NLW Ascendancy XX | Saturday, September 4th, 2021 | LIVE
Aug 22, 2021 18:17:42 GMT -5
Mongo the Destroyer, Hyperion, and 3 more like this
Post by Kris on Aug 22, 2021 18:17:42 GMT -5
Next Level Wrestling Presents
ASCENDENCY XX
LIVE from the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana
September 4th, 2021
The visual fades in on a first-time sight for the fans at home; the interior of the Lakefront Arena done up in its NLW best. NLW and Ascendancy banners hang proudly from the rafters as multi-colored lights swirl over the crowded arena, this landmark occasion leading to as close to a full house as is feasible. The fans cheer loudly as the camera pans over them, signs declaring their loyalty to NLW as well as its roster forming a colorful mosaic of support. One final pan and the camera cuts to the new announce position.
Dan Simmons: Good evening, everyone… welcome to Ascendancy, and welcome to NLW’s first-ever show in the beautiful Lakefront Arena! I’m Dan Simmons, and joining me tonight is Tommy West--and Tommy, isn’t this just a wonderful sight?
Tommy West: I couldn’t agree more, Dan! It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come since our humble beginnings not even a year ago, and with our one year anniversary coming up, I can’t wait to see what BB Gunn has in store!
Dan Simmons: While I’ve got word that our General Manager will be giving us a sneak peek into his plans for that show, I know for sure that he will be giving us more information on the Tag Team Championships. With so many talented teams vying for them, I for one can’t wait to see what Gunn’s got in mind!
Tommy West: Speaking of tag teams, four of NLW’s hottest teams will be colliding this evening in eight-wrestler action as The New South and the Academy take on the Time Jumpers and Tilted Cartridges. There’s a lot of history in this match between the New South and the Academy, but none to speak of between the Time Jumpers and Tilted Cartridges. Will that influence the outcome?
Dan Simmons: Our main event is also influenced by history, though it’s far more recent than the eight-wrestler tag. Betsy Granger bested the Thespian when they squared off last, and tonight they face in a rematch where the only way to win is to make their opponent submit. Will the Thespian get his win back?
Tommy West: I don’t know for sure, but the deepening mystery around the Thespian might not be enough to prevent a repeat win for Granger. There is no mystery, though, about the deepening mutual hatred between El Rey and Ryan Young. With New Money now establishing a presence in NLW, that puts the odds firmly against Ryan Young--but I don’t think Ryan can be counted out!
Dan Simmons: Neither can Mehrunes Smith or Chris Sanderson, who are the other two members of the triple threat featuring the return of Eli Dresden to NLW action! Dresden’s record speaks for itself, but it also puts a massive bulls-eye in the middle of her back--and she’s got to know how big of an opportunity this is for Mehrunes or Chris to truly make a huge impact!
Tommy West: The same can be said for Nathan Cage tonight as he will be squaring off against Al Jabroni. Nathan’s usual disrespect was met with… well, Al Jabroni’s usual absurdist approach. Who will come out on top?
Dan Simmons: There’s a similar duality in the bout between the honor-bound warrior known as Felix and the invading Bandit King known as Donzig. Donzig’s actions at Collision Course were nothing short of deplorable. Will Felix get his revenge?
Tommy West: Before we get to any of those matches, though, we’ve got Kylo Anderson going up against Keahi Sparks in our opener--and I’ve been told there’s something connected to that backstage, so let’s go take a look and see what that is!
Backstage, we find ourselves located in one of the many locker rooms of the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. Seated, Kylo Anderson is wrapping his hands up with tape ready for his match. He looks up when he hears the door open, and then the scraping of a chair as it’s pulled off a wall and dragged across the floor. A moment later, the gleaming NLW Heavyweight Championship is seen as it sits on the shoulder of the champion himself, Finn Whelan. The older man seats himself onto the metal chair in front of the rookie and leans forward.
Finn Whelan: Figured this would be easier to just talk to you here, now, and give you the little boost you might need. I know you’ve had a rough go of it since you stepped into Next Level. It’s not like you’ve been handed the easiest matches. Myself, a six-person match. I watched your promo...take it from me, there’s a difference between being pissed and letting things get to you, and being pissed and taking things from others. You tell me...which would you choose?
Kylo Anderson: Well I certainly wouldn’t pick the being pissed and letting things get to me. So I’d go with option B obviously, being pissed and taking things from others. I know I haven’t had it easy, I wouldn’t want it that way, I’m just angry that I’m failing, that my father will be right.
Having finished taping up his hands, Kylo throws the tape down, the anger clear to see in his actions as well as his tone of voice. Finn’s lips turn up in a slight smirk as he watches the tape roll off of Kylo’s bag and onto the floor with a clatter. He raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms as he leans back against the chair.
Finn Whelan: Failure is in the eye of the beholder. It can be a struggle or a turn around and rise. Look, no one likes hearing what their father said about them, even when they walked out with their head high. There’s a reason my father and I don’t utter a word to one another...also why I flattened him, but that’s another story for a different time. Only you can control what happens to you.
Kylo Anderson: I’ve been trying to control what happens for a long time. Do these stitches on my head show how much control I have? My father isn’t in my life anymore physically but the bastard somehow lives rent free in my mind still. I just want him to suffer the way I did. The way I had to sit there and watch as he beat my mom. A defenseless woman and no matter how much I tried to protect her, I couldn’t, I failed Finn. I failed my mom and now I have to go out there and hurt Keahi Sparks. I have to prove to her and everyone that I can be ‘The Punisher’ rather than the punished.
Once he’d finished talking, Kylo took a big gulp before looking down at the floor to compose himself. After a few seconds which felt like minutes to Kylo, he lifted his head up and looked at Finn.
Kylo Anderson: I don’t want to fail you or Wolfslair.
Another small smirk, but this time, the Seattle Saint lifted his arm and set his hand on Kylo’s shoulder.
Finn Whelan: I get it. And the only way you can fail any of us is if you don’t put your best effort forth. I don’t see you not doing that, kid. The first years in this sport can suck. You’ll rise to the occasion...and perhaps that can even be tonight. ‘The Punisher’ needs to be more than just a method of beating the shit outta someone. Think about it. What does it mean to you? A name to just be called? Or a method? Look at Keahi as a stepping stone. A path to the next way up. Sometimes we take that step, or we don’t and learn from the mistakes made. Use everything, and rise.
Kylo Anderson: I’d rather people saw it as more than just a name. To me ‘The Punisher’ is a way of life. I’m no longer the little boy taking the punishment but rather the man giving it out. For years I’ve been punished and now it’s time to start punishing those who get in my way. That starts tonight with Keahi. She is the stepping stone as you put it, the stepping stone to bigger things for me. I have to rise and prove to myself that I am not a failure. That I’m better than my father, better than Keahi and better than the next victim they put in front of me.
Jumping to his feet, Kylo looks over at Finn and a smirk appears on Kylo’s face.
Kylo Anderson: Tonight I rise up. The ‘Professor Of Painology’ has a lesson to teach.
With that statement, Kylo exits the room, heading for the curtain. Finn watches him go, and then leans back in his chair once more, raising both arms and setting his hands behind his head.
Finn Whelan: All in a day’s work.
The camera cuts to ringside.
MATCH ONE
Kylo Anderson vs Keahi Sparks
As soon as the bell rung, Anderson went charging towards Sparks, he dump tackled her and went in with rights that Sparks did well to cover up from, before kicking him off. The two scrambled back to their feet and Kylo came forward again but Sparks was a bit more ready for him and sent him down with a hip toss. Kylo wasn’t down long, and Sparks waited for him to rise, and sent him stumbling back into the corner with a shotgun dropkick. Sparks wasn’t done there, quickly getting back up to keep Anderson in the corner, unloading on him with a mix of chops, haymakers and forearms. Satisfied that he was stunned, she snapmared him out of the corner and hit a stiff kick to the side of the head, making a cover and getting two.
Sparkes continues the physical attack, bringing Anderson back to his feet and planted some forearms on him before sending him to the ropes and hitting him with a spinebuster when he came back, once again getting a short two count from the resulting cover. She looks for a similar combination as before, but this time Anderson reversed the Irish whip and hit a spinebuster of his own to halt The Emerald Blade’s offence. After a pause from Anderson to compose himself, it was his turn to put some offense in. He used a combination of kicks to back Sparks up and finished with a spinning heel kick which left her slumping in the corner. Anderson took a couple steps back before almost decapitating Sparks with a helluva kick. He made the cover but got a two.
The Punisher was not put off by the two count, he dragged Sparks to her feet and sent her to the ropes, hitting a picture perfect sidewalk slam. He chose not to cover this time, but instead brought her back up and looked for a back suplex, but Sparkes flipped out of it, landing on her feet, and she replied with Lights in the Sky [blue thunder bomb]! She covered, but Anderson rolled a shoulder up in the nick of time. It was Sparks’ turn to need a moment to compose, but once she did, she pounced again on Anderson, kicking him in the gut and she hit a piledriver. She opted not to cover, but instead looked at the corner, she got to her feet and went for Dive Bomb [triple jump powerbomb], but Anderson rolled out of the way, leaving her to hit the mat! Both competitors were slow to get back to their feet after this, but Anderson was up first, and out of what looked like pure anger, hit the Punishing Combination [Slap, Shoot Kick To The Shin, Shoot Kick To The Chest, Enzugiri Kick]. He made the cover but Sparks kicked out just before the three.
Anderson’s mood was getting seemingly worse, it seemed that he was looking to finish things, he screamed at Sparks to get to her feet, and as she did he booted her in the gut, and put her in an over the shoulder backbreaker lift, looking for The Reckoning. Sparks knew she was in trouble and wriggled out, landing on her feet behind Anderson, turned and hit a reverse DDT, but instead of going for the cover, she manoeuvred into hooking him into the Ring of Judgement [Savolock]. However, as she went to hook the second arm, Anderson used his weight and power shuffle another foot over, and he could grab the rope. Sparks released him but felt that the win was in her sights, Anderson carefully got up and turned around where she was looking for Din’s Fire, but Anderson headbutted her to release the belly-to=belly attempted, and followed with a stiff spinning elbow. With Sparks down, he saw his opportunity, and hit Revenge of the Punisher [Deadlift German into Curb Stomp], he covered and got the three!
[WINNER: Kylo Anderson Via Revenge of the Punisher at 06:01]
We cut backstage to what can only be described as a kerfuffle. There’s a lot of raised voices, a number of medics on scene as well as producers, BB Gunn walks into shot and muscles his way through the bodies.
BB Gunn: What the hell is going on?
Producer: Sir, it’s happened again.
BB Gunn: What has? Oh for f-
Gunn stops himself from finishing that sentence as he realises what’s going on, Betsy Granger is laid out on the floor, blood coming from her head, she’s out cold.
BB Gunn: Did somebody, anybody, see who did this?
There’s a collective murmuring that suggests the answer to that question is no. Gunn sighs, but his eyebrows raise as once again there is a steel pipe not too far from the fallen Granger. Gunn steps towards it and looks a little closer at it.
BB Gunn: Well, even though nobody seems to have seen it, I’m starting to think I know who it was…and I’ll be having words with them very soon. Now, get Betsy to the hospital! And somebody tell The Thespian he’s now got the night off!
Cut back to ringside.
Dan Simmons: Well partner, looks like our hotly anticipated main event is off!
Tommy West: Indeed it does Simmo, but the question I have is: who the hell keeps taking out our talent?
Dan Simmons: Well, the General manager sounded like he had an idea, so we may find out sooner rather than later!
MATCH TWO
Donzig vs Felix
The bell rings... and all Hell breaks loose. With a bestial roar, Donzig launches himself across the ring, but Felix is surging forward to meet him, the intensity that has defined the latter as of late silent, but present all the same. All technique and conscious thought is seemingly abandoned by both men at first, the bad blood between them boiling over into what is best described as a knock-down, drag-out fight that has both men digging into their basest violent instincts in an attempt to establish dominance over the other. Surprisingly, it's Donzig who seemingly regains his tactical mind first, the smaller man sending Felix into the ropes before catching him with a pop-up powerbomb that he sticks the landing on. The Tactician kicks out at two emphatically, quickly rolling backwards to his feet to create enough distance to give himself a chance at clearing his mind of the bloodlust that had taken over him previously. In response, Donzig taunts his foe, calling Felix a coward--but Felix's features remain stoic, unyielding as he does not dignify those harsh words by acknowledging them.
Of course, this does not sit well with the unstable Bandit King who snarls out a threat of ending the Warrior before he's coming at Felix with the same fury as before. This time, however, Felix is ready. Ducking beneath the clothesline that Donzig attempts, Felix lashes out with a brutal knee to the Bandit King's chest upon his rebound, dropping Donzig to his knees. The Tactician then brings his Naginata to bear in a series of shoot kicks that has the crowd letting out an 'Ooh!' after each one, capping off the offensive flurry with a spinning heel kick that knocks Donzig for a loop! Felix quickly drops down for the cover, the referee making it to two before the Bandit King kicks out at two. The Warrior does his best to keep the offensive pressure on from that point, but Donzig is quick to go low in the name of regaining control, a sneaky strike to Felix's middle doubling him over so the Bandit King can cinch him up and drop him with a double arm DDT. Another pinfall attempt follows, with Felix kicking out at two and a half.
Clearly frustrated that the conquering of Felix--and by extension, NLW--is not going as smoothly as planned, Donzig's fury is quick to take over anew. At first, Felix is left with no other option but to cover up as he is driven back into the corner by the unhinged invader from SWAT, but as he weathers the storm, it becomes clear that the Bandit King's offense is taking its toll on the Warrior. One particularly hard clubbing blow breaks through the defenses put up by Felix and, smelling blood, Donzig drags the Tactician out into the center of the ring, mouthing off to the crowd as he sets his foe up for the Unprettier. Felix's arms get hooked up, and Donzig twists both of their bodies around--but that's as far as the Bandit King gets as Felix adjusts his arms before digging deep and hauling the Bandit King upward before dropping him with a Tiger Suplex, which leads into a Dragon Suplex, then a cross-armed German Suplex with Felix sticking the pin, the modified Chimera Suplex earning a roar from the crowd that only grows louder as NLW's honor is successfully defended with the three-count!
[WINNER: Felix Via Bushido at 08:58]
"Nightbook" by Ludovico Einaudi begins to play throughout the arena. To a quiet and neutral reaction, the Thespian walks from the staging area down towards the ring. His interpreter, dressed in matching attire with a microphone in hand, follows him down closely until they both get to the ring. The Interpreter climbs onto the ring apron first and holds the ring ropes open. With a nod of thanks, the Thespian slips into the ring and stands before all those in attendance. The music begins to fade out... as the Thespian raises his hands up to begin his message. Doing his namesake job, the Interpreter begins to address the audience as he translates the signs:
The Interpreter: Friends, gather around. I have words for you tonight that I, myself, am sad to hear about. My opponent, Ms. Betsy Granger, will not be making it to the main event.
The crowd lets out their disapproval for the former AWF Champion, but the Thespian raises a hand. They both continue:
The Interpreter: Do not cry for her. I suspect it was her morals that have taken her from us here tonight. We should respect and honor her. However, I would like to address her directly for a moment if you all do not mind.
Thespian's signs shift from addressing outwards to the crowd at large, towards the main recording camera in front of him. The Interpreter continues.
The Interpreter: Thank you, Miss Granger, wherever you are. I appreciate how you would even accept a rematch from someone like me. A man without a face trying to restart his career versus a juggernaut of the network. I am just sorry I could not give you a better match. I lost sight of what was in-front of me, and skipped over you to focus on Finn Whelan. I did not give you the credit you deserved at all, and you capitalized. What I wouldn't do to see that rematch and correct that wrong... but that's life, no? Wherever you are now, I hope that you are happy. Maybe one day we'll get that rematch. BUT, I have my career to look forward to now, and all these people who paid for a main event match.
The Thespian's gestures become more sporadic for the crowd in attendance as the Intepreter's voice rises to match:
The Interpreter: Friends of Next Level Wrestling, I will do my best to not disappoint you all next time. It is here that I make some declarations! Firstly, some of you know that the Cruiserfest has been announced! I am happy to let you know that I have been accepted as a competitor for the XHF Junior Heavyweight Championship against champion Bloodied Fox and a handful of other scary draws. I promise you all my best to bring some XHF gold our way!
The crowd cheers a little for the proclamation; it was most likely drunks who just needed a reason to be excited at this point in the evening. However, the Thespian makes one more comment:
The Interpreter: As for a more-local promise... you all deserve something a little better. As such, I am making my intentions known here and now. I am aiming for, instead of the NLW Heavyweight Championship as I have foolished sought before... the NLW Southern States Championship! Now, Iknow, I know what you're all thinking: 'What can this faceless wrestler do with a win over a jobber and a loss to a world-class champion?' Well, hopefully I shall correct this at the next event. Next Level Wrestling, I will be back in the next Main Event... and I'll take on ANYONE to prove that point. Just give me one more chance to prove my mettle, and I promise you, you'll at least be entertained. Thank you and have a good evening.
The Thespian's hands fold into one another as he gives a final boss to the audience. "Nightbook" begins to play once again as both he and his interpreter leave the ringside area.
MATCH THREE
Nathan Cage vs Al Jabroni
Let’s be honest here, we all like Al Jabroni, sure, he’s a creepy guy with a porn obsession, but he’s fairly harmless. Nathan Cage on the other hand was not harmless, and in terms of intent, this felt like a very contrasting pair of individuals. You could see the concern as the bell rang from Disco Boy Johnny B, that he certainly felt that the ex-con could certainly do harm to Jabroni. Cage approached Jabroni and immediately looked to hit him with a right, but Jabroni rolled out of the way, which impressed everybody, including his opponent. Cage tried the same approach again, but got the same result with Al Jabroni rolling past him again, which started to annoy The Rabid Dog. Jabroni gave his ringside entourage a thumbs up, which was not just Johnny B, but Noel Edmonds and Mr Blobby too. Blobby seemed very excited about all this, but perhaps that was because he’d been on the sherberts again. This was the opening cage needed, with Jabroni giving a casual glance elsewhere he charged and hit a clothesline to ground Jabroni. He started working the boot in immediately, stomping Jabroni to the corner where he kept going until the referee intervened.
Cage promised violence and he was delivering in the early stages, he dragged Jabroni back to his feet and whipped him to the ropes, Jabroni came back but was met with a standing dropkick. Cage didn’t let up, bringing him straight back up and back down again with a snap suplex. He brought him back up once again, this time to send him into the corner. Cage ran at Jabroni, but this time Jabroni defended himself, forcing his feet up to catch Cage in the face, causing him to stumble back. Cage shook his head and ran at Jabroni again, who hadn’t left he corner, Jabroni gave him the boots again though, and followed up by running towards cage and hitting a running cross body, he stayed on him and covered, but got a one count.
This all only seemed to annoy Cage further, and when Jabroni tried getting him back to his feet, he was simply punched square in the mouth, which sent him stumbling to the ropes. Cage then sent him over the top rope with a lariat, where he followed him to the outside. Cage was content with the fight being anywhere, and proved it by picking Jabroni up and slamming his head on the announce desk, not just once, but three times. With the referee’s count creeping up he rolled in and back out to reset the count, and whipped Jabroni into the ring post, where he cannoned off and hit the floor hard. Mr Blobby, clearly upset went to check on his friend, and Cage told him to back off or he would “rip his fucking weird pink head off as well”. This triggered Noel, who stepped in between Cage and his 90’s Saturday night television partner, but Cage didn’t care, he headbutted Noel, who went down like the proverbial sack of potatoes. Blobby was incensed, Johnny B had to hold him back and offer him more dib dabs, but even with the offer, Blobby wanted some of Cage, whilst cage was happy to take them all on.
The referee had seen enough of this insanity, he halted his count and demanded that Cage get the match back in the ring, Cage however in all of this madness took his eye off Jabroni, who wasn’t too happy that his friend just got dropped like that, and had got on the ring apron to deliver a flying forearm . The two men got back up but Jabroni was hot, and he slammed Cage’s head into the apron, and then dragged him to the ring steps where he slammed his head into that, before rolling cage into the ring.
Jabroni waited for Cage to get back to his feet whilst he lurked on the ring apron, and when the time was bright he flew back in with a springboard dropkick, which earned him a two count from the subsequent cover. Jabroni brought Cage back to his feet and went for an Irish whip, which was reversed and Cage hit the Cage Thesz Press, headbutting the crap out of Al until he looked out cold, he made the pin but Jabroni somehow kicked out. Cage was a bit woozy himself having hit probably one too many headbutts, but he waited for Jabroni to get back to his feet, he planted a boot in Jabroni’s gut and went for a powerbomb, but Al reversed into a hurricanrana! Jabroni instinctively went to the nearby corner, looking for Catch 22, but when Cage got to his feet he dove at the ropes, causing Jabroni to lose his footing and collapse on the top tope. Cage ruthlessly rolls him off and to the mat, before picking him up and hitting Death by Cage [pumphandle driver], he covers and this one is over.
[WINNER: Nathan Cage Via Death by Cage at 09:44]
The camera cuts backstage to catering. Chris Sanderson was far from happy. He had heard what both of his foes tonight had to say. Mehrunes Smith had said something that really bugged him, and Eli Dresden, well, she was just straight out mocking him poolside. The second generation wrestler stood near a table with a bottle of Smartwater, sponsor him, you cowards, and shook his head.
Sanderson: You know, I thought I was respectful and nice enough recently to Mehrunes and Eli. I try to be a respectful guy. Shake hands when I get to the locker room. And this is what I get?
He shakes his head and opened the bottle of water to get a drink. A shake of the head followed.
Sanderson: Smith, if you were better than me, maybe your hand would've been raised at Collision Course instead of mine. Dresden, I uh...
His train of thought went off rail thinking of her in that bikini. Yes, he is a married man but goddamn that menu item.
Sanderson: Uh, sorry, mind went blank for a second. Eli, I wasn't trying to be disrespectful or nothing. I just wanted to get across that beating you is an accomplishme--
Suddenly, the sound of a hand connecting soundly with Sanderson's ass can be heard, Chris jumping a good foot or two up in the air--and no sooner does he land is the sound of feminine laughter filling the air.
Dresden: Hot damn, and I thought Caffrey had a good vertical. You went up almost twice as high!
Cheshire grin in full effect, Eli Dresden steps out from behind her opponent.
Dresden: Sorry, Chrissy. What were you sayin' again?
Chris took a moment or two to register what just happened. He wasn't used to anyone but his wife smacking his ass. He took a second to compose himself around Eli Dresden.
Sanderson: I... uh... shit.
He totally forgot what he was trying to say now. If Christopher Bradley Sanderson had one weakness out of the ring, besides painkillers anyways, it was sassy blondes.
Sanderson: ...Right. I was just trying to explain that beating someone like you, Miss Dresden, is an accomplishment given what you have done in Next Level Wrestling. You get a chance to pin or submit a former top champion? People take notice.
The blond tilts her head to one side, a hand rising to rest upon her chin as if Eli is pondering his words before she's letting out a chuckle.
Dresden: On one hand, yeah--fair point. On the other, though... sorry, puddin' pop, but you're not pinnin' me--and in case you haven't heard, I'm not the submittin' type.
Stepping up close, a finger runs its way up Sanderson's chest.
Dresden: I'm more of a top, if you get my meanin'.
He exhales slowly. Chris Sanderson was flustered, and he was usually pretty stoic and calm. All he could think of was Eli being on top while his wife Ali was also on top. Another drink, a big drink, followed.
Sanderson: I... get what... uh... look Eli, I need to go and uh... focus.
Shifty eyes followed after he said that. He didn't expect this tonight.
Sanderson: No hard...
Voice crack.
Sanderson: ...No hard feelings no matter who wins or loses?
Eli's smirk grows sharp.
Dresden: Seems to me you've already got hard feelings. I thought a good boy like you'd know better than to lie.
Dresden reaches up and boops the end of Sanderson's nose.
Dresden: See you out there, Chrissy.
And with that, Eli snags her own bottle of water and saunters out of the shot, leaving Chris alone. He takes his Smartwater and dumps it down his pants.
Sanderson: Jesus Christ...
The camera cuts to ringside.
MATCH FOUR
Eli Dresden vs Mehrunes Smith vs Chris Sanderson
Dresden comes to the ring with a takeaway cup of red sauce; given the eyes she gives Smith while doing so, it's probably a carryover of the reference to calamari she was making in the pre-match promos. Out of "respect" she puts it away before the match starts, though Sanderson is watching her closely as she does.
When the bell rings, Smith is all business and takes advantage of Dresden's distraction to barrel into Sanderson, driving him back into the corner. He sets to work with a combination of knife-edge chops and forearm shivers, but Sanderson quickly starts fighting back. He doesn't have as much leverage, but he gets a couple good back elbows in before he starts getting overwhelmed by the Terror's ferocity. Smith yanks Sanderson out of the ring to start blasting him in the head, but before he can, a rope-walking Dresden leaps into HIS head with a springboard dropkick! He gets pushed into the ropes rather than fall down, but he's obviously staggered. Dresden pops up and tries to press the advantage, but Smith ducks and pulls the ropes down. Dresden is prepared, though, and skins the cat rather than crash and burn! Smith doesn't track her, instead turning to the recovering Sanderson to resume the assault, but Sanderson retaliates by springing into action, eventually Smith overhead with an Exploder Suplex! He goes for a cover but Smith kicks out. Then Dresden springboard moonsaults both men, hitting Sanderson's back and sandwiching him down into Smith!
Dresden glances toward the abandoned marinara sauce, giving the crowd a knowing look that prompts a cheer, but she decides better of it. She looks back to the two recovering men, leaning back hard on the ropes to give her some momentum when she starts charging again, but Smith springs up, and Dresden can't stop herself before Smith throws himself bodily into her knees! She crashes and burns at the improvised but effective chop block variation, but Smith can't celebrate before Sanderson is coming up behind him with an elbow strike to the back of the neck. Smith staggers, but Sanderson pursues, grabbing one arm and wrapping it around Smith's neck, going for a Cobra Clutch. Smith's eyes go visibly wide, even behind the mask, and he starts struggling to escape before Sanderson can hit the Untitled Finale III. He gets some separation with frantic elbows, so Sanderson gets frustrated and just shoves Smith forward until he hits the ropes, which Dresden helpfully pulls down! Smith spills to the outside, and Dresden winks and Sanderson, who looks a little taken aback at having helped inadvertently. Dresden then makes sure the knees are still working before bounding in the ropes for momentum, charging back toward Smith and springing out of the ring with her parkour-flavored Shooting Star Plancha that makes the crowd go OH EM GEE! Smith had started to recover but not enough to keep the OHEMGEE from dropping him back to the floor!
Dresden gets back into the ring, glancing at Sanderson with a little more charity than she'd given Smith. Sanderson steels his resolve, and Dresden meets him with a flurry of quick forearms, but Sanderson shoves her back. He goes for a roaring elbow, but Dresden ducks out of the way, and then Sanderson ducks out of the way of an attempted Slingblade from Dresden where she lands on her tailbone! Sanderson tries to get her in the Omega Finale, but Dresden flips out to prevent getting locked in, and ducks an attempted Dead Set big boot before rushing into the corner. She leans back in it, waiting for Sanderson to see her there and gives him a cheeky wave. He hesitates a moment, then remembers where he is and charges, but Dresden was waiting and leaps out of the way, timing her dodge with Sanderson slamming his back into the buckles so she can wrap him up, pop off the top rope, and whip him over with a variation Arabian Moonsault Slam! She makes sure she's between Sanderson and the ropes before pinning him, getting a three count and a successful return to action!
[WINNER: Eli Dresden Via the G.D.I. at 08:23]
"Untouchable" by Motionless in White starts to play and Dresden rolls out of the ring, she smirks at Smith who has got back to his feet and is on the ring apron, but was clearly too far away to stop her winning. The referee raises her hand and she heads to the back, leaving the camera to focus on Smith, who has entered the ring and is stalking Chris Sanderson, who is only just starting to stir. Smith seems to just be staring at Chris, but there's an air of intent about him, and the crowd sense it.
Dan Simmons: I think Sanderson needs to get out of there partner!
Sanderson slowly gets to his knees and shuffles away to ensure he keeps his distance from Mehrunes, who despite seeming ready to strike, doesn't.
Tommy West: What is he doing? I don't...hang on, who is that?!
The crowd go into a stunned silence as the music cuts and suddenly stood next to Smith is a man, a man who the XHF Network know but hasn't been seen in a while, and certainly never in NLW until now...
Dan Simmons: Tommy! That's Scott Fargo!
Fargo stares dead in Sanderson's eyes, before explosively running and hitting a European Uppercut to him, which drops him back to the mat!
Tommy West: Shotgun Blast, but what is he doing here? Is he in league with Mehrunes Smith?!
The answer to that may be a yes, as the two start to circle the fallen Sanderson, ready to pounce, that is until...
Dan Simmons: Adam Sanders!
The Awkward One sprints from the back and hits the ring...Fargo and Smith decide their not interested on a fair fight, at least not right now, and they bail out of the ring, which allows Sanders to check on Sanderson, who slowly starts to come around. The pair stare a hole through Smith and Fargo, who are stoic in their expressions whilst they slink back towards the curtain.
Tommy West: I think Adam Sanders stopped Sanderson getting into a lot of bother right there!
Dan Simmons: I think you may be right, partner. But one thing's for sure, if Scott Fargo and Mehrunes Smith are in league with each other, the NLW roster will need to be very, very careful.
We cut to Kelly Ross standing in the interview area backstage. NLW logo and monitors displaying ringside placed behind her. She smiles and brings the microphone up to address the audience.
Kelly Ross: Ladies and gentleman, joining me off his performance tonight, Na-
Nonchalantly, Nathan Cage appears in frame and yanks the microphone out of Ross’ hands. Her face is a mixture of surprise and anger at the blatant disrespect yet Cage pays her no mind. His familiar raspy voice cuts directly through her protests.
Nathan Cage: I warned Al Jabroni he was gonna get the shit beat out of ‘em. And that’s exactly what happened!
Nathan Cage: As far as I’m concerned, he got off easy. Because if Nathan Cage was only focused on kickin’ Al Jabroni’s ass, I’d be leavin’ this show in handcuffs tonight over what woulda happened to him. Now if Al, or management, drags his ass out in front of me again, I’ll happily beat the shit out of him yet again. Otherwise, I’ve got my sights set a little bit higher.
The camera zooms on Cage, cutting Kelly out of frame entirely as The Rabid Dog continues his tirade.
Nathan Cage: I’ll take on anyone and everyone in the dressing room. Tonight, next show, in the parking lot. I really don’t care! All they have to do is have enough balls to come out and try to shut me up, cause not a single fuckin' person's been able to do it yet. If they don't wanna take the initiative, I'm more than happy to work my way down to 'em on my list, and they damn sure won't know when it's comin'!
Nathan Cage: My list’s got plenty of names and each an’ every one of ‘em are names I can’t fuckin’ wait to cross off. Whelan, Chant, Rey, Dresden. I’ll fight both Goons by myself, it really doesn’t matter to me. Cause whether you’re jerkin’ the curtain or on top of the card, you’ve got a target on your back the size of a fuckin’ building! Guys like Tommy Kelly don’t get to wheel out their walkers and get by fightin’ bums like Dunne anymore, cause I’m here to kick it out from under him and put pricks like him on a bus to retirement.
Cage scoffs and smirks for a moment, seemingly finding a target that earns his particular ire.
Nathan Cage: Y’know I sat and watched an Ascendancy. I saw Tommy Kelly shamble his carcass out and say the partyin’ and the drinkin’ was behind him. How he’d never been pinned or submitted and how he was gonna spend his twilight as champ. It’s that kinda shit right there that I’m here to wipe out, cause if you ain’t prepared to sink to your lowest to beat the other guy, your career’s already over! Maybe that's why he ain't champ no more!
Nathan Cage: Him and most of the others I mentioned all won the world title some time or another, congratulations! Difference now is when they lose it, it ain’t gonna be cause of interference or some pussy stackin' the deck, or anything else! It's gonna be cause quite simply and quite frankly, they got their lights knocked out by Nathan Cage!
Cage takes a step back, Ross looks about to interject herself back into the “interview” but a look from Cage and she, reluctantly, backs off.
Nathan Cage: Tommy was right about one thing in his little speech though. He said he ain’t the Phantasm, or The Dark One, or any other of his hundreds of nicknames, cause he’s “Deathless”. Well he ain’t Deathless, and he’s damn sure not any of his other monikers, cause all of ‘em apply now to Nathan Fucking Cage! He can keep Stormcrow though, cause a dog eats a crow every fuckin’ time.
Nathan Cage: And that goes double for everybody else. Please. Please. Name the time and the place. If you’ve got a name to live up to, I will gladly fit ya in my schedule and fuck you up!
Cage holds his arms out. Spiteful smirk still clear on his face.
Nathan Cage: Anybody! BB Gunn, maybe Joe Blow, whoever’s got the power. Anybody! There’s gotta be a single damn person on this roster, that’s got a set of guts; so feel free to come find me!
Cage snorts. He derisively spits on the floor eliciting a noise of disgust from Kelly Ross off-camera.
Nathan Cage: But then again, maybe there ain't.
He carelessly tosses the microphone onto the floor where a sharp blast of feedback rings out. Kelly, hand over her ears, bends down to pick it up as Cage walks off. The camera focuses back on Ross as she composes herself, though annoyance is still plain on her face.
Kelly Ross: Anything but humble, Nathan Cage.
We head backstage to the newer, shinier office of BB Gunn, who as always is looking pretty upbeat. He smiles to the camera and holds his arms out.
BB Gunn: So how do you like the new digs, NLW fans? I think we’re going to settle in pretty well here, and what a show we’ve had so far. However, I’m not here to suck up about all that, oh no no no. I’m here because two weeks’ ago, I announced we would be crowning our first ever tag team champions at Homecoming II. Tonight, I wanted to reveal to the world not just the other four teams who will join the four in our main event tonight, but show you the bracket for the tournament.
He turns to a television screen just over his left shoulder.
BB Gunn: So on that note, get a load of this…
Gunn turns back to face the camera, his smile somehow getting bigger.
BB Gunn: Starting next week, these eight teams will whittle their way down until at Homecoming, just one team will stand tall. All of them will have something to prove, all of them will be hungry for the chance at being the first champions.
He sits back in his chair, content.
BB Gunn: But I didn’t want to talk about just that, oh no. You see in four weeks’ time, NLW will celebrate it’s first birthday, and on that show we’ll see both the Southern States and NLW heavyweight Titles defended. Now, to determine who Lazarus Arjen will face, we’re going to have a number one contenders match between Felix and The Thespian.
He starts to wag his finger.
BB Gunn: I know, what about the Heavyweight Title? Well, I was reminded very recently that Tommy Kelly is owed a rematch for the title, and I couldn’t agree more, he is…but then I was also reminded that Eli Dresden never got a rematch with Tommy Kelly, and I also couldn’t disagree with her case either-
Voice: Cough.
Gunn turns, a look of confusion on his face, the camera pans to show Leon Chant stood by, arms folded, ring ready for the main event, and a smirk on his face.
BB Gunn: Did…did you just say the word cough.
Leon Chant: Yeah, I felt to force a cough was a bit cliché, plus since Covid people get really freaked out.
BB Gunn: That’s….still kinda weird.
Leon Chant: Maybe, but I didn’t come here because I wanted to debate if I’m a little strange, I came here because I heard that Tommy and Eli had been in your ear, and their reasoning behind it all, and I thought “hey, that all sounds really familiar, I should totally go talk to Gunn as well!”
BB Gunn: And here you are.
Leon Chant: And here I am. So BB, how about it?
Gunn shrugs.
BB Gunn: You know what? Screw it, it’s a celebration of our past year, so why not? It’ll be Finn Whelan defending against Tommy Kelly, Eli Dresden…and Leon Chant!
Leon Chant: Oh. Hell. Yes.
Chant leaves Gunn, who sighs a little.
BB Gunn: I really need to start locking my office door…
MATCH FIVE
El Rey vs Ryan Young
With Nick Von Erich lurking on the outside, Ryan Young's doing his damndest to have eyes in the back of his head even before the match officially begins--and once it does? It quickly becomes clear that Ryan's attention being divided is giving El Rey the advantage. While the initial tie-up between the two cruiserweights the Messiah is evenly matched, Von Erich making a sudden movement on the outside draws Young's attention away from ER, leaving him wide open for a cheap shot to the ribs that knocks the air out of him. El Rey is quick to capitalize, the disapproval from the fans seemingly fueling the offensive that follows as the younger competitor does his damndest to prove that he is the superior competitor in the most showoff-ish, condescending fashion possible. Every attempt that Ryan makes to take control of the match is rebuked with a smirk as El Rey manages to trip the Messiah up, mostly in literal fashion, before adding insult to injury with a slap across the face or a dismissive shove to the mat. As Nick does his best to further hype up El Rey's alleged superiority, Ryan is growing more and more frustrated, his jaw setting as he does his best to keep a level head and wait for his moment to shine... but it's clearly wearing on him.
It turns out that Ryan's experience is what sees him finally gaining control of the match. El Rey's confident that he's got the upper hand when he leans in to take Ryan's head to drag him to his feet, but the Messiah drags ER down into a roll-up that gets a count of two and a half! The crowd goes wild as Von Erich loses his mind on the outside, shouting at the referee for even making the count in the first place. It only gets worse for El Rey from there, though, as the cocky youngster finds himself on the receiving end of a blistering, smash-mouth offensive from the Messiah. While El Rey was out for humiliation, it quickly becomes clear that Ryan is out for punishment, the high-flying aspect of his style abandoned for the kind of knee strikes that have to be making ER see stars. Karma seems to be taking up residence in the actions of Young, El Rey clearly in trouble of suffering a loss as the repeated shots to his had refuse to let up.
Nick climbs up onto the apron, clearly intending on meddling, but the Messiah rushes the ropes, throwing an elbow back that knocks Von Erich off the apron before, in one smooth motion? Young is rushing across the ring with a Bicycle Knee Strike, ER dropped like a sack of potatoes with the California Dream before Ryan hooks the leg! The crowd is going wild as the referee counts one, two--but then Nick throws himself atop Ryan with a clubbing blow, the official calling for the bell! The crowd jeers as the two members of New Money team up on Young. As Von Erich hauls the Messiah to his feet, El Rey slides out of the ring... only to return with the bent-up steel chair that has become his favorite weapon. As ER winds up, the jeers turn into cheers as the New South hit the ring, coming to Young's rescue and chasing New Money out of the ring! The two teams who will collide in the first round of the Tag Team Title Tournament jaw-jack at one another as the referee finally gets to raise Ryan's hand, the Messiah scowling down at the duo of men who almost got the chance to end his career.
[WINNER: Ryan Young Via Disqualification at 09:02]
Cutting backstage we see Mehrunes Smith with his back to the camera, accompanied by his partner, Scott Fargo, who stands in front of Mehrunes, staring directly into the camera. Mehrunes slowly turns his head over his shoulder, and back to Fargo.
Faith is a strange thing; a strong thing.
Faith is to believe what you do not see.
Mehrunes turns to face the camera, and shakes his head.
This is not faith.
This is truth.
The storm has come.
Mehrunes raises both arms out to his sides, and Fargo crosses his arms.
The Dreamer.
The Terror.
The Beginning.
Smith drops his arms and walks closer to the camera.
When I said I would be a champion, I never said I would be a champion alone. I am The Messenger. I am The Word. Fargo? He is The Weapon. He is The Hand. And The Dreamer? It is The End. It is The Terror.
Closer.
And we are…
Smith abruptly stops, and steps off to the side. Fargo rushes in and plants a massive boot directly into the camera. Flashes of static follow after the loud thud of the microphone hitting the ground. Loud audio feedback. Cut to black.
The intro drums for Nautilus by Raekwon bumps out of the speakers, the sound of a gun having its hammer pulled back and the beat drops.
Mur-mur-mur-Murder you (check your thirty)
Mur-mur-mur-Murder you (check your thirty)
We're gonna murder you
Bring the head, leave the body
Mur-mur-mur-Murder you (check your thirty)
We're gonna murder you
Bring the head, leave the body
Marty Watts: Introducing at this time, from the GRRREATEST CITY IN THE WORRRLD NEW YORRRK NEW YORRRK...David Goon...and the winner of NLW's G1 and the man who will be going on to challenge for the NLW Heavyweight Championship at Homecoming RRRRRRRicardo Goon, together they are THE GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONS!
The two brothers make their way down to the ring while jawin' at the crowd talking that shit, they make their way into the ring and Ric chases Marty Watts out of the ring leaving them alone with the winners prize from NLW's first annual G1. An expensive looking trophy standing about 2 to 3 feet tall, a large picture of Ric with his hand raised in victory with a circle of flowers on one corner and a scarf like ribbon embordered with "NLW G1 2021 Winner" in gold on green silk. The two brothers look it over and Ric takes the ribbon and puts it around his neck like a scarf, he makes a motion about the ugly color but shrugs. The music fades out and David has a mic in hand.
David Goon: Yo this is pretty dope and all but bro I can't help but notice...
He looks around in the ring.
David Goon: There ain't no one here to present this to you. Feeling like that's a bit of a disrespect by management.
Ric cuts him off.
Ricardo Goon: Naw, well not on that matter anyways, we'll get back to them, but naw they asked me who I wanted and I told them to fuck off they were not there for me as I ran roughshod over every single Tom Dick Harry and hOtTeSt FrEe AgEnT of the week they could find to try and stop me from getting what I've set out to get, and that was winning this here first annual G1, and I did just that. All for this.
He grabs the G1 trophy and raises it up to boo's, a faint amount of cheers however.
Ricardo Goon: Not only did I win Next Level Wrestling's first annual G1, I sent the fucking bar by going UNDEFEATED. World Champions, X*Crown Champion....jeje sorry...FORMER X*Crown Champions, my oldest rival, the hot shot 2nd generation brat, it didn't matter who they put in front of me, it didn't matter who tried to stop me, at the end I dropped every single last one of them square on their stupid ugly dome's and now, I hold THIS!
He raises it again as his brother claps for him in the background hyping him up to the crowd who are not having it.
Ricardo Goon: This right here, this beautiful prize that I worked so hard for, fought tooth and nail beating the best of the best that NLW could offer, The El Rey's...The Adam Sanders...The Kirk Waylons... this is it tonight, dad...God, that's beautiful...the MYOJINS...AND THEY CAN ALL KISS MY ASS!
He throws the trophy as hard as he can at the turnbuckle and then starts to stomp on it breaking into pieces as he brother cheers him on.
Ricardo Goon: THAT PIECE OF TRASH RIGHT THERE MEANS NOTHING!
He tugs at the scarf.
Ricardo Goon: This is kinda cool tho Imma keep this, show this off, as a reminder, that who ever the fuck is NLW World Champion come Homecoming 2, ya time is up. Because THAT...THAT RIGHT THERE, that is my TRUE prize. All this shit" He kicks the picture putting his Tim's right through it. Walking towards the center of the ring with it still around his ankle "This is all meaningless bullshit. Come November 27th, Homecoming 2, I claim my true prize, I take what's mine, and I become your NEW NLW World Champion, because there ain't a single punk ass bitch in that locker room that can PROVE ME WRONG!
David Goon: And yo speaking of Homecoming 2, we couldn't help but notice that management finally grew a set and are giving us what we demanded for for so long with NLW Tag Team Titles, kicking off with an 8 team tournament culminating with the finals at Homecoming 2. I bet management thought it'd be on the safe side if my brother did win the G1 that they would schedule this at the same time thinking we wouldn't want to put his title shot at jeopardy by having him pull double duty.
Ricardo Goon: WRONG! I'LL WRESTLE THAT ENTIRE LOCKER ROOM IN AN ALL NIGHT AND SNATCH ALL THEIR CHAINS!!! I'M A MACHINE!!! I'M A BEAST!!! I CAN'T BE STOPPED!
Ric lets out a cloud of unintelligible Spanish and then he attacks the top rope, biting it and staring out to the crowd crazy-eyed.
David Goon: Take this as us officially putting our names in the mix for those NLW Tag Team Titles because you must be outcha gotdamn mind if ya thought you could keep US away from those. And for those teams in the scramble clusterfuck later tonight.....watch ya six.
Ricardo Goon: BRRRRRRAAAAPPPPP!!!!
Both brothers "shoot" at the camera as Mobb Deep's Put 'Em In Their Place blasts out of the PA system, the scene fading briefly to an ad for the XHF Network as the ring is prepared for the main event.
MAIN EVENT - MATCH SIX
Eight Person Tag Team Match
The Academy & The New South vs The Time Jumpers & The Tilted Cartridges
Before the match, there's a moment between the New South and the Academy where they stare each other down. The tension dissolves into cheers when they show each other grudging respect, and elect Leon Chant the first active team member. The Tilted Cartridges and the Time Jumpers do not have such a moment, eventually leading to Dunne being left to face Chant down. He's clearly still sour about Collision Course, but he's got to focus on something else now.
The ring shakes as the two hosses collide in the center of the ring, heavy haymakers making men and women on the apron wince. It looks like Chant will get the upper hand until Dunne surprises Chant, lunging forward with a headbutt that makes his strike miss. And, you know, the headbutt. Chant staggers back and Dunne whips him into the enemy corner. The crowd boos as the inactive members all make a show of backing off. Chant tries to keep his eyes on everybody, but that just lets Dunne barrel into him with a corner splash! He follows up with a flurry of chops that eventually makes the ref chastise him, but that's what the team was waiting for; as the ref turns his back, Cheez starts choking Chant with the tag rope to a chorus of boos, and Makayla gets in on the fun with elbow strikes. Ciela doesn't get in, but it's hard to tell whether it's a reach thing or a motivation thing. Regardless, as soon as the ref processes the ocean of hatred, he whips around to stop the interference. This prompts Cheez and Makayla to back off, but Dunne charges in to take control back. Chant has a burst of energy and elbows anything close to him, knocking some people off the apron, but Dunne charges in before he can get away, flattening him with a clothesline against the buckles.
Cheez scrambles back up to the apron and tags himself in, and after a bit of loud plotting, Dunne pulls Chant out of the corner far enough for Cheez to climb the turnbuckles, then step on his shoulders. Cheez looks primed to end everything, jumping off of Dunne for a big elbow drop, but he misses the Hard Reset as Chant rolls quickly out of the way. Cheez cries out in pain, clutching his elbow as Chant starts crawling toward the corner. All three teammates are stretched out to get the tag, so Chant tags the nearest one, who turns out to be Waylon Kirk! Kirk barrels into the ring as Cheez tries to stand up with one arm, helping by yanking him up, then planting him with a Full Nelson Slam. Dunne hadn't got out of the ring yet and charges, but Kirk dodges an attempted spear by flipping over him, attempting a sunset flip. Dunne plants his feet and tries to keep himself upright, but Riley Richards springboards over the top rope with a dropkick to knock Dunne backwards! The ref drops down to count, but Makayla takes that as an invitation to rush in, nailing a low version of her Blast from the Past superkick on Kirk.
The ref tries to chastise her, but also Riley, but all hell breaks loose as the benches clear! Traywick comes in with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors on Makayla, but before he's on his feet, Ciela is rushing in and blasts him in the head with a Shining Wizard! Cheez has recovered and goes to Ciela, pointing to a recovering Leon, trying to get her to double-team him, but as they move over to do so, Leon bursts forward with a shout, clotheslining both at the same time! As Dunne's getting up after the dropkick, he whips himself around and blasts Dunne with a devastating Discus Lariat! This takes Leon and Dunne out of the ring over the top rope. Riley, who hasn't taken a bump yet, finds an angle to roll across the ring and hit St. Paul's Carnival Special on Cheez! But as soon as he does, the ref starts shouting frantically and threatening disqualifications if people don't get the fuck out of the ring.
Cheez and Waylon Kirk were legal, but both took big hits, so it takes them a bit to recover. Kirk does so first, looks to the corner, sees his partners, one loopy and one fresh, and he tags in Riley. Riley rushes in and drops an elbow on Cheez to reset his recovery meter (to speak in terms he'd understand). As soon as he does, he looks for springboard options, but his first choice is the side of the ring that the Time Jumpers are standing on, so he rethinks that move, instead grabbing Cheez by the collar to lift him into position for The Homage. But Cheez has scouted the inverted Russian Leg Sweep and elbows his way out frantically, and seeing Riley bent slightly, he hooks him for a suplex! It takes visible effort, but he gets Riley over for the first suplex, twisting his hips to go for the second one. It's slow going, and Cheez is visibly favoring his midsection, but he grunts loudly and pops the second suplex! He staggers a bit in the process of pulling Riley up for the third one and Riley manages to block and body punch his way out. Cheez staggers backward into the corner where Makayla is waiting to tag herself in. Cheez doesn't seem to notice and charges to finish the sequence, but Riley catches him with a spinning wheel kick. The distraction gives Makayla time to springboard and blasts Riley with a forearm she calls the Vayden Smash! Riley falls backward almost to the other side of the ring, the recoil taking him close enough to the ropes for Traywick to tag himself in. Mikayla scowls, bracing herself as Traywick enters.
She wants to pay Traywick back, so as soon as he's away from the ropes, she charges, ducking Traywick's counter clothesline, then catches herself by hooking the ropes when she sees Traywick start to go up for a hurricanrana on the next pass. He lands awkwardly, giving her time to hit a second Blast from the Past! Traywick instinctively goes to his stomach to prevent pins, but Makayla's okay with that, rolling toward his head to lock him in with Laws of Physics, but she only gets halfway before Traywick instinctively grabs her wrist! She flails, trying to get away, but Ciela ducks in, obviously looking to save her partner, but the ref gives her a stern warning. This extended warning gives Kirk time to slip in, catch Makayla as she breaks away with a big spinebuster, and slip out of the ring before the official turns around! Ciela is helpless to save her partner as Traywick locks in the Bourbon Sunrise, and when Makayla manages only a few weak kicks of her free leg, she taps out weakly, giving the win to the New South/Academy coalition!
[WINNER: The Academy & The New South Via Bourbon Sunrise at 10:49]
The bell rings and the New South celebrate together, before turning to The Academy, who have entered the ring once again to get their arms raised as well. All four look at each other knowing that from now on, all bets are off once again.
Dan Simmons: You can feel the tension partner, these four know damn well that they could be facing each other in the semi finals!
Tommy West: All eight teams have a chance at winning Simmo, and they know it!
Dan Simmons: Folks we are out of time, I hope that you enjoyed another episode of Ascendancy, we will be back in two weeks when this tournament kicks off and we find out who will be next to face Lazarus Arjen! But until then, I've been Dan Simmons, from Tommy and I, good night!
