NLW ASCENDANCY XXXV - OFN IV | Sunday, 4/30/2022 | LIVE
Apr 18, 2022 17:11:17 GMT -5
Mongo the Destroyer, Bobby Barratt, and 4 more like this
Post by Kris on Apr 18, 2022 17:11:17 GMT -5
Next Level Wrestling Presents
ASCENDENCY XXXV - OPEN FIGHT NIGHT IV
LIVE from the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana
April 30th, 2022
'Obey' blasts over the sound system of the Lakefront Arena as Ascendancy XXXV comes on the air. The crowd is extra-pumped for Open Fight Night IV, their cheers rivaling the music as multi-colored lights swirl over the interior of the Arena, NLW's logos and other forms of finery joined with numerous signs dotting the gathered masses. There's a couple pans over the crowd before the feed cuts to the announce table.
Dan Simmons: Good evening, everyone, and welcome to a special edition of Ascendancy--that's right, it's Open Fight Night IV! I'm Dan Simmons, and with me is Tommy West. We've got one Hell of a show tonight, don't we?
Tommy West: Yes we do, Dan! From the NLW Tag Team Champions defending their titles in a steel cage to the NLW Southern States Championship being up for grabs in a barbed wire rope submission match and all of the crazy matches in-between, tonight is gonna start off crazy and it's never gonna let up!
Dan Simmons: The Straight Edge Society were the ones to challenge the Academy, and the words from both teams were... interesting to say the least! Will Riley Richards and Leon Chant be able to retain their titles, or will Razor Blade and Latoya Hixx lay claim to their first titles here in NLW?
Tommy West: After that, we will actually be taking the action elsewhere for the Penny Arcade Street Fight! Cheez was the one to make that open challenge, and Adam Sanders was the one to step up and accept. I hope the arcade's got good insurance, because I get the feeling they're gonna need it!
Dan Simmons: Speaking of challenges, it seemed that no one was going to answer the challenge put forth by a returning Scott Hampton... right up until the Thespian chose to make his own grand return to accept! Both men have a score to settle, and I for one think it's going to be a slobberknocker!
Tommy West: The same can be said for Spike Kane and Eli Dresden. Spike's been on a dominant tear since he signed with NLW, but Eli's got a long and storied history of fearlessly provoking the most dangerous folks to ever set foot in the ring and coming away the victor. With the tension between them being more than competitive, I can't wait to see what happens!
Dan Simmons: After that, though... we're in for a treat, ladies and gentlemen, with two legends colliding in a match for the ages. Neither Bobby Barratt or Rob Arnold need to be introduced with their respective statuses as legends in the XHF Network, but we're in for the privilege of watching two of the best to ever do it collide, one-on-one, tonight!
Tommy West: And if that's not enough, after the very personal attack on his boyfriend on the last episode of Ascendancy, Felix is out for Sexton Love's blood--and the reigning Triple X*Crown, uh, Champion has put his belt on the line. This one's gonna get ugly!
Dan Simmons: Our main event tonight has the same promise to be ugly as Mehrunes Smith defends the NLW Southern States Championship against Bugz?. Both men have a history of violence and I foresee things getting bloody!
Tommy West: Before we can get to any of that, though, we've got a lot of amazing action to get through--so let's get this show on the road. Take it away, Marty!
MATCH ONE
NLW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP - STEEL CAGE MATCH
The Academy© vs The Straight Edge Society
The bell rings... and absolute chaos erupts within the confines of the steel cage. Razor Blade and Leon Chant exchange blows as Latoya Hixx and Riley Richards do much the same, but as close as they all are in the middle of the ring, it would not be a surprise if an errant blow from Latoya hit Leon, for example. Ultimately, the only 2-time NLW World Champion loses patience with the whole tangled affair and lashes out, sending both Hixx and Blade flying--and barely avoiding doing the same to Richards. There's a brief look of 'Really?!' from Riley before he's darting across the ring, but his momentum is cut off with a short range lariat from Razor. Latoya tries to add to the pressure, but Leon catches her cross body, and when Razor tries to rescue her, Leon yeets her and makes her crossbody him instead, and the Straightedge Society falls in a pile to the mat. Recognizing that Riley is the faster of the two, Leon helps him up and points to the cage wall, but it's too soon to start climbing, as Razor and Latoya are getting back to their feet. Leon tries to take the team out again, but they see him coming. Latoya leaps on Leon's back and starts monkeying herself around his shoulders, wrapping her legs around for a headscissor, but Leon's vertical base is too strong for the takeover. He lifts Latoya up, but as he does, Razor comes in with a dropkick to the knee, and Latoya uses the extra height to try the takeover again, and Leon finds himself on his back! The triumph is short-lived, as Riley springboards off the top rope where he catches both members of the Society in a crossbody block of his own!
Riley looks to the side of the cage and starts to run toward it. He gets up to the top rope and starts climbing from there, but Razor is first on his feet for the opposition and rushes over to him. Riley tries to kick him off, but Razor is persistent. Riley kicks, but Razor pulls until Riley is forced back down to the top rope and starts turning around to fight back, but Razor slams his head against the cage wall, grabs the head, and leaps off the top rope in a diving bulldog! Latoya looks like she's going to make a run for it, but as she climbs the ropes, Leon grabs her by the waist, pulling her off of the wall. He deadlifts her and walks around the ring for a few seconds before planting her with a devastating German suplex. Razor is getting up from the bulldog and starts a strikefest, but that's a bad idea, as Leon has much more power and pushes him into a corner with heavy haymakers. He backs up a few steps and tries to splat Razor in the corner with a big splash, but Razor ducks out. He hits a lifting knee strike as Leon turns around, but when he goes for the bulldog follow-up, Leon just holds him in the air and then throws him halfway across the ring instead. Once again, he rouses Riley, this time physically lifting him onto the side of the cage to start climbing. Riley shakes some cobwebs out, then does as Leon urges.
Riley gets about halfway to the top before Razor is back to his feet. He's groggy, but determined, rushing for the cage wall. He starts shaking the cage vigorously, which stymies Riley's progress. Leon peels Razor away, but that's when he sees Latoya creeping toward the cage door. He shouts at Riley to hurry, but Razor blocks Leon from stopping Latoya, unleashing a flurry of strikes that are more annoying than impactful, but the point is to delay the former World Champion. Riley peeks over his shoulder and sees she'll get to the door before he gets to the top, so he drops shakily to the top rope. After setting himself, and just after official Jennifer Thibodeaux opens the door for Latoya, Riley makes a mad dash along the top rope to hit a modified St. Paul's Carnival Special on Latoya! Leon brushes past Razor as the crowd cheers the somersault senton, pulling Latoya back so Thibodeaux has to close the door again. But that means Razor has the opening to start climbing as well. Leon tries to catch Razor, but Razor is able to boot him in the face a few times to set him back before climbing for his life. Leon is quick to get Riley on his feet and climbing, but Razor is able to get all the way to the top of the cage before Riley is halfway up. Latoya is starting to stir, but Leon looks at where Razor is and heads over to the door. Jenny starts to open it, but rather than go out, Leon grabs the door, and as Razor is halfway down, pulls the door into the cage wall, pinning Razor's legs! Riley gets to the top of the cage and shifts over as Razor flails, writhing as he tries to break free, but Leon's grip is too tight. Latoya sees the open door and starts crawling toward it, but before she can get there, Riley is over the edge, and seeing her near the ropes, Riley takes a deep breath, goes limp, and falls from the cage wall! It's painful, but he hits before Latoya can claw her way out of the ring, letting Leon release Razor from his improvised prison as the bell rings, signaling an Academy victory!
[WINNER: The Academy via Escape at 10:06]
The cameras start rolling as a car pulls up into a parking lot. But this parking lot isn't for the UNO Lakefront Arena...
Dan Simmons: Is this where I think it is?
Tommy West: That looks like the Sea Cave arcade over in New Orleans East near Arabi.
The camera gets closer to the vehicle where Eddie Walker, the Manager Extraordinaire is at the wheel.
Eddie Walker: So the Sea Cave took all their nice equipment out of the building into storage and filled the place with broken, outdated, and unused machines. There's nothing in there they aren't afraid to lose. So do not hesitate to put him through anything you see because you know he won't hesitate to do it to you.
The camera pans out to reveal Adam Sanders sitting in the passenger seat of the car. He simply nods to his manager before opening the passenger seat of Walker's car.
Adam Sanders: Treat him like any other opponent.
Eddie Walker: Go a step further than that. Treat him like he's Keith Williams or Zoran Sainovic. This is a street fight, Adam. You're gonna have to get into a violent mindset to win this match. I'll be in the parking lot but I'm not going to interfere in the match. I'm simply here as your ride back when it's over. But... if I see Cheez running around out here, I'll alert you with four honks of my horn. You got that?
Adam Sanders: Four honks. Got it. And don't worry. I know there's no real rules to this match. I'll do anything it takes to win it.
Eddie Walker: Atta boy. Now go get 'em.
Adam Sanders steps out of the vehicle and closes the door behind him. He notices that camera crews were already on sight as he makes brief eye contact with the camera that was watching Eddie give him his pre-match pep talk.
Dan Simmons: It appears we have ourselves a real treat coming up here. And I'm guessing this penny arcade street fight is sponsored by Sea Cave arcade on St. Claude Avenue in New Orleans. Ever been there?
Tommy West: I have not. But I guess we're gonna get a good look inside the place now.
Sanders opens up the front doors and sees the lights are off. The only thing Sanders can see is the lights from all the games and equipment all over the arcade. The first person he sees is not Cheez but NLW junior referee Jenny Thibodeaux. Adam simply nods at the referee before walking around for a moment, trying to familiarize himself with where everything is. But the audience can see the moment Adam realizes something... Cheez is probably already here.
Adam Sanders: CHEEZ!! IT'S ADAM!! COME ON, SHOW YOURSELF!!
Nothing happens. Adam mumbles to himself as he keeps walking around the building.
Adam Sanders: This is an ambush, and I know it.
Cheez: GOTCHA!!
As soon as Adam turns a corner, Cheez jumps off one of the machines and clings to the back of Adam Sanders's back with his arms across his throat. The force of the jump drops Sanders to his knees with Cheez choking him. The lights quickly turn on in the arcade and Jenny Thibodeaux is in position to referee the match. The Penny Arcade Street Fight has begun.
MATCH TWO
PENNY ARCADE STREET FIGHT
Cheez vs Adam Sanders
Adam flails around for a moment before finding the right place to aim his elbows to get Cheez off his back. Cheez isn’t deterred as he still has Adam on his knees and trying to catch his breath. He takes advantage by dropkicking Adam in the back, sending Adam face first into one of the seats for a racing game. He slams Adam’s face into the seat a couple of times before trying to get the cover. Thibodeaux counts to two but Adam gets the shoulder up.
Sanders quickly grabs Cheez’s ankles and trips him before he can do anything else. Before Cheez can even get up to try to keep momentum on his side, Adam tosses Cheez into the cabinet, not quite breaking the game. With little effort, Adam rip off the game’s steering wheel and begins to smack Cheez across the face with it. After feeling satisfied with bludgeoning the former NLW Tag Team Champion, Adam hooks the leg and only gets two.
Taking advantage of the street fight nature of the match, Cheez nails a low blow on Sanders before dropping him with a DDT onto a concrete portion of the floor. He pulls Adam to the next game nearby, a shooting game. With the game’s shotgun on a cord, he wraps it around Adam’s throat and starts choking him with it. Jenny Thibodeaux admonishes Cheez for the tactic but can’t do anything about it. A few kicks to Adam’s face later, he goes for the cover. Somehow, someway, Sanders kicks out.
Cheez isn’t done with the shooting game’s paraphernalia as he smashes the shotgun into Adam’s skull. Sanders is busted open at this point. But despite all of that, Sanders starts to fight to his feet. Left from Sanders. Right from Cheez. Sanders, Cheez, Sanders, Cheez… ADAM WITH A LARIAT!! Both men are down for a moment but the first one up is the Awkward One. Sanders grabs Cheez and lifts him in the air, military press style. Cheez winces as he knows what’s next… he screams as he is being thrown towards the game cabinets across, busting through most of them. Sparks and flashes of lights surround the area where Cheez lands. Adam drops to his knees after he does this, trying to catch his breath but also wondering if he just murdered Cheez. Sanders touches his face to realize he’s losing blood and needs to get this over with. He rises back to his feet to check the landing spot of Cheez but… he’s not there?
Cheez emerges behind Adam Sanders, covered in blood and scorch marks, with a mallet from a “test your strength” game. He cracks Adam upside the head with the mallet; the Awkward One crumbles to the floor. Cheez drops the mallet at the feet of the former AWF Prestige Champion with a sickening grin on his face. Instead of pinning him, he yanks Adam up by the collar to taunt him but Adam has just enough strength to uppercut him. Sanders drops back down and Cheez stumbles back down as well. But despite being the one struck, Cheez was the first one up again. He hooks the leg and covers… one, two… NO?!?!
Cheez mutters “You’ve got to be kidding me” as he picks up the mallet once more. He lifts it over his head to swing at Adam again, but Sanders kicks him. A second kick makes Cheez drop the mallet. A third kick drops Cheez to the ground. Both men slowly try to get back to their feet. Sanders is slightly quicker than Cheez by hitting a clothesline that sends Cheez backwards into the photobooth. Sanders climbs in and puts Cheez into a headlock as the booth starts flashing photographs of the opponents inside the booth. The strip of pictures on the outside of the booth show Adam pounding on Cheez. Cheez scrambles out the opposite end of the booth and holds himself up on a claw machine. Once Sanders stumbles out himself, Cheez quickly sends Sanders into the glass of the claw machine, trying to repeat his strategy with the shotgun cord with the claw machine but Sanders somehow elbows Cheez enough to discourage another attempted strangulation. Sanders carefully yanks out glass out of his head before driving a knee into Cheez’s midsection and throwing him towards the skee-ball games. Cheez slides down the lane and his head drops inside the one hundred point hole.
Adam doesn’t immediately capitalize on Cheez’s predicament, prioritizing the glass that’s in his hair and various other parts of his upper body, not too dissimilar a view as Cochrane, Adam’s mentor, after Caffrey smashed him into the television, though with a lot less foreign objects. At least Adam was only dealing with glass. As soon as there’s movement from Cheez, Sanders turns his attention back to him and starts tossing skee-balls at Cheez, a couple of them bouncing off his head and landing in the thirty and fifty point holes. Cheez has enough and leaps towards Adam with a crossbody, dropping both men.
Sanders starts to use the air hockey table to pull himself up before the puck hits him square between the eyes. Cheez rolls Adam onto the table and goes to the opposite end and sends a puck right into Adam’s groin. Cheez climbs a nearby machine to try to hit the Chedda Heada (Diving Headbutt) on Sanders on the air hockey table but Sanders rolls off the table just in time. Cheez’s skull bounces off the table. Both men are covered in blood. Adam still has glass in his hair and on his face. Cheez has scorch marks on his. Sanders slowly makes his way to the downed Cheez and places him in a fireman’s carry before eyeing the air hockey table. After a brief pause, he sends Cheez crashing through the air hockey table with the Dream Breaker (Death Valley Driver), causing the giant table to shatter into splinters of wood and chunks of plastic. Sanders lacks the strength to stand any longer but draps his arm over Cheez for the pin attempt. Jenny Thibodeaux counts and gets to three. Even after the match is officially over, neither man moves. Medics, Eddie Walker, and Wellington Dunne immediately rush into to help the two competitors after the carnage they just went through.
[WINNER: Adam Sanders Via The Dream Breaker (through an air hockey table) at 14:13]
Next Level Wrestling Presents
HOSTILE INTENT 2022
LIVE from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana
Saturday, May 28th, 2022
HOSTILE INTENT 2022
LIVE from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana
Saturday, May 28th, 2022
MATCH THREE
Scott Hampton vs The Thespian
Considering the heated words that were exchanged between the two returning competitors, it's no surprise at all that the moment Scott Hampton and the Thespian share the same ring? There's nothing passive about the aggression from the (self-proclaimed) Best Kept Secret of NLW as he charges across the ring--but Scott's hostility is met with an equal level of such from Theo! The two men collide in the middle of the ring, trading punches as the crowd roars its approval--and those cheers grow all the louder as the Thespian drives his opponent into the ropes. Hampton immediately ducks between the top rope and the middle rope, shouting at Gabe Valentine to make Theo back away. The crowd boos as Valentine is left with no choice but to force the Thespian back, Hampton disentangling himself from the ropes extra-slowly just to make sure that his opponent is irritated. That irritation has Theo surging forward the moment Valentine is out of the way... right into a cheap shot from Scott. The crowd jeers as Hampton quickly presses that advantage, staggering Theo with a few more rapidfire blows before locking the masked competitor up in a straitjacket hammerlock. In spite of Theo's attempts to get free, Scott hurls his opponent up and over, a bridging German suplex taking Theo right into the Dark Sanctuary! Unfortunately for Hampton, Theo kicks out of the pinfall attempt at two and a half in order to escape that attempt at ending the match.
The Invincible takes that kick out in stride--well, beyond a glare being shot at Greg--before he keeps the pressure on Theo, the former not allowing the latter to get to a vertical base in favor of drilling some vicious elbows into the masked man's skull in spite of Theo's best efforts to protect himself. Ignoring Valentine's lecturing, Hampton doesn't let up until the referee engages the five count, letting up just shy of getting disqualified. Smirking like a Cheshire cat, Scott allows himself to be forced away from the Thespian, whose eyes are likely glazed over behind the bandages covering his face. The masked man is unsteady as he begins to get to his feet, Hampton taking hold of Theo's head to help bodily drag the lighter man to his feet. Theo is visibly wobbly on his feet, something that earns a smirk from Hampton before he rushes the ropes, springboarding off of them confidently... but at the last possible moment, the Thespian darts out of the way, leaving Hampton to crash and burn on his backside! As Hampton gets up to a knee, Theo lies in wait, biding his time before surging forward with an inverted Somersault Cutter, Hampton forced to Take A Bow! The Thespian hooks the leg on the pinfall attempt that follows, only getting a two and a half before Hampton kicks out.
Revitalized by the near fall, NLW's Best Kept Secret kicks his offense into overdrive. He cuts off a charge from the Thespian with a running European Uppercut that sends Theo reeling into the corner. The Thespian tries to fight out with his own uppercut, but Hampton just blasts him with a pump kick that crushes Theo against the buckles. As the Thespian stumbles out from the corner, Hampton quickly ascends to the top rope, leaping off of it and slamming his feet into the spine of Theo, Storm Breaker flattening the masked man with all the force and vitriol that Hampton puts into it! Rolling Theo onto his back, Scott goes for the pinfall... but the Thespian kicks out about a second before Gabe's hand hits the mat for the third time, the crowd cheering in relief! Hampton curses out Valentine for what he views as an officiating error, but he doesn't allow his ire to take his focus off of his opponent. Instead, Scott shouts at the fans in attendance that it's time to end the Thespian once and for all. Hoisting the masked man onto his shoulders, Hampton is obviously going for the Argentine Backbreaker Transition to a Knee lift that he calls Vae Victis but, sensing the danger, Theo wriggles his way free, landing hard on his side. Hampton can be heard mouthing off about how the Thespian is only prolonging the inevitable as he turns around and leans down to collect his errant foe--but with a last surge of energy, Theo entangles his limbs with Hampton's own, dragging him down into a small package! Gabe Valentine makes the three count by the skin of Theo's teeth, Scott just barely caught long enough to lose the match.
[WINNER: The Thespian Via Small Package at 11:01]
The camera roams backstage. We come into a locker room. It isn’t labeled, but the cameraman opens up the door anyway. The only people inside the fairly unremarkable room are Keahi Sparks and Sapphire. Sapphire is dressed in tight pants and a denim jacket that’s doing its best across her broad shoulders. Keahi is dressed in the leathers she’s taken to wearing when not in a match, though her jacket is open enough to reveal she has a sports bra on instead of a blouse, the better to display her many bandages from the many wounds she suffered in the Rumble match. Even so, there are slightly visible red marks all over that aren’t bandaged, relics of the thumbtack bearhug.
Keahi doesn’t look happy. But she is not the one who speaks.
Sapphire: Shit’s really starting to spiral out of control here. It’s always been pretty obvious this is not like anywhere I’ve ever been, but things seem to be taking a more sinister turn.
Keahi scoffs. Then she coughs, clutching at her bandaged stomach.
Sapphire: I’ve always been available to be Keahi’s back-up, but the situation’s reached a point that I feel--
Keahi scoffs again, but speaks through the ensuing coughing fit.
Keahi Sparks: Get to the point...where you’re trying...to beat me to a title reign.
Sapphire’s expression remains completely neutral, despite the bitter snipe.
Sapphire: I’ve been hired to a contract, but obviously I have to wrestle a match, and the upcoming show has only one match. So I agreed to take part in the Super Scramble. I’m going to be frank. Despite some people’s suspicions, I am not here to chase championships. You probably won’t believe me.
Keahi scoffs again. She coughs again. Sapphire waits until she is finished and silent before continuing.
Sapphire: I’m the muscle. If I wanted to break out on my own I could go somewhere else on the Network. Anyone--
Keahi coughs on purpose this time.
Keahi Sparks: Nathan Cage.
She coughs again.
Keahi Sparks: Zoran Sainovic.
She coughs a third time, but this time it's because the first two disturbed her insides.
Sapphire: --who decides they’re going to get a little too frisky will have to deal with me. Keahi can take care of herself of course, but there’s no reason for her to get her hands dirty if she doesn’t need to...
Sapphire pauses and gazes into the camera for a little too long before finishing her thought.
Sapphire: When mine are stained already.
Sapphire stops talking, but the scene doesn’t fade. After a few seconds, she looks confused.
Sapphire: You know Keahi’s not got a great stretch right now, vis a vis getting stabbed, right? I’d dip if I were you.
The camera crew takes their cue and shuffles out with all due haste.
MATCH FOUR
Spike Kane vs Eli Dresden
Spike and Eli stare each other down after the bell rings, sizing each other up. The two rush together to the center of the ring, and Spike catches her with a series of forearm smashes, but as she goes reeling, she immediately springboards off the middle rope and pivots to blast Spike in the mush with an elbow that sends him reeling as well. He tries to reset, but Eli is baseball sliding under his legs already, and he whirls around to see Eli flying at his face with a springboard dropkick! This doesn’t down him, but he staggers again, allowing Eli to continue the charge, but he catches her the third time, an ill-timed Hurricanrana attempt turned into a vicious powerbomb that folds Eli in half. Spike puts all his weight into stacking Eli up, but she kicks out at two, a fact referee Gabe Valentine reiterates when Spike gives him an evil eye. Spike just focuses back up, lifting Eli back to her feet. He jabs her a few times before whipping her into the ropes. She ducks a clothesline, handspringing into the ropes. She jumps back for an elbow but Spike catches her by the waist, throwing her over his head for a German Suplex, but she flips through and lands on her feet to a cheer! She has to set herself, but she ducks a rushed attempt at Bloody Sunday to nail Spike with a dropsault that finally fells the larger wrestler. She drapes herself across Spike’s chest with a cheeky grin, but only gets a two count.
She gets up and Spike rubs his jaw, studying Eli carefully as he gets to his feet as well. The two circle each other, eyes locked on each other. Eli strikes first this time, running and swinging up and around for a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, but Spike handsprings out of it, getting a pop despite himself! Eli looks impressed for a half a second before dodging a Superkick and whipping Spike over in a quick arm drag that the Blood God rolls through, but Eli is on the move already, springing off the ropes like she lives there for a crossbody block. Spike catches her on the third move once again, this time popping her up into powerbomb position, but before he can pop her up from there to the Blood God’s Wrath, Eli whips him over with the hurricanrana she wanted earlier! Spike can’t handspring out of this, his back hitting the mat. He rolls through as best he can, seeing Eli coming for him. He ducks the attempt at the OMFN, and while Eli notices in time to only do a tiny bunny hop, that’s enough of an opening for Spike to whip around and grab her, planting her with a German Suplex that he bridges for a two count. Despite kicking out, Eli doesn’t break free, as Spike maintained his grip, so he rolls over to lift Eli up. He lifts her for a second suplex, but she blocks by hooking her legs around one of his. He lets go and shoves her away, giving him room to pivot for Bloody Sunday. She ducks, then spins herself, launching herself at him with a Sling Blade! OMFN! Spike falls supine and Eli assumes a suggestive pinning position. She has a shit-eating grin when Spike doesn’t kick out, and to the surprise of many in attendance, the grin remains when Gabe Valentine points out Spike’s foot draped across the bottom rope.
Spike rolls out to the floor to recuperate after the near fall. Eli watches him closely, ignoring Gabe’s countout and insistence that she leave him alone as he takes a moment at the bottom of the ramp. When the time is right, she bounds into the opposite ropes, Kong-vaulting off the top rope and kicking her legs forward. She’s aiming to hit a Shooting Star plancha, but Spike catches her! He then uses the momentum of her legs swinging down to flip over her in a Canadian Destroyer on the floor! The fans wince as Eli is planted with Freya’s Wings, and now Gabe is counting them both out, as Spike is still not moving very fast. He does recover quick enough to roll Eli into the ring around the six count. He tries for a cover, but she’s had too long to recover and kicks out. He lifts her up to her feet and hooks her for a suplex, but she knows a Jackhammer is coming so she hooks her legs through Spike’s again. He starts blasting her in the midsection with body shots, and she responds by stomping on his toes to loosen his grip. She then tries to whip him into the corner, and when he inevitably reverses the whip, she runs up the turnbuckle and leaps backwards for a mule-style dropkick that pushes Spike into the opposite corner. Eli hops up with a full head of steam and heaves Spike up onto the top turnbuckle as the crowd anticipates what she’s going for. She then runs back to get room to build up speed before charging at Spike. She leaps up, but as she tries to angle for the flip that gives her momentum for the GDI, Spike catches her off guard, lifting her into the air from his seated position and drilling her with a super elevated Pop Up Powerbomb! Gabe winces as Eli hits the canvas, and the three count that follows is academic.
[WINNER: Spike Kane via Blood God’s Wrath at 13:37]
The camera vibrates in the cameraman's grip as he follows a hurrying Kelly Ross down the corridor to the doctor's office. When they arrive, Felix comes from where the doctor is checking on Maxwell with an uncharacteristic scowl on his face. The fury in his features intensifies when he sees Kelly and the cameraman, the door closing behind him.
Felix: What do you vultures want?
Kelly immediately flinches back at Felix's harsh, stinging tone, causing him to take a deep breath. After a brief pause, he exhales and attempts to soften his tone so it's not quite as harsh.
Felix: I am sorry. I just have quite a bit on my mind... and most of it is about how to break Sexton's bones and make his body as ugly as his soul.
Kelly Ross hesitates at the aggression but is at least soothed enough by his change of tone to talk.
Kelly Ross: We just wanted to check on Maxwell and get a few words from you both after Sexton's attack.
Felix nods and closes his eyes as he takes another deep breath to center himself.
Felix: Maxwell got caught right in the eye, cheekbone, and jaw. The doctor is still carefully inspecting his eye to ensure that nothing is wrong, and to be honest, I am not going to let you into that room.
Kelly nods, not wanting to argue with the obviously incensed Felix.
Felix: As far as words go, they are cheap. But I have a few for Sexton.
Felix looks dead into the camera, the burning steel of his gaze making the cameraman flinch back.
Felix: Up until now, Sexton, I've been attempting to teach you a lesson. I've been attempting to humble you. It wasn't even personal. Even after your attack last week, because dealing with someone as dishonorable and despicable as you carries that risk. You did, however, make one potentially lethal error.
Felix takes a step forward, his growl evoking visions of the yokai that had sought to take him over in the days leading up to Felix's return to NLW for those who were aware of its existence.
Felix: You could beat me bloody and it wouldn't matter to me much... But when you decide to attack someone I love? You've made this personal, and you owe me a debt that I'll rip from your shattered, bleeding hands. The next time I get my hands on you, it won't be just to fight you or humble you. No, my purpose will be to hurt you in as many ways as I know how.
Felix makes a fist, his fiery stare never leaving the lens of the camera.
Felix: And I know many, many ways to hurt you, to break you, and to rip your ugly face right off your skull. No one, and I mean NO ONE, hurts the ones I love. I'm going to use you as an example to make sure no one has such a stupid, cowardly idea again.
Kelly flinches back from Felix's brief yell, having never seen him so enraged, so thirsty for blood.
Felix: Let me put this in words that even someone like you will understand, Sexton.
Felix leans in close to the camera, his scowl returning.
Felix: You have fucked up now.
The door behind Felix opens at that moment, and he turns to face the doctor as he prepares to leave, almost forcing him back into the room before slamming the door behind them. Kelly is noticeably shaken when she looks back at the cameraman.
Kelly Ross: B-back... to r-ringside...
MATCH FIVE
Rob Arnold vs. Bobby Barratt
The air in the arena is electric as Rob Arnold and Bobby Barratt stare one another down from their respective corners, the crowd cheering in anticipation for the match that is about to begin. The bell rings, and at first... nothing happens. The two men continue the silent battle of wills, Bobby smirking while Rob's expression is deadly serious. It's Arnold that pops off a comment first, one that causes Barratt's smirk to shatter--and with it goes his self-control, the Prodigy surging across the ring to meet Arnold in the middle of the ring. The two men collide in a collar-and-elbow tie-up, the pair of veterans jockeying for the advantage. Initially, the larger Arnold gets the advantage with a hammerlock, but Barratt is quick to reverse it into an armbar. Rob sends Bobby into the ropes, but Bobby ducks under the clothesline attempt and rebounds off the ropes with a clothesline of his own that connects! Arnold staggers back but does not go down, a brow arching as if to ask if that's all Barratt's got--and the answer Rob gets is a spinning clothesline that does take him off his feet! Bobby goes for the cover, but Rob kicks out shortly after the one count. Barratt gets up and starts stomping at Rob, but Arnold keeps pushing until he gets his feet under him. Barratt tries to keep the stomps going a little too long and Rob catches his leg, making Bobby's eyes go wide before Rob pulls him in for a Capture Suplex! Bobby arches his back while favoring his hip, which can't be as limber as it once was, as Rob goes for a cover, only getting a two count out of it.
Of course, a man known for being as ruthless as Rob Fucking Arnold notices that the Prodigy is favoring his hip--that he's not at peak condition in general--and so his tactic is quickly made clear when the match action resumes. It's a dawdle for Arnold to tweak his offense to focus in on that joint, not to mention the back that is directly connected to it. Rob viciously whips Bobby into the nearest corner injured hip first, Bobby rebounding off it to land in a heap on the mat. Arnold bides his time for a moment, waiting for Barratt to get back to his feet before rushing in with a high knee that knocks any wind that may have been gathered right out of Bobby's sails. It's clear that Rob knows he's got to stay on his opponent as he whirls Bobby around and cinches his arms around his waist. The first German Suplex takes Barratt out of the corner, Arnold keeping his grip as he rolls through for a second, then a third, bridging for a pinfall attempt. Bobby kicks out at two and a half to cheers from the fans... and the determined setting of the jaw from Rob. Arnold helps Barratt to his feet--but before he can do anything more, Bobby's raking at Rob's eyes! The desperation maneuver earns a scolding from Jennifer Thibodeaux, one that Bobby ignores in favor of rushing forward and seizing Rob's neck, planting Arnold with the Downward Spiral! The pinfall attempt that follows only makes it to two and a half, Bobby cursing to himself, but ultimately looking unsurprised.
The Prodigy winces when he gets back to his feet, but a little pain isn't going to stop Bobby Barratt from reclaiming control of the match. Rob reverses Bobby's attempt to send him into the ropes, but Barratt springboards off the ropes with a clothesline that takes Arnold down. Forcing himself to get back to his feet quickly, Bobby speeds over Rob's prone form and springboards off, landing with a proper leg drop that visibly stuns Arnold. Taking advantage of that, Barratt pushes himself to go all the faster, ascending to the top turnbuckle before leaping off before he can hesitate, the Shooting Star Press connecting full-on! Hooking the leg, Bobby nods along to the count of one... two... no! Arnold kicks out just before the three! Sitting back on his heels, Barratt can be seen muttering to himself, but he doesn't allow himself to dwell on that. Simply put? He can't afford to. A deep breath to brace himself and gather that second wind is the only pause Bobby takes before he's dragging Rob to his feet--but Arnold breaks free of Barratt's grip! A brutal right is unleashed by Rob, but Bobby returns fire, a slugfest ensuing that might be slow, but every hit connects with the force of a truck. It's Bobby that gets the advantage, driving fist after fist into Rob before whipping the larger man into the ropes--but since Arnold is also a purveyor of the code breaker, Barratt's attempt to catch him in the IconBreaker fails thanks to Rob catching him! Hooking an arm over Bobby's head, Rob connects with a Fisherman Buster before releasing his hold and scrambling to his feet. Before Barratt can do more than roll onto his stomach and start to get his arms and legs under him, Arnold rushes forward with a curb stomp, Shattered Ice connecting! The three-count that follows for Rob is one that is hard-earned, the two XHF legends shaking hands to the roaring approval of the crowd.
[WINNER: Rob Arnold Via Shattered Ice at 17:29]
We cut backstage, where Kelly Ross is standing by with Bloodied Fox, who is dressed in his street clothes.
Kelly Ross: Bloodied Fox, thank you for joining me. It's been a couple of months since the NLW fans have seen you here, but it would seem you're about to make up for that absence with a flurry of activity.
Bloodied Fox: That's right, Kelly. With first House of Wolves, and then the XHF Rumble, my focus has been pulled away from NLW. But with the X*Crown and Zoran Sainovic beyond my reach for now, it's time for me to prove that I belong here. From June, it'll be by winning this year's G1 Tournament, but at Ascendancy XXXVI it'll be by claiming the most falls in the Super Scramble match.
Kelly Ross: It's a stacked field in the Super Scramble. Who do you think is the biggest threat to your plans for victory?
Bloodied Fox: In something as chaotic as a nine way match with no disqualifications or count-outs, anyone can blind side you. You need eyes in the back of your head, but the next best thing is another pair watching out for you. So Midnight Animals are the biggest threat, Kelly, because Bugz? and The Great Buta will be working together out there. Luckily for me, a fox can handle a rabbit and a pig any day of the week.
Kelly Ross: Alright, well before we go I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't ask the question all the NLW fans have been asking since perhaps the biggest shock of the XHF Rumble; the reveal that El Chico Promedio was in fact your former friend and stablemate turned nemesis Seth Dillinger. Will you two be able to co-exist on the same roster?
For a moment, Fox looks conflicted. Then he simply turns and walks away. Kelly can do nothing but shrug to the camera.
Kelly Ross: No answers so far, it seems. Back to ringside.
MATCH SIX
TRIPLE X*CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP(?) MATCH
Sexton Love© vs Felix
Felix paces back-and-forth in the corner like a caged animal, his eyes locked on his opponent across the ring. Sexton makes a dismissive gesture in his direction, telling him to back up and wait for the bell. NLW ring announcer Marty Watts stands between them, and reminds the fans that in this match, Sexton Love's (self-awarded) Triple X*Crown Championship on the line. Since it's technically a title bout, he introduces Felix first as the challenger. The crowd roars with approval, but Felix does not even acknowledge the people, remaining focused on the man who sucker punched his partner last week. As Marty turns to introduce the "champion," he's interrupted by Sexton Love's own personal ring announcer... the "The Voice of the Moist" Michael Stuffer... who rips the microphone from his hands.
After a long, verbose, and over-the-top introduction for Sexton Love, the match is ready to begin. Referee Gabe Valentine calls both men to the center of the ring, reminding them that the Triple X*Crown is contested under traditional wrestling rules. He gives Felix a knowing look, and tells them both to keep it CLEAN. Felix responds with a short nod, still not taking his eyes off the champion. The official nods back, then asks Sexton to hand over his prized championship belt. Sexton unhooks the title from his waist, looks at it from a moment, then DECKS FELIX IN THE FACE! What a cheap shot! The match hasn't officially started, so there's nothing the referee can do! With Felix down on the mat, Sexton hands the belt over to Valentine and tells him to start the match. The referee checks on Felix, blood slowly trickling down his forehead from the cheap shot. The Warrior wipes the blood off his face, shoves the official back, and tells him to ring the damn bell.
Ding ding ding. The Triple X*Crown Title match is underway... and Sexton immediately rolls out of the ring. The furious challenger chases him to the floor, but Sexton quickly slides back in, landing another cheap shot on Felix as he re-enters in pursuit. The Lovely One hits a series of clubbing blows to the back. Felix is unphased. He grabs the champ by the arm and takes him down with a vicious Judo throw, turning the tables. Sexton goes for a lariat, but Felix blocks it and immediately slams the champ down again with another Judo throw. Frustrated and out-wrestled, Sexton attempts to flee... but Felix maintains wrist control! There's no escape! Judo throw. Judo throw. Judo throw. Fujiwara armbar! Bodzilla's left arm is nearly ripped out of its socket, but he scrambles to the ropes and manages to break free from the Warrior's grasp.
Sexton bails out of the ring, clutching his shoulder in pain. He kicks the barricade, jaw-jacking with some of the fans in the front row as the referee begins his count. WHAM! Felix rams Sexton into the security wall, shoulder first, then quickly throws him back into the ring. After all the bullshit in their previous matches, Felix can't allow a bogus countout finish. No excuses for Sexton Love this time.
The battered champion gets up to his knees, his one good arm outstretched, begging off from Felix. The Warrior responds with a roundhouse kick to the injured shoulder. Then a kick to the chest. Then another kick. And another. Felix unloads a furious combination of kicks to his kneeling opponent, alternating between the shoulder and chest, before finally landing one last shot to the side of the head. He goes for a pin, but Sexton kicks out and two. The champion rolls towards the edge of the ring, desperately trying to create some separation.
Felix continues the relentless assault in the corner, this time with a barrage of forearm strikes and knife-edge chops. The ropes are the only thing keeping Sexton on his feet, and the referee steps in to force a break. Felix regains his composure and backs off, not wanting to risk another disqualification loss. His hands raised in the air, Felix walks back to the center of the ring. The punch-drunk Sexton Love staggers out of the corner... and proceeds to spit DIRECTLY in the Warrior's face! Felix totally snaps, unleashing another vicious combination. Forearm, knee strike, forearm, knee strike, spinning back elbow. Sexton Love is rocked again... but he responds with an open-handed slap to the face, simply incensing the challenger even further! The Warrior balls up a fist and rears back for the kill shot... then remembers how he was disqualified in their previous match. That split-second hesitation is all the champion needs. Sexton takes advantage of the momentary pause with a kick to the midsection and DDT to take control.
Still feeling the effects of Felix's offense in his left shoulder, Sexton executes a one-handed bodyslam... and follows it up with a bicep flex elbow drop using his still-functioning arm. Felix defiantly kicks out at one. Sexton keeps working him over, usings his good arm to execute a flapjack, rude awakening neckbreaker, and high angle back suplex... all for nearfalls. Growing more frustrated, Sexton shoots Felix into the buckle with a one-armed irish whip, and follows it up with a running lariat. WHAM! He smacks Felix square across the chest, but the Warrior shakes it off. Bodzilla tries whipping him to the opposite corner... but Felix reverses it! Felix charges forward for a lariat of his own... THUD! Sexton avoids it! The Warrior crashes into the buckle hard and Sexton hooks him for the Sex Plex! BOOM! He drops Felix right on the back of his head! Impressed by his own counter, Bodzilla strikes a pose for the people... who strangely respond with a growing wave of cheers. The delusional champion basks in the adoration, not realizing that the fans aren't really cheering for him... they're cheering for the man standing behind him. After the Sex Plex, Felix rolled through to his feet, completely no selling the move! Sexton turns around... AND FELIX DRILLS HIM WITH A BICYCLE KNEE STRIKE!
The comeback is on! Exploder suplex! Saito suplex! Half-nelson suplex! Fueled by rage and fighting spirit, Felix throws the much larger champion all over the ring, dropping Sexton hard on his injured left shoulder each time. The champ tries to get himself disqualified with a wild haymaker, but Felix ducks it and hooks him for the Chimera Plex! Sexton counters with a back elbow, hitting Felix in the exact same spot as the belt shot earlier. Sexton goes behind, reversing positions, then drives Felix into the corner for another O'Connor roll! THE SEX PLEX CONNECTS AGAIN! This time Sexton holds the bridge! 1... 2... NO! The shoulder pain is too much!
Bodzilla yells at Michael Stuffer, still sitting ringside. Michael grabs the Triple X* Crown Title belt from the timekeeper's area and slides it into the ring. Sexton goes for another belt shot... but this time Felix sees it coming and ducks! He rebounds off the ropes... RUNNING BICKLE KNEE STRIKE! Sexton drops the title. Bodzilla's out on his feet... yet somehow still standing! The Warrior hits the ropes again... looking for one final knee strike... but Sexton side steps it at the last second! He lifts Felix up for the SEXECUTOR... but Felix grabs the champ's injured arm and escapes...
JUDO. THROW.
Felix takes Sexton down, trapping the left arm! The LeBell lock is applied! The crowd is going wild! Sexton's got nowhere to go! The champion looks around with desperation, and sees the Triple X*Crown belt lying on the canvas nearby. Sexton crawls towards the title... reaching out with his free hand. The belt is just fingertips away... but Sexton Love can't reach it! Felix wrenches back on the hold! My God he's going to tear Bodzilla's shoulder apart! The Triple X*Crown is literally and figuratively slipping away from the champion... Sexton's going to TAP OUT on the title that he created! Poetic justice!
DING DING DING! IT'S OVER! IT'S OVER! THE LAKEFRONT ARENA EXPLODES!
Felix releases the hold, and celebrates his victory. Suddenly, we hear the voice of Michael Stuffer...
"Ladies and gentlemen, the 16 minute and 47 second time limit for this match has EXPIRED."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
"...This match is a DRAW..."
BULLLLLLLSHIT! BULLLLLLLSHIT! BULLLLLLLSHIT!
"Therefore, STILL the Triple X*Crown Champion... The Sexcellence of Sexecution... SEXTON LOOOOOOOOVE!"
Felix is in utter shock at the unprecedented level of bullshit that has just transpired. Sexton grabs the Triple X*Crown and retreats, alongside his personal ring announcer. The Most Hated Man in NLW raises the championship with his right arm... unable to lift his left.
[TIME LIMIT DRAW at 16:47]
The camera cuts backstage to the office of NLW's General Manager. BB Gunn lets out a sigh as he looks down at the paperwork in front of him, clearly in the midst of something important. Upon glancing up subtly and noticing the camera, however, Gunn is offering a bit of a smile as he closes the manilla folder he was working out of, sitting up properly before he addresses the camera.
BB Gunn: Good evening, everyone!
Gunn's smile widens as he settles back in his chair a little.
BB Gunn: So far, I'd say that Open Fight Night IV has been a resounding success, wouldn't you all agree? I'm particularly honored that Rob Arnold and Bobby Barratt graced us with that classic, though I'm not sewing short the other matches that have happened tonight. I'm also confident that Mehrunes Smith and Bugz? will end things on a high note.
NLW's GM nods.
BB Gunn: Speaking of Bugz?, he is one of the hungry competitors that has signed up for the Super Scramble, one of ten competitors that will be stepping into the ring at Ascendancy XXXVI for a title opportunity after Hostile Intent! The other nine wrestlers are Bloodied Fox, Spike Kane, Cheez, The Great Buta, Razor Blade, Grimgor Ironhide, Scott Hampton, Sexton Love... and a secret tenth competitor that will be revealing himself when the time is right.
Gunn offers up a smirk at that last part, knowing the mystery opponent's going to draw more than a few guesses from the fans at large.
BB Gunn: Be they new signings like Buta and Grimgor, established legends like Bloodied Fox and Spike Kane, or people who still have yet to truly leave their mark like Razor and Scott... the opportunity here cannot be understated. Only one man will be able to lay claim to what may prove to be the biggest win of their career!
A pause... and Gunn takes a deep breath, his smile fading.
BB Gunn: Speaking of opportunities, I'm sure Nathan Cage is wondering when his next opportunity to get in the ring will be. Well...
For a moment, Gunn considers tipping his hand--but ultimately, he decides to keep those cards close to his chest.
BB Gunn: Since our NLW World Champion wants to try to threaten me into giving him what he wants? That will also be announced at the next show. Have a wonderful rest of your evening, and enjoy our main event!
The scene fades to the logo for the Super Scramble, a brief video package playing us through to the main event of the evening.
MAIN EVENT - MATCH SEVEN
NLW SOUTHERN STATES CHAMPIONSHIP - BARBWIRE ROPES SUBMISSION MATCH
Mehrunes Smith© vs Bugz?
During the entrances, it's hard to tell what Smith is thinking, but as he removes his mask, the intensity is clear on his face. Bugz? looks at him, but doesn't seem to register the fact as the bell rings. Bugz? rolls out of the ring, immediately nicking himself on the barbed wire, and starts fishing around under the ring. The champ just watches him as he throws a chair, a trash can full of random shit, and even a table into the ring. Bugz? then rolls back into the ring, scraping himself up, and then Smith whallops him with one of the street signs that fell out of the trash can. Bugz? arches his back, but doesn't stop getting up, so Smith starts unloading, denting signs on multiple parts of Bugz?, finishing with a brutal chair shot to the bunny mask that puts Bugz? flat on his back, though he kicks out on a short two count. As Bugz? pushes himself up again, the Terror takes a moment to set up the table in the corner, where the barbed wire is coiled most densely. He turns, but Bugz? got up faster than he expected and dropkicks him toward the ropes. He staggers, but stops short of the ropes. Bugz? charges in, trying to push him into the ropes, but Smith stops at the last possible second. Bugz? hammers his stomach, but Smith knees him in the stomach back, then lifts him for a powerbomb. Rather than try to roll through, Bugz? leans forward and bites Mehrunes on top of the head. Smith shouts in pain, but Powerbombs Bugz? to get him off his head, tearing some flesh away with him. He immediately transitions into an STF as his forehead starts bleeding, the blood mixing with a bit of Bugz?'s from the barbed wire.
Bugz? can't break the hold with the ropes, so instead he claws his way toward, and then under the ropes, meaning Mehrunes has to break the hold or get dragged into the barbed wire cluster where the ropes normally are. Smith tucks his head and lets Bugz? drag him through hell, and by the time the pair drop out of the ring, he's got visible trails on his back from the barbs where blood is starting to come to the surface. As soon as he's outside the ring, Smith drops the STF and starts clubbing Bugz? in the back. Bugz? pulls himself up despite this, but other men would have regretted it, as Smith grabs him by the head and drags him across the bottom barbed wire rope near the turnbuckle, raking the face of Bugz? across the savage wire. Blood is flowing freely now as Smith whips Bugz? as hard as he can against the steps, but Bugz? comes alive, jumping onto the steps instead and leaping back at Smith with a back elbow across the face, hitting where he bit Smith's face, worsening the cut. The champion staggers, so Bugz? yanks him against the apron with a Russian Leg Sweep, causing a yelp of pain as the freshly wounded back slams against the frame of the ring. Bugz? staggers a bit, but as Smith is propped up on the ring, he unloads with heavy jabs, trying to aim for the cut but sometimes straying to chin or cheek. Smith tries to get away from the assault, instinctively shoving Bugz? into the barricade back first. With a bit of distance, Smith hits a Ghettolizer, bowling Bugz? over and giving him room to slide gingerly back into the ring. He recovers for a moment, but not as long as he wants, as Bugz?, with no consideration for his health, dashes toward the ring and slides in, scraping his back up more as soon as he's got his fe et under him.
Bloodied and exhausted, Mehrunes and Bugz? find themselves back in the center of the ring exchanging punches. Getting one last surge of adrenaline, Mehrunes starts to unload on Bugz? With a vicious Violence Party, throwing repeated chops and elbows before delivering a series of headbutts that drop the rabbit to his knees. Smith looks like he's going to angle toward the corner with the table set up when suddenly the revving of a chainsaw can be heard. The Great Buta comes storming through the curtain, causing Mehrunes to turn around. Rather than getting involved Buta stands on the ramp, revving and swinging the chainsaw. Deciding it's time to end things, Mehrunes turns back around only for Bugz? to deliver a vicious Carrot Crusher right between Mehrunes' legs. As he falls to the mat two men with bolt cutters jump the rail; one wears a nice white suit with a purple dress shirt underneath and an owl mask, while the other wears jeans and a letterman jacket and is wearing a rooster mask. Bugz? begins waving all three men in and Buta starts cutting through the barbed wire with his chainsaw while the other two do the same with their bolt cutters. The ropes fall away, taking the table with them.
Bugz? locks Mehrunes into a Camel Clutch while Buta drops his chainsaw. Bugz? yells for Mehrunes to tap but he doesn't, and Bugz? locks the hold on tighter as Buta comes into the ring, grabbing and holding Smith's mouth open. He holds it as the men in bird masks approach and kneel on either side of Mehrunes; the rooster reaches into his jeans while the owl reaches into his inside suit pocket, each of them pulling out a pair of pliers. Mehrunes fights as hard as he can as the two force the pliers into his open mouth. Before they can clamp the pliers down on his teeth he starts to tap. Bugz? releases the hold and the group lets Mehrunes drop to the mat as Bugz? stands up. Without any fanfare or attempting a celebration the group leaves the ring. Bugz? grabs the belt, putting one end of the strap in his mouth and holding it with his teeth before the group disappears behind the curtain.
[WINNER: Bugz? via Combination Camel Clutch at 14:39]
Dan Simmons: Well that was certainly one way to cap off Open Fight Night IV, wasn't it Tommy?
Tommy West: It certainly was, though it's kind of starting to feel like some sort of Five Nights at Freddy's kinda' thing going on with Bugz? and his friends. Who knows what the future holds for the Southern States Title scene now!
Dan Simmons: Not I, but that's part of the excitement, isn't it? Anyway, we hope you've enjoyed another night of classic Next Level entertainment. I'm Dan Simmons, and--
Tommy West: I'm being told there's a disturbance backstage, Simmo! Let's see what's going on!
The camera cuts backstage to what can only be described as absolute mayhem.
"IF YA WANNA DO SOMETHIN' THEN TRY IT RIGHT FUCKIN' NOW!"
The camera jumps around, its holder hastily running to the scene of the commotion. Flanked by members of security and other backstage personnel hoping to capture the insanity that has engulfed backstage:
Nathan Cage in the car park, at the peak of his derangement, inciting a riot of anarchy.
Nathan Cage: TAKE A SWING! TAKE A SWING! I DARE YA! I F-
Cage's audio cuts in and out amongst the onslaught of noise in the area. Security trying in vain to quell the situation, other NLW wrestlers caught up in the fight or hired by Gunn specifically to put down Cage if needed tonight and cameramen, recording with beaming smiles at the thought of the money this footage was liable to rake in.
Security: CAN WE GET SOME GODDAMN HELP HERE!?
Though no less chaotic, the mood takes a more sombre note amongst the onlookers. Within the mass of fighters and mayhem lies a single unmoving body. Face pooling with blood and laid next to the smashed window of a car.
NLW General Manager BB Gunn.
The Rabid Dog seems to take notice of the security detail's shift in focus. Yelling over the mayhem with manic glee.
Nathan Cage: HEH, SAVE YOURSELF SOME TIME WHEN YOU'RE CALLIN' THE AMBULANCE AND GET THE NUMBER OF A CEMETARY TOO! 'CAUSE IF HE SHOWS HIS FACE HERE AGAIN THAT'S WHERE HE'S GONNA! END! UP!
Some members of the roster seize the opportunity to takedown Cage while he's gloating. Though still struggling, Cage seems nonplussed by this development as he turns his detached mania towards the cameras.
Nathan Cage: AIN'T ANYBODY SAFE! If I gotta start lookin' up addresses THEN THAT'S WHAT I'LL DO!
Security becomes more focused as the instigator is, somewhat, apprehended and held against a car. Several other wrestlers and a few members of security join in on restraining Cage. For his part, the "esteemed" World Champion appears ambivalent at his terrorising of the company being cut short. Still yelling with joy clear in his voice.
Nathan Cage: MARK YOUR CALENDARS! BUGZ, KANE, LO- FUCK IT! EVERYBODY! IN CUFFS OR OTHERWISE, I WILL BE AT NEXT ASCENDANCY! 'CAUSE I AIN'T BEIN' STOPPED BY NO-BODY!
He lunged forward, his sudden movement barely halted by the group of people holding him down. The cameras take this opportunity to get cautiously closer for the big bucks shot.
Nathan Cage: 'CAUSE I'M NATHAN! FU-!
The feed is abruptly cut short as NLW Ascendancy XXXV goes off the air.
