“And now, Old School Wrestling presents…”
[The Old School Wrestling logo flashes in neon, hung upon the wall.]“Monday Night Showcase.”
[The slamming shut of a limousine door is how we open this week’s edition of Monday Night Showcase. Accompanied by bursts of laughter, the camera soon expands to see Jake Jeckel and Errol Flint arriving together.]“I wish I took a polaroid of his face, you know? That was a once in a life time shot right there.” [Jake arrogantly remarks, talking about last week at Ring of Dreams.] “Don’t you wish you had one of that fuck Mike Lane too?”
[Flint adjusted his tie and smiled.] “I own this company; I’ll have that footage cut, blown up and turned into a massive six-foot-tall cut out by the end of the day.”“Man, if I knew you were the backer all this time, I’d have come to ya and-”
[Errol cuts him off, looking rather quizzical.] “Wait a minute, did you just say backer?” [He asks as Jeckel nods.] “I’m not the backer, Jake. I have nothing to do with that. I thought you set it up?” [Jake gulps.] “No way. So if you’re not the backer and I’m not the backer, who the fuck is responsible for screwing with me?” [They both look at each other in shock and try to figure it out. Flint interrupts their torrid silence.]“Look, let’s not concern ourselves with that tonight. This is our celebration, right? This is the new dawn in Old School Wrestling. Neither Bruce Van Chan or Mike Lane are the World Champion and we made them look stupid in the process. Let’s get out to the ring and rub their noses in it.”
[Jake smiles, adjusting the World Championship that sits on his shoulder.]“I love the sound of that.”
[Both men embrace slightly and head into the arena, only the look on Errol Flint’s face shows nothing but concern.] [Who the hell is responsible for screwing with the master manipulator and by God, who’s going to stop Jake Jeckel and Errol Flint from dominating Old School Wrestling?] [A few moments after we see them, “Raw Deal” hits and out onto the stage walks our new OSW World Champion; Jake Jeckel. Accompanying him with a round of applause is our Chairman who struts alongside him to the ring, overcome with joy.] [The crowd couldn’t be more disgusted.] [The sound of hissing and booing fills the audience and arena as they stand in the middle of the ring, smiling about all of it.] [Jake grabs a microphone.]“They thought I didn’t exist. They thought I was a shade of my former self but last week at Ring of Dreams, they remembered. All of you remembered. What we did to Mike Lane and Bruce Van Chan is the beginning of a new dawn and from this moment on, The Shadow King has been replaced by The Juggalo King!”
[The stadium goes blue. Slow, otherworldly music starts and builds…A spotlight shines from above, illuminating a blank space. It blinks. Bobby Neptune stands under the beam, freshly teleported in.] [He raises his fist and flashes an alien sign, blessing the crowd. He saunters down to the ring, passing his hands over people. He rolls into the ring and pops up across from The Juggalo, a microphone in hand.]“It’s safe to say that I’ve been around the universe,” [he mentions with a wink.] “Not like that, but you know what I mean. I’ve seen all kinds of parasites but Jake, I’ll be honest with you, I’ve never seen a parasite latch onto a parasite,” [Bobby casually remarks whilst pointing to both Flint and then the Champion himself.] “That’s a first for me. So if this new dawn of yours is all about infections and curing them, consider The Star Boy the first to step up.”
[Bobby tosses his All-Star Championship at the feet of Jeckel, pointing at the World Championship that sits on his shoulder.]“Ha!” [Jeckel shouts in his face.] “That was cute, kid. I was going to ask if you were crazy but then I realized, ‘star boy’ says it all. I once dated a whore like you, did you know that? Back when you were being probed, I was probing her. She thought she was from outer space as well, only it turned out, she hadn’t been out of this world until she met me,” [Jeckel winks.] “Sup Lyra?”
[Bobby looks around the ring for something, disgusted.] “I think I’m going to be sick,” [he mocks.] “Does anyone have a sick bag or should I just throw up here? Look, I didn’t come out here to lose half my body weight in vomit. I came out here to declare my intent to face you at Fallout for the OSW World Championship.” [The opening lick of Steve Vai’s wonderful guitar playing from “For The Love Of God” rings out over the arena. Mike Lane walks out from the shadows with no pomp and circumstance. He places his hands on his hips and looks out over the crowd before raising his arms out to the side in the crucifix pose. Then he begins to slowly stride with purpose down the aisle. He slides into the ring and is offered a microphone by Paloma Ruiz.]“I don’t mean to interrupt the party but I believe you have something that belongs to me,” [Lane says as he stands in front of Jake, Bobby and Flint.] “And I want it back. What you did at Ring of Dreams amounts to daylight robbery,” [he growls, Jake smiling back.] “And I may not be able to do anything about that but I am entitled to a rematch for that belt. I’m sorry Bobby, but you’re going to have to get to back of the line.”
[Jake looks at Bobby, then at Lane and motions over to Flint. The Chairman listens to him for a moment and nods in agreement.]“As the Champion of the New Dawn, it’s Jake Jeckel’s choice how he accepts your challenges. He could take Bobby Neptune tonight and savour Mike Lane for Fallout, but he has decided that none of you get a shot until he’s ready!”
[The lyrics “Shot through the heart, and you’re to blame. Darlin’ you give love, a bad name!” blast on the P.A. Just as the line ends, purple and green pyro blasts out of the stage. Bruce and Paige Van Chan appear standing on the stage as the fireworks die down. They look at each other and walk down the ramp high fiving fans (one on each side) as they go, BVC talking himself up as well. At the last part of the ramp, BVC starts sprinting and slides into the ring under the bottom rope. He pulls out a microphone, looking very displeased.]“You know, after Ring of Dreams, many different kinds of men would have found themselves distraught. I gave everything I had to win Pandemonium and this was my prize,” [Bruce says to another big Juggalo grin.] “This was my moment. You stole that from me, Jake. You stole my chance at glory and you did it because once again, you wanted to hurt me.”
[“Asshole” is chanted throughout the arena as Bruce, Bobby and Mike nod in agreement.]“Well I’m not above getting mad and I’m certainly not above getting even. I could rip you to pieces right now but I know from experience, that’d get me no-where. As it stands, you’re the man with everything to lose, Jake. So what I did was look through the rulebook. I went back and I scanned every single page of my contract, of the rules, of Pandemonium and I found something interesting.”
[The fans murmur amongst themselves as Jeckel converses with Flint.] ““Firstly, I was guaranteed a one versus one match with the World Champion at Ring of Dreams. That’s the deal. You broke that arrangement and whilst I know you had every right to do so, I had every right to my match. What’s done has been done and we can’t change the facts – but The Network? They can. I heard rumblings tonight that Bobby Neptune wished to trade in his Championship and I knew Mike Lane would want revenge, just like yours truly. So I brought my concerns to the Network and they asked me to read this statement.”
[Bruce clears his throat.]“After the events of Ring of Dreams and in anticipation of Monday Night Showcase, Jake Jeckel will defend his Championship at Fallout, against the following people. Mike Lane – owed a rematch for his title after losing it at Ring of Dreams. Bruce Van Chan – who’s title opportunity was interrupted at Ring of Dreams and Bobby Neptune, should he trade in his All-Star Championship after five defences. Therefore, at Fallout, Jake Jeckel will defend his title against all three of these opponents in a Fatal Four Way Match!”
[The fans go absolutely ballistic as Bruce throws down his paper and watches as Jake’s smile turns into a giant frown. The World Champion whispers something to Flint and then comes back to Chan.]“Am I supposed to be afraid?” [The Juggalo enquires.] “You three think you can interrupt my celebration and put the frighteners on me, Jake Jeckel? I have ended lives for this title. I have ended careers. I’ve broken families and I’ve splintered people’s lives and if you think, for one second, that Red Snow was the height of my ability; you haven’t seen all that Jake Jeckel has to offer.”
[Bruce smiles.] “What goes around comes around, Jake. You’ll find that out tonight.” [Bruce Van Chan’s music hits again as all four men stare each other down in the middle of the ring. Bruce’s threat see’s us out, Jake backing away with Flint, leaving Lane and Neptune to talk with Van Chan ahead of tonight’s matches.] [In the mean time, Fallout has its Main Event!] [Phoebe Outlaw and Tommy Hawk step into the ring off the heels of two major victories at Ring of Dreams. Who will come out on top in this heavy handed encounter?] [The bell rings and Outlaw heads in for some close range combat. Phoebe connects with a right kick to the hamstring then a left kick to the ribs. Round house from Pheebs to the head… but Tommy catches it and launches her to the mat with a HUGE SUPLEX!! Tommy goes for the cover but Outlaw slides under the bottom rope. Phoebe steps onto the apron and baits Hawk… Pheebs pulls Tommy’s neck against the top rope!! Tommy stagger back as Pheebs slides back in. Phoebe sweeps Hawk sending the Spirit Walker to his back. ARM BAR!!! Phoebe locks in a brutal ARM BAR!!!] [Tommy uses his strength to pull himself to the bottom rope and the referee breaks the hold. Phoebe rushes to the turnbuckle and climbs to the top rope as Hawk makes it to his feet. Tommy with a BIG BOOT to the top rope throwing Pheebs off balance and crashing to the apron first and then to the mat on the outside!! Dani moves to Pheebs as Tommy Hawk charges up and bounces off the ropes… GOING NATIVE!! Hawk FLIES through the middle ropes… but Dani Kersh PULLS PHEEBS OUT OF THE WAY!! Tommy CRASHES to the floor!! Phoebe climbs to the top turnbuckle once again… OH MY GOD… NORTH STAR PRESS!!! Phoebe with a SHOOTING STAR PRESS connects with Tommy Hawk on the floor!!! “HO-LY SHIT!! HO-LY SHIT!! HO-LY SHIT!!“] [Outlaw gets her bearing before sliding Tommy Hawk into the ring. As she makes her way through the ropes Hawk comes out of nowhere with a big KNEE TO THE HEAD!! Pheebs falls to the mat. Tommy Hawk moves into the corner and pulls the TOMAHAWK from his pocket… Outlaw to her feet as Hawk charges… THE SCAL– Outlaw ducks!! Pheebs off the ropes and charges for a BOOT… Hawk evades… Phoebe spins around and sweeps Tommy to the mat again… NORTHERN CROSS!!! NORTHERN CROSS!!! Dani Kersh screams in approval on the outside as Tommy Hawk TAPS!!!] [Phoebe Outlaw puts down the Spirit Walker in typical Pheebs fashion with The Northern Cross on Showcase!! Though this certainly isn’t the last battle we’ve seen from Tommy Hawk.] [Black and white.] [A faint saxophone plays in the background.] [The rafters. Into the darkness we peer, watching as The Silver Shroud appears before us. He’s walking the rafters, looking down at the ring and fans below.] [His narration guides us.]They say that the end is only the beginning. The Scarecrow vanished before our eyes and to the world, he has met his end. I don’t believe it. I don’t know where he is, or what has become of him, but he is not dead.
[The Shroud walks a beam casually, despite being a hundred or so feet above the ring. His dangerous clambering only seems to spurn him on as he searches for The Scarecrow.]I just need to prove it.
[But alas, he finds nothing.] [There’s no sign of The Scarecrow at all.]A thing like The Scarecrow can make you paranoid. Looking at him is like looking into the abyss and when you stare too long, you don’t tend to like what stares back. I can’t find proof of his existence, but that doesn’t make it so. I can feel him; right here; like bile.
[The Shroud comes back to safety and steps back into the shadows. The camera doesn’t follow, it just listens.]“Justice never sleeps, Scarecrow.” [Shroud speaks aloud.]
But maybe he does?
[The black and white scene comes to a close, before shutting off to black.] [Marvolo and Doubt, two very dangerous and unpredictable men to begin with, became that much more dangerous and unpredictable with the events that transpired at Ring of Dreams; OSW’s Grandest show of the year. Tonight, they step foot in the ring, and they’re facing one an other as we speak…] [The opening bell sounds and Marvolo takes off like a shot, showcasing some newfound aggression by attacking Doubt with a plethora of right and left hooks right out of the gate! Number One takes Doubt into the corner and continues his slug-fest until the referee reaches a count of four and a half! The official barks at Marvolo about possible disqualification next time and that’s all the distraction Doubt needs! ROUNDHOUSE KICK! And Marvolo is on his back! Doubt hits the top rope quicker than Tarzan and he’s in flight… SENTON BOMB! And he catches Marvolo square in the chest!] [Doubt doesn’t waste any time rolling Marvolo up but Number One kicks out at number two! Doubt decides to take to the top rope again and as Marvolo finds his feet Doubt takes flight… MISSLE DROPKICK! NO! Marvolo side-steps and Doubt eats canvas! And Marvolo takes advantage… CROSSFACE! Number One has Doubt locked up in the middle! Doubt has nowhere to go! Doubt struggles against the pain… he’s got a knee up! Elbow! Elbow! ELBOW! Doubt breaks the hold! He shoves Marvolo back and, ENZIGUIRI! Marvolo catches Doubt by surprise! GERMAN SUPLEX! Marvolo chucks Doubt over his head and Doubt crashes to the ring in a heap!] [Marvolo moves in for the pin but the referee motions towards Doubt’s foot under the rope so Marvolo begins to drag Doubt away from the ropes… Doubt counters, flipping Marvolo over him and DRAGON SLEEPER! Doubt applies pressure the neck and throat and Marvolo flails wildly! The official checks on him but we can hear Number One shouting “No! No!”! So Doubt applies everything he can muster! But Marvolo gets to the ropes! Doubt reluctantly releases the hold and get’s to his feet and runs Marvolo to his own… 5 POINT PALM EXPLODING HEART TECHNIQUE! Doubt is out, and Marvolo rolls him up! One! Two! Three!] [Marvolo rolls off Doubt and quickly runs up the turnbuckle to his music. Doubt laid out in the middle, Marvolo looks back to him and throws up his arms, taking the moment to celebrate his success.] [In the office of Errol Flint, Jake Jeckel is pacing back and forth, his OSW World Championship glimmering in the light as Flint watches on nervously.]“Look, The Network won’t be a thorn in our side forever, alright? They’re trying to make sure we’re as profitable as we can be.”
[Jake scoffs.] “I’m not worried about The Network. Some piss-ant suits have never been able to house train The Juggalo. I don’t care if they make me face the entire roster, I’ll kick their asses, ram my fist down their throat and fuck their wives. I’m thinking about the backer.”“I’m just as concerned as you are. I wanted to tell you this later but I’ve been talking with a contact inside The Network and I have it on good authority that your backer is the same guy they warned me about.”
[Both men stop for a moment and contemplate that.]“They’re linked?” [Jeckel asks.] “You’ve gotta be kidding me?”
[Flint shakes his head.] “Not at all. It hit me today when we arrived that whoever is behind your campaign, has the exact kind of clout they were talking about. We’re looking at a dangerous man, Jake.” [The Juggalo seems to agree.] “And they want blood. They put me through that campaign process to tease me with power and take it away. They aren’t going to like the fact that I’m the OSW World Champion.” [Errol stands up, walks over to Jake and puts a hand on his shoulder.]“Let them come and try to take it, huh?” [He confidently proposes.] “They may have the money, they may have the muscle and they may have the power but this is Old School Wrestling and this is MY company.”
[Jake grins.] “Fuck em all.” [Both men, full of new found confidence, slap each other on the backs as the scene comes to a close.] [The man robbed of his title shot at Ring of Dreams teams up with the man who has the #1 Contendership after five successful defenses of All-Star Championship. Their opponents? Two men who hate each other!] [The bell sounds but Austin and Vinnie can’t seem to figure out who will start this one off. Austin wants to but Vinnie is berating him! Bruce Van Chan meanwhile grows tired of waiting and charges across the hits a Stinger Splash on Vinnie in the corner! Austin smiles as he climbs out onto the apron. Bruce takes a few steps back before charging him and hitting a monkey flip sending Lane to the center of the ring! Bruce hops up to his feet and climbs the corner. Vinnie gets to his feet and HURRICANRANA FROM THE TOP! Vinnie hits the mat but Bruce pulls him to his corner and tags in Neptune.] [Bobby Neptune comes in and stomps on Vinnie before hopping over the top rope and onto the apron. He leaps to the top rope and springs off for a moonsault! It connects as he goes for a pinfall. One…Two…NO! Vinnie kicks out as Austin looks on nervously. Vinnie begins to make the slow crawl. Neptune hooks his leg as he gets to his feet. DRAGON SCREW catches him on the jaw! Vinnie gets to his feet and goes for the tag. PSYCH! Austin is pissed but Vinnie just moves his hand away and along the side of his voluminous hair.] [Vinnie turns around and… Neptune lights up his chin with a superkick! He falls back into his corner and in tags Fernando! Neptune throws a punch, but Austin ducks underneath and hits the ropes. THE REVELATION! The slingblade connects but Austin nor Neptune are finished. Bobby Neptune charges Austin, but he moves making Neptune dropkick his own partner off the apron! Neptune turns around STIFF right jab makes him dizzy! THE EMPEROR’S STRIKE! The suplex cutter flattens Neptune! Austin is about to go for a pinfall when Vinnie tags himself in. Austin grabs Vinnie and throws him outside of the ring by his hair! The two begin trading blows all the way up the ramp as the referee finally has to call the match as a result of a countout!] [They’re fighting all the way up to the tron where Vinnie grabs Austin and whips him face-first into the side of the stage! Austin is laid out. Meanwhile, Neptune and Bruce Van Chan’s hands are raised as they shrug at each other.]“What exactly is he doing in there?” [Nigel asks irritably as he marches down a corridor.]
“He’s taken over the meeting, sir! He kept talking about a new vision before I came to fetch you.” [Replies an exasperated secretary or assistant-type.] [Nigel mutters under his breath as they approach a set of double wooden doors. He straightens his tie before shoving them open and marching inside.] “What the devil…!?”
“Ah, Nigel! Come in!”
[Nigel’s blood boils at being invited into his own meeting. Marvolo stands at the head of a conference table seating dozens of bewildered businesspeople, presiding over a game of Monopoly.]“We were discussing plans to expand Royal Enterprises. Marvolo has made serious headway into Park Lane!” [He indicates the red hotel sitting on the navy blue property.] “And if you’ll look at the PowerPoint—” [He nods at the presentation being projected onto the wall behind him, with Raquel playing weathergirl in front of it.] “You’ll see that our revenue has already increased by 7,000%!”
[Nigel almost pulls his hair out.] “Listen to me, you pillock! You and I are tag team partners only! You have no business attending these meetings and—”Knock knock
“What now!?” [Nigel fumes as he spins round and yanks the door open, revealing… Nobody. He whips his head left and right down the empty corridor before yelling.] “Whoever just knocked this door has made the single most expensive mistake of their life!”
[He snaps the door shut. The room is immediately plunged into darkness as the lights and projector die. A woman screams.]“Shut up, you cretin!” [Nigel yells in the blackness.] [The projector whirs into life again, though all other electricals remain blacked out. Nigel, Marvolo, and the employees of Royal Enterprises all turn to look at the phantom PowerPoint on the wall…]
Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants. – Epictetus
A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart. – Jonathan Swift
“What is this drivel!?” [Nigel says, as presumably his silhouette moves to turn the projector off—]
GO DIRECTLY TO JAIL.
DO NOT PASS GO.
DO NOT COLLECT $200.
[The projector then bursts into flames, causing everybody to evacuate the room in panic. They all stand outside, panting.]“You know, Marvolo used to be a firefigh—”
“Oh, shut up!” [Nigel cuts #1 off, then smashes the glass to a fire alarm and pulls it. Ocean’s One look at one another, with Nigel breaking the silence.]
“You realise who did this, don’t you?”
[Lux Bellator and Smiley square off inside of the ring with a chance at the All-Star Championship on the line!] [The bell rings as they tie up. Smiley pushes forward in their tie up, but Lux hits the mat flipping Smiley over his shoulder. Smiley bounces to his feet only to be hit by a Lou Thesz press! He begins raining down mounted punches as Smiley tries to cover. Smiley punches him hard on the dome before pulling him off by his arm. He wraps his arms around the head of The Light Warrior and begins squeezing on his head as Lux grits his teeth in agony. The fans begin to get involved as Lux begins to fight to his feet.] [Smiley realizes this and slams him back to the mat by his mask, twisting it in the process. Bellator tries to kick him but the blind attempt misses as Smiley drops an elbow to the inner side of the knee. He wraps the legs and flips them over in a Boston Crab! Bellator quickly pulls away and reaches the ropes forcing Smiley to relinquish the hold. Smiley isn’t happy about it though as he begins stomping on the knee of Lux with fervor and anger! The referee gets into his face but Smiley just moves the referee out of his way before grabbing Lux’s leg and nailing a leg DDT! Lux pulls away as he clutches at his bad wheel.] [Smiley climbs to the top rope and leaps off for… TRAUMA! Lux rolls out of the way though! Smiley hits hard as Lux leaps to the second rope and springs off for… THE ARM OF GOD! The submission is pulled in tight as Smiley is in obvious pain after being driven into the mat hard! He reaches out and wraps a leg around the bottom rope. Lux comes back to him, but Smiley leaps up and pulls his mask down over his eyes! He hits the ropes before coming back for… CHELSEA GRIN! One…Two…TH-FOOT ON THE ROPE! Smiley looks irritated as he pulls Lux to his feet. PALM STRIKE TO SMILEY! Lux kicks him hard in the gut before lifting him up and… CATHOLIC CROSS! Smiley hits the mat hard as Lux pins both arms to the mat! One…Two…THREE!] [Lux Bellator staggers to his feet as he fixes his mask to be in the appropriate position. The referee raises his arm as he’s on his way to a chance for the All-Star Championship!] [After a gruelling match, both Lux and Smiley are licking their wounds when the arena is plunged into darkness – a complete blackout.] [A voice calls out over the darkness, the voice of Solomon.]“And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased. The waters prevailed exceedingly, and were increased greatly upon the earth. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man – all in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.”
[Thunder cracks, lighting up the arena with a flash for an instant. Then, darkness once more. Voices from the crowd call out in surprise, the cause of their surprise unknown in the pitch black.]“My Spirit will not contend with the sinful forever, for they are mortal and their days are numbered. A Great Flood will drown the sinners – I will wipe them from the face of the Earth.”
[The arena lights pierce the black, revealing Solomon himself standing in the centre of the ring, unhooded in his own black cloak. As it was at Ring of Dreams, rain falls from the sky to the canvas below. A host of the Ministry of Light surround the ring. Lee Crowley is by now at ringside, being blocked from the ring by Father Pedro, while two Priests of Pain hold Lux from behind, mere feet away from Solomon.]“Any hopes of Salvation sank along with the Ark at Ring of Dreams – I am the savior no longer; but the Flood itself. The rain comes for but one reason, to wipe the sinners from the face of the Earth.”
[Solomon brings himself closer to Lux, merely inches away from his face. Rain still falls on the pair, soaking both men through.]“You’re a fool, Lux Bellator. It was your hand that sank the ark. Every victim that the Flood claims is blood on your hands. You will die a fool.”
[With Lux still held firmly by the two Ministry members, Solomon smiles knowing the power is all in his hands. From inside his own robe, he produces an elegant dagger. He dances the dagger in front of Bellator’s face, threatening him with the edge of the blade. Lux defiantly mutters in Solomon’s direction, words that are not picked up by any microphone.] [Yet, the Priest of Pain does not cut Lux Bellator. Without warning, he turns the blade on himself, slicing into the flesh on his palm. As he does so, the water falling from the heavens changes colour – blood red rain stains the canvas. Blood falls from above.]“Every drop of blood that is spilled is your fault. The weight of your sin will bring punishment to all. There is no escaping the Flood.”
[Solomon leaves the blood-rain falling and slips out of the ring as his Priests of Pain relinquish their hold on Bellator. His warning has been issued; the Flood is now upon us.] [Having seemingly vanquished one monster, OSW’s Long Arm of The Law, The Silver Shroud, turns his attention to an axeman still at large, James Hunter!] [Things switch to black and white as the hardboiled cop meets the icy stare of The Question, a shot at the OSW All-Star Championship on the line. The referee orders Hunter—former All-Star himself—to surrender his axe before the bell. He goes to hand it to ringside personnel but CRACKS Shroud on the bridge of the nose with the handle! Shroud writhes on the mat, blood gushing between his fingers, but screams “YES!” when asked if he wants the match to go ahead. The bell rings and he’s already on his feet, where he and Hunter throw bombs, the crowd chanting along!] [Hunter takes control, sending Shroud into the ropes – discus elbow! He hurls him into the ropes once more, forcing more blood to flow – high knee to the face! Shroud gobs blood onto the mat on all fours, nearly choking on it. James sinks next to him and locks in a CROSSFACE! Shroud’s face is a mess but he dare not tap, that All-Star opportunity up for grabs! Hunter wrenches back as Shroud craaawls to the ropes… ROPE BREAK, but the Axeman doesn’t let go! 1… 2… 3… 4 – “I have til 5!” He bellows at the referee, finally releasing Shroud.] [He turns back to the detective – spinning backfist! Hunter staggers back as Shroud UNLOADS on him with jabs, chops, and uppercuts! Shroud charges the big man—Hunter ducks—a springboard dropkick cuts him down! The fans rally behind the bloodied Shroud making his comeback. Hunter to his feet now, and throat chop by Shroud – setup for the LONG ARM OF THE—NO—HUNTER SHOVES HIM OVER THE ROPES! “OOOHHH!” Shroud hits the floor hard. 1… 2… Hunter resets the count. 1… 2… 3… He rolls Shroud back in. No sooner does Hunter step over the ropes, however, than Shroud ducks him, springboards off aaand LONG ARM OF THE LAW UPPERCUT! One… Two… Three!] [The referee raises the noir detective’s hand in victory as he advances in the All-Star title race! Hunter stalks off, going home empty-handed tonight – save for his axe!] [A lone figure sits adjusting the tape around his wrists in the locker room as the showers rage behind him. The silence is broken up when a dilapidated door goes flying up against the concrete wall as Phoebe Outlaw barges in on a surprised Brent Kersh. The Enforcer immediately rises to his feet, looking for a fight, but Phoebe throws something at his chest instead. Dani is close behind, as you might expect, a glare on her face.]“That son of a bitch isn’t done.” [Phoebe exclaims, her face red with rage.] [Brent looks down at his chest and the black box he now holds. He slowly withdraws a VHS tape from the box and looks at it.]
“What’s this?” [Kersh asks, although there is no question in his eyes. He knows it isn’t good.] [In response, Dani grabs it out of her fathers hand and walks over to the small CRT monitor that all OSW locker rooms come equipped with. She shoves the cassette in with force, barely letting it be drawn in. A grainy image begins to play, black and white and fuzzy. Yet the contents are unmistakable.] [In the video tape, Phoebe and Dani are entering their hotel room and laying their bags down on their respective king sized bed. They seem to be relaxed and ready to enjoy their evening.]
“Did Hunter leave a note?” [Brent asks as he quickly shuts off the monitor. There is no question about the source of this video. Not after Ring of Dreams.]
“He didn’t have to.” [Dani quietly states.] “He said all he needed to last week. He’s coming after us with everything he has.”
“Well, we’re not done.” [Phoebe responds.] “He can’t hide behind those masks anymore. Two heads are better than one.”
[Brent snorts and shakes his head in the negative.]“James Hunter doesn’t need to hide.” [He nods to his daughter and her lover.] “He’s already in your heads with this video. He’s been in my head for months now with what he did. Hell, we saw what he did to Pig.”
“So let’s bust his head.” [Phoebe coldly retorts.] “He came after us because he could. Because we were trying to hide ourselves.”
“No.” [Brent cuts in.] “He came after you because because of hiding. He came after me because he wanted to break me. Either way, James Hunter isn’t a man who trades in lies. The truth is how he breaks people’s spirit. Then he just swoops in and sweeps away the pieces.”
“Your point?” [Dani responds, her hand on her hip in annoyance.] [The Enforcer shakes his head at his daughter as he turns towards Phoebe.]
“We worked together before once. I seem to recall that you attacked me even though our enemy tried to kill us.”
[To her credit, Phoebe just nods in agreement.]“And I’d do it again, old man.” [Outlaw says as she points back to Dani.] “But I thought it proper to let you know to stay out of my way when I show Hunter how to actually use an ax.”
“Way to play right into his arms, Phoebe.” [Brent says as he walks past his daughter and Outlaw.] “I’m going after Hunter either way, because it’s the right thing to do.”
[Kersh walks out of the room while Phoebe and Dani share a look.]“Guess dinner’s on you, Dani.” [Phoebe gloats as she heads for the door.]
“He’ll come around, Feebz!” [Dani responds as she follows Phoebe out.] [The locker room is empty, but the sound of the shower running becomes apparent as James Hunter walks out of the shower, his ax dragging on the ground behind him. He slowly stalks over to the VCR to withdraw the VHS cassette from the machine. He shrugs as he looks at it.]
“Be kind, please rewind.” [Hunter mutters as he rolls back the tape with his finger in the back of the cassette.]
“This will be easier than I thought.”
[Hunter takes the VHS with him as he leaves the locker room himself. The empty space seems a lot smaller as the Question’s ax has left a dividing line in the concrete floor. That line is no different than the one between Phoebe and Brent at this time.] [Both competitors are in the ring as Hysteria raises the US title high into Nigel’s face mocking him, the englishman making the motion that the title will be his soon as the referee breaks them apart] [The bell rings as Hysteria rushes forward, ducking under a forearm as he nails Royal with a big boot that turns him inside out. Hysteria drops down, pounding away with rights and lefts before Nigel catches one, flipping Hysteria down to the mat as he tries to lock in the Dungeons of London. Hysteria quickly rolls away, both men standing to their feet as they rush forward again, pounding away with rights and lefts at one another.] [Hysteria sends Nigel staggering back a few feet with a slap across the face as Nigel retaliates with a picture perfect dropkick. The Lost One staggering back into the ropes and as he bounces back, walks right into Nigel’s clutches as he’s thrown across the ring with a picture perfect belly to belly suplex. Hysteria slowly gets to his feet as Nigel grabs him from behind, delivering the first belly to back. Royal holds on, delivering the second and the third, ROYAL FLUS…NO! Hysteria elbows his way out of the hold, grabbing Nigel and throwing him onto the middle rope in a modified Stun Gun] [The Lost One doesn’t cover, instead heading up to the top rope as he waits for Nigel to get back up to his feet, FALL OF MAN! This should be over as Hysteria calls for the end, pulling Nigel up to his feet but Royal ducks under a right hand, going behind, ROYAL FLUSH! Royal signals for the end, pulling Hysteria up but he’s staggered by a sudden headbutt, LOST HOPE! Outta nowhere and this should be it as Hysteria drops a savage knee down on the unconcious Royal’s head before covering. ONE…TWO…THREE!!!] [Hysteria gets to his feet, hand raised in victory as the crowd viciously boo. The Lost One holds the US title up high as he mocks the crowd and the fallen Royal before rolling out of the ring and walking down to the back] [Austin Fernando stalks through the backstage area with his forehead being held by his hand.]“Where’s Vinnie?!” [He yells with raising anger in his tone.] [The cameramen and fellow employees scatter as they know not to get involved.]
“Where’s Lane?!” [Austin grabs a guy by his shirt and pushes him against a wall with his fist raised, albeit shakily in anger.]
“Lo-lo-look! I just sa-sa-saw him head for the parking lot with Roxy!”
[Fernando throws the guy down as he stalks to the garage. He bursts the doors open and sees Vinnie Lane loading up his bags and Hardcore Championship in the back of his car. Roxy is already in the vehicle. He begins to run up to him as Roxy sees this!]“Baby no!!!”
[Vinnie looks up before being blindsided by a furious set of jabs from Austin who throws him into a nearby red car as the annoying alarm begins going off. It’s then that Fernando notices something to his right.]“You think you can run from The Epitome of Greatness?! It’s time for you to LEARN YOUR PLACE!”
[Fernando grabs him up by his hair and flings him backfirst into the dumpster! He throws open the lid but Roxy Cotton comes out and leans over Vinnie.]“No, please! Stop this!”
“Stop? I don’t think so Roxy. In fact, you’re just as guilty as he is in my eyes!”
[Austin grabs Roxy by the hand and throws her into the dumpster! He lifts up the body of Vinnie and throws him in on top of her pressing her further into the garbage as she cries out in disgust. He shuts the lid and that’s when he spots the Hardcore Championship in the back of Vinnie’s car. He lifts up the title as he admires it.]“Well would you look at this. This would go great on my shelf back home. I don’t think Vinnie will be needing it after all.”
[He begins to walk away when a cryptic noise spurs his attention to his right. He turns to see Tommy Hawk standing in the light of the beeping car’s headlights.]“You know this is not the actions of a truly honorable man.”
“A truly honorable man? You don’t even know what that playboy has done to me!”
“This may be tru-”
“May be? Were you in XWF? Were you there?”
“In spirit.”
“In SPIRIT?! Then what-”
[A finger taps Austin on the shoulder.]“Ahem. I’ll be taking that!”
[Austin turns around slowly and the Hardcore Championship is yanked from his hands! The perpetrator runs towards the beeping car before stopping the beeping and leaping in. He turns it on and NEARLY RUNS OVER Fernando and Hawk on his way out! He comes to a screeching halt as the window rolls down to reveal Betamax with a huge smile on his masked face.]“Sorry boys, A TITLE FOR A TITLE!”
[His wild laughter is barely recorded as he floors it out of the parking garage leaving Austin Fernando to look out in confusion as Tommy Hawk has disappeared as well.]“Fucking weirdos.”
[Brent Kersh waits patiently in the middle of the ring for The Scarecrow, and when his music hits, prepares himself for the battle ahead.] [Only when the smoke clears, The Scarecrow is no-where to be seen.] [Brent speaks to the referee, curious about what’s going on as the camera searches the arena. Last week at Ring of Dreams, The Scarecrow went up in flames and earlier tonight, The Silver Shroud was unable to find trace of his survival.] [Could he have been vanquished?] [The referee has no choice but to ring the bell, raising Brent Kersh’ reluctant arm as winner here tonight, via no show. The Enforcer doesn’t look best pleased, hands on hips, as the camera fades to a commercial break.] [As Alex Reese runs back and forward off the ropes, preparing himself for the arrival of Jake Jeckel, the Tron turns on.] [A fairground.] [The middle of no-where.] [The shrieks and shrills of a person in danger can be heard as our camera pans outward to show a young red haired woman being dragged kicking and screaming through the mud and dirt.] [Her hair is matted red at the grasp of whoever drags her, blood seeping from that wound having already stained her hair.] [The camera pans up further.] [Hysteria.] [He throws her face down into the mud, cackling with laughter as he does.]“Ohhh Alex, I only wish you were here to see this. If it’s any consolation, you will be; soon.”
[The rest of the Asylum creep into the image from all angles. The Shark from the left comes crawling in, Smiley from the right and Doubt from behind the camera. They approach her, Smiley helping her to feet and holding her there for Hysteria.] [He meanwhile, exits frame only to re-enter within a moment.] [Baseball bat in hand.]“You see Alex; I know you don’t understand me. You’ve spent years questioning who would murder my wife and when you got close, I ripped the answer away from you. You just don’t get it, do you? Everyone changes. All it takes is one… bad… day.”
[He snickers.]“That’s all it takes Reesey. Even the nicest, smartest, most considerate person can be driven to the brink of insanity and I’m going to show you how.”
[Hysteria suddenly wrenches back and drives the bat at her right knee, shattering it upon brutal impact. The woman screams in agony, her leg collapsing underneath her as Smiley, Doubt and Shark laugh hysterically.]“I loved my wife, but you know something, yours is just,” [He wipes her blood on his mask.] “Just so much more intoxicating.”
[With the bat in hand, he winds up for another shot, this time aimed at her left knee, shattering that too. She screams in agony, but back inside the ring, she isn’t alone!]“URSULA!” [Yells Reese, who dives to the outside and starts running up the entrance ramp.
[Hysteria laughs.]“One… bad… day.”
[With Alex Reese running towards the entrance ramp, “Raw Deal” hits and out comes the World Champion to meet him with a thunderous right hand.] [Jake knocks him straight back on his ass and walks in, pulling him to his feet and dragging him towards the ring. Reese tries to escape but Jeckel bounces him head first off the ring apron and rolls him straight into the ring. The referee calls for the bell as The Juggalo immediately slides in after, dragging Alex back as he tries to escape through the other side.] [The fans boo, knowing why poor Reese needs to escape. Jake though is relentless, stomping on his back with vicious kicks to stop him. He lifts him up and then slams him back down with a Snap Suplex, rolling to his feet just in time to pose for the booing crowd. The Juggalo has fast become one of the most hated men in Old School Wrestling as he grabs Hard Justice by the head and pulls him back to his feet.] [With a right hand he shocks him back into the corner, Alex barely with it as Jake knocks him from left to right with mocking slaps. The World Champion is despicable. He goes to mount him in the corner but Reese somehow walks out, slamming him down with a Sit-Out Powerbomb! No-one can quite believe it as Hard Justice rolls straight to the outside and tries to catch his breath. He has to go, he has to get out of here and starts walking towards the ramp way.] [Only Jake slides out of the ring and catches him with a Clothesline as he tries. Hysteria is holding his wife hostage with two broken legs and Jake won’t let him go. The Juggalo slams him straight into the ring steps, sending them flying before making sure he eats barricade chest first. Jake rolls him back into the ring and follows, dropping a knee across the back of his head as he kneels on all fours, trying to recover.] [The only way out of this match is to fight. Jake grabs Alex by the hair and gets him back up, but this time, Reese hits back. Back elbows to the gut get him some room and he hits the ropes, leaping back with a Shoulder Block that sends the entire arena into raptures. Hard Justice stumbles to his feet just as Jake does and scoops him into a Fireman’s Carry. MIND OVER MATTER! STRAIGHT INTO THE SIT OUT FACEBUSTER! ALEX LEAPS INTO THE COVER…. ONE… TWO… KICK OUT! God damnit!] [He could try and escape the ring again but the only thing on his mind is putting this match to bed so that he can leave. Reese pulls him back to his feet and slams him into the corner taking a large run up to the other corner and then driving forward… THE EYE OPENER!! BIG BOOT TO THE SKULL OF JAKE JECKEL! Hard Justice is pulling out all the stops! Jeckel stumbles from the corner and ROLLING- NO! HEAD SPINNER REVERSED INTO A NECKBREAKER! JECKEL REVERSED!] [The Juggalo somehow reversed that. Both men slowly get back to their feet and the slugfest starts. Right and left hands are exchanged fervently in the middle of the ring, Alex just wanting to go home. He pushes Jake back into the ropes and whips him across the ring, running at him with a Clothesline that The Juggalo ducks. Jeckel spins him, scoops him up and THE HATCHET! THAT HAS TO BE IT! THE WORLD CHAMPION COVERS…. ONE…. TWO…. THREE!] [The bell sounds and Jake rolls away like he’s just won the World Championship all over again – a big shit eating grin on his face. He took care of Reese whilst he was preoccupied here tonight and once again, he’s gotten away with it.] [With Jeckel getting back to his feet and the referee handing him his World Championship, he raises it into the air until someone cuts him off.] [That someone? Bruce Van Chan.]“You just can’t help yourself, can you? When the opportunity arises to do the decent thing, you always scrape the bottom of the barrel.”
[Bruce heads out onto the stage, flanked by a group of ten police officers. They surround him as he walks to the ring, shaking his head and wagging his finger.]“Last week at Ring of Dreams, you were revealed to be the man behind the Red Snow massacre and I don’t mind telling you that there’s consequences for that. You can’t just kill people and get away with it, Jake. I don’t care how much you and Flint frame it as an accident, these officers aren’t just willing to accept it.”
[Everyone enters the ring as Jake Jeckel retrieves a microphone.] “Oh but it was an accident, Bruce. Didn’t you get the memo? It went down as a gas explosion, fuckhead. As for those cops?” [All of them suddenly turn on Bruce with their eyes locked upon his. He frowns, unsure of what’s about to happen.] [Then they attack.]“Meet The Gathering.”
[The officers rip their shirts off to reveal Juggalo t-shirts underneath as Jake laughs hysterically. Bruce is immediately getting beaten from pillar to post in the middle of the ring by men he thought were cops.] [But hold that, here comes MIKE LANE AND BOBBY NEPTUNE!] [To the fans approval, both men slide into the ring and start duking it out, trying to help Van Chan. Bodies start flying left and right but Jake’s men get the upper hand, pummelling all three of his opponents into the canvas. With the numbers game well and truly on their side, The Gathering grab Mike Lane and throw him into a World Championship shot to the skull by Jeckel. Next up is Bobby Neptune who suffers the same fate and finally, Bruce Van Chan, who Jake takes great pleasure in running the belt across his skull.] [He picks up his dropped microphone and smiles.]“Red Snow is over, Bruce. The Police don’t care and the minute you called them, Flint’s contact in the LVPD gave us a call. You can’t escape the new dawn. Meet the new boss, nothing like the old boss.”
[Mic drop.] [‘RAW DEAL’ hits again as Monday Night Showcase goes off the air, Jake Jeckel flipping us all the bird.] [It’s a new era in Old School Wrestling.] [And it’s damn good to be King.] [The Juggalo King.]