“SETTLED”
SOMEWHERE ELSE

Click.

The Slaughterhouse logo flickers in glowing neon.

FLASH!

Lightning streaks across the night sky and the logo is gone. It’s a stormy night in the graveyard, but Darby Sorrow is out in the rain and darkness, his shovel being washed of mud with every stroke into the ground. Two graves have already been dug, and the third is in progress as the headlights of a car cut through the rain.

The new OSW World Champion looks against the harsh glare of the headlights until a figure steps in front of them. Flanked by Mickey McGuiness holding an umbrella, there is none other than Berkshire Ellison Greene.

“One of those for me?” BEG taunts, yelling through the downpour.

Sorrow leans his shovel on his shoulder.

“Death never ceases, so neither do I.”

“It must kill you,” BEG begins, “to know that you need me. But wait, nothing can kill you, can it?”

Greene’s grin is visible even in the poor conditions.

“That just means I’m going to have a great time at Drag Em To Hell, doesn’t it? I’ve got a hard-on for hurting people, and you’re nothing more than a two-dollar whore that’s going to give me everything I ask for.”

The Gravedigger plants his shovel into the ground with a sharp stroke.

“You know that the Butcher is manipulating us, don’t you?”

BEG laughs for a moment.

“Manipulating you, maybe. I’m financing this whole thing, this secret antique hunt. I don’t give a damn what he’s hunting for, I just know what he’s promised me in return for my resources.”

Greene gestures theatrically with a devilish grin.

“Power even money cannot buy.” BEG grins. “I’ve got everything money can buy, so the idea of something I can’t is a little alluring.”

Sorrow shakes his head.

“It’s settled then. The two of us will go one on one at Drag Em To Hell. Then we’ll go on Butcher’s hunt.”

BEG nods.

“I can’t wait until you can die, Darby. I’ll be first in line to give you what you want.”

With that, BEG turns and gets back in his car. As it peels out of the graveyard, Sorrow returns to digging as lightning strikes illuminating the entire sky.

FLASH!

A shadow appears behind Sorrow.

FLASH!

Then it’s gone.

Cut.

“FROM SEA TO SHINING LIGHTS”
SOMEWHERE ELSE

Hundreds of miles off the East Coast, even more from the Slaughterhouse, we find Scrimshaw deep sea fishing when suddenly his ship is rocked with enough force to knock over the man who has the steadiest of sea legs.

“What the devil was that?”

Scrimshaw looks at the water trying to find out what did that but before he can see anything, his ship is hit with enough force to capsize it making Scrimshaw fall overboard!

“Ahh!!”

Thud, no splash for Scrimshaw as it’s a portal he falls into not the sea itself. A hand reaches out to Scrimshaw to pick him off the wooden floor he fell onto.

“You guessed the wrong demon, friend. Welcome to the show that never ends!”

Bright lights shine into Scrimshaw’s eyes and a camera is thrust into his face. It looks like Monty Straight has found his new contestant.

“I can see you’re confused Scrimshaw but when I found out how bad the seas were going to be today, I had to keep an eye out on you. Good thing I did because your ship is sinking to the depths as we speak. I’ll make this quick as you don’t look like a man who has time to spare. With you needing a new ship, I have two options for you.”

Monty waves his hand out and his two doors appear.

“Behind door number one is a better version of your ship. Your ship designed for the twenty-first century. Outfitted with technology cruise ships haven’t gotten yet but most importantly, unsinkable in a way the Titanic wishes it was. It will last longer than you will.”

Scrimshaw nods his head and Monty continues.

“However, behind door number two is a vessel that has seen places your ship could never reach. It is a vessel that can get in anywhere and make every head turn when they see it. It has seen more places in a week than your ship has in its lifetime. If you choose it, it will belong only to you even though it used to be for everyone.”

“I have made my decision and I choose number two. If the first boat’s selling point is it can last longer than me, that’s a low bar. Every ship should be able to last longer than a man who doesn’t have time to spare, right?.”

He walks through the second door and instead of being in a new vessel, he’s in gorilla position, waiting to be announced for his match that he thought was days away still.

“Wow, that show does never end.”

Cut.

BVEIL & JUDGE VS. SCRIM & VERITAS VS. MEZ & RW
TAG TEAM MATCH

It’s tag team chaos here tonight! The first member of either of these odd couples to get either a pinfall or submission wins it for their team!

The bell rings, and its Veritas, Redwing, and The Judge who kick things off! Redwing and Veritas both move in on the much larger Judge! They throw a few punches and kicks, but immediately The Judge has his massive hands wrapped around both much smaller competitors’ throats! He lifts them high into the air!! DOUBLE CHOKESLAM BY THE JUDGE!!!

Mez charges into the ring!!! GUT CHECK right into the Judge’s gut that gets him doubled over!!! The referee tries to make Mez leave the ring! Bad idea asshole!!! MEZ HEAD CHECKS THE REFEREE!!! Scrimshaw sneaks into the ring, brass knuckles in hand! HE PUNCHES MEZ WITH THE BRASS KNUCKLES RIGHT IN THE GROIN!!! Mez falls to his knees, clutching his balls, and then to all fours!

THE ANNULMENT FROM BLACKVEIL TO MEZ, STUNNING HIM BUT NOT TAKING HIM DOWN!!! And then Blackveil takes a shot to the head with Scrimshaw’s brass knuckles!! “Take that ya bitch!” Redwing steps in and snatches Scrimshaw! RETURN TO ARKHAM!!! Redwing is back up to his feet!!! TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION FROM VERITAS!!! Veritas and The Judge now stand to their feet!

Judge grabs Veritas by his head!!! THE TRUTH MAY BITE YOU!!! THE JUDGE BITES INTO VERITAS’ HEAD AND HITS HIM WITH A CUTTER!!! Mez is back to his feet! Judge kicks him in the gut and brings that powerful head of Mez’s head between his legs!!! RESTORATION!!! THE POWERBOMB!!! HE MAKES THE COVER!!! THE REF HAS TIMELY COME TO HIS SENSES!!! ONE… TWO… NOOOOO!!! REDWING BREAKS IT UP WITH A DARKNESS FALLS TO THE JUDGE!!! JESUS CHRIST!!! REDWING MAKES THE COVER!!! ONE… TWO… THREEEEEEEEE!!!

Redwing and Mez pick up a big win in a wild match over four other strong competitors here in tag team chaos!!!

“A FEW PROBLEMS”
BACKSTAGE

Darkness.

“I won’t take failure as an option here. If they can’t produce the results I need then you tell them to turn in their badges. If they can’t innovate and use their feeble minds to work out the bugs then I don’t see why they deserve to be paid. They have three days.”

The camera slowly zooms out, revealing it has been staring into the pitch black lenses of Mark Gouldern’s sunglasses. The Herald of the Future’s face holds a stern look as he hangs up his phone, having almost no emotion as he puts it away in his pocket.

“Minds like theirs need to get with the times… or I suppose I’ll find some who will.”

He goes to leave the room he’s in only to be stopped by the sound of someone clearing their throat. He pauses a moment before turning around, being annoyed to see that he has come face to face with none other than Alton Whitlock. The Candidate stares the mogul down for a moment before speaking.

“So, you’re just going to dangle their livelihood over their heads, Mark? I heard how the call went down. And I have to say… I have more than a few problems with how I’ve seen you treat your workers.”

Mark cracks a small smirk, chuckling as he turns fully around, finally giving Alton his full attention.

“Is that so? Then, pray tell, what are these problems? Am I so wrong to want nothing but the best for my company, Mr. Whitlock? Or would someone like you see me as evil for cutting the chaff from the wheat in pursuit of the future.”

Alton shakes his head, stepping towards Gouldern, not letting the words get to him.

“I see you as a man who does not respect his fellow man. Do you have no shame, Mark? They are your employees, they should be your friends, but you see them as tools. And I think a man like you should know… a tool is only as good as the person handling it. Is it their failure? Or yours.”

This makes Gouldern lose his composure for a moment, the Herald of the Future sneering before straightening himself out, obviously not wishing to cause a stir.

“You are a fool, Mr. Whitlock. The world does not run on those who are left behind, it runs on the backs of those who are willing to push it forward. But I suppose a man like you wouldn’t know that. Good day, Mr. Whitlock.”

Whitlock doesn’t follow as Gouldern takes his leave, the Candidate merely shaking his head at the lack of humanity in Mark’s words.

“NEW VESSEL”
BACKSTAGE

Veritas is walking in the halls of The Slaughterhouse cooling down after his match when suddenly, he is knocked down hard by a superkick!

“What are you doing, Storm?”

The actor says no words as he starts stomping on Veritas!

“Get off him!”

Scrimshaw bellows the words and Storm instantly stops, bows to Scrimshaw and finally says some words.

“I’m sorry master Scrimshaw, I thought this is what you wanted.”

“Master? What I wanted? What’s going on here?”

Monty Straight strolls into the hall and is the only one looking normal here.

“Why are you acting so confused friend? When it wasn’t the open seas you returned to after leaving my show, you should’ve known your new vessel wasn’t a ship.”

“This isn’t a vessel for traveling mate, this is a human being.”

“You’re right friend, he’s not a vessel as in a ship, he’s a vessel of destruction for you to use in any way you want.”

Monty takes Storm’s sunglasses off, we see no pupils, no lens, just blank white space. Scrimshaw opens his mouth in shock and horror.

“Now you get it friend, he is possessed in multiple ways, possessed by my power and in your possession. Remember what I said, he can reach places your ship could never go, your ship could never fit in here. Your ship could never see the aspects of life he has. Like any celebrity he was for everyone but now he’s all yours.”

“How could you do this? I thought your victims had to agree to their punishments!”

“Oh, Mr. Storm agreed to this long ago.”

Scrimshaw raises his eyebrow and Storm, even in this state, turns his head confused.

“Do you not remember when you were a young actor looking for any kind of work? I changed my appearance for the job but I was your very first casting director. You signed the contract I offered you without looking over anything. It was long before you had your agent look over all the fine print. I was your first and now it looks like I might be your last as this is your new role forever. The devil is in the details, friends. Now, if you excuse me, I must get ready for my match.”

Monty Straight leaves and Scrimshaw is seething. Storm looks at Scrimshaw for his next instruction.

Cut.

MONTY STRAIGHT VS. JUNKRAT
SINGLES MATCH

Tonight on the Show that Never Stops, we will see Monty Straight in action against the unpredictable, explosive maniac that is Junkrat. Strap yourselves in for detonation folks!

Junkrat wastes no time in getting into the action, charging gung-ho at Monty and catching Straight unawares with a LARIAT THAT TAKES STRAIGHT DOWN! Junkrat keeps running, skipping out onto the apron. He pulls on the rope and FLINGS HIMSELF BACK THROUGH THE AIR! SENTON!! NO! MONTY STRAIGHT ROLLS OUT OF THE WAY AND JUNKRAT CRASHES AND BURNS!

Monty pounces, locking in STRAIGHT SHOOTING! He’s looking to end his show tonight early, but Junkrat somehow turns himself over and KICKS MONTY OFF OF HIM! The pair meet at their vertical bases. COMMERCIAL BREAK TO JUNKRAT! NO! THE ANARCHIST REVERSES IT INTO A CONCUSSION MINE OF HIS OWN!

Reaching into his pants, he pulls out a STICK OF DYNAMITE AND LIGHTS THE FUSE! Then, Junkrat high tails it out of the ring and begins searching underneath. Monty comes to and sees thy dynamite burning. Frantically, he tosses the DYNAMITE OUT OF THE RING BACK AT JUNKRAT!

BOOM! THE DYNAMITE EXPLODES! SORT OF… An explosion of baby powder, but Junkrat is no longer there. He is back in the ring, behind Monty Straight! HE SWINGS A STEEL CHAIR, BUT MONTY DUCKS OUT THE WAY! DEAL BREAKER… THE CHAIR GOES FLYING AND JUNKRAT IS DOWN! STRAIGHT SHOOTING! MONTY HAS IT LOCKED IN AND JUNKRAT TAPS OUT!

Junkrat went for the distraction, but Monty wasn’t going to be fooled here. Monty Straight takes down Junkrat!

“MIDNIGHT”
SOMEWHERE ELSE

A grandfather clock strikes midnight in a resplendent, old-money bedroom

Lightning and thunder crash outside. The wind howls.

And Blackveil’s gloved hand is at the throat of another man that she would see dead.

Her sisters watch on as she chokes the man lifeless in his bed.

He dies with nothing but a grunt.

“It is done,” she says. “Another oppressor dead. Never again shall his wandering hand grope at our sisters.”

“It is done,” one of her sisters replies. They bow their heads.

What none of them see is the pinprick of darkness, like a void, that appears behind them: small at first.

It grows outward until a tall pitch-black oval stands inches above the floor.

Blackveil turns and sees it, but shows no reaction.

Out from the portal walks The Judge’s hulking frame. His metallic black armor shines in the night.

“That sentence was not yours to pass,” The Judge says.

Blackveil takes a menacing step forward.

“You dare to tell me which way the pendulum of justice should swing?”

The Judge brandishes his massive axe. “It is not your purpose to play executioner to the universe. You do not seek balance. You seek revenge.”

“I seek to balance an injustice that has lingered too long,” Blackveil hisses. “On this world, the scales are a farce.”

“Your worth will be weighed in time,” The Judge says to her. He turns back to his portal. “Seek no more vengeance. Justice, injustice; good and evil. These are mine and mine alone to weigh. There shall be no further warning.”

With that, the Judge disappears through his portal. It closes behind him.

Blackveil turns to her sisters.

“One oppressor dies. Another appears,” she says. “Such is the way of things. But his end shall come too, sisters. His end shall come too.”

Cut.

MARK GOULDERN VS. SIGIL
SINGLES MATCH

The Realm Walker looks to redeem himself against the InVasion briefcase winner and Herald of the Future, in a battle of mysticism vs. technology!

The bell rings and Sigil rocks Gouldern with a headbutt. He sends the tech mogul into the ropes and floors him with a spinning heel kick. Mark sits up, stunned, and catches a running forearm to the jaw! ONE… TWO… KICKOUT! The Combat 2.0 suit doesn’t seem to have finished booting yet.

Mark rises on auto-pilot. Sigil doles out a precision kick – but Telaris predicts it and Mark grabs the leg! He uses the TeleGauntlet to pick Sigil up and slam him down with authority! Sigil gets to his knees and eats a speed-enhanced shining wizard! ONE… TWO… KICKOUT! Sigil may be having second thoughts about visiting this dimension.

The Collector stands up groggily. Gouldern looks to dispense some RUTHLESS INSPIRATION but Sigil makes a COSMIC LEAP out of harm’s way! Sigil’s otherworldly traversal throws Telaris off-kilter, leaving Mark ON WOUNDED LEGS as he’s rolled up with the calf-crusher! He scratches and claws but he’s too far from the ropes. Wait… THE TELEGAUNTLET DRAGS HIM INTO A ROPE BREAK!

Sigil yanks him up but Gouldern GRABS HIS SATCHEL! The two struggle for possession of The Collection. The referee intervenes, unsure as to the contents of the satchel. Sigil wrestles control away from Mark, who stumbles back – PLANESWALKER! Sigil charges him with a leaping front dropkick that knocks him into another plane of existence! ONE… TWO… THREE!

The enigmatic Sigil scores a big victory over the InVasion winner here tonight!

“THROUGH THE VALLEY”
SOMEWHERE ELSE

The Asylum

White sterile walls, flickering fluorescent light. The hallway of the Asylum. We are greeted by Redwing as he paces through the hall, accompanied by an Orderly. They stop at a door, requiring restricted swipe-card access.

“This is it. You’re on your own from here.”

Redwing shoots him a look, partly confused and partly judgemental of the Orderly’s cowardice.

“You’re not coming?”

The Orderly simply laughs his response.

“Through there. Hell no. That wing is reserved for some of our more… colourful… patients. Those with violent tendencies. Through these doors is Warden Johnson’s territory. And there’s nothing under heaven or Earth that could get me to follow you in there.”

He swipes his card and the electronic door lock flashes green.

“Have fun.”

The Orderly pulls open the door and ushers Redwing in, before quickly pushing the door shut once more. Redwing finds himself alone, a long hallway that seems more eerie by being deserted. Ambience is set by screaming and manic laughter in the distance. Redwing mutters to himself.

“Now that Freeman isn’t following my every move, I can investigate some places that I wouldn’t want the world knowing I was there. So, as I walk through the valley…”

He passes by a door, closed with a heavy lock. A young woman sits inside, rocking backwards and forwards on the bed. Without warning, she charges at the door, running face first into the glass and screaming bloody murder. Redwing startles backwards before continuing down the hallway. He passes by more doors, identical to the first. Each has a simple sign on them with a patient number.

10028

10029

10030

Down the next hallway, Mr Johnson and a doctor in a white coat are trying to usher Mez back into his cell a few doors down after his night at the Slaughterhouse. Mez is resisting and tosses the doctor clean across the hallway. He slams into the wall and crumples to a heap.

The warden pushes the monster through the doorway in the hustle and slams the door shut.

“That was not very nice, was it Mez? You’ll have no friends left to play with if you hurt them all.”

He tuts through the window at Mez. Redwing can only hear the slamming of fists against the glass in response. Redwing mutters under his breath once more.

“What exactly is the warden playing at here? All of these dangerous patients and he unleashes that monster on the Slaughterhouse each week?”

The whispering catches the warden’s ears, and Redwing ducks out of sight around the corner as to not be caught snooping. The warden turns back to Mez’s door, where the monster still thumps the glass.

“Well, Mez. You can always make more friends. It looks like your partner from tonight is curious about you. Perhaps we can arrange a… playdate?”

The warden begins walking down the hallway towards Redwing, so the Red Knight takes his leave, escaping back down the hallway and into the night.

Cut.

X VS. BANZAN
SINGLES MATCH

The Lethal Weapon looks to take down the Mountain tonight as X faces off with Banzan!

Banzan takes a Horse Stance as he watches and waits for X to begin his assault. X wastes little time and goes for a Spartan Kick but the solid stance the Mountain has taken has little effect as Banzan for a double palm strike to the chest of the Lethal Weapon.

X takes a step back, using his eye to look for a weakness in Banzan’s stance. Banzan takes a step forward but is X quickly slides between Banzan’s feet, and using the strength of his bionic arm, grabs Banzan’s leg and lifts it up, and whipping it down forcing Banzan to faceplant!

Banzan begins to rise when X looks for a stomp that is caught and responded TIGER CLAW! The five-point palm strike hits it’s mark but the Lethal Weapon takes it in stride, grabbing onto Banzan’s arm and neck, lifting him and slamming him down with a Half-Nelson!

Adrenaline begins to flow through the body of the Mountain as he gets to his feet, and wrapping his arms quickly around the waist of X, lifting him and slamming him down with DUKKHA! The Saito Suplex rocks X as he gets to a knee, Baznan comes in with MAGGA! The Kinshasa floors X. ONE! TWO! THREE!

Banzan remains unmoved against X as he establishes why he is indeed the Mountain!

“OTHER WORLDS”
BACKSTAGE

Sigil stalks through the backstage area. He passes by a couple of the ring crew when, strangely, he hears an obnoxious crying voice ahead of him.

“BOOOOOO HOOOOOO! Oh, bugger. They just– WAAAAAAAH!!! They just don’t make them like they used to!”

Junkrat sits against the wall, wailing, banging the back of his head against the wall.

Sigil stops in front of Junkrat, who still hasn’t noticed him.

“My poor boomers. The fuses! The damn fuses!”

Sigil interjects, “What is wrong with you?”

Junkrat jumps in the air and takes a defensive position. “What are you doing sneaking up on me like some kind of creeper?”

“You’re crying,” Sigil says. “Loudly.”

“Oh,” Junkrat replies. “So now it’s old Junkrat’s fault that you’re creeping up on him, huh?”

“I’m not trying to–” Sigil stops himself. “What’s wrong with your boomers?”

“It’s not just me boomers. My cherrybombs, grenaderinos, my C4… They just don’t make explosives like they used to.”

Sigil thinks for a moment.

“You know Junkrat, there are other worlds than this one, with much bigger bombs, and much greater explosions. I know of a bomb that fits in the palm of one’s hand. Yet when it explodes, it could potentially destroy entire cities.”

Junkrat sniffles and looks at Sigil, hopefully, wiping tears from his face. “Yeah?”

“Yes. I could take you to the world where it exists, but be wary. It is a wild, and dangerous place.”

Junkrat lifts an eyebrow. “What’s in it for you?”

Sigil replies, “We can work that out when we get there. If you’d like to go, I can take you now.”

Junkrat looks down at his feet. “I don’t have any ruby slippers.”

You can practically hear Sigil rolls his eyes. “You don’t need any ruby slippers, Dorothy. Just take my hand.”

Junkrat scoffs, “But isn’t that a little… gay?”

Sigil nods. “Just a little.”

Junkrat debates in his head for a moment.

Then he takes Sigil’s hand.

“I’ve done gayer for less.”

Sigil shakes his head.

The duo disappear.

““THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE.”
SOMEWHERE ELSE

Arriving home after a long day of being a hero is enough exhaustion for any one man, let alone someone as special as Bill Kirby.

He hangs his cowl on a specifically designed mantle, before reviewing the mail he collected on his way in.

One envelope catches his eye.

It’s big, brown and padded. There’s something rather large inside. He opens it up and pulls out a video tape.

Along the side, written in green ink, is the title.

“The Truth.”

He pops the video into his VCR, grabs the remote and takes a seat.

Static.

Crackle. Pop.

Hiss.

A picture of the Kirby family is the first thing we see. They’re happy and smiling, long before Bill ever became Redwing. The edges slowly start to burn and curl as an unusual and unheard of voice narrates.

“Your poor family deserved better, didn’t they?” The person questions. “But you failed them, even now. The truth has been out there but you’ve chosen not to find it.”

Redwing sits up, his attention caught.

“It now hangs right in front of your face like low hanging fruit. My question to you is, will you pluck it from the branch and chow down, or walk away?”

Static.

“Because the man responsible for what happened to your family walks the halls of Old School Wrestling; watching and awaiting, prepared to strike at any moment.”

Hiss.

“The truth is out there.”

Cut.

LUKE STORM VS. BERKSHIRE ELLISON GREENE
SINGLES MATCH

Up next, the reigning House Rulez Champion looks to make his mark against the #1 contender to the OSW Championship, in a non-title bout!

Luke puts up his dukes, but BEG opts not to throw hands with the MMA fighter. Storm smirks and instead invites him to a tie-up. BEG seemingly obliges – only to try and pull him into an armbar! Storm sees it coming a mile away, however, and uses BEG’s momentum to take him down with a judo throw!

Both men jockey for position as BEG’s henchman, Mickey McGuiness, watches on from ringside. Luke continually grounds BEG with throws and rolls, but – as with any situation he can throw money at – BEG weasels his way out with surprise holds and submissions. These two competitors’ ground games are equally matched!

Following a separation by the official, Storm floors BEG with a double-leg takedown. BEG, however, traps him in the PYRAMID SCHEME triangle choke! Luke knows he’s in trouble but, ever resourceful, flips over him into a bridged pin! ONE… TWO… THR—SHOULDER UP! Storm nearly stole it right there, but BEG isn’t a man you steal from.

BEG advances on a recovering Storm but LIGHTNING STRIKE out of nowhere! The superkick fells BEG and the referee checks on him. McGuiness drags Luke’s foot before he can make the cover! Storm pulls Mickey onto the apron and blasts him with a right hand! Before he can turn back, however, BEG has kicked his leg out and drills him with the CHIP OFF THE OL’ BLOCK bulldog! ONE… TWO… THREE!

It was a perfect storm tonight – but not for Luke! BEG picks up the win and, of course, the winner’s purse!

“A SOLUTION”
BACKSTAGE

The sounds of metal clanking on metal echoes through the backstage of the Slaughterhouse. We follow the sound for a few moments, finally coming to rest in a small room seemingly detached from the rest of the backstage. Inside, we see X, the Lethal Weapon tapping his fingers on a table as he examines the X engraved on his metal arm. He looks at it vacantly for a few moments before a voice rouses him from his trance.

“It’s a bit of a problem, isn’t it?”

X looks behind him, coming face to face with Mark Gouldern. The mogul walks around the table, being rather calm as he sits at a chair on the opposite end of it. He examines X’s body closely before continuing.

“What if I told you that I might be able to… help jump start the solving process, hm? If I were to take a look at your bionic parts and… see if we could trace them to a source?”

X doesn’t respond for what feels like minutes before finally looking towards Mark.

“What do you want of me? Nothing in this world is free.”

Mark chuckles, a glint shining off of his glasses as he leans in.

“I suppose I’m transparent, aren’t I? Well, X. I suppose I could say I have a… problem myself. A large one, about six-foot two inches, a scarred face. A self righteous personality…”

He pauses, taking a breath.

“This problem needs to be solved, you see. For if it isn’t, I believe this problem may very well try to ruin my business over the lives of a few nameless workers. Or, at the very least, be a thorn in my side.”

X merely stares a hole through Gouldern before replying.

“And I am the solution you speak of?”

“Precisely.”

Gouldern stands up, looking down at X, then offering a hand.

“I always nip my problems in the bud before they can fester out of control, X. If you are willing to be my solution, then I am willing to be yours.

There is a long silence as X considers this, considers going back to fighting, killing because he was told to. He then takes Mark’s hand, shaking it but keeping a tight grip.

“I will take out Whitlock. But if you do supply the payment you promise, then you will be next.”

Mark smirks, nodding his head.

“Then we have a deal.”

And with that, the segment fades to black, the two men still sharing their handshake.

“DISTORTION”
SOMEWHERE ELSE

In a darkened room lit by a singular monitor, there’s nothing else visible to the naked eye. The Butcher sits before this monitor, puffing on a cigar.

It flickers.

Glitches.

And a distorted voice, belonging to a figure we can barely make out through the glitching and static, sounds loudly.

“You haven’t succeeded in bringing them together,” the voice bemoans somewhat aggressively. “We need them both and your games aren’t as amusing as you might think.”

He releases a puff of smoke, his body language disagrees.

“We cannot find it without them. I told you that they must be aligned under this common goal or we’ll never succeed.”

“Look,” The Butcher says with a shake of the head. “This is a competitive business. These two would never walk the same path unless I forged their roads into one. You chose me for a reason, didn’t you?” He asks, folding his arms. “Well, let me get this done.”

The voice doesn’t respond immediately.

But when it does, it reluctantly agrees.

“Very well,” he says, through crackles and hisses. “But be warned, Butcher, I’m watching you.”

“You don’t have to tell me,” he grimaces. “I know what’s at stake. I put everything I owned into bringing Old School Wrestling back from the dead because you told me to. I murdered Nightstick because he couldn’t find it and knew too much. I’m in this shit deep, just like you.”

The monitor suddenly cuts.

“Prick,” The Butcher growls, abruptly standing up.

Cut.

ALTON WHITLOCK VS. DARBY SORROW
THE MAIN EVENT

In our main event, we have two of the biggest winners from Invasion facing each other tonight. Darby Sorrow who is our new OSW champion faces Alton Whitlock who just won the love of his life back. Who can continue their winning ways? We find out next!

DING! DING! Darby is hot out of the gates with a running dropkick that sends Whitlock to the corner! Darby follows up with some quick elbow strikes that Alton can’t respond to in time! Darby backs up and goes for a lightning quick spear in the corner! No! Alton dodges out of the way and Darby crashes into the ring post and out onto the floor! Alton sees a chance to make the crowd cheer and climbs to the top rope!

HE JUMBS AS HIGH AS HE CAN!

FROG SPLASH ONTO A PRONE DARBY!

ALTON PULLS DARBY UP ON HIS SHOULDERS!

ODE TO VIVIAN!

POWERBOMB ON THE APRON!

ALTON TOSSES DARBY IN THE RING AND COVERS!

ONE!

. . .

TWO!

. . .

NO! KICK OUT BY DARBY!

Alton pulls up Darby and Irish whips him into the ropes! Darby bounces back and Alton goes for a clothesline but Darby ducks it and springboards off the ropes! Tornillo splash from Darby! Darby turns it into a cover! One… Alton shoves Darby off but Darby lands on his feet and just smashes Alton’s face in with a low dropkick! Alton rolls to the outside to protect himself!

SUICIDE DIVE BY DARBY SORROW!

ALTON IS GETTING UP AS DARBY GOES BACK INTO THE RING!

ANOTHER SUICIDE DIVE!

THE CROWD IS ROARING AS ALTON IS FIGHTING TO GET UP!

A THIRD SUICIDE DIVE!

DARBY TOSSES ALTON BACK IN THE RING AND GETS ON THE TOP ROPE!

COFFIN DROP!

NO! ALTON GOT HIS KNEES UP AND DARBY CRASHES HARD!

Both men are down and struggling to get to their feet! Alton gets up first and is trying to pull up Darby! Darby breaks free from the clutch and starts raining quick punches to Alton! Right after right! He follows with an enzuigiri! Darby backs up to the corner and is waiting for Alton to get up!

ALTON IS GETTING BACK TO HIS FEET!

FORWARD ROLL THEN A LEAPING CLOTHESLINE BY DARBY!

SORROWFUL LIFE!

DARBY COVERS!

ONE!

. . .

TWO!

. . .

THREE!

NO!

ALTON’S FOOT IS ON THE ROPE!

The match goes on and Darby starts kicking at Alton’s leg! Darby pulls Alton up and tosses him outside making him crash to the floor! Alton is getting up but Darby runs towards the ropes again!

SUICIDE DIVE!

NO! ALTON TOSSES A CHAIR AT DARBY’S HEAD MIDDLE OF THE DIVE!

DARBY IS ROCKED BUT HE IS NOT OUT!

ALTON GETS DARBY ON HIS SHOULDERS!

JOKER DRIVER ONTO THE CHAIR!

DARBY MUST BE OUT AND THE REF GOES TO CHECK ON HIM!

ALTON BOWS TO THE CROWD BUT DARBY PUSHES THE REF OFF HIM!

SPRINGBOARD CROSSBODY!

ALTON DIDN’T SEE DARBY AND DARBY GOT ALL OF THAT!

The match goes on and Darby is on top of Whitlock raining down some elbows before he gets back up! Darby runs back outside and grabs the chair! He is smashing Whitlock with the chair! Shot after shot with the chair! Darby sets up the chair like a normal person would for sitting! He waits for Alton to get up! Alton gets to his feet! Darby runs towards the chair! He uses the seat as a launching pad and hits a jumping tornado DDT on Whitlock! He’s not done!

DARBY STANDS ON THE CHAIR, BACK TOWARDS ALTON!

HE’S GOING FOR THE COFFIN DROP!

NO! ALTON KICKS THE LEG OF THE CHAIR OUT FROM UNDER DARBY!

DARBY CRASHES ON THE CHAIR!

ALTON LIFTS HIM UP FOR THE VERTEBREAKER!

NO! DARBY REVERSES IT INTO A POISONRANA ON THE CHAIR!

DARBY COVERS!

ONE!

. . .

TWO!

. . .

NO! ALTON GETS THE SHOULDER UP!

Darby grabs Alton’s head and starts smashing it into the chair! He starts stomping away! Alton is getting rocked and Darby drags him to the corner! Darby wedges the chair between the ropes in front of a seated Alton!

CANNONBALL SENTON INTO THE CHAIR!

THAT DIDN’T LOOK GOOD FOR EITHER OF THE THEM!

DARBY DOESN’T STOP THOUGH!

HE GRABS THE CHAIR AND RUNS WITH IT!

HE JUMPS AND USES THE CHAIR LIKE A SKATEBOARD TO DROPKICK ALTON!

HE COVERS!

ONE!

. . .

TWO!

. . .

NO! KICKOUT BY ALTON!

They are trying everything to beat each other but nothing is working! Darby goes outside and grabs another chair! He sets them both up in seating position against each other! Darby drags Alton in front of them and he climbs the top rope!

HE’S GOING FOR THE COFFIN DROP AGAIN!

HE JUMPS AND HITS ALTON WITH THE COFFIN DROP!

NO! ALTON CATCHES HIM!

ALTON LOOKS AS SURPRISED AS ANYONE AND HITS A GERMAN SUPLEX ON THE CHAIRS!

THE BACK OF DARBY’S HEAD HITS THE CHAIRS AND ALTON COVERS!

ONE!

. . .

TWO!

. . .

THRE..NO!

DARBY BARELY GETS THE SHOULDER UP!

Alton is arguing with the ref about how that should have been three! Darby sneaks behind and rolls him up with a schoolboy!

ONE!

. . .

TWO!

. . .

THR… NO!

Alton’s lack of experience almost cost him his chance to prove himself against the champ but the match goes on! Both men get to their feet and throw strikes at each other! The bigger Whitlock gets the better of the exchange and hits Darby with a superkick! ALL IT TAKES IS ONE VOTE! He drags Darby to the corner and fixes the chairs to be seated against each other again! He lifts Darby up to the top rope and climbs up there with him! They are exchanging strikes up there but Alton gets the better of it again! Alton salutes the crowd and lifts up Darby!

WHAT IS HE THINKING?!?!?

HE HAS HIM UP IN VERTEBREAKER POSITION!

NO! DARBY REVERSES IT AGAIN WITH THE POISONRANA!

POISONRANA ON THE CHAIRS!

DARBY ISN’T DONE YET!

HE GOES BACK TO THE TOP ROPE!

COFFIN DROP!

HE FINALLY HITS IT AND COVERS!

ONE!

. . .

TWO!

. . .

THREE!

What a win for Darby Sorrow! He proves why he is the new champion over a very game Alton Whitlock!

“UNSETTLED”
RINGSIDE

The match over, Darby Sorrow drops out of the ring to retrieve the OSW World Championship (and his shovel), but as he does so he stops in his tracks.

Someone is already holding them both.

BEG.

The future Challenger has a shit-eating grin on his face as he hands the title over to the Champion. Sorrow grips it, but Greene won’t let go.

“Take care of this thing, Darby.” BEG taunts. “It’ll be mine in just a few weeks.”

Sorrow rolls his eyes, and pulls the title away with a jerk, turning him around. BEG grins.

GREENE SWINGS THE SHOVEL AT DARBY’S HEAD!

IT MISSES! BOUNCES OFF THE RING POST!

DARBY GRABS THE SHOVEL!

The two men go nose to nose, arguing relentlessly about needing the other in good condition only as long as Butcher’s hunt continues. It seems like a fight is going to break out at any second.

Darkness.

The Slaughterhouse is abuzz as the sounds of bodies hitting the floor are heard.

Light.

In the center of the ring, there are three men.

BEG IS DOWN!

SORROW IS DOWN!

In the middle of their fallen bodies stands one man. Nay, not a man.

An Indestructible Mountain.

Banzan.

The former World Champion is holding the title belt in his hands. He kneels down beside Darby Sorrow, and gently places the gold on the Gravedigger’s chest.

“You are a worthy foe, Darby Sorrow.” He says. “But you form dark alliances. You’ve ignored all I’ve said, and seek to ignore your rightful challenger.”

Banzan stands up, looking down at Sorrow with sad eyes.

“Consider this my notice, Champion.”

Banzan’s eyes lock on the World Championship.

“There will be no World Championship match without Banzan.”

Cut.