EWC RUMBLE XX

[EWC]

WARNING: This live event contains strong coarse language (L), and intense violence (V) which may be unsuitable for younger viewers. None of the matches you are about to watch have been predetermined. Only some of the thematic story-lines have been discussed beforehand. Accordingly, EWC and it's producers must insist that no one attempt to recreate or re-enact any match or activity performed in this live event.

The Extreme Wrestling Corporation presents

EWC RUMBLE XX
Brought to you by Under Armour, PS5 and Dr Pepper

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SEPTEMBER 25TH 2023
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LIVE! from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri

EWC RUMBLE XX

Commentators: Marcus Woo & Valentina Gomez
Backstage Reporter: Pepper Montana

Announcer: Nina Dobrev
Senior Referee: Toyo Yasahiro
Referees: John Dean & Niklaus Forbes

"Brighter Than Gold" by Louis II begins to blast throughout GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

Video footage detailing historic events over the EWC's history.

From March 1997 all the way down to the most recent episodes of Monday Night Brawl, Friday Night Rampage, Paramount Wrestling and EWC Prime!

Images of previous EWC Champions are shown, starting with the very first Champion Black Ninja, then moving onto Big Danny Mac and Steve "The Predator" Bennett. Sped up footage then shows a special montage of Memphis Reigns, Shadow Man, Hirsh Valentine, Jesse Nunez, Hurricane Jeff, Moses Lake, James Chambers, BDC, Jay Cee, Stray, Gladiator, The Rev, Luke Wolfe, Natalie Young, Candy, Dominic Sanders, Cyrus Black, Melody Malone, Scorpio, Xavier Reid, Jordan Sharpe, Stitches, Ace King, Killjoy Ito, Narumi Tsutsumi and recent shots of Lavender all with the EWC Undisputed Championship.

This is followed by highlights of showcasing current EWC Champions:


Lavender

Jojo Rush

Heat Packers

Xavier Reid

Mercenary 

Ibuki Ito

Gabrielle Visconty

Caleb Scott

Cosmo Goldworthy

Sally Talfourd

Callie Clark

Sunny Skye

The opening pyros hit and here we go.

The energy in GEHA Field is insane as the crowd is absolutely electrifying in their uproar of cheers. Spotlights circle around the Stadium as the sold out 100,025 fans in attendance are shown in a wide angle shot.

The camera then zooms around the arena showing the fans in a closer look.

EWC

EWC

EWC

EWC


EWC

SONYA NEEDS TO CHILLI OUT

I'VE GOT MONEY RIDING ON THE RUMBLE

I WANT TO SMELL LAVENDER 

BOOK YAYA BANANA

HOW MANY WIN THE RUMBLE THIS YEAR? I SAY FOUR

THIS SHOW WILL END IN MISSOURI 

CHRIS PAGE TURNED ME

I'D READ IBUKI'S BOOK

CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?

GABBY VEE RAISES MORE THAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

I THOUGHT BRUCE BOOTH WAS ON STRIKE

RUMBLE? IT'S HURRICANE SEASON

Fireworks emit outside GEHA Field and then all around the ring while a fog machine covers the venue in a red, green, orange and blue haze! Fans stand up, pumping their fists and raising signs as the camera feed pans to each one of them. One last round of fireworks blast out now, and we turn our attention to Marcus Woo and Valentina Gomez.

Woo: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the twentieth edition of the EWC RUMBLE! I'm Marcus Woo along with Valentina Gomez. We are not in Kanssas anymore Toto but we are here in Kansas City, Mossouri for a packed night of action culminating in our EWC Rumble main event!

Gomez: Thirty competitors will find their way into that ring tonight, Marcus .. all with one singular goal in mind .. the EWC Undisputed Championship!

Woo: That's right Valentina, we saw all out war at last year's Rumble and I expect no less this year with WrestleFest on the horizon. 

Gomez: Champions, future Hall of Famers, and more are all looking to take the crown from the defending champion, Lavender, who would love nothing more than to have the biggest defence of her championship in this Rumble! Waiting in the wings to challenge whoever comes out of the Rumble with the prize? Sally Talfourd, who won the right to challenge at WrestleFest by winning .. nay, SURVIVING the Insanity Cage at Night of Champions! She is also in the Rumble tonight. A win here for her would all but give her the night off at WrestleFest. 

Woo: That's right, but we have a hell of a card before we even get to the Rumble. We have two out of three falls with Ibuki Ito looking to defend his EWC North American Championship. 

Gomez: We could see it end in two straight or two falls to one and right now, I'm not sure who I think will win nor do I know what the score will be. All I know is it's going to be an amazing contest and a hell of a fight. 

Woo: Same here. What about a Bullrope Fight Pit Match for the EWC X-Division Championship between Ruthann Hunter and defending Champion Jojo Rush? 

Gomez: If you think you're getting a fight between Ito and Sonya, you should check this. X-Division, Bullrope, Fight Pit. It's just asking for violence and I feel these two are not going to disappoint. There will be blood, welts, bruises and maybe some broken bones.  

Woo: Should be good. EWC United States Championship on the line. Chris Page looking to dethrone The Mercenary. 

Gomez: If anyone can do it, it's Chris Page but it's not going to be easy. The sheer size of Mercenary is out of this world. His hands probably hit harder than some steel chairs to. Chris Page will take a beating but if he can administer one, we could have a new champion. Not sure he will though. 


Woo: And, last but not least, Gabrielle Visconty looks to defend the Indy Championship against Callie Clark. 

Gomez: Two tenacious women fighting over PRIME's top championship? I can not sum up how much I am pumped up by matches like this. This match has all the makings of something that could steal the show and I can not wait to watch the events of it unfold. 

Woo: Folks, we are excited to bring you the hottest action here at EWC Rumble XX, and we want to thank you for joining us whether it's on Pay-Per-View or on EWCTV!

As if on cue, the feed then switches to an ad for EWCTV.

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WHAT IS EWCTV?

• All live EWC Pay-Per-View events (including StrangleMania, Night Of Champions, EWC Rumble, WrestleFest)
• All day scheduled live programming
• Plus, hours and hours of on-demand content & never before seen behind-the-scenes footage!
• Groundbreaking original series - See new episodes of BRAWL, RAMPAGE, PARAMOUNT, PRIME, NEXTGEN, UNCHAINED and more
• Live in-ring action, reality shows and documentaries

HOW TO ORDER

Get the award-winning EWC Network through your TV provider. Call your local TV Provider today to subscribe.
Only $7.95/month

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If you are subscribed to EWC Network through your TV Provider you can now enjoy EWC Network on your:
PC, Laptop, Playstation, mobile app or tablet.

EWCTV for only $7.95 USD per month

Along with being an EWCTV Subscriber, you get:
EVERY Pay-Per-View event included at no extra charge
15% off any and all EWC Merchandise from the EWC Store
20% off all tickets to LIVE EWC Shows
A free EWC Yearly Wall Calendar signed by the entire active EWC Roster

As an added bonus for all those currently subscribed including any new subscriptions
Receive a FREE copy of EWC RUMBLE XIX DVD and Blu-Ray combo when it's released early next year
+ free T-Shirt and Replica EWC Undisputed Championship belt.

So act now if you aren't already subscribed to EWCTV

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OPENING MATCH

EWC X-DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
BULLROPE FIGHT PIT MATCH
WRITTEN BY: JoJo Rush

Ruthann Hunter
Vs JoJo Rush

We return to ringside where the ring is prepared for a Texas Fight Pit Match.

Woo: Ever since Brawl 600, Ruthless Aggression and the X-Division Champion, JoJo Rush have been at each other’s throats. Tonight they get to settle their differences inside a fight pit while also tied to one another with a bull rope. With everyone but officials barred from ringside, we will get to see if JoJo’s southern grit is enough to hold off one of EWC’s most beloved hardcore icons.

Gomez: The Champ is adamant that giving his all in match like this won’t affect his Rumble Odds, but people rarely ever come out of a match with the Angel of Death the same way they came into it. I’m just happy we’re opening this Pay-Per-View with a match that is going to be an absolute slobberknocker.

Dobrev: The following match is Texas Fight Pit match, and it is for the X-Division Champion, Joining us first, from Brooklyn, New York, weighing in at 200lbs pounds, she is an EWC Hall of Famer ... THE ANGEL OF DEATH, RUTHANN ANDERSON!!!

The arena goes black as a spot light appears on one side of the stage standing there with black shades wearing Green and Black the colors of Rampage but have on a baseball cap that has Ruthless Aggression name on the front of it with a violin in her hand popping some gum while another light then shine on the other side of the stage sitting at the Piano was Angel wearing Green and Black leather outfit with her hoodie over her head that say Rampage is the best. Diana smiles over at her as Angel then places her hands on the keys of the piano as she starts to play Falling In Reverse - Last Resort come blasting over the speakers

As the song keeps on playing the lights in the arena goes on and off with smoke coming out on the stage while they are playing as you noticed coming out from the bottom of the stage is Ruthless wearing hood cape over her head with her wrists taped up while the crowd sing the song top of their lungs.

“Cut my own breathing..... “

Ruthless wearing green and black colors of Rampage as she slowly walks down the ramp as the long hood cape was dragging behind her with the quote “Let the Blood Flow....”and then along with the crowd shout as they sing...

“That I AM FINEEEEEEEEEEE.”

She threw the hood cape behind her standing there in the middle of the ramp wearing a mask, a sports bra that has the word Rampage all over it. She bent her head down and removed it with half of her face painted with firebird phoenix on the right side of her face with the music playing she throw her arms letting out a scream “LET THE BLOOD FLOOOWW!” as she smirks with a grin as she climbs inside of the ring playing to the crowd singing along with them the song till it dies out.

Dobrev: And her opponent, representing the House, from the Badlands, weighing in at 270 pounds, he is the X-Division Champion... JOJO RUSH!!!

The stadium lights once again go completely dark, followed by smoke filling the arena stage. JoJo emerges from underneath the smoke through his patented JoJovator. The X-Division Championship worn across his waist, and the bull rope coiled over his shoulders. JoJo glares directly toward the pit and raises a solitary finger gun. At the one-minute mark, JoJo Rush pulls the trigger, cuing a straight of lightning, followed by pillars of fire to burst from the stage. JoJo slowly walks to the ring. Once into the ring, JoJo unfastens his belt and outright tosses it out of the ring toward the official without so much as a look. JoJo stood a full six apart from Ruth before unwinding the rope from over his shoulders. Tying himself to one in. “Pick it up” is the only thing JoJo says to the challenger.

Woo: Remember folks, the only way a fight pit match can end is through submission or knockout. We won’t see a winner until at least one competitor is literally physically unable to continue.

With both competitors in the ring, and properly fastened to the bull rope, the steel pit lowers into place, trapping JoJo, Ruth, and an official inside of it. The ref checks each competitor’s left wrist and assures the rope is properly tied to each competitor.

DING DING DING

JoJo and Ruth start the match with a stare down, not moving an inch until JoJo makes the first move by reaching out with his right hand to pull in the rope, collecting enough of it to start pulling in the bell and Ruth along with it. Ruth digs her heels in and tries to fight against the Blackhat, but finds herself on the losing end in this battle of tug of war. Ruth quits pulling and instead bursts forward toward JoJo, taking him by surprise and hitting him flush with a headbutt, stunning the Cowboy enough for Ruth to make a play for the cowbell, but JoJo wraps Ruthann up and tosses her with a belly-to-belly suplex into a corner post of the pit, Ruth’s back smacks against the unforgiving steel fence-post. JoJo follows up the suplex by taking hold of Ruth’s head by the scalp and drives her face into the fence. Grinding and rubbing her face raw against the fence. Ruth groans loudly in pain and struggles against the Blackhat. With a few elbows fired backward, Ruth creates enough space to turn around and hit JoJo flush with a spinning heel kick right to the temple! The strike staggers JoJo long enough for Ruth to pull JoJo’s head in, and with a kick off the fence, Ruth manages to perform a tornado DDT and plants JoJo face first!

Woo: JoJo is showing his strength advantage early one, but Ruthann is an EWC Hall of Famer for a reason and shows it right there!

Gomez: Blah, blah, blah..This won't change a thing. JoJo is certifiable right now. He can do no wrong right now. 

The ref checks on JoJo while Ruth turns to the crowd and roars back to the roaring applause. JoJo climbs to his feet and stands behind a celebrating Ruthann, who slowly stops celebrating when the crowd’s cheers turn to concern. JoJo locks in his grip around Ruth’s waist and wastes no time taking her to Suplex City! The crowd can’t help but count along with each Suplex.

“One!”

“Two!”

While JoJo pulls Ruthann up for Suplex number three, Ruth gets a hold of the golden cowbell and whips it back hard against the top of JoJo’s skull, absolutely ringing both of his bells. However, JoJo doesn’t let go of his grip. With both of them standing up, he fights through the cobwebs and pulls Ruthann up and over for the third German Suplex!

“Three!”

JoJo sits up and rubs the back of his head in pain from the bell. Ruth lays out and writhes in pain, her hand reaching back to her lower back. Rush gets to his feet and saunters over to Ruth and the official. Ruthless Aggression groans as she grabs at her lower-back in pain. JoJo takes hold of a length of rope, pushes the official out of the way, and hammers away at Ruth’s back with vicious lashings. The rope making a sickening crack with each strike. JoJo strikes away until he was too tired to strike anymore. The crowd boo loudly in disapproval as Ruth grits her teeth to fight through the pain. Rush climbs onto Ruth’s back and ties her arms behind her back while also roping Ruth’s neck. The Beast of Bandera begins to do the unthinkable and starts scaling the pit while dragging Ruth along with him, choking her in the process! “You sick fuck!” chants broke out, Ruth’s only hope to fight against the stranglehold is to dig her heels back and climb with JoJo the best she could. But Mama Ruth is clearly fading fast!

Woo: Rush is really making it hard for Ruth to breathe right now. She is not long for this World at this rate. 

Gomez: I told you Marcus, JoJo will not be denied here. If your opponent can't breathe, your opponent can't fight. 

Rush makes it up to the top of the scaffolding and drags Ruth up with him. The woman is completely unconscious from the strangling, but the official is too far down to call for the bell. After unwinding the rope, JoJo climbs to his feet over Ruth and fires a finger gun at her. The crowd boo in response, but the air gets sucked out of the stadium when JoJo reaches down and pulls Ruth up in a gutwrench. He’s aiming to hit a Bandera Bomb from the top of the pit!

Woo: OH GOD NO!

Gomez: DO IT YOU SICK BASTARD! DO IT!


JoJo executes the gutwrench, lifting Ruth up into the air, but Ruth hangs on and bangs away at JoJo’s head with the bell. The two stagger precariously on the scaffolding before Ruth breaks free of the powerbomb and lands on her feet. She bangs JoJo once again with the cowbell, busting him open in the process. Then, despite the danger it posed to herself, Ruthless Aggression lifts JoJo up and over with an Old School Alley-Oop, but with them tied together, the move takes both of them crashing seven feet high into the ring! The sold-out crowd exploded in cheers for the move.

“HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!”

“E DUB C! E DUB C! E DUB C!”

Both competitors layout cold. With JoJo absolutely gushing with blood. Ruthann herself got busted open, but most of her pain is in her back, which has her prone, but awake writhing in pain. The ref goes over to JoJo and raises the Blackhat’s arm up once and lets it fall to the mat. He counts “One!”

Woo: That is the old school Ruthann that we all know and love! Who's the sick fuck now?! 

Gomez: JoJo is bleeding like a stuck pig! 

Ruthann can only watch on while trying her best to shake feeling back into her legs while also wiping the blood from her eyes. The official picks up JoJo’s arm and lets it fall for a second time.

“Two!”

The crowd cheer loudly for Ruth who sits herself up and watches closely as the official raises JoJo’s arm for a third time and lets it go, but JoJo’s whole body shoots up with him looking the official with a fiery glare, then turns to Ruthann, glares directly at her and roars loudly in anger. The yelling was so loud, it could be heard from out in the parking lot. Ruthann sat up, met that stare and screamed right back at him.

Woo: It's a scream off folks! No matter if its to get the blood pumping inside instead of out, or to get a third wind, it's always effective! 

Gomez: For the love of God someone stop the gushing head wound on JoJo! 

JoJo finishes screaming and reaches over and chops her across the chest with a vicious open hand, crashing her to the mat. But Ruthann sits up and fires back with a chop of her own, but JoJo no-sells the immense pain from the cracking. The two go back at forth, with each chop taking out more from them than the last. JoJo lands another chop that keeps Ruthann out flat. “CALL IT” JoJo shouts to the official to call it. The official takes a hold of Ruth’s arm and holds it up before it falls straight to the mat.

“One!”

The crowd cheer for Ruthann, begging her to fight forever. JoJo quietly watches while gasping for air. The referee holds up Ruth’s hand for a second time and it falls once more to the mat.

“Two!”

The referee takes a hold of Ruth’s arm for the third time, but Ruthann also shoots up fast and absolutely fastballs the cowbell into JoJo’s head, laying him out flat. Ruthann frantically gets to her feet, and with the help of the bull rope, pulls JoJo back up to his feet, and up for the Ruth Awakening! JoJo fights out of the hold and twists around and launches himself at Ruthann with a Bull-Rush Lariat, but the Queen of Hardcore ducks the move, leaving JoJo to swing at nothing but air. Ruthann swings at JoJo with the bell, but at the same time, JoJo connects with a Big Iron elbow strike. Both competitors land their attacks flush and both go down in a bloody heap.

Woo: The offense is coming in flurries from both sides now, each one willing to do whatever it takes to keep the other down! 

Gomez: God I miss the old days when this was commonplace in EWC! 

The official stands himself between Ruth and JoJo’s unconscious bodies and lifts both of their arms up for a count. “One!” The official picks up both arms for a second time, and once again both arms fall. “Two!” The official takes both arms up for a third and final time, lingering just a second longer before releasing both arms for a third time, but to the shock of the crowd, both competitors show fight and ball up their hands in fists! Both competitor’s drag themselves up to their feet. Ruthann in particular dragging herself by leaning all of her body weight against the pit cage. JoJo meanwhile gets back to his feet on his own, but not without incredible effort and pain.

JoJo whips the rope onto the ring mat to stir himself and Ruthann back up. “COME ON” JoJo shouts. Cracking the rope against the ground once more. Ruthann pushes off from the cage, but ends up falling back against the cage. In an act of defiance, Ruthann holds out her arms and beckons JoJo to come to her. In response, JoJo raises a finger gun and fires it at Ruthann, then, JoJo launches himself at Ruthann with a Bull-Rush Lariat. The impact of which crushes both of them through the pit fence and out to the padded floor below! JoJo rolls to the barricade and sit himself up. He wobbles from side to side, clearly seeing double, but technically conscious enough to win. Ruthann however laid out cold. The referee sees no further reason to continue the match and calls it in JoJo's favor. 

DING DING DING

Dobrev: And your winner, via ref stoppage...AND STILL EWC X-DIVISION CHAMPION... JoJo...RRRRRUSHHH!!!!!!

The Blackhat slowly stirs from the daze he was in. It wasn’t until his entrance music started to play that the Blackhat realizes that he had won. The House comes out from the stage to help JoJo up and collect their X-Division Champion and his Championship. The Heat Packers untie both Ruthann and JoJo from the Bull rope, Tyler Bradford takes hold of the championship and raises JoJo’s title high to the booing crowd. The four men stagger to the ramp, where JoJo stops and insists on turning around to look at Ruthann. The Hall of Famer stirs awake thanks to the aide of smelling salts. JoJo and Ruth lock eyes once more, but after a few seconds of staring, JoJo tips his metaphorical hat to the hall of famer before leaving to the locker room.

Ruthann sits herself up but her head slumps in defeat. “YOU’RE STILL RUTHLESS” chants a thankful sold-out crowd. The chanting stirs Ruthann to look out to the crowd, who now give the Hall of Famer a standing ovation. The earth starts to tremble from the applause given to the Queen of Hardcore. Ruthann looks down and fights back tears with a smile, but the dam breaks and the tears flow freely from her face. David and Jason Anderson come out from the stage  to help Ruthann leave the ring on her own two feet. The crowd throws roses to Ruthann before chanting “THANK YOU, RUTHANN” as the thankful Hall of Famer stumbles away.

Woo: What. A. Match. These two threw everything they had at each other. I think I can speak for everybody that Ruthann tossing JoJo from the top of the fight pit makes this match an instant classic! 

Gomez: Ruthann wanted the blood to flow and we got exactly that. I think the ring crew is better off just replacing the whole damn canvas! 

Woo: Staff to add a final comment about match / what match is next

Gomez: WE ARE JUST GETTING STARTED HERE TONIGHT FOLKS! Up next we have a two out of three falls match for the EWC North American Championship.. But first, this!

Camera cuts to ...

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The sound of screaming fans can be heard as the camera fades in from black. We’re shown a luxury suite inside Arrowhead Stadium as Caleb Scott and Luke Mason come walking through the door.

Luke: And here we are. Look at this place.

Caleb, still wearing his leather jacket instead of any Chiefs gear, scans the room. To his left is a small gathering area where snacks like chicken wings, mozzarella sticks and chicken strips are sitting on the counter. Next to the food is multiple buckets of beer while straight ahead is a small set of stairs with a few rows of seats.

Luke: This place is great. We got food, drinks, and a perfect view. We might be from Minnesota and not have a team in this game but hopefully, we’ll watch the Chiefs put a beating on the Bears. Can’t hurt the Vikings chances, am I right?

Caleb slowly walks to the foot of the stairs while Luke piles a plate full of food. He looks out into the stadium at the sea of red in the stands and the players warming up down on the field. A brief look of excitement peeks through on Caleb’s face before he hides it and turns back towards Luke.

Caleb: So, Mr. Surprise, what else is happening here? Did you have a cake made in my likeness? Hire some strippers for the suite? A statue commissioned for the front of Arrowhead Stadium?

Luke, with a mouth full of chicken strips, gets a guilty look on his face as he slowly places his plate down on the counter.

Luke: Well, actually…

Caleb tilts his head in frustration.

Caleb: You’ve got to be kidding me.

Luke opens the cupboard door under the counter and pulls out his duffle bag, lying it on the floor.

Luke: I had them stash this here for me in advance. I thought it would be useful.

Luke unzips the bag, revealing his collection of Caleb Scott statues.

Luke: With all these people here, I figured we could toss out some statues and promote the Rumble while watching the game.

Caleb rubs his forehead with his left hand then quickly walks over to a bucket of beer, grabs one, and takes a few large gulps.

Caleb: So, this is one of your brand awareness things? Not the rest and relaxation you said it was?

Luke: No, this is definitely for you to chill out but I figured why not capitalize on the situation? Get a little support going your way for the Rumble. Here, check it out.

Luke throws the duffle bag over his shoulder and walks down the stairs, over the edge of the suite is a pile of Chiefs fans waiting for the football game to start.

Luke: Hey, everyone! Who’s ready to see the future EWC Undisputed Champion? Who’s ready to see the current FX Champion stomp out 29 other opponents and win the Rumble right here at Arrowhead Stadium? Here, take yourself some statues!

The fans begin to turn around and look at Luke as he continues to talk. Some drunkenly cheering on with no idea what’s going on and some fans saying they’ll be at the Rumble. Luke starts handing and throwing statues to all the fans. Luke then turns around and goes back up the stairs to Caleb.

Luke: See, look what I mean. People are cheering for you, taking statues of you, wanting you to win the Rumble. This is great.

Caleb looks around at where he is, never thinking someone like him, someone who only wanted to hurt people, would end up in a suite at the Chiefs game. He then looks back at Luke.

Caleb: Alright, Luke. You win. I told you that you could control all that branding and advertising stuff. So yeah, I’ll hang out here, I’ll indulge the fans, and do what I can. But if one of these drunken football fans steps out of line, I’ll do what I’ve always done and I know I don’t need to tell you what that entails.

Luke shrugs and agrees, stepping back and offering a guiding hand to Caleb down the stairs. Caleb begins to walk towards Luke as the scene fades to black.

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The camera cuts backstage inside Arrowhead Stadium where we find ‘The Prodigal Son’ Buddy Love alongside Pepper Montana.

Love: So is there any way we can go up and get into that ‘Kelce suite’...it would be dope to sit in the same seat Taylor Swift sat in yesterday…to have my butt share the same space Taylor’s butt used…

But Pepper holds up his hand as he shakes his head…

Montana: No dice Buddy…I already tried to get up there and was told NO…I wanted to rub my hand on the seat to see if it was still warm…

Love: I mean if I knew she was a fan of sports I’d have reached out to her people and told her Ibuki invited her to take in the Rumble and see which one was ‘more lit’...or at the very least given her one of my friendship bracelets…

Buddy rolls up his sleeve to show Pepper about 12 friendship bracelets on his wrist…

Montana: I didn’t know you had so many friends Buddy…

Love: Well…I may have made a few from people who are my friends…

Buddy grabs a red and white one with the Japanese flag on it…

Love: Like this one, I made it for my friendship with Ibuki and this one…

Buddy shows one with a beach and water…

Love: This ones for Gabi…it’s Hawaiian themed…

He grabs a orange and white one next….

Love: This one’s for me and Mr. Brock…I mean if he wasn’t my boss I’m sure we’d be friends…

Buddy grabs a green one next…

Love: And this one I made for Melody Malone because I’m sure we’d be besties if we weren’t in this business and this one…

Buddy shows Pepper one with SHINIJOSHI’s letters spelled out…

Love: The ladies of Shinijoshi because they are pretty cool even though they don’t seem to like us Love Club members…

Montana: I think they hate your father Buddy…like most people…

Love: I just wish people saw him like I do…he’s my hero Pepper…

Montana: That’s pretty sad Buddy but…we need to talk about tonight…

Buddy smiles as he sees Ibuki Ito and points at him…

Love: Well since Ibuki’s match is up first why don’t we start there…SONYA is a heck of a talent Pepper but it’s hard to forget what her own stablemate said about her…she questioned if SONYA was ready to face such a star and while Narumi Tsutsumi is a star so is Ibuki…if she wasn’t ready then what makes you think she’s ready now…she exposed her ‘friend’ and that wasn’t cool but it did help us…Narumi pointed out SONYA’s weaknesses and gave us a blueprint on how to beat her because who knows SONYA better than the woman that brought her to the EWC…

Buddy shrugs as Pepper nods…

Montana: Yeah, it was pretty sleazy of Narumi to air out all of SONYA’s flaws like that…

Love: Not just her flaws but to blame her for Yomi’s loss to Damage Inc…I mean she praised Aiya because what…she had never lost to Damage Inc in the past…ok, well it’s not like Aiya has been tearing it up this season without Narumi…heck SONYA is having a better overall season but it’s like she wanted to prove to Stephanie Matsuda that she could deal out some ‘tough love’ so Narumi went full ‘mean girl’ on her so called ‘friend’...and tonight those words will come back to haunt SONYA…

Buddy smiles…

Love: Ibuki is going to make this match extremely physical…if SONYA couldn’t withstand Narumi’s strikes what makes them think she’s going to be able to withstand Ibuki’s…Ibuki trained in Strong Style Pepper, he’s was taught to hit as hard as he can, as stiff as he can…to try and punch or kick through an opponent…she’s half his size you know…and he’s been able to slow down and ground better people, El Pablo, Darna Dare, Sally Talfourd, Gabi…champions here in the EWC…then you add in this is Best 2 out of 3 Falls and oh boy…even if she were to catch Ibuki once it won’t win her the match…she’s got to beat him TWICE Pepper, I just don’t see that happening…

Montana: Well one could say she’s playing with house money…that she has nothing to lose unlike your guy…

Love: Ibuki doesn’t wrestle out of fear of losing Pepper…he wrestles with a purpose, from the second Marcu$ $t. John went down Ibuki knew it was time for him to step up and be the leader Paramount needed him to be…to be the face of the Brand…the ACE of Paramount and when he beat Salvation for the North American Championship at Uprising he took his place at the head of the brand…as ‘the guy’ and he’s ready to thrive in that roll…he lead Team Paramount into Parabellum, into Brand Warfare and while sure, they didn’t win but he was the last remaining member of Team Paramount…SONYA was eliminated early and was now help, in fact she was the first member of Team Paramount eliminated…she isn’t the leader Ibuki is and she’s not ready to fill his shoes as the brands Top Champion…maybe one day yes but not today…

Buddy looks over proudly at his client and friend…

Love: Ibuki is ready to dominate as champion and tonight is his first chance to defend that championship…a championship some say he shouldn’t have challenged for in the first place…he had to listen as ‘some’ said SONYA should have been the one that faced Salvation at Uprising because she had just beaten him in a Non-Title match and in the olden days that would have been the case but Mr. Brock had already named Ibuki the challenger and in fact made her win a contenders match to prove she deserved that opportunity…that wasn’t on us but when she became the #1 Contender Ibuki went out to that ring and told her, ‘Anytime…Anywhere’...he told her to name the time and place and he’s ink his name to the contract and she waited months…why, didn’t she believe she was ready…it was almost like Mr. Brock had to force her hand here tonight but tonight is Ibuki’s chance to showcase himself and put those whispers to bed once and for all and show the fans that he is the true North American Champion…

Pepper Montana nods, satisfied with Buddy’s answer he decides to move on…

Montana: But that isn’t Ibuki’s only match here tonight, he’s also in the Rumble and I have to wonder…

Love: If he’ll have anything left…Pepper people around here have short memories…or just haven’t been paying attention…Ibuki has TWICE pulled double duty in the Rumble, first back in 2019 when he faced Jordan Sharpe, Richard Garcia and Jonty Kelly in a Fatal Fourway match and while that match didn’t go his way he wasn’t pinned AND outlasted Jordan, Richard and Jonty in the Rumble match itself, finishing T3…T3 Pepper…and if that wasn’t enough the next year, he BEAT Ace King for the X-Division Championship and then went on to finish SECOND that night to Stitches…he was oh so close that night but people forget he’s proven he can double dip with the best here in the EWC…

Buddy smiles and nods…

Love: He was a Co-Winner of the Rumble back in 2021 and has never finished outside the Top 10 in the Rumble…next to Melody Malone he’s been the most dominant Rumble combatant in the past 5 years…and yet people still want to question that man…listen, Lavender is going to have all eyes on her tonight, she’s the Undisputed Champion but she’s not the favorite to win this…that man is Pepper, Ibuki Ito…that’s the man i’d put my money on if I was allowed to gamble…tonight he’s going to make history, he’s going to defend the North American Championship and the win his 2nd Rumble and 2nd Undisputed Championship all in one night and cement himself as the one true ACE of the EWC!!!

Buddy looks around and then whispers…

Love: And then after the show I saw we sneak up to the ‘Kelce Suite’ and break in…get our pictures in Taylor’s seat because when Ibuki is Undisputed Champion…nobody is going to say anything to me about it…

Buddy smiles as Pepper Montana nods and the camera cuts to...

MATCH TWO

EWC NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP
TWO OUT OF THREE FALLS MATCH
WRITTEN BY: FN'R

SONYA
Vs Ibuki Ito

We return to ringside where Marcus and Valentina are standing by in complete and udder silence. 

Woo: ...I didn't know that Buddy Love was such a swiftie! It feels like the Eras tour made an impromtu stop in EWC with all the Tay-Tay talk tonight! 

Gomez: Say that five times fast.. I dare you Woo..

Dobrev: The following match is best two out of three falls match for the EWC North American Championship! Joining us first, from Honolulu, Hawaii, weighing in at 150 pounds, She Is The Beautiful Battleship ... SONYA!

As the first few notes of "Rusalka" play over the loudspeakers, Sonya stands just a few feet away from the entrance way, the cameras picking up her peaceful expression and smile. The song kicks into high gear and she makes her way to the ring with determined eyes and calm demeanor, stepping into the ring and performing her signature pose in the corner.

Dobrev: And her opponent, the reigning EWC North American Champion. Hailing from Daly City, California, weighing in at 235 pounds. He is The Ace Of Paramount... IBUKI ITO!

‘The Prodigal Son’ Buddy Love walks out onto the stage and raises his arms into the air as the lights fade out. He jumps up and down as ‘Deeper Depper’ begins to play. A strobe light circles around the stage as a single white spotlight hits the stage where Ibuki is standing, his back facing the ring, his arms stretched out and his head down. He swings around to face the ring as Buddy Love runs up and stands next to him. After a quick word the pair start to walk towards the ring, Buddy runs ahead and charges up the steps and holds open the ropes for Killjoy to step through. Ibuki walks to the center of the ring, extends his arms and tilts his head back to soak everything in.

Woo: This is going to be a hard hitting Championship bout, all for that North American Championship!

DING DING DING

The two wrestlers step into the center of the ring, taking in this moment under the bright Pay-Per-View lights while the cheering crowd gives them energy. Ibuki Ito raises his hands, looking for a shoulder and collar tie up. SONYA obliges and raise her own hands. The two engage in the clinch, giving their all trying to shove the other back. After several seconds in the hold, SONYA stomps Ito's foot and uses the moment of surprise to rip him up onto her shoulders into a fireman's carry. SONYA takes a few steps to her left before hoisting Ito off her shoulders up and down, throat first into the top rope. Ito grabs at his throat and gasps for air, SONYA lunges and blasts him off his feet with a lariat. SONYA drags Ito up by his head, then she spins him around and grabs on a waist-lock. SONYA spins around and rips Ito off his feet into a German suplex into a neutral corner. The back of Ito's head bounces hard off the bottom turnbuckle. SONYA drags Ito out of the corner by his ankle, spins him onto his stomach and then she puts him into a Boston crab. 

Woo: SONYA is looking to get a tap-out here, moving her up 1-0 in this match!

Gomez: This hold really beats the crap out of your back, specifically the small of your back will be screaming for days. 

After about thirty seconds and no submission, SONYA drops the hold to stop down on Ito's back a few times. SONYA drags Ito up by the back of his head and gives him a stiff knee into his spinal column. Ito winches and drops to his knees. SONYA drags Ito up off his knees into a sleeper hold! SONYA drags Ito backwards into the center of the ring and she starts to shove his head to try and help the hold into putting Ito to sleep. Ito fights at the hold, grabbing at SONYA's arms with all he has... but then his arms go limp and fall to his side. SONYA drops the sleeper down into a waist-lock, and then she hoists Ito up into a high angle German suplex, spiking him down hard on the back of his head. SONYA with a bridge!

ONE...



TWO... ITO GRABS THE BOTTOM ROPE!

SONYA drops the bridge and gets up to her feet, dragging Ito back into the center of the ring and stomping down on his head. 

Woo: Nice kickout there from Ibuki Ito to keep this match going without a fall.

Gomez: These matches are so hard to predict. Sometimes you get a fall and then lose two, sometimes you win two, sometimes it's an hour and someone only got a single fall. 

SONYA grabs Ito, both her hands around his face, to pull him up to his feet, and then into a hunched over position, up into a powerbomb. SONYA backs up to her corner, and then she rushes out going for the Dreadnaught Bomb, but Ito swings his left leg down off SONYA's shoulder, bringing himself down to grab her head and rip her face first into a DDT! Ito rolls SONYA to her back and covers!

ON... KICKOUT BY SONYA!

Woo: I imagine Ito knew there was no chance that kickout would get a fall, but that was a statement move. 

Gomez: 'I'm still in this one' is what he was saying. 

On the outside of the ring, Buddy Love yells at Ito Kettei-Da now and get the first fall. But SONYA is up to her feet first, shoving Ito up and into the corner. SONYA flies in looking for a lariat, but Ito rolls under SONYA's arm and then up to his feet. Ito turns around but WHOOOSH, that's all he has time to hear as SONYA's lariat smashes him inside out. SONYA drags Ito up by his head, then she forces him up directly onto her shoulders with a diagonal pull on his head. SONYA takes a few steps and then drops Ito hard with a Dreadnaught Bomb!

Woo: That's that, there's the Dreadnaught Bomb!

Gomez: If SONYA did a pinfall right now, she'd have the match. 

Instead of going for the pinfall, SONYA opts to drag Ito up by his wrist into a short-arm lariat. SONYA maintains wrist control, and she steps over Ito to drag him up and floor him with another lariat. SONYA keeps wrist-control and she drags Ito up once again, but this time she pulls him up into a fireman's carry. SONYA transitions that into a torture rack, and after ten seconds of trying to break Ito's ribs, she drops him down into a sit-out powerbomb with The Ruby Buster. Cover!

ONE...



TWO...



THREE!!!

DING DING DING

Dobrev: And your winner of the first fall, via pinfall... SONYA!

Our ref stands SONYA up and raises her arm, before backing her to her own corner. The ref goes to Ito and asks if he can continue. Ito crawls over to his corner and uses the ropes to pull himself up. Buddy Love jumps up onto the apron and dumps a bottle of water over Ito's head. "She's walking all over you! What are you doing!".. Ito shrugs Buddy off and raises his arms, informing the ref he's ready for the restart. 

Woo: That's one fall over folks, and now we head into the restart to kick off the second fall. 

Gomez: Ibuki Ito can barely stand, the man just took two of SONYA's strongest moves. I don't think this one has long left. 

DING DING DING

With the sound of the restart bell, SONYA rushes Ito with even more speed than before, catching him right in the mouth with a big-boot. SONYA drags Ito out of the corner by his head and then she throws him back up onto her shoulders. This time Ito uses his weight to swing backwards, pulling SONYA into and over the ropes with a hurricanrana. Both wrestlers land hard, but Ito pulls himself up with the ring-apron. Ito turns around and kicks SONYA in the back of the head as she stands. He then drags her up onto his shoulder, screaming in pain as his back nearly gives out, before flipping her right into the edge of the apron with a death-valley-driver. Ito falls to his knees, grabbing at his back, before face planting into the padded concrete. SONYA yells at her own back, a line of blood forming from where the ring apron's edge cut into her. The ref begins to count a double count out.  

Woo: That was a massive move from Ibuki Ito, but he's taken too much damage in this one. Can he make the most of it?

Gomez: Never say never when it comes to Ibuki Ito, but this is a big hill to climb. 

THREE...



FOUR...



FIVE...


SIX...



SEVEN...



EIGHT...



NIN... Ito pulls himself up the barricade and then slides into the ring, then out of the ring to break the count. 

He makes his way over to SONYA and pulls her up to her feet, up into another fireman's carry, this one he drops down into a gutbuster over his knee. Ito transitions from the gutbuster into a DDT on the padded concrete. He pulls himself up and shakes his hands, trying to get feeling back into them. Ito grabs SONYA's wrist, dragging her up. Then he steps up onto the apron, and pulls SONYA up with him. Ito drags SONYA into another fireman's carry, and then he drops her with a sick death-valley-driver, back of the head first, right into the ring apron. Ito shoves SONYA into the ring and then covers. 

ONE...



TWO... KICKOUT BY SONYA!

Ito takes a few seconds after the kickout to catch his breath, then he pulls himself up and waits in a neutral corner. 

Woo: A strong kickout from SONYA, but Ibuki Ito seems to be plotting something.

Gomez: If I was SONYA, I'd stay down and force him to come back to me. 

SONYA stars to stir, pushing herself up to her hands a knees, then her knees, then one knee, then fully standing. She turns around and immediately eats shit as both of Ito's feet smash into her face with an insane dropkick! The whiplash of the kick sends her head flying backwards, pulling her body into and over the ropes to the outside, where upon her legs flipping over the rope rope, she lands with a facebuster on the apron. SONYA does not get taken off her feet, but she stumbles back with her face bleeding from that addental facebuster. Ibuki Ito hits the ropes and then he rushes and throws himself out of the ring with a suicide somersault senton right into SONYA! Ito gets up to his feet and he lets out a yell in victory. Ito drags SONYA up by her face and then he gives her a two punch combo, followed by a headbutt. Ito steps to the side and brings his boot up to kick SONYA in the sternum. Ito goes for another punch, but SONYA catches the punch and traps into hand into her under-arm, then she headbutts him and rips him into her and belly-to-belly overhead suplexes him into the crowd!

Woo: What a desperation move from Battleship SONYA, as momentum has swung back into her favor! 

Gomez: And Ito has swung into the fans! Luck is NOT in their favor! 

SONYA falls down to a single knee, and then her knee gives out and she face plants. The ref beings his count.

ONE...



TWO...



THREE...



FOUR... SONYA crawls over to the ring, and uses the apron to drag herself up before rolling into the ring.



SEVEN...



EIGHT... With help from some fans, Ito falls over the barricade.



NIN... Ito explodes into the ring before he can be counted out. SONYA rushes Ito and hits a stiff punt kick right into the side of his head to plop him right back to the crowd below. The ref restarts his count. 

Woo: Quick thinking from SONYA there, she might have just gotten her second fall!

Gomez: If she gets a point here, even though it's a countout she'd still win the title!

FOUR...



FIVE...



SIX...



SEVEN...



EIGHT...



NINE... Ito pulls himself up and rolls into the ring. SONYA comes rushing in for another boot but Ito grabs her leg and pulls himself up while using SONYA's momentum to twist her into a dragon-screw leg-whip!

The leg-whip deadlegs SONYA's left leg, and she topples forward throat first into the ropes. SONYA backs out of the ropes, gagging and gasping for air. Ito jumps from a few feet away, bringing his elbow up and spiking it into the back of SONYA's skull with Konbanwa! The impact sends SONYA off her feet landing head first on the canvas. SONYA sits up to her knees, she looks into the camera and is clearly out of it. Ito hits a quick Kettei-Da into the side of her head and cover!

ONE...



TWO...



THREE!!!

DING DING DING

Dobrev: And your winner of the second fall, via pinfall... IBUKI ITO!

After the pinfall is counted, Ito falls limp in the cover. Our ref helps Ito up to his corner and asks if Ito is good to continue. Ito ignores the ref to listen to Buddy Love barking order. Seeing he's getting no where with Ito, our ref helps SONYA up to her corner. The ref asks if SONYA is ready but she shoves him off and raises her fists to fight. Ito does the same. The crowd gets wild in hype for the final fall coming up! 

Woo: These two have both been through hell, but this crowd can sense this final fall will be even more insane. 

Gomez: They might actually kill each other! 

DING DING DING

With the sound of the restart bell, Ito and SONYA both take off like bats out of hell. Ito punches SONYA in the mouth, SONYA chops Ito in the throat. Ito slaps SONYA's face, SONYA knees Ito in the stomach. All out melee as both are in full adrenaline dump. Ito swings wild with a punch that SONYA ducks to take-a-back and rip Ito into a German suplex. Ito rolls up to his feet and drags SONYA into a side-headlock that he flips up and down into a Falcon Arrow with a cover!

O... KICKOUT BY SONYA!

HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT

Woo: This Kanas City crowd has the right idea, I did NOT see that coming!

Gomez: This is going to be insane. 

Both wrestlers get to their feet. SONYA gives a knife-edged chop into Ito's chest. Then another, then another, then ano.. Ito catches that last one and drags SONYA up into a fireman's carry! Ito swings SONYA to his left off his shoulders and into a death-valley-diver onto the top rope. SONYA's legs and head both shoot down while her torso shoots up and there's an audible pop from her back. Ito kicks SONYA in the back of the head to send her into a standing position on the apron, then down face first into the padded concrete. Ito jumps up onto the top rope, and then he springs down into a double foot stomp on the back of SONYA's head! Ito drags SONYA up and sends her into the ring. He pulls her up to her knees, takes a few steps back and then as he jumps into Kettei-Da, SONYA falls flip onto the canvas and Ito goes right over her. 

Woo: SONYA fainting from all the damage she's taken may have just saved the match for her?!

Gomez: I tell you, you must have a guardian angle or something, that might just be the luckiest thing we'll see all night. 

Ito drags himself up and advances on SONYA. He grabs the back of her head and drags her up. Ito holds her head and goes to knee her but SONYA jumps up, dragging Ito on her shoulders into an electric chair. SONYA spins Ito around and throws him down with a powerbomb. SONYA yells out in defiance, and then she stumbles backwards losing her footing and slamming right into the ref, sending him down to the canvas and rolling out of the ring as she lies in a deadweight heap with all her adrenaline gone. 

Woo: Ref bump, the ref has accidentally been taken out! 

Gomez: Was it an accident, we'll never know, but the ref is out of this one. 

Buddy Love rolls into the ring and dumps water over Ito's face, while slapping the champ trying to wake him up. Ito spits out the water and begins to stir. Buddy rolls out of the ring and goes under it, retrieving a steel chair, much to the chagrin of our crowd, who pelt Buddy with boos, booze, soda and popcorn. Buddy Love slides back into the ring and tries to hand Ito the steel chair. Ito is still out of it and not fully understanding. Buddy stands up and raises the chair, soaking in the boos. Buddy turns around and goes to walk towards SONYA, but a big boot sends him off his feet and rolling to the outside!

FUCK YOU BUDDY... FUCK YOU BUDDY... FUCK YOU BUDDY.

The crowds cheers for SONYA soon turn into boos of their own as SONYA grabs the chair and lifts it up.

Woo: No SONYA, don't ruin this match, don't ruin this awesome match this way!

Gomez: It's not about the match, it's about the victory. It's about the North American Championship. Do it SONYA, take your spot in history! 

SONYA looks down at the chair, then she looks at Ito, then the booing crowd, then Buddy Love as he stands. SONYA throws the chair out of the ring and blasts Buddy in the back with it. The crowds response is thunderous! SONYA exits the ring and helps the ref up, sliding him into the ring and making her way over to Ibuki Ito. SONYA drags Ito up by his face, and then she hoists him up onto her shoulders. But Ito quickly drops down off her shoulders while underhooking her arms and bringing her face first into the canvas with a pedigree of sorts. Ito keeps SONYA's arms underhooked as he drags her up and then flips the underhook to pull SONYA off her feet. Ito drops the hold down, spiking SONYA on the top of her head with his most powerful move, The Shi! Cover!

ONE...



TWO...



THREE!!!

DING DING DING

Dobrev: And your winner, via pinfall, And STILL EWC North American Champion... Ibuki Ito!

Ibuki Ito, with the refs aid, stands and has his arm raised. Ito looks outside the ring and sees Buddy laying in pain with a chair at his back, and he begins to realize what transpired earlier. Ito helps SONYA up, and the two bow and exchange and handshake of respect. Ito is handed his North American Championship, and he lifts it high up. Ito exits the ring and helps Buddy Love to the back, a smile on his face as he realizes this should be reversed with Buddy helping him. SONYA takes a few moments in the ring while the crowd gives a standing ovation for her effort. She raises her hands in thanks and then she heads to the back.  

Woo: What an insane and brutal Best Two Out Of Three Falls Match. These two went through their paces, putting it all on the line for the EWC North American Championship. 

Gomez: And these two still have the EWC Rumble to come, will they be ready in time? Is that even on either of their minds at this moment?  

Woo: Hard to say really. But these two definitely brought the fight here tonight. 

Gomez: SONYA's going to be questioning why she didn't use that chair for the rest of her career. But it certainly won her over majorly with this crowd. 

Camera cuts to ...

---

---

The scene shows a little eight year old boy, his blonde bangs nearly covering his eyes, sitting on the edge of his bed playing his Nintendo Entertainment System. The glow from the T.V illuminates his boredom.

Announcer: Sick of playing Super Mario Brothers, The Legend of Zelda and Excitebike?

Boy: Ya.

Remarkable Mark Keaton busts through the wall, holding a video game in his hand.

Boy: Whoa! Remarkable Mark Keaton!

RMK: That's right kid, push over, let's play RMK's Super Exciting Professional Wrestling Extravaganza International Edition Supreme!

Mark holds the front of the game box to the camera, showing the artwork, the Nintendo Stamp of approval in the corner, and little else other than the words on the front because of spacing issues.

Boy: Wow! This is the best game EVER!

RMK: That's because you totally picked Mark Keaton, little dude! But don't take MY word for it, look at the review IGN gave RMK's Super Exciting Professional Wrestling Extravaganza International Edition Supreme!

A graphic shows an IGN review of the video game:

IGN: RMK's Wrestling Game, we're not typing the whole thing, we've got better games to play, starts out with the title screen, white on green with the title of the game written in bold, with a spelling error on International by the way, Interational? We are then shown the game options,

Exhibition- It's one vs one
One vs One - It's one vs one
Story Mode- It's one vs one
GM mode - It's one vs one with the word GM Mode written up top during matches.

Then there's OPTIONS, when you select options, you get a screen that says (Coming Soon!) There is five wrestlers to choose from, RMK, who is just stolen sprites of Guile from Street Fighter 2 and Mallory Magone, Stonches, Jerry Frank Sharp and AL King. I guess Mark couldn't get permission from EWC to use actual names of wrestlers in his game. These wrestlers are stolen sprites from, now I'm trying not to laugh here, Intellivision's Boxing, I'm not even kidding. Red and Blue sticks that can punch only. That's it, and only red and blue, they couldn't afford green or any other color I guess. The music consists of the crunching punch noises that the wrestlers use, so you can guess how chaotic the noise is in an actual match while the music plays, just faster crunching punch noises. Matches are broken and glitch out after a few moves are performed, mostly punches, Mark can punch AND kick, he throws a really weird looking sonic boom. You are never able to finish a match before the game crashes. Using Mark vs anyone is pointless, his character doesn't fit in with his opponents so there's absolutely no collision when the wrestlers fight, if you can get that far before the game crashes. What a fuckin mess! 92/100

RMK: And check out what Nintendo had to say about it!

Mark concentrated on playing the game, he bit his tongue as he thrashed the controller around violently. The review graphic spun towards the screen.

Nintendo: We didn't even play it.

Boy: Wow! You win AGAIN, Mark? It looks like I NEED practice if I'm ever going to be the BEST!

RMK: Holy shit, that was terrible acting. We couldn't get a better child actor than this?

Mark is seen throwing the controller in frustration as the graphic of the game slowly zooms in towards the screen, very slowly, it starts out as a small dot then after a few minutes the title is visible. The camera fades to...

MATCH THREE

EWC UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP
SINGLES MATCH
WRITTEN BY: FN'R

Chris Page
Vs The Mercenary

We return to ringside where Marcus and Valentina are standing by

Woo: Well that's a game I will never buy! Up next we move from that amazing EWC North American title match onto the EWC United States Title match! 

Gomez: The winner of BORT, and SOLE EWC United States Champion, Mercenary, looks to get his first defense since winning sole possessions against "The Elite" Chris Page. Let's go to the ring! 

Dobrev: The following match is a singles match scheduled for one fall, and it is for the EWC United Sates Championship. Joining us first, The Challenger, from Zzyzx, California, weighing in at 227 pounds ... CHRIS PAGE!

"Stepped On" by Hurricane Chris begins to blare over the speakers throughout the arena. The crowd bursts into boos as "The Elite" Chris Page steps out onto the stage. Page wears his signature yellow and red tights, and he looks around in disgust at the crowd who, clearly, does not appreciate greatness. Chris Page heads towards the ring.

Page slides underneath the bottom rope and stands up to his feet. Page puts his arms out to the side and plays to the booing crowd. He brushes them off and walks over to his corner, talking through the ropes about something with a booing fan.

Dobrev: And his opponent, The EWC United States Champion, hailing from West Oakland California. He is the EWC Outlaw ... THE MERCENARY!

Black Label Society's Fire It Up starts to play as Mercenary rolls out onto the top of the stage astride his custom Harley Davidson. Pausing he salutes the fans with a raised fist before taking off his signature shades and tossing them out to a lucky fan.

Revving the engine while holding the brake Mercenary burns out before rolling down the ramp in a cloud of smoke. Parking the bike at ringside he stomps up the steps, steps through the ropes and again salutes the audience before throwing some shadow punches and preparing for a fight.

Woo: Can you say H O Double S? That's what this is going to be. Pure ol hoss war. 

DING DING DING

Chris Page and The Mercenary advance to the center of the ring with their dukes up. Merc swings wild into Page's face, knocking his block off and sending him backwards into the ropes. On the rebound Merc drags Page up and slams him down with a wicked spinebuster. Merc shuffles to the ropes and comes flying in with a leg-drop, but Chris Page rolls out of the ring. Merc lands hard and looks outside the ring with disappointment in Chris Page. Chris Page rolls back into the ring and engages in a shoulder/collar tie-up with the bigger man, and after a few seconds Page sends a headbutt into Merc's sternum before hoisting him up and dropping him with his own spinebuster! Page jumps up to his feet and he lets out a yell and a taunt, but when he turns around to face Merc, Page gets blasted in the mouth by a right hand. Merc grabs Page's head and knees him twice in the mouth before dragging him up into his arms, and then backwards into a fallaway slam. 

Woo: Like I told you, expect a war. These men already beating the brakes off each other. 

Gomez: This style doesn't last long, but it's damn effective. 

As Chris Page gets to his feet, Merc blasts him in the mouth with a big-boot that sends him up into the corner. Merc rushes into the corner and flips into an elbow smash, then he drags Page out and goes for a bulldog... But Page grabs Merc's waist and rips him backwards into a backdrop! Merc rolls through to his feet, but he's on wobbled legs. Page advances and brings Merc up and down into a Reverse Atomic Drop, followed by a standard atomic drop, followed by a German suplex with a bridge!

ONE... KICKOUT BY MERCENARY!

Woo: After all Merc's been through to get that championship, you're gonna need more Chris Page.

Gomez: And I think that more is coming!

Chris Page grabs ahold of Merc's wrist, and then he drags him up into a short-arm lariat. The impact off the lariat doesn't take Merc off his feet, but it does leave him groggy enough for Page to hoist him onto his shoulders, and then spike him down on the back of his head with a death-valley-driver. Chris Page grabs on a sleeper hold while dragging Mercenary back up to his feet. Page backs up into a corner, and then he sleeper suplexes Merc's head right into the top turnbuckle. Merc hits the turnbuckle hard and stumbles out of the corner, still on his feet. Chris Page comes up from behind and blasts Merc in the back of the head with a lariat that spins him inside out, landing flat on his back in the center of the ring. Chris page makes a cover!

ONE...



TWO...


KICKOUT BY THE MERCENARY!

Chris Page stomps down on Mercenary's stomach, bringing him to a seated position thanks to the body's reflexes. Chris Page hits the rope and then he comes in like a bat out of hell with a flying forearm! Chris Page scales up the top turnbuckle, and then he leaps down into a leg-drop on Merc's throat. Chris Page pulls himself up and makes his way to the opposite ropes. Page taunts the crowd and then he leaps down into another leg-drop, Merc rolls up to his feet and catches Page mid-air with a hand in a vice like grip around his throat. Merc hoists Page up onto his shoulders, and then down into the canvas with a Alabama Slam! Merc falls backwards to his ass trying to catch his breath as he massages his throat. 

Woo: Big time Alabama Slam from Mercenary, but Chris Page has done a lot of work on him in this one. 

Gomez: I really don't know who is worse off right now. 

Mercenary pulls himself up and makes his way over to Chris Page. Merc drags Page up into a pump-handle position, followed by a pump-handle slam. Haven't seen him do that one in ages! Page clearly wasn't expecting that, and he took a lot of heavy damage off it. Mercenary drags Page up with an Iron-Claw type hold on his head. Merc shoves Page backwards into the ropes, and then he spins around into a rolling elbow that just about takes Page's head off. Page stumbles backwards into the ropes, and rebounds back into Merc, Merc blasts him with a lariat sending him back into the ropes. Page rebounds into Merc, Merc goes for another lariat but Page lifts Merc up and down into a reverse atomic drop. Page grabs a waist-lock and rips Merc into a belly-to-belly overhead suplex, of sorts. Merc only goes about a foot, but he lands directly on his head and neck. Chris Page coughs and cusses in pain but he jumps up into a cover on Mercenary. 

ONE...



TWO...



THRE... MERCENARY GETS HIS FOOT ON THE BOTTOM ROPE!

Woo: Some insanely impressive ring awareness from Mercenary keeps him in the match, keeps the United States Championship around his waist!

Gomez: Chris Page might need to kill this man to get that championship. 

Chris Page drags Mercenary away from the ropes before stomping down on his head. Chris Page heads to the corner, scales it and jumps down into another Titletown leg-drop. Page is quick to his feet, dragging Merc up and over into a FunkyTown T-Bone suplex. Chris Page makes the cover!

ONE... KICKOUT BY MERCENARY!

Chris Page can't believe it. He looks back in fear as Mercenary jumps up to his feet and lets out a roar. Chris Page boots Merc in the chest, but Merc punches him in the mouth. Left hook, right hook, left jab, right jab, right jab, left uppercut! Chris Page stumbles back into the ropes, but on the rebound he explodes out and blasts Merc in his chest with a shotgun dropkick. The big man is taken off his feet and he flies back about a yard. Chris Page advances on Mercenary, he gets a ground and pound and he starts to punch and slap and chop and scratch until Merc's face is busted open. Page flips Merc on his side and he grabs The Elite Lock! Chris Page wrenches back hard with his signature blend of brutal, his beloved Crippler Crossface. Mercenary tries to break the hold, but his hand goes limp, then his body goes limp. The ref has no choice but to call for the bell!

DING DING DING

Dobrev: And your winner, via referee stoppage, And NEW EWC United States Champion... CHRIS PAGE!

Chris Page keeps the hold locked in, Mercenary's face starts to turn pale white, but the ref finally breaks up the hold. Chris Page shoves the ref away from him and demands his championship, which he is promptly given. Chris Page climbs a turnbuckle and raises the championship high into the air with both hands. Mercenary comes to in the ring and gets to his feet. Page jumps down and gets right into Merc's face laughing. Merc takes a swing but Page ducks and rolls out of the ring. Chris Page holds the United States Championship high into the air after giving it a big kiss. Mercenary grips the top rope, while coughing as air works it way back into his lungs.

Woo: Chris Page has done it! The man who won Parabellum now leaves EWC Rumble with United States Championship gold!

Gomez: But how long will he have that gold? The Mercenary has a grounds for a rematch after defeating Vin Havoc. 

Woo: I'd love to see these two run it back, and I'm sure Merc's got many stipulations racing through his head!

Gomez: Maybe we'll see it at the Penultimate Rampage of the year in November! Now that would be good!

Woo: But don't forget, whoever leaves here tonight Undisputed Champion has Mercenary at UNCENSORED, Merc might be moving on from the US Scene as the Undisputed Champion!

The camera starts to fade but just as quickly stops as  “Iconic” blasts over the speakers. A loud cheer erupts around the arena as Scorpio steps out from the back in a stunning Chanel pantsuit, his hair and make-up done to perfect. He pouts with glee as he surveys the fans before strutting down the ramp and slapping hands with those either side of him. After climbing into the ring Scorpio is handed a microphone and the music settles down.

Scorpio: Good evening darlings, I hope we’re all having a fabulous night?

Another pop from the crowd as The S-Factor paces the ring and smiles widely.

Scorpio: As you all know very well by now the clock is ticking on how long these Louboutins have in an EWC ring, and in just three months’ time I’ll be saying goodbye. For good…

Boos from the crowd as Scorpio runs a hand through his platinum-blonde hair.

Scorpio: My final night as a professional wrestler, after sixteen years doing the job I’ve loved so dearly, will be at WrestleFest. When it comes to saying goodbye to this company and this sport I want to do it going out against the very best… against someone who’s defined my career here… against perhaps my greatest foe…

He pauses briefly and inhales, an icy stare fixed on the crowd. Scorpio continues pacing before he turns to face the stage.

Scorpio: There’s one woman who has been my equal, my muse, and my greatest challenge. One woman who has been my anithesis throughout my time at the EWC. We’ve been to war time and time again, she’s defeated me, I’ve defeated her, and through it all we’ve maintained the utmost respect for one another. Who better to battle a Prime Minister and President than… a Queen…

The crowd roar with noise at the idea as Scorpio raises his microphone again.

Scorpio: So what do you say… WrestleFest… the S-Factor’s last match… Scorpio versus Melody Malone?

The crowd continue cheering and a chant of ‘this is awesome!’ breaks out, however for the longest time there’s silence from the back. Scorpio leans on the top rope and watches the stage carefully, the slightest flicker of concern on his face, when suddenly “You Should See Me In A Crowd” explodes over the speakers. The Kansas City crowd erupts, Malone finally coming out onto the stage with a half grin at the uncharacteristically warm reception. She doesn’t make her way to the ring to meet her long time adversary though, and instead holds up a finger as she raises the microphone.

Melody: I’m flattered Scorpio, but you know… I have obligations outside of the ring now. I mean, as Paramount’s Executive Director, Wrestlefest is a big night for the EWC. I’m sure you heard me at Prime #111 that I’ll be facing Jack Severn at the Prime finale, I’ve got Stitches on the horizon… and I’d be lying if I said my plate wasn’t already getting filled up…

She hesitates, the crowd booing at the sound of a cop out. Instead, she wags her finger ignoring the jeers and settling her gaze on the S-Factor directly.

Melody: However… it would be an utter travesty to decline an invitation from the Prime Minister. I’ve laced up my boots in that ring with a lot of people. People you and I have had the privilege of watching come and go throughout the four years we’ve spent here together. People who wouldn’t have survived our first clash together, let alone our second, third, sixth. All of that is to say…

She pauses, giving the crowd time to soak in the anticipation as chants of ‘Yes!’ start to fill GEHA field.

Melody: I wouldn’t have it any other way. And since it's technically within my power to make this match official... consider it my parting gift to you. Name your night, and let's show the rest of the EWC what a match for the ages truly looks like.

Malone blows Scorpio as kiss as “Iconic” begins to play once more. She exits, and Scorpio gives the entrance ramp his own wolfish grin as he soaks in the crowd’s cheers!!!

Woo: HOLY SHIT! 

Gomez: THE QUEEN VERSUS THE PRIME MINISTER?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! 

Woo: Folks, we will absolutely give you updates the MOMENT we have them on this one, but right now we are going to head backstage!

---

---

The camera cuts to a shot back at Arrowhead Stadium with Security rushing down the hall. They burst into the suite and pass Luke Mason to Caleb, who is trying to pull up a fan from the seats to the suite. Caleb has his arm wrapped around the fan’s neck when security rushes him and pulls him off the fan.

Caleb: I told you, Luke! I told you I wasn’t going to take any of their shit! Get the hell off me! What did you think was going to happen, bringing me here?

Caleb yells at Luke and Security as they escort him back up the stairs.

Luke: He just said he didn’t care who won the Rumble. You didn’t have to attack him.

Caleb continues to try to shake loose from Security’s grip.

Caleb: Oh shut the hell up, you know exactly who you brought to this game. What did you expect? Someone who wants nothing else but to hurt people to just sit around and watch a football game? You know who I am, Luke. I don't care about brands and marketing! Security is doing me a favor by taking me out of here!

Luke just shakes his head while Caleb is escorted through the door by Security and they begin to walk him down the hall.

Caleb: I’ve got a Rumble tomorrow so let’s go, I’ll take on this entire stadium as a warm-up. I’ve faced nearly 50 people in my last few matches, what’s another 75,000 before I win the Undisputed Championship!?!

The camera cuts back to Luke who is shown shaking his head while Caleb continues to inaudibly yell while he’s escorted down the hall. Luke slowly picks up the bag, throwing the strap over his head onto the opposite shoulder. He begins to leave the suite and walk down the hall, trying to hand off a Caleb Scott statue to anyone but they all refuse. the camera cuts to...

MATCH FOUR

EWC INDY CHAMPIONSHIP
SINGLES MATCH
WRITTEN BY: The Mad King

Callie Clark
Vs Gabrielle Visconty

We return to ringside where Dobrev is ready to call the next match.

Woo: When you talk about the premiere women in this company you don't have to look further than Prime. And atop that list of women are undoubtedly the two women in the upcoming Indy Championship match. We've got challenger Callie Clark--

Gomez: You mean 'Now Trending' is the "Golden Goddess" Callie Clark as she rights what has been a long-time wrong.

Woo: Gabrielle Visconty has done nothing wrong to Callie Clark.

Gomez: Well, if you think a lack of respect for a year-long reign is right, then sure.

Woo: Oh and now you're going to tell me Gabi STOLE her title shot, right?

Gomez: I'm telling you Callie Clark is about to steal it back.

Woo: Well, if Gabi V has anything to say about it then we're in for a hell of a contest. Take it away, Dobrev!

Dobrev: The following match is a one-on-one contest for the Indy Championship! Joining us first, from New York, New York, weighing in at 125 pounds ... Now Trending, she is your AMC Broadcast Champion ... "GOLDEN GODDESS" CALLIE CLARK!

A red carpet is rolled out going from the stage to the bottom of the ramp, and "Rage" by Halocene hits as the lights turn gold in the arena. Callie comes out with Tori walking out behind her, and strikes a pose showing off her camo attire, looking ready for war as pyro goes off behind her. Callie's paparazzi takes pictures of her as she walks down the ramp, taunting the fans as she goes. As she reaches ringside, Tori goes ahead of Callie, holding open the ropes so Callie can step through, and walk to the middle of the ring, where she strikes a pose again while winking at the camera. She then goes to her corner as the music cuts.

Dobrev: And her opponent, from Honolulu, Hawaii, weighing in at 120 pounds ... She is your Indy Champion GABRIELLE VISCONTY!

The lights in the arena explode in strobing attack on the senses. A single spot light shines down on the entrance. Wargasm's "I Do It So Good" begins to play as the EXTREME-TRON lights up to display G A B I V E E ! ! ! before the lyrics to “I Do It So Good” begin to scroll across it.

(Here we go, here we go, here we go now)
No one ever sees it coming
When the house lights kill the party
And I'm gunning for a little bit more
Hitting hard like Sarah Connor
Ripley and Madonna, baby, I got what you’re looking for

Gabrielle Visconty runs out of the back and stops at the top of the ramp, followed a second later by Buddy Love. Her blue eyes scan over the area as the fans welcome Gabi Vee with cheers. A huge grin spreads across her face before her and Buddy walk down the ramp towards the ring. The lyrics continue to follow along on the X-Tron.

Bullets hanging off my
Chains holding up my
Gold dripping down my
It makes you tremble baby, tremble baby, oh
Bullets hanging off my, girls wanna have my
Chains holding up my, boys wanna be my
Gold dripping down my
It makes you tremble 'cause you know that you can't
I do it so good
I do it so good
I do it so good
I do it so good
I do it so good
Do it so good

Gabi slaps hands and interacts with the crowd before she hops up nimbly onto the edge of the ring to grin out at the crowd once more. Gabi turns and springboard herself gracefully into the ring, then ventures over to her corner where Buddy has taken his place outside the ring. The two share a brief conversation before Gabi turns her attention back to the ring.

Woo: These are two of the toughest women on the blue or ANY brand, and with the Indy championship on the line it's bound for greatness! Ring the bell already!!

DING DING DING

Neither woman wastes a moment with both Gabi and Callie rushing straight into one another. Gabi ducks a clothesline but it seems both women stop and back elbow the other directly in the face. Both stumble outward and it's Callie with the shoving dodge after a missed dropkick sends Gabi to the canvas without finding her purchase. A small applause from Kansas City as both women continue to sneer and heckle at one another. They meet in the center for a tie up. Callie shows her five pound advantage with a pinch more strength as she yanks Gabi into a backside headlock. Gabi tries a shove off with the ropes but Callie keeps the headlock in stiff as she drags down to one knee. She pops V one, two, three good in the dome before the referee calls for her to open her fist. Callie has the Russian legsweep blocked and stopped with repeated knees to the midsection. Gabi gets them to the ropes and successfully shoves Callie to the opposite ropes this time. Gabi backs into the opposite ropes and bounds off, leaping over a ducking Callie Clark. Both women hit the ropes and comes bounding toward one another even harder, Callie looking for a bit of offense when Gabi springboards off the ropes into a MASSIVE right hand. Superman punch! Callie hits the canvas hard as Gabi rolls off her shoulder. Standing corkscrew moonsault but Callie Clark gets the knees up. It's Pain Town, population: Gabrielle Visconty's ribs! The International champion rolls off wailing in pain. Callie rolls to one side with a smirk as she rubs the spot Gabi walloped just moments prior, giving a sneer over to Buddy Love as he pleads with Gabi to get up. She says something to him and he starts laughing in response. The Broadcast champion takes umbrage with this, continuing to exchange words with Buddy as she lifts Gabrielle by the hair. Visconty gets a quick surprise elbow to Callie's midsection before Clark retaliates with a STINGING left backhand to the face. This shocks and wakes both Buddy and Gabi but she's given no time to react. Callie pops up and off the nearby second turnbuckle. Slingblade! With Gabi planted on her back, Callie opts not to pin but work the champion's left arm with a classic armbar. Gabrielle screams in pain when Callie locks it in with a planted leg across her throat.

Woo: What back and forth action we've got for you, as promised, right here with Gabrielle fighting to stay in the game. Callie Clark locking in the armbar and if Gabi can't get out of it, or to the ropes, it may spell the end for her.

Gomez: Callie Clark is the smartest television champion in the game. We don't usually see her perform the regular smhegular armbar, but she knows she wants to work that arm just as she has time and time again against many opponents throughout the years.

Woo: Excellent point, Val. Callie usually employs the Fujiwara-style when she's cranking on her opponent's arms but she may have figured a woman with which she's got so much experience this year alone already, the Indy Champion Gabi Vee, probably has an answer to that one -- ope! It looks like Gabi's going to get a foot just under the rope after squirming and fighting for nearly half a minute there. Prime Senior Referee Niklaus Forbes ready to break it up with a count to five.

Gabi does in fact squirm her right boot just under the ropes, but it isn't the referee counts to four that Callie lets go with another VICIOUS leg slamming down on Gabi's throat. Kansas City shows their displeasure and Callie quickly laughs, shrugs, and waves them off, playing up her positioning here to jeers galore. She lifts Gabi by the hair but Visconty catches her by surprise. Small package! No, Callie Clark reverses the roll and Gabi's on her back. Kickout before even a one count and both women are furiously scrambling. VEE CHOP! "WHOOOOO" goes the crowd as Callie reels back, both women on their feet but the Indy champion a second faster. CLARK CHOP! "WHOOOOO" goes the crowd once again as the Broadcast champion replies with one of her own. Gabi stumbles back and is about to retaliate when she eats a spinning back fist to the face instead. Callie whips Gabi from corner to corner but still hits nothing but turnbuckle with two high knees as Gabi evades. Buddy Love shouts in glee as Callie SLAMS the air from her own lungs as she sandwiches into the turnbuckle before hitting the canvas. Standing corkscrew moonsault connects this time and Gabi V is pulling Callie's leg for the pinfall.



ONE!



TWO!



THR-NO!! Now it's Clark with the ring awareness, sneaking a boot beneath the ropes to initiate the break in the count. Vee for a split second thinks she's won, not feeling Callie kick out at all, but she quickly sees the boot below the ropes and just starts battering Clark's face with forearm after forearm. Callie gets her arms up to block but Gabi is too fast, too furious, and drifts Callie's face against the canvas several more times before pulling BOTH legs into another pin attempt, but wait, a completely loopy Golden Goddess goes for a poorly positioned crucifix pin and ends up pulling herself and the Indy champion out to the thinly-padded grass outside the ring with a heavy THUD. With Gabi slammed neck first its Callie that's got enough left in the tank to go crawling to her feet first with Gabi still crawling toward the steel steps. Clark, the nice woman she is, helps Gabi along the way; unfortunately, she also lifts the steel steps and places their weight on Gabi's elbow. The referee is FURIOUS as he tries to regain control when WHAM! Callie stomps on the steel steps and Gabi lets out a pained shriek as she tears her left arm from underneath the steel. Niklaus threatens to disqualify Callie is she doesn't bring it back into the ring. So, begrudgingly, she breaks the referee's ten count with a roll in and out of the ring before taking her time getting Visconty back into the ring. The Broadcast champion is stalking her prey for EXCELSI-NO! Gabi scouts the Fujiwara armbar and stumbles herself and Callie with enough forward motion to arm drag Callie through the ropes to the outside. Callie, however, does a bit of a tiger feint kick as she happens to get her arms on the middle and top ropes. The swinging kick momentum brings her right back into the ring just as Gabi retreats to one knee in the center of the ring. Gabi Vee catches Callie Clark with a slingblade this time and now both women are down.

Woo: WHOA! Gabi returning the slingblade receipt there and it's still anyone's game. Both women pushing into their second gear now.

Gomez: She's just lucky Callie didn't get the submission locked in there. It could've easily been over right here, right now, especially after Callie intelligently used her environment to her advantage outside the ring a moment ago.

Woo: You mean CHEATED and stomped on the STEEL STEPS. Senior Referee Niklaus Forbes taking his job and the blue brand's Indy championship very seriously. He knows Callie and Gabi both want this and he knows how emotions can get. He shouldn't have let that slide, Valentina, and if I were Buddy Love I'd have that one ready in the back pocket.

Gomez: What do you mean, Marcus? Already counting Gabi Vee out?

Woo: CALLIE CHEATED!!

Gabi gets to one knee, heaving, as she waits for Callie to crawl to the corner. Clark gets to her feet and turns right into a tenacious European uppercut from Miss Vee. Gabi follows up with another as she continues catching her breath, then whips Callie into the opposing corner. Handspring back elbow blasts Callie in the face and follows quickly with a bulldog. Gabi slams her hand on the canvas in frustration as Kansas rallies behind her. She gets a devilish little smirk on her face before turning toward the corner. Arrowhead stands in unison as Gabi Vee ascends the turnbuckle and signals like Callie Clark? CALLIESAULT! Gabrielle Visconty picture perfectly duplicates the Callie Clark's moonsault and connects! Callie groans as her legs are both yanked up. Arrowhead is counting alongside the referee.


ONE!


TWO!


THRE-NO!! Callie gets the shoulder up just before the three count and Gabi can't believe it. Well, maybe she can, but she isn't happy about it as she leaps into an elbow drop and goes for it again!


ONE!


TWO-NO!! Clark kicks out with even more purpose this time and Gabi rolls off to regroup. She goes to the turnbuckle again, this time opting only for the second rope as she waits for her moment. ANGELRA-NO! Gabi Vee goes for the dragonrana but it's Callie that calls this shot. She catches Gabi, bounds her off the top rope powerbomb style and lifts her for a spinning sitout powerbomb in the middle of the ring! Now Gabi's pinned to the canvas again as Callie leans to hold a leg up and shoulders down.


ONE!


TWO!!


THRE-ALMOST!!! Gabi thrusts her left shoulder into the air and kicks out, but at what cost? She wails in pain and grabs at her left shoulder as she rolls off an agitated but slightly gassed Callie Clark.

Woo: What a back and forth here! Gabi hitting that Best Moonsault Ever that we've seen Callie win match after match with but Callie Clark had the werewithal to kick out here! And luckily so as she also scouted the classic Angelrana that has ended her before, turning it into a VICIOUS sitout powerbomb that almost saw the end of Gabi's reign as Indy champion.

Gomez: Check the shoulder though, Marcus Woo, it's looking like Callie's insistence in focusing that area has paid off. Let's see if she can bring it all around and we can hear Dobrev announce an 'AND NEW' trending Goddess.

Callie is sitting in the center of the ring as she just watches Gabi roll out of the ring and regroup with Buddy Love against the guardrail. Callie waves as Buddy glares at her, who immediately begins scolding her for her previous actions in the match and how they may have really hurt Gabi here. Callie feigns sadness with an exaggerated pout with her bottom lip and fake rubs her lack of tears with her right fist as she mocks the Indy champion. Clark gets to her feet and starts faux stumbling as she grabs her own left shoulder and Gabi Vee has had enough. She slides into the ring and Callie laughs as Gabi pains herself to her feet. Once again Callie feigns emotion toward Gabi's plight and she leaps at Callie with a clothesline. Callie kips right back up but it's still another clothesline. Callie is a pinch slower to her feet this time and as if the two were RUMBLING Gabi clotheslines Caliie over the top rope and both go tumbling out of the ring after a wild Cactus Jack clothesline to top off the trifecta. Both women go crashing to the outside with Gabi landing on her feet and fumbling into the commentator's booth as Callie rolls into the grass.

ONE... TWO... THREE...

Forbes counts in the ring, emanated loudly throughout the arena as fans get involved with the count as well. Gabi stares down at Callie, both heaving, both pushing their hardest, as Callie once again crawls to the steel steps.

FOUR... FIVE... SIX...

Gabi sees a chance for immediate retribution. Instead of stomping Callie's arm, however, she goes for a soccer kick into the wrist. Clark yanks away at the last second. BOOONG! Miss Vee yelps and stumbles into the ring apron after flattening her own toes on steel after missing the kick to Clark.

SEVEN...

The AMC Broadcast champion smiles as she drags herself into a roll into the ring. Gabi still reeling from the throb of her toes, her eyes catch Clark's.

EIGHT...

Gabi painfully rolls into the ring and gets to one knee just fast enough to chop Callie in the chest. Clark was about to grab Gabi by the hair as "WHOOOOO" goes the crowd and she winces backward instead. Gabi kicks Callie in the midsection with her pained foot and lifts her with her pained shoulder. IDJITBUSTER! But she can't capitalize, Gabi Vee NAILING the signature straight jacket suplex and landing HARD on her left shoulder. She rolls away from Clark in pain as Tori now starts slamming the canvas and reminding Callie of her mission.

Woo: Gabi with that DYNAMITE suplex that has put so many people away, but, it's really looking like she's going to have to finish this and finish it SOON if she doesn't want Callie Clark to capitalize on that weakness. She's pushing, The Angel, and we all know what she's capable of. The two-time Former International champion, a former television champion in her own right is Gabi Vee and her reign won't be stopped by a little shoulder pain.

Gomez: You might wanna count your eggs before they hatch, Woo, it just might be Excelsior time right now.

Callie almost mindlessly wobbles on one knee in her corner as Tori continues to speak to her. Gabi brings herself up in the opposing corner. Buddy Love yelling "NOW! NOW!" as Gabi Vee rushes after her target. Callie blinks as she barely yanks herself away and now Gabi Vee blasts nothing but turnbuckle with double knees. Gabi grabs the turnbuckle so as to not fall to her back, but she's gassed as she stumbles out toward a seething and ready Callie Clark. EXCELSIOR! Clark screams as she cranks her Fujiwara armbar finish into position right in the center of the ring. Gabi Vee has nowhere to go. She can't reach a rope with a finger or a toe but she refuses to give in. She's shaking her head just as violently as Callie REEEEEEEELS it backward. Clark grabs Vee by the hand, interlacing fingers to crank wrist, elbow, and shoulder as she bridges. Vee looks like she'll pass out before she'll tap and that's when it happens. POP. The pain sends Gabrielle unconscious and the referee's eyes go huge as he throws the arms into the undeniable X and it's clear Gabi Vee is finished.

DING DING DING

Dobrev: And your winner, via referee decision AND NNNNNNEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWW Indy Champion ... "GOLDEN GODDESS" CALLIE CLARK!

Callie's music hits and she can't believe it. She's smiling, she's handed the title, finally, and she just can't believe it. She grins into the championship as she rises to her feet. The referee tries to raise her arm but she shoves him off while EMTs come rushing to ringside. Tori enters the ring and the two embrace in a big hug before they separate with Tori holding the AMC Broadcast championship up high in hand and Callie proudly holding the Indy championship high in the air. A sea of boos echo throughout the arena but neither Tori nor Callie seem to care as they continue celebrating this victory.

Woo: Callie Clark has finally captured the Indy Championship! but at what cost?! I think Gabi just broke every bone in her shoulder and arm simultaneously! Medics are rushing to the ring now to check on her, but holy hell! 

Gomez: This is why you don't mess with The House Woo. They always win and are willing to do whatever it takes to make that victory happen! 

Woo: There are rules to these matches and I have to imagine that Prime GM Jordan Sharpe may have some sort of punishment in mind here for his new champion. 

Gomez: There is still so much more to come here tonight as well folks, We'll be right back! 

Camera cuts to ...

---

Mark Keaton is dressed in a black robe with the hood pulled over his head, he marches towards the arena with Kobro Commando flanking his right side, Duke is away on a mission. In a long, wide row behind, the Soldiers of Fortune also march. People and staff give them a wide berth as they make their way across the parking lot. Doug in a Barrel falls down then rolls away, but it doesn't stop the march.

They halt at the back entrance to the facility. Jordan Freaking Sharpe is leaning on the concrete wall next to the entrance, he's looking quite dapper in his pressed gray suit, jacket slightly open showing a salmon colored shirt underneath with a gold pressed Prime logo on the breast pocket. He closes his phone. RMK removes his hood and stares at him, trying to look intimidating.

JFS: Mark! Glad you could make it on time for once. See, here's the deal..

RMK: Can it, Jordan! Let us pass! Me and the Soldiers of Fortune are here to rule the Rumble!

JFS: That's the thing, Keaton. After your little stunt in Boston, EWC is dealing with over a dozen lawsuits. Zdeno Chara is pressing charges as well. The mayor of Boston has banned you from ever competing in that town again. So I hope you didn't spend TOO much money on these guys because not only are the Soldiers of Fortune banned from ringside, I'm banning YOU from ever hiring another member of the Gambit roster. Now ladies and gentlemen of The Gambit Roster, I'm not banning you all from enjoying the pay per view tonight, you can go inside and watch it from the back, Mark Keaton won't be bothering you ever again.

Mark watches his former Soldiers of Fortune walk by JFS into the building, he scowls at each one of them, then turns his attention back on JFS.

RMK: Dude! This is some absolute moose shit right here! I spent over twenty grand lining these wankers up tonight! This Sith costume was at LEAST four grand! You're busting my balls, bossman!

JFS takes a big step to get right in RMK's face, then growls through clenched teeth.

JFS: No, you listen here asshole. You're lucky I didn't fire your ass after the Boston incident. That's what the EWC board of directors have labeled it, the Boston Incident! You see, I could be sitting back and relaxing in between shows, enjoying several cans of Monster Energy, watching my roster compete, setting up future matches, but do you know WHAT I was doing in the last 48 hours Mark? Do you KNOW?!

RMK: Um, not drinking Monster?

JFS: Replying to 187 emails! All about the Boston Incident! Setting up meetings with President Mac, setting up meetings with the board on how to proceed, calling meetings with my own staff on how to prevent such riots in the future!

JFS takes a slight step back, takes a breath then straightens his collar.

JFS: You know, I like you Mark, I really do. If I didn't like you, you'd be roaming around seedy bars right now, looking for rock gigs instead of fighting in the EWC Rumble tonight. So do me a favor will you?

RMK: Don't hit any fans with a concussion grenade?

Jordan takes a sharp breath, then allows a quick smile.

JFS: Win the Rumble for Prime.

RMK: You got it boss!

JFS nods then opens his phone, he walks into the building, out of sight. RMK turns to Kobro, the last of his army.

RMK: He totally didn't say anything about an Omega Commando.

Mark gives the big man a slap on the chest as they head in. the camera cuts too..

---

---

Pepper Montana is found backstage with the always exuberant longest reigning wielder of the Prime Minister Necklace, Narumi Tsutsumi. Narumi playfully pats at her necklace while listening to her favourite interviewer speaking to her. Pepper plays at the fact he interviewed Narumi for her debut at Legends of the Cage years ago.

Pepper: It's always a pleasure to have your time, Miss Legend of the Ring, Narumi Tsutsumi! You aren't competing tonight, but it's just like you to enjoy the festivity of a grand event like this one!

Narumi: Yes! I'm here to support my friends Sonya and Aiya tonight!

Pepper: Sure Narumi, we all know that, but I've known you long enough to gather that it's also not lost on you that all your possible future Undisputed Championship opponents are competing tonight.

The Onihime deviously smiles.

Narumi: Of course. Both Lavender and Sally are in the Rumble. And Mercenary is facing the same man I conquered at the Night of Champions.

Pepper: Since many made their criticisms and support known for Sally deciding to be in the Rumble, I feel it's fair that you also get in the hot seat over why you decided to do the opposite by not joining in.

Narumi: If I were to steelman what Sally said, her reasoning for entering the Rumble is to limit the number of people in the Wrestlefest main event. Me? I think trying to micromanage the chaos of EWC isn't the proper path and can potentially get you in the wrong frame of mind when things don't go the way you imagined. Last season when I became the number one contender I, for some reason, got it in my head that I'd meet all tall dark and handsome Ito for the Undisputed Championship one one-on-one, as if it was destiny or no one could beat him, and that really put me in a bad headspace back then when it didn't happen. I've spent this season proving that I can handle anything, be it one one-on-one, multi-person matches, tag, trios, or even random exhibition matches, while becoming a grand slam champion. So, to me, it doesn't matter how many people get involved in my quest for the Undisputed Championship. I left the first and biggest PPV this season Tag Team and Undisputed Champion in perhaps the greatest Stranglemania showing of all time, and then I retained my championship the traditional way for the rematch I now wield; I know I can overcome anything to leave this season on top with it all, no matter who wins the Rumble.

Pepper: So I gather you've kept an eye out for much of the great field for the Rumble tonight. Does anything of interest stick out from it that you want to speak on?

Narumi laughs in affirmation.

Narumi: Oh, of course. Ever since Otaki returned, people have been saying these little things that really spread a misconception on how Shinijoshi operates. First, the Love Club recruited her and bragged that it was before we picked her up, implying they thought we were going to try. Now I'm hearing her being flat-out called a Shinijoshi member. Come on people! First off, she's not even from Japan nor seems to have the heritage, and we aren't desperate for gaijin as we already have one in Saidie. Plus even if she was a joshi, there's been multiple joshi in the EWC that have nothing to do with our faction, Seiren, Saten, that mute girl who played lackey for the girl who Aiya ended the career of, Mio, Yamamoto, and probably others.

I appreciate that Otaki is clearly a huge fan of Japan. When a Caucasian westerner like her uses her massive influence to promote Japanese culture through her names, moves, and taunts, it allows the EWC to absorb these practices more comfortably than people did when I was new here and constantly heard people mock joshi wrestling and Japanese practices as a whole. If she ever wanted to jump ship from the Love Club to Shinijoshi, like anyone else she can come train with us and Shinijoshi would vote on if we feel she would fit into our ranks. Especially since she's a decorated champion who won the EWC Rumble years ago. But we aren't going to throw away our values and team chemistry just to pick up numbers, even if our war with the House gets dire.

Pepper realizes that this is a topic that Narumi feels strongly about.

Pepper: It would seem the way Shinijoshi operates is still a hot button topic, be it the honorary members, a polarizing figure like Cloud in your ranks, if friendships can truly work in wrestling, or even all the tag formations. Though, the latter criticisms have subsided as of late. I imagine it's still not easy that these things still come up.

Narumi nods strongly.

Narumi: The life of a foreigner is a constant battle. The Japanese unit system is still very new to the EWC, but that's why I feel it's important we continue to show this faction style to normalize it further. I'll even explain things in new ways as often as needed. Megumi and I instantly became best friends and a tag team when we met early in our careers. We and Aiya started in the EWC at the same time. Aiya, Saidie, and I were the former Showtime Champions trying to unseat Dio and Scorpio's regime over the Prime brand and we had comradery in that pursuit as friendly rivals. With Sabotage around and my growing desire to showcase more of joshi wrestling, we decided it would be nice for Megumi and me to work with more people. While the hardcore Aiya, the joshi traditionalist Megumi, and I with my high speed have our own skills outside of striking alone, I knew our sizes and appearance would be easily conflated as the same for Western audiences, so I asked Sonya to come to join us in the EWC because her size and strength would be a stark representation of another joshi style. Emi is Megumi's sister-in-law and we gladly accepted her family into ours to be our kouhai. Sonya and I know Cloud from outside the EWC, for many joshi breaking into the business Cloud is our equivalent to what Ruthann is here for the women of the EWC.

Pepper: Speaking of outside the EWC, I once recall you mentioning you had to convince Emmanuelle to give you her bodyguard in Sonya. Yet Emmanuelle has arrived here, and despite you alluding to how dire the war with House is getting, it is aggressively stated she doesn't share the Shinijoshi view and I see no signs you attempt to recruit her. Are you two on bad terms now?

Narumi sighs.

Narumi: We aren't on bad terms, but the separation is mutual because Emmy…. she's a demanding woman and her quest for money is endless. I'd have to constantly pay her to do anything, and even though I obviously have the money, that's not a representation of Shinijoshi I want to build. Still, she's a fantastic athlete and I wish her the best in showcasing her style of joshi wrestling, it's another beautiful piece of a wide arrangement of great art. If EWC is willing to pay her the fat contract I know she must have, that's wonderful for the sport.

Narumi regains her smile to finish.

Narumi: Now I may not be adding my touch in the ring tonight, but I know everyone in the EWC will be doing their best to use this opportunity to shine their best. But they better know, after tonight, they won't be Kansas anymore and I have many sublime wonders to pull off against those vying to leave the season Undisputed Champion.

Narumi hits the Shinijoshi double deuces as horns above her head before leaving with a wide grin as the camera fades. 

[EWC]

---

---

The camera cuts backstage where we find Xavier Reid alongside his manager, “The Memphis Mouthpiece’ Tommy Love…

Reid: I was so close last year…it was right there for the taking…after starting the Rumble #1 I outlasted 27 other EWC Stars…it was just Narumi, Melody and me…and I came up short…

Tommy nods but slowly smiles at his client…

Love: Yeah but…it was also the start to this incredible run you are now on Xavier…let’s be honest, up until the Rumble last year your season was…well it was shit…your worst season here in the EWC but that night in Wembley Stadium showed the EWC and you kid that you still had it…that you still had what it takes to be the Undisputed Champion and it’s propelled you to where you are right now…

Tommy points to the International Championship that is sitting next to Xavier Reid…

Love: You won back Brawl’s top championship for a record breaking 4th time…you went to StrangleMania and ended El Pablo’s record setting X-Division Championship reign while winning that championship for a record breaking 3rd time…you beat the HBO Broadcast Champion Moxie, the Apple TV+ Champion Sally Talfourd, the then International Champion Melinda Rhodes…hell kid you have the most wins over those that were ranked in the Undisputed Championship rankings…

Reid: And yet I had to watch as others got to challenge for the Undisputed Championship…others who did not have the quality of wins that I did…I’ve had to watch as wrestlers from Rampage, Paramount and Prime were presented as challengers all the while Brawl was ignored…I’ve given my blood, sweat and tears for Brawl and yet I’m left out in the cold…Brawl is left out in the cold…

Love: All while being called the ‘flagship show’...right…this is why I wanted you to look at those other brands before signing with…

But Xavier holds up his hand, cutting off his manager…

Reid: Yeah I could have jumped ship…it probably would have been the smart thing to do…I know Bunny wanted me to come to Paramount but this is the brand I came to all those years ago because I knew if I could make it on Brawl then I’d go down as one of the greats…I want to be one of those greats Tommy…one of those guys this company talks about long after I hang up my boots…I’ve earned a shot at the EWC’s top prize but it’s not going to come…we both know that…I spent the entire season lobbying for MY SHOT and I’ve been ignored so this…The Rumble Match…this is my only shot…it’s now or never…

Love: Then you need to be willing to do whatever it takes to walk out of here with that championship kid…

Xavier nods at his manager…

Reid: I have broken records, won championship but the Rumble…it’s the one missing piece right…the won thing I’ve been unable to conquer and it’s not from a lack of trying…tonight will mark the 6th Rumble I’ve entered and last year’s 3rd was the closest I’ve come to winning it all…last year I was hell bent on eliminating Melody Malone…to getting that skin and in years past I’ve come into this match looking to settle a score or to eliminate someone out of pure hate…to feed my ego and I got lost on what’s important…winning…I see that now, it has to be the ONLY goal of the night, the hell with the rest…I can’t single out JoJo because of what happened at Parabellum or try and weaken King Flip before he comes looking for his rematch…I can’t let my ego run wild and try to eliminate the likes of Ace King, El Pablo or Otaki…I can’t look to collect a skin and eliminate Lavender just because she’s the Undisputed Champion…I have to let the Rumble come to me and stay out of harm's way…

Love: I’m telling you Xavier, roll out of the ring and hide under the ring…wait for the last person to think they’ve won and then come out and eliminate them from behind…

Xavier smirks…it’s not a bad strategy but it’s not for him…

Reid: I need you to be my eyes Tommy…I need you to watch my back and yell out if I’m in danger…this is my chance…I know this…I’m not going to be given a Undisputed Championship match so I’ll have to go out there and TAKE IT…maybe Jim Connors doesn’t believe in me…maybe he just didn’t want to lose a name…maybe that’s why he will not go to bad for me…so I’ll have to show him…I’ll have to become the first Brawl member to win the Rumble since Dominic Sanders…this is all I’ve wanted since I lost the Undisputed Championship Tommy…another chance to win it and I’ve watched and every former active champion has gotten their second chance while being passed over time and time again…this is the only way…winning the Rumble…it’s all have…tonight it’s going to be my time Tommy because if I can’t get it done…then…

But Tommy cuts him off…

Love: Go out there and make yourself small…blend in…find Ibuki and watch each other's back…work as a team if you have to…survive because that’s the name of the game and let others do the eliminating…save your energy until the end and then strike…do that and you will have a chance kid…you will have a chance to become the Undisputed Champion…

Tommy smiles at Xavier as the camera faded out…

30 PERSON RUMBLE

EWC UNDISPUTED CHAMPIONSHIP

30 WRESTLERS ALL COMPETING FOR THE EWC UNDISPUTED CHAMPIONSHIP IN A OVER-THE-TOP RUMBLE!

WRITTEN BY: Chunks of Darna Dare

FEATURING

IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

"The Gambler" Ace King (FNR)(Entering #2)

"HEADHUNTRESS" AIYA (PRIME)

Alexander Umbra (MNB)(FX)

"The Beautiful Psychopath" Autumn Raven (FNR)

"Box Office" Bruce Booth (PRIME)

"Granite City Sadist" Caleb Scott (MNB)

Cosmo “Mo Money” Goldworthy (FNR)(HBO)

"The Last Temptation" Dalilah Ashe (PRIME)

"The Dark Wizard" Daphne Kreel (PW)

“The E of EWC” Darius (MNB)

"The Technicolor Tecno" El Pablo (PW)

"The Slaytanic Avenger" Harper Mason (PRIME)

"The Ace Of Paramount" Ibuki Ito (PW)(NA)

"The Jack Of Hearts" Jack Hart (PW)

"The Prime Time Catalyst" Jack Severn (PRIME)(Entering #1)

"The Love Child" Jamie Love (FNR)

"The Boss" Jason Anderson (FNR)

"The Blackhat" JoJo Rush (MNB)(XD)

"The Silent Princess" Lavender (FNR)(UND)

"The Kabuki Kid" Marquis Hathaway (PRIME)

Moxie (FNR)

"The Emo Princess" Otaki (PRIME)

"The Gatekeeper Of Friday Night Rampage" Phoenix Winterborn (FNR)

"RMK" Remarkable Mark Keaton (PRIME)

"The Last Magician" Sally Talfourd (PW)(Apple)

"The Beautiful Battleship" SONYA (PW)

The Mad King (MNB)

Tyler Bradford (MNB)

"Elegance Personified" Vespertine (FNR)

"The Best Of BRAWL" Xavier Reid (MNB)(INT)

We return to ringside where the ring has been cleared and prepared for not just tonight's main event, but one of the highlights of the entire season; the most anticipated EWC Rumble. The stakes are high, and the atmosphere is intense. Much of the crowd is already chanting and screaming for their favorites, signs bristling in their midst as they give support however they can.

Woo: It all, as they say, comes down to this. Last year, we made a hotly-anticipated change to the format of this legendary match - and we've stuck with it. Tonight is for all the marbles. Tonight, thirty men and women enter, including the EWC Undisputed Champion - the Silent Princess, Lavender. And only one of that formidable number will leave, that very belt strapped around their waist, having clawed their way through carnage and maneuvered through absolute chaos to be crowned THE Undisputed Champion of the World!

Gomez: The world of EWC, the only world that matters, Woo! And the only world I want to be a part of!

Woo: Uh, what?

Gomez: Who cares what I mean? I'm excited! I don't know who to cheer for, I don't know who to tell you sucks and doesn't deserve this chance... I want to say it about all of them!

Woo: I'm positive that you do. Last year, the Inevitable Queen, Melody Malone, proved that she deserved every word of that title when she carried her championship into this match and emerged victorious, the crown cracking asunder as it was placed upon her brow. This is a night where legends defend their worth, where new legends can be made, where the past and the future collide. And we're starting in very much that style, as we already know our first two entrants - the wily leader of the House, Jack Severn, and the Gambler himself. Mr. 777. A returning, no doubt warmly-welcomed Ace King, with everything to prove, as he always does.

Gomez: And the whole House no doubt rallied against him, Woo. Ace King doesn't stand a chance.

Woo: We. Shall. See.

Dobrev: Welcome to the EWC Rumble Main Event, the Thirty-Person Rumble. After our first two entrants, there will be another entrant every 60 seconds until the 30th and final EWC Superstar comes out. To eliminate an opponent, they must go over the top-rope and both feet must touch the floor. The winner of the EWC Rumble is the last wrestler remaining after all others have been eliminated. The winner of tonight’s Rumble will also be our EWC Undisputed Champion!

Gomez: Ugh, we know! We know!

Dobrev: Joining us first, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, weighing in at two hundred and twenty pounds ... THE CATALYST, JACK SEVERN!

'15 Minutes' by Shattered Skies hits as Jack walks down to the ring once the lyrics start, smiling with the utmost confidence in his face. He claps for himself, mocking the crowd, as he walks all the way down to commentary, asking them who they think is going to win, angrily throwing a water bottle when they don't answer. Valentina looks delighted at this, applauding herself as Jack tips her a wink and then a scowl that just makes her even happier. Once in the center of the ring, he relishes in the crowd's hatred, mocking them and their heroes. He leans up against the ropes with one foot on the middle rope, screaming maniacally at the hard camera about how he's going to destroy Ace King and finally end his over-long career. He throws off his jacket, fired up.

Dobrev: And his opponent...

Gomez: Who could it be?

Woo: Shhh!

As Severn waits in the ring, Arrowhead Stadium is plunged into darkness. With the crowd buzzing, the ExtremeTron slowly flickers to life…

The anticipation builds as the acoustic opening fades out; the opening to ‘Straight Jacket Fitting’ by Queens of the Stone Age begins as the stadium LED lights turn scarlet; a similarly-colored spotlight focused on the stage as a figure rises from below. It’s very clearly the returning Ace King, though he’s not registering the audience as he’s trying to escape a straitjacket, though his glare never leaves Severn, who’s just laughing at him as Josh Homme’s spooky refrain fills the stadium.

TO FACE DOWN YOUR DEMONS, YOU'VE GOT TO FREE THEM!

TO SEIZE ALL YOUR DEMONS, CARPE DEMON!

Woo: This... This is disturbing.

Just as it looks like he’s making the moves to escape, the stadium goes black again. After a few seconds of eerie silence, the iconic voice of Lemmy Kilmister cries out…

THE ACE OF SPADES! THE ACE OF SPADES!!!

‘Ace of Spades’ blares through Arrowhead Stadium, and there’s a roar from the crowd; as the drums and guitar kick in, pyro hits and the lights finally come up with Ace standing triumphantly on the ramp, holding the straitjacket he’d previously been bound inside in his left hand.

Woo: Well, I don’t know what’s going on in his mind, but I know he’s here in the flesh, and the people STILL love Ace King!

Gomez: You’ll have to excuse the pun here, guys, but Ace is a bit of a wild card in this one; we haven’t seen him in almost six months, what kind of shape will he be in, especially starting at number two?

Woo: Oh God, that was bad.

Gomez: I am literally never sorry, Woo.

‘The Gambler’ looks around the stadium, nodding with the applause as he tries not to get emotional; he also briefly looks skyward, at which point we get a good look at a solitary stripe of paint on his cheek, which bears the name 'IGGY' on it. Locking back in on Severn sets him right again, and Ace marches down to the ring with intent, staring a hole through his longtime nemesis. He storms up the ring steps and through the ropes ready for a fight; he keeps his eyes squarely on Jack the entire time.

Woo: We've seen this before, and it never gets old; but will it end tonight, with one of these men--

Gomez: As our new, EWC Undisputed Champion! ¡Ayayay, goosebumps!

DING DING DING

The furor of the crowd has not abated, and it only swells as Ace King proves he hasn't missed a step, surging at the other man who suddenly looks a good deal smaller and a great deal more injured before the face of the fired-up former Undisputed Champion. A feinted forearm gets Severn to cover up, then a snapping roundhouse to the calf leads into a scintillating chop across the chest. The crowd woo obligingly, but King isn't done - jolting backwards in time with the stagger of his opponent, striking the ropes and picking up speed to hit an exclamation point of a slingblade that leaves Jack thrashing on the canvas!

Ace King throws out his arms and seizes the ropes, fit to shake the ring apart as the crowd shower their appreciation.

"YOU'VE STILL GOT IT!"
"YOU'VE STILL GOT IT!"

The Gambler grins, but there's a feral edge to it, a savagery besides mere gratitude and pleasure as he whirls on Jack again, scoops him up, grinds out four beautiful vertical suplexes! One, two, three, FOUR OF A KIND! Jack Severn kicks out in instinct, for the cover that never comes, because Ace King has danced this dance many times - his own instincts on point, as he hoists his opponent up and over into the torture rack position. The crowd holds it breath, as King takes a step toward the ropes, nodding to encourage his own efforts as Severn writhes on top of him--

--and frees up an arm to jam a thumb firmly into the eyesocket, wriggling down from his lethal perch, flopping backwards and scooting to the corner, his eyes manic, wide, dragging in breath like he'd just surfaced beneath a crashing wave. Ace King swears loudly, rubbing at the dirty wound, leaving a bloodshot orb behind to dart threateningly toward his opponent, an arm extended as if to ward him off...

And a grin, plastered messily across Jack Severn's lips.

The clock hits zero.

A crunching, jaggedly-metallic riff, as out strides the third man in the contest.

Woo: Oh my God! Things just went from great to terrible for Ace King.

Gomez: I can't believe it, Woo! It's a gigachad, it's a cowboy, it's--

ENTRANT #3 - JOJO RUSH

Gomez: And um, he sort of looks like a big piece of shit.

Woo: Some people might say that's exactly what he is, Valentina.

Gomez: Sí, but not you, you're the nice one.

The Blackhat is indeed an utter mess, thickly-wadded bandages binding his torso and head from the ugly wounds inflicted by Ruthless Aggression in their match earlier this evening. But he's more than just a living car crash; he's a bulging, vascular presence, his neck practically throbbing and his eyes bulging crazed from within his fiercely-bearded countenance. JoJo Rush looks every bit the killer he claims to be, unsettling as he half-runs, half-stomps down the ramp, to loud jeers and boos as the crowd register just HOW awful this situation has become for their returning hero.

They don't even know. Rush is only halfway toward the ring when another, imposing figure steps from the back, smirking as he watches his dastardly colleague run to work. Eddie Dozier.

Woo: He's not supposed to be here.

Gomez: When has that ever stopped him?

Ace King has plenty of warning, but somehow it doesn't help. Rush is more than a brute, he's a wild animal, bellowing as he slides directly into the Gambler and proves simply an unstoppable force, hoisting him into a thunderous RUSH-BUSTER, the spin adding momentum to a sickening impact on a spine that's taken thousands upon thousands. King's skull bounces off the canvas, and then Severn is right there, directing heavily-medicated traffic like the ringleader he is as Rush hauls Ace King up, seizing a waistlock - and pausing only for long enough that his House compatriot can LAUGH in their foe's face, before taking him to Suplex City! ONE! TWO! THREE!

Louder get the crowd's negative reaction with each tumultuous collision, the third coming with a high release that sends King toward the ropes. Severn's quick to dive after him, making a quick adjustment to his kneepad as Ace proves as slippery as ever, catching himself with a grunt on the top rope, redirecting his agonizing momentum to slip through the middle instead.

Severn slips to one side, leaving Rush to close in on their cornered prey. Ace King stands momentarily, catches his breath, then drops under a hamhock fist, slamming his shoulder into JoJo's midsection. Then, there's a sickening crunch!

Jack Severn flies in with his loaded kneepad! THE SILENCER! It's a killshot!

Woo: This is simply sickening.

Gomez: Hold onto your sick bag, Woo, I think they're just getting started.

ENTRANT #4 - JAMIE LOVE

The Pitbull makes his way from the back at a leisurely but decidedly jaunty pace, a sadistic sneer on his lips and a thumb drawn across his throat as he sees - and perhaps smells - the blood already dribbling from King's split temple. There are stars in his eyes as he falls to a knee but gamely manages to roll off the apron before the raging Rush can seize him and pull him back in for an elimination. This doesn't do him too many favors; Eddie Dozier is right there to seize him, and pull him into a hammerlock, wrenching him into position for his teammates. Despite their respective physical states, both House members in the ring look as lively as Jamie.

Severn stomps his feet as he gets an exaggerated run-up, bounces off the ropes, and flies into a guided missile of a dive clear into Ace King's exposed midsection, Dozier bracing on impact as he holds the Gambler out like a human shield. Ace King is falling limp, but the shaggy, wild-eyed cowboy is getting his own, rather more lumbering run-up. He goes to imitate his co-conspirator, Severn gritting his teeth as he looks momentarily concerned that Rush is going to fling himself OVER the ropes like an idiot...

...and then JoJo comes barrel-rolling through them, catching himself in a bit of a tangle on the middle rope, but pure force and momentum carrying him through to a horribly untidy and unintentionally-corkscrewing sort-of body press onto King and Dozier! All three men are wiped out, with the Gambler in the middle of a brawn sandwich, and JoJo bounding to his feet like he just won the Olympics, roaring and throwing his muscular arms in the air to a DIN of rampant disapproval from the crowd.

Dozier rolls King from on top of him and catches his breath, rubbing at his ribs a little as Jamie Love closes, proving the first vulture of the match as he barks a savage laugh and bends down to wrap Ace King in his signature chokehold for good (well, awful) measure.

Gomez: I hate to say I told you so, but-- no that's a lie, I love to say it!

Woo: Somebody has to stop this, this is the Rumble! The Undisputed Championship is at stake!

ENTRANT #5 - JASON ANDERSON

The chimes of NF's "No Excuses" hit to a tremendous pop, the crowd desperate enough to drown out the pained gurgling of Ace King as "The Boss" bursts out from the back. He's all business, a brisk stride carrying him forward with a pointing finger for the collective of the House, letting out a roar and an angry flexion of his bare torso as he strides past the jarringly-adorable sight of his young daughter, Angel, who's gleeful as she cheers for her father. The whole crowd backs her joy as Jason rocks JoJo Rush with a pumping superkick, darts toward Jack Severn with enough intent that the weasel scrambles away back into the ring, yelling at Eddie Dozier to sort it out as Anderson bends and RIPS Jamie Love from Ace King, drilling his former friend with a barrage of strikes that culminate in a huge running knee lift, sending the tenacious former tag team champion over the barricade.

The crowd excitedly clear the way for the brawl to continue, but Jason is alert, staring back over his shoulder then turning around to offer the Gambler a helpful hand to his feet. Ace King eyes him warily, but nods his thanks as he's pulled to his feet, and without a word the two place their backs together and prepare for battle as Rush and Dozier move to surround them, Severn leaning over the ropes with an impossibly aggravating little grin. Fists begin to fly, the two Rampage stalwarts holding their own until a frothing, hissing Jamie Love returns to the fray and tips the balance by flying into Anderson with a deft single-leg, ripping him from King's side.

He squirms his hooks in and locks up his rival for the LOVE ATTACHMENT, and Jason's in trouble on the outside of the ring!

ENTRANT #6 - SALLY TALFOURD

Gomez: Oh look, the cavalry has arrived.

Woo: I'm not sure I'd call the Last Magician the 'cavalry' at this point in her career, but she's been 'let out' and she now stands among us in the early stages of this match.

Gomez: It's called sarcasm, Woo. Someone's going to get hurt, though.

A chill runs through many in the crowd as the Insanity Cage winner steps gracefully from the back, a calculating stare in her hazel eyes. Her lips are slightly parted, the dreamlike edge to her appearance doing nothing to detract from the predatory air with which she surveys the scene, cutting down the ramp past the up-thrust sign of a burning tree, and a small knot of wide-eyed, staring fans who are chanting, "LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT!"

That noisy little cadre spreads and gains volume as Sally closes on the ring, all but floats onto the apron, and greets Jack Severn with a smile that might once have been pleasant. He glances around for backup, but finding none, decides he can handle this one - flowing forward to cut off the Paramount broadcast champion. She remains behind the ropes as she allows an arm to flow upwards, intercepting his arm, then twisting to apply a deft shoulder lock, that serves as the fulcrum for a raptor-like spring over the top rope. She SWOOPS into a low roundhouse kick that buckles the knee joint, then whips the Catalyst to the canvas with a modified arm drag that snaps his elbow just as sharply. Jack drags himself out of the way, but Talfourd's already moving on, across the ring and into a sliding front dropkick, her slender frame lancing beneath the bottom rope to introduce both heels to the side of JoJo Rush's bandaged head.

With the Blackhat flung clear, Ace King is able to seize the upper hand on the unwelcome Eddie Dozier, driving a firm kick into his lower ribs, then springing off the nearby apron to hit an astonishing low-angle diving European uppercut that lays the big man out, for the moment. King glances at Sally, raises an eyebrow, and she tips her head in acknowledgement, before the pair of them pull Jamie Love from Jason Anderson and work their way back into the ring as an unlikely trio.

Jack Severn rolls out onto the apron, and dives around the corner post, using it as a ward while the House remuster and surround the ring, just in time for the clock to hit zero once more.

ENTRANT #7? - CASSIUS H. KISSINGER

Woo: This doesn't seem right, I don't this mysterious masked man on our dance card for the evening.

Gomez: That's not a mysterious man, Woo, it's the superhero Cassius H. Kissinger.

JoJo Rush looks like he wants to join in the vibrant two-step rhythm of Kissinger's entrance, until a growled command from Jack Severn puts him back on track, and he clambers onto the apron and into the ring. He ends up a pace slower than Jamie Love, who's absolutely intent on getting his momentum back after being banished into the crowd. He lunges at Jason Anderson, only to be cut off by Sally Talfourd. Ruthlessly, she twists into a wristlock, but with a growl the Pitbull turns through it, his limb contorting at an uncomfortable angle but allowing him to extricate himself from the Last Magician.

For a moment, she almost looks impressed, but Jamie redirects his lost momentum toward her, and she's a Terminator, parrying his attempt at a lock-up with insulting ease, sending him stumbling past but seizing his trailing arm and rip-cording him back toward her. With the alarm of whiplash in his eyes, Love is pulled down into her double knee facebreaker! EITHER OR!

He crunches down hard, and Jason Anderson is already there to capitalize, hauling him upright and almost directly over the top rope, falling across it himself, gasping from the effort of rapidly dispatching this thorn in his side.

JAMIE LOVE HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

JoJo Rush and Jack Severn spend no time mourning this loss, falling on Ace King and Sally Talfourd as Cassius H. Kissinger finally completes a knees-up triple lap around the ring and bounces onto the apron directly in front of "The Boss". Jason blinks and jerks backwards, followed by the vibrant masked man, who springboards off the top rope into the ring...

...and is caught on Jason's shoulders, shaking his head 'no' and waggling a finger urgently in protest as Jason staggers forward beneath the captured weight and dumps him clean back OUT of the ring with what's essentially a modified Prince Stomp!

CASSIUS H. KISSINGER HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Gomez: ¡Mierda! He was my favorite to win the entire thing!

Woo: To be fair, that was only slightly worse than his appearance in the B.O.R.T.

Kissinger lands flat on his back, lies there like a recently slain cartoon character, then bounds to his feet and stumbles into the back, rubbing with exaggerated despair at the eyesockets of his mask. On his way out, he passes by a very pretty and quite familiar clown, who 'honks' her horn to bid the departing superhero hello and goodbye.

ENTRANT #7 - THE MAD KING

...and then Poshmint Precisely keeps honking in time to the theme song of the Mad King, her expression serious and resolved beneath the artfully-applied paint as her regal client steps out and stands there, well, regally.

Woo: King Flip-- I'm sorry, the Mad King, seems to be go to the same tailor as Cassius H. Kissinger.

Gomez: You should go there, too, Woo, you'd look great in Lycra.

Woo: Would I really?

Gomez: No!

Flip continues to stand, surveying his lands formerly known as the ring, as the action proceeds. Sally is getting overwhelmed by the raw power of JoJo Rush, who's refusing to play any kind of technical game and simply battering her down with swats of his hamhocks, as Ace King is being worked over by Jack Severn's entirely underhanded technique. On the outside, Jamie Love is seething, held back in a rare show of restraint from Eddie Dozier (who's probably just doing it to mess with him) as Jason Anderson turns to rejoin the fray, returning the favor for Sally by assisting her with Rush. They both know there's no space for honor here; Jason raking at the Blackhat's bulging eyes, as the Last Magician sweeps to the flank, falling against the ropes for added leverage on an armbar.

Anderson drops low and tries to use this pressure to partial-deadlift the X-Division champion up and over, but the battle-damaged bruiser just refuses to be budged, gritting his teeth through the pain and rooting all of his brawn with heavy huffs of determination.

ENTRANT #8 - IBUKI ITO

Jamie Love is finally retreating up the ramp as the Japanese superstar makes his entrance, Buddy Love behind him to remove his robe as he throws up his arms, absorbing the reaction of the crowd-- and then abruptly casting a stinky side-eye at the Mad King, who's stood a few feet from what's presently his space. Flip side-eyes him right back, but before anything can come of it, the Pitbull's all up in Ito's business. A shove to the chest barely makes the Ace of Paramount re-place his boot, and the two men match stares for a moment - Jamie aggressive and crazed, Ito flinty-calm... before he nails Love with a forearm, then scoops him up into a Falcon Arrow on the ramp! Buddy Love smiles ear-to-ear, as Ito rises and starts toward the ring.

'Ouch' mouths the Mad King to the fallen Bastard, who doesn't look particularly thrilled about any of this.

Severn and King are up against the ropes, threatening to each pitch the over, the greater power of King finding a match in the arrogant technique of his long-time rival. Ace just looks determined, though, where Severn is increasingly frustrated. "WHY WON'T YOU DIE?" He yells, right in the Gambler's face, who grimaces and with a surge of strength, powers Jack Severn UP AND OVER!

...right into the waiting clutches of Eddie Dozier, who puffs out his cheeks and shakes his head as he lawn darts his factionmate right back into the ring, where he ends out straddling Ace's chest, digging his fingers into the other man's bloody temple and raining down short, stiff punches - clearly woken up by the very, very close call so early in the match.

There's a bellow from across the ring, as JoJo Rush finds his own resurgence of strength and powers out of the clutches of Anderson and Talfourd, the latter pitched off the apron to the outside and Jason only dropping to one knee-- until he's wiped out by a rapid-fire lariat from the Blackhat, pitching him against the ropes where the tables are abruptly turned!

Woo: JoJo Rush has been through one hell already tonight, and he's not a man who's going to be put away lightly.

Gomez: I think the main thing to remember is he's a very, very large man and also, that he's on SO MANY DRUGS.

ENTRANT #9 - COSMO GOLDWORTHY

It gets funky in here as perhaps the hottest new property in the EWC makes his way onto the stage, swiping off a very expensive pair of Louis Vuitton shades as the crowd greets him with the damnation befitting yet another member of the House. The Mad King has conveniently slipped from the stage and isn't there to greet the young phenom, who's able to take a moment to size up the situation before heading at a swagger down to the ring, pulling on the pair of 24-karat knuckles gifted him by "The Elite" Chris Page as he goes.

Woo: Something is very awry here tonight; you have to wonder if the House have allies in high places.

Gomez: They're just not taking any chances, Woo. They're making sure to show up, and show off.

Woo: And cheat.

Gomez: That doesn't count as showing off? I'm certainly impressed.

Ibuki Ito makes his own explosive introduction to the ring now, interrupting the altercation between Rush and Anderson with a running forearm to the Blackhat's broad back. It lands with a bone-rattling slap-thump of meaty flesh, and JoJo straightens up and turns into a brisk Irish whip that sends him thud-thud-thudding across the ring, and back into a beautiful dropkick from the Ace of Paramount. There's purpose in the eyes of the Japanese star as he motions for Rush to get up, watching from behind as the heavily-dosed X-Division champion sits up like 'some kind of' Percocet zombie. Ito bounds forward, his right arm flourishing into a slashing elbow straight across the back of the head! KONBANWA! GOODNIGHT, JOJO RUSH!

The House prescence is only getting stronger, however, and as Ito bends down to haul up the big man and perhaps thin those numbers, Cosmo Goldworthy is tapping him on the shoulder and greeting him with a million dollar smile and a similarly-valuable set of golden knuckles. It's far from Ibuki's first rodeo, and he's able to juke back from what would've been a knockout punch to the jaw, slipping into stance as Goldworthy proves he's got more tricks up his sleeve and erupts into a cruise missile of a tornado kick! READY TO DIE!

He's stood over Ito, adjusting his knuckles, when the clock hits zero.

ENTRANT #10 - BRUCE BOOTH

Woo: ...and now we have the tag team partner of Cosmo Goldworthy, "Box Office" Bruce Booth. This game was rigged from the start.

Gomez: The House always wins, Woo, how many times do they have to tell you?

It's not over yet, as Ace King introduces himself to Cosmo Goldworthy with a kick of his own, taking back the proverbial casino with a FULL HOUSE! Cosmo's spun from his feet, the brass knuckles bouncing away - where they're very helpfully caught by everybody's favorite stooge, Eddie Dozier - and the newly-arrived Booth quickening his pace to account for this development. Jason Anderson moves to intercept, but is IMMEDIATELY scooped up and planted across the ropes with a stun gun, Booth wearing a crooked smile of utmost confidence as he turns his attention to Ace King. The Gambler goes under his lunging arms, drives a kick to the midsection, and rapidly hooks the Prime rookie into a slingshot suplex, twisting with the delivery to land himself directly beside the ropes.

Jack Severn acts too late to stop Ace King sliding to the outside, angrily wetting his lips before he looks around and realizes - Ibuki Ito is coming straight for him. Jack panics, but Ito stumbles as JoJo Rush reaches out and grabs both his ankles. The Prime Time Catalyst digs his teeth into the opportunity, stepping into a spinning backfist, then seizing Ito to pull him down into a codebreaker. Suddenly, the North American champion is in peril, as Severn rallies New Money and drags him toward the ropes.

ENTRANT #11 - DALILAH ASHE

Hefty boots and a cold scowl bookend the apparition of Dalilah Ashe, as she steps onto the ramp anxiously twisting a handful of hair between her fingers. The scene is already chaos - the state in which she thrives, but with what seem a flock of vultures gathered on the outside, and a pending elimination in the ring, she makes her way around and swiftly slides in, remaining close to the canvas for a moment, raised on two arms as she scopes the situation.

Woo: We're getting a somewhat cautious view on the oft-aggressive Last Temptation.

Gomez: She's always been smart, Woo, sorry you don't see it.

On the outside, Sally Talfourd is prowling, trying to find an angle where she can penetrate the fracas with Ibuki Ito and perhaps secure his elimination. The House are struggling, eating shots from the large, defiant man as he lashes out at every slightest opportunity. Cosmo looks frustrated, trying to clear his factionmates out so he can deal with this himself. The slight miscommunication is costly enough - Ito's able to twist free for long enough to sling a high knee upside Booth's jaw, then whirl into a rolling forearm that LAUNCHES Severn across the ring, landing him with a rattle against the corner post.

Goldworthy's frustration wins out, and he's too hasty in moving forward. The veteran Ito is suddenly rising beneath him, hauling him across his shoulders into a fireman's carry gut buster, rolling Cosmo onto the canvas and weighing his options with a quick whipping glance from man-to-man before wisely taking the option to vacate the ring. Dalilah Ashe, watching, tries to do the same thing, but she's grabbed by Eddie Dozier - and twists around, kicking him firmly in the jaw with a heavy motorcycle boot, before jerking upright. She turns, and finds herself surrounded by wolves in various states of disarray. Booth and Cosmo rise, gathering themselves and advancing on the Last Temptation. Severn pulls himself up in his corner, and JoJo Rush is already up, staring at her as he loosens a huge shoulder.

The only non-House representative in the ring is Jason Anderson, who's found himself a blind corner to hide in for the moment.

Ashe circles the ring, forced toward the corner occupied by Severn as the House herd her. Her demeanor cracks, her teeth gritting, and with a frantic jolt she drops to a knee, reaching for her left boot and pulling a long, sharp knife. It catches the light as she bares it like a tiger baring its fangs, keeping the advancing men at bay with a couple of swipes. They're closing in regardless, and she's forced to reckless action, wildly lashing out at the nearest, and drawing a thick, bloody line up the arm of Jack Severn.

"FUCK!" He's not happy about it, clasping at his arm as Perc'd-up JoJo stares at him incredulously, but Bruce and Cosmo charge in tandem. Dalilah Ashe has about a half-second to act, her back to the ropes and two hungry wolves closing in. She bends at the waist, slashes downwards, and drives her blade clean through the top rope in the instant before Bruce Booth tackles her around the midriff!

Dalilah Ashe goes over a rope. It's just not the top rope, which is lying in two frayed halves along the edge of the ring.

Gomez: Wait.

Woo: I... suppose that doesn't count? Wouldn't the middle rope BE the top rope if--

Gomez: This question is too philosophical, I want to see someone get stabbed!

Booth hits the outside of the ring with Ashe, who breathlessly stabs at him and has her arm caught most of the way there, giving her aggressor just the tip as Cosmo jumps down beside them. Jason Anderson takes the opportunity to roll out of the corner as well, hopping the apparently-still-middle rope to leave Rush and Severn in the ring alone.

ENTRANT #12 - TYLER BRADFORD

Severn's bitching about his gored arm, and JoJo is busily trying to feed him a handful of top-notch painkillers - to further protest from the Catalyst - as Tyler Bradford, the final member of the House - struts out like he owns the entire arena. Which he might. He's all pompous swagger and egomania, throwing out his arms to a resurgence of boos; and worse, many in the crowd getting close to rioting at this unbelievable display. Bradford tells them in no uncertain terms to deal with it, jacking his jaw as he makes his way to the ring past what he quickly realizes is an actual horde of people who are very much not on Team Tyler.

His eyes widen and he stares in accusation at his Housemates in the ring. Severn's busy telling Rush to keep his drugs to himself, so Bradford makes a break for it, running like his ass is on fire. None of this is missed by the unoccupied competitors on the outside, but it's Ito who makes the first move. He slides into the ring directly ahead of Tyler Bradford, who's only able to get to his knees - the absolute worst spot he could possibly be in - before the Ace of Paramount launches his assault. Purely, and simply, with one of the most feared finishers in the Extreme Wrestling Corporation. CRUNCH! The knee impacts Tyler's perfect jawline, and perfectly lays him out, as Ito explodes upright, hauling the spoiled brat with him and bundling him cleanly up and over the (actual) top rope - and out of the match!

TYLER BRADFORD HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

It happens so fast, and everybody else is moving at once as Bradford lands spreadeagled on his back. Severn pushes Rush towards Ito, Jason Anderson chop blocks Cosmo Goldworthy before he can provide the assist to Bruce Booth, and Sally Talfourd does for the latter by diving into a crucifix armbar that drags the movie star off of Dalilah Ashe. He's stretched out and screaming, as Ace King snaps himself out of audaciously staring at the Mad King - who has his feet up on the timekeeper's desk and is sharing a bag of popcorn with Poshmint Precisely - and also dives beneath the bottom rope.

JoJo shoots straight for a Bull-Rush Lariat, his left arm booming like thunder, but Ito has it scouted and winds past him, twisting in a hammerlock and then slamming a trio of kicks low, mid, and high to drop the Blackjack onto his knees for a second time. Jack Severn forgets his gushing wound and runs in, winding in a Full Nelson and rearing backwards to launch the Japanese star with a Dragon Suplex! Ibuki Ito flips straight back onto his feet, only encouraged by being dropped on his head, unleashing a spirit roar and then a chop that takes Severn clean off his feet. He rolls to avoid a follow-up stomp, as on the outside Bruce Booth fails to do the same - held in place by the Last Magician as the Last Temptation drops a boot, smearing that showbiz nose across his face.

ENTRANT #13 - AUTUMN RAVEN

The Beautiful Psychopath gets a HUGE pop that seems to surprise her, though it quickly spreads to glee only mitigated by the slight wariness she clearly feels after having watched the previous elimination. Her tongue protrudes as she grins, and strikes a pose for the people who are deliriously happy see her - because she's not a member of the goddamn House.

At ringside, Cosmo manages to hit a swinging neckbreaker on Jason Anderson, and dives to provide the assist to his downed teammate - looking weary about how many saves he seems to be making, but he's got nothing to worry about. Sally Talfourd barks a warning, extricating herself from the stricken Booth with a final, nasty wrench of his arm that leaves him writhing in pain as Dalilah Ashe turns and instinctively drives the metal-clad tip of her boot into Goldworthy's golden gut. With a snarl, she seizes a double underhook, and drives him headfirst into the floor with a cranium-rupturing DDT.

Inside the ring, Severn evades Ibuki Ito again, then springs into a crouch and surprises the North American champ with a low blow that lands flush! Jack looks all too fucking pleased with himself, as he frantically bundles Ito out of the ring in the first direction he sees - which isn't the smartest thing he's ever done, simply sending the larger man over the middle rope already well-established to not count. Severn just looks relieved to have the ring to himself again, strutting back into the center with his arms held out.

Gomez: The House is back in control, you love to see it.

Woo: You love to see it. Meanwhile, Sally Talfourd and Dalilah Ashe appear to have formed a coalition of sorts.

Gomez: A spooky coalition. A coven?

Sally and Dalilah appear to have reached a consensus of alliance, indeed, and after dispatching New Money, Ashe is uncommonly happy to follow the Last Magician's lead in setting upon Ibuki Ito, working him over as Autumn Raven arrives at ringside and glances around - quickly taking a sidestep to put herself nearest Jason Anderson, whom she moves to pull upright, just as she finds herself part of another unlikely coven. From behind the pair of Rampage stars, descend a pair of regal arms.

Woo: And if I'm not mistaken, the Mad King finally puts himself in harm's way by forming an alliance with The Boss and the Beautiful Psychopath. Battle lines are being drawn in what's one of the strangest Rumbles I remember seeing.

Gomez: Sí, normally there's four top ropes and the House don't have fifteen people in the match.

ENTRANT #14 - OTAKI

There's a mixed response for the Emo Princess, who appears in an eye-catching flash of purple hair, and seems sublimely confident as she strides down the ramp, holding her head high. When she reaches the bottom, it's to a glance from Autumn Raven, who peels off from her newfound compatriots to make a beeline for the other woman. A snap kick throws her off balance, and then a thunderous shot across the jaw spins her completely around, but Otaki just stares back with wide, defiant eyes...

And the Beautiful Psychopath gasps in delight. Somebody tough that's all hers to fight? Yes please.

New Money are crawling back into the ring, rising to their feet and forming a defensive perimeter with Rush and Severn, as on the other side of the ring, Ito has managed to fling Dalilah Ashe spine-first into the apron, only to get tied up in an arm wrench and a flurry of kicks from Sally Talfourd, who closes out the combination with a short-arm clothesline. She puts juice on it, and as the North American champion hits the deck, even outside of the ring, a chant of, "HURDY GURDY!" Goes up from the crowd in her favor.

Autumn and Otaki trade blows, then an over-excited Autumn shoots too early for her CLAW OF THE NIGHT, the vicious superkick whirring overhead as Otaki slides around it, coiling into a low crouch then erupting into an upward-spiraling SHORYUKEN! Her fist carries Autumn Raven aloft, and sends her crashing down onto the apron as the clock hits zero once again.

ENTRANT #15 - MARQUIS HATHAWAY

Prime's rookie ninja comes in hot, accompanied by a small parade of Kabuki dancers that surround him as he spins into a dynamic crouch and jerks his head back, spraying a bright mist into the air! This entrance draws the attention of the wolf pack in the ring, who share a laugh at the Kabuki Kid's expense. Eddie Dozier, leaned on the apron, does an impression of him to a guffaw from Jack Severn, in the same moment that Hathaway comes sprinting down the ramp, leap-frogging a half-recovered Autumn Raven and tipping a wink to Otaki as he passes her by, springing right onto the apron in his exuberance to be in this match.

Woo: Uh oh, Marquis Hathaway may have made a critical error here.

Gomez: He does seem to lack unagi, Woo.

If Hathaway lacks anything, it's not quick-firing instincts. Jack Severn steps in to deal with business, and immediately hits a sharply-angled leaping enzuigiri for his troubles! Marquis fires off a grin and lets out a wild whoop as he easily vaults the rope, and sways into position for an acrobatic spinning arm drag on JoJo Rush-- but as he heaves, the Blackhat stays completely, absolutely still. With his right arm trapped, he has to settle for shaking his head instead of waggling a scolding finger, as he rolls his left shoulder and then EXPLODES into that infamous bombshell of a lariat. The Kabuki Kid is BULL-RUSHED into the canvas, where Booth and Cosmo bend to retrieve him and hold him in position for a flurry of deeply mocking 'karate punches' from Jack Severn.

The stricken ninja is being repeatedly drilled in the midsection, Severn's shrill, "WATATATATATATA!" Almost drowned out by the torrent of hatred from the crowd, which swiftly turns into something quite different as--

ENTRANT #16 - LAVENDER

Woo: The Champ is here!

The stadium comes unglued for the Silent Princess as she steps serenely into view, the Undisputed Championship gleaming around her waist, clad head-to-toe in shiny black leather and looking like she's worth every bit as much as the Queen who went the distance in last year's Rumble. For just a heartbeat, her powerful composure cracks, as the crowd give extra gusto to their appreciation, and the entire field of competitors stop whatever they're doing to stare at the Undisputed Champion.

But, she's that for a reason. Whatever her insecurities, whoever she might have been in a previous life, Lavender is a world beater, and the girl she was melts away as she starts down the ramp. Some eyes remain upon her, in spite of their prior entanglements, and the Silent Princess is able to carve her way to the ring - through Autumn Raven, who's eliminated with a brisk suplex that sees Lavender arch seamlessly back to her feet. Through Dalilah Ashe, who tries to play spoiler, flying in from the side only to get caught, and turned over into a Michinoku Driver that leaves the Silent Princess momentarily seated, staring up at the men in the ring.

"This is my house," she stage-whispers, barely audible on the live mic - but powerfully enough for those that hear it.

Eddie Dozier tries to cut off her final approach, but she springs up into a forearm, then bum rushes him into the nearby Otaki, before diving under the bottom rope and rising directly in front of Jack Severn. He goes for... something, but it doesn't matter.

AMITY AFFLICTION! It's all anyone sees, or hears, and Lavender gets another ovation as she stands and extends a hand to Marquis Hathaway, pulling him to his feet where he's been ditched by the House. Cosmo is raring to go, but being held back by Bruce Booth and JoJo Rush. The Kabuki Kid meanwhile is only human, and a shot at Lavender is a shot at Lavender. He accepts the help, glances away, and then leaps into a flying headscissor attempt that the Silent Princess rolls through, rising into a kick to the midsection, and unceremoniously grabs Hathaway by a handful of hair and dumps him over the top rope to another tremendous pop.

MARQUIS HATHAWAY HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Woo: A powerful statement from the Undisputed Champion; the woman to beat in this match.

Gomez: It's easy to come in fresh and make a statement, Woo. She's still got to endure, outlast, and beat everybody else.

The Kabuki Kid actually manages to roll in turn as he lands, rising to his own feet with a look of breathless shock, spinning to face Lavender, who smiles at him somewhat apologetically before turning away to confront her destiny. Cosmo Goldworthy has ideas about what, exactly, that is, breaking away from his factionmates to charge the champion. She evades his assault by a whisker, taking him down with a Japanese arm drag, then kipping up just as there's a BELLOW from across the ring and JoJo Rush, dribbling the crumbs of another handful of Percocet, charges in right after and just BARRELS into her, taking the pair of them clean over the rope...

The middle rope, again, to a swell of just... noise from the crowd - who are both getting sick of seeing not enough eliminations, but don't want to see the Blackhat take out one of their clear favorites. Eddie Dozier moves to assist, and the clock. hits. zero.

ENTRANT #17 - JACK HART

Johnny Cash fills the arena as, with a saunter in his step and thumbs hooked into the waistline of his trunks, appears the returning King of Harts, Jack Hart. It takes a moment for many in the crowd, especially so soon after their outpouring for Lavender, but there's a decent swell for the outlaw with good intentions, and a smile spreads on his lips as he looks around and espies a sign being thrust out over the ramp from a pocket of fans who never forgot him: an elaborately-drawn Jack of Hearts card, emblazed with a likeness of Jack himself. He slaps hands as he makes his way on in, slowly drawing a, "WELCOME BACK! WELCOME BACK!"

The climate around the ring has shifted following the champ's introduction. Dalilah and Sally have regrouped and subsequently been separated onto respective opponents. Ashe is now being worked over by Anderson, the two trading blows, and counter-holds, as Sally Talfourd wrenches a very game Autumn Raven around the mat. On paper, it's technique that wins this war - but Autumn is giving as good as she gets, even forcing a highly unusual headbutt from Talfourd as she slides into the dominant position of a tense grapple.

The Mad King is locked up with Ito, and Lavender finds herself backed into corner with Ace King - who's managed to evade harm for quite some time and looks fresh, as he somewhat grudgingly stands beside the woman this is all about, fending off JoJo Rush and Eddie Dozier.

The rest of the House are holding down the ring, laughing at the chaos they're privy to, and occasionally cajoling Otaki, who's the only person presently looking for a way up onto that rope-flanked hill. She'd be the obvious target for Jack Hart, but he's spent long enough basking in the welcome and trading good vibes with the crowd that--

ENTRANT #18 - DARIUS

--a vulture has descended. Darius, as dastardly as ever, manages to run in from the back before his music hits. Making a slashing motion across his throat, he's heralded by his entrance music in the instant before he wipes out Jack Hart to a loud boo from the crowd. A simple chop block puts him down, and as Darius rises twirling the bat he grips in one hand, it's this that keeps him there momentarily. Thwack, thwack, thwack! It's unpleasant to watch and Darius doesn't even seem to care, or be particularly aware who he jumped - just that they came out before him, and he wanted to make an entrance. Jawing at the crowd, he slowly grins and chucks the bat down beside Jack Hart, striding the rest of the way to ringside with wild, perceptive glances to and fro, gauging the present chaos.

He scowls at the gaggle in the ring, then elects to help out the Mad King, the pair of them hitting a legsweep/knee-strike combo, then hauling the big man up and over for a nasty double suplex across the barricade! That gets a sympathy pop for the North American champ, and a rumble of direct disapproval for the new pairing as they exchanging a smirk and a fist-bump. The King pretends to look hurt, pouting at the crowd as Poshmint Precisely sadly honk-honks from where she's still munching popcorn at the timekeeper's desk.

ENTRANT #19 - HARPER MASON

The music is dramatic, but nineteen-year-old Harper's entrance is an explosion of pep and bubbles as she all but bounces from the back, thrilled to be here and adorned by a colorful party hat. For good measure, she pulls a party popper, the cascade of paper sprinkles not amounting to pyro but getting a solid response from the crowd, as they mirror the girl's enthusiasm.

"BIRTHDAY GIRL! BIRTHDAY GIRL!"

She's overwhelmed, busting out the biggest, brightest grin and pointing at her party hat.

Woo: For those not keeping track at home, Prime's Slaytanic Avenger, Harper Mason, just turned nineteen.

Gomez: That's cute. We have a really good magician at ringside; perhaps she should meet her.

Perhaps fortunately for Harp, that doesn't happen just yet. She's free to bounce down the ramp, though as her initial glow wears off enough that she drinks in the very unfortunate occupancy of the ring, she grinds to a halt with a cringe. Nobody wants to walk into the middle of that without backup. There's not long to consider where else to head, before-- "GAE BOLG!"

Out of freaking nowhere flies Darius' dropped bat, spinning end over end toward the birthday girl's chest. Wide-eyed, she falls backwards, the bat barely catching her shoulder and bouncing off around ringside as Harp straightens up wide-eyed, into the oncoming train of Otaki, who comes flying at her with a spinning heel kick. Matching energy with energy, the birthday girl slaps this kick aside and replies with a combination of her own, sweeping low, middle, high, and back to the middle with a powerful side kick that launches Otaki backwards.

The older woman lands in a crouch, lips pursed, giving a brief nod of respect as she sinks into a distinct, goofy pose - one knee on the ground, arms up like a crane stance. Harper Mason snaps into a cat stance of her own, shifting on the balls of her feet. It's a match made in heaven, and gets a thorough mocking from the small squad of jerks inside the ring.

Meanwhile, the other thing Darius 'dropped' - Jack Hart - has picked his way through the chaos, and chosen his moment to sweep in and nail the opportunistic Darius with his own opportunistic superkick. The former International Champion is sent sprawling, the instant of the assault missed by his erstwhile ally the Mad King, who's balanced on the barricade to hit THE DETHRONEMENT on the stricken Ibuki Ito. It wins him back some of the better responses he'd lost a few moments before, and he pauses to do a celebratory dance with Poshmint Precisely. Who doesn't bother standing up from her seat, but does dance as hard as she can from that position.

ENTRANT #20 - DAPHNE KREEL

There's a lot of nonsense happening in the parts of the match unfolding closest to the stage, and if there's anybody who hates nonsense it's Daphne Kreel. Calling her stern and businesslike as she strides out from the back may be doing a disservice to how furious the stare that sweeps across the arena is. It settles, with absolute certainty, on the dancing tomfoolery of the Mad King, and she sets off briskly towards him - ignoring everything else that stands in her way.

Jack Hart is actually shoved aside, which does him a mild service as Darius' partner-in-beating-up-Ibuki-Ito clocks what's just happened, and turns his attention on the outlaw with good intentions. Daphne wants to be where Hart is, so she just yoinks him aside, glaring daggers at the Mad King as she leaps onto the barricade beside him, punches him in the mouth, and pulls him into the DISPEL MAGIC! Down he falls with the Downward Spiral, drilled skull-first into the floor by his angry aggressor.

The King is dazed, and easily yanked around so Kreel can straddle him and start peppering him with sharp punches.

Woo: Ouch. It's not a good day to be the Mad King.

Gomez: No, I'm pretty sure he's aroused by this.

Harper Mason and Otaki have interrupted their martial arts battle and sobered up in favor of forming an alliance - almost everybody else has, after all - and playing heroes to this match that's gotten thoroughly out of control. They storm the ring as one, but meet the likeminded wills but more experienced teamwork of Cosmo Goldworthy and Bruce Booth. New Money glance at each other, then counter-charge to send the two women flying off the apron, Cosmo with a charging back elbow to Harper Mason, and Booth with an eruptive discus lariat to Otaki. They're sent back to the ground with AUTHORITY - and the ring... still belongs to the House.

Woo: Not to add to the bad news, but I'm getting word that a superstar backstage is currently being held at bay by an entire team of our security staff. A superstar not sanctioned to appear in this match.

Gomez: You mean like Eddie Dozier, or Flip's weird clown thing?

Woo: The Mad King. But I suppose so. It's unprecedented how far this match has strayed from a traditional Rumble...

ENTRANT #21 - XAVIER REID

Gomez: You might not think it's much of a Rumble, Woo, but now it's going to be a fight.

With Tommy Love a half-step behind, swinging his Love Stick, Xavier Reid quite simply marches from the back and heads to the ring with purpose, carefully surveying the scenery ahead of him. Like Daphne Kreel, he appears to have chosen his targets on the approach, but he acts as if he's picking at carrion rather than drawing upon the focus of any ire. Harper Mason is halfway to her feet, so he pulls her the rest of the way, and matter-of-factly dumps her on her head. Autumn Raven staggers away from Sally Talfourd and into his path, so he jukes around her and drives in with a kick across the liver, dropping the Beautiful Psychopath like a sack of potatoes.

Heading around the corner to the side that's not occupied by JoJo Rush and Eddie Dozier's ongoing battle with Ace King and Lavender - which presently has Rush and King on their knees trading blows, and Lavender driving a boot to Dozier's gut and finally laying the House enforcer low with a butterfly suplex - Reid wanders past the Mad King and Daphne Kreel instead. It's with complete disdain that he pulls his fellow Brawler away from his freshly-found position on top of the seething woman, and bundles him under the bottom rope...

Feeding the Mad King to Severn and New Money, who shrug and start laying it in. Reid snorts at this, amused by his own handiwork as he fixes to find a place to avoid too much of the residual chaos himself. He finds a seat, and turns to settle himself into it, when Tommy Love shouts a warning too late to stop Darius leaping in from behind, dropping Xavier with a leaping bulldog, then snatching the Love Stick from Tommy and using it to start beating down the International Champion, cursing him out all the while.

Woo: Well, it turns out Darius had other plans for Xavier Reid.

Gomez: Shhh! I think they're about to hurt Flip--

Woo: The Mad King.

Gomez: --sure, whatever. I just want to be able to hear his screams.

The Mad King does find himself surrounded, chuckling and trying to talk down the feral pack triangulating his position - trying to appeal to Jack Severn like they're still friends, but honestly, with mannerisms more skin to the mysterious Cassius H. Kissinger than those more familiar to the ol' TMK. His cowardly display cracks a little as he sneaks a studious glance at the countdown clock, and sees it closing in rapidly. There's an impatient flutter, and then he's shoving two fingers in his mouth and whistling.

Gomez: That had better not be for my benefit.

There's a mighty bellow... not from the Perc'd mass of JoJo Rush, but from behind the proverbial curtain. Several unfortunate souls clad in security uniforms are sent tumbling out onto the stage, as in a blind panic production finish lining up unannounced music.

"EEEEENOOOOOUUUUGGGGHHH!!"

It's not just a bellow, but a ROAR, as nigh-on four hundred pounds of Captain Morgan Darkwater come crashing into view to an apocalyptic pop from the crowd. Those in the match who know are as distracted as they were by Lavender, in their various ways. Nobody expected this... nobody, except for the Mad King who wears a shit-eating grin as he looks at the reddened, fuming face of the Cap'n.

"SOME THINGS BE SACRED, AND THE UNDISPUTED TITLE BE ONE OF 'EM!"

Woo: The unsanctioned superstar was--

Gomez: Cap'n Morgan Darkwater!

Woo: The Captain! One of the most dominant champions in the history of Monday Night Brawl.

Gomez: What does he care about the Undisputed title?

Woo: He's a man of honor, a man of integrity. And a man who hates the House.

Gomez: More like a man who's going to make sure 'the Mad King' wins.

The clock's been on zero for a few seconds now, and before anyone can act...

ENTRANT #22 - PHOENIX WINTERBORN

The Rampage Gatekeeper, still bearing the recent scars of his battle with Kisikil, is forced to hop over a groaning security guard as his music hits, and almost stumbles directly into the broad back of Morgan Darkwater. The Cap'n turns to face Phoenix, who looks up at him and raises an eyebrow. It's an awkward standoff, neither sure what to make of the other--

--until King Flip yells, "He's with me!"

...and that seems to settle both men, who turn back towards the ring as Morgan bellows, "WELL THEN. SHALL WE?"

The House stare back at the men on the ramp, and everybody else has stopped fighting to do the same, staring into the ring that's been cordoned off by the increasingly-outnumbered group inside. Jack Severn swears, loudly, as Morgan Darkwater rumbles down the ramp, and the bulk of the competitors all follow the battle cry of this human war-galleon, because they're all here for the same thing...

The Undisputed Championship. And for almost anybody to take it home but the House.

Bodies start sliding into the ring, Phoenix quickening his pace to make an explosive entrance converging on New Money with Jason Anderson and Autumn Raven. CLAW OF THE NIGHT! Autumn Raven strikes first, her superkick cracking the jaw of Bruce Booth - who's sent sprawling into the waiting clutches of The Boss. Phoenix is only a microsecond behind, his rise to vertical base carrying with it the momentum necessary to land his signature backhand, smacking the taste from the mouth of Cosmo Goldworthy, and then planting him with the full culmination of the LIGHT OF THE APOCALYPSE! The headlock driver about drills Cosmo's coiffured head through the ring, as behind him, Jason Anderson rears back and suplexes the half-insensible Booth over the top... onto the waiting, broad cradle of Morgan Darkwater's shoulders.

The Cap'n unleashes a wordless, second roar, turning with Box Office Bruce all tied up and in position... for the devastation of his wrist-clutch burning hammer... the KEELHAUL SLAM! Every last part of Booth touches the ground as he ragdolls.

BRUCE BOOTH HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

JoJo Rush is trapped on the outside, between Ace King and Lavender now, stumbling back and forth in a dribbling mess as the Gambler and the Silent Princess bounce him between them like a grossly muscular ping-pong ball. Jack Severn is meanwhile set upon by half the field inside the ring, trying to throw hands only to get immediately overwhelmed by sheer weight of numbers. He manages to stumble out of the beatdown, lunging for the ropes, vacating the ring rather than fighting this losing battle - but Dalilah Ashe strikes first, pulling him backwards into both her knees to land the BRUTUS BLADE! Severn is launched, his spine arching, and in perfect time Sally Talfourd swoops off the ropes, catching him on the greatly-heightened forward swing with her own facebreaker DDT, SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS!

The Mad King moves to the fore of the mass now in the ring, determined to get the last word on Severn, as the clock hits zero.

ENTRANT #23 - HEADHUNTRESS AIYA

The first Shinijoshi representative sways onto the ramp looking ready to go, as always, a kendo stick balanced against one shoulder as she sets a hand to her hip and looks with a glimmer of amusement at the anti-House carnage unfolding. Her enjoyment is quickly overcome by violent excitement, and she looks itchy - but rather than march right on down, she glances at the clock and remains on the stage, pacing back and forth, tap-tapping the kendo stick impatiently.

Woo: I hate to say this, but I think Jack Severn's head might have had enough.

Gomez: I'm sure it could stand to be hunted a little more; Jacky's tough.

Jack Severn isn't tough enough to be able to do more than waver slightly as the Mad King gets him in position, frames him up, and then digs deep into the arsenal of yore, tickling the knowledgeable fans pink with irony as he nails the senseless Severn with the beautiful backflip kick that he calls, or used to call, the CROWNING MOMENT.

It's all the Catalyst's to enjoy, as he's sent careening into the lonely middle rope freed up by Dalilah Ashe earlier in the match, his leg buckling against it to send him crashing brutally against the edge of the apron, and then ass over head onto the floor on the outside of the ring - where one of those knowledgeable fans who probably really appreciated that, leans as far as he can over the barricade to present a sign that reads simply: 187%. Jack gurgles indistinctly.

The other Jack (Hart) finishes the job of evicting the House from 'their' ring, kicking a still-resistant Cosmo out underneath the bottom rope. There's an awkward moment as everybody turns to look at one another, their common enemy removed from the equation for now...

And then Eddie Dozier decides he's done enough here, and tries to make it around the outside of the ring before anybody realizes he's the only member of the House still standing. He's cut off WITH AUTHORITY by Captain Morgan, who very much hadn't forgotten him. WHAM! A fist catches the enforcer across the jaw, then three more in rapid succession to the body, and a final scorching uppercut as the beastly buccaneer weaves in under Eddie's absolutely shattered guard, lifting him off his feet, out like a light.

ENTRANT #24 - SONYA

There's a solid pop for Sonya, and a fresh one for the pairing of her and Aiya, as the Shinijoshi duo are finally united on the stage. They trade a grin, and start heading down the ramp - embodying the Headhuntress most of all, as they remain laser-focused on Jack Severn, who's crawling across the outside, looking frantically for anyone still standing; or Eddie, on whom he's yet to get the memo as Morgan busies himself dragging his fellow big man up the ramp into the back.

Inside the ring, it's everybody for themselves, as Ace King and Lavender rejoin the mix and immediately turn on one another with a relish that speaks to their mutual desire to WIN. Back and forth they go, forming the centerpiece for a half-dozen other brawls. Daphne Kreel tries to fall back on the artist formerly known as King Flip, but she's denied by a returning Darius, who kicks a leg out from under her, then grabs her by the hair and launches her like so much garbage at Jack Hart, who tries to be a gentleman and catch her only to get HISSED at. A moment later, they're at it, while Darius and the Mad King forge a corner for themselves. Harper Mason and Otaki resume their battle from earlier, Jason Anderson and Autumn Raven look at each other, shrug, and start going at it.

Phoenix Winterborn decides to drop to ringside, and pursue Cosmo Goldworthy.

...and through the morass of bodies, two champions lock and narrow eyes. Ibuki Ito and Sally Talfourd. The sea doesn't part for them - but Ito makes it part, and the Last Magician 'magicks' her way through, manipulating joints and sliding with savage grace through blows that were never meant for her, until she's able to lock up with the Ace of Paramount to a surge of excitement from the crowd.

The ring's pretty full, but Sonya and Aiya didn't come to mess around, and they're determined to see the House get theirs with finality, the pair of them tracking down Severn and tumbling him back into the ring - whereon Aiya hops onto the apron, then uses SONYA as a springboard to cleanly vault the top rope and drop a leg across the Catalyst!

ENTRANT #25 - VESPERTINE

Vespertine snakes her way onto the stage, hips wriggling and dark, penetrative eyes begging for attention that few in the match send her way. She pouts a little, but plenty in the crowd reward her with that attention, in fact she has a whole little fan harem of her own - and more than a few detractors behind them, dueling chants following her down the ramp as she flutters and floats through it all. "I'm part of the Asian Invasion," reads one sign thrust desperately her way, punctuated by a V-sign emoji. A particularly artful example shows two cartoonized eyes, enlarged white orbs staring out with the words, "Death By Diva" arranged around them. Ves laughs, a breezy sound that tries to be carefree - but she's wound, determined, energized.

Through the bottom rope, she spills, oozing to her feet and into the grace of liquid mercury. Her timing is uncanny - she arrives as a breathless, beaten-down Ace King is losing the fight to Lavender, barely struggling free from the death-bringing scoop of an Amity Affliction, tumbling through the crowd to come face-to-narrowed-eyed-face with Vespertine.

She darts for him, but he spins around her, bum-rushing her toward Lavender - a distraction, a chance to recover from the combined assault of the House and the Undisputed Champion. And this-- this is the prey Vespertine wants.

She dives into a jumping, spinning heel kick, that's received on the crossed arms of the Silent Princess - only for one of those arms to be entwined. Ves bends like a reed, and against all expectation, SEIZES Lavender in her clutches, nailing a crucifix headscissor takedown that separates Gambler from Princess, and - within the morass of brawling bodies - makes Vespertine look like a billion lovely bucks.

A moment later, Harper Mason is being driven into her by a barrage from Otaki. Vespertine drops, rolls, and dramatically scissor-legs the Emo Princess - her second princess in as many moments, then leaps to her feet to confront Harper Mason, who's backing off--

--until she staggers with a WHUMP into the broad back of the Beautiful Battleship, SONYA.

SONYA's been busy, but takes the time to look down at this interruption, much like a surprisingly friendly bear. Harper looks up, and up, wide-eyed. SONYA smiles, as Vespertine comes lunging in behind, and with a disarmingly sweet 'hup!' she alley-oops the birthday girl out of the way of harm. Aiya weaves away from her task, and provides an extra assist in bringing the girl right up onto SONYA's shoulders, then spins and erupts into a SHOOT ON SIGHT kick that sends Ves careening into the ropes. The impact is devastating - Aiya has the accolades she does for a reason. The mysterious Buddhist slips backwards, starts to fall--

--and catches herself, flawlessly, instinctively, perfectly skinning the cat until she's flipping above the ropes, above the ring.

Just in time for SONYA to arch forward and FLING wide-eyed Harper Mason like railgun slug, impacting Vespertine in mid-air.

There's no skinning the cat back from that. Harper rebounds and collapses over the top rope, coughing and hacking, as Ves crashes to the floor on the outside...

VESPERTINE HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

The serpentine woman SNARLS, throwing aside the pain to lunge back toward the ring, only to be abruptly cut off by an official - who's finally got some semblance of order, and isn't sacrificing it now.

Harper Mason bounces back into the ring in some pain, some shock, and some confusion, that quickly turns to delighted laughter as she squeals like a fangirl and bounds back toward SONYA like a puppy returning to its master. Whether or not SONYA is amicable to taking in the adorable stray is of little import - Shinijoshi are a democracy. Headhuntress Aiya slides in between them, smirking with every part of her body, those violently-amused eyes fixating on Harper's, as she drives a forearm between her eyes...

Then steps in, hauls her across her shoulders, and gives her a BEAT IN: JAPANESE STYLE... all the way out of the Rumble.

HARPER MASON HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Harp lands on her face, looks dizzily toward the ring and gets a flashed Shinijoshi double deuce by Aiya and SONYA, before they slip back into the fighting crowd after Jack Severn. She's pretty sure at least one of those maybe isn't sarcastic? Upbeat, and satisfied, she smiles, nodding as the crowd as they applaud her efforts in the ring. She slaps hands as she leaves, mixed emotions overpowered by hope - not many people get an elimination in the EWC Rumble for their birthday!

ENTRANT #26 - ALEXANDER UMBRA

"Where's Jamie?"

The sign instantly distracts Alexander Umbra as he steps out, his eyes half-lidded, slowly sweeping the crowd on either side of the ramp before his deep eyes find the ramp. 'Where's Jamie?' A relatively placid expression, a focused one, turns to a bitter contortion as he heads down the ramp, angrily tearing the light, easily-destroyed cardboard mockery from the fan's hands. He scatters it behind him like confetti, and picks up his pace, his own grace and agility coming to the fore as he picks his point to slide into the ring...

Daphne Kreel has just had the taste smacked out of her mouth by a well-set-up discus forearm smash from Jack Hart, and she didn't like it one bit. She's backing away from the outlaw with good intentions, whose fingers are still twitching from a lock-up he was about to dive for. Hers, flick between her eyes and his own, and then she's gone with a hiss, worming through the crowd in a manner at least a little similar to Sally Talfourd's, the Last Magician and the Dark Wizard sharing this much.

But where Sally's ruthless in her grace, a grounded raptor, Kreel is simply ferocious like a tiger. She falls on Umbra as he tries to orient himself in the mass, leading with a right jab, a left hook and-- WHAM! The discus elbow! A bitter echo of the forearm she just tasted, but it's one that Redd has scouted. It's delivered with force, and blocking it still drives him back a pace, but he's able to push back, firing off a flying knee that impacts Daphne solidly in the midsection. Landing on that same leg, he pumps the right into a twisting hook kick that wraps around her neck, her throat, DRAGS her to the ground. She tries to squirm away.

He shoots for a meteora-style pair of knees, but to the spine, and she contorts, raking her hands across his eyes. He turtles, and she flows behind to take the back, looking to drag him into the sweet oblivion of that Rear Naked Choke. He protects himself well, and better, rolling her from on top of him and flattening his back to the canvas, slamming an elbow into her skull as they both lie between brawling legs. He springs to a crouch, grabs her by two handfuls of hair and jerks painfully backwards, forcing her to stand, then nailing a dropkick to the spine that sends her sprawling, a windmill of loosened hair and counter-balancing limbs--

--right into the Mad King's corner. It's a gift, really.

Not one he wants. Half on instinct, he explodes into a bulldog lariat, driving Daphne back into the canvas, but she's determined to keep moving - and so she does, folding end-over-end, where Umbra reacts just as impressively to catch her, lock up the arms, and turn her around with him, sitting out to slam her face-first into the opposing corner with the SOUND OF SILENCE!

Redd takes a breath, and rolls back to his feet, only to find himself at a junction in life. Autumn Raven is looking for blood on one side, Phoenix Winterborn is pursuing Cosmo Goldworthy back into the ring on the other. Umbra glances at them both, with equal wariness. Winterborn nods at the Beautiful Psychopath, and moves to grab Umbra. Autumn's look is more like Umbra's--

--and her conclusion is nothing like the Gatekeeper's.

Autumn Raven makes up her mind, and chooses violence - against Phoenix Winterborn. His eyes widen in the instant before she swoops oh-so-terribly-beautifully into the CLAW OF THE NIGHT, landing flush beneath the jaw, and propelling him - via the dangerous torque upon his neck, into and over the nearest set of ropes.

PHOENIX WINTERBORN HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Phoenix lands on his head, rolls backwards onto his ass, and just looks SHOCKED. Half-hollowed, half-saddened eyes stare up at the woman he's considered a friend, as she leans over to rant and rave at him - clearly angry about something.

He doesn't hear her, truly, past the static hum of shattered dreams.

Alexander Umbra clears his throat and turns away from whatever this mess is, only to meet the talons of Daphne Kreel once more. She wouldn't stay down for long, and she's back up in his business, pulling him into proximity and immediately gaining the upper hand as they brawl ferociously into the pack of remaining competitors.

Unfortunately, Autumn Raven is fixated on Phoenix Winterborn, moreso than the match - and moreso than the Undisputed Champion. Lavender comes out of nowhere, the faintest frown creasing the look of determination on her face as she seizes this obvious opening. She grabs Autumn, spins her into a thudding forearm, then scoops her into the AMITY AFFLICTION! A second heave from the floor, and she sends the Beautiful Psychopath overboard to join her old friend.

AUTUMN RAVEN HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Woo: Just in case anybody forgot how dangerous the Silent Princess is.

Gomez: There's so much to think about in this match, but they should all be thinking about that title, Woo.

Autumn Raven looks crestfallen as she sits upright on the outside, garnering a burst of sympathy from the crowd that makes her round on, and snap at them, before glaring toward the ramp where Phoenix is stood, staring back at her. Snarling, she starts to prowl the outside of the ring, angrily chatting away to herself as she watches for potential carrion.

The universe decides it's time for something positive. The countdown clock changes to a zero - and flashing, rainbow-colored letters scroll begin to scroll across the screen, flickering excitedly.

T A S T E T H E R A I N B O W ! ! !

ENTRANT #27 - EL PABLO

"TASTE THE RAINBOW!"
clap-clap-clapclapclap
"TASTE THE RAINBOW!"

The crowd is pumped, and so is the heir to the Volando legend as he bounds out onto the stage, kicking his legs up behind him as he shoves out the at least somewhat-traditional wheelbarrow full of piñatas. El Pablo poses on the ramp for a moment, to a massive surge of appreciation, then leaps onto the handles of the barrow, his momentum driving the whole contraption down the ramp - directly toward Phoenix Winterborn, who's still making his exit when he's forced to leap aside for this sudden OSHA violation.

Pablo springs off as he reaches the bottom - and, just because he can, plants a hand on the Gatekeeper's shoulder and uses this fulcrum point to propel himself almost horizontally onto the apron. He bends as he lands, his hands grasping the top rope as the first step in springboarding in to land on another pair of shoulders - those of the Beautiful Battleship. SONYA blinks and looks up, into a cheery wave by El Pablo, who flips forward and into a thunderous dropkick to the chest of her teammate, Headhuntress Aiya, who's only saved from a possible elimination by the concern of the Battleship. She grabs her friend's outflung hand and pulls her back in, as El Pablo criss-crosses the ring, slides between the legs of a suddenly highly-aggressive Mad Flip, and launches himself in corkscrew fashion through the ropes to wipe out... JoJo Rush, freshly loaded up on painkillers and preparing to re-introduce his deadly force!

The crowd is going absolutely wild, as Pablo hops up, runs around the ring, clambers onto the corner, and then slingshots himself through the ropes, kicking one leg off the corner post to hit a second elaborate spinning takedown on the embroiled figures of Ibuki Ito and the Last Magician, Sally Talfourd! The luchador is (figuratively) on fire!

It's a distracting display, and several competitors turn toward Pablo as he recovers in the middle of the ring. Daphne Kreel scowls, then turns back to Alexander Umbra - who's already looking toward the stage thoughtfully, in the moment just before the raw death metal grind of 'Ze Nigmar' starts to whirr through the stadium.

Gomez: It's about to 'get real' for Alexander Umbra!

ENTRANT #28 - CALEB SCOTT

The raw darkness Someone holds up a sign that reads, 'I NEED A CALEB STATUE!' As the man himself steps out, arms almost parallel to his shoulders, chin slightly raised as he stares down at the ring. Luke Mason wanders in behind him, scanning the scene himself before he follows Scott toward the ring. Caleb's eyes fixate on the one man also watching him. Umbra - Redd - begins shoving his way toward the ropes, pursued by a more-than-usually-irate Daphne Kreel. Scott slides into the ring, and straight-up EATS a greeting knee strike from Umbra, simply absorbing it to seize the back of the other man's head and start raining in clinch-ranged bombs.

Scott hits hard, and fast. Umbra's forced to try and twist away, but plays right into a side-step by the FX Champion, who proves his dominance once again with an abrupt, emphatic GRIM DEATH uranage! Scott remains on his feet, as Daphne Kreel takes the opportunity to pounce on Redd, and lay in more shots of her own. Umbra crawls away, able to weather her blows a little better than Scott's, and manages to twist her from on top of him once again, bringing Scott down with a messy lunge of a takedown. He tries to thrash his way on top despite the insistent offense of Kreel, but Scott rains down elbows then with a grunt of effort, he grabs the man he beat for his title and surges to his feet, pulling Umbra up with him. But Umbra's holding something-- one end of the frayed ring rope left behind by Dalilah Ashe. In a rapid motion, he whips it over Scott's head and tightens the cable by pulling both ends, deriving an agonized choke.

But there's a third person in this conflict, and as he threatens to crush Caleb Scott's windpipe, Redd fails to notice the freight train forearm of Daphne Kreel, hurled from the flank with a wild scream and every bit of enraged force the woman can bring to bear.

ALEXANDER UMBRA HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Gomez: See, I told you.

Woo: Sometimes I wonder if you need me here at all.

The EWC fans have it in for Umbra, as in a manner similar to Jack Severn, he lands in eyeshot of a hand-drawn sign that reads, "Daphne is Redd's Master!" Swiping at his possibly dislocated jaw, he turns away from it to stare at the Dark Wizard, who raises her chin defiantly as he charges back towards the ring. The official is working overtime, holding back Umbra, who relents with a frustrated growl as he sees Scott, his face still red with entrapped blood, rip the ring rope from around his neck and PLOW Daphne Kreel against the turnbuckle. She gasps and collapses momentarily, and Caleb turns away, looking for a better target as the clock hits zero.

ENTRANT #29 - REMARKABLE MARK KEATON

Like he thinks he's still somehow the biggest star here, RMK struts out, a silver(-plated) comb running through his hair, passing a "Beef me Beefcake!" sign that he pauses beside, pouting thoughtfully. After a moment considering the fan in question, he reaches into his overly-tight pants, pulls out a highly fashionable flip phone and takes his sweet time exchanging numbers. It's almost like he's in no real rush to find himself in the middle of what's going on down there.

Caleb Scott has settled on taking up more unfinished business with El Pablo. Scott pounces on the impossibly-agile luchador, but it's a mistake - his heavy blows are evaded, and in a moment the smaller man's feet are around his ravaged throat and he's flipped clean over the top rope.

WHUMP.

Luke Mason grimaces as he takes all of Scott's weight, and powers him back up onto the apron. Caleb glances backwards, his eyes wide, a nod of thanks to his friend - the only man here he can trust - before he's all business again, and at the business end of El Pablo again. As stubborn as the Granite City, Scott manages to pin the luchador down this time, and drives him across the ring with a barrage of strikes, getting him cornered against the turnbuckle-- and then fails to keep his hands on the slippery escape artist!

Round and around the big body of Scott goes Pablo, before spiking him with a tilt-a-whirl DDT straight into the corner post! Scott's bust open by the (currently disputed) greatest X-Division champion of all time, and El Pablo slithers from underneath Caleb, patting him on the shoulder as if to say, 'you tried, buddy, an attempt was made'. It might be a genuine gesture...

But it takes just an instant too long. Pablo tries to skip away, and Scott reaches out, one eye closed against the blood dripping into that socket, and JERKS El Pablo back toward him, turning and extending the other arm to seize him by the throat, and fall against the turnbuckle, launching the Tecnicolor Tecnico like a reverse-lawn dart, clean over the corner post--

--and into the waiting arms of the adoring crowd, who catch him! El Pablo's being crowd-surfed around the arena!

ENTRANT #30 - MOXIE

There's the sense of a seismic shift, of danger in the air as Moxie makes his way onto the stage. But where this angry young man is normally intense and ready to fight, every wary pair of eyes in the match risking a glance away from the action to keep a weather eye on his whereabouts... Moxie looks confident, but relaxed, insofar as he's capable of such. A fume of his nostrils brings a spark of the usual undying belligerence, but it's with a grimace-like smile around his mouthguard that he flips around the object in his hands - a steel chair, painted on its back-rest with a Union Jack - unfolds it, and takes himself a seat at the top of the ramp.

Thanks, say the crowd. We hate it.

"FUCK THE ENGLISH!"
"FUCK YOU MOXIE!"
"FUCK THE ENGLISH!"
"FUCK YOU MOXIE!"

Folding one arm across his midsection, Moxie nonchalantly raises the middle digit of the other, and gets on with... just watching.

Gomez: Boom, most dateable man in this match.

Woo: ...more importantly, the final competitor - whether or not he's going to make his way to the Rumble and actually let us see him in action. Moxie makes 30; from now on, the end is in sight. No more surprises.

Perhaps spurred on by the apparition of Moxie, RMK has finally made his way to the ring, and scopes out the 'talent' for a few moments before sliding in to lean himself on the rope not all too far from his apparent target - Otaki. He licks his hand, smooths out a lock of bleached blonde hair, and fixates her with his best, smoldering look, as she tries to catch her breath at the edge of the ring. Her eyebrows go right up, a look of disgust creeps across her face, turns into something else that has the Moist Beefcake leaning forward with a deeper leer on his ridiculously-contorted lips...

And then she rakes him across the eyes, knees him in what would would charitably be called the midsection if he was a Ken Doll, and rocks him straight up and over the top rope with a spinning heel kick!

"Nope!"

The voice belongs to the Mad King, who dances in out of nowhere, hooks the back of Mark Keaton's head and half-pulls, half-bulldogs him back against the ropes, where he remains perched on the apron looking like he's just seen a very sexy ghost. Which he might have. Flip wags a scolding finger towards Otaki before he dives off to whatever more important thing he was doing before.

Otaki blinks, watches him go, then at the encouragement of the crowd she gets a wicked little grin, hops onto the middle rope, and LAUNCHES herself at Remarkable Mark butt-first. Second time's surely the charm, as there's no Mad King to save him this time.

Woo: Goodbye, Remarkable Mark Keat--

Gomez: Oh!

Big, strong arms catch somebody for what must be the umpteenth time in this match, but it's the first and only time that those arms are this well-oiled, and it's the first and only time that the figure in question is wearing smeared-on camo paint and a scandalously skimpy ghillie Speedo.

Woo: Again? Really?

Gomez: I don't know what you mean, Woo, this is the first time we've seen Kobro Kommando this match.

Woo: That's a good point, Valentina. How, exactly, DIDN'T we see him until now? He's huge!

Gomez: He's a commando. They're stealth masters, Woo.

This time, RMK gets an almighty boost, from his statuesque man-chum, who launches himself over the top rope - and then groans as Mark stumbles on landing, and slams face-first into Dalilah Ashe's back. She spins to face him, her hackles up, but immediately turns on the charm on seeing who she's run into. RMK gapes at her as she leans in close, offering him every opportunity he thinks he'll need to schmooze her before she bares her teeth and hisses at him.

Remarkable Mark lets out a startled squeak, grabs the top rope, and vaults HIMSELF off the apron to the floor.

REMARKABLE MARK KEATON HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Woo: RMK just eliminated himself.

Gomez: No, Dalilah Ashe did. Mind games, Woo. It's how we defeat you.

Nobody else seems to be blaming the Last Temptation. RMK spins with a look of horror at Kobro, who stares at him with complete disdain, shaking his head. "Why didn't you have my back, 'bro?!" Yells Mark, giving the much bigger man a shove. They start to get into it, but the Moist Beefcake is absolutely beside himself - and curtails the argument by driving a headbutt into the bridge of Kobro's nose, then scooping him for a body slam! An official intervenes before all sense of control is lost again, and RMK shoves him out of the way, storming towards the back still yelling about bad, ungrateful friends.

Woo: Did we just watch a breakup on live pay-per-view?

Gomez: I hope not, they're so cute together!

The Mad King is also trying to work out what the hell just happened, asking Darius who honestly couldn't care any less, but does in the process distract the pair of them from the skulking form of Daphne Kreel. Just as he's writing off the situation with RMK and Kobro by spinning a finger around his hair - a gesture mirrored by Poshmint at ringside - Flip turns in time to let out an astonishingly Keaton-like yelp of his own. Kreel is closing fast. The Mad King quickly grabs the nearest person he can get a hold of and yoinks them in front of the Dark Wizard. Dark Wizard, meet Last Magician.

Sally Talfourd blinks, then immediately narrows her eyes, intercepting the strike intended for the Mad King for the mere fact that it's now aimed at her. Daphne Kreel finds herself wrenched around, nailed in the back of the head with an uncompromising forearm, then hoisted up into a hammerlock suplex, dumping her over the top rope...

And onto the apron! With a defiant snarl, Daphne Kreel flings out a leg to catch herself, swaying right back in under the bottom rope. Flexibly, she bends up to standing, her eyes spitting flaming daggers as she looks around for the woman who just dumped her out - but Sally's already moved on, defending herself from Otaki.

Daphne Kreel shifts her attention a mite too slowly to meet another figure from her recent past, coming flying off the ropes with a high-speed clothesline that lands flush - and turns her inside out, flipping her RIGHT BACK OVER THE TOP ROPE. This time, she's not got the wherewithal to save herself, and she bounces painfully off the apron, landing hard on the outside.

DAPHNE KREEL HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Gomez: That sort of counts as eliminating herself, though. She really asked for that.

Woo: ...I thought you'd be on her side.

Gomez: I'm just an honest woman, Woo.

Daphne glares up at Jack Hart, who adds insult to injury with a big smile he can't suppress, mirroring her earlier gesture by pointing at his own eyes - then hers. She only grows angrier, but Hart can't but celebrate - raising his arms to a loud cheer from the crowd. The response clearly warms the cockles of his heart, but as he turns away, he's met with the reality of his situation.

It doesn't get a lot more real than Ibuki Ito. WHAM! Hart eats a solid kick to the gut, and doubles over in front of the Ace of Paramount, finding himself in the deep end as he's pulled up unto position for one Last Ride! Ito has him up, and with a mighty flexion puts him into easy access to go over the top rope - the crowd swelling in mixed excitement and dawning disappointment as Hart's run looks to come to a devastating end. Jack fights back, dropping his weight, falling back to try and drape Ito forward over the ropes! It's not his usual repertoire, but any port in a storm! The Japanese superstar thrusts himself back into the ring, reaching all the way down to the apron, using height to his advantage. But in the process, Jack Hart wriggles free and lands on the canvas with a gasp.

He's not the only man with big ideas, or the only one in trouble as a result of them. Caleb Scott has found himself locked up with Lavender, and he's taken too much damage to be hanging with a Silent Princess possessed of the desperate urge to retain her title at any cost. He nails her with a brutal chop, and she stumbles backwards, gasping, but shakes off the cobwebs and dives into an explosive single-leg that sends Scott stumbling toward the corner staked out by Darius. She's rushing in to finish off her own job, but with a savage bark of laughter the hardcore schemer closes in first, and he's holding something all too familiar to Caleb Scott.

Over his head the ring rope goes again, tightened with a vicious urge by Darius, who turns around and flips Scott clean over his shoulder, hanging by the ring rope - which stretches and strains, but doesn't break, as Scott hangs from it, clawing to try and ease the pressure, eyes rolling into the back of his head. His skin gets darker and darker, and horror runs through the crowd.

"CALL THE COPS!" Yells a joker in the front, and more than a few people take it up more sincerely.

"CALL THE COPS! CALL THE COPS!"

Gomez: Please don't call the cops.

Woo: Seriously, don't. We're very well-insured.

Darius just grins, as he takes a measure of vengeance and then claims the elimination, letting the half-dead Scott fall.

CALEB SCOTT HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Scott is shaking all over, dragging himself toward the barricade and trying to gurgle something at a fan who dares to cajole him. He's moving as if he means to do something about it, but he can barely breath. Luke Mason comes to the rescue, smashing the drink from the fan's hand, and threatening him on his friend's behalf, before he drags Caleb away, and gets him some fucking medical attention.

Meanwhile, Autumn Raven is aggressively stalking Lavender - trying to find an angle to assist her being deposited over the top rope, no longer muttering things at herself but spitting vitriol at the Undisputed Champion. Lavender shoots her a frown that hardens to a glare, and moves to the other side of the ring, leaving Autumn to angrily change targets. Sally Talfourd currently has the best of Otaki, a trade of counter-holds placing the Last Magician in position to attempt a similar hoist to the one on Daphne Kreel. Otaki fights back, driving a mule kick into Sally's knee - which buckles momentarily, but the Apple TV+ Champion clenches her teeth, and turns her own fall into a scissor-leg takedown, swaying upright to fold Otaki like a pretzel. Like a knife through butter, she shifts seamlessly to worm in half-nelson and haul the Emo Princess up and around, laying her vertically against the ropes.

Hungry to make somebody else suffer the indignity of defeat, the Beautiful Psychopath scrambles onto the apron, giggling, and - unseen behind the form of Otaki - Sally Talfourd flashes a mean little grin, and times her ascent perfectly, twisting into a mule dropkick that blasts both women clean off the apron into the barricade - the top rope vibrating frantically as Otaki's frame is launched from it.

OTAKI HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Woo: This attitude shift in Sally Talfourd is truly quite alarming to see.

Gomez: She's just a strong, independent woman now, Woo.

Otaki and Autumn Raven lie in a messy pile, worsening each other's collisions, but somehow it's the woman at the bottom who stirs first - and begins dragging the Emo Princess off into the back, looking like she's been through a war but still giggling away at whatever nefarious things she has planned...

Speaking of people who look like warmed-over shit, Jack Severn is somehow still hanging on, slithering between the ropes and sheltering behind corners until now. Hiding behind the greater bulk of JoJo Rush when he has to - but much like Cosmo Goldworthy, staring to side-eye his allies more and more as the match grows deeper. Most alliances have crumbled completely, and it's of his own volition that Severn finds an opening and manages blindside the Mad King, rolling beneath the bottom rope to slyly pick an ankle and rise, with his victim on one leg. There's no cajoling, no space left for the versatile and acrobatic King to counter, as Severn drops the point of his elbow sharply into the hoisted thigh, then hooks the leg, straightens up and nails the KIWI CRUSHER!

Severn looks around for JoJo, and finds the Perc'd-up cowboy is already staring right at him. It's a disturbing sight. He doesn't look like he should be standing - covered in blood and just, streams of oily sweat, his eyes four times their regular size, veins bulging all over his body. But he's there. The two of work on bundling the Mad King to the ropes, but they're rudely interrupted by the Shinijoshi pair, who've been creating their own opportunity by lurking outside the ring.

Aiya seizes Severn and spins him around, but on instinct the Prime Time Catalyst loads up a spinning backfist, forcing the Headhuntress to weave beneath it, her eyes wide as she drops into a spear and plows Severn against the ropes - into the barely-fighting form of the Mad King. Severn rains elbows down into the woman's back, then tries to hook her leg for another Kiwi Crusher.

Aiya fish-hooks Severn, forcing him down to her level, and snaps her elbow up into his jaw, shoving herself away and - in the momentary opening - herself forward with a big boot! Jack falls to one side, and scrambles away, finding his leg grabbed. He turns, expecting to find Aiya, but it's the Beautiful Battleship who has him in her clutches. Aiya's unable to extricate herself before she's simply, bluntly BODIED by a roaring, delirious JoJo Rush. A look of utter distaste on her face, she skids to a stop on the other side of the ring, taking a breath then lunging back toward the altercation as she sees Jack Severn sit up and jam his blood-smeared thumbs into SONYA's eyes.

No amount of strength helps with that. Aiya's inches away from stopping it, and it takes the efforts of both Severn and Rush, but the Shinijoshi powerhouse goes over the top rope as Severn sweeps her legs and Rush BARRELS his whole weight against her, his maniacal momentum almost carrying him over with her. He lands with a crash on the edge of the apron, and flops back in under the bottom rope as the Headhuntress goes after Severn in an absolute fury!

SONYA HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

With her eyes squeezed shut, SONYA twists and lands in a three-point stance on the outside, shaking her head in frustration before she moves towards the back with her arms extended. It's a sight Jack Severn dearly wishes he could laugh at - but he'll have to do it later on VOD. JoJo, meanwhile can barely see what's a foot in front of his face thanks to his own nightmare owl eyes.

Across the ring, Jack Hart has baited Ito into hitting the ropes, and looks to take him down with a drop toe hold.

Ito catches himself on an arm, twists and blasts Hart with a knee to the ribs! Hart quickly dives for the ropes, using them to propel himself upwards and around, coming face-to-face with the North American champion, twisting into a European uppercut that lands like a gunshot! Ibuki Ito stumbles, and Hart drags him in, managing to nail a brisk, technical Kneecap Brainbuster! The crowd's going wild for this underdog story-- until Ito rises with a spirit roar, and plows back toward Hart, the two Aces' foreheads meeting as Hart tries to match the spirit of the former Undisputed Champion. Ito goes to fling out a chop, but Hart traps the arm, wrenches on it, and finds his opponent wrenching all the more powerfully, reversing the grip, spinning him around with the newfound pressure--

--and out of nowhere! KETTEI-DA! Hart is OUT!

It's absolutely trivial for Ito to hurl Hart up and over the rope, dusting his hands.

JACK HART HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Woo: An admirable performance by a man returning for his very first match of the 2023 season. Congratulations, Jack Hart!

Gomez: Sí, good job, loser.

Jack's won over the crowd, but nobody's surprised - Ito's free to get back to other business without their displeasure, as they spare a burst of appreciation for the performance of the Jack of Harts. He doesn't hear them, but he'll probably enjoy it when he finds out about it later.

"WELCOME BACK! WELCOME BACK!"

He doesn't hear that either, but it's okay - because it's not for him. It's for the returning El Pablo, who's preceded by three or four giant beach balls that have also (somehow) made their way around the crowd. Brighter and gaudier than any of them, the Tecnicolor Tecnico flails as the crowd almost surf him right back to the floor, and he scrambles to remain on the barricade, balancing poised there with a bag of Skittles in either hand. He smashes them together to a massive pop - and a smaller pop, from the bursting bags - then inverts them both and pours them down his throat, doing his best JoJo Rush impression as he indulges himself in a sugar high.

He turns and LEAPS, his entire body arching, almost bird-like as he soars and lands upon the top rope, springboarding forward into a roll that just happens to bring him up next to Ace King, who's in peril with a VERY plucky Cosmo Goldworthy. The Gambler is firing back with hands that have a lot less power in them than the kickboxing rookie, each return strike driving him deeper into the corner until he's slumped against the turnbuckle. It's El Pablo who gets there first, but Jason Anderson is a step behind, looking much the worse for wear himself, covered in welts and bruises and at least several people's blood. Cosmo wasn't born yesterday; he prickles as the other men draw near, and doesn't even waste time driving a final strike to the Gambler.

WHAM! He DOES spin and drill Ruthann's baby boy with the C.R.E. The rolling elbow flattens Anderson, who lands on his back staring at the bright lights - and a moment later, the vibrant figure of a sugared-up El Pablo, who whirls around Cosmo, threatening with a headscissor, only to get threatened himself with a quickly-captured powerbomb scoop. He shifts tangent, entwining around an arm and SPIKING Goldworthy with a crucifix driver that sends the arrogant rookie heels over head into the opposite corner.

Cosmo's head bounces off the corner post, but he snaps off the daze quickly, watching El Pablo soar in to a basement dropkick then rolling aside, springing to seize the top rope - hoisting himself up, then abruptly down, in a modified mushroom stomp that about caves in the luchador's chest - and at least makes him choke on his swiftly-guzzled Skittles.

Goldworthy wastes no time, booting Pablo underneath the bottom rope, then diving at the recovering Jason Anderson. He spins on final approach, seizing the Boss' arms and twisting him around into a move that's becoming all too familiar, all too fast - the GOLD MINE!

Face, meet canvas, and Anderson looks like a dead weight as Cosmo bends down, heaves in breath, after breath, and then stands with tendons rippling all over his body, hauling Jason off the ground, up, over, and out of the match.

JASON ANDERSON HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Cosmo points at the downed Jason, who just lies there, gathering his breath, waiting for the pain to let his move, as Goldworthy takes the momentary chance to gloat - turning his pointing hand toward Ace King, who narrows his eyes back at him. Cosmo reminds in turn with a wink. The crowd rain down boos upon the phenom, who moves back to business lest his hubris cost him this match - and his title.

Severn has managed to limp away from the Headhuntress, who is catching her breath in the corner, and reacquaint with JoJo Rush, who's in similarly awful shape but theoretically nitro-fueled until somebody manages to put him down for good. Ace King is wide open, and it's onto him that the House pair dive now, resuming their workmanlike destruction of the Gambler. Severn moves in first, grabbing Ace's chin and lifting it to look him in the eye with a foul grin that would probably be very effective in shaking King's ailing morale.

But he comes face-to-face with just a hard glare of determination. Ace King has been biding his time, and he SNAPS to alertness, driving at Jack Severn with a renewed purpose. The positioning is perfect, and he seizes the Catalyst, grabbing him expertly and whipping him around, finally getting his comeuppance rolling as he jolts the loathed man into a spinal wipe, and an STO! Into the turnbuckle! BIG SLICK!

JoJo tries to intervene but is hit by a sharp little thunderbolt as Headhuntress Aiya picks her moment and strikes, desperately hitting a wild spear that becomes an even more frantic double-leg, STRUGGLING to move the bulk of the Blackhat but managing to drive him toward that bared middle rope, that side of the ring claiming yet another would-be victim as his knees buckle on the rope and the pair of them go crashing to the outside!

Severn's a tangled mess of limbs, coughing up a little blood as Ace King jerks him upright and whips him toward the corner previously occupied by El Pablo and Cosmo. Severn collapses into it, hanging half off the ropes, his torn-open arm trailing at his side, his limp form not EASY to pull to the top rope - but there's not much he can do to resist, as Ace decides to end this, once and for all. He looks around warily, then hoists Jack Severn to the top, perhaps unnecessarily drilling him with a couple of forearms for good measure, before he leaps up and onto his shoulders - trapping those hanging arms with his legs...

And ERUPTING backwards, dragging Jack Severn straight to hell with a VICTORY STAR DROP! 7-7-7!!

Woo: You can tell how much this TRULY means to Ace King, when he's calling out moves like that!

Everyone is on their feet. Everyone is cheering Ace King. The trouble is...

Plenty of other people have accounts to settle with him. Lavender slides back into the ring, drawing in a breath, and is ready to step in as the Gambler yanks the insensible Severn to his feet and hurls him to the ropes. WHAM. A boot to the gut, and the response to what happens next is decidedly mixed, as the Silent Princess heaves the full weight of the former Undisputed Champion into ONE. MORE. AMITY AFFLICTION! The entire ring shudders, and Ace King is laid out, in the dead center of the ring. In the last place Lavender needs him to be as she makes this statement, in the Rumble of all places. But it's a STATEMENT all the same.

She bends to start doing something with the devastated Gambler, but Cosmo Goldworthy has statements to make, too. He comes flipping over the top rope, exploding into the GOLD RUSH lariat, catching the reigning, defending Undisputed Champion and turning her inside out! At the head of the ramp, Moxie is laughing himself hoarse at this current turn of events. They're dropping like flies.

Jack Severn might even breathe a sigh of relief, were he not feeling a new level of pain as Dalilah Ashe chooses this moment to re-introduce herself, digging her nails into the open wound left by her knife-slash to Severn's arm. Her mouth contorts in a feral snarl, as she digs deep and bends low, then bursts upwards with all of her strength, levering the agonized Severn up with her!

There's no Eddie Dozier to save him on the other side, not this time.

JACK SEVERN HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Gomez: Imagine having even one friend who could be bothered to save you.

Woo: He had more than a few, Valentina.

In spite of it all, Severn's spite is profound, his ambition deep. He's covered in ichor, dribbling everywhere, spittle flecking from his lips as he screams blue murder about his fate - the indignity! "You're FUCKING ON ME!" He yells at the poor, beleaguered official, who's just honestly glad to have survived this long. Severn tries to climb back into the ring, only for his shaking, blood-pissing arm to fail him, and he slip-slides onto his knees, staring down Ace King. Blaming him.

Lavender's fending off Cosmo in the corner, refusing to yield, not allowing him to seize a grip on her. Ace doesn't really want to move, but the crowd want him to - and his heart of hearts, it wants him to. It wants him to win. Sometimes, the fight is a desire. Sometimes, it's a need. His eyes roll, he tries not to think about this forever-unfinished business with Jack Severn-- he just tries to think about shutting him up, putting him down, so he, Ace King, can move on. Win. Be who he knows he is.

The Gambler staggers groggily to his feet, and falls into a dive through the ropes, wiping out the bitching, moaning Severn. He doesn't get all of it, but he gets enough to catch his bloodied, not-yet-beaten-enough foe in the losing section of a hockey fight, brawling him away from the ring and toward the back as thousands upon thousands of Ace King fans spur him on, knowing he'll be back.

Meanwhile, there's a clinic ongoing at one outside edge of the ring, as Sally Talfourd and Ibuki Ito have been re-entangled for some time, the superior technique and newfound ruthlessness of the Insanity Cage winner and broadcast champion giving her a certain edge over even the might of the North American champion, that has them all tied up. There are welts all over the Last Magician's porcelain skin, from every time - of the many - she's been outstruck, but she's been holding bitterly onto arm- and knee-bars, unable to keep a single limb targeted against somebody else so proficient and desperate, but every time Ito stands now, he's limping. Every other time he strikes, it's from the weaker side; because his joints are agonized, his resistance worn to a fine nub.

On the other side, Headhuntress Aiya is having a rawer deal, trying to stay on the ground with a villainous cowboy on Percocet. They keep rolling over, she keeps trying for holds he just snorts his way out of like a punch-drunk bear, and every time he gets on top he's raining bombs of fury upon the much smaller woman.

But El Pablo is still in the picture, and he too chooses his best moment, launching in with a running basement dropkick to blast Rush from on top of Aiya, then wisely timing his next move until he's ducked the reflexive attempt at a beheading lariat from the big man before he springs into the air, twisting his limber frame-- and forcing the Blackhat to TASTE THE RAINBOW! Rush is down on the outside!

Aiya looks around and takes stock, spotting too many lurking threats outside the ring - Xavier Reid, all but forgotten, Darius and the Mad King, and Moxie looming fresh on the horizon. She resolves to take her chances inside, weaving in her step a little from the heavy blows she's taken. El Pablo rolls to his feet and gives chase, walking right into an SOS from Aiya! He underestimates her, and the kick finds it mark, launching him back onto the apron, barely handspringing his way free from that tripwire middle rope.

He dives back inside, rolling to a crouch, and Aiya is waiting again, this time erupting into something worse - the OTK, her vicious Buzzsaw Kick, whirring like its namesake to remove Pablo's head from its shoulders perhaps every bit as well as a JoJo Rush lariat...

But El Pablo's been to this rodeo many times, and he's ready to roll again, blurring into a handstand, catching Aiya's head between his legs and FLICKING her up into the air with frightful agility and power. She falls in a lazy arc, and he springs up on one arm, improvising his own overhead hammer of a kick, from the capoeira playbook. His whole body weight behind it, it impacts dead center - and spins Headhuntress Aiya toward the empty void above the top rope.

Except, the void isn't so empty all of a sudden.

And the thing that's stood there is... monstrous. It should not be.

JoJo Rush snatches Aiya clean out of the air by the legs, SLAMS her into the apron, and then hurls her out against the barricade. There's not many intact barricades left, and one more falls against a tangle of limbs as Rush steals Pablo's glory.

HEADHUNTRESS AIYA HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Gomez: I love physics!

Dribbling little chunks of his last handful of painkillers, he steps over the top rope, pulling down straps he doesn't have because it's just one of those moments, and El Pablo realises he has to dig deeper. As Rush chews on pills, he produces another bag of Skittles from the Skittlesphere that exists somewhere within his vicinity, and starts downing a third bag to a chorus of, "TASTE THE RAINBOW!" At least, from those in the crowd not more fixated on the nailbiting contest between Ibuki Ito and Sally Talfourd...

It's pretty split. Ito has been using his focus just to keep finding offense, tripped and spun around constantly by the wild machinations of the magical technician, who's found ways to escape every blow - every killshot, literal and figurative - by the narrow whisker of leaving not a single opening, harrassing him, staying on him. One of the North American champion's arms is hanging limply as Sally disentangles from him, shoved back along with a bellow in furious Japanese. It took letting her dislocate his shoulder, but he can deal with the pain - and he has a shot, a chance. They're close to the apron, as Ito creates an opening, finally, ERUPTS into a KETTEI-DA! Sally drops neatly along the length of his striking limb, for a moment looking like she's been struck - but jamming her back and hip against the unyielding edge of the ring, she manages to jam herself between Ibuki Ito and a hard place, working in a knee bar, wrenching him painfully into a wheelbarrow position on the floor. He bunches up tight, and uncoils, throwing her off of him, and spinning in ungainly fashion to his feet - with a discus elbow?

It's a gamble - but Sally has managed to cling to the apron, and work her way to a seated position, trying to fall back into the ring only to be assisted firmly as his elbow slams her right between the eyes, cracking the bridge of her nose!

Sally's slammed roughly between the ropes, and Ito leaps up and over, landing inside the ring-- where he's bent abruptly backwards by DALILAH ASHE! She has him in position, bending in for the kiss, a malicious growl emitting from her throat along with the peck - as she uncoils her body to put away one of the most formidable fighters in the world, with the KISS BEFORE DYING.

Woo: This is eerily similar to a move Ibuki Ito himself uses, this would be quite a message from the Last Temptation.

Gomez: That's right, and the message is 'mine is sexier than yours'.

There's only one chance, and Ibuki Ito takes it, using the ropes to his advantage, entrapping his own leg and using the momentum like a spring, unloading it to PROPEL him out of Ashe's hold, painfully jarring his own limb in the process but landing on the one knee, his other raised up, as the Last Temptation eats all of the momentum she intended for Ito in the opposite direction. She crashes down, forced onto both knees, putting out an arm to catch herself as she then falls forward--

--but it--

--doesn't matter.

KETTEI-DA! She's out!!

Sally pounces, blood dripping down her chin from the broken nose, trying to entrap Ito in a crucifix and drag him against the ropes, using her own body as the weight with which to drag him down, and take him out. But he resists with every fiber of his being, every scrap of warrior spirit he has, falling against the ropes with his weight crushing her against the harsh cables. She wriggles to try and slip around, but with a heave of his own chest, almost popping out his other shoulder with the effort, he seizes an excruciating headlock...

And sits out, dropping Sally's throat across the top throat, rising clean to his feet as she falls momentarily limp, and heaving her dead weight overhead in that, single, moment!

Even Moxie has to shake his head and applaud the effort, as the Last Magician is denied at great cost - but denied all the same, flung to the floor by the North American champion after what's been a grueling encounter.

SALLY TALFOURD HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Gomez: Mierda, I just lost fifty American dollars.

Woo: Sally Talfourd was your pick to go all the way?

Gomez: Oh-- no, I thought she'd spontaneously combust!

For Sally, she seems to hang in the air for a moment, staring up at Ito, struggling to recover that stolen breath from her reddened throat, before she hits the ground. She can still feel the victory, where it's slipped from the python coils of her body, from the technical intensity of her mind, from the destiny she can feel coursing through the very air. It's one of the least typically Sally Talfourd things anyone called Sally Talfourd has ever done; she unleashes a SCREAM of absolute rage.

Moxie applauds from where he's rising from his chair, egging on whatever tantrum is to come with a few brash words. The Last Magician rounds on him, shifting her laser focus to someone still in the match - and within her reach. She starts up the ramp toward the Brit, who smirks and rolls his neck, standing up and getting ready for a fight that has the crowd reclaiming the edge of their seats.

But it's not to be. A more familiar form of contact, as a calloused hand taps the former HBO Champion on the shoulder. It's the man who's thwarted him at so many other turns. Ace King plays the spoiler on a dream encounter, stumbling back from dealing with the irate and bloody Jack Severn. He's battered, bruised, and bloody himself. He looks spent. But how often has that been true?

There's no hesitation from Moxie, no taking Ace King lightly. No quarter. They start throwing hands immediately, and Moxie's been saving this all up for the first person he needs to punch. Sally is still approaching, but then she's spun around.

It's another dream match, and the crowd are losing their minds as Reid throws Ace King a Look - as if to say 'you owe me' - as the Gambler, struggling to deal with just Moxie, tumbles toward the ring with his own, fresh dance partner. Reid's played about the canniest game he could, despite the efforts of Darius, and strikes at the weak spots Ibuki Ito has already made. A flurry of elbows sends to the front of her face sends her reeling, at least two landing flush on the broken nose - even the head of a bonafide magician can be made to spin. A step into a solid roundhouse to the ribs, stealing her breath away, and Reid slips behind, hauling Talfourd up onto his shoulder, dragging her battered head down, down, with the BASTARD BOMB!

It's enough to keep her down for now, and to finally, truly bring Xavier Reid into the match.

He rolls his jaw, stretches his neck, and flicks out his wrists as he approaches the ring.

Ace King and Moxie tumble through the ropes into the ring, and are instantly separated, Moxie spun around by Lavender, and Ace King by Cosmo Goldworthy as they enter the stalemate encounter already shared by the Undisputed Champion and the youngest man in the match. Ace King is almost as done with Money Mo as he is with Jack Severn, and in his haste he walks into a trap, swinging for the fences with a FULL HOUSE kick that Goldworthy steps right on into, closing distance to heave and land an Exploder Suplex. Ace King crashes down hard, to a groan from the crowd - they've seen how much he's already taken - but then he bolts up like a scalded dog. Beckoning Cosmo in.

The dangerous rookie smirks. "Bet on it."

And the Gambler does, successfully reading a question mark kick as the striker makes his play, refusing to buckle under the probing leg kick and swatting past him the pinpoint headkick that ensues. He feints, and Cosmo darts to entrap his too-slow arm, to twirl him around into the Gold Mine-- and Goldworthy misreads, finding his own arm trapped, a scorcher of a short-range heel kick screaming past his forcefully-lowered guard, only not knocking him flat because Ace twists into an arm drag, sending him careening toward the ropes.

Woo: Moxie called his shot, and here it is.

Lavender goes to the well she's been drawing from all match, exhaustion mounting from clawing her way through the match thus far, as she forgets who she's dealing with. Moxie isn't going to let her just put him away with that, and her eyes widen as he weaves around her striking leg, capturing it and drilling her in the gut hard enough she loses all her breath at once. He goes for his own pumphandle, and in a panic she extricates, whirls into a forearm that would clean most people's clocks this deep into a match.

Moxie EATS it, grins around his mouthguard, tells her with his eyes, 'try harder'. She does. Driving the youngest, and only two-time HBO Champion back toward the ropes, the Undisputed Champion batters him over and over, feints a hesitation, and shoots, seizing him exactly where she needs him to be - but he's been watching, and heeding, baiting her in. As she lifts him, he's already leaping higher, locking in a triangle choke, dropping all of his weight, forcing her to drop hers-- and then abruptly releasing the hold.

Lavender starts to straighten up, thinking he's gassed or slipped, and that's the moment that Moxie is upon her, behind her, entrapping her in the pumphandle lift. The match flashes before her eyes. Her championship reign. Every moment of her life to this point.

Moxie, the Shotcaller, hoists Lavender over the top rope in one brutal, efficient motion, unleashing her fate like a ripcord that spins her out and down, down, watching the floor rise toward her the whole way until she lands.

LAVENDER HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Gomez: Okay, that's enormous.

Woo: It truly is, I don't think a single person in this building expected the Undisputed Champion out this soon.

Gomez: Don't mess with Moxie.

There's an expulsion of disbelief from the crowd, and then a STORM of hatred upon Moxie as he shatters the dreams of the Silent Princess, as he whips the crown from her head in one fell action. Moxie laughs, and it's dreadful, the laugh of a man who called his shot and was completely right about what he'd do. The arrogance of a man who KNOWS he knows it all. His fist presses to his jaw, and he spits a few vitriolic taunts at those in the front who spare them for him. But he's already turning away when he does, knowing there's more to do.

Across the ring, El Pablo is all over JoJo Rush, managing to duck, weave, and roll around the Blackhat as if he were a human climbing frame. Could it be, are the Skittles mightier than the Perc? Increasingly-exhausted, frantic, moving in spurts, Rush's number looks to be up. But Pablo just can't find the opening, going for a spray of Skittles into those owl-wide eyes, but the tired man is equally unpredictable, LURCHING in a direction the luchador wasn't expecting.

In any case, it's a fight nobody else wants. The Mad King watches from the sidelines, warily eyeing Xavier Reid upon the other.

This leaves a few figures on the outskirts, half-forgotten but biding their time. King Flip in one corner, Dalilah Ashe in the opposite, eyeing each other warily as they realize they're among those untargeted.

Ace King and Cosmo are slamming each other off the corner and into the ropes, trading heavy shots but neither, again, able to find that magic ingredient to expel the other man. Goldworthy seems to want this with every fiber of his being... but so does Ace King.

As for Darius... he's found his opportunity, and he's taking it, Dalilah Ashe still laid out from the Killshot by the former Killjoy, having stirred but remained near the apron, ready to slip away - waiting for her own chance to swoop in, patiently. But drunkenly; her brainpan rattled, her judgement clouded. Darius judges correctly; the Last Temptation is looking ahead, not behind.

The ultimate opportunist puts them all to shame, as he almost silently pounces onto the apron behind Dalilah Ashe. He's grinning ear-to-ear, leering really, as her senses prickle and her anxiety explodes, her shoulders twitching in the instant before she bolts to her feet and turns away from the threats before her - into the rising knee of the one behind. Using the ropes for extra height he barely needs, the vastly larger, stronger Darius knocks Dalilah's already-battered brainpan silly, twists up two great handfuls of her long, messy hair, and just RIPS her over the top rope, tearing her scalp and stealing her dignity along with her opportunity.

What is an opportunist but a thief?

DALILAH ASHE HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Gomez: Darius is such a good person, Woo. Did you know he babysits dogs at the weekend?

Woo: I genuinely did not.

Darius lands on his feet stood over Ashe, whose entire body is shaking. He's laughing like the mad man most would call him, but it's a moment he only allows to last so long - in his pragmatism. Humor twists to determination on his lips, as with a focused sneer he turns back toward the ring and the multiple people he still owes a beating to. It's the first time he's been hasty in this entire contest, as he leaps through the ropes toward the twin conflicts already in progress. Two of these people are barely conscious, El Pablo about to crash, Rush little more than an animal - plenty of room to strike, pitiful brain to out-think.

But Ace King hasn't built a lifetime of impressive title reigns and shocking comebacks without always thinking a step ahead. Cosmo is trying to bend his aching back over the top rope when he catches the hungry crimson blur of Darius in the corner of his eye. There's a resigned breath, that Cosmo catches from his opponent, and then King digs deep for that last little bit, that undrunk drop that lets you pull ahead when you really, really need to. He twists, grapevines a leg with his own, and straightens up with a pained grunt, risking his back as he directly resists the pressure by the younger, more flexible man. It costs him, but so does everything.

The Gambler gambles on himself, once again, tying Goldworthy up and flinging him in the opposite direction as he takes off toward Darius.

Shock runs through the arena as Ace King seems to be cutting off the Brawl star from his blind spot, but Darius shifts his footing, turns, and FLAWLESSLY drags Ace King into that punctuation point of an impaler DDT. Appropriately named; GREY MATTER!

Cosmo Goldworthy whirls to recover, affirming his stance and feeling momentarily very uncool and quite frustrated, as Ace King escapes him after so long in stalemate. He runs a hand back through his hair, breathing out slowly, as he reassess the situation - and watches Darius hard-counter the Gambler, to no small amount of smug sentiment from Money Mo.

At his flank, Moxie is feeling similarly as he locks up with an exhausted and heavily damaged Ibuki Ito, wrenching his clearly-injured arm into position to nail an arm-trapped superkick, holding onto the limb to manipulate Ito's joints, finding the nerve endings that remain most capable of feeling that excruiating, body-thrashing fire. And thrash Ito does, all the way to the outside, just to escape the tortures of a frightfully-fresh Moxie. Ibuki Ito collapses onto his knees, looking at the floor, Buddy Love wringing his hands as he looks on at the sight of his client and friend at the end of his tether. So far from the end...

Moxie wears a smirk as he ducks through the ropes and hops down after Ibuki Ito. A smirk that's wiped from his face instantly, replaced by a look of absolute shock-- as Ito twists and catches him coming down with his own rendition of the move that almost put HIM away. The Ace of Paramount is on his feet in a surge of adrenaline, his arm reaching across Moxie as the younger man lands, dragging him back and then abruptly, inevitably whipping him in the other direction. No theatrics, no hesitation, just a clutch TOBIDASHI NAIFU!

Like a well-wielded switchblade, nobody sees it coming, it just happens, and Moxie is left down on the outside.

On the other side of the ring, Darius gets Ace King lined up to simply run him out over the top rope, and takes off, to a chorus of boos that only rise in volume--

--but completely shift in tone as the two pick up momentum, and then separate abruptly as Darius--

--is launched instead by Ace King, who twists in his grip, sends him flailing madly toward the ropes with a desperate shove. Darius stumbles around, manages to loop an arm in the ropes, his stare wild and fierce as it fixates upon the simply tired and determined glazed gaze of the Gambler. Fire meets water, as Ace King adapts in the eleventh hour, and darts forward to catch the half-trapped Darius with a thudding dropkick! The ropes shake, Darius is launched up and over, gripping with the hand on his trapped arm...

Missing the vibrating ring rope by a mere, bloody-minded inch.

DARIUS HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Woo: And the crowd unanimously tells me he's STILL GOT IT, as the Gambler evades age and injury once again! Ace King may be the most resilient fighter we've ever seen.

Gomez: I don't have to like it, but sí, how else do you get 7-7-7?

The arena comes freaking UNHINGED. Ace King is still in this match, and Darius crashes down onto his back, staring up at the lights the whole way down. His dreams shattered, he stares blankly, and then launches to his feet, rage boiling over that might have carried him through the fading adrenaline if he'd found it ten seconds earlier, scattering equipment and hurling BODIES around ringside - urged on by a laughing Sally Talfourd, who's from intently watching to joining in with this merry chaos.

Darius doesn't want to share. He wants to fight. It's toward Sally that he does, not thinking, just in a frenzy!

Security try to intervene, and Darius shoves one away before sharply headbutting another, with a sickening crunch. In moments he's throwing hand after hand at a staff member he has pinned down, as Sally Talfourd is swept into the same lawless plane, extricating herself from restraint by applying a flawless-as-ever spinning armbar takedown to another security guard.

Gomez: This evening has been completely unhinged; we can't have enough security out here!

Woo: You shouldn't sound happy about that.

Gomez: You're not my papi.

Meanwhile, Ito has hauled Moxie to his knees and is bundling him under the bottom rope with a heavy, pained shove, his own joints protesting any action at this point. El Pablo goes flying past Moxie's stirring form thanks to a biel by Rush, and then King Flip steps into frame, weaving through the action in the ring to fly into a flying headscissor takedown on Ito, whipping him into the chaos outside the ring before he can start to clamber back inside himself.

Cosmo sees this happen, and grits his teeth, as he plays the opposing hand and drags Moxie to his feet. Moxie has the sense to curl his lip in derision, and seems ready to stand there and take whatever Goldworthy has in store for him. Cosmo shrugs, perfectly happy to be handed this for free, and whips out a flurry of strikes, the final blow forcing Moxie to take the back foot, an arm extending forward that he captures and uses to twist the Shotcaller around-- but Moxie's already turning, wearing a smirk as he twists his wrists, reverses the grip, and wraps Cosmo in a straitjacket hold, arching backwards to LAUNCH him toward the ropes! Cosmo drops ALL his weight in mid-air, denying the easy passage of gravity to unfold and land on his feet beside the ropes, and then is almost wiped out by an unwillingly-flying El Pablo as JoJo Rush grounds the luchador hard and heaves him across the ring with a bellow and a beastly belly-to-belly!

This late in the game, it's friction in the fabric of the House that costs Cosmo Goldworthy. His facial expression twists, and on impulse he takes his eye off Moxie to lunge at his Housemate. Moxie hasn't lost focus; he grabs Cosmo, stretches him out for that dread pumphandle, and hoists him for that explosive inversion, forcing Cosmo--

To impossibly, breathtakingly COUNTER AGAIN, all core and instinct as he slips through, lands on those catlike feet, spins Moxie around, hooks a leg, and hoists HIM aloft, all packaged up across one shoulder. Cosmo's chest heaves as he sucks in one determined breath, tightly squeezes the struggling Shotcaller, and then leaves his own feet, his shoulder slamming against the ropes as he sends Moxie plummeting off the apron and to the outside with the COSMOLOGY!!

MOXIE HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Moxie immediately tries to lunge back into the ring, and is intercepted by that one, particularly bold referee. Mox swings for the fences, cold-cocking the ref, then throws himself after Cosmo, who turns and backpedals as a fresh swarm of security descend to pull Moxie out of the ring, where he joins the fracas begun by Darius, breaking several fingers before he decides that's too much work - and just seizes up a vacated chair, snapping it shut and setting about ringside with his new weapon, crashing and smashing until it is done!

Gomez: I'm so excited, Woo! I've never seen this many security guards get beat up at once before!

Woo: You are excited by the strangest things, Valentina. These men are just trying to do their jobs.

Gomez: They're not very good at their jobs - look at this as an overdue punishment, I say!

Flip's pulled Ito back inside the ring where they're (somehow) less likely to be in the crossfire. Ito has life after life, and utilizes his ruined arm, his ravaged knee quivering with the effort of even supporting the weight, as he seizes the Mad King and pulls him aloft, perhaps looking for a Steiner Screwdriver!? They're near enough the ropes though, and as Flip struggles, Ito takes one step in that direction, and turns-- right into the bright red plastic of an airhorn wielded by Poshmint Precisely. HOOOOOOOOOONK! In the confusion, the King wriggles free, landing awkwardly and sprawling into the corner as that incorrigibly useful clown follows up by mashing a fully-loaded cream pie into the face of the North American champion! Flip laughs maniacally, gives her a 'good girl' that has her beaming and probably blushing beneath the make-up, and then grabs Ito's desperately swiping hands, bending him into position...

For his vertebreaker, cocking his leg and DRIVING IT ALL DOWN, using Ito's own height and bulk against him FOR! THE! LAND!

The arena is just a din, people reacting to every ridiculous thing going on both inside and outside the ring, as all sense of control, reason and expectation is gone. Not to be out-shenaniganed, El Pablo is back to ducking and diving around JoJo Rush, who finally manages to catch him with a stiff right hand. What sense there is in the Tecnicolor Tecnico seems to have been knocked out of him, his knees buckling as he wavers where he stands, creating the opening for Rush to huff a single, Gigachad breath, roll his shoulders in an all-too-familiar manner and SURGE FORWARD. In a horrifying instant, his left is snapping to connect with that brutal Bull Rush lariat, owl eyes bulging, every El Pablo fan in the building - in the world - experiencing a singularity of despair.

And then, the luchador flickers, and blurs. Suddenly he's on the apron, flat on his back, with an overhead toss of a long-forgotten piñata that intersects perfectly with JoJo's lariat. The goofy, smiling face on the piñata matches eyes with JoJo's wild stare, and then it explodes into fragments - a multicolored rain, some might say in all the colors of the rainbow, bursts from inside the fragile husk, covering JoJo in dented, sticky candy, many of the Skittles bouncing out into the crowd. Somewhere, a small child cries.

And JoJo Rush falls to his knees in shock, with a climactic BOOM. A gravestone falling into place.

El Pablo takes a single page from the playbook of Melody Malone, and triggers his opponent right in the middle of the ring.

Before Pablo can act, perhaps before he's even sure that this particular piece of fuckery has paid off, COSMO GOLDWORTHY is right there, hauling JoJo to his feet, patting him on the shoulder as if to say 'sorry, buddy', then drills him with an X, and sends the brute staggering toward the ropes - where El Pablo is waiting, slickly vaulting the top rope into a high-angle Huracanrana, sending all two hundred and seventy pounds of PTSD-stricken JoJo Rush sailing up, over and out.

JOJO RUSH HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Woo: That was the absolute last thing we needed anybody to recreate. Rest in peace, Darna Dare...

Gomez: More like rest in pieces, jaja!

The light just fades from JoJo's eyes as they roll into the back of his head and he collapses with a final, mighty thud against the floor, ragdolled and absolutely spent. Pablo sends up a big, "Olé!" That gets taken up by the crowd - except for the sobbing, traumatized child somewhere in the front few rows. But then, the luchador is immediately pounced by the Mad King. Who's had enough fuckery.

Flip propels him into the groggy, barely-balanced form of Ito, who's in another dimension of his own. All instinct, he simply REACTS, erupting into a purely primal KETTEI-DA. It turns El Pablo inside out, and it most importantly brings the big Japanese star up into the air under his own money. The Mad King is already leaping, hitting a perfectly-pitched dropkick to blast Ibuki Ito over the ropes. Ito tries to hold on, seizing the top rope, his body dangling, and the Mad King grabs at his hair in frustration...

Pushing it out of his face so he can just bite down on this tough bastard's fingers, FORCING the barely-conscious Ito to release, and fall.

IBUKI ITO HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Ito is exhausted, spent, after his two out of three falls match, retaining the championship but failing to capitalize on the Rumble. As the chaos at ringside rages around him, he pushes himself upright in an utter daze, soon joined by a very tentative, nervous Buddy Love, who stares around in horror at the broken bodies of EWC staff everywhere as he supports his man all the way into the back.

Ace King and Cosmo Goldworthy have realized what's at stake and, both eager to be the sole representative for Rampage, the past and future collide. They're brawling splendidly, as El Pablo criss-crosses past them with a lurch in his step following that brutal Killshot, and takes Flip down. The Mad King rolls through, counters with a monkey flip, springing to his feet and catching the Tecnicolor Tecnico plunging from the air, hooking him up and twisting him around for his spinning impaler; THE BEHEADING!

But El Pablo, still riding that sugar rush, isn't brought to the canvas! Flip loses control of him in mid-air, as the pinball of a human over-rotates, popping his arms free and landing on his feet with both arms pinwheeling comedically. King Flip has a moment of clarity as he hears the candy-crazed luchador land on his feet behind him. What can you even do?

'Really?' Is all the face of the Mad King says, as El Pablo springboards energetically to deliver the FURRY NINJA STRIKE! The spinning wheel kick lands more than flush - it bounces Flip's face OFF the canvas, the backshifting momentum enough for El Pablo to drag him easily to his feet, and hop up onto his shoulders. He heaves, spins, and deposits himself out onto the apron on his knees, risking it all for the final four as he sends the Mad King out of the Rumble and away from his hopes and dreams! TASTE THE RAINBOW!!

It tastes of disappointment!

KING FLIP HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

King Flip breathes a sigh, nodding as sits up to the tune of a sad trombone from ever-supportive Poshmint, seeing Pablo give a Skittles-eating grin before glancing around and clocking - he's in the final four of the Rumble. He's so close to earning his legacy.

Across the ring, Xavier Reid realizes the same thing, and slides on in, smirking. A stormy rumble ripples through the crowd, as it dawns on half the arena that they forgot completely about one of the most dangerous men in this contest. Reid knows what he did.

Flip and Poshmint trade a glance, and then she passes him something limp, and rather sad. A second chance.

A moment later, Cassius H. Kissinger stands there. One official has survived the CARNAGE and looks panicked, as he sees another shenanigan about to unfold, darting in to prevent the mysterious man from re-entering the ring. Behind the mask, the Mad King's eyes gleam, as he extricates himself from the human obstacle... and breaks into a victory lap around the ring, a finger in the air, followed by the perpetual squeak of Poshmint Precisely's suddenly-very-noisy shoes as she follows him all the way around and up the ramp.

Inside the ring, it's four corners, and as the fuckery abates, El Pablo stares at Xavier Reid. Ace King stares at Cosmo Goldworthy, both of them breathing heavily from their aborted altercation. The Gambler is drenched in sweat, and streaked here and there in blood of uncertain origin. He looks like shit. Cosmo looks warmed-up, if anything, the young buck absolutely virile and still ready to go - but perhaps nothing on the former-everything champion, Xavier Reid. Limber, confident, and deadly, the ur-opportunist in a match that's been filled with them steps forward, ready to take on the three other best in the EWC Rumble.

El Pablo rolls to his feet, nodding, determined - pride in his eyes, and a compact warrior's sugar-drenched cry in his heart.

Ace King glances at Pablo, smiles, in a way that says he won't hold back - even against his friend. He breathes a sigh, willing his battered, weary body to keep working for one last round. One last match. One last Rumble. Everything he's got left...

And Cosmo laughs, stretching his back out against the ropes, taking his own sweet time in tightening this squared finale. He's not worried about the ebbing chaos at ringside, about those who've already come and gone - and, perhaps he should be.

Moxie has laid low everything in reach, dragging the dented steel chair behind him as he prowls the outside. He times it perfectly, just as Cosmo flexes his back one last time against the ropes, leaning back to get his muscles stretched just-so--

C L A N G !

The dent in the chair is inverted, and blood trickles from Goldworthy's formerly pristine scalp as he goes from ultra-composed to frantic, confident to uncertain, one of the clear favorites to a man just desperate to stay here. He tries to stay upright, but fails, pushes himself up anyway - like it didn't happen - and only succeeds in blundering into the middle of the ring. WHAM! Xavier Reid flies in, catching him with the BEAST SLAYER! Cosmo's turned inside out, flopping onto his well-stretched shoulders and then flopping over onto his face, still struggling to stand and doing so on wobbly legs as El Pablo hits the ropes and prepares to unload with a move that--

--never comes, becoming a flying nothing as it's the Gambler who seizes Cosmo Goldworthy, gutwrench heaving him into a simple, dizzying toss up and over the top rope!

COSMO GOLDWORTHY HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Gomez: They really gave it to Cosmo Goldworthy, huh? I'm starting to think we don't like young people.

Woo: "Money Mo" just made the final four in his rookie season, Valentina. That man is a bona fide star.

Moxie LAUGHS, as Cosmo crunches down at his feet, trying to rise only to get a boot on the back of his neck. Moxie is looking up at Ace King, beckoning mockingly for his former rival to come out and join him. El Pablo actually looks ANGRY - intent on Cosmo, having his moment taken by his friend and tag team partner. He grabs Ace, spins him around, and has his hand shoved away by the Gambler. He tries to look apologetic, but they haven't got long to spend on this; time's wasting, and this is about something far, far bigger. Realizing it, the Tecnicolor Tecnico shrugs, and obliges Moxie's invitation on his partner's behalf - diving through the middle rope to his a topé that sends the Brit careening into the barricade.

Xavier Reid seizes the moment, diving at Ace King and immediately landing flush with a beautiful, explosive RAINHAM MAKER! Ace's jaw bounces off the canvas, and he rolls over, only to have his arms grabbed and kicks rained down, stomp after stomp, into the jawline that's already taken so much punishment! The arena is LOUD, and it's all boos, all for Reid, who's unleashing his fury and determination all over the Gambler who's been in this match since the very first moment!

Moxie is split open on the outside, but just seems to be enjoying himself, driving his own fists over and over into El Pablo, taking the upper hand despite his own, clear injuries from the course of the match. Since they're already there, at the end, he obliges the crashing Tecnico with a special treat, hauling him upright and stretching out his abdomen with the gutwrench, flipping him inward for a MOXIE'S ENDGAME on the outside, then bundling him under the bottom rope, with a vicious sneer...

Reid curtails his attack on Ace King, whirls into a roundhouse kick that leaves the Gambler rocked in the corner, then lunges venomously towards his brother. El Pablo tries to resist, holding out an arm, the other wavering into something approximating a guard position - the imaginings of a stance that might help, but he's still half-out from Moxie's assault, and three-quarters gone from the Skittles that have scorched through his energy reserves. He's pulled to his feet, jerked around like half a ragdoll, quarter a man, and positioned against the corner. Merciless, Reid hauls him up and over, holds him as rigid as he can...

And crumples his brother to the outside, with a callous shove to send him in the right direction after hitting a disgusting brain buster onto the top turnbuckle. CTE spells the end for EP, whose head bounces once off the turnbuckle, twice - off the apron - and a third time as he falls to the floor with his hands clutching desperately as if he still thinks to find one last spurt of fight.

EL PABLO HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

Xavier Reid is turning frantic now, his adrenaline up and empowering him, naught but desire in his eyes as he grabs the top rope to steady himself. His chest rises and falls in rapid-fire seethes, and it's with something akin to desperation that he turns just in time to see Ace King coming out of the corner like Rocky Balboa, always needing one more to be put away. Never done. The Gambler's been through hell since the very beginning of the match, covered in scrapes and lesions, blood-drenched and all but falling apart, as he catches Reid's outflung arm, and hauls the other man across his shoulders to a tumultuous eruption from the crowd! It's the new Ace King, as he whirls through the airplane spin into the Death Valley Driver; EYE IN THE SKY! But it's the old Ace King, the one they remember, they one they all want. They rally behind the Gambler as he visibly begins to believe.

"SEVEN-SEVEN-SEVEN! SEVEN-SEVEN-SEVEN!"

Gomez: Did you ever think about much that sounds like, 'Severn, Severn, Severn'?

Woo: I do now...

Reid thrashes to his feet angrily, refusing to stay down, and instantly eats a Full House kick for his trouble. Ace spins on through, opens up with a flurry of forearms, a crunching kick to the thigh, a high kick that the Volando bastard manages to deny its precision. He resets his jaw, and attempts to fire back - but there's no stopping this comeback, not now, not yet. Lunging into the corner with Xavier, Ace brings him out with a tornado DDT, the velocity hurling Reid onto all fours, gasping. He's yanked upright, furiously countering with a wild hand that King sways under, capturing the arms, criss-crossing them. JAPANESE OCEAN CYCLONE SUPLEX!

King is digging deep, and even the chaos on the outside of the ring has stopped, tantrums and pure, delighted violence abating to stare as one freshly battle-weary, battle-scarred man shows he has a whole extra tank. Circling Reid, Ace King stumbles slightly as he reaches down, pulling him back to his feet already in position for the move he knows he needs.

The one he knows they're all waiting for. He lifts a knee, blasting Reid, who's clearly dazed now, and flips him up onto his shoulders, grinding in the torture rack, turning, so they all see - so they all know. Ace King never left. He just went away for awhile.

BLACK!

JACK!

BOMB!

Gomez: NO!

XAVIER REID THROWS OUT HIS ARMS TO COUNTER, ripping control away from Ace King, folding back to his feet with a clearly visible swoon as the damage tells its toll. He almost falls - but falling only sends him backwards, off the nearby ropes, drawing energy from this act of surrender, exploding forward into a thunderous kick across the chest, attacking the Gambler in the HEART. HIT AND RUN!

Reid's taking no chances, diving in as if to cover, raining down twelve to six elbows, until he feels like Ace King's lost all control of his neck, until he knows this man isn't getting up one more time. There's nothing pretty about it, nothing flashy or entertaining, and it's so easy for them all to turn against the villain of the piece. The other man who wants the title left behind by the ignoble exit of the Silent Princess. Xavier growls, lost in the midst of his determination, empowered by a purity of purpose.

He brings King to his feet like he were weightless, pulling him onto his shoulders, into position for the Bastard Bomb. King's neck has taken more punishment than most people do in a thousand lifetimes, and Reid's only worsened it in these last few minutes. His expression is confident, harassed, desperate, but he KNOWS. This is his moment. This is where he takes it all.

Reid glares at the entire stadium - at the world - that doubts him, and then he veers toward the ropes, heaving Ace King overhead, bringing the targeted neck across the top rope with a grotesque snap. He hears the gasp from Ace King, sees the change in his eyes.

He turns away. And then he hears the gasp from the crowd.

Ace King's shaking hand is closed around the middle rope, by the thumb and forefingers alone, showing agility his aching joints scream he shouldn't have, shouldn't be capable of. But he is. He rolls back in under the bottom rope, hissing with the release of endured pain as he releases the rope. Reid whirls around, driving a kick into his temple, but Ace King rises in spite of it. Because of it, perhaps.

He finds his impossible feet and just throws himself at Reid; messy doesn't being to describe what he does, brawling the other man across the ring, beating him to the punch by fractions of a second. A forearm, a kick, a clothesline that bounces Reid off the ropes, setting him up for a HARD RIGHT to land across the jaw. Reid's knees buckle. Ace goes to throw another, but Reid half-falls, half-weaves underneath, willpower embodied in his wiry frame as he pops up and nails a high left roundhouse across the jaw!

Bone cracks, but Ace King won't go down either, taking a knee, but plowing instinctively into a double-leg, mounting up on Reid as he lies across that bared middle rope - on the side of the ring that's caused so many false eliminations. They're both animalistic now, both desperate, neither thinking about anything but the fight and survival as Ace mounts up and rains down heavy blows, until he can't any more.

The crowd erupts, over and over, driving behind the Gambler, who starts to fall limp. As his opponent does.

They both stand, leaning on each other, going for wild blows that mutually whiff. Energy they don't have, for nothing.

No.

For everything.

It all comes down to this...

One last reach. One last bubble of willpower. Who wants it more? Who NEEDS it more?

And then--

BOOM.

Gomez: WHAT?

BEAST! SLAYER!

Xavier Reid's twin knees connect, and Ace King is falling backwards, falling toward the cable that separates life from legacy. That promises him - one last reign with the Undisputed Championship. Xavier Reid is falling too - upwards, and forward, forward, his jelly knees propelling him through hot, rancid air, thick with self-doubt and the rumble of a crowd that came here to see exactly this. This one, last push... one last, wild clothesline...

It connects. Ace King flips, inverts, sees the ground approaching...

And meets it, head on.

ACE KING HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.

DING DING DING

Dobrev: The winner of the EWC Rumble XX... and NEW, TWO-TIME EWC Undisputed Champion ... XAVIER REID!

The response from the crowd is... certainly large, but to anyone paying attention, it's clear that it's all just noise to Xavier Reid. Noise over a blessed plane of what might be the closest thing to peace he's felt in years. The announcement echoes through his skull independent of anything else, but the crowd - and any remaining buzz from ringside, even the excited gasp and delighted, stunned laughter of Tommy Love as it all comes to a close exists in a bubble he doesn't dwell in.

He's simply fallen to his knees, deaf to the bursts of pyro, to his music. He can feel the canvas beneath him. He can smell the blood, and sweat, and when he's pulled to his feet, his arm held aloft, the title strapped around his waist.

That's when he returns to life, releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding. The tears come with it, streaming down Xavier Reid's freshly-bruised face as he grasps at the cool faceplate of the EWC Undisputed Championship. Of his EWC Undisputed Championship. Tommy Love is beside himself, asking for a microphone that Xavier - absurdly, calmly, denies, shaking his head and turning her wet eyes to the man who helped him get this far. He says nothing, but he says it all. This is all I want. Just this.

Woo: I don't think anybody can believe this match is over, or that we've just seen the culmination of so much hard work and commitment, of so much hope and disappointment and... and personal triumph.

Gomez: I'm a little teary-eyed myself, Woo! It's great! This is what EWC is all about!

Woo: It certainly is, Valentina. The trials and the tribulations, the old grudges and the brand new success stories, the fruition of years upon years of hard work. Blood, sweat, tears; some of it was even spilled by our own production crew.

Gomez: That's okay, security guards and bossy referees don't count as people anyway.

Woo: ...I... desperately don't want to reply to that. So I'm not going to, because at the end of it all, what's important is that Xavier Reid stands anointed as our Undisputed Champion for the second time, finally reclaiming the title that first came to define him more than three years ago. I suppose we have to wonder, if we're going to see a new Xavier Reid after all of this?

Gomez: Scary thought, Woo. What if we saw a new Tommy Love?

Woo: I think we all know there's only one Tommy Love.

Gomez: A girl can dream!

Xavier stands framed in the midst of it all until the show goes off air, but the cameras do linger briefly, too, upon the figure of Ace King - sole bell-to-bell participant of the entire Rumble XX. Plenty of fans are cheering for the Gambler until their chance to do so evaporates, and it's perhaps this that leaves Ace King... stoic, as he sits amidst the devastation and listens to the celebration unfolding behind him. Just as quiet as the man who won it all, but occupied by his own thoughts - of his own future...


Marcus: What an absolute rollercoaster of a ride its been folks! We are completely out of time! We come to you next on October 30th for EWCs annual celebration of the next class of EWC recruits.. Its time for YOUNGBLOOD! Until them I am still Marcus Woo, she is still Valentina Gomez. Good night from Arrowhead Pond! 

The closing moments show Xavier Reid being bombarded in the ring by Bunny Love, but Reid is unwavering, his body not moving an inch as his sights lay squarely on the twenty pounds of gold in his hands before we fade to black.

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END SCREEN

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UNAUTHORIZED VIEWERS BEWARE AND BE FOREWARNED!

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SEGMENT WRITERS

Caleb Scott
Ibuki Ito
Melody Malone & Scorpio
Narumi Tsutsumi
Remarkable Mark Keaton & JFS
Xavier Reid

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MATCH WRITERS

MATCH ONE
WRITER: JoJo Rush

MATCH TWO
WRITER: FN'R

MATCH THREE
WRITER: FN'R

MATCH FOUR
WRITER: King Flip

MATCH SEVEN| MAIN EVENT
WRITER: Kisikil

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RECAP OF WINNERS

BULLROPE FIGHT PIT MATCH - EWC X-DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
Ruthann Hunter Vs JoJo Rush
WINNER AND STILL EWC X-DIVISION CHAMPION: JoJo Rush
...

TWO OUT OF THREE FALLS MATCH - EWC NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP
SONYA Vs Ibuki Ito
WINNER AND STILL EWC NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION: Ibuki Ito

...

SINGLES MATCH - EWC UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP
Chris Page Vs The Mercenary
WINNER AND NEW EWC UNITED STATES CHAMPION: Chris Page

...

SINGLES MATCH - EWC INDY CHAMPIONSHIP
Callie Clark Vs Gabrielle Visconty
WINNER AND NEW EWC INDY CHAMPION: Callie Clark

...

30 PERSON RUMBLE - EWC UNDISPUTED CHAMPIONSHIP
"The Gambler" Ace King (FNR)(Entering #2)
"HEADHUNTRESS" AIYA (PRIME)
Alexander Umbra (MNB)
"The Beautiful Psychopath" Autumn Raven (FNR)
"Box Office" Bruce Booth (PRIME)
"Granite City Sadist" Caleb Scott (MNB) (FX)
Cosmo “Mo Money” Goldworthy (FNR)(HBO)
"The Last Temptation" Dalilah Ashe (PRIME)
"The Dark Wizard" Daphne Kreel (PW)
“The E of EWC” Darius (MNB)
"The Technicolor Tecno" El Pablo (PW)
"The Slaytanic Avenger" Harper Mason (PRIME)
"The Ace Of Paramount" Ibuki Ito (PW)(NA)
"The Jack Of Hearts" Jack Hart (PW)
"The Prime Time Catalyst" Jack Severn (PRIME)(Entering #1)
"The Love Child" Jamie Love (FNR)
"The Boss" Jason Anderson (FNR)
"The Blackhat" JoJo Rush (MNB)(XD)
"The Silent Princess" Lavender (FNR)(UND)
"The Kabuki Kid" Marquis Hathaway (PRIME)
Moxie (FNR)
"The Emo Princess" Otaki (PRIME)
"The Gatekeeper Of Friday Night Rampage" Phoenix Winterborn (FNR)
"RMK" Remarkable Mark Keaton (PRIME)
"The Last Magician" Sally Talfourd (PW)(Apple)
"The Beautiful Battleship" SONYA (PW)
The Mad King (MNB)
Tyler Bradford (MNB)
"Elegance Personified" Vespertine (FNR)
"The Best Of BRAWL" Xavier Reid (MNB)(INT)
RUMBLE XX WINNER AND NEW EWC UNDISPUTED CHAMPION: Xavier Reid

RUMBLE ELIMINATION ORDER
#1 - Jamie Love  (ENTERED NUMBER #4)
#2 - Tyler Bradford  (ENTERED NUMBER #12)
#3 - Marquis Hathaway (ENTERED NUMBER #15)
#4 - Bruce Booth (ENTERED NUMBER #10)
#5 - Vespertine (ENTERED NUMBER #25)
#6 - Harper Mason  (ENTERED NUMBER #19)
#7 - Phoenix Winterborn  (ENTERED NUMBER #22)
#8 - Autumn Raven  (ENTERED NUMBER #13)
#9 - Alexander Umbra  (ENTERED NUMBER #26)
#10 - RMK  (ENTERED NUMBER #29)
#11 - Daphne Kreel  (ENTERED NUMBER #20)
#12 - Caleb Scott  (ENTERED NUMBER #28)
#13 - Otaki  (ENTERED NUMBER #14)
#14 - SONYA  (ENTERED NUMBER #24)
#15 - Jack Hart  (ENTERED NUMBER #17)
#16 - Jason Anderson  (ENTERED NUMBER #5)
#17 - Jack Severn  (ENTERED NUMBER #1)
#18 - Headhuntress Aiya  (ENTERED NUMBER #23)
#19 - Sally Talfourd  (ENTERED NUMBER #6)
#20 - Lavender  (ENTERED NUMBER #16)
#21 - Dalilah Ashe  (ENTERED NUMBER #11)
#22 - Darius  (ENTERED NUMBER #18)
#23 - Moxie (ENTERED NUMBER #30)
#24 - JoJo Rush  (ENTERED NUMBER #3)
#25 - Ibuki Ito  (ENTERED NUMBER #8)
#26 - King Flip  (ENTERED NUMBER #7)
#27 - Cosmo Goldworthy  (ENTERED NUMBER #9)
#28 - El Pablo  (ENTERED NUMBER #27)
#29 - Ace King  (ENTERED NUMBER #2)
#30 - WINNER - Xavier Reid - (ENTERED NUMBER #21)

...

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MVPs OF THE NIGHT: JoJo Rush & Xavier Reid
MATCH OF THE NIGHT: THE EWC RUMBLE

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