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Dynasty 1/4/2019

( EAW Intro plays )

( A highlight video airs showing the biggest Dynasty related moments from Road to Redemption two weeks ago. It starts with highlights of the Mr. DEDEDE and Cameron Ella Ava match, with some of the more gruesome attacks being put on display. We would see Henrique Fernandez make his presence felt, but counteracted by the appearance of Camille Ava who would level the playing field. The ending is shown with Mr. DEDEDE being tied up by Camille and being tazed in the testicles repeatedly by Cameron Ella Ava until he is forced to submit. We follow it up with highlights from the fatal four way bypass to the King of Elite finals match, where we saw Ryan Wilson exact his revenge on Jack Ripley by attacking him when he’d least expect it and allowing the opening for Malcolm Jones to take advantage of the victory. We see Jack Ripley grieving over the loss after the match, knowing that as a result of this he would be fired from Dynasty. Finally, we arrive at the Dynasty Extreme Elimination Chamber for the Answers World Championship, and get a recap of the match including the rampage by APOCALYPSE, Devan and Erebus’ unlikely alliance, Lucas Johnson’s antics, his upset elimination over Hades the Hellraiser, and Theron Nikolas’ crafty resourcefulness leading into his brutal and near-flawless takeover of the match. Following the match, when it appeared that Theron would rule uncontested over Dynasty, we see SYNCON revealed as none other than Jamie O’Hara. O’Hara would attack Theron from the shadows and lay him out with a devastating Kingslayer, standing before a shocked and amazed EAW Universe looking on in awe. )

( Dynasty Intro video plays, featuring the song “Revolution” by The Score. )

( Camera opens up to the Budokan Arena in Tokyo, Japan, where the audience full of young adults cheer and roar in applause, holding up signs and in many cases chanting “EAW!” )

( Screen Bar: SOLD OUT. )

Stew-O: KONBANWA! WELCOME EVERYBODY TO A NEW YEAR OF EAW TELEVISION, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US HERE ON THE NEW YEAR’S EDITION OF FRIDAY NIGHT DYNASTY: WHERE WE FIGHT ON FRIDAY NIGHTS!

“ILLEST MUTHAFUCKA ALIVE!!!!!!!”

( The arena ERUPTS into a thunderous storm of boos, and the stage glows a familiar shade of gold as “Illest Motherfucker Alive” by Jay Z and Kanye West plays over the sound system. Theron Nikolas walks out to the stage wearing jeans and a 1% sleeveless tee with the Answers World Championship around his waist. )

Stephie Love: Ladies and Gentlemen please welcome the ANSWERS CHAMPION OF THE WORLD, “GOD-EMPEROR” THEROOOOOONNN NIKOOLLLAAAAAAAAAAS!!!!!

Talib Bari: We are just two weeks removed, Stew, from arguably the greatest Road to Redemption event of all time! And one of the reasons why is because of the epic performance of this man who managed to topple five other Dynasty Elitists — including the Monstrous Man APOCALYPSE, to walk back out of the Olympic Stadium in Montreal still the AWC and God-Emperor over Friday Night Dynasty!

Stew: But the champion paid quite a price Bari, not only have The 1% suffered excruciating blows — DDD suffering tremendous physical harm and Jack Ripley being put out of a job — but following his match he was forced to confront one of the skeletons in his closet in the form of a resurrected Jamie O’Hara!

Talib: I see your point Stew, despite coming in fresh to the new year, there’s still a lot on the docket for the Answers World Champ — and if you look at his expression you can tell there’s something seriously bothering our champion right now, he does not look happy.

( Theron stands in the middle of the ring with a microphone in hand as “Illest Motherfucker Alive” dies down. He stands there in the midst of the heat he’s getting from the crowd. )

Theron Nikolas: When I walked into the Budokan Arena today I walked by a very large promotional poster featuring one of the greatest EAW Elitists of all time, the original King of Elite himself, Mak. A man who was a pillar not only of this company but of this industry, a man who drastically changed the course of EAW history forever with his career both in this ring and his leadership behind the scenes. A unique figure in the history of EAW, because in my view Mak was the only man who handled his business the way it’s REALLY supposed to be handled here. He came, he saw, he conquered. He ruled for as long as he felt like ruling over the land of EAW, and then he took his riches and his royalty and retired young. He’s never been back since.

As much respect as I have for Mr. DEDEDE, who mark my words will return with a vengeance like you have never seen before, I’m not going to fight the meaningless battles that he fights every single day. I’m not here to keep EAW alive, I’m not here to make EAW prosper, I’m not here to bring EAW into a “better” age or be an agent of change. I once had that goal in mind, not very long ago as a matter of fact, but that vision – to me – is now dead. I don’t want to be your leader or your revolutionary anymore, because in the last couple of weeks and more so the last couple of days, I have come to understand quite well that you really aren’t worth it. You aren’t worth five to ten years of backbreaking labour like some of these other Hall of Famers have given you, because not only do you not appreciate it, you don’t even fucking deserve it in the first place.

I’m not even appreciated now, so why the fuck would I ever expect to be treated with the respect I deserve when I’m gone? I sat there having to watch the 2018 end-of-the-year awards commemorate everybody besides me, rubbing it in my face how little I’m respected, as the “Academy” panders to the same bullshit self serving circlejerks in the exact same fashion that they did in the 2017 awards. So what the fuck has actually changed? We went from the Triumvirate to the Jaded Wolfe Hearts, same shit different gender, another year where another group full of individuals inferior to me somehow get more recognition than me when they haven’t sacrificed HALF of what I have fucking sacrificed. Tell me in what universe does a group that The 1% defeated SOUNDLY in the War Games get Stable of the Year? Should they have given the Cleveland Cavaliers the Finals trophy for being swept in the series? Should they have given LeBron James the Finals MVP for being inferior to Kevin Durant? Then why on FUCKING EARTH would that moaning, complaining, drooling, manic hunk of crap Diamond Cage earn Elitist of the Year over a man who became King of Elite, became Answers World Champion, dominated the competitive field and retired the FOUNDER OF THIS COMPANY IN THE SAME 365 DAYS.?

( Theron brushes hair back, smirks )

Theron: I suppose these are all rhetorical questions. You people have groveled to that bum no matter how inconsistent and irrelevant he’s been, and yet I’m told over and over again by lackeys in the back that the number one goal in this business is to get over with all of “you”. The same way Brian Daniels got over with all of you, right? The same way Jaywalker and Robbie were all of your GOATs and Senpais, right? The same way that fucking tranny Cloud Matsuda was “GOATsuda” before she packed her bags and split for JET just down the road, right? The same way you people constantly kiss ass and turn on them when they aren’t here anymore. Because you fans and this entire fucking EAW roster doesn’t have the balls to say how they feel about a person when they’re still here, much less challenge them. I can at least give Devan Dubian that amount of respect, he called me out and challenged me despite being on a completely different brand. How many of you spineless pieces of shit cursed my name after I took CM Banks out but didn’t so much as mention my name out in the open? Amazing for an industry filled with so many so-called ‘tough guys’ and ‘tough girls’ how many gutless cowards there actually are, isn’t it?

Judge me, castigate me for doing what it takes to be successful around here all while we form hype trains behind the people who suck up the most and pander the most. That’s why “OK” is a fucking actual thing here, because it doesn’t even matter if we’re good wrestlers anymore, it’s about what’s trendy to all of you worthless puppets. Riddle me this, why do you think every “Next up” award winner has been a colossal failure since, virtually, the inception of the award? Why do you think every time EAW’s culture puts their chips behind some overhyped little darling like Noah Reigner, they become a stain to this very company less than 365 days later? Maybe it’s because you fucking people aren’t as smart, or as objective, or as ‘sentient’ as you all think you are. Maybe it’s because your opinions don’t actually fucking matter. Maybe, just maybe, the more successful you are in EAW, the more meaning your words actually have. What a concept, I know!

I used to hate the people who left the company last year just as much as the next guy, but now I see exactly what DDD talks about, because I look around and I really can’t see a difference between the people who are gone and the people who are still here. The culture doesn’t change with the people, the culture remains the exact same way with different names in the same slots. I prove my worth, outperform World Champions, I dominate all of my competition, I lead the most ruthless trio in the recent history of this company and put down world champions in my path, and it still isn’t enough. It will never be enough for you all so long as I’m not pandering for all of your support. So in 2019 my concern isn’t about proving my worth to you, it damn sure isn’t going to be about pandering to you, it’s going to be about CRUSHING you. Yes, I’m talking about you. I’m here to crush you through the ones you support. I’m going to create targets, I’m going to aim for the heads of all of your favorites, I’m going to make it abundantly clear that I am superior to everyone that you want to see prosper until there are no more worlds left to conquer. And when that day comes, I’m taking my crown the same way Mak did almost a decade ago, and I’m going to leave and never come return. However when I leave I’m not just taking my millions of dollars, I’m not just taking my crown,

( Theron unhooks the belt from his waist. )

Theron: I’m taking the soul of this industry with me.

( “Ultimate Battle” by ZENTA [EAW Edit] plays over the sound system, and the audience immediately jumps to their feet in a frenzy. Jamie O’Hara walks out to the stage dressed in his usual in ring attire and black leather jacket. )

Talib: LISTEN TO THIS PLACE!

( O’Hara continues his walk to the ring with his piercing gaze locked in on Theron. He slowly steps up onto the apron, creating a tense staredown between himself and the AWC as a stagehand hands him a microphone. He steps through the ropes, walks past Theron and climbs up to the top turnbuckle to interact with the 15,000 fans on their feet and taking photos of his presence. O’Hara wraps his entrance up shortly after, and japanese fans continue to call out his name ‘O’Hara’ in respect despite his music dying down. )

Jamie O’Hara: You done mate? You finished sooking and whinging over a couple of goddamn trophies? Are you finally prepared to be a man and address the root of what is keeping you so miserable and jaded around here —

Theron: You know what O’Hara that’s real easy for you to say, you have had these sycophants eating out of your palms from the moment you first arrived to this company, so I don’t need a fucking lecture from you.

Jamie: And I’m not here to give you one, “God-Emperor”, but humor this… why do you think it is that you have to spend your days calling yourself a “king” in the first place in hopes that people will still listen, while I can be completely removed from the public eye and still be hailed as the Ace upon my return? I have retained more sovereignty over this company in my absence, than you’ve managed to accrue in your reign of terror. I just hope you understand Theron… (Jamie gets in Theron’s face) that your reign is coming to its end.

( Theron takes a few steps back and chuckles to himself while the fans cheer for that declaration. )

Jamie: I’m not here to guide you by the hand and lead you on a journey of self-actualization, that is a seperate endeavor you will have to face on your own. There will be no Mr. DEDEDE, no 1%, no amount of contrived hegemonic authority that will bring true value to your legacy unless it is earned. But you are clearly not in the condition to understand this… you must be brought down from your pedestal, you must be thrown from your ivory tower and most importantly, you must be humbled. I am not here to provide a resolution for you Theron, I am here to bring forth the beginning of that resolution. My return signals the beginning of the end for you Theron, and most importantly, the beginning of the end of your reign as Answers World Champion.

( Crowd cheers. )

Jamie: The greatest thing that the world can give you is struggle. Suffering, loss, these are necessary for growth and evolution. While you stand there and pout over not being recognized for your ‘accomplishments’ of 2018, you have remained stagnant for that entire year both as a competitor and as a man. You have been the face of complacency, your half-hearted approach as a champion has been an insult to men like me who held gold with true PRIDE. You need to suffer loss as much as you need to breathe, Theron, because you are currently drowning in your own ego. But one thing has been made clear not simply from the end-of-the-year awards, but your character as a World Champion to begin with: you must be cast out of your throne. And I see no better place for it to happen than the same event that made you into the sorry person that you have become in the first place…. KING OF ELITE.

Theron: I hope you realize how big of a mistake you’re making even showing your face again Jamie, I really do. What we did to you at the EAW Draft? That was done on a whim. The 1% put you on the shelf and almost ended your career for good and it was practically done as an accident. I hope you understand that if we really do this at KOE, if you really challenge me for the thing I would throw absolutely anyone under the bus to keep, I will make what happened at the EAW Draft look like a slap on the wrist in comparison.

Jamie: I’m prepared for your worst, because you cannot even fathom what I am capable of at my very best. And what you don’t know Theron, will kill you.

Theron: Very well…. then you’ve got yourself a match.

( Theron extends his hand, and Jamie looks down at it in disgust as the crowd gives a massive mixed response. Jamie swipes Theron’s hand away and the two engage in a war of words off-mic. )

Stew: KNEE TO THE GROIN!!!! WHAT THE HELL??? THERON CAUGHT JAMIE RIGHT BELOW THE BELT WITH A KNEE, AND BLASTS HIM OVER THE FACE WITH A SUPERKICK!!! THERON SCRAPES O’HARA UP FROM THE FLOOR… KING’S REQUIEM!!! BRAINBUSTER RIGHT OVER THE KNEE!!!

Talib: GOD EMPEROR THERON TALKING A LOAD OF TRASH AND HOLDING UP HIS AWC BELT, STANDING OVER HIS CHALLENGER AFTER THAT OFF COLOR ATTACK!

Stew: That was a blatant low blow Bari, typical of Theron at this point, you almost can’t be surprised anymore when he pulls dirty tactics like that!

( “Illest Motherfucker Alive” comes back on and Theron stands over Jamie O’Hara with the Answers World Championship held high above his head. )

Talib: All’s fair in love and war Stew, sorry! It’s not like Jamie didn’t blindside Theron at Road to Redemption two weeks ago, if anything this is his receipt!

Stew: Well I’m getting word that the match has been made official, in Johannesburg, South Africa live from the FNB Stadium with an expected RECORD SELL OUT attendance of 95,000 members of the EAW Universe, we will see the Marquee return of Jamie O’Hara, in my estimation the greatest World Champion in EAW history, who will challenge that man Theron Nikolas for the Answers World Championship!

Talib: Sounds like an unprecedented match for an unprecedented night, Stew!

( Match card graphics appear on the screen for the KOE tournament matches scheduled for tonight. )

Talib: Speaking of which, the King of Elite tournament officially kicks off this evening, and we’re coming in hot with two men who are driven to recoup following the Extreme Elimination Chamber, as Lucas Johnson takes on Hades the Hellraiser in the first match of the first round! That’s happening, next!

( COMMERCIAL BREAK — including an ad recapping the 2018 EAW Awards show, and highlighting many of the winners including Diamond Cage and Sienna Jade for Elitists of the Year, Mr. DEDEDE and Kassidy Heart for Promoers of the Year, Rex McAllister and Madison Kaline for winning their respective World Champions and Male/Female Match of the Year, Noah Reigner for winning Rookie of the Year and Next Up in 2019, and more! )

( We see footage of downtown Tokyo, showing the beautiful cultural aspects and advanced technology that makes Japan such a unique and desirable destination! We see advertisements and billboards all over the city promoting Empire and Dynasty, before returning to the Budokan Arena. In the arena we see Stephie Love standing in the ring wearing a Cherry Blossom Kimono and her hair in a bun. )

( DING! DING! DING! )

Stephie Love: The following match is the first KING OF ELITE QUALIFYING MATCH of the Dynasty wing and it is scheduled for ONE FALL —

Crowd: ONE FALL!!

( “Young and Bitter” by Hot Tag Media plays over the sound system, and Lucas Johnson walks out to the ring wearing his ring gear and Nike athletic jacket accompanied by his manager and trainer Albert Hitchman. There is the usual air of confidence about Johnson, but a limp in his walk as well as bandages over his head. )

Stephie Love: Introducing first, accompanied by Albert Hitchman! Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, weighing in at 205 POUNDS!!!! LLLUUUCAAAAAAAAAS JOHNSOOOOONNN!!!

Talib: Between all of the fightin’ and fussin’ with my family over the remote on New Years Eve, I managed to get a peek in of The Palace a few nights ago on Tuesday, and whaddayaknow? It’s this freaking kid 10 days removed from getting his head nearly split open like a melon, TAUNTING the likes of Hades the Hellraiser!

Stew: You can see the pictures on your screen folks, Lucas Johnson suffered victim to a brainbuster on a chainsaw and had to have the wound in his head stapled shut! But somehow through the determination you only see on Youtube ad self-help infomercials, Lucas Johnson is still as confident as ever that he will not only topple Hades for the second show in a row, but that he will go all the way in this tournament and become King of Elite! Say you want though Bari, but stranger things have happened in EAW.

( Lucas’ music dies down as he is in the ring pacing around, waiting for his opponent. )

( “Wanted Man” by Rev Theory hits, and Hades the Hellraiser rides out on a custom-made Harley-Davidson curving onto the stage. He takes the Harley down to the ring with him, and has a dead serious expression on his face. )

Stephie Love: His opponent… residing in Austin, Texas, weighing in at 325 POUNDS…. HADEEEEEEEEES THEEEEEEEEEEE HELLRAISEEEEEEEEEER!!!!

Talib: The EAW Hall of Famer has made it clear that his performance at Road to Redemption would be the ONLY time we ever caught him slipping like that ever again! We know Hades to be a prideful man Stew, a competitive man, one who would gladly stake his manhood on his fists, so how does he regain the mental edge over a guy like Johnson who can so easily get under your skin?

Stew: Well Hades may need to roll with the punches and not take himself too seriously. He outmatches Johnson in the tale of the tape on every level, but if you don’t learn to respect what a guy like Lucas Johnson can accomplish in the ring then you will create a mental blockage higher than the wall that Trump is shutting down the government to build!

( DING! DING! DING! )

Talib: Speaking of which, if I don’t get my tax returns this year cause of that bozo me and Trump fighting :dave: I promised my ol lady I would buy her a new boat to make up for my infidelities :mjcry:

Stew: Uh… that’s nice to know Bari. Nevertheless Johnson is keeping up his fancy footwork at the onset of this match while Hades has got his hands up and is looking for a fight. An evasive Johnson dodges a couple of swipes, you can definitely tell both of these men are banged up from the Extreme Elimination Chamber, ESPECIALLY Johnson who took an unbelievable amount of punishment during that match. Johnson lunges for the leg and is attempting to take him down and snatch, perhaps, an achilles hook, but Hades stands his ground and wraps his large mitt around the head of Johnson before pulling him up from the floor! BUT JOHNSON RAKES THE EYES OF THE BIG MAN! HITCHMAN IS ON THE APRON, AND HE’S GOT A SET OF BRASS KNUCKLES, HOPING TO CATCH THE BIG DEVIL WITH ANOTHER CHEAP SHOT!

Talib: But the official intervenes, as he should, making sure that don’t happen! Hitchman and the referee get into a bit of a tussle…. BUT JOHNSON PULLS OUT ANOTHER SET OF BRASS KNUCKLES FROM HIS RIGHT BOOT! GENIUS! THE DISTRACTED OFFICIAL HAS HIS BACK TURNED, AND JOHNSON CHARGES AT HADES FOR A BRASS KNUCKLES EQUIPPED HAYMAKER THAT WILL PUT HIM OUT THE SAME WAY IT DID AT ROAD TO REDEMPTION!

Stew: HADES WITH THE BIG UPPERCUT!!! WHAT A SHOT!!! Lucas’ head cocks back in whiplash as he drops to the ground and the brass knuckles go flying out of his hand and out of the ring! Hades wraps the claw around Johnson’s throat now as the official has his attention back on the match, and he thrusts his own shoulder blade into Johnson’s midsection to back him into the corner, only to follow up with a flurry of shoulder thrusts into the ribs! Johnson having this boulder-like shoulders repeatedly driven into his gut, and Hades follows up with a facebuster straight to the knee to take Johnson out of the corner and leave him laying… the big man pulls himself up to a standing position on the second turnbuckle now, and HADES DELIVERS A DIVING LEG DROP RIGHT ACROSS THE THROAT OF LUCAS JOHNSON! JOHNSON NEARLY DECAPITATED BY THAT ONE, AND HADES CRAWLS OVER JOHNSON FOR THE LATERAL PRESS.

Ref: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!! TWOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Talib: Johnson throws the shoulder up. Johnson attempting to crawl away from Hades as quickly as possible and bail out of the ring, but Hades catches him by the boot at the very last second before he can drop out of the ring. Hades pulls Johnson up from the mat and onto his shoulders… and jogs over to the corner to deliver a BIG TIME SNAKE EYES!!! Johnson’s head smacks against the LED post hard! Hades rushes across the ring and rebounds right back over to Lucas Johnson with a BIG BOOT PERHAPS! BUT JOHNSON COUNTERS YANKING DOWN THE ROPES, SENDING HADES OVER THE ROPES AND DOWN TO RINGSIDE! Oh no, it looks like Hades may have tweaked his right knee! He’s getting up favoring the right leg around the knee or rather lower hamstring area, and JOHNSON DELIVERS A DIVING CORKSCREW EUROPEAN UPPERCUT OFF THE APRON, SENDING HADES BACK DOWN!

( Hitchman rushes over to Johnson clapping and celebrating, but the official curses out Hitchman and demands that he stay away. )

Talib: The referee isn’t playing no games with Albert Hitchman, which is a damned good thing if you ask me.

Stew: That was a good observation earlier Bari, Hades definitely tweaked the knee and Johnson seems to be cognizant of that now as he delivers some precise stomps at the legs, mainly targeting the right leg around the hamstring area! Hades yelling out in pain each time Johnson stomps on that right hamstring, and Johnson has managed to fish out a weak point, which could dictate how the rest of this match transpires! Johnson attempts to pull Hades up from the floor, but Hades shoves Johnson away and limps into the ring as quickly as he can. Johnson follows Hades in just as he attempts to get back to both feet, and Johnson takes Hades over to the far turnbuckle and SLINGS HIM THROUGH THE CORNER, SENDING HIM SHOULDER FIRST INTO THE STEEL RINGPOST!!!!

Talib: Cue ‘shoulder meets steel’ cliche, but it rings true every time! Hades slammed into the post with a huge thud, and he turns around favoring his shoulder slumped back against the turnbuckle, only for Johnson to deliver more stomps and kicks to the lower body, cutting the big man down to size! Johnson keeps up the pace with a flurry of elbows across the head, all while Hades can barely protect himself. Johnson drags Hades out of the corner by the tweaked right leg now, and delivers an ELBOW DROP TO THE HAMSTRING! He presses the knee down against that same hamstring and yanks the leg in a compromising position, forcing Hades to try and break the grip apart as much as he can using his bare hands! Hades drags Lucas closer to him and delivers a flurry of forearms now as he’s on the mat! Lucas stands up holding the bridge of his nose, Hades quickly rushes up to his feet, but Lucas sprints over to the ropes in front of Hades and rushes back with a – ALMOST A LOW CROSSBODY STRAIGHT TO THE LEGS! Uniquely thrown crossbody sends Hades falling right on his face, and Johnson wastes no movement whatsoever, locking in the half boston crab on the tweaked right leg of the big man! We gotta be objective here Stew, Lucas Johnson is putting on a grown man performance!

Stew: Without question, this is impressing the hell out of not just me but these fans here in the Budokan Hall as well!

Talib: Hades is being forced to fight for every inch right now, dragging himself to the ropes to the best of his abilities, but those ropes are halfway across the ring, that may not work out for him that well! Not without costing him a lot at least! Let’s take into account though that Hades’ legs are about as thick as tree trunks, it is taking a whole lot out of Lucas Johnson to even keep this half crab applied to the best of his abilities, and Hades is already doing his best to turn to his side and perhaps find a much quicker way out of the submission! Johnson holding on for dear life, but Hades is pushing himself and pushing himself, creating a struggle on the ground between two King of Elite hopefuls looking to move on to the KOE tournament quarterfinals next week in Moscow! Now Hades…. Hades is rolled over to his back… AND HE’S MANAGED TO REEL LUCAS JOHNSON IN FOR HELL’S GATE!!!!!!! NO WAY!!!! LUCAS JOHNSON TRAPPED INTO THE PANDORA’S BOX!!!!

Stew: JOHNSON FLAILING EVERY AVAILABLE LIMB AND IS TRYING DESPERATELY TO PUSH HADES ONTO HIS SHOULDERS! THE REF IS SURVEYING CLOSELY! AND HADES IS INDEED ON HIS SHOULDERS, DESPITE HAVING THE HELLS GATE APPLIED!

Ref: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!! TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Stew: HADES RELEASES THE HOLD, RUSHES UP TO HIS FEET, AND CATCHES AN ONCOMING LUCAS JOHNSON WITH A CLAW AROUND THE THROAT! HOISTS HIM UP, AND GOT HIM WITH THE CHOKESLAAAAAAAAAAAM!!!

Talib: HADES’ RIGHT KNEE BUCKLES AT THE MOST INOPPORTUNE MOMENT! HADES DOESN’T GET THE CHOKESLAM! Lucas Johnson immediately tucks the head under the arm, BIG TIME DDT!!! Hades spiked right on top of his head, and now Johnson follows up by going for the legs once again… he’s dragging Hades by the bottom over to the turnbuckle, exits the ring, and has Hades virtually crotched at the ringpost…. AND JOHNSON TAKES THE RIGHT LEG, AND SWINGS IT RIGHT ACROSS THE METAL RINGPOST CREATING A DISTURBING THUD!!! HADES ROLLS AWAY IN A WORLD OF PAIN YET AGAIN! I AM JUST IN AWE OF HOW EFFICIENT LUCAS JOHNSON’S GAME IS! HE IS COMPLETELY PICKING APART HADES FROM THE BOTTOM, AND NOW HE RETURNS IN THE RING AND IS GOING FOR THE FIGURE FOUR LEG LOCK!!!! GOT IT!!!!

Stew: Excellent, just an excellent approach from the former NCAA Division 1 athlete, and Hitchman can’t help but look starry-eyed at his apprentice for the resourcefulness being put on display right now! Hades is desperately trying to find some sort of escape, again trying to crawl over to the ropes to break up the figure four, but Johnson is refusing to let up and Hades may possible be having his ACL ripped apart right about now! He took an awkward landing earlier and has been paying for it pretty much ever since, with an impressive effort by Johnson who clearly has his opponent well scouted! Lucas Johnson adding insult to injury, or at least trying to, but continually yelling for Hades to “QUIT” and taunting him like only Lucas Johnson knows how… BUT WAIT A SECOND…

Talib: LUCAS LOSING CONTROL OF THE FIGURE FOUR LEGLOCK… UH OOH!!!! HADES TURNS HIMSELF AROUND, REVERSING THE PRESSURE PUT ON THE SUBMISSION AND SENDING IT RIGHT BACK TO LUCAS! Lucas Johnson screaming in pain until he and Hades become untangled! Johnson is favoring his legs just off of that short interval, so imagine the torture Hades must have been going through! Johnson follows up on a recovering Hades with a few jabs across the face, followed by a headbutt sending Hades backpedaling into the corner. Johnson turns Hades around and is looking for a GERMAN SUPLEX!!!! GERMAN ON A MAN NEARLY TWICE HIS SIZE!!! BUT HADES HOLDS HIS GROUND, REFUSING TO BE TAKEN OVER!!! JOHNSON HOPS ON HADES’ BACK NOW, LOOKING FOR THE SLEEPER HOLD…. BUT HADES TURNS AROUND, LIMPS OUT OF THE CORNER AS QUICKLY AS HE CAN AND COUNTERS WITH A BACKPACK STUNNER!

Stew: Johnson may have had his bell rung following that! That provided Hades with some much needed space, and both athletes are recovering at a slower pace… once they’re up Hades EXPLODES AT JOHNSON WITH A JUMPING CLOTHESLINE! They both recover quicker than before, Johnson rushes at Hades and Hades intercepts him with an Irish whip, only to FOLLOW UP THE IRISH WHIP WITH A BIG BOOT, LEFT BOOT SMACKING AGAINST THE JAW AND SENDING JOHNSON OVER THE ROPES, TURNING HIM INSIDE OUT AND CRASH LANDING ON THE RINGSIDE FLOOR! Hades drops to the mat following that boot after needing to support it with his sore right leg, but as Johnson recovers Hades steps over to the apron on the other side and BEGINS CLIMBING UP THE TURNBUCKLE! IT IS A RARITY TO SEE HADES UP THERE AS IT IS, BUT IS IT TRULY WISE TO MAKE A TREK LIKE THAT WITH A DAMAGED LOWER HALF???

Talib: Hold that thought Stew! Look who’s blocking Hades off! Albert Hitchman! Hitchman jumps on the apron and is standing up to Hades, giving him all types of hell! Please ref for the love of God please get this jackass outta here! And while you’re at it tell him to give me back my goddamn money! Hitchman and the ref engage in a verbal altercation, meanwhile Johnson is crawling out of the line of sight of a distracted Hades who seems to want to kill this man….. AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT LUCAS POPS UP BEHIND HADES STANDING ON THE STEEL STEPS BEHIND HIM, LOOKING TO SEND HADES OFF OF THE TOP TURNBUCKLE AND DOWN BELOW WITH A POWERBOMB!!!!! IF HE GETS THIS THERE IS NO WAY THIS MATCH CONTINUES!!!

Stew: Doesn’t look like that’s going to happen Bari! Hades hammers down elbow shots to the temple of Johnson, leaving him weary and powerless! Hades, still perched up on the top turnbuckle manages to HOIST LUCAS BY THE THROAT UP FROM THE APRON, HIGH ABOVE THE RING, AND DOWN WITH A CHOKESLAM TO HELL FROM THE TOP ROPE!!!!!!!!!!!! MY GOD!!!!!!!!

Talib: HADES DROPS OFF THE TOP TURNBUCKLE, STUMBLES OVER TO JOHNSON AND COLLAPSES OVER HIM! THERE’S THE COVER!

Ref: OOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!! TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! THRRRRRRRRRR-

Stew: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! LUCAS JOHNSON KICKS OUT!!!

Talib: ARE YOU SERIOUS???

Stew: LUCAS JOHNSON HAS JUST KICKED OUT OF THAT CHOKESLAM FROM THE TOP ROPE! EVEN HADES LOOKS SURPRISED BY THAT ONE! Hitchman is at ringside acting like Christ just returned, but in all honesty there may have been a better chance of that happening than Johnson coming back from that! We are seeing an incredible performance from really both of these two here tonight on Dynasty, but it seems like Hades wants to go for the finishing blow! He’s doing that old signature ‘throat slice’ taunt, all while Lucas Johnson is taking his good sweet time before returning back up to his feet………………….. and once he does, HADES TURNS HIM AROUND, SCOOPS HIM UP FROM THE FLOOR, LOOKING FOR THE BRIMSTONE PILEDRIVER!!!!!!!

Talib: JOHNSON LANDS ON HIS FEET BEHIND HADES! CHOP BLOCK TO THE BACK OF THE RIGHT KNEE!!!! HADES CHOPPED DOWN LIKE A TREE, AND JOHNSON APPLYING AN ANKLE LOCK ON THAT SAME LEG!!! ANKLE LOCK BRINGING HADES TO THE VERGE OF SUBMISSION — BUT HEY, WAIT A SECOND, HADES TURNS IT AROUND, REELS JOHNSON IN, AND THIS TIME SUCCESSFULLY LURES JOHNSON INTO THE PANDORA’S BOX SUBMISSION HOLD!!!! LUCAS HAS NOWHERE TO GO, HELL’S GATE EXECUTED PERFECTLY! AND JOHNSON TAPS!!! HE HAS NO CHOICE!!!!

( DING! DING! DING! )

( “Wanted Man” comes back on, and Hades the Hellraiser rolls out of the ring completely exhausted. )

Stephie Love: Here is your winner… HADEEEEEES THEEEEE HELLRAISEEEEEEEEEEERRR!!!!

Stew: Hades the Hellraiser, and I can’t believe I’m going to say this, SURVIVED Lucas Johnson tonight as far as I’m concerned. He was truly put through the ringer by that young man, and he had to dig deep into the reserves to put Johnson away and advance to the next round!

Talib: It says so much about both of these two Stew. Johnson only gets better as more time goes by, but Hades has proven tonight that some greats simply never lose it, and he is one of those greats!

Stew: Well Dynasty needs someone who’s willing to push the fight to the next level, and the two of these gentlemen proved that when push comes to shove they will go that extra mile in order to bring the crown back home to Friday Night Dynasty, right where it belongs!

( Hades limps up the ramp, sweating profusely in exhaustion from the match he just won. Lucas Johnson is on the floor in the ring, holding his chest and his throat following the Hell’s Gate submission. )

Talib: You couldn’t have asked for a nicer way to kick off the year than with this incredible match, and we still have so much more left on the docket!

( Camera transitions backstage, where The Score are in the arena loading dock all dressed to compete and talking amongst themselves. )

Ryan Wilson: I’m still on a high ever since RTR man, talk about pure ownage!!!!

Shaker Jones: It is such a wonderful feeling to come into 2019 with the kind of momentum that we have. Word has it Theron was ranting and raving earlier.

Ryan: Sounds about right, we totally owned him and we may have single handedly killed The 1% in the process! And there’s not even anything he can do about it either.

Jason McKormick: Imagine the kind of momentum we’ll have once I represent us in the King of Elite finals and bring the crown home to The Score. They’ll never be able to ignore us once that happens.

Ryan: I wish I could have been placed in the tournament too! I’ve got to talk to Starr about that actually, he didn’t even give Shaker and I anything to do tonight.

Shaker: Well we were already planning on going out there and addressing the EAW Universe, why not set up an open challenge? It is Dynasty right? ‘We fight on Friday nights’? If they won’t bring the fight to us, let’s bring the fight to them tonight.

???: Sorry, but tonight won’t be that night.

( The three shift their attention to a team of security who approach them. )

Jason: The hell is this about?

Security lead: (to Wilson) You aren’t authorized to be in the building tonight.

Ryan: Uh, dude, I work here.

Security lead: Not tonight. You were suspended for two weeks following your actions at Road to Redemption, we can’t allow you in the building.

Ryan: WHAT? This is ludicrous!

Jason: This is bullshit!

Security lead: You interfered in a high stakes match, so we were informed to keep you off the premises.

Ryan: So interference is only illegal if you aren’t the chairman’s puppet?! You don’t even look like EAW security, I’ve never seen you people before!

Security lead: We are not employed by EAW, they are considered to be inefficient and incapable of the tasks we have been assigned. We work directly under the Chairman and CEO.

Jason: (scoffs) Fucking figures, this explains fucking everything.

Security lead: Stay out of it sir. Let’s go, Mr. Wilson.

Ryan: I’m not going ANYWHERE.

( Several members of the DDD-employed task force grab Wilson, and both Shaker and McKormick get involved causing a tussle between The Score and the security unit. This results in Shaker being restrained and handcuffed, while McKormick is held back by three security personnel. )

Security lead: Mr. McKormick, unless you would like to forfeit your King of Elite tournament spot we are asking that you remain calm.

Jason: WHO THE FUCK DO YOU PEOPLE THINK YOU ARE?

Security lead: We are simply following orders. We will be removing Jones and WIlson from the premises, and we were asked to monitor your behavior very closely.

( Jason McKormick walks away cursing violently while Jones and Wilson are being forced out of the building by the security unit. )

( COMMERCIAL BREAK — including a recap for last night’s Empire! )

( Camera opens back up to the commentary desk where we see the nameplates of Stew and Talib underneath their figures, as they are prepared to call the next match. )

Stew: We’re back live at the Budokan Arena in Tokyo, Japan and we’re ready to start the second qualifier of the night, where two of Dynasty’s most unpredictable characters on the roster – in Jason McKormick and Kevin Hunter – collide!

Talib: It’s going to be a hardly fought battle but I can’t help but feel McKormick has all the momentum on his side, especially after picking a victory up for The Score a couple of weeks ago.

Stew: There’s not a doubt that Jason McKormick will be feeling confident tonight but he may possibly be shaken up by what took place earlier, as this strange new task force basically hauled his comrades out of the arena with zero warning whatsoever

Talib: He’s got to let that go, Stew. McKormick would be a fool to underestimate the former Openweight Champion Kevin Hunter, the latter having more experience in high stakes matches like these. But let’s not forget that the last time these two men were in the ring together, it was McKormick who emerged victorious albeit in a tag team match.

(Fans are concentrated back at ringside as “The Devil in I” by Slipknot blares through the speakers. Mixed reactions from the arena as the heavy metal intro can only mean the arrival of The Score’s Jay-Mac. Jason McKormick comes out to a rousing mixture of cheers and jeers alike, as The Lunatic steps out onto the stage. Jason is out alone – without Shaker Jones and Ryan Wilson by his side – as he sets down the entrance ramp with a scowl on his face, feeling the weight of opportunity that this match brings; and why wouldn’t he? King of Elite promises stepping into the ring with some of EAW’s brightest talents.)

( DING! DING! DING! )

Stephie Love: The following contest is scheduled for one fall. Introducing first, from Jackson, Michigan, weighing 235 pounds… JASSSOONNN MCCKOORRMICKKK!

(His name evokes a more positive reception as the acknowledgement provokes a wry grin on the face of McKormick, continuing his walk down the ramp before entering the squared circle.)

Stew: Here is, The Lunatic! Over the past couple of months, Jason McKormick has flirted with the feeling of glory as he has figured as a centrepiece to The Score’s rise to prominence, but tonight he’s in singles action. Against Kevin Hunter no less.

Talib: I know Jay-Mac won the last time these two stepped in the ring, but tonight the self-professed Psycho is out here without Shaker Jones and Ryan Wilson. As talented as this man might be, you can’t help but feel that he’s being thrown into the deep-end tonight.

(“DUST” by Tremonti hits! Kevin Hunter emerges from backstage, greeted by a barrage of boos as he mouths inaudibly at the crowd but we can’t hear what he’s saying such is the volume of the Japanese fans. He begins to strut down the stage, onto the ramp as he makes his way down. Nothing mixed about this reception as the EAW faithful let The Devil Incarnate know what they think of him.)

Stephie Love: AND his opponent… Making his way to the ring, from Brooklyn, New York, weighing 235 POUNDS… KEVIIIIIIIINNN HUNNTEEEEEEEEEEEEERRR!!!!

(Hunter too basks in the acknowledgement of his spectators as he cannot hide the massive smile on his face, the feeling of infamy empowering him as he clocks eyes on his adversary Jason McKormick stood in the ring.)

Stew: The former Openweight Champion, Kevin Hunter has something to prove tonight! He wants to get back into the company of the elite and this King of Elite qualifier could very well do that.

Talib: That’s what Hunter offers that McKormick can’t, that big match pedigree. He’s done it before at some capacity. He knows the pressure of this match.

(DING! DING! DING!)

Talib: With both men in the ring, both men move into the centre of the ring as the bell tolls thrice. Jason McKormick smiles as his adversary Hunter proceeds to talk smack as he gets into the face of The Lunatic. Refusing to be intimidated with Hunter in his face shouting, McKormick riles the crowd as he drops the former EAW Openweight Champion with a stiff right hand to the jaw! Kevin Hunter is staggered as he’s seated on the apron and looks up at McKormick who decides to trash talk The Devil Incarnate back. McKormick backs up as he lets Hunter get back to his feet, neither man taking the eye of the other as they have the quality to change the pace of this match in just three seconds. The slightly taller Hunter gets in the face of his less-experienced foe, but Jay-Mac isn’t backing down as he pushes his opponent back and this is the catalyst for Kevin Hunter to respond with a right-hand of his own! McKormick ducks and pivots around his foe, grabbing Hunter by the waist and pushing him into the western ropes, rolling back as he goes for the quick roll-up!

Ref: OOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!!

Stew: Only a one count as Hunter powers out of the pin!

Talib: Both men rise to their feet as Kevin Hunter quickly goes on the offensive, stifling McKormick with a couple more right hands as he forces The Lunatic into the eastern ropes. Hunter continues on his momentum and Irish whips his foe into the opposite ropes, in await to hit the returning McKormick with a dropkick! But Jay-Mac sinks his arms into the top rope to stop himself as Hunter flies and falls onto the mat! Hunter looks up again at his opponent – looking calm and collected as he leisurely leans against the ropes – as he rises to his feet incensed at being ’embarrassed’ so early on in the match. McKormick soaks up the adulation he’s getting as he looks around to see Japanese fans applauding his initiative early on in the match, although the audience prove to be a distraction as his diverted attention sees Kevin Hunter charging at him with a Clothesline! At the death, McKormick ducks and tosses Hunter overhead! Hunter lands on the ring apron and McKormick is aware as he is turns around, but is unable to do anything as he is quickly drawn to the ropes throat-first with a jawbreaker!

Stew: McKormick is gasping for air – clutching his throat – as Hunter glares from the outside with a sinister grin, The Devil Incarnate has control of this match-up once more. Hunter grabs the feet of his adversary and drags McKormick out from under the bottom rope as he draws The Score member out to ringside. Refusing to let his prey arise, the predatory Hunter stomps away at the torso of the vulnerable Jason McKormick. The crowd jeer the onslaught McKormick is suffering but the referee cannot do anything but count the two superstars out.

Ref: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!! TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

Stew: The referee counts fall on deaf ears, only serving to press Kevin Hunter into being more dangerous. He grabs his foe by the hair and brings him up to his feet, not hearing the fourth count as he drives McKormick spine-first into the apron! Jay-Mac groans, arching his back in discomfort but is afforded no opportunity to rest as Kevin Hunter rolls him back into the squared circle. The referee reprimands Hunter – shouting at him for the disregard towards his colleague’s health – but The Devil Incarnate only humours the official, allowing him to get his voice across as the latter awaits Jason McKormick returning to his feet.

Talib: All it takes is three seconds to change the complexity of this match-up and Kevin Hunter used his three seconds to stunt the breathing of his foe, and then fatigue him further going for the back of McKormick. Lurking in await, Hunter hoists his foe once he’s up and drives him down to his chiseled knees as Jason suffers through a vicious Backbreaker! Jason is writhing in pain, arching his spine once more as he lays vulnerable on the mat, vulnerable enough for Kevin Hunter to hook the legs for the pin-fall!

Ref: OOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!! TWWWWWW-

Talib: But it’s only two! It’s going to take more from Hunter to break the resolve of Jason McKormick, the latter thrusting out of the pinning predicament and catching his breath as his opponent ponders on his next attack. “HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW!!!?” screams an invigorated Hunter as he draws heavy jeering from the audience. Hunter eyes up a recuperating McKormick and wastes no time… GOING FOR THE “BURIED ALIVE” CUTTER!!! BUT A DAZED JASON MCKORMICK HAS ENOUGH AWARENESS TO PUSH HIS ADVERSARY AWAY INTO THE WESTERN ROPES! HUNTER BOUNCES AGAINST THE ROPES BUT IS IN LINE FOR JAY-MAC’S “LEGACY” SUPER KICK!! A CLOSE CALL; KEVIN HANGS HIS ARMS ONTO THE TOP ROPE AND THE DEVIL INCARNATE IS ABLE TO EVADE THE SUPER KICK.

Stew: The near-miss doesn’t faze Hunter as he rushes at his foe, but McKormick knocks him back with a swift European Uppercut to the jaw! Kevin backtracks a couple paces as Jay-Mac pursues his opponent, but Hunter instinctively ducks and circles around his foe to grab McKormick by the waist and roll him up for the count!

Ref: OOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!! TWWWWWWOOOOOOOOO!!! TH-

Stew: ONLY A TWO!! McKormick pushes Kevin Hunter off of him but before the latter goes anywhere, The Devil Incarnate is ensnared back by the neck as Jay-Mac wrenches him with an Inverted Headlock Backbreaker! Fans pop as McKormick sends his foe to the ground, writhing in agony as he screams expletives. Jason goes for the cover but Hunter rolls underneath the rope to avoid getting pinned. McKormick reaches over the top rope to grab his foe by the hair but Kevin Hunter goes for the same top-rope jawbreaker that previously subdued Jay-Mac! McKormick pushes the top rope to evade the maneuver and he sees Hunter spring himself up onto the top rope from the apron and lunge at The Lunatic with a Springboard Crossbody! The attack connects and Hunter lands on the torso of his adversary for the cover!

Ref: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!! TWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! THR-

Stew: ONLY TWO AGAIN, AS MCKORMICK RAISES THE SHOULDER… AND ROLLS HIMSELF UP BACK ONTO HIS FEET… CARRYING HIS OPPONENT UP IN HIS ARMS… JASON HOISTS KEVIN HUNTER UP BEFORE SENDING THE DEVIL INCARNATE THROAT FIRST INTO THE TOP TURNBUCKLE. Hunter is leaned against the turnbuckles as he is winded following the innovative counter by Jason McKormick.

Talib: Jason stays on the attack, climbing the top rope as he mounts on the shoulders of Kevin Hunter before leveling the former Openweight Champion with measured punches to the skull! ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! FIVE! The crowd count along in Japanese as each strike is faster than the last: SIX! SEVEN! EIGHT! NINE! TEN! ELEVEN! TWELVE!

Stew: OVERKILL AS MCKORMICK CONTINUES! THIRTEEN! FOURTEEN! FIFTEEN!.. IS INTERRUPTED AS A DESPERATE KEVIN HUNTER STRIDES FORWARD WITH MCKORMICK ON HIS SHOULDERS BEFORE DRIVING THE LATTER DOWN TO THE CANVAS WITH A POWERBOMB! HUNTER TOWERS OVER HIS FOE AS THE REFEREE COUNTS FOR THE PIN-FALL.

Ref: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!! TWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! THRRRRRRRRRRRRr-

Stew: AT THE DEATH, MCKORMICK RAISES HIS SHOULDER! Still stupefied by all the punches laid by McKormick, Hunter gets up and leans back into the eastern ropes catching his breath as his foe lays supine on the canvas. Both men have tore chunks into each other and have shown much they want this win.

Talib: Hunter stalks his prey, awaiting Jason McKormick is back up on his feet before pouncing on the weakened superstar. With McKormick lethargically making it back up to his feet, he is met by ‘THE BURIED ALIVE’ CUTTER! HUNTER LUNGES FORWARD AS HE PUSHES HUNTER INTO THE WESTERN ROPES. HUNTER REBOUNDS OFF OF THE ROPES, HE RUNS INTO ‘THE LEGACY’ SUPER KICK! FANS ERUPT INTO ELATION AS JASON MCKORMICK’S FINISHING MOVE CONNECTS AND THE LUNATIC FALLS ATOP HIS ADVERSARY.

Stew: HE’S COVERING, THE SHOULDERS ARE DOWN!!!!!!

Ref: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!! TWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! THRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

(DING! DING! DING!)

(“The Devil in I” by Slipknot plays up once more as the crowd pop for the victor McKormick!)

Stephie Love: HERE IS YOUR WINNER… JASON MCKORMICK!!!!

( Jason rises up to his feet, getting up lazily as he carries a lot of pain following this high octane contest. )

( Camera opens up backstage to Starr Stan who is in his office, sitting on his desk talking with Thadd Blazevich. )

Thadd Blazevich: Yeahhh man that dude O’Hara is a total G, I was watching RTR eating some brownies and the whole “SYNCON” shtick had me tripping some serious balls.

Starr Stan: I’ve got to admit that was really impressive on his part, having Jamie O’Hara on Dynasty is definitely amazing for business. Wish he didn’t have to be so elaborate about it and fry all of my electronics though…. that’s thousands of dollars that went out the window :noah:

Thadd: Well at least Anonymous doesn’t have your wife’s nudes.

Starr: I guess so..

Thadd: Anyways I can’t wait for the whole tour up in Russia next weekends, I’m totally fixing to bring the vibes to Moscow man.

Starr: Well as long as the “vibes” can make it through customs, I don’t see why not —

( A knock is heard on the door, and Voltage Commissioner Matt Daniels walks in with a smile on his face prompting Starr to get up from his table and shake hands with his fellow staff member. )

Starr: Bout time you got here man! You’re an hour late!

Matt Daniels: My apologies, just had to sort some things out with HR and talent relationships.

Starr: (to Thadd) Mind if you excuse us for a bit Thadd?

Thadd: No problemo dude, but remember, the vibes!

Starr: I’ll remember ’em. Whatever that means.

( Thadd lets himself out. )

Starr: So are things cleared up?

Daniels: Yes sir, as of today Jack Ripley is OFFICIALLY a member of the Voltage roster!

( Crowd can be heard reacting in the background. )

Starr: Sounds good. I know you and I have talked at length about our rosters and Ripley in particular, so I’m sure you understand where I stand.

Daniels: I do. All due respect, I knew Dynasty wasn’t going to be the right fit for Jack from the moment he was first drafted here. I see a lot of myself in him believe it or not, I think he’s an immensely talented guy and I would be a fool to pass up on him.

Starr: He has a gift, man, that’s something that was clear since even before he made his way onto Dynasty. But you see how it is around here, I have to fight multiple battles having Theron and DDD on the roster, constantly having to navigate through the interests of the chairman and the interests of the roster. Hell guys are getting banned from the arena without my permission.

Daniels: Yeah I noticed some shady looking guys dressed in black all around backstage. What’s that about?

Starr: It’s this weird new security detail DDD hired. Can you believe he fired all of the Dynasty security personnel last week? On Christmas Eve no less.

Daniels: Yikes.

Starr: Yep. He traded them in for these new guys he calls the “DDD Task Force.” They only answer to him apparently.

Daniels: Double yikes.

Starr: I know, it’s like I have to fight for control on my own brand. Let’s face it, Jack was —

Daniels: he was spoiled. I get it, he was being pampered way too much with The 1% on this brand and we all saw how he started acting, it was ridiculous.

Starr: Right.

Daniels: Not only that but it’s really counterintuitive to all of the goals he had set for himself since breaking away from Davidson in the first place.

Starr: Exactly! I think Voltage is exactly the place that will force Jack into true independence for the first time in his career. There is so much he has to offer on his own, and the minute he’s forced to fend for himself we’re going to see a completely different, evolved version of Jack Ripley.

Daniels: That’s the plan. It’s going to be sink or swim for him, just like you asked. This is the time for him to show what he’s made of and become one of Voltage’s most impactful players.

Starr: I think he’ll give you an easier time than he did me because I think he understands that this is basically his last chance. If things don’t work out for him on Voltage and he doesn’t fix that attitude then that’s really it for him, Hawk doesn’t even want to deal with him and I’m not taking him back.

( Daniels gets a slack notification from his phone. He rolls his eyes upon reading it. )

Daniels: Speak of the devil, it’s Jack’s attorney. He wants to renegotiate his contract…

Starr: (laughs) That’s all you brother.

Daniels: Well, guess I’ll take care of this, good seeing you man.

Starr: Take care dude, we’ll talk later.

( Daniels picks up the phone and leaves the room while Starr shakes his head smiling. )

( Return back to the arena. )

(Bullet For My Valentine – Your Betrayal Lyrics begins to play as the crowd responds negatively. Eric Crane emerges onto the stage and makes his way down to the ring.)

Stephie Love: The following contest is a tag team match scheduled for one fall. Introducing first, from Long Island, New York, weighing 213 pounds….. ERRICC CRANNEEEE!

(The Night by Disturbed plays as the crowd begins to boo. Jason Ryan comes onto the ramp and makes his way to the ring to join his partner.)

Stephie Love: And his partner, from Billings, Montana, weighing 245 pounds…. JASSSOONN RYANNNN!

(“Blackstar” by David Bowie begins to play as the crowd gives a mixed reaction. Apocalypse and Donovan Cross emerge onto the stage with Soothsayer Hamasa following behind. They then make their way to the ring.)

Stephie Love: Now their opponents, accompanied by Soothsayer Hamasa, APOCALYPSE AND DONOVAN CROSS… THE MONSTER AND THE DEVIL!

(Ding! Ding! Ding!)

Stew: Apocalypse and ERIC CRANE still start things off. Eric Crane is hesitant at first but now he charges… AND APOCALYPSE GROUNDS HIM WITH A BIG BOOT! HE NOW PICKS HIM UP AND THROWS HIM OUT OF THE RING WITH EASE! HE NOW GRABS HIS PARTNER JASON RYAN AND PULLS HIM INTO THE RING! HE PICKS HIM UP…. AND DELIVER A ONE HANDED CHOKESLAM! MY GOD! APOCALYPSE NOW DEAD LIFTS RYAN AND THROWS HIM OUT OF THE RING DIRECTLY INTO ERIC CRANE WHO WAS JUST GETTING UP!

Talib: THIS IS MADNESS BY APOCALYPSE! HE EXITS THE RING! HE NOW GRABS BOTH ME AND TOSSES THEM INTO THE RING! HE PULLS BOTH MEN UP AND DELIVERS ONE HANDED CHOKE SLAMS TO EACH OF THEM! HE NOW TAGS IN HIS PARTNER DONOVAN CROSS! Cross comes in to pick up the remains that Apocalypse left behind! He picks up Jason Ryan… AND DELIVERS A BRAIN BUSTER! HE NOW GOES AFTER ERIC CRANE… THE DAMNED! HE CONNECT WITH THE WHEELBARROW NECKBREAKER AND HE COVERS! THIS MATCH IS OVER!

ONEEE! TWOOOOOOOOOOOOO! THREEEEEEEEEEEE!

(Ding! Ding! Ding!)

(“Blackstar” by David Bowie begins to play as Apocalypse and Soothsayer Hamasa join Donovan Cross in the ring as they celebrate their victory.)

Stephie Love: HERE ARE YOU WINNERS… APOCALYPSE AND DONOVAN CROSS!

Stew: This was complete CARNAGE by these two individuals. They absolutely decimated Jason Ryan and Eric Crane with great ease.

Talib: Apocalypse and Donovan Cross continue to prove just why they’re so formidable. I swear these guys guys me nightmares Stew.

Stew: It never fails, whenever these two arrive you can almost guarantee to see the human anatomy being ripped apart in ways that you’ve never seen before. Friday Night Dynasty returns with more action right after a word from our sponsors!

( COMMERCIAL BREAK — including a hype video for tomorrow’s edition of Showdown live from Osaka, Japan! The GOAT Champion is officially reborn and crowned as we see Ahren Fournier in all of his splendor as the new EAW World Champion! Also Showdown General Manager, Hurricane Hawk, will address the events of Road to Redemption as Showdown moves forward into the new year! )

( Dynasty opens back up from commercial. “King of the Underground” – R.A. the Rugged Man plays and Malik Kennedy walks out to the stage, eyes scanning the Japanese crowd, before he walks down to the ring. )

( DING! DING! DING! )

Stephie Love: The following exhibition match is scheduled for ONE FALL!!!! Introducing first, making his Dynasty debut, from Cleveland, Ohio weighing in at 177 POUNDS, MALIIIIKK KENNEDYYYY!!!!

Stew: Here comes a young man ready for his first EAW match ever, Malik Kennedy coming out of Cleveland, Ohio by way of Lahore, Pakistan. This is a young man who has lived an extraordinary life story, overcoming circumstances including losing his mother and being abandoned by his family all before the age of three! He would make his adopted parents proud by carrying their family name through the independent circuit and cultivate a huge following!

Talib: You know me Stew, I’m a total indy mark, I can feel the beard growing around my neck already – so I was hype as hell when I saw the King of the Underground on the Dynasty roster up on that backstage whiteboard Stew! Lemme tell you this is a guy who you could make a whole movie around, his story is so inspirational and the things he can do in the ring will just completely blow your mind.

( “Blood // Water” by grandson plays and the arena lights completely change as Bowie Gray walks out to the ring with an ominous look about him. )

Stephie Love: His opponent, also making his Dynasty debut, from Salem, Massachusetts weighing in at 185 POUNDS!!! “THE REAPER”, BOWWWIIEEEEEE GRAYYYY!!!!

Talib: Bowie Gray has familiarized himself with members of the EAW Universe and you can tell by this split reaction that they all feel a way.

Stew: We saw him have an impressive run since his debut back on the November 12th edition of Battleground, racking up victories along the way, however this man is truly an enigma, he’s somebody who also went through quite a number of circumstances, and even taught himself his entire wrestling game from the ground up!

Talib: A disturbed and unique individual, Bowie Gray may just be the perfect fit for a roster full of dark and outright dangerous individuals.

( DING! DING! DING! )

Stew: Malik Kennedy comes right out of the corner and circles the ring with a much more stiff, cautious looking Bowie Gray. Gray stares daggers through Kennedy all while Kennedy appears to be happy to be here, offering his hands for a potential lock up. The two engage in the locking of horns and the test of strength already goes into Bowie Gray’s favor after just a brief moment here, with Kennedy being walked back into the ropes…. the official counting away, prompting Gray to step back and deliver a quick jab right to the mouth of Kennedy! Kennedy fires back with a knife edge chop! Follows up with a right hand! Gray fires back with a knee to the midsection which brings Kennedy down to the mat… and he scrapes the heel of his boot against the temple of Malik Kennedy!

Talib: Kennedy writhing on the floor and Gray pulls him up by the head, takes him to the corner and delivers a headbutt to bring Kennedy down to his knees. Gray pulls Kennedy up slowly but surely, and Kennedy fires back with an elbow to the body following up with a knife edge chop! Gray fires back with yet another knee to the midsection, hooks his opponent looking for the vertical, swaps positioning with Kennedy to have his back turned to the corner, and delivers a FISHERMAN’S SUPLEX SLAMMING HIS OPPONENT KIDNEYS FIRST INTO THE CORNER!!!

Stew: Gray slides over Kennedy for a lateral press.

Ref: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!! TWO-

Stew: Malik Kennedy kicks right out of that! Now Gray is… uh what is he doing??

( Bowie Gray turns to his side and tells somebody to “SHUT UP!” but nobody can make out who. )

Stew: Excuse my ignorance Bari, but who the heck is he talking to?

Talib: Must be one of the voices in his head Stew, don’t worry this is nothing out of the ordinary — BUT FROM OUT OF NOWHERE KENNEDY CATCHES BOWIE WITH A STANDING VICTORY ROLL PIN AND MIGHT HAVE CAUGHT HIM AT AN OPPORTUNE MOMENT!

Ref: OOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!! TWOOOOOO-

Stew: Frantic kickout from Bowie Gray! The two scramble up at the same pace, wild lariat by Gray is ducked under by Kennedy and the two turn back towards each other only for Gray to be met with a shoot kick! Another shoot kick! Forearm to the face! Spin kick to the midsection! Gray catches the boot and Kennedy improvises, delivering a NICE windmill kick! Gray is sent rolling out of the ring down to ringside, landing on his feet and slumped over the apron, and Kennedy runs the ropes and fires back with a BIG TIME BASEBALL SLIDE, PLANTING BOTH BOOTS TO THE SIDE OF THE HEAD OF GRAY! Gray tumbles to the floor and recovers at as quick of a rate as he can, and Kennedy SWINGS HIS LOWER HALF UNDERNEATH THE MIDDLE ROPE AND SENDS HIMSELF OUT OF THE RING TO DELIVER A HEADSCISSORS TAKEDOWN ON GRAY! TURNING HIM INSIDE OUT RIGHT IN FRONT OF THESE FANS!

Talib: That was a beautiful and unique move! Malik Kennedy hi-fiving some of these ringside fans here, you’ve got to admit for a Japanese crowd these people sure are hyper! Malik Kennedy perches himself up on the barricade now and waits for Bowie Gray to regain a vertical base…. and once he does LOOK AT THAT! MALIK KENNEDY JOGGING ACROSS THE BARRICADE WITH A TIGHTROPE RUN, AND DIVES OFF FOR A METEORA!!! NOT SO FAST, BOWIE GRAY CATCHES HIM AND SUSPENDS HIM UP ON HIS SHOULDERS! KENNEDY FIGHTING IT, TRYING TO BATTER SHOTS ACROSS THE HEAD, BUT GRAY RUNS HIM SPINE FIRST INTO THE RINGPOST WITH A RUNNING POWERBOMB! BUT HE’S NOT DONE, HE STILL HAS KENNEDY HELD, AND HE TURNS AROUND AND DELIVERS A RUNNING POWERBOMB INTO THE BARRICADE!!! Poor Malik Kennedy just got wiped out!

Ref: (continuing his already started count) FIVE! SIX!

Stew: That was an incredibly display of timeliness and strength from The Reaper. That young man has got a lot of deceptive power to him, hopefully the other Dynasts on the roster don’t take his size as for some form of weakness! Bowie Gray takes a second to regather his bearing and he drags Malik Kennedy up and rolls him back into the ring. Gray follows him in naturally to break the referee’s count at ‘eight’, and he drags Kennedy by the hair to the center of the canvas prompting a citation from the official. Now Gray delivers a flurry of elbow drops straight into the chest, planting one after another after another! After half a dozen elbow drops he props the arm over the sternum, ref slides to the mat —

Ref: OOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!! TWW OOOOOOOOOO-

Talib: Shoulder up by Malik Kennedy! Bowie Gray rushes over to the ropes and comes rebounding off of them with a jumping knee drop right across the temple! Malik sits up holding his head after that one, and now Bowie Gray drops over for yet another attempt!

Ref: OOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!! TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Stew: And yet another kick out from Kennedy! Bowie Gray hooks Kennedy’s head underneath his arm now… PERHAPS LOOKING FOR A DEADLIFT DRAGON SUPLEX!!! BUT KENNEDY IS STANDING HIS GROUND, HE FIRES OFF WITH A COUPLE OF KNEES TO THE HEAD FROM THAT POSITION, AND TWISTS HIS BODY AROUND TO COUNTER WITH A RAINMAKER STYLE LARIAT!!!! Quite a commendable display of heart to fire back so quickly with such a powerful attack, and Kennedy drags himself desperately over to the nearest turnbuckle to help himself recover while Bowie Gray is pulling himself back up on his own. NOW KENNEDY SPRINGS UP TO THE TOP ROPE!!!! SPRINGBOARD DIVING CROSSBODY DELIVERED WITH SUCH GREAT FORM, FLAWLESS EXECUTION ON GRAY, AND FOLLOWS UP BY HOOKING BOTH LEGS!

Ref: OOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!! TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Talib: Kick out from Gray! Kennedy catching his breath for a second and he pulls Gray up from the mat by the arm, perhaps looking for a kimura armbar!!! Gray batters his ribs using the free arm, delivering wicked shots, and Kennedy responds with a knee strike to the chest, arm still held, NOW LOOKING FOR A HAMMERLOCK DDT!!! UNDERGROUND DDT MAY CONNECT, BUT GRAY FIGHTS OUT OF IT WITH ALL HE HAS, BACKPEDALS OVER TO THE ROPES AND SENDS KENNEDY OVER THE ROPES TO THE OUTSIDE WITH A BACK BODY DROP! Kennedy catches himself on the apron just at the last second, steps up to the middle rope and fires off a stiff forearm shot! NOW KENNEDY ATTEMPTING A SPRINGBOARD CLOTHESLINE!!!! BUT BOWIE SPRINGS UP TO THE ROPES AS WELL!!! CATCHES KENNEDY ON HIS SHOULDERS!!!! AND DELIVERS A SPRINGBOARD DOUBLE KNEE GUTBUSTER OFF THE ROPES!!!! HOLY HELL KENNEDY JUST HAD THE WIND KNOCKED OUT OF HIM!!!

Stew: KENNEDY IS PULLING HIMSELF UP TO HIS FEET PURELY ON MOMENTUM, THAT WAS A RIDICULOUS COUNTER, AND BOWIE SPRINTS RIGHT BACK AT HIM!!! PARALYZER!!!!! SUNSET FLIP DOUBLE KNEE BACKBREAKER!!! MY GOD WHAT A DEVASTATING ATTACK, AND GRAY HOOKS THE LEG TO FINISH KENNEDY OFF!

Ref: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!! TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! THREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

( DING! DING! DING! )

( “Blood // Water” by grandson plays and Bowie Gray slowly rises and has his arm held up by the referee. He quickly snatches his wrist away from the official. )

Stephie Love: Here is your winner, BOWIE GRAY!!!

Talib: Not gonna lie to you Stew I came into this expecting Kennedy to take away the win tonight, but you’d have to be a fool to doubt Bowie Gray considering all that he’s accomplished in the past.

Stew: Well in this case you are the fool Bari, because that was just an all around excellent display from Gray; he displayed strength, athleticism, speed and impeccable timing. He has an aggressive style, a dangerous offensive arsenal at his disposal, and proven defensive prowess.

Talib: Kennedy doesn’t look happy with himself following the loss, but there’s a reason why I had this young man as my pick heading into this match, he is so freaking gifted and has proven his ability to set any given venue he competes in on fire. In my view this was still an upset loss, and I know in my heart of hearts Kennedy will bounce back.

( We get a short recap from earlier in the night showing Jamie O’Hara interrupting Theron Nikolas’ scathing promo in order to challenge him for an Answers World Championship match at King of Elite. This would lead to Theron blindsiding Jamie with a knee to the groin, superkicking him and delivering the King’s Requiem. )

( Feed opens back up to Theron Nikolas who is backstage holding his Answers World Championship and ignoring autograph requests as he is on his way to the arena garage. )

???: Theron? Theron excuse me?

( Theron is stopped by Michael Belfort who has a microphone in hand and is looking for an interview. )

Michael Belfort: Can I get just a second of your time?

Theron Nikolas: Not if it’s to ask me about something stupid like “why I attacked Jamie O’Hara.” The son of a bitch wants to blindside me, so I repaid him the favour.

Belfort: I actually wanted to go a different route and ask you about The 1% as a group. Earlier in the night Ryan Wilson took credit for “killing” The 1%, and the case can be made that with Jack Ripley off Dynasty and with Mr. DEDEDE’s status as questionable, things may not look very bright for The 1% and that you are basically a man on an island. Would you be able to speak on that notion perhaps?

Theron: That’s actually a good question, surprising coming from you. Let me make no uncertain terms about it, The 1% is far from —

( JUST THEN — Jamie O’Hara pounces on Theron and tackles him to the ground, beating on him with wild rights and lefts. Theron attempts to escape, but Jamie goes right after him and sends Theron head first into the nearest production crate. He takes Theron by the nape of his neck and flings his body over to a pile of lighting equipment and metal pipes, sending them flying everywhere. O’Hara continues his attack, beating Theron over the head with punches. )

( SUDDENLY — the DDD Task Force rushes onto the scene and rips Jamie O’Hara away from Theron Nikolas. He attempts to fight his way out of their grasp, but they shove him to the concrete floor, dogpile on top of him and force his arms together in order to zip tie his hands. They drag him out of the view in an abrupt manner that disturbs the innocent bystanders, while Theron is on the floor holding his head in pain after being assaulted. )

( COMMERCIAL BREAK. )

( The broadcast opens back up to the Budokan Arena where “Indestructible” by Disturbed is playing over the sound system and Erebus Jennings is in the ring, holding up his EAW PURE Championship and looking prepared for the upcoming match. )

( DING! DING! DING! )

Stephie Love: The following is a KING OF ELITE TOURNAMENT MATCH scheduled for ONE FALL!!! Introducing first, already in the ring, weighing in tonight at 240 POUNDS, HE IS THE EAW PURE CHAMPION.. ERREEEBUUUUUUUS JENNINNNNNGSSSS!!!

Stew: Erebus Jennings is still very much banged up from the Extreme Elimination Chamber that took place 13 days ago back at the 12th annual Road to Redemption event, but Erebus looks fully intact and has been cleared to compete despite being sent THROUGH the ring by APOCALYPSE.

Talib: Most men wouldn’t ever be seen again, much less standing there ready to compete against the Greatest of all Time.

Stew: Well that’s questionable, Erebus is scheduled to compete against Mr. DEDEDE tonight in the KOE qualifying match, but not one person has been able to spot him since we arrived here in Tokyo, so that’s a bit suspicious in my mind.

“ILLEST MUTHAFUCKA ALIVE!!!!!!!!”

( “Illest Motherfucker Alive” by Kanye West plays over the sound system, and the entire arena full of fans appear to mark out expecting Mr. DEDEDE’s arrival. The stage turns a familiar shade of gold, and Erebus stands by prepared. )

Stephie Love: And his opponent…..

( The music continues for a moment, and Erebus anticipates DDD’s arrival. However after 30 seconds, the crowd begins to settle down and Erebus speaks to the official questioning him about DDD’s absence. )

Talib: I guess you were right about being doubtful Stew, like you said nobody’s physically seen DDD or even heard the sound of his voice since Road to Redemption, and I guess I shouldn’t really be surprised that he’s not here tonight, especially considering what happened to him at the hands of Cameron and Camille.

( “Illest Motherfucker Alive” dies down, and the official speaks to a stagehand in order to relay a message to the timekeeper. He then turns to the stage and starts up a count. )

Ref: ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! FIVE! SIX! SEVEN! EIGHT! NINE! TEN! RING THE BELL!

( DING! DING! DING! )

( Stephie Love is passed a message from the timekeeper, and she stands up and picks up her microphone. )

Stephie Love: Ladies and Gentlemen, the referee has deemed this match a forfeit; therefore your winner of this match and advancing to the next round of the King of Elite tournament… EREBUUSSSS JENNINGGSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!

Stew: The audience giving a mixed response to that, these people respect Erebus but at the same time they wanted to see a match up! It is always frowned upon for a marquee to not deliver in wrestling, especially in Japanese wrestling, and DDD has offended the sensibilities of this crowd with his false promotion–

Talib: LOOK OUT!!!! DONOVAN CROSS FROM OUT OF NOWHERE!!!! DONOVON CROSS HACKS EREBUS IN THE BACK OF HIS HEAD WITH A RAILROAD SPIKE!!!!

Stew: WHAT THE HELL?!?!?! WHAT IS CROSS DOING?!

Talib: DONOVAN CROSS HOVERING OVER EREBUS, STOMPING THE HELL OUT OF HIM… OH GOD, OH GOD IN HEAVEN, LOOK WHO’S WALKING DOWN THE RAMP? IT’S APOCALYPSE!!!!

Stew: APOCALYPSE BEING LED BY SOOTHSAYER HAMASA DOWN THE RAMP AFTER THE CARNAGE THAT HE CAUSED EARLIER, AND NOW DONOVAN CROSS DUMPS EREBUS THROUGH THE ROPES, OFFERING HIM UP TO APOCALYPSE ALMOST LIKE A SACRIFICIAL OFFERING…. AND NOW APOCALYPSE DRIVES THOSE BOULDER-SIZED FISTS INTO THE BODY OF A DEFENSELESS EREBUS, AS BLOOD BEGINS POURING DOWN HIS HAIR FROM THE BACK OF HIS HEAD! THIS MAN WAS JUST STABBED IN THE HEAD WITH A FREAKING RAILROAD SPIKE, AND NOW HE IS BEING MAULED BY THE MONSTROUS MAN!

Talib: APOCALYPSE drags Erebus up the ramp like he were a sack of laundry, taking him up to the stage with ease… JESUS DON’T DO THIS! APOCALYPSE HOISTS EREBUS HIGH ABOVE HIS HEAD WITH A MILITARY PRESS CARRY!!! AND TOSSES EREBUS THROUGH A SEGMENT OF THE LED STAGE WALL!!!!!!! MOTHER OF GOD!!!!!

( Erebus’ body lands in a dark back-room full of cables, wires and loose spark plugs. Electrical currents flicker around Erebus, and half of the LED stage completely loses power. A spotlight compensates as a light-source, and APOCALYPSE raises his fists while Soothsayer Hamasa and Donovan Cross join him. )

Stew: What was even the motive for this?! Was earlier not enough for these two???? They already ended the careers of two young competitors, and they have inexplicably turned their sights on the EAW PURE Champion, despite him already being badly banged up from the Extreme Elimination Chamber!

( The audience boos APOCALYPSE and Cross, and Soothsayer Hamasa leads them out of the premises with Cross licking his chops at the damage he’s done, and APOCALYPSE dusting off his hands. )

( Camera transitions backstage to a dressing room labeled “Cameron Ella Ava”. The door swings open, and walking out of it is Cameron Ella Ava, with her usual ring attire on and a towel over her shoulders. Kathy Kush approaches Cameron with a microphone while she’s still in the doorway. )

Kathy Kush: Cam can I have a moment of your time?

( Cam nods. )

Kathy: I know it’s got to be hard to relive all that you’ve gone through over the last couple of months with your feud against Mr. DEDEDE and your family being involved, however tonight presents an opportunity for you to fully move past this and potentially represent Dynasty in the finals of the King of Elite Finals match. You would also, in the process, have the opportunity at becoming the first female King of Elite and having a World Championship opportunity at any event of your choosing. Can you reflect over what you’ve done to mentally prepare yourself for the opportunity ahead?

Cameron Ella Ava: (dejected sigh) Well Kathy it definitely is hard to relive what I went through in 2018, and unfortunately I have to give you the honest truth, I really don’t think I’ve been able to move on from all of that. I’m still thinking about all of the mistakes I made, I can’t help but feel like a fool for being so trusting and allowing a man like DDD to cause so much damage. I feel like I let my mother down, my family down, and as therapeutic as I would have liked the win to be at Road to Redemption, I still have a long way to go before I can fully recover.

But as for tonight, and really as for the new year, I have no choice but to hold on to the glimmer of hope that I have that maybe everything will work out well in the end. I can at least say that the chapter between DDD and I is finished, and I’ll have to give it my all against Devan Dubian tonight because he is a world class performer and there is a reason why he’s in the EAW Hall of Fame. The month of January is a very special time for me though Kathy, in fact tomorrow is my birthday actually, so I’m able to start over fresh not just with the new year but with a new age in my life. Every single day has still been hard for me, even though I have my husband back, and even though DDD is out of my life, I still have to fight the uphill battle that I’ve been fighting from the moment I first arrived to this brand. But with the pain that I’m going through comes purpose, true actual purpose. That’s something that Jamie always tried to remind me of whenever I felt like I couldn’t continue. So for the entirety of this tournament I’m going to continue to push myself and I’m going to take hardship as fulfillment, and bring forward a new age to Friday Night Dynasty. The Age of Cameron, King Cameron Ella Ava.

Kathy: Thank you Cam, and happy early birthday.

Cameron: Thanks.

( Cameron nods and walks off screen, and a caption on the screen reads “NEXT.” )

( FINAL COMMERCIAL BREAK — hyping up Sunday’s edition of Voltage! Landerson meets The Woogieman in the main event for the Big Bhris Bhampionship in a 2 out of 3 Falls match! Also what is next for the World Heavyweight Champion, Rex McAllister? Find out this Sunday at 8PM, 7 Central, only on TNT! )

[5 MINUTE INTERMISSION, Japanese style.]

( The broadcast opens back up to the arena where the fans wait in anticipation for the main event of the evening. )

(“The Sky Is A Neighborhood” — Foo Fighters plays as the crowd gives a mixed, but mostly, positive reaction to Devan Dubian, who seems to be a little in a bad mood due to how things went for him at Road to Redemption. Devan is looking around the crowd before making his way down to the ring.)

Stephie Love: The following match is a KING OF ELITE QUALIFYING MATCH and it’s scheduled for ONE FALL —

Crowd: ONE FALL!!

Stephie Love: Introducing first, from Leicester, England, weighing in 230 pounds, he is “The Amazing Emir”, DEEEEVVVVAAAAAANNNNN DUUUUBBBBBIIIIAAAANNNNNNN!!

Talib: Devan Dubian does not look happy whatsoever, Stew! He managed to make it to the final three in the Answers World Championship Chamber Match, but that is not good enough for him! He believes that he should be Answers World Champion, but Theron Nikolas delivered one of the most amazing and dominating performances I have ever seen!

Stew: Devan Dubian has an amazing opportunity to qualify for the King of Elite Tournament! If I can recall, back in 2015, Devan made it to the King of Elite finals! Devan knows how it feels to make it to the finals, but I believe he would love nothing more than to experience the feeling of winning the entire thing! I think he has a good shot, but don’t count out his opponent!

(“ULTRAnumb” — Blue Stahli blasts through the speakers as the crowd gives a positive reaction as Cameron Ella Ava walks through backstage. It seems like for the first time in weeks, Cameron has gotten her smile back as she walks down the ramp, tagging the hands of the fans on her way to the ring.)

Stephie Love: Introducing his opponent, from Los Angeles, California, she is “The Goddess’, CAAAMMMMEEEERRRRROOOONNNNNNN ELLLLLLAAAAAAA AAAAAVVVAAAAA!!

Stew: Here is a woman, who would love nothing more than to be the first Queen of Elite! Cameron Ella Ava came very close to representing Voltage in the King of Elite finals last year, but I like to think that Cameron can surprise us and qualify for the tournament. She may even surprise us by going far! I wouldn’t be opposed to that, Talib!

Talib: This woman has been through at all and it has made her stronger in some way! I feel like if she is holding nothing back, then anything can happen, but with the men in this tournament, one of them being Devan Dubian, this may make her dreams of being Queen of Elite be nothing, but that!

(Ding! Ding! Ding!)

Stew: A King of Elite Qualifier Match is underway as “The Amazing Emir”, Devan Dubian takes on “The Goddess”, Cameron Ella Ava! The two circle around before locking up! Devan is the stronger competitor as he manages to shove Cameron into the corner and hold it there for the time being! BEFORE ANY COUNT CAN BE MADE, DEVAN GOES AND BEGINS THROWING SOME PUNCHES TOWARDS CAMERON’S FACE! IN THE PROCESS, CAMERON IS SAT DOWN AS DEVAN BEGINS STOMPING ON HER STOMACH AS SHE FINDS HERSELF SITTING DOWN ON THE BOTTOM TURNBUCKLE! THE OFFICIAL IS NEEDING TO BACK AWAY DEVAN AND THIS MAY PROVIDE CAMERON WITH SOME ROOM TO RECOVER! CAMERON DOES HER BEST TO SITUATE HERSELF BACK ON HER TWO FEET AS DEVAN RETURNS TO CONTINUE GETTING THE OFFENSE ON HER! CAMERON TRIES TO GO FOR A KICK TO DEVAN, BUT DEVAN IS ABLE TO STOP THE KICK FROM HAPPENING BY GETTING A GOOD HOLD OF CAMERON’S RIGHT LEG! DEVAN YANKS ON CAMERON’S LEG AND AWAY FROM THE CORNER AS “THE GODDESS” LANDS ON HER BACK! DEVAN BEGINS TO MOUNT AWAY WITH A SERIES OF FISTS TO HER FACE! DEVAN TRIES TO PIN HER SHOULDERS ON THE MAT, BUT CAMERON GETS A SHOULDER UP BEFORE ANY COUNT IS MADE!

Talib: Devan Dubian gets a fistful of Cameron Ella Ava’s hair before running towards the corner and bashing Cameron’s head against the turnbuckle! Cameron goes back as Devan connects with an inverted headlock backbreaker! Man! That had to hurt, Stew! You can tell by the look of Cameron’s face that it wasn’t a pleasant move at all! By the look of Devan’s face, you can tell that he has one move on his mind! Cameron is slowly rising back to her feet as Devan is on her tail! Cameron makes it back to her feet! Bleeding Edge on Cameron Ella Ava!

Stew: Not yet, Talib! Cameron manages to push Devan away from her for a slight second as Devan turns around! Pele kick by Cameron as Devan goes back against the ropes! Cameron gets Devan by his right arm before whipping him to the opposite side! Devan manages to hold onto the ropes as Cameron runs and delivers a knee to Devan’s stomach! That doesn’t exactly make him react in any way, so Cameron connects with a few more knees to Devan’s stomach before Devan has any sort of response to it! Cameron with a single-knee facebuster! Devan stumbles back as Cameron follows that with a sliding dropkick to Devan’s feet as that makes him fall to his knees! Cameron with a ddt as she quickly goes for the cover!

OOOOONE!!

Talib: Devan Dubian with a kick out at one! Devan is not an easy opponent to put down! Cameron Ella Ava is going to need to do a lot more to secure the victory! CAMERON DELIVERS SOME STIFF FOREARMS TO DEVAN’S FOREHEAD! CAMERON GETS DEVAN BY HIS SKULL AS HE SLOWLY RISES BACK TO HIS FEET BEFORE THROWING HIM HEAD FIRST AGAINST THE TURNBUCKLE! DEVAN SPINS AROUND WITH HIS BACK AGAINST THE TURNBUCKLE AS CAMERON TAKES A FEW STEPS BACK BEFORE NOT WASTING ANY TIME IN RUNNING AND CONNECTING WITH A METEORA ON DEVAN DUBIAN! NO! DEVAN MANAGES TO CATCH CAMERON BEFORE SHE COULD FULLY CONNECT WITH THE METEORA! DEVAN HAS HER IN POSITION AS HE CONNECTS WITH SIDEWALK SLAM! DEVAN DOES NOT GO FOR A COVER THERE! IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A NICE TIME TO ATTEMPT A PINFALL, BUT HE GETS TO ONE KNEE BEFORE HE GETS CAMERON BY HER HAIR! CAMERON IS TRYING TO LOOSEN DEVAN’S GRIP ON HER HAIR, BUT DEVAN FLIPS CAMERON AROUND! CAMERON FINDS HERSELF IN A SEATED POSITION AS DEVAN BOUNCES FROM THE ROPES FACING CAMERON AND CONNECTS WITH A BIG BOOT! Cameron goes down on her back as Devan bounces from the ropes again and connects with a knee drop on “The Goddess”! That wicked knee landed on Cameron’s face! Every time Cameron looks like she is building up some momentum, Devan Dubian is the first man to stop it! Once again, Devan is throwing some fists at Cameron’s face! Cameron is trying to block each punch, but when Devan is in the zone, there is no stopping him! Devan goes for the cover on Cameron!

OOOOOOOONE!! TWOOOOOOO!!

Stew: CAMERON ELLA AVA KICKS OUT AT TWO! THIS WOMAN HAS BEEN THROUGH HELL AND BACK! I DON’T THINK DEVAN DUBIAN IS GOING TO BE AN ISSUE WITH HER! DEVAN GETS CAMERON UP TO HER FEET AND WHIPS HER TO THE CORNER! CAMERON LANDS FRONT FIRST ONTO THE CORNER! CAMERON IS GRASPING ONTO HER CHEST IN PAIN BEFORE TURNING HERSELF AROUND! CAMERON IS MET WITH A GIANT CLOTHESLINE FROM DEVAN! DEVAN DUBIAN IS DELIVERING SOME MEAN ELBOWS TO CAMERON’S HEAD! DEVAN IS SHOWING A BIT OF A MEAN STREAK AS IT SEEMS LIKE HAS HAS NO CONCERN ABOUT THE WELL-BEING OF CAMERON ELLA AVA! The official is needing to separate Devan from Cameron! Cameron is seen holding her head back in pain as she tries to process everything that has happened so far and what she needs to do to wear down Devan! After some words to the official, Devan focuses his attention back on Cameron as he goes back to the corner she is sitting at! Cameron connects with a dropkick to Devan’s legs! DEVAN GETS HIMSELF IN A KNEE POSITION! CAMERON WITH A SHOOT KICK TO DEVAN’S FACE! CAMERON WITH ANOTHER SHOOT KICK! A SHOOT KICK AGAIN! IT SEEMS LIKE CAMERON IS TAKING SOME MOVES FROM HER TWIN SISTER, CONSUELA ROSE AVA’S PLAYBOOK WITH REPEATED SHOOT KICKS! ONE LAST SHOOT KICK KNOCKS DEVAN BACK A BIT, BUT CAMERON FOLLOWS THAT WITH A CALF KICK THAT SENDS DEVAN TO HIS BACK OFFICIALLY!

Talib: CAMERON ELLA AVA BOUNCES FROM THE ROPES AND DELIVERS A KNEE DROP TO DEVAN DUBIAN’S CHEST! CAMERON GETS HER KNEE AND DRIVES IT AGAINST DEVAN’S NECK! EASY THERE, CAM! I DON’T THINK THE SMART THING TO DO IS TO ANGER DEVAN EVEN MORE THAN HE IS RIGHT NOW! I BELIEVE THAT CAMERON IS LIMITED ON THE MOVES SHE CAN PERFORM IN THE RING AT THE MOMENT, STEW! DEVAN IS 230 POUNDS. CAMERON IS 130 POUNDS. CAMERON CAN’T THROW DEVAN WITH EASE LIKE HE CAN WITH HER. CAMERON IS GOING TO NEED TO RELY ON TRYING TO KEEP DEVAN GROUNDED AND OUT SMART HIM IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE! With someone like Devan, he is constantly plotting his next move and he has happened to be one step ahead of her this entire match! Cameron gets Devan in position as she goes for a chinlock on “The Amazing Emir”! Just like I said, Stew, I think this may be the best thing that Cameron could do at the moment! Wear down Devan as much as you can. Keep him grounded and watch out for that Bleeding Edge, in which, he can hit at any moment! Cameron is applying pressure onto the chinlock as you can tell by Devan’s face that the pain is getting to him! Devan is struggling to reach the ropes just inches away from him! Devan is trying to muster up enough strength and drag himself to the ropes!

Stew: CAMERON ELLA AVA WRENCHES HIM BACK WITH THAT CHINLOCK! LOOK AT HER, TALIB! CAMERON IS CONNECTING WITH A SLEEPER HOLD WITH A BODY SCISSORS! IT LOOKS LIKE SHE IS GOING TO TRY TO GET DEVAN TO PASS OUT! DEVAN IS TRYING TO BREAK FREE OF THAT SLEEPERHOLD! THIS IS THE ONE SUBMISSION HOLD HE WANTS NO PART OFF! HE KNOWS THAT THE SOONER HE BREAKS FREE FROM IT, THE SOONER HE CAN SHIFT THE MATCH TO HIS FAVOR! CAMERON IS APPLYING MORE PRESSURE ONTO THE SLEEPER HOLD! SHE KNOWS THAT IF SHE LETS DEVAN BACK UP THAT HE WILL SHIFT THE MOMENTUM ON HIS SIDE REAL QUICK! THAT IS SOMETHING THAT CAMERON LEARNED ON EARLIER IN THIS MATCH UP! DEVAN DUBIAN IS TRYING TO ROLL HIMSELF ONTO A CRAWLING POSITION! CAMERON IS LIKE A MONKEY, WHO WILL NOT GET OFF HIS BACK! CAMERON IS NOT LETTING GO OF THAT SLEEPERHOLD! SHE IS NOT GIVING IT UP WITHOUT A FIGHT! DEVAN IS TRYING TO GET HIMSELF BACK ON HIS FEET USING THE ROPES, BUT YOU CAN TELL THAT HAVING CAMERON ON HIS BACK IS DRAGGING HIM DOWN A BIT! SLOWLY, DEVAN MAKES IT BACK TO HIS FEET! HE IS WOBBLY AS HE GOES BACKWARDS TO THE CORNER AS HE TRIES TO BASH CAMERON AGAINST IT! BUT, CAMERON IS NOT LETTING GO! DEVAN GOES FORWARD AND GOES BACK AS HE TRIES TO BASH CAMERON AGAINST THE CORNER AGAIN, BUT NO LUCK FOR DEVAN! FOR A THIRD TIME, DEVAN GOES BACKWARDS AND BASHES CAMERON AGAINST THE CORNER! THIS TIME, IT IS SUCCESSFUL AS CAMERON IS OFFICIALLY OFF DEVAN’S BACK! CAMERON HOLDS ONTO THE ROPES AT THE CORNER AS DEVAN YANKS CAMERON BY HER ARM AND CONNECTS WITH A DISCUS ELBOW SMASH! CAMERON GOES DOWN TO A KNEE AS DEVAN FOLLOWS THAT UP WITH A BIG BOOT! DEVAN GOES FOR A COVER!

OOOOOOOONE!! TWOOOOOOOOO!!

Talib: Cameron Ella Ava kicks out! By the look on Devan Dubian’s face, you can tell that he is getting quite frustrated! He is beginning to question what he is going to need to do to put down Cameron! Cameron does not back down easily and if she does, she doesn’t back down for long! This woman is probably the strongest person, physically and mentally, on Dynasty. THERE IS NO DENYING HER HEART EACH TIME SHE STEPS INTO THE RING, BUT DEVAN IS PUTTING UP A GOOD FIGHT! HE WOULD LOVE NOTHING, BUT TO QUALIFY TO KING OF ELITE! HE KNOWS THE FEELING OF REACHING THE FINALS, BUT NOT WINNING AND WOULD LOVE TO REDEEM HIMSELF FROM THAT! DEVAN DUBIAN PICKS UP CAMERON BY HER ARM AND GETS HER BACK ON HER FEET! DEVAN WITH THE OLYMPIC SLAM! HE IS PAYING HOMAGE TO HIS FRIEND AND DYNASTY GENERAL MANAGER, STARRSTAN! CAMERON GOES DOWN AS SHE IS CLUTCHING HER LOWER BACK IN PAIN! SHE SLOWLY FINDS HER HER WAY BACK UP TO HER FEET! DEVAN IS RIGHT ON HER TAIL AS HE GOES FOR THE BLEEDING EDGE! NO! CAMERON MANAGES TO PUSH DEVAN DUBIAN AWAY FROM HER AGAIN! SHE KNOWS THAT IF DEVAN HITS THAT ONE MOVE, THIS MATCH IS OVER! DEVAN TURNS AROUND AND CAMERON CONNECTS WITH A DROPKICK AS DEVAN GOES BACK AGAINST THE ROPES! CAMERON TAKES A FEW STEPS BACK BEFORE CONNECTING WITH A METEORA TO DEVAN! DEVAN GOES FORWARD AS CAMERON CONNECTS WITH A SUPERKICK AS DEVAN GOES DOWN TO ONE KNEE! CAMERON GETS ON THE TOP TURNBUCKLE! SHE IS WAITING FOR DEVAN TO RISE BACK TO HIS FEET! CAMERON ELLA AVA WITH GLASS CEILING! THE TOP ROPE STUNNER!

Stew: DEVAN DUBIAN CONNECTS WITH A EUROPEAN UPPERCUT! CAMERON GOES BACK ONTO THE ROPES BEFORE GOING FORWARD INTO A SCOOP SLAM FROM DEVAN! DEVAN BEGINS TO STALK CAMERON, WHO IS GETTING BACK TO HER FEET! I THINK THAT DEVAN MAY HAVE HER IN GOOD POSITION FOR THE BLEEDING EDGE! DEVAN WITH A BLEEDING EDGE! NO! CAMERON SLIDES OUT OF THE MOVE! CAMERON WITH KNOCK BITCHES OUT! THE NASTY FOREARM SMASH ON DEVAN! IT SEEMED LIKE THAT FOREARM SEEMED A LITTLE ON THE HARD SIDE AS CAMERON IS SHAKING HER RIGHT ARM! DEVAN FINDS HIMSELF ON HIS KNEES AS CAMERON USES THAT OPPORTUNITY TO HER ADVANTAGE! GODDESS’ TOUCH! THE RUNNING ENZUIGIRI ON DEVAN DUBIAN! NO! DEVAN MANAGES TO GET OUT OF THE WAY! DEVAN HAS CAMERON IN PERFECT POSITION FOR THE FLASH STEP! THE OVER THE SHOULDER BACK-TO-BACK PILEDRIVER! DEVAN DUBIAN RISES TO HIS FEET AND GOES TO CONNECT THE MOVE!

Talib: CAMERON ELLA AVA COUNTERS WITH A ROLL-UP! SHE’S GOING TO QUALIFY FOR THE KING OF ELITE TOURNAMENT!

OOOOOONE!! TWOOOOOO!! THREEEEEEEE!!

(Ding! Ding! Ding!)

(“ULTRAnumb” plays through the speakers again as Cameron Ella rolls out of the roll up with a shocked and excited look on her face.)

Stephie Love: The winner of this match, CAAAAAMMMMMMEEEEERRRRROOOOOOONNNNNNN ELLLLLLLLAAAAAAA AAAAAAVVVVVAAAAA!!

Stew: Cameron Ella Ava qualifies for the King of Elite Tournament! She managed to get an upset on Devan Dubian! What a wonderful way to start off her 2019!

(Cameron Ella Ava rises back to her feet as the official raises her hand in victory.)

Stew: DEVAN DUBIAN CLUBS CAMERON ELLA AVA ON THE BACK OF THE HEAD! WHAT THE HELL HAS HAPPENED TO HIM? DEVAN IS STOMPING ON CAMERON’S STOMACH! WHAT HAS GOTTEN INTO DEVAN! CAMERON HAS DONE NOTHING TO DESERVE THIS! DEVAN PICKS UP CAMERON! DEVAN DUBIAN WITH A BLEEDING EDGE! THE BLEEDING EDGE HAS FINALLY CONNECTED ON CAMERON ELLA AVA, BUT THE MATCH IS OVER! DEVAN IS GOES AT THE CORNER! WHAT IN THE HELL IS HE GOING TO DO? CAMERON GETS IN A CRAWLING POSITION AS DEVAN RUNS AND DELIVERS THE PROPEL TO PARADISE! THE PUNT KICK TO CAMERON! CAMERON IS OUT OF IT! THAT VINDICTIVE BASTARD DEVAN DUBIAN PICKS UP CAMERON AGAIN! IS HE GOING FOR ANOTHER BLEEDING EDGE?

(The crowd cheers loudly.)

Talib: THAT’S MS. EXTREME! CAMILLE JANE AVA HAS COME TO HER SISTER’S AID! SHE HAS HELPED HER SISTER OUT ON A FEW OCCASIONS WHEN IT CAME TO THE ONE PERCENT, BUT CAMILLE AVA HAS RACED INTO THE RING WITH A KENDO STICK IN HER HAND! DEVAN DUBIAN SLIDES UNDERNEATH THE RING ROPES! THIS IS NOT WANT FIGHT THAT HE WANTS A PART OF! I’VE KNOWN CAMILLE FROM REVOLT! YOU DO NOT WANT TO MESS WITH THIS WOMAN! MAKE AN ENEMY OUT OF HER AND YOU MAKE AN ENEMY FOR LIFE!

(“ULTRAnumb” plays again as Ms. Extreme checks up on Cameron Ella Ava. It seems like Cameron is waking up a bit. Ms. Extreme looks at Devan Dubian going up the ramp and is shaking his head.)

Stew: Thank god for Camille! I don’t want to imagine how worse things would have gone if Devan Dubian connected with that second Bleeding Edge!

( Devan Dubian looks back with an evil glare, receiving a ton of heat from the fans, and has an uncharacteristic sinister countenance following that attack. )

Talib: Devan Dubian has snapped.

Stew: That is a look in Devan’s eye that I haven’t seen in years, Bari. Could tonight have been the awakening of a sleeping giant?

( Devan continues his walk up the ramp and is being chastised by Starr Stan on the stage for his uncalled for assault. Devan completely ignores Starr and the last thing that is seen on the broadcast is Devan Dubian walking through the curtain without looking back. )

( EAW logo buzzes )

Written by Anna C. Flowers

Empire 1/3/2019

Showdown 1/5/2019