PROVING GROUND XXXII: MARCH OF CHAMPIONS RESULTS

♫ To be more than a conqueror
You have to learn to enjoy the pain
If you want to survive the game ♫

With Skillet’s “Surviving The Game” playing in the background, the video intro begins with the reigning X-Factor Champion, MYOJIN, as they hit the Falling From Heaven EX on a fallen opponent. That is soon followed by the Sultan of Spice as he wiggles his body in the center of the ring and slaps his ass cheeks in preparation for a spicy stink face. Then, with arms crossed in front of his massive chest, comes an image of the imposing Shooter Landell.

♫ You can try to defeat me (Defeat me)
You don't know it's the pain that'll feed me (Feed me)
And I'm gonna take back what you took before (Before)
'Cause I was born for this
All the bones that you're breakin' (Breakin')
You pretend that you're the one that can save me (Save me)
Now I'm takin' it back, it was never yours (Never yours)
I'm fightin' ♫

Lexi Gold is shown celebrating a victory as the crowd cheers her on, before we get a shot of Douglas Crane screaming as he locks in his Release Me submission hold. This section of the video wraps up with an image of Stella Jade connecting with one of her tarot themed signature moves.

♫ Fightin' for my focus
Give the pain a purpose
Light the fire inside
Feel it come alive (Come alive)
Show 'em what I'm made of
Victory's for the brave ones
Who never bow the knee
When it's do or die (Do or die-ie-ie)
One more time ♫

We see John Blade waving his hand in front of his face before turning completely invisible. Tara Fenix is the next to be highlighted, as we see the Phoenix Queen executing her Phoenix Lock. Finally, there is a shot of the young Mikey Hero as he does a backflip in the ring and poses for the crowd.

♫ Survivin' the game
I can be unstoppable
Gonna walk through Hell
Gonna shake the walls
Survive, survivin' the game (Survivin' the game)
Livin' the impossible
I'm the champion, indestructible (Survive)
Survive, 'cause I'm survivin' the game ♫

Kyle Valentine and DJ Hunter take over the screen next, with these members of The Phantom Troupe hitting Gran Rey Cero with perfect accuracy. After that shot of in-ring action, we then see the smiling face of Cadillac Jackson as he slides his sunglasses down to the tip of his nose.

♫ I can be unstoppable
Gonna be indestructible
I can be unstoppable
Gonna be indestructible ♫

The smug smile of Larry KaChow appears, soon to be followed by the eccentric Percival Burque as he throws one of his pocket rats at an unsuspecting opponent. From those unlikely images, we go to a shot of Mark Hunter as he locks in The Last Act.

♫ All the liars around me
Like the wolves of the walls that surround me
In the face of the fear, I keep standin' tall
'Cause I will conquer this
Knock me down like a lion (Lion)
I was born to be demon defiant (Defiant)
And I won't ever let this kingdom fall (Fall)
I'll show 'em ♫

Giovanni vogues for the camera and gives his best runway model expression, immediately followed up by Officer Greyfield beating down a perp with his billy club. Then comes the disturbing sight of a smiling Casanova English, moments before he connects with the Silence of the Lamb.

♫ Show 'em what you're made of
Victory's for the brave ones
Never bow the knee
'Cause it's do or die (Do or die-ie-ie)
One more time ♫

Malachite Minj licks the back of his hand before brushing a few strands of hair away from his face, which then transitions to TJ Thompson executing Hip with the Drip. Then comes images of Johnny Levy, who gives the camera an arrogant grin before we see the execution of his Box Office Blockbuster.

♫ Survivin' the game
I can be unstoppable
Gonna walk through Hell
Gonna shake the walls
Survive, survivin' the game (Survivin' the game)
Livin' the impossible
I'm the champion, indestructible (Survive)
Survive, 'cause I'm survivin' the game (Game) ♫

With Francis in hand, DIANA gives a happy smile to the camera before the scene switches to the much different visual of Swindle Shelldrake. The Kraken is shown planting an opponent with Violent Salvage before we switch to images of Archimedes J. Manson bringing his unique cartoon sensibilities to life.

♫ I am more than a conqueror
The past behind me, life is ahead
I'll take the way of the warrior
I walk alone, no fear to the death
One more time ♫

As the intro draws nearer to its conclusion, General Manager Indy Darling gives the camera a thumbs up, before we then see The Platinum Standard in motion. Following the execution of Emmanuelle’s Palisades Bomber, we get a shot of Skylar Ramsay giving a smirk during her entrance.

♫ Survivin' the game
I can be unstoppable
Gonna walk through Hell
Gonna shake the walls
Survive, survivin' the game (Survivin' the game)
Livin' the impossible
I'm the champion, indestructible (Survive)
Survive, 'cause I'm survivin' the game (Survive)
Survivin' the game (Survive)
Survivin' the game
Livin' the impossible
I'm the champion, indestructible (Survive)
Survive, 'cause I'm survivin' the game (Survive) ♫

Finally, the Proving Ground logo emerges on the screen with the reigning Grand Champion, Arata Asakura, towering above it with the championship on his shoulder and his eyes radiating with glowing energy.

♫ I can be unstoppable
Gonna be indestructible
I can be unstoppable
Gonna be indestructible ♫




The Paradise Beachfront and Nightlife Heart of Cancun, Mexico lights up with a burst of pyrotechnics as Proving Ground is on the air! The spring break crowd is just as rowdy as they were for last night’s Fallout as they surround the Olympic size pool and the wrestling ring that floats at its center. Many of the fans have an alcoholic beverage of their preference in hand, but that doesn’t stop them from holding their signs in the air.

“EQUAL PAY FOR BARLON MANDO”
“SPICE GOAT”
“DIANA - DOUBLE D CHAMP”
“A NEW LEGACY BEGINS!”
“BRING BACK PAT”

We get several different camera angles of the crowd and the beachfront set-up before we finally land upon Trey Booker and JT Price, who are set up in a crow’s nest on the rooftop of a nightclub adjacent to the pool and ring.

TREY BOOKER: Welcome to our second night of Project: Honor’s Spring Break Extravaganza! Welcome to Proving Ground: March of Champions!

J.T. PRICE: We’re surrounded by inebriated hotties. I should have gone to college, Trey.

TREY BOOKER: The crowd is pumped for tonight’s event as we’ll be crowning a brand new Legacy Champion! Not only that, but the Grand, X-Factor, and Warrior Rising Titles will all be on the line as well! Not only that, but we’re commercial free! It’s going to be a wild night, so let’s not wait another second! It all starts now!




Lynyrd Skynyrd's “Gimme Back My Bullets” plays over the PA system as the imposing figure of Shooter Landell makes his way from the entrance. He crosses the catwalk over the pool and steps into the ring without bothering with any unnecessary pomp and circumstances.

HOLLY PEREZ: Our opening contest is a Handicap Match scheduled for one fall! Introducing first, from God’s Country in Council Bluffs, Iowa and weighing in at two hundred sixty pounds… “The Last Carny”...SHOOTER LANDELL!

As Proving Ground’s newest signee stretches out on the ropes while awaiting his opponents, a voice rings out over the sound system. With a microphone in hand, we see another pair of newcomers to the brand make their entrance, Cal Culus and Trig O’Nometry, collectively known as Advanced Mathematics.

CAL CULUS: Shooter Landell, this just became the worst day of your life! You were scheduled to face those two jabronis, El Puma and Guy, which meant you’d normally have a 50 percent chance of winning your match. But they’re such big losers that a tough guy like you would have outclassed them, raising your chances to 63 percent. But it was supposed to be a handicap match, and even two losers like them have strength in numbers, which would have dropped your chances by 14 percent! That puts you back down to a measly 49 percent of winning! Thankfully it’s your debut and you’re all jacked up, so I’ll be generous and give you a 1 percent boost to put it back at an even 50!

Shooter seems a bit confused at first as he watches the two men make their way toward the ring.

CAL CULUS: But those two nobodies aren’t here so Indy Darling is sending us out to fight you instead! Trig O’Nometry and I are two bad dudes, so that 50 percent chance you had of winning is now down to 37 percent! Only you don’t look like you can handle this multiplication problem, so that automatically deducts another 18 percent from your overall chances! With only a 19 percent chance of winning, you have no hope at all! That realization is gonna hit you when we step between those ropes, increasing our chances to win by another 13 percent! Do you know what that means, Landell? It means that Advanced Mathematics has a 94 percent chance of kicking your ass all over Cancun! And with all these hot little freaks cheering us on, we’re gonna be pumped up even harder! That 6 percent gain in pumpage is good news for us and bad news for you, because now there’s no way we can lose! Plus, there’s two of us and one of you, so multiply that by 2 and divide it by 1! That’s 200 percent in our favor, fat boy! Tell ‘em, Trig!

TRIG O’NOMETRY: What my brother from another mother is trying to say is that if you don’t like math, prepare to feel our wrath!

DING! DING! DING!

TREY BOOKER: It seems as though we have a substitution on the card. The KaVengers were taken out before their match on our last episode, and I have to wonder if something similar has happened this week.

J.T. PRICE: Either that or even Guy and El Puma are smart enough to avoid facing a badass like Shooter Landell.

Trig is the first man into the ring for his team, and he rushes at Shooter Landell like a freight train. Unfortunately for the Advanced Mathematics member, Shooter catches him in a big bearhug and immediately hurls Trig over his head, sending him to the ringside area with a release belly to belly suplex. Cal rushes in after his partner, but he’s met by a European Uppercut from Landell, immediately followed by a short arm clothesline. Cal gets back on his feet and charges at Landell a second time, only to be caught in his arms and dropped onto the top rope with a Stun Gun! The move lives up to its name as Cal is clearly stunned, leaving him wide open to a clothesline from Shooter that flips him over the top rope to the floor!

TREY BOOKER: So far, Shooter Landell is having no problem with this surprise change in opponents.

J.T. PRICE: That just doesn’t add up, Trey.

Trig rolls back into the ring and rushes toward Shooter to attack him while his back is turned, but Landell turns around just in time to catch O’Nometry with a hard spinning spinebuster! The big Midwesterner then measures Trig as he slowly gets back to his feet before charging towards him, this time taking him down with a powerful STO! With Trig on the mat and Cal still recovering outside the ring, Shooter begins to apply his Carny Lock! Trig O’Nometry is trapped in the center of the ring with nowhere to go, and before his partner can rush in to help him, he’s forced to tap out!

DING! DING! DING!

HOLLY PEREZ: And your winner of the match by way of submission…SHOOTER LANDELL!!!

TREY BOOKER: Holy shit! That was quick!

J.T. PRICE: Shooter Landell made short work of Advanced Mathematics in his debut. I’d hate to have to meet up with that guy on the street let alone in the ring!

TREY BOOKER: Rumor has it that Advanced Mathematics have a third member named Al Gebra. Maybe they should think about bringing him along next time…

With Cal and Trig still reeling from the onslaught they’ve endured, Shooter Landell steps between the ropes and starts making his way toward the exit, still uninterested in making a flashy scene for the crowd.


Following the opening contest, we go to the nearby Hard Rock Cafe where Larry KaChow is standing by to emcee tonight’s Spring Break Triathlon!

LARRY KACHOW: What’s up, dawgs? It’s your boy, LizArry to the KaChow here to host all the hot action in Project: Honor’s Spring Break Triathlon! Don’t forget, the contestant with the highest amount of points after all three events will get a shot at Arata Asakura and the Grand Championship later tonight! Now will you please welcome our panel of guest judges for The Wet T-Shirt Contest…Harry Styles…Cardi B…and Kevin Hart!

The three celebrity judges wave to the fans as they get a loud ovation from the inebriated crowd.

LARRY KACHOW: Now then, let’s have our contestants join me for the first round of our Triathlon!!

As the crowd continues to cheer, Diana, Douglas Crane, John Blade, Malachite Minj, Mikey Hero, Officer Greyfield, Serrano Poblano, and Stella Jade all join Larry KaChow on stage.

LARRY KACHOW: Up first…give it up for The Energizer Bunny…Diana!!!

The young woman seems a bit reluctant to go through with what’s about to happen, but with a potential title shot on the line, it looks as if she’s going to give it her best shot. A few lucky fans begin to spray Diana down with squirt guns and bottles of water as she covers her face, either from embarrassment or simply to keep her make-up intact. With her t-shirt completely soaked and sticking to her upper body, the judges begin to reveal their scores…

HARRY STYLES - 8.3
CARDI B - 5.9
KEVIN HART - 10
TOTAL - 24.2

Diana seems almost as pleased with those scores as Kevin Hart was to see her in a wet t-shirt. As Diana takes a step back to a round of applause, Douglas Crane takes his place at center stage. It isn’t long before a trio of sorority sisters start dousing the stoic man with water. Despite being drenched, Crane remains absolutely emotionless as his cold eyes stare blankly ahead. While his muscular frame is impressive, it seems as if his lack of enthusiasm is working against him.

HARRY STYLES - 4.8
CARDI B - 7.1
KEVIN HART - 0.2
TOTAL - 12.1

LARRY KACHOW: Oof…that’s gonna be tough to overcome. Anyway, thanks for playing, big guy…

Crane turns to stare a hole through Larry’s very soul before he finally steps back without uttering a word or even blinking his eyes. Next up is the reigning Triple A Champion, John Blade, who seems to be wearing a t-shirt that’s 3 sizes too small. The same group of ladies who doused Crane then begin to pour water over John Blade, who flexes his muscles and mugs for the cheering crowd…

HARRY STYLES - 8.4
CARDI B - 9.7
KEVIN HART - 6.1
TOTAL - 24.2

LARRY KACHOW: Wow! That score ties him with Diana perfectly! We’ve got a race to see who can be number one!

Next up is Malachite Minj, who scowls at the crowd and looks extremely upset about being a part of these shenanigans. Then, as the co-eds start to hurl water at him, Minj begins to hiss loudly and wave his claws in the air as if he’s drowning. Before any of the judges can give an accurate score, Minj rushes off the stage, furiously shaking his head and cursing about his hatred of water.

LARRY KACHOW: Uh-oh…looks like kitty prefers a dry shower. I’m afraid that’s going to be a disqualification for Monsieur Minj. Maybe there’s hope for Douglas Crane after all?

Once Minj is out of sight, the young Mikey Hero takes his place on stage and prepares to be soaked by the sorority sisters. Unfortunately for the impressive rookie, a muscular physique is not really his thing and it shows in the judges’ scores.

HARRY STYLES - 2.6
CARDI B - 3.6
KEVIN HART - 5.7
TOTAL - 11.9

Mikey looks disappointed as he takes a step back, but at least he knows that there are two more competitions to come. Next up is the much beefier Officer Greyfield, who removes his tactical vest to reveal a white t-shirt that is nearly as small as John Blade’s was. The co-eds reluctantly toss water at the bulbous enforcement officer as he tries to keep hold of his billy club in the slippery conditions.

HARRY STYLES - 1.3
CARDI B - 1.0
KEVIN HART - 7.8
TOTAL - 10.1

LARRY KACHOW: Well, at least Kevin Hart appreciates a good Dadbod. Better luck next round, Officer.

Greyfield scowls at Harry Styles and Cardi B as if he’s considering handing out some law and order, before he finally gives a respectful nod to Kevin Hart and reluctantly takes a step back. Following him is Serrano Poblano, who is already gyrating and wiggling before the first drop of water hits him. The Sultan of Spice rips off his flame pattern button-up and then waves off the co-eds, choosing to pour a bottle of Ghost Pepper Chili Sauce over himself in place of the standard water. As the thick sauce coats his overly tight t-shirt, Serrano continues to pop his hips enthusiastically.

HARRY STYLES - 8.4
CARDI B - 9.7
KEVIN HART - 9.9
TOTAL - 28

LARRY KACHOW: What the fu…

SERRANO POBLANO: Yeah baby! These judges appreciate my spice! Arata’s gonna serve up that title to me on a flip flop, daddio!

LARRY KACHOW: Right. Our judges have a sense of humor. Fantastic. Stella, will you please take your place so the sight of Serrano isn’t burned into my brain any longer?

With a pleasant smile and a huge ovation encouraging her, Stella Jade takes center stage and gladly waits for the fraternity brothers to hose down her body. As she poses, Serrano Poblano sneaks up behind her, seemingly up to no good. Stella continues to smile as she’s splashed with water, and the crowd starts to cheer even louder than before. At first, Stella is appreciative of the amazing reception she’s getting, until she finally glances down to realize that her bikini top has been untied and she’s showing a lot more than she had planned. She turns to see Serrano rolling on the stage in a fit of laughter, at which point she begins to kick and stomp at the Sultan of Spice.

HARRY STYLES - 9.9
CARDI B - 9.8
KEVIN HART - 10
TOTAL - 29.8

LARRY KACHOW: Wowza! Daddy KaChow likey! God bless Serrano Poblano and his selfless sacrifice! Now let’s hear it for the winner of round one…Stella Jade!

Still embarrassed, Stella covers her upper body as the crowd cheers for her.

LARRY KACHOW: That brings an end to our first round with Stella Jade in the lead, followed by Serrano Poblano, and then Diana and John Blade in third place! Don’t go anywhere, because our Beer Pong Round will be coming up soon!



We return to the ring following the first round of the Spring Break Triathlon as “Applause” by Lady Gaga is playing over the PA system and Holly Perez is making her introductions.

HOLLY PEREZ: Our next contest is a Six Person Tag Team Match scheduled for one fall! Currently in the ring are ARCHIMEDES J. MANSON, along with his best friends in the whole world and two of the newest members of Proving Ground, STANFORD EDISON AND DAVION ISAIAH ZAIRE…THE MASTERS OF THE TOONIVERSE!!!

After their music fades away, the sound of the “Willem Dafoe Drip Check” takes over the PA system as the new group known as The DaVengers make their way toward the ring.

HOLLY PEREZ: And their opponents, being led to the ring by Academy Nominated Actor and winner of The Berlin International Film Festival’s Honorary Golden Berlin Bear, Mr. Willem Dafoe…here are SAMURAI STEVE…RICH MAHOGANY…AND HOWIE DEWITT…THE DAVENGERS!

DING! DING! DING!

TREY BOOKER: It looks like we’re going to have Howie DeWitt starting out for Willem Dafoe’s team while we get our first look at Stanford Edison on the other side of the ring.

J.T. PRICE: Seriously, two more idiots like Archie? What did we do to deserve this Saturday Morning bullcrap?

TREY BOOKER: Don’t let appearances deceive you, J.T. I have it on good authority that they’re all business once that bell rings.

Despite J.T.’s complaints, Stanford starts things off by overpowering Howie DeWitt in a lock-up as he pushes the man into a neutral corner. After a few blistering chops to Howie’s chest, Stanford sends him back out of the corner with a Beil toss. While the move is somewhat basic, the expression of pain on Howie’s face tells a different story. As soon as he staggers to his feet, Edison charges at him with a clothesline that results in DeWitt doing a full rotation in the air before he lands back on the mat. Stanford hits a back suplex on Howie for good measure, before locking him in a front facelock and making the tag to The DIZ.

Zaire comes off the top rope with a double ax handle across Howie’s back, forcing the man to arch his spine as if he’d just been hit by a speeding car. DeWitt hobbles to his corner and makes the tag to Samurai Steve, who steps between the ropes and gives his best martial arts kata pose. Not to be outdone, The DIZ poses in the Crane Kick position, drawing the ire of his opponent. Samurai Steve rushes forward into a hip toss, then gets back on his feet and into an armdrag, before getting up a second time only to eat a dropkick from Davion. A pair of suplexes keeps Steve reeling before The DIZ finally goes to bring Archie into the match. In order to set up his partner appropriately, The DIZ gives Samurai Steve an atomic wedgie to hold him in place as Archie leaps into the ring to nail a perfect POW springboard dropkick.

J.T. PRICE: A wedgie? Seriously?

TREY BOOKER: I believe we call that a leverage move, partner.

J.T. PRICE: At least those idiots in the KaVengers put up a believable fight. Dafoe’s guys aren’t even trying!

TREY BOOKER: On the contrary, I think that only speaks to the impressive teamwork on behalf of The MotT.

The move has such force that it sends Samurai Steve tumbling across the mat and back into his own corner. With a mean look on his face, Rich Mahogany reaches over the top rope to tag himself in. He marches around the ring for a second before putting his fists on his hips and sticking out his bottom lip, continuing to give the most unbelievable angry face in the history of the sport. Not wanting to have any bad blood between the two teams, Archie offers his hand to Rich as a sign of respect. Mahogany looks around to the crowd for a moment before finally agreeing to shake Archie’s hand and…

BUZZZZZ!!!!

Rich Mahogany shakes violently as Archie’s joybuzzer sends a few harmless volts through his body. After a few seconds, Manson finally breaks the handshake, leaving big Mahogany wobbling on his feet. Then, before we can see what Archie will do to follow up, all of the stadium lights surrounding the floating pool suddenly go out! What the DaVengers do not seem to realize is that the sun has not yet set over Cancun, and everyone can clearly see Howie DeWitt and Samurai Steve throw themselves off the apron to the ringside area. Stanford and The DIZ look at each other on the apron and shrug their shoulders. Then, when the lights come back on, Archie gives a disapproving shake of his head before reaching out to poke Rich Mahogany on the chest with his index finger…and Mahogany goes down like a ton of bricks!

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

DING! DING! DING!

HOLLY PEREZ: Here are your winners…THE MASTERS OF THE TOONIVERSE!!!

TREY BOOKER: Archie calls that move ‘You Get What You Fucking Deserve’ although I’ve never seen him apply it with such power and grace.

J.T. PRICE: Are you serious? He poked the man in the chest, Trey!

TREY BOOKER: All I know is that Stanford Edison and The DIZ must have taken out the other DaVengers members when the lights were down, and who knows what Mahogany may have suffered during that time!

J.T. PRICE: The fucking sun is still out, you moron! Did you not see those two jabronies flop off the apron like they’d been shot? Where’s your journalistic integrity?

TREY BOOKER: All in all, that was a great debut match in the tag team division for Archie and his friends, especially against such sturdy competition as they faced here tonight!

J.T. PRICE: …fucking hell….

As Archie, Stanford, and The DIZ dance, hug, and go completely overboard with their celebration, much to the delight of the crowd, Willem Dafoe gathers his team at ringside. Despite their loss, Willem gives them all a wicked grin as he nods his head in a satisfied manner…


We open up the scene with Lexi Gold in a bikini sitting on a chair on the beach of beautiful Cancun. Mexico as she sips on her martini and takes in the beautiful views the country has to offer. Since she isn't scheduled to compete, she is using this trip as a way to unwind and possibly scout some competition. The cameras move in closer to her, she sets her drink aside and uses this time to address some things.

LEXI GOLD: I'm sure you are wondering why I would rather be out here than competing in the ring. It's really simple. When you work as hard as I sometimes do, you need time away from the ring to heal and think about what direction life will take you next. Don't use this as a sign that I'm hanging up my boots. These boots still plan to kick some asses when I return, don't you worry.

She takes a sip of her drink and waves back to some random strangers who decided to wave at her. One of them yells out, "SNAKE GIRL. WE LOVE YOU!" assuming they were fans and everyone knows how much she adores her fans, she then turns her attention back to the camera again.

LEXI GOLD: See, that kind of support is what keeps me going and motivates me to do better every single week. What you see right now is temporary. Next time you see me again, it'll be in that ring where I belong. Until then, gather your finest talents for me, because this snake lady may no longer carry the poison she once had, but is still not afraid to strike when needed.

The camera gets a close up of a tattoo of a snake on one of her fingers before the screen fades to black.




HOLLY PEREZ: The following contest is scheduled for one fall!

"Dusted" by Astroid Boys plays and Betsy walks out with her robe on, taking her place in the middle of the ramp, where she stretches her arms to either side and lets the robe fall slightly down her back, exposing her shoulders but still being mostly worn. As she starts walking to the ring, she alternates between pointing at herself and at the crowd, her confidence only second to how much she appreciates the fans.

HOLLY PEREZ: Introducing first, from Manchester, England… “Titania”...LADY GALAGHER!!! And her opponent, former two-time Legacy Champion… “The British Raven”...ELENA DEDRACA!!!

“Rocket Skates” by the Deftones echoes over the sound system, but as it continues to play, there is no sign of Betsy’s opposition for the evening. Holly Perez remains in the ring with a confused look until the music finally dies down. Hoping it’s nothing more than a miscue, the ring announcer gives it another try…

HOLLY PEREZ: And her opponent…residing in Garrison, New York…she is “The Gothmother of Wrestling”...ELENA DEDRACA!!!

Elena’s music begins to play a second time, but still there is no emergence of The British Raven. Just then, the Honor-Tron comes to life, showing us the scene behind the entrance curtains. Laying face-down, in a pool of blood, is Elena DeDraca. Perhaps even more shocking than that is the man kneeling over her, someone who has gone out of his way to show nothing but respect towards Elena, “The Straight Shooter” Mark Hunter. As he continues to kneel over her, there is no look of concern on Mark’s face and he isn’t making any move to check on her condition. Finally, Mark rises to his feet and looks around nonchalantly.

MARK HUNTER: I think she’s going to need a little help over here…

Then, a slight smirk comes over Mark’s face before he turns his back on Elena’s unmoving body and casually walks away. Moments later, Proving Ground officials and members of Hydra rush onto the scene, their concern and heightened emotions apparent before the scene cuts out completely.

Back in the ring, Lady Galagher has a mixed expression of concern and confusion as she begins to question the official assigned to the match. Finally, the referee makes his way back to Holly Perez with his official decision.

HOLLY PEREZ: Ladies and gentlemen, since Elena DeDraca will be unable to compete, the referee has declared that the winner of this match by forfeit is…BETSY GALAGHER!

Betsy continues to look confused as the referee attempts to raise her hand, only to have Titania pull her arm away from him. It would appear as if she’s just as upset over being denied a match between two of England’s top female competitors as the fans are.

TREY BOOKER: I apologize for this turn of events, folks, but clearly someone has gotten the jump on Elena DeDraca and taken her out of action. We can only hope whatever damage she may have sustained is minor…

J.T. PRICE: ‘Someone’? You mean Mark Hunter got to her! Did you see that smile? It looked an awful lot like the one he had when he cost her a match against Brandon Hendrix two weeks ago!

TREY BOOKER: I…I just don’t know, J.T. I was willing to give Mark the benefit of the doubt last time, assuming he was worried about Elena’s condition, but this?

J.T. PRICE: Dude! Are you serious? He’s guilty as hell! He’s always thought that Proving Ground was his show and he didn’t want to be upstaged by the woman who defeated him in his only Legacy Title opportunity! Your golden boy is the same prick he’s always been!

TREY BOOKER: Damn it, J.T…fine! He looks guilty as hell! Is that what you want to hear? We can’t say for certain that Mark attacked Elena, but he sure as hell owes us an explanation for his actions!


With all kinds of drama going on around the ringside area, it’s a nice palate cleanser to go back to The Hard Rock Cafe where Larry KaChow is ready to start the second round of The Spring Break Triathlon!

LARRY KACHOW: Welcome back to the real show, dawgs! In case you forgot, Stella Jade is leading the pack with a score of 29.8! Right behind her is…god…Serrano Poblano with a score of 28. Diana and John Blade are tied at 24.2…Crane is sitting at 12.1…Mikey has 11.9…Greyfield checks in with 10.1…and Malachite Minj brings up the rear with zero points! Now…who’s ready for some Beer Pong?!

The crowd roars as the camera shows us several long tables set up with red Solo cups at each end. The eight contestants are standing by with mixed emotions.

LARRY KACHOW: The first round will be a team competition with the winners receiving 5 points. Then it’s on to one-on-one matches for 10 points, with the two winners going head to head to see who can tackle the most from a beer bong for a whopping 15 points! First up…it’s Mikey Hero and Diana against Malachite Minj and Officer Greyfield!

Mikey gets the first toss and instantly sinks one of his ping pong balls in a cup! Without hesitation, Officer Greyfield grabs the cup and chugs down the beer inside. Next up, Minj makes a toss, but it goes wide and misses the table completely. Then, Diana goes for the bouncing technique and scores another goal for her team! Minj reaches out for the cup to take the drink, but Greyfield is too fast and snatches it up for himself first. Greyfield then makes his first toss, but instead of trying to get a goal he blatantly beams the ball off Mikey’s head and laughs his ass off as a result.

As the game continues to unfold, Mikey and Diana are on absolute fire, sinking one ball after another. Minj, basically being cut out of the game by his own partner, watches with crossed arms as Greyfield downs one cup of beer after another, sometimes even without a ball landing in it. Then, when he makes his throw, he chooses to wing a ball dangerously at his opponents instead of trying to score. He does manage to get two lucky bounces in the process, forcing Mikey and Diana to drink one cup each. In the end however, Mikey and Diana are just too on point, leaving Greyfield with no choice but to chug the final beer as his team comes up short.

MIKEY HERO - 16.9
DIANA - 29.2
OFFICER GREYFIELD - 10.1
MALACHITE MINJ - 0

LARRY KACHOW: Next up, it’s John Blade and Douglas Crane against Serrano Poblano and Stella Jade!

John Blade goes first for his team as the crowd cheers him on, and it pays off as he sinks his first shot! Stella turns her nose up when Serrano offers her the beer, so The Sultan of Spice downs it himself! Next up, Serrano manages to sink his first ball as well! Not one to complain, John Blade drinks from the Solo cup. The ever-stoic Douglas Crane is next and he tosses his ping pong ball…nothing but net! With a heavy sigh, Stella drinks the beer before taking her own first shot. Unfortunately, she must have Brandon Hendrix on the brain because she misses the table completely.

John Blade sinks two more ping pong balls and Crane does the same, forcing Stella and Serrano to chug two beers each. Stella and Serrano only make one shot each in that same timeframe, but Blade and Crane have no problem emptying those cups. Still, it’s too much for Stella and Serrano to catch up to, as Crane and Blade take the win with their opponents still having four cups on the table.

JOHN BLADE - 29.2
DOUGLAS CRANE - 17.1
STELLA JADE - 29.8
SERRANO POBLANO - 28

LARRY KACHOW: Now, teammates will become opponents with Diana against Mikey Hero and Douglas Crane against John Blade!

Mikey’s first shot goes a bit long, and his ping pong ball is wedged into Diana’s ample cleavage. Not only does this make Mikey blush, but it also throws him off his game as Diana sinks four balls before he can even land one. Thankfully, no one has bothered to check Mikey’s ID since he’s a part of Project: Honor and he does his best to put down the beers without succumbing to the effects. After shaking off the initial embarrassment, Mikey lands several shots in a row, forcing Diana to chug down a few beers for herself. It’s clear these two lightweights are struggling as the game progresses, but the beer takes a heavier toll on Diana who struggles to make another shot. Finally, Mikey wins out with only two of Diana’s cups left on the table.

MIKEY HERO - 26.9
DIANA - 29.2

LARRY KACHOW: Are you okay, Mikey? If you’re gonna hurl, hurl into this…

As KaChow hands Mikey an empty Solo cup, Douglas Crane and John Blade step up to the table, the two men staring each other down. Crane nails a shot…and Blade answers with one of his own. Douglas with another beautiful throw…but Big Match John answers back appropriately! It continues like this until both men have one cup remaining. The Triple A Champion lines up his shot…he throws…and it bounces off the rim and to the floor! Crane then lines up his own shot…his eyes narrow…he throws…and it’s in!

DOUGLAS CRANE - 27.1
JOHN BLADE - 29.2

LARRY KACHOW: We’re down to the final two! Now Mikey Hero and Douglas Crane will take their chances with the Beer Bong!

Mikey and Douglas are each handed a plastic tube connected to a large funnel being held above their heads. With pitchers of beer ready, a pair of co-eds stand beside them on chairs. Larry gives it the old ‘On your mark…get set…GO!’ and the two young ladies start pouring the pitchers of beer into the funnels. As the alcohol hits his mouth, Douglas Crane remains staring ahead, completely emotionless. Meanwhile, Mikey Hero is already struggling to choke down every drop that’s being forced into his beer bong. Crane gulps like a madman but still doesn’t blink, Mikey on the other hand, begins to gag and choke as the constant rush of beer becomes too much. Finally, Mikey spits the tube away and falls to the floor in a drunken stupor, as Douglas Crane slightly turns his head to see his opponent’s predicament, the alcohol still rushing through his beer bong.

DOUGLAS CRANE - 42.1
MIKEY HERO - 26.9

LARRY KACHOW: And we have a winner! Douglas Crane, you are a freaking animal, my dude! He is now leading the pack with a huge 42.1 points, followed by Stella Jade, Diana, John Blade, Serrano Poblano, Officer Greyfield, and finally Malachite Minj! Stay tuned, cause we’ll be back soon with the Cannonball Dive to finally learn which contestant will be facing Arata Asakura later tonight!




“Nonstop” by Drake hits as the fans rise to their feet, watching the curtain while cheering. T.J. Thompson marches out onto the ramp, pounding his chest while shouting at the crowd with contagious energy.

HOLLY PEREZ: The following contest is a tag team match scheduled for one fall! Representing the first team, on his way to the ring, “The Hipbeast”, TJ TOMPSON!

Chants of "HIP" are heard as he high fives fans on his way down to the ring. At the bottom of the ramp, Thompson singles out a fan, and begins shaking uncontrollably as he raises his hand up. The crowd plays along with it as if Thompson is charging up before giving a massive air high five to the fan. The fan swings his arm back from the “impact” of the high five while Thompson fires up the crowd before sliding into the ring.

TJ briefly poses on the top turnbuckle as the crowd continues to cheer before waiting for his partner and opponents to start with a huge grin on his face.

"All of the Lights" by Kanye West hits, and the lights go out. Small flashes of multicolored lasers shoot across the beach, 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.

HOLLY PEREZ: And his partner. “The Luxury Experience”, CADILLAC JACKSON!

Caddy then makes his way to the ring with the spotlight following him, pointing and waving at fans while making sure while easily staying 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.

"Badstreet USA" by Crossfyre starts to play and the crowd begins to get pumped up. DJ Hunter and Kyle Valentine come out from the curtain together fired up and motioning for the crowd to do the same.

HOLLY PEREZ: Their opponents, making their way to the ring. They are the Project: Honor Tag Team Champions. Kyle Valentine, DJ Hunter, THE PHANTOM TROUPE!

Kyle and DJ sprint down to the ring and slide under the ropes. They keep their momentum as they bounce off the ropes with acrobatics landing in the center of the ring striking a pose for the crowd. The two go to their corner and wait for the start of the match.

Holly exits the ring as the referee checks both teams. DJ Hunter stays in the ring for Phantom Troupe while TJ does the same. The referee looks to the time keeper's table and throws his arm up calling for the start of the match.

DING! DING! DING!

TREY BOOKER: At first glance, it may seem like the Phantom Troupe are the favorites here just two weeks after winning the tag team titles, but I don’t think we can write off Caddy and TJ so quickly.

J.T. PRICE: I’m just disappointed that Caddy Daddy has been down with the Drip since coming back. Did Petey brainwash him or something?

DJ and TJ approach each other in the center of the ring and lock up with a collar and elbow. Both struggle for dominance, one moment DJ pushing TJ back into the ropes, TJ pushing DJ the next. Finally DJ gets the upper hand and pushes TJ far enough back that he is leaning over the ropes. DJ takes a step back and whips the Hipbeast across the ring. Tompson rebounds and Hunter drops down forcing TJ to jump over him. This time when TJ rebounds DJ leapfrogs over him. As DJ lands he goes to the ground, rolling onto his back and sticking his legs in the air. TJ rebounds one last time, DJ catching him with his legs sending him flying as he throws him overhead. TJ flies for what feels like an eternity.

TJ lands hard on the mat and arcs his spine as he clutches at his back. DJ doesn’t let up though as he gets to his feet and jumps up, driving both his feet into the abdomen of TJ. A visible burst of spit flies through the air as all the oxygen is pushed out of TJ’s lungs. DJ grabs TJ and picks him up, dragging him to Kyle. Kyle reaches out and the tag is made.

DJ throws Tompson face first into the turnbuckle. DJ exits the ring, opposite of Kyle and both take a few steps back, then sandwich TJ’s head with stereo superkicks! TJ goes limp and falls backward. Kyles steps into the ring while Caddy seems calm on the opposite side but is very clearly ready to be tagged in. Kyle deadlifts TJ up into a powerbomb position then brings him back down with a sit-out powerbomb. He holds it for the pin!

ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!

TREY BOOKER: DJ and Kyle are doing a good job of keeping TJ isolated from his partner.

J.T. PRICE: The champs are looking to end this one without Caddy ever making it into the ring.

TJ gets his shoulder off the mat clinging on to consciousness. Kyle sits in shock as TJ turns over and begins to crawl towards Caddy. Kyle grabs his leg, halting his journey to the far corner. Kyle gets to his feet while holding onto the leg of TJ Tompson then begins to twist the ankle into an ankle lock. TJ grips his hands enduring the pain as he begins to crawl towards Jackson. Kyle steps back into his corner dragging TJ with him. DJ tags in once again, and Kyle bends down and gets TJ into a wheelbarrow hold. Kyle lifts TJ into the air then The Elegant Assassin leaps over the ropes and hits TJ with a slingshot facebuster as Kyle completes the wheelbarrow slam. DJ rolls TJ over for the pin.

ONE!
TWO!
TH-KIKCOUT!

TJ uses the momentum of the kickout to get to his knees. But DJ stays on him and cockily tucks Tompson’s head between his legs. As DJ is boasting to the crowd, TJ lifts DJ over his head sending Spitfire to the mat! TJ takes a few steps forward and as Caddy reaches in he dives to his corner for the tag…

IT CONNECTS!

Cadillac comes through the ropes like a house on fire. DJ rushes to Caddy but is caught with a snap fisherman suplex. Caddy gets to his feet and charges the ropes taking Kyle off the mat with a lariat. Jackson turns his attention back to DJ who is starting to recover. Halfway to his feet, Caddy hooks his arms, then lifts him and slams him back down with a butterfly suplex! Cadillac Jackson gets back to his feet and he begins to pump up the crowd who are entirely behind him now. Caddy picks DJ up to his feet and deadlifts him, now dropping him with a vertical suplex.

TREY BOOKER: Jackson is turning things around for his team! They may not have the tag experience that Kyle and DJ Have, but they are still a force to be reckoned with.

J.T. PRICE: The champs aren’t out of this yet, Trey. Just wait and see…

Caddy heads to the neutral corner where he climbs up to the second rope. He dives off landing a hard diving fist drop square in the center of DJ’s face! It’s not looking good for DJ as Cadillac goes for the cover!

ONE!
TWO!
THR-KICKOUT!

DJ narrowly gets his shoulder off the mat. TJ is starting to recover and is asking to be tagged back in. Cadillac Jackson picks DJ up to his feet and drags him to the corner. The tag is made. TJ can be seen conversing with Caddy who nods in agreement. Caddy lifts DJ into a powerbomb position then faces away from the corner. TJ climbs to the top and motions the crowd to get on their feet. TJ jumps off the top… FLYING CROSSBODY INTO A POWERBOMB! Caddy rolls out of the ring as Tompson covers.

ONE!
TWO!
BREAKUP!

Kyle dives in to stop the count hitting a running knee to the head of TJ. Caddy reaches over the ropes and grabs Kyle’s head before leaping off the apron driving Kyle, throat first, into the rope. TJ and DJ lay on the mat motionless as the referee begins a count.

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
FOUR!

Both men begin to stir heading to their respective corners.

FIVE!
SIX!
SEVEN!

TJ pulls himself to his feet in his corner next to Caddy.

EIGHT!
NINE!

DJ is finally able to get to his feet in his own corner. The two stare across the ring at each other then charge, both going for a running clothesline. They take each other off their feet then immediately recover performing simultaneous clotheslines once again. Both men get to their feet once more, however, this time while DJ attempts another clothesline TJ Tompson hits a flying european uppercut!

TJ takes his chance and climbs the turnbuckle, hyping up the crowd then leaping off to hit THE HIP AND DIP! He stays on DJ for the cover. Kyle steps through the ropes to break it up but is taken off his feet by a sudden spear from Caddy!

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

DING! DING! DING!

HOLLY PEREZ: And your winners… Cadillac Jackson and TJ Tompson!!

TJ starts to get to his feet but begins to fall forward, barely able to keep himself up. Fortunately, Cadillac catches him and holds him up so he can regain his balance.

TREY BOOKER: Cadillac and TJ have pulled it off! This non-title win has to put them in contention for a future tag title shot!

J.T. PRICE: If the titles had been on the line tonight, there’s no way DJ and Kyle would have taken this loss!


We once again go back to The Hard Rock Cafe where Larry KaChow is standing by with a very special guest.

LARRY KACHOW: What’s up, losers? You’re all watching from your mom’s basements while Lucky Larry is in Cancun with all the ladies! We’ll get back into the Spring Break Triathlon action soon enough, but first, there is a very important piece of business to attend to! I’m here with one of the Project: Honor owners and the guy who’s calling the shots on Proving Ground, Indy Darling!

Indy smiles and waves at the crowd as they cheer his introduction. Tucked under Indy’s arm is a canvas bag, not unlike the one we saw him carrying during the last Proving Ground when he announced the company’s newest championship.

INDY DARLING: Thanks, Larry. On our last episode, we crowned our first Triple A Champion when John Blade put your shoulders on the ground for a three count. Now, I would like to officially present John with the new title belt declaring him the champion of fights that can happen against Anyone…Anywhere…Anytime.

Still in the Hard Rock after the last round of the Spring Break Triathlon, John Blade walks onto the stage alongside Indy and KaChow.

JOHN BLADE: Yo, Mr. Indy Darling, how’s it hanging, bro?
Your champ is rolling like the tide with his ebb and flow…
Now put that belt on my shoulder before it’s time to go…
Arata Asakura is next, just so you know.

INDY DARLING: Uh…right.

Indy shrugs his shoulders and reaches into the bag, slowly retrieving The Project: Honor Triple A Championship for everyone to see…

John Blade smiles as he reaches out to take the title he earned into his hands for the first time…when suddenly he’s struck from behind by a nightstick-wielding Officer Greyfield! Totally unprepared for the blow, Big Match John hits the floor hard as Greyfield stands over him with a maniacal laugh! It looks as if we’re going to have a new champion before John can even get his hands on the belt, when suddenly Greyfield is struck from behind by a glass beer pitcher! Greyfield slumps to the floor alongside Blade, as Diana stands over him, almost looking shocked over her own actions. Then, before Indy or KaChow can step in, she leaps on top of John Blade and hooks his leg. Indy shrugs and goes to make the count…

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

LARRY KACHOW: Ladies and gentlemen…the new Triple A Champion…DIANA!!!

The Energizer Bunny starts to bounce up and down as Indy hands the championship over to her. Then, as Blade and Greyfield begin to stir, she rushes away as quickly as her feet can take her.




If this were taking place inside an arena, the lights would surely dim.

But seeing as the show is taking place outside after 8pm EST, it’s probably already dark.

It’s also taking place in a floating ring on a beach.

What are we, WCW now? I understand the value of spectacle, but what’s the purpose of a non-PPV gimmick show in Mexico with a steel cage match?

Indy Darling is really giving this away on free TV, huh?

No wonder Proving Ground is in the dirt, losing viewership every week and bleeding fans to the far superior Fallout brand.

But you know what?

It’s fine.

Because now, there is a man willing to speak the truth.

On the horizon, a quartet of helicopters is visible. Suspended on lines is a large platform that is carried through the air.

On this platform, a luxurious hand-carved desk and an equally opulent chair.

On the chair, is Johnny ‘SUPERSTAR’ Levy, one leg crossed over his knee, leisurely sipping away at an oversized cup of tea as he is flown towards the floating ring like the goddamn main event-level talent he is.

He is lowered carefully into the ring, at which point an object on the desk is made visible.

A microphone.

He’s going to give a speech.

As the platform touches down on the canvas, Levy places the teacup and saucer onto the desk and brushes off the front of his shirt. Standing up and clearing his throat noisily, he steps off the thickly-carpeted platform and onto the utterly pedestrian, probably second-hand ring.

Taking some time to walk around the perimeter of the ring, Levy has a sudden, horrible realization only moments after the helicopters have begun to fly off, carrying the platform - and desk - with it.

He’d left his microphone behind.

Quickly lunging towards the announcer in an attempt to grab theirs, they easily outwit him and escape his grasp; leaving Levy to collapse and pound the mat in frustration.

Curse you, Indy Darling.

HOLLY PEREZ: The following contest is a steel cage match where participants can win by pinfall, submission, or by escaping the cage! Currently in the ring, from Los Angeles, California and weighing in at two hundred twenty-five pounds… “SUPERSTAR” JOHNNY LEVY!!!

Johnny Levy stands in the middle of the ring, the steel cage having already been secured in place during the previous break. With a disgusted look on his face, he now waits for the entrance of Brandon Hendrix. The fans start chanting his name, the support of the Project Honor fanbase, anywhere in the world being shown tonight, and when 'In My Zone' kicks in and the Cancun audience goes on their feet as Brandon walks through the thin curtain and stands on the ramp. He stares down the ramp, through the cage, and into the eyes of Johnny Levy.

HOLLY PEREZ: And making his way to the ring, from San Antonio, Texas, he stands as six feet six inches tall and weighs in at two hundred and thirty-seven pounds, he is 'The Don'... BRANDON HENDRIX!

Brandon reaches behind his ear and pulls a toothpick from there and places it between his teeth. He slowly walks down the ramp, and then sticks one arm in front of him and one sticking out behind him as he walks his way down the ramp, showing off some machismo as well. Brandon gets to the ring, placing his hands on the steel cage, which happens to be Brandon's first ever steel cage match in his entire career. Brandon looks at Levy's bodyguard walking around the cage before tossing the toothpick in his way. Instead of entering through the door, Brandon decides to climb up the steel cage and sit on the top of the cage wall and raise his arms, yelling as the crowd yells with him. While Brandon climbs down the cage, he doesn't realize that Levy's bodyguard, Barlon Mando, had managed to pass a weapon into the ring that Levy has picked up.

Brandon climbs down the cage and steps off the ropes to the ring and spins around- BAM! Levy has cracked Brandon in the head with a GOLDEN SHOVEL!!! Brandon drops to the mat and rolls to his stomach holding his face as Johnny walks around the ring, holding the shovel up in the air, taking in the chorus of boos as the referee in the ring checks on Brandon. When Hendrix lifts his head up, the cameraman catches view of the blood leaking from Brandon's head. From above Brandon's eyebrow to where his hairline goes and probably further is a bad cut from the strike of the shovel. The referee goes to tell the medical team and the announcer that Brandon is not able to compete, but Brandon stops him.

BRANDON HENDRIX (off mic): Rin…. Ring that… bell…

The referee looks conflicted as Brandon starts crawling over and grabs the ropes, slowly pulling himself up to his feet. Staggering on his feet, he turns around and gets clocked in the skull by the shovel again. Levy walks over to the door and hands his bodyguard the shovel again as he walks over to the referee.

JOHNNY LEVY (off mic): Please ring the bell.

With no idea what to really do, and against his better judgment, the referee rings the bell.

DING! DING! DING!

Levy drops his knees and looks at the fallen and bloodied Brandon Hendrix before giving him a smirk and covers him. The referee starts the count, hoping Brandon stays down.

ONE!
TWO!
THR -

Brandon kicks out! Levy shakes his head before grabbing Brandon by the hair and slowly pulls him to his feet. Levy gets close to Brandon and tells him:

JOHNNY LEVY (off mic): I'm going to bury you back to the show opener where you and your bitch girlfriend Stella belong.

TREY BOOKER: I think it’s important to point out that Johnny Levy is simply a despicable human being, but unfortunately it looks as if Hendrix is in no condition to do anything about it.

J.T. PRICE: Watch what you say, Trey. I wouldn’t put it past Levy to sue you for slander.

Levy kicks Brandon in the stomach and places his head between Levy's legs. Levy cockily and slowly hooks Hendrix's arms and he goes to jump for 'Roll Credits', but Brandon stops him. Brandon then walks backwards with Levy being forced to follow, then back body drops Levy back first into the cage wall. Johnny grabs his back as Brandon stays on his feet, the blood pouring down his face and anger in his eyes as he rips his t-shirt off and tosses it over the cage. He turns his head and sees Levy getting up, leaning against the cage wall, so Brandon runs off the rope and jumps, body splashing Levy, forcing all two hundred and thirty-seven pounds of Brandon to squish Levy against the cage wall. Levy falls to the mat and rolls back into the ring.

Running on pure adrenaline, Brandon starts pacing the ring as he places his hand on his face, and seeing the blood on his hand makes Brandon want vengeance. He walks over to Levy and pulls him to his feet, then tosses him face first into one side of the cage, then the other side of the cage, then the remaining two sides before watching Levy drop to his back. Brandon stands over Levy, and gives him a double middle finger before running off the ropes and hits him with a leg drop before covering.

ONE!
TWO!

Levy kicks out of the pin attempt. Brandon crawls to the corner of the ring, the adrenaline seemingly wearing down some as he leans against the bottom padding on the turnbuckle before shaking his head, and he slides under the rope and uses the cage to pull himself back to his feet. He starts climbing up the cage, slowly but surely, so close to the top before he turns his head and sees Levy getting to his feet. Brandon stops where he is and his mind starts fighting with his heart, and his heart wins that exchange because Brandon climbs down and lands on the top rope and he awaits for Levy to turn around. Brandon then jumps off the ropes and- SUPERKICK FROM LEVY! BRANDON WAS DROPPED!! Levy quickly picks Brandon up and hooks him for - 'ROLL CREDITS'!! BRANDON GOES FACE FIRST INTO THE MAT!! Levy quickly turns Brandon to his back and covers him.

ONE!
TWO!!
THRE -

Brandon got the shoulder up!! Levy stares at the referee before he looks at the door. He shakes his head as he starts walking toward it, but Brandon stops him where he stands. Levy lifts Brandon up and goes to toss him face first into the cage, but Brandon stops this by grabbing the cage wall. Levy lets go then kicks Brandon below the belt. With Brandon staggering, Levy quickly runs over to the corner and starts climbing up. Brandon chases him and climbs up the ropes as Levy is climbing the cage wall. Brandon starts punching the back of Levy as he makes it to the top rope while Levy is on the cage wall. Suddenly, Brandon low blows Levy before slowly turning around and grabs underneath Levy's arms- RAZOR’S EDGE OFF THE TOP ROPE!! BOTH MEN ARE LAID OUT AS THE CANCUN AUDIENCE IS GOING CRAZY!

TREY BOOKER: That was a huge move from Hendrix and it may have turned the tide!

J.T. PRICE: They’re both down and out!

Both men lay on the mat, seemingly out of it until Brandon slowly pulls himself under the ropes and uses the cage wall to pull himself up again. Brandon wipes the blood from his eyes and starts climbing up the cage. Meanwhile, Levy begins to stir and starts crawling towards the cage door. It’s clear that the blood loss is slowing Brandon down, but Levy is only able to crawl as his own body is racked with pain.

On the ringside floor, Barlon Mando stands at the base of the cage as Brandon reaches the top, prepared to do whatever he can to prevent Hendrix from reaching the floor. Meanwhile, Johnny inches ever closer to the cage door as the referee signals for it to be opened. Barlon Mando is so preoccupied with keeping tabs on Hendrix, that he fails to see a rather large individual jog from the entrance to the ringside area. The man is wearing a featureless blue mask, a full length golden singlet, and something seems to be written across his chest although the cameras do not immediately pick up what it says.

TREY BOOKER: What the hell is this? I suppose Levy has hired someone to drag his ass out of the cage?

J.T. PRICE: Beats me, Trey, but that guy is huge!

The nearly seven foot tall man rushes to the cage door just as Levy has reached it, and Johnny looks up to get a good first hand look at the words on his chest that read…THE SYSTEM. As if he realizes something is terribly wrong, Johnny makes a last ditch effort to leap through the door, only to have the massive man catch him in his arms as if he were a child. On the other side of the ring, Brandon has made it over the top of the cage but sees Barlon Mando blocking his path below. Then, with Levy still being held aloft by THE SYSTEM, Hendrix lets go of the cage and plummets down toward Johnny’s bodyguard, crashing into him on the floor!

DING! DING! DING!

HOLLY PEREZ: Your winner of the match by escaping the cage…BRANDON HENDRIX!!!

As a half-conscious Brandon is pulling himself off the floor, THE SYSTEM turns toward the edge of the floating ramp with Levy in his arms. Then, with his job complete, he finally drops Johnny over the edge and into the pool surrounding the ring.

TREY BOOKER: What a huge win for Brandon Hendrix! First he gets the upset over Elena DeDraca, and now he’s victorious over one of his personal enemies!

J.T. PRICE: But even you have to admit that Levy was screwed, Trey! He would have been out that door long before Brandon reached the floor if it wasn’t for that masked man!

TREY BOOKER: You may be right, partner. It seems like Johnny Levy has been screwed over by THE SYSTEM and he actually has a legitimate gripe this time.


Instead of going back to The Hard Rock Cafe, we go to one of the many luxurious pools along the coastline of Cancun, where a high dive board has been erected for tonight’s Cannonball Dive contest. Standing by to emcee the final event of the Spring Break Triathlon once again, is Larry KaChow.

LARRY KACHOW: It’s time to dive, MFers! After this final event we’ll finally know who will go on to face Arata Asakura! Now, please welcome our very special panel of judges…legendary Olympic diving champion, Greg Louganis…Dog the Bounty Hunter himself, Duane Chapman…and the one and only “Weird” Al Yankovic!

There is a huge round of applause for the celebrity judges, who all wave to the crowd from their platform alongside the pool.

LARRY KACHOW: Starting out first is our current leader with 42.1 points…Douglas Crane!

Already on the high board, Crane takes a moment to give an eerie stare to the fans watching far below. He then takes a step forward, bounces off the board, and flies through the air with surprising grace! He hits the pool hands first with a picture-perfect dive, the surprised crowd cheering in approval!

LARRY KACHOW: Wow. That was actually impressive. It kinda sucks that this is a cannonball contest and not a diving contest though. Judges?

GREG LOUGANIS - 3.2
DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER - 2.8
WEIRD AL YANKOVIC - 0.7

DOUGLAS CRANE - 48.8

LARRY KACHOW: I guess that means Douglas Crane finishes the competition with a score of 48.8, but can anyone manage to catch up with that impressive lead? Let’s find out as Malachite Minj takes the board!

Trailing far behind with no points, Minj steps off the ladder and onto the board in the most flamboyantly fantastic swimsuit seen today, complete with ears and a tail. He takes a step forward near the end of the diving board, looks down at the swimming pool below, and immediately begins to shake his head in the negative. Without thinking twice, the Prince of Purrfection turns and gets back on the ladder, possibly planning to give Indy Darling a piece of his mind over this entirely ridiculous concept.

MALACHITE MINJ - 0.0

LARRY KACHOW: Well, I guess that’s it for Minj. He will NOT be facing Arata Asakura later tonight. That brings us to our next contestant…Miss Stella Jade!

Stella steps onto the diving board with a total look of determination upon her face. She takes a step forward….begins to bounce…and then is violently shoved off the side of the diving board as Serrano Poblano rushes forward to take his own turn out of order! Stella falls into the pool flailing her arms and legs like an action movie villain as Serrano tucks his chubby body into a ball and creates a massive splash!

LARRY KACHOW: Well, that was awkward. I understand our judges are going to give a single score since they were treated to a tandem jump. I just hope Stella’s clumsiness doesn’t bring Serrano down too badly.

GREG LOUGANIS - 5.3
DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER - 5.2
WEIRD AL YANKOVIC - 0.9

STELLA JADE - 41.2
SERRANO POBLANO - 39.4

LARRY KACHOW: Not bad, but not good enough to top Douglas Crane! Coming up to the board next is Big Match John Blade!!

The ladies go crazy as John Blade steps onto the platform, an angry look on his face after having the Triple A Title practically stolen from him earlier in the evening. That doesn’t break his concentration though, as he leaps off the board and tucks in his arms and legs for an absolutely beautiful cannonball!

GREG LOUGANIS - 6.1
DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER - 6.3
WEIRD AL YANKOVIC - 1.2

JOHN BLADE - 42.8

LARRY KACHOW: Not bad, John. Not bad at all. Unfortunately, that still won’t be enough to knock Douglas Crane out of the top spot tonight! Next up on the board, our new Triple A Champion, Diana!!

With the Triple A Title strapped around her waist, Diana gets onto the board and gives her delighted fans a friendly smile and a wave. She then puts on her best game face, gets a running start, and leaps off the board! She tucks in her arms and legs and plummets downwards, creating an impressive splash despite her mostly petite frame!

GREG LOUGANIS - 6.7
DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER - 6.4
WEIRD AL YANKOVIC - 1.5

DIANA - 43.8

LARRY KACHOW: Whoa! Way to go, Diana! Not enough to beat Douglas Crane but still…wait…Greyfield, what are you doing?! Diana! Move your ass!

Officer Greyfield, decked out in police-issued speedos along with his tactical vest, rushes onto the board and gets a running start! Instead of tucking his body, he spreads out his arms and legs, looking to hit the perfect belly flop on top of Diana before she can get out of the way! She dives to her side as quickly as possible, just barely avoiding the massive belly flop performed by Greyfield! As his body hits the water with a sickening smack, a huge splash erupts from the surface and pulls Diana under! With no time to waste, a pair of lifeguards dive into the water, one of them going for Diana while the other attends to a severely hurting Officer Greyfield!

LARRY KACHOW: I think Greyfield was purposely trying to take Diana out! What a scoundrel! He’s going to pay for it though, cause that belly flop is gonna leave some bruising. Thankfully, lifeguard Steve has pulled Diana to the poolside area and…wait…what’s this…?!

As the lifeguard begins to check Diana’s vitals, John Blade rushes forward and gives him a hard shove, knocking him back onto Greyfield and the other lifeguard as they are trying to get out of the pool! He then leaps on top of Diana and gives Larry KaChow a threatening look. Unsure what else he can do, Larry goes to make the count…

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!

LARRY KACHOW: Ladies and gentlemen…once again your Triple A Champion…JOHN BLADE!!!!

Big Match John rips the title from around Diana’s waist just as she’s coming to and slings it over his shoulder. With Diana gasping for air and Greyfield struggling to get out of the pool, Blade is able to make his exit with the championship finally in his possession!

GREG LOUGANIS - 10
DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER - 10
WEIRD AL YANKOVIC - 2.7

OFFICER GREYFIELD - 32.8

LARRY KACHOW: Holy crap! It looks like the judges are rewarding Officer Greyfield for his gutsy belly flop, even if the ever-stingy Weird Al deducted points for the tactical vest. Unfortunately, that still will not be enough to win the Triathlon. It looks like Officer Greyfield has come up short in trying to capture either the Grand Title or the Triple A Title! I guess that about wraps things up and I can now declare the winner to be…oh…I almost forgot. Mikey Hero is going to make his dive even though he has no chance in hell of beating Douglas Crane at his current weight and intoxication level. Oh well, give ‘em hell, Mikey…

Young Mikey Hero takes a deep breath as he steps onto the diving platform, knowing that the odds are stacked against him. After a few seconds, he finally shakes off his doubts and fears, gets a running start, and leaps into the air! Mikey tucks in his arms and legs as he spins forward, rotating once…twice…three…four…five times in a forward somersault! He hits the pool in the cannonball position, and while his splash is not that impressive, his form has certainly caught the eyes of the judges!

GREG LOUGANIS - 6.4
DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER - 5.5
WEIRD AL YANKOVIC - 10

MIKEY HERO - 48.8

LARRY KACHOW: Wow! That’s a huge jump in the scores for Mikey despite the fact that he had his first beer tonight! In fact…ladies and gentlemen…it’s official…we have a tie! Douglas Crane and Mikey Hero have finished the Spring Break Triathlon with scores of 48.8 each! That means Arata Asakura will now be defending his Grand Championship…in a Triple Threat Match!

Still half-drunk, Mikey gets the news before he’s able to get out of the pool and there’s a huge grin on his face. Meanwhile, Douglas Crane stares a hole through Mikey at poolside, before finally walking away to prepare for his championship match…



HOLLY PEREZ: The following contest is scheduled for one fall, and it is for the Project Honor Warrior Rising Championship!

With the smooth sultry tones of Madonna's “Vogue” filling the air, the crowd turn their heads towards the entrance ramp. With a show of vivid colours and elaborate designs we eventually see the appearance of Giovanni strutting onto the stage with his muse hanging on his arm.

They only take in the atmosphere for a short while as Giovanni twiddles locks of his own hair between his fingers, and they move their way down the ramp.

HOLLY PEREZ: Making his way to the ring, accompanied by his 'One True Muse' Calliope, hailing from the beautiful art capital of Firenze, Italy. It's none other than Giovanni!

With the excessive elaborate announcement of his presence behind them, Giovanni helps Calliope get seated on the top turnbuckle. Leaning back himself letting Calliope massage the shoulders of the tortured artist as they await the start of proceedings.

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.

"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.

HOLLY PEREZ: And introducing his opponent! From Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, he stands at five feet and eleven inches tall and weighs in at two hundred and twenty pounds. He is the reigning and defending Project Honor Warrior Rising Champion: this is Casanova English!

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.

TREY BOOKER: Giovanni earned this title shot quite a while back, and he’s finally called his shot right here in Cancun. Now we see if he can make the most of it.

J.T. PRICE: Listen to this crowd, Trey! They don’t like either of these guys!

TREY BOOKER: Casanova has defended that belt against a lot of tough talent during his six month reign, from technicians to bruisers. Although I don’t know if he’s ever fought someone the crowd seems to hate as much as they hate English himself.

DING! DING! DING!

The bell rings as Casanova darts after Giovanni, who rolls out of the ring and moves away from the side of the ring Casanova is on. The defending champion isn't allowing Giovanni to waste time and make up a strategy so he rushes from the ring and starts chasing after his challenger. Giovanni sees this and runs away from the champion before sliding back into the ring. Casanova slides under the bottom rope, but Giovanni meets him there and starts stomping away on his opponent's back, trying to weaken down the champion as early as he can to make the rest of the match easy. Giovanni kicks English in the face before making a quick cover.

ONE!

Casanova kicks out easily. As Giovanni reaches at English's waist, he throws a forearm into the face of the challenger before bouncing off of the ropes with a dropkick, which doesn't knock him down completely but Casanova follows it up with a Bicycle Knee Strike that knocks Giovanni out of the ring. English lines up for a suicide dive and connects! The impact sends Giovanni back first into the barricade. Casanova throws Giovanni back into the ring before entering himself and heads to a corner.

TREY BOOKER: The champion is looking strong so far despite Gio’s clever start to this match.

Casanova darts out of the corner, and he sprints across the ring and nails Giovanni with a devastating flying knee that catches Giovanni on the jaw. This causes Giovanni to flip over onto his back, and the element of surprise has done English wonders there. As soon as Giovanni lands on the ground, he grabs his knee in desperation. Apparently, when he landed, he landed on his leg in the wrong way. Casanova smirks as he looks down at his fallen prey. The evil of this man is far beyond imagination.

He stomps a total of 5 times onto the prone knee of Giovanni 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 Giovanni grow louder and louder. Mothers cover their children's ears, babies cry, and Giovanni continues to be disposed of with this injured knee. The referee checks on Giovanni, but Casanova doesn't give him much time before walking over and hitting a swinging neckbreaker on Giovanni before covering him.

ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!

TREY BOOKER: Casanova is monstrous!

J.T. PRICE: And Giovanni isn’t looking too artistical at the moment…

English climbs up to the middle rope and jumps, but Giovanni gets his good leg up and his foot catches Casanova on the jaw, stunning him. Giovanni gets to his feet with a limp before elbowing Casanova in the face. English is in la la land as Giovanni lifts him up and hits a snap suplex, Casanova’s back hitting the mat. Giovanni covers English.

ONE!
TWO!

And Casanova kicks out. Both men are exhausted at the punishment they have been forced to endure but the match isn't over yet... Giovanni crawls over to English but he gets him into the cradle pin!

ONE!
TWO!

Kickout! That was too close to call for Giovanni as he backs away from Casanova - knowing that now is the time to finish it. Giovanni quickly goes over to the corner and pulls himself up but as he goes back for Casanova, out of desperation the champion hits a dropkick and does an inverted DDT for a cover.

ONE!
TWO!
GIOVANNI KICKS OUT!

Slashing his throat, the end is signaled for by Casanova as he kicks Giovanni in the stomach. He runs off the ropes and goes for his 'English Lesson' but gets caught with 'Starstruck’ out of nowhere! Giovanni collapses from the pain and starts to crawl over to Casanova, but English rolls out of the ring, avoiding being pinned. Giovanni crawls out of the ring and grabs Casanova, but English pushes Giovanni into the ring post, then hits 'English Lesson' on the floor. English grins as he holds his jaw before lifting Giovanni up and tossing him into the ring and slides under the bottom rope to follow him. Casanova calls for the match to end and lifts Giovanni up and places his head between his legs.

TREY BOOKER: He’s going for Existential Existence! That’s it for Giovanni!

Both arms are hooked, but Giovanni suddenly counters with a double leg hook takedown, cradling Casanova in the process.

ONE!

TWO!

Giovanni presses back with both feet against the ropes and…

THREE!!!

The bell rings as Casanova sits up with a stunned expression and Giovanni rolls out of the ring just as Bash Daddy slides under the bottom rope. The referee exits the ring and grabs the Warrior Rising Championship, bringing it to a staggering Giovanni, and awards him the title. Slowly getting back into his mindset, Giovanni realizes what happened as he raises the title in the air as Casanova is beside himself!

HOLLY PEREZ: Your winner of the match and NEEEEWWWWW WARRIOR RISING CHAMPION….GIOVANNI!!!

TREY BOOKER: What an upset! The dominant Casanova English has been dethroned with a little help from Giovanni’s feet pressing against the ropes!

J.T. PRICE: I applaud Giovanni for that brilliant tactic, but he’d better get the hell out of here before Casanova decides to carve him up and eat him like sushi.

Casanova remains seated on the mat, a mix of shock and hatred on his face as Bash Daddy stands over him. Having already limped back to the entrance curtains, Giovanni holds the championship up one more time before making his way out of sight.


Following the previous contest, we go to the nearby Paradise Beach hotel which has been set up with staff areas and locker rooms for tonight’s event. Within the lobby of the hotel, the masked man who appeared during the conclusion of the Brandon Hendrix/Johnny Levy match is seen walking toward the service counter. He is still wearing his featureless mask and singlet with the words THE SYSTEM printed on the chest.

THE SYSTEM: Hola, señorita. Creo que hay algo que debo recoger aquí, un sobre dirigido a EL SISTEMA.

The hotel attendant looks under the counter and smiles, producing a large envelope and handing it over to the masked man.

THE SYSTEM: Gracias.

The masked man then opens the envelope and reaches in to pull out a thick stack of American money. He nods his head with satisfaction before folding the bills and stuffing them into his singlet. With that, he walks away and we return to ringside…



HOLLY PEREZ: Ladies and gentlemen, this match is scheduled for one fall and is for the X-Factor Championship. Introducing first…
HOLLY PEREZ: Making his way to the ring now, the challenger… he stands at six-feet-four-inches tall and weighs in at one-hundred and ninety-one pounds… “The Hybrid Hunter”, “The Kraken”... SWIIIIIIIINNNNDLLLEEEEE SHEEEELLLLLDRAAAAAAKEEE!

The lights go down as the crowd at Paradise Beach turns their attention to the stage. The crunching guitar of a now all too familiar theme begins to play, with the Mexican band Hoffen playing “Two Headed Hydra”. The beach becomes more akin to a goth rock concert, with streaks of pink beam lights, rolling smoke machines and hypnotic, cynical guitars and vocals. A contingent of the crowd start to sing along to the live rendition of Kraken’s theme, adding to the eerie ambiance.

Die
before I find you
Two headed hydra
I’m not going to do your will

Where
Where you been hiding
You run away from me
Two headed hydra

As the opening verse rings out, the challenger emerges through the curtain, slowly stalking his way into view. Shelldrake’s jacket glittering with the sinister gunmetal gray of spikes and buckles. A mixture of boos, as well as cheers form into a muddy noise that only adds to the smile on his face.

But the smile is all they can see of The Kraken’s face. The lighting around the ring and the stage transitions to a strangely unnerving mix of vaporwave pinks and light blues, complimenting the special entrance gear on his head. A cybernetic helmet with gleaming silvers of metal, with exposed circuitry and components. Cables and wires falling down his back like long mane of hair, swaying slightly as he walks.

In the darkness and the drifting smoke, suddenly his jacket lights up with neon blues, lining the sleeves and the collar. The helmet too crackles with blue lights around the inner workings, illuminating a large blue “X” symbol over his eyes, the wry smile growing only wider and the crowd watching on with awe.

She came in stills
Drowsy and quiet
Where no one knows you
Two headed hydra

Swindle gives a nod to Dali Lanzeta, the lead singer of Hoffen before walking steadily to the ring, taking his sweet time, enjoying the discourse from the crowd, which makes those singing to his music all the louder. The tension around the ring reaches its apex as Swindle jumps up to the ring apron, the lights switching to a strobing effect of whites. Swindle wraps one arm around the top rope and looks out to the audience on the beach in the flickering lights, soaking up the crowd singing the next lines even louder.

Oh lady bright
Could it be right
Like ghosts in sadness
Rise and fall

He holds up two fingers and gets a responsive gesture out of the Swindle section, promptly ignoring more pro-MYOJIN areas of the crowd before slinking into the ring. The strobing effect now over a right white spotlight on the Kraken, casting crooked shadows with the sharp jutting edges of the exposed machinery in the helmet.

I pray for you
While days go by
While people die
In heaven’s gate

I could not bring
Your smile again
My sweety hydra
I stand beneath your eyes

Swindle slowly removes the helmet, showing that despite the smile that was on his face, a deathly seriousness lingers in his eyes beneath the X.

Two headed hydra
Two headed hydra
Two headed hydra
Two headed hydra

The gravity of this match isn’t lost on The Kraken, eyes shifting calmly over to the entrance ramp as his opponent begins their entrance.


HOLLY PEREZ: Coming to the ring, standing at five-foot-nine-inches tall and weighing in at one-hundred and sixty-five pounds, they are the current Proving Ground X-Factor Champion… “The Shining Star”, “Osaka’s Golden Sun”… MYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOJIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNN!

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 hands his belt off to the referee before pacing back and forth, ready for action.

Signaling to the timekeeper to start the match, Clara climbs between the ropes and makes her way up the ramp back towards shore.

DING! DING! DING!

TREY BOOKER: Here we go folks!

J.T. PRICE: I don’t think anyone can predict the outcome of this match-up, but it’s clear these two have a score to settle that goes beyond that championship belt!

Rather than rush into action, the competitors walk towards each other, until there are only inches separating the two of them. MYOJIN looks up at Swindle’s face with disdain, as Swindle stares down with a smug grin and hard eyes. He opens his mouth to speak to the X-Factor Champion, and former teammate.

SWINDLE SHELLDRAKE: (off mic) I hope you kept that belt warm for me.

MYOJIN scoffs at this comment, looking away for a split-second before one hand goes flying through the air, an open-hand slap that strikes Swindle in the right cheek and snaps his head to the opposite side.

J.T. PRICE: Guess MYOJIN doesn’t find that amusing…

TREY BOOKER: There's not many who can provoke a response quite like Swindle Shelldrake.

Swindle rubs the side of his face briefly, keeping his head to the side as he spits on the canvas before turning back to stare at MYOJIN with the same cocky grin and resolve in his eyes. He reaches out with both hands, trying to grab MYOJIN in a headlock, but his opponent reacts quickly with a European Uppercut to the jaw.

The X-Factor Champion attempts to follow up with a kick, but Swindle prevents this by lashing out with his own foot to kick MYOJIN’s leg back down before it can reach him. From here, the two begin to trade rapid strikes and counters, the exchange looking like anything but a wrestling match as they both throw fists and kicks that are almost entirely avoided or deflected by their opponent.

J.T. PRICE: This looks more like a Martial Arts exhibition than anything we would expect to see in a wrestling ring!

TREY BOOKER: We know MYOJIN has a wide range of skills across many disciplines… and the Kraken is known for adapting to his opponents; I don’t doubt that he specifically practiced this style going into the match!

Swindle finally manages to create some room with a thrust kick to MYOJIN’s stomach that sends the Champion stumbling back; the Kraken is quick to follow up with a Spinning Backfist, but he’s underestimated the speed of The Shining Star, who ducks under the fist and knees Swindle in the midsection to stagger him.

Shoving Swindle back a few steps with both hands, MYOJIN uses this breathing room to step forward with a Bicycle Kick that sends their opponent back into the ropes. Recovering quickly, Swindle waits for MYOJIN to charge in before he leaps over the ropes. Landing on the apron, he quickly ducks a Forearm Strike from MYOJIN before driving his shoulder - between the ropes - into his opponent’s midsection.

Grabbing the temporarily stunned MYOJIN by the head, Swindle drops to ringside, slamming MYOJIN’s throat down onto the ropes as he does so. The Shining Star clutches his throat and stumbles back, with Swindle quickly reaching under the ropes to grab his opponent’s feet with both hands. With one yank, he pulls MYOJIN off their feet and moves to drag them out to the floating ringside area.

The referee begins the ten-count now that Swindle is outside of the ring, holding up his fingers with each number to warn the Kraken of the potential for a count-out loss.

Before he’s able to pull the X-Factor Champion out of the ring, MYOJIN kicks out with one foot to strike Swindle in the face and send him backwards. A quick Kip Up brings The Shining Star back to their feet, and they quickly leap onto the ropes to execute a Spaceman Moonsault out of the ring and directly onto Swindle.

TREY BOOKER: An amazing acrobatic display from the longest reigning X-Factor Champion!

J.T. PRICE: There’s a reason MYOJIN held onto that belt for so long, Trey… and it wasn’t just their good looks!

Recovering first, MYOJIN grabs Swindle by the hair to pull him up; they drag the Kraken to his feet, but before he's able to attack, Swindle quickly hits them in the eyes with a finger rake. The referee - still in the ring - doesn’t have a good angle to witness this cheap shot, and so there is no warning delivered to Swindle.

As MYOJIN blinks hard and covers their face momentarily, Swindle rushes forward to tackle his opponent backwards; he pushes the X-Factor Champion into the ring steps, their spine striking the sharp metal edge with a jarring impact that causes a grimace on The Shining Star’s face.

Swindle lets out a chuckle, reaching out to grab a handful of MYOJIN’s hair; when he gets a solid grip, he rears back to try and slam MYOJIN’s face into the top of the steps. At the last moment, just before their face hits the metal, they manage to put out one hand to stop the movement.

MYOJIN strikes out with their other arm, hitting their opponent in the jaw with a savage elbow strike that breaks Swindle’s grip on their hair. The referee continues to count, yelling out ‘SIX’ just as MYOJIN leaps up onto the ring steps, then back through the air at Swindle. Grabbing him around the neck, MYOJIN executes a flawless Tornado DDT that drives Swindle’s head down onto the ringside mats.

As the referee moves on to shouting out ‘EIGHT’, signaling an impending count-out loss for both competitors, MYOJIN pulls Swindle back to his feet and actually tosses the man back into the ring before sliding under the ropes to join him.

TREY BOOKER: Looks like MYOJIN isn’t interested in winning this match by count-out!

J.T. PRICE: Either that, or they're not done with the Kraken yet…

MYOJIN paces back and forth in front of the groggy, injured Swindle, who slowly pushes himself back to his knees. Before he can recover any further, MYOJIN begins to pepper him with Shoot Kicks to the chest and ribs, preventing Swindle from getting back to his feet.

The Shining Star lands nearly a dozen kicks, before Swindle finally bursts into action on the next strike, trapping MYOJIN’s leg under his arm and lunging forward to tackle them down to the mat. The two competitors engage in a struggle to gain the upper hand, as Swindle manages to mount MYOJIN’s chest and begin to rain down forearms onto them.

J.T. PRICE: Swindle doing a good job of dragging MYOJIN down into the kind of fight he wants.

TREY BOOKER: Given the reach and weight advantage he possesses, this seems like exactly the kind of spot he wants to keep the Champion in!

One of the strikes is blocked by MYOJIN’s arms, as they twist their body and shift their weight to knock Swindle off of them and reverse positions so that MYOJIN straddled on top of the Kraken. There’s a series of savage elbow strikes from MYOJIN, as Swindle attempts to cover up to prevent as much damage as possible.

There’s another reversal, as Swindle once again ends up atop MYOJIN; but when he goes for the first forearm, the X-Factor Champion is ready for it. MYOJIN knocks the man’s arm to the side and thrusts three fingers into Swindle’s throat; an attack that causes the larger competitor to grab at his throat. This temporary distraction is enough for MYOJIN to roll to the side, knocking Swindle to the ground as The Shining Star scrambles to place their opponent in an Ankle Lock submission hold.

MYOJIN attempts to put Swindle’s leg in a grapevine to make it more difficult to escape, but the Kraken’s reach enables him to grab the nearest ropes. MYOJIN breaks the hold before even signaled to do so by the referee; before they can move back, though, Swindle kicks out behind him to catch his opponent in the face.

As the X-Factor Champion staggers backwards, Swindle scrambles back to his feet and lifts his opponent up onto his shoulders, dropping MYOJIN back to the mat with a Fireman’s Carry Slam. Swindle gets back to his feet, and reaches down to grab hold of MYOJIN… but The Shining Star sweeps the Kraken’s legs out from under him, and he falls to the canvas.

Both wrestlers execute Kip Ups at the same moment, with Swindle immediately aiming a lariat at MYOJIN’s throat. The incredibly agile Shining Star bends back in a perfectly timed Bridging Evasion, as Swindle’s arm travels harmlessly above them. Wheeling back around, Swindle is about to attack again but MYOJIN brings their legs up around his neck and executes a Headscissors Takedown.

J.T. PRICE: Amazing flexibility from The Shining Star!

TREY BOOKER: On a purely physical level, there’s not many on the Project: Honor roster that can match MYOJIN’s speed, agility and dexterity.

As Swindle crashes headfirst into the mat, MYOJIN quickly follows-up by dropping over him for the pin.

ONE!

KICKOUT!

J.T. PRICE: Looks like MYOJIN wants to put an end to this as soon as possible, but Swindle is having none of it!

TREY BOOKER: I don’t think we’ve ever seen the Kraken this motivated before.

J.T. PRICE: It’s like he’s been waiting for this shot, Trey!

MYOJIN wastes no time in dragging Swindle to his feet and whipping him into the corner. They rush forward and smash the Kraken in the face with a Charging Bicycle Knee. Before Swindle can collapse forward to the mat, MYOJIN shoves him back into the corner and pushes him up to the top turnbuckle. Climbing after their opponent, The Shining Star leaps up and wraps their legs around Swindle’s head, aiming to drop him back to the ring with a Frankensteiner…

TREY BOOKER: Oh my god!

…but with a tremendous show of strength, Swindle catches MYOJIN and arrests their momentum mid-air, leaping off the turnbuckle to plant his opponent’s back onto the mat with a Sit-Out Powerbomb.

J.T. PRICE: Unbelievably quick thinking by Swindle Shelldrake!

TREY BOOKER: If MYOJIN had landed that, it might have meant the end of the match, but the Kraken plans on going down swinging!

The referee drops down to the canvas to start the count.

ONE!

TW-

KICKOUT!

Swindle scowls and slaps the mat, showing the first signs of frustration in this fight as he pulls MYOJIN back to their feet and sends them into the ropes. As the X-Factor Champion ricochets back towards his position, the Kraken lifts one leg to deliver a Big Boot. It’s ducked under, as MYOJIN runs to the opposite ropes and leaps up, using them as a foothold to execute a Springboard Moonsault back towards their opponent.

Thinking on his feet, Swindle adjusts position so that he can catch MYOJIN out of the air - head pointed down at the canvas - before dropping them to the mat with a Tombstone Piledriver.

TREY BOOKER: Despite the speed and unpredictability of MYOJIN’s high-flying techniques, Swindle seems to be ready for them nearly every time!

J.T. PRICE: Someone’s obviously been studying before the match.

With his opponent laying on the mat, Swindle goes for a quick pin as he looks increasingly desperate to end the match.

ONE!

TW-

KICKOUT!

TREY BOOKER: The Shining Star refuses to stay down!!!

J.T. PRICE: There's little doubt in my mind that Swindle is the last person MYOJIN wants to lose the X-Factor Championship to!

Swindle stands up and begins to stomp MYOJIN, as the Shining Star attempts to crawl away. The Kraken rears back to deliver a brutal kick to the ribs; MYOJIN suddenly snaps to attention, apparently having been waiting for their opponent to commit to such an attack. The X-Factor Champion grabs Swindle’s leg and takes him down to the mat with the expertise of a Judo practitioner.

Leaping back to their feet while keeping hold of Swingle’s leg to keep him grounded, MYOJIN releases the Kraken’s limb just before leaping up and dropping a knee onto the man’s head. Stunned by such a vicious impact to the skull, Swindle is unable to protect himself as The Shining Star leaps up to land a second knee drop to the man’s face.

TREY BOOKER: What a brutal display from the usually elegant Shining Star!

J.T. PRICE: I’d say Swindle might be rubbing off on his opponent a bit…

As Swindle groggily grabs at a busted, bleeding nose, MYOJIN pulls their opponent back up… before leaping into the air a Double Knee Facebreaker. Swindle hits the canvas, looking completely out of it due to the repeated hits to the head.

TREY BOOKER: This could be it! All he needs to do is go for the pin!

J.T. PRICE: But wait, MYOJIN seems to think otherwise!

Running towards the nearest corner and leaping up to the top turnbuckle, MYOJIN jumps high into the air, twisting as they plummet down towards Swindle with an Imploding 450 Splash.

TREY BOOKER: Falling From Heaven! It’s ov-!

J.T. PRICE: NO!

At the last second, Swindle lifts both his knees up, causing MYOJIN to slam ribs-first into them. Collapsing to the side, the X-Factor Champion rolls around the mat clutching their chest. Despite this last-minute counter, the Kraken is obviously still injured and woozy, as he lay on his back unable to press the advantage offered here.

After several minutes with both competitors gradually pushing themselves back to their feet, Swindle manages to recover first with a sudden second wind. He steps forward to boot MYOJIN in the gut, doubling them over and then setting up a Double Underhook Piledriver…

TREY BOOKER: VIOLENT SALVAGE?!

J.T. PRICE: The same technique that laid out Arata Asakura! If he manages to hit this, it’s over!!

Swindle starts to lift MYOJIN up into position, but at the last second he falters; it’s enough to allow The Shining Star to counter with a backdrop that sends the Kraken down to the mat… but Swindle holds onto MYOJIN’s legs, and pulls them down into a pin.

ONE!

TWO!!

THR-


KICKOUT!

Looking anything but his usual smug self, Swindle quickly shoves MYOJIN away to get back to his feet, grabbing his opponent and setting him up for a Back Suplex. The Shining Star quickly aims a stomp down on Swindle’s foot with the heel of their boot, causing a grimace of pain as the Kraken staggers back. No longer held in place, MYOJIN reverses the Back Suplex set-up into a German Suplex of their own, dropping Swindle and holding on for a bridging pin.

ONE!

TWO!!

THRE-


KICKOUT!

TREY BOOKER: This isn’t about the X-Factor Championship at this point! Neither competitor wants to give the other the satisfaction of victory!

J.T. PRICE: Nobody would ever mistake these two as friends, but it’s clear there’s more bad blood here than one might assume at first!

Both wrestlers looking absolutely exhausted by this point, they crawl away from each other to opposite corners and - with great effort - pull themselves up to their feet as they look back over their shoulders at each other with hateful expressions.

TREY BOOKER: They’re both on their last legs, but neither of them wants to lay down!

J.T. PRICE: The animosity is palpable!

TREY BOOKER: Looks like they’re ready to get back to it!

After a few moments spent catching their breath, they both rush back towards each other, meeting in the middle of the ring as Swindle and MYOJIN both throw Charging Bicycle Knees, each one striking their opponent simultaneously as they collapse to the mat at the same time.

TREY BOOKER: Both competitors are so evenly matched here!

J.T. PRICE: Have we ever seen MYOJIN taken so close to the edge in a title defense?!

TREY BOOKER: And have we ever seen Swindle so hungry to win?!

Minutes pass as they both lay face-up on the mat. Even in their injured, woozy state, they both make half-hearted attempts to kick and punch at each other as they lay beside one another on the canvas. After some time, MYOJIN manages to get to their feet first; they attempt to move towards Swindle to attack, but are forced to stagger back onto the ropes, still seeing stars from that Bicycle Knee to the skull.

Taking this opportunity to stand back up, Swindle rushes forward to MYOJIN’s position on the ropes, hitting them with a clothesline that sends both competitors over the ropes and falling to ringside. The referee immediately begins to count. No sooner has he shouted 'ONE' then there is some commotion back at shore, which one of the cameras moves to capture.

TREY BOOKER: Wait a minute… is that…?

J.T. PRICE: Arata Asakura, standing on the ramp that leads onto the floating ring!

TREY BOOKER: He doesn’t appear to be moving any further, though; simply watching from that position.

The Grand Champion - belt slung over one shoulder - watches from his location at the very far end of the floating ramp that leads to ringside. He makes no movement forward, observing the proceedings with an unimpressed, unamused expression.

As the referee proceeds through to the 3, 4, and 5 counts, there is finally some motion from both wrestlers. Grasping at each other simultaneously, Swindle’s reach advantage comes in handy once again, as he is able to grab hold of MYOJIN and place their head under his arm in the standard DDT position.

Swindle is about to plant MYOJIN head-first to the ringside mats, when he catches sight of Arata Asakura out of the corner of his eye. Finally able to make eye contact, Arata’s expressionless face slowly creeps into a vague smirk towards the man who cost him a Legacy Championship shot.

Distracted for no more than a second or two at most, it’s all the time MYOJIN needs to act; as The Shining Star quickly counters the DDT with a Northern Lights Suplex, just as the referee gets to the 7 count…

TREY BOOKER: Cutting it close here!

J.T. PRICE: Remember, in the event of a double count-out the current Champion retains!

It takes MYOJIN a moment more to recover from the expended effort of the suplex, getting back to their feet just as the referee yells out ‘NINE’. They quickly slide under the ropes to get back into the ring, with Swindle still slowly pushing himself back to his knees as the referee raises all his fingers in the air and shouts.

TEN!

DING! DING! DING!

TREY BOOKER: Unbelievable! After having come that far, Swindle lost to a count-out!

J.T. PRICE: I can’t imagine he’s happy about this… particularly since it seemed to be Arata’s presence that distracted him in the first place!

MYOJIN, still worn out and racked with pain from such a brutal back-and-forth match, raises the X-Factor Championship in the air the moment it’s handed back to them. The crowd explodes with cheers as the belt is lifted up high, although MYOJIN looks somewhat uneasy by being pushed so far in this match.

HOLLY PEREZ: Your winner by count-out, and still X-Factor Champion… MYOOOOOJIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNN!!!!

Swindle Shelldrake, resting on hands and knees outside the ring as he slams his fist onto the ringside mats, looks up at the ramp that leads back to shore… and the Grand Champion standing at the far end of it.

Arata Asakura merely scoffs at the deadly glare Swindle shoots his way, shaking his head in disappointment as he turns to walk away from the beach.

TREY BOOKER: Some measure of revenge has been gained by Arata here, that’s certain!

J.T. PRICE: But provoking the Kraken in such a way, costing him the Championship he so obviously desired… was this really such a good idea?!

TREY BOOKER: We’ll be back with that same man defending his Grand Championship against the winner of the Spring Break Triathlon!


As the show goes backstage, the camera finds itself entranced by the shimmering shine of a freshly rebadged Warrior Championship title belt, that was proudly slung over the shoulder of its new owner, the artist himself Giovanni who was being fawned over by the beautiful muse Calliope and his ever trusty attorney Larry Livingstone.

GIOVANNI: You know, it was high time that someone with class such as myself would put his name amongst the annals of history. But just thinking about the history of this belt revolts me at thinking how long it had to take and how many pretenders there had to be before the first truly artistic champion would step up and take the gold for themselves, to usher in a wrestling renaissance.

Cocking his head towards the camera, Giovanni's hand would raise his hand and show the old nameplate that said "Casanova English", and promptly flicked it into the trash behind him.

GIOVANNI: As one would say, 'in with the old, and out with the new'. Like I said, the first chapter of my story has officially begun and the prologue has ended. My golden age is only beginning, and glorious will it be as I revolutionize this business from the drab and diabolically droll 'sport' to an artistical feast for the eyes, spearheaded by none other than Giovanni.

Nodding his head, he'd cock his head sideways at Larry Livingstone, whose pitiful state clashed with the golden artiste and young Calliope whose sparkling gold presence would brighten any room. Instead the attorney found his neck encased with a brace, and even his otherwise well thought up couture seemed disappointingly sad.

GIOVANNI: That brings me to my good confidante Larry Livingstone, who was so violently assaulted by one of Proving Ground's so-called general managers, who quickly ushered in his own reign of terror with an unprovoked and brutal assault on somebody who isn't even a competitor, who was merely doing the venerable task of delivering my words to the greater public when I couldn't be there myself.

Scoffing a little, Giovanni would put a hand on his heart but a sneer of disgust wasn't far removed from the surface.

GIOVANNI: Despite those distractions, I still won this beautiful title, but when I asked a face-to-face with Lil' Petey for him to not just explain his unacceptable behavior, but also an apology AND recompense for the damages done to me and Larry Livingstone too, I was met with nothing but silence from Mr. Petey. Who seems to be more interested in spending his days in Cancun living in a fairytale world of alcohol and parties, undoubtedly making his beautiful girlfriend at home worried sick about what kind of ass he will make off himself in the middle of this pseudo-valhalla of alcoholism and bad mistakes.

He'd run a hand through Calliope's hair with a smile as he paused for a second, before his other hand planted on Larry's shoulder in an uncharacteristic show of support.

GIOVANNI: Now I am the better man, an artiste like me has to show the class that the rest does not show people like me. And the start of my reign has also caused some semblance of a distraction for me, so I will take this on the chin for this week and accept a short delay of apology from Lil' Petey. But in two weeks, I expect him to show his responsibility and come to the ring to explain his actions, and preferably grovel for forgiveness from me and Larry Livingstone... And if he doesn't, well, I'm sure that will prove how pathetic a general manager he truly is.

Sitting down on his fancy personal lounge chair, Giovanni would stretch out his legs whilst continuously caressing his precious wrestling art piece.

GIOVANNI: You have two weeks, Petey. It's time for you to show respect to the newest and most artistic champion in this company, so that the start of the renaissance of wrestling can commence fully.

Having said his piece, he'd change his focus back to his belt and Calliope as the screen went black.



HOLLY PEREZ: The following contest is scheduled for one fall and it is for The Project: Honor Grand Championship!

"Hurt" by Johnny Cash begins to play and after a few seconds Douglas Crane comes out the back and heads down the ramp, at a steady pace, emotionless, his piercing blue eyes focused on the ring. He slides under the bottom rope and crawls on his fists while on his knees, slithering first towards the ref to freak him out. He then slithers back towards a corner where he just sits, awaiting for the beginning of the match.

HOLLY PEREZ: Introducing first, weighing in at two hundred forty pounds and hailing from a place that cannot be determined… “MR. PERSONALITY”...DOUGLAS CRANE!!!

Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out For A Hero" blares from the sound speakers as Mikey Hero Sheepishly walks out through the curtain with his head down, he walks to the center of the entrance way and begins to tap his feet to the music until the chorus kicks in.

"I Need A Hero!"

Mikey's head shoots up as he runs down the ramp, and slides into the ring under the bottom rope. Mikey jumps to his feet in the middle of the ring and does a backflip, landing on one knee as he poses for the crowd.

HOLLY PEREZ: His opponent, hailing from Buffalo, New York and weighing in at one hundred sixty-three pounds…MIKEY HERO!!!

"Honō no Megami (炎の女神)" by Adrian von Ziegler begins to play next, as Arata Asakura emerges from the entrance curtains, the Grand Championship securely strapped around his waist. He glares down the ramp at the opposition that awaits him, seemingly unimpressed. Finally, he begins to make his way toward the ring, unfastening his championship title and holding high in one hand as he advances.

HOLLY PEREZ: And their opponent, he comes to us from Osaka, Japan and weighs in at two hundred twenty pounds…he is “THE ONE REAL SHOGUN”... “THE GAIJIN KILLER”...and THE PROJECT: HONOR GRAND CHAMPION…ARATAAAAA ASAKURAAAA!!!

Arata glares at the official as he hands over his championship, then takes a moment to set that glare upon Douglas Crane before turning his attention to Mikey Hero as well. The referee holds the championship overhead for all to see before handing over to Holly Perez as she exits the ring.

DING! DING! DING!

TREY BOOKER: To my knowledge, Arata Asakura has never faced either of these men before. In fact, I would assume that this is the biggest match of Mikey Hero’s young career.

J.T. PRICE: I’m just glad to see that Mikey’s been able to sober up a little bit.

The normally precise and patient champion bursts out of his corner immediately following the opening bell, charging towards Mikey Hero who looks as if he’s stuck on the tracks with a locomotive barreling towards him. Mikey does his best to leapfrog over the charging Asakura, but Arata snatches him out of the air and spins him down to the mat with a modified spinebuster. From there, the champion begins a mounted assault against one of his two challengers, hitting Mikey with a combination of palm strikes and elbows that make the young competitor feel as if he’s drunk all over again. As all of this transpires, Douglas Crane simply watches from his corner, his soulless eyes taking in every move the champion makes.

Arata pulls the stunned Mikey back to his feet and hits him with a double leaping knee strike before effortlessly tossing him over the top rope to the ringside area. The champion then glares across the ring toward his other opponent, wagging a finger as if to tell Crane that he’s next. Asakura approaches his second challenger with more caution, and when he and Crane meet up in the middle, they go into a collar and elbow tie up. It is short lived as Arata transitions into a go-behind and tries to take Douglas over with a belly to back suplex, but Crane responds by throwing his elbow back into Arata’s face. Crane then wraps two hands around Asakura’s throat and lifts him off the mat. Holding him aloft in the choke, Crane rightfully ignores the referee’s count as there can be no disqualifications in a Triple Threat contest.

TREY BOOKER: Crane is looking strong so far, but he’s going to need a lot more than a choke to put out the champion.

J.T. PRICE: While that’s going on, Mikey is still out at ringside trying to shake off that opening flurry from Asakura.

Arata attempts to break the hold by chopping his hand down at Crane’s skull, but Douglas absorbs the blow before dropping Arata with a double choke bomb. The move drives the air out of the champion’s lungs, giving Crane enough time to hit a standing leg drop before he goes back to blatantly choking Asakura on the mat. Refusing to be treated in such a manner, Arata manages to kick up his legs around Crane’s arm and head, countering the choke hold with a triangle choke. It is an effective counter, but Douglas is quick to roll over and push himself up to his knees. Then, in an impressive feat of strength, Crane pushes himself to his feet with Arata still holding onto the triangle choke. In order to break the hold, Crane slams the champion back down with a modified powerbomb. Crane then goes for the first cover in the match, but he barely gets a one count before Mikey Hero springboards into the ring and drops an elbow across the back of Crane’s neck.

Douglas gets onto his knees and turns his icy stare towards Mikey Hero, who throws a few stiff martial arts style kicks against Crane’s torso. When that seems to have little effect, Mikey goes to the ropes and runs back at Crane with a charging European Uppercut just as the biggest man in the match is getting back to his feet. That move manages to stagger Crane slightly, but he remains on his feet. Mikey goes to the ropes a second time and comes back with a roaring elbow. This one is right on target and successfully sends Crane staggering backwards against the ropes. Seeing his opportunity, Mikey charges again, this time planting a perfect dropkick on Crane’s chin to send him toppling backwards over the top rope.

TREY BOOKER: What a move by Mikey Hero! It may be easy to write this kid off due to his size and inexperience, but he may have more heart than Arata and Crane combined!

J.T. PRICE: Heart doesn’t pay the bills last time I checked, Trey.

Before Mikey can turn his attention away from Crane at ringside, Arata leaps onto his shoulders from behind and takes Mikey over with a reverse Frankensteiner! It’s clear the move has a big effect on Mikey, who lays on the mat like roadkill as Arata goes to the middle rope and flies back with a turning splash. He stays on top for the cover…

ONE!

TWO!

THR - KICKOUT!

Mikey gets his shoulder off the mat, but Arata is not discouraged. Feeling he’s got things well in hand and potentially in a position to finish Mikey off early, Asakura runs to the ropes to pick up some added momentum for his Raikiri kick, but just as his body hits the ropes, Crane reaches up to pull the top rope down with both hands! Arata is unprepared for the low bridge and tumbles onto the floor. Instead of re-entering the ring and focusing on Mikey, Crane pulls Arata back to his feet, locks him in a bearhug, and then charges toward the steel railing that separates the ringside area from the pool that surrounds the ring on all four sides.

Asakura’s lower back slams against the steel, but that’s not enough for Crane as he charges forward to blast Arata’s back against the railing a second time. Crane then lifts Arata onto his shoulder and drops him head-first over the metal railing with snake eyes! Something inside of Arata’s mouth is clearly busted as blood runs onto his chin, but that doesn’t stop Crane from lifting the champion up to drop him with a second snake eyes drop. Before Douglas can complete the move, Mikey Hero flies to the ringside area, springboarding off the top rope to hit both Crane and Asakura with a suicide dive!

TREY BOOKER: Holy shit! Mikey came out of nowhere!

J.T. PRICE: He just saved Arata from needing stitches. Personally, I think he should have let Crane finish the job.

All three men are laying at the ringside area with Mikey as the fist one to stir. He gets on his feet, followed shortly after by Crane, and begins to fire a combination of elbows, forearms, and palm strikes at Mr. Personality. As Mikey does his best to wear down Douglas Crane, Arata rolls to the very edge of the floating platform and pulls himself up on the other side of the railing. Grabbing the metal rail with both hands, he pulls himself on top and immediately leaps off, crashing against the back of Crane’s head with a modified version of his Raikiri! Crane falls to the floor in a heap and Mikey wastes no time in catching Arata with a spinning back fist. With the champ stunned, Mikey rolls him into the ring and then makes his own way to the very top turnbuckle.

Arata is still down when Mikey attempts his Big Splash 450, and when Asakura rolls away, Mikey compensates and lands on his feet! The champion leaps back to his feet to go on the offensive, but he’s met by a sudden spinning superkick from Mikey that catches him right under the jaw! The move knocks Arata back into the buckles and Mikey follows him in to hit Best Thing Since…Asakura is down again! Sensing his moment, Mikey gets back to the top buckle and flies off a second time…he hits a similar Cannonball that got him into this match in the first place! The championship could be his for the taking!

ONE!

TWO!

THRE - NO!

Douglas Crane recovers just in time to reach under the ropes and pull Mikey off of Arata by his ankles! Once he has him on the outside, Crane locks on his Release Me clutch on Mikey Hero! The kid immediately starts to struggle, but there are no rope breaks to interrupt the hold! He fights as long as he can, but it soon becomes clear that he’s fading! When Mikey’s body finally goes limp in Crane’s arms, Douglas drops him to the ringside floor and scrambles back in the ring, frustrated by the fact that he would now be champion if he had been able to apply the hold in the ring. Then, just as he’s ducking between the top and middle ropes…A MODIFIED RAIKIRI FROM THE CHAMPION! Crane falls into the ring…Arata goes for the cover…

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

DING! DING! DING!

HOLLY PEREZ: Your winner of the match and still Project: Honor Grand Champion…ARATAAAA ASAKURAAAA!!!

TREY BOOKER: What a great championship match! There were some doubters who thought the Spring Break Triathlon contestants were not in the champion’s league, but Douglas Crane and Mikey Hero gave him one hell of a fight!

J.T. PRICE: At least it was more of a fight than Serrano would have given him…

TREY BOOKER: Arata has been handed his championship and despite the satisfied look on his face, you can tell he was physically challenged tonight. What a storybook ending it could have been if Mikey had pulled it off.

J.T. PRICE: And what a nightmare we could have been in for if Crane had taken the title.

TREY BOOKER: Neither of those possible endings matter now, because Arata is still the champion and looks to stay that way for the foreseeable future!


We take our final break before the epic main event that’s about to go down by going behind the curtains where Crystal Ward is standing by with Owner and General Manger, Indy Darling.

CRYSTAL WARD: I’m here with a two-timing scumbag who also happens to be my boss…

INDY DARLING: You understand that I didn’t start seeing Florence until you broke up with me, right? You’ve really got to get over this…

CRYSTAL WARD: Hmp…whatever. As I was saying, we’ve seen a lot of exciting action over the past two nights. Now that the Spring Break Spectacular is almost over, what are your thoughts?

INDY DARLING: It has been an exciting couple of nights. I know Fallout has their own Pay-Per-View coming up soon, but I can’t help but already think about Proving Ground’s next exclusive event in May, Disputed Territory. After seeing Arata Asakura retain his title against what was essentially a mystery opponent, along with the effort of many top stars, I can tell I”ll have my work cut out for me when it comes time to plan the next big main event. That match between Swindle and MYOJIN was off the charts, and despite his incredible title run coming to an end, Casanova English deserves to be in all the title conversations. I also have to applaud Brandon Hendrix on what some may consider a surprise victory…

CRYSTAL WARD: Speaking of Hendrix, what are your thoughts on his opponent tonight? It seems like Johnny Levy has been making a lot of controversial accusations about you.

INDY DARLING: ….who?

There is an awkward pause between them, before Crystal finally responds.

CRYSTAL WARD: That’s right, The Jew.

Indy is momentarily taken aback with a shocked expression on his face.

INDY DARLING: Wait…what? I said WHO[/i]! Jesus, Crystal…

CRYSTAL WARD: My apologies. I just assumed that his accusations had some merit and that’s how you referred to his people.

INDY DARLING: His people? Crystal, I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. I’ve been back for less than a month and I’m still trying to catch up…

CRYSTAL WARD: Well, to make a long story short, Mr. Levy believes that Project: Honor has a systematic agenda against him due to his personal faith, and that agenda is being spearheaded by you specifically.

The look on Indy’s face tells the story that he’s been completely blindsided by this revelation.

INDY DARLING: Well, the last thing I want is for someone on my roster to feel like they’re being singled out because of race, gender, or religion. It’s something I’ll definitely look into after the show and hopefully it can be resolved quickly and properly. I’m sure the whole thing is a big misunderstanding…

Indy gives Crystal a nod and then flashes a half-hearted grin to the camera before making his exit.

CRYSTAL WARD: Well, there you have it from the man himself. Is Indy Darling truly an instrument of prejudicial evil? Is he acting to cover up his own sinister agenda? Only time will tell…back to you, Trey.




We come back to a sweeping shot of the ring where Holly Perez stands in the center with microphone in hand. A referee stands closely behind with the Legacy title gently held in his arms. The Fallout commentary team, Alara Adams and Kayden Ellis, make their way to the booth joining Trey and JT. Holly raises the microphone to her lips as the restless crowd quiets down.

HOLLY PEREZ: Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for the main event of the evening! The following contest is a fatal four way match, and is for the vacant Project: Honor, LEGACY CHAMPIONSHIP!

The crowd erupts into a unified roar, ready to see four of the top stars Project: Honor has to offer come face to face for a chance to take their place in the elite group of people who have won the Legacy Championship.

The warm, inviting lights of the beach venue cutout, replaced with a series of harsh, blue/white spotlights which illuminate the ring and entrance ramp, leaving the crowd lit by nothing but moonlight.

Dissonant, harsh, sludgy guitar riffs pour out of the speakers, as ‘Hiss of the Witch’ by Deadsmoke plays. Without any further fanfare, Billy Bennett steps out onto the top of the entrance ramp; torn jeans, chunky boots, and a filthy white shirt under her black leather vest. Her head is also bandaged, likely due to the injury she sustained the previous night.

Billy surveys her surroundings seeing the ring surrounded by water. She slowly approaches the ring peering over the railing into the mostly clear but slightly murky pool. A chorus of boos almost overshadows her entrance music, though there are a few, scattered cheers from audience members who clearly appreciate her brand of violence.

As Billy circles the ring she kneels down and dips her hand into the cold water below, then uses her wet hand to slick back her hair. Slithering under the ring ropes and onto the canvas, she rises to her feet and circles the ring looking at the distant crowd. The spotlights die out, replaced by the usual lighting within the arena.

Billy stomps over to one corner, collapsing into a sitting position against one turnbuckle as she tugs at her greasy hair, twitching and shaking with anticipation as wild, roaming eyes survey her playground.

The lights begin to shift into more of a pinkish color as "Cash Flow" by Ace Hood ft T-Pain and Rick Ross begins to play through the loudspeakers. Emmanuel steps out on stage to a much different reaction as the crowd begin to cheer loudly, heavily behind Emmanuelle. She stands in the center of the ramp, looks side to side, then points to the Legacy championship in the referee’s arms. She then motions around her waist letting everyone in the audience know just where that title is going at the end of the night.

She begins to strut to the ring with the beat of the music, looking side to side hyping up the crowd as she moves down the ramp. When she gets to the ring, she circles it for a moment looking into the water below. She gets to the corner and confidently looks up into the ring where Billy sits across from her. She marches up the steps then while on the apron swings her arms out, posing for the crowd.

She lowers her arms then enters the ring as the lights go back to normal and walks over to the other far corner next to Billy’s. She leans against the ropes and rolls her neck as she awaits her other two opponents.

The lights go out leaving the crowd in dim moonlight again as they wait in anticipation for the arrival of the Nightmare Tyrant. A red spotlight appears near the curtains as smoke engulfs the entire stage. “Delusions of Savior” by Slayer hits the PA System as men and women donning face paint pull themselves out from the water and into the smoke. They crawl around the stage and eventually surround the entranceway waiting for the arrival of ‘their savior’. “Repentless” by Slayer kicks in with strobing red lights, as the stone faced Havoc slowly stepped out of the smoke with Ascended Prime Championship in hand. All the men and women around the stage bow in his presence.

Havoc lets his head hang and raises the title above to allow the image to sit while the audience reacts with a mixture of boos and cheers. He raises his head now smiling as and raises his other arm while lowering the title to shoulder level letting the title dangle as he grips it by the leather strap. One of his face painted disciples crawls toward him and holds their arms out for Havoc to lay the title across them. After relinquishing his belt he begins to walk toward the ring.

As Havoc slowly makes his way down the ramp, and the strobing red lights lighting their path. Unlike the other two, he ignores the watery surroundings and climbs up to the top turnbuckle as he reaches the ring. Looks to the sky and raises his arms as he embraces the mixed crowd reaction with a smirk on his face. He jumps into the ring and looks across at Billy who has murder in her eyes. Emmanuel looks back and forth at the two then rolls her eyes. The lights go back to normal once again.

“Feel Invincible” by Skillet suddenly sounds throughout the beach and the crowd erupt into an undeniably negative 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, uncaring for what they think about his actions earlier in the night. He begins his walk down to the ring.

Mark confidently struts down the ramp gazing at the water below. When he reaches the base of the ramp, he inspects each opponent waiting for him in the ring, two of which he had never faced before. He continues to ignore the crowd response as he ascends the ring steps. He enters between the middle and top rope and instantly wanders over to the only remaining free corner, Hunter climbs up and poses for the crowd whilst boos chorus around him 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 steps forward with a spotlight once again on her.

HOLLY PEREZ: The competitor who entered first… She is a former Noble and Ascension Champion. She is the current holder of the Universal Briefcase. Cottonmouth, BILLY BENNETT!

The crowd loudly boo one of the only remaining, loyal followers of Arik Holt. Billy violently pulls on her hair as she grits her teeth while staring at Havoc. Her head erratically shakes as she holds herself back from attacking Havoc before the bell.

HOLLY PEREZ: The competitor who came out second. She is a former Warrior Rising and Grand Champion! She is The Silver Starlet, The Platinum Standard, this… is… EMMANUELLE!

Emmy climbs the turnbuckle and motions the crowd to get on their feet. The crowd bursts from excitement overwhelmingly cheering Emmanuelle. Emmy smiles as she climbs back down from the turnbuckle and turns back to her opponents.

HOLLY PEREZ: Third… He is a former and final Prime and Ascension Champion. He currently holds the Tyrants crown and is the first Ascended Prime Champion. He is the Harbinger of Reality… Their Savior… The Nightmare Tyrant! He is HAVOC!

Havoc steps forward and raises his arms to the most mixed reaction of the four competitors. He stays there letting the undeniable energy of the crowd permeate the ring. He lowers his arms and steps back into his corner.

HOLLY PEREZ: And lastly, He is a former Grand Champion and first Project Honor Purge match winner…

Mark approaches Holly and whispers into her ear before going back to his corner. Holly begrudgingly nods her head then resumes her introduction.

HOLLY PEREZ: He is also the man who officially put down Elena Dedraca…

The crowd begin to violently react as Mark Hunter confidently smiles at the angry fans that surround the body of water around the ring.

HOLLY PEREZ: … He is The Straight Shooter, MARK HUNTER!

Mark climbs the turnbuckle once again and repeatedly points down then motions around his waist while smugly mouthing off at the audience. He climbs back down the turnbuckle as Holly exits the ring. The referee steps forward and raises the Legacy title for the crowd and cameras to see in all its glory. He walks over to the ropes and hands it off to a member of the ringside crew who carries it back up the ramp for safekeeping.

TREY BOOKER: Alright, and here we are, main event of Spring Break!

ALARA ADAMS: And by the sound of that crowd I think we are just about to get things kicked off!

J.T. PRICE: This match is going to be one for the ages and the four of us get the closest thing this setup has to front row seats. I couldn’t be more excited.

KAYDEN ELLIS: Knowing at least two of these competitors, I imagine things could get a little wild in this one. After all, there are no disqualifications in a fatal four-way match.

ALARA ADAMS: Being surrounded by a body of water like this, competitors at this level could use that, making this a very high risk match-up!

TREY BOOKER: I hope all of you at home are ready because I think our official is about to call for the bell!

The referee throws his arm up signaling the timekeeper to ring the bell.

DING! DING! DING!

Straight off the bat Billy begins to dash across the ring towards Havoc but is caught in the middle as Emmanuelle and Mark sandwich her head with a big boot and a pump kick! Billy drops forward, face first into the mat. Meanwhile Havoc takes this opportunity to leap over her and take the other two down to the mat with a double flying clothesline! Havoc is the first to his feet while Mark and Emmanuel begin to recover. Havoc bounces off the ropes and nails a kneeling Mark Hunter with a single leg dropkick to the temple. Havoc quickly rolls to his feet but is caught from behind in a waistlock by Emmanuelle who grabs his arm and pushes him away before pulling him back in with a short arm clothesline. Emmy tumbles forward from the amount of force put into the attack but when she turns around, she isn’t greeted by three downed opponents. No, Billy Bennett has gotten back ot her feet, and a murderous intent is clear in her eyes.

KAYDEN ELLIS: It’s about time that Emmanuelle learns about how Billy Bennett is a dangerous animal in that ring.

ALARA ADAMS: She’s called the cottonmouth for a reason!

J.T. PRICE: Don’t underestimate Emmanuelle now. She has been scratching and clawing her way to this spot for a long time.

TREY BOOKER: She sure has, and I highly doubt she’s about to stop now.

Emmanuelle takes the initiative showing she will not be intimidated by possibly the green brand’s most feared competitor. Billy leaps into the air, catching Emmy in a Lou Thes Press and begins to unload on The Platinum Standard. Elbow, punch, punch, elbow, headbutt, elbow, elbow, elbow, headbutt. The offense gets more and more violent as Emmanuelle begins to bleed, struggling to block the attacks and get Billy off. Havoc gets back to his feet and sees a golden opportunity. Havoc charges forward and hits Billy with THE DEAD TRIGGER TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD.

The force of the knee slamming the back of her head sends Billy headfirst into the skull of Emmanuelle one last time. Emmy pushes Billy off and rolls to the edge of the ring wiping the blood from her face. Havoc covers Billy.

ALARA ADAMS: Havoc trying to pull a fast one!

TREY BOOKER: Not so fast, look who’s getting to his feet!

ONE!

TWO!

BREAKUP!

Mark dives in, stopping the pin. Mark grabs Havoc and swings him around with a teardrop suplex. The momentum carries Havoc out of the ring and Mark Hunter follows closely after. As Havoc tries to get to his feet, Mark kicks him in the gut keeping him down. Havoc tries to get up once again but Mark grabs him and lifts him up into a vertical suplex and then drops him gut first onto the metal guardrail. Havoc gets to his feet while still wobbly on the water side of the guard rail. He clutches on for dear life when Mark Hunter takes a few steps back and looks around. The fans boo loudly as Mark soaks it all in. He shrugs then springs forward hitting Havoc with Instant Karma! The superkick sends Havoc flying into the water below. Havoc begins to float away from the ring only just staying above the surface. Mark circles the ring and watches as Billy and Emmanuelle get to their feet.

Emmanuelle recovers first and grabs Billy by the hair, whipping her into the corner. Emmanuelle quickly follows after landing a flying double knee into Billy’s chest. Billy bounces out of the corner and Emmanuelle catches her with an armdrag takedown. Emmy holds the arm and begins to wrench while Billy rolls with it trying to free her arm. Emmy spins with Billy trying to stop her from escaping. Billy finally begins to get her arm loose as she continues to roll circles around Emmy. The Silver Starlet notices her loosening grip so she releases the hold, freeing Billy, and steps back. As Billy takes one last roll forward she springs to her feet but is caught with a kick to the face by Emmanuelle crushing her nose.

J.T. PRICE: Emmanuelle doing a good job controlling the pace.

KAYDEN ELLIS: Trust me, she doesn’t want to go at Billy’s pace. This is in her own best interest.

Emmanuelle tucks The Cottonmouth’s head under her arm looking for a DDT when Mark reaches under the rope and pulls a foot out from underneath her. Emmanuelle stumbles then partially dives through the middle rope reaching for Mark. Mark backs up to the railing holding his hands up trying to stay out of reach of Emmy. Billy grabs Emmanuelle from behind and jerks her backward, rolling through and lifting her up in a wheelbarrow hold. Billy drops her with a big wheelbarrow facebuster. Billy Rolls her over for the cover.

ONE!

KICKOUT!

Emmanuelle throws Billy off of herself and crawls backward trying to get to her feet as quickly as possible. Mark slides in from under the ropes and boots Emmy in the face. He turns to face Billy who dives at him, dropping him with a flowing DDT. Billy looks at her down opponents and then up to the crowd as she excitedly pulls on her hair. Then she catches something out of the corner of her eye. An arm comes out of the water and grabs the railing outside the ring. Billy approaches the ropes observing as Havoc slowly emerges. As he rises, some of the facepaint has washed away leaving what remains a blurry mess. As he rises his eyes meet Billy’s and they stare each other down.

ALARA ADAMS: These two have torn each other apart, both as teammates and enemies. Now, they are bitter rivals.

J.T. PRICE: Sounds like things are getting personal over on Fallout.

KAYDEN ELLIS: Absolutely. Of course, Mark has proven to be a massive prick, specifically to Emmanuelle for no reason as all.

J.T. PRICE: Based on his recent actions, I’m not surprised.

Billy dives out of the ring as Havoc jumps the rail. The two begin to forearm each other violently, surely shortening each other's careers. Havoc ducks under one of Billy’s strikes and shoves her into the rail. He grabs her by the hair and begins to ram her face first into the railing. Blood pours from her face into the water below. Havoc begins to laugh as he brutalizes her face, however he begins to hear something from Billy. He lifts her head and she turns to look at him smiling and laughing right back at him. He begins to snarl at her when she spits blood directly into his eyes and grabs his head returning the favor. Billy slams Havoc’s face into the rail now causing his blood to drip into the pool. While they are going back and forth outside, Emmanuelle gets to her feet in the ring. Emmanuelle leans against the ropes on the opposite side of the ring to Havoc and Billy. She looks back and forth to the crowd. The crowd gets pumped up as Emmy takes off across the ring, leaping over the top rope and rolling into Havoc and Billy, taking all three into and over the guardrail, into the water.

THIS IS AWESOME!
THIS IS AWESOME!
THIS IS AWESOME!
THIS IS AWESOME!

J.T. PRICE: Things are heating up and these fans here at Paradise Beach feel it!

ALARA ADAMS: I'd be more surprised if they didn’t! It’s like sitting a foot away from a raging fire.

Mark gets back to his feet and watches as the other three vie to be the first back over the railing and out of the now bloody pool of water. Every time one tries to get back in, another pulls them down. Mark rolls out of the ring and waits for one of them to begin to climb. Emmanuel grabs the railing and he slams his foot against her hand, smashing her fingers against the metal bar. Havoc and Billy have begun to climb on either side of him so Mark backs up and slides back into the ring, trying not to get between them. Billy gets in first and sprints towards Havoc. As he is just climbing over Billy gets there just in time and grabs his head. Billy drops Havoc with an assisted sit-out facebuster!

Hunter gets on the apron and charges at Billy who turns just slightly too late to react as Mark launches himself off with a flying crossbody. The straight shooter rolls off Billy and picks her up, rolling her into the ring. Before he can enter the ring, Emmanuelle grabs Hunter and throws him back-first into the barricade. Emmy rotates between chopping the chest and kicking Mark in the abdomen. Emmy takes a few steps back then runs forward and hits The Platinum Dynamic! As her knees drive into the chest of Mark Hunter, who is draped over the railing, he crumples to the ground holding his body which is now covered in bright red welts and likely bruises. Mark starts to crawl around the ring. Emmy follows as he makes his way towards the entrance ramp. As they get there, Billy suddenly flies through the ropes hitting Emmy with a flying forearm. Billy picks up Emmy while Mark continues to climb up the stage.

KAYDEN ELLIS: Where the hell is Mark going?

TREY BOOKER: Right now? Anywhere but there.

Billy and Emmy trade blows at the base of the ramp while Mark seems to be messing with some of the scaffolding used for the entrance area. Havoc is now making his way around the ring with something in his hands. He smacks the steel steps with his signature barbed wire baseball bat. Emmanuelle and Billy both turn to see him and immediately drop their fight to take care of Havoc. Meanwhile, behind them Mark is eventually able to rip a bar off the scaffolding and begins to walk back down. The scaffolding at the top of the ramp begins to wobble but eventually settles. Havoc takes Bennett down with a strike to the ribcage while Mark strikes Emmanuelle in the upper back. Mark lifts his pipe again ready to bring it down on Emmy but with the other two down Havoc cracks Mark over the head! A crimson mask begins to form over Mark’s eyes. Havoc picks the dazed man up and rolls him into the ring. Without wasting a single moment, Havoc sees the opportunity to seize his third prize. HAVOC WRAPS THE BARBED WIRE BAT AROUND MARK HUNTERS THROAT LOCKING IN THE DEATH PARADE!

ALARA ADAMS: WITH THE OTHER TWO DOWN THIS HAS TO BE IT! MARK HAS NOWHERE TO GO!

KAYDEN ELLIS: Not looking good for Mark! He already seems to be fading just from the pain alone!

The referee approaches Mark…


He examines him…


It appears like he’s about to fall unconscious…




EMMANUELLE COMES OFF THE TOP ROPE WITH A CROSS BODY TO HAVOC INTERRUPTING THE HOLD! Emmanuelle quickly grabs Havoc and throws him out of the ring.

J.T. PRICE: It was just about over but Emmanuelle came in with the save!

TREY BOOKER: And just in time, that bat across the throat is deadly!

Emmanuelle walks over to Mark and lifts him to his feet, hooking his arms and DROPPING HIM WITH A PASIDINA BOMB! She follows up the double underhook sitout powerbomb by rolling Mark Hunter over and LOCKING IN PUNCH OUT TIME! At this point Mark is barely hanging on as the referee comes to check him again.

KAYDEN ELLIS: There is no way…


The previously injured neck of Mark Hunter begins to take its toll…


The referee kneels down…




AND GETS A BOOT TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD!

TREY BOOKER: Not just yet!

Billy stands over Emmanuelle and Mark and begins to lift Emmy off Hunter with a tongan death grip. Keeping Emmy on her feet, Billy pushes Emmy into the corner of the ring. Emmy tries to fight back, eventually just using Billy’s momentum to take both competitors out of the ring. Mark delicately crawls to the corner dazed from everything that has just happened. Billy and Emmanuelle begin to fight on the ramp once again, trading shots back and forth. Completely winded they just continue trying to throw everything they have left, into every shot. Havoc watches on from the ring as they reach the top of the ramp. Emmanuelle slams Billy’s head into the weakened scaffolding, causing the entire stage to wobble. Billy retaliates with a headbutt but is caught with a CROSS COUNTER! Billy falls into Emmy who shoves her down the ramp. It’s too late for Emmy to notice though as Mark Hunter comes in with a flying forearm!

Emmanuelle falls backward, catching herself on the shaky scaffolding. Billy rolls to the bottom of the ramp and climbs in where Havoc catches her with ClimaX! Billy falls back but Havoc is too drained to cover. Mark looks into the ring then back at Emmanuelle.

J.T. PRICE: It looks as though Mark can’t decide whether he should try and put away The Platinum Standard or get back to the ring.

ALARA ADAMS: This could be a major turning point in the match!

The camera zooms in as it catches Mark mouth the words ‘fuck it’ and grab Emmanuelle. He spins her around and THROWS HER INTO THE SCAFFOLDING WITH A T-BONE SUPLEX! All of the scaffolding comes crashing down on Emmannuelle who ends up being buried by the various pieces of metal and wood. With a major portion of support gone, the entire entrance way begins to fall forward into the pool. Mark quickly dives out of the way as the massive entrance set crashes down onto the ring causing Havoc and Billy to quickly jump to the safe side of the ring. The ring buckles and slowly begins to sink as the supports beneath can’t sustain the weight. Water rushes over the rails and eventually into the ring which is now half submerged under the water!

HOLY SHIT!
HOLY SHIT!
HOLY SHIT!
HOLY SHIT!

The crowd goes crazy as everything begins to fall apart.

J.T. PRICE: This arena has officially turned into a warzone! I can’t believe this!

ALARA ADAMS: Nearly the entire ring is underwater! How can we have a winner now?!

TREY BOOKER: Not only that but did you just see what happened to Emmanuelle?!

KAYDEN ELLIS: This may have gone too far, we need medics out here, STAT! She might be dead!

Mark sits at the top of the entrance way and surveys the damage. Moments pass and finally Billy and Havoc are able to get back to their feet. They trudge through the knee deep water and take turns striking each other, spitting blood with every hit they take. Havoc grabs the back of Billy’s head and brings her face down into the center of his knee. Billy pops back up though and returns the favor doing the same to Havoc. Havoc loses his footing falling backward into the water. Having been through enough, Billy dives on top of Havoc and wraps her hands around his throat as she shoves his head under the water. Havoc thrashes in the water throwing unprotected punches to the jaw of The Cottonmouth but it appears as if Billy has entered a trance like state just absorbing each hit.

Havoc’s struggle begins to slow now, giving up on attacking Billy, preserving his air. He continues to try to pull Billy’s hands off his neck but with each attempt, Billy’s grip only grows tighter. Havoc begins to fade as he reaches out to Mark desperately trying to find a way to get Billy off of himself. Mark notices Havoc’s desperate stare but instead of going to break it up, Mark simply smirks at Havoc and shakes his head, satisfied with what he had accomplished. Mark gets up and limps out of the ring area leaving Billy alone with Havoc.

The life slowly begins to fade from Havoc’s eyes. It almost looks as if, just for a moment, Havoc is gone, and it’s just Christopher Sabertooth left. Billy looks down at the helpless man as his eyes finally roll back and he has to take a breath. Possibly his last. The referee begins to rip Billy off of Havoc as he throws his arms in the air towards the timekeeper’s area.

DING! DING! DING!

The commentary team is silent, as is the crowd. At most there is a restlessness as everyone tries to see what has happened. Paramedics rush to the ring and drag Havoc out of the water, facepaint completely washed away. Just a man. They get him on a stretcher as they begin to perform CPR. Billy takes a few steps back and climbs up one of the turnbuckles and takes a seat looking as confused as everyone else. Billy holds her head in utter shock.

J.T. PRICE: Is Havoc okay?! What just happened?!

TREY BOOKER: Everyone here is in shock by the horrendous display we have just seen.

KAYDEN ELLIS: I can’t believe Billy actually killed Havoc…

ALARA ADAMS: Don’t say that! He’s not dead yet! He can’t be…

HOLLY PEREZ: I have just been informed by our referee…


The crowd goes silent.



The air is heavy as they wait for the announcement.



HOLLY PEREZ: … your winner AND NEEEEWWWWW PROJECT; HONOR LEGACY CHAMPION, THE COTTONMOUTH, BILLLLLYYYYYYYY BENNNEEEETTTTTT!!!!

Billy’s eyes widen as the referee comes down the damaged walkway and hands her the Legacy Championship. Billy stares at the golden belt and stands from the second rope just out of reach of the water. Billy’s eyes initially begin to get teary as she holds the title up with one hand and her hair with the other. Those tears quickly turn into validation as Billy begins to shout at the crowd, letting them know that she did it. She was not done being a dominant force in Project; Honor. Billy sits on the top turnbuckle and holds the title tightly against her chest. A wide sickening smile comes across her face as she looks down at her drowned opponent. The medics seem to calm down as they rush Havoc to the back leaving Billy alone in the ring.

The crowd reacts in a violent burst of cheers, boos and everything in between as fireworks erupt in the sky over Cancun. The Project; Honor logo appears at the bottom of the screen as Billy stares into the camera, hundreds of emotions filtering through her head. Fade to black.