Pro Wrestling RAIDEN - Epoch: Bodach IX

[Strike]

Pro Wrestling RAIDEN Presents...
Epoch: Bodach IX
March 17, 2019
From The Olympia in Toledo, Ohio





We go from a screen that's completely back to a completely lit up stage and a roaring crowd as the cameras focus on ringside at "The Olympia" - or rather, what used to be an empty warehouse turned into a wrestling arena with the touch of a old fashioned, ancient Greek arena - both a work of art, but also a clear tribute to the arenas of Roman time - as the squared circle is front and center, barricades in a circle around it with four exits on the north, south, east and west corners with staircases in the north, east and west sides leading towards a balcony level while the south portion led to an open ground entrance area. Another camera shot captures the roaring crowd of 500 plus who are here to witness history in the making, also focusing on things such as corridors on the north and south ends on balcony level, a regal throne on the west side occupied by none other than one of the men in the main event tonight in Ramsay Bodach - sporting a crown and even a cape to go along with a very pleased expression - with a red carpet leading from it to each staircase to ground level and then, another building which resembles an office of some kind with a large window with the shutters open. Finally, we find ourselves front and center in the ring where the logo of an ancient Greek temple is front and center in black, contrasting with the white canvas as a young woman steps foot through the ropes and makes her way to the center of the ring - dressed to the nines in a cute, modest dress and a bright smile on her face as she takes the microphone on her right hand and raises it to her lips.

Rumchata Ayano: Ladies and gentlemen...welcome to The Olympia! And welcome...to Pro Wrestling RAIDEN's "Epoch: Bodach IX!"

The crowd inside of "The Olympia" voices their approval ferociously, clapping and cheering this announcement. This seems to bring an even bigger smile to Rum's face, as she brightly carries on.

Rumchata Ayano: Now...please welcome the host, former promoter and owner of PAROUSIA Wrestling...MIIIIIIIIDAAAAAASSSSSS...EURYSTHEUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!

The PA system built up within the inside of the building begins to play the opening riffs to Susumu Hirasawa's "Indra" as the cameras move to one cameraman already on the east side balcony, the lens filming as a door with the name "Midas Eurystheus: Proprietor" is seen on the shot before it is opened and an older gentleman in a three-piece suit with salt and pepper hair combed back steps out, grinning as he acknowledges the crowd gathered here on this day at the stage he'd been putting together for so long while walking down the concrete staircase. He makes his way to the protective mats and then up the steel steps, carefully entering the ring through the middle and top rope before taking in a deep breath and absorbing the raucous atmosphere around him. Midas proceeds to exchange a few quick words and a smile with Rum Rum Ayano as she hands him the microphone and proceeds to leave the ring as Midas takes center stage as "Indra" fades on the PA system...

Midas Eurystheus: ...My friends...it has been far, far too long.

Another loud roar from the rabid Olympia crowd.

Midas Eurystheus: But at long last, I welcome you all once again to OUR Temple! Welcome back...to The Olympia!

The rowdy cheering ensues once more, a "PAROUSIA" chant shortly following suit as the remembrance of their old company and the memories made throughout its short-lived existence.

Midas Eurystheus: While the company may not be our own, the spirit within this Temple of ours lives on loud and clear...and with us playing host to Pro Wrestling RAIDEN as they have a need to complete a certain tournament of theirs, there were certain conditions that were to be met...

Midas' gaze was directed towards the throne on the western side of The Olympia, the camera shot now shifting to a slow ascent up the stairs and onto the full visage of a very regal, nice looking Ramsay Bodach with Bobby B. Barabbas standing at his left side, the demeanor of a man who definitely seems pleased about the events to unfold.

Midas Eurystheus: Our EMPEROR of PAROUSIA has been overdue the type of combat in which he truly deserves. Combat in which the stakes are at their absolute highest, war in which satisfies and quenches the thirst of those who have worshipped this Temple and the battleground in which it provides! But on this night, we finally see our esteemed EMPEROR's return to His squared circle with a challenger for the throne that was hand-picked by EMPEROR Bodach himself! A battle for the position of EMPEROR of PAROUSIA between Ramsay Bodach...and Elijah Redmayne of the Underground.

Boos are heard at the very mention of Redmayne's name. Ramsay Bodach simply nods, believing to have made a very "nice" choice on his handpicked opponent alongside finding his subjects to be quite nice for booing the man he considered Beneath his boot. It is at this point in which Bobby B. Barabbas steps out from his position to the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA's left, pulling a microphone from the pockets of his coat, fiddling around with it for a brief moment while turning it on before greeting all of the believers within The Olympia with a sheepish grin, as the Temple turned into the very courts in which he was so used to address over his many years.

Bobby B. Barabbas: Ladies, Gentlemen and Members of the Jury...

Many watching through the stream might outright call Toledo, Ohio bizarro world for this on the sole basis in which that line gets an absolute pop out of the entire arena.

Bobby B. Barabbas: ...My name is Bobby B. Barabbas, and I proudly present to you...the "Ghost of Blackthorn" but most importantly, the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA...your EMPEROR...Ramsay Bodach!

"RAMSAY" chants soon follow, thus proving that Toledo and the PAROUSIA faithful are on some different level...and that brings an absolute grin to Bobby B's face, as he realizes that this crowd is theirs and theirs entirely.

Bobby B. Barabbas: As put forth by Mr. Eurystheus' opening statement, it has been far too long since this humble Olympia has seen its trials by combat. I speak to you as a true representative of a rightful and mighty empire which has been long dormant...until now. Your esteemed EMPEROR understands that while this is being done under a rather unworthy banner, it is good to know that some taste was accounted in the decision to use The Olympia in order to grant the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA his rightful place in the main event alongside our choice of the man who will be put Beneath his boot later on tonight.

A beat, in which Bobby B. (BAYBAY!) takes the brief moment to survey the loyal subjects all around him, which also do happen to include some of his own Members of the Jury that have been infamously within the front row of various shows throughout the last few months.

Bobby B. Barabbas: ...I speak to you now, as the voice and reason of your beloved EMPEROR, the undeniable behemoth you, and the throng who gather in the back knee before. I speak, with honour and pride, to you, his loyal subjects, in order to deliver a warning to the man who will play his allotted role as a sacrificial lamb.

The camera switches within the stream to a close-up of the Underground owner - and in this particular role, the infamous "Pied Piper of Portland" - as he notices the cameraman who was bold enough to approach the throne to get this particular shot and he gives that camera lens his undivided attention.

Bobby B. Barabbas: There are no banners here. There are none who would shout that they are "Beneath." There are no comrades of yours which will be allowed within the confines of this temple. You are alone, Elijah Redmayne and your role on this night is to be nothing more than a loyal, submissive subject whose role is to be victimized and overpowered by the tremendous might of the EMPEROR of PAROUS--.

But it is at this moment where the unexpected happens, as "Pull Me Under" by Dream Theater plays over the PA system...and out from the north end of The Olympia's hallways, the owner/promoter of Pro Wrestling RAIDEN emerges to a surprised, unexpected reaction from the crowd who seem confused in between cheering and just being in shock - the cameras do notice him holding a black sack on his left hand as he walks down the small hallway leading towards the concrete steps.

Chris Strike is practically staring a hole through Bobby B. Barabbas at this point as he just stands just before the stairway leading down to the ring, as Midas Eurystheus' expression also shifts into something far more concerned than before.

Chris Strike: ...So, this is what it was all about, after all. Just a blatant power play...

Strike's gaze slowly turns to look at the ring and the man within it.

Chris Strike: You promised me no shenanigans of this level when it came to the main event, Midas...and yet, after Isaac decided to run his mouth and confirm that the fix is in, I can only consider this as blatantly overstepping the boundaries in which we discussed prior to putting this show all together.

Midas Eurystheus: Our affairs, Mr. Strike, were done on the up-and-up...this, I promise you. As we have discussed, when it comes to the customs of this Temple and of any matches involving the one who sits in the throne and is called "EMPEROR of PAROUSIA," unless any PAROUSIA competitor's Hippolyte Belt is complete, the EMPEROR has full right to challenge whoever it is he wishes to fight for the throne.

The crowd cheers for Midas on the basis that he is the guy running things here and providing their temple with much needed violence that they haven't had, but Chris Strike holds his ground as a sigh escapes him, while he holds the bag on his left hand up high.

Chris Strike: But that just so happens to be our biggest problem right now, Midas. Because someone does have all the necessary pieces to complete their Hippolyte's Belt.

Another gasp from the crowd and alongside some whispering and confusion, including Ramsay Bodach looking over at Bobby B. Barabbas, the two men discussing this among themselves while Strike opened the black sack and from it, he produced a single Hippolyte's Belt with five medallions within it and alongside it, a separate gold medallion bearing the insignia/logo of a man throwing a roundhouse kick and connecting with another man's head.

Chris Strike: This...was Simon Raines' Hippolyte Belt and medallion. He unfortunately passed away just last year. In the process of his estate handling all necessary affairs, they found a will and within that will, he bequeathed this particular belt to the woman in charge of his estate in Vivienne Robichaud. Once I announced this particular show would be taking place, she left this belt in my care - saying that Simon would want to see it used in some way to get at the giant bastard sitting on that throne. Therefore...

Bobby B. Barabbas: ...I'm afraid you, yet again, cannot quite see the gravity of the situation.

We're definitely now back to Barabbas and Strike staring one another down from a distance, as Barabbas points at the Hippolyte's Belt now being held on the Pro Wrestling RAIDEN owner's left hand.

Bobby B. Barabbas: Esteemed Members of the Jury, I would like to present to you the reality in which THAT, which is now held by this mere pawn's hand, is not a completed belt. It may have the medallions of PAROUSIA competitors such as Kevin Hardaway, Sophia Belmont, PRADA Sin Jae, Patricia CHANEL and Zeke Reed...but that is only five of seven medallions needed to challenge the EMPEROR for his throne. And even if there were seven medallions...there is one very important rule here in PAROUSIA...

Ramsay Bodach finally stands up from the throne, the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA bellowing out the following words.

Ramsay Bodach: HE OR SHE WAITS THEIR TURN. NICE EMPEROR DEFENDS THRONE ONE PERSON AT THE TIME. IT IS EMPEROR'S DECREE.

Strike exhales, gritting his teeth for a moment before speaking up again - this particular leer from him now fully directed at the "EMPEROR of PAROUSIA."

Chris Strike: I think you have all forgotten two very important things. The first one being that I have the power to see to the very fate of this belt...and the five medallions that rest within it.

Midas Eurystheus blinked, realizing the gravity of Chris Strike's words.

Midas Eurystheus: ...Mr. Strike, you did not j-

Chris Strike: I did.

A beat.

Chris Strike: I found a single man who will be bequeathed Simon Raines' own personal medallion AND the five medallions within Simon's own Hippolyte Belt...and alongside one medallion in his own belt, he will have the necessary requirements to be considered the rightful challenger to Ramsay Bodach's throne. As for the second thing mentioned before? Elijah Redmayne has a personal score to settle in this match and stakes similar to the man who will have the completed belt by the time he shows up for our main event and thus, I am making an executive decision. Tonight's main event...will be a TRIPLE THREAT MATCH for the title of "EMPEROR of PAROUSIA" and the right to sit on that very throne.

The crowd is mixed on this...some are happy that someone with a completed belt will challenge, others are booing the blatant interference with their own personal affairs. Although those boos multiply tenfold as the owner of Pro Wrestling RAIDEN makes his next statement loud and clear, pointing right at Midas Eurystheus.

Chris Strike: You may have been given a show in this arena, Midas Eurystheus...but you would do well to remember that THIS. IS. NOT. PAROUSIA. This is Pro Wrestling RAIDEN. This is my fucking company. And there isn't a damned thing that you...

He then points right at Barabbas and Bodach.

Chris Strike: Or anyone else here...can do about it! ...Enjoy the show.

Without another word, Chris Strike departs to a chorus of boos as "Pull Me Under" plays on the background, an enraged Ramsay Bodach having to be calmed down by Bobby B. Barabbas - who looks perturbed himself - while Midas Eurystheus can simply stare up at the departing Chris Strike before a surrendered sigh leaves him prior to him making his exit from the ring and then making his way up the steps, straight down into the right hand side of the building where his office is...in which he enters and shuts the door outright.

We finally pan over to the announcers' table where Patrick Carson and Dre Hamilton look about as shocked as anyone else:

Patrick Carson: We were expecting a wild start to this show here tonight, Dre...but THIS?! Nobody saw this coming from Pro Wrestling RAIDEN's owner in Chris Strike, basically interrupting what many here feel is...well, PAROUSIA business. The main event is outright changed now to a triple threat match!

Dre Hamilton: Look, I owe PAROUSIA a good deal. They gave me my start in this crazy ass pro wrestling business, I respect Midas' hustle to try and get a nostalgia night for these rabid fans who haven't seen wrestling in this building in a year but...this isn't a PAROUSIA show and within the confines of the rules, we've got somebody with a completed Hippolyte's Belt who can challenge tonight...BUT WHO IS THAT CHALLENGER ANYWAY?!

Patrick Carson: I guess we will find out come main event time but until then, we have a LOT of action for you tonight as the "King of Fighters" tournament rolls on with six first round matches tonight and alongside it, a pair of showcase matches...one of them which will kick us off here tonight!

Dre Hamilton: So, of course, as we've become used to doing at this point...let's go ringside to the ever radiant, sexiest announcer babe herself. Rumchata Ayano, take us away!

The bell rings and the boos and confusion from this initial set of affairs finally settle down into cheers as Rumchata Ayano's voice is heard welcoming everyone to the opening contest.

[Strike]

Tag Team Match - RAIDEN Showcase
Super Mario Wrestling Bros (Max Powers & Landon Knight)
vs.
Team S.U.P.E.R.K.I.C.K. (Max & Kyle Greenback)

Once things were settled down, the Super Mario Wrestling Bros were received warmly while Team S.U.P.E.R.K.I.C.K.'s boos were amplified tenfold when the two Greenback brothers got on the microphone post-entrance and introduced their manager, their compadre, their fellow "Good Guy" in "The Chief" Evan Envi, who entered the inside of The Olympia as if an outright conquering hero as he joined Team S.U.P.E.R.K.I.C.K. in their corner before the bell rang...and so did the banter between both teams, as Kyle Greenback promptly got onto Max Powers' face and began talking trash before Powers reminded Kyle that he and his brothers were "smolboyz" and couldn't measure up. That only escalated matters as a brawl shortly ensued and in the early going, the experience factor aided in SMWB basically jumping and stomping around onto the Greenbacks as if they were goombahs, quick tags and controlling the tempo -  the highlights being double team maneuvers such as a double hip toss to Kyle Greenback, ducking a double lariat attempt from Max coming out of the corner before following up with double, stereo dropkicks to Max Greenback and as both members of Team S.U.P.E.R.K.I.C.K. were on the outside of the ring, the Super Mario Wrestling Bros run the ropes and follow suit with stereo tope suicidas onto Team S.U.P.E.R.K.I.C.K. before Kyle Greenback is then thrown back into the ring and a two-count is had.

The turning point comes from Landon Knight looking for a leg lariat in which misses and once he lands, his knee buckles just slightly but it is enough to where Evan Envi quickly grabs at Landon's leg from the outside for a brief moment before letting go, his arms raised upwards and him screaming at both Knight and the referee that "The Chief didn't do anything." Well, he actually did give Kyle Greenback enough of a distraction to chop block Landon Knight across the back of his left leg and with it, Team S.U.P.E.R.K.I.C.K. was once again back on the full-fledged attack as Kyle dragged Landon to his corner, tagged in Max and the two men began to focus their attack on Landon's left leg in the most proficient and technically sound way possible...which was a rather insane contrast from their outlandish attires and attitudes. The highlight of this particular attack was showcased by a double team wishbone while staring right at Max Powers and telling him that "Zelda is better, you fucking rube" which was then followed by a heel hook from Kyle Greenback that was forcefully broken up by Powers, who followed up by dodging a superkick attempt from Max Greenback and following up with the It's-A-Me-DT (Snap DDT) before returning to his corner, pounding on the corner to encourage Landon to make the tag!

Once Landon reached his corner and made the tag, Max Powers was a house of fire as he dealt with each of the Team S.U.P.E.R.K.I.C.K. members one at the time as they came through and watched as Landon Knight personally dealt with Evan Envi trying to hop onto the apron by catching "The Chief" with a running hurricanrana from the apron that sent them both to the floor below. The Greenbacks did manage to catch Powers off-guard with a double kick to the sternum after Kyle managed to avoid a Koopa Kick (rolling koppou kick) from Powers. The two "Good Guys" do attempt to go for what the announcers call their patented running single-leg dropkick & spinning leg sweep combination that is apparently called the "F.T.R." but Knight intercepts Max Greenback with 1-Up Uppercut (Pop-up European Uppercut), sending him out of the ring. Powers & Knight proceed to take the legal Kyle Greenback and give him the business, a missed roundhouse kick from Kyle onto Knight leading right into the Super Smash Melee (Rolling fireman's carry slam by Landon, followed by a 450 Splash by Max, followed by a springboard Phoenix Splash by Landon)...and from there, the three count is academic as the Super Mario Wrestling Bros make their successful debut in Pro Wrestling RAIDEN.

WINNER: Super Mario Wrestling Bros

...Victory is short lived, however, as Evan Envi and Max Greenback promptly do return into the ring after the SMWB have their arms raised and attack them from behind, the trio's strength in numbers keeping them down as Kyle Greenback joins the assault before the Greenbacks each take a member of the Super Mario Wrestling Bros and hang them in the middle rope, holding them by their necks and watching as Evan Envi makes his way to the apron...and before "The Chief" can go for Helter Skelter (Springboard 450 Splash), the crowd cheers as one-half of the "Birds of Prey" in Sparrow comes running down the north end staircase and promptly sends Team S.U.P.E.R.K.I.C.K. and Evan Envi scrambling out of the ring as he joins in the fold, calling for the two to bring the fight if they wanted to do three-on-three, Sparrow still having not forgotten the ending of his team's match against the Greenback boys in Kyoto. The name calling, trash talk and the like continues as the trio of "Good Guys" finally make their way out through the south end entrance within The Olympia while Sparrow helps the SMWB back to their feet and some words are exchanged between the three men before they make their exit as well.



The King of Fighters First Round Match
Hearts Aflame (Cara Stone, Nariko Inazuma & "Blackbird" Amanda Harmon)
vs.
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Jareth Starwind, Analog & Hogwash)

The entrances set the tone for something of contrasting styles as a whole, the My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy arriving with apparently required golden confetti that rains from the sky and gold lights & a strobe light to come on - something that EMPEROR of PAROUSIA Ramsay Bodach scoffs at while watching from his throne - while the entrance for the Hearts Aflame trio to "Miracles" by CHVRCHES with their matching gear and far more simplistic approach make them far more likeable to The Olympia's crowd. As both teams settle, it is Analog who is sent into the ring first by Jareth Starwind and while Cara Stone offers to be the first to step up, it's Amanda Harmon who places a hand in front of the veteran "Hurricane" and "The Blackbird" proceeds to take flight as she jumps onto the apron and over the ropes, landing onto the squared circle and promptly taking a fighting stance as the referee motions for the bell.

[ROUND 1]
"Blackbird" Amanda Harmon vs. Analog

The goblin-like creature in Analog seems quite eager to get things started as it attempts to jump right at Harmon but the young rookie, who is the younger sister of SVW Hall of Famer Colleen Harmon - and if we're to believe them, color commentator Dre Hamilton's long lost twin(?!)  - does not get phased by this even with her level of experience being smaller than that of her veteran mentor Cara and other rookie in Nariko. She ducks the wild lariat attempt from Analog and catches him on the rebound with an impressive belly-to-belly suplex, using Analog's momentum against him to bring him down to the mat. "Blackbird" promptly moves back to a standing position, preferring to keep this one moving rather than on the ground and she lets Analog stand up, approaching the goblin-like creature as blows are exchanged between them with Analog gaining the advantage after finding his mark with a knee to Amanda's sternum. Analog then proceeds to irish whip Amanda off the ropes and goes for a back body drop as Harmon returns and while she gets some height in the air, she manages to land on her feet behind him.

Analog turns around, suddenly being met with a downward roundhouse kick to the side of the head which rocks him and wakes up the crowd within The Olympia with a loud gasp at the impact of the kick. From the outside, Cara pounds on the mat, yelling at Amanda that this is her chance to capitalize and the "Blackbird" doesn't have to be told twice as she moves behind the dazed Analog and catches him flush with a thrust kick right under the chin that sends him stumbling backwards, bouncing off the ropes as Amanda Harmon then catches Analog on the rebound with a jumping knee to the side of its head. Analog crumples down to the mat and the referee promptly goes to check on the goblin-esque figure...and as it does not respond, the referee promptly calls for the bell, the crowd in Toledo roaring in approval at just the absolute spectacle of a striking sequence that they just witnessed.

WINNER: "Blackbird" Amanda Harmon (by KO)

[ROUND 2]
"Blackbird" Amanda Harmon vs. Hogwash

Hogwash was told to get in the ring promptly and the other goblin creature was happy to comply as Analog was rolled out of the ring. The bell rang and the tiny Hogwash promptly make a beeline for Harmon, pouncing on her with a Lou Thesz Press after getting some good height on the jump and attempting to claw and scratch at her face as Amanda put her guard up to defend against the feral assault that was suddenly being unleashed unto her. But given their height and weight differential, Amanda does work her way out to the ropes and causes the referee to step in and break the assault once she has a hand on the bottom rope. As she stands up, Hogwash is nervously laughing as he's looking around his surroundings, overhearing Jareth Starwind yell out at him something akin to continuing his attack in a sentence far more prolonged than the actual point that was supposed to be made. Hogwash does, indeed, make another break for Amanda Harmon by running at her direction...and this time, he gets back body dropped over the top rope for it. However, Hogwash does land on the apron and quickly scales to the nearest top rope while the "Blackbird" leans away from the ropes, still getting her bearings from the initial attack and cringing at the sight of a nasty cut on her forearm that is now bleeding. That is when Hogwash leaps off the top rope just as Amanda Harmon turns around towards that general direction...

Hogwash nails her with a crossbody but Harmon rolls over it, holding onto Hogwash and then transitioning into an armbar which has the goblin-like creature squirming and screaming, albeit he does manage to get to the ropes just before anything can be hyperextended. Hogwash does get himself back to his feet while holding his arm, struggling while looking around with a growl but "Blackbird" seems to have anticipated it as she runs to the one of the ropes lateral to Hogwash before blindsiding him with a discus elbow to the side of the head, which is called the "Nightsong" by the announcers and that sends Hogwash flat out to the mat. The referee checks up on Hogwash, telling Amanda Harmon to go to the neutral corner as the ref does make the count...and Hogwash does squirm, groan and crawl a good amount in goblin-like fashion but he does not return to his feet and thus, the referee calls for the bell and on the outside, Cara and Nariko widely look at one another, then at Amanda and the two begin to promptly pound the mat on the outside and cheering Harmon on alongside the remainder of the Olympia crowd at the two stunning knockouts she has gotten.

WINNER: "Blackbird" Amanda Harmon (by KO)

[ROUND 3]
"Blackbird" Amanda Harmon vs. Jareth Starwind

Jareth Starwind does not look anywhere near as amused as the rest of the crowd as he takes to the ring and it clearly shows that he's the strongest link of the team as the moment the bell rings for Round 3, he catches Amanda with a series of left hands, feigning a few right hand straights in the process and keeping the "Blackbird" in her guard as she's backed into the corner. He continues to pound away with left hands and then stomps before irish whipping Amanda Harmon fiercely into the opposite corner, in which she collides throat-first and then finds herself stumbling back into a fierce back suplex. Starwind grins, rubbing his chest and sternum at the general direction of Cara Stone and Nariko Inazuma on the outside, who just proceeded to ignore him and continue to shout their support for the "Blackbird" on the outside. Starwind followed suit for the next minute with more strikes using the left hand and kicks combined with it, a fisherman's suplex capping it off before he stepped back towards the corner and watched as Amanda found herself in a crawling position while trying to stand up off the mat.

Starwind rushes out of the corner, looking for his patented Kiss the Boot (Punt Kick) but Amanda dodged her head out of the way at the last moment, with Jareth hitting nothing but wind. As Jareth Starwind turned around, he blocked a jumping knee from Amanda Harmon and then tried to elevate her for a powerbomb...but the "Blackbird" fought her way off the grip with sharp elbows aimed at Jareth's head before she managed to turn it into a facebuster. Amanda then saw the opportunity, quickly tucking Jareth's left arm around her legs and locking in a vicious looking crossface as the submission was applied, the crowd in The Olympia alongside Nariko & Cara tapping the mat/guardrails/whatever object nearest to them while screaming at Starwind to tap! Jareth screamed, he crawled around the mat while trying to make it to the ropes but the "Blackbird" held onto the hold for absolute dear life, cranking back on it and eventually forcing Jareth Starwind to tap the mat as the crowd roared in approval!

WINNER: "Blackbird" Amanda Harmon (by submission)

Cara Stone and Nariko Inazuma immediately rush the ring as the winning announcements are made, Amanda Harmon throwing her arms up and screaming in sheer emotion as the entire "Hearts Aflame" trio celebrate in a group hug with excitement pouring through them before the referee raises their arms while the entirety of what consists My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy find their way out through the south end of the Olympia with the help of RAIDEN's young boys looming around at ringside. Before leaving the ring and running up the stairways, the Hearts Aflame trio do mingle among the audience, slapping hands and even stopping for a few selfies as a "BLACKBIRD" chant emerges as Cara raises her protege's arm up high in the air and Nariko does the same with the other arm, screaming out "WE GON SHOCK THE WORLD" as if on her Juwan Howard in Michigan grind before trio climbs up the stairs and make their way out through the north side of the arena.

ADVANCING TO THE ROUND OF 16: Hearts Aflame

[Strike]

The King of Fighters First Round Match
The Eternal Circle (Legion, Vagn Dahl & Thomas Crowne)
vs.
Smoochie Gang (Marilyn Lee Cross, Aella Foley & Skye Healy)

[ROUND 1]
Thomas Crowne vs. Aella Foley

This one had begun with the Eternal Circle sending out Thomas Crowne while the Smoochie Gang sent out Aella Foley, the Millenium Wrestling's "Godkiller" stepping confidently to the center of the ring while Legion instructs Crowne to "show this one the meaning of chaos." That seems to set something off within Foley, as she smashes her forearm onto Crowne's face the moment that he turns back around to face her and the initial attack does have the bigger man on the ropes...until he launches himself with a knee catching Aella sharply on the gut, forcing her to take a pair of steps back while Crowne simply advances forward, scooping Aella up and dropping her with a scoop slam before dragging her into the corner and stomping away at her until the referee forcefully interferes.

For the next two minutes, the power and size game from Crowne end up dominating the affairs of the first round as Aella tries to fight off his grip but eventually is pulled back into it each time, seemingly getting more frustrated as Crowne mockingly keeps covering her while Legion on the outside counts "one, two, three" - even though this isn't anywhere near the rules of the match. Crowne does make a mistake as he tries to go for an Oklahoma Stampede but Aella slips from his grasp, letting him hit the turnbuckle chest-first before Foley sinks her grip unto him, a Muay Thai clinch alongside knees and elbows distributed between Thomas' head and sternum are thrown out before Crowne breaks out of the hold, elevating Aella Foley up in the air and hitting her with a flapjack as Aella's throat hits the top rope in the process. Crowne grabs a hold of her waist and proceeds to German suplex her with ease, holding her in the bridge as another mocking "one, two, three" count is done by Legion on the outside. Crowne grins, holding on to the waist and returning the two of them back to their feet, a wicked grin on his face as he looks around the booing crowd inside The Olympia.

And that's where he makes his biggest mistake, as the "Godkiller" uses her position and momentum to roll forward, hooking onto Crowne's right leg and locks in a rolling kneebar that suddenly jumps the crowd to absolute life as they are in the center of the ring and Aella Foley seems determined to basically destroy Thomas Crowne's kneecap and any ligaments she can get to. Caught in position and with nowhere to go before literal damage is done, Crowne taps out on the center of the mat for the submission.

WINNER: Aella Foley (by submission)

[ROUND 2]
Vagn Dahl vs. Aella Foley

The mocking and jokes seemed about done as Legion laid it into Crowne after he rolled out of the ring, with Foley motioning for any of the remaining two to get in here and get submitted next...

That was when the six-foot-four, three hundred and twenty pound Vagn Dahl decided to oblige.

Foley's shoot style of combat was on display initially to try and chop down the behemoth to size but as she managed to get Dahl doubled over and attempted to go for a running, flying armbar...she gets swatted down with a thunderous uranage slam and then Dahl surprises every single person inside of the Olympia as he gets massive air and lands onto Aella with a massive standing senton! The crowd gasps, Aella's expression in shock as she holds her stomach while laid out on the mat - albeit with the small hint of a smile - as the referee promptly checks on her and begins to count. Foley does get herself gradually to a standing position by the count of seven but it becomes an almost one-sided affair as Dahl just uses his power through the next few sequences by throwing Aella across the ring as if beating up a piñata - highlighted by a massive discus lariat followed by the Dahl Drop (Deadlift Sitout Powerbomb)! But to the credit of the "Godkiller," Aella Foley does seem to almost be enjoying the punishment being handed out as she manages to get up to her feet by the count of nine with the assistance of the ropes.

As Vagn went for another Dahl Drop, the tables were finally turned as Aella Foley managed to counter the powerbomb attempt before she left the ground with an Olympic wrestling esque ankle pick that combined with her own strength was able to bring the big man down the mat for the first time outside of his volition and she pounced on it, mounting him and within seconds, she was teeing off on Dahl's face with some successful hammer fists and even managing an elbow to the side of his head that opened up a gash, the blood beginning to pour down. But to the surprise of everyone else within the Olympia who were screaming for the referee to call it here, Vagn Dahl fought his way off the position by legitimately using his strength and height/weight advantage to work his way out of the mat and eventually nail Foley with a thunderous deadlift German suplex from which he rolled backwards, turning Aella Foley on her belly with the blood now covering an entire side of his face as he began hitting her with repeated elbows on the side of her head before locking in a scissored armbar, the "Wrath of Eris" being locked in full as the sudden turn on the tables and the submission was held on tighter than even Foley expected...to where she finally gave in, verbally confirming it to the referee who called for the bell!

WINNER: Vagn Dahl (by submission)

[ROUND 3]
Vagn Dahl vs. Marilyn Lee Cross

Skye Healy watching as Marilyn Lee Cross actually went into the ring herself seconds after the bell rang in order to help Aella Foley by making sure to forcefully break up the hold that Dahl had kept on in the aftermath, forcing the referee to step in and separate her from the Eternal Circle member as she looked visibly upset by the aftermath of the second round. After order was restored and Aella Foley was helped out of the ring, the referee finally signaled for the bell and MLC went in like a ball of fury on this one, giving nearly an entire foot in height and nearly two hundred pounds in weight but still not letting it deter her from kicking away at Dahl's legs before he usually his reach to grab her outright by the throat and connect with a massive open-palm chop onto her chest, sending Cross right down to the mat. The power game once again reared its head with Dahl taking Cross by the neck and throwing her across the ring but before he can follow up, he seems to lean against the corner, slowing down for a brief moment as his left hand holds on to the bloodied spot in his head as the blood has still continued to come down and at this point, portions of it have dripped down to the mat with the announcers noting that no matter how big or strong you might be, you basically sorta need your blood inside of you rather than coming out.

It didn't take long for Marilyn to come bursting in with a pair of running knees right onto Dahl's chest in the corner, repeating the process two more times before bouncing off the ropes and catching Vagn with the Mary Go Round (Discus Big Boot)! However, the impact wasn't enough to send Dahl to the mat although it did have him stumbling backwards...thus, allowing another Mary Go Round to be hit, as Dahl was now on the ropes. But as MLC ran the ropes and came right at "The General of Chaos" for Smiles For Daze (Headscissor Takedown, followed by a dropkick)...Vagn Dahl somehow manages to catch her in the air just before she can complete the headscissors takedown, bringing MLC up on his shoulders and with a war cry, he introduced MLC to the halls of Vagnhalla (One-handed electric chair driver). Both competitors were now fallen to the mat shortly after but even a bloody Dahl somehow, someway, manages to drag himself to a standing and fighting position before the count of ten with MLC is only up to the ropes, crawling towards them and grabbing at the middle rope to lift herself up...but not making it, as the ten count is made and the bell sounds for the completion of the third round.

WINNER: Vagn Dahl (by KO)

[ROUND 4]
Vagn Dahl vs. Skye Healy

And it was all down to the rookie for the Smoochie Gang's chances at the King of Fighters tournament. Skye Healy does step in with some hesitation, as Vagn Dahl is breathing heavily but staring a practical hole through his opposition. Taking in a deep breath as the bell rings, Skye seems ready to go and offer her hand out for your traditional sportsmanship approach but actually ends up doing the smart thing as Dahl charges at her and she uses her own speed to just avoid any strikes and to also slip out of the grasp of quite a few grapples, landing her fair share of kicks right onto the left leg of Dahl before finding herself getting out of harm's way...although eventually, she was caught by Vagn Dahl and he irish whipped her fiercely towards the nearest turnbuckle...but in an impressive display of agility, Healy scaled up the turnbuckles, backflipping over a charging Dahl and then running towards the ropes, using the momentum as she bounces off of them to catch him with a running Busaiku Knee Kick...and while Dahl doesn't go down from it, that doesn't deter Skye as she watches him stumble to the turnbuckle and that allows her to be in prime position as she charges in and nails with the NYOOOOM~~!!! (Running Face Wash)...AND THAT ACTUALLY CAUSES VAGN DAHL TO STUMBLE FORWARD AND FALL FACE-FIRST ONTO THE MAT!!!

The crowd is stunned at this point, Legion looking QUITE concerned about it as he pounds on the mat for Dahl to get a hold of himself while Skye retreats to the nearest turnbuckle. Healy watches carefully as the referee counts and by the count of five, Vagn Dahl is already on his hands and knees, letting out another guttural scream as the blood is dripping down from the side of his head. Healy looks around, the young rookie noticing that Dahl is still within distance as she quickly gets out of the ring and goes into the apron, running across it and then climbing up to the top rope. As the count reached seven, Dahl was still on his hands and knees and Healy leapt from the top rope, connecting with Skye High (Split legged frog splash) RIGHT ONTO DAHL'S NECK AND HEAD!!!

The referee quickly checks in on Dahl after the impact, as he's once more facedown on the mat...and this time around, he does not seem to be answering to any sort of referee commands, as the referee quickly turns to the timekeeper's table and tells them to ring the bell on this one, as Legion groans in annoyance on the outside and we take it to a round five!

WINNER: Skye Healy (by TKO)

[ROUND 4]
Legion vs. Skye Healy

Legion finally got himself in the ring after the RAIDEN young boys had to all literally work together to help roll Vagn Dahl out of the ring, blood staining the canvas further in the process. Skye did look a little more pumped up at this point and ready to go as she then found herself surprised when Legion nodded, applauding her efforts from the looks as it as he looked around The Olympia and then offered his right hand towards her. Healy looked at the hand, at Legion, at the crowd, then back to the hand again but in a matter of responding to pure sportsmanship, she takes the hand and shakes it...

So of course Legion ends up then promptly grabbing her and then driving her shoulder-first in between the nearest turnbuckles and onto the steel post.

The boos rain down accordingly for this level of cowardice but Legion almost seemingly mocks the concept entirely, grabbing Healy once again by her gear and sending her shoulder-first into the opposite side of the ring's steel post, honing in his attack on her arm with various holds and grappling maneuvers over the following few minutes of the round as Skye Healy has to fight from underneath just to get to the ropes during certain holds, including a Fujiwara armbar that nearly did the trick if not for Healy getting her left leg on the bottom rope just before her arm could be hyperextended.

The momentum does shift once again after an attempt at the Chaos Theory by Legion sees Skye actually slip from the grasp and land feet first from the German suplex attempt, a diving reverse STO being enough to put them both down on the mat and force the referee to count them both. Legion makes it to his feet first and Skye follows shortly after, but as Legion tries to rush her, he ends up on the end of a headscissors takedown that sends him throat-first into the middle rope. A running tiger feint kick soon follows from Healy and she then watches as Legion pulls himself back to his feet and she springboards off the top rope...ONLY TO GET CAUGHT MID-AIR AND DROPPED WITH A CHOKESLAM INTO LEGION'S KNEE, HER LEFT SHOULDER TAKING THE BRUNT OF THE IMPACT!

Skye screams out in agony and Legion soon follows by locking in the Fuerza Special (Kneeling step-over head-hold wrist-lock followed by hooking the opponent's far leg), cranking up the pressure on the center of the ring with it and while Skye does try to squirm her way out of it...eventually, enough is enough as she weakly taps on Legion's thigh and the bell is called for by the referee.

WINNER: Legion (by submission)

As "Engel" by Rammstein plays over the PA system and Rumchata Ayano announces them as advancing to the Round of 16, it's not very long for Crowne and Dahl - a towel covering his head on its bloody spot - to jump both MLC and Aella Foley on the outside of the ring, their attack forcefully broken up by security and the RAIDEN young boys before they joined Legion in the ring to have their hands raised over the fallen Skye Healy with a simple message being sent through their actions rather than just words:

Chaos itself was coming for DRAGONZORD!

ADVANCING TO THE ROUND OF 16: The Eternal Circle

[Strike]

The King of Fighters First Round Match
The Fightin' Flanagans (Cait Flanagan, Fraser Flanagan & Tristan Flanagan)
vs.
Bulldog Breed (Gemma Pierce, Deangelo Dalton & Ricky Sykes)

We had ourselves a practical international battle and on St. Patrick's Day of all days, as the Flanagan trio did have on green-based gear to the approval of the crowd while the Bulldog Breed trio had nothing but contempt for the entirety of the shenanigans occurring inside of The Olympia. There's a bit of banter between both teams in question, as Gemma leers over at Cait while the latter simply ignores her, telling Fraser and Tristan that she is going in first while from the Bulldog Breed side, Ricky Skyes steps up to the plate first...thus leading Tristan to immediately stop Cait, the two having a brief discussion before she sighs, finally allowing Tristan to step in for Round 1 instead.

[ROUND 1]
Tristan Flanagan vs. Ricky Sykes

If there is one thing that the crowd who has flocked to the Olympia during PAROUSIA Wrestling's existence loves...sheer violence is amongst the top things on that list. Tristan and Ricky didn't disappoint them one bit, as Flanagan ignored the sort of happy-go-lucky left handed handshake extended from Skyes and immediately pounced on him with punches, this match legitimately turning into an outright dirty boxing encounter between the two men as Tristan's early jump allowed him to land a few hooks and straights onto Skyes, backing him into the corner...but with the technique and expertise of his old boxing days, Skyes works his way out of the corner and begins to outright pepper Flanagan with some high-and-low combinations that keep Flanagan trapped in the corner and eventually open up his rough guard, allowing Skyes to nail Tristan full-fledged with a right hook that knocks him against the ropes and sends him stumbling before he drops onto the mat below...but not below Skyes is extra cheeky about it, catching Flanagan with a left elbow strike to the side of the head before he dropped to the mat.

If not for Tristan's sheer fucking toughness alone, this already would been over on the spot but alas, he's up by nine...and he meets an incoming Ricky by bulldozing through his boxing guard with a double leg takedown and just outright begins to rain down with punches anywhere and everything on Skyes' body that Tristan can hit from his position. Some of it is enough to rock Ricky into opening his guard, where Tristan lands flush with a left hook that does rock Skyes and allows Flanagan to continue peppering him with punches but the difference in technique is shown in full effect as a wild headbutt attempt from Tristan Flanagan gives Ricky Skyes enough room to hook his legs around Tristan's waist and to bring him into the Sykotrope (Guillotine Choke)! Tristan squirms, trying to fight off the hold and even getting as far as being able to stand to his feet before slamming down onto the mat with Skyes' back tasting the canvas with full force...but Ricky Skyes does not let go of the hold, the outright "Sykopath" determined to get his opponent to submit. But within moments, the struggling Tristan Flanagan unfortunately finds himself drifting off to sleep and at realizing this, the referee promptly calls for the bell and the submission victory is awarded.

WINNER: Ricky Skyes (by submission)/color]

[ROUND 2]
Fraser Flanagan vs. Ricky Skyes

The crowd outright erupts, as one of the PAROUSIA originals in Fraser Flanagan takes to the ring as Tristan's helped to the outside before the bell rings. But once it does, Fraser immediately is on the jump, taking Skyes down to the mat with an unexpected running spear and then raining down with punches in the same manner that Tristan attempted to do moments ago but actually does the smart tactic of having a headlock in place with one arm while the other rains down punches on Skyes' forehead, forcing the Englishman to squirm and kick his way through the mat until his foot is on the bottom rope while forcing the unorthodox circumstance to be broken up by the referee. Fraser continues to pounce on the attack but Fraser being Fraser, he lets Skyes have one rope break too many, as Ricky capitalizes on Fraser's lack of brightness by driving him throat-first into the ropes and then beginning to capitalize with every bit of dirty boxing and dirty trick in the book he can possibly get into the big man...eye rakes, back raking, you name it, he tried it, got yelled at the referee for it and then fucking did it again for shits and giggles - because Ricky Skyes is an asshole, you see.

Although still limited in terms of a moveset, Fraser's size and actual toughness played a hand as he was eventually able to fight his way back into the match after somehow escaping a Camel Clutch with the extra fish hook added onto it by Skyes and proceeding to eventually floor Ricky with a thunderous spinebuster, which is then immediately followed by Flanagan grabbing Skyes by the legs, yelling out that he's taking him for a spin and proceeding to do so with Whirligig (Giant swing). Fraser swings out a legitimately great amount of rotations to where at the end, he too dizzily falls to the mat. The referee watches and counts them both, as Skyes and Flanagan end up taking until the count of eight to stand back and Skyes ends up somehow dodging a big boot attempt from Fraser, hooking him in a pumphandle position and then lifting him off the mat while looking for the Sykodriver (Pumphandle Piledriver)...but Fraser does manage to shift his weight to where he lands on his feet behind Ricky and on sheer, drunken instinct, he manages to transition that into lifting Ricky Skyes on his shoulders and connecting with the Whiskey in the Jar (Fireman's carry facebuster)!

The referee counts Ricky Skyes on the mat as Fraser stumbles to one of the neutral corners, still feeling the effects from the giant swing and, as Fraser loudly describes, "a lot of green beer" that was apparently drank prior to the show. That said, he does watch as Skyes tries to beat the count by the using the ropes to stand up but stumbles back down to a knee and cannot reach his feet by the count of ten, the knockout declared and things are tied up as the PAROUSIA original gets a resounding standing ovation for his efforts.

WINNER: Fraser Flanagan (by KO)

[ROUND 3]
Fraser Flanagan vs. DeAngelo Dalton

The loud "FRASER" chants echo through The Olympia but do not let that distract you from the fact that Fraser Flanagan is looking at the retreating Ricky Skyes and asking outright as to where is his medallion, even going as far as getting out from the ring for a moment, pulling out his old Hippolyte's Belt and showing it to the referee while indicating that he should get a medallion for this KO. Both the referee (and our announcers at home) remind Fraser that this isn't a PAROUSIA show and that the company's been closed for the past year. That makes Fraser sad. He's probably not the only one.

DeAngelo Dalton, on the other hand, isn't here for any of this as he promptly jumps Flanagan from the get-go and stomps, kicks and the like are his initial form to try and wear down the taller opponent. Dalton followed suit by lifting up Fraser and nailing him with shoot kicks to his chest before a downward lariat followed suit. Yet, Fraser shows his toughness in full by getting up from it at a seven count before outright responding to an incoming DeAngelo with a powerslam which is then followed by a running knee drop and Fraser follows that up with St. Patrick's Blessing (Buckle bomb followed by a big boot) and for a moment, the crowd is thinking that Fraser is about to pull it off but Dalton shows his own amount of gusto by getting up by the count of nine. Flanagan tries to capitalize by going for Blarney Stoned (Double underhook piledriver) but DeAngelo works his way out of the double underhook and ends up landing a thunderous enziguri that sends the big man down face-first to the mat. Looking around, DeAngelo drags Fraser just a few feet nearest to the turnbuckle and proceeds to ascend to it as Flanagan begins to regain his bearings (beating an eight count, at that) jumping off and looking for the Shazam! (Slingshot Corkscrew Body Splash)...only to hit nothing but the canvas as Fraser gets out of the way in the nick of time and as Dalton hit the mat, Fraser was prompt to mount DeAngelo and locks in the Shut Yer Gob (Camel Clutch).

Dalton proceeds to fight accordingly, scratching and clawing his way from the submission given that Fraser's own awkwardness with the concept of submitting anything or anyone isn't as technically sound as others, allowing DeAngelo to eventually make it to the ropes and in the eventual break, both men find themselves brawling  around the ring once again and hitting each other with massive lariats that take them both down...and that's when the bell rings, signifying the ten minute time limit has expired and that means it's a draw...thus, both men are out and we're going to decisive Round 4 instead. Both men are acknowledged and applauded for their fighting spirit, however, especially in Fraser's case as he's a favorite of this arena.

TIME LIMIT DRAW

[ROUND 4]
Cait Flanagan vs. Gemma Pierce

The two FFW Future Shock prospects' first meeting in the ring isn't...quite what you'd expect. Cait Flanagan is scanning around her surroundings carefully while Gemma Pierce has an absolute look of sheer disgust on her face - probably having to do with the fact that she thinks Cait is probably here basically due to her own brothers' work in pro wrestling rather than by any other merit.

Both women initially lock-up in a collar-to-elbow tie-up and there's an exchange of basic holds, counters, counters upon counters but it's clear by that first minute that Gemma knows her way around those and keeps attempting to transition those holds into submissions, forcing Cait to make it to the ropes quickly before anything is locked in fully. European uppercuts from Gemma follow and Cait finds herself a bit more in her wheelhouse as she throws some fierce punches back of her own right and it actually ends up overwhelming Pierce enough to where she ends up getting caught with a belly-to-belly suplex that Cait Flanagan promptly turns into a figure four headlock submission attempt from which Gemma quickly makes her way to the ropes and once they're both stood up to a vertical base, the brawl does continue all over the ring...and in the process, a running knee strike attempt from Cait Flanagan misses Gemma Pierce, but it does connect with the referee's chest and sends him reeling to the mat.

Pierce promptly uses the opportunity once Cait realizes what she did to catch an unsuspecting Flanagan with a lungblower and then proceeds to lock in Admit Defeat (Romero Special to Dragon Sleeper)...and as Cait struggles to escape it, she looks around desperately...and suddenly taps out as her eyes are fixed in a certain direction. However, the referee is still on the mat and clutching on to his chest and Gemma DOES eventually realize this, letting go of the hold and making her way to the referee, shaking him up and telling his ass to get back to his feet. One of the camera shots does look at a grimacing, panting Cait Flanagan who has one hand on her neck...and the other under her lower body gear, pulling out a pair of golden coated brass knuckles and slipping them on her right hand.

As Pierce finally turns around as the referee is getting up, she ends up getting clocked right in the face by Cait Flanagan's right hand and the brass knuckles.

...Problem is, the referee happened to see the entire thing. Including the brass knuckles on Flanagan's hand.

The bell is called for and the unpopular decision of a DQ is made, as the announcers do make it clear that while KO's and submissions are the name of the game, illegal weaponry ain't it.

WINNER: Gemma Pierce (by DQ)

Cait Flanagan sighs, watching as Rumchata Ayano makes the announcements...and proceeding to then clock the referee across the face with said brass knuckled fist for more boos from The Olympia as she leaves while barking at Fraser and Tristan for not doing their jobs properly while Sykes and Dalton help Gemma up to her feet and the Bulldog Breed trio raise each other's hands as they move on to the next round of the King of Fighters tournament.

ADVANCING TO THE ROUND OF 16: Bulldog Breed



Singles Match - RAIDEN Showcase
Marlon Cure vs. Ashleigh Powell

The amount of eyefucking between these two was at Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga levels.

It escalated a whole lot more than that, as in between Ashleigh Powell's crisp technique and submission background alongside Marlon Cure's high-flying showmanship, the beginning exchanges not only highlighted the pair's skill sets but there was a deliberate level of things such as holds being held on just a few seconds longer by Powell while she found herself in very close contact with Cure to the point of even rubbing onto him before letting go of a hold to Marlon outright showing off his own chiseled physique after displays of agility and grace that caused Ashleigh to stare just for a second too long before getting caught in the next exchange between the two...but the grounds were even in between them for the first few minutes until Marlon managed to catch Ashleigh with a rolling elbow that sent Powell to the outside in between the second and third rope before he followed up with a Sasuke Special to the outside onto Ashleigh.

But when Marlon did decide to further show up by going up to the apron and attempting to come down onto a standing Powell with a shooting star press, he was caught flush in mid-air by Ashleigh with a dropkick after completing the rotation and the impact is enough to keep Cure down long enough for Ashleigh to then proceed with a follow-up that came in the form of a neckbreaker onto the apron that did its fair share of damage to the pair of them but more so to "King Cure" before he was rolled back into the ring and covered for a two count. Ashleigh's attack on the neck and head area carried forward from here as she did the one thing against his particular style that worked...kept him grounded. Powell even gave him a wink and a sheepish grin in one particular highlight before she caught him with a reverse STO which was then transitioned into a Koji clutch after she reversed out of a desperate lariat attempt by Cure...but to Marlon's own toughness and credit, he crawled his way to the ropes and eventually did reach them, grabbing on for dear life and smartly, Ashleigh used up to the count of "three" by the referee before finally letting go. Powell watched as Cure eventually got himself to one knee and she connected with the Heart of Fire (Running Neckbreaker)...but somehow, Marlon got the shoulder up in the nick of time after the cover was made.

"King Cure" would soon enough find the makings of a comeback after leaping up from a dropkick to the knee attempt by Ashleigh and landing flush on her chest with a double stomp, which was then followed by a standing corkscrew shooting star press that somehow only got him a two and a half count...only for Marlon to promptly follow up with the Coming of Age (Double wrist-lock knee strike to a kneeling opponent)...and yet again, find himself seeing Ashleigh Powell kick out at two and three-quarters from it. There was a slight nod of respect at the toughness but Cure proceeded to grab a good amount of derriere in the process before lifting her up in the attempt for The Blackout but Powell managed to escape out of the fireman's carry and this time around, she nailed her dropkick to the knee, rolling backwards to her feet and then catching Marlon with a DDT while he was on a kneeling position...and yet, that ends up with Cure kicking out at two and three-quarters. Seeing an opportunity, Powell ascends to the nearest top rope and waits as "King Cure" rises to his feet before she leaps for The Magnum Opus (Twisting top-rope stunner)...only to get caught on Cure's shoulders, lifted off of them and The Blackout (Fireman's Carry dropped into an Overhead Kick)...BUT ASHLEIGH BLOCKS THE OVERHEAD KICK WITH BOTH ARMS! SHE QUICKLY ROLLS UP CURE IN A SMALL PACKAGE...BUT CURE REVERSES IT INTO ONE OF HIS OWN AT A TWO AND HALF COUNT, GRABBING A FULL HAND OF TIGHTS AND ASS IN THE PROCESS AND GETS THE THREE COUNT OFF OF IT!!!

The aftermath is odd, as Marlon Cure does have his arm raised and there is a celebration there for a moment until Ashleigh Powell is back on her feet...and there's a bit of tension between the two as they stare down one another in the aftermath, with Cure outright telling her he just played the game and found a way to win by whatever means necessary. Powell doesn't give him props of any kind, but as she leaves the ring, she does proceed to smack Marlon right on the backside as hard as humanly as "King Cure" has a wide-eyed look while she simply motions to him that she was "this close" to getting his ass tonight.

...Whether that's on the figurative match sense or more, we probably don't want to really know.

WINNER: Marlon Cure

[Strike]

The King of Fighters First Round Match
The Chas Baker Experience (Chas Baker, Aries Armadaist & Max Sato)
vs.
The Hit Parade (Violet Vale, Steffi Sparkes & Patience)

The entrance for "The Chas Baker Experience" takes the cake on just about everything in the fact that Aries Armadaist (sporting his Underground Bloodlust Championship), Max Sato and Chas Baker are basically shit talking and complaining about everything and one another on their way to the ring while the Hit Parade trio appeared as an outright united front...thus, we have our contrasts. That said, the KING OF THE MONSTERS RUMBLE winner in Aries Armadaist eventually boldly and loudly declared that he was going to take on all of these tiny "VEGAN-LOOKING SCUMBAGS" but Max Sato stops him immediately, declaring that his "JAPANESE FIGHTING SPIRIT-OOOOOOO~!" will carry this trio to victory and getting into the ring before Aries can...all while Steffi Sparkles was the first one to step in for the Hit Parade, giggling accordingly at the buffoonery occurring in front of their eyes.

[ROUND 1]
Max Sato vs. Steffi Sparkles

This did not take long at all.

Max Sato is an idiot, you see. The kind of idiot who would blindly rush forward with a double leg takedown attempt that looks lazier than an Instagram model's sex life declaring "A BLONDE WHITEY, PASTY ASS HONKEY MOTHERFUCKER LIKE YOU CAN'T BEAT MEEEEEEE~!"

So of course Steffi Sparkles catches him with a massive single knee facebreaker that sends Sato right to the mat, rocked to his absolute core. Steffi looks around, grinning from ear-to-ear as she even does a mini-dance prior to leaning back across the turnbuckle and watching as Sato stumbles around the mat like a buffoon as the referee makes the count and she leaps up to the top turnbuckle as she sees Max manage to hold his posture at the count of nine and convince the referee that he can still fight...only to stumble backwards and right into the Razzle-Dazzle (Diamond Dust)!

Max Sato does not answer the ten count this time around and the knockout is called here.

WINNER: Steffi Sparkles (by KO)

[ROUND 2]
Chas Baker vs. Steffi Sparkles

As Chas Baker screams a cuss storm at the fallen Max Sato while getting in the ring (Aries doing the exact same from the outside), he does promptly turn around the moment the bell rings and meets an incoming Steffi Sparkles with a fierce "LEGITIMATE BUSINESSMAN" kick right onto her face and this becomes a bit more of a grimey looking fight in the fact that Chas Baker is more than happy to brawl and beat the crap out of anyone and anything that gets put in front of him. That said, his technique lacks compared to Sparkles' and she eventually manages to dodge a very theatrical-looking superkick from Chas Baker to then proceed to exert her own amateur wrestling background by keeping Chas grounded, frustrated and practically grapple fucked in a way that makes him look like a rube and keeps him going to the ropes in order to escape the holds and grapples in their entirety.

Chas Baker doesn't enjoy playing the role of "rube," so an eye rake to Sparkles' face follows suit after two full minutes of getting embarrassed on the mat after the two competitors are stood up after Baker escaped an ankle lock attempt by getting to the ropes. Chas proceeds to capitalize on this by then grabbing Sparkles by the head and bashing it against the nearest turnbuckle a few times, throwing her back with Snake Eyes onto the top turnbuckle and then letting her stumble a few steps before he dramatically delivers the most "CHASTACULAR MOVE ALIVE AND SOMETHING A GIBBERING COCKSUCKER LIKE YOU DESERVES" superkick to Steffi's face. However, Sparkles does showcase toughness on her own end by gritting her teeth and making her way back up by the count of eight, immediately having to get out of harm's way as Baker charged her in the corner area and as she dodges, he ends up tasting the steel post shoulder-first. Sparkles follows suit by using the ropes and nailing Chas with a rope-aided Tornado DDT and that's the point where she realizes their positions...and she begins to scale the nearby turnbuckle, getting herself to the top rope once again with her back to Baker and facing the audience within The Olympia.

She takes a deep breath, looking back for a mere second before she leaps off for the All That Glitters (Phoenix Splash). The hesitation costs her, as she misses the mark due to Chas rolling out of the way at the last moment and with that, Baker does find it within himself to basically do something as basic as sitting on Steffi's back and beginning to rain down with elbows and fists to the side of her head, a nasty elbow to the back of the head plus the lack of response from Steffi being enough for the referee to cut him off from it on the spot, calling for the round as the tables are evened out.

WINNER: Chas Baker (by TKO)

[ROUND 3]
Chas Baker vs. Patience

Patience is...rather upset at how the ending of the last round came about, given her relationship with Steffi Sparkles and it shows as she promptly goes after Chas with knuckle punches making the Baker boy having to lower his stance to where she then manages to throw up some knee strikes from the clinch position which force Chas to retreat to the corner and one of the turnbuckles. The referee finally manages to force Patience to break up the knees at the count of "four," threatening to outright DQ her if she doesn't listen to his instructions...to which she turns to the referee, flipping him off with both hands before she ends up dragging Baker's face across the ropes prior to tossing him aside like he's some sort of garbage bag. For the most part, this does follow a certain pattern of Patience showing anything but that by pouncing on and attacking Chas with strikes while the fabulous Baker boy counters by showing his own size and strength do have some semblance of an advantage by throwing her aside before he misses wildly with a very telegraphed kind of strike which is thrown out amidst a sling of insults about Patience's "EMO GOTH BASIC SMALL TITTIED BITCH" look to the less sophisticated "YOUR MOTHER IS A CUM GUZZLING WHORE!" ...This does continue for a bit.

Needless to say, by the seven minute mark, Patience has the makings of a black eye and Chas probably needs five stitches around his eyebrow that's busted up and blood is gushing but at this particular juncture of the game, Patience shows a surprising amount of strength by lifting Baker off the mat in a scoop slam position and she seems to look for launching him like an actual lawn dart onto the turnbuckle but his weight becomes too much as he falls on top of her. Chas settles for some stomps in the aftermath of it before sitting up on the top turnbuckle, standing up and telling the world something about crushing her like a bug...only for Patience to suddenly bring up and catch him with a high kick that keeps Chas seated on the turnbuckle.

She gradually ascends to said turnbuckle and from it, she seems to look for either a suplex of some kind but can't quite get Baker to come off the top rope and for a moment, they're both precariously fighting and moving around the turnbuckles as the crowd watches anxiously until Chas Baker suddenly chops Patience across the chest, as she is now sat on the turnbuckle while he has her set-up for a superplex of some kind and after resisting a few swift knuckle punches to the ribs, Baker grits his teeth, looks backwards and screams obnoxiously as he lifts Patience up and they come off the ropes, as Baker turns it into an avalanche Falcon Arrow!

As play-by-play commentator Patrick Carson screams that "HE DID THE DEAL!" as the two writhe around the mat alongside a "HOLY SHIT" chant from the Olympia crowd, the referee does begin his count. Chas Baker manages to drag himself somehow while holding on to his spine for dear life by the count of eight. Patience, however, just writhes and rolls around the mat in agony while not being able to answer the ten count in any way, the knockout being registered in this case!

WINNER: Chas Baker (by KO)

[ROUND 4]
Chas Baker vs. Violet Vale

...But Chas Baker has no time for a breather here, as the team captain of the "Hit Parade" gets herself right into it from the moment in which the bell sounds, catching Baker by his hair and immediately beginning to pull on it while Chas basically screams bloody murder before a desperation eye rake gets Vale off of him. Chas does use this as a means to eventually clothesline Vale to the outside of the ring and without further ado, Baker goes on to try and live his best life as he motions to the crowd to get up on their feet and witness the "GREATEST GODDAMN DIVE YOUR SWEATY LEBRON LOVING SHITBIRD ASSES WILL EVER FUCKING SEE IN A LIFETIME!" as he hypes up the run (to boos), goes across the ring and proceeds to go for the TOPE CON HELLO (Tope con giro...with obvious theatrics).

Violet Vale casually side steps it, letting Chas Baker go over the ropes and crash right to the outside back-first, the impact actually causing the crowd to gasp while Aries Armadaist...is laughing and pointing on the outside. Vale gets herself back inside the ring, standing up and watching as the referee rolls under the bottom rope and actually proceeds to count Baker due to the fact that he isn't moving towards the ring or anything in general. Chas does continue to writhe around the floor and he just so happens to notice Aries Armadaist laughing his ass off accordingly at the failure of the TOPE CON HELLO.

Aries' laughter comes to a screeching halt as Chas Baker stays on the ground, flipping him off from his laid out position...and Baker doesn't realize the referee's count at all during the process, the words "NINE" immediately sending him onto scrambling mode and the referee reaching the count of ten before Chas can fully stand up...thus, taking us to the final round of this first round match-up.

WINNER: Violet Vale (by KO)

A screaming, upset Aries Armadaist has to basically pieface and forearm his way through various RAIDEN young boys who tried holding him back (to no avail) from getting at Chas Baker, the two exchanging extremely loud shouting between one another due to what just happened with shoving and more threats and mom jokes thrown into it while Violet Vale simply rolls her eyes, laying back in the nearest corner she can find until some semblance of control is finally gained, Aries is told to get in the ring and he looks none too pleased as the bell rings.

[ROUND 5]
Aries Armadaist vs. Violet Vale

For the first minute, following blind, enraged lariats and wide swings from which she manages to avoid, Violet Vale actually establishes some fair share of dominance in the early going by using the ring surroundings, letting Aries hit the turnbuckles, the air, the mat and all else on his blind rage while tagging him with some fierce shots of her own, including a reverse STO in the corner that buys her some time and gets a count of six before Aries gets back to his feet. A running big boot from Armadaist soon follows, with Vale managing to get out of the way in the nick of time and letting Aries hit nothing but the turnbuckle next to her with it before she quickly found herself shoving the referee aside - complaining that he was "in her way" - and as the ref's field of vision is obstructed, Violet Vale does not hesitate to low blow Aries before pulling him out of the corner and nailing a reverse DDT which does eventually see Aries being counted on the mat after the referee has some choice words for Vale if she does anything like shoving him aside again.

The count gets to eight and the "Hoss Kong" looks even more annoyed at this point. He outright screams that Vale is gonna pay big time for this one, though the damage from the previous night's events in the Underground and his Bloodlust Championship match are showing, as Aries finds himself blindsided by a kick from Vale as he attempted to go for his patented P.O.K.E. on the skull, dazing him for where she is able to pull him into and drop him with a pulling piledriver. Vale smirks, rolling backwards and commenting about this being way, way too easy as she goes to the neutral corner and watches as Armadaist is just laid face down on the mat until the count of seven...to where he suddenly stands himself back up, his teeth gritting at this point as he looks over at Vale, who cockily gets out of the corner and proceeds to casually walk on over to him, smacking Armadaist across the face...to which Aries doesn't react.

Violet seems to feel herself quite a bit more, smacking Aries across the face a second time...and no reaction comes from it either, as Armadaist simply drops to a knee and screams at her "FUCKING HIT ME LIKE YOU MEAN IT" to which Vale replies by piefacing him before looking for a headscissors DDT. But Aries blocks the attempt, keeping his arms around her legs as he stands fully before simply using his size and power advantage to throw her down onto the mat. Vale quickly gets up from it, clutching at her face in the process as she hit the mat fairly hard, shock and concern on her face as she feels that there's been damage. Violet Vale's eyes narrow, a loud scream following suit as she blindly charges at Aries for besmirching her face in the way that he did.

She charges in right onto a P.O.K.E. (Knock out punch)!

There's blood trickling down her bottom lip at this point, as she is laid out by the impact of said punch and she does not, in fact, answer the referee's ten count.

WINNER: Aries Armadaist (by KO)

The bell is called for, the young boys of RAIDEN are on the scene to bring in ice and help Vale up before they're shooed off entirely by the other two members of the Hit Parade team and Aries has his hand raised, a look of disgust on his face as he declares to his partners and his opponents in question that he could have soloed all three of them, being the ruling "KING OF THE MONSTERS" around these parts and screaming other shit at Sato and Baker being useless while the other two fire back, the bickering continuing between them...

ADVANCING TO THE ROUND OF 16: The Chas Baker Experience


But just as Aries begins to leave, the crowd at The Olympia screams out in a shock as the cameras see a trio of masked figures jumping the barricade from one side, another one of them doing so from the opposite end and the masks being Greek drama ones with zodiac signs across its foreheads, with the announcers commenting that these are the same masked figures who were in Kyoto during Night Two of KING OF THE MONSTERS and who attacked Jinzai...and their attack descends on everyone at ringside.

Max Sato and Chas Baker are promptly attacked by the first trio on the left side, Baker thrown back first onto the steel pole on the outside while Max goes shoulder-first into the guardrails before they descend their attack on Aries who tries to fight them off with fierce punches and manages to create some distance before a masked figure with the sign of Sagittarius descends upon him with a massive lariat that turns Armadaist inside out. On the other end, the Hit Parade are scrambling for their proverbial well-beings through the south end exit, being chased off after attempting to initially brawl but fail against the other masked assailant...who turns their focus on some of the RAIDEN young boys on the outside who attempt to put a stop to it before they join their brethren that is lifting up and bringing Armadaist down with a double powerbomb/neckbreaker combination on the outside. The four of them enter the squared circle, bringing Chas Baker and Max Sato with them before two of the masked figures nail a leg sweep/enziguri combo onto Sato before the Sagittarius mask then takes Baker, nailing him with a lungblower and letting him stumble forward into a smaller figure with a mask bearing the Scorpio sign, who then proceeds to drive him down with a sitout facebuster.

The scene at hand is utter shock as the three masked figures stand over the fallen bodies...only for the stream to suddenly glitch out, freezing in place on the transition from the live Toledo crowd to the ringside area. The camera manages to catch the looks on the faces of several members of the crowd in mid reaction, each one looking a bit distorted and unnatural than the last as the color begins to shift, before the feed begins to go in and out completely.

The feed is on the fritz a few brief moments, rewinding to earlier in the night when Chris Strike, Eurystheus, Barabbas and Bodach and fast forwarding up to the last moments of the most recent King of The Fighters Tournament Match before freezing once more. This carries on for a minute or two, before the stream picks back up. Instead of the Red, Black and White RAIDEN logo...

It shows a black skull mask-and-bones combination that has become burned in the minds of many a wrestling fan over the last 5 years - the footage in question now also playing over a large projector screen on the north end of the arena, allowing everyone inside The Olympia as well as at home to understand just exactly the kind of shit they were all about to get into.

? : "Oh boooooysssssss..."

A very familiar, albit distorted voice crackled to life and cuts through the silence as the camera finally cuts back in. The resolution had changed drastically, becoming grainy and more visceral, more personal if possible. The camera lurched for a moment as it swivels, before settling on a familiar mop of pink hair, now accompanied by a mask that covered most of the face attached save for lone eye, wide with manic delight.

Jinzai: "You did a bad, bad thing in January. Ya see... when you commit to having your masked selves come through the crowd with an elaborate get up, fuck ME out of a match - one I was generously handing Fujimiya-kun his own ass in - and stomping me out in the process? There's a few details, a few small ones you really, REALLY wanna get down in planning it."

Jinzai's lone eye glints ominously.

Jinzai: "...Like making sure when it's all said and done, that the guy you jumped wasn't able to A) Walk out of the building under his own power. And B) Doesn't have time to think on it."

Jin leans forward and even though his face is still hidden beneath the mask that covered most of his face, one could almost feel the change in expression as his tone shifts from mocking to deathly serious.

Jinzai: "And I've had a long, long while to sit and think on you lot and what you did. I've had... a rough, rough couple of weeks since the last time I graced a RAIDEN ring. I got my lights dimmed and had a HELL of an awakening, beaten down a few former and current World Champions, people who everyone has pegged as the next big thing and turned the wrestling world as a few people know it on it's ear but in all that?

I haven't forgotten you all. I haven't forgotten your shitty little Zodiac symbols on your masks or the fact that you thought for ONE second... that you had actually put me down for the count.

I want all your heads on a pike, and waiting isn't my thing. I've already talked to Strikey-kun about it as he had...a feeling you would all turn up again. So here's what will happen...why not pick back up where we left off come April, hmm? Bring yourselves along and hey, maybe even bring a few friends..."

Almost as if on cue, three large, formidable shadows suddenly emerge from behind Jinzai. All were silent, but there's no need for introductions. The infamous three man cell known as Project Venom all stand around the seated Jinzai as he looks right into the camera.

Jinzai: "...Because you can be damn sure I'm bringing mine."

The stream violently cuts out, before returning to ringside once more as everyone wonders what the hell just happened.

[Strike]

The King of Fighters First Round Match
#RubyWaysStagParty (Ruby Tyler, Kevin Hardaway & Jackie Fowler)
vs.
Logan Blackham, Harper Fashenow & Hanna McShane

[ROUND 1]
Jackie Fowler vs. Harper Fashenow

After a set of entrances that were mostly all business between both teams, Jackie Fowler stepped up for his tandem while Logan Blackham simply sent in one of his "molls" in Harper Fashenow to gauge the situation at hand. The announcers touched on the fact that Logan was the current Heritage Champion in Renegade Wrestling and that he more often than not did most of the fighting with Harper and Hanna interfering on his behalf when the opportunities arose...something that would be on notice given the tournament's format and the one-on-one fights...and of course, the reminder of Jackie Fowler's infamous reputation as one of the toughest bellends on Earth alongside his own championship pedigree and the fact he has had boxing training was put forth by the announcers while Jackie and Harper kept circling around the ring, Logan shouting instructions towards Harper while Jackie kept his guard up and his partners in #RubyWay watched from the outside.

Harper did take the initiative with a guard of her own, striking at Fowler with left handed jabs to seemingly gauge a distance and their respective ranges while Jackie blocked them without any trouble. But to her credit, Fashenow was following Logan Blackham's instructions to a tee on the outside before she tried to take Jackie to the mat suddenly with a double leg takedown, in which Jackie quickly blocked and pushed aside. Fowler's stance didn't change from its traditional boxing sense, an intense look emanating from him as Harper composed herself again and came forward with a one-two combination that did force Fowler to put up his guard. But as Fashenow went for a right straight, the crowd practically erupted off of their seats as the scene in front of them became much bloodier...

Jackie Fowler landed with a counter left hook after slipping outside the right straight and connecting with said counter right onto Harper Fashenow's skull, as she dropped out cold to the mat. With a killer's instinct, Fowler promptly pounced down onto the mat, raining down with punches onto the side of her head and forcing the referee to immediately motion for the bell, putting himself in harm's way to stop Fowler as the bell was called.

WINNER: Jackie Fowler (by TKO)

[ROUND 2]
Jackie Fowler vs. Hanna McShane

Jackie Fowler was feeling himself after his one punch KO in the second round as Hanna McShane made her way into the ring, the other "moll" for Logan Blackham getting more instructions shouted out as Fashenow rolled out of the ring after being revived via smelling salts. McShane swore she'd wipe the grin off this "fucking bastard's face," with Jackie simply retorting "that's THE Bastard to you...ya mardy cow." Hanna doesn't take too kind to what DEFINITELY did come off and was an insult, telling the referee to ring the bell as she comes out of the corner and dares Jackie Fowler to meet her at the center. The "Biggest Bellend in Professional Wrestling" - as affectionately called by Dre Hamilton - obliges, not once dropping his boxing stance even as McShane closes in the distance and sacrificing her own limbs by taking a body blow before managing to grab onto Fowler and bring him down with a jawbreaker, which does cause Jackie to stumble backwards until he finds his footing by bumping against the turnbuckles, holding onto the ropes. That does leave Fowler exposed to an oncoming Hanna McShane, who proceeds to catch him with a flying elbow that brings him to a seated position. McShane begins to stomp away at him, having to have the referee force a count before she finally relents and gets on the referee's face about letting her fight. Unbeknownst to the referee, however, is Logan Blackham running on the outside and catching Fowler with a sucker punch right before he has to book it as Kevin Hardaway and Ruby Tyler immediately give chase to him prior to the referee realizing shenanigans are going on in the outside and he goes over to prevent them...thus, making a scene where Blackham is yelling at the two on the outside and at Jackie Fowler being a shitbag boxer who couldn't hold his own against him in any ring and that by the time him and his girls were done with him and his team, he'd be left so fucking ugly that his whore of a wife would leave him...and maybe he'd have some space for her to be another one of his "molls."

All of this, unfortunately, leaves Jackie Fowler wide open to foul play as McShane catches him with a few rabbit punches while he's still groggy from the sucker punch and Hanna does, indeed, kick him right in the dick before pulling him down into a double arm DDT. Grinning and wiping her hands, she alerts the referee to stop arguing with the odd married couple, to leave her man alone and to start counting the little bastard on the mat. The referee does realize that Jackie Fowler is down on the mat and indeed, he does begin a knockdown count...to which Jackie does sit up from, pounding the mat in frustration and staying there until an eight count before getting back up, assuming a fighting position and letting the referee know that he'd probably need to stop this one within the next few seconds.

Hanna McShane does make her move the moment in which the referee gives them the all clear to continue, rushing Fowler with a lariat attempt...from which Jackie ducks under, grabbing the right arm on the return, twisting it and then proceeding to send Hanna McShane forward as if for an irish whip before pulling her right back onto a thunderous Lancaster Bomber, the right hand nailing McShane square on the jaw and sending her down to the mat. Fowler's eyes take one very good look at the referee, who's trying to rush in to send Jackie to a neutral corner and then he finds Logan Blackham looking over the scenery in the ring. Shaking his head, Fowler brushes past the referee, pulling Hanna McShane roughly back up to a vertical position and with another look at Blackham, he proceeds to nail Hanna with a second Lancaster Bomber before finally walking over to one of the neutral corners and leaning back against it, arms stretched out and a gaze directed straight at Blackham as the referee made the ten count in full while Hanna McShane was still laid out on the mat. Blackham pounded the apron in frustration but the crowd inside of the Olympia were going ballistic at this point as Jackie leaned out of the corner, giving Logan a two-fingered salute...prompting Logan to immediately get inside of the ring and telling the referee to call for the bell.

"The Black Hand" was ready to go Bastard hunting.

WINNER: Jackie Fowler (by KO)

[ROUND 3]
Jackie Fowler vs. Logan Blackham

Contrary to his molls, Logan Blackham showed his experience was more than enough to allow him to immediately get into a dirty boxing match with Jackie Fowler on the center of the ring and that forced both men over the first two minutes to put on the kind of brawl that combined with a bit of sweet science kept the Olympia on its toes, between various blocks, parries, punches, counterpunches, Jackie getting eye raked by Logan but then following that back with a middle finger salute prior to poking Logan in the eye himself and overall a display that left both men with their fair share of bruises before Blackham suddenly switched things up by grabbing onto Jackie's right arm and irish whipping him into the corner. Logan missed with a running European uppercut attempt, hitting nothing but the turnbuckles as Jackie got out of the way in time but as Fowler tried to capitalize with a snap DDT, Blackham found his way out of his grasp, a sharp elbow to the side of Fowler's head keeping him at bay for Logan to grab Jackie's right arm and proceed to twist it into a hammerlock before then dropping him with a backbreaker off that hammerlock position. In fact, the arm was the focus over the next minute for Blackham as he kept kicking/stomping onto it alongside connecting with a double knee armbreaker which opened the path for a fierce one-two combination from Blackham to find its mark and send Jackie Fowler down to the mat as the referee stepped in, starting the knockdown count...but to Logan's annoyance, Fowler got up by the count of seven.

Jackie's response to Logan trying to grab him by the head to deliver more punches was a full-fledged headbutt to Blackham's skull that sent both men reeling backwards, dazed before Fowler descended upon him with left hands prior to Blackham playing dirty by raking Jackie across the eyes, which was then followed by him sending Jackie shoulder-first into the turnbuckle, aggravating the damage on the right arm before another hammerlock backdrop was used...but as Logan ascended to the middle ropes and Fowler began to stand up, Logan grinned from ear-to-ear before telling Fowler to send regards to his whore before jumping off the middle rope, looking for All-In (Diving DDT).

But Jackie Fowler, being the bastard that he is, saw that the referee was very close to him and feigning as if Logan was jumping at them both, Fowler shoved the referee aside.

Which then allowed Jackie to kick the diving Logan right in the dick.

Fowler promptly proceeded to drag Blackham's prone body to the ropes, having him on the apron before dragging him up, placing him in between the middle and top ropes...and then connecting with the #SMD (Rope Assisted Leaping Piledriver)! But as Jackie sat on the mat and watched as the referee began to count Logan Blackham, something wasn't particularly sitting well with him between the flurry of insults and just this other Englishman in front of him being an outright numpty. So instead, he opted for a second #SMD onto Logan before dragging him to the center of the ring and promptly applying a chicken wing, over-the-shoulder crossface to which Logan Blackham screamed out in pain and did attempt to initially will himself to the ropes for at least a few seconds before finally just becoming motionless and the referee having to call for the bell.

WINNER: Jackie Fowler (by submission)

Alongside the standing ovation from The Olympia, Ruby Tyler and Kevin Hardaway quickly joined Jackie Fowler inside of the ring as the trio did embrace for a moment and had their hands raised while the announcers put over the fact that a very, VERY game Jackie Fowler showed up tonight to get this clean sweep and on that particular note, Fowler himself found one of the cameraman closest to the ring and motioned for the camera to show his handsome mug and close up on it, as he stared onto the lenses to deliver one very simple message:

They were coming to destroy the Daughters of Janus on the next round...

And Jackie Fowler was coming for Zoey Adler's fucking head for taking his Dynasty Championship twenty-four hours ago.

ADVANCING TO THE ROUND OF 16: #RubyWaysStagParty

[Strike]

The King of Fighters First Round Match
Anger Management (Rex Evans, Tommy Evans & Ashlyn De Luca)
vs.
REVOLUTION (Aries Reed, GRENDEL & Damon Alexander)

The REVOLUTION was greeted with a mixture of cheers and boos, as fans did have a certain amount of memories from their time as a unit while terrorizing a company that play-by-play announcer Patrick Carson stated "probably deserved a majority of it, most of the time...at least a few people did." But that said, the Anger Management trio were greeted with nothing but raucous cheers from The Olympia, the Evans brothers alongside Ashlyn De Luca making their entrances, only for screaming to soon ensue as Tommy Evans was blindsided across the back of his head with a steel chair shot by Diederik van Dael...who apparently hadn't forgotten at all as to what happened during the events of last night at the Underground's Cult Classic Finale show. It did not take very long at all for Ashlyn De Luca to eat a swing from the chair to her skull as well when she tried to go for "DVD" - thankfully putting her arms up to absorb some of the impact - before Rex Evans ended up advancing on van Dael and the Dutch found it all that much wiser to immediately run away while Rex opting to check on his brother and on Ashlyn rather than give chase alongside a few of the RAIDEN young boys and even medical staff.

It took a few moments for things to get settled, as Tommy Evans was helped to the back given the nature of the chair shot to get checked up on and it left Rex and Ashlyn to their own devices...an eventual talk between them and the referee, with the decision and line-ups on their team being made as Rex Evans stepped up first on his end while a somewhat amused Aries Reed commented on "same good old pro wrestling shit, same white people problems in it" before the bell rang.

[ROUND 1]
Rex Evans vs. Aries Reed

The atmosphere seemed to shift almost immediately as the two MMA styled fighters were the ones to take on the task of going in first for their respective teams, bringing their guards up and with Aries specifically beginning his approach with feints and a few jabs, trying to determine how much he would have to step into Evans' range to tag him, given that Rex has five inches and forty-seven or so pounds more on him and to his credit, Evans was able to weave and block through the initial jabs before firing off with a one-two combination of his own in which Aries blocked expertly as well. Aries was not shy on talking shit throughout the process as the two did begin to trade blows after figuring out each other's ranges, a highlight coming through as Reed's clinch game came into play and from it, he laid in some punches and elbows that did send Evans reeling before the "Avatar of Brutality" used his own sheer power to work his way out of the clinch and land with a sick backfist of his own prior to knocking Aries backwards with a low-high combination. As Aries bounced off the ropes, Evans proceeded to use a belly-to-belly suplex to bring them both down to the mat.

Within the ground, Reed promptly found himself at half-guard and the struggle between both men took them in various positions on the mat with Rex having the early advantage, working his way into a north-south position with throwing down some punches before Aries manages to show his own grappling abilities and works his eventual way into a mount and attempts to pass the guard, though Evans does not give him that much even after eating a few hammer fists and a sharp elbow. Eventually, both men come back to a standing position and to a standing ovation from The Olympia before they're now teeing off on one another once again. Rex does gain the advantage on the pro wrestling side of things as he takes Aries down with the Simply Taken Out (Standing STO) after countering a right hand attempt and promptly attempts to slap on a chokehold to where Aries quickly squirms and rolls his way around the mat to put his foot on the ropes to break it up before it's locked in. Aries doesn't hesitate to come right back once they're back to a standing position by catching Rex with a T-Bone suplex before going for a Texas Cloverleaf, to which Rex now quickly uses his forearms and upper body strength to crawl over to the ropes and grab them before the submission is fully locked.

The deadlock between the two practically intensifies at this point as they gradually return to their feet and are throwing absolute bombs at this point, Aries Reed's amateur boxing background showing that he is at his element here as he tags Rex Evans a few times with body blows and opens him up to an eventual right hook that does stun the "Avatar of Brutality" but Rex shakes it off, roaring as he takes both himself and Reed down to the mat with a massive lariat...forcing the referee to count them both on the mat. Both men answer the count by returning to their feet at "eight" and seeing an opportunity, Rex Evans does rush Aries Reed, ducking under a wild lariat attempt and then looking for Unstoppable (Spear), in which Aries Reed leapfrogs over as Rex ends up having to put his hands on the ropes to stop himself from crashing head/shoulder first into the second turnbuckle he was about to hit. Aries sees an opportunity of his own, crashing against Evans' back and hooking his waist, rolling backwards with him and looking for his old pro wrestling finishing move in #ZEROFUCKS (Chaos Theory) but as Reed proceeds to deadlift Evans off the mat and looking for the German suplex, Rex Evans manages to somehow roll forward after slipping off of Aries' grasp and managing to eventually lock in a reverse Achilles tendon hold on Reed. But just as the "Avatar of Brutality" did manage to put in the lock, the sound of the bell was heard and with it, confirmation from Rumchata Ayano that the time limit was reached and this round was considered a draw...thus, both competitors were out.

Rex cursed under his breath as he rolled out and met with De Luca, who smacked him across the chest and assured him she'd take care of the rest while Aries was greeted by Damon and GRENDEL, with Alexander confirming that they'd take care of the rest with the other team practically being a man short.

TIME LIMIT DRAW

[ROUND 2]
Ashlyn De Luca vs. Damon Alexander

Once inside of the ring, De Luca definitely did stare for a few moments at Damon Alexander and his ungodly amount of abs, mentioning something about "getting these nudes" if she beat him into the ground while Alexander shrugged, retorting that she was welcome to try before they went through a more traditional pro wrestling style start compared to the previous round on the collar-to-elbow lock-ups where Ashlyn did try to outmaneuver Damon at first but the recently returned to wrestling Alexander showcased his own technique and sheer power by dominating on the mat at first, even going as far as smacking De Luca across the back of her head a few times in the process between holds to nail his point across. That set a fire under Ashlyn, who didn't hesitate to poke Damon right in the eye the moment that she got the chance, telling the ref to "get off my grill, it was an accident, chiiiiill" before pouncing on Damon with a headlock that was further followed by rabbit punches to the head and into a bulldog. At first, Ashlyn's agility does shine through with some expert striking and unorthodox maneuvers using the ring, including trapping Alexander on the apron covers, which allowed for a pair of John Woo esque dropkicks to be connected with on the outside but once things returned to the ring, a ropewalk attempt from De Luca was promptly stopped by Damon kicking the ropes and causing Ashlyn to lose her balance, crotching herself on the top rope before she collided back to the inside of the ring.

Damon Alexander pounced on that like a kid going for the weight racks, showcasing his own style of "pick up a motherfucker, suplex a motherfuck, repeat" in an impressive display of both strength and stamina, as he chained various suplexes before finishing it off with an X-Plex that nearly downed Ashlyn for the count to where she used the bottom rope to slip to the outside, landing on her feet just before the count of "ten" and thus, allowing herself the extra few seconds for the referee to come outside, check on her and proceed to let them continue. Damon followed her to the outside, but what he didn't expect was a drop toehold into the nearby steel steps, opening a cut at his eyebrow and as the blood leaked, De Luca found her opportunity with a deathgrip wristlock followed by multiple kicks/knees aimed right at the left eye area to open the cut on Alexander's head but even as the blood leaked, one knee was caught by Damon and from his position, he managed to nail Ashlyn with a desperation exploder suplex...right onto the apron outside. That desperation effort nearly took them both out of the equation, but the two of them did get themselves back into a standing position by the count of nine and with it, they gradually returned to the ring for some war waging...Ashlyn quickly finding herself in a German suplex position from Damon but managing to land on her feet after he released her for it and thus, allowing her to connect with the Syxx Kick (Running Double Spinning Wheel Kick). She waited as Alexander was up to a single knee as the referee counted and proceeded to follow suit with an attempt at a running step-up high knee to his skull...but Damon caught the knee, slamming it onto his own thigh with a deadlift shinbreaker from which he then proceeded to transition into a single leg crab, the announcers discussing Ashlyn's injury to that area from earlier last year and how much of an effect this could have...but by hook and by crook, De Luca DOES make it to the bottom rope on the other side of the ring and grabs it, forcing the submission to be broken.

Damon Alexander doesn't wait a moment, grabbing Ashlyn by the waist and legs, a wheelbarrow suplex following suit before attempting to bring De Luca in for the Omegaplex (Millennium Suplex), from which De Luca ingeniously uses the nearby turnbuckles and the one good leg in her to kick back against it and allow herself to backflip over Damon after breaking his hold on her...but her leg does give out for a brief moment from the initial damage she's just sustained and that allows Damon a window for a Saito suplex then followed by the St. Paul Special (Arm-Trap Half Boston Crab) specifically using the bad leg. De Luca does try to fight out of the hold by any means possible but just seconds before we reach the ten minute mark, she weakly taps out on the mat once she realizes she has nowhere to go and her knee might undo itself again.

WINNER: Damon Alexander (by submission)

As Ashlyn weakly rolls out of the ring and is checked on by Rex Evans, Damon Alexander slumps against the nearby corner, breathing heavily as he holds onto the spot in his eyebrow from which blood is still coming out...but there's a large smirk on his face as he realizes the last member of the "Anger Management" trio is nowhere to be seen yet, with the announcers going over the fact that last they heard, Tommy Evans was still being checked on in the back for the possibility of any injuries from the sneak attack by Diederik van Dael...

But the announcers and the crowd are in for an absolute surprise, cheering accordingly as they see Tommy Evans make his way into The Olympia through the south end of the arena, his head wrapped up in bandages and what it looks like medical staff members following hurriedly behind him. As the camera focuses in on Tommy, he's basically telling them all to "fuck off" and that "he's doing this, come hell or high water" even amidst protests as he gets into the ring, motioning for the referee that he's here to fight. The medical staff tried to stop them but that was when a vicious roar was heard from the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA Ramsay Bodach, having stood up from his throne on the west side of the arena by screaming the words: "LET. HIM. FIGHT." The crowd erupted for their esteemed EMPEROR, the referee proceeded to lean towards the ropes, talking it over with the medical staff, one of them finally sighing in resignation and telling them that they'd allow it, so long as the match was stopped if Evans' condition was to deteriorate...and probably because they didn't need a behemoth coming after them from his throne.

The referee leaned off the ropes and simply motioned for the bell once he checked on both competitors, the crowd roaring as Rex Evans led the charge, pounding the mat in order to encourage his little brother and his team's last hope. EMPEROR Ramsay looked pleased as he sat back down: "That's a nice decision," he said.

[ROUND 3]
Tommy Evans vs. Damon Alexander

Damon Alexander was quick to attack, forcing Tommy Evans into the corner and nailing him with shoulder thrusts to the gut before tagging in with an European uppercut that rocked him. Sending him to the opposite turnbuckle with an irish whip, Damon Alexander nailed Tommy with another running shoulder block and from there, the game was back to focusing on getting his suplexes going and his power commanding the pace of the match-up...but after a second German suplex attempt from the initial bridge, Tommy did land on his feet behind Damon and tagged him with a roundhouse kick that caught Alexander right onto the bloodied side of his head at this point, dazing him and setting Alexander right up for Hosticide (Gory Special), which was then followed by a Boston crab attempt from Evans in which Damon did squirm and yell his way through as he made it to the ropes and promptly rolled himself outside of the ring, landing roughly in the process - all as a means of preventing Tommy Evans from doing any further damage. "Tommicide" personified did have some sort of a light bulb go off as he began clapping as he stood up, the crowd imitating him accordingly as he looked at Damon slowly returning to his feet and once he did, Tommy took off to the ropes, coming out at running speed and diving through the middle and top ropes with a suicide dive right onto Alexander. He throws Damon back into the ring shortly after, hopping onto the apron and springboarding off the ropes onto the "Prince of Suplexes" with a 450 Splash that finds its mark...that being the ungodly amount of abs on Damon Alexander.

Tommy Evans gritted his teeth, holding the back of his head for a moment and showing the effects of the earlier blindside chair shot but he wasn't about to let it deter him as he got Alexander to both knees and began to tee off on him, kicking him across the chest multiple times but Damon ducks under the buzzsaw kick headed towards his school and rolls Tommy into a schoolboy from which he promptly deadlifts Evans off the mat...and then slams him into the nearest turnbuckle with a one-handed buckle bomb, sending BIG TOM right down to the mat in its aftermath, clutching onto the back of his skull. Tommy does make it back to his feet by a count of seven but Alexander greets him promptly, gritted teeth, bloodied face and all with a snap dragon suplex that nails Tommy right where it hurts the most at that particular moment...and yet, Tommy Evans somehow gets himself up at the count of nine. There's a frustrated look on Damon now, whose movements have slowed compared to minutes prior in the match and as he attempts to bring up Evans onto an electric chair position, Tommy fights back out of desperation with punches nailing Damon right onto his cut, forcing him to double over with Evans still on his shoulders...and that's all that Tommy Evans needs to eventually lock in Homicide (Octopus Stretch).

Damon attempts to fight his way through it, using his physique to practically move Tommy Evans across the ring but he falls shy of the marker only a few inches away from the ropes, not being able to reach and thus, weakly tapping out before fading into unconsciousness.

WINNER: Tommy Evans (by submission)

[ROUND 4]
Tommy Evans vs. GRENDEL

As Damon is helped out of the ring, the camera pans to an unamused Bobby B. Barabbas standing next to EMPEROR Ramsay Bodach, looking over at the arriving GRENDEL as if this was a man that owed him six figures considering the damages that the monster had caused to his prized car just weeks prior in a Last Monster Standing match against Bloody Mary in the Underground. Tommy's clutching the back of his head, breathing heavily but both Rex and Ashlyn are shouting out words of encouragement as him and GRENDEL square up from the moment the bell rings...only for Tommy to get promptly rocked by an uppercut across the jaw from GRENDEL that sends him stumbling a few steps back, only for Evans to come firing back with multiple forearm shots to the much bigger man, all before he's pushed to the ropes, bouncing back with another running forearm that GRENDEL just eats without even flinching before he big boots Tommy Evans down to the mat below.

Tommy is up by the count of six but the emotionless look on GRENDEL's face doesn't change as Tommy tries to go for another round of strikes with an emphasis on kicks, a particular pair of them managing to cause GRENDEL to step back but as Tommy tries to finish it off with a spinning heel kick, GRENDEL manages to catch him, lifting him up off his feet and nailing him with a vicious backbreaker in the process...but GRENDEL doesn't let go, opting to then bring Tommy up in the air and hold him up high prior to dropping him with a military press slam. Again, Tommy is stubborn enough to get himself up to his feet with the help of the ropes and finding the turnbuckle for support before a ten count is reached, but that is when GRENDEL comes running through like a freight train and nails him with a vicious lariat against the corner. GRENDEL proceeds to irish whip Tommy Evans into the opposite turnbuckle, in which he crashes against hard and stays there...but as GRENDEL takes off and looks for another running lariat, Tommy manages to get himself out of the corner in the nick of time as GRENDEL ends up smacking against the turnbuckles chest-first. As GRENDEL stumbles back, he eats a Warning Shot, the surprise super kick catching GRENDEL on the chin but only forcing him a pair of steps back as he does not leave his feet. Tommy Evans comes off with another Warning Shot, as GRENDEL is now reeling backwards and looking around him - alongside being encouraged by the crowd - Tommy Evans quickly goes for a third Warning Shot...only to suddenly see GRENDEL swat the kick aside and grab him into an Iron Claw submission. GRENDEL proceeds to practically squeeze onto the hold while Evans screams for dear life but refuses to tap out in any way, shape or form to it...and after a few seconds without the submission, GRENDEL settles for a Clawhold STO that floors Tommy to the mat instead.

The referee makes the count and yet, someway, somehow...Tommy Evans is up and at a fighting position by the count of nine. GRENDEL steps forward again, grabbing Tommy Evans by the throat and elevating him up for a chokeslam in which Evans somehow manages to turn into a DDT counter instead, finally being able to bring the big man down with him. Seeing a chance, Evans powers through the pain at his neck and the back of his head, holding on to it with one hand while rolling under the bottom rope and quickly ascending to the top rope while GRENDEL is now on his back. But as Tommy reaches the top rope, he sees GRENDEL promptly sitting up...but instead of fear, all that GRENDEL gets is a desperate Tommicide esque maneuver as Evans lands onto him with the Seppuku (Shooting Star Meteora), the double knees hitting GRENDEL right in the face in the process.

Tommy makes it up by the count of seven...and GRENDEL himself doesn't disappoint anyone sans Tommy Evans and his teammates, getting up by the count of nine and with an expression far more annoyed than during the initial moments of this match. It's an exchange of strikes between the two, however, that ends up favoring Evans as he ducks an eventual running big boot attempt from GRENDEL and attempts to lock in the Homicide (Octopus Stretch) submission after bringing GRENDEL to his knees with a swift dropkick to the back of his legs.

...But GRENDEL powers his way out of it after being locked in for moments, forcefully breaking through the hold and then proceeding to throw Tommy Evans across the ropes, catching him on the return with the Extinction Event (Pop-Up Release Powerbomb)...but unlike previous Extinction Events, GRENDEL does not let go of the powerbomb set-up. Instead, he lifts Tommy Evans up from the mat and proceeds to powerbomb him a second time...and then a third time...and by the time Evans lands on the mat roughly on the back of his head and neck the fourth time, just two seconds before time expires, the referee promptly calls for the bell as Tommy Evans is not at all responding to this sheer showcase of brutality from the monster at hand.

WINNER: GRENDEL (by TKO)

The celebration from REVOLUTION is one that sees Aries and Damon doing all the shit talking while GRENDEL simply stares at the scene of Tommy Evans being helped by his brother, wife and the RAIDEN medical staff at this point before having his hand raised alongside his brothers-in-arms from days past. As REVOLUTION makes their way out, Tommy Evans somehow manages to get himself back up (with some begrudging help from his teammates) and for his sheer toughness to go at it under the circumstances, he does get a standing ovation from the audience to which he acknowledged by throwing his left hand up in the air weakly before Anger Management made their way out of the ring and onto the back.

ADVANCING TO THE ROUND OF 16: REVOLUTION

[Strike]

Main Event: EMPEROR of PAROUSIA Triple Threat Match
Ramsay Bodach [EMPEROR] vs. Elijah Redmayne vs. ? ? ?

Patrick Carson: Dre, what an absolute war we've just witnessed here to cap off tournament action...no words to describe the level of balls it took Tommy Evans to fight the way he did after that Dutch fuckboy did what he did.

Dre Hamilton: Already heard from the back that Strike actually got into a fistfight with him for that bullshit he pulled out...but if we wanna talk on something that some out here have been calling bullshit on throughout the night, our massive main event comes to mind.

Patrick Carson: This was supposed to be a "EMPEROR of PAROUSIA" match just between Ramsay Bodach and Elijah Redmayne, whom EMPEROR Ramsay - and arguably, Bobby B. Barabbas - named as the challenger for the night. Had it stayed as such, this would have been a two-out-of-three falls bout but given the circumstances in which it came off...RAIDEN owner Chris Strike decided to intervene, telling us that someone HAD a complete Hippolyte's Belt - the thing needed in PAROUSIA once upon a time to challenge for the throne - and well...he's inserted that person into the match, now making this a triple threat.

Dre Hamilton: And we don't even know who that person is yet! But for all the complications, this main event is going to be something special...Ramsay Bodach steps foot into a PAROUSIA ring to defend the throne he never lost at any point before the company roughly closed its doors and he does so against a man with whom he and BOBBY B. BAYBAY have had issues with for a long time now...and then there's the mystery challenger with the belt too! It's gonna be B-A-N-A-N-A-S...and it's time for us to get this show on the road. Rumchata, you wholesome bean you...take it away!

The bell rings...and Rumchata Ayano is front and center at the ring to make the main event announcements:

Rumchata Ayano: Ladies and gentlemen...the following contest is our main event of the evening! AND IT IS A MATCH TO DETERMINE THE "EMPEROR OF PAROUSIA!!!!!!!!!!"

On cue, the crunchy guitar riffs to "Curl of the Burl" by Mastodon begin to play over the PA system while the lights dim down and two spotlights begin to swirl around the entirety of The Olympia, the boos beginning to emanate from the whole arena itself as the realization of who the first arrival is within this match and from the south end of the building, they make their way through smoke that had begun to cover the entrance area. First, the man known as "The Wrestling" in Brendan Samuels, sporting his eyepatch and a hobble to his step. Next to him, The Prodigy, the "BIG MASE" himself in Mason Mannion. After them, none other than The Siren herself, Kitty Reynolds...alluring as ever. And last, but not least, the very man challenging for the throne, a man who alongside his comrades comes from "Beneath" to make his message clear...Elijah Redmayne. The entirety of the "True Underground" stands defiantly even as the boos come in their general direction and the message is made clear that they are not welcome in the territory to which belongs to its EMPEROR...

Rumchata Ayano: Introducing first...from Corona, California...weighing in at two hundred and fifty pounds...Elijah Redmayne.

Dre Hamilton: ...OK, WOW! Rumchata Ayano is the sweetest human on Earth and for THAT lack of emphasis on somebody's entrance to happen...boy, you're not in good territory here.

Patrick Carson: The message is loud and clear...Elijah Redmayne is officially in enemy territory and this...this would not really happen anywhere else, Dre. I can guarantee you that.

But those who are "Beneath" care not for such hostilities. Not when there's something this important at stake. In fact, Elijah Redmayne ups the stakes even further by being handed something from Kitty Reynolds in which he holds up high as the spotlight shines on those "Beneath." One particular cameraman gets a good look at it, as it is the cane that once belonged to one Bobby B. Barabbas and which has been in Elijah's possession for quite some time now. And yes, you had better believe another cameraman was near the throne to capture the expression of vile, sheer hatred coursing through Bobby B's features as he realized that reality as well. Elijah holds the cane up, resting it on his right shoulder as those "Beneath" make their way towards the ring, each of them climbing up into the apron in their own way and entering the squared circle before defiantly stepping onto the PAROUSIA emblem at the center of the mat in an act of provocation, all four pairs of eyes staring towards the throne where Ramsay Bodach sits and with Elijah Redmayne pointing the cane that once belonged to Barabbas right at Bodach's direction in the process.

Patrick Carson: Elijah Redmayne...I don't know what to say, Dre. Outside of the fact that him and the other members of "Beneath" might very well have a death wish.

Dre Hamilton: Twenty-four hours removed from one of the most intense battles we've ever seen for that Underworld Championship against Gavin Grimes and he's here, ready to take on the hatred of an entire arena of loyal subjects to the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA...and all for the sake of their message. That's not a death wish, Fish, that's just...devotion to something beyond themselves. And that makes a scary challenger for the throne.

Kitty Reynolds takes the cane from Elijah's hands as she, Mason and Brendan make their way out of the ring as Elijah finds one of the corners, leaning back against it while his eyes never leave the western side of the arena and the throne sitting high up above.

b]Rumchata Ayano:[/b][ And his opponent...first...

There is a thunder of drums and the high pitched wailing of guitar as strobe lights begin firing out in every direction. The crowd looks around stunned given the order of the entrances as a thick, white mist starts billowing out from underneath the throne and as the heavy metal rages on, the banging of drums becoming more and more intense and with it, there is a bloodcurdling roar from the abyss and Ramsay Bodach rises from his sitting position at the throne to a thunderous ovation from the faithful! Ramsay Bodach then slowly removes the crown on his head and the cape around him, revealing his hair to be slicked back and wet, his skin coated in an ethereal dust that gives him a truly terrifying and ghostly image as he begins descending the stairs.

Rumchata Ayano: Hailing from Portland, Oregon... Weighing in at a two hundred and eighty-five pounds, standing at six feet and eight inches... He is the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA... AND HE IS THE NICEST... HE IS "THE GHOST".... RAMSAAAAAAAAY BOOOOOOOOOODAAAAAAAAAACH!

A smirk appears on Bodach's features after that introduction while "Ghosts Will Haunt My Bones" by Machine Head blasts out from the P.A system. "The Pied Piper of Portland" Bobby B. Barabbas closely follows behind the current EMPEROR down the steps, dressed all in black and with his eyes staring daggers through the entire "Beneath" faction at ringside. The crowd looks in both awe during their celebration of and even horrified at the image of "The Ghost" as he marches down to the ring, his eyes locked with his opponent as he climbs up to the apron and then makes his way into the center of the ring. He climbs over the top rope and then begins to stare out into the crowd with hungry eyes, Bobby B. Barabbas nodding in approval from the outside as Ramsay Bodach soaks in the adulation and even the fear from the subjects that he overlooks as EMPEROR of PAROUSIA.

Patrick Carson: Night and day reactions, as the people of Olympia greet their EMPEROR with nothing more than just outright joy, Dre. They are ECSTATIC for this and that's saying something. During the time of PAROUSIA, Ramsay Bodach won the "Pankration Tournament" to be crowned the first ever EMPEROR of PAROUSIA and during his time here, he was never defeated. The only fall he ever surrendered was on a throne defense and that was due to a disqualification...

Dre Hamilton: Whenever Ramsay Bodach has been inside of a PAROUSIA ring and this arena, there's been nothing but destruction and broken bodies that have been left laying at his feet. This is his element right here, perhaps even more so than Portland Pro Wrestling or any other company or music festival that he has performed in. And coming back here after a year and being able to defend his throne...something tells me there is no lengths to which Ramsay Bodach will not go to in order to deliver his message that he is, quite literally, the most powerful force in pro wrestling...the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA!

Ramsay and Barabbas are now in the opposite corner to Redmayne, the two combatants locked in a stare to which goes interrupted as Rumchata Ayano makes the final set of announcements:

Rumchata Ayano: ...And their opponent...

The crowd begins to murmur, the realization of this new challenger now finally being a reality...

Patrick Carson: Who's it gonna be, Dre?

Dre Hamilton: Somebody from the PAROUSIA roster, definitely, but it's been a long year since and wel--

The sound of a blaring alarm is heard over the PA system...and that alarm soon gives way to a calming piano. A loud guitar riff only follows that piano.

An entire arena erupts, realization dawning upon them.

Dre Hamilton: ...No fucking way.

The crowd's cheers grow tenfold, as a jet smoke begins to appear at the top of the stairs near the north entrance and united in a drove of glee, the crowd inside The Olympia begins to pound the barricade in rhythm and chanting along with the opening of the theme song:

"DANGEROUS! (DANGEROUS!)
DANGEROUS! (DANGEROUS!)
DANGEROUS! (DANGEROUS!)"

Patrick Carson: ...Yeeeeessssss...YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"BORN TO BE WIIIIIIIIIIILDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

From the jet of smoke, cape flowing in the wind as Shonan no Kaze's "Born to be Wild" plays over the PA system, Noriaki Higashikata makes his way out from the cloud of smoke. He points out to the crowd, who are on their feet and erupting in their approval while still pounding on the barricade in the rhythm of his song. The #BasedHero smiles widely at their antics. He rubs his hands together before shaking his head. He raises his head, bearing a confident and determined expression. Swinging his cape behind him, he shows the complete Hippolyte's Belt around his waist alongside his own Cardinal City Pro Junior Heavyweight Championship just below it - unbuckling the Hippolyte's Belt and then raising it in the air proudly. The cameraman captures the shot of the belt itself, showcasing all the seven medallions within it with Simon Raines' own medallion being the centerpiece. Barabbas looks up stunned, Bodach's eyes are narrowed in fury of this defiance while Redmayne and the rest of "Beneath" simply look on with interest at the third-party that was soon to partake in this match.

After a few moments and looking upwards, Noriaki says something that's inaudible between the music and the ovation, but he does pat the centerpiece of the belt twice before placing it on his right shoulder before he starts moving down the concrete steps, slapping the hands of every fan that has them out for him.

Rumchata Ayano: From Tomigusuku, Okinawa, Japan...weighing in at one hundred and seventy-five pounds...he is your #BasedHero, he is the Hippolyte's Belt holder and CCP Junior Heavyweight Champion...HE ISSSSSSSSS... NORIAKIIIIIIIIIII HIGASHIKATAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Noriaki slides under the bottom rope after coming down the stairs, sliding the Hippolyte's Belt right on the center of the PAROUSIA logo before taking a moment to hit his kip-up to the roar of the crowd. Grabbing the Hippolyte's Belt, he ascends the nearest turnbuckle and takes off his CCP Junior Heavyweight Championship from his waist as well, raising both championships up high in the air to the roaring crowd. They begin their "WILD!" chant, which only makes him smile wider. He steps off before giving the crowd an honorable bow. Finally, Noriaki hands both belts to senior referee Eli Carr to put aside before returning to one of the neutral corners and waits for the match to begin, stretching and hypes himself up, looking onward to the opportunity given to him on this night while Rumchata Ayano makes her way out of the ring.

Patrick Carson: YEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! IT'S MY BOY, THAT'S MY BOY NORIAKI RIGHT HERE!!!!!! AND HE'S GOT THE COMPLETED BELT TOO, OH MY GOOOOOODDDDDD!!!!!

Dre Hamilton: NORIAKI HIGASHIKATA HAS RETURNED TO PAROUSIA...AND HE HAS HIS BELT. IT'S COMPLETE, FISH!

Patrick Carson: Chris Strike told us that due to the wishes of the late Simon Raines passing on his Hippolyte's Belt, someone had a complete Hippolyte's Belt...but never in a million years did I think Nori would be bestowed the medallions needed to complete his own belt and to make this happen.

Dre Hamilton: Things just took a turn, man. This crowd is now split between the EMPEROR and Noriaki...and none for Redmayne, because reasons.

The anticipation begins to build inside of The Olympia as a shot of all three competitors in their respective corners is captured by the cameras before the signal is given, the bell is rung and we are underway on this main event of the evening as Bodach emerges from his corner and towards the center of the ring, with Redmayne meeting him moments later...and Noriaki doesn't let himself be forgotten, promptly stepping to the center of the ring as well and looking up at the two behemoths next to him. Elijah looks down in seemingly amusement while Bodach is practically dismissive at this point, both men turning their stares back to one another...to which Higashikata opts to reply by shrugging, taking a pair of steps back as Bodach and Redmayne take an extra step, their foreheads colliding at this point as words are exchanged...only for Ramsay to suddenly be drop kicked across the back, as he and Elijah collide head-first and the blow reels Redmayne backwards while Ramsay is doubled over, causing Noriaki to quickly trip the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA with a leg sweep that brings Bodach flat on his back and at practical mach speed, Nori proceeds to roll Ramsay backwards onto his shoulders and transitions it into a jackknife cover with a bridge, the crowd going absolutely insane as referee Eli Carr slides down to make the count alongside them:

ONEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THRE--- RAMSAY GETS THE SHOULDER UP IN THE NICK OF TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dre Hamilton: HOLY SHIT THAT WAS CLOSE!

Patrick Carson: Noriaki Higashikata may be the third man but you had better believe he will NOT be made into an afterthought and that attitude NEARLY bit the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA in the ass!

There was a moment of shock from Bodach's face which registered into a pained expression as Higashikata was quick on the follow-up with a jumping double foot stomp onto Ramsay's chest before turning around and finding himself kicking away at Elijah Redmayne's legs as he came forward, ducking under a wide swing aimed for his face before a roundhouse kick finds Redmayne's stomach, allowing him to go for an irish whip attempt...which is then reversed by Elijah but on the rebound, Noriaki slides under Elijah's legs with a baseball slide...but he gets caught by Redmayne mid-slide, who then proceeds to lift Noriaki off the mat and onto a suplex position...only to then catch an oncoming Ramsay with a boot to the face, sending the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA reeling backwards while still maintaining the #BasedHero in the suplex position. But as he goes for the Crash Landing suplex, Noriaki manages to land on his feet after the release from Redmayne and lands with a Pelé Kick, which sends Redmayne right onto the path of Ramsay Bodach and a very nice scoop slam from him. Ramsay lunged for Noriaki in the aftermath and glancing at his options, Higashikata pulls on the top rope and the momentum from the EMPEROR's charge alongside Noriaki getting out of dodge takes him over the ropes and to the outside...and on cue, the high-flying #BasedHero takes off and comes back with a tope con giro right onto Ramsay Bodach on the outside! He motions for the crowd to get up on their feet, confidence beginning to build within him as he promptly hops onto the apron and springboards into the ring...BUT RIGHT ONTO A SPINEBUSTER FROM ELIJAH REDMAYNE!

Redmayne promptly followed suit on his approach by finding the ropes and kicking the middle rope just as Bodach was making his way inside the ring, stopping him from fully entering it before laying out a series of elbows to keep Ramsay hung on the ropes prior to Elijah moving forward and connecting with a rope hung axe kick onto Ramsay. He quickly drops his down to the mat, rolling him away from the ropes and covering him, forearm pressed onto Bodach's skull:

ONEEEEEEEE!!!!!

TWOOOOOOOO- Ramsay defiantly throws his shoulder up.

Patrick Carson: And just like that, Redmayne finds a way to get himself into the driver's seat after being as surprised as the rest of us here with the third competitor in this match.

Dre Hamilton: Redmayne's a workhorse inside of that ring and his biggest asset is how unorthodox he can be when it comes to dealing with his opponents. That rope hung axe kick proved as much.

Elijah's focus does promptly shift from the EMPEROR to the other challenger as he quickly lands with a massive front kick onto Noriaki's chest that sends him reeling back towards one of the turnbuckles, allowing Redmayne to then proceed to further the punishment by landing a pair of shoulder thrusts onto Higashikata before grabbing Nori under his armpits and with a display of sheer strength, throwing Noriaki from the turnbuckle area all the way to near the center of the ring. Higashikata lands back-first, screaming out in pain and Ramsay Bodach happened to watch all of that as a furious snarl escapes him as he approaches Noriaki, grabbing him by the throat on the mat and screaming "NO, EMPEROR MORE POWERFUL!" in full defiance of Elijah's feat of strength while dragging Nori to near the opposite turnbuckle before standing him up. Redmayne actually takes a moment to watch this, his expression unreadable as Bodach then proceeds to grab onto Noriaki and throw him LITERALLY across the ring - Nori going considerably airborne in the process. Noriaki lands back-first once again, just a foot away from Redmayne. Elijah looks down at him, proceeding to just step over Noriaki and meeting Ramsay Bodach in the center of the ring as the two behemoths rekindle their war of words from the opening bell and this time, a brawl does finally break out between the two as European uppercuts are exchanged between both parties with neither man giving the other any semblance of an edge but eventually, that causes both men to up the ante at the same time with their heads colliding with one another and it is Redmayne who is on the rough end of that exchange as he falters to a single knee and that gives Bodach an open window to underhook his arms and lift him up before dropping Elijah across his right knee with a double underhook backbreaker.

Looking at Higashikata holding onto the middle rope as he's up to one knee while Redmayne is gritting his teeth on the mat while holding his back, Ramsay Bodach triumphantly lets out a war cry that sends shivers down the spines of those who watching within the Olympia as they cheer for their EMPEROR and his violent tendencies. Bodach proceeds to continue his backbreaking streak (on the literal sense) as he picks up the #BasedHero off the mat, bringing Noriaki around and nailing a pendulum backbreaker which is then followed by the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA grabbing onto Noriaki again, nailing him with a second pendulum backbreaker for good measure before finally covering him, arms on his chest and no hook of the leg:

ONEEEEEEEE!!!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOO--

And this is the part where Elijah Redmayne exploits the EMPEROR's hubris by catching him full flush with a running soccer-style kick to the chest and shoulder, breaking up the pinfall.

Dre Hamilton: OOF! That one echoed across the whole damn Olympia!

Patrick Carson: Ramsay Bodach's strategy to go for his patented backbreakers until literally breaking someone was in full effect here, but under triple threat rules, he's gotta have eyes everywhere and Redmayne exploited that lack of attention.

Bobby B. Barabbas leans closer to the apron at this point, instructing and advising Ramsay to "place him Beneath his boot" as told before while the members of Beneath on the outside rooted Elijah on as he kept on the attack after the penalty kick in question, bringing Bodach to his feet and irish whipping him into the ropes while running just a step behind him and thus, allowing Redmayne to catch Ramsay with a knee to the sternum. Elijah repeats that same maneuver on the other side of the ring and after getting a second knee to his sternum, Ramsay's reply is a guttural roar of defiance...which is then promptly knocked senseless by a short-arm elbow strike that follows from the man who is Beneath, the boos being constant and loud each time in which Redmayne is on the offensive with even the rest of the Beneath members getting some verbal flack from the audience as they are fairly near the barricades. But as Elijah goes to pick up Ramsay again, he's met with an open palm chop from Noriaki Higashikata, who's looking far more annoyed than before from being tossed around like a lawn dart and as he dodges under a right hook from Redmayne, Nori sees his opportunity to leap up and catch Elijah Redmayne with a reverse neckbreaker that is promptly followed by a standing moonsault in which Nori rolls forward and executes a second standing moonsault onto Redmayne for good measure.

As Ramsay has himself getting up to his feet, a mushroom stomp to his back by Noriaki promptly put him back down before Higashikata rolled under the bottom rope and got up on the apron, tapping the turnbuckle closest to him a few times as the crowd followed the cue, clapping along on rhythm as he scaled up to the top rope and then came off of it with a brilliant missile dropkick right onto the chest of the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA! But just before he could attempt to go for a cover, Noriaki found himself lifted up by Elijah Redmayne and then released to where he landed right onto the prone Ramsay Bodach with the Crash Landing suplex doing damage on two for the price of one. Redmayne's focus returned to the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA after adding a few extra stomps to Higashikata's sternum, as he dragged Ramsay to the center of the ring and much to the crowd's chagrin, he promptly hit the EMPEROR with a lariat backbreaker with earned him an extra helping of boos as he then went for the cover:

ONEEEEEEEE!!!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

T- Ramsay kicks out of it before senior referee Eli Carr can raise his arm up in full to come down for any third count of any kind.

Patrick Carson: Back and forth action from all three men in this one but the pressure on Redmayne has to be gradually building with the way this entire audience is responding to him.

Dre Hamilton: He's used to having detractors and he's got the other ones from Beneath with him...he could be in a worse situation but given that Noriaki has been inserted into this and how much people also love Ramsay's brand of violence over here? This crowd could help either one swing the momentum on their behalf if they find an opportunity to do so.

With the Beneath members simply keeping their eyes on the action from the outside, they watch as Elijah Redmayne continues to work on Ramsay Bodach by stomping away at his sternum prior to standing him back up, only to be turned around by Noriaki Higashikata and to be on the receiving end of a series of kicks that back Redmayne up to the ropes. Nori charges forward and seems to look for a striking maneuver of some kind but Elijah sees this, lowering his body and proceeding to use Higashikata's momentum against him as he back body drops him over the ropes...but Noriaki manages to land on the apron. Redmayne turns around and tries to go for a shoulder thrust unto Nori but he dodges in time, catching Elijah on the side of the head with a kick to daze him before bringing him out onto the apron, the two beginning to trade strikes...but that doesn't last very long.

Because the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA comes rushing in, having bounced off the ropes and done the unthinkable in the process.

Diving between the middle and top rope, grabbing onto both Higashikata and Redmayne with each of his large arms and spearing them both to the protective mats on the outside, landing onto it with a thud himself alongside his two adversaries.

Bobby B's expression is one of complete shock at the risk his client/security staff has just taken. Those who are Beneath's gazes shift to being concerned at Elijah's condition. The crowd at the Olympia settles for a "HOLY SHIT" chant that is more than appropriate here.

Dre Hamilton: THE EMPEROR IS A CRAZY PERSON, FISH! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!

Patrick Carson: The spear has always been a legitimate and lethal weapon in Ramsay Bodach's arsenal...but never in my life have I ever seen him do this and it shows, all three of them took the brunt of this! Though I would argue Nori and Elijah definitely were on the worse end of it!

All three men are encouraged by the crowd around them amidst chants to get back up and start fighting again, no countout coming from senior referee Eli Carr due to triple threat matches rules indicating as such and it doesn't take long for the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA to find himself back on his feet first, shaking off the effects from his own landing and grabbing onto Elijah Redmayne, throwing him fiercely into the set of wooden steps leading to the ring...in which Redmayne ends up crashing against knees-first, going over the steps before landing on the other side of them as the crowd...most certainly still approved of it. "Nice," Ramsay commented after realizing how Elijah crashed back down onto the mats on the outside before his focus returns to the other competitor in this match, to whom he easily picks up and places onto a bearhug type position. Bodach proceeds to ram Noriaki's back across one of the steel posts three times, each time causing Higashikata to scream out in pain before he's rudely tossed back into the ring in between the middle and top ropes via a military press slam from the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA.

Bodach grabbed the ropes and used them to climb up onto the apron before stepping over the third ropes to a sheer display of might as he towered over his challenger in the ring, watching as Noriaki felt around the mat with his right hand while the left one was reaching backwards and holding on to his lower back as he attempted to stand up. Ramsay looked amused by it all, "helping" Higashikata by grabbing a handful of his hair and pulling him up prior to then letting go of the hair and shoving Noriaki forward, watching as he bounced off the ropes and catching him on the rebound with a big boot that damn near takes Higashikata's head off with its impact. A half-nelson backbreaker from Ramsay Bodach would be the follow-up to the boot and with it, then came the cover:

ONEEEEEEEE!!!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

THRE-- And Noriaki manages to get his left shoulder up!

Patrick Carson: What a sequence from Ramsay Bodach, but Nori showing he's still got a lot of fight left in him for this one. The responsibility is too big to just give up at this point.

Dre Hamilton: Redmayne's getting back in the ring too but he's favoring the knees after that collision with the steps...especially the left knee, at that.

Ramsay does nod in a minor bit of acknowledgment, muttering something about "like last time" but any other words prior or afterward going unheard as he deadlifts Higashikata off the mat and this time, a full nelson backbreaker soon follows. Ramsay then pounds the mat, roaring as he takes a few steps back and measures Higashikata as he's returning back to his feet, left arm holding his back as Bodach attempts a jumping knee that is somehow blocked by Noriaki, who comes back with a pair of open palm strikes and a left leg kick that goes high and catches the big man across the chest before Noriaki runs to the ropes and eats a boot...ONLY TO STILL STAND, FIGHTING SPIRIT IN FULL DISPLAY AS HE TELLS RAMSAY TO COME FOR SECONDS SO HE CAN SHOW HIM A "REAL NICE TIME!"

Ramsay's eyes widen at the words spoken to him, before he flashes a smirk and runs back to the ropes and goes for a jumping knee again, but Noriaki falls to the mat beforehand, kipping up immediately after Bodach flies past him and as "The Ghost" turns around, Noriaki is suddenly met with the "Wheel In the Sky" (Claymore) from Elijah Redmayne, the impact causing Higashikata to turn inside-out before falling to the mat. Elijah quickly picks him up from the mat, clutching onto his wrist and lifting Noriaki up on a vertical suplex position...

Patrick Carson: Wheel in the Sky and Elijah is looking for Tigerdactyl Genocide...

Dre Hamilton: Noriaki needs to figure a way out of this and quick, unless he legit wants his neck broken. Redmayne's done that shit to people!

...But as he has Nori lifted, Redmayne's eyes meet a rising Ramsay Bodach - who looks pissed. Bobby B. Barabbas promptly screams "GO FOR THE LEGS" and Bodach reacts to this with surprisingly quick timing, as he avoids a wild clothesline from Redmayne after he let go of Noriaki - who collapsed to the mat - to promptly then pick him up...and drop him with an unusual shinbreaker, which is then proceeded by Ramsay like tactics as the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA lifts Redmayne's left leg and then slams him down to the mat, the left knee taking the full impact of it as Elijah clutches on to the knee.

Ramsay thinks the impact sounded quite nice. So he does that again.

He does that again three more times after that.

Finally, Bodach proceeds to put Redmayne on his back and grabs onto his legs, eventually locking in Bodach's Curse (Kneeling inverted sharpshooter)!

Dre Hamilton: BODACH'S CURSE! He's got him trapped in the center of the ring, Fish!

Patrick Carson: The damage to Redmayne's knees has been vicious over the past few minutes and Ramsay's got the Bodach's Curse locked in tight! Will Elijah tap out?!

To his credit, Elijah Redmayne shows no signs of quitting even though the crowd within the Olympia is absolutely egging him on to just go ahead and do it. In fact, he uses the members of Beneath - specifically, Kitty Reynolds and "BIG MASE" Mason Mannion - pounding the apron furiously as a beacon as to the corner in which he should go towards, gritting his teeth through the agony leaving his body as he drags himself closer and closer to the ropes...all before the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA sees this and decides to return to a standing position...slowly dragging Elijah Redmayne back towards the center of the ring to the approval of the audience, the screams and chants of "TAP!" becoming louder and louder, the members of Beneath continuing to pound the mat in support of Redmayne's struggle to survive and represent their cause...until it suddenly turns into a nearly unified gasp.

That gasp turns into nothing short of shock and a roar as the crowd witnesses Noriaki Higashikata flying from seemingly nowhere and connecting with the Party Crasher (Handspring Reverse Hurricanrana) onto Ramsay Bodach, forcing the submission to be broken and spiking the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA on his dome in the process. Still clutching to his chin from the Wheel in the Sky, the #BasedHero looks around and sees Redmayne clutching onto his left knee but showing signs of movement as he rolls closer to one of the turnbuckles. Noriaki makes his way through the ropes into the apron and proceeds to ascend to the nearest turnbuckle gradually, examining his surroundings to ensure that there wouldn't be any interruptions. Once perched in the top rope, Elijah Redmayne is still clutching onto his knee and now holding on to the ropes as him and Kitty Reynolds exchange some quick, hushed words but Ramsay Bodach is back to a standing albeit dazed position, holding on to his head.

The moment in which the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA turns around is the moment that Noriaki Higashikata leaps off the top rope, knees coming together and with it...

Patrick Carson: MACH FINALE!!!!!

Dre Hamilton: HE GOT ALL OF THAT ON THE EMPEROR!!!

The diving double knees found their mark with the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA's face and the momentum carried them both to the mat. Noriaki quickly found himself rolling forward and then rushing at Redmayne, catching him with a front dropkick that sent Elijah in between the ropes and down to the floor before he then dove onto Ramsay Bodach's body, his arms reaching out and managing to grab one of his legs, hooking it as senior referee Eli Carr slid down to count it, the crowd at the Olympia following alongside him:

ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Patrick Carson: OH MY GOD, NORI'S GONNA DO IT!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dre Hamilton: WAIT, FISH, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT OVER THERE?!

THRE-- THE COVER IS BROKEN UP!!!!!

The scene now inside of the ring is not one but two masked persons now peppering Noriaki Higashikata with punches after getting him off of the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA's body, the masks very much ones of Greek drama and resembling the ones from the attackers earlier on - the sigils of the Cancer and Virgo on the forehead portion of their masks, the Virgo masked figure especially being relentless on their attack of Higashikata while the Virgo mask finds themselves running the ropes and coming at Elijah Redmayne and the remainder of Beneath with a suicide dive! The referee is practically helpless to stop it due to the triple threat rules, as the man in the Virgo mask picks up Noriaki Higashikata and drops him with a cross-legged sitout scoop slam piledriver! In the meantime, Bobby B. Barabbas watches with a sense of bewilderment but his focus returns to his client, as he pounds the mat to get the fallen Bodach's attention as he's beginning to stir once more.

Dre Hamilton: Oh God, these fucks AGAIN!

Patrick Carson: Earlier tonight, the four that showed up had Sagittarius, Scorpio, Taurus and Pisces symbols on their masks and now, we have Cancer and Virgo...what the hell does this all mean?! And why the hell are they here to begin with?!

Dre Hamilton: Better question is probably why they're attacking everyone exc-- oh fuck.

Patrick Carson: Dre, what do you mean "oh fuck"

Dre Hamilton: We need to go. NOW.

The sounds of a pair of headsets dropping are heard, followed by another pair shortly thereafter as screams were heard through the crowd while the four masked figures from earlier in Taurus, Pisces, Sagittarius and Scorpio made their way through the crowd, making it a point to come through the announcers' table and flipping it over in the process as both Patrick Carson and Dre Hamilton scrambled their way out of dodge and towards safety itself. It wasn't long for the four figures to join the Virgo mask in their fight against the members of Beneath...the numbers game favoring the masked figures as the Virgo, Taurus and Pisces trio send Mason Mannion crashing into the steel pole head first...then do it again for good measure, all while Scorpio manages to catch Kitty Reynolds with a thrust kick onto her throat before picking her up and dropping Reynolds with a death valley driver and as for Sagittarius, they end up catching one of the challengers in Elijah Redmayne and nails him with a vicious fisherman's buster...right onto the apron, for good measure!

As for inside of the ring, Bodach is back onto his feet and he now has the prone Noriaki Higashikata for the taking as the masked figure with the Virgo logo on the forehead simply steps back as Ramsay advances, watching from the corner as Bodach proceeds to lift up Noriaki and drop him with the Blackthorn Breaker (Hanging Vertical Suplex lifted and dropped into a double knee backbreaker)! The cover soon follows, Barabbas grinning from ear-to-ear as he realizes exactly what the masked figures just did:

ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The bell rings and with it, Rumchata Ayano's excited announcement does soon follow:

Rumchata Ayano: THE WINNER OF THE MATCH...AND STIIIIIIIILL EMPEROR OF PAROUSIA...HE IS THE NICEST... HE IS RAMSAAAAAAAAY BOOOOOOOOOODAAAAAAAAAACH!

WINNER: Ramsay Bodach

The rest of the masked figures soon join Ramsay Bodach inside of the ring, who roars in approval at his victory and retaining of the throne before his attention falls to the six figures now inside of the ring. Bodach assumes a fighting position but Bobby B. Barabbas is soon there, patting Ramsay on the shoulder and informing him that these are not the enemies but in fact, very "nice people." Ramsay takes a rather skeptical look at Barabbas for a moment, then looks back at the six masked figures closely before nodding in approval.

The crowd at The Olympia does not seem what to quite make out of this but they do erupt as they see Midas Eurystheus emerge from the inside of his office on the upper level in the eastern corner of the arena. They watch as he carefully makes his way towards the north end and the stairs, making his way down through them with a microphone in hand and the expression of a man who looked infuriated by what just occurred inside of the squared circle...and he is not alone.

Five other masked figures - the signs of Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra and Aquarius on their masks respectively - follow closely behind him.

Noriaki Higashikata is being stomped and kicked away from the ring at this point, sent roughly to the outside by the Virgo masked figure. Midas and the other five enter the ring, the eleven masked figures lining up respectively around the inside of the ring, staying behind Midas Eurystheus, Bobby B. Barabbas and of course, the EMPEROR of PAROUSIA himself.

Midas Eurystheus brings the microphone to his lips, staring narrowly at the cameraman recording him now as the camera shot closes up on his face.

Midas Eurystheus: ...For what you have done tonight to my main event... This is what you deserve.

A beat.

Midas Eurystheus: ...For what you have done tonight... You have invited war into your doorstep. And we...

He points to the twelve masked figures behind him.

Midas Eurystheus: We will wage this war. No matter how long it takes...the Knights of the Zodiac, the humble EMPEROR who leads them and I will wage war with you and anything that represents you until your throats are slit and your company is reduced to nothing but ashes.

Midas points to the cameras in question.

Midas Eurystheus: ...Long live PAROUSIA!

The thunderous ovation that follows the last three words echoes across the entirety of The Olympia.

And without another word, the feed is suddenly cut in its entirety and we fade to black.