FFW Velocity - March 5, 2020

[Adam Grant]

Live from the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota
March 8, 2020

The FFW logo flashes across the screen before we see Raven Knight looking up at the sign outside of a local tattoo parlor. A smirk covers her face as she pushes through the door to go inside before “Out for Blood” by Sum 41 starts to play.

Zero chances, no way out
No solutions, give in now
There's no point resisting, there's nobody listening

As she walks through, there’s two tattoo artists waiting as they watch television on a big screen. They see Scarlett & Emma of Chaotic Temptation heading towards the ring, Kelly Kincaid nailing her cyclorama from the top rope, Valerie McKinley and Kyle stepping out of a limo, and Abigail Lindsay propped up on her elbow looking across at Andi Takata.

All that we have is just slipping away
And I don't believe that it's gonna be okay
You can't stop the bleeding, it's almost too late
You're leaving us all the behind with hell to pay

The two artists look up at Raven before one of them offers a chair to her. She strolls over and makes herself comfortable, and starts telling him what she’s looking for. He shows her some of his work, while his partner is still watching the monitor.

Silence, they don't hear you calling
The further down you fall
No, they're not there at all
'Cause they're already gone

The next shot shows Valentina Lozano admiring her Global Wars medals, Luci heading into the arena with her husband behind her, Lacey emerging from underneath the stage at Unstoppable 10, Jordan Majors counting stacks of money with a grin, and Areum Jijang screaming at her Max doll.

So tell me what's real
'Cause I don't know if I can feel
So tell me what's right
'Cause I don't see the light

As Raven picks out the image she wants, the artist prepares his tools just before we cut to the live show. Thousands of fans roar as they see themselves on television, while the Sum 41 song continues to play throughout the arena. Spotlights flash through the crowd as Kat Grayson heads for the ring. We then see Zack and Dante.

Zack: Welcome to the Twin Cities! You're watching the last Velocity before Relentless, and we are all the way live from St. Paul, Minnesota! Isn't this where you're from?

Dante: Fake news! I was born in this state, but I have always been Canadian at heart! Stop spreading these falsehoods.

Zack: Where the hell were you anyway at Breaking Point?

Dante: Sorry, I can't stand New Jersey. But tonight, we got an Unlikely Allies tag team main event with the Evolution Champion Scarlett Silver teaming with Bianca Reed to meet Lilly Arthur and the next No Surrender Champion Valentina Lozano!

Zack: Nice segue there. But he's right, fans! All that and a whole lot more. So Kat, if you're ready, let's get this show going!



 

The camera follows Kat Grayson as she moves towards the center of the ring with her microphone in hand. And she begins the introductions from there.

Kat: The opening contest of Velocity is scheduled for one fall to a finish!

Zack: Dawn Lohan has been having Gold Standard problems since practically the day she set foot in FFW, and now she’s about to deal with a founding member of the group. 

Dante: Talk about being out of your depth! What on Earth makes her think she can hang with someone like Valerie McKinley?!

Mz Hyde by Halestorm echoes from the loud speaker.

Dawn Lohan pushes her way through the curtain. She stands in front of the entrance way, she takes a moment to soak in the reaction from the crowd. As the music is coursing through the arena she knows she can't delay the inevitable.

Kat: On her way to the ring, from San Diego, California, weighing in at one hundred and thirty pounds, DAWN... LOHAN

She slowly makes her down to the ring, all business.

She makes her way to the ring steps. When she reaches the top of the steps, she walks along the apron. Grabbing the top rope she pulls back, using the momentum she propels herself forward over the top rope into the ring. She immediately springs up. She walks to the turnbuckle, stands on the middle turnbuckle soaking in the atmosphere. She hops off the turnbuckle and remains in the corner until the match gets underway.

Zack: She’ll be meeting Elizabeth Lannister at Relentless in her Pay Per View debut here in FFW, only on All Access. We also recently found out she’ll be representing FFW at the third Impact event in April. 

Dante: I don’t get why that’s the case either! I am sure Miss Star, in her brilliance, knows what she’s doing. But I don’t.

The lights in the arena sharply cut off, leaving everything in complete darkness. The chiming of a clock is heard echoing in the darkness, followed by a chipper, circus like chime tone. As the tone chimes on, a vibrant gold spotlight shines down on the top of the stage. The circus chimes are soon replaced by the opening chorus of “Villain” by Wildfire.

"Tic tic toc, the time bomb clock
Ticks grinning ear to ear here baby
Tic Tic Toc, the time bomb clock
ticks counting down...
tic, tic stop!"

At the exact moment “stop” is sung, the song kicks into full gear, setting off a series of shimmering gold strobe lights going off on either side of the ramp. A few seconds pass before the controversial redhead, Valerie McKinley makes her way out from behind the curtain and stands in the immediate center of the stage, standing in the gold spotlight. Coming out behind her and standing next to her was her manager, one Kyle Kilmeade.

"You know I speak in riddles,
And I’m plotting to destroy
Villain as I always was
Crazy is as crazy does"

Clad in a mid-thigh length leather jacket worn open over her gear, Valerie looks around at the crowd showering her with a rousing chorus of boos. Her championship is slung over her right shoulder as she looks over at Kyle and the pair simply shake their heads. The strobe lights begin to lessen in intensity as the pair makes their way down the aisle, her arms at her side and a focused look on her face. As she makes her way to the ring, the fans on either side of the aisle make their displeasure at her appearance rather noticeable, which Valerie simply dismisses with an arrogant flip of her hand.

"My sanity's in short supply
Mad as a hatter, hey surprise!
T-T-T-Ticking bomb on the inside
Livin' with the villain pacing in my mind."

Kat: Ladies and gentlemen, making her way down to the ring, being accompanied by Kyle Kilmeade…..from Providence, Rhode Island...she is the reigning co-holder of the FFW Unity Tag Team Champions…….Valerie McKinley!!

The boos grow louder as Kyle hops up onto the apron and climbs into the ring. Valerie hops up onto the apron and spins around so her back is resting on the ropes. With her head bowed, she lifts both arms up towards her head and has her pointer finger and thumb on both hands close to her head. She lifts her head up and extends her arms out, her fingers pointing out at the crowd like pistols. She then makes a motion like she was firing her finger guns at the crowd before turning around to see Kyle already holding the ropes open for her. She steps through the open ropes and into the ring.

"I'm blowing up the mystery
And all the pretty things you see
Light flame to fuse
And Sparks will fly
You said goodnight
Now say goodbye."

Once in the ring, she walks around with her left arm extended outward,her right hand hoisting her title aloft, reveling in the heat from the crowd. She walks over to the corner and peels off her jacket, letting it drop to the apron as the lights return to normal and her music fades out. She rests her back against the turnbuckles and brushes a few stray strands of hair out of her face, awaiting the start of the action.

Dante: I don’t have to tell you what a fan I am of Valerie McKinley! She’s the best Valerie in the history of the sport, if you ask me.

Zack: Well that doesn’t cover a lot of ground, does it? Name me four other Valeries you know that aren’t on this roster. Go ahead, I’ll wait. 

Referee Ashley Pruitt checks both women for weapons, and immediately calls for the bell to start the match. Dawn starts rallying the crowd behind her by pointing at Valerie, and getting boos then at herself and getting cheers. This causes the redhead to roll her eyes as they meet in the center. Dawn points to Valerie again, receiving boos and catches a thumb in the eye when she points to herself. McKinley quickly follows up with a few quick forearms to her head before snapping her over to the mat with a side headlock. But Dawn doesn’t stay down for very long at all, and immediately gets back to her feet. She tries to shoot Valerie into the ropes, but the Unity Champion isn’t going for it. 

Dante: That’s what you get when you try to embarrass someone like Valerie. Dawn needs to realize who her superiors are. 

Zack: Dawn likes to entertain the crowd, and there’s nothing wrong with that. After all, they are the ones who buy the tickets and merchandise that pay our salaries.

Dawn tries to shoot her off again to no avail. So instead she scoops her up into an atomic drop, which does shake Valerie loose. When the redhead turns back around, Lohan catches her with a running clothesline that sends her to the mat. Lohan keeps going though, and bounces off the near side as McKinley starts to get to her feet. She catches her with a running knee to the ribs that doubles her over before using a kneelift to the face. It stands Valerie up for a half second before Dawn drops her with a side Russian leg sweep. She nips back up to her feet with a smile and quite a bit of appreciation from the crowd. 

Dante: She’s had one match in FFW, so why are they so happy for her? What has she done to deserve any of this reaction? 

Zack: The crowd is going to go for almost anyone who is across the ring from the Gold Standard. Unlike you, they aren’t all sycophants for wealthy people. 

Dawn grabbed both of Valerie’s feet before she could get up, and delivered a double leg drop to her abdomen. She rolled back to her feet, and scooped her feet under both arms this time and fell backwards into a catapult. McKinley managed to land on the middle rope rather than hit the corner, and caught Dawn as she was starting to get up with a mid-air knee strike that dropped her where she stood. The redhead looked none too amused with Dawn’s antics, and dropped a knee into her head. 

Zack: Valerie showed off some excellent reflexes right there, and turned the tables quickly on Dawn as a result. That face tells the whole story.

Dante: You mean that angelic face? The face of the woman standing in the ring looking down on Dawn and everyone else in the arena? You mean that face, right? 

Valerie raked Dawn’s face across her boot laces to blind her as she pulled her back to her feet. A reverse DDT drove the newcomer into the mat before the One Percenter started driving knees into Dawn’s back repeatedly. They slowed the blonde down, and allowed Valerie to drop down and apply a STF submission. The referee moved down in front of her to check to see if she wanted to stop the match, but Lohan told her she didn’t. 

Zack: This is the kind of pace that Valerie likes. She’s not flashy or a high flyer, but she does like to ground her opponents and work them over as a result. 

Dante: Of course, she does. High risk means just that, high RISK! Valerie’s not a risk taker. You don’t get to be that rich taking dumb risks. 

Valerie told her to quit, but Dawn had no interest in that. As a result, McKinley poured on the punishment and tried to get more pressure in the hold as a result. After the referee checked with Dawn again, the blonde reached up and started trying to pull Valerie’s hands apart to break the hold. And it was working after a few seconds, causing Valerie to retaliate with an elbow to the top of her head. She quickly got to her feet, and grabbed Dawn by the head as she was doing the same to drive her into the mat with a facebuster before rolling her over for the cover. 

Dante: Look at that, Hudson! Right on the beak!

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Dawn kicked out at two, and tried to roll away from her opponent. She made it almost to the ropes before Valerie went to get her. When the redhead tried to pull her up though, Dawn surprised her with a jawbreaker that sent her backwards a couple steps holding her mouth. 

Zack: Dawn created a little distance and gave herself a second, and just introduced Valerie’s lower jaw into her head!

Lohan charged towards her, catching her with a scorpion kick that sent her stumbling back into the nearby corner. She immediately followed her in with a running forearm to the mouth, and followed up with a flurry of kicks to her body followed by a thrust kick to the stomach. She shoved Valerie out of the corner, and hopped up onto the second turnbuckle from the inside. As the redhead turned to see where she was, Dawn launched herself into a windmill kick that floored Valerie before she immediately went for the cover. 

Zack: Dawn’s feet are damn lethal when she gets them going, and Valerie will have to agree after she wakes up!

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

THR-NO!!

McKinley gets her shoulder up in time as the crowd is loudly behind Dawn now. When the One Percenter sits up on her knees, Dawn begins firing off a flurry of kicks again to her chest at a fast clip. She finishes it with a high knee to the head that drops Valerie back to the mat.

Dante: You don’t have to say it, that’s the LOHAN BARRAGE! And I----oh look, Zack! We’ve been graced by a vision.

The crowd began to boo as Dawn looked to see what they were seeing, only to find Elizabeth Lannister strolling towards the ring. She greets Kyle before he moves around the ring, and Dawn gives her a cold stare. The “Lioness” looks up at her with a look that says “What’s your problem?” and gets answered when Dawn charges the ropes...only to dive over them into a plancha onto Elizabeth. Mounted punches follow that to the delight of the crowd. 

Zack: Elizabeth Lannister has no business being at ringside, but Dawn decided to welcome her anyway, especially after their last interaction!

Dante: She’s done NOTHING at all, but come out to the ring! This is a senseless violent attack on a woman who has done no wrong. And you can’t convince me she ever has honestly.

Valerie rolls out to the floor, and catches Dawn from behind with a running knee to the back of her head. She tosses her back into the ring, and helps Elizabeth up. The pair join forces in the ring, and both begin to attack her. McKinley holds her up with her arms pinned as Elizabeth takes free shots to her face. The referee calls for the bell before yet another member of the Gold Standard heads to the ring, this time being Lacey. Valerie shoves Dawn into the other half of the tag champions before she connects with her swinging reverse STO.

Zack: This isn’t a match, it’s a mugging! We got most of the Gold Standard out here doing the dirty work for Elizabeth before Relentless.

Dante: Heartwarming, isn’t it? I love to see women band together and overcome all the obstacles. It’s terribly moving!

Valerie pulled Dawn up for Elizabeth before cheers began to erupt from the crowd. That was due to the fact that NHB charged down the ramp, sending the Gold Standard out to the floor with their manager. Angela and Jem circled in the ring, inviting any of the Gold Standard to come back before Angela helped Dawn to her feet.

Zack: Thank goodness for Angela and Jem! The Gold Standard wants nothing to do with a fair fight! And with the sides even, now they decide to take a powder!

Dante: Of course, they did! There’s nothing on the line here, the match is over! NHB just likes to get involved in business that’s not their own. And they’ll pay for that at Relentless just like Dawn will for that unprovoked senseless attack.

As the blonde got to her feet, Dawn looked none too happy as she stared up at the ramp at the group of women and their manager before the show headed elsewhere in the arena. 




When A New Door Opens

Carson Black is seen next as he is near “Midnight” Mila Martin backstage, and as the camera approaches, it looks like he’s congratulating her for something. 

Carson: Miss Martin, I wanted to congratulate you on your victory last week over Miss Lindsay. That was very impressive, and from what I am hearing, has opened some new doors for you as a result. 

Mila: Thanks Carson. I was pretty pleased with that result myself. I’m curious though… what new doors have been opened? And are we sure we know what’s on the other side of them?

Carson: Miss Lindsay is in a #1 contender match at Breaking Point for the Fast Track Championship with Harley Shannon. And you just defeated her in her last match. I’d say that puts you into direct contention for whomever wins and especially if they get past Lacey whenever they have their title shot. 

Mila: To get my name into discussions about the Fast Track Championship is definitely the kind of direction I want to be heading in. That is an unexpected bonus that I have to see, I’m pretty pleased to hear about. 

Carson: I’ll be looking into making that happen sooner than later. I’ve already taken the liberty of putting out open contracts to anyone else in the division, while we await your eventual opportunity. Never hurts to build your case beyond just one match. A wave of momentum is never bad to have behind you.

Mila: It would be nice to test myself against others in the division, and a wave of momentum would be a great thing to have. It’s just getting it that seems a bit more challenging. 

Carson: It always has to start somewhere, and no better time than now. Besides there’s some very stiff competition chasing that title. Luci, for example, comes to mind. She too built up quite a momentum-fueled wave, only for Lacey to unfortunately stop it in its tracks. Then there’s Harley Shannon, a fellow Future Shock alumni of yours.

Mila: Both Luci and Harley are amazing competitors and it’s no wonder at all that they are front runners in the Fast Track division. Testing myself against one… or both of them, would be a great experience. You only get better by going up against the best after all. 

Carson: I also have you and Miss Storm lined up for a tag match or two post Relentless. Who knows? Of all the people whose footsteps you could follow in, it might be Lacey’s. She has a singles and a tag title. No reason you can’t do the same, is there? 

Mila: There’s no reason at all. And I do enjoy teaming up with Caitlyn, her energy and outlook is almost infectious. Even if I can think of about a dozen people at least whose footsteps I’d prefer to follow in than Lacey’s. 

Carson: In this case, I think it would be more than acceptable. Let’s go find your partner, and I’ll tell you both what the schedule looks like.

He pats her on the arm before they head off camera, and Velocity heads to a commercial break. 

[Adam Grant]

Kat: The following contest is scheduled for one fall to a finish.

Zack: I understand we’ll be hearing from Savannah Star after this match is over, who is still waiting on word if she gets her rematch with Casey.

Dante: I can’t imagine why she would want it. The woman has clearly beaten her to the point that she’s abusing her own husband in outbursts of anger!

The dark, haunting opening chords of Kamelot’s “Liar Liar” fill the arena as it is bathed in silver strobes. As the drums and guitar kick in, the lights in the arena flash a deep red and orange, coming down then to show two people on the ramp, a man and a woman, The woman is Angel, and the man Christian Kincaid. Angel is down on bended knee, fist pushed into the ramp. She comes up without warning and as she does, flashes of fire go off all around her.

Would you pray if I said you were dying?
Would you be a little stronger, or fall down on your knees?
Would you stay with me if you knew that I was lying?
Would you walk away or turn the other cheek?

I tremble where I stand,
My wish is your command,
The nature of a truly desperate heart.
Give me something real so I can truly feel,
(Liar liar) on the wall.

As the verse and bridge are played, Angel and Christian make their way down the ramp, the platinum blond deliberately keeping as far from any fan contact that she can. At the bottom of the ramp, she stops and looks out around her while Christian has headed to her corner.

Kat: Making her way to the ring, please welcome ANGEL!

Whisper, whisper in the dark,
Tell me what you see.
Poisoned by your fly-infested poetry.
Liar, Liar on the wall, give the world to me.
Wasteland or a monarchy (liar liar)
Tell me what you see…

Angel walks up the steps and through the middle rope, where she heads to her corner and waits for Christian to hop up to share some last minute things with her and the music goes out.

Zack: Angel just picked up her first win since coming back to FFW recently, and I’m sure that’s put a little pep in her step and given her a little added confidence.

Dante: Do you think she NEEDS confidence? I mean any woman who wanders around with piano wire at the ready doesn’t scream self esteem issues to me.

The arena is plunged into darkness, punctuated only by the soft, subtle, plucking of harp strings picking out the tune from the hymn “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands” only just loud enough to be audible by the capacity crowd. As it plays a group of people start to emerge from the backstage area in the darkness, forming up in ranks on the stage quietly humming the tune as they do so. The choir finally gets all formed up on the stage in a semi-circle; the song getting louder and louder as more voices add to it only to cut suddenly as, with a fanfare of trumpets, a sudden blinding white light floods the whole building. The light narrows down to a single point high above the stage where a single figure is slowly descending from the heavens. The woman almost seems to be glowing in her bright white robes, her hair almost a flame red crown around her head. The eyes of the choir all turned towards her, singing out an awed ‘Aaaah aaaaah aaaah’ to accompany the angel’s descent only for her to become more and more recognisable as Casey Atherton the lower that she gets. As she lands in the middle of the horseshoe two members of the choir move forward to help her out of her robes, leaving her in brilliant white ring tights and smock like top. Cradling her hands together, the red haired woman begins to slowly walk down the entrance ramp; the choir following behind her as they start to sing. All the time the woman is bathed in the same bright, pure white light.

She's got the whole world in her hands
She's got the whole wide world in her hands
She's got the whole wide world in her hands
She's got the whole world in her hands

As she makes it to the ring, she extends her arms out from her body, almost in a crucifix position and two members of her choir lift her up almost reverentially onto the ring apron, while two more scurry up onto the apron and hold the ropes open for Casey to step inside the ring as the rest of the choir surround the ring, continuing to sing the song as Atherton flashes a bright smile to the crowd, circling the ring only to stop on each side of the ring and bless those in attendance.

Kat: Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome at this time…”THE SAVIOUR” CASEY ATHERTON!!!!

Casey finally returns to her corner, eyes turned to the heavens as she seems to be praying while she waits for the match to begin.

Zack: What can I say about Casey that’s not already been said? Maybe if we’re lucky, one of her kicks will take out another broadcast partner tonight.

Dante: It would certainly serve your-HEY, BITE ME HUDSON!

Referee Jennifer Stringer waits for Kat to be completely clear of the ring before calling for the bell to get the match underway. Angel starts to head out of her corner but as she spots Casey still appearing to be praying in her corner, she stops and leans back against the ropes with an almost bemused expression on her face. The St Paul crowd boos “The Saviour”, but she pays them no attention at all. Angel carries on watching Casey, but her foot starts to tap against the canvas as it goes longer and longer. Finally Atherton finishes up her prayer and extends her arms to look upwards, before leaving her corner and making her way to the centre of the ring.

Zack: So who are you going to be supporting here? I’m going to guess Casey, right? Do you get some kind of kickback from her?

Dante: The only kickback I have is knowing that I’m helping spread the good word of the Almighty each and every time she’s in the ring.

Angel checks that Casey is quite ready now before heading to the centre herself and narrowly dodging an oncoming forearm from Atherton. The platinum blonde straightens and instead cracks “The Saviour” with a forearm of her own before starting to lay right hands into the side of her head one after the other. Casey starts to get pushed back a few steps before she plants her feet and hits Angel with a palm strike to the chest. Angel raises her hand to rub the spot and Casey attempts a second palm strike but Angel reaches out quickly and catches her by the wrist. The platinum blonde transitions into a wrist lock and holds it while she starts to fire shots with her free hand into the side of Casey’s head again. Several hit rapidly before Casey manages to duck her head and spin underneath Angel’s arm to reverse the wrist lock into a hammerlock on the platinum blonde. She drives her elbow into Angel’s back several times before she keeps the hammerlock in place and then uses a hammerlock DDT to drive Angel head first into the canvas.

Dante: Going after Angel’s head is a waste of time, it’s already pretty effed up in there. But who am I to second guess Casey?

Zack: You don’t have to, I’m happy to do it for you. She’s a few bricks shy of a load, despite being a very competent wrestler.

Angel starts to pull herself back up to her feet quickly and gives her head a little shake to clear it as Casey closes the gap between them. A standing dropkick from Atherton hits the platinum blonde square in the chest and knocks her backwards into the ropes. Another palm strike to the chest follows from Casey before she grabs Angel by the arm and fires her across into the opposite ropes. Angel rebounds off them and Casey grabs her into a front facelock. She takes hold of Angel with her free hand then lifts her until she is almost vertical. Falling forward, Casey bounces Angel’s body off the top rope behind her and uses the momentum to quickly lift her overhead before falling backwards, completing the slingshot suplex and driving Angel into the canvas again.

Zack: We found out not too long ago that Angel here will be meeting Jordan Majors of the Gold Standard at Relentless.

Dante: You gotta love Jordan, don’t you? She’s just a lovely girl, and a fantastic addition to the Gold Standard.

Casey extends her hands and looks towards the roof for a moment, before she measures the downed Angel and takes off towards the ropes. She measures again before climbing up onto the top rope and steadying herself. Then measures once more before she moves quickly to come off the top rope with a leg drop across the chest of the downed platinum blonde before throwing her arm across her body for the cover, as Stringer slides into place beside them for the count. 

Dante: Casey may be allowing Angel to look a little too good for this match. I say just put her away as quickly as possible.

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-NO!!!

Angel kicks out before the two is fully complete and as Casey pushes back to her knees, Angel rolls out of the way of her.

Zack: Trust me, she is. Atherton would rather be whoring her app on social media than taking punishment from Angel.

The platinum blonde rolls back to her knees and then on up to a fully vertical base, before she has to duck again quickly to avoid an oncoming elbow from Casey.  Straightening back up again, Angel manages to avoid another strike from the “Saviour” and grabs her by the shoulders. Pulling her forward, she buries her knee into Atherton’s ribs. Keeping her grip on her shoulders, another knee strike hits the same spot, and a third, before Angel lets go of her shoulders and grabs her by the wrist instead to fire her across into the corner. Casey hits back first at speed, and Angel follows her in stepping up the ropes beside her to deliver an enziguri that sends her stumbling forwards out of the corner. The platinum blonde pulls her back up to her feet and drives her knee into her ribs again before she fires her across into the opposite corner. Casey hits back first again and Angel starts to follow her in once more, but slams on the brakes suddenly to avoid hitting the turnbuckle, as Casey ducks through the ropes onto the apron to avoid her.

Zack: Do you think Samantha is going to give Savannah her wish and book a rematch with Casey at some point?

Dante: Knowing her as the benevolent woman she is, I’m sure she will do that. I certainly wouldn’t though. Savannah has a lot of nerve asking for anything after her betrayal.

Before Angel can turn around, Casey ducks back into the ring behind her and attempts to grab hold of her, much to the disdain of the St Paul crowd. Their ire is unnecessary though as the platinum blonde spins on a dime and straight away delivers a roundhouse kick that connects with the side of Casey’s head and sends her reeling backwards. A big boot follows which knocks the “Saviour” back a step and Angel follows with another roundhouse kick that drops her like a rock to the canvas. Casey starts to rise up again quite quickly, helped by Angel grabbing her by the shoulders to pull her back up. As soon as the “Saviour” is upright Angel pulls her forward to drive her knee into her ribs again before using an uppercut to stand her back upright. She repeats the sequence again, before firing her across into the nearest corner again.

Dante: Casey needs to bring this match down to the mat, that’s where she is the most effective. She can’t be playing Angel’s game.

Zack: Thank you for one of the few insightful comments you’ve made tonight, might even say all year honestly.

Casey hits back first again and this time the platinum blonde follows her in with a baseball slide to her ankles that takes her feet out from underneath her and causes her to face plant the canvas, despite trying to stop herself. Angel climbs up onto the turnbuckle as Casey scrambles back up to her feet and the second the “Saviour” turns around, Angel launches herself off to deliver a hurricanrana that flips Atherton to the canvas. Casey makes it back to her feet, but almost the exact second she does Angel is back on her case with a single leg dropkick that knocks her into the ropes. Casey rebounds and Angel hits her with a big boot that drops the “Saviour” like a rock. Atherton staggers back up to her feet, slower this time and Angel catches her for a hair pull facebreaker that leaves Casey laying on the canvas once again. Measuring for a second the platinum blonde leaves her feet and lands a standing moonsault across Casey’s chest before she goes for a cover, prompting Stringer to get back into place for the count.

Zack: Angel with the grace of a swan, and there’s the cover!

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

TH-NOPE!!!

Casey rolls her shoulder before the three, and Angel sits back on her knees. She takes a moment before rolling back to her feet.

Dante: A swan?! There’s nothing swanlike about her, if you ask me. Ever got a moonsault from a swan?

Angel straight away moves to start pulling Casey up to a vertical base. As soon as she is on her own two feet, Angel releases her to aim a shot at her head, but Casey manages to duck it and uses a forward Russian leg sweep to knock Angel to the mat. Casey takes a moment to gather herself and looks as if she is praying for a moment as Angel gets back up to her feet behind her. Angel attempts to grab her from behind but Casey spins around quickly with a spinning elbow to the side of Angel’s head that sends her reeling backwards onto her heels. Casey follows after her and leaves her feet for a running crossbody that crumples them both to the canvas.

Dante: You know Jordan is probably watching this match, because well… I like to think of her being that kind of wrestler.

Zack: One who researches her opposition? Well yeah, isn’t that most wrestlers? If you don’t do it, you’re not going to do very well in this business.

Casey pops back up to her feet and extends her hands to the crowd and her choir, with the former booing her loudly and the latter applauding her. She looks to the roof again and then stands over the still downed platinum blonde. She grabs one of Angel’s legs and then does a spinning toe hold and grabs the other leg. She crosses them into a four and falls to the mat, applying pressure to Angel’s legs as she does. Angel gives a grunt of pain and Stringer drops down beside her to ask if she wants to give in. She gets a very definite no in response as Angel props herself onto her elbows to keep her shoulders off the canvas. She looks around her and spots the ropes out of reach. She starts trying to pull herself and Casey towards them, but Atherton leans back further to apply more pressure, which temporarily stops Angel in her tracks and gets a yell from the platinum blonde.

Zack: Casey is looking to get a submission, and I can’t tell you the last time I remember seeing Angel quit.

Dante: Well that’s her fault then if she gets injured and has to disappear for another half year or more or whatever it was.

Angel again starts trying to drag herself and Casey towards the ropes and this time she starts to make some progress. As they start to inch closer and closer, Casey again tries to stop her in her tracks. Angel yells again as Stringer asks the question for the second time if she wants to give in and still gets a defiant no in response. Angel grits her teeth and again keeps trying to move towards the ropes. Casey tries to readjust again to add more pressure, but as soon as she does Angel makes a lunge towards the ropes, forcing Casey to release the leglock, despite not reaching them entirely. The “Saviour” quickly gets back to her feet and heads straight for the top rope. As Angel tries to get the feeling back in her legs, Casey comes off the top rope with an elbow drop into her chest that flattens her back to the canvas. She gets straight back up for a leg drop from the top rope, this time getting into position for the cover and hooking a leg after she has.

Dante: That’s how you get things done, Casey! Is it any wonder she’s as amazing as she is?

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

THR-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

The platinum blonde gets her shoulder up before the three is complete and uses both palms to Casey’s chest to push her away. Casey rolls with the momentum and pops back up to her feet while Angel rolls to the ropes and uses them to steady herself as she gets back up to a vertical base.

Zack: Angel’s still not done, but she’s also not out of the woods yet either.

Casey closes the gap between the two of them, but Angel strikes first with a stiff kick to Casey’s thigh. She follows with a second and a third until Casey tries to step back to avoid them. Angel doesn’t let her get very far though before she grabs her shoulders to hold her in place while she delivers the kicks to her leg and side until the “Saviour” drops down to one knee. Angel quickly kicks the other leg to bring her down to both knees, and then uses another hurricanrana to the kneeling Casey to flip her back first to the canvas. Angel heads up to the top rope, making sure that Casey is still down before she launches herself off with a moonsault that she lands perfectly across Casey’s chest. Quickly hooking a leg the platinum blonde goes for a cover of her own as Stringer slides back into place.

Dante: Another moonsault! Doesn’t she know how to do anything else?! It didn’t get the win the last time...

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-NOPE!!!

Atherton gets her shoulder up before the three and Angel looks to Stringer asking for the three count. The referee shakes her head and confirms the two which gets a frustrated nod in response from Angel.

Zack: It might not have done the first time, but it’s a hell of a lot closer! Angel is a risk taker, and they’re paying off!

The platinum blonde gets back to her feet and watches as Casey slowly starts to rise. The “Saviour” barely makes it back to a vertical base before Angel fires her across into the ropes. Atherton rebounds off and straight into Angel’s WALKING THE DEMON brogue kick.

Angel grabs Casey to get her into position to deliver her spinning crucifix toss and then gets straight into position for the cover. Angel hooks both of the “Saviour’s” legs as Stringer drops down once again for the count. 

Zack: That’s gonna do it! I think Angel’s got this match in the bag!

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-WAIT!!!

Angel looks at the referee confused at the count stopping, until Stringer points out that Casey has managed to get her foot across the bottom rope.

Dante: Well you’d be wrong! Look at her glorious foot across the bottom rope! She’s not done at all!

As Angel asks the referee for the three, Casey starts to pull herself together behind her. She rolls to the ropes and uses them to pull herself up to her feet as Angel notices and turns round to face her. She takes off at a run towards the “Saviour” looking for a clothesline, but Casey narrowly manages to duck under her arm. Angel manages to stop her momentum but as soon as she turns to face her, Casey applies a front facelock and drapes Angel’s arm over her shoulder. The St Paul crowd boo her loudly, but that doesn’t stop her from executing her Falcon Arrow. She hooks both of Angel’s legs as Stringer gets back into position beside them for the count.

Dante: I know that falcon’s arrow from anywhere! Thanks for coming, Angel!

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Stringer gets back to her feet and calls for the bell as Angel manages to kick out, although it is already too late.

Kat: Your winner via pinfall…………………………”THE SAVIOUR” CASEY ATHERTON!

Zack: Another win for Casey tonight in St. Paul, but she’s gonna get hers sooner or later if and when Savannah gets her hands on her.

Dante: You’re really hung up on that. Trust me, Savannah doesn’t really want the match. But her husband should be relocating to a shelter for battered spouses.

Casey gets to her feet still being applauded by her choir as Stringer raises her hand to the disdain of the St Paul crowd. Once her hand is lowered, she leaves the ring and starts to make her way back up the ramp with her choir following after her, still applauding her. On this image the camera cuts elsewhere.





The Wish Corrupter

A video shows the recent history between Casey Atherton and Savannah Star before we head back to the live broadcast, and find the “Las Vegas Siren” alongside Amber. The reporter turns to the camera.

Amber: I’m here with Savannah Star, and I supposed I’ll be joined by her husband shortly as well. Is he not here with you tonight? 

Savannah rolls her eyes slightly as she turns her attention to Amber.

Savannah: Why WOULDN’T he be here tonight? But in answer to your question, yes he is here with me tonight. He’s actually meeting with his DEAR sister right now.

Amber: Ahh okay. Well he was scheduled to be here with you, so that’s why I was ask--

Amber stops herself mid-sentence upon the arrival of Savannah’s husband. Seth’s jaw is still sporting some discoloration left over from the shot to the face he took a few weeks ago.

Seth: Well there is SOME good news out of that meeting. My apologies for taking as long as I did. I honestly expected just to get a flat “No” and thrown out, which wouldn’t have even taken more than a minute. 

Considering their, well,  contentious, relationship with the FFW owner, it wouldn’t surprise Savannah at all if she had Seth thrown out of the building.

Savannah: See Amber? He’s right here, just like scheduled. And I guess SOME good news is better than NO good news, but it’s Samantha that we are talking about here. So what happened?

Seth: Well I’ll give you the positive first. She has agreed to give you another match with Casey with the stipulations you requested. The Choir will be barred from the building, not just from ringside. And it will be No Disqualifications.

Both those announcements get a pop from the live crowd.  Savannah nods slowly, feeling excited, but also cautious. 

Savannah: Well that is great news. But you know as well as I do there is always a catch. So...what is it?

Seth: One, she wouldn’t give me the exact date of the match and only that it would be soon. And two, there are two riders on getting that match. And if one or both aren’t met, it will be postponed indefinitely.

Amber: Did she explain what those riders are?

Seth: Yes. For one due to potential legal action, Savannah can not put her hands on any member of the Choir in the meantime, unless it is in self defense. If she does, no match will take place. 

Savannah shuts her eyes for a second and lets out a breath.

Savannah: Dare I ask what the second one is?

Seth: A bit more ominous. The second is a favor to be named later, and completed without question. I wasn’t able to get any more details other than that.

Savannah: So that’s it? Those are the only two stipulations riding on me getting my hands on Casey again?

A pause as she bites the tip of her tongue.

Savannah: Fine.

Amber: Well that sounds like we have a deal. I’m very curious about the favor to be named later though.

Seth: You and I both, Miss Carano. I thought the first rider was fairly easy. Savannah has largely only defended herself against that group of zealots as it is when they’ve gotten involved in matches. 

Savannah: Not putting my hands on any Choir member..that will be easy. Annoying as they are, they are fairly easy to tune out. But the second rider…

She shakes her head.

Savannah: That one is a lot more interesting.

Seth: Perhaps we can get a date on this rematch now that all the conditions have been met. And yes, the second one is concerning. 

The couple exchange glances before the show heads to commercial. 


Class Of Her Own

The next shot is of the empty XCel Energy Arena earlier in the day. Seated in two of the seats just behind the barricade at ringside is the FFW Champion Shaughnessy O’Neill and Kyle Kilmeade. 

Kyle: I keep getting this question fairly often, so I’m going to answer it here once and for all. People seem to think there’s some big conflict of interest from me as it pertains to me managing the FFW Champion as well as someone in the Franchise. 

He rolls his eyes as he even says it.

Kyle: Let me be clear. I manage ONE person in the Franchise, Mel Avilo. I don’t manage Jo nor Charlotte. I do manage the reigning FFW Champion as well. And it’s not Mel facing off for the title at Relentless. It’s the woman who has now been champion for over a calendar year, just like she was when she was half of the Unity Champions. This woman, Shaughnessy O’Neill. So there is no conflict of interest, because Jo’s career and success has zero bearing on me. None at all, and that’s not changing. Shaw’s career does, and I am 100% in her corner at Relentless as she successfully defends the FFW Championship once again that night. 

Shaw: So there you have. No conflict of interest in the slightest. Not even close to being a conflict of interest. And would it matter if there was a conflict? I mean, we’ve seen Christian manage both halves of a title match haven’t we? And believe me, Kyle is every bit as professional as a manager as Kincaid could ever dream of being and I’m sure would stay out of any match between two of his clients. Like he said, at Relentless, he’s going to be in my corner. He’s going to be backing the winning horse. He’s going to be backing a woman who has dominated every division that she has ever held a title in like no other. A woman who was the brains behind smashing the record for the longest Unity Tag Title reign in history and setting a benchmark no-one else has ever come close too. A woman who has become the first ever person in FFW history to hold the FFW Championship for a full calendar year.

A smile crossed her lips.

Shaw: Can you blame him for being behind a Quebecois? A natural born winner and arguably the greatest FFW wrestler ever?

Kyle: The other question I get asked, and Shaw has been as well, is what about Tommy? What about Tommy McFarlane? It’s like people have forgotten that I’ve stood across from other managers in major matches before. Am I worried about Tommy? No. I’ll give you two reasons, so hopefully we can put that whole question to bed. Number one, Tommy is the hired muscle. He’s the failsafe WHEN not if Jo gets into trouble. He makes a living fighting in the ring and training others to do the same. I make a living thinking and strategizing and helping my talents perform at their best. So when the day comes that I can’t outsmart hired muscle, that’ll be the day I am done. I guarantee you I’m a lot smarter than he is. And number two, the only reason he does what he does is because he knows his daughter can’t get the job done on her own anymore.

He shrugs his shoulders at that.

Kyle: If he actually thought she was competent enough, not only would he not get involved but he also wouldn’t even be there. Now I get a lot of blame for being involved in matches, but look at the last few matches my clients have had. When have you seen me touch an opponent, much less use a weapon on them? Hard to come up with, isn’t it? When’s the last time you saw me unfairly help Shaw retain her FFW Championship? The only time you can bring up is when I threw water on her after Savannah got a lucky shot at Unstoppable. Nothing against the rules about reviving your client. So the point is the mere presence of him at ringside fighting his daughter’s battles with her is proof enough for me to know I have nothing to worry about at Relentless. Because for Jo to pin Shaw or make her submit, she’s gonna need Tommy, his wife, a grandma if there is one, great aunt Gertrude, and Uncle Sheamus and cousin Roy with a gimpy leg. She may want to call one of her sisters who just came back, and see if there’s any creatures of night still lurking in the Belmont family she can bring. It’s not gonna happen. Shaw has proven to be the definitive FFW Champion, as far as I’m concerned. And Jo has proven to be the best outsourcer #1 contender ever. Bring the whole damn clan, the result won’t be any different at Relentless. 

Shaw nodded her head.

Shaw: There’s no word of a lie been told by Kyle. Every word is the God’s honest truth. Kyle didn’t help me win this title, he’s done nothing outside of the rules to help me keep it. And he’s completely on the money when he says that Jo should bring the family with her because, for as many title as she’s won in this company, she’s not even close to being in my league. Sure, Charlotte will talk her up and Jo can claim to be Samantha’s chosen one, a figurehead for her group - even if she was the first replacement after Savannah Star was deemed unacceptable. The truth is, while she can hand out assists to Tommy, while she can let him carry her in tag matches against the likes of Andi Takata and Nevaeh Summers and let him toss her kendo stick after kendo stick after kendo stick in order for her to pad out her win record, the only way that I’ve ever lost a title belt in FFW is thanks to a referee who two weeks before was fangirling so hard over my opponents that she practically swooned when they signed her shirt. I promise you, that’s not changing at Relentless. No. At Relentless, Jo might prove that she’s a franchise player, but I’ll show I’m the marquee name; I’m the one selling tickets when my name is put above the door, that I’m the one who makes things happen out there. I’ll prove that I’m the one who, all by myself, is a game changer - a woman who reaches new levels and who does so week after week, match after match. I’m the one with no equal and no peer. That I am a step above and in a class of my own.

Her manager gives an agreeing nod before the show returns to the live broadcast. 

[Adam Grant]

 

Kat: The following match is scheduled for one fall to a finish. It is an Unlikely Allies tag team contest and it is your Main Event of the evening!!

Zack: These Unlikely Allies matches are always interesting, and we don’t see them very often. Imagine having to work with your least favorite person at your job, or in some cases, the person you hate most. That’s kinda the idea here. I’ve got one of Lilly Arthur’s best friends joining me, Harley Shannon. Imagine, this could have been you teaming with Lacey tonight!

Harley:  Yeah, that would be a really interesting proposition Zack. Lacey and I, teaming together. Yeah. I’m not sure how well that would work out...and I probably wouldn’t trust her not to pull some trick out of the back that could cost us the match. Or turn on me on a dime.

The lights go out in the arena.

Suddenly, on the screen, the following video is being played….

A pair of boots is shown walking across the screen. As they stop and turn to face the camera, the intro of "This Time I Want It All" by Pea McGee plays, with the camera pulls back to reveal Valentina Lozano, dressed in her wrestling gear and standing in a dominant pose. Before long, Valentina begins to “levitate” upward, as if she is flying, just as the song drops, ending up…

…rising from beneath the stage, with the lights of the stage and the ramp illuminating in gold while the spotlight focuses on the stage. She’s still standing in a dominant pose, hands on her hips and squinching at the crowd in a look of detest, but nonetheless, ready to take care of business.

Kat: Making her way to the ring, representing The Privileged Circle, hailing from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, weighing one hundred and thirty-five pounds. She is “The Latin Goddess”…

VALENTINA LOZANO!!!!!!

Valentina then confidently strides her way to the ring, with the spotlight completely focused on her and the arena erupts with a thunderous array of boos from the capacity crowd showering down on her, Valentina is soaking up the reaction, even though she ignores it. Meanwhile, while she’s walking down, Valentina's entrance video is shown on the big screen, profiling her likeness and footage of her in action.

As Valentina reaches the ringside area, she walks up and walks across the edge of the ring. She looks around the arena, not directly seeing the crowd through the darkness, but knowing that they’re out there as she sees the consistent flashing lights of the cameras and the still boisterous reaction from the crowd.

After wiping her feet on the apron and entering the ring, Valentina strides towards two opposite ring posts in where she climbs up and extends her arms out, looking on with a smirk and posing to the crowd with complete confidence. She’s taking in the atmosphere while the crowd reaction continues and the cameras flashing.

After going through her ritual, Valentina climbs down and makes her way towards the corner to take off her robe and then readies herself as she waits for her opponent to arrive or for the match to begin.

Zack: I don’t expect there to be much in the way of chemistry or tag team continuity with Valentina and Lilly. We heard their team powwow at Breaking Point, and it didn’t instill me with confidence for them getting along terribly well, Harley.

Harley: These two have a history, Zack. They’ve never gotten along, they’ve always been at odds with each other and on the wrong side of the divide, if only because of their different backgrounds and Valentina’s attitude towards anyone who isn’t her friend.

“All Stand Up” by Status Quo starts to play as the young lady runs out onto stage, heading to one side she urges the crowd to their feet, clapping her hands above her head. Skipping across to the other side, she waves them to their feet as she once more claps her hands over head. Quickly moving back to the ramp, she sprints down to the ring, sliding underneath the bottom rope and getting to her feet quickly. Bouncing off the ropes she powerslides across the ring on her knees before hopping to her feet and continuing to rally the crowd by stomping on the mat and clapping as she heads for her corner.

Kat: The young lady approaching the ring comes from Sheffield, England by way of New York City, New York. She is 5’7” tall and weighs 144lbs….LILLY ARTHUR!!!

Zack: There’s a long list of people Lilly would prefer to team with on the FFW roster, my broadcast partner for this match included. But certainly not the woman she’ll face at Relentless to crown the next No Surrender Champion.

Harley: I think she’d rather tag with pretty much anyone else on the roster to be honest Zack, but that is part of what makes these matches so intriguing. Can they put their differences aside for thirty minutes and do their best to win the match, or will it all fracture and fall apart?

Kat: And introducing their opponents….

I told ya, baby
Uh-oh
I told ya

The arena darkens as “Rockstar 101” by Rihanna begins to play before the camera takes us behind a woman with purple hair. She steps out onto the stage, raising her hand and making a fist as the camera looks over her shoulder. She tosses her sunglasses on her head out to the crowd as she heads towards the ring.

Rocking these diamonds
I'm rocking this chain
Make sure you get a picture
I'm rocking my fame

Kat: Introducing from Atlanta, Georgia, this is the Princess of the Reed family……...BIANCA REED!!!!

Bianca climbs up onto the apron, drops into a split before sliding under the bottom rope to the inside. She brings her legs together and hops to her feet, already making eye contact with her opponent and running them down verbally while her music fades and before the bell even rings.

Zack: Bianca Reed has been chasing the Evolution Championship since Unstoppable last year. She plans to end that chase at Relentless, but she’ll have to work together with the champion tonight if she wants to win. And we both know Bianca always looks for a win.

Harley: It’s the same competitive desire that Lilly and Valentina are looking towards to try and keep them on the same page. We’ve seen just how focused Bianca can be when she wants to be and that might make it a whole lot easier for her to find common ground with Scarlett tonight.

“Body Say” by Demi Lovato starts to play through the speakers around the arena and the lights dim to almost full darkness.

If I had it my way, I would take you down
If I had it my way, I would turn you out
And if my body had a say, I would come again
Scared of what I might say, 'cause I'm at the edge

As the opening lyrics end Christian Kincaid steps out and holds the curtain back to allow Scarlett Silver to make her way out onto the stage. As she steps forward a red spotlight lights up the stage where she walks, making the effect almost like a red carpet for her to walk on. When she stops center stage the spotlight raises to shine down on her, as she stands with one hand on her hip and the other holding her title belt over her shoulder.

And our eyes are crossing paths across the room
There's only one thing left for us to do

Kat: Introducing at this time… Hailing from Los Angeles, California and accompanied to the ring by her manager….Your FFW Evolution Champion…….”The Star Distraction” Scarlett Silver!

You can touch me with slow hands
Speed it up, baby, make me sweat
Dreamland, take me there 'cause I want your sex
If my body had a say, I wouldn't turn away
Touch, make love, taste you
If my body told the truth, baby I would do
Just what I want to

Scarlett struts down the ramp running her hands slowly down her sides to her hips, with a smirk on her face, while Christian follows a few steps behind. Pausing halfway down she sways her hips in rhythm with the music and slowly blows a kiss out to the crowd. She gives her hair a fluff and gives her title a pat before she continues on her way.

If I had it my way, I would take the lead
And if I had it my way, I would take you deep
If my body had a say, I'd get it off my chest
Show you all the red lace underneath this dress

Silver reaches the ring and slides under the bottom rope before taking her time to push up to her knees. After a few seconds she jumps to her feet and then climbs onto the turnbuckle facing the stage. She raises her title up high above her head and then jumps down to join Christian in her corner, for a last minute, pre-match discussion.

Zack: I think we can both agree, Harley, that Scarlett is the wild card of this match. It really depends on which Scarlett we see tonight. Is it going to be the woman who has been knocking out wins left and right with a newfound focus and fierceness? Or is it the Scarlett who spends a fair amount of time worrying about her hair and makeup in a match? 

Harley: You’re right Zack. If I’m Scarlett though, I’m looking to keep that momentum that I’ve built up lately going. I’d want to be focused and fierce and I’d like Bianca to see first hand what she has to overcome if she wants to be the Evolution Champion at Relentless.

Scarlett held the title up in front of her face, checking her hair for a moment while Jennifer Stringer kept Valentina and Lilly in their corner, telling them to decide who was going to start for their team. As Silver continued to check her appearance, Bianca stared covetously at the title and as soon as Silver noticed she turned away from Reed, putting her body protectively between the number one challenger and the title belt before she passed it to Christian on the outside. As Stringer went towards the Evolution title corner and told them to decide who was starting first, Lozano patted Lilly on the back and told her that she had this match, Scarlett doing likewise with Bianca Reed. 

Zack: Looks like we’re getting the Scarlett who worries about her appearance tonight. Meanwhile, I’m not sure Lilly got a vote in who started for her team. 

Harley:  I think Scarlett is just making sure Bianca knows who the Evolution Champion is and how much she’s determined to keep hold of that belt. Besides, it’s not like the match has started just yet.

Stringer called for the bell and the two wrestlers moved towards the middle of the ring and exchanged a fist bump before they started to circle around each other for a moment or two before they entered into a collar and elbow tie up. The pair struggled back and forth for a moment before Reed sent Lilly down to the canvas with a monkey flip. The pair rolled over and came back to their feet simultaneously only for Bianca to dart forward and catch Arthur with a leaping knee strike to her chest. Lilly staggered backwards as Reed landed on her feet and followed up instantly with a spinning roundhouse kick to the side of the head that dropped Lilly down to the canvas. The Sheffield native pushed up to all fours and received an elbow drop to the top of her spine sending her down to the canvas once more. Reed didn’t waste any time in pulling the woman back to her feet, hooking her head in a front facelock and started to deliver knees into her chest before she took her down with a DDT.

Zack: If it comes down to a battle of speed, Bianca’s gonna keep Lilly off guard as long as they are in there. Bianca’s already taken early control of this match. I don’t think these two have ever even been in a ring together before tonight, Harley.

Harley:  No and I think Lilly will have her work cut out for her and her hands full with Bianca tonight. She has to find a way to slow her down and stop her in her tracks.

Again Lilly started to rise back to her feet only for Bianca to bring the Englishwoman up to her feet once again only to snap off a side Russian leg sweep taking her down to the mat. Reed kipped quickly to her feet and left them to drop a leg across  her chest. Lilly sat up and started to come to her feet once again, spinning back around to face Killer B who caught her in the jaw with a standing dropkick that saw the Englishwoman drop down to the mat once more. Quickly Bianca pulled her upright and shoved her back against the ropes, unloading on her chest with a series of knife edge chops, landing six in quick succession before she Irish whipped Lilly across the ring. As Arthur barrelled across the ring, Reed dropped back to the ropes, firing herself off the ring ropes and meeting Lilly on her return with a flying clothesline that took her down to the mat once again. Lilly sat up and received a stiff kick to the middle of her chest from her opponent as she did so, following it up with an elbow drop to her body before she made the cover.

Zack: Bianca’s wasting no time in looking for the win either. No one in the ring is punching a time clock after all!

One…

T--

Harley: Much too early to put Lilly away but at least it’s put Lilly on warning and she knows that she’s not going to get an easy ride tonight.

Lilly kicked out and was again pulled up to her feet by the Georgia native who grabbed hold of her wrist and was Irish whipped into the Evolution allies corner. Reed followed in behind her foe and left her feet to deliver an avalanche splash before she grabbed hold of the top rope and started to fire off side kicks into her midsection. The referee called for the break and started to use the count, getting to four before Bianca stopped landing the kicks and made the tag to Scarlett. The California native stepped through the ring ropes and the two began to alternate between laying kicks into Lilly’s stomach. The referee used the count, getting to four once more before the two unlikely allies for the Evolution Championship brought the British born wrestler out of the corner and sent her down to the mat with a double hip toss. Bianca stepped out of the ring as Scarlett drove a stiff kick into Lilly’s spine, freezing her up for a moment - long enough for Silver to land another kick. 

Zack: Would you look at that? A little teamwork there makes the dream work. Maybe Bianca and the Evolution Champion do have some common ground, Harley. 

Harley: As we said I think the most important thing for them tonight is that they try to keep that momentum going. Plus, with the exception of a Fast Track triple threat a couple of years ago, I don’t think these two have ever said a cross word to each other.

Arthur began to rise to her feet once more only for the Evolution Champion to grab hold of her by the arms before she took her down to the canvas with a spinning neckbreaker. Lilly kicked her feet against the mat for a moment, holding her neck before she started to sit up, Silver dropping down behind her and locked in a rear chinlock, pressing her knee into the top of her spine. Scarlett wrenched on her head, pulling her backwards fiercely to drive her knee into her backbone further. As Silver pulled the Englishwoman’s head backwards she freed one of her hands and started to club her forearm into the Sheffield natives body. She delivered five blows before she stood up and drove a knee into the top of her spine once again then reached back to make the tag to Reed before she re-applied the rear chinlock. 

Zack: Definitely seeing a lot more continuity and teamwork from Scarlett  and Bianca. Those two have went at it before over the Fast Track title, so I’m a little bit impressed they are working so well together thus far. 

Harley:  Time can heal wounds Zack and that Fast Track title match was a while back. Looks like it was long enough that they’ve been able to let it go a little bit and wait for Relentless to really bare their teeth.

Bianca stepped through the ropes and took off across the ring to deliver a sliding forearm to Lilly’s face a moment after Scarlett released the chinlock. Quickly Bianca pulled the No Surrender Champion up to her feet only to deliver a codebreaker as Scarlett dropped back to come off the ropes and caught Arthur as she bounced off the Georgia natives knees to drive face first into the mat with a one handed bulldog. Silver rolled out of the ring and headed back to her corner as Lilly bounced off the canvas and landed on her back while Reed was in motion once again, hitting the ring ropes and came back towards the prone Arthur with a rolling thunder backsplash. Reed leaned back across Lilly and reached to hook the leg.

Zack: Lilly hasn’t even gotten out of the starting blocks tonight, and Valentina may get paid to do nothing at this rate!

One…

Two…

...TH-

Harley: I’m sure that’s too much of a bad thing for Valentina is it Zack? Lozano stays fresh as a daisy, while Lilly gets worked over ahead of their big match at Relentless.

Lilly kicked out once more and was brought back to her feet by Bianca who locked in an arm wringer on the Englishwoman, pulling her back towards the Evolution Champion in the corner and made the tag once more to Scarlett. The Californian stepped through the ring ropes and took hold of Lilly’s free arm, locking in a match arm wringer before the pair swept Lilly’s legs out from underneath her simultaneously as they both drove her down into the mat. Neither of them wasted any time as they both brought Lilly up to her feet, each one placing an arm across her chest as they stood her up and slammed her back first into canvas with a double STO. Reed left the ring as Scarlett made the cover and hooked the leg of their opponent. 

Zack: And again, there’s another cover and more teamwork from Bianca & Scarlett! 

One…

Two…

...THR-

Harley: You’ve got to hand to Scarlett and Bianca, they’re showing excellent tag team work here - though we shouldn’t be that surprised. CK is an excellent tag team wrestler in his own right and Silver is a former Unity Champion..she knows what it takes to win matches like this.

Lilly kicked out again and Scarlett came quickly back to her feet and delivered a knee drop into her foe’s chest. Lilly rolled to her side and once more found herself brought to her feet again, Silver taking hold of her wrist as she got the Englishwoman upright and jerked her into a short raised knee to her midriff, bending Lilly double which let the Evolution Champion hook her head to set her up for a DDT which she never got a chance to deliver as Lilly suddenly dug her heels into the mat and shoved her opponent backwards, picking up speed as she drove Scarlett backwards into a neutral corner. Arthur quickly followed up with three more shoulder thrusts into Silver’s midsection before she stepped back, pulling Scarlett away from the pads before she sent her over her head and down to the canvas with a back body drop. 

Zack: There we go, Lilly’s finally getting some offense in! I guess you can only go so long before you get tired of being pounded.

Harley: Scarlett took a little too long over that DDT and Lilly managed to get an opening. You can bet that she’s going to capitalise on it. Or at least get herself enough breathing space to make a tag.

Quickly Silver started to rise back to her feet as Lilly turned towards her and began fire off kicks to the Evolution Champions chest and body, only for Scarlett to block one of her opponent’s strikes, shoving her leg back the way it came as she did so. Arthur staggered for a moment and the American caught her with a front kick to the gut which saw her lean forward and Scarlett plant the Englishwoman face first into the mat with a sit out facebuster. Lilly rolled slowly over onto her back as Scarlett darted towards the ropes, coming off them with a lionsault...that saw her land across Lilly’s knees. The Chaotic Temptation knelt up, cradling her gut with her arms and the former Future Shock Champion pulled her opponent downwards into a small package pin attempt.

Zack: Lilly’s got things going, and looking for what is probably a premature win over Scarlett! Fans may remember Lilly is the one who relieved Scarlett of her Fast Track title last year. 

One…

Two…

...THR--

Harley: And it almost happened again!! Lilly almost surprised Scarlett off that lionsault but you’ve got to give the Evolution Champion credit for having that resilience and toughness to kick out.

Silver kicked out in the nick of time and looked to the referee to check that it was just a two count before she started to come to her feet while Lilly was already crawling towards her corner. Scarlett took off after her as Lilly dove towards Valentina’s outstretched arm...and face planted on the canvas as the Californian caught her by the ankle causing her to come up short on the tag. Lilly tried to push her way up to her feet as the Evolution Champion made to drag her back towards Bianca in the corner. As they reached the middle of the ring, the Englishwoman managed to get one foot underneath her, hopping her up and do as she stretched out towards Valentina, finding herself still going backwards before she shook her head and launched herself into a reverse roundhouse kick to the face. Scarlett dropped down to the canvas as Lilly landed on her knees. 

Zack: Lilly wants a tag, but you wonder how much she even trusts Valentina to hold up her end of the deal? Unless it’s Isis, she’s not known for being a big team player too much. 

Harley: She doesn’t have that much choice really Zack. She either makes the tag or she continues to get worked over by Scarlett and Bianca. At this point, Valentina is the lesser of two evils

Again the Englishwoman started towards the No Surrender Contenders corner, coming to her feet as she did so. Once more Scarlett went after her, looking to cut Lilly off as she made it to her feet , wrapping her arms around her waist only for Arthur to start firing off back elbows catching Scarlett with three rapid fire shots to the side of her head. The Evolution Champion staggered backwards before she was sent dropping down to the mat by a Pele Kick from the English No Surrender hopeful. Lilly quickly pushed up to her knees and dove forward making the tag to Lozano. Quickly the Canadian entered the ring and charged towards the rising Silver catching her with a clothesline that saw the Evolution Champion hit the mat. Quickly the Californian started to rise only for Valentina to scoop her up off her feet and drove her downwards into the canvas with a sidewalk slam. 

Zack: Valentina’s picking up where things left off. Do you think it’s playing in Lilly’s mind because she’s not used to being teamed with someone who is as popular as polio? Do you think the boos for her team are getting to Lilly at all? 

Harley: Maybe a little bit, but she has to remember that these fans still love her and she had no say in her partner, so she has to do her best to ignore these boos and focus on the job in hand.

Silver sat up, holding her spine and was quickly jerked the rest of the way to her feet by two handfuls of hair from the first ever two time Global Wars winner who quickly sent Silver flying into a neutral corner with a beal throw. Scarlett started to pull herself upright and Valentina came chasing in after her, driving a running knee into the gut. Lozano quickly followed it up with three more raised knees into the Evolution Champion’s middle; the referee calling for the break and using the count, reaching three before Valentina jerked her foe out of the corner and sent her across the ring with an Irish whip. Again Lozano charged in behind the Californian, delivering a clothesline to her a moment after she hit the turnbuckle pads. Valentina stepped back, Silver staggering out after her which allowed Valentina to drive a knee into her stomach once more before she fed her arm between her legs, lifted her up and slammed her to the canvas with a pumphandle slam. Lozano followed that up with a knee drop before she made the cover and hooked the leg.

Zack: Valentina would love to have a win over Scarlett and be a #1 contender in two divisions!

One…

Two…

...T-

Harley:  I’m sure that’s probably playing a little bit on her mind. I’m sure she’s also thinking back to last year when the Privileged Circle challenged Chaotic Temptation for the tag titles and Scarlett really turned heads with her performance in that match.

Silver kicked out of the pinfall and was quickly pulled back up to her feet where Lozano shoved Scarlett back into the corner where she brought her foot up and pressed it across her throat to choke her out in the corner. The referee called for the break and began to use the count, the Latin Goddess milking it for all she could, lowering her foot to the mat a fraction before the referee reached five. Valentina ignored the reprimand from the official as she drove a heart punch into her foe’s chest and followed it up with an enzuigiri to the side of her head. Scarlett dropped like a rock into a sitting position in the corner as the Toronto native came back upright and began to drive her boot into the chest of the Evolution Champion with a series of mudhole stomps, walking them dry while Stringer asked for the break in vain and began the count again. Right before the five Valentina stepped backwards and took a moment to play to the crowd who booed her loudly. 

Zack: This is something Valentina does a lot. She likes to antagonize the fans, but what she’s really doing is wasting time because Scarlett’s getting all the time she wants to recover. 

Harley:  You’re right Zack but Valentina is a little bit fresher than Scarlett having spent the first half of this match on the apron as a spectator. She can maybe afford a second or two to play to this crowd.

Valentina didn’t seem to give a damn about the crowd reaction to her as she stepped back towards Silver and once more used a handful of hair to yank her back up to her feet, shoving her back against the ropes once more and began to drive stiff forearms into her chest. She delivered four forearms before she grabbed hold of Silver’s wrist, yanking her away from her ropes before she lifted the Evolution Champion off her feet, spun around and drove her down into the mat with a spinning spinebuster. Lozano quickly made the cover once again, hooking the leg as she did so.

Zack: Scarlett & Valentina have met several times after the Circle jumped the champion in the ladies’ room at Unstoppable last year. And Lozano may be about to put her down again.

One…

Two…

...TH--

Harley:  You know Valentina would love to be able to gloat over getting one over her long time rival tonight and being able to brag about beating the Evolution Champion. She’s going to have to do a little though before she can do that.

Silver kicked out once more and was again pulled quickly to her feet by Valentina who didn’t waste any time as she lifted her foe onto her shoulders before she fell backwards to deliver a Samoan drop. Quickly Lozano came back to her feet and followed up with a knee drop into her foe once more before she again made the cover to hook the leg.

Harley: The Latin Goddess is pulling out all of her favourite moves tonight and she’s getting closer and closer to scoring a victory for her team!

One…

Two…

...THRE--

Zack: Still no dice for Valentina, who is being reminded how difficult it is to keep the Evolution Champion down.

Scarlett rolled the shoulder to stop the count before the three count and Lozano looked towards the referee, demanding the three from her only to get a shake of her head; the two count confirmed to her. The Toronto native shook her head in disgust at the official but didn’t argue any further as she pulled Silver upwards and into a single facebreaker that sent the Evolution Champion staggering backwards before she dropped down to one knee, holding her face with one hand. Lozano waved the California born wrestler to come back to her feet, measuring her up as she started to rise before she came forward and delivered the Priceless Kiss bicycle kick to her jaw. Silver crumpled to the canvas and with a confident grin upon her face, Valentina slowly dropped down to her knees and then lay across her opponent to make the cover, hooking the leg as she did so.

Zack: There’s the PRICELESS KISS!! That might do it after all!

One…

Two…

...THRE----

Harley:  NO!!!!!!!!!!! Scarlett just getting her shoulder up in time. I thought for sure Lozano had it the way Silver’s head snapped backwards!

Again Scarlett rolled her shoulder on two and seven eighths which saw Valentina again ask the referee for the three, only to get the two count shown to her which prompted Lozano to take up the mount position on top of her foe, cradling the back of her head with one hand as she drove forearms into her face. Stringer called for the break and started to use the count while Silver tried to cover up. As the official reached four, Valentina held her hands up, letting Scarlett’s head drop to the mat. The Evolution Champion tried to roll away, only making it as far as rolling onto her front before Lozano stopped her in her tracks and caught her in the Broken Spirit V2 bridging arm triangle choke submission hold. Stringer dropped down in front of Scarlett asking her if she wanted to quit and got a refusal from the American wrestler.

Zack: Valentina’s looking to make the champion tap out here. The last person I remember doing that was her partner, which was the night Lilly captured the Fast Track title. 

Harley: You think this is Valentina playing mind games with Lilly ahead of that No Surrender Championship at Relentless Zack? Though, a tag match might not be the smartest place to try for a submission.

The Latin Goddess wrenched the hold on a little tighter as the official asked once more, getting no reply from the Evolution Champion as she tried to find an escape to little avail. Once again Lozano wrenched up on the hold, making it all the effective as she had Scarlett trapped in the middle of the ring. As Scarlett’s hand hovered over the mat, looking like she was about to tap out, Reed came into the ring and broke up the hold by jumping into the air and catching Valentina with a double foot stomp to her stomach. Reed started to head back to her corner, trash talking Lozano as she did so, while Lilly entered the ring and went after Bianca, the pair beginning to exchange stiff right hands before Lilly altered up the location of her shots and caught Reed with a stiff shot into her kidneys. It froze Reed up for a moment and as Stringer tried to separate the pair, Lilly sent Bianca to the canvas with a snapmare, following it with a stiff kick to the spine. 

Zack: Quick thinking by Bianca, and now she’s got Lilly to deal with, just like at the start of this match. Except they aren’t the legal partners now.

Harley: The referee is right there though and is trying to assert her authority on this match and keep it to the legal partners. I’m sure Lilly is paying plenty of attention to the way Stringer is handling this match ahead of her stint as a referee at Sheffield Showdown on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile Lozano and Silver started to rise to their feet, Valentina holding her stomach before she went to assert herself on this match once more as she grabbed Scarlett by the head, looking to go for a suplex...only for Silver to block the first attempt and shove Lozano backwards. As the Latin Goddess got her balance Scarlett caught her with the Silver Spike. Valentina dropped down to one knee, gasping for breath while the Evolution Champion took a moment to get her bearings before pulling Valentina down into a small package pinfall...but not count was coming from the referee as she was busy separating Reed and Lilly; Bianca trash talking the Englishwoman as the Georgia native was halfway through the ropes while Arthur was being escorted back to her corner by the referee. As Lilly backed up, Stringer realised that Valentina was being pinned and dove into position to make the count.

Harley: Stringer’s just noticed the pin!!! Can Scarlett keep Lozano held down for three more seconds?!?

One…

Two…

...THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zack: Valentina got a little reprieve before the count started there, and we’ll never know if that would have ended differently otherwise. 

At the last possible moment Lozano managed to kick out of the pin attempt and rolled away, coming up to one knee, gasping for breath as she did so while Scarlett popped up to her feet, losing her balance for a moment which saw her drop down to one knee to steady herself, looking to the referee for the three count but only got the two confirmed. Silver stared at the referee in momentary disbelief before she rose to her feet and advanced towards Lozano, catching her with a running knee lift to the jaw. Valentina came up to her feet and allowed the Evolution Champion to grab hold of her by the wrist and whipped her across into a neutral corner. 

Zack: Valentina would love a tag right about now, but our former Unity Champion is showing what made her one with this isolation. 

Harley: Tag team 101 from Scarlett and you know if the tables were turned, Valentina would be doing the exact same thing and would be beating on Silver if she had the chance!

As Lozano struck the turnbuckles back first Silver took a moment to gain her bearings before she darted in after her, leaving her feet for a Koronco buster, hooking her legs over the top rope as she began to drive closed right hands into the side of Lozano’s head, even as the referee called for the break and began to use the count. The referee got to three before Scarlett adjusted her position on the top rope and brought the Canadian out of the corner with a headscissors takedown. The Evolution Champion spun straight back up to her feet and took a half second to look at Valentina before she headed back towards the neutral corner and climbed to the top rope. Scarlett pointed to the heavens before she launched herself into a double knee drop -  the first half of the Boom Boom! - only to crash down to the canvas as Lozano rolled out of the way at the last moment. Scarlett bounced straight back up to her feet and staggered off to the side where she made the tag to Bianca.

Zack: A much needed tag there for Scarlett, and now pound for pound one of the fastest strikers in FFW and possibly the next Evolution Champion is back in!

Harley: Scarlett needed that badly after Valentina drained the pool on her and Valentina could do with the same thing, but I don’t think she’s going to get the chance to make it to her corner.

Reed entered the ring as Valentina was starting to get her bearings and crawl towards Lilly Arthur in the No Surrender corner. Reed quickly grabbed the Canadian by the ankle and jerked her backwards to the middle of the ring where she dropped an elbow into her spine. Bianca quickly rolled onto her knees and reached across her opponent to grab hold of her wrists, pulling Lozano into a straitjacket choke hold. Slowly Valentina started to half rise under her own power, half pulled upwards in the hold by Bianca, Killer B letting her get to a vertical base before she took her down to the canvas with a straitjacket neckbreaker. Valentina started to push back up to her feet and as she did so, the Georgia native bounced off the ring ropes and delivered a koppu kick to the back of Lozano’s head as the Canadian made it to all fours. Reed quickly rolled her over to her back and made the cover, hooking the leg as she did so.

Zack: Man, Bianca’s not quick. She’s sudden, and Lozano could have some loose dental work right about now!

One…

Two…

...THRE--

Harley: Valentina’s somehow keeping this match alive, but I’m not sure how much she’s got left after everything that she’s absorbed since coming into this match.

Valentina’s shoulder popped up off the mat and Bianca looked to the referee, her expression turning to one of disappointment as the two count was confirmed. Reed brought Lozano to her feet and Irish whipped her into a neutral corner once more, following in behind her and left her feet to launch herself into a two footed dropkick into her chest, sending her back into the corner. Reed quickly came back to her feet and used a springboard side kick to send Lozano stumbling out of the corner. As the Privileged Circle member started to find her balance, Reed hopped onto the middle rope and came flying back towards her foe with a meteora that drove her done into the canvas.. Killer B trash talked the Canadian as she dropped down on top of and made the cover, hooking the leg as she did so.

Zack: Bianca Reed wakes up talking trash to the alarm clock, I think, and doesn’t stop till she curses it out before going to bed! This might be all for Valentina!

One…

Two…

...THRE----

Harley: Close but no cigar!!! Bianca’s getting nearer and nearer to picking up the victory though.

Again Lozano’s shoulder came up from the canvas at the very last second causing Bianca to come up to her feet and made for the corner. The number one contender to the Evolution Championship started to wave her foe upwards, measuring her up. Slowly Valentina came back to her feet and Bianca launched herself into the Cracker Jacker, catching Lozano perfectly and driving her down into the canvas. Bianca dove into the cover, hooking the leg once again.

Zack: CRACKER JACKER, and Lozano won’t get up from that! 

One…

Two…

...THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Harley: Valentina didn’t move a muscle!!! She owes Lilly big time for the save!!! This is pure desperation from the No Surrender Champions!!

Before the three count could be completed, Lilly entered the ring and broke up the pinfall with a baseball slide to the side of Bianca’s head. As Arthur made it to her feet she was jumped by Silver who started to pepper her with forearm blows, it caused Lilly to step backwards before she cut Scarlett off with a drop toe hold that sent the Evolution Champion down to the canvas. As the Englishwoman came to her feet, the referee tried to get her to go back to her corner only for Bianca to spin her around and began to throw forearms into the side of her head before Reed looked to take her to the canvas with a spinning roundhouse kick...only for Arthur to duck underneath it. Before Reed could try to deliver another move, Lilly sent her down to the mat with a German suplex. Again the referee tried to get her out of the ring only for Scarlett to return to her feet and look to attack Lilly, only for the Englishwoman to see her coming and stop her with a codebreaker. 

Zack: The referee’s lost control once again, and Scarlett got caught with that codebreaker for her troubles. 

Harley: Lilly’s just about manage to hold her own against both Bianca and Scarlett...though I’m not sure she can do it for all that much longer. The numbers game will catch up with her sooner or later!

Silver reeled backwards against the ropes and Lilly charged towards her to take her over the top rope and to the floor with a clothesline. Arthur spun around in the ring and as she did so, Bianca fired off a superkick towards her jaw; Lilly getting her hand up in front of her face but was still sent sprawling through the ropes to the apron. Bianca quickly turned back towards Valentina, seeing her get back to her feet and as she did so, Reed quick stepped forward and launched herself into a spinning heel kick that only got air thanks to a Matrix style backbend evasion from the Canadian. As Reed landed on her feet, Lozano grabbed her from behind, rolling her up into a schoolgirl pin attempt, grabbing a big handful of tights as she did so - unseen by the referee as she was sliding into position to count the fall.

Zack: Lozano with a rollup with so much of her tights hooked that Reed’s practically mooning this crowd!

One…

Two…

...THREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Harley: And it’s still not quite enough for Valentina to pick up the win!! What are they going to have to do to win this match?!?

At the last moment, Reed managed to get her shoulder up from the mat to break the pinfall and rolled away, coming to her feet as Lozano also forced herself upright. Bianca charged towards only for Valentina to catch her with a big boot to the face. Reed dropped to the canvas and rolled to the side, starting to come to her feet where she was caught by Valentina, two hands wrapping around her throat before she lifted the Atlanta native off her feet, turned and slammed her down into the canvas with the rydeen bomb. Lozano fell backwards to the mat. Stringer checked on both competitors before starting the count on both.

Zack: We’re down to a mandatory ten count now, and who could blame them! This is a great time to remind everyone that the first major event of 2020 is Future Shock’s Sheffield Showdown this Tuesday on FFW All Access. Three of these women in this match and my broadcast partner are all very familiar with the talents of the Future Shock roster. 

Harley: They are some of the most talented, driven and determined wrestlers in the world, Zack and I guarantee that this Tuesday on FFW All Access, you’ll see one of the shows of the year in Future Shock’s Sheffield Showdown! FFW All Access is just $9.99 a month. Sign up now and you’ll also get to see Relentless as well as every FFW show ever broadcast!

As the referee reached four both wrestlers began to stir, Lozano rolling to all fours and looking around the ring, finding the outstretched arm of her partner as Lilly had made it back to her corner, holding the tag rope and jaw with one hand. Reed slowly started to make it to her feet and went towards Lozano, reaching her just as the Canadian dove forwards and made the tag to her partner. Lilly used the top rope to launch herself into a slingshot shoulder tackle that caught Bianca and took her down to the canvas. Lilly rolled back through to her feet as Bianca scrambled up to hers and the Englishwoman caught her with a flash kick to her jaw that saw Reed fall backwards to the canvas. Again Killer B scrambled back upright only for Lilly to catch her on the way up, hooking her head and driving her downwards into the mat with a snap DDT. Lilly rolled her opponent to her back and made the cover, hooking the leg as she did so.

Zack: Reed got planted, and Lilly’s about to score one hell of a win heading into Relentless!

One…

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...THRE--

Harley: NO!! Reed wasn’t quite worn down enough but Lilly’s had time to recover and she’s more than ready to bring the fight to the number one contender to the Evolution Champion!

Bianca kicked out of the pinfall and started back to her feet, Lilly waving her upright as she measured her up, letting Reed get to her feet before she performed the Ali Shuffle and followed it up with a flurry of punches, finishing her combination with a European uppercut. Reed stumbled backwards and fell down to one knee which allowed Lilly to catch her with a bionic elbow to the top of her head. As Reed fell down to the canvas once again, Lilly once more dove on top of her to hook the leg for the cover.

Zack: That bionic elbow came all the way from Sheffield, and Reed may be out as a result!

One…

Two…

...THRE---

Harley: Barely a coat of paint between Stringers hand and the mat!! I don;t think Lilly can believe Reed’s kicked out!!!

Bianca rolled the shoulder this time and Lilly looked to the referee asking for the three count but nodded her head in acceptance of the two count and drove her back into the canvas once more with a double arm DDT. Once more Lilly rolled Bianca over and made the cover with the hook of the leg once more.

Zack: It’s certainly not for lack of trying with Lilly looking to score a win on Bianca in the last few minutes! Maybe this is the key!

One…

Two…

...THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Harley: It could not get any closer than that!!! By the absolute skin of her teeth, Bianca’s still alive in this contest!!!

Before the official could complete the three count, Scarlett made it into the ring and dove on top of Lilly with a double axe handle blow to the back of her head. Silver came back to her feet only for Valentina to meet her with the Priceless Kiss bicycle kick to her face that sent the Evolution Champion falling through the ropes to the outside. Christian went to check on his client as Stringer backed up Valentina to her corner, Lozano not putting up any fight at all as she walked across the ring and stepped straight onto the apron, shouting at Lilly to get the job done. Lilly was back up to her feet already as Bianca started to rise, the Englishwoman moving around behind her and as soon as the American was vertical, Lilly went to lock in a Full Nelson as the set up for the Tiger Lilly but was immediately fought off; Killer B refusing to let her trap her arm before she countered with a sit out jawbreaker. 

Zack: Bianca had that move scouted perfectly, and jacked Lilly’s jaw for even attempting it!

Harley: That was pure instinct by Reed, Zack. Instinctive and effective but can Bianca capitalise on this and find a way to win the match??

Lilly popped back up to her feet and reeled backwards into the ropes where Valentina made the blind tag. Arthur bounced off the ropes and left her feet and was surprised by Bianca who caught her with a vicious leaping knee strike to the underside of her jaw. It snapped Lilly’s head backwards, causing her to drop back against the ropes once more. Again Lilly stumbled forward and this time Bianca left her feet to springboard off the middle ropes and drive Lilly down onto the top of her head with a reverse Frankensteiner - the Read ‘Em and Weep! Bianca quickly pinned her opponents shoulder to the mat as Stringer tried to explain that Lilly wasn’t the legal woman. Bianca had a confused look as she came to her feet and started to question the referee, barely getting a word out as Lozano came off the ropes in front of her and delivered a spear to her midsection. Quickly Lozano jerked Bianca back up to her feet only to deliver an inverted stomp facebreaker followed by a rolling cutter - the Divine Intervention. Lozano confidently dropped to the floor and hooked the leg for the cover.

Zack: Reed just experienced DIVINE INTERVENTION!! 

One…

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...THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Harley: No-one but Stringer saw the blind tag and Valentina’s made it count!! A big win for the Privileged Circle member ahead of Relentless!! Though you’ve got to hand it to Bianca, I think she had it won if it wasn’t for that tag.

Stringer called for the bell as Valentina began to come back to her feet, Lilly following her, using the ropes as she did so. As the pair got to their feet, Bianca rolled out of the ring to land on her feet as Scarlett started to walk around the ring towards the entrance ramp, escorted by her manager.

Kat: Here are your winners, by way of pinfall... the team of LILLY ARTHUR and “THE LATIN GODDESS” VALENTINA LOZANO!!!!

Zack: Well I wouldn’t have guessed it, given their long history! But the two women who will be looking to become the next No Surrender Champion at Relentless worked well enough tonight to get the job done! I doubt Lilly’s gonna be expecting an invitation into the Circle though. 

Harley:  They found a way to score the victory...though I’m sure Valentina will take all the credit for this victory tonight and tell us that Lilly was just...here.

Zack: Thank you for joining us! This Tuesday night on All Access, the stars of Future Shock will put on a show at the Sheffield Showdown! Join us for that, and we’ll see you in England! 

The referee raised their arms in the air in victory only for Valentina to swiftly spin towards Lilly, kicking her in the gut to double her over before she spun her around and attempted to lift her up into the Crash of Inferiority chickenwing facebuster...only for Lilly to fight out of it before it could be delivered, landing on her feet and spinning around looking for a gamengiri kick to the side of her partners head...only getting air as the Canadian ducked out of the way. Lilly and Valentina went nose to nose before the camera cut to Bianca and Scarlett staring daggers at each other from a distance, before going back to the No Surrender contenders as the show faded off the air.