as Cedrone blocks a DiBiase chop attempt and instead, nails him with a back fist that stuns Scott DiBiase and allows Cedrone to then pick him up and connect with a T-Bone suplex that shakes the mat…but Cedrone doesn’t end it there, as he runs to the ropes and connects with a beautiful knee drop that lands flush. “The King of Sexy” seems to be feeling it at this point, getting up to his feet and nodding in approval as he brings DiBiase back to a standing base. He irish whips Scott onto the nearest turnbuckle and promptly, he runs towards it, nailing DiBiase with a running knee to the face in which the impact seems to echo across the prison surroundings. Cedrone gets a grip of Scott’s head and begins to take him towards the center of the ring, looking for a running bulldog but DiBiase manages to reverse it into a back suplex that Jonny does not see coming as his hands immediately hold on to the back of his head after that bit of impact.

P. Licken: Ooooo, he’s gonna REALLY feel that one tomorrow morning!

Kyle Bacon: Cedrone was looking for that patented bulldog but DiBiase had him scouted!

DiBiase is breathing a little heavy at this point, taking a moment to recuperate from the initial onslaught that he caught with after their chop battle moments before but he does gradually stand back up again and makes his way to Cedrone, a few well-placed stomps to the back of his neck for good measure before bringing Jonny back up to his feet. Scott gets a good grip of Jonny’s hair and tights before sending him chest-first into the nearest turnbuckle and as Cedrone bounces backward, a sharp forearm to the back of the head and neck sends him right down to the mat once again. The crowd is almost stunned at the sudden shift from DiBiase as he’s upped the aggression but given the long-standing rivalry, neither men would give the other an inch. DiBiase stands Cedrone back up again, sending him once more crashing chest-first onto the turnbuckle but this time around, Cedrone responds with a sudden back elbow that sends Scott reeling and creates space between both men. DiBiase is the first one of the two to recover enough to attempt a wild swing at Cedrone, but the “King of Sexy” ducks underneath and in one smooth motion, picks up Scott DiBiase off the mat and delivers a bone crushing backbreaker. The crowd winces and gasps at its impact before cheering as Cedrone promptly hooks the near leg and the referee slides down to make the count:

ONEEEE…

TWOOOOOOO…

TH- DiBiase’s shoulder comes up promptly at the realization of a possible third count incoming!

Kyle Bacon: And now it’s Cedrone coming up with a counter at an opportune time and it cannot be said enough, both of these men know each other so well.

P. Licken: They’re upping the intensity with each moment here, Bacon. Needs more blood, though. Good rivalries have color in them. Sometimes, a lot.

Cedrone gradually returns on the attack, mounting DiBiase and beginning to throw out some punches from that position as he continues on the attack to where Scott is having to cover himself from being knocked out while using everything within him to not suddenly get KOed by a power strike from Cedrone, who knows how to place those shots. Eventually, both men end up in a struggle at the mat until DiBiase has dragged himself near the ropes to get a foot on it and force the referee to break it up. Cedrone drags DiBiase away from the ropes and then back to his feet before attempting to hook him for his patented Mambo Italiano (Moss-Covered Three-Handled Family Gradunza) but he can’t quite get DiBiase’s leg for the fisherman set-up of the move as Scott fights out of it with punches and hits a quick snap suplex to once again create some distance between them. DiBiase does take his time, waiting for Cedrone to stand back to his feet before sneaking up behind him and placing him in a Cobra Clutch.

As he twists and turns it, it does not take long for DiBiase to then drop Cedrone with the Broken Dreams (Cobra Clutch Facebuster)!

P. Licken: HE GOT ALL OF THAT!!!

DiBiase promptly makes the cover:

ONEEEE…

TWOOOOOOO…

THR- Cedrone gets the right shoulder up!!!

Kyle Bacon: Not just yet! A close fall for Scott DiBiase but Jonny Cedrone isn’t going to let his dreams of emerging victorious in this rivalry be broken just yet.

Scott put his hands on his hips as he sat up, looking over at Jonny almost with a smile on his face, as if remembering a similar position many moons ago during the height of their rivalry. Taking a deep breath, he stands back to his feet and drags Cedrone a little closer to one of the turnbuckles before he gradually exits out to the apron and begins to climb the turnbuckle. Scott DiBiase positions himself, taking a moment to glance at his surroundings before he jumps off the top turnbuckle with a frog splash…in which Cedrone rolls away from in the nick of time, letting gravity do the work as DiBiase rudely crashes against the mat and holds onto his stomach for dear life in the aftermath. Blinking and realizing a window of opportunity has opened up for him, Jonny Cedrone promptly makes his way to DiBiase, practically deadlifting him off the mat in an impressive feat of strength into a fisherman’s suplex set-up and then spinning it around, nailing the Mambo Italiano in full this time around and keeping the leg hooked as the referee immediately sees this and slides in:

ONEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THRE—– And somehow, someway, Scott DiBiase manages to kick out!

And now it’s Cedrone’s turn to look a bit incredulously with a smile on his face as he sits up.

Kyle Bacon: Another close fall here and you can tell by Cedrone’s face, he knows this wasn’t going to be easy…

P. Licken: …But he wishes it could have been. Why have to spend any more time in this actual heel of a prison than what you have to?

Cedrone takes another look at Scott DiBiase and as he stands up, taking in a few deep breaths and using the moment to let himself prepare for what was next, watching carefully as DiBiase began to stir back and instinctively return to one knee, holding the back of his neck as he did so and moved towards standing back up. Cedrone gradually approached him and turned him around, immediately looking to sweep DiBiase off his feet with a STO attempt but DiBiase catches Cedrone with a sharp elbow to the side of the head. Jonny does not relinquish, attempting for it again and getting another elbow from Scott for his troubles. In desperation to follow up, DiBiase grabs on to Cedrone’s head with his left arm and then drills him into the mat with a desperation DDT that sends both men to the mat as the referee begins to look around, checking in on both men before taking a few steps away and beginning to count…

ONE…

TWO…

THREE…

FOUR…

Kyle Bacon: And the referee’s begun a ten-count now, as both men are stirring up but definitely still feeling the effects of what just happened over the past few sequences.

P. Licken: A count is just so pointless. Nobody here in this audience is gonna let anyone get away with a dumb double KO or something, not without there being buckets of blood on the mat to show for it.

FIVE…

SIX…

Both men finally begin pushing themselves up to their feet…

SEVEN…

EIGHT…

Cedrone is the first one to stand up fully, DiBiase following suit shortly after as the crowd within the Siberian prison screams for more violence as DiBiase responds with a sharp forearm…and Cedrone returns it with a punch that sends Scott a couple of steps backward. DiBiase grits his teeth and steps forward, catching Cedrone with a right hand and yet, Jonny won’t go down as he returns with another fist to the face. Both men close the distance between themselves and this match turns into a back-and-forth brawl as forearms and right hands are dished out, the close distance between both men causing those shots to not have the same amount of power but still deliver enough impact to reel their tired bodies with each one that gets absorbed. The crowd reaches a fever pitch as they butt heads in the process of both attempting a right hand at the same time, that impact enough to stagger them backward. Cedrone sees DiBiase stagger to the ropes and shaking the cobwebs, he charges his long-time rival…but ends up getting caught with a Uranage slam from DiBiase, in which Scott immediately transitions into an Anaconda Vise.

Cedrone’s eyes widen as the submission is locked in and he begins to struggle against it, his eyes looking around and realizing that he’s still close enough to the ropes as he twists and turns, with Scott attempting to apply the pressure in full but Jonny’s own legs are long enough to eventually help him kick his way into dragging his right leg onto the bottom rope - enough of an effort for the referee to prompt Scott DiBiase to break the hold in full, as some of the crowd almost look dejected they didn’t want see a man gasp for his breath and perhaps admit defeat in submission.

P. Licken: Not overly smart on the follow-up by DiBiase. He could have used some of that five count the referees always give wrestlers to do some more damage.

Kyle Bacon: And I’m pretty sure Scott DiBiase isn’t going to take any shortcuts here, Licken. Not in this match, not in something that he has said is his final encounter with his long-time rival.

DiBiase looks towards the ropes, seemingly looking beyond at the Siberian hell they found themselves in before returning his gaze to his long-time rival. He grabbed onto Cedrone’s arms and dragged him towards the corner, a surge of energy seemingly bursting through him as Scott DiBiase then lifted Jonny Cedrone back to a vertical position, following that up by grabbing his head and smashing it against the turnbuckle for good measure before DiBiase made his way through the ropes and onto the apron. He climbed up the turnbuckle and reached for Cedrone, pulling the man up onto the first turnbuckle. The crowd began to murmur and some began to realize what was about to possibly happen and they began to cheer accordingly, ESPECIALLY as DiBiase stands up on the top turnbuckle and brings Cedrone up another turnbuckle, underhooking the man’s arms.

Kyle Bacon: Oh my god, there’s no way…

P. Licken: Somebody’s about to take a Plunge, Bacon!

Scott takes in a deep breath, tightening his grip and realizing that he’s going for it all…only to then suddenly feel the harsh reality of gravity sending him off of precarious ground and onto the air as Cedrone realized what was happening and countered with a back body drop…but yet again, DiBiase managed to use his own athleticism to hang on and land on his feet. DiBiase quickly jumped up and caught Cedrone, placing him up on his shoulders and stepping away while looking for an electric chair drop…BUT NO, CEDRONE FIGHTS OUT AND LANDS ON HIS FEET BEHIND HIM! As Scott turns around, Cedrone immediately catches him and sweeps him fiercely off his feet with a STO that shakes the ring from its impact and from there, it doesn’t take Jonny Cedrone very long to transition into the arm triangle hold.

Kyle Bacon: ONE ARMED BANDIT!!!!

P. Licken: AND HE’S GOT IT IN THE CENTER OF THE RING!!!

Scott DiBiase’s eyes widen this time around in the same way Cedrone’s did earlier during the Vise but his position at the center of the ring and the way Jonny Cedrone’s now pressing his weight against him alongside having the choke tightened force him to begrudgingly try to move around for a good five seconds or so as he wails away with his free arm onto Cedrone’s back to try and get him to release the hold. But Jonny promptly puts a stop to that as he shifts his body weight to block out DiBiase’s legs and hips from moving and adding as much as pressure onto it from there as possible, Jonny Cedrone grits his teeth and lets out a war cry as Scott DiBiase uses his free left hand to tap onto Cedrone’s shoulder in submission before he gets choked out for good, as the bell rings crowd within the prison roars their approval for how this fight just ended!

Cedrone lets go of the submission immediately, pumping his fists up in the air as he gradually kneels on the mat and gets away from DiBiase while Scott rolls onto his side, gasping for air.

Tina Peterson: HERE’S YOUR WINNER BY SUBMISSION… “THE KING OF SEXY”…JONNY…CEEEEEEEEDROOOOOONEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Those within the surroundings do give Jonny Cedrone another set of cheers as the referee checks up on him and eventually raises his arm in the air.

Kyle Bacon: What a fight between these two and it all came down to just one simple counter.

P. Licken: Yeah, they know each other well. It was just a matter of reading one move ahead and well…today, it was Jonny Cedrone who did that.

We then see Cedrone offering a hand to DiBiase, helping his old rival and partner up to his feet as the two men share some words and eventually, a handshake that turns into DiBiase raising Cedrone’s right arm in the air as both men then proceed to leave the ring.

Pen on Paper II

We cut to the makeshift office of Timothy Kahrs, where we find the interim General Manger looking on as Legion rushes through the room, gathering his belongings and stuffing them into various pieces of luggage. Kahrs watches for just a minute longer before speaking up, his voice wavering with fear.

“And where are you r-running off to?”

Legion just looks up at him, a look of anger on his face.

“I’m getting the hell out of Dodge, Timmy. If you’re as smart as I think you are, you’d get out of here too.”

“But we still have a show to finish, we have a main event to see who holds the…”

Legion stops him with a hard hand on the shoulder.

“I know, but I’ve seen what’s coming. MDK’s put his little Circus back together, and I got wind of something worse headed toward our doorstep…way worse.”

“But…”

Legion takes off with his luggage, leaving a very confused General Manager in the office as Russell White steps in just moments later, the contract in his hands.

“Mr. Kahrs, I’ve come with the contract for Legion to s–”

Russell pauses, looking around at the disheveled office before realizing what’s happened.

“Where’d he run off to?”

Kahrs merely shrugs, unable to express the danger that awaits as we cut back to commentary.

Kyle Bacon: I have no idea what’s happening at this point, but I do know we have a huge main event coming up! After years of hiding, Jack Benevolence has revealed his face…and he has a huge chip on his shoulder as he looks to regain what he believes is his from the man who beat him at the 2012 Extreme Tournament. Indeed, this is a main event nearly six years in the making, and…hold on…P, I’ve just received word by way of Jack Benevolence that we have the rest of the night off.

P. Licken: Oh, thank God! I don’t want anything to do with whatever’s about to go down.

Kyle Bacon: That’ll do it for us tonight folks, but up next…Doug E Fresh defends his True Expert championship against Jack Benevolence in a No Holds Barred match that is sure to break down into a fight!

Doug E Fresh comes down to the ring and gets a rapturous applause as he makes his way down. He points to himself and points out that he is the True Expert as he gets to the apron and runs his hands across the canvas and then drops to his knees in pain as Jack Benevolence stands over him with a steel chair in his hand and a grin on his face. Boos rain down as Doug turns and meets a boot to the face and drops down again and Jack looks down at him and roars at him.

Jack: “You are nothing!”

Jack drops the chair and steps back as Doug defiantly sits up again only to be booted in the side of the head again and Jack follows up by spitting on his downed foe! The crowd boo as Benevolence drags Fresh up and delivers a few forearms to his jaw before driving him back first into the ring apron to drive the air out of him before picking Doug up and dropping him with an inverted atomic drop! Fresh staggers back into the apron and then forwards into the path of a lariat from The Once and Future King! Doug crawls along the apron and Benevolence stalks his prey and continues to taunt him as Doug crawls towards the ring steps as Benevolence opens his arms and dares Doug to climb to his feet as he takes kicks at him.

Jack backs into the guard rail and measures Fresh up for a running punt, charges across for a punt but The Professor rolls towards his advancing opponent with a kendo stick in hand and manages to catch Benevolence across both knees!

The crowd pops and Jack drops to his knees howling in agony as a groggy Doug climbs to one knee with the stick in his hand and Jack glares at him with his eyes wide open and then winces as Fresh follows up with a second strike, then a third and then it shatters on the fourth as Fresh climbs to his feet and drags Jack up to join him. He grabs the arm of Benevolence and whips him into the ring steps that fracture on impact and Jack’s body crumples against it. Fresh grabs the head of Benevolence and drives his head into the steps before picking Jack up and slams his face into the edge of the ring apron and then drags the head of the self proclaimed king along the edge of the ring and leaves him slumped on the ground outside.

Doug feels his mouth from the earlier assault and then snarls at Benevolence and drags him up and throws him into the ring. As Doug rolls in to join him, the bell rings to indicate the start of the match and Doug just puts the boots into The Once and Future King who is trying to cover up and rolls himself into the corner. Doug is now livid and follows up with a series of boots and presses his boot down across the face of Benevolence before being pulled away by the referee who tries to admonish him before The Professor points out that it’s no disqualification now and he resumes putting the boots into Benevolence before dragging him up to his feet and clubs away at him in the corner before grabbing his arm and whips him across the ring into the opposite corner and follows up with a leaping splash but Benevolence spins out of the way but Doug catches himself on the middle turnbuckle, glances over his shoulder and hits a corkscrew European uppercut that sends Benevolence over the top rope and to the outside!

Jack lands on his feet and tries to shake the cobwebs as Doug climbs through the ropes and onto the apron and tries to take his opponent’s head off with a running kick that Benevolence ducks but Doug is quick and follows up with a shuffle side kick to the temple of the Once and Future King who slumps down against the ring steps. Benevolence looks dazed as he rests on the steps but Fresh gives him no time, runs along the apron and hits a running somersault senton onto the prone body of Benevolence! Fresh is quickly to his feet and drags Jack up, delivers a couple of clubbing blows to the back of his head before running with him across the outside of the ring and tossing him across the announce table!

Fresh is emotionless as he glowers at Benevolence and makes his way over to him and clubs away at him once again before picking his adversary up and tossing him over the guard rail! Benevolence lands on his feet and groggily stares at Fresh who responds with a right hand that staggers the former True Expert into retreat. Fresh follows him though and whales on him with a few more shots before Benevolence cuts him off with a boot to the midsection. Fresh strikes back and again Jack replies with a boot to the midsection.

A man arrives to his group of friends with a prison tray stacked with drinks for him and his friends. With Jack down on his knees, Doug walks over to him and tells the group to drink up. They do in unison and Doug picks up one of the beers and starts to drink it before spitting it out and declaring it to be garbage. He provides advice on better beers to drink before taking the steel tray and whaling on the torso of Benevolence who howls in pain but Fresh is relentless and continues to beat his foe with the tray until it is a mangled mess.

Benevolence is scrambling around on his hands and knees as Doug heads over to one of the speaker boxes set up for the event and climbs on top of it. He’s about eight feet up as Benevolence climbs to one knee and the Professor leaps off and catches Benevolence with a flying cross body that flattens the Once and Future King!

The crowd chant in appreciation while officials check on both men. Jack is out flat while Doug sits up on his sees and surveys his fallen foe before Fresh stands up and walks over to Benevolence who is flat out on his back and kneels across him to deliver a series of stiff right hands to the temple of the former champion. Doug then roars in frustration and grips the neck of Benevolence and attempts to choke his opponent! The referee pleads with Doug to stop and eventually his relents as Benevolence curls up and adopts the foetal position and tries to crawl away again.

Fresh picks him up and dumps him back over the guard rail and back to the ringside area. As The Professor climbs over to join him, Benevolence staggers away and waves his hands to indicate that he is done with the match as he rolls into the ring and away from Doug E Fresh who leans under the ring and pulls out a steel chair and tosses it into the ring. He then grabs a steel trash can by the announce table and throws that in as well before grabbing the lid of the trash can and rolls into the ring. Benevolence is using the ropes to pull himself to his feet as his adversary measures him up, charges forwards and swings at him with the bin lid but Benevolence ducks it and grabs the waist of The Professor and drives him up and over with a release German suplex!

Doug clutches at the back of his head as Jack wearily looks around at his surroundings before climbing to his feet to meet the rising Fresh. The Professor staggers over to his opponent and takes a swing but Benevolence ducks again and once again grabs the waist of Fresh and hits a German suplex! This time he maintains his hold on the waist of Fresh and rolls through and delivers a second German suplex and yet again, holds on for a third which he delivers with a crunching thud before rolling through for a fourth! But Doug cuts The Once and Future King off with a couple of elbows and spins around and manages to deliver a German suplex of his own to Benevolence! He rolls through for a second but Jack blocks the leg with his own, spins around the back of The Professor and hauls him up for a German suplex but inverts it at the last minute and hits a sit out face-buster onto the steel trash-can lid!

Doug is flat out as Benevolence rolls him over and makes the cover!

1!

2!

But Doug pops the shoulder to the delight of the crowd. Benevolence shakes his head and climbs to his feet and drags The Professor with him, clubs him over the back of the head before hauling him up for a suplex but Fresh is able to flip through and hits another German suplex that drives Benevolence into the mat who quickly rolls out of the ring to avoid being pinned. Benevolence points to his head and wearily smiles as he turns away from the ring and smirks at the crowd as Fresh glares at his opponent, backs into the ropes and charges forwards. Jack turns around and his eyes open wide with fear as Doug launches himself through the middle rope and onto Benevolence with a suicide dive that flattens both men!

Benevolence sits up as Doug crawls to his feet and drags his foe to his feet. He holds him by the back of the head before tossing The Once and Future King into the steel steps. The Professor then staggers away from his downed adversary and leans against the ring apron and looks for another weapon but as he does, Benevolence is back to his feet and hits a running knee to the side of Fresh’s head! The Professor looks dazed as the former True Expert has a murderous look in his eyes as he grabs the head of Doug and tosses him into the guard rail with a clang. Fresh is down as Benevolence looks over to the ring steps and smirks before leaning over them and dragging them away from the corner and along the edge of the ring. Fresh is on their hands and knees and is trying to crawl towards his foe but Jack sees this and delivers a sickening stiff kick to the side of The Professor’s head and he slumps down again as the crowd boos and Benevolence taunts them.

The Once and Future King then leans and picks up his steel chair from earlier and looks at it with malicious intent and holds it up to evoke boos from the crowd. Fresh is up to one knee and tries to stand up as he sees what Benevolence has but it is too late and The Professor gets waffled across the skull with a sickening chair shot. Fresh is swaying on his feet and is out for the count as Benevolence follows up with a chair jab to the midsection that doubles over The Professor and leaves him on his knees. Benevolence then opens up the chair and wraps it around the neck of Fresh and then punches away at the wedged head of Doug E Fresh as the crowd declare their dislike of this.

Benevolence maintains his grip of the leg of the chair to control his adversary and drags a dazed Doug E Fresh to his feet. He uses the chair leg to whip Fresh into the set up steel steps which sends the edge of the chair into the throat of The Professor who collapses to the ground with his legs kicking and twitching in agony as the chair breaks apart on impact! Benevolence smirks and turns his back on Fresh and again points to his head as the match officials check on The True Expert. Benevolence sits on the ring apron and watches Fresh as he holds his throat and sits up on his knees and looks out of it. The Once and Future King hops down and picks up one of the steel trash cans by ringside and empties the contents across the ringside area before taking the can, holds it high in the air and drives it down across the back of the current True Expert who collapses forwards onto the ground. Benevolence lifts the trash can up again and this time just throws it at Fresh and catches him on the head before dragging his rival over to the steel steps and slams The Professor’s head into them and holds it in place as he climbs onto the steps, climbs up the steps then jumps up and stomps onto the ear of Doug E Fresh with a brutal impact!

Benevolence stands on the top of the steps and holds his arms open and just taunts the crowd with a grin plastered across his face. He then looks down at his foe and the smile dissolves back to a snarl as he grabs Fresh and tosses him into the ring. Benevolence follows up and rolls in to continue the assault. He bites into his wrist tape and undoes it. He unwinds the tape and forms a garotte of sorts and as Doug climbs to his knees, Benevolence is on him from behind and strangles The Professor! Doug reaches out for help or a weapon or… anything to break the assault but as he draws near the ropes, Jack drives the point of his elbow down across the nose of the True Expert which flattens him and allows The Once and Future King another opportunity to pose and taunt his fallen foe.

Doug rolls to his front and remains prone on his hands and knees as Jack talks some more trash to him before booting him in the side of the head! He cleans his boot across the side of Fresh’s head and the best he can do it cover up as Benevolence tells his opponent to get up. When he doesn’t, Jack drags Fresh to his feet and tosses him into the corner and boots a few measured kicks into the ribs of his foe and stomps away until the Professor is sat and open for more kicks from The Once and Future King and finally Fresh slumps back and is flat out under the bottom turnbuckle. Jack wastes no time in picking up the legs of The Professor and holds them up as he stares around at the crowd. Talks some trash and drops backwards and catapults Fresh face-first into the bottom turnbuckle!

Fresh clutches his face as Benevolence rolls out of the ring and lifts the apron to search for another weapon. He pulls out a length of chain and swings it menacingly before draping it around his neck as he walks over to one of the guards and stares at him. The pair lock eyes and stare at each other until his façade slips and he lifts his hat to reveal that he is his manager Russell White! He reaches for his belt and withdraws a pair of long handcuffs and the baton and pats him on the shoulders as a Doug - complete with bloodied nose - staggers to his feet and wobbles. Benevolence rolls into the ring, stalks his prey and then charges up behind him and smashes the back of his knee with the baton!

Fresh rolls under the bottom rope to the edge of the apron as Benevolence laughs at his wounded opponent. He drags Doug up by his arm and wraps one of the cuffs around his wrist and clicks it on but as he reaches for the other end, The Professor takes a swing at Jack and cracks him with a straight punch that staggers The King. Benevolence tries again but Doug pops up from one knee and hits a rising knee to the jaw of Jack that sends him upright and he immediately follows up with a leaping kick straight onto the jaw of Benevolence who staggers into the middle of the ring. Doug clears the cobwebs with a shake of his head and grips onto the ropes, leaps onto the top rope and springboard splashes Benevolence and flattens him! He hooks the leg!

1!

2!

But Benevolence pops out at two! Fresh hauls himself up and sees the chain from around the neck of Benevolence that is now on the mat. He looks down at it as he picks it up and swings one end menacingly before wrapping one end around his hand as he swings the other end. He swings the chain and brings it down across the spine of Benevolence who howls in agony and the crowd applaud. He connects again and again before bringing the chain wrapped hand down across the back of Benevolence’s head! Jack rolls onto his back and Doug mounts him and rains down stiff chain assisted blows leaving the lip of The Once and Future King a swollen bloodied mess.He tosses the chain to one side and grabs the trash-can that was thrown into the ring earlier and places it over the head of The Once and Future King as he gets to his knees. He then delivers a flurry of quick kicks to the can before backing up into the ropes, charging forwards and hitting a running drop-kick to the can that sends Benevolence tumbling across the ring!

Fresh then picks up the can and looks at it before wedging it into the turnbuckle. He then turns and picks Benevolence up and hoists him onto the shoulder. He points to the trash can in the turnbuckle and the crowd cheer as he drives Jack towards it, but the former True Expert has picked up the discarded cuffs and drags them across the eyes of The Professor and slides off of his shoulders. He boots the True Expert in the midsection and lifts him up and delivers a Jack’s Knife Powerbomb! Fresh tumbles across the ring into an all fours position as Benevolence reaches down for the trash can list, tosses it at the head of The Professor and drives it home with a running knee to the temple of The Professor who collapses to the mat! Benevolence hooks both legs and makes the cover!

1!

2!

But Doug is able to kick out at the last possible moment! Jack’s eyes are wide with disbelief and fury as he grabs the dented trash can lid and climbs to his feet and roars at Doug to do the same. As The True Expert makes it to one knee, Benevolence charges across the ring and delivers another running knee with the assistance of the trash can lid that this time knocks Fresh out of the ring onto the moved ring steps from earlier! Benevolence climbs onto the apron and staggers over to Fresh and clubs him over the head as he drags him to his feet. He raises his arm and signals for the end but Doug manages to knee Jack in the gut and follows up with 12-6 elbows to the side of Benevolence’s ear and keeps going with the onslaught that appears to wear The Once and Future King down as he drops to one knee. But as he does, Benevolence raises one arm and connects with a cruel low blow that blasts the air out of The Professor’s lungs. Benevolence stands up again, lifts Fresh up and delivers a quick cradle pile-driver onto the steel steps! The crowd are in disbelief as Fresh is out cold and Benevolence struggles to catch his breath as he lays flat on the apron. He rolls Doug back into the ring and follows him in before hooking a leg for a pin-fall.

1!

2!

3!

No! Doug manages to kick out and the crowd are on their feet. Benevolence sits up and puts his head in his hands and looks up at the referee in anger. He climbs to his feet and questions the referee’s ability to count and tries to intimidate him by backing him into a corner. Jack points at him and tells him that he is a dead man before rolling back out of the ring and lifting up the ring apron again. He pulls out three bags and holds them aloft before putting them in the ring. He opens the first and pours out thousands of thumb tacks, then he takes the second and pours out thousands of pieces of broken glass and then the third back across that is course builder’s sand which makes a vile pile in the corner of the ring. He then rolls back out of the ring and snatches a steel chair from the time-keeper and rolls back into the ring as a groggy Doug E Fresh has made it to his hands and knees. Doug is crawling to a corner to drag himself to his feet when Benevolence brings the steel chair down hard across his spine. He tosses the chair down ans leans down to his tortured for and asks if he’s had enough yet.

Benevolence drags Fresh up and whips him into the corner where The Professor hits the turnbuckle hard. Jack follows up and hoists him up onto the top turnbuckle and climbs up to join him before hauling Fresh up into the air for a top rope Jack’s Hammer! With every ounce of fight left in him, Doug punches away at the forehead of Benevolence but is still hauled up again. A little more of a fight backs and Jack sways forwards and Doug drops down onto his feet on the mat. Jack reaches forwards for the Professor but Fresh counters with an A+ Superkick onto Benevolence that sends his eyes rolling back into his head and Jack’s feet hit the mat and he staggers forwards into the ring and slumps face down; narrowly missing the evil concoction in the corner!

Fresh drops to his knees with sheer exhaustion and looks over as Benevolence who slowly stirs with his eyes giving a faraway look. Doug grabs Jack by the hair and delivers a punch that evokes a cheer from the crowd and Jack returns fire with a shot of his own which garners heat from this crowd. Doug hits back with a cheer and soon they are going back and forth until Doug blocks and shot from Benevolence and hits a second in a row, then a third but a fourth is cut off by Benevolence raking at the eyes of The Professor! Jack and Doug both battle to their feet and this time it’s Jack who is able to string a couple of punches together in a row. He goes to finish it with a discus punch but is cut off when Fresh leaps up and hits a standing enzughiri onto The Once and Future King who looks out on his feet and then drops to his knees!

Fresh measures Benevolence up and takes a step back as Jack subtly reaches out and picks up the trash can lid. Doug demands that his adversary gets to his feet like a man and Benevolence obliges and lifts up the can lid as he does. Doug spies it and A+ superkicks the lid straight into the face of Benevolence! The former True Expert slumps to the mat and The Professor collapses on top of him!

1!

2!

3!

No! Jack somehow manages to get one foot on the ropes! The Professor has his head in his hands in disbelief, the fans have their head in their hands in disbelief and the world follows suit. Benevolence rolls his semi-conscious body out of the ring and into the arms of his manager who checks him over. Fresh meanwhile slowly drags himself to his feet and wipes his face of the sweat and blood from this match and looks down at his rival. He grips onto the top rope and takes a deep breath before springing over for a splash onto Benevolence and his manager! But Russell White has handed his charge another baton and the Once and Future King spins around as quick as lightning and swings the baton and smashes The Professor across the face with it! The True Expert’s body slumps down deadweight to the outside and the crowd boos wildly as a weary but wicked smirk creeps across the former True Expert’s face.

Benevolence composes himself while replay after replay of that shot is shown with different angles and speeds. Benevolence urges his foe to get up as he hugs the ring post for support and as The Professor climbs back to his hands and knees, the crowd gasp as the top lip of Doug E Fresh is split and his mouth bleeding badly. Benevolence charges forwards with a running knee but Fresh falls backwards and Jack’s knee crashes into the steel steps! Benevolence holds his knee in agony and rolls into the ring to recuperate but Fresh crawls in after him and takes a few measured boots to the knee of Benevolence who howls in pain. Doug backs into the ropes for a running boot at the knee but Benevolence pops up, tosses Fresh into the air and goes for a pop up version of the Jack’s Knife onto the trash can in the turnbuckle! But The Professor shifts his weight in mid-air and turns it into a hurricanrana that sends Benevolence head first into the steel trash can!

Fresh can barely stand but manages to crawl over to Benevolence and hooks the leg!

1!

2!

3! No!

Again, somehow, some way, Benevolence is able to pop the shoulder and Doug cannot believe it. He sits up and shakes his head before climbing to his feet and urging his adversary to do the same. When he doesn’t he gives him a kick of encouragement which evokes a telling off from the referee. As Doug debates this, Russell White slides the baton into the ring and the crowd boo as they see this. Doug turns back and lifts Jack up off of the mat not realising that he’s playing possum and The Once and Future King rattles the skull of The Professor with a shot with the baton, he then wraps up the arm and neck of the True Expert and drops him with a baton assisted side-Russian leg-sweep! The crowd are getting hostile as a smirking Benevolence makes a cover!

1!

2!

3!

But Doug E Fresh pops the shoulder and the crowd go wild! Benevolence looks livid as Russell White climbs up onto the apron while Benevolence climbs to his feet. The referee goes over to deal with White but is spun around by Benevolence who argues about the count again. There is a murmur amongst the crowd as Legion appears at the top of the ramp looking a little battle weary from earlier and points at the ring. Benevolence and his manager look over at the commotion as four druids appear and flank Legion who points to the ring and the four cloaked figures march down to the ring. They step into the ring and stare at Benevolence who looks baffled and then turn and put the boots into the True Expert which brings a smile to the face of The Once and Future King who looks to the ramp to see that Legion has disappeared again.

Fresh is helpless as the quartet beat him down before picking up the handcuffs and binding his hands behind his back. Fresh is on his knees unable to fight for himself as from the crowd, Domingo Cruz, Rebel Child and Black Death all appear once again and rush the quartet of assailants! RC drops one with a Shining Anarch while a powerbomb from Black Death sees off a second and a tilt-a-whirl DDT from Domingo Cruz ends a third. The fourth breaks them up but all three rescuers brawl with the four druids and move into the crowd. Jack - who has had time to recover - smiles as a bound Doug E Fresh looks defiantly at his adversary. Jack drags him up and kicks the chair behind him and drives Doug into the chair with a brutal DDT! Doug is helpless as Benevolence makes the cover!

1!

2!

3!

NO! Doug somehow pops the shoulder again. Once again, Benevolence sits up and looks livid and glares at the referee. He climbs to his feet and again tries to intimidate the match official. The referee points to his shirt to remind him that he is the official and Benevolence places his hands on his hips and sighs… before dropping the referee with a head-butt! The referee slumps to the mat and White climbs onto the apron again and appears to admonish his charge for taking out the official until a wicked smirk crosses each of their faces. White steps through the ropes and unbuttons his Warden shirt… and REVEALS A REFEREE’S SHIRT!

Benevolence laughs as a dazed and bloodied Doug E Fresh sits up and with his hands still bound and Benevolence simply backs into the ropes and takes a running punt at the head of The Professor. He then looks to his manager and nods before making the cover!

1!

2!

OWWWWWW!

White screams in pain as his pinning hand gets crushed into the mat by a big boot across the fingers. White looks up as the crowd pops and we see M.D.K. standing over the pair of them wagging his finger as the pair. A weary Benevolence sits up and looks furious at the interruption he stands up and walks towards M.D.K. who then stops him by threatening the hand of his manager who begs Benevolence to stop where he is. The Once and Future King sighs… and then takes a swing at M.D.K. who catches the arm of Benevolence and drops him with a left hand, a second and a third which the crowd loves! Benevolence backs into the ropes and then clotheslines him over the top rope! Russell White crawls away only to be grabbed by the belt by M.D.K.! White pleads for leniency and M.D.K. pats him on the shoulder as he helps him to his feet… AND DROPS HIM WITH A HELLSHOT!

The crowd go insane as White slumps to the mat and M.D.K. boots him out of the ring. Doug E Fresh sits up and eyes his former rival cautiously as he approaches him… and helps him to his feet! M.D.K. can’t unlock the cuffs but helps move the arms of Fresh around to the front as M.D.K. rouses the original referee before rolling out of the ring and drags Benevolence to his feet and into the ring. Fresh uses his cuffs to choke at the throat of The Once and Future King as M.D.K. climbs into the crowd and disappears.

Benevolence struggles against the choke but manages to drag himself to his feet before spinning around to face The Professor only to be met with an A+ Superkick! Benevolence slumps to the mat and Doug contemplates pinning but then looks to the turnbuckle that gets a pop from the crowd. With his hands cuffed, Doug climbs the turnbuckle and turns around, wobbles but then catches his balance as he reaches the top rope. He takes a deep breath and leaps off for the Flying Colours but spies Benevolence moving and manages to change his momentum and lands on his feet. He wobbles as he tries to catch his balance but Benevolence catches him first, hauls him into the air and staggers with Fresh high in the air and staggers towards the corner filled with debris… and drops Doug with the Jack’s Hammer onto the Tacks, Glass and Sand! Benevolence hooks the leg!

1!

2!

3!

The fans are livid as the bell rings, and Jack yells at the ref to raise his hand in victory.

Tina Peterson: Here is your winner, and the NEW True Expert…Jack Benevolence!

Level Up

Without warning, the main camera hits the arena floor casting the viewers at home attention to the arena’s ceiling above. A moment later, a chaotic response originates from the crowd eventually settling into a chorus of boos. A figure walks towards the downed camera and grins.

It’s Level-One.

He slowly picks up the camera and holds it up in front of his face. Arrogantly, he checks himself out before turning the live broadcast into his own personal V-LOG.

“Wow! What a match! I am so proud of both of you. Do you hear this crowd? Simply amazing. After all, it’s the first time a live crowd has seen two animated corpses in action… that type of action is typically reserved for the big screen. You gentlemen have made history tonight!”

The crowd largely boos, there’s a section of pro Level-One supporters who start a commotion in the crowd. He notices and tilts his head to the side and laughs.

“Unfortunately, I hate to break it to the both of you but this little get together was all for naught. I mean, you two got together and slapped your dicks together and somehow feel you’re at liberty to call yourself the True Expert? Who sanctioned this shit show? Who decides that the title of the True Expert is now up for grabs? Better yet, who the fuck died and became God? I am the True Expert.”

The crowd unanimously cannot agree and more boos ring out. With his free hand, he lifts his middle finger in the air to show his disdain for the common wrestling fan.

“This isn’t up for debate nor discussion. Does the name Jesse Gunn ring a bell to any of you!?”

The crowd settles down and Level-One grins a mile wide.

“Exactly. You all have forgotten. Your memories replaced by these pathetic one offs and money grabs and yeah, I’m salty I wasn’t invited. At least, I would have been given the impression that this show was a sincere effort to embrace the past. Instead, the vision that Jesse Gunn had of The Experts is now lost and replaced with this farce. What was once a respected tournament was moved to a shithole in Siberia to die….”

In a complete show of disrespect, Level-One spits on the stage ramp which draws the ire of the fans in attendance.

“So go, prance around, break out the chip and dip and completely miss the fucking point… we wouldn’t have ever NEEDED a goddamned reunion show if you all would have just bowed down and left your futures in my hand. I was the LAST and ONLY remaining remnant of the great Jesse Gunn era and you all did your best to stack the deck against me and run me out of town. Every year, adding gimmicks, stipulations, roadblock after roadblock put up to try to shimmy the title of the True Expert that was synonymous with the name… LEVEL-ONE.”

He closes his eyes and soaks in the mostly negative crowd reaction. Upon reopening his eyes, he points to the ring which has now been long gone out of the camera view.

“Well, you reap what you sow. After it’s all said and done, you’ll hit up your wrasslin’ proboards to complain about how I ruined the show. How I “stole” the moment from Doug E. Fresh and Jack Benevolence and go into your fantasy bullshit on how you feel things SHOULD have went, well guess what… the show’s over. The Experts are done and the only moment either of you deserve is a moment of silence.”

Level-One deliberately and slowly bows his head… but the crowd continues to stir, booing without remorse. After several seconds, he raises his gaze back into the camera frame.

“… and they couldn’t even give you that.”

Disgusted, he tosses the camera aside as if it all had meant nothing to him. Seconds later, his large boot comes crashing down on the lens of the camera knocking out the live picture.

Epilogue: Chaos Reigns

We find ourselves outside the prison to hear the sound of footsteps, getting louder and louder as they approach the outer wall. That’s when we discover who they are: dozens upon dozens of men in uniform, displaying the Interpol insignia as they rush the entrances, storming into the prison. The wrestlers are among the spectators who manage to escape the chaos, but not everyone is so lucky. Up in his makeshift office, Timothy Kahrs is quickly packing his things to flee when he is cut off by the imposing police force. Elsewhere, we find Legion hightailing it to a nearby helicopter to make a clean getaway as we focus our attention on Jack Benevolence, smiling as everything around him comes crashing down. He looks at the championship in his hands, nodding in approval as Russell White runs toward him.

“We need to get out of here, Jack!”

“I know, I know. I just want to soak it in, Russell…I have my championship back. And most of all, I have the power to bend The Experts to my will, and I have Legion to thank.”

Russell slowly shakes his head in disagreement, much to the confusion–and soon anger– of the new True Expert.

“He ran off before he could sign the paperwork, Jack. You’ve got the title, but it won’t do you any good in an interrogation room.”

Jack nods in agreement, still seething with rage over control of The Experts slipping from his fingers as they quickly make their way to an exit without being seen amongst the insanity. It’s a long, cold night in Siberia as Interpol makes various arrests that largely end up being for naught…but the prison is no longer in the hands of The Experts.

The next day, we find ourselves inside the boardroom at Legacy Tower as the members of the board go over surveillance footage from what went down the night before. They begin chatting amongst themselves until one of them speaks up.

“So that’s it, then? We lose the prison, and everyone gets away without so much as a scratch?”

“Not exactly.”

That voice stops the board members as they turn their attention to the source…Bobby Azula, the brother of Legion, with a smirk on his face as he enters the boardroom.

“Authorities did manage to catch one poor, unfortunate soul…but it didn’t seem fair that he takes the fall for what Xander’s been up to, so I took care of that little mess.”

“What about Legion? He’s run off somewhere and we’ll never find him. And on top of that, Jack Benevolence has possession of the True Expert championship and we may never hear from him again!”

Bobby raises his hands up, trying to calm the situation down.

“One thing at a time, ladies and gentlemen of the board. We’ll find Jack, I’m sure he’ll be gloating over his title win on social media somewhere and we can track him that way. As for Legion, well…he’ll be going into hiding somewhere for a while, lay low and let everything blow over. Unfortunately for him, I know exactly where he’d do that.”

That night, we discover some unusual activity on Terminal Island, not far from downtown Long Beach. A helicopter landed conspicously upon a shipping crate, and a group of hooded men gathered at its doors…which swing open to reveal a large semi truck. The truck door opens, revealing a smiling Legion who motions for his men to follow him to the back. Two of the druids open the back doors, revealing a wrestling ring and various other tools and equipment. Draped over the pile of stuff is a banner that reads “FUERZA PRO,” much to Legion’s delight.

“Gentlemen, we’re taking this show on the road. As of right now, everything changes…as of right now, chaos reigns.”

[Fin.]

(Originally posted on the forums at the OPW Community)

Chapter 1: From the Ashes.

“Like the legend of the Phoenix, all ends are beginnings…”

LEGACY TOWER - HAYWARD, CA
APRIL 17, 2018

After being empty for years, the boardroom is bustling as a group of men and women are all caught up in conversation. We listen in on just a little of what’s being discussed:

“Why is this being reopened again, after all this time?”

“How will it be funded, with Jesse Gunn long gone?”

“Whatever happened to Michael Thunder?”

“Who called this meeting to order?”

This last question is soon answered by a familiar voice, as the door opens revealing a looming silhouette.

“I did.”

From the shadows enters the source of the voice, a man that hasn’t been seen since the downfall of the VWF…

“Timothy Kahrs!?”

The young businessman smirks with a chuckle as he takes a seat at the head of the boardroom table, behind a nameplate that reads “Michael Thunder - General Manager.”

“Who were you expecting, the Viking King?”

This immediately raises the ire of the room.

“Who put you in charge of this operation? Michael Thunder disappeared, Jesse Gunn hasn’t been involved in ages, and you certainly don’t have the authority to just…”

Suddenly, the door opens again…and the man that walks in silences the room with just his presence.

“Tim might not have the authority, but I do.”

Taking a seat next to Kahrs is none other than Xander Azula, better known to the wrestling industry as Legion. He says not another word, and the room is silent again until one brave woman speaks up.

“And what gives you the right to take over The Experts? We’re well aware of your war with Jesse Gunn back in 2008, but you lost that war. The Collective was disbanded, and last we knew you were back to square one trying to get on people’s good graces. You weren’t even in the last Extreme Tournament!”

This simply draws a chuckle from Legion.

“Yes, and that event never even came to a completion. Haven’t you ever wondered what happened to all those people, to all that property in Siberia?”

The board chat amongst themselves, trying to comprehend what Legion is getting at.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the board, I believe that the best way to win a war is to simply outlast your enemies. The Experts was closed down due to the chaos that occurred within the Siberian prison, but not before ownership was transferred over to me by parties with a vested interest in keeping it in the right hands, ready to reopen its doors should the opportunity arise.”

Legion rises from his seat, looking out the window upon the unsuspecting world outside.

“And that opportunity has risen, like a phoenix from the ashes. The parties I speak of have begun reaching out to certain individuals, ghosts of the past that would be interested in taking one last ride before heading off into the sunset. I’ve been informed one such individual still lurks within the ruins of the prison, forcing the local community into doing his bidding for God only knows what reason. Another has decided to retire as champion, living out his life in the Sin City…but I’ll bet I can drag him out of it, competition tends to do that to people.”

He turns his attention back to the board, a big grin on his face.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is, The Experts is back…and the invitations are plentiful.”

With that he takes his seat again, the board once again buzzing in conversation as we fade to black.

Fin.

Chapter 2: Falling Into Place.

[Play.]

Some static appears at first, before the picture becomes more clear…a news report, with the date “20 July 2013” in the corner as the reporter begins to speak.

“Tragedy befell an abandoned prison in Siberia today, as an explosion caused a major amount of damage and led to the deaths of several people. We’ve received word that the professional wrestling conglomerate known as The Experts was working on preparations for their Extreme Tournament when the incident occurred. We’ll have more details on the situation as we receive them.”

[Fast Forward.]

We see a big press conference being held outside Legacy Tower, and join in on it already in progress.

“Due to the massive amount of damage to the Siberian prison, and the large sum of money we owe the Siberian government, we cannot continue with the Extreme Tournament this year. We’ve already sent word out to the participants thanking them for being a part of what we could do.”

“What about the True Expert Championship?”

“We’re already in negotiations with Doug E. Fresh in returning the championship where it belongs. As it stands, we have no choice but to end operations here while we handle the Siberia situation.”

[Cut.]

LEGACY TOWER
PRESENT DAY

We find ourselves back in the office of the General Manager, as Timothy Kahrs enters to see Legion sat at his desk. He has shut off the computer monitor, pulling out a DVD from the tray before standing to his feet.

“Any word back?”

Timothy nods as he sets some envelopes down on the desk. Legion picks one up, opening it to read the letter inside.

“Thank you for the invite, but I am currently busy doing anything else. Signed, Danny Tenegra”

Legion frowns as he tosses that letter aside, opening the next envelope.

“I don’t know how you found me, but I will participate on one condition…I want Jonny Cedrone.”

Legion nods with a smile, much to the confusion of Timothy.

“Scott DiBiase?”

“The man knows what he wants.”

Legion sets the letter aside, picking up the third envelope…a slightly bigger, heavier one than before. He opens the envelope, revealing a CD case as he reads the text on it.

“From the Grammy-nominated band that brought you ‘Barnacles On My Butt”…it’s the Desert Sex Reunion Tour and Stud Experience: DeSeRT SEx”

Legion just shakes his head as he sets the case on the desk before picking up one final envelope, tilting his head in confusion as he opens it.

To Whom It May Concern:

Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. I’m still here, still waiting for what’s rightfully mine. Bring me Doug E. Fresh, and the True Experts Championship. You know where to find me.

~ Jack Benevolence

Legion’s eyes widen in shock as he reads the letter aloud…but soon, a grin settles on his face as he sets the letter down.

“Looks like we’re gonna have to bundle up…it’s gonna be a cold night.”

UNDISCLOSED LOCATIONS

In different parts of the country, a lucky group of seven receive a special notice with their invitation:

Congratulations!

You’ve been selected to participate in the first ever Golden Ticket Ladder Match! Seven of you will compete, but only one will climb the ladder of success and earn a Golden Ticket! What does it do? It gives you an opportunity you can cash in at anytime…for anything you desire. Best of luck!

~ Timothy Kahrs, Interim General Manager of The Experts

We get a split screen of the smiling faces of the recipients: Alexia, Leander Apollo, Tyler Graves, Mason Daniels, Rex Evans, Maverick Jones, and AC Thunder.

LOS ANGELES

We find ourselves in a bar late at night, where a disappointed Exile stares at a clock from his stool. He seems troubled, as though waiting on something…or someone.

“You wanted to talk?”

The voice distracts him from his wait, and as he turns to face its source he cannot help but smirk as Jose Ramon stands there, the first time the two men have seen each other in years.

LEGACY TOWER

Down in the lobby, a receptionist is dealing with a mass of phone calls about what appears to be the return of The Experts when suddenly, a letter is slammed onto her desk. She puts the latest caller on hold to look up at Zach Rizza.

“I’m here to see Legion about the Experts Invitational.”

The receptionist directs him to the elevator, and as he is about to press the button to go up the door opens revealing a familiar face of Experts past.

“Who the hell are you?”

Mark Mania is confused by the presence of the Big Tyme, who smirks in response.

“I’d ask the same of you, buddy. I’m Zach Rizza, former XWF…”

Mania just scoffs at this as he steps out of the elevator.

“I remember those guys, real pain in the ass to deal with. I’m not sure why you’re here, though…you’ve never even been here, have you?”

Rizza’s attempt to respond is interrupted by a shout from the front door.

“Holy shit, it’s Zach Rizza! I’m guessing Legion invited you personally.”

This declaration is followed by chuckles as James Raven approaches them, a big grin on his face.

“Seems like he’s really scraping the bottom of the barrel to get people booked for this shindig. He’s got a guy that never wrestled an Experts show, and a guy notorious for running his mouth off about The Experts.”

This just gets a glare from Mania.

“And what are you doing here, anyway?”

“Similar to Rizz here, except Timothy Kahrs seems to think I owe him a favor despite being one of the only people in his old promotion to actually mean anything in the business. If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen…”

Raven squeezes in between the two of them to get to the button, opening the door before entering.

“I guess I’ll see you wherever this train takes us.”

The door closes as an angry Mania just storms off. Rizza looks confused as he watches Mania leave, before realizing the elevator’s already gone up.

“Shit!”

AKRON

“Hey, you’ve reached Joel Bryant. Sorry I can’t make it to the phone right now, leave your name and number and I’ll get back to ya soon!”

[BEEP]

“Hey Joel, it’s Domingo Cruz. I know we haven’t talked in years, but I just got this invite from The Experts and wanted to know if you got it, too. Are you up for one more go at wrestling? You up to rep TFWF one more time? Hit me up soon, man!”

[BEEP]

ELSEWHERE…

A similar invitation is opened, only with the letters VWF instead. The man opening it chuckles with a smirk on his face as Ace Andrews shouts to the other room.

“Hey, love! Someone wants us to come wrestle for them again!”

In walks Trippy, a big smile on her face as she reads the invite with glee.

UNDISCLOSED LOCATIONS

We get a split screen of four men receiving a special invitation:

You’ve been known for your knack for violence, and this is a perfect opportunity to make people remember who you are. The best part is, the ring won’t have to contain the violence you can bring to Siberia. Blood will literally run cold on this night.

The faces of Fnord, Dominator, Allister Black, and Dorling light up with joy at the thought of bringing some much needed brutality to the proceedings.

CHICAGO

“Hey, you’ve reached Georgie Nickles. I’ll get back to you eventually. Maybe.”

[BEEP]

“Is that any way to treat an old friend, Georgie? It’s Sandy…Sandy Makel? I’m sure you remember me. Just got an invite from The Experts, and apparently Desert Sex wants a crack at a couple former True Experts. Seems fitting, really. I hope you’re up for it.”

[BEEP]

LAS VEGAS

We find ourselves inside one of the finest homes in the Sin City, where the reigning True Expert is enjoying his retirement. Doug E Fresh walks through the living room, where he notices an envelope addressed to him from The Experts. He opens it to reveal a letter that’s less pleasant than others:

Mr. Fresh,

We have attempted to contact you in regards to the True Expert Championship you retained after the cancellation of the Extreme Tournament in 2013. Since you refuse to answer any contact we’ve made, we are forced to issue this ultimatum: Return the True Expert Championship or prepare for a lawsuit like you’ve never seen.

You have one week to decide what’s more important to you.

~ Xander Azula, Overseer of The Experts

Fresh just laughs as he folds the letter up, sticking it in his pocket on the way out. We hear a phone call from the other room, as Fresh begins to speak.

“Hello? Yeah, get the plane ready. My kingdom awaits.”

SIBERIA

Miles away from civilization, Legion makes the trek to what remains of the prison…only to find that it has been largely rebuilt over the years. He is soon greeted by none other than Russell White.

“You’re here to see Mr. Benevolence, I take it?”

Legion nods, bringing a smile to Russell’s face.

“Excellent, he’s been waiting to see you.”

Legion follows White toward the prison, where we see Jack Benevolence looking on from atop one of the buildings. The sight of someone he knows brings a smirk to the face of the former True Expert, realizing that the pieces of the puzzle are falling into place…

[Fin.]

Chapter 3: Leverage.

LEGACY TOWER

The board of directors is abuzz within their conference room, discussing amongst themselves the impact of Legion’s actions as of late. One person speaks up

“He’s lost his mind! He’s even gone out to Siberia to look for a ghost. No one’s seen or heard from Jack Benevolence since the explosion, but Legion insists on putting on a wrestling show in a pile of rubble.”

“The power Legion has obtained has finally gotten to his head, and we need someone to keep him in check. We need some leverage against whatever scheme Legion has cooking. That’s why we came to you, Mr. Tenegra.”

The board turns their direction to one Danny Tenegra, better known as MDK, who simply smirks in response.

“That’s cute, really it is…but I’m a busy man, and a busy man needs motivation to do what it is you’re asking of me.”

One of the board members opens a briefcase, revealing an undisclosed amount of money in cash…but MDK just scoffs at this.

“What do you think this is, Deal or No Deal? I have plenty of money already.”

“We know Legion’s invited you to the Experts Invitational…have you considered taking him up on his offer? What if this was an opportunity to humiliate him, knock him down a few pegs?”

MDK grins at the idea.

“Go on, then.”

ELSEWHERE

Darkness consumes us, with no sign of light to be found. Suddenly, a flash of light reveals something of importance: a blade on the ground, and a mysterious figure picking it up as though to examine the object.

“It’s time to go home.”

The light is gone just as quickly as it came, never revealing the face behind the voice as a portal appears in the background…

[Fin.]