CLASH FOR THE CUP 2021 RESULTS

KAYLA vs. Skylar Ramsay

In a contest between two competitors who have both had their share of struggles since debuting on Proving Ground, both Skylar and KAYLA seemed determined to get things back on track. KAYLA’s offense was a flurry of high risk with high reward, but a combination of technical based wrestling and striking kept Skylar in the game. After several minutes of back and forth action, it looked as if KAYLA had softened up Skylar enough to add the finishing touches with their Kraken Slayer. However when attempting the move, Skylar was able to twist out of her opponent’s grasp and turn the attempt into her Duchess Lock. KAYLA fought against the hold valiantly for several moments, but was ultimately forced to tap out.

WINNER: Skylar Ramsay by submission at 6 minutes and 43 seconds.

Officer Greyfield vs. Archimedes Manson

The second match on the Pay Per View Preshow featured a pair of competitors making their debuts for Project: Honor, and they could not have been more different when it comes to personality. On one side was the brutal policeman from the streets of Chicago named Officer Greyfield, while on the other, was quite possibly the closest we have seen to a living cartoon in Archimedes J. Manson. Greyfield made it known early on that he does not have a sense of humor, and he wanted nothing more than to punish Archimedes for what he apparently considered crimes against humanity. Despite being hit with some incredibly hard strikes and slams during the opening minutes of the match, Manson proved to be more difficult to keep down than Greyfield had previously imagined. Archimedes would finally stop Greyfield’s offensive momentum by retrieving a crossing guard vest and stop sign from his bag of tricks. Then, as the referee was removing the stop sign from the ring, Archie connected with The Spit Take, spewing a neon orange liquid at Greyfield’s face. He followed that up with The After School Special and managed to keep the flustered Greyfield down for a count of three.

WINNER: Archimedes J. Manson by pin fall at 7 minutes and 29 seconds.
JEFF PROBST: Previously on Survivor, sixteen members of Project: Honor’s Proving Ground set off from a tiny Malaysian fishing village to begin the adventure of a lifetime on the island of Borneo.

We see a small fishing ship setting sail with several Proving Ground wrestlers and personalities on board, each of them hopeful of being the last one standing to claim the prize at the end.

JEFF PROBST: The contestants were then split into two tribes, each named for their randomly chosen leader. On one side was the Ozymandias Tribe…

Ozymandias, Tara Fenix, Arata Asakura, Emmanuelle, MYOJIN, Cadillac Jackson, Swindle Shelldrake, and Brandon Hendrix are shown one after the other, each of them wearing a red bandana. There can be no doubt that this is a team of amazing strength, determination, athletic prowess, and diverse skill sets.

JEFF PROBST: ...while on the other side of the island we find the Hunter Tribe...

Mark Hunter hangs his head and shakes it with disbelief as he looks upon his team; Larry KaChow, Percival Burque, Serrano Poblano, Lil’ Petey, TJ Thompson, Diana, and Guy. They all have happy expressions and seem hopeful of their chances, despite appearances that they may be the physically and mentally inferior team.

JEFF PROBST: For 39 days, they will be marooned, left to fend for themselves, with no creature comforts. Sixteen rivals in the ring, forced to band together to carve out a new existence, totally accountable for their actions. They will have to learn how to adapt, while avoiding elimination by way of a tribal vote. In the end, only one will remain and leave the island with the Survivor Trophy Cup. 39 days...16 warriors...1 survivor!

The picture cuts away to a wide shot of the island followed by a montage of deadly animals that live there. We then fade in to find the remaining members of the Hunter Tribe gathered for a Tribal Council. In front of them to oversee the proceedings is the show’s host, Jeff Probst.

JEFF PROBST: This is Tribal Council, where each week, one member will be voted off the island. The Hunter Tribe has been in turmoil as Mark and Larry have already started butting heads over Tribal leadership, food supplies have run dry, their shelter is in danger of being washed away, and they were already one person short for today’s Immunity Challenge. Mark, as the randomly selected leader of the tribe, what do you have to say about the first couple of days on Borneo?

The Straight Shooter gives Probst a dumbstruck look in response.

MARK HUNTER: Are you *bleep*ing kidding me? I made a shelter that would house all of us, but TJ and Petey removed the main load-bearing tree because they thought it would make a “sweet pole for the bitches to dance on”! I spent an entire day trapping wild game, but Percival and Diana sabotaged the cages to set them all free again! So I found enough non-living food to get us by during the first week, and Serrano ate it all within an hour! Larry has done nothing but lay in the sun, and no one has seen Guy since he wandered into the jungle to take a *bleep*!

The host nods his head thoughtfully before turning to another member of the tribe.

JEFF PROBST: It sounds as if Mark isn’t willing to take any of the blame for how things have gone wrong so far. What do you think of that, Larry?

We then turn to a grinning Larry KaChow, who puffs out his chest as he stands up to speak.

LARRY KACHOW: Typical Mark Hunter, am I right guys? First, he ignores the requests of Lil’ Petey and TJ Thompson when he’s building the shelter. If he had simply added a stripper’s pole into his design, they never would have had to take that tree. Then, he expects Percival and Diana to eat wild rats and rabbits. What kind of a monster is he? And we all know Serrano is a man with the appetite of an army. A real leader would have known that and made sure to bring back extra food. As for Guy...rumor has it that he had even more dirt on our so-called leader. Now he’s missing? Seems suspicious to me…

MARK HUNTER: Wait...none of that is true. Look, I’m not blaming anyone. Everything I’ve done is for the good of the tribe. There have been setbacks, but we’ll get back on track. If we stick together and support each other as a tribe, I know we can overcome the odds. We need to focus on the Ozymandias Tribe if we want to win this thing, right guys?

Mark turns to look at the members of his tribe only to see that they are already staring back in his direction. Judging from their expressions, it looks as if Mark has already lost the support of his team. Slowly, he looks at each of them in turn.

MARK HUNTER: Guys? You’re not actually listening to Larry, are you? Seriously?

JEFF PROBST: It seems like we can skip the formality of a vote. Mark, the tribe has spoken.

The host steps forward and takes the torch that is placed next to Mark Hunter. While continuing to stare him down, Jeff Probst proceeds to extinguish the flame.

JEFF PROBST: It’s time for you to leave the island.

Mark can only shake his head in disbelief before he finally stands up and begins to walk away from his former tribe.

MARK HUNTER: You’ve got to be *bleep*ing kidding me…

JEFF PROBST: The rest of you have a long way to go if you want to overcome the Ozymandias Tribe and be the last one standing to hold the Survivor Cup. Grab your torches and head back to camp. Good night.

One by one, the members of the tribe formerly named after Mark Hunter begin to make their way back to camp. Yet as the Tribal Council ends, one camera catches sight of Larry KaChow wandering in a different direction. The camera follows him for a short distance, and through its night vision lens, we see him meet up with another figure in the dark.

CADILLAC JACKSON: So...how did it go?

LARRY KACHOW: Are you kidding? Like taking candy from a baby. I’ve got Big Drip building a stage because I told them the season finale would have strippers. Percival and Diana actually thought Mark was going to make them eat rats and rabbits. Serrano will do anything I say as long as I keep telling him where the rations are hidden, and I clubbed Guy to death in the jungle with a rock because I think he was on to me. How’s it going on your end?

CADILLAC JACKSON: Bro, they think Ozy is going to make us pray to a sea god before every challenge, I’ve got them believing MYO stole the fresh water so he could wash his hair, and Arata is pissing them off all on his own! We’ve got this in the bag, babeee!

Larry gives a mischievous smile as he rubs his hands together...

LARRY KACHOW: Thirty eight days and thirteen more chumps to go...then it will all be ours...



♫ If I wasn't good enough to finally succeed
Then I couldn't love the reasons that I still bleed
It's getting harder to walk, I guess I'll just have to run
Headed straight off a cliff, I'm not like everyone ♫

As “Survivor” by Pop Evil plays, we see clips featuring the superstars of Proving Ground and Fallout who will be competing at tonight’s event. During the opening moments of the video package, clips from the Pre Show featuring Officer Greyfield, Archimedes Manson, Skylar Ramsay, and Kayla are shown.

♫ I'm a survivor, come ride with me
Been through hell and back, don't need your sympathy
Everything I wanted is right in front of me, yeah
I'm a survivor, come ride with me
Come ride with me, yeah
Come ride with me ♫

The video highlights then feature Earl Boyde in his recent defenses of The Gatekeeper Championship, the popular young superstar known only as Diana, and The Sultan of Spice himself, Serrano Poblano. In addition to Boyde and Poblano’s previous encounters, we also see Serrano’s recent attack that led to Diana’s elimination from the Warrior Rising Battle Royal.

♫ Keep my head up, sinkin', lost in all of these waves
These odds keep me goin', the tide has finally changed
When it gets harder to breathe, I guess I'll just have to scream
Get up back on my feet, I want the world to see me ♫

There is something sinister in the smile on Casanova English’s face as he appears on the screen, before we see flashes of how he won the Warrior Rising Title from the former champion, Lil’ Petey. The devious champion is then replaced by the heroic John Blade, as we see how he won the recent Warrior Rising Battle Royal. There is even a shot of Blade hurling Casanova out of the ring on the last episode of Proving Ground, adding fuel to their upcoming contest.

♫ I'm a survivor, come ride with me
Been through hell and back, don't need your sympathy
Everything I wanted is right in front of me, yeah
I'm a survivor, come ride with me ♫

The formation of a True Society on Fallout is featured, including the attack on Pyro that successfully sidelined that member of the Tag Team Champions. Slade Castle and Valkyrie are featured before clips from Bloodbath emerge, where Julius retained those same titles with his guest partner, Indy Darling. Tonight, Julius will have a different partner as we see Lil’ Petey’s recent backstage interactions with Hannah Morrison. Finally, this section of the intro ends with clips of DJ Hunter and Kyle Valentine achieving plenty of success over the past couple of months in tag team action.

♫ Come ride with me, yeah
Come ride with me
Come ride with me, yeah
Come ride with me ♫

On one side is the X-Factor Champion, MYOJIN, backed by Proving Grounds current Assistant General Manager, Caden Young. On the other is Cadillac Jackson, with the devious Larry KaChow backing him up. We see their recent clashes in various team encounters as Caden and Larry’s leadership skills were put to the test, but then the focus turns to MYOJIN’s defeat of Lance Williams to capture their championship, as well as Cadillac Jackson’s career-defining performance against the nearly unstoppable Ozymandias. This series of clips ends with a shot of the X-Factor Championship hanging above the ring and a steel ladder erected below it...

♫ Bring me back up or take me down low
Make it go fast or move in slow-mo
'Bout that shine, all the hard times
Free up the mind, I can open my eyes
I'm a survivor
I'm a survivor ♫

There are brief shots of Team Proving Ground in action from Night of Honor, but they quickly turn to those individuals at odds from episodes over the past few weeks. We see TJ Thompson standing tall with the Grand Championship held high above his head, Arata Asakura getting the win for his team before Mark Hunter is laid out by Swindle Shelldrake, and finally Ozymandias getting the better of all four men at one point or another. While the champion and contenders are clearly the focus, there are also shots of Mason Kane taking charge, as he steps into the ring as a special referee in tonight’s main event.

♫ I'm a survivor, come ride with me
Been through hell and back, don't need your sympathy
Everything I wanted is right in front of me, yeah
I'm a survivor, come ride with me ♫

Brandon Hendrix...Emmanuelle...Tara Fenix...Lance Williams...four individuals personally selected by Proving Ground’s General Manager, Indy Darling, to compete for a trophy created to honor the memory of his late father. Clips from The Clive Darling Memorial Tournament over recent weeks are highlighted, including the firing of Williams and his surprise replacement in Percival Ratman Burque. The clips culminate with Hendrix’s recent win over Burque and the exciting time limit draw between Emmy and Tara. Tonight the Round Robin reaches its end, but only one will be able to claim the golden cup and with it, call their shot at the Proving Ground Championship of their choice.

♫ Come ride with me, yeah
Come ride with me
Come ride with me, yeah
Come ride with me
(Survivor)
(Survivor)
(Survivor) ♫

The Moda Center in Portland, Oregon lights up with an explosion of golden pyro as “Survivor” plays over the sound system. The cameras scan around the arena to show the nearly 20,000 fans in attendance as they roar in approval and wave their homemade signs in the air.

“OZYMANDIAS IS ETERNAL”
“TEAM MYOUNGIN > CADDY KACHOW”
“I WANT OFFICER GREYFIELD TO FRISK ME”
“CASANOVA CAN’T SEE BLADE”
“TRUE SOCIETY WILL BE MOTHER FUCKED”

One of the cameras finally brings us to the ringside announce position, where Trey Booker and J.T. Price are standing by to welcome fans around the world to Proving Ground’s latest Pay Per View event.

TREY BOOKER: The wait is finally over! Your favorite brand of professional wrestling is back with its exclusive Pay Per View, Clash For the Cup! Tonight we come to you from America’s Pacific Northwest with a line-up for the ages!

J.T. PRICE: All of the Proving Ground Titles are on the line tonight, along with the Tag Team and Gatekeeper Championships!

TREY BOOKER: We’ve got a Scramble Match...a Ladder Match...and the finals of our Round Robin Tournament! Tonight’s show is loaded from top to bottom, so let’s not waste another moment!

J.T. PRICE: Take it away, Holly!

HOLLY PEREZ: The following contest is a Triple Threat Match for the Gatekeeper Championship!

“The Hamster Dance” begins to play as DIANA skips down to the ring with a big smile on her face, and when she gets into the ring she waves to the crowd in excitement.

HOLLY PEREZ: Introducing first, from Okinawa, Japan and weighing in at one hundred nineteen pounds… “The Energy Bunny”...DIANA!!!

The stage remains empty as the sound of a guitar playing can be heard over the sound system. Moments later, the opening lyrics to “Fire Water Burn” can be heard…

The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire
The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire
The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire
We don't need no water, let the motherfucker burn
Burn motherfucker, burn

At that moment, the music picks up its tempo and the curtains fly apart to reveal “Spicy” Serrano Poblano. With his bleached blonde hair spiked up and his sleeveless flame theme shirt unbuttoned, Serrano headbangs toward the ring. After rolling under the bottom rope, he tosses his shirt aside and throws his hand up with his fingers giving the metal sign.

HOLLY PEREZ: Next, weighing in at three hundred twenty pounds and representing Flavortown...he is “The Sultan of Spice”...SERRANO POBLANO!

Word Up" by THE BOSSHOSS hits and the fans know what's gonna come when this theme hits, a good ol' brawl! Earl comes from the back and walks to the ring and holds the title above his head. Earl stops and pours some beer on some lucky bystander. Earl rolls into the ring and waits for the match to begin.

HOLLY PEREZ: And finally the champion, hailing from Redfeathers, Colorado and weighing in at one hundred fifty nine pounds… “The Daredevil of Brawling”...EARL BOYDE!!!

DING! DING! DING!

TREY BOOKER: Earl and Serrano have met a few times before, but will this be the night that “The Heater” finally makes his Gatekeeper dreams come true?

J.T. PRICE: Not if DIANA has anything to say about it! She’s starting this one off hot!

Just as J.T. inferred, DIANA rushes across the ring as soon as the opening bell sounds, but the reigning champion is not her target. Instead she focuses her attention on the man who illegally eliminated her from the Warrior Rising Battle Royal just a couple of weeks prior. Serrano is caught off guard as she takes him off his feet with a running cross body block and then follows up with a series of hard shots on her opponent. As DIANA takes out her frustrations on Poblano, Earl Boyde watches from his own neutral corner, content to let the young lady beat on the Combat Chef. Entertained by what he’s seeing, Early reaches down to get a fresh beer from the six pack he’s brought to the ring and cracks it open while he watches the fight unfold.

DIANA pulls Serrano back to his feet and smacks him with a series of chops in the corner before whipping him across the ring and following him in with a dropkick. Poblano stays on his feet but staggers out of the corner in a daze. DIANA then sets him up for a piledriver, but the much smaller one finds it nearly impossible to lift the 300 pounder off his feet. Serrano counters with a backdrop, but DIANA lands on her feet and immediately rolls Serrano to the mat with a school boy…

ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!

Earl Boyde takes another drink from his beef before giving DIANA a round of applause as she pulls Serrano back to his feet. The Energy Bunny hooks Serrano in a hammerlock and then puts him down with her Bunny Drop DDT. After putting him back on the mat, she leaps into the air and plants both feet against his midsection with The Bunny Hop. DIANA then points to the turnbuckles as the crowd cheers in approval, and she quickly climbs to the top. She then leaps off and lands on top of Serrano with The Energy Splash and stays on top of Serrano for the pin!

ONE!
TWO!
NO!

Fearing that his title might be in jeopardy, Earl finally rushes forward to stomp on DIANA and break up the pin. He then scoops DIANA off her feet and slams her down on top of the prone Serrano Poblano. Earl follows that up with a series of elbow drops on DIANA and Serrano before he makes a pin attempt of his own, covering both of his opponents at once!

ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!

TREY BOOKER: Glad to see Earl has finally joined the match, but it’s going to take more than that to keep DIANA down for a three!

J.T. PRICE: That’s too bad. I was really enjoying her domination of Serrano…

Earl pulls DIANA to her feet and attempts a big swinging clothesline, but she ducks underneath and grabs him from behind for a German Suplex. She then goes back to the turnbuckles, looking to hit her Bunny Hop from the top rope, but Earl ducks underneath her at the last second and a clueless Serrano is hit by the move instead! DIANA takes advantage of the situation and follows up with a pin attempt…

ONE!
TWO!
NO!

Earl Boyde makes another save and prevents DIANA from stealing his championship with a heavy kick. He then waits for DIANA to get on her feet before hitting her with a one handed bulldog, driving the Energy Bunny’s head down between the legs of Serrano! As The Sultan of Spice grabs his peppers in pain and rolls away, Earl follows up with a punching combination on DIANA and then drops her with a swinging neckbreaker. He keeps her down with a running senton for good measure and goes for another pin…

ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!

DIANA shows that she still has a lot of fight left when she gets her shoulder off the mat, but Earl remains in control. He pulls DIANA to her feet and sets her up for his Redfeather Special, but she counters the Alabama Slam with a sunset flip that puts Earl onto the mat!

ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!

Earl manages to escape, but he’s met by the Bunny Kick when he tries getting back on his feet! DIANA has Earl right where she wants him as she leaps on top for the cover…

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

NO! Serrano makes the last minute save as he grabs DIANA by the hair and pulls her off the champion. Serrano then hurls DIANA towards the ropes, throwing her out of the ring just like he did during their last meeting in the battle royal. The Sultan of Spice cannot help but gloat after DIANA crashes to the floor, leaving him defenseless against a surprise rolling reverse cradle from Earl Boyde!

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

DING! DING! DING!

HOLLY PEREZ: Your winner of the match and still the Gatekeeper Champion of Project: Honor...EARL BOYDE!!!

TREY BOOKER: The championship remains in the possession of Boyde despite DIANA coming dangerously close to taking the win!

J.T. PRICE: And big surprise, Serrano is the one who takes the fall! It makes me wonder what a match between DIANA and Earl would have looked like without that big idiot involved!

BOOM!

The sound of an explosion brings us backstage where Lil Petey and TJ Thompson just mixed a couple chemicals into a 2-liter bottle and watched as it exploded. Coke went everywhere and security immediately came running to check what the noise was. Once they arrived, they already knew everything was good, just annoyed at these two up to no good again.

SECURITY OFFICER #1: What the fuck are you guys up to?

LIL PETEY: YOOOO THAT SHIT JUST BLEW UP LIKE SOME TNT OR SOME SHIT!

TJ THOMPSON: Kinda like your asshole the last time we went to Taco Bell!

LIL PETEY: Bro, you ain’t lyin’. That food had me ready to just drop my pants and shit on the spot. I wasn’t playin’ when we were jammin’ to Taylor Swift’s ‘22’ and I changed the lyrics to ‘I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOUUUU, BUT I REALLY HAVE TO POOO’!

TJ THOMPSON: I don't know how you have a girlfriend, but yeah! You right, bro!

LIL PETEY: Sometimes I wonder myself, but she’s starting to accept me and be comfortable with how I am! That’s all you can ask for!

TJ THOMPSON: Simp.

The security guys were starting to get even more annoyed and just began to walk away. One of them turned around and directed his tone towards the boys of Big Drip.

SECURITY OFFICER #2: Next time you boys are going to experiment and make a shit ton of noise…

TJ and Petey got super serious for a second as if they were about to get in trouble.

SECURITY OFFICER #2: … invite me next time because that shit sounded awesome! The way it just went BOOM! Hahahahaha!

LIL PETEY: YOOOOO LET’S GOOOO!

TJ THOMPSON: AAAAAYYYYY!!!

The first security guy grabbed a hold of him and pulled him away while TJ and Petey were laughing and back to being their normal selves.

LIL PETEY: Shit, yo, I almost forgot you got a Grand Championship match tonight. You ready for that ish?

TJ THOMPSON: Hell yeah, imma get me a belt! None of these people are shit!

LIL PETEY: Uhhhh have you seen who’s there, dawg? That hentai lovin’ tentacle man is no joke. You saw how he launched me into the crowd! Although that shit was fun though, you feel me?

TJ THOMPSON: That's true, but your boy is just built different!

LIL PETEY: Ayo he need some milk!

TJ looked at Petey like he was an absolute idiot.

LIL PETEY: You know… that meme where the dude- wait… wrong meme. Fuck.

Petey stops for a second after realizing he really was an idiot.

TJ THOMPSON: ...Anyway, what about your match?!? You ready to give the hands to those Phantom Troupe and True Society geeks?!?

LIL PETEY: Man I won’t lie to ya. It’s weird thinking about teaming with someone that’s not my Big Drip bois, but that Juulius mother fucker is dope. Maybe enough to talk him into joining the brotherhood, what you think?

TJ THOMPSON: My guy would fit right in!

LIL PETEY: Hell yeah I think so, too. As for the Danny Phantom nerds, I ain’t worried about them at all. True Society tho… they a problem. You see them taking titles left and right all of a sudden??

TJ THOMPSON: That's true. Normally I don't care about what goes down on Fallout, but they're about to fight my boy! Someone's gotta step in and beat those asses.

LIL PETEY: The Mother Fuckers will hold them off and defend these titles, but it’s becoming a big problem! Like they messin’ with us over here in PG and just keep growin’! You right, usually I don’t fuck with that mess, but shit I don’t know if anyone is trying to stop them or not.

TJ nods his head in agreement and Petey gets his vinegar-stroke face on, which usually means he’s deep in thought, just having trouble processing what he’s thinking about.

TJ THOMPSON: Nobody's doing shit on Fallout to stop them too! You think we should step in?!?

Petey grabs a hold of TJ by the shoulders.

LIL PETEY: It’s like you’re reading my fucking mind, bro! We’d be like superheroes or something! YOOO WHAT IF WE RECRUITED PEOPLE INTO THE DRIP??

TJ THOMPSON: Yoooo! Our numbers have dropped down to just the two of us, we need new peeps! Anyone in mind?!?

LIL PETEY: You ain’t lyin’ since that boy Sauce can’t turn eighteen already and BBB won’t leave him alone! Wellllll, they got some pretty big names, so maybe we should get someone big too? I bet I could get Hannah involved! She been tryna get into the wrestling game anyways.

TJ THOMPSON: Ay, what about Ozy? I know we kinda hate each other, but he’s this big-ass squid dude! We could use one of those!

LIL PETEY: Maybe he can teach me a thing or two in the ring too so I can keep getting better! That’s a dope idea. You wanna ask him during your match later?

TJ THOMPSON: Uhhh…maybe after I catch the dub. But speaking of guys in my match, what about Swindledick? Do you think he minds if I call him that?

You can see the excitement taking over Lil Petey as he starts pacing back and forth with his hand strategically placed on his jaw.

LIL PETEY: That boy Swindledick! Yooo, okay okay listen. These cameras are paying too much attention and giving away our plan so get in real quick.

Petey and TJ huddle up and all that can be heard is random whispers.

LIL PETEY: What you think about that team?? If we can get all of them, bro… True Society would have no chance!

TJ THOMPSON: That’s facts. I’m in!

LIL PETEY: Well, we got some work to do. Let’s suit up and start recruiting!

The scene fades to black as TJ and Petey excitedly walk away.


HOLLY PEREZ: The following contest is for the Warrior Rising Championship!

“Time is Now” begins to play as he walks out on stage. He talks to the camera man and bounces a little. He holds up his “Never Give Up” logo flag and tosses it to the fans. He salutes and runs straight down towards the ring. He bounces off the ropes side to side and he holds up his “Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect” shirt.

HOLLY PEREZ: Introducing first, from Boston, Massachusetts, weighing at two hundred and sixty pounds, Jooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhnnnn…... Blllllaaaaaaaaadddddee!

He takes off his hat and tosses his shirt to the fans and hands his chain to the ref to begin to fight.

The lights go dim as the eerie voice of a former member of the notorious Manson Family rings through the arena.

"yeah, I
remember her saying:
I'm already dead... I'm already dead... I'm
already dead..."

The lights flicker revealing Casanova English on the stage as the voice continues.

HOLLY PEREZ: Introducing his opponent, from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, weighing in at two hundred and twenty pounds, he is the reigning and defending Proving Ground Warrior Rising Champion! Casanova English!

"You're going to get up and scream. I'm
already dead... I'm already dead... I'm already dead...
You're
going to get up and-
Burn an x in your head."

The lights turn back on as Casanova English takes a long drag off his already lit cigarette, his leather jacket hung loosely over his shoulders, championship wrapped around his waist catching light. He scowls at the crowd before Bash Daddy slowly walks from behind the curtains to join him - the towering man shirtless, wearing black jeans and a leather mask.

English and Bash Daddy look at one another and smirk before walking down the ramp slowly. English stops to blow smoke in the general direction of some fans. Bash Daddy walks over to the corner between the guard rails and the ring. English goes over to him and lays the championship over Bash’s shoulder. To the disdain of the crowd Casanova casually pushes his cigarette into the face of the title - putting it out, twisting slow. English slowly struts up the steps onto the ring apron. He hangs his jacket on the turnbuckle before stepping through the second rope. English stands in the far corner, his arms resting over the ropes.

DING! DING! DING!

The bell rings, and instantly Casanova English darts out of the corner. He sprints across the ring and nails John with a devastating flying knee that catches him on the jaw. This causes Blade to flip over onto his back, and the element of surprise has done Casanova wonders there. As soon as John lands on the ground, he grabs his knee in desperation. The officials hurry to him, checking to see if it is anything serious. John had no time to block the attack, to prepare himself for that impact as it all happened so fast. Meanwhile, Casanova English stares down at his fallen prey and smirks. The evil of this man is far beyond imagination. Casanova English is done playing around though and pushes the officials away, screaming that John can take much more pain. He stomps a total of 5 times onto the prone knee of John Blade before performing elbow drops onto the side of the knee. Right at the epicenter of the pain. Each time Casanova drops an elbow, his aggression becomes more and more visible, his hatred becomes more and more palpable. Simultaneously, the screams of suffering from John grow louder and louder. Mothers cover their children's ears, babies cry, and John continues to be disposed of with this injured knee.

Finally, Casanova English stands up, satisfied with the damage he's caused. He wipes the sweat out of his eyes and assesses the carnage. John might not be able to finish this match, nevertheless walk again. Casanova English looks around at the crowd, who cannot express their dislike of Casanova enough right now. Casanova rolls to the outside the ring and approaches his championship by the ring bell.

CASANOVA ENGLISH: Don't worry baby, when I make quick work of this piece of shit, you'll be back home soon.

Little does he know that John Blade is getting to his feet, he limps up and looks at Casanova on the floor who is completely involved with his title. The cheers grow and John starts to charge up. SUICIDE DIVE BY JOHN BLADE ONTO CASANOVAENGLISH!! He throws Casanova English into the ring. He notices Bash Daddy on the opposite side of the ring. He then waves his hand in front of his face as the crowd cheers before John slides back into the ring. Casanova gets up and swings for John, but John Blade ducks under and runs with a limp off the ropes and nails Casanova with a shoulder block. He runs off the other ropes and nails another shoulder block. He calls for English to get up and when Casanova goes for another punch, John ducks and catches him with a spinning back suplex.

JOHN BLADE: YO YO TURN UP!

John calls for the crowd to turn up and they do so. He looks down at Casanova and hits him with a "YOU CAN'T SEE ME!", which the crowd chants along as John Blade runs off the ropes and nails the Five Knuckle Shuffle. He slaps his knee and squats a bit, waiting for Casanova English to get up. He could be one move away from winning the Warrior Rising Championship. English is up and John lifts Casanova onto his shoulder. Bash Daddy gets onto the apron, which distracts the ref, allowing Casanova to rake John's eyes which forces John to push him off. Casanova runs off the ropes and nails a nasty chop block to the front of Blade's leg that flips him over. Wasting zero time, Casanova English lifts John up and proceeds to nail him with "Existential Existence" before covering him for the one, two, and three!. The bell rings as Casanova holds his jaw while Bash Daddy grabs English’s championship and enters the ring.

HOLLY PEREZ: Here's your winner…. And STILL Proving Ground Warrior Rising Champion! Casanova…. Ennnnglish!

Bash hands Casanova his title and raises his hand in the air as John Blade remains down on the mat and the crowd showers the pair with jeers.

The camera pans to the crowd as they watch the celebration happening on the ring. The camera stops panning and stays focused on a particular "fan" and zooms in.

TREY BOOKER: J.T., Isn't that one of the newest signees to Proving Ground?

J.T. PRICE: Oh hell man, I don't know, we're signing people left and right these days!

TREY BOOKER: Do your homework man! I believe his name is Douglas Crane!

Douglas Crane stands there, eyes fixated on the champion as the fans around him go crazy, some because of what is going on in the ring, others because they know who he is having seen the tweet earlier this week from Project: Honor. He ignores everyone there, just standing there, arms crossed, fixed on the champ.

J.T. PRICE: Crane huh? But why is he out there with the crowd instead of in the back or in one of the many suites reserved for our talent?

TREY BOOKER: [/b]I don't know, maybe he wanted to get a closer look at the competition? Heard that's one of the reasons he signed with us.

J.T. PRICE:[/b] Well all newcomers are attracted right away by the Warrior Rising championship, so get in line behind the dozens and dozens of wrestlers wanting a crack at it.

TREY BOOKER: In any case, looking forward to seeing what he can do inside the ring as he will be making his debut very soon!

J.T. PRICE: Along with 50 million other people.

TREY BOOKER: Stop it.


HOLLY PEREZ: Ladies and gentleman, the following match is set for ONE fall and is for the Project: Honor Tag Team Championships!!!

Fans pop, excited for the three-way tag team match about to happen.

HOLLY PEREZ: Introducing the first set of challengers...weighing in combined weight of four-hundred and twenty pounds...Kyle Valentine...DJ Hunter...THE PHANTOM TROUPE!!!

The fans pop loudly as “Badstreet USA” by Crossfyre blares through the arena. Kyle and DJ come out of the back and take in the cheering. After a few seconds they march down the ramp and slide into the ring under the bottom rope. They pop up to their feet and continue to take in the cheering, as their music fades out.

HOLLY PEREZ: Next set of contenders...coming in at a combined weight of three-hundred and sixty-two pounds...Slade Castle...Valkyrie...TRUE..SOCIETY!!!

“Savages” by Ice Nine Kills hits and the fans pour on the boos. The hate cascades down onto the two as they step out of the back. With Valkyrie gripping tightly onto her Fallout Ascension Championship and Slade Castle holding the Fallout Noble Championship over his shoulder, they both walk down the ramp...giving the fans dirty looks. Both of them walk up the stairs and enter the ring through the middle ropes, staring Phantom Troupe down before giving the ref their respective Championship Titles.

HOLLY PEREZ: AND THE CHAMPIONS...coming in at four-hundred and twenty-five pounds...Lil’ Petey and Julius Fairweather...THE MOTHERFUCKERS!!!

“MILF” by Big Sean pumps out as the fans go crazy. Julius and Lil Petey step out of the back, the Tag Titles over both of Julius’ shoulders. They both smirk at the crowd and happily walk down to the ring, eventually entering in and handing the ref the titles.

DING! DING! DING!

Without hesitation, Valkyrie lunged forward and latched onto Lil Petey. In a single movement, she swung him around and TOSSED him over the ropes...sending him crashing to the outside. Julius attempted to grab her and prevent her from doing so, but Kyle Valentine had caught the Motherfucker off guard with a shoulder block that sent the Tag Team Champion to the mat on his back. Kyle began to lay boots into the champ and would have been joined by his partner, but Slade Castle had him backed up into a corner...blocking lefts and rights that the Noble Champion was raining down onto him.

J.T. PRICE: What an eventful start to this match. Within seconds, all six people are involved.

TREY BOOKER: A nice mix of both brands too. Phantom Troupe being from PG, True Society from that other place...which I’m still surprised is open...then you have The Motherfucker’s splitting brands with Petey from here and Julius Fairweather from the green side.

Valkyrie slides to the outside and grabs Petey, pulling him up to his feet. She whips...NO...Petey reverses it and whips Val towards the apron. She hits hard and grabs at her ribs, having suffered a three-person beating just on Thursday. Petey charges in…

J.T. PRICE: DRIVE BY!!! NO!!! PETEY MISSES WITH THE RUNNING HIGH KNEE!!!

Valkyrie, who had dropped to the mat, reaches under the ring and comes up with the first thing she could get her hands on...a bright blue pool noodle.

TREY BOOKER: Tha’ fuck?

Valkyrie smacks Petey in the face with it multiple times, just trying to throw him off, before SPEARING PETEY INTO THE BARRICADE!!! Valkyrie starts throwing elbows into Petey’s sides when out of nowhere Petey lunges his head forward and headbutts Valkyrie square in the forehead. Valkyrie stumbles back, off of Petey. Petey jumps to his feet...ONLY TO CATCH KYLE VALENTINE AS HE COMES FLYING OVER THE ROPES, HAVING BEEN HIPCHECKED BY JULIUS FAIRWEATHER!!!

Meanwhile Slade Castle himself, grabs DJ Hunter AND THROWS HIM OVER THE ROPES...HUNTER LANDING ON VALKYRIE!!!

J.T. PRICE: Uh-oh…

Slade and Julius turn and look at each other, their history and knowledge of each other oozing out.

TREY BOOKER: Julius...extends a hand out to Slade...AND SLADE SHAKES HIS HAND!!!

J.T. PRICE: What’s this mean?

Slade let’s go of Julius’ hand and quickly jumps forward, catching Julius off guard with a wild hook and continuing it up with knees to the gut of a cornered Julius Fairweather.

TREY BOOKER: Didn’t mean anything except those two have a history of respect for each other.

Slade pulls back to unleash his Visions of Delusion, but Petey out of nowhere slides into the ring and grabs his arm...spinning him around…

J.T. PRICE: MP-THREE!!!

A Jumping cutter catches Slade and drops him to the ground as Valkyrie slides into the ring.

TREY BOOKER: VALKYRIE HAS HER BARBED WIRE COVERED BASEBALL BAT!!!

Valkyrie stands up and catches Petey in the gut with the butt of the bat, then UPPERCUTS UP IN THE CHIN, SLICING OPEN HIS FACE AND SENDING HIM STUMBLING BACK...AND OVER THE ROPES!!! Petey lands hard on the outside...Valkyrie takes a running start...runs up the corner to the top of the turnbuckle...AND JUMPS…

J.T. PRICE: GUNGNIR ON PETEY!!!

Valkyrie quickly steps off Petey after the Coup-d-Grace and turns...ONLY TO DUCK A JECHT SHOT shining wizard from Kyle Valentine. Valkyrie grabs her bat off the ground and slowly starts walking toward Kyle...who is trying to stand his ground, but slowly starts walking away. DJ HUNTER GRABS VAL AND TURNS HER AROUND...GLAMROCK SHOCK…

TREY BOOKER: VALKYRIE DUCKED AND DJ JUST SUPERKICKED KYLE!!!

Kyle drops to the ground as DJ turns and runs, sliding back into the ring. Valkyrie starts towards the ring, but Lil’ Petey steps in front of her and begins trading punches. Meanwhile Slade is up to his knees...AND DJ HUNTER CATCHES HIM WITH A KNEE TO HIS HEAD...THE EXORCISM…

J.T. PRICE: AND JULIUS CATCHES DJ IN HIS MOMENTUM...THE ROYALE WITH CHEESE!!! A STRAIGHT RIGHT HAND KNOCKOUT PUNCH!!!

DJ drops to the ground and Julius watches as Petey has Valkyrie occupied on the outside. With everyone else preoccupied, Fairweather drops down onto DJ and hooks his leg.

ONE!
TWO!!
THREE!!!

DING! DING! DING!

HOLLY PEREZ: Your winners AND BOTH STILL AND NEW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS...THE MOTHERFUCKERS!!!

Valkyrie breaks free from Petey and runs, sliding into the ring and standing up as Julius stands up himself. She gets into Julius’ face and begins to yell at him. Petey quickly slides into the ring and both Julius and Petey surround Valkyrie...but she still is giving both of them lip. Then suddenly she turns and begins to unload punches on Julius Fairweather...only for both Julius and Petey to start retaliating.

TREY BOOKER: Valkyrie showing she isn’t scared of anyone...but she is taking a beating in return.

Suddenly Cassanova English comes FLYING out of the back and slides into the ring. Lil Petey turns around...FLYING FOREARM ONTO PETEY!!! Julius quickly backs off of Valkyrie, as she has stopped her own fighting back...Val and Cassanova staring at Julius and Petey as Slade starts moving. The ref hands Julius and Lil Petey the Tag Team Championship Titles and they quickly slide out of the ring, holding them high into the air.

TREY BOOKER: What was that about? Is there some leftover animosity between Casanova English and Lil’ Petey, or has he joined the True Society?

J.T. PRICE: Maybe it’s a little bit of both? As if Arik Holt’s club needs more members as it is!



HOLLY PEREZ: The following contest is a Round Robin Tournament Match scheduled for one fall and a fifteen minute time limit!

As "Rats" By Ghost begins to play, the lights in the area begin to flash between bright green and yellow. A mischief of rats begins to scurry out from behind the curtains followed by Percival "Ratman" Burque riding atop a shopping cart filled with random miscellaneous items (likely his food, supplies, etc.). The rats scurry around while Ratman moves his hands as if he's conducting the rats along with the music. The cart continues slowly rolling forward until it begins barreling toward the ring. Ratman begins to panic and tumbles out of the cart as it slams into the ring. The rats scurry toward Ratman and run around him as he slowly recovers to his feet. Ratman then begins to sway back and forth to the music as he rises, lifting his arms into the air. Ratman looks to the sky while closing his eyes and begins to slowly spin in a circle. Ratman stops after a full rotation and opens his eyes.

HOLLY PEREZ: Introducing first, with a score of four points, he hails from the sewers and weighs in at one hundred fifty five pounds… “Wrestling Supreme”...PERCIVAL “RATMAN” BURQUE!!!

Every light throughout the arena flickers out while the crowd gives a premature cheer; when the beginning of “The Eagle Flies Alone” begins to play, a blue spotlight comes in at the same sequence and is shining at the curtain which gets the crowd riled up further. The cheers that The Phoenix Queen is receiving from the audience is outweighing anyone in the crowd that opposes her. The sound of the fog machines can be heard going off heavily as the stage soon fills with fog. The lights in the arena are coming back up creating a blue hue and just as the chorus kicks in, the crowd lets out a huge roar when they finally see Tara Fenix emerge from behind the curtain.

I, I go my own way!
I swim against the stream!
(Forever) I will fight the powers that be!

Tara is standing at the top of the stage wearing one of her designed jackets, and the hood pulled over her head. She is carrying a flagpole with a flag attached; she takes a moment to scan the crowd and see the number of her supporters and soon she raises the flag and waves it back and forth several times and the cameras do their own scan over the crowd and can see a number of people raising the same logo that is on the banner. The Age of the Phoenix. Tara continues to wave the banner for a few more seconds before holding it straight up and bringing the pole down to tap it against the stage and finally slings the pole over her shoulder while marching down to the ring. Some of the fans stretch their hands out for her, and she walks to one side with her arm held out slightly; however, her eyes remain locked on the ring. When she reaches the bottom of the ramp she goes to the nearby steel steps and quickly ascends. She stops for a moment and carefully attaches her own flagpole to the steel post where the Age of the Phoenix banner will be for the duration of the match.

I, I go my own way!
I swim against the stream!
(Forever) I will fight the pοwers that be!
The eagle flies alone!

After securing the flagpole to the ring pole, she takes two steps on the apron before sliding forward and down onto one knee; her head and eyes scan the crowd again while the crowd is chanting her name. She finally crawls between the middle and bottom ropes then charges to the far corner and as she lands on the second rope, she pulls her hood back and lets her arms go out with her palms up. She holds the pose for several seconds, then does a one-eighty off of the second rope to land back on her feet; she runs to the opposite end where the flagpole is, and repeats the process but this time holds the banner out for all to see the symbol. She does another one-eighty, lands inside the ring, and takes off her jacket while waiting for the match to begin.

HOLLY PEREZ: And his opponent currently with eight points...she resides in Hartford, Connecticut and weighs in at one hundred forty three pounds… “The Phoenix Queen”...TARA FENIX!!!

DING! DING! DING!

TREY BOOKER: And here we go! Percival Burque is too far behind in points to win this tournament, but he could definitely act as a spoiler in there against Tara Fenix!

J.T. PRICE: Ha! Yeah right! Burque is just an anti-climatic final step for The Fenix Queen!

When the two competitors meet in the center of the ring to begin their fight, Tara is surprised when Percival Burque offers his hand for a sportsmanlike shake. For a moment she just looks at him with a puzzled expression, before finally taking his hand, and then pulling him into a side headlock! Percy wisely pushes Tara back into the ropes and then shoves her away, and The Phoenix Queen bounces off the opposite ropes. She ducks under a big clothesline attempt from Ratman, springs off the ropes again, and flips back onto him with an Asai Moonsault! After knocking Burque to the mat, she kneels over him for a series of mounted punches.

There are a few ringside fans who surprisingly boo Tara’s assault on The Ratman, and in response she takes a moment to go to the ropes and rub her eyes to fake a few tears. Seemingly pleased after taunting Percy’s fanbase, she pulls The Ratman to his feet and whips him into the corner. She quickly follows him in for an attempted Stinger Splash, but Ratman is able to duck away at the last second and Tara’s torso crashes against the top buckle. Percy takes advantage of the situation to hit the opposite ropes and he charges back with a Superman punch that knocks Fenix to the mat!

TREY BOOKER: Holy shit! I think she’s out!

J.T. PRICE: Where in the hell did he learn how to throw a punch?

The look on Percy’s face suggests that he’s just as surprised as everyone else, creating some brief hesitation before he drops down and hooks Tara’s leg.

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

NO! Fenix is able to get her shoulder off the mat, but there is still a glassy look in her eyes. Hoping to capitalize, Percy hits the ropes and comes back with a two handed facebuster to add further damage. Tara is laying on her back looking at the lights as Percy climbs the nearest turnbuckle, eventually leaping off to hit his Whoopee Cushion sitdown splash, but Tara pulls up her knees and Burque is crotched over them! The pain on Burque’s face is obvious, and Tara has a moment to shake off the effects of her opponent’s brief offense. She then grabs one of Percy’s legs, and before he can do anything about it, she slaps on the Phoenix Lock figure four!

TREY BOOKER: This one may be over here!

J.T. PRICE: Ring the bell! Percy’s got nowhere to go.

The referee drops into position to ask Burque if he’s still in the match, and it would appear as if the tenacious Ratman is refusing to submit. Percy desperately reaches for the ropes but they are just inches away from his fingertips and provide no salvation. Tara pushes her upper body off the mat to add more pressure and Percy is forced to bite his own fist in a desperate attempt to fight the pain. Despite both competitors being fan favorites, a rumble of support for The Ratman slowly begins to build. While this does nothing to help him break the hold, it does seem to keep him in the fight, as starts to pump his arms in the air. Burque then attempts to roll his own body over while Tara fights to keep him flat on the mat. After several moments of struggling, Percy is finally successful and the pressure of the hold is reversed onto Tara!

The Ratman pushes his upper body off the mat to add more pressure of his own, finally forcing Tara to break the hold! Percy starts to pull himself up with the assistance of the ropes, but Tara has already recovered and charges toward him at full speed. She hits a crossbody block on Percy with enough force that both competitors spill over the top rope to the ringside floor! The referee wastes no time in starting his count…

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

Tara is on her feet first, and she measures Percy as he’s getting to his feet before ultimately hitting him with a chop block! Ratman tries to get his legs under him again, but this time Tara hits a dropkick to the knee that sends him right back down!

FOUR!
FIVE!
SIX!

Staying aware of the count, Tara measures Percy as he pulls himself up with the assistance of the announcer’s table, and then hits a blatant sweeping kick to his injured leg to knock him right back down. She then rolls back under the bottom rope, convinced that Burque will be unable to answer the count.

SEVEN!

Despite the injured limb slowing him down, Percy pulls himself up again and starts to hobble towards the ring…

EIGHT!

He’s almost to the apron with the ringside fans cheering him on…

NINE!

And just when it looks like he’s going to beat the count, Tara slides under the bottom rope with a baseball slide to knock him back onto the floor! The referee is forced to start his count all over, as Tara pulls Burque back to his feet and snatches up his injured leg. It looks as if she’s going to attempt a dragon screw leg whip, when Percy suddenly counters with an enziguri!

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

He then uses the ring post for support in an attempt to get back into the ring, but the surprise kick hasn’t kept Tara down for long. She dives towards Burque just as his leg gives out underneath him, and The Phoenix Queen crashes into the post headfirst!

FOUR!
FIVE!
SIX!

Burque pulls himself up again, and seeing the predicament his opponent is in, he rolls under the ropes as quickly as possible, happy to take a win by count-out.

SEVEN!

Tara sits up and for the first time we see that she’s been busted open from inadvertently headbutting the ringpost.

EIGHT!

She rolls to her knees and wipes some blood from her forehead, desperately trying to get her bearings.

NINE!

She manages to get onto her feet with the assistance of the apron…

TEN!

NO! Tara manages to roll under the bottom rope at the last second!

TREY BOOKER: Both competitors have been in danger of being counted out, but now we finally have them back in the ring!

J.T. PRICE: I don’t like that look in Tara’s eyes. She was already knocked loopy by the lucky punch from Burque, and now after hitting the pole...

Percy seems to see the same dazed look that J.T. has noticed, as he hits Tara with a few stiff elbows against the ropes before whipping her across the ring. She bounces back and he greets her with a sudden superkick that she’s unable to avoid! Tara hits the mat, but Percy falls as well, his injured leg unable to hold him up following the move! Slowly they both get back to their feet, with Percy having the slight edge. He grabs Tara and tries to give her another Irish Whip, but she reveres, only to have Percy hold her arm and counter the momentum by hooking both her arms...MOUSE TRAP PINNING HOLD!

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

Kick out at the very last second by Tara Fenix and The Ratman has a shocked expression on his face! With a victory so close to his grasp, Percy begins to signal for his version of the Mandible Claw. Tara slowly gets on her feet and he lunges in to apply the hold, but a sudden sidekick to the leg from Fenix knocks Percy to one knee! She quickly hooks his arms and...PHOENIX WINGS!

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

DING! DING! DING!

HOLLY PEREZ: Your winner of the match and now leading with a score of thirteen points...TARA FENIX!!!

There is no display of sportsmanship as Tara wipes some more blood off her forehead with the back of her hand, while she glares down at Percival the entire time. The crowd still shows their support as the referee raises her hand, despite Percy managing to win over a great deal of sentimental support.

TREY BOOKER: That win gives Tara a solid lead in the tournament, meaning that Emmanuelle will have no choice but to pin Brandon Hendrix or make him submit if she wants to stay in the running!

J.T. PRICE: Sounds to me like it’s as good as over! Hendrix is too big and strong to go down against Emmanuelle a second time.

TREY BOOKER: That remains to be seen, but we have to give props to Tara Fenix for pulling out the win here against a surprisingly competent Percival Burque!

The camera zooms in on a backpack which is covered in dust. The blue hair of the woman adorning it blows in the wind a bit as the camera pans up to show the face of LeeAnn Morgan, the newest signee for Proving Ground. She smirks as she speaks.

LEEANN: For years I have wandered the United States trying to find my place in the grand scheme of things. I have been called many things. Homeless. Vagabond. Hobo. My absolute favorite was the Gypsy Rose. A very nice trucker who helped me get across the Rocky Mountains called me that. It just kind of stuck. When I found Project Honor, I knew my Gypsy spirit was needed. I knew it was my opportunity.

She stuck her thumb out as she held up a sign that said "Portland ASAP" The trucker in the cab nodded as LeeAnn hopped up in the cab and the truck was gone. Seemingly heading toward Portland. The scene went black as we heard LeeAnn's voice.

LEEANN: Project Honor, Clash for the Cup.. I AM ON MY WAYYYY.. I AM ON MY WAYYYYYYY... HOME...SWEET...HOME!

The promo ends as we see the words "Here I Go Again" on the screen.


When we return to the ring, Brandon Hendrix has already entered and is pacing back and forth while waiting for the arrival of his opponent. “In My Zone” by Rittz starts to die down as Holly Perez introduces him to the crowd.

HOLLY PEREZ: The following contest is a Round Robin Match in the Clive Darling Memorial Tournament and it is scheduled for a fifteen minute time limit! Introducing first, from San Antonio, Texas and weighing in at two hundred thirty seven pounds… “Don Dada”...BRANDON HENDRIX!!!

“Cash Flow” by Ace Hood ft T-Pain and Rick Ross begins to play.

HOLLY PEREZ: And his opponent… from Pacific Palisades, California… “The Platinum Standard”… EMMANUELLE!!!

The crowd stands in knowing that she’s here; “The Silver Starlet” Emmanuelle. Entering between the ropes, Emmanuelle gives Brandon Hendrix a neutral expression, as if her mind is more focused on the match than anything else.

DING! DING! DING!

Hendrix and Emmanuelle circle each other before Brandon raises his left arm up as high as it can go, wanting a test of strength. Being over a foot taller than Emmanuelle, it’s clear Emmy isn’t taking the bait. Brandon smirks confidently at his much-smaller opponent... right before Emmanuelle walks up and cracks Hendrix across the face with a brutal open handed slap! The force of the blow causes Hendrix to turn a full one hundred and eighty degrees around, and he holds his cheek in pain before nodding, whipping around, and immediately trying to hit Emmy with a clothesline! Emmanuelle ducks it quickly, so Brandon follows through on his momentum and bounces off the ropes! Emmanuelle hits a picture perfect drop sault on Hendrix and even nails the landing to straddle the fallen Hendrix. The crowd comes alive as Emmy hits Brandon with stiff shot after stiff shot!

TREY BOOKER: What a move, that was beautiful.

J.T. PRICE: Emmanuelle can do things in that ring others can only dream of.

Emmanuelle gets up off of Hendrix and readies her next move. As soon as Brandon gets back to his feet, Emmy runs at him, ducks under, goes behind, and locks in a rear naked choke! Hendrix struggles in surprise and crashes into the turnbuckles in desperation, but Emmanuelle keeps the hold fully applied! But the match has barely started, and Brandon’s strength hasn't faded at all! In an impressive display of raw power, Hendrix uses the one arm he has free to grab Emmy by the back of her neck and pull her completely off him!

TREY BOOKER: Brute force and raw power is the response from Brandon.

J.T. PRICE: Can’t imagine him doing a drop sault to be fair.

Emmanuelle is sent flipping over Hendrix, landing outside on the ring apron, where she catches a clubbing blow to the back of her neck! Hendrix doesn't waste any time and full nelson suplexes Emmy from the ring apron back into the ring! He then quickly pulls her up and lifts her high, nailing an impressive Gorilla Press Slam, dropping her right to the mat while running towards the ropes! Emmy hits the mat on her stomach so hard she bounces a little and goes to her back, clutching her stomach in pain, right as Hendrix rebounds off the ropes and jumps up, crashing into Emmanuelle's prone body with a headbutt!

TREY BOOKER: Brandon Hendrix literally using his head to gain an advantage there.

J.T. PRICE: We don’t get to say that very often mate.

Brandon goes for the pin!

ONE!
TWO! Emmy kicks out!

Hendrix goes to pick up Emmanuelle, but when Emmy gets to a kneeling position she cracks Brandon in the abdomen with a hard knife edge chop! Brandon doubles over and Emmy gets him again with another chop to the abdomen! Frustrated, Hendrix grabs the back of Emmy's neck and blasts her in the chest with a side knee strike! Emmanuelle is whipped around by the blow and goes to her knees and elbows, struggling to get up. Hendrix walks up to and stands over Emmy as she's on her knees and elbows, reaches down, and in another display of raw power, lifts her up and hits her with a Deadlift German Suplex! He manages to keep his arms locked around her waist, and he brings her right back up and sends her crashing right back down with a second Deadlift German Suplex! And he's still going! Hendrix attempts a third German Suplex, but Emmy plants both feet and jumps up, springing up and over Brandon! When Hendrix turns around, Emmy catches him with a jumping knee strike!

TREY BOOKER: These two are a bit good.

J.T. PRICE: I had noticed.

Even though he's momentarily knocked senseless, Brandon Hendrix shows off his tough nature and continues walking forward, roughly grabbing at Emmy, but he's quickly taken off of his feet as Emmy uses Brandon's own momentum against him and plants him in the center of the mat with a perfect Judo Hip Toss! Emmy follows through by locking Hendrix in a Mounted Crucifix! With her head and right arm trapping Brandon's left arm and her legs trapping his right arm, Brandon's face is left completely exposed as Emmy hammers down with her free arm, landing vicious elbows to Brandon’s nose and the side of his head!

J.T. PRICE: I’m kind of assuming that Emmanuelle doesn’t like Mr. Hendrix very much.

TREY BOOKER: He isn’t exactly the most likable of characters.

Brandon reacts quickly to get out of the dominating position, bridging up and managing to flip himself over, with Emmy still wrapped around his arms! Brandon manages to get to a kneeling position with Emmy still chopping the side of his head! Hendrix roughly hauls Emmy up, who refuses to break her hold, and this proves to be her undoing, as Hendrix runs right into a corner of the ring, hitting Emmanuelle with a powerslam into the turnbuckles! But he's not done! Still carrying Emmy, he whips himself around and executes a running powerslam, planting Emmy in the middle of the ring!

TREY BOOKER: Hendrix is in control but if this match is anything to go by, that’ll change any second.

As Emmy struggles to her feet, Hendrix leans against the ropes, prepping his next move. When The Platinum Standard gets to a standing position and turns around, Hendrix runs into the ropes, rebounds, and attempts to catch Emmy with his fall of the guard claymore kick but Emmy ducks! Brandon Hendrix goes sailing past her, and while he doesn't have the athletic grace to land back on his feet, he does possess the toughness to roll with the punches, or in this case the force of his momentum, and he springs back up to his feet, hitting the ropes once again! But Emmy is ready and goes for a monkey flip! But Brandon is ready, he counters the move by wrapping his arms around Emmy's legs!

TREY BOOKER: These two are gonna run out of time if they carry on like this.

Emmanuelle starts hammering down blows on Brandon's head, but Hendrix hauls her into a corner of the ring and sits her down on the top turnbuckle! Emmy continues to lay into Brandon but he nails her with a stiff shot to the gut, and using his tall frame, he manages to blast The Silver Starlet in the face with a big boot right to the jaw! Emmy flails backwards, nearly falling off of the top rope to the outside, and struggles to gain her balance, literally ripping the turnbuckle padding off in the process. Emmy is too busy struggling not to fall off to prevent Brandon from climbing to the top turnbuckle with her! Hendrix grabs Emmy and lifts her completely vertical in position for a top rope jackhammer! Brandon has total control and whilst holding her in position he can be seen to look at the exposed turnbuckle, clearly trying to decide whether to drop his prone opponent on the steel. After a while he shakes his head and lets his conscience get the better of him, Emmanuelle uses the time to recover and shifts herself to wrap Hendrix in a crucifix, she falls back and they land with a thud from the top turnbuckle in the crucifixed pinning position…

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!!! EMMANUELLE HAS PINNED HENDRIX!! EMMANUELLE WINS!!!

DING! DING! DING!

J.T. PRICE: Damn, Brandon without any question had her beat.

TREY BOOKER: Yeah but he refused to take the short cut, what a match!

Both are laying on the mat looking exhausted.

HOLLY PEREZ: The winner of the match… via pinfall…and now with thirteen points... The Platinum Standard… EMMANUELLE!!!

J.T. PRICE: Emmanuelle and Tara Fenix are still tied in points! You know what that means, Trey?

TREY BOOKER: It means we can look forward to a Sudden Death rematch between The Platinum Standard and The Phoenix Queen later tonight!

J.T. PRICE: Yeah there’s that, but Brandon Hendrix vowed to quit if he couldn't win this tournament! We may have just seen the last of Don Dada!

We cut to backstage where we see Ratman sitting alone in a darkened room muttering to himself under his breath. In front of him is a broken mirror, to either side of him is paint crudely poured onto a paper plate. Ratman appears to be taking the brush and dipping it into the various red white and black paints and applying it to his face.

RATMAN: I can’t believe them. All I want is good fun wrestling where at the end we can all shake hands and be friends…

We see glimpses of Ratman as the brush strokes his face. At the bottom he paints a white base coat.

RATMAN: Not once did anyone say, “This Ratman guy will be a tough opponent,” or, “I’m really looking forward to finally facing the one and only Ratman,” or, “I hope Ratman will give me his all.” All they did was doubt me. No matter how close I came. How hard I worked. They don’t believe the Ratman.

Papercut walks into frame, gets on his hind legs, and has a worried look while trying to get the attention of Percival. However, Ratman is solely focused on his artistry.

RATMAN: Brandon barely bothered to mention me when we were preparing for our match. He also had the audacity to almost try and injure the Ratman! Then Tara just threw my feelings to the wind assuming I don’t or shouldn’t want to be in the tournament against her despite how excited I was to face her. Then she went on about how I couldn’t win. It was her inevitable victory. Not once did she view Ratman as an actual opponent. Only a hurdle to fight miss Emma. Emma just assumed I would lose too and called out Tara! We weren't even in a match and she dismissed my entry into the tournament. Maybe it’s true. Maybe the Ratman should never have been in the Cup to begin with…

We see glimpses of Ratman's second layer of finished red face paint. In the hall next to Ratman a voice can be heard approaching.

RATMAN: I know deep down that after all I’ve gone through, no matter what, Uncle Larry and Papa Rasputin will still be proud of Ratman. But is the Ratman proud of Ratman? Did I truly honor Mr. Darling's father? No, it is time to stop doubting yourself Ratman. You ARE Wrestling Supreme! We embody the surviving spirit of the rat!

Now we see glimpses of Ratman’s finished face paint with the top layer of black paint. The door to Ratman’s room which now appears to be a broom closet is suddenly opened and Larry KaChow begins to enter.

LARRY KACHOW: What in the hell… Burque? What are you doing in my office again and… oh my god... the smell…

Larry Kachow nearly throws up as he quickly exits and closes the door.

RATMAN: I can even hear dear Uncle Larry in my head… I must follow in his footsteps and never give up. Even if that means I need to be a little more devious in the ring… a little more evil even... but I shall always stay nice! I can never give in to the foul attitude of my fellow competitors. I shall be better! The way of the Rat is an accepting and forgiving one even to those who don’t always deserve it. After all, the Ratman knows how it feels to be looked down upon quite well. It is normal for him. It is normal for me.

Papercut tilts his head and begins to chitter in excitement for the new Ratman. The camera finally pans around showing Ratman's new look.


RATMAN: It’s time to live up to the name of Ratman… Wrestling Supreme!


HOLLY PEREZ: The following is a ladder match and is for the Project: Honor X-Factor Championship!!

TREY BOOKER: Larry and Caden are already at ringside, you have to believe they will play a part in how this unfolds.

J.T. PRICE: And the belt is already above the ring, we are almost ready to go.

HOLLY PEREZ: Introducing first… weighing in at two hundred seventy four pounds...he hails from Hampton Falls, New Hampshire and is known as “The Luxury Experience”...CADILLAC JACKSON!!!

"All of the Lights" by Kanye West hits, and the lights go out. Small flashes of multicolored lasers shoot through the arena in the dark, as a large white spotlight scans the crowd during the intro of the song. As we approach the drop, the lights go out besides the spotlight that stays on the middle of the entrance curtain. As the drums and lyrics pick up in the song after the drop, Cadillac bursts through the curtain and into the spotlight, where he stands soaking in it for a few moments. He then makes his way to the ring with the spotlight following him, pointing and waving at fans while making sure to be out of reach of them. He walks up the stairs and onto the apron, leaning his back against the ropes and surveying the crowd before spinning around and hopping into the ring. He goes to the top rope and removes his sunglasses and ring jacket, handing it to a stage hand before hopping down and getting ready for action.

HOLLY PEREZ: And his opponent… residing in San Diego, California and weighing one hundred sixty five pounds… The current X-Factor Champion, “The Shining Star”...MYOJIN!!!


Are you ready?

The lights dim down while the catchy, fast paced rock of RAINBOWS by A9 echoes as a spotlight suddenly appears on a figure on the ramp, with his back turned and begins kneeling. Once the beat finally kicks in, MYOJIN explodes with energy- wearing a masquerade-style mask over his eyes, and turns around with a confident smile on his face, raising his arms to soak in the positive reaction from everyone around.

With his blonde locks hanging over his face. He then whips his head back, flipping his hair out of his face before excitedly running down the ring before performing a cartwheel and a jump, landing on his feet near ringside!

He climbs up to the apron, grabs a hold of the top rope, and slingshots himself into the ring. MYOJIN performs a somersault roll, landing on his side with a hand on his hip. The other, taking off his mask to reveal his piercing blue eye contacts. He tosses it aside nonchalantly before climbing up the top turnbuckle, tilting his head upward as if he’s looking toward the sky- while the lights mimic stars above. He backflips off, back onto his feet while taking off his flamboyant coat and moving to his corner. The lights go back to normal as he checks his wrist tape. His charismatic smile fading to a more focused expression as he paces back and forth, ready for action. The ref quickly calls for the bell.

DING! DING! DING!

The two competitors approach the center of the ring and MYO instantly attempts to use his superior pace by going for a go behind, Caddy though is ready and grabs the neck as MYOJIN gets about halfway, MYO struggles to escape but is taken over by a hard hip toss. Caddy however is instantly being forced up by MYO who fires elbows and forearm to the gut of his bigger opponent, Myo is able to push Caddy off and sends him into the ropes, on the way back Caddy hits a shoulder block sending MYOJIN to the mat, MYO though kips straight up and charges Caddy forcing both through the ropes and tumbling to the outside.

TREY BOOKER: An interesting start to this one, we’ve seen these two really produce on the big stage before and the safe money says they do it again.

J.T. PRICE: Can’t help but agree.

It appears Caddy got the better of the fall as he’s able to grab MYOJIN and quickly slams him head first into the apron, MYO doesn’t fall but stumbles into a huge German suplex from Caddy that sends The Shining Star flying back first into the barricade at ringside.

J.T. PRICE: My money says that might have hurt.

With MYOJIN now incapacitated, Caddy uses the time available to get one of the ladders already set up at ringside, he proceeds to place one end of the ladder on the announce desk and the other end on the ring apron. MYO is now stirring so Caddy whips him hard towards the ladder, MYO though uses his agility to slide under the makeshift bridge and spring to his feet. With them now both up and on opposite sides of the ladder, MYO starts grinning and baiting Caddy to attack. Caddy takes the said bait and rolls under the ladder, MYO grabs Cadillac and forces him back into the barricade. Both hit hard and take a breather.

TREY BOOKER: Larry and Caden are both looking a tad nervous.

MYOJIN is the first to stir and he quickly goes for another ladder from ringside, he slides it under the rope and follows it in. MYO looks back at Cadillac who still hasn’t moved much, MYO sets up the ladder mid-ring and begins an ascent, as he’s reaching the top Larry KaChow runs in and tries pushing the ladder out from under MYOJIN. Larry’s attempt fails miserably and he eats a brutal punt kick to the jaw from a seemingly amused MYOJIN, Larry drops like a sack of shit and his lifeless body is dragged from the ring by Caden Young.

TREY BOOKER: Larry being about as useful as ever.

J.T. PRICE: Personally I’d say that worked great, Caddy is back up and MYOJIN hasn’t got the belt.

Caddy clubs at the back of MYOJIN halting his efforts to climb the last couple of steps, MYO falls back just enough for Caddy to get a handful of hair, Caddy yanks back pulling MYOJIN upside down and into a tree of woe on the ladder. Cadillac hits the ropes, he rebounds hitting the pounce on both MYOJIN and the ladder.

TREY BOOKER: THE EJECTION!!!

Both the ladder and the Prince of the Constellations go absolutely flying before crashing into the mat, Cadillac is straight over and scoops MYO up, Caddy then sends his smaller opponent over with a gutwrench suplex onto the ladder. With MYOJIN looking beaten, Cadillac pulls the ladder in that had previously been perched between the apron and commentary desk, he hastily sets it up and starts his own attempt to reach the belt.

J.T. PRICE: This must be it.

Just as Cadillac’s fingers touch the belt he is sent tumbling by a ladder thrown in his general direction by MYOJIN, the ladder stays upright but Caddy is down on his knees, shining wizard by MYO. After surveying the situation, it’s now the turn of The Technical Aristocrat to start climbing the ladder, the match has taken its toll so the climb is far from fast, as MYO’s fingers attach the bracket holding the belt, the ladder is hit by a big boot from Cadillac! MYOJIN and Caddy are down but the ladder springs off the ropes almost perfectly back into position. Caden is trying his hardest to encourage MYO whilst Larry is just starting to stir.

TREY BOOKER: As he’s proven in the past, Cadillac Jackson has no idea how to quit, he just keeps finding more in the tank.

J.T. PRICE: I’m still none the wiser as to who’s gonna win this one though.

Cadillac Jackson has started climbing again but he’s not traveled up far before MYOJIN is climbing the other side, the two climb step by step and trade blows all the way to the very top. Jackson makes a stretch for the belt but is nailed in the gut to stop his efforts. It’s clear MYO has the better of the situation and he keeps looking back and forward between Caddy and the belt, he seems to eventually make a choice… MYOJIN HITS HIS FLASHING LIGHTS DELUXE(SPANISH FLY) OFF THE LADDER!!!

J.T. PRICE: HOLY FUCKING SHIT BALLS!!!

TREY BOOKER: HEY… Look at that sneaky fucker Larry! He’s playing fucking possum!!

Larry KaChow literally springs into the ring, he surveys the scene and looks up to the belt, Larry shows Caden a middle finger before starting to climb the ladder himself! Larry gets about halfway before Caden decides to do something. With both MYO and Caddy down, Caden rolls into the ring behind Larry, he grabs the shocked Larry and sends him to the mat with a stiff powerbomb! Caden takes the chance to roll back out as MYO begins to rise, MYOJIN gingerly begins to yet again start going up the ladder, a couple of steps from the top he is halted by Cadillac grabbing his foot, Caddy has enough strength to drag MYO all the way back down, he then flattens him with a harsh lariat. Caden is going mad on the outside trying to get a rise from MYOJIN but Caddy is the only one in the ring moving, The Luxury Experience climbs the ladder step by step until he’s at the summit, Cadillac Jackson reaches up to unhook the belt and become the new X-Factor Champion! NO!! LARRY HAS STIRRED AND TRIED USING THE LADDER TO GET UP, IN THE PROCESS THE LADDER TOPPLES SENDING CADILLAC FALLING TO THE OUTSIDE WHERE HE CRASHES ONTO THE UNPROTECTED FLOOR!!

J.T. PRICE: Caddy’s Dead!!!!!!!!

TREY BOOKER: He had it fucking won if it wasn’t for Larry KaChow! That stupid dumbass!!

Larry looks on wide mouthed and stunned into silence before slowly rolling out of the ring towards the broken Cadillac Jackson. Caden Young is anything but silent though and is banging on the mat to encourage MYOJIN. The Shining Star is up and seizes the opportunity to set the ladder back into perfect position, the climb is slow but steady. Larry is still open mouthed, Caddy still hasn’t moved, Caden is still cheering, AND MYOJIN IS STILL X-FACTOR CHAMPION AS HE GRABS THE BELT!!!

DING! DING! DING!

TREY BOOKER: WOW!! What a damn match!

MYOJIN drops down hugging the belt to his chest.

HOLLY PEREZ: The winner of the match and still X-Factor Champion… Osaka's Golden Sun… MYOJIN!!!

TREY BOOKER: MYOJIN with an amazing title defense and in the process he has ended Larry KaChow’s dreams of becoming our assistant General Manager!

J.T. PRICE: Thank god!


BOOM!

Another loud boom is heard backstage as the cameras cut to it, showing Petey playing with another 2-liter and some chemicals. TJ Thompson isn’t around this time, so time will only tell how much damage Petey’s going to do.

LIL PETEY: Whoops, hopefully security doesn’t come for me this time.

He’s got another 2-liter ready to drop some chemicals into as the cool security officer comes around the corner.

SECURITY OFFICER #2: Dude, I told you to invite me next time you got into something like this!

LIL PETEY: BROOOO, I couldn’t find you earlier! Luckily I got another one here so you can do the honors!

The cool security officer got excited and started clapping and jumping, almost like he was a little kid. Petey looked at him weird at first, then got ready for another loud boom! The security guy drops the chemicals into the bottle and he and Petey run around the corner quicker than it takes Petey to bust a nut. A few moments go by before…

BOOM!

Coke goes everywhere again and after the explosion, Petey and the security dude walk back around the corner.

LIL PETEY: THAT WAS FUCKING AWESOME!

SECURITY OFFICER #2: HAHAHA YES- OH SHIT!

The security dude started running while another security guy entered the scene. He started chasing the other guy and Petey just stood there laughing at everything. After the security guys were out of sight, Petey realized he had to get out of there quickly before someone made him clean up the mess, so he started walking the opposite direction of where the other two went.

After he turned a few corners and gave some of the staff backstage high-fives, Petey ran into Archimedes J. Manson, a newcomer to the Proving Ground scene.

LIL PETEY: Aye, you’re that new guy right?

It's super easy to run into someone like Archimedes J. Manson since the weirdo has somehow managed to erect (hah!) a hammock between here and there. It's probably made out of someone's merch because there seem to be t-shirts, bras, and a crap ton of duct tape holding it together. How Archimedes is laying on this thing makes no sense but then, neither does he. His head pops up from behind the ACME BLACK FRIDAY Catalog to zero in that gaze on Petey.

ARCHIMEDES J. MANSON: New?! Me?! No way, man. This is-- wait a second.

Archimedes does a double take and it looks like he's trying to see the words coming out of his mouth.

ARCHIMEDES J. MANSON: WHOA! DO YOU SEE THAT?!

He's either crazy or it's actually happening because his next line is:

ARCHIMEDES J. MANSON: HOLY SPACEBALL! I'M TALKING IN COMIC SANS!

Archimedes J. Manson hops out of the hammock, which immediately falls apart when he's no longer in it. The ACME BLACK FRIDAY Catalog is sent into the air during Manson's excitement and the quick victory twerk ends when his eyes fall back onto Petey.

ARCHIMEDES J. MANSON: What was I saying?

Manson reaches into his vest and yanks out a huge CLASH FOR THE CUP 2021 SCRIPT. It says so on the outside. So weird. He flips and skims with a finger.

ARCHIMEDES J. MANSON: Hmmm. Hmmmm. There we go!

The script gets tossed over his shoulder, glass shatters, and a cow moos in fear.

ARCHIMEDES J. MANSON: No way. Man. This is like. My third reboot. Wink. Wink.

Petey just stares at the dude confused as fuck as to what just happened, but is loving the vibes from him. Also something about the Comic Sans remark vibed well with Petey.

LIL PETEY: You good, dawg?

ARCHIMEDES J. MANSON: I dunno. I'm mostly Tiny. Or Toony. Maybe even a little bit Looney.

LIL PETEY: Shit, I know all about Tiny. Wait, did you say you were Tiny or I had a tiny-

Petey stops before he digs a hole too deep for himself and tries to refocus.

LIL PETEY: Well… uh, welcome to the Big Drip Show! We outchea making moves and saving the day!

Archimedes is suddenly standing underneath a purple umbrella. Just in case.

ARCHIMEDES J. MANSON: Sounds superhero-y. Gimme a sec. I have a cape in here somewhere...

Archimedes lets go of the umbrella which just kind of hangs in the air above him while he goes back into his vest to start pulling out random objects: A bar stool, a Little Richard wig, a hot pink stop sign, a Free Britney Hashtag, a bottle of ACME Magnum Growth Pills (which accidentally get tossed in Petey's direction) and...

ARCHIMEDES J. MANSON: Eureka!

Archimedes holds up his orange and pink super cape and clasps it around his neck.

ARCHIMEDES J. MANSON: MIGHTY MANSON LIVES!

LIL PETEY: I ain’t gonna lie, you’re fuckin’ weird, bro. BUT I LOVE IT! YOU GOT GOOD VIBES FOR DAYS! Okay listen…

Petey pockets the ACME Magnum Growth Pills nonchalantly and continues what he was saying.

LIL PETEY: I’m sure you’ve heard of us by now, but I’m a part of Big Drip Productions and we’re looking to recruit some members to defend this place and take down True Society. You want in, dawg?

Archimedes J. Manson is on cloud seven right now with his super cape on and the vibes are very much good. THEN Petey had to go and say such terrifying things!

ARCHIMEDES J. MANSON: TRUE SOCIETY?!

Archimedes is in the air now, running in place.

ARCHIMEDES J. MANSON: RUH-ROH! RET ME ROUTTA RHERE!

And just like that Archimedes J. Manson takes off in some random direction that is so fast that all that's left of him is his super cape, his umbrella, and his shadow. The latter takes off running so much slower. Petey stands there confused as to what just happened, but also amazed and wanting to learn how to do it himself!

LIL PETEY: WAIT COME BACK, TEACH ME YOUR WAYS! Er- maybe I should try again later, just be more like him! TIME TO GO WATCH SOME CARTOONS BABY!

Petey tries to run off like Archimedes did, but instead trips over himself, falling face-first onto the ground. He quickly gets back up, shakes it off, and tries again. Of course, he fell again and he’s going to keep doing this so that’s all there is to see here… for now.


HOLLY PEREZ: The following contest is a 30 Minute Scramble Match for the Project: Honor Grand Championship! Two men will begin the match with another competitor joining every five minutes! The title may change hands as often as possible, but the competitor with the final fall when the time limit expires will be the Grand Champion! Now, introducing the competitor who drew the first entry...

As the slow, creeping sounds of Heilung start to play the lights around the entrance dim down to bare visibility. The drums of the song beat, as small glimpses of a rainstorm can be seen on screen. The stage itself begins to billow out a thick fog, a cold mist curling its way along the platform and down the ramp. Quickly, the stage itself is engulfed in the fog, as much of the ramp is also. A small light shines its weak glow from the entrance, shining against the figure of a man. His silhouette, huge in size against the soft light now moves as he does, down the ramp and through the curtain of mist. He emerges towards the end of the ramp, his form now fully visible… Ozymandias.

He pauses before the ring, staring into the squared-cage before slowly removing his jacket and placing it under the apron. He stands upright, cracks his neck in both directions then power-squats onto the apron, before entering through the ropes.

HOLLY PEREZ: He hails from Old Harbour, Alaska and weighs in at three hundred fifty seven pounds...the reigning Grand Champion of Project: Honor… “The Butcher of Reine”...OZYMANDIAS!!!

“Feel Invincible” by Skillet suddenly sounds throughout the building and the crowd erupt into an undeniably positive response. After a few seconds' pause Mark Hunter strolls out onto the ramp area, he smirks in a self-satisfied and confident manner at the reaction from the fans and begins his walk down to the ring. Mark acknowledges a few fans with fist bumps as he wanders down the ramp, he continues to receive the great crowd response as he ascends the ring steps. He enters between the middle and top rope and instantly wanders over to the far corner, Hunter climbs up and poses for the crowd whilst taking in the response from the fans. He soon steps down to the canvas and stretches his arms in the air before readying himself for action. At this stage the music slowly fades away.

HOLLY PEREZ: And the man who drew the second entry, residing in San Jose, California and weighing in at two hundred eleven pounds… “The Straight Shooter”...MARK HUNTER!!!

DING! DING! DING!

TREY BOOKER: This cannot be the entry order that either man wanted! As the first two entrants, they’ll be forced to compete for the full thirty minutes if they want to leave here as champion!

J.T. PRICE: Not only that, but there’s a lot of history between them! Mark Hunter was the previous Grand Champion, but he was never pinned to lose the title!

With thirty minutes to compete and both men well aware of what the other is capable of, neither Ozymandias nor Mark Hunter are in a rush to get the action underway. They size each other up as they circle the ring, while the special referee, Mason Kane, does his best to keep an eye on both men. Finally they come together for a lock-up only for Mark Hunter to duck behind his opponent. Ozymandias spins around into a series of hard knife edge chops from the former champion, but The Butcher seems to absorb them before lurching forward with a headbutt that knocks Mark off his feet. Just like that, a well placed forehead to the bridge of Mark Hunter’s nose draws trickles of blood from his nostrils. As The Straight Shooter tries to clear his vision, Ozy marches forward to plant a heavy stomp against his chest, driving his back against the mat. The Butcher doesn’t stop there as he drives a few more stomps onto Mark’s chest before finally grabbing the ropes and stepping on him with all of his weight.

Ozymandias leaves his feet to drive down another stomp, but Hunter rolls to the side and avoids it at the last second. The champion charges after him, but Hunter ducks and rolls again, popping up behind Ozymandias to hit a quick dropkick. The move successfully sends Ozy back into the corner, and Mark rushes in to leap onto the second buckle, raining down a flurry of hard right hands as the crowd counts along…

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
FOUR!
FIVE!
SIX!

But before Hunter can reach the magical number of ten punches, Ozy shoves him off of the turnbuckle and then rushes forward with a heavy lariat! It looks as if Hunter is flipped inside out as he tumbles to the canvas, as Ozy bounces off the nearest ropes to drop a big elbow. As the reigning champion in the match, it serves no purpose for Ozymandias to go for a pin, so he instead decides to punish Mark with a few more elbows for good measure.

TREY BOOKER: This definitely isn’t the way Mark Hunter wanted to start things off!

J.T. PRICE: If this thing goes an entire thirty minutes with no pins, Ozy will still be the champion! We might get to watch him play with his prey for half an hour!

With Mark still down, Ozymandias backs into the ropes and then falls forward, looking to plant a diving headbutt to Mark’s face. Fortunately for Hunter, he’s able to roll away again, and the champion’s face smacks against the mat. While not enough to do much harm, the impact does stun Ozy long enough for Mark to take measure of him. He fires off a shining wizard as Ozy is getting to his feet, further stunning the big man. When the champion proceeds to get back up, Mark goes for a slingblade and hits his target! For the first time in the match, the champion is beginning to look vulnerable as Hunter builds some momentum. The Straight Shooter hits another slingblade for good measure before he decides to head for the top rope!

It would seem that Hunter has overestimated the wherewithal of his opponent however, as Ozymandias is back on his feet and in the corner before Hunter can leap off the top rope. The champion wraps his hand around Mark’s throat and lifts him off the top, holding him in the air for a few moments before throwing him to the ringside floor with a big chokeslam! Hunter crashes hard, but by the time Ozymandias joins him on the floor, he’s already crawled away and is attempting to get back on his feet with the help of the time keeper’s table. Ozymandias grabs Hunter from behind and spins him around for another move, but Mark has grabbed the ring bell and clocks the champion with it to the side of his head!

With no disqualifications or count outs in a Scramble Match, Mason Kane doesn’t even bother admonishing Hunter for his use of an illegal weapon. Ozymandias, having been dropped to his knees, attempts to get back up, so Mark smacks him with the ring bell a second time! Ozymandias is down on the floor and the crowd cheers loudly despite the desperate actions of Mark Hunter. Hoping to capitalize while he can, Mark tosses the bell into the ring and then grabs Ozy, forcing him back under the bottom rope. He climbs to the top turnbuckle and leaps off with the shooting star press he calls Zero Gravity, unaware that Ozy’s fingers have wrapped around the discarded bell. As Mark’s body nears his opponent, Ozymandias swings the bell and Mark Hunter is swatted out of the air! Both men remain down on the mat, just as the crowd starts to count down with the clock on the big screen…

THREE!
TWO!
ONE!

TREY BOOKER: It’s TJ Thompson! The Hip Beast is our third entry into the match!

J.T. PRICE: And he’s running like a bat out of hell towards the ring!

Instead of diving between the ropes, TJ immediately climbs one of the corner turnbuckles and dives off for the Hip With the Drip coffin drop on Mark Hunter! He hooks Mark’s leg and holds him down for all he’s worth as Mason drops to make the count...

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

HOLLY PEREZ: TJ Thompson is now our interim Grand Champion!

Following the successful pin on the former champion, TJ rolls under the bottom rope and runs to the time keeper’s table to scoop up the Grand Championship. Hugging it tightly against his chest, TJ begins to run a lap around the ring as the fans go wild!

TREY BOOKER: TJ has captured a fall and as of this moment, he is the Grand Champion!

J.T. PRICE: For now, but there’s no way he’ll hold onto it for the next twenty five minutes!

The Hip Beast continues to run laps around the ring, giving high fives to the fans with the belt tucked under his other arm. Back in the ring, Mark Hunter has rolled to the ropes and Ozymandias is unsteady but back on his feet nonetheless. Seeing TJ with what he considers to be his title lights a fire in Ozymandias, and he rolls to the ringside floor. Unaware of this, TJ completes another lap and nearly runs smack into the Butcher of Reine. Ozymandias catches TJ in his arms and lifts him off his feet before driving him to the floor with a hard belly to belly suplex!

As TJ gasps for oxygen, Ozymandias picks up the Grand Championship and tosses it into the ring. He then returns his attention to TJ and kneels over him to hit a flurry of forearm and elbow strikes. Ozy then pulls TJ up with a handful of hair before violently shoving him backwards into the ring steps. The Butcher then charges forward to squash TJ between the steps and a running knee strike, but Thompson wisely rolls away. The steps are knocked apart from the impact with Ozy’s knee, and while he takes a moment to shake the pain out of his leg, he appears to be mostly unaffected by the impact. Ozy then grabs the top half of the stairs and lifts them into the air, but as he turns to hurl them at Thompson, The Hip Beast counters with a dropkick, knocking them back into Ozy’s face! The Butch falls backwards with the stairs on top of him, turning the advantage back in TJ’s favor.

Just then, Mark Hunter reenters the fray as he slides to the outside and exchanges a brief look with TJ. Then, without saying a word, the two men grab opposite ends of the steel stairs and lift them up only to drive them back down onto Ozymandias. They do this several times with Ozy unable to escape, until TJ finally switches tactics by shoving the steps forward, sending Mark spine-first into the post as the stairs slam against his torso. TJ gives the fans a shrug of his shoulders, and seeing as how it’s every man for himself, they continue to cheer him on.

TJ then rolls Mark back into the ring before following him in. He hits a rolling clothesline on Hunter first, and then dives off the middle turnbuckle for a second clothesline. Hunter is unable to mount any kind of defense, so TJ continues to press his advantage by lifting Mark off his feet and driving him into the corner with a buckle bomb! Mark’s head snaps from the impact and he slumps against the buckles, as TJ hits the ropes and comes back with a big pump kick in the corner! Hunter slumps down against the bottom buckle and TJ moves back to the opposite corner. He then charges forward again, this time hitting Mark with a basement dropkick!

Stunned by everything he’s endured so far, Mark rolls to ringside in a desperate attempt to avoid further punishment. This gives TJ the chance to see that Ozymandias is back on his feet, so he turns his attention away from Mark to run across the ring and flip over the top rope, crashing into Ozy with a rolling senton. Unfortunately for TJ, The Butcher of Reine has recovered enough to catch him and remain on his feet, before he then slams the Hip Beast against the edge of the ring apron with a modified powerbomb!

Thompson is down...Hunter is down...Ozymandias is standing if only barely...as the crowd counts down with the clock yet again.

THREE!
TWO!
ONE!

Honō no Megami begins to play as the next entrant calmly walks onto the stage, his championship opportunity finally upon him.

TREY BOOKER: Arata Asakura has joined the match in the fourth position, and with someone of his ability, that’s a great spot to be in!

J.T. PRICE: That means Swindle is the lucky man to enter last, but what will be left of these guys once he gets here?

Instead of waiting for his next opponent to reach the ring, Ozymandias begins to make his way up the entrance as Arata moves towards the ring. The camera stays focused on the two men as they methodically draw closer to each other, eventually meeting on the ramp. Arata lets off a hard chop that’s quickly answered by one from Ozymandias. Another chop, and another receipt, as the two men stand toe-to-toe and take turns blistering each other with thunderous chops to the chest. Having already suffered plenty of punishment, it is a duel that Arata starts to win, as he mixes up his chops with elbows, forearms, knee strikes and shoot kicks. The offensive strikes start to drive Ozymandias backwards until he’s backed against the ring apron, but Asakura still doesn’t let up. He finally grabs Ozy by the head and tries to charge him into the nearest ring post, but the Butcher puts on the brakes and sends Arata into the post instead!

The Gaijin Killer takes a brief moment to shake his head, then quickly grabs Ozy and slams his head into the post as well! The Butcher follows suit by shaking off the blow and tries to repeat the move as Arata does the same. With both men pressing their free hands against the post, they appear to be in a stalemate. That’s when Mark Hunter and TJ Thompson charge at them from opposite sides, TJ hitting Ozy with a dropkick from behind and Mark hitting Arata with a high knee to the back. The strikes send both men into each other, as the Hip Beast and Straight Shooter quickly follow up by battering their opponents with various strikes!

Arata and Ozymandias are forced back into the ring by Thompson and Hunter, who then attempt to whip the two men towards each other for a collision. Ozymandias is able to reverse and sends TJ running towards Arata, who responds with a running Yakuza kick that nearly blasts a hole through Thompson’s chest! Arata continues to run forward, leapfrogging Ozymandias as he charges across the ring to nail Mark Hunter with a jumping bicycle kick! Ozy then turns around and charges back towards Arata, who leapfrogs a second time and then connects with a picture-perfect dropkick on the surprised Butcher of Reine!

Arata presses his advantage by laying several strikes into Ozymandias in the corner, before hitting a running corner kick, followed by a legsweep, and finally a slingshot dropkick! With the other participants down, Asakura goes for the cover and Mason Kane makes the count…

ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!

TREY BOOKER: Ozymandias escapes that pin attempt, but instead of saving the title for himself, he’s managed to keep it in the possession of TJ Thompson!

J.T. PRICE: The time is running down again, and we all know who gets to be the last entrant!

THREE!
TWO!
ONE!

With “Wire Rot” accompanying him to the ring, Swindle Shelldrake smirks at the four men between the ropes, apparently confident that he’s currently in much better condition than all of them combined. Upon reaching the ringside area, The Kraken does not immediately enter the ring. Instead, he pulls the protective mat away from the floor before sliding under the ropes. He then grabs the stunned Mark Hunter and drags him onto the ring apron. As the crowd buzzes with expectation of what’s to come next, Swindle hooks Hunter’s arms and then leaps off the apron, driving him head-first onto the unprotected floor with his Violent Salvage!

TREY BOOKER: My god! No! The impact on his head and neck...goddamnit...I could hear the impact from here!

J.T. PRICE: Holy shit! Shelldrake just killed Mark Hunter!

CROWD: YOU SICK FUCK! YOU SICK FUCK! YOU SICK FUCK!

As Swindle smiles at his handiwork, Mason Kane throws up an X symbol to get some assistance at ringside. With the three men in the ring taking a moment to recover and this situation unfolding at ringside, there is a brief break in the action. Fortunately, it doesn’t take long for the EMTs to emerge from backstage as they rush to the fallen competitor. Mason Kane sticks a threatening finger in Shelldrake’s face when he enters the ring, but knowing he cannot be disqualified for his actions, Swindle merely shrugs in response. As the EMTs work on bracing Hunter’s neck and prepare to place him on the stretcher, the action in the ring resumess without him.

Arata is still keeping his focus on Ozymandias with various hard strikes, as if he were chopping down a mighty oak with a pair of hand axes. Swindle pauses at the ropes to look down at the former champion being secured on a stretcher, but that leaves him wide open to a surprise attack from TJ Thompson. The Hip Beast hits a German Suplex and then rolls back to his feet with Swindle still in his grasp, but Swindle reverses with a go behind and then hits a German Suplex of his own. TJ is able to get back on his feet, but he’s met by a shotgun dropkick from Swindle after he bounces off the nearest ropes. Thompson sits back up, only for Swindle to charge at him again, this time hitting his PK! He goes for the cover, and despite whatever dislike Mason Kane may have for him, he goes in to count the fall…

ONE!
TWO!
THREE - NO!

TJ gets his shoulder off the mat, but Swindle clearly isn’t done with him. Looking to keep Thompson grounded, Swindle then begins to apply an Indian Deathlock, but before he can lock on the move, Arata Asakura comes out of nowhere with a running high knee! The move knocks Swindle to his knees, allowing Arata to follow up with his Painkiller hurricanrana driver! Now it’s Asakura who goes for the cover!

ONE!
TWO!
THREE - NO!

Shelldrake gets his shoulder up, and The Gaijin Killer does not look pleased at all. Instead of continuing to focus on The Kraken, Arata quickly gets to his feet and into the face of Mason Kane. While the special referee stands by his count and refuses to budge, Asakura refuses to let the matter drop. With Kane not backing down, it finally leads to Arata shoving the official and yelling something in Japanese that sounds extremely disrespectful. Suddenly, Mason Kane shoves Asakura right back, and The Gaijin Killer spins around toward a standing Shelldrake! The Kraken grabs Arata by both of his wrists, monkey flips him to the mat, and ties him up with the Zetsubo Death Clutch!

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

HOLLY PEREZ: Swindle Shelldrake is now our interim Grand Champion!

TREY BOOKER: Love him or hate him, that was one hell of a move by Shelldrake and he’s stripped TJ Thompson of being the temporary champion!

J.T. PRICE: No, wait! Thompson’s on the top rope!

Swindle has returned to his feet with a smile on his face, while behind his back, TJ leaps off the top rope to hit the fallen Asakura with his coffin drop! He connects and Mason is right there to make the count!

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

HOLLY PEREZ: TJ Thompson is now our interim Grand Champion!

With a look of surprise and frustration, Swindle turns around to hear the announcement and quickly charges at an elated Thompson. TJ sees him coming and he prepares to block his face against the impending impact, but suddenly Swindle drops to the mat and swings his arm up to hit a blatant low blow! With TJ seeing stars and doubled over, Swindle begins to tie him up for what appears to be the Xanadu Clutch, when Ozymandias interjects himself with a heavy lariat that nearly takes Shelldrake's head off! Both TJ and Swindle are stunned to say the least, and Ozymandias reaches down to wrap a massive hand around both of their necks. He deadlifts both men off the mat and lifts them into the air for a double chokeslam, but TJ and Swindle struggle hard enough to turn the move into a double DDT on the Beast of Reine! Ozymandias has barely hit the mat courtesy of The Hip Beast and The Kraken, when Arata Asakura comes flying out of nowhere with a moonsault!

Ozy is down for the moment, but when Arata goes for a pin, Swindle immediately pulls him off and goes for a pin of his own, only to be pulled off by TJ Thompson. All three men start exchanging attacks on each other, two of them hoping that they can get the advantage and get a pin on the monster and one desperate to remain as the title holder. TJ breaks away long enough to scoop up the Grand Championship from where it had been tossed earlier, and he bounces off the ropes to charge at both his standing opponents. Thompson cracks the title belt against the back of Asakura’s head and Swindle follows with a backdrop to send the Gaijin Killer over the top rope. TJ immediately turns back and plants another shot on Ozymandias just as he’s getting to his knees, then bounces off the opposite ropes and comes charging back towards Swindle. This time, Shelldrake drops down while holding onto the top rope, and TJ hits the low bridge and sails over the top and to the floor.

Despite the damage inflicted, The Butcher of Reine still gets to his feet and Swindle quickly grabs him as if he’s going to hit a reverse neckbreaker. Then, Shelldrake vaults off the turnbuckles, rotates in the air, and drops Ozymandias with his Cult Classic DDT!

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

HOLLY PEREZ: Swindle Shelldrake is now our interim Grand Champion!

TREY BOOKER: I don’t believe it! Swindle has just gotten a pinfall on Ozymandias! When is the last time you remember that happening?

J.T. PRICE: It’s turning into a two-way war between TJ and Swindle to see who can be the last man holding the gold!

TREY BOOKER: The clock is running dangerously low!

Back outside of the ring, Arata pulls himself back up and tries to shake off the pain in the back of his skull. TJ isn’t willing to let that happen though, as he grabs the belt and jumps forward to smash it against Asakura’s face! The Gaijin Killer is down again, and TJ slides into the ring with Swindle in his sights! Shelldrake is able to duck under TJ’s swing with the belt, and he responds with a kick to knock the gold out of his hands. Thompson ties Swindle up as The Kraken pounds on his back with forearms, and the brawl sends both men tumbling through the ropes and onto the ring apron. With Ozymandias down in the ring, Arata down on the outside, and the two men brawling on the apron, the crowd begins to buzz and cheer when Mark Hunter emerges from the entrance with his head in bandages.

TREY BOOKER: Oh my god! Mark Hunter is coming back to the ring! What in the hell is he thinking?

J.T. PRICE: Swindle scrambled his brains! He probably thinks he’s on his way to tuck his kids in for the night!

Mark is staggering as he slowly heads toward the ring, making it obvious that he’s in no shape to compete yet still proving that he has more heart than most. Meanwhile, a shaken Ozymandias begins to pull himself up and he spies TJ and Swindle duking it out on the apron. With whatever strength he can muster, The Butcher of Reine charges forward with a huge shoulder block, sending both men flying off the ring apron and right through the announce table at ringside!

As the crowd goes crazy for the sick double table spot, Ozymandias turns around to see Mark Hunter awkwardly entering the ring. With his eyes set on the ringside area and revenge against Shelldrake on his mind, Mark tries to move right past Ozy, but The Butcher stops him with a hand on the chest. Mark groggily looks up at his old rival, but Ozymandias is not one to show pity as he lifts Mark off the mat, flings him onto his back, and then drives the back of his head and neck against the canvas with The Call!

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

HOLLY PEREZ: Our new interim Grand Champion is Ozymandias!

TJ and Swindle begin to stir amongst the wreckage of the table as Arata sits up to wipe some blood out of his eyes. Back in the ring, Ozymandias rolls off of Mark Hunter and onto his knees, taking a moment to look down at the Straight Shooter and shake his head in disbelief. TJ and Swindle are both crawling back toward the ring and are nearly able to get under the ropes, but it’s ultimately too late as the fans count down the remaining seconds on the clock.

THREE!
TWO!
ONE!

DING! DING! DING!

HOLLY PEREZ: Your winner of the match, and still the Grand Champion of Project: Honor...OZYMANDIAS!!!

With Trey and J.T. still trying to get their equipment in order at ringside, there is no commentary to highlight the champion’s triumph. Not one to celebrate for the masses, Ozymandias simply rolls to ringside. Mason Kane joins him on the floor and hands him the championship, which he slowly raises overhead as the special referee raises his arm.

As this is transpiring outside of the ring, one of the cameras zooms in on the face of Swindle Shelldrake as he sneers into the ring at the prone Mark Hunter. Overcome by rage from the title slipping between his fingers, Swindle grabs one of the fallen chairs from ringside and slides it under the bottom rope. He then leaps into the ring and quickly pulls Mark Hunter to his feet. Before anyone can intervene, he lifts the unconscious Mark Hunter off the mat and drives him head-first onto the chair with another Violent Salvage! Hearing the commotion, Mason Kane bolts back into the ring and charges towards Swindle, but the Kraken is quick to escape on the other side of the ring. We can see the disappointment on the faces of TJ and Arata, the scowl on the face of Swindle, and whatever emotions may be hidden behind the mask of Ozymandias as Mason Kane attends to Mark Hunter yet again.

As officials and EMTs attend to the competitors at ringside and try to clear the ring for the Sudden Death Match between Emmanuelle and Tara, we go backstage to look in on someone else who’s had a rough night. Banging on the door of Cadillac Jackson’s private dressing room is Larry KaChow, who seems desperate to get a response from inside.

LARRY KACHOW: C’mon Caddy Daddy! I don’t know what you’re so upset about! Sure, you lost a shot at the X-Factor Championship, but I lost a shot at being the Assistant General Manager! If anyone around here should be pissed off, it’s the KaChow!

Larry continues to bang both fists on the door, but there is still no response. Finally he stops and gives a curious look at the Cadillac Jackson nameplate.

LARRY KACHOW: Do you want to build a snowman?

Larry pauses, but ultimately there is still no answer.

LARRY KACHOW: Fine, loser! KaChow never needed you anyway!

The diminutive reporter storms away, but he doesn’t get far before something catches his eye. On a backstage monitor, he sees the earlier ad for Proving Ground’s Black Friday event. He watches for a moment before a smile begins to emerge on his face.

LARRY KACHOW: Hmmm...if I can’t ruin their lives in a position of power, I’ll just ruin Christmas instead! Heh...ha...BWHA HA HA HA!!!

TO BE CONTINUED IN TWO WEEKS...

We then go back to ringside to see Trey Booker and J.T. Price seated behind the wreckage that used to be their announce desk. In the background, the crowd is on their feet giving Mark Hunter supportive applause as he is stretchered backstage by medical officials.

TREY BOOKER: All of us here at Proving Ground would like to send our thoughts and prayers to Mark Hunter. The normal punishment a man can endure during a match is one thing, but to be dropped onto his head...on unprotected concrete and steel no less...is more than any competitor should have to endure. We can only hope that Mark will be okay and that no permanent damage was inflicted on him during the attacks by Swindle Shelldrake.

J.T. PRICE: I know this is when I would normally try to say something funny, but even I know when it’s time to put the jokes aside. Get well soon, Mark.

TREY BOOKER: But now the show must go on. Emmanuelle and Tara Fenix have gone through the Clive Darling Memorial Round Robin Tournament, finishing with a tied score. To determine who will go home with the cup, we’re about to see them clash one more time, and we understand that there will be no time limits, no disqualifications, and no count outs.

HOLLY PEREZ: The following contest is scheduled for one fall and is for The Clive Darling Memorial Cup!

"Cash Flow" by Ace Hood ft. T-Pain featuring Rick Ross begins to play, and Emmanuelle makes her entrance to a huge ovation of appreciative fans. She reaches the ring and leaps onto the second turnbuckle to get a good look at the sold out crowd.

HOLLY PEREZ: Introducing first, hailing from Pacific Palisades, California...she is “The Platinum Standard” and “The Silver Starlet”...EMMANUELLE!

Every light throughout the arena flickers out while the crowd gives a premature cheer; when the beginning of “The Eagle Flies Alone” begins to play, a blue spotlight comes in at the same sequence and is shining at the curtain which gets the crowd riled up further. The cheers that The Phoenix Queen is receiving from the audience is outweighing anyone in the crowd that opposes her. The sound of the fog machines can be heard going off heavily as the stage soon fills with fog. The lights in the arena are coming back up creating a blue hue and just as the chorus kicks in, the crowd lets out a huge roar when they finally see Tara Fenix emerge from behind the curtain.

I, I go my own way!
I swim against the stream!
(Forever) I will fight the powers that be!

Tara is standing at the top of the stage wearing one of her designed jackets, and the hood pulled over her head. She is carrying a flagpole with a flag attached; she takes a moment to scan the crowd and see the number of her supporters and soon she raises the flag and waves it back and forth several times and the cameras do their own scan over the crowd and can see a number of people raising the same logo that is on the banner. The Age of the Phoenix. Tara continues to wave the banner for a few more seconds before holding it straight up and bringing the pole down to tap it against the stage and finally slings the pole over her shoulder while marching down to the ring. Some of the fans stretch their hands out for her, and she walks to one side with her arm held out slightly; however, her eyes remain locked on the ring. When she reaches the bottom of the ramp she goes to the nearby steel steps and quickly ascends. She stops for a moment and carefully attaches her own flagpole to the steel post where the Age of the Phoenix banner will be for the duration of the match.

I, I go my own way!
I swim against the stream!
(Forever) I will fight the pοwers that be!
The eagle flies alone!

After securing the flagpole to the ring pole, she takes two steps on the apron before sliding forward and down onto one knee; her head and eyes scan the crowd again while the crowd is chanting her name. She finally crawls between the middle and bottom ropes then charges to the far corner and as she lands on the second rope, she pulls her hood back and lets her arms go out with her palms up. She holds the pose for several seconds, then does a one-eighty off of the second rope to land back on her feet; she runs to the opposite end where the flagpole is, and repeats the process but this time holds the banner out for all to see the symbol. She does another one-eighty, lands inside the ring, and takes off her jacket while waiting for the match to begin.

HOLLY PEREZ: And her opponent, residing in Hartford, Connecticut...she is “The Phoenix Queen” and “The Goddess”...TARA FENIX!!!

The two women meet in the middle of the ring as soon as Tara has tossed her jacket to ringside, yet no official is present to signal the start of the contest…

HOLLY PEREZ: And introducing the special referee for this Sudden Death Match...the General Manager of Proving Ground...Indy Darling!

As “Just Like You” plays over the sound system, Indy emerges from backstage in blue jeans and a striped referee’s shirt. He takes some time to slap hands with fans on his way to the ring as Tara and Emmanuelle look on with uncertainty. He finally slides under the bottom rope, and with the blue aviators still on his face, he approaches the two women. Once his music has stopped, it looks as if he’s proceeding to give them a rundown of the rules. That’s when Tara suddenly turns into a spin and clocks her unsuspecting opponent with a roundhouse kick! Emmanuelle hits the ground hard, and Indy immediately steps between her and Tara.

The Phoenix Queen holds up her arms and agrees to back off, seemingly attempting to indicate that she was either sick of waiting or mistakenly thought the bell had rang. Once Indy has Tara in a neutral corner, he goes back to check on Emmanuelle, but just as he leans down, she kips up to her feet and charges at Tara in the corner! As she proceeds to plant her shoulder against Tara’s midsection, Indy finally decides to give up on the instructions and calls for the official bell.

DING! DING! DING!

TREY BOOKER: There may be some mutual respect between these two, but with everything that’s on the line, we should expect no quarter to be given in this match!

J.T. PRICE: Indy’s gonna have his work cut out for him!

After hitting Tara with several consecutive shoulder blocks, Emmy backflips out of the corner and then charges back in to hit a jumping knee strike under Tara’s jaw! The Phoenix Queen staggers away from the turnbuckles, but Emmy follows her and takes her to the mat with a two handed facebuster. Once she has her on the mat, Emmy throws several shoot elbows to Tara’s head, as if giving her a little payback for the opening roundhouse kick.

She doesn’t stay in control for long as Tara flips her overhead and then rolls on top to hit her own flurry of strikes. After the first few hits, Emmy shoves Tara aside and rolls back on top, continuing with her own shots. It still doesn’t last when Tara is able to kick her off and both women scurry to their feet. Still near the center of the ring, Emmy responds with a blistering chop to the chest, and then Tara fires back with one of her own. Emmy is ready to throw another, but as soon as she hits, Tara gives her a receipt. Emmy with a chop...then Tara...again and again as they struggle to gain some kind of dominance.

CROWD: THIS IS AWESOME! THIS IS AWESOME!

The upper chests of both women are beat-red after they exchange nearly two dozen chops in the middle of the ring, and finally it is Tara who breaks the stalemate by hitting a sudden low dropkick to the knee. Emmanuelle buckles down on one leg, at which point Tara hooks her legs around Emmy’s neck and drives her into the mat. Fenix then keeps her legs locked around her opponent’s throat, but even that does not give her the advantage for more than a few brief moments, as Emmanuelle rolls onto her back and kips up out of the hold. Tara tries to follow Emmy to her feet as quickly as she can, but she’s stopped by a spinning buzzsaw kick to the side of the head! Emmanuelle goes for the first cover in the match!

ONE!
KICKOUT!

Both women get to their feet again, but this time Tara is quick to hit a drop toe hold on Emmanuelle, putting her down on her stomach. She then wraps up her own legs with Emmy’s before bridging back to hook both hands under her chin...the Tara Lock is applied!

TREY BOOKER: This thing has been so fast paced and back-and-forth, but it looks like Tara is going to slow things down with that hold! In fact, she just might end it!

J.T. PRICE: Both of them are so evenly matched! I can’t count The Silver Starlet out just yet!

Emmanuelle reaches out for the ring ropes but soon finds they are too far away. Indy gets down to ask her if she’s still in the fight, and to the surprise of few, he quickly indicates that there has been no submission. Tara continues to apply the hold with all the pressure she can muster, but the bridging position can only be held for so long, and one has to wonder how much strain she’s putting on her own body in an effort to make her opponent tap. No matter how well the hold is applied or how much pressure she can exert, Emmanuelle displays her iron will by holding strong. Finally, after several long moments in the hold, Tara releases the bridge, raises back to her feet, and expertly turns her version of the Muta Lock into a single leg Boston Crab!

Emmanuelle still cannot reach the ropes, but without Tara’s full weight pressing down, she is able to pull herself across the canvas. Finally she reaches the bottom rope and Indy Darling instructs Tara to release the hold. However, The Phoenix Queen is fully aware that there are no disqualifications in effect, thus she continues to bend Emmy’s leg backwards. Aware of his own rules, Indy can only continue to issue warnings without consequence, leaving Emmanuelle forced to find her own escape route. The Platinum Standard moves her hands from the bottom rope to the middle as if she’s climbing a ladder, but Tara still holds on. Finally Emmy’s hands reach the rope rope, and that leverage is enough for her to kick Tara away.

Emmy pulls herself to a standing position with the aid of the ropes just in time to see Tara charge at her, but a well-timed backdrop sends The Phoenix Queen over the top. Fenix lands on her feet on the apron, but Emmanuelle is quick to hit her with a few hard elbow strikes, dazing The Goddess. Then, with amazing quickness and agility despite the damage done to her leg, Emmanuelle springs to the top turnbuckle and leaps off for a moonsault bodyblock! The move looks to be right on target, but Tara catches her in mid-air and counters with a tombstone piledriver on the ring apron!

CROWD: HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!

TREY BOOKER: Sweet baby Jesus! That’s the hardest part of the ring and Emmanuelle was just driven into it!

J.T. PRICE: I can’t believe what these two are willing to do for the Cup and the guaranteed title shot!

Emmanuelle dropped to the floor immediately after the impact, while Tara remained seated on the apron for a few moments to catch her breath. Then, Tara slowly gets to her feet, bounces off the middle rope, and flips onto the prone Emmanuelle with The Phoenix Drop! Double stomp moonsault right onto Emmy’s midsection! With a potential victory in sight, Tara quickly pulls Emmanuelle up and rolls her back into the ring, following her in for the immediate cover.

ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!

There is a momentary look of disbelief on Tara’s face, but it fades quickly as she plans her next offensive strategy. She begins by tossing Emmy into a corner and follows her in with a running back elbow. Tara then runs to the opposite ropes and comes back for a picture perfect dropkick that will no doubt snap Emmanuelle’s head back forcefully. Then The Platinum Standard ducks away at the last second and Tara’s legs are tangled up on the top turnbuckle, trapping her in a tree of woe! This time it’s Emmy who gets a running start before charging back in with The Platinum Dynamic! Double knee smash to Tara’s exposed torso!

Emmanuelle then unhooks Tara’s legs, but keeps hold of her head as she places herself on the top turnbuckle...Malibu Shine! Tara Fenix goes down hard and Indy dives in for the count!

ONE!
TWO!
THREE…

NO!

Not deterred by Tara kicking out, Emmanuelle looks to end things as she lifts Tara up for The Rodeo Driver, but Fenix drops behind her! Tara attempts another drop toe hold when Emmanuelle spins around, but The Platinum Standard puts on the brakes and allows Tara to drop to the mat, then reaches down to lock on the PTO! Emmanuelle’s modified STF is locked on, and this time it’s Tara Fenix who has nowhere to go! The Phoenix Queen desperately pulls herself closer to the ropes, eventually reaching them, but Emmanuelle is no more obligated to release the hold than Tara was earlier! Indy can only admonish Emmy and plead for a clean break, but it looks as if The Silver Starlet is more than happy to dish out what Tara had previously done!

With no break forthcoming, Tara does the only thing she can by rolling her body toward the ropes, dragging both women onto the apron and eventually the floor. Only the impact forces Emmanuelle to release it, but she doesn’t hesitate to slap the hold back on! Indy rolls to the floor as well just as Tara Fenix begins to tap out, but he insists that despite there being no DQs or Count outs, the match must end in the ring! Emmanuelle continues to apply pressure on the mixed STF/Sleeper until Tara stops moving, and only then does she release her. It takes a great deal of effort for Emmy to roll Tara back into the ring, but once the task is complete she immediately goes for a cover…

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

NO! Tara manages to get her foot on the bottom rope at the very last moment, and it’s well within Indy’s field of vision. Now showing signs of frustration as well, Emmanuelle slaps the mat before slowly pulling herself up.

CROWD FIGHT FOREVER! FIGHT FOREVER!

J.T. PRICE: All this to honor Indy’s dad? What’s his name again?

TREY BOOKER: It’s Clive Darling, and while these two women are certainly honoring his memory with this match, there’s a lot more at stake than that!

Slower than before but still with impeccable grace, Emmanuelle reaches to top turnbuckle and watches as Tara slowly gets on her feet, looking to hit her with a missile dropkick before she can recover further. Emmy leaps off, but suddenly Tara snaps into action with a Genocide Kick out of nowhere! It hits Emmanuelle right under the jaw and knocks her out of the sky! Tara falls to the canvas immediately after hitting the move, and slowly rolls to where Emmanuelle landed for the cover…

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

KICKOUT! Emmanuelle barely rolls the shoulder up, and Tara sits up in utter shock immediately afterwards. After the shock wears off, Tara gets back up and reaches down to pull Emmanuelle up by her head. She then hooks both of her arms to end things once and for all with her Phoenix Wings, but somehow Emmanuelle slips out and spins behind her...O’Connor Roll by Emmy...she holds on to Tara’s waist...German Suplex with a bridge!

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

AKLSDJF;LASKJDF NO!!!! Tara pops out of the pin attempt and rolls to her knees as Emmanuelle does the same. For a moment the two women remain on their knees, staring at each other as if they’re both wondering what it’s going to take to end the match. Then, still from the kneeling position, Emmy strikes out with a knife edge chop! Tara rocks on her knees, but then fires back with one of her own! Then one from Emmy...then Tara...rinse and repeat as both women refuse to give an inch!

CROWD LET’S GO EMMY! PHOENIX QUEEN! LET’S GO EMMY! PHOENIX QUEEN!

The back and forth chops continue as both women slowly rise to their feet. After that, it doesn’t take long for the chops to turn into forearms...then European Uppercuts...and finally the hardest punches that either woman can give. Many fans are aware that this is a game they’ve seen Emmy play before, as she perfectly goads Tara into her Cross Counter right hand punch, but Tara ducks it at the last second and turns it into a backslide!

ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!

Both women roll back up, when Emmanuelle swiftly grabs hold of Tara’s head and rolls her back to the mat with an inside cradle!

ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!

Next it’s Tara who strikes first with a double leg takedown before flipping on top of Emmanuelle!

ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!

Emmanuelle bridges out of the pin while holding onto Tara’s midsection, pivots her around, and then takes her down with a backslide of her own!

ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!

Tara responds with a small package…

ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!

But then Tara decides to go for Phoenix Wings again, only for Emmy to counter with a backdrop that Tara then turns into a sunset flip!

ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!

Emmanuelle shifts her weight to force Tara on her back before kneeling on top of her…

ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!

After shoving her forward, Tara reaches overhead to snag Emmy between the legs for a school boy roll!

ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!

But Emmanuelle rolls out of it and snags Tara’s arm for the Milan Miracle la magistral cradle!

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

NO! NO! NOT YET! Last second kick out by Fenix!

TREY BOOKER: I can’t believe this! The work ethic...the determination of these women!

J.T. PRICE: What about the ref? Indy’s working harder as an official than he ever did in his matches!

No longer going for the quick pin attempts, Emmanuelle tries to take Tara’s head off with a short clothesline, only for Fenix to duck under it and go behind her! She lifts Emmanuelle up and drops her back into a bridging back suplex, but both women have their shoulders on the mat!

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

Indy sits up on his knees as soon as he’s realized what’s happened, as both Tara and Emmanuelle roll away and look to him for an answer. Shaking his head in disbelief, he signals that it was a double pin...and then motions for them to continue!

Exhausted both mentally and physically, Emmanuelle and Tara get back to their feet and move in for the very first lock-up of the match, which Tara counters with another go-behind, only to have Emmanuelle throw a back elbow...that Tara ducks under before hitting a Northern Lights Suplex!

ONE!

TWO!

KICKOUT!

Emmanuelle comes back up ready for a fight, planting a kick to Tara’s midsection before grabbing her head with an attempted Snap DDT in mind...but Tara snags Emmy’s wrist and twists out of the hold...hooking both of her arms….she finally hits The Phoenix Wings!

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

Tara immediately sits up with her arms raised, only for Indy to grab her wrist and force it down, indicating that Emmanuelle’s foot was on the bottom rope! It looks as if Tara is going to explode, but instead of taking it out on the GM, she grabs Emmanuelle, hooks her arms a second time, and delivers a second consecutive Phoenix Wings! This time she hooks Emmanuelle’s leg and head both as she covers her…

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

And Indy Darling finally calls for the bell!

DING! DING! DING!

HOLLY PEREZ: Your winner of the match and of The Clive Darling Memorial Cup Tournament… “The Phoenix Queen”....TARA FENIX!!!

TREY BOOKER: We finally have a winner, and it’s none other than Tara Fenix! If she stays true to her promise, Ozymandias had better be watching this match to see what he’s in for!

J.T. PRICE: Tara’s now got a ticket towards any Proving Ground Title Match she wants, but you can’t tell me Emmanuelle didn’t earn her own title shot in the process!

Physically exhausted, Tara drops to her knees and buries her face in her hands as Indy Darling takes a moment to check on Emmanuelle. The Platinum Standard has already regained her bearings, and looks both shocked and heart-broken as Indy breaks the news to her. Emmanuelle remains sitting on the mat with her back against the ropes, as Indy moves to take hold of the trophy from a ringside official. He then returns to Tara’s side and helps her to her feet, before presenting her with the trophy. As Tara looks at her golden reflection, Indy kisses his fingers and then points them to lights above, hoping that he’s successfully honored his father’s memory with the tournament.

Indy then leaves the ring to give Tara her moment in the spotlight, as she once again drops to her knees and cradles the golden trophy in her arms. As Emmanuelle watches the scene with disappointment and shock, we can see Indy trying to reassure her from ringside. As Clash For the Cup goes off the air, it’s clear that the future will be a bright one for all involved in the tournament, but none more so than its ultimate winner...