AWF Presents: A Very AWF Christmas - LIVE from Hartford, CT!

[ForeverKuroi]

Live from: XL Center
Hartford, CT
Capacity: 16,294

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Jessie Love: The first contest of the evening is the Season’s Beatings Gauntlet Match! There are no disqualifications in this match! Two wrestlers will start, and each time a wrestler is pinned or submitted, they will be eliminated and a new wrestler will join the fray! The last wrestler in the match will become the #1 contender to the X-Crown Championship, and fight Bobby Barratt in the main event!

The crowd roars in anticipation and excitement.

Taylor: Big-time match right here to kick off A Very AWF Christmas. Win the Gauntlet Match, and cash your ticket for a one-on-one opportunity to win the biggest championship in the entire XHF!
Romano: That gift doesn’t come easily, though, Tommy. Gauntlet matches are already brutal tests of a wrestlers’ endurance, and then you’re adding that there are no disqualifications.

Jessie Love: Introducing first, from Detroit, Michigan, he is the Prince of Perfection, weighing in at 196 pounds, he is JOOOOOOOOOOEE NOOOOBOOOOOOOODY!

The lights dim and words appear on the screens above the entrance ramp.

“I'm the tallest of mountains

I am the roughest of waves

I'm the toughest of terrors

I am the darkest of days

I'm the last one that's standing,

Don't try to stand in my way,

Cause I've been up against better,

Just take a look at my face”

The camera zooms into Nobody's face who smirks and adjusts his tie before making his way to the ring. The crowd boos the egotistical wrestler.

Taylor: This is Joe Nobody, Cassisus, making his AWF debut, originally from Destiny Wrestling. What do we know about him?
Romano: The man’s a tough catch-as-can wrestler. I’ve been told in Destiny he was on a quest to beat the best, but it often didn't work out well for him. This is his chance for a fresh start, a new beginning.

As makes it up two steps and stops before turning around to give a young fan his signature fedora.
After handing off the fedora, he enters the ring and points at the crowd before clapping his hands together. He places the present he’s been carrying down in the corner underneath the ropes, a solid red box with a green bow on top.

Taylor: An interesting soul, that Joe Nobody. You can tell he’s ready for a big time match and his time to shine.
Romano: He’s an industry professional, but he also has a tough task cut out in front of him. None of his opponents tonight are easy wins, and he’s gotta to outlast them all to then even have a shot at Bobby. What do you think is in his present?

Taylor laughs.

Taylor: The only thing I know is that it’s not the rest of the Saga. We’ll just have to find out!

Jessie Love: Introducing next, weighing in at 220 pounds, from Coober Pedy, South Australia...

“Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" hits the arena as an imitation sandstorm is created in the entranceway and Aiden Merric emerges from it chewing nicotine gum.

Jessie Love: ...he is the Big Game Hunter, Aiden “Outback” Merrrrrrrrric!

He spits the gum and puts a patch on his arm before stretching and walking to the ring with a purpose. The crowd boos him loudly as well.

Taylor: This is Aiden Merric. A few weeks ago he set his sights on the AWF roster, and tonight’s his first test.
Romano: These two guys are not loved by this crowd, and I don’t think they care at all. Aiden’s a grizzled and experienced hunter, and he’s got a fully-packed hunt in front of him on his way to an X-Crown Championship Match.
He rolls into the ring and stretches on the ropes. The referee stops him and removes his various blades, ropes and other hunting equipment as he smirks. He pulls a curved present from his belt and holds it up. It can’t be bigger than two or three feet tall.

Taylor: Is that… a banana?
Romano: Why the hell would he bring a banana to the ring? That would be the most useless weapon ever, Tommy.
Taylor: What is it, then?
Romano: You know what? I’m not going to tell you. You’re just going to have to wait.

---

Winner Fights for the X-Crown in the Main Event
Season's Beatings No-DQ Gauntlet Match
Dylan vs. Maverick vs. Aiden Merric vs. Joe Nobody

---

The bell rings and the two men immediately circle each other, Nobody giving a bit of chase to Merric. Nobody finally locks up with Merric in the center of the ring, but neither man seems to be able to get the advantage for too long in the test of strenght. Except, of course, when Merric shoves a thumb into Nobody’s eye. The crowd boos as Nobody covers his face to shield his eyes. Merric grabs him by the back of the neck and sends him shoulder first into the ringpost!

Taylor: Aiden Merric wasting absolutely no time in brutalizing Joe Nobody!
Romano: Merric is a hardened mercenary who will do whatever it takes to win.

Merric quickly shoves Nobody down and pins him.

...ONE…
...Joe Nobody kicks out!

Taylor: A quick pin, this early?
Romano: Aiden has two more opponents in front of him if he wins. The idea is to eliminate Nobody as quickly as possible and conserve as much energy as you can.

Nobody punches his way free from Aiden’s grasp and quickly retreats back into the corner. The hunter, noticing his prey looking to get away from him, pursues. Nobody tries to escape in the corner, but Merric comes running in with his jumping punch, the Stun Gun! Nobody goes down!

Taylor: Stun Gun from Aiden!
Romano: This is looking one-sided, so far!

Merric tries to drag Nobody for another pin, but Nobody manages to roll out under the ropes and land on the floor. Merric holds his arm up, taunting the crowd as he leaves the ring. Joe Nobody looks to crawl around on the floor and create space, but Aiden is right on top of him, hammering away with lefts and rights. He only stops when Nobody pulls him by the arm, sending him banging off the ring steps!

Joe Nobody shakes off the cobwebs and finds his weapon of choice: the steps themselves! He rips the steps away from the corner and looks to smack Aiden with them.

Taylor: That’s not his present, Cassius. I thought they were only allowed to use their presents!
Romano: This is a no-disqualification match, so anything goes!

Aiden barely manages to duck out of the way as Nobody sails the steps a little high! Aiden charges Nobody for a running uppercut, but Joe Nobody pops him up and powerbombs him through a ringside barricade! The crowd pops as both men are down!

Taylor: Awesome Driver! Joe Nobody gets back into this match in a big way!
Romano: He’s been on a quest to beat the Best, and impressive feats of power like that show why!

Nobody gets back up to his feet and knows what he has to do. He walks around the ring to his corner and grabs the present he brought with him. He places it on the ring apron and rips the wrapping paper off of it, revealing a cardboard box. He pulls something from the box and begins to wrap it around his hand. The crowd cheers for violence when he lifts his arm and reveals a steel chain.

Taylor: Merry Christmas Joe Nobody! He’s brought a steel chain to the fight with him!
Romano: A brutal weapon capable of doing a lot of internal damage, as well as cutting someone’s face open. An excellent choice.

Nobody begins to make his way around the ring again as Merric crawls around on the floor, looking for anything he can grab or use to get back into this match. He spots his belt up on the apron and grabs something from it right as Nobody closes in on him. He swings it back in a slashing motion, slicing Nobody with it! Joe goes down and begins to bleed as the camera catches that Merric had grabbed one of his hunting knives off the belt! The crowd boos loudly!

Taylor: Merric just sliced open Nobody!
Romano: What a sick move! Nobody’s bleeding hard after that damn knife!

Merric smiles as he deposits the knife back onto his belt. He looks over at his wrapped up package and bangs it against the apron. It makes a loud banging noise as he delicately unwraps it. It’s a wooden boomerang with metal tips.

Taylor: Merric brought a boomerang!
Romano: That isn’t a kid’s toys, ladies and gentlemen. Original Australians have used boomerangs like that to hunt for years, and he’s brought it tonight in search of the X-Crown!

Merric takes the boomerang and uses it as a blunt force object, swinging it straight into Nobody’s rib cage. The crowd boos as Nobody begins to cough up blood in addition to bleeding out from his sliced ribcage. The referee moves in to check on Nobody, but Nobody waves him off, though he looks to be in bad shape.

Aiden Merric grabs Joe Nobody off the mat and chucks him into the ring. He smacks his shoulder, knowing that the end of Nobody is coming soon. He looks down and spots Nobody’s chain, deciding to bring it with him into the ring. Once inside the ring, he takes it and wraps one end of it around Nobody’s wrist, and then another end around his own.

Taylor: What’s the Aussie have planned here?
Romano: He’s looking for his Contract Fulfilled clothesline, Tommy. One chain-assisted clothesline from Merric, and it’s lights out for Nobody!
Taylor: Nobody’s already in terrible shape here, I don’t know how he’s going to make it to the end AND fight Bobby in the main event!
Romano: The X-Crown is on the line with every part of this gauntlet. For the biggest prize the XHF has to offer, you dig deep!

Aiden sends Nobody off the ropes, and then pulls him in for the clothesline, but Nobody catches him for a German Suplex! He then transitions it, and absolutely plants Aiden with a Wheelbarrow Facebuster! The cover and the count!

...ONE..
...TWO…
...Merric kicks out!

The crowd comes alive as Nobody bangs on the mat in frustration, having his chance slip away!

Taylor: He was this close! Nobody has endured and kept hanging in, but he may not have gotten all of that Victory Buster!
Romano: He might have broken ribs and he’s been sliced open, I don’t know how he’s even still going! And this is only the first part of the Gauntlet!

Nobody looks at the chain and digs deep for the inner strength to continue. He knows Merric is coming back to his feet soon, and he won’t be denied. As Merric groggily makes it back to his feet, Nobody pulls him closer and charges, dropping him with the Denial of Perfection!

Taylor: Denial of Perfection! Nobody’s running STO connects!
Romano: Merric may be out right here! The cover and the count!

...ONE…
...TWO…
...THREE!

Jessie Love: Aiden Merric has been eliminated!

Taylor: Wow!
Romano: In a battle for survival, Joe Nobody survived being carved up like a piece of meat and used his power and strength to endure. But he’s not out of the woods yet, as this Gauntlet match immediately continues!
Taylor: Who’s coming next?

Joe Nobody uses the ropes to bring himself back to his feet. He clutches his ribs and coughs, but waves off the referee’s attempts to disqualify him to preserve his health. He’s ready for whoever’s coming next.

Jessie Love: Introducing the next opponent, from Wexford Town, Wexford County, Ireland...



Jessie Love: ...weighing in at 195 pounds, he is the “Prince of Immortality”, making his AWF return, he is MAAAAAAAAVVVERRRRRRRIIIIIIIIICKKKKKKKKK!

The intro to the Junkie XL Remix of Inception by Hanz Zimmer begins as the lights dim to near darkness, leaving very little light to shine around. Once the beat kicks in, the lights don a purple shade as we see Maverick stand upon the stage in his ring gear and a black jacket, opened with the hood over his head. He looks out to the cheering crowd before making his way to the ring.

Taylor: Absence makes the heart grow fonder as out goes Aiden Merric, and in comes Maverick!
Romano: He’s been one of the early favorites online, but he has to be mad that he didn’t get the final spot in the Gauntlet!
Taylor: We’ll see our final entrant, Dylan Black, take on the winner of this portion of the Gauntlet for the right to face Bobby Barratt!

He makes his way to ringside and climbs onto the ring apron and looks out to the crowd before raising his hand up high for a minute and lowering it, brushing his feet on the mat and leaping into the ring and then climbing up the ropes at the nearest corner to him. He looks out to the crowd and letting out a roar, stretching his arms out before taking off his jacket and preparing for his match. He places his present, a green box with a red bow on top, underneath the ropes.

Taylor: The big question: is this Maverick’s night? A world-class competitor with the heart of a lion, but he’s been unable to close on almost every opportunity he’s gotten!
Romano: This is definitely a “prove it” moment for Maverick tonight. Is tonight the moment he finally climbs to the pinnacle, or does he suffer yet another setback?
Taylor: He’s got a tough task in front of him to get to the X-Crown, but I don’t know what kind of condition Nobody’s in at this point. We’ll see what happens and what Maverick brought!

Maverick looks on, a little unwilling to fight a clearly injured Nobody as Nobody slowly pulls himself back up in the corner. The bell rings anyway, and the match resumes. Maverick comes in and tries to be considerate of his opponent, but Nobody immediately gets behind him for a Half Nelson Slam, and Maverick only barely escapes getting dropped with the ComboBreaker! He responds by hooking Nobody’s arms and dropping him with the Realm of the Nightmare!

Taylor: Realm of the Nightmare! Nobody almost caught him with the ComboBreaker but Maverick held on!
Romano: That would have been huge, but Maverick’s put him away right here! The cover and the count!

...ONE…
...TWO…
...THR-Nobody kicks out!

The crowd cheers as Maverick gets back to his feet, knowing that Nobody’s not going to give up any time soon. He plucks his present off the ground with ease and tears off the wrapping paper. Inside the present is a white box, looking more like it would hold an ugly Christmas sweater than a weapon of choice. He sets it down and begins pulling out something silver and really shiny.

Taylor: ...is that…
Romano: Maverick has brought tinsel to the Season’s Beatings Match! You can’t make this up if you tried, Tommy!

Maverick swings the tinsel around like a lasso. The crowd is… into it, but seems a little confused.

Taylor: Ladies and gentlemen, this isn’t as bad as it seems! You’d be surprised what you can do with tinsel. Choke someone, tie their hands together!
Romano: A-huh. You know what you could also do that with? A steel chain!
Taylor: I didn’t say it was a good idea!

Maverick grabs the tinsel and wraps it around Nobody’s wrists, attempting to bind Nobody’s wrists together and render him defenseless. Surprisingly, it seems to work, and Maverick sits Nobody up before standing in the corner, signaling for the Assasin’s Blade!

Taylor: Maverick looking for the Assassin’s Blade! If he hits this, Nobody’s night is over!

Maverick runs in, but Nobody manages to fall backward, avoiding the blow! He quickly gets back to his feet as the two men lock eyes, and Nobody pulls his arms apart, immediately breaking the tinsel bind!

Taylor: He broke that like it was nothing!
Romano: Remember how I said a banana would be the dumbest weapon ever? I take that back! This has to be the worst weapon I’ve seen in a match, and we saw a t-shirt last year!

Nobody goes for another Denial of Perfection, but Maverick stops him with a superkick! He then plants him with a spinning hook kick, but as Maverick spins around for the Tornado Kick, Nobody locks him in a Half Nelson Slam and delivers the ComboBreaker!

Taylor: ComboBreaker! ComboBreaker!
Romano: Nobody pulled that one in out of nowhere! Can he do it? Can he survive two opponents and move on to face Dylan?

...ONE…
...TWO…
...Maverick kicks out!

The crowd cheers as Maverick stays alive!

Taylor: Nobody’s not going down without a fight!
Romano: Maverick may have underestimated Nobody here!

Nobody looks around for anything he can use to survive. He spots the box Maverick brought and looks inside of it, but it’s just more tinsel. He kicks it to the floor on the outside of the ring and gets back up, instead taking the chain and wrapping it around Maverick’s throat. He picks up Maverick and looks towards the outside of the ring.

Taylor: What’s Nobody planning here?
Romano: He’s looking at those ropes… he’s about to hang Maverick out to dry!

Nobody goes to throw Maverick over the ropes, but Maverick springboards off the top rope, and incredibly manages to flip over Nobody! Nobody is taken out with his own chain as it goes smacking against his face! Maverick quickly ascends to the top rope, flipping off of it and crashing onto Nobody with a 450 Splash!

Taylor: Maverick saves his skin there!
Romano: Is this enough to take down Nobody?

...ONE…
...TWO…
...Nobody kicks out!

Romano: Close, but no cigar for Maverick!

Taylor: The longer this goes, the more these two men are at a disadvantage!
Romano: One of them has to put the other away, but neither man wants to say die as they keep fighting for that shot at the main event!

Maverick grabs the steel chain off of the mat and walks over to Nobody, wrapping it around his wrists to keep him from getting his hands up. He gives his wrapjob an extra tug to make sure that it stays secure as he picks Nobody up and gets him back to his feet. Nobody responds with a headbutt to create some distance, knocking Maverick back. He jumps up and goes for the Perfect Placement, but Maverick steps out of the way!

Nobody lands back down on his feet, but Maverick gets under him and lifts him up in a Canadian Backbreaker Rack! He keeps the hold applied as Nobody screams out in pain, but refuses to tap out!

Taylor: Maverick keeping half of the Storm Zero locked in for effectiveness! Nobody’s ribs have to be shot at this point!
Romano: I don’t know if he’s refusing to submit, or just can’t submit after the onslaught he’s withstood tonight!

Maverick wrenches the hold in for a few moments before spinning him off his shoulders into a corkscrew neckbreaker, executing the Storm Zero! The crowd cheers as Maverick crawls and hooks the leg!

Taylor: Storm Zero! Storm Zero!
Romano: This should do it!

...ONE…
...TWO…
...THREE!

Jessie Love: Joe Nobody has been eliminated!

Taylor: A valiant effort from Nobody, but the fresher Maverick endured his bursts of energy!
Romano: This could be Maverick’s time! You can feel the arena getting behind him, but he has a tough task in front of him!
Taylor: That tough task is a former World Champion himself!



Maverick barely has time to recover as the harsh riffs to "Blood, Tears, Dust" blare out over the sound system as flashing white lights spring to life around the arena. All the lights culminate on the stage, where white smoke appears and a figure walks out from the darkness. He crouches for a moment, and as the female vocalist belts out "THREE NIGHTS OF HELL". Dylan Black has arrived. The crowd cheers loudly.

Jessie Love: Introducing the final opponent of the Gauntlet Match, from Boston, Massachusetts, weighing in at 232 pounds, he is DDDDDDDDDYYYYYLLLLLLLLLLLLLANNNNNNNNNN BBBBBBBBBBLLLLLLACCCCCCK!

Dylan springs up, holding three fingers up symbolically. He walks down the ramp as the chorus finishes, slapping hands down the way. He slides into the ring and crouches in the corner, only shedding his jacket to reveal a long present he’s been carrying with him.

Taylor: That has to be the Blacklight that Dylan’s brought to the ring with him!
Romano: That sleek black bat could mean a world of trouble for Maverick.

Dylan hops in his corner, bouncing around to try to get the adrenaline rushing. Maverick has gotten back to his feet and he shakes his head, knowing that the man on the other side of the ring is no slouch.
Taylor: Two former XHF Tag Team Champions, one former World Champion and one that hasn’t quite had their chance to shine, both men under 26 years old, doing battle in the last part of the Gauntlet Match where the winner will receive a match against Bobby Barratt in the main event!
Romano: It all comes down to this! These fans are divided!

Conflicting “Mave-rick” and “Dy-lan” chants break out among the AWF fans as the bell rings. The two men share a nod of respect and go to work, knowing the stakes. Dylan Black quickly moves towards Maverick and leaps with his knee, looking for the Disasterpiece, but Maverick sidesteps and hooks his arm under Dylan’s neck, dropping down and locking him in the Koji Clutch in the center of the ring!

Taylor: Koji Clutch! Maverick caught Dylan and is making him pay dearly!
Romano: An underrated technician, Maverick’s looking to choke the life out of Black and even the playing field!

Dylan Black has nowhere to go as he screams out in pain! He looks for the ropes, but not only is he far away, but they won’t do anything in a no-disqualification match! Maverick screams at him to tap out and Dylan lifts his arm in the air!

Taylor: Could this be it right here? Could all of Dylan’s hard work, his shedding of the mask and starting a new chapter, could it all come to an end right now?
Romano: I’m not sure Dylan can find a way out of this hold!

Dylan manages to shift over, bringing Maverick’s shoulders onto the mat! The referee spots this and counts!

...ONE…
...TWO…
...Maverick rolls over!

Maverick rolls over, wrenching in the hold even further as Dylan begins to slip and drift from consciousness. The referee walks over and grabs his arm, lifting it up and dropping it.

Taylor: Dylan’s slipping! Maverick may have done it here!
Romano: This would be huge!
Dylan’s arm goes down a second time! His fans are trying to will him back into the match, chanting “Dy-lan, Dy-lan”, but it’s clear that he’s in a bad way! The referee lifts the arm the third time…

...but Dylan finds his strength, lifting his arm! Not only does he lift his arm, but he also plants his feet and lifts himself off the mat, carrying Maverick with him! Maverick realizes he’s stuck in a bad way as Dylan readjusts him, hooking his leg and driving him into the mat with Ragnarok!

Taylor: Ragnarok! Ragnarok! We don’t see this move from Dylan often, but when it does, it’s a match-ender!
Romano: Maverick calls this the Infinity Driver when he hits it, but it was Dylan striking first with the move! This may be it!

But it’s not it. Or at least, not yet. Both men are down in the center of the ring as the crowd cheers, Maverick having been destroyed by Ragnarok, and Dylan Black desperately trying to inhale and get his breathing back going after the pain of the stretch. He looks around a bit, potentially a little delirious from maybe slipping out of consciousness during the hold, and looks to the ropes.

Taylor: It’s been forty five minutes Cassius, and we still have an entire rest of the show!
Romano: The longer this goes, not only does it favor Dylan, but you have to remember he’s XHF Iron Man! He once lasted for over three hours!
Taylor: I don’t think Dylan knows where is right now! That Koji Clutch took a lot out of him!
Romano: It was definitely a neutralizer, but Dylan struck back in a big way! It may be a mistake for him not to go for a pin, but he needs to get his bearings first! One wrong move towards Maverick could spell doom for him!

Dylan begins pulling himself up, slowly but surely, until he spots the long present still wrapped in his corner. He pulls himself towards the box and tears into the present like it’s his golden ticket. An unveiling of the weapon shows that it’s the Blacklight, bringing Dylan’s fans to their feet.

Taylor: It’s Blacklight! Dylan’s trusty black bat comes into play here as the final present of the match is Dylan’s weapon of choice!
Romano: Now that’s a weapon! Maverick’s chances may be slipping away here! He could have chosen anything in the world to use, and going with tinsel may be the reason he doesn’t walk out of here with the X-Crown, or even a win in this opening Gauntlet Match!
Taylor: Maverick’s back up! These two men are prepared to do anything to walk out of this match with a win!
Romano: Bobby Barratt has to be loving this!

Maverick climbs back to his feet and immediately notices his bat-wielding opponent coming after him. He nopes out of the ring and Dylan follows behind. Maverick is in no condition to race, and he arms himself with a steel chair. The two men stare at each other, weapons in hand, as the crowd has dueling chants. Maverick decides to swing first, and Dylan blocks it with his bat.

Dylan swings as well, but Maverick uses the chair as a shield to absorb the impact. He comes back with an overhead blow, and it becomes clear that the two men are battling with Dylan moving forwards and Maverick moving backwards, both men looking to deliver a solid impact and take the momentum. Out of the corner of Maverick’s eye, he can see that he’s moving closer and closer to the barricades, running out of room to backpedal as Dylan wields his bat and looks to deliver an impact. Maverick comes an inch from the steps before jumping backwards onto them, and then leaping off to catch Dylan with a hurricanrana! But Dylan has dropped the bat and caught Maverick! He slams Maverick neck first into the ring apron!

Taylor: Oof! We’re watching these two men beat the hell out of each other!
Romano: Both men could become the future of the XHF tonight, you have to do anything that it takes.
Taylor: The future becoming the now, sure, but they may not even be cleared to fight Bobby if they keep this up!

Dylan backs up and takes a look at Maverick, banging his foot into the mat, as Maverick grabs his neck in pain. It becomes clear that he’s setting up for the Blackout, right out on the arena floor.

Taylor: If Dylan stomps Maverick’s head into the floor, you can count on him meeting Bobby Barratt in the main event!
Romano: Maverick has to avoid this somehow to stay alive in this match! This is a move that has won Dylan Black multiple championships!

Dylan nods and moves forward, charging in, only to have his wings clipped by getting hit with the Blacklight right in the shin! Before Dylan can even fall over in pain, Maverick turns the bat, swinging it right between Dylan’s legs! He goes down and lets out a scream in pain as Maverick’s fans cheer!

Taylor: The Blackout gets countered with the Blacklight!
Romano: That bat comes back to bite Dylan hard as Maverick uses it to save the match for himself! Dylan is down right now, this could be it!

Maverick takes a few moments to catch his breath on the outside of the ring before picking up his Gauntlet Match opponent and throwing him back into the ring. He looks up at the ring for a few moments, absolutely exhausted, before grabbing the bat and rolling back in, ready to do anything in his power to punch his ticket.

Taylor: Maverick’s not going for the pin here! Could that be another mistake?
Romano: Potentially so, Tommy, but I think Maverick understands that Dylan Black still has something left in the tank!

Maverick looks at the bat and begins to shake, knowing that his moment is here, that his moment has finally arrived, and all he has to do is strike down Dylan Black one more time to claim his moment. The Irishman does a few practice swings as he waits for the crawling Black to get back to his feet. The atmosphere in the arena is electric as Dylan begins to crawl around on the mat.

Taylor: One swing, one opportunity to get himself a one-on-one match with the X-Crown Champion!
Romano: It all comes down to this!

Dylan Black is helpless as Maverick charges in with the bat, swinging wildly, but Black gets his foot up and kicks him below the belt!

Taylor: NO! NOOOOO!
Romano: A modified Gold Rush from Black! Maverick never saw it coming!

Maverick drops to his knees in pain, and Dylan Black locks his head between his legs before lifting him up and dropping him with his Package Piledriver, the Royale Massacre!
Romano: Royale Massacre! That’s it! Dylan Black got him! Black got him!
Taylor: Dylan looks the leg!

The crowd counts along!

...ONE…
...TWO...
...THRE..
...MAVERICK KICKS OUT!

The crowd roars in excitement as Maverick kicks out!

Taylor: He kicked out! Maverick survives the Royale Massacre at the very last second!
Romano: Yeah, but at what cost? The man has to have nothing left to give here!
Taylor: For the biggest prize in the sport, you have to be able to give everything and then some!

Dylan Black can’t believe it. Everything he’s worked for, every doubt and criticism, he can put to bed once and for all with this win. A new chapter of his life, the Dylan Black chapter as the Anomoly one comes to a close, all on the line. And as he positions himself in the corner, all he has to do is hit a Blackout for the victory.

Taylor: Dylan Black looking to end Maverick’s night once and for all with the Blackout!
Romano: There’s no Blacklight to save him from Dylan’s stomp this time!

Maverick is helpless as Dylan charges in for the stomp, but Maverick manages to fall forward onto the mat and avoid the stomp! He pushes himself back to his feet as the two men look on, utterly exhausted and having given everything they have! The crowd cheers as the men are, just as they were from the beginning, staring at each other from two corners of the ring.

Taylor: What a match!
Romano: And we still have an entire show to go! Who’s going to win?
Black and Maverick lock up in the center of the ring one more time, both looking for an edge. Maverick takes the early strength edge, but Black battles back, kneeing him low to create his opportunity. He then spins Maverick around and digs into Maverick’s stomach with both of his hands, trying to rip apart his ribcage with the Three Nights of Hell!

Taylor: Double Stomach Claw! Black’s got his take on the Reverse Bearhug locked in, center of the ring!
Romano: If he breaks Maverick’s ribs right here, that’s gotta be enough! Dylan’s about to cash his ticket to the main event!

Maverick desperately claws at the ropes, but they’re too far away from him to make a proper move. He screams out in pain as Dylan rips at his insides, trying his best to break Maverick’s bones and get him to finally submit. Maverick grabs onto Black’s hands, but to no avail!

Taylor: Three Nights of Hell from Dylan, and Maverick’s in a world of hurt! He can’t break the hold!
Romano: His chances are coming to an end one moment at a time as Dylan looks for the tapout!

Dylan Black screams at Maverick to tap out, and Maverick cries out in pain. All of the doubt and criticism begins flooding back as he tries to dig down deep, but can’t. He drops to one knee, then two, as Black continues the hold, wrenching it in further. The referee asks Maverick if he wants to submit, but Maverick shakes his head no. He looks to dig deep, but the amount of pain he’s in is rendering him unable to find any way out of the hold… until he figures out a last solution.

Digging deep for everything he has left to give, Maverick throws out an arm, grabbing Dylan’s side and back with it. He throws out another arm as well, with Dylan still fully pressuring his ribcage and abdomen and trying to break every bone in Maverick’s chest. Slowly, as the crowd’s cheers get louder and louder, he rises to his feet, screaming in pain!

Taylor: Maverick’s got him up! Maverick’s got him up for the Storm Zero!

Maverick shakes his head and with one last effort, spins Dylan to the mat, dropping him with the Storm Zero!

Romano: Storm Zero! Storm Zero! Maverick just has to pin him, but they’re on other sides of the ring!
Taylor: Crawl Maverick, crawl!

Maverick, clutching at his abdomen in pain, slowly, slowly drags himself towards Dylan. He finally reaches Dylan and drapes an arm over as the crowd counts.

...ONE…
...TWO…
...THREE!

Jessie Love: Here is your winner, and the NNNNNNNNNNEWWWWWWWWWW NUMMMMBEEER OOONNNNNE CONTEEEEENDEEEERRRR to the XXXXXXXX-CROWWWWWN CHAMPIONSHIPPP, MAAAAAAAAAAAAAVERIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKK!

Romano: He did it! He did it!
Taylor: Maverick survive the war with Dylan and picks up the huge win!

Maverick crawls around on the mat, pulling himself back up. The look of relief that appears on his face as the referee raises his arm tells it all.

Taylor: This Gauntlet Match went for over and hour, but in the end, Maverick managed to put down Joe Nobody and Dylan Black and earn the right to face Bobby Barratt in the main event!
Romano: Maverick came up huge tonight, taking a definite big step in shedding the haters and the doubters calling him a choke artist, coming up with this monster win!
Taylor: Give Dylan Black all the credit in the world, Cassius! A few times in this match, he was one move away, less than half a second away from walking away from this win, but tonight was just Maverick’s night!

Maverick slides out of the ring and walks up the ramp, highfiving his fans as he clutches his stomach. Black still lays on the mat, having been knocked out by the finishing slam. But as Maverick walks back up the ramp, he seems to slowly realize that his work isn’t done.

Taylor: A fantastic victory for Maverick here tonight!
Romano: Yes, a big win indeed, but he still has one more match tonight! Is it truly Maverick’s night, or will the two-time X-Crown Champion show his former Icon colleague the difference between the student and the master? Wherever Bobby Barratt is, the challenge has been set! Maverick and Bobby Barratt will meet in the main event of A Very AWF Christmas, with the winner becoming the X-Crown Champion!
Taylor: And what a match that will be! And we still have a full rest of the show coming, right here in Hartford, Connecticut!
Romano: What a night!

---

From the quietness, the mere lulls that exist through matches this evening, the silence stops as "Ravenous" by X-Ray Dog plays. The fans cheer as the CEO of the AWF, Felix Ziko, appears. Dressed in a business suit without the tie, he waves to the fans untl he gets into the ring. He waits until the crowds quiet before speaking.

Ziko: Good evening, everyone and Merry Christmas!

The crowd gets loud again.

Ziko: You could be anywhere right now. With friends. With family. But instead, you chose to spend it with us and for that, we truly thank you today. And I want to thank you all by letting you to know of TWO things that will happen on our NEXT show, at Prestige 45!

With a smile, Felix continues.

Ziko: Prestige 45 will not continue the way we normally do matches. We have a brand new feature that we like to entitle... CALL YOUR SHOT. What that is, well... It's what it sounds like. Our beloved AWF Commissioner Jackson Steele will not decide how matches are formed and neither will I. No. Instead, our roster will find their opponents and schedule their own matches. If they want to choose their matches, so be it. They get to choose how the matches are and if it's the catharsis they need to ensure the rest of our shows aren't placed with added interference, then it's a sacrifice worth making. That's our first event, but how about the second? Oh, how about a little bit of extra GOLD!?

That's what the crowds hear before they start to bring the noise and erupt in applause.

Ziko: That's right! At Prestige 45, we will introduce a new championship to the Ascension Wrestling Federation! Now what kind of championship is this? Is this for one wrestler or more? Is this for lightweight competitors? Just what are the extra stipulations in regards to this? Well, all I'll say is that it's for us to know and you to find out in just a few weeks! All I'll say is there is certainly none like it in the XHF Network! How about that, folks!?

The crowds continue their appluase.

Ziko: Well I don't want to keep you guys waiting. We have a lot more wonderful matches for you all tonight. Merry Christmas to you all, and have a wonderful New Year!

Felix walks out toward the entrance with the screen above showing this graphic:

[ForeverKuroi]

The lights go down and the sound of people cheering starts to play. Spotlights come up in pairs, focused on the stage until Stagefright starts to play, but Tommy Strychnine is nowhere to be seen. 

Taylor: This might be the toughest match Strychnine will face to date!

Romano: In order to retain his Phoenix title, he'll have to grow through five other men and climb up that ladder. It definitely won't be easy.

Taylor: Speaking of him, where is he at this time?

Suddenly, the Phoenix Champion comes walking from the crowd area entrance! The fans cheer loudly as he makes his way over the barricade. He looks determined with his guitar.

Taylor: There he is!

Romano: He looks like he's taking this seriously, too.

When he gets to the ring, he poses with his guitar, pretending to play along with the song, before handing off the guitar to the ring crew and doing a flip off the turnbuckle into a powerslide.

"Super Dragon's here and I'm ready for a fight!" is heard before "Kung Fu Fighting" plays and Little Dragon appears and storms ringside. He reaches the ring and leaps over the top rope Luchador style and forward rolls tp his feet in a dragon stance.

Taylor: Here comes Xiaolong! What do you think his chances are?

Romano: He has just as good of a chance as everyone else. If they can reach the gold hanging from the ceiling and get it, they'll be able to do it.

"Firestorm" Jonathan Mills makes his way from the entrance as "Storm" by Devin Townsend plays. Eager to try his luck and become Phoenix Champion.

ZARDONIC and VOICIANS' "Bring Back The Glory" begins to play as the lights begin to strobe along the stage as Kenneth Robertson steps out onto the stage and makes a quick pace to the ring. He rolls into the ring and shouts at the crowd before waiting for his opponent.

Taylor: Robertson didn't have a lot of luck against Ryker last Prestige.

Romano: He has the chance of turning all that around tonight.

The slow start to "Somewhat Damaged" by Nine Inch Nails, all lights bring their focus to the stage as the curtains fly open and out walks Devon Ryker. Devon stretches his arms out and leans back, letting out a loud roar before fixating himself up straight and rolls his shoulders. He begins to make his way to the ring in a fast pace before making his way to ringside, walking around the squared circle and then rolling under the bottom rope. He pops back to his feet and climbs the ropes, looking out to the crowd and into the camera with a shit-eating grin on his face and his tongue hanging from his mouth.

Taylor: Speaking of Ryker!

Romano: The American Bastard himself looks like he has some evil ideas coming to mind.

Brandon Moore makes the way through his entrance. Not paying the crowd any mind as he looks back and forth, then towards the championship hanging up high.

Taylor: Moore looks like he has some evil ideas too!

Romano: This match is going to be crazy.

---

XHF Phoenix Championship Ladder Match

Tommy Strychnine (c.) vs. Xiaolong vs. Jonathan Mills vs. Kenneth Robertson vs. Devon Ryker vs. Brandon Moore

---

The six men stand in the ring, staring at each other like a Mexican standoff is about to happen. No one moves for a few moments as the tension is wild in the air, the crowd anticipating someone to move first. Suddenly… ROBERTSON LEAPS RYKER AND BEGINS THROWING STIFF PUNCHES AND ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE! STRYCHNINE BEGINS TRADING BLOWS WITH XIALONG! MILLS AND MOORE START GOING AT IT!

Taylor: Off to a wild start!

Romano: Each and every single one of these men want that Phoenix championship badly, and Strychnine is looking forward to retaining it!

Robertson hasn't forgotten about what Ryker did to him! He catches Ryker across the face with an Enzuigiri, sending him stumbling! He then Irish whips Ryker into a corner and backs up, preparing to run in! Strychnine bulldogs Xiaolong into the mat! Mills elbows Moore across the jaw, rocking him!

Taylor: Do you think they've all forgotten about the ladders?

Romano: I don't think Strychnine has!

Strychnine cleans Xiaolong's clock with a Shining Wizard! He then rolls out of the ring pulling out a ladder and pushing it into the ring! Moore gets behind Mills and levels him with a textbook Dragon Suplex! Ryker ducks Robertson's incoming attack, and THROWS HIM INTO THE TURNBUCKLES WITH A SPINE RATTLING BUCKLEBOMB! Robertson crumples into the corner and Ryker proceeds to stump a mudhole into him! Strychnine begins setting up the ladder, but Xiaolong comes out of nowhere and HITS HIM IN THE JAW WITH A SPRINGBOARD SUPERMAN PUNCH! Strychnine goes down!

Taylor: Xiaolong saw him!

Romano: At least someone did!

Ryker turns around and MOORE THROWS HIM WITH A BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX ACROSS THE RING! Ryker clutches at his back in pain! Xiaolong sets up the ladder and begins climbing up- but Mills gets up and tugs at his leg- Meanwhile Robertson rolls out and sets up a ladder, positioning it on the apron and barricade. MILLS YANKS HIM DOWN AND XIAOLONG GOES NECK FIRST INTO THE TOP ROPE as Robertson climbs back in! Now Mills attempts to climb the ladder but Moore grabs him- pulls him off AND CATCHES HIM WITH THE OVERDOSE MID-AIR!

Taylor: LIGHTS OUT FOR FIRESTORM!

Romano: That's it! It's a wrap for him!

Mills, dazed, rolls out of the ring and crumples onto the floor. Moore climbs up and begins reaching for the title-! HIS HANDS ARE NEARLY ON IT! ROBERTSON QUICKLY GOES UP TO THE LADDER AS WELL! Roberston punches Moore in the gut, causing him to keel over! Robertson then grabs the Phoenix title, and swings it- SLAMMING IT INTO MOORE'S HEAD! MOORE IS OUT COLD, AND FALLS OFF THE LADDER LIKE DEADWEIGHT- OVER THE ROPES AND CRASHING INTO THE LADDER OUTSIDE!

Taylor: IS HE STILL MOVING?!

Romano: That was a vicious fall!

Robertson's eyes are on the prize! He has the gold in his hands! But suddenly, behind him- Ryker climbs up and grabs him- PULLING HIM INTO BACKDROP DRIVER POSITION!

Taylor: Oh my God...

Romano: What is he about to-

XIAOLONG IS ON THE TOP TURNBUCKLE, HE DIVES- EXECUTING A MISSILE DROPKICK INTO THE LADDER, SENDING IT OVER TO TILT OVER THE ROPES!

Taylor: HOLY SHIT!

Romano: MOVE! MOVE! GET OUT OF THE F@#$ING WAY!

THE COMMENTATING DUO SCRAMBLE OUT OF THE WAY, SO DOES THE CAMERA CREW AS THE LADDER TILTS OVER- RYKER AND ROBERTSON GO CRASHING INTO THE ANNOUNCER TABLES WITH A LOUD THUD- ABSOLUTELY DESTROYING THE TABLES AND THEMSELVES! NEITHER OF THEM ARE MOVING! THE CROWD LOSES THEIR MIND! "THIS IS AWESOME!" CHANTS CAN BE HEARD THROUGHOUT THE ARENA!

Taylor: Are! Are they alive?!

Romano: If we hadn't moved at the right time, that would have been us to! It's getting beyond dangerous!

Taylor: It's become a warzone!

Xiaolong gets up, holding his back. He picks up the ladder and sits it back in place, but then notices Strychnine is stirring! ..SUDDENLY MOORE ROLLS BACK INTO THE RING AND DROPS XIAOLONG WITH A HEAVY GERMAN SUPLEX FROM BEHIND!

Strychnine's eyes widen in surprise as Moore rushes at him-! He gets out of the way and Moore gets caught up into the middle rope- THE CROWD GOES WILD AND STRYCHNINE GETS A GRIN ON HIS FACE. HE REBOUNDS OFF THE ROPES AND SWINGS FEET FIRST IN BETWEEN THE ROPES- STRYCH-ONE-NINE TO MOORE! MOORE STUMBLES BACK, HOLDING HIS FACE- AND STRYCHNINE SLINGSHOTS OFF THE TOP ROPE- KISS ME DEADLY TO MOORE! Moore falls out of the ring and collapses on the floor!

Taylor: GALACTUS IS DONE!

Romano: This is Strychnine's chance, he can get to the Phoenix title!

Strychnine begins tiredly climbing up, but so does Xiaolong! They meet each other up the ladder- and begin slugging it out! The crowd goes crazy, cheering for both of the fan favorites! A right hook from Xiaolong- Strychnine leans back, nearly falling off! A right hook from Strychnine! Xiaolong nearly loses his footing! They keep going back and forth! Until Strychnine catches Xiaolong's fist, AND DECKS HIM! XIAOLONG FALLS OFF AND CRASHES ONTO THE MAT, LAID OUT!

Taylor: HE'S GOT IT!

Romano: WAIT, LOOK, IT'S MILLS!

Mills climbs back into the ring and attempts to push the ladder over! Strychnine sees him! Mills makes the ladder lean over, but Strychnine catches himself and the ladder by supporting a foot against the top rope! He then rebounds forward, holding onto the ladder like a pendulum- AND THROWS AN AIRBORN KICK INTO MILLS' JAW WHILE GETTING THE LADDER BACK INTO PLACE, HOLDING ONTO THE STEPS! MILLS FALLS OVER AND ROLLS OUT, CRUMPLING TO THE RINGSIDE WHERE RYKER AND ROBERTSON ARE STIRRING!

Taylor: HE CAN DO IT!

Romano: SO CLOSE!

Strychnine reaches out for the Phoenix Title once more! But in the corner of his eye, he sees Ryker and Robertson and Mills- slowly shaking off the cobwebs! Strychnine looks at the title, then back at the group beginning to stir on the floor!

Taylor: What is he thinking?!

Romano: No don't tell me he's..

The crowd gets louder and louder as Strychnine climbs onto the highest step on the ladder, staring down at the three from the high spot!

Taylor: No! Just grab the title!

Romano: It's not worth it-!

STRYCHNINE GRABS ONTO THE ROPE HOLDING THE TITLE FROM THE CEILING-! USING THE MOMENTUM, HE PERFORMS A TARZAN SWING MID-AIR AND DOES...

A HIGH STAGE-DIIIIIIIVEEEEEEEEEE! STAGE-DIIIIIIVEEEEEEEE DOWN ONTO RYKER, ROBERTSON, AND MILLS- CRASHING DOWN ONTO THEM! All OF THEM LAY ON THE FLOOR, KOED! Strychnine lays on top of the body pile, unconscious! THE CROWD ROARS!

Taylor: HE JUST TOOK ALL OF THEM OUT!

Romano: But was it worth it?!

Taylor: Wait.. Look in the ring…

Xiaolong is moving, slowly but surely to the ladder! The crowd begins CHEERING!"XIAO-LONG! XIAO-LONG! XIAO-LONG!" 

Taylor: The crowd is behind Super Dragon!

He climbs up the ladder slowly! Reaching to the top, he TUGS AT THE CHAMPIONSHIP! HE TUGS LIKE HIS LIFE DEPENDS ON IT! AND HE FREES IT, PULLING IT INTO HIS ARMS AND FALLING OFF THE LADDER BACK ONTO THE MAT WITH THE GOLD IN HIS ARMS! THE AUDIENCE BEGIN PRACTICALLY SCREAMING WITH EXCITEMENT AND CHEERS!

Taylor: AND HE DOES IT! XIAOLONG IS THE NEW XHF PHOENIX CHAMPION!

Romano: XIAOLONG'S SECOND REIGN HAS JUST STARTED!

Xiaolong gets up, and raises the Phoenix title for the audience to see- Much to their delight!

Taylor: Strychnine was THIS CLOSE TO TAKING IT!

Romano: His eyes weren't on the prize- And just like that, Xiaolong has found success once more in the Phoenix Divison!

---

A clip is played on screen, showing images of Hyperion’s church burning, the community ablaze and followers of the God running from the flames. We pan around to get a close up of the church, almost fully collapsed now, with just these words spray painted on the side…

“StormCrow 4 Ever”

Fade away.

Fading back on-screen we see quite the amount of commotion surrounding the rear entrance to the arena, as a large gathering of security and AWF officials are seemingly working together to stop something from entering the building. Sadly, their efforts are in vain as the mystery object shows itself.

…dozens of Legion’s followers, all wearing robes and covering their faces in hoods bash against the security, like a riot team fending off an attack. Security do their best to stop the unauthorized invaders, but it all falls apart at the appearance of their commanders, Legion themselves. Marching into the building behind their followers are Natasha, Kuroi and Hyperion. People wisely jump out of the way of Kuroi and Natasha for clear reasons, but Hyperion’s is more valid- as he is swinging a sharpened trident around like a madman.

Hyperion: Where is the Crow!? I know he is here, I smell his scent, reeking of failure and betrayal. Where is he! Bring me to him!

Nobody dares reply, as everyone jumps out of the way for their own safety. The Legion continue to barge forward, their wall of followers paving the way forward for them. 

Hyperion: I will find him, and I will have my revenge! He burned down my church, I will shred his feathers with my teeth.

Failing to stop them, the forces of combined security and officials admit defeat and allow Legion to barge through the entrance and into the building, their human shield forming around them as they go.

[ForeverKuroi]

Anthony Caffrey's $10,000 Challenge

---

Caffrey turns to face his detractors and has his trademark sinister smile on his face. The arrogant superstar throws his championship over his shoulder and walks down to the ring, ignoring the fans screaming and jeering. He does not break eye contact with tonight's opponent as he walks with a laser focus, at least until he makes it to the ring steps. He reaches down and taps his ankle. He then makes a simple motion to mime breaking it in half as if he was breaking wishbone.

Taylor: Caffrey issued this challenge with one simple rule: beat Anthony Caffrey, win $10,000 of his money.
Romano: He’s loaded after selling the Diamond Lounge to Mongo, but we can see an anger bubbling up inside of him, like a volcano ready to explode. Card made him tap last Prestige, and he hasn’t been happy.
Taylor: An open challenge, though? Caffrey’s a fierce competitor, but just by the nature of open challenges, I’m not sure I like his chances.

Caffrey steps into the ring and moves past his opponent, handing his glasses off to the timekeeper. He looks back at his opponent and gives him one more sinister smile, ready for what the AWF has to offer.

Jessie Love: And his opponent…

The camera shifts to a view of the entrance ramp to capture the transition. Ring announcer Jessie Love waits for the music to hit to announce the opponent. A commotion picks up in the crowd as they wait in anticipation.

Taylor: Who’s it going to be?
Romano: I’m excited to find out!

The pause begins to extend into uncomfortable territory. Jessie Love takes a cue from Caffrey and repeats her line, assuming a technical issue.

Jessie Love: And his opponent…

The camera cuts back to Caffrey, who has stopped pacing back and forth in the ring, but is instead staring up the ramp. He gestures for someone to bring it, yet no one does. The pause continues as even the fans start to get a little rowdy.

Taylor: The suspense is killing me!
Romano: These things take time, Taylor!

It rapidly becomes more and more clear that no one is stepping up to take the open challenge. Caffrey’s expression changes from one of eager anticipation to angst, and then downright anger. He whispers to Jessie announce the match one more time.

Jessie Love: And his opponent…

Nope, still no one. The crowd boos the waste of time. Caffrey gets a microphone from the timekeeper.

Caffrey: Really, no one? Biggest show of the year and all of you cowards don’t want to fight me?

Taylor: They already have matches, Caffrey!
Romano: I don’t think he cares!

Caffrey looks over at the referee.

Caffrey: Fine! Count! Count them out, right now!

The referee hesitates and shrugs. Caffrey grabs him by the collar. We don’t hear what he has to say, but the count begins.

Referee: One!

Caffrey: Don’t blame me tonight.

Referee: Two!

Caffrey: All I wanted was a challenge.

Referee: Three!

Caffrey: When I get my hands on someone, don’t blame me.

Referee: Four!

Caffrey: The night’s still young.

Caffrey’s tone doesn’t match his body language. We can see him slumped over the microphone and the scowl covering his face, but his tone remains level.

Referee: Five!

Taylor: Who’s he having counted out? No one is coming!
Romano: A symbolic victory, I guess?

Referee: Six!

Caffrey nods. He tongues the inside of his mouth as the crowd boos, wanting to see his face punched in.

Referee: Seven!

Caffrey: Don’t blame me.

Referee: Eight!

Caffrey: This is your fault.

Referee: Nine!

Caffrey lowers the microphone. He smiles his sinister smile, but it is more menacing and unsettling than ever.

Referee: Ten! Ring the bell!

The bell rings. Caffrey has his hand raised. He shouts at Jessie to announce him as the winner, and the look in his eyes indicates that he isn’t fucking around.

Jessie Love: Here is your winner, by forfeit, ANNTHOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNY CAFFFFFFFFFREYYYYYY!

Romano: Caffrey has himself announced by forfeit. This crowd hates it!

The crowd boos Caffrey. He doesn’t interact with them, instead shaking his head. He walks up the entrance ramp. His smile stays on his face the entire time.

Taylor: I don’t like where this is going…
Romano: Caffrey’s put the locker room on notice. I don’t think this is the last of him we see tonight.

---

The lights drop.

CUE-UP: “The One You Love to Hate” by Halford

Silver spotlights hit the stage and out steps The Only Star, a smirking grin spread wide across his face as he takes in everything that the contentious and belligerent crowd has to give him. He eats it up, almost as if it fuels him.

♫ You may not like the future
♫ And we're not here to preach to you
♫ We'll take you to the killing floor.


More boos. The crowd hates him. Eric Dane loves it.

♫ You think you want to know me
♫ You think you want to own me
♫ But I have nothing you can buy.


He swaggers to the ring, stopping occasionally to jaw with one of the more vocal fans, but for the most part preoccupied with himself and how goddamned awesome he is.

♫ I can break you
♫ I can raise you
♫ Bring you to your knees
♫ Cause I'm the one you love to hate.


Dane climbs into the ring and pops to his feet, circling backward with both arms thrown wide so that everybody in attendance can get a good look at him. Just as the announcer gets to his name he climbs the nearest turnbuckle and again throws an arm high into the air. The sheer voracity of the jeering is electric.

♫ You can't fool me
♫ You can't rule me
♫ You only want to hang around
♫ Cause I'm the one you love to hate.


More boos, he drops down to the ring and begins his pre-match routine, oblivious to the crowd, the referee, opponents, or anyone else. Eric Dane is a man obsessed and right now he is focused on the match at hand.

Taylor: This match is going to be insane and speaking of insane, here is Eric Dane!
Romano: I've been in the industry for a long time and I like to think that we were relatively safe before Dane has come in. For those who not seen Eric Dane destroy the career of Greg Adkins at Prestige 44, consider yourself lucky. That was a moment of sheer violence.

The lights go out as "Family Man" by Craig Campbell starts to play. Blue and green lights come back on flashing throughout the arena. The Family Man walks down the aisle shaking hands as he heads towards the ring. He slowly walks up the ring steps as he looks out among the crowd he waves as he enters the ring and stands in his corner.
His whole demeanor changes as he waits for the bell to ring.

Taylor: And here comes The Family Man! And that's what he is now. Nothing else.
Romano: You have to realize that for a man who has been corrupted by the darkest corners of what the industry can offer, the only solace he has lies in his future. His children. Let's see who winds up with the AWF United States Championship after this.

---

AWF United States Championship Match
Danny Ray (c.) vs. Eric Dane

---

The bell rings. As it does, Danny Ray points over to the announcers desk. While it may be where Tommy Taylor and Cassius Romano may sit, it's also where the AWF United States Championship lies. Eric Dane glances over there. When he looks back, Danny Ray is right in his face screaming, "THIS IS MY BELT!" with such fervent fury that saliva is even being shot out from his mouth. Eric Dane grabs a finger and wipes a trace of saliva from his cheek. He looks down at it for a moment and contemplates before he whips back to Danny and lays the first strike, connecting with Danny Ray's jaw and sending him down to the ground. Danny Ray immediately brings himself back to his feet, moving against the opposing force from Eric Dane as he's fighting to keep Danny on the canvas. But the struggle is currently on!

Taylor: And there they go! I don't even think Danny was trying to be as disrespectful as he was perceived, but Dane nearly looks for a reason to go!
Romano: Well let's not forget that Danny Ray has been on a power binge the past couple of months. He's been unbeatable, but then there's Dane standing up!

Danny Ray gets to his feet. The experienced Dane does not let up. He quickly pushes Dane to the ropes and throws him in for an Irish Whip. Danny Ray goes back, but Eric Dane is ready for him with his Vibranium-plated leg brace! But Danny Ray is too quick! He ducks the move! Eric Dane looks down, slightly surprised. During that time, Ray bounces back from the other side of the ropes and takes down Eric Dane with a shoulder bump! Wait! No! Eric Dane goes down but takes Danny Ray along with him for a drop toe hold! Danny Ray goes down! Dane begins to mount Danny and go for a straight out brawl with punches to the face! Danny instinctively begins to cover his face while Dane is beginning to simply turn this match from wrestling to full out MMA. Luckily, Danny finds the ropes nearby. Senior Referee Gabe Valentine steps in the middle and begins the five-count to get Dane to stop. The challenger seems to know how to get as close to five as possible without actually reaching that number.

Taylor: Last show, at Prestige 44, Eric Dane ended the career and completely disfigured Greg Adkins. Now, he's looking to do the same to Danny Ray. I mean, those punches!
Romano: I agree. This is a dangerous game, being in the ring with him. He's turned the match into mixed martial arts. He doesn't just want the belt. He wants utter dominance.

As Eric Dane confidently returns to the center of the ring, Danny Ray gets up to his feet. He stares at him intently. He begins to snarl at the titanic threat in front of him. As he approaches the center of the ring, Danny Ray lifts up his hands like they were punching gloves. Eric Dane raises an eyebrow. The people begin to gasp at such a confident display with such great opposition.

Taylor: What!? What are you even doing, Danny!? Cassius, can you make sense of this?
Romano: Danny Ray is a proud man and he does everything for his kids. I think he wants to beat Eric Dane at all costs. At his own game too.

Eric is stunned for a moment but ends up shrugging. He thinks, if that's how he wants to go, so be it. He moves forward and shoots with a straight punch, but Danny blocks the punch. Danny counters with a right hook, but Dane's forearm blocks it. The two continue testing each other but it doesn't take long before the intensity kicks up and the punches get harder. Soon, the punches go full out. One fateful punch sends Danny sent back several feet back even though Danny was able to block the blow, but Danny moves at full speed. Dane sees Danny's guard down. He goes for a blow, but Danny stretches his head back and goes for a knee to the head. ERIC DANE GETS TAKEN DOWN! The people are taken aback. They make some noise! They may find both to be repulsive, but damn! This is some big stuff happening!

Taylor: The invincible Eric Dane gets taken down! Danny Ray is turning things around!
Romano: I believe he calls this A Father's Redemption!

Danny Ray goes down and he covers for the pin:


...One!


...Two!


...THREE!


NO! Dane gets his foot on the ropes!

Taylor: NO! This match is not over yet! Eric Dane is able to cheat this loss! He's still in here!
Romano: Although I will have to say, this is the closest anyone's ever been to beating him. If Danny Ray wants this belt, he better capitalize.

Danny Ray gets up. His eyes are wide open. That should have been a three! Eric Dane slides out of the ring. He grabs a hold of his forehead. He's even rubbing on it a little bit. A bold move. A very bold move. He looks over to Danny and gives him an approving nod. Danny doesn't react. He's still glaring forward. Eric Dane is circling around the ring, waiting for his move. He slowly moves around to the other side of the ring before sliding in. Now it's the opposite of the beginning of the match. Danny Ray is stomping a hole through Dane, trying to keep him down. But Dane is slowly getting to his feet. As he finally becomes vertical, he finds that he doesn't stay there very long. Danny sends another kick to Eric, but this time, it's to his stomach. Eric Dane doubles over. Danny quickly takes advantage as he hooks the arms. The people know exactly what's coming!

Taylor: The Sitter! The Sitter!
Romano: Here it comes!

And BANG!

Back Body Drop! Eric Dane reverses that to a back body drop! As Eric Dane gets himself back up straight, he takes a deep breath. His skin tone is still flush. Heck, he may not admit it, but that was a little bit too close for comfort. Eric Dane turns around and is actually quite surprised that Danny Ray has almost already reached his feet. That big guy can move! Danny Ray moves for a punch, but Eric Dane blocks. Wait. He didn't feel a punch. He drops his guard for a bit - it's a fake! Danny moves forward for the real punch and strikes him where his finisher hit. The added oomph to the damaged spot leaves him vulnerable. Danny Ray moves forward! A FATHER'S REDEMPTION! Eric Dane sees this, but he's ready to get his ass kicked if he can extend the same courtesy. He moves forward as well. STAR BREAKER! He slightly modifies his BOMAYE knee strike to go after Danny Ray, and thoroughly equipped with his vibranium knee brace as well!

THEY BOTH STRIKE ONE ANOTHER AND BOTH OF THEM GO DOWN!

Taylor: WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED!?
Romano: I... Did Eric Dane just go in there KNOWING that would happen? AND LOOK! LOOK AT DANE!

It didn't work the first time, but it sure as hell worked the second time. Eric Dane's face is all busted open and he's beginning to bleed. Meanwhile, Danny Ray looks completely out of it. Both of them are on their backs and completely not even sure where they all are. Their arms listlessly flail around, trying to fight the urge to give up but as they're both tired, they don't get too far. Moments go by where the real actions occur outside the ring. That's where the fans are hooting and hollering. They hate the wrestlers, but they can't help but love the wrestling. At one fateful moment, Eric Dane flips over to his stomach and drapes his arm around Danny Ray. The referee moves for the count.


...One!


...Two!


...Three!


The bell rings.

Jessie Love: Here is your winner and the NEW AWF United States Champion - Eric DAAAAAANE!

Taylor: What a match! My word, what a match! Eric Dane got by, with no small help from Lady Luck and that Vibranium knee brace of his!
Romano: And let's not forget Danny Ray who fought his heart out and surprised us all with just how much he was able to take down someone farther than anyone else so far. Now the question we're all asking is what's next for these two?

[ForeverKuroi]

Santa: HO HO HO!


The words “Santa Claus” immediately appear on the entrance screens. The crowd’s excitement builds during the long intro to the song, and when the song builds, jolly old Saint Nick appears on the entrance ramp!

Jessie Love: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, from the North Pole, SANTAAAAAAAAAAA CLAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUSSS!

Taylor: Santa! What a happy surprise, we’re only four days out from Christmas now!
Romano: He’s got his big red sack with him, Tommy! I bet you get a giant lump of coal!
Taylor: Bah humbug, Cassius!

Santa is dressed in his traditional red pants and hat. His plump tummy is covered by his coat and his giant white beard is lovingly scraggly. He waves to the crowd and reaches into his sack, pulling out toys for small children as he makes his way down to the ring. He climbs the steps and lets out a jolly laugh as the crowd cheers even louder. He gets handed a microphone.

Santa: Merry Christmas AWF Fans!

Santa pauses as the crowd cheers for Kris Kringle.

Santa: Ms. Claus, the elves and I have been looking over the Naughty and Nice List to see who here has been good little boys and girls, and I have good news: all of you AWF fans are on the nice list this year!

The crowd cheers even louder. He waves them off.

Santa: Now, some of your gifts are still at the North Pole… however...

The crowd boos as Santa reaches into his sack. He pulls out something large and holds it up for the crowd: it’s a t-shirt gun!

Santa: ...however, I have t-shirts! Who wants a t-shirt?

The crowd immediately clamors for the shirts as Santa begins to shoot them off, one by one.

Santa: Who here’s a fan of the LGBTKO?

A section of the crowd pops louder than others, and Santa shoots a shirt into them. He pulls out another.

Santa: Where are the Maverick fans?

Santa keeps firing the shirts into the crowd as the announcers talk.

Taylor: A festive holiday surprise here from Father Christmas!
Romano: I hope I’m not on the naughty list! I want a shirt!



The Chief Asshole, Anthony Caffrey, arrives at the top of the ramp with his $10,000 briefcase in hand. He walks down to the ring, ignoring the loud booing coming from the crowd.

Taylor: No! Get him out of here, damnit!
Romano: He did promise to ruin someone’s night!

Santa sees Caffrey coming and attempts to joke with him.

Santa: Oh, what is this? Mr. Caffrey, I’m not sure you’re on the nice list… you’ve been awfully naughty this year!

The crowd laughs. Caffrey, standing on the outside of the ring, does not. He gives Santa a stoic stare before climbing into the ring.

Taylor: I would pack it in if I were Santa right now! Have the reindeer fly you back home to the North Pole!
Romano: Maybe he can turn Caffrey’s attitude around! Christmas time makes everyone happy. He can’t be a Scrooge forever!

Santa tries his best to cut the tension between the two.

Santa: Unfortunately Caffrey, I can’t help you! You’ve been on the naughty list for years! If you really want a gift, the best I could do is a lump of coal! HO HO HO!

Santa lets out a hearty laugh --- and immediately gets decked with the briefcase! He goes down hard as the crowd boos loudly!

Taylor: Damnit Caffrey!

Caffrey grabs the briefcase and continues to drive it right down into Santa’s sternum, repeating the blow over and over again. He keeps a level look as the crowd rains downs boos. The blood from the first briefcase shot keeps trickling into Santa’s beard.

Romano: If you have small children, I’d recommend looking away! Caffrey is on the warpath!

Santa tries to crawl away from Caffrey but Caffrey slams the briefcase into his forehead again. He drops the briefcase and grabs one of Santa’s ankles, popping off one of his black boots.

Taylor: Not the Process! Someone needs to stop him!
Romano: You want to do it, Tommy? I don’t think anyone wants to!

Caffrey firms up his grip and begins twisting away at Santa’s ankle! Santa screams out in pain and taps out just as quickly, but Caffrey isn’t letting go! He drops down and grapevines the leg!

Taylor: This is sick! Caffrey’s lost it!
Romano: He vowed he’d ruin someone’s night, but no one was expecting this!

Santa taps out as hard as he can, screaming out and making a commotion. The camera catches a little girl crying in the front row as Caffrey screams for Santa to tap. Security come running down the ramp to get Caffrey to release his hold. It takes three guys to get him off of Santa, and the crowd boo Caffrey fiercely.

Taylor: Finally! I hope they escort Caffrey out of here! He’s ruined Christmas!
Romano: He’s ruined Christmas, but he’s also definitely set a message here tonight. I would hate to be going against him anytime soon!

Caffrey smiles as he’s forcibly escorted to the back by the security guards. The camera picks up that they have plans to eject him from the building as the group disappears behind the curtain. The crowd boos the violence as technicians get in the ring with towels to clean up the bloody mess.

---

Jessie Love: The following contest is a Submissions Match with the winner guaranteed a Prestige Championship Match within the next year.



SO, SO, UNDENIABLE!

"Undeniable" by Seckond Chaynce begins to play as the lights dim. The crowds cheer as they know The Prince of Pain is about to come out. As the music kicks up, Michael Storm breaks through from behind the curtain. As he jumps out, he takes a moment to have a full view of his audience. He jumps up and down with the balls of his feet as he soaks up the energy. Michael Storm takes off his shirt and throws it into the crowd as he turns back to the ring in front of him. Storm runs down the line toward the ring. He circles around the ring once and slaps hands to in the front row. He then enters the ring and jumps up and down once more, waiting for the match to begin.

Jessie Love: Introducing first... Hailing from Brooklyn, New York and weighing in tonight at two hundred and twenty-one pounds... He is "The Prince of Pain" MICHAELLLLLLLL STORRRRRRRRRRRRRM!

Taylor: Here comes that sick and twisted Michael Storm, who presumably killed or choked out one of Chris Card's students in his own school a couple of weeks ago just to get this match, Cassius.
Romano: The way he did it was uncalled for, that's true, but he sent a message to Card that rocked him. This will not be a wrestling match, it'll be a fight.



The hard electronic beats of "Good L_ck (Yo_'re F_cked)" start up around the arena while purple and white beams of light shine on the entrance gate As the opening scream sounds out, Card steps through the gate and surveys the crowd. Card takes a slow walk down to the ring and steps through the ropes, followed by the beams. The lights change from beams to spinning spotlights as the music gets lower just before the chorus...

ONE MILLION VOICES CALL FROM THE OTHER SIDE
IF YOU COULD HEAR THEM YOU WOULD BE TERRIFIED...

The lights go back up and puple and white pyro fires off from the ring ropes as the chorus begins

GOOD LUCK!
YOU'RE FUCKED!
AND WE HATE TO SEE YOU GO MAN, BUT EVERYONE KNOWS YOU'RE SCREWED!

Card poses in the center of the ring, crossing his thumbs over where his heart would sit. The lights go up and Card moves over to his own corner and relaxes, the referee checking him over and finding nothing wrong.

Jessie Love: And his opponent... Hailing from Toronto, Ontario, Canada and weighing in tonight at at two hundred and twenty half pounds... He is Technical Perfection and is very...

Crowd: VERY!

Jessie Love: ...Good at what he does, CHRIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSS CAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRD!

Romano: Card has to have the eyes of a bull in this match, he's got to be seeing red when staring at Storm.
Taylor: But Storm is bla-
Romano: RIGHT LET'S GET ONTO THE MATCH, OKAY? OKAY!

[ForeverKuroi]

Prestige Championship #1 Contender's Match
Submission Match
Chris Card vs. Michael Storm

---

And the match begins with the bell ringing with Storm and Card bursting out of the gates, meeting in the middle where they both throw haymakers at one another, both blocking the opposite's strikes. It's Card that goes with the advantage and pushes Storm back into the corner, leaning into him with heavy body shots that blow the air out of Storm. Card backs out of the corner before running back at Storm with the knee to the stomach but Storm blocks it, throwing Card into the corner. Storm delivers a slap across the face that echoes throughout the XL Center before throwing quick Knife Edge Chops to the chest of Card. He cocks his arm back, shushing the crowd and fires with another Knife Edge Chop right into the turnbuckles! Card ducks it just in time!

Romano: Card teaching Storm to not hesitate on Technical Perfection.
Taylor: Definitely not because Card has twenty plus years under his belt.

Card goes for the irish whip on Storm, sending him to the opposite buckles before charging at Storm with his own Knife Edge Chop. Card brings Storm out of the corner with the Pendulum Backbreaker followed by a Knee Drop onto Storm’s cranium. Storm rolls away with Card getting the crowd to cheer on, he turns back around to find Storm making a run but Card comes in with the Sling Blade, quickly putting down Storm. He gets back to his feet and drives the boot to the stomach of Card, throwing him to the ropes and bringing up the knee for the Kitchen Sink. Card flips over, Storm rebounds off the ropes and connects the Snapmare onto Card.

Taylor: Storm is relentless here tonight, he’s on top of his game here!
Romano: Well it’s only early, Tommy, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.

Storm brings Card back to the seated position, rebounds off the ropes once more and gives Card the Penalty Kick but Card catches the leg, he sweeps the leg of Storm and locks in the Ankle Lock in the middle of the ring. Storm begins to crawl to the ropes but Card gets up to pull Storm back which leads to Storm turning around onto his back and kicking Card away. Storm goes for the irish whip but Card counters with his own, Storm bounces off the ropes and a Back Body Drop sends him flying and crashing down onto the mat. Card then leaps and connects the Heel Drop right onto the forehead of Storm. Card brings Storm to his feet and wraps his arms around the waist and drops Storm on his neck with the German Suplex. Card waits for Storm to get back to his feet and once he does, he raises the right leg and goes for The Calling Card but Storm grabs the boot, pushing it away but Card snaps back with a Question Mark Kick with his right leg not making contact with the mat! Storm stumbles back onto the ropes and Card grabs Storm by the head, turning him around and placing Storm in the Hammerlock but Storm slides out of it, Card instantly catches Storm off guard with a Knee Lift. Card goes for the Hammerlock once again, but this time Storm wraps his free arm around the head of Card, he slips the other arm out of the Hammerlock and connects both arms together before throwing Card to the mat with an Inverted Gator Roll RIGHT INTO FIFTY-TWO SECONDS OF HELL! THE NORTH TO SOUTH CHOKE IS LOCKED IN!

Taylor: Oh no! The choke hold is applied, and now we wait fifty two seconds!

But Card senses the hold is not fully tightened, he lifts the knees up to the top of Storm’s head, and again and again until Storm lets go of the choke hold. Card doesn’t seem phased by the choke hold at all, but he attempts his D’arce Choke, the Omega Clutch… to no avail as Storm slips free before both arms can connect. Storm gets back to his feet with Card on his back, Card then lifts up Storm into the Powerbomb position and runs to the corner, sending Storm for the ride of a Buckle Bomb. Storm staggers out of the corner and IS CAUGHT WITH THE CALLING CARD! CALLING CARD LANDS! RIGHT ON THE JAW! Storm simply stumbles out of the ring and Card follows. He brings Storm to his feet and then throws him right into the ring apron, and then into the barricades and then right into the steps! Card then sends Storm up high for a Back Body Drop but Storm just leaps onto the apron and delivers a sickening Punt Kick to Card.

Romano: You could hear that from the nosebleeds!
Taylor: Yes, it was quite the sickening kick but Card’s dealt with worse.

Storm brings Card up to the apron and then sits him on his shoulders in an Electric Chair position, he puts Card onto the top rope and begins to climb to the second, Storm then sets up Card into a Back to Back Double Underhook Piledriver on the second rope…

Taylor: ...is Storm going for the Vertebreaker off the second rope to the apron?
Romano: He’s going to kill Card!

...but Card begins to wiggle and breaks out of the hold before Storm could drop him, Card lands on his feet on the apron and grabs the arms of Storm between his legs, Card tucks his head between Storm’s legs and lifts Storm off the second rope AND DROPS HIM DOWN ONTO THE APRON WITH A JAPANESE OCEAN CYCLONE SUPLEX!

Taylor: Good lord! The Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex onto the apron!
Romano: And Storm’s head made a sickening thud upon impact, he might be out for all we know.

Storm rolls off of the apron and Card rolls into the ring, and then right back out to restart the count of the referee. Card grabs Storm by the hair and drags him to his feet, he throws him into the ring but Storm counters and throws Card right into the post with a loud thud heard around ringside! Card begins to bleed immensely and Storm throws Card into the post again before throwing him into the ring. Storm climbs the ropes as Card gets to his hands and knees, Storm leaps and drops onto Card with a Shooting Star Press down onto the spine of Technical Perfection. Storm drags Card into the middle of the ring and grabs Card’s left arm for a Grounded Hammerlock, grabbing the right arm and falling back with an Inverted Armbreaker, Storm doesn’t let go of the arm and keeps it bent back as Card screams for pain.

Romano: Jesus H. Christ! Storm might have snapped the arm out of it’s socket!
Taylor: He promised a ruthless ending, but not like this!

He begins to kick, in an attempt to reach the ropes, but he’s too far away. Finally, he’s able to touch the ropes with the tip of his boot and the referee begins the count as Storm resists to break the hold. He does at the count of four and begins a barrage of stomps onto Card. The referee pushes Storm back into the corner to check on Card’s right arm. Card gets to his feet, clutching at his right arm that’s in immense pain. Storm pushes the referee aside and begins an attack on the right arm, yanking at it and then throwing Card into the corner shoulder first. Storm runs to the ropes and rebounds BUT CARD CATCHES HIM WITH A SUPERKICK RIGHT INTO THE CHEST!

Taylor: HEARTBREAKER!
Romano: He hasn’t hit that move since Beach Blast against Maverick!

Storm stumbles back onto the ropes, rebounds AND CONNECTS THE TERMINATION PROJECTILE! CARD IS DOWN AND STORM ALREADY BRINGING CARD BACK TO HIS FEET, STORM LIFTS UP CARD AND DROPS HIM DOWN WITH THE THUNDER STRIKE! STORM GRABS HOLD OF THE LEGS AND LIFTS UP CARD INTO A HANGING REVERSE CLOVERLEAF!

Taylor: Oh my lord! What an innovative submission by Storm!
Romano: Storm is pulling out all the stops to make sure Card taps.

But Card rolls through and brings Storm down, he gets back to his knees AND THE CALLING CARD WAS WAITING FOR HIM! CARD BRINGS STORM TO HIS FEET, A ROUNDHOUSE TO THE RIBS FOLLOWED BY A QUESTION MARK KICK AND THEN A TEEP KICK, FINISHING IT OFF WITH MARITIN- NO! STORM DUCKS IT, BRINGS CARD DOWN AND DRAGS HIM TO THE MIDDLE OF THE RING WHERE HE APPLIES THE OMOPLATA TO THE LEFT ARM, HE GRABS THE INJURED RIGHT ARM AND BEGINS TO BEND IT BACK, USING HIS LEGS TO KEEP IT IN PLACE!

Taylor: Not again! Not again!
Romano: This is torture, look at Card’s face, I don’t think he’ll last long in this!

Card is screaming at the top of his lungs but resists to give up as the referee asks him, Storm then grabs the right arm and locks in an Americana BEFORE TWISTING AND BENDING THE ARM AS IF HE’S LOOKING TO SNAP THE ARM OUT OF IT’S FUCKING SOCKET! CARD LETS OUT A LOUD AND HORRIFIC SCREAM BUT SHAKES HIS HEAD TO GIVING UP BUT WITH ONE LAST DIRE TUG AND TORQUE AT THE ARM, CARD FINALLY GIVES IN AND THE REFEREE RINGS THE BELL! HE DRAGS STORM OFF OF CARD BEFORE RUSHING OVER TO HIM AND THROWING UP THE “X” SIGN!

Jessie Love: Here is your winner by Submission and the next Number One Contender to the Prestige Championship… MICHAELLLLLLLL STORRRRRRRRMMMMMM!

Romano: Holy shit… Storm might have broken the arm of Chris Card easily.
Taylor: You sick bastard, Storm, why did you have to end it like this?

Storm smiles, pleased with his work as he rolls out of the ring as the victor of this fight. Medical personnel make their way down the ramp and check on the badly hurt Chris Card and his injured arm.

[ForeverKuroi]

Jessie Love: The following match is AWF WARGAMES! The first two wrestlers to enter will fight for five minutes. Following that, a new wrestler will enter the match every two minutes. After every wrestler has entered that cage, the match will be decided by pinfall or submission.

Romano: I hope you got all that, folks, because we’re not paying Jessie to explain that again.

"Sometimes you gotta... close a door... to open a window..."

The thick rolling bassline from "NEW MAGIC WAND" by Tyler the Creator thumps out over the arena. Six letters fade into view on the jumbotrons.

The lights in the arena begin to rotate between all the colors of the rainbow, focusing down on the entry ramp in unison, where Seth Dillinger, Bloodied Fox and Ryan Young walk out, drenched in a sea of rainbow light. Dillinger wears his cheeky sunglasses, Fox with a look of sheer determination on his face while Young walks out, a fury in his eyes, glaring down at the ring. The two of them stand and soak up the light for a moment, the crowd going bananas for them. Fox and Young step into their holding cage on the side of the stage while Seth walks down to the ring and begins his warm ups.

Taylor: Big match, high stakes.

Romano: The highest. We’re talking front row of a Phish concert, here.

The PA system fades out and three voices ring out.

Hyperion: A PRAYER FOR THE FALLEN.

Natasha: A PRAYER FOR THOSE…

Kuroi: WHO ARE ABOUT TO FALL.

“MY NAME IS LEGION, FOR WE ARE MANY!”

As the opening chords to 'Legion' start to play, smoke billows out from the stage itself, casting a cloud around the entrance. Legion's entrance video plays on the big screen as a few moments pass, before the two hulking beasts, Hyperion and Kuroi to walk forward. They stop on stage, Kuroi exchanging words with Hyperion striding confidently towards the ring while Kuroi walks into the holding cage on the opposite side of the stage. 

Taylor: Where’s Natasha? This match isn’t going to be three on two is it?

Romano: When is the last time you saw Natasha walk out of the entrance area?

Taylor: Good point. So how do you think the match is going to go?

Romano: Brutal. Violent. No quarter given. This is WarGames.

---

Winner Takes All War Games

AWF Prestige Championship and XHF Tag Team Championships

Whoever makes the fall wins the AWF Prestige Championship, their partners win the XHF Tag Team Championships

Legion vs. LGBTKO

Hyperion (c.), Kuroi, and Natasha vs. Seth Dillinger (c.), Ryan Young (c.), and Bloodied Fox

---

The bell rings and Seth Dillinger and Hyperion close quickly. Hype throws his arm out to the side, trying to decapitate his opponent with the First Principle, first god damn move of the match. Seth snakes under the arm and sprints for the far ropes. He rebounds off and leaps up, aiming a dropkick square at Hyperion’s kisser but a dismissive swipe of the arm sends Seth sprawling across the ring. The Mad Titan grunts and curls his lip up into a sneer of superiority.

Taylor: Strength vs speed. Who will gain the early dominance in this match?

Romano: This opening period sets the tone for the rest of WarGames. Neither of their stables’ most prominent and decorated members will want to start slow.

Dillinger is back on his feet instantly and comes in at Hyperion at some speed, teeing off with some rapid fire forearms which, to be fair, don’t seem to be doing much to The Titan King. Hype soaks up the punishment and then fires off one big ham hock sized fist into Seth’s face. Dillinger flies backwards with the impact of the move but uses his catlike grace to remain on his feet. Seth begins to circle again while Hype eyes him.

Taylor: Hyperion is a monster of a man. A literal, as well as metaphorical titan.

Romano: Though Seth has experience against larger opponents but in the confines of the steel cage, it can be hard to get away from a physically dominant adversary.

Carefully closing in, Seth tries to go for an arm, possibly thinking that he can wrench it. But he strays a little too close to Hyperion’s reach and The Mad Titan grabs hold of him, transitioning quickly to a waistlock and then LAUNCHING Seth over his head with a Railgun Belly to Belly. Seth goes flying and Hype slowly turns to survey the damage. Seth is, again, quick to regain his footing but Hyperion storms in, connecting with a couple of booming shots to Seth’s face, which send Seth to the ropes and as The Party Boy rebounds into his reach, Hyperion drives his shoulder firmly into Seth’s midsection, wraps him up with a tackle and then, with the pair on the ground, pounds Seth with a quick series of hammer fists.

Taylor: Hyperion is a man of rare strength.

Romano: And a rare capacity for violence. If you were building the perfect professional wrestler, he’s your Vitruvian man.

Hyperion stands and drags Seth up to his feet. A quick standing switch gives The Titan King a back waistlock and a MASSIVE German Suplex follows. Hyperion stands, triumphant. Bloodied Fox is bouncing up and down in the holding cage, keen to get in on the action. Waiting on Seth to stand up, Hyperion watches Seth’s every move. Seth slowly gets to his feet and Hyperion is on him with a speed that few associate with him. Hyperion wraps his hand around Seth’s throat…

Taylor: THE HIGH ONE!

Crowd: FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE!

And just as Hyperion is about to lift Seth up, Bloodied Fox comes rushing down the entrance ramp at a speed of… real fuckin’ fast. Fox goes, double quick time, from ring apron to ropes and springboards off with a body press, corking and uncorking his body mid flight! Hype gets knocked forwards with the effort and he drops Dillinger who stands, gasping for breath.

Taylor: Bloodied Fox arriving at just the right time.

Romano: That’s the power of the man advantage in WarGames. Sometimes you need bailing out and being one person stronger is going to give you additional bailouts.

Fox gives Dillinger a hand up and the pair rush the ropes simultaneously. In perfect step, they hit Hyperion with beautiful stereo dropkicks. Still in sync, The Vulpine Scavenger and the Party Animal kip up and then they both hit spinning wheel kicks on Hyperion, rolling away to opposite sides of the ring. Both men get to their feet and point to each other, count to three on their fingers and charge again at the groggy Hyperion, this time staggering their attack so Fox connects first with a kick, Seth second. Hyperion slumps against the ropes.

Crowd: FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE!

And out of his cage comes Kuroi. As Seth Dillinger and Bloodied Fox light up Hyperion’s chest with chops, one firing off after another, Kuroi storms down to the ring and, rather than saving his partner, starts bringing the plunder out from under the ring. Chairs, kendo sticks, a baseball bat. All thrown carelessly into the ring. Finally Kuroi grabs a pair of trash can lids...

Crowd: WE WANT TABLES! WE WANT TABLES!

...and strips into the ring.

Crowd: BOOOOOOOOO!

Taylor: Kuroi not giving the fans what they want, there.

Romano: And why should he?

An armed Kuroi is a dangerous Kuroi and he walks over to Fox and Seth. CRASH! One massive overhand swing cracks Seth over the head! CRASH! A swing from his other arm cracks Fox. DOUBLE CRASH! A swing from both arms smacks both members of LGBTKO. Kuroi drops a trashcan lid and picks up a Kendo stick, tossing it over to Hyperion. Kuroi holds the remaining lid over a stunned Fox’s head and Hype hits a massive downward cane shot, onto the lid, onto Fox’s forehead. Hype grabs Fox by an arm and whips him so hard, he flies over the ropes between the two rings…

Crowd: FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE!

...and Hyperion and Kuroi both turn to Seth Dillinger. Ryan Young RUSHES down to ringside. Hype holds the Kendo Stick high, looking to crack Seth’s skull open with the shot if he can but Young is quick enough to leap up and grab the end of the stick. Hyperion turns to face Young, looking positively peeved. Now it’s Seth who chop blocks Hyperion. Hype is staggered. Kuroi weighs in, throwing haymakers at anyone who dares get close to him and FOX USES THE FAR RING’S ROPES TO SLINGSHOT OVER THE GAP BETWEEN THE RINGS INTO A HURACANRANA ON KUROI! 

Taylor: LOOK AT THE AGILITY OF BLOODIED FOX!

Romano: Look at the agility of this entire team. It’s their big edge in the match.

Hyperion strides forwards, looking for an opponent to throw around… but Fox rolls out of reach and Young tags Hype with a knee strike. Hype turns to block a follow up shot and SETH tags Hype with a strike. Now Hype doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going as A TRIPLE DROPKICK FINALLY TAKES HIM OFF HIS FEET!

FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE!

Smoke billows out from under the ring until it fills the air around the cage with a thick fog. It slowly clears, wrestlers inside finding their bearings slowly as Natasha, of course, is standing in the unpopulated ring. The Gothic Goddess stands, square on to where her opponents are fighting and lets her whip unfurl...

Taylor: Natasha…

Romano: Told you.

Taylor: Came ready for pain.

...and the camera zooms in on the whip, revealing that she has wrapped a single strand of barbed wire around it. Natasha runs the whip across her hand and looks at the little cut she opened up on herself. She smiles. Kuroi grabs Bloodied Fox and Irish Whips him into the ropes and as Fox’s back touches the ropes, Natasha cracks the whip and it lashes Fox across his back. The cut isn’t huge (it’s hard to get a good contact with an unbalanced whip and there’s not a LOT of barbed wire there) but Fox is clearly opened up a bit.

Taylor: Natasha could cause some serious injury with that whip!

Romano: And do you think she cares?

Taylor: No.

Romano: Wrong answer. Of course Natasha cares, just in the opposite direction to most sane human beings.

Natasha seems filled with girlish glee as she approaches the ring boundary. She reaches all the way across to Fox and grabs the Vulpine Scavenger by the hair. She bends him backwards and, cutting her own hand in the process again, wraps the end of her whip around his neck. The Gothic One leans down and licks the cut she made.

Romano: Hey, Draven is going to sue for copyright infringement there!

Crowd: YOU SICK FUCK! YOU SICK FUCK!

Meanwhile in the other ring, Kuroi wanders over to where the garbage can is laying. He grabs it, slams it down over a distracted Ryan Young’s head and lifts the trapped Young up, slamming him back first into a corner. Young tries to free himself, but Kuroi has plenty of time to grab the baseball bat and he swings it into the can, rocking Young and crushing the can inwards. Kuroi does a mocking bat flip.

Taylor: Ouch. That HAD to hurt.

Romano: Most of this match is designed to hurt.

Hyperion, meanwhile has a one on one with Seth and he grabs Dillinger and hoists him over a soldier. Hype rushes at the ropes and given how high he has lifted Seth, is able to ram his back into the cage. The Titan King turns and powerslams him back into the middle of the ring!

Taylor: OKLAHOMA STAMPEDE!

Hyperion covers…

ONE!

TWO!

TH… Fox slips out of Natasha’s clutches and breaks that pin attempt up. The Gothic Goddess turns her attention to Ryan Young who has slowly worked his way free from the garbage can. Facing into the other ring, he looks over to Natasha who cracks the whip again, leving a bloodied line across his chest. Young sucks it up and clambers through the ropes, hoping to deny Natasha the space to get another lash off. BUT NATASHA BUTS THAT OFF WITH A SHOUTEI!

Taylor: DAEMON’S PALM!

Hyperion walks over to Bloodied Fox. Kuroi walks over to Seth Dillinger. All three members of Legion extend an arm and grab their nearest opponent around the throat… DARK HALO TO DILLINGER! THE HIGH ONE TO BLOODIED FOX! HAND OF FATE TO RYAN YOUNG!

Taylor: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN? ALL THE CHOKESLAMS!

Romano: All you will ever need.

TRIPLE PIN COVER!

ONE!

TWO!

THRE……. ALL THREE MEMBERS OF LGBTKO KICK OUT!

Crowd: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

LGBTKO get back to their feet, slowly but with a little fire burning in their eyes. Glances are shared. Punches are thrown by all the Legion members but the LGBTKO crew duck out of the way. Seth grabs a chair off the floor and tosses it to Young. He grabs another two, passes one to Fox and keeps the last one. More punches come in and there is a triple CRACK of flesh on steel as the punches get blocked. Legion back off a half step and Fox, Young and Dillinger all take mighty swings with the chairs… AND ALL THREE CONNECT!

Romano: Do you think Felix would approve?

Taylor: What, why?

Romano: We have three new applicants to be chairman.

Fox joins Ryan in the other ring. He grabs Natasha by the arm and bends it into a wrist clutch. Fox spins Natasha out into a ripcord but ducks out of the way rather than hitting A Hustle, Sweetheart… AND RYAN HITS A RUNNING METEORA ONTO NATS INSTEAD! Ryan covers…

ONE!

TWO!

TH… Kuroi switches rings and breaks up that cover. He grasps Fox by the throat and lifts him up, holding him there for an AGE before delivering a WORLD SHATTERING CHOKESLAAAAAAAAAAM.

Taylor: DARK HALO! DARK HALO!

But Ryan Young charges in and KNEES KUROI SQUARE ON THE BRIDGE OF THE NOSE! KUROI’S FACE IS A MESS!

Taylor: CALIFORNIA DREAM!

Romano: Kuroi is going to need his nose reset tomorrow.

Seth and Hyperion face off and Hype goes for the kill. He whips Seth, extending an arm and trying to lariat him into another dimension.

Taylor: FIRST PRINCIPLE!

BUT SETH DUCKS! SETH RUNS TO THE ROPES AND SPRINGBOARDS OFF, TWISTING IN MIDAIR AND AS HE FALLS, HE LOCKS UP HYPE’S HEAD IN A THREE QUARTER NELSON AND DRIVING HYPE’S CHIN INTO DILLINGER’S SHOULDER!

Taylor: South Philly Stunner!

Seth covers.

ONE!

TWO!

THRE…. HYPERION KICKS OUT!

Fox runs defense against the stunned opponents in the other ring. Seth, immediately after the pin cover knows exactly what he has to do. He calls Ryan Young over to watch his back as he begins to climb up the cage. Young gets Hyperion to his feet and swings a chair at the behemoth, CRASHING STEEL TO SKULL! HYPE STAGGERS AND WHEELS AROUND… JUST AS SETH DILLINGER GETS TO THE TOP OF THE CAGE!

Crowd: PLEASE DON’T DIE! PLEASE DON’T DIE!

DILLINGER TURNS AND LEAPS OFF OF THE CAGE! HE CORKSCREW ROUND IN MIDAIR, HAVING JUDGED HIS ARC OF FLIGHT PERFECTLY IN THAT BRIEF RUSH OF ADRENALINE…

KUROI GRABS BLOODIED FOX AND HOISTS HIM UP IN A CRUCIFIX POWERBOMB POSITION, AND NATASHA TURNS AWAY!

DILLINGER FALLS THOUGH THE AIR…

KUROI THROWS OUT BLOODIED FOX INTO A NECKBREAKER FROM NATASHA!

...AND SETH HOOKS HYPE IN MID SWANDIVE, CRACKING HYPE’S CHIN INTO SHOULDER AGAIN!

Crowd: HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!

Taylor: BLACK MONDAY TO FOX! SUPER… MEGA SOUTH PHILLY STUNNER 

Romano: That was so far South of Philly it’s practically in Del… NO… THIS IS NO TIME FOR JOKES! THAT WAS FUCKING AWESOME!

Seth covers..

ONE!

TWO!

Kuroi and Natasha try to climb into the other ring but Ryan Young has grabbed a chair and wipes both of them out with rapid head shots.

THREE!

Jessie Love: Your winners of this match - LGBTKO! With the NEW Tag Team Champions: Bloodied Fox and Ryan Young! And the NEW AWF Prestige Champion: SETH DILLINGER!

It is at this point at the cage raises.

Taylor: Can you believe it, Cassius!? Every single belt has changed tonight! And LGBTKO got a HUGE victory over Legion! 

Romano: But this has serious repercussions. How will this change the landscape of the AWF and the XHF Network? Since will soon be seen...

Tommy is cut off by the arena lights plunging into darkness, sending a huge cheer into the air for the crowd. The only light is now from the tron, playing a very familiar and recent image…the clip of Hyperion’s church burning. While this draws the attention all all Legion members, they are not ready for what comes next.




Taylor: Holy crap! StormCrow! Is he really here, is he suicidal??

Romano: We didn’t have proof that Crow had anything to do with the fire, and still don’t. But this clip and music combined.

Without any more hesitation, Hyperion’s attention is solely on the stage now, and the figure walking out. His style, top hat and trench coat are a dead giveaway, but the gleaming golden belt around his waist.

Romano: And here he is, the XHF European Champion in the flesh!

Taylor: StormCrow is a walking deadman, but instead of running he’s walking out here to face the music. The man must be fearless! Or brainless!

Distracted by his own fury, Hyperion yells and screams unheard abuse towards his former colleague, who goads and gestures back from the stage. Hyperion is livid, furious…and distracted enough to miss what is coming. With his focus entirely gone from the defeat he just endured Hyperion starts to scale the ropes to the outside.

Taylor: StormCrow! He’s going after StormCrow!

Making a beeline straight for the European Champion, Hyperion breaks into a full charge up the stage, chasing StormCrow into the backstage area.

---

Hyperion: Fool, you have brought this upon yourself, you have sealed your own death warrant.

Catching up to the action backstage, our cameras finally locate Hyperion…and the bloodied, battered StormCrow beneath him on the floor. Hyperion wails on the old man, ground pounding him into pieces before standing high above him and continuing with hard, vicious stomps. As we pan out, we see Hyperion is joined by some of his followers, all gathered around in a mob to shout and berate the European Champion.

Hyperion: I once called you ‘brother’, once heralded you as my best disciple, my protégé.

Crow: *spits blood* You used me like your drug mule, your cook. You can get fuck-

Hyperion lands a football punt right into the ribs of StormCrow, shutting him up in agonizing groans.

Hyperion: We have all chased the light, the path to Ascension, and now you have taken that away from us all. You have failed to deliver us to eternal bliss in the heavens above. You have failed to honor your words, and your family. You have failed the Legion, and me. 

Hyperion turns to signal something to a follower, who promptly passes an object to Hyperion… his trident. 

Hyperion: This is not how I would have wished our story to finish, this is not how I would have imagined your tale to cease. But you leave me no choice, StormCrow. You are a poison, a disease, and I must cut you from our world.

As he speaks, Hyperion angles the trident into his hands, into a ‘spear’ position. He holds it up, over StormCrow’s crumpled form.

Hyperion: May Hades show you mercy, as you sail with him into the afterlife. Fare thee well, StormCrow…

Hyperion thrusts the spear forward, towards the flinching StormCrow, aiming to end his existence when-

“FREEZE! HANDS IN THE AIR, WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!”

The loud yelling distracts Hyperion, who misses the lunge. He still hits his mark, piercing StormCrow’s shoulder but missing his main target, the chest. The loud authoritative voice belongs to one of Hartford PD’s finest, a burly police office who has his pistol drawn and aimed at Hyperion’s torso. Flanking him are several other police, rushing to the scene.

Hyperion: What is th-

Before he can let loose another word, two separate sets of taser wires fire forward, shocking the giant and electrocuting him down to one knee. He grimaces between the pulses, taking all those countless votes like a tank. The followers see what is happening and start to bolt. Many flee, some others are tackled by the police. As Hyperion vibrates in electric agony, the main officer approaches him with his badge out.

Cop: James Knox, also known as Hyperion, you are under arrest for conspiring to run an organized criminal cult, for the murders of several cult members, for the defilement and distribution of deceased remains, for the kidnapping and torture of your cult members, and for countless assault and victimizing charges. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to a lawyer, if you cannot afford a lawyer...

As the officer reads Hyperion his rights, he also makes sure to slap on a set of cuffs. Knowing exactly who he is up against, he makes sure to double up and puts a second pair on too, for good measure. Him and another officer pull Hyperion to his feet, who is still reeling from the taser attack. 

Cop: Take a look around you ‘Hyperion’, you won’t be seeing a wrestling arena for a veeery long time.

Weakened but still furious, Hyperion growls to the cops around him, taking one last look at StormCrow below him in a pool of blood, the trident still stuck in his should as he caws in agony. Hyperion grunts one more time before the police remove him from the scene, and medics can finally attend to StormCrow. We fade out on this shocking scene, to a much happier less gruesome commercial. 

[ForeverKuroi]

---

Taylor: Ladies and Gentlemen, it is Main Event time and some would say after the Gauntlet… This is a dream match that’s been in the making for the last two years!

Romano: It definitely has been, Tommy, we’ve watched Bobby make a quick jump to the top of the mountain whilst also watching Maverick fall and rise over two years but this year or even since A Very AWF Christmas last year, Maverick has been on a roll with some stumbles along the way but this is his last chance to fulfill a promise he made to become X*Crown Champion by the end of the year.

Taylor: Well tonight is the night, can he do it or will Bobby put him down for good and end this charade of chances for The Prince of Immortality?

The crowd cheer and whistle loudly until...

The intro to the Junkie XL Remix of Inception by Hanz Zimmer begins as the lights dim to near darkness, leaving very little light to shine around. Once the beat kicks in, the lights don a purple shade as we see Maverick stand upon the stage in his ring gear and a black jacket, opened and the hood over his head. He looks out to the crowd before making his way to the ring, he makes his way to ringside and climbs onto the ring apron and looks out to the crowd before raising his hand up high for a minute and lowering it, brushing his feet on the mat and leaping into the ring and then climbing up the ropes at the nearest corner to him. He looks out to the crowd and letting out a roar, stretching his arms out before taking off his jacket and preparing for his match.

Taylor: His journey to here began with a return nobody saw coming, hyped since Prestige Forty Four and now after winning the Gauntlet… Is this the night where Maverick finally cements himself to a legacy he’s chased for so long?

Romano: He’s taken the long road, a road that left himself battered and bruised but he’s been able to break free from everything that held him down. In this first time one on one encounter, my money is on Maverick to win tonight.

Taylor: A bold prediction as we await the entrance of our champion…

Be Legendary by Pop Evil starts playing over the sound system. The fans start to cheer in anticipation as purple lights swirl around the arena. When the lyrics come in, all of the house lights come up, illuminating the entire arena in a swathe of Purple and the spotlights converge on the entrance way as Bobby Barratt appears on the stage. The fans go crazy as he allows their cheers to wash over him for a second before heading down to the ring. He heads down to the ring with a plodding intensity that sees him walk past the fans, focused on the match ahead. Bobby hops to the apron and wipes his feet before springing over the top rope and taking in the adoration of the fans.

Taylor: And here comes the champion, winning it back at End of Days to secure a second reign this year alone, he’s looking to be a man who starts the year and ends the year as X*Crown Champion!

Romano: His first reign began at last year’s A Very AWF Christmas, so to see things come full circle for Bobby is a delight.

Taylor: And now it all comes down to two men who have wanted at each other’s throats in a One on One match for years...Let’s take it to Jessie for the ring announcements!

All the lights in the arena point to the ring, the crowd left in the dark.

Jessie Love: The following contest is scheduled for one fall…

Crowd: ONE FALL!

Jessie Love: ...and it is for the XHF X*Crown Championship!

The crowd cheered loudly as Jessie points towards the challenger.

Jessie Love: Introducing first, the challenger. Hailing from Wexford Town, County Wexford, Ireland. Weighing in tonight at one hundred and ninety-five pounds… He is The Prince of Immortality… MAAAAAAAAVVVVVERIIIIIIIIIIICKKKKK!

A loud “MAV-ER-ICK” chant breaks out within the crowd as Jessie points to the champion.

Jessie Love: And his opponent, the champion. Hailing from Walsall, England. Weighing in tonight at two hundred and three pounds… He is the current, reigning and defending… XHF X*Crown Champion… BOBBYYYYYYYYYYY BARRRRRRATTTTTTTTT!

---

X*Crown Championship Match

Bobby Barratt vs. Maverick

---

The title is held up high for everyone to see, the referee hands it to the time keeper before checking on both competitors and then calling for the bell to ring.

DING DING!

The bell is rung but both Maverick and Bobby stay in their corners, staring at one another before Maverick is the first to move forward in a slow manner, Bobby follows in the same pace until they are nose to nose in the middle of the ring. Bobby shoves Maverick back but Maverick answers back with a shove of his own. Both of them begin to shove each other away before the fists begin to fly, trading blows until it’s Maverick who is being pushed back into the corner with the punches. With his back to the corner, he tries to block each punch coming in from Bobby but a kick to the gut stops the barrage. Maverick then puts Bobby in the corner and begins a barrage of his own with kicks to the abdomen, thighs and driving a knee to the chest of Bobby. Maverick brings Bobby out of the corner and lifts Bobby up into a Fireman’s Carry position but Bobby slides down the back of Maverick and drops him with a German Suplex. Maverick rolls backwards and right onto his feet where he backs himself into the corner, Bobby runs up and goes for a Corner Splash but Maverick moves out of the way, he raises the knee for a Bicycle Knee but Bobby blocks it and pushes Maverick away. Bobby goes for the Bicycle Kick but Maverick moves out of the way, he goes for a Spinning Hook Kick but Bobby ducks the kick and follows up with the Iconkick but Maverick catches the foot and connects a Dragon Screw Leg Whip!

Taylor: A nice sequence of counters there by these two, they know each other more than they know themselves it seems, Cassius.

Romano: A perfect strategy to have when entering a match like this, Tommy. You’d want to be on your toes at all times.

Bobby gets back to his feet, Maverick springs onto the second rope and dives back with a Corkscrew Crossbody, knocking down the champion. Maverick kips up, drops the knee onto the forehead of Bobby but he’s able to move out of the way. Buzzsaw Kick by Bobby connects to the back of Maverick’s head. Maverick is seated as Bobby looks to bounce off the ropes and connect a Shining Wizard to the challenger. Bobby goes for the cover.

O-

Immediate kick out from Maverick who rolls out of the ring. Bobby takes notice of Maverick’s actions and stands back up, bouncing on the spot as he watches below where Maverick is beginning to rise to his feet. Bobby runs and rebounds but he doesn’t go over, Baseball Dropkick… Maverick leaps onto the apron and Bobby goes through his legs, Maverick springs off the second rope with a Moonsault onto Bobby! Maverick lands back first on the steel barricade that surrounds the ring, wrenching in pain from the impact but he’s able to grab Bobby and throw him back inside of the ring. Maverick leaps onto the apron and eyes up Bobby, once he’s up Maverick springboards back into the ring but misses the knee, Bobby shoots back into it with a Shotgun Dropkick that sends Maverick flying across the ring and into the corner.

Taylor: Oh lord! Did you see how Maverick’s head bounced off the second turnbuckle? That was some serious whiplash for Maverick.

Romano: He seems to be okay, he’s still moving but that’s got to have stunned the challenger. He went through war at the beginning of the show, lord knows if he recovered in time, but Bobby might have him scouted and when you’re Maverick… That isn’t a good sign.

Maverick sits in the corner, slumped over and trying to regain consciousness. Bobby makes his way over to Maverick and stands him up in the corner. Now Bobby is the one delivering the kicks to the abdomen of Maverick until he falls and slumps over again. Bobby looks down with a smirk on his face as he drags Maverick back up to his feet and back into the same position as before, this time Bobby stands on the second rope and grabs a handful of Maverick’s hair before letting a punch connect to Maverick.

Crowd: ONE!

And then another punch lands.

Crowd: TWO!

And another…

Crowd: THREE!

...and another…

Crowd: FOUR!

...and another…

Crowd: FI- OH!

...but the punch doesn’t land, Maverick grabs the hand and then grabs Bobby by the head, tucking it in on the turnbuckles as Maverick superkicks Bobby, he falls back off the second rope and down onto his back. Maverick taps the side of his head to the crowd and then proceeds to climb up to the second rope, then does a handstand on the top rope! Maverick falls back onto the ropes and connects a Split Legged Moonsault onto Bobby, hooking the legs.

ONE

And a kick out from the champion. Maverick sits there and thinks of what to do next, he points to the top turnbuckle and the crowd roars with excitement! Maverick makes his way up top but Bobby is able to come back and leaps onto the top rope, both men begin to brawl on the top and Bobby gets the upper hand, looking to go for a Spanish Fly off the top rope but Maverick slips through and drops down onto the apron, pulling Bobby’s leg in the process as he falls onto the turnbuckle. Maverick then climbs back up and looks for the Double Foot Stomp onto Bobby who hangs from the Tree of Woe but just as Maverick is about to leap, Bobby pulls himself up and grabs Maverick, sending him across the ring with a Spider Belly to Belly Suplex!

Taylor: What a move!

Romano: BUT MAVERICK LANDED ON HIS FEET!

...Indeed he does, landing on his feet from the Belly to Belly off the top. Maverick quickly turns back around and springs onto the ropes, leaping backwards and finally connecting that Double Foot Stomp onto Bobby!

Romano: Holy hell! I’ve never seen such agility from someone before, Maverick really has adapted from his past!

Taylor: Springing onto the ropes to deliver that Stomp to Bobby who couldn’t break free in time, that was impressive as all hell!

Maverick walks around the ring until he’s backed up into a corner, crouching down and just staring at the fallen Bobby Barratt. Bobby begins to move as he grabs the ropes for leverage whilst Maverick continues to watch. Finally, as Bobby gets back to his feet, Maverick does the same. Both men stare at one another, Bobby with a fiery look in his eyes whilst Maverick keeps a calm demeanor throughout the staredown. Both men circle around the ring before meeting up in the middle with a Collar and Elbow Tie Up. Maverick seems to get the advantage but Bobby throws him back into the corner at the last second and begins to fire away some heavy shots to the Prince of Immortality. Maverick cowers and when an open opportunity is shown, he fires back with some wild swinging punches but Bobby puts an end to that with a forearm that rocks Maverick! Bobby hoists Maverick up to the top turnbuckle before delivering a Superkick to the shins and dropping Maverick back down with the Iconbreaker! Maverick then falls out of the ring and onto the floor, Bobby slams the mat hoping to have ended it there and then.

Taylor: ICONBREAKER! ICONBREAKER!

Romano: But Maverick tumbles out of the ring, either that’s some good ring smarts or it was pure luck on behalf of Maverick himself.

Taylor: Either way, it doesn’t do any good for Bobby who looks to retain here tonight.

Bobby gives chase and drags Maverick back into the ring, Bobby slides in and Maverick grabs the arm, locking in a High Angled Fujiwara Armbar! Bobby is smart to use his foot to hit the ropes but Maverick drags him by the arm into the center of the ring to lock it in again! The crowd begin to pressure Bobby into tapping but he wags his finger. Maverick then rolls over, keeping the arm in place as he goes behind Bobby, locking in the Rings of Saturn! Bobby can’t move but he refuses to tap, Maverick releases the hold but keeps the arms in place, placing his left foot on Bobby’s hands. Maverick looks around and then raises the ring foot… STOMPING DOWN ONTO THE SHOULDER OF BOBBY!

Romano: OH MY GOD! BOBBY’S ARM MIGHT HAVE BEEN SNAPPED!

Taylor: The hell has gotten into Maverick? Why did you do that? You sick bastard!

Crowd: YOU SICK FUCK! YOU SICK FUCK! YOU SICK FUCK!

Maverick watches Bobby roll around in pain, holding onto his shoulder. Maverick backs himself up into the corner and watches medical staff check on Bobby. The on site doctor checks the shoulder, but says that he could continue. The medical staff back away from the ring as Bobby gets back into the ring, he looks on towards Maverick who just stares back with a smile on his face. The referee walks over and gives Maverick a warning but Bobby comes flying in with strikes and punches down onto Maverick, knocking down the referee with the sandwich of the two men. Bobby throws Maverick outside of the ring and rolls his shoulder, he then brings Maverick to his feet and throws him into the barricade… and again… and once more. Bobby goes underneath the ring and pulls out a chair. He takes a swing and…

CRAAACK!

Right onto the spine of Maverick!

Bobby Barratt: This is for Jenny, you fucker!

And with that said, Bobby violently swings the chair right onto the spine of Maverick numerous amounts of times, Maverick makes it back to his feet after crawling away from Bobby. He then takes one more swing down onto the head of Maverick but he’s caught with a Superkick. The chair goes flying and Maverick grabs the head of Bobby, running up the ring post and connecting Sliced Bread Number Two!

Taylor: Maverick with his own Prodigal Arrival!

Romano: He’s lucky he got that kick in at the last second.

Maverick then looks onto the referee who is crawling to the ropes, then he looks back at the announce table. He walks over to it and clears everything off of it, giving a thumbs up to the commentators as he finishes the clearing. Maverick turns back to Bobby and drags him to the announce table, laying him on top of it before climbing onto the apron and then making his way up to the top rope. The referee finally makes it back to his feet and demands Maverick to get down but he pays no attention as he leaps for an Elbow Drop- BOBBY ROLLED OUT OF THE WAY! MAVERICK GOES CRASHING THROUGH THE TABLE!

Taylor: GOOD GOD!

Romano: WHAT MORE… WHAT MORE COULD THIS MAN PUT HIMSELF THROUGH?!

The referee begins the count as Bobby rolls back into the ring, Maverick hasn’t moved an inch since crashing through the table. The referee’s count is up to seven as Bobby looks back at Maverick. He decides to be a fighting champion and rolls back out of the ring to restart the count, he walks over to the lifeless Maverick and drags him back into the ring. Bobby then makes his way up to the top as Maverick is set in the drop zone… Shooting Star Press connects! Bobby hooks the legs.

ONE

TWO

T-

Maverick kicks out! To everybody’s surprise, Maverick managed to kick out! Bobby is furious, walking around the ring as he thinks of ways to end it but then he pauses and begins to smile. Maverick is beginning to make his way back to his feet with Bobby behind him, eyeing him up for something. Maverick makes it back to his feet and Bobby goes for the Iconkick but Maverick ducks it and connects a Superkick of his own, followed quickly by a Spinning Hook Kick that makes Bobby stumble back onto the ropes, then Maverick makes the run up and finishes the trifecta of kicks with the Tornado Kick to the temple of Bobby, who falls over and rolls onto the apron.

Romano: Zero Dark Thirty, that new kicking combination from Maverick lands and leaves Bobby dazed and confused.

Taylor: This match has been full of excitement and both men don’t want to give in. I can’t seem to tell who’s going to win it’s been so close!

Maverick crouches in the corner to regain some composure in the match whilst Bobby uses the ropes to pull himself back to his feet. Maverick takes notice and runs at the ropes to reboun- SLINGSHOT SPEAR FROM BOBBY! BOBBY PICKS UP MAVERICK, GRABBING HIM BY THE HEAD AND RUNS UP THE BUCKLES BUT MAVERICK THROWS HIM OVER THE ROPES! Bobby grabs the ropes before he could fall down onto the floor again, Maverick goes to push him off but he’s caught with a Rope Aided Gamengiri, Bobby springboards in and catches Maverick with a Dropkick. He heads up to the top rope and looks for the Shooting Star Press, he leaps but lands on Maverick’s knees! Bobby rolls off and gets to one knee BUT A SWINGING BACK ELBOW TO THE BACK OF HIS HEAD NEAR DECAPITATES HIM! MAVERICK CONNECTS THE KINGDOM COLLAPSE! HE HOOKS THE LEGS!

ONE

TWO

TH-

Bobby kicks out but he’s stunned by the sudden high impact elbow striking him out of nowhere. Maverick doesn’t waste time, he brings Bobby up to his feet and lifts him up into the Double Underhook Canadian Backbreaker Rack position before transitioning it into a Modified Neckbreaker!

Taylor: STORMMMMM ZEROOOOOO!

Romano: This is it! We have a new Champion!

Maverick quickly gets on top of Bobby and grabs the legs for the pin.

ONE

TWO

THR-

NO! BOBBY KICKED OUT! BOBBY KICKED OUT OF STORM ZERO AND MAVERICK IS LEFT JAW DROPPED, STUNNED THAT HE WAS ABLE TO KICK OUT. Maverick backs himself into the corner and looks to be in position for the Assassin’s Blade, he waits patiently for Bobby to sit up and once he does he makes his move but Bobby rolled out of the way, kip up, ICONKICK THAT SENDS MAVERICK STUMBLING THROUGH THE MIDDLE ROPES!

Taylor: Again Maverick using that ring intelligence to not give Bobby a chance to make the pin.

Romano: He certainly does not, the best strategy for him is to keep doing that.

Bobby goes in pursuit of Maverick and once again begins to throw him into the barricades. He goes to do it again but it’s Maverick that sends him into the steel barricades before clotheslining him over and into the crowd, Maverick then does a lap around the ring until he gets a clear sight on Bobby and making his pace a little bit faster as he launches himself into the crowd with a Crossbody onto Bobby that knocks down some of the front row! The referee stops his count and exits the ring to check on both competitors and members of the crowd. Maverick is the first to emerge from the pile, he stumbles over the barricade and then crawls to the ring. He makes it to the steel steps and takes a rest, but then he looks back into the crowd as Bobby rises slowly. He leaps over the barricade and runs at Maverick with a Hesitation Dropkick! Maverick crashes into the steps and Bobby has become a man possessed. He brings Maverick up into the Powerbomb position before dropping him kidneys first onto the ring apron.

Taylor: Look at the fire in Bobby’s eyes! He’s about to end Maverick’s career if it comes down to it!

Romano: Well I can only hope he doesn’t go that far with it.

Bobby throws Maverick into the ring, he slides in and is caught with an out of nowhere Iconkick from Maverick! He then grabs Bobby by one arm, hooking it as he lifts him to a vertical base and right down with the Realm of The Nightmare! Maverick goes for the pin…

ONE

TWO

Kick out by Bobby, Maverick lifts him back to his feet and grabs the outside leg - presumingly going for The Infinity Driver. Bobby then pushes Maverick into the corner, driving the shoulder into his abdomen a few times before Maverick is hoisted up top, his back turned to the ring. Bobby makes his way up top as both men stand on the ropes. Bobby grabs the head as he sets up for Prodigal Arrival but Maverick grabs both arms in the Full Nelson DROPPING BOBBY WITH A TOP ROPE DRAGON SUPLEX! MAVERICK THEN BRINGS BOBBY BACK TO HIS KNEES, ANOTHER KINGDOM COLLAPSE CONNECTS!

Taylor: WHERE IS THIS BURST OF ENERGY COMING FROM!?

Romano: DON’T QUESTION IT, TOMMY, EMBRACE IT!

MAVERICK PULLS BOBBY BACK UP TO HIS KNEES ONCE MORE AND CONNECTS THE ASSASSIN’S BLADE TO THE BACK OF BOBBY’S SKULL, BLOOD BEGINNING TO SPILL DOWN THE BACK OF THE X*CROWN CHAMPION. MAVERICK DRAGS BOBBY INTO THE CENTER OF THE RING, HOOKS THE OUTSIDE LEG AND DRIVES BOBBY INTO THE MAT WITH THE INFINITY DRIVER! A HOOK OF THE LEG!

ONE

TWO

THREE

BOBBY KICKS OUT BY A MILLISECOND! BY A MILLISECOND! MAVERICK’S BLOOD BEGINS TO BOIL AS HE GRABS BOTH ARMS OF BOBBY AND BEGINS TO STOMP AT THE HEAD, OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN UNTIL THE REFEREE STOPS IT.

Taylor: Bobby might be out, Cassius…

Romano: Oh no, I hope not. He put so much into this match, don’t let it end like this.

Maverick pushes the referee away and hoists Bobby up for a second Storm Zero, he swings him - ICONBREAKER OUT OF NOWHERE!! MAVERICK STUMBLES BACK ONTO THE ROPES BUT HE’S LEFT HANGING THERE! Bobby grabs Maverick before he can fall fully out of the ring, he hooks his arm around Maverick’s head and goes up the ropes… Prodigal Arrival connects but Bobby isn’t done, he hooks his arm around the head for another chance at Prodigal Arrival but Maverick puts Bobby into the Tree of Woe AND SPRINGS ONTO THE ROPES BEFORE DRIVING BOTH FEET INTO THE CHEST OF BOBBY. MAVERICK PICKS UP BOBBY ONCE MORE, SPINS HIM AND DRIVES HIM INTO THE MAT WITH STORM ZERO! MAVERICK HOOKS BOTH LEGS!

Taylor: HE GOT HIM!

Romano: OH MY GOD IS IT HAPPENING

Referee and the Crowd: ONE!

Referee and the Crowd: TWO!

Referee and the Crowd: THREE!

THE BELL HAS RUNG AND THE CROWD EXPLODE IN A MIXTURE OF SHOCK AND EXCITEMENT

Taylor: MAVERICK DID IT! MAVERICK DID IT! OH MY GOD I CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT WE’RE WITNESSING!

Romano: I NEVER THOUGHT THIS COULD HAPPEN... JESSIE, MAKE IT OFFICIAL!

Jessie Love: Here is your winner and the NEWWWWWWWW XHF X*CROWN CHAMPIOONNNNNN… MAAAAAAAAAVERIIIIIIIIIICK!

Inception begins to play for the new X*Crown Champion who falls down onto the mat after the brutal war that transpired. Confettii beginning to fall from the rafters down onto the ring for the new champion. The referee helps Maverick back to his feet before handing him the X*Crown Championship. Maverick takes it and within an instant, the emotions begin to build up as tears run down the face of The Prince of Immortality. He then raises his new championship up high as the crowd loudly cheer on for Maverick.

Taylor: Oh my god… What a match… That took the breath out of me.

Romano: The moment has been seized and Maverick finally stands where he says he belongs, with the X*Crown Championship in his hands. We watched this kid beat one of his hardest challenges in Hyperion and now one year later, with a return to AWF he has captured the XHF X*Crown Championship.

Taylor: It’s been a rollercoaster for Maverick and I’ve got to sa-

Tommy Taylor is cut off as "Ace of Spades" by Motorhead begins to play. The people grow silent, unsure. But they start to grow loud as they begin to understand what this means.

Taylor: Is this who I think it is?

Romano: It is! It is! It's definitely him alright and he hasn't been seen in an AWF arena since he closed out this very show this same time last year!

That's when the camera finds JACK FUCKING DIAMOND walking out into view. The crowd goes fucking ecstatic.

Jack Diamond arrives with a smirk on his face. Without saying a word, he throws his arm out into view and points out his finger, right past Maverick and straight to his old tag team partner, Bobby Barratt! Bobby, who just got the upper half of his body off the mat is breathing heavily. He turns to Jack and his eyes go wide. The two stare at one another for a hot moment as the fans keep the noise up.

Taylor: Jack Diamond is back and he appears to call out Bobby! But on what terms? Will they be friend or foe? Are the Icons reuniting and how would this implicate things with LGBTKO?

Romano: And what about the new X*Crown Champion, Maverick? How does he play a role into all this? There's just so much that happened this Very AWF Christmas. Want some answers? I know I do. Let's find them out together after the new year at Prestige 45!

The fans continue chanting, "AWF! AWF! AWF!" as the AWF screen fades to black for the last time in 2019.