Post by Mark Hunter on May 17, 2022 12:29:44 GMT -5
PROJECT: UNDERGROUND: EMERGENCE
SUNDAY, MAY 15TH, 2022
2300 ARENA, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
LEON ENGLISH: Despite its short existence, Project Underground has created memories for many, please enjoy the following video package as we pay tribute to the people behind those moments to open up tonight's proceedings.
Freedom, la la la la)
(Freedom, follow me)
(Freedom, la la la la)
(Freedom) cut it
(Freedom, la la la la)
(Freedom, follow me)
(Freedom, la la la la)
(Freedom)
LEON ENGLISH: First we have the moment Savannah Sunshine, or whatever her surname was at the time, kicked off the first Underground event.
Savannah Sunshine steps from behind the curtain after a few moments, dressed in a dark purple dress that stops just past her thighs, she smiles brightly as she soaks in the cheers for a few moments. Nodding along to the beat of the music, she begins to make her way towards the ring. High fiving fans along the way until she’s climbing the steel steps. She makes quick work, even in her Michael Kohrs pumps she wears.
With the ring ropes held open by Antonio Cruz, Savannah smiles softly as she steps over them with ease, before thanking him once she’s back to a proper stance. A microphone is handed to her a moment later and she lets the crowd get out all of their loud energy
Let me tell you, I'm vicious
Not pass-aggressive
I got my finger on my pulse, staring straight into a hole and I'ma get it
And I'm a savage
It's automatic
I got a way of making noise, the power to destroy with no static
Now victory is all you need
LEON ENGLISH: We’ve had the chance to see many strange characters.
Casimir with a big boot, The Clown followed that start with his Story Changer crucifix powerbomb. So in a match lasting less than a full minute, Casimir The Clown sends a message on debut.
So cultivate and plant the seed
Hold your breath and count to ten, just count to ten
I'm gonna make it rain, so ring the bell
I know it all too well
Switchblade on the edge of your wrist
Can I get a witness? (witness)
LEON ENGLISH: We’ve also seen some larger than life characters.
Raising his arms, Meatball points at the turnbuckle and quickly climbs up to the top before crashing his entire body weight onto Christopher Graves with MEATBOMB before hooking the leg on a successful pin!
'Cause agony brings no reward
For one more hit and one last score
Don't be a casualty, cut the cord
cut the cord
(Freedom, la la la la)
(Freedom)
You gotta feel courage
Embrace possession
LEON ENGLISH: Some very sick individuals have called the Underground home.
Kurtis Slayne locks in the SCREAM FOR ME, Fujiwara Armbar with Joint Manipulation. Camilla is screaming out in true pain, though refuses to tap. Kurtis locks the hold tighter, possibly breaking the arm of Camilla, the referee has no choice but to stop the match. Camilla is on the canvas crying and screaming in pain from her broken arm, while Kurtis merely smirks wickedly. He holds his hands out, taking a playful bow.
If it was easier to shatter everything that ever mattered
But it's not, because it's your obsession
Be a fighter, backbone, desire
Complicated and it stings, (but we both know what it means)
And it's time to get real and inspired
Now victory is all you need
So cultivate and plant the seed
LEON ENGLISH: There are those that have made sending a message their ultimate goal.
Blaze catches Andrea and nails a Yakuza Kick to the face. Blaze lifts her up, tosses her over his shoulder, before nailing her with an AMAZING GRACE! Over The Shoulder Backbreaker Lift right into a Piledriver to seal the deal.
Hold your breath and count to ten, just count to ten, just count to ten
I'm gonna make it rain, so ring the bell
I know it all too well
Switchblade on the edge of your wrist
Can you witness (witness)
'Cause agony brings no reward
For one more hit and one last score
LEON ENGLISH: When left with no direction and no leader, we needed someone to step up.
Mark Hunter strolls out onto the ramp area, he smirks in a self-satisfied and confident manner at the reaction from the fans and begins his walk down to the ring. Mark acknowledges very few of the wrestlers but is met by the scowling face of one, Kurtis Slayne openly shows Mark the middle finger, Hunter can be seen to mouth “not wise” toward Kurtis as he enters between the middle and top rope. Hunter climbs up and poses for the crowd whilst taking in the response from the fans. He soon steps down to the canvas and before perching on the stall as Project Underground's new leader.
Don't be a casualty, cut the cord
Cut it
Cut it
'Cause victory is all you need
So cultivate and plant the seed
Hold your breath and count to ten, just count to ten
I'm gonna make it rain, so ring the bell
I know it all too well
LEON ENGLISH: It all brings us to this point, only one man can leave tonight as champion… will it be the favorite?
We see a last shot of Virgil Barrick standing tall in the ring before fading to black.
Switchblade on the edge of your wrist
Can you witness? (witness)
'Cause agony brings no reward
For one more hit and one last score
Don't be a casualty, cut the cord
Don't be a casualty, cut the cord
cut the cord
(Freedom, la la la la)
(Freedom, follow me, me, me)
On screen explosions morph to the smaller display of pyro throughout the 2300 arena as the sold-out crowd wave their signs in the air!
“EVERYONE LOVES A REST HOLD”
“BLAZE IS A WANK PHEASANT”
“FACE, YAY! HEEL, BOO! HENDRIX, FUCK KNOWS!”
“I WANT BABY MEATBALLS”
“I’M HERE BECAUSE MY WIFE GOT THE WRONG FUCKING TICKETS”
Finally, the camera's land on the ringside announce position where the commentary team is standing by to kick things off!
LEON ENGLISH: GOOD EVENING!!! Hello and welcome to the only ever Project Underground pay per view event… EMERGENCE!!!
NOAH HOPE: I’m so excited that even my excited is excited!!
MARK HUNTER VS BILLY BENNETT
NON TITLE
THIRTY MINUTE IRONMAN MATCH
The camera shows the ring in the middle of 2300 Arena, as Vera Knight stands with a microphone to announce the opening bout.
VERA KNIGHT: The following is a non-title Iron Man match scheduled for thirty minutes… coming first to the ring, standing at five feet and zero inches tall, weighing one-hundred-and-seventeen pounds… she is the reigning Legacy Champion of Project: Honor… BIIIIIILLLYYYYYYYY BEEEEENNNNNNNEEEEETTTTTT!!!!!!
The warm, inviting lights of the arena cut out, replaced with a series of harsh, blue/white spotlights which illuminate the ring and entrance ramp, leaving the crowd in darkness.
Dissonant, harsh, sludgy guitar riffs pour out of the speakers, as a bizarre metal cover of 'The Promised Land Playhouse' theme heralds the arrival of the Legacy Champion. 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.
There is no sign of her Legacy Championship belt, or her new friends from The Promised Land Playhouse; she’s come here alone, and wastes no time showboating before heading towards the ring. The chorus of boos from the crowd almost overpowers her entrance music, though there are a few, scattered cheers from audience members who clearly appreciate her brand of violence.
Slithering under the ring ropes and onto the canvas, she rises to her feet as 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.
VERA KNIGHT: Introducing now, standing at six feet and two inches tall, weighing two hundred and twenty five pounds… he is the General Manager of Project Underground… MAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRK HUUUUUUUUUUNTEEEEEERRRRRRRR!!!!!!
“Feel Invincible” by Skillet suddenly sounds throughout the building 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 and begins his walk down to the ring. Mark acknowledges very few fans as he wanders down the ramp, he continues to receive the awful crowd response as he ascends the ring steps. He enters between the middle and top rope before instantly wandering over to the far corner, Hunter climbs up and poses for the crowd whilst taking in the response from the fans. He soon steps down to the canvas and stretches his arms in the air before readying himself for action. At this stage the music slowly fades away.
Before Vera can leave the ring, Billy strides over and snatches the microphone out of her hand. Rolling his eyes at this, Mark gestures to a ringside official to hand him a mic of his own, clearly anticipating a one-sided battle of wits between himself and the Legacy Champion.
BILLY BENNETT: Thanks for comin’ out, Mark. Wasn’t sure you’d have the balls to follow through on all your talk. One li’l thing though, before we get started… I was thinkin’, and I ain’t sure thi-
Before she can even approach the end of her thought, Mark cuts her off, clearly growing bored only a few seconds into her rambling address.
MARK HUNTER: I’d like to save everyone here a few minutes they’d never get back, and stop you right there. Let me guess, you’re realizing now you don’t have a chance against me in a straight fight, so you want some nonsensical ‘no disqualifications’ stipulation tacked on last-minute; not that it’ll help, of course.
Narrowing her eyes sharply at her opponent’s words, it’s clear that Mark Hunter managed to guess exactly what Billy was about to say.
MARK HUNTER: Well, let nobody ever say I am not a benevolent, giving General Manager. Don’t worry, Billy, I have no interest in winning through points earned by you disqualifying yourself, and I doubt you have the presence of mind to avoid lashing out in this ‘match’... if it can even be called that.
BILLY BENNETT: Listen up, you goddamn motherf-
MARK HUNTER: Ssshhhhh. That’s enough out of you. You’re getting what you wanted, now settle down and try to learn something.
Billy throws the microphone across the ring at Hunter, who weaves out of the way as it carries on towards the commentary booth, where Noah Hope comes within inches of catching it directly in the face.
NOAH HOPE: WHAT THE HELL DID I DO?!?!?!
LEON ENGLISH: I’m sure that wasn’t intentional.
Hunter calmly hands the microphone back to a ringside official, before pointing at the timekeeper and shouting.
MARK HUNTER: (off-mic) Ring the bell!
DING! DING! DING!
As the match begins, Billy wastes no time in getting things started as she rushes across the ring towards Hunter who stands ready to defend himself. Bennett doesn’t slow as she charges at her opponent, lowering her head to drive her shoulder into his midsection with enough force to push his much larger frame back towards the corner.
The moment her shoulder drives into his gut, Mark locks in a Front Facelock, his forearm digging into Billy’s throat. He only has the hold locked in for a fraction of a second, before Bennett starts firing rights and lefts into his ribcage; despite the size difference, she packs enough of a punch to make Hunter wince and flinch with every fist that strikes his midsection.
LEON ENGLISH: Not sure if this is the right play by Hunter to start things off; he’s got her pinned down, but staying in close quarters with that psychopath can’t be a good idea!
NOAH HOPE: Hey now! There isn’t a better wrestler on the roster than the Straight Shooter, other than myself. A man with his experience has to know what he’s doing!
Even with the onslaught of strikes forcing the air from his lungs, Mark keeps his arm around Billy’s neck. It’s only when she finally zeroes in on his kidneys and delivers a trio of full-force punches to his vital organs that Hunter is finally forced to loosen his grip, the pain visible on his face. It gives Bennett the opportunity she needs to pull her head out of the facelock.
Rather than try to catch her breath, Billy takes a few steps back before charging at Mark, who reacts with the swiftness of a long-time athlete, moving to the side and grabbing her hair to drive her shoulder into the ringpost with a sickening impact.
NOAH HOPE: Big oof!
LEON ENGLISH: Billy needs to tighten up her game, and quick! That kind of sloppy brawling isn’t going to work against a real technician!
As Billy stumbles back, clutching her shoulder with one hand, Mark is waiting for her. Grabbing her from behind in a Full Nelson, he quickly executes a Full Nelson Suplex, keeping his grip on Billy even after she slams neck-first into the canvas.
Bennett thrashes in his grip, kicking back at him with her heel, but Hunter does his best to avoid as many back kicks as he can. He drags his opponent back to her feet, before hooking one foot in front of hers and planting her back to the mat - this time face-first - with a Forward Russian Legsweep.
Keeping his weight on Billy to prevent her from scrambling back to her feet, Mark quickly transitions into a Fujiwara Armbar, pulling back on his opponent’s arm as Billy begins to scream and claw at the canvas, trying to pull herself towards the nearest ropes but unable to make any progress with Hunter pinning her to the ground.
LEON ENGLISH: Kentish Armbar, in the middle of the ring! Billy has nowhere to go!
Billy is only in the hold for a few seconds, before realizing she has no way out; her hand begins to slap at the mat, signaling a submission as the referee raises one finger in the air to represent the first fall, the bell tolling a single time.
DING!
BENNETT - 0
HUNTER - 1
HUN-TER!
HUN-TER!
HUN-TER!
The audience, already on the edge of their seats and fully immersed in this match between two of the company’s best, stand up out of their chairs. Some boo, some cheer, some clap; every single one of them heavily invested in the bout in some way.
LEON ENGLISH: Unbelievable! Only minutes into the match, and Mark Hunter has already secured the first point against our Legacy Champion!
NOAH HOPE: Billy looked like she was in a rush to submit to that one!
LEON ENGLISH: After what happened in her match with Hendrix, she might’ve learned the value of a strategic tap-out to prevent injury.
NOAH HOPE: Giving her an awful lot of credit there, aren’t you?
LEON ENGLISH: Regardless, if this were a title match under regular rules, we’d be crowning a new champion here tonight… but to secure a win, Mark needs to maintain the point advantage for another twenty-five minutes.
Mark releases Billy’s arm, getting back to his feet and stepping away to give her some room, though he remains relatively close as he sneers down at her, making eye contact as she rolls onto her back, holding her arm with a look of both shock and fury on her face.
MARK HUNTER: (off-mic) Not a great start for the Legacy Champion, Billy. Do better.
BILLY BENNETT: (off-mic) Fuck yourself, Mark.
MARK HUNTER: (off-mic) Well clearly no one else is gonna fuck me over tonight.
Pushing off the mat, Billy rolls her shoulder and clenches her fist to ensure there is no lingering damage to that arm. The pair begin to circle each other, Bennett looking at Hunter with perhaps a bit more respect than she had entered the match with. Mark appears as smug as expected, looking down at Bennett like she was literally and metaphorically beneath him.
LEON ENGLISH: She doesn’t look too keen to rush in recklessly again…
NOAH HOPE: Too bad she never learned how to actually, you know, wrestle. Seems like that would be a priority for a professional wrestler.
LEON ENGLISH: You’d think… but whatever she’s been doing instead seems to have worked for her up to this point. She’s just never faced someone as technically skilled as her opponent here!
After several moments sizing each other up, Billy steps forward and actually moves to lock-up with Mark. He reacts by doing the same, but Bennett was just baiting him; she steps back to dodge the grapple attempt, before swinging her foot forward, aiming to kick Hunter in the crotch with the toe of her boot.
Mark is able to reach down and grab her foot with only inches to spare, quickly transitioning into a Dragon Screw Leg Whip that sends Billy spiraling down to the mat.
LEON ENGLISH: Quick thinking by the General Manager!
Tucking her body and rolling through the impact, Billy manages to get back to her feet a fraction of a second before Mark Hunter does, despite being on the receiving end of the move. She charges back in, but Hunter executes an Arm Drag; Billy rolls through and is on her feet ahead of the older Mark Hunter yet again.
Another blind rush towards her opponent sees Billy tosses aside with a second Arm Drag, but she refuses to stay down for more than a split-second.
LEON ENGLISH: She’s not giving Hunter a second to breathe here!
Hunter switches up the strategy when Billy runs towards him a third time, planting her face-first with a Drop Toe Hold then quickly transitioning into a Standing Ankle Lock. Before he’s able to properly twist Billy’s ankle, she kicks out with her other foot, aiming the bottom of her boot at Hunter’s kneecap with full force.
Releasing the hold, Mark backs away just in time to avoid a potentially crippling strike to his joint, creating some distance between himself and Billy as she rolls onto her back and looks up at him. Hunter smirks, pacing back and forth as he waits.
NOAH HOPE: Mark Hunter is playing with fire here; hopefully his cocky attitude doesn’t get him burned.
LEON ENGLISH: You’ve got to be either brave, arrogant or stupid to provoke Billy Bennett, and we know Mark isn’t dumb.
Billy growls angrily, baring her teeth before her features soften, and she starts to laugh. Her entire body shakes as she stands back up, her pacing mirroring that of Mark’s as they eye each other up.
Both of them move back towards the center of the ring, Billy not even pausing her stride as she steps forward to throw a wild haymaker at the side of her opponent’s head. Mark goes to grab her wrist out of the air, but Bennett pulls the punch back before he’s able to. Taking full advantage of Hunter falling for this feint, she hits him in the left side of the chest with a perfectly aimed Heart Punch that seems to take his breath away instantly.
NOAH HOPE: Look at this goddamn heel!
LEON ENGLISH: Nobody could mistake Hunter for a decent person, but at least he doesn’t rely on such dirty tactics!
As Mark staggers backwards, Billy follows him and rears back to strike him with another punch in the exact same spot; but Hunter is able to block the blow this time, gripping her wrist and twisting it in a textbook Arm Wrench.
Billy reacts immediately, dropping down into a roll to reverse the twisting of her limb. Every time Hunter repositions and twists the arm again, Bennett is quick to roll in the opposite direction. For the first time in the match, there’s a look of vague frustration on Mark’s face as he tries to keep up with the frantic reversals of his opponent.
After more than a minute of wrenching by Hunter followed by rolling from Billy, she seems to get the upper hand by rolling back to her feet and twisting Mark’s arm. However, Hunter had apparently decided to allow it to lure her into a trap, as he steps back and unleashes a vicious Superkick to her chin that forces Billy to break her grip on his wrist.
LEON ENGLISH: Instant Karma! But Billy is still on her feet!
Staggering backwards with blank eyes, Billy is in no position to defend against a second Superkick from Mark Hunter that sends her hurtling backwards, falling between the top and middle sets to the outside of the ring, where she lands on the back of her neck.
Rather than follow her to the outside, Hunter takes this time to recover, walking back and forth across the length of the ropes as he stares at Billy, who slowly pushes herself off the mat, using the nearby stairs to drag herself back to her feet.
Taking no time outside the ring to recuperate, the Legacy Champion slides back under the ropes as soon as she’s able, being met with a series of stomps delivered to the back of her head and spine by Hunter, who was just waiting for her to re-enter.
Every time Billy tries to push herself up, Mark delivers another vicious boot to her prone body, driving her back to the mat. He’s about to do the same again, but this time Billy suddenly bursts into action, scrambling up and taking Hunter to the canvas with a Single Leg Takedown.
There’s a brief scramble between the two of them as they each try to gain the upper hand, but Billy is too slippery and quick to be pinned down, ending up mounted on Hunter’s chest. There are several closed-fist punches delivered by both of them to their opponent, before Billy manages to get a hold on Mark’s short hair, pulling his head towards hers before slamming her skull into his nose with a full-force Headbutt.
LEON ENGLISH: One place you do not want to be is underneath Billy Bennett!
NOAH HOPE: I think Ratman might disagree with you there…
LEON ENGLISH: …that’s enough of that, Noah.
Hunter recovers in time to grab Billy’s hair, just before she can deliver another Headbutt. He uses his grip to hold her in place, delivering three swift punches to the side of the head, using her momentarily dazed state to shove her off his chest and onto the canvas.
Before Billy can create any distance, Hunter is on top of her, pinning her to the mat as he struggles to lock in a Crossface submission. As his forearm presses against her face, Billy opens her mouth and bites down on the flesh of her opponent’s arm.
NOAH HOPE: Mark Hunter might need a rabies shot after this!
Howling in pain before he clenches his teeth to cut himself off, Mark tries to pull his arm away without success. Bennett grinds her teeth into the man’s limb, blood pouring out of her mouth as she thrashes her head, trying to rip and tear at Hunter’s flesh.
LEON ENGLISH: No wonder this psychopath wanted no disqualifications!
With Mark more concerned about pulling his arm free from her jaws, Billy seizes upon his distracted state to throw an elbow back into the bridge of his nose, stunning him. Opening her mouth wide, Billy reveals a now-bloodstained set of teeth, releasing Hunter’s arm before throwing another elbow back to knock him off her completely.
The Straight Shooter grabs at his bleeding forearm, trying to stem the flow of crimson that pours from the shredded flesh. Wiping blood off her chin with the back of one hand, Billy rises up and glares at Mark, waiting for him to sit up before taking off towards the ropes, bouncing back towards her opponent and hitting him with a Basement Dropkick that sends his head careening back to the canvas.
LEON ENGLISH: Looks like this could be turning around…
NOAH HOPE: And all it took was some minor cannibalism on the champion’s part! Who’d have thought?
Pulling Mark back to his feet by one arm, Billy attempts to whip him into the ropes but Hunter has enough left in him to reverse it, pulling the woman back towards him for a Short-Arm Clothesline. Ducking under the strike, Billy weaves behind her opponent before leaping up and over his back, executing a Float-over Stunner that leaves Hunter stumbling on his feet.
Backing up a few steps before rushing towards the stunned man, Billy leaps up as she attempts a Thesz Press. However, the moment her jump carries her within grabbing distance Hunter reaches out with both arms to grab her, arching his back to toss her overhead with a Belly-to-Belly Suplex counter.
NOAH HOPE: DAMN!
Hunter crawls over to Billy’s body to place one arm over her chest as the referee begins the count.
ON-
KICKOUT!
NOAH HOPE: Not even a full one-count! What the hell is this woman made of?!
There’s a vague, momentary look of frustration on Hunter’s face as he pushes himself off the mat. Bennett is already recovering from the suplex, to the audible surprise of the crowd… but it only serves to save Mark the trouble of lifting her off the canvas, as he waits for her to get back to her feet before stepping in and doubling her over with a boot to the stomach.
Whipping her into the ropes, Mark charges after her; but Billy doesn’t rebound back towards him as he might have hoped. By the time she reaches the edge of the ring she’s already recovered enough to leap up onto the middle set of ropes, using them as a jumping off point back towards Hunter. Twisting her body in mid-air, it seems like she’s about to execute a Springboard Tornado DDT on her opponent…
…but Mark reacts at the perfect moment, using the momentum of Billy to reverse her attempted maneuver into a Northern Lights Suplex that ends in a bridging pin.
LEON ENGLISH: Hunter seems to have an answer for almost everything his younger, fiercer opponent throws at him!
ONE!
T-
KICKOUT!
NOAH HOPE: Come on! This bitch must be on something!
LEON ENGLISH: Probably, but her drug tests keep coming back clean, so…
NOAH HOPE: Bullshit, I say!
Another look of mixed disbelief and frustration from Mark, but he doesn’t waste much time wondering how Billy is kicking out of this so quickly; instead standing up and lifting his opponent back to her feet. He lifts her up into a Fireman’s Carry position, but before he’s able to secure her leg with his other arm Billy is able to drive a knee into the side of his head.
This staggers the Straight Shooter, allowing Billy to fall off his shoulders, landing on her feet behind Mark and immediately leaping up onto his back as she tries to wrap her arms around his throat.
LEON ENGLISH: Could she be going for her Slow Venom signature technique? This could put her up 2-1 if she manages to lock it in!
Before Bennett is able to tighten the choke properly - or wrap her legs around her opponent’s torso - Hunter reaches back to grab a handful of her greasy hair, yanking her up and over one shoulder until she is in position for him to execute a Sit-Out Tombstone Piledriver that bends her neck at a sick angle, leaving her limp on the mat as Hunter falls over her prone form for the pin.
ONE!
TW-
KICKOUT!
NOAH HOPE: Okay, there’s no goddamn way!
LEON ENGLISH: Hunter needs to adjust strategies here; he must know that nobody has managed a clean pin on Billy in her time here… he needs to get her in another submission hold, if he wants a guaranteed point!
Hunter isn’t so quick to get back to his feet this time, laying on the mat next to the barely conscious Billy, sucking oxygen into his lungs as sweat rolls off his forehead.
LEON ENGLISH: Billy may have absorbed far more punishment, but it seems that the pace she’s dictated throughout this match is finally having an effect on Mark!
A minute passes, then two; it’s only when he notices his opponent start to stir that Mark finally forces himself to stand back up, pulling Billy up by the hair and whipping her into the nearest corner. She hits the turnbuckles chest-first and slumps forward, eyes rolling around their sockets as she seems barely able to remain on her feet.
Hunter follows her, lifting Billy up and placing her in a seated position on the top turnbuckle, Mark climbs up after her before lifting her up in position for a Vertical Suplex. Before he can fall back to drop her to the mat, Bennett thrusts her free hand in the direction of Hunter’s face. By blind luck it manages to gouge him in the eye, as his grip on her falters…
…with her body no longer being held aloft, Billy begins to fall; but she twists her tiny frame in mid-air, grabbing Hunter’s neck from behind as she tumbles to the ground and planting him down with an Avalanche Inverted DDT that has the crowd roaring in approval.
Seizing this opportunity to even things up, Billy rolls onto Hunter’s chest as the referee drops down.
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
DING!
BENNETT - 1
HUNTER - 1
LEON ENGLISH: An unbelievable reversal by Billy Bennett!
NOAH HOPE: I call that ‘luck’, damnit!
LEON ENGLISH: Regardless, the score is officially tied, with just under ten minutes left in this match!
BIL-LY!
BIL-LY!
BIL-LY!
The pair lay on the mat for several moments, until Billy executes a Kip Up back to her feet in a rare acrobatic display. She points down at Mark as he lay on the canvas, laughing at him before shouting loud enough to cut through the crowd.
BILLY BENNETT: (off-mic) PLAN ON LAYIN’ THERE ALL DAY?!?! GET UP!!!
NOAH HOPE: Bet she couldn’t wait to throw that one back in his face.
LEON ENGLISH: This could be the turning point for Billy! It looks like her relentless offense might finally be wearing Mark down!
Instead of assaulting her prone opponent, Billy paces back and forth as Hunter recovers, shaking his head to try and clear out the cobwebs after that unexpected counter from the champion.
Mark is only standing for a fraction of a second before the manic Billy charges him and leaps into the air, grabbing his arm as she sails towards him and twisting her body to bring him down to the canvas with a Flying Juji-Gatame armbar.
Perhaps getting some semblance of revenge for earlier in the match, Billy wrenches back on his limb viciously, laughing as Hunter struggles in her grip. This goes on for almost a full minute, as Hunter stubbornly refuses to give Bennett the satisfaction of him tapping out. Fortunately for the Straight Shooter, the pair of them landed close to the ropes, and he’s finally able to reach out with his leg to place his boot onto the bottom set.
The referee motions and shouts at Billy to release the hold but she simply shakes her head and leans back further, putting even more pressure on Hunter’s arm as he begins to scream for the referee to get her off him.
After much hesitation, the official finally reaches out to grab hold of Billy’s shoulder. The moment his hand falls upon her skin, she releases her grip on Hunter and explodes to her feet, getting in the referee’s face and forcing him back against the ropes.
For a moment, it looks like she’s about to attack him before turning away from the trembling man and back towards his opponent. Hunter sits up and holds his arm with the other hand, teeth clenched in pain as he tries to force himself past the pain. It allows Billy to step behind him and drop several Hammer-and-Anvil Elbow Strikes down onto his shoulders, alternating between the two.
The audience falls into a stunned silence for the duration, shocked at the prolonged punishment by Bennett; who seems utterly disinterested in trying to go for a second pinfall or another submission attempt.
Satisfied after over a minute of slamming her elbow into the seated Hunter’s shoulders, Billy pulls the man back up and shoves him into the nearest corner. As Mark’s back crashes into the turnbuckle, Bennett begins to boot him repeatedly in the midsection, over and over again until he slumps back into a sitting position.
Lifting her boot, she places her heel on the Straight Shooter’s throat and grabs the ropes with both hands, lifting herself up so that the majority of her weight is placed directly onto Hunter’s neck in a Rope-Assisted Corner Foot Choke. Hunter thrashes with his arms and kicks out with his legs, punching at her leg in a vain effort to get Billy to back away; which only seems to encourage her to put more weight down onto his windpipe.
By the time she finally removes her boot from the man’s throat, Billy is cackling and spitting, clearly enjoying what she’s putting her opponent through, and Hunter is looking incredibly drained from the lengthy choke. Mark barely puts up a fight as Billy drags him up and dismissively tosses him away from the corner to land on his face.
Billy climbs to the top turnbuckle then turns to face Hunter, crouching low on her perch to watch him recover.
NOAH HOPE: Is she just going to hang out there, or what?
LEON ENGLISH: If Billy doesn’t do something soon, this match will end 1-1! There’s only a couple of minutes left!
She seems content to sit and wait, giving Mark all the time he needs to regain his breath and get back up. When he spins around to face her, Billy jumps off the turnbuckle and hits him with her signature Tornado DDT as the crowd roars.
LEON ENGLISH: Deadfall, with less than a minute to spare! There’s no way Hunter has the energy left to kick out of this one!
The back and forth match has taken its toll on both wrestlers, and it takes Billy a few extra seconds to crawl on top of Mark for the pin.
ONE!
TWO!
THRE-
KICKOUT!
As soon as Hunter’s shoulder leaves the mat, the audience explodes in cheers, stunned at this show of fighting spirit by the veteran and former Grand Champion. Dueling chants erupt from the crowd.
HUN-TER!
BIL-LY!
HUN-TER!
BIL-LY!
HUN-TER!
BIL-LY!
Billy rolls off of Mark, slamming her fist down onto the canvas and kicking away at the mat in frustration before pushing herself back up. She just barely manages to get to her feet - Hunter still on his back in the middle of the ring - when the bell rings to signal the end of the match.
DING! DING! DING!
BENNETT - 1
HUNTER - 1
The bell draws a confused glare from Billy, who then turns to the referee and stomps towards him angrily; he quickly hits the canvas and rolls out of the ring, as Vera Knight announces the result from ringside, not willing to enter the ring with Bennett in her current state.
VERA KNIGHT: After the thirty minutes of allotted time, this match has been declared a DRAW with a score of 1-1!
Despite being satisfied with the spectacle they’ve witnessed up to this point, the announcement of a draw brings a shower of boos from the audience, clearly upset at being denied an actual result.
Billy stomps around the ring, eventually turning to face Hunter, who has managed to drag himself back to his feet in the meantime. She points at him and growls, her voice trembling and cracking in anger.
BILLY BENNETT: (off-mic) That’s all?!?! That’s it?!?!
Catching his breath with one hand on the ropes to steady himself, Mark responds quickly, shaking his head at Billy before answering her.
MARK HUNTER: (off-mic) No, it’s not.
He immediately turns to point at Vera Knight, speaking as the Project Underground General Manager to issue an order to the ring announcer.
MARK HUNTER: (off-mic) We’re not done here. Sudden death. Announce it.
Vera looks somewhat surprised that Hunter would agree to more time in the ring with Billy, considering how the last minutes of the match had been going for him. After a brief pause, she raises the microphone again.
VERA KNIGHT: By order of the General Manager of Project Underground, this match will now resume in a sudden death overtime; the first competitor to score a pinfall or submission will be declared the winner!
The crowd pops big for this announcement, eager to see a decisive ending to this match between two Project: Honor legends. Billy steps up on the bottom rope and leans over the top, shouting down at Vera before she can motion for the bell to be rung.
BILLY BENNETT: (off-mic) Give him a minute.
LEON ENGLISH: What’s this? In a rare show of sportsmanship, Billy Bennett is insisting that her opponent be given a few moments to ready himself!
NOAH HOPE: There’s a first time for everything.
Vera glances at Mark, who still appears somewhat winded from the frantic pace of the past thirty minutes. He nods at her, and she lowers the microphone as the two competitors take to opposite corners, staring across the distance at each other as they both suck fresh oxygen into their lungs and prepare themselves for overtime.
Two or three minutes pass, the crowd remaining on their feet the entire time as they wait. Finally, Billy raises her voice to shout across the ring at Mark.
BILLY BENNETT: (off-mic) Good to go, big guy?
Scoffing, Hunter responds quickly, cracking his knuckles and rolling his neck as he speaks.
MARK HUNTER: (off-mic) Worry about yourself.
Billy smiles and chuckles through the wall of hair that hangs in front of her face; her limbs tremble with anticipation, as Mark turns to give Holly a nod, signaling that they’re both ready to carry on.
The ring announcer signals to the timekeeper, who rings the bell to start the sudden death round.
DING! DING! DING!
Mark steps out of his corner, taking up a position near the center of the ring as Billy stomps forward to meet him. They stand almost chest-to-chest, staring at each other as the roar of the assembled onlookers buzzes in their ears.
LEON ENGLISH: Listen to the crowd! They’ve never seen anything like this on a Project Underground show!
NOAH HOPE: This is the kind of match that could close out a Proving Ground Pay-Per-View, and it’s only the first bout on the card here tonight!
Billy moves first, rearing back and planting a Forearm Strike to the side of Hunter’s head. Given his current state, it’s enough to stun him for a split-second, but he quickly recovers to unload a savage Knife-Edge Chop to Billy’s chest, her hair whipping back from the impact as she staggers a half-step back.
Bennett rotates in place, aiming a Spinning Backfist up at Mark’s chin. He manages to duck to the side, grabbing Billy’s waist as he moves behind her; but before he can do anything beyond that, she runs towards the ropes, carrying him behind her as she crosses the short distance to one side of the ring.
Without pausing her momentum, she jumps up onto the middle rope and uses them as a springboard to leap up and over Hunter, rolling down his back and landing in a crouch. She immediately grabs hold of his legs, bringing him down to the canvas with a Roll-Up pin.
ONE!
TWO!
TH-
KICKOUT!
The crowd gasps in shock, as Hunter kicks out just before the three-count. Billy wastes no time with frustrated gestures, standing up and backing away as she watches Hunter slowly recover and push himself off the mat.
As soon as Mark has reached a kneeling position, Billy comes charging back towards him, driving her knee into the side of his head as he crumples back to the mat.
LEON ENGLISH: After everything Hunter has absorbed through this match, that has to be it!
NOAH HOPE: I hope so; this has been more brutal than the time I defeated Jason ‘The King’ Long! If this goes on much longer, both competitors might suffer serious injuries!
Rather than attempt a pin on her dazed opponent, Billy circles around Mark as he slowly regains his senses, shaking his head as he slowly sits up to find Bennett grinning at him from a few feet away. If he’s surprised at not being pinned after the brutal knee strike, he does a good job of disguising the fact; taking this opportunity Billy has given him to get back to his feet, though he looks somewhat unsteady.
The two approach each other again, slowly at first… but with only a short distance between him and Billy, Hunter suddenly explodes into action, ducking to his opponent’s side and grabbing her from behind in a traditional Sleeperhold.
LEON ENGLISH: A classic sleeper! I don’t think Billy has enough left in her to break free; this could be it!
NOAH HOPE: LET’S GO MARK, LET’S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Bennett attempts to force Hunter into releasing his grip, reaching up to try and claw at his face; however, he’s able to pull his head back out of her reach, as he begins wrenching her whole body left and right in the iron-clad chokehold. She stomps down on his toes with the heel of her boot, but Hunter simply grits his teeth and redoubles his efforts towards rendering her unconscious.
After a lengthy struggle - with no signs of the woman tapping out - the fight begins to leave Billy’s body, slowly going limp as a contented grin seems to be visible on her face.
NOAH HOPE: Is this sicko actually enjoying herself?
LEON ENGLISH: Gross.
The referee ceases asking Billy if she wants to give up as it becomes apparent she is losing consciousness. He lifts her arm up in the air before dropping it, as it falls limp to her side. The crowd begins to cheer in anticipation for Hunter’s overtime victory, as the referee repeats this a second time with the same result.
After a small pause, he lifts her arm into the air a third time… but when he drops it, Billy’s limb goes stiff halfway through the fall as the crowd explodes in disbelief. Mark growls between his teeth as he puts even more strength into his choke. Billy’s eyes open as she changes her footing, beginning to drive elbows back into Hunter’s stomach.
Bit by bit, these strikes begin to force Mark into losing his grip around her neck. By the time she’s passed a dozen, she’s finally able to break free and stumble back, clutching at her neck and seemingly in no position to go on the offensive immediately.
Hunter notices this, and with one last burst of energy he rushes in and aims a Charging Knee Strike up at the champion’s face.
It might have been a match-ending blow if it had landed, but Bennett reacts quickly. She takes a step back and blocks the strike with both arms, grabbing Hunter’s leg before he can lower it back to the mat. This time, it’s her turn to drop him with her own Dragon Screw Leg Whip, perfectly mirroring Mark’s technique earlier in the fight.
NOAH HOPE: Holy shit! A wrestling move from Billy Bennett!? What’s happening here?
LEON ENGLISH: She’s always proven herself to be adaptable; is it possible she’s actually learned a thing or two from the Straight Shooter tonight?
Hunter sits up just in time to catch a Punt Kick to the face from a running Billy, knocking him back down to the mat. She dashes towards the ropes and leaps up onto the middle set, jumping back towards Mark’s prone body with a Springboard Elbow Drop, hooking his leg after landing.
ONE!
TWO!
THRE-
KICKOUT!
Hunter chants can be heard throughout the audience, as Billy rolls off Mark and remains kneeling next to him. Bennett shakes her head as she looks down at her opponent, who can barely summon up the energy to push himself off the mat.
Billy waits for him to slowly get back to his feet, rising along with him and grinning hungrily as she gives him the time necessary to recover.
NOAH HOPE: I would think Billy would pounce on him when she had the chance, but she’s actually showing some restraint and sportsmanship here!
LEON ENGLISH: Maybe she’s just having too much fun? Who can tell when it comes to that lunatic?
Finally standing back up, Mark looks unsteady on his feet, almost collapsing back to the mat before he manages to right himself. Billy takes off towards the opposite ropes, rebounding off and back towards her opponent as she jumps up to land a Flying Forearm Smash.
In one last-ditch effort, Hunter manages to duck the strike and grab Billy in mid-air, spinning her around with a Spinebuster…
…but before she slams into the mat, Bennett manages to tuck Hunter’s head under her arm, and when she hits the canvas she brings Mark down with her in a DDT reversal.
NOAH HOPE: Holy shit!
LEON ENGLISH: That didn’t look good for either of them! They’re both beaten, exhausted… it’s just a matter of who recovers first!
HUN-TER!
BIL-LY!
HUN-TER!
BIL-LY!
HUN-TER!
BIL-LY!
Both wrestlers remain unmoving on the mat for several seconds, Hunter’s chest rising and falling as he tries to replenish some of his depleted stamina. Billy is the first to stir, groaning in pain as she rolls onto her stomach and crawls - by inches - towards Mark, placing one arm over his chest as the referee begins the count.
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
DING! DING! DING!
BENNETT - 2
HUNTER - 1
The crowd roars as the bell tolls, Billy laying on the mat with her arm still draped atop Mark, as the effort expended and impacts taken during the match seem to hit her suddenly, all at once. Hunter gradually returns to consciousness, to find his opponent’s limb resting over his chest. As soon as his vision clears enough to notice it, he shrugs the arm off him and rolls away from Billy.
Slowly pushing herself back to her feet with trembling arms, Billy almost topples over before reaching out to rest on the ring ropes. She moves to rest with her back against the nearest set of turnbuckles, watching Mark pull himself up using the ropes on the opposite side of the ring.
There is a sudden hush over the crowd as both wrestlers steady themselves and stare at each other. Winking across the distance at Mark, the Legacy Champion suddenly begins to stride towards him on unsteady feet.
Hunter looks ready to defend himself, perhaps expecting Billy to carry on the fight even after the bell has rung… but as she closes the distance, the Floridian throws both arms open wide and looks ready to go in for a big hug.
Mark stops her by lifting both hands in front of himself, shaking his head and mouthing the word ‘No’ before closing one hand into a fist and extending it towards her.
For the briefest moment, Bennett looks offended by the Straight Shooter turning down her attempted hug… but rather than dwell on it, a smile breaks through her disappointed expression, as she lifts her own fist to bump Hunter’s.
LEON ENGLISH: What a moment! A brief show of mutual respect from these two competitors, who just spent over thirty minutes brutalizing each other inside the ring!
NOAH HOPE: I swear, I’m not crying…
BILLY BENNETT: (off-mic) That was amazin’... let’s do it again sometime…
Mark doesn’t seem to know what to say to this, simply shrugging and offering a respectful nod to Billy before he hits the mat and rolls out of the ring, leaving her alone in the ring to celebrate. Bennett mounts a turnbuckle and lifts one arm high into the air as the crowd claps and cheers in respect for the show put on here tonight, if not necessarily the tactics she employed.
BIL-LY!
BIL-LY!
BIL-LY!
THE GOLDEN GODDESSES VS ADVANCED MATHEMATICS
TAG TEAM MATCH
Cal hops up onto the apron with one knee while Trig climbs the steps in a jogging motion. Al soon follows pulling himself up by the ropes. Cal flexes on the apron while looking at the camera then points to his giant brain while doing so. On the other side of the ring where Trig enters through the ropes he begins to point at the crowd and tries to get them too add together the amount of fingers he holds up. It get's little response from the uneducated wrestling crowd. Al stands in the center stoically as the other two interact with the crowd. Cal joins Trig and Al in the ring as they now pose together flexing their muscles and holding up their arms to the crowd.
Al Gebra exits the ring, leaving the two competitors to await their opponent.
"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.
“5 out of 6” by Dessa plays and Lexi Gold appears from behind the curtain to some thunderous cheers from the crowd. She slowly makes her way down the ramp and gazes out at the crowd, then claps a few fans hands before climbing the steps with a strut and enters the ring through the bottom rope. Once inside the ring, she stands in the middle, taunting the crowd. When she is finally satisfied with her grandstanding, she turns to Betsy for a high-five before they confer briefly on who should start the match.
After some discussion on both sides of the ring, Lexi and Trig both exit to the apron, leaving Betsy and Cal inside to start the match.
DING! DING! DING!
Cal lifts both arms up and flexes in a textbook double bicep pose, turning his upper body left and right to display his impressive muscles to the crowd. Betsy rolls her eyes, stepping towards the center of the ring and raising one hand up to invite her opponent forward.
NOAH HOPE: Looks like Betsy isn’t about to be intimidated by that meathead!
Cal drops his pose, walking forward before lifting a hand for a test of strength, which Betsy does not hesitate to accept. They join hands, locking fingers before both wrestlers begin to strain,, trying to push their opponent backwards as the muscles in their arms flex.
To the surprise of the crowd - and Cal himself, who looks shocked - Betsy seems to have the upper hand despite the size difference, quickly bending her opponent backwards under the weight of her impressive strength.
LEON ENGLISH: On a raw power level, I don’t think there’s another woman on the roster as physically impressive as Betsy Gallagher!
Letting out a loud bellow, Cal redoubles his efforts, managing to push himself back up to a neutral position but clearly unable to gain any advantage over the brick wall he’s locked up with. Deciding to abandon this strategy, Cal leans his head back as he suddenly pulls Betsy forward, bringing his skull forward onto her nose with a surprise Headbutt.
NOAH HOPE: Ouch!
LEON ENGLISH: I guess Cal realized he’s not a match for this woman in a fair contest!
Her head snaps back from the impact, but Betsy keeps her fingers locked up with Cal’s, refusing to break the test of strength hold. She looks more than a bit upset at the sudden cheap shot, quickly yanking her opponent towards her and returning the favour with a Headbutt of her own.
NOAH HOPE: Two can play that game!
The blow is powerful and sudden enough that it forces Cal to break his grip, as Betsy steps forward and starts driving him back towards her corner with repeated European Uppercuts that leave Cal in a dazed state, unable to defend himself.
Lexi cheers her partner on as Cal rests his back against the turnbuckle directly beside her, Betsy stepping in to deliver a series of Reverse Knife-Edge Chops that echo throughout the small venue. Satisfied with the sight of Cal’s red, bleeding chest, Betsy lifts one hand into the air as Lexi tags in with a high-five.
Both members of the Golden Goddesses remain in the ring for the moment, as they each grab one of Cal’s arms and Double Irish Whip him into the opposite corner. Cal hits the turnbuckle chest-first with so much force that he ricochets off it, falling backwards towards the middle of the ring.
Trig had been looking away from the ring, discussing mathematical formulas and order of operations with Al Gebra, who stands at ringside. It’s only when Cal rebounds off the turnbuckle and falls back to the canvas that Trig turns back around to see his partner laying on his back. At which point he reaches one arm over the ropes and begins to shout at Cal to get back up and tag him in.
NOAH HOPE: For a couple of math professors, these two aren’t very smart, are they?
LEON ENGLISH: Well, I always said that University makes people dumber, and these two seem to be proof of that!
NOAH HOPE: So true, friend. So true.
Betsy moves back to the apron as Lexi lifts Cal off the ground and shoves him into the corner furthest from his partner. In an impressive display of strength, she manages to lift the massive member of Advanced Mathematics onto the top turnbuckle, climbing up after him.
Sharing a nod between them, Al and Trig both suddenly enter the ring as the referee turns and shouts at them to leave. They ignore the official, moving towards the distracted Lexi.
Before they’re able to attack her from behind, Betsy re-enters the ring and charges towards the two interlopers, leveling both Trig and Al with a brutal Two-Arm Clothesline that sends them spinning through the air to land on their necks before going limp on the canvas.
It’s all the time that Lexi needs to prepare herself, leaping up and bringing Cal hurtling off the top turnbuckle with an Avalanche Inverted Frankensteiner.
LEON ENGLISH: Poetic Justice from Lexi Gold!
With his partners both knocked cold by Betsy, Cal has nobody to break the pin on him as Lexi drops down and hooks his leg. The referee begins the count.
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
DING! DING! DING!
NOAH HOPE: Almost as decisive a victory as my triumphant win over Jason ‘Nigel’ Long!
LEON ENGLISH: You’re really going to keep bringing that up, huh?
VERA KNIGHT: Your winners by pinfall, Lexi Gold and Betsy Gallagher… the Golden Goddesses!!!
The crowd cheers as Betsy steps over to her partner and lifts Lexi’s arms high into the air as the pair celebrate their victory, with all three members of Advanced Mathematics scattered around the ring and slowly recovering.
We go back to the ring where Vera Knight is standing with Project: Honor’s legal council, Adam Ekaterin.
VERA KNIGHT: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the winner of this year’s Gates of Hell Match… “The Platinum Standard”...EMMANUELLE!!!
As “Cash Flow” plays throughout the arena, Emmanuelle makes her entrance with the Gates of Hell briefcase securely in her possession. She raises it high overhead as she makes her way to the ring, eager to find out what her successful performance has earned her. Adam Ekaterin greets her with a handshake as she enters the ring, and as her music dies down, he takes the microphone from Vera Knight.
ADAM EKATERIN: First and foremost, on behalf of everyone on the management team, I would like to congratulate Emmanuelle on an amazing performance in The Gates of Hell Match at Disputed Territory. Your first Gates of Hell victory led to retaining The Warrior Rising Title, but I like to think that this year’s prize is even better. With that being said, if I may please take the briefcase.
With a nod of her head, Emmanuelle hands the briefcase over to Adam Ekaterin. He wastes no time in entering the code in the briefcase’s lock and once he’s finished, he opens the case to reveal a simple piece of paper. He takes the contents in hand before handing the briefcase over to Vera Knight.
ADAM EKATERIN: Emmanuelle, it is with great pleasure that I present to you this contract for a shot at The Grand Championship at Proving Ground’s next Pay-Per-View event in June!
A smile crosses the former Grand Champion’s face as she nods with confidence. Adam passes the contract over to her along with a pen from the pocket of his suit jacket, and The Platinum Standard begins to look it over. Then, just as she’s about to put pen to paper…
"yeah, I
remember her saying:
I'm already dead... I'm already dead... I'm
already dead..."
With Bash Daddy by his side, Casanova English emerges from the backstage area, a lit cigarette hanging from his mouth. He doesn’t make his way toward the ring, instead casually eyeing Emmanuelle from a distance. The Platinum Standard glares back up at him in response, and then, with a sly smile, she signs her name to the paper without breaking eye contact with Casanova.
Emmanuelle then hands the contract back to Adam Ekaterin, as English pulls the cigarette from his mouth and casually flicks it off the stage.
LEON ENGLISH: And there you have it! Emmanuelle will have the opportunity to regain The Grand Championship in June, but it looks as if Casanova English isn’t quite finished with her yet!
NOAH HOPE: Emmanuelle had better put Swindle Shelldrake and the Grand Championship in the back of her mind, because it looks like a rubber match against Casanova will be standing between her and that opportunity!
BRANDON HENDRIX VS ANYA LEVY
SINGLES MATCH
VERA KNIGHT: The following contest is scheduled for one fall… both competitors are in the ring… Introducing first… from San Jose, California… ANYA LEVYYYY!!!
Anya smiles at the crowd and gets a huge cheer from the younger members of the audience.
VERA KNIGHT: And her opponent… Proving Ground roster member… from San Antonio, Texas… BRANDON HENDIXXXX!!!
The crowd response to Hendrix is a bit more mixed as he poses and smirks.
NOAH HOPE: Brandon is the massive favourite here.
LEON ENGLISH: Without doubt, both Brandon and Anya are only in year two of their respective careers, despite the fact they may not be established stars yet, Brandon is clearly well ahead in his development.
NOAH HOPE: He feels he has a point to prove after recent events too.
DING! DING! DING!
They circle each other, Hendrix actually seems quite relaxed and confident, Brandon starts clapping to get fans behind him. They lock up and Anya gets a side headlock on Brandon but clearly only because he allows it. Hendrix throws Anya off into the ropes, on the way back he throws her with a tight arm drag takeover. Brandon rolls over and puts Anya Levy in a headlock of his own all while smiling at the ease of it all.
LEON ENGLISH: I already have an uncomfortable feeling about Anya’s chances in there.
Anya fights to her feet and throws Brandon into ropes, the attempt is solely successful because Hendrix allows it. Brandon gives Anya a hard shoulder tackle but the brave young woman jumps straight back up, receiving a nod from Brandon.
LEON ENGLISH: Brandon Hendrix is in control but even he can’t help but accept when someone else has guts.
Brandon hits the ropes. Anya drops down to her stomach but too soon, and Brandon nonchalantly drops back to the headlock with almost a shrug. Brandon isn’t really putting it on tight though and Anya gets back to her feet, the headlock is still on though. The crowd starts an “ANYA” chant which doesn’t seem to please Hendrix.
NOAH HOPE: Oh dear…
Brandon’s expression changes in an instant as he whips Anya into the rope, the now stone-faced Hendrix nails the returning Anya in the face with a brutal Claymore Kick!!!
NOAH HOPE: FALL OF THE GUARD!!!
Hendrix makes a loose cover…
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!!! BRANDON HENDRIX WINS!!!
DING! DING! DING!
LEON ENGLISH: Wow!! Brandon was dominant right there, he made easy work of Anya Levy.
VERA KNIGHT: The winner of the match via pinfall… BRANDON HENDRIX!!!
Brandon stands over the motionless Anya Levy as the referee raises his arm.
LEON ENGLISH: I think we have to accept Anya Levy just aint ready for this level of competition.
NOAH HOPE: Nice ass though!
As Jackson Turner is roaming around backstage, eventually they find their way to none other than the Warrior Rising champion Giovanni preparing for his match by laying on a triclinium being fed grapes by his beautiful and irresistible muse Calliope. Not knowing their place, Turner moves in with microphone in hand.
JACKSON TURNER: Giovanni, ahead of your match, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?
Giovanni would do his best to ignore the interviewer, but he sighed as it wasn't doing much in making them go away.
GIOVANNI: Well i'd rather you go away and leave me to my preparations ahead of this big match, but I guess you're not going to do that and ask me questions anyway...
JACKSON TURNER: Well people wonder why you have decided to have a match on this event, the last ever event of Project Underground, and even putting your title on the line?
Again, Giovanni would sigh with deep frustration and Calliope would even shoot an angry glare at Jackson for asking their questions. But after a few seconds of pause, Giovanni would move to a seated position away, causing Calliope to no longer be able to massage his magnificient shoulders.
GIOVANNI: I think it's pretty obvious, for its entire existence this brand has known zero quality, zero talent, and zero interesting things happening. Because I'm a charitable man, I have decided to make this show matter something on the final night, by giving people the honour of seeing me in that ring, to see what true art in wrestling is, and make people realize that they should be watching Proving Ground instead of this clownshow.
JACKSON TURNER: But why have you chosen Casimir the Clown as your opponent, surely there are bigger names on this brand that you could test your mettle against?
GIOVANNI: Who are you to doubt the credentials of the man named Casimir the Clown? I picked the man that best espouses this company, the management I am forced to fight against every single week, and who typifies the level of quality people have come to expect from this literal clownshow called Project Underground. Casimir the Clown is the best man I can face, and you, the fans, and him have to be grateful that I am this charitable a competitor to perform against that los-- I mean, tough nosed competitor like Casimir the Clown.
JACKSON TURNER: Wait, did you just call him loser?
Now Giovanni would get up off his roman sofa and really look frustrated and angry at the line of questioning delivered to him, and scoffing he'd sling the belt across one shoulder and grab the hand of Calliope.
GIOVANNI: Typical, trying to put such heinous words in my mouth. I would never call someone like Casimir the Clown a loser, even if he is one and will always be one. I'm merely trying to extend my charity to someone that deserves it, stop trying to villify me for my altruism!
Giovanni made his way to depart, but the interviewer wasn't going to give up just yet and had to get in one more question.
JACKSON TURNER: You literally just called him a loser just now, and a charity case too!
Giovanni would open his mouth agape at the mere suggestion of it, and as his face would become beet red in anger, Calliope would step in between.
CALLIOPE: Giovanni has said enough, and you have too. You should be ashamed of yourself to accost this beautiful precious artist with your lies and slander! Goodbye!
With Calliope having said her piece, she'd take Giovanni's hand instead and pull him away from any more questions.
GIOVANNI(C) VS CASIMIR THE CLOWN
WARRIOR RISING CHAMPIONSHIP
SINGLES MATCH
VERA KNIGHT: The following contest is scheduled for one fall and is for the Warrior Rising Championship… Introducing first the challenger… From The Narrator's Archives… Casimir The Clown!!!
Casimir The Clown walks down to the ring, he scares kids at ringside and tells parents to go fuck themselves if they're being annoying.
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 atmopshere for a short while as Giovanni twiddles locks of his own hair between his fingers, and they move their way down the ramp.
VERA KNIGHT: 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 the Warrior Rising Champion… 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.
LEON ENGLISH: Casimir with a huge opportunity here.
NOAH HOPE: Anya Levy was unable to overcome someone from the so-called bigger leagues, Casimir has a better chance I’d say.
LEON ENGLISH: Agreed.
DING! DING! DING!
The pair eye each other up and circle the ring. They both go in for the tie-up but Casimir cuts Gio off with a knee to the mid-section. Casimir holds the back of Gio’s head and drives another knee into him again before floating over the back of the double over Warrior Rising champion and in one fluid motion, drives his elbow into the back of Giovanni’s head.
NOAH HOPE: Ouchie…
Gio drops to one knee as Casimir takes an arm and whips him into the ropes but it’s countered sending Cas across the ring. Gio ducks down but The Clown telegraphs the body-drop attempt with a kick to the champs face. Cas runs back to the ropes and charges at Gio who explodes from his staggered state with a powerful clothesline that flattens the bigger man. Giovanni makes the cover...
ONE!
TWO! … Kick-out!
LEON ENGLISH: Casimir started brightly and showed promise but the champ just took control of this match with one explosive manoeuvre!
NOAH HOPE: Manoeuvre? He almost freaking decapitated him! By the time Casimir knows who he is Jason Long would have had facial reconstructive surgery number five.
LEON ENGLISH: To be fair Jason needed a change to get rid of that permanent look of shame he would have to carry for life after losing to you!!
NOAH HOPE: Yeah!! Hey!! Hang on… did you just insult me? I need a minute to think about what you just said…
Gio gets up and drags Casimir with him. He connects with a measured European uppercut. Casimir staggers backwards and Gio repeats the process with another European uppercut. This time it sends Casimir into the corner. Gio sizes Casimir up before connecting with a brutally stiff chop to the chest! The crowd groans as Cas howls in pain. Giovanni grabs the face and screams about the Clown being below him before shoving him back into the corner and connecting with another solid chop.
NOAH HOPE: Hey… you did insult me… I aint stupid you know… I can work stuff out.
LEON ENGLISH: You never worked out how to look older than twelve.
Giovanni smiles at Calliope and waves her up onto the apron, despite protests from the ref she jumps up and starts feeding Gio grapes in an artistic manner.
NOAH HOPE: I WANT GRAPES!!!
LEON ENGLISH: Personally I’d rather have Calliope!!
From nowhere Gio is taken down with a bulldog that drives his head into the mat! Calliope quickly drops back to the floor… Casimir hooks the leg…
ONE!
TWO! Kick-out by Giovanni!
LEON ENGLISH: Damn, Gio nearly distracted himself all the way to defeat.
Casimir sits up and shakes his head at the referee. He stands up and walks over showing three fingers. The referee shows two fingers back and then shows him his shirt. Casimir shakes his head in disgust and turns back to a now standing Gio, Cas receives a boot to the gut. Gio nails a couple of forearms into the face before whipping Cas across the ring into the turnbuckle with as much force as he can muster. Casimir crashes in and staggers out again into a poke to the eye, the ref admonishes Giovanni but just gets laughed at… Gio with an impressive Belly to Belly side suplex on the bigger man. Gio covers…
ONE!
TWO!
TH… Kick-out by Casimir The Clown!
LEON ENGLISH: An explosion of power has turned the tables here!
NOAH HOPE: I’d happily explode in Anya Le…
LEON ENGLISH: .. NOAH!!!!!!!!!!!!
Giovanni stands up and hauls Casimir up by his head while signalling something towards Calliope. She quickly jumps up onto the apron gaining the referees attention, the ref appears completely taken in by her. Gio uses the seemingly unnecessary distraction to rake the eyes of Cas, as The Clown grabs at his face he receives a punt to the groin area. Casimir drops to his knees as Calliope drops to the floor.
LEON ENGLISH: Giovanni is being a real douchebaggette, there is no reason for all this.
Giovanni walks around Casimir as if stalking prey before firing a sick superkick to the side of Casimir’s head…
NOAH HOPE: STARSTRUCK!!!
Giovanni drops to the mat and hooks the far leg whilst grinning…
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!!! GIOVANNI WINS!!!
DING! DING! DING!
VERA KNIGHT: The winner of the match… and still the Warrior Rising Champion… GIOVANNI!!!
Giovanni is up and being handed his belt.
LEON ENGLISH: Brandon and Giovanni have proved way too much for our own talent here tonight. In fact they’ve made easy work of them.
SLADE CASTLE VS JULIUS FAIRWEATHER
SHOOT FIGHT EXHIBITION
VERA KNIGHT: The following contest is a Shoot Fight Exhibition scheduled for one fall!!!
♫ Alright ♫
♫ I'm laying in bed
With a lit cigarette
Can't say if last night
Was a blonde or brunette
Megan Fox is on the phone
Keeps blowing me up
And there's three shots of whiskey
In my coffee cup ♫
♫ I'm a bad mutha fucka, heeh
I'm a bad mutha fucka ♫
Julius steps between the curtains as his entrance music plays, wearing a robe tied in the front with the hood pulled over his head. He bounces back and forth, throwing a few warm-up punches, before finally throwing his hood back to stare menacingly at the ring.
♫ I can polish off a bottle
In the blink of an eye
I can drink all night
And not pay a dime
Just as soon kick your ass
As I take a piss
Even fuckin' Chuck Norris
Don't want none of this ♫
♫ I'm a bad mutha fucka (Hehe) ♫
He continues to throw some practice punches as he makes his way down the aisle, occasionally stopping to give a wink and a sly smile when one of the female fans catches his eye.
♫ I can pick up any chick
That I meet at the bar
I can even take the one
Right off of your arm
I got a woman at home
And a kid on the way
I got a girl in New York
And four more in L.A. ♫
♫ I'm a bad mutha fucka
(Mutha fucka, hehehe)
I'm a bad mutha fucka (Hehe)
(Hahaha) ♫
Julius rolls under the bottom rope upon reaching the ringside area and pops back to his feet, immediately going back into his shadow boxing routine. He then makes his way to the corner turnbuckles and leaps onto the second rope, throwing out some colorful language for the fans no matter whether they cheer or boo him.
♫ I got hookers by the handfuls
Five at a time
But they're the ones paying me
By the end of the night
Pimps hunt me down
And tryin' get the cash
Then me and Samuel Jackson
Bust a cap in their ass ♫
♫ We're bad mutha fuckas (Hæh!)
Bad mutha fuckas, come on
(Hahaha) ♫
As his music dies down, Julius finally sheds his ring robe and tosses it outside to an attendant. He throws a rapid-fire combination of punches at the top turnbuckle, cracks his neck, and then puts on his game face for the fight to come.
VERA KNIGHT: Introducing first, from the Mean Streets of Detroit, weighing in at two hundred forty five pounds… “The Bad Mother Fucker”...JULIUS FAIRWEATHER!!!
The arena darkens with a single soft spotlight on the stage where smoke begins to cover the ground. After the initial guitar strum of his theme, a silhouette can be seen through the spotlight. The silhouette is slightly rocking with his gaze down towards his hands. Slade walks into the spotlight still taping his fists. Raising his head, he begins staring intensely, at the ring.
I Can Hear What Your Thinking
All Your Doubts And Fears
And if you look in my eyes in time you'll find the reason I'm here
And in time all things shall pass away
In time you may come back some day
To live once more
Or die once more
But in time your time will be no more
Slade finishes taping his fists and cracks his knuckles, then his neck. Ignoring the rest of his surroundings, he begins his walk down toward the ring. The spotlight slowly leads him, only barely matching his pace as to just keep him shadowed in the back of the light. No matter what the fans at ringside do, be it cheer or boo, nothing breaks Slade's focus or gaze on the ring.
You know your days are numbered
Count them one by one
Like knotches in the handle of an outlaws gun
You can out run the devil if you try
But you'll never outrun the hands of time
And in time there shirly come a day
And in time all things shall pass away
And in time you'll come back, some say
Once getting to the ring, Slade stops and scans the ring for any tactical advantages before approaching the stairs in the corner. Slade patiently climbs the stairs and enters the ring.
To live once more
Or die once more
But in time your time will be no more
As the pace of "In Time" picks up, The Slayer of the Street begins to walk circles in the ring throwing a few jabs into the air getting warmed up. He appears to get more and more pumped up before approaching the corner. Slade begins unleashing a flurry of punches on the turnbuckle pad showcasing the speed and power of his striking ability.
I can hear what your thinking
As the music fades away and the lights come up, Slade's punches begin to lose steam. He crouches down facing the corner grabbing the middle rope and rests for a moment. He stands and turns around ready for and awaiting the ring of the bell.
VERA KNIGHT: And his opponent, also hailing from Detroit, Michigan and weighing in at two hundred twenty two pounds… “The Slayer of the Street”...SLADE CASTLE!!!
DING! DING! DING!
LEON ENGLISH: We’re in for an intriguing fight here, Noah. These men may be tag team partners and former champions, but there used to be a lot of bad blood between them. It will be interesting to see if that bad blood re-emerges.
NOAH HOPE: It could even be the end of the Motor City Psychos!
Julius and Slade give each other a nod as they circle around the center of the ring, looking for an opening. They finally meet in a lock-up where Castle quickly takes Julius the mat with an arm drag before locking on a reverse chinlock. Julius scoots his ass across the ring and grabs the bottom rope with his feet, forcing the referee to call for a clean break. Slade complies and backs up to the center of the ring with a smile, as Julius gets on his feet and frowns back at his tag team partner.
They circle again before entering another lock-up, when Julius immediately spins to the canvas and takes Slade down with a drop toe hold before grabbing him in an ankle lock. This time it is Castle who quickly reaches for the ropes and Julius obeys when the referee calls for the break. Fairweather smirks as Castle gets back on his feet, his own smile now erased from his face. For a third time, the two men meet in a lock-up, and this time it’s Castle who gets the advantage as he maneuvers Julius into a hammerlock.
LEON ENGLISH: Standard back-and-forth so far, and some surprising sportsmanship.
NOAH HOPE: Don’t expect that to last long.
Julius moves forward, dragging Castle along with him as the hammerlock remains in place. Just like the previous two times, the rope break comes into play although Castle is a bit more hesitant in releasing his hold. As the referee puts some space between the two men, the camera catches Julius reaching into the front of his trunks to slide a pair of brass knuckles over his fingers.
Slade moves back towards Juliuis and spins him around and Fairweather quickly throws a hard right punch that Castle is barely able to block. Almost immediately, Slade notices the knucks on Julius’ fist and audibly says “Seriously?!” Julius can only grin and shrug his shoulders as the referee pulls the knucks from his hand, but while Slade is distracted by the knucks, Julius fires off a quick headbutt to the bridge of Castle’s nose! The impact stuns him and gives Julius the chance to take Slade off his feet with a double leg takedown!
Julius fires down with rights and lefts to Castle, seemingly not holding back with the mounted punches. He attempts to transition into an armbar, but Castle rolls to his knees and fires off a few shots of his own to Julius’ face and prevents it. As Julius tries to get back on his feet, Castle slams into him with a tackle before unloading with a series of his own mounted punches. Fairweather covers up and lets Slade extend some energy with his blows until he has an opening to lean upwards and clench down on Castle’s nose with a blatant bite.
LEON ENGLISH: Good call, Noah. I’d say the Psychos are all out of sportsmanship.
NOAH HOPE: Right on the honker. Ouchie.
The referee does his best to separate the two men and as he forces Castle back we can see that Slade’s nose is bleeding. Not concerned about the official, Julius rushes back forward, but Slade shoves the ref aside and meets Julius with a knee lift to the jaw. He then picks Julius off his feet and runs across the ring, slamming his partner’s back into the turnbuckles. From there, Castle throws a flurry of rights and lefts to Julius’ midsection before eventually ending the combo with a stiff uppercut.
It’s a punch that would knock out a lesser man, but Julius responds by lifting Slade off his feet and charging with him toward the opposite side of the ring. Castle is slammed against the buckles and Julius begins to perform his own combination of rights and lefts, but when he attempts a Royale with Cheese, Slade ducks under it and tackles Julius back to the canvas. He lands a few mounted punches before Julius reverses to land a few of his own…then back to Castle’s advantage…and back to Julius’ before both men roll out of the ring to the floor.
LEON ENGLISH: These two seem so evenly matched, it’s no wonder they became such an impressive tag team!
NOAH HOPE: I preferred the Julius and Petey combination to be honest…
The referee begins his count as Slade and Julius get back on their feet, still throwing stiff punches at each other. Fairweather then attempts to whip Castle into the guardrail, but Slade reverses it and Julius’ spine slams against the steel. Slade steps forward to press his advantage, when Julius grabs a beer out of a ringside fan’s hand and throws it in Slade’s face. With his opponent momentarily blinded, Julius lifts Slade off his feet and drops his chest over the top of the guardrail. Having knocked the wind out of him, Julius tosses Slade back into the ring and quickly follows him in.
As Slade tries to push himself to his feet, Julius measures him, looking to hit a big move to gain even more of an advantage. Just as Slade reaches a standing position, Julius fires off his Foot Fuckin’ Master roundhouse kick, but Castle catches him by the leg, wraps his other arm around Julius’ torso, and sends him to the mat with a modified T-Bone suplex!
ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!
This time it’s Slade who measures Julius as he’s getting back up before he attempts his Visions of Delusion spinning back fist! Fairweather manages to duck at the very last second and grabs Slade around the waist, taking him over with a belly to back suplex and holding his shoulders on the mat!
ONE!
TWO!
KICKOUT!
LEON ENGLISH: The intensity is picking up, but neither man can keep the other down!
NOAH HOPE: Maybe they should call it off and hug it out?
Julius goes for a big swing with his right hand when they’re back on their feet, but Slade ducks it and responds by wrapping his arms around Julius’ head…the Lights Out rear naked choke is applied! Julius begins flailing for the ropes but they’re nowhere near close enough. The referee moves into position to check the hold and just as Slade is trying to drag his opponent to the mat, Julius fires off a backwards kick between Castle’s legs! The ref is out of position and doesn’t catch it, but the low blow successfully breaks Slade’s hold.
With Castle stunned, Julius grabs hold of him and locks on his own version of the rear naked choke…The Bonnie Situation is now applied! The referee goes to check on Slade as he fires off a backwards kick of his own, breaking the attempt in the same manner that Julius had done! Looking to end this once and for all, Slade grabs hold of Julius and presses him overhead, looking to hit his elevated GTS, The Execution by Force! Knowing his partner’s moveset well, Julius reaches down to rake Slade’s eyes before he’s dropped into the move and he safely lands on his feet!
Julius quickly slaps on a front face lock and drives several punches into Slade’s face, a combination he calls Great Vengeance. He then pivots and hooks both of Castle’s arms to follow up with his Furious Anger trapped headbutts, but Castle charges forward to push Julius into the corner, thwarting the attempt!
Julius tries to cover up as Slade begins to unload a series of blows against his trapped opponent in the corner. Just then, Kyle Valentine and DJ Hunter emerge from the crowd and hit the ring, both men targeting The Motor City Psychos! The Phantom Troupe get the jump on Castle and Fairweather and begin to beat them down, ending the stalemate between the two teammates in decisive fashion.
As if that wasn’t enough, suddenly Michael Bishop and Liz Karlson hit the ring, looking to get a piece of the action for themselves! Hunter, Castle, and Bishop begin exchanging blows between each other while Valentine, Fairweather, and Karlson do the same. It’s clear that the referee has lost complete control as he calls for the bell!
DING! DING! DING!
VERA KNIGHT: Due to outside interference, this match has been ruled a draw!!!
The brawl between the three teams continues with no end in sight, forcing security to make their way to the ring and break it up themselves. As officials and security personal try to restore some order, we see Cadillac Jackson and TJ Thompson emerge from the backstage area, surveying the melee with satisfied smiles on their faces.
LEON ENGLISH: Clearly there are a lot of unfinished issues between the four former champions and the current champs, but those issues are not going to be settled here tonight!
NOAH HOPE: With Caddy and TJ as the number one contenders, The BFG Division had better settle things with The Phantom Troupe and The Motor City Psychos so that can fully focus on their next title defense!
VIRGIL BARRICK VS MEATBALL VS KURTIS SLAYNE VS JOSEPH BLAZE
PROJECT UNDERGROUND TITLE
FOUR WAY LADDER MATCH
VERA KNIGHT: The following contest is a four way ladder match for the Project: Underground Championship!!!
Without any sort of warning, the lights in the arena go out. Now in complete darkness the stage starts to fill with smoke as "Amazing Grace" starts to play eerily. The whole arena has goosebumps and is in total silence as "Amazing Grace" continues to play as a hooded figure walks out and stops at the top of the ramp. The hooded figure has their head lowered and you can't see much any way just the shadow of a hooded figure. In front of the hooded figure, it's like a Molotov had just gone off as flames shoot up. As quick as the flames appeared they're gone as the lights come on to see the figure no longer with the hood up. All that can be seen is "The Messenger" Joseph Blaze with a very creepy smile on his face as he stands there arms out wide like Jesus on the cross. Joseph finally makes his way down to the ring still with that stalker-like smirk on his face as the crowd are not sure how to act at first until some of them start to boo him. Stopping in his tracks, Joseph looks at them with the coldest of glares you'd ever seen. This just intimidates them enough to shut up and allow Joseph to get back on his way to the ring. Once at the ring, he walks up the steps and turns to face up towards the stage arena and leans against the ropes once again posing like Jesus on the cross. The lights go out again, no one has any idea of what is going on until the lights come back on again. "The Messenger" Joseph Blaze is in the ring, hoodie now off and sitting cross legged in the corner of the ring awaiting the start of the match as "Amazing Grace" fades out.
VERA KNIGHT: Introducing first, hailing from Florida and weighing in at two hundred forty pounds…he is “The Messenger”...JOSEPH BLAZE!!!
The arena is plunged into darkness as the first sounds of organ music begin to play. As the electric guitar joins in, a pair of white spotlights scan around the crowd, eventually moving to the entranceway. The lights crisscross until they reach the entrance and fall upon a lone figure, their head bowed forward and covered by the hood of their sleeveless black vest. His hands rest at his sides, but the sharpened silver ring that covers his left index finger cannot be ignored. The music suddenly cuts away as the opening lyrics echo in a Capello, and the figure keeps his focus on the ground at his feet.
“Wake up
Grab a brush and put a little make-up
Hide the scars to fade away the shake-up
Why'd you leave the keys upon the table?
Here you go create another fable”
The music rejoins the lyrics, at which time he raises his head to look at the ring in the distance. Methodically, he begins to walk toward it, maintaining his forward gaze no matter what the fans along the entrance way do or say.
“You wanted to
Grab a brush and put a little makeup
You wanted to
Hide the scars to fade away the shake-up
You wanted to
Why'd you leave the keys upon the altar?
You wanted to
I don't think you trust
In... My... Self-righteous suicide
I... Cry... When angels deserve to die”
He slides under the bottom ring rope and holds his body on the canvas, his torso raised as his palms press against the mat. He stares forward at the hard camera, revealing the skeletal paint that has been applied to the left side of his face. His pale blue eyes stare ahead, cold and emotionless.
“Ohhhhh, Wake up
Grab a brush and put a little make-up
Hide the scars to fade away the
Why'd you leave the keys upon the table?
Here you go create another fable
You wanted to
Grab a brush and put a little make-up
You wanted to
Hide the scars to fade away the shake-up
You wanted to
Why'd you leave the keys upon the altar?
You wanted to”
As the music slows but the lyrics continue, he pushes himself backwards on his hands and knees until he reaches the corner of the ring. He presses himself to a standing position against it, before turning and stepping onto the second turnbuckle.
“I don't think you trust
In... My... Self-righteous suicide
I... Cry... When angels deserve to die
In, my, Self-righteous suicide
I, cry, when angels deserve to die”
When the song begins to speed back up with the return of electric guitar, he reaches up with his left hand and pulls back his hood, simply staring at the fans without gesturing to them or giving them a hint of emotion. He then brings his hand to his chest as he tilts his head back and closes his eyes. There is almost an aura of ecstasy about him as he runs the silver finger ring across his bare flesh, creating a self-inflicted cut that drips streaks of crimson down his torso. At that moment, the two white spotlights turn to a deep shade of red, one remaining upon him as the other multiplies into many and they dance over the audience.
“Father (father)
Father (father)
Lucifer (Lucifer)
Satan (Satan)
Father, into your hands I commend my spirit
Father, into your hands
Why have you forsaken me?
In your eyes forsaken me
In your thoughts forsaken me
In your heart forsaken me
Trust in my self-righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die
In my self-righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die
When the song reaches its conclusion, he steps back down to remove his vest and the crimson-tainted finger ring, before resting his forehead on the top turnbuckle, content to remain in that position until the opening bell has rung.
VERA KNIGHT: Introducing next, from Allentown, Pennsylvania and weighing in at two hundred seven pounds…he is “The Bastard”...KURTIS SLAYNE!!!
[/b]Pillars of fire shoot off from the stage as the heavy guitar introduces the blood pumping tones of "Otherworld" by Nobuo Uematsu. Meatball makes his presence known as the engine of a motorcycle can be heard from backstage.
Go now, if you want it
An otherworld awaits you
Don't you give up on it
You bite the hand that feeds you
The sound of Meatball's Harley grows louder until he is seen onstage with a cigar hanging from his mouth. He pulls forward until the pillars of fire surround him. He's wearing goggles and a helmet with the words "Real men wear protection" painted on it. Meatball turns the flame decal covered Motorcycle off but stays seated raising his arms to the crowd which both boo and cheer him, mostly the former. The camera gets closer showing the very sweaty man's face close up.
All alone, cold fields you wander
Memories of it, cloud your sight
Fills your dreams, disturbs your slumber
Lost your way, a fallen knight
The fire dies down allowing Meatball to step off his ride. He unstraps the helmet and goggles resting them on his bike then begins to trudge down to the ring with a heavy gait. As he marches he turns to the crowd pumping his arms into the air in an attempt to get them on their feet for the coming destruction.
Hold now, aim is steady
An otherworld awaits you
One thousand years, you ready?
The otherworld, it takes you
As he approaches the ring his temp slows. He takes one last puff from his cigar before pulling it from his mouth and handing it to a small child. The child jumps for joy but has it immediately taken away by their incredibly angry parent. As the cigar is thrown back in his face he smiles then approaches the apron.
Go into the sand, and the dust, and the sky
Go now, there's no better plan than to do or to die
Free me, pray to the faith, in the face of the light
Feed me, fill me with sin, and get ready to fight
He fumbles up the stairs onto the apron where he walks across to the next corner. He slaps his arm, bending it at the elbow to reactively flip off the crowd. Right after giving them the bird he turns his hand around and innocently waves. After he steps through the ropes.
Fight, fight, fight
Fight, fight, fight
Fight, fight, fight
Fight, fight, fight
Meatball walks in a circle around the ring until he ends in the center facing the hard cam. He stands in the center for a moment looking back and forth across the crowd. Suddenly he raises his arms as he walks forward setting off pillars of flame in each of the four corners. He bounces off the ropes belly first then lowers his arms as the music dies down.
VERA KNIGHT: And their opponent, fighting out of Des Moines, Iowa and weighing in at three hundred twelve pounds…he's Big…he’s Bad…he is MEATBALL!!!
“Boilermaker” by Royal Blood begins to play, as the final participant makes his way through the entrance. With a look of total determination, Virgil Barrick raises his arms to a positive response from the crowd, partially due to the more evil nature of his three opponents. He stares ahead at the three competitors already in the ring, nods his head with a slight grin, and moves down the entrance aisle to join them without hesitation.
VERA KNIGHT: And last but certainly not least, he hails from London, England and weighs in at two hundred forty-seven pounds… “The Smooth Operator”...VIRGIL BARRICK!!!
The top four competitors from this first season of Project: Underground have all entered the ring, each of them taking up one corner of the squared circle. The official then raises the Project: Underground Championship high overhead for all to see, stealing the attention of all four warriors as well. Finally, he places the championship on the hook that has been lowered into the ring, and slowly it rises high above their heads. With that, he signals for the opening bell…
DING! DING! DING!
LEON ENGLISH: These four men have clawed and scratched their way to the top of Project: Underground and it’s all come down to this! In the end, there can be only one champion!
NOAH HOPE: My money is on Christopher Graves. He has the height advantage.
LEON ENGLISH: That would be an excellent choice if he were actually in this match, Noah.
The four competitors eye each other from across the ring following the opening bell, none of them making a move as the noise and energy from the crowd starts to build up in anticipation of the fight to come. Then, as if the four men are on the same wavelength, there is sudden movement in the ring! Kurtis Slayne charges across the ring towards Meatball, who greets him by pressing him high into the air with a massive back body drop that sends The Bastard sailing over the top rope! As Kurtis crashes to the floor with a flat back bump, Meatball charges toward Joseph Blaze, who ducks out of his corner at the last second so that Meatball’s torso crashes into the buckles.
As the action gets underway, Virgil chooses to do the smart thing by ducking out of the ring and grabbing the nearest ladder, already formulating a strategy. He returns with the ladder and charges at Meatball and Joseph, taking both of them off their feet by closelining them with the steel apparatus! He then drives the ladder down against Meatball’s ribs before turning to do the same to Joseph Blaze. With both men still down, Barrick begins to set up the ladder underneath the championship belt, but before he can begin his climb, another steel ladder is jabbed against his spine, courtesy of Kurtis Slayne.
The Bastard then sets his ladder horizontal with one end resting on the ring ropes and the other on a rung of the opposite ladder. Once that’s complete, he manages to stun Barrick with some well-placed kicks and then lays him across the suspended ladder. Kurtis begins to climb with a high-impact move on Virgil in mind, but as he reaches the top of the ladder he finds Meatball is already there. The big, bad man shoves Kurtis from the ladder onto Joseph Blaze, then steps off the ladder with a forward flip, looking to crush Barrick with a somersault senton off the top of the ladder! Unfortunately for Meatball, Virgil rolls away at the last second and the big man crashes through the ladder back-first!
LEON ENGLISH: Tough landing there for the big, bad Meatball!
NOAH HOPE: Nothing good ever comes from a fat man defying gravity.
Seeing the biggest man in the match down, the other three men spring on him like a pack of jackals, raining down stomps on Meatball to ensure that he stays down on the mat. Kurtis then takes it a step further as he grabs one half of the broken ladder and presses its lowest rung against Meatball’s windpipe. Leaving Kurtis to focus on the big man, Virgil turns his attention toward Joseph Blaze, feigning a spin kick only to catch him with an enziguri. The kick staggers Joseph back against the ladder that’s still standing and Virgil looks to follow it up with his uber Lariat, but Blaze ducks under at the last second and Barrick’s arm smashes into the steel!
Virgil tries to shake the pain out of his arm, but Joseph capitalizes with a flying armbar on the damaged limb, rolling Barrick to the mat and trapping him in the hold! It’s bad news for Barrick, but the hold isn’t applied long as Kurtis turns his attention away from Meatball to swing his piece of broken ladder against the side of Blaze’s head. After a few more shots on Blaze, Kurtis turns his attention toward Virgil, but The Smooth Operator dropkicks Kurtis’ ladder back into his face! As Slayne rolls to the outside, Virgil once again shakes some of the pain from his arm before he repositions the standing ladder and begins to climb.
He’s three quarters of the way up when a pair of massive arms grab him from below and he’s yanked off of the ladder into a standing powerbomb from Meatball! The big man drops Virgil hard on the other half of the previously broken ladder, sending shockwaves of pain throughout his body. Then it is Meatball who begins to climb, but as he nears the top of the ladder, he decides to turn his attention back to one of his opponents instead of the championship title hanging overhead. With a mighty roar, Meatball leaps off the top of the ladder with his Meatbomb swanton, landing on top of Virgil Barrick who’s still laying atop the section of broken ladder!
LEON ENGLISH: Oh my god! Virgil Barrick could be dead! At the minimum, he has to have broken ribs!
NOAH HOPE: I don’t want to watch this anymore!
Meatball slowly pulls himself off of Virgil Barrick, but just as he gets to his feet, he’s hit with The New Testament cutter from Joseph Blaze! With Meatball down alongside Barrick, The Messenger begins to climb the ladder with a sadistic smile. He’s halfway up with Kurtis Slayne springboards back into the ring, landing on the ladder directly behind Blaze. Without hesitation, Kurtis then pulls Blaze off the ladder with a snap German Suplex! The move stuns Joseph and Kurtis rolls on top of him, revealing that he’s retrieved his finger blade. Without showing a shred of emotion, Kurtis reaches down and begins to use his blade to carve something into Joseph’s forehead! The camera zooms in to show Kurtis is carving a crucifix into Blaze’s flesh, but instead of showing pain, Joseph begins to smile!
This odd reaction surprises Kurtis long enough for Blaze to lurch upwards, slamming his own bleeding forehead into Slayne’s face! Joseph then pulls the finger blade off of Kurtis’ hand and places it over his own finger, kneeling over The Bastard to do some carving of his own! As the blade cuts into the flesh on The Bastard’s face, Kurtis begins to smile and laugh, as if he and Joseph are having the time of their lives!
LEON ENGLISH: This…this is so wrong…
NOAH HOPE: I think…I’m gonna be sick…
As Noah Hope turns to vomit all over his broadcast partner, Meatball and Virgil slowly pull themselves up to witness the sadistic game of blood-letting that Joseph and Kurtis are engaged in. The two men exchange a confused look before the both turn back towards their opponents, Barrick hitting Blaze with his Spitfire Knee, and Meatball dropping on top of Slayne with a running senton.
Virgil begins to take turns leveling stomps and strikes against Blaze and Slayne, leaving Meatball to survey the situation at hand. Then, like a demented construction worker, Meatball goes to the ringside area. He begins by sliding another ladder into the ring and then shoves a third one under the ropes as well. Once that’s done, he starts to dig underneath the ring, discovering some tables. While Meatball is putting up the tables at ringside, Virgil drills Kurtis with his Fixer’s Favorite wheelbarrow suplex. Then, as Meatball continues his construction project, he hits a Vita et Mors fake out punch on Joseph Blaze.
Barrick then leaves the two men lying to set up a second ladder, unwilling to trust the stability of the one currently standing. As he begins his climb, Meatball discovers something else underneath the ring, and with a hearty laugh, he pours a bag of thumbtacks out onto his erected tables. Finally, he notices Virgil making his climb and goes to slide back into the ring, only to have Kurtis greet him with the Fuck You Too ring apron curbstomp!
Stunned from the blow, Meatball staggers backwards onto his own tables, just as Joseph Blaze recovers enough to give Virgil’s ladder a huge shove. Having nearly reached the top, Virgil topples from high above, crashing on top of Meatball at ringside to put both of them through the thumbtack covered table!
CROWD: HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!
LEON ENGLISH: Ow! Have mercy!
NOAH HOPE: That’s gonna leave a mark, Leon.
With both Meatball and Virgil prone amongst the wreckage at ringside, Joseph and Kurtis reposition a pair of ladders before beginning to climb. At first the two men ignore each other as they make their way upwards, but as they both begin to reach for the championship title, they finally turn their attention towards each other. They begin to exchange a series of punches, but neither man is able to gain an advantage at first. When Kurtis realizes that Blaze will eventually win this back-and-forth exchange, he jumps from his ladder to Blaze’s, hooks his opponent’s head, and leaps off the top to obliterate Joseph with his Bastard Bomb joker driver!
CROWD: FIGHT FOREVER! FIGHT FOREVER!
LEON ENGLISH: He’s dead! Joseph Blaze is dead! A man’s neck and shoulders are not meant for that kind of impact!
NOAH HOPE: *huck-blarghhh!!!!*
The Messenger remains perfectly still in the ring as Kurtis rolls away from him, his attention going back to the championship hanging above the ring. He slowly pulls himself up with the assistance of a ladder and begins another long climb towards the top. As he continues his methodical ascension, there is a commotion at ringside as the massive Meatball rises from the wreckage like an obese zombie. His bulbous body is covered in glistening thumbtacks, but that doesn’t stop him from entering the ring.
Instead of climbing up after Kurtis, Meatball instead grabs the ladder with both hands and lifts it off the mat. This inadvertently puts the belt closer to Slayne’s reach, so Meatball throws the ladder aside as if it weighed less than nothing. Kurtis is left hanging from the championship belt high above the ring, with Meatball standing below him like a hungry T-Rex from Jurassic Park. While the top turnbuckle is not his normal environment, Virgil Barrick has little choice if he wants to stop Kurtis from pulling down the championship, so he leaps off the top to hook The Bastard by his waist. The attempt is successful as he pulls Kurtis down from the title and into the waiting arms of Meatball, who catches Slayne on the way down for a huge assisted powerbomb!
LEON ENGLISH: What a tantalizing tandem move! Can you imagine what the team of Barrick Balls would be like…or maybe even a team of Bastard Messengers?
NOAH HOPE: I don’t feel so good, Leon. Why is everything spinning…
LEON ENGLISH: You’re right, Noah! These men as partners are just too much to think about in the midst of all this carnage!
With Blaze and Slayne out of action for the time being, Barrick and Meatball begin to exchange rights and lefts. Knowing he’ll need more momentum to take the big man off his feet, Virgil hits the ropes for a running European Uppercut, but Meatball greets him with a devastating Polish Hammer instead! The impact stuns Barrick long enough for Meatball to nail him with his Bad Driver jackhammer that shakes the ring from the impact.
Now on a roll, Meatball then pulls Kurtis off the mat and lifts him high overhead in a Gorilla Press. The big man takes a few steps forward and hurls Slayne over the top rope, sending him crashing into Leon and Noah’s laps with the greatest of ease!
LEON ENGLISH: Incoming!
NOAH HOPE: “thoughIwalkthroughthevalleyoftheshadowofdeathIwillfearnoevil...”
CRASH!!!
CROWD: REST IN PEACE, NOAH, REST IN PEACE! *CLAP CLAP CLAP*
Joseph Blaze has barely started to stir when Meatball grabs hold of him and lifts him up to deliver his Executing the Plan package piledriver! Once that’s complete, he turns back towards Barrick and hits the Revving Up rolling thunder senton! With everyone down, Meatball sets a ladder directly underneath the championship belt and begins his long climb to the top. As the biggest man in the match, it takes some effort for Meatball to maintain his balance, but eventually he’s reached the top of the ladder!
He reaches up…
The belt is in his grasp…
When Joseph Blaze grabs one of his massive legs and Virgil Barrick grabs the other! Together, they pull Meatball off the ladder and run toward the ropes with him, sending him over the top with a tandem running powerbomb! Meatball crashes into Kurtis Slayne at ringside just as The Bastard was pulling himself off the announce table, and the collision sends both men backwards, shattering the announce table from the impact of their bodies!
LEON ENGLISH: I don’t know if anyone can hear me, but Noah and I are still alive and ready to call this action!
NOAH HOPE: Oh….oh dear…I’ve wet myself, Leon….
Joseph begins to climb up one side of the ladder while Virgil climbs up the opposite side. They meet each other at the top and immediately start to exchange hard blows in an attempt to be the only man left on top of the ladder. Joseph begins to fire off a series of machine gun chops that blister Barrick’s chest, but The Smooth Operator counters back with a hard European Uppercut! Virgil then slams Joseph’s head against the top of the ladder and does his best to turn The Messenger around. Then, with Blaze’s back over the top of the ladder, Virgil manages to reach through the rungs to grab Joseph’s feet…and he applies a modified version of his Stretch Ultra cloverleaf on top of the ladder!
The hold is locked in tight with Joseph having nowhere to go and the pain is clearly unbearable as The Messenger taps out despite it having no effect on the match! Barrick allows his inner monster to shine as he continues to apply the hold, determined to make Blaze pass out from the pain or suffer permanent damage to his back and knees!
While it’s a far cry from salvation, Meatball returns to the ring and throws all of his weight against the ladder, sending it toppling on its side! The ladder hits the top rope and the sudden stop jars Barrick and Blaze, sending both men to the floor at ringside! Meatball nods with satisfaction at his handiwork before repositioning the ladder and starting his climb. He nearly makes it to the top when one of the rungs gives way underneath his weight! This causes Meatball to lose his balance but his massive body is wedged between the legs of the ladder and he’s effectively stuck!
With the little strength he has left, Kurtis springboards into the ring and onto the ladder with a steel chair in his hands, and he immediately brings it crashing over Meatball’s tattooed head! Perched on the ladder with Meatball suspended and helpless, Kurtis continues to slam the chair over his head until it literally starts to fall apart in his hands! With Meatball appearing unconscious and his head a bloody mess, Kurtis leaves the remains of the steel chair hanging over his head as he turns his attention to the title.
LEON ENGLISH: I think this could be it!
NOAH HOPE: 911? My name is Noah Hope. I’m calling from the Project: Underground Pay Per View and I’m in dire need of an ambulance. No…not for the wrestlers…for me! Hello?
As Kurtis reaches upwards towards the title, a ladder is propped up to his left and another to his right. Virgil Barrick slowly makes his way up one of the ladders while Joseph Blaze makes his way up the other, all while Meatball remains motionless and hanging aloft like a flame-covered pinata.
Blaze is the first to strike as he leans over and begins to viciously bite at Kurtis’ bleeding forehead. Virgil then grabs Kurtis by the waist, swings him off the ladder, and leaps off with The Bastand in his grasp for The Doctor Bomb! That leaves Joseph to reach upwards toward the title, when his testicles are suddenly filled with excruciating pain! Still stuck between the legs of the ladder, Meatball has reached out to grab the first thing he could, effectively capturing Blaze in a testicular claw!
Joseph leaps down from the ladder in order to escape, and Meatball begins to kick his legs until the ladder he’s stuck in topples to its side. Meatball then stands up, but instead of freeing himself from between the ladder legs, he begins to violently spin around like a sadistic top, the ladder first catching Virgil Barrick…then Joseph Blaze…then Barrick again!
With everyone else down, Meatball finally starts to free himself from what’s left of the ladder, but as soon as he’s successful, he’s hit with a sudden superkick from Kurtis Slayne! The move staggers the big man but he stays on his feet! He’s then hit with a spinning backfist from Joseph Blaze, but he still remains standing! A Lariat from Virgil knocks Meatball into the ropes, he bounces back into another superkick from Kurtis, then bounces back again into The Blaze of Glory from Joseph Blaze, and then eats a second uber Lariat from Barrick that finally sends him over the top rope!
LEON ENGLISH: Meatball is out and he may not make it back up!
NOAH HOPE: Mommy….
With 2 ladders still functional, Kurtis begins to climb one while Virgil climbs the other. Joseph Blaze is not about to be left out however, as he follows Barrick up and grabs him to slow his progress! While Joseph tries to pull Virgil off the ladder in a powerbomb, Barrick reaches over to grab Kurtis by the head, hooking him for his Brainbuster. Once he has the Bastard hooked, Virgil stops fighting and allows Joseph to throw him off the side of the ladder in a twisted Tower of Doom spot!
Kurtis lands head-first from Barrick’s brainbuster as Virgil’s own back is slammed on the canvas! Both Virgil and Joseph are slow to get back on their feet, while Kurtis remains completely motionless. Barrick pulls himself up with the assistance of the ropes, but just as he reaches his feet, he’s hooked in a full nelson from a returning Meatball on the ring apron! Blaze leans against the ladder and sees this predicament, shooting forward to hit Barrick with a Yakuza kick while his arms are trapped! The impact sends Meatball backwards off the apron, but with his arms still holding the full nelson, Virgil goes over the top with him!
As the only man left standing, Joseph turns back to the ladder and starts to climb, rung after rung until the belt is at his fingertips! From below, Kurtis crawls to the ladder and grabs both of its legs, using the last bit of his strength to push them off the canvas!
Joseph wraps both hands around the center plate of the championship title, but the ladder topples underneath him! The Messenger falls from above like a spam call from God into Kurtis’s Eye for an Eye knee strike, but it doesn’t matter!
He’s pulled the title down with him! Joseph Blaze has won the match!!!!
DING! DING! DING!
VERA KNIGHT: YOUR WINNER OF THE MATCH AND THE CHAMPION OF PROJECT: UNDERGROUND SEASON ONE….THE MESSENGER…JOSEPH BLAZE!!!
LEON ENGLISH: He did it! Joseph Blaze has outlasted the other three men in this brutal ladder match to become the inaugural Project: Underground Champion! This insane car crash is finally over!
NOAH HOPE: Oh thank god…
As a semi-conscious and bloody Blaze cradles the title against his chest, Kurtis Slayne lays nearby in a pool of his own blood, while Meatball and Virgil Barrick are still down at ringside.
As “The Messenger” Joseph Blaze celebrates in the ring with the Project Underground Championship, “The Protector” Lurch steps into the ring standing beside him as the ring explodes into flames. People are unsure how to react to what's happening as nothing can be seen. Yet, as soon as the flames appeared they disappear too. Now standing in the center of the ring are Joseph Blaze, Lurch, and The Savior with a microphone in hand. Joseph and Lurch bend onto one knee in front of The Savior and bow their heads. Joseph holds the Project Underground Championship out to The Savior who takes it and puts it over his shoulder. Once The Savior has done that, Joseph and Lurch are given the signal from The Savior to stand up alongside him and they do so.
THE SAVIOR: “First of all, I’m so happy that Joseph has done what I’ve wanted him to do. Failure wasn’t an option, he knew that too. We all know why I am out here though. If none of you know who I really am by now, you all deserve to burn alive. I’m so glad that I’m doing the reveal after success than failure because it would’ve been one hell of a bloodbath.”
As Joseph Blaze and Lurch stand beside The Savior, The Savior lowered their head before lifting their left hand up to their face to where the mask was. Now was the time, the crowd are all up to their feet looking on to see who it is. The Savior slides the mask off before tossing it to the side with enough force it goes into the crowd. Then without warning the ring is surrounded by flames again. The crowd is again unsure of what is happening and can’t see a thing. When the fire does disappear though…
JOSEPH BLAZE: “This is my Savior, your Savior, and everyone’s Savior…”
The crowd can now see who it is and are in absolute disbelief. It takes them several moments to realize who it is before they start to chant his name.
PYRO!!! PYRO!!! PYRO!!!
Still with the microphone in hand, Pyro stands in front of Joseph Blaze who is happy to see Pyro standing there in front of him. Pyro takes the Project Underground Championship from his shoulder and places it on the shoulder of Joseph Blaze.
PYRO: “You deserve this, Joseph. There is no one more worthy in Project Underground than you.”
Pyro and Joseph shake hands before Pyro looks out at the crowd with an evil grin on his face.
PYRO: “Please tell me that all of you knew it was me. For a long time, I was known as The Savior before this. I know I tried to trick you into thinking it was Eminem Lite but no one ever wants to see that Tyrant return. Just know that Pyro is back, that Pyro is behind the man, Joseph Blaze. Joseph is stronger than ever with me by his side. I’m glad to be back here in Project Honor. Just know that things are going to get very fiery. With my guidance, Joseph is going to prove his dominance even more. I know you all missed me. As for what happened to me, revenge will be had in due time. For now, watch over your backs because I'm always watching. Now it’s time to forget about the irrelevant and time for Joseph, Lurch, my followers, and I to go celebrate at The Compound.”
Once again the ring is surrounded by flames and just like before they disappear just as quickly as they had appeared. The ring is now empty, Joseph, Lurch, and Pyro are nowhere to be seen.
LEON ENGLISH: Ladies and gentlemen…for Noah Hope, Vera Knight, and all of us here at Project: Underground…we hope you have enjoyed Emergence! Goodnight and may God have mercy on our souls!!!
